vanity.

After having spent time with his boyfriend as well as his best friend, Hunter was looking to spend time with the two of them together. He knew that Blaine and Scarlett didn’t exactly get along with each other but he’d hoped that they could spare a few hours together so he could have the best of both worlds. Managing to convince the two for a friendly outing at a karaoke bar, Hunter drove over to Blaine’s place with the intention of meeting Scarlett at the bar.

Alternatively, Blaine was not looking forward to the night ahead; he was trying his best to stay optimistic for the sake of his boyfriend. He promised Hunter that he would go into the evening with an open mind but if he were being honest he did not want to do it. He didn’t like that Hunter was so close to Scarlett; something about the girl rubbed him the wrong way.

“Ho, brah-- lookin’ slick, nah?” Duke greeted, opening the door for Hunter when the latter knocked, scratching the thick scruff on his chin.

Hunter didn’t know how this guy and Blaine could be related, let alone identical twins. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and offered Duke a polite and cursory smile. “Hey, is Blaine ready?”

Almost as if on cue, Blaine came out into the living area, a smile spreading across his face at his handsome boyfriend. He had gotten dressed in his typical fashion: colorful chinos, button up and a bow tie that complimented the colors he chose. He had slicked his hair back just a little with some gel. The sight of Hunter made him a little less tense; at least he’d get to spend the night with him. The other grinned right back when his eyes landed on Blaine.

“Hey handsome,” Blaine greeted, coming up to the taller and kissing him gently. Opening his arms, Hunter welcomed his boyfriend into the kiss. “Yes, I am ready to go. You know, we could always just go to the movies or something.” The shorter suggested, grabbing his coat and putting it on. “No talking and such.” He half-joked.

“Oh, a movie wouldn’t be as fun,” Hunter told Blaine as he helped him with his coat. Hunter gave Blaine a once-over and clicked his tongue. “Damn, Anderson, you clean up really well. You look delicious.”

Blaine sighed softly when Hunter turned down his movie idea but his negative feeling was shooed away when his boyfriend complimented him on his appearance, a deep blush painting his cheeks. “Yeah? Well, you’re not so bad yourself.” He said in a gentle tone before saying goodbye to his brother and leaving with Hunter.

They made their way out into the cold evening air to Hunter’s car, walking hand-in-hand, Hunter excited to reach their next venue. “Besides, I want to sing a duet with you; I think it’d be fun,” the taller said as he thought about the evening ahead with optimism. “It really means a lot that you’re coming with me to do this. I know Scar’s not the easiest person to be around considering how abrasive she is, but, she’s also my friend.”

Blaine paused for a moment and he gave a slight smile accompanied by a shrug. “I know it means a lot to you, of course I’m going. You… You’re really important to me, Hunter.” He said softly as they stood there for a brief moment. “I want to show you that, and if that means making nice with Scarlett, then I’m willing to give it my best shot.”

Hunter squeezed Blaine’s hand and offered up a genuine and grateful smile. “You’re important to me, too. I appreciate you a lot.”

Being the gentleman he was, Blaine went ahead just a few steps, opening up the driver’s side door for his boyfriend. Once they were settled in the car, he smiled at the prospect of singing with the taller once they were at the bar. “What do you wanna sing with me?”

“I think something flirty and silly like one of those High School Musical songs you kiddos are singing these days would be fun,” Hunter joked, though he was actually trying to think of an entertaining duet for the both of them. He wasn’t exactly a performer but he could carry a tune moderately well.

Hunter fired up Pandora on his radio to find a good duet. “I think Summer Nights is a little overrated,” he commented as he skipped the song. Sonny and Cher’s I Got You Babe came on next and Hunter raised his eyebrows at his boyfriend. “A contender, perhaps?” They started on their way towards the bar but not before Hunter sent a text to Scarlett that they would be there soon.

Blaine chuckled softly at the mention of High School Musical, shaking his head. “Wow, Hunter, I didn't take you for the High School Musical type- but I am one hundred percent down to go for that,” he half-joked. As the made their way to the bar they were meeting Scarlett, Blaine smiled to himself as Hunter flipped through songs to find the perfect duet for them. He found it extremely cute that his boyfriend was so eager to find their song. Their song. It was romantic and it sent flutters throughout his stomach.

“While I don’t necessarily agree about Summer Nights being overrated, I can agree that it’s a bit cliche.” He smiled, settling in the passenger seat with his hand resting on the middle console, fingers laced with Hunter’s once more. “Sonny and Cher?” He asked as the song began, his own eyebrow quirking. “I actually really like that a lot.” He said in agreement as he looked over to Hunter. “I like you a lot.” Blaine bit his bottom lip gently. It seemed with every moment he spent with the other man he was falling a little faster for him.

Hunter smiled when their hands laced together, the warmth of Blaine’s hand seeping into his own. He liked that the young man was so in tune with physical affection. He gave him a slight squeeze with his hand, grinning at him. “I got you, babe,” he winked at Blaine. A few other songs played on the radio and Hunter wasn’t quite sure which he really wanted to sing; he might’ve found a more contemporary duet for them so he didn’t want to make any sure decisions yet. Hell, maybe Blaine and Scarlett might’ve ended up singing a friendly duet together to smooth things over.

“And for the record, I like you a lot, too. Maybe after this, you and I can enjoy some alone time together,” Hunter suggested. While he thought this outing with the three of them might be good, it was true that he was missing the one-on-one time he shared with his boyfriend.

Meanwhile…

Before Scarlett had even left her home, she had started to pre-game. She was not looking forward to the night ahead in the least bit. She despised being under the same roof as Blaine and doing so willingly was going against every fiber of her being. She wasn’t looking forward to watching him hang all over Hunter as if he really meant anything to the man. If he was so special, Hunter wouldn’t have kissed her back. He would’ve dumped her the moment he and Blaine became exclusive if he was. She was nobody and if Blaine was everything Hunter wouldn’t bother with her at all.

