Come to Light also available on AO3 and FFN I found this tumblr post about Sam and Sebastian as a pairing, with permission, I turned it into a 6 chapter fanfiction. I'm not sure if there's anybody else here who's a fan of the pairing, but I figured I'd share it anyways! Warnings: Swearing, implied/referenced drug use, (very) mild sexual content in Chapters 5/6. Chapter 1 Sebastian is sitting at the edge of the lake, east of his house, with a pack of cigarettes. This is not unusual. He’s been leaving his room more often now that the temperature’s starting to drop, and the lake is his favourite haunt. What’s unusual, is that this time, Abigail decides to join him. She stops at the top of the stone steps that lead back towards town, then turns left, and makes her way over to the lake instead. She’s going to be home a little later than usual; her parents will just have to deal with it. “Hey,” she says, coming to a stop a few feet behind him. “Hey.” Sebastian doesn’t turn to look at her, but he doesn’t tell her to fuck off, either. Abigail takes a few more steps, until she’s beside him. “Do you mind if I join?” “No. I’m just… thinking.” She plops herself down on the damp grass next to him. He shifts, slightly, but doesn’t get up to leave. Abigail reaches for her boots, unlaces them one at a time, then discards them in a pile next to her. “Water’s pretty cold for that,” he says, as she rolls up her leggings, and dips one of her bare feet into the lake. Abigail shrugs, and sticks her other foot in the water. “It’s nice.” For a few minutes, they sit in silence. Sebastian takes another drag of his cigarette, and Abigail watches as a few tiny, but brave fish swim up to her feet. “Do you want to talk?” she asks. There’s a pause, and then he turns to meet her eyes. “Promise not to tell Sam?” It’s an odd request. Sam and Sebastian share almost everything; they have for about as long as Abigail can remember. Comic books, song lyrics, vulgar nicknames for their least favourite residents of Pelican Town, weed… they share most (emphasis on most) of these things, with Abigail, too, but it’s rare that they share something with just her, and not the other. She hasn’t answered him yet, and Sebastian’s starting to look… a little scared, maybe? Abigail doesn’t think she’s ever seen him look scared before. “Something tells me this is more than an idea for a prank,” she says, hoping it’ll lighten the mood. Sebastian snorts. “I wish it was a prank.” “You don’t have to tell me. Not if you don’t want to.” He sighs, and uncrosses his legs, pulling his knees up to his chest instead. “Have you ever,” Sebastian begins, looking everywhere but her as he speaks, “um, ever had feelings… for another girl?” “Yeah, “Abigail says. She has a feeling she knows where this talk is going, but she waits for Sebastian to take it there. “I think I’m gay, Abby,” he admits. “Cool.” She doesn’t say any of that cliché shit, like how she’s always known (she hasn’t), or how it won’t change their friendship (shouldn’t that obvious?). Abigail knows that’s not what Sebastian wants or needs to hear. He pulls at the collar of his hoodie. “Robin probably wouldn’t think so. She’s always trying to talk about girls. Asking if I’m seeing any. Telling me how she’s sure I’ll find a nice girl to marry someday, if I just come out of my shell a little. Like all this anxiety’s going to just, magically, fucking disappear.” He lets out a shaky laugh. “I think she’s trying to set me up with the fucking farmer.” Abigail laughs with him. “Could be worse. What if she tried to set you up with Haley?” Sebastian makes a gagging noise. “Can you imagine? I’d throw myself off a fucking cliff.” He wraps his arms around his legs. “She wants grandkids, Abby. How am I supposed to tell her I’m gay?” He exhales a puff of smoke. “I’m already enough of a disappointment.” “I think she’d understand, Seb,” Abigail says. “She loves you; you know that. She just wants you to be happy. So what if guys make you happy?” Sebastian’s silent, and Abigail decides to prod a little deeper. “So, who is it?” “Who do you think?” “Oh.” The answer’s obvious enough that Abigail doesn’t bother to ask any further. He snuffs out his cigarette on a nearby patch of dirt. “You should go.” He stands up, and shoves his hands into his pockets. “It’s getting dark.” “Yeah.” Abigail pulls her feet out of the water, and grabs her boots by the laces as she stands up. “Gotta help with dinner. No man’s going to want to marry me if I’m not the perfect little housewife, right?” Sebastian smirks. “That’d be a tragedy.” She waves. “See you around.” Abigail turns to leave, and then hesitates. “Seb? We can talk about this – any time – you know? I won’t tell anybody.” “Thanks,” he says, just loud enough for her to hear. She makes it about four steps before he calls after her again. “Hey Abigail?” She glances back over her shoulder. “Yeah?” “Are you going to walk home barefoot?” Abigail grins. “Considering it.” Chapter 2 Sam calls for an emergency band meeting Friday afternoon, about an hour before they usually meet up at the Stardrop Saloon. Abigail’s surprised when Sebastian doesn’t show. She’s sitting on Sam’s unmade bed, watching as he paces his bedroom, and for a second, Abigail thinks Sam might be upset that Sebastian’s decided to blow them off, when he pauses, and gives her a look. She’s seen this look before. It takes her a second to place it, but then she remembers the talk she had with Sebastian. Oh, Yoba. Abigail’s not sure she has the patience to deal with this. “Abigail?” Sam says, and she knows exactly what he’s about to say next. He stops pacing, and takes a shaky breath. “I’m in love with Sebastian.” Okay, maybe not exactly. “Please don’t tell him,” Sam begs, and Abigail wants to shake him. She wonders if she could just lock them in Sam’s room together the next time they have a jam session, and let the two of them work this out on their own. It would certainly be easier than watching them stumble around for the next few months, pretending like they’re not secretly in love with each other. “You’re weirded out, aren’t you?” Sam continues, and Abigail realizes he’s been going on about his feelings the whole time. She hopes he didn’t notice that she’s missed half the conversation. “No, of course not,” she reassures him. “I know how you feel, trust me.” Sam looks anything but reassured. “Oh no,” he moans. “Don’t tell me – you’re in love with him too, aren’t you?” Abigail tries to stifle her laughter (really, she does), but the thought of some absurd love triangle between her, Sebastian, and Sam is just too much. “What the fuck, Abby,” Sam hisses, and Abigail struggles to regain her composure. “I just came out to you, and you’re laughing at me. What the hell is your problem?” “I’m sorry,” she manages to choke out, “it’s just – I’m not interested – at all. Kind of the opposite, really.” “Oh.” Sam’s cheeks have turned bright pink. “You, uh, you’re gay too, huh?” “Yeah.” “Sorry,” Sam says, and he joins her on his bed. “I’m just nervous, you know? I feel like if I tell even one person, everybody and their mother’s gonna know by the next day. I don’t even know how my mom’s going to react when I tell her.” Sam plays with one of the elastic bands he usually wears around his wrist. “And I really don’t want to think about how my dad’s going to react,” he adds, in a quiet voice. “I won’t tell anybody,” Abigail