A/N: It's okay, it gets better, and I'll post it all super fast so it gets better even faster. Don't stop reading because I swear this shit gets funny again.

Chapter Thirteen:

"Nick knew what Sebastian did in this room, what he'd already done to Jeff, what he was planning to do to Nick, maybe even right now. Nick wasn't going to let him. Nick wasn't that weak, not that Jeff was weak."

It was hard, it was really hard, at first, to be friends again, just friends, nothing more. Jeff still refused to eat, and neither one of them got much sleep. It was literally killing them to be apart from each other, even their friends noticed. Trent, David, Thad, and many of the other Warblers approached them together and separately to beg them to get back together for their own sakes, but they both refused. They would continue refusing, and they would always refuse, if it hadn't been for one person:

Sebastian Smythe.

It was well-known that Sebastian was a douche. He'd proclaimed himself as one many times, and everyone in the school knew it by now, even the hermit people who never came out of their dorm rooms. But he seemed douchier than ever now. In fact, it seemed like now he'd finished his conquest of Jeff, he no longer cared about Nick and Jeff at all, since he kept to himself, taking all the solos for himself, choreographing the dances himself… but that's not what he was doing at all. For the first time, he really did care. He cared so much that it hurt, so he involved himself with Nick and Jeff as little as possible, knowing that was the only way they were going to heal, together, without Sebastian.

That's how Sebastian ended up in his room with Trent, drinking boxed wine and watching Doctor Who. Finally he understood about Toxic and Captain Jack. They'd started Friday afternoon with Season One, and they hadn't slept at all, subsiding on chocolate and tequila, then boxed wine when they'd run out of tequila, and it was fun.

Trent was easily scared, but the only thing that scared Sebastian was the angels, that's how they'd ended up spilling wine all over Sebastian's uniform, that he hadn't bothered to take off. Sunday night Trent finally left, and Sebastian slept like a log, alone in bed, just like he had been the last few weeks, completely exhausted. It wasn't until Tuesday morning that Sebastian called Blaine, he didn't really need help getting the wine out of the blazer, Trent had known how to do it, but Sebastian called Blaine anyway, using the question as an ice breaker.

That's when Blaine had started gushing about Michael Jackson, and Sebastian had had the idea, now to get the rest of the Warblers on board, with a mixture of douchey-ness and fear. He called an emergency council meeting.

"Boys!" Sebastian announced at the emergency council meeting he'd called. "The topic is Regionals."

"And we already have a setlist," Trent reminded him, which they did, sort of, have a tentative one, subject to chance when they got the theme.

"The council advises Trent to shut up," Sebastian shot at Trent. Trent fell silent, almost hurt. "How do you guys feel about Michael Jackson?"

"Love him," Nick and Jeff said at the same time. They were still in perfect sync, and they tried to pretend to everyone else that they were still a couple, but everyone knew they weren't and no one wanted to talk about it. The other Warblers agreed their love of MJ.

"Just so we get a headcount on this, how do we feel about the New Directions?" Sebastian asked. The Warblers weren't so clear on this one.

"Blaine's with them, so I'd say they're alright," Nick said. He was still in the center of the table, he had the gavel, the proverbial head of the council, but it was Sebastian running the show now, totally and completely. While Nick and Jeff worked out their problems, Sebastian had literally taken over the entire club.

"They stole Blaine from us," someone else whose name Sebastian didn't care said.

"I say they stole Blaine from us, we should steal something from them," Sebastian said.

"Blaine will never come back," Jeff said, "he's with Kurt. They're worse than me and Nick."

"God knows we can't get the two of you apart," Thad joked. It was awkward for a second, but no one wanted to talk about it, so Sebastian rallied on, and the Warblers jumped at the change of topic.

"The New Directions want to use Michael at Regionals. We drew first slot, what say we take it from them?" Sebastian asked. The Warblers all made sounds of agreement. Nick shot a look at Jeff, whose face seemed to be an exact copy of his own. "Excellent. I am going to the Lima Bean after last period to break the news to them, then I will invite them back here for a little taste of what's to come. How's I Want You Back sound?" He held up sheet music he'd already made in preparation of getting his way. More murmurs of consent. "Beats? Can we run the music?" Sebastian led the Warblers in some rudimentary choreography he'd thought up while listening to the song during first break that morning. "Thank you all, you're wonderful human beings." In the old days he would have thrown out a playful 'except you, Nick', but today he left it alone. "Ladies and Gentlemen, meeting adjourned."

