Thank you for reading! And thank all so much for the warm feedback and kudos so far! Xo
000
They go on three awkward dates that, in the end, don't turn out to be awkward at all.
The first time is thanks to his mother, who won't leave Sebastian alone the minute he shows up to the house. He isn't sure whether it's because she's actually suspicious about something or because she wants to give him an award for getting her son out of bed.
Whatever the reason, Sebastian is a complete gentleman the entire time. He reaches out and holds Blaine's hand as she asks him questions about where they're going and how late they'll be back.
He tries to be patient with each question because he knows; deep down, this is just something his mom does. He appreciates the sentiment, appreciates her. And ironically before he can open his mouth to tell her a few times that they've got to get going or they'll miss the movie, he's distracted by Sebastian's thumb running back and forth across the outside of his hand.
Something he doesn't need to do, it's not like his mom can see the small, thoughtful gesture. But he does it anyways and it's alarmingly calming in a way it probably shouldn't be.
His hand doesn't fall free from his own until they get to the car, and its weird how much he's grown accustomed to the feeling in such a small amount of time.
"Sorry about that, she's a little…you know, excited or suspicious, I can't really tell." He says, buckling his seatbelt.
Sebastian laughs and starts the car, "It's fine. For someone who's never really been in a relationship, I'm ironically pretty good with parents." He winks in his direction as the car pulls out of the driveway.
"I think it helps that my mother loves you."
He grins. "Like mother, like son."
Blaine is pink all the way to the movie theater. The movie is sort of awful, but he and Sebastian make fun of it the entire time anyways. They share popcorn and their fingers brush and when Sebastian kisses him goodnight on the top step of his porch he tastes like salt and butter.
The second date has a lot to do with Sebastian being stubborn. They're supposed to head this bonfire party that Nick and Jeff are throwing; it's a perfect opportunity for innocent, candid photos of them to end up on Instagram or Facebook. He should have known that when Sebastian insisted he was fine three days before that he'd end up sick the night of the party.
First of all, when Blaine arrives at his place to pick Sebastian up, he looks close to death upon opening the door. And that's saying something seeing as how he walks around sometimes like he's personably responsible for hanging the moon. He's attractive and he knows it, that's all there is to it.
But when he lets him inside, he catches sight of his complexion. He's pale, there are dark circles under his eyes and his nose is close to the color of Blaine's cheeks when Sebastian throws a sexual innuendo towards his way.
"Let me just grab my coat." Sebastian mumbles, Blaine shaking his head as he closes the front door and follows him down the hall to the living room.
"You can't be serious, you look like you're about to fall over."
"I'm fine, babe." He grits out, trying to throw a smirk at him that sort of just looks like a grimace.
The pet name is an inside joke of theirs, the mocking of every other couple who end up calling their significant other five hundred pet names while they're out in public. Like they can't control themselves. So when they're are out and about they lay it on heavy with the ridiculous cutsey names to get a rise out of one another, even though it's mostly Sebastian's idea and Blaine sort of doesn't mind the affectionate names.
Even though he'd never tell him that.
"Hate to break it to you, sweetheart," Blaine replies, heading into the kitchen. He puts on a teakettle full of water on the stove, gets out a mug without Sebastian's permission. "But you're not attracting anyone with glazed looking eyes and a stuffed up nose."
"I doubt that." He murmurs, standing behind Blaine in the kitchen. He swallows as his breath brushes against the back of his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.
Blaine clears his throat and reacts quickly, turning to motion Sebastian towards a stool. "Sit down before you fall down, Romeo."
Sebastian actually huffs before the action sets him into a bit of a coughing fit. Blaine fishes out teabags from a drawer and chooses English Breakfast before ripping the package open with his teeth.
"Where are your parents?"
"Where do you think?" Sebastian asks bitterly, sniffling. "Any where but here."
