(A/N: Brace yourself for an extremely long Chapter)

Chapter 51: A Goodbye

The warm blanket began to fall off of his body. His hand touched the mattress beside him. The space was empty, the sheet was cold. His body sprung up, a rushed gasp escaping his lips. His feet started to flip through the blankets, rushing to get out. He had to move. Where was Dean?

Sebastian paused when his eyes moved to see his boyfriend bent over his largest suitcase, staring back at him with wide eyes.

“Uh . . . I’m sorry I woke you?” Dean chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to act after Sebastian’s odd behaviour. “I thought you should get a bit more rest while I worked on packing up the last of my clothes.”

Sebastian didn’t say a thing in response. He walked out of bed, ignoring the slight hungry eyes Dean had at the sight of his naked body, and pulled Dean into a hug. Dean had barely any hesitation before hugging Sebastian back. They held each other tightly and silently, taking in the other’s warmth. Sebastian sucked in a long breath before he decided to finally whisper.

“I’m going to miss you.”

Dean was glad his head was on the other side of Sebastian’s shoulder. A tear fell from his eye. It crushed him to hear the sadness in his mate’s voice. Already he wished he was coming back. He hadn’t even left yet and already he was missing Sebastian. Intense burning in his eye was followed by tear sliding down his cheek.

Sebastian heard the slight sniffling but didn’t comment, instead hugging the blond man closer to his body. Though he didn’t say anything about it, his presence and warmth should be enough.

When the two pulled away, Dean’s eyes were dry. Sebastian smiled softly at the sight and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek.

“Come on, let’s get you packed up.” Sebastian told him, turning towards one of the suitcases and eagerly grabbing the plastic-wrapped toothbrush. Sebastian smiled happily as he felt around the suitcase, looking for a suitable pocket to place it.

Dean moved slowly, taking the toothbrush away from Sebastian with a wry smile. Sebastian looked up at Dean, confused as to why he was stopped, only to find Dean holding back laughter.

“Maybe after we get you dressed.” Sebastian actually had to look down at his naked body before a flush erupted across his body, realization dawning on him. Dean was quite pleased to see every inch of skin that shifted in tone even as Sebastian got up and raced towards the bathroom.

Dean waited a good fifteen seconds before finally yelling out to Sebastian, “Your clothes aren’t in the bathroom, babe!”

A frantic body rushed out, scampering in haste around the room. Dean was still snickering to himself when he said. “The closet.”

“Thanks!” Sebastian scrambled for the closet, ripping open the door and grabbing the clothes before he rushed back to the bathroom.

Dean chuckled softly, turning back to his suitcase to put the toothbrush away. Dean puts away a couple of more items before he has a thought. Maybe I should pack another toothbrush for when the first one gets too old. Dean assumed that already having another one while he’s away would be easier than finding a way to buy one.

And just like that, his carefree smile began to dim. The trip became a glaring reality and Dean’s mood plummeted. Weeks ago he had genuinely been so excited to go. Excited to study, discover, and learn along the way. Now all he could think about was Sebastian and how he wouldn’t be there.

Dean tried, with miserable results, to snap himself out of it and be positive. The only way he could cheer while thinking of this trip is to not think about Sebastian, and Sebastian was constantly on his mind. Dean’s plan B is to smack on a smile when Sebastian eventually steps out of the bathroom, so he frowns to himself as he zips up his last suitcase.

Dean jumps when the door slams open, smiling to greet his boyfriend. He freezes when he actually sees Sebastian, his eyes trailing down the other man’s body. Sebastian had a bashful look on his face and tugged at his shirt.

“I thought you had packed all of your things so I just grabbed the first thing I saw.” Sebastian explained with an awkward smile. He walked over to Dean’s body length mirror, laughing when he saw himself. “Gosh! It doesn’t look horrible but just— odd!”

Sebastian was right. Dean’s clothes didn’t hang off of Sebastian like a child wearing their parents’ things, but the pants had to be drawn tight to stay on Sebastian’s hips and the shirt exposed a little too much collar bone to be on purpose. Dean actually loved it but he wasn’t sure how Sebastian would take the comment. He decided to just explain the clothes.

