Chapter 14

At exactly 8:01 p.m. Sebastian rings the doorbell at the Anderson home. Blaine is upstairs messing with his hair, which is quite frankly already a full-on gel helmet, but he's not ready to face Sebastian. Besides, his parents know the Smythes so he knows Sebastian can easily make small talk and hopefully kill some time. Blaine figures maybe he can delay this date a little longer. Or maybe he will fall down the stairs and break his leg.

He hears footsteps in the hallway and hears Sebastian call out from the top of the stairs, "Thanks Mrs. Anderson. I won't keep him out too late."

Or maybe he could push Sebastian down the stairs.

"Hi there, gorgeous." Sebastian is leaning on Blaine's doorway and smirking at the shorter boy. "You look delicious."

"Hi, Sebastian….thanks," he says, not feeling at all flattered.

Sebastian takes Blaine's reply as an invitation and steps further into the room, sauntering over to where Blaine is standing in front of his mirror. He looks at Blaine in the mirror and places a hand on his shoulder, massaging it slightly.

"We could just stay in if you'd rather. I think I charmed your mother enough that she wouldn't bother us." His voice is low, and he's so close Blaine can feel his breath against his ear. It makes his skin crawl.

Blaine shrugs Sebastian's hand off and turns to face him.

"No, I agreed to a date. Let's go." Blaine turns and heads for the door. Sebastian follows laughing.

"You can't fault a guy for trying."

Blaine stops and turns to face Sebastian, pointing a finger into the taller boy's chest and looking at him fiercely.

"Listen. I agreed to go on this date with you. But I didn't agree to being harassed or demeaned. You're going to be a gentleman tonight or we're done."

Sebastian looks amused and not the least bit threatened, and it only infuriates Blaine more.

"Did you hear what I said?" he says through gritted teeth.

"I did. But do I need to remind you about our deal, Blaine?" Sebastian leans into Blaine, speaking low and rough into Blaine's ear. "You go out with me, and I won't tell Kurt about you telling me he dances like a whore."

Sebastian's closeness and the harshness of his words shock Blaine into silence. He swallows heavily and feels a lump begin to form in his throat.

"We should go," Sebastian says, grabbing Blaine by the elbow so forcefully he nearly shoves him down the stairs.

Blaine jerks his arm from Sebastian's grip and stomps down the stairs in front of Sebastian, regretting not being behind him to shove him to the first floor.

"Let's just get this over with," Blaine spits.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Anderson," Sebastian calls toward the living room. His voice is syrupy sweet and Blaine feels as if he might throw up.

Kurt heads home from his afternoon with Blaine grinning like an idiot, singing along with show tunes at the top of his voice and completely forgetting about the incident with Sebastian. Well, he forgets for a few minutes anyway.

By the time he's home and starting his evening skin care regimen and getting ready for work, his mind is racing. He's hoping desperately that Sebastian won't show up at Shades tonight, but he's also begging the universe that Blaine won't show up because he can't take a chivalrous boyfriend showing up to defend his honor.

Wait, are they boyfriends? They didn't really talk about it. Kurt had said he no longer wanted to be just friends and Blaine hadn't objected, but they'd never really discussed what that means for the two of them. They'd been too busy making googly eyes at one another and holding hands to talk about anything that important.

Kurt is mentally berating himself for not bringing it up when he hears his phone buzzing from his vanity.

"Hi, Rachel."

"Hey, Kurt. Getting ready for work?"

"Of course," he says, knowing Rachel knows the answer to her question. "What's up?"

"Well, I just wanted you to know I'm going out with Finn tonight, so you can't tell your dad you're hanging out with me. I texted Mercedes, but she hasn't replied yet, so I don't know if she'll cover for you."

"Oh," Kurt says. "Um, thanks. I hadn't really thought about it. I was distracted."

"By what?" Rachel asks. "Or … is it a whom?"

"The second one," Kurt says without elaborating.

Rachel's squeals of delight send a stab of pain straight to Kurt's eardrum and he has to pull the phone away from his ear.

"God, Rachel…you'll wake the dead with that kind of racket."

"Sorry. It's just…Kurt, oh my god. I know you're getting ready for work, but you have to tell me everything. "

Kurt sighs into the phone before he fills Rachel in on his date with Blaine and the events of the previous evening, careful to leave out the details about Sebastian's blackmail. He doesn't want to worry her, and besides, she's only looking for the romantic details anyway.

