It was nine in the morning by the time Blaine woke up to Sebastian still sound asleep next to him, his arms still wrapped tight around him. As much as he wanted to stay lying there all day, Blaine knew he needed to go shopping with Sam, especially after not coming to the party the night before or opening night of Grease. Just like he normally would, Blaine reached for his phone and checked his recent messages to see if he missed anything important. There were dozens from Sam reminding him of their plans to go shopping and telling him stories from the party that he missed. Tina had texted a few pictures from the party and then asked where Blaine ran off to. But the most shocking message was the one from Kurt.

It was nice talking last night. Finn caught me up on everything with the Warblers. Congrats on the sectionals victory! :) -Kurt

Blaine stared at the text for a while trying to figure out how he should respond. He had almost forgotten Sebastian was right next to him as he tried to think of a response to Kurt. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt when he realized Kurt might finally be giving him a chance and he had already hooked up with someone else. As he contemplated what he could say or do about the situation, he still couldn't figure out what he wanted in the first place. He loved Kurt and he always felt as if Kurt was his soulmate.

On the other hand, Kurt never made him feel the way Sebastian did. It wasn't just the orgasm and the deep kisses. Sebastian made him feel sexy, like he was attractive and shouldn't be afraid to be confident in his appearance and his talents. When he was with Sebastian, it felt like he was on top of the world, like he was respected as an equal and someone with their own personality outside of their relationship. With Kurt, he was one half of a whole. With Sebastian, he didn't need another half; he was just himself.

He never expected to feel so conflicted over Kurt and Sebastian. It had always been Kurt, after all. Sebastian was never an option because he just met and fell in love with Kurt first. Maybe the reason he never thought of Sebastian as an option was fear. He was scared to leave Kurt behind. Now it didn't seem so scary.

Thanks! How was your Thanksgiving? -Blaine

He decided to keep his response simple and open-ended rather than jumping to the heavy questions he wasn't ready to ask. Not only did he feel guilty about his night with Sebastian for Kurt's sake, but he also felt guilty for thinking so much about Kurt the morning after. Sebastian would be horrified if he could hear the thoughts in Blaine's mind as he laid in bed staring at the ceiling and contemplating his relationship with Kurt.

Another factor to consider was what he even had with Sebastian to begin with. Sure, he was attracted to Sebastian, and they had some great conversations. The blow job was nothing short of fantastic and he loved spending time with him. But Sebastian didn't know what it meant to be in a relationship. He'd never had a boyfriend for more than 20 minutes and he rarely even slept with the same guy more than once. Was it even worth considering Sebastian as a possibility when deciding what to do about Kurt? Just as the question crossed his mind, he received a response from Kurt.

It was great actually. Isabelle brought some friends over to the loft & Rachel attempted to cook a turkey which was hilarious. How was yours? -Kurt

Blaine had no idea how he could respond to that. He spent his entire day preparing for sectionals and his entire night in bed with Sebastian which he obviously couldn't tell Kurt. He decided he would leave out some details in his reply and hope that Kurt would never figure it out.

It was mostly just sectionals rehearsal and then the performance last night, so I didn't really have an actual Thanksgiving. But I had a pretty good day. -Blaine

He decided the less details the better. If Kurt never found out about what happened between him and Sebastian, he would be in good shape. Kurt responded right away.

Finn said you didn't end up at the after party. Did you at least get to have a Thanksgiving dinner with your family? -Kurt

Blaine stared at the message, trying to decide if he should lie or not. He didn't know what he could possibly say that would justify not going to the party, but sectionals ended so late that he never would have made it home in time for his family dinner. No matter what he said, it would be obvious that something was up. "Are you gonna tell him?" Sebastian's voice asked, startling Blaine.

He had no idea Sebastian was awake, much less reading his messages over his shoulder. Blaine flipped his phone upside down in shock, worried about what Sebastian would think. He definitely didn't want him panicking about being a rebound again because that didn't feel good at all. "I guess we're talking again."

"I can see that," Sebastian replied. Blaine tried to read his expression, but he couldn't figure out what Sebastian was thinking. He was one of the most difficult people to read when he wanted to be.

