Work Text:
As Sebastian walked through Dalton, he spotted where the reconstruction and his memories differed. The most obvious difference was the tacky decorations and the bar in the ballroom. Not something that would usually be approved by the Dalton Academy staff, but exceptions had been made for the 10-year anniversary.
Still stinging from being dumped two weeks ago, the bar was a welcome sight. So was seeing his former partner in crime sitting at one of the booths. While Nick and he talked regularly they hadn't seen each other in years, phone calls between Paris and the US were expensive, not to mention plane tickets.
As he got closer, Sebastian noticed Trent Nixon and Eli Cunningham sitting next to Nick. It put him a little on guard. Eli was cool, but Trent knew how to hold a grudge, and they hadn't parted on the best of terms at graduation.
Sebastian was greeted with hugs from both Nick and Eli before sending a nod Trent's way as he sat down on the stool to the other side of Nick.
“So, who all's here?” Sebastian asks Nick and Trent. “I see just about everybody. All that's missing is the lovely Anderson-Hummel couple. Since you’re organizers, I thought you would have invited them.”
Trent and Nick shared a look, but were saved from answering by the bartender coming over to them.
Sebastian ordered a drink and then the four men started catching up. They talked about their lives the past ten years; the stories they didn't know and going into more detail on ones they had heard of.
“So, how are things going with your boyfriend? You've been together for about a year now, right?” Nick faced Sebastian and inquired.
Sebastian groaned and brought his head down on his forearm resting on the bar counter. “Ex-boyfriend as of two weeks ago.”
Nick, Trent, and Eli winced.
“And weren't you-?” Nick started to ask.
“About to ask him to move in? Yes.” Sebastian spoke into the crook of his arm.
“That's rough, buddy.” stated Eli.
“Don't quote ATLA at me.” Sebastian snapped, a joking edge.
"Did he give you a reason?" Trent asked.
"The same reason as my other exes; apparently I don't give them my whole heart. They feel that I'm in love with someone else.” Sebastian answers in a mocking tone. "What the fuck does that mean? I was actually serious about all four of them and even loved a couple of them, and they accuse me of having feelings for someone else?"
The three men awkwardly stay silent, not knowing how to respond. Luckily for them, Sebastian downs the rest of his whiskey and continues.
"Okay, so maybe every once in a while I'd think of him and smile. Maybe when something reminds me of it, I hear his laugh. Isn't that normal? What do people say, you always remember your first love? And who could forget Blaine Anderson."
Nick is the first to break the tension Sebastian's rant created. "No offense man, but you knowing who they could be talking about kinda gives what they're saying some validity."
Sebastian protested. Eli and Trent backed up Nick lightly, sharing their thoughts, but also not wanting to start a full-blown argument.
"Sebastian!" a voice cries out, interrupting the conversation of the Warblers at the bar. They turn around to see it's John 'Beatz/Meatbox' Cox, hand to his mouth to make his voice louder over the music. "Some polo guys bet that we couldn't remember our numbers. You in to prove those losers wrong?"
"Obviously." Sebastian replied before turning back to the other Warblers. "Nick, Trent, Eli, you in?"
The three of them shrugged, as if to say, 'why not?' They got up and went to where Beatz had gathered all the Warblers in attendance. For the next 15 minutes they did every number they could think of, with surprising accuracy, considering a chunk of them weren't a part of the competition group back in high school. The polo guys conceded just in time, as all the former Warblers were too tired to do another performance. Twenty bucks were slapped into the hands of each of the men trying to catch their breath.
After the applause from the audience that had formed died out, the Warblers' performance seemed to be an invitation for a karaoke free for all. Some people dedicating songs to someone, a significant other, a friend, or to a memory shared. During that time Sebastian, Nick, Jeff, and Beatz had worked their way back to the bar, continuing to catch up with one another as they drank.
During a lull in conversation, looking at the karaoke singers, Sebastian murmured, almost to himself, "Blaine really liked things like that. Being serenaded."
In response, Beatz and Nick looked at one another. Beatz slowly said,"Yeah, he was a romantic like that."
