Summary: Life has been going well in the Big Apple. Kurt and Blaine are still happily engaged. Rachel is a Broadway sensation. Everything is as it should be. Until the day that Sam gets a call saying that there was an incident at the base where Puck was stationed. That one phone call shakes up their idyllic lives and changes things forever. But who ever said that change was a bad thing?
Pairings: Puckleberry, Kartie, Mikecedes, and Blam relationships. Past Samcedes, Quick and Bram relationships. Blamman (Sam/Blaine/Puck), Pezberry, Pucktana, Samcedes, Quick, Puckerwilde and Hummelberry friendships.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm not likely to own anything in the near future. I've accepted this. I also don't own Once Upon a Time or Captain America. They belong to Disney. But I'm not opposed to someone giving me either Bucky or Captain Hook. Just saying!
Warnings: This story deals with very serious issues, including violence, PTSD, mental illness and death. There is a mass shooting involved with this story. It's not depicted only mentioned but it's a central piece of the plot. So just giving you a warning.
Author's Note: Hello all. Did we survive that "evil" cliffhanger from last time?
Definitely…. Maybe?
The tension in the car was suffocating as Kurt drove away from Scandals. Blaine wanted to break the silence and assure Kurt that everything was fine… but he couldn't. He couldn't find the words to keep lying because it wasn't fine. Everything was messed up and he was more than a little aware that it was mostly his fault. Okay, actually it was entirely his fault. He was the idiot that went and fell in love with two people. Or rather, he's the idiot that fell in love with one guy, cheated on that guy, broke up with that guy and then fell in love with another guy who was with another girl so he ignored his feelings and got back together with the first guy. Only those feelings weren't going away. They were getting stronger and harder to ignore with every passing moment of every passing day. Sam was kind of an addiction. .
Blaine really thought that with time, he could learn to deal with his feelings for Sam. But the more time he spent with Sam, the more he realized that loving Sam was easy. It was natural. He didn't have to put any extra effort into his friendship with the blonde. It was so easy that he didn't really understand until recently that was what a relationship was supposed to be. It wasn't until he saw Rachel and Puck together that he got it. They were so in tune with one another that they complemented one another. They made the other stronger and better. That wasn't the case with him and Kurt. Blaine thought about who he was in high school when he was with Kurt versus who he was after their breakup. He was remembered being terrified to audition for a lead role in the school play because he didn't want Kurt to be mad at him. That's not how a relationship should be. That's not what he wanted his relationship to be.
"Were you really going to do it?" Kurt asked, startling him out of his thoughts. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice that the car had stopped. Blaine glanced at his fiancé out the corner of his eye. Kurt was staring at something ahead. Blaine didn't bother to look up. "Were you actually going to marry me?"
Blaine shifted in his seat, staring at his hands. "Yes, I really was."
"Even though you're in love with Sam?"
"Even though."
Kurt laughed. It was not a happy sound. It was brittle and wounded and this is why Blaine avoided having this conversation. Things were so good in the past few weeks. They were back to the way things used to be between them. Or at least they were pretending. But pretending was exhausting. Especially when both people in the relationship were faking it.
"I don't know what's sadder… that you don't see why that's wrong or that a huge part of me wants to ignore everything and go through with it anyway."
"Kurt… I…"
"No," Kurt shook his head, cutting him off. That was for the best because Blaine had no idea what the hell was going to say. What he was supposed to say in this situation. "You could've broken up with me before… after everything with Puck. Or better yet, you didn't have to get back together with me in the first place. So why did you?"
"Same reason you got back together with me, I guess. I didn't want to be alone. I was falling in love with Sam and he was with Brittany and then that weird thing with the school nurse. And I wanted someone to help me ignore that. And I do love you, Kurt. You're my first love. At the time, I thought that was enough."
"And now?"
"Now, I know that it's not," Blaine answered. His voice cracked slightly. "I never wanted to hurt you. Not with Eli and not with Sam."
"You think marrying me while you were in love with your best friend wouldn't hurt me?"
Touché, Blaine thought.
"Besides," Kurt continued, not giving him a chance to reply. "I've been giving a lot of thought to what everyone's been telling me for the past few months. You're not the only one that made mistakes here. I… I pushed for this. I knew it wasn't right, that it wasn't working but you're right. I was scared to be alone. But Puck was also right about you. You're stupidly loyal. You really would've married me."
"I would've. Also remind me to kick Puck's ass later."
"You're not going to kick his ass because he was right," Kurt replied, laughing softly. "Plus you love him way too much to do that."
Blaine slunk lower in his seat, muttering something none too complimentary under his breath. Kurt laughed even harder. Jerk.
"So just for clarification purposes… we're breaking up, right?"
"Yes," Kurt answered. His voice was steady. Blaine turned to face him and saw that while he might hurting, he was at peace with the decision. "We're breaking up. But hopefully, we can stay friends?"
"Definitely," Blaine smiled.
"And I promise to actually be your friend this time around."
"You weren't that bad," Blaine assured him. Kurt gave him a look. He snickered in response. "Okay, so you were definitely not the most subtle friend ever but nonetheless you were still a really good friend, Kurt. One that I would be sad if I had to give up."
Kurt placed his hand over Blaine's. "Well then it's a good thing you don't have to give me up. And despite your endorsement, I know that my friend skills were severely lacking. So I'm hoping that I can try and be a better friend. Starting right now."
