#marbastian

Sebastian had been lounging around in his dorm room, not doing much for a day such as New Year's Eve. Most of his friends were out and about, but for once, he denied their invitations; he simply wasn't in the mood. Lying down on his bed, he thanked his lucky stars that at least he could spend the beginning of a new year without his father unlike the other years. He supposed it was the small things that counted these days. It had nearly been a month since his break up with Jesse, and honestly, he thought he could say that maybe, just maybe, he was getting over it. Scrolling down his phone, his thumb hovered his ex-boyfriend's name- until Marley's text popped up. He grinned, Jesse momentarily forgotten, as he texted back: "Not much really. Just spending the new year with my friend Jack Daniels. How about yourself?"

Marley slouched down on her couch, holding her phone awaiting a reply. Feeling her phone vibrate, she held it up, smiling before replying, "Oh, that's nice! I hope you guys have fun! I'm just sitting here, just had dinner with mom and now we're going to watch Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve! My favorite :)"

Sebastian chuckled lightly at Marley's reply. She was almost cute with her innocent approach on life. "Come on, Marls, your New Year's has got to be better than that. Because as fun as that sounds, I'm sure my dorm room can fit an extra person." After it had sent, he quickly typed back, "I mean, if you want to, of course."

Marley stared at the text she had gotten, she slightly pursed her lips, thinking about it for a while. She did really want to do something else for a change - not that she didn't enjoy being with her mom, but hearing everyone else's New Year's stories made her want to do something more exciting. As the second text popped up, she finally started typing. "I can ask my mom, hold on. (:" Putting down the phone, she intertwined her fingers behind her back, slowly walking up to her mom. "Mom? I was just wondering if I could hang out with a friend for the night? Only if it's okay with you, though," she asked sweetly, biting her lip as she waited for a reply. Mrs. Rose sighed, cracking a soft smile afterwards. "Sure, don't worry about me, sweetie. I'll take you there." Marley was relieved, and quite shocked that she agreed to it so quickly, but she wasn't complaining. "You're the best, mom!" Marley wrapped her arms around her mom, hugging her tightly. "By the way, it's in Westerville," she added while taking out a bottle of iced tea from the fridge. She could hear a mumble and another sigh behind her as they headed out the door. After a drive that seemed way too long, she finally arrived at Dalton Academy. It took her a few guidances and a whole lot of answers to her many questions, but she found Sebastian's dorm at last. Knocking on the door, she stepped back, waiting for him to open the door.

Sebastian read Marley's text and sent off another text replying "Text me if/when you get here." After not hearing a reply for quite a while, he amused himself by finishing off some final edits for papers lying on his desk, shaking his head the whole time. New Year's Eve, he thought to himself, and you're stuck here with some alcohol, homework, and a cute girl who may or may not be coming. Finally done, he went into the back of his closet to grab a bottle of whiskey, taking a small sip before setting it down on his beside table. He couldn't get too sloppy around here. He heard a knock at his door a while later, running a hand through his hair before getting up to open it. And lo and behold, there stood Marley. "Hey," he greeted, opening the door wider with his free hand. "I'm glad you made it. It wasn't too much trouble getting here?"

Marley flashed a big smile as the door opened and exposed Sebastian. Gently stepping into his room, she looked around briefly. "No, it took a while to find the way, my mom drove in the wrong direction a couple of times, and there was some traffic leading downtown, but it wasn't troubling, I guess." She took a seat on a chair, sighing softly. "Did your friend leave or something?"

Sebastian nodded hearing Marley's words, sitting back on his own bed. "Glad it wasn't that bad then," he replied back. After a brief pause, he continued again. "What friend?" he asked, more confused than anything else. Picking up the bottle of whiskey, he chuckled, saying, "Don't tell me you've been drinking already."

Marley furrowed her brows. "That guy Jack you texted about!" she replied, slightly confused to why he would question that. Rolling her eyes at the sight of alcohol, she held up her bottle of iced tea. "Only this fella right here."

Sebastian rolled his eyes, chuckling lightly. "The only friend I've got is this guy right here," he replied back, shaking the bottle of alcohol in front of her eyes. "He has a great personality," he laughed, tipping his head back for another sip. He shrugged at Marley's choice of drink, not saying anything, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to see the other girl drunk.

Marley realized soon what he meant, and hit her palm against her forehead. "Oh, that's what you meant! Silly me," she laughed at her patheticness. "You know, if you're gonna get drunk in front of me, I'm going," she threatened jokingly.

Sebastian shook his head good naturedly, lying back down on the bed comfortably as he placed the bottle back on the table. "Only if you get your ass over here," he teased back. "We can enjoy the passing of another shitty year together."

Marley smiled widely before getting up and placing herself next to Sebastian on the bed. "Tell me we get to watch the fireworks at least."

Sebastian pointed to the window, right beside the bed. "The perfect view," he commented, looking over to see the clock which blinked 11:42. "Twenty minutes, huh?" he murmured, letting his eyelids flutter close for a brief moment.

Marley clapped her hands together. "Yay!" she beamed, jumping slightly. "You know, I've never done anything on New Year's Eve besides being at home with my mom. It's nice to change it up a little bit."

Sebastian let a smile tug at the corners of his lips as he watched Marley's reaction. "Really?" he raised his eyebrows in response to her question. "No parties, no big family gatherings, nothing?"

Marley shook her head. "No, our family lives too far away to come visit often, and they can't afford it anyway. The most we've had were about six people and I was nine years old, so it's been a while," she told casually. "I like being with my mom though, it's nice."

Sebastian nodded lightly, saying back, "It must be. Your mom sounds nice." He didn't push it further, casually putting an arm around the girl in a friendly manner as he looked back out the window. "I remember fireworks used to scare the shit out of me when I was a kid," he laughed, modestly embarrassed.

