Disclaimer: Glee and all of its characters belong to its respective owners. The Great Gatsby and all of its characters belong to its respective owners. I own no rights to Glee, The Great Gatsby, or their characters.
Author's Note: Any and all reviews are welcomed and appreciated.
Sebastian was busy sipping his cinnamon spice mocha at his usual table in the Lima Bean when he saw them.
Sebastian had to admit that both young men had grown nicely. Blaine still had the killer body and ass that Sebastian fondly remembered. Kurt Hummel had shed what little baby fat he had and was now an attractive man with a long and lean physique.
They were seated in a booth in the corner of the coffee shop sharing biscotti and looking intensely over various sheets of music. In between feeding each other pieces of biscotti and conversation of no doubt what the Warblers and "Nude" Directions were going to perform at Nationals, bright hazel eyes sparkled in adoring devotion at pale glasz eyes that held equal adoration for their companion. Absent-minded hands intertwined, elegant fingers stroking silver bands with all the care as one would a lover.
...
Sebastian had heard that the Warblers and New Directions had joined forces and formed a super group under the guidance of Kurt, Blaine, the disgraced Rachel Berry (God that television show had sucked), and former coach of Vocal Adrenaline William Schuester.
Like all past and present Warblers, Sebastian had been shocked that Dalton Academy had burnt to the ground. It was odd to Sebastian that he found himself actually saddened when he heard the news, considering he had little sentiment to speak of. Yes, he did have fond memories of Dalton and plenty of not so fond memories that were more or less his own fault, but that was not primarily what disturbed him about the loss of Dalton.
What shook him the most about Dalton Academy was that just like Jay Gatsby and his green light, the loss of Dalton meant that Sebastian's list of enchanted places and objects had irrevocably been decreased. Indeed, the world had lost a little bit of its luster with the loss of Dalton Academy's existence.
Although it did sometimes earn the affectionate mocking reputation of being Gay Hogwarts, in a way Dalton was. Not that all of its students were gay (he wished) but in that it served as an almost magical safe haven with its zero tolerance policy. Dalton Academy had been an ornate fortress that let its baby birds spread their wings without the fear of the cruelty of a world that does everything it can to pluck the wings off any fledging that dares to fly from the flock.
Although Sebastian had been the cuckoo that nearly destroyed the nest he infiltrated, Dalton had still offered him support and wisdom from its hallowed halls and sacred orders. Most significantly it offered the greatest temptation and regret in the form of Blaine Anderson.
...
As Blaine stole a kiss from Kurt, Sebastian recalled the day he first came across the handsome man when they were all still boys three years ago.
...
Blaine Anderson, the golden boy, whom like Daisy Buchanan radiated a warmth that made you feel instantly accepted and enjoyed for the mere fact that you shared the world with him. As soon as Sebastian had laid eyes on the raven-haired beauty he wanted him for his own (two words: That. Ass.) At first Sebastian saw Blaine as simply another conquest. As they sipped their coffees, Sebastian fed Blaine his typical compliments and flattery that usually ended in a night of passionate coupling followed by a shower and kicking the twink of the week from his bed and out the door. But as Blaine's natural instinct to trust people had him opening up to Sebastian through texts and conversations at the Lima Bean, Sebastian slowly began to see him as more than just one of his numerous one night stands.
Of course there was one major roadblock that kept Sebastian from getting any non-platonic action from Blaine in the form of Kurt Hummel.
Sebastian had never come across someone as attractively infuriating as Kurt before. Sebastian was not used to rejection nor being dominated. Although he would have sooner died than admit it at the time, Sebastian was quite impressed with Kurt's defiance against his advances towards Blaine.
If Blaine was to Daisy Buchanan, then Kurt was to Nick Carraway. "An absolute rose," yes, that summed up Kurt Hummel. Kurt had a delicate beauty to him, a perfection of both the physical and emotional that, like a rose was protected by its thorns, Kurt protected through an icy defiance towards the world and any of its inhabitants that dared stand against his individuality.
From the first conversation Sebastian had instantly been attracted and annoyed with Kurt Hummel. He was the first and only person able to keep up with Sebastian's banter and insults, both enticing and repulsing Sebastian. The worst part was that the attraction would be never endingly unresolved due to the fact that Kurt was simply too pretty for Sebastian to fuck. To soil such fragility and strength would be a sin, even for Sebastian.
