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3

The Approach

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Sebastian had already picked up quickly on the fact that Kurt didn't linger in hallways. He also didn't go anywhere alone. He would hesitate until nearly everyone was out the door and then join up with a group of at least two or three, wouldn't even really talk to them and move quickly to his next class, making sure there were a few kids already in there and veer straight for his seat.

They'd ended up in more classes than he'd thought they would. Kurt had only French with him on Monday, Wednesday and Friday but Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kurt was in pretty much every class with Sebastian. It was only the very first class of the day and the one just after lunch that Kurt split away every day.

The first class of the day, he'd learned through the grapevine was remedial Japanese, not that Kurt would have liked hearing it called that. The class after lunch was intermediate Spanish. That one was given to him by a very irate Blaine who complained that Kurt had never taken an official Spanish class once in his life and yet somehow placed in intermediate with him. It was Blaine's literal mother's tongue. Sebastian had just shrugged. "Once you learn French, Spanish is child's play." There was obviously more to it than that, but he didn't go into an explanation. French was far superior and more difficult to Spanish afterall and Kurt had a mastery of French and English, two of the most impossible languages in the world to fully master and he had it in both, along with Sebastian.

"Kurt!" He called out to the smaller boy and the glossy chestnut head lifted and looked around, bypassing Sebastian until Sebastian lifted a hand in greeting and his patent smile in place.

He was greeted with a frown but Kurt still stopped and let Sebastian catch up to him. He glanced around the halls though, making sure he was closer to the walls than before. Sebastian didn't bother questioning it, it was obviously left over PTSD from his failing public school education. "Sebastian." Kurt greeted neutrally.

They hadn't done much together, Sebastian barely acknowledged him despite all the classes they had together and Warbler practice. They just didn't interact and when they did, it was generally polite and without much between them. No, that wasn't totally true, he and Kurt would play off each other on occasion when they both thought something or someone was stupid. Kurt tried to be polite but Sebastian usually unlocked him and allowed him to say what he was really thinking and Sebastian kind of held back from really biting into someone. He hadn't realized that until now, he'd been taking social cues from Kurt and vice versa. How interesting.

If this is how they influenced each other after a few weeks of classes together, he wondered how they'd play off each other when they faked dated for awhile.

"Hey." He greeted when he got close enough to keep his voice more intimate between them rather than overheard by the whole school.

Kurt just took one look at him and shook his head. "No." Then he started walking again.

Sebastian fell into step with him, not taking that for what they both knew it to be. "Fun. Fun, but I haven't even asked you anything yet."

"You don't have to. I would have to be deaf to not hear you and about you. I wondered if you'd come around to me and sure enough, you have."

"What if I have something entirely different to ask you?" Sebastian flashed one of his most successful smiles at Kurt who only looked at his mouth with bemusement and shook his head. "What if it's not what you're expecting?"

"I know you have a whole arsenal of ways to pick guys up, usually without the false promises I'd heard, though. I'm not playing this game with you." Kurt tried to go faster but Sebastian's long legs carried him right in time with Kurt and he eventually had to slow down, unable to maintain that speed.

"That's why you're a soccer player, not a runner." Sebastian teased and Kurt glanced up at him startled for that knowledge to be known by Sebastian Smythe. "What? I pay attention."

"Yeah, to dicks." Kurt looked even more startled at having said that. "I'm sorry, I have no right to judge and I don't really. You can do what you want as long as everyone is consenting and knows what they're getting into. In fact, I kind of admire you a little but that's just not for me."

"Look." Sebastian grabbed his wrist, spun him until they were chest to chest and Kurt was firmly backed up against the wall. He hadn't meant to pin Kurt like that, but now that he was there, Sebastian was more than content to stay there.

Kurt however was heaving and looked like he was having trouble getting breaths in. Sebastian lifted his hand that wasn't still wrapped around Kurt's to touch his shoulder in concern. Kurt flinched back and managed to wheeze out a command. "Take a step back."

Sebastian did, mostly out of concern for Kurt. Later, he'd analyze why he listened to Kurt without giving some kind of grief first. Though the answer was still pretty obvious, the boy was in the first stages of a panic attack and Sebastian hadn't wanted to deal with what happened once he got going. He did determine at that point that he'd figure out why that position had such an effect on Kurt.

Kurt was breathing a little better and his eyes flashed up to glare at Sebastian. Sebastian's hand came out and gripped Kurt's chin with a hand under it and tilting his face back so he could look more closely at those eyes. "They have to be contacts moving around."

Kurt tugged his face out of Sebastian's hand and back into the wall and both winced at the sound but Kurt appeared unharmed. "Boundaries, Sebastian." He pushed his way out of the intimate position they'd found themselves in and Sebastian hadn't even recognized it for what it was until they were out of it. He was strangely off his game. He kept up with Kurt again.