Blaine set his phone on the floor and then turned to face Sebastian, a little self-conscious of his morning breath but ready to recreate the morning the way it should have gone. "Can we try this again?" He asked, taking Sebastian's hand and leaning in closer.

"If you're referring to last night, I'd be happy to give it another go…"

"As tempting as that is, I was referring to what we say when we wake up together," Blaine said as he squeezed Sebastian's hand.

One of Sebastian's eyebrows raised. "And what's that?"

"Good morning, how'd you sleep, I had fun last night, stuff like that," Blaine explained in a mockingly condescending tone. He was trying to keep it light-hearted and fun to avoid talking about the Kurt situation.

Sebastian smirked and rolled himself on top of Blaine. "How's this?" He leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Good morning." Another peck on the lips. "How'd you sleep?" Another peck. "I had fun last night."

Blaine's eyes fluttered shut as he enjoyed the brief touch of their lips. "I had a really fun night, too," Blaine smiled as his hand reached around Sebastian's back. "And I slept fantastic."

"That word again… it seems like maybe you find spending time with me to be fantastic," Sebastian said with a smirk before moving his lips to Blaine's ear and whispering softly, "bet you can't say that about the other guy you were texting in my bed."

Blaine smiled at the touch. "Now that you mention it…"

Sebastian's hands moved along Blaine's bare chest until they reached the hem of his pants. "Maybe we should test that theory some more."

His hand started to slip under Blaine's pants just as Blaine's phone started to ring. He wanted to ignore it, but he knew he couldn't make Sam wait any longer. "Sorry, it's Sam. I have plans with him today that I really can't break," Blaine justified before picking up the phone. "Hey, Sam."

"Dude, where have you been? I've been texting you all morning," Sam exclaimed, sounding way more energized than Blaine was at that time in the morning.

Blaine tried to think of an easy excuse, but he couldn't come up with anything. He decided there was no harm in telling Sam the truth since he already knew so much about his relationship with Sebastian. After all, Sam was the one encouraging all of this from the beginning. "I'm with Sebastian, actually."

Sebastian's eyes widened. Blaine figured he would be surprised by Blaine's willingness to talk about his fling with Sebastian with anyone from the New Directions. Something about it must have turned Sebastian on because he started kissing Blaine's neck as he spoke to Sam. "No way, I'm so proud of you. So did the phone call with Kurt yesterday help you sort stuff out then?" Sam asked.

Blaine's head immediately turned to Sebastian who stopped kissing him the moment he heard Kurt's name. "Can we talk about this later?" Blaine asked, hoping this wouldn't shut Sebastian out again.

"Yeah totally. What time are we meeting at the Lima mall? Also is it cool if Britt comes?" Sam questioned, oblivious to the panic in Blaine's tone.

Before answering, Blaine checked the time on his phone. He could be ready to meet up at the mall in a few hours if he was efficient. "Noon? And yeah, of course she can come."

"Okay yeah, and Sebastian can come if you want him to. It seems like you really like hanging out with him," Sam replied. Blaine was still shocked by Sam's eagerness to have everyone getting along without any conflict, especially given their history with the Warblers and Sebastian specifically.

Blaine thought about it and then looked at Sebastian whose expression was blank. "I'll ask him about it," he replied. "I'll see you in a couple hours." He hung up the phone and then stared at Sebastian, hoping he would break the silence first.

"You talked to Kurt yesterday?" Sebastian asked, clearly trying to shield the hurt in his voice. "Why didn't you tell me last night?"

A sigh left Blaine's lips as he tried to think of the best way to explain. "He called me right before we were supposed to go onstage. We didn't really talk about anything, just that he's trying to forgive me and wants to hang out over Christmas break when he's here."

Sebastian tried to comprehend the explanation without showing Blaine how he felt. "So he wants to get back together?"

"He didn't say that."

"Would you get back together with him if he did?"

Of course Sebastian had to ask the question he still had no answer to. He honestly had no idea what he would do if Kurt forgave him and wanted to try again. "I would need to think about it."

"So you could just pretend he didn't ignore you for weeks when he first moved to New York and then didn't speak to you for weeks because you made a dumb mistake all so that you can call a guy your boyfriend who doesn't even appreciate you?" Sebastian interrogated, almost glaring at Blaine.

