Chapter 18

Finn hears the door close behind Kurt and Sebastian and he looks out the window as they pull away. He wonders if he imagined the glares Kurt had thrown in Sebastian's direction. Kurt wouldn't go out with a guy he hated, would he? And did he hear that Sebastian guy say something about going to Columbus?

He doesn't have much time to consider what they could possibly be doing in Columbus on a Wednesday night because his phone is ringing.

"Hey, Rachel."

"Hello, Finn. I know this is outside of our normal late-night phone session, but I'm really calling to check on Kurt. He wasn't quite himself after his audition, and I wanted to make sure he's not wallowing. It's bad for the complexion. Plus, he hasn't returned any of my texts."

"Uh....well, I think he's good." Finn realizes he hadn't considered the NYADA audition when he'd seen Kurt's appearance earlier. Maybe something was up

"You think he's good? That's not very convincing. Don't you think you should check on him? Take him some warm milk or something."

"Well, uh...he's not here," Finn says.

"What do you mean, ‘he's not here'?" Rachel demands. "Where did he go?"

Finn can't decide if Kurt's plans are a secret or not, but as usual, Rachel's elevated tone and pointed questions send his mind reeling, and he can't think straight. After a few moments fumbling through his thoughts, he figures that if Kurt didn't ask him not to tell, it's mostly likely okay to tell Rachel. They are friends, after all.

"Uh... he's out with some guy," Finn says.

"Blaine?" Rachel asks sweetly.

"Nah, some guy named Sebastian," Finn replies before he realizes he has no idea what Rachel is talking about.

"Who's Sebastian?"

"Um, I'm not sure, but I think it was a date. Kurt was dressed kind of funny, even for Kurt."

"What do you mean funny?" Rachel asks, her voice getting impossibly higher.

"Um...well... I, uh... Wait...who's Blaine?"

"Finn, will you focus please? This is important. I need to know everything you can remember about Kurt's date. Let's start with what Kurt was wearing. Do you think you can explain that to me? What was different about it?"

As Finn recounts Kurt's clothing and hair, he realizes how unusual the whole thing really is.

"Rachel, I don't think Kurt was quite himself."

"Your cluelessness really is adorable, sweetie. But you're right. That doesn't sound like Kurt. Do you know where they were going?"

"I think I heard that Sebastian guy mention Columbus," Finn replies.

"Feel like doing a little reconnaissance work?" Rachel asks, a mischievous smile audible in her voice.

"Reconna-what?"

"Spies, Finn. We're gonna be spies."

"Oh...cool."

As Kurt suspected, Sebastian has difficulty going anywhere near the speed limit. When Kurt points it out to him, he speeds up even more, causing Kurt to grip the sides of his seat. Sebastian turns up the radio and smirks at Kurt.

Could he be any more cliché?

Even with Sebastian's obvious contempt for Ohio's traffic laws, it still takes them over two hours to get to Columbus from Lima thanks to an accident on the highway. So by the time Sebastian pulls the car over in a dingy parking lot behind an equally filthy two-story building, it's closing in on 10 and Kurt's brain is working overtime trying to figure out where they are and what Sebastian has planned for the evening.

"You didn't bring me all the way out here to seduce me in a creepy parking lot, did you?" Kurt asks with a nervous laugh.

"You wish," Sebastian replies. It's the most he's spoken since Kurt's living room, and his voice sounds shakier than Kurt's. He takes a little solace in the fact that Sebastian feels as awkward as he does, although probably for totally different reasons.

"Come on, elf." Sebastian opens his door and nods his head toward the building they're parked behind.

Kurt exhales heavily, opens his door and steps out of the car, grateful for a coat with deep pockets to shove his hands into. He follows Sebastian around the front of the building, and nearly trips over his own feet when he sees a glowing neon sign out front indicating that they're about to enter a place called The Den. As they near the door, Kurt can hear the steady thump of a bass line and sees a man built like Vince at the door.

"So you brought me all this way to grind up on me to bad dance music?"

"I figured you'd like a place we could be more ... anonymous," Sebastian replies while raking his eyes over Kurt's body.

"How chivalrous of you," Kurt says with a sneer.

