Here's chapter 1.b. If the first was just the introduction, this may be a filler one. But, you know, the story needs some foundation before getting interesting lol this is even shorter than the first one, probably, but I hope you like it anyways. Enjoy some Kurt and Sebastian :D

CHAPTER 1.B

When Blaine told him that – of all his acquaintances and friends – the person who offered to give him a lift to Blaine's grandparents estate was non other than that meerkat face of Sebastian Smythe, Kurt laughed. No, he bursted out laughing, with a heartfelt, loud laughter, the kind that makes you tear up and make your face and abdomen hurt. It took him more than a moment to recollect from hilarity and catch his breath. That was how hilarious that sentence was.

"Very funny, Blaine" He said, wiping the tear at the corner of his eye, "So, who's going to drive me there? Jeff? David?"

Blaine didn't answer immediately. From the other end he heard what sounded like a resigned sigh and Kurt felt his stomach contract unpleasantly. "Blaine, tell me you were joking." Tell me you were joking or that you're under the influence of powerful hallucinogens, he thought as a bad sensation settled on his heart.

"I'm not kidding. I've just talked to him, he's a hundred percent okay with it. The others don't stop in Ohio, Sebastian is the only one still in Westerville."

Kurt swallowed thickly, his throat gone completely dry. His tongue felt like sandpaper on his lips, when he tried to wet them uselessly. "Blaine, really, I can just rent a car-"

"No" Blaine interjected, "You spent too much already for coming, I don't want you to waste any more money when there's no need."

"I'd pay for Sebastian's gas anyway." He answered, secretly hoping that Blaine would change his mind.

"Yeah, well, but paying for gas is not paying for a rented car. It's not worth it. You're staying for days and you wouldn't use it a single time." Blaine reasoned, clearly a little pissed off. "And besides, I've already talked to Sebastian and, as I told you, he's okay with it."

Kurt wasn't exactly sure of the truthfulness of Sebastian's agreement. He'd always despised him. If he was doing this, it wasn't for magnanimity, but probably just because Blaine was blackmailing him or something. He doubted Sebastian was that masochistic. The fact that they both would be present at Blaine's birthday party was exceptional and potentially disastrous as it was and it was a pretty evident sign of how much they cared about him.

Sharing for five long hours a space of two cubic meters though? That was basically suicidal. It would be a miracle if they both reached the destination completely intact. God only knew what could happen. Clearly, neither him nor Sebastian himself had ever wanted to find out, if those five years of avoiding each other like the plague were an indication. But apparently Blaine was willing to stretch even more that thin thread of equilibrium between them.

"Blaine.." he tried again, discouraged, but his best friend cut him short.

"No, Kurt, listen to me, will you? You and Seb are my best friends. I know you've got history and that both of you never really swallowed the "sharing me" compromise – even if that makes me feel a little objectified. Anyway, it's been five years - five stupid years that you hate each other, apparently without any reason whatsoever, and that you make my life a living mess with your tantrums. I'm sick of this situation. Dammit, it's time to grow up, don't you think? You both say that you care about me, that you're my best friends – and you are. But show me for once. Try to act like adults, try to put aside all your paranoia and your stupid prejudices. It's time."

Woah. That was quite the outburst. Kurt was pretty sure he hadn't seen – or, well, heard – Blaine so worked up since their break up. He wasn't in front of him, but Kurt could picture him, with his fists closed tightly, his cheeks shining pink, his eyes bright for unshed tears of frustration and his chest moving up and down after spitting out what he had bottled up for god knew how long.

Guilt washed over him in a second and closed his stomach. Blaine's words came like a slap in the face, like a bucket of ice-cold water straight in the face, that made him realize that he was slowly drowning in a sea of egoism.

Because that was what he and Sebastian were: two fucking selfish pricks. They thought of doing the right thing for Blaine, avoiding each other like this, making sure of never putting him in the middle of this useless feud, but they basically just forced him to adapt to their game without asking how he felt about it.

And ouch. He was an awful friend. The worst friend ever (after Sebastian, obviously). But if his offer was an indication – and he hoped it was – Sebastian had realized this too and was willing – like him – to change things, to be more mature about their problems. Just like Blaine said, it was time to grow up.

"Blaine?" he called, making sure his best friend didn't hung up.

"..yeah?" he answered after a few seconds. He sounded a little bit cautious. If Kurt knew him well – and he did -, Blaine was feeling guilty for vomiting all those things. But he shouldn't be. He was right.

"You're right. And I want to apologize. I've been an awful friend, but I want to fix this." Blaine was silent on the other end, so Kurt cleared his throat and continued. "I accept Sebastian's offer."

Sebastian cursed for the umpteenth time the day he decided that Blaine fucking Anderson was he fucking best friend. Fuck Blaine, fuck his shiny, puppy-like eyes and his cute smile, fuck his lovable persona. It was because of him that he was on the verge of an aneurism.

And fuck himself too, because if he hadn't been so damn weak, if he hadn't fell for him, he wouldn't be here waiting to know if he was actually going to spend five dreading hours with that pain in the ass of Kurt Hummel and, because of that, close to a nervous breakdown.

If he went completely mad, the fault would be all Blaine's. And if Kurt Hummel suddenly disappeared, it would be always his fault. It was his idea after all. He asked him to drive the person he hated the most to his grandparents' estate for his birthday.

