Ch. 79
"So what's his reasoning for that?"
"He said he doesn't want to do it ON his birthday, because that's 'too obvious', so he said the following weekend would be better. Plus, I know he has something big he's getting Jeff for his actual gift, and I think he's planning on giving him that next weekend." Kurt said.
"Makes sense, I guess. I'm glad he called you. I knew you'd be on board." Blaine laughed.
"I can't resist. You know I can't not be involved when there's a party to be planned! He's given me an unlimited budget, so it'll be one helluva bash….but he did say to keep Jeff's preferences in mind, and I mean, duh. So I don't think we're going to the Ritz, but it'll be fun. I've spoken with all of the out of town guests by phone to give them a heads up about it, since there are days to take off work, etc, for some of them. I was working on the actual invitations Friday night and was planning on emailing them yesterday before I was kidnapped from my home by a handsome, crazy man who showed up out of nowhere to—"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya…" Blaine grinned. "But you had fun, right?"
"I did. I've actually never been to a casino, as I was telling your mom last night," Kurt said, glancing over his shoulder at Cris in the back seat. She was watching out the window and just listening to them chatter on as they drove back to New York. "It was fun, really, although I don't think it's something I'd want to do too often. I feel like I work too hard for my money to throw it away like that, and I know I'm the unluckiest man alive and I won't be hitting the jackpot anytime soon." Kurt snickered.
"That's too bad, then, but you better not bring me down in your little bad luck scenario. You see…I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest man alive, and I hope that doesn't change any time soon." Blaine said, turning to smile at him from the driver's seat. He reached over and grabbed Kurt's hand, dragging it over to his thigh as he always did, running his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand. Kurt grinned.
"You are so cheesy, Blaine. Please…" Kurt rolled his eyes and smirked at Blaine. "In that regard, I'm the luckiest man around. I have you, and I couldn't ask for anything more. I've got a great job, great friends, a nice apartment—"
"Not a great apartment?" Blaine asked, smirking as well.
"Hmmmm, yeah, I mean the location is great, the building is great, it's a bit small, but I love it there and you're there, so my roommate is great, and I wouldn't ever want to move because of that.
"Noted…"
"Which reminds me, Cris, when do you get to move into your place?" Kurt asked.
"Hmmmm, a few weeks. The paperwork needs to be finalized, the people who own the property are out of the country, it's just been a mess of details. I'll need to get my things from Ohio packed and moved up here…what I'm keeping anyway. Blaine, you should really come home with me at some point and go through your room to see what you want to bring to the city with you. I don't want to get rid of anything you might want." Cris told him as he continued to drive. "But I want to do this in one trip. I don't ever want to have to go back there." She said sadly. Thoughts of her soon to be ex-husband abusing the boys made her feel physically sick and she had to avoid thinking of it or she'd make herself crazy. Guilt over not noticing had already had her searching out a therapist to talk to.
"I can do that. Let me know when you want to go back. I'll have Cooper make time as well, since I'm sure he still has stuff that he wants. What are you going to do with the rest of it? Leave it for dad or what?" Blaine wanted to know.
"I don't know what your father intends to do, and honestly I don't care. I just need to be away from him, and the sooner the better. I'd like to make sure that he's not home when we go back. The very last thing I want is to deal with him while I'm trying to settle things there. He won't be pleasant, that's for certain." Cris said quietly.
"When has he ever been pleasant?" Blaine asked, his jaw tight. Kurt felt the tension in his grip and he bit his lip.
"Um…I thought maybe, if it was ok, that I could go back to Ohio with you and help you pack and move everything, Cris?" Kurt offered. Blaine turned an astonished look toward him, then put his eyes back on the road. Kurt squeezed his hand and felt Blaine squeeze back. It would be a hard time for Blaine, and Kurt was determined to be there with him through it.
Sebastian was not happy…not at all. He'd only seen Hunter once all week, and that was at Kurt's showing on Friday. He left after the fashion show and went back to his own apartment, which he was moving out of slowly but surely, and Seb hadn't seen him since then. He'd apparently barricaded himself in his place with a load of books and wasn't answering his calls. Seb knew he had an important exam of sorts coming up, but he hated being shut out, and it had been nearly 48 hours since he'd seen him or talked to him. Absolutely unacceptable.
