The next day the ballroom at the main building of the hotel was a swarm of people and activity, as the day of the final show and talent contest was coming near. Auditions were being held, and other people were helping with decorations and other stuff that needed to be done. Of course Blaine was one of those, as he had been unable to refuse Kurt's insistence to help him without being plaid rude, and Cooper had asked him to accompany him to his audition.
And that's how Blaine found himself painting a stupid papier maché palm tree that was supposed to be on the stage as people performed. Though if the performances were to have the same quality the auditions had, Blaine wasn't sure it was even worth it.
Though being there had a positive –very positive– part, and that was getting to admire Sam's beauty all morning. As a member of the entertainment staff it was part of Sam's job to organize the show, and he had been there all morning, arranging things. And well, he wasn't bad to look at, Blaine thought with a smile. And when sometimes Sam would look at him and their gazes would meet and he smiled at him… well, it made it all worth it.
Blaine's smile immediately erased from his face when he noticed one of those middle-aged rich women that would use Sam when they were feeling lonely walking to him. She was trying to look seductive, but she only managed to look disgusting to Blaine, who held his breath in advance for what was about to happen.
"This is our last night together, lover" she said, because usually those women stayed at the hotel for the week while their husbands worked and they came for the weekend, so her husband would probably be back the day after. "I've got something worked out for us"
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Pressman, but I'm booked up for the whole weekend with the show and everything, so I won't have time for anything else" Sam answered without hesitation as he turned around and left the woman standing there, speechless and humiliated.
Blaine let the air out in relief, proud that Sam had completely ignored any benefit that woman could give him just for him, and he could only smile when Sam looked at him again from the distance and winked his eye at him.
"I'm going to have a real date with Santana today" Cooper's voice, suddenly at his side, surprised him. "She doesn't know yet, it will be a surprise"
"Coop, wait" Blaine said, to no avail as Cooper was already gone from his side again.
So with a resigned sign, Blaine just resumed his painting activity, and kept sending furtive glances at Sam for the rest of the morning.
Cooper dressed with his best clothes that evening, having asked his parents for permission to skip family dinner, and couldn't contain a smile as he confidently walked to which he knew was Santana's bungalow. He kept thinking about his brother's words, to be careful with her… Blaine was usually pretty good reading people, he had that sensitivity in him, but well… he could be wrong this time, right?
It was not like he was in love with Santana by any means, of course. Not like Blaine was about that mysterious person he refused to talk about. But she was still nice and very pretty and well… Cooper was only human, and three weeks locked up in a cabin with his family (even sharing a room with his little brother!) were enough: he needed some action.
Still intent on giving her a surprise –he knew it was her free-day, so he had planned on taken her out for dinner and… whatever happened after that– he didn't even bother to knock and opened her door in one go.
"Hey, it's me!" he said in a triumphal tone, expecting her to jump in his arms or something like that.
Only that didn't happen and his smile froze when he found she was very busy, having fun under the blankets with another one of the clients of the hotel. That bitch!
Without waiting for an explanation, he turned around and closed the door behind him. If she thought he was going to lose a minute feeling sorry for himself… So with a shrug of shoulders and the keys to his father's car in his pocket, he decided to go out anyway on his own and… see if he could find some fun anywhere else. Hadn't Blaine talked about another hotel not so far away, the Shelldrake or something like that?
Of course Blaine had had dinner with his parents, as it was expected of him, but after they went back to the cabin and they went to sleep, Blaine had sneaked out again and practically ran to the staff party pavilion, where he had danced with Sam for a while –in which they hadn't separated from each other's arms after Sebastian had congratulated them and told them he had seen it coming– and then they had retreated to Sam's room for some quality time together.
So that's how Blaine was now practically asleep in the crook of Sam's neck, contented and spent, as the tip of the blond's fingers gently tickled his side. He could hardly keep his eyes open, but Sam was very awake and he seemed to be slightly troubled about something.
"You okay?" Blaine mumbled because no matter how sleepy he was, he still worried if Sam was not 100% alright.
"Yeah" Sam answered, gratefully kissing Blaine's forehead and holding him a bit more strongly to him.
"You sure?" Blaine insisted, forcing himself to open his eyes and remain awake so he could lovingly trace invisible paths on the soft skin of Sam's chest, something he had discovered never failed to comfort the taller boy and make him feel better.
"You want to hear something crazy?" Sam said, not able to deny it any longer. "Last night I dreamt we were walking around, and your father put his arm around me, like he did with Santana"
Blaine's heart broke at Sam's confession. Sam asked for so little… He only wanted to be accepted and loved, and Blaine's father had hurt him so much even if he wouldn't admit it… Blaine wished he could tell Sam that his dream might come true someday, that his father would accept them sooner or later and that they would be together forever… But he didn't know if any of that would be true, and he was as afraid as Sam was about that –he was terrified about his father's reaction when he found out he was gay, much less dating somebody with a reputation like Sam's, and he feared he wouldn't give them the chance to see how kindhearted and perfect Sam was and how meant for each other they were–. But it was about Sam today, he was feeling bad and it was up to Blaine to let him see how loved he was.
From his position he started nibbling Sam's ear until he heard him chuckle, and then he changed to kissing Sam's neck slowly, deeply sucking on a sensitive spot of his that always made him sigh –that time being no exception–.
Sam let himself be taken care of for once and stretched his neck backwards to give Blaine's lips better access to it. And Blaine surely took advantage to it and travelled all along it, from one side to the other, even climbing on top of Sam to reach every angle better.
