Chapter 12: Come See About Me

SEBASTIAN

Tuesday night, Sebastian's wish to be able to spend some one-on-one time with Artie was granted at last.

With Thanksgiving break beginning the next day, neither boy had an unmanageable amount of homework to do, so after it was complete, they vowed to spend the evening playing Halo until their fingers bled. They'd done this exact arrangement so many times before, that now it was easy for them to have completely separate conversations about all that was going on in their personal lives while multitasking and playing the video game.

"You nervous for Sectionals?" Sebastian asked, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his head as the two boys both lay down side-by-side on Artie's bed with their eyes glued to the television as they played the game.

Artie shrugged. "Not really. I know that Marley and Blaine will kill the duet, and 'Gangnam Style' will be kind of fun to perform, I guess."

"Tina did not look excited when Schue asked her to take the lead on that one," Sebastian laughed at the memory from late last week when the setlist for their upcoming competition had finally been announced. "Isn't she the one always begging for solos of any kind? Now she's got one for our first competition of the season and she's complaining about it. There's a first and last time for everything…"

"Well, I'm sure if the song was actually in English, she'd be ecstatic," Artie countered on behalf of his best friend, who wasn't in the room to defend herself. "She doesn't even know any Korean. She was adopted when she was a baby. So for Mr. Schue to have even selected this song and expect her to learn a brand new language in a week? There seem to be some subtle racist undertones there to me…"

Before Sebastian could reply, there was a knock at the door. Both boys glanced at one another in surprise. To their knowledge, they were going to be home alone for the evening, but maybe Ella had gotten home from her Cheerios "Friendsgiving" gathering early?

"Come in!" Artie called.

A moment later, the door burst open revealing someone that they absolutely hadn't been expecting to see.

"Griff!" Both boys exclaimed in surprise as Artie's twenty-one-year-old brother entered the room with a big smile on his face. Sebastian immediately jumped up from his spot on the bed and over to the older guy to envelop him in a friendly bear hug. Artie stayed put on the mattress, but sat up and swung his legs over the edge to keep his balance as he waited for Griffin to come to him.

"I thought you weren't supposed to come home until tomorrow?" Artie asked, accepting his own hug as Griffin bent down.

"What, you're not happy to see me?" he joked, running a hand through his curly brown hair, which had grown out since the last time he'd been home for a visit.

"No, it's not that. Just surprised, is all," Artie quickly amended, a smile forming on his face because, like Sebastian, he was pumped to see the other guy. At last, their four-piece sibling puzzle was complete again.

"Well, I thought it'd be fun to come surprise you guys," Griffin admitted as he took a seat on the bed beside his brother and put his arm around him, pulling him in closer and using his free hand to mess up Artie's hair. Sebastian stood across from them, his arms crossed and an amused grin on his face as Artie smoothed out his hair and fixed his glasses. "Have you eaten yet?" Griffin asked.

Sebastian and Artie shook their heads. Sebastian glanced at the time displayed on his phone and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had no idea it had even gotten that late. Time flies when you're focused on crushing your step-brother in video games.

"Great. How about we load up into my truck and hit the Taco Bell drive-thru?" Griffin suggested, standing up. "My treat."

Sebastian and Artie didn't hesitate before nodding their heads furiously. Artie made a reach for his chair and moved into it in two swift motions, then they were headed for the driveway. The younger boys didn't want to waste any time, just in case the "broke college student" rescinded his offer to cover their two-dollar burritos.

Griffin helped Artie up into the lifted pickup truck, and Artie didn't even put up a fight, knowing that the height of the vehicle was much too great for him to be able to manage the transfer on his own. Sebastian took Artie's chair apart and stowed it in the back seat before climbing in the back, himself.

"So, update me! How's everything been since I've been gone?" Griffin asked a few minutes later as they waited in the drive-thru line.

"It's been pretty good," Artie replied with a shrug. "We're doing Grease as the fall musical, and I'm directing."

