#finn upgrading from secret pictures to secret posts?

[mothrillz]

reagan's house (and finn's)

[lady-divine-writes]

Klaine one-shot “Synced Up” (Rated NC17)

It's a morning of heartbreak for poor Kurt Hummel. After spending a magical night with a man he knows he's never going to see again, he loses his brand new phone. But things go from bad to worse when he discovers someone has found his phone ... and is taking pictures with it. (2345 words)

Notes: This is a variation of a K*urtbastian fic I wrote for an old Klaine Advent Drabble prompt 'cloud'. If you've read the original (Hidden in the Cloud) this one is completely different. But it's also inspired by real events (that didn't happen to me), Sex and the City, and, to a small degree, Cinderella xD

Read on AO3.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!” Kurt grumbles as he storms off the elevator. He stomps down the hallway to his office and drops his bag on his desk, kicking his chair and the waste paper basket a la his stepbrother Finn Hudson as he goes.

“Language, Mr. Hummel,” Isabelle scolds playfully, following her cursing employee into his work space.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve lost my fu---” Kurt blows a breath between clenched teeth, stemming another tide of four-letter expletives. “I’ve lost my phone!”

“Oh, no!” Isabelle switches to serious mode, giving Kurt’s predicament the appropriate amount of gravitas considering how excited he was about upgrading. Kurt loved his new phone. He bought a Burberry case for it, spent the better part of one afternoon configuring it to perfection. Now three short days later it was already gone. “Do you have any idea where it might have disappeared to?” She watches Kurt root through his bag, pulling out the contents and laying them on his desk. She bites her bottom lip at some of them – an extra pair of underwear, balled up socks, a toothbrush, deodorant, a wad of condoms, and a bottle of lube that would choke a Rottweiler. She doesn’t know if he realizes what he’s revealing, if he’s just that comfortable around her, or so upset over the loss of his phone that he honestly doesn’t care.

Either way, Isabelle knows Kurt enough by now to know that he doesn’t normally carry those items in his bag.

Which means, despite losing his phone, someone got lucky last night.

“No.” Kurt shakes out his bag, sending the last scraps of old receipts and miscellaneous wrappers to the ground. When he reaches the bitter end with no phone in sight, he surveys the mess on his desk. “This is the seventh time I’ve been through my bag and nothing!”

“I just hope you lost it at home and not on the subway over here.” Isabelle sympathizes, but she’s also fishing for information on where her protégé spent his night.

Kurt plops down in his chair, holds his bag open at the edge of his desk with one hand, and sweeps his things back into it with the other. He doesn’t mention anything about the spare clothes or the condoms, but he doesn’t look embarrassed by them, either.

“Either way, there’s nothing I can do about it now.” Kurt closes his bag and shoves it against the wall.

The day is shot, and it’s only nine in the morning.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Isabelle offers, squeezing his shoulder.

He puts a hand over hers and pats it gently. “Thanks,” he says. “I will.” He flips open his laptop, preparing - albeit unenthusiastically - to get down to business. His computer comes out of hibernation, and already he has an alert in the bottom right-hand corner of his screen. Kurt glosses over it, but Isabelle notices.

“What’s that?” she asks, pointing a long, blush-painted nail at the tiny rectangular icon. Kurt’s gaze follows to the narrow box.

“That’s my Cloud alert. It shows up when my phone syncs to my computer,” he explains, positioning his cursor over it with a long, disappointed sigh. He clicks on it, and a larger box pops up. Kurt reads it, confused. “A new photo has been uploaded to my Cloud?”

Isabelle gasps. “That means someone has your phone!” she says, anxiously shaking Kurt’s shoulder. “And they’re taking pictures!”