Sebastian nodded, the face of a man on a mission. "Alright. Time to get Blaine Anderson out of my system. There's no point in hanging onto an unavailable what-if for the rest of my life." And before either of his friends could say anything back, Sebastian got up and strode over to the person finishing an awful rendition of some Bon Jovi song and snatched the mic.
Beatz and Nick sighed.
"Well, he's definitely buzzed." said Nick.
Whoever was running the karaoke machine, some guy that used to be in the AV club, Sebastian couldn't remember his name, rolled with Sebastian's rude entrance and got the song we wanted going.
A Million Words by The Vamps began playing.
Sebastian starts the song off casually, as if this was any performance.
"There's a million words I shoulda said"
"Oh, just to be near you, don't you know how good that feels?"
As the lyrics bring up the deep seeded emotions in him, every word carries more weight.
"Did I miss my chance? Is it too late to say?"
By the chorus, Sebastian's voice has a raw edge to it, his hands holding onto the mic like a lifeline.
"Now I'm half a world away from you
But you're always on my mind."
Familiar brunette curls catch Sebastian's attention as he sings the chorus. Turning his head towards to see who caught his eye, green locks onto hazel. No matter how much time passes, he would always recognize Blaine Anderson.
Sebastian didn't know how long Blaine had been there, how much of the song he's heard. Him being there made all that Sebastian was singing even more real than it was before.
"And if there's someone where I used to be
I hope he tells you everyday
With the million words that I should've said
I wish I could tell you always"
Eyes stayed locked as Blaine began to walk quickly forward; getting closer to where Sebastian was singing. And right before the second verse began, Blaine took a deep inhale and opened his mouth.
"Sleep tight Monkey." Blaine whispers to the little girl falling asleep. He presses a soft kiss to her forehead and tucks the superhero comforter around the child. Slowly, as to not wake her up, Blaine leaves his daughter's room.
When he reaches the living room, Blaine's phone rings. Unknown number. Curious, Blaine answers, hoping it's not a telemarketer.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Blaine Anderson?" a vaguely recognizable voice says through the phone.
"Yes, this is he."
The tone of voice turns from curious to excited, "Fantastic! This is Trent, Trent Nixon. From Dalton."
Wow, Trent Nixon. Not someone Blaine's talked to or even thought of in years. "Hey Trent, long time no see. Perfect timing, I just put my daughter down for a nap. How've you been?"
"Great, to be honest. Working for my grandparents at the bank has been going great, and I met this amazing guy a month ago and so far our dates have been nothing less than magical. What have you been up to?"
"Acting and taking care of Hepburn. It keeps me busy. Were you calling to catch up?"
"Yes and no. The 10-year class reunion is happening soon, and I called to invite you.
While you didn't graduate with us, you were a big part of the Dalton family, so we thought we'd ask if you'd like to come. It would also be a great opportunity to reconnect with everyone. We've missed you, Warbler Blaine."
"Oh. Who all is going?" asked Blaine.
"Just about everyone in our year. I mean Hunter got expelled, so he didn't get an invitation, everyone else though. Nick (you remember Nick Duval right?) who is on the planning committee, is even making Smythe fly in from Paris for this.
"Sebastian?" Blaine asks wistfully.
Wow, Sebastian Smythe. A name he's only heard in the past decade when Kurt was angry with him. Sebastian Smythe, the one that got away. Blaine had secretly thought of the man a few times over the years. Ashamedly whenever Kurt and he were in a bad place, and less so when the divorce finalized. He never gathered the courage to call him or even look at his social media pages. There's no doubt in him mind that Sebastian only got more attractive with age. How would Blaine handle that, if he went, other than becoming a gigantic flustered mess like when the first met. Especially now that Blaine was single and could act on his feelings.
Blaine clears his throat, "How's, um, how's he been? What's he been up to?"
"I wouldn't be able to tell you," Trent responds," we haven't talked in a long time. All I know is what Nick's told me. He went to Paris basically right after graduation; is still there, I guess. Oh, he has a boyfriend. Can you believe it? Nick said something about them being together for about a year."
A boyfriend. A serious one, it sounded like. That should not make Blaine as jealous as it did. Of course, when Blaine is single and willing, Sebastian is taken. The irony of the situations being flipped from high school doesn't escape Blaine.
