As always,
THEMoDePo: Hehehe, no, Ryder wasn't caught (yet) ;) And yes, I know I said this was going to be a dramatic fic and everything but... I needed some silly fluffy scene like the one with the vodka. Oh, don't worry, Sam will remember... but what will he think? ;) Thank you so much!
Gleeville: I must confess I've used the "precious burden" more than once along my fics, because it sounds so sweet! Wow, I'm so flattered this is one of your favorite fics! Thank you so much!
Darrinia: Yes, no danger... for the moment, you said it very well ;) Is Sam really in love with Blaine? Or better, is Sam really ready to accept he is in love with Blaine? We'll see! :) Thank you so much, preciosa!
Angellovercriss: hehehe, I'm so glad it gave you the feels! Don't get too excited too soon, though... Just saying... I think I'm about to disappoint you, but I will fix it, I promise :) Thank you so much!
Midlifecrissis: Please, don't worry about not reviewing a chapter, it's not an obligation! :) Yes, I'm afraid the alcohol had something to do with Sam's kiss but well... we'll see! Yes, fortunately Puck or Mike are also contributing a lot in the group so not all responsability falls on Blaine and Sam, they could use a break! You're right, let's see how safe they really are, Thank you so much, sweetie!
Me-me157: Hehehe, yeah, I promised I wouldn't kill Blam and everything, but who knows? I might be a filthy liar! ;) Not for now, though, fortunately Sam made it into the bus safely. Don't worry, they won't forget about what happened... About freaking out... well, you'll need to read it to know ;) Thank you so much, dear!
Raiderva: It's going to be long... I never know exactly how much, because sometimes the story gets its own life and chapters that hadn't been planned suddenly appear, but I don't think we're even half way yet... I don't think blam are as oblivious as they seem, they just don't know how to deal with it yet. But yeah, the others totally know and I love it! Hehehe, poor Tina, why did you want her out? And don't worry, Cooper will appear and will be a major character, it's just that it's very difficult to bring him in those circumstances! Though you're right, I miss him so much! Hahaha, you're so right about the machete and the pocket... Assume it was the waistband of his pants, ok? ;) Thank you so much!
CHAPTER 11
Sam woke up with a groan at the huge headache he was sporting. It took him a whole minute to connect with reality and be aware of his surroundings, something that usually happened when… yeah, that's right, he had a hangover. Damned vodka, he remembered. And then everything else came to him in a rush. Something not that surprising, considering that he was still spooning Blaine, in the extremely narrow bunk bed they had shared all night, clinging to him as if there was no tomorrow.
Blushing noticeably about the liberties the alcohol had made him take with his friend, he carefully let go of the smaller boy and separated himself from him as much as the lack of space would let him –which was not more than a couple of inches–, trying to give himself some space to think. He contemplated leaving Blaine's bed altogether and climbing onto his own, but that would made it look like as if he had done something wrong he needed to be ashamed of, and that wasn't the case. Or was it?
He had drunk, a lot, yes. Enough to make him do things he would have never gather the courage to do. But not enough to forget about them. He clearly remembered everything he had told Blaine. Had he really said he was pretty? Well, he was, he had always thought that about his petite friend. But telling him was so out of place!
And kissing him? What the hell had gotten into Sam to do something like that? And yeah, okay, it had not been much more than a touch of lips, but what if Blaine hadn't stopped him? How far away would they have gone? He felt so confused he almost felt like screaming at the top of his lungs. Yes, he always got overly affectionate when drunk. But that usually meant hugs, caresses, even playful kisses on the cheek. But real kisses?
He was not going to pretend he had never thought about kissing Blaine's lips before. Ever since he had guessed about Blaine's crush on him, he had wondered more than once what it would be like to take his friendship with Blaine one step further and turn it into something else. But that had always been hypothetical, right? It didn't mean he wanted for it to happen, just that he was curious about how it would be.
