Chapter 9 :

Ennnnjjjjooooyyy =)

Kurt's cheeks remained tinged with pink for the rest of the morning. He desperately wished he hadn't picked up the second bottle and stuck to the grapefruit one. Now every time he inhaled, the scent of Sebastian's body wash filled his senses and while it was just as pleasant as it had been the first time, it made Kurt shift uncomfortably in his seat.

He was grateful that Sebastian didn't comment any further because he wasn't sure he could take the embarrassment. All he asked was, "Do you want some pancakes?" to which Kurt replied with a shrug and said "Sure."

From his position on the stool, Kurt watched Sebastian move around the kitchen, throwing ingredients together with practiced ease. "You cook?" he asked mostly because he wanted to take his mind off the stupid body wash.

"Wow, what gave it away?" Sebastian said, grinning at him over his shoulder. "Is it the pancake batter in my hands?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Just because you're making pancakes this morning doesn't mean you cook."

"I do," Sebastian said. "Just not very often. We don't work well together in the kitchen."

"Why?" Kurt asked, leaning forward and tilting his head to fix Sebastian with a curious stare.

"We both have serious control issues," Sebastian said with a grin. "So if either of us decides that it's our turn to cook, the other one has to stay the fuck away. And since you like cooking more than I do, I'm usually the one staying out of your way." Kurt nodded. "But we both know I'm the better cook."

"Somehow I don't believe you." Kurt said.

"You will after lunch." Sebastian said with a confident wink.

Kurt rested his chin on his fist as Sebastian turned back to the stove and took another sip of coffee. It hit him then, watching the muscles shift in Sebastian's shoulders as he flipped pancakes, that he was going to be living with this man. Somehow, finding out that they were married hadn't made the realization sink in sooner – Kurt had been too caught up in the absurdity of the situation to think about anything else.

Now though, everything suddenly felt so real. From the extra toothbrush in the bathroom to Sebastian's bed hair and night clothes – this man, who until a few days ago (in his head, anyway) had been nothing but an irritating presence at Kurt's favorite coffee shop was now living with him. He'd been the last person Kurt saw before going to bed last night and the first person Kurt had seen this morning.

And he's making me breakfast

"Something wrong?" Sebastian asked when he turned around and caught the look on Kurt's face. He slid a plate of warm buttermilk pancakes complete with blueberries on top over to him but Kurt made no move to reach for it. "Kurt?"

"I – I don't feel well," Kurt said, pushing the plate away. He stood up, taking his coffee mug with him as he did and ignored the confused expression on Sebastian's face. "I'm going back to bed."

Sebastian lips were still forming around words when Kurt left, not giving him another glance. He'd just opened his bedroom door when Burt walked out of his own room, yawning. "Hey kiddo," he said as he made his way towards the bathroom.

Kurt gave him a smile before ducking into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him. He found his wedding band exactly where he'd left it last night – on top of his planner inside his side table drawer. It felt heavier in his hand when he picked it up this time, like the weight of all it represented was making itself known to him. Kurt turned it over a couple of times before hesitantly sliding it down his ring finger.

It fit perfectly. Of course.

There was no denying that it was a beautiful ring. Under different circumstances, Kurt might have spent hours admiring how flawless it looked against his skin. Maybe he had.

At the moment though, it only made him think of Sebastian in the kitchen with an identical ring and sent a wave of panic through him. He took the ring off and put it back in the drawer. If he'd thought that trying it on would make the situation any less weird for him, he had been absolutely wrong.

He dropped his head into his hand, pushing his fingers through his wet hair and taking a deep breath which he immediately regretted when the now familiar scent of Sebastian's body wash filled his nostrils. "What the hell have I got myself into?" he muttered.

Clouds from seemingly nowhere converged in the sky close to midday. Kurt had moved out into the lounge again and was sitting on the couch with his dad when it started to rain. He lost track of what his father was talking about – he had been catching Kurt up on everyone back home – but even the news of Finn and his family wasn't enough to distract Kurt from the view.

It was a different kind of beautiful from the morning sunshine. The droplets fell thick and fast like millions of diamonds falling from the sky, reflecting in the glass of the nearby buildings. Kurt tilted his head and pressed his cheek to the back of the sofa as he stared outside.

"Kurt?" his dad's voice asked. Kurt hummed, not turning his gaze away from the windows. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"The rain." Kurt said, "It's beautiful."

"You'd think you've never seen rain before in your life from the way you look right now." Burt said with a chuckle.

Sebastian laughed from the kitchen and Kurt's gaze flickered towards him. He had asked Kurt if he was going to explain his behavior at breakfast but Kurt had simply said no and both of them had left it at that. Now, when their eyes met, Sebastian gave Kurt a warm smile like he knew exactly how and why Kurt found the rain fascinating. Kurt didn't smile, just blinked at him as Sebastian turned back to peeling potatoes.

He didn't know how long he spent staring at the rain. Burt had gone back to reading the newspaper and though Kurt wanted ask him so many things about Ohio, his tongue felt heavy in his mouth and his eyelids were starting to droop. He drifted like he had that morning, still aware of Burt and Sebastian talking around him but not caring enough to add anything of his own to the conversation.

The sofa dipped a while later with the weight of another body and Sebastian's voice was so much closer when he said, "I'll wake him up in a bit. Yeah, go ahead." Kurt guessed Burt must have got up and gone somewhere because it was silent after that. He didn't really care; the sound of the rain hitting the windowpanes and the distant rumble of thunder was sound enough for him.

Someone, Sebastian probably, had draped a blanket over him at one point because when Kurt shifted, he felt the blanket move with him. "You awake?" Sebastian's voice asked softly. Kurt didn't bother responding because he was too comfortable to make the effort; he kept his eyes closed and continued to breathe deeply.

The light brush of the knuckles against his cheek the next second almost made him jump. His heart picked up pace and his breath hitched but Sebastian didn't notice because he kept stroking Kurt's face from his temples, down along his cheekbones to his chin and then back up. Kurt felt the urge to jerk away from the touch but it was soothing and eventually, he relaxed enough to let a small sigh escape his lips.

"Kurt," Sebastian said from far away.

What? Kurt wanted to ask.

"Kurt." And that was it. His name once again; soft, tender, loving. The sound washed over his whole body and filled him with unexplainable warmth. Kurt smiled into his pillow – when had he gotten a pillow? – and drifted once more.

Byebye

SabrinaJeff