5YL the Adventure Begins

Part 25

Considering people had spotted them heading to the venue, Blaine was pleased that they were able to get out of the house with no one recognizing them. When they reached the others, they were impressed that they'd managed to stake out such a large area for all of them. After Blaine sat down on one of the blankets, he looked around and noticed Thad was nowhere to be seen. "Will someone please tell me where Thad is?" Blaine asked as Sebastian tossed his shirt down beside him.

"He's about twenty yards to your left." Hunter told him. "He's on the phone with Quinn." That response instantly grabbed Blaine's attention. "Relax Blaine; she was put on the phone by Rachel who was preparing to head on stage. Rachel felt it was best for Quinn to tell him something directly rather than her translating it." Blaine nodded before leaning back on his elbows and looking at Sebastian who was talking with Jeff and Beat.

While he wanted nothing more than to get some sun, he was all of a sudden leery of doing so. With all the times he'd been around the guys, he couldn't remember a time where he'd had his shirt off besides in the locker room. And given he was hesitant about Sebastian seeing some of his scars, allowing the guys and strangers to see them scared him. With everyone enjoying themselves, Blaine didn't realize others were noticing his hesitation to join them. It wasn't till a shadow fell across his legs did Blaine look to the side as he'd been focusing on Sebastian. When he did, he saw Wes crouched down beside him. "Something I can do for you?"

"I believe I should be asking you that question." Wes said to him. "Most everyone was going to get in the water, yet you're sitting here with your shirt still on. Everything alright?"

"I'll be fine, go ahead without me." Blaine said quickly, though he should've known that sort of response wouldn't deter Wes of all people. "Wes." Blaine then reached for his book.

"Blaine, while everyone is enjoying their time together; they came to spend time with you." Wes told him. "So, care to tell me what's really going on as it's not like you to not join in on the shenanigans?" Blaine glanced down before adjusting his sunglasses and meeting Wes's look as his sunglasses were perched on top of his head. "And before you worry about someone overhearing what you say, I'm certain Sebastian's glare is enough to keep people away." Those words caused a soft laugh to escape from Blaine.

"You remember everything I told you about what happened to me before I arrived at Dalton, correct?" Wes nodded as that was something he would never forget. "Well, I have scars on my chest and back that I'm not really comfortable with others seeing." Once he spoke, Wes ran his hand through his hair. "I should probably go back to the house."

"Blaine, no one here would say anything if they saw them." Wes replied. "Also, how big are they?"

"Big enough."

"Blaine, I need you to be straight with me as I have a feeling your more worried about others seeing you, than the guys." Blaine nodded slightly. "So?"

"Big enough that they bother me." Blaine sighed as he noticed his friends busying themselves nearby.

"If I asked Sebastian about them, what would he say, and be honest with me?"

"He'd probably say they aren't noticeable, but…"

"Blaine, I'm assuming he knows your concerns about them." Blaine nodded again at Wes's words. "Since that's the case, do you really think he'd get you out on a public beach and make you uncomfortable if he thought others could see them?"

"No."

"There you go. Plus knowing him, they'd have to get awfully close to you and I don't see that happening. Scott and Marcus will be having to make sure he doesn't scare people away." Blaine laughed again as he knew Wes was right as Sebastian's possessive looks could scare most people. "If you get uncomfortable later on, head back. But give it a chance first." Blaine smiled before slowly getting to his feet and removing his shirt. After he did, Wes stood as well and could only faintly see the scars Blaine was worried about. Considering he was less than two feet from him, he didn't think Blaine had much to worry about. "Ready to go as I think Sebastian is anxious to get in the water."

"Alright." Blaine said to him before looking over to Scott prior to heading towards Sebastian. "Have you been in the water yet?"

"I have, and it feels…" The rest of Wes's words fell upon no one as Sebastian had scooped Blaine up and threw him over his shoulder before he ran into the water with him. From the instant Blaine called out Bas, their group of friends began to laugh as they followed them into the water. For those that weren't around them often, seeing Sebastian so playful was something they were clearly not used to.

