Two Steps Beyond

Part 43

Unlike the previous morning, all of them slept in. It was pretty clear that their previous day out and about in the summer sun took more of a toll on them than any of them had realized. Sebastian had just started a pot of coffee around ten o'clock when the doorbell rang. After looking at the clock he made his way to the door wondering who it could be since they weren't all planning to meet up till around noon. "Morning!" Nick said with a smile.

"I'm glad you left the good part off since I'm still waking. Come on in guys." Sebastian then stepped aside and let Wes, Jeff, and Nick in. "And just where are the lovelies this morning?" He asked as they made their way to the kitchen.

"They are out shopping." Wes replied while Jeff handed over a box of pastries.

"Shopping?" Sebastian asked before opening the box.

"Yes, they said they needed to get a few things before tomorrow." Jeff replied.

"By the way, thanks for the food." Sebastian said before getting coffee cups out for him and Blaine. "Just what do they have planned?"

"Don't know." Nick replied. "I was never able to get it out of Hunter last night."

"Bas, have you…hey guys." Blaine said as he walked into the kitchen clad only in a pair of lounge shorts.

"What were you going to ask me?"

"It doesn't matter now. Is coffee ready?"

"Almost. Do you guys want any?"

"Not to impose, but you two look exhausted." Wes said to them.

"We know." Sebastian replied. "Now, are they going to be back in time or are we on our own?"

"On our own till they call." Jeff replied.

Once the coffee pot went off Blaine and Sebastian each poured themselves cups before moving aside. "Would one of you mind starting a new pot so we can get ready?" Blaine asked. "Since I'm sure the other guys are going to want some too. And whoevers idea it was to bring food, thank you."

"Not at all." Nick replied, prior to them leaving.

"For being able to sleep in its pretty obvious how they spent their night after we left." Jeff said with a laugh while Nick started a new pot of coffee.

"Like the three of us didn't do the same thing. Blaine's little performance didn't just have an effect on Seb." Nick replied. "And I'm not complaining one bit."

"And just what are you not complaining about?" Thad asked before saying good morning to the guys.

"His now active sex life." Jeff replied.

"Real classy Jeff." Nick said while trying to be serious.

"I wouldn't complain about it either, especially if my girlfriend was as hot as his. Hell, if she was as hot as any of your girlfriends."

"Well, now that Nick's got a girlfriend we can all be on the lookout for you."

"Much appreciated. By the way, who brought food?"

"We did." Wes replied.

"Thank you."

Sebastian and Blaine had just gotten out of the shower when Sebastian's phone started to ring. "Hey Nate, what's up?"

"I need a favor, are you free this afternoon?"

"I'm not quite sure yet since I've got friends in town."

"Shit!"

"What is it?"

"We're down two for tonight's game. I thought you'd be able to help since Blaine likes watching you play, but I totally forgot you had friends in town."

"Hold on a sec, okay?"

"Sure."

"B, what are the plans for today?"

"I think we were just going to wing it, why?"

"Nate's short for tonight's game."

"You wanna play, don't you?"

"I always want to play, but I'm not going to ditch everyone to do it. So, what should I do?"

"I say go for it. If you play it's only a couple of hours and I'm sure the guys that aren't interested in watching can find something to do. They've all said more than once that if those of us that live here needed to do something they were cool with it."

"I love you!"

"I love you too Bas!"

"Okay, my awesome boyfriend reassured me that it's cool to play."

"Excellent, now I just need to find one more."

"Actually, I think I can help with that since one of my friends that's here actually was my teammate."

"Do you think he'd want to?"

"I can ask." Sebastian then headed towards the kitchen once he made sure his towel was secure around his waist. "Thad, quick question."

"Shoot."

"Would you be game to play some lacrosse today?"

"Are you serious?"

"I am."

"But I don't have any of my gear."

"We can cover you if you're interested. So, what will it be?"

"Sure, I'll play as long as it won't screw our plans."

"I wouldn't have asked if Blaine hadn't given me his personal go ahead."

"Since that's the case. Sure."

"Excellent." Sebastian then turned on his heels and headed back towards his bedroom. "We're all set Nate. Thad said he'll play, just make sure the rest of the guys bring extra gear since he doesn't have any of his here."

"Got it. Thank you so much Seb and thank Blaine for me as well though I'm sure he'll be there tonight."

"Will do man, see you then."

Now that Sebastian and Thad were going to be playing lacrosse later that afternoon the guys decided that they were just going to take a harbor cruise. It would show them many sights, but it wouldn't have them running around. Once that was decided upon Wes, Jeff, and Nick all made calls to the girls to let them know the plan and that if they wanted to join them what time they'd be leaving. The girls decided to just spend the day shopping while the guys took the harbor cruise but told them they'd meet up with them at the park for Sebastian and Thad's game.

