The Only Exception (Lonely No More)

Chapter 8

“Why aren’t the girls invited?” Tina protested, her arms crossed over her chest. Blaine wasn’t sure why Tina was being so obstinate about this; she didn’t even like The Lord of the Rings.

“You girls do stuff that we aren’t invited to,” Artie reminded her. “Besides, there isn’t enough room for the whole Glee club in the Hummel’s living room.”

“I can’t go anyway,” Brittany said. “Lord Tubbington has his AA meeting.”

“I think it’s great that the guys are having a bonding day,” Marley said with a smile for Jake.

“It’s a movie marathon, not a ‘bonding day’,” Sam corrected.

Blaine didn’t say anything, just shrugged when Sam looked at him for support. He wouldn’t turn away any of the girls if they felt that strongly about it, but it was Sam’s house.

“Are all of you going?” Tina asked, looking at each of the guys in turn.

“Yes, that’s eight of us already. It’s going to be crowded enough without adding six more,” Sam said.

“Eight?” Tina glanced around the room. “There are only six of you.” She glanced at Unique who shook her head; she was counted as one of the girls for this.

“You forget that Finn lives there too,” Sam said.

“That’s still only seven,” Tina said with narrowed eyes.

Sam opened his mouth to answer and then glanced at Blaine, unsure of what to say. As Tina turned her unwavering gaze on each of the guys, they all looked at Blaine.

“I invited Sebastian,” Blaine finally said in exasperation. Why couldn’t Tina just let things go? It really wasn’t any of her business and he didn’t want another lecture on how evil Sebastian was.

“You invited Slushy-Warbler to Kurt’s house? Are you insane?” Tina snapped. “Are you trying to ruin things permanently between you?”

“There isn’t anything to ruin,” Blaine said. He was rather embarrassed to be having this conversation in front of everyone. Where was Mr. Schue when Blaine actually could use an interruption? “And Burt said it was fine. He trusts my judgment.” There was a subtle dig there, but it seemed to go right over Tina’s head.

“What’s the problem with Sebastian? He’s going to help us out at Prom so we don’t have to do so many sets ourselves. I don’t see why he shouldn’t hang out with us,” Ryder said.

Blaine winced as Tina’s mouth fell open in shock. Ryder looked confused at Tina’s reaction and then shot Blaine an apologetic look. Sam had enlisted Joe and Ryder’s help with the songs that Sebastian was covering, but the younger guys didn’t know the full situation.

“Sebastian is singing at our Prom?” Tina said, enunciating each word carefully. “We’ll see about that.”

Mr. Schue finally walked in and, for once, seemed to sense that something was amiss. “Is there a problem, guys?”

“I’ll say there’s a problem,” Tina snapped, still glaring at Blaine. She turned towards Mr. Schue with a toss of her head. “Did you know that Sebastian Warbler is singing at our Prom?”

“Uh, no,” Mr. Schue replied hesitantly. He glanced at the three senior boys. “Is this true, guys?”

“He’s Blaine’s date and offered to help us out,” Sam said. “Since you let Blaine help us out when he was going to Dalton, we didn’t think it would be a problem.”

“That’s true,” Mr. Schue said. He glanced around the room as if trying to figure out why this was an issue before committing himself one way or the other. “Why is this a problem, Tina? It’s just Prom, not a competition.”

Tina dropped her arms in exasperation. “Have you all forgotten what he’s done to us? To Blaine?” She went on to list Sebastian’s many crimes, only running out of steam when Mr. Schue raised a hand so that he could get a word in edgewise.

“Does anyone else have a problem with Sebastian singing with us at Prom?” Mr. Schue asked. The younger Glee members just shrugged as they hadn’t even been in Glee when most of the things Tina mentioned had happened.

“I say that if Blaine is willing to let bygones be bygones, then gone they be,” Artie said solemnly.

Sam and Blaine both nodded.

“I like to listen to the pretty bird sing,” Brittany said. Several people looked at her with confused expressions, but no one questioned her comment.

“It seems like you’re the only one who is against this,” Mr. Schue said to Tina. “I agree with Artie; if Blaine thinks Sebastian deserves another chance and he’s going to be there anyway, then I don’t see a problem.”

Tina clenched her teeth together. “I can see I’m outnumbered.”

Mr. Schue turned towards the board, forgetting the incident while everyone took their seats. Tina glared at Blaine and mouthed, “This isn’t over.”

