give your heart (a break), part xi (glee, kurtbastian)
Fandom: Glee
Pairings/Characters: Kurt/Sebastian, side Brody/Rachel, brief Adam/Kurt, Sebastian/OC, Isabelle, Santana, Mercedes, Puck, OCs.
Warnings: Semi-graphic sex, a tiny bit of homophobia, language, not entirely friendly toward Blaine.
Summary: Post-TBU AU. Life moves on after heartbreak: Kurt knows that more than most. As he tries to put his life back together after Blaine, he finds an unexpected ally in his new coworker and Isabelle's nephew: Sebastian Smythe. As Kurt goes through his new life as a single man, he finds an unexpected depth to Sebastian and realizes that losing the first love of his life doesn't mean he'll never love again.
Author's Notes: Written for the kurtbastianbang. Thank you to the lovely keesecake for the amazing fanart! This behemouth was originally going to be 20k of Sebastian and Kurt being cute in New York - obviously this shows that I can't write short fiction worth shit. All musical numbers can either be found here here or they will be linked in the story. The title is taken from "Give Your Heart a Break." Now, without further adieu--
“You two would hang out at a karaoke bar,” Santana says as they all crowd into Callbacks. It’s a little emptier than normal, surprising on a Friday night, but at least it means that they can easily find a few tables to hold everyone.
“I’ll have you know that this is a very hip place for NYADA students,” Rachel sniffs. “Isn’t that right, Brody?”
Brody grins a little. “Well, maybe not really hip,” he corrects and Rachel hits his arm with outrage. “What! It’s karaoke!”
“I can’t believe you!” Rachel says. “Are you telling me that you lied to me?”
Brody leans in, kissing her cheek. “Only for your own good,” he says. “You were so determined to do karaoke and all, I thought it’d be better if you thought NYADA considered it cool.”
Rachel pouts and Brody kisses it off of her: as one, the old members of the New Directions wrinkle their noses in disgust.
“I thought it’d be better if she wasn’t macking with Finn,” Santana says. “But it’s really just worse.”
“Much worse,” Quinn agrees. “Even if he is hotter than Finn.” Brody preens a little and Kurt rolls his eyes.
Kurt’s about to reply when he catches sight of a familiar head of hair. He’s on his feet before he can stop himself, shouting, “Sebastian!” over the din of the crowd.
Sebastian turns and grins when he meets Kurt’s eyes, wide and familiar. “Kurt!” he shouts back and begins shoving his way through the crowd.
“Is that--” Quinn starts.
“Sebastian Smythe,” Santana finishes for her, and at the grimness in her voice, Kurt turns to face her. He’s surprised by the hard line of her mouth. “What’re you doing with him?” Santana asks, a challenge in the rise of her eyebrow.
“We’re friends,” Kurt says, confused still. He’d thought Santana was over her grudge of Sebastian when he’d apologized to them last year. “He works with me at Vogue.com.”
“He says friends,” Rachel says, having detached herself from Brody, “but really he’d like them to be more.”
Kurt flushes, but when he doesn’t deny it, everyone’s eyes go very wide.
“Kurt!” Mercedes protests. “Have you forgotten what he did to Blaine? What he tried to do to you?”
Kurt’s spine stiffens at the mention of Blaine. “I’ve forgiven him for it,” he says. “Which I thought all of you had too, but apparently not. Now shut up, here he comes.”
Sebastian stops at their table, sweaty and disheveled in the low lamplight and Kurt’s throat tightens at the sight of him, the wide curve of his smile.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Sebastian says to Kurt and Kurt laughs.
“Such a line,” he laments and Sebastian shrugs.
“Can’t help myself, darling,” he says, then turns to regard the group. His expression shutters a little. “Been a long time since I’ve seen some of you folks, at least.”
There’s a long, tense moment of silence before Brody says. “Nice to see you again, Sebastian. Want to help me go get drinks for the table?”
Kurt flashes him a grateful look and Brody smiles. When Kurt looks back at Sebastian, he’s regarding Kurt with a thin-lipped look of annoyance. Kurt frowns at him and Sebastian rolls his eyes.