"What do you….?" Blaine trailed off as he finally realized where they were. "Shannon's house… I don't understand… Why are we here?"
"Seriously? You love Sam. You want to be with him. He loves you. He wants to be with you. Honestly, you two make sense together. Not to mention this is also where Puck is and he's your family. I'm really sorry that it's taken me this long to recognize that. This is where you belong."
Blaine smiled and shifted so that he was holding the hand Kurt still had on him. He squeezed his hand lightly before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. This was the most physical intimacy they had displayed with one another in a while. They both knew this was over. But Blaine wasn't wrong when he said that he didn't want to lose Kurt's friendship. He was a good friend.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," Kurt whispered. "Now off you go! It's time for us both to get what we need and what we deserve."
Blaine hesitated with getting out of the car. "Where are you going now?"
"Now? I'm going to go separate Rachel from her boyfriend for the evening and force her to eat junk food and watch chick flicks with me. Then tomorrow I'm going to start figuring out what am I even doing with my life because I clearly have no idea!"
"You know I never wanted to hurt you with any of this, right?"
"I know. You're not. Trust me, this kind of pain is good. It's the kind that helps you grow. Besides if we did actually go through with the whole marriage thing… it wouldn't have ended well for either of us. We would've been miserable. At least this way, we stand a chance at being happy."
Blaine gave him a wider smile. "Yeah." He got out of the car but leaned through the open passenger window. "I adore you, Kurt Hummel."
"And I you, Blaine Warbler," Kurt laughed. "I'll see you later? I expect details!"
"Thursday at the Coffee Bean?"
"It's a date," Kurt paused. "Or not a date but…."
"I get it," Blaine assured him. "It's a date."
"Great. Good luck!"
Blaine gave him one last smile before stepping away from the car. He took a deep breath even as Kurt drove away. It was one thing talking about this in theory but it was another actually going through with it. For the first time in three years he and Sam were on the same page. They were in love with each other and unattached. It was perfect. And yet Blaine wanted nothing more than to call Kurt back and beg him to hide him for at least the night. He couldn't do this. What the hell was he thinking?!
"You going to stand here all night you coming inside?"
Blaine jumped at the sudden voice. He blinked up at Shannon who was giving him the same fondly amused look she used on Puck all the time. He smiled faintly in response. It was no secret that he didn't have the best relationship with his parents. So when Shannon all but adopted Puck, she took him at a buy one get three free price. She accepted Blaine, Sam and Jake as easily as she had accepted Puck. It was something he wasn't used to just yet but he would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate it.
"They're still out?"
"Yeah," Shannon replied, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and steering Blaine towards the house. "They said they were heading to Scandals."
"Oh, I know," he laughed bitterly, before launching into the story about the night's events up until this moment. In the end, they were sitting side by side on the porch steps. Shannon kept a steady arm around his shoulders and Blaine was grateful for the comforting weight there. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say."
"Say whatever comes to you. It's Sammy. You two have been attached at the hip since you were seniors. You're going to be fine." Blaine let out a shaky breath. Yeah, this was going to be fine. Shannon patted him on the back before rising to her feet. "Well, I have work in the morning so I'm going to lock up. You want to wait inside?"
"Nah, you gave Sam the key. I'll just wait out here. If I go inside I'm going to be tempted to hide. This way, I have no choice. Plus it'll give me a chance to figure out what to say."
"Just speak from the heart, Blaine. You two little dorks belong together. Everyone with a brain knows that." He smiled faintly. She walked to the door. "Last chance to come in. You know I sleep like the dead."
"Yeah, I know!" he ducked as she aimed a halfhearted swat to his head. "But yes, I'm sure. It's nice out. It'll be good to just think for a minute."
"Okay, goodnight, Blaine."
"Night, Shannon."
And for the second time that night, Blaine found himself alone with his thoughts. He pulled his knees up to his chest, thinking about the situation he was currently facing. On the one hand, he was going to finally confess his love to Sam with the knowledge that it was returned. He knew that he and Sam had the potential to be really good together. But, on the other hand, three years ago, he was certain that was the case for him and Kurt too. He thought Kurt was the one and he very clearly wasn't. But while their relationship was easily turned back into strictly friendship, Blaine didn't know if he and Sam could do that transition back to what they were. He didn't know if he could ever go back to just being Sam's friend if they crossed the invisible line between them and it didn't work. But he also knew he couldn't lose Sam. Not to mention what breaking up would do to Puck. They would have to split him like some kind of divorced kid. But this was Sam! That would never happen. But what if did?!
"I'm going crazy," he murmured to himself. "At least it can't get any worse than this."
He closed his eyes as he felt the first drop of rain hit him on his nose followed very closely by several more. Soon the previously cloudless skies were unleashing Mother Nature's wrath on them. He groaned. Because of course… of course! He curled up as best he could on the steps and sat in cold, shivering silence as he waited for the others to come home. He didn't have that much longer to wait. Twenty minutes after he first sat down to talk with Shannon, the rental SUV they picked up from the airport earlier that day pulled into the driveway. He cracked a small smile despite himself as the doors opened and Elliot, Santana and Sam launched themselves out into the rain.
