#Mini Para: Every Song I've Ever Loved

[twoblueheartslocked]

Seblaine- Present Day (End of June/Year 1)

The Happiest and Tiniest Mini Para Ever: You’re Every Song That I’ve Ever Loved

Rating: PG.

Pairing: Seblaine.

Sebastian: @colorsicantsee

Blaine: @twoblueheartslocked

Time: Year One: Present Day- June, a couple of weeks after All’s Well That Ends Well To End Up With You.

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Info:  A brief interlude with the boys in which Blaine has a bad morning and invites Sebastian to spend the day doing one of his favorite things. 

Warnings: This particular Para has mentions of physical violence. This rp as a whole mentions past abuse(Physical, mental and sexual), post unwanted sexual situations, anxiety, depression, negative body image, drug use, alcohol use, cussing, death(parents).

Extra Warnings: (This RP is not Kurt Hummel friendly. You’ve all been warned.)

Title Inspired By: Fall Out Boy- Favorite Record

Under Cut.  As usual, the para is mostly unedited.

 Blaine’s POV:

“Look, I know, it’s super shabby, unorganized, and literally hasn’t been updated since it opened in 1972, but just look at it, Seb. I mean, I’ve found some major gems here, you know? You just gotta dig deep enough.” Blaine grinned up at Seb, his boyfriends face still skeptical as he looked around the hazy, outdated and insanely cluttered record shop. Blaine reached out and gave Sebastian’s hand a squeeze, trying to show him just how grateful he was that Seb had pushed aside his distaste for the mess and had just let Blaine yank him all around different parts of his neighborhood to a few of his favorite music spots. This one was probably his favorite. It was a blast from the past guilty pleasure and Blaine had let himself get lost on more than one occasion. 

Normally he’d do this  all on his own. He’d pop in his earbuds, lose himself to whatever artist fit his mood that day  and make his rounds, spending money on vinyl's or old cassettes- neither of which he had a way to play, he was lacking in the cassette player/vinyl player area. Sometimes he bought secondhand works by old artists he loved, and sometimes he bought ones he’d never even heard of before. They were usually cheap so he never felt too guilty for spending the money and the dust on them left his fingers dirty but he liked having them. They felt comforting like an old friend. 

He displayed some of them on the walls of his tiny apartment, but most of them lived in a box shoved under his bed and he’d pull them out and memorize the artworks or track lists and sometimes, if he was really inspired, he’d get on Spotify and make a whole playlist based off the stuff he’d gotten on his rounds. He’d made a silent rule that he wasn’t allowed to make the playlist unless he owned the cassette or vinyl, but not CD as they were too easy. It was fun to him and it sometimes managed to make him feel better on his manageable shitty days and this morning had been shitty.

He’d messed up one of his exams and was too anxious to request to do it again, he’d gotten into a spat with Cooper of some stupid thing (Something they’d been doing off and on for the last two weeks since Blaine had “irresponsibly” brought home Soot two weeks ago)  and now for the life of him he couldn’t even remember what it was about this time to begin with. To top it all off Kurt had somehow popped up under the ‘people you may know’ tab on his rarely used Facebook. Kurt was blocked, and so was Rachel and anyone else that might trigger him, so either Kurt had made a new account to creep on Blaine’s life- particularly his life with Seb, or he’d been hacked and a duplicate had been made. Either way, it set his whole crappy morning off and instead of fretting like normal he’d called Seb and asked if he’d mind wasting a rainy day out with him- no cars or drivers, just them. Seb had, of course, accepted. He kept his hand in Seb’s as his fingers expertly flipped through the haphazardly placed records. They’d only been together an hour and already Blaine was letting go of why he was so anxious in the first place.

“I’ve gotten some of my best old vinyl's here. Like look at this one!” He held up a faded white vinyl with the words KC And the Sunshine Band written in yellow-  (I’m your Boogie Man/ Wrap Your Arms Around Me). “Soot’s gonna love this one, she loves it when I pull out the vintage playlists.” He paused, thinking for a moment. 

