Fic: Anything But A Fairytale
Title: Anything But A Fairytale
Pairing: Blaine & Sebastian
Rating: NC-17
Warning: Barebacking
Summary: Conventional notion would dictate that relationship milestones be handled in the most magical way possible, Sebastian finds out that things don't always work out the way he plans..
A/N: This was written for SeBlaine week's prompt#1, which is "firsts". There are 4 firsts in here, see if you can find them. This is a future!fic, and it's based on a true story. No lie. I have a tumblr account where I talk about my WIP, please feel free to hit me up at http://rykerstrom.tumblr.com. I can be found on FF.net under rykerstrom as well.
ANYTHING BUT A FAIRYTALE
People often thought of love, marriage, and relationship as something magical and romantic. Conventional notion would dictate that it is absolutely crucial that relationship milestones be handled in the most romantic, harmonious, and magical way possible. However, real life did not always work that way.
But that did not mean Sebastian would not give that conventional notion a try and blow it out of the water though. Sebastian Smythe was all about perfection and overachievements, especially when it came to Blaine Anderson.
Unfortunately, timing could be the worst enemy when it came to fairytale romance.
Sebastian had been working at his job for a year when Blaine lost his. To say that it was a devastating blow to Blaine would be an understatement. Sebastian knew how much career meant to Blaine, especially when it had been Blaine's goal to prove to everyone that he could make it on his own to begin with. After all the sacrifice Blaine had made, the sleepless nights, the long hours, the awful bosses and colleagues, it was a real slap in the face to be let go under the excuse of being "too expensive" and "low utilization" for the company.
"I'm not too 'expensive'!" Sebastian remembered Blaine ranting. "Bhavana charges way more! I work double the hours and I don't even claim the per diem at times! I can't help it if they told me to report fewer hours than I actually worked."
It was one of those instances when Sebastian felt helpless. If Sebastian owned the firm that Blaine worked in, he would have made sure to make his boyfriend an executive by then. But Sebastian did not own the firm, and Blaine would have never wanted to climb the corporate ladder through politics and connections.
If Sebastian Smythe could predict the future, he would have probably booked the trip much later; certainly not when Blaine was unemployed and going through occasional bouts of depressive funk. But while Sebastian Smythe was many things, he was no psychic medium.
Sebastian had planned the trip to Puerto Vallarta had been months in advance with a very specific intention in mind that only he himself knew. By the time they embarked on the trip, Blaine was three weeks out of a job and had already gone through his five stages of grief for job loss. Sebastian had suggested that it would be a good change of pace to stick with the original vacation plan and get away from the stress by going back to somewhere where they had happier memories of their younger days, and Blaine had agreed.
Sebastian was not one to reminisce or walk down memory lanes, but Puerto Vallarta held special meaning to him. This would be the second time that they went there as a couple; the first time being the time when they were still teenagers, still quite new and at the beginning stage of their committed relationship. It was a trip that consisted of a lot of firsts for them: first vacation to another country as a couple, first time having sex on a yacht, first time having sex under the stars, first time that Sebastian really spoilt someone and enjoyed every moment of it. He remembered the time he and Blaine spent on the beach, the photos they took on the yacht, the dinner by the sea, and the time they spent under the night sky counting meteors and making wishes.
It was probably the best holiday vacation Sebastian had ever had. And for special occasions, what best to recreate it than to be there again?
The cove where they had spent much of their time last time had not changed much since they left. The pristine beaches, white sand, and swaying palm trees remained as they were; welcoming their guests back to the hidden paradise on earth.
This time, with stronger cash flow and more freedom, Sebastian rented the entire resort for the weekend. He was determined to make this perfect for what he was planning to do.
The vacation was almost perfect. The weather was fantastic, the service was impeccable, the facilities were more than adequate, and Blaine was amazing. It was good to see Blaine temporarily forget about work woes. For the first time in years, Sebastian was seeing the carefree and innocent teenager that he had first been attracted to and eventually fell in love with over the years.
They had dinner by the coast again on the last night there. It was different from the typical dinner on the menu. Sebastian had requested it to be specially catered, with every dish serving as a reminder of an important milestone of their relationship.
"So what is this? You know you don't have to try to court me anymore, right?" Blaine looked amused as he took a bite of the chocolate soufflé.