promises, even though she desperately wants to tell Sebastian. “Thanks, Abby.” He gives her a weak smile, then looks away. “I wish I could tell Seb; we tell each other everything.” “You should,” she says, and puts a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Sam, listen, you have to tell Sebastian.” Abigail can’t break her promise to Sebastian, but maybe she can convince Sam to be the one to make the first move. Yoba help her if neither of these idiots want to confess their feelings. He shakes his head. “I can’t. It’ll ruin everything.” Abigail sighs. “Okay, what’s the worst that could happen if you tell him?” Sam thinks about it for a moment. “He doesn’t feel the same way. He’s grossed out. He calls me something rude, and then storms out. Later, we make up, but things are awkward. He doesn’t want to be alone with me anymore. The band breaks up. People find out what happened, and suddenly the whole fucking town knows I’m gay. Then, my dad finally comes home from the military, and when he hears about it, he calls me a fa-” “I think that’s enough,” Abigail interrupts. It’s realistic enough, she supposes, if she didn’t already know that Sebastian definitely felt the same way. “I don’t want to lose my best friend,” Sam finishes, and Abigail can see that convincing him otherwise is a lost cause. “Fine,” she relents. “I understand.” She squeezes his shoulder, then removes her hand. “I mean, it’s not like you have another best friend,” Abigail adds in a more playful tone. “If you lose Sebastian, there’s nobody else, right?” “I didn’t mean it like that,” Sam protests. Abigail grins. “I’d be offended, if I didn’t know that you’re madly in love with him.” “Okay, I never said madly in love-” “Close enough,” she teases, and Sam elbows her. He gets up from his bed, and glances at the clock on his wall. “Let’s head over to the Saloon now. Seb’s probably gonna be there soon.” He looks back at Abigail. “You promise you won’t tell him, right?” “Of course not,” she agrees. Abigail can’t believe she’s gotten herself involved in this mess. Chapter 3 Abigail meant to keep her promise – to keep her mouth shut, to just stand back and watch as her two idiot friends pretended they weren’t stupidly in love with one another, but honestly? Abigail can only take so much of it. She can only watch them make eye contact – and then hastily look away – so many times. She can only pretend that all those little touches – Sebastian’s hand on Sam’s leg, or Sam’s head in the crook of Sebastian’s neck – are platonic for so long. She can only find so many excuses to leave the two of them alone together, before Sam pulls her aside, and tries to ask her if she’s having ‘lady issues’. Abigail decides she’s going to have to take matters into her own hands; she’s going to completely lose her mind if she has to endure another week of this, let alone months. “Do you guys want to hang out tomorrow?” she asks one Saturday afternoon, after they’ve finished their jam session. “I was thinking of having a game night.” Sam and Sebastian exchange looks. “I dunno,” Sebastian replies. “I’ve got some code I need to finish tomorrow.” “Yeah, and I, uh…” Sam trails off, looking at Sebastian when he can’t come up with a good excuse. “Have stuff. Yeah." Abigail rolls her eyes. “What, are you two having some sort of secret get-together tomorrow?” She should probably be happy that Sam and Sebastian want to spend time alone together, but she knows that if she’s not there to nudge them into talking about their feelings, it’s never going to happen. Sam runs a hand through his hair; Abigail’s surprised that’s even possible with all the hair product he puts into it. “Well, we kind of have plans to, ah, smoke tomorrow,” he finally admits. Abigail’s been friends with them long enough that she knows it’s not cigarettes they’re planning on smoking. “Find another time for it,” she says, and picks up her bag, slinging it over one shoulder. “We’re having game night tomorrow, and if either of you show up stoned, I’m going to kick both your asses.” She gives them a stern look before turning to leave Sam’s bedroom; she’s not about to let several hours of brainstorming go down the drain because they’d rather get high. “We’re meeting at seven,” Abigail calls over her shoulder, and then closes the door. “Who does she think she is, our mom?” She hears Sam’s muffled voice say from behind the door. x x x To their credit, both Sam and Sebastian are waiting for her outside her bedroom before seven the next evening. They don’t look particularly excited about it, but they don’t look high, either, so they’ve already exceeded Abigail’s expectations. “Let’s play some Junimo Kart,” she suggests, as she leads them into her room. “Cool,” Sam agrees. He dumps his skateboard by her door, and manages to steal the only cushion in front of Abigail’s television set before Sebastian can. Abigail sits against the wall, and Sebastian, who’s easily the skinniest of the three, is forced to squeeze himself in between them. He grumbles about it, but Abigail knows from experience that he usually ends up in Sam’s lap about an hour into playing. Junimo Kart keeps them occupied for a few hours, and sure enough, Sebastian’s migrated from sitting on the floor to sitting on Sam by the time they’re done playing. Abigail wonders how she didn’t pick up on their mutual crush much, much sooner. “What next?” Sebastian asks, setting his controller down. He shifts in Sam’s lap, stretching his legs out, but he doesn’t seem to be in any particular rush to move. “Well, I was thinking we could mess around with the spirit board,” she begins, “but you two look pretty comfortable, so if you’d rather cuddle-” Sebastian scrambles off Sam’s lap before she even finishes the thought. “Spirit board sounds good,” he mumbles, pulling at the drawstrings on his hoodie. Sam, who’s suddenly become very interested with a hole in his jacket, nods in agreement. They’re both blushing furiously. As much as she wants to kick the both of them for being complete idiots, Abigail kind of wants to kick herself, too, for ruining the moment. If her master plan doesn’t work, she’s going to have to resort to locking them in a room together until one of them breaks. One of their rooms, preferably. Abigail’s not going to give them the chance to ‘confess their feelings’ on her bed, thank you very much. “Alright,” she says, clapping her hands together, “spirit board it is.” Abigail uses Sebastian’s lighter to get a couple of candles going, and sets them out in a circle on the floor. The last time she did this, Sam nearly kicked one of them over, but Abigail wants her plan to go well, and for that, she’s got to set the mood again. She places the board in the middle of the circle, and the three of them gather around it. “You two start,” she instructs. Sam and Sebastian hesitate. “Aren’t you gonna play?” Sam asks. “You always accuse me of moving the planchette,” she huffs. “I’ll join in later.” Sam and Sebastian’s fingers brush as they reach for the planchette, and for the second time that evening, both boys turn a matching shade of pink. Abigail resists the urge to roll her eyes. “What should we ask it?” “Ask it whose dick is bigger,” Sebastian suggests, and Sam laughs. Abigail doesn’t resist the urge this time. “Can’t you guys take this seriously for once?” “We are serious,” Sam says, with a grin. “This is a very