“What the … no!” Kurt exclaims, opening his Cloud account to check. He knows this is his fault. How many times when he activated his phone did it ask him if he wanted a face recognition, pattern, password, pin, or some sort of swipe thing-y to unlock his phone, and he repeatedly pushed no? In fact, he was mildly offended that his phone would have so little faith in his ability to keep it safe. Obviously, the thing was right. “Oh, please be at home. Please just be Brian …” he mutters, praying that his phone slipped out of his pocket when he raced home to change and ran back out again, that it’s lying on the floor in his kitchen and that his cat took a selfie. Because if it’s not at home, it might be on the subway being violated by strangers. Or …

There’s only one other place he can think his phone might be. He doesn’t want to mention it, because he’s equal parts not entirely proud of it, and disappointed that he won’t get a repeat performance.

He may have left it at the apartment he stayed at last night.

An apartment not his own.

The apartment of a man he met at a bar, and then went home with.

A man he agreed to a one-night stand with before he realized – after dinner, drinks, and a lengthy conversation about school, work, books, movies, musicals, and future aspirations - this was a man he wouldn’t mind seeing again … a lot.

And the sex …

Kurt had heard of toe curling sex before, but had yet to experience it.

Ever since he moved to New York, he’s been waiting for his Sex and the City moment. He figured that, working for Vogue, it would come eventually. But five years had gone by, and not even so much as a pivotal Jimmy Choo sale.

Last night, he took a chance at going to the grand opening of a piano bar in The Village, some tackily decorated, wannabe “gin joint” with an obnoxious name to boot – Tramp Stamp Granny’s. He figured he’d do a write up on it for Vogue, that way he could get away with charging his drinks to his business account.

A foot through the door, he’d already decided he wasn’t going to enjoy himself.

But he saw a guy sitting alone, and they had a moment. The man bought him a drink, then he asked Kurt to dance. Kurt didn’t think it would turn into anything.

He was wrong.

He’d always pictured himself as a Carrie, and last night, he found his Mr. Big.

Kurt shakes his thoughts of the man from his mind. No use crying over spilt milk, or however that saying applies.

They agreed to one night, and that’s all he’s going to get. They hadn’t even exchanged numbers.

Which makes it fitting that Kurt lost his phone.

Kurt opens the picture.

No such luck on it being his cat.

It’s a picture of a hand (tres originale) wearing a black leather glove, and holding a parchment wrapped pastry - a cronut, he believes. Kurt has yet to try one since they became the newest, hottest trend in “expanding one’s bottom line”, not even when Vogue posted a review and Dominique Ansel, the chef who created them, sent seven dozen to the office. Too many carbs, too much sugar, too many empty calories. Yes, they smelled amazing, and yes, Kurt wept as he watched each and every one walk out the door with not a single bite of their flaky deliciousness entering his mouth.

He didn’t regret his decision to abstain, however, when he slipped into his Armani trousers later that night and they were a cinch to button.

But God, does it look good!

His stomach thinks so, too, because it growls loudly, reminding Kurt that he has yet to break into his morning bottle of kombucha.

“I know, right?” Isabelle agrees, putting a hand over her own groaning tummy.

Another alert box comes up on the screen and Kurt clicks it. A second picture opens, this time of a random Lord Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

“Awww,” Isabelle coos, leaning closer to the screen. “Cute puppy!”

“Yeah,” Kurt scoffs. “At least we know that the jerk who has my phone saw a dog today. Lucky him.”

A third alert box appears. Kurt stabs at his mouse pad to open it. He wants to be bitter, wants to be completely furious that this man, whoever he is, is having the day of his life in New York, and taunting the hell out of him with it, but the next image takes him aback.

It’s of the same gloved hand, but this time, holding a beautiful red rose.

Kurt examines the picture thoroughly, hoping to find out where this stranger is. But the frame is focused entirely on the opened flower, the gloved hand a blur in the background. To the right and left, up and down, not an inch of scenery can he see.

“Are you sure you don’t know who has your phone?” Isabelle asks, a secret smile on her lips, wondering if the underwear, the toothbrush, and the condoms might have something to do with the mystery man taking pictures with Kurt’s phone. “Because it seems to me like he might be flirting with you.

“I … wha---?” Another box pops up before Kurt can come up with an answer, and he opens it quickly. It’s a difficult image to decipher at first - the same gloved hand, index finger pointed, but the object hanging off it doesn’t register.

