A/N: And so begins the saga of Blam's one-year anniversary. The story continues over the next three chapters. I hope you enjoy! Thank you again for reading!
"Rise and shine, Sleepy Head. I've got to run, and I wanted to wish you a happy anniversary before I left."
It took Sam a moment to remember where he was when he opened his eyes. After the initial shock of waking up in an unfamiliar bed, he recognized Blaine's childhood room with its slate gray walls and mahogany furniture. The space was a far cry from their more eclectically decorated bedroom in the city, but it's clean lines and traditional style evoked some of his earliest memories of his boyfriend.
It made the blonde realize just how much Blaine had come into himself since graduating. Sure, he still appreciated a good bow tie from time to time and wore the colorful, ridiculously tight pants that were practically his uniform. That was where the similarities ended.
Blaine painted his nails now. Every few weeks a new color appeared on his fingers after a shift at the salon. Currently they were a cool gunmetal, which Sam particularly loved because they reminded him of something Nightbird would wear. He'd totally given up on hair gel and embraced his natural curls. The boy had even begun using makeup to accentuate his hazel eyes. Sam was amazed by how sexy he looked with a single swipe of gold eyeliner.
Obviously Blaine had always been sexy; he just seemed freer now. More unencumbered by the expectations of others. Frankly, it was like Blaine was living inside a never-ending Diva Week. Looking around the bedroom, Sam remembered the old Dalton blazer and sheen of hair gel. That uniform seemed like a prison in comparison.
"Mornin', gorgeous. Where are you headed?" He blearily smiled from within a cocoon of blankets. Sam stretched and yawned as he pushed his shaggy bangs out of his eyes. He'd grown his golden hair out so that it brushed his shoulders. Usually, he kept it contained in a sleek ponytail, but it had a mind of its own in the morning.
"I wish we could spend the morning cuddling, and here you are leaving me alone. And on the day of our one-year anniversary," he pouted.
He, Blaine and a collection of the New York New Directions had taken the train back to Lima for spring break last night. They'd agreed to stop by McKinley to help Mr. Schue work on a setlist for regionals, but Sam planned to spend most of the week catching up with friends and being lazy with Blaine.
"Coach Sue… Well, Principal Sue now I guess, found out I was home for break somehow. And she didn't ask as much as demand that Santana, Brittany, Quinn and I lead the Cheerios morning workout." Blaine rolled his eyes as he slipped into an oversized emerald hoodie. Sam recognized it as one of his own because of how it hung on the boy's smaller frame. He felt a steady thrum of attraction build in his stomach.
"Any chance you can call off and spend the morning with me? You know I love you in my clothes, but right now I'd love to see you out of them." Sam winked lewdly to drive the point home. Blaine replied with a weak laugh and a longing gaze.
"I wish. But she threatened to release hounds in our houses if we didn't accept her 'offer.' I swear, someone needs to explain to me how that woman is allowed to run a school. I have to hurry because the girls are picking me up. But I wanted to give you your first gift before I left."
Blaine ran out into the hallway and returned with a vase of red roses and baby's breath.
"I wish I could have gotten you a rose to represent every time I think of you in a day, but there aren't enough on the planet for that to be possible. Instead, I got one for each month we've been together. They remind me of my boutonniere from prom."
Sam smiled as he remembered going to the florist and ordering the boutonniere just under a year ago. He'd been so nervous that he'd pick something wrong. Worse, he worried the shop would refuse his business since he was buying for another guy. But the lady had kindly told him about the language of flowers and explained what the different flowers represented. When she said baby's breath stood for eternal love, he knew it was the perfect representation of his relationship with Blaine.
They were built to last forever. The way he saw it, this bouquet was proof.
"They're perfect, B. What do you mean though? This is just the first present?"
"Shit!" Blaine jumped as he heard the blare of a horn. "That'll be Santana. I've got to run before she breaks down the door. But I have a couple surprises for you planned throughout the day. I'll give you a hint: The next one is at the Lima Bean with Kurt, Unique and Ryder. Take my car, Ok? Keys are on my desk. Have fun, and I'll see you at Glee!"
Blaine leaned over and captured Sam's lips in a quick kiss before running downstairs. Sam heard the horn again moments before he heard the front door open and close.
"Huh…" He crawled out of bed and headed toward the shower.
A half hour later, Sam pulled up to the Lima Bean and waved at Kurt and Unique who were waiting outside.
"What's up Boo Thang. Unique is so excited to see you." The girl swept Sam into her arms as he ran up to greet them. "And you are looking particularly fine this morning, Model Boy."
Sam blushed as he wholeheartedly returned the hug. After his disastrous start with Bichette, he'd had a lot more luck with the second agent that Isabelle recommended. He knew he could do even better in the industry if he had more time, but school seemed more important. Modeling was a passion project, but he knew it was one with an expiration date. Graphic design felt like a better guarantee.
"Unique! It's so good to see you, girl! And Kurt, it's been a long time."
"Oh yes. It's been far too long since we've seen each other, Sam. Can you believe we parted at the train station a full ten hours ago? And here we are again getting together for a coffee before this one has to get to McKinley to start the school day." Kurt rolled his eyes. "But I'm so glad you're here this morning. Not just because otherwise I'd be alone after Unique and Ryder leave. But also because we have a gift for you from Blaine."
"Baby, think of it as the gift of song." Unique snapped her fingers sassily as she and Kurt pulled Sam into the coffeeshop. Ryder appeared out of nowhere holding a bedazzled boom box. "Hit it."
Sam smiled as he recognized the electrifying synths of Betty Who's "Somebody Loves You." Blaine had been obsessed with the song since they'd watched the flash mob engagement video for it last year. The lyrics took on a new meaning as Kurt and Unique belted them out and Ryder paraded around the shop like a glorified hype man.
"Somebody misses you when you're away. They wanna wake up with you every day. Somebody wants to hear you say, ooh somebody loves you."
The audience in the Lima Bean broke into hesitant applause as the trio took a dramatic bow.
"That was mind-blowing, guys. You said Blaine organized it?" Sam couldn't contain a mega-watt smile on his face.
Unique snapped her fingers. "Honey Child, Unique loves to perform. But she wouldn't grace these people's day with the gift of her voice without a good reason. Today that good reason happens to be your adorable man."
Kurt handed Sam an envelope. "Blaine figured you may be confused, so he told me to give you this." Sam opened it and read out the brief message.
Happy anniversary to the man that I love.
I'm so glad I got to see you this morning, but I wish we could have spent more time together. I'll be missing you when I'm away, so I asked a couple of our friends to help show you how much you mean to me. This was the first performance of many. Think of today as… a musical scavenger hunt.
Where are you headed next? Here's a hint: Greased Lightning found her wings here when you were rehearsing for Glease. Stop by now for a musical surprise from McKinley's own Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson.
"Looks like we're stopping by your dad's garage in a bit, Kurt," Sam realized. "But I know Marley and Jake won't be there because they're in school. I wonder who Danny and Sandy are…"
Kurt zipped his lips. "You'll find out in good time. But first let's grab a coffee. Blaine texted to let me know our mystery performers need at least another half hour to get ready. In the meantime, I think you should tell Unique and Ryder all about life outside the confines of small-town Ohio. I'm trying to convince them that they need to join us once they graduate. Come along, children. It's story time."