He jumped in the shower and rinsed off the day's grime from cleaning his apartment and going for a run, then changed into something totally casual and comfortable, and headed out to get food. He would take Hunter some dinner and they could at least spend an hour together. An hour couldn't hurt, right? And apparently Hunter loved the Thai place right around the corner from his old apartment. He'd mentioned it quite a few times as something he'd miss about living there when he moved into Seb's place. He'd miss a lot of things, but probably not so much his crazy neighbors who liked to knock things from the walls as they screwed, but then again, Seb had his own crazy neighbors, right?
As he pulled his door shut, he heard said neighbors coming into the building and he smiled. He hadn't seen Kurt and Blaine yet, since his gift basket was delivered, and he was sure this would be a fun encounter.
"Hey, Kurt, Blaine…how goes it, boys?" He grinned lasciviously.
"Sebastian…" Kurt said, blushing 18 shades of red.
"Oh, Kurt, you're so cute when you blush. Don't worry, I won't press my ear too close to the wall when I know you're home alone this week without Blaine and with all those fun new things to try out. What's wrong, Blaine? Your face looks like a lobster. Didn't think of that, now, did you? Leaving our Kurtie all alone here with a big ol' basket of sex toys? He's bound to get lonely while you're gone. How many days until you come home for good, Blaine?" Seb teased.
"I'll…this weekend. I'm home…yeah. This weekend is…" Blaine stuttered out, the visions of Kurt flashing through his mind weren't G rated and he wanted to strangle Seb for bringing it up at all. Kurt was looking anywhere but Seb's eyes…at the floor, the walls, his door. He wanted to escape this conversation, and he wanted to do it now.
"Thank you for the basket…" he muttered quick and low, then shoved his key into the lock harshly and fled the hallway. Seb laughed out loud, wrapping his arms around his waist and Blaine slugged him in the arm and rolled his eyes.
"Stop embarrassing him, you jackass! You know how shy he is about that stuff!" Blaine hissed at him, turning to see Kurt stride into the bedroom with his bag as if the devil was nipping at his ass. Then he turned back to Sebastian and said quietly, "Dude, I owe you one…I won't forget this." He grinned. "There's not a single thing in that basket that won't be used, mark my words!" Blaine grinned, then shut the apartment door with his teeth tapping together in a big toothy grin and his eyebrows wiggling. Seb roared with laughter once again and left the building.
After waiting on his order at the Thai restaurant, he grabbed his bags of food, thanked the lady who took his order and had flirted shamelessly with him the whole time, and headed to Hunter's place. He took the elevator up to the 14th floor and walked down the hallway with purpose. He was a man on a mission.
When there was no answer when he knocked the first time, he knocked harder the second time and waited again, but with less patience. When there was still no answer, he tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. He pushed the door open and went inside, setting everything on the kitchen counter, which was spotless, and there were no dishes at all in the sink. He pulled open the fridge and realized there wasn't much of anything in there either, only a jar of pickles, a handful of condiments and salad dressing, and a half gallon of milk that looked like it was on its way to being old enough to drive. There was an empty 2 liter bottle of soda in the garbage can, but that was it. He shook his head and went in search of his lover. He found him asleep at the small table in the dining area, his face pressed into a book with various drawings of body parts all labeled with confusing terminology that Seb didn't even want to look at.
"Oh my God, Hunter…have you even eaten since you left my place on Friday?" he whispered into the room. Walking over, he sat at the chair next to Hunter's and rested his chin on his hands, staring lovingly at the man before him. He snapped a picture of him passed out on his book, no fewer than 10 others laying around the table, some open, some not. He always looked so peaceful when he slept, but he didn't look peaceful now. He looked uncomfortable and he had dark circles beneath his eyes. Seb reached over and ran the back of his knuckles down Hunter's face.
"Hunter…baby?" he said, loud enough to be heard, he hoped. "Hunt…" He said again, and this time the man stirred.
"…'bastian…." He mumbled into the pages of the book, but didn't open his eyes.
"Hey…c'mon, baby, wake up for a minute and eat with me. When's the last time you ate something?" Seb asked him. Hunter was slowly coming around and he finally dragged his eyelids up enough to see Seb sitting at his table.