Not that she cared. Of course she didn’t care, she was Scarlett after all. All she cared about was winning-- it’s not as if she had feelings for Hunter.

She arrived at the bar with a nice little buzz, not enough to be drunk, but just enough to make her feel lighter going into the night. Scarlett waited outside for the two to show up, her body tucked inside of Hunter’s leather jacket she still had from their little rooftop rendezvous, smirking to herself. Maybe she was an instigator, but it was an innocent mistake-- she grabbed his instead of hers by accident-- Whoops. As she stood outside, she shoved her hands inside the pockets of Hunter’s jacket. “Wha-?” She asked as she pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter, smiling to herself. “Alright, Green. Thanks.” Scarlett said to herself, opening up the box to find a single stick left. Throwing the box away in a nearby trash can, she lit up the cigarette, holding it between her lips as she took a long drag. As she blew the smoke out into the cold air as she checked the time. Just about that time, her eyes landed on the man’s familiar car and she smirked.

When they pulled up to the bar, Hunter saw Scarlett out front before they even parked. “Looks like she’s already here,” he pointed her out to Blaine. The shorter rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. When they got out of the car, Hunter made it a point to stroll up to the place walking hand-in-hand with his boyfriend. It wasn’t to make Scarlett upset but to assuage Blaine’s feelings that this night wouldn’t go as planned. It helped a little when Hunter slipped his hand into Blaine’s, causing the other to stand a little taller and walk with a little more confidence as they made their way.

“Hey, Red,” Hunter greeted his close friend, noticing his leather jacket around her. She looked good in his jacket but he was smart enough not to say so out loud. “Did you get a head-start on a buzz?” he was debating with himself whether or not he would drink since Blaine was still underaged and would most likely be spending this night sober.

“Hey babe,” she said as the two approached, throwing one arm around Hunter’s neck to hug him as she flicked ash off her cigarette in the other direction. “Of course I pre-gamed, you know me.” Scarlett had noted the two holding hands before and a fire ignited inside of her. She wasn’t afraid of Blaine in the least bit, she had everything he couldn’t give to Hunter and she knew it.

Blaine gave Scarlett a once-over as she greeted Hunter, narrowing his eyes at the way she hugged him and called him babe. He wouldn’t say anything; he’d bite his tongue for now. He wanted to show Hunter he was trying his best. “Hello Scarlett,” he said politely. “It’s nice to see you again.”

Scarlett tore herself away from Hunter for a brief moment to look at Blaine, giving him a nod and an uncertain look. “Professor,” She said, reaching to tilt the man’s bow tie. “Nice bow tie.” Scarlett chuckled, looking at Hunter before taking a drag of the cigarette. “Want?” She offered him, a tiny grin tugging her lips.

Hunter declined the offer of a drag, chuckling. “Maybe later?” he looked back at his boyfriend, aware that he wouldn't really like that. Hunter made an effort not to smoke around Blaine since he knew he didn't like it. Besides, he was also trying to quit. He pointed towards the door, letting Scarlett know they were going to go inside.

Blaine raised his eyebrows as they entered the loud bar. People were already singing, loudly and off-key, others were cheering and clapping. It was loud and noisy and not really Blaine’s scene, but he wanted to make the most of it. He wanted to have fun.

“Hey,” Hunter gave Blaine's hand a little squeeze. “I'm here to have a good time with you; I don't need alcohol or cigarettes to do that, okay?” He wanted Blaine to know that this evening out was about having fun, not getting sloshed.

Blaine gave a shrug when Hunter spoke. “I wasn’t really aware that you smoked together,” he sighed softly, swallowing his feelings for a moment and squeezing Hunter’s hand back. “It’s fine, everything’s okay. I’m gonna go find the karaoke list and put us down for our duet, okay?” He gave his boyfriend a small, reassuring smile before letting go of his hand. “Get us a seat, I’ll be right back.” He pressed his lips to Hunter’s cheek before going off to find whoever was in charge of karaoke night, fixing his bow tie to put it back in place.

With a small sigh, Hunter nodded and did his best to stay positive. He knew Blaine was trying his best but he could tell he was already tense from such a short exchange. Hopefully with some drinks in Scarlett and some songs flowing between the three of them, they could find some semblance of friendliness. The man scanned the bustling bar for an empty bar-height table and claimed it, pulling out one of the chairs.

Scarlett waited for a few moments before squashing out her cigarette. Taking a deep breath, she went inside and headed straight for the bar to order herself a couple of shots to take before she ordered drinks for the three of them. “Thanks, love, put it on my tab. I’ll be back for more.” She winked as she picked up the drinks and headed out to find where Hunter had found a table. Noticing Blaine wasn’t next to Hunter, she quirked an eyebrow. “Aww, did the Professor leave already?” She asked, placing one of the drinks in front of Hunter. “And here I was nice enough to buy him a drink.”

“Haha, retract the claws a bit there, Red,” Hunter chuckled, eyeing the glass set in front of him. He wasn't going to drink unless Blaine was going to, too. “Blaine went to go put our names down for some karaoke. Are you going to do any singing? Or are you just here for the booze?”

Scarlett raised her eyebrows when Hunter told her to retract her claws. “Oh, baby, you should know me better than that by now. I’m being so nice, you can’t even see my claws right now,” she chuckled. “I bought the child a drink,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. “I’m here for the booze- I don’t sing.” She shook her head. “Rachel got the voice, I got the smarts.” Scarlett snorted, looking at the other. “Are you?” A wide grin spread across her face. “Are you going to sing tonight, hotshot?”

Hunter nodded in response. “Yeah, that's the whole point of coming to a karaoke bar, isn't it? I want to at least sing a couple of songs.” From Scarlett's wide grin he suddenly felt a little put on the spot and chuckled. “I mean, I'm no Broadway junkie like your sister but I sing in the shower sometimes; I'm pretty good.”

