5YL Let the Encore Commence
Part 20
For as relaxed as Blaine was going into the night, by the time they took their seat in the theater, his nerves became a bit more evident. Luckily, they didn't have to sit in the theater long before the director and producer made their way on stage to introduce the film. Once the film started, Blaine felt himself tense a bit upon hearing the opening chords of the theme filling the theater. Then the moment he began to sing, he felt Sebastian give his hand a squeeze and caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of his parents looking at him.
The transition from the opening credits to the film beginning was seamless and soon they were thrust into the story. Even with all Blaine knew of the film, it was different watching it play out before him, versus simply reading the script and synopsis. While the story centered on the four leads, by midway through it was obvious Cooper and one of his female co-starts were getting a majority of the focus. Then just as a big action sequence began, featuring Cooper, Blaine looked at Sebastian who was smiling, as the second song Blaine had contributed accompanied it. Blaine then looked across his parents to Cooper who was looking at him, smiling as he was, each acknowledging the significance of the moment.
By the time the film came to a close, a remix of the opening theme played over the credits and Blaine turned to give Sebastian a kiss. "Now, I understand what all the hype was about that I heard all week, that was incredible."
"No bias?" Sebastian teased, as he'd truly enjoyed the film, which had the right balance between drama, action, and romance, while not taking away from the story.
"No bias." Blaine then turned around where his band was sitting. "Please tell me I wasn't the only one who thought this was surreal."
"You're not." They practically replied in unison, making Sebastian laugh.
Yet before Blaine could respond, he felt himself being turned and wrapped in a hug by his Mom who had tears in her eyes. After kissing her on the cheek, Kate loosened her hold on him. "You know, if someone sees those tears they might be confused about the movie." Blaine told her as he gently wiped at her eyes as his Dad shot him a wink as he was speaking with Cooper.
"I'm just so proud of my boys."
"Rightfully so." Sebastian said, making her take ahold of his hand and give it a squeeze. "They made magic up on that screen."
"They certainly did."
"You two do remember I'm right here, between you." Blaine said as he looked back at his husband, and then again at his Mom. His comment made them each laugh as they slowly pulled back, allowing Blaine to stand, which they soon followed. Yet once he was standing, it gave Patrick an opportunity to congratulate him since they weren't going to be leaving the theater too soon. Then once Patrick was done, he moved aside to let Blaine and Cooper share a moment, one which Sebastian and Whitney captured.
"Told you your music was perfect." Cooper told him.
"And you, showed everyone what I've always known you were capable of." Blaine replied. "You were incredible Coop."
"Thank you. Do you think Mom's going to be alright?" Blaine looked back over his shoulder and saw her having quite the conversation with Sebastian and their Dad.
"I do, it's just a lot to take in. I don't think she was quite prepared for how she was going to feel." He then gave him a playful shove. "You could've told me my song was featured during your big stunt scene."
"You asked me not to tell you anything, remember?" When he pouted a bit, Cooper gave him another hug. "Your expression was worth the surprise little brother. Mine wasn't all that different the first time I saw it either, trust me."
"What's next?"
"We wait for them to tell us we can leave, and then we party." Cooper told him. "Please tell me the rumor is correct, you're performing, right?"
"Yes, I'm performing, so if there is anything in particular you'd like to hear, let me know."
"Is the world famous Blaine Anderson-Smythe is taking requests?"
"Only from his soon to be as famous brother, and my husband of course, he always gets a say."
"Does he now?"
"He does, since he knows me like no one else."
"That he does." Cooper then slipped his arm around Blaine's shoulders. "I really am happy you two found one another."
"Me too. It's hard to believe that in a matter of weeks we'll have been married for a year."
"That's because you two didn't have a typical first year."
"Hell, nothing we've dealt with has been typical since we got together."
"Yet, you made it through it, stronger than ever." Cooper told him. "This is all I ever wanted for you Squirt." When Blaine rolled his eyes, Cooper couldn't help but mess with his curls, a sight which made Sebastian smile. "It's true, you deserve every bit of happiness and success."
"As do you." Blaine replied. "And for as great as the professional success is, nothing compares to sharing your life with someone who loves you unconditionally."
"Whitney's special."
"Of course she is, she loves you for you, quirks and all." Blaine teased, making Cooper laugh. "I was waiting for you to point during the movie."
