Chapter Text
Kurt
With a shudder, Kurt curled back under the covers and pressed his feet against the warm flesh behind him.
“Ah!”
Kurt yawned and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. The air was cold, but the bed warm, and he had no pressing reason to move.
“You have the coldest feet on the planet,” a voice laughed behind him.
“Do not,” Kurt muttered.
“Do too.” Sebastian wrapped his arms around Kurt and chuckled. “Covers thief.”
“Not much covers to thief.” Kurt rubbed his eye and looked up.
Kurt turned his head on the pillow, feeling his heart starting to pound as he began to remember. He had a bed buddy. Sebastian was watching him, with the clear eyes of someone who had been awake for a while, and smiling warmly.
“Hey,” Sebastian said.
“Hey,” Kurt replied. He blinked a few times and then shook his head. “I um... I never got to shower last night.”
He hopped out of bed, tensing as the cold air hit him, grabbed his bag and darted toward the bathroom.
“You should try to make it quick. I think we're pressing up against our checkout time,” Sebastian called after him.
“Okay!”
Kurt shut the door. He realized he was only wearing a pair of briefs. It was some kind of miracle that he was wearing even that, since they'd shed their clothes long before settling into the bed. He remembered, after a moment, that Sebastian had stretched over the side of the bed to fetch them for Kurt, so he could wriggle into them under the covers before they both passed out on top of each other like exhausted puppies.
Puppies were possibly too innocent an image for all they'd done last night.
Kurt shut the door to small bathroom, pulled out his face and hair care products, and got into the shower, his mind spinning over what had happened last night. There was no excusing it. He wasn't sure he wanted to excuse it, either. He felt, though, like he should want to. He felt like he should be ashamed of his actions.
His buzz had been all but gone by the time they'd gotten back to the hotel (especially due to the cold). He'd assessed Sebastian's interest, his words, and made the active choice to kiss him. And yet, in the daylight (of almost noon), his decision to sleep with Sebastian seemed inexplicable. Kurt was barely out of his last relationship, and while he and Sebastian were more friendly than they had been by quite a lot, they still didn't know one another that well. There had been no reason to rush things.
Other than that, in the moment, Kurt had really, really wanted to kiss Sebastian. And once they'd kissed, he'd wanted more than chaste, teasing touches.
Kurt went to work on his hair quickly, in case Sebastian wanted a shower as well, and tried not to overthink what had happened. When he emerged from the bathroom, Sebastian had his bag on the bed, packed and zipped up. Sebastian looked up, pressed his lips together, and furrowed his brows.
“I see your layers are back.”
“It's, um, it's cold in here.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I think our heater gave out during the night.” Sebastian grinned. “Not that I noticed.”
Kurt laughed softly. “Yeah, we found ways to keep warm.”
Sebastian went over to the little vanity outside of the bathroom and collected his toothbrush and face wash.
“Do you want a shower?”
“We don't actually have time, unless I want to pay for another day.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It's not your fault. I could've gotten up earlier. I can be be-glittered for a little while longer. Anyway, we should get on the road.”
Kurt bobbed his head quietly.
Sebastian zipped up his suitcase once more and then put his hands on his hips. “You ready?”
“Um, give me a second.”
“I'll run down and turn in our keys. Meet me in the lobby?”
Kurt nodded and returned to the bathroom to grab his toiletries. It didn't take much to pull his things together, but as he moved to step out the door, Kurt found himself frozen. He curled his hands into his sleeves and crossed his arms, frowning in thought.
He'd turned the previous night over in his mind three and a half times when Sebastian poked his head in the door. “What's the hold up here? Lost your jewels?”
“Ha ha.” Kurt rolled his eyes.
“Nooo. 'Cause I know you've got those.” Sebastian stepped into the room. “Look, I already took my case downstairs... What needs doing? Did you really lose something?”
'No, no. Nothing like that.”
Sebastian licked his lips and raked his eyes over Kurt. “I like to think of myself as good at reading people. In the body language way as well as the 'for filth' way. I feel like it's going to be an impediment to our relationship if half the time I've offended you or aggravated some painful psychological wound that I didn't know existed.”
