Title: Christmas Present
Rating: M
Characters: Sebastian, Nick
Pairings: Sebastian/Nick
Summary: Nick comes over during the Christmas break but Sebastian isn't doing as well as people thought. After a long talk, they manage to come to a resolution, one they had not seen coming. Warnings inside. Part of my Second Chance verse.
Warnings: Mentions of self-harm, depression and suicide, talk of these things. Teen make out sesh.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, plain and simple.
CHRISTMAS PRESENT
Twas a few days before Christmas,
And all through the house,
The Smythes were all worried,
Sebastian was quiet as a mouse.
He had gone down again,
And the only one who could see,
Was Nick the Warbler,
Who was arriving at three.
Sebastian was lying in his dark room, wrapped up in his sheets when the doorbell rang. He heard the murmuring of voices below and then feet on the stairs before there was a knock on his door.
"Sebastian, honey, can I come in?" his mother, Annabelle asked.
"Yeah," Sebastian replied, knowing that no matter what he said she would come in anyway.
The door opened and the light flicked on, blinding Sebastian before his eyes fluttered open and he peered up in shock to see Nick standing beside his bed.
"Nick came to see you, sweetie," Annabelle said quietly. "Do you want me to bring up some snacks or drinks?"
"I'm fine, mom," Sebastian answered dejectedly.
"I could go a glass of water," Nick suggested. Annabelle nodded simply and retreated back downstairs. Nick pulled Sebastian's desk chair over, struggling to manoeuvre it through the discarded clothes, books and papers that littered Sebastian's floor.
"What are you doing here?" Sebastian asked, looking up at Nick with minimal expression in his eyes.
"Your mom called me, said that you hadn't seemed too happy since the break started. She knew we'd talked about stuff that day at Dalton and thought I might be able to get something out of you."
"There's nothing to get out," Sebastian murmured, looking away.
"Seb, come on, I know you better than that."
"I don't wanna talk, okay?" Sebastian said before his mother returned, a glass of water and packet of cookies in hand.
"If there's anything you two need, just let me know."
"Thanks Mrs Smythe," Nick said with a smile.
"Please, call me Annabelle," she squeezed Nick's shoulder before she left, peering back at her son one last time.
"Did something happen? Did someone say something to you?" Nick pressed, knowing that it was better to try and get Sebastian to try and confess something rather than bottle it all up and take it out on himself later.
"No."
"And you're still taking your meds?"
"My mother would force-feed them to me if I didn't."
"Are they still helping?"
"I dunno."
Nick leaned forward, hands clasped and elbows on knees. "I'm only trying to help, Seb. Your parents are worried and I don't particularly want to have sit through another lecture at school about what to do when your best friend tries to kill themselves."
Sebastian looked back to Nick. "You think I'm gonna try to kill myself?" he asked incredulously.
"I thought you'd be more intrigued by the fact that you're my best friend," Nick muttered, looking away.
Sebastian frowned in confusion before he sat up, the sheet falling to reveal his bare chest and cut-up arms. He reached for Nick's hands, the Warbler looking to the cuts in his friend's wrists sadly.
"Again?" he asked, dismayed.
"It wasn't so bad this time."
"Why didn't you call me?"
"Didn't want you to worry."
"I worry anyway," Nick murmured finally before he looked into Sebastian's clear eyes. He could still remember that day in the Dalton bathroom when he'd kissed the top of Sebastian's head. He still had mixed feelings about it and these feelings were rearing their heads.
"Why do you care? I don't understand why you'd care enough to help me… No one ever has, no one ever will-"
"Hey now, that isn't true. Blaine and I care – we picked up your calls and texts didn't we? We came and found you and got you help," Nick moved to kneel in front of Sebastian. The other boy had bowed his head and tears were falling onto the carpet. "You're not alone in this, okay? I'm going to help you through this."
"Why?" Sebastian croaked out.
Nick said it before he could think. "Because I love you."
Sebastian's head snapped up and he searched Nick's eyes for a sign he was lying but he only found worry and … love.
Nick swallowed nervously before he cupped Sebastian's cheek and leaned in, kissing him softly. Sebastian's lips were rough and chapped but the feel of his hands snaking around Nick's shoulders distracted him. Sebastian parted his lips with his tongue and pulled Nick up onto the bed. Hands grappled at clothes and bodies moved together as between fiery kisses, they muttered "I love you" back and forth.
Nick soon pushed himself off of Sebastian, hovering over him with a soft smile on his face.
"Wasn't expecting to do that today," Sebastian gasped, breathing heavily.
"Me neither," Nick laughed before he moved to lie beside Sebastian. He rolled over and propped his head up, carefully draping a hand over Sebastian's bare stomach.
"Is this just a onetime thing?" Sebastian asked.
"Do you want it to be?" Nick questioned, feeling scared suddenly.
"No, no, of course not," Sebastian turned onto his side as well, their bodies pressed together again. "But… Do you think you'll be able to – will you want to, I mean-"
"Seb, you're my best friend. I'd go to the ends of the earth and back for you. I can handle this."
"Are you sure?"
Nick lifted Sebastian's hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it gently. "I'm not going to abandon you, okay? We'll work through this together. But I want you to promise me one thing."
"You know I can't promise that I'll stop-"
"I know, I know. That isn't what I want you to promise," Nick moved his hand to gently trace over the shallow, scabbed-over cuts. "I want you to promise that you'll try. That you'll try to figure this thing out and try to start getting better. If we hit bumps, that's fine, it's the trying that matters to me, okay?"
"Okay," Sebastian whispered before he swept Nick's hair behind his ear and leaned in to kiss him.
He couldn't imagine a better gift than that of a friend.