Roses of the Alps - Chapter Five
Title: Roses of the Alps
Summary: Burt has his heart attack towards the end of Kurt's sophomore year and dies from it, leaving Kurt orphaned. His family, unable to care for him, send him off to an international boarding school in Switzerland, where one of his ancestors is an alumni.
Meanwhile, Sebastian got into trouble once too often and gets kicked out of his school in Paris. Figuring that he won't be able to get into as much trouble in the middle of nowhere in the Alps, his parents send him off to the same school as Kurt.
While Kurt is trying to get over his father's death, he and Sebastian meet and start a friendship with benefits, that has potential to become more.
Rating: M
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Warnings: Character Death, Dub-Con
Other Pairings: None
Beta: shadowwanderer (my sister) and jassanja
Artist: Freakingpotter
Word-count: 54 076
A/N: Huge thanks to my sister and my friend Jassanja, who jumped in to beta-read for me, when none of the betas who signed up here, who I wrote, answered the messages I sent to them. Also, kudos, hugs and thanks to Freakingpotter for the wonderful art. ^^
Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three Part 1 | Chapter Three Part 2 | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven Part 1 | Chapter Seven Part 2 | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve Part 1 | Chapter Twelve Part 2 | Epilogue
Chapter Five
Kurt awoke the next day to find that the big windows actually did make a huge difference, after all. It was really bright - especially with the sun reflecting off of the façade of glass around the stairwell of the building next to them, thus shining straight into Kurt’s eyes. He wanted to turn away from it, but then saw the clock. It was eight in the morning. That mean it was time to get up. Kurt headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth, take a shower, do his moisturizing routine and style his hair perfectly. By the time he’d finished, the others were starting to wake up.
He grabbed one of his German Literature books, “Nathan der Weise” by Gottholt Ephraim Lessing, and a dictionary and started reading it. Urs had read it for class the beginning of that school year and had recommended it to Kurt. Kurt had already picked up a fairly decent amount of its contents from studying with Urs and Reto and he was intrigued. Unfortunately, it was way above his German level and he had to look up about every forth word, so it was very slow going. However, Kurt didn’t let that discourage him. Instead, he used it to improve his German. It was an interesting book, though. Kurt hadn’t read the part with the Ring Parable yet, but he remembered it from helping Urs study. He didn’t believe in religion, but even he could see how you couldn’t really say which religion was the right one. The likening of the three monotheistic religions to rings, which bring the blessing of God - the fact that no one could tell the rings apart to see which one was the true one - it made him think. He likened his atheism to the belief that none of the rings bore any power other than that which the bearer gave them.
A short while later, Kurt heard Martina in the kitchen and went to ask her if there was anything he could do to help her.
Martina shook her head, “No. You are a guest. I don’t have much to do, so go back to what you were doing.”
“I really don’t mind helping.”
Martina rolled her eyes. “If you insist, you may cut the Zopf on the table there.” She gestured towards the kitchen table that had a braided loaf of bread on it on a cutting board with a bread knife next to it. She went back to taking the sliced meat out of its containers and laying it out on a plate in an attractive manner. Kurt also noted that there were several eggs in some sort dish for steaming them in.
Martina looked at it and yelped. “Oh, sorry, I forgot to ask how you like your eggs. I know everyone else’s preference.”
Kurt smiled at her. “That’s okay. I like them hardboiled.”
She nodded. “Okay, then I’ll let them stay in a little longer than the other ones.”
Kurt asked, “So, what do you do?”
“I do a lot of things, but mostly I work, cook, play tennis and draw.”
Kurt nodded then specified his actual question, “What do you work as?”
“I’m a flight attendant. I fly out from the airport here in Basel.”
“And your husband?”
“He works for the SBB as a train driver. He comes from old money, so he was able to follow his hobby and do what he loves doing most - driving trains, and we can still afford to send our children to the best schools. Monica wants to do an apprenticeship though. She’s currently looking for one as a polytechnician. If that doesn’t work, she wants to be an architectural draftsman.”
Kurt blinked and paused a moment in cutting the bread, having never heard of those professions before. Still there was something even more immediate that he wanted to know, “You really don’t mind her doing an apprenticeship? Don’t you want her to go to university?”
“Well, we wouldn’t mind it, but this way she’ll start earning money when she’s sixteen and will grow up faster. If she decides later on to study, then she still can.”
