Kurt had had worse weeks than this in his lifetime. Objectively, he knew that he had. He must have done. The problem was, when faced with the monstrosity that this particular week was turning out to be, those weeks were getting increasingly hard to recall.
If Kurt had thought that his confrontation with Sebastian at the end of the previous week would pave the way for a healthier, more open relationship between the two of them, he had been sadly, horribly mistaken. For the past five days Sebastian had alternated between two very distinct moods; dead-eyed and disinterested or sullen and moody. Kurt couldn't work out what he hated more, the way that Sebastian was polite to the point of caricature to Kurt's face while lashing out with the most vicious of insults at anyone within range as soon as he thought Kurt's back was turned - staff, other nobility, even Blaine, nobody was safe from Sebastian's razor-barbed tongue - or the fact that underneath it all, underneath that brutish exterior, Kurt could see just how miserable Sebastian really was. When those flashes of vulnerability broke through Sebastian's tough outer shell, Kurt couldn't help thinking that maybe he had been too strict on him, maybe he was making things worse than they needed to be.
But then of course there was Blaine. Sweet, optimistic Blaine. Blaine trying so very hard to compensate for Sebastian's embittered attitude, to put on a brave face and make everything seem just that little bit less awkward between the three of them. He was a constant ball of over-enthusiastic energy, right up until Sebastian ignored him, or rejected him, and then Kurt would see the smile falter, the muscles in his shoulders tense. Only for an instant, and then he would be right back to his usual bubbly self, but it was impossible to miss, and it pained Kurt to see every time. And just like that his resolve would flip right back over again. Sebastian couldn't be Blaine's Dominant while he had the capability to hurt him like that, he just couldn't.
It was exhausting, the constant back-and-forth, and every time it happened his grasp on the situation weakened, until it felt like he was trying to cup water in his hands.
That morning he had finally cracked, decided that he needed time on his own to clear his head, get himself back on solid ground. He had sent Blaine down to the village to take Rufus up on his offer of lunch, and had found some 'official business' that Sebastian could take care of, and then he had settled in his reading room, all set to hash out this situation in his brain until he felt like he might actually have a handle on things once again.
Of course, because apparently this week was the gift that kept on giving, Lady Rachel Berry had chosen that exact morning to invade, with a box of rummikub tokens and a distraught cry of how if had been far too long since she had last seen him, and they simply had to catch up right this very second. Kurt had tried to deter her, he really had. Then again, he'd never been much good at saying no to Rachel, even when he wasn't an emotional wreck.
And so the morning had progressed at a snail's pace, with Rachel regaling Kurt with tales of the minutiae, and Kurt desperately trying not to crack under the absurdity of it all. They had just finished their third game of rummikub, and Kurt was seriously considering faking illness to get Rachel to go away, when the conversation suddenly took a turn for the interesting.
"You know, if it were me, I'd have had that Sebastian over my knee in under a day. A good spanking would sort him right out." Rachel said casually as she scooped her winning chips from the center of the table into her - sadly much higher than Kurt's - pile.
Kurt's head whipped up from where he had been toying with the tokens in front of him, thoroughly taken aback by Rachel's unprovoked, and surprisingly lewd, comment. "...Excuse me?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Kurt, I know you better than that." Rachel said. "You've been away with the fairies all day today, and the talk all about the castle is of how guardian and consort aren't getting along as well as they might. Now you know me, I'm usually above such awful gossip mongering-" she paused to raise a stern eyebrow at Kurt when he couldn't help snorting at that statement, "-but it clearly doesn't take as good a friend as I am to work out what's wrong."
Kurt paused for a long moment, struggling to process what Rachel had just told him. Gossip about the castle? He knew that it had been a bad idea to ask the servants to set up separate bedchambers for Sebastian and Blaine, or maybe it was the serving staff who were present at every single one of their horribly awkward evening meals together. Honestly, it could have been any number of things; they hadn't exactly been subtle with their drama, and court gossip had hinged on far less in the past.
Kurt forced himself to laugh, hoping Rachel wouldn't hear the strain in his voice. "I like to think I have a little more tact than that, Rachel. Besides, can you honestly see Sebastian reacting at all well to that?"
