Notes: Set during the summer break between seasons three and four. And before anyone gets upset, I love Kurt, but this conversation absolutely needed to happen.
Entanglements
"Did you really have to get the clerk to write Growly on my cup?"
Blaine glanced up at the familiar voice. He hadn't seen Karofsky – Dave – since…well, he didn't remember when. Before he transferred to McKinley, he was sure. Blaine had briefly thought about visiting him at the hospital after what he'd gone through, the way Kurt had, but they didn't really know each other and he wasn't sure it would be appreciated. He'd even started a few tentative Facebook messages, but he'd never managed to press 'send' since their only interactions had gone fairly badly and the internet was never good for mending fences.
Besides, he wasn't sure Dave would have really wanted best wishes and an olive branch from Blaine when he had developed feelings for Blaine's boyfriend. Wouldn't that have been in bad taste, like he was rubbing Kurt in Dave's face instead of trying to offer support?
Anyway, that had been months ago, and Dave was…right there, half hidden behind a pillar near the counter. Blaine could say hello and it wouldn't be weird, would it? If Dave seemed comfortable enough maybe they could even become friends. Blaine was still in line – apparently everyone wanted smoothies and frappes from the Lima Bean that afternoon – but Dave looked like he was about to leave and Blaine could always get back in line later. Kurt didn't know he was planning to drop by the garage with a caffeine fix so it wasn't like he was running late.
"What? It's a good nickname; original. Much better than Bear Cub."
Blaine paused as he'd been about to step out of the line towards Dave. He twisted a little and curved his neck to try and see around the pillar. He probably looked indecisive and maybe a bit strange to the girl behind him, but…yes, that was definitely Sebastian.
With Dave.
"Is there something wrong with just 'Dave'?"
His voice was getting fainter as he disappeared from Blaine's view. They must have been leaving, and without really thinking about it, Blaine hurried out of the line, closer to where they'd been standing. They hadn't gone far, just a few yards, before they stopped walking. Sebastian had turned to face Dave, and although his face was on an angle to where Blaine was, there was no missing the playful smirk.
"No…but I like the associations that come with calling you Growly."
Blaine had to strain to hear it, which probably meant he shouldn't be hearing it at all. He hoped they didn't leave, though. He was curious, but he was fairly certain it could be considered stalking if he snuck out of the store behind them to keep listening in. He didn't want to consider what anyone else would call what he was doing now; eavesdropping while hiding behind a pillar. He tried to lean against it casually, as if it just happened to mostly block him from view.
Okay, no, he was being weird. He was just going to…he was going to go and get some sugar packets and napkins for when his drinks were ready. That was totally normal, and didn't involve hiding. If they saw him he wasn't being nosy, he was just preparing himself for the drinks he hadn't actually ordered yet. It was closer, so maybe he'd be able to hear them perfectly, but he tried to convince himself that wasn't the point, nor was getting a better look at Dave and Sebastian's expressions. He wandered over to the table and tried not to look too noticeable, ducking his head and only glancing up when he was sure they weren't looking.
Dave looked different. Lighter, Blaine thought – like he'd lost some of the burden he'd been carrying, which was probably true – somewhere between amused and uncertain. His mouth was quirked but his eyebrows were drawn together. "Are you kidding me, Seb? Didn't you start calling me that because I got annoyed at Scandals and snapped at you?"
Well, that made sense, Blaine supposed. They obviously knew each other from Scandals – after all, Kurt mentioned that Dave had been there the night Blaine and Kurt went with Sebastian, so it wasn't completely weird. Still, he couldn't quite work his mind around the fact that they were out getting coffee together, and were apparently friendly enough to call each other nicknames.
"Well, yeah," Sebastian admitted as his smile curled into the smirk that Blaine had learned meant he was going to say something to make the people around him uncomfortable. "But after I became familiar with the noises you make during sex 'Growly' took on a whole new meaning, trust me. Totally hot."
Wait, what? What?
Blaine dropped half a dozen sugar packets, earning a glare from the woman beside him. He grimaced in a way he hoped was apologetic and picked them up, lingering near the floor for a moment in case his reaction had caught Dave or Sebastian's attention.
"You're terrible," Dave said, but he didn't sound bothered at all. He sounded…amused? The last time Blaine had seen Dave he would never have anticipated something like this. Dave had been full of embarrassment and self-loathing, not the kind of guy to laugh about sex in public. Especially not sex with another guy – back then that would have been Dave's worst nightmare.
Blaine wasn't sure if that meant that Dave was getting more confident or getting manipulated by Sebastian into being someone else. He didn't want to think that negatively, though. Sebastian had said he was turning over a new leaf and so Blaine hoped it was a good thing.
If nothing else, at least Dave was happy. Blaine couldn't remember seeing him that way before.
Sebastian chuckled. "Maybe I am terrible. But that's just another reason you find me so ridiculously appealing."
Blaine stood up, slowly, peeking over the edge of the counter just enough to make sure neither Dave nor Sebastian were paying him any attention.
They weren't. Sebastian had a finger hooked in Dave's belt and Dave was shaking his head fondly. It looked…intimate. Like they were familiar with each other; more familiar than Blaine imagined could come of the kind of 'relationships' Sebastian had bragged about.