When the girls arrived at the park they half expected to see only their boyfriends along with Blaine and maybe a few of the others. But there were all the guys either playing Frisbee or just hanging out on the hill which were the make-shift stands. "Did you boys miss us today?" Santana asked once they joined Nick and the others.

"What do you think?" Nick asked.

"I'd like to hear you missed us deeply."

"Then we did." Jeff replied. "Did you have fun shopping?"

"We did." Brittany said with a huge grin.

"What did you get?" Before Brittany had a chance to answer Jeff's question Santana and Hailey just looked at her.

"Sorry Jeff, you'll find out tomorrow." Hailey told him.

"Way to keep them guessing girls." Blaine said with a smile.

"Thank you Blaine." Santana said just before they all sat down. "Where's Seb?"

"He and Thad are over there." Blaine said while pointing to a section of the field.

"Thad's playing too?" Brittany asked.

"Yes, Nate had called and said they were short two players and once Bas told him he was available he told Nate he'd be able to get another player since Thad was around. So Bas asked and Thad accepted."

"Nice, guess it worked well that today was going to be an easy day then." Hailey said.

"It did. Lacrosse is something Bas truly enjoys and I know it would've killed him to tell Nate no."

"And judging from the smile on your face you like watching him play. Santana said.

"I do."

"He does." Nick replied while wrapping his arms around Santana from behind. "He's been practically giddy since we got here."

"Nick."

"It's true Blaine. Safe to say watching Seb play is an aphrodisiac for you." When a faint blush came to Blaine's cheeks both Santana and Nick knew he was more right than he realized.

"Would someone please tell me what Logan and those guys are trying to do?" Santana asked.

"They are attempting backflips." Wes told her.

"They should ask Hunter for help." Brittany said from her spot on Jeff's lap.

"Why Hunter?" Santana asked.

"He's a gymnast."

"Hunter. Hunter!" Nick called out till he caught his attention from his game with Beat. Once he was standing in front of him Hunter just looked at them.

"You called."

"He called for me actually. Britt tells us you're a gymnast."

"I am, why?"

"Do something for me."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Strut your stuff Clarington." Blaine turned his head and just looked at Santana before looking at Hunter.

"Alright, what would you like to see?"

"Can you do a backflip since that's what the guys are trying to do?"

"Yes."

"Start there then." So, much to all of their surprise, Hunter did a backflip right there in front of them. "Wow."

"Would you like to see something more challenging or should I go back to playing Frisbee with Beat till the game is ready to begin."

"One tumbling run of your choosing."

"Alright." By this point, the rest of the guys had come closer since Jacob had seen Hunter's backflip, so now he had a full audience. So after checking the ground for anything that might cause him to stumble he did just what Santana had requested. He did a run that consisted of a round-off, two back handsprings and a back tuck. They all erupted when he finished.

"That was crazy!" Jeff exclaimed.

"It could've been cleaner, but thank you."

"Hunter, you did that with no warm up. Jeff's right, that was crazy." Blaine told him. "Bas is going to freak that he didn't see you do that."

"So will Thad." Dave said. "Once they find out you'll probably have to do it again."

"I think that can be arranged. Was that enough for you ladies?" All of them just nodded, still stunned by what they saw.

"You just did the impossible, rendered them all speechless." Wes told him.

"I don't think my tumbling has had that effect on someone before, but from what I know of them so far I'll take it as a compliment."

"Oh, they cheered when they watched." Nick told him. "I just don't think they expected you to be quite so good." Their conversation was soon interrupted when Blaine spotted Sebastian and Thad.

"And just what are you two doing here, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"We'll be starting in about ten minutes; one of the officials just parked his car. Now, would someone like to enlighten Thad and I on what we just missed?"

"Hunter just did an incredible tumbling run." Nick told them.

"And we missed it?"

"Sorry guys." Hunter replied. "But I will gladly do another one when you guys are done. Hopefully that one will be cleaner."

"Don't let him fool you guys, it was amazing." Jeff told them.

"And who asked him to do such a thing?" Sebastian asked.

"I did after Brittany said he was a gymnast."

"She speaks." Nick said with a laugh.

"Wait, he stunned her into silence?" Sebastian said.

"Not just Santana, all of them." Wes replied. "I don't blame them though. Like Jeff said, seriously impressive, especially with no warm-up."

"Guys, it really wasn't anything."

"You're being too modest." Hailey said. "The guys are right, just accept it."

"Alright, I'm not one to argue with a lady." While Hunter answered Nate called up to Thad and Sebastian saying they were about to begin.

"That was a quick ten." Blaine said.

"Promise to cheer for me killer?"

"Always." Sebastian then leaned down and gave Blaine a kiss after he answered.

"See you guys afterwards!"

