November 30, 2017. New York City.
"You have got to be kidding me, you called me over here for this?" Sebastian stood in the middle of Kurt's bedroom, beer in hand. Kurt just looked at him with curiosity and concern in his eyes. He didn't understand why Sebastian would be so upset, it was completely within his ordinary behavior to drag Sebastian out of his house in the middle of his lazy Saturday to help him pick out his outfit.
"Why else would you be here?" Kurt asked. He turned to look away from Sebastian and back into his closet. Sebastian couldn't help but smile at his absurdity.
"Moral support?" Sebastian offered while he sipped on his beer and sat down on the small bench in front of Kurt's vanity. Kurt tried his best to hide his growing laughter.
"This is moral support." Kurt practically shouted from the cavern of his closet, tossing shirts and pants every which way.
"This is helping you pick out the perfect outfit for your date. Your date, not mine." Sebastian said with a laugh but really he understood. This was always Kurt's behavior when he was nervous, he over thought everything and left Sebastian to be the one to make sense of it all. Kurt continued to cause a mess in his closet and Sebastian couldn't help but feel somewhat amused.
"Maybe if you talk about this guy it will make you less nervous and more excited." Sebastian suggested and Kurt paused in the closet for a moment before walking out and looking at his best friend sitting at his vanity. He stood with his hand on his hip, his outfit only half put together. His white collared shirt looked lonely without a vest to pull everything together and his pants were sinfully tight.
"Okay, um - his name is Bryan. He started at Vogue in the spring as an assistant. He's good, really good. He's about your height, dark brown hair and eyes. Great personality. He...he seems like he has a lot to offer." Kurt finished as he pulled on a charcoal grey vest and buttoned it up. Sebastian just gave him an encouraging smile.
"He sounds like a winner." Sebastian commented. "Where is he taking you?" He asked as Kurt was pulling out his ankle length black boots and looked at them appraisingly before deciding that they were right for his outfit.
"Some French restaurant in The Village." Kurt said with a shrug, not noticing Sebastian's grimace. He felt that going to an French restaurant on a first date was a bit too cliché. Kurt sat down on the edge of his bed as he laced up his boots, taking long steady breathes; trying his best to calm his rapid heart.
"Honestly Kurt, you have no reason to be nervous. You've been out of the dating game for a year now, it's time to get back on the horse." Sebastian said with a caring smile, setting his empty beer bottle down on the vanity. Kurt just sighed.
"What if he thinks I'm damaged goods? He's not going to want to date me when he finds out that I backed out of my own engagement." He sounded frantic, his voice getting higher and louder as he continued to talk about it. Sebastian knew that if he didn't stop Kurt now it would turn into a full blown panic attack. He stood and stepped over to Kurt until he was standing right in front of him. He bent down so that he could be face to face with Kurt. He lifted a hand to his face and brushed a few strands of hair back into place. Sebastian looked into Kurt's eyes, both sets mirror images of the other.
"If he think that way about you then he's definitely not worth your time." Sebastian let his hand fall onto Kurt's shoulder and he squeezed it a bit, the pressure of Sebastian's closeness gave him comfort. It seemed that Sebastian always knew what to say to make him feel better.
"And wear the hippo broach, it will catch his attention." Sebastian said before turning away, heading for the door.
"Wha-where are you going?" Kurt called out.
"To grab another beer." Kurt just rolled his eyes and went to check himself out in the mirror.
"You owe me a six-pack." Kurt shouted into the void. He heard a mumbled response from Sebastian in the kitchen but couldn't make out what he had said. He just smiled and continued to tug at bits of his outfit, trying to make every inch of himself look perfect for tonight.
Sebastian was on the verge of falling asleep when a knock at the door stirred him back into consciousness. He waited for his eyes to completely regain their focus and for his clouded mind to clear. He had spent the entire evening drinking along in his apartment, watching re-runs of RuPaul's Drag Race. He hadn't planned on doing it but thoughts of Kurt out of his date with Bryan, who had a lot to offer, it had consumed him all night so he decided to chase it away with alcohol. He heard the knocking again so he stood slowly, shirtless and walked to the front door. When he looked through the peep hole he was surprised to see a very irritated looking Kurt on the other side of the door.
Sebastian unlocked the door and opened it, leaning against the door frame, he was about to speak but Kurt got to it first.
"Would it kill you to answer your phone?" Kurt asked as he stormed into the apartment and straight into Sebastian's white and pristine kitchen. It was pristine besides the empty cardboard skeleton of a six-pack on the counter. Kurt motioned to it quickly before taking a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Healthy dinner." Sebastian didn't want to start an argument so instead of responding he just rolled his eyes. Kurt shrugged and changed the subject.
