Author's Note: This was written for the Seblaine Holiday Extravaganza on Tumblr. The prompt was "my sister told me to buy this crappy toy for my niece and you work here please help me find it. it's black friday and i'm afraid," though it went in a different direction than I imagine the original prompter anticipated.

Also, beware references to season 6 spoilers, if that's not your bag.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

More Than That

Blaine stood in the doll aisle of the toy shop, surveying the various choices. Sam, who had disappeared after giving Blaine a "Thanks buddy" and a clap on the shoulder, had been maddeningly unhelpful in his suggestions for what to pick out. Even though they were out shopping on Black Friday for his siblings.

Blaine winced and made reflexive, unheard apologies as he was jostled by parents shoving their way around him to grab toys off the shelf. However, it wasn't anything new; he'd spent most of the Black Fridays in recent memory out with—

Blaine shook his head to get rid of the thought and redoubled his focus on the toy shelf. What did Stacey have in her collection again? He should know that after spending a fair amount of time with Sam's family since moving back to Ohio. He was trying to mentally catalog her toy collection when he heard a stock clerk lead another customer down the aisle toward him.

"These are all the Polly Pockets we have left," the clerk was saying, gesturing to a shelf about five feet away from Blaine.

"I don't see the zoo one," the guy said. "Your ad had the zoo one." There was an edge to his voice, and Blaine forced himself to keep his eyes glued on the shelf; this wasn't his business.

"We must have sold out. I'm very sorry about that."

"Could you have any more in the back?"

Blaine bit his lip at the pushy tone.

"It's possible, but not likely." The clerk sounded exhausted, which was unsurprising at 6am on Black Friday. "We have a limited stock of everything, and the sale is first come, first serve."

"Look, I really need this one," the guy said heatedly. "And your ad said you'd have it."

"I—"

"What kind of backwoods operation doesn't have the product they advertised having?"

"Hey!" Blaine said, unable to stop himself at the irate tone. "It's not his fault you were too late to get the toy. Why don't you give— Oh." Blaine froze as he turned to see the clerk and customer, registering just who the customer was.

"Sebastian?" he breathed, stomach twisting.

The frustration on Sebastian's face quickly shifted from recognition to surprise before settling into something a bit more controlled—a familiar smirk playing at the edges of his lips, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey, Killer. Long time no see."

They just stared at each other until Blaine shook himself and turned to the stock clerk. He glanced at his nametag before speaking. "I'm sorry about my friend here, Josh," he said, shooting Sebastian a look. Sebastian quirked an amused eyebrow but didn't argue. "But he'd really appreciate if you could double check in the back just to be sure there aren't any left."

Josh looked between Blaine and Sebastian for a moment before nodding and wordlessly heading to the back of the store.

"Your friend, huh?" Sebastian said, inclining his head toward Blaine once the clerk was gone.

Blaine shrugged and glanced to the side. Friend was a bit simpler than whatever it was that was between them—that feeling that crawled under Blaine's skin and anchored itself behind his ribs, that made his breath catch in his chest and his pulse pick up every time Sebastian was near.

Sebastian cleared his throat when it was clear Blaine wasn't going to respond. "So what are you doing here, Anderson? Looking for a girlfriend for your brother? Because, I hate to break it to you," he added conspiratorially, "you're in the wrong kind of toy store for that."

Blaine rolled his eyes, though he felt his cheeks warm slightly. "Hilarious." He dared a glance back at Sebastian and shrugged. "Actually, I'm here with Sam. He's looking for gifts for his brother and sister."

Sebastian made a show of glancing around. "And where is Evans?"

"Somewhere else," Blaine muttered.

Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, but Josh chose that moment to return, a wary look on his face. He glanced between Blaine and Sebastian before addressing Blaine. "I'm afraid we're out of stock."

Sebastian made an irritated sound, his expression darkening, but Blaine cut him off before he could take his annoyance out on the poor kid stuck working Black Friday.