"That. Has got to be. The. Most. Romantic story. I have ever heard," Rachel gushes.

"Yes, getting almost sexually assaulted is so romantic, Rachel."

"Well, no of course not. But you know what I mean. The other part….that's romantic. And you're alright, right? So it's good. It is good, isn't it? I mean, you're not going to change your mind are you? Oh, you can't change your mind, Kurt. You'll break his heart!"

"No, I'm not going to change my mind," Kurt says firmly. "I want this. It's good. We're good."

As long as I don't tell my dad how we met.

"Are you going to tell your dad?"

How does she always do that?

"Um, not yet. It's all very new and I don't even know if it's going to go anywhere, so why should I worry about that?"

Besides, Kurt knows Burt will ask all the questions he doesn't have answers to, and he's just not ready for that. He'll tell him when the time is right. When things make more sense. When they have a label.

"Listen, Rachel. I've got to go. I have work tonight."

"You know if you told your dad about Blaine, he could be your alibi."

"Goodnight, Rachel."

"Bye."

Kurt hangs up from Rachel and shoots a quick text to Mercedes. He knows his two best friends don't always get along, and it's likely Mercedes is just ignoring Rachel. Sure enough he gets a text back almost instantly. She'll cover for Kurt tonight.

It's a testament to their friendship that she hasn't asked Kurt about why he needs her to cover. He's asked her to do it at least a half dozen times in the last four months, but she never questions it. Kurt loves her for that.

He finishes up his evening prep and heads out the door. His nerves are still on edge, but he's more confident having talked to Rachel. And this time he'll warn Vince about Sebastian. Everything will be fine.

Blaine spends his entire date with Sebastian thinking about Kurt. More than once he's shocked out of daydreams by Sebastian making a crude suggestion.

"You know if you're going to fantasize about me while I'm talking, we could just get a room," Sebastian purrs over his plate of penne.

Blaine rolls his eyes and just returns to his own watery pasta. He wonders offhandedly what Kurt's doing. Probably yoga. It's still relatively early. Blaine pictures Kurt in a snug-fitting t-shirt and sweatpants, stretching his lean body into complicated postures. The image has him shifting uncomfortably in his seat as Sebastian tries to make small talk.

"So I told Wes, we have to adjust our arrangements because we don't have enough range of voices…otherwise, some of the guys are going to have to sing falsetto," he pauses, looking to Blaine for a response. Music has always been the one thing Blaine will talk to him about, so he expects Blaine to be paying attention, but he's once again staring at his plate like it holds the secret to the universe.

"But really what I meant was that I'm going to take all the solos from now on, so fuck you, Blaine."

At the sound of his name, Blaine looks up.

"Look if you're not going to at least act like you want to be here, I'm going to have to rethink our arrangement," Sebastian says.

"Sorry," Blaine says, realizing that he better focus if he wants to get through this "date" in one piece. "I'm sorry. You were saying?"

Sebastian opens his mouth to speak, but he stops when he hears Blaine's cell phone go off.

Blaine grabs it from his jacket pocket mumbling a half-hearted sorry, and sees a text from his brother. Blaine takes a sip of his drink as he reads the message.

Cooper
Mom said you're on a date with Sebastian Smythe? Did you have a fucking aneurism?

Blaine nearly spews soda out of his nose trying to hold back a laugh. Sebastian raises an eyebrow and looks pointedly at Blaine.

"My brother," Blaine mumbles.

Blaine
It's a long story. I'll fill you in later.

Cooper
Damn right you will. If I don't hear from you by midnight, I'm driving up there. This is bullshit!

Blaine fights back another laugh as he reads Cooper's text.

You don't know the half of it, big brother.

Blaine puts his phone away and manages to carry on a conversation about the Warblers and when their next chemistry lab is due. It almost feels like a normal moment with Sebastian. For once he's not hitting on Blaine and they're talking about normal things…like friends. Sort of. If you can call the person blackmailing you a friend.

The sound of Blaine's text alert interrupts the conversation again, pulling an exasperated sigh from Sebastian. Blaine apologizes and expects another text from Cooper.

"I told him I was busy…" He stops mid sentence to read the new message.

Kurt
On my way to work. Just wanted to thank you again for earlier…and last night. x

Blaine's heart stops. Kurt is thinking of him. Gorgeous, tall, blue-eyed, Kurt. A smile spreads across his face. His fingers hover over the screen.

