Archive of Our Own

“Why are we going over this again?” An abnormally high but familiar voice cut into Sebastian’s concentration from where he sat reading in the Lima Bean. 

On good days, it was the best place to do homework, and on bad days, there were just too many distractions for him to get anything done.  And today looked like one of those days.

“I just don’t see why you need to have coffee with him again,” Another voice replied.

And Sebastian perked up because he’d recognize Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel anywhere, but this was the first time he’d ever heard them argue.  And this was just surreal because it was just something that he’d assumed the two of them never did. 

Sebastian settled into his seat, on the other side of the wall dividing them, and just listened.

“Blaine, how many times are we going to argue about this?”  Kurt sounded as if he was steadily losing his patience, and Sebastian would definitely know what that sounded like, because he’d heard it often enough when he and Kurt had gone at each other.

“As many times as it takes to convince you that this is a bad idea.”

“So forever, then.  I’m going to get some more coffee, because I’m getting a headache.” 

“…Kurt,” Blaine hesitated, but then Sebastian heard what sounded like someone getting up and walking away. 

Sebastian kept quiet, because if Blaine realized that he was there and able to hear everything, he’d censor himself with Kurt.  And Kurt would then do the same. 

And really, as much as he’d been trying to change since Cub’s incident, the idea of having some insider knowledge about Kurt and Blaine was something he just couldn’t resist.

When Kurt returned to the table, Blaine began again, “He texted while you were up there.  Again.”

“Blaine, would you stop?  I’m trying to be friends with him.  You know what he’s been through.”

“I just don’t like it.  And he bullied you.”

Blaine replied as if the important part of his argument was the first part, about Blaine not liking the idea, rather than the part about the person, most likely Cub, treating Kurt badly.

“Yes, he did,” Kurt sighed, and Sebastian had to strain a little to hear him now.  “But he apologized to me, and I forgave him a long time ago.  I feel like I need to be there for him.”

“Kurt, you know how you get in situations like that,” Blaine’s voice had lost all of the boyish charm that Sebastian was used to hearing from him.

He’d never heard Blaine talk to anyone with such obvious impatience.  And his voice was almost filled with scorn, and that was just surprising because he couldn’t imagine Blaine ever talking to anybody like that, least of all his boyfriend.

And Blaine had had to deal with Sebastian before, which really said something, because Sebastian had been told in the past, by family, by friends, and by former hook-ups that he was the most frustrating person on the planet to deal with. 

Sebastian could admit that he hadn’t known when to stop the flirting with Blaine, but he’d always just assumed that Blaine would eventually give in, because nearly everybody he’d wanted had at some point.  

And Blaine had always been full of mixed signals, which both Sebastian and Kurt had picked up on. 

Blaine’s words would say, “I just want to be friends,” but his actions always made Sebastian feel like he wanted more than that.  

Kurt had to have been angry about it, because Blaine’s eyes always followed Sebastian.  And even now, when Sebastian had given up because the pursuit hadn’t really been worth his time, Blaine still seemed intrigued. 

But Sebastian wasn’t.

Not anymore, because their dynamic was different now. 

After the slushie incident that had led to Blaine’s surgery, Sebastian had felt the need to apologize to Blaine.  And he’d apologized to Cub for his actions with him.  Seeing Blaine was just a reminder for him that he’d done some shitty things that people would probably hold against him forever. 

Blaine had accepted his apology, and with him things had gone on as if the slushie had never been thrown.  Kurt, however, had just nodded an acceptance, without saying a word. 

Kurt’s response had almost seemed more honest than Blaine’s had.

It had been as if Blaine was lowering himself to Sebastian’s level when he’d agreed to forgive him.  With Kurt… well it was more like Kurt was reserving judgment until Sebastian could further prove himself. 

And he could respect that. 

Because Sebastian also felt like he had something to prove.

Sebastian shook his head and listened in again, and just a little irritated that he’d tuned out and missed part of their conversation.

“I don’t like it, Kurt,” Blaine repeated.

“I know that, and I’m sorry you feel like that about it.  But I need to do this.”

“Fine,” It sounded as if Blaine was standing up.  “We’ll talk more about this later, when you’re being more reasonable.  And I have to go anyway, because that dinner with my parents is tonight.”

There was a frustrated sound that came from Kurt’s side of the wall, and Sebastian was torn between confronting him and letting him know he’d heard their argument and just leaving it alone.  

But this was Kurt, and there was just something about Kurt Hummel that made it hard for him to resist antagonizing him.  Antagonizing Kurt had always been fun, but he hadn’t lied about regretting the things that he’d done and the words that he’d said. 

And frustratingly enough, he was still trying to be the better person, and the bigger man. 

So for once, he was just going to leave Kurt alone. 

Sebastian was back in the Lima Bean a few days later, and he looked up from his homework, taking a few minutes to people watch.  He loved doing all of his work in the Lima Bean, which was quieter than Dalton most of the time, because he actually liked watching people. 

He didn’t like talking to them, of course, unless they were prospects. 

But he liked watching. 

He enjoyed seeing the men in the coffee shop who were hiding themselves but subtly checking him out from other tables.  He enjoyed the flirtation of the females, even though he never actually gave them the idea that he was straight.  He figured it was obvious to everybody that he was gay, since he never held back over his seduction attempts, so if the girls wanted to go ahead and flirt with him anyway, who was he to stop them?

It was usually the Dalton uniform that did it.  The uniform had been known to attract both girls and guys to him.  The girls assumed he was preppy and polite, and the guys assumed he was defile-able material, even though when he did get in a quick fuck with them, they usually figured out that it was Sebastian who would end up doing the defiling.  

He put his coffee to his mouth and took a sip. 

Sebastian may have straightened up a little since Cub’s incident, but he wasn’t about to change completely.  He liked sex, and he planned to have plenty of it for the rest of his life.  That was one thing he was never going to change. 

But he’d meant it when he’d told Kurt and Blaine that he was done with some of his behavior.  When he’d found out about Cub’s suicide attempt, and he’d found out that it had happened after Sebastian’s rude comments at Scandals, he’d had an awakening of sorts. 

He’d already arranged for the donation in Cub’s name. 

And he’d begun hanging out with Cub a little bit more at Scandals, but an annoying little voice in his head kept telling him that he needed to do more. 

So when Kurt approached him in the Lima Bean, this time Blaine-free, he was intrigued. 

“May I sit down?” Kurt asked when he approached the table.

Sebastian nodded at an empty seat and took another sip of his coffee before settling back to look at him.  He was going to keep his comments to himself again, unless Kurt started the confrontation.

But Kurt looked almost guilty, just sitting there across from Sebastian. 

“Well?”

“I heard… well, I heard that you and I may have something in common at the moment,” Kurt said quietly.  “Look this is hard.  I know we are supposed to be forming a truce or something, but could you not look at me like you’re fighting the urge to disparage me right now?”

Sebastian schooled his features, “Okay.  You’re right.”

“Wow, I never thought I’d hear those words from you.  Wait.  Sorry.  That doesn’t help.  I can’t seem to keep control of my mouth around you,” Kurt said softly and looked away.

Sebastian snorted, “Not a lot of guys can.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, but he seemed to grudgingly accept the humor in the statement. 

“Okay, moving on.  I heard what happened between you and Dave.  I wondered if that’s what you were talking about that day we were all in here.  The day you said the games were over.”

Sebastian nodded slightly, “It was.”

“I did some things with regard to Dave that I’m not happy with myself over.  And I’m trying to make amends with him.  But it’s hard, you know?” Kurt looked unhappy to be sharing this information with Sebastian.  “I feel like I’m not doing enough for him.”

“I get that,” Sebastian took another sip of his coffee and just looked at Kurt. 

For once, the defensiveness was just gone from Kurt’s face.  He wasn’t tense and fighting the urge to lash out at Sebastian.  It felt weird to see Hummel like this.  Insecure and almost afraid, and he wondered again about that argument with Blaine.  This wasn’t the Kurt that he knew.  Although he had to admit, that he’d probably always seen Kurt in the very worst circumstances.

