(Sorry about the M rating, don't know why I forgot to change it. This is now happily in the T section.)
This has been lingering on my tumblr for a while, so while I try think of plotlines for my other stories I decided to post this on here. This was a birthday present for the magical Suomalainen-Sisu (whose story 'Create Bubbles At Night' you need to check out'). Hope you like it :)
Hall Of Fame
By the time Kurt has left NYADA, tears are brimming in his eyes and he can tell his face is all puffy and red. He sniffs a little, rubbing his nose against his sleeves despite his inner OCD telling him he'll regret it later. Right now, he isn't bothered about ruining his favourite sweater. All he wants is to get home to Sebastian.
Of course, Sebastian isn't there.
Hitching his bag over his shoulder, he hobbles a little and hurries towards a cab. He doesn't want to face the tube when he's like this. Thankfully for him, a cabbie stops pretty much instantly. At least something went right today. Once he's inside, he pays for the ride and remains quiet, rather than making light conversation like he normally would, and tries to hold back tears for as long as he can.
He's glad Rachel isn't home yet (probably hanging back at NYADA to wait for Brody or something) because, while her hugs are some of the best and her hot chocolate comes close, she isn't the person he wants right now. He wants someone who will kiss him and hold him and make slow love to him until his problems are lost in a sea of arousal and desire. He wants Sebastian, and not just on Skype or over the phone. It's not fair that he only has this digital crackle instead of the lovely resonance of Bas' voice. Kurt places himself on the loveseat and folds his arms around his knees, nuzzling into them and sniffling a little more. Everyone had told him that New York would be good for him, that it would be filled with people like him. New York would be a breeze. But why is it that he's never felt more lonely.
When he feels bad enough that he considers ordering a whole Pizza for himself (a habit he knows he can never start because there will be no end), he's almost glad when he hears Rachel knocking on the door (for a woman she forgets her keys. A lot.). He could do with her pillow of a chest to huddle into right now. He moves a little more lethargically towards the door than normal, socks sliding across the wooden floorboards and a meek little 'Coming' escaping his chapped lips. The door moves with some difficulty, revealing someone with a little less pillow-cleavage than he expected.
A bright face pops out from behind a hood. "Surprise!"
Kurt's face only falls for a second until it brightens like the sun and he puts on his full, toothy grin which he reserves for one person only. "Bas!"
Bas dives right in for a tight hug, kissing Kurt chastely on the cheek. "Miss me?"
Kurt doesn't reply for a moment, simply inhales Sebastian's shoulder; memorising the smell of cologne and coffee could never forget. "So much, Bas. So much." And then tears are already welling in his eyes because Sebastian is here and it's all he could ever hope for.
Sebastian feels the quiet shudder of Kurt's body and pulls back to stare down and study Kurt's face. "Hey, come on, Kurt. You know I can't do with emotions this early in the day."
Kurt has to laugh, scrubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "It's half past four, Sebastian."
"Ah, the night is still young."
Both of them grin, and Kurt is the one to lean forward for a soft kiss; though Sebastian is the one to deepen it. And as much as Kurt would love to let Sebastian take him then and there, he feels obliged to inform Sebastian of his day. He pulls back, much against Bas' will.
"Can we talk?"
"If you're breaking up with me then no." He goes in for another kiss but Kurt twists his head just in time for Bas to knock his nose against his boyfriend's shoulder. He gives a hiss and a curse in pain.
"I'm not breaking up with you, Bas. We all know I'm never going to break up with anyone - ever." Kurt glances at his socks, loving how close his toes are to Bas'. "I just had the world's shittiest day and I'm not in the best shape for sex."
A year ago, Bas might have scoffed and stripped Kurt anyway. But Kurt has a habit of changing people for the better and the way Bas' brow pulls together means that he definitely cares about what Kurt has to say.
"Hey, what happened?" He leads Kurt back to the loveseat, frowning at the limp in Kurt's left leg. "Did you fall over in Dance 101?"
Kurt snuffles and nods. "Understatement. Some underclassmen were in the class today and they thought it would be funny to trip me up, and then I kind of fell into some of the barre they keep hanging around."
Bas blinks.
"They're the bars we use to stretch with. They just leave them on the floor for all to fall over." Kurt rolled his ankle to prove his point, though winced at the pain that laced through his entire leg at the action.
Sebastian opens his mouth to speak but Kurt just keeps on talking. "And not only that, they wouldn't let me go see the nurse so I had to dance on it which only made it worse. And then I lost my gym bag because those stupid underclassmen also thought it'd be fun to switch all the guys' bags with the girls', so nobody knew where their bags were until one of the guys told us where they were so of course I was the one who was unanimously elected to go get them all and there was so much fucking boob, Sebastian it wasn't even funny. And then I had to carry ten guys' worth of clothing with me on this fucking foot and it really hurt."
Once again, Bas tries to interrupt but Kurt isn't done. "And then Madame Tibideux was being a bitch to me and I don't say that often because she's Miss Tibideux but she kept on saying that I have no soul or passion in my voice and then when I tried to be emotional I kept hitting the wrong notes and it was just shit, Bas. I don't even know why I do it sometimes."
Kurt just keeps on sniffing until he decides he doesn't care if Bas sees him cry. He buries his head into the lean torso next to him and lets tears fall until arms are moulded around him and light kisses are being pressed into his hair.
"Kurt Hummel, you have made a complete pansy out of me." There's no conviction behind it.
Kurt feels Bas' torso vibrate, and he realises the boy is humming. And then he's singing.
Yeah, You could be the greatest,
You can be the best.
You can be the king kong banging on your chest.
You could beat the world,
You could beat the war,
You could talk to God, go banging on his door.
You can throw your hands up, you can be the clock.
You can move a mountain, you can break rocks.
You can be a master; don't wait for luck.
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself.
Standing in the hall of fame.
And the world's gonna know your name.
Cause you burn with the brightest flame.
And the world's gonna know your name.
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame.
Be a champion, Be a champion, Be a champion, Be a champion.
On the walls of the hall of fame
Kurt isn't burying his face anymore, he's staring through wet eyes at the man who he never thought he'd want - the man he'd thought could never be kind or sensitive.
"Kurt Hummel, you had a bad day. You had a fucking shitty day, and it'll be one of many. But you're gonna have great days where Cassie is gonna fall on her knees in awe of your dancing and you'll go to that showcase thing because Tibideux finally realised you are the most fucking talented person she knows." He brushes a stray piece of hair behind Kurt's ear. "So you had an off day, everyone can have them. You think Streissand didn't have an off day? And I'm pretty sure Lupone missed a note or two. You go to this school so you can become better than your best, and if your best is what you are then you're gonna knock 'em dead."
And Kurt never feels luckier than he does then. He finally indulges Bas and plants a long, sweet kiss on the other man's lips. "What the hell did I do to deserve you?"
Bas grins. "I vaguely remember you wore jeans too tight for any man to consider healthy."
"Oh, you mean these?"
Sebastian looks to where Kurt is gesturing towards his legs. "Huh, so they are. They'd be better if they were off, you know."
Kurt smiles at his hopelessly horny boyfriend. "Love you."
"Love you too. Now do you need carrying to your room or can I just strip you here?"