Archive of Our Own

Blaine really doesn’t understand the universe.

And, yes, that’s a very general statement to say but he doesn’t. It’s this weird, out of control ball of nonsense that doesn’t seem to follow a coherent set of rules. He thinks maybe he might have understood it when he was younger, when things were less complex and he was willing to believe in a lot more as an explanation to something but…not so much now. Now he’s skeptical. Especially after he learns about soulmates because…really.

What the fuck?

He finds it incredibly hard to believe that soulmates sneeze at the exact same time.

Soulmates are this…this wonderful concept that you meet your other half, that they complete you, fill you up where you’re missing and vice versa. Some whimsical shit; and he learns that it all comes down to some bodily reflex as ridiculous as sneezing?

If he tries to think about it in a poetic sort of way, also known as when he’s shit-faced drunk, he guesses it almost makes sense? Sneezing can be seen as…a lack of control. And that’s what happens too when you fall in love with the right person, you’re powerless.

Though if he’s being cheeky, a person sneezes because they’ve got an irritant lodged up their nose. Ironic that soulmates are triggered by said irritant—cause people are known to be irritating within their own right.

He doesn’t give much credit to it, even when Cooper is with his girlfriend and he sneezes when he puts too much pepper on his steak and her shoulders shake with a silent thchoo. Ridiculous. He’s not sure what’s worse, couples who have clearly found one another and sneeze at the same time in public (nothing like that kind of noise in surround-sound) or individual people who sneeze (because then Blaine finds himself wondering too much if that was a genuine sneeze or if their soulmate somewhere out there made them sneeze).

Blaine, unfortunately, wonders the same thing about himself and when he sneezes. He’ll think about other people too though, guys he finds attractive. People he runs into at bars, or on campus, while he’s working—is this guy his soulmate and he just…has no idea? Part of him hopes that this guy in his class is his soulmate. His name is Kurt and he’s…he’s gorgeous. Sweet and funny. They joke all the time and get along with one another swimmingly, have even gone on a few coffee dates but… he hasn’t heard him sneeze yet. And Blaine hasn’t sneezed around him either so. He has no idea. He likes Kurt but he doesn’t want to waste his time either.

So basically, he doesn’t believe in this universal cosmic joke that’s soulmates sneezing at the same time and yet…he keeps using it to measure whether or not he and someone else will end up working out.

Ridiculous.

There’s just…too much time thinking about sneezing during his daily life, this is still so odd to him. The universe is fucking weird, who came up with this shit? Who thought ‘hey, sneezing is a great idea to identify your soulmate, good one’. It was obviously a practical joke that accidently stuck. Or the universe has a weird fetish.

Regardless, as a giant ‘fuck you’ to the cosmos, Blaine gets a job at a flower shop. It’s funny until he realizes he’s allergic to flowers. Not all of them, but roses definitely. Also lilies. And daffodils. But luckily not those little flowers that look like bells, Lily of the Valley?, cause he kinda likes those. He doesn’t want to change his job because it’s close to campus and it’s not swimming with eight hundred other college kids that can’t get work study. He can put up with the occasional allergic outbursts.

“Hey, are you busy?”

Blaine pokes his head out from behind a few arrangements, mostly green plant fillers that go along with the flowers before locating the body that the voice came from. He’s tall, easily beautiful, freckles kissing his cheekbones. Bright green eyes that are highlighted thanks to the plant life around him.

“Me?”

The customer smirks, glancing around like another wild employee will appear from behind flowers at any moment. “I don’t see anyone else around here.”

“Oh right,” He laughs softly. Idiot. “How can I help you?”

“I’m trying to make a flower arrangement—”

“You’ve come to the right place.” Blaine smiles, and the guy lets out a soft laugh and wow okay, he needs to not do that again because he won’t be able to help if he can’t pay attention.

“Right, though I realized I have no idea what I’m doing.”

The shorter laughs a little, beckoning him to follow through the walls of flowers. He picks him out a tall vase so they can fill it with a selection of flowers, humming to himself as he slides a variety of green fill-ins to get him started.

“Can I ask who it’s for? Girlfriend maybe?”

“Not my type,” The other male says, tilting his head at the vase.

“Boyfriend.”

He looks over at Blaine and when hazel eyes meet green he gives him a slow smile that definitely melts every single one of his bones in his ribcage. Amazing.

“Are you asking or telling.”

That’s not a question either and suddenly Blaine’s very flustered, his cheeks kiss pink and he stumbles on the beginning of his sentence. “What? Yes. No. Uh, I think it was a question.”

“I see,” The taller chuckles, looks at a few daffodils and hums. “No, I don’t think I’d be the type to give flowers in a relationship. Though, I’ve never had one.”

Blaine finds that hard to believe. This guy is…he’s clearly charming, attractive (in a way where he knows it too), has a good sense of humor and his voice is smooth, melodic almost. It takes him a long moment and this guy smirking in his general direction for it to click into place that. Oh. No, he’s never had a relationship but that’s probably because he prefers it that way. And that he spends his time with a different kind of company.

“Your cheeks are doing that thing where they’re completely pink again.”

Blaine clears his throat and stares straight at the flowers in front of him. “So. Uh. Flowers.”

“They’re for my sister.” He wanders over to a selection of pinkish-purple flowers. “I’m coming up on break pretty soon and I haven’t seen her in a while. What about these?”

“Oh. Do you go to NYADA?” Blaine asks. It occurs to him that there are a million schools in New York but there’s a hopeful tone to his voice; that this guy goes to same school he does.

Though, he doesn’t remember seeing him on campus. He knows that the school has pretty impressive number of students but, it’s a relatively small place to go to school. And most of the time everyone is majoring in the same thing…so he’s surprised he hasn’t seen him around if he does in fact go there.

As for the flowers, “Unless you want to convey to your sister that you both don’t trust her and you want her to stay away from you, I’d pick something else.”

The other boy grins, “No lavender or rhododendron then, got it.” He walks towards another display, “And yes, I do go to NYADA. Just started, late acceptance.”

“Same here. I mean, not late acceptance but. Actually I was first acceptance.” He’s trying…not to sound like he’s rubbing it in but he feels like it might be too late for that. He stares at the vase in the other’s hands like it might magically sprout flowers on its own. “I mean I go to school there.”

“I gathered that.”

“If you want daffodils you need more than one, otherwise it signifies misfortune.”

He smirks and picks up two before sticking them in the vase. Blaine takes utmost care in keeping them away from his face so that his nose doesn’t start itching. He really doesn’t want to set off an allergy attack in front of this guy, that’d be beyond embarrassing.

“If you want to keep a yellow theme I’d pick some chrysanthemums as well. They’re supposed to signify optimism. Joy.” He nods and watches those long piano fingers pick a few that look the least wilted and stick them in the vase.

“Does anyone just come in here and pick a bunch of random shit, not worrying about what the flowers mean?”