But lately… ever since all the hell broke loose and he discovered that Blaine had remained by his side… He couldn't deny that this new Blaine, this action hero he had quickly become, this superman who always had the answers for everything and who would take care of everyone as if it was his duty, was making Sam see him in a different light. Blaine had meant the world to him even before, so would it be so crazy to think he might be developing feelings for him? Different feelings that the ones he had always had for that wonderful human being? He had even felt his insides churn with jealousy when he had thought Blaine was still thinking about Kurt, for God's sake!
Blaine, in his sleep, chose that moment to turn around, and Sam's heart doubled its pace when he rolled completely over and ended up facing Sam, so close but not touching, just as they had done when they were talking the night before. He looked so peaceful and relaxed, everything he had not been since it all started. And Sam felt a sudden rush of protection towards the other boy, a need to have him calm and content like that every day. And before he knew what he was doing, his knuckles were gently brushing the skin of his cheek.
But no, Sam stopped himself, removing his hand from Blaine's face before the latter would wake up. No, it couldn't be. He was just confused: the situation they were living in was very complicated and every little thing got magnified to the point of making people think and feel things they wouldn't in their normal world. He was probably just grateful for everything Blaine had done for him, and the admiration and devotion he felt for the other boy were being clearly misunderstood. They were closer than ever, yeah, more than he would have ever thought it was possible to feel with a friend, but that was all it was: a friendship. A very meaningful and deep and special friendship; but a friendship nonetheless.
Besides, why did he have to assume Blaine had feelings for him? Yeah, he knew he had confessed to have a crush on him during the guilty pleasures week –had it only been a few weeks ago?–, but for all he knew that could be merely some physical attraction. He had stopped him last night when Sam had tried to deepen the kiss after all, right? Although the way that he looked at him sometimes, how he blushed whenever Sam was extra affectionate with him, and how he needed to make sure Sam was alright every second of the day… And the fact he had been alone and risked his own life for two entire weeks just to keep Sam alive, even if he didn't know if he was ever going to wake up…
But that wasn't even the point. On the contrary, if Blaine was having more than friendly feelings towards him all the more reason not to take advantage of them when he wasn't even sure of how he was feeling. The last thing he wanted was to hurt him, and he owed him to protect him, even from him, after everything Blaine had done for him.
But above all, if something was stopping Sam from giving it a try, that was the moment they were living. It was absolutely the worst of times to be thinking about romance, to look for more complications and more reasons for them to worry. And… if he opened his heart for Blaine and then something happened to him… he didn't even want to think about it. Because he knew he wouldn't survive.
Sam watched his best friend sleep for a few minutes, his face almost touching Sam's shoulder, and he couldn't help noticing how beautiful he was. None of the things he had said just a few hours ago were lies: he loved Blaine's gorgeous eyes, and his incredible smile could really light up a whole room, especially when he ended up laughing wholeheartedly and he scrunched his nose in such an adorable way. And those lips… what he would give to kiss them again…
But he was not going to. He had to be sensible in this and do what was best for both of them. Maybe he could even pretend he didn't remember about their kiss and Blaine wouldn't try to talk about it. Maybe he would be able to repress his feelings, whatever they were, and things could stay as they were. Yeah, he could do that. In a couple of days they wouldn't even remember about that.
"Are you watching me sleep?" Blaine's suddenly whispered, so softly that Sam wondered for a second if he had just imagined it, given how Blaine's eyes were still closed.
"Yeah, you wish" Sam answered, in the most playful tone he could muster, given the turmoil of emotions swirling in his head at the moment.
"Aaaargh" Blaine groaned, as he turned on his back and used his hand to shield his eyes. "My head is going to explode"
"I know the feeling, buddy" Sam answered with a chuckle.
"Getting drunk was like the worst idea you've ever had" Blaine reproached him, but one look at the smile that was breaking into his lips told Sam he was only joking.
"You didn't think that last night" Sam answered, gathering all his strength just to be able to sit up.
"Yeah, well, I'm a bit slow sometimes" Blaine answered, furiously rubbing his eyes as if he was trying to get the sleep off them.
