Fic: Roads Traveled- PG-13
Title: Roads Traveled
Author: bowtiedarling
Characters/Friendships: Blaine/Sam friendship, snippet of Klaine
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,000+
Spoilers/Warning: None
Summary: Sam and Blaine go on one last adventure before college starts.
Author's Note: Thanks to Kathleen for beta'ing this. Written for the Glee Besties Bang.
*~*~*
Blaine held a cherry red sweater up to his chest in the mirror and silently debated its destination for a minute before he tossed the garment into the growing pile on his bed. He reached into his walk-in closet and grabbed a jacket, immediately tossing it into the stack. There was no way he could take his entire closet to New York City, and if the stories that Wes told him were true, he’d be lucky if he had time to gel his hair in the morning.
He glanced back at the bulletin board in his room that held his official acceptance letter to the musical theater program at NYU. Blaine’s hard work - the sometimes hated efforts to push himself to the forefront of New Directions, his participation in a myriad of clubs, and keeping straight A’s - had all paid off. His parents, of course, had patted him on the back with few words, but he knew how hard he worked to keep himself on top. He could hardly believe that it had all worked out and that he would be moving to New York City in a month.
Blaine quickly folded the clothes up and placed them in a box to take to Goodwill later on. He grabbed his wood hangers and hung up the three cardigans that had remained draped over his desk chair for a few days and cringed at the sound of Kurt’s voice in his head that said he was ruining good couture. He paused and bit his lip as he turned back toward the picture frame that was perched upon a wooden trinket box. He lightly traced over the photo with his finger and smiled softly at the memory. The photo had been taken a few months earlier at Blaine’s senior prom; Kurt had shown up and surprised him in a tux borrowed from Vogue, and with a second one in his arms for Blaine. Blaine got lost in the memory of that night; the feel of being in Kurt’s arms, the amount of laughing they had done, and the after party at Breadstix that had culminated in an impromptu rendition of Shiver Shiver.
Blaine shook himself out of his head and finished hanging his cardigans up. He grabbed the box off of his bed and flicked the switch on his way out. He was getting more excited to move to New York every day.
*~*~*
Blaine threw a piece of popcorn at the television as he criticized the judge’s decision. The winning cake had been completely inedible compared to the other groups; why would anyone choose an uncooked cake to win? He rolled his eyes and quickly changed the channel to the Food Network while he stuffed another few pieces of popcorn into his mouth, settling into the corner of the couch as Guy Fieri coached his contestant.
Blaine had just finished his bowl of popcorn and wrapped himself in a blanket when the doorbell rang loudly through the massive house. He groaned in protest but threw the blanket off and trudged through the hall to the large foyer. He peeked through the peephole, just in case, and rolled his eyes with a slight grin before he opened the tall front door to reveal Sam shifting back and forth with his hands in his pocket. “Hey, come in. What’s going on?”
Sam walked into the foyer and glanced around before he continued to shift on his feet. “Not much, dude. Do I need a reason to see my best friend?”
Blaine shook his head and motioned for Sam to follow. “Oh, now I know something’s up. Did you piss off the Warblers again? I really don’t want to do anymore damage control.”
“That was one time and you were there-“
“I was there for the first one. I’m talking about the two incidents after the initial incident.”
Sam collapsed into the couch next to Blaine and grumbled. “It’s not my fault some people can’t take a joke.”
“You dyed their cat pink, Sam! How could anyone not be upset by that?”
Sam rolled his eyes and shrugged. “He looked cute in pink.”
“Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, you had to bleach the blazers.”
“Okay that, I admit, was bad. But they ruined our football field, dude. Come on.”
Blaine shoved his hands in his pockets and stared back at him. “Take the high road, Sam.”
“But-”
“Take the high road.” He watched as Sam collapsed farther into couch cushions, seeming to have given up on the argument. “Now, why are you here?”
“I have an idea, a good one, and I want you to thoroughly think about it before you say anything, okay?” Blaine nodded and Sam continued. “We should go on a road trip.”
Blaine raised an eyebrow at the thought. “A road trip?”
“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “Think about it. We start college soon, the schedules are going to be crazy, and we’ll have to get jobs too. This could be the last time we have for a while to do something crazy and fun and spontaneous! Besides, your parents are gone for two weeks aren’t they? Do you really want to sit around here alone when you could be on the open road driving to New York City?”
“I don’t know.” Blaine bit his lip as he considered. It would be a lot of fun, he had no doubt about that, but where would they stay? What would they do? “New York? We’ll be there in a month or two.”
“I know, but I already talked to Kurt and Rachel and they offered to let us crash at their loft, and they’d show us around and we could go find out all the good ways to get to school. By the time we show up for classes, we’ll practically be true New Yorkers.”
Blaine pursed his lips together as he thought about it. Sam sounded so enthusiastic and excited about the idea and he couldn’t help but at least consider it. I would e nice to know something before school started. He didn’t want to look like an idiot.
“Come on, Blaine, it’ll be fun dude. It’ll be our last big thing before we move to New York for college. Don’t you want one epic memory before we go?”
Blaine chewed the corner of his lip as he thought about Sam’s plea. It could be fun, if he let himself admit it, and it wasn’t a long drive to Brooklyn. Plus he did want to see Kurt again; they hadn’t seen each other since before Blaine and Sam had graduated. “Epic, huh? And Kurt and Rachel said we could crash there?”
Sam nodded as the grin spread across his face. “Yup. They have no problem with it. So, are we going?”
Blaine sighed and rolled his eyes as he nodded. “Yes, we can go. It’ll be fun. But as far as my parents know we’re going because we want to get a feel for the school, got it?”
“Yes! It’ll be so awesome.” Sam punched the air before he fist-bumped Blaine in excitement. “So how long before you’re ready?”
“You already have your stuff in the truck don’t you?” Blaine rolled his eyes when Sam nodded and then turned around to climb the stairs toward his room. “Give me an hour.”