Kurt took a deep breath and sighed, “I need help with Dave.”

“What with?”

“You’re not going to say no immediately?”

“Did you want me to say no?  I feel like I owe him more, too.  So I’ll hear you out.”

It’s not like he had to commit to doing anything that Kurt wanted him to do. 

But he did owe Cub.  That he felt was a fact.

“I promised Dave I’d be around for him.  But I have some circumstances that are making it harder for me.”

“Imagine that,” Sebastian said with amusement because those circumstances had a name.

“Please don’t start.  This is hard enough for me.  I thought maybe you would help because Dave said you’re hanging out with him at Scandals some.  There’s really nobody else.  Santana helps some, but she has other stuff going on too.  I just can’t do everything by myself, and since Dave actually mentioned you, I thought maybe you could help me.”

“With what?”

“Helping him to be more comfortable.  With becoming less afraid all the time.  I saw him in the hospital, and his mom is not really there for him.  His dad is, but I feel like I screwed up and….” Kurt stopped abruptly and turned his head away. 

“I know.  About the phone calls.  Cub told me at Scandals one night.”

“I figured,” Kurt was trying to compose himself, but he was doing a piss-poor job because his face was quickly red and flushed.

“So we both did some shitty things to Cub.”

“Yeah.”

“So you want my help to fix that?”

“Yeah.  Having Blaine and Dave in the same room is just asking for trouble, and I don’t want to put Dave in that position.”

“Don’t you think having you and I in the same room is just asking for trouble?”

Kurt snorted, “Possibly.  But you and I would be arguing with each other.  Not with Dave.  But I owe him, and Dave kind of insinuated that you felt the same, so I thought I’d extend the olive branch and ask you about this.”

“I’ll help.   Because it’s Cub.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wondered if he was getting himself into something he would later regret.

A week or two into their pact, Sebastian knew he had gotten himself into something he regretted. 

Dave was doing fine.  It was Kurt who was the issue. 

Well part of the issue was that Dave seemed to enjoy it when Kurt and Sebastian argued, so he tended to instigate Kurt’s temper, and then Kurt’s temper would get the best of Sebastian, and then it was as if someone had opened up the floodgates between them. 

And no matter how good Sebastian tried to be, to avoid conflicts, it was as if Dave got some kind of sick enjoyment over watching Kurt and Sebastian argue. 

They’d argued first over Kurt’s idea to take Dave shopping.  Then they’d argued over Kurt’s idea to introduce Dave to the finer, also known as gayer, side of homosexuality.  Sebastian had been appalled, and he’d immediately set out to correct what Kurt was helping Dave with. 

Much to Kurt’s chagrin.

They’d also argued about Kurt’s judgmental ways with regard to Dave’s lack of knowledge about what Sebastian deemed stereotypical gay things.  And the fact that Sebastian found them stereotypical, and pointed it out to Kurt regularly, just set Kurt the fuck off most of the time. 

Kurt would spout out some ridiculous notion he thought Dave needed to learn, and then when Sebastian corrected him, Kurt would cut into him with barbs sharpened and engraved with Sebastian’s name on them.  They were personal, and really just, at times, hit way too close to home for Sebastian’s liking.

Really, this pact was giving him a headache on a regular basis.

“Why do you do this to me?” Sebastian turned to Dave when Kurt stalked out of the room yet again because of something Sebastian had said to him.

“Because I can,” Dave chuckled and tossed him a football.  “Maybe you just bring out the best in him.”

“What the hell?  That’s the best in him?”

Dave caught the football when Sebastian threw it back at him in frustration. 

“Look.  When he argues like that, I see some of the old Kurt in him.  The guy who first made me realize I was gay.  He used to get right up in my face the way he does with you.”

“And how did you not kill him?”

“Kill him?  It was all I could do not to kiss him when he does that.  In fact, I did once.  And that’s how I came out to him.  It wasn’t pretty, believe me.”

“Because you bullied him all the time?”

“Yeah.  I scared the shit out of him, I think.  Scared him into changing schools.”

“Dalton,” Sebastian nodded.

“Yeah.  I sometimes wonder if it’s my fault he’s not the same anymore.  So when he argues with you, I encourage it because I want to see that fire he used to have.  Before I snuffed it out.”

“I don’t think you did though.”

“What?”

“Snuff it out, I mean.  He’s always been like that with me, whenever Blaine’s not around.  He and I argued all the time when we were alone.  But around Blaine, we never did.”  

Dave’s face darkened, and Sebastian chuckled, “You really hate him don’t you?”

“I’m not sure if hate is the right word.  I have a strong dislike of him, and he feels the same about me.”

“Because you’re in love with his boyfriend, maybe?”

“No.  That’s not it, because the animosity was there long before he knew anything about me.  I’m nothing like him.  I’m not popular and handsome in comparison to Blaine, at least that’s the message I get from him.  So I’m not good enough to be around Kurt.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes, “I would have to argue with that.  You’re annoying.  Kurt’s annoying.”

Sebastian wanted to say something about Dave’s assessment of his own attractiveness, but he wasn’t sure how that would come across at the moment.  He’d already done enough damage with his comments in the past, so he wasn’t sure Dave would even believe anything he said. 

But he could see Dave’s appeal. 

Bear cubs were hot, and Sebastian had slept with a few of them.  Granted, Sebastian’s usual taste in men didn’t actually run into any particular type, but he’d been with more twinks than he had been with bears.  But Dave’s ass was really quite good, not that Sebastian would, or even should, say that to him.  Dave would either deny it or look at Sebastian like he was crazy.  And they’d made too much progress for Dave to go back to not trusting anything Sebastian said.

“Ha ha.  Asshole.”

Sebastian smirked at him, “So if you know so much, why do Kurt and I clash all the time?”

Dave threw the football at his chest and grinned, “Because you’re scared of him.  Just like I was.”

“Stop teaching him to objectify,” Kurt grumbled.

“Why?  Objectifying is a very valid life skill.” Sebastian argued.

They were in Scandals a few weeks later, and Dave was wearing his usual Cub gear, denim jacket and baseball cap.  Kurt was wearing a new outfit he’d purchased on the day that he’d dragged Dave and Sebastian shopping, against Sebastian’s will.  Dave, it turned out, didn’t really mind shopping with Kurt.  It was probably because he seemed to enjoy Kurt’s bossy attitude. 

Sebastian had purchased nothing, because he always looked perfect, of course.  He couldn’t look bad if he tried, and he knew this.

Everyone knew this.

Dave began chuckling immediately, “Fancy, he doesn’t have to teach me to objectify.  I’ve known how to do that since sophomore year.”

Kurt turned and glared mildly at him, “Not the point, Dave.  We are not here for anybody to get laid.”

Dave spit out his beer, and Sebastian stared at him in amusement, “You okay?”

Dave nodded and wiped off his chin.

“Kurt, it’s not your job to decide if he gets laid or not.  It’s his,” Sebastian jerked his head toward Dave.

“Only because of your influence.”

“You teach him to appreciate the pride float side of homosexuality, and I teach him how to appreciate the bedroom side of homosexuality.  That was the deal.”

Dave sputtered, “What deal?”

“Oh stop.  There was no deal, Dave.  He’s talking about the day we decided to put our truce into practice.  There was never any discussion of getting anybody laid,” Kurt patted Dave on the cheek as he spoke, but then he dropped his hand with a slight hesitation.  “He’s just being Sebastian.”

“Well, I wasn’t really sure you even knew what getting laid was, so that’s why I never brought it up before.”

“Oh my god, Sebastian.  You really are a gift to the gay community.”

“My ass is, you mean.”

Dave snorted again, “Okay if this is you two under cease fire conditions, I’m not sure I want to see the all-out war.”

Kurt took a deep breath, and his face was flushed with irritation.  It looked attractive on him, and Sebastian really disliked admitting that to himself. 

“It wasn’t pretty,” Kurt admitted with a quick smile at Dave. 

Sebastian looked at him and took a sip of his drink.  He could get used to this Kurt. 

This Kurt was almost… 

Well, fun.