"Stop that or you'll get your eyes off their sockets" Sam warned him, gently grabbing one of his wrists to stop him. "And get your pants off"
"What?" Blaine practically yelled, and he jumped from his lying position with such impulse that he hit the top bed with his head. "Ouch, shit!"
"Be careful" Sam said, comfortingly rubbing the top of Blaine's head as he tried hard not to laugh. He marveled how just one minute with Blaine was enough to put his mind and feelings at rest and he could feel at ease again. It would be so easy to fall in love with him in other circumstances… "What I meant is that I need to see how your leg is doing and change your bandage again, and your pants are so skinny that is too difficult to lift them"
"Well, it will have to do" Blaine answered with an implicit duh in his voice as his cheeks turned into a deep shade of red that only made him more adorable to Sam's eyes.
But no, Sam, stop that trail of thought, he reprimanded himself internally. He is only your friend and he is going to remain that way.
"Really, Blaine?" Sam asked, amused at Blaine's sudden modesty. He probably remembered perfectly about the kiss after all… but Sam just wanted to help, and they had changed in front of the other a thousand times before, right? "At this stage of the game?"
"Alright" Blaine relented with a sigh, knowing it was ridiculous to suddenly feel embarrassed when Sam obviously just wanted to take care of him.
Sam took pity on him and left the bed while Blaine got off his pants to give him some privacy while he rummaged through the bag he had left the night before on the top bed, looking for the bandages and the alcohol he had packed. Once he had them and he crouched again to sit on the bottom bed, he refrained himself from making any comment when he realized Blaine had obeyed, but was awkwardly covering himself with his pillow while trying to act casual about it. Sometimes he was so adorable it was almost painful, Sam thought as he carefully picked Blaine's leg and brought it to his lap so he could take the bandage off and have a good look at it.
"This is going to sting a little" Sam warned him as he soaked some gauze with the alcohol and very carefully cleaned the wound with it once he had uncovered it.
"It's okay" Blaine immediately reassured him, even if he was not able to stop a wince of pain every now and then, as his wound was still quite tender.
"This is an interesting color your leg is turning into" Sam joked, inwardly wincing himself at the massive bruising at Blaine's leg, wishing, not for the first time, that he could trade places with him and being the one with such an injury just so he could spare the other boy.
Silence fell upon them as Sam worked on the wound, overly aware of the tension present between them. Sam's faith that they could just ignore what had happened was vanishing by the minute, and he unconsciously wished Blaine would bring it up, just so they could put it behind them. Fortunately, his wishes were about to come true.
"Listen… about last night…" Blaine shyly started, taking advantage that Sam couldn't look at him because he was busy, but he stopped himself, apparently not being able to find the correct words.
"Yes, I was meaning to talk to you about that too" Sam tried to help him, even if it was with a lie. "Please, never let me drink so much again, I was so over the line"
"No, it's…" Blaine tried to say, but now that Sam had started talking, it seemed like he couldn't bring himself to stop.
"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. Did I make you feel uncomfortable?" he said in a rush, not being able to decide who was feeling more uncomfortable at the moment.
"Em… no" Blaine immediately denied, too overwhelmed with Sam's momentum to say anything else.
"No? Ok, great. Phew, I was worried that was going to come between us" Sam said with an awkward smile as he raised his gaze for a second and tried to decipher the sentiment behind Blaine's blank expression. "Then let's just forget about it, okay? 'Cause… you know, something like that would be like the worst idea ever in a time like this, right?"
"Right" Blaine agreed without much enthusiasm, and if he didn't know any better, Sam would have thought he seemed terribly disappointed. But he ignored it. He was doing that for the sake of both of them, after all. "Of course"
"No hard feelings?" Sam asked, as the last thing he wanted was to hurt Blaine in any way or to damage their precious friendship.
"No, of course not" Blaine answered, even managing to smile a little, though it clearly didn't reach his eyes.
"You're the sweetest thing" Sam answered with a relieved smile and then, before he was able to stop himself, he kissed Blaine's cheek. Great, Sam, he mentally admonished himself, perfect way to show him you don't want things to change.
