A/N For reference, as it's been awhile, Jimmy is Sebastian's boss who Seb thinks might be in the closet. Phillip is Terrance, the doorman's, son who hangs around Nick's place and helps out when needed.
Ch. 95
"You, husband of mine, look absolutely edible," Sebastian smiled, wrapping his arms around Hunter from behind. "I can't believe we've been married over a month and this is the first time we're going out together on a Saturday night."
"We went out on a Saturday night for Nick and Jeff's wedding, don't forget."
"The Niff wedding doesn't count. The ink was still wet on our marriage certificate and nobody knew yet," Sebastian smiled, resting his chin on Hunter's shoulder.
"Ok, I'll give you that," Hunter smiled back, then turned to kiss Sebastian's cheek. At the last minute, Sebastian turned and kissed his mouth, holding Hunter's head still so he could move around him, and deepen the kiss. He finally broke away and was nearly breathless. "You're so fucking handsome in that tux, I can't help myself. How long do we have to stay tonight?"
"Sebastian, we got married in Vegas, alone, and my parents want to throw us some sort of shindig to celebrate. I think it would be in poor taste to eat-and-run out on the guests, don't you?" Hunter chuckled, flicking his hair into place.
"I'm sure there's an empty room there somewhere that we could—"
"Yes, that'd go over very well, right? 'Please excuse us for a minute, mom, while we rut against each other in the pantry', or better yet, 'don't mind the mess in the guest room, dad, Sebastian has a hard time aiming when he's trying to—"
"Ok! I get it! No more. I'll just grin and bear it and know that once we get home, you're all mine…and by the grace of God, you're off all day tomorrow. I feel like I've won the lottery!"
"Smart ass…" Hunter huffed, smiling in the mirror at his husband.
"I just haven't seen you in so long. If you still lived in your old place I'd never see you," Sebastian pouted.
"I know it's hard, and I'm sorry. It's not forever, and soon enough I'll keep somewhat regular hours and we can actually make plans and have a life, I promise. Just bear with me. No matter what happens at the hospital, you're still my number one priority, Seb."
"I know, I DO know, believe me, and I know you're thinking of me when I get up and find the notes you've left on the bathroom mirror. I love it when you pack my lunch at 3 a.m. when you drag yourself in after a long shift, and I see it there waiting for me in the morning. I love that you set out my outfit for work and I'm forever stunned that you do such a good job of it without turning on the light. All these little things…I love you for them, Hunter. I truly do. I don't deserve you."
"You're getting mushy on me, Sebastian. Is there a reason?" Hunter asked, eyes squinted yet still smiling.
"No reason. It just doesn't take a genius to realize how lucky I am, that's all. Kissing you that first night was the smartest thing I ever did, hands down. Not giving up on us was the second smartest. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Seb…" Hunter cooed, leaning in to kiss him again. "You're one of a kind, and I'm so glad you're mine. You've always stood by me, encouraged me, never let me give up when it was dragging me down. I'm in this for us, not just me. One day, when it's all said and done and I'm Dr. Clarington-Smythe, it'll all be worth it."
"It's already worth it. You're worth it. I'm so proud of you, and not just for when you're a doctor. I'm proud of all that you've already done, what you've achieved. I'm proud to call you mine and say 'yep, he's my husband', even if Jimmy's still heinously jealous and gives me shitty looks every morning when I come floating into the office—"
"Oh my God!" Hunter laughed out loud. "Here I thought you were being all sweet and romantic and now I get 'Jimmy' stories and you trying to make him jealous!"
"God, babe, he has such a crush on you. I love limping past him every morning at work just to watch him turn red and stalk away. I may or may not exaggerate it on purpose," he snickered. "It was fine when we were just dating, but once I told him we were married, he got all bent out of shape. He's threatened me at least twice a week to be good to you, and informed me of all the consequences if I don't measure up to what he thinks your husband should be." Sebastian laughed.
"Well, next time I see Jimmy I'll have to tell him what an amazing husband you are…and what a fantastic lover, too. And I can't wait to get home so you can remind me just how fantastic you really are."
"I can show you now if you want? I mean, 10 minutes tops, we'd only be slightly late. We're newlyweds, they expect that, right?" Sebastian asked, eyes wide and hopeful.
"I think you'll live until after the party. Who knows, I might come down with a terrible headache and have to leave early, tonight?" Hunter said, quite sassy, as he sauntered from the room looking back over his shoulder.
"Tease!" Sebastian called after him, pressing the heel of his hand over his zipper. God, he loved that man with everything he had and everything he was.
"I'm glad we don't have to go to the dinner party, really. I know you wanted to, Kurt, but you'd have been miserable and you know it. And I wasn't looking forward to standing in a room full of people I didn't know all night when our show's on," Blaine grinned. He picked up the remote and changed the channel quickly, settling in next to Kurt on the sofa.
"Blaine, do you know how many hoity toity rich people would have been there? What a way to advertise the line, ya know?" Kurt asked, although it came out like "ya dough" with the horrible stuffy nose he was suffering with.
"Be that as it may, your fever is higher and you look like shit," Blaine said, and quickly back tracked in his mind when he saw Kurt's face. "Love of my life who I madly adore to the ends of the earth," he added with a huge, cheesy smile. Kurt only rolled his eyes at him and flopped back down on the sofa, hauling the blanket up to his chin.
"Don't patronize me, Blaine," he whined, nose stuffed.
"I'm not sure who this 'Blade' guy is, but you've been calling me by his name for days now and I'm starting to get a complex. Is he taller than me? Better looking? Does he have a longer—"
"OK, that's enough of that!" Kurt laughed. "Just shut up, and stop making fun of me! I can't wait until you're sick. I'm gonna harass you to the end of time, mark my words!" Huffing, Kurt folded his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.
"Well, you're no fud at all—" Blaine began, but Kurt picked up a throw pillow and began beating on him in earnest. Blaine was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face when Kurt finally stopped wailing on him.