"You're so kissable" Blaine said without even lifting his lips from Sam's skin, making Sam laugh wholeheartedly at the absurdity of his statement. But it was always like that: he didn't mind that Blaine got to see his weak points because he would never judge him for them; all the contrary, he would always try to make them better.
"And you're so crazy" Sam replied, his hands moving to close around Blaine's waist as a way of telling him not to move from there, as he was finding his warmth and his weight very comforting.
"Crazy about you" Blaine replied with a chuckle as he went up the rest of the way and joined their lips this time, taking his time to tease him with his tongue before he deepened the kiss and try to put all his emotion in it for Sam to receive.
"Uh, that was smooth" Sam joked when the kiss finally broke, and Blaine could feel him already feeling better.
"Yet it's true" he answered as he lowered his head to rest over Sam's heart, not moving an inch from Sam's body so he was still lying flat on him –and Sam seemed to like it, so…
"You're the sweetest thing ever, you know?" Sam said as his fingers moved to caress his scalp through his soft curls, his face sporting a very different and happier expression than just a few minutes ago.
"You wanna know something?" Blaine said, and when he felt Sam's body move when he nodded he continued. "I talked to my brother about you"
"You did?" Sam asked in astonishment.
"Well, not exactly" Blaine confessed. "I told him I had fallen in love with someone, but I didn't tell him who it was"
"Fallen in love?" Sam asked, even more surprised than before.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, please don't freak out" Blaine pleaded as he raised his head to look at the other boy, terrified he had said too much and scared him away with his intensity.
"Why would I freak out?" Sam asked with a sweet smile as he lovingly tucked a stray curl behind Blaine's ear.
"Because I'm being too obnoxious and clingy and rushing too much into things, right?" Blaine answered in a rush, and he looked so adorably afraid that Sam could only smile at him.
"You're not obnoxious by any means" Sam answered with a tender voice as he held Blaine's chin between his fingers so he would see how serious he was about it. "And I love that you are clingy, because then we can be clingy together. And I wouldn't call it rushing it too much when… when I feel the same way about you"
In a rush of emotion Blaine stretched out and starting giving Sam butterfly kisses all around his face until the latter could take it no more and had to tell him to stop between laughs. He managed to grab Blaine's wrists and, after a bit of playful wrestling, Sam managed to reverse their positions and he ended up on top of the other boy, holding his wrists above his head.
"If you could see how beautiful you look right now…" Sam said as he looked adoringly at the younger boy, who by then was blushing at the appraisal and panting from the effort, biting his bottom lip in anticipation before Sam closed the distance between their mouths and kissed him breathless.
"Do you know what I would love for us to do?" Blaine asked, moaning with pleasure as this time it was Sam's lips the ones to adventure down his throat.
"I can imagine" Sam answered with a chuckle as he let go of Blaine's wrists to entwine their fingers together instead.
"Ok, after that" Blaine joked, making Sam lift his head from his skin to look at him.
"What?" he asked curiously.
"I want us to write a song together. The most beautiful song ever" Blaine confessed, trying not to blush at the intensity of his own feelings.
"We can do that" Sam easily agreed, and then he kissed Blaine passionately to close the deal.
The sun was just starting to come up when Blaine finally couldn't prolong it any longer and had to leave Sam's cabin. The latter accompanied him a few steps outside the cabin, even if he hadn't bothered to get dressed again and had only thrown his pants over himself, even being barefoot until Blaine turned to him and they melted in an embrace and a goodbye kiss that lasted for a good while.
A while long enough for Mrs. Pressman to walk out of Puck's room –he had gone to him after Sam's rejection– and see them from the distance. At first she couldn't believe what she was seeing –Sam with another boy?– but then she had gotten angry about the fact she had been rejected for what? For a stupid little boy who probably still didn't know anything about life?
Sam should know better. He should have known nobody played with Vivien Pressman.
Blaine could barely keep his eyes open at the breakfast table a while later –which was no surprise, because with all the love-making and the song-writing he had hardly had any sleep–, but he couldn't help but smile at his brother, who looked even worse than he did and he seemed to be more than a little hungover.
At least Blaine was glad that Burt Hummel and his son were sharing the meal with them this time, so the conversation was easy and he could let everyone else talk, without feeling the need to try and intervene too much.
"I found out that one of my employees is a thief" Burt was explaining, even if Blaine was barely listening to him.
"Mr. Schuester's wallet was stolen while he played cards last night. It was in his jacket, hanging on the back of his seat, and before he knew it, it was gone" Kurt added, apparently more amused than worried at the situation.
"Vivien Pressman says he saw that singer kid, Sam, walking by" Burt continued casually.
But of course that immediately sparked Blaine's attention, and he straightened up in his seat in surprise. So what, they were accusing Sam of stealing now? Was that bitch accusing him in revenge for his rejection the day before?
"So we asked him: do you have an alibi for last night? And he said he was alone in his room, reading" Burt continued.
"There are no books in Sam's room. I doubt he even knows how to read" Kurt joked, apparently having a great time with that –and he probably was, as Blaine knew how much he detested Sam.
Blaine hated Kurt so much right then… But he needed his help. He knew Kurt liked him, maybe he could convince him they were making a mistake…
"This is a mistake, I know Sam didn't do it" Blaine said, grabbing Kurt's arms in a pleading gesture.
