Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Losing My Religion.
Note: Okay, so here's the big moment you've all been waiting for! Let's see how Rory takes the news, shall we?
Oh no, I've said too much
I've said enough
"I can't believe it's already New Year's Eve," Sam sighed. "Vacation's almost over."
"When do we have to go back to Ohio?" Rory asked.
"Well, since New Year's Day is a Saturday, we can go back on Sunday. School starts up again on Monday. Man, I can't wait for college, when we get like, a month off."
"College?" Rory furrowed his brow. "Oh, right. We call that 'university' in Europe."
"University," Sam playfully mocked Rory's accent.
"Oh, shut it," Rory rolled his eyes, but chuckled to himself. "It will be strange, not being home for New Year's. My parents and I always celebrated together. Seamus tries to stay up, but he never seems to make it past 10:30. He just falls asleep on the couch, and then I have to carry him back to his room. My uncle comes over, and we celebrate with him."
"So do you have any cousins or anything?"
"Yes," Rory nodded. "Jenny and Eva. They're eight and five."
"Does it suck, not having anyone your age to talk to?"
"Not really. My uncle and I are really close. I don't mind hanging out with him."
"Well, the twins won't make it to midnight, either, so I guess it's just you and me tonight. Mom and Dad are going to Dad's big fancy office party, so we're babysitting."
"Oh, I don't mind. I love babysitting, most of the time anyway. And your siblings are absolute angels."
"That's because you don't live with them," Sam joked. "They can be real twin terrors sometimes. But I love them, even when they are being brats."
"Alright, we're leaving now, boys. Here's the number of the hotel, and you know our cell phone numbers. There's money on the table if you want to order out. Remember to-"
"I know, I know. Lock the doors, feed the twins, and put them to bed. Just go and have a nice time, Mom," Sam said.
She eyed him carefully. "Sorry, I'm just paranoid. I've never left you overnight with the twins before."
"Relax, I have Rory with me. He's a good kid. We won't have any wild parties or anything. The wildest we'll get is maybe having a Mario Kart marathon."
"Okay," she said slowly. "Well, we're off." She kissed her son on the forehead and headed out the door with her husband, both dressed to the nines.
Sam closed and locked the door behind them. "Well, Mom and Dad are gone!"
"Sammy, can we have mac and cheese for dinner?" Stevie pleaded.
"We can, yeah," he went into the kitchen. He pulled a box of Kraft from the cupboard and stared at the directions on the back. "Oh God…"
"Need some help?" Rory's soft voice asked.
"Yes," Sam mumbled. "I…I don't understand these instructions."
"It's okay," Rory murmured. "I'll cook, don't worry. You go entertain the twins."
Sam ducked his head, embarrassed. "Thanks."
"No trouble at all," Rory turned the stove on to boil the water. Sam wandered into the living room listlessly, finding his siblings whispering to each other.
"Hey, what's the secret? Trying to figure out how to stay up til midnight?"
"Stacy and I were talking, and you know how you're supposed to kiss someone on New Year's Eve at midnight?"
"…yes…" Sam looked confused. Where had his little siblings heard that one?
Stevie glanced sideways at his sister. "We think you should kiss Rory tonight."
Sam nearly fell over. He steadied himself, grabbing onto the arm of the couch. "Wh…wh…wh…what?" His heart pounded like crazy in his chest at the mere possibility of kissing Rory, period, let alone on New Year's Eve.
"It's supposed to bring you luck in the New Year," Stacy shrugged. "And maybe it'll help New Directions win their next competition. Besides, he'll be the only one here tonight for you to kiss, and you like him-like him."
"I can't just kiss him," Sam whispered furiously. "He doesn't like me-like me back."
"But can't you just try?" Stacy whined.
"Look, I'm not kissing anyone at midnight tonight. Mercedes and I broke up, you know that. I'm still not over her, okay? I can't just go around kissing boys I barely know."
"We just want you to be happy," Stevie said in a small voice.
Sam sighed heavily. He sat on the floor with his brother and sister. "Look, guys. Yeah, I have feelings for Rory. But Rory just likes me as a friend. It would make things really awkward if I kissed him like that. I don't even know if Rory like boys or girls."
