A/N: I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. I'm rather enjoying writing it. It gets pretty juicy in the chapters to come. Enjoy this chapter. And remember, I don't own Glee, because if I did, Darren's butt would be on our television screens way more than it already is.
Chapter Fifteen:
"Sebastian was about to get out of his car and crash what was left of the party when he spotted Blaine through the window, looking perfectly happy, healthy, and so Blaine, mashed up against Kurt as they slow danced to whatever song Sebastian couldn't hear. They looked so… so perfect together. Sebastian put his car back in gear and drove away. He couldn't bring himself to tear them apart from each other. It had been fun at first, but he'd gone too far. Way too far."
As you might have probably guessed, Sebastian was not expelled from Dalton Academy just yet, because, let's face it, we all know he goes to Regionals in Season Three, and heck, he's even at Sectionals in Season Four. He was given a formal written warning, meaning one more slip up and he was done at Dalton.
After that, Sebastian became a lot easier to deal with. He mostly sat quietly by himself during council meetings, accepting page after page of music, all contenders for Regionals. It went on for two weeks until Sebastian seemed to get himself back. He was still very lonely without his best friend, but Trent would come over sometimes and they'd watch Doctor Who or Torchwood or Sherlock or Will and Grace or House or Sex in the City or whatever was on.
But it wasn't the same, not without Jeff. Nick wouldn't let him more than an arm's reach away from him, let alone out of his sight, so it was impossible to talk to him. Sebastian even had the sneaking suspicion that Nick read Jeff's texts over his shoulder, so there wasn't even that.
Sebastian couldn't tell what hurt more: knowing he'd caused this rift or seeing that it wasn't affecting Jeff at all. Because it wasn't, or at least, it didn't seem to be. Jeff was … normal, again. He stuck by Nick's side, laughing, singing, dancing, eating, just normal. Sebastian laughed, sang, danced, and ate as well, but it was all forced. Except the chocolate, he basically lived off it. Fortunately, Sebastian had done enough show choir to make himself a decent actor, and no one knew he was suffering. Maybe Trent.
Sebastian spent most of his time in his room, with or without company, watching TV, doing homework, anything he could to dull the passage of time. He counted the hours until bedtime, the days until Regionals, the weeks until summer, the months until graduation. It all seemed dismally far away.
"Come on Tweets, eat the damn birdseed," Sebastian coaxed. "That's a good boy." A knock on the door. "It's open!" Nick, Jeff, and Trent walked in. "Ah, the council. I've been terminated as a Warbler, then."
"No, shut your mouth. Sit down," Nick said. Nick still had no patience for Sebastian. In his eyes, Sebastian owed him big time and wasn't worth the dirt on his shoe. Sebastian sat at his desk. Nick threw a folder onto the desk. "Setlist. Regionals." Sebastian hesitated, then opened the folder. "There are three songs. Pick two. Your choice, Captain." Nick spat the last word like it was venom on his tongue.
"Right now?" Sebastian asked.
"Would be nice, but you can have until tonight's council meeting if you need it," Nick said. "Let's go." The three council members turned to leave.
"That really doesn't seem like a three person job," Sebastian said. It was antagonistic and wrong, but he couldn't help himself. Getting a rise out of Nick was the little fun he got these days. "What's the matter, Duval? Scared of what I might do if I got you by yourself?" If you'd have blinked, you would have missed it. One second Sebastian was sitting at his desk and Nick was across the room between Jeff and Trent. The next, Nick had Sebastian pinned against the far wall, roughly grasping his blazer lapel with the most murderous look on his face, that even Sebastian was a little scared, but he played it off, remarking, "Kinky," with a smirk.
"Do not push me, Sebastian," Nick warned. Nick let go of his blazer and backed off. "I brought them for your protection, not mine." Then they'd gone. Sebastian breathed heavily against the wall. Pick two songs. He could handle that. No big deal, he hadn't just been almost decapitated. Wasn't this a zero-tolerance school? This wasn't exactly the time to be thinking of getting Nick expelled, though if he could crop up some witness testimony, it wouldn't be too difficult.
Glad You Came. Stand.
Two songs. Done. Sebastian's phone rang on his desk.
Call from Blainers.
