Title: Just Beginning (11/?)
Authors: redelainem
Pairing: Will/Kurt
Rating: R this chapter (precautionary), NC-17 overall
Warnings: underage drinking, alcohol induced OOC-ness, kinda 'cracky', seems to be a bit St. Hummel, but isn't, as well as a mention of a past tryst on Kurt's part.
Spoilers: Up to Duets, then divergent
Word Count: 6947 this chapter. Current total 38278
Disclaimer: Glee and its characters don't belong to me.
Summary: Kurt has a plan. After graduation, he's headed to New York City to find his place in the world, hopefully on Broadway. Things aren't happening as expected, however, when the one person he needs to get out of his system has coinciding plans . . .
AN: Don't kill me for the first section; This chapter goes from angst to crack in pretty short order. A little low on the Will/Kurt interaction, but it's definitely in there. This is a bit of a plot chapter. A really fun plot chapter. Sorry it took so long (a week's a long time for me between updates) but this chapter is longer than all the others, so I hope that makes up for the delay somewhat. Enjoy!
Kurt entered the theater with a frown. Deciding that this would be the best place for him and Jesse to meet had been a subject he had put a lot of thought into. He didn't want to make the whole situation any more awkward than it already was by inviting Jesse to his apartment. Though Kurt took what he thought was every precaution and then some, he was still walking into the building with nerves shot to hell. Of course, it didn't help that on top of that, Kurt was in a rather bitchy mood this evening. He had almost wished that he hadn't asked Will to spend the night two evenings ago, because the man had been a completely unreasonable grump in the morning.
Kurt's mood had gotten progressively worse over the course of the last day and a half. Most of the reason for this rotten, particularly snappy attitude had been Will pissing him off since yesterday morning. Kurt knew that this whole not-date with Jesse would bother his mate – hell, it bothered Kurt too – but Will's possessive attitude was bordering on controlling.
Will had just short of demanded that Kurt bring his phone with him – Kurt would have anyway, but that wasn't the point. The older man had followed up that conversation with having the gall to suggest an outfit for Kurt's little outing. Kurt refused without even looking at what the older man had been holding up; Will's fashion sense was only a few notches above Rachel Berry's, after all.
The lecture about alcohol was probably the worst of it. Will had completely gone into 'serious adult teacher mode' on the subject. Besides the uncomfortable feeling of getting back into that teacher student groove, the conversation irritated him. He was 19, dammit, and like many people his age he was quite familiar with both the risks and the material. After all, what did Will honestly think his glee club members had been doing on the weekends in that boring, lame excuse for a town?
Will was sitting at his 'desk' when Kurt entered, flipping through papers and jotting notes. Kurt smirked and walked over, slightly disappointed when Will noticed him coming and looked up. The young man had planned to surprise him, do something cute to make him jump, and perhaps make an attempt at putting his irritation on the back burner.
Unfortunately, Will was still set to condescending mode. His initial smiling greeting had wiped off his face and was shifting to a frown.
"You're honestly going to wear. . ." Will began, gesturing up and down with his hand. "that?"
So much for the play nice plan. Kurt's eyes narrowed into a glare and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Will. I really can't see what the problem is. If I came out here in leather and chains, sure, say something." he paused. "Actually, if I do that you're free to call the asylum, because I'll have obviously lost my mind." Kurt said. Will was not amused.
"Your pants have . . . What the hell is that, anyway?"
Kurt sighed and looked down to his black Alexander McQueen skinny jeans. Alright, okay, they were a bit suggestive. The design that graced the top were wings, though they gave the look of hands gripping his hips. He loved them; they were one of his favorite pairs, had cost him a pretty penny, and it wasn't the first time he'd worn them. He rolled his eyes.
"What do you want me to do, Will? If you think I'm going to go out tonight wearing rags just to appease your jealous paranoia, you have another thing coming." Will's eyes widened.
"Whoa, calm down, Kurt. I was just saying. . ."
"You were just implying that I don't dress like this everyday, and you know that I do. I'm not about to dress down just because I'm going to be spending time with Jesse." Kurt stuck his nose in the air. "I have standards." Will sighed.
"I know." The older man said in the most appeasing tone he could generate. "Look, I just can't help being nervous about this whole thing. I mean it's practically a date, you look fantastic, and you're both going to be drinking." Will shook his head. "I'm just worried."