"Are they always like this?" Trent asked as he looked towards Wes who was holding Chloe in front of him.

"Your best bet, would be asking Jeff, Thad, or Hunter as they're around them the most. Though, when I've been around them, this is pretty darn close." Wes told him. "And given how effortlessly Sebastian picked him up, I'd have to guess he'd done this a few times." When Trent looked at him, Wes laughed. "I'm not talking about this exact act, but picking Blaine up since he's a bit smaller."

"While he's smaller than Sebastian, he's not that much smaller." Trent stated. "Sebastian is way stronger than I ever imagined him being."

With Sebastian being taller, he took Blaine out deep enough that he'd have to hold onto him or else go under. "I hate you." Blaine told him as they held one another tight.

"So much so that you have your legs wrapped around my waist." Sebastian replied before leaning down to kiss him. Blaine looked down for a moment before meeting Sebastian's eyes. "Thought this was the best way to protect you."

"Excuse me?"

"I saw you and Wes talking B, I know what it was about."

"Do you now?" Blaine said to him and soon felt Sebastian's fingers tracing against some of the marks on his back. "Bas."

"You're perfectly imperfect." Sebastian then looked around and saw their friends were on either side of them and Scott was close as was Marcus.

"You must think I'm crazy for letting them bother me."

"No, as you have every right for feeling the way you do. They're a reminder of what happened. I choose to see them as a reminder of what you've overcome." Blaine tightened his arms around Sebastian's neck before pulling himself up to kiss him. After they split, Sebastian moved his hands down Blaine's back and adjusted where he was resting slightly. "You know Killer, anyone could see us?"

"Don't care, as I'm not going to stop myself from kissing you or being kissed by you." Blaine then tightened his legs enough to cause a soft groan to escape Sebastian. "You should probably take us a bit shallower or else I'd be tempted to take care of that. And that's not something I want to get caught doing." Sebastian smiled before beginning to walk them in and as he did Blaine loosened his legs so he knew when he could safely stand. Once he was, their friends came a bit closer and began to tell him how great his performance had been. In true Blaine fashion he began to blush which was something none of them even commented on anymore as it was part of who he was.

"By chance are you all staying at the house tonight or are you heading out to see some of the performances?" Sebastian asked as they all began walking back in to sit out for a while.

"I think we're staying in, right?" Beat said in response after they all exchanged looks. "Why?"

"I was curious." Blaine told them. "If you were, something might happen."

"Like what?" Trent asked, clearly intrigued by whatever it may be.

"You'll have to wait and see." Blaine replied before nudging Sebastian in the side and smiling up at him.

While they were all out enjoying the beach, Rachel and Quinn were sitting in Thad's apartment listening to music as they continued their talk. Needless to say, Quinn was shocked when she was informed of what had happened not even a week prior. To find out Derek was her Dad, shook Rachel in a way that most wouldn't expect. For so many years, Rachel believed that her birth father had no interest in her yet found out he didn't even know she existed. Plus that the relationship with him, was nothing as Shelby had described.

Easily as Quinn could've been as livid with Shelby as Santana was, she understood why she did what she did. "You know that easily could've been my situation as I feared Puck's reaction." Quinn had told her. "You saw all too well how he reacted upon finding out I took the decision out of his hands."

"But that was Puck."

"Rachel, you don't know who Derek was back then. If Shelby left the way she did, she clearly believed he had no interest in having kids. And while she wasn't ready either, she wasn't going to…rid herself…of the situation." Rachel sighed softly as Thad had mentioned that to her as well. As easy as it would've been for Shelby to abort her, she chose not to which proved she cared, but wasn't ready for a child herself. And when poised the question, Rachel admitted she couldn't have asked for better parents as there was no doubt that her Dads wanted her.

"She should've told me Quinn."

"I know she should've." Quinn told her. "But you need to also see this from her perspective, not that I'm taking responsibility from her. With what she'd told you, having Derek enter your life had to scare her to death. For all she believed the two of you would never meet, yet he's directing your show. Not only did she have to tell him after all these years, she had to tell you. Given how you reacted, I'd say she had every reason to be scared."

