"Are you sure? I just find it kind of hard to believe that you've barely scratched the surface of what you have to do tonight. I mean, do you really have that much work? What? No, n-no of course I'm not calling you a liar. Why would you think that? I just thought –sigh- no, no I don't want that. Well, what do you want me to say? I just – never mind. I'll call you at intermission okay? Love you…"
Blaine ended the call with the push of a button and sighed as he slipped his phone into his jacket pocket and ran his fingers through his hair. He walked back to Kurt, who was waiting for Blaine to finish his call in the theater lobby. One look towards Blaine and Kurt grimaced, already realizing how the phone call went.
"I'm guessing Sebastian won't be joining us," Kurt assumed from the look on Blaine's face.
Blaine gave a half-hearted shrug as an answer, his head tilted down towards the floor.
"Probably not, but I'm still going to call him at intermission," Blaine then said.
The pair walked from the lobby of the theater and up a couple flights of stairs to reach their box seats. Kurt gasped at the brilliance of the theater as they kept walking. Blaine's sad demeanor slowly dissipated and a small smile breached his face as he watched Kurt gaze at the theater in wonder. It was if a switch had been flipped, and suddenly Blaine could care less about his husband failing to join them. Kurt was here, and to Blaine, that was all that mattered and he couldn't wait to spend this evening with his lover.
Eventually, the pair reached their seats in their private box and Kurt could barely keep the smile off his face as he gazed at the beauty of the stage and the architecture that surrounded it. He could understand why Blaine had been so excited to see the play here. The theater truly was magnificent. Of course, Kurt would have been happy seeing a play in a dingy alley as long as Blaine was there with him.
"Is it bad that I'm happy he can't come?" Kurt asked, a little nervous about Blaine's response. Many different scenarios of what Blaine's reaction would be played through Kurt head, a scowl at the mention of Sebastian or maybe another sad shrug leading Blaine to close himself off from Kurt, but what he didn't expect was for Blaine to give him an easy and loving smile.
"I would have been surprised if you weren't," he teased, gently taking Kurt's hand over the armrest between their seats and squeezing it, not concerned about the display of affection since the private box hid them from peering eyes.
They still had about twenty minutes before the show started so the pair took advantage of the time and their seclusion by sharing long, slow, languid kisses, each one a little more heated than the last.
"Blaine," Kurt breathed as Blaine shifted closer to Kurt's seat and left a small trail of kisses down Kurt's jaw line.
"Mmm – what is it baby?" Blaine asked, his mouth breaking into a smile that Kurt could feel on his neck.
"I need- ah – I need to a-ask you something," Kurt stuttered, his brain struggling to maintain one coherent thought, let alone a string of them as Blaine continued to nip at and nuzzle Kurt's neck.
"O-okay," Blaine whispered a little hesitantly, pulling back and grasping Kurt's hands with his own, kissing Kurt's knuckles.
"It's probably something you don't want to answer, but I-" Kurt paused, noticing Blaine's faltering smile before continuing, "I really would like to know…" he trailed off again, his words laced with worry.
Blaine frowned at Kurt's reluctance to talk to him. Kurt was never like this, he always told Blaine what he was thinking. Always. Whether Blaine wanted him to or not.
"Kurt, please don't feel like you can't ask me something. Keeping things from each other, tiptoeing around issues, that's not what our relationship is about," Blaine assured him, gently squeezing their interlaced hands.
Kurt gave him a fleeting smile, but didn't say anything. Blaine grew increasingly anxious at Kurt's silence.
"Kurt, please say something," he pleaded, his face wrought with worry.
Kurt bit his lip and looked everywhere except into Blaine's sweet and concerned honey colored eyes.
"How close are you to adopting a child?" he eventually blurted out, covering his mouth with his hands as soon as he said it.
Blaine breathed in sharply and his jaw dropped, his mouth forming a small "o." He shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat at the proposed question not meeting Kurt's eye, but keeping a strong hold on Kurt's hand.
"You were right," he muttered. "I don't want to answer that question."
Kurt's heart sank at Blaine's words, but he wasn't going to drop the issue so easily. Especially since Blaine just said they wouldn't tiptoe around issues. Watching Blaine tense up at Kurt's question made him believe that they weren't as close to adopting as Blaine initially led Kurt to believe, maybe not even at all.
"Blaine?" Kurt tried again, his voice soft, but questioning, "Does Sebastian want children?"
Kurt watched apprehensively as Blaine lowered his head so his chin touched his collarbone. His jaw was clenched and his hand gripped Kurt's with an almost painful force.