"Ok, I'll accept that you're not interested in dating me."

"Dating you? Sebastian, you don't date, you don't know what that word means."

Sebastian shrugged, taking the insult in stride without letting up. "Fair, why don't you teach me then?"

"I'm sorry, Sebastian, no offense, but I already told you, what you have to offer doesn't interest me, it isn't for me."

"Then teach me what it is that you want and guide me to mastering that. If nothing else, I love a challenge and I have to be the best at everything."

"You and a few others in this building, it's insane." Kurt shook his head and Sebastian alighted on another method he could use to get Kurt to agree.

"You're in love with Blaine." Sebastian stated bluntly and Kurt whirled to him this time. Really, how far away was Kurt's next class? It was a Wednesday, he hadn't known where Kurt was going after Japanese class but none of his classes required such a trek.

"I- I'm not in love with Blaine."

"Ok then, a very serious crush." Sebastian shrugged. "I know Blaine's charming and all but he's just giving you false signs. He won't date you." Not while Kurt was at this school at least.

"Great, Sebastian, keep telling me things I already know." Kurt rolled his eyes and turned back around to continue to class.

"Where are you going?" Sebastian finally asked as they bypassed the last of the classrooms. He'd never been to this part of the school before.

"I have a private lesson at this time three times a week." Kurt gave a shrug as his answer. Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "You're not invited and you can't audit. Go away."

"Is someone being inappropriate?" Sebastian touched on the topic, not expecting Kurt's shoulders to tense. "One of the teachers?"

Kurt's shoulders relaxed and he shook his head. "No, now go."

"You're not very polite. I thought you prided yourself on giving people a fair shake." Sebastian wasn't actually serious, nor seriously hurt at Kurt's behavior, which of course he picked up on.

"I did, and you abused my attention. I have to get to class and so do you."

"I'm in very good standing in all my classes. I can miss one or two without worry, so too, I suspect, can you. Talk to me for a bit. We still have time before classes really begin." They generally had 20 minutes to get from class to class and settle in. It was a perk of not having to drive to or from school and they could go a little later in the day. Nobody had to rush despite Kurt always rushing between them.

"That's not the point." Kurt disregarded his efforts to slow him down or corrupt him, even a little.

"Blaine won't date you, not unless you play on his jealousy." Sebastian tried.

Kurt snorted. "Blaine won't be jealous. He'll probably lose any interest I might have managed to stir in him if he finds out that I was just another on a long list. I'll be a cliché."

"You never know, if you manage to turn my head into dating you, then you might capture his attention. He will at the very least be curious." Sebastian slid a hand along Kurt's elbow, cupping it gently.

Kurt's lips twisted. "No way, even if that's true, then he'll think we're dating for real and think I'm off limits. Forget it Sebastian, I'm not going to pretend to date you to get Blaine. It would just end in a disaster any way you look at it."

"Ok, fine, wow, I didn't realize the public school boy had scruples." Sebastian shook his head, that approach had been firmly scratched off the list with Kurt.

"Yeah, well, I'm finding that it's not a economic class thing but a personal class thing."

Sebastian's eyes sharpened on Kurt, this was the second time there was the vaguest illusion toward something untoward going on. Kurt probably didn't realize he was doing it, it was that deeply buried that it had to come out in very couched wording. "Is someone harassing you?"

"Drop it, Sebastian." Kurt continued walking once more but Sebastian didn't let his hand drop.

"Then date me and put him off." Sebastian continued, despite the warning in Kurt's voice. "He'll stop pursuing you if he thinks you're sharing my bed."

"That wouldn't work." He sounded so sure on that point and Sebastian was even more curious and maybe a bit concerned too. Kurt sounded a bit defeated, actually with his next words. "Would probably make it worse."

"Maybe, but you wouldn't know until you tried." Sebastian said softly, his fingers tightening a little around Kurt's arm, as if his hold could protect him.

"Really, Sebastian, what's the point of this?" Kurt crossed his arms, finally dislodging Sebastian's hand as he turned to look at Sebastian. His head tilted back to really take Sebastian in for the first time since they started this conversation. "You're not serious about dating me or attempting to play by my rules in a relationship. You barely even recognize my presence much less have a genuine interest in me."

"I've noticed you. You're hard to miss. You stand out even in a sea of males wearing the same thing and are about the same height." That had the ring of truth in it that Kurt had to acknowledge as such because it was real. There was no usual swagger in his stance or words just then either. Kurt melted just a fraction and Sebastian capitalized on it. "Come on, give me a chance."

"No." Kurt shook his head. "You're just a complication I don't need in my life."

"I could be the source of your greatest joy too." Sebastian was only teasing but for some reason, it didn't fully feel like a joke.

"Try again another day and I might just pretend to believe you." Kurt turned and disappeared down another hall, Sebastian let him go.

Sebastian would take him at those particular words, ignoring the rest.