As usual,

SageK: Awww, thanks! I'm usually not a big fan of AUs, but I really needed to do this one. Thank you so much!

Mmack1026: Awww, that's sweet! I continued just for you ;) Yeah, this one is written in Sam's POV because he is the knight in shining armour, as you said, and I wanted to show how he is feeling in each moment. I'm glad you enjoyed it in the snow :) Thank you so much!

Darrinia: well, I don't think Sam is still in love with Blaine, it's too soon, though he is really interested :) Yeah, Kurt is... Kurt in this one (ok, maybe a bit exaggerated, but well). Un besazo, preciosa!

Mildlifecrissis: My inspirer! It's me who should be thanking you, you know. Yeah, I think you understood Blaine pretty well. Sorry about your own personal story, I hope this won't bring back any painful memories :( And yes, you will know more about Kurt and well, obviously, you will see more of protective Sam! Come on, it's me! :) Thank you sooo much!

Me-Me157: They ARE adorable, aren't they? It went pretty fast, that's true, but well... I couldn't help it :) It still has to get pretty worse before it gets better. Thank you so much!

Gleeville: hahaha, I love your enthusiasm! Of course there is more of it! Thank you so much!

A/N: Well, as usual sorry for taking so long but this time it was not my fault ;) I managed to write in the idle hours, though, so here I am. The angst is just starting! Wait for the next ones! And yes, it's getting longer than expected, what a surprise, huh? ;)

CHAPTER 2

Sam dried the sweat of his forehead with a towel after the intense spin session he had lead at the gym, while he said goodbye to the regulars and hoped the new ones hadn't been too scared of him. He wasn't usually that demanding in his classes but he hadn't been able to help it: he was frustrated and he only seemed to be able to alleviate some of that frustration through hard work. He only hoped no one would complain to the management of the gym for his work.

He contemplated getting into the Jacuzzi for a while to eliminate some of that anxiety that had been growing inside of him as the week advanced, but it would probably make it worse as he wouldn't be able to stop thinking. Because that was what had been happening: as soon as he stopped doing something, thoughts of a curly-haired boy with huge golden eyes and an easy smile filled his head. And made his heart ache.

But how was he supposed to feel? Last Friday Blaine had promised he would let him know when he got him a ticket for his show for the next week. Sam had saved his number on Blaine's phone himself to make sure he would hear from him. But it was Thursday already. A whole week had gone by and Blaine had yet to tell him something.

Not for the first time, Sam blamed himself for not thinking about asking Blaine for his own number. That way he could ask if everything was alright instead of just waiting. Although he could see it would probably turned out as if he was imposing himself. After all, Blaine must have a reason not to tell him anything, right? Maybe he felt guilty, because of his boyfriend, even if Sam had made sure not to make any romantic moves towards him and to keep it friendly out of respect for him. Or maybe Blaine wasn't in such a hurry to see him again; after all, they had only shared a dinner, it didn't have to mean anything. Maybe that was the problem: it had meant so little to him that he had plainly forgotten about it.

Sam knew he could always go to the theatre and wait for him there after his play but… if Blaine hadn't asked him to meet him all week… he didn't think there was any sense in going there. And that thought made his heart feel so suddenly cold that he even shivered.

He decided to skip the Jacuzzi in the end and he walked to the locker room for an ordinary shower. He was just about to grab his towel when he found himself unable to pretend he didn't want to check his phone. What if Blaine had texted him while he was in class? He had probably not, but… he had to be sure.

He took his phone out of his sports bag and unlocked its screen with slightly shaky fingers. His heart started racing when he saw the whatsapp icon on the top left corner, which meant he had received a message. And when he clumsily opened it with almost hysteric anticipation, he had to refrain himself from jumping with excitement when he discovered it was indeed from Blaine.

Hey, Sam! I'm Blaine, from the theatre.

Yeah, like there was a way he was going to forget who he was.

I'm writing you to tell you I've got your ticket all ready for tomorrow, if you still want to come ;)

Yeah, of course he still wanted to come! There was nothing he wanted more in the world! And gosh, wasn't Blaine adorable, adding a smiley at the end of the sentence so as not to sound to full of himself?

I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, by the way. It's been crazy at school all week and I haven't had the time to stop!

Poor thing, he had only been busy, and there was Sam, judging him all week long.