Sebastian just rolls his eyes and grabs Kurt's arm, leading him toward the bouncer at the door.

"Hey, Jim," Sebastian says with a warm smile. "Slow night?"

"Actually, there's a bit of a crowd tonight," Jim says while stamping their hands. "Club's already pretty full and it's not even 10 yet. New DJ is pretty popular I guess."

"Brad working tonight?" Sebastian asks.

"Yeah...upstairs bar."

"Thanks, man. See you later."

Sebastian pulls Kurt in front of him and places a hand on the small of his back to lead him into the club. The air is hazy and punctuated by a steady strobe light, interspersed with colorful, flashy lasers, and topped off with what appears to be a steady stream of glitter raining down from the ceiling. Kurt huffs to himself remembering a theme night that Shades had thrown his first week. Kurt had been picking glitter out of his hair for days and after that he had sworn he'd never work a glitter night again. He was going to be working at tonight's "fun" for weeks.

He quickly removed his coat, searching desperately for a place to stash it where it won't get completely ruined by a cascade of glitter and sloshing drinks. Stunned, he watches as Sebastian takes it from him and steps into a room at their right.

"No one will bother it," he promises. "It's a staff-only area." Sebastian nods toward the sign on the door.

"Thanks," Kurt shouts over the music, not sure what to make of Sebastian's sudden polite charm. He doesn't have much time to dwell on it before the taller boy is back to his smarmy self.

"Come on, hot stuff, I need a drink."

Kurt allows himself to be dragged along as they wind through the crowd toward a flight of metal stairs leading to an upper level that is mostly open to the dance floor below. The press of bodies on the dance floor is tight, and from this vantage point, it seems to move in undulating waves to the beat. Kurt notices there are several guys dressed similarly to him in various states of undress; some look like they're only in their underwear. A few are in the throes of passionate kissing, punctuated by grinding, licking, and fevered groping. Kurt is just about to turn back to Sebastian to ask him a question when he sees a blond surfer type with abs of steel walk up, intentionally bumping Kurt's hip as he passes.

"Hey, gorgeous," surfer boy says, turning to lock eyes with Kurt. His pupils are huge and there's a light sheen of sweat covering his entire body. It doesn't escape Kurt's attention how the sweat accentuates his muscular frame - and ensures he's coated in glitter - or that he's probably high as a kite, if his dilated pupils are any indication. Still, Kurt enjoys the brief attention.

"Hi yourself," he replies, winking at his admirer before catching up to Sebastian at the bar.

The delayed realization that they're in a gay club finally hits Kurt when sees a slightly possessive look on Sebastian's face. Kurt has to stifle a laugh at that because, really? Sebastian had to blackmail to get him here and he's jealous? Interesting. Kurt files that bit of information away and slides in next to Sebastian at the bar, intentionally standing closer than he needs to.

"What'll it be boys?" asks the bartender, winking at Sebastian.

"Hey Brad," drawls Sebastian. "I'll have my usual. Kurt?" He turns to face Kurt and tries in vain to disguise the slight shock that Kurt is standing so close.

"Vodka tonic," Kurt says to Brad without looking at Sebastian. "Twist of lime."

Kurt hasn't had too many opportunities to drink - other than a misguided run-in with too much wine his sophomore year and a handful of New Directions house parties where he often chose to be DD - but he knows it's what Carole always orders with dinner when they go out anywhere nicer than Breadstix. She and Kurt tend to have similar taste, so he figures it's a safe bet. Plus it's clear. He can switch to water later without Sebastian knowing.

"Coming right up," Brad replies.

Kurt takes the opportunity to scan the room now that he's starting to feel more at ease. He's playing the part of Dalton tonight, so he can unabashedly check out hot guys, dance, flirt, or whatever strikes his fancy. Dalton is brave, sexy, and bold.

Kurt Hummel stayed in Lima.

Right about now, Kurt would be going through his nightly facial regimen. Dalton, however, is going to drink until he can't feel his lips and dance with Sebastian until his feet fall off because Dalton is Kurt Hummel's future. He might as well start getting used to this lifestyle.