serious matter.” One of them (Abigail’s not exactly sure, but her guess is Sebastian) spells out “A-B-B-Y” with the planchette, and both boys begin to laugh harder. Abigail can’t believe her master plan is getting derailed by dick jokes. “Hilarious,” she mutters. “Quality comedy; I’m laughing so hard I can hardly breathe.” “Ask it what’s smaller,” Sam suggests next, “Abby’s sense of humour, or-” “Okay, you know what?” Abigail interrupts. “I changed my mind; I’m playing.” She places a finger on the planchette. “Because apparently we’re going to spend the rest of the night making dick jokes if I don’t.” Abigail gives them both a glare, and they don’t even pretend to look ashamed. She figures they deserve what she’s going to do next; promises be damned. “What’s Sam’s biggest secret?” she asks the board, and Sam stops laughing. “Hey, no, that’s not allowed,” he protests. “Too late,” Abigail replies. She’s already guiding the planchette towards an answer. At this point, she doesn’t care if Sam and Sebastian realize she’s the one moving it. “S-A-M,” Sebastian reads out. “Abby, come on,” Sam says, looking concerned. “I’m sorry, okay?” She guides the planchette over to the heart symbol next. “Why is there even a heart symbol on the board?” Sam questions. “This is dumb.” S-E-B is as far as she gets into Sebastian’s name before Sam kicks the board, and they lose their hold on the planchette. It slides off the wooden board, and comes to rest somewhere under her bed. “Sam!” “Whoops, my bad,” Sam says, not sounding apologetic in the slightest. “Guess we’ll never know my biggest secret now.” He rubs the back of his neck, and shoots a cautious look in Sebastian’s direction. Sebastian’s eyes have gone wide, and it’s hard to tell who’s blushing more – him or Sam. “Think I’m going to head home now,” Sebastian mumbles. “Yeah,” Sam agrees. “I should head out, too.” They both stand at the same time. Sebastian fumbles in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes, while Sam moves to grab his skateboard. It’s obvious they’re both doing their best to avoid making eye contact. As for Abigail, she’s done trying to solve their problems. If they don’t want to talk about their feelings, they can spend the rest of their lives pining over each other; she’s out of fucks to give. “Whatever,” she says, folding her arms over her chest. “It was just a silly game. It doesn’t mean anything.” Chapter 4 Sam doesn’t bring up the spirit board incident. He’s still not entirely sure what happened. He wants to believe that Abigail had nothing to do with it, that she wouldn’t just break her fucking promise over a stupid crush (that’s all it is, he should have never told her he was in love), that it was just some bored ghost fucking around with them, but he knows which of the two answers is more likely. Sam also knows that there’s a mature, adult way to handle this situation. He could tell Sebastian how he really feels, before someone – or something – does it for him. Or, he could sit Abigail down, and have a nice chat about how forcibly outing someone to their crush is a shitty thing to do. The thing is, Sam’s pretty much the opposite of mature, and he’s got a record number of community service hours to prove it. So he doesn’t do either of those things. It’s not like it’s hard to avoid the subject, anyways, with so much shit going on during the last few weeks of fall. The Spirit’s Eve festival is a particularly good distraction, because it’s the one holiday Sebastian actually seems to enjoy. The festivities start at ten in the evening, and as usual, Sam finds Sebastian standing by the caged skeletons. Normally Sam heads straight for the maze (he’s done it every year, and he still can’t find the damn prize), but this year, he joins Sebastian in front of the skeletons. Sam doesn’t really understand the draw they have on Sebastian, but it’s kind of cute how much he seems to enjoy them. “Hey, Seb.” “Hey,” Sebastian replies, without turning to look. Sam decides to test his luck, and inches closer to him. Sebastian finally glances at Sam. “Cold?” he asks, smirking as he bumps Sam’s shoulder with his own. “It’s kind of chilly, yeah,” Sam replies. “You don’t feel cold?” Sebastian shrugs. “I never get cold.” Without thinking, Sam reaches for Sebastian’s hand. “Liar,” he declares, as their fingers make contact, “your hand is fucking freezing.” Sebastian weaves his icy cold fingers into Sam’s, snickering as Sam inhales sharply. “Don’t you own gloves?” Sam mutters. “That’s what pockets are for,” Sebastian replies. And just to be a little shit (the smug grin spreading across his face gives it away), he sticks his hand in Sam’s jacket pocket. They’re still holding hands. Sam sends his silent thanks to Yoba. “Want to check out the maze?” Sam asks, after a few minutes of watching the skeletons stumble around. As nice as this is, he really is starting to feel cold. “Okay,” Sebastian answers, slowly turning away from the cage. He pulls his hand out of Sam’s, and shoves it in his own hoodie pocket, instead. Sam takes back all the thanks he just sent to Yoba. “Where’s Abby?” “Dunno.” Sam glances in the direction of the maze. “She usually checks out the maze on her own. I haven’t seen her come out yet.” He wonders if it’s too much to hope that they don’t run into Abigail. It probably is. Sebastian shrugs. “Cool. Guess it’s just the two of us, then.” “You’ve never done the maze, right?” Sam asks, as they head towards it. Sebastian shakes his head. “Doesn’t sound all that scary, honestly; I don’t know why everybody makes such a big deal out of it. Those skeletons, though? That’s some creepy shit.” They reach the entrance to the maze, and come to a stop. “Ready?” Sam grins. Sebastian rolls his eyes. Together, they enter the maze. “Oh man, this is some spooky shit,” Sebastian says in a deadpan tone, a few minutes later. They’ve passed Maru, Harvey, and a couple dead ends, and now they’re staring down a path that’s dotted with twitching hands protruding from the dirt. “Look at all of these hands. What if they try to touch my dick? That’d be terrifying.” Sam elbows him. “Stop being a little shit. It gets way scarier than this. You’ll see.” “Let me guess – the next path is full of disembodied mouths, and they’re all trying to suck my dick.” “Shut the fuck up,” Sam scolds, but he can’t help laughing. They follow the path forward, stepping around the hands as they go. Sam knows they’re supposed to take a left turn here, but he lets Sebastian guide them past it. They find a dead end ahead of them, along with Penny, though she doesn’t seem to notice them. She’s tucked away in the corner, hunched over a bubbling cauldron, staring intently at its contents. Sebastian ignores her, instead pointing at the small house behind her. “Woah, dude. That house skipped leg day,” he says, in an exaggerated impression of Alex’s voice. Sam snorts, and joins in. “Look at those chicken legs; this house definitely doesn’t lift.” His impression isn’t as good at Sebastian’s, but Sebastian still snickers all the same. Penny finally looks up from the cauldron. “I think it’s a reference to the house of Baba Yaga,” she says, and the unexpected interruption is the closest something’s come to startling Sebastian yet. “Cool,” Sebastian replies, in a tone of voice that implies he doesn’t find it all that cool. He glances in her direction. “Hey, what’s in the cauldron?” “I… I’m