Plus I was so counting on you coming to the theatre that I forgot I was supposed to inform you about it! But I've had the ticket ready since Monday!

Ok, he needed to breathe deeply a couple of times after that. Not only Blaine hadn't forgotten about him, but he seemed to be as eager to see him as the other way around. He had even forgotten to warn him because he was sure he was going to come!

Anyway just go to the ticket window and there will be an envelope waiting for you with your name, ok? You only have to tell them your name (if you could maybe tell me your last name to make sure it doesn't get lost?) and they will give it to you.

Gosh, that sounded so romantic... He would go to the ticket window and tell the person there: "Hi, there is a ticket from Blaine Anderson that he left here especially for me". It was stupid, it was probably the usual way to get tickets for any guests, but it made Sam feel important. It made him feel special.

So I'll see you there tomorrow, ok? ;)

And there it was, the smiley again. Just as Blaine was, always smiling.

His heart warming at Blaine's warmth and sweetness, Sam rushed to reply.

Hey, Blaine! Don't worry, I know you're a busy person :) Thank you so much for my ticket! My last name is Evans (wouldn't want for it to get lost either!). I'm looking forward to it! See you tomorrow!

Ok, was that too many exclamation marks? He was just too excited! And ok, he had to admit it was his usual texting style, but he didn't want to look too anxious and scare Blaine away… But come on, that was Blaine, the most understanding and patient and perfect person he had ever met –or at least he looked like so, he had to admit he didn't know him that much–, of course he wasn't going to judge him for that!

Excitement having replaced the frustration in his heart, he decided that maybe a bit of Jacuzzi would be a good idea after all. He wanted to calm his nerves and look refreshed for his date the day after. Not date, he had to remind himself: Blaine had a boyfriend and they were just friends. Right?

Sam whistled happily as he walked the last yards separating him from the place he wanted to be in the most: Blaine's theatre. Gosh, he loved Fridays. He had always loved them, considering it was the day he got off work earlier so then he would take some time for himself, watching some play, going to the movies, maybe a concert… But since he had met Blaine… well, let's say he didn't want to spend his Fridays on his own anymore. And knowing Blaine also wanted to spend them with him… Well, he really loved Fridays!

He walked to the ticket box as he had been instructed –and he couldn't help but to feel a bit sad that there weren't any people around buying tickets– and smiled at the woman waiting there.

"Hello, Blaine Anderson left a ticket for me" he said with a smile, feeling strangely proud to be telling that woman that the marvelous star of the show was close enough to him as to leave him invitations like that.

"Are you Sam Evans?" she asked, grabbing an envelope that had been sitting on the table in front of her.

"Yes"

"Here you are, honey" she said as she handed him the envelope with the desired ticket. "Finally we get to meet Blaine's mysterious boyfriend!"

"Oh, no... I'm... I'm a friend" Sam stuttered as an answer, shocked at the woman's assumption.

"Oh, gosh, forgive me" she quickly apologized, obviously ashamed of her own bluntness. "I have the biggest mouth, don't I?"

"No, no, it's... it's ok" Sam hurried to diminish the importance of it, trying not to dwell too much on how good it felt to be taken for Blaine's boyfriend.

"It's just because… well, we know he has a boyfriend but he's never showed his face around here yet, and you smiled in that sweet way when you said his name…"

"He's never been here to see him? Not even on the opening night?" Sam asked in astonishment: who in hell didn't go to see his boyfriend's first play?

"Not that I know of" the woman explained before realizing she was talking way too much to someone who was a complete stranger. "I shouldn't probably be telling you this, that is private information"

"Don't worry, I'm a friend of Blaine's" Sam answered, not wanting her to feel bad because he was actually very grateful she had shared that information with him. "Thank you"

"You'd do a nice boyfriend for him, though… Just saying" she said with a dreamy smile before Sam moved away. And this time he didn't even know what to answer to that, so he just reciprocated her smile.

There were already a few minutes left until the show started, but Sam decided to get inside already, his head too full to think of other ways to invest his time. He showed his ticket to the usher at the door, who smiled at him as if he recognized him from the other times, and entered the place. And just being inside the theatre already made him feel closer to Blaine. And that made him feel happy.

But then his head went quickly back to Blaine's boyfriend. Had he really not been there at all? So not only did he stood him up, he actually ignored him? Was it even possible to hate someone you didn't know, Sam wondered, because that was what he was feeling towards that Kurt guy right then. Because he had the fortune of being loved by the amazing creature that Blaine was, and he seemed to take it for granted.