Blaine leads down another row of flowers, scrunching his nose at the roses. He lets out a long breath through his mouth and when he’s sure he’s not going to sneeze, he looks up at the stranger. “You’d be surprised, a lot of people actually do that.” The customer nods and rubs his nose with the back of his wrist before looking at some of the roses. “But where’s the fun in that? Besides, a lot of people are into the deeper meaning of flowers. Makes everything so much more mysterious that way.”

The taller laughs, “I guess,” His fingertips draw a yellow rose into his palm, smoothing one of the petals between the pads of his fingers.

“Yellow means friendship, good choice on that one.” Blaine sniffles, watching the customer pick up a few roses and put them in the vase.

The taller pauses, looking almost…amused? “You alright?”

He’s confused for a moment before he scrunches his nose. “What? Oh, yes I’m fine. You might want to pick a different color so it’s not just a sea of yellow. Maybe something blue.”

“Are you allergic to flowers?” He asks suddenly, a laugh sneaking up out of his throat. Really shouldn’t sound as attractive as it is. “And you work in a flower shop? Why would you do that to yourself?”

“The universe thinks it’s funny by making soulmates sneeze at the same time. So. Turns out I’m funnier.”

Blaine watches as he gives him this face, almost exasperated and amused at the same time. “Nothing like putting yourself in the direct line of fire for allergic fits, wow, your soulmate must really love you.” There’s an eye roll in there somewhere, Blaine can tell just from the tone of his voice even though he’s already turned down another aisle of flowers, his back to him.

“I’m charming in every sense of the word, what can I say.”  Blaine takes the vase from him, setting them down near a grouping of flowers. The customer smirks before a soft laugh leaves his lips.

“Yeah, I’m getting that.”

This guy has probably already met his soulmate, even though he’s made it clear that he doesn’t do relationships. Or well, he doesn’t give people flowers at least after sleeping with them. He’s sure there are plenty of people who have come and gone, wondering if they were this guy’s soulmate. Not that Blaine is curious of the same thing, that’d be…ridiculous, he just met this guy but it doesn’t really matter that much anyways. It doesn’t matter that his eyes are so green and that he has a nice mouth and that his fingers are…long and he…trips over a potted plant and goes bright pink. Who put that there?

Blaine clears his throat and shakes the fog from his head before picking up some flowers; it doesn’t matter because he’s 94.99999 percent sure that Kurt is his soulmate.

“What about these? Myosotis?”

The stranger chews on his lower lip and takes a small flower from the bunch. “Forget-me-nots?”

“Or ‘scorpion grasses’ if you’re feeling sassy.”

He laughs suddenly, a pleasant sound that escapes his chest and rings in Blaine’s ears. He smiles despite wanting to control his face. He taps the flower against the tip of Blaine’s nose before gathering a bunch to put in the vase for his sister.

“You’re an odd one, aren’t you.” It’s not a question.

“My parents originally wanted to call me that but ‘Blaine’ was easier.”

“Blaine,” He tries the word out on his tongue and it sends a stark shiver down his spine. Oh. He distracts himself by taking the customer towards the register and reorganizing his flowers into a more eye-pleasing shape and making a grand total for the arrangement. “I suppose I should give you my name as well.”

Blaine looks up from the flowers, the edges of his mouth quirking into a smile, “Seems only fair for the guy who prevented you from buying flowers for your sister that practically said, ‘I hate you'.”

“Or maybe I knew exactly what I needed but I let you help me because you’re cute. And have a nice ass.”

Blaine flushes a deep maroon color before choking on a sound that's supposed to be a laugh. "Uh, that’ll be 25.67."

He takes out his wallet, flipping through some bills for the correct amount. "Sebastian, by the way. My name is Sebastian.” He hands Blaine thirty, “How much are the orange roses?"

What? Orange roses. He glances to the side display of them by the register, a ‘last minute’ option for people in a rush. They’re a gorgeous color, almost like a painting. Not a stark orange color like the fruit might be, but instead a blending of yellow and red, almost like someone brushed the colors over the petals with their fingertips.

“They’re ten a bundle, three dollars for one."

Sebastian hums and picks one up, indicating that he’d like one as well. Blaine punches the dollar amount into his total, the thirty still covering it, and hands back his change with a soft smile.

“Have a good day.”

Blaine watches as Sebastian gathers up the vase with careful hands before outstretching his arm to hand him the single orange rose. He opens and closes his mouth a moment, like a goldfish, because…oh. Oh it’s for him.

He takes it carefully like it might bite him, conscious of the thorns. He’s more surprised than he is flattered at the gesture.

“See you around, Blaine.” Sebastian grins, clearly pleased with himself that he’s managed to stun him into silence before the asshole winks and leaves.

Blaine blinks at the flower for a few moments, noticing how pretty it really is up close. Orange roses are quite the interesting thing, the blending of the yellow rose (which means friendship) and the red (which means something more, passion, love). It ends up becoming a message that can mean many things, but mostly enthusiasm, interest.

Sebastian’s rose means he’s interested in him.

He can’t help the flush that works its way down from his cheeks onto the back of his neck and a stupid smile manages to take up half of his face. A giddy feeling fills up his chest cavity as he does something without thinking, a knee jerk reaction. He smells the rose.

Blaine sneezes into his elbow as soon as the petals touch his skin, and luckily Sebastian is out of the shop so he doesn’t end up making an idiot out of himself. He sighs, a small grimace following the action before he sniffles. He needs a tissue. Another sneeze, thanks to the flowers. Sebastian’s right, his soulmate probably does hate him at this point.

Why couldn’t the universe just give people matching soul marks or each other’s initials like every other cliché, cheesy soulmate story he’s ever heard of?

---

He finally manages the courage to figure out if Kurt’s his soulmate three classes after meeting Sebastian in the flower shop. He hasn’t seen Sebastian on campus and…okay, so many parts of him was hoping he’d see him again, ask him if his sister liked the flowers. He doesn’t know much about him other than he goes to NYADA and that he was a late acceptance. And he…may or may not have tried to find him on Facebook to further snoop but apparently there are a lot of Sebastians that go to NYADA and in the general vicinity.

No matter, he’s not quite sure why he wants to see him again anyways. Yes, he is very gorgeous and sarcastic and his eyes are so very green. But he gave him that rose that said he was interested and…and what, that’s it? He doesn’t come back into the shop or try and give him his number or send a carrier pigeon. Nothing. Just that orange rose on his desk that stares at him like it might be mocking him.

Or perhaps this is just the kind of guy Sebastian is. Fucks around with people’s feelings like the universe. It’s very clear just from that small interaction with him that he doesn’t give flowers out to just anyone so is he hopeful or stupid that he thought maybe this gorgeous guy was flirting with him with some actual intent. Pushing Sebastian out of his mind the best he can, he decides to focus on something he can figure out.

And that’s Kurt.

Because if they’re not one another’s soulmates then…what’s the point? He knows that the whole idea of hanging out with someone is finding those moments where you just click with someone, tiny sparks that stay with you for days afterwards. But is it fleeting? Should it matter if all of those things don’t lead up to…nothing? If Kurt isn’t his soulmate, do those moments even mean anything at all? He keeps going back and forth, between one thought process and another. Part of him wants to live in the temporary mystery of it all, enjoy Kurt’s company and how he makes him feel. The other part of him doesn’t feel as if it’s worth it, that he might be wasting his time on someone that’s not his.