"Gonna kick your ass, Anderson!" He yelled after Blaine, who retreated to the kitchen to stir the soup on the stove.
"Gudda get your soup dow, Kurd…."
"Ass…"
"Ingrate…."
"It's a good thing you're so cute or I'd tell you to get out."
"Ha! It's a good thing you're so pathetic looking or I'd have thrown your germ infested butt out by now!" Blaine laughed.
He glanced at Kurt to see him watching out the window at the setting sun. The poor guy had been suffering with what Blaine thought was only a cold for days, and it seemed to be getting worse by the day. When the fever came on, Blaine finally convinced Kurt to make a doctor's appointment, only to find out that he had the flu and was contagious. Blaine figured he'd probably get it eventually, but he covered the house in Lysol and cleaned top to bottom just on the off chance he could avoid it. Kurt had even taken to sleeping in the guest room, much to Blaine's chagrin, and he hadn't slept a whole night since. He knew he preferred sleeping wrapped up with Kurt, but he hadn't realized he wouldn't be able to sleep at all without him.
"…Is good soup, thank you," Kurt smiled.
"Anything I can do to make you feel a little better, I'm willing to do it. You know that. Carol emailed me the recipe for the soup. She said she can't believe you lost it, and to remind you that she has a copy of everything that came out of your mom's recipe book if you need it."
"I don't know where it is. I only made a cursory glance, though, and it could just be misfiled."
They watched the rest of their T.V. show in relative silence, the empty bowls on the coffee table and Kurt's feet in Blaine's lap, still under the blanket. It was a lazy night and when Blaine yawned, Kurt knew he was tired and wouldn't be staying up much longer. He understood. He hadn't been sleeping well lately either.
"BRIAN! GET OFF the counter you silly thing! Bad kitty!" Kurt scowled.
"He's been doing that lately. I don't ever recall seeing him on the counters downstairs. What's up with that?" Blaine asked, brow scrunched. He wasn't some insane neat freak, but he didn't want cat paws that had been in the litter box on his kitchen counters either.
"I dunno, swat his little butt and set him on the floor. I'm gonna have to get a squirt bottle I guess. I thought maybe he was just checking the new place out, getting used to things, smelling around and all that, but he keeps doing it. Not cool, Brian!" He yelled again, and the cat turned to look at him upon hearing his name and gave him a look that clearly said "Whatever, man…."
Blaine got up and moved the cat, holding him up in front of his face and speaking sternly to him.
"This is not acceptable, feline. No cat butt on the counter, dude," he said, before setting the cat on the ground gently.
"Oh well, you really told HIM, didn't you, Blaine? I can see him quaking in his paws now. Wow…" Kurt snickered.
"I don't want him to go back to skirting around me like he did when we first started going out!" Blaine said plaintively. "I want him to like me, and if I yell at him or swat his little cat butt, he won't like me!"
"You're pathetic."
"Well, maybe he just likes 'Blade' better than me and you just don't wanna tell me!"
"Gonna whoop your ass when I have the energy to get off this couch!" Kurt snuffled loudly.
"Let me know when that is, 'cause clearly I'm so terrified…"
"Shut up, I'm running away with Blade when I'm healthy. You're mean!" Kurt pouted.
"Oh, well, then I am jealous…."
"You should be. Are you going to bed?"
"I am, unless you need me?"
"No, I'm gonna finish my soup and watch Real Housewives. I slept all day, I'm not tired yet."
"Fair enough, but call me if you need me, ok? Really, Kurt. I know you got dizzy that first night with the antibiotic and all that. I can just wait up, nevermind…"
"No, c'mon, Blaine, go to bed. I know you're tired. You've got bags under your eyes."
"I don't sleep well without you," he admitted, pouting with his bottom lip stuck out.
"Yeah, I don't sleep so well without you either."
"Just screw it. Come back to bed with me. If I'm gonna get sick, then it's too late for me anyway. I miss you," Blaine pouted even more.
"I miss you, too. You know what? I could sleep with one of those masks on…the kind they wear in surgery…"
"We don't have any of those. The best I can do for a mask is an old Bill Clinton mask I wore to a Warbler Halloween party back in the day," Blaine laughed. "And I'll be damned if I'm sleeping with Bill Clinton, Kurt. Just…just c'mon. Come snuggle me."
"Yeah…ok." Kurt said, following Blaine into their room and little-spooning in front of Blaine to reduce the amount of germs he blew in his face.
"So much better…"
"Mmhmmm….much."
"Night, baby."
"Goodnight, love."
Blaine was soon asleep, but Kurt laid there thinking for a while about anything and everything until he finally dropped off, but not before making a mental note to discuss something with Blaine in the morning. He was in the mood to throw a party.
Hunter was making him insane, and he was doing it on purpose, Sebastian was sure of it. He could tell in the way Hunter licked his bottom lip all night, the way he nearly fellated his soup spoon and the way his eyes were all dark and dilated as he watched Sebastian from across the room. After dinner they found one another in the kitchen at one point, completely by accident, and as the last waiter left through the swinging door, Hunter grabbed Sebastian by the hips and shoved his ass against the kitchen counter roughly. He flitted his fingers through the hair at Sebastian's neck and kissed him hard, Hunter's tongue making its way inside his mouth in short order.
"Should have let you have your way at home before we left. I've been half hard all night thinking about it," Hunter breathed into Sebastian's ear.
"Told you…and you're not half hard now."
"No, I'm not, I'm absolutely, 110% hard as a rock right now, and it's your fault!"
"MINE? You're the one deep-throating your soup spoon and looking like a Bonnie Bell lip gloss model over there, Mr. Licky Lickerton! I'm about to come in my fucking pants here, Hunter!" Sebastian hissed, grinding his hips forward and plunging his tongue into Hunter's mouth.