Blaine, calling him? Was it a mistake? Perhaps he'd butt-dialed him.
"Hello?"
"Hi," Blaine said. He sounded nervous.
"Blaine, I'm sorry about–" Sebastian began, but Blaine cut him off.
"No," Blaine said. "Let me. Surgery went fine. I'm – Kurt says I – Never mind that. Tomorrow night, Valentine's… Sugar Motta is hosting a Valentine's party at Breadstix. I… I, uh… I should have called Nick…"
"What?" Sebastian urged.
"I wanted to invite you and a few of the Warblers to the party, but I just remembered that my friends will probably kill you, so it's probably a bad idea," Blaine said. "Never mind." The line went dead. Sebastian stared at his phone for a solid minute before setting it back on his desk. He had to be dreaming.
"Warblers, Warblers, order!" Nick called. Jeff had taken custody of the gavel and banged it once or twice. "The setlist has been chosen, and rehearsals will begin on the 15th. Let's discuss our Valentine's day options."
"Valentine's sucks," was the general consensus.
"Excuse you, but some people like myself happen to be deeply in love," Nick said. "Now. Last year the Warblers provided entertainment for a Lonely Hearts Club at Breadstix in Lima. This year, I have been informed by a source that would like to remain anonymous that we are persona non grata at Breadstix for Sugar Motta's Sugar Shack. You can all thank Sebastian. Therefore, I propose we crash Crawford Country Day's Valentine's Mixer as a group and mindlessly serenade them. Maybe some of you losers can even get girlfriends."
"All those opposed?" Jeff asked lazily. "So it shall be." He banged the gavel again.
"Meeting adjourned," Nick said. The Warblers dispersed, Sebastian hurried to catch up with Nick. "Don't even think about it, not this close to Valentine's, I will cut your balls off," Nick said, sensing Sebastian behind him.
"First of all, ow. Secondly, who said we're uninvited to Sugar's party?" Sebastian asked.
"My source has specifically requested anonymity," Nick replied smoothly.
"So it was Hummel," Sebastian said.
"Yes," Jeff interjected. Nick sighed.
"Blaine didn't call you?" Sebastian asked.
"Why would he?" Nick asked.
"Because he called me," Sebastian said. "To invite the three of us and Trent, I think, to Sugar's party. Then he changed his mind and hung up."
"And then he changed his mind and hung up?" Nick asked skeptically.
"Never mind," Sebastian sighed, ducking into his dorm room. Nick and Jeff entered their own room.
"Do you think Blaine really called Sebastian?" Jeff asked.
"I don't know," Nick said, "but if he did, it means we're off the hook."
"It does seem like something Blaine would do. He never has been able to hold a grudge very long," Jeff said.
"I don't know, though," Nick said. "Isn't Blaine supposed to still be recovering from surgery?"
"Maybe he only invited Sebastian so that his friends could kill him," Jeff suggested.
"Would solve a lot of problems, but then we wouldn't have a soloist," Nick said.
"Pff, you'll be the soloist!" Jeff exclaimed.
"Please, J, let's be real," Nick said. "We're up against Blaine. I can't beat him."
"And you think Sebastian can?" Jeff asked.
"When was the last time we had a conversation that didn't somehow get turned to Blaine-talk?" Nick asked.
"Probably before we met him," Jeff conceded.
"That is haunting," Nick said. "Take your pants off."
"Do council meetings get you hot, or am I just looking particularly fantastic today?" Jeff asked.
"Doesn't matter," Nick growled, pouncing on his boyfriend.
"I'm dating a freak who gets turned on by council meetings," Jeff said. "I think that's basically what it comes down to."
"That doesn't make me a freak," Nick said. "I think it's tradition. Wes was turned on by council meetings. It made him a great Captain."
"Yeah, and he did things with that gavel that I don't want to talk about ever," Jeff said. "Still, I guess it could be worse."
"It could always be worse," Nick said. "It could be raining."
"I was going to say, you could be turned on by sock puppets, but sure, it could be raining," Jeff agreed. "This is the most boring Valentine's Dance ever."
"You only think that because we didn't spike the punch," Nick told him.
"You said no more drinking," Jeff accused.