Blaine sighs as he finds his normal seat in class; the universe shouldn’t cause so many headaches.

“You ever think about this sneezing thing though?” Someone asks from behind him and…oh God, he suddenly has a migraine.

Sebastian.

He turns slowly in his chair and blinks at him. Since when was he in this class? He didn’t even see him when he walked in, though, he was very absorbed with this whole Kurt thing.

“Can you imagine the people who have a fetish for this sort of thing?” He continues, like Blaine’s adding to the conversation. “Must be in the prime of their lives.”

“Since when are you in this class?” He asks, glancing towards the classroom door for Kurt.

“Since this morning.” He enunciates, mocking Blaine’s high-pitched accusations. “I was waiting for you to notice but,” Sebastian puts his chin in his hand, batting his eyelashes at him. “You seem to be preoccupied.”

Oh God, shut up, shutup.

“You’re not mad are you?”

“Why would I be mad?” Blaine asks, but his voice isn’t as indifferent as he wants it to be.

Sebastian smiles, Blaine can feel it on the back of his neck. “Because I didn’t come back into the flower shop, I just gave you a flower, didn’t try to contact you.”

“You think I waited for you like some sort of puppy?” His cheeks tint pink, just a little because that’s…not exactly far from what Blaine did. He did wait to see if Sebastian would turn back up, but fuck if he’s letting him know that. “I forgot about you. And the flower died.”

“Maybe I stopped by and you weren’t working.”

Blaine turns his chair further around and stares down at the notebook on his desk like it might hold the key to life. Fucker, his mind mutters over and over again but…there’s this tiny blip in the back of his mind, a warm cloud filling up the space in his skull. What if Sebastian actually did come back when he wasn’t there? What if he missed him? He tries to pretend that that doesn’t matter because Sebastian is…he’s arrogant and cocky and…gorgeous and there’s this white hot heat that settles into the base of his stomach every time he talks to him and…

What was he saying again?

He sees Kurt come into the classroom with minutes to spare before the professor begins class and offers him a small smile as he takes the empty space next to him. Okay. He has to focus, forget about Sebastian.

His heart is suddenly ramming in his throat and making his chest vibrate; why is he so nervous? He’s not exactly what will do the trick, he’s never seen Kurt sneeze before, but he’s wearing extra potent cologne just in case. This has to be one of the most…ridiculous things he’s ever done, and this is coming from someone who’s performed in urine-tainted subways before just for the echo of his voice and a few extra bucks. He doesn’t even know if this will work but, he has to know. It’s an itching, need sensation that claws from the bottom of his chest.

And an aching hole in his stomach that he’s wasting his time.

Blaine opens his mouth to say something, almost does, when—

“I’m sorry, guys?” Sebastian whispers and both he and Kurt turn around. There’s a sickeningly sweet smile on his face, long piano fingers curling around the edge of the desk. “Can I borrow a pen?”

Blaine’s face is murderous as he takes a pen out of his bag and throws it at his chest, which…of course, just makes him chuckle and wink in Kurt’s direction. He’s never wanted to crawl into a hole more in his life.

“Thank you.” Sebastian says and Blaine swivels his chair back around to face the front of the room.

He lets out a long breath, he can sense Kurt’s body heat pressing against his pores. He’s surprised he hasn’t managed to say anything, just offers odd looks at Sebastian and soft smiles towards Blaine. Maybe he’s tired, or annoyed or just wants to get the day over with. He’s not sure. Blaine wants to say something, break the awkward tension that Sebastian has managed to create but the teacher starts discussing partners in an upcoming project and going over directions.

He’s thrilled about the assignment, working with someone else to create a musical topic for a podcast. Blaine knows just the person he wants to work with and turns towards Kurt.

“Well, what do you think?”

Kurt opens his mouth but then shakes his head, signaling Blaine ‘one moment’ with his hand and…oh. Oh. Is this it? His nose is scrunched and his eyes are closed, he’s concentrating—probably on not sneezing in class but. His cologne is pretty strong, he won’t have a choice.

Especially if he leans a little closer—“Are you alright?”

And Kurt sneezes. It’s quick and adorable and his face flushes pink afterwards. Much like an allergic fit, he sneezes more than once. But…Blaine doesn’t.

His nose scrunches in sympathy, but that’s it. Oh. That’s it. He blanks for a moment as Kurt sniffles and waves a hand in front of his face.

“God I hate that. Sneezing in class is the worst—” The rest of Kurt’s sentence drowns out before he snaps out of it, quickly handing him a tissue from his satchel. “Thank you.”

“Bless you.” Sebastian says from behind them, Blaine catching an apparently ‘earnest’ grin when he looks over at him. Jackass.

“You know I…” Kurt pauses and lets out a small, awkward laugh, “I think it’s your cologne. Making me sneeze I mean.”

And now Blaine’s face is dark red. Awesome. Is that snickering he hears from behind him? He doesn’t turn and look.

“I think it might be best if we switch partners, that alright?”

“Of course,” Blaine lies through his teeth, a plastered smile on his face. “Completely understandable. Why don’t we ask another group—”

“Not to eavesdrop,” Sebastian interrupts, like he hasn’t been nosing in on their conversation this whole time. “But I’d be glad to switch, Sam’s mouth is far too distracting and it’d be nice to work with someone who’s actually as beautiful as he is talented.”

Blaine winces as Sebastian’s partner, but all the other male does is roll his eyes.

Now Kurt sits up straight and scrunches his nose at Sebastian, apparently cockiness is not something well received.  He takes notice of him now, rakes him over with his eyes, judgement clear on his tongue before he even opens his mouth: “Thank you, but—”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Sebastian comments with an almost flippant laugh, like, seriously? “I was talking to Blaine.”

Kurt’s cheeks pink instantly, like someone turned on the heat under his collar. It’s very obvious that he thought Sebastian was giving him compliments and trying to kiss his ass…but he wasn’t. Blaine chews on his lower lip, a butterfly sensation flipping pancakes in his stomach as a sizzle of warmth crawls up his spine. He can’t help but smile, very softly before collecting his folder and turning towards Sebastian.

The taller hums in approval before glaring at Sam, “Well, bye.”

The blonde scoffs and gets up, switching seats with Blaine. Kurt instantly dives into his work on the stated notion that class is getting close to being over, but he knows it’s just because he’s embarrassed that he thought Sebastian was talking about him when he clearly wasn’t.

Though of course, Blaine hadn’t assumed he was talking to him either. It’s safe to say Sebastian makes him uncomfortable ninety percent of the time. But that’s not exactly a bad thing either. Uncomfortable is better than bored. Right?

Sebastian puts his chin in his hand as he leans his elbow against the desk, batting his eyelashes at Blaine. “Hey partner.”

Blaine just lets out a scoff that sounds too much like a laugh and sits, opening his notebook so they can begin to scratch ideas down. “I can’t believe you actually have a smug look on your face right now.”

