TV Multiverse 95 (Patreon)

The aftermath of the party had been surprisingly calm, though that had a lot to do with her mother dragging Blair away to talk about ‘emergencies’.

He let that happen, mostly because he trusted Eleanor Waldorf’s rather mediocre parenting skills. He didn’t even need to eavesdrop, because he knew that Eleanor would raise doubts about him, Blair would respond by getting even more intense about him.

Blair’s absence would also last a few hours.

Therefore, he wasn’t surprised when he received a message from Blair, apologizing for disappearing. They agreed to have breakfast together instead. He returned home, setting not only his studio but also her workshop, as most of their requests had been delivered.

The least he could do for a beautiful girl who had just fallen in love with him.

Though, as he worked, he received an amusing notification.

[Achievement complete. Assist breaking up Robin and Ted.

Challenge: Easy]

[+2 Appearance

1 Random Bronze Skill

1 Random Bronze Reward]

He picked stat, but did nothing, curious how Rosa-Robin link would develop. He didn’t call anyone, as finishing both the studio and Blair’s workshop took quite a bit of time even with all his physical strength, with a number of machines requiring proper setup.

Luckily, it was something he was capable of.

&&&

In the morning, he first stopped by a dealership to purchase a motorcycle; a proper one with a strong engine.

Reinforcing his bad-boy persona would be just as fun.

Even with the purchase, when he arrived at the dorms, only to find out Blair was still sleeping. Since she was exhausted, and their morning was free, he decided not to wake her up. Instead, he wrote a quick note that called her Sleeping Beauty, even drawing a cute cartoon princess dressed like Audrey Hepburn.

It was a nice morning, so decided to draw a few storyboards.

The horror short with Penny had done well enough that shooting a second one was tempting. It would be fun. “The question, about what?” he said ti himself. Shooting another horror movie was out of the question, as the core aim was to expand Penny’s acting. “Maybe a short action sequence?”

With his skills, it wasn’t that hard to create a sequence that was relatively easy to implement, one that leaned on Penny’s existing capabilities. His combat capabilities would come useful.

He worked under the sun, unhurried as he not only created the moves but also the lighting and camera angles required, turning it into a proper storyboard. Soon, he noticed the approach of a familiar figure, but acted unaware.

“Tortured artist trying to capture the beauty of nature. A bit cliché for seduction, don’t you think?” Olivia said.

“Darn it, my genius plans have been foiled,” he teased her. “But, once again you’re mostly wrong.”

“Really? Are you going to claim that you’re not trying to impress me after the earlier declaration?”

“Not that,” he said. “I’m not drawing nature. I’m drawing a storyboard. Isn’t it a better way to seduce a movie star? Maybe even get my big break in Hollywood.”

“That’s even worse. You can’t seduce an actress with work,” she said, but she was amused. After all, the easiest way to enter Hollywood had always been money, which was to fund movies to serve the actresses in question.

“Can’t I? Even if I had the most incredible, genius, original story Hollywood had ever seen?” he asked, his fake excitement absurd.

“Even then,” she said, but she was laughing.

“It’s a good thing it’s a short movie, then,” he said, his tone teasing. “Too bad you won’t be able to guess it.”

“You’re too arrogant. I can, especially since this time I don’t have to rely on your claims,” she said. “I asked around, no one knows anything about you other than you being the investor of a cute bakery that had gone viral.”

He shrugged. “I’m a puzzle, waiting to be solved. It’s not my fault that challengers are incompetent.”

“You’re not as mysterious as you think,” she said. “It’s simple. You’re storyboarding either romance or horror. Those are the easiest short films.”

“Nope, wrong again,” he said. “Think of something more exciting,” he said, his smirk turning suggestive.

“Oh, erotic. Very mature,” she said.

He chuckled. “Look who has a dirty mind,” he said. “It’s a martial arts sequence.”

“Really? You know martial arts.”

He shrugged. “I dabble,” he said. “Want to see?”

She checked her watch. “Sure. I have time. But, I hope you have at least something half-decent, because you won’t be able to seduce me with a half-assed effort—“ she said, turning the challenge of seduction to a joke, which had been his intent all along.

He would have teased her more, but she took the notebook and froze. “This is amazing. Half of the movies I worked on don’t have storyboards that good. It even has lighting and stage directions; and they are consistent. Did you really draw this?”

He gestured her to pass it back and drew another panel. “How about now? Still untrustworthy? Maybe you should check for strings. Someone might be puppeting me from the tree,” he added, keeping his tone playful.

“Fine. You’re more skilled than I expected for…”

“A lazy millionaire?” he completed. She blushed. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t always a millionaire. It’s a relatively recent development, so I still remember what work actually means.”

“What’s this for?” she asked.

“A gift for a friend. She’s trying to break into better roles, and shooting a few clever short films is better than trying to fund a movie just to get her the role. The last thing I want to imitate is the oil barons and fund terrible movies.”

That earned a laugh. “Good call. Hollywood can be merciless with outsider money.” He nodded. “Is this the first movie?” she asked.