"Only you would use the word 'court'." Sebastian poured more wine into Blaine's glass. "Are you telling me that I can't treat my boyfriend to something nice for a change?"
"I'm not complaining." Blaine smiled. "It's sweet."
"I just want to tell you that I remember everything that we've gone through together." Sebastian's grip on the wine bottle wavered a little and it almost slipped. "Shit! We need to get another napkin for this bottle, bad grip."
The truth was, Sebastian was extremely nervous.
Sebastian would tell people that he was never nervous. At least he had not been nervous for a very long time. He had not cared enough about anything to be nervous, but this was important. This night was important. Sebastian's hand reached inside the side pocket of his linen jacket and felt the comforting shape of a velvet box against his fingers.
They took the familiar stroll down the coast afterwards. It was half-moon tonight so some of the stars were still visible. However, at this time of the year, the position of the constellations was different.
"Would you believe me if I say I can't remember the name of the constellations again?" Blaine kicked at the sand beneath him softly as they walked near the edge of the water.
"Then I would venture a guess and say that one there is Orion." Sebastian pointed. "That's my default answer for every constellation."
"Hm … I guess it doesn't matter." Blaine stopped by the edge of the water. He looked up at Sebastian, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "So, you said we have the whole resort to ourselves?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Sebastian raised his eyebrows in disbelief when Blaine started to pull off his clothes.
"I've never gone skinny dipping before." Blaine was already in the water. "I've always wanted to try it."
Sebastian stared at Blaine, transfixed by the way Blaine looked in the dim moonlight. Blaine was soaking wet by this point, a strand of his damp curly hair fell over his forehead while the moonlight casted a light sheen on the rest of his body. Blaine reached out toward Sebastian with his hand, and curled a finger toward him in invitation.
The water was cooler at night, but Blaine's body warmth more than make up for it. Although it was primarily darkness out here, the plankton in the water lit up with their movement, creating an ethereal atmosphere around them.
Blaine's kisses were heated, soft, and intense. Sebastian wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist as he let his boyfriend took the lead and explored his mouth. Due to their height difference, it was about chest deep in the water for Blaine as he leaned up to kiss Sebastian repeatedly, peppering his shoulders, neck, and arms with kisses before moving lower to the exposed part of his chest, licking a wet trail down the center.
"We should … probably get back on land." It was difficult for Sebastian to form a coherent sentence when Blaine was pressed up against him like this.
"Why?" Blaine reached up and pulled Sebastian's face down for a kiss. "Don't tell me there're sharks here."
"Condom … lube … " Sebastian swore that Blaine was short-circuiting his brain by this point. Screw grammar.
"We're both clean … and we've already done it once today so ..." Blaine wrapped his arms around Sebastian and hid his face in the crook of Sebastian's neck. Sebastian knew that Blaine always did this when he was embarrassed. "I've … always wanted to try it without."
"Okay."
The salt water made it much easier to lift Blaine up and keep him buoyant. Sebastian felt Blaine wrapping his legs around his waist as Sebastian lowered Blaine onto himself slowly, resisting the urge to plunge on the way into that impossible heat. "I swear …" Sebastian managed to choke out. "You feel amazing!"
Sebastian saw that Blaine's eyes were closed in concentration as he focused on taking Sebastian inside all the way. When he finally bottomed out, Sebastian felt Blaine resting his forehead against his as they both tried to catch their breath.
"You okay?" It was hard not to start moving, but Sebastian knew he needed to give Blaine time to adjust.
"Yeah. This … this is incredible." Sebastian saw Blaine opening his eyes at this point, and he was sure that he had never seen Blaine liked this before. Pupils blown so large that there were only thin rims of golden brown around the edges. "I'm so glad it's you."
Sebastian did not answer, instead he kissed Blaine hard. He felt Blaine moving against him, taking advantage of the buoyancy of the water to lift himself up and down on Sebastian. Every movement accompanied by the exchange of a kiss, by the murmurings of "I love you", over and over again.
At some point, Sebastian noticed that the water around them had lit up even more as their movements disrupted the marine planktons that were in the sea water around them. The light blue glow casted a shadow on Blaine's face, and Sebastian was certain that he had never seen anything so beautiful.