Now he being the one to blush –even though Blaine hadn't said anything, probably because he was too shocked for words– Sam quickly stood up and packed everything up on his backpack again, more like to have something to do than anything else and to give Blaine time to get dressed again. He hated to think there could be any kind of awkwardness between them, and he decided to do an extra effort to act normal until they forgot about what had happened.
"Gosh, I'm starving!" he exclaimed casually. "Well, not really, but I guess we should have something to eat, right? I bet someone is already up and getting some breakfast ready. Care to investigate with me?"
"Sure" Blaine answered, and he sounded so deflated that Sam's heart broke at the more than probable fact he had been the one causing that.
"You okay?" Sam honestly asked, kneeling in front of his friend to look at him, as he hadn't moved from his position yet and he was very much hidden under the top bed.
"Yeah, I'm just hungover" Blaine immediately reassured him with a little smile that didn't convince Sam in the least, though he decided to let it go.
"Right, of course" Sam answered with a forced chuckle as he stood up and offered his hand to his friend to help him stand. "Ready for a piggyback ride downstairs?"
"No, you don't have…" Blaine tried to dismiss him, but Sam was feeling guilty enough to pass on the chance of doing something for him, as insignificant as it was.
"As a thank you for always being such a wonderful and understanding friend" he insisted, his heart fluttering with happiness when he was finally able to elicit an honest smile from his friend this time, as small as it may be.
"Alright" Blaine relented with a playful roll of his eyes, jumping on Sam's back so he could use him as transportation.
As effortlessly as the day before, Sam carried Blaine all the way downstairs in absolute silence. Whether it was because of the headache they both had or because of the awkward tension between them, they weren't sure. But whatever it was, it didn't show up on their faces, as not one of the people gathered in the dining room seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary when they arrived.
"Well, look who's up" Kitty exclaimed as she watched Sam carefully lowering Blaine to the floor and helping him on the nearest chair, between Sebastian and himself.
"About time!" Tina added, looking amusedly at the two youths who were looking at the food in front of him as if they were trying to decide what would sit better on their upset stomachs.
"Do you have to speak so loudly?" Sam asked before he could stop himself, and Blaine discreetly nudged him –no one was supposed to know they had vodka and they hadn't share it with the rest, right?
"Why do you look as if you have a hangover?" Puck asked, looking quizzically at the pair.
"It's just your imagination. How the hell were we supposed to get drunk?" Sam answered, and Blaine chocked on his coffee at how nonchalant Sam sounded even if he was lying.
"You okay, Blaine?" Puck asked with an amused expression as Sam slapped Blaine's back as the latter coughed.
"Yeah, the coffee just went on the wrong pipe" Blaine tried to justify himself, but he wasn't as good as Sam in finding excuses and he was very aware of how tense and nervous he sounded.
"Something happened last night and we want to know exactly what" Puck insisted with a devilish grin as he looked at both boys, and by the different expressions on their faces it was very obvious it would be much more efficient to attack on the shorter one. "Is that a hickey on your neck, Blaine?"
"What?" both Sam and Blaine exclaimed as they jumped –Sam looking desperately for something at Blaine's neck as the latter tried to cover it–, before realizing, too late, that it was impossible for Blaine to have any love marks just with the chaste kiss they had shared and that they had fallen right into Puck's trap.
"Oh my God, I was just kidding, but your faces spoke volumes about…" Puck started while trying hard not to laugh, but Blaine interrupted him while willing his cheeks to stop blushing.
"Puck, please, it's very early and we just woke up, so if you could please…"
"Shut the fuck up?" Sam intervened, not so kindly.
"Oh, they even finish each other's lines!" Puck exclaimed with a chuckle, though one look at Sam's angry face told him the blond had had enough of that. "Ok, ok, I'll be shutting up now"
"You better" Sam warned him as he grabbed a piece of toast and tried to eat it without showing how much he didn't feel like eating.