Dave sighed. "That would probably be funny if it wasn't true."
"But it's not just that," Sebastian said, smugly. "You also love my ass."
"You are so full of yourself."
"I'd rather be full of you."
"Seb!" Dave glanced around, looking embarrassed. Blaine ducked back behind the bench, pretending to be adjusting his sock when a man stirring the sweetener into his coffee looked at him suspiciously. "We're in the Lima Bean!" he heard.
"I'm not asking you to bend me over the counter, Bear Cub." Blaine choked at Sebastian's words, as the man switched his glare to Sebastian's general direction and hurried away. "I don't want anyone else seeing that monster you're packing and getting ideas."
That was so much more than Blaine had ever needed to hear.
"Seb! You just…you can't…we're in the fucking Lima Bean!" It was obvious Dave was trying to whisper, but he wasn't succeeding, because Blaine could still hear him. Or maybe Blaine had just been focused on their voices because there was a family sitting closer than he was and they didn't react at all.
"Are we? I hadn't noticed. I'm only holding a Lima Bean cup, and you have only said that twice."
"This is a public place. We are in a public place. There are kids."
"You're the one who said 'fucking', my language has been beyond reproach. And about that," Sebastian added, voice getting louder; more direct, "who buys a coffee for an eight year old, anyway? If that kid's mom thinks he's old enough for a macchiato why is she glaring at me for a little innuendo?"
Blaine peered around the edge of the bench. He probably looked like a crazy person but he was past the stage of caring. And Dave and Sebastian were right; there was a woman with her child sitting a few feet from Sebastian, glaring at him. To be fair, the kid looked closer to twelve, but Sebastian had a point.
About the macchiato, not the innuendo. Blaine didn't think either were particularly appropriate.
"She can hear you," Dave told Sebastian, bluntly.
"What's your point?"
"Are you…" Dave's face twisted in suspicion, although his lip was curled as though he couldn't quite hide a smile, "…are you trying to get me embarrassed enough to drag you out of here?"
"That depends. Is it working?" Sebastian pulled Dave closer by the belt until Blaine couldn't tell if there was any space left between them at all. From where he was, he could only see Sebastian's arm, and part of his face. His grin was unmistakable, and definitely suggestive. His voice dropped lower and Blaine had to strain to hear. "Because my house is empty…"
"You are insatiable."
"You know what else is empty? My a—" Sebastian's voice was cut off, muffled when Dave covered Sebastian's mouth with his hand. Blaine was only surprised he hadn't done it sooner.
"You win. Let's go."
The moment they went through the doors, Blaine stood as gracefully as he could manage despite the weird looks he was getting and pulled out his phone. He dialed quickly and waited impatiently for the line to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Kurt…you are not going to believe what I just overheard."
Blaine didn't like to gossip, but Kurt would kill him if he didn't share this. Once he had told Kurt, hopefully he could scrub the memory of everything he'd heard out of his brain.
As Kurt pulled up outside David's house behind a dark grey BMW – Mr. Karofsky's, he assumed – he took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts. He wasn't sure how to approach the whole Sebastian issue, especially since he wasn't sure how David saw the—he didn't want to use the word 'relationship', but Kurt wasn't sure what else to call it.
All he knew for sure was that David and Sebastian had slept together at least once, and they were apparently now spending some time together. Kurt didn't know what Sebastian was playing at, but he didn't trust his motives in the slightest.
He couldn't think of any reason why Sebastian was playing with David, not when he was so obviously the one night and walk away type, but there had to be something Kurt was missing. And he wasn't sure if David thought he was dating Sebastian or just having fun, but Kurt couldn't imagine David as the casual type that Sebastian was. No, from what Kurt knew of David, he was the type to get attached.
Kurt just hoped he could get through to David before it was too late and he ended up getting his heart broken. After the last six months, that was the last thing David needed.
Taking another deep breath, Kurt resolved to just go with the flow, and try to keep calm. He didn't want David to feel like Kurt was judging him; Kurt was on his side.
He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. It wasn't long before Mr. Karfosky answered the door with a polite but curious smile.
"Oh, hello. Er…Kurt, isn't it?"
"Yes. Kurt Hummel. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Karofsky, but I was hoping to speak to David."
"Of course," Mr. Karofsky said, stepping aside to allow Kurt to enter. "Call me Paul. David and Sebastian are upstairs in his room."
"Sebastian is here?" Kurt asked, surprised. He really hadn't expected Sebastian to be at David's house. That struck him as odd – but it would probably make sense as part of Sebastian's scheme, if Kurt ever found out the details.
"He usually is," Paul said with a playful expression on his face. "Honestly, if that boy didn't bring over so many of his fancy desserts and surprise takeout, I'd have to start charging him board."
It was obviously a joke; Paul didn't look the least bit bothered that Sebastian was apparently there so often, but Kurt couldn't get past his own confusion to even feign being amused. David's father was talking like Sebastian spent all of his time there; like he made an effort. That was something Kurt could barely fathom; he didn't know what Sebastian's plan was, but he knew it couldn't be anything good.
"And you're...okay with that?" he asked, uncertainly. How anyone could be so blasé about Sebastian's terrible influence, Kurt had no idea.