"There have been some thefts in the Shelldrake and it's happened here before, three other wallets" Kurt added, as if he didn't need any more prove to consider Sam guilty.
"I know he didn't do it" Blaine insisted, but he could see that this time Kurt was staying firm in his idea.
"Stay out of this, Blaine" he answered, making it clear that he was not going to change his mind.
Blaine looked around the table, desperate for a solution, something or someone to get Sam out of trouble. He noticed than Mr. Hummel was now talking to his mother and his father was distracted, so he took advantage of it to move next to him and try and get some help from him.
"Dad, I need your help" he said in desperation, moving his chair closer to his father. "I know Sam didn't take Mr. Schuester's wallet, I know it"
"How do you know?" his father asked. Obviously he wasn't going to make it easy for him either, as he didn't have a better opinion of Sam than the Hummel's did.
"I can't tell you…" Blaine answered, his heart breaking at having to disappoint his father again, but Sam was more important now. "But please, trust me, Dad"
"I'm sorry, Blaine, I can't" Don sadly answered while shaking his head, unable to trust his son again after what had happened the last time.
"Mr. Hummel, look" Blaine said, interrupting the man's conversation in what could be considered a rude way, but he couldn't care less about that in that moment. "Maybe Sam didn't do it. Anyone could have taken it, maybe… maybe it was that crazy lady, Sue Sylvester, I saw her with a couple of men wallets" Blaine explained, vividly remembering how she was carrying two manly wallets in his purse that time he had helped her picked it up from the floor.
"Sue?" Burt asked with an amused expression, obviously not thinking that was possible.
"Blaine, you don't go around accusing innocent people" his father immediately admonished him, astounded at his usually level-tempered son's behavior.
"But I saw her, she was at the Shelldrake" he insisted.
"Well, I've got a witness and the kid has no alibi" Mr. Hummel answered as he stood up from his chair. "Come on, Kurt. You'll know what is like to fire an employee"
"Mr. Hummel, wait a minute" Blaine insisted, knowing that the time for him to come clean with everything had come if it meant saving Sam's ass, because there was no other way and Sam was more important than anything. "I know Sam didn't take the wallet. I know he didn't take it because he was in his room all night. And the reason I know is… because I was with him"
Blaine ignored the collective gasp around the table at his confession, not wanting to know who was more surprised or disgusted about this whole new side of him they were just discovering. His eyes only fixated on those of his father. And he could hardly stop himself from breaking into tears at all the hurt and disappointment he could see in them.
Blaine debated with himself if he should go and talk to his father. The older man had been sitting on a chair at the porch of their cabin without saying a word since they came back from the dining room. And Blaine didn't know if he should apologize, because he didn't feel as if he had done anything so terribly wrong, apart from lying to him. But he loved his father and he hated seeing him like that, so if he needed to swallow his pride to fix it, he was willing to do it.
He slowly walked to him, taking his time to think about everything he had to say. And he knew his father had heard him, as he had slightly turned his head as he approached to see who it was, but he was stubborn and he kept looking at the lake in front of him, almost as if he was too disappointed or disgusted to even look at him. But Blaine was not someone who got easily discouraged, so he stood next to him and started talking, with all the serenity he could muster given the turmoil of emotions inside of him.
"I told you I was telling the truth, Dad. I'm sorry I lied to you… but you lied too"
Don turned to him at that, looking surprised at him. But Blaine was not going to back down, as there were a lot of things he needed to say, so he continued.
"You told me everyone was alike and deserved a fair break, but you meant everyone who is like you. You told me that you wanted me to change the world, to make it better… but you meant by becoming a lawyer, or an economist and marry the perfect woman"
He could see his father was listening to him, and the fact that he hadn't even tried to defend himself from Blaine's accusations told him maybe not everything was lost, even if he turned to look at the lake and remained completely silent.
"I'm not proud of myself… but I'm in this family too and you can't keep giving me the silent treatment. There are a lot of things about me that aren't what you thought… but if you love me you'll have to love all the things about me"
Blaine couldn't help it anymore and he started silently crying at his father's treatment, his heart breaking at the thought the man he had always considered his hero might not ever love him again because of who he was. And he continued, not knowing if his voice was going to hold on or it was going to breakdown before he was over.
"I love you. And I'm sorry I let you down"
And when he couldn't stop the sobs from coming and his father still refused to even look at him, Blaine decided he was not going to apologize anymore.
"I'm so sorry, Dad, but you let me down too. I don't know what hurt you the most, the fact that I'm not a little boy anymore, that I've been intimate with someone you don't approve or the fact that you have a gay son. But whatever it is, you will have to come over it, you hear me?"
Blaine could see that his father was not going to say a word, so he breathed deeply a couple of times to calm himself and stop the tears and turned to go. But he only had taken a couple of steps when he looked at his father again for a moment.
"You're not the kind of person I thought you were either, Dad" he said, and he was gone before he could see his father breaking into tears himself.
Sam sighed in relief as he finally found Blaine asleep on the little sofa of his classroom. Apparently they had been looking for each other all around the hotel, and finally Blaine had decided to wait for him there. And, as usual, he had been right.
"Hey" Sam sweetly said as he knelt next to his lover and removed some curls that had fallen on his forehead to wake him up. "I have been looking for you all over"
"Me too" Blaine answered as he sat up, and Sam was horrified to see the dry traces of tears on his cheeks.
