A rare slow song diffused through the atmosphere of the bar. On the dance floor a couple moved closer to each other, sharing a soft smile. As they danced, Kurt leaned in to press a tender kiss to Blaine's lips. Scandals was one of the few public places they could do that without fear. They blissfully lost themselves in each other, neither of them noticing the two boys that were watching them intently.

Dave looked on wistfully, drowning in the knowledge that he was longing for something he could never have. He may have once dreamed of stealing Kurt away, but over time that fantasy had corroded and disintegrated until it was nothing more than dust. Kurt was beautiful in every possible meaning of the word. A heavenly creature that would only be tarnished by Dave's touch. Dave had almost broken him once before and he would never take that risk again. Kurt deserved to be happy, especially after everything Dave had done to him, and Blaine made Kurt happy in a way Dave never could.

It wasn't Kurt he yearned for now, not really. It was someone who would look at him the way Kurt looked at Blaine. But that too was out of his reach. Romance was for beautiful people like Kurt, not for useless, ugly, scared little boys like Dave. How could anyone love him when he'd screwed everything up so badly? When he may never have the courage to even admit to being gay, let alone to being in a relationship with a boy?

Sebastian glared at the oblivious couple with frustration that was quickly growing into resentment. No matter what he tried, Blaine kept going back to that stuck up twink. In fact, they somehow seemed to be growing closer. But Sebastian wasn't ready to give up, not by a long shot. He was Sebastian Fucking Smythe; he always got what he wanted. It had just never taken this long before. Blaine was an idiot; that was the only explanation. A hot idiot who didn't know what he should want. A hot, sexy, gorgeous, tantalising… Fuck.

Tearing his eyes away from the infuriating scene on the dance floor, Sebastian scanned the other occupants of the bar. It was then that he noticed he wasn't the only person watching the couple. Interesting. He slinked over to the other observer, who he vaguely remembered seeing Kurt with the first time he'd invited the two former Warblers to the gay bar.

"So which one is it?" he asked bluntly.

The other boy glanced around, trying to determine if there was someone else Sebastian could be talking to before bewilderedly asking "What?"

"Which one are you drooling over like some starving stray dog staring through a window at a banquet?"

Dave took a moment to wonder if he should answer the strange boy's question or run away as fast as possible. "Is it that obvious?" he asked uncertainly.

"Uh, yeah. So which one?"

Dave sighed. "Kurt," he admitted.

Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. "Well I certainly can't compliment your taste, but if it's any consolation, once I'm finished he should be free for you to take your shot."

"What do you mean?"

"I want Blaine," Sebastian replied nonchalantly. "And I always get what I want. Kurt's in my way for the moment, but I'll get rid of him soon enough. After that he'll be all yours."

Dave stared at the other boy in disbelief. "Whatever it is you're planning, you may as well give up now. It's obvious even to an idiot like me that they're in love. You don't stand a chance."

The word 'love' triggered a derisive snort from Sebastian. "Please, as if Blaine's going to stay with that frigid princess when he realises what I'm offering."

Anger clouded Dave's expression. "Don't talk about Kurt like that," he said tightly.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot," Sebastian replied, not sounding the least bit contrite. "So, Bear Cub, are you in love with him?"

"My name's Dave," the other boy corrected. "And no, I'm not in love with him, not anymore at least. But I still admire him. You don't know what he's been through. …What I've put him through." The last sentence was spoken quietly, almost to himself.

Sebastian seemed to find Dave's admission particularly amusing. "Been pulling pigtails have we? Oh dear."

Dave ignored him. "So I take it you don't feel that way about Blaine, then." He wasn't quite sure why he was even still talking to the caustic boy. I must be drunker than I thought.

Sebastian shrugged. "Blaine's hot. And a challenge. And so deliciously innocent." An indulgent smirk crossed his face. "I'm going to enjoy corrupting him."

"You're sick"

"You're pathetic. Still in the closet I'm guessing?" Dave didn't reply, but his expression was answer enough. "Mooning after a prissy, conceited bitch. And even he's out of your league."

"Don't you pretend you're any better than me," Dave countered scathingly. "Apparently you're so damaged that when you see something beautiful you have to try and destroy it. Because you're jealous. You can't stand knowing that someone else has something you'll never be able to have."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Are we talking about me or you?" Once again, Dave didn't respond verbally, but didn't really need to.

"At least I learned to get past that," he defended. "You're obviously still just a selfish little spoilt brat."

Sebastian ignored the criticism. He'd resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't going to make any progress with Blaine tonight, he may as well try to have a bit of fun with someone else, and Dave wasn't unattractive. "Fine. You know what? If this is as hopeless as you claim it is, and neither of us have a chance with the people we want, how about we make the most of what we can have?"

"And what's that?"

"Each other."

Dave stared at him incredulously. "We've just spent the last five minutes establishing that we hate each other, and now you're propositioning me?"

Sebastian shrugged. "You're hot. I don't have to like you to appreciate that."

"You're insane."

"Maybe I am. But you can't pretend you don't think I'm hot too."

"What's your name?" Dave avoided commenting on the other boy's assertion.

Sebastian smirked. "So you are interested."

"I never said that."

