FIC: In My Veins 7/?
Title: In My Veins 7/?
Rating: Eventual NC-17
Warnings: AU, stepcest, language
Summary: He’d only introduced Carole to his father so that he could get closer to Sebastian - it was just a simple crush at first. He didn’t expect to become his stepbrother. And he certainly didn’t expect to actually fall in love. Kurt/Sebastian and Kurt/Blaine.
It begins like a sort of experiment.
And sure, there are sacrifices to be made. He’s been wanting to break in his new knee-high Docs, but those’ll have to go back in the closet (he laughs at the irony). Instead he wears the Timberlands that he normally uses while working at the garage. His button-downs and scarves are traded for flannel and henleys, and the fedoras get swapped out for trucker caps.
He can do this. It’ll be worth it. After all, he’s already gone to buy groceries while wearing this and no one even gave him a second look like they would had he been wearing his designers.
On the other hand, the glee club had given him a wide range of strange looks when he sauntered into the choir room earlier today looking like he’d raided Finn Hudson’s wardrobe. But if he wants to man up, this is the best way to do it.
He skips Cheerios practice for the day (maybe for the week, or forever, depending on how this whole thing pans out) and does his homework for a bit before heading to the Lambda Community Center.
There’s an abrupt break in conversation when he walks into the meeting room and sinks down onto the couch next to Seth. “Hey,” he says, his voice an octave deeper and a touch noncommittal.
Jake’s jaw literally drops. Seth raises an eyebrow at him and gives a once-over. Rigo slips from his reclining position on the beanbag and stumbles to the floor. And Sebastian narrows his eyes, staring at him like he’s - again - some puzzle to figure out. He’s smart, he’s probably already worked out Kurt’s plan.
“Uh... hey Kurt,” Jake says hesitantly once he regains the power of speech. “Haven’t seen you in a while. You look...”
“Not as hot.”
“The fuck, Rigo!” Jake hisses.
“What!” Rigo climbs back up on the beanbag. “I liked the tight jeans better. They showed off your cute little ass. This?” He points his finger and circles it wildly to gesture to Kurt’s outfit. “Not a good look.”
Kurt almost wants to laugh at the concept of being told that he, of all people, has on a less-than-stellar outfit. Instead he shrugs one shoulder and gives his rehearsed answer, “I’m just finally being true to who I am.”
Rigo looks offended. So do the rest of the guys, and sensing the anxiety, Sebastian sits up in his chair. “Alright, I think we should call it quits early. Kurt, can I talk to you?”
Kurt tries not to take the looks that Seth and Jake and Rigo are giving him too personally and instead slouches down and props his feet up on the coffee table. “So talk.”
Sebastian waits until he hears the last of the footsteps fade away and frowns at Kurt. “Cut it out.”
He rolls his eyes. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“This straight act,” Sebastian answers, and Kurt’s spine stiffens. “I’m guessing you’re doing this so you can try to bond with your dad.”
Always right.
“And even though that’s a shitty idea, that’s not the main reason why I’m concerned - you saw those guys’ faces just now, didn’t you? What kind of message did you think you were sending when you waltzed in here trying to straight it up?”
He tries not to let his guilt show on his face. “That’s not my problem.”
“Except it totally is,” Sebastian snaps. “What the hell, Kurt? Those guys come in here to learn how to accept themselves for who they are - and here you’re trying to do the exact opposite.
His carefully guarded facial expression is beginning to slip, he can feel it. To fight this, he shrugs and looks away. “Fun lecture. So what’s your point? I shouldn’t come here anymore?”
“I’m not saying that. I’m saying that this,” Sebastian gestures to Kurt’s outfit, “isn’t you.”
Maybe not, but if it gets him to bond with his dad? He’ll do what it takes. “I see now that coming here was a mistake. I’ll see you around, Sebastian.”
He ignores Sebastian’s attempts to call him back. It’s cowardly, running away like this. He’s always been so proud of who he is. But when he gets home that night and asks his dad to talk about Mellencamp over burgers, he thinks things might just be looking up.
---
Except they really aren’t.
The Glee club isn’t as receptive to his rendition of Pink Houses as he thought they would be. Mostly they just look confused and vaguely disgusted - though Finn and Brittany look entertained at least. On the other hand, Rachel offers two loud sarcastic claps (well screw you too, Miss Berry, no one asked you to lose your voice and mangle “The Climb”).
And god, the last thing he needs is another “be true to yourself” lecture from Mr. Schuester.