Until it does, and Kurt x’s out of the image in a snap.

Isabelle snickers. “Was that a pair of handcu---?”

“I know who has my phone,” Kurt interrupts, eyes wide as his boss doubles over with laughter.

“Shame on you, Kurt!”

“Shame on me why!?”

“You weren’t going to tell me about your friend with the metal jewelry?”

“Maybe. Eventually. Yes. I just …”

The phone on Kurt’s desk rings, and they both go silent. Kurt and Isabelle look at it in confusion, as if it’s never rung before. From the light blinking on the panel, he knows that whoever it is didn’t call his line directly, but had to be transferred by the receptionist. Most of the people who call his office are looking for Isabelle, so they know his extension.

Which makes the caller on line 8 an enigma.

Kurt reaches across his desk for the receiver and answers it.

“Kurt Hummel’s office. Kurt speaking.”

“Blaine Anderson,” a smooth, newly familiar voice informs him. “From the bar last night?”

Kurt grins. Okay, a cat selfie would have been adorable, but this outcome is so much better! “I remember you.”

“I found your phone.”

The sound of that voice, coupled with the last picture Blaine sent, makes Kurt blush all over. “I can see that.”

“I’m heading your way to deliver it, if that’s alright.”

Isabelle, sitting on the corner of Kurt’s desk and eagerly listening in, squeezes his shoulder again, nearly digging her fingernails straight through his shirt in her excitement.

“Thank you. You’re a life saver.”

“I was originally going to hold it hostage in the hopes of convincing you to have dinner with me, but I figured an important Vogue employee such as yourself might need his phone.”

Kurt fist pumps the air. Isabelle offers him a mimed high-five, then discreetly tiptoes out the door.

She’ll let him have his privacy.

She can grill him about how his missing phone relates to his night out - and that pair of handcuffs - another time.

“And you would be right,” Kurt says. Once Isabelle’s out of earshot, he adds, “But I thought you said you only do one-night stands?”

“So did you.”

“True.” Kurt bites his cheek. This could go one of two ways. He’s hoping it’s a way that leads to a second date with this interesting, gorgeous guy. “But, you know, it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. I’ve been kind of re-thinking it.”

“I have to admit, so was I.” Blaine chuckles. He has the kind of laugh Kurt can feel. It reaches through the phone, finds it way under his skin. “Maybe we can talk about it. Do you have time for a bite? I’m carrying a cronut that’s been calling your name.”

“Has it now?”

Blaine’s mention of a bite has Kurt’s toes curling again. If he remembers correctly, Blaine left him with a bite mark last night, somewhere in the vicinity of his left upper thigh.

“Yeah,” Blaine says, his voice low. “We seem to have that in common.”

Kurt bites his lips together hard to keep from squealing and making an ass out of himself. “I think I may have a few moments … for the sake of that poor cronut.”

“Hmm. Just for the cronut?”

“That, and to thank you for returning my phone.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Possibly turning our one-night stand into a one-night, one-morning, with-the-possibility-of-dinner-later stand?”

“That’s … uh … kind of a long title.”

“I thought of that,” Kurt says, his attention pulled by the sound of the elevator down the hall pinging as it stops on his floor. “Shortening it might not get my message across. And I wanted to be very clear.”

“That makes sense. Well, a morning stand with the certainty of dinner later it is then,” Blaine says, and God! Kurt can hear his voice coming from the hallway!

“Sounds like a date.” Kurt plants his feet flat on the floor to keep from leaping out of his seat the second Blaine walks in. He has to maintain some illusion of cool, calm, and collected, even if he’s vibrating like a teenager in heat. To that end, he turns his chair, putting the back to the door. His desk chair has a high back. Faced this way, no one can even tell if he’s in the room or not.

Yup. Now he’s the picture of total nonchalance. What a brilliant plan.