Slowly conversation started again, as everybody could easily see neither Blaine nor Sam were in the mood for joking and speculation about their relationship. Sebastian, though, was still looking for answers and he waited until no one was paying them any attention to lean onto Blaine and whisper in his ear.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Sebastian asked with a wink.
"Yes, I did" Blaine answered with a confused expression, not understanding where that question was coming from –as he was completely unaware Sebastian had seen them in a pretty revealing position as they slept the night before.
"I bet you were so comfy and warm" Sebastian continued even when the confusion on Blaine's face kept increasing.
"Umm… yeah?"
"Don't you have anything you'd like to share with me? With your pal?"
"Not really"
"Come on, we're friends here!" Sebastian said, grabbing on Blaine's arm to shake him imploringly. "You know you can tell me anything!"
"Mmm… ok, thanks, I'll keep that in mind" Blaine answered with an awkward smile as he, like Sam, tried to eat something even if it was the last thing he felt like doing.
"Well, we were going to investigate the other blocks" Mike explained. "You have breakfast and we will talk later"
"Oh, I was wondering…" Blaine started in his usual impeccable manners. "If we could organize something like… a training camp"
"What's that?" Mike asked, more than a little curious.
"Well, I know some of us don't really know how to fight those walkers" Blaine added, talking about us because he didn't want to make anyone feel like he was judging them. "I thought maybe we can practice how to do it, share our different experiences, so when the time comes we'll all be ready to fight"
"I think it's an excellent idea" Mike answered because, even if he wasn't one of the ones who needed more help, he wanted everyone to be able to defend themselves. "Let's all meet in the playground in a while, after we've investigated those other blocks. Coming, Puck?"
"Yes, yes, I'm coming" Puck answered as he and some others stood up to follow Mike, but before he went, he bended over to whisper something in Sam's ear. "Don't you think you got me, Evans, I know you got plastered somehow last night and I'm not even going to ask what happened after that"
"Good" Sam answered in a cocky tone, keeping a straight face even if he was aware of how Puck had guessed practically everything that had happened last night.
"Though the fact you two felt the need to find a room on a different floor than everyone else speaks for itself, you know" Puck joked as he started to walk away, convinced he had won until something hard hit him in the head and he turned around to discover Sam had thrown an apple at him. "Ouch!"
"Sorry" Sam faked-apologized as Sebastian and Trent openly laughed and followed him.
That left Blaine and Sam alone at the table –there were other people in the room, but far away and distracted enough so they were out of earshot– as they continued pretending to be hungry, even if there wasn't any need anymore. Sam noticed Blaine's silence, which could be easily justified by the more than probable headache he was sporting, but there was something in his eyes that told Sam there was more to it.
"You're very quiet" Sam tentatively commented.
"Am I?" Blaine answered, kind of distractedly.
"Yeah. Are you sure you're alright?"
Was he alright?, Blaine asked himself. Of course he wasn't. His head hurt, his leg hurt and now also his heart hurt. But it was not like he was telling Sam that, right? Not when he had made it perfectly clear that there was and there would be nothing between them. Not when that kiss had meant nothing to him.
"Yes, I'm alright" Blaine simply answered, not even raising his gaze from his plate because he didn't want Sam to read his eyes, as he usually did.
"I know they were being a bit of a nuisance, but…" Sam tried to apologize in behalf of his friends, thinking it was maybe that what had gotten Blaine so pensive.
"It's alright. They're just kidding, anyway. No matter what they think, we know nothing happened, right?" Blaine asked, sounding a bit more sarcastic than he had intended. After all, he didn't want to be angry at Sam: it was not his fault if he didn't reciprocate Blaine's feelings.
"That's right" Sam answered with a smile, apparently oblivious to Blaine's tone.
Sam tried to entice his friend in some small conversation as they finished their breakfast and, after a good while trying, Blaine started opening more to him and even managed to smile whenever Sam joked. Maybe not everything was lost, after all.
When all the others came back from the other blocks, they recruited everyone and went out to the playground, taking advantage it was a sunny day, in spite of the cold. Sam carried Blaine outside on his back in that way that was becoming second nature to them, and Blaine was surprised when he saw Tina following them while carrying a chair –which undoubtedly Sam had asked for her to bring.
