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Ugh, he just had to go ahead and take that potion, hadn't he?
It's not like Professor Sylvester hadn't warned him of the consequences, but this certainly wouldn't be the first time that Sebastian has gone ahead and done the thing, anyway, regardless of the repercussions, and it probably won't be the last. One would think that he'd have learned by now – he's seventeen years old, for fuck sake.
It was pretty funny to begin with, to be fair. Students of varying houses, genders and sexual orientations would flutter by him with heart eyes – the most shy of them just passing by looking flushed, and the boldest of them pulling him to the side and professing their love to him, offering him gifts and even serenading him now and again.
However, he hadn't been expecting the potion to last this long – he'd only taken a sip because he thought it would be funny, but he's barely been able to get from class to class without attracting attention, and it's just not nearly as fun as he expected it to be. It's not like he'd take advantage of the constant less-than-PG proposals he's been getting – he's not that kind of asshole, after all.
And fuck, this must be what it feels like to be Blaine.
Blaine – who pretends not to have noticed all the adoring stares and people swooning as he struts his adorable ass across the halls of the castle. Who pretends that he doesn't see Tina's moon eyes as she links their arms together, dragging him towards their classes. Who pretends not to know that even the straight guys tend to stare at him with wonder and awe.
Not that Sebastian can blame them. It would be pretty damn hypocritical of him, to be honest. He's convinced that there isn't one person in this entire school that isn't in love with Blaine Anderson – himself included.
“Sebastian, wait up!”
And shit – of course Sebastian would run into the object of his affections right now, under the influence of this damn thing. That's exactly the kind of day he's been having, after all.
Blaine jogs to him at a steady pace across the otherwise deserted corridor, before skidding before him and fixing him with a wide grin – one that sends Sebastian's heart into a flutter and sets his pulse racing faster than werewolf on heat. He's wrapped in his house robes, yellow and black scarf hugging his neck, and Sebastian fights the urge to huff and roll his eyes, because it's in the middle of the god damn summer, and Blaine still manages to wear as many layers as humanly possible.
Still, he really can't talk to Blaine right now – not when he's still under the effects of the potion. He doesn't want to embarrass him, and he's pretty sure that being on the other end of the shorter's mushy looks would probably mess with Sebastian's head something awful – a cruel reminder that he can't have him, really – because let's face it, Blaine is way too good for him.
Although as far as Sebastian is concerned, Blaine is too good for anyone.
He expects Blaine to act differently – to fix him with a pining gaze, to grab a hold of his arm and try to take him to somewhere more private, to whisper sweet words into his ear that would probably make Sebastian's legs turn to jelly, but he does none of those things. In fact, he's not acting any different at all.
“Hey, B,” Sebastian greets, testing the water a little. “What's up?”
Blaine snorts. “Not much. Why weren't you in class? Schuester went over some N.E.W.T. stuff today. You're lucky I - amazing best friend that I am - copied some notes for you.” He holds up some parchment and shakes it at as him, just to prove his point, and Sebastian huffs in amusement, allowing himself to fall into step with Blaine, who seems to be making his way to the Great Hall for lunch, because if Blaine's acting normal, the potion must have worn off. About time, too.
Despite the fact that they're both in different houses, they always tend to spend their lunches together. It's been this way since they first started hanging out in third year, and people have long since stopped questioning why Sebastian is seated at the Hufflepuff table instead of the Slytherin one.
He freezes as soon as they enter into the large hall, though, as a heavy silence falls over the room and all eyes land on him.
“Bas?” Blaine asks, eyebrows drawn together in confusion, crinkling his forehead. “What's going on?”
It happens pretty suddenly – chairs scrape across the floor, students begin to scamper towards him, and Sebastian backs away, wide-eyed and panicked. Blaine's eyes dart around the room, before he whirls on his feet, grasping onto Sebastian's hand and pulling him along without a word, legs carrying them as fast as they can.
It takes them a while to lose the crowd, but eventually the patter of footsteps ebb away as they turn into a corridor on the seventh floor, and they stop for breath. He's certain that there are still a few stragglers nearby, though, and he paces back and forth a couple of times, scrambling desperately for some sort of plan – he just needs somewhere to hide until the potion wears off.
He turns back to face Blaine, and his eyes go wide at what he sees. Blaine is staring at a door – a door that he's sure hadn't been there before. A door, which by all intents and purposes, should not be there. Sebastian knows the castle like the back of his hand – has explored every nook and cranny that it has to offer, and never has this door been present. He opens his mouth, ready to express his worry to Blaine, when he hears some voices from around the corner of the corridor.
“I heard Wes saying that he was running in this direction. God, I need to talk to him Yasmine. I need to tell him how I feel.”
Another voice – which Sebastian assumes belongs to Yasmine, whoever she is, lets out a dreamy sigh. “I know, I know – we'll talk to him together. I just know that he's in love with us, too. I heard Rachel Berry say that she was going to look for him in the Astronomy tower, but I can just sense him nearby – can't you sense him, Astrid?”
He eyes the door again warily, but the footsteps are steadily approaching him, and he's pretty sure as soon as some of them find him the rest will follow, so he does something stupid again. He pulls the handle on the mysterious door, and Blaine follows him without hesitation, closing the door slowly and quietly behind them as not to give themselves away.
There's nothing particularly interesting about the room. In fact, it's entirely empty, pretty dark, and a little cramped, if he's completely honest. It's about the size of his bedroom closet back home. Still, he'll take what he can get. He leans back against the door, his head landing on the wood with a soft thunk, and he closes his eyes as Blaine leans on the grey brick wall opposite him.
They wait for a few minutes, listening for any sort of noise. His heart thuds rapidly in his chest and his blood runs cold as he hears the footsteps near the door, but he lets out a breath of relief when he hears the girls mutter that he must be on a different floor, and their footsteps fade away in order to continue there search elsewhere.