"And I'm the lead!" Sebastian chimed in from the back seat. "We even convinced Ella to join, too."

Now it was Griffin's turn to be surprised. "Ella? Singing? In front of… actual people?" He was clearly impressed that the boys had managed that one. "How'd you get her to agree to that?!"

"Well, we had a spot open-" Artie began, before Sebastian cut him off.

"Because Artie gave the bitchy cheerleader who nearly sent him to the hospital a better part than he originally planned to."

"The hospital? What?!" Griffin exclaimed in concern, looking at Artie in the passenger seat with a look of shock. Oops. Sebastian guessed that Artie hadn't relayed that particular story, because, as overprotective as Sebastian is of Artie, Griffin's ten times worse.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine," Artie assured him before turning around in his seat to flash a glare at his wicked step-brother in the back. "I got slushied by a few Cheerios and it sent me into a minor fit of AD, but I'm good," Artie explained, as a look of horror displayed itself across Griffin's face. Eager to get the attention off of himself, Artie spun the topic of conversation around onto Sebastian. "Sebastian's got a new boyfriend!"

"Do not!" Sebastian protested. "We've only been on one date! Same as you and Betty! Except I'm not the one going over to their place for the entire afternoon!"

The car was dark, but nobody could miss the way that Artie's normally pale skin was now a deep red. It was way too easy to embarrass him.

Griffin's neck must hurt from the speed at which he found himself whipping his head back and forth between the younger boys as they dumped loads of information on him at once. "What?! Wait, hold up. Who's Betty?"

…

Sebastian was the first to arrive in the choir room ahead of Glee rehearsal on Wednesday afternoon, as his last period class had been let out early. He took his usual spot on the first row of the risers, just as the second person arrived. Tina.

She walked past him without saying a word, just sitting down in her own usual spot, which was right behind his. They still had yet to address the spontaneous- and rather awkward- smooch she'd left him with before fleeing out the front door on Monday night.

"Tina…" he began, turning around to face the girl, but she shook her head and cut him off before he could finish.

"Sebastian, I'm so sorry," she confessed. "I have absolutely no idea what came over me; I know that you're gay. I'm not… not 'into you', or whatever."

He nodded. At least they were on the same page. Surely, this conversation would go a lot smoother now that he knew he wouldn't have to tell her that "she's a great girl, he just doesn't see her like that".

"After Mike and I broke up, I've just been a little lost. I think I just saw the way that you're always so willing to help Artie- not that he always needs help, he can handle a lot on his own," she quickly corrected herself. "But he means a lot to both of us, and I think I was just attracted to how you love him the way that I do." Sebastian nodded again. He figured that it'd be best to just let her get everything she needed to say out now. "And I don't know why I kissed you; I've got no excuse for that. Just know that this isn't going to be some sort of hag situation. I respect your sexuality, and I'm just…" she sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," Sebastian stated simply with a smile as he reached up towards her lap to take one of her hands in his. "You're a great girl, Tina Cohen-Chang." Okay, so maybe he was going to use that line… "You're a great girl, and I think you've been lonely since your breakup with Mike. On behalf of both Artie and myself, I can say that you're a great friend, though you can make some impulsive decisions sometimes…" This brought a smile to her face, finally. "We can help you find somebody who can fulfill your needs. Promise." He squeezed her hand before turning back around in his seat as the others began to file into the choir room.

After seeing his passion for helping the high schoolers through his work as co-director for Grease, Mr. Schue had taken Finn, who had seemed a bit lost lately, under his wing as his protégé. A few times a week, Mr. Schue was allowing Finn to coach the New Directions on his own. That was what was happening today, and Finn had a surprise for the current members: he had invited a few of the alumni back for rehearsal since they were all home for the holidays.

Upon his entrance to the classroom, Sebastian watched as Artie's face lit up at the sight of his old friends, and he even appeared happy to see Quinn. He took some time to mingle with them before maneuvering into his spot beside Sebastian. Today, Sebastian noticed that Kitty had taken a seat on the other side of Artie. Artie had glanced over, apparently equally as surprised as Sebastian by her action, and smiled at the girl. And she smiled back. Sebastian made a mental note to ask Artie later what that exchange had been about.

