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Time 2

New York, New York

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(Isabelle)

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Flowers filled the temporary office of one Kurt Hummel. Isabelle Wright pushed her way through the mass of flowers with a frown. "I know you're fancy and all, but did you really think this was appro-" She cut off when she saw the redness rimming a set of gorgeous gray blue-green eyes, it was unlikely to be a recent but it had happened and he hadn't had time to deal with it, or he thought he had and missed one last telling tale.

There was a waste basket filled with tissues too. "What happened?" She asked instead and he waved at the apology card in the flower arrangement closet to her. She looked at it and lifted a brow, reminiscent of another face he used to know. "What did he do?"

"Cheated on me."

"Emotional, intellectual, kiss or sex?" Isabelle asked, looking at the flowers, there was no consistent message in them, other than flowers! Lots of them. Overwhelming amount to be exact.

"Sex. Two weeks after I left. 'I wasn't there for him'. He missed me and was lonely and couldn't wait the month to come see me like planned. I had been excited to see him early, thought he was missing me as much as I was missing him and he couldn't wait the full month to come out and see me. Turns out it was guilt and not desire driving him."

Isabelle ripped up the card. "Forget him. He's not worth it. He just thinks he's in the 'dog house' and wants to be forgiven. This isn't even remotely close to the appropriate sort of apology necessary for his actions."

"He's trying, it isn't his first overture and it's not that simple. He's the love of my life and -"

"You're 19, Kurt. You're in New York. Do you know how many gay guys are just waiting to snatch you up? Come one, we're going to go out. I'm meeting up with my nephew, I think the two of you would get on. I knew you had a boyfriend and so I wasn't going to introduce you, he's a bit of a... well, let's say he and I treat relationships pretty similarly. Doesn't mean we don't care about people though. I think he's the perfect sort of rebound for you and then you can work on finding a better fit than dog-boy."

Despite himself Kurt laughed. "I'm not a fling or one-night stand type of guy." Kurt pointed out but he was gathering up his stuff and Isabelle pulled out of her purse something Kurt would have to find and purchase for himself. Instant cooling packs that she pressed against his eyes.

"Again, Kurt, you're 19. You don't know what kind of guy you are yet. This is your chance to explore and figure it out for yourself. Ohio didn't give you very many options and if you decide after trying both a one-night stand and a fling that it's not your style, then and only then you'll know." She frowned slightly. "I've told my nephew about you actually, I thought you'd be someone he liked too, or at least to give it a chance. I've told him he needs to try a serious commitment at least once, see if that's not for him too. I tried once with someone I thought would be...but nope. I decided it wasn't for me, but I still am kind to my lovers when I break it off, tell them at the very beginning that it's not going to be more. I'm still friends with all of them, they've gone on to have other lovers or wives or whatever. You and I, Kurt, we're fabulous and aren't meant to be tied down. If the right person joins us, helps us achieve our goals, maybe, but we can't be held back. We need to fly and achieve the greatest heights in every way."

Kurt sniffed and nodded, taking the packs off his eyes. "You're right. And these flowers are atrocious. I'm going to bin them."

"Nah, let the others take them home. I'll tell them that I was inspired to reward them for their hard work. The one I'm really rewarding is you by taking them off your hands and introducing you to my nephew." She winked at him as she hip-checked him.

"So you tell him to go for commitment and me a one-night stand or a fling?" Kurt asked as they handed off the flowers to the other employees.

"Yeah, it'll keep him off balanced." She cackled and Kurt grinned wider. She was evil and he liked it.

"I'm not the only gay guy working for you." Kurt pointed out, Gary who'd brought the flowers in had also been obvious and obvious in his interest in Kurt. Maybe he should have given Gary a chance? Nah... he worked with him, however temporarily.

"No, but you're my favorite." She squeezed his arm. "You work so hard and I think you deserve a break. Especially from relationship woes. The best way to get over a guy is to get under another one, or on one, whichever."

Kurt laughed again and followed Isabelle to the curb where she flagged down a taxi.

They got in, Kurt opening and closing her door for her and then going around the other side to get in. The drive to the restaurant was about 15 minutes and they chatted but Isabelle said that she wasn't going to tell Kurt anything, she was going to let him form his own opinions on her nephew. Just warned him to give him a chance.

Why not? What could the worst that could happen?

Sebastian Smythe, that's what.

Kurt scowled at the boy who stood to greet Isabelle with a kiss to each cheek while holding her hands. There was a lot of warmth there between them.

Granted, he and Sebastian had left things at... frosty at best. The outright antagonism was no longer there and Sebastian had stopped angling for Blaine's ass on his crotch. He had unwittingly been the one that Kurt thought Blaine cheated on him with, forgetting however temporarily, crazily, that Sebastian had almost blinded Blaine. That had not been in his favor, even if it hadn't been meant for him, but Kurt. Also not in his favor, nor Isabelle's, but she had no way to know that.