“I left the stuff that wouldn’t work with the weather or area. Those clothes would probably wear down if I wore them on site.” Sebastian made the most adorable ‘oh’ expression, getting why there had been so much stuff left in the closet. Dean bit his lip as he walked over to Sebastian. Dean’s boyfriend smiled as he slid his hands around his stomach and pulled him into his chest. “Honestly, I think they look sexy on you.”

Sebastian laughs, eyeing Dean with a sultry look once his laughter dies down. He raises his right brow.

“You think?” Sebastian asked slowly, turning around to face Dean. “Because for some reason I thought you liked me more with my clothes off . . .”

Sebastian began to slip his arms around Dean’s shoulder and Dean had to stare at the ceiling to keep his wits and pull his boyfriend’s arms away.

“Alright, that’s enough.” He said stiffly, stepping faraway from Sebastian. “If I keep up with that conversation then we’re never going to leave.”

Sebastian was still pursing his lips, so Dean decided to take a different approach.

“I did promise that I would feed you last night, didn’t I?” Dean smirked, painfully reminding Sebastian not only of his promise but also Sebastian’s extremely empty stomach.

“You sure did.” Sebastian replied, wincing as he rubbed his belly. Dean grinned widely, reaching for his boyfriend’s hand and heading for the door.

“Then let’s go.”

Rushing towards the front door, a firm tug on his sleeve alerted Dean that Sebastian didn’t want to go. So, he stopped, turning back to Sebastian with a confused look. Sebastian huffed out a deep sigh, shaking his head at Dean’s antics.

“I still have to change, remember?”

Dean thought quickly and came up with an immediate answer.

“Cast a spell to change your clothes.” He suggested, grinning proudly when Sebastian stopped to ponder on the idea. Sebastian’s eyes suddenly went wide, his cheeks slightly changing colour. He was blushing.

“Um . . . my spell isn’t perfect so . . . don’t laugh. Or touch!” The words all fell out of his mouth in barely a second and by the time Dean processed it, the air around Sebastian had already begun to change. He saw it a moment later.

It only lasted for a second but he had seen it, Sebastian’s fully naked body standing in his living room. Then it was gone and Sebastian was fully dressed in clothes not from Dean’s closet. They weren’t even what Sebastian had worn the night before so he probably summoned them from his room.

Sebastian’s lips were pressed in a tight line, his eyes boring into Dean despite the blush steadily growing on his face. Dean decided not to embarrass Sebastian more by mentioning it and kissed his boyfriend softy on the cheek instead.

“Let’s go.”

~~~~~

Sebastian was beaten red. When planning their breakfast plans, Sebastian hadn’t once factored in the other people they would be around. In his mind, he and his boyfriend were just going to enjoy the morning and afternoon together before he sent him off. However, he had conveniently forgotten that his boyfriend was a famous teacher and he was clearly a student.

The stares they got as they walked through the dining hall hand in hand had gone from non-existent to the extreme in .2 seconds. Everyone seemed to be looking at them, then down at their joint hands, then back up at Sebastian. It was clear to Sebastian that they were analyzing him, studying his appearance and trying to figure out why the heartthrob Dr. Dean McCain had chosen him.

Dean seemed to be taking all of the attention in stride. Cynically, Sebastian assumed it was because he was already famous. But, Dean was keeping a close eye on Sebastian. When Sebastian’s embarrassment was close to getting the best of him, Dean would stroke his palm with his thumb or rub his arm.

These affectionate acts probably made the attention worse but neither of them really cared in those moments. When that happened, Sebastian’s attention was brought back to Dean. Thinking about Dean —the only person in the room he really cared about— everything else would fall away. It got him to forget about the attention for a bit.

The two of them moved down the buffet line, talking softly to each other as they grabbed food.

“Bacon and sausages?” Sebastian asked Dean when he looked over at his plate a couple of minutes later. Dean shrugged, picking at one of the bacon slices and munching on it casually.

“It’s my last day living with a huge buffet at my disposal for every meal.” Dean explained his eyes meeting Sebastian’s as he spoke. “On these research trips, it’s hard to get breakfast made of more than two items. I want to enjoy all of this selection while I can.”

As the two went to walk over to the empty section of a table, Sebastian bit his lip softly.

“You sure?” He asked, looking at Dean’s plate again. “Because I was sure you were trying to tell me something else by grabbing those sausages.”

Dean stopped in his tracks, looking down at his food before snorting

“Har har.” He replied in a drole as Sebastian cackled to himself. “If I was telling you anything it would have been that you have to step it up. I think these sausages have you beat.”

Sebastian’s jaw dropped, his shocked laughter joining Dean’s louder one. The two were now attracting even more attention but were laughing too hard to notice. That was the moment that Sebastian truly got it. He finally got why Dean was so relaxed in all of this.

This was Dean’s last day at the Academy for the foreseeable future. Whether he worked for the university again or not, today was about the two of them enjoying their last hours together and nothing else mattered.

And, if all of that hand-holding happened in front of hundreds of thousands of others then they all got an adorable show.

Sebastian interrupted Dean’s laughter by placing his hands on either side of his face. Dean’s eyes went wide, surprised by Sebastian’s sudden boldness. Sebastian smiled softly in response, lightly stroking his mate’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“I love you.” He said softly, smiling again before dropping his hands. He went to pick up his fork again, but his action was stopped when Dean grabbed his chin. His face was slowly tugged closer to Dean’s for a short, sweet kiss. The few gasps that sounded around them faded into the background as they pulled away.

“I love you too.” Dean replied, giving Sebastian a cheeky grin.

The rest of their meal was far less eventful for all the onlookers since they simply talked and held hands. But the two of them had the best time. They both burned those wonderful moments in their brains, hoping to keep them until they were reunited and could do it all again.

