Two Steps Beyond
Part 8
By the time they returned to their apartment they were both exhausted and hungry. "What do you say we just order in?" Sebastian asked once Blaine stretched out on the couch.
"Works for me, surprise me." Blaine just smiled up at Sebastian after he answered before grabbing the remote and turning on the television. Since Blaine didn't really care what they were having Sebastian headed into the kitchen for the piles of menus Lexi had left for them. After going through a few he decided to just order Chinese as it was easy and there would be enough leftover that they wouldn't have to worry about cooking the next night either. "What are we having?" Blaine asked while Sebastian lifted his legs to sit down.
"You'll find out when it gets here since you wanted to be surprised." Sebastian then glanced over at him and smiled. "What are we watching?"
"Not sure yet. Still flipping since I don't remember which channel is which."
"Makes sense. I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep really well tonight."
"Same here. That was definitely a long day. And Bas, I'm really proud of you. I know being nice to Kurt wasn't easy."
"Thank you B. It wasn't, but I figured trying won't kill me. Plus like I told Cooper, I really didn't want to witness him puking on deck."
"Ugh, that's not a pleasant thought at all. He sincerely looked surprised that you gave him honest advice."
"Well, stranger things have been known to happen. But just remember, once he stops playing nice so do I."
"I know and if he's smart he knows that as well. You've dealt with his crap better than anyone could've expected. I'm still worried about what's going to happen when Santana finally sees him. The refrain you've shown is not something she does."
"That I know, especially after the way she reacted to Jeff and Brittany's news. I'm pretty sure Jeff's looking around corners still and will be till they leave. And another thing, he pulled most of his antics with none of our friends around except for his last stunt. If he tries anything once Nick, Jeff, and Thad are in town, he's screwed because they won't hold back. They've got lots of frustration towards him that they're aching to release."
"That I do know. Nick's still pissed at everything that's happened. He honestly wished you would've beaten the crap out of him."
"I've been told that on numerous occasions by the guys, but they all understand why I didn't." Blaine was just about to speak when their doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Sebastian said while lifting Blaine's legs off of his lap. While Sebastian went to answer the door, Blaine got up as well to get them plates and drinks from the kitchen. When Blaine returned to the living room Sebastian was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table taking the containers out of the box.
"Think you ordered enough?" Blaine asked while taking a seat next to Sebastian on the floor.
"I couldn't make up my mind and I wanted to make sure there was something you'd enjoy." Blaine then leaned over and kissed Sebastian.
"Thank you." After handing Sebastian a plate and silverware, Blaine cocked his head to the side as Sebastian moved his silverware to the center of the table. "Plan on eating with your fingers Bas?"
"Nope, they sent chopsticks." Sebastian replied while dishing out his food. When he noticed Blaine was still looking at him he turned to face him slightly. "Is there something else?"
"I just didn't know you knew how to use chopsticks."
"My Dad taught me." Sebastian said before taking a bite. Once he was done chewing he looked back at Blaine. "Would you like to learn how to use them?" The way Sebastian asked, his voice was very soft and tender to which Blaine just nodded. Sebastian then scooted a bit closer while grabbing another set of chopsticks. It took a bit, but Blaine was slowly getting the hang of it. Anytime food slipped through them Blaine furrowed his brow bringing a soft smile to Sebastian's face. "You're getting better B. Before you know it you'll be a champ."
"Thanks." The smile on Blaine's face was small, but he knew Sebastian was being supportive. It was just hard to believe in what Sebastian was saying considering how frustrated he'd become throughout dinner. After cleaning up and putting the rest of the food in the fridge, they both headed for their bedroom to change. "Do you want to just relax in here or go back to the living room?"
"It doesn't matter to me because I can get comfortable in either place." Sebastian replied while placing his jeans over the chair next to the bed. "You can decide since I chose dinner." Seeing the look in Blaine's eyes Sebastian had a pretty good idea what Blaine's decision was going to be. So when Blaine said he'd be right back since he was going to turn off the television in the living room Sebastian got comfortable in bed. By the time Blaine returned Sebastian was situated and a movie was ready to start on the television. Sebastian then lifted the covers and Blaine got comfortable. "I figured something we'd seen before was a good choice because I don't see us making it till the end."
"You're tired too Bas?" Blaine asked just as he rested his head on Sebastian's chest. "I thought I was the only one."