“I mean I think she does. She always sticks her little face in mine when I sing them to her, but maybe she just wants me to shut the hell up.” He laughed a bit and shook his head. “Either way this one can go on a playlist now.” He tucked the disc under his arm, his grin growing as he looked up at Seb. “It’s like the perfect find and I don’t think I would have found it without your unfailing support. Thanks.”

He had meant it teasingly, but truthfully Blaine would have probably just sat at home stressing and overthinking about being irresponsible and how Kurt managed to wheedle his way into his social media presence. This was much better.

 Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian disliked mess. He’d never decide on his own to walk into this place. There were stacks of records, CDs that probably hadn’t been touched in years, piles of cassette tapes and there was absolutely no organization. But, Blaine had called and Sebastian would walk into any mess he asked him to. 

He gingerly picked at a few records and nodded along as Blaine spoke. Sebastian could feel the concerned crease in between his eyebrows and knew he was probably frowning just a tiny bit. 

“I would just love to have a few hours in here to just...could you imagine how much more effective looking around would be if these records were in alphabetical order?”

Seb looked around at the yellow cracked walls and the records strung across the ceiling like Christmas lights. “I suppose it has a certain charm. I mean, you love music, so I understand. I wish I had a place to escape like this, I’d prefer it to be more organized, though.” 

He loved the excited glow that fell over his  boyfriend when he found the treasured, beat up record. Sebastian wasn’t familiar with the music but the cover looked cheerful enough. “You know, we need to get you a record player. It’s only logical. I know that you love collecting and making your playlists but, it just makes sense. You’re so classic and you love music. Do they sell them here?”

Sebastian’s eyes scanned around the shop but he didn’t see any. He would just have to have one shipped to B’s apartment as a surprise. 

He swung their entwined hands between their bodies and laughed, “I’m sure she loves it.”  Seb could picture the scene perfectly-Blaine laying on the couch singing with Soot perched beside him, her little head bobbing as she got closer and closer to his voice. 

“Me? A good luck charm? That’s a new one. I’m glad I came today even if this place needs the Marie Kondo treatment.”

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine watched as Sebastian gathered himself and looked around the cramped shop, of course he thought it was too messy. He wanted to reach out and run his thumb over the little crease that appeared between his boyfriend’s perfect eyebrows whenever he was worried or concerned or, in this case, out of place. He fully expected Sebastian’s apartment to be filled with mostly empty white walls and for his bedroom to be bare except for a bed, and a dresser. His bookshelf would probably have aesthetic books and probably hid his real books in a tidy, sturdy box in his immaculate closet. He was almost tempted to ask for a description  before he built up the courage to spend the weekend there so he knew what to wear and how to act. He rolled his eyes playfully and shook his head.

“Digging through them is half the charm and fun, Seb. It’s my favorite part because you truly never know what you’re going to get! Besides, it’s kind of therapeutic for me, keeps my mind off of the mess that’s in my brain when I get to dig through the mess of the store.” He smiled and tucked the record under his arm.

“No, they mostly just sell broken ones that people buy for parts or to fix. It’s cool though, I don’t need one! I mean I used to have one but it’s just sort of gone now. I don’t even know where it is.  Did I lose it after my parents or in the shuffle with Kurt? I can’t remember. I just sort of learned to live without a lot of things after… well, just after-.” He paused, taking in Seb’s look, that determined one that told Blaine that he was going to end up with a new vinyl player whether he needed it or not. It’s only logical- of course Seb would say that. Though he felt himself  blushing a bit over being called classic, it reminded him of when they were together the first time. Seb was always saying stuff like that.

“Don’t even think about it, Sebastian Smythe, you’ve given me so much already, I’m perfectly content displaying them for now and finding them on Spotify.” Even as he said he could just hear the distinct sound of a vinyl player singing his found songs back to him. But, he couldn’t keep letting Seb do that,  he’d already given him the world by giving him Soot. He was okay without a player. He waved Seb off with his free hand, unwilling to let go of Seb’s with his other.

