A/N: This is a short chapter, but I think it makes up for what it lacks in length with content. Merry Christmas :)

Something is wrong.

Something is very, very wrong with his boyfriend.

And he does mean boyfriend, because Sebastian did not just break up with him.

This is very clearly a cry for help, and he is not letting Sebastian walk away from him again. He's already done it once, and he's learned from that mistake.

Kurt grabs his own coat and tugs it on, fastening the belt around his waist, laces up his boots, then grabs his keys as he heads out the door. He gets in his car and starts down the road and prays that Sebastian is going back to Dalton.

Luckily, he does go back to Dalton; when Kurt pulls into the parking lot, he sees Sebastian's car in its usual spot. He breathes a sigh of relief as he pulls in beside it and kills the engine.

Sebastian may not want to talk, and he doesn't have to talk. It hadn't occurred to Kurt the reason Sebastian wouldn't hold his hand or cuddle with him or do any of the other intimate things he wanted to do was something that didn't involve Kurt, but... apparently there is a reason, and it doesn't involve Kurt, and that's... worse. Worse because he doesn't know what it is, but Sebastian said just enough that he can start to imagine what is could be. Because he knows Sebastian, and his boyfriend was always so furious about what had happened between him and Blaine, and Kurt had always thought it was because Sebastian has a strong moral compass – and that's true, he does – but now everything just makes so much more sense.

What happened to him?

Now isn't the time to dwell on that. Sebastian will tell him when he's ready, if he's ever ready, and if he doesn't want Kurt to know, then Kurt doesn't need to know. He's not going to push him on this. He just needs Sebastian to know that he's here, and he's not going anywhere.

He knocks on Sebastian's door.

"Go away," his boyfriend's irritated voice says from the other side.

"It's me," Kurt replies, voice soft but loud enough for Sebastian to hear.

There's a few moments of silence before Sebastian's voice comes through the door again, softer this time, "I said go away."

"I'm not going anywhere," Kurt says.

Sebastian doesn't reply, and there are several minutes of silence before Kurt speaks again.

"If you're not going to let me in, I'll just wait out here."

A few more minutes pass before he hears shuffling on the other side of the door, and then the lock clicks open. He pushes the door open to see Sebastian walking toward his bed and sitting down.

"Why are you here?" Sebastian asks, not meeting his eyes.

Kurt pushes the door closed gently as he walks through, makes his way to the bed to sit next to Sebastian. "My boyfriend needs me."

Sebastian looks up at him then, and Kurt offers him a tentative smile. He wants to reach out and take Sebastian's hands in his, because he knows that's what he would want, but he also knows that's not what Sebastian would want, so... he doesn't. Just sits there on the bed and clasps his hands together in his lap.

"Look, we don't have to talk about... whatever it is, if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I pushed you. I didn't know."

Sebastian looks away again, and shit maybe that was too far, but he's not raising his voice or snapping at him so he thinks maybe it's okay. His voice is quiet when he says, "It's not your fault."

"I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I was just... worried it was me."

"Kurt, I'm sorry, I–"

"No, stop," Kurt cuts him off, "I know it's not. I know. I care about you, Seb, and if there's things you don't want to do, we won't do them."

"It's not that I don't want to, I just...," he trails off.

"We can work toward it, then. We'll take our time. Whatever you need. That's what boyfriends are for."

Sebastian meets his eye again, smirks ever so slightly. "You're really stubborn, you know that?"

Kurt laughs, relieved. "Look who's talking," he says with a grin.

"I'm the expert, so you know that if I'm saying it, then it must be true."

"You certainly are," Kurt agrees, leaning forward to press his lips to Sebastian's.

"My aunt is having a Christmas party this weekend," Kurt says carefully, though he tries to keep his voice light and casual. He's not really sure how Sebastian will react when he asks.

"Family parties are the worst," is the response he gets, and Kurt laughs a little.

"They're kind of boring, but I wouldn't say they're the worst."

"You must not know my family," Sebastian says with a smirk.

And at that, Kurt realizes, he doesn't know Sebastian's family. He barely knows anything about them, Sebastian never actually talks about them. "No, I don't."

Sebastian looks at him a little guiltily, but it fades as his boyfriend speaks again. "Lucky you," he says, then looks back down at the notebook open on the table in front of him.

"I think it would be nice to meet them, actually," Kurt argues, though not unkindly. "You never talk about them."

"There's not much to talk about," Sebastian says with a shrug.

"There must be something."

"Why do you care so much?" He doesn't ask it unkindly, but Kurt still bristles at the words.

"Family is important to me, and they're your family; I'd like to know about them."

Sebastian sighs at that. "Well, my parents have a New Year's party every year that they force me to make an appearance at. You can come to that if you want I guess."

Kurt frowns. "Do you not want me to?"

"I don't want to," Sebastian replies with a chuckle. "My mom would be thrilled if I brought you."

"Are you sure?"

Sebastian seems to stop and think about it for a moment before he nods and says, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Then I graciously accept your invitation," Kurt says with a smile, as formally as he can manage, and Sebastian rolls his eyes at him.

They're silent for a while, each going back to the homework they've been working on, before Kurt speaks again. "I want you to come to my aunt's Christmas party with me."

"What?" Sebastian asks, his pencil stopping on the page mid-word.

"I'd like everyone to meet you," Kurt says with an awkward shrug, "I think it would be... nice."

"Why would you want them to meet me?"

It's Kurt's turn to roll his eyes. "Because you're my boyfriend, dumbass."

"They'll probably hate me," Sebastian says, not looking at Kurt as he goes back to writing in his notebook.

"They will not hate you. I'm sure they'll love you."

His boyfriend still doesn't look up.

"You don't have to if you really don't want to, but... I'd really like it if you did."

Sebastian stops again, pauses before laying his pencil down and then looking back up at Kurt, meeting his gaze with a careful, considering expression, before finally, "Okay."

"Yeah?" Kurt asks hopefully.

"Yeah," Sebastian agrees.

"Thanks," Kurt says, a smile breaking out across his face. "I promise they'll love you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Sebastian warns, but his tone is teasing.

"I would never. I take my promises very seriously," Kurt reassures him.

"Maybe I'll try to prove you wrong. I'm very good at making people hate me if I want them to, you know."

"You couldn't make them hate you if you tried," Kurt scoffs.

"I made you hate me," Sebastian points out with a smirk.

"Yeah, and look where that got you," Kurt shoots back, and Sebastian grins at him.

"Right, now I have two stupid holiday parties to go to."

"Oh no, the horror of it all," Kurt mocks.

"You won't be laughing when we're at my house and my entire family won't leave you alone."

"Are you kidding? That's going to be the best part. I can't wait to hear all the stories about you as a kid."

Sebastian shoots him a glare. "I can un-invite you, you know," he warns.

Kurt smirks back at him. "But you won't."