After Blaine successfully signed him and Hunter up for a duet, he even extended a little bit of kindness and signed Scarlett up as well so she wouldn’t have to worry with it. Making his way through the crowd, he finally made it to the table with his boyfriend and Scarlett. She was standing too close to him; he didn’t like it. He didn’t like the way she seemingly thought she had nearly a chance with him. It was desperate and sad. “What’d I miss?” He asked, coming up to Hunter’s other side, slipping his arm around the taller’s waist.

“Hey, you,” Hunter beamed when Blaine returned to his side, an arm draping over the shorter man's shoulders to bring him in closer.

Scarlett eyed the shorter as he tried his best to show her that Hunter was his. It was cute; she was amused. “Nothing at all, kiddo. Here, got you a drink,” she offered, pushing the glass of liquid to him.

“Oh,” he looked down, a little surprised by the gesture. “I can’t drink, I’m only twenty.” His automatic response made him internally roll his eyes.

The girl raised her eyebrows, laughing once as if the shorter had told a joke. She looked between Hunter and Blaine and then back to Hunter. “Oh,” her face dropped. “He’s serious? You’re serious?” She looked at Blaine again, snorting as she picked up her own drink. “Whatever, dude.” Scarlett sipped her drink, she knew he’d be a stick in the mud but she didn’t think he wouldn’t drink with them. “Maybe a drink would loosen your bow tie a little there, professor.”

“Blaine doesn't have to drink if he doesn't want to; we don't all have to be buzzed to have a good time, right?” Hunter spoke up, giving Blaine's arm a reassuring squeeze. He didn't want the younger man to feel pressured into getting drunk. “Here, I'll buy you a Shirley Temple,” he volunteered, waving a waitress down to get Blaine a non-alcoholic drink.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and just drank her drink, doing her best to bite her tongue.

Blaine appreciated the way Hunter stood up for him but he still felt the pressure from Scarlett— he didn’t want her or Hunter to think of him as some stupid little kid. “No,” he reached for Hunter’s arm to stop him. “No, it’s fine, Scarlett was nice enough to get me a drink, I’ll drink it,” he said, almost uncertain. But as he exchanged looks with the girl he felt a little more confident in his choice. Taking the glass, he downed the alcoholic beverage and slammed the glass down on the table as it burned all the way down his throat.

Scarlett watched with an amused smirk as Blaine gave in and downed the drink. “Good boy,” she said, turning to the waitress and ordering another round on her.

Hunter on the other hand, watched with a bit of surprise as his boyfriend downed the drink. “Wow, Blaine, that’s, uh, actually kind of impressive… Not to mention hot,” he smiled.

The shorter man leaned more into his boyfriend as the crowds went wild for the person who was just finished singing and the emcee came on stage to announce the next singer and Scarlett heard her name come out of the man’s mouth.

“Excuse me?” She said, squinting at the stage.

“Oh! I signed you up already so you didn’t have to wait in that long line,” Blaine said with a smile, looking at her with a genuine smile. Hunter raised his eyebrows and laughed, nodding along.

“Oh, no, no.” Scarlett shook her head. “I don’t sing, no thanks.”

Blaine’s forehead wrinkled and his smile fell slightly. “Oh… I’m sorry, I thought you wanted to sing? It’s karaoke night, you have to sing!” he encouraged with another smile.

“Yeah, c’mon-- this is a karaoke bar, Red. You have to sing at least one song,” Hunter encouraged her as well-- or, challenged her. “Don’t tell me you’re too afraid to get up on stage and sing one little song?”

Scarlett didn’t appreciate the peer pressure coming right back onto her and normally she wouldn’t give in to such stupid challenges but with Hunter looking at her and with Blaine sitting there like he was so great, it got the best of her. “Fuck off, Green,” she said, downing her new drink and leaving the table to move to take her place on the stage. She whispered in the ear of the emcee to make sure they had her song. Taking the microphone into her hand, she looked out at the crowd of drunk people, butterflies in her stomach. She hated being in front of people, she hated being on stage, she felt extremely uncomfortable but she wasn’t going to let Professor Bowtie show her up.

“This is for all you bitches out there,” she pointed to the crowd before her finger landed on Hunter. “Especially you, Hunt.” She winked before clearing her throat as the opening chords to Bitch by Meredith Brooks began. Hunter blinked then, glancing at his boyfriend before turning his eyes back to her onstage.

I hate the world today You're so good to me I know but I can't change Tried to tell you But you look at me like maybe I'm an angel underneath Innocent and sweet

Scarlett’s voice shook as she sang, she wasn’t the greatest singer in the world-- Rachel was definitely more talented than she was-- but she wasn’t as bad as she thought she was. As the girl sang, she began to work the stage a little, feeling the buzz of the alcohol working throughout her bloodstream, giving her just a little more confidence. She strut across the floor and flipped her hair for the audience.

Hunter bobbed his head along to the beat, a slight smile as he watched the girl garner up her confidence.

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover I'm a child, I'm a mother I'm a sinner, I'm a saint I do not feel ashamed I'm your hell, I'm your dream I'm nothing in between You know you wouldn't want it any other way

After the chorus, Scarlett was getting even more into the song. The hot stage lights were making her cheeks a little red along with with the alcohol. Placing the mic on the mic stand, she smirked at the audience as she began to sing the next part of the song. Making a scene of stripping off Hunter’s leather jacket, showing off her skin as she wore only a little black tank top underneath, Scarlett seduced the audience and they cheered for her, a couple of guys hollering over the music at her. “Yeah, baby, take it off!” Wolf whistles that made her smirk a little bigger, tossing the jacket over a stool placed on the stage for the ballad singers.

Hunter chuckled under his breath, sure that Scarlett was probably thriving and enjoying all the attention. Seeing her work the audience was entertaining and his smile only grew as she continued her song.

Scarlett’s eyes had found their way to her ex-lover back at their table. By that point in the song, all of Scarlett’s nerves were hidden by a new confidence that the audience and liquor had given her. “I'm a bitch, I'm a tease, I'm a goddess on my knees.” She winked directly at Hunter, causing Blaine’s forehead to wrinkle.