*~*~*
Blaine's eyes were shut as the wind swirled through the truck and carried Freddie Mercury's voice out with it. The air felt good on his skin and he felt light; like the wind was carrying his worries and fears away as it blew across his face. He hadn't realized how worried and how scared he was of moving to New York and going to college until suddenly he had felt the weight of the fear lift from him.
Blaine blinked his eyes open and allowed his eyes to adjust to the bright, harsh light as he stared out the passenger side window at the landscape of Pennsylvania. The sun had started to sink lower in the sky bringing the blinding light with it and he reached for his glasses in the door pocket and slipped them on. He glanced at the dashboard and saw that it had just passed six.
"Hey, Pittsburgh is coming up. Do you want to stop and grab some food?" Sam asked.
Blaine nodded, his stomach choosing that exact moment to growl. "That sounds great. I haven't eaten since I snacked on popcorn earlier."
"Yeah I totally forgot to eat before I went to your place. There should be some fast food and then we can keep driving for another two or three hours before we-"
Sam was interrupted as the rear left side of the car suddenly sank down. A loud scraping sound echoed throughout the truck and Blaine groaned at the sound. He knew exactly what it was. He glanced over at his best friend and would have laughed at the look in his face had they not been so far from Lima.
"Shit, are you kidding me right now?"
Blaine sensed Sam's frustration and took a deep breath. He glanced around quickly and spotted an exit sign up just ahead. "Pull off at that exit, we'll go find a place to change the tire."
Sam ran a hand through his blonde locks and bit his lip in nervousness. "I, umm, I don't have a spare tire."
Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and counted to three in his head. "What do you mean you don't have a spare? Every car has one."
"I used mine a few months ago and I forgot to replace it."
Blaine tugged at the ends of his curls and let out a loud sigh. "Alright. Get off at this exit and give me a second." His fingers were already tapping away loudly on his phone, searching for a tire shop while Sam pulled the car off the freeway and stopped at a red light. "Okay there's a place a few streets down. Turn right here then go down to the next light and turn left. It should be a few blocks down on the right."
The two drove in silence as they followed Blaine's directions with the sound of metal clanking on the ground every few seconds. Sam spotted the small red building and slowly pulled into the tiny parking lot as to not ruin any more parts. A few seconds later Blaine rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands as Sam lightly punched the steering wheel in frustration. "Closed? Are you kidding me? It's only six o'clock."
"There aren't any others around right?"
Blaine shook his head and double-checked the map one more time. "Not around here. We'd have to get your truck towed."
Sam bit his lip and let the idea sink into his head for a minute. He glanced around the area before he turned toward Blaine. "Okay, there's a Wendy's across the street. Lets go over there, get something to eat, and figure out our next plan okay?"
"Alright. Though we really only have two choices." Blaine grabbed the cardigan that he had draped over the back of his seat and quickly pulled it on.
They walked together in silence as they crossed the street and entered the bustling fast food restaurant. The smell of French fries wafting through the air caused Blaine's stomach to growl once again. They got into the line and waited patiently while it moved slowly as more people entered.
After a long wait the boys grabbed their trays, stacked to the brim with food, and found the last available table in the room. Blaine hurriedly shoved a few French fries into his mouth before he dived into the burger, inhaling it in record time. Once his hunger pangs began to subside he took a quick sip of his tea before he cleared his throat. "Alright, so I see about two possible scenarios right now." Sam nodded and signaled for him to continue speaking. "Okay. Scenario A: we can call around, see if we can get someone to tow the truck to a shop that's open, get it fixed, and then continue driving."
Sam took a sip of his soda as he threw the balled up wrapped onto the tray in front of him. "Okay. What's the other option?"
“Option B, which is my personal choice, is that we see if we can rent a room at the Holiday Inn we passed a block back, get some rest, and leave the truck where it is overnight and come back when the shop opens in the morning. We can have them fix the tire, grab some breakfast, then get back on the road.”
Sam sat back in his chair and thought for a minute as Blaine continued to eat. A few seconds passed before Sam spoke. “It’ll depend on how much the hotel room will cost. I don’t know if I have enough money for food and gas and a new tire and a room.”
Blaine shook his head as he finished eating. “No, don’t worry about it; I’ll pay for the room. Seriously Sam, don’t protest I’ve got that covered. We’ll see how much the truck costs tomorrow and I’ll pitch in for that.” Sam began to protest but Blaine refused to hear it. “Nope. Not up for negotiation, okay? I got it.”
Sam reluctantly backed down and they finished their food so they could grab their belongings from Sam’s truck. They grabbed their bags and anything they didn’t want left in the car and locked it before they trekked down the street to the Holiday Inn tucked behind a McDonald’s.
Blaine walked up to the registration desk and gently placed his bag on the floor before he smiled at the desk clerk. "Hi. I was wondering if you had any rooms available for the night."
"I'm not sure, we're pretty full tonight. Let me check." The woman behind the counter began tapping on the keyboard and stared at the screen. Blaine drummed his fingers against the counter and glanced back at Sam.
"We have four rooms available, all with a king size bed."
Blaine bit his lip and looked at Sam, who was oblivious to the situation, and was staring at the small aquarium in the corner of the lobby. "You don't have any rooms with two beds?"
The woman shook her head and adjusted her glasses. "I'm afraid not, sir. There's a large convention in town and we are housing a lot of the guests."
Blaine sighed and opened his wallet. Hopefully Sam wouldn't mind too much. "Alright, that's fine. I'll take that room." He sent Kurt a quick, short text before he signed the paperwork for the room and was given the keys. He hoisted his bag up higher on his shoulder and grabbed the larger bag off the floor, motioning across the lobby for Sam to meet him over at the elevators.
“Hey, you got a room?”
“I did,” Blaine nodded as he pushed the ‘up’ button for the elevators. “However, the only rooms they had available had a king-size bed.”