Throughout the game Blaine was glad that the others were all with him, since quite a few of them had questions and if Blaine had been the one to answer them all he would've missed the game. The closer the game got to the end the questions ended and everyone was just having fun and rooting on Sebastian, Thad, and their teammates. Just after the game ended and they were all gathering their things so they could go once Sebastian and Thad joined them Blaine was surprised when his phone rang considering those that usually call him were all there. But with a quick glance he saw that it was Lexi calling and answered. "Hey Lexi."

"Hey Blaine, I'm so happy you answered."

"If you're trying to reach Bas and wondering why he didn't answer he just finished a lacrosse game so he should be available soon."

"Actually, I wasn't trying to reach Bas."

"Okay, so what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if by chance you're with all of your friends right now."

"I am actually, why?"

"This might sound strange, but I promised Brittany or Santana I'd get ahold of them once I had some information they were interested in and I don't have either of their numbers."

"Santana is actually sitting next to me now, hold on." Blaine then turned to face her and Nick. "It's for you Santana, it's Lexi." A huge grin came to Santana's face as she took the phone before getting up off the blanket.

"Why do I have a serious need all of a sudden to know what that's all about?" Nick said while looking at Blaine.

"That's because she doesn't smile like that for just any reason and you know that probably better than any of us."

By the time Santana returned Blaine's phone the smile was still on her face while Brittany and Hailey were sporting similar ones. "Care to share what that was all about?" Blaine asked while putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Just Lexi sharing some information we asked about with us. That reminds me, what are we doing tomorrow during the day since I already know we're going out tomorrow night."

"We have tickets for a baseball game, remember." Nick told her.

"That's right. What time do we need to leave?" Santana asked.

"For?" Sebastian asked as he and Thad approached.

"The game tomorrow."

"We're leaving around eleven, why?"

"Excellent. Ladies, we can go!" The exuberance in Santana's voice didn't go unnoticed.

"And just where are you going?" Nick asked.

"To a class with Lexi, Cassie, and Tasha."

"What type of class?" Sebastian asked.

"One at the gym."

"You girls are going to go to the gym." Blaine said.

"We are and we can't wait."

"Hunter!" Sebastian called out.

"What is it with people yelling for me today?" Hunter asked once he walked up to them.

"What classes does Cassie take at the gym with my sister and Tasha?"

"They take quite a few of them together, why because that's one odd assed question."

"The girls are joining them at the gym tomorrow." Nick told him.

"Wish I could be more of a help but I have no clue what class they take tomorrow. Sorry guys."

"Why all the interest?" Santana asked before sliding an arm around Nick's waist. "Can't we just want to keep up our good looks?"

"Let's just say your excitement over a class at the gym seems like overkill." Sebastian told her. "What brought it on?"

"Seeing your sister in a bikini four months after giving birth to twins and looking fabulous. We asked what she was doing and she shared. And since we were all interested she said that she'd let us know the next time they were going to this one particular class."

"I can see their point Seb, Lexi looks amazing." Hunter told him to which the other guys around them all agreed.

"Call it a gut feeling, but they aren't going to tell us what type of class they are going to." Jeff said. "So, what are we doing now that Seb and Thad are done playing a brilliant game?"

"Before we do anything else, Thad and I each need to take a shower."

"You can say that again." Blaine said with a laugh, but soon felt Sebastian wrap his arms around him and pull him into a sweaty embrace.

"Looks like Blaine is going to need a shower now too." Nick chimed in and Blaine just looked at him and smiled.

"Okay, once showers are over what are we going to do?" Wes asked.

"I think we need to grab dinner and we can discuss the rest of the night then." Beat said.

"That's an excellent idea." Sebastian added. "Now, since Thad is staying at our place you're all more than welcome to come straight over since it shouldn't take us long to get ready. Or you can just do your thing, but it would probably be easier to choose where to go if we're all together."

"Seb's got a point." Trent said. "So on to Anderson/Smythe abode."

Blaine, Sebastian, and Thad were all pretty happy to have been taking showers after hearing about how crazy the conversation got when they tried to figure out what to have for dinner. A few options were quickly nix, but after those were thrown out it didn't get easier. Quite a few of them wanted different things, but none of them wanted to separate so they decided they'd come up with five and that would be dinner for the rest of the time they were there. By the time the three of them came walking out to the living room they were pretty happy to see them all relatively calm and just watching television.

"Where are we going?" Sebastian asked.

"We don't know where, but we know what type of food we want." Nick told them. "The restaurant choice, is up to you and Blaine since you're more familiar with the city."

"Okay then, what type of food?" Blaine asked.

"Japanese." Jeff replied.

"Do we want sushi or teppanyaki?" Sebastian asked.

"Both." Sebastian wasn't quite sure who answered since he got hit with numerous responses at once. Blaine and Sebastian both laughed before starting to discuss their choices. After coming to a decision, Sebastian disappeared to call ahead since there was so many of them while Blaine told them just where they were going.