"No, I'm tired too B. I think our previous night has finally caught up with us, though I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
"Me too."
Just as Sebastian had predicted neither of them made it till the end of the movie. They probably would've slept till their alarm went off, if Blaine's phone didn't go off. With as sound of a sleeper that Blaine was, Sebastian looked over to see if it was even worth waking him. When the number showed up with no name attached, Sebastian just closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Happy that Blaine hadn't even stirred with his slight movement.
With as much sleep as they got, Blaine and Sebastian were both up before their alarm went off the next morning. "How'd you sleep?" Sebastian asked after Blaine kissed him good morning.
"Really well, you?"
"Great, but someone tried calling you last night."
"Who?"
"Don't know as no name was attached. Since that was the case I didn't bother trying to wake you."
"I appreciate that. Too bad it woke you."
"It's alright, I was able to fall back to sleep pretty quickly." Sebastian then reached over and grabbed Blaine's phone from the nightstand. "Here, maybe you know the number." Once Blaine had his phone Sebastian leaned back. When he saw Blaine shake his head and just drop the phone on bed he wrapped his arm around him. "I take it from your reaction you know who it was."
"I'll give you one guess." Sebastian just sighed softly at Blaine's response. From the tone, it could only be one person. "What the hell was he thinking calling at two in the morning?"
"Don't know, but we'll find out soon enough. Come on; let's go take a shower since we're up early."
"What does being up early have to do with us taking a shower?" Blaine asked while glancing back at Sebastian.
"I just thought you could wash my back for me since we have time."
"Is that all you have in mind?"
"Why Blaine Anderson, you dirty minded boy you." Sebastian said feigning shock at Blaine's accusation.
"And here I thought you liked my dirty mind."
"No, I don't like your dirty mind B. I love it." When Sebastian answered, Blaine was so caught up in him that he didn't even have time to react when Sebastian flipped them over. "Or, we could always get started here and work up a good sweat before our shower." The way Sebastian wiggled his eyebrows when he spoke Blaine just gazed up at him and smiled.
"I think that's an excellent idea."
When they got into their waiting car they weren't surprised like they were the previous day to see Cooper sitting there. "Morning guys, did you have a good night?"
"Morning Coop, we did." Blaine replied just as their driver closed the door. "We didn't do much, just relaxed. Oh, and I finally learned how to use chopsticks."
"Sounds a lot like my night, aside from learning to use chopsticks. Bas, you're a saint for having the patience to teach him."
"What do you mean; he picked it up pretty quick. I mean, he's not proficient at it yet, but he managed."
"I can't count the times I tried to teach him and he just ended up throwing them to the side."
"Coop, I was a little kid when you tried to teach me. Give me some credit. Plus Bas didn't stare at me while I did it."
"Touché. Now, I'm guessing here but you two look like you got a good night of sleep. You're both rather chipper this morning."
"We did." Blaine replied while trying to keep his eyes on Cooper. "After dinner we just chilled and fell asleep watching a movie."
"That's very similar to my night. I was beat after yesterday. By the way, Lexi talked to Tasha last night and she's really happy with the way the shots Simon took turned out. That means she should be in a good mood today."
"That's great. Last thing I'd want to deal with is Tasha when she's bitchy." Sebastian said.
"Tell me about it." Cooper replied. Since they'd all gotten a good night's rest, they talked the entire way out to Sag Harbor. When they got out of the car upon their arrival there stood Kurt waiting for them. Sebastian just looked him up and down before grabbing ahold of Blaine's hand and heading for the house. "What, no pleasantries this morning?" Cooper quipped before following Blaine and Sebastian inside. Once inside Cooper corner both of them. "What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Bullshit Bas, something is going on."
"Nothing is going on Coop, just drop it." Blaine said before setting his bag down and taking a seat.
"Fine, I'll drop it for now but I expect some sort of explanation on the way home." Seeing the look in Cooper's eyes, Blaine knew he'd have to tell Cooper about the phone call on the way home. While they were all getting their hair and makeup done, Tasha walked into the room.
"So, how are some of my favorite guys this morning?" They all just nodded so to not disrupt the stylists. "That's what I like to hear." She said with a slight giggle. "Today should go relatively smooth since we don't have to reshoot anything from yesterday. You all looked stunning. Shortly after Tasha left the room they all started to get changed into their first outfits of the day. They were just finishing up when Kurt walked into the room.