He spread his hands. “So until I know you better, you're just going to have to tell me when I've hurt you. What did I do?”
“You didn't- It's not your fault. I'm just... stupid.” Kurt shook his head and looked down.
“Well. That's the opposite of true.” Sebastian took one more step and was standing beside Kurt, trying to catch his eye.
“I'm really not trying to be difficult. We can go.” Kurt picked up his bag.
“Um.” Sebastian shrugged. “Other individuals you may have dated might feel differently, but... Within reason, having feelings about things isn't 'being difficult.' I'm not an expert on relationships, though. In that aspect... You probably have the edge in experience.”
Kurt laughed. “Ohh, no. Just... the Blaine of it all. But... That's kind of...” He set his bag down again. “I'm just thinking... What kind of guy hops into bed with someone a week after breaking up with the last guy? That's just...”
Kurt shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh.
Sebastian lifted his chin slightly. “So you... regret last night or- No...” He crossed one arm over his chest and pointed at Kurt. “You think that there's something wrong with you for enjoying it?”
“Not sure. Maybe the last one there.” Kurt met Sebastian's eye and was slightly comforted to see that Sebastian wasn't pulling a face or welling up with tears. “It does make me feel a little less like an irresponsible slut to hear you so casually and confidently referring to us as a relationship.”
Sebastian threw up his hands. “You have the most impossible standards for yourself. You know that, right? You knew I was interested, and you didn't want to respond to that while you were with someone, so you didn't. And last night we had a good time, and you took me up on it. That's all. That doesn't make you a slut.” He sighed. “Would it make you feel better if we just compared you to me? Because I've banged guys I had no intention of seeing ever again.”
“That just makes me wanna get tested,” Kurt shot back.
Sebastian laughed. “I've been tested, okay. That's my way of being responsible.”
“That's... good to know. Actually.” Kurt scratched the back of his head.
“Is this a big thing? Do you not want to...”
Kurt reached over and took Sebastian's hand. “Hey, no. I... I guess I just feel weird jumping into this the way we did. Don't get me wrong! I wanted to do it. And if I'm really honest, I wouldn't change anything. It's just strange for me because we haven't even really been out on a date.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Though, we have done coffee.”
“Okay, I know you're on relationship training wheels, but bringing me coffee at the garage does not count as a date.”
“No?” Sebastian tilted his head back and squinted his eyes. “You sure?”
Kurt pursed his lips and shook his head. Then he cupped Sebastian's face and pressed a decisive kiss to his lips.
“So, you do want to do this?” Sebastian asked, his voice brittle like a sheet of delicate ice.
It was sweet in a way that Sebastian could feel as uncertain as Kurt did about where they stood, even if he had zero qualms about sleeping together so soon. Sebastian had enough reason to be nervous. He was just much more likely to put himself out there. Much more likely to grab vigorously for what he wanted in the moment, or in life. In truth, Kurt wondered why he felt so ashamed. There was no one else here. Whose business was it how they'd gotten together? Whose business who Kurt decided to sleep with, and when?
“I want... Hm. I want you to go out with me.” Kurt ran his fingers through Sebastian's hair. “A real date?”
“And do what? Go to a wine tasting? Couples' skating?”
“I don't care if we go bowling.” Kurt pulled back, picked up his bag, and took Sebastian's hand. “I just want to spend more time with you. We don't have to move in together. That's probably illegal at our age. But we could find some things to do together... see if this might work?”
“Oh,” Sebastian breathed.
“I mean-” Kurt turned to shut the door behind them. “-aside from in the bedroom, where we know that we work.”
“Definitely true.” Sebastian nodded slowly. He stepped into the elevator first and looked at Kurt intensely.
Kurt pressed the button and looked up to read Sebastian's expression. “Let's just take a step back. Unless you're more interested in the bedroom parts than the us parts.”
“Normally? I'd just be for the 'bedroom,' though honestly I hardly ever make it to an actual room-”
“Then the Scandals bathroom parts,” Kurt teased.
