A/N: Hey, I'm back! As promised, here's the third part for my A long race universe, now with more sugar! Enjoy it!
CHAPTER 1
Sam loudly yawned as he tried to keep his eyes open for a while longer, even if lying down on his comfortable couch was not helping. It was really late –yeah, okay, it was Saturday and he didn't need to wake up early the day after, but he was tired, okay?– and nothing was catching his attention as he flipped through the channels on his TV. He knew the reasonable thing would be to go to bed. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He hadn't been able to go to bed before Blaine made it home safe and sound during all the months he had been working on his show. Not once. And even if he knew Blaine would never reproach him or resent him for it, he knew how much his fiancé loved it when he came home, tired and spent, and Sam would be waiting for him with open arms ready to engulf him and wrap him in all their warmth. And if only for the tender smile Blaine would always give him, full of love and devotion as he melted into his arms, it was well worth it.
As if reading his mind, Blaine took that exact moment to appear. Sam looked at his watch as he heard his boyfriend at the other side of the door, and noticed it was really late, even more than usual even for a Saturday –with a double feature–. If he didn't know a car from the company always took everyone to their door on Saturdays, he might have worried something had happened to him. That car bringing him home was the only reason he was not picking him up himself every Saturday, he thought with a smile, shaking his head at himself about how much of a worrier he was.
"Hey, love" Blaine said with his unique Sam-smile as soon as he crossed the threshold to their shared home. "You're still up"
"Of course I'm up, I was waiting for you" Sam answered, reciprocating his smile as Blaine left his thin cardigan on the rack next to the door.
"You shouldn't have bothered" Blaine reminded him, his voice full of gratitude as he let himself practically fall on top of his boyfriend on the narrow couch and nestled against his chest with a contented sigh.
"And miss this? I don't think so" Sam honestly replied as he put his arms around Blaine's smaller frame and squeezed him strongly. "Hey, where's my kiss?"
"Sorry" Blaine answered with a chuckle as he lifted his face for a minute, give Sam's lips a long peck, and lowered it again on the crook of his neck, clearly exhausted.
"You look tired" Sam commented, his hand immediately finding his way to Blaine's long curls –he had been growing his hair a little longer than usual because it agreed with his character, but Sam thought he looked even more incredibly gorgeous than usual and made a point with himself to not let him cut it when the show was over.
"That's what a double feature will do to you" Blaine answered, deliciously tickling Sam's neck with his breath as he spoke.
"How was it tonight?" Sam asked, knowing Blaine would inevitably fall asleep if not made to talk, and he wasn't ready to lose him yet.
"It was amazing" Blaine answered, lifting his head to look at Sam again, and Sam thought he could get lost in the excitement and happiness he could see in Blaine's eyes. "We had the longest round of applause of the whole season, that's why I'm so late"
"I bet most of those applauses were directed at you" Sam answered, only half joking, because he had seen the show more than a few times and he had been a witness of how Blaine inadvertently stole everyone's thunder as soon as he came on stage.
"Yeah, sure, everyone came just to see me" Blaine sarcastically answered, resting both his hands, one over the other, on Sam's chest so he could lean his chin on them and look at his boyfriend at the same time.
"Don't give me the I'm the most unkown actor on Broadway speech again, both you and I know you've signed more than a couple of autographs after your performances" Sam liked to remind him of that fact, as he had seen it happen with his own eyes more than once while waiting for his boyfriend, feeling incredibly proud of him.
"Yeah, from people who wanted all the cast to sign their programs" Blaine argued with a roll of his eyes, but Sam cupped his cheek and forced him to look back at him.
"Excuse me, but those two young ladies a couple of weeks ago were waiting specifically for you and you know it"
"Well, ok, I have two fans, big deal" Blaine replied with a chuckle.
"Excuse me? What about me?" Sam asked, feigned to be deeply offended.