Kurt was going to be late to their hang out session, and he’d texted Sebastian and Dave about it.  So Sebastian had replied with a “no problem, babe” before heading off to Dave’s house.

Dave really did seem to be getting better.  He laughed more, and he spent less time isolated in his room.  And it turned out that Dave was really kind of fun to be around too. 

He was getting more comfortable with Sebastian’s perverse sense of humor, and he’d actually laughed at some of Sebastian’s pick-up lines. 

And when Kurt wasn’t around, they talked about sex more often. 

Dave felt almost uncomfortable talking about sex in front of Kurt, but it seemed like that was about Dave not wanting to say something that would weird Kurt out.  The whole thinking you’re in love with one of your best friends could do that to somebody, Sebastian figured. 

Kurt had been loosening up more over the past few weeks too.

They weren’t arguing as much, at least until Dave started instigating again, with a twisted little grin on his face.  It was almost like Sebastian and Kurt fighting was jerking off material to him or something. 

Sebastian pulled up short at that thought. 

“Dave, do you get off on Kurt fighting with me?” 

Dave let out a strangled little moan. 

Sebastian threw his head back with a laugh, “You do!”

“Shut up.”

“Kurt arguing with you really does it for you?”

Dave closed his eyes, “Kind of.”

Sebastian sat down on the end of Dave’s bed and really thought about it.  He could see the merits in Dave’s thinking.  Dave found Kurt getting angry hot, and Sebastian had to admit that seeing that flush trail down Kurt’s neck had given him a few ideas as well.  Not that he’d ever tell Kurt that. 

But he’d had a few fantasies about arguing with Kurt that had turned very sexual, and he wasn’t going to deny it. 

“It kind of does it for me, too,” Sebastian smirked over at him.

Dave grinned, “I knew it.”

“Well, he does that blushing thing, and it’s distracting.  It makes me hate him.”

“No it doesn’t.  Nobody can really hate Kurt.”

“I beg to differ.”

“You don’t hate him.  You hate that he was in your way.”

“You think you know everything, don’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“I’ve had a few fantasies.  But you will not tell him this,” Sebastian glared.

“My lips are sealed.”

“He has a nice ass.  Better than mine even,” Sebastian had to grudgingly admit that. 

“Oh my god, I never thought I’d hear that come from you.”

“I can objectively appreciate great asses, Dave.  Yours is really quite good, too.”

Dave flushed a little, “It’s his mouth for me.  Especially when he’s arguing.”

Kurt’s mouth was really just perfect for a lot of different things, but he refused to reveal that to Dave at the moment.   He’d allowed himself to talk about too much already.

“Where are you two?” Kurt’s voice called from downstairs.

“He sounds mad,” Dave said quietly.

“You’re scared of him?”

“Shut up,” Dave punched him on the shoulder.  “You’re probably the one in trouble though.”

“Probably," he nodded.  "I do tend to irritate the shit out of him.”

“But you do it on purpose.”

“True.”

They listened as Kurt made his way up the stairs, “Sebastian Smythe!”

“What did I do now?” Sebastian’s eyebrow lifted at the expression on Kurt’s face.  “You haven’t seen me all day.  There’s no way I could have pissed you off already.”

“Do not call me babe.  Especially in a text message.”

Sebastian looked up at him from the bed, “I called you babe?”

“You don’t remember?”

“I call people babe, Kurt.  Or tiger.  I didn’t mean to offend your delicate sensitivities.”

“It’s not my… never mind.  Just don’t do it again please,” Kurt folded his arms in front of him.  “Please.”

“Okay.”

Dave looked at him in confusion, but Sebastian just shrugged.

“You know, right before you got here, Dave said Barbra Streisand was lame,” Sebastian threw out in the middle of yet another argument with Kurt. 

It had been a while since Kurt had gone off on him about the text, but he was back to normal now.  They’d met up at the movies and they were arguing over choices.  Blaine was spending the afternoon with his brother, so Kurt had ended up tagging along with them.  He’d been a little standoffish in the beginning, but a few choice barbs had brought the fire back out quickly.

“You did what David Karofsky?” Kurt turned on Dave, hands on his hips and glared.

Sebastian mouthed, “go with it” from behind Kurt and sat back to enjoy the show. 

If Dave wanted jacking off material, he was going to have to put up with some of the Kurt fury too. 

Sebastian was tired of being used, and wasn’t that a statement he never thought he’d make about himself?

“Wait Kurt.  I meant…” Dave blustered.

“You called one of the greatest singers of all time lame, David?” Kurt snarked at him.

“Maybe.”

“Come on, Dave.  Remember Supercuts!  Do it for Supercuts!”

Kurt snorted at Sebastian before turning to Dave again, “You told him about the Supercuts argument?”

Dave’s face just became a blank slate.  He either could not form an argument against Kurt, or he just didn’t want to.  But when Dave’s eyes fell to Kurt’s mouth, all three of the them stilled immediately. 

Kurt put his hand on Dave’s shoulder and squeezed gently before leaving them both standing by the concession stand. 

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Sebastian said. 

And he meant that.  He hadn’t intended it as a means to torture Dave.

“Nah, it’s good.  I think he still gets uncomfortable because of Blaine.”

“Who is coming right now.  With what I assume is his brother.  And damn,” Sebastian whistled under his breath. 

Dave turned and saw what Sebastian was looking at, “Wow.”

They watched as Blaine led his eye candy of a brother over to them, and Sebastian cuffed Dave on the shoulder with a laugh, “Put your tongue back in your mouth.”

“Shut up,” Dave laughed.

“Hey guys,” Blaine bounced up and down on his feet in front of them.  He turned to Dave and nodded, “How are you?”

“Good.  And you?”

“Fine.”

“And who is this?” Sebastian smiled at the eye candy and took a long glance up and down his body.

“This is my brother, Cooper,” Blaine said proudly.

“Hello, Cooper,” Sebastian drawled.  “He’s even prettier than you Blaine.”

Blaine flushed at the comment, and Dave snorted beside Sebastian. 

“Behave,” Dave muttered.

Cooper looked pretty damn happy at the comment, so Sebastian figured there was no harm done. 

Cooper had only winked at Sebastian, and he’d thrown one arm around Blaine as they talked.

“So these are some of your friends, baby brother?” Cooper drawled, and the emphasis was clearly on the fact that he couldn’t see Blaine being friends with either one of them. 

Blaine nodded shrugged his brother’s arm off.  “Yeah Coop.  Sebastian and David.” 

Sebastian lifted an eyebrow at Cooper and Blaine’s interaction, but he said nothing. 

“So what are you and your pretty brother doing here?”  Sebastian turned to Blaine.

“Catching a movie.  Cooper has to leave tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, my film career is calling me.  I have an audition soon.”

“Ah,” Dave said softly and glanced around, as if he were looking for Kurt.

Sebastian flashed a look at Dave, and they silently agreed not to mention that Kurt was with them.  He hoped that Kurt wouldn’t come back anytime soon, because if he did, then the two groups would end up combining and that would just be uncomfortable for everybody.

Blaine leaned over to whisper to Sebastian, “I know, you know.”

Sebastian leaned back, “You know what?”

Blaine ducked his head, “About you two.”

Dave glanced over at Sebastian in confusion, “About who two?”

Sebastian snorted, “Like that’s a real sentence.”

“Shut up,” Dave laughed.

“About you two dating.  Kurt told me.”

Dave’s eyes widened, and Sebastian nearly choked on his words, “He told you Dave and I are dating?”

“Well, yeah.  I mean I was a little worried about him hanging out with you guys because you know how Kurt gets.  But when he told me he was matchmaking for you two, I felt a little better,” Blaine blushed a little as he answered.

Cooper rolled his eyes behind Blaine, and Sebastian looked at him intently.  The action seemed more ‘aggravated with Blaine’ than ‘amused at Blaine,’ but then Cooper looked away suddenly.

Dave put one arm around Sebastian’s shoulders and grinned, “Okay then.  I’m glad you’re cool with him hanging out with us then.”

“Oh, I’m fine with it now,” Blaine said with a smile directed only at Dave.