He knew they didn't notice him at first as they were too busy darting around on the slippery grass enjoying the heavy rain. They were soaked the second they opened the doors. The thin white t-shirt Sam was wearing was plastered against his body and practically translucent. Blaine finally understood the appeal of wet t-shirt contests. Or maybe just the appeal of Sam in a wet t-shirt contest. Sam was beautiful and perfect and Blaine couldn't do this. Because he could not afford to let Sam go. Losing Sam would destroy Blaine. He knew that in that moment. He would rather live in horrible state of limbo than lose him by taking such a huge, stupid risk.
Blaine was prepared to sneak off the porch and call Puck to beg him to pick him up when Sam suddenly stopped short and met his gaze. Blaine sat up slightly straighter as Sam approached him hesitantly. Blaine shuddered and it had nothing to do with the chill that was setting in his body and everything to do with the man currently walking towards him.
"Blaine?" Sam asked, stepping closer to the porch almost against his will. Even with his hair practically glued to his head from the rain and the slight frown on his lips, Blaine couldn't help but think Sam was gorgeous. He couldn't lose this man. "Are you okay?"
Okay was such a subjective term. But Blaine knew exactly what Sam meant with that question just as he knew the answer. He ran a hand through his wet hair and shook his head. "No, Sam. I'm really not. We need to talk."
If there was one thing Rachel Berry knew to be true in this world, aside from the obvious fact that she was destined for stardom, it was Noah Puckerman. She knew the words that he didn't say. So despite the fact that he was all smiles and charm chatting with her fathers before they retired for the evening, Rachel knew something was off. Despite the obvious unpleasant ending to their evening, Rachel couldn't think of a reason why Puck was so tense. She chewed on her lip as she sat in the window seat of her bedroom while Puck got ready for bed. The rain was pouring outside now. She made a mental note to text Santana and make sure that they got home safely when a thought occurred to her.
"I am so sorry!" she blurted as Puck entered the room wearing a tank and shorts. He raised an eyebrow. "This is the first time you've been away from Sam since you got out of the hospital!"
He nodded, eyebrow still raised. "Yeah, but why are you sorry about that?"
"I just thought that maybe the reason why you seem off is because you miss Sam," Rachel replied, feeling a little silly when he continued to stare at her in disbelief. "But obviously that is not the case. So why don't you tell me why you're off."
"I'm not off," Puck scoffed, throwing his day clothes onto her desk chair and flopping down on the bed. Rachel didn't hesitate to join him. She crawled onto her bed, sitting so that she was resting by his hip. Her fingers traced the visibly still healing wound on his shoulder.
"Noah, aside from probably Santana and definitely Sam, there is no one on this earth that knows you better than I do. So please don't try to lie to me. I know something is off with you."
He rolled his eyes towards the ceiling for a few tense moments before sighing deeply. "It's just…. This whole Blaine and Sam thing. I went along with everything at first because it was fun. But it's not fun anymore. They're hurting. They're hurting each other and I don't know how to fix it. I don't think I can."
Rachel reached down towards his hand. She lifted it up to her lips and placed a gentle kiss there. "I wish I had an easy answer for this. I wish that Blaine could've taken the initiative and just broken up with Kurt while you were in the hospital. Maybe it would've been better that way."
"No," Puck shook his head. "It wouldn't. Sam thought the same thing but it wouldn't have been better. Because Sam would always think that the reason why he finally got what he wanted as because Kurt was a jerk and not because Blaine loved him more. I told him that he definitely doesn't want to go down that road."
Rachel nodded. That made sense. If Blaine and Sam had gotten together while Kurt was on the outs with the rest of the group, there would always be a lingering doubt about whether they were really together because they loved each other. If… when Blaine chose Sam over Kurt, there would be no doubt. That would be the ideal situation… if the idiots could ever get it together. She paused as she thought about the end of Puck's statement.
"You told him he didn't want to go down that road… but it sounds like you're speaking from experience."
Puck scoffed. "Do you and Sam share a brain or something?"
"No, just an incredible ability to see through your crap," she giggled as he grunted. She squeezed the hand she was still holding on to. "Talk to me, Noah. Why do you think that's the case for you? Does this have something to do with Quinn or…? Oh. It's us. You think that I'm only with you because Finn is gone."
Puck sat up so that he was facing her. He never let go of her hand. "Rach, I know that you love me. God knows that I love you too. And I don't want you to ever feel that I'm wondering about our relationship. I know where we stand. I know that you're with me and we're together forever, Rach, because you're my happy ending."
She smiled faintly. "Well as romantic as it is that you're quoting once Upon a Time to me, you're not entirely right here."
"What do you mean?"
She sighed. "I mean that… you don't have any reason to doubt whether it was you or Finn. Because it was you. It was always going to be you. I just… didn't get a chance to tell you that before everything went to hell."
He tilted his head to the side. "I don't understand."
"I'm sure you know all about everything that happened in New York two years ago," she said, rubbing circles his hand with the back of her thumb. He nodded, silently encouraging her to continue. She sighed. "I realized after everything with Brody and Finn that… I didn't want to be with either of them. Finn was never going to leave Lima, I knew that. Brody understandably wasn't the right one for me at all. Moreover, I just didn't want them. There was only one person that I knew would not just support me but also push me to grow and be better."
"Jesse?" Puck suggested with an embarrassed grin. She hit him on the shoulder. He smiled a little wider. "I know it's me. But if you knew this two years ago… why didn't you say anything to me?"