"Sebastian," Nick called after Sebastian, hurrying down the hall after him, in the direction of the dorms, Jeff on his heels. "You can't steal from the New Directions."

"Actually, you'll find I can," Sebastian replied. "If you disagree, I don't need either one of you on my team." He disappeared into his dorm room. That stopped Nick dead. Sebastian was cold and cruel, sure, especially lately, but he'd never threatened expulsion, especially of a council member, really two council members, including head of the council. The Captain didn't even have that power, did he? If anyone knew the rule book, it was Sebastian, he'd read it through several times, often invoking obsolete clauses to get his way.

"Nicky, this is all I have," Jeff begged, as the door of Sebastian's room slammed shut. "He drops me as choreographer and lead dancer, all I have left is you. Then he'll take that from me, too." Nick bit his lip. Sebastian had, in a manner of speaking, already torn them apart, more than once now, and more permanently than either of them would have ever imagined. Nick led the way into their bedroom. Once inside, he collapsed onto the bed and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Jeff," Nick grunted.

"Hi," Jeff replied.

"Can you do me a favor?" Nick asked. This was the absolute lamest way to do this, but he had to.

"What's that?" Jeff asked, looking up from the papers he was sorting on his desk.

"Come over here," Nick said. He was going to regret it, but he couldn't help himself. This whole Sebastian-Blaine thing was going to hit the tip of the iceberg very soon, and he didn't want to go through it alone. Jeff, concerned, walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I love you."

"I love you too, Nicky, what's up?" Jeff asked. Nick sat up and just looked at his best friend for a few seconds. Then he'd grabbed Jeff by the tie and they were kissing, rolling around on the bed, and it was all lips and tongues and hands and then buttons and Oh, shit, Nicky and then they were panting, lying flat on the bed.

"Let's do that more," Nick said. He took a few breaths and then added, "let's do that a lot." Jeff couldn't agree more. "On two conditions."

"What?" Jeff asked, concerned.

"We're not officially back together," Nick said, "and you need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Jeff insisted.

"I don't care if you're not hungry, you're not getting enough… I don't know, vitamins or something. You're going to pass out during practice," Nick said. Jeff huffed for a moment, his arms crossed in front of his bare chest, but this was his chance, his foot in the door back to the way they were before he'd had to go and ruin it all. And he wasn't going to take this 'not officially back together' bullshit. (He was no Blaine.)

"I'll eat when you're my boyfriend again," Jeff said. "Until then, I'm not hungry."

"So, that's it, is it?" Nick asked, turning over to look at Jeff – more like glare at him. "You're going on a hunger strike until I decide to forgive you for cold-bloodedly cheating on me?" Jeff ground his teeth but kept his resolve.

"Yes," he said. "That is exactly what I'm going to do."

"You'll die," Nick said.

"I'm don't want to live if I'm not with you!" Jeff half-yelled. That stopped the wheels in Nick's head for a second. Jeff had always had low self-esteem and he'd battled with depression his entire life, but he'd never been suicidal. Was this what Sebastian had driven them to?

"Okay," Nick said, uncrossing his arms.

"Okay?" Jeff asked.

"Okay, we're back together," Nick said.

"Really?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Nick asked. "If I do the right thing for me and say no, then you don't eat, you end up in the hospital with a tube in your arm, and it would be all my fault. So I'm doing the wrong thing for once, and giving in."

"Nicky," Jeff whined. It was his turn to glare. "I don't want it, not like that."

"You're not giving me a choice," Nick repeated. "These are the options you're giving me. What am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to tell me you love me and you forgive me and that you want me back," Jeff said. "Oh, baby, give me one more chance… to show you that I love you… won't you please let me… back in your heart?" Nick felt his heart break as he said his next words.

"No, Jeff, I can't."

"I used to be really proud of being a Warbler, not because we were good, but because we were really classy. None of that was classy. Nothing. Come on, guys, let's go."

The hero of the Warblers, Blaine Warbler himself, walked away. Sebastian folded his arms, stewing.

"You're all on notice," he said, sternly to his Warblers. "All of you. Duval, my room, five minutes." Everyone dispersed.

"What does he want with me?" Nick asked Jeff. Jeff was still angry with him, and the issue of their relationship was still up in the air, but they were still, at a very basic level, best friends with benefits. Jeff was determined to make Nick take him back, and Nick was determined to hold out until he just couldn't anymore.

"I don't know," Jeff said. "I really don't know."

"I don't want to win, not like this," Nick said. "Don't know why I stay, he's never going to give me another solo. He's all but abolished the council, he's even doing the choreography himself, J."