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
"Never." Yet before the brothers' conversation could proceed any further, Cooper's manager made his way to the end of the aisle and let him know it was time to go. "I'll see you at the party." Cooper smiled, before taking ahold of Whitney's hand, and then giving his Mom a kiss before they headed on their way.
Shortly after they made their way out, Jennifer appeared beside Sebastian and explained how the rest of the evening would play out. Once everyone was in the loop, Cole accompanied the Andersons out of the theater, and then Blaine, Sebastian, and his band followed, accompanied by the rest of his security team. With the way they left the theater, they made their way out shortly after Cooper and Whitney made their way into their awaiting car. Blaine and Sebastian exchanged a look upon hearing some of those waiting outside calling to his parents, who simply waved back, clearly a bit shocked by the reaction they were garnering.
"I don't think your parents are ever going to get used to these types of situations." Sebastian told him once they were settled in the back of the limo along with everyone else.
"And one wonders where I get it from." Blaine replied as he rested his head on Sebastian's shoulder. "The rest of you are abnormally quiet, what gives?"
"Remember how strange it felt the first time we heard ourselves on the radio?" Talia said, and Blaine nodded. "This situation is like that, but different, if that makes sense."
"Completely. Blaine told her. "Even with as many times as we've played those two songs this week, hearing them in that setting…"
"Was incredible." Jeff chimed in with a smile.
"Yea, and seeing Cooper do his thing with…"
"Your song." Todd said, knowing Blaine never would. "Was amazing. He's come a long way since his credit rating commercials." Blaine couldn't help but laugh. "Come on, you can't tell me that jingle didn't get stuck in your head."
"It made me cringe after awhile in all honesty." Blaine told them. "But you're right, he's come a long way since then." Yet when he sighed, Sebastian leaned forward a bit.
"What is it Killer?" There was something about the look on his face, that said it all. "I should've known."
"Known what?" Morgan asked.
"Hummel was fascinated with the commercial, thought the guy was hot, and couldn't hide how he felt, even after finding out Coop was B's brother." Sebastian replied. "Gawked over him even in front of B."
"You got all that from a look?" Justin asked, grateful they had a bit of a ride to the after party.
"It's something we talked about after Bas and Coop first met." Blaine told him. "Coop and Bas had quite the first meeting, and Kurt's reaction to him happened to come up."
"At the first meeting?" Talia asked.
"Yes. Safe to say my brother let his feelings about my ex be known, and Bas shared his, needless to say, it was a bonding moment for them."
"Do you think he'll go see the movie?" Todd asked.
"Doubt it, given how Coop treated him, especially towards the end, but who knows." Blaine replied. "Nothing he does surprises me anymore."
"I bet he goes." Jeff told him. "You guys know much as I do, he loves being the center of attention."
"True, it's one of the things about B's success which has gotten under his skin, the amount of attention he receives." Sebastian said as he gave Blaine a squeeze.
"But it's far from the only thing." Blaine added, before feeling a kiss to his temple. "Enough about him, let's focus on tonight, and enjoying ourselves. For after tonight, we've only got a few more weeks to ourselves before it's back to work."
"Though, our version of work, isn't really work since we enjoy it so much." Morgan told him.
"True, but we do have to get ourselves back into that mindset."
"Our illustrious leader has a point." Justin added. "Remember how much those hot summer days took out of us last time."
"Don't have to remind me, it's something I won't ever forget." Todd told them.
"But this time around, we're not playing midday, we get to play in the evening, which is nice." Talia said. "All thanks to Blaine's success."
"Our success, as none of this would've happened with all of you, or you." Blaine replied, before turning to kiss Sebastian.
"I think I've heard those words somewhere before." Jeff teased, causing the others to laugh. "It's true."
"Only because I know it to be true." Blaine said. "None of this would've been possible without all of you." He then looked at Jeff. "That goes for you too, and the rest of the guys. Knowing you never gave up on me, truly means the world to me."
"He put you in an impossible situation Blaine, none of us held it against you. We only wished that when things started to fall apart, you…"
"Would've turned to you, I should've, yet I was too ashamed. Yet, we found our way back into each other's lives."
"Thanks to Sebastian." Jeff said happily. "You two looked so cute that day we all talked."
"Cute, did you just call us cute Sterling?" Sebastian replied.