When you hurt, when you suffer I'm your angel undercover I've been numb, I'm revived Can't say I'm not alive You know I wouldn't want it any other way.

When she was finished, the bar erupted into applause and all of those men wolf-whistling her once again, causing her to chuckle and take a bow. She grabbed Hunter’s jacket and slipped it back on before hopping off the stage and making her way back to the table, though she was stopped a couple of times and given a number or two that she slipped into her bra with a devilish smirk at her suitors.

Hunter was wearing a half-amazed, half-surprised expression when she had returned. She was amazing and really owned that stage, even if some of her flirting might've been deemed just a tad inappropriate. Still, Hunter was impressed.

Blaine had been shifting his focus between Hunter and the girl on stage, watching his boyfriend’s face carefully as he reacted to the way she performed. He couldn’t get a complete read on Hunter’s face just from those couple of minutes alone, but the amazed expression was a little unsettling. He shook his head to shake off the feeling and clapped for the girl as politely as possible.

“Way to go, Red-- The audience loves you!” Hunter said with a grin, handing her a drink the waiter had brought by while she'd been on stage. “I think Blaine did you a huge favor by getting you up on that stage.”

While Blaine found her performance incredibly inappropriate, he did admire that she swallowed her fears and got up there anyway. “He’s right, they love you.”

Scarlett giggled softly, taking the drink from Hunter. “Of course they do,” she downed the drink quickly as to not lose her buzz. “Yeah, Professor,” Scarlett said, looking at Blaine and reaching down in her bra to grab the numbers she’d accumulated on her way back to the table. “Thanks to you, I’ve got some prospects for a new fuck buddy.” She chuckled at her own inside joke, before looking at the couple in front of her.

“Oh,” Blaine’s expression went from vaguely impressed to mildly judgmental as the girl declared finding a fuck buddy, the heaviness of the word new going right over his head.

Hunter, however, caught her statement as soon as she had said it. Seeing as how Blaine hadn't realized she was indirectly talking about Hunter, there was no reason for the latter to say anything. “Classy,” Hunter commented, shaking his head. “Well you definitely got that crowd warmed up for when Blaine and I take the stage.” Thinking that since Blaine had helped himself to a drink, Hunter decided to take a few sips from his own. He'd be careful not to drink too much in case he needed to drive everyone home.

Scarlett couldn’t help but chuckle again at Hunter’s comment. “Classy is my middle name, Green.” She said, winking at him as she waved to the waitress to get another drink.

The use of the nicknames was beginning to really wear on Blaine’s nerves and this time he mirrored her amused laugh. “Ah ha ha, so fun. You two and your nicknames, so cute, what’s the story there?” He crinkled his nose, his jealousy showing only a minuscule amount. “You two are pretty close, huh?”

Hunter could sense Blaine’s tension but maybe explaining the story behind the nicknames would put that tension to rest. “Well, we’d gotten into an argument because Scarlett’s name is literally just ‘Red Berry’ and so I started calling her ‘Red’, and well-- my name is Hunter, so…” he trailed off and shrugged his shoulders. “Didn’t really expect the two of us to become friends since we started off on rocky waters but it’s kind of funny how stuff like that works out sometimes.” Internally he’d hoped that the same could happen for Blaine and Scarlett as well.

The shorter man listened to his boyfriend’s explanation, thinking it kind of endearing that the two had started off on less than ideal terms but had grown closer as friends. He would’ve found it even more endearing had it been anyone but Scarlett. But he could tell that Hunter really liked having her as a friend so he took a breath to ease his nerves a little, trying a bit more genuinely.

“That’s actually a really cute story,” he nodded, giving a tiny smile. “I’m, um, really glad Hunter has a close friend.” He rephrased himself to sound less accusatory.

Grinning at the boy, Scarlett chuckled softly. It took every bit of self control she had left to bite her tongue and not make some cheeky comment regarding how close she and Hunter actually were. “Yeah, really close,” she said, taking a step closer to Hunter and tossing her arm around his neck. “Best buds, right, Hunt?” she crinkled her nose back at Blaine, giggling as she took a new drink from the waitress.

Scarlett turned her attention briefly to the waitress, a smirk settled on her lips. “Hey beautiful, keep ‘em coming and maybe later I’ll return the favor,” she winked at the girl, who blushed and walked away with a giggle. She made a point to flirt with anyone she could, hoping that somewhere deep down it would get to Hunter. Though, she was well aware he was probably too dumb and had his head too far up Blaine’s ass to even notice.

Not that she cared-- of course she didn’t care. She just would like for him to be as uncomfortable as she was if, hypothetically, she did happen to let anything between the two men get to her.

“Sure, we’re definitely best buds,” Hunter replied honestly, feeling that he had never had a connection with another person quite like he had with Scarlett. “Do you think it’s a good idea to be hanging around me if you’re trying to pick up a fuck buddy, though? People might get the wrong idea,” he told her, though he made no move to push her away.

Scarlett looked at Hunter in the eye as he commented and yet still let her stay close to him, a grin quirking the corner of her lips.

Blaine’s brow furrowed as he watched the brief exchange between Hunter and Scarlett, letting out another chuckle. “Uh, why would anyone get the wrong idea?”

The girl looked at Blaine and then back at Hunter. “Yeah, Hunt, why would anyone get the wrong idea?” She said, not taking her eyes off of him. “You and the professor are very clearly gay for each other. Besides, no one here would ever believe I’d be with you,” Scarlett teased him, pushing herself off of him with a snort. “You wish you could get in these pants, bub.”

Hunter chuckled nervously, not having realized that he’d almost let his previous with Scarlett unintentionally slip. “Uh, because you’re hanging onto me and it kind of looks like we’re together?” he pointed out, maneuvering out of her hold and scooting over to Blaine. He wrapped his arm around the smaller man in a similar fashion, giving the girl a pointed look. He didn’t even bother addressing the fact that he wished he could have her. “See? Now it’s clear that Blaine and I are together.”