"They found Sue Sylvester" Sam explained, sitting next to the smaller boy. "They fingerprinted her water glass and found out she is wanted in Arizona and Florida and that she made a fortune here this summer"
"So then it's alright" Blaine said with a smile, happy to hear the first good news of the day. "I knew it would work out. I knew they'd have to apologize"
Blaine laughed as he put his arms around Sam's shoulders, going for a kiss, but he was surprised when Sam refused it with a movement of his head.
"I'm out, B" Sam said in a neutral tone, but he could see Blaine's heart breaking through his eyes anyway as he let go of him.
"They fired you anyway because of me" he answered, his eyes getting glassy again.
"If I leave quietly I'll get myself a bonus" Sam added with a sarcastic smile.
"So I did it for nothing" Blaine lamented as he stood up so he could pace around the room, unable to keep still anymore. "I hurt my family, you lost your job and I did it for nothing"
"No, no, not for nothing, B!" Sam said while he followed him, as he was not going to let Blaine blame himself after what he had done for him. "Nobody's ever done anything like that for me before!"
"You were right, Sam" Blaine said as he turned around and surprised Sam with a defeated expression he had never seen on him before –and that he didn't like one bit–. "You can't win, no matter what you do"
"You listen to me, I don't want to hear that from you. You can" Sam said, desperate to make that sadness disappear from Blaine's beautiful eyes, while he put his hands over Blaine's biceps and even shook him slightly to make him react.
"I used to think so" Blaine answered as some tears started finding their way down his cheeks again.
Sam threw his arms around him and brought him to his chest as Blaine's body started shaking with sobs. Sam didn't know what had happened with his family, but he could easily guess it had not been nice, judging by how broken Blaine looked.
"I can't believe you told them that" Sam said as he devotedly caressed the back of Blaine's head, wanting him to understand how much it meant to him so he wouldn't think it hadn't been worth it and how much he admired him for that. "You came out to them like that only to save my ass"
"I would do anything for you" Blaine honestly said, breaking the embrace to look at Sam's face, so the latter could see in his eyes he was telling the truth.
"I know" Sam said without the shadow of a doubt as he cupped Blaine's neck and gratefully kissed him. "Come on" he said as he erased the tears from Blaine's cheeks with his thumbs and then took his hand in his. "Help me pack my things, will you?"
Blaine nodded, letting Sam pull him towards what was going to be their last moment together.
They hardly said any word after Blaine told him what had happened with his father while they gathered Sam's things and took them to his car. It took them less time than expected, as Sam didn't really have a lot of things, and before they knew it, the best summer of Sam's life was packed in his car's trunk.
"I need to do something before I go" Sam said, not wanting to give more details about it. "Why don't you take a last look around my cabin in case I've forgotten something and I'll meet you here in a few minutes?"
"Alright" Blaine agreed with a disheartened tone, and Sam gave him a quick peck on the lips to comfort him before he disappeared.
The reason he hadn't wanted Blaine to know where he was going was that he was going to the Anderson's cabin to talk to his father. He knew Blaine was totally heartbroken, and not only because Sam was leaving, but because of how things were with his family, mainly his father. And after what he had done for him… the least Sam could do was try and make things better for him. After all, he was not going to be there for him when he would need him the most.
Sam walked decidedly along the cabin's porch, trying to gain the courage to speak to the man that had rejected his hand the last time he had seen him and who was very aware of the very intimate relationship he had been keeping with his son. He only hoped he wouldn't make things even worse for Blaine, he thought as he knocked on the door. Don Anderson appeared only a few seconds later.
"Mr. Anderson, could I…" Sam started, but stopped himself for a second to take off his sunglasses as a sign of respect. "I'm going anyway and I know what you must be thinking"
"You don't know anything about me" Don answered angrily.
"I know you want Blaine to be like you" Sam contradicted him, as he felt he knew something about that man after everything Blaine had told him about him. "Be the kind of person that does things to make other people look up to them"
"Don't talk to me about my son" Don interrupted him, but Sam decided to ignore him.
"But Dr. Anderson, Blaine is already like that, he's the most kindhearted and brave person I've ever known, and if you could just see how his sexuality doesn't change any of that…" Sam tried to reason with him, but Dr. Anderson only seemed to get angrier at every word he said, as if he considered an offense that he pretended to know his son more than he did.
"Don't tell me what to see" Don replied, not needing to raise his voice to sound very threatening. "I see someone in front of me who got his partner in trouble and sent her out to some butcher as he wooed on an innocent young boy like my son"
"Yeah, I guess that's what you would see" Sam answered with a nod before turning to go, sad that he hadn't been able to fix anything.
Blaine was obediently waiting for him next to the car, his face the perfect picture of misery, even if he was looking even more beautiful than ever. Gulping his own tears before Blaine could hear them in his voice, he approached him and threw his jacket and his sunglasses inside the car through the window in preparation for his trip.
"Well…" Sam said, suddenly feeling awkward in front of Blaine, just as they had done before they admitted their feelings to each other what felt like a lifetime ago, even if it was only a few days.
"I can't imagine being here without you even one day" Blaine said with the saddest sigh Sam had ever heard.
"I was thinking you'll have more time to help your little Hummel friend with the talent show" Sam joked, aiming for some smile that he was glad to elicit.
"We surprised everybody" Blaine said with a chuckle that Sam quickly reciprocated before embracing him with all his forces.
"I guess we did" he answered before kissing the top of Blaine's head, deeply inhaling into the unique scent of Blaine's curls for the last time. "But I'll never be sorry"
"Neither will I" Blaine answered before he captured Sam's lips in a long kiss.
