Title: What We Deserve

By: blaineandsamevanderson

Paring: Blaine/Sam

Rating: PG

Summary: Prompt: S4 AU ~ Blaine never cheats on Kurt, but after months of being ignored and neglected, Blaine breaks up with Kurt. Sam is kind of the Catalyst, as Blaine watches Sam and Britt's relationship and gets upset when he sees Sam being ignored. Someone points out the parallels and LIGHTBULB MOMENT! For Loki Firefox!

Notes: Sorry for any typos. My transcription software doesn't always understand what I say and I don't always catch the mistakes. I have trouble typing things by hand since I suffered an injury last year to my right hand and it seizes up if I try to do too much.

Sitting in the choir room, Blaine checked his phone to see if he had missed any texts or calls.

He had not.

Kurt hadn't returned any of his texts in the past three days and Blaine wished he could say that was unusual. Since Kurt had left for New York in September, it had been increasingly difficult to get in touch with him. Nightly calls soon became every other day, then twice a week then….

Blaine knew Kurt was busy. There was and now that he'd gotten into NYADA he would have even less free time and, of course, Blaine didn't want Kurt not to go out. He needed a social life and friends….

He just wished Kurt would spare a little more time for him (a small, unhappy part of his brain never let him forget that, in the chaos of last spring, Kurt had managed to find time to text Chandler). A good night text or a quick conversation about how their respective weeks had gone would have done wonders to soothe Blaine's mind.

Not that he didn't have a busy schedual himself. Glee and a number of other clubs, student government, preparing for his own NYADA audition…Still, he was willing to put the effort in and tried to get in touch with Kurt at least once a day.

Heaving a sigh, Blaine tucked his phone into his pocket and glanced around. Sugar was flipping through a book, Kitty, Unique and Marley were chatting. Artie was talking to the band guys while Jake and Ryder were throwing M&M's at each other, attempting to catch them in their mouths. Sam was sitting by Brittany, trying to engage her in conversation, but she was texting someone.

There was a resigned expression on Sam's face, a sadness that made Blaine hurt for him. Over the past few months, Sam had become his best friend, his confidant, and Blaine had learned a lot about the Blonde boy.

Sam wasn't just the happy go lucky, confidant person most people assumed he was. No, there was depth beneath his honestly sweet personality. He cared deeply for others and seemed almost desperate for affection and attention, though he tried to hide it. Blaine could recognize the signs though…like himself, Sam just wanted to be wanted.

It had been Sam who reached out to Brittany and Blaine, both of them cast adrift when they were left behind by their significant others. When Santana had broken up with Britt, Sam had been her rock and it made sense that, a few months later, they fell for each other.

Oddly though, Blaine knew he spent more time with Sam than Brittany did. She was busy, Sam would say simply, eyes dull for a moment before he'd smile and ask if Blaine wanted to watch The Avengers.

Blaine knew Brittany was a good soul, knew she wasn't rejecting Sam intentionally, but still…Sam was great! He deserved someone who let him know he was appreciated, who saw that he was giving them his heart and didn't take him for granted. Damn, Sam tried so hard! Why did he keep getting cast aside in favor of God only knew what….

"Gee, transference, much?"

When Sugar spoke, Blaine realized he'd been muttering quietly to himself…but not quietly enough as Sugar had heard him.

Flushing, he asked, "What?"

Sugar looked at him with a sigh. "Brittany treats Sam like Kurt treats you. You're both so desperate to be loved that you're willing to let them treat you like doormats…or, you know, booty calls. Cuz really, when Kurt comes back to town, what do you two do besides Bow-Chicka-Wow-Wow? And that's all Britt wants from Sam these days…."

"Stop!" Blaine said, cheeks burning and Sugar patted his hand.

"I'm not saying this to be mean," she offered, then shrugged. "I just think you both deserve to be treated better is all."

Then she went back to her book, a translation of Plato's Republic.

Blaine sat there, frozen as her words sunk in.

She was right.

He didn't know how he had failed to see that his relationship had become so unhealthy…but it had.

Something had to be done.

Four days later, when Blaine finally managed to get a hold of Kurt on Skype (some conversations needed to be done face to face), he told him how he felt, hoping that open communication would allow them to figure out how to fix things.

Kurt didn't understand why he felt anything was wrong.

Staring at Kurt's puzzled face, Blaine felt a tangible pain in his chest.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Blaine took a breath, then exhaled and said, "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Kurt replied. "You just have too much time on your hands. Trust me, once you get here, you'll see how amazingly busy things can be."