Blaine turns slowly, leans against the kitchen counter. Before he thinks about it he reaches out and threads a few fingers through Sebastian's hair, the top part of it that's sort of sticking up in a weird haphazard fashion. He's not sure when their…'relationship' (which is in quotes for a reason) had become so touchy, whether it's from the smoothness of their friendship or how comfortable they feel around one another or if it started when they began this fake dating but it's sort of second nature to him now.
And Sebastian's the same way, though if you ask Blaine, the other has never really needed an excuse to use his hands.
"Some holiday getaway, it's not a big deal." He says, even though Blaine detects that it bothers him more than he lets on. More than he lets anyone see.
'I'm sorry' sort of dies on his tongue; while he thinks he knows Sebastian pretty well, it's only the parts of him that the other lets him see. He's probably a completely different person underneath his skin, his muscle and shards of bone. He wonders if anyone will get to know that part of him.
"Do you want something other than soup?" He asks; he doesn't care what Sebastian thinks they're doing tonight, they're not going out. Not when he looks like he might pass out any moment.
"Don't pity me Blaine, I mean it." He says, his voice sounds like it hitched in the middle, just slightly. Blaine isn't sure whether it was an accident or not but he frowns anyways.
"I'm not—"
"Then what is this?" Sebastian snaps, grabbing his wrist before yanking his fingers from his hair. He pulls him forward, Blaine stumbling against his own feet a moment that he nearly crashes against his chest. "What are you doing?"
It's a good question, one he's not sure he knows how to answer. There was a clear line separating them at one point, even when they had started this agreement between them and he doesn't know when clear and concise became muddled and confusing. When that line blurred and smudged, where things like this just slipped out, where he started reaching for Sebastian's hand to hold when they were alone or when Sebastian slid his fingers through his curls when he started to fall asleep during a movie. Where kisses were planted on cheeks and foreheads and lips, looks and words exchanged that weren't as easy and natural as before.
His mouth hangs open for a moment because his apology is stuck in his throat. The tea kettle seems to get that, because its starts making noise a moment later. Low and dull at first before a shrieking whistle fills the room. Sebastian lets go of his wrist, a tired sigh escaping his mouth.
Blaine turns the fire off and pours the hot water into his mug, dunking the teabag a few times before setting it down in front of Sebastian.
Another silence passes quietly between them as Blaine sits down at the counter next to him, drumming his fingers against the island table. And just like all unspoken words between them, the silence is not uncomfortable. Even though it probably should be given the past couple of minutes.
"M'sorry." Sebastian mutters, playing with the tag of the teabag between his fingers and avoiding his gaze.
"Wow." Blaine states with mock surprise. "Was that an apology? You must be sick."
He chuckles, making Blaine smile. "Shut up."
The shorter sighs and shakes his head, the smile still tugging the corners of his mouth as he reaches a hand over to try and feel Sebastian's forehead for a fever. He huffs, trying to swat Blaine's hand away to no avail.
"Stop trying to feel me up Anderson."
He's warm but Blaine's pretty certain he doesn't have a high temperature. "Trust me, if I was trying to feel you up I wouldn't go for your forehead."
Sebastian just grins. "Cheeky."
The third time is a combination of his and Kurt's fault. They've somehow managed to make it to Scandals for the rest of the night and of the three dates he's had, this one isn't his favorite. It's mostly just them drinking and Sebastian finding his way onto the dance floor with random people. Okay so, he's not a possessive person or anything and it's not like Sebastian hasn't danced with him most of the night compared to strangers, but Blaine is his fake date and Sebastian is his fake boyfriend.
Shouldn't that mean something or anything?
It's his own goddamn fault when he picks up his phone without looking at who's calling—but he's worried it's his mom to check in and he's a bit drunk and lonely at this fucking bar while Sebastian tries to lure someone into the bathroom for a blowjob.
"Hello?"
"Blaine." Definitely a male voice, one that shoots something cold straight into his bloodstream and sobers him up really quick.
"Kurt?" He asks, hopping off the bar stool and covering his one ear against the noise before he makes his way outside.
It's freezing and he's forgotten his coat on the bar stool, the sweat chilling frantically against the back of his neck. He shivers and wraps an arm around himself, leans against the brick wall.