"I'm beginning to feel like you don't trust me." Kurt muttered, and Will got to his feet to grab the other man by his arms.
"I do trust you. I do. It's just that I don't trust Jesse and . . ." Will began, but was once again interrupted by the last voice he wanted to hear. How the hell was Saint James so damn good at sneaking up on him?
"This is cute." Jesse stated, and Kurt jumped in surprise. Will dropped his arms to his sides and stared to the left of them where Jesse was standing, hands in his pockets, a smug look on his face. Jesse turned to Kurt and smirked. "Schuester, huh? I suppose that explains his attitude from the other day." Kurt glared and Jesse turned to Will with a look of amusement. "Possessive little cradle robber, aren't you?"
Kurt had to grab the back of Will's shirt to keep him from decking Jesse right then and there.
"This is not the way to start the night, Saint James." Kurt growled, and was surprised when Jesse had the sense to look the slightest bit apologetic. He held up his hands in mock defensive before dropping them again.
"Got it. Not my place to judge." Jesse again turned to Will. "I'm not out to seduce your boyfriend, Schuester. My main goal is perfection in this upcoming role. I don't settle for less." He smiled. "Ever." Will's eyes remained narrowed.
"If you so much as touch him . . ." Jesse shook his head as Will trailed off.
"I can't promise that, Schuester." At Will's renewed tensing, Jesse held up his hand. "Relax and let me finish." he said quickly. "There's rather emotional interaction that the two of us need to work on. Some of it requires touch. What I will promise is that I won't initiate any of the more physical practices. That will completely be up to Kurt." Jesse smirked. "And I believe I just overheard you stressing that you trusted him, so there should be no problem with this arrangement." Will grit his teeth, and Kurt's eyes widened.
Damn, Jesse was good. Kurt chanced a glance at his boyfriend. When Will looked at him, Kurt cocked an eyebrow in challenge. Jesse had Will in checkmate and all three of them knew it.
"Fine." Will finally growled out, and then turned to Kurt. "I'll have my phone on. If you get uncomfortable at all, just call." Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Will, I'm not a child. Quit treating me like one. Those days are long over and I am fully capable of taking care of myself." Will bit his lip – Kurt could tell Will wanted to say something, but he older man just nodded.
Kurt couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the statement. It needed to be said, sure, but he knew it to be one of those borderline taboo subjects between the two of them. Usually he refrained from being the one to remind Will of their former teacher student relationship, but really, the man had to realize that he wasn't that sixteen year old kid anymore. He was an adult, dammit, and he wanted to be treated as such.
"Kurt, can you stop glaring at me?" Will whispered and Kurt blinked. The younger man hadn't realized he'd been glaring at all. Will looked worried and wholly uncomfortable, and Kurt wasn't sure if he wanted to yell at him for being paranoid or kiss him to reassure him. He decided on neither, and instead simply nodded slowly, then turned to Jesse.
"Let's go." Kurt said simply. He turned on his heel, intending to make his way towards the exit. Jesse shrugged and shifted to follow Kurt.
"Wait." Will grabbed Kurt by the elbow and spun him to face him. "Don't forget about me tonight." Will whispered, and Kurt's eyes widened in a mix of surprise that seeped into anger. Will had crossed the thin line keeping Kurt from snapping with that statement. Don't forget about him? What did Will take him for? He wasn't someone who would go and have a few drinks and forget he had a goddamned boyfriend!
He was about to retort when Will crushed his lips onto his, but for once, Kurt wanted nothing of it. Putting his hands on Will's chest, he shoved him away. The older man stumbled back in his shock and likely would have tripped over himself if not for the table he had backed into.
"How dare you?" Kurt fumed. "How the hell can you say you trust me and then say a thing like that? Have you completely lost your mind?" Kurt growled, walked up to Will ignoring the shocked pain on the older man's features, and pointed a finger at his chest. "Kissing me to stake some sort of neanderthal claim on me is not helping you! This isn't the time or the place for you to be so damn territorial! I know this might sound a touch hypocritical right now, considering I'm screaming at you, but grow the fuck up, William. I haven't given you any reason not to trust me about this . . ."
"You're full of shit, Kurt!" Will snapped, the hurt on his face replaced by anger. "Do you even remember what you told me on your birthday? You don't even trust yourself!" He seethed. "Why wouldn't I be worried?" Kurt glared and shook his head tensely.