"Tired…"
"I'm sure you are. You look like shit. Looks like you have bruises under your eyes they're so dark. You need some good sleep. I brought you food, c'mon, sit up here." He urged. He got up and went into the kitchen and grabbed the bag, a couple of plates and two forks. He was glad he had grabbed two bottles of soda at the restaurant now that he realized Hunter's fridge was all but empty.
"Babe…please. I know you can't be comfortable there. C'mon, here's a plate…" Seb said quietly, still urging Hunter to sit up.
"Brought my favorite?" Hunter mumbled.
"Mmhmm, shrimp pad thai. Sit up here and I'll help you eat it. I'll feed you and make the airplane noise for you if you're a good boy." He snickered.
"Ass…"
"I have one, yes, but it's not as cute as yours. First bite, love…open up." Seb forked up a bite and waved it carefully under Hunter's nose and he perked up immediately, his mouth falling open.
"Mmmmm…oh God, so good. Thank you." He mumbled, chewing now, his eyes forcing themselves open. As soon as he swallowed Seb had another bite ready for him.
"What have you eaten today, Hunt?"
"Hmm…um….not a lot, I think." He said, still sleepy.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Um…what day is it?"
"What? Oh Hunter….you can't do this shit. It's not good for you! You, of all people, know that your body doesn't function right without proper rest. Finish this and we're going to bed, IN BED, and we're going to sleep." Seb told him sternly.
"Can't…gotta study…"
"Bullshit, when's the exam?" Seb asked, not happy now.
"Wednesday….Wednesday morning."
"Good, then you have plenty of time to study. Hunter, it's Sunday, you have at least two full days before the exam; you have to get some good sleep. Don't make me tie you to the bed."
"Mmm, that could be fun? But I don't have time to play. Or to sleep. Or to eat, really…" he said, sitting up and shoving the plate away. He flipped the page of the book he'd fallen asleep on, then flipped it back and picked up a napkin to wipe the drool from the page. "But thank you for bringing me food, babe. I love you for it, I just can't stop to eat." Hunter yawned.
"When did you last sleep, Hunter, and I don't mean at the table!"
"Umm…Thursday? I think? That was before the uh…before Kurt's show, right?"
"I'm gonna kill you, you stupid bastard, get up!" Seb growled. "Jesus…Hunter!"
"Don't snarl at me, Seb…damn, I just need to study!"
"Nope. You're going to come in here, lay down and sleep. I'm not leaving, so if you try to study, I'm going to make you insane, I promise. I'm scared for you, Hunter! Please!"
"Seb…"
"Please. Please, babe, don't argue. C'mon." Seb urged him. Hunter thought about it for a few minutes, his head drooping toward the book again, before he finally gave in.
"A few hours. That's all, ok? I have to study…have to pass this exam, Seb."
"A few hours, then. Sleep with me. I miss having you next to me." He smiled, softly.
"You're such a sap, Sebastian. Good thing nobody knows. Our secret…." Hunter yawned again, loudly this time, and shuffled down the hall to his bedroom. Seb followed him, removing his jeans, which were already unbuttoned at the waist, and stripping his t-shirt off before shoving him into bed. He then snuggled up behind him, wrapped an arm over Hunter's waist and kissed his neck a few times for good measure. And if he forgot to set the alarm, well, Hunter would just have to punish him tomorrow.
"What's your schedule like this week?" Blaine asked as they sat on the sofa Sunday evening eating an early dinner.
"Dunno, kinda playing it by ear, really. I finished the tuxes for the 'celebrity wedding' on Friday night before I came home, so at least that's out of the way."
"You say that like you didn't enjoy doing it. That's not at all like you, Kurt."
"I've come to the conclusion that I love and adore designing fashion. I truly enjoy choosing fabrics and notions for those fashions, and I don't even mind fittings, so much, but I'm tired of sewing and patterns. I think I'm going to have to talk to David about it. It's getting to me, making me edgy and uptight at work, and I don't want that. The design is what's mine. Anyone can sew it together. I get final say, anyway, so it's not a big thing. I'm really hoping Maggie comes on board. I think she'd be an invaluable addition to our team." Kurt told Blaine as he ate.