"Alright, do you realize that standing before you are legends?" Finn asked the current members, gesturing at his classmates beside him. Most of the new kids had absolutely no idea who these guys were. "Any single one of these guys could be President of the United States someday."

"I don't know about that," Artie said quietly enough that only Sebastian and Kitty could hear. Sebastian heard the girl let out a small giggle.

"And lucky for us," Finn continued, without missing a beat. "They've agreed to help."

"We'll hang with you new chumps and see if any of our sheer awesomeness rubs off on you. It will," Puck said. Sebastian didn't know the big guy very well, but he had to admit that he looked better now that he'd ditched the mohawk.

"When you hear your name, pair up," Finn directed as he began reading off of the list in his hands. "Puck, you're with your brother. Mike, you're with Ryder and Spencer. Marley, you're with Santana. Kitty, you're with Quinn, and, Sugar, you're with Mercedes."

Sebastian didn't know why he didn't count as a "new kid" and Sugar did, even though she'd been on the team for over a year, but he wasn't exactly complaining.

"Hey! I'm not new!" Sugar protested, stomping her foot on the ground and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I-I know that," Finn replied, looking for a way to nicely tell the girl that she kind of sucked and could use all the help she could get, especially from someone as talented as Mercedes. "I just needed somebody to hang with Mercedes for the day, and I thought since you were both on The Troubletones together last year…"

That answer seemed to satisfy Sugar because she got up out of her seat and went to stand by Mercedes.

"Now, your mentors are here to help you with whatever you need," Finn said, relieved that Sugar hadn't put up more of a fight. "Singing, dancing…"

"Birth control…" Quinn added.

Kitty let out an exaggerated giggle at that. "You're so funny and self-deprecating. We're sooo much alike!"

"Wanky," Santana laughed at the way that the younger girl looked as if she worshipped Quinn.

"The worst mistake that we can make is to underestimate our competition. The Warblers are ruthless this year," Finn said, and Sebastian instantly felt all eyes turn to him. Again, he felt a little queasy at the thought of competing against his old friends.

"'Gangnam Style' will be an ambitious number with a strong dance element," Sebastian added. "As a former Warbler, that's their calling card, and we need to blow them out of the water if we want to win."

The other New Directions, past and present, nodded.

"We have never lost Sectionals before, and there's no way we're gonna do it under my watch. We can and we will succeed!" Finn exclaimed. "Alright, let the mentoring begin!"

The pairings split off from the group so that the alumni could share their wisdom with the newbies, but before Quinn exited the room with Kitty by her side, she excused herself and walked over to where Artie was sitting. He looked shocked as the girl whispered something into his ear that Sebastian couldn't quite make out. Artie nodded, and Quinn straightened herself back up and flashed him a sweet smile before following Kitty into the hallway.

…

ARTIE

She had asked him to meet her at The Lima Bean at four-thirty that afternoon, and he had accepted. He'd been eager to have a proper conversation with his ex, just the two of them.

As usual, he'd arrived at the location ten minutes early, and it didn't surprise him that she was already seated at the cafe's accessible table. They both liked to be early that way. It was just one more reason he'd once thought that they were perfect for one another.

He gave a small wave when she saw him, and she walked over to meet him so that they could wait in line to order. He paid for her latte, even though it had been her that had invited him to the cafe that day. That was just what a gentleman did. To show her thanks, Quinn grabbed both of their drinks, so that Artie didn't have to worry about accidentally spilling his on himself as he wheeled over to the table she had been sitting at a few minutes earlier.

"It's great to see you," he said as soon as she was seated, in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness that came along with having a sit-down conversation with your ex. "How's school?"

