For Real This Time

Chapter Twelve

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back with another update. This chapter is a little on the shorter end unfortunately, but it had to be done. Votes & comments always appreciated :) 

Blaine had to admit he was happy to hear from Sebastian, even if he was wasted. He was trying so hard to put off this confrontation, the moment when he'd see Sebastian again and be unable to stop himself from confessing that he finally knew how he felt. It was too soon to start anything with someone else, of course, but why? Shouldn't that be up to him to decide? And wasn't he ready until Kurt walked back into the picture on Christmas Eve? Blaine decided he wouldn't say anything to Sebastian about this epiphany until the morning. After all, he had no idea what condition he'd find the boy in when he arrived at the unknown location and he definitely didn't want this memory to be spoiled by the smell of liquor on Sebastian's breath or the inevitable exhaustion that would hit Blaine like a brick any minute. Still, he was so close to figuring out exactly what he wanted, and at this point, he knew that was Sebastian. Even seeing his name on Blaine's phone gave him a glimmer of hope.

A little less than an hour after their phone call, Blaine parked his car on the side of the road near the location Sebastian sent him. He looked around a bit, expecting to see the other boy in an obvious location waiting for him, but Sebastian was nowhere to be seen. It was a little outside of Columbus, so there weren't many cars nearby or large buildings. Just lots of trees and browning grass. For a moment Blaine considered that Sebastian sent the wrong location, or that his phone brought him to the wrong place. But he double checked, and this was definitely right. He just couldn't figure out how the hell Sebastian ended up in the middle of nowhere, wasted and with no way to get home. It was a troubling thought, and Blaine's heart ached as he worried for the boy's safety.

After wandering around for a while, Blaine's eyes finally landed on Sebastian lying against a tree about a block away from where Blaine parked his car. The entire area was covered in a thin layer of snow and Blaine was instantly concerned when he noticed Sebastian's hand on the ground holding a flask and the other wiping sweat from his forehead. He'd been lying outside in the snow for over an hour in no condition to take care of himself. At first, Blaine rushed to his side, concerned that he might've passed out or gotten some sort of alcohol poisoning. But when he realized Sebastian was still mostly conscious and sipping out of the flask, he let out a sigh of relief and rolled his eyes. "I'll take that," Blaine said as he took the flask and reached for Sebastian's hand.

"Don't you have a boyfriend to fuck tonight?" Sebastian muttered. He pulled his hand away from Blaine to stand up on his own, stumbling a bit in the process.

Blaine frowned at the reaction. He turned around abruptly and started to walk back to his car. "I'm ignoring that because you're way too drunk to have a real conversation right now." He needed to stick to his plan: no serious talk, at least until tomorrow.

Sebastian chuckled and helped himself into the passenger seat of the car. "And you're way too sober to have any fun. Such a buzzkill."

Blaine tried his best to ignore him. He kept reassuring himself that Sebastian was just drunk and not intending to be mean, but he knew better. Normally, Sebastian was an obnoxious flirt after a few drinks. This was so much worse than that. In fairness, Sebastian clearly had a lot more than just a few drinks. "I drove an hour at one in the morning to pick you up so you could be a little bit more grateful."

Sebastian's head collapsed against the window as he stared out of it and Blaine started driving. "Where are you going?" Sebastian asked when he noticed Blaine driving north.

"I'm bringing you to my house. You need clean clothes and someone who will make sure you get some water and sleep," Blaine replied, not bothering to look at Sebastian for approval.