"Huh…I always thought you liked the sewing part."
"I don't dislike sewing, honestly, but I'm burned out. I've always enjoyed it, but when you have so many that have to be done in such a short time…well, you know how it goes. And I think that was part of it. I HAD to get it done, and I had to sew them. It was me and Jeff and that's it. I can't do that anymore. It's stressful!" He shrugged. "Once in a while wouldn't be so bad…something I want to do, perhaps. Like, when I used to make things for Rachel, I absolutely loved it. That was one thing at a time. This show…it was almost 85 pieces, B. I was thoroughly overwhelmed, and I'm sure Jeff was as well. Truthfully, I think he's having second thoughts about it. This isn't his passion, and he wants something else, I can sense it."
"Seriously? Huh….well, yeah, I can see him probably wanting to get back to teaching and acting. I never thought I'd see the day when that boy wasn't dancing or teaching dance somewhere, either, come to think of it. Odd. I wonder if he misses it." Blaine said, contemplating.
"I'm sure he does. He's been fidgety, staring off, I can tell there's music in his head, sometimes, and he's just sort of zoned out thinking, tapping his foot or his pencil. It's ok, it was a temporary thing at best, and we both knew it. Now that he's not so afraid of David Duval creeping around, he doesn't have to stay in the building and sew to pass the time, I guess."
"True…very true." Blaine sighed, taking a deep breath. "Well, baby, I guess—"
"Don't go. Just…stay. Just call and tell them you're not coming back for the week, please?" Kurt begged, and Blaine was dumbfounded. He was honestly asking, and Blaine didn't know how to reply.
"Kurt…I can't just ditch 'em this late in the game. It's only this week. I'm not even sure if I have any exams on Friday. I might be able to come home on Thursday night. Babe…" He said when he saw the tears in Kurt's eyes.
"It's ok, I know. I know you have to go, I was being stupid. I'm sorry."
"I'm not going to war, Kurt. Just to Westindale for a week. I'll be home this weekend come hell or high water, I promise. And I might have a little something in mind as a surprise, as well." He smiled. "If you're up for it, of course. Only if you're up for it…" he trailed off, teasing.
"What is it?" Kurt said, suddenly excited.
"Not tellinggggg…" Blaine teased him again. "It's totally a surprise, and if it was done, I'd show you today before I left, but it's not, so you'll have to wait." He grinned.
"Not fair." Kurt pouted.
"No pouting. Soon enough, love. But I really should get going. I don't like driving all those country back roads when it's dark." Blaine grimaced. He walked over and set his plate in the sink and rinsed everything off before setting it in the dishwasher.
"Hate it when you leave…" Kurt grumbled. "Didn't even get to make love to you last night."
"Mmmm, no…no, that did not happen, and probably would have been quite awkward with Evee and Mattie in the room with us. But look at the bright side, we did something nice by keeping the kids on their wedding night…maybe karma will do something kind for us?" Blaine smiled.
"Yeah, I'll hold my breath on that, ok?" Kurt snarked.
"Ok, babe. I'm going. I'll call you when I get back. Kiss me, one for the road?"
"I suppose maybe you deserve one…but only one." Kurt pouted, still, but sauntered over and grabbed Blaine harshly, dipping him back and planting a bone melting kiss on his lips that nearly straightened his hair. He came up panting and wide eyed, staggering from the impact of the kiss.
"Holy…holy shit, Kurt…damn." He managed to get out.
"Miss me. I demand it. And come home as soon as you're able. Maybe I have a surprise for you as well, Mr. Anderson?" He smirked.
"O…o.k…." Blaine panted, walking backwards to the door. "Miss you already." He grinned.
"Miss you, too. I love you, B. Be careful."
"Love you more, baby. I'll call you!" Blaine said, and closed the door behind himself. He may or may not have thrown his hand to his chest and mock swooned on the stairs on the way down.
Kurt timed it just right, so that when Blaine called him to say he was back at Westindale, he was ready for him.
"Did you miss me?" Blaine laughed.
"I didn't have time to miss you yet. I had some errands to run, actually." Kurt said, a little giddy.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I uh…I needed to pick up a few things from the store, actually…for when you get home."