How much did she know of their shared history? What would Sebastian tell his aunt about his behavior last year at his new school? What was he up to now? Kurt knew there had to be something shady that he was partaking in, no matter what 'new leaf' he was trying to turn over.

Sebastian had apologized to Blaine, but he had never done so with Kurt.

Kurt had most of his mind made up to leave and make up some excuse for Isabelle but he was trying to figure out the best way to tell his boss that her favorite nephew was an asshole. "I take you two have already met?" Isabelle saw the looks pass between the two of them. "Did you two already fuck? If so that's going to ruin all of my plans." She sounded genuinely disappointed.

"No, his ass is clenched so tightly there's no way anyone could fuck him. You'd think he's wearing a chastity belt or something."

"Just because I don't bottom doesn't mean -"

"Oh, I didn't know you had a cock, I thought maybe your tight pants had suffocated all blood flow to it and it fell off sometime around the age of 10, which would also explain your voice." Sebastian's insults were harsher than ever, and in front of his aunt? Kurt had a hard time believing that, especially with Sebastian's reform act in Ohio, feeling so bad about what he'd done to Karofsky and what he drove him to do.

"What the hell Sebastian?" Kurt demanded, not expecting to be attacked in quite this way.

"My aunt told me all about this fine, upstanding boy she's got working for her and would love to introduce me to him. Turn me around, mend my ways, convince me that love isn't for just saps and fools. What does Blaine think about all this? You wouldn't let anyone flirt with him last year, but now that you're in New York, you've got free reign to cheat on him?"

"Blaine's ass is so loose from all the cock he's let in. Didn't you know that yourself? He's running around giving it up for nothing now. Any cock will do. Oh, but yours didn't pass muster, did it? He knew you were willing to give him a good fuck and be done with him, but he went somewhere else." Kurt was shocked at the words coming out of his mouth, he never spoke this way and he didn't know he was holding in all this resentment, just thought he was sad and depressed. "Knew you wouldn't be good enough to compare to me. He went to someone he wasn't sure about and found it lacking and came running back to me. I don't play that way though."

Sebastian's jaw dropped and Isabelle clapped and laughed gleefully. She was secretly a lot like Santana, wasn't she? Was that why he liked her so much?

"Blaine cheated on you?" Sebastian was flabbergasted. "If anything, I thought once you got a taste of freedom in New York, you would realize you didn't have to be tied down with one guy anymore, that you had choices, options, something better. Although I had always wanted to commend him for being able to say no to me and being loyal to you. I guess that's out the window now."

"You are making absolutely no sense, Sebastian." Kurt grumbled and reluctantly joined Isabelle at the table when she patted the seat next to her. It just put him in closer proximity to Sebastian.

Sebastian laughed, his whole face brightening up and his entire tone changing, as well as his body language. "Yeah, I know, let me start again. Oh, Kurt Hummel, I should have known, you were the one that my aunt was talking about. All the clues were there, the most gorgeous eyes on anyone, ever, with the perfect framing of lashes. The perfect model body. The awesome hair and ability to style it. Talking about style, this guy could teach me a thing or two, me." He put on his best impression of Isabelle who scowled good-naturedly at him. "He's also from Ohio, small world, isn't it? I haven't even begun to tell you about his personality, damn, I think he's taken your spot on my favorite personality list, which has always been hard to beat, mind you, so far ahead in the competition compared to others. Seeing how it's you, yeah, I can take that fall from number one with grace."

Kurt looked between the two of them. "You're making even less sense." But he knew there were compliments in there.

Sebastian sighed dramatically and flopped back on his chair, legs splaying out. "Dude, I like you, ok?" He was channeling Finn and Puck now.

"No... no you don't. You like Blaine."

"I liked Blaine but you completely blew him out of the water the second you turned those cold eyes on me and informed me that Blaine was yours and I was so far beneath you, without saying a single word. You actually telling me that you didn't like me, did surprise me, I didn't think you would directly acknowledge things. That was just an extra challenge, you know?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I wanted to steal Blaine from you to prove that I was not sub-par to you." Sebastian did a little head movement in acknowledgment to something no one said. "However, I did not think about what would happen if I succeeded. That was dumb of me, I just wanted to fight you for the fun of it, to just spend more time with you." Sebastian shrugged. "If I had gotten Blaine then I would have lost you and would have had to deal with having Bland Blanderson on my hands. So yay for small miracles?"

"So what you're telling me is that you've had a brain transplant." Kurt nodded, that made perfect sense. "Or lost a few dozen braincells. Either way, you're just occupying the meat suit that used to be Sebastian Smythe and everything you say should be acknowledged with the fact that even if you have the face, it's not the same person underneath. Gotcha." Isabelle giggled while Sebastian frowned.

"You prefer me insulting you? Because I can definitely accomplish that feat. Though you won't like it, if the way you reacted when you came in is any indicator."

"That was also out of character for you. Just adding weight to my theory, since you usually are more creative with your insults and aren't as... blatantly harsh."

"I was mad." Sebastian frowned further. "I thought you were still with Blaine, and were cheating. It totally blew up my image of you."

