They ordered out for dinner. They had been joined by Sebastian's uncle Jack, his wife Summer, and their three kids. Blaine had given up on trying to remember names or ages, sitting on the couch, leaning against Sebastian's side as he ate his pizza. There were so many voices around, laughter and pre-teens jumping around, plates clinking and glasses being filled. Blaine was feeling just a little bit overwhelmed, not used to so many people.
By the time they were done with dinner and had mostly eaten through a couple cupcakes that Jack and Summer had brought, half of the family had gone to bed. Their first day had been a lot and Blaine could feel his own exhaustion making his body heavy.
"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked quietly, obviously having noticed the tension in Blaine's body. He had finished his cupcake already, his plate set down and a glass of water in his hand.
Blaine smiled at Sebastian's concern, nodding his head and resisting the urge to keep picking at his own chocolate cupcake. "I'm tired, honestly, and… just not used to so many people. Both of my parents were only children and so it's just me and my brother," Blaine said, mimicking Sebastian's soft tone. "It's a lot but it's not bad."
Sebastian nodded, looking around at the others around them. His fingers were moving on Blaine's upper arm in a way that Blaine was fairly certain was subconscious, and their bodies were pressed close together. It was making it a little bit hard for Blaine to breathe.
"Is Sebastian boring you?" Tyler asked, coming over to sit down on a chair facing them. He had eaten at least four pieces of pizza and three cupcakes at this point, all while harassing his sister. Blaine had finally met Tyler's sister, Calli, a nice enough 16-year-old who had barely looked up from her phone long enough to introduce herself. Blaine hadn't been offended, even if Sebastian had been rolling his eyes at Blaine's side. "Because if you'd rather, we can hang out. My aunt keeps shooting you two looks anyway and I can tell that she's annoyed."
Sebastian and Blaine both glanced over and they could tell that Tyler was right. Cori was talking to Jack, Sebastian's uncle that had joined them that day, but she kept looking over at the two of them, her expression as if she'd smelled something bad.
"Mom doesn't really like Sebastian anyway," Tyler explained to Blaine, wiping his fingers covered in frosting on his jeans and leaning back against the chair. Blaine put his plate to the side with just the cupcake wrapper left on it. "She thinks he's a bad influence which is kind of dumb considering I'm older than he is. But we always go searching for tourists to… well, never mind."
"Blaine knows my history with guys," Sebastian said dryly, resting an arm over Blaine's shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer. If their relationship was real then Blaine knew it would be a subtle reassurance that Sebastian wasn't like that anymore.
Blaine resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose since Sebastian was exactly like that, wasn't he? Sebastian and Sean had been constantly making out behind doors and against walls and Sebastian had still been hooking up with others. It was a good reminder. Sebastian wasn't interested in a relationship. He was interested in guys at Scandals and tourists on the beach. Not Blaine.
And Blaine wanted something more. That's what he had to keep reminding himself.
"Does he?" Tyler asked, his gaze traveling over to Blaine, raising his eyebrows. Blaine just rested his head against Sebastian's shoulder, trying not to look like he found Sebastian's sleeping around distasteful even if he did. Although, he supposed even if they were dating, he would still feel the same. "I suppose it would be hard not to considering you two were friends before you got together. Experience isn't a bad thing, though, right?"
Sebastian groaned, letting his head fall back as Blaine chuckled at his side, mainly because he didn't know that Sebastian could be embarrassed over things like this. At school, in front of their peers, Sebastian always talked a big talk and never showed an ounce of shame for his actions. This was another moment that Blaine thought he should've known Sebastian would be different but he hadn't realized. Of course, Sebastian would be different with his family.
"You're going to embarrass Blaine," Sebastian said when he lowered his head again, looking as if the words hadn't affected him at all. Blaine might've believed it if Sebastian didn't still feel a little tense underneath Blaine's head.
Tyler smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at Blaine in a way that made the other boy laugh. "Oh, I'm embarrassing Blaine, am I?"
"And being a dick," Sebastian snapped and Blaine knew that it was all on purpose. Blaine could tell that Tyler was embarrassing Sebastian on purpose and likely knew just what to say to get under Sebastian's skin.
Tyler's smirk deepened in a way that reminded Blaine so much of Sebastian that it was a little bit startling. The cousins were so similar, down to their promiscuous tendencies that Blaine wondered if that sometimes caused friction between them. He was curious about Tyler, although he had a feeling that was just Blaine's lingering interest in Sebastian.
"I'm just getting to know your new boyfriend. If he puts up with you, he should more than put up with me," Tyler said and that did cause Blaine to laugh out loud, flushing as he put his hands to his lips and Cori looked over at them, lips pursed as if she was sucking on a lemon. Tyler looked intensely pleased with himself and Blaine wasn't sure whether it was because of his laugh, Sebastian's scowl, or the expression on Cori's face. Tyler leaned in closer as if he was telling Blaine some great secret. "As far as the cousins, I'm the funnest. Don't let Sebastian lie to you."
Sebastian groaned, letting his head fall back again as Blaine shook with silent laughter, mainly because of Sebastian's annoyance.
"Go away," Sebastian said simply, his hold on Blaine tightening just enough.
Tyler rolled his eyes but seemed to realize that he was provoking Sebastian just a little too much. Blaine wasn't quite sure what had Sebastian so frustrated, except maybe jealousy and a competitive streak between the two, but he reached down to rest a hand on Sebastian's thigh anyway. He was here as Sebastian's boyfriend. He knew his role even if Sebastian's muscles were tense underneath his hand.
Eyes flickering down to Blaine's hand and then back up to his eyes, Tyler's grin turned friendlier as opposed to his antagonistic smirk. "So, if you two aren't doing anything else tomorrow, we should walk down to the pier. Calli wanted to go and buy some souvenirs, I guess."