"I'm Sebastian. You might want to make a note of that so you know what to scream out when–"

"–I'm not going to sleep with you," Dave exasperatedly cut Sebastian off.

"I never said you had to. But just out of curiosity, why not?" When he didn't receive a reply, Sebastian studied Dave's expression. "…Oh, I see. So you're a virgin. Cute. Well how about this: we find somewhere a little more private, and then you're free to decide how far you want to go. No pressure, no strings, just a bit of fun." It wasn't exactly what Sebastian had had in mind, but it was better than nothing, and toying with a pathetic, tormented closet case was sure to be entertaining.

Dave was surprised to realise he was actually giving Sebastian's offer some serious consideration. True, the other boy was clearly a jerk, but Dave had never met another boy that actually wanted to kiss him, and he had no idea when it would happen again. He'd already made a mess of his first kiss, not to mention ruined Kurt's in the process, so what would it really matter if he made out with some random guy? If he decided to wait for some perfect fairytale romance, he could easily end up waiting his entire life. And after all the time he'd spent struggling to accept his sexuality, why shouldn't he explore it a little? Everything about Sebastian screamed 'bad idea,' but…

"What the hell." He eventually replied, managing to keep his voice confident and casual despite how conflicted he felt. "It's not like I'm getting any better offers."

Sebastian led Dave out into the parking lot with a self-satisfied smirk. It was too dark for Dave to recognise the make of the car the other boy unlocked, but it was clearly something flashy and expensive. He found himself being roughly pushed into the leather-upholstered back seat, Sebastian climbing in next to him.

"I'll lead, since I actually know what I'm doing. You just follow and let me know when you want to stop," Sebastian said, before his lips crashed into Dave's.

The kiss was rough and merciless, but it was clear that Sebastian hadn't been lying when he said he knew what he was doing.

Tongues battled, teeth nipped and scraped, fingers dug in hard enough to leave bruises.

Sebastian was impressed by how quickly Dave learnt. He responded enthusiastically without hesitation and wasn't afraid to do a little experimenting of his own. Sebastian decided to try pushing things a little further. His hands began to roam; first exploring Dave's back, then moving lower, making a thorough study of his ass, squeezing lightly, then more firmly. Dave obediently followed his lead.

Sebastian had intended this to be simply an entertaining distraction but he was enjoying it far more than he'd expected to. They shifted positions slightly, and for a moment Sebastian felt the evidence that Dave was enjoying things just as much press against his thigh. He took this as further encouragement and moved his hands to Dave's chest. He gradually worked his way down until they reached the waistband of the other boy's jeans. It was then that Dave finally pulled out of the kiss.

"That's enough," he said once he'd caught his breath. "I don't want to go any further."

"Are you sure?" Sebastian teased. "You look like you could use some help with that." His hand hovered tortuously millimetres above the obvious bulge in the front of Dave's pants.

"I'm sure," Dave replied, though it looked like it took some effort. "Get off me." He pushed Sebastian away and awkwardly climbed out of the car.

"Suit yourself." Sebastian shrugged and moved into the driver's seat. His eyes followed appreciatively as the other boy made his way across the parking lot to his own car.

Sebastian intended to drive straight home but by the time he was halfway there his arousal was still refusing to abate. He parked in the most deserted street he could find and unzipped his fly, calling up his favourite fantasies of dark curly hair, hazel eyes and a smaller body pressed against his own.

However, as he continued, he found the image shifting. Bright hazel gave way to intense brown. He imagined a broader chest and large, muscular arms surrounding him. He wondered what it would be like to feel the hands that had explored his body earlier that night gripping his cock, and his orgasm overtook him almost immediately.

It made sense, he rationalised as he cleaned himself up. The encounter with Dave was still fresh in his mind, and it was only natural that a genuine experience would be more potent than something he could only imagine for now. He still wanted Blaine just as much as he had before. Dave was a bit of fun; a brief entertainment that he would probably never even see again.

It was late when he arrived home, but that didn't really matter. His mother had long ago decided that worrying about him was a wasted effort. She'd given up on him the day he came out. The idea that a gay person could ever have a serious, stable relationship was completely foreign to her. She assumed he'd be promiscuous and fickle, so why should he try to be anything more? At least no one could ever claim he hadn't lived up to her expectations.

He collapsed into bed, falling into dreams that became a tangle of shifting images.

Blaine. Dave. Blaine. Dave. Blaine.

Over the next week, Sebastian succeeded in forcing any lingering thoughts about Dave to the back of his mind. The following Friday, he found himself decidedly lacking in entertainment. From the obnoxiously syrupy love notes that had saturated his facebook feed, he gathered that Kurt and Blaine were out on a date; and the rest of the Warblers were locked in one of their epic video game battles, which Sebastian rarely took part in. It was much more fun to manipulate real people than computer-generated characters. He decided to visit Scandals on his own to find a way to alleviate his boredom.

Unfortunately, the gay bar appeared to be having a slow night. The guys that were there were all too old, too creepy, already paired off, or all of the above. Sebastian was about to concede defeat and go home when he noticed a familiar hunched figure sitting at the bar, hiding under a baseball cap. Normally he made a point of not fooling around with the same person twice, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to make an exception just this once. He didn't have any better options and Dave had been… entertaining last time. Besides, they hadn't even made it to second base, and Sebastian was curious to see if he might be able to push Dave little further this time.

