Five Years Later

by Aquaria245

Never would Blaine have imagined after what was probably the happiest moment of his life, that his life would be in it's current state or he would've gone through the things that he has when he wasn't even out of college yet.

13. Chapter 13

Five Years Later

Part 13

Considering the time they went to sleep, neither of them was very happy when both of their phones started to go off. When Sebastian mumbled, go away, into the back of Blaine's head the only response he got was Blaine pulling away slightly from his body. "Not you." Sebastian then tightened his hold on Blaine, bringing him back flush against him. "Them." Sebastian received a faint reply from Blaine who nodded gently. Having a lazy morning in bed wasn't something the two of them had had in quite some time so they weren't going to move any sooner than they needed to. For the first time in what felt like forever, Blaine didn't have to run off to rehearsal.

When they finally made their way out of bed, Sebastian headed for the kitchen to make them something to eat as according to him they were going to need their energy, while Blaine went to see who'd been trying to reach them. Since they'd continued their celebrating in the morning once they woke, Blaine was comfortable on the couch reading messages clad in only a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. "Bas…Bas…Sebastian!" The next thing Blaine heard was a pan fall and Sebastian curse before he appeared in the living room, clearly startled. "Sorry, but come here." Blaine then lifted his feet so that Sebastian could sit down beside him. Once he did, Blaine placed his legs across his lap. "Read this." Blaine said as he handed Sebastian his phone.

From the shocked look on his face, Sebastian couldn't help but wonder what Blaine had given him to read as when they left the bedroom, they were both completely relaxed. "Who sent this to you Blaine?" Sebastian asked once he was halfway done, his eyes glancing towards Blaine momentarily before returning to reading.

"The question should be who didn't." Once Blaine replied, Sebastian set Blaine's phone aside and took his hand. With the conversation they'd had in the taxi along with previous ones he couldn't figure out what was going through Blaine's head in that moment. "Did you know someone was going to be there Bas?"

"Not a clue. If you want, I can call Brad and ask him if it's normal for something like this to happen as I honestly hardly ever read reviews."

"I'd appreciate that."

"Then I will call him." Sebastian told him. While it was tempting to get up, he had no inkling to move as he could only look at Blaine. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, considering I'm still adjusting to the reaction from last night, this is a bit insane." Unlike when they spoke the previous night, Blaine was smiling. The fact that an actual critic was in the house that night and essentially wrote much of what Sebastian and his friends had told him was certainly shocking.

"Insane, but most certainly true. It proves that we all weren't just blowing smoke up your…" When Blaine started to laugh, Sebastian couldn't help but smile. "Okay, maybe something else was there albeit later in the evening, but you know what I meant."

"Bas!"

"Hey, it's true." Sebastian replied with a patented smirk. "But now you know we weren't only saying those things because we know and care about you."

"I know as the rest of the crowd seemed to agree with you."

"And here I thought your two encores were because you adored your boyfriend and close friends."

"They can hear me almost whenever they want, especially my boyfriend as he only needs to ask for me to sing or play for him." As he spoke, Blaine set his other hand on top of Sebastian's which was holding his other hand. "By the way, what did you think of a certain song last night?"

"That's rather vague Anderson."

"Alright, what did you think of a certain song that you sung in competition back in high school as well as joined in on during a rehearsal? Though, it was a different arrangement in rehearsal."

"I loved it as did everyone else. Did you see the guys starting to break out some of the moves?"

"I did, but for the most part you were my main focus."

"Santana pointed that out to me, numerous times." Sebastian then leaned over to give Blaine a kiss. "Do you still want me to call Brad or for that matter, call Stephen?"

"No as I can always talk to him when I go and meet with him about setting up our performance schedule. By the way, you are the sexiest groupie I ever could've asked for."

"Thank you. And you should know, quite a few people tried to get backstage to see you once you were done. Hell, I'm pretty certain everyone in your band had people interested beyond the music. You're a very attractive group." Sebastian then pulled Blaine onto his lap. "Yet you are spoken for so they all better back off if they know what's good for them."

"Are you saying you'd fight for me Sebastian?"

"Absolutely, unless you wouldn't want me to fight for you."