He tries everything. The wardrobe downgrade, the deeper voice, he’d even made it through watching a baseball game on TV without commenting on those awful stirrup pants.
He does all this but still Burt’s going over to Carole and Sebastian’s place for dinner and a game - almost more frequently than before - and Kurt is starting to run out of ideas and he finds himself getting more and more desperate.
He’s convinced that Brittany might be the ticket that sells his dad on “the new him” but when Burt catches them making out in Kurt’s room, he just looks very skeptical of the whole thing and reminds him that he loves him no matter who he is. Ordinarily this would sound somewhat like a victory speech. But not to Kurt.
The whole exchange leaves him a little unsettled. His heart feels heavy, like he’s done something wrong but he’s not quite sure how to fix it.
But above all, hiding in the most pessimistic recesses of his mind - he knows that this can’t be fixed. And that thought terrifies him more than anything.
---
He thought that he’d be able to last a few more days at least.
But then it all comes to a crashing halt.
He can barely hear anything over the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears and his emotions boiling inside and stabbing him over and over, but somehow manages to understand his father saying, “Sebastian caught a foul ball in the ninth at the Reds game, so that means free hoagies at Lenny’s Hoagies and half off at the shooting range tonight. Don’t wait up, okay?”
He almost doesn’t want to breathe, fearful that as soon as he exhales, his entire life force will come rushing out and he’ll be left dead on the floor. This can’t be happening. All of this work - the clothes, the attitude change, the Mellencamp - was it all for naught? “Did you ever think that might be something I wanted to do with you?”
Burt raises an eyebrow. “Kurt, I saw you when we were watching the game last week. You looked like you wanted to tear your hair out from boredom.”
Kurt looks away, aware that he probably looks like a petulant child right now. And what is he supposed to say to that? He’d only tuned in because he missed his dad.
“Look, me and Sebastian are just going to hang out for a while. I think he likes having someone with common interests around, even if he doesn’t admit to it - but I promise when I get back, we can do whatever you want, okay?” Burt pats him on the shoulder. It’s meant to be a comforting and warm gesture, but to Kurt it just feels like pity.
He watches his dad walk away, suddenly sick to his stomach.
---
There’s something cathartic about the stage. Up there he can unleash his heart to his audience - even if no one is sitting in the seats - and invoke the pathos that he so desperately wants to free. He sings, sings until he feels like his heart is going to explode, sings and means every word of it. And sure, maybe it’s overkill - but he’s always had a flair for the dramatic.
He hits every note with all of the vocal power and anger he can muster, and when it’s all over it’s like all of his emotions have come rushing out - frustration, jealousy, desperation, sadness - although he doesn’t feel any better. Now he just feels... empty.
And then hears applause.
His father walks down the side aisle of the auditorium, an impressed smile on his face. “That was some serious singing, kid.”
He pulls himself up to full height, brushing his hair to the side. “That was Rose’s Turn.”
Burt shrugs. “Could get into that, maybe.”
“What happened to the hoagies?” He asks, hating how weak he sounds.
“Ah, blew it off. Too much cholesterol and all that,” Burt says. “And Sebastian understood. Once I told him how bent out of shape I thought you were.”
“Me? I’m fine,” Kurt forces a smile and - there it is, the telltale pressure pricking behind his eyes.
“Look, Kurt. I’m not stupid,” Burt gives him a pointed look. “I have no idea what that song was about, but you sure as heck didn’t look fine singing. And - yeah, maybe I got a little carried away doing stuff with Sebastian. But you’ve gotta know - when you were a baby, and I was holding you in my arms, did I dream about taking you to games and talking cars? Yeah, I did. A lot of fathers do.”
He feels like he’s been shoved into a tank of ice water, and he turns away before he lets any tears fall. “I had no idea I was such a disappointment to you.”
“Hey, come on - that’s not what I meant,” Burt calls out, his voice suddenly stern. “Don’t go playing the victim.”
His eyes are rapidly filling with water but he turns back anyway. “I’m sorry, Dad, I just... Seeing the way you are with Sebastian - even though he’s like me - I see how much easier it is for you. It breaks my heart. And I thought that if I tried, you’d think it’d be worth spending time with me, too.”
Burt looks at him then and all of a sudden he feels like a kid again and his dad’s trying to figure out how to read him. “Is that why you were pretending to date that cheerleader? That was why you started with the overalls and the Mellencamp?”
