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At first, Sebastian was completely against Kurt's idea. However, as he spelled out his plan in clear and precise details, Sebastian started warming up to it. He felt a little ganged up when Santana came over and agreed with everything Kurt said, getting more and more excited. Sebastian couldn't disappoint either of them, even if his stomach churned at the idea. Isabelle text him too, getting in on the plan and promising that she'd keep a close eye on Kurt.
It wasn't fair but he sighed and gave into it. Santana silkily reminding him in secret that they had bodyguards that could be stationed at every door of the Vogue building finally cinched it.
He would drop Kurt off at Vogue and then pick him up a few hours later. In that time, Santana would keep his mind off his boyfriend and they'd hang out like they always had, even just a year ago, maybe even less than that. Sebastian would try not to throw up or have a panic attack.
Sebastian was sure he could manage that. He'd gone to work while Kurt laid unconscious in the hospital room. This wouldn't be any different.
Except Kurt was moving around and could easily leave the building and Sebastian might not know where he went. Could lose him into the ether forever. Sebastian firmly scolded himself internally, knowing that he'd left Kurt in their condo before. Kurt could have chosen to leave at any time. Kurt could have chosen to leave him at any time.
The saving grace was that Kurt was going to be with Isabelle the whole time. Isabelle was someone he trusted, for whatever reason. So what if she was wise and visited when few others had? That didn't make her trustworthy with Kurt's safety. Still, he trusted her.
He kept that mantra in his head the entire time that he walked with Kurt up to the doors of Vogue and they opened as if welcoming an old friend back. Kurt saw his anxiety and invited upstairs to Isabelle's office. Sebastian chuckled internally, knowing Kurt didn't actually know where he was going but his badge would let him through any door. Sebastian took the invitation with both hands and tried to appear nonchalant. He wasn't sure how well he was doing. He had more of an idea of where Kurt was going than Kurt but Kurt knew which floor he was going to.
He shifted in the elevator as it swiftly took them upward. He'd already gotten a stay of execution but it felt like the minutes were ticking before this would all be over. Kurt's hand slipped along his and squeezed tightly. He linked their fingers and gave him a look and Sebastian sighed and relaxed a little in relief that this wasn't gone. Kurt may not know the importance of this but Sebastian did. He gave Kurt a nod that he'd succeeded in his intentions.
All too soon though the door opened and they were greeted to an incredibly busy floor that stopped dead at the sight of Kurt. Then all of a sudden there was a new clamor as the floor surrounded them, guiding inward. A million questions and hugs and greetings happened before they were through the door and in Isabelle's office. The buzz of the office returning to the way it was before they arrived. Kurt shook his head and laughed a bit ruefully. "Glad that they're happy to see me."
"Of course they are." Isabelle looked up from her notepad and greeted the two of them with a wide warm smile. "You're an amazing boss."
"Would have only learned it from fantastic mentors." Kurt included his own father in that compliment though he didn't spell it out. His dad was a good boss, perhaps even firmer on Kurt than Isabelle had been. Isabelle smiled her thanks and her eyes flickered over to Sebastian.
"Staying here afterall, Sebastian?" She didn't seem ruffled by the change at all and Sebastian shook his head regretfully.
"No, Santana's waiting for me across the street."
"Ah, well good. You'd have been bored in the conference room." Though considering the things he'd sat through recently, that probably wouldn't have been the worst. "Enjoy." Isabelle dismissed him, looking eager to start with Kurt.
"Don't tire him out." Sebastian warned.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Isabelle waved him off with a smirk. Sebastian didn't know how they'd gotten surrounded by so many stubborn, strong people.
Sebastian rolled his eyes and looked down at Kurt who was facing him. He looked torn, wanting to be there for Sebastian and also wanting to get started with Isabelle. Sebastian gave Kurt another reassuring look, though he was the one who needed it. "I'm only a call away and not far."
"I know and I'm only a call away if you need me." Kurt reached up and bracketed Sebastian's face between his hands. "Text me and I'll text you back, every time, I promise."