Rachel gave an exaggerated sigh, "I suppose. Still, a girl can dream, I guess."
Kurt silently thanked whatever deity might be listening that apparently today he was interacting with a Rachel that would accept his clear diversionary tactics, and barreled onward before she could change her mind and go back to asking uncomfortable questions about his relationship with Sebastian and Blaine. "I'm going to tell Finn you've been lusting after my consort's naked derriere," he teased with an eyebrow waggle, and was rewarded by an exaggerated gasp and a slap to the knee.
"Kurt Hummel, you wouldn't dare!" Rachel exclaimed in mock outrage, before a wicked grin crossed her face. "Besides, Finn has nothing to worry about-"
"And that's quite enough on that subject, thank you." Kurt interrupted loudly. "We have a deal about this Rachel, remember? No discussions of that nature when they involve my brother."
Rachel gave another exaggerated sigh. "Fine, fine. Well, it's your loss."
Kurt gave another laugh; this one sounding far more genuine, even to him. "Somehow I very much doubt that."
Rachel gave another one of her wicked grins before standing up. "Speaking of which, I must be off I'm afraid. Finn and I are due to visit my fathers for lunch." She leaned over to kiss Kurt's cheek, then dipped a quick curtsey - the only time Kurt's station ever played a part in their interactions anymore - before swishing out of the room with an attitude that simply demanded the attention of anyone nearby.
For a few minutes Kurt simply sat, thinking about the conversation he and Rachel had just had. Or rather, the conversation they hadn't had. Not once, in all the time he had spent worrying about his relationship with Sebastian, had he considered how their animosity might be affecting the realm, how it might actually be hurting Aldern. For the first time he was truly ashamed of himself. No matter what, the realm came first. The realm always came first; he had learned that rule before he could walk.
With a determined growl Kurt jumped to his feet and grabbed his coat from the hook in the corner. He had spent far too long this week feeling sorry for himself. It was time to work out a strategy, a plan of attack. It was time to get this sorted, once and for all.
The royal garden was one of Kurt's favorite places in the whole castle. His mother had always brought him here when we was younger, and together they would spend hours playing together. There was a huge memorial to the Queen in the royal cemetery, of course, but when Kurt wanted to feel close to his mother, this was where he came.
He walked aimlessly for a short while, hands down by his side as his fingers trailed through the high-stalked flowers on either side of the path. His mind was whirring at a hundred miles an hour, but he was still no closer to working out how to resolve the horrible situation he seemed to have found himself in. Sebastian is miserable because I won't let him Dominate Blaine...So I should let Sebastian Dominate him again... But Sebastian's views on Domination are causing Blaine harm…and if I let Sebastian hurt Blaine then I've failed as a Dominant. Blaine is miserable because we're fighting…so I should let Sebastian Dominate him again... But Sebastian's views on Domination are causing Blaine harm….and if I let Sebastian hurt Blaine then I've failed as a Dominant. Round and round his thoughts went, coiling tighter than a spring. Eventually he collapsed against the hedge on his left with a huff. This was ridiculous; he was so far from getting anywhere he was pretty sure he was going backwards.
When he first heard the familiar, gruff voice floating from over the other side of the hedge, he almost thought he was imagining things; trust him to conjure up his father's voice in the midst of a bout of emotional turmoil just so he had something reassuring to cling onto. But then the higher voice of Marcus - his father's political consort - joined the fray, and Kurt realized with a small laugh that their corporeal forms must actually be on the other side of the bush, probably teetering precariously on two of the delicate filigree garden chairs that had been so much more of an aesthetic choice than a practical one.
As the pair of voices continued to float over the fauna, Kurt snuck closer. He'd spent his whole life watching his father work, admiring the way that he was always fair, always just. King Burt never backed down from what he believed was right, and Kurt had always looked up to him as a role-model - the kind of guardian he himself aspired to be one day. But now, as he sidled along the hedgerow, he found himself concentrating more on how Burt was speaking. The strong but calm tone of his voice that commanded without accusing; completely in control. Kurt had no idea how he managed it.
The conversation appeared to be coming to a close, and as Kurt listened to their parting words he prepared to scramble if they started heading his way. Thankfully, though, the single set of footsteps - light, hasty, certainly belonging to Marcus rather than his father - seemed to be receding in the opposite direction.
