Work Text:
Blaine could not remember the last time he had been this relaxed. Leaving New York and Kurt had felt like a failure at first, but he felt better about it now. Part of it was certainly because his return to Lima had allowed him to reconnect with Sam. He shuffled a bit closer, resting his head on his shoulder. They were watching The Avengers again.
Well, they had put it on, but they knew it well enough not to have to pay too much attention. Instead it gave him the opportunity to relax, to just let himself be. It gave him the chance to figure out what he truly wanted to do now, for himself, not to please someone else.
The door flew open, making them both jump. “Hey Squirt, what are -” He stopped short when he saw them. “Whoops, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. Just pretend I wasn’t here.” He turned and left.
Blaine stared after him, confused by his reaction but then it hit him. They were lying together on his bed, so he must have thought... He hurried after him. “Cooper!”
“Sorry about that. I know I was only supposed to be back tomorrow, but I wanted to surprise you.” His grin was somewhat crooked. “Guess I managed.” He looked over Blaine’s shoulder. “Though I’m glad to see you’re moving on.”
Blaine shook his head. “I’m not. I mean, I am moving on but not with Sam. We’re friends, you know that.”
“Oh, I know. You’ve told us about him a lot.” Back in his last year of high school, Blaine had constantly been telling them about Sam, so much so that, when Blaine had told them about his engagement, they’d all been surprised to hear that he intended to marry Kurt.
“I know.” Blaine sighed. “I have had a crush on him since our senior year. He knows as well. But that’s all it is. So please don’t make him uncomfortable.”
Cooper was not so sure it could be called just a crush still after years but decided not to bring it up now. “I won’t bring it up.” At least not to Sam.
“Blaine?” Sam had followed them. “Is everything alright?”
“Go on, finish your movie,” Cooper said. “I’ll order pizza later.” And perhaps call their parents in the meantime.
~*~
Blaine was unable not to return Sam’s bright smile when Sam caught sight of him in front of the cinema. He swallowed. “Hey.”
Sam hugged him in greeting. “Hey. Thank for agreeing to come.”
“Of course. I want to see the movie as well.” And wasn’t it nice to have someone he could go to the movies with again? In New York, with Kurt, he’d had to either go alone or not at all. Kurt had never understood his love for comic books and movies based on those comics. Sam on the other hand shared that love. In fact, it had been him who had asked Blaine to come along to see the latest X-Men movie.
Sam grinned. “Hoping they’ll bring back Cyclops?”
Blaine shrugged. “A bit. But I’m mostly curious if the older Charles and Erik will meet their younger selves.”
“So am I.” Sam checked his watch. “Let’s go inside, see if we want to get some snacks.”
Blaine hesitated a moment, remembering how he’d been comfort eating when his relationship with Kurt had been troubled. But if Sam, with his amazing physique and his relationship with his body wanted to get some snacks, surely he could buy some as well. “What about the tickets?”
Sam held one out to him. “I was here early and picked them up already.”
“Sam!” Blaine shook his head. “Then let me get the snacks at least.”
“Sure.” He followed him to the snack counter. “Popcorn? Or chocolate?” He stepped up close behind Blaine, casually resting a hand on waist as he looked over his shoulder at the selection.
“Sweet popcorn?” Blaine offered.
“A big pack to share?”
“Perfect.”
The teenager working at the snack counter passed
The teenager working at the snack counter passed them their choice of snack with a smile. “Here you go.” She hesitated a moment, then added: “You’re a cute couple.”
“Thank you,” Sam just replied.
Blaine frowned as they went to the cinema auditorium. “Shouldn’t you have corrected her? If you’re staying here, you’ll have a hard time dating if they think you’re bi.” The impression might not have been a problem in New York but here in Lima, with their conservative attitude, it might cause problems for Sam.
“Actually, I think I am. Bi, I mean. Or pan. I’m not sure yet. I just know that I’m not just interested in girls.” Sam paused. “Not that I’m looking for someone right now.”
Blaine nodded in understanding. “I get it. I’m also not looking right now. I just want to concentrate on myself for now and what I want to do.” It would give him time to re-discover who he was and what he wanted when he was not trying to change himself to fit into Kurt’s life.
~*~
Sam paused the movie he was watching on his laptop when he noticed the incoming video call. “Hey guys,” he greeted when the call connected, and he saw his family. “Is everything okay? I didn’t forget a planned call, did I?”
“No, Sam, we just wanted to see how you’re doing,” his mother said.
“I’m fine.” Seeing them all look at him, waiting for him to continue, he said: “Okay, it’s a bit strange, being back at McKinley. It’s been only a year since I graduated and now, I’m back as teaching assistant.” He was also a bit more understanding of what Finn must have felt like. “But I like it. I think I’d really enjoy doing that as a career.”
“I’m sure you’ll make a good teacher,” his father said.
“And how is Blaine doing?” his mother asked. “Has he decided yet what he wants to do?”
“No, not yet. He’s still figuring it out.”
“Well, you boys have time yet to figure out what the right path is for you,” his father said.
“Perhaps he can join you in assisting with the glee club,” his mother suggested. “You seemed to enjoy doing that last year.”
“Perhaps. I can ask him and Mr Schue.”
“Speaking of asking,” Stacy said. “When are you finally going to ask Blaine out?”
“Stacy!” their mother chided. “I thought we agreed not to push them.”
Sam wondered who ‘we’ was. Had his parents and siblings been talking about them? “It’s too early. Blaine’s still recovering from their break-up and I don’t want to risk our friendship for a rebound.”
“That’s perfectly reasonable,” his father agreed. “What about your course work? How are you getting on there?”
~*~
They were back at Blaine’s, in his room, watching a movie. It had become tradition for them over the past weeks, every Saturday they spend together, watching movies or shows. This time, they had decided on the Sherlock Holmes movie directed by Guy Ritchie.
“They’re not just friends, are they?” Sam said after a while.
“There life partners,” Blaine said. “The heterosexual part is up for debate.”
Sam watched a moment longer how Holmes and Watson interacted. He tilted his head, feeling Blaine’s curls brush against his cheek. “I think they were in love. In the movie, definitely.”
“Definitely.”
“You know, you do look a bit like RDJ. I thought so when we were watching Ironman and Avengers but it’s also true for Holmes there.”
Blaine turned his head to look at him. “Does that make you Watson?” He brushed a finger lightly across Sam’s upper lip. “Perhaps grow a moustache?”
Sam caught Blaine’s hand before he could pull it back. “I could be.”
“What?”
“I could be the Watson to your Holmes. If you want. If you’re ready.”
Blaine stared at him, hardly daring to believe he was understanding him right. He smiled brightly. “I am ready. And I want that. I want you.”