"Ok, three"
"That's better"
"Well, thanks, honey" Blaine honestly said as he stretched his neck for a second to kiss Sam's sweet lips gratefully. "I can't believe it's almost over, though. Only one more week to go and then it's over"
"Are you sad about it?" Sam asked as his fingers idly played with a curl on Blaine's forehead.
"I am, but at the same time I can't wait" Blaine explained with a dreamy and mischievous smile. "Because once it's over I'll be marrying you, so…"
"Awww" Sam exclaimed, trying not to show how incredibly emotional it got him to think of what was going to happen in less than two weeks. "Are you as anxious about it as I am?"
"I don't know, how anxious are you about it?"
"Enough that I can hardly eat or sleep or keep a smile out of my face when I think about it" Sam answered in complete honesty.
"Then yes, I'm as anxious as you are" Blaine agreed with a wide smile.
"I was fearing that" Sam added, reciprocating Blaine's smile.
"Doesn't it feel strange? In two weeks everything will be exactly the same: we will live in the same place, we will have the same jobs and friends and we will be the same people but… we'll be married"
"Actually… I was thinking about some changes" Sam confessed tentatively, not knowing how Blaine was going to react to something that he had been thinking about for a few days.
"As long as you don't exchange me for someone else…" Blaine joked, trying to lighten the mood as he could sense Sam had something important to say and he wanted him to relax.
"Not when you'll finally be officially an Evans!" Sam answered with a laugh, glad for the light mood. "No, I was thinking about something else"
"Mind to share?" Blaine encouraged him to continue.
"What would you say if I told you I think it's time for me to leave my job as an illustrator?"
"I'd say you are right" Blaine immediately agreed while nodding his head.
"After the fourth number of my comic book being a complete success and they offering another year of contract and such a pay rise…" Sam explained, though Blaine obviously didn't need him to.
"Sweetie, I agree" Blaine interrupted him gently while the tips of his fingers started tracing comforting patterns on his boyfriend's chest. "This is the job of your dreams! Fortunately we don't need the money anymore, so what's the sense in you working overtime? You need to focus all your energy on your author work. It makes no sense to have the job of your dreams if you don't have the time and the energy to enjoy it"
"So you don't think I'm being selfish?" Sam asked, even if he already knew the answer his understanding partner was going to give him.
"Selfish how? Sam, we are making more money than we could have ever dreamt! Especially you now with the new contract, how could I ever reproach you for that? In fact, I might be the selfish one here, as I love that you will have more time… and hopefully some of it will be for me" Blaine said with a smile, although Sam could see through it and knew he was only half joking. He knew he had been working a lot lately and Blaine had missed him more than a little, even if he had never complained because he knew Sam was making his dreams come true.
"Well, of course, why would I want more time if it wasn't to spend it with you?" Sam answered, as tenderly as he could muster in gratitude for Blaine's constant support, and he cupped Blaine's cheek to bring their faces closer and capture his lips in a long kiss before continuing opening his heart to him. "Although I've been thinking about painting again too, you know? I was pretty good at college, I don't know why I ever stopped. I kinda miss it"
"You're like a Renaissance artist, aren't you?" Blaine said with utter admiration as he toyed with Sam's long locks.
"Oh, you want to talk, Mr. there-is-nothing-I-can't-do" Sam retorted with a chuckle as he squeezed Blaine's middle, where his arm was comfortably resting. "Don't even think I don't know you've been writing music again"
"How do you…? You were not supposed to know that!" Blaine protested with a pout that immediately elicited a hearty laugh from his fiancé.
"Then you should keep your music sheets in a better place than just scattered around the apartment!" Sam defended himself while trying not to laugh at Blaine's indignant expression. "And stop humming the melodies whenever you're distracted"
"Yeah, I am a bit careless when I get in one of my creative moods" Blaine admitted with a frown.
"Are you planning on doing something with that?" Sam curiously asked. He knew Blaine was usually quite a fidget and as soon as he had settled down in his job and he didn't need to worry about it he had gotten restless and needed something else to invest his time and talent in. What he didn't know was if that something –his music writing– was just a pastime or something more serious.