"If you're quite done skulking over there," Burts voice floated over the hedge, making Kurt jump about a foot in the air. "How about you come join your old man?"
For a brief, fleeting moment Kurt considered feigning ignorance - caught eavesdropping by his father at twenty-one, how mortifying - but he knew that would only make things worse. With a small sigh he straightened up and rounded the corner to join the King.
"How did you know I was there?" he muttered almost petulantly as he settled into one of the iron chairs across the table from his father.
Burt gave a short, gruff laugh, fixing Kurt with a look that said seriously? "You do realize it's not exactly dignified for the Prince of Aldern to be caught spying? Honestly Kurt, you've got a whole arsenal of magic at your fingertips, you could at least try and use it to be a bit more subtle," he said instead of answering Kurt's question.
"Sorry Dad," Kurt said, eyes down and fiddling with his cuff as he spoke.
"Alright, let's have it."
Kurt looked up in surprise, head cocked in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked, and Burt gave him that look again in response.
"Let's hear what's got you all worked up, don't think I can't tell when something's eating at my own son."
For the second time Kurt considered leading with denial, and for the second time he realized just as quickly how fruitless that tactic would be. With a sigh he scrubbed at his eyes as he tried to work out exactly how to phrase what was on his mind.
"It's just... Is it always this hard?" he finally asked, wincing at the vagueness of his sentence. Burt simply smiled knowingly and clapped a hand on his son's shoulder, dipping his head and looking Kurt straight in the eye as he spoke.
"Finding your new role isn't all it's cracked up to be?" he asked fondly.
"It's alright for you, you have the world's most amazing consort to help," Kurt said, hands flailing in front of him in exasperation. "What do I get? Some jumped up, self important asshole whose ideals apparently stopped developing about a century ago!"
Burt let Kurt rant, a small smile crinkling his eyes. "So you and Sebastian aren't seeing eye to eye quite yet I take it?"
"It would be okay if it were just his politics, most of them I actually agree with," Kurt admitted. "But the way he treats Blaine, Dad, it's just not right! And it makes me so angry every time I see how he acts towards his sub, I just can't get past that and focus on anything else about him."
There was a long pause while Kurt breathed angrily, fighting to get his emotions back under control. He hated getting worked up like this in front of his dad, but somehow when it came to Sebastian all bets were off the table. It was yet another thing that he absolutely hated about this whole situation; how Sebastian managed to get under his skin in a way nobody else had been able to do in such a very long time.
"Marcus comes from a pretty traditional household, did I ever tell you?" Burt said calmly, fingers squeezing reassuringly into Kurt's shoulder as he spoke. "Don't know what it is about those sorts of families, but political advisor seems to be as common a career path as it comes."
When Kurt looked up in confusion Burt clarified. "I guess it's not too surprising, what better way to improve that all-important social standing they seem so fond of? Anyway, we had the most horrendous first few months, it was like we couldn't agree on anything simply out of principal. The first time I heard him say that submissives should be seen and not heard I remember storming out of the room, right on over to your ma in her reading room and telling her in no uncertain terms that I'd made a horrible mistake, and that I'd never be able to rule with that idiot next to me."
"Sounds familiar," Kurt replied with a wry smile. "But the Marcus I know is amazing with subs, what changed?"
"I did," Burt replied simply. "Or rather, your ma helped me to. She sat me down one evening, when I was so mad I could barely see straight, and she asked me how I would feel if one day someone came along and told me that everything I knew about magic was a lie. What if somebody - somebody I barely knew, mind - told me that I was being authoritarian and cruel by keeping the power of magic to myself, and that actually everybody should be able to use magic as they saw fit?"
Kurt gave an incredulous laugh, "But that's ridiculous, think of how much damage people could do with that sort of power if they didn't know how to wield it properly?"
"But Kurt, that's exactly how Sebastian thinks of Domination, don't you see? He doesn't see his approach as wrong, he sees it as necessary. He's been taught for as long as he can remember that submissives need Dominants to control them, to keep them safe. And I'm not saying that his view is right, far from it, but if he hasn't ever been taught otherwise then how is he supposed to know that there's another way of doing things?"