Yes, Kurt was busy. Blaine had seen the Facebook photos. Parties with Vogue people, dinners and shows with Rachel, shopping at amazing stores….

"No," Blaine said, feeling tears prickle at his eyes, barely able to believe he was saying this. "I think…We have to break up."

There.

He said the thing he dreaded having to say for days.

Kurt was his first great love, but their relationship had been floundering since they had stopped communicating…maybe even before that.

"What?" Kurt responded. "You're dumping me!"

They talked – fought- for nearly an hour and, in the end, Blaine buried his face in his pillow and sobbed.

He had held strong.

For the first time in almost two years he was no longer one half of a couple.

On the bedside table, his phone buzzed.

Of course, now Kurt wanted to talk.

Blaine refused to look up and it stopped…until it rang again. And again. And again….

For 25 minutes, Blaine lay on his bed, ignoring the constant buzz. Finally, it stopped and didn't immediately start up again.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

A new sound shattered the quiet of the room and was odd enough that Blaine lifted his head and looked around.

It was coming from his window.

Tap! Tap!

Rising, he crossed the room and opened the window, gaping into the dark. "Sam?"

Sam was perched in the tree outside the house, a look of relief on his face. "Dude, Thank God! I was about to go break a window!"

"What are you doing out there?"

"I came to check on you," Sam said, then jumped from the tree onto the sloping roof above the porch.

"Be careful," Blaine exclaimed, reaching out a hand, which Sam grasped and scrambled up and into the room. "What were you thinking?"

Safe inside, Sam grasped Blaine's upper arms and peered into his face. "You weren't answering your phone! I was worried. Kurt called Burt and said you broke up with him, so I tried to call you and you didn't answer and I got scared because I thought you might be depressed or something…."

Blaine flushed, patting Sam's forearms, feeling the tension in his muscles. "I'm not going to hurt myself…I just didn't want to talk so I was ignoring my phone."

Stepping back, Blaine tapped his phone and swallowed. 23 missed calls from Sam.

None from Kurt.

"What happened?" Sam asked, eyes concerned as he perched on the end of Blaine's bed. "I didn't know you guys were having problems."

With a sigh, Blaine sat beside Sam and grabbed a tissue to wipe at his face. "It was barely a relationship anymore. I tried and he ignored me. Nothing I was doing mattered and whenever I go to New York or he comes home the only time I get his full attention is when we're…."

He let his voice trail off, but Sam understood, swallowing and saying, "In bed."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, as always, warmed by Sam's lack of discomfort at discussing any and all aspects of Blaine's relationship. Most straight guys, even the ones who were cool with gay guys, got a bit awkward when the actual details (even vague ones) of what went on between two men were discussed. "That's not a healthy relationship. I tried to talk to Kurt about how I was feeling and he didn't think anything was wrong with what we had, so I ended it."

His voice shook and he tried to blink back tears and he choked back another sob when Sam wrapped strong arms around him and pulled him close, holding him against his chest. "I'm sorry," Sam murmured, letting Blaine bury his face against his shoulder. "So sorry. You deserve to be happy."

Eventually, they wound up curled together on the bed, Sam rubbing soothing circles between Blaine's shoulder blades. Blaine let his cheek rest on Sam's chest, feeling the steady, slow thump of his heart.

In the quiet of the room, Blaine asked, "Are you and Brittany happy?"

Sam sighed. "For now."

"For now?"

"Until she goes back to Santana."

There was that sadness in his voice and Blaine stretched an arm across his chest to hug him. "Oh Sam, why do you think…."

"You're the one who tells me I'm not stupid, so don't act like I shouldn't know," Sam murmured. "For a while, I thought maybe she could really love me…but she's not in love with me. I was what she needed for a while…There's always something, but then they get tired of me…."

"Sam, there's someone out there who is the one for you," Blaine said softly. "Someone who will see how amazing you are and will never want to let you go."

Chuckling, Sam rumbled, "You always know what to say to make me feel less horrible about myself."

"Someone has to do it," Blaine told him, letting his eyes close. "You go out of your way to make things better for everyone else. Hell, you climbed a tree to get into my house tonight because you were worried about me. Not many people would do that. How do you not see how special you are?"

Sam didn't reply, simply hugged Blaine tight until he drifted off.

Two days later, Sam and Brittany broke up, a mutual, friendly split…honestly, they were so chill about it that no one realized they weren't together for over a week.

Of course, it probably helped that everyone was distracted by the news of Kurt and Blaine's break up. Tina had been the first to see Kurt's altered Facebook status and it had spread like wildfire from her. They said they didn't want to take sides, but clearly Tina, Artie, Brittany, Sugar, Joe and Unique had heard Kurt's rendition of events and they seemed really uncomfortable. The new kids didn't know what to do and Sam…

Thank God for Sam, who practically attached himself to Blaine's hip, radiating support and friendship.

