Firstly, I want to say sorry with the small wait with this chapter, but I couldn't get things to line up the way I needed them to, and I needed to take a small step back so I could get it sorted out.
Secondly, there is a flashback scene in this, and it does play into a prequel of sorts for this story.
Thirdly, I have borrowed Mikki and Jeremy from KikiJaunita, getting the permission needed to use them throughout this story. Onyx belongs to me and if you do so wish to use her, please do ask. The rest belong to Glee.
Enjoy!
"So it is true," Clint laughed, entering his girlfriend's apartment when she told him the door was open. A door he locked behind himself; for no other reason than it being something he is use to doing at his own place.
"What are you talking about?" Onyx asked amused covering up the small confusion she had over his statement, using the small paring knife to cut a slice of her apple off to eat, giving her attention to her boyfriend and not the papers that need to be graded scattered in front of her. Her eyes were starting to water, her mind starting to wander as she read the same answers repeatedly, marking the answers that were wrong. Her students were creative, she would give them that, but this wasn't a creative writing class.
"That teachers really do love apples," he smirked, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he sat next to her. She rolled her eyes at his attempt of humor, moving into him as he sat next to her, happy from the reprieve he gave her, even if it was for a moment.
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," she retorted with a snort, getting him to shake his head as she offered him a slice of apple. "Or so they say," she shrugged. What did it matter what type of fruit she ate? She liked her fruit, preferred it most the time. "I've always loved a good apple."
"How about a real lunch and not just an apple," he offered. It wasn't hard to piece together that she hadn't eaten lunch between the apple and the multiple piles of papers, some with red marker and others still needing to be graded.
"I would love that; I really would," she told him, sighing. "But I've got so much here to do." Not only did she have the papers in front of her to grade, but two more stacks of papers at that. She had thought that she would have Saturday to herself and grade papers that should have been graded days ago, leaving her Sunday open to spend with her boyfriend, but as it turns out that clearly isn't the plan they went with. Not that she minded because she could use the break and distraction that he brings with him into her little bubble.
"Now who said anything about going out, baby?" He asked, walking to the kitchen, pulling open the one drawer they had tossed a few different take out menus into. Maybe he had been spending too much time at his girlfriend's house, but he believed that she knew her way around his place just as well if not better. "The real question is what are in the mood for?" He asked, closing the drawer and walking back to where she sat.
"Thai," she answered, shaking her head, not sure if that was what she happened to be in the mood for. "Maybe Sushi," she told him after a few minutes. "You pick," she told him, glancing down at the paper on her lap, to read over what was written on the worksheet.
"How about we order a little something from both of them. Write down what you want from both places," he told her, handing one menu over to her as he looked at the other one to see what he wanted.
She nodded, taking the offered menu and looked it over, quickly writing down what she wanted. They switched menus and did the same thing. With that taken care of, Clint placed the calls while she got back to grading papers.
By the time the food arrived, she was happy to not only have a break from staring at papers and writing that blurred into one big mess. Her stomach doing all it could to inform her that the food smelt delicious and that she needed to be eating instead of trying to read the chicken scratch on the paper before her.
"How much do I owe you?" She asked, joining him at the table to eat their lunch, as she didn't want to get food all over the papers.
"Nothing," he smiled, waving it off. "I mean it; you can get the bill next time," he assured her, cutting off her protest.
"Except next time never comes," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know where it's written that the guy needs to pay all the time, but I would like to find it and tear it up and burn the pieces. I would like to treat my boyfriend, ya know," she told him.
"Okay, I promise, next time I will let you pay," he laughed.
She nodded a happy smile on her face, as they enjoyed their lunch. They were laughing when Seb entered the apartment with a couple boxes of pizzas with Mikki following behind with a few bags, of what, she didn't know.
"I don't think I can eat anymore," she commented looking at Seb. "What is with the pizza?" She asked, her gaze darting from Seb to the two people by the door. She knew Mike and Tina from the weekend two weeks ago when they got together for their first week of school dinner.
"I spend a lot of time with you," Seb said slowly.
"Just spit it out," Onyx laughed.
"As you know, Mike is my best friend," Mikki said, ignoring the small scoff from by the door. "And I am very much like Seb and feel guilty for not including my best friend a lot of the time."
"So you two would feel better if your best friends got along?" Onyx asked, looking from Mikki to Seb both of them nodding and sharing a look with each other. "I can't argue that point," she told him, getting up. "Let me clean up my mess in the living room, and we can sit around and get to know each other," she told them.
