Chapter Four: Awkward

They stayed up all night and well into the morning, chattering and consuming massive amounts of caffeine and sugar, watching movies and generally following the plan of utter non-productivity. The sun was coming up before they finally started to wind down, but by about 10 a.m. the sugar rush had worn off and they'd come down from the caffeine high. Suddenly exhausted, they fell asleep in the middle of Underworld: Evolution—Sebastian had an unfortunate obsession with bad vampire movies—side by side on the couch. Somewhere around lunchtime Blaine's head slumped over to fall onto Sebastian's shoulder, prompting Sebastian to turn in his sleep and pull Blaine into his arms. A couple of hours later, the two boys had stretched out in their sleep, Sebastian's arms slung casually around Blaine's shoulders and Blaine's head nestled into Sebastian's chest, one hand holding a fistful of his shirt and the other dangling over the couch, fingers brushing the floor.

When Blaine's parents walked in the door later that afternoon, they were still laying just like that.

"Oh, Tom, isn't that the sweetest thing?" Blaine's mother kept her voice low, looking fondly down at the two sleeping teenagers as she hung up her coat and pushed her weekend bag against the wall to deal with later. Back still to her husband, she didn't see the furrow of his brows or the purse of his lips as she leaned over to grab the duvet off the back of the couch and spread it over them both. Blaine mumbled in his sleep and lifted his dangling hand, flailing a bit and barely missing hitting Sebastian in the face. Fortunately, the hand just settled over the older boy's shoulder, arm curling to the shape of the body beneath it, fingers brushing against his hair. Elena Anderson suppressed a little squeal of delight.

"That is just so precious."

"I don't know, Lena," said Tom as diplomatically as possible, coming up behind her and stopping to stare down at his son. She gave him a sideways look that prompted him to continue, a bit hastily. "Isn't it a little…intimate? It's one thing when they're toddlers, but aren't they a little old to be…cuddling up like that?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Seriously? I think it's cute. And anyway, it's not as if you haven't seen it before. Your brother—"

"That's different," Tom interjected, his tone decidedly uncomfortable. "John is…but Blaine's not…I mean—" Elena smacked his shoulder affectionately and began to tug him away from the couch, herding him toward the stairs.

"Don't burn a fuse out, dear. Blaine's never said anything to me to indicate he might be…otherwise inclined…but haven't you noticed? He's never brought a girl home once, and he's almost fifteen."

Tom Anderson extracted himself from his wife's grasp and began unpacking his suitcase, mumbling something that sounded like "late bloomer." Elena placed her well-manicured hands on her elegant hips.

"Thompson Heyward Anderson, are you one of those homophobic fathers?" Her tone was light and teasing, but there was something in her eyes like real worry, and Tom stopped what he was doing to smile tightly at his wife.

"Of course I'm not. I have no problem with gay people. You know as well as I do, about John. But that doesn't mean it would be an easy thing to deal with. It's different when it's your son."

"Yes," she answered, and the teasing tone was replaced by severity, "it is different. Because when it's your son, you love him unconditionally for exactly who he is, am I right?"

"Lena, that's not what I meant, and you know it."

"I certainly hope not," she said, letting the subject drop. She went downstairs to make a cup of coffee, leaving Tom to his unpacking and his confused, troubled thoughts.

When Sebastian finally woke up, it was a gradual thing. First, he became aware of how warm and comfortable he was. Second, he was confused because he knew he'd fallen asleep on a couch, and he didn't think couches were generally this accommodating. Third, he became suddenly, completely awake when he realized his arms were wrapped around someone who was sleeping on top of him.

Someone small, and very warm, with dark, curly hair that was tickling his chin a little.

Okay, he thought, just breathe. This isn't so bad. We both just fell asleep, and we must have fallen over sideways. It's not a big deal. It doesn't mean anything. Most importantly, there are no witnesses, so all I have to do is—

His frantic attempts at mentally calming himself down were short-circuited by the arrival of a petite woman with a cheerful, heart-shaped face and inky curls that could only be Blaine's mother. She plopped gracelessly into the recliner opposite the couch, taking a sip from the mug she was holding and sighing contentedly. Then she noticed his panicked stare watching her, and smiled.

