As always...
Me-me157: Yeah, I garantee you it was so hard for me to make them fight! But not everything can be that sugary end cloying all the time, right? It already is most of the time ;) Oh, come on, give Sebastian a bit of credit! Maybe it's Blaine the one who's right, and Sebastian is really not that bad, who knows! Thank you so much, sweetie!
Bourne: I'm so glad you like it, as I'm not that confident with this sequel! Of course I'm keeping Blam together, who do you take me for? ;) It's not really a problem of not having ideas, really. On the contrary: I want a lot of things to happen and I don't know how to put them together. But hey, I will, one way or another! Thank you so much!
Raiderva: Hey, thanks! I'm struggling with the fact the story line for this one isn't as well defined as the other was... It's not about their relationship, but about all the things I want for them to go through... I don't know, I'll do it the best I can! I'm so glad you liked it, your words were very reassuring! So thank you so much!
CHAPTER 4
"So… did you have any luck in finding a job yet?" Blaine asked Sebastian with genuine interest. After a week of insistent facebook messages, Blaine had finally relented and agreed to meet him as promised. Without asking Sebastian for his opinion, Blaine decided that a café would be the ideal place to meet, in remembrance of those times they had met at the Lima Bean, back in Ohio, in the short period of time in which they were truly friends. And Sebastian, obviously, just had to agree, even if another kind of date had been on his mind.
"Not yet, I've had a few interviews, but without any experience…" Sebastian answered good-naturedly. Because yes, this is not how he had planned to meet Blaine again, but it felt good and comfortable just catching up with him, feeling some of the friendship they had once share still remained.
"I'm surprised you didn't use your father's contacts for that" Blaine added, only half joking.
"Well, for once I wanted to feel I got something just for me, and not because it's been given to me, you know?"
"Yeah, I know how it feels. I've been supporting myself practically since I moved to New York and even if it's difficult sometimes, you get to feel more comfortable with yourself at the end of the day"
"So… you don't get any help from your family?" Sebastian asked, clearly surprised. From what he knew, Blaine's family was nearly as wealthy as his was. And even if Sebastian wanted to find a job for himself, it was his parents who paid for his rent and expenses until then.
"No, I was lucky I got a scholarship for NYADA, otherwise I would never have been able to afford it" Blaine explained, and Sebastian could see he wasn't as comfortable talking about that as he had been only a moment ago.
"How come? I thought your family was as generous as mine with their money so they can brag about what a wonderful education they gave their children" Sebastian sarcastically asked, but he almost regretted it when he saw a wave of sadness cross Blaine's features.
"Well…" Blaine hesitated, because it was never easy for him to talk about his family, but Sebastian was trying to be a good friend, so he owed him that, right? "I was… kind of disowned soon after I moved to New York"
"What?" Sebastian asked, for once forgetting about his cheeky pose and looking genuinely worried about his friend. "What happened?"
"They weren't happy at all about me going to a drama school on the first place, but when I took Kurt home and introduced him as my partner for the first time… Let's say my father made me choose"
"But… didn't they know you were gay before that?"
"Oh, they did" Blaine explained, sadly nodding his head as he looked down in remembrance. "But I guess they thought it was just a phase, or something I could hide as I married the right and perfect woman… So when I refused to back down, they threw me out of their house"
"And now…" Sebastian encouraged him to continue.
"We haven't spoken for four years" Blaine answered with the saddest smile. "I'm lucky I still have my brother, though, he is the best" he added, his smile more genuine this time.
"I can't believe that, Blaine, I'm… I'm so sorry you had to go through that" Sebastian added, friendly patting Blaine's forearm in a comforting gesture.
"Well, we never had the easiest relationship to begin with, so I guess it's not that big a deal…" Blaine answered, trying to play down the importance of it.
Sebastian looked at him with a new light. He had always liked Blaine, a lot. Not just sexually or romantically, but he had always admired him as a person because of his generous nature and his obvious charm. But he now realized he had never gotten to really know him, not in all his depth, not with all the history that made him who he is. And that only made him fall even more for him.
"It is a big deal, of course it is. If there is anything I can do…" Sebastian offered, completely honest.
"There is. Just… being my friend. It took me a long time to understand that it wasn't my fault and that I deserved to have people near who cared about me. Sam invested a lot of his time in making me understand that, even before we were a couple" Blaine explained with a fond smile when talking about his boyfriend that Sebastian didn't miss.