Paul frowned, eyebrows drawn. "Look Kurt, I know David's mother wasn't supportive, but I am completely comfortable and accepting of David's sexuality."
"Oh, no," Kurt hurried to explain, horrified that he might have implied otherwise, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just...we're talking about Sebastian. I'm worried about David, that's all. You don't know what Sebastian is really like. He's trouble."
"Oh, I think I know him quite well, actually. And I think you and I will need to agree to disagree on that matter." The words were polite, but firm. Paul cleared his throat and nodded towards the stairs. "I'll just let them know that you're here, shall I? Make yourself comfortable, I'll be back in just a moment."
Kurt glanced around as Paul went upstairs. He heard a knock followed by muffled voices, but he was too curious about his surroundings to really pay attention. It hadn't occurred to him before, but the car outside may have been Sebastian's, not Paul's as he'd assumed. And there were some very expensive shoes by the front door that definitely weren't David's. They could be Paul's, he supposed, but he suspected by the style (and the fact that Kurt knew they cost upward of six hundred dollars) that they weren't. They just screamed Sebastian Smythe.
Of course, those things could be explained by Sebastian coming to visit, but the photo on the hall table couldn't. It looked like it was taken sometime at the end of spring or the beginning of summer. David and Sebastian were both laughing and stuffing their faces for the camera; Sebastian was smearing what looked like frosting on David's cheek. Kurt could make out half of a decorative writing scroll and the beginning of the word 'congratulations' on a partially eaten cake. To celebrate David's graduation, he guessed.
That had been over six weeks earlier. Whatever Sebastian was doing, he was going all out.
Sebastian was lounging on Dave's bed, head folded behind his hands as he stared up at the ceiling, looking thoughtful. Dave smiled, fiddling with the strings on Sebastian's crosse; tapping the stick on the side of his knee as he tried not to stare. Sebastian looked gorgeous, as always, but he didn't need the ego boost. He already knew Dave couldn't take his eyes off him.
"Have you ever considered putting a mirror up there?"
Dave choked, fumbling with the crosse. "What?"
Sebastian smirked at him and wiggled his eyebrows. "Come on Growly, don't you think we'd look hot?"
"I think you need treatment for some kind of sex addiction."
Sebastian barked out a laugh. "Are you complaining?"
"Do I look like I'm crazy?"
"Thought not," Sebastian smirked.
There was a knock as his father's voice came through the door. "David?"
Ever since Dave and Sebastian moved from friendship to more, his dad had been very respectful of their privacy. Before that, he'd walked in whenever he pleased and Dave suspected him of worrying about whether Dave was still okay, of wanting to constantly reassure himself by appearing unannounced. But once he and Sebastian were official Dave's dad had taken a step back. He trusted Sebastian, Dave knew, which meant he worried less whenever Sebastian was with Dave.
And Dave knew he'd made enough headway that his dad wasn't quite so paranoid he'd regress at any moment. It was a good feeling.
"Come in Dad," Dave said loudly.
"We're only mostly naked," Sebastian added, in a lower voice that left Dave embarrassed but grinning.
The door opened slightly and Dave's dad poked his head in. "You know I heard that, Sebastian."
Sebastian just laughed while Dave shook his head. Sebastian was completely shameless.
"You have a visitor," his dad told them. "Kurt Hummel."
"Really?" Dave asked, surprised. He got up and glanced at Sebastian, who was groaning as though someone was pulling out his fingernails. "Can you get him to wait a few minutes?"
When his Dad nodded and left the room, Dave walked to his door and held it open a crack. He couldn't see downstairs, but he could hear voices.
"He shouldn't be too long. Do you want something to drink while you wait?"
"Oh, no thank you. I'll be fine."
That was definitely Kurt's voice. It was strange that Kurt would drop by unexpectedly when Dave hadn't heard from him in a while, but it was a nice surprise. Or at least, it would be, if Sebastian could be civil.
"I think that's my cue to get out of here for a while," Sebastian said, getting to his feet and grabbing his keys and wallet from Dave's bedside table.
"Why?" Dave asked. He knew Sebastian was comfortable with their relationship, but it looked an awful lot like he was running away. Maybe it was just Kurt he didn't want to deal with. "Do you...I mean...is this a secret from him? Should I not tell him about us?" He didn't want to sound insecure; he knew that he and Sebastian were solid, but then again there was a lot of negativity between Kurt and Sebastian.
"Are you kidding?" Sebastian said, looking thrown by the question. His lip curled into a smirk and he shook his head. "The look on his face when he finds out could keep me entertained for years."
"So...why are you leaving? I mean...you don't need to go."
"Yeah, I think I do." Sebastian's voice was quiet, but serious. "Look, I don't want to put you in an awkward position here, okay? I know he's supposed to be your friend, but Hummel and I don't get along. At all. You shouldn't need to play referee when you haven't seen him in so long. I don't want you to feel like you need to take a side or defend anyone."
"You could try being nice," Dave suggested, though he knew even as he said it that it wouldn't be as easy as that. Sebastian was fiery, and Kurt was even worse.