"No, I most definitely would want you to fight for me, just as I'd fight for you Bas. While this might seem odd to say considering our conversation last night, but for the first time in a long time I'm happy in all aspects of my life. And I actually feel as though this is only the beginning."

"That's more like it as things are only going to go up from here B." Sebastian told him before kissing him, yet this time the kiss wasn't brief. It wasn't long till Blaine was straddling Sebastian's lap and pulling his shirt up off of him. "Wait a minute Killer." Sebastian said, both of their breathing heavy. "Weren't you the one saying only a little while ago that you wanted to eat before we continued other activities?"

"Yes, but right now there is only one thing that I want and that's you." While he spoke, Blaine palmed Sebastian through his pants. "Objections?"

"None, so please proceed."

So while Blaine and Sebastian were enjoying the moment, Rachel and Santana were sitting at a little diner near where they lived. "Are you sure he said they were coming?" Rachel asked as she watched people pass outside the window.

"Yes, but you've got to give them time since they had to travel a bit of distance unlike us." Santana replied. "Remember, they're all not coming though as some already had to head back to school. Have you heard back from the Hobbit or Mr. Grab-ass yet?"

"No." Rachel told her. "But that really doesn't surprise me considering the way they were looking at one another last night."

"Does this mean you've completely accepted that they're together and I mean that in every sense of the word?"

"Yes, it does." Rachel replied.

"Hallelujah!" Santana exclaimed as she raised her arms in the air. Rachel started to laugh at Santana's over the top reaction, but she understood it after her initial reaction. But over the past couple of months she saw how happy Blaine truly was. She also got to know Sebastian a bit better and could tell how much he cared for Blaine. And when Blaine was up on the stage the night before, she saw nothing but love and pride in Sebastian's eyes as he watched and listened to him.

"Did we miss something funny?" The girls looked up and saw Thad, Jeff, Nick, and Wes standing at the end of their table. "Because if we did, you need to fill us in." Thad continued as they all sat down. While they were getting situated their waitress returned and filled all of their coffee cups as they'd instantly flipped them over once seated.

"Now, what was so important that you ladies needed to see us?" Wes asked as he doctored up his coffee. "And so you know, the others wish they could be here but some had trains they needed to catch otherwise they'd been getting in too late when they had work to do."

"Understandable." Rachel replied. "Well, Santana and I appreciate you all coming as we weren't sure how receptive you'd be to our invite."

"Well, we assumed this had to do with Blaine and or Blaine and Sebastian so we felt it best we come and find out what you wanted." Wes told them.

"Thad." Santana said as she looked at him across the table. "You know that's what we wanted to talk about as you and I actually spoke."

"I know Santana, but I didn't have time to fill everyone in. And since this isn't about how bad Blaine and Sebastian are for one another I felt it was okay not to go into detail with the guys." There was a moment of silence as Thad and Santana just looked at one another before she smiled and nodded.

"Now, what's this about?" Jeff asked.

"We're assuming you all read that review, right?" Rachel said and soon all of the guys nodded. "Considering Blaine seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the attention last night, do you think he's alright or should we go and see him?"

"I'm sure he's shocked, but no need to go check on him, at least today." Nick said. "We all talked on the train ride over and agreed that Sebastian is exactly who he needs to be with in this moment."

"Yea, we all noticed that they seemed to be completely connected so if anyone can soothe or talk to him, it's Sebastian." Jeff added. "And we all know they're together since they left together last night and they don't live in the same neighborhood."

"Now, what was it you were saying last night, both of you, about how he looks like himself once again?" Wes asked as they all skimmed the menu. "I mean, the man on stage is the Blaine we all know."

"That's the thing, as his marriage went to crap Blaine lost all confidence in performing." Santana told them. "Honestly, it was depressing to watch as he'd lost that spark that seemed so natural to him. If it wasn't for the chance of meeting Mr. Grab-ass at the concert, I probably wouldn't have gone as I wanted to remember the aptly named Blaine Warbler and not who he'd turned into."

"I never would've taken you as the sentimental type." Wes replied.

"She's not." Rachel replied before Santana had a chance. "But that should tell you how much he changed. While his voice was there, his stage presence didn't exist as he'd lost confidence in himself."

