sorry for my lack of updating, sweeties. it was quite hard to find an angle but i found one i did want to work with and this is going to be extremely, extremely fun. so now that Heart is out of the way. we're doing "On My Way", 3x14, so the events of the next few chapters follow in perfect sequence. except it doesn't start in this chapter. just a future warning for now.


9

hiding the truth


Sugar was handing out gift cards. The God Squad sung like a bunch of fairies. The night was swinging in pure red, pink and sweet colours of adoration. They made Kurt feel sick. They made Sebastian spazz out in boredom and the cheeriness of the dreaded event. All Kurt can feel was a strong amount of pain as he watched Blaine stand there to sing Love Shack, not even giving him a glance. Sebastian was beside him, lying down, leg crossed over the other.

"You are the worst date ever." Kurt muttered.

"It's a pretend date, Hummel, as in…you took me so you can spy on your rather sexy boyfriend," Sebastian said, causing Kurt to roll his eyes as he took a bite out of salmon sushi, mind still on Blaine, as his voice filled the room – so warm, sending a tingle through Kurt's spine. It was only after the performance was done that Kurt stood up, and grabbed Blaine's hand.

"Blaine, please, talk to me."

Blaine didn't end their relationship, but his eyes were now staring at Kurt's own, as he bit down his lower lip. "You didn't tell me."

"I didn't know, Blaine! I thought it was you sending me love letters. They were anonymous and sent by a Valentine Gorilla. I didn't know that Dave Karofsky would be there. I swear," Kurt was reinforcing the idea.

Now, his mind was reeling. "I promised Sebastian that if he and Karofsky dating doesn't go well that I'd…let him have you. As in…take you out on a date."

Sebastian was smirking now at Blaine, whom was looking away in horror. "Kurt!"

Blaine then took a deep breath as Sebastian glared at him icily.

"You owe it to me! You gave me HIV!" Sebastian suddenly exploded, causing Blaine to look down at his feet, before shaking his head, as if trying not to think it was true, whilst Blaine took a deep breath, looking up at Sebastian with sorry eyes, but there was so much clouded confusion in them as well as Blaine pursed his lips together, biting down his lower lip enough to draw out blood.

"Okay," Blaine suddenly said, voice weak, but his eyes were on Kurt first. "Why?"

"He obviously thought that two jerks would be amazing together," Santana suddenly said, crossing her arms. "At least one of them changed. Poor guy. What'd you do to blow him off?"

Sebastian looked enraged. "Did you not learn anything from the Megadeth song? Did you not learn anything at all, Lopez? I do have a shred of decency and he's in love with Hummel because Hummel seems to get everything good and sorted out for him!"

Kurt suddenly flushed a deep watermelon colour from the rage that was inside of him as he finally snapped. "I did not! That guy bullied me for a good part of my high school life. I was just there for him when he needed me, just like I'm here for you now! You know what, Sebastian? Yeah. Maybe. You're right. Maybe I do have everything. At least I don't have a Father that fucking disowned me because I decided that throwing slushies at people is okay, and that fucking every guy I see is just fine and dandy—"

Sebastian threw a punch at Kurt, sending him straight towards the ground. The bruise set in minutes on his fragile skin from the impact of the punch bursting his capillaries. Kurt even look mildly scared staring up at him. Sebastian's shoulder was shaking and Kurt knew it was more likely from the anger that masked the insecurity.

Sebastian was staring back up at Blaine. "Go back to your prissy boyfriend, Anderson. Suddenly, I'll hear rumours about me being an abusive spouse or some shit."

Kurt was still touching the cold skin as if he couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. Just as Sebastian was about to leave, Dave Karofsky stood there, enraged as he pummeled Sebastian to the ground with such force that Kurt was slightly afraid that he'd broken Sebastian. Sebastian stared back up at him, chest rising. "David, please!" Kurt scrambled to his feet, as he watched Dave give him multiple blows on his stomach. Sebastian winced with every throw, as Kurt's hands were around Sebastian's shoulder.

"DAVID, STOP!" almost as if it was just hitting his mind, Dave let out one final blow, to Sebastian's cheek. Sebastian stared up at Kurt with so much hatred that Kurt didn't even know it was possible to hate someone so much.

"Kurt, I didn't like him hitting you," Dave finally confessed.

Kurt stared down at Sebastian whom finally stood up, wincing at the pain in his stomach. Sebastian stared at Dave as if he was finally seeing him for the first time. "You were supposed to be mine!" Sebastian suddenly exclaimed. "You said yes to our fucking date! How the hell was I supposed to know you have your ass in over your head and are in love with Kurt fucking Hummel?"

Dave opened his mouth. "I thought…you know, 'cause Kurt might not want me, I'd have a—"

"A rebound." Sebastian suddenly realised.

Dave slowly shut his eyes as he nodded his head.