The first tear rolls down Kurt’s cheek and he realizes that he doesn’t feel empty inside anymore - the jealousy and desperation are back but they’re making him feel more alive than he can ever remember feeling in the past few weeks. “I wanted to show you that I’m willing to work just as hard as you to make this okay.”
His father steps forward and grips his shoulders firmly. This time it does feel like a comfort. “You don’t have to work at anything, Kurt. Your job is to be yourself, and mine is to love you no matter what. Sure, it’s not gonna be easy, but you’re my son. And that’s what matters.”
They come together in a tight hug, Kurt clutching on like his life depends on it. Maybe it’s the honesty in his father’s voice or reassuring words or Kurt’s own resignation or all of the above, but his heart begins to feel much lighter. The tears are still making his head ache - but in a strangely good way. “I missed you, Dad.”
---
When he walks into the Mars group the following Monday with his boots and favorite McQueen scarf, Rigo immediately launches toward him and wraps his arms around his neck, bringing him close.
“You’re back!” Rigo says, breathlessly happy.
Kurt looks over Rigo’s shoulder at the similarly relieved expressions of Jake, Seth, and finally Sebastian, and he smiles softly, gently patting Rigo between the shoulder blades. “Yes I am - and I’m sorry about before.”
“All’s forgiven!” His friend pulls away, smiling hugely, and takes his hand to lead him over to the couch, where he orders Seth to move over so that he can sit with Kurt today.
And Kurt laughs at the display - what are they, six years old again? - but he can’t help but feel touched. It really is like coming home.
---
“I take it you worked things out with your dad?”
Kurt smiles. “We talked. Agreed that it would be difficult, but I suppose all I needed in the end was a bit of reassurance.”
Sebastian smirks. “Glad to know my plan worked, at least.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Plan?”
“You probably noticed how Burt and I were hanging out a lot more - like almost every day - the past two weeks. That was entirely my doing. I figured if I could get you to a breaking point, you’d give up the butch act and start acting like yourself again.”
Well that makes sense. But instead of the hurt and betrayal he should probably be feeling, he just feels... relieved, and oddly grateful to Sebastian. That doesn’t stop him from poking a bit of fun though. “You sneaky ass,” he laughs, stopping at his car door. He cracks it open and turns to Sebastian. “Though I should thank you. No one else would have thought to do that for me.”
“Even I’ve been through identity crises before,” Sebastian shrugs. “They suck. And seeing you like that, especially when I know that’s not who you are - was just wrong.”
Somehow he can’t picture someone as confident as Sebastian going through an identity crisis. It just... doesn’t match up. Then again, he’d have said the same thing about himself just three weeks ago.
“And Rigo had a point. The butch look was hideous on you.”
...And that ruined it. Kurt rolls his eyes. “You and him - I don’t know if I find your honesty charming or insulting.”
“Probably a bit of both,” Sebastian answers blankly, though there’s a hint of a smile on his face.
“Shame personality transplants don’t exist yet,” Kurt deadpans, opening his door further until Sebastian halts his movements.
“I really am glad you’re back though,” Sebastian says softly. “You shouldn’t have to change who you are just so you can be accepted. There’s no one like Kurt Hummel - he's out there, dresses like he stepped off a runway at Fashion Week and can be kinda bitchy sometimes, but that's a good thing.”
Kurt looks at Sebastian then, really looks and it finally sinks in - Sebastian knows about his feelings. Sebastian knows.
He hopes that the combination of the black night sky and the dim street lamps are too dark to show his rapidly flushing cheeks. He hadn’t really thought about it before, having been too preoccupied with fitting in, first with the Cheerios and then with his father’s ideal. Now there’s nothing to hide behind - Sebastian knows. Is it going to be awkward between them? God, he isn’t sure if he can handle that.
But it’ll only be as awkward as they make it, right? And if Sebastian was willing to talk to him during his crisis, then that means he’s willing to make it work. It’s only fair that Kurt returns the favor.
Sebastian’s staring at him now, his eyes almost tender and it makes Kurt’s heart skip. In a sudden burst of determination, he leans forward and presses a brief kiss to Sebastian’s cheek. Just a friendly gesture, he reasons. Nothing more and nothing less.
When he pulls back, Sebastian looks a bit surprised if anything. He doesn’t look disgusted and he hasn’t taken off running, so that’s a good sign. In fact - if Kurt’s not imagining things, he even looks a little pleased.
“Thank you for helping me come to my senses,” Kurt says, his eyes bright. “Thank you for believing in me.”
And when he lays his head down to sleep that night, Kurt has nothing but pleasant dreams.