"Damn right I did. Face it Sebastian, there's no denying how happy you are now ever since Blaine became a part of your life. Remember, your changed demeanor is what let Thad know something had changed in your life."
"I'll never forget his face when I told him I was dating Blaine, it was freaking priceless, once he knew I was telling him the truth."
"At least the rest of you knew something, we were all thrown for a loop by Blaine's new outlook on life." Morgan stated. "Plenty of guys had asked him out, but no one ever put a smile on his face comparable to the one he had on his face after reconnecting with Sebastian."
"We asked him a million questions, yet he attempted to evade every one of them, blushing as he did." Talia added. "It's how we knew Sebastian was special from the start, and clearly knew what we did, how special Blaine is." While the conversation transition might not have been what one would've expected, Sebastian was more than happy where it was going, as he wanted Blaine to enjoy himself that night.
By the time they arrived at the after-party, all of them were laughing and smiling when they exited the limo, something everyone outside took notice of. Shortly after making their way inside, Blaine paused upon hearing an all too familiar voice, causing him to turn around. The moment he did, his eyes landed on Brittany. "What are you doing here?" Blaine asked before giving her a hug.
"Justin knew I was going to be in town, and invited me. You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all." Blaine replied before turning to look at Justin. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It all came together last minute, and, you did tell us we could bring a date."
"Date?" Sebastian asked as Blaine stepped back from Brittany, and she took her spot at his side. "Wait, you two have kept in touch all this time?"
"Where do you think he disappeared to when we were on the left coast?" Todd teased.
"Does Santana know you're here?" Blaine asked.
"Santana's here?" Brittany asked.
"Yes, she's here with Jordan as she's covering the premiere." Blaine told her. "I'm sure she'd love to see you."
"Would you mind?" Brittany asked as she looked up at Justin.
"Of course not." He replied. "How about we go find her, before it's time for us to perform."
"Okay, thank Blaine." Brittany said before giving him another kiss on his cheek before they headed off.
"Why didn't anyone tell me those two were still seeing one another?" Blaine asked as Sebastian took a glass of champagne off a passing tray.
"Honestly, I didn't really think much of it as I thought you still knew they were in touch." Todd told him.
"I knew they were in touch, just not…"
"Going out when they were in the same city?" Talia replied to which he nodded. "If you didn't have so many other things going on, you would've seen it." When he sighed, Sebastian slipped his arm around him. "Don't take it as a slight Blaine, you've had so much going on. Trust me when I tell you, Justin isn't offended as I'm pretty sure neither he nor Brittany know exactly what's going on between them."
"Other than they enjoy spending time together." Todd added. "If there was more to it than what it currently is, he would've mentioned it."
"Is there anything else I'm unaware of?" The rest of them proceeded to look at one another. "I'm serious."
"Nothing else is going on." Talia assured him. "Having witnessed not only what you and Sebastian went through, and Morgan and Jeff, we don't want the unnecessary drama of our personal lives being dissected. Like the two of you, we enjoy our privacy, but should a special someone enter our lives, you guys will be the first to know, promise."
"We sure gave them plenty to think about, didn't we?" Morgan teased before stretching to give Jeff a kiss. "The first time a photog took a picture of Jeff and I on a date, we realized the attention went beyond you."
"Can we not talk about that please, as that's how my parents found out I was seeing someone and, they didn't let me hear the end of it." Jeff chimed in. "Feeling a bit better Blaine?" He asked as he saw a glass of champagne in his hand which was a rarity before performing.
"Yes, sorry if I overreacted, but Talia's explanation put everything in perspective once again." Blaine said before taking a sip. "Hell, I wouldn't wish that unwanted intrusion on anyone, and don't blame the rest of you for being overly cautious regarding your personal lives." He then stretched to kiss Sebastian before walking away.
"Are we missing something?" Jeff asked, looking direct at Sebastian as he spoke. "Sebastian."
"It was just a reminder of all the crap he's had to deal with, that's all. He'll be alright."
"Are you sure about that?" Morgan asked.
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here talking to you, I would've followed him." He then took another glass of champagne from another passing tray. "He's over talking with his parents." A statement causing then all to turn and look. "I understand the concern, trust me, but sometimes all it takes is a moment to himself for him to process how he's feeling. Push him too much, and he'll pull even further away."
"Guess we tend to forget all he's been through." Talia said. "Especially in moments such as this."