"Seriously though, I tried calling you like six times." Kurt stated as he leaned his elbows against the granite counter top. Sebastian looked him over, noticing that he had taken his advice and worn the hippo broach. Sebastian just tiredly shrugged his shoulders.
"My phone must be dead." He lied, he had turned it off because he didn't want to Kurt to call him after his date and tell him about how amazing it was.
"Well, my date...sucked." Kurt said, looking down at his feet. Sebastian tried to mask his look of surprise with a look of concern.
"Come again?" Sebastian asked, he wondered if he was dreaming or if he was still drunk and was just imagining that Kurt was saying these words.
"It sucked. He was so uninteresting. We literally have nothing in common besides fashion and he is severely lacking in that department. He thought my hippo was a platypus." Sebastian couldn't help but laugh. He loved watching Kurt when he was riled up like this, his eyes gave into that wild look that Sebastian couldn't get enough of. He wouldn't say it out loud but he was glad that Kurt hadn't enjoyed the date. He knew that Kurt was ready to start dating again but he wasn't ready yet. He hadn't had Kurt to himself for long enough.
"He was just going on and on about his ambitions, how he was going to take the fashion world by storm! All I kept thinking was that I needed to get out of that restaurant and get here." Kurt looked up into Sebastian's eyes and smiled; it was enough to make Sebastian spark back to life. He was overwhelmed with his affection for Kurt, more so than any other time with any other person in his entire life. It was times like these that made them best friends, they could say anything and do anything with each other; anything at all. Kurt hadn't even realized that he was crying until Sebastian reached out a hand and wiped the tear stain off his cheek. Kurt's eyes were sparkling blue and he looked so rejected as if he was taking Bryan's flaws personally, like it was a reflection of how dateable he was.
"May I make a suggestion?" Sebastian asked and Kurt just smiled and nodded.
"Why don't I put on a pot of tea, we get you into some PJ's and we watch RuPaul's Drag Race?" Sebastian suggested knowing full well that Kurt couldn't resist the three things that he had just mentioned. Kurt's smile grew.
"God, yes please." Kurt muttered. Sebastian stepped closer and planted a firm kiss on Kurt's cheek, ignoring how his neck flushed at the contact. He turned to the stone and busied himself with making their tea as Kurt trudged through Sebastian's dresser to find suitable pajamas. He finally settled on a pair of plaid cotton pants and a NYU Law t-shirt which was just a bit too long for him. When he stepped back in to the living room he heard the whistle of the tea kettle and the bustle of movement in the kitchen. He sat down in the center of the couch and looked around the room, his eyes settling on the mantle above the fireplace, only two photos stood upright and in plain sight. One of Sebastian and his younger sister, Isabella who lived in Paris with their mother; and a picture of himself and Sebastian. It was outdoors on one of the many hikes that they had taken upstate. They had conquered the trail and asked a fellow hiker to take a picture of them. Sebastian stood a head taller than Kurt, holding his arms over his head, flexing his muscles. Kurt just had an expression that was mixture of pure excitement and exhaustion. It was one Kurt's favorite photographs that they had taken together over the years. He was always comforted by Sebastian's apartment, he was surrounded by so many memories that filled him with a warm fuzzy feeling that took a hold of his around the middle and refused to let go.
Sebastian walked back into the living room and his heart clenched at the sight of Kurt enveloped in his clothing. He loved the look of Kurt so casual, it was always as if he walls were finally let down and he could be completely relaxed. He set two mugs down on the round coffee table, steam rising up in transparent tendrils.
He clicked on the television and Drag Race came on and he settled on the seat at the end of the couch, he reached down the side and pulled on the lever that made the bottom of the couch pop up to recline. Sebastian let himself get comfortable, as did Kurt. Kurt picked up his mug and gently blew on the hot liquid before taking his first cautious sip; letting it warm him from head to toe.
"This is a great episode." Kurt mumbled as he set his drink back down on the coffee table and stretched himself out on the couch; laying his head on the fluffy pillow on the end of the couch. He pushed his feet completely into Sebastian's lap, causing Sebastian to quietly laugh under his breath. Once Kurt was comfortable he sighed and let his body completely relax.
"This is perfect." Kurt mumbled, his voice echoing just how tired he really was. Sebastian just smiled and kept his eyes forward even though he was watching Kurt out of the corner of his eyes. He watched Kurt silently until he fell asleep. Sebastian was on the edge of falling asleep as well, his last thought before sleep took him was of Kurt and how he wished every night would end in just the same way.