Chapter 28: Advice

~He wanted to make sure it was real, that it wasn't just his imagination~

WARNING: Get ready for a bit of skin.


It had been three days since the whole fiasco.

Sebastian, being true to his words, did not want to talk about it and Kurt refrained himself from mentioning the topic. He had been dying to ask about Sebastian's dream ever since that night when Sebastian had muttered his name in his sleep. But he knew Sebastian would not appreciate it, so he did not dare to bring up the subject.

So this dance had been going on for quite a while these past few days. They remained friendly towards each other but Kurt could sense the tension between them. He knew it was unintentional, just unavoidable. Sebastian could not look at him properly in the eye and this left Kurt feeling very frustrated. He sometimes blamed himself for ever kissing Sebastian in the first place. But a rational voice in his head insisted that his feelings for Sebastian would be clear on their own one way or another.

He was really in love with Sebastian. He never thought it was possible, but apparently it was. But it would seem that Sebastian had a hard time reciprocating those feelings.

"Are you okay, dude?" Finn asked one day during breakfast.

Kurt looked up and gave Finn a quizzical look. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. It's just that you seem a little down lately," Finn answered. "Sebastian is kinda off, too. Is there something going on between you two?"

Kurt sighed. "Not really. I mean, I don't know," He ran a hand through his hair. "Things are kinda complicated right now. I don't really know what to do,"

"Did you two fight or something?"

"Not exactly. We just had a…misunderstanding," Kurt smiled ruefully. "We're trying to forget it ever happened, that's all,"

Finn looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Yeah…sometimes running away is better. I mean, it doesn't always mean being a coward, right? Sometimes, running away can lead to some sort of victory,"

Kurt blinked. "Wow, Finn. That's…wow,"

Finn grinned. "I know. I read it some time ago in History class when they were discussing about wars and stuff. It's really fascinating at time,"

Kurt merely smiled before continuing to eat his pancake. Sebastian could be seen padding into the kitchen, still looking half-asleep. His hair was sticking in many directions and he was still in his dark green pajamas. He mumbled a good morning before opening the fridge and took out a carton of milk.

"Slept in?" Finn asked casually.

"Mmm…" Sebastian answered noncommittally. He began drinking the milk directly from the carton and Kurt could not help but to click his tongue disapprovingly. Honestly, was it so hard to drink something from a glass? Apparently, to the guys in this house aside from him, it was.

"Kurt made blueberry pancakes. It's awesome. You should try it."

Kurt preened at his step-brother's compliment. He moved his chair slightly to the side so Sebastian would have room to sit beside him. Sebastian blinked owlishly as he stared at the food served in front of him before he began to eat them in a dazed state. The sight of it was so adorable that it made Kurt's heart ache. If things were not so complicated between them right now, he would have teased Sebastian about it by now. So instead, he settled himself by watching him eat through the corners of his eyes, holding back a smile.

Finn checked his watch. "Shoot, I have to go. I promised Sam I'd meet up with him today," He rose from his seat and ruffled Kurt's hair despite the boy's protests and patted Sebastian lightly on the shoulder before bolting out the door, not bothering to clear up his plate before. Kurt grumbled to himself and decided to finish his own breakfast before doing the dishes. Beside him, Sebastian ate his breakfast without saying a word.

Kurt was done washing the dishes when Sebastian was done with his breakfast. Kurt sighed before holding out his hand towards Sebastian which the latter looked at with a confused look on his face. Oh god, why did he have to be so cute? It was almost unfair. Kurt shook his head to push away those thoughts. Damn, his hormones.

"I can wash that for you. Might as well," he said.

Sebastian shot him an apologetic smile before handing him the plate. "Thanks,"

"No problem,"

He heard Sebastian getting up from his chair and walk upstairs. Moments later, the sound of running shower could be heard. Kurt dried the plate and set it aside. He turned around and looked around.

Sebastian and himself really needed to fix this little problem of theirs before things get a little too awkward for his liking. He shook his head and walked upstairs. He took his time and hummed a soft melody as he climbed each step. His bedroom door was left ajar when he reached the room. Raising an eyebrow, he pushed the door open cautiously took a step inside.

And nearly got a heart attack.

There, standing in the middle of the room, was Sebastian, drying his hair with a towel. While there was nothing unusual about this scene, but see…Sebastian was-

He was-

How to say this-

He was…um-

Sebastian was naked. Like, seriously. There was nothing on him.

Kurt gave an ear-piercing shriek and fell to the ground before he scrambled away from the door, his face so hot that it could have been on fire. Sebastian turned around and oh god, Kurt could actually see it. In perfect view.

That part of Sebastian.