"If you don't trust me then why the hell are we even bothering with this sham of a relationship?" Kurt yelled, clenched his fists at his sides, and fixed the most dead expression on his face that he could muster. God, was he pissed.
"Go fuck yourself, Mr. Schue. We're through." Kurt said lowly, and stormed out the door.
"Aren't you going to follow him?" Jesse questioned.
Will didn't respond. Shakily he backed himself towards his chair and nearly fell into it, looking for all the world as if someone had punched him in the gut and was strangling him with his own insides. After watching Schuester gulp not once, not twice, but three times, his eyes rimmed with barely controlled tears, Jesse actually managed to feel bad for him.
"I'm still not going to hit on him." Jesse said. Will remained silent. "I realize my word means nothing to you, and considering your apparent issues with trust . . ."
"Jesse! Shut up!" Will stood and shouted, and Jesse merely blinked. "Look," Will said. "I realize Kurt's angry right now . . ."
"I'd say. He just broke up with you, after all."
Will raised his fist, and Jesse took that as a cue to back up a few steps.
"Schuester, you might want to put that fist down, unless you want to lose your job as well. I bruise easily." Jesse said pointedly. Tensely, Will brought his arm back down to his side with what appeared to be every last ounce of control he had. Instead he grabbed the collar of Jesse's leather jacket, bunching the material in the fist that had earlier been raised for a strike.
"Get" Will growled. "Out!" He released the jacket in a shove, Jesse forced backward a few steps by the push.
Jesse lifted his head slowly and smirked.
"I actually felt sorry for you for a moment. Empathized with you a bit. Heartbreak is wretched, and Kurt has always had a way of talking down to people. I actually respect him a little for that."
"You know nothing about . . ." Will started and Jesse cut him off.
"Can it, Schuester. Like I was attempting to say earlier, I'm not going to throw myself at Hummel. I learned a little something about hurting people when they're vulnerable, back in my days with your comically deficient troupe of misfits." Will narrowed his eyes.
"Before or after you egged Rachel?" Will asked disbelievingly.
"During." he stated, and Will's eyes widened marginally. "I didn't want to do it. I regret doing it. She was the first person to have faith in me, and not because of my rather unfair talent level, but because she saw something in me that I would have never realized I possessed if not for her." Will relaxed in his confusion.
"And just what is that, Jesse?" Will asked disbelievingly. Jesse smirked.
"The ability to give a damn about someone other than myself. Unfortunately for her, the notion that she had affected me made me react foolishly and allow myself to be pressured into cracking that egg on her forehead. I didn't want to feel anything, and I hated her for doing that to me. I hated her for breaking through. And I hated myself for loving her." Will blinked, marginally shocked.
"She told me you apologized." He said slowly and Jesse nodded.
"First time for everything." he shrugged. "I need to get going, no need to piss off your little princess anymore than he already is." Jesse stated. Will opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing sadly and running his hand through his hair.
"You're really not planning to do anything?"
"No. I was fairly straightforward with my intentions. This is a business meeting of sorts." Jesse frowned. "I think I should be at least number two on your list of things to worry about right now, either way. You have some issues of your own to work on, Schuester, if you want to melt the ice queen."
Jesse turned away and strolled out the door with Will looking on in outright shock. Jesse had been almost . . . nice.
Kurt was standing stock still next to the door of the theater, arms crossed over his chest and staring at the street blankly when Jesse stepped outside. Sensing that he was no longer alone, Kurt turned to level a glare at Jesse, clearly daring him to say something. Jesse simply motioned to his left with a sweep of his hand, and Kurt rolled his eyes before falling in step with the other man, heading towards whatever establishment Jesse had picked out for the evening.
Kurt could feel the guilt creeping up on him, and though he tried to squash the feeling away, the lump of anxiety in his throat made him want to stop, duck into a corner, and cry. This wasn't how today was supposed to go. Will was supposed to keep to his profession of trust. While the older man had been right about Kurt having trouble having faith in himself during this situation, Kurt had been convinced that having Will believe in him was what was going to keep him doing the right thing and being the better person during this event. Now Kurt had gone and said things he didn't entirely mean.
