Nobody else noticed anything was wrong which Blaine was grateful for. They all moved around each other, playing in the sand, playing board games, spending time together, but nobody seemed to notice that Blaine and Sebastian were moving in different circles. Or, half the time, Sebastian was avoiding him, the other half, he was getting closer to Blaine, sitting close enough that their bodies were touching.
If Blaine wasn't so annoyed, it might've been amusing. But he was trying to hold himself closer, trying to not want Sebastian quite as much as he did. It was hard when Sebastian was getting so close, nuzzling against his neck as they sat in the sand.
Blaine didn't outright push him away, simply said 'not right now' and went to play in the water with Ben and Tyler. It wasn't fair. God, Blaine knew that it wasn't fair. It didn't stop him, though. He couldn't help but feel melancholy every time he was around Sebastian and he didn't want Sebastian to notice.
The closer that Sebastian tried to get to him, though, the more that Blaine withdrew. He should've known that Sebastian wouldn't just give up or put up with it. But he let himself imagine that it might happen, that Sebastian would just let them finish the vacation and try to preserve their friendship.
Blaine would hate if, after all of this time liking Sebastian, that their friendship was finally ruined over this.
It was shortly after lunch on the patio that it all came to a head. Blaine was sitting next to Sebastian, chatting casually with Tyler about the Harry Potter movies. They were mostly done with their lunch, Blaine was just casually picking at the fruit left on his plate, but their conversations kept them there.
Without a word, or any warning, Sebastian reached out to rest his hand on top of Blaine's, sliding his fingers through his. Blaine didn't think, just pulled away, because that's what he was doing, that's what he normally did when Sebastian did things like that at Dalton. But he didn't think about how everybody was at the table, how they were looking at him, and when Blaine glanced up at Sebastian, he realized that the other boy was thinking about it. Sebastian was staring at him with annoyed eyes, a challenge in his gaze.
"Are you two okay?" Belle asked from across the table and they both turned to look at her.
Blaine felt a chill slide up his spine as he realized what a mistake he'd just made. He grabbed half a strawberry on his plate, as if that's why he'd pulled away rom Sebastian and nodded. "We're fine," Blaine told her, bumping his shoulder against Sebastian's.
Tyler was looking between the two and Blaine saw when Sebastian's eyes met Tyler's, when the anger seemed to fill Sebastian's gaze. Blaine had no idea why that was. He knew why Sebastian was angry at him but what did Tyler have to do with anything? Surprised and irritated, Blaine leaned away from Sebastian, closer to Tyler this time and the anger morphed quickly to a hot fury.
"Are we?" Sebastian asked sharply, making the rest of those who weren't paying attention to them look over.
The weather was nice over them but Blaine couldn't feel even the sun beating down on them right then. He opened and then closed his mouth, preparing to say something, to defend himself, or to act like everything was fine between them but nothing came out.
Realizing his dilemma, Tyler laughed, trying to release the tension in the air. "It's okay that your boyfriend likes me more than you. Don't worry. You two are fine," Tyler said, something that Blaine couldn't recognize in his voice.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching and he laughed. It was a laugh that Blaine recognized, something cynical and dark in it.
Blaine turned completely towards him. "We're fine, right?" Blaine asked and Sebastian rounded on him.
"Are we, Blaine? No, I don't think that we are. Considering you're here flirting with my cousin."
Blaine's eyes went wide as he realized exactly what Sebastian had said. The table around them was silent, Sebastian's parents at the other end of the table joining everybody else in staring at them. Blaine cleared his throat, a flush on his cheeks. "That's really rich for you to say," Blaine muttered, too angry and embarrassed to defend himself. Instead, he went on the offensive.
"What are you talking about? I haven't flirted with anybody besides you the entire trip and you've been doing nothing but flirting with Tyler. And today, you'll barely even look at me," Sebastian snapped. Blaine was curious why that was such a big deal but he was so angry that he couldn't even mention it.
"I saw you yesterday. At that shop. If I hadn't been here, you obviously would've just hooked up with him. Same as you always do on vacation," Blaine responded, wishing more than anything that they weren't doing this during lunch in front of Sebastian's family. If Sebastian was going to attack him this way, he could've at least not done it right now.