"Well, Alex has this friend who has a friend who is a musical producer and he wants me to record a demo to show it to him" Blaine explained with a shrug of his shoulders, as if it wasn't that big a deal. "Alex thinks I'm good and that I may have a chance. But I don't know, I think he's just so grateful I introduced him to Sebastian that he doesn't know how to thank me… Or maybe Sebastian forced him to, and you know how Alex can't say no to him…"
"But that's amazing! Why didn't you tell me anything?"
"Because I wanted it to be a surprise if it went well. After all, that demo is a song for you"
"For me?" Sam asked without being able to stop a little smile from breaking into his lips.
"Of course" Blaine answered with a snort, as if it was the most stupid question he had ever heard. "Who else would I be writing and singing about?"
"I don't know… Chris Hemsworth, maybe?" Sam joked.
"Yeah, alright, him too" Blaine agreed after feigning to weight the alternative for a couple of seconds.
"Hey!" Sam mockingly protested, as his hand left his position on Blaine's waist to playfully slap his rear.
"Hey, you mentioned him! And besides, you know I like him because he looks so much like you!"
"Yeah, right, we are as like as two peas"
"You're right, you're so much hotter than he is" Blaine added in a seductive voice as he moved to kiss Sam's lips in a deeper way than before.
"Aren't you the sweetest thing?" Sam exclaimed against his boyfriend's lips, his hands moving all along the shorter boy's body as if he wanted to memorize every inch of it.
"Is that why you are marrying me in two weeks?" Blaine asked in a flirty tone.
"Of course. I need my daily dose of ego boost" Sam answered, trying to avoid Blaine's playful slap to his chest to no avail.
"That's all you want me for?" Blaine asked, pretending to be terribly offended.
"Of course not! You also cook pretty well" Sam replied, and this time he didn't even try to stop Blaine's slap.
"I hate you!" Blaine exclaimed between laughs that clearly belied his words.
"And what if I tell you I want to marry you because you're beautiful, talented, kindhearted, loving and amazingly awesome?" Sam offered as a truce.
"I would say you forgot to say 'perfect'" Blaine cockily replied.
"Oh, of course, my mistake. You're perfect"
"Then I would marry you"
"Glad we reached an agreement" Sam added with a smile just before giving Blaine's lips a quick peck. "Besides, everything is paid by now, it would be a shame for it to go to waste"
"It would be" Blaine agreed, resting his chin on Sam's chest again so he could still look at him while being more comfortable. "And Cooper would be so disappointed at the lost chance to be the star at the wedding…"
"I still can't believe that being your best man wasn't good enough for him" Sam said while fondly shaking his head at his brother-in-law's antics.
"Well, you know him, he needs to be the center of attention, and being a best man in a wedding where there is another best man was not exclusive enough"
"Thank God our final best men are not that demanding"
"No, they're great" Blaine smiled contently. "Hey, remember when I asked Sebastian to be my best man? I think it was two days after Les miserables opening"
...
Sebastian was waiting on their usual cafe for the coffee date he had promised Blaine the day before. He was trying to get ready for the third degree he knew he was about to get, but he couldn't bring himself to be annoyed by it. He knew Blaine was not trying to be a gossip –well, maybe a little, but it was not just that–, but genuinely caring about him and wanting to be happy for him. And considering it had been him the one to introduce him to Alex, he really couldn't deny him a little bit of information, right? And okay, who was he trying to fool? He was so happy he really needed to share it with someone, and obviously Blaine would be his first option.
"Hands up, this is a robbery" a voice behind him and a finger in the middle of his back made him jump on his seat, though the familiar laughter that immediately came after quickly made him realize he was far from danger.
"Shit, Blaine, don't scare me like that!" Sebastian admonished him, trying to sound serious even if he could feel a smile breaking in the corner of his mouth.
"Aren't we jumpy today?" Blaine said with a chuckle as he sat in front of his friend. "Maybe it's because… you didn't had much sleep last night either?"