"I know," Jeff sighed, "but being Warblers is who we are."

"I want to hurt him," Nick said. "I want to make him bleed for what he's done to me."

"Are you suggesting we kill his canary?" Jeff asked. "Because Tweets is actually really nice and fairly quiet for a canary."

"No, that wouldn't work, he's not the sort of person who gets emotional over dead birds," Nick replied. "I just… I don't know." He sighed and looked at Jeff. "Please eat something." Jeff shook his head. He was still one of the most beautiful people on earth, but when he took off his uniform you could really tell he was losing weight. Nick suspected he was eating, just in very small quantities and not around other people, because if he really hadn't eaten since they'd fought, he would have dropped dead by now. "I'm begging you."

"No, Nicky," Jeff said, resolution etched into his face.

"Fine, I'll be right in," Nick sighed, knocking on Sebastian's door. Jeff slipped into their room as Sebastian answered his door.

"Ah! Nicholas, do come in," Sebastian said. It was the first time he'd had a proper conversation with Nick since the incident, and he'd already decided he wasn't going to apologize. Nick walked into Sebastian's room and sat himself in the desk chair, what he guessed was probably the cleanest surface in the room.

"You're not going to get to me, Sebastian," Nick said. "I've had enough of your shit and I'm not taking it any more."

"I think I am," Sebastian said. "See, I know Blaine is your best boy. You were going to take over for him when he left to join that little diversity group, then I came along and messed all that up. You must be just livid." Nick was livid with Sebastian for many reasons, and, yes, that was definitely one of them. But satisfaction was bad, especially giving it to Sebastian.

"No," Nick lied. "You're… good too."

"Or is it that you're worried I'll displace your boyfriend?" Sebastian asked, as though he was oblivious to the events that occurred on the other side of his wall.

"He's not my boyfriend," Nick said, now glaring at Sebastian. "But, no, I wasn't worried about it."

"I'll do it," Sebastian said. "He loves dancing more than anything, besides you. I can take it away from him, put him in the back, sideline his passion. I have the power." Technically, since Nick was head of the council, he had all the power, but Sebastian did have the majority of the Warblers wrapped around his little finger. He'd slept with all of them, every single last one, except Nick. "He's a good dancer, yeah, but I want loyal ones." Loyal ones meaning ones he could control. He'd lost control of Jeff the second he'd kissed him at Scandals and things had started spiraling. Sebastian would never admit it to anyone, but he'd been running the Warblers much more smoothly when he and Jeff were best friends. And they certainly weren't that, not anymore.

"What do you want from me?" Nick asked. If Sebastian was going to sideline Jeff, why not just threaten Jeff into doing his bidding? He'd already proven it was far too easy to get Jeff to just bend over and take it.

"You're going to help me take down the New Directions, starting with Kurt," Sebastian said.

"Why Kurt?" Nick asked, though he thought he could probably guess.

"I don't know if it's a secret anymore, but he and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye," Sebastian said. "The way I see it, Blaine's too good for him, the New Directions are a joke, and one of us has a hard luck case of the gay face, and it ain't me. By the end of this year, I want to have Blaine and a Nationals trophy, and Kurt will have khakis and a Lima Bean apron, and that same gay face." Right, another one of those ill-conceived attempts at getting Blaine to like him, like the song. Yeah, Nick could tell this was going to end well. "You're going to help me, because I know they trust you."

"And what if I don't?" Nick asked.

"I'll sideline Sterling," Sebastian said.

"And what if we both just quit?" Nick asked.

"Then I have more than enough pictures of his and my fantastic night together to send to his parents," Sebastian said. That made Nick stop. If Sebastian had photographic evidence, that was worse than bad. Jeff's parents didn't know yet. Nick wasn't even sure his parents knew, in fact, since he hadn't told them, he sincerely doubted they did. He was always planning on it, next time he saw them.

"Give me the pictures," Nick said.

"I have copies, Nicholas," Sebastian said, rolling his eyes. Nick sighed. He was mad at Jeff, sure, but he'd never let Sebastian hurt him again. Not now, not ever.

"Fine," Nick finally agreed. "I'll do it."

"You'll do… what?" Sebastian asked, grinning in that smirky meerkat way.

"Anything," Nick said. "Please don't hurt Jeff."

"I love people in love," Sebastian said lazily. "So easy." Nick just glared at him. "You can let yourself out." Nick scrambled for the door. Once safely back in his own room, Nick broke down crying. Jeff, who'd listened to the whole conversation, just held him.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay," Jeff murmured.