Hunter slid a leg between Sebastian's thighs and nipped at his lower lip, a sly grin appearing on his face as he teased his husband. He was so in love with the man, and sometimes the intensity surprised him. He loved everything about being married. He loved waking up next to Sebastian, falling asleep with him, knowing if he had a bad day, Seb would be there for him and calm him if necessary. He knew he could make Sebastian smile with little effort and that just the touch of his lips in a special spot could make him crazy. But most of all, he loved the power a few little words could have, and he planned to use that power immediately.
"Seb…make me come," he breathed into Sebastian's ear, a barely there moan at the end as he canted his hips forward again. Seb's teeth clenched together as he tried to keep himself calm.
"H-Huuuhhhh…" he tried, but his eyes fell closed heavily and he had to suck in air through his nose. "Hunter…we can't…not here, love."
"Those stairs…" Hunter said, nodding his head toward the steps going up across the room. "They're servant's stairs, and they stop on the second floor and continue up to the third. Take them up to the second floor, turn left and go into the second room on the left. I'll meet you there in 5 minutes or less. Don't disappoint me, husband." Hunter threw a flirty look at him, backed away and was gone through the swinging door in a split second. Sebastian didn't waste a second, taking the stairs two at a time, as fast as he was able with a pole holding up the tent in his pants.
Sebastian entered the room Hunter had indicated and realized he must be in Hunter's childhood bedroom. He'd never had reason to be there, having only been in the Clarington home once before, the night he saw Hunter for the first time and fell head over heels in love. He turned on a small sconce at the side of the bed and took in the room in the dim light. Three pale blue walls and one darker grey met him as he glanced around. Shelves upon shelves full of books took up one entire wall with the exception of the doorway leading into an en-suite bathroom with a claw foot tub that was visible where the door was cracked open. That room was a darker shade of blue from what Sebastian could see.
He walked around the room, running his fingers over everything he saw and smiling at trophies on shelves as well as framed photos of friends from school…probably high school. He grinned noting how much longer Hunter's hair had been then and nearly swooned at a photo of Hunter on the edge of a dock in only a pair of swimming trunks, arms up as he clenched his fists and showed off some pretty impressive muscles. He wasn't as thrilled with the starry eyed teen in the background who was clearly hot for Hunter. He chuckled at the thought. Hunter probably had no clue at the time. Seb was kinda jealous that the teen had a great view of Hunter's ass and he couldn't see it himself. No matter, though. He got the real thing every night, so that kid could suck it.
He'd picked up a book on the table next to the bed and flipped through it, noting that Hunter must have been reading it at some point because there was a book mark between the pages about halfway through. As he set the book down the door opened and Hunter slipped in the room, quickly closing the door behind him with a devious grin.
Hunter wasted no time, striding over to his husband and looping his arms around Sebastian's neck.
"You have a headache, and I'm bringing you some aspirin. Mother said you should probably lie down for a few minutes, and I wholeheartedly agree," He said, shoving his husband down on his bed. Sebastian's eyes went wide, not expecting it at all as he bounced on the mattress. "I'm not leaving this room until you come, and we don't have a lot of time, so you better tell me what you want now, babe."
"I…oh God…what if…can you….Ohh…..ohhhhhhhhhhgodyes….." Sebastian whined as Hunter manhandled him up the bed as he spoke, then settled between his legs and dropped his hips to slot with Sebastian's, grinding down hard to make sure his husband knew he wasn't kidding. "J-just….just that…do that….don't stop….Good Christ, Hunter…" he babbled.
"Now I know you don't wanna come in these pants, love…so I'm gonna just…." Hunter trailed off, moving his hand between them to flick the button open and slip the zipper down, all the while his lips taunted and teased Sebastian's mouth and neck. His hand wrapped around Seb's length and he gave a few quick tugs, sending Sebastian clear signals that no, he was not kidding in any way, shape or form. "Gonna make you come so hard, baby…."
Sebastian was speechless, not expecting this at all from Hunter, and especially not tonight. It was rare…very rare indeed…for Hunter, as shy as he was, to initiate sex of any kind between them. This was mostly because Sebastian didn't give him the opportunity to be first at it, always wanting Hunter and never shy about saying or showing it. For him to take charge this way was the stuff of very nice dreams for Sebastian. The poor boy found himself huffing in air like a teenager, his cock ready to spit over Hunter's fist at any moment, arching, groaning and clenching his eyes shut as he begged.
"Please…oh God, Hunter please…don't stop…faster…squeeze me right there…shit yes, like that!" He said, attempting to be as quiet as possible, but so blissed out over this side of Hunter that he couldn't keep a clear head.
Hunter squirmed above him, easing his own zipper down and pulling himself out of his pants with his free hand, never stopping his ministrations on Sebastian for even a second. He slid himself up next to Sebastian and slotted them together, licking his long fingers, encircling them both, and working his fist at a frenzied pace. This would take no time at all as rock hard and wound up as Sebastian was, and he knew it.
"Look at you, so hard for me…" Hunter teased, his voice like velvet and his eyes heavy lidded as he watched Sebastian arch and pant beneath him. "God, you are so hot, and you're all mine….my husband…my gorgeous Sebastian. You gonna come for me, baby? C'mon, Sebby…you know you like my hands on you, stroking you, all this hot skin under my fingers….want you to let go and just give me what I need, Seb. C'mon, baby, give it to me…"
"Oh God…" Sebastian whined, long and low, eyes rolling back in his head. "I'm gonna come…H-Hunter, I'm gonna….don't let it get on my clothes…oh shit…ffffffuck! Hunter!" he finally ground out, a mix of pained whine and satisfied moan. Strings of white coated Hunter's hand and chest where his shirt hung open and off his shoulders, the buttons undone and that magnificent tanned skin on display. When had he unbuttoned his shirt? Sebastian very briefly wondered. Watching Hunter throw his head back, eyes closed, and reveling in the fact that he'd made his lover come all over his chest, was a thing of such beauty that Sebastian nearly wept. As his body jerked and emptied, Sebastian fisted his hands tightly in Hunter's duvet, determined not to be too loud, but his body was screaming. To Hunter, it was pure porn and he couldn't hold back another second.