"Nice way of asking me if I spent the night with Alex two nights in a row" Sebastian sarcastically replied as he handed Blaine the beverage he had already ordered for him.
"And did you?"
"No. We said goodbye after lunch"
"So let me see" Blaine said, feigning to think thoroughly about it. "After the show you two had dinner, breakfast and lunch together"
"Actually… only lunch, we… skipped the rest" Sebastian confessed, blushing slightly.
"Oh my God, start talking right now" Blaine insisted, practically jumping on his chair with excitement, which elicited a fond smile on his friend in spite of everything.
"Well, as you know we left your party together. By the way, I'm sorry I left, I need to tell you again, I was so selfish but…" Sebastian tried to apologize, but Blaine didn't even want to hear about it.
"Stop it"
"What?"
"Do I look angry to you?"
"No" Sebastian admitted with a relieved smile.
"Then stop apologizing and continue, please. I want to know all the details" Blaine eagerly encouraged his friend to continue.
"We clicked instantly. So we had a walk and then we had a drink and then he asked me to go to his apartment" Sebastian explained.
"Wow, you're faster than the Flash, aren't you?" Blaine joked with a wink that Sebastian chose to ignore.
"Nothing happened, I already told you" Sebastian patiently reminded him. "We just… kept talking and talking all night. We didn't even get any sleep. Turns out he is the most interesting guy I've ever met. No offense" he hurried to add once he realized what he had just said.
"None taken" Blaine reassured him with a chuckle.
"He must have thought that about me too, because we couldn't seem to stop talking" Sebastian continued, blushing more and more by the minute. "Like we wanted to know everything about each other, you know? Then in the morning we weren't ready to say goodbye yet, so we watched a movie, we had an early lunch and I finally went home. I didn't want to spoil it too soon, you know?"
"Did you two kiss?" Blaine shamelessly asked.
"I'm not one of those who kiss and tell, you know" Sebastian joked.
"So that's a yes" Blaine insisted with his widest smile.
"It… might be a yes" Sebastian answered enigmatically.
"Seb, that's amazing" Blaine said, this time with no trace of joking in his voice, as he covered Sebastian's hand with his own across the table. "If you could see your expression as you talked about him… I think it's serious"
"I'm afraid it could be" Sebastian agreed with an embarrassed smile.
"So when are you seeing him again?"
"I don't know" Sebastian admitted with a little frown, implicitly asking his friend for advice. "We exchanged numbers and I'm dying to call him, but… I don't want to seem too eager and scare him away"
"Seb, he spent a sleepless night just to know every single fact about you" Blaine kindly reminded him. "You really think he's not dying for you to call him?"
"You think so?"
"Of course I do, Seb! You two had an instant connection! That doesn't happen often, you know"
"You saw him yesterday at the show, right? Did he say something?" Sebastian asked, and Blaine was both glad and amazed at how deep he seemed to have fallen for Alex.
"I didn't talk to him, because I didn't want to say or hear anything before I had talked to you" Blaine honestly explained. "But I saw him, and I hadn't seen that dreamy smile on his face before, let me tell you that"
"So you think I should call him?" Sebastian insisted, desperate for some guidance so he wouldn't screw it up. After all, he had never been in a really serious relationship, while Blaine was the master of that.
"Yes, Seb, of course I think you should call him!" Blaine happily exclaimed. "Screw everything, for all we know this could be the love of your life!"
"God, you're right" Sebastian admitted, bringing his hands to rub his face for a second as he tried to make a decision. "I'll call him right away, do you mind?"
"No, go ahead" Blaine gave him his permission, though he smiled as Sebastian wasn't waiting for it and already had the phone glued to his ear.
"He's not picking up" Sebastian explained as he impatiently waited.
"I'm sure he's just busy" Blaine tried to calm him down.
"Maybe he doesn't want anything to do with me" Sebastian lamented, hitting the red button on his phone.
"Yeah, right, I usually talk all night with boys I have absolutely no interest in" Blaine sarcastically replied.