They melted in a neverending embrace after that, none of them willing to let go as they knew that it would mean their ending. They had been together for such a short time that they hadn't had the time or the courage to talk about what would happen when the summer was over and now it was too late and the decision had been made for them, even if both felt that everything that had happened between them had been too much for just a summer fling.
"Please, don't" Sam said as he heard a sob escape from Blaine's throat, so he broke the embrace and cup Blaine's cheeks in his hands. "Let me have a smile as the last image I have of you. One of these smiles of yours that make me feel like the most special man in the earth because they're only for me" Sam pleaded, and Blaine complied, even if it didn't look like any of those smiles that he loved so much. "That's better"
Sam embraced him again, almost as if he was physically unable to let go of him, and started rocking their bodies together as he softly sang in Blaine's ear to comfort him.
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun,
and I say, It's all right
Little darling
It's been a long, cold lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun,
and I say, It's all right
Little darling
The smiles returning to the faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun,
and I say, It's all right
Their lips found each other for a last time and Sam's thumb moved on its own accord to catch a stray tear on Blaine's face.
"See ya" Sam simply said before finally separating to get into his car, because there was nothing else he could say that would make them feel better and he didn't want to make things even harder with promises they couldn't keep.
Blaine watched as Sam got into his car and closed the door, and he noticed how he turned it on almost immediately, probably scared to lose his courage if he hesitated. He got the car moving a little more brusquely than necessary, and Blaine followed it a few steps until he stopped in the middle of the road to see it go.
Inside the car, Sam couldn't help himself and took a look at the rear mirror to have a last glimpse of the boy who had so completely stolen his heart. And when he saw him there, standing in the middle of the road, so beautiful and perfect even if he seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, he couldn't hold on any longer and broke in bitter sobs for what he had lost.
Blaine didn't move from his place until long after Sam's car had disappeared down the road, as if he was incapable of reacting. But when he did, he couldn't stop the flow of tears falling down his cheeks. And he didn't even try to remove them when he came back to his cabin and found his father again sitting down on the porch, though this time he didn't try to apologize to him; he didn't even say anything. But he sent the older man an accusing gaze, blaming him and the people like him for sending Sam away from him. And judging by the surprise and the hint of guilt on his father's face, Blaine knew he had understood.
Not really knowing what to do, as his mind and his body felt too numb to do much anything, he got into his room and closed the door behind him. He then proceeded to sit on his bed and wondered how he was going to carry on with his life after everything that had happened that summer.
Of course he should have known better, as he hadn't been there for even a minute when Cooper quietly made his way into the room and wordlessly sat at his side and put his arms around him to bring him to his chest.
His brother's compassion immediately broke his defenses and he started sobbing on his brother's shoulder.
"That's it, little brother" Cooper whispered as he held onto him more strongly. "Let it all out. I'm here for you"
They spent like that a few minutes until Blaine calmed himself enough to speak and Cooper finally dared to let go of him, though he kept an arm around his little brother's shoulders while he waited for him to be able to talk.
"So Sam, huh?" Cooper said in a joking tone, hoping to break the ice and get his brother comfortable enough for talking. "I must admit I didn't see that one coming"
Blaine chuckled in spite of himself. Trust Cooper to make him smile in a moment like that, Blaine thought fondly. He could see Cooper was not judging him –not for his sexuality, nor for not being honest with him–, but Blaine still thought he deserved some explanation.
"Cooper, I wanted to tell you, but…" Blaine tried to explain as he dried the tears from his face.
"Hey, no, Blaine, don't worry" Cooper quickly stopped him. "This is not about me. That's not an easy thing to come to terms with, you needed to do it in your own time"
"You were going to be the first one to know, you know?" Blaine said in total honestly, looking intently at his brother.
"You mean, aside from Sam" Cooper joked, eliciting a smile from his younger brother again.
"Well, yes, obviously" Blaine admitted, slightly blushing at the implications of Cooper's words. "But Sam told me I should trust some people and I told him I would tell you. And I was going to, but…"
"But the option was takenaway from you" Cooper finished for him, comprehensively.
"Yes"
"You know I love you just the same, do you?" Cooper said, turning serious for a moment because it was very important for him that his brother would understand how nothing was going to change between them.
"Thanks, Cooper" Blaine answered, this time him being the one to embrace Cooper strongly to him.
"And… that I understand how you're feeling now that Sam is gone and… how you feel about him" Cooper continued, looking sympathetically at him and comfortingly squeezing his thigh with his hand once the embrace broke. "But I'm here for you, okay? No more secrets"
"No more secrets" Blaine easily agreed as he leant into his brother and rested his head on Cooper's shoulder. "I love you so much, Coop"
"I love you too, little brother" Cooper let himself be sentimental for once as he once again put his arm around Blaine's shoulder and kissed his forehead.
Blaine couldn't be less in the mood for a show than he was at the moment. His father had reserved a table for them at one side of the ballroom instead of taking seats on the chairs that had been set in rows in front of the stage, even if Cooper was going to perform, claiming they would be more comfortable that way. But Blaine was not an idiot, and he could see what his father was doing: after he had confessed to be in a relationship with Sam the rumors and gossip had spread like wildfire. Not only the very young child of a rich client had been sleeping with one of the employees with the worst reputation –something that happened often enough, but apparently it was okay unless people found out about it–, but on top of that, both of them were men. That was not a small thing, right?