"What's this?" Blaine asked when Sam lowered him to the floor and made him sit on the chair Tina had just left there.
"A chair" Sam petulantly answered as he put a hand on Blaine's shoulder and pushed him down when the latter tried to stand up.
"I meant what is it doing here?"
"Well, you can be here during the training, you can even be in charge of it if you want to, but you're doing that from your chair"
"No, Sam, I…" Blaine tried to protest, but once again Sam firmly kept him from standing up through the grip on his shoulder.
"It's not open for debate" Sam concluded, as he tried not to chuckle at Blaine's indignant expression.
"Oh, just like that?" Blaine protested, suddenly very aware of how everyone was looking and smirking at them.
"Exactly like that" Sam agreed as he patted Blaine's shoulder. "Since you can't take care of yourself I'm going to do it for you. I can't trust you, just like you didn't trust me yesterday"
"And I'm sorry, I've told you a thousand times already" Blaine apologized, obviously still feeling guilty about how hurt Sam had been that he hadn't been honest with him about how painful his injury really was the day before.
"And I've forgiven you. But that doesn't mean I can't take a little revenge, right? From now on I'm change of your body" Sam said, not really aware of how inappropriate his choice of words had been.
"Oh, Evans, I didn't know you liked to play it so rough" Puck intervened, eliciting a few laughs around him.
"Shut up, Puckerman" Sam protested before turning to his best friend again. "You know what I meant"
"I know what you meant" Blaine reassured him, though the slight tint of red in his cheeks revealed what he had thought about Sam's words too. "And you're in luck today, I'm even going to obey you. You know, as a payment for lying to you"
"You promise?"
"Cross my heart"
"Did you cross your fingers?"
"I didn't"
"Good" Sam answered as he smiled proudly and got lost in Blaine's now warmer eyes for a second.
"Well, if you two lovebirds are done, we should get started" Puck intervened, making the other two remember there were more people in the world aside of them.
"Ok, so does everybody have a weapon with them?" Blaine asked, trying to ignore how hard he was blushing, as everybody got their guns or knives on their hands. "Great. You always have to keep them with you, always, at all times"
"You never know when you might need them, even if you think you're totally safe" Sam added, remembering how he had been surprised by walkers more than once when he thought there was no danger.
"The more important thing you have to remember is that you can't hesitate. Ever. If you do that, and you're alone, you're dead" Blaine explained implacably.
A collective gasp went amongst the less experienced of the bunch at Blaine's harsh words.
"Well, you don't need to put it like that" Artie said with a nervous chuckle, as he was not used to Blaine being so blunt and it had really disconcerted him.
"Yes, I do, Artie, because I need you all to understand that" Blaine tried to defend himself. He didn't want to scare anybody, but it was important for them to understand how serious the situation was.
"Listen to him, Artie, he knows what he's talking about" Sam immediately defended him, having seen Blaine in action too many times, which elicited a small smile from the curly-haired guy.
"We know you do" Mike added. "We've seen what you can do and what you know about how to confront them. And that's what we need to learn and hope you can teach us"
"Well, Sam, Sebastian and Trent have also been out there" Blaine reminded them, as he was absolutely not the only one who knew how to defend himself. "I'm sure we can all show you a few things you need to learn so we can all be as safe as possible"
"We'd love to" Sebastian immediately agreed, sending a grateful smile towards Blaine for his trust in him.
"The most important thing you have to remember is this: you need to forget they were people once" Blaine seriously reminded them, as he clearly remembered how much it had affected him when he killed his first walker, or when he had to finish Bree off. "They're not anymore, and pitying them is only going to bring you trouble"
"That's the hardest part" Marley lamented, and Blaine nodded understandingly at her.
