Chapter 25

"You know, people are usually sleepy and irritable at airports."

Blaine only smiled, bouncing on his heels with sparkling eyes. They were just checking in their bags, the line long and full of tired, quiet people. Sebastian knew if he was alone, he would probably be exactly the same – but Blaine's enthusiasm was contagious, his eyes shining and warming every time Sebastian turned to catch his gaze.

"Je suis excited," Blaine quipped, and Sebastian laughed, putting his hand around his hip and pulling him closer. Another good thing about tired queues was that no one had the energy to be homophobic.

After dropping their cases off and going through security, Sebastian and Blaine stopped for coffee, Blaine already asking a million questions about Sebastian's home before they'd even got there. He learnt that Valerie lived in a big house, but she shared it with a considerable amount of people, and Sebastian's room was used as a spare when the cramped space got too much for people, but otherwise it was untouched. Valerie was the only one who could talk English, though, which made Blaine slightly nervous – but Sebastian assured him that her house mates were understanding people, and would love Blaine despite having no idea what he was saying.

When the call for their flight came, they made their way casually to the gate, Blaine somehow seeming more excited than he had before. Sebastian was excited too, though it was nowhere near as obvious as Blaine – but the fact that they were really getting away from it all, and to Paris, the one place he'd really been able to call home, that was more than special for him.

However, despite coming so close, it appeared that not all of it wanted him to get away.

"Sebastian!" a male voice yelled, and Sebastian stilled, turning to look at Blaine as if the shorter boy had just revealed he was actually a woman. Blaine only looked back at him, confused. He wasn't sure if Sebastian was about to break out into a run or stay completely frozen.

"What is it?" Blaine asked, and Sebastian gulped, looking around before closing his eyes and drawing a deep breath. When he opened them, he turned to look straight into the face of his dad.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, reaching out for Blaine's hand and holding it possessively. His dad's cheeks were red, wheezing from whatever distance he'd ran and slightly hunched over as he caught his breath. He wasn't happy to see him, but Sebastian did notice he'd brushed up a little – the shirt and pants combination were both tailored to perfection, without any traces of alcohol stains or vomit like before. His dark hair actually looked like it had been washed, too – though it wasn't styled as immaculately as it had been before his great downfall.

"I heard you were moving back to Paris," he began, drawing himself up to full height and crossing his arms. "And I just… wanted you to know… that I don't want you to go."

Sebastian jutted his chin out, and Blaine squeezed his hand, not able to see anything else other than the darkest part of Sebastian's past when it came to his father. "You don't dictate my life. I'm going. You can't stop me."

"Sebastian, wait!" his dad implored, after his son had made to head back the way he was going.

"I have a plane to catch."

"I've… I'm going to those meetings, now."

The tension in Sebastian's face fell, his eyes widening in honest surprise. "You are?" he asked, his brain immediately trying to villianize the situation. It was all an act. His dad is just really clever. He sobered up just long enough to hook him back in…

"I can't give you what you want," his dad murmured guiltily. "We can't suddenly become this perfect little family. I don't even think I can be your dad anymore, but… I'm getting help with the drinking, and I'm seeing a counsellor, and… all I wanted to tell you is I'm proud of you."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, his mouth slightly agape in awe. It had been a long time since he'd heard his dad say anything remotely positive, and meant it. "I'm proud of you, too," he finally said. "If you really stick this through, then I'll be proud of you."

"You don't have to say that," his dad said, but Sebastian just shrugged, looking at the ground before checking the board, relieved that the gate wasn't on final call yet. "Is there any way I can convince you not to leave?"

"I'm not leaving for good, dad," Sebastian admitted. "But I do need to get away for a while. I'm coming back before school and then I'll be living in dorms, so I won't be in your way."

"Right," his dad nodded, trying to smile.

"But… if you keep this up, and it goes well... I'll be around for Thanksgiving. And Valerie will probably visit, too."

"Okay," his dad said, seeming almost eager. "Then I guess… I'll see you at Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, dad," Sebastian agreed, smiling slightly. "See you then."

His dad nodded again, looking at Blaine very briefly before smiling at Sebastian and leaving, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he walked. Sebastian turned to look at Blaine, sighing the rest of the tension out of his chest.

"That was honestly the last thing I expected him to find me for."

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked, a little shaken up himself now that he had a face to the story. Sebastian nodded, but there was no denying how thrown off he was.

"It's great to know he's really trying," he admitted. "But I don't think things will ever be… easy between us."

"That's understandable," Blaine said, squeezing his hand. Sebastian smiled thankfully, sighing once more and leading them back on their way to the gate. At least this would all be out of his mind, soon.

"Hey," Blaine murmured, standing a little closer with his electric eyes fixed on him. "Hey, Bastian. We're going to Paris!"