Sebastian grinned. “But with you? I'll take whatever I can get.”
Kurt reached over and took Sebastian's hand again. He licked his lips and sucked in the lower lip as he thought.
“You're so stupid cute,” Sebastian said. “I so don't get how you can be so cute.”
“Just good genes, I guess.”
“I can see some of it from your dad. He might make a good bear-”
“Oh, my god.”
“But your mom must've been gorgeous.”
Kurt pressed his lips together and stared at the elevator doors. Sebastian dipped his head, likely feeling like he didn't know whether what he'd said was appropriate, or not. It was funny. Blaine had never wondered about Kurt's feelings like that. He'd compared the death of Kurt's mother to the death of a bird the Warblers had bought to haze him. He'd joked about Kurt's lack of comfort with sex, and used it first to deny Kurt intimacy and then later to try to win an argument. In fact, any feeling Kurt had offered freely had become a weapon against him eventually.
Sebastian seemed superficial. He seemed like the kind of guy who cared about nothing and no one. He had seemed like a cruel, selfish person. But he was a lot more than he seemed.
The elevator doors opened.
“She was,” Kurt said. He led the way through the lobby to the parking lot.“Or I thought she was. Maybe all kids think their moms are the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Not all of them.”
“Do you talk with your mother much? I mean-”
“My real mom. No. I don't. She has her new family.” Sebastian shrugged as he reached for his keys. “And I hate my step-mother. She's not wicked, and she makes dad happy, and that's about all I can ask for. She's really young, though. She's like twenty-seven.”
Kurt smiled. “I had problems with Carole, too, when she and my dad started dating. And I was the one to set them up!”
“Sounds complicated.”
Kurt shrugged and got into the car. “It's kind of a long story. And one in which I do not come out exactly comme une odeur de rose.”
They spent the drive back to Lima in deep conversation. It had been a long time since Kurt had talked so openly about what his family life had been like with his mother, and what it had been like after she'd died. He didn't even volunteer much with his friends what it was like living there with the Hudsons now because he wasn't likely to get an unbiased ear.
Sebastian was unfailingly honest. He could be a bit rash in his judgments, but he never came off as trying to persuade Kurt what to think about these things. And listening to Sebastian's own admissions about his life, Kurt felt that in spite of the vast gap between them, there were things that they both understood very well about life and how people worked.
The sex complicated things with Sebastian, but oddly, for Kurt, he felt less and less vulnerable talking to him. He could have let that night put distance between them, let it be the end to that part of their relationship and then stepped back to 'friends' or occasional 'sex buddies.' Instead he felt himself drawn closer. How was it that he at once embodied both his father's descriptions of the 'typical guy' wanting sex all the time and the 'typical girl' getting too invested?
At red lights, Kurt reached for Sebastian's hand. Sebastian more than once smiled and brushed Kurt's drying hair out of his eyes. They were almost back to Lima when Sebastian pulled over to a side road.
“Where are we going?” Kurt asked.
“There's a bowling alley over there. Let's get lunch.”
“You have got to be kidding. Won't you die from bowling alley food?”
“I might.” Sebastian pulled in and launched out of the car.
“He's serious. This is the guy I'm dating.” Kurt looked up as Sebastian opened the door for him.
“Hey, you came up with the bowling alley date idea.” Sebastian held his hands up.
“I did,” Kurt admitted. He got out of the car and looked over the area. It was nearly empty. Middle of the day on a Sunday. “Are they open?”
“If they're not, you're gonna take me out for a night in Lima...” Sebastian bounded over to the doors and looked inside. “They're open.”
“Goodie.”
Sebastian winked and hit the lock on his car.
“Have you ever bowled before?” Kurt stepped up to the door and gave a slight bow as Sebastian opened it for him.
“Nope.”
“This should be fun.”
Sebastian
As it turned out Sebastian had no natural gift when it came to bowling. His talents lay in eating french fries and a questionable hot dog while watching Kurt perform ballet poses and landing strike after strike after strike. Just as when the mood hit on the dance floor, Kurt's grace was effortless.
