Work Text:
But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm
If your cascade ocean wave blues come
All these people think love's for show
But I would die for you in secret
The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me
Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?
Sebastian travels through time for the first time when he is seventeen.
Peace by Taylor Swift
He becomes the fastest man alive at sixteen after an accident during a storm in his mother’s art studio in Paris.
He is back in Ohio with his father because of that, but his parents have no idea what the consequences of being struck by lightning truly are.
Everything happens the way it is supposed to. He is still an idiotic teenager who makes even more idiotic mistakes. The lightning did not turn him into some noble person eager to help others and rescue kittens from trees. Fine, he did it once, but in his defense, cats are better than people.
Sebastian lives believing no one is worth it. Everyone is just as screwed up, starting with him. At least he admits that much.
Of course he changes his mind when he meets Blaine Anderson. He knows he wants him the moment he sees him because Blaine is beautiful.
But as their relationship grows closer and he truly begins to know him, he realizes he is even more messed up than he thought.
The night everything changes, they are in the parking lot and Blaine’s screams of pain pierce his ears. He watches, feeling like he might throw up, but he cannot do anything except run.
Once they are outside, he leaves the Warblers on their own and runs at the speed of light back to his father’s house. When he arrives, his blazer is on fire. For a second he considers not taking it off. He knows he deserves whatever bad thing is about to happen.
The next day in the rehearsal room, Nick walks in with the news that makes him throw up seconds later.
Blaine will have to undergo corneal surgery because of him.
He hurt him, not only emotionally but physically, and he does not know which burden is worse.
“I have to go,” he mutters, walking out under ten pairs of confused eyes.
Sebastian runs. He runs and runs and runs, screaming at the top of his lungs. He cannot see or hear anything except his thoughts and the hum left in the wake of his steps.
He is reaching the Ohio border when another figure suddenly appears beside him, running at the same speed. At least that is what he thinks until it vanishes.
Then there is nothing.
A flash.
He stops.
The sunlight is gone. The moon hangs high in the dark blue sky.
He looks around, disoriented, trying to think. He checks his watch. 8:15.
He could not have been running that long. It takes seconds, not hours.
He takes a deep breath and runs in the opposite direction.
When he reaches Dalton, no one is there. It makes sense. It is late and they are probably in their dorms or have snuck out to some midweek party. The large clock in the lobby also reads 8:15.
He runs to the rehearsal room where he thinks he left his phone earlier, but it is not there.
He heads to his room and searches everywhere. He has to contact the others. He needs to know how Blaine is. He does not know if he deserves to know, but he has to.
His computer is on, his History essay half finished on the screen.
He frowns.
That essay was turned in that morning. He remembers because it was the only coherent thing his brain allowed him to do that day, besides walking out of Mr. Henry’s class the same way he walked out of the Warblers rehearsal.
He looks closer. The essay is only halfway done. He left it unfinished when they had to meet New Directions in the parking lot. Damn it, the day had already been strange.
He is about to close his laptop when the screen locks and the date appears in large letters.
November 3.
Not the 4th.
He is certain he is about to have a panic attack.
He drops into his chair and presses a hand to his forehead. How likely is that?
Probably as likely as him running at the speed of light.
He swallows and forces himself to calm down.
Right. What should he do?
If it is November 3 at 8:15 p.m., he should be in the parking lot. They are probably waiting for him. He can avoid committing the worst mistake of his life. Everything will be fine.
With that thought, he feels steadier.
He has a second chance.
Does he deserve it?
No.
But Blaine does.
A second later he is running toward the parking lot.
When he arrives, he sees the cars that belong to both show choirs. He spots Blaine’s immediately. He would recognize him anywhere. He had been in it just last week when they went to see The Avengers together.
He exhales.
He had ruined everything.
But he is about to change that.
He heads toward the commotion already gathered in the center. He is about to step forward when Nick shifts to the right and reveals Sebastian.
Him.
He freezes and bolts just as Blaine is about to look in his direction.
He runs behind a wall and nearly loses his mind for the third time that day.
Clearly, he does not understand time travel.
The music starts.
He peeks around the corner and sees them dancing and singing.
God, they look ridiculous.
He shakes his head.
Think, Sebastian.
It has to be like Harry Potter. It is the only thing his panicked mind can come up with.
He cannot be seen.
Fine.
He runs to the corner where the slushie sits in a bag just as the song ends.
His panic costs him the precious millisecond he needed to prevent the tragedy.
He watches Nick hand the slushie to him.
To his other self.
The air nearly leaves his lungs.
Desperate measures.
He will take the consequences. All that matters is Blaine.
He runs to the other side, behind the New Directions group. He hides in the shadows but stays visible enough for his other self to notice him.
And by some miracle, his other self looks up.
Their eyes lock.
Panic. Uncertainty. The same expression mirrored on both faces.