Blaine nodded because he wasn't opposed to that. He loved little tourist-y things and had ever since he was little. "Sure, that sounds like fun. If Sebastian wants to?"
"Sure. Invite the rest of the family. Sounds fun," Sebastian said dryly, keeping his words simple to not add any fuel to the fire.
Realizing that Sebastian wasn't going to rise to his bait anymore, Tyler seemed to lose interest. He nodded, standing up and patting Blaine's shoulder in a way that felt rather condescending. "Alright, I'm heading to bed before Sebastian breathes fire. Goodnight," Tyler said before standing up and heading away to say goodnight to the rest of the family.
Blaine cleared his throat to hide his amusement, turning towards Sebastian with his head still on his shoulder. "He reminds me a lot of you."
"He's probably my best friend, besides you," Sebastian said quietly, obviously not wanting anybody but Blaine to hear. "We do get along but sometimes he drives me crazy."
"Makes sense. Isn't family like that?" Blaine asked, yawning and stretching a little bit before settling back against Sebastian and closing his eyes. He wanted to go to bed but he also wasn't willing to admit that on their first night.
Sebastian looked down at him, amusement clear in his tone. "If you're ready to go to bed, you can just say so."
Blaine shook his head, not bothering to open his eyes. "Only when you're ready."
"You're ridiculous," Sebastian said, sounding distracted from the conversation. Curious, Blaine looked up, seeing that Tyler was chatting with his mother, both of them glancing repeatedly over at them. Sebastian's gaze was on them as well before he turned back to Blaine. "Come on. Let's go to bed."
That was the best suggestion that Blaine thought Sebastian had ever made. He nodded gratefully, standing up and they said their goodnights before heading towards the stairs.
It was only when they reached the bottom that Blaine remembered that this could be just as awkward. There was only one bed and Blaine let out a breath before grabbing his pajamas.
Blaine came out of the bathroom, avoiding looking at Sebastian. He had chosen sweatpants and a soft t-shirt to sleep in and he carried his clothes to put into his dirty clothes bag in his suitcase. The other boy was rustling around next to the bed, already dressed in his own pajamas and looking a lot less uncomfortable than Blaine was. Of course, Sebastian shared beds with other boys a lot more than Blaine did.
Once his clothes were put away, Blaine headed back towards the bed, hesitating before actually getting into it. He and Sebastian were friends. It was fine. That was all and Blaine had shared beds with friends before.
After a few seconds of staring at the bed, Sebastian's laugh made Blaine jump, looking up at him.
"If you're that uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor. It's not a big deal. I'm so tired, I could probably pass out anywhere," Sebastian said, sounding more amused than Blaine cared to think about.
Blaine wrinkled his nose, shaking his head and grasping the sheets to pull them back. "It's fine. I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor," he said, taking a breath and slipping into the bed.
Sebastian looked over at him for a long few moments before getting into bed himself. They both adjusted, making themselves comfortable before Blaine rolled over onto his side, arm under his head as he looked over at Sebastian, who was laying on his back. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep although he'd always had trouble with that in new environments.
"Have you talked to your brother?" Sebastian asked after a few moments, not rolling over to look at him at all.
"Mm-hmm," Blaine murmured, keeping his own eyes closed, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep for a blissful night of sleep. He breathed deeply. "He's available Friday night, Saturday night or Sunday morning."
At his side, Sebastian nodded, clearing his throat before turning away from him. "Awesome. We'll go sometime this weekend then," he said and that seemed to be that.
The worst part was that Sebastian fell asleep within minutes of his words, leaving Blaine, exhausted but unable to sleep. It seemed to be hours before Blaine fell into a fitful sleep, waking up after what felt like only minutes. He blearily reached over to grab his phone, checking the time and seeing it was only 2 in the morning.
God, he was going to be exhausted tomorrow.
With a sigh, he stood up, careful not to jostle the bed so that he didn't disturb Sebastian. He could at least get a glass of water and he wished he'd thought to grab one before laying down. As quietly as he possibly could, hearing nothing but silence upstairs, Blaine headed up the stairs and towards the kitchen.
The room was dark and Blaine moved to the cabinet to grab a glass out.
"Can't sleep?"
Blaine jumped, gasping and slapping his hand over his heart, barely managing to keep from dropping the glass. Tyler was standing at the sink, cell phone in his hand and that Smythe smirk on his lips. He looked amused that he had scared Blaine which made Blaine roll his eyes as he walked to the refrigerator to pour himself a glass of water.
"How could you tell?" Blaine asked dryly, leaning against the counter and taking a drink of the water. Now that he could see the moonlight streaming through the window above the sink he was surprised that he hadn't seen Tyler, especially considering his phone was lit up.
"I can't sleep either," Tyler said instead of answering the question, sounding as tired as Blaine felt. He looked down at his phone when it vibrated, smiling slightly before typing a few words. Blaine watched him curiously before Tyler locked his phone, shoving it into his pocket. "Sorry. I was worried about waking up my cousins with my texting so I came to the kitchen. Ben is a really light sleeper, unlike Sebastian who could sleep through a hurricane."
That wasn't a lie and it made Blaine smile a little bit, remembering moments of late-night shenanigans in the Dalton dorm. Sebastian did sleep as if he was dead sometimes which had made pranks, that Blaine only sometimes participated in, easy to pull on him.
"I noticed," Blaine said, realizing only after he said it that it might imply something about him and Sebastian. That was fine, though, he knew. It was likely expected, actually.
Tyler nodded, looking down as his phone vibrated in his pocket but not pulling it out as Blaine took another large drink of his water. "I wasn't expecting him to actually bring somebody but I'm glad he did. We all want him to be happy. Well, except my mom but… Sebastian's braver than I am."
Blaine tilted his head to the side, wondering if he should just go back to bed and disregard this conversation. He couldn't do that, though, even if it hadn't been Sebastian's cousin. There was something about the tone of Tyler's voice.