"You are too cute," Sebastian smiled, glad Blaine's optimism and eagerness couldn't be stilted. Blaine grinned wider, walking with a spring on his step.

"You give me good reason to be," he smiled, stretching up to press a quick kiss to Sebastian's cheek. Sebastian turned to look at him as if to say see? And Blaine just smirked, refusing to let Sebastian go.

It was silly, considering they'd known each other on a deep level for a considerable amount of time, now – but Blaine couldn't help feel like he was stepping into the start of something.

Blaine could barely speak.

They'd been in Paris for a total of 30 minutes, after getting their bags and grabbing a taxi from the airport. Sebastian was immediately thrown into French conversation with the driver, and Blaine found himself listening and watching helplessly, but that didn't stop him being absolutely swept up in the wonder. His eyes were fixed on what was out the window, trying to read signs and smiling at how ridiculously romantic everything seemed to him thanks to the media's endorsement on the city. It definitely had that charm, though, and Blaine was so glad it was really there, and that he was in it. He marvelled at the wide paths filled with bikes and people journeying adjacent to the River Seine, and restlessly searched for any part of the Eifel Tower, not able to catch it as easy as he thought he would. Sebastian seemed to know exactly the best point to see it, though, resting a hand on Blaine's shoulder and waiting before they passed another opening, and he pointed out just as the landmark came into view. Blaine gasped happily, and Sebastian laughed, saying something in a fond tone to the taxi driver that the man only seemed to agree with from what Blaine could judge. He turned to catch Sebastian's eye, blushing at his own behaviour – but Sebastian just leaned over and squeezed his knee, promising Blaine he was doing nothing more than making him fall in love with the city all over again. Blaine felt much better.

After driving a little further out, so Blaine was starting to see more houses than shops, the driver pulled up outside an old, red brick building. They were stairs leading up to the front door, and a poster for something stuck to one of the windows, but Blaine had no chance of working out what it was for. Sebastian rang the doorbell, and immediately there was shouting coming from inside, Blaine just looking baffled while Sebastian was laughing at whatever they were saying, smiling at Blaine and holding his hand.

"She's trying to fight the others off from answering the door," he told him quietly, looking at the door in anticipation. "Usually, they yell at each other for someone else to get the door, but I guess they're-"

"Sebastian!" a female voice cried, and Blaine looked up just in time to see a woman with short, auburn hair fly out of the house and throw her arms around Sebastian.

"Valerie," Sebastian laughed, hugging her back before pulling away, taking Blaine's hand again. "This is Blaine," he smiled, and Valerie's familiar blue eyes raked down Blaine like a fashion magazine editor recruiting a model.

"Il est belle, Sebastian!" Valerie said, her tone very approving and her smile almost worrying for Blaine. He only smiled back, wondering if she was ever going to stop looking at him like he was a giant cupcake in front of the most starved person alive.

"I tell him all the time," Sebastian smiled, nudging Blaine.

"Tell me what?" Blaine asked, looking from Valerie to Sebastian. Sebastian's smile widened.

"That you're beautiful," he told him. Blaine raised his eyebrows.

"Actually, if I remember rightly, beautiful isn't in your vocabulary."

"Well, it seems I have found my exception."

"I cannot believe what I'm hearing!" Valerie cried, stepping closer to Sebastian and cupping his face in her hands. "My baby! He's saying things like beautiful! This is not the Sebastian I know."

Before either of them could respond, Blaine suddenly found himself surrounded by 3 other people – 2 men, one woman – and couldn't help but wonder if he'd walked into an episode of Friends or something. What really struck him was how youngthey all seemed; Valerie couldn't have been anything older than 30, if that, but he knew it wasn't something he could ask within the first few minutes of meeting her.

After greeting them himself, Sebastian introduced Valerie's housemates to him – Marcus, Erin and Alex, who in turn greeted him with big smiles and kisses to the cheek. Blaine could just about muster a coy 'merci' before blushing and staying quiet, desperately trying to key in on things Sebastian was saying and calling him out the second he heard himself referred to as petit copain. He was no pro at French, but it was almost common knowledge that 'petit' meant small – however, as soon as he made a point of it, Sebastian laughed, quickly informing him the phrase meant 'boyfriend', and not that he was small. Blaine blanched, only made worse when everyone laughed and cooed at him, but Sebastian soon cupped his cheek and kissed him and made Blaine forget he'd heard anything.

"First kiss in Paris," Sebastian murmured, a private smile on his lips as he stayed with his forehead pressed again Blaine's, the others already back inside the house.

"Wasn't as French as it could've been, though," Blaine teased, looking down at Sebastian's lips. "You definitely missed an opportunity there, Smythe."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows, tilting his head so his lips brushed against Blaine's, the breath on his lips causing shivers down Blaine's spine.