"Blaine. Sebastian. Do you have a minute so we can talk?" Cooper just looked at Blaine and Sebastian as Kurt spoke and could tell something was clearly up based on their body language.
"You've got five minutes." Sebastian said rather abruptly.
"I just wanted to thank you both again for yesterday. I took your advice for today."
"Good. Anything else?" Blaine asked while crossing his arms across his chest.
"No, why?"
"Is this what you wanted to tell B at two this morning?" Sebastian asked. "You do realize we were sleeping. Thankfully B sleeps like a rock so you only woke me."
"I…" That was all Kurt managed to get out before Cooper walked up and told them they needed to go. Once they walked away Kurt looked down at the floor. He still couldn't believe he was stupid enough to try and call Blaine that morning. Sebastian was right, he knew full well that they'd be sleeping at that hour, so what prompted him to call.
Once they were outside Cooper looked at both of them. "Well, now I know what happened. And little brother, you need to change your cell number. You two Bas."
"We know." Blaine replied. "We're going to do that today if we get back early enough."
"That was easier than I thought it would be."
"We talked about it this morning Cooper." Sebastian told him. "Who knew being polite would garner us late night/early morning phone calls."
Their conversation was cut short as they were soon put to work. This day was different from the previous one in regards to the weather. It was still sunny and warm but the wind was unquestionably stronger. After changing a couple of times, it was soon time to head out on the water which was categorically choppy that day. "Are you guys going to be okay out there?" Tasha asked. "I know you've all got sea legs but sometimes choppy waters take a toll on the best of us." After getting reassurances from all of them they headed down the pier.
"What, Kurt's not joining us today?" Sebastian quipped.
"No, the look of the water today alone is making him nauseous." Tasha told them. "Sure beats going out on a lake in Ohio, doesn't it?"
"At least he was up front today." Blaine responded before stepping on board.
"Very true. He said he had no idea the bay would be so different. But you, Blaine and Seb actually helped him through it."
"Unfortunately." Sebastian mumbled, hoping she didn't hear him.
"What was that Seb?"
"Nothing important, let's do this thing."
Surprisingly, once they got a bit further out things calmed down a bit which was rare but appreciated by all. With the water cooperating they changed up their schedule just enough to take advantage of the conditions. By the time they returned to shore, to say they were all slap-happy might be an understatement. "I have no idea how the two of you didn't drop him." Tyler, other model said once they all sat down. "You each had an arm and a leg swinging him on the top deck of a boat going through choppy water all while Simon took pictures."
"We love our little Blainey too much." Cooper replied. "Though that last wave we clipped made things closer than we would've like."
"Glad to know my safety was your main concern Coop. I swore you two were going to let me fly over board."
"You know we wouldn't let anything happen to you Blaine, right Bas?"
"Never. But the way you were laughing I never would've guessed you were worried. I'll make it up to you later if that'll help."
"It would." Blaine said playfully. "I want to feel safe and loved."
"Watch out Bas, he's getting needy."
"Fuck you Coop!"
"Such language little brother, I'm appalled. What would Mom think?"
"That you're rubbing off on me. She knows you've got a mouth. I'm the sweet one, remember." Blaine said while batting his eyes at Cooper at the end of his statement.
"You just play innocent better than I do."
"Guys, as much as I'd love to listen to you banter some more you need to go get changed." Tasha said causing them all to stand up. "And so you know, those random shots turned out great from what I've seen." She added before they headed back to the main house. Once they were inside to change Kurt came walking down the hall.
"Leave them alone Kurt." Cooper said, while blocking the doorway and placing a hand on Kurt's chest. "They tried being nice and then you pulled that stunt last night. What the hell were you thinking? Did you not realize they'd be pissed?"
"I honestly didn't mean to Cooper, you've got to believe me."
"I don't have to do a damn thing. Just leave them be for the rest of the day." When Cooper was finished he turned on his heels and walked into the room, closing the door behind him.
Kurt knew Cooper was right, he really needed to leave them alone since they were working. He'd attended more than enough shoots since he started working to know the slightest agitation could show up in the photos. And how did he expect Cooper to believe him when he wasn't quite sure why he'd even called in the first place. All he could remember was sitting in bed, feeling like the ground had finally stopped moving and feeling thankful. Maybe he just wanted to thank them for their help, but why at that hour. Guess it was just one more thing to talk about at his next session.
