This chapter is a bit of a filler, I guess (yes, this early in the story), but I promise we'll start making progress in the next chapter. It will definitely be longer than I said before - say 4 more chapters after this, at a grand total of around 10,000 words (I just hope I'm not doubling word count with every chapter I post because that's not gonna end well). Then all that is left is to offer my sincere apologies for the spelling error in the previous chapter, here goes to better editing this time!
As usual, it is unbeta'd. I will never be ashamed to admit I love feedback, and concrit is always welcomed!

"He's not gonna answer that call, you know."

The voice came from behind him, and Kurt spun around to find one of the other models looking at him.

"He doesn't really want to take you out," the man -Bing, if Kurt remembered correctly- repeated, and Kurt squinted.

"And how would you know?" he asked, gesturing for the man to step up the stool. "Any personal experience or is this another of these never-ending feuds that always seem to be going on?"

"No feud," Bing said, "just... experience. Me, and about half of the city gays."

Kurt hissed when the needle pricked his finger right through the hem of Bing's pants, and he was already regretting getting involved in the conversation - unlike Sebastian Bing had not yet mastered the art of standing still while talking. But even though he wasn't sure if he could believe the man, it seemed he knew Sebastian Smythe better than Kurt did, and it certainly couldn't hurt to find out a little more about the snarky model.

"I wasn't actually planning on calling him, but thank you for your concern," Kurt said, looking up in surprise when the man above him started laughing.

"Which is exactly why he asked you out," he smirked, and Kurt frowned.

"You mean he gave me his phone number so I wouldn't call him?"

"I mean Seb's only interested in you as long as you're not interested in him."

Kurt glanced up before moving to the other leg.

"Why would he assume I'm not interested?" he asked. "He's cute enough, and you can't deny he has a witty charm over him."

"Oh, he's charming alright," Bing chuckled, "and pretty. Cocky enough to be well aware of it, too. But look at yourself - you're obviously running on too few hours of sleep, busiest week of the season ahead of you: Prince Charming could come bursting in through the door and you'd probably give him a to-do list before he could even ask you out. Seb takes bets, but he doesn't play to win."

Slowly, knees creaking, Kurt got up and took a step back, pretending to admire the way the white vest contrasted against the man's dark skin as the thoughts swirled through his mind. He didn't even dwell on the barely-veiled insult on his appearance - he knew perfectly well how he looked these days, but sometimes some things just were more important than skin care routines and healthy sleeping habits. He simply wasn't quite sure what the man expected him to do with the information he'd just give him.

"Why are you even telling me this?"

"As I said, you wouldn't be the first swinging from 'no' to 'yes' to crashing headfirst into a wall," Bing said, more sincerity in his voice than Kurt was used to encounter of the course of even a week. "And I saw the way you looked at him. Don't expect too much from him, that's all I'm saying."

Kurt nodded, although he still didn't know what he was being warned for, exactly. As Bing had said, he was too busy to even think of dating right now, but if Sebastian really was as big flirt as Bing said... well, two could play that game.

He looked back over at the man in front of him, gesturing him to step down. He wasn't quite ready yet, but it could wait for the second fitting tomorrow - right now, he had no desire to continue the conversation.

"You know the drill - Anita'll take this. 7.30 for you tomorrow, if that's alright?"

.

Kurt didn't call Sebastian, and Sebastian didn't quit, but over the course of the next few days their banter became increasingly flirtatious, and despite Bing's warning constantly at the forefront of his thoughts Kurt found he started looking forward to rehearsals and fittings, even if barely 15 minutes of them were actually spent with Sebastian. But between the stress of organizing half of the show and getting all the outfits ready, those 15 minutes became Kurt's recharge moment, giving him the energy he needed to keep running on the too few hours of sleep he was able to get. Sebastian seemed ever amused by everything going on around him, unaffected by the stress that got everybody on edge and not in the least impressed by anything Kurt threw at him. Where most people had learned not to get in Kurt's way whenever he was stressed out, Sebastian faced him head-on, unafraid to call him out when he was being unreasonable, never failing to find the humor in the situation or to make Kurt laugh.

And through it all, Sebastian stubbornly continued to find ways to ask Kurt out, stealthily by slipping notes between Kurt's folders, or more directly, like that first day when he'd brought a bag of blueberry muffins, his phone number and the words "Go out with me?" written in black sharpie on the side of the bag. The day after it was a simple cup of coffee -and how the guy had figured out his coffee order, Kurt would never know-, and the day after that some take-away Thai, and Sebastian laughed when Kurt's stomach began to grumble as soon as the spicy smell of the food reached his nose.

"I was going to bring a two-hour power nap first, but they wouldn't wrap it for me," Sebastian said, smiling, "I can see the food was a good second choice, though."

"I swear they're trying to kill me," Kurt said, gratefully taking the food and diving straight in as they sat down on the floor against the wall. He had about ten minutes before people would start looking for him, and even right before the big show there were only so many times he could get away with yet another costume fit - he'd already changed some of the assigned outfits just to have an excuse to dress Sebastian. "This is my 19th show and you'd think, statistically, there would be at least one where nothing would go wrong. Or at least one where not everything would go wrong."

"I know what you mean," Sebastian said next to him, sounding defeated. "I've been asking this guy out for days now - six times I've asked him, six times, and he's turned me down every time. You know what the odds are for that? One in 64, that's what."

He leaned back against the wall, shaking his head and sighing dramatically, and Kurt grinned as he looked over at him.

"Even though I'm pretty sure your statistics are off - that sucks for you."

"Please - my statistics are flawless. And it sucks for him," Sebastian said, turning his head and catching Kurt's gaze, a little smile playing around his lips, not in the least deterred by Kurt's constant rejection -he never was-, as if he indeed enjoyed playing the game far too much to be bothered with the final score, and not for the first time Kurt wondered whether Bing was right, whether Sebastian would simply walk away from Kurt as soon as he said 'yes'. He wondered if that was the reason he kept saying 'no'.

"Kurt? Kurt! Kurt, Katrina lost the guest- what are you doing?"

Anita was standing in front of them, hands on her hips, eyes flickering between the two of them as if she couldn't understand how anyone could be sitting down for even a second when there was so much left to do, and it occurred to Kurt that she probably couldn't.

"I probably have a copy in my office," he told her, scrambling up, before he shoved the half-empty container of noodles back in Sebastian's hands.

"Don't let it go to waste," he told him, "but if I catch so much as a nanoliter drop of nam chim on my clothes I swear the only job in fashion you'll ever be able to get will be as my personal pincushion, understood?"

"Oh my," Sebastian clutched his chest, wiping away an imaginary tear as he pretended to look touched. "I never thought the day would come where Kurt Hummel would volunteer to stick things in me. But eh... what do I do with the box?"

Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Sebastian's first comment, shooting him a look instead as he glanced at the container with the now familiar handwriting that Sebastian was holding out to him. He wondered if this was the right time to tell Sebastian he'd already put the number in his phone that very first day they met.

He decided it wasn't.

"Well, seeing as it is a cardboard box," he said patiently, cocking his head as if he was talking to a five year old, "I would suggest putting it in paper recycling."

Sebastian's face split open in a wide grin as if he actually was five years old, the wonder and amazement radiating from his face almost tangible.

"That is a brilliant idea!"

Kurt almost burst out laughing until he heard Anita cough behind him, and he settled on simply returning Sebastian's grin.

"I'll see you tomorrow for the show, Seb - 5am, be sharp," he said, walking away. "And remember what I said about the sauce!"

Sebastian's laugh would still be ringing in his ears for a long time after that.