Chapter 9: Warblers
~The Warblers are like rockstars!~
The sun was warm on Kurt's back as he cracked one eyelid open. He yawned and looked around. The room was dim aside from the single ray of sunshine streaming through the gap in between the curtains. He turned to his alarm clock and found out that he had an hour to spare to get ready for school. Briefly, he considered sleeping in a bit more. But the thought of the possibility of being late for school changed his mind. Few more days till graduation or not, Kurt was never the one to be tardy.
He groaned a bit as a wave of sudden dizziness hit him when he sat up abruptly. He was about to lift up a hand to massage his temples when he felt it. Something warm was holding his right hand. He looked at it and did a double-take.
Sitting with legs outstretched on the roll-up mattress and head lolling to the side was Sebastian, sleeping peacefully against Kurt's bed.
With his free hand covering Kurt's.
Kurt's cheeks reddened rapidly and he quickly pulled his hand away. Unfortunately, the sudden movement caused Sebastian to stir from his sleep. Kurt watched him as he blinked wearily and looked around, as if confused to why he was here. After a moment, Sebastian's gaze finally landed on Kurt.
"Oh, good morning, princess," he greeted as he yawned. "Why are your cheeks so red?"
"I..um…" Kurt spluttered.
Sebastian stared at him for a moment before giving Kurt his signature smirk. "You haven't been watching me sleep, have you?"
"No!" Kurt said indignantly. "As if I would ever do that!"
"Then why are you blushing?" Sebastian reached up to touch Kurt's forehead, much to Kurt's surprise. Kurt remained still as Sebastian furrowed his brow and withdrew his hand. "Your fever's gone so I can't blame the blush on that. Hm…are you cold? But it's not that early in the morning-,"
"I'm fine," Kurt interjected. "I just… I pressed my cheek too hard on the mattress. It left marks," he lied, looking away. "I'm fine,"
Sebastian looked skeptical but he did not make a comment. He shrugged before getting to his feet and stretched his arm. He winced as he turned his head abruptly and massaged his neck for a bit. "Oh god, if I would have known that I'd fall asleep like that, I could've leaned against my pillow in advance,"
"Your neck hurts?"
"Stiff and sore. But it will go away," Sebastian went to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later while brushing his teeth. Kurt wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Oh god, Sebastian. You'll get toothpaste and your saliva all over the floor!"
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "I'm not a messy teeth brusher," he said after he took out the toothbrush out of his mouth. "I'm 17, not 7,"
"Your term 'teeth brusher' proves otherwise," Kurt said dryly. He got out of his bed and neatly pulled up the duvet and arranged the pillows. "Honestly?"
"What would you call it then?" Sebastian demanded before walking back into the bathroom with a huff. Kurt heard the sound of water running, some splashing and shifting movements before Sebastian emerged once more from the bathroom. Only this time, his pajamas were gone and he was only clad in a pair of boxers.
Kurt heard a shriek and he was very sure that it came from him.
"Sebastian!" he cried, cheeks reddening again before turning away. "Do you mind?"
"What?" Sebastian asked he dried his hair with a towel.
"Some clothes would be nice. Preferably on you," Kurt said evenly, all the while looking determinedly at the wall.
"This?" Sebastian motioned his body with a wave of his hand. "You're bothered by it? God, Kurt, you said you cleaned me up before. Don't tell me you never see me nearly naked,"
Kurt let out a squeak at the last word and spluttered a reply. "I cleaned the top half of…you," he swallowed before continuing. "My dad helped me when needed, remember?"
"Well, that's a very interesting mental image I did not need to see," Sebastian replied dryly. "Geez, Kurt. Don't be such a prude. It's not like I'm completely in my birthday suit or something, yeesh,"
"It's called manners, Sebastian," Kurt retorted. "Are you covered up now?"
He heard a sigh before he heard the sound of shifting limbs again. He waited for a moment before Sebastian spoke behind him. "I put my pants on already. Good enough for you, princess?"
Kurt slowly turned and saw that Sebastian was already halfway putting on his white button-up shirt. He sighed and nodded. "You need help?" he asked as he watched Sebastian attempted to put on the other half of the shirt. Putting clothes on while you were still wearing a sling cannot be easy.
"Uh yeah…" Sebastian said slowly. "You mind unfastening the sling for me?"
"Sure," Kurt walked towards Sebastian and carefully unfastened the sling. Sebastian's other arm was then hanging limply at his side. The sight of it was sort of strange and unnerving to Kurt. It was like seeing a rag doll with its limbs hanging loosely on its frame. He observed the way Sebastian took the other sleeve of the shirt and slid on his other arm before pulling it all the way to his shoulder. He, however, had quite a difficulty trying to button his clothes. Kurt sighed and went towards him until he was standing in front of Sebastian.