But they were here and Blaine wasn't going to back down. He knew what he saw.
Sebastian laughed, rolling his eyes. "You've got to be joking. I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't going to hook up with him. And you've been flirting with Tyler all week."
"We're not flirting, okay?" Tyler snapped and everybody turned to look at him instead. Blaine shook his head, trying to say that Tyler didn't need to interject just because Sebastian was being an asshole. "I have a girlfriend, Sebastian. One that I wasn't ready to meet my crazy family and Blaine's been helping me come to terms with that."
"Maybe you two should take this somewhere private," Amy said, standing up from her spot at the end of the table.
Sebastian stared at Blaine for a long moment. There was something that Blaine couldn't recognize in his eyes but outwardly, he was only showing fury. "No need. I have no desire to speak to him."
"Really? That's the game you're going to play?" Blaine snapped, knowing that he should just let it go. They should fight somewhere else. Blaine didn't even know what they were really fighting about. Him not even flirting with Tyler? "Because you're annoyed that I'm not talking to you and now you don't want to talk to me?"
"Well, it was my idea for you to show up here playing as my boyfriend, wasn't it?"
If Blaine thought it was silent before, he could hear his heart pounding in his ears now. They were all looking at them, with varying degrees of emotion. Blaine looked over at Tyler and he was just looking up at Blaine with sympathy.
"Sebastian, what are you talking about?" Amy asked, something careful in her tone.
Sebastian turned on her, crossing his arms over his chest as Blaine stood up, not sure even why. "I didn't want you to harass me about dating anymore so since Blaine's my friend, I asked him to come with me. We're not dating. We've never dated. We never will date. So, everybody can stop worrying about us having issues. We're not. We have nothing."
At the end of Sebastian's statement, everybody turned to Blaine and he felt his cheeks going up in flames. Tears filled his eyes as he looked down at the table, trying to think of what he wanted to say. What could he even say? The anger had left him, replaced with a deep sorrow.
He'd known that Sebastian didn't want to be with him but… the way he'd phrased it. "I know that you don't want to be with me for real but you don't need to be so damn hurtful about it," Blaine murmured and then turned, heading towards the house. He didn't stop as he walked, going out the front door and down the block. From the other side of the house, he could hear the patio door slam as Sebastian obviously made his way inside.
Blaine didn't know where he was going to go. There really was nowhere for him to go. With a sigh, he headed towards the beach, within sight of the house as he sat down in the sand and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. He had no idea how everything had fallen apart so quickly.
Tears came unbidden to his eyes and he buried his face in his knees instead, wishing he'd never come on this trip in the first place.
Sebastian was an asshole and he knew it. It hadn't been fair to confront Blaine like that but seeing him laughing with Tyler like that when he could barely even look at Sebastian? Sebastian groaned, reaching up to rub his eyes, so angry with both himself and Blaine that it was hard to even think.
He was only alone for a moment on the couch in the sunroom before he felt a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't like you," Amy said quietly and Sebastian felt even worse.
Looking up at her, Sebastian felt the startling urge to cry. He loved his mother, more than he cared to admit to his peers since it would likely ruin his image, and he was close with his parents. The idea of Amy seeing him like that, so rude to Blaine over something so stupid, had him feeling nauseous. Sebastian opened his mouth but he wasn't even sure what to answer so he only shrugged and shook his head, looking away.
Amy let out a breath, nodding and sitting down next to him. "I couldn't have been able to tell you two weren't dating. You two seem really close."
"He's probably my best friend," Sebastian whispered, not ashamed of that at all because it was the truth. Of course, his mom would notice how well they get along.
"Is that why you're so upset that he's not letting you kiss him every second today but was laughing with your favorite cousin?" Amy asked, smiling softly at Sebastian as he scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. What an oversimplification but so accurate that he hated it. Amy laughed quietly, wrapping an arm around her son. "I love you, honey, but you've never dealt with jealousy very well."
Sebastian sighed and looked up at his mother. "I'm not jealous. I'm not with Blaine."
"But do you want to be dating him?"