"No, it's not okay," Nick finally said. "Because Blaine and Kurt are our friends and I don't want to hurt either one of them."

"Then let him do it," Jeff said. "Let him send the pictures and I'll deal with it."

"No, I can't do that to you," Nick said. "You know how your parents would react."

"I'm their son, they should be happy for me, that I've found the love of my life," Jeff said, kissing Nick. Nick ignored that comment, and pressed the bigger picture.

"Even if you tell them, the pictures aren't of us," Nick said. "I can't let him do that to you."

"So you're going to go along with his plans?" Jeff asked.

"I have to," Nick replied. "I don't have a choice. Seems to be happening a lot lately." He sent a glare in Jeff's direction.

"You have plenty of choices," Jeff said. "You can choose to be my boyfriend again, and you can choose to let Sebastian send any pictures he wants anywhere. I can choose to kiss you any time I like, and you can choose to glare at me when I do, even though I know you love me."

"You're not helping your case, J," Nick said. Jeff kissed him in response. Muffled noises came from Sebastian's room. Jeff moved to put his ear to the wall again.

"It's Trent," Jeff announced, shaking his head somberly. "Godspeed." He made a salute in the direction of the wall.

"What's he doing to him?" Nick asked anxiously.

"I will give you one guess, but I doubt you'll need it," Jeff replied. Nick sighed in a very frustrated manner.

"Remember when the only thing we heard through the wall was Blaine writing songs?" Nick asked. "I miss that."

"Poor Trent," Jeff said.

"I don't know, he seems to enjoy it," Nick said, shrugging.

"What's not to like?" Jeff asked.

"Are you being serious with me right now?" Nick asked, turning his glare back on Jeff.

"They're watching Doctor Who," Jeff said, rolling his eyes. "Same thing they've been doing all week."

"Right, sure they are," Nick said. "I know Doctor Who and that–" He put his ear to the wall. "Is Season Five." Jeff smirked to himself. "Fine, so they're watching Doctor Who." Nick's ear was still pressed against the wall when they heard a particularly loud noise come from next door. "And having sex."

"Huh," Jeff said. "Why haven't you ever floated the idea of having sex during Who?"

"We've had sex while watching it many times," Nick said, staring at Jeff like he had three heads. "It's not my fault you can't remember."

"I haven't eaten, it's not my fault my memory's failing me," Jeff retorted.

"It's not my fault you haven't eaten!" Nick countered. "It's goddamn Sebastian's and if I never see him again it will be too soon. You hear that Sebastian?! Too soon!" he yelled at the wall.

"Shut up, I can't hear the TV!" came the yell back.

"They're worse than us," Jeff said. "I think the official tally is, they're worse than us."

"Oh, we can be louder than that," Nick said.

"Sure we can," Jeff said. "Too bad I'm not having sex with you until you admit you want to be in a relationship again."

"Okay hold on now," Nick said. "You're revoking best friends with benefits status and you're going on a hunger strike?"

"Yes," Jeff said, simply, jumping into bed, having already changed out of his uniform while Nick was next door. "Sounds legit, I think."

"I hope you know how much you're hurting me, knowing I'm causing you to do this," Nick said, looking at Jeff very seriously.

"I know," Jeff said. "But I also know you love me and want what's best for both of us, which is, inevitably, getting back together, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"I can't be with you!" Nick half-screamed. "I can't do it! I can't deal with it right now, I don't want to think about you and Sebastian, and I don't want to have a serious talk about cheating! I just don't want to do it, and before we get back together, we need to seriously talk about what cheating is to us, because I can't go through this again. I can't." His knees gave out and he sank to the floor. "Not Sebastian, not anyone, not now, not ever, Jeff, I can't." Jeff was off the bed and at Nick's side faster than you could blink.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, you have to know how sorry I am," Jeff said, hugging Nick tightly to him.

"Please eat something," Nick begged, tears leaking out of his eyes. "I can't stand to see you like this, and I can't be blackmailed from both sides. Please, do it for me, your best friend, eat something." Jeff shook his head. "Jeffrey, please. Please."

"I can't, Nicky," Jeff said. "I tried, I really tried. I just throw up whatever I try."

"Try harder," Nick urged. "Because you're my best friend, and I love you and you're dying."

"I'm not dying, I'm fine," Jeff huffed. "I feel fine."

"You can't be fine, you haven't eaten," Nick said. "You should be dead."

"But I'm not, so can we stop focusing on it?" Jeff asked.

"Then tell me what to focus on," Nick said.