"You're…you're not actually dating Sebastian right?"
Blaine blinks the fuzziness from his eyes thanks to the alcohol and sighs, running a hand through his curls.
"Yes, Kurt. I am." Ironically this out of everything gets Kurt to call him back. All those times he waited by the phone for him, just to talk about their days. Just to say he missed him.
"This has to be some sort of practical joke, Blaine Anderson. Do you even remember what he did to you?" His voice is shrill and unnerving, demanding.
"It was an accident and he's apologized for it more than enough times. People make mistakes…but I guess, you would know all about that. Wouldn't you?"
He doesn't mean to sound bitter but it just sort of comes out that way. He's never had the chance to tell Kurt what cheating on him has done to him, how it's made him feel, how it's broken his bones and twisted his body into someone he doesn't recognize.
Kurt laughs but the sound isn't pleasant, it's dripping with irony. "I see. So you're doing this to get back at me. This is childish, Blaine." He's somewhat surprised by the anger he can hear in his ex's voice. Astounded, maybe, is the better term.
Of course, he should have seen this coming. Sebastian had agreed that they take this thing all the way, Facebook statuses and all. Just to make the breakup more convincing. Blaine Anderson is in a relationship with Sebastian Smythe. Ten likes and fourteen confused comments. Of course Kurt saw. They were still friends, after all.
This phone call however is not what amazes him; it's that Kurt has the audacity to make his decision to date Sebastian about himself.
"You've got to be kidding me," Blaine leans up from the wall, almost starts to pace. "This decision wasn't about you! It had nothing to do with you."
Kurt sighs like he's tired and he knows that sound, knows that he's finished with this conversation. Because that's what happens most of the time Kurt comes face to face with a confrontation he doesn't want to deal with.
"Tell yourself whatever you need to, but at least have the decency to date someone who hasn't tried to blind you."
The call ends before he can retaliate, the phone hanging in his hand a moment before he finally pulls it away from his face. He swallows thickly, his throat dry and tears pinpricking the back of his eyes. That hole that had been healing in the center of his chest feels like it's been ripped wide open again, bones broken, skin snagged.
Blaine turns around to head back but bumps into Sebastian instead, who's coming outside.
"Hey, there you are. I've been looking for you."
He scoffs softly, runs a hand over his cheek to make sure no tears have escaped. "Yeah, I bet. You didn't even notice I was gone."
Sebastian looks at him for a moment, his eyes traveling from his face to the cell phone between his fingertips. "Don't do that," He says softly, shaking his head. "I had my eyes on you the entire time; you think I'm going to let someone with an ass like yours fend for himself? They'll eat you alive in there."
A ghost of a smile touches his lips as he looks down, shoves his phone in his pocket and wraps his arms around himself, a full bodied shiver shaking his entire spine. They're both quiet a moment as Blaine sniffles, avoids Sebastian's eyes for all it's worth until the taller starts shrugging his coat off.
"Prince stick-up-his-ass still giving you a hard time?" He asks.
He sighs, "Don't call him that." There's not as much fire in his voice as he wants there to be. He just sounds tired.
Sebastian shakes his head and puts his coat over his shoulders, tugging the material tightly around Blaine's chest, urging him forward a little. He sighs at the heat that suddenly encompasses his body, the scent of Sebastian's cologne and skin hugging his pores. He closes his eyes a moment and just breathes, the cold air stinging his nostrils. He wonders if there's a 'how to be a decent boyfriend' article somewhere on the internet, a checklist of some kind that Sebastian's working off of because it shouldn't be so effortless for him to be this way. Especially since he's pretty sure Sebastian even told him he's never been anyone's boyfriend before, either.
"Always a gentleman, even when someone doesn't deserve it." Sebastian muses.
"You would know." Tumbles out of his mouth, but the taller merely smiles which just ends up making Blaine smile too after a moment, the malice heating his belly gone as Sebastian wraps his arm around his shoulder.