A few times, Kurt had wiped his hands and come up to help Sebastian position himself, but it had proved useless. Sebastian shot the last few frames granny style, to the utter amusement of Kurt. Sebastian liked hearing Kurt's laughter, he found, almost more than he liked winning.
The next day, Sebastian went through his classes doing what he presumed Kurt couldn't help but do: replaying the weekend's events in his mind. He doodled on his pre-calc notes and barely heard what his French teacher was saying. He only came out of his fog to hear Wes and Nick arguing about the finer points of their performance on Friday.
“We're not changing anything the week before Sectionals,” Sebastian said irritably. “We're not Nude Erections.”
Nick grinned at Wes, then slid down the side of the sofa. “How was the rest of your weekend?”
“It was fine.” Sebastian glared at him and then collected his notes to try to find someplace that was actually quiet.
Just as he was heading to lunch, Sebastian saw a flurry of texts coming in.
Hey, bowl king. How's tricks?
Sebastian smirked. Only got the one. So how are YOU?
He quickly collected his lunch and then snuck outside to call.
“Hey, boyfriend,” Kurt answered cheerfully.
Sebastian felt a wash of adrenaline come over him. He would've been lying to say that Kurt's doubts, however reasonable, hadn't worried him a bit yesterday. But it seemed in Kurt's nature to worry through every possible aspect of something. When they were in the moment, Kurt didn't seem worried at all.
“Hey, superstar. How's life back in the black mold?”
“Gross. Today has been unexceptional. Just... so much drama between our two show choirs. The race for class president is heating up. Brittany is handing out candy and promising to go topless for votes.”
“That's... classy.” Sebastian put the phone on speaker so he could arrange his lunch and still hear Kurt. “Maybe you should promise that. You'll get all the girls and the closet gays.”
“Ha ha. There are probably more of those than you'd think. Up to and including one of the significant others of a fellow candidate.”
“The school politics at McKinley are weird. Why don't any of the teachers tell them that they can't bribe votes?”
“Because the teachers don't care. The position has limited powers anyway.” Kurt sighed. “It's just a resume builder. One that I'm gonna lose unless I pull a JFK.”
“You're gonna shoot the bitches?” Sebastian suggested with a laugh.
“No. When Kennedy ran against Nixon in 1960 he had all his mob buddies in Chicago stuff the ballot boxes so he'd win Illinois,” Kurt explained, not unlike a teacher. “It won him the presidency.”
“Well, I could help you with that,” Sebastian suggested, although he knew Kurt would never seriously considering cheating. “I could probably send some Warblers in with extra ballots to give you a boost. I hear there's a kid at McKinley that looks like Trent.”
Kurt laughed. “Yeah, maybe.”
“You're such a history nerd,” Sebastian said fondly.
“I have Kennedy's impeccable hairline. Why can't I have his ends-justifies-the-means mentality?”
“I think your best bet would be instead to read your opponents into the ground, honestly. Who's running?”
“Rachel. Brittany. A hockey player named Rick the Stick.”
“Read them. TO FILTH,” Sebastian advised.
Kurt was quiet for a moment. Maybe he was upset at the thought. Maybe that was still too 'low-road' for Kurt Hummel.
“You're fantastic,” Kurt said finally. “Sorry. I had a lurker over my shoulder. I don't know if Rachel is spying for intel or just trying to get me to forgive her again. Tell me what's going on in Warblerville.”
“You might be surprised to know that we have very little drama the week before we perform.”
“Oh! Right. Your Sectionals is this week.” Kurt paused. “Can I come? Would you mind? That's not spying, is it?”
“Not at all. We have different numbers for Sectionals and Regionals. What you see on Friday has little bearing on the Hell we're going to put the Nude Erections through.” Sebastian wished he could hold Kurt's hand right now. He wished he could watch his face and see his responses, laughing, frowning. “You don't have rehearsal?”
“We're off for the night. I mean the Shakespeare, not Glee, which never practices on Friday. We have the night off and start the second round of rehearsals on Saturday.”
“Then come. You need a break from entertaining the populace.”
“Yes! I will!”