"Fuck, I'm s-so sorry," Sebastian cursed one more time before hastily pulling on a pair of boxers while Kurt looked determinedly away, his cheeks still burning. "N-no," Kurt stuttered. "It's my fault. I should have knocked,"

"I should have locked the door, too," Sebastian admitted. "But I thought you were still busy with your chores downstairs," Kurt waited for another minute before Sebastian called out to him nervously. "Hey, I'm decent now,"

Kurt slowly took a peek and let out a relieved sigh when Sebastian already had his jeans on. While this was not the first time Kurt had seen him topless, this was however, the first time he took time to observe Sebastian's body. As weird as it might sound, Kurt could not help but to take notice of the smoothness of Sebastian's skin and the way his body was lean and not overly muscular. His shoulders were rather wide and strong and-

Okay, stop right there. Kurt slapped his cheeks multiple times to stop his train of thoughts. Thinking like that would not help things. It certainly did not help that he was already attracted and had feelings for the boy. If he cannot control his hormones, things would not look so good.

Although the outcome was very tempting-

"I gotta go," Kurt mumbled hurriedly.

"Hey! I said I was sorry," Sebastian replied.

"I know, it's just," Kurt forced himself to look at Sebastian who was still, unfortunately for him, was still topless. "I need some fresh air, you know. I think I'm going for a run. Yeah, a run sounds good," he rambled. "See you in a few hours!" he called out as he hurried downstairs, leaving a very confused Sebastian staring at him.

If this keeps up, Kurt Hummel was so screwed.

In a figurative sense, of course.


~*.*~

"I didn't think today was that hot, Kurt," Cooper greeted him cheerfully at the front door. "You're sweating buckets,"

Kurt did not know he ended up at the Anderson household but somehow he did. He shrugged as he panted slightly. "Had a run. Thought I'd stop by and er…borrow your shower or something,"

"Oh sure, sure. Come on in," Cooper invited him in and took in Kurt's appearance. "You know, that's a pretty unusual outfit to wear when going for a run,"

Kurt looked at himself. Sure enough, he was wearing skinny jeans, a blue scarf and a long-sleeved white shirt. Not exactly the most suitable running outfit. And it did not help that his sneakers had heels on them. He seriously needed to consider his 'fashion has no gender' policy at times like this.

"Oh er…It was a spontaneous thing. You know….a sudden surge of adrenaline," Kurt waved his hand dismissively.

Cooper smiled knowingly and led him to the guest bedroom. "You can use the bathroom in there and I'll lend some of my clothes for you. They might be a little too big for you but it's either that or Blaine's clothes," he chuckled. "Which I'm pretty sure won't fit you too well,"

Kurt nodded. "Thank you, Cooper. Sorry for the intrusion,"

"Nah, it's fine. A friend of Squirt's is a friend of mine. Especially attractive ones like you," he winked to which Kurt blushed at.

He hastily showered and when he was done, folded clothes had been laid on the bed for him. True enough, the sleeves of the button up shirt were slightly too long and the legs of the black pants had to be folded twice, but otherwise, Kurt looked pretty okay.

He folded his own clothes and put them on the nearby shelf before walking out the room. Cooper was lounging on the sofa, watching some soap opera and he turned his head towards Kurt when he heard him approaching. "Looking good, Kurt," he whistled.

Kurt smiled. "Can I see Blaine for a little while?"

Cooper raised his eyebrow. "Sure you can. I was under an impression that that was the main reason you dropped by,"

Kurt merely chuckled lightly at that and went upstairs, following the familiar route to Blaine's room. The door was unlocked and he knocked lightly.

"Come in," Blaine called out.

He pushed the door opened and was greeted by Blaine's surprised expression when he came in. "Kurt! Wow, I wasn't expecting you," he grinned. Blaine was still wearing his cast and there was a huge plaster at the side of his forehead, but other than that, he looked fine. Better, even. The bruises on his face had faded into dull yellowish ones and he did not seem to be in any sort of pain.

"Surprise," Kurt said with a smile. "Thought I'd come for a visit,"

"Are those Cooper's clothes you're wearing?"

"It's a long story," Kurt sighed. "Anyway, how are you?"

"Fine, great, awesome," Blaine said. "These pain meds are a miracle. I can't feel a thing!"

But you're undeniably high…Kurt thought wryly.

"So…what's up with you nowadays?" Blaine asked. "You hadn't called in ages," he pouted.

"Sorry," Kurt laughed. "I was busy. And besides, you need to spend time resting instead of texting,"

"Ugh," Blaine groaned, collapsing on the pillows. "Any more sleep and I'll turn into a vegetable,"

"Well, you do make an attractive avocado," Kurt teased.

"That's a fruit, Kurt," Blaine rolled his eyes but his smile was still intact.