"Oh, good, you're awake. The two of you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you, but we were beginning to think the cops would show up any minute now, demanding that we release you to your parents. I'm sure they must be worried, but I didn't have a number to reach them."

"Er…right. Um…I'm Sebastian—"

"Oh, I know, dear. Blaine talks about you all the time. I understand the two of you are quite good friends?"

Sebastian nodded, acutely aware of exactly how good of friends they looked at the moment. Blaine's mother must have noticed his reddening face or his uncomfortable expression, because she smiled comfortingly, even indulgently, and when she spoke her voice was gently amused.

"Someone probably should have warned you, Blaine's quite the cuddler. He hasn't been able to share a bed with anyone since he was nine or ten; he just has this odd habit of wrapping himself around whatever's within reach. Perfectly fine if it's a pillow, but it embarrassed him when he'd wake up snuggled up to one of his cousins come to visit or a friend he'd invited over. My mother-in-law says it's because I was too affectionate toward him when he was a baby." The sardonic eyebrow and half-quirked smile she sent him told Sebastian exactly how much she thought of that theory. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Nah, I'm betting he was born that way," he said before he really thought about it. "He's just a really warm, impulsive person all around. It fits." He would have shrugged, but he didn't want to disturb the boy sleeping in his arms. Whose mother I'm having a conversation with. This is really weird. He felt his face reddening again.

"You know, I think you're right," she said. "Warm and impulsive: two words that describe my Blainey to a tee. Oh goodness," she interrupted herself abruptly, coughing a little as gulped her coffee too quickly, "Don't tell him I slipped up and called him that in front of you. He positively hates those kinds of little pet names." Sebastian grinned in spite of his discomfort. It was hard to stay uncomfortable with this woman. His smile faltered as Blaine shifted in his arms a bit, head nuzzling his shoulder. Much as he didn't want to call attention to what Blaine's mother seemed perfectly oblivious to, he felt the need to clear the air.

"Um, Mrs. Anderson—"

"Oh, call me Elena, dear. Everyone does."

"Okay, Elena. Does this not…bother you? I mean, coming home to Blaine all curled up on the couch with another guy?"

"Why on earth would that bother me?" She said it as if she really had no idea, but he saw understanding in her eyes. She continued, her voice gentle again. "I'd like to think I'm not your average small-town Ohio parent," she said. "Like I told you, Blaine is a cuddler. So if I come home to find my son curled up on the couch with another boy, it could mean he fell asleep watching movies with a friend. Or—" she paused and tilted her head, considering him. "It could mean he fell asleep watching movies with a boyfriend." Sebastian's eyebrows shot up at her casual tone, but she continued as if she hadn't noticed. "Either way, it's adorable. If I had my camera, I would embarrass the dickens out of the both of you for years hereafter, I promise." Her gentle grin turned a little bit wicked at the corners, causing Sebastian to chuckle softly.

Blaine stirred in his arms, groaned, and then blinked his eyes a few times.

"Mom?" he said blearily. "Why are you sideways?" This caused both Sebastian and his mother to laugh, the former sound vibrating against Blaine's ear and causing him to sit bolt upright, accidentally knocking against Sebastian's chin and poking him in the ribs with his elbow as he did so.

"Ow!" said Sebastian just as Blaine exclaimed, "What the—" and flailed, nearly falling off the couch before his friend managed to catch him with the arm not holding his side, pressing him safely into the couch cushions and then leaning far away from him, massaging his jaw and still holding his ribs with one hand as Elena Anderson tried to stifle her laughter from her seat in the recliner. Blaine was utterly confused.

"Gah, Blaine, I think you broke my jaw!" Sebastian glared at his friend, who sent him an apologetic look before turning to his mother with a sheepish look on his face.

"Er, Mom…this is Sebastian, my friend from school? We must've fallen asleep during that last movie," he offered by way of an explanation for why his parents had found him sleeping on the couch with another guy. To his surprise, his mother didn't seem upset in the least. She just smiled and cut her eyes at Sebastian, an amused look passing between them before the teenager returned to grimacing and massaging his jaw.