Damn, had he really told Will to 'fuck off' – that they were 'through'? Sure, Kurt was irritated with the entire situation, but he didn't want to break things off entirely. Will had been a part of his life for so long, and Kurt couldn't imagine a life with out him. He didn't want to either. Kurt was still angry, but he knew he was only this upset because he truly loved that foolish man, and the lack of trust in their relationship really and strongly hurt.
Kurt had almost wished that Will had followed him out the door, but supposed the shock had something to do with that not happening. Kurt had heard the protest of the chair that Will had no doubt nearly collapsed onto when Kurt had walked out the door.
Jesse had been in there for a while after Kurt's little diva storm out – Rachel Berry would have been proud – and Kurt couldn't help wondering what the two of them had talked about. He looked to his side briefly; Jesse was staring straight ahead, his hands jammed into his pockets. Well, Will had obviously not gotten completely out of hand; Jesse's face still seemed to be unmarred. Glancing a bit lower revealed the collar of Jesse's shirt to be a bit out of place – one side was flipped upwards slightly and the material around it was wrinkled, unlike the rest of the clearly ironed garment. Interesting.
"What happened in there, anyway?" Kurt asked, and made a pointed nod at the strange imperfection in Jesse's clothing. Jesse's brow furrowed briefly, and he tried unsuccessfully to see what Kurt was making reference to. Kurt rolled his eyes, and reached out to quickly flip the collar back into place – it simply bothered him to see the garment looking the way it did. He wasn't about to do anything about the wrinkles however – he internally squirmed at the thought of touching the other man any longer than fashionably necessary. Damn, they had a lot of work to do to get to that comfort level for the stage.
"I got shoved around a little." Jesse smirked. "Just barely avoided a black eye, I think." Kurt rolled his eyes.
"He's like a child sometimes." Kurt said and Jesse scoffed.
"Says the guy who dumps his boyfriend rather than having a conversation with him about their problems."
Kurt stopped mid-stride and glared at Jesse.
"Well, he should know better. He's been around longer than I have, and he's probably been around the block a few more times." Kurt stated, and Jesse raised an eyebrow.
"Really. Last I recall, William Schuester was straight."
"Your point?"
"I can understand him being a bit more insecure about whatever you two have. Uncharted territory and all that jazz." Jesse shrugged. "I don't think that guy had any idea of what he jumped into with you. He's used to dealing with women – crazy women from what I understand – From what I heard from Rachel way back, his ex-wife was an absolute lunatic." Jesse rolled his eyes. "Can you really blame the guy for having trust issues after dealing with someone like her?"
Kurt gaped at the other man, and then frowned slightly when Jesse stumbled slightly and recovered.
"One." Kurt said slowly. "To answer your question, you may have a point. And two, have you been drinking already? Because seriously, you're not acting the way I expected of you and you're a little less than graceful . . ." Jesse smirked and nodded slightly sheepishly.
"Yeah, I had a couple of courage shots before I came over. No big deal, I just figured we wouldn't get anywhere with my defenses as sharp as they usually are." Jesse smiled. "Seems to have worked alright so far." Glancing up at an illuminated neon light, Jesse pointed at the fixture hanging off the side of the building five feet ahead of them. "We're here." he said.
Kurt paused at the entrance, mentally steeling himself. The exterior of the building was a typical brick, the windows obscuring the inside with an opaque tint. He was nervous, though he figured it wouldn't do to admit such a thing to Jesse. From the look on the slightly older man's face, it appeared Kurt didn't' need to say anything. God damn that guy's cocky grin. Kurt had to admit to himself that the walk over hadn't been as horrendous as he had been anticipating, and as Jesse opened the door and Kurt followed, the younger man hoped that he'd be able to remain in decent spirits about the endeavor. It was already going to be a bit of an upward climb due to the events at the theater, but Kurt was hoping the alcohol would dull that a bit – at least enough to wash down the the guilt nagging in his throat.
The interior was surprisingly clean; Kurt had expected the place to be a complete dive. It turned out that the establishment was far from what he had imagined – the décor was almost tasteful, as tasteful as a bar could get, anyway. It was that thought that struck him with a sudden realization.
"Jesse. . ." Kurt began, and Jesse turned to look at him, that ever present smirk for once not bothering the younger man. "Is this a gay bar?"
Jesse smiled slightly. Then, he nodded affirmatively.