"Because you got back together with Quinn," she replied, quietly. "I was going to tell you when we came back to the school when the glee club was disbanded but I couldn't because you and Quinn and…. I never worried about losing Finn to Quinn. It was always you. I know how much history you have between you two. And I worried… still do… that one day Quinn was going to figure out how amazing you are and you'd be together forever."
Puck was silent for a few moments. She had no idea how she expected him to react but laughing was definitely not how she thought this was go. She started to pull her hand away from him when he used the grip to tug her into his arms. She settled into the familiar warmth of his embrace even though he provided a poor support given his almost hysterical laughter.
"You mind sharing the joke? Because I seem to be a bit out of the loop here."
"Babe, we're idiots!" he choked out. "All this time we've been letting Quinn and the ghost of Finn come between us. We're complete and total idiots. The only reason I got back together with Quinn was because I didn't think I had a chance in hell with you."
She bit her lip to repress the giggle that threatened to emerge. It was a futile effort. Soon they were both laughing holding on to each other, realizing for the first time that they weren't each other's second choice. They were number one and always had been. She didn't realize until he started talking how much she really did live in fear that Quinn would one day come between them. Now she knew. Now she really understood how much she meant to Noah Puckerman.
"We wasted so much time," she sighed against his cheek.
"Well, that's the joy of making mistakes and figuring them out while we're young," he pointed out. "We screwed up but now we have the rest of our lives to get it right. We won't make those same mistakes again."
"No, I suppose you're right," she smiled at him, leaning up for a kiss. "I still regret not having the courage… or the brains to just tell you how I felt sooner."
"Yeah, I mean think about it. We could've been married by now if you had."
"Married?" she squeaked, pulling away to look him in the eye.
"Rachel, I have been half in love with you since we were six years old. There isn't a part of me that doesn't want to marry you at some point in time. But I know how much your career means to you, so I'm willing to wait. Basically all you have to do is tell me when you're ready and I'm all yours, Rach. I have been since we were six and I will be until we're gone."
Rachel felt herself melt. This was what she wanted when she broke things off with Brody. She wanted someone who would think about her dreams and her goals and encourage her to pursue them. But she also wanted someone who wouldn't let her get lost in those dreams and forget the world around her. She leaned her head against his and smiled.
"Noah?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm ready." Now it was his turn to pull away. She could see the hope in his eyes mixed with slight tilt of his mouth. She closed the small space between them to press a kiss against those lips. She shifted slightly, not away but far enough for him to hear her. "Noah Puckerman, will you marry me?"
"Are you for real right now?"
"You can't say things like that and not expect a girl to swoon, Noah," she chided playfully. "I'm not saying we get married tomorrow but I kind of like the idea of introducing you to people at NYADA as my fiancé. So what do you say? You want to let me put a ring on it so those skanky dance bitches at school know you're mine?"
Puck laughed loudly and brightly. She grinned up at him, watching him with amused eyes. It's been so long since she's seen him this relaxed... this at ease. It felt good know she was the reason he felt that way. Finally, he sobered and chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "Well, when you put it that way…. Yes, Rachel Berry. I will let you put a ring on it so those skanky dance bitches at school know I'm yours. But all they really have to do is look at me. I've always been yours." He kissed her forehead. "Also you're not allowed to spend time with Santana anymore. It's clearly murdering your vocabulary."
Rachel giggled before pushing him down on the bed and straddling his waist. His arms moving up to hold her close. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. They sat in silence for a few moments before she felt him laughing again.
"What?" she asked, already amused.
"We seriously just got engaged," he answered with genuine awe in his voice. She sat up somewhat propping her chin on her hand so she could see him better. "Four months ago, I thought I was going to die. And now I'm engaged to the woman I've loved most of my life. I'm going to NYADA for music like I've always wanted. I'm living with the best friends I could've ever asked for. It just really different from where I was four months ago. It just caught up to me, that's all. Sorry."
"Do not apologize," she ordered sternly, brushing her hand against his cheek. "You're right. You're a long way from four months ago and we still have even longer to go. And I'll be right by your side the entire time."
"Oh, you will?"
"Yes, I will, Noah Puckerman. Is this okay with you?"
"Sounds great, Rachel Berry."
"I like Rachel Puckerman so much better," she grinned. He arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I think I like that too." She let her fingers dance across the sharp planes of his face. He was starting to gain back the weight he lost after everything but he was still a work in progress. He still had some ways to go. And she would be there every step of the way. "I'm always with you, Noah, because you're my happy ending."
He surged up meeting her with a kiss more passionate than the others they had shared through the last few months. They both agreed to take it slow and had held on to that. But right now, in the wake of realizing how much time they lost because they both failed at communication, slow was not on the agenda. They had the rest of their lives for slow. Tonight, she was going to be selfish and she was going to…. Answer the damn door.
"Are you kidding me?!" Puck shouted, flopping down on the bed. Rachel patted his chest in agreement before adjusting her clothes. She was halfway to the stairs when she realized that he was following her. At her questioning look, he shook his head. "It's almost two o'clock in the morning after Sam and Blaine just broke each other's hearts for the thousandth time. It's most likely one of them. I'm actually surprised that Sam let me go."
"I am too," Rachel snorted, making her way to the door. "He kept looking back at the house through the side mirror. It was sad yet kind of funny."
"You're twisted, babe. I love it."