And yeah, okay, he must admit he didn't know that douche's reasons to do what he did. And he only had Blaine's version of the facts. Well, not even that, now that he thought about it, as Blaine hadn't made a negative comment about him, and the only things Sam had been able to perceive were a sad smile or a sarcastic snort here and there when talking about him. Not much to make an accurate idea of how that Kurt was, right?

Yet he had. He already had a mental image of that man who didn't appreciate his boyfriend, who didn't show him how special he was, who had made him so insecure that he couldn't accept a compliment. And Sam hated him for that.

But all those negatives emotions weren't enough to keep him from smiling when he arrived to the orchestra and he discovered that Blaine had made sure to assign him the same seat he had occupied the previous two times he had been there. He was thoughtful like that, it seemed. Or maybe knowing where Sam was gave him confidence to perform, who knew. In any case, it warmed Sam's heart that Blaine had noticed and remembered what felt like such a meaningless thing about him as the seat he liked.

And once again, Sam enjoyed the show as he had never enjoyed a play before. And once again Blaine winked his eye at him at the curtain call and made Sam feel almost like he was invincible. And yeah, he was pretty aware of the feelings he was developing for that wonderful young man. But hell, he knew there was no way to stop them.

This time it didn't take Blaine more than fifteen minutes to go out of the theatre, probably because he knew Sam was waiting for him outside. And the way his face brightened with a smile when he saw the blond, standing against the wall as he waited for him, clearly showed Sam he was quite happy to see him too.

"Hey" Blaine exclaimed as he enveloped Sam in a warm embrace, almost as if they had known each other for the longest time.

"Hey" Sam repeated, closing his own arms around Blaine's smaller frame for much longer than necessary because he felt that was where he really belonged. "You were great tonight"

"It's just you, looking at me with kind eyes" Blaine answered with a chuckle as he broke the embrace and playfully punched Sam's arm with embarrassment.

"Blaine, you've got to stop refusing every compliment I try to make" Sam gently admonished him, even if he squeezed the back of his neck to soften his words. "You're really good, you know?"

"Well… thanks" Blaine answered, and the way he slightly bit his bottom lip to stop his smile from spreading too much and make him look as an arrogant prat made Sam want to kiss him right there and then.

"So" Sam said, needing to start a conversation before he ended up giving free reign to his instincts. "Is the offer for dinner still standing?"

"Sure" Blaine answered while enthusiastically nodding his head, which made Sam wonder if he had been looking forward to their meeting as much as he had.

"Sandwhich place?"

"Oh, I was… thinking something else, if you'd like"

"Oh" Sam exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"There's this place that I've been wanting to go to for a long time and I would like to share it with you" Blaine explained with a slight and adorable blush that showed Sam how afraid he was of taking too many liberties. If he only knew…

"I'd love to discover it with you" Sam reassured him with a kind smile, even daring to squeeze Blaine's shoulder.

"Great" Blaine replied gratefully. "Do you like…?"

"No, I don't want to know. Surprise me"

"What if you don't like it?" Blaine asked, almost in shock that someone could trust him so completely without hesitation.

"It's impossible I wouldn't like something coming from you" Sam answered before becoming aware of how much it sounded like he was flirting with him even if he was just being honest, so he hurried to fix it. "And I like trying new things"

"Ok, so let's go" Blaine suggested with an inviting smile.

Sam followed him and was more than a bit tempted to take his hand in his, as he really felt in the mood for it, but he quickly understood something like that was completely off-limits –and the last thing he wanted was to angry or scare Blaine away and lose him forever– so he contented with walking really close to him instead. And if their hands accidentally brushed every now and then and it made Blaine blush in that adorable way he usually did… so be it.

"So this is it" Blaine announced happily as he stopped in front of a Japanese restaurant after ten minutes of walking –close– together.

Sam couldn't help but smile as he stood in front of the place. It looked beautifully decorated and cozy even from outside, so it was not surprising that it had caught Blaine's attention. But what Sam loved about it was that he had chosen him to share it with him. It looked kind of romantic and private, with the dark colors of their walls and the soft lighting, and yet Blaine was bringing Sam –and not Kurt– to it. Because it was Sam whom he wanted to discover new things with, have new experiences. And that thought warmed his heart to no end.