"She lied to me!"

"I know." Quinn said softly while getting Rachel to relax. "I just said I could understand. Rachel, getting pregnant with a child you're not ready for is scary enough. But believing you're going to have to go through it alone, is even worse." Rachel then lowered her head as she remembered all the awful things that had been said to Quinn when she was pregnant. "You've got to know, how hard it was for Shelby to give you up."

"I…I do as she told me as much. She also said it's one of the reasons why she had no issue with your or Puck wanting to be a part of Beth's life even if you weren't raising her."

"Being able to have contact with my little girl, is more than I ever could ask for Rachel even if I know she's not really mine anymore. Have you decided what you're going to do about Derek?"

"I have. Last night after the show, I told him that I'd like to get to know him better."

"That must've made him happy." Quinn told her as she reached for Rachel's hand.

"It did, as he said he can't wait to get to know me either. I mean, we really only know one another as actress and director."

"And Shelby?"

"I…I don't know. She's become such a huge part of my life Quinn, yet I feel so betrayed."

"You have all right to feel that way. I just hope that once you've got a better grasp of things, you'll sit down and talk to her, hear her side."

"Thad said things are never as black and white as they might seem, as did Blaine and Santana."

"They're right. Without talking to Shelby, you won't know the whole story." Rachel then squeezed Quinn's hand. "I'm not pleading her case Rachel, I'm just able to see both sides of things. And while it's early, your best bet of coming to terms with this, is finding out all sides of the situation."

"So I've been told."

"Rachel, those tell you that are saying it because we love you and want to help. Yet we all know, the final decision is up to you. We can only give your advice." Rachel nodded. "Have you told your Dads yet?"

"No. Much as it was for Derek, I want to have a better grasp on things before I tell them because I know they're going to freak-out."

"The fact that Derek respects the fact that you have two Dads that love you, will make it a bit easier. It's not as though he's trying to take you away from them." Quinn said. "You know, a lot of people would love to have two sets of parents in their lives that love them. I mean, it's not as though you're not wanted." When Rachel cocked her head, Quinn smiled. "Sorry."

"It's alright. Each day, I'm less upset with Shelby." Rachel told her. "While at first I was furious, now I'm just angry…and upset."

"Since I've seen her, I can tell you, this is hard on her as well." Rachel looked at her again. "Don't look at me like that, I stopped by to get my tickets for Beth's performance on Saturday afternoon. It was obvious something was bothering her, but she didn't tell me what it was."

"Jesse told me it's hard for her as well, but she knows to stay away from me."

"Sounds to me, that Shelby knows she no longer has control and everything is now in your hands." Quinn said to her. "All the more reason for you to not make any decisions until you have all the facts."

"I promise you Quinn as I have everyone else, I won't make any decisions in regards to my relationship with her till I have all the facts." Rachel said in response. "Just remember, it happens on my terms."

"That's fine as you should take all the time you need." Quinn then adjusted herself on the couch. "Now in happier news, how is Thad?"

"You talked with him, he's good. " While she spoke, her phone happened to go off so Rachel picked it up to see a text from Thad. "I approve." When a not so innocent smile crept to her face, Quinn reached over for the phone. "Would you agree?"

"I do. Why do I have a feeling he didn't send you this?"

"Because I don't believe he did either. My guess is Blaine or Sebastian sent me a picture of Thad in his bathing suit."

"Guess they knew you might need a pick me up."

"Uh huh." Rachel said with a smile. "He's amazing Quinn, truly. I never thought I'd be involved with someone like him."

"How so?"

"Quinn, look at my dating record…Thad's nothing like any of them."

"That's probably a good thing as I can't recall ever seeing you this happy with someone."

"I know, and that scares me considering I almost married Finn." Rachel said to her.

"He'd be happy for you Rachel, even if it wasn't with him. He only ever wanted you to follow your dreams."

"You mean the same dreams I almost sabotaged."