Rachel was tempted to let whoever was still ringing the bell stand out there all night. But it was raining and probably chilly. And Puck was right. It was most likely either Blaine or Sam. It wouldn't be fair to either of them to keep them waiting. She opened the door and did a double take because that was neither Sam nor Blaine.
"Kurt?" Puck questioned, even as he pulled their friend into the house. "What the hell are you doing out in that storm?"
Kurt didn't answer. He merely shivered. His eyes were red but there was a visible weight lifted off of his shoulders. He sighed, raking a hand through his soaked hair. "I did it."
"What exactly did you do?"
"In the immortal words of Elsa, I let it go. In this case, it would be Blaine."
Rachel exchanged a confused look with Puck. "Huh?"
"You know the saying, 'if you love something, let it go'? Well I did that. I let Blaine go. But I swear if he tries to come back I cannot be held responsible for my actions."
Puck held up a hand as he tried to obviously piece together what Kurt was telling them. "You and Blaine broke up?" Kurt nodded. Puck's brow furrowed. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, surprisingly. I didn't think it would feel good to have it be over but it does. You were right, Puck. Blaine and I should've ended this a long time ago. But better late than never, right?"
"Yeah," Puck glanced down at his hands before letting out a deep breath. "Where's Blaine now?"
"Relax," Kurt grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "I left him at Coach Bieste's place. The others weren't back yet but I'm assuming they're there by now. With any luck, they'll be Facebook official before Jake wakes up in the morning."
Puck laughed, shaking his head. "Kurt, I know that this sucks… but you did the right thing. I'm proud of you."
"I'm proud of me too."
Rachel smiled at both of her boys. This was all she wanted out of life. To have the love she deserved and to have him get along with Kurt. Still there was a tradition that needed to be upheld. And even though she and Puck were in the middle of something themselves, she owed it to Kurt to be there for him. Thankfully, she had the best boy… fiancé in the world.
"I'm going to let you two do your thing. If you want me, I'll be crashing on the sofa," Puck grinned. "If I'm really lucky, I can con either Satan or Elliot into live texting their conversation."
"I'm pretty sure you won't have to con them," Kurt pointed out. Puck nodded before blowing Rachel a kiss and saying his goodnights. Rachel watched him go with a dreamy smile on her face. A smile she didn't catch until Kurt cleared his throat. She gave him a sheepish grin in response. He nodded. "That's what I was missing. It's been awhile since I looked at Blaine like that. It's been awhile since Blaine and I were anything like you and Puck. You got a good one, Rachel. Don't let him go."
She smiled softly to herself thinking about what they just talked about. No, she definitely wasn't letting Puck go anytime soon. She made a mental note to start shopping for rings in the morning. She meant it when she said she was ready to marry him. It was different than her engagement with Finn. Then, he was just trying to hold on to her. Puck just wanted the world to know that he loved her. He didn't want to hold her back or tie her down. He wanted to share his world with her. And that's all she wanted too. Definitely looking for rings in the morning. But for now….
"So you want The Notebook or Into the Woods?" she asked, looping an arm around his. Kurt hummed thoughtfully.
"You know, I'm actually in the mood for something funny. Let's watch Pitch Perfect."
"You know Noah is going to make his way down there at some point. He can't resist singing along."
Kurt grinned. "I know."
Rachel gave him a look before pressing a kiss against his cheek. "I'm proud of you too, Kurt. And thank you."
"Thanks for not giving up on me when I was acting like a jerk."
"I sent a girl to a crack house once. I literally have no room to judge anyone for having a long term selfish moment."
"Oh yeah," Kurt said, laughing. She nudged him on the shoulder and led him down the stairs to the theater room. Sure enough, not twenty minutes into the movie, Puck was hovering in the doorway, quietly singing along to the audition scene. He stood there until Kurt ordered him into the room (but not before retrieving three pints of ice cream from the freezer). By the time the riff-off happened, all three of them were singing along loudly and without care.
As much as it sucked that Kurt's engagement was over, Rachel couldn't help but be happy. Because this was the Kurt she missed while he was with Blaine. She missed her friend who didn't mind being silly or goofy and just wanted to hang out. For the first time since she heard the horrible news about the shooting at the base, Rachel felt like she could truly breathe. Because now they could be the way they were always meant to be. They could be the family they always claimed they were but were too caught up on their old petty bullshit to be much concerned about getting along. But now there was nothing between them. They were finally past all the drama. Rachel giggled as Kurt and Puck took turns pretending to be the Bellas and the Treblemakers. She really wondered if she be concerned that her boyfriend insisted on being a Barden Bella or not.
At any rate, things were looking up from here on out. Really, the only way this could go wrong would be if Blaine and Sam screwed it up and didn't get together after everything. But there was no way that was ever going to happen…. Right? She paused for a moment considering who she was actually thinking about.
"Oh god, they're going to screw this up so bad."
"No, Sam. I'm really not. We need to talk."
Sam bit his lip at those words. Blaine didn't look happy. Actually, he looked pretty damn miserable and Sam knew that it had little to do with the rain that was soaking him through. He felt his stomach twisting into knots. Everything in him wanted to walk straight past Blaine and into the house where it was warm, dry and safe from potentially world ending conversations. Instead, he let out a quiet sigh and sat down on the porch beside Blaine. Distantly, he heard Santana and Elliot announcing that they were going inside but Sam didn't respond. Instead he sat stiffly beside Blaine, terrified to say anything. He was scared to speak, to move… to do anything. He didn't know what Blaine was there to say.