"You realise you look pathetic sitting here by yourself," he said, claiming the barstool next to the other boy.

"So… what? You're here to save me from looking like a sad loner?"

"I'm just that nice."

Dave snorted. "Sebastian, there are many words I would use to describe you, but 'nice' sure isn't one of them."

"Nice is overrated," Sebastian replied with a shrug. "So. I'm bored, and as fascinating as the label on your beer bottle must be, considering how intently you're studying it, I'm sure I could be much more entertaining."

"You appear out of nowhere, insult me, and then think you can just pick me up?"

"It worked last time," Sebastian pointed out smugly.

Dave sighed. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to be distracted."

"And what exactly am I supposed to be distracting you from?"

"Why would I tell you that?"

"I guess I figured that if we're going to do the whole 'friends with benefits' thing, we may need to work on the 'friends' part."

Sebastian laughed. "Cute, but no. There is no 'thing' between me and you. There never will be. It was supposed to be a one time deal, but since this town sucks and I don't have any other options tonight, you're getting a second round. You should be flattered; I don't give second chances very often."

Dave rolled his eyes. "So, saying you do somehow manage to get Blaine, are you going to kick him to the kerb after one night?"

"Of course not. It'll be at least a couple of weeks before I get bored with him."

"Nice."

"I thought you said you'd never use that word to describe me."

"I hate you."

"Good." Sebastian grinned. "It's more fun that way. So are you in?"

Dave wasn't quite sure how it happened, but he found himself nodding and following Sebastian outside. Everything went much the same way it had the last time they were together until Sebastian's hands found their way under the hem of Dave's shirt. They burned across his bare skin, stimulating nerve endings he didn't even know he had. Dave hurried to copy Sebastian's actions. It felt amazing to be able to explore a body that wasn't his own. The sensation of touching and being touched by another boy was electrifying. Dave's fingers inadvertently brushed a nipple, causing Sebastian to tense and falter slightly, releasing a soft groan that was muffled by Dave's mouth. Being able to provoke that reaction from Sebastian, who was always so cool and confident, gave Dave a certain amount of smug satisfaction. Sebastian roughly pushed Dave down so he was lying on his back and climbed on top of him. Dave could feel the other boy's erection pressing against his hip, and that was pretty damn satisfying too. Sebastian's mouth moved to attack Dave's neck and Dave turned his head to give him better access. Dave didn't want it to end, but he knew that he had to call it off before his arousal overruled his better judgment.

"We need to stop," he panted, lightly shoving Sebastian away.

Sebastian sighed heavily. "Fine. If we must." He reluctantly climbed off Dave, but not before taking a moment to admire how debauched the other boy looked. He was particularly proud of the marks he'd left on Dave's neck.

Dave sat up, but didn't immediately get out of the car. He needed to catch his breath and wasn't entirely confident that his legs would hold him if he tried to stand up.

"Was that distracting enough for you?"

"I'm certainly not complaining." Sebastian's arrogant smirk had returned but he still looked less composed than Dave had ever seen him before.

For a moment there was no sound in the car except for their heavy breathing. They both pretended not to notice the fact that they were still leaning against each other.

"Are you planning on leaving any time soon?" Sebastian asked eventually. "Because I really need to jerk off after that. Though, on second thought, you're welcome to watch if you want."

Dave's eyes widened. "I'm leaving," he said hoarsely, exiting the car as quickly as he could.

That was supposed to be the end. They'd had their fling, plus a little something extra, and now it was over. That was the way Sebastian did things. Anything else and you risked things getting too complicated. But somehow, the following Wednesday, they both ended up back in Sebastian's car. Then it happened again. And then again two weeks after that. Every time, Sebastian swore to himself that it was the last time, and every time, he broke that promise. It was as if there was some magnetic force that kept drawing them together no matter how hard he tried to stay away. He even found himself leaving Scandals with Dave on nights where he could have had his choice of a number of other prospects who would have been willing to go a lot further. Even more disturbingly, there was a deeply buried part of Sebastian that was starting to look forward to their conversations, hostile as they were, as much as their make out sessions. There was something electric that sparked between them and it was addictive. It always went the same way. A few insults, a little banter, and then they'd maul each other until Dave decided they'd gone far enough. Sometimes it went on for a little longer than that.

"You said this was supposed to be a one time deal," Dave breathlessly reminded Sebastian as they both struggled to regain their composure after a particularly heated encounter. "So why do you keep coming back to me?"

"Why do you keep taking me back?" Sebastian deflected.

"I asked first."

"Fine. I don't know, ok?" He glared petulantly at the back of the seat in front of him, refusing to look at Dave. "I don't like not knowing things. It doesn't happen to me often."

"You're lying to yourself," Dave accused. "There's a reason and we both know it. You're just too scared to admit it to yourself."

"Right, because you'd know." Sebastian's voice was drenched in bitter sarcasm.