"Those very ones." Quinn said to her. "By the way, have you spoken to Kurt recently?"

"I honestly can't remember the last time I spoke to him. He came over to the loft after Blaine's single came out, but I wasn't there, I was with Thad."

"I'm sure Santana was ever so pleasant."

"She took great joy in revealing in his dismay of Blaine's success." The two laughed after she spoke. "He really can't believe Blaine the success Blaine is becoming."

"After hearing the first two singles, it shouldn't be that hard anymore. I'm quite eager to hear the whole album."

"Me too, as according to Sebastian, it'll blow our minds as it truly shows what Blaine is capable of."

"Only a matter of days till we find out for ourselves, and while some might call him bias, he's always been spot-on when it comes to Blaine's music."

"Music we wouldn't be hearing if Sebastian didn't get him to believe in himself once they became a part of each other's lives again."

Since Quinn wasn't going to be meeting Stephen till later, she was going to head with Rachel to the theater so the two could continue to catch up on what had been going on. While they were on their way to the theater, Blaine and the others were making their way back to the house as they were getting hungry. Considering where they'd been everyone took a shower upon coming back to wash off the sand and sun-screen they'd been wearing. With their room having its own bathroom, Blaine and Sebastian were done quicker than most anyone else and made themselves comfortable out on their deck. "Have you heard back from Vincent?" Sebastian asked as he ran his fingers through Blaine's damp curls as he was settled in the nook of Sebastian's arm.

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be much longer." Blaine replied as he closed his eyes as he loved the way it felt when Sebastian played with his hair. "I really hope he lets me do this Bas."

"Call it a hunch B, but I think he's going to as he knows how much the guys mean to you. And what it would mean to you to be able to share it with them." Sebastian said in response. "You really couldn't have asked for a better manager."

"I feel the same way, I really lucked out with him." While the two of them relaxed, waiting for the call, Blaine could've easily dozed off with as comfortable as he felt. There was something about being with Sebastian that allowed him to push away all other thoughts out of his mind. When his phone did go off, Blaine jumped slightly as he'd adjusted to the sounds around them. After taking the call, all Sebastian needed to see was Blaine's smile to know that things went the way he wanted. Once he ended the call, Blaine rolled over slightly and slipped a hand beneath Sebastian's t-shirt, feeling the warm skin beneath it.

"When would you like it to happen?" Sebastian's words caused a gasp from someone that wasn't either of them bringing their attention to the door. There stood Jeff, Morgan, Nick, and Thad looking at them both. The looks on their faces caused the two to laugh as they had no doubt where all of their minds went. "You should've announced yourselves if you didn't want to hear our conversation." Sebastian told him while moving his hand that was around Blaine into his shirt.

"Well, the next round of your love fest is going to have to wait." Thad told them rather directly. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Excuse me?" Blaine asked as he sat up causing Sebastian's hand to move further up.

"The others started dinner." Nick told them. "Hunter asked us to come up to see if you two were ready since you hadn't appeared. We half expected to see the door closed."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Blaine then playfully hit Sebastian's arm after his response. "Hey."

"Bas." He said as he looked back over his shoulder. "We'll be right down." He then scooted towards the edge of the chair much to Sebastian's dismay. "Speaking of Hunter, is Kimberly still here or did she have to leave?"

"She was told she could stay tonight, but needs to head back in the morning." Morgan replied. "Then after the game tomorrow, it's up to her if she wants to come back and watch the fireworks with Hunter." The smile that crept to Blaine's face as the two stood up, didn't go unnoticed by Morgan. "What's going on Blaine?"

"You'll find out soon enough." He told her before giving her a kiss on the cheek and then heading inside.

"Sebastian, what's going on?" Jeff asked as they all followed suit.

"Didn't you hear B, you'll find out soon enough."

When they got downstairs, they were more than pleased with the spread that was laid out on the island. "This looks incredible." Blaine said as he looked at everything. "You should've told us you planned on starting right away."

"We felt you did enough today." Wes replied. "Not to mention, Beat swore you guys would've smelt the grill and come down."