They tried to clean themselves off a bit in the water after the climax, exchanging small kisses and holding each other before moving back up on land to dry themselves off with the extra towels that they carried around them. The walk back to the resort was quiet but comfortable as they enjoyed each other's companionship.
It was not until they had reached the resort that Sebastian realized he had missed the window of opportunity.
Sebastian remembered the countless hours that he had actually spent rehearsing his speech, since he planned on asking Blaine at the right time during their holiday. He had thought of every permutations and scenarios to make it perfect and seamless, because Sebastian knew this was it, and it was too important to mess up. The last thing Sebastian expected was to miss the window of opportunity. He would be lying if he said he did not hate himself a bit for that.
Still, it was strange how things had a way of turning out at the end.
It had now been three months since Blaine was out of a job and he was getting restless. Sebastian was greeted with a familiar sight almost every evening when he came back from work. Astridr would run up to Sebastian for a scratch behind the ears and a belly rub, Sebastian would do so before coming into the small living room and often finding Blaine seated at the sofa with a laptop in front of him and a phone on one hand.
"How's your day?" Blaine asked as he set his phone down and closed his laptop.
"Same old, same old." Sebastian loosened his tie and sat down next to his boyfriend. "Yours?"
"Same old too." Blaine sighed. "Headhunters just keep leading me on, saying there're leads. And then of course, I never hear back from them again. It's either that or they say I'm too expensive."
"You just need to wait and find the right job."
"I don't know, Sebastian." Blaine rubbed his hands against his temples. "Maybe I'm not good enough. After all, I never did get promoted."
"Don't say that, you're always so hard on yourself." Sebastian knew this would soon become another debate on self-worth.
"You don't understand, Sebastian." Blaine threw his hands up in exasperation. "I tried my best in everything. I've seen people who don't know anything and yet they are working at the firm I wanted to work for, and getting put into senior positions! It's not right!"
"Blaine-"
"I actually worked for everything I've done." Sebastian frowned at the change in Blaine's voice. It was not often to see his boyfriend getting this upset. It was one thing to be frustrated and discouraged by job search, but this was different. Sebastian had a feeling that all the years of discontent at work and the lack of success on job search were pushing Blaine to the boiling point.
"I'm not saying you didn't." Sebastian decided to change tactic and tried for the diplomatic approach. "But you know it's not always about qualifications. Sometimes it's about timing, network, people you know. You just have to be patient."
"Easy for you to say."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sebastian raised his eyebrows. That was not something he would expect from Blaine. Sebastian heard a small whimper coming from Astridr in the corner; it's obvious that the dog was sensing tension in the room.
"Nothing." It was never good when Blaine started to close himself off.
"Blaine, talk to me." This was getting nowhere. "I told you should just relax. I have a job now, the apartment is paid for, and even the house we bought was paid for. We're fine. We can-"
"You don't understand what it's like." Blaine cut Sebastian off, his voice rising in frustration as patience slipped away from him. "I actually had to work to get to where I am. I had to go through so many interviews to get a job, the very same one that I lost! It's not like I got everything handed to me!"
Blaine's eyes widen at what he said and clasped his hand over his mouth.
"What was that supposed to mean?" That was actually hurtful. Sebastian might have gotten his current job because he had family working there, but he put in just as much effort if not more in order to prove himself. "Are you saying that I basically got things handed to me?"
"No! Oh god, Sebastian. I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I just-" Blaine shook his head in dismay. "I'm not in a good place right now. I'm not myself. I'm becoming the jerk that I hate to be."
"I'll have you know that it is precisely because people know that I have family working in this firm that I had to work twice as hard to prove myself to them." Sebastian took a deep breath. "It was hurtful, what you were implying."
"I'm really sorry. I think I'm jealous." Blaine said in a small voice, not meeting Sebastian's eyes. "I'm not like you, Sebastian. You're smart, witty, and you know how to deal with jerks. I know you work hard too. I'm sorry. I'm being an idiot."
"No, you're not." Sebastian put his hand on top of Blaine's. "You're can be competitive at times, and that's fine. But you don't need to prove yourself to anyone. I know you're more capable than all the idiots out there."
"You know that's not true." Blaine shook his head again. "Seriously, how do you put up with me?"
"Blaine-"
"I mean, I get into my funk, I complain about my work." Blaine continued, his voice rising again. "I don't listen to your advice until it's too late."