Kurt opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Try as he might he couldn't find the words to contest what his dad was saying. When put in such stark settings it was so very obvious why Sebastian had the views that he did, and why he reacted so badly when confronted by Kurt and his morally-indignant anger.
"You have to show Sebastian that there's another way, not just shout at him that everything he's ever known is wrong." Burt said with another fond shoulder squeeze.
"I'll...I'll try," Kurt admitted reluctantly, toying with his cuffs as he spoke.
"That's all you can do." Burt said with an approving nod.
Kurt returned from his talk with his father with a newfound determination. He was Kurt Hummel, and he wasn't about to let something as silly as a couple of teething problems get in the way of him being the guardian that Aldern needed. The time for pouting and self-pity was over. Now was time for action.
The first action Kurt took after arriving back at the castle was to request that the serving staff bring their evening meal to Sebastian's living quarters. He then left a message in Blaine's quarters - and his own in case Blaine went there first - asking that the sub join them in Sebastian's rooms whenever he was ready. He figured he had enough time for a quick bathe before either boy returned that evening - feeling fresh and put-together was half the mental battle after all - and then he grabbed his book and made his way down the hallway to Sebastian's rooms to wait for the other two boys.
Blaine arrived back first, full of excited tales of Rufus and his family, and little Maryanna who apparently had taken quite a shine to Blaine. Kurt could understand why; Blaine's enthusiasm was truly infectious. Blaine knelt happily on the plush cushion Kurt had purposefully put right in the middle of the two high-backed armchairs in the corner, and told Kurt in great and animated detail all about his afternoon. Kurt let the warmth of Blaine's words simply wash over him, let himself indulge in the comfort of the situation while he could.
Sebastian arrived about twenty minutes after Blaine, pulling up short when he pushed open the door and saw Kurt and Blaine already seated in his room. For a second he looked like he might comment on it, but Kurt could tell from the fire in his eyes that he was riding too high on the spoils of his day to really bother questioning the scene in front of him. Instead he strode over to the big armchair next to Kurt and Blaine, sinking down into its folds as he launched straight into his account of 'doing battle' with the criminal grain trader they had caught selling his wares at vastly over-inflated prices to the locals.
Kurt wasn't sure how it was possible, but Sebastian seemed to grow even more animated as his story progressed, and Kurt mentally congratulated himself on relocating to Sebastian's rooms for the evening. Even if he had only been in residence at the castle a little over a week these were undeniably now Sebastian's rooms, not Kurt's, and he had a feeling that made a surprising amount of difference to other man's psyche.
As Sebastian explained exactly how he and the castle guards had stalked this farmhand all around the village until they could indoubtedly prove his nefarious antics, Kurt couldn't help thinking that it was nice to see proof of just how much pride Sebastian clearly took in his role. Nicer still was the idea of the three of them sharing stories at the end of a long day apart, and Kurt wasn't above hoping that this might be a tradition between them that actually stuck.
"Rufus was telling me of a trader from Korus who comes to market the second Friday of every month," Blaine said as Sebastian's story wound to a close. "He wasn't too favourable in his description of him, I have to say. Apparently he intimidates the locals into trading at unfair prices."
Kurt frowned. "Why hasn't anybody told the royal guard? That sort of behavior shouldn't be tolerated in our markets."
Blaine shrugged. "I don't think any of the villagers want to risk it, especially not the ones with families. You know the rumours about Korus…"
"How I wish they were only rumours," Sebastian said with a sigh. "I'll tell the guards to keep a closer eye on the next market." As he spoke his hand came down to stroke through Blaine's hair, tactile praise to go along with his words, and Blaine happily nuzzled into the touch.
"You did very well for catching that, Blaine," Kurt said warmly. "I know its hard for the locals to trust nobility sometimes. It scares me how much we might let slide in the villages simply because we don't know about it."
"Everyone knows how much you care for people of Aldern," Blaine replied, voice warm and content as he pressed himself close up against Sebastian's leg. "It's obvious from the way they talk about you down in the village."
Kurt smiled, "Thank you, Blaine."
"Any time, Sir," came the happy response.