"What's so fascinating?" Sebastian asks, trying desperately to hide the twinge of jealousy that he's feeling.

Blaine looks up at Sebastian and it hits him all at once. What is he doing? What is he doing here? With Sebastian of all people. The thought of looking at that smirking douchebag for another second is unbearable. He throws his napkin on the table and shoves his phone back in his pocket.

"You know what, Sebastian? This isn't worth it. Tell Kurt or don't, I don't care because I'm going to tell him. I screwed up. So what? It's just not fucking worth it."

Several people have turned to look at the scene playing out in the middle of the crowded restaurant and Sebastian shuffles self-consciously in his seat.

"You're causing a scene," he says through gritted teeth.

"You're right," Blaine says, suddenly determined. He stands up and leans over Sebastian as he walks past and lowers his voice to a near whisper. "You're not worth it."

Sebastian looks up at him, eyes wide, and if Blaine didn't know better, he'd think the boy was hurt by Blaine's callous words. Without looking back, Blaine says, "I'll see you at school on Monday."

And that's it. Blaine leaves a stunned Sebastian sitting by himself at a table for two. For a second, he feels guilty about stiffing him for the bill, but then he remembers why he was out with Sebastian in the first place and he erases the thought from his mind. In fact, he tosses all his worries out with that one. Blaine doesn't even care if Sebastian tells Kurt or not because he won't betray his friend that way. Friend? Boyfriend? What are they?

But it doesn't matter because Blaine's done lying and he's done with Sebastian Smythe. Blaine is so good at forgetting about Sebastian that he doesn't even remember they rode together to the restaurant until he hits the parking lot. Fuck it. It doesn't matter. It's only a couple of miles, and he needs to walk off his anger.

He only makes it about four blocks before he knows what he wants to do. He takes out his phone and rereads Kurt's last text. They've built up a modicum of trust. The question is, is it enough to get them past this. It has to be. It has to be enough because Blaine can't live with himself if he doesn't confess to Kurt.

Blaine
I had fun too. Coffee tomorrow? x

He barely has to wait 30 seconds for a reply.

Kurt
Sure. Around the same time? I'll call you.

Blaine
Sounds great. Goodnight, Kurt

Kurt
Goodnight, Blaine x

Standing on a dark street corner in Lima, Ohio, having walked out on a date he accepted as blackmail and freezing his butt off in a light rain, Blaine suddenly realizes he's never been happier.

Now he just needs to figure out how to tell Kurt that he broke his promise.

God what if he hates me?

It could all come crashing down around his head. He doesn't think he'll be able to live with himself if he hurts Kurt. He can feel tears threatening to spill. But he refuses to walk down the street alone, crying to himself. With blurry eyes, Blaine manages to dial his brother's number. Maybe Cooper will know what to do.

Kurt's Saturday night at work is much less eventful than the previous night had been. Although, truth be told, his heart wasn't really in it. He doesn't feel the usual rush he gets from being on stage and instead of feeling energized at the end of the night, he's just exhausted and ready to go home. He's almost done gathering up all of his stuff when Vince walks into the dressing room.

"Hey, there cupcake," Vince teases. He's one of the few people Kurt will let get away with calling him by ridiculous nicknames like that.

"Hey," Kurt replies with a genuine smile.

"You doing OK? You seem a little off."

"Just tired," Kurt insists. "It's been a long week."

"Yeah? You want to talk about it?"

Kurt shakes his head and focuses his attention on his bag, looking around to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything.

"Mike said you left in a hurry last night," Vince continues when he doesn't get an answer out of Kurt. "Said you looked shook up after you took that private with the goofy-looking kid I told to buzz off."

Kurt's head shoots up in surprise.

"You told him to leave?" Kurt asks.

"Well, I gave him my standard Dalton-doesn't-do-privates speech. So yeah."

Kurt sighs. "Well, Mike may have been under the impression that I liked this guy."

"Do you?" asks Vince pointedly.

"Not even a little bit," Kurt replies, not even bothering to hide the disgust on his face. "It was just a misunderstanding."

"Well, that little bastard isn't getting back in here again. He's on the list."

"Thanks," Kurt says feeling far less relieved than he should.

Kurt's shoulders are sagging, and he knows Vince can tell something bigger is wrong than what he's letting on. But Kurt's not divulging anything more tonight. He just wants to get home and get some sleep so he can focus on his coffee date with Blaine.

Blaine.