Trent seemed to ignore Blaine's pause as he kept talking. "Significant others are welcome! So you can bring Kurt no problem. I know he didn't accept the invitation to go to the reunion for his class, but he'll know more of the people here anyway." Or maybe Trent didn't want Blaine to reject going because he thought Kurt would object to his seeing Sebastian.
"Kurt and I divorced." Blaine stated before Trent could continue spouting reasons why Kurt was welcome. "It finalized last year."
"Oh, my condolences." says Trent warily, his tone making it a question, like he didn't know exactly how to respond to that news.
"It's for the best. Kurt and I get along much better now, and it's made us better parents to Hepburn."
"Well I'm happy for you all then." Trent says, much more decisively than his last statement.
"Thanks."
"Well, about the reunion. It'll take place mid-August. The party will be at Dalton, per the headmaster's request. I think he wants to show off the new building to the alumni. As usual, the Bougaimoux Hotel is offering a discount for those going to the reunion. Best of all, we got Pellerelli Bistro to cater the event. It'll be buffet style, but they're letting us borrow one of their bartenders, so you know the drinks with be good."
"That sounds fantastic, Trent. I don't know if I'll be able to make it. I'll probably have Hepburn, and who knows if Kurt will be free to take her."
"Why don't I put you on the list and send you an email with all the details? Talk to Kurt and RSVP if you can make it."
Blaine gives an affirmative and rattles off his email. They chat a little more before Trent has to go to call other alumni. Goodbyes and talk-to-you-later-s are given before they hang up.
It's dark by the time Blaine pulls into Dalton's parking lot. There are plenty of cars, so the party must still be in full swing. As he fallows signs to the ballroom, Blaine hopes that he can get in even though he didn't rsvp. Luckily it seems like his name is on the list, so he's given a marker and a 'Hello My Name Is...' sticker.
Before he can finish writing 'Blaine Anderson' on a name tag, Blaine hears someone singing. He recognizes the voice immediately. How can he not when the first time he heard it, it gave him chills all over his body. Nothing seems to have changes as Blaine feels tingles go down his spine and goosebumps form on his arms.
Blaine places the badge on his chest as he moves towards where Sebastian must be singing.
"Did I miss my chance? Is it too late to say?"
The rawness of Sebastian's performance hurt Blaine. Did something happen with his boyfriend? The flash of joy that thought brought him summoned a wave of guilt. Sebastian is hurting and here Blaine is, happy that he might no longer be taken. How selfish is that.
"But you're always on my mind"
When their eyes lock, Blaine has to take a step back. 'Oh,' he thought, ’this is about me.' Not even his usual obliviousness could deny that. The way Sebastian looked at him while he sang left no room for error.
Blaine has to respond, tell Sebastian that he feels the same way. He lightly pushes his way through the crowd, never letting his eyes waver from Sebastian's for a second. As the chorus ends, Blaine knows what to do, he takes a deep breath and sang.
"When you were mine, did I push you far away?"
Sebastian is quiet as Blaine sings and walks towards him, surprise keeping him in place.
"But then I only had to see you, don't you know how good that feels?
These are all the words I should have said."
Blaine registers when Sebastian reads his own rawness echoed in Blaine's voice, the vulnerability in his face. He sees tension replace the surprise in Sebastian's body language. Sebastian clearly not knowing what to make of the situation.
"Did I miss my chance? Is it too late to say?"
Blaine's voice cracks do to the emotion he sang that line with. Now basically in front of Sebastian, Blaine takes a slight risk. He raises a hand and lightly threads his fingers through Sebastian's own. Lightly resting there, giving room for Sebastian to come closer or pull away.
As Blaine goes through the chorus, the tension in Sebastian's body melts away. Blaine feels as Sebastian slides the hand in his, closer until their palms are squeezed together. Grins begin to form on both their faces.
The bridge hits and Sebastian joins his voice to Blaine.
"And if I could only catch your eye and throw a smile"
The grins on their faces turn blinding.
"You should know that what I want to say could take all night or my whole life
Do I get a second chance to make you mine tonight?"
