New Year's Eve. Another year has passed and Artie finds himself just as alone as ever. He's at Rachel's Two Gay Dads' New Year's Eve Party and everyone is lining themselves up for their midnight kiss. All the couples from Glee club are snuggling up together, the adults are too, and all the adults who aren't in a couple per se are drunk enough that they're all grabbing the nearest person to kiss.
With all the adults around Artie's hardly been able to sneak enough alcohol to get buzzed and while he's certainly happy for all his friends, he can't help but be jealous that they're all happily coupled. Hell, a decent amount of the couples got their start by breaking his heart. It's enough to drive Artie out onto the porch where he doesn't have to see anyone.
It's been unusually warm, so there's no snow, but the night air is still cool against his face. He rests his arms on the rail and his cheek on his arms and stares out across the Berrys' lawn. They keep their lawn perfectly trimmed, which comes as no surprise to Artie. Parents who raised Rachel Berry had to have a perfectionist streak.
He groans to himself as he hears the screen door open behind him. Artie just wants to be as physically alone as he feels. Somehow it hurts less if he's lonely with no one else is around. When he's surrounded by everyone it's shoved into his face how much he just doesn't fit. He's also not really in the mood to be told to cheer up.
There's a hand on his shoulder and he shrugs it off without looking away from the lawn. Whoever it is crouches next to him.
He recognizes Sam's voice when he softly says, "Artie, are you okay?"
Artie turns to face Sam. He's startled by how close he is and how bright and intense Sam's eyes are. If someone has to come after him, he's glad it's Sam.
Hesitantly, Sam places his hand on Artie's back and rubs circles. It warms him somewhere inside. He isn't completely alone. There's Sam. Somehow he forgot about that for a moment. Sam the boy who came and left and came back again, who always noticed him and always cared about him.
"I'm fine. I just… didn't want to be in there," Artie says eventually. "It's kind of lonely watching everyone kiss at midnight when you have no one."
"There's no one you want to kiss at midnight?" Sam asks.
Artie swallows and looks away from Sam.
"I wouldn't exactly say that. I just don't think I would get a yes if I asked," Artie says.
It's true. As he turns back to Sam, he accepts something that's been simmering right beneath the surface for a while now. Artie really wants to kiss Sam Evans at midnight and the next day and the day after that too because somewhere along the line his feelings for Sam changed from friendship to something else.
"I doubt it. Who could say no to you?" Sam says, leaning forward and licking his lips.
Artie hears the drunken countdown to midnight start behind him and he makes a decision. He brings a hand up to stroke Sam's cheek. Artie wants to be sure that Sam wants this too. Sam nods slowly and Artie leans in.
He pauses, waiting for the countdown to midnight to finish. They're close enough that Artie can feel Sam's breath mingling with his own. When the party yells "happy New Year" Artie closes the gap between them. Sam's lips are warm and slightly chapped under his. Artie runs his thumb along Sam's cheek and deepens the kiss. His hand tingles as Sam finds it and holds it, stroking his knuckles.
They pull apart. Sam looks down at where both their hands are resting in Artie's lap.
"I'm sorry you were stuck with me for your New Year's kiss," Sam says.
"You're kidding, right?" Artie says.
Sam shakes his head.
"You're exactly who I wanted to kiss tonight. You're the dopest person I know. I just didn't think that you'd ever say yes. I didn't even know you liked guys. Hell, I wasn't even sure I liked guys until you came out here tonight," Artie says.
He squeezes Sam's hand as Sam looks up at him with a smile on his face.
"Really? Because I wanted to kiss you at midnight, too." Sam says. "It was a very nice kiss."
"It was. I think it might be cool if we kissed again. It could be even better if we kissed before, during, and after dinner and a movie?" Artie asks.
"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot," Sam says.
"Good," Artie says.
Sam moves onto Artie's lap. Artie wraps his arms around him and they both gaze out at the lawn. Sam is warm and fits perfectly against him. He doubts 2012 is going to be perfect or anything like that. To be honest, Artie doesn't like to get his hopes up. It really hasn't served him well in the past. There's a part of him, however, that thinks that at the very absolute minimum, 2012 is getting off to a much better start than 2011.