"Are you…?" Blaine asked, letting the question trail off because he hoped that Tyler would get what he meant. Of course, Sebastian had said that Tyler was straight but it wasn't like there weren't plenty of people in the closet. Just because Sebastian was out didn't mean much.
Tyler seemed to not comprehend the question for a moment before he shook his head, laughing, although it wasn't unkind. "No. Not gay. I've made it clear I don't have a problem with it, I'm just not. No… I just feel terrified at the idea of introducing my… well, you can keep a secret, right? I feel like if you're with Sebastian, you have to be at least a little sneaky. But I'm not ready for anybody to know, even Sebastian."
Could Blaine keep a secret? That almost made Blaine laugh considering the secret he and Sebastian were keeping from their family but he refrained himself. He didn't want to give it away. Instead, he simply nodded. "Of course, I can keep a secret. Especially for my boyfriend's favorite cousin."
"I have a girlfriend back home," Tyler said, feigning nonchalance but Blaine couldn't help thinking that he sounded like it mattered. He wondered whether Tyler simply hadn't been able to keep it a secret anymore and that was why he was telling Blaine, essentially a stranger, in the kitchen. "And I hate the idea of introducing her to my family, especially my mom. Homophobic isn't the only awful that she is. What if she scares her off?"
Blaine knew that it was a mostly rhetorical question, likely only asked because of the darkness and the late hour. And maybe a little bit of exhaustion. But he answered anyway. "I think that if she really cares for you then your mom wouldn't scare her off. She wouldn't scare me away from Sebastian." Blaine told himself that was a lie, just part of their charade.
"Yeah, or she'll not be scared off but think less of me. Meh, it's fine. I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this. I'm sorry. I'm glad you're dating Sebastian. That's really all I wanted to say," Tyler said, starting to sound a little embarrassed now.
"No problem. I don't mind talking if you want anytime." Blaine knew what it was like to sometimes just need to talk to whoever was there. He'd done his own share of talking to his roommate in the middle of the night with the lights off at Dalton. It didn't happen often and he was always embarrassed after but it was sometimes necessary. "And, if she knows you at all, she should know that you're not your mother, that you're different."
Tyler shrugged, pushing himself away from the counter and nodding. "Thanks. You know, thanks. It's just… seeing you here, you know? I mentioned it to Haley, that's my girlfriend's name, and she asked why I didn't invite her and I was trying to explain it to her. I didn't think that Sebastian would've actually brought somebody and certainly not somebody… who got along with the family. Sebastian's taste is sometimes kind of out there."
Although he figured that as his boyfriend, Blaine should probably defend Sebastian, he also knew the other boy. Sebastian's tastes were out there sometimes. "Well, maybe next time," he said, not thinking about the fact that there wouldn't be a next time. This wasn't real. Blaine looked down at his water glass.
Seeming to sense a shift in the mood, Tyler cleared his throat. "I should head to bed. Thanks for talking, I guess. And sorry for unloading all of this on you again. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Blaine murmured, biting his lip and looking at his glass for another few minutes before heading back to bed himself.
Sebastian was warm when he woke up. That was his first thought. His second was that his curtains must hate him because the beam of light from where they weren't quite closed was right on his face. His third thought was that there was a body wrapped around his own. He froze, opening his eyes, glad he did before he could throw the other boy off. Normally his hook-ups would've been rudely told that they should've left in the night.
But it wasn't a hook-up. It was Blaine. Blaine who was cuddled as close as he could possibly be, breath warm against Sebastian's neck and leg in between Sebastian's. Why didn't it surprise Sebastian that Blaine was a cuddler?
The idea shouldn't make Sebastian smile but he couldn't help it, burying his face in the pillow on the off-chance somebody might see him. When he was sure he was composed, he lifted his head, beginning a slow shift of his body so he could turn in Blaine's hold without waking him up. Blaine might be embarrassed by how close they were but Sebastian wasn't bothered by it.
Even if it wasn't something he normally did, it felt different with Blaine. A lot felt different with Blaine. Although he wouldn't have admitted it, Sebastian had been concerned about Blaine fitting in with his family, worried he'd be too nervous or too high-strung. Sebastian had worried for nothing. But then, Blaine was an excellent actor.
With nobody else around except Blaine, who was obviously fast asleep, Sebastian let himself observe Blaine as he slept. It wasn't the kind of thing he normally did. Sebastian had no patience for sweet gestures, not when his bedmates tended to be one-night stands and not ones he liked having in his bed in the morning.
Not, of course, that Sebastian wanted Blaine in his bed in the mornings. This was just convenience. Of course, Sebastian would like Blaine in bed. He'd told him that repeatedly. But that was it. Sebastian wasn't a fan of relationships, not when there were so many options out there. Why ruin a good thing?
Sebastian chewed on the inside of his lip, hearing a bump from the top of the stairs and he jumped. Fake relationship or not, he was not tolerating his family teasing him over this. As carefully as he could, Sebastian extracted himself from Blaine's hold, not wanting to wake him up even if he was needing to get away from him.
As soon as he was out of the bed, he stretched, yawned, rubbed his eyes a little and went to get dressed and wash his face. He wasn't necessarily a morning person but it was vacation and he didn't see most of these family members all the time.
Of course, as soon as he was ready and got to the kitchen, he realized that his mother was the only one awake. She was sitting near the open sliding door, coffee mug in one hand and a novel in the other, although she seemed to be looking towards the beach instead of reading.
Sebastian made his own cup of coffee with a small amount of cream and sugar before he sat down across from her, taking a sip and enjoying the simple presence of his mother. Like his siblings, he'd never admit how much he missed his parents. Sebastian talked a big game at school but the truth was that he was close to his parents, always had been.