So Blaine was quite aware that his father just intended to keep him from sight as much as he could to avoid furtive glances and constant whispering. He had even made him sit between him and his mother, next to a column. If he did it to protect him or because he was ashamed of him, Blaine didn't know.
Apart from Cooper's performance, which had been adorably disastrous, the talent show was becoming a dull nightmare, when all Blaine wanted was to lie on his bed, cover himself from head to toe with a blanket and cry his heart out at how much he missed Sam already. But when all the participants gathered again on stage to sing a pathetic song about how great Hummel's hotel was and what a great summer they had spent together, Blaine felt like he was going to die from boredom.
Just then, Santana and Puck passed them by on their way to their seats, and Don Anderson stopped them.
"Hey, guys" he said as he stood up to talk to them. After all, Puck had been their personal waiter during all their vacation and Santana had been dating his oldest son, so he got a couple of envelopes from the inner pocket of his jacket and gave them to them. "Thank you for a wonderful service, and good luck"
"Thank you, Dr. Anderson" Santana said. "That's very generous of you, especially considering how things ended up between me and your son"
"And I wanted to thank you for your help in the Quinn situation. I guess we all get in messes like this" Puck added, as he gratefully took the envelope filled with a more than generous tip.
Doctor Anderson couldn't believe what he was hearing: it had been Puck to get Quinn into trouble? Not Sam? And yet Sam had been the one to take responsibility of it?
"What?" he asked in astonishment, looking alternatively at both youngsters, waiting for an explanation.
"I thought Blaine told you" Puck added, realizing his mistake. "Look, I'm not sure… Quinn says… But you know how it is with girls like these, they're liable to pin it on any guy around…"
Don didn't even thought he needed to hear the rest of the story or even lower himself to answer, so without any further comment he grabbed the envelopes from the other two's hands and left them in mid-sentence, while Blaine, who had been watching all the exchange from the distance, couldn't help but smile at the small victory.
Sam's heart kept beating with more and more speed as he entered the ballroom where he knew the final show of the season was being held, and the sound of that horrible song Kurt insisted to sing every year reached his ears. He had been close to not making it, he realized, and he cursed the amount of time it had taken him to realize that was the place he needed to be, because that was where the person he loved was. If Blaine had taught him something, that was to fight for what he believed in, to make what he thought was the right time without giving a damn about what others might think. Blaine hadn't been afraid to risk everything that mattered to him for him, and Sam was going to do the same for him. Because they needed to be together and no one –not the Hummels, not even Blaine's father– was going to keep them apart if Blaine still thought he was worth fighting for. And Burt Hummel had already fired him anyway, what more could he do to him? He was going to get Blaine and they were going to sing the song they had written together. And if anybody didn't like it… well, they knew were the door was.
On his way in, Sam greeted all his friends amongst the entertainment staff that were watching the show from the back of the room –the other music teachers, the dancing teachers and the events organizers–, who seemed pretty happy to see him back, and then he passed them by in search of the person he really was dying to see. His eyes moved along every single row, hoping to find his cute and characteristic curls, but he was disappointed when he couldn't find them. His eyes turned to the side, to the few tables that had been moved to the end of the room, and he was furious to find him there, where he could hardly see him cornered as he was behind his father, as if he was something that needed to be hidden.
His resolution only growing stronger, Sam walked decidedly to the Anderson's table and stood right next to it, his heart about to burst when he saw Blaine's face lighting up with the surprise and the delight of seeing him again.
"Nobody puts Blaine in a corner" Sam said, angrily staring at Don Anderson before offering his hand for Blaine to take. "Come on"
Blaine, brave as usual, didn't hesitate to take Sam's hand, almost defiantly, and followed him even if he didn't know where he was taking him. He heard his father stand up behind him, but his mother stopped him before he could reach them. When he noticed Sam was leading him to the stage he hesitated for a second, but Sam squeezed Blaine's hand more strongly.
"Everything is going to be fine, B" he whispered to him, only turning to him for a second to see Blaine nod trustingly at him.
They went up the stairs that lead them to the stage, still hand in hand, and interrupted the song the contestants were still singing –Blaine looking apologetically at his brother, who just smiled reassuringly at him–. Burt Hummel looked like he wanted to murder Sam right then and there, but he refrained himself to avoid making a scene as Sam walked to the mic and looked at Blaine for a second before turning to the audience.
"Sorry about the disruption, folks, but I always do the last number of the season" Sam said, not faltering even at the surprised silence that had fallen across the ballroom. "This year somebody told me not to" he continued, and he almost smiled when his friends, who perfectly knew he was referring to Kurt, wooed from the back of the room. "Still, for the first time, I'm going to do my own music with a great partner, who's not only a terrific singer and musician, but somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people, no matter what it costs them" Sam said as he looked lovingly into Blaine's eyes. "Somebody who's taught me about what kind of person I want to be. Mr. Blaine Anderson"
Don Anderson rised again from his chair, intent to put an end to whatever was about to happen, but Angelica had had enough from his husband's behavior and pushed him down again with a hand to his shoulder.
"Sit down, Don" she said in an angry tone that left no room for argument and his husband, for once, obeyed her.
Sam squeezed Blaine's hand one last time before rushing to help Sebastian and a couple of friends get a piano and a guitar onstage –as he had asked for their help outside, before making his way into the ballroom–. He smiled at the surprise in Blaine's face as he stood rooted to the ground, and Sam rushed to explain.