Sebastian couldn’t put his finger on why this line of conversation made him uncomfortable, but it did. 

“Well, we’re going to hit the restroom.  You know.  Blowjobs before the movie,” Sebastian smirked at Blaine before walking with Dave towards the restroom.

“What the hell?” Dave muttered.

“Shut up,” Sebastian answered.  “Something’s going on.”

Kurt was in the bathroom when they opened the door, and he jumped a little at their entrance. 

“What?”

“Why don’t you tell us why Blaine thinks Dave and I are dating?” Sebastian stood in front of the door and folded his arms.  “He’s out there by the way.  With a delicious looking older brother.”

Kurt sighed and turned back to the mirror, “You would notice Cooper.”

“Why does he think that, Kurt?” Dave asked.

Kurt turned to both of them and leaned against the sink, “It’s complicated.”

“Have you been trying to get us together?” Sebastian asked.

“No.”

“Then what the fuck was that all about?”

“I just told Blaine that.  It was easier,” Kurt looked back in the mirror and adjusted his shirt nervously.

“Why was it easier?” Dave walked closer to Kurt. 

Kurt looked a little defeated, and Sebastian didn’t like the flare of discontent that Kurt’s expression brought him.  

“Please drop it.  I promise I wasn’t trying to get you two together,” Kurt was looking at Dave’s reflection rather than Dave.  “I swear.”

“Okay,” Dave said softly.

“No.  You are not giving in to him that easily.  He needs to tell us what’s going on.  Blaine said something out there that bothers me and I want to know what he meant.”

“It’s kind of obvious what he meant, Seb,” Dave turned to him and glared.

“What?” Kurt asked.

“Nothing,” Dave replied.

“Stop, Dave.  Stop letting Kurt get away with shit.”

“I’m not,” Dave argued.

Sebastian stepped forward, “Yes, you are.”

“Stop,” Kurt moved in between them and held his hands up in a cease fire.  “Just stop.”

“Then you tell us what’s going on,” Sebastian glared.

“I told him that so he’d leave me alone about hanging out with you two,” Kurt said quietly.

“You told me was okay with it,” Dave replied, confusion in his voice.

“You told me it was just because Dave and Blaine can’t stand each other.  So how many of us did you lie to?” Sebastian asked.

“All three of you,” Kurt replied, his walls of defense coming up again.  Sebastian could almost see the moment his mask was back in place. 

“Stop,” Dave ordered.

“Stop what?” Kurt asked.

“Stop doing that thing where you act like you’re so tough,” Dave said quietly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kurt crossed his arms again and leaned against the sink.

Sebastian walked over to Kurt, “Look I want the truth.  Something is going on, and I want to know what it is.”

Kurt looked to Dave for help, but Dave just shrugged.  Sebastian could see his reaction in the mirror. 

“I told Dave he was okay with it because I didn’t want Dave to feel bad.  I told you that about them fighting because I was kind of upset with him that he refused to come with me,” Kurt turned his head away as he spoke.

“And you told Blaine we were dating for what reason?”

“He can’t possibly think you’ll cheat on him,” Dave said.

Kurt laughed, but the sound wasn’t full of amusement.  It was almost sad. 

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Kurt, we’re your friends, believe it or not, as much as I wonder about our judgment sometimes.  Spill it.”

Kurt snorted at Sebastian’s statement and looked at him.  

“Did you know that Blaine and my stepbrother bonded after a fight?  Did he ever mention that to you?”

What in the world did that have to do with anything?  Sebastian glanced in the mirror at Dave’s reflection, and Dave shrugged at him in response.

“Blaine and Hudson.  They talked?” Dave said suddenly, apparently making whatever connection that Sebastian was out of the loop on.

“Yes,” Kurt’s eyes met Dave’s in the mirror.

“Fuck,” Dave turned away. 

“What in the hell is all that supposed to mean?” Sebastian glared between the two of them. 

“Blaine’s not afraid of either one of you doing anything with me.  He’s afraid I’ll be inappropriate with you two.  Because that’s what I do, okay?” Kurt closed his eyes and turned away from the mirror, to face both of them.

“What do you even mean?” Sebastian was becoming more confused each second.

“Finn was the first guy I crushed on,” Kurt replied. 

“Your brother?” Sebastian’s eyebrows must have shot up because Kurt laughed. 

“He wasn’t my brother at the time.  I introduced my father to his mother, and it was for a stupid reason.  Because I liked Finn.  But I’m not apologizing for doing it because my father is happier than he’s ever been.  But it wasn’t a very appropriate thing to do at the time.”

“Okay,” Sebastian was still not getting it apparently.

“Finn didn’t react well to Kurt’s crush,” Dave replied.  “It was kind of obvious at school, Fancy.”

“I figured,” Kurt said softly and crossed his arms in embarrassment. 

“Well, it kind of got worse.  Finn’s better now.  But when I met Sam, Finn said I had problems taking no for an answer and that I needed to leave Sam alone.  And then I chased Blaine at Dalton, so that of course, didn’t help my case.  But in my defense, Blaine is gay and the situation was different than with Finn and Sam.”

“And when you said that they bonded,” Sebastian prompted. 

“I found out after Blaine and Finn started getting along better that they’d had quite a few talks.  And one of those was about me and my tendency to be ‘inappropriate’ with guys.”

“What?” Dave asked in disbelief.

“Yeah.  Apparently, I’m… predatory, and my previous behaviors are evidence, believe me.  Whenever I get out of line I guess, I get reminded that I’m not supposed to be alone with guys.  Blaine thinks I’ll come on to them.  It’s never been about you liking me, Dave.  Blaine thinks I’ll lead you on.  So he’s kind of looking out for you,” Kurt finished.

Sebastian couldn’t believe his ears.

“He’s helping me, really,” Kurt continued.  “Because I’ve embarrassed myself before, especially with Blaine, and as long as I don’t spend time alone with guys, then I can’t do anything wrong, right?  Finn and Blaine are good now, and Blaine understands.  And it certainly made a lot of the things at Dalton make more sense to him.  He was worried that I’d lead David on if I was alone with him.  But because you’re with us, Blaine doesn’t get upset about it anymore.”

Sebastian just stared.  This was insane, because Kurt looked like he actually believed this shit. 

“If anybody could be considered predatory, it would be me, don’t you think?  Why am I a good chaperone?” Sebastian asked harshly.

“Because you would never want me,” Kurt said simply, as if the answer should be clear to everybody.

“What?” Sebastian glanced at Dave.

“That’s crazy, Fancy.”

“No, it’s not.  Sebastian was the safest choice.  Blaine agreed, especially when I said I was matchmaking you two.  He knows Sebastian would never make a move on me.  And Sebastian being here means I won’t do anything to lead you on, and that makes it easier for everybody involved,” Kurt looked at Dave without a trace of sarcasm or irritation. 

He actually seemed to believe every word he was saying. 

“Can we not do the movie?  I don’t want to be here right now,” Kurt said quietly.

Was this why Kurt had been so crazed about the text message where Sebastian called him ‘babe?’  Had it scared him?  Made him think he was being inappropriate and Sebastian was reacting to it? 

That had to be the explanation because nothing else made sense to him.

“That’s what he meant when he said that we should know how you get,” Sebastian said softly.

Kurt flinched a little, but he met Sebastian’s gaze.  “Yeah.  That’s what he meant.  He doesn’t mean anything by it.  It’s just his way of referring to it without saying anything embarrassing in front of other people.”

“The idea is embarrassing,” Dave ground out.  “There’s nothing wrong with you.  You are not predatory in any way.”

“Dave, I know how you feel about me and I appreciate that you’re behind me on this.  But the fact is that I have, and do, act like that.  As long as someone is there to police me, I don’t.  Blaine loves me and he wants me to be a better person.  So he helps me by making sure I do and say the right things.  And he’s there to make sure I don’t cross the line.”

Dave started to react to that statement, but Sebastian caught his eyes and shook his head slightly. 

They’d discuss it later, when Kurt wasn’t around. 