Scarlett laughed out loud, the alcohol clearly running through her in full force. “You’re such a fucking idiot, Green,” she said, placing her elbow on the table to rest her chin on her hand as she looked at Hunter, returning his pointed look. “It’s clear that you and Bowties are going to make me vomit.”

“Oh, shut up; don’t act like you don’t have a heart,” Hunter teased right back, assuming she was just trying to reject that he and Blaine were open about their feelings.

With his brow only furrowing deeper, keeping a close eye on the two in front of him-- mostly Scarlett-- he felt a bit more uncomfortable than he had the rest of the night. Something wasn’t settling well in him and he was beginning to regret coming out. He stayed quiet for a moment before he noticed the red ink on the side of Scarlett’s hand, tilting his head just a little to make out the tattoo on her hand in the dimmed lighting. “You have Hunter’s name on your hand...” he stated rather than asked. “That’s…” He shook his head-- what was he even doing here? “That’s great.”

Scarlett raised her eyebrows, looking down at her hand. “Ah, fuck my bandage fell off,” she complained, looking down and around for it briefly. After half a moment she gave up and shrugged, looking at Blaine. “Yeah, you know, your boyfriend will literally do anything,” Scarlett snorted as she leaned into the table as if telling Blaine a secret.

“Yeah, she took us out to get tattoos,” Hunter explained, feeling unashamed and comfortable as he shared the story. He looked at Blaine as he continued, “She got an actual berry inked on me but I was much nicer and chose my name.” Then he looked back at Scarlett with a grin, “I can only imagine your face if I got a deer trophy or something equally stupid tattooed on you.”

Scarlett laughed, rolling her eyes. “Considering how stupid you are I’m honestly surprised you chose something so nice.”

Blaine listened to Hunter’s story and his insides tightened with jealousy and confusion. He was confused at how lax Hunter was about having matching tattoos with the girl- especially considering the tattoo she had. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what the red string symbolized. He felt extremely tense and uncomfortable. But before he or Scarlett could respond, the emcee announced Blaine’s and Hunter’s name, calling them to the stage.

“Hey! We’re up,” Hunter said excitedly, taking his boyfriend’s hand and making their way up to the stage. “Feeling nervous?”

Blaine let Hunter lead him up to the stage, not saying anything until he was addressed. Raising his eyebrows just a little, Blaine shrugged. “No, not really.” He seemed less enthused about karaoke than before.

“Woo, Hunt! Shake that sexy ass, baby!” A drunken Scarlett called across the bar, followed by an obnoxious laugh.

Hunter laughed and shook his head at her, waving off her comment with an amused expression on his face. It was obvious the girl was drunk.

Pressing his lips together, Blaine was irritated. He was irritated that he felt so inferior to Scarlett and that she felt like she could just say and do whatever she pleased especially at and with his boyfriend. He tried his best to not let her get to him, taking a couple of deep breaths. Yeah, it sucked to learn his boyfriend had a matching tattoo with her-- that his boyfriend chose a soulmate tattoo for her, even-- but at the end of the day Hunter was his officially and that meant he had something the taller couldn’t get from the girl. There was something about him that Hunter wanted more than just some superficial friendship. That’s all the two were anyway, friends. He didn’t know why he was so bothered by her.

Letting out a soft sigh, Blaine looked at Hunter before they went on stage. He didn’t know what to say or how to express his feelings without sounding like a total insecure baby about it but he didn’t want to lie to his boyfriend about his feelings. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t feel as into this as when we first got here..” He shook his head. “I want to sing with you, I do. I just… want it to be genuine.” He voiced his concern.

Hunter hooked a finger under Blaine's chin, forcing him to look directly into his steely grey eyes. “Hey, don’t think about anything else but us right now. Forget Scarlett and her obnoxious comments or all the people at this bar; this song is just for you and me, right here and right now.”

Blaine looked up at Hunter with his golden eyes, he melted at the way the older looked at him, the way he spoke to him. He let his eyes flutter for a moment before he took a deep breath, a smile spreading across his face as the negative feelings seemingly rolled of his back. “Mm, you’re pretty good at making me feel better,” he said softly, leaning up on his toes to kiss Hunter sweetly.

Hunter reciprocated the kiss with a smile. “Good. I like making you feel better,” he said to him, brushing a thumb gently against his cheek and enjoying their little moment before they were ushered onto the stage.

Meanwhile Scarlett stayed back at their table, having a couple more drinks so she could achieve her drunken sweet spot so that she would be able to stomach the rest of the evening. She flirted with the waitress a little until she was called away again and Scarlett was once again left by herself. She felt horny and irritated and all she wanted to do was go back to Hunter’s place and hate-fuck him into his mattress. A flash of her riding him and reminding him through gritted teeth who makes him feel good ran through her mind and she shivered. “Ugh, gross.” She shook off her feelings and pulled her phone out of her pocket, sending a drunk text to the Clarington she could have her way with later if she wanted.

The song title came onto the screen and Hunter looked to his boyfriend with a silly grin spread across his face.

I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher. A romantic and fitting duet for the two of them, at least according to Hunter.

When the opening notes started playing, Hunter grabbed a microphone and handed another to Blaine, the shorter taking it promptly as he followed Hunter to the middle of the stage. They stood front and center, though Hunter's attention was fully on his boyfriend. As the lyrics popped up and noted that Cher's part was first, Hunter pointed to himself and opted to take the lead. He opened his mouth and started singing along to the tune, although in his octave.

They say we're young and we don't know We won't find out until we grow

Scarlett groaned and rolled her eyes as Hunter started to sing. Of course he was good at it, anything to make him even more attractive. When the next line scrolled onto the screen, Hunter reached out to hold Blaine's hand as he swayed to the melody. Blaine took his boyfriend’s hand as Hunter sang, looking up at him sweetly, all of his tension seemed to have vanished and it was only the two of them.