"I'm here for you for whatever you need too. You know that, don't you?" Sebastian added, surprising even himself with the sincerity of his offer: he wasn't trying to score a goal with it, he was genuinely wanting to help Blaine in any way he could.
"I do" Blaine answered, and he was glad Sebastian and he could really be friends again. "But hey, I'm mostly okay with everything now, I made my peace with it a long time ago. And you want to know something? Maybe it's stupid, but Sam and I can proudly say that everything we have, as little as it might be, we earned it for ourselves"
"It's not stupid" Sebastian contradicted him, even if his heart was aching at yet another mention of Blaine's boyfriend. "That's… really impressive of you"
"And you will be proud of yourself too, once you find a job" Blaine told him, dismissing his appraisal, and his smile was so encouraging that Sebastian could only believe him. "Hey, I didn't want to make all the conversation about me, I'm sorry"
"Hey, don't be. I want to know everything about you" Sebastian explained with a smile that, for once, wasn't intended to be flirty, and was glad when Blaine reciprocated it.
"What time is it, by the way? I have a date tonight"
"It's almost six" Sebastian answered after looking at his watch, trying to sound nonchalant, and not as jealous and deflated as he felt. "Yeah, I noticed you were looking even prettier than usual. And who's the lucky guy?"
"Who do you think?" Blaine asked with a confused smile. "Sam, of course"
"Aww, you two still have dates, that's so sweet" Sebastian joked, hiding his bitterness about it as well as he could.
"Of course we have!" Blaine chuckled, oblivious to the other boy's actual feelings about it. "Otherwise we would just let ourselves fall into a routine! We're just going to have dinner and go to the movies, no big deal, but it keeps the fire going, you know. He's picking me up any minute now"
"So you and Sam…" Sebastian hesitated before asking, but he had to know. He felt he was falling head over heels for Blaine once again and he needed to know if he stood a chance. "You're serious"
"Totally. He's the best thing that ever happened to me" Blaine asked in all honesty, not aware of how much his words affected his friend.
"You seem…"
"What?"
"Very much in love" Sebastian observed, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his heart at the smile his words elicited on the other boy.
"I am" Blaine confirmed.
"Good, because there's your man" Sebastian announced as he saw Sam entering the café and looking for his boyfriend.
"Oh, there he is" Blaine said as he turned around to look, and the way his face lit and a smile filled his lips at just the sight of his boyfriend made Sebastian's heart ache with envy. "Sam!" Blaine called him, and Sam's face broke into a matching smile as soon as he spotted him.
"Hey, love" Sam greeted him, bending over to kiss Blaine's cheek as soon as he was close enough. "Hey, Sebastian" Sam was polite enough to offer.
"Sam" Sebastian answered shortly.
"Listen, I…" Sam started, and Sebastian pretended not to notice the encouraging nod Blaine gave him. "I'm sorry about the other day, I… I didn't know it was you"
"You mean when you tried to assault me?" Sebastian asked before he could even stop himself, pretending not to see the disapproving look Blaine was throwing at him.
"Yeah, that" Sam answered, willing himself not to get angry because he had promised Blaine he was going to behave. "I'm sorry"
"Okay" was the only answer Sebastian offered, and Sam seemed to be so uncomfortable that he decided to just wait outside before he got angry again.
"So… mmmm… I've got a cab waiting…" he explained, only looking at his boyfriend this time. "I'll wait for you outside"
"I'll be there in a minute" Blaine answered with a comforting pat to Sam's forearms, and as soon as his boyfriend was out of earshot, he turned to Sebastian with a less friendly expression than just a minute ago. "Look, Sebastian, if you want us to be friends you're going to have to do a bigger effort to get along with Sam"
"Me?" Sebastian asked, pretending to feel outraged. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but he doesn't look like he is dying to be my best friend"
"He apologized to you for the other day, even if you were as much to blame as he was" Blaine answered because he was not allowing anyone to treat his Sam the wrong way, however good a friend they were.
"Come on, I could see your nod, you so asked him to do it" Sebastian answered, now he being the one feeling uncomfortable at what felt like a proper scolding.