"I would, actually. I've spent most of my life lying to myself. 'I just haven't found the right girl yet;' 'I was looking at Brittany, not Puck, when I got that boner in English class;' 'I hate Kurt because I think he's disgusting, not because I'm scared I might be just like him.' I know all about lying to yourself. I'm the king of lying to yourself. So, yeah, I know what I'm talking about."

Sebastian wanted to be angry or offended or a whole heap of other, much more dignified, emotions, but he couldn't deny his amusement, nor could he hold back a very inelegant chuckle. "'The king of lying to yourself?' That's the most ridiculous title I've ever heard." Oh well, at least it saved him from having to admit that Dave could be right.

"Shut up, I was making a point," Dave muttered defensively, glad that it was too dark for Sebastian to see him blush. "I may have gone a little overboard."

"A little?"

"Ok, a lot." Dave couldn't help laughing a little as well.

Their eyes met, and they both suddenly realised they were acting almost like friends, which was definitely not in their unspoken agreement. This was why Sebastian had decided it was too dangerous to hook up with the same person more than once. There was too much risk of Dave developing actual feelings for him. He refused to consider the possibility that he was just as scared of the reverse.

"I think you should go," Sebastian said tightly, his expression hardening.

"Fine, if that's what you want."

It isn't. "It is."

When Dave didn't see Sebastian for weeks following that conversation, he figured he'd destroyed whatever it was they had by pushing too far. It was probably for the best. Dave had known from the start that getting involved with Sebastian in any way was a bad idea.

Sebastian did his best to avoid Scandals and returned to his efforts to seduce Blaine, which he'd inexplicably ended up neglecting of late. Somehow, though, it wasn't as much fun as it used to be. His attempt to stay away from Dave failed once again a few weeks after their last encounter. He was in a foul mood because he'd missed out on a solo; Blaine was still sickeningly in love with Kurt and oblivious to his advances; and, worst of all, his uncle was in town. He desperately needed a drink, and Scandals was the easiest place to get one. Or more than one, which was sounding like a very appealing idea at that moment. The people that ran Scandals were usually pretty lax when it came to checking IDs because they understood how difficult and lonely it could be to be a gay teenager in a small, homophobic town.

Dave didn't immediately recognise the person sitting at the other end of the bar. It was difficult to reconcile the slumped, dejected figure with the cocky, self-assured boy he was familiar with, but it was undoubtedly Sebastian. He cautiously made his way over to the other boy.

"Haven't seen you around here for a while," Dave commented warily. He had no idea how Sebastian might react when he was this drunk, especially after what had happened the last time they met.

"S'because you're always here making me want you too much," Sebastian slurred. "I don't want to want you. Not like this; like it could mean something."

"Ok, I think you'd better stop talking before you say something you'll regret, if you haven't already. Come on, I'll drive you home."

Sebastian shook his head violently. "No. Don't wanna go home."

"Well what exactly are you planning to do when the bar closes?"

Apparently, Sebastian hadn't thought about that, because he looked puzzled for a moment before replying "Sleep in my car?"

"Not good enough. I'm taking you home."

"No!" Sebastian replied adamantly. "Uncle Edward's there."

Dave's patience was wearing thin. Talking to Sebastian when he was drunk was like talking to a petulant two year old. Though, come to think of it, he wasn't much better when he was sober. "And what exactly is so terrible about your uncle that you'd rather sleep in your car in the parking lot of a seedy bar than go home?"

"Hates me." Sebastian shrugged glumly. "Can't even look at me without telling me I'm disgusting and wrong and he can't believe my mother hasn't disowned me yet. And she never says anything against him. She always chooses her brother over me."

Dave sighed. "Well I can't just leave you here. Do you want to stay at my place?"

"No."

"Well, tough, because I don't know what else to do with you."

He managed to lead Sebastian, who was reluctant but apparently couldn't find the energy to resist, out to his car.

"You should call your mom so she doesn't worry when you don't come home," Dave suggested as he spread a blanket over the couch.

"She won't care," Sebastian said, sounding as if it was a fact he'd resigned himself to long ago. "I'm a lost cause. Her worthless fag of a son who looks too much like the guy who married her for her money, spent half of it buying stupid fancy cars that he loved more than he ever loved us, then got himself killed driving one of them to visit some cheap whore."

Dave shifted uncomfortably. He knew he was hearing things he wasn't meant to. Sebastian would never say all this normally but apparently too much alcohol combined with a bad day caused him to lament everything that was wrong with his life.

"Give me your phone. I'll call her. You're in no state to talk to anyone anyway."

"Why do you care?" Sebastian asked, genuine confusion evident in his expression. "You shouldn't care about me… I mean I shouldn't care about you… I mean… I don't know what I mean."

"Just give me your phone and go to sleep," Dave said, gently guiding Sebastian to lie down on the couch. Sebastian complied, but not before giving Dave one last searching look.

Once he was sure Sebastian was asleep, Dave found the number saved under 'home' in his phone and dialled it. A tired sounding woman answered.

"Hi, this is Dave Karofsky. I'm a friend of Sebastian's. I'm sorry to call so late but I thought I'd better let you know he's staying at my place tonight. He's had a bit too much to drink and he wouldn't let me drive him home so I brought him back here. I hope that's ok with you."