All too soon it seemed, Kurt had to start getting ready for the small council meeting that evening.
"You're joking, right?" Sebastian exclaimed as Kurt called for a page to bring a selection of formal tunics from his room to Sebastian's. "There's still over an hour until we're needed."
"Perfection takes time, Sebastian," Kurt responded haughtily as he waited for the boy to return. "It wouldn't go amiss for you to take some pride in your appearance every once in a while you know?"
Sebastian shrugged, flicking a speck of lint off his sleeve as he spoke "I've never had any complaints before,"
"Well you've clearly not spent enough time around people with any semblance of taste - Blaine's company notwithstanding of course." Kurt snarked back, throwing a wry smile at Blaine as he did so. Blaine snorted softly into his hand in response as Sebastian drew up in mock affront.
"I'll have you know-" Sebastian began, but Kurt waved him off with a small laugh as the young page hurried back into the room with his arms piled high with garments.
"Oh relax Sebastian. It's okay, we'll make sure you scrub up nicely eventually."
Picking out a dark purple tunic with particularly intricate stitch-work around the collar and cuffs, Kurt turned towards Blaine. "Would you help me into my garments, Blaine?"
The playful smile dancing across Blaine's features was instantly replaced by an intense look of pride, and Blaine gracefully rose to standing from where he had been keeling, and made his way over to Kurt with his head slightly bowed.
"It would be my honour, Sir," he replied, his voice warm and heady.
For a while there was quiet in the room as Blaine eased the light material of Kurt's day tunic up and over his head, placing the garment neatly on the table next to them before starting work on unlacing the collar of Kurt's undershirt. As Kurt shrugged out of the starch white linen, shivering slightly as the cool evening air brushed up and over his bare torso, he heard a slight hitch of breath from behind them. Turning towards the noise he noticed that Sebastian's gaze was determinedly fixed on the pair, his eyes tracking Blaine's every movement as the submissive served his Dominant. Kurt couldn't help the satisfied smile that crept across his features in response. Sebastian certainly seemed to appreciate the scene in front of him, and Kurt wasn't above enjoying the idea that his naked body was at least part of the reason behind the other Dominant's reaction.
Blaine, however, seemed completely oblivious to Sebastian's determined stare, or at least was completely unfazed by it as he helped Kurt into his evening tunic, ducking under each arm to fasten the tiny buttons that led up each side. "Will you be discussing the treaty with Korus at the small council meeting?" He eventually ventured as he knelt to straighten Kurt's hose against his thighs.
"Is there anything better, a sub talking politics on his knees." Sebastian said from where he was still seated, voice slightly strained as his gaze flicked over to briefly grin at Kurt before returning to the documents in front of him. Kurt pointedly ignored the lewd comment - even if he did agree with the sentiment there was a time and a place for such things - and smiled down at Blaine. "Yes, it's high on the agenda for this meeting after those bandit skirmishes reported last week, and now with this new information about traders bullying their way into our markets-"
"The village is getting nervous, Sir. I could see it everywhere when I visited earlier. I just wish there was something I could do to help." Blaine muttered sadly as he lifted Kurt's left foot into his boot and made a start on the laces.
"You do plenty Blaine. Just look at today, we wouldn't have even known about half the things going on down in the village without you." Kurt reassured the worried sub, laying a comforting hand on Blaine's shoulder as he spoke. He paused for a second, considering. "Would you like to join us at the small council meeting?" he asked.
"Blaine's not a member of the council. Only members of the council are allowed at the meeting." Sebastian said, voice condescending, as if he genuinely thought Kurt had forgotten that fact. Kurt couldn't help throwing a scowl over at the consort. And they had been doing so well today as well.
"I am well aware of that, thank you Sebastian. I don't know if you've forgotten, but I do happen to be this little thing called guardian of the realm, I can pull rank if I need to." Turning back towards Blaine he asked again, "Would you like to be on the small council Blaine? Because I can make it happen if you do."
They were interrupted again by an audible laugh from Sebastian, "A submissive on the small council, oh yes I can definitely see that."
Kurt whipped around to glare at Sebastian, ignoring the small yelp that came from Blaine as the laces of Kurt's boot were tugged straight out of his hand. "Seriously Sebastian, are you going to contest me about this again? How many times are we going to have to go over this?"