"Figured you'd be more comfortable here. That's what this whole business meeting is for, anyway. It's all low key, too. The clientele doesn't get too rambunctious, and if they do the barkeep makes short work of throwing them out." Jesse replied. He motioned for Kurt to follow him, and Kurt did, still in slight shock.
The bartender greeted Jesse in a familiar manner, and Jesse nodded at the middle-aged man. Turning to Kurt, Jesse looked at him questioningly.
"So what are you drinking?" Jesse queried and Kurt frowned. He hadn't given the topic any thought beforehand, and he just shrugged in response. Jesse rolled his eyes and turned to the bartender who was eying Kurt a bit warily. 'Great,' Kurt thought sarcastically. 'He knows I'm not old enough.' Jesse cleared his throat and the bartender turned to look back at him.
"Your son's going to be rather upset if I have to leave before I sing for him tonight." Jesse said simply, and the old man's mouth quirked up in amusement before rolling his eyes.
"Whatever kid, you know I don't care all that much. As far as I know, you came in alone and you're drinking double time." The bartender said with a shrug. "The usual?" he asked and Jesse turned to Kurt.
"You like Midori?" Jesse asked and Kurt replied with a slow nod. The old man behind the bar took the nod as a 'go ahead' and began prepping a pair of martini glasses. "Nice." Jesse said. "This drink's a little strong so take it slow."
Kurt watched the barkeep and couldn't help the slightly disgusted look that crept onto his face when the man had finished preparing the three layered thing Jesse had ordered.
"That looks revolting." Kurt said and Jesse chuckled.
"It does, but it's good." he paused, and when Kurt made no move to take his glass, Jesse continued. "It's called a 'Sexy Alligator.'" Kurt merely raised an eyebrow, and Jesse smirked. "Midori, Jäger, Chambord, Malibu, and pineapple juice. Just try it Hummel, it's fantastic." He emphasized his point by taking a rather long sip from his glass, and smiled. "Once you get past the Jägermeister it's actually rather sweet."
Kurt sighed and picked up the offering with a grimace. Really, it looked absolutely terrible, but Jesse's warning of it being strong was what actually gave him the motivation to try the concoction. He was rather pleasantly surprised upon his first drag of the liquid, but nearly dropped the glass when Jesse shot out of his seat to pull it away.
"Whoa! Kurt, seriously, you need to slow down on that. I've seen two hundred pound men get plastered off of two of those things!" Kurt cocked an eyebrow and then looked at his glass in mild surprise, finding he'd downed nearly half of it in one go. Oops. "Please tell me you're not a lightweight?" Jesse asked. Kurt flinched slightly, already feeling the beginning numbing effects of the beverage. He didn't respond and Jesse groaned.
"Schuester's going to kill me."
The mention of Will and the subsequent lurch of anxiety made Kurt gulp – and foolishly take the glass and slam the rest of its contents down his throat. The look of surprised and slightly intoxicated horror on Jesse's face made Kurt giggle. Kurt then shrugged, a rather goofy smile on his own face as he replaced the glass on the bar, clapped Jesse on the back, and led him to one of the booths lining the semi-dark building.
"Don't worry about Will, that's my problem." Kurt said and Jesse growled slightly.
"He's my problem too, Hummel. Wicked ring any bells?" He sighed. "You barely get that drink in you and you're already giggling." He paused, his eyes widening slightly. "Shit. Don't tell me you . . ." Kurt laughed, and Jesse dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as if staving off an awful headache.
"You're not the only one who needed a little courage beforehand." Kurt winked before he realized he was going to do so, and then shrugged it away. "I managed to blackmail Puckerman into making me a fake ID a while back." Kurt smirked. "Turns out he didn't want anyone knowing about his secret fascination with woman's underwear." Jesse quizzically stared at him for a moment, and Kurt continued. "He likes to wear it." Kurt sniggered. "We had this little fling; he was curious and I helped him out."
"Are you serious?" Jesse asked, and Kurt's eyes widened comically.
"Oh." he said with a blush. "Oh for the love of Prada, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that." Kurt brought a hand to cover the nervous giggle emanating from his mouth. Then he gasped and fidgeted a bit in his seat, his eyes widening. "I'm so dead."
Jesse, who had just finished taking the last swig of his drink had to gulp it down quickly to keep from spitting out the damn thing with his laughter.