“Wait, you mean she doesn’t finish high school first?”
Martina shook her head. “Our school system in Switzerland works differently than in the States. Eight years of school are mandatory. The ninth can be skipped, if you already have an apprenticeship. The tenth is completely voluntary. You can go to the equivalent of high school, but you have to pass a test to get in and constantly get good grades in order to stay in. Of those people, only some actually go on to study in a university or college. Some take on an apprenticeship instead. The system works, though. It gives the younger generation a chance to learn on the job and, when they finish, they already have work experience, so it’s easier for them to find a job. The people hiring them, on the other hand, know that they’re at least passable at the trade they learned or they wouldn’t have passed the rigorous tests to get their license.”
Kurt blinked. “Okay?”
Martina winked at him. “How about I make a diagram for you after breakfast? Then you can study that and ask, if you have any more questions.”
Kurt nodded and they went back to getting breakfast ready for everyone. He took note of a few ready-made Birchermüesli containers she pulled out of the fridge.
She smiled at him. “Urs told us you really like Birchermüesli, so I got some specifically for you. It’s my favorite brand. It isn’t as good as freshly made, of course, but I just got back a little before you arrived here, so I didn’t have time to make it last night so it would be ready this morning.”
“That’s okay. Thanks. I’m sure I’ll still enjoy it.”
“I did get some fresh fruit to put in, though. The store-bought ones sometimes have apples in there, but no grapes, and it really isn’t the same without grapes.”
“You didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to. Besides, it’s rare that foreigners take a liking to Birchermüesli. They usually stick to the more famous stuff like fondue, chocolate and cheese. Occasionally, they hear about and try Raclette. That’s something you should try when you’re at the market today. Try to get the Raclette on potatoes. It’s better than on bread.”
“What is Raclette?”
“It’s a type of half-hard cheese that you melt and then you pour the melted cheese on the bread or potatoes. On top of that, you put some spices and, on the side, you have pickles and a type of pickled onions called Silberzwiebeln. It’s really good and very traditional.”
Kurt smiled. “I’ll have to try it, then. It sounds good.”
“Urs can probably show you the best stand to get it at. Also, the gebrannte Mandeln are very good and you should try the Magenbrot. You can trust your nose with which one to get with that one. In the end, you have to decide what to get, though. It’s your money.”
“I don’t really want to spend a lot.”
“Then set a maximum to spend. Make sure to have it in cash, as a lot of stands don’t accept debit cards. We’ve given Urs some money to buy food for you, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Kurt protested, “You don’t have to…”
“But we want to, so let us. We also told him to introduce you to the traditional food here. You must come back for Fasnacht, though. You can’t miss that. Basel is famous for it.”
“Fasnacht?” Kurt asked.
Martina paused. “Carnival with getting dressed up, like you have on Halloween. It officially starts on November eleventh at eleven eleven in the morning. Then it looks like nothing happens until February. Then there are parades where they throw sweets and stuff into the crowd watching. It’s a lot of fun.”
Kurt nodded. “Sounds like it. I’ll have to talk to Urs about it, though. I’m not sure what we have going on at school, then. I’m signed up for all the trips that take place during vacation, too, so I might be tied up with those.”
“I’ll talk to him, too. Now, if you’ve finished cutting the bread, you can help me carry things out to the living room table.”
Kurt happily helped her carry out the plates with neatly folded pieces of meat, the bread, jams, Nutella, butter, eggs, fruits and Birchermüesli. Then they called everyone else over for breakfast.
***
Kurt looked around him in astonishment. Looking at some of the rides, he wondered how they could be safe when they were apparently taken apart and put together so quickly and yet, he could see that they really weren’t falling apart, even at their velocity. Even looking at most of them, he felt nauseous. Unfortunately, this was not a feeling that his companions seemed to understand. Urs passed out motion sickness pills for everyone to take, just in case. They took them and got in line for a ride called Chaos, which swung back and forth like a pendulum, while going in circles. Kurt tried to negotiate his way out, but failed. Finally, he gave up.
It was then that he heard two girls speaking English to each other. One was wearing a full, knee-length skirt that was checkered in white, pink and orange, with white leggings and a light-colored top. Her black boots stuck out like a sore thumb. However, she seemed to notice this and was talking to her friend about buying a new pair that fit her outfit better. She had long, curly brown hair with blond highlights in it and she was a little chubby.