They sat around the living room, Clint sitting on one end of the couch Onyx sitting next to him, Seb to her right who was sitting by Mikki, leaving the two chairs in the living room for Mike and Tina. Pizza and what was left of the leftovers of Thai food and sushi spread out on the coffee table, drinks to go around, as they all got to know each other better.
"Something has been bothering me," Clint said, sitting his glass on the coaster, leaning back on the couch to put his arm around his girlfriends shoulders.
"What's that?" She questioned, looking at him.
"I've known you two for months now, and I never questioned this friendship you have going on. I can see that you guys are friends and nothing more, I don't worry about that," he quickly told them, not wanting any of them to think otherwise. He's seen them together enough to know that the love they share is that of siblings and not an ounce more than that. "But you said a few weeks ago that you knew about Seb using you to get under Jeff's skin," he started to say trying to figure out how to word what he really wanted to ask, without offending anyone.
"You want to know how I know and why it didn't bother me then or now?" She asked, reading where his line of thoughts were headed. He nodded, curious to hear the story. "That day seems like a lifetime ago," she laughed looking at Seb.
"It does make you wonder," Mikki said. "I would be pissed with Mike if I found out that he had used our friendship for some stupid thing like Seb had done towards Jeff," she stated, giving Mike a hard look.
"Hey, I never once used you, I promise," Mike affectionately told her. "That thought never crossed my mind. I needed a friend; you happened to be the friend I needed. You approached me; I was new in town, I wasn't about to turn down a friendship," he laughed.
"You might be right," Mikki nodded with a smile on her face. "You were too afraid to turn down any friends since you were new in town," she laughed. "Now that we have that cleared up, I too, would like to know how two became friends, because I, for the life of me, can not figure out why you both thought it a good idea to use the other towards any ill feelings towards Jeff," she said, thinking about it for a minute, still not coming up with an answer as to why.
"Because as much as I love my brother, and as many times as he has always been there for me no questions asked since I was a kid," she started to say. "He could be a bit of jerk at times as well," she sighed.
"A bit of a jerk?" Seb asked his voice raising as he shook his head. Onyx held her laughter in. "I may get along with the guy now, and we may be friends, good friends at that, but it wasn't always like that." There had been a time when he didn't get along with Jeff and befriending Onyx hadn't made things with Jeff any easier at all. In fact it made things so much worse for him.
"Why couldn't you have gone to a friends house?" Jeff grumbled out as they walked through a set of doors to the mall, his little sister following behind him. "Why come to the mall, just to hang out with my friends and me?" He asked, making sure she stayed with him at the pace he walked. Don't get him wrong he adored his little sister and he enjoyed all the time he had with her, even though it is hard at times with them living on opposite sides of the city, and as much as he wanted to hang with her, he as well wanted to spend time with his friends and not have his little sister tag along and narc on him over something stupid.
"Because my friends are boring and I want to spend time with my brother, because I haven't seen him in weeks now," she retorted, as sarcastically as an 11-year-old could. "Ever think that I missed you?" She snarled at him.
"That doesn't mean you have to wedge your way into my life," he retorted.
"What else do you want me to do Jeff?" She asked, frowning as she felt her sadness creep in over her brother not wanting to hang out with her.
"We could have hung out tomorrow and will do all of the things you wanted to do," he pointed out. "We could have hung out..."
"Next week?" She asked, taking the words right out of his mouth. "Like we were supposed to hang out last week or the multiple weeks before that?" She asked, getting her brother to remain silent. "That's what I thought," she spit out. "Do whatever you want with your buddies, I'll be in the arcade," she told him, entering the arcade as they walked by it. She pulled out money to get some tokens before scoping the place out to find what game she wanted to be playing. She did take notice of the prizes available but didn't see anything she wanted, so she didn't even have to worry about getting tickets and instead went to the wall where video games were lined up, picking a racing game to play.
On the opposite side of the mall another sibling squabble happened to be taking place. But instead of them walking they stood in one spot, making the people that had to walk around them, annoyed for the obstruction in their way. A security guard hovering close by, not wanting a fight in his mall.
"Why can't we?" Sebastian whined. All he wanted to do was spend his allowance at the arcade like he was promised he could do. Instead, he had been dragged from store to store for no apparent reason than his brother wanted to be a jerk.
"I told you that I would take you to the arcade after I get what I need," Jeremy stressed, rubbing his temples as he felt a headache coming on.
"We've been here an hour, and you've bought nothing!" Seb remarked, tossing his arms in the air.