The question made Sebastian hesitate, biting his lower lip for a moment as he thought about it. Did he want to be with Blaine? Just the way he'd been thinking of the previous day. A friends with benefits relationship because he wanted to be friends with him. "No."
"Why?" Amy asked and Sebastian looked up at her, confused.
"What do you mean why?"
Amy raised her eyebrows, something that was amused on her face, annoying Sebastian although he very rarely snapped at his mother. "Why don't you want to be with him? It seems like you do."
"I don't-" Sebastian trailed off, unsure what there even was to say. How could he explain it to his mother? "I have fun with him. I like him a lot. Why would I want to ruin that?"
The look that his mother gave him was so serious that it actually made Sebastian's chest hurt. It was the kind of look that she gave him when she was imparting some great life lesson on him, generally before he even realized that he was going to get one. "Honey, what in the world have we shown you that makes you think you can't have fun with the person you're with?"
Sebastian looked away, swallowing hard.
But Amy didn't let him get away from it, reaching out and taking his hand, holding on tight. "Sebastian, I know you. I know that when you're at school, you do a lot of pretending. That's okay. You remind me a lot of your father. He was quite the charming playboy when I met him. But he's the best husband that I could ever ask for. We're best friends and we love each other. And I know that underneath, you have his heart."
"I just… I don't know. We're already fighting. It's easier without all these complications," Sebastian whispered and that was part of it, wasn't it? That they were already getting into such a big fight in front of his parents over some stupid… fine, Sebastian would admit that it was jealousy.
"Love's hard, honey. But I have faith in you. I'm not saying you have to ask him out. That's something you have to choose. But you should think about how you feel about him. And either way, I think you owe a few people an apology." Amy leaned in to kiss his cheek before squeezing his hand and getting up to walk away.
Sebastian stared up towards the sky, sighing softly and closing his eyes.
Blaine was sitting in the sand, toes buried in it, when Amy came to him. He looked up, cheeks flushing as he reached up to rub his eyes quickly, not wanting her to realize just how much he'd been crying. "I'm so sorry for causing a scene."
"Oh, honey, don't worry. It's not a beach trip without a big scene or another," Amy said, waving her hand dismissively, a kind smile on her face. She settled down in the sand next to him, crossing her legs underneath herself and making herself comfortable.
Blaine kind of wanted his mom in that moment but he couldn't deny that having her here was nice anyway. "Still. I wish it hadn't been me."
Amy laughed quietly. "Yes, I've been there before as a teenager. It happens."
The two sat in silence for a few moments as Blaine tried to think of what to say. What even was there to say besides the apology?
"I'm sorry too, for how Sebastian acted," Amy said after a few moments, looking over at him. She reached out, probably to gauge his reaction, before resting a hand on his shoulder. "All of it. That's not how I raised him and I'm deeply sorry for it. Do you want to talk about it?"
Blaine hesitated, not sure how to answer that. On one hand, he did want to talk about it, wanted to get somebody else's perspective. He wanted to unload, to talk about his feelings for Sebastian and how hard this was to fake things. He wanted to ask why Sebastian was so caring one moment and then blowing up at him because he was jealous the next. But it was Sebastian's mom and so he shook his head, knowing that he couldn't exactly talk to her.
"I understand. I do want you to know that we're glad that you're here. We've all had a great time with you. If you'd like to stay, we can rearrange bedding arrangements so you can finish the vacation. I can call your brother so you can stay with him for tonight or we can get you a flight back tonight, no questions asked."
Blaine sniffed, worried that he was going to cry again over her kindness. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do and he hesitated a moment too long.
Amy squeezed his shoulder gently. "Why don't you think about it? Let me know whatever you want and I'll make it happen, okay? I'll come back and check on you in a little bit."
"Thank you so much," Blaine whispered, pressing his chin against his knees again as he looked back at the water.
Amy left and Blaine breathed out, just enjoying the sun beating down, the sound of the waves crashing. He probably would go stay with Cooper until the flight home. But then, he'd have to sit with Sebastian, wouldn't he? He didn't want to do that either. He didn't want to have to deal with Sebastian at all.
That thought kept him out there, just sitting in silence until he heard footsteps behind him. Assuming it was Amy again, and still not having decided, Blaine stayed where he was.