"What do you think?" Blaine asked, and Sam wondered how long he had been lost in his own thoughts that Blaine had felt the need to ask.

"I think it looks great" Sam answered with a smile as he opened the door to it without hesitation and held it for the other boy. "After you"

Blaine complied and went it, immediately followed by Sam, and stopped when one of the waiters came to greet them.

"Table for two?" the waiter asked.

"Can we have one of those tables over there?" Blaine politely asked, pointing at the area where the typical low Japanese tables were set –the most beautiful one in the restaurant, Sam noticed–, but first he needed to make sure Sam was up for it, since he was too kind and bighearted not to do it. "What do you think, Sam? Is it okay for you to sit on the floor?"

"Sure" Sam answered without hesitation, as if he would be able to deny Blaine anything when he looked at him like that. "Let's have the whole experience"

To show Blaine how on board he was with the idea, he confidently walked to the low table next to the wall –the one further away from the door so it felt more intimate– and sat down, even taking off his shoes as he had seen other people around do to be more comfortable. And he smiled proudly when he noticed Blaine chuckling fondly at his antics before copying his actions.

"You were serious about having the whole experience" Blaine said as he smiled indulgently at him.

"Of course" Sam answered. "You gave me the chance to discover this place with you so I want to make sure everything is perfect"

"It's not that big a deal, I just thought we both would like it" Blaine replied with that trademark blush of his whenever Sam told him something nice.

"Well, it was a big deal to me" Sam insisted while tenderly resting a hand over Blaine's across the table. "So thank you"

"Alright" Blaine finally surrendered with a shy smile as he put his other hand over Sam's and squeezed it for a couple of seconds before letting go of it. "Let's decide what we are going to order"

Sam listened mesmerized as Blaine explained what everything was and suggested what they could try because he seemed really passionate about it and Sam loved when he let himself go like that, as if all his shyness and excessive prudence would disappear and suddenly he didn't mind that Sam could see the real him. He couldn't care less about what he was saying, he had intended to let Blaine order whatever the hell he wanted for both of them to share –both because he had no idea about Japanese food and because he wanted to spoil Blaine and see him enjoy it as much as possible, like he had done with his hamburger the week before–. What he wouldn't give to see him that happy and excited every day of their lives…

"So what do you think?" Blaine suddenly got him out of his reverie with his question, and there was no way Sam could pretend he was listening because he had no idea what he was supposed to answer.

"About what?" he stupidly asked, hoping Blaine wouldn't get offended at the fact that he hadn't been listening, but the latter only smiled again at him, getting angry apparently the last thing on his mind.

"Ok, I made a whole dissertation on Japanese food and you weren't listening?" Blaine playfully asked. "I was suggesting you some dishes to order. If you agree to share them, of course"

"Sure" Sam enthusiastically answered, as nothing would him happier. "And you order whatever you think, what you choose will be fine for sure. I trust you"

"Ok" Blaine replied with another smile, wider this time, before he called the waiter.

Sam couldn't help but to smile, his heart full of fondness, as he watched Blaine happily order a lot of things and say a lot of words he didn't even understand, but that sounded wonderful coming from Blaine's lips. But Sam loved that about him: he had deeply enjoyed his burger the week before, and now he seemed to be over the moon about their meal. He was down-to-earth and sophisticated at the same time, in a way that told Sam he was someone who could manage to find the bright side to every scenario. And Sam really really loved that about him.

He was so lost into his thoughts once again that he almost jumped when he felt something brushing his knee under the table and he realized the waiter had gone and Blaine was looking back at him.

"Sorry" Blaine said with an embarrassed chuckle after the involuntary contact of his feet with Sam's leg. "There is not much space under this and I find it hard to stay still for too long"

"I can see that" Sam answered with a reassuring laugh, having noticed and also loving that trait about him. "Patience you must have, my young padawan"

Blaine burst out laughing at Sam's Yoda impression in the most unreserved way, until he almost chocked on his water. And it was then, and only then, when Sam realized he had made an impression after years of not feeling comfortable enough to do it, after the way most people reacted to them, and he hadn't even noticed. And he also realized making Blaine laugh had warmed his heart in a way nothing had ever done before. And he promised himself that making Blaine laugh like that was going to become the goal of his life.

"Sorry, I don't know where that came from" he apologized, even if he could see it was not really necessary as Blaine was still trying to control his laughing.

