Saturday nights at Scandal's were Sebastian's favorite nights. The atmosphere was loud, smoky, and desperate. The guys who'd failed to hook up on Friday night were back, and they were always drunker, and more interested in anything, more willing to do whatever it took to get laid.

Sebastian scanned the crowd and found a few old hook-ups dancing, and he grinned. He had options, if he were to choose to participate tonight.

But tonight, he was on a mission.

And his mission was sitting at the bar.

Sebastian caught sight of Bear Cub and slid onto the stool beside him. "Hey, Cub."

"Hey Sebastian," Dave glanced at him and tipped the beer up to his mouth again.

"So, how was your week?" Sebastian asked as he gestured for the bartender. He glanced down at the obvious injury to Dave's hand and looked at him questioningly.

"What happened?"

"Why do you want to know?" Dave looked up suspiciously.

"Ease up, Cub. Just making small talk," Sebastian accepted his usual drink from the bartender and swiveled on his stool.

"You don't do small talk," Dave glared at him.

"I do now. I've turned over a new leaf remember? You did accept my apology. Did you change your mind?" Sebastian sipped his drink and smiled.

"No, I'm just not in the mood to hear shit from you."

"Well that's good, since I'm not in the mood to start talking shit."

"I broke my hand punching a wall," Dave admitted.

"Whose wall?" Sebastian smirked.

"Blaine's," Dave turned on his stool to look at Sebastian, "You know already."

"Damn, how did you guess?" Sebastian grinned and sipped his drink.

"You look way too damn happy. I guess this opens up the way for you to get Blaine now," Dave took another drink of his beer.

He'd been thinking about that since his talk with Kurt. If Kurt's theory was correct, all it would take to get Blaine in bed would be for him to pursue Kurt.

But he wasn't sure if he wanted to do that.

Despite being mildly insulted that Dave had accomplished what Sebastian had been after for months, he was more disappointed that he hadn't seen Blaine's true nature from the beginning.

Blaine hadn't been as pure and noble as his schoolboy image suggested. Despite his avid protests, he hadn't turned Sebastian down over and over because he couldn't, and wouldn't, cheat on Kurt.

He'd turned Sebastian down because he didn't consider fucking Sebastian enough of a challenge.

That was irritating. And condescending as well.

Blaine had soaked up the attention, but that's because Sebastian had showered him in it. And the thought that he'd given Blaine exactly what he wanted was nauseating.

"Possibly. I will admit that I've been considering it."

But the idea didn't hold as much appeal as it had before.

"He's an asshole, you know that right?"

"Yes, I've been informed," Sebastian replied.

"By who?"

"Whom. And by Kurt," Sebastian answered.

"It's Kurt now?" Dave smirked.

Sebastian shrugged. He hadn't noticed it until Dave brought it up, but he had been referring to Hummel as Kurt more often. But it probably didn't mean anything.

"Kurt and I talked last Sunday at the Lima Bean. He gave me some info on Blaine. Made it sound like I could have Blaine if I wanted him."

"But Blaine has always said no to you before," Dave reminded.

"Yes, but as Kurt so helpfully pointed out, I was going about it the wrong way. And I could have Blaine in a heartbeat if I strategize correctly."

"You're going after Kurt, aren't you?" Dave frowned.

"I haven't decided. Kurt made it sound like he was offering," Sebastian grinned.

It hadn't exactly gone down that way, but he wasn't against letting Bear Cub think it. Maybe punish him a little bit more for sleeping with Blaine when he supposed to be so crazy about Kurt.

He may have been trying to turn over a new leaf, but he was still Sebastian Smythe.

"Don't hurt him," Dave warned.

Sebastian quirked a brow at him.

Dave was warning him to not do anything to hurt Kurt after sleeping with Kurt's boyfriend? Apparently, the look sent the message without Sebastian saying a word, because he flushed in embarrassment.

"I guess that's rich coming from me," Dave admitted.

"Yes, it is," Sebastian finished off his drink but didn't order another one. "So what are your plans? You going after Kurt too?"

"So you are?"

"I'm leaning that way, yes."