"I know we should probably wait for Blaine to tell us this." Jeff said. "Yet, I can't seem to shake the feeling that his marriage and by enlarge his divorce took a bigger toll on him that we realize."

"That's because it did blondie." Santana told him. "Though, the divorce was only hard on him after meeting with his lawyer as once he left Hummel he slowly began to find himself again."

"So Kurt fought the divorce then." Nick stated.

"Tooth and nail, it was ugly."

"Santana." Rachel stated as she looked across at her. "Don't."

"Rachel, they have a right to know how hard this was on Blaine. I'm not giving them details but knowing how bad things were might give them a perspective as to why Blaine's quieter than he used to be. Think, anytime they fought Blaine closed in on himself more and more."

"So, they fought a lot?" Wes asked.

"The fighting began shortly about midway into their second year of marriage." Santana told them. "Blaine was not only working a full time job but also trying to maintain his class load. So that meant a lot of his free time was spent rehearsing and not bowing down to every little thing Kurt wanted."

"Santana!"

"It's true Rachel and you know it. Blaine proved beyond a measure of a doubt how much he loved Kurt, but he never truly forgave him for that one lapse in judgment. He held that over Blaine's head every chance he got to get whatever it was he wanted." When Rachel's gaze shifted to the table top, the guys realized how true Santana's words were as Rachel wouldn't refute them.

"Blaine didn't deserve that." Wes said softly as he glanced at the others who looked as hurt as he did knowing Blaine went through what he did. "Did he make a mistake, sure, but he felt horrible and apologized for it. If Kurt hadn't forgiven him, why would he have married him?"

"We've asked ourselves that over and over again since everything went to hell."

"Do you think Kurt's going to try and ruin this moment for Blaine?" Jeff asked. "I mean…career wise as we all know Sebastian can handle anything Kurt tries to throw their way."

"Honestly, we don't know." Rachel replied. "We talked about it quite a bit this morning after reading the review and we don't know. By the time they separated, Kurt was pretty resigned to the fact that nothing was going to come out of Blaine's dreams and that he'd end up teaching music or something along those lines."

"That's because he dismissed Blaine's dreams every chance he got!" Thad interjected, much to everyone's surprise. And from the tone of his statement it was pretty clear he and Sebastian had talked quite a bit. "He never supported Blaine's dreams."

"Thad." Wes said rather pointedly as he looked at him. "We don't know that."

"Bull! You might not, but I do as Sebastian confirmed it."

"How?" Nick asked.

"When I showed up to the concert Blaine was shocked even though I said I was going to be there. Sebastian and I spoke about it and I had my thoughts on the subject which later he confirmed. Blaine was shocked that I actually showed as it seemed Kurt would always tell him he'd be there but rarely ever came to support him."

"So that's why he was so surprised we all came last night." Jeff said.

"Precisely!"

"Why didn't Sebastian tell us this?" Nick asked.

"Because he's not going to say more than Blaine has told him he can share. And last night wasn't the time to share something like that." Thad said. "Sebastian knows way more than any of us realize, yet he's not going to say a word unless Blaine says it's okay. Also the appropriate question would need to be asked as he's not going to willingly offer up this information. Yet, I refuse to keep to myself that little bit as you have a right to know."

"Is this true ladies?" Wes asked as he looked between Rachel and Santana who both nodded. "Did anyone tell Kurt it was wrong to tell Blaine he'd be there and not show?"

"All the time." Rachel replied. "I can't tell you how many times I went to watch Blaine and Kurt never showed up. It broke my heart as you could see how much it hurt Blaine but he never said a word. He really kept how bad things were to himself."

"Unlike Hummel." Santana muttered under her breath, but not quietly enough that no one heard.

"Santana, we've already said too much. It's up to Blaine to fill the guys in on anything else." Rachel said.

"Hey, we're not telling much from Blaine's point of view as Blaine didn't feel the need to rip on Kurt every chance he got. Yet that's all Kurt started to do as nothing Blaine ever did was good enough, just as everything that was wrong was Blaine's fault. Not to mention he thought Blaine was cheating on him once more when he was rehearsing at night."

"Santana!"

