Kurt does not, in fact, go to the party Sebastian was talking about. The one at Kurt's friends house.
On Thursday he pregames with a bunch of kids in his program-they really are his closest friends at CMU-and then they hit a gay club that has a college night on Thursdays only. 18+. He can't drink there because he isn't stamped as being legal, but it's packed from wall to wall and he's able to sip at a few drinks that his older friends buy, but only if they're dancing in the middle of the dance floor where they're completely surrounded by people and no security can see. It's not really worth the risk-he's seen people being physically thrown out for underage drinking and given a citation-but every so often he'll risk it. He'll bend down to 'tie his shoe' and take a sip from the glass his friend is holding low while everyone dances and grinds around him, affording him some level of protection.
Then on Friday night he goes to a party off campus at another friend's house. By the time Saturday comes around he's so exhausted and behind on work that he debates the merits of going out at all.
So he drinks wine and has a movie night with his friend Mason. Together they Facetime Blaine, who is getting dressed for a party himself and gossips with Kurt while fixing his hair and picking out an outfit.
Kurt doesn't hear from Sebastian that night, but he doesn't mind. Doesn't care at all. In fact, he's already forgotten about that strange encounter a week ago.
Kurt has a Plan, and Sebastian is not a part of it.
Kurt travels home for Winter Break and thankfully misses out on a huge snowstorm in Pittsburgh that just barely bypasses Lima. He's thankful for the opportunity to hang out with his high school friends, though he does miss the slightly faster pace of the city.
His father keeps staring at Kurt and patting his shoulders and back, and Kurt can tell that it's because of his physique. He's been hitting the gym a lot, going on runs through the park, he's started lifting weights. Not a lot, but enough to show a difference. He feels like he's finally hitting puberty and that his body is catching up with his peers. He wants to capitalize on this.
He knows that his voice is likely to stop him from ever claiming a Leading Man role, and while he's accepted that in regards to film and television, leading roles on stage are still a part of his Plan. So he's trying to bulk up and take advantage of his fast metabolism and recent growth spurt in the hopes that his body will make up for what his voice lacks.
His style has also changed. Pittsburgh is not New York City. There is no Fifth Avenue. People don't compete for Best Dressed. They play frisbee in the quad and go running in the park and visit small boutiques and vintage shops. His clothing style is much more refined, and he shies away from anything gaudy and extravagant. Long gone are the plastic, see-through raincoats, the excessive mismatched prints, the neon. He dresses with a purpose now. He wants his clothes to help him stand out, but in a positive way. He color blocks carefully and with purpose now, pays attention to patterns more. He doesn't want to look ridiculous. He wants to wear normal, everyday clothes while still standing out. He picks out bold neckties and scarves and patterned pants and jackets, he accessorizes with lapel pins and bracelets from vintage shops and hand-made galleries. He pulls away from famous fashion designers a bit-partly because his budget just doesn't afford it, but also because he's becoming attached to buying more affordable pieces from local stores. Pieces that he knows no one else owns. Pieces that will make him stand out more than a skull patterned scarf. He wants whimsy, like his rhino lapel pin. He wants people to remember him because of his fashion choices, not in spite of it.
His newfound confidence in his body and appearance has only led to positive things. He goes on dates, a lot. He hooks up with guys in his department, at parties, guys he meets at the 18+ club. When he gets really bored he and Blaine have Skype sex, and while they no longer know if they're still meant to be romantically, they still hook up on breaks or when they visit each other.
New York has been great for Blaine, and he, too, has grown into his body. Kurt definitely has more friendship feelings toward Blaine than romantic, but the sexual pull is still strong. Blaine's hot, and he knows it. Kurt's hot, too, and he's just starting to figure that out.
Being hot was not a part of the Plan, but it's definitely a pleasant and important byproduct.
The next time he runs into Sebastian Smythe, Kurt is just as surprised as the first time. Probably even more so, because this time he's sober.