“Well we could find you a place, in fact! My sixth favorite record store doubles as a book store and it’s like a Virgo’s dream. Literally everything is soft grey and black and the items are meticulously placed and  in the correct order. Why don’t we forget about spoiling me and you let me do something for you today? I'll just go and pay for this gem and then we’ll take the short walk and I’ll show you around and then maybe we can stop at this little diner that looks out of place next door. They have amazing milkshakes and we could get a couple and just talk like we used to do when we were teens.”

He pushed his money towards the man behind the counter before Seb could try and pay and dragged his boyfriend out into the warm June afternoon, the paper bag with his purchase tucked under his free arm. “For the record you’re not just any old good luck charm, you’re my favorite.” He pulled Seb closer to him and stole a kiss right out there on the streets of Brooklyn. It made him feel bold and free and a little giddy. He’d grown so used to mostly locking himself away in his apartment and hiding so much of himself for the past few years, it felt good to just kiss the man he loved without worrying he’d get belittled for it by the actual person he was kissing in public. 

“C’mon, the Marie Kondo experience is this way, though I can’t promise the diner won’t be just as cluttered as the one we used to go to near Dalton.” He winked and tugged Seb through the crowd by their linked fingers.

 Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian nodded as if he were going to do what Blaine said. He was going to order him a damn record player, especially after seeing the sad look on his face after he mentioned losing his old one. He was sure that Kurt had it, that it was some sort of leverage or a sick thrill.  That kid was so cold and jealous that Seb wouldn’t be surprised if Kurt had a hidden treasure trove of B’s things just waiting for him to notice and feel hopeless every time he realized something was missing. It made Sebastian feel angry and like he wanted to run up to Kurt’s apartment and deck him in his pinched little nose. But, now wasn’t the time to get worked up. Blaine was excited and talkative and had his hand wound tightly in Seb’s.  The other man had called him his favorite good luck charm and pulled him into a confident kiss right on the sidewalk outside of the cramped music store. That was enough to keep him grounded in the moment. It felt perfect, like the summer days they used to spend floating listlessly in the pool underneath the stars or spinning around under street lights or speeding down county roads, Blaine’s hand in his lap. He’d never admit it out loud but he collected those perfect moments like a scrapbook inside of his brain and it felt like all of the struggle and pain was worth it. Sebastian had to get better to keep collecting these snapshots of time.

“You don’t need to do anything for me, B. But, a milkshake does sound great. Why don’t we go to the diner first and then you can show me the other shop?” He swung their hands in between them. Blaine smiled his signature grin and pulled him in the direction of the diner. The place was old and a little sticky, which would normally bother him but anybody who went to diners knew these types had the best food. Their waitress was plump and rude with a fabulous smear of red lipstick and Sebastian loved her. They ordered two milkshakes (Strawberry for Seb, vanilla bean for B) and shared a big  basket of the greasiest, saltiest, most delicious  fries he’d ever had. They’d even obnoxiously took turns asking for change for the decrepit jukebox in the corner.  Sebastian would pick an oldie and Blaine would sing into the long spoon from his shake and the waitress would roll her eyes. He was going to leave her a huge tip. They laughed until his stomach hurt and ordered burnt coffee to go. 

They walked around Blaine’s sixth favorite record store and he was right, it was meticulously organized and satisfying. Sebastian especially liked the book section and could imagine coming back here. He found a worn copy of The catcher In The Rye and B insisted on purchasing it for him along with a Great Gatsby magnet displayed by the register. Seb didn’t have any magnets so it was a welcome addition to his sleek, unused kitchen. 

They wandered back to Blaine’s apartment where Soot greeted them with a purr and a headbutt to each of their shins. The three of them cuddled up on the couch and drank the dregs of their old coffee, looked over Blaine’s record collection, and kissed until time slipped away.

/fin.