not actually sure,” Penny says. “I can’t seem to move away, though.” “Dare you to drink it,” Sam says to Sebastian. “500g.” Sebastian squints, studying the cauldron. “500g? Fuck no. I dare you drink it.” Beside them, Penny coughs, and Sebastian shoots her a glare. “What?” “Come on, man,” Sam says, dragging Sebastian away before Penny works up the nerve to answer him. “Forget the cauldron; we’ve got a prize to find.” “I don’t know why you hang out with her,” Sebastian mutters to Sam as they retreat back down the path. “She’s worse than Abigail.” Sam shrugs. “She’s fun sometimes,” he replies. Then he nudges Sebastian in the side and adds, “She certainly doesn’t have your charming personality, though.” Sebastian smirks. “Too bad; you’re stuck with me now.” Sam feels the back of Sebastian’s hand brush against his, and for a few seconds he thinks it’s accidental, except it happens a second time, and then a third. He glances at Sebastian out of the corner of his eye, and he swears Sebastian’s cheeks have turned a faint pink since they’ve left the dead end. Just as Sam’s about to work up the courage to slip his fingers into Sebastian’s, they pass by Alex, and Sebastian pulls his hand away. It’s probably for the best though, because judging by the look on Alex’s face, he heard their impressions, and Sam really doesn’t want to find out what Alex ‘ladies love me and my hair’ Mullner would think of two guys holding hands. “I think he overheard us,” he says to Sebastian, once they’re out of earshot. “No shit,” Sebastian replies. “With insight like that, I’m not surprised you haven’t found the end of the maze yet.” “This year’s going to be different,” Sam insists. Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Let me guess; you can feel it?” “Maybe if you roll your eyes hard enough we’ll be magically teleported to the end,” Sam retorts. “That doesn’t even make sense.” They arrive at a large clearing in the centre of the maze, and find Abigail sitting on the edge of a fountain. She looks a little too pleased that he’s with Sebastian, Sam decides that if she says anything about it, he’s going to push her in. “Hey,” she calls out to them. “I see you roped Seb into joining you this year.” “Somebody has to help Sam’s dumb ass find the end of the maze,” Sebastian replies. “Yeah, well somebody has to get this nerd some exercise,” Sam shoots back. He shoves his hands into his jacket pockets. “You gonna join us?” Sam asks Abigail. He doesn’t particularly want to invite her to tag along, but Sebastian would definitely suspect something’s up if he doesn’t. “I can’t,” she says, shaking her head. “Spiders. You guys go on without me.” She gives Sam a knowing smile, and he shoots back a glare in response. Sebastian, thank Yoba, is studying the opening at the other end of the clearing, and doesn’t seem to notice the looks they exchange. They exit the clearing, passing by what Sebastian describes as “the fakest fucking spiders he’s ever seen”, and reach the gravel pit where the playground usually sits. The equipment’s been replaced by a couple of tombstones, and some bones stuck into the gravel. “Are those real bones?” Sebastian asks with interest. “Who cares?” Sam answers, impatiently tugging Sebastian away from the pit by the back of his hoodie; they’re so close to the end of the maze, and he wants to finally put an end to the mystery. “Look, there’s the dead end.” Sebastian frowns. “So which way are we supposed to go, then?” “There isn’t another way, that’s the thing,” Sam explains. “I’ve taken every possible fucking path in this maze, and it’s all dead ends.” He squints, studying the sign just before the path ends. It has a single, red question mark painted on it. “I mean, this sign has to mean something, right? There’s like, a puzzle or something we have to solve.” “We’re going to be here all fucking night then,” Sebastian complains. “You’re shit at puzzles.” He kicks at one of the hedges in frustration, and his foot goes through. There’s a pause, and the two boys exchange a look. “No way,” Sam says, and he crouches down to investigate the hole Sebastian’s made. “Is it supposed like this?” Sebastian shrugs. “I don’t know; you’re the expert.” Sam peers through the hole in the shrub. “It must be a fake dead end,” he decides. “I can’t believe it’s been here the whole time.” Sam drops to his hands and knees, and slowly crawls through. “You coming?” he calls back to Sebastian once he’s on the other side. “This seems like cheating,” Sebastian calls back, but he follows anyways. He emerges from the hedge, and grins when he sees Sam. “Dude. You’ve got so much shit stuck in your hair.” Sam instinctively reaches up to feel his hair, and yep, he’s got several twigs lodged in there, and more leaves than he can count. He groans, and Sebastian reaches out to pluck a few stray leaves free from his hair. “This wouldn’t happen if your hair weren’t so fucking ridiculous,” Sebastian says, and while his words are teasing, he’s got this soft look on his face, and Sam doesn’t know what to make of it. He lets his hands drop to his side as Sebastian fishes the rest of the leaves and twigs out from his hair. “Your hair’s pretty fucking ridiculous too, dude,” he retorts. “And at least I don’t dye mine-“ “I’d look even more ridiculous with red hair,” Sebastian scoffs. “Besides, Abby dyes hers – you’re the odd one out.” Sam’s sure Sebastian would look just as cute with red hair, but he has the sense not to voice that particular opinion. “You done yet?” he asks instead. Sebastian studies Sam’s hair for a minute, then ruffles it. Sam scowls. “Perfect,” Sebastian declares with a smug look. “Fuck off,” Sam mumbles, as he attempts to style his hair back into its usual position. “You little shit.” “You love me,” Sebastian replies oh so casually, and fuck, he doesn’t know how true that is. Sam needs to change the subject, before he says something he’s going to regret. He glances around the path. “Looks like the only way out is that cave,” Sam says, as he gestures towards it. “Got your lighter?” Sebastian nods, digging around in his pockets for it. “You first,” Sam declares, once Sebastian’s got it out and lit. He shoves Sebastian towards the entrance, and Sebastian reaches back to grab at his arm, pulling Sam into the cave with him. Even with Sebastian’s lighter, the cave is dark as hell. Like, impossibly dark. Sam’s not even sure where this cave came from, because he’s been to the playground with Vincent, and there definitely was not a cave in the cliff side before. He uses the dark as an excuse to press closer to Sebastian. “You okay?” Sebastian leans in to ask, his free hand coming to rest against the small of Sam’s back. “I’m fine. It’s dark as fuck in here, that’s all,” Sam mumbles in response. He’s not exactly afraid of the dark, but he’s more than willing to pretend to be, if it means Sebastian acting a little more gentle than usual. “Don’t look up. I think I see eyes.” Sam, of course, looks up. “You’re such an ass, Seb,” he says, when he fails to see any glowing eyes above them. Sebastian chuckles. “So gullible for a master prankster.” His hand’s still on Sam’s back, and now he’s rubbing gentle circles into it with his thumb, and Sam’s confused, because yeah, they’re little overly affectionate for friends, but normally he’s the overly affectionate one. Not Sebastian. He doesn’t have much time to dwell on it