He might as well admit to it. He'd already slipped and said 'too'. He'd think about his motives for it later. Maybe if he finally fucked Blaine, he could get it out of his system. Although it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying anymore, now that he really thought about it.

"Well, I'm not going after Kurt. He and I have already talked about that. I'm tired of screwing up with him, and I'm tired of hurting him. I promised him that I'd move on and start dating other guys. I haven't really been doing that because I've been kind of waiting."

"For Kurt," Sebastian replied, telling more than asking.

Dave nodded. "Blaine wants him back. He tried to convince me to help him."

"That move was expected. Blaine acts like he can't survive life without Kurt. I understand a lot more of their dynamic now."

He'd always pictured Blaine as the dominant partner because Kurt had always been so desperate to keep Sebastian away from him. He'd thought Kurt was clingy, and whiny, and scared that Blaine would leave him. But that hadn't been the real Kurt Hummel at all.

The real Blaine was slowly self-destructing, and Kurt had been his anchor.

And Kurt kept Sebastian at bay to protect Blaine.

Even when Blaine wasn't worth the protection. Even when Blaine didn't care enough about Kurt or about himself to make good decisions.

Blaine's need to be the person who was more loved, more desired, just more in their relationship had driven him to cross a line that Kurt had obviously drawn for him. And then Kurt did the only thing he could have done, for his own self-protection.

He'd cut the anchor loose, and now Blaine was going to drown.

"Really? Cause it still confuses the fuck out of me."

"You're not ready for it, Cub. Just do what you promised Kurt. Move on. You'll be happier. And maybe one day, you'll be ready and he'll be ready. And then it'll be right," Sebastian shrugged and stood.

Dave looked up, surprised. "You sound like you'd step aside if that happened."

"I might. We'll see. I'm going to go."

He had to admit to himself that he was looking forward to getting to know the real Kurt Hummel. He'd worry about his motives for it later. He still hadn't decided if Blaine was worth his time.

But Kurt was. He was much stronger than Sebastian had ever imagined. It was looking more and more like Kurt was definitely worth his time.

And it was an interesting conclusion.

"No hook-up tonight?" Dave smirked.

"Not in the mood," Sebastian replied as he glanced across the room.

"That doesn't sound like you," Dave grinned. "The Sebastian I know would be out on that floor picking up one of those dancers and taking him home for the rest of the weekend."

"I'm a different me now. And this new Sebastian has a coffee date with Kurt tomorrow, so I can't do anything stupid, now can I?" he smirked down at him and cuffed him on the shoulder.

He almost felt guilty as he walked away from Cub, whose face had dropped at the idea that Sebastian and Kurt had a date. It wasn't exactly a date, but Dave didn't need to know that. Plus, Cub needed another little reminder that he'd screwed up, just in case he changed his mind about not pursuing Kurt.

Sebastian didn't need any competition from someone who actually loved Kurt. That might give Dave an advantage that Sebastian really didn't want to deal with.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

On Sunday afternoon, Sebastian was sitting near the back of the Lima Bean when Kurt walked in.

Kurt had been looking forward to this rendezvous more than he probably should. He knew that Sebastian was looking for information to use in his pursuit of Blaine, but it felt nice to not be arguing with the Warbler anymore.

Kurt ordered their coffees and he waved to Sebastian from the line. He carried the cups over and put Sebastian's down in front of him.

"Check it out," Kurt turned in a circle before sitting down.

"What are you wearing?" Sebastian smirked at him.

"Your favorite. Boy clothes," Kurt grinned and sat down. "Are you proud? You don't have to be embarrassed to be seen with me in public," Kurt whispered.

Kurt had worn jeans that were form-fitting, but not the asphyxiating kind of skinny that he was used to wearing. He'd done it on purpose just to see how Sebastian would react to him. He had on a tight red shirt, but it was a very masculine cut for him.

But he'd kept his black boots because he wouldn't be himself without his boots.

Sebastian laughed. "I wasn't embarrassed last week when you had on that blue sweater that very closely resembled something from the women's petite department."

"I'll forgive that as a possible insult since you actually remembered what I was wearing," Kurt dismissed him with a wave and took a drink of his coffee.