Three more strokes and Hunter was coming with him, eyes ablaze with a fire Seb had seen only a few times before and he loved it in ways that were hard to explain. "Christ you're so fucking sexy, baby. I should be embarrassed. What was that, 4 minutes? Jesus…your hands…" Sebastian gasped out, his heart pounding as he flopped back on the bed.
"I can't think of you in any way that's even remotely sexy and not want you immediately. I've been watching your every move all night and I don't think you have any idea how stunning you are, even just walking around a room and standing still for a conversation. You're a dream, Sebastian, and I adore you," Hunter huffed out, still catching his breath as he placed his hands on either side of Sebastian's chest on the bed, holding himself up from smashing the evidence of what they'd been doing all over Seb's shirt.
"I think I am so firmly on board the 'Hunter initiates wild boyhood bedroom fantasy' messing around scenario. Although I'm kinda freaked out thinking that any minute your mom's gonna come through that door and—"
"Honey, how's Sebastian's head?" Gwen Clarington said, striding into the room, reading the bottle she held in her hand. Without missing a beat, Hunter's eyes fell between them to Seb's softening cock in his hand and he realized a split second too late that it wasn't the head his mother was referring to. She continued to read the bottle out loud. "This says it's better for headaches because you only have to take it—" she paused, looking into the large, dimly lit room. Hunter had his back to her, and he hid everything she shouldn't be seeing very well. The most she could see from where she stood was her son kneeling on the bed between his husband's legs which dangled off the side of the mattress. Another step or two, though, and she'd be in the know for sure. And clearly, his shirt untucked and barely hanging off his bare shoulders was a dead giveaway.
"Mother…" he said sternly, clipped, and a bit louder than he'd been when it was just Sebastian and him. That military school upbringing was suddenly coating every word he uttered and it was hot as hell. Seb's dick jerked in Hunter's hand and a smirk crossed his face as he winked at Sebastian. "I will kindly ask you to stop where you are, back up and give me two minutes alone with Seb before you come back in the room." Hunter said, his voice so calm that Sebastian raised his eyebrows nearly to his hairline. Hunter still held two rapidly shrinking cocks in his hand, spattered with the evidence of exactly what they'd been up to, and his mother was 10 feet away.
"I just brought you this Advil in case…" she began, and then it hit her. "Oh. Ohhhh….Oh my goodness, well….I…I'm so sorry, I…" she babbled, looking for anywhere to set the Advil down as she raised her hand to cover her eyes and retreat from the room, bumping into the wall next to the closet as she made her way out. "One might think I'd know better," she giggled.
"Two minutes, please, Mom…"
"Of course, love, I'm sorry, I just….oh my goodness…."
As the door clicked closed, Sebastian breathed out a huge puff of air, resisting the urge to laugh maniacally at the hilarity of the situation. He'd just been caught with his pants down, literally, in his mother-n-law's home while a party in his honor went on just one floor below. How the hell would he ever be able to smooth this one out?
"She's gonna kill us." Seb muttered, white as a sheet.
"No, she won't. I know this much. But she will be back in, and I'm sure she's watching the time, counting off two minutes. She's very punctual like that…" Hunter stalked into the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the water until it went warm. He rinsed his own hands and wiped his belly of all evidence of their play time. He came back to Sebastian, wiped over the few dribbles on his belly, tossed the cloth into the bathtub with crazy accuracy and reached down to tug his hubby to his feet. As he buttoned up his shirt and tucked it into his pants, he raised his eyebrows and gave Seb a 'what are you waiting for' look, but snickered when he figured the poor boy was in shock. "It's fine, Seb…you're my husband and we're in my bedroom, far from prying eyes and well within our rights to—"
"Are you all pulled together now, boys?" Gwen Clarington asked as she entered the room, once again, without knocking. Sebastian was still tucking his shirt in, adjusting himself in his pants and buttoning up. With a quick flick of the zipper he took a deep breath, waiting on the beat down he expected from his mother in law.
"Happy to say we are, not that you thought to knock this time either," Hunter laughed, his eyes crinkling with mirth.
"Oh, pish! I've been young and in love, Hunter. I have you to prove it, if you'll recall!" She chirped. "Sebastian, you look positively green, honey. Sit down and take the medicine. Clearly you're overwrought."
"He's not sick, Mother, he's mortified."
"And why is that?" She asked in all seriousness. Sebastian raised his eyebrows again, casting a look at Hunter which said 'is she serious right now?'
"I…I'm so, so sorry, Mrs. Clarington. I…we were…I was…we just…" Sebastian tried, he really did, but nothing would come out. He was very unused to being left without words. Usually his snark took over in situations like this and he was able to work his way out of anything with a properly timed set down. This, of course, would not be something he'd do with Hunter's mother, for God's sake.
"You two have been staring at each other like dogs in heat all evening. I suppose it was only a matter of time, wasn't it? Better that it was up here, away from the crowd. I would have been a bit mortified to find you in the coat closet downstairs, now wouldn't I?" she grinned, leaning in to kiss Sebastian on his bright red cheek.
"But…I…I'm still so very sorry, I…we should have just waited to—"
"You're young and in love and you desire one another, Sebastian, honey. I'm not angry, and in fact, I thought I'd be a bit more flummoxed in such a situation, but it's not as if I caught you under the dining room table as 14 year olds. For goodness sake, you can't let it upset you, honey. In fact, I should apologize for barging in. I hope I didn't keep you from fini—"
"OK, MOTHER, I think that's quite enough. While I appreciate your understanding, you're just about to make my husband pass out, so if we could just move on from it, that would be stellar. Please and thank you?" Hunter said, giving her his 100 watt smile. "And I love you, all the time, but mostly for not freaking out." He said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "We'll be down in a minute…unless Seb passes out. In which case, please give everyone our regards and thank them for coming?" His mother just shook her head at him and grinned. "I'll see you downstairs, boys." And she left the room.
"That did not just happen," Sebastian stated, disbelieving, his eyes still wide and his mouth gaping comically.
