disclaimer: without prejudice. the names of all characters contained here-in are the property of FOX and Ryan Murphy. no infringments of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission.
warnings:
author's notes: i have fallen in love with the idea of Blaine and Dottie being friends, so expect more of these! prompted by Angela (grarren), thank youu!
Good Advice;;
Sebastian, 3.02pm: Can't wait to see you, killer. You like popcorn, right?
A smile pulls at a corner of his mouth–they've been texting back and forth all day, and the tentative nerves that shone through in Sebastian's texts have a strangely reassuring effect. His break-up with Kurt had made it much easier for him to contact Sebastian, any communication between them now entirely guilt-free, and they'd slowly but surely been able to recapture the friendship they once shared.
Until both of them decided that friendship simply wasn't enough.
His fingers type out a quick 'Any sane person on this planet likes popcorn, Smythe,' before a little squeak to his right shakes him from his reverie.
"Am I too late? Did I miss her? Where'd she go?" rants Dottie's sweet cartoon voice. Her face falls when she fails to locate Tina and she sags back against the row of lockers, Tina's scheduled 3 o'clock coffee clasped to her chest. "She's going to revoke my cafeteria privileges again."
"Dottie, relax. She's just talking to Mr Schue about a few solos."
Dottie releases a breath he hadn't noticed she was holding and flips her tablet open with a dramatic amount of urgency, nodding the entire time. "I better schedule in extra rehearsal time."
His phone buzzes with a new text.
Sebastian, 3:04pm: Salty or sweet?
He giggles and shakes his head, typing out a hasty reply, 'Sweet, doofus–' when two hands land on his shoulders, Sam's, he realizes, and he jumps at the sudden touch.
"See you tomorrow, bro," Sam says. "We're still on for Halo, right?"
"Yeah, I–can't wait." He rolls his shoulders to shake of the mounting unease, his phone still in the palm of his hand, but Sam passes them both in a blond blur and disappears down the hallway before he can tell anything's amiss.
He finishes his message, '–who the hell eats salty popcorn?' and hits send, fully intent on sinking his forehead against his locker and stirring in his self-made mess of things, but he catches Dottie's eyes before he can do so. He's almost ashamed to admit that he forgot she was there; she can be so quiet.
Dottie's eyes skip from his phone to his eyes and back again and his heart speeds up–it's as if he's a five-year-old caught with his hand in the cookie jar and he immediately searches for excuses, "That was, uhm–" only no excuses come to mind, and the longer he stares into Dottie's eyes, the more this jittery feeling at the pit of his stomach wants to break free. It's been there all day, his stomach somersaulting every time his phone buzzed with a new text, a sort of warmth spreading to the tips of his toes every time Sebastian's words coaxed a physical reaction out of him.
He takes a step closer to Dottie, encouraged by his growing need to tell someone, and lowers his voice, "Can you keep a secret?"
Dottie swallows hard and sucks in her bottom lip, her head bobbing in small imperceptible nods.
"I have a date tonight that I'm really excited about," he takes a deep breath, "but I can't really tell anyone."
"Why not?" Dottie squeaks.
He takes an apprehensive step back, nails digging into the strap of his bag, that same unease settling between his shoulder blades. "Because they'll tell me it's a bad idea," he answers, the absurdity of his own statement ringing all too clear in his ears. He shouldn't have to hide this from people who are supposed to be his friends.
But after all these years in high school he's learned that everyone judges, even he does, they judge people for the friends they keep, for their habits and their quirks, for their identities, and he couldn't stand it if people judged his relationship with Sebastian before it even started.
"Is it that Warbler who was making googly eyes at you at Sectionals?"
He blinks up at Dottie, wide-eyed and surprised, because he'd hoped they hadn't made it quite that obvious–Tina still hounded him about Kurt even though they'd both agreed to go their separate ways and everyone knew Kurt was dating someone else–but for Dottie to have noticed when he was trying so hard not to let it show.
"Not that I presume to know–" Dottie ducks her head. "I mean, he was just–" She shrugs, slowly raising her gaze again, "looking at you."
He can't help the blush that spreads to his cheeks and up the back of his neck–Dottie's more perceptive than he's ever given her credit for, but she has a knack of blending into the background. She probably hears more than anyone realizes.
He smiles. "His name's Sebastian."
Dottie perks up, "He's cute!" she says, before checking herself again, "I mean–" she starts, but jumps thoughts mid-sentence and looks up at him with a frown. "Why would anyone think it's a bad idea?"
"There's some–history, I guess. Which we've talked about," he clarifies. "We've been talking for a very long time."
Dottie eyes go bigger and bigger until there's only hazel behind her dark-rimmed glasses, staring at him in awe. "Where is he taking you?" she asks, the enthusiasm in her voice similar to the one he's experienced all day but hasn't had the nerve to voice. "Or you–taking him?"
"We're just going out to dinner and watch a movie at his house." His cheeks burn hotter again at the prospect of sweet warm popcorn and time alone with Sebastian, and as Dottie's eyes fix on him in some sort of stunned worship he thinks, heck yes, he's beyond excited that he's finally going on a date with Sebastian, it's been coming for so long, and he'd much rather be shouting it from the rooftops than make himself sick with worry over someone finding out.
Because it only matters that he likes Sebastian. Though it's flattering to know he has an ally in Dottie.
"Here, let me take that." He holds his hand out for Tina's coffee, realizing it's well past three now and Tina's still inside the choir room talking to Mr Schue. "You have debate team, right?"
Dottie nods, "I do," she whispers like she can't quite believe he knew that, and hands over the cup of coffee.
"Thanks for listening."
"You're welcome," Dottie says in her cute little voice, and skips down the hallway.
He thinks he will tell everyone about him and Sebastian dating–he'll break it to Sam tomorrow, so he can curse in Na'vi for a while before kicking his butt in Halo, and afterwards reluctantly admitting that he has been happy these past few months. They'll talk to Tina together and then come Cheerio practice he'll take Dottie aside and tell her all about his night with Sebastian, hopefully forced to omit some of the juicier details.
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