Sebastian could imagine Kurt bouncing in place. “Though it's a pity no one will be able to see your Ariel anymore... I may have snuck in a few extra times to see what I was missing.”
“You're sweet.”
“Don't tell anyone.”
---
The Warblers waited in the backstage area, with a few boys messing with their hair. Sebastian breathed in deeply as he mentally ran through each of the major changes in their performance. He'd been putting on a fiercely confident front, but now was the moment for them all to bring their best, or have nothing at all.
They would lead with “Uptown Girl,” then move on to their more salacious numbers. Nick had been immaculate, and they'd been practicing it since September.
“Look at all the handsome songbirds!” Kurt said from the doorway.
“Hey!” David came up to him with a huge smile. “You're here!”
“Are you checking on the competition?” Wes asked.
“Hardly.” Kurt shook his head and looked to Sebastian. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Sebastian brushed imaginary motes of dust from his blazer and stepped toward Kurt. “You made it.”
“I told you I wanted to come.” Kurt breathed in deeply. He was dressed like he was going to an upscale party in New York. His creamy pale skin, his well-coiffed hair (with the impeccable hairline), and the fitted suit jacket in a lovely, deep shade of blue.
“You look like you did when I first met you,” Sebastian said, a little breathless.
“Oh?” Kurt glanced down at himself. “I thought this was a little less 'great aunt's attic,' as far as looks went?”
“No, I mean... You look like a freakin' model.”
Kurt's mouth opened. He let out a soft noise and then smiled. “You look very handsome as well. About to break those judges' hearts?”
“And scandalize them a little, too, I hope.” Sebastian's eyes continued to rake over Kurt's face. His smile began to fade as he took in the redness around Kurt's eyes. And just a little around the tip of his nose. “What's wrong? Are you okay?”
“What?” Kurt ineffectually feigned surprise. “I'm fine. I'm just excited to see what you guys have to offer.”
“Yeah, okay.” Sebastian's heart pounded nervously. “That's at all believable.”
Kurt rubbed his lips. “It's... It's been a hard day. I've been looking forward to this.”
“You're not gonna tell me?”
“Not before your big performance, no,” Kurt said in a forcefully cheerful voice. “But I'll tell you after.”
“After...” Sebastian frowned. “Well, my bratty sister is spending the weekend with her grandparents. You could come over-”
“That would be amazing. Thank you,” Kurt said with far more gratitude than Sebastian thought was necessary.
Frustrated, Sebastian wrapped his arms around Kurt and squeezed him tightly. He half-expected Kurt to complain that their suits were getting wrinkled, but all he heard was a shaky breath.
And then murmuring from the Warblers.
“What is this?” Nick asked. “You said your weekend was fine. You didn't say it was awesome!”
“I'm a gentleman,” Sebastian objected as he pulled back from Kurt, keeping one hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah, right.” Nick laughed. “Oh, god, I knew you two were gonna hook up, all those looks, and the singing and laughing at your private jokes, and hanging all over each other.”
“Wait, are Kurt and Blaine not together anymore?” Trent asked in a pained voice.
Kurt looked back at the Warblers. He seemed to have forgotten they were there while he and Sebastian had been talking. “No. We- We broke up.”
“What, yesterday?” Trent said with a bit of a scandalized laugh.
“No?”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “I know you were hoping to be next in line for He Who Is Too Boring to Be Named, but if you choose to date him, Trent, we're going to establish some rules. Considering he's at least as notorious for spilling plans and set-lists as he is for his mediocre singing and dancing.”
“Whoa, whoa, guys,” David stepped between them.
“I just think, like, who would jump from Blaine's bed to Sebastian's that fast?” Trent said. “If they even are broken up yet.”
“I said enough!” David snapped, causing every other boy in the room to tense.
“I don't owe him anything,” Kurt said firmly. “And since you haven't spoken to me once since I went back to McKinley, I don't owe you anything either, Trent.” He turned to Sebastian. “I'm so sorry. I should've come after the performance. I just, I wanted to...”
Kurt had wanted to see him.