“Why not,” he tells Brody. “I do so love to play assistant to hulking masses of muscle.”
Brody grins, not at all offended, and they make their way through the crowd to the bar after getting everyone’s drink orders. Once they’re gone, the group rounds on Kurt again.
“I cannot believe this,” Quinn says. “This is Sebastian Smythe, Kurt!”
Kurt glares at them all. “What’s so bad about him?” he asks. “I mean, he was a dick in high school, but he’s changed since then.”
“People always say that when they date dicks,” Santana says. “I mean, I knew you were over Blaine, but I didn’t think that meant you’d go and date Sebastian of all people. Remember that time he tried to slushie you? Or when he sabotaged us?”
“That was back in high school, Santana,” Kurt says, as patient as he can manage. “He’s grown up. You guys don’t know him very well - hell, I didn’t know him very well until a few months ago.”
“Kurt, you know that he doesn’t do relationships,” Mercedes says, and it’s her calm that catches Kurt’s attention the way Santana and Quinn’s accusations haven’t. “We’ve all heard him say how much he doesn’t do them. And whatever else you may be, you’re a relationship guy, Kurt. You know it can only end badly.”
Kurt bites his lip, can’t quite refute this because it’s what’s been in the back of his mind since he realized his feelings for Sebastian were less than platonic. They have different views on relationships, on love, ones that can’t quite match up evenly. Kurt couldn’t handle having Sebastian one night and then seeing him with someone else another--he’s not wired to take that sort of thing gracefully. And he knows Sebastian has never been interested in boyfriends, in the long-term.
“I know all that,” Kurt says quietly. “But I can’t stop feeling this way about him. I like him.”
“It’s a mistake, Kurt,” Rachel says, leaning in to pat his hand.
“Look, can the guys have a turn?” Puck butts in impatiently. “Now that you’ve all had your girl-talk or whatever?” They all turn to him and Mike. “Kurt, go get it man.”
Kurt gapes at him. “Excuse me?”
“The best way to get over short-stack gay is to fuck yourself silly,” Puck says. “And Sebastian’s the king of fucking for gay dudes, so why not use him for it? And hell, maybe he’ll be so turned on by you or whatever he’ll want to be your hubby.”
Kurt’s truly astonished that Puck can function by himself sometimes. In Mike’s defense, he looks just as incredulous.
“I can’t begin to describe,” he says, “the things that could go wrong with that plan.”
“What plan?”
Kurt turns in his seat to see Sebastian and Brody behind him, drinks in their hands, regarding everyone with confusion. Kurt blushes.
“Nothing,” he says, not meeting Sebastian’s eyes. “Just something stupid Puck thought up.”
“Hey!” Puck protests. Mike slaps him on the shoulder.
“Kurt’s right, dude,” he says and Kurt flashes him a grateful smile. He knew there was a reason he always liked Mike.
Drinks are passed out and Sebastian takes a seat next to Kurt, shoulder to shoulder. His warmth is distracting: Kurt takes a huge swig of his drink and tries not to blush. Rachel eyes him closely and sighs, sets her drink aside.
“Girls,” Rachel says, “how would you feel about an all-female number?”
“Oh I’m in,” Santana says, smirking, and Mercedes and Quinn nod in unison.
Kurt watches as they strut up to the front with a sinking feeling because he knows that look in Rachel’s eyes and it never bodes well for anyone. The warmth at his side increases and he turns to come face to face with Sebastian. Kurt freezes.
“You look a little pale,” Sebastian says. His eyes are overwhelmingly green in the dim light. “Your old friends too much for you?”
Kurt leans back, manages a smile. “They can be overwhelming,” he says in an undertone. Puck and Mike are distracted though, drinking and talking to Brody. “It’s more that I think Rachel’s up to something, though.”
Sebastian snorts and as he leans back, putting more space between them, Kurt relaxes further. “No offense, but Rachel Berry’s schemes aren’t really worth worrying over,” he says.
“That was in no way un-offensive,” Kurt teases and Sebastian grins at him. Their attention is pulled back to the front as Rachel taps on her microphone to test it.