though, because they reach the end of the cave, and Sebastian’s hand is gone once they step out into the clearing. They find another dead end. Sam’s momentarily confused, because he’s pretty sure mazes are supposed to have exits, but there’s also a chest on the ground, so they move forward to investigate it. “Don’t tell me we were supposed to find a key back there,” Sam groans, when he realizes he’s not actually sure if they’re going to be able to open this thing. Sebastian glances back at the cave. “Maybe it’s in the tunnel?” “Can’t we just… I don’t know, kick it open?” Sam suggests. It’s a stupid idea, but it worked on the hedge, so maybe… Sebastian cautiously kicks at the chest, and the lid actually falls open, to their surprise. Golden light spills out, illuminating the small clearing, and they both lean in closer. “It’s… a pumpkin?” Sebastian says, looking just as confused as Sam feels. “No, it’s got a face; I think it’s a jack-o-lantern.” “Can’t believe we did all this for a fucking pumpkin,” Sebastian continues, ignoring Sam. Sam rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry, I just thought… it would be fun, you know? You’ve never done the maze, and-“ “-and I liked it,” Sebastian finishes for him. He blinks. “Really? You made fun of the entire thing.” “Does that surprise you?” He steps closer to Sam, and all Sam can think about is how close their faces are – their noses are almost touching. “Thanks,” Sebastian says next, “for bringing me with you. I had a good time.” He’s smiling at Sam – a genuine smile, one that’s rare for Sebastian – and in the glow that the pumpkin’s emitting, Sam swears he can just make out a faint blush on his cheeks. Sam doesn’t know whether he should make a joke about how close they’re standing, or just… Fuck it. He reaches up, cupping Sebastian’s cheek with one of his hands. Sebastian’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t pull away. “Can I?” Sam whispers. There’s a moment of hesitation, and then Sebastian nods. Sam closes his eyes, and then closes the gap between them, pressing his lips to Sebastian’s. He seems uncertain at first, but just as Sam’s about to pull back, he feels Sebastian’s lips moving against his own. Sam slides his hand further back, fisting it into Sebastian’s hair. They break apart a few seconds later, and Sam barely has time to process what just happened before Sebastian’s hands are on his jacket, fingers curling into the worn denim, yanking him back in. The second kiss is sloppier, with much more enthusiasm than finesse, and Sam doesn’t care, because he’s wanted to kiss his best friend like this for years. “Fuck, Seb,” he mumbles when they pull back for the second time. “That an offer?” Sebastian smirks. Their foreheads are pressed together, and he’s still clutching Sam’s jacket in both hands. Sam’s own hands have migrated from Sebastian’s hair to the small of his back, and Sam’s tempted – so tempted – to slide them just a little further down. The thing is, they’re still in the middle of the fucking maze, and there’s like, a thirty percent chance Alex can see them through the hedges. They can still hear him pacing just outside the bushes. “We, ah, should probably head back,” Sam suggests. “Been in here a while; Abigail might send out a search party soon.” Sebastian releases his hold on Sam’s jacket. “I want the pumpkin.” Sam laughs. “You going to smash it?” “Fuck yeah I’m going to smash it.” Sebastian looks delighted by just the thought of it. “Or throw it against the mountain, or maybe drop it off a cliff-” “Guess it’s not such a shitty prize after all,” Sam teases. “Yeah, well it’s better than your prize,” Sebastian sneers, as he lifts the pumpkin out of the chest, and tucks it under one arm. “Which is nothing.” “Maybe you’re my prize, Sebby,” Sam says, with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. Sebastian glares in response, but he reaches for Sam’s hand as they turn to head back through the cave. (And this time, finally, neither of them pull away.) Chapter 5 The maze is almost empty as Sam and Sebastian make their way back to the entrance, and the town square’s even emptier. Sebastian’s wondering if Sam’s expecting a goodbye kiss, when Sam turns to him, and mumbles “Come back to mine?” It’s pretty late – the Spirit’s Eve festival usually runs until midnight, and Sebastian doesn’t feel like making the trek up to the mountains, so he agrees, allowing Sam to pull him by his hand in the direction of Sam’s house. They come to a stop outside of Sam’s bedroom window. “Give me the pumpkin,” Sam says, and Sebastian passes it to him. “I’m going inside to make sure the coast’s clear.” Minutespass, and Sebastian’s starting to wonder if this is all some sort of bizarre prank. He’s not sure what the hell Sam’s gotten up to inside, or why he has to wait outside. He folds his arms over his chest, trying to figure out if he’s somehow fucked this up. Maybe Sam regrets the kiss, and he’s just going to hide in his house until Sebastian takes the hint, and heads home. Sam appears at his bedroom window just then, sliding it open. “Sorry,” he calls out, apologetic. “My mom’s still up. Here, I’ll sneak you in through the window.” Sebastian’s still not exactly sure why he has to sneak through the window instead of using the front door – it’s not like he hasn’t slept over at Sam’s before – but he doesn’t question Sam’s logic. He steps up to the window, and with Sam’s help, he makes it inside with only a minimal amount of noise. “Shoes,” Sam warns, before Sebastian takes even a step away from the window. He leans against Sam’s arm to support himself as he unlaces his high tops. Sam’s already divested himself of his own sneakers, as well as his denim jacket. “Happy?” he mumbles once he’s kicked his shoes off. “You know how my mom is,” Sam mutters. “What do you think would piss your mom off more?” Sebastian asks. “Finding a bit of dirt on your carpet, or finding out you snuck a boy into your room?” Sam laughs. “Let’s not find out.” It seems like they’re about to do just that, though, because the sound of footsteps can be heard from outside the bedroom. Sam’s eyes widen, and the next thing Sebastian knows, he’s being shoved onto Sam’s bed. “Sam?” Sebastian hears Jodi call from the other side of the door. “I’m coming in!” “Quick, get under the sheets,” Sam hisses, just before the door knob turns. Sebastian ducks under the covers as Sam moves to stand in front of his bed. “What’s wrong, honey?” he overhears Jodi ask Sam. “Were you doing something… bad? I thought I heard some weird sounds coming from your room…” “No, Mom! I was just… doing push-ups.” It’s a terrible excuse, and Sebastian’s definitely going to give Sam shit for it once Jodi’s left the room. “I… I wanna beat dad at arm-wrestling someday.” Sam lets out an awkward laugh. “You know, when he gets back…” Jodi doesn’t question why Sam’s doing push-ups this late at night, or seem to notice the Sebastian-shaped lump underneath his covers. “Oh! Well don’t stay up too late, alright? I’ll see you in the morning.” “Goodnight, Mom.” The bedroom door closes, and Sam sits down on his bed. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he says, as Sebastian emerges from under the covers. “That’s… er, that’s not how that particular fantasy usually goes.” Sebastian raises an eyebrow. “You fantasize about shoving me onto your bed?” Sam blushes, and averts his eyes, so Sebastian places one of his hands on Sam’s thigh. “Hey,” he says, in a softer tone, “I’m not complaining.” Sam takes his hand, lacing their fingers together. “Seb, um, we’re really good friends, you know? I’m really happy we’ve grown so close,” he starts, and Sebastian’s stomach drops. He knows where this talk is going; Sam doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, or the band, or whatever, and so instead he’s going to ruin the best night Sebastian’s had in years. “I just… I want to know… do you think of me as just a friend?” Sam continues, and Sebastian blinks. “Seriously Sam?” he replies. “We kissed.” “Yeah.” Slowly, a grin spreads across Sam’s face. “Dude. We kissed. How awesome is that?” “Pretty awesome, yeah,” Sebastian agrees, and then Sam leans forward, and they’re kissing again. Sam’s grin is gone when Sebastian pulls back a few seconds later. He notices that Sam’s looking slightly nervous instead, that his cheeks are a little more flushed than when he leaned in, and he’s squeezing Sebastian’s hand a little tighter. “So, um… are we… together now?” Sam asks. “Like, you know… boyfriends? Going on dates and stuff?” “Dates?” Sebastian repeats. “What, like you want to go to the beach? Get dinner at the saloon?” Sam nods, giving him an encouraging smile, and Sebastian frowns. He likes the idea of them being boyfriends (he’s wanted that for ages, how could he not?), but when it comes to dates… their options in Pelican Town are rather lacking, particularly when it comes to places where the two of them won’t be interrupted. “That sounds awful.” Sam inhales sharply, pulling his hand out of Sebastian’s. “Sorry,” he says, staring down at his bed, toying with the hem of his sheets. “I guess I had the wrong idea.” Sebastian’s eyes widen. “Shit.” Yoba, he’s such an asshole. He reaches back for Sam’s hand. “Sam, no, I didn’t mean…” he trails off, trying to find the words, before Sam pulls away again. “I’m sorry. I’m horrible at this shit… relationships… people in general. Fuck, I don’t know how I have any friends at all… all I do is push people away.” Sam’s expression softens. “Seb, it’s okay.” Sam moves closer to Sebastian, letting go of his hand in favour of wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Listen, you’re my best friend; I don’t want to fuck that up. If you don’t want to do this-” “No, it’s not like that,” Sebastian interrupts. “Sam, um, I’ve never… felt like this with another guy before… with anyone, actually… but you’re different.” Sam leans in closer, so that their foreheads rest against each other. “I feel the same,” he says, with a small smile. “I really like you, Seb; I think we could really have something special together.” Sebastian shifts so that he’s straddling Sam’s lap, smirking at the way Sam goes red. “I wanna give this a try,” he murmurs. “Give what a try?” Sam asks, in almost a whisper. “Dating,” Sebastian answers in a mock-serious tone. “Why, what’d you think I meant?” “You fucking tease,” Sam groans, before he falls back against his mattress, pulling Sebastian down with him. Sebastian fists his hands into Sam’s hair as their mouths meet, while Sam runs his fingers down Sebastian’s back, sliding them into the rear pockets of Sebastian’s jeans. He tugs lightly at Sam’s hair, and Sam retaliates with a squeeze. They don’t intend to go too much farther than kissing – “My mom could walk in on us again, idiot,” Sam hisses when Sebastian tries to slip his fingers into Sam’s jeans – but soon enough Sebastian’s got a leg between Sam’s thighs, and Sam’s rocking himself against it. Sebastian kisses along the underside of Sam’s jaw, then trails down his neck, enjoying the way Sam’s breathing hitches every time Sebastian’s mouth presses against his skin. Sebastian’s own breathing has also become rather unsteady, and his pants are starting to feel uncomfortably tight – and with the way Sam’s pressed up against him, it’s obvious that he’s not the only one struggling with that issue. “We, ah, we should probably stop,” Sebastian mumbles against Sam’s neck, because as fantastic as it feels, having Sam rut up against him like this, he’s not actually sure he’s ready to take things to this level yet. “Shit, yeah,” Sam groans, and his hips stop moving underneath Sebastian. Sebastian presses one last kiss to Sam’s lips, before climbing off him. Sam sits up, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. “I have some sweats you can borrow,” Sam says, padding over to his dresser. He glances over at his bedroom door as he passes it. “My mom should be in bed by now; you can change in the bathroom if you’d like.” Sam retrieves a pair of grey sweatpants from the top drawer – honestly, Sebastian’s surprised there’s even room for clothes in there, with all the hair products Sam owns – and tosses them to Sebastian. He fumbles to catch the pants, almost dropping them instead. “Thanks.” Sebastian slips out of Sam’s bedroom. The rest of the house is dark, but he’s spent enough time at Sam’s that he’s able to make his way to the bathroom off memory alone. Sebastian locks the bathroom door behind him; the only thing more humiliating than needing to get himself off in Sam’s bathroom would be having Sam’s mom or younger brother walk in on him. Once he’s changed into Sam’s old sweatpants, and taken care of his other needs, Sebastian makes his way back to Sam’s room. He hesitates outside the bedroom door, listening to make sure he’s not about to interrupt anything, before pushing it open. Sam’s sprawled out comfortably on his bed, in just the t-shirt he was wearing before, and a pair of plaid boxers. His jeans are lying haphazardly on the floor, and Sebastian takes care not to trip over them as he moves to join Sam on the bed. “Pants fit okay?” Sam asks, looking up. “Yeah. They’re fine.” They’re actually pretty fucking soft; Sebastian’s not really a sweatpants kind of guy, but he’s tempted to steal these. He pulls his hoodie over his head, leaving it on the floor with Sam’s discarded pants. “Cool.” Sebastian crawls over Sam, and flops onto the empty half of the mattress. Sam’s twin bed is just barely large enough to fit the both of them. Sam rolls onto his side, and drapes an arm around Sebastian. The heat against his back, and the gentle pressure of Sam’s arm resting on his waist feels really nice. Sebastian’s not about to admit that, though, so instead he grumbles, “Why do I have to be the little spoon?” “You can spoon me next time,” Sam offers, pulling Sebastian just a little closer, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. Sebastian’s pretty sure he’s in love. “So, did it live up to your fantasies?” Sebastian asks a few minutes later, with a smirk that Sam won’t actually see. Sam lets out a happy sigh. “I’m going to be thinking about this night for a long time.” x x x They’re woken up at nine in the morning. Not by Sam’s mom (thank Yoba), but by Vincent, who’s climbed up onto the bed with them. “Sam!” he exclaims, sounding far too energetic. “Why’s Sebastian sleeping in your bed?” “Vince, keep it down; we’re trying to sleep,” Sam mumbles. “We’re having a sleepover, okay? Go back to bed.” “Does mom know you’re having a sleepover? Why can’t I have a sleepover? Why are you hugging him?” Sam groans, burying his face in Sebastian’s hair. “Because we’re friends,” he replies, his voice muffled. “Just go back to sleep, okay?” Vincent