“Oh, I would never. Besides, I’m not the one who thought extra strong cologne today would do the trick.”

The shorter flushes, accidently flicking his pen between his fingers and making it sail out of his hands. It hits Sam in the back of the neck. Oops. “I…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You have no idea why it seems like you went swimming in your cologne this morning.” It’s not a question.

“The bottle slipped.”

Sebastian snorts, “Right. If you’re into someone, you should just ask them out.”

Blaine scoffs and gets another pen from his bag, because apparently Sam has dealt with far too much of their shit and isn’t turning around for anything. “Oh of course, because you’re so forward. Your creepy ass rose ring a bell?”

He focuses on the worksheet in front of him, they have to get to work and figure out what they’re going to do for their project. There’s only so many class periods dedicating to working in groups and he wants to get as much done as possible; he’s in no way interested in trying to get together with Sebastian outside of class. At least…that’s what he keeps telling himself.

“That’s because with the rose I was hitting on you, not asking you out. Like I am right now.” Blaine blinks and turns to look at him. What.

He laughs, a little awkwardly, “What?”

“Oh come on, you must get asked out all the time when you’re not trying to assault some poor boy with cologne.”

“I’m not going out with you.” He says, under his breath as the teacher passes their table.

“Why? Afraid you’ll have a good time?”

Blaine scribbles down an idea on their worksheet before running a hand through his loose curls. He supposes Sebastian is sort of right, what does he have to lose? He glances up at Kurt’s back, swallowing as the other male laughs at commentary Sam has said. It’s not like Kurt is his soulmate, why should be waste any time trying to make something work between them. Though going on a date with Sebastian won’t exactly be productive either but…it might be fun?

“It’ll be fun,” Sebastian continues, like he might be reading his mind, “You know how to have fun, right?”

The shorter huffs at him and pokes his forearm with his pencil, “Fine. Fine. I’ll go out with you. Can we just start working on this project, please?”

Sebastian grins and shifts his chair closer with a soft head nod, his body purposely invading his space. He smells like expensive cologne and fresh laundry detergent. Blaine shakes his head, trying to clear the fog in his brain before writing down another idea on their worksheet.

Why does he have a feeling that it’s a rare occurrence for someone to tell Sebastian ‘no’.  

___

Blaine knows the minute he’s standing outside a trashy bar waiting for Sebastian that this was a giant mistake.

There are hundreds of bars in New York and they have to go to a bar literally named ‘Bar’. He grumbles and pulls his jacket around himself and waits, leans his head back against the brick wall. He has no idea why he’s agreed to this—decisions he sometimes makes always feel like the right ones in hindsight. He does this sort of shit all the time.

He’s not a bar goer, he never has been. Give him dinner and a movie or a cup of coffee in a café with pastries and he’s good to go. A bar with too loud music and sleazy men trying to buy him drinks, crowded with drunk people who smell like weed and sweat. No thanks. Not to say he’s not interested in upscale bars, the expensive ones with less people and dance floors. He’s been a few times, thanks to pretty boys who come from money. But this is just…he hates feeling uncomfortable, one of the most important things on a date is trying to be happy in your own skin. This makes him want to crawl out of his.

It’s not to say that he doesn’t like to try new things, he’s all for that. Good company makes no matter where you’re going a good time. And yet here he is, waiting outside of a bar for Sebastian. This is either going to turn into a wonderful idea or a huge regret.

Blaine’s about to get a subway back to the dorms when he opens his eyes and Sebastian’s finally here, approaching him with a small golden box. He looks amazing but Blaine isn’t surprised. Something like that comes easy to him, just like breathing. Tall and lanky with wind kissed hair and tiny freckles on his defined cheekbones. His toned body is easily highlighted with a pair of dark jeans and a maroon t-shirt.

“Truffles.” Sebastian says, breaking his line of thought, a grin tugging the ends of his mouth. “I figure with your profession the last thing you’d want is flowers.”

Blaine opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish as he takes the box of chocolate, opening it up to see four different, beautifully decorated chocolate truffles. They smell amazing and were no doubt expensive. He smiles softly as he presses the lid closed, surprise evident on his face.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to.”

“I didn’t want you scowling all night,” Sebastian teases, heading towards the bar and holding the door open for him. “Thought it might help.”

He chuckles softly, he’s not wrong, and wanders into the bar with him. It’s crowded already and warm despite the cold outside, but he has a feeling it has to do with all the body heat. The music thrums through his entire body, makes his ribcage vibrate, and Sebastian sticks close so he can guide him towards the bar.

The taller flags down the bartender easily, pressing against other bodies to clear the way for Blaine. “I feel like I might lose you in this crowd.” He teases and Blaine rolls his eyes and hops up onto a stool. He’s not that short.

Alright so maybe this place isn’t that bad. It’s teeming with bodies, sure, and the music will make his ears ring tomorrow morning but…Sebastian orders him a Manhattan with practiced ease and leans close enough that he can feel the kiss of his body heat and a protective hand hovering near his lower back.

“So, can I ask you something without you getting upset?” Sebastian asks, mouth close to his ear. He has to be, otherwise Blaine wouldn’t be able to hear him over the beats of the music.

He shivers, “Sure.” He already knows it has to be about yesterday’s class.

“Was the Kurt thing the first time you’ve tried to figure out if someone was your soulmate? Do you just go around trying to make people sneeze?”

Blaine laughs and covers part of his face with his hand before shaking his head, “No, of course not. Kurt was just…I was being ridiculous.”

Sebastian winks at him, “It was kinda cute. You know, in a pathetic puppy dog sort of way.”

The shorter scrunches his nose, “Thanks. I guess.”

Their drinks are brought over quickly, the bartender winking at Sebastian. Blaine can’t tell whether she actually wants to hit on him or just wants a tip. Either way, Sebastian just smirks and slides her a bill before sipping his drink.

“You shouldn’t worry about it so much, your soulmate and all that. They’ll find you when they’re meant to, just live in the moment.”

Blaine bites on his lower lip before taking a sip of his drink. Holy fuck, he forgot how strong Manhattans can be. He feels the whiskey slide straight into his stomach and warm his entire body.

“So what if you make a connection with someone that’s not your soulmate? Isn’t that just a giant waste of time?”

Sebastian licks his lips and Blaine tries not to stare, “I guess that depends on how you define what a waste of time is.”

He turns a little on the barstool, “You’ve never wondered though? Who your soulmate is?”

The taller grins and leans against the bar, watching Blaine stir the cherry in his drink. “I’ve never put much stock in the universe. What a fucked up way of letting people know that they belong to one another.”

Blaine chuckles, sips his Manhattan before setting it down again, fingers playing with the skewered cherry. “Could be worse.”

“Get back to me when you realize your soulmate has allergic fits at least twice a week.”

“Couldn’t happen to a nicer person.” Blaine teases, putting his chin in his palm and batting his eyelashes towards him.

Sebastian snorts, leans closer with an amused glint in his eyes, “Are you flirting with me Blaine Anderson? I’d be careful, that could be a giant waste of your time.”

