Sebastian, clothing torn, heart pounding in his chest, and in desperate need of a shower, followed Burt up through the living room to another flight of stairs that took them to the upper level of the house. He didn't really pay attention to where they were going, just followed the older Dom where he led, both glad and resentful of being taken so far away from Kurt's basement bedroom.

"We have several bedrooms up here," Burt said. "You can use one for the time being until things smooth over between you and Kurt a bit. After that…" Burt turned to look at Sebastian, gauging his reaction to the information he was being given. "Well, after that, you'll want to stay with him."

Sebastian nodded, but he wasn't sure if it was a matter of whether or not he wanted to stay with Kurt. He kind of had no choice. Would Kurt want to stay with him? He remembered in the classes he took at Dalton that a big part of the Dom/sub connection was biological. It became something a human needed for survival, along with food, water, shelter, and air.

Except for switches. There was a completely different set of rules that governed switches.

Sebastian didn't know what those rules were since he didn't know any switches personally. They were considered rare, and almost revered. His basic understand was that switches got to do pretty much whatever they wanted.

Some people had all the luck.

They walked past several sets of doors with Burt pointing out each one.

"This first door is the bathroom. Use it whenever you need. We don't stand on priority here. It's first come, first serve."

Sebastian had been to houses where Doms had priority. He had always found it amusing in his friends' houses when a sub got up to use the restroom and a Dom ran in ahead, just to be a jackass.

It didn't seem so funny to him anymore.

"This is my and Carole's room," he continued. "Carole's my wife and my sub. You'll meet her later on when she comes home from work…"

Not all Doms married their subs necessarily. Traditionally it was done that way, but more and more Dom/sub pairs choose to simply live together. What was the need for a big expensive ceremony when you didn't get to decide who you wanted to be with for the rest of your life? It seemed showy and ridiculous to Sebastian. That would probably be the way for him and Kurt. No need dragging anyone else in to celebrate their misery.

It seemed a shame, too. Sebastian never necessarily pined for a wedding of any kind, but he knew Kurt did. Kurt had been planning his and Blaine's wedding in secret from the day the two of them met. He had a small notebook that he carried with him full of pictures cut from wedding magazines of cakes, tuxedos, centerpieces, place settings... Sebastian had caught a glimpse of it by accident at the Lima Bean once. He had intended on swiping it at some point as a prank.

That didn't seem so funny anymore, either.

"Stupid fucking Sebastian!"

They heard the voice barely muffled by one of the other doors, followed by the high-pitched sound of a young girl saying, "Shush, shush…" over and over.

Burt turned to Sebastian and Sebastian looked down at the floor to hide his chagrin.

"You can probably guess whose room that is," Burt said, running a hand down the door. "Finn shares it with his sub, Rachel. You can meet her later, too."

Sebastian nodded. He was glad Burt didn't demand and immediate introduction. He wasn't really in the mood for people at the moment.

They finally came to a door at the far end of the hall. Burt put his hand on the knob and twisted it.

"This will be your room," Burt said, swinging the door open. "I'm sorry it's so far from Kurt's room in the basement, but he requires a lot of space."

Burt nodded into the room with his head. Sebastian walked past him with hesitant steps, head bowed. It felt foreign how his sub nature made him humble himself in the presence of this Dom who wasn't his own. Burt was a nice enough man, but it still bothered Sebastian. Made this is the lot genetics had drawn for him, but this still wasn't him.

Sebastian thought the small room would feel like a prison. It was much smaller than his old bedroom, though larger than the one he had boarding at Dalton. There was a sizable window, and bright sunlight flooded the space. The walls were white, the carpet brown, with a full-sized bed in the center against the wall, made with fresh linens as if permanently prepared for company.

This was obviously the guest room, and now, it was his room.

"I know that this is probably nothing like your room at home," Burt said, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "We don't quite have the means your parents do, but we get by."