"Seb…let me tell you a little story. Have a seat," Hunter quipped with a devious grin, patting the bed beside him. Sebastian sat down, still blinking quickly, unsure how he felt about all that had gone down. "When I was fifteen, we were at my uncle's house for Christmas. As was tradition, we had our family gathering, Mom, Dad and me, in the morning. We had lunch, then we drove two hours to my Uncle Randall's house for a big dinner with all the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. The celebration would go on for hours, well into the night and there was always plenty of booze flowing. It was, in fact, the only day of the year I ever saw my father indulge in a drink or two…or five. Six if it was a good year…" He chuckled.
"Anyway, this particular year, I was actually invited to sit at the 'adult table' because I was the oldest grandson, I guess, and my Aunt Carmen had triplets and the kids' table was a bit crowded, I suppose. So as the night wore on, the conversation got a little loose, most likely because of the freely flowing alcohol. I learned a lot of things about my family members at these dinners over the years, but this particular night I learned of a night that would change things forever, apparently," he grinned.
"My parents had been dating for almost two years and were engaged to be married in just two week's time. Apparently they had decided two weeks was too long to wait and they were taking advantage of my mom's parents being away from the house, out of town, for an evening. Back in those days, it was expected that the woman came to the altar untouched, yeah? Well, I guess they had other plans.
My grandfather got sick and he and my grandmother came home from their trip early, unbeknownst to my parents, who were fucking like rabbits in her bedroom, assuming they had the house to themselves overnight. When they pulled open mom's bedroom door, my grandmother passed out in the hallway, but my grandfather, God rest his soul, burst into laughter at the horrified look on his daughter's face and the equally mortified grimace on her fiancé's face as well. He said there was no punishment he could come up with in his life that would be worse than what they had to have been feeling at that moment, my dad's ass in the air and my mother screeching like a banshee at him to at least throw the sheet over them."
"You've got to be kidding me," Sebastian grinned, leaning over to lay his head on Hunter's shoulder, feeling a bit lighter now as he chuckled at Hunter's story.
"Nope, not kidding. I was conceived that evening, if you can believe it…apparently right in front of my grandparents," he snickered wildly. Grandpa always said that's why I'd always be his favorite. He said it was because he was there for every single second of my life, right from the moment of conception. My mom would swat at him, completely and utterly mortified, every time, but it became a running joke in the family I guess. She knows, Seb. She knows what it is to love, to want someone so much you can't wait…you don't wanna wait….to have to have someone immediately and to throw caution to the wind.
She cornered me earlier this evening while you were with the VanAllen's," Hunter said softly, timidly. "She said she'd never, in all my life, seen me happier, and that no matter what anyone else has to say about my orientation, my choices, my life, she is completely and utterly proud of me and of you. She'll love you endlessly simply because of how happy you obviously make me, and you will be dear to her heart and welcome in her home as a part of our family at any time, in any capacity, because you're a part of me now. You're loved here, Seb, without boundaries. Even my dad is coming around and accepting everything, not that he has a choice, really, with Mom in his ear. But he likes you, ok? They both really do, and I love you…so there's that," Hunter smiled into Seb's eyes, leaning over to bump shoulders and pop a kiss onto his nose.
"And I adore every little bit of you, Hunt….everything about you."
Nick sat straight up in bed with a gasp, his ribs aching where he'd been elbowed, apparently, and the sound of Jeff's frightened screams echoing in his head. 4:37 a.m. Jesus…..
Getting his bearings was surely not as hard as it had been the first time…or even the second…but this wasn't getting any easier to bear. His heart broke each and every time. I will never forgive you for this, David Duval.
"Jeff….baby, it's me. Wake up…Jeff…" Nick groggily sat up, reaching for Jeff and nearly getting nailed again as Jeff swung out, then threw his arms back up in front of his face to protect himself, from what, Nick could only imagine. "Honey…." He tried again, Jeff's whimpering moans nearly breaking him. When he got no answer, he thought maybe the nightmare had passed and was easing back into the mattress when Jeff sat bolt upright screaming "NO! I love him, don't touch him! Please don't…." at which point Nick jerked up onto his knees and grabbed Jeff's upper arms yelling "Pretty Boy!" right in his face, at the top of his lungs.
Almost comically, Jeff's eyes flew open wide. His chest was heaving and he was gasping for air as if he'd been underwater. He was sweaty and shaking and Nick felt absolutely helpless as to what he should do.
"Babe…'s ok…you're alright, I'm here with you…"
"Not ok…not ok…he…." Jeff began, but stopped, still breathing heavily and blinking wildly.
"Hey, ok, deep breath, slow 'em down or you'll hyperventilate and throw up. C'mon, breathe with me…in…..out….in….out…that's it. You're doing well, look at me. Look in my eyes. I'm fine, I'm right here with you. Always by your side, baby." Nick forced a small smile and stared straight into Jeff's eyes, hearing his breathing slow a bit and watching him visibly calm down.
"K…'m ok. Just lemme…." He trailed off, scooting toward Nick more.
"Always…any time you need me to, Pretty Boy, you know that. C'mere," Nick said, but didn't expect Jeff to literally crawl on top of him. "Ok…whoa. Let me sit up a little, here." Nick shifted and leaned up against the headboard of the bed, Jeff sprawled in his lap, moving his casted appendages around as if they weighed nothing, just needing to be wrapped up in Nick. The covers were pulled up and around Jeff's body where he burrowed his head into Nick's chest, his body between his husband's legs. Nick felt Jeff's left arm wiggle around his back and squeeze and it was apparent that Jeff just needed to be close to him. He had no issue with that at all.
"I'm sorry I woke you up," Jeff whispered. "Again…." He sighed.
"It's fine, please don't give it a second thought. I'm sorry you're suffering with these nightmares. They said they'll go away though. I just wish there was something I could do to help…to make them go away. Do you wanna tell me about it?"
"NO…I….no. Not right now, I don't think." Jeff muttered the last bit.