"Blaine's sweet. A little shy, though," Amy said, glancing over at her son with a smile on her face that made Sebastian just a little bit suspicious. He braced himself for the 'but' since he was sure it was going to come. "He's exactly the kind of boy I always thought you'd bring home. I'm excited to spend more time with him."
Sebastian's eyes widened and then his brows lowered in confusion because that didn't sound like a 'but' to him. "You… expected me to bring home a guy like him? I've never dated anybody like Blaine before." Not that Sebastian had ever really dated before. He'd gone on dates with boys before but had never been any sorts of official with them.
"Oh, I know what you do at school," Amy said, waving her hand dismissively and Sebastian's cheeks flushed just a little bit. He wasn't embarrassed about it but he didn't exactly want to be discussing it with his mother. "But I also know you. You may have fun with those boys but you wouldn't be content with them forever and you certainly wouldn't bring some bar hook-up to meet me."
"Mom," Sebastian said, wrinkling his nose at his mother's phrasing. He took a drink of his coffee to give himself a minute to think. He didn't like lying to them, not really, no matter what he'd said to Blaine. Morally it didn't bother him but personally? Emotionally? Sebastian pretended he didn't have those but unfortunately for him, he did. He just tried to hide it and most of the time he succeeded. He was sure most of his classmates believed he didn't care about anybody. "I don't like you talking about hook-ups."
Amy tried to hide her amused smile behind her coffee cup but Sebastian still saw it. "Honey, what have me and your father always said? If you're old enough to do it, you need to be old enough to talk about it. And you know that me and your father used to be teenagers too."
Sebastian groaned, wondering what he'd done in his life to deserve this. He sometimes wished that he had the glamorous, no personal relationships life that his classmates thought he had. It was why he kept his family secret from them all. It wasn't true, though, and honestly, he knew he'd never really hope they were gone. "I don't need to know that you and Dad used to hook-up. With each other or other people."
Laughing, Amy shook her head, reaching out to pat Sebastian's hand. "I wasn't a hook-up kind," she said, ignoring what he'd just said to her. "Your dad was, though. You remind me a lot of him, actually. Pretending to be so cool and collected and act like you have no feelings. Don't be afraid to show Blaine the truth, though."
"I'm not pretending anything," Sebastian lied, another sip of coffee as he looked out over the water. The beach was starting to fill up, children running through the sand, couples walking hand in hand, surfers starting to try to catch the waves. "I'm sure Dad doesn't show you everything, though."
"You'd be surprised, honey," Amy responded easily.
The two fell into a companionable silence, Amy seemingly satisfied with her words and Sebastian thinking through them. He supposed they would be a lot more valuable if he actually was dating Blaine but he wasn't. There was no reason for Blaine to see any other sides of Sebastian.
They were joined by a few others as the hour passed, his uncle starting breakfast for everybody. Midway through breakfast being made, Blaine joined them, dressed casually in swim trunks and a t-shirt that Sebastian had to look away from because he thought Blaine looked way too attractive. His mom smiled, standing up with a quiet excuse about needing more coffee and telling Blaine to take her seat.
He tried to politely refuse but she convinced him while Sebastian watched them, smirking a little bit because he knew Blaine was going to lose.
"How'd you sleep?" Sebastian asked when Blaine was settled, his own mug of coffee in his hand, steam swirling around him and a content smile on his face.
Blaine shrugged, leaning his head back and smiling over at Sebastian sleepily. How was he so effortlessly sexy? If Sebastian didn't find him so gorgeous, he might be annoyed by it. "Okay. I don't sleep well in a new place but it was fine. Excited for today. How about you? I hope I didn't cuddle too much."
Sebastian cleared his throat to keep from smirking, not wanting to make Blaine uncomfortable. He imagined he could still feel Blaine's body pressed against his own. "It was fine. You know I've been trying to get you into bed since I met you."
"That is completely different," Blaine said with a quiet laugh, a blush staining his cheeks as he looked out over the water instead.
"Well then, yes, I definitely felt your dick but don't stress about it. I'm not complaining."
The blush became even more intense as Blaine groaned, refusing to meet Sebastian's eyes. Sebastian couldn't help but laugh, sliding his thumb along his mug. There was no response from Blaine, just that flush so Sebastian turned out to look at the water as well.
More people than Blaine had expected had wanted to walk with them to the pier. Some of them, like Sebastian's cousin Calli, weren't paying an ounce of attention to them. But his other cousins, the ones who had arrived last, wouldn't stop asking him questions. Blaine had a feeling a lot of them were because they wanted to harass Sebastian but he was finding that he didn't mind.
Joe, Sebastian's youngest cousin on the trip, was skipping along with Blaine. He was only 10 and he was solidly in the realm of wanting to do childish things. Blaine felt rather bad for him since even his sister, Sally, only two years older than him, would rather hang out with the older cousins.
"So, Sebastian said you two are in choir together. What do you sing? What kind of music do you like? I don't like singing but I like listening to music," Joe said, nearly all in one breath, even as he was jumping around in the sand.
Sebastian was chatting casually with his sister, Belle, and he looked so at ease in his shorts, t-shirt and sandals. Blaine never thought he'd see the day that Sebastian wore something so casual but he fit in completely with the rest of them.
"We are in show choir. I like all different kinds of music," Blaine said, knowing that Joe was only half-listening to him. "Sebastian loves boy bands though. Well, all pop acts, really."
That seemed to get Joe's full attention, the boy nearly tripping on the sand as he glanced over at Blaine. "Really? What kind of boy bands?"
Blaine smiled innocently as Sebastian looked over at the two of them. "One Direction, mainly. But he likes them all. I have certainly heard him singing Spice Girls in the shower."
Joe's eyes went wide and that seemed to be exactly what he'd been looking for in his conversation. He bounded his way over to Sebastian and Belle, humming Wannabe under his breath. Blaine didn't feel the least bit guilty about sharing that fact.