Well I don't know if all that's true 'Cause you got me, and baby I got you

Hunter grinned as Blaine sang to him. With the next line, they would harmonize beautifully. Blaine didn’t take his eyes off Hunter as they sang, his stomach failing with butterflies. He liked the way Hunter had been able to make him feel better and pull him into that present moment to enjoy it.

Babe I got you babe I got you babe

Scarlett watched the performance with a wrinkled forehead, partly amused and partly disgusted. The way Blaine looked at Hunter made her want to vomit with his big stupid piss-yellow eyes.

The shorter man’s mind wandered as they continued their song, he imagined a life with Hunter and he imagined this being their song— them dancing at their wedding. He began to think that maybe he was worried for nothing; Hunter seemingly only had eyes for him in that moment.

The girl’s eyes drifted over to Hunter’s face and she watched as the room spun around him. She didn’t buy it, she didn’t buy the way he looked at Blaine at all. There was no way that he was more into that muppet than her— never mind she was the one who didn’t want anything more than a warm body.

As the couple continued to sing, Hunter pulled Blaine closer to him and the two swayed together to the beat. As the taller man gazed down and the shorter stared up, the rest of the world seemingly vanished.

“I got you, babe,” Hunter more spoke than sang to his boyfriend, the lyrics acting as a promise for him.

Scarlett watched Hunter through narrow eyes as he looked at Blaine, taking his lyrics so seriously. She sighed as she looked down at the table at Blaine and Hunter’s abandoned drinks, she needed them more than they did so she downed them and when everyone around her clapped she joined in with obnoxious hollering. She was actually really impressed by Hunter’s abilities and by the time the new alcohol mixed with the old alcohol she was semi-impressed by Blaine as well.

When the song was coming to an end, the music still playing on the speakers, Hunter pulled Blaine in for a tender kiss in front of their little audience and Blaine melted right into it. They garnered a handful of aw's but it didn't matter to him. All that mattered in that moment right now to Hunter was Blaine and vice versa. Blaine gripped tightly at Hunter’s shirt as they kissed and he knew he was 100% falling in love with the man in front of him.

When the two took their final bows, Blaine held his hand tightly, their fingers laced together. He pulled him close to steal another kiss when they were off the stage. He felt so much better in that moment than he had five minutes before.

Hunter smiled against the kiss, very glad to see that Blaine's confidence and comfort had returned after their duet. They walked back hand-in-hand all the way to their table.

“Well, well, well, look who has actual talent,” Scarlett said as the two approached, giggling softly as she reached for Hunter’s arm, tugging him closer. “You didn’t tell me you had talent, oh, my sister would be all over you.” Any thin layer of boundaries that Scarlett might’ve had was completely gone with those last two drinks. “And you, you did okay too, Professor,” she said, squishing Blaine’s face between her hands.

And just like that, Blaine was annoyed again. Forcing his polite smile, trying not to let her get to him. “Thanks, Scarlett,” he said, tightening his hold on Hunter’s hand as Scarlett closed in on their personal space, pulling his face from her hold. “You do know my name is Blaine don’t you?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Oh, I know,” she chuckled. “You’re so funny.” Scarlett said before looking at Hunter, placing her hands on his chest.

Hunter narrowed his eyes as he looked at the girl, realizing that she was probably further gone than any of them would've liked. With her all over him like this, even he was getting a little annoyed. “Alright, alright,” he chuckled awkwardly as he tried to pull her off of him and keep her upright. “Looks like someone has had a little too much of that juice.” With all the drinks empty, he knew she'd had too much in such a short amount of time. He flagged down a waitress to get Scarlett a glass of water.

“But I have to agree,” Hunter continued, “Blaine and I make great duet partners. Maybe in an alternate universe we could've become performers for a living,” he joked.

Scarlett shook her head. “Too much? Never,” she leaned against Hunter as she looked over at Blaine and smiled at him. “Isn’t this great? Isn’t he great?” She looked up at Hunter. “You’re really great.” She squished his face between her hand.

With a heavy sigh, Blaine let go of Hunter’s hand and shook his head. “I’m going to use the bathroom.” He excused himself and walked away from the two, needing a moment just to himself, he was beginning to feel even more upset than before and he wanted to calm himself. Blaine didn’t like losing his composure.

“Uh huh,” Scarlett said, not taking her eyes off Hunter’s mouth, still having it smooshed in her hand. “You’re really pretty, you know that?”

Hunter watched with a frown as Blaine left them to go to the bathroom; the older man could tell that Scarlett’s physical affection was really bothering him. “Hey,” the man gently grabbed onto her hands and moved them away from him yet again. “Can you cool it with all the touchy-feely? It’s making Blaine upset; you’re sloshed but I know you can tell. What’s your deal? You said you’d at least attempt to play nice.”

Scarlett pouted when Hunter took her hands off of him and she huffed. “What? I am being nice.” She said, crossing her arms, her stance very child-like. “It isn’t my fault he’s some big insecure baby. Maybe he’s making me upset, huh, you ever think of that, Sparky?” she asked him with raised eyebrows, her words slurring ever so slightly. “Don’t see you tell him to cool it.” Scarlett tapped the taller’s chest with her finger.

With a confused look on his face, Hunter shook his head. “What has Blaine done to make you upset?” he asked, trying to think back to anything the boy could’ve done. “Signing you up to sing that song? You were amazing and the crowd loved you; you can’t be mad at him for that..!”

The girl looked up at him for a moment and she laughed. “You think I’m mad at him for that?” She shook her head. “Fuck, Hunt, you’re hilarious. Of course that’s not why I hate him. You’d know if you weren’t so dumb.” She gripped onto his shirt and  seemingly tripped over her foot without even moving, almost losing her balance. “That wasn’t even that big of a deal-- I’d fuckin’ do it again!”

“Whoa, hey,” Hunter reached out and grabbed onto Scarlett, steadying her as he pulled her body against his own. He wasn’t sure what she was getting at by calling him dumb but he didn’t appreciate it. “Then I don’t get it-- why the fuck do you hate Blaine so much?” he pressed on for a straight answer, trying to look her in the eye.