"Ok, well, you surely don't have to, I just thought…you know…it might help to purge all that negativity from your head. When you're ready, ok?" Nick asked. Jeff didn't answer right away. In fact, he didn't say anything for so long Nick thought he'd fallen asleep. He sat there in silence, feeling Jeff's chest rise and fall against him, breathing steadily as if in slumber, so when he did suddenly speak, it caught Nick off guard.
"He had you picked up and…there were men…he…they were hurting you…because of me. I couldn't help you…I couldn't move. I just had to sit there and watch it…I couldn't…." He trailed off, squeezing around Nick's waist a little harder, holding on that much tighter. "I couldn't help you."
Nick felt little spots of wetness form on his thin white t-shirt where Jeff's face laid against his chest.
"Babe…I…I don't know what to say. I don't think…I mean, he's locked up, and I really, really want to think this is over, ya know? I want to say he can't hurt us now. He can't hurt you now, ya know? I went to talk to him, do you remember me telling you that, in the hospital, when you first woke up? I told him it needed to stop, that it was over. He wouldn't reply. He hasn't spoken to anyone since Alex tore his head off and told him we all disowned him, even Mom and Bailey. He's retreated into himself and won't even speak to his lawyer. I don't know what he's doing, what his game plan is, I really don't. But I'd like to think he's finally admitting defeat. I honestly think he's kinda gone around the bend a little. He…when he hit you and Bay, he just drove away like he hadn't done anything wrong. Even when they took him into custody, he was aloof about it, as if he was just doing his civic duty or something. He's not right in the head, Jeff. I don't know if he's working on an insanity plea or….I just don't know, babe. I want it all to be over. I truly do."
"Have you ever had someone hate you, but you didn't know why? It's hard, Nick. It's really hard to know that someone hates you enough to want you dead and have no real reason why they feel that way. I can't understand what I did that made him despise me so much that he wanted me dead. It's beyond me. But I don't want him coming after you because of me. I couldn't handle it. I need it to be over. I think…I think I'd like to speak to him, actually. I may have to figure out a way to—"
"NO…are you….absolutely not, Jeff!" Nick snapped, a mix of fear and tenseness in his tone. "Are you insane? I'm not letting you anywhere near that man! No way in hell!"
"I'm not asking you, Nick. If I decide to do this, I will do it. Do you realize I don't even know what he looks like? To the best of my knowledge, I've never seen the man. He hates me, has tried to burn down my home, has cost me my job, has screwed up my financial business, and has tried to kill me, and I've never seen him face to face. I've spoken to him several times, before I…before I left when he offered me the money. He called…too much. He threatened me…he…."
"Please…please don't do this. It's not necessary, Jeff. I don't want you around him. He's like poison…he seeps into your skin. Please re-think this," Nick pleaded. Jeff sat quietly for a bit.
"We'll see."
"I want to have a Halloween party," Kurt said over breakfast the following morning. Blaine sat, wide eyed, with food halfway to his mouth.
"A Halloween party? Where? Here? For whom?"
"For us…our friends, everyone in the building and others, of course. I think it would be great fun, don't you?" he said, his smile wide. "I couldn't get the idea out of my head after you mentioned the Bill Clinton mask last night. You fell asleep and I laid there for hours, awake, and just thinking. I think it would be a blast!"
"Alright…if you want. We only have a couple of weeks, though, and if you want the guys to be here, we'll have to see if Mickey will do something else that night at The Dive. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll go over well, to be honest," Blaine grimaced.
"Or…we could have the party here before you have to leave and then everyone could just migrate there? Think about it? Everyone will be in costume at the bar, it'll be awesome!" Kurt said, excitedly.
"I don't mind. So who are we inviting to this shindig, then?"
"I dunno, the usual suspects…Niff, of course, but Jeff will balk about it because of the steps."
"We'll get him up here, no problem," Blaine smiled. "Who else?"
"Um…Seb, Hunter, Trent, Thad, Cooper, Maggie, Rachel, Finn, Alyse, Joe-"
"Joe's married, did you know that? You'd have to invite his wife."
"Done…totally do-able. Why did I not know he was married? Did you tell me that?"
"I did, actually, remember me saying she was there taking photos at the bar one night for her website?"
"OH! Oh yeah, I remember now! Ok, well, of course she can attend. A photographer, hmmm? Useful information to pack away in my brain for now," he smirked, mind already forming plans. "Ok, who else, then. Um, a few of the people from the loft, David and the girls who work there, if that's ok? I think we just invite everyone that we wanna hang out with, really. If someone else wants to drag someone along, a plus one or something, the more the merrier, right?"
"As long as it doesn't get out of hand, I'm good with it. I think we probably won't see Maggie and Coop until later though, because they'll wanna take the kids out trick-or-treating while they can."
"True…oh! I wonder what kind of costumes Maggie's working on? She doesn't strike me as the 'buy a costume at the store' type." Kurt made a mental note to ask her and offer his help if she needed it.
"Well, ok then…I guess we better get some kind of invitations going, right? We'll need an RSVP list to see how much food and booze to get. Are you planning games, too?" Blaine asked.
"Of course…but I think we'll go with adult games." Kurt winked and sauntered from the room with a devilish grin.
"Hmmm…well, then. Let the games begin," Blaine smiled right back. "Are you sure you're gonna have time to do all this stuff? You've been insanely busy with work these past few weeks." Kurt breezed back into the kitchen, a pad of paper and pen in his hand, Blaine was sure, to start making lists.
"I know…not having Jeff around to help has really thrown me off. I didn't realize how much I counted on his help. David noticed, too, and he's looking into hiring an intern for me. We'll see how that goes. I really could use the help, though. Since he started up the website and added all of our styles online, it's been a little insane. I've been staying out of it. It's not my job, ya know? David handles that part. My job is to design, and as long as he's happy with what I'm churning out, my job is done. I wish I could let go and have someone else put the patterns together, but for the first one, I dunno, it has to be me. I won't budge on that. And I trusted Jeff's help on it….now I don't have him."