He jumped, though, when he felt an arm over his shoulders.
"I hope that Sebastian loves you because if not, I think he's going to kill you when we get back to the beach house," Tyler said, patting Blaine's shoulder as if he thought that Blaine wasn't long for this life.
Blaine laughed, looking over and seeing Sebastian shoot him an annoyed glance. No doubt because of Joe's torment. "He shouldn't hide his love of pop music. Nothing to be ashamed of," Blaine said with a grin in Sebastian's direction. Sebastian rolled his eyes before focusing back on his sister and cousin.
"I'm not sure that Sebastian is going to agree considering I don't think that Joe will stop singing Spice Girls the rest of the day."
"Sebastian likes Spice Girls," Blaine joked, grinning as Tyler laughed so hard he had to pull his arm off Blaine's shoulder to brace himself.
Once he'd caught his breath, Tyler nodded, looking over at Blaine with a newfound appreciation in his eyes. Blaine thought that he and Tyler could really get along in the future… then his heart panged because there wasn't going to be a future. Blaine and Sebastian would go back to Dalton, Sebastian would tell his family that they had broken up sometime in the future and that would be that.
That was the way it would go. Blaine and Sebastian would still be friends, most likely, but not even the type that Sebastian would introduce at Warblers championships. Sebastian would proposition him, they would work together for the Warblers, but Blaine certainly wouldn't be coming on vacations with his family anymore.
Which was fine. Blaine had his own family. And he loved his family. He wouldn't change them for a thing. Except, of course, that Sebastian's family was a welcome change. They were a loud bunch and Blaine was feeling a little overwhelmed but… they were fun too. They were welcoming. And Blaine loved it.
"You okay?" Sebastian asked and Blaine jumped, looking up, not having realized that Tyler had walked away and Sebastian had joined him.
Blaine looked over, seeing that Tyler was dancing with Joe to the Spice Girls instead and he smiled. "I'm okay. Just tired," Blaine said which was only half a lie.
And while he did recognize the lie, Sebastian didn't call him on it, or know enough to know why Blaine was lying. Instead, he reached down, grabbing Blaine's hand in a way that surprised the other boy. Blaine had thought he'd be the one initiating the hand-holding… although he supposed that everybody kept glancing at them so that was probably why.
"Want some ice cream?"
Blaine looked over, biting his lip as he realized that Sebastian was actually concerned about him. It was sweet. Not necessarily unexpected but certainly appreciated. Blaine nodded, following along as they headed towards the ice cream stand at the end of the pier. He just listened to the cousins around him, still holding Sebastian's hand. He heard the words 'Spice Girls,' 'family tradition,' and 'please can we swim later?' although he wasn't paying close enough attention to figure out who was who.
He was too busy enjoying the feeling of Sebastian's hand in his as the other boy bought them both ice creams.
"I'm starving. You ready for lunch?" Sebastian asked, leaning against the railing on the end of the pier.
Blaine wasn't necessarily surprised. They'd walked up and down the pier twice now, separating multiple times. The girls had all stopped to look through the jewelry stalls, even Calli had put her phone down to try on various necklaces. The kids had stopped with Tyler to play games in the arcade. And Blaine had looked for souvenirs for his parents but he hadn't found anything that he really wanted to get them.
"Yeah. Should we meet with everybody else?" Blaine asked, looking over and he really shouldn't have. Sebastian had bought a pair of sunglasses after forgetting his back at the house and not wanting to walk back for them. He had them on right now and with the sun beating down on him, he looked like a movie star.
Blaine often thought that Sebastian was a little too much for Ohio but he knew it right then. Sebastian was destined for big things.
"Nah. I'll send a text to them and they can meet us if they want to. I was just thinking something fast. Unless you want to sit down."
"No," Blaine said quickly because it was only halfway through the day and he was already tired. He didn't need some nice lunch right then. All he wanted was some boardwalk corn dog… or no, he had a feeling that Sebastian would make a lewd comment on that. Maybe something else. A slice of pizza. "I'm fine with just something quick."
Sebastian nodded, pushing himself away from the railing and turning away. A smile formed on his lips and Blaine followed his gaze to see that Belle was coming towards them, seashell jewelry around her neck and on her wrist. The way Sebastian was with his family continued being sweet to Blaine. Even Joe, who had sung the same few words of Spice Girls lyrics had been dealt with good-naturedly.
It was a completely different Sebastian than Blaine saw at school.
"Look what I got!" Belle said, twirling to show off the jewelry even though that prevented them from really seeing them.
Sebastian smiled indulgently, though, nodding his head. It was an expression that Blaine wasn't used to and he thought it was too adorable for his own good. "They look really nice," Sebastian said, taking a step forward and then stilling when Belle squealed.
"Wait, hold on! You two look really cute with the sun back there! Let me take a picture," Belle said, pulling her phone out of her pocket and fiddling with the screen.
Sebastian glanced over at Blaine, raising an eyebrow with a question in his eye. Blaine assumed the question and nodded his agreement to having his picture taken with Sebastian. This wouldn't be a memory anybody would want to keep, Blaine knew. It wasn't like they were really a couple. But he figured it wouldn't hurt to make Belle happy with a picture.
Belle bounced on her toes when Sebastian nodded at her, stepping back and towards Blaine. It was cute, actually, to see the teenager so excited about her older brother's relationship. Blaine tried to concentrate on that, how endearing that was, instead of the way that Sebastian stepped closer to him.
In an almost mocking fashion, Sebastian looped an arm around Blaine's waist, pushing his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. Blaine breathed, in and out, not sure if he was hot from the sun shining down on them or Sebastian's body against his own. He knew that Sebastian was only doing this for his sister which was actually just as sweet as anything to Blaine.
"Aw," Belle said, tilting her phone a little bit so she could catch the sky in the back a little better.