The last half of senior year went by in a blur. Friends, Glee, Anti-Sue plot, crush on Sam (who was honestly incredible about it). Blaine received acceptance letters from several of the schools he had applied to, including NYADA, and Sam received the same from a few art schools, delighted by scholarships.

That was when things got real. Soon, high school would be over and they'd be off to college, scattered to separate cities.

Different states probably.

"Have you decided where you're going?" Blaine asked quietly as they sat on the auditorium stage, seeking a quiet refuge during lunch.

"Yeah," Sam replied, obviously just as nervous about the future. "You?"

"Yes." This was it. "On three, say your choice. 1…2…3"

"The Chicago Academy for the Arts."

Blaine blinked and Sam gaped at him.

They had said the same school.

"Are you serious?" Blaine asked, feeling elation bubble up in his chest. "What's your major? I'm doing Musical Theatre/Music as a double major!"

"Visual Arts with a Music minor," Sam laughed and Blaine found himself crushed in an enthusiastic embrace. "We could be roommates!"

"Yes!" Blaine agreed happily, gripping Sam tight, chin hooked over his shoulder. "You'll have to come with me to look at real estate in a few weeks!"

"Real estate?" Sam asked, then sighed, "Oh, you're not going to stay in a dorm?"

Shaking his head, Blaine replied, "In lieu of support, affection and attention, Dad has decided to go the usual route and is tossing money at me. I just have to pick a place and he'll buy it. Please, please, please, say you'll stay with me! Don't abandon me in a strange city!"

Sam rolled his eyes, but muttered, "Okay. Twist my arm."

Grinning, Blaine pulled out his phone and tapped out a status update.

Heading to The Chicago Academy for the Arts in the fall with Sam Evans. Roomies!

By the time they walked into glee that afternoon, his phone was full of responses and they were met with a barrage of questions and congratulations.

"Chicago?! What about NYADA?"

"OMG! I love Chicago! I want to go to design school there next year!"

"Well, congrats boys!"

"You got into college, Sam! Yay!"

"Way to go, my brothers!"

"You boys plan this or is it a happy coincidence?"

"Good luck guys."

"You're going to college together, that's awesome!"

"Have fun. I may visit."

"Take Chicago by storm!"

"Congratulations, guys! I'm proud of you both…but what about NYADA?"

That was a question he knew he'd have to get used to, so Blaine just shrugged and said, "Chicago is just a better fit for me."

"Me too," Sam agreed with a nod. "And when we found out we'd both picked the same school it just became like 100% more obvious that it's the right choice."

Mike nearly had a fit via Facebook, beyond excited that they would be joining him in the Windy City.

He even joined them when they went apartment hunting.

The third place they saw was perfect, a nearly completed warehouse renovation by the river. The giant building had been split into 8 luxury apartments, 2 floors of 4, and Blaine had his dad's secretary speak to the realtor immediately.

Brick walls, hardwood floors, 2 large bedrooms, 2 & 1/3 baths, a huge great room/dining room and adjoining kitchen and an odd shaped spare room with amazing skylights to make up for the lack of windows…It looked out over the river and there was access to the roof, where a patio was being set up and there were spaces to grow pants if they so desired.

It was amazing.

They returned to Lima and the rest of the school year seemed to go by in a flash. National Show Choir Champions, Cheerleading National Champions, The Guppies placed regionally, Prom Kings (which had confused the hell out of Figgins until Sam took the tiara with a smile), the toppling of Sue Sylvester's reign of terror and, finally, graduation.

Diplomas in hand and boxes of belongings already shipped, they tossed duffle bags into Blaine's car and drove over to visit Sam's family in Kentucky for a few days before heading to Chicago to spend the summer getting to know the city.

Sam's parents, Dwight and Mary, were about as different from Blaine's as could be. He found himself on the receiving end of lots of warm hugs and Stacy and Stevie were cuddlers. He couldn't sit down without a little Evans climbing on him.

It was pretty darn nice and very clear where Sam's tactile nature had come from.

Blaine liked to touch and be touched because it had been lacking most of his life, while Sam touched because he was simply used to doing so.

A week later, when they arrived in Chicago, Sam peered at the side of their building and whistled. "Wow," he commented. "It looks different without the construction scaffolding."

The building was impressive, all red brick and poured concrete window ledges and stairs. Wrought iron framed and crossed the windowpanes in the parking area was neatly kept, less than half full moment, though there were several bicycles locked to a rack.