“No, the second. Want the watch the first one?” he asked. She nodded, and he reached for his bag and pulled his laptop. She sat next to him, put on her headphones, and started watching.

He continued drawing while she watched. When it finished, she was gaping in shock. “This is spectacular,” she said. “The lighting, the pacing, even the visual effects. Just how much money did you spend on it?”

“Seventy-five thousand,” he responded.

“Bullshit,” she called. “The effects alone…”

“Language,” he responded. “Admittedly, it’s because most of the stuff, we handled in-house, so no salaries. The effects, I called a few favors from my friends in a lab to use their supercomputer, so it was cheaper. A musician friend helped with the soundtrack. Rest, we handled as a team.”

“The cinematographer and director? Lighting?”

“Naturally, I handled them myself,” he said.

This time, she was willing to believe it. “This is amazing. Have you ever directed a full-length feature?”

“Not a chance,” he said. “Directors are too public. I can’t deal with it,” he said.

That made her giggle. “Yeah, right. You’re avoiding the spotlight.”

“I do,” he said. “I mean, the Upper East Side is harmless. It doesn’t matter what I do? Do you think anyone that doesn’t live in Manhattan cares about what happens in Manhattan? A director is different. You should know how annoying the industry can get.”

She nodded. “You have a point, but it’s not bad for directors,” she said.

He smirked. “Even if said director is young, handsome, and delivered a breakout hit?” he said.

“Fair,” she admitted. “But a breakout hit is too impossible,” she said.

He shrugged, then gave her one of his better smiles. “I’m just too amazing to risk it.”

“Modest as well,” she laughed.

“Naturally,” he responded, his tone even haughtier, deliberately exaggerated. “Also, shooting a feature takes months. I won’t spend that much time in a set.”

From there, they started chatting, discussing the merits and drawbacks of fame and general movie business. Occasionally, he asked her whether he was making good progress with seduction, and she answered just as playfully.

It was fun, and he saw that Olivia had enough knowledge of directing to handle a simpler movie as long as she had an experienced technical team. He made a mental note to see whether that would be viable.

Something to be explored when Dan Humphrey wasn’t walking toward them rather hurriedly. He didn’t run, but it was a close thing. A reasonable reaction, considering his beautiful movie star girlfriend was chatting with a mystery man whom Dan had seen with Blair just the night before.

He couldn’t blame Dan for it, as Blair’s previous tastes included Chuck as well.

"Hey," Dan said, leaning to kiss Olivia, radiating insecurity. Understandable, but also a mistake, especially since he was trying to date a movie star. “I remember you from last night. You were with Blair, right?”

“Ethan,” he said, shaking his hand. “Yes. I’m waiting for her so we can have a nice breakfast.”

“So, what were you talking about?”

“Movie business, mostly. I dabble in my free time,” he said. “A little martial arts setup.”

“May I see it?” Dan said. He nodded, passing it. “It’s … good. A bit commercial, isn’t it?”

“It is. After all, a movie, above all, is a spectacle,” he said. “The more explosions, the better.”

“Agree to disagree,” Dan said, his tone gaining a slight smug quality. It wasn’t surprising, as Dan was a literary snob, which also extended to movie standards. That triggered a little movie talk, which he deliberately left a few weaknesses for Dan to attack, but only if he was willing to be rude.

Unsurprisingly, he took them, his smile growing smug with a vicious undertone, not even noticing his girlfriend looking at him with barely hidden disappointment, his calm and collected aura getting damaged.

In his enthusiasm to teach him a lesson, he seemed to forget that his girlfriend was in the commercial side of the business as well.

Then, Blair arrived, wearing tailored pants and nice boots as he requested. “Humphrey. I can smell your Brooklyn-infested movie ideas from a hundred feet,” Blair interrupted, being her usual charming self.

“At least mine doesn’t—“ Dan replied, only for Olivia to poke him in the side.

“I think we’re about to be late,” she reminded him.

Dan checked his watch, his eyes wide. “You’re right. Blair, see you never,” he said, waving off.

Blair smirked as she leaned in for a kiss. “Next time, kiss me awake so that I can watch you humiliate Cabbage Patch,” she said.

“Oh, he humiliated me,” he said, which surprised her. “He totally devastated my shallow understanding of movies, relying on explosions,” he added.

“Ohh, smart,” she said, catching his plan immediately. Blair was competent in many things, but intrigue was still in her blood. He didn’t want her to change that. He just learned her to understand the impact of her actions better.

She looked at the storyboard, her eyes widening. “That’s very good,” she said. She was too much of a movie buff to miss it. “No wonder your movie had been that good.”

“Movies,” he reminded her, which made her blush.

“Shut up,” she said. “Don’t remind me of that. My mother already ruined our fun last night, and we’re already late for breakfast. You should have woken me up. I’m all for ruining Humphrey’s day by breaking him up with his movie star girlfriend.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t be late.”

“With Manhattan traffic. It’s inevitable.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I have a solution.”

“Is this why you asked me to wear pants and boots? Don’t tell me you got something silly like a Vespa. I don’t do that cutesy stuff.”

“Oh, nothing so pedesterian,” he said as he presented his arm, and they walked toward parking.