Her face noticeably lit up at his question. "I love it, Artie," she gushed. "I really do hope that you consider going out of state for college. It's been the best experience, being so far away from everything that's familiar. I was just tapped to join the only all-female secret society on campus."

"That's so great, Quinn," Artie nodded. "I'm so happy for you." He truly was genuinely happy for her. Just as he had, she'd also been through a lot in her life. This was the happiest he'd seen her in a long time, and even if they were broken up, he liked to watch her soar.

"I have been so busy trying to keep straight A's that I haven't even used the train ticket to New York that Rachel gave me," she confessed. "I've been seeing somebody, too. Well, he's thirty-five. And my psychology professor. But he's currently in the process of divorcing his wife, who hasn't touched him in three years…"

Artie nearly choked on his pumpkin-flavored coffee at this. He hadn't planned on asking her if she was seeing anybody, but she had just shared that information so openly that it surprised him.

"You're seeing your professor?" he repeated, blue eyes wide with concern. "I don't mean to be… patronizing, or anything… but do you really think that's the best idea?"

She shrugged. "What about you? How have you been? Have you been seeing anybody?"

Still not over the fact that Quinn was apparently sleeping with her teacher, Artie forced himself to follow the direction in which she was steering the conversation.

"Uh, it's been good. Having Sebastian around McKinley has been nice. We're finally getting to the point where he and Tina can be alone in a room together and they won't try to kill one another, so that's good." Quinn let out a chuckle at this. God, I love her laugh, Artie thought to himself, before internally scolding himself. "I'm directing our musical again. We're doing Grease this year."

He hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to tell Quinn about the Betty situation. What the heck, she'd told him about her professor, hadn't she? What did he have to lose?

"I guess I've been seeing somebody, yeah," he said. "Do you remember Ms. Pillsbury's niece Betty? From the wedding?"

"I don't remember much from that wedding," Quinn confessed, causing both of them to dissolve into a fit of giggles. "Santana had me chained to the bar all night."

"Right," Artie remembered that he had glanced over in their direction a few times, only to see the two underage girls pounding shots. "Well, we kind of hit it off at the wedding. It's not serious, and I'm not sure where it's headed, but we're enjoying each other's company right now. She goes to Belleview High."

He thought he might've seen Quinn's jaw stiffen up at that, but he couldn't be sure. "Well, regardless of where it's headed, I'm happy for you, Artie," she said, reaching across the table to take his fingerless-gloved hand in hers. "It seems like we're both happy, which is all we can hope for, really."

Artie nodded, noticing that it doesn't particularly seem like either of them are ready- or, rather, want- to rekindle their old flame. And he was, surprisingly, okay with it. They needed closure for their relationship, and that's what they got with the coffee date this afternoon. Honestly, he couldn't ask for anything more. He would just have to live with the fact that he and Quinn Fabray were better off as friends.

After finishing their drinks, Quinn and Artie headed out into the parking lot.

"Hey, Artie," Quinn began, placing a hand on his shoulder and signaling for him to slow down. He pulled back on his wheels and looked up at her, confusion present on his face. "As your friend," she put emphasis on that last word. "I just wanted to tell you that I'll be thinking about you this weekend. I know it's the anniversary of your accident, and I just want you to know that I'll be keeping you close to my heart."

Artie was caught off guard- not because he didn't expect her to remember a date that was so significant to him, but because it just meant a lot to know that someone cared, even all these years later.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Thanks, Quinn. That means a lot," he nodded sincerely, hesitating a second before adding: "This weekend will be ten years."

While everyone knew about the accident, of course, very few knew the details, and Quinn was one of the ones that he'd felt comfortable enough to confide in. It meant a lot to know that she was supporting him, even after all they'd been through in their relationship.

Quinn nodded and gave a soft smile before bending down to give Artie a hug goodbye.

Artie's heart was full as he transferred into the driver's seat of his car and dismantled his chair, stowing it behind him, before he headed home.

Shoutout to gigundoly for allowing me to borrow her headcanon of when Artie's accident happened for this story! ;)