"What about you? You dated Mercedes and Quinn and Santana but now you like Rory."
Sam looked at the carpet. "I guess I like boys and girls."
"How do you know Rory just likes you as a friend, though? Have you asked him?"
"Well, no," Sam admitted.
"Then how do you know for sure? Mom always says you don't know until you try."
Sam bit his lip. "I don't want to risk ruining our friendship."
"Sometimes you gotta take a risk, Sammy."
"Yeah, you can't learn to ride a bike without skinning your knees."
Sam gazed at his siblings in awe. When did they get so smart? He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Okay. Okay, I'll do it, tonight."
"Dinner's almost done," Rory called from the kitchen. "Wash up and get ready."
Sam slumped into the kitchen and washed his hands in the sink quickly. "Thanks again. You know, for making dinner. You didn't have to. We could've ordered a pizza."
"Oh, I know," Rory shrugged. "But I wanted to." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk, pouring three glasses for the twins and himself.
"Mmm, that smells good!" Stacy bounded in. "Rory, you should be a chef when you grow up. You'd be really good at it."
He laughed. "I kind of wanted to be a teacher," he told her. "But I'll keep that in mind."
They dug into the meal. "This is the best mac and cheese ever," Stevie declared.
"Yeah, what's your secret?" Sam asked.
"Can't tell. It's a family recipe," Rory winked. Sam blushed. When they finished, Sam helped Rory wash the dishes. It was the least he could do.
"Alright, so now we have to make sure they take their baths and put their pajamas on. They should be in bed by nine, though. They don't bathe together anymore, but we can do it in shifts, if you want. Stevie tends to put up a fight so I can take care of him first and then come back for Stacy later."
"That's fine," Rory agreed. "I'll play a card game with her while you're busy."
"Then maybe we can watch a movie after they've gone to bed?"
"I would like that," Rory smiled.
An exhausting hour and a half later, both twins were tucked into bed, adequately bathed and read a storybook to. "Well, we have a few hours before the ball drops. Now what?"
"I don't know," Rory shrugged. "What about that movie?"
"We can watch Avatar again," Sam's eyes gleamed hopefully.
"Err, um, I didn't care for it much the first time around," Rory confessed.
"What?" Sam was aghast. "It's the best movie ever!"
"It seemed like a…what do you call it? Knockoff of Pocahontas."
Sam pouted. "Fine. You pick the movie, then." Rory squatted down by the movie case, running his fingers along the spines of the numerous titles. Sam tried not to notice how nice Rory's ass looked in those jeans, and gulped hard. Rory finally picked one out.
"Back to the Future?" Sam looked surprised. "I haven't watched this in years. Okay." He popped it into the DVD player and settled back on the couch. Rory curled up in a nearby armchair, wrapping himself in a blanket. Sam had almost forgotten how good the movie was and how much he had loved it when he was younger. Rory watched intently, almost as if he were part of the action, almost as if Marty McFly understood him. Sam briefly wondered why this was so, but didn't dare to question it, for fear of upsetting Rory yet again. It wasn't until the film was over and the credits were rolling that either boy spoke.
"What a good movie," Sam cleared his throat.
"Yeah," Rory whispered. "It is…"
"Well, it's almost eleven."
"Which means it's almost twelve in New York. Which means we can't watch the ball drop in real time now, can we?"
Sam paused. "That's true."
"It's okay," Rory said. "We don't have to. We certainly don't in Ireland."
"Okay," Sam settled back into the couch. "So, what do you want to do until midnight?"
"Wait a moment," Rory ran upstairs. He came back down a few moments later. "We only have a few chapters left in our book. Would you like to finish it?"
"Sounds great." Sam, much as he didn't want to admit it, had gotten really into Looking for Alaska, the book Rory had insisted he'd like. Sam didn't know how enjoyable reading really could be, and he loved the way Rory read it to him. He also really liked the main character of the book and his friends. Rory cracked open the book to where they'd left off the night before and began to read, his voice sturdy and clear. They finished five minutes to midnight, and Rory set the book beside him on the end table.