"My fellow friends and I would like to sing a song together,” she announces to the room. Her eyes drift until they lock with Kurt’s and she gets the determined set to her chin that Kurt knows and dreads. “This one goes out to our good friend, Kurt Hummel," Kurt covers his face with his hands and Puck claps him on the back.
"It could be worse, dude," he says, not at all sympathetic.
"Kurt, we love you and want you to make the right choices," Rachel continues, staring straight at him. Most of the bar is staring at him too and Kurt can feel a flush creeping up his neck. "Hopefully the all-powerful wisdom of Ms. Carrie Underwood will help you find your way." Kurt snorts a little and Rachel smiles before she waves a finger and the music begins.
Kurt buries his head in his hands before they even start singing. He doesn't like country music much, but Rachel does and he knows this song, Jesus-
The girls strut forward to cat-calls and wolf-whistles and Rachel takes lead on the vocals. "You better take it from me," she sings, staring at Kurt. "That boy is like a disease!"
Santana joins in before long, and Mercedes and Quinn, and it's the four of them harmonizing on, "Looks like a cool drink of water, but he's candy coated misery!" Kurt can appreciate how amazing his friends are, but right now its hard considering they're all staring at him and he knows exactly who they're singing about because he's sitting two feet from Kurt's elbow, looking amused.
Sebastian leans in on the second chorus and murmurs, breath hot against the edge of Kurt's ear, "Got some boy in your love life, tiger?” he asks. Kurt wants to think that there’s something odd about his tone, but Kurt knows that he’s good at projecting these things so he ignores it. “Looks like your friends don’t approve.”
Kurt snorts as Rachel belts, "He's a good-time cowboy casanova, leaning up against the record machine!"
"They care about me," Kurt says. He side-eyes Sebastian, who’s watching the stage with an inscrutable expression. Kurt sighs, but adds, “And it’s not like I care what they think anyway.”
Sebastian turns and their eyes meet: for a moment, Kurt’s whole body lights up in a dance of electric nerves from the intensity of Sebastian’s gaze.
“Looks like a cool drink of water, but he’s candy-coated misery!” Santana sings and Kurt breaks their gaze, heart hammering. He can feel Sebastian staring at him still, but he stubbornly doesn’t look back: instead, he focuses his attention on the girls and the end of their performance.
They’re all bowing to the applause, grinning as they come back to the table.
“That was hot!” Puck hollers and Quinn slaps him upside the head.
“Did you get the memo, Porcelain?” Santana asks, oddly intense.
Kurt shifts, uncomfortable. “I got it, thanks,” he mutters. “Even if I think you’re all crazy and unnecessarily involved in my personal life.”
“So nobody’s going to tell me who Kurt likes?” Sebastian asks, leaning forward. “I’m dying to know.”
There’s a long, awkward pause.
“Who wants more drinks!” Brody chimes in cheerfully and Kurt remembers again just how much he adores Brody.
-
Outside of Callbacks, they gather to discuss the rest of the night.
“I say we go out on the town!” Puck crows. “A night out in NYC, baby!”
Rachel wrinkles her nose. “The bar scene isn’t that great, Noah,” she says. “Kurt and I went once and--”
“You and Hummel,” Santana asks, incredulous. “I cannot believe you two went clubbing.”
“I don’t know about Berry, but Kurt here was pretty good at it,” Sebastian butts in. Kurt glances at him and flushes at the gleam in Sebastian’s eye. “He had every hot boy in the club all over him.” Sebastian grins. “Including me.”
“Well you’re all over everyone,” Kurt says. “So it’s not like it was that much of a surprise.”
Sebastian regards him with a raised eyebrow. “Ouch, darling,” he says mildly.
Kurt rolls his eyes, turns back to the group--who are regarding the two of them like they’ve become conjoined Siamese twins. “I say we head back to the apartment,” Kurt says, uncomfortable. “Rachel’s right, the clubbing thing isn’t really our scene.”
“Hummel,” Puck whines. “I just want some booze man, and maybe some hot chicks that I haven’t already banged.”
Kurt wrinkles his nose. “Noah isn’t allowed to have an opinion anymore,” he decides. “Everyone else?”