"This is your fault, you know."
Blaine turned to look at Sebastian, eyes wide and anger filling him again. That was how he chose to start? Really? "I know that you don't apologize often but that's not how you start one," he snapped, not even sure that Sebastian was coming to apologize at all but giving the other boy the benefit of the doubt.
Sebastian sighed and there was no real anger on his face. Just something that Blaine couldn't recognize, something that looked sad. Sebastian came to sit next to him, taking the spot that Amy had sat in before and looking out at the ocean for a few moments. "It's the truth, though."
"If you're just here to botch an apology then we really don't need to talk," Blaine said, more tired than anything now.
There was silence for a few moments before Sebastian let out a breath. "Look, I'm… I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to blow up but it wasn't even really at you. You didn't need to be so offended about it."
Blaine turned to look at him, shaking his head and resisting the urge to hide his face again. He didn't want to talk about this, the jealousy and the want that Blaine felt. He'd already gotten soundly rejected. Why would he want to continue it? "You really don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?" Sebastian asked and Blaine knew that he was being purposefully obtuse.
It about drove him crazy, in a way that actually made him want to smile a little bit. "Why is it my fault, Sebastian?"
"Why wouldn't you let me touch you earlier?"
Blaine swallowed and shrugged, knowing eventually one of them was going to have to answer the other person's question. He didn't want it to be him, not right now, not in this situation.
Sebastian seemed to realize Blaine wasn't going to say anything because he reached out before stopping, pulling his hand back and resting it in his lap again instead. "Blaine… fine, okay. I was… jealous. And hurt, I guess. After the last few days, the two of us… This intimacy, the way we've been sleeping together, the way you kissed my cheek. I've never really done that with a boy, not like that, not just… being sweet instead of just sexy. And then today, you're acting like it never happened, like you can't stand the thought of me."
"Because tomorrow we're going home and it's not real. And if I keep being with you like this, it's just going to hurt even worse when we go home. You've already made it clear that you don't want me," Blaine whispered, terrified of this conversation but not looking away again. Blaine deserved better and he was going to put himself out there, even though it might be painful. The fact that Sebastian had told him that just yesterday made it hurt even worse.
"I think I've made it clear that I do want you."
Groaning, starting to get aggravated, Blaine stretched out his legs, not wanting to look like he was trying to hide himself anymore. Not when Sebastian was starting to seriously annoy him again. "Sebastian, you know what I mean. I want a relationship and you don't want to date me."
"We're best friends! I don't- I didn't want to ruin that. I thought that things would be different if we dated," Sebastian said, talking quickly, as if he had to get it all out before Blaine could argue with him. Blaine didn't even think of saying anything, though, in awe over his words as he listened to him. "I didn't want to ruin what we had. I know that sounds like a cheap excuse… but it's the truth."
Realizing that Sebastian was being open, more open than maybe he'd ever been, Blaine realized that he was going to have to as well. As embarrassing as it might be, Blaine knew he needed to admit some things. "All week, we've been getting closer and kissing you… being with you… I already had a crush before but now? I want this to be real. I want to be with you."
Sebastian looked at him carefully, tentatively reaching out to rest his hand on top of Blaine's. The touch felt like fire, making butterflies fill Blaine's stomach. "I'm an idiot. We both know that. I was… jealous. Of Tyler. Of how close you are to him. I've always kind of had this weird competitive thing with him and seeing you into him…"
"I'm not into him," Blaine murmured, just as careful as he turned his hand so that they could tangle their fingers together instead. Sebastian didn't pull away, even as his eyes flickered down to their hands instead. "Tyler's not interested in me. He wasn't lying when he said he has a girlfriend. You should talk to him, okay? Besides, he's your cousin. I wouldn't do that. I'm only interested in you."
Sebastian's gaze softened, something so affectionate taking over his face and Blaine thought he might actually melt. He never would've imagined that Sebastian could even make a face like that, let alone actually look at him like that. "Blaine, I know I don't apologize much and I really don't know how I'm going to be as a boyfriend but… you're my best friend. I don't want to lose you. I love being around you, not just making out with you. I like… holding your hand and laughing with you. Not that I don't like kissing you but I like you for… you. And I… would like you to be my boyfriend."