Sebastian turned a full circle, looking the room over wall by wall. It was plain, stark, clean, but still managed to feel cozy.

His parents' house was definitely bigger, but it always reminded Sebastian of a museum, or a mausoleum.

The Hummel house was a home.

"It's…it's fine, sir," Sebastian said. "Thank you very much."

"I'll give your folks a call," Burt said, "and see about getting your things."

Good luck, Sebastian wanted to say, but his mouth stopped him short from saying something he might regret. Bad parents or no, his father was still a Dom, and disrespecting him in front of Burt probably wouldn't win him any points.

"Until then, you seem to be about Finn's size," Burt said, looking Sebastian over from head to toe. "I'll see if I can get some old clothes of his to tide you over."

Oh boy. Sebastian couldn't imagine that after the sentiment he just heard that he was going to inspire any kind camaraderie by having to borrow Frankenteen's clothes. Besides, he wasn't looking forward to walking around in oversized dad jeans and faded rugby polos.

"You know, I have to ask," Burt started, walking into the room, closing the door slightly, and sitting on the bed, patting a spot beside him for Sebastian to join him, "even though I have the feeling the answer is going to be no…" Burt sighed, running a hand over his head, visibly uncomfortable, "have you and my son…"

Sebastian's face lost all its color and his eyes went wide.

"No," he interjected quickly, desperate to kill the conversation dead before it got any further, "no, sir, we haven't had sex."

The face Burt made at Sebastian's answer managed to make him look more uncomfortable than before.

"Thank you," Burt said, "for letting me know that, but that's not what I was asking." Burt looked into Sebastian's eyes and swallowed hard, folding his hands together and twiddling his thumbs. Sebastian imagined if the poor man fidgeted any more he'd vibrate into a different dimension entirely. "Have you guys…bonded?"

For a moment, a bit of the old, snarky Sebastian broke through his sub veneer and smirked at the older man.

"It's the same thing, sir," he answered in a superior way.

Burt finally smiled a more unguarded smile.

"Excuse me, young man, but you're a little dense if you think that all Dom/sub matches bond by sex," Burt answered back.

Sebastian held on to his smirk, since it made him feel more normal, more like himself, but he shook his head, confused.

"Not everyone partakes in that kind of bonding," Burt explained. "Sex happens to be the one of the more common forms of bonding, and some education systems only recognize sexual intimacy as a way for pairs to bond. But in reality, bonding is specific to the two of you as a couple. It can be something that is deeply meaningful to the both of you that you share."

Sebastian didn't know this, and he was annoyed that he didn't know this. Considering the amount of money his parents dished out to send Sebastian to Dalton, their Dom/sub classes preached sexual intimacy as the only way for pairs to bond. But what Burt said made sense. He didn't think he knew any asexuals, but they were out there. They would bond differently. Sebastian couldn't help being impressed, not just that Burt knew all this, but that he would take the time to explain it to him. He must have shown it on his face, because Burt ran his hand uncomfortably over his head again.

"I…have some pamphlets that I got for Kurt a while back in my room," he admitted, "if you'd like to take a look at them."

"Uh…yes, sir, I would. Thank you," Sebastian replied, even though he would probably forgo the pamphlets and Google this information on the Internet, but so far Burt was the only ally he had in this house. He needed to keep the man on his side. "Out of curiosity, sir, why do you ask?"

"Because if you guys are bonded, then keeping you separate will be painful. I might need to get you some medication to help you sleep."

"No, sir," Sebastian said with a humorless chuckle. "No, we haven't bonded…"

"I'm sorry, Rachel," Finn's voice carried in through the open door, "I know I promised we'd watch Kurt's bootleg of Camelot, but I can't be here right now. Not with him here…"

Burt stood an inch or so from the bed, prepared to lean his head out into the hallway to say something to his stepson, but two pairs of footsteps raced down the steps from the upper level, and shortly after the front door slammed. Car doors opened and closed, an engine fired, and Finn's car raced down the street.