"I was saving that part for later," he whispered, pressing a tiny kiss against Blaine's lips before pulling away. Blaine pouted, and Sebastian laughed, taking his hand again before Valerie could come back outside and question what was taking him so long.

The inside of the house was much more spacious than Blaine had imagined. The floors were dark wood, and the sofas were big and leather and spaced around a large, plush rug in front of the TV. After meeting the people living there, Blaine had expected quite a messy household, but everything seemed immaculately presented as though it was dressed for a show room. He wondered if they tried hard to keep it that way, or if it was just in their personal habits to keep things tidy.

After quickly showing him around the downstairs, Sebastian lead Blaine up the loud, wooden staircase, taking him to the one room Blaine really cared to see. It was the furthest one away, and Sebastian confessed to not knowing what kind of state he'd left it in – but Blaine wasn't disappointed.

The first thing he noticed was the double bed, taking up most of the space in the room. Underneath it, Blaine could just about see various stacks of magazines, not needed to get a closer look to know what kind of magazines they were but he smiled at just how Sebastian it was. He had a lot of books, a mixture of French and English, but what surprised Blaine the most was the paper birds tied from a thread and hung from the ceiling above his bed. He looked at Sebastian, but Sebastian was looking at the birds, too, smiling softly in memory of something.

"They were a hobby," he explained. "Mainly when I first got here, when I didn't have many friends. I got into the habit of making them every time I felt… panicky. They reminded me I wasn't there, anymore."

Blaine smiled, leaning more into Sebastian. "They're beautiful," he said, and Blaine knew Sebastian's little laugh was because he felt embarrassed.

"They've got nothing on you, though," Sebastian told him, smiling cheekily. Blaine smirked, winding both arms around Sebastian and pulling him closer, not letting him escape this time.

"I just noticed something else," Blaine murmured, and Sebastian couldn't look away from the almost dangerous glint in his eyes. "You have a lock on your door."

Sebastian chuckled. "We'd better make good use of it, then," he grinned, catching Blaine's lips in a kiss and kicking the door closed with his foot. There were definitely more than a few advantages to being over 4000 miles away from Ohio.

Blaine had been in Paris for exactly 24 hours when his phone rang. He was puzzled to hear it ring; he'd already called his parents, and the noise just didn't seem to fit in this place that was so far from everything else he knew. Hearing it was like seeing a palm tree in the middle of the Artic.

However, it all seemed to make sense when the caller I.D showed up with Kurt's name. He smirked, clearing his throat and pressing the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Blaine, hey," Kurt said. He sounded confused, and Blaine was sure it was probably something to do with the different ring that would indicate he wasn't in the same country. "I was just calling to check up on you."

"Check up on me?" Blaine asked, his voice quizzical but his expression amused. "Why?"

"Did you hear about Sebastian?"

"Hear what about Sebastian?" Blaine asked, just as the boy in question entered the room with a confused frown on his face, and a towel wrapped round his middle, having just come out the shower. Blaine quickly pulled the phone away and mouthed 'Kurt', and Sebastian was soon grinning with him, walking over to him and wrapping his arms around his middle.

"I don't really know how to tell you this," Kurt started, just as Sebastian began pressing kisses against Blaine's neck. "But Sebastian's gone, Blaine."

"Gone?" Blaine repeated, his hand resting on the back of Sebastian's bare shoulder. "Gone where?"

"Back to Paris," Kurt explained, sounding deeply sympathetic.

"Oh, that!" Blaine mused. "Yeah, I heard about that."

"…What?"

"He brought me with him! Isn't that amazing? I've always wanted to go to Paris! And now, Sebastian and I are here together! Thanks to you," he smiled. Sebastian smirked, kissing his shoulder.

"Hey, Kurt!" he quipped, and the line immediately went dead. Blaine replaced the phone back in his pocket, looking up at Sebastian and sighing thoughtfully.

"That was my ex," he said, rolling his eyes. Sebastian chuckled.

"He seems delightful," he teased. "I couldn't imagine why you'd ever break up."

"Well, there was this guy…"

Sebastian grinned, cutting him off with a long kiss that had Blaine wondering how he still had two feet on the floor.

"Hmm," Blaine moaned softly, running his hands up Sebastian's chest. "Are you sure we have to go out tonight?"

"Yes," Sebastian laughed. "You'll love it, Killer. I promise."

"Okay," Blaine sighed.

"Shower's free," Sebastian smiled, leaning down to kiss Blaine quickly once more before the other boy caved, watched by Sebastian as he left to shower. A long exhale escaped him as soon as Blaine was gone, looking at himself in the mirror and doing what he could to hold his head high against his worried thoughts.

"I'm gonna tell him," he said, almost as though he was trying to warn his reflection off trying to stop him. "I'm gonna tell him," he smiled, blushing and shaking his head as he turned away from the mirror.

He knew, if he went through with this, that this evening could officially draw the line to set him apart from the person he used to be. And no matter how Blaine reacted when he told him, that one part was solid.