"I'm not . . ." he paused, waited a few moments to steady his voice, and continued. "I'm not going to tell anyone." Jesse smirked at himself when he tried to take another sip out of his empty glass, then turned back to Kurt, his eyes glittering in amusement. "Maybe Rachel." Kurt's eyes filled with horror.
"You can't!" He said quickly, "Forget Will, I'll kill you!" Jesse had to bite his lip to keep from cracking up again.
"It was a joke, Hummel." he said and Kurt stared at him for a second.
"It was a horrible joke. Rachel had one of the biggest mouths in Lima; she'd tell everyone." Kurt breathed out. Jesse shrugged.
"Let's just drop the Rachel subject, shall we? How about we . . ." Jesse was cut off by the sound of Kurt's phone blaring an alarm, and he shrugged. "That's one way to kill the conversation." Jesse said. Kurt rolled his eyes and deftly flipped the device open with a grin. The look fell slightly when he saw that alert had been due to a text message from Will.
"I'm sorry. Can we talk?" The message said, and Kurt sighed, biting his lip. He turned to Jesse, and answered his unspoken question by showing him the message that was currently lighting up his screen.
"Jesse, do you think you could excuse me for a minute? Get us another drink or something? I think I might do better with one." Jesse looked at Kurt for a moment before rising to his feet.
"I'm not carrying you home, you know." he said, and Kurt scoffed.
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. Bring a shot." Kurt said, and rolled his eyes. "And a chaser. Blueberry Wachusett or something. If they have it. 'Cedes brought me some to try from Boston and they're just yummy." Jesse shrugged, leaving when Kurt waved him off with a limp wrist-ed shooing motion.
Kurt's phone barely rang before Will picked up.
"Kurt!" The voice came quickly, and Kurt's eyes widened slightly at the thankful tone projected hurriedly over the line. Kurt licked his lips, and cautiously responded.
"William." He replied, more flatly than he had intended, and the slight pause seemed elongated and deafening.
"I. I was out of line. I'm so sorry." Will laughed pitifully. "I'm a bit insecure and," Kurt could hear the gulp Will took after the statement, but didn't respond as the older man continued. "I know have problems with . . . with trust, and my temper, and . . ."
"Possessiveness?" Kurt supplied.
"Y-yeah." The sound of Will's voice cracking was nearly Kurt's undoing. "I don't want us to end, Kurt. I can't . . ." Kurt sighed, and then noticed Jesse slowly coming back with two shot glasses in one hand and . . . soda? Damn. Kurt put his finger to his lips in hopes that Jesse would keep quiet, which he thankfully did.
"Look, William . . ." Kurt began, cringing a bit at how slurred the name came out past his lips. "I love you, but I'm kind of drunk, and I can't make any promises right now. Sooo I'll call you back later."
"You still love me?" Will asked and Kurt rolled his eyes in a mix of annoyance and amusement.
"Wow, Will, yeah. 'Course I do. I'm just really kind of mad about you being all crazy and thinking I'd cheat on you with Jesse – he's not too bad to deal with when he's drunk though, and he's cute, so I get it." Jesse raised an eyebrow and Kurt smacked him on the shoulder and pointed at him, smirking and shaking his head 'no.' "I have a brilliant idea, though Will . . . Give us like an hour or so more, and then you should meet us here. B'cause Jesse doesn't want to carry me home, and I'd totally rather you did it anyway." Kurt could practically hear the smile in Will's voice when he replied.
"Yeah, I'll be there." Kurt grinned and handed the phone to Jesse to give Will directions, and after that was all set and Jesse had hung up, Kurt reached for the shot on the table.
"Wait, there's a method for this." Kurt rolled his eyes.
"I've done tequila shots before, Mister Saint James. Though my dear Brittany was a bit lewd. . ." Kurt didn't continue with his statement and simply used his finger to swipe the salt off the rim of the glass, sucking it off of his finger in a manner rather slow and a purposely phallic. He then took the shot and made a show of squeezing the juice out of the lime wedge, his lips closing on the fruit and pulling it away with slow, mischievous purpose.
Jesse just stared for a second, eyes wide as saucers.