"Oh, I know, dear," she said. "We've been getting acquainted while we waited for you to finally wake up." The laughter was still in her voice and in her eyes, and Blaine suppressed a sigh of profound relief. Apparently, she didn't suspect anything. He looked sideways at Sebastian, eyes guilty.

"I'm so sorry," he said. Sebastian just rolled his eyes and grinned.

"It's alright, I'm sure I'll just have a giant bruise from your elbow and a swollen jaw in the morning." He was teasing, but Blaine looked so shamefaced that he relented. "Seriously, I'm okay. Um, I'd better call my parents, though. You're right, they've got to be wondering where I am."

Blaine started to point out that he hadn't said anything about Sebastian's parents, when he realized Seb wasn't talking to him, but to his mother. As his friend got up and went to the kitchen to use their phone, Blaine looked at his mom questioningly.

"I've been getting to know Sebastian while we were waiting for you to join us in the land of the living," she said casually. "He seems like a nice boy."

"Uh, yeah. He is." Blaine shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"You should have him over for dinner sometime," she said. "Introduce him to your father and I properly." Her tone was still casual, but there was something in it that made Blaine blush.

"Mo-oom," he grumbled. "He's just a friend from school. You don't have friends over to introduce them to your parents."

"Whatever you say," she responded easily, but with a twinkle still in her eyes. "Just as long as you know your friends are always welcome here. And we do like to know the people you're spending your time with."

"Sure, okay," he said, feeling supremely awkward. Stretching a little, he jumped up and headed toward the kitchen, leaving his mother with her coffee. He found Sebastian at the table, just hanging up his phone and looking strangely upset. He grimaced in sympathy.

"They're not mad at you, are they?" His friend smiled tightly.

"No, they're not mad. Not even worried, apparently."

"Really?" Blaine sounded surprised. "Why not?"

"Um. Well…" Sebastian shifted uncomfortably. "Amanda called them to say I was hanging out at her place."

"How'd she know to do that?" Now Sebastian looked really uncomfortable, and his face was turning a little red.

"She…well, I told her I was hanging out with you today and last night. And she…um, may have jumped to some conclusion or other and decided to run interference with my parents to help me out." He said the last part very fast, and with a very red face, while looking anywhere but at Blaine's face. Blaine was grateful for this, as he could feel his own cheeks getting pretty red now, too.

"She...conclusions?" He said weakly. Sebastian nodded, letting out a chuckle that sounded more like an exasperated sigh. Blaine facepalmed.

"Please tell me she didn't share these conclusions with anyone else."

"Well…just…Nathan? And maybe…"

Blaine groaned loudly and threw himself into a chair, hiding his face in both his hands.

"I'm going to kill her," he exclaimed, his voice muffled. Sebastian just stood there helplessly, not knowing how to make the situation less embarrassing, and a little illogically bothered that Blaine apparently found it so embarrassing in the first place. When Blaine looked up, though, his face was smooth.

"I'll set them straight, don't worry. None of them will say a word about this to you or anyone else."

"Thanks, Seb," Blaine said gratefully. Then something seemed to occur to him. "It's not that that would be…I mean…you're amazing, Seb, but I'm not really ready to tell people, and anyway we're not…you don't…" Sebastian smiled as well as he was able under the circumstances, and touched Blaine's shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey," he said, "it's okay. We're just friends. You're new to all this. Don't let Amanda and her insane fangirling freak you out, okay?" Blaine nodded. Sebastian withdrew his hand.

"Anyway, I'd better go. I told my parents I'd be home soon. See you at school?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, watching his friend's retreating back with a slight frown on his face. "See you…"

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! There's been a lot going on. BUT I'm done with school now, at least until September, so I should be able to update regularly. I'm not sure how to get through the next couple of chapter in this story, but I'm going to plug away at it till I'm done, I promise! And in the meantime, I've been hit with a burst of inspiration for Music For A Song, and as a result I have several chapters nearly completed and will be doing a lot of updates to that soon as well. Thanks so much for reading!

- The Raisin Girl