The rest agree to go back to the apartment on the condition that Brody, the only one of them over 21, collects alcohol for them all. Kurt and Rachel exchange looks, remembering the way their last party with alcohol had ended, but agree mostly to appease Puck, who looks more and more put out with every second that he isn’t drunk.
They’re about to head out when Sebastian pulls back, gesturing to Kurt.
“Maybe I should head,” Sebastian says, strangely self-conscious. “I mean, these are your friends--”
“I’d like you to come,” Kurt blurts out. Sebastian regards him curiously. “I mean, if you want,” Kurt adds, flushing. “It’ll be fun.”
Sebastian smiles, so low and warm that Kurt tingles a little from the sight of it. “You only had to ask, sweetheart,” he says.
-
They stop at a liquor store on the way back and Brody picks up several cases of beer and a few bottles of wine, tequila, and vodka, using their collective money. As soon as they get back to the apartment, Puck breaks open his first beer, chugging it down. The girls head for the wine and Mike rolls his eyes as he immediately goes for the vodka.
Kurt eyes the liquor and stays put. He’s never been drunk after his sophomore year, but that time had been traumatizing enough to make sure he never tried it again. Besides, someone has to look after his friends: they become a train-wreck disaster when drunk.
“Not having anything, darling?” Sebastian asks, taking a long swig of beer. “I’d thought you’d want some wine, at least.”
Kurt shrugs, a little uneasy. “I’m not the biggest fan,” he says. “And it’s probably good that one of us stays sober tonight.”
Sebastian’s expression is inscrutable. Around them, Kurt’s friends spread out, start chatting together as they drink. Rachel opens their laptop, starts some music up.
Sebastian breaks into a smile. “I guess I was hoping for a chance to see the meticulous Kurt Hummel wasted. I’m sure it’d be a laugh.”
Kurt stiffens a little. “Well, not tonight,” he says, more lightly than he feels. Sebastian’s smile fades into puzzlement and Kurt turns away. “I’d better go keep Quinn company,” he says when he spots her by herself. He hurries away, ignores the eyes he can feel on the back of his neck.
part xii
Pairings/Characters: Kurt/Sebastian, side Brody/Rachel, brief Adam/Kurt, Sebastian/OC, Isabelle, Santana, Mercedes, Puck, OCs.
Warnings: Semi-graphic sex, a tiny bit of homophobia, language, not entirely friendly toward Blaine.
Summary: Post-TBU AU. Life moves on after heartbreak: Kurt knows that more than most. As he tries to put his life back together after Blaine, he finds an unexpected ally in his new coworker and Isabelle's nephew: Sebastian Smythe. As Kurt goes through his new life as a single man, he finds an unexpected depth to Sebastian and realizes that losing the first love of his life doesn't mean he'll never love again.
Author's Notes: Written for the kurtbastianbang. Thank you to the lovely keesecake for the amazing fanart! This behemouth was originally going to be 20k of Sebastian and Kurt being cute in New York - obviously this shows that I can't write short fiction worth shit. All musical numbers can either be found here here or they will be linked in the story. The title is taken from "Give Your Heart a Break." Now, without further adieu--
“You two would hang out at a karaoke bar,” Santana says as they all crowd into Callbacks. It’s a little emptier than normal, surprising on a Friday night, but at least it means that they can easily find a few tables to hold everyone.
“I’ll have you know that this is a very hip place for NYADA students,” Rachel sniffs. “Isn’t that right, Brody?”
Brody grins a little. “Well, maybe not really hip,” he corrects and Rachel hits his arm with outrage. “What! It’s karaoke!”
“I can’t believe you!” Rachel says. “Are you telling me that you lied to me?”
Brody leans in, kissing her cheek. “Only for your own good,” he says. “You were so determined to do karaoke and all, I thought it’d be better if you thought NYADA considered it cool.”
Rachel pouts and Brody kisses it off of her: as one, the old members of the New Directions wrinkle their noses in disgust.
“I thought it’d be better if she wasn’t macking with Finn,” Santana says. “But it’s really just worse.”
