Two Steps Beyond
Part 72
Basically everything Beat had said rang true. Their orientation was very similar to Dalton so Jeff and Blaine sat back and just listened. "You realize going to Dalton put us ahead of the game, right?" Jeff said quietly as he leaned in close to Blaine.
"I've noticed that. It seems we're not taking a lot of the same basic classes that the rest of the freshmen are from conversations I've overheard."
"That's because almost everything we took senior year at Dalton was a college class. And luckily for us, we got credit for it as such."
When orientation finally ended Blaine and Jeff were gathering their things when they were approached by a few people. "Are you Blaine Anderson?" A redhead asked.
"That depends." Blaine replied as Jeff looked on.
"From that reaction you must be. We heard Cooper Anderson's brother was supposed to be here today." The girl smiled as she spoke.
"If he is, why does it matter?" Jeff asked.
"We were just curious as to which one of you was his brother from the pictures." A petite blonde said. "I told them it was you while my friend here thought it was your boyfriend or who we're presuming is your boyfriend. None of the photos labeled either of you."
"Is there anything else we can do for you, because we were just about to leave?" Jeff said.
"Are you gay too?"
"No, I'm not." Jeff replied while looking at Blaine who was trying not to laugh. "We're just good friends."
"Sorry about that."
"It's alright. Now as I was saying, we need to get going."
"Girls come on!" A rather tall man said as he approached them. "Sorry, am I interrupting."
"No, we were just leaving." Blaine replied.
"Okay, now come on. I still need to find those two guys from Dalton Academy before this place clears out. They've yet to respond to our invite and we're curious as to where they stand." Blaine and Jeff both started to laugh. "Did I say something funny?"
"You've found us." Jeff said.
"Wait…you're Sterling and Anderson?"
"We are." Blaine said. "I'm Blaine and this is Jeff."
"God, this is so embarrassing." The man then pulled his phone out of his pocket. "You two look exactly like your pictures. Sorry, my name is Dylan."
"What can we do for you since we were leaving?" Jeff said.
"I wanted to know if you guys had thought about our invitation to join the glee club here at NYU."
"How did you even know we were here?" Blaine asked.
"You guys won Nationals; everyone knows where the seniors from the Warblers are. Did you know quite a few of them are here in the city?" When Blaine and Jeff tried to refrain from laughing once more Dylan just looked at them. "I guess you do."
"We do." Blaine told him. "We're all pretty close. They're actually who we're going to meet."
"Alright, but have you thought about it?"
"As of right now, it's not something we want to do. We'd like to get acclimated to school first." Jeff told him.
"That's completely understandable. We heard all you guys were pretty serious about school, so we knew it might be a long shot to get you right away. Know that it's an open invitation and you're welcome to come by anytime you like."
"Thank you." Blaine said while putting his backpack over his shoulder. "But we really need to get going."
"Blaine!" The redhead called out as he and Jeff started to walk away.
"Yes."
"Sorry if we freaked you out."
"That's alright. Bye."
Once they were on their way to the subway Jeff glanced over at Blaine. "That was weird."
"Tell me about it. Wonder if Beat was approached in the same manner?"
"We'll have to ask him. But we should probably warn Nick, Seb, and Thad how highly sought after they are. Who knew winning Nationals would have this sort of effect?"
"Not me, but it's nice to know we're appreciated."
"You're really not interested in doing it, are you?"
"Not really. We all talked about it last night. I think part of what we all loved about being Warblers wasn't only about the singing, it was about being together."
"Nick and I have had similar conversations about it. We actually had one with Wes when he was here. Wes gave it a go his first year at Harvard, but he said it just didn't feel right. Said they were great guys but it wasn't him."
"No wonder he was so willing to come and help when Coop and Lexi got married."
"I hadn't thought of that. But I don't blame him, that was a fun week no matter how crazy it got."
"That is definitely a week to remember." Blaine said as they exited their train. "That reminds me, thank you so much! That video you put together for Bas was incredible."
"You are very welcome!" Jeff said while wrapping his arm around Blaine's shoulders.
"Also, thank you for the video message."
"That was fun to do. You should've seen everyone's face when Nick and I approached them with the idea."
"It must've been similar to mine and Bas's when we watched it. He and I lucked out; we've got some pretty amazing friends."
"The same could be said regarding you two as well." Jeff said as they walked into his building. When they were just outside the door they looked at each other before Jeff opened the door. Once it was open they looked at each other again as the apartment was rather full. "We must've missed the memo."
"Did you boys listen at your first day of school?" Sebastian asked from his spot on the floor as they walked closer.