Her friend, on the other hand, was of a similar weight to Mercedes, but with a much less interesting outfit: with black dress pants, black shoes with a slight heal to them and a long-sleeved black top. Her reaction to the first girl wanting to buy shoes that fit her outfit better pretty much explained that. She finally agreed, though. Kurt decided to help them. Buying shoes seemed much more preferable to going on rides.
He nudged Urs and spoke above the loud music, “There’s some girls there who need some help buying shoes. I’m going to help them. I’ll contact you once we’re finished, okay?”
“No! You are supposed to ride with us!”
“I’m honestly more interested in shoe shopping. I’ll catch you later. At least you haven’t bought the tickets yet.”
“I guess. I will see you later.”
“Get all of the rides out of the way before I rejoin you.”
Kurt looked around to see the two girls still debating if they were going to go shoe shopping or not. The one who didn’t was saying, “Why don’t you go buy them as a reward for getting to fifty K?”
“But what if that means that I miss out on the perfect shoes for my outfit? I want a pair of light-colored boots. I don’t think that that’s unreasonable.”
Kurt sidled up to them and added, “I have to agree with you. You really shouldn’t be wearing those black boots with that outfit. They really don’t fit.”
She sighed. “I know, but they’re all I had and I wanted to wear boots. It was either these or dark brown suede boots or tennis shoes. None of them fit the outfit.”
“You need an expert’s help then, dear.”
“I’d love to have help! I’m on a tight budget, because I’m an apprentice, so we’ll be going to the inexpensive places. I really don’t want to spend more than forty or fifty franks on them and, if I look at any of the more upscale places, it’ll easily be over a hundred. I’m Maya, by the way.” She gestured to her friend. “And this is Sarah. We met last year doing NaNoWriMo. Do you know what that is?”
Kurt blinked. “Uh, no, not really.”
“Basically you try to write a novel in a month. Most people produce utter garbage, but there’s a few people who have gone on to publish their stuff.”
Sarah cleared her throat, “Actually, most of the participants don’t write a single word, Maya. If you just write one word and update your bar with it during November, you’re ahead of most of the participants.”
Maya sighed. “It isn’t even all that difficult to write that much. Last year I…”
“Totally overshot your needed wordcount, despite being extremely active in the procrastination thread and our regional forum. I know. I was there, remember?”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Sarah.” She looked at Kurt. “So, what’s your name? What are you doing here in Basel? We’re doing our last-minute-of-fun-before-NaNo-starts meet, also known as our pre-NaNo meet. Unfortunately, we’re the only ones who showed up. On the positive side, though, that means that we don’t have to go on any rides.”
Kurt laughed slightly. “I’m Kurt. I’m here with a few schoolmates, one of which comes from here. He invited me to come along to see the Herbstmesse.”
Maya clapped her hands gleefully. “So, where are you from?”
“I go to school in Zuoz in the canton Grisons.”
Maya pondered, “Grissons… Grissons…” She turned to Sarah. “Which canton is that again?”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “How am I supposed to know? Are you the American or am I?”
“I am. But I still don’t know all the English names for the cantons. Do you know?” she turned to Kurt.
Kurt said, “Graubünden, I think.”
“Oh, okay, now I know where you are going to school at least. Well, kinda. Are you interested in doing NaNoWriMo with us? It’s a lot of fun.”
Kurt shook his head, an eyebrow raised at the eccentric girl. “Uh, no. I’m busy with school stuff.”
Maya sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I had to stop NaNo after my first attempt because I was too busy with school. Now it’s not so much of a problem anymore, though. I have more time to write and I’m faster at it, too. Oh, wait a moment; I actually wanted to know whereabouts you’re from in the States. I’m from Minnesota, myself.”
Kurt replied, “I’m from Ohio.”
“Awesome! It’s so rare to meet a fellow American. So, if I hear one speaking, or anyone speaking English really, I tend to strike up a conversation with them. Anyway.” She turned to look at Sarah. “Where’s the nearest Dosenbach or some other inexpensive shoe store you know of?”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Follow me, dork.”
“You know you love me.” Maya fluttered her eyelids at Sarah.
“Knock it off. You know that doesn’t work on me. You’re not my type.”
“I know. You’re not mine either. We’ve had this conversation before.”