Sebastian shot a dark look a the Warblers. “We are not like the other groups. I'm not doing this nonsense. Get in order and do your warm-ups, now.”
“He's right. Let's go,” Wes ordered. “Don't make me get my gavel.”
Sebastian caught the smile on Wes's lips as he shooed Warblers into place. Then he took Kurt's hand and stepped into the hallway.
“I guess I should have expected that,” Kurt muttered. He was blinking hard, as though he might start crying again.
“Trent is so far up Blaine's ass, I should blame him for Blaine's garbage solos.” Sebastian cupped the side of Kurt's face. “I'm glad you came. You're my lucky charm.”
“Hope so.”
“You didn't do anything wrong.” Sebastian stroked Kurt's cheek. “Not in coming here, and not in deciding to date someone after Blaine.”
“I know.”
“I'm sure it helps to hear it from someone who isn't crazy, though.”
“I'm just not at my best right now. That's why-” He gestured to his face.
“Tell me. I won't let it influence the performance.”
“Um.” Kurt swallowed. “I lost. The election. But uh... someone stuffed the ballot box with a ridiculous amount of ballots with my name checked.” He shook his head in confusion. “And they're probably gonna suspend me.”
“What?”
“I didn't do it.”
“I know you didn't.” Sebastian paused. “I didn't either.”
“No, I didn't think you would. Not without telling me. I just don't know what to do, and now my dad is coming down on me because I thought about it and with everything, I don't want to be sending such a sparse resume in with a suspension on it. It's already unlikely that any school would want me...”
Kurt shook his head again, and Sebastian brought him close once again and rubbed his back with one hand.
“We'll figure it out,” Sebastian said. “Okay? You didn't do it. They can't pin it on you without proof.”
“Yeah, maybe. People at McKinley do have a penchant for shenanigans when it comes to voting.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Kurt looked at him dubiously. “So I haven't told you that one? Maybe the next time we're out drinking.”
“Maybe tonight at my place,” Sebastian suggested. “We can just relax. Have some wine. Talk about how insane your school is.”
Kurt nodded and wiped away an escaping tear. Then he leaned in and gave Sebastian a firm kiss. “Good luck. Not that you need it. I'm sure that I'm in for the show of my life.”
“You bet you are. I'll make it extra sparkly for you.”
Kurt chuckled and kissed Sebastian again. Then, he gave Sebastian's hand a squeeze before gesturing to the room that housed the crooning Warblers.
Sebastian stepped back inside, frowning deeply. He had to put this out of his mind, at least until they'd finished their performance. He'd promised Kurt, after all. But one thing wasn't going to wait.
“Guys.” He motioned for them to circle around. “Alright. We're going on the stage in a few minutes, and once we leave this room, I want all drama to be left here. First, though, I need to make it clear. Kurt and I are dating. He was broken up with Blaine first, and while I might not be the most honorable man, Kurt definitely, definitely is.”
He raked a severe gaze around at his Warblers, the boys he'd been shaping for several months, to make ready for this very night. “I don't want to hear one bad word about him. Say what you want about me. Say I stole Anderson's boyfriend. Say I'm a club rat. Say I'm a ruthless man-whore. Say what you want. But not about Kurt. Believe me, he's thought much more about how everyone in this situation feels than you possibly could have. He's as conscientious as he is talented. I'm lucky he got tired of Anderson's bullshit. I'm lucky Kurt was interested in me at all. A guy like that isn't going to stay single for long, no matter what.”
Trent shot a look to Jeff. Wes was frowning. Nick shook his head and shrugged.
“I personally can't wait to tell Jack,” Nick said.
“Oh, shut up,” Sebastian said.
“Have a sense of humor.” Nick stood. “She and Amy are gonna be thrilled you settled down. But, seriously. Congrats. You guys are actually a really good match.”
Sebastian let out a sigh and moved his head from side to side, stretching his neck. “Thanks.”
“Is he okay?” David asked.
“I don't know if he'd want me to say, but let's go with, McKinley has no surfeit of idiocy. We'll handle it,” Sebastian said. And if they couldn't handle it together, he'd have a talk with his dad, the state attorney.
