Sebastian is just barely hanging onto the last string of patience he has left for his mother's rambling and nagging that always comes with a stressful situation. She had been like this when they moved from one side of Paris to the other. Now, they are moving from Paris back to the states; and, love his mother as he does, the woman can be completely insufferable. No good amount of, "Mom, calm down, please!" could sustain her. His dad has already managed to escape, claiming he has a meeting with the men at his firm, which Sebastian has the privilege of knowing is in fact a lie.

Since his father has already been preparing him for the job of his assistant, which he will be taking over the summer, this means he knows his father's schedule, and the meeting isn't listed to begin for a whole other hour. However, despite how envious Sebastian is that his father can make a getaway, leaving him and his sister Sylvie to bear their mother's tirades alone, he doesn't have the heart to spoil it for his dad.

Well, not out loud.

To Dad (1:57 pm): Onto you, sir. The meeting's not until 4.

To Sebastian (1:59pm): Ruin this, and a month's worth of allowance is at risk.

To Dad (2:00pm): Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Dad. Besides, this means you owe me.

To Sebastian (2:02pm): Shit.

To Dad (2:03pm): Lmao, you're welcome, boss!

"Sebastian, who are you texting? If that's your father, could you tell him that I need him to-" Sebastian's mother begins to nag at him when she catches him laughing to himself.

"No, Mom, it wasn't Dad," He lies, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Anyway, I'm about to get out of here."

"Where are you going?" His mom and Sylvie ask together. His mom looks and sounds exasperated, but Sylvie seems inquisitive and hopeful.

"Just to get a coffee," Sebastian answers. After the long flight and the obscene amounts of luggage he has to carry to and fro, and his mother's insatiable blabbering, he can sure use one.

"Can I come?" Sylvie practically shouts in request.

"No," Sebastian says immediately, earning him a pout from Sylvie and a skeptical look from his mother.

"If you're just going to get coffee, why can't Sylvie come? Unless you're not just going to get coffee, and instead you are off to one of your little clubs," Mrs. Smythe accuses, her slightly thick French accent peeking its way through as she speaks, crossing her arms.

Sebastian laughs haughtily at that, instead of being offended by his mother's judgmental tone. He knows his mom doesn't approve of his party boy lifestyle; but, in all honesty, he really can't bring himself to care. "One, it's two in the afternoon. Two, I wouldn't even know what clubs to go to here. The last time I lived here—or even visited here—was when I was eight, remember? I sincerely doubt I was hitting the clubs back then."

Mrs. Smythe is clearly appeased by that answer, but not willing to totally back down; so, she follows with, "That still doesn't tell me why Sylvie can't come."

"Sylvie doesn't even like coffee," He reminds them. "And I'll be right back anyway."

He sees out of the corner of his eye, as he gathers his things to leave, Sylvie sinking lowly in on herself, consumed with dread. He does feel bad leaving her alone with their mom like this; but, he just needs some time to himself. And, if he was being completely honest, he did have some hope for the off chance that he would meet a cute guy at the coffee shop, even just to flirt with. And Sylvie would just embarrass him by openly ogling at him and asking ridiculously awkward questions like, "Do you have a brother that's just as cute, but straight?" And she really didn't like coffee.

"I still don't think that we should be separating right now," His mom insists, still not backing down. It is times like these that Sebastian knows exactly where he got his stubbornness from.

"Mom," Sebastian deadpans, exasperated. "I'm just going to get coffee, not going frolicking in the Land of No Return. Jeez, relax, okay?"

The clothing designer scoffs and rolls her eyes at that. "Can't you just get coffee here?"

He gives her an incredulous look. "Please. Not even you would settle for hotel coffee."

"Fine," She relents with a heavy sigh. "Keep your phone on you."

"Always," he promises, patting his pocket, where the slender iPhone 5 he'd just acquired resides for good measure.

And then, he is finally out of the door. It isn't until Sebastian has stepped into the sunbathed parking garage of the hotel that he had realizes he doesn't fully remember where the quaint little coffee shop is located. When he was younger, before he'd been torn away from the life he'd known as a child, his father would sometimes take him to a cozy coffee shop, which pretty much smelled like heaven on Earth, just before school. Now he can't remember where the damn shop is actually situated, and it isn't helping his mood. While Paris has possession of some of the most amazing coffee he's ever tasted, he has to admit he misses the shop. He can't help but wonder if the coffee still tastes as amazing as it had back then. He is just lucky that he can still remember the name of the shop; and, that his Mustang has a GPS system. Settling into his car, he relaxes against cool leather before directing his attention towards the GPS and entering the information he can still remember into the device.