 

~ * ~
 

Burt puttered around the kitchen, putting away the few remains from the boys’ earlier raid. They were well into the second movie in the trilogy now, which he’d already seen, so he left them to it. Carol had wisely decided to take a shopping trip with her friends so that she didn’t have to deal with them. Burt thought he might meet some of the guys for a drink later, but was content to just hang around the house for now. Kurt’s friends had never been as rowdy as Finn’s and Sam’s, but Burt was more at ease with the boisterous group of boys than the girls that Kurt tended to hang out with.

The front door slammed, catching Burt’s attention. He couldn’t imagine why any of the boys would be leaving in the middle of the movie and Carol never slammed doors. A moment later, a familiar raised voice answered the question.

“What is he doing here?” Kurt yelled from the living room. “Get out of my house. Now. Get out.”

By the time Burt made it to the living room, Kurt was in a faceoff with Finn and Sam while Blaine was edging towards the front door with Sebastian.

“What’s going on in here?” Burt’s bellow put a momentary end to the shouting, but then the boys all turned towards him, speaking at once. Burt couldn’t make heads nor tails out of what was being said, though he had a good idea. Blaine had forewarned him that Kurt wouldn’t like Sebastian being there and had wanted to make sure it was okay before he invited him. Burt figured it was up to the boys to work these things out for themselves and left it to Sam and Finn to decide who they wanted in the house. He supported their decision.

“Enough!” Burt yelled over the boys. Everyone fell silent. Burt pointed at Blaine and Sebastian who had frozen by the front door. “You two, sit down and watch the movie.” He pointed at Kurt. “You, in the kitchen.”

“But, Dad,” Kurt protested. He wore that expression that kids give their parents when they aren’t getting their way and feel terribly put-upon.

“Kitchen, now,” Burt said. He waited just a moment to make sure everyone else was seated and pretending to watch the movie before heading to the kitchen after Kurt.

“You want to explain what that was all about?” Burt asked, taking a seat at the kitchen island. “For that matter, what are you even doing here?”

“I can’t come home for a visit without being grilled like some sort of criminal?” Kurt asked, raising his chin with a set jaw.

“You’re welcome here any time you want,” Burt said, relenting just a little. He knew his son well enough to realize he wouldn’t get anywhere if Kurt was defensive. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re here, without letting anyone know you were coming on the one weekend that Blaine is here with his friend that I’m given to understand you don’t like very much.”

Kurt answered angrily. “If you know so much about it, then why would you let that… that person into our home? He nearly blinded Blaine last year with a slushy – that was meant for me, I might add. He tried to blackmail Rachel into dropping out of the competition with some fake pictures of Finn in heels. He stole our song list for Sectionals and then this year, he stole our trophy in some lame attempt to get Blaine to transfer back to Dalton and then he and the rest of the Warblers cheated against New Directions to win Sectionals.” Kurt had his most obstinate face on and Burt debated how best to get his son to see reason.

“Yes, I’m well aware of all that, but if Finn and Sam don’t have a problem with the boy, then I don’t see any reason why I should. Last time I checked, you were living in New York and, if you were still there, this wouldn’t be an issue.” Burt knew there was more to this than what Kurt was saying, not to mention that it was entirely too coincidental that Kurt would choose to come home this weekend.

“So I have to get permission to come home now?” Kurt snapped.

“Kurt, you should know better than to try to twist my words around,” Burt said. He could be just as obstinate as his son when the occasion called for it. “You’re an amateur when it comes to the Washington politicians that I work with all week.”

Kurt huffed in irritation.

“You want to tell me what this is really about?” Burt asked. He always preferred the straight-forward approach.

Kurt squirmed just a bit, not quite meeting Burt’s eyes. “Sebastian has done nothing but try to break Blaine and I up since they met. He’s probably out there rejoicing that he gets to rub my nose in the fact that he’s finally won,” Kurt said.

Burt never claimed to be the brightest bulb when it came to relationships, but it finally dawned on him that Kurt was jealous. So jealous that he’d spent money he couldn’t afford to come home and confront his ex and the guy he thought was replacing him in Blaine’s life. Burt wished Carol hadn’t left. This was much more in her wheelhouse than his. He had to give it his best shot though.

“The way I understand it, they’re just friends.” Burt held up a hand to stop Kurt from jumping in. “Whether that is the case or not is none of my business…and it’s not yours either. You gave up that right when you started dating someone else.”

Kurt looked rebellious. “I wouldn’t be dating someone else if Blaine hadn’t cheated on me. For all I know, it was with that…” Kurt fumed as words failed him.