Shouldering their bags, they made their way up the stairs (eschewing the elevator, as was only one flight) and eagerly entered their new home, expecting to be greeted by piles of boxes and ready to tackle insanity of dragging them to their respective rooms.

Tomorrow would begin the torture of furniture shopping… Or maybe not.

"What the….?" Blaine murmured, glancing around in surprise. The small foyer was empty, but he could see a large, heavy wooden table and chairs in the dining area and stools tucked neatly under the eat-in counter. Beyond that, in the great room, he seemed overstuffed leather sofa and chairs, end tables, coffee table and a grand piano. There were unobtrusive lamps and an enormous flat screen TV mount the wall over a low cabinet which probably contained assorted entertainment and tech items…..

So not the empty space he had been prepared for.

Sam ventured in first and was the one who found the note on the granite countertop.

My Darling Boy,

I am so proud of all that you have accomplished. While I am certain that you will wish to give your home your own personal touch, I thought you might enjoy some basic, classic pieces to build from. I do hope you and Sam like it here.

Love, Mom

As Blaine stared at the note, Sam's voice echoed out from his bedroom. "Dude, we're not gonna have to sleep on the floor tonight! Your mom did the bedrooms too!"

Sure enough, there was an incredibly high end, queen sized bed in Blaine's room, along with the bedside table, a dresser, a plasma television on the wall, a leather chair and a desk and chair. His boxes were neatly stacked and Sam's room was practically a mirror image.

The only rumors mother hadn't attacked was the spare room.

While Blaine tried to call his mother to thank her for her thoughtfulness (as usual, she wasn't answering her phone, but he left a long message), Sam poked around the kitchen, making pleased noises about the various gadgets he found. That mystified Blaine. His mother had to know he could cook a total of 10 dishes (kind of. There were occasional incidents) and mostly survived on take out.

So, hearing Sam mumble happily about KitchenAid mixers, immersion blenders, regular blenders, food processors, Panini presses, waffle irons, toasters, deep fryers, all clad copper core cookware, Wusthof knives…yeah, it was all kind of white noise, though he did perk up when Sam pointed out the incredibly expensive coffee/espresso maker perched on one of the countertops.

There were plates, mugs, glasses, bowls silverware (four place settings of each) and a variety of cooking implements like wooden spoons, spatulas, whisks, measuring cups & spoons and got only knew what else. Sam was pretty much in heaven and Blaine was sure he tried to hug the subzero fridge when Blaine's back was turned.

All in all, it was overwhelming.

They tried to unpack, but kept wandering over to each other's rooms, too excited to focus and just needing to share what ever wandered into their minds.

One such instance, Blaine burst out of his room to see Sam setting his guitar in a corner beside the piano and something about the sight just made him freeze.

After a moment, Sam noticed him and smiled. "What's that look for?"

Shaking himself, Blaine gestured around them. "This is ours!" he said. "Our home. No parents. Everything is new! I'm just…."

Sam crossed the room quickly and grabbed Blaine in a tight hug, the familiar feel and scent of him soothing. "We are starting a new life, dude," Sam murmured and it was a relief that he clutched at Blaine just as hard as Blaine clung to him. "I think we've both done it before, but this is like, only from milestone. College, being out on our own… This is going to be awesome!"

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, letting his chin rest on Sam's shoulder. He wasn't stupid, new Sam would never return his affection in anything other than a platonic way, but it was still amazing to Blaine that his friend was so utterly comfortable with being physically close even knowing about Blaine's crush. Still, Blaine was about to tell Sam how seeing their musical instruments of choice sitting there together, in their living room, had just seemed so domestic and perfect that his heart had skipped a beat….

"Food," Sam said suddenly, pulling back at keeping a hold of Blaine's hand to tow him along. "We need to eat something. No wonder we're all over the place."

Best friends could totally hold hands. Girls did it, Sam had once pointed out, so why couldn't guys? They had been with their friends when he had made that very reasonable point and Puck had sighed heavily and looked at Blaine before saying, "No offense, Bro, but Evans is so much gayer than you…you know, besides the…."

Then he made some hand gestures that Blaine wished he had never seen.

A short stroll later, they encountered a food truck called Taquiero Fusion and decided to give it a go. Sam was delighted with the vegetarian taco, while Blaine decided to be wild and sample the steak taco.

Both were incredible (they shared bites with each other) and tasted great washed down with Mexican Pepsi (made with real cane sugar).