Blaine could barely breathe, emotions filling him as he leaned in to press a kiss to the corner of Sebastian's lips. The other boy tried to chase his lips but Blaine shook his head, needing to finish this first. "Sebastian, all I want is to be with you. I've liked you for so long but just hooking up was never going to be just enough."
Sebastian reached his free hand up to cup Blaine's cheek, caressing his skin gently with his thumb. "But hooking up is an option, right?"
Blaine laughed, shoving Sebastian playfully before grasping the front of his t-shirt to pull him in closer. This didn't even feel real. How was this really happening? But Sebastian was looking at him so seriously that Blaine knew it was real. "Eventually. You know the affect you have on me."
The Smythe smirk was never going to not give Blaine butterflies, he knew, as Sebastian leaned in to rest his forehead against Blaine's. "I do know. And you realize that I feel the same way too, right? That I've never felt this way about anybody else."
That was all Blaine needed to hear as he tilted his head to kiss Sebastian softly.
They were still kissing, heat from the sun and their hands wandering as much as they could on a public beach, when Amy came out to check on Blaine. Blaine and Sebastian flushed as she cleared her throat, smiling at the two of them.
"I'm going to guess that you're okay with staying and finishing the vacation?" Amy asked gently.
Blaine laughed, sliding his thumb along Sebastian's swollen lower lip, barely able to even breathe to answer her. "I'm going to stay."
"Always, I hope," Sebastian whispered, pressing a kiss to Blaine's thumb.
Feeling himself melting again, Blaine leaned in to kiss him, feeling badly when he heard Amy walking away but he simply couldn't help it.
Blaine leaned against Sebastian's chest, eyes closed, fingers of both hands tangled with Sebastian's as the other boy had his arms wrapped around him. The bonfire was pleasant, his lips were still sticky from marshmallows, and the feeling of Sebastian's body against his own was perfect. It was helped by the way that Sebastian kept grazing his lips across Blaine's cheek, his jaw, his neck. It wasn't meant to be sexy, just sensual and Blaine couldn't help the way he cuddled back against him.
"You look really good in the bonfire light. And I love that I can just say that when I think it now," Sebastian murmured, low enough that only Blaine could hear it.
Humming, Blaine turned his head so that he could press a kiss to Sebastian's jaw. "And I love that I can just lean up and kiss you as my boyfriend."
Sebastian squeezed him gently, stiffening a little bit and Blaine looked up. Tyler was coming to sit down next to them, looking more unsure than Blaine had seen for the entire time.
"I can-" Blaine said, moving to stand up, wanting to give the cousins a chance to talk by themselves.
"No, you don't have to go far," Tyler said, waving his hand dismissively. Blaine nodded, simply moving out of Sebastian's arms. He held onto one of Sebastian's hands, grabbing a marshmallow to roast it over the first instead. "I figured I'd give you guys a chance to figure things out before I came to talk."
"Yeah, I was going to come talk to you," Sebastian said, sighing quietly as he turned to be able to look at Tyler better. Half focusing on his marshmallow, Blaine slid his thumb along Sebastian's skin, offering what comfort he could. "I'm sorry. For being a dick to you. I know that you wouldn't flirt with my boyfriend and I shouldn't have accused you of that."
Tyler shrugged, drawing circles in the sand absentmindedly. "I wouldn't. You should know that but I get you were jealous. It's not my fault I'm the hotter cousin," Tyler said, grinning as Sebastian just rolled his eyes. Blaine was glad that Sebastian was comfortable enough that he didn't even tense next to him. "Seriously, though. I'm sorry too. I should've told you about Haley, my girlfriend. I was just nervous about telling anybody. With how crazy and awful my mom is. I happened to come across Blaine in the kitchen the first night and couldn't keep from telling him."
Sebastian nodded, playing with Blaine's fingers a little bit as he considered this new information. Blaine was pretending to not pay attention to the conversation, even though he was sure they both knew that he was. "I get it. Blaine's easy to talk to. You could've told me but then I lied to you too. I could've told you that my relationship was fake before."