'The Lima Bean', Lima, Ohio.'

Thankfully, it doesn't take too long for directions to the coffee shop to pop up onto his screen, and before he knows it he is headed inside for an old comfort. It doesn't take him any time at all to reach the shop, considering it was surprisingly close to the hotel; and, as he nears his destination, he ignores the GPS, relying more on his own memory than the directions.

He walks over to the counter and grins at the female barista who is shamelessly checking him out. He might not be attracted to girls, but it is always flattering to know someone finds you attractive.

He gets a kick out of the way she blatantly flirts with him as she takes his order.

"Thanks," He says to the barista: Amy, according to her nametag.

"No problem whatsoever," She flirts heavily, doing the subtle look-at-my-cleavage lean that girls sometimes do.

He chuckles softly and turns to find a seat. And that's when he sees him. Initially, Sebastian just thinks he's seeing an incredibly attractive guy, chatting and laughing away with a friend at a table near the center of the coffee shop. But when he looks again, looks closer, what he truly sees damn near floors him.

"Oh my God… Kurt," Sebastian muses. "Kurt Hummel."

It isn't until he sees the other teenager looking quizzically in his direction that he realizes he's said the words aloud.

It is a Wednesday like any other in the past year and a half since Kurt and Blaine met. They are in the Lima Bean for their weekly coffee date, enjoying each other's company, and chatting about the goings on in Glee club or whatever else happened in their lives that they feel inclined to share with one another. Blaine is currently venting to Kurt about the stress of singing not one, but two duets with one Rachel Berry.

"I love Rachel, I really do. She's like the sister I never had," Blaine promises and the fondness and sincerity is clear in his expression and tone. "But I don't know how much more I can take of her demanding so much of me, and being just plain… irritating."

The criticism looks like it pains Blaine to say it; even though it is hardly the meanest thing someone can say about another person, nor is Rachel even around to hear it. Kurt smiles endearingly at his boyfriend. At times, he privately wonders if the boy is too sweet for his own good.

"Honey, believe me, I understand where you're coming from. I know well how aggravating Rachel can be, especially when it comes to performing. I swear to you, if she wasn't one of my best friends, I'm pretty positive I would hate her. In fact, there was a time when I did," Kurt laments, chuckling softly before taking a quick sip of his mocha.

Blaine smiles a little at that. "I just don't know what to do, you know? I want to tell her to lay off—at least a little bit—but I don't know how to say it to her without being worried about either hurting her feelings or her blowing up at me."

Kurt is about to respond when suddenly he hears his name being called. His eyes wander to the source of the calling and Kurt can't help but be pleased with what he sees. It appears to have been called by an extremely cute, tall guy with a perfect tan, great hair, and gorgeous green eyes who was standing near the entrance of the coffee shop. Blaine has paused in his reverie to turn and look at him, too.

Kurt can't quite recognize the guy, but something in the back of his mind tells him he looks familiar. Or perhaps it is sheer curiosity and an appreciation for eye candy. Either way, Kurt isn't going to be rude and ignore this guy.

He is coming closer now; and, the closer he gets, the more familiar he looks to Kurt.

"Um yes… I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt says as he reaches the table, cocking his head to the side. "Hello…"

The taller boy smirks at him, his emerald eyes twinkling with amusement. "Oh, don't tell me. You don't remember me, Kurtie?"

It is then that everything seems to fall into place. Only one person has ever called him Kurtie and only that person wears the smirk that this guy is currently presenting him with. All the thoughts and memories of three years with his very first best friend come rushing back to him in an instant; and they are all synonymous with one name. "Sebastian? Sebastian Smythe?"

The smirk morphs into a full-blown grin and the boy looks absolutely delighted. "Yeah, it's me."

"It's you? It's really you?" Kurt asks tentatively, just checking to be sure it isn't another one of his recurring dreams he's had on and off since the day Sebastian left. He even finds himself absently pinching his own arm for good measure.