"Here, let me do it," Kurt murmured as he gently pulled Sebastian's fingers away from the button and replaced them with his own.
He thought he heard Sebastian catch his breath but he dismissed it as an imagination. "You don't have to," Sebastian muttered. "I could do it on my own,"
"Sure you can," Kurt answered softly, too focused on his task to come up with a really witty response. After he was done, Kurt got up and looked at Sebastian with satisfaction. "There, done. You need help with the tie and blazer?"
"No thanks," Sebastian shook his head. "I'll be fine. You should get ready yourself. You should know how long that would take,"
Kurt smiled haughtily. "An amazing look doesn't happen in a minute, you know," He took out a pre-assembled outfit that consisted of what Sebastian could make out as a black vest, a white short-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans, a bow tie and even a fedora and made his way to the bathroom. He hesitated at the door, casting Sebastian another glance. "Are you sure you'll be fine?"
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Just go and do your regime or something, princess. I can manage,"
Kurt bit his lip before disappearing into the bathroom. Sebastian thought he heard an exasperated sigh.
~*.*~
"You want me to wait for Sebastian at Dalton?"
Kurt was sitting in his dad's truck that late afternoon. He had managed to survive school –survive being in the same room as Blaine, mostly- and there was no Glee club practice that day so he opted to go home early. He was slightly puzzled at Sebastian's absence in the truck before he remembered that he must still be at Warblers practice. That was when Burt had told him that nobody was home –Finn had gone to Puck's house for some gaming session again and Carole was stuck at work- so he thought it would be best for Kurt to wait at Dalton for a while.
"Yeah…it's better than staying home alone, bud," Burt said as he drove. "With all the crimes happening nowadays, I'm not about to leave my son alone in the house,"
"That's sweet of you, dad. But Sebastian is at Warblers practice. What should I do till it ends?"
"I'm sure the Warblers won't mind you watching them practice. They're your friends, aren't they?" Burt asked, looking sideways at his son.
Kurt nodded slowly. "I guess...I better text Sebastian a heads up, then," he replied and fished out his iPhone from his pocket. Burt nodded in approval before turning back his attention to driving. Kurt searched for Sebastian's number before he began texting.
Hey. Expect to have a visitor during Warblers practice –Kurt
A few minutes later, his iPhone buzzed.
What do you mean? –Sebastian
My dad asked me to wait up for you at Dalton –Kurt
Seriously? I guess I'll run this down to David, then. Though I'm not sure he'll like the impromptu change to his schedule :p –Sebastian
I know :) –Kurt
I'll see you then, princess –Sebastian
Yep, meerkat –Kurt
Half an hour later, the gates of Dalton Academy soon came to view. Kurt had always admired the majestic aura the building gave off. It reminded Kurt of the old castles he saw on television. Unlike McKinley, the academy had a proper landscape and Kurt remembered sitting under one of those huge oak trees and read or did his homework. Kurt could not help but to feel a little nostalgic.
He got out of the truck and waved Burt goodbye as Burt drove away. He climbed the main steps of the academy and entered inside. Things had not changed at all since he left this place a year ago. There was still that familiar view of a sea of blazer-clad boys rushing here and there. He took the normal route to the Senior common rooms, passing by a few classrooms in the process. When he got nearer to the Senior common rooms, he heard multiple voices singing. In absolute perfect harmony, at that.
Some things never change, Kurt smiled as he stood in front of the oak doors. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Rise above gonna start the war
Whatcha want whatcha need whatcha come here for
Well an eye for an eye and an F for fight
Takin me down as the prisoners riot
Sebastian was standing on-yes, on- the sofa, wearing a huge grin on his face as he sang the familiar lyrics. Kurt recognized it as Houdini by Foster the People. The Warblers danced around as they harmonized with Sebastian. Kurt leaned against the doorway with an amused smile playing on his lips.
Got shackles on, my words are tied
Fear can make you compromise
Fast enough it's hard to hide
Sometimes I want to disappear
No one seemed to notice Kurt as he watched the Warblers pulled out some fancy footwork and simply goof around. Sebastian did not look odd or out of place even with his sling as he jumped off the sofa and joined in the dance. Nick slid in front of Sebastian and began belting out his own lines.
When I feel kinda bad and I'm all distressed
Pass it off on a better day
Well you got whatcha want whatcha never knew
Perfect gift from me to you
The Warblers called out the next line in unison.
Yeah yeah yeah
To Kurt's surprise, Jeff had begun singing as well. He did not ever recall ever hearing him sing a solo other than his audition a year back.