“Do you think what he said about Blaine is the reason Kurt hangs on to him so tightly?” Sebastian was lying on Dave’s bed and staring at the ceiling. 

“I don’t know.  Maybe,” Dave answered. 

“Has it been on your mind too?”

“Yes.  I can’t believe he’s convinced of that.  He’s the least predatory guy I’ve ever seen.”

“Was he really that bad with Finn?”

“Not from what I saw.  He stared at him a lot and slapped him on the butt once during a song.  But I think that was choreography because the others in Glee did it too.”

“I wonder what went on to make Finn so uncomfortable.”

“You know, this explains a lot to me.  Especially about why he thinks I’m confused about loving him.”

“Are you still?”

“Confused?  Never was.  I love him.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah,” Dave agreed. 

“I think I do too,” Sebastian whispered.

“I know you do,” Dave replied.  “I can spot Kurt Hummel attraction a mile away.”

Dave didn’t even sound at all surprised about it, which made Sebastian wonder where his talent for bullshit had gone. 

“That sucks even more.”

“Because you swore you’d never do a relationship?”

“Partly.  But also because you love him too.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter since we can’t have him anyway.”

“Who says?” Sebastian turned to him with a grin.

Kurt was withdrawing from them even more now that they ‘knew’ his issues.  He was there physically, but he was so hyper vigilant about his behavior.  About what he said and how he said it. 

Where he put his hands.  How close he came to touching one of them. 

It was upsetting to watch, because Kurt looked like he didn’t know what the right thing to do was.

“Hey Dave, have you noticed something wrong with Kurt?” Sebastian watched Kurt texting furiously on the other side of the room. 

They’d been to a game, against Kurt’s rather vehement objections.  Kurt had been on the phone during the entire game, and his face kept getting darker and darker, his mood much more sedated.

“Yes.”

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.  He won’t say.”

“He’s been on that phone all day.”

“I know.”

“Kurt,” Sebastian called out.  “Come here.”

Kurt looked up from his phone and held up one finger towards Sebastian.

“He’s testing me, isn’t he?” Sebastian smirked over at Dave.  “Testing my resolve to not yell.”

“Probably,” Dave laughed.

Kurt punched the end button on his phone as he walked across the room. 

“What?” Kurt sat down with a sigh.

“You tell us what,” Sebastian sat across from him, legs spread and elbows resting on his knees. 

David sat next to Kurt, “We can tell something’s going on.” 

Kurt took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.  “Blaine thinks I’m cheating on him.”

“Jesus, we told him we were fucking so he’d get off that,” Sebastian bit out.

“No, not with either one of you two.  With someone else.”

“Who the hell else could it be?  You’re either at school, with him, or with us,” Dave glanced over at Sebastian in confusion.

“This guy named Chandler.  We met in the music store, and he’s been flirting with me by text.  I don’t really answer him back with anything flirty, but I do reply to him.  And Blaine found out about them.”

Kurt looked really tired.  And he sounded tired.

“Kurt,” Sebastian began, intent on reminding him that he had every right to be upset with Blaine.

But Kurt stood abruptly, “I’m really good about not answering back the way Chandler would want me to.  He’s sweet, and the flirting made me feel good.  But then Blaine sang this stupid song to me in class about how I was cheating on him, and the rest of the group took his side.  But I haven’t even seen the guy since the day we met.   But maybe he’s right.  Maybe I don’t even see it as cheating because I can’t control how I act with guys.  Have I been leading Chandler on this entire time?”

Dave stood and walked over to him, “Stop.”

“I can’t stop.  I need to know what to do.  I’m so tired of fighting with him over this.”

“Stop fighting,” Sebastian stood. 

“You’re right.  I should just admit it and apologize.  It’ll make things easier for me.  Maybe I could sing him a song in Glee, because I can’t lose him.”

“That’s not what I meant.  And why can’t you lose him?” Sebastian held out his hand and Kurt looked at him. 

Kurt stared at his outstretched hand, as if he didn’t know what to do.  Whether or not he should accept Sebastian’s touch.  Accept his comfort. 

“Sebastian,” Kurt said softly.

“Take my hand,” Sebastian prompted.  “Take it and come here.”

Kurt slipped one hand into Sebastian’s, and Sebastian pulled him closer, into an embrace.  He gestured for Dave to move in, and Dave wrapped his arms around Kurt as well. 

And Kurt fell apart between them. 

He was very quickly to the point of sobbing, and the sound was breaking Sebastian’s heart.  The look of pain on Dave’s face told him that he felt the same. 

Kurt was breaking, and they’d done nothing but watch it happen over the past few weeks. 

“Why can’t you lose him?” Sebastian whispered near his ear.  “You won’t completely break if you do.”

“I can’t lose him because if I do, who will I have?” Kurt brushed tears from his eyes and glanced at Sebastian.  “The only person who’s ever thought I was remotely attractive other than Blaine was Dave.  And look how I’ve been with him.  I just keep hurting him.”

“You don’t hurt me,” Dave’s voice was broken, as if he were fighting off the urge to cry. 

“Yes, I do.  I tried not to lead you on, so I didn’t call you back and I didn’t answer your calls.  But because I didn’t call you…”

Dave pulled back and grabbed both of Kurt’s biceps, shaking gently, “You idiot.  It was not your fault.”

“Yes, it was,” Kurt cried. 

Dave pulled him back into a hug, and Kurt cried on his shoulder. 

Sebastian closed his eyes and tilted his head back. 

All the time he’d wasted arguing with Kurt and chasing Blaine.  And all along, Kurt was slowly falling apart.  Kurt was so convinced that he was guilty of everything people accused him of that he was unable to really tell when he wasn’t guilty. 

Sebastian wanted nothing more than to punch Blaine right now. 

And it looked like Dave felt the same. 

“Kurt,” Sebastian said softly. 

Kurt wiped his cheeks with his fingers as he turned around in Dave’s arms.  “What?”

“You’d have us.”

“What?”

“If you lose him.  You’ll have us.  Both of us.  However you want us.”

“What are you saying?”

Sebastian stepped closer, “I mean you’ll have us in your life in whatever capacity you want us.”

“He’s right, Kurt.  You’re important to us.”

“You don’t mean...  Jesus, I’m doing it again, aren’t I?  I can’t just have male friends because I don’t know how to act with them.  I’m so sorry!”

Kurt pulled out of their arms, picked up his messenger bag, and ran out of the room.

While before Kurt was just sidestepping conversation, now he was enthusiastically avoiding them.

Both he and Dave had been texting Kurt, which was probably not a good idea given that the reason for Blaine’s suspicion involved Kurt texting, but since he wasn’t answering their calls, what other choice did they have?

They’d been trying to get him to talk to them, but when they’d gone to Kurt’s home, Finn had told them that Kurt was busy. 

They’d run into Blaine a few times, and he’d suggested double dating with them. 

Or a trip to Scandals. 

Tonight.

Both had agreed just to get to see Kurt again, but they weren’t even sure that Kurt would go through with it once he found out Sebastian and Dave were going.  But they had to see him, because Sebastian was worried, and Dave was nearly heartbroken.  Dave loved Kurt more than was probably healthy, but Sebastian couldn’t fault him for that. 

Kurt was in such desperate need for somebody to love, and while Sebastian had always figured love was a stupid concept, it wasn’t stupid at all to Kurt.  He wanted someone to accept him, and Sebastian had just done such a wonderful job of damaging Kurt’s self-esteem, right alongside Blaine, that he felt both guilty and worried. 

Worried that he’d pushed Kurt too far. 

Scared that Kurt would cling so tightly to Blaine that Sebastian and Dave would never stand a chance at seeing the Kurt they knew. 

The Kurt they both loved. 

And yeah, Sebastian was a little pissed off that he’d managed to fall for Kurt, but it wasn’t going to do him any good to be mad about it.  It wouldn’t make him want to be near Kurt any less. 

But even if they were able to get Kurt away from Blaine, how would they even handle Kurt?  He needed so much more than Sebastian could do for him. 

He still wanted to try, just to see Kurt smile again. 