"Are you asking permission to sleep with my son?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your little cover story is cute but completely unnecessary. I know what Sebastian is. So don't bother me again." She abruptly hung up, leaving Dave staring at the phone in disbelief. Despite what Sebastian had said, Dave hadn't truly thought a mother could be so dismissive of her son. Even through all the bullying and destructive behaviour that must have been mystifying to his own parents, they'd never given up trying to understand what was wrong with him.

Looking at the sleeping boy, Dave ran a hand over his face. He'd learned far more in one night than Sebastian would ever want him to know. He wished he could forget all about it for both their sakes, but he couldn't prevent it from changing the way he viewed Sebastian. It was easier now to understand why he was so afraid of allowing himself to care about anyone. Noticing that the blanket had slipped off Sebastian's shoulders a little, Dave carefully pulled it back up before retiring to his own bed, hoping that his dreams might somehow present him with a solution.

The next morning, Dave woke to a gentle knock on his bedroom door. He opened his eyes to find his father standing in the doorway.

"Care to tell me why there's a strange boy asleep on our couch?" Paul asked.

"Uh, yeah, that would be Sebastian," Dave explained sheepishly. "He had a few too many drinks at the party last night." Dave thanked God he'd chosen a party as his alibi when he went out to Scandals the previous night. If he'd used his other favourite excuse, 'I'm studying at a friend's house,' it would have been much more difficult to explain. "He didn't want to go home and he's kind of impossible to argue with when he's drunk so I brought him back here."

"Why didn't he want to go home?" Dave's father asked, looking concerned.

"Um, well, he's gay, and his uncle, who's really homophobic, is visiting at the moment." Dave held his breath while he waited to see how his father would react to that particular piece of information. Paul's eyes widened, but not for the reason Dave had feared.

"I have to say I'm a little impressed. –Not that you went to a party where there was that much alcohol available, we'll definitely talk about that later– but a few months ago I'm not sure you would have even considered helping a boy you knew was gay."

Dave looked down, ashamed. "You're right, I wouldn't have. I… I've figured a few things out since then. I'm not ready to say any more than that just yet, but I think I might be soon."

"Well… just let me know when you are ready, I guess. And now you'd better go and see to your friend. I think he may have just woken up."

Dave winced as he too heard the unmistakeable sound of retching emanating from the direction of the bathroom. "I think you may be right."

Sebastian would have been content to never see Dave again after that particular incident. His recollections of the night weren't exactly clear but he remembered enough to know that he'd completely humiliated himself. However, he found himself back at Scandals only a week later and, when he noticed Dave sitting at the bar looking unusually happy, his curiosity got the better of him.

"What's got you looking so chipper?" Sebastian asked, trying his best to sound like he didn't actually care.

A brief look of surprise at seeing Sebastian standing beside him crossed Dave's face but it only lasted a split second before he answered. "I came out to my parents last night."

"I take it it went well?"

Dave rolled his eyes. "No, of course not, I'm happy because it went terribly."

"Touché." Sebastian sat down beside Dave but didn't say anything further at first. He wanted to know more but the little voice in his head that had always protected him kept insisting that showing too much interest was a bad idea. You're getting too close. There'll be no chance of pretending you don't care. To him or to yourself. "How come you suddenly decided to jump out of the closet? Up till now you've seemed pretty hell bent on staying in Narnia for the rest of your life." Somehow, where Dave was concerned, that voice never seemed to be able to win.

"A few days ago my friend Ben just straight up asked me if I was gay. It was so out of the blue I didn't have time to come up with a convincing enough lie, but… he was actually really cool about it. And I figured that if he can be comfortable with it when he's about as close to the stereotypical straight, popular, football-playing, all-American guy as you can get and he's only known me a couple of months, maybe it's about time I gave my parents a chance."

"How did your friend figure it out?" Just stop talking. Now. Stop asking questions.

Dave shrugged. "He kept trying to set me up with girls. I kept making excuses. Turns out he's more perceptive than I gave him credit for."

"Why didn't you just date one of the girls?" Fine. Do what you want. While you're at it, you may as well tell him that every word of your drunken ramblings was true.

"Because I promised myself that even though I'm nowhere near ready to be out yet, I'm going to try to avoid pretending to be something I'm not as much as possible."

"Cool. That sounds… noble… or something."

Dave laughed. "It sounds stupid, I know, but… last time I tried to be what everyone else wanted me to be, it all went to hell and I ended up doing things I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for."

Sebastian decided he needed to change the topic of the conversation quickly. It was getting far too deep and meaningful for his liking. "So, you've effectively come out to your best friend and your parents within the last week. I think that calls for a celebration. Care to join me in my car?"

"You think making out with you in the back seat of your car constitutes a celebration?"

"Well what better way to celebrate coming out than by being as gay as possible?"

"So that's your pick up line for tonight, is it?"

"Yep. So shall we go now?"

"I haven't said yes yet."

"But you're about to."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You've never said no before."

"There's a first time for everything."

"Is this it?"

Dave paused. "No," he reluctantly admitted, before following a smirking Sebastian out of the bar.