He has one second to shake his head.
Please let that be enough.
It is.
His other self turns away, annoyed, the slushie now on the ground.
Everyone stares at him in confusion.
Blaine is standing in front of Kurt, just as he knew he would be.
Unharmed.
That is all that matters.
That was the first time Sebastian Smythe traveled through time to save the person he loved.
Seven years pass before he does it again.
It is New York, and Blaine is waiting for him at STAR Labs after another successful mission. Blaine smiles and kisses him before heading into the lab with Caitlin.
Cisco calls Sebastian over to test the new suit he is far too excited to show off.
Life has been good. There have been bumps along the way, but with Blaine by his side he has always found the strength to overcome them.
They reunited when they both moved to New York to study.
Sebastian became a forensic scientist and works for the CCPD.
Blaine surprised everyone by becoming a biochemical engineer instead of an artist.
Sebastian was the only one who respected his decision without questioning it with ill intentions. Blaine knew then that Sebastian was the man he would marry.
With Sebastian being The Flash most of the time, enemies were inevitable. They had defeated them all before.
But this time feels different.
He has never faced another speedster who is enormous, terrifying, and visible only to him.
Savitar puts everything into perspective. And Sebastian wonders if he will be able to save them all. If he will be able to save him again.
“Are you okay?” a voice asks behind him.
Sebastian turns. Blaine is leaning against the lab entrance. He looks beautiful. Sebastian smiles and, for a moment, forgets his worries. Blaine always brings hope into his life.
“Just thinking.”
Blaine hums and walks toward him.
Sebastian pulls him into his arms, holding him by the waist. Blaine wraps his arms around his neck. They kiss, and the heaviness leaves their bodies.
“Cute,” Blaine says, opening his eyes. “But I have to run a check on you now. Caitlin’s orders.”
“Convenient,” Sebastian replies with a soft smile, brushing their noses together.
“Come on. Shirt off,” Blaine orders as he steps toward the examination table.
“At least take me out to dinner first,” Sebastian jokes, sitting down.
“I’m your fiancé. I can ask you to take your shirt off,” Blaine teases. “But fine. I like the idea. Tonight?” he asks while checking his vitals.
“Can’t wait,” Sebastian answers, though his smile is faint.
Blaine notices. Blaine always knows. No one knows him like Blaine does. Blaine reads him better than he reads himself.
Blaine runs a hand through his hair and looks at him with that expression that has the power to fix everything.
“We’ll catch him. We’re close.”
Sebastian sighs and nods. “We will.”
He wants to believe it. They have overcome so much. But something is different this time.
It feels like Savitar is inside him. As if they are connected somehow. Savitar is always one step ahead. He knows everything they will do. He knows everything Sebastian thinks and everything that hurts him. He knows him almost as well as Blaine does.
It takes him two weeks to discover the truth about Savitar.
He has to lose everything for Savitar to exist.
And there is only one person who means everything.
Blaine.
When the night finally comes and Blaine is bleeding out in his arms, Sebastian controls his panic long enough to carry him to the med bay where Caitlin rushes to treat him.
The machine lets out a long, flat sound.
He watches Blaine slip away.
He does not think.
He runs.
He makes it back to that morning. He has twelve hours.
He tries once.
Twice.
Ten times.
Nothing changes.
Blaine dies in his arms again and again.
On the thirteenth attempt, Blaine notices.
Sebastian tells them everything.
They try everything.
Nothing works.
Twenty attempts later, they realize the truth.
Blaine has to die.
Sebastian breaks.
Blaine holds him while he falls apart.
“I’ve seen you die twenty times,” Sebastian whispers, voice breaking. “You’ve died in my arms twenty times.”
They hold each other until night falls again.
This time, Sebastian makes a choice.
Not an egoistic one.
He finds the video Blaine recorded two hours earlier. It is a goodbye.
He watches it more than a thousand times, memorizing every word.
“I love you,” Blaine says on the screen. “I always have. And I forgive you.”
Sebastian cries.
That night, instead of running forward, he runs back.
Seven years back.
To a parking lot.
To a slushie.
He stops his younger self.
“If you love him, you have to let it happen,” he says. “You’re saving him. I promise.”
They hear Blaine scream.
They close their eyes.
Weeks later, Blaine finds him at Lima Bean.
“Why did you do it?” Blaine asks softly.
Sebastian almost tells him the truth.
But he knows what he has to do.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“But you did.”
There is silence.
Two broken souls.
“Tell me it wasn’t all in my head,” Blaine whispers. “Tell me it was real.”
Sebastian lets go of his selfishness for the first time in his life.
“I’m sorry you thought it was.”
Blaine exhales like something inside him has shattered.
He walks away.
Sebastian watches him live.
All these people think love’s for show.
But he would die for him in secret.