"K-kurt . . ." He choked out. "I think you're done with the liquor." Jesse rose to his feet quickly and stood at the other side of the table, grabbing his own shot and downing it without preamble. He pointed to Kurt, glass still wrapped around the other fingers of his hand. Kurt had a rather pleased, rather smug smile lining his features, and Jesse shook his head. "You're making it really hard for me to behave myself, Hummel." The slightly older man shook his pointing finger. "Don't do that again, or all bets are off."
Kurt couldn't help it. He laughed. He laughed so hard he had to hold his hand to his stomach, and had to wipe mirthful tears from his cheeks with the other. Jesse rolled his eyes in amusement.
"I'm going to go sing. Join me if you want." Jesse said with a smirk. "Just get that damn mischief under control first." Kurt nodded, his laughter abated and a semi serious look gracing his face.
"I was just testing you." he said with a light shrug. "Besides, tequila shots are supposed to be sexy. Your fault for bringing them." Jesse shook his head.
"Jesus, how did a Chia pet like Schuester get so damn lucky?" Kurt got up, a bit wobbly on his feet, to smack Jesse on the top of his head. Kurt's nose wrinkled when he noticed whatever product Jesse had been using on his hair had transferred onto his hand.
"Lay off of Will, you ass." he said jovially. "And for the love of Paul Mitchell, you have no right to say anything about hair." Kurt wiped his hand on the back of Jesse's shirt with an exaggerated look of disgust and slight amusement. "Come on, I need to get my glee on." Jesse rolled his eyes, and Kurt raised an eyebrow in challenge, seeming to sober momentarily. "No more bashing New Directions, Jesse. Seriously. You want us to get along and work together, then leave my friends out of it."
"But they . . ."
"No." Kurt replied firmly, then stumbled over himself, quite easily losing his serious effect. Jesse chuckled.
"Fine. I think though that we're going to have to cancel the karaoke part." He smirked. "You can barely stand." Kurt's eyes narrowed.
"Shut up." Kurt said with a pout. Then he realized he was being 'cute' again and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth.
Suddenly, Kurt stilled momentarily, and looked to Jesse with a semi-worried expression on his face. "I think I need to go outside." Jesse's eyes widened slightly in comprehension and guided Kurt to the exit, ignoring the barkeeps glare as he stepped out the door.
"I'm going to hear it for not going through with the karaoke tonight, you realize." Jesse began, but shut his mouth at the green look that overcame Kurt's features. Kurt slid down the brick wall of the exterior, putting his head down on raised knees. Jesse smirked and shook his head before sitting down Indian style next to Kurt.
"You're not supposed to turn that shade until dress rehearsal, you know." Kurt raised his head slowly to glare at Jesse.
"Fuck off, Fiyero." Kurt said with a weak smile, and Jesse chuckled.
"Oh well, they really should have to pay to hear my magnificence, anyway." Jesse smirked, and Kurt smiled into his knees.
They stayed quiet for around fifteen minutes, Jesse lost in thought and Kurt trying to get his spinning head and sour stomach under control. Finally feeling his dizziness ebb, Kurt raised his head again and took to glaring at Jesse's hair. Jesse's face turned to a look of scrunched up confusion, and Kurt giggled.
"Feeling better?" Jesse asked,
"A bit . . ." Kurt began, and then reached for a lock of the slightly older man's hair. Jesse smirked and looked at him quizzically.
"What are you doing?" Jesse asked and Kurt shrugged.
"I'm bored. Shut up. Makeover. Face forward." Jesse shrugged and looked back toward the street, a bit surprised when he realized the other man was braiding his hair.
"You're completely wasted, Hummel, you know this, right?" Kurt smiled.
"Yeah whatever. Says the normally stoic ass-hat letting me braid his hair." Kurt smirked and worked for a few minutes before speaking up again. "Okay, look at me." Jesse did, and Kurt burst out laughing.
"Oh Gaga, you look like the bastard child of a bad weave and a freight train." Kurt was literally kicking his feet in his amusement, and Jesse was biting his lip and resisting the urge to break out in laughter himself.
This was how Will found the two of them, staring with an expression that could only be described as 'What the hell?'
Jesse noticed him first; Kurt was still busy laughing at Jesse's expense.
Will walked up to the pair, and Jesse rose to standing. Kurt stopped laughing abruptly, his eyes widening in surprise when Will had stepped in front of him.