"And we completely understand. Thank you for checking," he stressed with a glare at Sebastian, who put his hands up defensively.

"Happy holidays," Blaine added, turning back to Josh.

"Yeah, you too," Josh said before hurrying away to help someone else.

"God dammit," Sebastian muttered to the ceiling.

"Why are you so obsessed with getting that toy, anyway?" Blaine asked to combat the impending awkward silence. He wasn't sure what to make of Sebastian Smythe in a toy store on Black Friday, angry over an AWOL Polly Pocket.

"It's for my niece."

Blaine's eyes widened slightly, not sure he'd heard correctly. "I, uh, didn't know you had any siblings."

"Sister."

The curt reply seemed to shut down any further questions Blaine might have asked. And that stung a bit. There'd been a time that he and Sebastian had spoken—over coffee, texts, Facebook—practically every day about anything that came to mind, from the Warblers to what kind of movies they liked and anything in between. It had been easy—easier, maybe, than it should have been when Blaine was in love with someone else and Sebastian's intentions weren't exactly subtle.

And while they may not have seen each other in…well, a long time, for some reason it hurt to think that friendship they'd tentatively been rebuilding senior year had broken down after all.

Like so much else in Blaine's life, it seemed.

Blaine swallowed and nodded, stomach firmly in his feet. "Well, good luck with that. I should really go find Sam." Blaine walked past Sebastian without a look behind him.

That night, Blaine sat on his bed, absently looking over sheet music for Warbler rehearsal the next week when his phone rang. Assuming it was Sam wanting to debrief about their shopping trip, Blaine answered without checking the number.

"She's my half-sister," a familiar voice said without preamble.

Blaine blinked. "What? Who—Sebastian?"

There was some shuffling on the other end of the line and then, "You said you didn't know I had any siblings."

"Sebastian."

"Cara is my half-sister," Sebastian pressed on, ignoring the interruption. "From my dad's previous marriage. She's twelve years older than me, and she lives in Paris most of the year. From what I understand, that first marriage didn't end well, and Cara resents my mother." Audible swallow."That's why…"

"You don't talk about her," Blaine finished as pieces started clicking together in his mind.

"We're not all that close," Sebastian agreed. "But she's in town for the holidays this year. With my niece. Alexis is six."

Blaine could almost hear a smile in Sebastian's voice at his niece's name. It seemed Sebastian Smythe had a weak spot after all.

"Thanks for telling me," Blaine said quietly after a few silent moments.

"Yeah, well."

"I'm seeing someone." Blaine wasn't sure why the rushed words came out of his mouth then, or why his chest was tightening as he waited for Sebastian's response.

"I know."

And then Blaine did know why he'd said it, and he felt worse; he was testing Sebastian's motives for reaching out like this. The balance they'd reached in these last few moments was tenuous, and Blaine didn't want Sebastian approaching anything with false pretenses.

And judging from Sebastian's tone, he knew why Blaine had said it, too.

"I just…" Blaine could picture Sebastian shaking his head and running a hand through his hair—a habit he had when he was stressed out. "I wanted you to know. That's all."

And Blaine, recognizing the olive branch for what it was, believed him. "Thanks."

"Whatever."

"I'd, uh. I'd love to meet her. Alexis," Blaine said, recognizing that he was pushing his luck. But something about asking seemed right. "If that would be okay."

Sebastian was silent for a long moment before responding, "Yeah, all right."

After spending an afternoon with Sebastian and Alexis at a local park, they brought the precocious six-year-old—who Blaine thought resembled her uncle in more ways than her tall, skinny form and mop of brown hair—back to the Smythe house before heading to the Lima Bean.

God, when was the last time they'd done that? It felt like lifetimes.

"How're the Warblers?" Sebastian asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Really good," Blaine replied with a smile. He was so proud of those boys, coming together to create a sound bigger than any one of them. They reminded him of just how much he loved the music, which was something he'd needed. "I don't want to sound cocky—"

"That's my job," Sebastian agreed.