"I could. And if you wanted me to, I would. But we both know that won't go well, at least not for a while. Hummel and I need to get used to each other and it'll take time before we can be in the same room without violent bouts of sarcasm and fantasies of causing damage to each other."
Dave tried to hide his grin, but he knew he didn't do a very good job. "Yeah, I get that. But if it'll take a while, shouldn't you start now?"
Sebastian hesitated. It looked like he wanted to say something that he knew Dave didn't want to hear. He sighed. "I know I won't be able to hold my tongue at first. Considering you haven't seen him for so long, you probably should get at least a little peaceful interaction before he and I are at each other's throats and you need to step in," he said with a shrug. "If he's finally making the effort to actually be your friend after months of silence, I feel like maybe I should leave you to it. Give him the opportunity."
He frowned and poked Dave in the shoulder. "But that's for your benefit, not his. He doesn't deserve you as a friend, as far as I'm concerned."
"That's hardly fair, Seb."
"It's perfectly fair," he countered. "What's unfair is promising to be a friend to you then forgetting about you three seconds later. And I won't be able to keep from telling him that, so I'll give you a chance to talk, instead. This time, at least. Maybe he can explain to you why he ditched you when you needed a friend the most, because he should explain himself and I can guarantee he won't while I'm around."
"He didn't ditch me...he just...he probably had his own issues. He still spoke to me a few times on Facebook."
Dave didn't like the look of disbelief that passed over Sebastian's features, but he couldn't pretend it didn't feel a little nice that Sebastian was so defensive of him.
"Of course he had his own issues," Sebastian scoffed. "Have you seen his fashion sense? He probably didn't get the latest satchel he saw in the March issue of Vogue and spent the last three months wallowing in his own misery over it. But that's not an excuse for forgetting about you when he said he'd be there. And really?" he added with a frustrated sigh. "You're counting the four messages he's sent to you over a social network in the last three and a half months? My alcoholic cousin in France has posted more regularly on your wall than that, and he inexplicably seems to think you're just my vocal coach. My vocal coach."
"It was more often than that," Dave argued, though he wasn't sure it was. Sebastian still made the effort to weed any nastiness out of Dave's Facebook account, even though those messages were few and far between these days, so he was probably right.
Come to think of it, the negativity had died down enough that Dave thought he'd probably be fine to handle it himself. Except that he knew it made Sebastian happy to help wherever he could, so maybe he'd leave that idea for another day.
"No, it wasn't," Sebastian said sharply, pulling Dave's attention to his eyes. He seemed somewhere between angry and hurt, but Dave could tell it was on his behalf, rather than because Dave trying to defend Kurt. "Four posts on your wall, Growly. And no private messages. And none of those posts, not one, seemed like he wanted to get together or even have a half decent conversation with you. He should have made time for you when you needed him, but he was too wrapped up in his own life to bother. You deserve a better friend than that."
"Well, I've got you," Dave said, pulling Sebastian into a hug and pressing a kiss to his neck. "Anyone else is just a bonus, anyway. And I'm not mad at him. People get caught up in their own lives; that's what they do."
"You should have more friends," Sebastian muttered. "I don't know how you don't...you're the best person I know. I don't know how I got lucky enough to be with someone like you."
Dave shook his head, smiling shyly. "Don't be dumb. You've been amazing for me."
Sebastian pulled away with a grin. "I would pay good money to see you tell Hummel that. But not today. I'll give you two a chance to talk without starting the next world war." Sebastian pulled Dave into a deep kiss then smacked him on the ass, playfully. "I'll be back later."
"I love you," Dave told Sebastian quietly.
"Me too, Growly. And I'll show you how much when I get back," Sebastian said. He threw Dave a wink then opened the bedroom door.
Dave followed him into the hall and watched from the top of the stairs. Sebastian nodded at Kurt politely when he reached the front door. "You can go up now, Hummel."
Kurt didn't thank Sebastian, just stared after him with eyes narrowed as he left. Dave wasn't sure what to expect, but Kurt's face softened as he saw Dave and made his way up the stairs.
"David! It's good to see you. You look so much better," Kurt told him as Dave took a few steps down the hall and led Kurt into his room.
"Yeah, thanks Kurt. It's good to see you, too. It's uh…it's been a while. I'm feeling a lot better." Dave winced as he realized Sebastian's comment about Kurt ditching him had burrowed into his head. He hadn't meant to point out how long it had been. He didn't want to dwell on it like it was a problem.
Kurt stopped abruptly as he walked into Dave's room. Dave followed his gaze and cringed as he realized that one of Sebastian's Dalton ties was looped around his bedpost.
That could look innocent, he tried to tell himself.
"Is that...Sebastian's?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah," Dave cleared his throat. "He must have left it here one day after school and forgotten about it. I can't remember how long it's been sitting there." That was such a lie, Dave was sure it was written all over his face. He vividly remembered Sebastian putting it there a few days earlier. It was burned into his memory, and so was what they'd used it for.
"Right," Kurt said, voice a little sharp. He moved towards Dave's desk chair, picking up the crosse that Dave had left on the ground in front of it. He looked at it for a moment, suspiciously, then looked worriedly at Dave as he propped it gingerly against the wall. "Can I...?" he gestured at the chair, and Dave nodded quickly.