That word 'before' sent a thrill through Blaine, making him smile as he turned his marshmallow around in the fire.
"Blaine, you're pretty awesome," Tyler said, dropping any pretense that he wasn't able to hear the conversation. Blaine smiled, popping the marshmallow in his mouth and turning to face the two of them. "I'm glad that you're dating Sebastian, for real now. We'll all have to stay in touch because I mean it when I say I'm planning on bringing Haley for our Christmas trip. You'll have to both come too."
Now that they were talking about less serious topics, Sebastian tugged Blaine back into his arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek as Blaine went along willingly.
"I'd love to," Blaine said, a much different answer than before. He couldn't wait, hopeful over the relationship that he and Sebastian would have.
Tyler nodded, looking just a little bit melancholy as his phone rang and he excused himself after a nod at both of them. Blaine felt a little bad about the display of their relationship when he was sure he was missing his girlfriend but not enough to pull away.
Instead, he leaned back again, making himself comfortable in Sebastian's hold. While this was new and neither of them were super experienced at dating, Blaine was confident in this. The truth was that they were best friends and they already enjoyed being around each other. So why wouldn't they enjoy dating each other?
Blaine turned his head to say something about how glad he was to be here when Sebastian leaned in. Blaine kissed him back instead, amazed at the subtle difference in the kisses between now and what it was before. There was still barely concealed want in Sebastian's but now there was an unbridled affection. Blaine knew that Sebastian had cared for him before but there was no trying to hide it anymore. Sebastian was just letting himself enjoy it.
This was perfect.
"Could you imagine if you had brought Sean along on this trip instead?" Blaine teased, laughing at the horrified look on Sebastian's face.
"Don't even say that. I think that things worked out perfectly just the way that things are."
Resting his cheek against Sebastian's chest to feel the steady beat of his heart, Blaine smiled. "Me too," he murmured.
Freshly showered, Blaine pulled on his sweatpants before heading out towards the bedroom area. Sebastian was propped up, shirtless and grinning at Blaine.
"We're not having sex tonight," Blaine told him firmly, even as a flush seemed to make its way down his entire body. While he meant what he said, not least of which because of their proximity to the rest of Sebastian's family, it was awfully tempting. Especially as Sebastian's gaze dragged down his body, making him shiver.
"I didn't say a word," Sebastian responded easily, lifting up the covers for Blaine to slip into. As soon as he was in the bed, Sebastian leaned over him, pressing their lips together in a kiss that took Blaine's breath away.
Blaine reached up to rest his hand on Sebastian's shoulder, his other hand sliding up to tangle in his hair. This was more like the Sebastian of before and Blaine surged up a little bit, heat filling him at the idea of how much Sebastian wanted him, in so many different ways.
The fact that Sebastian wanted him for more than just a few fun times in bed. The fact that Sebastian supported him, cared for his opinions, his enjoyment, cared about his relationship with his brother, cared about him. And Blaine cared about him right back. That was something he'd known for a while. But feeling this support, this caring, this affection from Sebastian?
It made Blaine like him even more.
"I'm really liking practicing kissing. And holding hands. We should definitely do this for real," Sebastian murmured, a joking tone that had Blaine laughing.
It felt casual, honest, sure. They could still joke with each other even though they were dating. Blaine knew that Sebastian had been worried about that so he was thrilled to know that they really could.
"I don't know. You could use more practice holding my hand," Blaine responded easily, smiling as Sebastian reached down to tangle their fingers and squeezing gently.
Sebastian didn't let go, though, just leaned in to kiss him again. "Don't worry. I've got plenty of time."
The next day, at the airport, surrounded by Sebastian's family but with nobody wanting to leave vacation, Blaine and Sebastian sat close enough that their thighs were touching. Sebastian was finishing the last few pages of his novel but he reached out for Blaine's hand as soon as they sat down.
Blaine smiled, pulling his hand up to press a kiss to his skin, kissed the adorable smile on Sebastian's face, and then settled against his seat.
"Best summer vacation yet," Blaine said, resting his head against Sebastian's shoulder.
Obviously not having anything to add, Sebastian just leaned down to kiss his head, not letting go of his hand.