"Well?" Rory looked at Sam in anticipation. "What did you think?"
"That was…it was great," Sam reluctantly admitted. "I really liked it."
Rory's face grew smug, as if to say, 'I-told-you-so'. "John Green has a new book that I am dying to read, called The Fault in Our Stars. I do not doubt that it is excellent."
"Why do you speak so precisely?" Sam blurted out.
"Oh," Rory turned a little red. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid my Pa had a lot to do with that."
"No, it's fine," Sam cast a glance at the clock. 11:58. "I was just wondering."
They sat in silence for several moments. "Look, thirty seconds," Rory pointed excitedly at the clock. "Twenty-seven, twenty-six, twenty-five…" Sam's heart hammered harder than it had before. In twenty seconds' time, he'd be kissing Rory Alexander Flanagan. "Twelve, eleven, ten, nine…" Sam took a deep breath and inched closer to Rory. "…four, three, two, one!"
"Happy New Year," Sam murmured, and brought his lips to the Irish boy's. Oh God, yes. Rory's lips were sweeter and softer than Sam ever could have imagined they would be. He was sure that his heart would leap clear out of his chest, for it was beating so hard and fast. His hands fumbled to find Rory's face and they gently touched his cheeks. Sam could feel the heat emanating from Rory's skin. Was he angry? Embarrassed? Enjoying this as much as he was? Painfully, still longing to make the connection, Sam broke away.
Rory stared at him for many tense moments. Sam found it impossible to read his expression. "Sam…" Rory dared to breathe. "Why…why did you…"
"I like you," Sam admitted. "A lot. And…it was midnight on New Year's Eve…if you kiss someone, it's supposed to bring you luck in the coming year…I…I figured…"
Rory began to visibly shake. "No, Sam, I…oh, God, no," he moaned and put his head between his knees. "No, no, no…"
"I'm so sorry," Sam immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I…if you're straight, I'm...I didn't know…oh, I'm so stupid!" Rory was shaking harder, his shoulders heaving, and Sam realized that the boy was crying. Sam wanted to reach out and comfort him, but didn't know if he should or not. After an agonizing ten minutes, Rory finally lifted his head.
"There…is so much…that you do not know about me, Samuel Evans. There is so much that I cannot explain to you about me, about my past. But this is one thing that I can explain to you, and that is this: I promised myself that I would not fall in love during my year here. Conversely, I would not get close enough to anybody to allow them to fall in love with me. But I have failed miserably, for you have fallen for me, and I am afraid that I have now fallen for you, too."
Sam's breath hitched in his throat. "You…you have feelings for me?"
"Yes," Rory said in the quietest voice Sam had ever heard. "And I am sorry, Sam, but I cannot be with you. I wish I could tell you why, but I cannot."
"You're straight, aren't you?" Sam groaned. "I should've known!"
"No," Rory sighed heavily. "I consider myself open to love, no matter where it comes from. I do not identify with a specific sexual orientation…and that…well, that was my first kiss, Sam. And it felt good, it honestly did. That's what I was afraid of."
"Rory, I…"
"I am going to bed now," Rory stood up suddenly. "Goodnight, Sam." He swiftly turned on his heel and ran up the stairs.
"Rory, wait," Sam attempted to call softly after him, but he heard the sound of the guest room door closing and sat back down, punching the couch pillow. "Damnit!" He was having trouble processing the night's events. Shoulders sagging in defeat, he dragged his feet upstairs, pausing by the guest room's tightly locked door. Out of habit, he pressed his ear to it. He could hear Rory talking to someone in rapid-fire Gaelic. Judging by the pauses in conversation, Sam guessed that Rory was talking to his family. Although the blue-eyed boy had taught Sam some Gaelic words and phrases, he was speaking too quickly for Sam to be able to comprehend what he was saying. The only words that Sam could pick out were the ones that Rory kept repeating over and over: "tá mé leithscéal, tá mé leithscéal." I am sorry, I am sorry.
To be continued…