Hear him be snarky with him again. 

Fight with him. 

And god, how he wanted him. 

Sebastian had no idea which one of them loved Kurt more, but he knew that Dave loved him better in some ways.  In other ways, the ways in which Kurt didn’t have control, Sebastian was the right one for him.  At least in his mind he was.

But apparently, Kurt felt differently.

Or maybe he didn’t. 

Maybe he felt the same way about them, and it scared him because he didn’t know how much of it was real and how much of it was this fucked up thinking that Finn and Blaine had saddled him with. 

“I’ll get Kurt alone,” Sebastian suggested.

Dave looked at him.

“It’s better that it’s me because as far as Blaine is concerned, I don’t give a shit about Kurt.”

Dave nodded in acquiescence, probably remembering Blaine’s issues with having Kurt be alone with Dave early on in their relationship. 

“Is this going to work?” Dave sounded so unsure of himself.

“Yes.”

“Why are you avoiding us?” Sebastian said softly behind Kurt in the bathroom, where he’d tracked him while Dave distracted Blaine at the table back in the main room of Scandals.

“I’m not,” Kurt was leaning over a sink, as if he’d been staring into mirror above it. 

“If I step closer to you, are you going to freak out on me?” Sebastian asked before he took a step.

“I’m not a spooked animal, Sebastian.”

“You act like it sometimes.”

“What do you want?”

“We need to know how you are.  Why are you avoiding us?” Sebastian was inching closer to him, and he wanted so badly to just hold Kurt. 

Because something was still wrong, and being away from Dave and Sebastian hadn’t fixed it. 

“I’m not a good person, Sebastian,” Kurt’s voice was small and quiet. 

“I’m not going to argue with you about it, because you wouldn’t believe me anyway.  But it doesn’t matter whether you’re a good person or not.  I’m not a good person.  I still want you.  Does me not being a good person affect how you feel?” 

He knew Kurt felt something for them, or he wouldn’t be so scared. 

“No.”

“Good.  Can you come here now?  Dave’s keeping Blaine busy.”

“Blaine…”

“No.  You are going to figure out what you want.  And who you want.  Without interference from him.  Without listening to him about how you behave and what you are.  Dave and I need to know that you’re thinking for you and not for him.”

“I don’t deserve to have what I want,” Kurt said softly, and he’d returned to staring at himself in the mirror.

“Why?” Sebastian moved to stand behind him, and their eyes met in the mirror. 

“I’m not there enough for him.  I don’t pay him enough attention, and that’s all my fault.  If I was a better boyfriend, maybe things would be different.”

“What would be different?”

“Lots of things.”

“Like?” Sebastian slid a hand up Kurt’s back and pulled at his shoulder, tipping him back slightly so that he’d be in Sebastian’s arms. 

“Maybe he’d stop trying to…” Kurt stopped. 

“You know who you remind me of?  You’re not going to like the comparison.”

“Who?”

“Dobby the house elf.”

Kurt stared at him with an expression of shock mixed with confusion.  “What the hell?”

“Think about it.  You willingly punish yourself because other people believe you need to be punished.  And the moment you are about to say how you really feel about Blaine out loud, you censor yourself.  As if you having an independent thought that isn’t about his perfection is some sort of a crime you’ve committed that you’ll have to punish yourself for later.”

Kurt was silent, and Sebastian could tell he was actually thinking about the comparison. 

“Oh my god, at first I thought that was going to be just a new way to insult me.  But that sounds so accurate that it kind of hurts.”

“Listen.  We love you.  Both of us.  As friends and as more.  And basically, what we’re saying is that we want you away from him.  You don’t have to be with either of us, and we’ll still want you away from him.  Away from that environment.  We’ll wait for you.  We can’t force you to leave him, but I’m not going to give up on telling you this.  On reminding you that you deserve more.”

Kurt raised one hand and cupped Sebastian’s cheek with it.  “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you two, but thank you.”

Sebastian turned his head and pressed a kiss to Kurt’s hand.  “Please leave him.  Even if you don’t come to us.”

“I’ll think about it,” Kurt brushed the backs of his fingers against Sebastian’s cheek and smiled.  “I promise.”

Just as he’d thought, Blaine didn’t think anything about both Kurt and Sebastian being gone at the same time.  When Sebastian returned to the table, Kurt was sitting next to Blaine, and Dave was sipping on a beer across the table. 

Sebastian sat down, draped his arm around Dave’s shoulder and pretended to whisper something sexual in his ear. 

Dave smiled at him and Sebastian kissed him softly, an activity that he could get used to if he had to. 

Dave wasn’t a bad kisser at all.

Sebastian winked at him when their lips separated, and he slid a glance to Kurt, who was watching them with interest and what looked a little bit like desire on his face.  Sebastian kept eye contact as long as he could without attracting Blaine’s attention, but then Kurt’s eyes moved to Dave, and there was definitely longing in that look. 

“So how is it going at McKinley?”

Kurt opened his mouth to answer, and he lifted his hand slightly, because Kurt definitely liked to talk with his hands.  It was actually kind of cute when he did that.  He’d have to tell Kurt that sometime.

But almost immediately, Blaine put his hand over Kurt’s and pushed it down, towards the table. 

And Kurt closed his mouth again. 

It was an automatic response, as if Kurt knew that having his hand pushed down was a signal that he shouldn’t talk right now.  And Blaine answered the question, continuing to talk about New Directions and their plans for competitions. 

Beside him, Kurt was silent.

“I’m going to get another drink,” Kurt stood. 

“Kurt, you don’t need another drink.  Remember the bambi incident?” Blaine replied.

“You weren’t even together when that happened.  How do you even know about it?” Dave was getting angry, and Sebastian put a hand on his knee under the table. 

“Because he told me about it.  He can’t handle his alcohol.  It’s his idea for me to remind him when he needs to stop drinking.”

Kurt caught Dave’s eye and shook his head slightly, silently pleading for him to not get involved, before he turned to Blaine. 

“I’m going to get another drink,” Kurt repeated. 

Blaine frowned and he began to stand up, “… Kurt.”

“No.  No ‘Kurt.’  I’m getting another drink,” Kurt walked toward the bar and Sebastian fought a grin. 

“Sorry about that.  He gets an attitude sometimes when I have to remind him of things.”

“You didn’t have to remind him of anything,” Dave growled, and Sebastian squeezed his thigh under the table. 

Kurt returned with another drink, and he was smiling at the table, glancing between Sebastian and Dave, up until the moment Blaine turned around to look at him, and then his face fell.   

“Blaine, can we talk for a minute?” Kurt asked as he sat his drink down.

Sebastian and Dave looked at each other, and then Sebastian jerked his head towards the dance floor to signal for them to step away and give Kurt some privacy.  While dancing, they’d be far enough away so that they couldn’t hear but close enough to react if they were needed.

Sebastian made no attempts to pretend he wasn’t watching them talk.  Basically, neither did Dave.

They seemed to be arguing, but it appeared that Blaine was monopolizing the conversation.  When Blaine threw up his hands and stood, Sebastian abandoned any pretense of dancing and shot out of Dave’s arms.

Dave followed him back to the table.

“First Chandler and now this?”

“Is everything okay?” Sebastian asked as he approached the table.

“Sebastian, would you please explain to him that you aren’t really attracted to him?  He’s doing it again.  He’s somehow convinced himself that not only does Dave want him, you want him too,”  Blaine’s voice was just this side of incredulous.

And just.  Wow.

Blaine really did love to air dirty laundry in public, didn’t he?

And he really had absolutely no faith in Kurt’s appeal to other people.  Even Sebastian hadn’t gone so far as to tell Kurt that nobody would want him, and he'd said some shitty things to Kurt.

But he had said that Blaine shouldn’t want him, so why wouldn’t Kurt have believed everything Blaine thought as well?  

Sebastian owed himself as ass-kicking over that one.

“He’s right though, so I’m not telling him I don’t want him,” Sebastian smirked as he put himself between Kurt and Blaine. 

“That’s insane.”