And so they sat in tense silence. It was never tense between them… or rather it wasn't until this thing between them surfaced. Then it got tense and weird. He hated it. Everything would be perfect if he could just stop being in love with Blaine. If he could just see Blaine the same way he saw Puck. If they could just go back to the way they used to be in high school. Wait, no, Blaine was in love with him in high school and then Sam went through that whole thing with the nurse which was just a way of trying to avoid thinking about Blaine (it didn't work). He sighed. He really needed to just get over Blaine. Starting right now, he was going to get over this thing with Blaine Anderson.
"Kurt and I broke up."
Sam swallowed at the surge of hope and anxiety that flooded his system with those four little words. That was not the way to react when your best friend (love of your life) announced that he broke up with his fiancé (the competition). He should be supportive. He took a deep breath and moved his arm so that it was resting on Blaine's arm.
"Oh," he finally murmured. "Are you okay?"
Blaine snorted. "I thought we just established that I was not."
"Right," Sam rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "Did you… is this because of what happened at Scandals?"
He regretted the words the second they left his lips because why? Why the hell did he have to bring Scandals up at all? Because yeah, of course this had something to do with Scandals! He wasn't blind. He saw the look of hurt on Blaine's face when he was talking to that guy. And Kurt wasn't an idiot. He probably saw it too. Oh, god. What if Kurt finally had enough and dumped Blaine because he couldn't take this ambiguous thing between Blaine and Sam? What if Blaine hated him for being the reason why he was suddenly single?
"Did you hook up with that guy?" Blaine asked, cutting into his thoughts. Sam glanced at him out the corner of his eye. His best friend was absently picking at one of the store manufactured tears on the knee of his jeans.
"No."
"Did you want to?"
Sam contemplated how to answer that before deciding that honestly was just the best way to go from here. They were in some strange place but he had a feeling that whatever was happening between them was going to be resolved before the night was over… one way or another. He fought the shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.
"Yes and no," he answered at last. Blaine tilted his head towards Sam with a raised eyebrow. Sam smiled weakly. "Yes, because he was gorgeous and he really liked me and I kind of liked him too. But no because… because he… wasn't… because he wasn't you."
Blaine let out a wounded sound that had Sam reaching for him immediately but the shorter man reared back, creating a gap of space between them. Sam frowned.
"Blaine, you said you wanted to talk but this isn't talking."
"I'm scared," Blaine admitted.
"Of me?" Sam asked, heart dreading that answer. Blaine rolled his eyes.
"No, idiot. I'm scared of… this," Blaine retorted, motioning the space between them. "I'm afraid of this thing between us."
"Why? I mean why are you scared now? It's always been there. It's never bothered you before…. right?"
"Right. But it's just that… it's growing. It's changing. And it's starting to scare me. Because next to Puck, you're the most important person in my life. I'm not sure I want to risk losing you as my best friend just to see what we could be."
Sam bit his lip. He totally understood where Blaine was coming from. Blaine and Puck were the two most important people in his life. He knew it was different for Puck. Puck had them but he also had Santana and Rachel. Puck wasn't as dependent on them as they were with each other. But that was also because they had the thing… really had to just call it what it was. They had the whole in love with each other thing going on. Puck didn't have that with either of them. He loved them but he wasn't in love. Although….
"Puck and Santana."
"What?"
"Puck and Santana dated for almost a year in high school. They were best friends and they crossed the line."
"And it damn near destroyed their friendship," Blaine pointed out. Sam winced.
"Yeah, but it didn't kill it. If anything I think it made them stronger. Look at them now. Puck is with Rachel and he's happy. Santana is happy for him. And they still hang out and snuggle and it's not weird. They're stronger than they were before. They didn't fall apart because they broke up." He waited as Blaine processed that thought. He watched as his best friend's brown eyes flickered briefly towards that tear in his jeans before finally meeting Sam's gaze shakily. Sam hated the wariness he saw there but he knew this conversation needed to happen. Maybe they could find some sort of peace after this.
"You think that could happen with us?"
"Maybe," Sam shrugged. "But honestly, I'm kind of hoping that we don't break up." Blaine gave him a look though the full effect was ruined by the slight tilt of his lips. "Blaine, I can't promise that we will stay together forever. I know that I want that but I can't say that we will. But there is one thing that I absolutely can swear to you without any doubt in my mind."
"What's that?"
"That I'm always going to be with you," Sam said, knowing in his heart that it was true. He flashed him a smile. "I'm with you until the end of the line."
Blaine snickered, rolling his eyes. "So I'm the Bucky to your Captain America, huh?"
"Yeah, but let's not wait seventy years to be together, okay?" Blaine shifted somewhat closer but not close enough. Sam reached out to hold his hand. This time Blaine let him. Their hands fit together seamlessly, fingers tangled together like they belonged together. And they did. He knew they did. "Blaine, I promise you that if we cross this line and it doesn't work, we're going to be okay. But I'm pretty sure this is going to work because we're awesome together."
"You do have a point," Blaine mumbled, his eyes focused on their joined hands.
"Nothing has to change. We're still going to be us. We're going to hang out with Puck and watch comic book movies and Doctor Who and be nerdy together. We're still us. Just with kissing." Sam paused. "There will be kissing, right?"