"And I told you, that I can't find what I am looking for," Jeremy sighed. "You know what, you're 12 now, go to the arcade and I'll come get you when I've found what I am looking for and that way I don't have to listen to you whine and complain," Jeremy told him through clenched teeth, so over having a younger brother at this point in his life. Like why did his parents need to have a third child for? That wasn't a question he wanted to go digging into, ever!
"Jere, that's the best idea you've had all day," Seb sarcastically smirked, walking off, ready to spend his money on video games.
He chuckled walking by a girl who was muttering under her breath as she played a game and by the looks of it was killing it as she won the race she was in. His blood ran cold hearing her mutter 'Stupid Jeff' under her breath, as a new race started and she shifted gear, while swerving around other cars to get in first place, fishtailing around a corner.
"Are you talking about Jeff Sterling?" The question was out of his mouth before he could think the words let alone stop them. Even he had a problem with Jeff, they didn't get along period.
"How do you know my brother?" She asked, quickly eying him up, not wanting to crash or lose her race by taking her eyes off the screen.
"I, uh, go to school with him," he offered, coming to stand by her. "Sebastian Smythe," he introduced to her.
"Onyx," she nodded, turning the wheel hard to make the turn that came up on her. "I take it you're not friends with him," she commented, the finish line coming into sight. "If you were than you would be with him and not his little sister, that and ya know, you would have been to his birthday party," she shrugged, having won the race and turning to look at him. "So why don't you like my brother?" She asked, moving from the seat she was in to stand in front of him.
"We just don't get along," he shrugged. It wasn't if he had tried to talk to him, he knew when he started going there last year that he wouldn't ever get along with Jeff, they ran in two very different circle of friends. He has on occasion stood up to Jeff, when he was trying to impress his friends.
"So you're the one that keeps beating him out for the lead vocals for over half the songs, the one..." He was cutting her off before she could finish what she had to say.
"Yes, that's me," he chuckled. "So he talks about me, huh?" Seb smirked. Onyx laughed, shrugging her shoulders.
"More like he mocks and complains," she informed him with a smirk, going to walk away. "Want to play air hockey?" She asked, seeing that one of the two air hockey tables was free.
"Sure," he nodded, following behind her. She paid for the first game. "What makes you mad at your brother?" He questioned, getting ready as she set to hit the puck his way, blocking it from going in and sending it back at her. Digging into anything Jeff said behind his back wasn't going to bother him. He wouldn't let it.
"I tagged along with him today, because despite everything, I do like spending time with my brother," she sighed, hitting the plastic puck a bit harder than she intended when it went flying off the table. "Sorry," she told him sheepishly.
"No worries," he laughed.
"He just makes me mad, because all I want to do is spend time with him and he could care less and wants to spend every waking hour with his friends and not his little sister," she finished telling him.
"As it turns out, I have plenty of time because my brother doesn't want to hang out either," he shrugged, watching the puck fly past him and sink into the goal on him. "It would get under your brother's skin. His little sister being friends with the guy he doesn't get along with at school," he suggested with a laugh.
"I can see we're going to become best friends." Her laughter died on her lips when she saw her brother and his merry little band of friends walking up to them. "What do you want?" She asked, abandoning her game with Seb.
"Can't a worried brother come check on his sister?" He teased, she rolled her eyes. If she thought for a second, she could get away with it she would flick him off.
"Most can, but you can't," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"That hurts," he smirked, causing her to roll her eyes. "And not only that but you are hanging out with a total dweeb," he laughed, looking at Seb.
"Yeah, well, he's better company than you can ever hope to be," she retorted, walking around the table, and dragging Seb off with her. Laughter ringing out behind them as they left the arcade. "I'm sorry about him," she told him. "I'll buy you an ice cream," she offered, not really sure how to make up for the stunt with her brother.
"It's fine," he told her. "How about you buy me an ice cream, and I buy you one," he counter offered.
"Deal," she smiled, heading in the direction they needed to be for ice cream.
"Aww, look, little Sebby found himself a girlfriend," Jeremy cooed, walking up behind them.
"Shut up," Seb gritted out, turning to face his brother. "She's not my girlfriend," he stated. "What do you want, Jeremy?" He sighed.
"I wanted to see if you were ready to go, Dylan's waiting," he relayed to his brother.
Seb looked between his brother and Onyx, he was having fun hanging out with her and he really didn't want it to end, but he knew that he couldn't keep both his brother's waiting on him.
"I'll give you another half hour, then we have to go," Jeremy told his brother, heading off once more.