“He thinks he’s so much better than me because he has you all to himself.” She rolled her eyes, pushing against Hunter’s body, the feeling of their bodies pressed together was overwhelming for her and she didn’t want any part of it. “I’ll show him-- I’m better than him,” she said as she stomped off away towards the stage to get her name back on that list.

Hunter was left by himself, the gears and cogs in his brain working to figure out what the heck Scarlett was trying to tell him. Why was she all caught up in wanting to be better than Blaine? What did that even mean? He watched her with sheer confusion.

“You’re in luck, sweetheart. One last spot just for you,” the emcee said to her as he handed over the mic.

Scarlett kissed the man on the cheek and stumbled up onto the stage, grabbing the stand for support as she cleared her throat. “This one's for me, because I fucking love myself,” she slurred, the bar remembering her from before and applauding for her, hollering for her as the song True Love by Pink began to play.

Hunter folded his arms over his chest, waiting for her to sing. He wasn't familiar with the song or the lyrics and it was clear from Scarlett's behavior that she wasn't just singing another song to get away from the conversation.

After a few deep breaths, Blaine collected himself before attempting to shake Scarlett off. Making his way back out to where he’d left the two, he glanced up at the stage, noticing Scarlett was once again up there. “What is she doing?” he asked as he approached Hunter.

“I… I'm not sure,” Hunter replied, his eyes not leaving the brunette onstage.

Sometimes I hate every single stupid word you say Sometimes I wanna slap you in your whole face There's no one quite like you, you push all my buttons down I know life would suck without you

Scarlett worked the stage effortlessly as now she’d lost all of her inhibitions.

At the same time, I wanna hug you I wanna wrap my hands around your neck You're an asshole but I love you And you make me so mad, I ask myself Why I'm still here, or where could I go You're the only love I've ever known But I hate you, I really hate you So much I think it must be true love, true love It must be true love Nothin' else can break my heart like True love, true love It must be true love No one else can break my heart like you.

As the girl sang her heart out, unintentional meaning dripping behind every word she sang, she danced around carelessly. The crowd loved her even more the second time around and she was eating up all of the attention.

Hunter watched as Scarlett more or less sang this song to him, and it clicked. As he watched her, his eyes grew bigger and the realization hit him like a billboard in middle of a hurricane.

She liked him.

Maybe she even loved him.

With the new knowledge that she might harbor romantic feelings for him, Hunter began to open up his mind. She was practically telling him through song that a future together existed. He didn't have to settle for Blaine.

Oh.

Hunter froze and his body went stiff at the thought. Was he just settling for Blaine because he had thought this entire time that Scarlett wasn't an option? He'd been told by Scarlett herself that a future together wasn't a possibility. Yet now, here Scarlett was, telling him the exact opposite.

The entire time Hunter’s head was spinning, Scarlett worked that stage, her singing in the background felt muffled to Blaine as he watched his boyfriend watch the girl on the stage. Blaine carefully gauged every single moment, every twitch, he watched as Hunter came to a realization that Blaine had known since the three met one another.

“God, she's so fucking drunk,” Hunter told Blaine, looking away from the stage and swallowing his thoughts and feelings-- putting them into a deep, dark pit in his stomach. “We should get her an Uber home or something… We should've just gone out to a movie like you'd suggested earlier.” Hunter waved down the waitress so he could settle up their bill and hopefully soon end this night.

Blaine’s brow furrowed at the way Hunter was suddenly so ready to leave and a cold feeling coiled itself up in Blaine’s stomach. He didn’t say anything, just continuing to observe the energy in the room between Hunter and Scarlett- he felt like a third wheel. He only nodded when Hunter had said they should’ve just gone out to a movie. Scarlett would’ve had to been quiet. “It’s fine,” he finally spoke up. We can just go whenever she’s finished.” His voice was quieter than it had been as his own wheels in his mind were turning.

When another thunderous applause erupted, signaling the end of her performance, Blaine shook his head a little. He didn’t understand what made her so great.

The girl came off the stage to join her friends a little less enthusiastically than she’d left. “Ugh, i don’t know how performers do it, I’m exhausted,” she said, rubbing her stomach gently. “And I don’t feel so good.”

“Usually people don’t do multiple songs with so much energy when they’re drunk,” Blaine quipped, crossing his arms.

Hunter just remained quiet, watching the two and their back-and-forth.

Scarlett raised her eyebrows, chuckling at him. “Well look at you, Professor-- so much smarter than me aren’t you?”

Blaine didn’t say anything, only looking away and raising his eyebrows.

With another laugh, Scarlett looked to Hunter. God, how she wanted him. “Hey baby, you wanna pay for mine too? I’m don’t feel so well,” she said, reaching into her pocket. “Gonna call Al and she if she’ll pick me up and take me to bed if you catch my drift.” Scarlett scrolled through her phone, squinting at the bright screen before she found Alex’s name. She’d come to realize that the next best thing to getting Hunter in bed was his sister. “Hey Alex, baby, you free tonight?”

Blaine looked at her as she spoke, looking back at Hunter. “Is that your sister?” He tilted his head. “I’m so confused,” Blaine mumbled under his breath.

Hunter hid the grimace on his face as he searched for his wallet and only nodded when she asked if he would cover for her drinks as well. “Yeah, they're sleeping together,” Hunter replied to Blaine rather flatly. He knew Blaine might question his distaste for jealousy, as Alex had before, so he followed up immediately with an explanation. “It's not my favorite thing to have the image of my friend and my sister getting it on.”

After closing up their tab, Hunter took Blaine's hand into his own. “So Alex is going to come get you? I trust you not to do something stupid like attempting to drive home?” he asked. Although the night's revelations left a weight in his stomach he didn't know what to do with, he knew he still cared about Scarlett. “I think Blaine and I are all karaoke'd out.”