The elevator doors opened and Sam walked in as Blaine checked the floor number before he pressed the number. “Okay, that’s cool.”
“If you want, I can sleep on the floor, if it’ll make you feel more comfortable-”
“Blaine?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.” Sam glanced over Blaine’s shoulder at the room number on the card and stepped out, turning down the hallway with their number. “You’re my best friend. I don’t care if you’re gay or straight. Just don’t hog the blankets or there’ll be a fight.”
Blaine grinned and a quiet sigh of relief left his lungs as he walked into the room behind Sam. He set his belongings on the side of the bed that Sam hadn’t claimed, and therefore wasn’t currently sprawled out on. He looked around the room, grabbed the remote and tossed it onto Sam’s stomach. “See if anything’s on if you want. Or if there are any movies or games you want to rent.” He fished his laptop out of his bag and tossed it on the bed, then grabbed his grooming bag and crossed the room to set it on the counter in the bathroom.
A phone began ringing and Blaine realized it was his ringtone for Kurt. He quickly walked out to see Sam holding his phone out for him. Blaine quickly answered the call and grabbed his room key, holding it up to let his roommate know he was going out to the hall. “Hey Kurt.”
“Blaine! I just got your text. What’s going on?”
He let the door shut quietly behind him and slid down the wall to sit on the carpeted floor. “We’re stuck in a small town outside of Pittsburgh.”
“Stuck? That doesn’t sound good. Why?”
Blaine shut his eyes and allowed his head to tilt backwards to rest against the wall. “Sam’s truck got a flat tire on the freeway. We pulled off the freeway but the tire shop here is closed until tomorrow.”
“Uhhhh, Blaine? I taught you how to change a flat tire, remember? Don’t tell me you forgot all of the valuable lessons I taught you.”
He huffed out a laugh and let Kurt’s voice melt away the tension in his body. “Oh Kurt, how could I forget? No, Sam used his spare a while back and forgot to replace it.”
“Oh. Damn. So what are you guys doing?”
“We’re staying at a Holiday Inn down the street and the truck is parked outside the tire shop. We’ll get there in the morning when they open.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry. On the bright side at least it’s only a flat tire and not something worse.”
Blaine nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just tired. I spent most of the morning trying to clean out my wardrobe, since I can’t take a lot of it with me and between that and packing boxes and lugging them up and down stairs, I’m just really tired.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds before Kurt spoke. “Blaine? Can I ask you a question? Why are you getting rid of half of your stuff? Why not just leave it in Lima?”
Blaine sighed and played with a loose button on his cardigan. “My parents won’t let me keep any of my stuff at the house. Plus I’m afraid they’ll throw it all out if I did keep anything there.”
“Blaine, my dad can store your stuff in the basement with mine. There’s plenty of room and you know he would have no problem with it.”
“No Kurt, I couldn’t ask him to do that. You guys have already done so much for me. I could never ask him to do that. It’ll be fine.”
“You’re not winning that easily Blaine, but I’ll let it go for tonight. I know this trip was sudden, but I’m really glad you’re coming. I have a few days of light workloads at Vogue so I can spend time with you. We can go all around New York and walk around your campus and I can show you some of my favorite places, it’ll be fun.”
Blaine smiled at that and felt that warm feeling that he always got with Kurt spread through his body. “I’m really glad, too. I’ve missed seeing you.”
“Once you move here there will be no more excuses.”
Blaine nodded and glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Well, I’m going to get going before Sam buys every single movie and game on the TV and runs my bill through the roof. I’ll see you tomorrow okay? I’ll call when we hit Newark.”
“Okay, get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.” Blaine hung up and stood from the floor with a smile. Maybe this really was a good idea after all.
*~*~*
Blaine rubbed his eyes and tried to get the sleepiness out of them as he heard Sam's voice filter through the car over Coldplay's. He groaned as his neck protested his sleeping position and attempted to pull himself up in the seat
"Hey sleepyhead."
Blaine turned towards Sam and smiled sleepily at him. "Hey." His voice was raspy and thick with sleep and he cleared his throat as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Sorry I fell asleep on you. I'm a crappy road trip buddy."
Sam rolled his eyes at the comment as he signaled to get over a lane. "No you're not. It's fine. I had a good time singing along to Top 40 radio."
Blaine chuckled at the comment and rolled his head to face the window and the scenery flying past. He had always loved the way this side of the country looked, with its classic Americana and its New England style; there was so much history here. He watched as the green trees and the brittle, dry brush mixed together in a blurred combination that was the epitome of summer
Blaine dug his cell phone out of his pocket to see if anyone had left any messages. None. He yawned and looked out at the open road in front of him and frowned when he saw the freeway signs. "Hey Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"Where are we?"
Sam shrugged at the question. "Somewhere on our way to New York. Wherever your directions said."
Blaine quickly opened the maps app on his phone and did a current search; he frowned as it took much longer than usual. The result popped up on the screen and he hit the search button again as he figured his phone was having an issue. Six seconds later it kicked back the same response and he looked up just in time to see a flag waving in the breeze in front of a building to his right. "Ummmm, Sam? We're in Maryland. "
"What? No we're not. I took the freeway that your directions said to."
"Well, that may be the case, but my phone is saying we're in Maryland and I'm pretty sure I just saw the Maryland state flag flying."
Sam groaned and tugged at his hair. "Okay, ummm, let me find somewhere to pull off the freeway. Maybe we can find a place to eat and figure out how to get back."
Blaine nodded and glanced back at his phone, looking for the next exit. "Alright, my phone says that there should be an exit up a mile for a place called Hagerstown."
Sam mumbled in acknowledgement and changed lanes, taking the exit toward the town. They navigated the local streets, quietly admiring the classic American architecture, and followed the signs to downtown Hagerstown.