"That's all I fucking am to anyone," Sebastian hissed, giving one cold look over to Kurt, and then shuffling away.

Kurt looked back and saw that Blaine had gotten him an ice pack for his cheek, and Kurt took it into his hand, pressing it against his cheek before wincing at the feel of the ice, and then slowly being cooled off by it. "Fuck," Kurt swore under his breath. "Blaine, I-"

"…talk to me, Kurt," Blaine suddenly stated. "I don't know what's going on anymore."

Kurt looked down. "I didn't tell you about Karofsky sending me love letters, alright, but you… you didn't tell me about HIV. I just realised this, Blaine—what you did was worse, you know? And I didn't have to do all of this stupidity to get a point across."

"I was trying to protect—"

"Yourself," Kurt cut in. "Did you think I'd suddenly look at you like you're a whore? Blaine, I love you. How…how can you?"

Blaine suddenly looked down at his feet as Kurt shuffled. "See you around, Blaine," and with that, the red-and-pink decorations looked a lot like blood and guts, as Kurt found himself outside of the building, eyes staring at the world around him as if it was suddenly new to him.

Kurt took a deep breath, found his car, pressed the ice-pack harder against his cheek, and put on the ignition.

He nearly cried when "Teenage Dream" blared out the radio.

"Hummel," Sebastian greeted.

Kurt suddenly looked back at Sebastian as if he wasn't expecting him to be here at all. Then Kurt realised, he was the one that took Sebastian over, and he was the one that used him as a date to try and get into Sugar's Valentine's Day party. Kurt took a deep breath. "You didn't deserve that hit—"

"Just stop, Hummel, okay? Don't talk to me, because the last thing I remember you blurting out to the entire fucking world is that my Father disowned me. Tomorrow, everyone will fucking know. It won't be a secret and my Father will kill me," at the end of that, Sebastian completely phased out, looking at the window. "My Father will kill me, Hummel."

"He won't—"

"Oh, please," Sebastian huffed.

Kurt backed their car away before Blaine can come around and then took a deep breath. He was about to say something to Sebastian but he was sure if he did, Sebastian would give him a matching bruise on his face. Kurt felt a certain heaviness in his stomach and chest as he drove that was a lot like guilt and pain. Sebastian left to his sister's apartment without looking back at Kurt and before Sebastian can enter, Kurt finally asked. "Do you want to go to Scandals?"

Sebastian looked back at him as if it was the most insane question.

"No."

Sebastian stepped inside of his sister's apartment and Kurt felt a feeling of dread in his stomach. Tomorrow, everyone will know. Tomorrow, it would be on every news station, every newspaper, every social network—Jean Smythe's empire will fall, snap, and shatter all at once. The clients that had gone by Sebastian's suggestions would leave him. Kinate will die.

Sebastian suddenly sat up straight, feeling as empty as ever before. He stared at the bruise that Dave had left him, and then back at the watch that Kurt had given him, tracing it with his finger, as he bit down his lower lip. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, everything fell apart.

Sebastian Smythe was curled up into a ball when he heard his phone ring. He answered it immediately, expecting his Father's cold voice. Sebastian bit down, preparing for the worst, but instead, he heard his Mother's sweet voice. "Sebastian?"

"Momma, I tried."

"…everyone knows. Everyone."

"It was that fucking Hummel's fault. I swear." Sebastian desperately tried to explain as his breathing got worse and worse by the minute, and then Nathalie's voice cut in and Sebastian realised that nothing in his life could prepare him for what she was going to say next.

"Your Father wants you to pretend you're a schizophrenic, so he can explain to the media why you've said that. He might even pretend to take you out on a few dinners before he moves back to France."

Sebastian's mouth was agape, his mind reeling with horror…they were going to move back to France, without him. He was going to be alone. He was going to be used as a prop.

Sebastian finally found his voice. "…pretend to have a mental disorder just so he can glitter in the lights? Is he fucking insane?"

"Sebastian-"

Sebastian cut her off. "Momma."

"He loves you," the woman tried to state, tried to cajole him otherwise, but Sebastian knew the truth that was hidden behind the painted walls, the lies that his Mother told him to make him sleep at night as a boy wouldn't work on him right now.

"When does he want me there for the press?" Sebastian suddenly asked, staring at the mirror to see a man standing before him that looked a lot like a stranger. His eyes, devoid of any emotion.

"Six o'clock."

Sebastian's throat felt dry. "Okay," he said. "Okay."

"Sebastian, sweetie, you are amazing, stunning!" Nathalie called out and then shut the line. Sebastian curled up into his bed, stared at the wall for what felt like forever. When Andrea knocked onto his door, he threw a pillow at the doorway and told her that if she stepped inside of the room, he will personally make sure that Lila did not get any sleep that night.

"Well," Sebastian stared at the ceiling with broken eyes. "At least now Hummel can call me clinically insane."