"We listened as much as necessary." Jeff replied while he and Blaine looked at the screen. From what they could see, Sebastian, Nick, Hunter, and Brittany were all highly invested in a game of Mario Kart. "Who is who?"
"Britt is Princess Peach, Nick is Mario, Hunter is Bowser, and Seb is Yoshi." Beat told them.
"Guys, Britt's kicking your ass." Blaine told them.
"We know." The guys all replied. And soon Blaine and Jeff watched as Brittany got up off the floor and started doing her victory dance while the guys attempted to finish ahead of each other.
"Can we give it a try?" Jeff asked.
"We were hoping you would since we have a bit of a tournament going. But you can't use any characters already in use." Nick replied.
"Deal. So does this mean next round it's me, Jeff, Thad, and Beat?"
"It does." Sebastian replied once he crossed the finish line. Now that they were done Blaine sat down next to Sebastian and gave him a kiss. "How was orientation?"
"Interesting." Blaine replied while glancing over at Jeff who was getting hints from Brittany.
"Do we want to ask?" Nick said while handing off his wheel.
"We'll tell you when we're done." Jeff replied before taking a seat.
Blaine and Jeff didn't get around to telling the guys what happened till they were done with their little tournament. The guys didn't know how it happened, but somehow Brittany managed to school all of them. But as she celebrated her victory none of the guys seemed to mind one bit.
"So, you're telling us some random girls approached you?" Thad asked.
"Yep, but it seemed to be a good thing for this guy name Dylan who knew them and happened to be looking for us." Jeff replied.
"Did the girls say why they approached?" Sebastian asked.
"They heard Cooper's brother was going to be there today." Blaine replied. "And from the pictures they saw they didn't know which one of us it was. The two girls were split on who was actually Cooper's brother."
"I'm glad that's all it was." Sebastian replied before kissing Blaine's cheek.
"Don't worry Bas, Jeff got pretty defensive when they approached. It was cute considering the girls were the size of Rachel."
"So they were hobbit sized." Hunter said which drew looks from all of them. "Sorry, Santana told me that's what she used to call Rachel and I find it humorous."
"You're right, it is funny." Nick said. "Now, what did this Dylan guy want from you two?"
"He was curious as to our answer about joining the glee club." Jeff replied.
"What did you guys day?" Beat asked.
"We politely decline." Blaine told them. "He understood our reasoning and said it was an open invite and we were welcome to come by whenever we like."
"Sounds similar to what happened to me. Unlike you two though, I was alone. I'm not a small guy but it's a bit intimidating being approached when you see someone clearly wants to talk to you." Sebastian, Nick, and Thad looked at each other.
"Guess we have something to look forward too." Thad said. "When's your orientation?"
"Tomorrow. Yours?"
"Same. At least you'll have Hunter here with you. Nick, when is yours?"
"Wednesday. So I'll be going from that to the gala. Speaking of the gala, Hunter do you have a date?"
"I do, two actually."
"Why two?" Jeff asked.
"I couldn't decide if I wanted a blonde or a brunette, so I've got one of each."
"You're kidding." Thad said.
"Nope, and neither of them mind." There was a small smirk on Hunter's face as he answered.
"Your sister must love that." Sebastian said.
"She's not thrilled with it, but since she probably won't be there she won't have to see it."
"Britt, have you decided which dress you're wearing?" Blaine asked.
"I did."
"Don't try getting any more out of her. She and Santana aren't telling a soul what they're wearing." Jeff told them.
"Is that true Britt, do we have to wait?" Sebastian asked.
"Yes, it's true Sebby. You all have to wait."
"I have no doubt you'll both look stunning."
"Thank you Thad."
By the time Blaine and Sebastian got home that evening, they were a bit exhausted. "I don't think Santana expected us all to be there when she got home." Sebastian said as he stretched out on the couch. "I think knowing this is the last week is getting to her."
"I think so too, at least Beat's going to give her a ride to school." Blaine replied. "I have a feeling she's going to be a regular on the train between going to work and coming to see Nick."
"No doubt. You've known them both longer, have you ever seen either of them so happy?" Blaine shook his head. "Did you hear them on Sunday?"
"Hear what?"
"She calls him Nicky, it's cute. He gets this faint blush on his cheeks when she does."
"Aren't you observant?" Blaine asked while he lifted Sebastian's head slightly so he could move slightly. "That okay still?" Sebastian nodded.
"I am. Did you notice it?'
"I did. It is cute especially because she doesn't do it all the time."
"B, have you decided which suit you're wearing to the gala?"
"No, have you?"