Before he can change his mind, spin his chair back around and find a more natural way to sit, he hears the door to his office shut with a soft click. Footsteps stop behind his chair. His cell phone materializes on the desk in front of him, followed by a white paper pastry bag, that beautiful red rose … and Blaine’s silver handcuffs.

A strong hand caresses his arm. Warm lips dance over his jaw, Blaine’s cheeky grin undeniable.

“I can hardly wait.”

[bluemoon21-blog]

#F1 Russia preview

Russia preview

One year on from his infamous collision with Sebastian Vettel, can Russia’s Daniil Kvyat turn his home fortunes around this weekend? It’s just one of several talking points in Sochi, where Mercedes arrive optimistic that Bahrain testing has helped them unlock the secrets needed to jump back ahead of Ferrari…

Has Bahrain test handed Mercedes the advantage?

Lewis Hamilton was adamant that the post-race test in Bahrain would be crucial in helping Mercedes to get the best out of Pirelli’s 2017 tyres – and with compounds and temperatures in Russia expected to favour Ferrari, those two days of testing couldn’t have come at a better time for the Silver Arrows.

The good news for the team and their fans is that they seemed to make progress. “We came with a specific goal, so it was positive to get on top of that,” was Hamilton’s assessment. “Our focus was on advancing our understanding of the tyres and also the rear of the car so that we can improve our long runs – particularly during the race and on the supersoft compound.”

Team mate Valtteri Bottas was equally enthused, as he and Hamilton ensured Mercedes topped both days in Sakhir. “[Testing] was very good,” the Finn reflected. “We did some interesting tests to try and improve both the tyre life and the race pace – we were focusing all-day on the long-run pace, which was a bit of a problem for us on Sunday [in Bahrain] compared to Ferrari…”

Both men are now hopeful that Mercedes’ apparent advantage over single-lap runs can be translated across a race distance too – which could prove decisive in the round four of what is shaping up to a very tight 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship… WATCH: RE-LIVE LAST YEAR’S RACE IN SOCHI

Redemption for Kvyat?

Russia’s home hero came unstuck last year in Sochi, unceremoniously punting Vettel out of the race after double contact at the start. That proved the precursor to Red Bull promoting Max Verstappen and placing Kvyat back at Toro Rosso, with Kvyat admitting he was struggling to find his mojo. One year on though, the Russian cuts a very different figure.

“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Russia is Sebastian… As in Sebastian Vettel,” he joked. “I like to torpedo Sebastian, it’s my hobby…Okay, c’mon, you all know I’m joking! Let’s get serious now… Maybe the first word that comes to mind should be ‘braking’ into Turn 1!”

Kvyat’s upbeat mood is reflected in his form – he has made Q3 on two occasions this year (in Bahrain he started 11th), and has scored two points.

The attention now turns to Russia, where he cracked the top five in 2015, but has otherwise struggled to make an impression. “Hopefully in my home Grand Prix we can fight for more points, because that’s what we need and we have a car that can do it.”

Raikkonen desperate for signs of improvement

Kimi Raikkonen is getting impatient for a decent result – even a podium would do, after he’s had to watch team mate Sebastian Vettel take two wins and a second for Ferrari from the opening three races.

Thus far the Finn’s complaints have centred around understeer and engine response, as he’s struggled to get the SF70H working as well as his team mate. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Raikkonen turned the tide against Vettel in the latter half of 2016 of course – but thus far the four-time champion has decisively had the upper hand.

Inevitably Raikkonen is under increasing pressure – indeed Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne has openly talked about the need for him to up his game.

“We’re supposed to get it right straight away, and obviously, we haven’t,” Raikkonen admitted in Shanghai. “There are a lot of reasons for that, but it didn’t help in the last race, not driving the first day. When you’re going through some issues, you want to get track time.

“It’s just the small things now. In the big picture we are pretty much where we want to be – it’s just that we need to fine-tune a few things.”

The good news for Raikkonen is that he has previous at Sochi – he was on the podium here last year, and could have been again in 2015 but for a last-lap collision with Bottas.