Sebastian hands Kurt his drink and leads him to the railing so they have a full view of the dance floor. The song sounds like it might be a different one than what was playing when they walked in, but the bass line is nearly identical so it's hard to be sure. Kurt sips his drink and finds it's actually pretty good. It tastes a little sour, but refreshing, and he can barely taste the vodka.

He probably finishes it faster than is smart considering the circumstances, but it goes down smoothly and before he knows it, Sebastian is shoving another drink in his hand and dragging him into the sea of bodies to press his body tight against him.

The room is warm, and with the beat of the music pulsing through Kurt's chest and vibrating deep in his belly, his body responds automatically to the rhythm and the slight buzz from his drink. He closes his eyes and dances with abandon, throwing his arms high above his head and tossing his head back.

"God, you're so hot when you dance," Sebastian says into Kurt's ear.

The sound and proximity of his voice startles Kurt's eyes open and his hips stutter out of sync with the beat briefly. But he draws himself up and steels his nerves, finding the rhythm again quickly, working his hips in time with Sebastian's. Dalton wouldn't shy away from the come on. In fact, he'd revel in it.

He moves in closer to Sebastian so that their torsos are touching and tries to ignore the wave of nausea that threatens to overtake him. Kurt closes his eyes again and lets the beat consume him again. He can do this. He can. Well, Dalton can anyway.

Kurt can feel Sebastian's chest shake with laughter as they continue to dance. Feeling a renewed sense of rebellion, Kurt downs the rest of his second drink, letting the plastic cup fall to the floor. Sebastian's hand snakes around his back and rests just below his belt where the curve of his ass juts out from his lean waist. 

He doesn't imagine that the hand pressing firmly into the small of his back belongs to a much shorter boy with bright, hazel eyes. Definitely not.

Finn is greeted at the door by his girlfriend dressed in head-to-toe black with dark sunglasses covering her large, brown eyes. A black beret is perched on her head and her glossy hair flows loosely down her back.

"Wow."

"I thought I should dress the part," she says feigning shyness.

Finn rakes his eyes over her body slowly, smiling at the tightness of Rachel's black dress. She preens under Finn's mute praise and smiles broadly at him before remembering why Finn is there in the first place.

"Did you bring it?" she asks, pulling the sunglasses off her face and looking dramatically past Finn, glancing up and down the street.

Finn grins at her and holds Kurt's laptop up in front of his chest. Rachel quickly snatches it out of his hands and skips into the living room. Finn follows behind her and closes the front door.

Rachel flops down on the sofa and flips open the laptop. She types in Kurt's password and pulls up his email. 

"What are you looking for?" Finn asks.

"Evidence," Rachel replies offhandedly. She's obviously reading something on the screen.

"Evidence of what?"

"I'll let you know if I find it."

Rachel continues to read quietly for a few moments before her eyes go wide and an exaggerated "Oh" escapes her lips.

"What?" Finn asks trying to peer over the top of the screen and read what she's looking at.

"This Sebastian guy is bad news," Rachel replies. "There's an email from Blaine."

"Who is Blaine?" Finn nearly shouts. He has no clue what's going on and it's making him feel stupid and helpless, a combination Finn is familiar with, and it's a feeling he absolutely hates.

"A guy he's sort of been seeing," Rachel says, trying not to reveal Kurt's secrets. "It's not really important who he is. It's more about what he says in his email."

Finn grabs the laptop and reads the message Rachel has open on the screen.

To: kurtisthegreateststar@gmail.com
From: blainewarbler@daltonacademy.edu 

Subject: Please don't delete this ... please

Message sent 7:34 p.m., Wednesday:
Kurt, I'm so glad I got to see your audition, even though you didn't want me there. I just know you'll still get in. You were amazing. Really.

I've been doing a lot of thinking since this afternoon. I know I really screwed up. But it was an accident. I promise I didn't tell Sebastian on purpose. In fact, I begged him not to say anything, but he told me he'd only keep it a secret if I went out on a date with him. Only I couldn't go through with it. He's not you. And I just kept thinking about you the whole time ... your smile, your laugh...and god, your eyes. And now I'm rambling. Sorry.