Kurt let his eyes wander around the room briefly before his gaze caught sight of something on the bedside table. It was a framed photograph and it looked pretty new. It was a picture of Blaine as he sat on the bed, with a man wrapping an arm around his shoulders. They were both grinning but the man was not looking at the camera. He was looking at Blaine. And for some reason, the man looked awfully familiar.

Kurt's eyes widened when he remembered who he was.

"Is that Dr. Nicholas Stephens?" he exclaimed. "The one at the hospital?"

At that, Blaine somehow began to look embarrassed. "Uh…yeah. He…visits often,"

"Visits?"

"Yeah,"

"As a doctor, right?"

"…"

"Blaine,"

"The first three times, yes,"

"How many times did he visit you?"

"….Seven,"

"You're saying that he visits you basically every day?"

Blaine somehow looked ashamed. "I guess,"

Kurt could not believe what he was hearing. "Blaine," he said carefully. "Is there something going on between the two of you that I don't know about?"

"Mom," Blaine teased half-heartedly. At Kurt's look, he faltered and slowly, he nodded.

"Blaine! He could be like, what…21?"

"20, actually," Blaine corrected him. "He's in a houseman ship program. And besides," Blaine exhaled slowly. "It's just a little thing. I don't even know if it's serious,"

"But you like him," Kurt said.

Blaine sighed. "I do…I mean, who wouldn't? He's friendly and funny and I'm not bored when he's around. He makes me smile," he said fondly.

Kurt stared at him silently. Then, he sighed heavily. He really did not have the right to judge, after all. It was Blaine's life. "As long as he makes you happy," he conceded. "Just…don't mess around, okay?"

"Yes, mom," he smiled cheerfully. "Which reminds me, how are things going between you and Sebastian? Are you two getting along?"

Kurt sat on Blaine's bed. "At the moment…not really. It's a bit complicated,"

Blaine's expression turned sympathetic. "What happened?"

Kurt leaned against the headboard as he lay beside Blaine. "There was a misunderstanding. Or at least…on his part. I'm not sure about mine," He looked up at the ceiling. "Like I said, it's not easy to explain," He turned to Blaine, lightly tracing his cheek. Blaine leaned into his touch happily and Kurt could not help but to smile. It was just like the old days when they were still dating. Even though now they were only friends, Kurt still felt comfortable being like this with Blaine. And apparently, Blaine did not have any problems with it, either.

"Actually, that was the main reason I came here in the first place," Kurt continued, trailing his fingers to trace the slight bruise underneath Blaine's right eye. "I wanted to ask for your advice on this,"

"I'd be happy to, Kurt," Blaine smiled. "You know you can always count on me, right?"

"Like the song?" Kurt smiled.

Blaine grinned. "Like the song,"

Kurt giggled a bit before looking at the ceiling again. He took a deep breath before facing Blaine slowly. "I…sort of…maybe…" He closed his eyes. "I kissed Sebastian,"

There was a drawn pause.

"When?" Blaine whispered.

"Three days ago," Kurt whispered back.

"I should have seen this coming," Blaine muttered before getting up into a sitting position, his face somber. Kurt followed suit but his expression was confused. "Wait, what did you mean by that?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Kurt," Blaine's tone was resigned. "And I know how you look at him," When he smiled at Kurt, it was sad. "You may not realize it, but you have this certain look on your face when you're with Sebastian. You look…happier," He tilted his head. "I haven't seen you that happy in a while,"

Kurt did not say a word.

"And even before you two are properly friends, you are always so…" Blaine racked his brain search for the right word. "…lively when you're around him. Whether it's insulting each other or cutting each other down, all I know is…" He took a deep breath. "You're happier when you're yourself and you're yourself when you're with him,"

"I'm myself when I'm with you," Kurt said quietly.

Blaine's smile turned sadder. "I know. But I guess you're yourself more when you're with him,"

"…"

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Kurt closed his eyes to prevent any tears from escaping. "Yes," he choked. "Yes, I am," The words were so true that it hurt so badly. He wanted to break down and cry but he knew he could not because he had done too much crying lately. So instead, he breathed in and exhaled with a shudder. "But it doesn't matter anyway. He doesn't and probably won't return my feelings,"

"What makes you think that?' Blaine asked, touching Kurt's knee.