"Yeah, it's really me," Sebastian promises, smiling softly at him. Then, he pauses for a moment and arches one eyebrow, his expression changing to one of part contemplation and part playful mockery. "Who else would it be? Is there another guy running around claiming to be Sebastian Smythe that my family and I should know about?"

Kurt's mouth spreads into a grin that stretches from ear to ear. His nose scrunches from the force of it and his eyes sparkle as he hops out of his seat and practically throws himself into the other teen's arms, hugging him with all his might.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it! You're actually here! I've missed you so much!" Kurt shrieks, followed by a string of incoherent statements and questions.

Sebastian is obviously caught off guard by the sudden embrace; but hugs back nonetheless, a grin just as wide mirrored on his own face. He laughs softly to relieve some of the tension that lingers from his state of shock, and then replies just as enthusiastically, cutting into Kurt's rambling. "Oh God, I've missed you too! I can't really tell if this is actually happening, but-"

Kurt pulls away just slightly so that he is looking Sebastian in the eyes but keeps long fingers on the taller boy's forearms. "Oh, it is. I pinched myself, we're awake. Well, at least, I am."

Sebastian just laughs again at that, shaking his head.

This causes Kurt to blush and think, 'Did I really just say that?' But he can't help it. He is so excited that he can barely think properly, and is having some serious trouble articulating himself lucidly. He tries to ask questions again. "When did you… how did…?"

The old friends are suddenly pulled back into reality by the loud interjection of someone clearing their throat. They both turn to see Blaine looking at them curiously with both eyebrows raised. Kurt is embarrassed to realize that in all the excitement, he'd nearly forgotten Blaine was there.

"Uh, hi there," He says, greeting Sebastian with a single wave of his hand. He still looks rather confused, but there is a slight laughter residing under his voice that rules out Kurt's fear that he is upset about being ignored, and makes him think that his boyfriend is just wondering who the hell this is. It's a reasonable inquiry, Kurt decides. He apologizes, before making a quick introduction.

"Bas, this is Blaine Anderson, my boyfriend," He says, gesturing towards the smaller boy. He then turns to Sebastian, clutching his arm, and smiling fondly up at him. "And Blaine, this is Sebastian Smythe. He is my very first best friend and arguably the greatest I ever had. That is, up until he left me when we were eight, of course." He nudges shoulders with Sebastian then, poking his tongue out playfully.

"Hey!" Sebastian exclaims—although he was obviously feigning offense—and nudges back. "If you remember, that wasn't exactly my choice."

"Of course I remember," Kurt declares, earning him another small smile from Sebastian as he resumes his seat in front of Blaine.

"So, boyfriend, huh?" Sebastian says suggestively, winking and reaching out a hand for Blaine to shake.

Blaine returns the handshake and chuckles, winking back. "That's right. It's nice to meet you, Sebastian. Please, sit down with us," He greets politely, gesturing to the open space beside Kurt.

"Oh… I couldn't. I don't want to impose on what I now realize is a date. Plus, I need to get going anyway," Sebastian politely declines, although reluctance is evident in his posture.

"Um, excuse me? No way!" Kurt immediately rejects. "This is the first time I'm seeing you in almost ten years and you're about to bail without even making a semblance of conversation? Nuh-uh, Smythe, take a seat."

Sebastian chuckles heartily at that, and then salutes impishly. "Yes, sir," He says before grabbing a chair from an empty table nearby and obediently taking a seat. "No, but seriously, don't let me interrupt more than I already have. What were we talking about before I showed up?"

"Oh, well, we were just talking about this girl we know from glee club and how she-" Blaine begins to explain.

"Pardon me, glee? As in show choir?" Sebastian interrupts to ask, eyebrow quirked.

"Don't make fun," Kurt warns, making a stern face and pointing a finger at his best friend.

"I'm not!" Sebastian surrenders, hands raised and palms forward. "I was just going to say that I'm in show choir, too. Or was, back in Paris."

"Really?" Blaine and Kurt ask together, cocking their heads to the side.

"Yeah. Tons of fun," Sebastian nods. "So anyway, this girl. Problematic?"

"I wouldn't say… problematic per se…" Blaine drawls.

"We'd say incredibly irritating," Kurt supplies.

Blaine opens his mouth as if to correct him, and then deflates, nodding resolutely. "Pretty much."