"Even if that was the case, he still manned up and did it. You haven't apologized to him, though"
"Why should I? He's the one who almost smashed my head in"
"It was not like that at all, and you know it. And listen to me, you have to stop antagonizing Sam, Sebastian, like right now. I'm happy to be your friend again, but Sam is my life and I'm not going to jeopardize my relationship with him for anyone. I don't want to hurt you or to be cruel, but if you two can't get along and I have to choose…"
"You're right, I'm sorry" Sebastian immediately backed down, knowing fully well he was bound to lose in a direct confrontation. Plus he didn't like to make Blaine angry, if he was honest to himself. He'd rather see him smiling, like he usually did. "I'm telling you I want to be your friend and here I am, behaving like an asshole to your boyfriend. It won't happen again"
"I really hope so" Blaine answered as a warning, but he immediately lost his severe stance and there it was, his beautiful smile again as he grabbed his jacket and stood up. "I'm counting on it"
Sebastian followed Blaine with his gaze all the way out of the café, and continued looking at him through the window even when the shorter guy was already outside. He saw how Blaine tenderly put his arms around Sam, waiting for him just outside, who immediately reciprocated the hug and lowered his face to kiss Blaine's lips slowly. Sebastian sighed at the adoring smile Blaine gave to his boyfriend as Sam held the door of the cab for him, and realized that conquering Blaine's heart had never seemed more out of reach.
"Stop that or I'm never going to be able to unlock the door" Blaine warned his boyfriend with a chuckle as he tried to put the key in the lock of their apartment door as they came back from their date; Sam's arms were around Blaine's waist from behind, and he kept nuzzling the back of his neck, letting the air coming from his nose tickle his sensitive skin.
"I can't help it, your neck is so inviting" Sam answered, his voice a little hoarse with desire as he started kissing it to prove his point. "And your height is perfect for me to assault it every time I've got it in front of me"
"I think it's the first time in my life I'm glad of my height, then" Blaine joked back, finally managing to find the damned lock and open the door.
"Your height is perfect, it just makes you all the cuter" Sam answered, crossing the threshold just behind his boyfriend and closing the door behind him.
"Ok, that didn't make me feel tiny at all" Blaine complained good-naturedly, though Sam still turned him towards him and his arms went around the curly-haired boy in a lazy embrace meant as an apology.
"I mean it, you're just perfect" Sam said, no joking this time, as he captured Blaine's lips in a kiss that lingered.
"Only to your eyes" Blaine answered with an adoring smile, giving Sam's lips a kiss of his own. "But then again, your eyes are the only ones that matter, so…"
"I'm glad we've reached an agreement, then" Sam added with a chuckle before finally letting go of his boyfriend. "I should send a couple of e-mails from work before we get comfortable in front of the TV. Do you mind?"
"Of course not" Blaine immediately reassured him with one of his sweet smiles. "I'll make me some coffee in the meantime"
"Not coffee for you at these hours or you won't get any sleep" Sam warned him, always the worrier, even if Blaine was already half way to the kitchen.
"Alright, mum, am I allowed to have a hot cocoa then?" Blaine asked, poking his head again around the corner.
"I think that should be fine" Sam answered, feigning thinking about it quite deeply.
"Do you want some too? Or a tea?" Blaine offered, and Sam smiled gratefully at his boyfriend.
"Cocoa would be nice, if you don't mind"
"I don't. But it goes in exchange of some sofa-cuddling when you're finished with work"
"Please, that goes without saying" Sam answered while rolling his eyes, eliciting a chuckle from his boyfriend.
As Sam picked up the laptop he shared with his boyfriend and sat on the sofa, he chuckled as he noticed Blaine had casually left his facebook open again, as it had suddenly been happening every now and then for the last couple of weeks. Exactly since they ran into Sebastian back at the club. Sam's heart filled with a rush of affection for his crazy boyfriend, as he knew it was Blaine's way of showing Sam that he didn't have anything to hide and that he trusted and wanted Sam to see and share every aspect of his life. Including Sebastian, of course.
Sam, obviously, just closed the tab without even looking at it. He trusted Blaine a hundred per cent and he didn't feel any need of controlling his life. Though he had to admit that Blaine's gesture of giving him the chance to pry if he felt he needed it warmed his heart endlessly.