Kurt looked down. "When I kissed him…it was simply wonderful. But he suddenly pulled away and told me that kissing me was something that he should not do," Kurt looked at Blaine with shining eyes. "We haven't talked about it since that night and he refused to answer when I tried. So it's kinda obvious what's the message he was trying to relay,"

"Kurt…"

"I really shouldn't make such a big deal out of this. I mean…" he sucked in a shaky breath. "I should be used to this kind of thing,"

"Kurt," Blaine grasped Kurt's hand tightly. "No one should get used to things like that. It's not right,"

Kurt laughed bitterly. "Yes well, not everything has to be right, after all. That's why people call it reality,"

Blaine rubbed his thumb over Kurt's knuckles. "I can't possibly tell you what is on Sebastian's mind right now but I can tell you one thing," He paused. "Sebastian is the type of person who is hard to share his thoughts and feelings. And I know it might be hard but sometimes, when dealing with people like that, you just have to give them time,"

"You sound a lot like my counselor,"

Blaine smiled before continuing. "Give Sebastian some space he needs. Maybe someday when he's ready, he'll tell you what's been playing on his mind," He patted Kurt's knee. "Like I said, I've seen the way he looks at you. The look of rejection isn't one of them,"

"So you're…okay with this? With me and Sebastian? You're not mad?" Kurt looked at Blaine timidly. "Because if it's you instead of me, I'd be pretty broken-hearted,"

Blaine ruffled Kurt's hair lightly. "You goose. I told you that you're going to be happy. Who am I to stop you from falling in love with someone that gives you just that?"

Kurt's eyes shone with unshed eyes. "I'm reminded of the main reason why I fell in love with you once. You're a lot of things, Blaine. Funny, charming, sweet," His lips trembled slightly. "But the thing that I love about you the most is your never-ending compassion towards others. You would do anything just for the sake of another's person happiness,"

Blaine pulled Kurt into a hug which Kurt gladly returned. They took time to breathe in each other's scent and simply remembered all the times they shared together. From both Junior and Senior proms, Nationals, the first time they kissed to the first time they ever met.

These were the things that Kurt would never want to forget.

"I have to go," Kurt mumbled, releasing himself from Blaine's hug. "It's nearly noon and I haven't cooked lunch yet. And besides…I sort of ran here so I didn't have my car with me,"

Blaine's eyes went wide. "You ran here? B-but this is Westerville and you live in Lima! How on earth-,"

"Like I said, long story. Adrenaline can make you do weird things," Kurt waved his hand dismissively. "I guess I'll see you around then,"

"Yeah. Don't forget to keep in touch,"

"Good luck with Nicky," Kurt teased.

"Oh,shut up, you," A blush.

Just as Kurt was about to leave the room, he cast Blaine a grateful smile. "Thank you so much for today, Blaine,"

Blaine merely shrugged. "It's no problem,"


~*.*~

When Cooper dropped Kurt off at his house around an hour later, he thanked him and waved goodbye as Cooper drove off.

He gripped the plastic bag containing his clothes and made his way to the front door before unlocking it. He put his clothes in the washing machine first before padding into the living room. Imagine his surprise to see Sebastian lying on the sofa, fast asleep. In his hand, there was note. It was addressed to Kurt himself.

Hesitating, he bit his lip before slowly taking the note from Sebastian's hand and unfolded it.

Dear Kurt,

I'm so sorry for everything. Please…all I want from you is your understanding. I'm sorry.

-Sebastian

Kurt's lip trembled when he reread the note over and over again. He quietly kneeled beside Sebastian's sleeping figure and whispered something in his ear before pressing a kiss on his cheek.

"I understand…it's okay,"

When Kurt left, Sebastian mumbled one word. It was soft and broken, but it was clear enough.

"Kurt…"


A/N: There's a quote (slightly altered but still) from a famous movie in there somewhere and if you could tell me what it is, which movie and quoted from which character quoted it, I'll give you a special mention. I also have no ability in keeping readers waiting because so far, my updates have been speedy and takes about two or three days. I can't help it. I'm free. Like, extremely super free. I guess you guys as readers should be happy about that :) Ooh, ooh, did you like my surprise(s)? ;) Hehe. Thought I might humor you poor people a bit. To show you that I'm not all that evil. Maybe just 50%...or 60%. 40% on my good days. (This, too, is a quote. Recognize the TV show? I'll give you a hint, it's swarming with hot guys ;) )

PS: Some people had PM me and went "Isn't Nicholas a little too young to be already working as a doctor?" or "Is he a genius?". Well, that really depends. He can be, if you want to. But in my case, I kinda based him off my cousin who goes to medical school. I'm not entirely too sure how it is like for the others, but according to my cousin, during their holiday breaks, most medical students are required to work at the hospital to gain some experience. They are usually given allowance or college credit for their time. Their work is usually pretty light compared to real doctors, like in my cousin's case, he is assigned to monitor specific patients. So, Dr. Nicholas is pretty much doing the same thing. It could be different for different universities, I guess. :)

Reviews are lovely and appreciated.