At his side, Sebastian groaned but didn't move and Blaine wondered just how often Belle made them all take pictures like this. "Belle-"
He was interrupted as his sister bounced a little, taking a step forward. "Okay, hold on. How about facing each other?" Belle asked, wiggling the phone in her hand.
"Belle, we're not doing a photo shoot for your Instagram," Sebastian snapped and Belle frowned.
Then she pushed her lower lip out in a pout that was obviously contrived. Blaine was the younger sibling in his family so he understood exactly what it was like to sometimes use that sort of card, even if it rarely worked on his much older brother. Sebastian huffed out a breath of frustration.
"I never get to see you! I just want some fun pictures to show off to everybody of my glamorous brother and his boyfriend. And besides, these are fun memories," Belle said, every word sounding like it came from one breath.
Blaine had to bite the inside of his cheek when Sebastian groaned again, louder this time, before turning to face him and wrapping his arms around his waist.
"This is ridiculous," Sebastian said, narrowing his eyes when he felt the way that Blaine was shaking, trying not to laugh. "This isn't funny."
"It's a little funny. It feels like a prom photo with 500 tourists staring at us," Blaine murmured before giving Belle a smile so she could take the picture.
After a few shutter sounds came from her phone, Belle adjusted her angle again. "Okay, now kiss! It'll be perfect."
Blaine's face paled and Sebastian's hold on him tightened, his eyes suddenly searching Blaine's. He had assured Blaine that they didn't have to make out and while Blaine hadn't believed him at the time, he had gotten comfortable today. He'd thought that they really would get away with some hand holding.
Blaine could tell by Sebastian's hesitation that the taller boy wasn't going to force the issue. Blaine knew that Sebastian wasn't like that. He also knew that if they refused to kiss it would be incredibly suspicious and Blaine didn't want any more eyes on them from the family. Blaine swallowed hard, looking up at Sebastian and it wasn't like he didn't want to kiss him.
All Blaine wanted sometimes was to kiss him. He didn't let himself because he knew where kissing would lead. While he was sure that sharing a bed with Sebastian would be incredible, it wasn't enough for Blaine. Not when Blaine wanted this all to be real.
"It's okay," Blaine breathed because there were no excuses. They both knew that this wasn't real, even as Blaine reached up, one hand cupping Sebastian's cheek, the other resting over his heart. "Kiss me."
Sebastian stared at him a moment longer, seeming to make sure that Blaine wasn't lying. The consideration, something that he knew Sebastian would never admit to out loud, had Blaine's heart melting. If Sebastian wanted something more, if this really was real, Blaine had a feeling he would be an amazing boyfriend.
No use thinking about that. That was just torture.
Instead of thinking about it, Blaine just pushed himself up on his toes, feeling as Sebastian leaned down at the same time. They met in the middle, their lips pressed together and Blaine tried to prevent his heart from pounding too hard. This wasn't his first kiss by far but it was his most public kiss, the first one with a boy that he'd had a crush on for so many months like this.
Even if it wasn't real. That didn't matter. It felt real with Sebastian's fingers touching under the hem of his t-shirt, his tongue sweeping along his lips until Blaine parted them. Blaine didn't even spare a thought for Belle, didn't pay any attention to the shutter sound from the phone or the people milling around them. It seemed that Sebastian wasn't either, pressing closer to him.
"Okay, okay, now you're just doing that on purpose to be gross!" Belle snapped, sounding more amused than anything.
Blaine immediately pulled back, smiling as Sebastian chased his lips, obviously unwilling to let the kiss end. With a little thrill, Blaine pushed with the hand on Sebastian's chest. "We're scarring your sister," Blaine murmured, unable to help himself as he pressed one more kiss to Sebastian's lips.
Once they were apart enough that Blaine could see, he felt his entire body heating up. Sebastian's eyes were bright with want, lips pink and he licked them carefully, as if cherishing the taste of Blaine. Blaine was fairly certain he was doing it on purpose and it wasn't fair.
"She asked for it," Sebastian said, his thumb rubbing slow circles on Blaine's back underneath his shirt and smirking when Blaine shivered.
Blaine's cheeks flushed as he more firmly pushed Sebastian away this time, looking over at Belle. The teenager had obviously gotten fed up with them, staring at her phone instead. "Okay, anyway, I believe I was promised lunch."
"I could give you something better than lunch if you want to go back to the house," Sebastian muttered, not loud enough for his sister to hear.
Eyes going wide, Blaine laughed, smacking his chest, even as he swayed towards the other boy, desire welling deep in his chest. "Hush and buy me food."
"And not even getting anything out of it," Sebastian teased but he reached down, grabbing Blaine's hand and moving towards his sister to pull on her ponytail. "Did you get a good enough picture for your Instagram?"
Belle nodded immediately, showing off one of the photos that she had taken and oh. Blaine thought his heart was stopping, butterflies having a party in his stomach. It really was a beautiful picture. They were holding each other as if they cared about each other, eyes closed, kissing each other deeply with the gorgeous skyline behind them.
If this was real, Blaine would be cooing over the picture, maybe teasing Sebastian over it. As it was, he couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed by it.
Not real, he reminded himself, not real not real not real.
They were all lazy from a long day. Even the ones who hadn't gone to the pier had done their own things with the day. The younger ones were splashing in the water with Josh and Jack, the two fathers doing as much splashing as their kids. Blaine yawned, stretching out onto the blanket as he rolled over onto his side, propping himself up and looking at Sebastian. The other boy grinned at him, lowering the phone he was typing on.
"Sexting a guy back home?" Blaine asked, something he typically would've said at home. It was hard to avoid the topic back in Ohio because Sebastian was never subtle about things.
Sebastian rolled his eyes, holding out his phone so Blaine could see the text message thread. It was about Lacrosse and Blaine shrugged his shoulders, rolling onto his back again.
