Chapter 20
Kurt jerked awake that night, or perhaps early morning. It was dark outside, or as dark as it could be for the city that never sleeps. Sebastian was there. Silent, watching, leaning against the dresser next to Kurt's bed. Kurt wonders if he felt the man's presence subconsciously, somehow, and that was how he was ripped from his dreams.
"Do you like watching people sleep," Kurt said. "Or just me?"
Sebastian titled his head, his eyes imploring. "Just you."
Kurt swallowed and shifted in on the bed, throwing his legs over the side, but not standing. "How much longer do I have on my sentence?" He was talking quietly, not a whisper, but quiet. There was no need for more than that in the dimness of the room and the press of silence around them. If he didn't know better, Kurt would think Sebastian and he were the only two humans in quite the radius.
"Sorry?"
"How much longer until you have me killed?" Kurt asked, impressively calm.
"I'm not sure yet," Sebastian said.
"So there's a chance," Kurt said, eyes downcast, speaking as if to himself. Then his eyes flickered up to Sebastian. "That you might not… because you don't have a fixed plan. And you haven't already."
"That I might not kill you?" Sebastian said.
Kurt just stared up at him wide-eyed.
"Why wouldn't I?" Sebastian said. "I took you to hurt Anderson, after all."
"But I thought we clarified," Kurt said, linking his arms over his stomach. "That he doesn't love me…not like that."
Sebastian tsked. "Are you suggesting you're useless? Because that doesn't bode well for your fate either. It's not like I'm just going to let you go."
"I know, but I think you can hurt Blaine in a different way. A way that keeps me alive."
"Really," Sebastian said sardonically, arching an eyebrow, the full amount of his skepticism cutting down on them.
Kurt unwound his arms and leaned back on the bed, arching his neck in such a way. "Can you not think of it?" Sebastian remained silent. Kurt stood, timidly even, and stepped forward, closing the space between their bodies. Sebastian just watched him, unmoving, waiting for Kurt's play. He stepped even closer. "You could keep me."
"And how would that hurt him more than the situation already stands?" Sebastian said. He had to know what Kurt was implying. He was being obtuse on purpose, daring Kurt to explain all of his meaning.
The room was lighter than before. Dawn must have been approaching.
Kurt stepped closer, reached out a hand to grab the lapel of Sebastian's robe. He pushed up on his toes and pressed his mouth to Sebastian's.
Sebastian shoved him back. Lightly, but shoved all the same. The back of Kurt's knees hit the bed, and he sat down on it as he stumbled back.
"You'd think I'd fall for that," Sebastian said. "I was expecting it for a while now. But I've got to hand it to you, it took more time than I thought it would."
"I'm serious here! Imagine what you could do to Blaine. Kill me, he doesn't care enough to hurt and you'll have to cover it up anyway. Can't probably brag about pulling one over on him. But if you keep me like… like that. You can hurt him like that. His pride and reputation. Show me off to everyone. Get that satisfaction."
"You're really reaching," Sebastian said around the chuckle.
"I'll admit that this is completely self-serving. I really don't want to die."
It was lighter in the room still.
"And you'd trade yourself for your life?"
"I traded myself for my father's life, what makes you think I wouldn't do it for my own."
"Whatever, Kurt," Sebastian said, and he moved past him and yanked open the door.
"You like me," Kurt called after him. "In your own twisted way, you do. You wouldn't come talk to me so much if you didn't. You wouldn't've had dinner with me—"
Sebastian gave a glare over his shoulder. "That's enough." He slammed the door behind him.
…
"Hope your sober enough for this," Wes said, waltzing into the dining room where Blaine was stewing over his coffee. "You're up."
"Already?"
Wes gave a little head bob, as if to say, 'what you gonna do.'
"Set it up," Blaine said.
"We've rehearsed how to play this."
"I know," Blaine said.
"Well, I'm reminding you. You've been erratic lately, and this needs to be done right. Everything depends on this. Kurt depends on this."
"I know."
…
There was a hiatus of silence, of nothing. Kurt spent the dawn and the day watching what he could see of the city from his window. It was a nice view. Too bad it was tainted by the circumstances.
He heard the lock in the door click and then the door open and then feet, but he didn't turn from his seat by the window. He needed a little bit of his pride, and if ignoring Sebastian for just a bit was it, then it was it.
"Prove it," said Sebastian from behind him. Kurt didn't turn. He was stubborn after all.