Got shackles on, my words are tied
Fear can make you compromise
Fast enough it's hard to hide
Sometimes I want to disappear
Sebastian took over once more, his gaze finally landing on Kurt. He gave a smirk before he belted out his lines.
(Raise up to your ability)
You never knew that I could find
What could come when we realize
The sun won't stop with the compromise
(Raise up to your ability)
Can't stand while I disappear
Run around before I'm filled with fear
Like a glue cause my life is filled with red
(Raise up to your ability)
I know that you wanna
Throw me into the sea
For my ability
(Raise up to your ability)
Yeah you're undecided
Yeah I just want to leave it
Yeah I'm gonna wanna runaway
Focus on your ability
Focus on your ability
Now focus on your ability
Focus on your ability
Gain again what they want to steal
Gain again what they want to steal
Gonna gain again what they want to steal
Gain again what they want to steal
"You guys are amazing!" Kurt grinned as he clapped. The Warblers turned to Kurt in surprise and they broke into a grin of their own in return. Some of the Warblers that Kurt knew personally; Nick, Jeff, David, Trent and Thad, approached Kurt and each gave Kurt a friendly pat on the shoulder or a very enthusiastic handshake (mostly Jeff did that). Kurt returned their greeting warmly and his grin got wider.
"You didn't tell us you were coming!" Trent exclaimed.
"I did," Kurt said. "I told Sebastian who informed David,"
"And I was about to inform you guys," David continued defensively when the Warblers turned to him. "-if it weren't for the fact that Sebastian abruptly burst into a song,"
"If you gotta sing, you gotta sing," Sebastian replied easily, approaching Kurt with a smirk. "Took you long enough to arrive, princess. You nearly missed the performance,"
"And we don't want that, do we?" Kurt said playfully. "But seriously, you guys were amazing!"
The Warblers preened at the praise and invited Kurt to sit on one of the sofas. Perched on one at the side of the room, Kurt breathed in a sigh. Sitting here with the Warblers, he could not help but to remember all the times when he himself had been a Warbler. He remembered being comfortable albeit the strict rules and he had been really happy. Not as happy as when he was with the New Directions, but he was content all the same.
"But I'm sure the New Directions are just as awesome, though," Trent chirped. "I heard you guys won first place in Nationals! Congrats!"
"Thanks," Kurt said, feeling very pleased. "We worked hard for it,"
"I'm sure you did," Thad smiled. "Wish we could've have seen the performance,"
"I'll show you the video when I have the chance," Kurt promised.
Sebastian snickered from somewhere behind Kurt. Kurt turned to him with a glare and crossed his arms. "What are you snickering about?" His glare intensified when Sebastian merely smirked and shook his head. He waited until Sebastian finally spoke.
"Yes, well…I could imagine how your performance will look like, princess," he said. "I bet you did a full-blown hip roll in front of the crowd,"
Kurt managed to look affronted when the meaning of his words sunk. The Warblers, however, looked somewhat embarrassed. David let out an awkward cough and looked away. Kurt glared at Sebastian some more before he started to speak. "Excuse me? What the hell does that suppose to mean?" he demanded.
"Oh please, don't pretend you don't know," Then, Sebastian did something that Kurt have only seen Sam and himself did. Sebastian smirked before he thrust his hip forward and did what he called 'Kurt's hip roll'. Kurt found himself staring alongside the Warblers. David coughed louder and turned so that his back was facing the rest. Nick choked and Kurt could have sworn he heard Jeff whimper beside him. Trent looked like he was about to splutter something indignant while Thad closed his eyes and mumbled something about 'decency for certain people'.
Kurt…well, he could not stop staring.
Sebastian straightened himself and gave Kurt a winning smile. "That. See? Only when you did it, you looked more like a girl than you do now,"
That snapped Kurt out of his reverie. He narrowed his eyes at Sebastian. "I do not," he hissed.
"I beg to differ,"
"Boys," David called, his back still towards them. "Don't fight,"
But Kurt ignored him and went nearer to Sebastian until they were nearly chest to chest. "I bet I can prove you otherwise," he glowered.
Sebastian looked amused, raising his eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"
"A song,"
That was not something that Sebastian was fully expecting. Expression unchanging, he gave Kurt a cool stare. "Hm? A song, you say,"
Kurt nodded stiffly. "Yes, a song. I'll perform a song and I'll show you that I most definitely do not look like a girl when I perform,"
"Oh? Well, why don't I make it more interesting? Why don't we both sing and the Warblers," Sebastian gestured to his friends with a wave of his hand. "-shall make the comparison?"