He already knew Blaine, as promised, had befriended Sebastian on facebook after their encounter, and that he had tried to encourage Sam to do it too, as he thought that maybe if he included Sam in his friendship with the former warbler he would be more comfortable with it. But Sam had gratefully refused, feeling as if that would be a way to control his boyfriend, as if he didn't trust him and needed to keep an eye on him. Well, it was that, and the fact that he didn't really feel like being friends with Sebastian. Maybe Blaine was okay with it, or he really didn't notice due to his usual naivety, but Sam couldn't stand Sebastian's smug smirk and arrogant manners. The only thing he wanted to know about him was that he wasn't hurting his boyfriend in any way.
"So do these e-mails you have to send have anything to do with your comic?" Blaine interrupted his thoughts yelling from the kitchen because the fact they weren't in the same room didn't mean he stopped craving for Sam's company, right?
"No, these are from work" Sam answered in a loud voice, smiling fondly at his noisy boyfriend.
"And how is the second volume of Nightbird and the Blond Chameleon going?" Blaine continued with their yelled conversation.
"It's practically finished"
"So you're going to publish it soon, then?"
"I'm not sure about that" Sam answered, and he was so sure about what his boyfriend's reaction to his words was going to be that he counted the seconds before Blaine's head would appear behind the kitchen's door.
"What do you mean?" Blaine asked, more softly this time, as he predictably appeared in the living room, drying his hands with a tea towel.
"I don't know if we can afford an investment like that again" Sam confessed with a sigh. Publishing the first volume had been hard enough. "We haven't even fully recovered from the last one, you know"
"But we almost did!" Blaine answered, with that optimism in his voice that Sam loved so much, as he sat next to him and put his hand on Sam's thigh. "And if we could afford it while I was working half time on the music shop, we surely can do it now that I have a full-time and well-paid job!"
"But what if this second volume doesn't sell as good?" Sam asked, as he closed his laptop and left it on the table, forgotten. "I don't want to waste your money for nothing"
"You mean our money" Blaine immediately corrected him, and Sam smiled at how sweet that sounded and how good it felt to be in such a committed relationship with the love of his life, to the point that everything they had was now shared between them.
"Ok, our money" Sam admitted, putting his hand over the one Blaine had on his leg and entwining their fingers together in gratitude. "But I don't want it to go to waste anyway. We had plans for that money, remember? It's supposed to pay for our future house"
"A big house won't be any useful if you're feeling unhappy because we didn't dare to make your dreams come true" Blaine tried to reason with him, completely serious and honest. "I'd rather live in this apartment for the rest of our lives, or even in the street, if that meant seeing in your face again the happiness I saw when you got your hands on the first copy of your comic book"
"I know you really mean it, and I love you so much for that" Sam acknowledged his boyfriend's generosity with a tender caress to his cheek. "But… your dreams are important too, like the future we had planned, and it's too risky… Maybe I should wait until I get a publisher"
"And how are you going to get it if they can't see your work?" Blaine insisted, and Sam hated that he did because he knew there was no way Sam wouldn't end up relenting it when Blaine got like that.
"Maybe I could try to contact the publishing houses again and convince them…"
"Nothing is going to convince them more than a project that is already working"
"I don't know…" Sam hesitated, shaking his head. He was dying to do it, but he was also terrified of failing and depriving Blaine from the future of his dreams. Not that Blaine was going to give him a chance, though, he was sure of that.
"Honey, we need to do this" Blaine predictably insisted. "I have so much faith in you and your work"
"Your faith can really move mountains, can't it?" Sam asked with the most loving smile as his fingers moved to place some stray curl behind Blaine's ear.
"Does this mean you're going to give it a try?" Blaine asked, and there was so much hope in his eyes that it looked as if he was asking something out of Sam, instead of trying to give it to him.
"What can I do, when you're giving me your best puppy look?" Sam answered, feigning to look defeated. "You're playing dirty"
Blaine just laughed happily at that and jumped on Sam's lap to shower him with kisses all along his lips and face, until Sam could take it no more and had to stop him with a hand to his face, laughing wholeheartedly.
"It almost looks like it's me wanting to make your dreams come true and not the other way around" Sam said, taking advantage of the proximity of their bodies to embrace his boyfriend warmly to him.
"Your dreams are my dreams too, Sammy" Blaine explained, dismissing Sam's appraisal but letting himself be engulfed into his arms. "And I so know this one is going to come true…"
"I don't think anyone ever believed in me like you do" Sam explained, breaking the embrace to cup his boyfriend's cheeks and look adoringly at him.
