I am revered

“I like that I’m doing something artistic with my life.” Sebastian mused.  “I always seemed to have a lot of pressure from my father to follow in his footsteps, but he actually was okay with me going into photo journalism, which was shocking.”   He took another sip of his coffee, finishing it off.  “Have you been here since high school then?  Living the fast and furious life of NYC?”

Sebastian was still imagining this show as Blaine started to flip though his photos and started commenting.  He shook his head to clear it and smiled genuinely at the curly haired man.  “I like to think I’ve always had an eye for beautiful and unique things.”  For a second he allowed himself to remember the first time they’d met.  He’d already heard all about the infamous Blaine Anderson from the other Warblers, who really could have formed his very first fan club.  But Sebastian didn’t believe the other boys, until Blaine showed up at Dalton.  The memory made goose flesh break out against his skin.  “I’m enjoying it so far,” he murmured softly.  

“So what brings you to New York? You mentioned doing work earlier, so I presume you were offered a job,” he wondered aloud, his assumption coming from the comment on New York calling. “Oh. No, don’t be. We had our reasons for going our separate ways. I… guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” he said quietly, looking down at the coffee in his hands once more. It was nice to hear about the other Warblers, even if something small, it felt good to know a little more about what they had been getting up to.

“I was indeed offered a job.  It’s still freelance, which is fine by me, I don’t like being tied to anything really,” Sebastian explained.  “But the New Yorker magazine saw my work, and they want my photography skills expecially for their arts section.”  He pulled out his ipad and pulled up a folder that he used as part of his portfolio.  “Here is an example of some of my work.”  The photos were basically from fashion week in Milan earlier that year.  Backstage, onstage, at the parties.  Just a lot of beautiful people, bright colors, and textured fabrics, along with plays of light.  “Even as few as a dozen high profile pieces with the New Yorker and I’ll be able to decide who and where I want to work for the rest of my life.  I couldn’t pass that up.”

“Europe sounds incredible, though. I’ve always wanted to go. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to tour there or go on vacation somewhere in Europe one day,” he hummed. By now he was mostly just thinking aloud; he had to stop himself. “Kurt is still in New York, though we’re um, we’re not living together. Haven’t been for a few years now.” Even though he was over Kurt and they were currently just friends, he didn’t want to linger on the subject too much; it had taken a long time for the wounds to heal and to put his heart back together, so it seemed counter-productive to reopen those wounds now. “Rachel is on Broadway and doing very well for herself, and I believe a few others are around, too. I’ve bumped into a couple of the Warblers once or twice.” 

“Europe is amazing, and I’ll never regret moving over there after graduation,” he explained.  “But when the New Yorker comes calling, you just don’t smile and turn them down.”  Sebastian grimaced slightly when he heard the news about Kurt, although that is what he’d assumed with the lack of a ring.  But that could have been a publicity thing.  “I’m sorry to hear about you and Hummel,” he offered.  “Wes is in DC, he contacted me asking for recommendations after graduation.   Hunter is in  Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri,” Sebastian offered up.  He felt bad he’d never kept in closer contact with many former Warblers; Hunter being the only one he made a habit of keeping in touch with, and Wes being one of the few that tried to keep in contact with him.  “What is the pint sized diva staring in now?”

After a sip of his coffee, “But anyway, have you been enjoying your time here? Adjusting to the atmosphere well?” When he’d first moved to New York City, it was unlike anything he’d imagined it to be. Just as busy, just as exciting, yes, but somehow, still different, and it was somewhere he had been wanting to live all of his life, so he couldn’t imagine how Sebastian must have been adjusting to the change of pace.

Sebastian took a sip of his coffee. "I'm just amazed really, at the quick pace of life here, especially compared to most of Europe. Do people even really get to enjoy life anymore?" he mused.  “That is probably going to be both the hardest thing to get used to, and yet the thing I’ll mostly enjoy the most.”  He offered Blaine an actual, genuine smile.  “I’ve thought about how many people I might run into here, from the past, from Dalton and McKinley, and that’s a little intriguing.  Do you know who else is kicking around this great big city?”  It was a bit of a roundabout way to ask about Kurt, but the taller man wasn’t about to come out and just blurt it out.    

Having just come through the door, he came to a stop, just staring with his lips slightly parted for a long moment. This wasn’t his regular coffee shop, just a place he thought he’d like to check out, and the chances of them bumping into each other this way, especially after so long… slim to none. But still, it had happened. “Sebastian…” he breathed out, beaming in delight only seconds later. It didn’t even cross his mind that the taller man didn’t seem nearly as pleased to see him as he was. “It’s so nice to see you. It’s been.. what? Nearly ten years? How’ve you been? Are you living here now? How do you like it?” It wasn’t long before he realised he was rambling and asking far too many questions for Sebastian to keep track of, his voice trailing off and a blush building on his cheeks.

Sebastian shifted his bag on his shoulder and gestured to a table.  “I was just going to sit, enjoy my coffee, maybe do a little work...if you...” he trailed off.  His brain screamed at him that this was not a good idea; that he didn’t owe Blaine a catch up coffee, and moreover that he shouldn’t be interested in one.  But he was.  He really was interested-- even after all these years.  

AU: 10 years after graduation, Sebastian and Blaine meet again.