He draws him into his body, shielding him from the cold air. "Let's get your coat and take you home." He murmurs before pressing a kiss to his forehead.
In the end, it turns out okay, because Sebastian's lips are as warm as his coat around his shoulders and when he takes him home he kisses him on that top step again. This time his kiss tastes like vodka, his lips a bit rougher, the pull a bit more insistent.
But he's not going complain about that sort of thing. The kiss leaves him feeling dizzy.
When the taller makes it back to his own bed, he calls him and they spend half the night talking about whatever pops into their heads first.
Blaine falls asleep to Sebastian saying, "You know, it's not your fault that Kurt doesn't know a good thing until it's gone."
So yeah, not a bad way to end a third date at all.
000
The only problem with fake dating Sebastian is that he isn't sure when to fake break up with him.
He didn't actually think something like that would be complicated but as it turns out it sort of is. Or he's just over thinking it like he does most things, that's a high possibility. How long does he keep this charade in place? What if he breaks up with him too soon? He can see his mother sweeping in on him with her worried and flustered concerns that he might hole himself up in his room for this too.
He doesn't want to deal with it. He knows a clean break is possible, seeing as how this all isn't real in the first place. But he seriously just has no idea when to do it.
Maybe he can ask Sebastian what he thinks while they're on their date tonight.
He makes his way downstairs, getting ready to go to the front door because his 'boyfriend' should be there any minute and he likes being punctual.
"You know we have to leave in an hour Blaine."
Blaine frowns and pauses by the door of the living room, turning to walk through the doorway to find his mother on the couch with a book.
"What?"
"We're heading to your Gram's for her birthday dinner? It's been on the calendar for a month."
He swears under his breath and closes his eyes. He completely forgot. "I have a date tonight with Sebastian. He's already on his way."
She closes her book, setting it on the coffee table. "I'm sure he understands that plans change." She hesitates for a moment before clearing her throat. "Why don't you bring him with you tonight? I'm sure everyone will want to meet your new boyfriend."
His cheeks redden and he starts to feel panic well up in the bottom of his stomach. The word 'no' literally starts flashing before his eyes.
"Mom, come on. Are we really going to put Sebastian through that? There's a reason I never even brought Kurt to these things." He shifts back on the balls of his feet. "Maybe I could see Gram tomorrow? We could go out to lunch together."
She sighs softly and stands, running her hair through his curls when she gets close enough. It then falls to his shoulder to give him a brief squeeze. "Sweetheart, you can't skip out on this, you know how much your grandmother adores you. I know you sometimes wish you could pick your family," The doorbell rings and Blaine stiffens. "But that doesn't mean you should always have to hide who you are either. You have nothing to ashamed about."
Blaine lets out a slow breath as his mother walks past him, leaving him to get the front door. His fingers hesitate on the doorknob, chewing the inside of his cheek a moment.
He knew at a young age that his aunt and her family, regardless of exposure, were homophobic. It's not outright but it's in the way some comments are made sometimes, it's in the looks his aunt gives him or his parents that make it more obvious. Blaine has never once said anything because he doesn't enjoy confrontations, he also doesn't want to put his parents in any position where they have to pick a side between family and their son. So he lets it all slide off his skin, like water. It's usually not a big deal, but he'd never encourage anything by inviting his boyfriend to come along to family get togethers.
Blaine opens his front door to allow Sebastian to come inside, he's wrapped up tightly in a peacoat, scarf tucked under the collar, snow speckled throughout his brown hair. He glances to his right to where his mother disappeared to, not sure if she went into the kitchen or upstairs.
"Hey gorgeous." Sebastian greets and leans down for a chaste kiss to his lips to which Blaine avoids by turning his head, so his lips hit his cheek. The taller frowns and pulls back. "Alright, Anderson. It was a kiss not me dropping to my knees and offering to bl—"
He squeaks and tugs Sebastian into the living room, nearly throttling him with a pillow from the couch. Honestly. He should expect something like that to just slip out of his mouth anymore, but he's too preoccupied with where his mother went and how to tell Sebastian about this family dinner.