"Sir, please." Blaine interjected, voice urgent as he quickly stood up and moved around to put himself in Kurt's line of sight, exactly halfway between the two Dominants. "I'm honoured that you would consider me, truly I am, but I don't need a position on the small council. Honestly, I don't think I'd even be much good going up against a group of angry Dominants in a room where I can't even see the people we're supposed to be helping."
"Oh sweetheart, you can't put yourself down like that." Kurt tried to reassure Blaine, but Sebastian cut right in over him.
"See," Sebastian said, voice triumphant as he stood up to make his point. "I told you Blaine wasn't interested in politics, I told you-"
"That-" Kurt leaned round Blaine to glare venomously at the other Dominant, "is not the point Sebastian. The point is-"
"Neither point is the point!" Blaine interrupted again, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. The gesture was so sudden and unexpected that silence finally descended upon the room. Blaine looked slightly embarrassed at his outburst, the color immediately flushing high in his cheeks, but he determinedly held both Dominants' gazes as he turned to look first at Kurt, then at Sebastian.
"I'm not putting myself down by saying I wouldn't be good on the small council, I'm being realistic about what my skills are, and how I can best put what I know I am good at to good use. And that doesn't meant I'm not interested in politics-" Blaine paused to address Sebastian as he spoke, who was looking completely and utterly perplexed at this new Blaine in front of them. Blaine, who was starting to shiver with the effort it was clearly taking to face down both of his Dom's like this, but face them down he did, shoulders squared and head held high, completely and unashamedly unapologetic. "It simply means that my interests lie outside the scope of your interests, Master, and that's not a bad thing. I was actually going to suggest instead that I start going into the village more often, maybe try and organize a people's committee to deal with some of the smaller, more personal issues that arise down there."
"Well I for one think that's a great idea, Blaine." Kurt tried to sound reassuring, but Blaine was shaking his head again, clearly not finished.
"I thought you would, Sir, but you never gave me a chance to tell you about it. Don't you both see, half of these arguments could be so easily avoided if we all just took a step back and actually listened to one another, but instead you'd both rather get into this great big tug of war over who knows better what I want. Well what about me? Don't I get a say?" Blaine paused once more, breathing heavily as he prepared to deliver the final blow in his devastating argument.
"I care very much for both of you, please believe me when I say that, and I know you both mean well. But I can't go on simply being the prize in this...this Dominant pissing contest of yours, I just can't."
The silence in the room was deafening. For the longest of moments all Kurt could do was simply stand there, mind desperately struggling to process everything that had just been said. All he had wanted to do was protect Blaine, keep him safe from destructive influences, how had he - how had they both - managed to get to this stage where they were doing so much more harm than good. How on earth had he managed to fail this beautiful, strong boy in front of him so very badly?
And then his brain caught up with the room, and he truly saw what was going on in front of him. There Blaine was, his perfect sub, shaking from head to toe with stress, hands clenching and unclenching by his side as he desperately kept on holding firm. How much strength had it taken him to stand up to both of his Doms like that? To finally put his foot down and admit that both Kurt and Sebastian had been failing him. It was time for him to step up, time for him to be the Dominant that Blaine deserved.
"Kneel for me, sweetheart." The Dominance in his voice reverberated about the room, and with a muffled whimper of relief Blaine practically collapsed to the floor, folding his limbs underneath himself and clasping his hands behind his back as he relinquished the oh-so-tight hold he had on his emotions; surrendering completely to the sweet familiarity of submission.
Slowly, purposely, Kurt walked over so that he was standing next to Blaine. His hand dropped down to card through the submissive's hair, and Blaine practically whined as he leant into his Dominant's touch.
"I'm sorry, Sir, I know I shouldn't have spoken to you like that-" Blaine said, but Kurt cut him off with a soft shush and a tightening of his fingers entwined in the soft hair near his scalp.
"You have nothing to apologise for, darling, nothing at all. I'm so proud of you. You're so very good, telling Sebastian and me what you need like that. Everything's going to be better now, my good, sweet boy, I promise."