"Of course. Sorry, I should have offered. Did you want anything? I could make you a coffee. Or uh...tea? There's soda in the fridge, or Sebastian brought over these awesome buttery scrolls that—" Dave bit the inside of his cheek. "Well, they're uh…they're good." He didn't know why he was so nervous, except that he wished Sebastian hadn't said anything, because Dave couldn't stop wondering why Kurt had decided to visit him now, completely out of nowhere. He felt a little unsettled in his skin, and he almost thought that Sebastian should have stayed, except Dave suspected he'd been right that his presence would make things awkward, considering the way Kurt kept shooting poisonous glances at anything in the room that was obviously not Dave's.
"No, thank you," Kurt said, quietly. He stopped glaring at Sebastian's things look enough to shoot Dave a sad look. "Look, I don't want to be rude, but are you crazy?"
"Am I what?"
"Really, Dave? Sebastian? You could do so much better."
Dave bristled. He probably should have expected it, but he had thought Kurt would at least chat for a while, maybe tell Dave why he was visiting, before insulting Dave's boyfriend.
"He's not— you don't know—" Dave sighed and took a seat on the edge of his bed. "Can that wait for a little while? At least until after we've caught up a bit."
Kurt nodded, although it looked like it actually hurt him to agree.
"So," Dave ventured, when Kurt didn't speak. "What brings you over? I mean, you don't need a reason, of course. It's just...you didn't say you were coming."
"You said you didn't want to talk about that yet."
"What do you mean?"
"Sebastian is why I came over. Blaine overheard you and Sebastian at the Lima Bean yesterday, and I'm worried about you, okay? Sebastian is...he's not someone you should get involved with, David."
"So much for waiting," Dave muttered, and Kurt pursed his lips, like he was trying not to say anything he'd regret.
Maybe Dave should have guessed at the reason for Kurt's surprise visit, but he hadn't. He'd thought that Kurt was being the friend he'd promised he would be. Maybe in Kurt's eyes that's what he was doing, but Dave didn't need someone misjudging his boyfriend. He wanted a friend, not someone who felt obligated to him just because they were both gay.
Kurt's judgment of Sebastian was completely unfair. Sure, Kurt and Sebastian had a messy history, and yes, Dave knew his boyfriend had done some pretty bad things, but that was all in the past. Besides, Sebastian had been the one to stand by Dave and help him. Dave knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew Sebastian – the real Sebastian – and he was nothing like what Kurt thought he was.
"You don't know him the way I do, Kurt," he said eventually.
"Oh please," Kurt said, not even trying to hide his eye roll. "That's what everyone thinks about the bad boy, and guess what happens? They end up getting burned, David. You have no idea about the things he's—"
"Yeah, I do. I know all about them." Dave said honestly. He wasn't hypocritical enough to judge Sebastian for those things, not when he'd been just as bad, in his own way.
Kurt shook his head. "You only think you kn—"
"I know about the guys he used to go home with," he interrupted. "I know that he was interested in Blaine. I know about the rock salt slushie and the blackmailing. I know about everything."
"Then...then how can you possibly want to be with him?" Kurt's cheeks were red and he looked flustered. Or maybe he was angry and trying to control it – Dave wasn't sure.
"Because. Just…because. You're the one that doesn't know everything about him, Kurt. There's so much more than the bad things. Besides, they're in the past, and I haven't been perfect myself."
"That's different," Kurt huffed loudly, half his body shifting with the movement. Dave had almost forgotten how dramatic Kurt could be when he wanted to.
"Why? Because you forgave me?"
"Because you apologized."
And that pushed Dave from a little irritated to angry – Kurt seemed to think that Sebastian had no decency, that he liked hurting people. It didn't matter to Kurt how much Sebastian tried to be a better person.
"So did Sebastian!" Dave snapped. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down; he wasn't sure he was doing a good job. He tried to remind himself that he shouldn't get mad at Kurt when he was just trying to look out for Dave, even though he didn't know what he was talking about. "Sebastian apologized," he said, more evenly, "and he meant it. The only difference is that you accepted my apology, but not his."
"You never hurt Blaine."
"I threatened to kill you, Kurt. What Sebastian did was not worse than that."
Kurt folded his arms and his face hardened. "The difference is that you're a good person. Sebastian is a…a freaking Slytherin. A snake. You can't trust him."
Dave clenched his fists and tried once again to calm down. Kurt had no right to be so judgmental – he didn't know Sebastian, regardless of what he believed. "You only think that because he tried to hit on Blaine."
"Which just proves—"
"Do you think the same thing about me?" Dave asked suddenly, cutting off whatever Kurt was going to say. He didn't know how many more attacks Kurt could direct at Sebastian before he lost his temper completely.
"Of course not," Kurt said, surprised. He looked horrified at the thought, and Dave sighed. Kurt just couldn't see it.
"But I did the same thing," he explained. "I asked you on a date and tried to get you to like me, even though I knew you were with Blaine. Just because I did it with Valentine's gifts and Sebastian did it by being a flirt doesn't make it any better, not really."
"You were doing it because you had feelings for me, not because you wanted to be entertained!"