"What is wrong with you, can you not speak like you're directing a porno for ten seconds."
"What's the matter B, you're all stiff." He winks but as amused as Sebastian may be by Blaine's ridiculous analogies, he can tell something is off. He sighs, lets his hands fall onto the other's shoulders. "Alright, what's wrong?"
Blaine swallows, his tongue wetting his lips before he speaks. "I can't go out tonight; it's my Gram's birthday. I just—I totally forgot. There's this family dinner and everything." He lets out a breath he hasn't realized he's been holding as Sebastian's hands fall from his shoulders.
Of course, why had he been worried about this? Sebastian wouldn't want anything to do with meeting his family.
"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you before you drove here."
Sebastian shrugs. "It's fine, where's the dinner?" Blaine blinks a moment, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. "You're not wearing this, are you?" He tugs at the bottom of Blaine's navy blue polo, using the material to tug him closer.
They would have kissed, probably, if Blaine hadn't used the opportunity and proximity to nudge his side.
"You're not going."
The taller puts a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "First you make me drive all the way out here to pick you up and then you tell me fake date number five—"
"Four." Blaine corrects.
"—is canceled?"
He's about to say something else when his mother descends the stairs, fixing her earring. "Your father is running late from work but he's going to meet us at your Gram's. Sebastian," She smiles. "You look dashing. Blaine tell you about dinner?"
Sebastian grins, puts his arm around Blaine's waist and pulls him into his side. The shorter fights a huff. "He did Mrs. Anderson, thanks so much for the invite."
She chuckles. "Of course sweetheart," She then looks at her son, smoothing her hands over her black dress. "Blaine, you are going to put something else on, right?"
Sebastian is biting his lower lip hard to prevent himself from laughing and Blaine wonders when in the world he sunk into an alternate universe in which his fake boyfriend and his mother are on the same side. He supposes he brought this on himself, however, seeing as how he could have picked anyone to fake date for a while and his first choice had been Sebastian.
"Need help picking a new shirt, dear?" Sebastian asks, the pet name gliding off his tongue.
Blaine just glares at him as he heads upstairs.
000
At first he's quiet while they drive to his grandmother's place because he's angry at Sebastian but then, after a while, he's just overcome with his nerves. He doesn't even realize he's shaking until Sebastian draws attention to it after the car is parked.
"Wow, you really are nervous."
Blaine sighs, rubbing his arm as he unbuckles his seatbelt. "No, just cold." He lies.
Sebastian stops the engine and yanks the keys out before unbuckling his own seatbelt as well, turning in his seat to face the other. "Want me to warm you up?" He asks with such a serious face that Blaine can't help but laugh.
His nerves snap, just like that, like a rubberband breaking and suddenly his shaking worsens and he feels just like he did after the Sadie Hawkins dance, the police asking him brutal questions that he lies about. He just pretended he was okay, because that had been easier. But he can't hide from Sebastian, he never could.
"Hey," He says softly, all teasing gone from his voice as he wraps a firm arm around his shoulder. "Hey, B. Just take a deep breath. It's not going to be as bad as—"
"My aunt doesn't…she doesn't approve of our lifestyle." He says over Sebastian, the taller finally understanding what this is all about.
"Hmm." He hums softly, fingers working their way under the collar of Blaine's coat to rub at the side of his neck. "You can just say it, you know. The sound barrier won't break. Some people are homophobic Blaine; it's as simple as that."
"Not when it's a part of your family. That's…it's not simple." He mumbles, looking down at his hands.
Sebastian lets out a breath; he's close enough that Blaine feels it skitter across the side of his face. He allows himself to fold into his friend, his head leaning against Sebastian's forehead, lips grazing his jawline.
"I'm not going to run at the first sign of hushed whispers or pointed stares. You've got nothing to lose, we're not actually dating, remember."
Blaine shakes his head, that last statement causing a sharp pang in his stomach for reasons he can't name or identify. "You still shouldn't have to sit through a dinner you didn't sign up for and hear my aunt go on and on about how it's all very unnatural." He uses air quotes for that one and he can feel the corners of Sebastian's mouth twitch up.