Even though it was a simple question, Kurt immediately felt that he'd gone too far because for Blaine, it wasn't a simple question. It was a painful and sad one, and Kurt realized this as soon as he asked it. Whether or not Blaine and Sebastian wanted to start a family was extremely personal and not any business of Kurt's. Blaine told him earlier that they were going to adopt and Kurt should have just believed him, not asked him again. And of what importance were Kurt's questions and thoughts anyway? He was just the other man, the lover, the home wrecker. He shouldn't have had any hope that Blaine would leave his husband and comfortable lifestyle and choose instead to be with Kurt, and yet there was something in him that couldn't let Blaine go.
Earlier, Blaine called himself selfish for not wanting to let Kurt go. Well, Kurt was just as selfish and he wasn't going to give Blaine up without a fight.
But he wouldn't split up a family. He just wouldn't.
So he had to know.
He had to know because if this was indeed happening, Kurt would gather the strength to say goodbye for good, for the happiness of Blaine's future family. But if it wasn't…well then Kurt planned on sticking around for as long as it would take.
But before Kurt could make his decision, Blaine had to answer him first.
When Blaine finally looked up at Kurt, his eyes big and glassy and his face painfully painfully sad, his answer came out as a whimper.
"No"
Kurt had seen Blaine upset before. He had held him when he first confessed to Kurt just how lonely he was even before they started falling in love, had kissed away the tears and woes Blaine had, and even cried a little himself when they said their first goodbye. Even only a few hours ago, they had lovingly comforted each other when they realized they had an expiration date, but this look, this look that Blaine was giving him currently, was the saddest Kurt had seen him. It was utterly heartbreaking.
"But Blaine, before you had said…," Kurt started.
"I know what I said," Blaine murmured, his voice dead and void of emotion. "I was mainly trying to convince myself. It's not like he's directly told me no or anything. But," Blaine breathed in with a shudder, his shoulders shaking, but not due to the chill in the theater. "But I know, I just know he doesn't. I can feel it and I don't, it just," Blaine squeezed his eyes shut, a few tears running down his cheeks, "It kills me a little every time I bring it up only to have him shoot me down."
"Blaine," Kurt said despairingly.
"I just want to be a father," Blaine whispered. "I just want a child to love and take care of... someone who will be proud to call me "Dad" and-and love me just as much as I love them. Is it so wrong to want that? Does that make me selfish?"
Kurt said nothing in response to Blaine's questions. What could he say? Could he lie and say that Blaine was overreacting and Sebastian probably does want kids, just not now? That choice would only cause Kurt to watch helplessly as his love moved on with his life without him. Could he say what he was really thinking? Telling Blaine that he deserved better than who he was married to, he deserved someone just as kind and loving as Blaine was and more than ready to start a family, was an action that would cause Kurt to appear selfish and leave Blaine torn and upset. Neither choice was truly an option, so Kurt stayed silent, only kissing Blaine's forehead as a response, realizing this decision was Blaine's, and Blaine's alone.
Blaine inhaled deeply as Kurt kissed him, his lip quivering, his mind begging him not to cry at the affection that he seldom received. He'd cried so much in the last eight hours or so, he truly wondered if he had any tears left. If the thought of losing Kurt made him so unhappy, did he make the right decision in choosing his husband ten months ago? This wondering led to a question of his own.
"Kurt?" he asked, his voice small.
"What honey?" Kurt answered, giving Blaine a small smile.
"Do – do you…" Blaine trailed off, shaking his head and staring at his lap, deciding not to ask.
"Blaine?" Kurt questioned, cupping Blaine's cheek with his hand.
Blaine shook his head no.
"It's nothing, just a stupid thought. I shouldn't have even begun to ask it in the first place," he mumbled, pulling away and turning his attention to the stage.
"Oh good, the show's about to start," he said cheerily, his voice cracking a little.
"Blaine," Kurt tried again, only to have Blaine shush him.
"C'mon Kurt, I don't want to miss anything. The beginning's the most important part," he declared, dropping Kurt's hand in favor of the show program, further distancing himself even more from the reality that was sitting at home doing his work, and the dream that was sitting right next to him.
XXX
"Excuse me?" Hunter sputtered.
"Oh, I'm sure you heard me. I want you, Hunter Clarington, to kill my dear cheating husband, Blaine Anderson," Sebastian replied lightly, standing up, taking out a handkerchief, and beginning to wipe his glass clean. He then reached over and did the same to Hunter's.
"You see, a few months before I left for that business trip that spurred my husband to wander, he and I had recently written our wills, naturally leaving everything we had to each other. So as I was planning to murder Blaine in that pub, I realized I had more motive than anyone," Sebastian explained, placing the two glasses back into the cabinet where he had retrieved them. He then turned to his guest who hadn't left yet, deciding instead to continue listening to his host.