"I-"
"Not to mention I'm always the one who is piling all this crap on you." Blaine ran his hand through his hair in agitation. "I didn't even get to help you out much when you're stressed out with school. I used to travel way too much for work and made you worry. I get self-absorbed in my work."
"Jesus, Blaine, let me-"
"And now I'm literally leeching off of you. Why would you stay with me to deal with all this drama? I mean, how can you-"
"Oh, for God's sake Blaine!" This was getting ridiculous. Sebastian could feel his patience wearing thin. "Is it wrong for me to want to take care of the man that I want to marry?"
The words slipped out before Sebastian could stop himself. It took a few moments for the words to sink in for Blaine. As Sebastian watched, Blaine's expression was a mixture of shock, disbelief, and doubt, before turning into that of happiness.
"No! I mean yes! I mean …" Blaine was at a loss for words.
"You better make up your mind." Sebastian laughed weakly. "Because I don't think I can take a rejection and an acceptance, followed by another rejection."
Sebastian saw his boyfriend taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"I meant to say no, it's not wrong to want to take care of the man that you want to marry." Blaine moved closer and pulled Sebastian into a tight hug. "And yes, I will definitely marry you."
"Thank, God." Sebastian murmured into Blaine's ear. "I'm not religious but I was ready to get converted just to get you to say yes."
He heard Blaine laughing lightly against him.
"I would've always said yes."
So if anyone asked Sebastian what would be the best way to propose, he would always say to plan for the best proposal one deserved. But if anyone ever asked him how he proposed to his boyfriend, he would have told them story of how he proposed to Blaine during a candlelit dinner on the beach of Majahuitas Cove.
Because at the end of the day, the true story of how the proposal came about was something that was much more precious than the stereotypical fairytale; and it was a story that was for only for Sebastian and Blaine to know and share between them. It did not matter how the proposal came about. What mattered was the fact that it was the first time Sebastian Smythe had ever proposed, and Blaine Anderson had said yes.
(END)
Addendum: So the 4 firsts are: first time skinny-dipping together, first time having sex in the ocean, first time barebacking, and first time proposing.
Pairing: Blaine & Sebastian
Rating: NC-17
Warning: Barebacking
Summary: Conventional notion would dictate that relationship milestones be handled in the most magical way possible, Sebastian finds out that things don't always work out the way he plans..
A/N: This was written for SeBlaine week's prompt#1, which is "firsts". There are 4 firsts in here, see if you can find them. This is a future!fic, and it's based on a true story. No lie. I have a tumblr account where I talk about my WIP, please feel free to hit me up at http://rykerstrom.tumblr.com. I can be found on FF.net under rykerstrom as well.
ANYTHING BUT A FAIRYTALE
People often thought of love, marriage, and relationship as something magical and romantic. Conventional notion would dictate that it is absolutely crucial that relationship milestones be handled in the most romantic, harmonious, and magical way possible. However, real life did not always work that way.
But that did not mean Sebastian would not give that conventional notion a try and blow it out of the water though. Sebastian Smythe was all about perfection and overachievements, especially when it came to Blaine Anderson.
Unfortunately, timing could be the worst enemy when it came to fairytale romance.
Sebastian had been working at his job for a year when Blaine lost his. To say that it was a devastating blow to Blaine would be an understatement. Sebastian knew how much career meant to Blaine, especially when it had been Blaine's goal to prove to everyone that he could make it on his own to begin with. After all the sacrifice Blaine had made, the sleepless nights, the long hours, the awful bosses and colleagues, it was a real slap in the face to be let go under the excuse of being "too expensive" and "low utilization" for the company.
"I'm not too 'expensive'!" Sebastian remembered Blaine ranting. "Bhavana charges way more! I work double the hours and I don't even claim the per diem at times! I can't help it if they told me to report fewer hours than I actually worked."
It was one of those instances when Sebastian felt helpless. If Sebastian owned the firm that Blaine worked in, he would have made sure to make his boyfriend an executive by then. But Sebastian did not own the firm, and Blaine would have never wanted to climb the corporate ladder through politics and connections.
If Sebastian Smythe could predict the future, he would have probably booked the trip much later; certainly not when Blaine was unemployed and going through occasional bouts of depressive funk. But while Sebastian Smythe was many things, he was no psychic medium.