Next
Rating: Eventual NC-17
Warnings: AU, stepcest, language
Summary: He’d only introduced Carole to his father so that he could get closer to Sebastian - it was just a simple crush at first. He didn’t expect to become his stepbrother. And he certainly didn’t expect to actually fall in love. Kurt/Sebastian and Kurt/Blaine.
It begins like a sort of experiment.
And sure, there are sacrifices to be made. He’s been wanting to break in his new knee-high Docs, but those’ll have to go back in the closet (he laughs at the irony). Instead he wears the Timberlands that he normally uses while working at the garage. His button-downs and scarves are traded for flannel and henleys, and the fedoras get swapped out for trucker caps.
He can do this. It’ll be worth it. After all, he’s already gone to buy groceries while wearing this and no one even gave him a second look like they would had he been wearing his designers.
On the other hand, the glee club had given him a wide range of strange looks when he sauntered into the choir room earlier today looking like he’d raided Finn Hudson’s wardrobe. But if he wants to man up, this is the best way to do it.
He skips Cheerios practice for the day (maybe for the week, or forever, depending on how this whole thing pans out) and does his homework for a bit before heading to the Lambda Community Center.
There’s an abrupt break in conversation when he walks into the meeting room and sinks down onto the couch next to Seth. “Hey,” he says, his voice an octave deeper and a touch noncommittal.
Jake’s jaw literally drops. Seth raises an eyebrow at him and gives a once-over. Rigo slips from his reclining position on the beanbag and stumbles to the floor. And Sebastian narrows his eyes, staring at him like he’s - again - some puzzle to figure out. He’s smart, he’s probably already worked out Kurt’s plan.
“Uh... hey Kurt,” Jake says hesitantly once he regains the power of speech. “Haven’t seen you in a while. You look...”
“Not as hot.”
“The fuck, Rigo!” Jake hisses.
“What!” Rigo climbs back up on the beanbag. “I liked the tight jeans better. They showed off your cute little ass. This?” He points his finger and circles it wildly to gesture to Kurt’s outfit. “Not a good look.”
Kurt almost wants to laugh at the concept of being told that he, of all people, has on a less-than-stellar outfit. Instead he shrugs one shoulder and gives his rehearsed answer, “I’m just finally being true to who I am.”
Rigo looks offended. So do the rest of the guys, and sensing the anxiety, Sebastian sits up in his chair. “Alright, I think we should call it quits early. Kurt, can I talk to you?”
Kurt tries not to take the looks that Seth and Jake and Rigo are giving him too personally and instead slouches down and props his feet up on the coffee table. “So talk.”
Sebastian waits until he hears the last of the footsteps fade away and frowns at Kurt. “Cut it out.”
He rolls his eyes. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“This straight act,” Sebastian answers, and Kurt’s spine stiffens. “I’m guessing you’re doing this so you can try to bond with your dad.”
Always right.
“And even though that’s a shitty idea, that’s not the main reason why I’m concerned - you saw those guys’ faces just now, didn’t you? What kind of message did you think you were sending when you waltzed in here trying to straight it up?”
He tries not to let his guilt show on his face. “That’s not my problem.”
“Except it totally is,” Sebastian snaps. “What the hell, Kurt? Those guys come in here to learn how to accept themselves for who they are - and here you’re trying to do the exact opposite.
His carefully guarded facial expression is beginning to slip, he can feel it. To fight this, he shrugs and looks away. “Fun lecture. So what’s your point? I shouldn’t come here anymore?”
“I’m not saying that. I’m saying that this,” Sebastian gestures to Kurt’s outfit, “isn’t you.”
Maybe not, but if it gets him to bond with his dad? He’ll do what it takes. “I see now that coming here was a mistake. I’ll see you around, Sebastian.”
He ignores Sebastian’s attempts to call him back. It’s cowardly, running away like this. He’s always been so proud of who he is. But when he gets home that night and asks his dad to talk about Mellencamp over burgers, he thinks things might just be looking up.
---
Except they really aren’t.
The Glee club isn’t as receptive to his rendition of Pink Houses as he thought they would be. Mostly they just look confused and vaguely disgusted - though Finn and Brittany look entertained at least. On the other hand, Rachel offers two loud sarcastic claps (well screw you too, Miss Berry, no one asked you to lose your voice and mangle “The Climb”).
And god, the last thing he needs is another “be true to yourself” lecture from Mr. Schuester.