"I thought it would be a good time to sing that song we wrote together"
"Sam…" Blaine tried to protest, as they hadn't even rehearsed it and he was feeling insecure and very self aware of all the gazes on them.
"You're going to do great" Sam answered with a trusting smile as he guided the smaller boy to sit to his piano. And before Blaine could protest any further, Sam started singing his part, so Blaine could only accompany with the piano.
Now I've had the time of my life
No I never felt like this before
Yes I swear it's the truth
and I owe it all to you
Sam smiled encouragingly at his lover, as it was now his turn, and Blaine nodded at him before he started to sing.
'Cause I've had the time of my life
and I owe it all to you
Sam joined in the music with his guitar, and his heart felt about to burst when the audience started clapping in time with the song and Blaine's face lit up with enthusiasm. He was so happy to see Blaine like that that he almost missed his cue –though he started singing just in time.
I've been waiting for so long
Now I've finally found someone
To stand by me
More confidently this time, Blaine continued with the song, never getting his gaze away from Sam's.
We saw the writing on the wall
As we felt this magical fantasy
Smiling tenderly at each other, they continued singing together.
Now with passion in our eyes
There's no way we could disguise it secretly
So we take each other's hand
'Cause we seem to understand the urgency
Sam: just remember
Blaine: You're the one thing
Sam: I can't get enough of
Sam: So I'll tell you something
Both: This could be love because
I've had the time of my life
No I never felt this way before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
'Cause I've had the time of my life
And I've searched through every open door
'Til I found the truth
And I owe it all to you
The happiness in Blaine's face told Sam he had done exactly the right thing coming back to him and getting him onstage, where that boy surely belonged. And once everything was fixed between them, he would make sure to convince him that was what he needed to do. Meanwhile, he looked at Blaine's smiling face again and sent him a flying kiss that made him blush just before he started singing again.
Blaine: With my body and soul
I want you more than you'll ever know
Sam: So we'll just let it go
Don't be afraid to lose control
Blaine: Yes I know what's on your mind
When you say: "Stay with me tonight"
Sam: Just remember you're the one thing
Blaine: I can't get enough of
Sam: So I'll tell you something
Both: This could be love because
'Cause I had the time of my life
No I've never felt this way before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
'Cause I've had the time of my life
And I've searched through every open door
Till I found the truth
and I owe it all to you
Sam couldn't stand the separation any longer and stood up in the instrumental part of the song in which Blaine got to show his skills with his piano, to walk right next to him and motion for him to move so he could sit on the stool next to him for the slower part of the song. Blaine smiled and shifted to the side so Sam could sit at his side, feeling the same need to feel him near than the blond felt.
Sam took advantage of the fact that Blaine wouldn't play for some verses so he could turn him to him and join their foreheads together, completely forgetting about all the people looking at them –Blaine's family included– to make sure Blaine understood he meant every word he was singing.
Now I've had the time of my life
No I never felt this way before
Yes I swear it's the truth
and I owe it all to you
Blaine could feel tears coming to his eyes that felt very different to the ones he had been sharing all day as he heard Sam's friends and other people around the audience –and he could have sworn that was Cooper's voice– cheering at them while they reach the final part of the song, a song they had written together from the bottom of their hearts and were now sharing with them, obviously happy about them.
Both: "cause I've had the time of my life
No I've never felt this way before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
As soon as they finished playing, Sam gently grabbed Blaine's chin between his fingers and brought his face closer so he could give his lips a kiss, both to make him see how he felt for him and how proud he was of him and also as a challenge to anyone who would dare to say anything against them.
But not a lot people had anything bad to say to them. The silence was soon broken when the audience started applauding, some of them very enthusiastically at the step the young couple had taken in a lot of ways, and Sam took Blaine's hand to get him on his feet and bring him to the edge of the stage so they could take a bow.
Blaine couldn't believe the acceptance he was seeing in a lot of the people's faces, and he was so happy that he didn't even care about the few of them that left the building indignantly at the show they had offered. He chuckled happily when he saw Cooper waving enthusiastically at him from his place, and Quinn and Sebastian were jumping with joy for them at the back of the room.
After the second vow the curtain closed in front of them and it was them when Blaine couldn't help him anymore and jumped on Sam's arms, closing his arms and legs around him excitedly, still not able to believe how everything had changed in just a few minutes. Sam had to take a step back to regain balance, but as soon as he did he held Blaine close to him and laughed at the boy's enthusiasm.
"I can't believe you came back" Blaine said, his voice muffled against Sam's neck.
"I can't believe I went away in the first place" Sam replied, his voice full of regret that he hadn't had the guts to do that from the beginning.
"You're here now and that's all that matters" Blaine answered as he lifted his head from Sam's shoulder and kissed him full in the mouth.
Just then some music more typical of the staff dancing pavilion that the ballroom of the Hummel's started sounding and they separated to laugh when they saw Sebastian behind the scenes raising his thumbs at them, obviously being the one responsible for it.
"May I have this dance?" Sam asked as he finally let Blaine on the floor and offered his hand to him.
"Yes, you may" Blaine answered with a smile as he once again trustingly let Sam guide him.
They descended the stairs from the stage to the ball room, where the chairs were being removed so everyone would have room for dancing. And even if it was not by any means the kind of music most of them were used to, everybody seemed to be having a good time.
They had just put their feet on the last step when someone interjected them on their way to the dance floor, and they found Don Anderson standing seriously in front of them.
"I know you weren't the one who got Quinn in trouble" Don said, looking intently at Sam.