Sebastian had planned the trip to Puerto Vallarta had been months in advance with a very specific intention in mind that only he himself knew. By the time they embarked on the trip, Blaine was three weeks out of a job and had already gone through his five stages of grief for job loss. Sebastian had suggested that it would be a good change of pace to stick with the original vacation plan and get away from the stress by going back to somewhere where they had happier memories of their younger days, and Blaine had agreed.
Sebastian was not one to reminisce or walk down memory lanes, but Puerto Vallarta held special meaning to him. This would be the second time that they went there as a couple; the first time being the time when they were still teenagers, still quite new and at the beginning stage of their committed relationship. It was a trip that consisted of a lot of firsts for them: first vacation to another country as a couple, first time having sex on a yacht, first time having sex under the stars, first time that Sebastian really spoilt someone and enjoyed every moment of it. He remembered the time he and Blaine spent on the beach, the photos they took on the yacht, the dinner by the sea, and the time they spent under the night sky counting meteors and making wishes.
It was probably the best holiday vacation Sebastian had ever had. And for special occasions, what best to recreate it than to be there again?
The cove where they had spent much of their time last time had not changed much since they left. The pristine beaches, white sand, and swaying palm trees remained as they were; welcoming their guests back to the hidden paradise on earth.
This time, with stronger cash flow and more freedom, Sebastian rented the entire resort for the weekend. He was determined to make this perfect for what he was planning to do.
The vacation was almost perfect. The weather was fantastic, the service was impeccable, the facilities were more than adequate, and Blaine was amazing. It was good to see Blaine temporarily forget about work woes. For the first time in years, Sebastian was seeing the carefree and innocent teenager that he had first been attracted to and eventually fell in love with over the years.
They had dinner by the coast again on the last night there. It was different from the typical dinner on the menu. Sebastian had requested it to be specially catered, with every dish serving as a reminder of an important milestone of their relationship.
"So what is this? You know you don't have to try to court me anymore, right?" Blaine looked amused as he took a bite of the chocolate soufflé.
"Only you would use the word 'court'." Sebastian poured more wine into Blaine's glass. "Are you telling me that I can't treat my boyfriend to something nice for a change?"
"I'm not complaining." Blaine smiled. "It's sweet."
"I just want to tell you that I remember everything that we've gone through together." Sebastian's grip on the wine bottle wavered a little and it almost slipped. "Shit! We need to get another napkin for this bottle, bad grip."
The truth was, Sebastian was extremely nervous.
Sebastian would tell people that he was never nervous. At least he had not been nervous for a very long time. He had not cared enough about anything to be nervous, but this was important. This night was important. Sebastian's hand reached inside the side pocket of his linen jacket and felt the comforting shape of a velvet box against his fingers.
They took the familiar stroll down the coast afterwards. It was half-moon tonight so some of the stars were still visible. However, at this time of the year, the position of the constellations was different.
"Would you believe me if I say I can't remember the name of the constellations again?" Blaine kicked at the sand beneath him softly as they walked near the edge of the water.
"Then I would venture a guess and say that one there is Orion." Sebastian pointed. "That's my default answer for every constellation."
"Hm … I guess it doesn't matter." Blaine stopped by the edge of the water. He looked up at Sebastian, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "So, you said we have the whole resort to ourselves?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Sebastian raised his eyebrows in disbelief when Blaine started to pull off his clothes.
"I've never gone skinny dipping before." Blaine was already in the water. "I've always wanted to try it."
Sebastian stared at Blaine, transfixed by the way Blaine looked in the dim moonlight. Blaine was soaking wet by this point, a strand of his damp curly hair fell over his forehead while the moonlight casted a light sheen on the rest of his body. Blaine reached out toward Sebastian with his hand, and curled a finger toward him in invitation.
The water was cooler at night, but Blaine's body warmth more than make up for it. Although it was primarily darkness out here, the plankton in the water lit up with their movement, creating an ethereal atmosphere around them.
Blaine's kisses were heated, soft, and intense. Sebastian wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist as he let his boyfriend took the lead and explored his mouth. Due to their height difference, it was about chest deep in the water for Blaine as he leaned up to kiss Sebastian repeatedly, peppering his shoulders, neck, and arms with kisses before moving lower to the exposed part of his chest, licking a wet trail down the center.