He tries everything. The wardrobe downgrade, the deeper voice, he’d even made it through watching a baseball game on TV without commenting on those awful stirrup pants.
He does all this but still Burt’s going over to Carole and Sebastian’s place for dinner and a game - almost more frequently than before - and Kurt is starting to run out of ideas and he finds himself getting more and more desperate.
He’s convinced that Brittany might be the ticket that sells his dad on “the new him” but when Burt catches them making out in Kurt’s room, he just looks very skeptical of the whole thing and reminds him that he loves him no matter who he is. Ordinarily this would sound somewhat like a victory speech. But not to Kurt.
The whole exchange leaves him a little unsettled. His heart feels heavy, like he’s done something wrong but he’s not quite sure how to fix it.
But above all, hiding in the most pessimistic recesses of his mind - he knows that this can’t be fixed. And that thought terrifies him more than anything.
---
He thought that he’d be able to last a few more days at least.
But then it all comes to a crashing halt.
He can barely hear anything over the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears and his emotions boiling inside and stabbing him over and over, but somehow manages to understand his father saying, “Sebastian caught a foul ball in the ninth at the Reds game, so that means free hoagies at Lenny’s Hoagies and half off at the shooting range tonight. Don’t wait up, okay?”
He almost doesn’t want to breathe, fearful that as soon as he exhales, his entire life force will come rushing out and he’ll be left dead on the floor. This can’t be happening. All of this work - the clothes, the attitude change, the Mellencamp - was it all for naught? “Did you ever think that might be something I wanted to do with you?”
Burt raises an eyebrow. “Kurt, I saw you when we were watching the game last week. You looked like you wanted to tear your hair out from boredom.”
Kurt looks away, aware that he probably looks like a petulant child right now. And what is he supposed to say to that? He’d only tuned in because he missed his dad.
“Look, me and Sebastian are just going to hang out for a while. I think he likes having someone with common interests around, even if he doesn’t admit to it - but I promise when I get back, we can do whatever you want, okay?” Burt pats him on the shoulder. It’s meant to be a comforting and warm gesture, but to Kurt it just feels like pity.
He watches his dad walk away, suddenly sick to his stomach.
---
There’s something cathartic about the stage. Up there he can unleash his heart to his audience - even if no one is sitting in the seats - and invoke the pathos that he so desperately wants to free. He sings, sings until he feels like his heart is going to explode, sings and means every word of it. And sure, maybe it’s overkill - but he’s always had a flair for the dramatic.
He hits every note with all of the vocal power and anger he can muster, and when it’s all over it’s like all of his emotions have come rushing out - frustration, jealousy, desperation, sadness - although he doesn’t feel any better. Now he just feels... empty.
And then hears applause.
His father walks down the side aisle of the auditorium, an impressed smile on his face. “That was some serious singing, kid.”
He pulls himself up to full height, brushing his hair to the side. “That was Rose’s Turn.”
Burt shrugs. “Could get into that, maybe.”
“What happened to the hoagies?” He asks, hating how weak he sounds.
“Ah, blew it off. Too much cholesterol and all that,” Burt says. “And Sebastian understood. Once I told him how bent out of shape I thought you were.”
“Me? I’m fine,” Kurt forces a smile and - there it is, the telltale pressure pricking behind his eyes.
“Look, Kurt. I’m not stupid,” Burt gives him a pointed look. “I have no idea what that song was about, but you sure as heck didn’t look fine singing. And - yeah, maybe I got a little carried away doing stuff with Sebastian. But you’ve gotta know - when you were a baby, and I was holding you in my arms, did I dream about taking you to games and talking cars? Yeah, I did. A lot of fathers do.”
He feels like he’s been shoved into a tank of ice water, and he turns away before he lets any tears fall. “I had no idea I was such a disappointment to you.”
“Hey, come on - that’s not what I meant,” Burt calls out, his voice suddenly stern. “Don’t go playing the victim.”
His eyes are rapidly filling with water but he turns back anyway. “I’m sorry, Dad, I just... Seeing the way you are with Sebastian - even though he’s like me - I see how much easier it is for you. It breaks my heart. And I thought that if I tried, you’d think it’d be worth spending time with me, too.”
Burt looks at him then and all of a sudden he feels like a kid again and his dad’s trying to figure out how to read him. “Is that why you were pretending to date that cheerleader? That was why you started with the overalls and the Mellencamp?”
