Title: Viva la Vida
Rating: M (for further chapters)
Characters: Sebastian Smythe, Nick Warbler, Jeff, Blaine Anderson
Summary: When Sebastian returns to Dalton after a stint in a psych ward, he is enchanted by Nick, a new student. Drawn to each other from the start, Sebastian begins to wonder if maybe he's found his soulmate but his inability to let go of the past and the shocking news of Nick's true identity complicate the matter far beyond his imagining. Nickbastian.
Warnings: None (a change for me).
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, places or the song titles used in this fic.
A/N: This fic was partially inspired by Supernatural and partially by Coldplay's album Viva la Vida and I will be using song titles for most (if not all) of the chapters. Enjoy :)
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CHAPTER 1: LIFE IN TECHNICOLOUR
Sebastian Smythe walked the halls of Dalton Academy in sullen silence. He was exhausted. Sectionals had drained him and teachers were hounding him for assignments. The Warblers were on his back for what to do next. He'd only just gotten back from the treatment centre his parents had sent him to at the start of the year and readjusting felt almost impossible. His phone was full of encouraging messages from Blaine and his call log consisted of his parents' phone numbers from attempts at getting them to pick him up from the hospital.
He wasn't very happy.
As Sebastian rounded the corner to the hallway where his next class was, he collided with an unfamiliar boy who had been headed in the opposite direction.
"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," Sebastian said quickly as he leaned down to help the boy gather the books and papers he had dropped.
"Don't worry, no harm done," the boy answered, his voice quiet and calm. Sebastian swallowed before he looked up at the boy's face, feeling his jaw drop slightly as he took in the stranger's appearance.
Dark hair that fell like a mop on his head, hanging in the serene brown eyes that pooled beneath long lashes. His skin was ghostly pale in contrast but his soft smile lit up his face and Sebastian slowly straightened, swallowing again as nerves bundled in his chest.
"I'm Sebastian, Sebastian Smythe."
"Nick Duval, I'm new here," he replied as he reached out to shake Sebastian's hand. "Well, not really new, I've been here for a few weeks now. I've not seen you around though."
"I um, got sick, had to take a while off, got mono," Sebastian said quickly, hoping the lie wasn't revealed in his eyes. No one knew where he'd been, he'd begged his parents and Blaine not to tell anyone.
"Feeling better now though?"
"Marginally," Sebastian answered with a tentative laugh.
"I guess we should get to class," Nick said as he carefully stepped around Sebastian. "But I'll see ya later, Sebastian."
"Okay," Sebastian said, the word no louder than a whisper. He watched as Nick walked away, somehow unable to pull his gaze from the boy. He shook his head, calling himself stupid as he looked to the floor.
There was a strange shadow trailing Nick, like a pair of wings was sprouting from his back. Sebastian decided he needed more sleep as he turned and headed to his physics class.
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At the end of the day, Sebastian was still perplexed by his meeting with Nick. He'd disclaimed the idea that the shadow had been wings; it had to have been a simple trick of the light or something outside the windows that lined one side of Dalton's halls. He was on his way to the parking lot after Warblers practice with Jeff when a question sparked in his mind.
"Hey, what do you know about that new Nick Duval kid?"
Jeff shrugged and flicked his head to get the hair out of his eyes. "Not much, he doesn't really talk to anyone. He's in my biology class, seems pretty smart. He just kind of appeared out of nowhere."
"Is he a border?"
"No idea, I've never seen him come or go. He's just kind of there."
"Okay."
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Sebastian answered with a nod of his head, waving slightly as Jeff clambered into his car. There weren't many cars left in the lot and when Sebastian reached his own car, he was surprised to find another small car hidden behind it. He tried to slyly peek inside and was shocked to find Nick sitting inside with a textbook in his lap and a notepad leaning against the steering wheel.
Just as Sebastian reached out to tap against the window, Nick looked up with a smile and rolled down the window.
"Hey Sebastian! How was your afternoon?" he asked brightly.
"It was fine… Why are you still sitting out here? You could have studied in the library or the commons or something. That's where all the borders are."
"I know, they're all kinda loud though. I wanted some peace and quiet – have a history test tomorrow."
"Which history are you doing?"
"Just American. You'd think there'd be only so much they can teach you over ten years but apparently there's always more to learn."
Sebastian laughed slightly at the notion, nodding in agreement. "Well, I'm done for the day; I was just gonna go grab some coffee… Do you wanna come with me?"
Nick's smile broadened and he nodded. "Sure! Where are we headed? I'll follow you."
"The Lima Bean?"
"Isn't that kinda far?"