"You had to go today for that? What did you get, groceries?" Blaine asked.
"Uh….no, not exactly." Kurt said, his blush taking over his whole body.
"Ok…you gonna make me guess?"
"Maybe…" Kurt teased. "It may or may not have to do with your surprise for this coming weekend."
"Oh…hmmm…" Blaine murmured, wondering. When he heard the knock on his door, he asked Kurt to hang on for a minute and opened it to find Kailey there with a big grin. He held up his finger signaling that he needed one minute and he'd be all hers. "Babe, Kailey's here, I have to run, but I'll call you later, ok? I love you!" Blaine said, cheery and silly.
"I love you, too, Blaine. Take your time, I have a lot to do while I wait. Seems each and every one of these things take some kind of batteries. Good thing I got a mega pack of each size. Might take me a while to wade through 'em…I'll talk to you soon, love!" Kurt giggled, clicked on something that made an obnoxious buzzing sound, then disconnected the call. Blaine stood in the middle of the room, mouth gaping open in utter shock.
"Everything ok?" Kailey asked.
"Hmm? Oh! Um…yes, I…was um…talking to Kurt. Yeah…seems all is well." He said, mouth dry and certain he was blushing up to his ears with the thoughts of what Kurt was doing running around in his head.
"How was the wedding? I'm dying to hear!" She said, her smile bright.
"It was insanely fun! We got there in time, barely. She called to ask me to stop and pick up a dress for her to wear from her apartment but Kurt said that wasn't happening, and he picked up a dress he'd designed that was at the loft and we took that along. I have pictures!" He crowed, grabbing his phone and showing off his family.
"Holy cow, your brother is as handsome as you are. Good genes in your family, eh?" She asked, causing Blaine to blush and stutter. "And the bride…so beautiful. That dress is freaking fantastic! Are those her kids? The ones you adore?"
"They are…Mattie is so excited to have Cooper in their lives. I think it's been hard on him, not having a man around, ya know?" Blaine said, still focusing on the photos.
"And the girl, what's her name?" She asked.
"Evee…Evelyn. She's a doll. Spittin' image of Maggie, her mom. She adores Kurt." He smiled.
"Can't say as I blame her. He's a great guy. You next? Anytime soon? I mean, I know you've only been here for 6 weeks, but I hope I get an invite!" She laughed.
"My mother seems to think it's time." He smiled bashfully. "She really likes Kurt…and I guess he likes her just as well. In time, yeah, but not today or this week or…well, in time." Blaine grinned. "And I'd be honored if you'd be a guest at our wedding." He said, staring intently at his phone and the photo of him and Kurt together after the wedding. "He is pretty great, isn't he?" He said softly, lost in his thoughts of that day and wondering how their own wedding would be.
"May be sooner than you think?" Kailey questioned.
"Hmmm? Oh!" Blaine rolled his eyes at her and blushed. He felt like that's all he'd done since he walked through the damn door! "He's just…I miss him already and it's only been two and a half hours. I know, I'm pathetic, just tell me and get it over with!" He laughed.
"You're not pathetic, you're in love, and you'll see him Friday, so shut up. Want me to have maintenance come up and help you out Thursday after last bell so you can leave right away?"
"Thursday? I thought Friday was the last day? I just knew I didn't, personally, have any exams scheduled for that day." Blaine questioned.
"Nope, last day is Thursday. I know, makes no sense, right? I don't make the calendar." She shrugged.
"Yeah, then I'll be heading out Thursday. The sooner I get home to him the better, and I have a surprise weekend to set up, anyway!" He said excitedly.
"Oh yeah? Anything PG you can share?"
"Let me show you!" He said, bursting at the seams, then pulled up the pictures of the apartment on his laptop.
Sebastian woke up to a dark bedroom and through his bleary eyes he saw that Hunter was still next to him in bed. He checked his phone and saw that it was nearly midnight and they'd been sleeping for almost 6 hours. He hadn't thought he was that tired, but clearly Hunter was. Then he heard it…the thumping and banging and moaning from next door. That must be what had woken him up. When the artwork on the wall rattled, he got up and tiptoed over to it, removed it from its nail on the wall and set it on the floor just in case.