Sarah turned to Kurt. “Now, just to make sure. My gaydar is going off like crazy around you. You are gay, aren’t you? You are not just interested in propositioning Maya? Because, believe me, she will not get it. She’s completely oblivious to things like that. You could go up and flirt with her and she’d just happily talk back and not even realize you were flirting with her. Believe me. I’ve seen it happen.”
Maya sniffed and pretended to be insulted. “I’m not that bad. I just don’t find guys attractive. At all.”
“Then you aren’t bi. If you were, then you would find men attractive. You’re a lesbian.”
“But… I’ve dated guys and I liked them…”
“Did you actually find them attractive?”
“Only their personalities…”
“Then you’re a lesbian. Accept it. Anyways, we’re not talking about you here. Kurt, wasn’t it?” She turned back to Kurt. “You are gay, aren’t you?”
Kurt nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“Good. Then we’re representing LGB. Maybe we can pick up a transsexual along the way, too.”
Maya offered, “I know one in Zürich.”
Sarah gave her a pointed look then turned back to Kurt. “As I said, maybe we’ll pick up one along the way. Let’s keep our eyes peeled.”
Maya commented, “It’s pretty easy to figure out if it’s a guy wearing women’s clothes. They aren’t attractive.”
Sarah snorted and commented, “Yep: as I said, one hundred percent lesbian. Still getting her feet wet following the Nile.”
Kurt snorted. “Are you sure you guys aren’t interested in each other? I mean, the way you two go at it…”
Maya shrugged. “I like cuddling with her, too, but she’s just a friend. My best friend, mind you, but still just a friend.”
Sarah shrugged, “The only thing I find attractive about her is her rack. Even if we were both interested in each other, it wouldn’t ever work. She’s too innocent and a nice optimist, while I’m too much of a sarcastic, world-wise realist. So, no, we are not going there: not now; not ever.”
Maya nodded. “We have talked about this. She likes cats and I’m allergic. She has a kid, I’m still a virgin… well, mostly.” She winced and shared a meaningful look with Sarah. “In all the ways that count, though, I am. I believe in waiting.”
Sarah crossed her arms. “You don’t get anything out of waiting. Your partners just get older and more experienced than you. It ends up with them being disappointed with you in bed and seeking greener pastures.”
“Either that or they teach me about how to pleasure someone. Then we’d be in love and having a good time. Besides, I’m not quite as reserved when it comes to girls.”
“That’s because, as I’ve been telling you the entire time, you are a lesbian. You don’t find guys attractive. Why would you want to sleep with one, then?”
Kurt was watching the proverbial verbal ping-pong game between the two of them. He wondered what he’d gotten himself into by agreeing to help pick out shoes with them. He’d be the first to admit that it was hysterically funny, though. They were fairly odd characters: both of them. They were entertaining, though. He watched Maya see a stand that was offering some type of cheese food and want to try it, while Sarah told her that they were going shoe shopping now and that they didn’t need to buy something that smelled and tasted as awful as cheese. Yes, they were definitely entertaining, even if he couldn’t make heads or tails of them most of the time.
Maya was nattering on about how she couldn’t understand how someone Swiss could dislike cheese. Kurt was inclined to agree, but stayed silent.
In the end, they couldn’t find any boots that fit Maya well and that worked with the outfit. However, they were able to find better boots than the ones she had that were really cool. They came up slightly below the knee, were a medium gray with some studs on a strap that went over the front and a chain that hung down in back. Maya was utterly enthralled by them and, true to her word, the store, Dosenbach, really wasn’t that expensive in comparison to most of the places that Kurt had seen in Switzerland. It was a lot more expensive than what he was used to seeing in the States, though. He figured he’d never get used to that.
After looking for shoes, Maya tried to rope him into clothes shopping, but Sarah put her foot down, complaining about her knees and feet and old age, so Kurt contacted Urs and met up with him again. They ended up sticking with the girls.
Kurt got a kick out of watching Kevin trying to flirt with Maya, only for her to be completely oblivious to it and run off to a stand that looked interesting. Finally, Sarah put him out of his misery and told him exactly how old Maya was, twenty-three, and that she was a lesbian who hadn’t quite figured out the difference between being bisexual and homosexual. He gave up fairly quickly after that. Kurt, on the other hand, had to keep answering questions about whether something looked good on Maya or not and if he thought she should get it. Then she’d still make her own decision, completely ignoring his input. She also made sure to exchange telephone numbers with him. He was slightly amused to note that she hadn’t switched to a smartphone yet and instead still had an old, Sony Ericson phone that was several years outdated - as a matter of fact, it was one of the first models to have a built-in mp3 player.