Sebastian chuckles and takes what he doesn't even gather is his first sip of his cappuccino before speaking again. "So what's her deal? Let me guess, got a bit of a prima donna on your hands?"

"A bit of would be an understatement, and we're doing two duets together. I take it you can imagine what my dilemma is," Blaine bewails.

"Gross," Sebastian empathizes. "So, what're you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know. I want to find a way to tell her to cool it, but-" Blaine is cut off mid-sentence by the sound of his cell phone going off, to which he groans when he checks the caller ID.

"It's Rachel. She says she's… outside?" He finishes in a question, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

Suddenly, the bell sounds, announcing a potential customer's entry; and, none other than the young, Jewish diva herself comes stomping through the door.

"Just like Rachel to warn you just before she makes a dramatic entrance; so, she can be sure all eyes will be on her," Kurt mumbles under his breath, rolling his eyes, mere seconds before she arrives at their table.

"Blaine, terribly sorry to intrude like this, but you are ten minutes late for rehearsal; and, I distinctly remember politely asking you to reschedule your weekly Wednesday coffee date with Kurt just for today and I just assumed this is where I would find-" Rachel stops dead cold in her rant to gawk at Sebastian, who she clearly hadn't realized was there until that precise moment. "Oh, um, hello. Who is this?"

"Rachel, this is Sebastian Smythe, an old friend of mine, and 'Bas, this is the lovely Rachel Berry that Blaine and I were telling you about," Kurt provides, smiling knowingly at her.

"Oh, so you're Rachel," Sebastian says, catching on.

"Yes…" Rachel replies cautiously, looking slightly worried about what was said about her.

"Oh, I just ask because Kurt and Blaine were just telling me about how talented you are." Sebastian humors her, his smile almost a picture image of the one on Kurt's face.

"Oh!" She enthuses, grinning widely and flipping her hair. "Well, they certainly weren't lying to you."

Sebastian just grins at that, looking among the three other teens surrounding him in one sweeping glance, curious as to what will happen next.

"So, Rachel, I was just going to say that-" Blaine begins; but, the determined look is back in Rachel's eyes and stature, and she isn't hearing any of it.

"That you're positively seeping with regret for trying to avoid today's rehearsal? Oh Blaine, I understand and I forgive you, now come along," Rachel interrupts, speaking like she was performing a skit from the A Doll's House era, and yanking Blaine out of his seat.

"Rachel! You can't just pull me away like this!" Blaine argues, snatching his arm away from her.

"Oh, yes, I can, Blaine. Performing is a commitment, one that I thought you took seriously!" Rachel retorts.

"Of course I take performing seriously, but-" Blaine starts to argue.

"Then there should be no buts," Rachel concludes, grabbing his arm again and Blaine can be heard whimpering, reminding Sebastian of a kicked puppy. She turns to smile at each of the boys that remain seated at the table. "Kurt, lovely to see you as always. Sebastian, pleasure to have made your acquaintance. Once again, I apologize for intruding; but, I assume you know how these things go."

Sebastian nods and Kurt just rolls his eyes.

"Bye bye now," She says; and, with that, she was headed out the door, dragging a completely miserable-looking Blaine with her.

"Bye guys," He says sadly from over his shoulder. "Kurt, I'll call you. Sebastian, it really was nice to meet you."

Sebastian waves, gracing Blaine with a charming smile; and, they were gone.

Once they were out of sight, Sebastian turned to his old friend and laughed softly.

"Well, she's quite the character. And your boyfriend… what a catch, Kurtie. I guess you found that prince you always wanted." He winks at him.

Kurt chuckles, smiling brightly as a faint blush paints his cheeks. "Yes, Rachel Berry is the greatest character there is. And I know; Blaine is amazing. You could say I've found my prince…" He takes a moment to smile privately at that and then asks, "So, are you dating anyone?"

Sebastian laughs and shakes his head. "Nope, relationships aren't really my thing."

Kurt cocks his head to the side, surprised and confused by that. Growing up, he and Sebastian always used to talk about wanting to find the perfect boyfriend when they grew up. "Why not?"

Sebastian hesitates for a moment, expression falling for just a second, before he looks back at Kurt with a tight smile. "Long story."

"I've got time," Kurt says immediately. "We have tons of catching up to do as it is."

"I'll tell you later," Sebastian promises, tight smile still in place. "So, what about you? How have you been? How's your dad, your mom?"

