Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time

Epilogue: Five Years Later


He dropped his duffel down, far enough off to the side of the door that no one would trip on it come morning, before looking around.

The apartment looked much the same as it had the last time he'd been there. An open text book sat on the coffee table with an empty coffee cup sat near it and a scribbled in note book. Rather then being covered in books, the bookshelf had sketches pinned to the wood and fabrics stacked behind it. Through the doorway, he could just see the kitchen island and the sheet music scattered across it.

As he made his way through the dark living room, moonlight streaming in the windows and the red lights of the electronics in the room the only sources of light, he found himself smiling.

He lived hours away, but this was his home and it felt nice to be back.

He walked past the first door in the hallway. He'd left a message with the occupants to let them know they didn't have to pick him up from the train station. He hoped they would be smart enough to look at their phones before rushing out of the apartment.

When he reached the second door, he pushed it open and slipped inside.

The bedroom was painted a deep red and all the furniture was a dark brown. The back wall was primarily windows. There was a bookshelf against the right wall, filled with CDs and movies. There were a few books of sheet music tucked on it as well. Next to it was a large black stereo with a small stand-by light.

The bed was on the left wall.

Rachel was sprawled out on it. Brown hair fanned out on her pillow. She was wearing one of his old training tee-shirts with a pair of black shorts that peeked out at the edge.

The sight of her had warmth spreading through his chest.

He tried to be quiet as he stripped out of his uniform until he was left in nothing but his boxers, but when he went to crawl into bed she stirred.

She shifted against the sheets, he could hear them crinkling under her, as she woke. She looked at him through sleepy brown eyes. Her voice was thick with it as she murmured, "Hunter. You weren't supposed to get here until tomorrow morning."

"I skipped my last class," Hunter answered. A soft smile turned on his lips as he reached forward, brushing some hair from her face.

She hummed softly, moving her head into his touch. "You shouldn't do that. This is your last semester before graduation."

"It's fine. It's only one class," he said.

She made another soft sound before scooting back in the bed, making room for him to crawl up with her.

When he was settled next to her, she wiggled close to him.

By now, sleeping together was familiar to them. It was easy to slip his arms around her, holding her tightly to him.

"Glad your home," she murmured against his chest.

Hunter thought about just how true that was.

Ohio was filled with memories. It had Rachel's senior prom and Rachel laughing so hard she was crying as he twirled her around on the dance floor. It had a five hour long conversation with Kurt in the Lima Bean as he debated between NYADA and FIT. It had Sebastian breaking his hand on Blaine's face their senior year when New Directions tried to claim the Warblers had been using steroids. But he hadn't been back there for more then a week, usually with Rachel to visit her parents as his mother had moved back in with his father, in years.

Annapolis was where he lived, but that was mostly all it was. He had friends at school, but they weren't his family the way Sebastian, Kurt, and Rachel were.

The apartment technically belonged to Sebastian's parents, but the four of them had had free reign of the place since moving in during Sebastian's freshmen year at NYU. Rachel and Kurt had sat in the living room arguing about floor plans as Sebastian and Hunter carried boxes in. They had painted the walls in the living room, throwing paint at each other and swinging their hips to music the whole while. They had put the furniture together themselves, Sebastian letting out swears each time a piece wouldn't fit where it was supposed to go.

They had turned the apartment into their home.


E/n: So after writing and posting the last chapter, I realized that I liked it that way? I liked how hopeful an ending it was, that it left the rest for the reader to decide.

But...then I realized I hadn't actually told you guys that and also that I wanted them to be together pretty much forever? So I decided to add this epilogue.

Thank you for reading and enjoying this story! It was fun to write such an underrated ship!