"I've narrowed it down to two."
"You're doing better than I am. At least they're all clean so I don't have to worry. Do you have a preference as to what I wear?"
"Not really, but if it helps, both of the ones I'm deciding between are black. It's just a matter of cut."
"Shirt or tie color?"
"Undecided as well. Am I going to get to see you in one of your signature bowties?"
"You are. I have a feeling I'll be making my decision tomorrow. Oh, Lexi called and asked if we want to ride over with her and Cooper."
"What did you tell her?"
"That I needed to talk to you, so what do you want to do?" Blaine asked while he began to run his fingers through Sebastian's hair. "It really doesn't matter to me."
"Let's head over on our own. I have a feeling they're going to have to get there early. And I already made car reservations."
"Alright, I will let her know tomorrow morning. Speaking of tomorrow, how are you handling orientation with practice?"
"Us lowly freshman are getting excused early on the condition we hit the gym later that day. Are you still going to spar with Hunter?"
"I am."
"Cool, I'll just meet you there since you obviously can't start till orientation is over."
"That's correct. Hunter was going to text me once it was done."
"B, would you mind if I joined you guys?"
"Are you asking if you can spar with us? Well, technically for us to teach you how to box."
"Yes. I know I was pretty adamant about not wanting to know how to box, but recent events have changed my mind. I didn't like feeling so helpless that night. It's not like I want to take on the world, I just want to be able to do something if need be."
"We can do that. I'm pretty sure Hunter won't mind at all. And since he knows what happened he'll understand your change of heart."
"I was hoping you wouldn't mind."
"Why would I mind Bas?"
"I don't know, because it seems like you vent a lot when you spar. I didn't want to intrude." Once Sebastian finished Blaine turned his head just enough so that Sebastian was looking directly at him.
"I've only done that once. And I didn't realize just how frustrated I was till Hunter and I started. You got to admit, I've got much better about not holding things in."
"You have, as have I. That's why I felt it best you knew how I felt."
"And I can safely tell you, you wouldn't be intruding. It'll be fun teaching you."
"So we'll have a teacher/student relationship." The way Sebastian looked up at him Blaine knew what he was thinking.
"For some reason, that just isn't the same for us Bas."
"True, neither of us could really pull off the naughty school boy look. For some reason the blazers aren't the same as a short little skirt. Wonder if Jeff's done something like that with Britt?" Blaine couldn't stop himself from laughing.
"I don't know, why don't you ask him? She could totally channel her inner Britney."
"I'll do that. Now, it's time for me to ask you something that I didn't at Nick and Jeff's because I knew you wouldn't give me a straight answer with everyone there. How did you really feel when those girls came up to you?"
"I was startled, that's all. It probably helped that Jeff was there and that they were girls. I might've freaked if guys approached. I have a feeling I'm going to be a bit jumpy for a while. It's just weird having people you don't know come up and call you by name."
"That's expected and understandable."
"Oh, one of the girls asked Jeff If he was gay because he was with me."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Nope. Considering they saw the pictures they knew he wasn't my boyfriend but they still thought he was because he was with me."
"How'd Jeff react?"
"It didn't faze him one bit. He just told the girls he wasn't."
"We've got some pretty awesome friends B."
"I actually told Jeff the same thing and he classified us the same way."
When Sebastian got up the next morning he was surprised to see that he was in bed alone. After a quick glance around their room a smile slowly crept to his face, he could hear Blaine singing. So after pulling on a pair of shorts he made his way towards the sound of Blaine's voice. As he rounded the corner of the kitchen his smile grew wide. There in the kitchen was Blaine, singing and dancing while making breakfast. The sight was so endearing that Sebastian refused to say a word till Blaine finished his song.
He watched as Blaine slid across the floor in his socks when the toast popped up. The sight was something Sebastian didn't want to see end, but soon Blaine turned and saw him standing there. "Ummm, how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough to watch you wiggle that fabulous ass of your quite a bit. What's going on?" Sebastian asked as he took a seat.
"I thought I'd make us breakfast before you left since you've got long day ahead of you." Blaine said as he finished dishing up their plates.
"I appreciate this, but you didn't need to do all this."
"I know, but I wanted too." Blaine said as he set their plates down. "Coffee?"
"Yes please." Once Blaine returned to the table they started to eat. For some reason, even with as early as it was they were both quite hungry. "What are your plans for the day till we meet up?"
"I still have to pick out which suit I want to wear and I need to teach Jeff how to tie a proper bowtie."
"A proper bowtie?"
"Yes, seems Brittany bought him a tie for the gala that matches her dress and it's a bowtie."