"Yeah" Sam cautiously answered, still not sure about where the conversation was going.
"When I'm wrong I say I'm wrong" Don continued. "And I'm sorry about the way I treated you"
"Thank you, sir" Sam gratefully answered, delighted that his relationship with Blaine's father may not be as impossible as he had feared.
But Don apologizing to him didn't mean anything to him if he didn't take a step to mending his relationship with his son. So Sam watched him intently as the doctor turned to his son this time and couldn't help a proud smile breaking into his lips.
"You sounded wonderful up there" he simply said, but it was enough for Blaine to understand the sentiment behind it and he embraced his father gratefully.
"I've missed you, Dad" Blaine whispered in his father's ear before letting go of him.
"I've missed you too, son" Don answered, with a shaken voice.
"Dad, I…" Blaine tried to say, probably to apologize again, but his father wouldn't let him.
"We'll have time to talk about everything we need to talk" he interrupted him with a fond smile as he rested his hand on his son's shoulder, jokingly pointing at Sam with his head. "I think someone needs your attention more than me right now"
Both Blaine and Sam chuckled at that and they were about to go when Blaine's father stopped him through the grip he still had on his shoulder.
"I'm still proud of you, son. Of every aspect of you. That much hasn't changed"
"Thank you, Dad" Blaine said, his voice breaking with emotion as he embraced his father again.
"There's nothing to thank me for, Blaine" Don answered, not so far from tears himself, before he broke the embrace and jokingly pushed him away. "Now go"
Blaine laughed and turned to Sam, intending to take his hand to lead him to the dance floor, but they were interrupted again before they could take more than two steps when Cooper planted himself in front of them.
"So you're the famous Sam guy that apparently stole my brother's heart" Cooper said, looking quite menacing.
"I guess that's me" Sam answered with a gulp, because he had left before knowing how Blaine's brother had taken the news. Maybe he was not as cool as guy as Blaine had told him.
"You better take care of him or I'll kill you" Cooper added, threateningly pointing his finger at his face, but a smile finally broke into his face and Sam chuckled in relief that he was just pulling his leg.
"Don't worry, I intend to do it" Sam answered, taking Blaine's hand, still in his, to his lips so he could kiss it while looking tenderly at him with an implicit promise to do it until the end of time.
"You better" Cooper repeated with a smile, obviously pleased at the obvious love he could see in that boy for his brother, before pretending to take a good look at him. "Not bad, little brother, you have a good taste"
"Cooper!" Blaine immediately admonished him, blushing furiously, which just made the other two laugh fondly at him.
"Just have fun, you two" Cooper said as he patted both their backs and disappeared in search for some cute girl to dance with.
"Do you think they are going to let us dance now?" Sam joked as he finally put his arms around Blaine's waist and motioned for him to encircle his neck. "Or are there any other relatives of yours waiting in line to give us their approval?"
"No, I think my Mom will wait until the end of the party" Blaine answered with a chuckle as he let Sam lead their moves, just happy to be in his arms after a whole day believing he would never see him again.
"And I thought we would never be able to dance like this in here" Sam joked as he rested his hands on Blaine's hips and moved them in time with his.
"There were a lot of things we never thought we would do" Blaine said, a little bit more serious, his eyes shining with emotion. "Thanks for making me sing"
"You were amazing" Sam answered, his voice filled with pride for his… boyfriend, maybe? Maybe it was about time to set some things straight. "So… have you made a decision about college?"
"I'm going to NYADA" Blaine answered with no hesitation. Sam had said he had a learnt a lot from him, but it was also true the other way around, and if there was something Sam had taught him, that was to fight for his dreams. "I'm not pretending about anything anymore, and that's what I want to do"
"Good" Sam answered, even prouder than before, just before feigning to be thinking deeply about something. "New York, huh? I guess it can be as good a place as any to start over, isn't it?"
"What?" Blaine asked, his eyes full of hope even if he was not sure he really understood what Sam meant.
"Why not?" Sam asked with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You mean… you're coming with me?"
"Maybe I will find my chance in the city"
"Maybe" Blaine agreed with a nervous laugh, still unable to believe what was happening.
"I don't think I have an option now anyway, I can't imagine my life without you anymore" Sam admitted with no trace of joking in his voice this time. "That is, if you want me there, of course"
"Oh, Sam" Blaine answered, throwing himself at Sam's arms in the strongest embrace Sam had ever received. "I love you"
"I love you too, babe" Sam answered as he squeezed Blaine more strongly to his chest, unable to believe how much happiness a heart could contain.
In fact, he embraced Blaine so strongly that he ended up lifting him from the floor and then he took advantage of the fact that his boyfriend was at his mercy to capture his lips in the most tender and the longest kiss they had shared until then, the first with a promise of future. The first of the many they were going to share, Sam thought as he let Blaine on the floor again and continued rocking both their bodies together when the song that had been sounding on his cabin the first time they made love started sounding there, he realized with a chuckle, to just put a perfect ending to a perfect summer.
SONGS:
Can you feel the love tonight – Elton John
Because of you – Keith Martin
Here comes the sun – The Beatles
The time of my life – Jennifer Warned & Bill Medley
A/N: Well? What did you think? I realized it's the first time I wrote a blam fic about them falling in love (all the other were more about realizing their feelings, and one of them was already in love), and it was so sweet and it gave me a lot of feelings. All the made-up scene at the lake were wonderful to write. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did :)