"I needed an alibi, and that's when I saw you," Sebastian said. "Like I said before, I always wondered what happened to you after we left Dalton. I had heard you became a soccer star in the States, of course, but then you seemed to just drop off everyone's radar. So after you left the pub, I paid my bill and began to follow you."
Sebastian paused, always taking a moment to gauge Hunter's reaction. To his surprise, Hunter had sat back down and was once more watching Sebastian's every move. Sebastian smiled to himself, he had expected to work a little harder to get Hunter to stay, but it seemed as though Sebastian had misjudged his character, this was going better than he had anticipated.
"You followed me?" Hunter asked, his arms crossed and one eyebrow quirked.
"Let's just say you piqued my curiosity," Sebastian answered cautiously, picking up his long forgotten cane and returning it to the closet.
Hunter watched him meticulously, tracking his every move. Sebastian was an enigma to him, and although he knew his intentions were nothing but malicious, he couldn't bring himself to leave. He was slowly being woven into Sebastian's scheme and he figured he couldn't leave even if he wanted to. Hunter sighed and reached towards the bottle of scotch.
"Excuse me, if you're going to have another drink, I'd appreciate it if you put on those gloves," Sebastian ordered, his light tone darkening suddenly.
Hunter flinched at Sebastian's tone and drew his hand away, not really wanting a drink anymore. He leaned back into the couch and waited for Sebastian to continue his explanation. He didn't disappoint.
"So, as I was saying, I followed you into the brisk gloomy night, curious to see what life you were living. You went into a small flat, but I didn't see your name on the list of tenants, so I decided to walk home, figuring my inquiries had reached a dead end. Once I reached home, I packed my bags and went on my trip, just like I previously stated. But you remained on my mind," Sebastian confessed, walking over to the door and wiping the doorknob clean and returning to his chair.
"Really? Well, I can't exactly say I'm not flattered," Hunter said a little egotistically, preening a little at the attention.
"You should be, you are quite the fascinating character. Enough to make me do a little research about you while I was living out of a hotel room, specifically about why you suddenly were no longer the poster child for American soccer," Sebastian said.
Hunter stopped smiling.
"You see, after your spectacular debut, you hit a bit of a slump apparently. Couldn't quite compete with the big leaguers yet could you? So you fell far from your initial fame and if I remember correctly from high school, you never really dealt well with not being number one. But then, the most miraculous thing happened," Sebastian declared, watching Hunter grip the armrest of the couch dangerously. Sebastian was hitting all the right nerves.
"You were suddenly the best player in America, scoring goals like no other. You were on the face of magazines…cereal boxes…and then…" Sebastian trailed off watching Hunter's pale face quickly darken at the impending accusation.
"And then you disappeared again…and it wasn't until I did a little digging on my business trip that I discovered why."
"If you're going to say something then just say it. Although I highly doubt you were able to-" Hunter stated angrily.
"Drugs, right?" Sebastian interrupted with a smirk.
Hunter said nothing.
"Your silence is quite reassuring. Anyway, I figured out the secret to your success, but it seemed as though the rest of the soccer world did as well. So they cut you off and sent you here to "play" in a minor team. But you don't play soccer anymore do you?" Sebastian asked.
The silence continued.
"No… I don't believe you do. You just live here and live off of the money you earned years and years ago. How long until you eventually run out of what you saved? Unless you have already." Sebastian wondered, leaning back into his chair, his eyes glinting dangerously with knowledge.
Hunter's jaw clenched and his hands balled into tight fists. He was very close to snapping and giving Sebastian a piece of his mind. How dare he throw out these accusations about him so nonchalantly. And yet, Hunter said nothing because he had the sinking suspicion that his fall from soccer fame was not the only thing Sebastian knew about.
"You're being very quiet," Sebastian observed.
"I'm just waiting to see what other fabrications you come up with," Hunter replied sharply.
Sebastian chuckled and glanced briefly at the telephone, wondering if Blaine would be calling soon, before focusing his attention again on his guest.
"Well, whether or not you still have money from soccer is irrelevant to this part of the story. I started wondering what exactly happens to disgraced soccer stars. I'm assuming you were picked up in the middle of your college years, so you don't have a degree. Would you be able to find work? Would you just have to maintain a remedial job? I didn't know and I wanted to find out. So once I got back from my trip I returned to that same pub where I saw you the first time. Fortunately for me, you were there. I followed you from the pub to the same place that you entered before, but this time, instead of dropping the issue, I looked up the name: Wallace. Things started to get a little clearer after that," Sebastian confessed.
"Ms. Wallace, she pays your bills, right? Gives you a place to stay, and even pays for your tab at the pub correct?" Sebastian asked.
Hunter pursed his lips and looked away, refusing to answer any of Sebastian's questions. He was going to have to force him to talk; there was no way he was going to do it willingly.