sighs, just long enough to make it clear to the both of them that he’s unhappy about being left out of their sleepover, but he leaves them alone, shutting Sam’s bedroom door behind him as he exits the bedroom. Sam tightens his hold on Sebastian. “Morning,” he murmurs. “Do you like my alarm clock?” “At least he shuts the door,” Sebastian replies. “My mom just walks away.” Sam sighs. “I wish he’d knock first.” He presses a kiss to Sebastian’s head, then releases him, sitting up in bed. “We should probably get up, before my mom walks in on us, too.” “Yeah, can’t use push-ups to explain spooning your best friend,” Sebastian mutters. He rolls onto his back, and turns his head so that he’s looking up at Sam. “How about you get ready, and I’ll just go back to sleep and pretend I’m not here.” Sam gives him a shove. “No, if I have to get up, you have to get up.” He climbs out of bed, and Sebastian sighs. He runs both hands through his hair, as he listens to Sam rummage around in his drawers for clothes. “Wanna borrow one of my shirts?” Sam asks, glancing over his shoulder at Sebastian. Sebastian considers the offer. “I dunno... grunge isn’t really my style.” Sam scoffs. “Sorry I don’t have any My Chemical Romance shirts-” “Fuck off- “So is that a no, or?” “Just give me a shirt,” Sebastian shoots back. “Something black,” he adds, as Sam returns to digging through his dresser. They’ve been friends long enough that Sebastian can sense he’s rolling his eyes. “Here you go, edgelord.” Sam turns back towards him, and drops a Nirvana shirt onto his lap. “It won’t kill you to wear colour once in a while, you know that?” “There’s yellow on this,” Sebastian argues, as he pulls yesterday’s shirt off. “That counts.” “Barely.” “I’m stealing these pants, too,” he says. “I think I left my jeans in your bathroom.” Sebastian’s jeans are a little more ripped up than ones Sam tends to wear, but he’s hoping that Jodi won’t be able to tell the difference. Either way, him sneaking into the bathroom to retrieve them would be far more suspicious. “Yeah? Well I’m stealing your hoodie.” Sam kicks it up from the floor, catching it in one hand. Sebastian’s unimpressed. “It’s cold outside,” he protests. “What the hell am I supposed to wear, then?” Sam smirks, then tugs Sebastian’s hoodie on. “Thought you didn’t get cold.” “I don’t,” Sebastian says, because there’s no way he’s going to win this argument if he admits the truth. He resigns himself to the fact that it’s going to be a cold walk back to his house. The thought reminds him that he actually has plans today. “Hey, don’t forget Abby’s coming over at noon for Solarian Chronicles.” “Shit,” Sam mutters, “I forgot.” He flashes Sebastian a shy smile. “I was kinda hoping it could be just the two of us today.” “You could come over early,” Sebastian suggests. Sam nods. “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll head over as soon as I’m done eating, okay?” “Cool.” Sebastian stands up from the bed to leave, and Sam loops his arms around his waist, pulling Sebastian into a hug. “Hey,” he says, in a low, soft tone of voice. “I meant everything I said last night, you know? I really like you.” Sebastian buries his face in Sam’s shoulder, so that he can’t see how much he’s blushing when he says, “Want to be my boyfriend, then?” Sam laughs, though it comes out a little shaky. “Only if you want to be mine.” “I suppose I could be convinced to go on a date with you,” Sebastian muses. “Not here, though.” “Yoba, no,” Sam agrees. “Some nice sushi place, in the city. Where Abby can’t fucking spy on us.” Sebastian grins into Sam’s shoulder. “That sounds perfect.” x x x Nobody seems to take notice much of Sebastian as he makes the trek from Sam’s house back to his own. Which is for the best, honestly, because he thinks he looks pretty fucking ridiculous in just a t-shirt, and Sam’s sweatpants. He’s feeling pretty upbeat about how he spent last night, until he pushes open his front door, and sees Abigail leaning over the counter, talking to his mom. Sebastian swears under his breath. “Sebby!” his mom greets, immediately ruining any chance he has of slipping away unnoticed. “You didn’t come up for breakfast, honey; I was worried.” Abigail turns and gives him a look. He’s not sure if it’s for worrying his mother, or because he’s under-dressed for the weather, in clothes that are obviously not his. “I slept over at Sam’s,” he replies, and Abigail’s eyebrows shoot upwards. “Didn’t want to wake you up. Sorry.” His mom smiles, blissfully unaware of the smirk Abby’s giving him. Sebastian makes a rude hand gesture at Abigail when his mother’s not paying attention. “Did you have something to eat?” Robin asks. “I can make pancakes-” “I’m fine,” Sebastian answers, before she can finish her sentence. “Already ate. I’m just going down to change.” It’s not entirely a lie – he was planning on swapping out Sam’s pants for a pair of jeans – but he also knows Abigail’s going to pounce on him with questions the moment they’re out of his mom’s earshot, and he needs to buy himself some time. Sebastian turns away from the desk, and disappears down into the basement, locking his bedroom door behind him. He hasn’t a fucking clue what he’s going to tell Abby. Chapter 6 Abigail’s forced to make small talk with Sebastian’s mom for another thirty minutes, while she waits to hear the familiar click of Sebastian unlocking his bedroom door. She likes Robin, but right now what she’d really like is to find out what happened between Sebastian and Sam in the maze that led to them having an impromptu sleepover. It’s the reason she showed up for their gaming session two hours early. Of course, if she’d actually known about the sleepover, she would have just ambushed Sebastian outside of Sam’s house instead. The front door opens behind her once again, and Robin waves as someone steps inside the shop. “Hi Sam,” Robin chirps. “Sebby’s downstairs.” Abigail turns around. Sam looks surprised to see her. He’s wearing a backpack slung over one shoulder, and Sebastian’s black hoodie, which is quite the feat, because Abigail can’t remember the last time she saw Seb without it. There’s definitely something going on between the two of them, and she’s about to get to the bottom of it. Sam’s also carrying a jack-o-lantern under one arm, which Abigail ignores, because she’s got more important questions on her mind. “We’re going to head downstairs,” she says to Robin, who nods in reply. Abigail grabs Sam’s arm, and drags him down the stairs, towards Sebastian’s bedroom. “Seb, open up,” she says, pounding on his door. “Sam’s here.” “I’m changing,” he shouts back, from behind the door. “For thirty minutes?” There’s no response from the other side of the door. Abigail knocks again, and this time the door opens. Sebastian brushes past them, offering an explanation consisting of “coffee,” and nothing else. “What the hell is up with him today?” she asks Sam, as they enter Sebastian’s bedroom without him. “He’s acting weirder than usual.” Sam shrugs in response, and sets the jack-o-lantern down on Sebastian’s desk. “You’re acting weird too, Sam,” she continues. “What the fuck happened last night? Why are you wearing Seb’s hoodie? And what’s with the pumpkin?” Sam continues to ignore her questions. He’s got this dumb smile on his face, though, so Abigail knows something must have happened at their stupid sleepover. Sam hums to