Shame washed over Dave; he hadn't been trying to entertain himself, but he'd long since come to terms with the fact that he'd been using Kurt, in a way, as a focus. It wasn't fair of him and Kurt deserved an apology for that.
"About that. I need to apologize. I'm sorry for, uh, for all of that. It was wrong of me, because I knew you were with Blaine. And," he sighed, "also because I didn't really feel that way about you. I thought I did, I guess, but I was just kidding myself."
"You don't need to be sorry—"
"Yes, I do. Just because I didn't mean to use you, doesn't make it okay that I did! I wanted to be happy and to have something real, like I saw between you and Blaine. And somehow I convinced myself I could have that with you even though…" he stopped and swallowed, mentally preparing himself for what he was sure would be a bad reaction from Kurt, "…even though deep down inside I really wanted that with Sebastian. I just lied to myself because I didn't think he wanted the same. But he did. He does," Dave corrected awkwardly. "I mean…we have that now."
"David, Sebastian is a…" Kurt paused, looking pained. "He's a slut, okay? He picks people up and dumps them twenty minutes later, and if that's what he wants to do in his shallow and empty life, that's his problem, but…I just don't want you to get hurt when he gets bored with you."
The words stung; not just the nasty things about Sebastian, but the way he'd said 'when', not 'if'. Kurt was sure that Sebastian would get bored of Dave; like Dave wasn't good enough.
A few months ago, he would have agreed, but Dave's self-confidence had grown since then.
"Just because you don't find me attractive, doesn't mean no one else does, Kurt," Dave said quietly.
"That's not what I meant! Sebastian just…he isn't the type to get attached. It's not about you."
"You're wrong. Maybe he wasn't the type before, but he is now."
Even though Kurt might not believe him, Dave knew he was right. Kurt let out a sad noise; it sounded a lot like Kurt was trying to explain something hurtful to a child. Dave tried to ignore it, but he could feel his temper rising quickly.
"David, you are an amazing person but don't be so naïve. He's just not capable of caring about you like that."
"You don't get to judge that!" Dave told him, louder and angrier than he'd intended. "You don't know anything about him. In fact, you don't know much about me, either! You keep talking like he's Satan and I'm an angel, but you don't fucking know anything about our relationship!"
"Sebastian doesn't do relationships; he does one night stands—"
"Even if you add it all up, you've only spent a few hours around him. I spent more time with him than that just this morning." Dave stood and paced back and forth, trying to let some of his anger out so he didn't explode. "Yes, he's had one night stands, but here's proof that you don't know me. Because me and Sebastian? We were a one night stand. You keep looking down at him for all these things he's done, but I've done the same things. So if you keep judging him, then try to remember that you're judging me, too."
Kurt looked sympathetic and Dave absolutely hated it. He didn't want sympathy, he wanted a friend.
"David, that's different. He does it for fun. Whatever you went through to help you get better…that's okay. People cope with things however they can."
Dave laughed, humorlessly, scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration. Kurt was so wrong. He was so determined to hate Sebastian, and to be Dave's protector that he couldn't even hear what Dave was telling him.
"Look, Kurt, I know you're just trying to be a good friend, but you don't get it. What happened with me and Sebastian…it was before that. He didn't use me. Or, he did, I guess, but I used him too, and we both knew what it was. And we were friends before that, sort of. But," Dave held up a hand to stop Kurt, who looked like he was going to interrupt, "but the point is that he's still here."
"Okay," Kurt said slowly, frowning as though he had a bad taste in his mouth, "that's…I did not expect that. And I am willing to concede that maybe – maybe – he cares about you in some abstract way. But he's not–he's not right for you, not in a long term kind of way."
It wasn't so long ago that Dave would have believed that, but now he knew Kurt was wrong. Of course, it didn't look like Kurt was going to be convinced. At least, not yet.
"If you can't just accept that you're wrong about Sebastian, can you at least accept that he and I are together and that's not going to change? I want to be friends with you, Kurt, but if it comes down to it, I love him and I'll choose him every time."
There was a look of undisguised concern – and more than a little pity – on Kurt's face.
"You love him?" Kurt sighed. It made Dave's teeth grind – he didn't need pity, just a little acceptance. "He'll never give you a proper relationship, or love you, not really. I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm just trying to help because I'm your friend."
"Some friend," he muttered, regretting it instantly at the wounded look Kurt gave him. "I…I'm sorry. That was unfair. But, Kurt…you need to understand something. You keep saying you're my friend, and I guess you are, but when was the last time we saw each other before today? Or spoke properly? If you hadn't found out about Sebastian, would you have seen me at all this summer?"
"You could have called me," Kurt protested.
"Yeah, I could have. But that's not the point. I'm not mad that we haven't been hanging out, that's not what I'm saying, okay? It's just…you haven't been around, so you haven't seen me and Sebastian together, and you just…you don't know anything about our relationship."
"I know Sebastian."
"You think you know Sebastian. But you don't. Not really."
Kurt pursed his lips again, looking like he wanted to argue, but he remained silent.
"I just think," Dave continued, "that you shouldn't be judging our relationship when you know nothing about it. As my friend, you should trust me to make my own choices in my life."
"Mistakes, you mean."
"Sebastian isn't a mistake. But if he was, as my friend, you should support me anyway because he makes me happy."