Blaine stared back. "I said I would need to think about it. Obviously those are all factors in my decision."

Sebastian's eyes met Blaine's for a heartwarming moment as Sebastian whispered, "Would I be a factor?" It was so quiet it felt as if Sebastian didn't want Blaine to hear him. He still hesitated in revealing his vulnerabilities.

"I want you to be," Blaine answered honestly. If Sebastian wanted to be in his life and to be with him in some way, Blaine would want that, too. But there were too many different things to consider. "You should come with to the mall today." He decided the best way to evaluate his feelings was through observing Sebastian in a less private and less sexual setting. Maybe if he made an effort to fit in with his friends, he would be worth taking a chance on.

It took a moment, but Sebastian eventually smiled, unable to contain his gratitude at being invited. "You really want me to hang out with you and your friends?"

"Only if you want to," Blaine replied. He hoped Sebastian would say yes. He didn't want their perfect night together to end so soon.

"You know if I come, Kurt is definitely going to find out," Sebastian reminded him.

This was something that had crossed Blaine's mind more times than he would have liked to admit. It was obvious that Kurt didn't like Sebastian and that he didn't want Blaine anywhere near him, so if Kurt found out, it was very likely that he would want nothing to do with Blaine after. But he was willing to take that risk. He had already decided that even if Kurt wanted to get back together, it would have to be on the condition that Kurt doesn't get to isolate Blaine from his friends. He missed being around Sebastian and the Warblers and felt as if he lost so many of his friends because of his relationship with Kurt. "That's okay with me."

Sebastian smiled and gave Blaine a kiss on the cheek before standing up to get ready. "Alright, I'm going to take a shower and get ready, then we can stop at your place before we meet them at the mall."

"There's definitely a reason why I do most of my shopping in Europe," Sebastian said as he and Blaine walked through the Lima mall on their way to meet Sam and Brittany. He looked at the stores around them, disgusted by the lack of wealth and designer labels. "What the hell is Five Below?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at Sebastian's disgust. "Everything in it costs less than five dollars."

"Gross." He continued looking around, trying to find something that matched his taste. "Luxury Nails and Spa my ass."

Blaine burst out laughing at the comment. "It's just the name."

"None of these stores really seem like places you would shop, either. Unless there's a secret discount closet in your house that I don't know about?"

He shook his head in response. "Malls like this are more Sam's speed. I said I'd help him pick out new clothes and he wants to help me dress differently."

"Oh, you mean buy some clothes that Kurt didn't pick out for you?" Sebastian asked, playfully running into Blaine's arm as they walked close together. Blaine nudged him back, smiling at the joke. He made sure to take note that he was no longer mad whenever Sebastian made fun of Kurt. "Well now you have me for that, and no offense, but I definitely dress better than Sam."

Blaine was about to agree when he noticed Sam waving at him from down the hall. Brittany practically ran over to them to pull Blaine into a tight hug. "We thought you were gonna ditch us," she exclaimed, kissing Blaine on the cheek. "Hi Fievel Warbler."

Sebastian shot Blaine a confused expression before Sam could explain. "That's what Santana calls you most of the time."

"Wait, I thought that was your name. Now I'm confused," Brittany sighed, looking at Sebastian for an explanation.

Sebastian tried not to get upset since he already kind of knew how Brittany was and he definitely knew about all of Santana's nicknames. "It's actually Sebastian," he explained, only a subtle hint of sarcasm.

"Huh, I like Fievel better," Brittany shrugged.

Sebastian didn't seem to mind Brittany's lack of attention to his real name and Blaine appreciated his playing along with her. He knew he and Sebastian didn't stand a chance if he couldn't get along with his friends. They all stopped at a pretzel shop soon after meeting up to get a snack and when they were walking off to their first store with their pretzels, Sam hung behind the group to make sure he and Blaine had a chance to talk. "So how was it?" He asked, grinning as he took a bite of his pretzel.

"What do you mean?"

"You definitely had sex last night," Sam explained casually.

Blaine's eyes widened as he stared at Sam. "What? No, why would you…"

"Dude, you're like glowing or something. You look like Finn the day after Rachel let him touch her boobs."