~~~~~

“Alright, I think that’s the last bag.” Gavin grunted, putting the suitcase into the car. He sighed shortly afterwards, turning to look at his younger brother. Dean was turned towards his —now old— house, looking at it with a sad expression.

Gavin walked around the trunk, slamming it shut, and stood next to his brother. It was a bit comical for Dean when Gavin went to copy his pose. Mainly because the older man had to try three times before he was able to lean on the car without his feet slipping. The most Gavin got from the funny effort was Dean’s face softening, but not a smile.

Gavin tried a different approach and began speaking to his brother.

“I didn’t know you were going to miss this house so much.” He commented softly, looking at the house as well. “I was sure you would only be buzzing with excitement to get to the site.”

Dean shook his head, his steadily growing hair falling over his eyes when he ducked his head.

“It’s not the house Gavin.” He explained, his eyes coming back up to the building again. “It’s never the house. It’s the memories in it. I’ve had some of the best times in the house. This was where I stayed as a teacher, dealing with all the burdens and wonders that come with the job. It’s where I learned how to be me without trying to impress everyone all the time. Gavin, this was the place where Sebastian and I—”

“TMI, Dean.” Gavin interrupted, chuckling despite the sombre mood. “I know we’re both adults but I really don’t need to know about your—sex life.”

Dean chuckled loudly, pushing Gavin hard enough to have the older toppling from his carefully perched position against the car. This started a five minute battle between the two which consisted of pushing, shoving, and laughing hysterically. They were both taken back to a time before adult stress and public image where two kids just played and didn’t worry about a thing.

Minutes later when they were fully calm, they found themselves seated on Dean’s front porch. It was a little sad how hard they were both breathing but they silently decided to not acknowledge that fact.

Dean’s face turned solemn again, but this time, Gavin didn’t try to cheer him up. Gavin, ignoring all of his “macho-man training” threw his arm around his brother and pulled him in for a hug.

“Just—remember that you’ll get past this. Remember that there will be a day when you and Sebastian won’t be so far apart. That one day leaving won’t be so hard because both of you will know that when you come back, everything will be fine.” Gavin pulled back from his brother and held his shoulders so he could look into his eyes as he said his last words. “Can you do that for me?”

Dean nodded silently. Gavin smiled, albeit sadly, and ruffled his brother’s hair.

“Good.” Gavin gave Dean a couple of firm pats on the back before standing up with a deep grunt. “Let’s get moving. Your beloved Sebastian will want to see you go. Along with the hundreds of students that you’ve taught in the academy.”