"You're so funny" Sebastian protested before being interrupted by a beep. "Oh, he sent a text"
"What does he say?" Blaine asked, almost more excited than Sebastian himself.
"He says he can't talk right now, because he's busy. He has two jobs, you know. He is also a violin private tutor, so he must be giving a class right now"
"Oh. Does he say anything else?"
"That we can talk in person while having dinner tonight after the show, if I want to" Sebastian explained while a huge grin broke inevitably on his lips.
"Oh my God, Seb, you're so screwed" Blaine said with a laugh at his friend's dreamy expression.
"I know, right? Let me just answer him and I'm all yours"
"Take your time"
"That's it" Sebastian said after a minute and put his phone down on the table, feeling a little guilty that he was neglecting his friend –again–, even if said friend was the sweetest thing ever and didn't seem bothered at all.
"I'm so happy for you, Seb" Blaine honestly told him.
"Well, none of this would be happening if it wasn't for you" Sebastian answered gratefully. "I'll never thank you enough for this"
"Well, I've got plenty of things to be grateful to you too, so let's call it even" Blaine answered, only half joking. "I'm just glad everything seems to be working out"
"You look very happy indeed" Sebastian said, looking inquisitively at him as if trying to see through him.
"I am, Seb, for you" Blaine quickly answered.
"No, but there is something else, I can tell" Sebastian added confidently. "What is it?"
"Nothing" Blaine denied in a heartbeat, making it all the more obvious that he was indeed lying.
"You've got something to say too"
"No, I don't"
"Blaine, I know you. What is it?" Sebastian insisted.
"No, I didn't want to say anything today" Blaine protested with a pout. "Today is just about you"
"If you aren't the sweetest thing ever…" Sebastian said with a fond chuckle. "But I already told you everything and now I want to know about your news. Let me be happy for you too"
"Ok" Blaine surrendered with a sigh. "Sam and are getting married"
"I think I already knew that" Sebastian answered with a confused smile.
"No, but I mean for real" Blaine added, biting his bottom lip to stop his smile from spreading any further, so happy he felt. "We picked a date and everything"
"Oh. Oh!" Sebastian exclaimed when he understood the importance of the news. "So when?"
"On July 25th"
"Which year?"
"This year!" Blaine answered with a hearty laugh at Sebastian's confusion.
"Really? So soon?" Sebastian asked, equally surprised and excited.
"Yeah"
"I thought you were going to wait"
"Yeah, that was the original plan but…"
"What's the point in waiting, right?" Sebastian finished the sentence for him, as he perfectly understood his friend: why wait for something they were both so sure of?
"Exactly" Blaine agreed, happy that Sebastian seemed on board with the idea. After all, he was the first person outside both his and Sam's families to know, and he cared very much about his opinion.
"I'm very happy for you, Killer" Sebastian said, this time being his turn to enjoy his friend's obvious happiness.
"And I'm happy for you, because I've got the feeling you already know who your plus one will be"
"Hahaha, very funny"
"Although I really hope he can spare you for your duties on the wedding" Blaine added, kind of cryptically.
"My duties?" Sebastian asked in surprise.
"I was kind of hoping you'd want to be my best man" Blaine asked with a shrug of his shoulders, suddenly feeling a little shy.
"Me? Really?" Sebastian asked, not being able to decide if he should feel surprised or flattered at the request.
"Yes, of course, you're my best friend" Blaine explained, amused at how moved Sebastian looked at the prospect of being his best man. "Who else would I want as my best man? Sam was supposed to be my best man when I was younger but… let's say his role in the wedding changed a little"
"Still… I thought maybe Cooper…"
"Oh, Cooper wanted to be my best man so he could have a leading role in the wedding, but as soon as he found out people could get ordained in the Internet and officiate weddings, let's say he found the role of his life"
"Your brother is really something else" Sebastian commented while trying not to laugh. "And you agree with that?"
"I think it's a great idea, so that way I can have both him and you taking part of the most important day of my life" Blaine explained with a smile. "So will you be my best man?"