"We should … probably get back on land." It was difficult for Sebastian to form a coherent sentence when Blaine was pressed up against him like this.
"Why?" Blaine reached up and pulled Sebastian's face down for a kiss. "Don't tell me there're sharks here."
"Condom … lube … " Sebastian swore that Blaine was short-circuiting his brain by this point. Screw grammar.
"We're both clean … and we've already done it once today so ..." Blaine wrapped his arms around Sebastian and hid his face in the crook of Sebastian's neck. Sebastian knew that Blaine always did this when he was embarrassed. "I've … always wanted to try it without."
"Okay."
The salt water made it much easier to lift Blaine up and keep him buoyant. Sebastian felt Blaine wrapping his legs around his waist as Sebastian lowered Blaine onto himself slowly, resisting the urge to plunge on the way into that impossible heat. "I swear …" Sebastian managed to choke out. "You feel amazing!"
Sebastian saw that Blaine's eyes were closed in concentration as he focused on taking Sebastian inside all the way. When he finally bottomed out, Sebastian felt Blaine resting his forehead against his as they both tried to catch their breath.
"You okay?" It was hard not to start moving, but Sebastian knew he needed to give Blaine time to adjust.
"Yeah. This … this is incredible." Sebastian saw Blaine opening his eyes at this point, and he was sure that he had never seen Blaine liked this before. Pupils blown so large that there were only thin rims of golden brown around the edges. "I'm so glad it's you."
Sebastian did not answer, instead he kissed Blaine hard. He felt Blaine moving against him, taking advantage of the buoyancy of the water to lift himself up and down on Sebastian. Every movement accompanied by the exchange of a kiss, by the murmurings of "I love you", over and over again.
At some point, Sebastian noticed that the water around them had lit up even more as their movements disrupted the marine planktons that were in the sea water around them. The light blue glow casted a shadow on Blaine's face, and Sebastian was certain that he had never seen anything so beautiful.
They tried to clean themselves off a bit in the water after the climax, exchanging small kisses and holding each other before moving back up on land to dry themselves off with the extra towels that they carried around them. The walk back to the resort was quiet but comfortable as they enjoyed each other's companionship.
It was not until they had reached the resort that Sebastian realized he had missed the window of opportunity.
Sebastian remembered the countless hours that he had actually spent rehearsing his speech, since he planned on asking Blaine at the right time during their holiday. He had thought of every permutations and scenarios to make it perfect and seamless, because Sebastian knew this was it, and it was too important to mess up. The last thing Sebastian expected was to miss the window of opportunity. He would be lying if he said he did not hate himself a bit for that.
Still, it was strange how things had a way of turning out at the end.
It had now been three months since Blaine was out of a job and he was getting restless. Sebastian was greeted with a familiar sight almost every evening when he came back from work. Astridr would run up to Sebastian for a scratch behind the ears and a belly rub, Sebastian would do so before coming into the small living room and often finding Blaine seated at the sofa with a laptop in front of him and a phone on one hand.
"How's your day?" Blaine asked as he set his phone down and closed his laptop.
"Same old, same old." Sebastian loosened his tie and sat down next to his boyfriend. "Yours?"
"Same old too." Blaine sighed. "Headhunters just keep leading me on, saying there're leads. And then of course, I never hear back from them again. It's either that or they say I'm too expensive."
"You just need to wait and find the right job."
"I don't know, Sebastian." Blaine rubbed his hands against his temples. "Maybe I'm not good enough. After all, I never did get promoted."
"Don't say that, you're always so hard on yourself." Sebastian knew this would soon become another debate on self-worth.
"You don't understand, Sebastian." Blaine threw his hands up in exasperation. "I tried my best in everything. I've seen people who don't know anything and yet they are working at the firm I wanted to work for, and getting put into senior positions! It's not right!"
"Blaine-"
"I actually worked for everything I've done." Sebastian frowned at the change in Blaine's voice. It was not often to see his boyfriend getting this upset. It was one thing to be frustrated and discouraged by job search, but this was different. Sebastian had a feeling that all the years of discontent at work and the lack of success on job search were pushing Blaine to the boiling point.