Afterwards, they sat for a long time in the darkness of the car, neither of them saying a word. There was no sound except for the faint music emanating from the bar and the occasional car driving along the street as they both lost themselves in their own thoughts. The entire left side of Dave's body was in contact with Sebastian's right. They'd been there far too long to pretend that they were simply recovering from their earlier activities, but, still, Dave didn't leave and Sebastian didn't tell him to. Eventually, Dave broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can. I can't guarantee I'll answer."

"Why did you come here tonight? Last time we even came close to talking about something personal you avoided this place for weeks just to stay away from me."

"I needed to get out of the house. My uncle's still there."

Dave suspected that wasn't the only reason, but he knew Sebastian wasn't likely to say any more. "Oh. Sorry."

"I don't want you feeling sorry for me," Sebastian said, his tone coloured by something dark and bitter. Sorry means you care, and I don't want you to care about me. At least, I shouldn't want you to care about me.

For a time, silence reigned once more. Dave studied the back of the seat in front of him. It wasn't a new car, he realised. Expensive, definitely, but not new. A couple of decades old at least. He'd noticed that before, but hadn't realised the significance until now.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"If you must." Sebastian could tell from Dave's tone that he was going to be even less comfortable about answering this question. He'd inevitably end up answering it though. It was getting increasingly difficult to hold anything back from Dave.

"Was this one of your dad's cars? You said something about him buying fancy cars, and this one definitely fits that description."

"Yes," Sebastian confirmed tightly, "it was." He hadn't intended to say anything further, but somehow he found himself continuing. "My mother never got around to selling them. When I got my license, I figured that since my father wasn't much use to me when he was alive, I may as well get some benefit from him now. I was only three when he died, and he never exactly had much time for me."

Dave wasn't sure how to respond to that, and Sebastian certainly wasn't planning on sharing any more of his personal demons, so they once again slipped into silence for a moment.

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Dave asked suddenly.

"Why? Can't get enough of me?" Sebastian was relieved to be able to sneak back behind his familiar shield of arrogance.

Dave ignored the comment. "Ben's having a party. I thought you might like to come."

"Are you asking me to be your date?"

"Of course not. No one else who's going knows I'm gay, remember? I'm asking you to come as my friend, or… acquaintance, or whatever the hell we are."

Sebastian smiled wryly. "Yeah. Whatever the hell we are."

"Look, I'm giving you an excuse to get out of your house and away from your uncle for the night. So are you going to take it or not?"

"We'll see. Give me the address."

Dave had been at the party for over an hour before he noticed a familiar meticulously-styled head of hair entering through the doorway, which he most definitely hadn't been glancing at every five minutes. He swiftly made his way through the crowd to where Sebastian was standing, looking like he couldn't quite believe he was there.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," Dave said by way of greeting.

"Neither was I, but apparently I did. So, since you've dragged me to this thing, are you at least going to dance with me?"

Dave looked around the crowded room nervously. "Um… maybe later."

"Right. I almost forgot. Wouldn't want to give your 'friends' any reason to think you might not be completely heterosexual. Want to point me towards the beer then?"

Dave got Sebastian a drink and, after a moment's consideration, got another one for himself too. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

Ben, noticing that there was a stranger in his house, made his way over to Dave and Sebastian.

"Hey, no offense or anything, but I don't seem to remember inviting you."

"Uh, no, um, I did," Dave explained. "I hope that's ok."

"Of course it is, I was just wondering." Ben held out a hand to Sebastian. "I'm Ben."

"Sebastian."

"So are you a friend of Dave's from McKinley?"

Whatever Sebastian was about to reply was interrupted by a very tipsy looking girl who Dave recognised as one of the less intelligent cheerleaders (which was saying a lot).

"Wow, you're like really hot," she told Sebastian. "Like, really hot. You wanna dance with me? And then make out? And then–"

"–Look, I'm flattered and everything," Sebastian cut her off, "but I'm gay. Sorry."

"So you don't want to make out with me?"

"That would be a no."

As the disappointed girl walked away, searching for a new target, Ben glanced between Dave and Sebastian.

"Ah," he said, with a knowing glint in his eye, "I see."

"No you don't," Dave quickly contradicted. "We're… it's not like that."

"Whatever you say. I'll leave you two alone."

Sebastian swallowed the last of his beer and handed the empty cup to Dave. "Well, if you're not going to dance with me, I'm going to go find someone who will. Later."

He made his way into the crowd and proceeded to dance with anyone who was willing. If any of his partners noticed that he kept glancing back at Dave to see if the other boy was jealous, they didn't mention it.

Dave was starting on yet another drink, watching Sebastian dance with yet another girl, when he felt someone else's gaze. He turned to see his friend Luke, and Maddy, Luke's girlfriend, looking furtively in his direction as they talked softly, or at least, what counted for softly in a room full of blasting music. Realising they'd been caught, Maddy made her way over to Dave.

"Come on," she said, taking his arm. "I'd be a terrible friend if I saw you standing here all by yourself and I didn't at least offer you a dance."

Dave warily allowed her to lead him onto the makeshift dance floor.