Blaine was shocked at Sam's observation. He never expected him of all people to be able to guess what happened between him and Sebastian. "Well we didn't have sex, but something may have happened."

Sam reached his hand up for a high-five, almost dropping his pretzel in the process. "Dude, congrats! It's about time you stopped moping around and got some."

"Relax, it was awesome, but I don't know what it means yet," Blaine acknowledged with a shrug. More than anything, he wanted to skip to the part where he had it all figured out. He wanted Sebastian to say how he felt and for the situation with Kurt to work itself out. Not knowing what would happen was hard, but he knew he had a lot to think about before even considering a relationship with Sebastian.

Sam rolled his eyes and stopped walking. "So figure it out. Stop waiting around and make it happen for yourself. You don't want to miss out on something great while you sit around and wait to realize that it's what you want."

It seemed so simple, but Blaine had no idea what he wanted. He knew he shouldn't abandon his love story with Kurt on a whim with Sebastian, but he also didn't want to make Sebastian feel like a pawn on his way to discovering he was meant to be with Kurt. This wasn't about that for him at all. How could he possibly care so deeply for two people at the same time? How could he fall for someone when he was already in love with someone else? He knew he needed to talk to Sebastian, to figure out where he stood on the whole thing. But he also didn't want to pressure him into anything. It was an impossible situation.

After Sam secured his video game, everyone went into Macy's to finally pick out some clothes. It was Brittany's brilliant idea that helped the day turn from good to great. "What if we all pick out outfits for each other? We can do funny outfits or serious outfits, then everyone has to buy at least one of the items picked out for them."

"I love this idea!" Sam's face lit up. "I call Brittany."

Brittany threw her arms around Sam. "I want to dress Fievel Warbler. I already have a vision."

"I'll take Blaine," Sebastian said with a smirk.

"I guess that leaves me with Sam," Blaine said as everyone took off around the store to pick out their outfits. Brittany and Sebastian both disappeared into the costume section which was a terrifying thought to Blaine. Sam was the only one in the women's section while Blaine spent most of his time looking through suits.

It was a half hour later when everyone met up in the dressing room. Brittany approached Sebastian first and handed him a cowboy hat, a red button-down shirt, a yellow scarf, and a pair of jeans that were definitely too short for his long legs. "The inspiration was Fievel goes west. I hope you like it," Brittany smiled as she kissed Sebastian's cheek and then turned to Sam for him to give her the outfit he picked out. It was much simpler; he just handed her a t-shirt with a cat on it and a skirt he assumed Brittany would like. For Sam, Blaine picked out a full suit that had marijuana leaves plastered all over it.

As everyone disappeared into the changing rooms to prepare to show the others their outfits, Sebastian approached Blaine and handed him a pair of jeans, a plain white t-shirt, a leather jacket, and several gold necklaces. "Let me guess; your inspiration was early Adam Levine?" Blaine asked, holding the leather jacket in his arm.

"If I get to dress you however I want, it was either this or the tiniest pair of shorts I could find. You should be happy I didn't make you put those on for Sam and Brittany," Sebastian smirked as he went into his own changing room to get ready.

When Blaine finished putting on his outfit, he was the first one to step out of the dressing room, shortly followed by Sebastian. He broke out laughing at the sight of Sebastian dressed as Fievel. "Wow, this is really a look for you." He had to applaud Brittany's creativity for the astounding resemblance to the cartoon character. Something about it was oddly arousing to Blaine, but he decided to keep that to himself until they were out of Sam and Brittany's earshot.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, but his focus wasn't on his own outfit. Blaine could have sworn Sebastian was about to drool when he noticed Blaine in the outfit he picked out. He was never big on leather, but the jacket was definitely a good look on him, and he resembled the Maroon 5 lead singer much better than Sebastian anticipated. "Wow, this is a sexy look. Sing to me right now please," Sebastian practically begged, unable to keep his hands off of Blaine.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "I swore I would never sing at a mall again after the Gap Attack incident. You'll have to wait for later." He tried to throw in a playful wink at the end.

Sebastian smirked and leaned in close to Blaine's ear. "Looking forward to it."