"I guess they didn't know you as I do, then" Blaine answered with a shrug of his shoulders, because to him it was as simple as that.
Sam let himself be lost in the golden orbs that were Blaine's eyes, and after a minute he drew his face to his to seal their lips together, marveled at how fast Blaine seemed to melt into his arms and how well they fitted together. One of his arms moved to Blaine's waist to attract him even closer to his own body, and the shorter boy moaned into their kiss when their chests collided.
Sam decided to take advantage of how receptive Blaine seemed to be and gently pushed him into his back and climbed on top of him without even breaking the kiss. Blaine's arms immediately closed around Sam's torso with considerable strength to prevent him from moving even an inch away from him.
It wasn't until he was running out of air that Sam finally broke the kiss, with the intention of moving his loving ministrations to the sensitive skin on his boyfriend's neck, but something caught his attention first.
"What's that smell?" he asked.
"Shit, the cocoa" Blaine answered as Sam roared with laughter at his guilty expression while he tried to extricate himself from under the blond's fierce embrace and ran to the kitchen.
"Everything alright in there?" Sam asked from the living room when he heard Blaine groan, for very different reasons this time, as he tried not to laugh at his boyfriend's antics while picking up the laptop again and continued with his work.
"I'm working on it!" Blaine answered equally loud. "I think I'll be able to save it!"
"Well, if someone can save the day, that is Nightbird" Sam answered, chuckling to himself.
It only took Blaine a couple of minutes to appear in the living room again, with two mugs that smelled delicious in his hands and a proud smile on his face.
"There you are, love" Blaine offered, handing Sam one of the mugs as he sat at his side.
"Thanks, babe" Sam answered with a grateful smile.
"Are you all about done?"
"Yep" Sam answered happily as he once again closed the laptop and left it on the table. Then he changed his mug from one hand to the other and lifted his arm as an invitation for Blaine to get under it and cuddle up to his chest, which he immediately did. "So did you have fun at our date today, sweetie?"
"Always" Blaine answered with a dreamy smile, taking the time to place an appreciating kiss in the curve of Sam's neck. "The movie, though… Now that was a waste of money, and not your comic book!"
"It wasn't that bad!" Sam mockingly protested, not willing to admit how much he agreed with it.
"Wasn't it? Honey, you're never ever choosing the movie again"
"Well, let's be honest, I prefer bad movies because you don't care about them that much and you let me snog you, like today. There was a lot of snogging today" Sam explained without a hint of shame, and he had to smile when he could see Blaine blushing a little.
"There wasn't that much" he contradicted his boyfriend without much emphasis.
"Oh, there was. But when the movie is interesting you won't let me even put my arm around you or open my mouth before you are already shushing me!"
"That's not true! I've never shushed you!" Blaine protested, lifting his upper body from his boyfriend so he could look at him.
"Oh my God, you don't even realize you do it!" Sam answered with a laugh.
"Am I really that bad?" Blaine asked, slightly mortified, though Sam was not relenting yet.
"And worse! I don't think I was allowed to say a single word during all Begin again"
"Well, it was a great movie"
"It was, but that doesn't make me want to snog you any less" Sam explained, grabbing Blaine roughly towards him again, almost spilling both their drinks. "In fact it makes me want to snog you even more, because you look so cute when you concentrate…"
"Well, you can snog me now, if you want" Blaine offered with a mischievous smile.
"Not now, you promised you'd watch The Goonies with me before bed, remember?" Sam reminded him, picking up the remote to switch off their TV. "So now shush"
"Oh, so I can't shush you but you can shush me?" Blaine protested, mockingly offended.
"Exactly. Now shush, it's starting"
"You've watched it hundreds of times before!"
"So?"
"Sometimes I don't know how I stand you" Blaine answered with a dramatic sigh as he got more comfortable on Sam's chest, though he couldn't help a fond smile breaking into his lips at Sam's conciliatory kiss to his forehead.
"Because you love me" Sam answered, knowing Blaine would never deny that.
"That must be it" Blaine admitted, closing his eyes as he buried his head under Sam's chin, feeling warm and loved and incredibly lucky.
A/N: So a loooot of sugar for this one, but I needed the comfort after some hard times... More angst coming soon!