"Kurt's car is broken." He had told him, like Sebastian cared. "And he's spent already enough money to come from New York, I don't want him to pay for a renting car. And besides, you know the way."

Sebastian had wanted to snarl something about the fact that Hummel's father was a fuckin' mechanic, that it was Hummel's bloody business if he spent too much to travel to Ohio from New York, maybe point out the existence of GPSs and underline the fact that tons of people would be willing to help him. After all, everybody loved Kurt Hummel, everybody wanted him to that party. So why him? It wasn't a mystery that the two of them didn't stand each other. Sebastian didn't voice it that much to Blaine out of respect, but it was pretty fucking obvious anyway.

And it was as clear that Hummel shared the sentiment. That was why they hadn't seen each other in nearly five years, even though they both were important in Blaine's life. Between them there was this pact, this silent agreement based on complete absence of contact that made that truce possible. They were like Russia and the US during the Cold War: they made diplomacy their only weapon, because they were very conscious of the fact that a direct conflict would be destructive for themselves, for everyone around them and especially – especially – for Blaine.
Both him and Hummel always tried to gravitate around him, making sure of always being there for Blaine, being a constant presence in his life, in a synchronized dance that made possible for them to never cross ways, so that tiny, fragile equilibrium between them would not be broken and their friendships would be safe.

Neither him nor Kurt wanted to "share" him with the other, but at the same time they would never put him in front of a decision. They weren't so stupid, nor so cruel.

So they were left to try forgetting each other in any way possible. And this dance, this holy agreement had been working so well so far. So well that he was nearly capable of neglecting completely the existence of Kurt Hummel. Nearly, because pretending that Kurt Hummel didn't exist was pretty fucking difficult, when the whole world seemed to love him and see him like a mystical creature.

When it came to Blaine, Sebastian could stand it. After all, Hummel was his first love and damn if his ass wasn't a treasure, especially in those tight pants. But the worst thing was that Blaine wasn't the most obsessed with him. In actual fact, his best friend rarely addressed Hummel in any topic, since Sebastian had clearly stated that the he would never discuss the "Hummel topic".

The others were the problem. And for the others, Sebastian meant all the people that had met Kurt Hummel at least once in their lives and that – for some incomprehensible reason, probably under a dark magic spell – had fallen in love with him. Figuratively and not. His Dalton friends? They were incapable of not talking about him, about the ol' good Dalton days with Klaine, even when he had nothing to do with the discussion. Sebastian still didn't know how or why, but Kurt Hummel was always to be quoted or brought up in each and every context. He was omnipresent and poisonous for every person Sebastian cared about. And he didn't understand why.

He had met him, Kurt Hummel. At the time he was a jealous, snobbish prima donna with a voice so unnerving that could annoy the shit out of a bloody saint. He remembered him with a snarky, bossy attitude and a mouth that could make the toughest man cry, if he wanted to, and that surely could keep up with his own. But other than that, Kurt Hummel hadn't seemed nothing particular to him. In fact, Sebastian believed that he could snitch Blaine out of Kurt's hand easily.

That hadn't been the case. Luckily, the two of them were actually in love (even though Sebastian didn't see Kurt as nothing but a nice ass) or Sebastian would have fucked Blaine and the boy wouldn't have become his best friend and his life would've been a lot less nice.

Anyway, the point was : Kurt Hummel wasn't that interesting. Except for the satisfaction of ruffling his feathers when he flirted with Blaine, he hadn't impressed him. Sebastian could have easily forgotten him, if he hadn't become his worst pain in the ass of his life without really trying.

Sebastian's contempt had started to replace the initial indifference when Hummel and Blaine broke up, when he and Blaine were abandoning their roles of simple acquaintances to become real friends. Sebastian remembered well how Hummel was always in Blaine's mind, how he was the cause of his tears; he remember how he comforted his best friend when, desperate and sobbing, he'd confessed to have cheated on Kurt because he felt lonely and because he missed him, but said boyfriend was too busy in his new shiny life in New York to fulfill his duties of boyfriend. He remembered the growing hatred when Kurt didn't answer the phone and let Blaine suffer like that, the annoyance when – after all – Hummel had decided to return in Blaine's life because he was still his best friend.

And God, Blaine was so damn happy, so enthusiastic to have his ex in his life again, so eager to make up for the wasted time.

Sebastian had got scared. Scared of losing him, to be just a useless shadow in his life. He was jealous and that jealousy started to change into rivalry the moment Blaine told him – without much thought – that Kurt was pretty dumbfounded when he discovered about the evolution of their friendship. But he smartly decided to adhere to that non-aggression pact between them. For Blaine. Just like Sebastian.

Because may be an asshole, but he had a heart – a heart that was weak in front of Blaine Anderson. Especially when he teared up. And that was why he agreed on that stupid, crazy idea. He just hoped that Hummel was tougher when it came to Blaine's shit.

As he thought that, his phone started to ring. He looked down at the screen, where Blaine's smiling face stared creepily at him. Man, he should change that selfie before he got nightmares.

After a sigh, he accepted the call.

"What did he say?" he asked, straight to the point; his fingers crossed on his table. Please Hummel, be smart for once.

"He accepted."

Holy fuck.