"It's what he would prefer, he's never wanted to be treated differently because of what he's been through." Sebastian told them. "Just as he doesn't want what he's been through, to be used against him." Just as he spoke, Vincent came walking up to them, asking them to join him backstage. Once the three of them left, it left only Jeff and Sebastian. "I'm not bullshitting you, you know that, right?"
"I do, because if you were worried, you would've gone after him." Jeff told him as they started to make their way to the front of the room. "But that doesn't mean I believe there isn't more going on with him."
"When isn't there more going on with my husband?"
"Good point, just promise me something." Sebastian nodded. "If he needs something, don't hesitate to ask, regardless of what it may be, alright?"
"You've got it."
By the time they made it to the front near the stage, it wasn't long till they were joined by Cooper, Whitney, and the Andersons. "Any clue what my son has up his sleeve?" Kate asked as she slipped her arm through Sebastian's.
"You'll just have to wait and see."
After performing each of the songs from the film, Sebastian watched as Blaine went to go get his guitar from the stand. "How's everyone doing tonight?" He asked as he slipped his guitar strap over his shoulder, and was met by a cheers. "Now that's what I life to hear. If you all don't mind, we thought we'd have a bit of fun, is that okay?" Once again the crowd cheered. "Alright then. With that being the case, Coop, how about you come and join us?"
When Cooper's eyes went wide, Whitney gave him a playful push towards the steps leading to the stage. "What are you doing Blaine?" Cooper muttered as he walked towards him, his band trying to stifle their laughter as Blaine clearly had the upper hand.
"Since everyone seemed to get a kick out of the fact we're related, I thought it was only fitting we give them a glimpse of what our parents had to put up with when we were growing up." Blaine then shot Sebastian a wink as he had his phone out, ready to record. "What do you say to a little, Duran Duran?" Yet before Cooper could even response, Talia began, leaving Cooper little to no choice but to join in. While he might've been hesitant to start, it wasn't long till he was smiling and singing along with Blaine, putting on one hell of a performance.
When the song end, Cooper pulled Blaine into a hug which was a bit odd given the guitar between them, but there was no denying how much he enjoyed himself. "Did you know about this?" Santana asked as she crept up beside him with Brittany.
"Maybe." Sebastian replied with a smirk, giving away that he knew Blaine's plan. "I finally got to see the Anderson brothers perform."
"And this time there wasn't a creep staring at Cooper as it happened."
"Seriously?"
"He watched Cooper the entire time." Brittany chimed in before taking ahold of Santana's hand. "It's our turn now, Blaine's waving at us."
"What?"
"Guess you're not the only one surprising people tonight."
"But Blaine didn't know Brittany was going to be here!"
"Enjoy the show Warbler!" Her comment before heading up the steps had Jeff and Sebastian exchanging a confused look.
"Looks as though you don't know everything, huh Sebastian." Cooper teased as he'd heard enough of the conversation. "Seems like my little brother is all about enjoying himself tonight, with a little help from some friends." Sebastian cocked his head, but soon did a double take at the stage and saw horn players. "Enjoy the show!"
From the moment the horn section started to play, Sebastian knew the song. Hearing Blaine sing It's Not Unusual again, with Brittany and Santana dancing along, he couldn't suppress his smile if he tried. For with everything that had been going on, it was great seeing Blaine immersing himself in the moment, truly enjoying himself. Once the song was over, Brittany and Santana made their way off the stage and as they did, Blaine reached for a nearby stool. "Is everyone enjoy the show so far?" When they cheered, he smiled. "Since you've indulged me so far, would you mind indulging me a bit more?" The responding yes, had him walking to the front of the stage. "Since that's the case, I'd like to ask my husband to join me, Sebastian."
Surprised as Cooper had been, Sebastian's reaction took it to the next level, and it took Jeff and Cooper to get him to join Blaine on stage. "B, I don't think this is a good idea." Sebastian said softly as Blaine walked him towards the stool. "It's gonna be…"
"I don't care if he sees, I want to sing with you." Blaine told him. "So, will you indulge me?"
"It would be my honor. So, what will it be?"
"You and Me, which was written for us to sing from the start."
"What about Vincent?"
"He knows, so let's do this as it was meant to be." Once Sebastian nodded, Talia took Blaine's electric from him, and then handed him his acoustic as Justin set another stool beside Sebastian. All knowing this was going to be a moment they weren't going to forget anytime soon.