“Insane?  Someone else wanting me is insane?” Kurt’s voice was reaching octaves Sebastian hadn’t even heard him hit when he sang. 

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Blaine had the decency to at least blush.

“Yes it was.  That’s exactly what you meant by it,” Dave stepped closer. 

“I meant,” Blaine gritted at Dave, “that Sebastian has always wanted me, so it makes no sense for him to suddenly want Kurt.”

“It wasn’t sudden, though.  That’s the thing.  You’ve been so wrapped up in yourself over the past few months that you never even noticed that Kurt needed someone to care about him, too.”

Kurt looked at Sebastian softly, and he wanted to just drag him home, or to Dave’s house, and fuck him senseless. 

“Kurt, you’ve been cheating on me again?”

“No, I haven’t been cheating.  I’ve never cheated on you, and I’m tired of being made to feel guilty because Chandler was texting me.”

“You don’t deserve him, and he’s so damn loyal to you that he’ll let you do anything to him and somehow agree that it’s his fault when you’re mad at him over something,” Dave pulled Kurt closer to him.  “He may not need us, and he may not want us.  But at least we don’t spend all day trying to convince him that he’s inferior in some way.”

“I don’t do that,” Blaine dismissed.

“Yes, you do.  You really do Blaine.  And I can’t do it anymore.  I just can’t.  At least when I’m around Dave and Sebastian, I’m happy.  I’m still censoring myself and constantly wondering if I’m doing or saying the right thing, but I know that they at least like me.  You don’t seem to like me.  It seems like every little thing I do is wrong to you.”

“…Kurt.”

“Can I go home with you guys?  We came here in a cab,” Kurt turned to Sebastian.

“Of course,” Sebastian nodded. 

“But Kurt.”

“Call yourself a cab, Anderson.  You’re not welcome,” Dave answered for him.

Kurt had been mostly silent during the drive back to Dave’s house, and Sebastian and Dave had just allowed him to be.  He could tell Dave wanted to know about what happened just as much as he did, but they didn’t want to push Kurt into talking. 

If they pushed him, they risked pushing him away.

It was when they were in Dave’s house, his father out for the evening, when Kurt’s silence finally broke.  He was on Dave’s bed, with his arms wrapped around his legs where they were pulled up beneath him.  As if he were curled in on himself. 

“I told him how I felt about you.”

Dave looked like he wanted to ask which one Kurt was talking about, but Sebastian sort of knew that he’d meant them both. 

Collectively.

“And?” he prompted.

“I told him all of it.  Isn’t that strange?  I was breaking up with him, and I told him how I felt about you before I told you.  Either of you.”

“So what did you tell him?”

“That this time it’s not just about liking how someone else made me feel.”

“What do you mean?” Dave asked.

“With Chandler.  Blaine and I had been kind of distant.  He said it was because he was trying to learn how to live without me, so he’d been canceling our makeouts and turning me down when I suggested dates.”

“Canceling makeouts?  How do you cancel a makeout?” Dave asked.

“You schedule them first?” Kurt said with a laugh.  “Scheduled makeouts.  Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?  I had to put them in my phone so I’d know when and where to meet Blaine.”

Kurt was laughing now.  Not hysterically.  But laughing hard enough to make Sebastian wonder if something else was wrong. 

“But then he wouldn’t come to them," Kurt continued when he'd sobered some.  "And then I met Chandler.  Chandler is kind of like a fan.  He knows I’m going to NYADA, and he would flirt with me, but the texts were so cheesy.  But cute.  I showed most of them to Sam, because he has that same kind of sense of humor.  The dorky pick up line kind.  But I didn't ask him to stop.  That's true.  I liked how his compliments made me feel.”

“Go on.”

“Well, Rachel said I shouldn’t text with Chandler, but Blaine wasn’t talking to me.  And Chandler said things that just made me feel good about myself.  And I’m tired of always feeling bad about myself.  Like I’m not supposed to talk.  And I’m not supposed to question anything.  I’m not supposed to complain.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Dave sat closer and pulled one of Kurt’s hands to him. 

“Remember that night in Breadstix.  I said I was with Blaine.  But not that I loved him?”

Dave’s breath caught, “Oh my god.  I never even thought that was significant.  Not once.”

“Being with Blaine means being there for Blaine.  It was like he’s the only one who puts up with me.  I’m sorry for telling you that you didn’t really love me.  I think I was just at the point where I thought nobody else ever would, so why would you?  It didn’t make sense to me.  It made me wonder how much of our interactions was me being inappropriate with you.”

“You weren’t.  Ever,” Dave said softly.

“That’s why you freaked out over me calling you babe, isn’t it?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah.  I thought that if you of all people called me that, that I must have done something really bad.  Because you wouldn’t want me like that.”

Sebastian crawled across the bed, “Wanna bet?”

Kurt blushed and looked towards Dave, “He’s right.  He’s the predatory one, isn’t he?”

Sebastian laughed and pulled Kurt down onto the bed him, “Come here.”

“Yep.  That’s Sebastian.  Sebastian the Predator Smythe,” Dave grinned and lay down next to Kurt, on the other side. 

“This isn’t normal for me.  I don’t know how to do this,” Kurt said softly as he placed one hand on Dave’s cheek.  “I don’t know how to let people care about me.”

“You think I do?  You think Dave does?  We’re all fucked up people Kurt.  I’m pissed as hell for wanting you so badly because all we ever do is fight.  I’m obsessed with Dave’s ass, and he’s a really good kisser when he’d not freaking out in locker rooms, and I don't even like Bear Cubs.”

Dave blushed, “Shut up, asshole.”

Kurt giggled between them, “Oh really?  Good kisser, huh?  I’d like to find that out for myself, thank you.” 

Dave cleared his throat, “What?”

Kurt pulled Dave head down towards him and smiled, “Kiss me, Hamhock.”

Dave grinned down at him before pressing their mouths together.  Sebastian watched as Dave held Kurt’s head steady and slanted his mouth against his.  Kurt’s hands roamed over Dave’s shoulders as he pulled at him, forcing him closer to Kurt.  Dave began biting at Kurt’s bottom lip, and Sebastian’s body was beyond ready to start getting involved in the situation.

Watching them kiss was really hot, and Sebastian felt absolutely no jealousy. 

And while that wasn’t a surprise, because he didn’t usually experience jealousy, it was satisfying because it had been one thing he’d worried about when he and Dave had plotted to get Kurt out of Blaine’s life and into theirs.  He’d worried that he’d want to push Dave out of the so-called and not-yet-formed relationship.

Dave, with obvious reluctance, pulled away from Kurt’s mouth, and Kurt sighed.

“Wow.  Oh yeah.  You have definitely improved your skills.”

Dave laughed, “Shut up Fancy.”

“My turn,” Sebastian said softly, and Kurt turned to him. 

“You’re the one I don’t get, you know.  I know how Dave feels.  I know how I feel.  And yeah, I get that you’re pissed off about being attracted to me, because that’s kind of how I am with you.  But you always seemed to hate me.”

“I don’t hate you anymore.  I’m not sure it was ever hate to begin with.  Can’t we just leave it at that?  In the past?  I’ve screwed up some things, but I’m not incapable of change.”

“I know.  I mean.  I was waiting to see that you’d really change.  And you have.  But things with me didn’t change.”

“They weren’t supposed to.  Maybe I’m in this because you need someone to keep you from running roughshod all over Dave’s life.”

Kurt laughed, “Quite possible.  I do tend to do that.”

“I have no problem with that idea, by the way.  In case anybody cares what my opinion is,” Dave held up a hand to stage some sort of protest.

“Yeah, I know.  You’ll take him how you can get him, right?”

“Basically,” Dave replied with no shame and a bright grin.

Kurt giggled again between them, “This is so weird.  How am I supposed to explain this to my father?”

“Um, you don’t?” Dave asked, “Because I know that man.  He’ll kill us both.”

“He probably won’t kill you,” Kurt mused.

“Probably?” Sebastian lifted an eyebrow at his response.

“Most likely won’t?” Kurt laughed.

“Not really good enough, Fancy,” Dave replied.