"No Rachel, the guys need to know. And while it's up to Blaine to fill them in, they need to know what they're going to be up against should Kurt ever see them. Honestly, we both talked after we got home about what a disaster it would've been had Kurt realize he bumped into Nick here. All hell would've broken loose considering his feelings about these guys. So not only would he have seen them and gone off, but he it wouldn't have taken him long to realize they were with Blaine. Then god forbid, Blaine and Sebastian walked up the way they did, it would've gotten ugly."

"Now, would it have gotten bad because they can't stand each other because of the divorce or is it something else?" Jeff asked.

"Even though Kurt made Blaine's life hell during the divorce, his delusional ass still loves him at least that's what he said. Hell, he's still wearing his wedding ring even though they've been officially divorced for almost three months."

"Wait, Blaine and Sebastian have been together for a little more than two months." Wes said.

"From what Blaine told us, he and Sebastian first reconnected the day Blaine's divorce became final. But they didn't become an actual couple till a couple weeks later." Thad said as he looked at the guys. "They were pretty up front how quick they reconnected."

"And if you guys are worried that it's too soon." Rachel said. "Blaine had been separated from Kurt for over a year before the divorce was finalized."

"You're telling us it took more than a year to finalize the end of a marriage that only lasted a few years?" Nick said and both of the girls nodded.

"Like we said, it was ugly." Santana told them. "Now you know why we were both so adamant about Blaine not knowing Kurt was at the bar last night. It would've ruined the moment that he so rightfully deserves."

"We figured it was serious, but not to this extent." Wes said. "Yet now I understand more of why he doesn't want to talk about it. Guys." He then looked at Thad, Jeff, and Nick.

"Don't worry, we won't ask." Jeff said as Nick and Thad agreed. "If Blaine wants to talk, it's up to him. Until then, we'll respect his right to privacy in this matter. At least we know he has Sebastian to talk to."

"Thad." Wes stated, earning a look from Thad. "Look out for him."

"I will, but that's something Sebastian has under control." When Wes just looked at him, Thad shook his head. "I know what you mean Wes, and I will. Just know Sebastian won't let anything happen to him and Hunter and I have his back."

"Does that mean you guys will be there when Blaine performs again?" Rachel asked.

"Do you really think we won't?" Thad said as he cocked his head to the side.

"Thad."

"Rachel, you saw the way Sebastian looks at him, we'll be there. It doesn't get much better than having one of your friends performing at your favorite bar."

"He's got a point Rachel." Santana said. "Sebastian will be front and center any time Blaine performs and I'm pretty certain Blaine wouldn't want it any other way."

When they headed back to school on Monday, Blaine as well as his band couldn't believe the amount of attention they were receiving. It was as though everyone at NYADA had read the review of their performance. While they all knew the crowd enjoyed their performance, it seems that the gentleman that reviewed their show has a knack for finding talent and he absolutely loved them. "So, when are you guys performing again Anderson?" One of the guys asked once Blaine walked into class along with Morgan.

"We'll know once we meet with the owner later this week." Blaine replied with a smile as Morgan nudged him. The smile Blaine had on his face was one most rarely ever saw yet there was no denying the impact of their gig. "Just waiting for some paperwork to get delivered and then we'll go from then."

"You'll need to let us know as according to the review, it was a performance not to be missed."

"That's because it was." Morgan replied proudly. "We rocked that place."

"Is this true Anderson?"

"It is. From what the owner told us afterwards no one left so they ended up closing the doors during our performance as they were at capacity."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. When we finally left after hanging for a bit, the place was still buzzing. Once people started to leave, those coming in were clearly upset on missing out on the musical act since everyone was still talking about it."

"Now, will everyone please take a seat and we can discuss Blaine's review." Professor Clark stated as he walked in. "That is if Mr. Anderson is alright with that." He said with a smile as he set his bag down.

"I don't mind, but you should ask Morgan if she minds as well since it concerns her as well."

"Why am I not surprised considering the manner in which your bass player was described." Morgan only smiled in response. "I take it we know the rest of your band as well."

"You do." Blaine replied. "It's the same group that backed me in the fall concert."

"How do you feel being referred to as being a part of Blaine's band?" Professor Clark asked Morgan.