Force India in the midst of best ever run

Finishing with both cars in the points in all three races thus far this season is one reason for force India to be happy. Another is that they are fourth in the world championship for constructors. A third, that they’ve achieved all of that with a less than fully optimised VJM10.

What’s more, the team have now scored points in 15 consecutive races, while Sergio Perez has scored in 13 straight – the best runs the team and driver have ever put together.

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley is determined to continue that form and is confident that this will be their last outing struggling aerodynamically before a big upgrade is due in Barcelona. That will include a new floor, which he is confident will address the problem of inconsistent airflow behaviour that has dogged the car since its introduction.

“I said after Bahrain that I was very proud of my team,” Sergio Perez says. “We never gave up and dug deep to recover a great result. It was even more special because we continued our run of races in the points – it’s now 13 consecutive races. When we qualified in P18, I thought it would be hard to do it, but we delivered a perfect race and really deserved that result.

“I have good memories from Sochi and our podium in 2015 shows that anything is possible. I think every driver enjoys Turn Four because it’s an unusual corner that puts high energies through the car. The rest of the lap is similar to a street circuit. Overtaking has never been easy so there’s extra pressure on getting high up the grid in qualifying.”

Fernley says the team have identified the cause of their aero problem. “Andy Green and the team have determined that there’s a correlation issue, between wind tunnel and track. We knew that in Barcelona testing. The effects were identified, and solutions put in place and it’s just a production process and it will hopefully bolt on in Barcelona and we can go toe-to-toe again, as opposed to having to defend.

“But I’m hopeful that we can alleviate the problem this weekend in Sochi, after things we learned in the Bahrain test.”

Light at the end of the tunnel for McLaren?

There is an air of quiet hope within McLaren, following events in the Bahrain test which went some way to assuaging harsh memories of engine and MGU-H failures during the race itself.

However, Honda are bringing what they describe as a reliability update to Russia. This will be an interim version of the counter-measures which were introduced successfully enough in the test to enable Stoffel Vandoorne to complete 81 laps and set the day’s fourth fastest time.

“The past few races for us have been more unpredictable than we had hoped or imagined,” says racing director Eric Boullier. “We haven’t yet managed to put together a trouble-free weekend on either side of the garage, which is the first step in order to be able to work on performance. Honda are working hard to find solutions to the MGU-H issue we have been suffering with, and on the McLaren side it’s important we make sure all of our operational processes and procedures are bulletproof all the way down the line, so that we can at least see the chequered flag with both cars.

“Following the test, we’re working hard on bringing more new parts to Sochi, and chassis-wise we are confident in the development path we are taking and constantly working to find extra performance wherever we can. Both drivers report positively on the feeling inside the car, so it’s important we continue to build on this as the season progresses.”

Alonso says a positive result for the team would be to finish both cars, after all the recent reliability problems.

“I followed the test in Bahrain and I’m pleased that we were able to secure a lot of valuable data from both the car and the power unit, and I know everyone at McLaren-Honda is working hard to put that to good use to aid our progress as quickly as possible. The season is long, but there isn’t much time between races – especially flyaways – for development, so the laps we managed on the final day of the test were a big positive for us and hopefully will be beneficial to us.”

Pirelli go soft

Pirelli are bringing their three softest tyre compounds to Sochi, the P Zero yellow soft, the red supersoft and the purple ultrasoft.

Sochi Autodrom is so smooth that degradation levels are among the lowest seen all season, as it imposes limited demands on tyres. It’s the right front that does the most work here. As the weather is usually mild, thermal degradation is usually pretty contained.

Turns 2 and 13 require the heaviest braking, while the final sector places a high premium on traction and braking, not unlike Abu Dhabi. The most demanding corner meanwhile is Turn 3, the multi-apex left-hander.

With very high full-throttle time, the race sees the highest fuel consumption of the year.

The weekend’s outlook

Conditions are forecast to be sunny all weekend, with temperatures peaking at 21 degrees Celsius on Friday, 22 for Saturday and 23 for raceday on Sunday.

Source: Russia preview – can Kvyat find home race redemption?

from #F1 Russia preview