Sebastian's palms were sweaty. Blaine was pressed against his side, his arm wound round his waist as they walked slowly outside the fence of a park Sebastian desperately wanted to get into. The rest of the night had gone exactly to plan: he took Blaine to a French restaurant, watching him fondly as he did his best to decode the foreign menu without help for a good five minutes, squinting harder and harder at the writing before sighing and turning to meet Sebastian's amused eyes, asking for help as though he was ashamed. They tried a variety of things, but if he took anything out of that part of their evening it would be the memory of Blaine biting into something, immediately disliking it and asking, "Is this a snail?"

Once they finished, they took a walk by The Seine, Sebastian speaking fondly of the park they were heading to and how he used to hang out there with his small group of Parisian friends all the time, and occasionally with Valerie, too. Blaine asked about his old friends, learning that he had his first cigarette with them and that one of those girls had a large crush on Sebastian. They rarely stayed in touch, though, sending each other the occasional message now and then but it didn't really bother Sebastian too much. He'd had his time with them – but it was a touch and go friendship.

"Are we almost there?" Blaine asked, looking into the park that was still blocked off to them by black iron bars. "Will it even be open at this time?"

"I thought it would be," Sebastian said, feeling his heart sinking. He'd really wanted to make this perfect. "I'm sure there's another entrance. It won't be too much further."

"Okay," Blaine smiled, leaning his head on Sebastian's shoulder as they walked. "It's so charming here," he mumbled, looking around at the surrounding trees that lined that path in a straight line. "It's almost like I'm in Paris."

"Tu es en Paris, mon amour," Sebastian smiled, tearing his eyes off the railings for a moment to look at Blaine. "Tu es avec moi."

"I don't know what you said, but it sounded beautiful," Blaine said softly, looking down at Sebastian's lips. "I think one of my favourite parts of being here is getting to hear you speak like that more."

"Hmm, but you don't know what I'm saying," Sebastian pointed out. "I could be saying terrible things about you. Absolutely unspeakable. Unless in French."

"That may be, but if there's one thing I can translate, it's your expression," Blaine grinned. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"You got me there, Anderson."

"Isn't that always the way?" Blaine teased. Sebastian shook his head, smiling and ducking his head to catch Blaine's lips in a kiss, feeling him smile against his mouth. When he pulled away, though, he looked up to see the other gate was blocked off, too, guarded by a tall man that Sebastian had no chance of sweet talking his way around. He sighed, coming to a stop and looking at Blaine with obvious disappointment on his face.

"What is it?" Blaine asked, reaching out to squeeze his hand. Sebastian tried to smile, but his eyebrows were drawn together and his gaze was drawn to the ground.

"We can't get in," Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I wanted this to be perfect."

"What are you talking about? This is perfect, Bastian!" Blaine said, laughing a little. Sebastian wasn't swayed, though, looking at the guard as though he could make him disappear.

"No, it's… Blaine," he stuttered, consoled by the way the honey coloured eyes washed over him with great understanding. "I wanted to make this night perfect, because I… I wanted to tell you that…" his heart beat faster, wiping his free palm against his jeans. "I love you."

Blaine beamed, pulling Sebastian towards him and kissing him hard on the mouth, winding his arms around him when Sebastian caved in to him and dragging it out until eventually, his breath was too short, pulling away and still smiling. Sebastian was breathless, looking at him in a way that was begging for him to say something.

"I love you, too," he told him. "And I love that you wanted to tell me in this perfect, storybook way, but you don't have to. What you just did was more than perfect, Bas," he smiled. "It was real."

Sebastian finally smiled, too, breathing the tension out of his chest before pulling Blaine closer against him, winding his arms around his torso. "So this is what we'll remember," he mused. "The first time we said we love each other, we were standing on a street corner in Paris."

"It's a nice street corner," Blaine sufficed, before suddenly, a whistle and pop distracted him, looking up at the sky and watching as it suddenly began to fill with fireworks. He looked back at Sebastian, silently wondering if this was his doing, but Sebastian laughed and shook his head.

"But this is why I wanted to bring you here," he confessed. "They have a little festival thing. It's not that great, but it's romantic. I guess they've made it more of a private thing since I was here before."

"I think this is better," Blaine grinned. "I've only been in Paris one day and this is already the best thing that's ever happened."

"I'm so glad we came," Sebastian smiled, fiddling with Blaine's collar. "And we still have so much more to do."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed quietly, and Sebastian's heart skipped a beat. "We do." He knew he didn't just mean in Paris.

They had the rest of the world, and all the time in it. And, as they kissed again under the thunderous, firework-filled sky, Sebastian's heart was glowing with joy. Because he was in love, and the boy he was in love with loved him back. It was the simplest thing.

But it was what he'd needed all along.