"So, I take it none of the girls here have caught your eye?" Maddy began. Dave paled at the way she emphasised the word 'girls.' "The two of you are on opposite sides of the room and you still can't seem to keep your eyes off each other," Maddy continued sympathetically, "it wasn't that hard to figure out. Relax. It doesn't bother me or Luke, and I don't think anyone else has noticed. Well, except maybe Melissa, but, honestly, I'm surprised you've managed to keep it from her this long. She's scarily perceptive about those kinds of things."

"Um, Can you–"

"–I won't tell anyone. And I'll make sure Melissa doesn't either. I don't think I can stop her from telling Riley, but he won't care; his sister's gay."

"Oh… ok."

"Are you alright? You look a little overwhelmed."

"Well apparently I've gone from being completely closeted, to being out to my parents and five of my friends in less than a week. It's kind of a lot to take in."

Maddy smirked, looking at something over Dave's shoulder. "It may interest you to know that your boyfriend's watching us."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Well maybe you should change that. At least go and dance with him. Anyone who's sober enough to notice will just assume you're drunk." She gave Dave a firm shove in Sebastian's direction and went to rejoin her boyfriend.

Dave nervously made his way over to Sebastian. "So, I, um, think I may have promised you a dance."

"You did. Does this mean I'm actually going to get it?"

"I guess it does."

Neither of them minded that, in the crowded room, they had no choice but to dance close to each other.

When the song they were dancing to ended and was replaced by one that was much slower, Sebastian wasn't in the least surprised that Dave moved away, though he did find himself feeling slightly disappointed. He followed the retreating boy, grabbing his arm and leading him out of the room. The hallway they ended up in was completely deserted and Sebastian took advantage of the privacy, moving closer to Dave.

"What are you doing?" Dave asked.

"Our dance got interrupted," Sebastian explained, his arms wrapping around Dave's waist. "I'm finishing it."

"Ok, one: someone could walk in here at any moment, and two: since when are you the slow dance type?"

"I don't know, since I met you and everything got confusing? Since that last beer that I probably shouldn't have had?" Sebastian leaned closer as he was speaking; their faces were now only a few inches apart.

They heard a door open somewhere along the hallway and Dave jumped away from Sebastian as if he'd been burned. Turning towards the noise, they saw Dave's friends Riley and Melissa exiting one of the rooms looking suspiciously ruffled. The drunkenly giggling couple stumbled past Dave and Sebastian and returned to the main party, but not before Dave heard Melissa whisper to her boyfriend "See? I told you."

Sebastian quickly dragged Dave into the recently vacated room. It was a bedroom, probably a guest room judging by the minimal furnishings and the miscellaneous junk on the floor that appeared to have been swept off the bed by the previous occupants. Dave tried not to think about what his friends must have been doing in there, and then suddenly found himself unable to think of anything at all when Sebastian's lips attached themselves to his own.

"I've been dying to do that all night," Sebastian confessed when they finally came up for air. "You're so frustrating. I've never wanted anyone like this before." He didn't appear to realise he'd spoken that last sentence out loud.

Dave glanced nervously towards the door.

"Relax, I locked it," Sebastian reassured him. "We can do whatever we want."

Dave gave in to the temptation to crash their lips together once more. For a moment, he thought he sensed something in the kiss that could have almost been tenderness, but then it was gone and there was only raw lust.

Sebastian's hands snaked up under Dave's shirt before roughly pulling it off, his own shirt joining it on the floor seconds later. Dave's hands rushed to explore every inch of newly revealed skin, then his mouth traced the same path. Sebastian was rapidly losing any semblance of composure, unable to prevent himself from groaning every time Dave's tongue or teeth discovered a particularly sensitive spot. Needing to regain control, he pushed Dave down onto the bed, climbing on top of him and straddling his hips. As Sebastian leant down to press his lips back to Dave's, he "accidentally" caused their groins to brush against each other, extracting a gasp of surprise and pleasure from the boy beneath him.

Normally, Dave would have stopped things at this point, but alcohol had washed away his inhibitions, so instead of pushing Sebastian away, he pulled him closer and they began to grind against each other in earnest. Sebastian's hands slipped in between them, undoing first Dave's jeans then his own, pulling them down just enough to free their aching erections. He wrapped his hand around them both, and Dave cried out at the sudden contact, glad that Sebastian's mouth was there to swallow the sound. They lost themselves in sensation, unaware of anything except each other's bodies and the places they touched. It wasn't long before Dave's orgasm crashed over him and Sebastian immediately followed, pushed over the edge by the image of Dave's face contorting in ecstasy and the feeling of Dave's cock pulsing alongside his own.

When Sebastian came back to his senses, he used the box of tissues he found on the bedside table to roughly clean them both up before collapsing back onto the bed, lying half on top of Dave. They both re-fastened their pants but neither of them could seem to find the energy or desire to locate their shirts. Sebastian knew he should get up; leave; brush this off as if it was just another meaningless one night stand, but he couldn't seem to make himself move. Dave was comfortable and warm and smelt good, and the only movement Sebastian made was to settle himself into a more comfortable position. His fingers, seemingly off their own accord, wrapped themselves around Dave's wrist as they both drifted into sleep.