"He makes you happy for now. But what happens later? How long do you really think he'll stick around?"
Dave hesitated to answer, not because he wasn't sure, but because he knew what needed to be said and hated how much it was going to hurt Kurt's feelings.
Sebastian had been right about Kurt not acting like a true friend to Dave, about him being too busy to be there when Dave needed him. It didn't really bother Dave the way it probably should; he understood that people got busy and had their own lives to lead. He didn't blame Kurt, but he also knew that Kurt needed to realize the issue at hand. He wasn't there out of worry for a friend; he probably didn't realize, but he was only there out of sympathy for Dave's past and his dislike of Sebastian.
"He stuck around longer than you did," Dave said softly, but clearly. Kurt's face crumpled, and guilt stabbed at Dave, but he knew that if they had any hope of friendship then Kurt needed to accept Sebastian's place in Dave's life. Part of that was seeing Sebastian as a person who had done the right thing by Dave, even when others hadn't. "I'm not saying this to upset you…it's just, you need to hear it. You keep saying we're friends, but when I really needed a friend, you weren't here. And you're only here now because you hate Sebastian…not because you wanted to catch up with me, or to see how I was doing."
"I…I thought you were doing okay. I mean…the awful messages stopped on your Facebook and I just got the impression you were doing well." Kurt looked guilty, which was probably a good thing, although it made Dave feel terrible. "I'm sorry I wasn't around, a lot of things were happening, but you could have called me if you needed me!"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you. I didn't call you – didn't need to – because Sebastian was there for me. You're sure he's using me and will leave any minute, but he stood by me as a friend even through the worst of it, when no one else did."
Dave shook his head at Kurt and sat back down on his bed, hands curling awkwardly on his knees as he tried to explain. "Sebastian was there for me every single day, and the reason those messages were gone was because he would log into my account constantly to delete anything bad that he thought might…might upset me." He took a deep and steadying breath; his voice had gotten shaky thinking too deeply about those first few weeks after he'd gotten out of hospital. "You keep saying he can't love me, but he does. And he's not going to leave; he's proven that to me over and over. But if you can't trust my opinion because you think I'm blinded by him or whatever, go ask my dad what he thinks."
Kurt swallowed. He looked uncomfortable and wouldn't meet Dave's eyes suddenly. "No need. He already made it clear he likes Sebastian."
When Kurt shifted awkwardly, Dave fought the urge to grin. His dad was Sebastian's biggest fan. He tried to stay serious, though, because he knew Kurt wouldn't listen if he thought Dave was laughing at him.
"Do you really think my dad would let anyone near me if he didn't think he could trust them? Or that they'd be a bad influence? After everything that happened, he's…protective."
"No one could blame him for that."
"No," Dave agreed. "But Sebastian is protective, too. When my mother," he cleared his throat, trying to ignore the pang in his chest, "when she came to see me after graduation she…she said some things. Bad things. I almost…I mean…I thought I was going to relapse. But…but Sebastian dropped everything and drove probably twice the speed limit back from Dalton just to hold me while I…while I cried. Kurt, he's more than what you think he is."
They sat silently for a while. Kurt looked like he was staring through Dave's wall, his knees pulled up against his chest and arms around them, as though he was lost in his own head. Dave was grateful for the lull in conversation, since it gave him a chance to pull himself back together after bringing up such painful memories. It also let him process how angry he'd gotten at Kurt for judging Sebastian so harshly, when Kurt had been so eager to forget all of Dave's bad behavior just because Dave had been through some crap afterwards.
He was more upset on Sebastian's behalf than anything else, though he knew objectively that the other issues needed to be fixed if he and Kurt were to be real friends. Maybe it wasn't completely healthy to ignore the ways Kurt had – unintentionally – mistreated him, but Dave also knew that Sebastian would react far worse to a wrongdoing against Dave than against himself, so at least he was in good company. Between the two of them, they took good care of each other, or at least did their best to.
Maybe that made them kind of codependent, but Dave couldn't bring himself to be too worried about that.
"I still don't trust Sebastian," Kurt said after quite some time, "but I suppose you're right. I wasn't there and I didn't see how you got…where you are. I'm…I should have been there. I'm sorry."
"I didn't tell you that to make you feel bad, Kurt."
"No. No, I know. But I do feel bad. And I should. I can't promise to always be around, but I can promise to try harder."
Dave smiled. "Thank you. I want us to be friends, proper friends. But Sebastian is the most important person in my life, except my dad. You need to get that."
Kurt frowned, biting his lip uncertainly, and Dave steeled himself. Whatever Kurt was about to say, it obviously wasn't going to be a ringing endorsement.
"Please don't take this the wrong way. But…how can you be so sure that he loves you? He's…well. He's Sebastian."
Instead of letting himself get upset again, Dave shrugged, fiddling with his watch and remembering the words etched into the back of it. "I just do. He doesn't say it often, but when he does, I know it's true."
"Alright," Kurt said slowly. "But if he really does love you, he shouldn't hide your relationship."