They drove slowly through the town until Sam spotted a small diner on a corner and pulled into a parking space a few storefronts up from it. They stretched quickly and ambled up the street, taking in the sights of the old town stores, and entered the diner where they were quickly seated by the windows along the walk. They read the menus in silence, gave their orders to the waitress and waited for the coffee to arrive.
Blaine reached into his pocket, looking for his phone to see if he had missed anything, and checked the screen to find a text from Kurt.
Kurt (11:43 pm)
How’s the drive going?
Blaine (12:49 pm)
We’re lost somewhere in Maryland. At a diner eating and trying to figure it out.
Kurt (12:52 pm)
What? What do you mean lost?
Blaine (12:55 pm)
Don’t worry, we’re figuring it out. Call you when we get to Newark.
Blaine opened the maps app on his phone and thanked the waitress as she placed the coffee in front of him. “Alright, so, give me a minute and I’ll see what the map tells us on how to get back on track okay?”
“I’m sorry.”
Blaine’s head snapped up at the statement and reached for his coffee. “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything.”
“I got us lost. I’ve never had good direction and now we’re farther out, and we had to stay overnight to get a flat tire fixed because I’m the one that forgot to put a spare back into my truck. This trip was supposed to be fun and it’s just turning into a bunch of bad stuff happening.”
“Hey Sam, this isn’t your fault. It’s what happens on a road trip. It’s what makes it an adventure! This trip is a lot of fun, I promise. Don’t worry about it so much. Alright?” The blonde nodded but kept his gaze down at the table. “Okay?”
“Okay.” Sam smiled at Blaine across the table as he held his hand out for Blaine’s phone. “Alright, let me see that map thing before our food gets here.”
*~*~*
“Okay, can someone leave so we can get a spot?”
“Welcome to New York, Sam. It’s always like this. It’s worse in the city.”
The two had been driving around the block for twenty minutes hoping for a parking spot to magically appear. The loft was in a busy part of town and since they had arrived later in the day it was worse than usual.
“Up there! Someone just put their backup lights on.” Blaine pointed at the black truck a few spots up and Sam threw his blinker on and moved quickly. As soon as the black truck had left Sam squeezed into the spot and turned the engine off. Blaine relaxed against the seat and looked over at him. “God, that was a long drive.”
Sam laughed and agreed. “Yeah. Let’s avoid all that on the way back. Let’s grab our stuff.”
Blaine hopped out of the truck and grabbed his bags from the backseat. He quickly called Kurt and agreed to meet them at the doors to the building. Blaine and Sam walked a block back to where Kurt lived and as they rounded the corner they spotted the two roommates waiting for them just outside the building. He couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on his face when he saw Kurt; he also couldn’t stop the pain that flooded his chest. He tried to ignore it as they were spotted and Kurt and Rachel came running over.
“Blaine!”
Kurt wrapped his arms around him and Blaine quickly dropped his bag to the ground. He welcomed the warmth that enveloped him and the peace that washed over him when Kurt was near. He hadn’t realized how much Kurt affected his whole being until now. “Hi Kurt.” He pulled away after a few seconds and pulled Rachel into a hug as he attempted to follow her mile-a-minute story. He reached down for his bag but Kurt had already picked it up and was walking back toward the building. Blaine smiled and followed behind him.
They rode the older style elevator up to the top floor and walked through the large metal door into the space. There were more things in there now than he had seen the last time he was there. In the corner was a sewing space, with a dress form that had fabric draped over it to form a women’s dress. Stacks of fabric were piled on top of shelves next to it. There were curtains over the windows now and in front of one of them, by the sewing area, was a large table, most likely for Kurt.
“Hey stranger.”
Blaine jumped at the voice in his ear and turned to see Kurt there with an amused grin on his face. “I’m sorry what?”
Kurt laughed and tugged at Blaine’s arm. “Come put your stuff down in my room.” Blaine smiled back and followed him behind the room divider to his area of the loft. “I’m sorry it’s not all that private. We still haven’t figured that part out.”
“It’s okay, Kurt.” He placed his bag next to the bed and turned back to Kurt, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m just glad that I’m here and that I get to see you.”
The moment was interrupted as a loud knock rang through the apartment and caused Rachel to squeal. Kurt rolled his eyes and tugged Blaine with him. "I swear that girl is going to find herself outside sleeping on the fire escape if she isn't careful."
Blaine chuckled and followed Kurt out to the kitchen where Rachel was grabbing plates for everyone as Sam paid the pizza deliveryman. Kurt squeezed his arm and got some drinks out of the fridge while everyone helped themselves to the food. Rachel was the first out to the couch and turned a mindless movie on in the background. Kurt and Blaine squeezed onto the small sofa with her and Sam followed a few minutes later, plate piled high with pizza and breadsticks. He rolled his eyes at his best friend’s appetite and nudged Kurt with his shoulder before he dug into the food.
“So what’s been happening the past few months with you two back in Lima? I feel like we haven’t actually talked in forever.” Rachel took a bite of her sandwich and looked between Sam and Blaine.
“Well, everyone graduated, even Brittany, and I think everyone’s just been trying to spend as much time together as we can before we go all over. We’re just trying to stir up some trouble one last time before we leave.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow as he swallowed his food. “What do you mean one last time? What the hell has happened to you two since I left?” He looked pointedly at Blaine, who tried to hide his grin but was unsuccessful. “Uhhhhh, that could take some time to explain.”
“Lucky for you we’ve got that. Start talking.”
Blaine motioned for Sam to start with the stories and the small group spent the next three hours curled up together on the couch laughing from the stories being told, from Sam and Blaine’s Dalton adventures to Rachel’s nemesis and Kurt’s stealthy observations in the fashion world.
As Rachel was recounting a particularly bad class Blaine noticed that at some point Kurt’s arm had snaked around his shoulder and he was leaning back into Kurt, snuggled into his shoulder like he often used to. He caught Sam’s eye and smiled at him; both boys knew that this was the start of something great for both of them. Blaine couldn’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe, everything would work out in the end after all.