Marley "She is," she said softly. Sighing, she smiled faintly as he wrapped his arm around her, settling herself into a comfortable position. "Really? What did you do, run into your closet and curl into a ball?" she joked, laughing along with him.

Sebastian joked, "I bet you get your good looks from her." He grinned at her before continuing on. "You've got it right for the most part. I'm pretty sure there was a lot of hiding under the covers too."

Marley shrugged. "Oh, I don't know," she bit her lip, trying to avoid thinking about all the times she had been bullied for her mother being the 'fat cafeteria lady' or every time the kids had been mocking her for similar reasons. "Seriously? I couldn't imagine what it would be like dragging you out on Disneyland for their fireworks show, then," she snorted. "I've always loved fireworks. There's just something so fascinating about them. How something so small can shoot up to the sky and explode into a beautiful, colorful pattern that fills the sky. It's the best."

Sebastian looked at her, replying back, "Well, regardless of anything else, your body could give Santana's a good run for her money. But maybe that's just me." He winked, letting Marley know he was only teasing her. He gave her an incredulous look back, saying, "That was a long time ago. It's not like I'm terrified of some colours in the sky now. Besides, Disneyland has got nothing on Paris during New Year's." He listened to her talk about fireworks, nodding slowly, a small smile on his face. "Just like you, right?"

Marley raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Santana? I don't know about that. She's pretty... fit and all. She's a cheerleader, she has boyfriends and stuff," she murmured, grimacing as she spoke. "Stop it with the Paris talk, it's making me jealous. I bet you can even speak fluent French too," she scoffed, adding a soft "ugh" at the end.

Sebastian shrugged, not understanding why Santana being a cheerleader was important. "So are you," he commented, glancing at the clock once more. "Have you not had a boyfriend then?" he asked, surprised but not too much, knowing he'd only gotten into his first ever relationship this year anyways. "Un jour, je vais vous emmener à Paris," he smirked, lapsing into his first language.

Marley "No, I haven't," she admitted, slightly embarrassed. "Guys just don't like me, I guess!" She gasped as he started speaking, holding her hand in front of her mouth. "Shut up! Oh my goodness," she playfully hit him, laughing. "Shut up! Please continue!"

Sebastian "All good things come to those who wait," he answered back rather cheekily, giving the clock an incredulous glance when he realized there were only five minutes until midnight. He laughed at Marley's reaction, pulling her towards the edge of the bed to look out the window, murmuring, "Les feux d'artifice commencent bientôt. Regardez!"

Marley "We'll see," she said carelessly, mirroring his action by peeking at the clock as well. Her stomach was tying in knots, and she felt herself getting the jitters like she always did when it was close to midnight. "I have no idea what you're saying, but it sounds so amazing."

Sebastian chuckled, pointing out the window as the final minutes counted down, saying, "The fireworks are starting, I mean." He hummed in contentment, casually replying, "French isn't that hard, really. Knowing a second language gets you into all sorts of places these days." He looked at the clock, the hand counting down to midnight ticking away. "10, 9, 8," he counted lightly, not really believing he was actually doing this.

Marley widened her eyes, jumping lightly off the bed and headed towards his window. "I can see the fireworks!" she exclaimed, pointing at the colorful glowing spectacle outside the window. "It's so pretty." Marley leaned her forehead into the glass, staring longingly at the view. She turned around swiftly to usher him over, so he could be next to her when clock struck 12 o'clock.

Sebastian stood up and went to stand next to Marley, grinning as he watched her grow excited. "It really is," he agreed, placing one hand on the glass as the night sky lit up with colours. "Happy New Year, Marls."

Marley glanced over at Sebastian, biting her lip to keep her from smiling too big. "Happy New Year, Seb," she beamed, not sure if she should pull him in for a hug or just stand there. She pressed her lips together before turning back to check out the view. Never had she gotten such a great view over the fireworks. Seeing glimpses of it made her happy, but getting to see the entire sky and every blossoming pattern of the fireworks was definitely better than just seeing the color of it. "Thank you for inviting me over."

Sebastian could feel the small motion the other girl that shifted towards him and in a sudden moment, he pulled her into a short hug, grateful for a friend in a time like this. Without a pause, he continued on, turning back to glance at the night sky. "That never happened," he joked, putting his arms back to support his weight as he watched lights colour the sky. "But you're very welcome."

Marley beamed as she hugged back, blushing lightly. "Oh, hush," she hissed teasingly as she nudged him in the stomach with her elbow. She stood there for a while - as in until the fireworks started to cool down. Letting out a soft yawn, she sat back down on the bed, reaching out for her iced tea before taking a long sip of it. "If the fireworks lasted all night, I would seriously stand there until the sun started to rise."

Sebastian chuckled softly, sitting back down onto the bed next to Marley. As he watched the lights die down from the sky, he lay back down on the bed, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he replied back, "Mm, yeah. That'd be nice, wouldn't it?"

Marley leaned further into the bed to get support for her upper body, laying the iced tea back on a table. She could feel herself getting sleepy, but she didn't wanna fall asleep, at least not yet. "Fireworks are so magical," she murmured sleepily, feeling herself getting tired as she could feel herself about to mumble some weird things she won't remember saying the next morning unless reminded.

Sebastian nodded wordlessly, turning over on his side to face Marley as he felt the exhaustion wash over him too. Briefly opening his eyes to look at the girl in front of him, he mumbled thoughtlessly, "Just like tonight."

Marley let a humble smile cross her face as she blinked slowly, her eyelids adding more weight for every time she shut her eyes. "Tonight was awesome, I loved it."