Notes: First of all, special thanks to CJMusic, Anna and D Jess D. I'm so glad you liked the changes, reading your reviews made it tottaly worth it. Also, this is a re-writing of the old first chapter, so it's very very similar, but I liked the scene with the Warblers so I just added some stuff. I hope you like it, I love to hear what you think!
Enjoy!
There's nothing else that we will need, this Christmas
Won't be wrapped under a tree, I want something that lasts forever
'Cos I don't wanna be alone tonight
Blaine stares at the ceiling of his old dorm room and his lips curve into an involuntary smile. The only thing he hears is silence, and that silence only reminds him of where he is. He's home.
It's funny. He remembers the first time he came to Dalton, all broken and scared and voiceless. He remembers the fear he felt at being locked up inside a building full of boys -because boys were evil and mean and dangerous, he knew it well- But Dalton...Dalton proved him wrong.
Dalton was not just a building full of boys. Dalton was, he realized, the place where people drop all the broken toys they want to get rid of. In Dalton, those toys change, they pull themselves together.
But they never go back to the way they were before. Dalton makes them better.
Rich kids with absent parents, scared kids with troubled pasts, lonely kids unable to trust, strange kids that don't fit in, lost guys who had nowhere to belong. Dalton is the place you go when no other place will let you in. Dalton fixes what the world broke.
It fixed Blaine, and laying there on his old bed, covered with the familiar blue and crimson blankets, he wonders if it could fix Sebastian, too. Even though he's beginning think that there's really nothing to be fixed.
The nearly empty building is silent when he leaves his room. It's always silent during Christmas break, and that's the time when Blaine has always liked it the most.
As he approaches the common living room, he hears loud voices and music and laughter. He stands outside for a moment, taking it all in, and smiles.
"I have a...straight flush and a threesome."
"That's not how it's called, Sebastian" Wes points out with tired tone.
"Believe me, Sir Wesley, I know how it's called" Sebastian remarks, winking at him.
Jeff, who has spent the most part of the game trying not to laugh at Sebastian's overly sexual interpretation of poker (and every other game they've tried to play) finally can't handle it anymore and the laugh he's been holding breaks free, just in time to cut off Wes's next remark.
"Good Jeff, that's just what they needed" David says, staring at him with a raised eyebrow "Go ahead, encourage him."
Sebastian drops his cards carelessly on the floor in front of him and stretches, sighing.
"I'm tired of playing cards. Let's go sing Christmas carols or something."
Jeff stops laughing instantly, and suddenly all eyes are on Sebastian.
"What?" Sebastian asks "It's Christmas!"
"Are you telling me that you'd really rather be outside on that north pole weather, singing carols for some unknown people, instead of being here by the fire pissing off Wes?" David asks, incredulous.
"Sebastian's all about Christmas" Jeff says, laying down on the floor where they're seated and folding his arms behind his head "He's even going to dress up as Santa Claus for us."
"You're not" Wes says, trying to sound serious, but failing miserably, as his lips curve into a small smile.
"Of course I'm not. My love for Christmas might be infinite and pure, but it has limits."
"If it's infinite, it means it has no limit" Wes corrects.
"Oh, Sir Weasley, if you weren't as straight as a guy can be, I'd think you're trying to provoke me on purpose just to..."
"Please don't end that sentence" Wes cuts him off, mortified.
Jeff and David exchange a look and they both break into laughter, ignoring Wes's murderous glance.
"Why are you here anyway?" Sebastian asks, changing the topic completely "Shouldn't you be at some fancy English castle or something?"
"I thought that they must have filled you in by now" Blaine says with a chuckle, entering the room and siting on the floor besides David "Welcome to the Dalton Christmas club, Sebastian Smythe"
Sebastian crooks his head slightly to the side and stares at him with questioning eyes.
"We always stay for Christmas" Jeff explains, sitting back up and glancing at Sebastian "Call us a cliché, but we have nowhere to go."
"My father forbids me to go home for Christmas if I don't get top grades in all my classes, and I got an A in math" Wes shrugs.
"My mother is spending Christmas in Cabo with her new boyfriend" David adds, as if it's the most normal thing.
"My parents simply don't want me home for Christmas, you know, with all that coming out of the closet drama and everything" Jeff smiles slightly, glancing briefly at the fire burning in the fireplace.
¨I'm a little like Jeff" Blaine shrugs "My parents keep trying to cure my gayness by inviting random girls to dinner, trying to make me learn mechanics, and making me talk to a shrink. It's already taking all my strength to stand it during the rest of the year, I really can't deal with it on the holidays."
"That's karma" says a voice from the door "That's what you get for leaving us, Anderson" Thad crosses the room carrying a big black bag, and kneels before the giant Christmas tree that rests in the corner, illuminated with hundreds of little color lights "But I got you a present anyway"
The boys laugh, then Blaine turn to Sebastian and raises and eyebrow.
"What's your story? You can't join the Christmas club without a good story"
"My father has forbidden me to spend Christmas with my mum in France, and I'd rather stay here than spend it with him and bimbo number three" Sebastian says, as he watches Thad carefully arrange boxes of presents under the tree.
"I vote in favor" David raises a hand and looks at his team mates "Who else votes in favor of accepting Sebastian Smythe in our very private club?"