"It's not like you're not sexting on a regular basis," Blaine murmured, reaching over for his book that he'd set down in between him and his fake boyfriend, on top of the novel that Sebastian kept getting distracted from
Sebastian frowned, reaching out to grab Blaine's wrist before the other boy could reach the book, holding onto it until Blaine looked up at him. "I'm not going to risk my family seeing me sext somebody while I'm supposedly with you. Besides, I don't particularly need to get turned on while on the beach today. Unless you want to head down the beach…"
"Shut up," Blaine said with a laugh, pulling his hand away from him and crossing his arms over his chest. He couldn't help the way he did feel gratified by Sebastian's words. He had no right to feel jealous over Sebastian being with other boys except the lines blurring in his mind.
With a smirk, Sebastian shrugged, tossing his phone onto the towel and feigning a yawn. With that, he lifted up his arms, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it on top of his phone. Blaine averted his eyes quickly. He'd seen Sebastian shirtless easily a dozen times before, at his lacrosse games or when Sebastian wanted to be particularly annoying. But it was different with the sun beating down on them and his taste still on Blaine's lips.
Blaine pointedly ignored him as Sebastian grabbed the sunscreen, knowing that the other boy just liked getting under his skin. Instead, he watched Jack chasing Ben around, trying not to feel too jealous over it. His father had never really been like that, too uptight to play in the water or run around with his kids. He'd let their mother focus on playing the fun parent, instead choosing to be the disciplinarian.
"Are you two hungry?"
Blaine jumped, glancing up and smiling at Sebastian's mother. He shook his head as Sebastian answered. "No thanks, Mom. We ate a ton over on the pier. And had ice cream. And I bought the kids candy. Probably had too much."
That was an understatement considering how much candy that Sebastian had actually bought his sister and cousins with just a quiet 'please' from them but Blaine didn't say that out loud.
"Okay, if you change your mind, there's sandwich supplies in the kitchen. Nobody wanted to turn on the oven since it's already so hot," Amy said, resting a gentle hand on Sebastian's shoulder and then Blaine's. "Did you have fun on the pier, Blaine? I don't remember asking if you'd ever been to California before."
"Never like this. Just to visit my brother," Blaine explained, sitting up a little so he could talk to Amy. Blaine had always been the type to be comfortable talking to nearly everybody, including adults, so this wasn't much different.
The Smythe's, besides Cori, all made it incredibly easy anyway.
Amy nodded, sitting down in one of the chairs set up around them, glancing over at her son and then focusing her attention on Blaine. "This weekend, on Friday and Saturday night, we'll build a bonfire. It'll be a nice farewell to vacation. Sebastian's always looked forward to it."
"I'm sure Belle will insist on taking several dozen pictures for Instagram."
"Don't act like you don't spoil that girl rotten," Amy responded to her son with a laugh, turning to Blaine with a playful smile. "I got pregnant with Belle surprisingly fast after Sebastian was born so he was only a year old when she was born. He was the perfect big brother, always wanting to play with her or patting her. He was a bit spoiled, of course, needed plenty of one-on-one attention but he loved her immediately."
Sebastian wrinkled his nose at their side as Blaine gave him a soft smile. "You're ruining my reputation, Mom."
"If your boyfriend doesn't know how capable you are of being a caring person then you and I are going to have a long talk," Amy responded easily, shooting Blaine a secret wink. He couldn't help the smile he gave her back, intrigued at her words and believing them wholeheartedly after seeing Sebastian with his siblings and cousins.
Amy seemed to be willing to give her son a break, though, changing the subject to Blaine's family instead. He told her about his mother's make-up business, Cooper's acting. Sebastian occasionally interjected but he seemed content to just sit with them silently.
After a while, they fell into companionable silence and Amy was coerced by her younger son into the water. She didn't bother taking off her sundress, laughing as she joined the splashing they were doing in the waves.
Blaine couldn't help the way he watched, having never seen his parents laugh the way that the Smythe's were. It made him smile without even realizing it until he felt Sebastian hook his chin over Blaine's shoulder.
"Are you staring or avoiding Cori's glare?" Sebastian asked softly, breath warm against Blaine's skin. Blaine tensed, surprised by the closeness. He hadn't even noticed that they'd been joined by more family. Tyler was smirking at the two of them from behind his cell phone as Cori chatted with Calli, glancing over at the two of them every once in a while.
"Your parents are sweet. I didn't even notice Cori had come out," Blaine murmured in response, forcing himself to relax as he leaned into Sebastian's hold.
Obviously not having expected that, Sebastian adjusted a little so he could hold Blaine easier, his chest pressed to Blaine's back, one leg curved behind him, the other at his side. "My parents are that grossly sweet couple that still get caught making out like children on the couch," Sebastian responded, sounding like a typical teenager who wasn't thrilled with their parents being like that.
Blaine didn't know how to respond because he'd never had that experience. Instead, he let himself relax against Sebastian's chest, turning his head a little bit so he could rest his forehead against Sebastian's cheek. "I'm going to end the week with a sunburn," he said, changing the subject. He could pretend that wanting to be close to him was just acting.
Sebastian tilted his head to brush his lips across Blaine's temple, his voice soft in Blaine's ear. "Want me to grab the sunscreen? I'd be happy to help you apply it," he murmured.
Blaine closed his eyes tight, shivers up his spine and goosebumps erupting on his body. There was something about having Sebastian so close, whispering in his ear. Blaine had never been touched like this before, not really. Sebastian's hand rested on Blaine's stomach, fingers splayed as he kept Blaine close.
It wasn't real, Blaine told himself, tilting his body and his head back so he could look at Sebastian over his shoulder.
"We're under the umbrella. I'm fine for now."
"You could still get sunburned under here," Sebastian murmured, his eyes darting over to where Cori, Calli and Tyler were sitting. Then he smiled, tilting his head up. "They're watching us. I'm going to kiss you again."