As Kurt offered up a constant stream of soft endearments, Blaine started to relax next to him. The tension in his shoulders slowly started to unwind, the lines of worry drawn across his face started to smooth. Eventually, when Kurt could bear to look away from his submissive for more than a fleeting second, he turned back to Sebastian.
Sebastian was watching the scene in front of him with a very odd look on his face. His expression was twisted into something strikingly similar to pain, but it had an edge of yearning to it. It was an emotion Kurt couldn't quite place - did Sebastian resent the comfort Kurt was giving Blaine, did he wish it was him standing next to his submissive? Or did he wish that he was the one at Kurt's feet, receiving the warm reassurances that everything was going to be okay? Kurt shook his head firmly to dislodge that last idea. Now was certainly not the time to be entertaining that particular train of thought. Instead he held out his spare hand to Sebastian, who simply looked at the extended appendage in confusion.
"I'm sorry for my outburst Sebastian. Can we put this behind us?" Kurt offered as he leant closer towards Sebastian, hand still outstretched.
Sebastian paused for another long moment, his expression still contorted like he had temporarily forgotten how to breathe. Then, tentatively, he reached over and quickly shook Kurt's hand. It was the briefest of contacts, but the warm press of flesh against flesh sent shivers running all through Kurt's body, and he realized with a start that they hadn't so much as touched since that disastrous dance at the claiming ceremony the previous week.
"Forgive me, Your Royal Highness, I was out of line." Sebastian said rigidly, and Kurt smiled reassuringly at the other Dominant. He opened his mouth to respond, but then Sebastian flicked his eyes to the floor for the briefest of instants, and all the air was knocked out of Kurt at the obviously submissive gesture. Then Sebastian's gaze flicked up and across to Blaine, and he very deliberately took a step closer to the submissive keeling on the floor. As his hand came down to slowly stroke along Blaine's free shoulder, he raised a cocky eyebrow at Kurt, who mentally chided himself for yet again jumping to conclusions.
"Thats-", Kurt's voice came out rough and scratchy, and he pointedly ignored the small smirk that spread across Sebastian's features as a result. "-Thats okay, Sebastian. We've both been found wanting in our actions recently, but not any more. It's time for us to both be better."
"Yes, Sire," was Sebastian's simple response, with an inflection that sent Kurt's mind whirling all over the place, all over again.
Before Kurt had the chance to say anything further - which was probably just as well all things considered - Sebastian turned to address Blaine, who was still pressed tightly against Kurt's side.
"Dominant pissing contest huh?" he said wryly, grinning when Blaine turned a bright shade of red and ducked his head in embarrassment.
"Sorry Master, you were acting green," Blaine muttered quietly to the floor.
"Green?" Kurt couldn't help asking curiously. Sebastian gave another one of his sardonic grins as he turned back to face the Prince.
"It's a codeword we sometimes use, I guess a kind of safeword. Green for poisonous; Blaine can use it to tell me when my behaviour is out of line without making it a whole big deal that he's calling out his Dom. I can sometimes get away from myself, in case you hadn't noticed."
"But- but you didn't mention any special safewords at the contract signing?" Kurt argued, his brain somehow stuck on this new revelation.
Sebastian shrugged. "Yes, because I'm seriously going to admit to the Prince of Aldern that I sometimes need my sub to keep me in check. Besides, it's not really that type of safeword is it?"
And there is was, the synergy between Sebastian and Blaine that Kurt just hadn't been able to see before. It wasn't a case of Sebastian seeing Blaine as less than an equal, it was simply that the entire foundation of their relationship was built on a very specific hierarchy of power. A hierarchy, he finally understood, that clearly went both ways. Kurt had a strong suspicion that Blaine was the only person in the whole of Aldern who could call Sebastian out on his antics, and have Sebastian actually listen to them. Well, wasn't that fascinating.
"Could we-" Kurt paused as he considered how to phrase his next question. "How would you both feel about including Green in our list of safewords? For both me and Sebastian, in both directions, obviously"
"Hmmm I don't know, you have to earn the right to green." Sebastian said, grinning when he saw the affronted look on Kurt's face. "But…" Sebastian paused to raise an eyebrow questioningly at Blaine, who nodded eagerly in response. "I think we'd both like to work towards it, Sire."