"So I did," Nick said. "And I think that was a good decision." There was a lull in conversation, and Nick followed Jeff's gaze across the dance floor. "You miss him, don't you?"
"Of course not," Jeff said, blinking and looking at his cup of punch.
"Yeah, I know you do," Nick sighed. "Go ahead."
"No, really, I'm fine," Jeff said.
"Jeff," Nick said. Jeff looked at him. "It's okay." Jeff hesitated for a second before smiling, throwing his cup in the direction of the trashcan and hitting the dance floor, crowding himself in next to Sebastian.
"Careful, your boyfriend will notice you're over here," Sebastian said, just loud enough for Jeff to hear over the music.
"Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't own me," Jeff replied, allowing himself to really let loose for the first time since that last trip to Scandals, grinding against Sebastian to the beat of the pop song playing in the speakers.
"Could've fooled me," Sebastian remarked. "You might as well wear a collar."
"Who said I don't?" Jeff said, a grin creeping onto his face. Sebastian smiled too – a real smile.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Remind me to hug you later, when your boyfriend's eyes aren't shooting laser beams into my skull."
"Will do," Jeff laughed.
And it was almost normal, except it wasn't. And when the dance was over, Sebastian got into his BMW alone, and drove into Lima. He stopped outside Breadstix, about to get out and crash the stupid party, when he caught a glimpse of Blaine through the window, wrapped around Kurt, slowly swaying to the song Sebastian couldn't hear.
They looked so… so perfect together.
Sebastian put his car in gear and drove away, to Scandals, where every other pathetic loser would be on Valentine's Day, including one David Karofsky, who was bumming around like he'd just gotten his heart broken. Bummer. All the more reason not to do emotions. They sucked. Being at Scandals was almost more depressing than being alone in his dorm room on Valentine's. He considered going back to school and getting some Warbler Booty Call, but then he'd had a few shots and meh. He might as well drag it out now.
The next morning came too early for Sebastian's hangover, but someone was insistently knocking on his door.
"For the love of God, it's unlocked, just come in!" Sebastian groaned. The door opened and in walked Jeff. Alone. "What do you want?"
"It's lunchtime, first of all, you missed morning classes," Jeff announced, pulling the curtains on Sebastian's windows, so light flooded the room. "Secondly, I'm not sure how you've been getting on without me, clearly you're pitiful. And thirdly, I have been literally sent in here to start choreography for Regionals. We only have ten days."
"Jesus, it's lunchtime?" Sebastian asked, opening his eyes, then hissing at the light. "Dude, I can't even think right now, I'm so hung over."
"You shouldn't have gone to Scandals on a Wednesday," Jeff said, sitting on the edge of the bed, and beginning to insistently poke Sebastian in the side.
"Ow. Ow, stop it," Sebastian said, rolling over. "I'm getting up, I'm getting up. I'm not sure if I'm wearing clothes, though."
"We only have half an hour before English," Jeff said. "If I were you, I'd take a shower and get dressed."
"And maybe vomit," Sebastian said, stumbling for the bathroom, a sheet around his waist. Jeff sat patiently on the bed, twiddling his thumbs, then Sebastian came out of the bathroom again. "Okay, I'm awake. Tell me how you got rid of the ball and chain while I get dressed."
"He trusts me," Jeff said, giving a half-shrug. "In fact, he's actually in the dining hall right now, not eavesdropping from next door."
"Surprising," Sebastian mumbled.
"That and Regionals are only ten days away and we have no choreography," Jeff said.
"That shall be remedied, I've been thinking of a few things I want to do," Sebastian said.
"So have I," Jeff said. "Shouldn't take more than an afternoon, right?"
"Nah, should be good," Sebastian said. He pulled his tie on over his head and straightened it. "How much time until English?"
"Twenty-two minutes," Jeff said. Sebastian walked to the door and pulled on his blazer.
"Let's rock and roll," he said.
The best place to practice choreography was the Warbler practice room, and so they went. They skipped English, and the class after that, but they got both dances nailed down. Now just to teach it to the others.
"I'm exhausted," Sebastian finally said.
"Me too," Jeff agreed, collapsing on the couch.
"I need a cigarette," Sebastian said, rummaging through all the pockets in his blazer until he unearthed his lighter.