Sebastian laughed, "So any news from the Blaine front?"

"Oh yes. It's been quite a week. Blaine's managed to piss off David, leading to David breaking his hand on the wall right next to Blaine's face. He's managed to piss off everybody in New Directions without me having to say a word about him. He approached my girls asking for advice on how to get me back. Can you imagine?"

Sebastian shuddered, "And he still has his balls?"

"I'm not sure. They didn't say. I'll admit I'm shocked that he was desperate enough to go to them. He's close to Tina, but he underestimated how close. He wasn't aware that Tina already knew about the David thing. She hung him out to dry and left his body for Santana to finish off," Kurt grinned.

"Santana? She's something else. Is he still alive?"

"I'm assuming so. He was alive as of Thursday's choir practice. I haven't seen him since."

"So, any more details for me?"

"Where did I leave off?"

"I believe it was at the girl kiss point."

"Well, he didn't do much more before we starting dating. But he did enough to piss me off that had nothing to do with him seeking attention."

"Like what?"

Kurt wasn't sure how much he wanted Sebastian to know.

"Well, for one thing, before we got together, he told me I wasn't sexy," Kurt shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. "And then he tried to give me lessons on how to be."

That one was relatively easy to admit to, even if it was a little embarrassing. After all, Sebastian would agree with Blaine. Sebastian had never made it a secret that Kurt's looks weren't what he found attractive.

The comments about his clothes, his gay-face. They'd hurt, but at least he knew how Sebastian really felt, so he didn't expect any false compliments from him.

"He did what?" Sebastian stared at him.

"He tried to give me lessons on how to be sexy," Kurt repeated. "And what's worse is that he approached my father to give me a talk about sex."

Sebastian blinked but just kept staring. "I'm sorry. What?"

"He asked my father to talk to me about sex," Kurt replied. "And then a few weeks later, he decided he wanted to be with me."

"Wait. He told you that you weren't sexy. Tried to teach you how to be what he thinks is sexy. Had your father give you the talk. And then he asked you out?"

Hmm. He'd never looked at it as Blaine teaching him how to be what Blaine thought was sexy. That put a different spin on things. And just because Blaine thought of sexy as one thing, it didn't mean it was the same for everyone else. That was a promising idea.

"Well, Pavarotti's death was the deciding factor I think."

Sebastian's face was priceless. Like each comment confused him further. "What?"

"My warbler. Didn't you get one when you joined?"

"Yes, but I pawned that off on my roommate," Sebastian smirked, holding his cup up to his mouth as he talked.

Kurt laughed because he could very easily see Sebastian doing just that with his bird.

"Well my warbler died. How symbolic is that? The caged Kurt caring for the caged Pavarotti and letting him die."

"But the caged Kurt ended up flying free, didn't he?" Sebastian leaned back into his seat.

"Now he is," Kurt smiled and crossed his arms in front of him.

Sebastian nodded. "So what does the bird's death have to do with Blaine asking you out?"

Kurt shook his head. "He said it took listening to me sing Blackbird about Pavarotti to get him to really see me. To see that I 'moved' him."

He'd leave out the part that singing Blackbird was more for himself than he had been for the bird. He'd loved Pavarotti, that he couldn't deny. But the song was more about how being at Dalton felt for him.

"Okay, his pick up line was that a song you sang about a dead bird moved him?" Sebastian laughed.

"Shut up." Kurt could feel the blush spreading over his face.

"You're embarrassed because the lamest pick up line in history worked on you," Sebastian mocked.

"Oh, and sex on a stick and sings like a dream was better?"

Sebastian snorted and held up his hand. "Fair enough. You win."

Sebastian didn't even look surprised or upset that Blaine had told him what Sebastian's pick-up line had been when they'd first met. He seemed more amused than anything.

"I like winning." Kurt smiled.

"It looks good on you," Sebastian grinned and leaned forward.

That was unexpected. It was a compliment, but not one based on lies. He could get used to that, he supposed. "Thank you."

Sebastian nodded.

"So have you thought anymore about my Blaine theory?" Kurt smiled.