This drink is humming in his bloodstream and Sebastian’s lips are distracting, making him feel dizzy. He takes the cherry out of his drink and licks his own lips before dragging it across Sebastian’s lower one, “I’ll take that chance,” and feeds him the piece of fruit.

Sebastian merely smirks and orders them another round.

---

After three drinks in, Blaine starts to feel dizzy, but he’s having such a good night he doesn’t want it to end.

Turns out spending time with Sebastian is way more worth it than he originally thought, or maybe that’s the alcohol talking. That’s a distinct possibility. But right now Blaine doesn’t care. Sebastian is handsome and smells like cologne mixed with whiskey and the freckles are being more visible on his cheekbones as he drinks and he makes him laugh.

He feels comfortable with him.

They dance a little but, it’s clear that Sebastian can hold his liquor far better than Blaine, who’s wobbly and takes advantage of leaning against his date any chance he can get. He has fun and for the first time in a while he isn’t worried about finding out whether this entire date is a waste of his time or not.

“Another one.” Blaine insists as they sit at the bar, too much dancing making his hair curl at the ends.

Sebastian shakes his head, “Think you’ve had enough, B. How ‘bout some water?”

Blaine pouts and leans heavily onto the bar, batting his eyelashes at Sebastian. “Just one more.”

“You’re pretty but nice try.” Sebastian taps the end of Blaine’s nose and waves down the bartender for two waters.

A body slides up next to Blaine, angling himself towards the two of them. Blaine blinks in his direction but his vision is a little fuzzy. He rubs his eyes as he hears, “Aw, come on Seb, since when do you deny a gorgeous looking boy a good time?”

His voice is smooth and tantalizing, a bit like Sebastian’s but…different. It’s falsely toned, he’s trying to sound like a gentleman when he isn’t one.

“Fuck off, Hunter,” Sebastian’s voice resembles gravel, anything soft and gentle about it is now gone. It’s…protective almost? Or maybe Blaine is just picturing all the wrong things, his imagination running off with him when his eyes are closed. He tries to open them again but the room spins. Nope. Better off closed.

“When I want your commentary I’ll look for it in a trashcan.”

Hunter laughs and as soon as the bartender brings the water Blaine drinks down a few gulps in a greedy way. Sebastian was right, his body must really need and want the H2O. His stomach lurches at the onslaught of cold liquid, too much too fast.

“Touchy; all of a sudden you don’t like to share?”

“I’m going to be sick.” Blaine says suddenly, ending whatever conversation Sebastian might have been having with Hunter.

He scoots the stool back and doesn’t wait for his date as he rushes outside, the cold air stinging the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. He barely makes it to the curb before his entire body forces him to bend at his waist to empty the contents of his stomach. Blaine grabs onto a nearby bench to steady himself, groaning at the sour taste in his mouth.

He coughs, the sound harsh and grated, his knees trembling in an effort to hold himself upright. Suddenly he feels a warm palm on his back and doesn’t need to look to know it’s Sebastian, his fingers traveling up and down his spine in a soothing motion.

“There you go,” He whispers gently, “Don’t fight it.”

After a few more dry coughs and spitting (he’s disgustingly gross, he hopes Sebastian is too drunk to remember this but he has a sour feeling that he’s much more sober than he is) the taller helps him stand up straight, guiding him towards the parking lot. He reaches in his coat pocket and hands Blaine a mint and he brightens at the fact that it’s Wintergreen and wow. Mints work wonders.

“I’d like to personally thank the person who invented mints.”

“The Egyptians.” Sebastian tells him, “In case you were wondering.”

Blaine scrunches his nose, “That’s going to make it awfully hard.”

There’s a smile to his face that he can’t easily get rid of as he shakes his head, “We’ll leave our cars, get a cab back.”

“That’s so…safe.” Did he really just say that? Apparently he has no control over his mouth either.

Sebastian chuckles and pauses at the edge of the curb, waiting for a cab to drive by with their light on. Blaine turns a little in Sebastian’s touch and leans against his chest, shivering. His coat is…wait where is it? Did he leave it in the bar? He had it when he arrived right?

“Who was that guy?” Blaine asks suddenly, not sure if he’s interrupted Sebastian or not. “At the bar.”

“Hunter?” Sebastian winds his arms around him and strokes his back, Blaine folding his arms inside Sebastian’s coat. Oops. Hope he doesn’t mind. “He’s my roommate. He’s an asshole. Though, to be fair, I am too. That’s why sometimes we get along.”

Blaine smiles up at him, swaying on his feet. Sebastian steadies him, squeezing him so he doesn’t end up falling into traffic. “I don’t think you’re an asshole, I think you’re sweet.”

A laugh sneaks out of the other’s mouth, his lips taking advantage of their proximity and grazing them over Blaine’s lower one. “You obviously don’t know me very well.”

It’s sudden, Blaine can tell that Sebastian’s not expecting it but he forces himself up onto his toes and presses their lips together. It makes him rock back a little on his heels but…his arms sink lower around Blaine’s waist and holds him closer, melts their bodies together. The kiss is slow and ignited with heat, tongues slipping past lips and tangling somewhere in-between.

Sebastian tastes like cherries and too much tequila but it’s a great combination, suddenly Blaine’s favorite, and it makes his stomach sink to his knees.

When they pull back for air, Sebastian runs his thumb over Blaine’s lower lip and finally manages to hail a cab. He helps him inside because his knees still feel like jello, and slides all the way over, curling up along the door.

Blaine is dizzy again and Sebastian’s voice is muffled as he gets into the car, probably telling the cab driver the campus address. He hears the door close just before he passes out against the window.

---

The next time he wakes up something is hitting him in the face. It takes him a moment to realize that it’s the sun coming through a curtain, bright and vibrant and…ow. He groans slightly and turns over onto his stomach, pressing his nose and lips into the pillow and—

This is not his pillow.

Blaine sits up fast in bed, definitely injuring himself because his headache melts into his bones, making him feel like his entire body is liquid fire and fuck. Oh fuck. He’s going to die right here in a bed that’s not his.

He runs a hand over his face and yanks at some of the sheets he’s twisted in, blinking as Sebastian comes into the bedroom with fresh coffee and what looks like a shot of whiskey. Wait. The room is spinning and there’s three Sebastians. Which one does he look at?

“Sebastian?”

The taller smiles at him, sitting on the edge of the bed. He finally falls into focus after a few moments of concentrating. “Hey handsome, welcome back to the world of the living.”

“It might be too soon to say that.” He mumbles, glancing down at himself and…oh fuck. Why did he just notice how half naked he was? Blaine tries to pull the sheets up over himself but they’re so wrapped around his body and with Sebastian’s added weight they’re not going anywhere.

“Oh God…” Blaine says suddenly, a horrifying realization clicking into place. He’s half naked…in Sebastian’s bed. “Did we…”

Sebastian hands him the small shot of whiskey, “Drink this, you’ll feel less dead. And am I that boring you don’t remember?” He laughs but Blaine’s pretty sure his eyes pop out of his head, “I’m kidding. No, we didn’t do anything. You were very insistent and wouldn’t stop taking your clothes off but, no. I put you to bed. That’s it.”