"I didn't even bring Kurt to these sorts of things, Sebastian."
"I don't know if you know this," Sebastian whispers, the sensation causing a shiver to snake down his spine. "But I have thicker skin than prin—than Kurt." He corrects himself at the last moment. "I'll be fine." He rubs his shoulder before using the same hand to tip Blaine's chin up, forcing him to look at him. "Alright?"
Their noses graze and for a half of a heartbeat, Blaine actually feels like closing the gap. It's an odd feeling, because they've kissed before. Mostly because Sebastian initiates it and Blaine lets him. But it's all for show. It's all for keeping the illusion more accurate, even if they're not around anyone. They have to feel like they're together or no one will believe it. So they touch behind closed doors sometimes, small brushes of fingers. And they kiss.
But none of it feels real, not really. Blaine has a feeling that if he leaned forward, if he kissed Sebastian then it would feel real this time. And he's not sure why.
Instead, he lets his forehead press against the other's, lips touching but they're not kissing. Just breathing the same air. It's electrically charged either way, and he knows Sebastian can feel that too.
"Alright." He whispers back in agreement.
000
Blaine thinks that they might have dodged a bullet when they head inside because he doesn't see his aunt anywhere. His cousin Denise is setting the dinner table, putting forks next to wine glasses because she's too busy texting someone on her phone. His father is in the kitchen with his grandmother, fussing over homemade recipes and making sure her cane doesn't knock over any pots on the stove, and his Aunt Charlotte (the much nicer, more accepting of his aunts) is setting up a tier of cupcakes at the dessert table.
They hover in the hallway a few moments so Blaine can put Sebastian's coat in the closet, the taller glancing over some photographs of him as baby, of his mother as a child and of his grandfather in his World War II ensemble.
He stands next to Sebastian for a moment, dipping his nose into his arm. "You sort of look like him." He says, motioning to the wild curls in an old photograph.
Blaine smirks, pulling back to speak. "That's my grandfather. He died a few years ago. It's amazing to me that someone can live through a World War but then… something like a heartattack just takes you away in an instant."
Sebastian turns his head and his lips brush against Blaine's forehead a moment. An accident, maybe, but he's not sure.
"My Gram's dementia got real bad after that. It's like he took part of her with him when he died." Blaine had always been really close with his grandparents and even though a few years had passed the pain is still sharp in his chest from losing him.
He starts walking to the kitchen with him, giving a brief smile. "Sometimes she'll know exactly who I am but…other times it's like this switch will flip. She's confused me with Cooper and my dad. Sometimes she has no idea who I am."
Sebastian hums softly. "I'd hate to forget an ass like yours." He muses, that signature smirk twitching his lips.
Blaine rolls his eyes but ends up smiling softly, bumping his hip into his. He can tell that Sebastian is just trying to make him smile, instead of hitting on him for the benefit of it. His father greets them as they step towards the stove, the smell of fresh, made-from-scratch spaghetti sauce making his mouth water. It fills the entire room, the warmth from the stove and the combination of spices wrapping around him like a hug from a long lost friend.
"Hey grandma." He says hopefully, his chest feeling lighter as her eyes brighten when she looks at him and recognizes him.
"Blaine, sweetheart." She tugs him forward into a hug, which he has to bend down slightly to give her. But it's worth it. He squeezes her tightly before pulling back, breathing in her sunflower perfume as he turns to Sebastian. "It's so nice to see you…" She stops a moment, fixing a clip in her hair. Then she laughs. "But what are you all doing here; it's rather late is it not?"
"I told you," His father says, busy with spaghetti. "We're here for your birthday. Remember?"
"Oh," She sighs, rolling her eyes to the heavens and putting her hand on her forehead. "That's right. That's right." Blaine swallows, trying to give her a soft smile. He wonders how many times his father has had to tell her that within the last hour.