"I'm not saying you didn't." Sebastian decided to change tactic and tried for the diplomatic approach. "But you know it's not always about qualifications. Sometimes it's about timing, network, people you know. You just have to be patient."
"Easy for you to say."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sebastian raised his eyebrows. That was not something he would expect from Blaine. Sebastian heard a small whimper coming from Astridr in the corner; it's obvious that the dog was sensing tension in the room.
"Nothing." It was never good when Blaine started to close himself off.
"Blaine, talk to me." This was getting nowhere. "I told you should just relax. I have a job now, the apartment is paid for, and even the house we bought was paid for. We're fine. We can-"
"You don't understand what it's like." Blaine cut Sebastian off, his voice rising in frustration as patience slipped away from him. "I actually had to work to get to where I am. I had to go through so many interviews to get a job, the very same one that I lost! It's not like I got everything handed to me!"
Blaine's eyes widen at what he said and clasped his hand over his mouth.
"What was that supposed to mean?" That was actually hurtful. Sebastian might have gotten his current job because he had family working there, but he put in just as much effort if not more in order to prove himself. "Are you saying that I basically got things handed to me?"
"No! Oh god, Sebastian. I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I just-" Blaine shook his head in dismay. "I'm not in a good place right now. I'm not myself. I'm becoming the jerk that I hate to be."
"I'll have you know that it is precisely because people know that I have family working in this firm that I had to work twice as hard to prove myself to them." Sebastian took a deep breath. "It was hurtful, what you were implying."
"I'm really sorry. I think I'm jealous." Blaine said in a small voice, not meeting Sebastian's eyes. "I'm not like you, Sebastian. You're smart, witty, and you know how to deal with jerks. I know you work hard too. I'm sorry. I'm being an idiot."
"No, you're not." Sebastian put his hand on top of Blaine's. "You're can be competitive at times, and that's fine. But you don't need to prove yourself to anyone. I know you're more capable than all the idiots out there."
"You know that's not true." Blaine shook his head again. "Seriously, how do you put up with me?"
"Blaine-"
"I mean, I get into my funk, I complain about my work." Blaine continued, his voice rising again. "I don't listen to your advice until it's too late."
"I-"
"Not to mention I'm always the one who is piling all this crap on you." Blaine ran his hand through his hair in agitation. "I didn't even get to help you out much when you're stressed out with school. I used to travel way too much for work and made you worry. I get self-absorbed in my work."
"Jesus, Blaine, let me-"
"And now I'm literally leeching off of you. Why would you stay with me to deal with all this drama? I mean, how can you-"
"Oh, for God's sake Blaine!" This was getting ridiculous. Sebastian could feel his patience wearing thin. "Is it wrong for me to want to take care of the man that I want to marry?"
The words slipped out before Sebastian could stop himself. It took a few moments for the words to sink in for Blaine. As Sebastian watched, Blaine's expression was a mixture of shock, disbelief, and doubt, before turning into that of happiness.
"No! I mean yes! I mean …" Blaine was at a loss for words.
"You better make up your mind." Sebastian laughed weakly. "Because I don't think I can take a rejection and an acceptance, followed by another rejection."
Sebastian saw his boyfriend taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"I meant to say no, it's not wrong to want to take care of the man that you want to marry." Blaine moved closer and pulled Sebastian into a tight hug. "And yes, I will definitely marry you."
"Thank, God." Sebastian murmured into Blaine's ear. "I'm not religious but I was ready to get converted just to get you to say yes."
He heard Blaine laughing lightly against him.
"I would've always said yes."
So if anyone asked Sebastian what would be the best way to propose, he would always say to plan for the best proposal one deserved. But if anyone ever asked him how he proposed to his boyfriend, he would have told them story of how he proposed to Blaine during a candlelit dinner on the beach of Majahuitas Cove.
Because at the end of the day, the true story of how the proposal came about was something that was much more precious than the stereotypical fairytale; and it was a story that was for only for Sebastian and Blaine to know and share between them. It did not matter how the proposal came about. What mattered was the fact that it was the first time Sebastian Smythe had ever proposed, and Blaine Anderson had said yes.
(END)
Addendum: So the 4 firsts are: first time skinny-dipping together, first time having sex in the ocean, first time barebacking, and first time proposing.