Blaine's eyes shut briefly in excitement, but his thoughts were interrupted when Sam stepped out of the dressing room wearing the marijuana suit. "Dude, I'm wearing this to prom." He turned around in the suit to show it off to everyone.

Brittany walked out of the dressing room a moment later. "I spent five minutes in there trying to find the zipper on this skirt before I realized there wasn't one," she explained, trying to justify what took her so long. "I love the shirt, Sam." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

All of them ended up buying their full outfits except for Sebastian who didn't feel the need to have a full blown Fievel costume. He did buy the shirt that Brittany picked out when he noticed it was the only item in the outfit he would have any use for.

It was several hours and six stores later when Blaine realized he never responded to Kurt's text asking about how he spent his Thanksgiving. It was too late, though. Kurt probably already had a good idea from the pictures Brittany kept posting all over social media of her with Sebastian, Sam, and Blaine at the mall. At the very least, Kurt would know Sebastian was back in the picture and probably not going anywhere in the near future. Surprisingly, Kurt didn't reach out and acknowledge that he knew anything, which scared Blaine even more.

He found himself pulling back from the group for the last hour or so of the day when he couldn't stop thinking about Kurt. Thoughts of his complicated friendship with Sebastian and what it meant for him and Kurt consumed his mind. As much as he didn't want anyone to notice, he knew it was clear to the others that he was distracted. Eventually, everyone started to seem tired and ready to leave, so the day came to an end.

Sebastian and Blaine got in Blaine's car together after spending the entire day shopping. Time passed faster than either of them anticipated and it was dark out by the time they parted ways with Sam and Brittany. Something felt off when they finally returned to the car and Blaine knew it was because of him and his change in mood for the last little bit of shopping, so he turned the car on but didn't switch it into drive. He felt like something needed to be said. "What are we doing?" Blaine asked instead, leaving the meaning open to interpretation.

The other boy gave him a confused frown. "What's wrong? You've been acting weird for the last half hour. I thought everything was cool between us."

Blaine sighed as he realized Sebastian had noticed the distance between them as well. "I'm fine, I just want to know if I should drive you back to Dalton or if you still want to come over."

"Whatever," Sebastian rolled his eyes, turning away from Blaine. He was putting his defenses up again, taking any chance he could to avoid getting hurt. If Blaine knew anything about Sebastian, it was that he would do anything before he would admit what he was afraid of. He already confessed that he didn't want to lose Blaine once; he was not going to do it again.

Blaine was about to shift the car into drive when he shook his head and turned to face Sebastian. "You know what, no. You don't get to shut me out now. Things were good and I want them to continue to be good, but they can't be if you won't just say what you're thinking."

Sebastian avoided looking at him for a long time before finally giving in and making eye contact. "You really want to know what I'm thinking? Exactly what I predicted would happen is happening right now. I saw you check your phone earlier and I know you never responded to Kurt, but ever since you checked it you've been acting weird. It's ridiculous how right I was about everything."

"Just because I may not be 100 percent over Kurt does not mean I'm going to abandon you the second he comes back around," Blaine insisted, reaching for Sebastian's hand.

Before he could take it, Sebastian pulled his hand away from Blaine and resumed staring out the window. "I'm not going to be collateral damage on your way to making up with him."

"Sebastian, I told you that night at your house that I'm never going to leave you behind again. He put me in a position where I had to choose and I'm never going to let myself get put in that situation again." This time, Sebastian didn't pull his hand away and he allowed Blaine to take it into his own. He avoided eye contact still which Blaine didn't mind given the seriousness of the situation and how quickly everything seemed to escalate. "Let's just go back to my house. I'll sing a little Maroon 5 and we'll see where things go from there. I'm having a lot of fun hanging out with you again and I'm not about to give that up over some texts from my ex-boyfriend."

Sebastian gave Blaine a weak smile and a nod, signaling it was okay for Blaine to start driving. They ended up back at Blaine's house spending the entire night in his room laughing and singing along to Overexposed, trying to avoid thinking about all of the complications of their relationship. No matter the difficulties of the situation, Blaine was sure of one thing: he was not going to be a repeat of Sebastian's friend from Paris. He would not leave Sebastian behind.