Author: bowtiedarling
Characters/Friendships: Blaine/Sam friendship, snippet of Klaine
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,000+
Spoilers/Warning: None
Summary: Sam and Blaine go on one last adventure before college starts.
Author's Note: Thanks to Kathleen for beta'ing this. Written for the Glee Besties Bang.
*~*~*
Blaine held a cherry red sweater up to his chest in the mirror and silently debated its destination for a minute before he tossed the garment into the growing pile on his bed. He reached into his walk-in closet and grabbed a jacket, immediately tossing it into the stack. There was no way he could take his entire closet to New York City, and if the stories that Wes told him were true, he’d be lucky if he had time to gel his hair in the morning.
He glanced back at the bulletin board in his room that held his official acceptance letter to the musical theater program at NYU. Blaine’s hard work - the sometimes hated efforts to push himself to the forefront of New Directions, his participation in a myriad of clubs, and keeping straight A’s - had all paid off. His parents, of course, had patted him on the back with few words, but he knew how hard he worked to keep himself on top. He could hardly believe that it had all worked out and that he would be moving to New York City in a month.
Blaine quickly folded the clothes up and placed them in a box to take to Goodwill later on. He grabbed his wood hangers and hung up the three cardigans that had remained draped over his desk chair for a few days and cringed at the sound of Kurt’s voice in his head that said he was ruining good couture. He paused and bit his lip as he turned back toward the picture frame that was perched upon a wooden trinket box. He lightly traced over the photo with his finger and smiled softly at the memory. The photo had been taken a few months earlier at Blaine’s senior prom; Kurt had shown up and surprised him in a tux borrowed from Vogue, and with a second one in his arms for Blaine. Blaine got lost in the memory of that night; the feel of being in Kurt’s arms, the amount of laughing they had done, and the after party at Breadstix that had culminated in an impromptu rendition of Shiver Shiver.
Blaine shook himself out of his head and finished hanging his cardigans up. He grabbed the box off of his bed and flicked the switch on his way out. He was getting more excited to move to New York every day.
*~*~*
Blaine threw a piece of popcorn at the television as he criticized the judge’s decision. The winning cake had been completely inedible compared to the other groups; why would anyone choose an uncooked cake to win? He rolled his eyes and quickly changed the channel to the Food Network while he stuffed another few pieces of popcorn into his mouth, settling into the corner of the couch as Guy Fieri coached his contestant.
Blaine had just finished his bowl of popcorn and wrapped himself in a blanket when the doorbell rang loudly through the massive house. He groaned in protest but threw the blanket off and trudged through the hall to the large foyer. He peeked through the peephole, just in case, and rolled his eyes with a slight grin before he opened the tall front door to reveal Sam shifting back and forth with his hands in his pocket. “Hey, come in. What’s going on?”
Sam walked into the foyer and glanced around before he continued to shift on his feet. “Not much, dude. Do I need a reason to see my best friend?”
Blaine shook his head and motioned for Sam to follow. “Oh, now I know something’s up. Did you piss off the Warblers again? I really don’t want to do anymore damage control.”
“That was one time and you were there-“
“I was there for the first one. I’m talking about the two incidents after the initial incident.”
Sam collapsed into the couch next to Blaine and grumbled. “It’s not my fault some people can’t take a joke.”
“You dyed their cat pink, Sam! How could anyone not be upset by that?”
Sam rolled his eyes and shrugged. “He looked cute in pink.”
“Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, you had to bleach the blazers.”
“Okay that, I admit, was bad. But they ruined our football field, dude. Come on.”
Blaine shoved his hands in his pockets and stared back at him. “Take the high road, Sam.”
“But-”
“Take the high road.” He watched as Sam collapsed farther into couch cushions, seeming to have given up on the argument. “Now, why are you here?”
“I have an idea, a good one, and I want you to thoroughly think about it before you say anything, okay?” Blaine nodded and Sam continued. “We should go on a road trip.”
Blaine raised an eyebrow at the thought. “A road trip?”
“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “Think about it. We start college soon, the schedules are going to be crazy, and we’ll have to get jobs too. This could be the last time we have for a while to do something crazy and fun and spontaneous! Besides, your parents are gone for two weeks aren’t they? Do you really want to sit around here alone when you could be on the open road driving to New York City?”
“I don’t know.” Blaine bit his lip as he considered. It would be a lot of fun, he had no doubt about that, but where would they stay? What would they do? “New York? We’ll be there in a month or two.”
“I know, but I already talked to Kurt and Rachel and they offered to let us crash at their loft, and they’d show us around and we could go find out all the good ways to get to school. By the time we show up for classes, we’ll practically be true New Yorkers.”
Blaine pursed his lips together as he thought about it. Sam sounded so enthusiastic and excited about the idea and he couldn’t help but at least consider it. I would e nice to know something before school started. He didn’t want to look like an idiot.
“Come on, Blaine, it’ll be fun dude. It’ll be our last big thing before we move to New York for college. Don’t you want one epic memory before we go?”
Blaine chewed the corner of his lip as he thought about Sam’s plea. It could be fun, if he let himself admit it, and it wasn’t a long drive to Brooklyn. Plus he did want to see Kurt again; they hadn’t seen each other since before Blaine and Sam had graduated. “Epic, huh? And Kurt and Rachel said we could crash there?”
Sam nodded as the grin spread across his face. “Yup. They have no problem with it. So, are we going?”
Blaine sighed and rolled his eyes as he nodded. “Yes, we can go. It’ll be fun. But as far as my parents know we’re going because we want to get a feel for the school, got it?”
“Yes! It’ll be so awesome.” Sam punched the air before he fist-bumped Blaine in excitement. “So how long before you’re ready?”
“You already have your stuff in the truck don’t you?” Blaine rolled his eyes when Sam nodded and then turned around to climb the stairs toward his room. “Give me an hour.”