"He's never tied one?"
"Nope, so he asked me if I could teach him."
"He's going to the master. There is an art to it."
"Very true. Do you want me to bring your gym bag with me so you don't have so much stuff to carry?"
"That would be great. I didn't like the thought off putting that stuff in my lacrosse bag. It would stink before I even got to the gym. Is there anything I'm going to need?"
"I'll take care of it, don't worry. You just need to show up and Hunter and I will take it from there."
Just as the others had said, orientation was very similar to what they'd had at Dalton. There in a row sat Hunter and Sebastian alongside their teammates. Who would've ever guessed they'd all rather be at practice then being told what to expect their first year. By the time it had finished up they were all ready to go.
"Smythe!" Sebastian looked around and shrugged his shoulders when he didn't see anyone he recognized. "Smythe!" The next time Sebastian heard it the voice was closer and sounded faintly familiar.
"What do you want?" Sebastian asked in an irritated tone.
"You think you're pretty special, don't you."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, could you please move I need to get going."
"Going to meet your boyfriend?"
"I am actually; do you have a problem with that?" As Sebastian spoke Hunter set his bag down and moved closer to him.
"What if I do?"
"Then you have issues." Hunter said as his teammates as well as Sebastian's stayed close by.
"Don't tell me you're one of them too."
"If you're referring to being gay, I'm not. But I'm not going to stand here and let you talk to Seb that way."
"And what are you going to do about it tough guy?"
"You don't want to know." Hunter said while taking a step closer. "So I recommend you leave." While Hunter spoke a few other guys approached.
"Is this him?" They asked pointing at Hunter.
"No, that's him." He said pointing at Sebastian. "That's the freshman I was replaced by, and wouldn't you know it, he's gay. Coach replaced me with a fucking privileged faggot. Wait, that's not all he's also dating an actor's brother. Figures those Hollywood types wouldn't have a problem with it. You must think the world owes you something, don't you?"
"Not at all." Sebastian replied while putting his bag back over his shoulder. "I'm sorry you got kicked off the team, but it wasn't because of me since it happened in the middle of last season. You got kicked off because you're an ass according to the rest of the guys."
"Coach didn't like my views."
"You mean when you beat the crap out of Michael when he came out, those views."
"He was staring at me in the shower."
"God, you're paranoid. Just because someone is gay doesn't mean they check out everyone they see. What makes you think you're all that?" When he stepped closer to Sebastian, Hunter stepped between them.
"We need to go Seb." Sebastian was going to say something but decided against it as the situation was starting to unravel. He and Hunter started to walk away when one of the guys shoved Sebastian hard enough he fell to the ground. Instantly Hunter knelt down next to him to make sure he was alright. "Seb?"
"I'm fine." As he helped Sebastian back up, Hunter glared at the guys.
"Back off!" Hunter basically barked at them.
"Do you need your friends to fight your battles Smythe?"
"No." Sebastian replied as Hunter handed him his bag.
"Then why are you leaving, we're not done." Before Sebastian had a chance to say another word Coach Stevens appeared.
"I know you're not giving Smythe here a hard time, are you Jackson?" The look on his face as well as Sebastian's was all the answer the coach needed. "Do I need to remind you that you're not even supposed to be on this campus anymore?"
"No sir, we were just leaving."
"Good and I better never see you here again. Now go!" Once those guys walked away Coach Stevens walked up to Sebastian and Hunter. "Are you alright Sebastian?"
"I'm fine."
"What was he saying to you?"
"He thinks I'm the reason he got kicked off the team."
"That's not true and he knows that."
"I reminded him of that fact."
"Alright, now if you ever see him again here on campus or his friends contact security. He's not supposed to be here."
"Sir, if you don't mind me asking why didn't you call security yourself if he's not supposed to be here?" Hunter asked.
"It's because of who his father is, but don't worry. I'm heading to the security office once we're done to let them know he was here. Don't be surprised if you see security around you for a while Sebastian once they find out."
"Why would they be around me?"
"Because when he beat Michael he put him in the hospital for a couple of months." Hearing his coach say that made Sebastian feel sick. At that moment all he could think about was what happened to Blaine. "Sebastian?"
"I'm okay. That's for the heads-up. Hunter and I need to get going, we're meeting Blaine at the gym." Coach Stevens looked at Hunter and Hunter understood the look to mean to keep an eye on Sebastian so he nodded in agreement. Once Coach Stevens walked away Hunter stood in front of Sebastian.
"Seb, it's just us, talk to me?"
"Can we just get out of here Hunter?"
"Of course."