"Gram, I want you to meet someone. This is Sebastian, my boyfriend." He says smoothly, in and out. Just like breathing. It won't be as bad to tell his other aunt. Practice makes perfect. Right?
"Well, look at you," She gushes, making Blaine the one who blushes. "Aren't you a tall glass of water!"
Sebastian chuckles, reaching to shake her hand but gets pulled into a hug of his own. He really has to reach down to wrap his arms around her, but he does so with an ease and warmth that seems so natural. He's suddenly very glad Sebastian wanted to come to this with him tonight.
When his grandmother pulls back she laughs. "Very handsome young man, you caught a good one Blaine."
Sebastian grins, turns to look down at Blaine. "That's what I keep telling him."
He rolls his eyes, shoving Sebastian's side only to have the taller catch his wrist and yank him into his chest. He huffs and tries to pull away but it's too late, Sebastian has his long arms wrapped around him now and he stops struggling. It's not like the warmth of his chest and his expensive cologne are exactly awful things anyways. Sebastian runs a hand down his back before his father asks them for help around the kitchen. Blaine moves with his grandmother towards the kitchen table to help start a salad while Sebastian starts chatting away with his father as they handle meatballs and bread.
It's always so amazing to him how easy Sebastian can slip into different personas. He reminds him a lot of Cooper like that, in a way. How he just is charisma personified. Blaine never thought he'd be the type of person to fall into conversations with his family members, or anyone's family members for that matter. He seems so disconnected from situations like that.
He and his grandmother work in a comfortable silence for a few minutes; Blaine cutting tomatoes while his Gram separates lettuce and puts it into a giant mixing bowl. But after a while she nudges his side, motioning across the room.
"Now, who is that good looking young man?"
Blaine already knows who she's referring to before he glances up and sees Sebastian. "That's Sebastian, Gram. You met him already. He's my friend." He leaves out the boyfriend aspect; odds are she'll forget anyways and it's more the truth than not.
"Friend," She says, like she's weighing something in her mind before she says it out loud. "But you like him, don't you? I can tell. You've almost cut your thumb open with that knife three times now because you can't stop looking at him."
He blushes darkly, not realizing he'd been looking up that many times. For a woman who doesn't seem all together there sometimes, she's quite observant. "I uhm…"
"It's okay to like him."
Is it though? His grandmother doesn't know that they're pretending to date; she doesn't even remember that he told her twenty minutes ago that Sebastian was his boyfriend. It's sort of…nice. To just talk to someone about Sebastian without there being some sort of pressure, without someone judging him, without someone worrying that he's still not over Kurt or his heartbreak.
But…what if he does like Sebastian. In a way he never thought he would before. Or maybe it's something that's been there the whole time and he's just now noticing it. He's not sure. There's always been that connection with Sebastian, that something he can't name or grasp with his fingertips. Would that be such a bad thing? To actually like him more than what they are or pretending to be?
He looks over at her, her bright blue eyes looking at him fondly. He swallows, "I'm scared to get hurt." He says softly, because he is. He's never been more scared.
She puts down the lettuce in her hands and wipes her palms off her apron, taking one of his hands into both of hers. She squeezes, running her fingers against his knuckles before smiling.
"It's okay to be scared. But without the hurt you can't fully appreciate those times where you feel so happy that you could burst." She tickles his sides a little and he smirks, his hand squeezing hers as an insurmountable warmth fills his chest.
"So you're saying it's worth it. Getting hurt."
She hums, swinging their hands a little before she leans up and kisses his cheek. "I'm saying you can't have one without the other. But let me tell you something, I've only seen the look he's giving you come from one another person in my entire life."
He knows without saying that she's talking about his grandfather.
"He cares about you sweetheart, if you're just friends, someone ought to kindly break that news to him. Though, I have a feeling that won't be needed."
Blaine looks up at that moment to find Sebastian looking over at him, a smirk on his face before he winks. His cheeks kiss pink and he softly smiles back.
000
Thanks for reading :3 hope you enjoyed the second part! Lskjdf;alskjf