*~*~*
Blaine's eyes were shut as the wind swirled through the truck and carried Freddie Mercury's voice out with it. The air felt good on his skin and he felt light; like the wind was carrying his worries and fears away as it blew across his face. He hadn't realized how worried and how scared he was of moving to New York and going to college until suddenly he had felt the weight of the fear lift from him.
Blaine blinked his eyes open and allowed his eyes to adjust to the bright, harsh light as he stared out the passenger side window at the landscape of Pennsylvania. The sun had started to sink lower in the sky bringing the blinding light with it and he reached for his glasses in the door pocket and slipped them on. He glanced at the dashboard and saw that it had just passed six.
"Hey, Pittsburgh is coming up. Do you want to stop and grab some food?" Sam asked.
Blaine nodded, his stomach choosing that exact moment to growl. "That sounds great. I haven't eaten since I snacked on popcorn earlier."
"Yeah I totally forgot to eat before I went to your place. There should be some fast food and then we can keep driving for another two or three hours before we-"
Sam was interrupted as the rear left side of the car suddenly sank down. A loud scraping sound echoed throughout the truck and Blaine groaned at the sound. He knew exactly what it was. He glanced over at his best friend and would have laughed at the look in his face had they not been so far from Lima.
"Shit, are you kidding me right now?"
Blaine sensed Sam's frustration and took a deep breath. He glanced around quickly and spotted an exit sign up just ahead. "Pull off at that exit, we'll go find a place to change the tire."
Sam ran a hand through his blonde locks and bit his lip in nervousness. "I, umm, I don't have a spare tire."
Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and counted to three in his head. "What do you mean you don't have a spare? Every car has one."
"I used mine a few months ago and I forgot to replace it."
Blaine tugged at the ends of his curls and let out a loud sigh. "Alright. Get off at this exit and give me a second." His fingers were already tapping away loudly on his phone, searching for a tire shop while Sam pulled the car off the freeway and stopped at a red light. "Okay there's a place a few streets down. Turn right here then go down to the next light and turn left. It should be a few blocks down on the right."
The two drove in silence as they followed Blaine's directions with the sound of metal clanking on the ground every few seconds. Sam spotted the small red building and slowly pulled into the tiny parking lot as to not ruin any more parts. A few seconds later Blaine rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands as Sam lightly punched the steering wheel in frustration. "Closed? Are you kidding me? It's only six o'clock."
"There aren't any others around right?"
Blaine shook his head and double-checked the map one more time. "Not around here. We'd have to get your truck towed."
Sam bit his lip and let the idea sink into his head for a minute. He glanced around the area before he turned toward Blaine. "Okay, there's a Wendy's across the street. Lets go over there, get something to eat, and figure out our next plan okay?"
"Alright. Though we really only have two choices." Blaine grabbed the cardigan that he had draped over the back of his seat and quickly pulled it on.
They walked together in silence as they crossed the street and entered the bustling fast food restaurant. The smell of French fries wafting through the air caused Blaine's stomach to growl once again. They got into the line and waited patiently while it moved slowly as more people entered.
After a long wait the boys grabbed their trays, stacked to the brim with food, and found the last available table in the room. Blaine hurriedly shoved a few French fries into his mouth before he dived into the burger, inhaling it in record time. Once his hunger pangs began to subside he took a quick sip of his tea before he cleared his throat. "Alright, so I see about two possible scenarios right now." Sam nodded and signaled for him to continue speaking. "Okay. Scenario A: we can call around, see if we can get someone to tow the truck to a shop that's open, get it fixed, and then continue driving."
Sam took a sip of his soda as he threw the balled up wrapped onto the tray in front of him. "Okay. What's the other option?"
“Option B, which is my personal choice, is that we see if we can rent a room at the Holiday Inn we passed a block back, get some rest, and leave the truck where it is overnight and come back when the shop opens in the morning. We can have them fix the tire, grab some breakfast, then get back on the road.”
Sam sat back in his chair and thought for a minute as Blaine continued to eat. A few seconds passed before Sam spoke. “It’ll depend on how much the hotel room will cost. I don’t know if I have enough money for food and gas and a new tire and a room.”
Blaine shook his head as he finished eating. “No, don’t worry about it; I’ll pay for the room. Seriously Sam, don’t protest I’ve got that covered. We’ll see how much the truck costs tomorrow and I’ll pitch in for that.” Sam began to protest but Blaine refused to hear it. “Nope. Not up for negotiation, okay? I got it.”
Sam reluctantly backed down and they finished their food so they could grab their belongings from Sam’s truck. They grabbed their bags and anything they didn’t want left in the car and locked it before they trekked down the street to the Holiday Inn tucked behind a McDonald’s.
Blaine walked up to the registration desk and gently placed his bag on the floor before he smiled at the desk clerk. "Hi. I was wondering if you had any rooms available for the night."
"I'm not sure, we're pretty full tonight. Let me check." The woman behind the counter began tapping on the keyboard and stared at the screen. Blaine drummed his fingers against the counter and glanced back at Sam.
"We have four rooms available, all with a king size bed."
Blaine bit his lip and looked at Sam, who was oblivious to the situation, and was staring at the small aquarium in the corner of the lobby. "You don't have any rooms with two beds?"
The woman shook her head and adjusted her glasses. "I'm afraid not, sir. There's a large convention in town and we are housing a lot of the guests."
Blaine sighed and opened his wallet. Hopefully Sam wouldn't mind too much. "Alright, that's fine. I'll take that room." He sent Kurt a quick, short text before he signed the paperwork for the room and was given the keys. He hoisted his bag up higher on his shoulder and grabbed the larger bag off the floor, motioning across the lobby for Sam to meet him over at the elevators.
“Hey, you got a room?”
“I did,” Blaine nodded as he pushed the ‘up’ button for the elevators. “However, the only rooms they had available had a king-size bed.”