“What the hell have you done this time, Bas?” Blaine asks him, still a little breathless, worried eyes piercing through him.
Sebastian ducks his head sheepishly, running his palm over the back of his neck. “I kinda sorta took a potion that I shouldn't have?”
Blaine huffs, folding his arms together. “Of course you did. What was it?”
“It's, uh-- a love potion. To make everyone fall in love with me.” He flushes, and brings his hands to his face, rubbing them over his eyes in distress. “I didn't-- I thought it would be funny. I didn't realise it would be so strong, or that it would last as long as this.”
“Sebastian, you idiot.” Blaine grumbles, glaring at him through narrowed eyes. “What did I tell you about doing shit without thinking it through?”
“Uh. Don't?”
“Exactly!”
The room is far too cramped for the metaphorical elephant that's looming over them, and Sebastian watches Blaine carefully. He's acting completely normal. How is he acting normal? How is he the only person in the entire school that isn't falling over him?
“Why are you acting so normal?” Sebastian echoes his thoughts – because he kind of has to. It's driving him insane.
The other boy's glare drops from his face instantly, and Sebastian can see a tint of redness creep its way up his neck as his expression settles into something a little more akin to nerves.
“You mean you haven't worked it out yet?” Blaine asks, and Sebastian's surprised at the slight tremble in his words.
He runs it through his head, trying to come up with an answer, but he meets a dead end at every turn. “I-- no?”
At that, Blaine sighs, pushing himself from the bricks and stepping towards Sebastian in a slow pace, keeping their eyes level with one another, and he takes a deep breath before he speaks again. “I don't need a potion, Sebastian. I'm not acting different because I don't feel different. I was in love with you before you took it, and I'm still in love with you now.”
When Blaine finally reaches him, he bunches his fingers into Sebastian's robe, puppy dog eyes shining up at him, and Sebastian's heart momentarily stutters in his chest as he lets out a small whimper.
How could he be so fucking stupid to think that the potion hadn't affected Blaine? His friend was obviously just better at hiding it than the others. He closes his eyes, gathering every ounce of self-restraint he has, before wrapping his fingers around Blaine's forearm, pulling them gently so that he's no longer holding onto him, and feels an immediate twinge of guilt at Blaine's hurt expression.
“Believe me, Killer, I wish that I could believe you – Merlin, I do – but you can't-- you don't feel that way, no matter how much you believe that you do. Once this wears off, you'll see.”
“Bas,” Blaine whispers, a quiver in his voice, and Sebastian's heart sinks because he's the one that put that there – but he doesn't have a choice.
“Listen, B,” Sebastian says quietly, voice tight. “When this potion wears off – whenever that may be – and you still feel this way? Please come back to me. Please tell me again, and I promise you, your advances will be far more welcome. But I can't take advantage of you right now.”
Blaine presses his lips into a tight line, but he takes a step back and Sebastian barely resists the urge to pull him back into him. The tiny space is crackling with an energy that he cannot explain. Blaine lets out a slow breath, and Sebastian finds himself, not for the first time, captivated by the light-brown of his eyes as they shimmer back at him.
“I wish I could get you to believe me right now, but I understand. I'll come back to you when everyone stops fawning over you, and we can... talk?” Blaine asks hesitantly, and Sebastian can't help the curl of hope that stirs in his gut.
Suddenly, there are more voices outside the door, and both boys fall silent, listening carefully. It's the same girls from earlier – Yasmine and Astrid.
“--the hell that was about, but the entire school is on the lookout for Smythe.”
Sebastian cringes, and he hears Blaine stifle a giggle beside him, which earns him a glare in reply, but Blaine just smirks up at him.
“At least it's over now. Ugh, as if I'd go anywhere near that weasel. I'm going to have to buy Lara a box of candy to make it up to her, though.”
At that, Blaine lets out a loud bark of laughter, and Sebastian launches for him with a yelp, clapping his hand over his mouth as he pins him against the wall. “Be quiet, they'll hear you,” he murmurs into his ear.
He can feel Blaine's smirk behind his hand, and when he feels that he's not going to give them away, he removes his hand slowly, their eyes locked together.
It's over now. The potion has worn off, and he's certain he's never been more relieved in his entire life, but now he has to face the truth from Blaine – to find out how he really feels. He watches Blaine in nervous anticipation, waiting for the inevitable rejection.
“I still love you,” Blaine tells him softly, an earnest expression on his face, running his palms over his chest softly, and Sebastian melts into his touch, pressing their foreheads together, relief flooding through him.
“I love you too, B.” He lets himself reply, and he can't help the grin that creeps its way on his face, nor the tingles dancing on his skin under Blaine's touch.
Blaine nudges forward first, then hesitates slightly before bringing their lips together in a gentle press, and Sebastian brings his palm to rest on Blaine's cheek, his lips parting to allow Blaine's tongue to stroke delicately against his own, almost as though they're doing an intricate dance, and he allows himself to fall over completely – to pour everything that he feels for Blaine into the one kiss - to let the other boy know through touch what words would never do justice.
When they emerge a few hours later, hair askew and robes well and truly ruffled, Sebastian is met with angry glares wherever he goes. He finds that he doesn't particularly care, though, because Blaine struts alongside him, hand firmly gripped in his own, and not even the anger of his fellow students can quell his good mood right now.
He can't bring himself to regret taking the potion. Everyone forgets about it in the space of a few days, but Blaine still sticks by his side and reaffirms his love for him, and it's the happiest he's ever been.
He still doesn't think he's good enough for Blaine, but if Blaine's crazy enough to have him, then Sebastian isn't going to complain.