"I know you wouldn't, but…don't tell him that. Don't say anything to him…he'll just feel shittier than he already does."
"I wouldn't. You know I wouldn't…holy cow, what kind of insensitive jackass do you think I am, Blaine?" Kurt asked, a bit of unease in his eyes. Did Blaine really think he'd say such a thing? Geez….
"I didn't mean…I don't…that came out wrong. Sorry…it's not how I meant it. I know you wouldn't say anything like that to him, but even mentioning that it's busy without him…I dunno, he's just in a bad place. Nick says the nightmares are still intense and he's really struggling with being immobile and stuck at home a lot. It's not in Jeff's nature to be stagnant, so I can see where he's having a hard time, unfortunately. I didn't mean—"
"I know….I just…Blaine, stop babbling," Kurt admonished. "I miss him, I really do. I grew very used to him being around here, as well as at work, and with him not here it's weird. I miss him, that's all. I'd never do or say anything intentionally to make him feel shitty, you know that."
"I do, and I know you wouldn't. I'm sorry for implying otherwise. I just worry about him. It's hard to see him so bummed out and it's hard to see you feeling so crappy. I'm just feeling a bit guilty I think…up walking around, your dad likes me and he hasn't tried to kill me, I'm not suffering with the flu…" he snickered.
"No, but my ex wanted to kill you, so if that eases your guilt a little bit, then so be it," Kurt smirked.
"Really, Kurt? Really?" Blaine deadpanned. Then he dove in to tickle Kurt, chasing him back to their bedroom, glad that his boyfriend was apparently feeling better.
A week later, Nick was still trying to get Jeff to commit to the party. All he'd gotten was "you go ahead and go, I'll be fine here…" and "I'm not up for it, I can't even get up the steps…" He was frustrated, and he couldn't imagine how frustrated Jeff must be. With his casts hindering him, he hadn't left the apartment once since he was released from the hospital unless it was to head back to the hospital for a checkup.
"Babe, you know you want to go. You need to get out of this apartment and socialize and Klaine will be so bent if you don't show up. C'mon, let's just tell them we'll be there and go have fun, can we?"
"You go, Nick. I've told you a million times, I'm not up for it. I don't need people staring at me, wondering what happened if they don't already know, and pitying me if they do know. Do you have any idea how mortifying that would be? 'Oh, what happened to you, man? Skiing accident? No, my father-in-law tried to kill me, no biggie….' No thanks!" Jeff snapped. Nick took in a deep breath through his nose and let his eyes fall closed as he combed his hair in the bathroom. He was certain Jeff had no idea how it ripped him to shreds every time he mentioned David Duval and what he'd done. He knew Jeff wasn't saying things on purpose to hurt him, but damn…it wasn't like Nick didn't know and didn't feel like shit about it already.
"Ok, then, we'll stay home," Nick smiled, trying for light-hearted as he tried not to grit his teeth.
"No, really, you go, have fun and all that. You haven't been out since I've been home…since before that, really, because…well, the week in the hospital and…you know what, just go. Really. I don't want you to resent me for holing you up in the apartment when there's no reason. When I'm better, we'll go out on the town, but I'm not going out like this, Nicky. I'll ask Phillip to come up and kick my ass in checkers or chess again." Jeff sounded jovial enough about it, and Nick knew Phillip had been hanging out more often than he normally did but he still felt shitty that Jeff wanted him to go alone to the party. He felt shittier that he was considering it.
"Blaine, how goes it, man?" Nick said as he answered his phone.
"I'm good, man, how are you guys?" Blaine asked as he walked down the block to meet Kurt for lunch.
"We're…good. Here, I guess. Not much more than that. He won't leave the apartment for any reason except to go to his doctor's appointments, still, but…we're coping," Nick said, once again attempting to keep from gritting his teeth.
"Holy shit, that's just the most unconvincing thing I've ever heard, Nick," Blaine laughed. "What's up with him? Do you need me to come over? I can, and I will. I wanted to come twice last week and he said he was all good, didn't need anything and that you were home, so I didn't."
"Really…what days were those?" Nick asked, curious.
"Uhh…lemme think…Monday and Thursday, maybe? Yeah, because those were the only two days I wasn't being run ragged by my 'oh let's throw a party' boyfriend," he snickered.
"That's funny, because I wasn't home all day Monday and I was gone all afternoon on Thursday and he said you weren't free, that he'd called you," Nick sighed, long and drawn out, which just proved to Blaine how tired he was of it all.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," Blaine told him, his head hung as he stood outside the loft's doors to finish his conversation. "Let me talk to him, Nick. Clearly he's not handling it as well as he's letting on. And this isn't fair to you, ya know?"
"I'm not worried about me, Blaine, I'm worried about him. He's shutting everyone out. He talks to Phillip more than he talks to me anymore. He insisted I go back to work and that he's fine, and for all intents and purposes, he's really doing well. He maneuvers to the bathroom just fine and he's almost mastered the art of one armed / one legged showering, although I don't think it's any secret that I was enjoying that part of helping him," Nick grinned. "But I don't like that he lied to me, straight out, about you not being able to come over."
"And I'm not sure I'm too happy that he didn't want me around and felt the need to lie to me, either."
With a deep breath, Nick resigned himself to a talk with Jeff he was sure wouldn't be pleasant…but it had to be done.
"Look, I'm gonna try to talk to him again about the party, but I don't think he'll be coming. I understand his reasoning for not wanting to, and it makes sense. He doesn't want people staring at him and asking questions he doesn't want to answer. Telling people that my dad tried to kill him isn't high on his list of fun topics, and he also doesn't want anyone looking at him with pity. I get that, I do…but this thing with holing up in the apartment for weeks on end…I'm losing it, Blaine. I need to get out and DO something other than work and picking up food. I even considered coming down to The Dive the other night just to play for a few hours, but I remembered they got someone, and it wasn't Puck, and I didn't know how that'd go over. How's he doing anyway, the new guy?"