The elevator doors opened and Sam walked in as Blaine checked the floor number before he pressed the number. “Okay, that’s cool.”
“If you want, I can sleep on the floor, if it’ll make you feel more comfortable-”
“Blaine?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.” Sam glanced over Blaine’s shoulder at the room number on the card and stepped out, turning down the hallway with their number. “You’re my best friend. I don’t care if you’re gay or straight. Just don’t hog the blankets or there’ll be a fight.”
Blaine grinned and a quiet sigh of relief left his lungs as he walked into the room behind Sam. He set his belongings on the side of the bed that Sam hadn’t claimed, and therefore wasn’t currently sprawled out on. He looked around the room, grabbed the remote and tossed it onto Sam’s stomach. “See if anything’s on if you want. Or if there are any movies or games you want to rent.” He fished his laptop out of his bag and tossed it on the bed, then grabbed his grooming bag and crossed the room to set it on the counter in the bathroom.
A phone began ringing and Blaine realized it was his ringtone for Kurt. He quickly walked out to see Sam holding his phone out for him. Blaine quickly answered the call and grabbed his room key, holding it up to let his roommate know he was going out to the hall. “Hey Kurt.”
“Blaine! I just got your text. What’s going on?”
He let the door shut quietly behind him and slid down the wall to sit on the carpeted floor. “We’re stuck in a small town outside of Pittsburgh.”
“Stuck? That doesn’t sound good. Why?”
Blaine shut his eyes and allowed his head to tilt backwards to rest against the wall. “Sam’s truck got a flat tire on the freeway. We pulled off the freeway but the tire shop here is closed until tomorrow.”
“Uhhhh, Blaine? I taught you how to change a flat tire, remember? Don’t tell me you forgot all of the valuable lessons I taught you.”
He huffed out a laugh and let Kurt’s voice melt away the tension in his body. “Oh Kurt, how could I forget? No, Sam used his spare a while back and forgot to replace it.”
“Oh. Damn. So what are you guys doing?”
“We’re staying at a Holiday Inn down the street and the truck is parked outside the tire shop. We’ll get there in the morning when they open.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry. On the bright side at least it’s only a flat tire and not something worse.”
Blaine nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just tired. I spent most of the morning trying to clean out my wardrobe, since I can’t take a lot of it with me and between that and packing boxes and lugging them up and down stairs, I’m just really tired.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds before Kurt spoke. “Blaine? Can I ask you a question? Why are you getting rid of half of your stuff? Why not just leave it in Lima?”
Blaine sighed and played with a loose button on his cardigan. “My parents won’t let me keep any of my stuff at the house. Plus I’m afraid they’ll throw it all out if I did keep anything there.”
“Blaine, my dad can store your stuff in the basement with mine. There’s plenty of room and you know he would have no problem with it.”
“No Kurt, I couldn’t ask him to do that. You guys have already done so much for me. I could never ask him to do that. It’ll be fine.”
“You’re not winning that easily Blaine, but I’ll let it go for tonight. I know this trip was sudden, but I’m really glad you’re coming. I have a few days of light workloads at Vogue so I can spend time with you. We can go all around New York and walk around your campus and I can show you some of my favorite places, it’ll be fun.”
Blaine smiled at that and felt that warm feeling that he always got with Kurt spread through his body. “I’m really glad, too. I’ve missed seeing you.”
“Once you move here there will be no more excuses.”
Blaine nodded and glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Well, I’m going to get going before Sam buys every single movie and game on the TV and runs my bill through the roof. I’ll see you tomorrow okay? I’ll call when we hit Newark.”
“Okay, get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.” Blaine hung up and stood from the floor with a smile. Maybe this really was a good idea after all.
*~*~*
Blaine rubbed his eyes and tried to get the sleepiness out of them as he heard Sam's voice filter through the car over Coldplay's. He groaned as his neck protested his sleeping position and attempted to pull himself up in the seat
"Hey sleepyhead."
Blaine turned towards Sam and smiled sleepily at him. "Hey." His voice was raspy and thick with sleep and he cleared his throat as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Sorry I fell asleep on you. I'm a crappy road trip buddy."
Sam rolled his eyes at the comment as he signaled to get over a lane. "No you're not. It's fine. I had a good time singing along to Top 40 radio."
Blaine chuckled at the comment and rolled his head to face the window and the scenery flying past. He had always loved the way this side of the country looked, with its classic Americana and its New England style; there was so much history here. He watched as the green trees and the brittle, dry brush mixed together in a blurred combination that was the epitome of summer
Blaine dug his cell phone out of his pocket to see if anyone had left any messages. None. He yawned and looked out at the open road in front of him and frowned when he saw the freeway signs. "Hey Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"Where are we?"
Sam shrugged at the question. "Somewhere on our way to New York. Wherever your directions said."
Blaine quickly opened the maps app on his phone and did a current search; he frowned as it took much longer than usual. The result popped up on the screen and he hit the search button again as he figured his phone was having an issue. Six seconds later it kicked back the same response and he looked up just in time to see a flag waving in the breeze in front of a building to his right. "Ummmm, Sam? We're in Maryland. "
"What? No we're not. I took the freeway that your directions said to."
"Well, that may be the case, but my phone is saying we're in Maryland and I'm pretty sure I just saw the Maryland state flag flying."
Sam groaned and tugged at his hair. "Okay, ummm, let me find somewhere to pull off the freeway. Maybe we can find a place to eat and figure out how to get back."
Blaine nodded and glanced back at his phone, looking for the next exit. "Alright, my phone says that there should be an exit up a mile for a place called Hagerstown."
Sam mumbled in acknowledgement and changed lanes, taking the exit toward the town. They navigated the local streets, quietly admiring the classic American architecture, and followed the signs to downtown Hagerstown.