Sebastian melted at the reassurance from Kurt. He was clearly seeing through Sebastian and the heart of the matter. He felt so loved even if those weren't words they were even close to saying to each other. Or rather, knew he couldn't say it and that Kurt wasn't even close to it yet. He didn't want to hear it from Kurt any time soon, he wanted Kurt to experience the real world for a bit and know he meant it when or if he said it. "Ok."
Sebastian wasn't expecting the kiss but welcomed it when Kurt's mouth settled over his. They hadn't done this much since agreeing to be boyfriends. They'd only kissed a handful of times and this one and the one before going over to Britana's were notable. This was the first public one, but it was only with Isabelle. Kurt had kept in contact with Isabelle since her visit, so maybe he was feeling comfortable with her. It surprised him that he felt more comfortable with this in front of her than with Britana, but Sebastian wasn't going to argue. If Kurt wanted to kiss him, he didn't care what venue or on lookers there were.
It wasn't a deep kiss but less chaste than the ones Sebastian had laid on Kurt. That was an intriguing sign that Sebastian wasn't allowed to explore further as Kurt's hands were on him and pressing him out the door in the next minute.
He did not miss the swat on his ass as the door shut behind him. Sebastian chuckled and for an all too new reason he didn't want to leave Kurt. He wanted to explore where this sassy side was leading him.
He walked back through the crowd that didn't even glance his way. He wasn't the exciting boss returning from the brink. That didn't bother Sebastian and for once he didn't let those thoughts about why it was the case bother him either.
Sebastian made it across the street before he glanced back once. He did and looked up toward the floor he knew Kurt would be. Then he took a deep breath and purposefully turned around and sought Santana out. She promised that whatever she had planned for today would be in a ten minute radius by car.
She took him to an art exhibit that didn't belong in this vicinity but there it was nonetheless. It was an interactive exhibit that allowed them to also absorb the artist's work in so many ways. They'd done this before. Not this particular exhibit and would have shocked so many people they knew prior to those in their lives these days. It was not what they would have expected but Santana and Sebastian were far more cultured than people gave them credit for. They had to be smart, clever and experienced in many aspects of life to pick up whoever they targeted. They needed to be able to speak to them in a way that was appreciated by their prey. Even silky innuendos could be changed to fit a lifestyle or interest. It didn't need to be just base sex terms, that would have only gotten them so far.
Except, they also enjoyed the finer things in life too. They were rich bored kids growing up, having been on the tennis courts, golf lawns and in the swanky clubs along side their parents. They also headed to the pool to show off to others who might be interest in buying, but their tastes ran a little differently than their peers. Well, Sebastian's had, Santana was a bit more open to experimentation and thus was more in line with the others. Sebastian had some boundaries when it came to his partners back then. Very few people had such clear cut lines on gender back then, so Sebastian had been a bit more of a rarity with the rich women who wanted to capture his attention.
They had enough money where they could be choosy in return. The others were the rich and elite of Ohio. They rarely came to New York or ran that circuit. They did when required but they would rather feel like big fish in their smaller ponds than venture this far out of their comfort zone. Sebastian had grown up in Paris, so he always felt bigger than the shallow ponds of Ohio afforded him, he couldn't get enough oxygen there. Santana's parents' money stemmed from New York and it was just natural to move there permanently after graduating. It had been her playground in the summertime growing up afterall.
Sebastian glanced at his phone often though he tried valiantly to keep up Santana on the commentary of the different pieces. She eyed him on occasion, but she thankfully didn't say anything. Sebastian even sent off a few texts to Kurt throughout those hours apart and he did as promised, he text back. He seemed at ease, at least appeared that way through the texts. Only Sebastian was freaking out.
"You miss him." Santana finally said. "I know what you told me, but I... it's ok, you can." She wrapped an arm around Sebastian's and brought him from the gallery to the attached coffee shop. It was as cold as any art gallery coffee shop normally was. He'd only been to one that felt warm and wanted people to stay and enjoy. She pressed a coffee into his hands and then directed them toward a table. They'd have their drink and then head to another location in the vicinity, not that there was much in this area of town. "It's like you're a parent leaving their child for the first time." Santana sighed heavily. "It'll get easier, Bas, it will."