"Since when you do smoke?" Jeff asked, getting back up to follow Sebastian outside.
"About six weeks ago," Sebastian said. It wasn't coincidence that date coincided with the date he'd last taken Jeff to Scandals.
"Are you even 18?" Jeff asked, frowning. Sebastian shook his head.
"Nope," he said. "But my ID says I'm whatever age I want, so I've never really had a problem doing anything. Like psychic paper."
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen," Sebastian said. "How old are you?"
"Sixteen," Jeff replied. "I thought you were older for some reason."
"I act it, don't I?" Sebastian drawled, lighting up and exhaling deeply. "No, I'll be seventeen in May, then I can buy R-rated movies."
"My birthday's in May too," Jeff said.
"It's a good month to be born," Sebastian said with a shrug.
"Nicky's was in January," Jeff said, his voice getting quieter every time he talked. "We weren't talking. I completely forgot about it until now."
"Sorry," Sebastian said.
"We haven't even been dating a whole year," Jeff said. "It seems like a lot longer, but it really wasn't."
"Really?" Sebastian asked.
"Yeah, March 6," Jeff said.
"Have I mentioned how sorry I am?" Sebastian asked.
"Yeah," Jeff said. "Forget it."
"You're my best friend, Jeff," Sebastian said. "I should never have–"
"Stop it," Jeff interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it. Ever again. So just stop."
"That's fair," Sebastian said.
"It was spectacular, though, wasn't it?" Jeff asked, a blush settling into his cheeks. "I mean, I don't remember a lot of it, but I looked through the pictures before Nicky confiscated them."
"Oh, it was fantastic," Sebastian said. "Anytime you and your super kinky other half want to schedule that threesome, you know where to find me." Jeff closed his eyes and shook his head slowly as if not believing the words out of Sebastian's mouth. "Or not… I don't really know how we'd work out the logistics anyway…"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jeff asked, indignantly.
"Well, you'd be in the middle obviously," Sebastian continued. "I'd have to give it some thought."
"Moving on…" Jeff said, rolling his eyes. Sebastian took a drag from his cigarette, then extended it to Jeff as if asking him if he wanted a whiff.
"No thanks," Jeff said, shaking his head for real this time. "Nicky would kill me."
"Yeah, he probably would," Sebastian agreed.
"He probably will anyway," Jeff said. "I wasn't supposed to spend all afternoon with you."
"I'm harmless, I swear," Sebastian said. "One-track drunk brain, but I'm sober. And I'm working on it. We'll be able to be friends again, I promise."
"Don't promise me things you can't possibly follow through on," Jeff said.
"Oh, but I fully intend to follow this through," Sebastian said, finally dropping his cigarette to the pavement and putting it out with his shoe. In the distance, they could hear the bell ring, signifying the end of the school day.
"Time for practice," Jeff said, pushing off the wall he was leaning against and standing up.
"Let em wait," Sebastian said, stretching absently and exhaling.
"Why do you smoke?" Jeff asked, as if he'd been trying to keep from asking the whole time.
"Stress," Sebastian said.
"But you're only 16," Jeff said.
"But I'm old for my age," Sebastian said, smirking. "I was born to be bad."
"I once was born to be bad," Jeff said, smiling cryptically.
They say that I have the best ass below 14th street, is it true?
What?
You're staring again.
Oh no, I mean you do have a nice… I mean…
The Warblers didn't usually permit such impromptu performances during the competition crunch, but they'd walked into rehearsal ten minutes late already singing, and refused to even talk Regionals until they'd finished.
We could light the candle…
Oh what'd you do with my candle?
That was my last match…
Our eyes will adjust, thank God for the moon
Maybe it's not the moon at all, I hear Spike Lee's shooting down the street
Bah humbug, bah humbug
Cold hands…
Yours too, big, like my father's
Do you want to dance?
With you?
No, with my father
I'm Roger
They call me, they call me… Mimi…
"Yeah!" Sebastian yelled as the Warblers cheered. "Bas is back, ladies and gentlemen! Regionals, here we come. Everyone, line up, let's go…"
"Seven days until Regionals and you're taking the night to go to a bar?" Nick asked Sebastian, who nodded.