“Much worse,” Quinn agrees. “Even if he is hotter than Finn.” Brody preens a little and Kurt rolls his eyes.
Kurt’s about to reply when he catches sight of a familiar head of hair. He’s on his feet before he can stop himself, shouting, “Sebastian!” over the din of the crowd.
Sebastian turns and grins when he meets Kurt’s eyes, wide and familiar. “Kurt!” he shouts back and begins shoving his way through the crowd.
“Is that--” Quinn starts.
“Sebastian Smythe,” Santana finishes for her, and at the grimness in her voice, Kurt turns to face her. He’s surprised by the hard line of her mouth. “What’re you doing with him?” Santana asks, a challenge in the rise of her eyebrow.
“We’re friends,” Kurt says, confused still. He’d thought Santana was over her grudge of Sebastian when he’d apologized to them last year. “He works with me at Vogue.com.”
“He says friends,” Rachel says, having detached herself from Brody, “but really he’d like them to be more.”
Kurt flushes, but when he doesn’t deny it, everyone’s eyes go very wide.
“Kurt!” Mercedes protests. “Have you forgotten what he did to Blaine? What he tried to do to you?”
Kurt’s spine stiffens at the mention of Blaine. “I’ve forgiven him for it,” he says. “Which I thought all of you had too, but apparently not. Now shut up, here he comes.”
Sebastian stops at their table, sweaty and disheveled in the low lamplight and Kurt’s throat tightens at the sight of him, the wide curve of his smile.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Sebastian says to Kurt and Kurt laughs.
“Such a line,” he laments and Sebastian shrugs.
“Can’t help myself, darling,” he says, then turns to regard the group. His expression shutters a little. “Been a long time since I’ve seen some of you folks, at least.”
There’s a long, tense moment of silence before Brody says. “Nice to see you again, Sebastian. Want to help me go get drinks for the table?”
Kurt flashes him a grateful look and Brody smiles. When Kurt looks back at Sebastian, he’s regarding Kurt with a thin-lipped look of annoyance. Kurt frowns at him and Sebastian rolls his eyes.
“Why not,” he tells Brody. “I do so love to play assistant to hulking masses of muscle.”
Brody grins, not at all offended, and they make their way through the crowd to the bar after getting everyone’s drink orders. Once they’re gone, the group rounds on Kurt again.
“I cannot believe this,” Quinn says. “This is Sebastian Smythe, Kurt!”
Kurt glares at them all. “What’s so bad about him?” he asks. “I mean, he was a dick in high school, but he’s changed since then.”
“People always say that when they date dicks,” Santana says. “I mean, I knew you were over Blaine, but I didn’t think that meant you’d go and date Sebastian of all people. Remember that time he tried to slushie you? Or when he sabotaged us?”
“That was back in high school, Santana,” Kurt says, as patient as he can manage. “He’s grown up. You guys don’t know him very well - hell, I didn’t know him very well until a few months ago.”
“Kurt, you know that he doesn’t do relationships,” Mercedes says, and it’s her calm that catches Kurt’s attention the way Santana and Quinn’s accusations haven’t. “We’ve all heard him say how much he doesn’t do them. And whatever else you may be, you’re a relationship guy, Kurt. You know it can only end badly.”
Kurt bites his lip, can’t quite refute this because it’s what’s been in the back of his mind since he realized his feelings for Sebastian were less than platonic. They have different views on relationships, on love, ones that can’t quite match up evenly. Kurt couldn’t handle having Sebastian one night and then seeing him with someone else another--he’s not wired to take that sort of thing gracefully. And he knows Sebastian has never been interested in boyfriends, in the long-term.
“I know all that,” Kurt says quietly. “But I can’t stop feeling this way about him. I like him.”
“It’s a mistake, Kurt,” Rachel says, leaning in to pat his hand.
“Look, can the guys have a turn?” Puck butts in impatiently. “Now that you’ve all had your girl-talk or whatever?” They all turn to him and Mike. “Kurt, go get it man.”
Kurt gapes at him. “Excuse me?”
“The best way to get over short-stack gay is to fuck yourself silly,” Puck says. “And Sebastian’s the king of fucking for gay dudes, so why not use him for it? And hell, maybe he’ll be so turned on by you or whatever he’ll want to be your hubby.”