Blaine drew in a sharp breath through his teeth. He heard the words that Sebastian said but they didn't quite register in his mind. Sebastian gave him a few moments, waiting for a protest before leaning in. Blaine jerked against him, so surprised by the movement even with Sebastian having warned him. Sebastian made a low sound of pain in his throat at Blaine's teeth against his mouth and leaned back just a touch, obviously seeing that Blaine wasn't ready to kiss him.
But Blaine was more than ready to kiss him. Even if he'd been paying attention, if he'd comprehended the words, he still wouldn't have moved away.
"Sorry," Blaine murmured before he surged forward not letting Sebastian break the kiss, gentler against his lips this time.
This time Sebastian groaned, leaning forward further so that he could access Blaine's lips better. Blaine's lips parted against Sebastian's, his hand sliding down to tangle their fingers together over Blaine's skin. This was never the type of person that Blaine was. Sebastian had mentioned making out on the beach and Blaine had shut down but it was different right here.
It was different with the butterflies fluttering in his stomach underneath their tangled fingers. With Sebastian's lips, body, soft and warm against him. Blaine thought he might fall apart except he knew that he couldn't, Sebastian wouldn't let him.
"On the beach, Sebastian, really? In front of the children?"
Sebastian rolled his eyes, pulling back just enough to be able to look at his aunt. "I'm sure that you wouldn't care if Blaine was a cute girl," Sebastian said carelessly. Blaine expected that to be the end, for Sebastian to let things go.
Or, if anything, he thought that Sebastian would press his lips to Blaine's again. Instead, Blaine glimpsed a mischievous look in his fake boyfriend's eyes and then Sebastian was pressing his lips to Blaine's jaw.
"Sebastian!"
Blaine knew that if he wanted to push Sebastian away then the other boy would move. But… this was just once. Why not take a risk? Blaine squeezed Sebastian's hand gently, closing his eyes and letting Sebastian press a few sucking kisses down his neck. The heat he was feeling had nothing to do with the sun.
"Cori, leave Sebastian and his boyfriend alone," Josh said from next to them, sounding exasperated. "And Sebastian, you're on a beach. There are children around and I would be saying the same thing if you were with a girl."
With obvious great reluctance, Sebastian pulled away, looking just as desirable as he had when they'd kissed earlier. "Sorry, Dad. I couldn't help myself," Sebastian said and he sounded so honest, his free hand coming up to just caress Blaine's cheek. Blaine tightened his hold on Sebastian's other hand, biting the inside of his cheek hard.
Blaine couldn't fall asleep. All he could think about was their multiple kisses over the day. Just over a day in California, pretending to be Sebastian's boyfriend, and Blaine had lost all sense. Sure, as they'd gone inside, had dinner and then watched movies with the cousins, they'd sat next to each other on the couch but they'd refrained from touching each other more.
Now, Blaine couldn't sleep because of it even though the two had gone to bed easily half an hour prior.
The room was silent, save for the sound of their breathing and occasional shifting before Sebastian sighed, as if he'd lost an internal argument with himself, and he rolled over to face Blaine.
"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked, startling Blaine in the darkness and Blaine snapped his eyes open. Soft moonlight coming from the break in the curtains was the only light but Blaine looked anyway. He could still see the soft curves of Sebastian's face, the brightness of his eyes. "Truthfully okay. Because if you're not for whatever reason, we don't need to continue this."
Blaine bit his lip but he didn't even really need to think about it. Even with all of his thoughts, even knowing this might hurt in the end, he knew the answer. "No, I'm okay. Are you okay?"
Sebastian laughed in a way that could be mocking, reaching out a hand and touching Blaine's cheek in a way that made Blaine blush. He was thankful that Sebastian couldn't see it in the dim light in the room. "I didn't almost knock your teeth out when I kissed you."
"That was an accident. You surprised me," Blaine said, feeling strangely cold as Sebastian pulled his hand away. He knew that there was no real reason for Sebastian to be touching him but he had liked it a lot. There was nobody to act in front of. "I kissed you back, didn't I?"
Sebastian tilted his head and Blaine frowned, wondering if he was imagining the mischievous look in Sebastian's eyes. "I warned you first. And you did kiss me back. It was hilarious to see Aunt Cori so angry."
Blaine groaned, turning his face into the pillow because that had been almost as embarrassing as knocking his jaw against Sebastian's mouth. He'd been distracted during the kiss but immediately after, realizing that everybody was looking at them, had been awful. "You really enjoy tormenting your aunt, don't you?"
"No. I really enjoy kissing you," Sebastian responded easily and Blaine looked up, knowing his blush was still there.
Blaine knew it was a dumb idea, that this was going to end up doing awful things to his heart, but he wasn't thinking about any of the consequences. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to Sebastian's again. Sebastian didn't say anything about it, kissing him back easily, as if it was only natural for them to be laying in bed kissing like their lives depended on it.
There was no touching under the blankets, not the way that Blaine thought Sebastian would try to take advantage. Instead, Sebastian reached up, one hand cupping Blaine's cheek, the other tangling in his curls. Blaine groaned softly against Sebastian's lips, both hands curling in the front of Sebastian's shirt.
The kiss started off strong but didn't last, their lips moving lazily against each other before it felt like just a soft grazing touch.
"If I'd know that the making out was on the table, I would've started kissing you this morning," Sebastian mumbled against Blaine's lips, sounding tired.
"It's vacation. I guess we can have some fun with it," Blaine whispered back, trying to look confident as Sebastian pulled back to look at him.
Sebastian searched his eyes in the darkness before he smiled, leaning in to kiss him one more time before reaching down to take Blaine's hands instead. "Perfect," Sebastian murmured before letting go of Blaine and rolling away from him.
Blaine breathed out, feeling shaky, wondering if he'd just made a mistake. That thought kept him up for several more hours.