Blaine turns a bright pink, he can feel it radiating off his face. Oh. He takes the shot of whiskey like that might erase the conversation he just had and coughs, handing the glass back to Sebastian. “Thank you. Really.”

That means a lot to Blaine. He’s been with guys before that thought alcohol gave them permission to do things that needed consent. It wasn’t like he thought Sebastian was capable of something like that, otherwise he’d never gone out with him, but still. It matters that Blaine can trust him, that he’s a gentleman despite his own definitions of himself.

“Besides, I’ve always been more of a morning sex person myself.” Sebastian winks suggestively.  

Blaine laughs, can’t help it and hits his leg with a pillow. He keeps the coffee clear before it has a chance to spill all over the place and chuckles, handing it to Blaine once he’s sure another pillow isn’t going to fly in his direction.  

“Hunter made it sound like you do this often.” Blaine says, remembering fragments from last night. It’s all a little fuzzy around the edges, but he recalls Hunter. He’s very clear.

“Do what? Bring home gorgeous boys?”

He smiles softly, “Uh, I believe the term he used was ‘share’.”

The edges of Sebastian’s mouth twitch as he looks down at the whiskey glass in his hand, “Sometimes.” He then looks up at him, eyes flashing green with something Blaine can’t identify. “Not you.”

Blaine nods softly, heat curling in the base of his belly. “Not me?”

Sebastian shakes his head. “No.”

There’s an embarrassing smile that wants to take up residence on his face but he manages to control himself, just hums a little before nodding. He doesn’t know what it means for Sebastian to not treat him like every other boy that’s been in this bed before, that’s been shared with Hunter. He’s afraid of looking at a small gesture too deeply.

But still, it feels good. He feels important. And maybe he is.

“How’s your head?” Sebastian asks after a few moments.

The shorter runs a hand through his curls before massaging his temple, “As well as to be expected, I guess.”

Sebastian hums, gently slides his hand across the back of his neck and down his spine. “Do you want breakfast?”

Blaine chews on his lower lip, running his thumb over the rim of the coffee mug before taking another experimental sip. He doesn’t feel like he might lose it at any second so…sure, why not. “Alright. Your roommate isn’t here, is he?”

“Hunter is thankfully curled up in someone else’s apartment, you don’t have to worry about that.” He smirks and stands, uses his fingers to smooth out his shirt.

He watches him head towards the bedroom door and nearly bites his lip on saying anything but, “You don’t have to do this you know. Breakfast and everything. I can head out of here if I’m…I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

Sebastian smiles, crosses his arms over his chest as he leans against the doorframe. “I don’t offer breakfast just to anyone Blaine Anderson. Besides, don’t think I don’t have a secret agenda at play here.”

Blaine laughs, “Oh really?”

He makes a soft noise in agreement, “Really. One kiss last night wasn’t enough. I think I’d like to know what a sober one feels like.”  

There’s a ridiculous smile on his face that he manages to hide against the rim of his coffee cup as Sebastian leaves the room to make breakfast.

---

Date one is followed by two. And three. Four and five.

Six. And seven.

They get along frighteningly well, Sebastian brings him coffee after class. And Blaine kisses him. They share take-out and watch movies, Sebastian teases him about being upset when a fictional dog dies on screen and Blaine pouts and refuses to speak to him for hours on end. Until Sebastian brings him ice cream or purposely kisses him on a ticklish spot on his neck.

But that’s okay, because Sebastian is afraid of clowns and Blaine puts in the movie It but says it’s Aliens and Sebastian doesn’t sleep well that night. He’s mad at first but then Blaine kisses down his chest and stomach and disappears under the covers and well, then they both don’t get any sleep.

Suddenly Sebastian isn’t so mad anymore.

They spend a lot of time together, most of the time Blaine sleeps over but that’s okay with him. He’s convinced Sebastian’s bed is more comfortable or maybe that’s just because he’s usually curled up with him when he’s in it. He knows his own bed just doesn’t feel the same anymore.

People ask him if they’re dating and he…doesn’t know. Are they? Does sleeping with someone mean that you’re dating? Does having a bunch of clothes at Sebastian’s place mean anything? Sebastian talks to him about his family and Blaine gets the feeling that no one else really gets that privilege. Blaine tends to carry the world on his shoulders and insists on not putting his feelings when something is bothering him onto anyone else. He never wants to be a burden.

But he shares that with him, Sebastian holds him when he cries. He’s patient and gentle and kisses his nose afterwards to make him smile.

Yeah. He’d like to think that means they’re dating.

People ask him if Sebastian is his soulmate and he…doesn’t know what to tell them because he’s not sure. Maybe he is. Or maybe he’s not because that’s how the universe likes to work. He hates that people keep bringing it up because it nudges a thought that keeps popping up in the back of his mind when he least expects it—

Are you wasting your time?

---

Between all this time together and all these dates and sleeping over and walking to class, he’s never seen Sebastian sneeze. He can’t believe he’s thinking about this again.

Blaine has sneezed many a time but it’s…usually in the shower or when Sebastian is in another room and he can’t see or hear a reaction out of the other male. It’s conveniently a wrong place, wrong time situation. Fuck the universe. And of course he wants to know. He can remember a time when he thought this entire thing was ridiculous, that he didn’t believe or didn’t care how the universe put two people together.

Kinda feels different when you’ve got something on the line that’s important.

All this time spent with Sebastian, what if it’s all a waste? What if he belongs to someone else? Anxiety and this fucking soulmate business are not his friends.

So he…unconsciously starts doing things to see if he can make Sebastian sneeze. He dusts the apartment and purposely flicks the duster a little more than usual, he brings in a stray cat (that’s…not so much a stray, he got him at a pet store but semantics) but of course Sebastian isn’t allergic to cats. And now they own a cat and he’s great, his name is Turtle because he’s ironically slow and lazy. Flowers don’t work and if he starts bringing back roses to make himself sneeze, Sebastian will get suspicious. And he doesn’t want that.

He knows he should stop this whole thing altogether but he’s having a hard time controlling himself. One more thing. One more try.

Blaine glances towards the living room where he can hear Netflix playing as he shakes a bag of popcorn into a bowl. He licks his lips and grabs the sea salt and black pepper to sprinkle on top…and goes a little heavy with the pepper. Maybe the aroma will lend him some help?

He scrunches his nose and waves his hand in front of his face before sniffling. Fuck, he loves pepper but that might be a bit much. When he looks back up Sebastian is standing in the doorway and he drops the pepper shaker like it’s burned a hole through his skin.

The taller pauses, glances at the pepper shaker before the popcorn and finally back up to Blaine. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

“No.” He says that far too fast and winces.

While he expects Sebastian to look upset, he doesn’t expect him to look so angry, clear on his face in a matter of seconds. “Unbelievable. You can't just...leave anything up to chance can you? You just have to know.”