"Of course I will be your best man, Blaine" Sebastian answered, not being able to hide how moved he was when his eyes started getting glassy. "It will be the greatest honor"
"You're not going to start crying on me, right?" Blaine joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere in his friend's benefit.
"I might do" Sebastian confessed with a shaky smile, though he made a good job of keeping his tears at bay.
"I love you, Seb" Blaine said with a sweet smile as Sebastian took his hand in his.
"I love you too, Killer" Sebastian answered, and he was proud of himself when his voice only shook slightly.
"Cooper might call you one of these days, by the way" Blaine said, changing the subject to give his friend the chance to compose himself. "If he does, ignore him"
"Why would he call me?" Sebastian asked with a confused frown.
"Well, there is only one thing he regrets about not being my best man and that is giving the speech, so I'm afraid he will call you to explain all kind of embarrassing anecdotes about my childhood and teen years to you so you can incorporate them in your speech"
"Oh, maybe I won't ignore him then"
"Sebastian" Blaine warned him, trying to sound threatening.
"Uh, you're using my whole name, you are serious" Sebastian joked, and then laughed along his friend when he couldn't keep his menacing pretence anymore.
...
"He was so moved when I asked him…" Blaine explained with a fond smile. "Though he had just met Alex and spent their first sleepless night just talking to each other the day before. Maybe he was just emotional and drunk on love that day"
"Not like Puck" Sam complained with a chuckle as he played with the curls on Blaine's forehead. "Puck was just his usual I-don't-give-a-damn self when I asked him to be my best man"
...
Sam looked fondly at Puck as his friend devoured his burger in front of him. It was one of those nights that Sam felt too restless to wait for Blaine at home as he finished his show. He usually called Puck on those occasions and he would always agree to meet him and wait with him if he didn't have to work. And that was why they were having a quick dinner near the theatre, so that way they could spend some quality time together while waiting for Blaine.
Sam was grateful for those moments with his friend. They had been good pals on high school, though never too close as Puck was… well, very Puck back then. But the years had really agreed with him, and Sam was surprised and glad to find how much he had matured and the good man he had become, someone he was proud to call his friend. Someone who always listened and sometimes even would have good advice to offer. And someone who didn't mind just hanging around while waiting for his bro's partner. And Sam knew the perfect way to thank him for everything he had done for him and Blaine in the last months.
"Hey, dude, I've got news" Sam announced, all of a sudden.
"What's up?" Puck asked with a full mouth.
"Blaine and I got a date for our wedding" Sam plainly explained. "We're marrying in July"
"That's cool, man" Puck answered with a little smile.
"Hey, will you be my best man?"
"Really? Me?"
"Yeah, why not? You're my bro" Sam explained, trying to think of ways to lighten the mood when Puck would become helplessly emotional.
"I am. Sure, I'll do it. Hey, are you going to eat those fries?" Puck asked as he didn't wait for an answer and stole some fries from Sam's plate as the latter was left speechless.
...
"Hey, I'm sure he was also quite moved in his own way" Blaine tried to comfort his mockingly offended boyfriend. "He just doesn't know how to show it"
"And I think you'd be surprised at how simple Puck really is" Sam explained with a laugh. "He's just excited about the trip to Los Angeles, if you ask me"
"Can you believe we're travelling there in a week?" Blaine excitedly asked, as he loved sunny California with all his heart. "It will be the third time we go there together, though the first time we'll be going as a couple"
"I know" Sam agreed with a content sigh. "And the most special one, for sure"
Blaine reciprocated his smile as he thought about their trip. They were finally getting married in Los Angeles. It had been Cooper's idea, but as soon as he explained his motives to them they had to agree. As they wanted an outdoors wedding, Cooper immediately thought about that little hill, just outside the city and next to the sea, where they had a picnic the first time Blaine had visited Cooper in Los Angeles with Sam, after less than a year living together in New York as roommates. Cooper had been surprised –pleasantly surprised– when Blaine had appeared with Sam instead of Kurt, but had excused him with some vague explanation about how busy he was at NYADA or something like that. –even if Cooper knew he just wasn't that fond of him so as to cross all the country for visiting–. Cooper had only met Sam that time he had been at McKinley and given Blaine's classmates a seminar on acting, so he really didn't know him. But Blaine had told him so much about him that it was almost as they were already friends. And they had clicked immediately, so much more than he had ever done with Kurt. And the way he treated Blaine and how easy they got along… well, Cooper had silently wished Sam was not only his brother's best friend.