"I didn't know you made impressions"

"Please don't hate me yet"

"Why would I? You are an artist who makes impressions and is a fan of Star wars, how could I possibly hate you?"

"Oh, just give it some time" Sam joked, even if Blaine's words have affected him more than he would admit.

"I couldn't possibly hate you, Sam. I promise" Blaine answered, a bit more serious than Sam would have expected.

"Ok" Sam replied, but he felt like it was getting too intense, so he decided to change subjects before he said something he might regret. "So you like Star Wars too?"

"Well… I've got to confess I'm kind of a nerd" Blaine explained, and Sam could see it was another topic of interest by the way his face brightened, as he probably didn't have the chance to share that passion with anyone. "I love every single saga you can imagine. Although my favorite one will always be Lord of the rings"

"Me too!" Sam excitedly exclaimed. "Gosh, I love it so much!"

"Really?"

"Sure! I love the camaraderie between the characters!"

"I can't believe you would also point that, I've been saying it forever!"

"Please, there are so many hidden romantic relationships there"

"I sooooo ship Aragorn and Legolas"

"So do I!"

They both realized how loud they were being at the same time, and both burst out laughing again in unison, half in embarrassment, half in awe at having found someone who understood them so well, and Sam had to refrain from running his fingers down Blaine's cheek after how beautiful he looked with how his face had illuminated with the laughter.

"Please, you have to do Gollum" Blaine pleaded all of a sudden.

"No, don't make me do it" Sam answered with a chuckle, even if he suspected he wouldn't be able to deny him if he asked again.

"Pretty please, come on, just say my precious or something" Blaine begged, and gosh, his eyes looked incredibly huge and that pout was so adorable he couldn't possibly refuse any longer.

"The rock and pool is nice and cool, so juicy sweet" Sam sang in his best Gollum impression, but he couldn't even finish it because he had to laugh with Blaine when the latter giggled stupidly at it. "Shit, that was so bad"

"Gosh, you're amazing, Sammy" Blaine said as he dried the tears from his eyes the laughter elicited.

"Mmm… thanks" Sam mumbled, trying hard not to blush at the appraisal and at how amazingly sweet it was that Blaine would shorten his name like that.

Fortunately for him, the waiter took that moment to appear, so he was rescued from the embarrassment of having Blaine notice how affected he was by the whole intercourse. He knew nothing could happen between them –Blaine wasn't single after all–, but he couldn't imagine his life without him anymore, even if it was only as friends, and he didn't want to scare him away. Because having him half way was still better than nothing.

Blaine's eyes were practically sparkling with excitement as he looked at all the food in front of him. He obviously loved that kind of food and, if only for that, Sam was very glad he had let him take him there.

"Come on, don't let it go to waste" Blaine joked as he grabbed his chopsticks and waited for Sam to do the same.

"What, you mean I have to use this?" Sam exclaimed as he unsuccessfully tried to maneuver them.

"We can always ask them for a fork, but you said you wanted the whole experience" Blaine answered, obviously trying hard not to laugh at Sam's frustrated attempts. "Here, let me"

Sam had to remind himself to breathe when Blaine's hand covered his to keep it still and his other one moved Sam's fingers until he was correctly holding the chopsticks in a way that it would let him bring the food to his mouth. And to show him he was able, Blaine guided Sam's hand towards one of the uramakis, grabbed it and drove it to Sam's open mouth.

"See? It's easy" Blaine happily said when Sam started chewing on his food, but the blush on the blond must have been pretty obvious because Blaine noticed it, and it immediately made him realize they were still kind of holding hands –and he had just fed Sam. "I'm sorry" he immediately apologized, his blush matching Sam's as he abruptly broke the connection between their hands.

"Don't be" Sam immediately absolved him when he was able to find his voice again. "Thank you for teaching me"

"No, but I…" Blaine tried to apologize again, but he was interrupted when Sam skillfully grabbed another uramaki and placed it in his mouth to make him shut up.

"Now we're even" Sam joked after feeding Blaine, and he was relieved when Blaine managed to smile even if his mouth was full, so the awkwardness left as quickly as it had appeared. "Gosh, this is so good"

"I know" Blaine answered with his mouth still pretty full, which only made him more adorable to Sam's eyes.

"Can you believe I had never tried Japanese food before?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, I swear. I just… because of my job and my timetables I don't go out a lot and normally I keep it simple. But gosh, this is so delicious!"