"Well, if I thought Ms. Wallace was interesting, she was nothing compared to Miss Harris. She is very beautiful Hunter, even I can appreciate a woman that stunning," Sebastian declared.
At that statement, Hunter whipped his head around. The danger of the situation he was in just became very very real.
"You spent most days going home to Ms. Wallace, but those days when you were with Miss Harris... those days you exuded a happiness that I could see from miles away. I'm sure if it weren't for your gambling addiction, your choice would be easy wouldn't it. Oh yes, I know about the gambling addiction. I know everything about you. You became sort of a hobby of mine. Following you, learning about you…it was just as interesting as a television program or a play, if not more," Sebastian mused, smirking once he noticed his words finally causing a bigger reaction in Hunter.
Hunter stood from his seat and crossed over to Sebastian, the space between them extremely small.
"What are you doing?" he seethed.
Sebastian shrugged nonchalantly, not concerned with the dangerous tone in Hunter's voice. He knew he won.
"I'm simply giving you the initiative to work with me. I'd hate for Miss Harris to find out about your soccer career, your money troubles, or Ms. Wallace…" Sebastian hinted, his smile growing as Hunter realized the gravity of his situation. He had only one more idea.
"What if I walked over to the police station?" Hunter questioned.
"I'm not sure I follow," Sebastian stated, sitting back down in his chair.
"What if I went to the police station and told them everything you said to me tonight, about your husband, his affair, your plans, the letter and the blackmail?" Hunter questioned, his lips turned up at the thought of finally having a leg up on Sebastian and his plot.
"Well, I'd simply tell them that you'd shown up tonight, begging for money and telling this fantastic story about my husband and this blackmail letter you had written him. It'd be your word against mine. Plus, your fingerprints are on the letter, remember?" Sebastian said slyly, watching Hunter pale as he realized he had indeed handled the letter and put it back while Sebastian never touched it.
"What makes you think I would do this?" Hunter asked, knowing he was truly beaten.
"The same way I know a donkey with a stick behind him and a carrot in front of him will always move forward," Sebastian replied.
Hunter sat back down on the sofa and clasped his hands together, raising them in front of his mouth as he thought.
"Tell me about the carrot," he eventually said.
"Ten thousand pounds," Sebastian stated.
Hunter's eyes boggled.
"Ten thousand pounds? For a murder?"
"For a few minutes work," Sebastian said, his eyes glinting dangerously.
Hunter lowered his gaze, trying to appear disinterested in what Sebastian was saying, but between the blackmail and the reward, he figured he didn't have much of a choice.
"Where is this money?" Hunter wondered.
"Somewhere in London," Sebastian replied vaguely, getting up from the chair and moving towards the desk to retrieve something.
"We won't be meeting again after tonight. After you've finished the task, I'll mail you the key to a safe deposit box that contains the money. Here's a thousand pounds now, you'll get the rest after you've delivered the goods," Sebastian informed him as he threw a stack of money on the sofa next to Hunter.
Hunter eyed the money suspiciously, a new problem developing in his mind.
"You know, the police would only have to trace one of these bills in order to lock us both up," Hunter remarked.
"They won't," Sebastian said, "A few months ago, Blaine and I decided to remodel the apartment, a compromise since Blaine wanted to move to a completely new place and I did not. Blaine himself, signed off on the withdrawal and we put the money in that box for "remodeling purposes." The banks have known about that withdrawal for months. It has since faded from their memory. Not only that, they don't really know what the money is for, only that anyone can claim the money as long as they have the key, which you will."
"And your husband agreed to those conditions?" Hunter asked incredulously.
Sebastian smiled, but that action only caused Hunter to shudder.
"Of course he did. I thought it was for the best and he trusted me. You wouldn't believe how much Blaine is willing do for someone he loves. It's almost pathetic how needy he is," he answered.
Hunter felt a brief pang of sadness for this man who was doomed to die. He seemed kind and trustworthy, a genuinely nice man. However, Hunter didn't have time for sympathy. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but at least the rock had the appeal of ten thousand pounds. This rock was truly a diamond for Hunter.
"When will this take place?" he asked.
Sebastian's small smile grew to a malicious size.
"Tomorrow night."
IT'S ALIIIIVE!
Hi everyone! Yes, this story is still a thing and I'm so so sorry about the wait. Thankfully it's summer now so I have a lot more time to write and update. This chapter was a little shorter than others, but hopefully the chapters will begin to get longer as the story progresses. I've greatly appreciated your reviews/alerts/favorites, so THANK YOU for making this story so much fun to write. I love seeing your comments and theories.
Next up, Blaine makes a big decision, and Sebastian explains to Hunter exactly how his plan is to be executed...
Until next time, best wishes!
- Vintage Vagabond