Burt looked back at Sebastian and Sebastian hung his head.

"Finn…he…uh…he hates me, huh, sir?" Sebastian deduced, folding his hands in his lap.

"From what I hear, you're not exactly off to a good start with any of them," Burt said, settling back on the bed and putting a hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "Did they, uh…hurt you? Downstairs?"

"No, sir," Sebastian said. "I think that Kurt was just…angry at me, sir. He wanted to teach me a lesson."

But nodded, examining Sebastian with curious eyes. Sebastian kept his eyes trained on the carpet. He couldn't look at Burt. He had no idea what Burt thought of him. Sebastian knew that Burt had been told all of the reprehensible things he had done to Kurt and Blaine and Finn, and the whole of New Directions.

If Burt hated Sebastian the way the others did, he did a better job of hiding it.

"Look, I'm not condoning what my son did, or what he might have done if…but can you imagine why he did it?"

"Because I humiliated him, sir?" Sebastian answered. "Maybe I hurt his pride?"

"A bit," Burt agreed, "but you also hurt his feelings."

Sebastian peeked up at Burt who looked at him sadly.

"I know this whole situation has been a huge change for you," Burt said. "And believe it or not, we're all sympathetic with what you're going through. From what Blaine told me, you were raised your whole life thinking things would turn out a certain way for you, and now – everything's different. That's hard and awful and unfair, and you have every right to be upset."

Sebastian sat still and listened. He was relieved that somebody could appreciate what he was going through, even if he knew there was a but coming.

"Kurt had expectations, too," Burt continued. "He had romantic ideas about this whole thing his entire life, and when he met Blaine, well…I don't think I have to tell you…"

"No, sir," Sebastian said with a shake of his head. "No, you don't have to tell me. I thought the same thing. I thought they'd be together."

"Yes," Burt said, his voice stern, "regardless of how hard you tried to split them up, we all thought they would be together."

Sebastian squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to be held accountable for all his sins right now - not to Kurt's father. He wanted one person who didn't see him for the asshole that he had been to Kurt and Blaine, but he had done this to himself. He couldn't escape the truth, and denying it, running from it, trying to pretend it didn't happen, wouldn't do a thing to fix this situation between him and Kurt.

"But when he found out you were his sub and he accepted that the two of you would be together, the urge to be with you, to start taking care of you, became strong. He still loved Blaine, but he wanted to be with you. And Sebastian, son, what you did to him at Dalton, that was inexcusable."

"I know, sir," Sebastian said. "And…I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I'm not the person you need to apologize to," Burt said. "That person's downstairs."

"I know," Sebastian agreed, "but he'll probably never speak to me again, will he, sir."

It was partially a question – Sebastian subtly searching for reassurance.

"Give him time," Burt said. "He'll come around."

Yeah, because he doesn't have a choice, either, Sebastian thought to himself bitterly. If Kurt did have a choice, he would never choose Sebastian, and that bothered him all of a sudden.

"But one thing at a time. You look like a boy who could use a shower," Burt said, standing from the bed, leaving Sebastian with a pat on the knee.

Pats on the knee, pats on the shoulder – these little touches were a sub's bread-and-butter. Sebastian needed them and Burt knew that, but Sebastian needed them from Kurt more. The feeling of Kurt holding his hand and pulling him through the living room left its mark on Sebastian's skin. It might have been brief, but it was strong. As kind as Burt was, all of Burt's friendly touches didn't even add up to Kurt's hand in his.

"There are towels in the bathroom that you can use. When you come back to the room, I'll have clothes on the bed for you. We'll let you get settled. For tonight, I'll have your dinner brought up."

Sebastian nodded in response to everything Burt said. At this point, he couldn't be more grateful, even if he was lousy at showing it.

"I really appreciate everything you're doing for me, sir," Sebastian said, hoping it might be a start.