The first tear rolls down Kurt’s cheek and he realizes that he doesn’t feel empty inside anymore - the jealousy and desperation are back but they’re making him feel more alive than he can ever remember feeling in the past few weeks. “I wanted to show you that I’m willing to work just as hard as you to make this okay.”
His father steps forward and grips his shoulders firmly. This time it does feel like a comfort. “You don’t have to work at anything, Kurt. Your job is to be yourself, and mine is to love you no matter what. Sure, it’s not gonna be easy, but you’re my son. And that’s what matters.”
They come together in a tight hug, Kurt clutching on like his life depends on it. Maybe it’s the honesty in his father’s voice or reassuring words or Kurt’s own resignation or all of the above, but his heart begins to feel much lighter. The tears are still making his head ache - but in a strangely good way. “I missed you, Dad.”
---
When he walks into the Mars group the following Monday with his boots and favorite McQueen scarf, Rigo immediately launches toward him and wraps his arms around his neck, bringing him close.
“You’re back!” Rigo says, breathlessly happy.
Kurt looks over Rigo’s shoulder at the similarly relieved expressions of Jake, Seth, and finally Sebastian, and he smiles softly, gently patting Rigo between the shoulder blades. “Yes I am - and I’m sorry about before.”
“All’s forgiven!” His friend pulls away, smiling hugely, and takes his hand to lead him over to the couch, where he orders Seth to move over so that he can sit with Kurt today.
And Kurt laughs at the display - what are they, six years old again? - but he can’t help but feel touched. It really is like coming home.
---
“I take it you worked things out with your dad?”
Kurt smiles. “We talked. Agreed that it would be difficult, but I suppose all I needed in the end was a bit of reassurance.”
Sebastian smirks. “Glad to know my plan worked, at least.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Plan?”
“You probably noticed how Burt and I were hanging out a lot more - like almost every day - the past two weeks. That was entirely my doing. I figured if I could get you to a breaking point, you’d give up the butch act and start acting like yourself again.”
Well that makes sense. But instead of the hurt and betrayal he should probably be feeling, he just feels... relieved, and oddly grateful to Sebastian. That doesn’t stop him from poking a bit of fun though. “You sneaky ass,” he laughs, stopping at his car door. He cracks it open and turns to Sebastian. “Though I should thank you. No one else would have thought to do that for me.”
“Even I’ve been through identity crises before,” Sebastian shrugs. “They suck. And seeing you like that, especially when I know that’s not who you are - was just wrong.”
Somehow he can’t picture someone as confident as Sebastian going through an identity crisis. It just... doesn’t match up. Then again, he’d have said the same thing about himself just three weeks ago.
“And Rigo had a point. The butch look was hideous on you.”
...And that ruined it. Kurt rolls his eyes. “You and him - I don’t know if I find your honesty charming or insulting.”
“Probably a bit of both,” Sebastian answers blankly, though there’s a hint of a smile on his face.
“Shame personality transplants don’t exist yet,” Kurt deadpans, opening his door further until Sebastian halts his movements.
“I really am glad you’re back though,” Sebastian says softly. “You shouldn’t have to change who you are just so you can be accepted. There’s no one like Kurt Hummel - he's out there, dresses like he stepped off a runway at Fashion Week and can be kinda bitchy sometimes, but that's a good thing.”
Kurt looks at Sebastian then, really looks and it finally sinks in - Sebastian knows about his feelings. Sebastian knows.
He hopes that the combination of the black night sky and the dim street lamps are too dark to show his rapidly flushing cheeks. He hadn’t really thought about it before, having been too preoccupied with fitting in, first with the Cheerios and then with his father’s ideal. Now there’s nothing to hide behind - Sebastian knows. Is it going to be awkward between them? God, he isn’t sure if he can handle that.
But it’ll only be as awkward as they make it, right? And if Sebastian was willing to talk to him during his crisis, then that means he’s willing to make it work. It’s only fair that Kurt returns the favor.
Sebastian’s staring at him now, his eyes almost tender and it makes Kurt’s heart skip. In a sudden burst of determination, he leans forward and presses a brief kiss to Sebastian’s cheek. Just a friendly gesture, he reasons. Nothing more and nothing less.
When he pulls back, Sebastian looks a bit surprised if anything. He doesn’t look disgusted and he hasn’t taken off running, so that’s a good sign. In fact - if Kurt’s not imagining things, he even looks a little pleased.
“Thank you for helping me come to my senses,” Kurt says, his eyes bright. “Thank you for believing in me.”
And when he lays his head down to sleep that night, Kurt has nothing but pleasant dreams.
Next