"Proud, as he owned the stage that night. While we were there, it was all about him." When Blaine shook his head, Morgan nudged him. "It's true Blaine. All of us agreed it was a privilege to back you up as you came to life before us." She then looked at their classmates who seemed a bit shocked. "Trust me, you see us perform and you'll know what I'm talking about. While we'd seen it in practice on the stage that night Blaine proved it's where he belongs."

"So you guys aren't going to come up with a band name?" One of the girls asked.

"Nope, we're all more than happy to be Blaine's band." Morgan replied. "Justin said we should come up with a cool name for our own so on a marquee it would read Blaine Anderson and whatever we chose to call ourselves. But you should all know, the bar isn't huge so when we perform, you better get there early."

"Is this true Blaine?" One of the guys asked.

"Yes, it's true. You should also know the bar has a dress code."

"Where is this place?"

"Upper West Side." Blaine replied.

"You guys played the Upper West Side for your first gig?"

"We did." Morgan replied with a smile. "All thanks to the fact that someone recorded Blaine's performance at the concert and shared it with a friend."

"So you guys got this gig without auditioning?" Blaine nodded. "That's beyond lucky."

"Well, the bar's owner trusts his brother who has quite the ear for music and has yet to lead him astray." Blaine told him. "And Saturday night, per the crowds' reaction he's still batting a thousand."

"Don't forget the on-going gig we were offered." Morgan added.

"Very true."

"Well, congrats you guys!" One of the girls told them. "I think I can speak for everyone in that we can't wait to hear you." She'd barely finished and the rest of their classmates agreed. It wasn't long after did their professor get class started which began with dissecting the review they received.

By the time Blaine finished his classes that day he had numerous calls and messages to return. If there was a day he wished he could see Sebastian today was one but that wasn't going to be possible as Mondays were his long days. So during his ride home, he sent Sebastian a text letting him know he was done before getting a start on his other calls and messages. The one call he couldn't wait to make was that to his parents as they were so happy when he told them about the gig he'd booked. And after reading the review of his performance online, Sebastian had run out and bought numerous copies of the paper as he wanted hard copies of it and had made sure to buy a copy for Blaine to send to his parents. While they easily could've read it online, Blaine agreed with Sebastian that they'd want a hard copy as well and not just something they printed out.

But along with talking about his performance, Blaine knew they were going to ask about his personal life as Cooper let slip that Blaine was seeing someone the last time they spoke. Once that bit of information had gotten back to them, his parents asked a ton of questions as it put Blaine's new attitude into perspective. So once he got settled in his apartment, Blaine stretched out on his couch and took a deep breathe.

The entire weekend ended up being more than he ever could've asked for aside from a few of the guys showing up early at Sebastian's. The fact that not only he had a performance that he wouldn't soon forget, but he got to share it with those that mean the most to him. Reconnecting with the guys was everything he could've asked for. Yet having Sebastian front and center meant the world to him as he had faith in him even when he himself didn't. And unlike Rachel and Santana, when Sebastian said it, Blaine believed it. If there was something to be said for Sebastian being so blunt, Blaine knew he wasn't just saying he believed in him to spare his feelings as that would only hurt him in the long run. Sebastian believed in him as it was true, Blaine really was talented and only needed to believe in himself once more.

By the time he'd gotten off the phone with his parents, Blaine couldn't help but smile as he told his parents about his weekend. He also let them know the actual paper the review was in would be arriving at their home sometime that week. Between hearing how well his performance went from him along with reconnecting with his friends the Andersons honestly couldn't be happier for him. After everything their son had gone through, things were finally going right for him once more in all aspects of his life.

Blaine was about to go and take a shower when there was a knock on his door. After checking the clock, he couldn't help wonder who it could be as Sebastian would've just walked in after doing so. So when he opened the door he was a bit surprised to see a courier standing before him. "May I help you?"

"Are you Blaine Anderson?"

"That would be me."

"Well, I have a package for you that you need to sign for." Blaine nodded and took the clipboard from him and signed his name before being handed a rather big envelope. Once that was done, the courier headed on his way and Blaine walked back inside. During his walk towards his couch he looked at the return address and was surprised to see it was Stephen. So knowing he was going to have a bit of reading to do, Blaine decided to go and take a shower before reading Stephen's proposal.