"I know those shoes!" Kurt exclaimed happily, and lifted his head up quickly – a little too quickly, his stomach reminded him lightly – and he beamed at Will. "You need new shoes, Will, those are just horrible." Will furrowed his brow, smirked, and shook his head before offering his hand to help Kurt up.
Unlike the time he'd fainted in the auditorium, this time Kurt took it; he knew he'd make a fool of himself trying to get up on his own. The forward momentum of the hand up caused Kurt to stumble into the hard plains of Will's chest. Without the barest amount of thought, Kurt wrapped his arms around Will and sighed.
"Sorry I was a bitch, William." Kurt murmured and Will returned the embrace, chuckling lightly.
"We've both been a little out of control lately." he replied, and Kurt leaned back with a dirty grin.
"It hasn't been all that bad, though . . . the out of control thing." Kurt said with a suggestive drawl and Will blushed rather heavily. Jesse cleared his throat.
"I think that's my cue to leave." Jesse said, and Kurt gently removed himself from Will's arms with a reassuring glance. Kurt turned to Jesse and smirked. It was a little difficult to give Jesse a straight look with the havoc Kurt had wreaked on the the man's hair. Kurt smiled.
"We're going to kill this production." Kurt said simply, and Jesse chuckled.
"Of course I am." Jesse replied. Kurt rolled his eyes. "This whole night was my idea, anyway. Like all of my genius plans, I think it's safe to say it was a rather large success." Kurt shook his head and laughed.
"I think you need another drink, Saint James, you're starting to sound like yourself again." Jesse shrugged in response. "Seriously though, Jesse, you're not nearly the soulless devil I thought you were." Kurt stated and Jesse scoffed.
"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold." he paused. "A very impressive, highly feared reputation at that." Kurt lifted an eyebrow, then smirked in eye-glittering mischief.
"Knock it off before I go get another shot of tequila and knock you down a peg." Jesse's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he colored scarlet.
"I'm starting to think Schuester was right about you, Hummel." Jesse said after a pause and looked to Will. "You have to get this guy a goddamn leash!"
Will flushed and looked to Kurt. The young man's response had been to bounce on his heels giddily. Kurt turned to Will and fluttered his eyelashes.
"I love that idea! Sparkles? Can it have sparkles, William?" Will gulped, flushed impossibly red, and nodded dumbly. Jesse chuckled and shook his head.
"I think my work here is done." Jesse said, then blinked in surprise when Kurt whipped back around to face him.
Kurt took a deep breath, then opened and closed his fists a few times, before shoving a hand out in front of Jesse.
"Friends?" Kurt choked out the question. He knew it was probably the alcohol talking to give him such a leap of faith, but regardless, it was worth a shot. The two of them still had a lot of work to do, but if anything, Kurt was quite sure that Jesse was actually trying – even if he was an asshole, generally. Kurt figured he should try as well.
Jesse smirked and shook Kurt's hand, and then Kurt yanked Jesse forward.
"Tell Rachel about Puck and I'll castrate you. Friendly warning." Kurt whispered into Jesse's ear with a hiss, and Jesse chuckled as he leaned away from the other man.
"Don't worry about it." He said. "I'll see you two on Monday." With that, Jesse turned and walked off, his hand in the air in a bit of a backwards wave goodbye.
Kurt turned back to Will with a rather devious grin on his face. Will was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, and Kurt licked his lips before smiling.
"We need to go shopping tomorrow, William." Kurt drawled, then grabbed the older man's necktie and pulled him to eye-level, Kurt's gaze smoky and his mouth slightly open. "I need to get some glittery accessories." Kurt whispered seductively. "It's hardly . . . fair that I can just pull you around when I want to . . ." The younger man let his statement drift off as he pulled Will closer, meeting the older man's lips with his own for a rather slow and highly sensuous kiss. Pulling back, Will whimpered slightly at the loss. Kurt smirked. "It would be nice if you could do the same, hmm?" Will gulped and nodded, rendered momentarily speechless. Kurt chuckled lightly. "That is." Kurt began. "If you think you can take me."
Will's eyes went impossibly wide.
"K-kurt . . . what are you saying? You." Will stuttered. "You're drunk, I can't. . ." Kurt smiled.
"Not tonight." Kurt whispered lowly. "Tomorrow night, your place." Kurt grabbed Will's hand and placed it firmly on his designer jean clad ass.
"You can be as possessive as you want."