"You don't know that." She couldn't know, not what it was like romantically nor having a child as she'd compared it to.
"I know I don't have personal experience but I know the anxiety of leaving someone behind. The worry, fear, plaguing thoughts. I get it in my own way, Bas. I'm just glad you came out tonight."
"The last time I left him for my own personal pleasure he woke up for the first time." And Sebastian had nearly cheated. He and Kurt had hashed that out and he didn't feel quite as bad, but he knew the offer was on the table.
Santana had the gall to laugh at him. "Maybe then all he needs is for you leave him more and things will get back to normal faster."
Sebastian shuddered. "I can't believe you just said that to me."
"Several months ago and you would have just rolled that off your shoulders. Probably shot something back at me." Santana sighed. "Bas, you're changing and I'm not sure if it's for the better."
"As you keep telling me. Whereas Burt thinks it's for the better."
"Did he say that?"
Sebastian was silent, no, he hadn't. He just admitted to liking into Sebastian's thoughts more. He hadn't known where Sebastian's attitude had stemmed from before, hadn't been sure of Sebastian's feelings for Kurt.
Santana was still talking, not needing Sebastian's input in this. "Pretty sure Papa Hummel wouldn't. He wants his son treated well first and foremost, yes, but also wants Kurt to be happy and knows Kurt wouldn't be happy with a pushover. He was never a supporter of Adam, thought him too weak to really go toe to toe with Kurt. He'd never push Kurt into that except if Adam was such a lap dog that he just rolled over and exposed his belly just one too many times. Kurt was able to stay with Adam longer because he had you in his life. He got that spark and fight with you so he didn't have to have it at home too. Though you might have also taught him that he was missing that. I know he probably stayed in that relationship for too long because of what happened before with Cody and Chandler, thought maybe it's what he wanted after being so hurt, needed a quiet resting place to heal."
"I can give that to him." Sebastian tried.
"You can give him everything." Santana corrected. "Except he doesn't need that quiet resting place this time around. You're going to bore him."
"Hey!" Sebastian protested though he secretly feared she was right. He'd broken with this and he needed to heal too.
"What won Kurt over?" Santana asked with an arched brow. "When he woke up he was ready to toss you aside, thinking you were going to just be a fuck-boy like Chandler. What changed that?"
"The easy rapport." Sebastian answered honestly. "The fun banter back and forth."
"Have you had much of that since?" Santana asked softly. "Or are you just doing everything you can to make him comfortable?"
"We've had it a little." Sebastian and Kurt did banter a little but nothing like when he first woke up or prior to all of this.
"He needs both Bas, and so do you. You've always loved how he can challenge you at your own game and yet he plays it differently than you too."
Sebastian sagged against the chair's back and crossed his arms over his chest. "We weren't supposed to do this."
"We're best friends, we talk about our significant others behind their backs. It's what we do."
"Rachel and Kurt don't." Sebastian hadn't had a real relationship before this, so he could only base things off of what he saw others do or off movies.
"Not about you, no." Santana nodded, proud of that fact. "He confides in me a bit more without realizing it. He asked me questions constantly about you but tried to hide it, buried it among other things. He's always been curious about you and needing reassurances that he was different, that you liked him, that this was different and real, encourage him."
"Really?" Sebastian felt a bit deflated and inflated at the same time by that news. Kurt did talk about him to others, but he was also less confident in their relationships and being able to read Sebastian than he let on.
"He never complained." Santana reassured. "And they're questions anyone would ask about you that's paying attention. They weren't probably as constant as I made it sound, just once in awhile, but he was interested from the beginning."
That was a bit more reassuring. "Did he complain about Adam?"
"He tried not to." Santana bounced toward him and pecked him on the cheek. "This is why you need to go back to work and hang out with me more. You're getting so far up your own butt that you're in your head again."