"I know, I love it" Blaine answered enthusiastically, and Sam couldn't help but notice he seemed very glad to be sharing that moment with him –which made him feel so special, by the way.

"And it looks so much healthier than my usual burgers!" Sam added, wanting for Blaine to understand how much he valued his choice of place. "You know, you've got to keep in shape"

"Please, you're perfect already, you don't need to make any effort" Blaine blurted out without even meaning to, judging by the way he blushed at the end of it and the way he tried to fix it after it. "I mean, being a fitness instructor and all that…"

"Thanks" Sam answered, quite embarrassed –and flattered– himself, and he had to laugh when Blaine's foot nervously made contact with his knee again.

"Oh, gosh, sorry again, I don't know what's wrong with me today" Blaine apologized again, looking as if he wanted for the ground to swallow him whole, and Sam could barely stop himself from laughing again at the poor boy's discomfort.

"There. Feeling more comfortable now?" Sam said as he decidedly grabbed Blaine's foot under the table and left it to rest on his own lap so Blaine would understand he was not bothering him at all and would stop worrying about every little thing he did. Which made Sam wonder… could maybe Blaine be nervous around him for some reason? Was maybe Blaine starting to feel…?

"Sam, you don't have to…" Blaine said as he tried to move his foot away from Sam's reach, but the blond was quicker than that and gently grabbed his ankle to keep him from moving.

"Hey, I like it, don't worry" Sam insisted, moving his hand until it was covering Blaine's foot in a reassuring gesture. "It feels… warm and comfortable"

They both fell in silence for a moment, lost in each other's eyes as if they were under spell, none of them finding the words to break the moment. Sam felt as if his heart was going to go out of his chest, so hard it was beating, and he wondered if Blaine was feeling the same way. But the expression on Blaine's face was hard to read: he seemed hopeful, expectant. But he also looked worried, almost scared of what was happening. And Sam didn't want to be the cause of that, so he hurried to break the ice.

"So… you'd never been here before, then?" Sam asked, moving to continue eating to keep some sense of normalcy again –even if he was glad to see Blaine hadn't moved his feet from his lap.

"No, I've passed it by hundreds of times in my way home, but I had never tried it before" Blaine answered, suddenly warm and comfortable again.

"Why?"

"I don't know… I guess we don't go out a lot and when we do… well, Kurt doesn't like to try new things very much" Blaine explained, kind of sadly, and Sam wondered if that Kurt guy couldn't just make an effort to please him every now and then –after all, it was more than worth it only to see Blaine enjoy it like that.

"Your boyfriend?" Sam asked, pretending he didn't perfectly remember who Kurt was.

"Yeah" Blaine answered without much interest, almost dismissively, as if he didn't want to talk about him.

"Can I ask you something?" Sam asked even if he didn't want to bother Blaine, but he needed to know what the deal with Kurt really was.

"Sure" Blaine answered in his usual kind and friendly way, but Sam could tell he was feeling apprehensive about the question.

"You know, the woman on the ticket box told me something that really shocked me today"

"Did she?"

"She said your boyfriend has never been to watch you perform" Sam answered, not even trying to beat about the bush because he felt he could talk to Blaine about everything.

"Susan likes to gossip too much, I'm afraid" Blaine retorted, making it obvious that he was just trying to elude the question, so Sam was forced to insist.

"Is it true, though? Has he really never gone to your play?"

"It's true" Blaine finally admitted, probably understanding he had no way out of the conversation –and that Sam was much more stubborn than that because he sincerely worried about him.

"Not even on opening night?"

"No"

"And you're ok with that?"

"What can I do?" Blaine asked too quickly, and Sam wondered if he hadn't done that same question to himself more than a few times. "It's not like I can force him, right?"

"But it hurts you"

"Yes, of course it hurts me" Blaine confessed with a resigned sign. "But he has his reasons"

"What reasons could possibly stop him from supporting you in something so important? I mean, if I was your boyfriend I would be there every week" Sam retorted, but then he realized he was already doing it: he had been to Blaine's show three weeks in a row, and he expected to do it a lot more.

"It's just… Kurt is an actor too… or at least he trained for it at NYADA" Blaine started to explain, obviously trying to defend his boyfriend from Sam's lack of understanding.

"You went there together?"