The fact that Blaine was completely devoted to Kurt on top of Sebastian's unresolved tension with both boys frustrated him to no end, ultimately ending in him almost blinding Blaine and Dave Karofsky attempting suicide (whether a direct or indirect response to Sebastian's comments were irrelevant).
Although Karofsky's suicide attempt was the primary cause of Sebastian's attempt to turn a new leaf (fucking Hunter Clarington ruined that pretty good. Cheating in a show choir competition by using steroids was definitely not one of Sebastian's finer moments), Blaine Anderson was the one who shifted his thoughts about his relation to the world and the people in it.
Like the comments he made to Karofsky, the slushie was supposed to be a joke, a way to humiliate Kurt, to take a stand against Kurt's defiance, and perhaps convince Blaine that he would be a much better partner sexually-wise. He wasn't expecting for Blaine to push Kurt from the slushie's path, so aiming for Kurt's clothes turned into aiming directly for Blaine's beautifully vulnerable face.
Blaine's screams were the worst thing he had ever heard. Even in present day they haunted Sebastian's sleep. Although he pretended that he was his usual collected indifferent self, inside Sebastian's thoughts spiraled in a dizzy and unwelcomed twister. Blaine's agonizing wails had awoken unfamiliar feelings of guilt and regret.
Nick Carraway had called Daisy and Tom Buchanan careless people; people that "smashed up things and people, and then retreated back into their money and their vast carelessness."
Sebastian was no Jay Gatsby (considering he was pretty sure Gatsby got to fuck Daisy at least once in the book which was more than he ever got to do with Blaine); he had learned long ago that to show any emotion to the world, to truly care, was to become vulnerable. So he continued to play the part of Tom Buchanan, living his playboy life in symbiosis with his vast carelessness.
The consequences of his careless life finally manifested when it nearly destroyed Dave Karofsky. Sebastian personally felt responsible; he might as well have tied the knot on the noose himself. When Sebastian heard the news about Dave, he reckoned that he looked just like Gatsby, "as if he had... killed a man." The ironic thing was that unlike Gatsby, Sebastian almost had, whether indirectly or unintentionally.
Dave's attempt to end his own life made Sebastian realize that his life of carelessness had to end, starting with an apology to a certain hazel-eyed boy (who thankfully still had the use of both his eyes).
When Blaine refused his apology, Sebastian did all that he could to make up for his questionable ways. He treaded a straight and narrow path for the rest of the show choir season. Despite his previous comments of New Directions being a joke, Sebastian was quite moved by their performances at Regionals and wasn't surprised when they won. He was still disappointed that the Warblers had lost, but after shaking hands with Blaine Sebastian felt almost absolved.
His perspective on life had shifted and Blaine Anderson played a big part in it. In a way Sebastian was unexpectedly grateful.
...
Blaine and Kurt finished their coffees, gathering their sheet music as they stood up to leave. Sebastian continued watching them with a bittersweet smirk. He had never stood a chance.
As soon as Blaine had introduced him to Kurt, Sebastian knew that the battle was lost before it began. What Blaine and Kurt had was something rare and incomprehensible for Sebastian. He knew it the day he agreed to help Blaine with his proposal; Blaine was meant to be with Kurt.
Sebastian couldn't help admiring their relationship. As sappy as it sounded their love had survived two apparent break-ups, the death of Kurt's stepbrother Finn Hudson, and the loss of Dalton.
Despite his reluctant respect for them and their life, he knew that he had no desire to share in it. He had no desire to want another with the intensity that he had felt for Blaine. It would ultimately end in regret.
As Kurt and Blaine headed towards the exit, they glanced in his direction. Kurt met his gaze, nodding as Blaine followed suit. For a moment all three men simply stared at each other, pondering show choirs, slushies, changes of heart, temptations, and regrets. The moment ended as Blaine and Kurt linked hands and continued out of the Lima Bean, wedding bands gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.
Blaine glanced back one more time at Sebastian. Hazel eyes met green, a parting gift for Sebastian, as he watched his only worthy adversary stroll out of the Lima Bean with the only man that had mattered.