Blaine swallows, tiny bits of embarrassment kissing his cheeks. He knew this was going to happen, of course Sebastian is upset. He should have let it all come down to chance but…he finds comfort in knowing. But not at the expense of this, not at the risk of Sebastian looking so hurt. Like he’s betrayed his trust somehow.

His vulnerability.

“I’m sorry.” He says gently. “But...aren't you curious? Aren’t you worried if...?” He trails off, glancing up at him.

Sebastian stares at him, his hands falling to his hips, “If what? If I’m ‘wasting my time’?” He shakes his head, “I thought you didn't care. I thought you were willing to 'take a chance'.”

Blaine closes his eyes a moment and pinches the bridge of his nose. How does he even begin to explain this, “That was before we kissed, Sebastian. That was before…all of this!” He waves his hand around at the apartment, at the fact that they’re curled up here for another night together. Another night where Blaine will stay and they’ll wake up to morning kisses and showers and getting ready for the day together.

The fact that Blaine has more than enough clothes here that he doesn’t need to stop at home before class.

“Before I realized what I could lose.”

“You were just looking for an excuse weren't you?” Sebastian sneers, his tone is as nasty as his facial expression. His body is guarded, tense, like he’s getting ready to protect himself at any cost. “To end this before it even got started.”

His mouth literally falls open because he had not…expected that reaction at all. “What? No…Sebastian, of course not—” He takes a step towards him but Sebastian takes a step back, shaking his head.

“Lucky for you, that's always something I’ve been incredibly good at.” He smiles but there’s something sad. Something that tells Blaine everything he needs to know. He’s being pushed away, hard and fast and efficient. “You can let yourself out.”

And that’s it. Sebastian disappears to his bedroom and slams the door closed. Blaine hovers in the kitchen for ten, fifteen minutes in disbelief, Sebastian’s voice ringing in his ears before his body forces him to move.

Blaine is not going to stand there unwanted, he can’t. He knows he’ll be standing there all night. Sebastian won’t come back out of his room until morning and the last thing he wants is to run into Hunter at some point or awkwardly sleep on the couch.

So he does the only thing he can: he leaves.

---

They don’t talk for days.

Which, okay, Blaine sort of gets. Sebastian is upset and he’s earned the right to feel that way. He just wishes he would talk to him. Scream and yell or argue or something. Anything is better than this stupid silence that eats him up inside.

He gives him his space because if that’s what he needs then fine. He can have his space. But when a week passes by and nothing, Blaine starts to get a little impatient. He gets that he made a mistake, but this is ridiculous. Is Sebastian really that angry?

Blaine breaks on a week and two days when he calls him. Of course it goes straight to voicemail, he doesn’t leave a message. He sends texts every so often:

I’m really sorry, can’t we just talk?

I made a mistake, I get it.

Sebastian, you’re being a bit ridiculous. You want to throw everything away because of this?

Finally, You were right, you /are/ an asshole. And he throws his phone across the room at some pillows and puts his face in his hands. He doesn’t know what to do other than march his ass right over to Sebastian’s apartment and perhaps slap him across his face to at least get a response out of him.

But he’s not going to do that. He’s going to do something far stronger than that:  he’s going to let it go.

It wasn’t Blaine’s choice to walk away, not initially. Sebastian hadn’t given him another choice. So if Sebastian suddenly wants to talk to him, then he can come find him. He’s done doing all the work. He curls up in the corner of his couch and watches Netflix, glancing at his phone buried underneath a mountain load of pillows like it might somehow go off at any moment.

It doesn’t.

The thing that worries him the most is the possibility that this is what Sebastian wants: a clean break.

---

After spending a few days at home, Blaine returns back to work at the flower shop. His boss had been very clear on the phone; they needed him and if he still wanted a job for this semester he had to come back. They were busy, flower orders were piling up thanks to a sale they had going on, not to mention arrangements for December weddings, funerals, Christmas arrangements, and the every so often school dance that had tiny teenagers in a tizzy.

It’s not like he ever minded the work, even when he had to take two allergy pills within a day when lots of roses were involved. If anything, he now craved the distraction, this thing with Sebastian filling every moment of his waking day.

He just hated not understanding what happened, why Sebastian wasn’t willing to talk. Why it couldn’t be fixed with a simple ‘I’m sorry’. He knows he’s probably better off, because if a small fight like this caused this amount of damage, Blaine can’t imagine what a World War III fight would cause.

“Okay, that’s a bundle of roses. Anything else?”

“Blaine?”

He glances up at the person who’s paying for the flowers and his mouth falls open a bit. “Oh, hey Kurt.” He offers a small smile. “I didn’t realize it was you.”

The other boy smiles handsomely, “You looked like you had a lot on your mind, I wasn’t sure if I should bother you or not.”

Blaine takes Kurt’s credit card and slides it, waiting for the register to process the payment before handing it back to him. “You’re never a bother, it’s nice seeing you.”

“Yeah of course,” He takes his card back and puts it in his wallet, “I just…wasn’t sure if you were alright, I saw you skipped class this week. Which, you know, when you only have a few days before winter break it kinda says something.”  

“I wasn’t feeling well,” He lies, or well, it’s not exactly a lie. Thanks to Sebastian he hasn’t been feeling his best. “I emailed our teacher, he said it wasn’t a problem.”

“Oh,” Kurt gently touches his arm. “Are you feeling better?”

Not really. Blaine smiles, “I’ll be alright.”

“I actually thought you were playing hooky with Sebastian, he hasn’t been in class either.”

His skin suddenly feels too tight as he stares at Kurt. A sinking feeling settles into his stomach, like lead falling down, down, against his ribcage. Oh. So…Sebastian hasn’t been to class either. Why? Because he wants to avoid him? The same sort of reason Blaine wasn’t showing up?

“Oh.” That’s literally all he can say.

“I thought you two might have been…together.” He swallows.

Blaine looks down at his hands and he refuses to allow his emotions to get the better of him. “We were, kinda. I guess not.”

The other clears his throat, “I’m sorry.” But it’s insincere somehow. It’s almost like he expected this sort of answer. Like an ‘I told you so’ without really saying it.

Kurt nods his head after a moment and picks up the roses that are sitting on the counter. He’s pausing like he wants to say something else and…Blaine almost wishes he’d make up his mind because there are other customers waiting. He clears his throat, “Is there…anything else I can help you with?”

“I was wondering actually,” Kurt says, voice a little higher than before, “If you would want to go out Saturday night. We haven’t been out in a while, I miss our coffee dates.”

Blaine blinks, “Out…like a…real date?”

Kurt laughs a little and nods because of course, of course he means ‘like a real date’. And it’s…it’s so bizarre because isn’t this what Blaine wanted in the first place? Wasn’t this all he could think about for the longest time? Now it’s easily within his reach and…he doesn’t want it.

He doesn’t want it.

“I uh, I don’t think so Kurt. I’m sorry.” He swallows; another employee thankfully taking waiting customers so he can wade through this conversation. “Thank you though, I’m flattered.”