"God" Wes whispers, half laughing, watching as the boys raise their hands, and raising his own "It would actually be funny if it wasn't so sad."
Laughter fills the room, and, for a second, all of them forget the real reason why they're staying: someone out there believes that there's something wrong with them.
But there's nothing wrong with them while they're in Dalton.
A female voice rises suddenly, and the laughter stops, because, aside from Madmoiselle the french teacher and Miss Lawry from english, there are no woman in Dalton. And this is not even the voice of a woman, it's the voice of a girl.
"I knew Dalton would be full of Christmas spirit" the voice exclaims, exited "You never disappoint me, Warblers."
"Well, if it isn't our very own Santa Baby!" Jeff jumps up and runs to hug the blonde girl standing by the door, spinning her around.
"Don't call her that!" Wes demands, standing up too and glaring at him "It sound's trashy."
"Oh Wesley dear!" the girl exclaims, smiling brightly as she walks up to him and gives him a soft peck on the lips "Don't be so uptight, it's Christmas!"
"We were wondering when were you going to come, Mel" David greets, standing up too, followed by Sebastian.
"We have a new member of the Dalton Christmas club this year" Thad adds, standing next do Sebastian "And the prodigal son has returned home"
Mel hugs both David and Thad at the same time, and then stands before Sebastian, studying him with bright green eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"So you are Sebastian..." she begins, taking in the sharp features, bright green-blue eyes and crooked smile "Why didn't anyone tell me how gorgeous he was?" she asks, pretending to be offended.
"I have no idea who you are and I like you already" Sebastian's smile widens, and he leans in to kiss Mel's cheek slightly "I'm enchanted to meet you, Santa Baby."
He ignores Wes's death glare and focuses on Mel's flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes instead.
"Melissa is Wes's girlfriend. Dalton's very own first lady" explains Thad, returning to arrange his gifts under the tree.
"You are all adorable" Melissa chimes, smiling brightly and staring at Sebastian "And you, Sebastian, I can see why lovely Kurt's afraid of you, you are a charmer."
"The last thing he needs is you encouraging him" Blaine stares at her with false offense, but she simply looks back at him with her hands on her hips.
"I'm still mad at you for leaving us, Blaine" she says, pouting "But I bought a gift for you too"
Blaine smiles as the girl throws herself into his arms, laughing, and kisses him on the cheek, leaving a bright pink lipstick mark.
The boys laugh, and Melissa turns to grab Wes's arm and pulls him towards the door.
"Come on Wesley, you have to help me with my gifts, Lawrence had to go pick up mum and couldn't help me bring them up."
As Wes follows Melissa out of the room, Sebastian lets out a loud whistle.
"Damn that Wes, he had me fooled."
"Yeah, right?" adds David with a laugh, as he returns to his position sitting on the floor by the fire "The first time Melissa showed up here it was quite a shock for all of us."
"She's like a real life Barbie" Jeff sits on the velvet sofa and snuggles against the cushions "And, she comes every Christmas to bring presents for the Warblers."
"If it were any other time of the year, I'd definitely make a move on her." Sebastian smirks.
"As against that as I am, I have to ask, what's a matter with this time of the year?" asks Thad, looking up from his already perfectly arranged boxes.
Sebastian looks offended, as he lets himself fall on the couch next to Jeff.
"Sebastian is a good guy on Christmas" Blaine explains, before Sebastian can answer "As surprising as that sounds"
"You have the most messed up morals" David sighs, glancing at Sebastian and shaking his head.
It's actually fun helping Mel arrange her enormous pile of gifts. Blaine reads all the names written in glittery pink and smiles as he remembers his first Christmas at Dalton. He didn't even know her back then, but when he woke up in Christmas morning there was a gift with his name written in glittery pink, too. And he left, and now he's back, and there's still a gift with his name on glittery pink letters.
It's like is he never left, and, standing there, watching Sebastian laugh with a joy he thought he was not capable of feeling, as he jokes with the guys who were once -still are- his family, Blaine wishes that things could be like this forever.
Because it's Christmas, and in Christmas you can wish all you want.
He doesn't think of Kurt until he opens his own bag of gifts and they all start to put them under the tree next to the rest. He stares at the gift Kurt gave him and something like guilt starts to take over him. He shouldn't be this happy when his boyfriend -who he loves- is so far away. He shouldn't be staring mesmerized as other boy's sea green eyes light up with glee and wanting so badly to make him laugh. He shouldn't be wishing he had never left this place that makes him feel like he can do whatever he wants, that he can be whoever he wants to be.
"Where's Nick?" Melissa asks suddenly, snapping Blaine out of his reverie "He's the only one missing from the Christmas club"
"He left all his christmas shopping for the last day, as usual" says Jeff, shrugging "He's a little down because he though that he was going home for the holidays, but his parents decided to go visit his sister in Europe instead."
There's a silence in the room for a moment, and even though no one says it, they all think the same; don't ever get your hopes up.
"I bet we can think of something to cheer him up" Blaine says, pushing all the guilt and thoughts of Kurt into a far corner of his mind and letting the warmth of the fire and the familiar feeling of belonging sooth his worries.
"I bet he'd love to sing Christmas carols" Sebastian insists.
"God, Sebastian, you never give up, don't you?" David asks, rolling his eyes.
Sebastian smiles, and his eyes somehow find Blaine's, who doesn't even try to look away.
"Never"