One afternoon Cooper had taken them to that special place he loved, not that far from where he lived, knowing Blaine was going to love it just as much as soon as he felt the sun on his skin while being able to look at the sea. And he hadn't been wrong: Blaine was mesmerized with the place, and had been silently sitting there for a while, overwhelmed with the beauty around him, when Sam had sat next to him, given him an incredibly sweet and fond and understanding smile, and put his arm around Blaine's shoulders to silently look at the horizon with him. And when Blaine had let his head fall in Sam's shoulder, letting his guard down as Cooper had seen him do so few times along his life, both of them completely forgetting about his presence just behind them, he had known someday those two would be together
"You're happy with the place we've picked up for the wedding, right?" Blaine asked, still unsure if Sam was just accepting it for him. "You didn't say yes just to make me happy, did you?"
"Blaine, there couldn't be a better place for us to marry, believe me" Sam answered as he cupped Blaine's cheek and brought his face closer so he could kiss his forehead in a loving gesture.
"What do you mean?"
"I guess I never told you about it, did I?"
"Tell me what?"
"You remember that time Stacey got so ill and you came with me to Kentucky to support me?" Sam asked.
"Yes, of course I remember. You were in no fit state to travel alone" Blaine answered as he reminisced about that time that felt like a lifetime ago.
"We were not together yet, and you were still with Kurt. In fact, you had to ditch Kurt for your anniversary to come with me, remember?"
"Well, yeah, but that was so much more important"
"Well, it surely meant the world to me" Sam answered with a smile full of tenderness and gratitude for the shorter boy. "But if I remember correctly, Kurt got so angry at you that he, once again, refused to go with you to Los Angeles two weeks later to visit your brother as you had planned, remember? Even if you had already booked both your tickets"
"Yeah" Blaine answered with a sad sigh. "He never wanted to visit my brother and I know he used my terrible offense as an excuse, but it still really hurt. Although it was made easier when you used his ticket and came with me instead again"
"Well, it was the least I could do after you had spent two weeks in Kentucky just for me"
"Sam, you were my best friend, and you were going through a terrible time. The rest of your family was as upset as you were, you needed someone from outside you could lean into" Blaine explained, as he had never believed it was such a big deal, but the right thing to do –apart from what his heart told him to do in that moment.
"You know not everybody would have put his life in stand-by for more than two weeks just for that, right?" Sam tried to make him see while caressing Blaine's cheek with his knuckles.
"Well, then people are so fucked up" Blaine exclaimed.
"Well, yeah, maybe you're right" Sam answered with a laugh. "Though I prefer to think you did it just because it was me"
"Well, obviously" Blaine agreed while rolling his eyes at the absurdity of it. "Even if we weren't together yet, well… you were Sam!"
"Yeah, I understand that feeling so well" Sam answered, marveled at how they could understand each other so well even with close to no words. "But anyway… when Stacey was better, and you offered me that ticket to Los Angeles, I didn't even hesitate, you know? I knew you were more hurt about Kurt standing you up than you wanted me to believe, so what could I do? It was the perfect chance to return the favor… and spend a nice holidays again with you on top of it!"
"But why does the hill mean so much to you too?" Blaine asked, lost at where Sam was going to with that story.
"Because… that hill will always remind me of you and one of the milestones in our story"
"How?"