Burt drew his lips together in a tight line.

"Just, do me a favor," Burt said.

Sebastian jerked his head back with surprise.

"Anything, sir," Sebastian said.

"Be nice to my son," Burt said. "Accept him for who he is and…make this up to him."

Sebastian didn't know what to say. He was a bit taken back. Burt could have very well commanded Sebastian to obey his son without question. It would have been a weak command since Burt wasn't Sebastian's Dom, but it still would have been a command, and Sebastian would have honored it. But this was a request, from a father to the boy his son would spend his life with.

Be nice to him.

"I will, sir," Sebastian said, knowing it was true and not empty words. He would find a way to make this up to Kurt.

Showering in the Hummel's bathroom was oddly cathartic. Every inch of grime on his skin was evidence of his old life – his life before he gave into his sub nature – and after twenty minutes beneath the hot water, it was all gone. Sebastian had sifted through all of the soaps and product he found in the bathroom, sniffing at shampoos and conditioners, trying to find the scent he knew Kurt used, but Kurt had a bathroom of his own downstairs in the basement and obviously didn't keep any of his things upstairs. Sebastian opted for plain Ivory soap and some Paul Mitchell shampoo. Clean was clean, after all, and Burt was being more than generous. He would need to learn to stop being such a snob.

Sebastian met his second ally in Burt's wife, Carole. Knowing that she was Finn's mom, Sebastian thought she would be a hulking amazon of a woman, so she was nothing like he expected. She was petite and bubbly, and spoke on and on without a filter of any kind. She laid out his clothes and brought up his dinner. She smiled at him genuinely without any mention at all of what he did to Kurt, or what he had done to her son. She didn't hide her feelings one bit, and looked at him with sympathy in her motherly eyes.

She seemed forgiving to a fault.

He didn't know if that felt better or worse than being held accountable for his actions every second.

As foreign and bizarre as this new life of his was, at least these people talked to him.

That conversation he had with his father the day his father kicked him out of the house was the longest talk they had had in nearly a year.

Without anything else to do after dinner, Sebastian crawled into bed early, turned off the lights, and listened to the sounds of the house. Finn and Rachel had come home a few hours after they had left and joined Burt and Carole for dinner. (Sebastian didn't hear anyone address Kurt, nor did he hear Kurt speak, so he figured Carole had brought Kurt's dinner to his room, the way she had done for Sebastian.) Finn didn't have anything more to say on the subject of Sebastian, and was mostly quiet during the meal. Afterward, Finn apparently gave in to Rachel's wishes because Sebastian could hear the sounds of Camelot bleeding in through the walls. He heard the television on downstairs, tuned into a football game, with a lively conversation from Carole lilting above the sound of cheering crowds. He only caught snippets of what she had to say - he seems like a nice boy…definitely handsome…hope they come around soon…nice to have a full house for once – with no agreement or disagreement from Burt.

Sebastian couldn't hear anything from Kurt's room since it was so far down below him, but he could feel Kurt.

Lying in bed, Sebastian felt Kurt sleeping in the basement – or more to the point, not sleeping.

He assumed Kurt was on the phone with Blaine the way his mood seemed to shift from happy to miserable in the blink of an eye. Sebastian closed his eyes and pictured Kurt, lying beneath the covers of his bed, eyes red, pale face splotchy, sniffling, with his cell phone pressed to his ear while he lamented over and over about the horrible turn his life had taken.

A weight pressed on his chest – a weight made of guilt, hate, resentment, and disgust. No, he and Kurt hadn't bonded, but there was still a connection between them – a connection made more intense by Sebastian being closer to him. He couldn't turn a blind eye to Kurt's pain, despite the cause. Kurt's pain was within Sebastian now. It was his own. Sebastian knew that he had it somewhere in him to relieve Kurt of his pain. But to a degree, Kurt still had Blaine.

And Sebastian was alone.