"You mean, have I decided whether or not to get mixed up in that craziness?"

"Yes."

"I'm leaning towards that decision," Sebastian's eyes never left his, and it made Kurt a little bit uncomfortable. But that was probably Sebastian's intention.

Sebastian could make him nervous, and he really didn't want to think about the implications of that.

"You realize what that entails right?" Kurt folded his hands in front of him.

"It means that I have to pay attention to you."

"Positive attention. He won't care if you insult me, obviously. He's never cared before, as I'm sure you are well aware. But he will care if you suddenly find me irresistible. I'm sure it'll be difficult for you, but finally getting Blaine will make it worth all the suffering, don't you think?" Kurt swallowed nervously.

He was playing with fire here, but if there was anyone stronger than Kurt who could handle Blaine and his neediness, it would be Sebastian.

"Why are you willing to do this?" Sebastian leaned forward.

"I can't deal with Blaine anymore. I'm not strong enough to handle his neediness. He's impulsive, he's oblivious, and he doesn't know how to control himself. There's only one person I can think of that can handle him better than I could."

"So this is for Blaine?" Sebastian frowned.

"This is for David, and me, and you. Blaine will leave David alone while he's coming after you. He'll leave me alone because he'll want you because you'll look like you want me, and you'll finally get Blaine all to yourself, just like you wanted. It's a win, win, win situation here."

David would win, Kurt would win, and Sebastian would win.

Blaine would do what Blaine does best. Be a needy little selfish bastard. And he'd play right into Sebastian's hands.

"What if I don't want Blaine anymore?" Sebastian asked quietly.

Sebastian seemed serious, but Kurt found it difficult to believe that his interest would have changed that quickly. He'd been after Blaine for months, too long to convince Kurt that he'd suddenly had a change of heart.

"Well, that would cause a complication. If that's so, then I'll go back to what I do best. Handling Blaine. He'll never rest until he gets me back because he really believes he loves me. But I'll deal because I always deal. It's just that I'm tired of dealing with him. I'd like my world to revolve around me for a while. It's been a long time since I had that."

"Go out with me," Sebastian said quickly and unexpectedly.

It was more of a command than a question. And it was very Sebastian-like.

"When?" Kurt smiled.

"Whenever. Tomorrow night," he decided.

"Okay, dinner?"

"Sounds good. Breadstix?"

"Sounds fine. Do you want me to make sure someone brings Blaine there?"

"No. Let him find out on his own. If someone tells him, he might realize it's just a ploy to get him to come on to me," Sebastian shrugged and took a sip of coffee.

Kurt agreed, but he wondered why that would matter. As long as he got Blaine in bed, why should it matter to Sebastian how long it took?

"Well, what do you want to talk about now?" Kurt smiled and leaned back into his chair.

"What are your plans for after graduation? NYADA?"

Kurt hadn't known that Sebastian knew anything about that. "Did Blaine tell you about NYADA?"

"Yes. I got into NYU along with a few other schools. I'm leaning towards NYU though. I'm spending the summer in Paris though."

"Sounds like fun. I'm a finalist for NYADA but I don't know if I'll get in or not. I've applied to other schools too. For musical theater and fashion design both, and I got into some of them. Just to keep my options open."

"Any Ohio schools?"

"Of course. They are my back up schools. I'd rather not stay here, but I will if I absolutely have to."

"That's understandable," Sebastian nodded.

"I'll bet your back up schools are ones I'd never get accepted to," Kurt grinned.

He wasn't ashamed of it. He was more arts oriented, and Sebastian wasn't. There was nothing wrong with that at all.

"I doubt that. You're very intelligent from what I can tell," Sebastian frowned.

"Another compliment. I'm impressed."

Sebastian shrugged. "Tomorrow night, wear your normal clothes."

Well, that was an abrupt change of subject. What was that about?

"Why?" Kurt tilted his head and looked at Sebastian.

"These don't suit you. They aren't you," Sebastian gestured at Kurt's clothing.

"Fine with me. These jeans aren't nearly tight enough for me. I can still breathe," Kurt grinned.

"They aren't tight enough for me either," Sebastian replied with a wink.