"We didn't realize it was ours." Sebastian told him while slipping his arms around Blaine. "B's right, not only does this look incredible, it smells amazing."

"Thank you." Trent said in response before they all started to grab plates and helping themselves. By the time everyone was done, it was clear they all more than enjoyed what was made for dinner from the looks of content on their faces. Surprisingly enough, it didn't take them long to clean things up as there wasn't much food left so it was more about cleaning dishes than putting food away.

When they were about to head outside, Blaine asked them all if they wouldn't mind waiting as there was something he wanted to share with them. They all replied in the affirmative before getting comfortable once again while Blaine ran up the stairs to get something. Hunter leaned over to Sebastian who refused to answer which let them all know that he knew what Blaine wanted to share. Once he was back downstairs, he made sure things were hooked up before facing his friends. "There is something I want to share with you all, that I really put my heart and soul into." Those words brought smiles to everyone's faces.

"Wait, are you sharing your album with us?" Nick asked causing a smile to creep to Blaine's face. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. While I wish everyone was here to hear it, they're going to have to wait till it comes out on Tuesday."

"Have you heard it Sebastian?" Beat asked as he looked over at him.

"I have." Sebastian replied proudly as Jeff and Hunter looked at him as they knew so and knew how Sebastian felt about it. "So everyone prepare to be amazed." Blaine looked over at him and smiled before hitting play and then making his way over to Sebastian.

With no remote to stop it after each song, his friends had to keep their comments to themselves till it was over. The longer it played, Blaine felt Sebastian's arms tighten around him, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay as he could feel how tense he was. All it took was one look around that room to see how amazed and proud their group of friends were of what they were hearing. Considering Blaine was in his own little world while it played, it wasn't till he was surrounded did he realize it was over. When Sebastian looked around, everyone slowly backed away to give Blaine a bit of space to sit up as the two were leaning back.

Once they were sitting upright, the compliments began coming from every direction causing Blaine to not know exactly where to look. "One at a time!" Sebastian called out as even he couldn't make sense of it all since they were all talking at once. "Stop!" This time around they all got quiet since Sebastian yelled over them. "That's better." He said to them calmly before Blaine kissed him on the cheek. "Now, you can tell B what you think, but not all at once."

They all had to laugh at the situation as ridiculous as it had become, and soon began telling Blaine one at a time what they felt. The more they all spoke, the pinker Blaine's cheeks became which didn't surprise Sebastian in the slightest. Regardless of how many times Blaine was complimented, he was going to be embarrassed by it. While Trent was talking to Blaine, Jeff leaned over and whispered into Sebastian's ear telling him his description of the album was spot on causing Sebastian to smile even more as he listened to the guys rave about what they heard.

"Aren't you going to voice your opinion Sebastian?" Beat asked as he looked over at them.

"B, knows what I think about the album."

"Wait, you'd heard it already?" Trent said to him in shock. "When?"

"Shortly after it was finished." Blaine replied.

"What about you Jeff?"

"No, I hadn't heard it yet no matter how many times I tried to hear it." Jeff told them. "Though, my attempts could only go so far since Morgan didn't get her copy of it until a couple of days ago."

"Yet Sebastian had it." Nick stated.

"I didn't need it since I play it all the time." Morgan said with a laugh. "Plus, if I wanted to listen to it, Blaine had it."

"Trust us guys, we tried to hear it on the drive down." Hunter told them. "Jeff saw it on Sebastian's iPod, yet he wouldn't budge. Yet he told us once we did hear it, we'd love it, and he was right."

"if we already purchased it, it'll download right away, correct?" Wes asked.

"Yes, though I should've let you know ahead of time that you might want to pick up a hard copy."

"Why would that be?" Thad asked.

"You might be interested in reading the liner notes." That response caused even Sebastian to look at him in a curious way. "That's all I'm going to say till you're able to see for yourselves."

"Even me?" Sebastian asked sweetly catching everyone off guard as they'd never heard him like this.

"Even you."