They drove slowly through the town until Sam spotted a small diner on a corner and pulled into a parking space a few storefronts up from it. They stretched quickly and ambled up the street, taking in the sights of the old town stores, and entered the diner where they were quickly seated by the windows along the walk. They read the menus in silence, gave their orders to the waitress and waited for the coffee to arrive.
Blaine reached into his pocket, looking for his phone to see if he had missed anything, and checked the screen to find a text from Kurt.
Kurt (11:43 pm)
How’s the drive going?
Blaine (12:49 pm)
We’re lost somewhere in Maryland. At a diner eating and trying to figure it out.
Kurt (12:52 pm)
What? What do you mean lost?
Blaine (12:55 pm)
Don’t worry, we’re figuring it out. Call you when we get to Newark.
Blaine opened the maps app on his phone and thanked the waitress as she placed the coffee in front of him. “Alright, so, give me a minute and I’ll see what the map tells us on how to get back on track okay?”
“I’m sorry.”
Blaine’s head snapped up at the statement and reached for his coffee. “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything.”
“I got us lost. I’ve never had good direction and now we’re farther out, and we had to stay overnight to get a flat tire fixed because I’m the one that forgot to put a spare back into my truck. This trip was supposed to be fun and it’s just turning into a bunch of bad stuff happening.”
“Hey Sam, this isn’t your fault. It’s what happens on a road trip. It’s what makes it an adventure! This trip is a lot of fun, I promise. Don’t worry about it so much. Alright?” The blonde nodded but kept his gaze down at the table. “Okay?”
“Okay.” Sam smiled at Blaine across the table as he held his hand out for Blaine’s phone. “Alright, let me see that map thing before our food gets here.”
*~*~*
“Okay, can someone leave so we can get a spot?”
“Welcome to New York, Sam. It’s always like this. It’s worse in the city.”
The two had been driving around the block for twenty minutes hoping for a parking spot to magically appear. The loft was in a busy part of town and since they had arrived later in the day it was worse than usual.
“Up there! Someone just put their backup lights on.” Blaine pointed at the black truck a few spots up and Sam threw his blinker on and moved quickly. As soon as the black truck had left Sam squeezed into the spot and turned the engine off. Blaine relaxed against the seat and looked over at him. “God, that was a long drive.”
Sam laughed and agreed. “Yeah. Let’s avoid all that on the way back. Let’s grab our stuff.”
Blaine hopped out of the truck and grabbed his bags from the backseat. He quickly called Kurt and agreed to meet them at the doors to the building. Blaine and Sam walked a block back to where Kurt lived and as they rounded the corner they spotted the two roommates waiting for them just outside the building. He couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on his face when he saw Kurt; he also couldn’t stop the pain that flooded his chest. He tried to ignore it as they were spotted and Kurt and Rachel came running over.
“Blaine!”
Kurt wrapped his arms around him and Blaine quickly dropped his bag to the ground. He welcomed the warmth that enveloped him and the peace that washed over him when Kurt was near. He hadn’t realized how much Kurt affected his whole being until now. “Hi Kurt.” He pulled away after a few seconds and pulled Rachel into a hug as he attempted to follow her mile-a-minute story. He reached down for his bag but Kurt had already picked it up and was walking back toward the building. Blaine smiled and followed behind him.
They rode the older style elevator up to the top floor and walked through the large metal door into the space. There were more things in there now than he had seen the last time he was there. In the corner was a sewing space, with a dress form that had fabric draped over it to form a women’s dress. Stacks of fabric were piled on top of shelves next to it. There were curtains over the windows now and in front of one of them, by the sewing area, was a large table, most likely for Kurt.
“Hey stranger.”
Blaine jumped at the voice in his ear and turned to see Kurt there with an amused grin on his face. “I’m sorry what?”
Kurt laughed and tugged at Blaine’s arm. “Come put your stuff down in my room.” Blaine smiled back and followed him behind the room divider to his area of the loft. “I’m sorry it’s not all that private. We still haven’t figured that part out.”
“It’s okay, Kurt.” He placed his bag next to the bed and turned back to Kurt, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m just glad that I’m here and that I get to see you.”
The moment was interrupted as a loud knock rang through the apartment and caused Rachel to squeal. Kurt rolled his eyes and tugged Blaine with him. "I swear that girl is going to find herself outside sleeping on the fire escape if she isn't careful."
Blaine chuckled and followed Kurt out to the kitchen where Rachel was grabbing plates for everyone as Sam paid the pizza deliveryman. Kurt squeezed his arm and got some drinks out of the fridge while everyone helped themselves to the food. Rachel was the first out to the couch and turned a mindless movie on in the background. Kurt and Blaine squeezed onto the small sofa with her and Sam followed a few minutes later, plate piled high with pizza and breadsticks. He rolled his eyes at his best friend’s appetite and nudged Kurt with his shoulder before he dug into the food.
“So what’s been happening the past few months with you two back in Lima? I feel like we haven’t actually talked in forever.” Rachel took a bite of her sandwich and looked between Sam and Blaine.
“Well, everyone graduated, even Brittany, and I think everyone’s just been trying to spend as much time together as we can before we go all over. We’re just trying to stir up some trouble one last time before we leave.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow as he swallowed his food. “What do you mean one last time? What the hell has happened to you two since I left?” He looked pointedly at Blaine, who tried to hide his grin but was unsuccessful. “Uhhhhh, that could take some time to explain.”
“Lucky for you we’ve got that. Start talking.”
Blaine motioned for Sam to start with the stories and the small group spent the next three hours curled up together on the couch laughing from the stories being told, from Sam and Blaine’s Dalton adventures to Rachel’s nemesis and Kurt’s stealthy observations in the fashion world.
As Rachel was recounting a particularly bad class Blaine noticed that at some point Kurt’s arm had snaked around his shoulder and he was leaning back into Kurt, snuggled into his shoulder like he often used to. He caught Sam’s eye and smiled at him; both boys knew that this was the start of something great for both of them. Blaine couldn’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe, everything would work out in the end after all.