"We had been there with your brother the other time we visited, but I remember how much you loved that place and how you wanted to take me there again" Sam started to explain. "We were just sitting there on that hill, I think Cooper was working on a advertisement or something so we were on our own that day. And even if I could feel you were kind of sad about Kurt's selfish gesture, you wouldn't admit it because you didn't want me to feel guilty about it. You had just lost the final two weeks of a semester at NYADA, you had fought your boyfriend and you had paid for my holidays in Los Angeles, all for me, and yet there you were, only wanting me to feel good. And as you sat there, trying so hard to laugh at my jokes, looking so beautiful with your curls escaping from the gel helmet because of the sea breeze and the sun giving your eyes a million colors, I realized I was in love with you. Deeply and madly in love with you, and it was in that precise moment that I knew. And even if you were with Kurt at the moment, I remember how happy I felt at the feeling and how much sense it made for me. And as selfish as this might sound, by then you and Kurt were far from okay already, and… I was hoping one day I would stand a chance with you"
"Wow, Sam" Blaine exclaimed after being left speechless for a couple of minutes. "I didn't know"
"So yeah, do you think that place is special enough for me too?" Sam joked, his heart about to burst with love for the beautiful boy in his arms and the devotion he could see so clearly in his golden eyes.
"I love you so much" Blaine said as an answer, his voice more than a little shaky with emotion.
"Well, that's a good thing, considering we're marrying in two weeks" Sam joked again, trying to lighten the mood in Blaine's behalf.
"If I could marry you right now, I would so do it" Blaine insisted.
"We won't have to wait much longer… and then it will be for the rest of our lives" Sam pointed out with a smile that was immediately reciprocated.
"I can't wait for the rest of our lives to start" Blaine said in a dreamy voice as he finally rested his cheek again on Sam's chest, nestling against his skin as if he just wanted for them to melt together.
"Sometimes I think I must have been really good in another life to end up with someone as sweet as you are" Sam honestly answered, strengthening his grip around his boyfriend and letting his fingers get lost in the tangle of curls that was the back of Blaine's neck.
"mmmm" Blaine murmured sleepily as Sam's fingers worked their way on his scalp.
"Don't fall asleep on me, I'm not carrying you to bed" Sam warned his boyfriend, even if he couldn't help a chuckle.
"You would just let your husband sleep on the sofa, cold and alone all night?" Blaine asked, his voice already slurred with sleep and tiredness.
"You're not my husband yet" Sam reminded him.
"That's so nice of you. And here I was thinking you would always take care of me" Blaine mockingly protested.
"All jokes aside, Blaine, you need to know I will always, ALWAYS, take care of you, because you're what I love the most in the world, you know? I know I don't tell you this a lot, but I need you to know you're the one thing that gives sense to my existence, you know? And to know you want to share every moment with me, that you trust me with your life, just makes it all the more real, and I promise to…"
Sam's beautiful speech was interrupted by a soft snore coming from his boyfriend, who apparently had fallen asleep on him like he had predicted.
"Oh my God, really? I was giving the speech of my life here!" Sam complained, though he was kind enough to do it in a whisper so as not to wake Blaine up –he knew how tired he was, and he was not completely heartless after all–. "Well, since you didn't hear any of it I'll use it for my vows, just so you know" Sam joked to himself before being interrupted again by another snore. "Don't insist, I'm not carrying you to bed, I already told you"
Sam tried to move Blaine from him, knowing that as soon as he was up and looked at his impossibly cute boyfriend curling on himself as he slept, he would probably surrender and carry him to bed anyway. But as soon as he tried to disentangle himself from Blaine's warm embrace, the latter loudly groaned in complaint and held onto him more strongly even if he hadn't woken up.
"Guess we'll have to sleep here then, right?" Sam asked with a chuckle as he picked up the blanket from the couch's backrest and threw it over both of them. His neck would probably kill him in the morning, but he couldn't care less as Blaine sighed in his sleep and snuggled even closer to him. "Nighty night, my dear husband-to-be" Sam whispered before he devotedly kissed Blaine's forehead again and closed his eyes too.
A/N: Ok, so what did you think? A wedding coming right up, though I might take my time getting to it (you know me!)! More soon!