Her eyes widened as she saw the newly purchased performance bike. “You can’t be serious.”

“But I am,” he said, even as he passed her one of the helmets. “Unless, of course, the great Blair Waldorf is scared.”

“Never,” she said. Once properly challenged, Blair would never turn it down. Though, as they swerved through the traffic, her grip was rather tight around him.

When they parked the bike, the gaze of the crowd was on them. After all, the expensive and exclusive brunches didn’t see many people arriving on high-performance bikes.

They entered the restaurant with their arms locked, and found Serena and Nate waiting for them, Serena’s eyes wide as she noticed their ride.

He could see Serena looking at him with naked interest, which was no surprise. Serena had never been particularly ‘chaste’ when it came to chasing the attention of men. Even if those men were dating her best friend, as evidenced by Nate, who was sitting next to her, whom she seduced while he was still dating Blair.

That was not the only time.

Watching them in the shower no doubt awakened Serena’s interest even further.

He would call Serena a bad friend, but from an honest perspective, that would be wrong. She was a very good friend to Blair, even if their self-destructive tendencies caused devastating damage to each other.

He shrugged. “Your friends seem too shocked to see you arrive on a bike,” he teased.

Blair frowned cutely. “They are probably shocked at the messy state of my hair—“ she said.

“Don’t worry, I got it,” he said as he reached, fixing most of the mess with a few touches. Blair blushed even more, the contrast between his ‘bad boy’ bike combined with his tenderness giving her exactly what she wanted.

Blair wanted tenderness, but also a little attitude. It was why neither Chuck nor Dan had been ideal partners for her, each on one end of the spectrum.

“Let’s go,” she said. And, they arrived at the brunch table.

“Nate, this is Ethan. My friend,” Blair introduced.

They shook hands. “A pleasure to finally meet the mystery man that defeated Chuck Bass and tamed Blair Waldorf on the same day,” Nate said. Coming from anyone else, it would have been catty and passive-aggressive. From Nate, it was earnest.

He was the true nice guy of the show. Too bad he was also a bit of a doormat for most of it, always ending up screwed as a result … which included declaring her love for Serena about a dozen times, only to be rebuffed almost always.

Considering he was a rich guy from a blue-blooded family with the looks of a model, ending on the losing side that frequently took serious effort.

“Chuck wasn’t that much of a problem, and I can’t take credit for the other part. After all, Blair was the one to seduce me,” he teased.

“That’s slander,” Blair responded.

“Oh, really? Who decided that a private wine tasting competition was the best way to compete when I offered any challenge, including simple heads or tails?” he teased.

Nate laughed. “That sounds like a story I need to hear,” Nate said, and Ethan told it. He was a good storyteller, and the material was good enough to be entertaining. He was teasing Blair without being insulting.

It was not a difficult thing, but it was also something the Upper East Side seemed to be unaware of, as even their compliments were wrapped around kernels of insults.

The breakfast was fun. Then it wasn’t, because Serena started to flirt with him.

Ordinarily, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Serena related to the world through charm. It was her way of living, and her personal boundaries were pretty much non-existent. He could have easily taken that offer. It would take ten minutes for three of them to end up in a threesome.

Something that Blair could have been convinced the last time Serena burst into their hotel room.

But, at the brunch, it was different. This time, Serena’s attention made Blair scared. It was subtle. Blair wasn’t a woman who showed fear. Instead, her smile got a touch too bright, her gestures becoming sharper.

He had no doubt that if he whispered, she would jump on the idea of a threesome, but it wouldn’t be fun for her. It surprised him, because just an hour ago, at the garden, she was very enthusiastic about possibly bedding Olivia.

He was glad for his improved perception, because without it, he might have missed Blair’s subtle shift.

Once realizing it, it didn’t take long to decipher why Blair was afraid, especially right after where she had fallen in love. Serena might be her best friend, but she was also her worst fear.

All Blair’s life, Serena had been the golden one, bright and radiant and fun, while Blair was mean and strategic. Too many times what Blair wanted, Serena got effortlessly, which included her first serious boyfriend’s love, even her own mother’s appreciation.

However, it probably didn’t affect her as much as every little daily encounter where Serena effortlessly stole the focus, her charm magnetic. Where Blair had to fight for every bit Serena acquired effortlessly.

Serena’s Charisma reward was well deserved.

Blair was silently panicking next to him, because she had been very enthusiastic about inviting more partners to their bed, and admitting that she didn’t want to include Serena would require admitting her emotional vulnerabilities.

And, Blair would go to a lot of trouble to avoid that.

Luckily for Blair, there wasn’t even a decision to be made. Serena might be magnetic, but she was also aimless in a way that he didn’t find compelling. Serena was a chaotic mess, because ultimately, she wanted to be that way.

He could easily refuse her completely, but that would get pretty annoying pretty quickly. Because Serena was the kind of woman who would take any subtle rejection as a personal challenge, and openly confronting would damage her friendship with Blair, which would hurt Blair just as much.

Around them, most of their relationships shattered due to that paradox.

He decided to pick a different path, one that could be very interesting…