Over the course of the summer, they settled into their new city, exploring and discovering points of interest. There was an El station within walking distance of the apartment and a Whole Foods (as well as a couple of corner stores for emergency coke/Doritos/Tasty Kake runs). Both boys dated occasionally, but nothing stuck.

Sam got a job at a coffeehouse/café/bookstore not too far from the campus (which would be convenient when classes started) and Blaine probably spent too much time simply hanging around asked Coffee! Coffee! Coffee! just to enjoy the ambience (totally not because he was being a little clingy to his best friend).

In early August, Sam informed him that his coworkers all thought they were an adorable couple.

"What?" Blaine sputtered, gaping across the kitchen counter at Sam, who was preparing the ingredients to make their version of rodeo burgers (ground turkey instead of beef and low-fat pepper Jack cheese... Regular mayonnaise in the sauce though, they had standards). "But we're… You're not… I don't even know how to react."

Sam simply smiled and placed the chopped jalapenos in a small dish. "When you think about it, it's not that much of a stretch," commented quietly, then bit his lip before saying, "Do you remember when we were doing our guilty pleasures and I grabbed you to tell you that I'm a Fanilow? Do you remember what you asked me?"

Of course he remembered. He also remembered Sam dismissing the question and telling him that his secret was way worse than that. Swallowing, Blaine nodded, "Yeah, I remember. I asked you if you had feelings for me."

Stirring a little more adobo sauce into the mayonnaise, Sam nodded, then looked up to meet Blaine's eyes. "I do. I have for a while… Even back then, but I just didn't know how to handle everything…We both went through break ups and I thought we'd be going to separate schools… I thought you'd leave…."

Blaine watched Sam stir the chipotle mayonnaise quite aggressively and could see the color high on his cheeks. He was well aware that factors had combined to leave Sam with the idea that he was no one's first choice, that he would always be left behind if something better came along.

Usually, Sam was pretty good at hiding his insecurities, but sometimes they reared up and threatened to consume him. Blaine wasn't going to let that happen.

"Hey," he said, hopping up and circling the island to grip Sam's hands, stopping their almost manic movements. "I'm not going anywhere. Nothing is going to make me leave."

That got a little smile from Sam. "Do you still like me… Like like, I mean?"

"Yeah, not like I'm going to get over you when you're constantly together and you're practically perfect in every way," Blaine admitted, liking the embarrassed but pleased book that crossed Sam's face. "But I have to ask… I didn't know you like guys."

Sam squirmed. "I'm not all that hung up on labels. I mean, you've met my folks. They always told me someday I'd find a person who could love me as much as I love them. Love starts in the heart. You love all of me, Blaine, as a friend at least and that's more than I can say for anyone else…and I love all of you so much. The falling for you, that just happened naturally."

Looking up into Sam's warm, open face, Blaine smiled and leaned forward, letting his arms wrap around Sam's waist, his cheek on a broad shoulder. "So, how long do your coworkers think we've been dating?"

He shrugged. "Tali called us an old married couple," he replied, hugging Blaine with all of his usual warmth and sincerity. "So I'm guessing a while."

"If platonic but crushing on each other and quasi-dating counts, then it has been months!" Blaine teased. "A heck of a build up to a first kiss."

"Mmmm," Sam agreed. "I want the moment to be right."

"Yeah," Blaine sighed, nosing lately at Sam's throat. "It is going to happen though, right?"

Sam squeezed him. "Oh, yes. Now that…Oh! I'm gonna ask, because I like to be clear…Blaine, will you go out with me?"

He laughed at the directness. "I would love to, Sam."

There was a brief brush velvety soft lips against his temple and Blaine drew breath as Sam asked, "You'll tell me if I mess anything up, right? I really want to be a good boyfriend and I try, but sometimes…."

Craning his neck back, Blaine met Sam's troubled gaze and said, "Hey, this is me, remember? As long as we love each other and are ourselves together, things will be great."

Seemingly reassured, Sam smiled and gave him a final hug. "I should finish dinner."

The burgers and baked Sweet potato Fries were incredible and they chatted animatedly about the upcoming Thor movie. As comfortable and fun as ever, there was a thrill of anticipation to the meal that made Blaine's heart race.

They took their desert (vanilla yogurt, mixed berries and granola) up to the roof and enjoyed the cool breeze rolling in off the river. The air chilled further as the sun set and Sam began pointing out the brightest constellations. Blaine leaned his head on Sam's shoulder and sighed happily, listening to him ramble about the stars.

When Sam fell silent, Blaine tipped his face up to look at him and found Sam gazing down at him with a soft, fond expression.

Neither could be sure who moved first, but their first kiss happened under the stars, soft and slow and perfect.