"The coffee's worth it," Sebastian said pointedly.
Nick laughed, a clear sound that reminded Sebastian of church bells. He wondered idly how he could make the comparison considering he hadn't set foot in a church in at least ten years.
"Okay, I'll see you there then," Sebastian replied with a smile before he got into his car and began leading the way to The Lima Bean.
The entire journey on Sebastian's part was spent trying not to freak out that he'd asked a guy he'd just met out for coffee. Did this constitute a date? Did Nick see it that way? Was Nick even gay? By the time he pulled into the lot and the small coffee shop, Sebastian had worked himself into a panic and he began to wonder if coffee was the best thing he could be taking into his system.
The air outside the car was cold and he pulled his blazer tighter around him as he waited for Nick to park and catch up with him. The other boy seemed cold too and his nose was quickly turning pink as he jogged over.
Inside, they quickly ordered coffee and Nick got a muffin before they sat down by the window. At first they sat in silence, sipping at their coffee and letting the cups warm their hands as they took in their surroundings.
"So…" Sebastian started after a good ten minutes of not being sure how to start the conversation. "Did you move to Ohio over the summer?"
"No, not quite. My dad's been waiting for a new assignment for a while now and he got it just after the semester started. I transferred to Dalton maybe three weeks into the semester," Nick explained before he tore off a part of his blueberry muffin and popped it in his mouth.
Sebastian nodded. He'd been admitted at the end of the third week of semester. "Just as I got sick then. Are you enjoying it? Dalton, I mean."
"Yeah, it's a wonderful school. Everyone's really nice, though I don't talk to many people."
"Why not?"
"Everyone's just so close-knit, you know? Transferring senior year is probably the worst thing ever."
"Yeah, I guess. I transferred last year and that was hard enough."
"Why did you transfer?"
"Bullying, then I spent a year in Paris with my dad and my sister. Came to Dalton after that."
"What were you bullied for? If you don't mind me asking," he asked as he drained the last of his coffee.
"I uh, I'm gay. Coming out in freshman year wasn't quite the wisest decision I ever made."
Nick's brow furrowed as he set the cup down. "That's not good. People can be so cruel."
"Yeah, I guess," Sebastian replied as he looked down at the table top and turned his cup around aimlessly. "Not so much of a problem at Dalton but the memories, y'know? It hurts even if it was years ago."
Nick reached out and gently touched his hand, squeezing slightly. "Things hurt because we care about them. You have a right to feel hurt."
"Yeah, I guess." Sebastian was somewhat surprised that Nick was worried about the bullying rather than the proclamation of his sexuality. Sebastian still wasn't used to acceptance. He wondered what else Nick would be willing to accept about him.
"Sebastian?"
Sebastian's head snapped around and his eyes widened to find Blaine standing behind him with a broad grin and coffee in hand.
"Blaine! Hey, how are you?" he asked, surprised.
"I'm good, how are you?" Blaine asked as he pulled a chair over and sat at the side of the table.
"I'm fine," Sebastian swallowed harshly as he looked between Nick and Blaine. "Uh, Blaine, this is Nick Duval. Nick, this is my friend from McKinley, Blaine Anderson."
"Nice to meet you," Nick answered with a smile, reaching over to shake Blaine's hand. "I'll be back in a second, nature calls."
Sebastian and Blaine nodded, watching as Nick wandered away before Sebastian looked to Blaine worriedly.
"Is he someone special?" Blaine asked as he sipped at his coffee.
"I don't know, I just met him."
"Another love of your life then? He gonna last longer than the last one?" Blaine asked dryly.
"No, it's not like that," Sebastian replied as he shook his head. "I've never met anyone like him before, Blaine."
Blaine set his coffee down and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I met him today, I accidentally walked into him in the hallway and when I saw his face… It was like the world had gone from black and white to technicolour. I've never felt this way before, Blaine."
"Do you think you're in love with him?" Blaine asked, a hint of worry clouding his tone.
"I don't know… I know there's something, I just don't know whether it's a capital-S Something or not… What was it like when you saw Kurt for the first time?"
"Exactly like that… Like I could finally see," Blaine admitted quietly as he looked down at his coffee cup.
"What should I do?"
Blaine looked back to Sebastian with a soft smile. "Follow your heart."
Sebastian nodded shakily. He wasn't very good at that. He had some learning to do.
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and my wonderful collection of notes haha. This will be a multi-chapter fic and the longest one I've written for a long time if things work out :) I've finished school for the year and desperately need something to do and this is the first thing I've actually been interested in writing for a while now so I hope you're enjoying it and hopefully eager to see more. Thanks for reading –Frankie xoxo