Blaine arched an eyebrow again before finally giving Sam the smile he loved so much. Sam felt warmed just by looking at that smile. He squeezed Sam's hand, still smiling softly. "Yeah, I mean I hope there will be kissing."
"Awesome," Sam grinned. He knew that his smile was just a touch too wide and totally goofy but he couldn't help it… he didn't want to help it. He was just handed the thing he literally wanted the most out of life for the past three years. He was going to be goofy if he wanted.
"Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"That was your cue."
"My huh?" Sam muttered, feeling his brow furrow in the thought. Oh! His cue! He missed his chance to make his move. What the hell?! He wasn't this bad with any other relationship. But that was just it. This was Blaine. This was different than every relationship he's had in the past. Everything with them was natural and a little too effortless. Two minutes after they finally agreed that this thing could be an actual relationship and Sam was already messing it up. No wonder Blaine was hesitant to start something with him. He was shaken out of his thoughts at the sound of Blaine's amused laugh.
"You're an adorable idiot," Blaine mumbled, brushing his free hand against Sam's cold cheek. "And I'm glad you're mine now. I love you, Sam Evans."
Sam didn't have a chance to reply in kind as there were suddenly a pair of warm lips pressed against his. Neither of them moved. They sat and enjoyed the change in routine for the two of them. Sam had imagined kissing Blaine a thousand times during the years but none of them came even remotely close to this moment. None of them came close to this kiss. He shifted his hips closer to Blaine, lifting a hand to run his fingers through Blaine's still damp hair like he always wanted to do.
Blaine sighed against Sam's lips prompting the blonde to deepen the kiss. He tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth, content to explore everything that made Blaine who he was. He could taste the ridiculous fruity drinks he favored whenever they were drinking. Sam could even taste a hint of the mint gum Blaine was chewing before they showed up at Scandals. There was something else there. Something else that was all Blaine. And Sam wanted it all. And he knew that he could have it too. Just not right at this moment because breathing was becoming a problem. Stupid breathing. He pulled away, ignoring the breathy moan they both let out as they separated.
"Hi," Sam whispered, resting his forehead against Blaine's.
"Hey," Blaine laughed, pressing a soft kiss against Sam's cheek. "This is going to sound really stupid, just so freaking stupid, but can we take this slow? I mean I kind of did just get out of a five year relationship. So slow?"
"Yeah, of course," Sam shook his head. He didn't care what Blaine wanted from him. as long as it was clear that Blaine was with Sam and nothing short of a zombie apocalypse was going to separate them. And even in that case, they had a plan. "We can take this as slow as you want. Is kissing and cuddling too fast?"
"Nope," the smile Blaine flashed was almost blinding. "Sounds perfect to me."
"Awesome," Sam leaned in, meeting Blaine's eager lips for another kiss.
This one was definitely different from the slower, tentative kiss from before. This one was passion and about three years of frustration let loose. Sam admits that he may have lost track of time for a moment or two. That's the only excuse he had for why Blaine was suddenly straddling his legs while Sam's hands were tracing rather intimate patterns underneath Blaine's shirt.
"What happened to slow?" Sam asked, even as Blaine started to press a trail of kiss down his neck. He tilted his head to the side to give his best friend… boyfriend more room to work.
"Screw slow," Blaine murmured, leaning up to kiss him again.
"Works for me," Sam mumbled against his lips. Blaine shifted forward on his lap causing them both to groan. Yeah, slow was definitely not happening today. He felt Blaine's hands moving up his chest. His own hands were dipping into the waistband of Blaine's jeans. And then the porch lights came out.
Both Blaine and Sam yelped at the sudden flood of light pouring over them. Sam leaned his head back, not at all surprised to see Santana leaning against the front door with a smirk that the Cheshire cat would envy. He let out a small groan when he saw her newfound partner in torturing the hell of Sam standing beside with a similar expression.
"Blaine?"
"Yeah?" Blaine grumbled, his face buried on Sam's shoulder.
"Is it too late to give Elliot back to wherever we got him from?"
"Unfortunately yes," Blaine replied, sitting up and glaring at the pair still lingering in the doorway. "Santana really likes him. He's her new shiny toy. I think she would murder us in the face if we gave him away."
"Can we give Santana away?"
"No, Puck would pout and be really sad if we did. Trust me, I've thought about it."
They both ducked as what looked like Santana's shoe went flying past their heads. They turned in unison to face their pissed off friend. She arched an eyebrow before finally joining them on the porch steps. Elliot took a seat on the swing behind them.
"I'm really happy that you two pulled your heads out of your collective asses and are together," Santana started. "But just know that I will straight up murder you both if you ruin this. I love you both and I don't want you to hurt each other. Okay?"
"We won't," they promised in unison.
"Great. Now can you two please move the potential dry humping inside? As much as Shannon adores us, I don't think she's going to love knowing that you two were trying to make Blam babies on the stairs leading to her front door."
"Why do we like her again?" Blaine muttered.
"I'm wondering that myself," Sam retorted. Blaine shifted off his lap (damn cockblocking friends) and rose to his feet slowly. He held a hand out to Sam who took it gratefully and allowed his boyfriend (heehee) to help him up. Once he was standing, Sam used their still joined hands to tug Blaine into his arms. The shorter man went willingly.
"Ah, you two are just so cute. Like a human cavity," Elliot cooed sarcastically.