"I know, but it can save your life or the life of someone you love" Blaine commented as his glance turned unconsciously towards Sam before he could stop himself, though he immediately recovered and kept talking to his peers. "Anyway, let's get some practice done"
They spent the whole morning receiving wise advices from Blaine as well as Sam, Sebastian and Trent, as they had been the ones who had been forced to fight the most before making it to the prison, and even Mike, Kitty or Puck, who seemed to be very skilled too, listened avidly and tried to learn from the others as much as they could. They all practiced with their knives on some basketballs they found –to which Puck actively protested until he convinced the others to leave at least one of them in a good state to play– and learnt how to use the guns. When he was sure it was safe to try, Blaine repeated the procedure he had used with Sam and opened the fence for a couple of walkers that had been wandering around to enter, so they could practice with them. And he was glad to see the results were more than satisfactory.
It wasn't until they moved to the dining room for lunch again when Mike and Puck decided to share with the rest what they had found in their prior investigation around the prison.
"We found the infirmary and there are a lot of bandages and alcohol and things like that, but there weren't many medicines" Mike explained with a frustrated sigh, as he had been hoping to find some of those.
"The armory was more than interesting, though" Puck added with a mischievous grin. "Free guns for everyone and lots of ammunition. We won't have to worry about that anymore!"
"And did you find any food?" Brittany asked.
"Not really" Mike lamented. "We only found rotten meat and vegetables that we won't be able to use. There was hardly any canned food"
"That means we will have to get out and bring some, right?" Sebastian suggested.
"Definitely" Mike agreed. "And as soon as possible. There's hardly anything left from what we brought with us"
"Maybe we should go out today" Sam suggested. "There's no reason to wait, right?"
"I don't think there is any rush" Blaine contradicted him casually –though the real reason for delaying it was that he knew they would never let him go with them with his injured leg.
"We're really short of supplies" Unique added. "I say the sooner the better"
"Ok, then it's decided" Mike agreed. "We'll leave as soon as we finish eating. We don't need for all of us to go, but everybody who wants to come is welcome"
Everybody agreed that it was the most sensible plan –except for Blaine. Blaine sighed as his heart broke at the idea of letting Sam go outside without him to protect him. For the first time.
Sam was at his cell/room, getting his backpack empty to fill it with whatever food they might find, and getting his gun and his machete ready, when Blaine limped his way to the bars door and sighed at the sight of Sam getting ready to leave.
"You shouldn't be walking on that leg" Sam immediately admonished him, knowing it was him without even looking up, though he did it in a warm tone because he could feel the worried mood his friend was in. "Especially up the stairs"
"I want to go with you" Blaine said, his voice breaking at the answer he knew he was going to get.
"You can't come with us, you can hardly walk" Sam reminded him with a sympathetic glance as he turned to look at him.
"I can walk" Blaine assured him, as he made his way into the cell to show Sam, although he ended up failing miserably when he couldn't stop a notorious limp.
"I'm not risking you getting injured even further, now that your leg is just starting to heal"
"Sam…"
"I'm going to be alright, okay?" Sam said as he rested a comforting hand on Blaine's shoulder, immediately guessing Blaine's biggest fear. "You don't have to look after me all the time"
"If something happened to you…" Blaine tried to explain, but his voice faltered before he could even begin.
"Nothing is going to happen" Sam tried to reassure him, cupping one side of his neck and jaw so he would look at him. "You trained me, remember? I learnt from the best"
"I wish I could go with you" Blaine answered, and he seemed so close to tears that Sam couldn't stand it any longer and carefully wrapped him in his arms.
"I wish you could come with me too" he whispered in his ear as he squeezed him as strongly as he dared to his chest. "But hey, it's time for you to get some rest and let the others do something for a change! You've earned it"
"Be sure to come back" Blaine begged, his voice shaking with emotion.
"Of course" Sam promised, breaking the embrace to look at him but keeping his hands on Blaine's shoulders to keep the contact for a while longer. "Where else would I get one of those million-dollar-smiles of yours?" he asked as he tenderly pinched Blaine's cheek until he finally elicited a small smile on the smaller boy. "That's better"
Blaine didn't answer, and this time it was him who took Sam into his arms for an embrace that lingered, as neither one of them seemed ready to separate. It was the first time they were going to separate for more than a minute since everything started and, on top of that, Sam was going to be in danger. It was almost more than Blaine could manage at the moment, he thought as he buried his face in the crook of Sam's neck.