After promising to meet up with her if he were ever in the area of Zürich, she’d bounded off with Sarah to catch the train home, chattering happily about the NaNo meeting in Bern the next day.
They all watched them go, slightly dazed. Kevin commented, “She was cute.”
Kurt cocked an eyebrow and turned an incredulous look at him. “She was insane. That’s what she was… and hyper. Never ever let her drink coffee.”
Urs commented, “Well, she was entertaining. Are all Americans that chatty?”
Kurt raised an eyebrow to look at him.
Urs quickly amended, “I guess not. “
Reto commented, “She mentioned that her dad died a few years ago. Maybe you guys could talk about that. Maybe it would help you connect.”
Kurt’s gaze turned icy. “I don’t need that to connect to someone. As a matter of fact, I’d prefer if I didn’t. Undoubtedly, she has a completely different coping system than I do, so I can’t use hers, so why even bother talking about it? I’m sure most of her texts will be completely different than what we were talking about. Knowing her, she might just send me pictures of outfits to get my input. She definitely is not what you’d expect from a lesbian.”
Kevin nodded. “If her friend hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known. At the most, I would have expected her to be bisexual.”
“Well, apparently, she hasn’t quite figured out that not being attracted to guys means that she’s a lesbian. I’m not quite sure how she can’t connect the two facts, but whatever.”
Reto snorted, “I thought the funniest part of the evening was when the two of them were ordering food and the vendor talked to Sarah in English and Maya automatically switched to German to speak with him.”
Urs nodded. “Talk about a verkehrte Welt…” he hesitated, “eh… an upside down world? It was funny how they spoke to the Swiss girl in English and the American in German.”
Kurt sighed, “I’d like to be able to speak German like Maya can.”
Kevin clapped him on the shoulder. “Do not worry about it. Maya mentioned to me that she has been speaking the language since she was six.”
Kurt asked, “When did she tell you that?”
“When I complimented her German to try and flirt with her. Like all the other times, she did not notice my flirting.”
Kurt snickered, “Definitely a lesbian and just like Sarah said - utterly oblivious.”
Urs said, “We still have to try some foods. Now Sarah is not around to complain about the cheese.”
Kurt rolled his eyes. “Lead on, McDuff.”
“That is not my name.”
Kurt laughed. “Whatever. Go read some Shakespeare. Lead on and we’ll follow.”
Reto asked, “So, can we get you to go on some rides tomorrow?”
Kurt gulped. “No way in heck. I am not getting on any rides. I don’t want to throw up.”
Reto commented, “But that’s what the motion sickness pills are for.”
Kurt shook his head vehemently. “I don’t want to ride in anything that looks that dangerous. I don’t want to die before I get my first Tony.” He paused for a moment. “Oh, god, I sound like Rachel…”
Kevin asked, “Who’s Rachel?”
Kurt replied, “A friend from my old school. She liked to hog the spotlight and would go on and on about how she’s going to be a big Broadway star and will win loads of Tonys, etcetera etcetera. She was really annoying most of the time. Occasionally, she’d be a cool person, but that was pretty rare. She was proud about having two dads, though.”
Kevin raised an eyebrow. “So, I take it it’s bad to sound like her?”
Kurt nodded. “Yes. It’s very bad. I don’t want to end up like her. Never ever in my life. Kill me before I do.”
Reto teased, “But I thought you wanted to win a Tony first.”
Kurt scowled and crossed his arms. “You’re annoying, do you know that?”
Reto quipped, “Yes, I know.”
The others burst out laughing, soon being followed by the others in the group.
Kurt changed the subject. “Okay, now, about that food…”
Urs replied, “I know just the places you have to try and, today, you are not going to watch your waist. You’re too slender, anyways.”
Kurt shook his head. “I’m not. I’m just careful about what I eat and I do make an effort to never miss a meal.”
Reto replied, “That doesn’t mean much when you only eat salad and mostly pick at that until you force it down your throat.”
“I eat other things, too. On that day I told you guys about my… situation… I ate with Sebastian, who’s in my parallel class, and he piled all sorts of stuff on my plate. Too much to actually finish, but I really did enjoy the quark cake he introduced me to.”