Anyway, I told him off and I knew he was going to tell you that I broke my promise, so I decided to tell you myself. And it killed me to see you so angry and hurt. 

Bottom line Kurt: I miss you and I want to be with you. Sebastian means nothing to me. He's an asshole who tried to blackmail me, and if I never see his stupid face again, it will be too soon.

I'm so, so, so sorry. Did I mention I'm sorry?

Please call me
XOXO

Finn stares at the screen not sure what he's just read.

"How long has he been seeing this Blaine guy?" he asks after a few moments. "And why didn't you tell me?"

He looks at Rachel with hurt in his eyes. Finn, as usual, is kind of missing the point and Rachel has a hard time hiding her annoyance that he's making this all about their communication problems.

"That's not important, right now," she says avoiding eye contact with Finn as best she can. "We need to get ahold of Kurt and warn him."

"Will you please just tell me what is going on?" Finn shouts.

Rachel stares at him open mouthed, trying to decide what she can tell Finn without incurring the full-on wrath of Kurt Hummel.

"Kurt made me promise. It's really not my place to say," she insists. "I want to tell you, but right now I'm just really worried about Kurt and we need to find him."

Finn sighs and closes his eyes.

"OK, Rachel. What's the plan?"

She smiles at her boyfriend. For all his flaws, he really does have a good heart and he cares about his step-brother. Rachel reaches up and presses a kiss to his cheek.

"Do you have your phone with you?"

"Sure," he says, pulling it from his pocket. "Why?"

"I have an idea," she says.

Kurt is well on his way to being blissfully drunk, and at some point he lost his shirt, but he no longer cares. Sebastian's body is pressed tightly up against him and several other guys have attempted to dance with them as well, but every time, Sebastian made it clear Kurt was with him and they didn't want any company.

In an odd way, it felt good to be the object of both desire and jealousy. But even through the dull haze of alcohol and the thump of the incessant bass line, Kurt's emotions are raw. He can't ignore the dull ache behind his eyes that's probably from too much crying. But at this point, he's done crying. There's no point in wallowing any more; his dreams are dashed, and this is what his life will be like. Kurt just needs to accept his fate.

Maybe that's why when Sebastian starts kissing him hungrily, Kurt doesn't hesitate to kiss him back. The feeling of helplessness and loss isn't as strong when there are firm hands pressing into his neck and a persistent tongue is pressing between his lips. Even if it is Sebastian. Even if he wishes it were Blaine instead.

Kurt works hard to shove thoughts of Blaine out of his mind, instead trying to focus on the lyrics of the song playing, the pattern of light cast by the lasers across the ceiling - anything that will keep him rooted to the ground and not allow himself to be aroused by Sebastian's hand tugging firmly on his hair as his tongue pulls Kurt apart.

Sebastian's tongue is dragging over his neck and earlobe, and he's nipping at a spot behind Kurt's ear, and it just feels so good. Kurt gasps when he feels Sebastian's erection brush his thigh, but he doesn't pull away. Instead he leans in closer, drawing a breathy moan from the other boy.

Kurt nearly jumps out of his skin when he feels something vibrate in his pocket, forgetting for the moment that it's only his phone. Kurt laughs to himself and pulls away from Sebastian slightly, but they're still close enough for Kurt to smell the mix of cologne and sweat coming off a lanky, yet muscular, body.

Finn
You need to come home right away.

Kurt's heart feels like it drops out of his chest. He types out a hasty reply.

Kurt
Is it dad?

Finn
Please hurry

Kurt
Where are you?

Finn
Just come home.

Kurt
On my way.

Kurt looks up at Sebastian, hoping he's earned enough leverage with the dancing to cut the night short without breaking their agreement. But it doesn't really matter if something has happened to Burt, so he really doesn't care. He fights back tears as he speaks.

"Can you take me back to Lima? I think something's wrong with my dad."

"Yeah...of course," Sebastian says already pulling Kurt toward the door. When he retrieves Kurt's coat from the staff room, his face is a stoic mask.

"Thanks," Kurt mumbles, making a beeline for the door without slowing to put his coat on.

Sebastian just walks faster to keep up.