himself as he rummages through his backpack instead, pulling out a set of speckled red dice (a birthday gift from Sebastian), and his character sheet. Abigail’s so sick of dealing with these dumb boys, and their equally dumb crushes on each other. She sighs, and takes a seat at their game table, where Sebastian’s already laid out his dice set (black, with the numbers rendered in a fancy white script), miniature wizard figurine (hand-painted, in shades of deep purple), and campaign book. Sam places his warrior figurine (with a much clumsier paint job than hers or Seb’s) on the map that’s tacked to the table. The last thing he pulls out of his backpack is a can of Joja Cola, which he cracks open, and takes a sip from. “Really, Sam?” she says, with raised brows. “It’s not even noon yet.” “Didn’t get much sleep last night,” he replies, and the stupid grin he’s giving her only gets larger. Sebastian finally returns, coffee in hand. “Where’s my coffee, asshole?” Abigail asks, as Sebastian takes a sip from his mug. “Does your mother know you treat your guests like this?” “Fuck off. You ambush me at my house-“ “Ambush you? We all agreed to meet up here for Solarian Chronicles.” “-Two hours from now.” Sebastian frowns. “Sam’s here early,” she points out. “I don’t hear you complaining about him.” “Whatever.” Sebastian sighs. “I guess we can start early.” He joins them at the table, taking a seat next to Sam. “Dude. That’s disgusting,” he says, as he sets his coffee down next to Sam’s drink. “Joja Cola this early in the morning? I would’ve made you coffee if you asked.” Sam shrugs, and grins at Abigail again. Abigail ignores him, ducking under the table to retrieve her own dice set (in marbled purple), healer figurine, and character sheet from her bag. When she pops her head back up, Sam’s giving Sebastian this sappy look, and they’ve got their fingers twined together, hands resting on the table. “Um, excuse me, when the fuck did this start?” Abigail interrupts, and the two boys pull apart so fast that Sam almost knocks his can of Joja Cola over. “Are you guys fucking with me?” Sam and Sebastian are silent, staring at her with wide eyes. She points at Sebastian. “You slept over at Sam’s house last night. Both of you have been acting weird all morning, and you’re wearing each other’s clothes. What the ever-loving fuck is going on?” “Pretty obvious, isn’t it?” Sebastian mumbles. His cheeks have turned pink, and he shares a look with Sam, whose face is equally flushed. “Holy shit. Did you guys-?” “In the maze,” Sam supplies, with a tiny smile. “You guys had sex in the maze?” “Woah,” Sam says, “I was talking about kissing. We kissed in the maze. Nobody had any sex last night, got it?” He glances at Seb. “I mean, things got a little hot and heavy-“ “Details,” Abigail demands. “Now.” “None of your business,” Sebastian replies. “We kissed. We’re dating. That’s it.” Abigail folds her arms over her chest. “Newsflash, idiots: you made it my business when you decided to confide in me, instead of, oh, I don’t know, talking to each other about your feelings. I spent weeks listening to you losers go on about how gay you are for each other; you owe me details.” Sebastian rolls his eyes, but Sam decides to oblige her. “Well, um… we kissed. In the maze. And after we went back to my place… you know, to talk,” he starts, looking at Sebastian during each pause, like he’s asking permission to continue. “Right,” Abigail agrees, smirking. “To talk.” “We did talk,” Sam continues, “about our feelings. Like you told us to.” He hesitates. “…Then we made out. Just a little.” “Just a little,” Abigail repeats, as Sam’s face goes bright red. Sebastian’s feigning interest in the campaign book, but Abigail can see that his cheeks are also going red. “We kept our clothes on,” Sam adds, “so nothing really happened…” “I believe you,” Abigail says. She doesn’t. “So, where’d Seb sleep?” “In Sam’s bed,” Sebastian answers, without looking up from the campaign book. “And where did you sleep?” She grins at Sam. “…In my bed. With Seb.” Abigail nods. “Naturally. So, was there a pillow barrier? Or did you guys spoon?” Sam blushes harder, which is kind of impressive, considering how red his face was before she’d asked. “You spooned,” she says, answering her own question. “That’s adorable. I’m guessing you were the little spoon? I can’t imagine it was Sebastian; that would ruin his street cred.” “It was Seb,” Sam corrects, smirking a little in spite of his red face. “Sebby’s the little spoon!” she squeals. “Sorry to hear about your street cred, Seb. It’s not like you had any before, so it’s gotta be in the negatives now. “Shut up,” Sebastian mutters. He shakes his head so that his hair falls over his face, managing to cover half of his blush. Abigail figures that’s a sufficient amount of embarrassment for Sebastian to handle at the moment, so she turns her attention back to Sam. “So, how many cold showers did you need to take before you went to bed? I’ve seen the way you look at him, Sam, I don’t believe for a second that you weren’t turned on by making out with him.” “I didn’t take any,” he says, sounding defensive. “I just, you know, took care of... things… while Seb was changing.” Abigail’s eyes widen, and Sam rushes to add “in the bathroom, Abby! While he was changing in the bathroom!” Sebastian looks oddly relieved to hear this information, Abigail notices. “Aww, you guys should have helped each other out,” she teases. “Lent each other a hand, if you know what I mean.” “You’re a fucking perv, Abby,” Sebastian replies. “What, are you planning to get off on this later? Gonna write some erotic friend fiction?” Abigail rolls her eyes. “Sorry, am I not allowed to be happy for you?” “Not if you’re going to tease us,” Sam says. “You don’t think we’re going to get enough shit from the rest of the town when we come out?” Abigail wants to point out that their entire friendship is based off teasing each other (as well as stupid pranks, dares, and dick jokes), but she can sense that there’s some real, underlying fear to Sam’s words, and as much as she enjoys teasing her friends, she’s the only one allowed to do it. “Look, if anybody says anything to either of you, I’ll kick their ass myself,” she says. “I mean it; I’m really happy for you guys. It took forever for you to get your shit together, but I’m glad you did. I’m not about to let some asshole ruin it for you guys.” “Thanks,” Sam replies, giving her a sincere smile. “Same goes for you, Abby,” Sebastian adds. “Unless you were just lying about liking girls to make me feel better… then fuck you.” Abigail laughs. “Yoba, no, I wouldn’t lie about something like that, Seb.” She hesitates. “I’m probably not going to say anything until I’m actually in a relationship, you know?” “Don’t blame you,” Sebastian says. “I’m not looking forward to announcing it, either.” Sam glances over at Sebastian, then reaches for his hand again, lacing their fingers together. “Do you… do you think you could keep this a secret for now?” he asks Abigail. “Until Seb and I are ready to come out?” “Of course. I’m not an asshole, Sam… that’s Seb’s job.” Sebastian, to her relief, laughs. “Honestly, though? With the way you two act around each other, I’m not sure that you’ll need to announce it,” Abigail says with a small smile. “Keep giving each other those sappy looks in public, and it’ll come to light soon enough.”