There's this really great record store on Murray Avenue that Kurt was first taken to during Accepted Students Week. It's a warehouse that holds what has to be thousands upon thousands of records, organized by genre though not always meticulously so. Kurt's never owned a record player of his own, but he grew up listening to the Beatles on his father's.
He still doesn't own one, but he buys records anyway, preparing for the day when he can finally buy a record player. He wants to wait a few more months until he's a Junior and living in a house off campus with friends. As of right now he doesn't really have room for one in his dorm.
But even if he weren't stocking up in vinyl, Jerry's Records would still be a fun place to go. The neighborhood where it is in general is a fun place to be, and it's right next door to where his University is, making it an easy place to hang out in.
He and his friend Mason are sorting through stacks of records in the back corner room. The bins are a hodgepodge of movie soundtracks and cast albums from original Broadway plays, and solo endeavors by now-famous Broadway veterans.
"What do you think about this?" Kurt asks Mason as he lifts up a Judy Garland record.
Mason grabs it and turns it around, reading the track list.
"Will you actually play it?" he asks.
Mason is a great friend and a former musical theatre major. He switched over to drama after his first semester after realizing that he likes musical theatre more when he can watch it and not act in it. But he and Kurt still share the occasional class, allowing their friendship to truly blossom.
For as much as they get along though, they're much different people. Mason doesn't care about fashion so long as he looks good in what he's wearing. He doesn't care for whimsy unless it's practical.
"Of course I will," Kurt replies, taking the record and putting it next to him on the pile of records he plans on buying. "There's never not a good time to listen to Judy."
And that's when Kurt Hummel comes face to face with Sebastian Smythe.
"I thought I heard a thirteen year old girl around here. Turns out it's just a twenty year old guy whose balls haven't dropped."
Kurt turns and looks to the side, devastated by the sight before him.
"You have got to be kidding me," he murmurs.
"Dude," Mason says seriously, stepping forward towards Sebastian. It becomes immediately evident that Mason has no idea who Sebastian is, and is quickly stepping up to defend Kurt.
"It's fine, Mason," Kurt says, grabbing onto Mason's arm to stop him from advancing. "I'm sure the peanut gallery here was just leaving."
"What? No friendly hug hello?" Sebastian smirks.
"I would but I'm afraid you might contaminate me with your sexually transmitted disease of the month."
Kurt grabs his records and Mason so he can leave the room, but as he's walking past Sebastian, Sebastian stops him.
"You never came to that party on Parkview again. I thought you said your friend lives there?"
Kurt rolls his eyes and lets go of Mason, turning around so he can face Sebastian.
"That's because I knew your slimy face would be there. Also because it's winter and buses don't travel down to South O. I don't feel like walking there in ten degree weather."
"Well, you should go tonight," Sebastian says, putting his hands in his back pockets and leaning on the balls of his feet.
Kurt examines him for a second. He looks at his tight olive jeans and his button up flannel shirt that he's somehow managing to pull off. He looks at Sebastian's hair, styled in an upswoop per usual. He also looks into Sebastian's eyes, which seem to hold no malice or ill will.
"Stocked up on rock salt for the winter?" Kurt asks dubiously, trying to figure out why Sebastian is so insistent.
"I've given up rock salt. Broken the habit," Sebastian replies, waving a hand in a swooping manner in front of him as if to gesture that he's just pushed it out of his life altogether. "Much more into confetti and glitter now. Less toxic, cheaper, looks better on me when it splatters my clothes."
"Much harder to get out of an outfit," Kurt replies without thinking.
Sebastian smiles.
"So, tonight?"
"We'll see," Kurt says, nodding a curt goodbye and turning around. Mason follows him out of the back room and up to the register. After they pay they head out and walk two blocks to a small, independently owned tea shop.
"So what was that about?" Mason asks as they trudge uphill against bitter winds.
"Just this kid I knew in high school," Kurt says.
"High school nemesis?" Mason ganders.
Kurt shrugs, opening up the door to the tea shop for his friend. "You could say that."
Remember, this is cross posted on AO3 and my Tumblr, and is posted there sooner than it is here. Also, please leave comments and reblog it!