The neighbors were increasingly louder and it was causing Hunter to stir and wake up, which irritated Seb at first, but he felt better that they'd gotten some good sleep, and he knew Hunter would want to wake up soon anyway.
"Time is it?" Seb heard him mumble.
"Almost midnight."
"Shit…didn't wanna sleep that long, Sebby…"
"You needed it. You can't tell me you don't feel a ton better now, can you?"
"Mmmm….much better." Hunter replied, humming, then snuggled back into Seb's arms. The thumping against the wall continued and Seb smirked. He knew it was just a matter of time now.
"They're so loud, damn it…" Hunter grumbled.
"That they are, love. You won't have to tolerate it much longer, don't worry. But you have to admit, it's kinda hot. Hummel's pretty quiet, so you won't hear much at my place." Seb snickered. "But then again, Blaine's been gone..."
"I can feel you judging me, Sebastian." Hunter smirked and elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs.
"You know you like to listen…and we both know how much it turns you on, baby."
"Maybe…"
"Oh, most definitely…" Seb grinned as he reached around and grabbed Hunter's cock, almost fully hard now in his undies.
"Nghhh…please…"
"Please what, Hunt?"
"You're a tease! A jerk and a tease, Sebby…" Hunter pouted. Seb took pity and started to stroke him through his boxer briefs slowly until he purred with contentment.
"I came over here to save you from starvation and sleep deprivation, fed you, put you to bed, removed your art from the wall so as not to watch it shatter to the floor again, and you call me names. How's that fair?" Seb pouted right back.
"Get me off and we'll talk about fair…as in turnabout is fair play."
"I'm so down with this plan…." Seb answered, eyes bright as he rolled on top of Hunter and lunged for his neck.
"I already told you what I want, Nicky. Dinner at the Four Seasons and alone time with you." Jeff smiled softly into Nick's neck from where he sat on his lap on the sofa.
"Boring…" Nick mocked him, rolling his eyes as if it was the worst idea ever. "That's no more a 'Jeff's birthday fun' idea than underwater basket weaving. Paalease…."
"Then plan something…you pick. Surprise me."
"I already have a surprise. I just don't want you to be bummed if we don't go to the Four Seasons."
Jeff laughed and shook his head. "I don't care where we go. I care that I'm with you, babe. Let's hit that pizza place by the bridge that we liked so much…the one with the breadsticks stuffed with cheese!" Jeff said excitedly. "That's more my speed anyway. I don't want to get all dressed up for the damn fancy restaurant anyhow."
"We can certainly do that if you want. Anything else? I mean, now that you know I can afford it and all that—" he began, but laughed when Jeff shoved off his lap and smacked him dead center in the face with pillow. "Seriously, what about an actual present?"
"Nope, I don't need anything. I have everything I need right here with you."
"Ahahaha, well too bad, you martyr, I got you something anyway!" Nick laughed uproariously when he saw Jeff's face.
"Nicky….I don't NEED anything!"
"I think you might need this, actually. I put a lot of thought into this one, and I hope against all hope that it's something you'll treasure and enjoy. If put to the right use, it could bring years and years of enjoyment, and not just to you, love." Nick told him, his face serious now as he placed both hands on Jeff's face lovingly. "I want you to love it, but I want you to also know that if you don't, that's alright, babe, ok?"
"Ok, but if it's from you, of course I'll love it."
"I really hope so, Pretty Boy. I think it'll be a good thing for you, and maybe some others around us…who knows."
"Ok, so when you said 'years of enjoyment not just to me' I thought you got us industrial strength sex toys. Now you're bringing others into it. Is that part of my present? You want a threesome, Nicky? Maybe swing with another couple…all four of us?" Jeff squealed and ran when Nick jumped from the sofa and chased him into the bedroom with growl, tackling him to the bed and pinning him down.
"I'm a generous man, Jeffrey, and I'll give ya the shirt off my back if need be, but there is one thing in my life I refuse to share and that's you…and you well know it. I am yours, mind, body and soul, and you are mine, Pretty Boy…all mine."
"Mmmmm….show me?" Jeff grinned.
