An: So,,, uhhh, hi! It's been like 4 years, sorry. You can all thank my boyfriend for bullying me on Ao3 to update. I honestly kinda forgot what was going on in this fic and was having to work with my notes from 15/16 year old me. So if anything sounds off that is why.
As the next memory came into view, the group became aware that after that fluttering kiss, Sebastian had managed to stumble through his classes up until his science class. There he sat, still getting used to the French way of doing things, but not nearly as lost as he was in the morning nor showing any confusion on his face. He knew his cards and was holding them close to his chest.
He looked around the room, noting several students had already checked out as the teacher began to introduce herself. He was simply glad she wasn't making a big deal of the "new foreign American student" as his English teacher did when she claimed he could give a "whole new perspective to the interstices of American culture as a native." Not that he cared, he'd put in enough effort to get the participation points needed and proceed to smoke the exams with an ease that only years of expectations can bring.
Science though… that was the thing that he could get into. The one subject where he was always ready to pay attention and edge in with a snarky comment or surprisingly inquisitive question that made the teacher think. And God forbid the poor professor ever said something wrong. Sadly, this teacher didn't seem to get the memo about Sebastian's natural finesse in the mystery of how the world works. She simply assumed that as the "out of his depth American" who "probably could only understand a third of what they were saying" he was doomed to be lost.
That couldn't be further from the truth yet, nonetheless, she wouldn't listen to his complaints, even as said complaints showed off his prowess in the language. If it hadn't already been abundantly clear that he wasn't from around here, no one would guess he actually came from about 4,000 miles away.
So, that's how he ended in this situation, listening as she named off some random kids who were apparently both "cream of the crop" and could "always use some extra credit."
"Chase, Russell, and um, Florent, raise your hand so Mr. Smythe can see you. Those will be the boys in charge of catching you up to speed and ensuring you don't fall behind with the ahem, language barrier."
All the Warblers who had the (dis)pleasure of being in physics with him immediately recognized her mistake.
Nick's eyes started to sparkle as he laughed, "Catch up? He could probably teach that class better than her!"
He could feel both the sighs of relief and frustration of those around him.
"Good luck," the guy next to him (Andre? His brain supplied) mumbled under his breath, "Poor dude got stuck with the stupid singing geeks."
"Hey!" There were many grumblings from the crowd as people took offense. Although some did perk up, realizing this could be Sebastian's introduction to the world of glee club. Even if the New Directions didn't like him, they had to recognize his talent and that this had the potential to be a momentous occasion.
He looked around and caught sight of three guys reluctantly raising their hands and making frustrated eye contact with each other and a girl sitting close by. His eyes did a quick once over of them, at least one of them was semi-decent at worst.
Sighing, he resigned himself to his fate and his teacher clapped her hands, overly proud of herself for her wonderful thinking and initiative.
The group onlooking watched as instead of just skipping to the next moment, the memory sped up. It fast-tracked through the first part of the day (with Sebastian not just keeping up with the class but even showing them up in a few choice instances) until what appeared to be the classes' free period.
Sebastian glanced at his schedule, his brow furrowing until he suddenly looked up after sensing eyes on him.
The group of boys apparently "assigned" to him earlier made their way over to him with the girl in tow.
"Hey, Sebastian right?" the chestnut-haired boy in front asked.
"Yeah, sorry I don't have the same pleasure of knowing your names."
"Oh, right, umm, I'm Florent," His blue eyes sparkled as he spoke. "This is Chase," he gestured to the boy on his right with a brunette-to-blonde fade. "Russell" the black-haired boy to his left with a rugby build waved a hand. "And our only common sense brain cell, Juliette." The only girl grinned and waved, returning the once-over that Sebastian once gave their group.
The two groups- erm, more like the group and the one newcomer- awkwardly stared at each other for a moment before Florent spoke back up.
"So, hey look, Mrs. Blanchet seemed pretty instant that we help you out and to be honest you don't seem to need that much help but she'll be checking up on us. She's that kinda teacher. So if it doesn't bother you too much, why don't you just sit with us and we can help you with any translation stuff that might be weird."
"He doesn't really have a choice," Chase mumbled.
"Hey!" Julleitte's elbow managed to sneak its way into his ribs.
"Ohhh, you could help us with our English work." Russell offered up.
"Does he even take English?"
"Surprisingly, I do," Sebastian answered Jullleitte's whisper. "Though why they force me through such troubles, I don't know."
Florent laughed, "I think I like this one."
Nick, Jeff, and Blaine all shared a look. This was starting to get interesting.
"Come on," He grabbed one of Sebastian's bags, forcing him to move along with the group, "We normally sit in this empty classroom where no one will bother us for free period."
Sebastian pranced along, trying to keep up with the twists and turns they took through the school. As he took a second look at the classroom number they were entering, Florent looked back.
"Oh come on, we won't bite. That would kinda go against our whole reason for being grouped up!" Florent's laugh resounded throughout the hallway, filling Sebastian and the onlookers with the fluttering of butterflies. The light from the window a ways down the hall illuminated his face with a golden hour shine and his whole face seemed to have a hint of sparkle around it.
Yeah, Sebastian thought, it'll be a good year.
An: I hope you enjoyed it! If you want me to continue it or even just post the outline of what was supposed to happen, let me know. I don't even know if anyone is still reading this or cares about it in 2024.