Kurt's own expression falls at the mention of his mother and then he smiles sadly. "Dad is great, but… Mom died years ago…"

Sebastian's heart squeezes painfully and he frowns. "Oh God, Kurt, I'm so sorry… I didn't know…"

Kurt shakes his head, smiling softly. "Don't worry about it, how could you have known? She passed a few months after you left…"

Sebastian nods slowly, clearly at a loss for words. He wants to ask more questions, but knows it's inappropriate. "I'm still sorry…"

Kurt reaches out for his hand, squeezing it. "Don't. I'm alright, 'Bas. Promise. I've had years to cope."

Sebastian looks up and gives his friend a weak smile. "Okay."

All Sebastian can think is that he should have been around for that. He can't imagine how awful it must have been for Kurt and his dad to go through that alone. Sebastian should have been there to nurse their hearts back to health. Especially Kurt's.

Kurt returns the small smile. "So, um, where are you guys staying? Someone lives in your old house now. She's a nice, older woman; but, I miss you guys being there."

Sebastian smiles a little more genuinely at that. "We're actually going to be living in Westerville."

"Oh, I know that area." Kurt smiles brightly. "Blaine lives there and we used to go to school there at Dalton Academy. It's really nice, fits perfectly for the Smythe family."

"Really? Wow. Well, yeah, our house isn't far from Dalton. Why'd you go there? Shouldn't you have gone to…" He tries to remember the name of the high school in that zone. "McKinley?"

"Oh…" Once more, Kurt's smile falters a bit. "I did go there initially, but I had some… issues with a bully that made me transfer. I was at Dalton for about six months; and then I transferred back."

"A bully?" Yet another thing Sebastian should have been there to protect him from.

"Yeah… standard homophobic stuff." Kurt rolls his eyes at the memory. "All is resolved with him now, though. We're actually sort of friends. He was having difficulties with his own sexuality… reverse homophobia, you know."

Sebastian nods. He is familiar with the concept. It is so like Kurt to have someone put him through hell like that; and then for him to eventually become their friend.

"Well, it's good that everything worked out," He says.

Kurt nods, smiling softly. "And in an odd way, I have him to thank for meeting Blaine."

Sebastian smiles a bit. "Yeah. So, tell me about you two."

Kurt beams. "Well, it's kind of a funny story, actually. I met him when I was supposed to be 'spying' on Dalton. He sang Teenage Dream with his glee club, the Warblers, and I guess you could say it was dangerously close to love at first sight."

Sebastian bites his lip, trying to fight a highly amused chuckle. He can't help the snarky comment, though. "That sounds like something out of a cheesy 80's movie."

Kurt gapes, hitting Sebastian's arm playfully. "Shut up!"

Sebastian can't hold back the laughter then, earning him an exasperated sigh from his best friend. He's apologizing half-heartedly when suddenly, his phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees it's a text from Sylvie.

To Sebastian (3:12pm): Sebby, where are you!? You're taking forever!

To Sylvie (3:13pm): I'll be there soon, sorry. You'll never guess who I ran into at the coffee shop.

To Sebastian (3:15pm): Oh my gosh, was it Kurt!?

To Sylvie (3:17pm): How the hell did you guess that?

To Sebastian (3:18pm): Only because I've been waiting years for you two to reunite! So it is him, isn't it!?

To Sylvie (3:19pm): It is.

To Sebastian (3:20pm): asdfghjk :D

To Sylvie (3:21pm): Dork.

"Bas?" Sebastian hears Kurt say his name and looks up from his phone to meet the eyes of a slightly annoyed Kurt.

"Sorry. You were saying?" Sebastian asks.

"I was wondering if you and your family wanted to have dinner at my place tonight," Kurt repeats.

"I'd love to. I'll ask my parents and Sylvie when I get back. I know they'll be thrilled about seeing you too," Sebastian says with a small smile.

Kurt beams. "Great!"

"Speaking of which, I really should be going," Sebastian states, getting up from the table.

"Oh… well, see you later," Kurt says, smiling faintly and standing as well.

"Yes, of course," Sebastian agrees, nodding and giving Kurt a hug.

"Bas?" Kurt asks as he returned the hug.

"Mhmm?" Sebastian replies.

"I really missed you," He says.

Sebastian smiles. "I missed you too, Kurtie."