With the Warblers calmed down, Sebastian led them through warm-ups once more, while David took a few spotlight dancers for stretches. Then, several minutes later, they were on their way out to the stage.
As Sebastian took his spot, he scanned the audience and felt something in his chest settle when he spotted Kurt's expectant face.
He'd never really understood what it was like to have a boyfriend there for you. It felt... good. It didn't occur to Sebastian until after the they'd left the stage and he'd gone to sit with Kurt in the bleachers that he had the capacity to offer that as well.
Kurt
Kurt couldn't get the image of the Warblers panting around onstage to “Harder to Breathe” out of his mind, even hours later. He'd packed a bag at home with the intention of avoiding the awkwardness around his house and conning Mercedes or someone into letting him stay the night, but exploring Sebastian's gigantic house was much better.
There were so many surfaces to make out on.
He wasn't sure if he wanted things to progress further than that, but after a few glasses of wine, he was sleepy enough that he wasn't able to obsess about it. Instead, he was curled up next to Sebastian on his expansive bed. The television was on, but they were mostly talking, and Kurt had laid his head on Sebastian's shoulder as he told Sebastian all about McKinley's myriad problems that week.
These included preventing his brother from inadvertently outing a member, that member getting outted by a congressional smear ad anyway, and at Sebastian's suggestion, Kurt adding bald honesty about his opponents' campaign promises and qualifications to his pro-salad and anti-bullying plan during the “debate.” Namely, most of the other students' promises were nonsense or completely unlikely to pass by the school board, Rachel's plan for book covers was uninspired and aimed to line the pockets of an already corrupt system rather than help the students and teachers, and Brittany and Rick the Stick weren't academically eligible to run for student council to begin with. The result, aside from not getting any extra votes and probably losing a few, was a frothing dose of “Snixx Juice” every time Santana spotted him.
“I told her that everything I'd said about Brittany was true, and if she really cared about her girlfriend, she'd help her with her GPA instead of gunning for me. It's true that Brittany isn't even really eligible for class she president with her GPA. She's only eligible for Cheerios because Sue got the school board to change the rules so they could be flunking everything and still stay on the squad. Brittany's failing every class, and no one is going out of their way to help her because she doesn't have to pass to perform.” Kurt yawned. “I think Santana listened, eventually.”
“Do you think she'd frame you because of it?”
“I think she'd post gross photo manips of me. Or drag my looks and my voice every time she sees me, which she has. I don't know that she'd do something like this. It seems more likely that she'd just make sure no one voted for me,” Kurt said dryly. “So. Success. No one actually did.”
Sebastian rubbed Kurt's shoulder. “Stop worrying. I'm telling you, there's nothing they can do based on a sneaking suspicion that it might have been you.”
Kurt wasn't so certain about that. The school board seemed to do whatever they wanted, at random. They'd never done anything about physical violence at the school when it came to people slamming him into lockers or dumping him in the garbage. They hadn't even done anything about death threats, really.
“You could come back to Dalton. Fresh off our Sectionals win, we're at the perfect moment to work in a smashing new lead.”
Kurt looked up. Sebastian was waggling his brows.
“Besides, do you really want to go head to head with me?” Sebastian teased. “Come to the Warbler side. We have champagne.”
“Oh, Little Prince. You've seriously misread me if you don't think I'm competitive,” Kurt countered with a laugh. “I don't care how crazy it is over on my side, or how dreamy you are... The Warblers are going down.”
“The Warblers are going down? I don't think so. I'm not the captain of the Misfit Toys show choir.”
Kurt pinched his lips to the side and narrowed his eyes at Sebastian. “What you don't realize is that we take that as a complement. You flock with your identical Warblers. We'll bring you something you've never seen.”
“What I'm afraid of is damaging my ears with something I've never heard, and something which was never meant to be heard.”
Kurt laughed. “Only if Blaine is soloing on all our numbers.” He sighed. “Anyway, it's not a solution to my problem. Dalton isn't going to accept someone who just got suspended for academic misconduct. Besides, I already told you that my dad can't afford the tuition, and while you'd be there... I just don't like the school. The only positive thing there for me would be the French program... and learning to fence.”