Blaine's lips twitched. "But I think they have a good shot at Nationals." And having been a member of a national championship-winning glee club, Blaine felt pretty confident that he knew what he was talking about.

Sebastian tilted his head slightly then and studied Blaine. Blaine swallowed and tried not to fidget, as Sebastian's lingering gaze—as it always did—made him feel seen in a way he wasn't used to; Sebastian always had a way of acting like he could see through Blaine to his very core, to see what made him tick. It was unnerving, but somehow comforting at the same time—that Sebastian could see him like that, broken pieces and all, and still want to be around him.

Still want him.

"What?" Blaine finally demanded, taking a sip of coffee just to have something to do.

"Once a Warbler, always a Warbler."

Blaine shrugged, not disagreeing. There was something incredibly safe about Dalton that made him feel whole when his world was falling apart around him. Part of him would always be a Warbler, despite eventually finding family among the New Directions as well.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that as they sipped their coffee and glanced around the Lima Bean. It still felt odd to Blaine to be in the coffee shop as a coach rather than a student.

"I would've come, you know."

Blaine frowned and looked back at Sebastian, who was toying with his coffee lid. "What?"

Sebastian looked up. "When the wedding was called off," he clarified, his gaze pinning Blaine to his chair.

Startled, Blaine opened his mouth to reply but didn't have any words so shut his mouth again.

"I know who you're seeing, Blaine."

Blaine pursed his lips. It wasn't like his love life was some big secret, though knowing that people were talking about him behind his back always made Blaine uncomfortable. Blaine wasn't ashamed, though. He was happy (enough). And besides, what right did Sebastian have to judge Blaine?

Blaine straightened. "It's really none of your business."

A sneer spread across Sebastian's lips as he spoke next. "Were you trying to get back at Hummel with that or what?"

Blaine flinched as though he'd been struck.

"Do you really think so little of me?" he finally managed to grit out, hurt.

"Of all people…" Sebastian trailed off.

"You, of all people, should know I believe in second chances," Blaine retorted coldly, standing up and grabbing his satchel from the back of the chair. He was vaguely aware some of the other customers were staring at them as he pulled the bag over his head, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

It was Sebastian's turn to look like he'd been punched. His mouth worked for a few silent moments before he finally looked down at the table. "I'd have come if you'd called," he echoed.

Blaine deflated at that defeated tone. "I know," he said quietly, turning to leave. He felt more than saw Sebastian's head jerk up at that. "That's why I didn't call."

"Blaine—"

"After…" Blaine shut his eyes, though he was still looking away from Sebastian. "I almost called you more times than I can count. For months after, I thought about it."

"So why didn't you?" Sebastian's voice turned bitter. "Why him?"

Something hot flared inside of Blaine at the thought that he didn't seem to know what he was doing, that he was constantly making mistakes and never getting anything right. Of all people, he should know his own heart, right?

He whirled around on Sebastian, his voice rising. "Because I care about you too much, you jerk!"

Sebastian recoiled at those words, visibly stricken.

Blaine sighed and collapsed back into his seat. Sebastian's wide eyes followed his movements. Blaine dropped his face into his hands briefly before looking back up.

"I think we both know that this is a rebound." He wasn't entirely sure whether both meant him and Sebastian or him and David. Maybe both. He didn't think he was quite ready to untangle that mess of a thought, though.

"Kurt was my first love, and I thought we would be forever. You don't just get over that." Blaine swallowed against a lump in his throat. "Whatever we have between us, Bas, it's something. And a rebound…"

Blaine snorted a humorless laugh and shook his head. "I think we're worth more than that, don't you?"

Sebastian stared at Blaine, seeming to search his face for something. After a long stretch, Sebastian seemed to find what he was looking for and shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. "We're revoking your Notebook privileges after this, Anderson."

Blaine let out a startled laugh. Sebastian's lips twitched as Blaine kicked him lightly under the table.

"Merry Christmas, jerk."

fin