"You're more than welcome to come along," Sebastian said. "I could use a DD." Nick shot a quick look at Jeff, who was already in jeans, ready to jump as soon as Nick gave him permission.
"Fine, we're coming. But Jeff and I do not drink, and we have practice at 9:30 tomorrow morning," Nick said.
"Biggest spoilsport ever," Sebastian whined as he left the room. Nick was out of his uniform and into his jeans and polo shirt before Jeff could really register.
"If you don't want to go, it's okay, I'll stay home," Jeff said.
"Nah, come on, it'll be fun," Nick said. "Because you are all mine and I'm thinking of showing my possessive side." He sat on Jeff's lap briefly and sucked a nice bright hickey into the side of Jeff's neck, right above his collar.
"I like possessive Nicky," Jeff said, smiling. "You do realize that you're next, right? And he's worse when he's drunk?"
"Yeah, but I'm not going to let him get to me," Nick said, kissing Jeff on the lips before standing up and continuing. "And heaven forbid I do, you'll be there with me."
"You serious?" Jeff asked. Nick nodded, fixing Jeff's tie. "You are serious."
"Pretty darn," Nick said. "I'm sorry I got so mad before… I'm sure Sebastian is well-experienced. I will share you with him for one night. One night in our whole lives. One night of your choosing, but choose wisely."
"Oh, I will," Jeff said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Oh, shush," Nick said, pressing another kiss to Jeff's lips. "But you have to promise me no more drunk indiscretions, and that we'll be together forever."
"Forever and ever," Jeff said. "A thousand more years. I Niff you, Nicky."
"I Niff you too, J," Nick replied.
If you didn't count the part where Trent and Sebastian were dancing so lewdly, they were basically having sex on the dance floor with their clothes on, that night was pretty uneventful – oh, and Karofsky was there. And Sebastian gave him a few helpful tips, like 'just stay in the closet, buddy'.
Monday afternoon, Sebastian made the drive to Lima with an engagement present for Rachel Berry. A (photoshopped) naked picture of Finn.
"You have 24 hours to drop out, Rachel, or I press the upload button."
He thought he was pretty clever. Looking into the Newd Irections, he's realized the other Warblers were wrong. Blaine was fantastic, sure, but Rachel was their real powerhouse. Without her, the Warblers would have an easy win.
But he couldn't tell the other Warblers about the Finn photos. Nick had been very clear – no more blackmail. It was a shame he was still extorting a few of the Warblers – more like half. Not to mention he had Jeff wrapped around his little finger again, and, so it followed, Nick. Basically, Sebastian had all the free reign Nick didn't want him to have.
It wasn't until Thursday when Sebastian, feeling very self-important, was shoved against the wall of the dorm hallway unexpectedly. Sebastian drank in the sight of Nick pinning him to the wall.
"Forceful and public," Sebastian said, smirking. "Kinky, I like it. Didn't know that was your style, Duval. Honestly, I always thought of you two as very vanilla, maybe some light bond–"
"Shut up," Nick said. "What did you do to Karofsky?"
"Nothing, why?" Sebastian asked.
"Because the kids at his school found out he's gay and he tried to hang himself," Nick said angrily, accentuating each of his words with a shove. If anyone unfriendly came along, Nick would have been expelled without a second thought, so it had to be important.
"What?" Sebastian asked. "Why would you think I did that?"
"Because you're despicable," Nick spat.
"What do I have against him? I don't want him for myself, obviously, because I have standards, but I could team up with him to break up Blaine and Kurt," Sebastian exclaimed. Nick dropped his hold on Sebastian and backed up a halfstep.
"Okay, I believe that for some reason," Nick said.
"Besides, I don't believe in outing," Sebastian said. "Someone outed me to my dad, and I went through hell."
"Yeah," Nick nodded, breathing heavily. "Even though three weeks ago you wanted to out Jeff to his entire family."
"I didn't know they didn't already know," he said. "Judging by his hair alone, I figured everyone did."
"Hey!" Jeff said. "I work hard on my hair– Oh. That may have been their first clue, actually."
"So he tried to hang himself, is he okay?" Sebastian asked.