Kurt considered this for a moment. After a while, he nodded. "Sure, why not?"
Sebastian smirked. "Alright, then. I'll start," He gave his friends a look which they seemed to comprehend as some sort of a signal and they began to sing out an upbeat tune. Kurt recognized it because of the late nights when he occasionally heard Finn singing it in his room.
Without the slightest hesitation, Sebastian began to sing.
I'm better
So much better now
I see the light, touch the light,
We're together now
I'm better
So much better now
Look to the skies, give me life
We're together now
With a wave of his hand, Sebastian gestured Kurt to sing. His jaw set, Kurt started to sing as well.
We've only just begun
Hypnotized by drums
Until forever comes
You'll find us chasing the sun
They said this day wouldn't come
We refused to run
We've only just begun
And then, the pair sang together, their voices coming together perfectly.
You'll find us chasing the sun
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll find us chasing the sun
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll find us chasing the sun
When Daylight's fading
We're gonna play in the dark
Till it's golden again
And now it feels so amazing
Can see you coming
And We'll never grow old again
You'll find us chasing the sun
Sebastian gave Kurt a superior grin before he abruptly ran towards the nearest wall before using his foot to lift himself in a backward flip. The Warblers, in the midst of their background harmonizing, made an impressed sound. Kurt merely rolled his eyes and belted out the next line, his tone somewhat low and aggressive. Sebastian found this a lot more different than the usual high voice he was used to hearing.
I'm never
I'm never down
Lying here, staring up
And you're looking down
I'm never
I'm never down
Live forever, forever
Kurt cast Sebastian a smirk of his own before he began to twirl on his feet in a way he had seen Jason Derulo did on television. He himself was not really the kind to imitate moves off the television, but this was one of the moves that he did not mind learning. Then, without warning, Kurt did a side flip before landing neatly on his feet. Trent whistled, impressed.
Sebastian, not willing to be beaten, sang out the next verse along with Kurt.
We've only just begun
Hypnotised by drums
Until forever comes
You'll find us chasing the sun
They said this day wouldn't come
We refused to run
We've only just begun
You'll find us chasing the sun
The sun, the sun, the sun
You'll find us chasing the sun
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll find us chasing the sun
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll find us chasing the sun
When the Daylight's fading
We're gonna play in the dark
Till it's golden again
That was when Kurt had an idea in his hand. He bit his lip, hesitant to do it. But when he saw Sebastian giving him that arrogant smile again, he steeled his resolve. He approached Sebastian until the pair was only a few inches away from each other. When Kurt started to lean in, Sebastian initially looked a bit confused. However, when Kurt leaned in some more until their lips were nearly touching, Kurt was positive he heard Sebastian's breathing catch. Exhaling slowly, Kurt gave Sebastian a triumphant smirk before he turned and started to grind his body against Sebastian's-a move he usually saw Santana doing with Brittany. Sebastian looked shell shocked when Kurt turned to look at him.
Kurt took the Sebastian's momentary shocked silence to belt out the next line.
And now it feels so amazing
Can see you coming
And We'll never grow old again
You'll find us chasing the sun
You'll find us chasing the sun
Somehow, Sebastian managed to snap out of his reverie and sang the next verse, all the while maintaining a wary glance at Kurt.
When the Daylight's fading
We're gonna play in the dark
Till it's golden again
And now it feels so amazing
Can see you coming
And We'll never grow old again
You'll find us chasing the sun
The pair sang the next verse together. Sebastian and Kurt were exchanging dance routines at a more determined pace, not ready to give in to one another.
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll find us chasing the sun
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll find us chasing the sun
By the time the last note drifted into the air, Kurt and Sebastian were chest to chest and breathing really hard. They stared at each other, willing the other look away. The common room was silent for a brief moment before David cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Um…it's a tie!" he declared.
~*.*~
Kurt and Sebastian avoided looking at one another when they sat in Burt's truck that evening.
Kurt was still mortified at himself for dancing like he did earlier. He had not meant to the body grind but he cared too much of his pride to give in to Sebastian. But now, when he thought about it, he could not feel anything other than extreme mortification.
Sebastian had resumed his usual position of staring out of the window so it was hard to tell how he felt about the whole ordeal.
Burt cast a worried glance and Kurt and could not help but to ask.
"What's wrong, boys? You two looked as if you saw something horrible,"
In perfect unison, the two teens replied.
"I don't want to talk about it,"
A/N: Who's a fan of Foster the People and The Wanted? *raises hand enthusiastically* LOL, anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Because I would feel something starting… *wink*wink* Reviews are…well, you know that they are lovely and appreciated by now.