“He doesn’t even know how bad things were with Blaine.  None of it.  If he had, he would have fought me about dating him.  I’ve kept him in the dark for so long.  It’ll look like I went from adoring Blaine to a drunken threesome hookup at a seedy bar.  Especially if Blaine gets to my father first and tells his side.”

“You make it sound like a hookup like that is a bad thing,” Sebastian drawled, coaxing a smile out of both Dave and Kurt.

“Your dad would always back you up,” Dave said firmly.  “I have no doubt in my mind.”

“Your friends might have a problem.  Especially young Barbra.”

Rachel Berry already hated Sebastian for everything he stood for as it was, without there being any Kurt and Blaine break-up drama added in.

“Yeah, they will.  They’ve already sided with him once.  They may do it again.”

“Do you care?” Sebastian asked quietly.  “When all is said and done, do you honestly care?  When you and Dave graduate, you can leave for New York together.  I’ll come visit, and then I’ll be free in a year.  We can handle any shit they bring.  I can handle Blaine.”

“You’d do that?” Kurt asked.

“Yes,” Sebastian replied.  “I’ll whine and moan about how Dave gets you all to himself for a year, but I will be there.”

“But why?” Kurt asked, looking up at him with eyes full of tears.

“Because I’m in love with your Gay Face,” Sebastian rolled his eyes.  “Are you happy now?”

Kurt giggled and pulled Sebastian towards him, “Will you kiss me then?”

“Only if you promise that while you and Dave are in New York, you’ll fuck during our skype sessions so I can watch,” Sebastian said.

Kurt blushed pinker than Sebastian had ever seen him, “How can you say things like that?”

“Because I’m good,” Sebastian dipped his head down and hovered over his lips.  “Now do you want that kiss or not?”

Kurt nodded, and Sebastian brushed their lips together, darting his tongue out softly to work that gorgeous mouth open enough to get inside.  Kurt hesitated, but then he sighed and gave in, returning the kiss with enthusiasm and need.  His hands were buried in Sebastian’s hair, and the gentle tug of his fingers was so good that Sebastian nearly forgot himself. 

He and Dave had discussed this. 

They weren’t going to pressure Kurt into having sex. 

Not while he was at such a low point in his self-esteem.  Dave’s point of view was that he’d waited this long to be with Kurt, so he could wait a little longer.  And Sebastian, who really didn’t wait for anybody in his life, had found himself agreeing without question.

The kiss ended, and Sebastian looked down at Kurt’s pink and slightly plump lips. 

He groaned, because just seeing them like that made him want to go against that vow.

“Down, tiger,” Dave mocked. 

“Shut up, Cub.”

“Make me.”

Sebastian grinned at Kurt before pulling Dave’s face to him, kissing him hard with just enough tongue and just enough attitude to shut him up. 

“Oh my god, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Kurt marveled.

Sebastian grinned down at him.   “That was nothing.  Wait till we really get started.”

Kurt hesitated, “Can we just sleep right now?  I’m so tired.”

And he was scared, that Sebastian could definitely see. 

He nodded his head and adjusted them so that Kurt’s back was against him. Kurt’s arms snaked around Dave’s waist, and Kurt pulled him close enough to cuddle. 

“I need some time,” Kurt said softly. 

“We know,” Dave replied. 

“We’re willing to wait,” Sebastian murmured in Kurt’s ear.

“I know how I feel, but I don’t know if it’s love.  Not the kind of love that I should feel.  But it’s not how I felt around Blaine either.  With Blaine, I had to spend so much effort just making him happy that I didn’t have time to figure out what I wanted.”

“You have time now,” Dave kissed him on the forehead.

“You don’t mind being patient?”

“Fancy, we have never been the impatient ones in this relationship,” Dave laughed, and Kurt slapped him on the arm.

“Shut up, Hamhock.” 

“You have got to come up with some better nicknames,” Sebastian rolled his eyes.

“At least he’s never told me I smell like Craigslist,” Dave mocked.

Kurt giggled between them.

“Okay, now both of you hush.  I need to get some sleep.  I need to go home before daylight though.”

“I can handle that.  I’ll set the alarm,” Sebastian rolled backwards and did just that while Kurt protested at the loss of the comfortable zone he’d been in between them. 

“Blaine’s probably already gotten to everybody to tell them what I’ve done to him,” Kurt said softly, almost hesitantly.

“So what?” Sebastian snuggled closer behind him.  “They either take your side or they don’t.  You have us.  You’ve always got us either way.”

“I love you guys, you know that?  Even though I'm not sure about what being in love is about.”

“Yep,” Dave replied smugly.  “We know.”

“You two are going to be sickeningly smug about this aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Sebastian agreed against his ear.

“Especially when we finally do have sex,” Kurt continued.

“Well, I know I’m fantastic, and I think Dave would probably worship at your feet in bed, so I’m thinking you’re getting the best part of this.”

Kurt giggled again, and it was a really sweet sound.  Sebastian would just go on and ignore the fact that he’d admitted it was sweet and just concentrate on the fact that Kurt sounded happy. 

Content.

Dave snorted, “You’re not wrong though.”

“Dave, you need to realize that I’m never wrong,” Sebastian grinned.

“You were wrong about me,” Kurt turned his head to the left, looking up at Sebastian.

“Busted,” Dave joked.

“You’re right.  I was very wrong about you,” Sebastian admitted softly.

“I was wrong about you too,” Kurt slid a hand over Sebastian’s own, where it was curled against Kurt’s stomach.  “I was wrong about both of you.”

“It’s okay,” Dave whispered as he leaned forward for a quick kiss.  “You’re here now.”

“I thought I was just acting inappropriately with you,” Kurt said softly. 

“I know you do, but you weren’t.”

“I get that now.  I thought that I was just coming onto you somehow and that it was my fault.”

“Well, it is your fault,” Dave winked. 

“It’s partly your ass’s fault, actually,” Sebastian snorted, and Kurt clawed his hand in response.  “Ouch.  Shit.  Stop being mean to me.  Dave gets off on that shit.”

Kurt’s head jerked up slightly, “You do?”

Dave looked embarrassed, “Maybe a little.”

“That’s why you kept trying to get me to argue with him.  Oh my god, you liked arguing with me didn’t you?  Way back when.  Before everything.”

Dave ducked his head into Kurt’s shoulder, “Yeah.”

“You idiot,” Kurt said affectionately.  “What was wrong with talking to me?  You know, like a ‘Hey Kurt, I think I like you so instead of pushing you around how about we make out a little?’”

Dave snorted, “Would that have worked?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe.   And you,” Kurt turned his head toward Sebastian.  “Better communication from now on too.  That’s an order.”

“God, you’re bossy.  But okay.  No more insults.  At least not bad ones.”

“You two are going to be so much work,” Kurt snuggled in between them and sighed.

“Us?” Sebastian snorted.  “You’re the high maintenance one.”

“And you love it, so shut up,” Kurt drawled.  “Someone has to be the fashionable one here.”

“It definitely won’t be Dave,” Sebastian snorted.  “Ouch.”

Kurt had clawed his hand again.

“What did I just say?”

“I can’t just turn it off immediately,” Sebastian argued.  “It’s not in my DNA.”

Dave laughed.

“Behave,” Kurt admonished Sebastian.   

“I’m not sure that’s possible,” Dave smirked.  “He’s normally pretty bad.  We’ll have to do some kind of makeover for him.”

“Not happening,” Sebastian snorted. 

“Oh, yes it is.  Dave’s not getting out of it either.  You know I’m shallow when it comes to things like that.  We got Dave new clothes already.  Your popped collars could go as well.  And don’t think I didn’t notice you eyeing that hair gel.  No hair gel.”

Sebastian snorted, “You used to like hair gel.”

“That’s a broad misconception.  I’ve never liked hair gel.”

“So now, I have to get new clothes and we’re both getting hair makeovers,” Sebastian complained. 

“Yes,” Kurt murmured.  “I’ll get you both an appointment tomorrow.”

“We don’t need an appointment,” Dave and Sebastian both said with a grin.  “They loooove walk-ins.”