Scarlett looked at Hunter, raising her eyebrow. “Don’t you worry about me, Hunt,” she said, looking him in the eyes. She looked vaguely pale and like she was gonna throw up but she kept her composure. She reached into her pocket for her keys, walking up to him and pushing them into his front pocket, not taking her eyes from his. “There, now I can’t do anything stupid,” she said before looking at Blaine. “Professor, I wish I could say it was nice spending time with you.” Scarlett patted his shoulders before slipping her hands into Hunter’s jacket that she was still wearing. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she rummaged in the pockets a little before pouting. “Gonna see if Hunt left anymore cigarettes in his jacket. Toodles.” She blew them a kiss and stumbled her way out of the bar to wait for Alex.

Blaine watched the girl with raised eyebrows, taken aback by her words and actions. He really didn’t like that girl. He’d given her the benefit of the doubt and tried to be nice to her and give her a chance but they just didn’t mesh. He didn’t say anything to her before she left, only opening his mouth to speak when she left after having made the implication that she was wearing Hunter’s jacket. “Is… Is she wearing your jacket?” he asked, looking up at Hunter as the girl disappeared.

Hunter furrowed his brow, also taken aback by Scarlett's actions. One minute she was practically confessing her feelings for him and the next she was jumping into bed with his sister. Although Hunter prided himself on knowing Scarlett pretty well considering they hadn't known each other for very long, the evening left him utterly confused. Confused about her, confused about his feelings for her, and confused about where their relationship stood.

“Yeah. I lent it to her whenever we last hung out because she'd gotten her clothes wet from some snow,” he explained, too preoccupied with his inner thoughts to really realize this was yet another reason for Blaine to feel insecure. Hunter and Scarlett were awfully close, after all. “She probably chose today to wear it to get under your skin… typical.” He rolled his eyes then, feigning disgust. In actuality, he knew it was completely within her character and she had just the overbearing amount of sass and snark to do something like that.

With the girl having left, Hunter reached out for Blaine's hand and took it into his own. “Can I do something to make this up to you? Flirty duet aside, this didn't go how I wanted.”

Blaine just gave a nod when hunter explained why she had his jacket. “Oh.” Was all he said. He didn’t much care for that explanation but he wasn’t sure what he expected exactly. Letting Hunter take his hand, he gave a little shrug. “I don’t know, let’s just… go?” He asked.

“Yeah, getting out of here will be the first step of shaking this evening off,” Hunter agreed, leading the way back to his car. “I know you tried really hard to be nice to Scarlett… for my sake. But, after tonight, I won't ask anymore.”

“It’s okay,” the shorter said, following Hunter back to his car. He stayed quiet the whole way, the events of the evening replaying in his mind. He let out a sigh before stopping next to the car. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his face a little. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” he asked, looking at the taller with his golden eyes.

Hunter shook his head. “No, no I'm not,” he denied, “She and I are friends and that's literally it. Maybe if she wasn't so jaded and abrasive I'd be able to tolerate her more but--” Hunter cut himself off when he realized he was rambling a bit. “We're just friends-- I promise.” He gave Blaine's hand a light squeeze. “I only have eyes for you, Blaine. I want you to be my boyfriend-- not her.”

Blaine wanted to feel comforted by Hunter’s words and the feeling of their hands together but he just couldn’t shake it. “It’s just, she’s clearly in love with you. She all but flat out told you that in there— and the way you look at her. The way you treat her. She asked you to pay her tab and you just did. She called you baby. She's wearing your jacket.” As he listed all of the things he just began to feel worse. Looking up at Hunter still, he felt extremely insecure in that moment. “I want you, Hunter. I know you want me too, I just...I don’t know how much. I don’t know if you even realize yourself the way you look at her.”

Hunter listened to his boyfriend. Knowing the way Scarlett was, this was possibly the first time since Danny that she'd developed feelings beyond a quick fuck and maybe she was having a difficult time dealing with that. “She calls my sister pet names, too. That doesn't mean anything to her; it isn't like when I call you ‘babe'. She's told me herself that she doesn't do feelings or relationships. Maybe she doesn't realize it herself but she has to figure out her own feelings and come to terms that I'm with you.” Hunter let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his neck. “She likes to flaunt the fact that she and I are friends but she's not in a relationship with me.”

Gently, Hunter pointed at Blaine, his index finger resting just above his heart. His demeanor changed slightly and he offered a small smirk. “You're in a relationship with me. I can't help that I'm hot stuff and seemingly everyone wants a piece of me but I'm yours.”

Blaine listened as Hunter spoke, sighing softly. He still felt something uncomfortable and uncertain deep down. When Hunter pointed at him, that sly little smirk on his face, it made Blaine chuckle. It lightened his mood just a little. He wanted to believe him, he wanted to believe Hunter so much. If he were being honest with himself, the taller had given no real indication on why he shouldn’t trust him. Maybe he was reading way too much into everything because of his own insecurities, maybe what he saw today was nothing but two really close friends. He gave a tiny smile. “Yeah? You’re mine? Promise?”

“Only yours, babe,” Hunter winked, his hang slinging around Blaine's waist and bringing him in for a kiss. He hummed softly into the kiss and when they broke, Hunter flashed his usual grin at him. “I don't go around kissing my friends like that. You're special.”

The shorter seemed to melt once again into Hunter as they kissed, the man’s kiss seemingly able to make him weak in the knees. Placing his hands on Hunter’s chest, he bit on his bottom lip. “Okay, okay, I’m just...I’m just being silly. I’m sorry. I trust you. Just because she’s in love with you doesn’t mean you reciprocate it.” He promised before leaning up to kiss Hunter once again. “Maybe we can continue this at your place?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hunter’s grin only widened as he felt Blaine become comfortable and at ease once again. The taller man happily kissed him back and waggled his eyebrows at the mention of going back to his place. “Mm, Blaine Anderson, I thought you’d never ask,” he laughed and moved to open the car door for his boyfriend.