Kurt’s truly astonished that Puck can function by himself sometimes. In Mike’s defense, he looks just as incredulous.
“I can’t begin to describe,” he says, “the things that could go wrong with that plan.”
“What plan?”
Kurt turns in his seat to see Sebastian and Brody behind him, drinks in their hands, regarding everyone with confusion. Kurt blushes.
“Nothing,” he says, not meeting Sebastian’s eyes. “Just something stupid Puck thought up.”
“Hey!” Puck protests. Mike slaps him on the shoulder.
“Kurt’s right, dude,” he says and Kurt flashes him a grateful smile. He knew there was a reason he always liked Mike.
Drinks are passed out and Sebastian takes a seat next to Kurt, shoulder to shoulder. His warmth is distracting: Kurt takes a huge swig of his drink and tries not to blush. Rachel eyes him closely and sighs, sets her drink aside.
“Girls,” Rachel says, “how would you feel about an all-female number?”
“Oh I’m in,” Santana says, smirking, and Mercedes and Quinn nod in unison.
Kurt watches as they strut up to the front with a sinking feeling because he knows that look in Rachel’s eyes and it never bodes well for anyone. The warmth at his side increases and he turns to come face to face with Sebastian. Kurt freezes.
“You look a little pale,” Sebastian says. His eyes are overwhelmingly green in the dim light. “Your old friends too much for you?”
Kurt leans back, manages a smile. “They can be overwhelming,” he says in an undertone. Puck and Mike are distracted though, drinking and talking to Brody. “It’s more that I think Rachel’s up to something, though.”
Sebastian snorts and as he leans back, putting more space between them, Kurt relaxes further. “No offense, but Rachel Berry’s schemes aren’t really worth worrying over,” he says.
“That was in no way un-offensive,” Kurt teases and Sebastian grins at him. Their attention is pulled back to the front as Rachel taps on her microphone to test it.
"My fellow friends and I would like to sing a song together,” she announces to the room. Her eyes drift until they lock with Kurt’s and she gets the determined set to her chin that Kurt knows and dreads. “This one goes out to our good friend, Kurt Hummel," Kurt covers his face with his hands and Puck claps him on the back.
"It could be worse, dude," he says, not at all sympathetic.
"Kurt, we love you and want you to make the right choices," Rachel continues, staring straight at him. Most of the bar is staring at him too and Kurt can feel a flush creeping up his neck. "Hopefully the all-powerful wisdom of Ms. Carrie Underwood will help you find your way." Kurt snorts a little and Rachel smiles before she waves a finger and the music begins.
Kurt buries his head in his hands before they even start singing. He doesn't like country music much, but Rachel does and he knows this song, Jesus-
The girls strut forward to cat-calls and wolf-whistles and Rachel takes lead on the vocals. "You better take it from me," she sings, staring at Kurt. "That boy is like a disease!"
Santana joins in before long, and Mercedes and Quinn, and it's the four of them harmonizing on, "Looks like a cool drink of water, but he's candy coated misery!" Kurt can appreciate how amazing his friends are, but right now its hard considering they're all staring at him and he knows exactly who they're singing about because he's sitting two feet from Kurt's elbow, looking amused.
Sebastian leans in on the second chorus and murmurs, breath hot against the edge of Kurt's ear, "Got some boy in your love life, tiger?” he asks. Kurt wants to think that there’s something odd about his tone, but Kurt knows that he’s good at projecting these things so he ignores it. “Looks like your friends don’t approve.”
Kurt snorts as Rachel belts, "He's a good-time cowboy casanova, leaning up against the record machine!"
"They care about me," Kurt says. He side-eyes Sebastian, who’s watching the stage with an inscrutable expression. Kurt sighs, but adds, “And it’s not like I care what they think anyway.”
Sebastian turns and their eyes meet: for a moment, Kurt’s whole body lights up in a dance of electric nerves from the intensity of Sebastian’s gaze.