"By the way, your eyes are really pretty" Sam said, trying to find a way to lighten the mood a bit for Blaine's sake, and he had to smile as Blaine predictably let go of him in surprise so he could look at his face.
"What?" he asked, looking at him with the most confused expression.
"You asked me to tell you that when I wasn't drunk, right? So there you go, you have gorgeous eyes" Sam answered with a shy shrug of shoulders.
"Emmm… thank you" Blaine answered, blushing furiously as Sam chuckled at him.
"I'll see you later" Sam promised –as he refused to say goodbye– before planting a sweet comforting kiss on Blaine's cheek and leaving the room without looking at him again, afraid to lose it if he had to look at the pain in his eyes for one more second.
Blaine waited until Sam was long gone before he let a tear fall, and then he let himself fall on his bed, his heart aching with the possibility that something could go wrong. He wasn't sure if he was just worrying excessively, as he usually did when it came to Sam, or it was a real bad feeling in his gut what was keeping him from breathing normally.
A group formed by Sam, Mike, Puck, Kitty, Santana, Brittany, Trent and Ryder carefully made their way outside –as Sebastian closed the fence door behind them– and took the bus that had been left there the day before. That way they could go further, to the biggest supermarket they could think of, and could load it with as many things as they found.
As Santana drove towards their destiny, the biggest supermarket in town, Sam could feel a curious vibe amongst the youngsters: they were obviously experimenting fear and anxiety about what they would find, but Sam could tell they were also kind of excited. He guessed that, now that they felt they knew how to act, they were kind of hoping to show everyone else and themselves that they could do it, that they could be trusted and that they were an important part of the group. And, even if Sam couldn't blame them, he wished some of them had more experience on what fighting walkers really was and were a bit more afraid. As Blaine told him when he woke up, fear and prudency were almost the same thing. And they would surely need to be prudent.
Santana carefully parked the bus just at the entrance on the place, so it would be easier for them to carry everything they found inside. There seemed to be no walkers around, though all of them make sure to have their guns in their hands unless they were needed.
Sam opened the door to the place as Puck covered him, but again they found no resistance. They all entered after Sam and couldn't stop some cheers and laughs at everything they could see: tones of food, drinks, tools and even medical supplies –although, of course, no medicines again–. There was a bit of a weird smell, no doubt from all the perishable products that had gone bad, but even then it seemed too good to be true, and they knew they wouldn't even be able to take everything there was.
Without hesitation, they started taking everything they needed to the bus, carefully planning what would be more urgent and necessary for their everyday life –they could always come back in a few weeks if it was necessary–. Brittany even had the idea to pick up some seeds, as maybe they could plant them on the playground and get something out of them.
Ryder took a look at the customer's service booth –as you never know what you might find in there– and was rewarded with a set of keys that probably would open the warehouse. He knew the bus was practically full with everything they had already carried there, but maybe there was something in there they hadn't been able to find yet.
"Hey, guys!" he happily called them as he walked to the door he imagined was the warehouse. "Anyone want to see what else we can find in there?"
Everyone was too busy still carrying things outside to acknowledge him, and Ryder just shrugged as he decided to investigate himself. He decidedly walked to the door, with a false feeling of security the lack of walkers until then had given him, and didn't even think as he got the key into the lock and turned it.
Sam was just coming from outside as he saw Ryder about to open a door, without thinking about if there could be something behind it and without his gun that he had probably left somewhere to carry the food outside. But Sam was not that careless, and he felt his heart beginning to race with trepidation as he ran towards his friend.
"Ryder, no!" he screamed, hoping Ryder would realize about his mistake and lock the door again.
But it was too late: as soon as Ryder opened the door, dozens of walkers that were just waiting against it to be released came out as in a stampede before the boy could even understand what was happening.
A/N: Oops! Sorry!