"Yeah. His dad found him in time, thankfully," Nick said. "He'll be fine. Still. You can't blame us for thinking it was you. But if I find out you had anything to do with this, I swear to anything that's up there, I will find a way to hurt you." He and Jeff turned in perfect sync and were gone before Sebastian recovered his breath. He probably deserved that. He straightened his clothes one more time, pulled his tie a little tighter, and continued the walk to the commons for lunchtime Warbler practice. With Regionals so close, they were practicing all the time. Complaints can be brought in writing to Councilor Duval or Sterling.
On his way, he pulled out his phone to text Blaine: You, Lady, Bitchtana, anyone else you want to bring, Lima Bean, three thirty.
Sebastian showed up early for the meeting, convinced they would show, despite the lack of response from Blaine. He did calculus homework peacefully as he waited. Finally, Blaine, Kurt, Santana, and Brittany joined him.
"First of all, Blaine, I'm sorry about your eye–" Sebastian began.
"That means nothing to me," Blaine said.
"Just give me a chance," Sebastian pleaded. "I have no excuse except for a lame prank got completely out of hand. Secondly, all of the Finn photos have been destroyed, I want the Warblers to win fair and square. Win-Lose-or-Draw, we're going to dedicate our performance to Dave Karofsky. I thought you might want to join us."
"Wait for the punch, you know it's coming," Kurt said.
"No. Not this time. For too long, I have treated everything like a big joke." He looked up at Blaine and bit back a couple emotions, those ones he swore he didn't do. "It's all fun and games until it's not."
The trip to Lima and back was long enough to give Sebastian time to be alone with his thoughts. The Warblers would, invariably, be losing on Saturday, but he didn't really care at this point. He wanted to stop being a villain – he really did. He hated himself for what he'd done to Blaine, to Jeff, what he was still doing to Beats and Trent. It ultimately didn't matter if Trent was all-too-willing to be Warblers with Benefits. He deserved more than that.
"This meeting of the Warblers Council will now commence," Nick said, banging the gavel. "We are here to try Warbler Sebastian Smythe for crimes including but not limited to spiking a slushee with the intent to hurt a former Warbler and blackmail of at least seven current Warblers. To these crimes, how do you plead?" Nick looked at Sebastian over the council's table. Sebastian was standing solo in front of the table, hands behind his back, looking at the ground.
"Guilty," Sebastian said.
"The defendant has pleaded guilty, Councilor Nixon, please let the record reflect such. Warbler Smythe, you may make your opening remarks." Sebastian looked up to address the rest of the room.
"Esteemed Councilors, fellow Warblers, good morning. I would like to start out this meeting by admitting whole-heartedly to all of the crimes of which I have been accused, and many that I have not. Every one of you has been impacted by my actions. I am sorry. I cannot hope to possibly make it up to all of you. I'll start with this: consider yourselves all released. Anything I had on you has been destroyed. Those of you I've wronged the most – Trent, Beats, Nick and Jeff – anything I can do for you, just say the word. I very much look forward to next season and leading the Warblers to a Nationals victory. Not everyone can get a second chance, and I know I don't deserve one, but I would be extremely grateful for it." He returned to his spot in front of the council's table. Nick looked at Sebastian, seriously.
"Sebastian Smythe, Captain of the Warblers. In the case of the Warblers v. Sebastian Smythe, the council finds you guilty. The council also finds you an irreplaceable asset to this team. Therefore, you will remain with us, as Captain. However. Your status as Captain and Warbler will be probationary through the next competition, being Sectionals, next year. Probation does not stop you from enjoying the Warbler lifestyle, and the council encourages you to run for reelection to the council at the end of the school year. Captain Smythe, do you have any closing remarks?"
"No, thank you," Sebastian said. "Just… thank you."
"The case is closed," Nick said. "Meeting adjourned." He banged the gavel and the Warblers clamored, all trying to leave at once.
"Nick," Sebastian said, catching him as he tried to leave. "I mean it. I don't deserve this. So thank you."
"I told you, just because I'm saving your ass doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to you," Nick replied. "Your ass has been saved. You now owe me. And I'll be collecting."
Then Nick was gone.
A/N: So I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Writing the trial was pretty fun.
Stay tuned for next time: The Warblers take a road trip!
Leave me a review? Pretty please? I'm lonely and reviews make me feel good.
Samantha.