“Looks like a cool drink of water, but he’s candy-coated misery!” Santana sings and Kurt breaks their gaze, heart hammering. He can feel Sebastian staring at him still, but he stubbornly doesn’t look back: instead, he focuses his attention on the girls and the end of their performance.
They’re all bowing to the applause, grinning as they come back to the table.
“That was hot!” Puck hollers and Quinn slaps him upside the head.
“Did you get the memo, Porcelain?” Santana asks, oddly intense.
Kurt shifts, uncomfortable. “I got it, thanks,” he mutters. “Even if I think you’re all crazy and unnecessarily involved in my personal life.”
“So nobody’s going to tell me who Kurt likes?” Sebastian asks, leaning forward. “I’m dying to know.”
There’s a long, awkward pause.
“Who wants more drinks!” Brody chimes in cheerfully and Kurt remembers again just how much he adores Brody.
-
Outside of Callbacks, they gather to discuss the rest of the night.
“I say we go out on the town!” Puck crows. “A night out in NYC, baby!”
Rachel wrinkles her nose. “The bar scene isn’t that great, Noah,” she says. “Kurt and I went once and--”
“You and Hummel,” Santana asks, incredulous. “I cannot believe you two went clubbing.”
“I don’t know about Berry, but Kurt here was pretty good at it,” Sebastian butts in. Kurt glances at him and flushes at the gleam in Sebastian’s eye. “He had every hot boy in the club all over him.” Sebastian grins. “Including me.”
“Well you’re all over everyone,” Kurt says. “So it’s not like it was that much of a surprise.”
Sebastian regards him with a raised eyebrow. “Ouch, darling,” he says mildly.
Kurt rolls his eyes, turns back to the group--who are regarding the two of them like they’ve become conjoined Siamese twins. “I say we head back to the apartment,” Kurt says, uncomfortable. “Rachel’s right, the clubbing thing isn’t really our scene.”
“Hummel,” Puck whines. “I just want some booze man, and maybe some hot chicks that I haven’t already banged.”
Kurt wrinkles his nose. “Noah isn’t allowed to have an opinion anymore,” he decides. “Everyone else?”
The rest agree to go back to the apartment on the condition that Brody, the only one of them over 21, collects alcohol for them all. Kurt and Rachel exchange looks, remembering the way their last party with alcohol had ended, but agree mostly to appease Puck, who looks more and more put out with every second that he isn’t drunk.
They’re about to head out when Sebastian pulls back, gesturing to Kurt.
“Maybe I should head,” Sebastian says, strangely self-conscious. “I mean, these are your friends--”
“I’d like you to come,” Kurt blurts out. Sebastian regards him curiously. “I mean, if you want,” Kurt adds, flushing. “It’ll be fun.”
Sebastian smiles, so low and warm that Kurt tingles a little from the sight of it. “You only had to ask, sweetheart,” he says.
-
They stop at a liquor store on the way back and Brody picks up several cases of beer and a few bottles of wine, tequila, and vodka, using their collective money. As soon as they get back to the apartment, Puck breaks open his first beer, chugging it down. The girls head for the wine and Mike rolls his eyes as he immediately goes for the vodka.
Kurt eyes the liquor and stays put. He’s never been drunk after his sophomore year, but that time had been traumatizing enough to make sure he never tried it again. Besides, someone has to look after his friends: they become a train-wreck disaster when drunk.
“Not having anything, darling?” Sebastian asks, taking a long swig of beer. “I’d thought you’d want some wine, at least.”
Kurt shrugs, a little uneasy. “I’m not the biggest fan,” he says. “And it’s probably good that one of us stays sober tonight.”
Sebastian’s expression is inscrutable. Around them, Kurt’s friends spread out, start chatting together as they drink. Rachel opens their laptop, starts some music up.
Sebastian breaks into a smile. “I guess I was hoping for a chance to see the meticulous Kurt Hummel wasted. I’m sure it’d be a laugh.”
Kurt stiffens a little. “Well, not tonight,” he says, more lightly than he feels. Sebastian’s smile fades into puzzlement and Kurt turns away. “I’d better go keep Quinn company,” he says when he spots her by herself. He hurries away, ignores the eyes he can feel on the back of his neck.
part xii