Kurt moved his hand around Sebastian's chest and held him. “Thanks, though. At least I got to see tonight what it really looks like when the Warblers sex it up. Whew.”
Sebastian laughed.
“I don't get why that was accepted by the school, but Beyoncé's 'Bills, Bills, Bills,' wasn't.”
“Because all of our filth is sung by guys,” Sebastian said flatly.
“Okay. Point. But we did get to do 'Raise Your Glass' at Regionals, and I thought that was the best song I did with them.”
Sebastian carded his hair through Kurt's hair and watched him solemnly. Kurt lifted his eyes.
“What?”
“Nothing. I'm just glad to have you here.”
“I am, too. I don't know what I'd be doing otherwise. Freaking out about my application, probably.”
“You have a slew of theatre credits for Shakespeare, Glee club, French club, actual French proficiency, a year of cheerleading, work experience, and grades that are pretty amazing for someone who's been through so much shit in changing schools. There's nothing to freak out about.”
“I'll find something to freak out about. I promise you, I always will,” Kurt joked.
Sebastian laughed and kissed the top of Kurt's head. Kurt smiled and wrapped his leg around Sebastian's.
“Y'know, I've done a lot, but... This is a first for me,” Sebastian said hesitantly.
“You've never cuddled? I'll give you an overdose on that.”
“No. I've done some cuddling. But never with the end goal being just... 'Let's cuddle, just because.' It's more like, 'I'll lay with you here for a minute, but I'm really making a to-do list for tomorrow until I can get up and sneak out the door.'”
“That's not real cuddling. How can you fail at cuddling?”
“Apparently, that's a gift of mine. Like bowling is yours.”
Kurt reached for his wine glass. “Uh-uh. Bowling isn't a gift. My dad taught me when I was a wee little Hummel.”
“Why bowling? Why not tee-ball or soccer?”
“Because tee-ball and baseball are both boring. Though not as boring as football. And I got roughed up enough as a kid without flinging myself around in the mud kicking a ball.” Kurt shrugged. “I'm good at sports. I just don't like most of them. Dad took me along with him once when he was out bowling with the guys, and what can I say? There's a lot of grace in flinging those huge balls around.”
Sebastian shook with laughter and bowed his head toward Kurt. Kurt reached up and stroked his cheek.
“You've never done the intimate thing before,” Kurt whispered.
“Nope. With you, for some reason, agendas and plans don't work so well... And I kind of don't need them. I'm fine just...”
Sebastian leaned in closer. Their noses circled one another as they looked into one another's eyes. Kurt moved in first, cupping the back of Sebastian's head and offering him a gentle, leisurely kiss. Sebastian's hand moved along Kurt's side, but then stayed right above his hip, giving a firm squeeze after a moment.
“As cute as your scheming is...” Kurt muttered when they moved back to take a breath, “I do like the unfocused you as well.”
“Mm. Lemme take you to brunch tomorrow. I know a great place.”
“Do they have bowling alley hot dogs? If so, I'm in.”
Sebastian laughed. “We'll be done before you have to go to rehearsal.”
“Yeah, tomorrow I'll be rehearsing all day. First for Twelfth Night, then with Glee.”
“I can't wait to see how you play Sebastian.” Sebastian winked.
“I'll do you proud.”
“You'd better.”
Kurt submitted to another tender kiss. And that would be the rest of their night, intertwined and comfortable, with little rushing and no pressure. Of course, later, if their hands moved southward, Kurt would be just as eager.
There was something about the two of them that worked, whether they were on the dance floor or at a bowling alley, fighting or fucking. Something that lent itself to shifting from teasing to support within a matter of seconds. Kurt had decided that week that he wasn't going to let any of his internal demons push away his happiness. He could keep who he was, but maybe steal a bit of Sebastian's life-grabbing boldness.
“Shut down that busy brain, superstar, and kiss me,” Sebastian demanded.
Kurt slipped his hands under Sebastian's shirt and climbed over his legs with a teasing grin.
“Okay.”