A/N: Merry Christmas KC. I hope you enjoy this fic more than the other one I wrote for you. :)
"You'd better hurry up, we're already running late," Sebastian says, sticking his head into the bedroom where Kurt is half-clothed and still flipping through his closet.
"If somebody didn't spill wine on the shirt I picked out a week ago, this wouldn't be an issue," Kurt shoots back, not bothering to turn and look at his boyfriend as he continues looking through his other shirts. "I'm going to have to change the pants too now, or the whole outfit will be wrong," he grumbles.
"I said I'm sorry," Sebastian says, guilt seeping into his voice.
Kurt sighs. "I know, it's fine. Just… give me ten more minutes," he says, tone softer as he finally pauses to look at Sebastian.
"Ten more minutes," Sebastian agrees with a nod, then heads back to the living room to leave Kurt to deal with his fashion emergency.
Twenty minutes have passed when Kurt finally emerges from the bedroom – Sebastian hadn't been about to start nagging him after the ten minute mark – and the extra time was well worth it, in Sebastian's opinion. Kurt has opted for a pair of aqua pants that might as well be painted on, paired with a tight black shirt under a grey vest with delicate silver pinstripes and a purple neckerchief tied securely around his throat.
"Damn," he says, letting out a low whistle as he scans his eyes up Kurt's body, and when he reaches his boyfriend's face he sees the smug grin; Kurt knows what he does to Sebastian.
"Ready to go?" Kurt asks.
"After you, babe," Sebastian says, standing from the couch.
"You just want to stare at my ass," Kurt says with a fond roll of his eyes, but he does turn and make his way to the door.
"You know me so well," Sebastian agrees with a grin.
"Well it's about damn time," Santana says, leaving the door open for them to enter as she turns and walks further into the apartment, "everyone else only showed up an hour ago."
"Sorry Santana, someone decided five minutes before we had to leave was a great time to pour wine all over my outfit," Kurt says, shooting a look of resigned annoyance at Sebastian as he follows behind.
"I was hoping he'd just ditch the shirt and come to the party topless," Sebastian says with a grin, earning a glare and light smack in the arm from Kurt. "Obviously, it didn't work," he continues, undeterred.
"You can see him naked whenever you want, I'm sure you'll survive one evening of his clothes on," Santana says as she leads them into the living room. "Drinks are in the kitchen, help yourself to anything on the counter. There's vodka in the punch," she says, waving her hand in the direction of the kitchen before disappearing into the crowded living room.
"Want me to grab us some drinks?" Sebastian asks.
"I'm not sure I should trust you holding a glass tonight," Kurt jokes, and Sebastian rolls his eyes.
"I'll get us drinks."
"Okay," Kurt agrees, giving his boyfriend a peck on the lips and then turning to scan the room for a moment, spotting Mercedes and making his way over to her. Sebastian takes the opportunity to admire Kurt as he walks away – while naked is always great, there certainly is something to be said about Kurt's hips and ass in a tight pair of pants – before he heads for the kitchen to get their drinks.
"Finally made it I see?" Wes asks as Sebastian ladles some punch into a pair of plastic cups for himself and Kurt.
"We were aiming for fashionably late," he replies with a grin.
Wes rolls his eyes, but grins back. "I'm pretty sure you'd be fashionable regardless of what time you showed up, so long as it was with Kurt."
Sebastian pouts a little. "You don't think I'd be fashionable on my own?"
Wes scoffs a laugh at him. "Please, Seb, I remember what you wore in high school. Thank God we had the uniforms so I didn't have to witness it every day."
"Oh come on, my fashion sense has improved since then," Sebastian argues.
"Yeah, because you got with Kurt."
Sebastian wants to keep arguing, but Wes is right and he knows it, so he just frowns back at the man giving him a smug grin.
"Are you still doing it tonight?" Wes asks him, changing the subject.
"Yeah, that's the plan," he replies with a nod, instinctively reaching into his pocket to feel for the small box.