Considering Kurt found out because Blaine had seen them together in the Lima Bean – and overheard them, Kurt had said, which Dave tried not to think about when he remembered their conversation – Dave had no idea how Kurt could think Sebastian was trying to hide anything. He didn't even hide things that they probably should; like details about their sex life that the people in the local coffee shop really didn't need to hear.
"Sebastian isn't trying to hide anything."
"Then why haven't I heard about it before now, if it's been going on for months? I know I've been a little…in absentia…but we live in the same town and we're friends on Facebook. I mean, I scoured your profile yesterday after Blaine told me and there was nothing there. I swear I half thought Blaine was hallucinating from the heat and too much hair gel."
"Don't tell me you're one of those people that believe a relationship isn't real unless it's Facebook official," Dave joked. But Kurt just rolled his eyes and stared at Dave expectantly, so he shrugged. "That's not Sebastian. That's me."
Kurt opened his mouth to say something, and Dave could already hear the lecture about how he should walk away if he had doubts, so he held up a hand and cut Kurt off before it could even begin.
"Stop. Just…it's not what you're thinking. I'm not ashamed and I'm not having doubts, or any of that stuff. I just didn't want to make Sebastian a target from the assholes at my school. Not that he can't handle himself," Dave added with a grin. "But you know what? School's over. I've graduated and I'm going to college soon. I guess now's as good a time as any to flood my Facebook profile with Sebastian."
"Please don't," Kurt said, looking a little put off. But from his tone he was at least half joking, which Dave chose to see as a step forward. "Are you er…are you sure that Sebastian wants that, too?"
The thread of doubt was still there, but Dave could tell Kurt was trying to hide it. Small victories.
"If you were his Facebook friend, you wouldn't be asking me that," he answered with a smile. "He keeps telling me to hurry up and accept his relationship request because, and I quote, 'having In A Relationship without a name attached to it gives the impression of a desperate middle aged woman who gets through the days by pretending to be married to her favorite actor from some daytime soap that take three months to show the actions of one party'. End quote."
He watched in amusement as Kurt's eyebrow rose. Kurt flushed, which made Dave suspect that he watched a show that fit Sebastian's description. "That's very specific."
Dave grinned. "He's said it often enough I have it memorized. And Sebastian likes his insults to be pointed."
"I've noticed." Kurt was smiling a little. "So, there's really no way you're going to change your mind, is there?"
"There's really, really not."
"Well, then I guess I'm just going to have to…deal with that. I meant what I said when I visited you. I want us to be friends. I know I've been a bit…that I could have been better about this. But I'm not going to make that mistake again. And next time I come to see you, I promise, we'll at least catch up for a few minutes before I try to control your life," Kurt finished with a sheepish smile, and Dave smiled so wide his face hurt.
"That's all I can ask," he laughed.
"I should go." Kurt stood. "I need to...I guess wrap my head around this. And maybe think about what you told me about what Sebastian has done for you because… I suppose I never expected that of him. Maybe I haven't been reasonable."
"To be fair, you just went by what you saw," Dave admitted. "But you didn't really see much, only a little piece."
"You are aware that he and I aren't suddenly going to be friends, aren't you?" Kurt said abruptly, narrowing his eyes at Dave. "Because I'm fairly certain that goes against the nature of the universe."
"If that happened, I'd be terrified. For now I'll settle for cold civility and minimal snide comments."
As they left Dave's bedroom and headed down the stairs, Kurt eyed him. "You're even starting to sound like him. But I can probably attempt that, if Sebastian can."
"He can and will. I can handle Sebastian."
Kurt hummed an agreement as he reached the front door, and something about his expression made the back of Dave's neck itch.
"Of course you can," he told Dave. "That tie you use for your kinky sex games says that pretty clearly. But while I'm around, you should blindfold him with it. He won't be able to glare, and you never know, you might both like it enough to try it again when you're alone."
Dave spluttered. He was used to hearing things like that from Sebastian, but Kurt was a different (and Dave had believed more innocent) story.
"Goodbye, David," Kurt said, patting him on the shoulder. "I promised we'll catch up again soon. Maybe next week."
By the time Dave had recovered his wits, Kurt was already driving away.
"I can never unhear that," said a resigned voice from behind him. Dave glanced over his shoulder, startled and embarrassed by his dad's presence. "If you're planning on cutting off people's senses, please start by deafening me."
"You've heard worse from Sebastian," Dave said, flustered, as he rushed up the stairs to the safety of his room.
"True, but I've come to expect it of him. It's somehow worse from your friend," his dad called after him.
Dave closed his bedroom door behind him and shook his head. The afternoon had gone fairly well, he supposed, even if it had ended with him red faced.
His eyes fell on Sebastian's tie and he groaned, freshly embarrassed, although he couldn't bring himself to put it away. And maybe...maybe a blindfold would be fun.
Huffing a laugh at himself, Dave remembered what Kurt said and sat at his laptop to open up Facebook. A few clicks later, his profile listed him as 'In A Relationship With Sebastian Smythe' and he felt himself beaming at nobody.
He definitely should have done that sooner.
It wasn't long, only few minutes later, when Dave's phone buzzed with an incoming message from Sebastian.
You're stuck with me now, Growly. Facebook says so and I have the notification to prove it. Love you. P.S. Hope you made friends with the gorgon. Or slayed it.