"Focus on what Sebastian is going to do to Blaine," Jeff said. "And stop him."

The next afternoon, Sebastian called Beats and Nick into his room, Trent was already there.

"Our mutual acquaintance Blaine and his posse of freaks and weirdos have invited the Warblers to a Midnight Duel a la Harry Potter, I would assume, at a parking garage," Sebastian announced.

"And what does this have to do with me?" Nick asked. "Or any of us?"

"I have handpicked the three of you to be my A-team," Sebastian said, and Nick was sure that he was on something, because this wasn't the Sebastian that used to live here.

"Which one of us is Mr. T?" Beats asked.

"Doesn't matter," Sebastian said. "When it comes down to a duel through music, assuming they haven't brought a band or anything stupid, we will bust into Bad, that's where you come in." He pointed to Beats. "After we win, which we will, Nick, you will fetch the slushee that I will have procured, and give it to me, at which point I will throw it in Kurt's stupid gay face."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"And Trent… just make sure I don't do anything stupid," Sebastian continued as if Nick hadn't interrupted.

"Like this whole plan?" Trent asked. Sebastian ignored that comment as well.

"Blaine is never going to go for you," Nick sighed.

"Do you want me to send those pictures, Duval?"

"I'm just saying," Nick shrugged. "It's clearly not a newsflash to you either."

"I am working on that part," Sebastian said. "In the meantime, this is the plan. Meeting adjourned." Nick and Beats got up to leave. "Nick, I need to talk to you, alone." Nick stayed put as Trent and Beats passed him, leaving the room and letting the door shut.

"What do you want?" Nick asked. Sebastian sighed deeply, getting out of his chair and rummaging through his dresser. He handed the box he pulled out to Nick. "What is this?"

"Just see if you can get Jeff to eat one," Sebastian said. They looked like granola bars. "It's not my place, I know, go ahead and hit me, I deserve it. But don't make the mistake of thinking I don't care." Nick glared at Sebastian. "And stop punishing him for my mistake."

"I do what I want," Nick said. "Blackmail or not, I will do what I want." He glared at the box in his hands. "And thanks."

"It's not my first day on the job," Sebastian said. Nick turned his glare back on Sebastian.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked. Sebastian shook his head. "Don't push me."

"Why are you so violent? You should have that checked out," Sebastian said, trying to sound lofty, but knowing that if he pushed the wrong button, Nick could probably take him. Nick's glare hardened even more and Sebastian cracked his neck. "Just let it go." Nick stormed out of Sebastian's room and back to his own. Jeff had gone over to Thad's, which gave Nick time to stash the box of granola bars in his desk, running his fingers through his hair, frustrated.

Yeah, Nick guessed, Sebastian did have every right to care. Jeff was his best friend too, or so he'd said. Was that all real or just part of the chase? Nick didn't know. He collapsed onto the bed, still in his uniform, without even taking off his shoes. He just needed to get a nap before the midnight madness tonight.

Jeff came back a little while later. He saw Nick sleeping, completely exhausted, and just sat at his desk, watching. He loved him more than anything, and he still couldn't believe he'd cheated, honest-to-God cheated. There was nothing he could think of to do that would be grand enough in one sweeping gesture.

Jeff didn't want half of Nick, just like he knew Nick didn't want to share him either. Jeff didn't want to be just 'best friends with benefits' when they both knew they were supposed to be together. Jeff didn't want to be 'bros helping bros', because Nick wasn't his bro. Nick was the love of his life.

Jeff began to feel light-headed again, it happened a lot now (gee, I wonder why). Usually, he'd just drink some water and he'd feel fine again. He dug his water bottle out of his bag where he'd left it, noticing it had curiously refilled itself again. He suspected Nick was filling it, trying to be helpful.

Except Nick wasn't filling it.

Sebastian was.

Sebastian had been augmenting Jeff's water with crushed up vitamins and other supplements for weeks now. Because he cared. He really did care. Jeff was his best friend, and it hadn't just been about the chase. They'd bonded over their mutual love of dance and music, then realized they had far more in common than just that. Sebastian had never had a best friend before. Now he guessed he didn't deserve one. Jeff deserved better than him anyway. He deserved someone who didn't turn into a sex-addicted phantom when they were drunk.

Sebastian would work on it.

A/N: I love you all. Do you love me too? Probably not anymore.
Next Chapter: Michael Week Part Two, in which Nick and Jeff get back together for reals, Sebastian almost gets kicked out of the Warblers, and Trent is conflicted.

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Samantha.