Here their voices finally meld together, forming perfect harmonies. As they sang the last chorus, they got closer together. Somehow making the moment even more intimate than it already was.
"I wish I could tell you, always
Always, always
Always, always"
A Million Words fades out, applause takes it's place. Sebastian takes Blaine's hand and walks off the "stage." Once they reach a table away from almost everybody else, Sebastian stops.
"Wow," he says, flustered,"we didn't even get the chance to say hello, did we?"
Blaine lets out a giggle, "No, I supposed we didn't. Hi."
"Hey." Sebastian sighs wistfully.
Sebastian and Blaine sit down and for the rest of the night they talked.
"Where's your other half? I would have expected him to try to keep us apart."
"Kurt's home, probably tucking in our daughter." Blaine turns his eyes to Sebastian, gauging his reaction to everything he's saying, "We're divorced, actually. It finalized last year."
A grin sprouts on Sebastian's face. "So you're single."
"Yeah, I am." Blaine replies. "Are you?" he says, hopefully.
"Freshly, in fact."
Occasionally some of their friends would join them.
"You never RSVPed. I wasn't sure if you'd come." says Trent.
"Yeah, Kurt's and I's schedule kept changing, so even I didn't know I could make it till yesterday. Hence, the lateness." Blaine lightly holds Sebastian's fingertips with his own and looks into Sebastian's eyes. "I'm glad I came."
"Were you able to get a room at the hotel?" Jeff asks
"No, they're reservation only. I'll find a motel and crash there."
"You could stay with me." Sebastian says, tone and face soft as he looks down at Blaine.
"Okay." Blaine responds in kind.
But mostly it was just the two of them.
"Wow, so you work with the US embassy in France? That's amazing. You did always love it there." Blaine says, going from excited to melancholy.
"What?"
"Nothing! Nothing." Blaine tries to deflect. "Paris is just so far from New York, it would be hard to visit."
Seeing the conflict in Blaine, Sebastian hesitantly announced,"I might not be there for much longer." Quick inhale. "I got a job offer, in D.C. Paris truly is the best city in the world, but I'm ready to try something new."
A smile, and what looks like hope, sprout from Blaine, "D.C. is only a few hours away from NYC."
"True. I could come see you perform on the weekends."
"Or just come see me."
Sebastian and Blaine stay together until the reunion is over. Then they chat in Blaine's car on the way to the hotel. When they arrive, their fingers interlock once again as they talk and make their way to Sebastian's room. Sebastian stops them before they can enter his suite.
"I'm not trying to hook up with you." Sebastian interrupts. At Blaine's confusion, he backpedals. "I mean, that's not why I said we could share my room. Not that I would complain if we did, you are still incredibly hot, but that's not why I asked." The muscles in Sebastian's body clenched, and his eyes slid away from Blaine's as he talked. "To be honest, what we've been doing all night, just being in your presence and talking to you, is already the most amazing night of my life. I don't want it to stop."
Blaine takes his free hand and uses it to move Sebastian's face towards his, then waits for their eyes to meet. When they do, Sebastian can't shift them away again, trapped by Blaine's. A soft, happy, and confident expression on the shorter's face as he states, "I know. Me too."
Using their intertwined hands, Blaine leads Sebastian through the cracked open door. Until they pass out, they do just that. Talk and be in each other's presence. Seemingly trying to cram ten years of stories into one night.
In the morning, Blaine and Sebastian made the long drive from Westerville to New York City. Once they reach the airport, neither of them speak until all of Sebastian's luggage is out of Blaine's trunk and onto the sidewalk at the taller's feet.
"I wish I could stay longer," Sebastian starts,"but I've got to get back too-"
"Work. I understand." interrupts Blaine. "Call me. If you get the job in DC. If you don't get the job. Just, call me."
"Nothing in this world could stop me." Sebastian looks deep into Blaine's eyes. "Blaine, if I do get the job and I move to DC, could we… I mean, I know you have a thing about long distance. But the same timezone is a lot closer than different continents, so. If I get the job and move back State side, would you consider giving us a shot?"
With a kiss to the other's cheek, Blaine replies,"Definitely."