A small smile plays at the corner of his mouth at the thought. Vince must catch it because he offers a tentative smile.

"I'll see you next weekend, Vince."

Vince doesn't say anything else, he just pats Kurt on the shoulder and watches Kurt leave the room. Kurt takes a moment to pull himself up to his full posture before heading out into the dull roar of the nightclub and making his way to the parking lot.

When he gets home, he heads straight to bed, forgoing his usual nighttime moisturizing. One night won't kill him. So he doesn't see the note his dad has left taped to the vanity mirror.

"We need to talk. — Dad"

When he sees the note the following morning, his heart stops. When it starts again, it feels like it's going to beat out of his chest.

Shit, he knows.

Kurt fumbles through an abbreviated version of his morning ritual, wanting to look pulled together but desperate to talk to his dad before Finn and Carole get up. They like to sleep in on Sundays, but the Hummels have always been early risers. He doesn't want to have this conversation in front of Finn if he can help it.

Standing outside the kitchen door, Kurt almost heads back to his room three times, but ultimately he knows he better face the music. He takes a deep breath and walks into the kitchen.

"Hey dad," he says, forcing nonchalance as best he can.

"Hey kiddo," Burt replies, not looking up from his paper. "Late night last night?"

"Um yeah," Kurt says, grabbing an apple and sitting down across from his dad. "Merecedes is having boy trouble."

Another lie. Great.

Burt takes a sip of his coffee and looks at his son, who's fidgeting with the sticker on the piece of fruit in his hands.

"So, uh…some kid named Sebastian came by the shop looking for you yesterday. He said he lost his phone and couldn't get ahold of you, so I gave him your number. "

Kurt swallows hard and tries to keep his focus on his apple. He takes a small bite and chews it slowly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Something you want to tell me, Kurt?"

Kurt's heart is racing. Did Sebastian tell? His dad doesn't look angry, so maybe he didn't. But then why was he at the shop looking for Kurt?

He decides to stall a bit.

"About…?"

Burt gives him a pointed look. Kurt knows that look. His dad's not buying his feigned ignorance for a minute.

Shit.

"I'm not stupid, kid. You've hardly been around lately, staying out until all hours of the night, always out with Rachel and Mercedes, but Finn says he hardly sees you."

"I um…"

Kurt doesn't know what to say. He can't tell his dad the truth, but he doesn't want to lie again either. He's still trying to form a complete sentence when his dad speaks again.

"Be straight with me, kid. Are you dating this Sebastian guy or what?"

Kurt nearly chokes on his apple, partly out of shock and partly out of relief. "No, definitely not."

"So you're just friends?"

"I wouldn't say that either," Kurt says, earning him a confused look from his dad.

"Well then what would you say?"

"Well, he's more like a friend of a friend. I promise you, there's nothing to worry about."

"It's my job to worry. I just want to know what's going on with you."

"We hardly know each other," Kurt says. It's not entirely a lie. Kurt's mind is practically screaming at him, but his face is a stoic mask.

He just tried to sexually assault me and is blackmailing me for god knows what to keep him from telling you I'm a fucking exotic dancer.

Burt looks back at his paper, but he's smiling behind his raised coffee mug.

"I think he might have a bit of a crush on you, kid."

Thankfully, Burt doesn't make eye contact with Kurt so he doesn't see the expert eye roll his son is giving him. He lets out a half snort/half laugh at the thought. Burt either doesn't hear it or just ignores it.

"So what are you doing today?" Burt asks.

"Um, I have homework to catch up on, so I thought I'd head over to the Lima Bean to get some studying done. Then I'm going to practice for my NYADA audition. It's Wednesday, you know."

"You'll do great," Burt says.

Kurt blinks at him. "I know." His voice sounds strong and confident, but deep down Kurt is terrified of the looming deadline. What if he doesn't get in? What if he blows it? What if he does get in? There are just too many possibilities. Kurt's not used to having options.

"I have faith in you," Burt insists.

"Could you bottle some of that and give it to me?" Kurt laughs as he says it, but he's using humor to mask his inner terror. He stands up and walks over to his dad, hugging him with one arm and pressing a kiss to his head. "I'll see you later."

Kurt walks out of the kitchen and heads upstairs to call Blaine.

He considers telling his dad about Blaine for the hundredth time. But how would he explain how they met? That would mean coming clean about his job. And he only has a few more weeks before his bank account hits his goal. He can do this for another month. He can.