"Not really, he was a year ahead of me, he already finished his degree while I'm still at my last year. That's why he made an audition for my play, and he made me go with him… And then they picked me instead of him and… he didn't take it very well"

"So he's sabotaging you?" Sam asked, almost unable to believe what he was hearing. Was Kurt really that much of a piece of shit?

"No, not really, just… ignoring it" Blaine patiently clarified, and it made Sam even angrier to think Blaine would try to justify his horrible attitude.

"I'm here, Blaine" Sam suddenly offered, sensing Blaine was hurting and needed to let it all out –and he probably didn't have anyone close enough to do it. "Talk to me. I will listen"

Blaine looked surprised at Sam's offer, almost shocked, and it hurt Sam to a big extent that Blaine never seemed to be listened to. That he probably never spoke his real thoughts and feelings. That no one ever made such an easy thing for him. He hesitated for a few seconds, probably debating with himself if he had the right to do it, but in the end he started talking.

"He acts as if it wasn't happening. He won't even let me talk about it" Blaine explained, and there was so much sadness in his voice, even if his face remained stoic, that Sam's heart went to him. "The other day, when you and I met and I told you I was waiting for him… well, he decided he didn't want to come, even if he told me he would so I would stop asking him. He wasn't doing anything, he just didn't want to pick me up from the theatre in which he wanted to be working himself. I guess it just made it all the more real. And now he's even going out with friends every Friday and Saturday so he will have an excuse not to come"

"Blaine…" Sam exclaimed, not really knowing what to say to make the other boy feel better, so he let his hand speak for itself and he started caressing the foot Blaine still had in his lap, trying to reassure him the only way he could think of.

To him it was very clear: Kurt didn't love Blaine. Not really. No one who really loved his partner would treat them like that, and Sam was positive he didn't even know half of the things Kurt did, judging by the lack of confidence Blaine had in himself or how he always seemed to get incredibly moved or surprised when Sam tried to complement him or do something nice for him, as if that never happened. As if he had been made to believe he wasn't worth much.

But he couldn't just tell him like that, right? Blaine was obviously not ready to hear that Kurt didn't love him, and Sam didn't want to jeopardize their still incipient friendship. He would have to find the way to make Blaine understand that his relationship with Kurt didn't seem too healthy without sending him into the defensive. Not because he was developing strong feelings towards him and he wanted to get rid of any possible rival, but because he couldn't stand the thought of Blaine being unhappy like that. But he had no idea how to do it.

Of course Blaine never gave him the chance, because he seemed so guilty and repentant of his accusations on Kurt that he immediately tried to justify his boyfriend again. As he probably was used to doing –even with himself.

"It's okay, though, he has the right to be angry" Blaine added, even retreating his foot as if to make Sam understand he didn't need –or deserved– to be comforted. "I wasn't supposed to take that chance away from him, I haven't even finished my studies yet"

"It was him who made you audition, wasn't it?" Sam retorted before he could even stop himself, but he didn't regret it: Blaine needed to hear it and understand that he was not at fault of everything that happened between them.

"Yeah… but he never thought they would like me. He… knows I'm not such a great thing, you know?" Blaine admitted, lowering his gaze as if he was ashamed of his lack of talent. "But he loves me in spite of that, and I guess I should be grateful for that"

"Blaine, you're awesome" Sam replied, forgetting about Kurt for a moment because he needed to focus on that first, and he covered Blaine's hand over the table again to make sure he had his attention –and so Blaine knew he supported him–. "I've watched the play three times and I'm completely amazed at your huge talent"

"No, but you…"

"Blaine" Sam interrupted him, knowing Blaine was about to contradict him. "You're amazingly talented. Otherwise they would have never chosen you, don't you think"?

Blaine didn't answer this time, but by the shy smile that slowly invaded his face Sam knew he had made a point –even if small– and Blaine was feeling slightly better. And gosh, what wouldn't he give to always see him smile like that.

"And I don't care if Kurt doesn't support you" Sam added, squeezing Blaine's hand. "You have me for that now, ok?"

Blaine's answer was to smile even more widely than before, and he rearranged the union of their hands until their fingers were entwined and his cheeks were sporting that habitual and adorable blush of his that Sam felt suited him so well.

And all through the rest of the dinner, in which they talked, and joked and laughed as if they had known each other for years instead of weeks, their hands never separated. And Sam doubted he had ever felt happier than he did in that moment.

A/N: So what do you think? Still interesting?