Kevin frowned. “Sebastian, huh? What’s his last name again?”
“Smythe. Sebastian Smythe.”
Kevin suddenly looked very serious. “I’ve heard some stuff about him. Stay away from that kid. He’ll only hurt you.”
Kurt frowned at him. “I’ve heard all sorts of rumors about him too. He set them straight. I know he’s an ass, but he’s entertaining. Besides, how many friends does he actually have? Shouldn’t at least someone befriend him?”
Kevin shook his head. “Let someone else do it. Let him find a female friend or a straight male friend. Do not put yourself out for him. He is just going to hurt you. Trust me.”
Kurt snapped, “I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”
Kevin held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. Just trying to help.”
“At least he’s straight-forward and tells people what he wants from the get-go. He’s honest and doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s a selfish, stuck-up, sex-crazed idiot. It’s kinda nice to have someone to verbally spar with in English, though, and even if he only wants me for booty calls -” Kurt’s voice grew softer as he looked away from the group, “at least he wants me.”
The other boys’ faces all dropped. Kevin sighed and whispered sympathetically, “Oh, Kurt…” before he pulled him into a warm hug.
Kurt reined in the tears that wanted to fall at that moment. “It’s just… no one has ever wanted me like that before. He’s the first guy to ever be interested in me.”
Kevin muttered softly to Kurt, “You don’t need someone like that, Kurt. You need someone who will love you and treat you like you’re the center of their world.”
Kurt shoved away from him angrily. “And where the heck am I supposed to find that? Name someone, anyone, who’s interested. Sarah was saying earlier that it’s better not to wait. The only thing that’ll happen is that I grow to be an old virgin without any experience and, once I do get a boyfriend, I’ll just be a disappointment!”
Kevin spluttered, “What? That’s nonsense! Why the heck was she telling that to you?”
“She wasn’t. She was telling it to Maya.”
Urs rolled his eyes. “I hate to tell you, Kurt, but that’s the way their relationship is. You saw it yourself. They poke fun at each other using anything they can, all the time. Maya knows not to take stuff like that seriously from Sarah.”
Kurt frowned. “It’s still true…”
Kevin physically grabbed Kurt’s head and turned it so Kurt had to look at him. “No, it is not. Any guy who breaks up with you like that sure as heck was not worth it.”
“But then I’d still have wasted my first time. Why not go to someone who knows what he’s doing?”
Kevin rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, “Well in that case, all of us should have had our first times with whores, right? We would pay them for it and get taught the mechanics from them. Then we would know what we are doing and we would not disappoint our partners, right?”
Kurt tried to escape Kevin’s grip, but failed.
Kevin demanded, “I asked if I am right!”
Kurt sobbed. “No… yes… I don’t know! Leave me alone!”
Kevin replied, “No! I am older than you. Someone has to knock some sense into you!”
“I don’t know what to do!”
“Do not agree to whatever he asked of you!”
“But…” Kurt sniffled.
“You do not know what to do. I am telling you what to do. Do not sleep with him.”
Kurt shook his head. “You can’t control me!”
“I am trying to help you! Can you not understand that?”
“It’s my decision!”
Urs added his bit, “You cannot have him in our room.”
Kurt nodded. “I know. We… our agreement…”
Reto added, “You have to be back at a reasonable time every night, or we will tell on you, and you must not do anything on school nights.”
Kurt nodded again. “I wouldn’t…”
Kevin commented, “You will regret it, if you decide to go through with this.”
Kurt retorted, “How do you know that I won’t regret it, if I say no again?”
Kevin groaned in frustration. “There is no way you will not regret it. You are going into it for all the wrong reasons!”
Kurt glared at him, the tear tracks and splotchy face drawing away from its intensity. “I’ll make my own mistakes, then. You stay out of it.”
“At least give it time before you make a decision. Do not agree before you have spent more time with him.”
Kurt nodded. “Okay.”
Kevin sighed in relief. “At least that is something.”
“Just don’t try to control me. I don’t like it.”
Reto piped up, “We noticed.”
Urs cut in, “So, we were going to get food, right?”
Kurt nodded. He pulled out a wet towelette and wiped his face off with it before trotting after the others in the direction of the food, glad that they’d been mostly ignored by the passing strangers.
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