When Dave woke, he was alone. The only evidence that Sebastian had been there at all was the blanket he'd covered Dave with before he left. When Dave managed to focus his eyes enough to read his watch he saw that it was 7am. He found his shirt where it had been discarded the night before and lethargically made his way out of the room. Dave clearly wasn't the only person who had inadvertently spent the night but those that were awake were too busy nursing their hangovers to pay him much attention. He found Ben in the kitchen looking considerably worse for wear, though not as bad as most of the others Dave had passed. Ben wordlessly pushed a pack of painkillers towards Dave, who gratefully accepted them.

"I don't suppose you've seen Sebastian…" Dave asked hesitantly.

"He left about an hour ago," Ben's voice was sympathetic. "Looked like he was in a hurry. You feel like telling me what's going on between you two?"

"It's… complicated."

The look on Ben's face told Dave he wasn't going to be able to avoid the question that easily. "It usually is complicated, that's why facebook has it as an option for your relationship status. So how about you elaborate a bit?"

Dave sighed. "Basically, he knows I like him and I know he likes me, but he's too stubborn to admit he could be attracted to someone in a way that isn't purely physical."

"That sucks."

Dave laughed humourlessly. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I need to end it one way or another; I'm just going to have to force him to actually talk about it for once."

"Well, good luck with that, I guess."

"Thanks. Sorry, I'd stay and help you clean up, but I need to get home before my parents realise I stayed out all night."

"It's fine. My parents won't be home till Wednesday anyway."

"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow then. And… thanks for…" Dave's tired and hung over brain struggled to figure out how to translate his thoughts into coherent words. "I mean, I never even imagined that I'd find friends that were ok with me being gay, let alone willing to talk about stuff like this. Just… thanks."

Ben shrugged casually. "No problem, man." And Dave could see that it really wasn't. Ben wasn't just tolerant of Dave's sexuality; it genuinely didn't matter to him. "Now get out of here because I don't think I'm the person you need to be talking to right now."

It wasn't until Dave got home that he realised he'd never actually managed to get Sebastian's phone number. It was one of the consequences of the warbler's insistence that their assignations were nothing more than a series of completely coincidental one night stands. All he could do was go to Scandals that night and hope Sebastian showed up.

He spent the entire day in a state of restless energy, unable to focus on anything for long without thoughts of Sebastian forcing their way into his mind. A phone call to Santana, who he'd kind of accidentally become friends with towards the end of his last year at McKinley, helped a little, but the day still seemed to stretch out endlessly.

By the time he arrived at Scandals, he couldn't even remember what excuse he'd yelled out to his parents as he walked out the door. He hoped it had been a convincing one. He was surprised and relieved to find the source of his frustration already seated at the bar.

"We need to talk," Dave said softly when he approached Sebastian.

"I figured you'd say that," Sebastian sighed, turning to look at Dave with resignation etched in his features.

"Outside?" Dave suggested.

Sebastian nodded and wordlessly followed him out of the bar.

"You wanted to talk, so talk," Sebastian said after the door closed behind them.

It took Dave a moment to figure out how to begin. "I… I can't do this anymore. I like you a hell of a lot, which probably doesn't say much for my sanity, but I'm sick of being stuck in limbo like this. You need to decide what you want, once and for all. So do you like me or not?"

"I– you're nothing a pathetic, closeted Lima loser who's destined to spend the rest of your sad little life in this loser town."

"You didn't answer my question." Dave calmly pointed out, undeterred by the insults. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't have feelings for me."

"Fine. I don't–" Sebastian began, before his eyes connected with Dave's unrelenting gaze, which somehow seemed to be able to burn right through the thick walls he'd built to protect his heart. "I-I don't… Fuck." He turned away from Dave, glaring out at the deserted parking lot.

"Look, I know exactly what it's like to feel something you don't want to feel." Dave's hand ghosted over Sebastian's arm as he spoke. "And in my experience, trying to fight it just ends up making you even more miserable."

"I'm scared," Sebastian quietly admitted, still refusing to meet Dave's eyes.

"And you think I'm not?" Dave's frustration was starting to get the better of him. "It wasn't that long ago that I was terrified of even being attracted to guys, let alone dating one. We're both taking a risk here; the difference is I'm crazy enough to think you might actually be worth it." Dave reached up to cup Sebastian's cheek, forcing the other boy to turn his head towards him. "For once in your life, do something that scares you."

Sebastian turned his body so he was facing Dave properly. His hands came to rest on the other boy's hips as he closed the distance between them. They'd kissed countless times before, but never like this. It was tender and passionate and filled with all the emotions Sebastian was afraid to put a name to. It wasn't until their need for oxygen overcame their need for each other that they reluctantly broke apart.

"How was that?" Sebastian asked once he managed to remember how to speak.

Dave smiled. "That was a very promising start."

A/N: This idea appeared in my head out of nowhere, formed itself into a story within a couple of hours, and then refused to leave until I wrote it down. It also refused to divide itself up into chapters. I did originally have plans for a second part, but I think I'm going to leave it as it is, at least for now. (That's why I introduced so many random OCs during the party scene - sorry about that.) For anyone reading The Road to Freedom, I'll get back to work on it soon, I promise.

Update: I will write a second part showing the development of their relationship but I'm not sure how long it's going to take to finish it. Probably a few weeks at the very least.