Sebastian must have crossed the room, for Kurt felt Sebastian's press down upon his shoulders. Kurt titled his head to look up at Sebastian over him. "Seems Anderson wants to set up a video conference, you know, neutral ground and all that, to discuss… you, I guess, and whatever else is comprised in our conflict. So I want you to show him how much you want me and not him." He leaned down to talk directly in Kurt's ear. "I know you really don't want me that much, but play it up for the camera. Then we'll consider your proposition."
Kurt bit his lip and nodded.
"Good," Sebastian said. "We're on now."
He gripped Kurt's upper arm and pulled him from his seat and out of the room. He was dragged into the main room, which was bustling with activity. A few people were carefully setting up a laptop on a coffee table and muttering about connectivity and other such things. More well-dressed others, including the familiar/unfamiliar man, were conferring with each other in a huddle.
"You wait here," Sebastian said, stopping Kurt at the end of the couch presumably out of frame.
"We're ready to go in five, Mr. Smythe," one of the guys working on the laptop said.
"Good, then I need all of you to clear out except one computer guy, Jesse, and Kurt."
Sebastian settled in on the couch and everyone around him hushed or hustled out of the room. Kurt couldn't see the screen well from where he stood, but he could tell when the colors changed from a waiting screen to the video stream. Sebastian sneered when it happened to.
"Hello, Anderson," Sebastian said, cool and confidant. He was the one, after all, who was in control.
"Smythe," came the curt response. Kurt's fists gripped tight at the sound of Blaine's voice, fingernails pressing into palms. "Your demands were hilarious, I thought you should know."
"I thought you'd might've appreciate them," Sebastian responded. "I presume, though, you haven't met them."
"You know the answer." Blaine's voice sounded incredibly tight, and Kurt had been so preoccupied with himself, and sometimes worries for his dad, that he didn't think of the cold, unflappable Blaine as stressed and suffering in the way Kurt was.
"Good," Sebastian said. "Though the circumstances have changed since I sent them. I might not have sent Kurt back even if you had managed it."
"Is he still alive?" A wrong conclusion and a rough demand.
"Of course he is." Sebastian turned to Kurt then and waved him over. Kurt approached, a little stiffly, but ended up voluntarily sitting snug to Sebastian. This was his life, after all, that he was bartering for.
"Say hi, Kurt," Sebastian said.
Kurt looked at the computer screen, at the imagine of Blaine through the pixilation. "Hi, Blaine," Kurt said.
"I've grown fond of Kurt." Sebastian stroked the back of his fingers along Kurt's cheek, up to his temple, then dropped a finger around his ear and down his jaw.. Touching that was terribly and casually sensual. "And I believe that it's mutual."
It was a bit of an overstatement, but 'play it up' and 'prove it' rang in Kurt's head. "It is," Kurt said, but it was terribly mechanic. Sebastian shot him a quick, flashing look out of the corner of his eyes.
Kurt responded by cupping Sebastian's jaw and directing him in for a heavy kiss, open-mouthed and intense. Their first kiss had been brief, a brush of lips, Sebastian un-responding… this was different. Strong, and long, and showy for the camera. He pulled back and gasped for breathe. Sebastian's eyes were positively shining with a sort of madness and… victory?
Kurt looked at the screen. It was hard to read things perfectly over the image, but he could make out of the distinctive furrow of Blaine's brow.
"Kurt," Blaine voice came through the speaker, perhaps a waiver to it if it were not a computer blip, "If he's manipulating you into doing this—"
"I'm not," Sebastian cut across Blaine with glee. "He came onto me."
"I did," Kurt reaffirmed quickly. "I did." He leaned forward and pressed a lip to Sebastian's neck. Sebastian's hand curled tight around his waist. "And that's more than I ever did for you," he added on.
"Now go on, baby," Sebastian said, and god, baby? Kurt hoped that one was just for show. "Blaine and I still have to talk business." Sebastian unwound his arm from Kurt and lent him a hand as he stood.
Kurt walked off screen, as it were, but wasn't sure if he were supposed to stay or not. The familiar/unfamiliar man – Jesse – cut across the room and led Kurt down the hall to his accommodations.
Before Jesse closed the door of the room on Kurt, he said, "Good job."
Kurt opened his mouth to respond, but before he could think of a thing to say or even what exactly this Jesse was saying, the door was snapped shut.
Aki- This chapter will either make you hate me or love me (some of you have been clamoring for Kurtbastian stuff). All I can say is just wait and see where it goes. (Seriously, don't kill me.) It will all make sense in due time (which is about two chapters unless I am greatly mistaken).