"And neither are great places to be?"
"You're the one who said it." Santana smiled at him cheekily. "Now let's go get lunch, I'm starving."
Sebastian followed her out the door and they drove over to a nearby restaurant. Sebastian paid, of course, he always did when out with Santana. They didn't talk about Kurt again, and had fun. Sebastian only glanced at his phone half the amount he had before. He knew he was smothering Kurt but he was doing a remarkable job of not doing it as much as he wanted to.
Sebastian had to be escorted back up to Isabelle's floor and given a visitor's pass. It was nothing new, he wasn't an employee. Isabelle smiled broadly when he came in through the door to her office, having been let in with a push of a button by the lady in question when her secretary let her know he was back. "I really ought to get you in my magazine before."
"I don't model." They'd had this conversation before and he didn't feel like pointing that part out again.
"No, shame too, your looks have carried you into your thirties well. I think you and Kurt would have been great models far longer than industry standards." She shook her head in amusement. Sebastian didn't correct her that he wasn't 30 yet, that was a little while away still. That hadn't been her point.
"If we were models, we'd probably be ravished by the time in the spotlight and our careers would have lasted the regular length of time."
"Hmm, maybe." Isabelle looked over Sebastian. "People with history in their features are a selling point too, perhaps more so than the fresh faces of youth."
"Wow, you're really getting off on calling me old. Where's Kurt? He'd have put you in your place by now." Sebastian was only half joking, he'd expected to see Kurt in here but Kurt would definitely not have let it stand for Isabelle, at least 15 years their senior call them old. Although he supposed she was surrounded by 14-25 year olds and to her, they might have seemed old.
"I was thinking more of your architecture firm, you guys do beautiful work." Isabelle didn't answer his question about Kurt and it only unsettled him.
"My boss and her second would be pleased to hear that."
"You're her second."
"Nah, I've stepped back a little. I'm one of the grunts again."
Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Ok, fine, her third if you've stepped aside because of everything. You're never going to be a mere grunt again."
"We'll see, I have to actually work there to be anything." Sebastian shrugged. "Where's Kurt?" He asked again.
"Downstairs." Isabelle answered with a shrug. "He's watching one of the fashion shoots."
"I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on him."
"I am." Isabelle frowned lightly at him, not approving of the tone or the implications. "I have eyes on him even now if I choose and people are reporting in to me on how he's doing."
"Has he had lunch?" Sebastian countered pointedly and she sent him a pointed look right back.
"Yes, he and I sat down for salads at 11:15 and he completed his at 11:23 and I completed mine at 11:22. Any other questions?" Sebastian twitched and Isabelle knew she'd won. Then she glanced at her phone and frowned. "We should probably go down there."
"What happened?" Sebastian was instantly on offense and paranoia set in.
"Nothing, nothing." Isabelle waved off his concern. "Let's go." They headed down and it took all of a minute to spot Kurt. He was curled into a chair near the director and his head was lulled back over the small support of a back. It looked incredibly uncomfortable.
"He fell asleep a few minutes ago." One of the hands answered the unspoken question as Sebastian went to him and helped support his head and neck. His other arm slid under his upturned knees. "Just asleep, I checked and sent the text to Isabelle as per orders of any unusual behavior."
"That's enough, thank you." Isabelle dismissed her and watched as Sebastian easily lifted Kurt. "I didn't exhaust him. Everything we've done today involved very little walking or other activities. It was mostly sitting and observing. Though I suppose a million people had wanted to talk to him and I kept most at bay and those that did break through the velvet rope were watched carefully."
"It's ok." Sebastian felt so much better now that Kurt was back in his arms. It really did look like any other time he passed out due to tiredness or even a bit with boredom. It didn't look like more, not even exhaustion. "You did good, thank you." Isabelle walked with them to the elevator and pressed a button and scanned her badge before sending them back to the entrance.
"Breathing space, Sebastian, breathing space. And don't forget what I said about featuring your firm."
They shared a final goodbye for the day. It was enough, and Kurt would probably be back before too long.