Once they finished up for the day, all of them were rather happy since it was still early enough to get things done. "I just want to thank you all for a great couple of days. When we started I was afraid we were going to have to shoot on Saturday yet here we are finishing early on Friday." Tasha said to them while they waited for their cars. "Blaine. Seb, since I doubt I'll see you before you leave, have a wonderful time on your vacation."
"Thanks Tasha." Sebastian said while sliding his arm around Blaine's waist. "We intend too. Don't we B?"
"Absolutely." Just as Blaine answered their car pulled into the drive. "Bye Tasha." Once they were inside the car, Cooper turned in his seat.
"Did Kurt say anything else to either of you today after this morning?"
"No, why?" Blaine asked.
"I told him to leave you both alone. You were working and shouldn't have had to deal with his bullshit. No matter how apologetic he was."
"Did he try and kiss your ass Coop?" Sebastian asked.
"Yep, and I basically told him where he could stick his apology. Since we're going to be getting back early are you going to go change your numbers?"
"Yes." Blaine replied. "And when we took that short break I called Mom to let her know so she wouldn't be confused when she gets a text from a New York number that isn't you or Lexi."
"Good idea. You might want to let the rest of your friends know too."
"They'll open a random text unlike Mom. So we should be good. If someone doesn't get the new number they can easily get it from one of the guys."
"Do you both have global calling activated on your phones?"
"Yes. We took care of that before we left." Sebastian said. "Your Dad made sure of it."
"That sounds like him. But I have a feeling neither of you will be using your phones much."
"That's the plan." Blaine told his brother. "We're going to try to stay pretty quiet in regards to telephone calls."
"You both deserve it after the year you've had, though random texts won't be shunned."
"Got it Mom." Blaine said with a laugh. "We'll just copy you on Mom's texts or emails."
"Smartass."
"I learned from the best." Blaine's smirk when he answered caused Sebastian to laugh.
After getting dropped off and running some errands, Blaine and Sebastian headed back to their apartment. "Guess we're officially New Yorkers now B, at least according to our new phone numbers."
"That's true. I still can't believe he did that."
"Me either, but he's going to get a surprise next time he tries to reach you." Sebastian had just answered when both of their phones went off. After glancing down at his, Sebastian just laughed. "Leave it to Santana to be the first to comment."
"My money was on Thad, but she was second." A few moments after he spoke, Thad joined the little party. "I think we'll be better off just sending out an email instead of responding to everyone individually."
"You're probably right. You did let Rachel know to not share this number, right?"
"Yes, though she actually doesn't have me listed as Blaine in her phone."
"What does she have you listed as?"
"Tony Dalton."
"Cute."
"She said I'll always be her Tony, so there you have it. And now that I have a New York number Kurt will just think it's someone she goes to school with." By the time they got back up to their apartment, both of them had tons of new texts from their friends. "I don't see why they're all so shocked by a number change. It's not like we told them we changed numbers to hide from Kurt."
"True, but some of our friends have really good instincts B. For them they probably think the timing is off. We could've done this right when we arrived if this was important or waited till we returned from vacation."
"I really don't want to go through this again Bas."
"You won't. The fact that he didn't even try to speak to us again after Cooper talked to him shows he's already smarter than before, though that's not saying much. For all we know it was a stupid reason and we just read too much into it. But regardless, this was something we would've done anyway. He just accelerated the process."
"Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" Blaine asked as they sat down.
"It's still me B; I just don't want the stress that comes from wondering why when it comes to him."
"I'm glad, because I don't want to think about it anymore either. What do you say we return all these texts and call those we see fit so we can do what we please the rest of the night?"
"That depends, what do you have in mind?" Sebastian asked while cocking his eyebrow.
"We've got something to try out this evening or have you forgotten." The look on Blaine's face when he spoke was anything but innocent. Blaine kept his eyes locked on Sebastian and smirked when he saw him shifting in his seat. "Judging from your reaction it's something you want."
"Hell yes! Now let's make quick work of these texts so we can have some fun." The eagerness in Sebastian's voice was impossible to hide and Blaine loved that he could have that sort of effect on him.