"He's going to love it," Wes says knowingly, a warm smile on his face.
"I hope so," Sebastian says, a little unsure. For as certain as he is that Kurt will love it, will say yes, he can't help but feel nervous now that the moment is so close.
"Relax, you know he will. He's head over heels for you. You could give him a rubber band to wrap around his finger and he'd love it."
Sebastian snorts at that. "I think that's a bit of a stretch. If I did that, I think he'd divorce me – which would be a pretty impressive feat considering we're not even engaged yet."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Wes says with a grin. "He will love it though."
"I know," Sebastian says with a small smile.
"Good luck." Wes claps a hand down on Sebastian's shoulder and gives it a squeeze, "I've got to get back in there and find Sam before he starts with the impressions."
"Don't even try it Wes, we both know you love the impressions," Sebastian says with an eye roll and a smirk.
"I kind of do," Wes says with a sheepish smile, "I'll see you around."
Wes heads out of the kitchen then, and Sebastian is left standing there alone, two drinks in his hands, an engagement ring weighing heavy in his pocket, and a whole evening ahead of him before he can ask Kurt the big question.
"I can't believe what a flop her show was," Mercedes says as she takes a sip from her wine glass.
Santana laughs loudly. "I can. Broadway, sure, I mean I can't stand the girl but I can't deny she was made for the stage. But television? I'd love to know what she was thinking when she made that call. It was doomed from the start."
"I liked it," Brittany chimes in with a smile, "it was really funny."
"That's the point, Britt," Santana says, turning her head to look at her wife, "it wasn't supposed to be a comedy."
"Well maybe they should make it one," Brittany says with a shrug.
"I'd watch a comedy at Rachel Berry's expense," Sebastian cuts in with a grin, "watching her be humiliated once a week on network television sounds too good to pass up."
"You shouldn't be so mean to her," Kurt says, addressing the whole group. "I know she's… well, Rachel, but it doesn't do anyone any good to sit around and talk about her like this."
"I don't know, I'm pretty sure it's doing me a lot of good," Santana shoots back. "Loosen up, Kurt, it's not like she's here to hear us," then, as an afterthought, "unfortunately."
Kurt purses his lips and doesn't say anything else as the conversation carries on. This is one of the things about Kurt that simultaneously confuses and impresses him. Sebastian doesn't consider himself a bad person, but he has no problem treating people how they deserve to be treated, and after how she's treated them all after she started getting big on Broadway – especially Kurt – she deserves far more than what was objectively mild gossiping behind her back. But Kurt has this code of honour or something – Sebastian's words, not Kurt's – that doesn't let him sink down to that level, and while it's sometimes frustrating because Sebastian knows there's people that just deserve it, it's also kind of admirable. And, though he'd never live it down if he admitted it, it's one of the things he loves most about his boyfriend.
His soon-to-be fiancé.
Kurt's cheeks are flushed a soft pink, a combined result of the warmth of the room and the alcohol he's drank. Sebastian is making his way back to the small group they've been chatting with, two cups in hand; water this time, they're far from drunk, just a bit buzzed, but Sebastian has plans for later and he wants them both to be coherent enough for him to be able to follow through.
He pauses in the doorway and takes the opportunity to just watch. It's not often he has the chance to see Kurt like this, all smiles and laughs and the easy, familiar comfort of being just this side of inebriated and surrounded by your closest friends. It's not that Kurt isn't happy, it's just that he's often very closed off, so Sebastian is always glad when he's able to let those walls down just a bit.
He's too far away to make out any words, but Sam must have said something funny because Kurt laughs – loudly, Sebastian can hear that much – and then grabs hold of Mercedes beside him as the pair collapse into each other in a fit of giggles. Sam looks confused – so maybe it wasn't meant to be funny – and looks to Wes beside him, but Wes just grins widely before giving his boyfriend a quick kiss.