"So that ice cream?" He asked, turning to look at Onyx. She smiled, and they continued on their way.
"Now I see why you liked dating jerks," Seb teased.
"Yeah, but sometimes, they surprise you," she smiled, kissing her boyfriend's cheek.
"I don't get it," Tina said, clearly confused, looking at everyone. "It took me years to be okay with Mike and Mikki being best friends. How can you be okay with it?" She asked, her sole focus on Clint.
"Trust," Clint easily stated, kissing the top of his girlfriend's head. "If you can't trust the person you are with, why are still with them? A good foundation is based on trust," he smiled. He jumped to conclusions once, and it taught him a very valuable lesson, one he didn't need to be repeated.
"Would you still trust them if they shared a tent at any point?" Tina inquired.
"We have shared a tent," Seb quickly said. "Doesn't mean anything was going on between us. Take that as you want," he said feeling offended that he had to defend his friendship with Onyx yet again to someone that didn't get it.
"I take it you two shared a tent when you, Mike started to date Tina?" Onyx asked, getting Mike to nod.
"It wasn't anything," Mikki sighed. "We were neighbors, and I knew how cute Mike was, I had a crush on him when I first saw him, but we became friends and the crush went away," she shrugged, being open and honest with the room.
"After being friends we decided to have this little camp out at the end of summer, our own little special way to close out our summer. It wasn't a big deal," Mike stressed.
"It is when you cancel plans with your girlfriend to hang out with your best friend," Tina stressed.
"I don't get it," Clint shrugged, not seeing the problem at all. Maybe not seeing the problem happened to be the problem, but he highly doubted that. "Onyx has canceled on me to spend time with Seb," he commented. It never bothered him as it shouldn't because after a lot of things they have been through, he trusted her, like she trusted him.
"Does it bother you, baby?" Seb asked, turning to face his girlfriend. He has done it a few times, tried to do it quite a few times more than he has, but Onyx had figured him out and threatened him not to be canceling on Mikki for her, when she was fine and could spend time with him at a different time.
"No," Mikki answered shaking her head. "I know what it's like, because I do it as well. And I get how hard it can be to balance your friendship with your relationship as you want to give both an equal amount of time," she went on to explain.
"You would tell me if it ever bothered you right?" Seb asked softly, running his thumb over her knuckles.
"Babe, you know I would," Mikki told him equally as soft.
"I do want to know why you two aren't living together," Mike commented. "Nothing personal," he said looking at Onyx.
"None taken," Onyx laughed. It wasn't like before when she had taken offense to that, but to her it had felt more like he wanted to be rid of her, more than anything else. Because she wouldn't have moved out on him like that, she would have stayed until he could get his own place that didn't cost as much as their place did. "And since you bring it up, it is something to be curious about. It's not that hard to see how in love they are with each other," she remarked.
"We don't want to rush," Seb stated. "We've talked about it, and it is an ongoing conversation," he nodded, giving Mikki's knee a squeeze.
"It's a commitment we want to be ready for. We like what we have and don't want to rush into anything that could ruin what we have," Mikki told the room, wanting to make it clear that they were not ready to live together as of yet. Seb has yet to meet her parents.
"I do hope that I am not a factor in this, Seb," she warned her best friend. She only wanted him happy, the very last thing she wanted to do is hold him back from that happiness. "The lease is up next month; we haven't gotten around to resigning it yet," she said, giving him a pointed look. "And there is a few one bedrooms that I can transfer into. Dave wouldn't mind, or if he doesn't allow that, I can find a different place," she told him with a shrug acting like it wasn't a big deal, because really for her it wasn't this huge deal.
"Sweets, we both know that Dave will allow it. I mean you are best friends with his husband," Seb laughed. "He will make sure you are happy, so Kurt doesn't go about bitching at him for making you cry," he laughed.
"That is true," Onyx laughed, slipping her arm through her boyfriends, cuddling a bit more into him. "All I am saying is don't factor me into the decision you make. All I have ever wanted is for you to be happy, Seb and a blind person can see the way you and Mikki love each other," she smiled, giving her best friend the nudge he didn't know he needed, because in the back of his mind he wouldn't risk making a risky decision if it hurt anyone he cared about.
"Thanks," Seb smiled, nudging her with his elbow. "Now I feel like I need to be warning, Clint how you like to hog the whole bed and covers," he teased.
And just like that, they jumped to another topic to laugh over as they got to learn more about each other. Five out of six people being relaxed could be called a good night, because Onyx had to wonder what Mikki already knew, if Tina ever truly relaxed.