"Ahhh, the famous 'Elliott'…well, he's uh….he's different, for sure," Blaine chuckled.
"Different? Explain."
"I dunno…" Blaine hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck with his fingers as he rolled his eyes. What was there to say about Elliott? Ok, about a thousand things, just to start. "He's flashy…wears black leather, black eye liner and glitter and…he kinda reminds me of a punk rock vampire a little bit. He's quite…uh…popular…with the clientele at the bar, and he can play damn well. Don't worry, though, he knows it's temporary, and that we all want you back ASAP."
"Blaine…"
"Nick…?"
"Is he hot? 'Cause there's something you're not telling me," Nick grinned madly on the other end of the phone line.
"He's um…I dunno, he's not hard to look at, I guess." Blaine was blushing 17 shades of crimson, thinking of the first night they'd worked together and Elliott laid it on super thick, making it very clear that he was more than interested in one Blaine Anderson. Well, he was until Finn nearly ripped his head off. After that, he toned the flirting down to a minimum, but Blaine would be lying if he said that it had stopped all together. It wasn't something he was comfortable talking about, even to Nick.
"Whatever, I'll find out from Joe," Nick said matter of factly. He could tell something was up, but clearly Blaine didn't want to discuss it. The question was…why?
"You let me know if you want me to come over and talk to him. What days are you working? I'll just show up and he won't have anything to say about it," Blaine offered.
"I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know and I'd like it, if you had time, if you could come and sit with him. He's becoming a recluse and it's creepy, Blaine. Only a few more weeks, tops. Doc says he's doing great and healing much more quickly than he'd have imagined with the severity of the break. I'm sure he'll come back around when he's out of the casts but damn…I'm going stir crazy here!" Nick hissed into the phone quietly.
"I can only imagine. Ok, man, you call me and let me know what I can do to help, alright? I'm gonna have lunch with Kurt, I'll talk to you soon."
"Will do, B. Tell Kurt I said hey."
"On it, later Nick."
Blaine turned to close the few steps to the door when it opened and one of the girls stepped out with a guy he'd never seen before. He held the door with a smile and greeted her warmly.
"Hey, Naomi, how's it goin'?" Blaine asked jovially.
"Hey Blaine! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! I'm good, thanks, and you?" Naomi answered, leaning in to hug him. The guy with her gave him the once over like he was considering buying him, like horseflesh, and it was unnerving to Blaine. If the guy leaned in to check his teeth, it was on.
"I-I'm good, thanks. Kurt still slaving away?"
"He is. He's a machine…never stops, that one!" She said brightly. "Oh! I'm sorry, how rude of me. Blaine, this is Carter Covington, he's Kurt's new intern. Today's his first day."
"Oh, cool, well Carter, it's nice to meet you!" Blaine said in his way, like an excited puppy. "I'm sure you'll love it here. Everyone's pretty fantastic." He smiled.
"Oh, you're not kidding…some more than others, obviously," Carter said, a brief smirk on his face, Blaine was sure, but it was gone before he could even do a double take. "Kurt talks about you constantly. You're a lucky man, Blaine."
"I am, that's for certain. Kurt's one of a kind," Blaine smiled. "Life's pretty amazing with Kurt in it," he said, his smile wide and happy. Well, I'm here to grab him for lunch so I'll see you guys later. It was good to meet you, Carter."
"Likewise…I'm sure you'll be hearing my name plenty in the future if I'm working closely with Kurt every day, right?" Carter smirked again, and this time it didn't disappear.
"Maybe…I guess...we'll see won't we?" Blaine said in reply, but with less of a smile now. He wasn't sure what it was, but he got a weird feeling in his stomach from this kid.
"Have a fun lunch, Blaine," Naomi said, watching the conversation between the two closely and not liking the way Carter immediately changed his demeanor in front of Blaine. He was throwing out weird vibes for sure. What was his deal? Blaine walked in the doors of the loft, out of their sight, but waited a half a step when he heard Naomi speaking. "You know they're pretty solid, right? Don't go getting any ideas, Carter." She admonished, hoping she was way off.
"I didn't see a ring on anyone's finger. Fair game….," Carter smirked again, and Naomi wasn't sure how to reply.
Blaine stood just inside the doorway unsure what to feel about that little interaction.
"Hey…" he said by way of greeting as he walked into Kurt's office.
"OH! Hi!" Kurt said, all smiles, then hopped up from his chair and place his hands on Blaine's cheeks, kissing him quickly. "Missed you…how's your day?"
"It's…fine. Good, yeah, I guess. And yours?"
"Fantastic! David found me an intern from Parsons and he actually knows what the hell he's doing! I'm stoked! I got so much done this morning because I was able to just tell him what I needed and BAM! It was done. How great is that!?"
"Awesome…" Blaine said without much enthusiasm, trying to keep his smile in place. "If he helps you get stuff done, then it's all good, right?"
"Yes, and he's smart, too. I don't have to explain things. He's worked in the garment district before, so he's no slouch when it comes to what I need. I'm starving, where are we going?"
"You pick…I'm not super hungry, really," Blaine said, his belly starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He didn't trust that kid at all, and although he trusted Kurt implicitly, he didn't like the feeling that he was after Kurt in just one short day… a half a day at that. Nope…Blaine wasn't sure he liked that kid at all.
A/N As always, much love to Suzanne who listens to me whine about what's not working, and then sends it all back to me with suggestions so you don't have to read crappy things. :)
Also, thanks for your suggestions on what to read. I found it amusing that I'm already reading what most of you are reading as well. Great minds think alike, maybe?
I had wanted to include a bit of the Halloween Party in this chapter, but it would have been a really LONG chapter and sometimes I think you guys might balk at that, so next time!
As always, thanks for your reviews and kind words. I don't know if you know, as a writer, how much it means to hear back from people who read your stuff. Well, it means the world to ME, anyway. So thanks :) Have a great weekend, guys.