Sebastian's eyes drift back to Kurt, who has begun to regain some of his composure, straightening up and smoothing out his shirt. He wraps an arm easily around Mercedes' shoulder, and she wraps one around his waist, giving him a squeeze. He looks down at her, and he must say something because she's grinning up at him before removing her arm from his waist and giving him a playful shove away.
Sebastian doesn't hear the laugh this time, but he sees it in Kurt's shoulders as he wraps an arm around Mercedes again and pulls her closer, and Sebastian can't help the smile spreading across his face as he watches, because after tonight, this is going to be his forever. And he can't wait.
Kurt looks back over his shoulder then, catches Sebastian watching him and gives him a questioning smile. Sebastian smiles back, then pushes off the door frame and makes his way across the room toward the man who will, in a matter of hours, (hopefully) be his fiancé.
They're walking through Central Park on their way home from the party, hand in hand, admiring the lights strung about. Kurt had reluctantly agreed to walk home through the park after Wes and Sam helped Sebastian talk him into it – and thank god they did, because otherwise Sebastian's plan would have been dead in the water.
"The park is always so beautiful at Christmas time," Kurt says softly, eyes cast upward as he admires the soft glow of the lights as they pass.
"I know. Yet somehow I'm always the one convincing you to come here," Sebastian says with a smirk, giving Kurt's hand a small squeeze.
"I always forget, I can't help it," Kurt says, turning now to look at his boyfriend with a grin, and then his smile softens as his eyes focus on something just past Sebastian. "Look, it's our tree."
Sebastian turns to look – not that he hadn't realized it was there, it was all part of the plan of course – and smiles back at Kurt. Then he takes a step off the path, tugs Kurt along behind him as he makes his way to the tree.
"What are you doing?" Kurt asks with a laugh, but he doesn't fight Sebastian as he pulls him along.
"Going to stand under our tree," he says simply as they arrive at the base.
He turns then, brings his hands to Kurt's hips and pulls him closer, places a gentle kiss on his boyfriend's lips.
When he pulls away, Kurt giggles. "Who ever would have thought that Sebastian Smythe is such a romantic?"
"Don't tell anyone," Sebastian says with a conspiratorial wink.
Kurt rolls his eyes. "I think it's too late for that, Seb. Everyone already knows."
"Damn," he says wistfully, but he's still smirking at Kurt. "Well, since it's already too late, I might as well do this," he adds, smirk softening a little into a warmer smile.
"Kurt, I love you. So much that it hurts. I didn't think it was possible to love this much until I fell in love with you. Every morning I wake up so grateful for the opportunity to be with you. And every day I fall just a little bit more in love. You are, without question, the most amazing man I have ever known, and ever will know. Just knowing you makes me a better person, and you make me want to be the best person that I can be, for you."
"Seb...," Kurt starts, but trails off, and Sebastian smiles warmly at Kurt, all wide and watery-eyed as Sebastian steps down to one knee in front of him.
"Kurt Hummel, my best friend, the love of my life," he continues, reaching his hand into his pocket and pulling out the small box he'd been fiddling with all evening. He pulls it out, flips open the lid and holds the ring out to Kurt, "will you do me the honour of marrying me?"
Kurt just stares down at Sebastian, cheeks flushed with cold and excitement, shocked expression and eyes wider than ever, but he doesn't speak.
"Kurt?" Sebastian prompts again, "Is that a no, or…?"
"No! I mean, yes! Yes, Seb, of course I'll marry you, yes!" The words rush from his mouth in a puff of white breath in the chilly air.
Sebastian beams up at him, pulls the ring from the box and slides it onto Kurt's finger – which takes considerable effort since both their hands are shaking – before standing and pulling Kurt into another, more urgent kiss.
He pulls back again and stares at his boyfriend – no, not boyfriend, fiancé – as he holds out his hand and admires the new ring on his finger.
"It's beautiful," Kurt says softly, turning his hand so the light glints off the metal. "Thank you."
"You only said yes for the ring, didn't you?" Sebastian asks with a grin.
"Oh, shut up," Kurt says with a playful smack, and then he kisses him again.