The week passed quickly, Blaine having at least one exam scheduled for every day and two on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. He had spent the evenings packing up his room and making sure he had everything he'd brought with him that first week. He was glad he had the forethought to throw a bunch of stuff he wouldn't need into the car the previous weekend, and when they had gotten back to the apartment after Atlantic City, he had unloaded it then. He was left with the bare essentials now, and that was ok.
Jeff was picking him up Thursday at 4 p.m. His last exam was at noon, and lasted two hours. By then he'd be able to say goodbye to a few of the staff members he'd gotten to know, get to his room and have it all waiting outside for Jeff to arrive. If he was a little stoked that he got to ride in Nick's gorgeous car again, he wasn't going to admit it. If he sat back and recalled the fun he and Kurt had in said car the last time he was in it, while a clueless Jeff drove him home, well, he wouldn't admit that either….and damn, it was such a nice car, one couldn't help but love being in it.
"Morning, babe…you're up early." Sebastian said into his phone at work Thursday morning.
"I am, but grades posted today, and I wanted to know for sure…" Hunter replied.
"And? Don't keep me waiting, you know I'm impatient." Seb grinned into his phone.
"Hmmm, yeah, you're kind of impatient, I agree. Like when you want me to go faster and I just sort of ignore your begging and ride you tighter but a little slower—"
"H-Hunter, I'm at work…"
"And you get very pushy and you snip at me to get my ass going if I want to come anytime soon—"
"HUNTER!" He squeaked, closing his eyes and paying a bit more attention to his breathing.
"Spoil sport…. Anyway, I did ok, I suppose. Could've been better, but it's done and over with, so…" Hunter teased him.
"TELL ME what you got, you goof." Seb smiled, knowing damn good and well Hunter was at the top of his class and he knew why. He was so damn smart and he took everything seriously when it came to learning. Seb figured nothing in Hunter's life was as important to him as being a good physician someday, and he was ok with that…for now.
"98.7%" Hunter huffed into the phone with a splitting grin on his end.
"That's amazing, Hunter!" Seb said, standing from his chair and pacing the floor to the window in his office. "Very well done, my love!" He said again, loudly, and glanced at the door to see a few heads turned his way with splitting grins. He rolled his eyes at his co-workers and went back to Hunter. "We should celebrate. This is it, right? I mean, now all you have to do is the time at the hospital and with the patients, right? But this is it? I'm so fucking proud of you, Dr. Clarington, I could yell it from the rooftop…" Seb told him again. And it was an odd feeling to him, really, being that happy for someone else. He's spent a whole lot of his life not really giving two shits about anyone but himself….self-preservation, of course...and caring so much about Hunter….watching him succeed and find his own happiness…well, it was something he wasn't quite used to, but he wanted to become familiar with it for certain.
"I want to celebrate, but just with you. If you want to go to dinner or something, just us, that's ok, but…can we just…can we just um…you and me, Seb? It's been a long time since we had 'us' time." Hunter asked quietly, and Seb was touched. He could have asked for anything- a night out with their friends, a night out with his fellow students, celebrating with his parents, anything, but he chose to just be with Seb, and it was a glorious feeling.
"Anything you want, Hunter. Anything at all."
"Good…ok. Thank you, baby. I'm gonna um…I'm gonna grab lunch with a few friends here and I'll…I'll be over tonight, ok? When you get home, I'll be there…home….waiting." Hunter said timidly.
"I can't wait. I love you, Doc…and I'm so proud to call you mine."
"Love you, too, Sebby."
"Mr. Anderson, will you be back for fall classes?" Emma, one of his students, asked when all of the exams had been turned in and they were just waiting on the bell.
"I won't, Emma, I'm sorry. They offered to let me come back, but I live quite a long way from here, two hours away, and it's hard to be away from my family and friends back home." Blaine replied.
"You miss Mr. Kurt when you're here?"
"I do, yeah." He smiled. "But I don't want you to think, for even one minute, that I didn't enjoy having you guys in class, alright? I had the best time, and I want you to know that this has been one of the best things I've ever done. I don't regret taking the job, even if it was for a short time, because now I'm very sure I know what I want to do…I want to teach music to kids, and you helped me to see that." Blaine said, ruffling her hair. "I'll miss you guys, but I need to be back in the city with Kurt."
"You're a good teacher, though, and I liked coming to your class. It was always fun and I didn't dread being here!" Emma told him, the rest of the class nodding along in agreement.