"You said that you thought I would once I got to New York."

"After you broke up with Blaine, but he's still swanning around Ohio as if you two are still together, talking about his plans to come out here and join you after school."

"I- seriously?" Kurt had been tempted to forgive him, or at least talk to him again but that didn't sound like repentant behavior.

"Yeah, he's also bragging about being in Grease."

"As Danny?" Kurt checked.

"Nope, as Teen Angel."

Kurt groaned and dropped his head back against the seat frame behind him. "So, he's going to dress all in white and be judgy of another character's actions and then go to heaven? Yep, nope, not going to see that no matter how much Rachel begs."

"I think it'd be pretty fun to go see it. You looking absolutely hot and grown up with a new piece of arm candy. Perhaps someone he knows?"

Kurt eyed him wearily. "What are you getting at?"

"A fling until the New Years? He'll be devastated."

A smile started tugging at Kurt's lips. "He'll be furious, actually."

"Even better."

"Just until New Years?" Kurt checked and Isabelle was leaning forward, eying both of them with considerable interest.

"Or until you get bored of me and vice versa." Sebastian's green eyes danced, Isabelle's green eyes danced. Kurt's blue eyes wanted to dance but he was also looking at his old nemesis as if the rug was going to be pulled out from under him. Then he decided, screw it, if he tried, at least Kurt was expecting it. This was about revenge against someone else, he could handle a little backstabbing from Sebastian, because he wasn't into him, wasn't into it.

–

Maybe he should have qualified which New Years all those years ago, as he sat by his husband's bedside. Holding his hand, and trying really hard not to cry. "None of that." The scratchy voice of his husband chided. "I said until we got bored of each other. This is just going to be a temporary separation. I've never gotten bored of you."

"I've never gotten bored of you either." Kurt smiled ruefully. "There's still so much annoying me you have left to do."

"Dad!" Isabelle Smythe-Hummel protested, hugging her daughter to her chest, the little girl was the youngest of their grandchildren and was sobbing in her mother's embrace. "Is that really want you want to say to him at this time?"

"No, not really." Kurt shook his head. "The last words I want your father to hear are – I've loved your dick."

"Yeah, your ass wasn't quenched quite as tight as I thought it was. It was just waiting for the right dick to open it up." Sebastian smirked. "Though your dick, now that was a surprise. What a good dick."

"It still hasn't fallen off due to lack of blood flow." Kurt grinned back. "Perhaps sometimes a bit too much blood flow to it."

"Mmm-hmm." Sebastian squeezed his hand. He was starting to fade again. "Don't regret a moment of that. Who knew I had a devil in the sheets and an angel on the streets?"

"I knew I had a devil all the time." Kurt rested his cheek onto Sebastian's chest, looking up at him. His gray blue-green eyes red-lined from a recent run of tears.

"You two are terrible." Isabelle was covering her daughter, Rachel's ears.

"Knew we named you wrong." Sebastian grumbled. "You're nothing like Aunt Isabelle. Should have named you Rachel."

"Aunt Isabelle was a model of decorum."

Kurt and Sebastian both snickered. "You've no idea. She wrote the book that your father tried to follow as a guide until we hooked up. Then he was reading from a different book." Kurt shook his head. "I don't regret a moment of it." Even the right hook he'd taken for Sebastian when Blaine lashed out after they showed up at the show together and were making out during his solo. That, had not been planned, but both went with it when they realized what they'd done. "I just wished we had more time."

"We will, where ever we end up, we'll be together forever."

Sebastian had been battling cancer for years and they had been at the end of their treatment options. They'd been told that by the doctor, which is why Kurt had been crying.

In the end it was Kurt that passed first. He had just been sitting in the chair next to Sebastian, their hands linked, a book open on his phone that he'd been reading before nodding off. Sometime while sleeping, he'd passed. Sebastian noticed it first when the hand cooled in his, then he looked at his husband, he was no longer breathing. "You ass." Sebastian muttered, shaking their joined hands, trying to wake Kurt up. He called weakly for help, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get louder with how weak he was. They came in and tried to revive him. It wasn't successful. They informed him that he'd just stopped breathing, but it hadn't been painful. He knew that, there hadn't been a gasp of pain or a fight to continue on. It had been unexpected but not unheard of.

"But he was always healthy, he's not the one that was sick!" Sebastian sobbed, wanting to curl into his husband's chest one last time, even if it was no longer moving, no longer had a heart beating beneath those bones.

The stress of losing Kurt though, and his formerly bad eating habits caught up with Sebastian and he had a heart attack. He had a DNR contract though and while he felt bad that his children and grandchildren would lose both the same day, it was to be. He couldn't go on without Kurt, and it had been selfish to ask that of Kurt. He saw that now.

–

EAN: Yeah... that took a dark turn, but I'm not going to delete it. I kind of like it even though I had tears in my eyes while I wrote it. These are after-all times when Sebastian and Kurt could have ended up together. It's not a full story by any means, but just snapshots of lives together that could have been.