"Wow, not getting any makes you bitter," Sam laughed at the dark glare Elliot was throwing his way. Blaine snickered as well.
"Who was Elliot trying to get some from? You haven't even been in Lima for a whole day yet, you hussy!"
"He was trying for Sammy's reject," Santana answered, giggling slightly at Elliot's grumbling in the background. "Oh, it was for the best. That dude was clearly a Blaine clone. And it was going to be hella awkward waking up to that."
"I wouldn't know," Sam said pointedly.
"Oh, like you two are going to be all over each other the second we get back inside," Santana scoffed. She stood up, rubbing her hands on her jeans as she did so. "Well, I'm officially bored now. Trouty Mouth and Hogwarts are together at last. The midget and Puckerman are going strong. I'm officially out of things to do or care about while we're in Lima."
"You could always work on finding someone for Elliot," Blaine suggested with a completely fake innocent smile on his face. Elliot hissed in their direction even as Santana turned a thoughtful look his way.
"You might be on to something there," Santana nodded, still eyeing the increasingly more nervous Elliot. "Yes, it's official. You're my new project. Come on, Gilbert. We're going to get you a man!"
Santana marched up the stairs, pausing only to grab a protesting Elliot by his shirt. Sam stifled a laugh as he heard Elliot switch from rational counterarguments to straight up whining. He laughed before facing Blaine once again.
"Where were we again?" he asked with a small smile. Blaine pulled him into the house, locking the door behind them. Sam let Blaine lead him to the sofa where they fell together in a tangle of limbs that was a combination of endearing and really hot.
"I believe we were right here," Blaine whispered before kissing him again. Sam could live the rest of his life kissing this man every day and need nothing more (well, other than Puck's happiness but that went without saying).
It seemed that the minor interference from Santana and Elliot did nothing to tamper down on the heat between them. Just as Sam was contemplating whether Shannon would forgive them for at least moving to the sofa, he heard his phone ringing in his discarded shirt pocket. It was a very distinctive ring. It was the one assigned for Puck. Blaine pulled back immediately and without protest. He saw the concern building in his boyfriend's eyes as well.
"Puck? What's wrong?"
He heard Puck laugh and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding onto that moment. "Something needs to be wrong for me to call my best friends?"
"No, but I thought you were with Rachel. I didn't think you'd want to be bothered tonight," Sam shrugged. He settled back down on the sofa, still pleasantly tangled up in Blaine. "Why are you calling anyway?"
"I believe congratulations are in order. Along with a hefty dose of 'it's about damn time, losers. I'm going to assume Blaine is there. Hey, Blaine!"
Blaine laughed, pressing the speakerphone option on the phone. "Hey, Puck. Why are you calling and how soon can you go away?"
"Is that anyway to talk to your best friend? Besides, I'm doing you guys a favor and giving you a heads-up. Aren't you at least mildly curious as to how I know you finally got together?"
"I assumed you knew because Kurt was there."
"Wrong. Actually Rachel and I were pretty sure you two were going to screw this up. Kurt had faith in you two though. So there's that."
"Thanks, asshole," Sam groused. "So how'd you find out if it wasn't through Kurt?"
"Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Elliot," Puck replied, clearly fighting the urge to laugh. "Also I get that you guys are in the honeymoon phase and all but seriously? We all use those steps, bros. I don't want to have to spend the rest of my life wondering if that suspicious stain on the porch is white paint or…."
"Okay!" Sam cut him off, hating that he was blushing. Hating that Puck probably knew he was blushing. "Please tell me he didn't post a picture of us making out on Facebook."
"I could tell you that but I try not to lie these days. My karma is clearly jacked up enough without purposely going against it."
"So if you saw it then by now….."
"Oh, yeah," Puck laughed this time. Sam usually felt pretty good hearing his best friend laugh that freely. But right now he was annoyed. Because if Puck was looking at pictures of them making out on Facebook, then that meant so was his pain in the ass mini me. "Don't worry. I'll be back first thing in the morning to drag him off to school."
"You really think he's going to wait until morning?"
"I made it worth his while to wait until the morning," Puck said. "I gave him something a little bigger than you two finally getting together. But it wasn't that big. Can't hold him off indefinitely. So please make sure to give him breakfast."
"Yeah, yeah," Sam muttered. "You're an ass, I hope you know that."
"I do. And I love you both."
"Love you too, jerk," they muttered in unison before ending the call. Sam looked at the time. Morning was a lot closer than they thought. He let his head slump back against the pillows.
"I hate our friends," Blaine griped against his neck. Sam snorted.
"You mean our family. You hate our family."
"Uh huh," Blaine replied around a yawn. He shifted so that his head was tucked under Sam's chin. "I hate those jerks."
"Me too," Sam yawned as well. "But I love you, Blaine."
"Love you too, Sammy."
Sam heard a camera click somewhere in the background but he was far too warm and cozy to care. He had the man he loved snuggled against his chest. His best friend was well on his way to mentally recovering (and apparently had some news of his own to share). And for once all of his friends were on the same page. He could care less what Elliot and Santana were up to at the moment. Everything was awesome.
*They're together! Kurt is everyone's friend again! Puck and Rachel are somewhat engaged! Happiness all around. Like I said I said last chapter, we're nearing the end of this story. So expect for things to start getting tied up soon. Hope you liked this chapter as much as I loved writing it! Ciao for now.