"I learned more over the summer with you than I have in two years with Mr. Davenport!" Tyler piped up. Blaine smiled and ducked his head trying not to laugh.
"Awww, you guys are too good to me. I really loved being here every day with you, believe me, and if the distance wasn't so great, I'd have taken the job in a heartbeat. Thank you, though, for making the last 6 weeks so much fun. And thank you for making me feel welcome…and for making Kurt feel welcome when he was here to visit. He enjoyed being here as well." Blaine told them, and he felt his throat closing up and the tears forming behind his eyes. By the grace of God the bell rang and class was dismissed. Most of the kids took turns hugging him and saying their own goodbye before they left the class, and by the time they were all gone and he was standing alone in his classroom, he was a blubbering mess.
He pulled himself together, grabbed his bag, snapped a few photos on his phone of 'his classroom', and then headed up to pack the last few things. This was it, he was finally going home to Kurt for good.
Blaine: Are we all set, Nick? We're almost home and I want to see it as soon as I get there. Can you meet us?
Nick: All set, man, and it looks really good…I mean, Kyle did a fantastic job, esp on the roof. I can't wait for you to see it. I'll meet you there.
Blaine: ETA 30 minutes. Kurt should be at work until at least 8. They have meetings with some big wig tonight. I'm freaking nervous as hell to see everything! Ok, see you soon!
Nick: Roger that. All ready and waiting on you, man!
Jeff: Coop, we all set? Everything's done? Ready to go?
Cooper: Absolutely. Mine, yours and his, ready to go. No worries, my brother from another mother who is also best friends with my real brother, which is odd, really when you think about it…..
Jeff: Good Lord, you are so… Ok, as long as it's all a go. He's gonna be ok with this, right?
Cooper: Hell no, but it's the right thing to do. We both know it. He'll love you anyway. Come by tomorrow to pick everything up and I'll treat you to lunch?
Jeff: Sounds good. And thanks, Coop. For everything. Really.
Cooper: Anytime, Jeffrey. Anytime.
Nick: We're just about there, right?
Kyle: Finishing up today, boss. That's still weird to me…you're my boss. I quit my job. Holy shit, Nick, I quit my job! *insert hysterical scream here*
Nick: You quit your job because I'm paying you double what you used to make to work for me now. *insert pat on the head here*
Kyle: Yeah, well, if you get your boyfriends gifts like this, you can be my boss, my sugar daddy, my anything you want. You just tell me when Jeff gets bored, ok? *wink*
Nick: When Jeff gets bored and leaves, I take a long walk off a short cliff, because it's no longer worth it, my good man.
Kyle: Sickening, and I'm 27 kinds of jealous, but you're a good man, and he's very worth it, Nick. I know he'll love it! I'll text you when we're done here.
Nick: Thank you, for this and all of your hard work. Tell the crew I have an 'end of the project' gift on the way!
A/N So there's that...a LOT happening next few chapters, so hold on to your seats. I'll attempt to get them up sooner rather than later. Thanks for your patience...you guys have been so great, and I can't thank you enough for sticking by me through the long pauses.
Thanks to Suzanne who edited this one for me, as Christine is mega busy with family right now. Her hubby had surgery and her mother will also be having surgery here soon, and they're moving, too, so that's a chore in and of itself! Send her a little prayer if you think of it? :)
Also, FF dot net was messed up a bit, and there were a few reviews that I was not able to reply to the last time. They were from Hazy84, Harvestmoonfreak723, SandmanSam, LvSammy and Designs by DeLu. You guys know I always reply, and I'm sorry I couldn't. FF isn't even recognizing them as being there, but I did get an email about them, so thank you for that :)
That's about all for now. The "book" is finished. I'm doing MY last edit, and then sending it to fresh eyes for their 2 cents worth...and then the big steps which terrify me. When all is said and done, you'll be the first to know. Thanks guys, for everything. Hugs to you all. K
This chapter is especially for TwistyRob who sent me a msg last night which made me laugh out loud...and I needed that. Yesterday was my dad's birthday, and those are still hard to get through. So, Ms. Robyn, thank you for that! ;) I'm waiting on that cook / driver / sitter!? LOL