Dean groaned at the sheer thought of all the people he would have to say goodbye to. He had taught a lot of kids and, as far as he knew, was pretty well-liked by many of them.

“Gosh, don’t remind me.” Dean complained, moaning again. The two chuckled at Dean’s reaction before stepping into the car.

~~~~~

While Gavin had seemed to be over-exaggerating earlier, there was, in fact, a large crowd standing about twenty feet from the front entrance made a large fuss when they spotted Dean climbing out of his older brother’s car.

The first person Dean wanted to see was Sebastian, they were separated because Gavin had insisted on some bonding time with Dean. Because Sebastian had monopolized nearly all of Dean’s time for the past couple of weeks, Gavin thought that they could put all of Dean’s things into his car alone. Dean would have protested the idea more, but it was the best way to keep his mate from helping more than he already had.

So, Dean hadn’t seen Sebastian for the past two hours. He needed some boyfriend time and fast. But, now a large crowd of over a hundred people wanted to give their regards before Dean left.

Dean tried to work his way through, saying hello, goodbye, and listening to stories from students touched by his work. Dean began to feel a bit restless when half an hour passed and he seemed no closer to finishing with the large crowd.

One girl, in particular, was currently staring up at Dean with sparkling eyes. She was close to tears, recalling all of the instances where she enjoyed something Dean taught. And, from the number of stories she had to tell, she seemed to have enjoyed every single day.

Dean nodded for the fifteenth time when he felt a hand slip into his left. If the shape, size, and feel of his skin hadn’t given it away, Dean would have known who it was by the slight tingle shooting up his hand the moment their hands met.

Dean looked over his shoulder to catch the eyes of Sebastian looking up at him. Sebastian’s look was sympathetic, and Dean guessed Sebastian already realized the situation he was in. Sebastian’s free left hand slipped around Dean’s bicep and he pressed his chest against Dean’s sleeve.

Dean had been surrounded like a sardine in a can for over half an hour at this point and was getting quite warm. Sebastian’s new position made him even warmer but it also eased his heart so much that he didn’t mind.

So, Sebastian was now being introduced as Dean’s boyfriend to each person that walked up to Dean. Even as people ranted and smiled for far too long, Dean and Sebastian were happy. They were together and that made it alright.

By the time the crowd dwindled, the sun had set and the grass seemed as tired as Dean and Sebastian felt. Per his sibling's request, Sebastian texted all of his friends to tell them when the crowd was gone. They had been smart enough to realize they wouldn’t get a good goodbye if surrounded by the crowd.

Sebastian stood beside Gavin as his close friends and siblings also bid their goodbyes to Dean. Comparing the interaction to the many Sebastian had seen earlier, he wanted to laugh. All of Dean’s students, ex-students, and the occasional co-worker had been so sad and solemn to see Dean go. While Sebastian’s friends weren’t jumping for joy, the soft smiles and carefree laughter brought such a bright mood, Sebastian almost forgot that Dean was leaving today.

He was smiling softly at the scene when Gavin spoke, drawing his attention.

“You know, for a while, I wasn’t sure why Dean liked you.” Gavin said suddenly, startling Sebastian. Sebastian’s brows furrowed, confused about how to react to the comment. Gavin spared Sebastian a short look before speaking again. “I mean, you are one of our students and he had never been one to mix work and pleasure like that. Sure, I thought that you were good looking enough and had above average grades, but nothing other than that.”

Sebastian was blinking rapidly, sputtering a bit. He did not want to have a conversation with his teacher about why he isn’t suited for the man’s older brother. He didn’t want to have any conversations with Mr. McCain at all. Standing there silently would have been absolutely perfect, but now Mr. McCain had to ruin it.

“Mr. McCain--” Sebastian started, trying to find the right words to get his teacher to stop talking.

“But—emphasis on the but—I started actually paying attention and noticing things about you.” Sebastian’s mind went back to a couple of months before when Mr. McCain always seemed to be staring at him. “I noticed some of your good qualities. Like, how attentive you are and how excited you got when you could connect what I was teaching to something in your life.”

Sebastian’s mouth snapped shut as it dawned on him.

Was Mr. McCain—Gavin— complimenting him? Sebastian’s eyes stayed wide, taking in everything the older McCain sibling said.