Kurt chews on his lower lip, plays with one of the petals he’s holding in his hands. He wonders who the roses are for but doesn’t ask. “Soulmate thing.” It’s not posed as a question; he assumes that’s what is bothering him. “I mean you don’t really believe in that sort of thing do you? We’re masters of our own fate.”

Blaine feels a soft hint of pink kiss his cheeks. He wished he believed that, he really does. He wants to but apparently that’s not something that comes to him easily. Kurt sounds just like Sebastian—so eager to go with the flow with no endgame in mind. He can’t be that selfish. Or maybe he’s the selfish one, he doesn’t know. Maybe wanting to know is the most selfish thing of all.

He doesn’t think that Kurt really feels that way about love. Or perhaps he does and Blaine just doesn’t know him as well as he likes to think he does.

When Blaine doesn’t say anything, Kurt chooses a different route: “Is this about Sebastian?”

He looks up at the name and realization falls onto Kurt’s face. He doesn’t even need to speak, he knows the answer. Blaine can’t read Kurt’s expressions past the initial recognition, there’s no…annoyance like he thought there might be. No scrunching of his nose, no judgement.

Just understanding.

“Talk to him.” Kurt says with a soft smile, tapping the end of Blaine’s nose in what’s supposed to be a cute gesture with his bouquet of roses.

Blaine stands up straight and waves a hand in front of his face but it’s too late, his nose is already itching. He turns away from Kurt and sneezes into his elbow twice in a row.

“Oh Blaine, I’m sorry! I had no idea you were allergic to roses.”

And Blaine laughs suddenly because, this is so typical. “No, no it’s alright I’m f-fine.” He sniffles and Kurt hands him a tissue. God bless him. Two more hitching sneezes try to clear the pollen out before he blows his nose.

“As for Sebastian,” He sniffles, throwing the tissue away. “Trust me. I’ve been trying to talk to him.”

“He’s probably just scared.” Kurt offers, keeping the roses a safe distance away from Blaine, starting to make his way out of the shop. “But trust me, he’d be a fool to let someone like you go. Adorably pink nose or not.” He winks.

Blaine smiles, his head ducking at the compliment but he nods gratefully at Kurt’s words. He just hopes he’s right.

---

It’s just one of those days where Blaine can’t wait to clock out, head back to the dorms, curl up in his bed and watch a movie on Netflix. He doesn’t necessarily even have to like the movie, he just wants to sit mindlessly in front of the TV and possibly fall asleep for a few hours.

He grabs his coat and shrugs it on, making sure he has his cellphone before leaving the flower shop. He’s not exactly paying attention to where he’s going, just turns right in the direction of the campus and slams right into someone.

Blaine stumbles back and looks up, instantly apologetic…until he sees who it is.

Sebastian.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

“What no apology?” Sebastian smiles, a teasing tone to his voice.

Blaine doesn’t know whether to glare at him or slap him. Or both. He settles for a grating, “Really?” and slams his shoulder into the other’s arm as he walks past him. Stupid height difference ruins the effect of him walking away angry.

“Alright, I deserve that,” He says from behind, closing in on his stride as he walks. “I just came to talk.”

“You lost your chance,” Blaine insists, shoving his phone into his pocket. He draws his jacket closer around himself and heads for the subway. “Where were you a week ago? I left you a ton of messages.”

“I know,” Sebastian says quietly, “I listened to them.”

Blaine laughs, now he’s upset. He feels like such an idiot. He can imagine Sebastian sitting in his living room listening to his messages on speaker. Maybe Hunter’s nearby, in the kitchen, listening in. Laughing at him. “Great. So glad you got them, asshole.”

Sebastian stops following him at that and Blaine continues on, getting ready to descend the steps into the subway when he hears, “You sold roses yesterday, didn’t you.”

And Blaine stops on the top step. A few people bump into him, annoyed that he’s made a pit stop with no warning. Groups of people eventually walk around him, up and down, to and from the subway. He turns to look at Sebastian, watching him, wondering if he’s just said that to get him to stop walking.

The taller touches the bridge of his own nose, “I had a fit yesterday and I couldn’t remember the last time I sneezed like that. Until I thought about you. You sold roses yesterday.”

Blaine swallows, his feet suddenly moving on their own accord towards Sebastian. “Kurt came into the shop. He bought some,” His mouth runs away from him, “He asked me out on a date.” Which is so not the point when…Sebastian is telling him what he thinks he’s telling him.

Sebastian nods a little and clicks his tongue off the roof of his mouth. “And?”

And wouldn’t that be just desserts? The perfect ending to this whole thing? The fact that he and Sebastian are apparently soulmates but he’s going to go on a date with Kurt? He almost tells him just as much, just to see the look on his face. But doesn’t.

“I couldn’t.” Blaine says slowly, “I couldn’t go out with him.”

The relieved look on Sebastian’s face, no matter how small it may be, does something to his insides. “I don’t want you going out with anyone else.”

That touches a part of him, something buried deep that he thought was gone. But Sebastian left. He left and he didn’t call. He ran away from this entire thing. “I find that hard to believe.” Blaine whispers, part of his voice choked with emotion.

Sebastian closes the space between them and cups his face—and because Blaine isn’t strong enough to pull away, he lets him. He’s craved his touch, doesn’t realize how much he’s really missed it until its right there in front of him. Skin melting into his own. Body heat recognizing body heat.

“I’m sorry,” Sebastian whispers, his thumb traces a half moon circle underneath Blaine’s eye as he leans in and presses a kiss to his forehead. “I kept thinking about it, you know even when I’d tell you not to. What if after all that time, you were never really mine?”

He feels himself smile softly, leans further into his touch, his lips brushing against his hairline. Kurt was right. Sebastian was scared, they were worried about the same thing this entire time—he just never let Blaine see it. They handle their fear differently, Blaine ends up doing ridiculous things and Sebastian pushes people away.

But he supposes it could be worse, at least Sebastian came back.

“So what? You knew yesterday?” Blaine asks, looking up at him. “That we were soulmates.”

Sebastian smirks and tilts his head down, brushes their lips together. An audible noise leaves Blaine’s mouth, causing the taller to wrap his arms around him and draw him closer. “No. I knew the minute we kissed outside the bar that night.” He smiles, tugs his lower lip with his own, “Yesterday was a reminder that I needed to come see you before someone tried to scoop you up.”

Blaine laughs, “Hunter?”

The taller grins, “I meant Kurt but, him too.”

He leans up on his toes and presses a gentle kiss to the corner of Sebastian’s mouth, “It wasn’t going to happen, just so you know. You’ve ruined me.” He teases.

“I have that effect on people.” He winks.

Sebastian tilt’s Blaine’s chin up so that their lips press together in a soft but heat filled kiss, there’s a longing there between their breaths, in how their mouths move so perfectly in sync. He can’t get enough, he’s not even worried about who they might be blocking on getting to the subway: all that matters is Sebastian’s arms around him and their lips staying connected as long as possible.

When they finally pull back to breath, Blaine squeezes Sebastian’s waist and the taller presses another soft kiss on his cheek. “…I hope you know you’re not working at that flower shop anymore.”

Blaine just laughs and kisses the tip of Sebastian’s nose.