“Do you really believe that?” Burt asked gently. There was no way he would believe that Blaine - a gentleman to his core – would bring the man he’d cheated on Kurt with to Kurt’s house under the guise of ‘a friend’.

Kurt looked slightly abashed. “He said it wasn’t, but… that still doesn’t explain why they are together. Blaine knows how I feel about Sebastian Smyth.” Burt could tell that there were a few other names that Kurt would rather call the boy, but he wasn’t going to use them in front of his father.

“Son, you know I love you, but your feelings don’t mean a hill of beans in this situation,” Burt said. He hated being so blunt with Kurt, but there were times that Kurt needed to be reminded that the world did not revolve around him. “I had hoped that you and Blaine could work things out, but from what I hear, that’s not going to happen. You’ve moved on with this Adam guy. You need to give Blaine the same courtesy – even if you don’t like the guy he picks.”

Kurt jerked his head to one side and blinked back tears. Burt hated that things had come to this, but it was time for his little boy to man up and face the situation realistically. Sometimes, that wasn’t easy.

“I really have lost him, haven’t I?” Kurt said with a sniffle.

Burt sighed sadly. Heartbreak was part of growing up but that didn’t mean he didn’t wish he could save his son from it. “You’ve been pushing him away since he admitted he cheated on you, son. Eventually, he was bound to quit trying.”

Kurt looked down at his hands. “I kept thinking that it would change once he was in New York. That once we were in the same place, things could go back to the way they were.”

Burt wanted to tell him that life didn’t work that way, but that was one of those lessons you learn by living it. “What were you going to do about that Adam guy when Blaine got there?” Burt was fairly sure that Kurt hadn’t really thought this through. When Kurt shrugged, he knew he was right.

“I just wanted someone to help me forget for a while,” Kurt admitted in a small voice. “I didn’t expect to like him so much.”

“He seemed like a decent enough fellow,” Burt said. He’d only met Adam once but he seemed to treat Kurt well and that was all that mattered to Burt.

Kurt sighed and dabbed at his eyes. “What am I going to do about Blaine? I made a fool of myself in there, didn’t I?”

“An apology is always a good place to start when you’re in the wrong,” Burt suggested. “Want me to send Blaine in here?”

Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. “No, ask Sebastian if he’d come.” He raised his chin slightly. “If I’m going to do this, I might as well get the most difficult one out of the way first.”

Burt nodded in surprise. He hadn’t expected Kurt to want to apologize to Sebastian at all. It might be a good idea if he stayed close to the door in case things went south between those two.

 

~ * ~
 

Kurt splashed some water on his face while his father went to get Sebastian. He had no idea what he was going to say to his long-time rival, but it was time they had this out. He was smart enough to realize that there was no way he could patch things up between him and Blaine – whether that meant just friends or at least not at each other’s throats when they saw each other – until he came to some sort of resolution with Sebastian.

“That was quite a show you put on out there,” Sebastian drawled as he walked into the kitchen and leaned against a cabinet with his arms crossed over his chest. “Is it time for round two – no witnesses this time?”

Kurt clenched his teeth. He had no idea what Blaine saw in this guy, but he had to try to keep his temper under control. “I wanted to apologize. You’re a guest and I had no right to try to throw you out, despite my personal feelings on the matter.”

“Wow, I bet that really hurt,” Sebastian said.

Kurt wanted to smack the grin off his face. “You have no idea,” he said. “I also realize that while I may hate you with every fiber of my being, I have no claim on Blaine any longer – either in who he is friends with or who he dates.”

“Careful, Hummel. Keep it up and I’ll think you actually like me.”

“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” Kurt snapped. Why had he even tried?

“After what you’ve put Blaine through, not a chance,” Sebastian said cheerfully.

“What I put Blaine through?” Kurt repeated incredulously. “He cheated on me, not the other way around.”

“And you’ve been beating him over the head with that ever since,” Sebastian said. “If I had been in Blaine’s place, I would have held my tongue and not flown to New York to confess my crimes.”

“I don’t doubt that for a minute,” Kurt said dryly. “I was surprised that it wasn’t your bed he ended up in.”

Sebastian shook his head sadly. “I was rather disappointed about that myself.” He shrugged. “But then again, I doubt he would have forgiven me for that and then you and I wouldn’t be standing here having this oh-so-pleasant conversation now.”

For the first time, Kurt actually believed that it hadn’t been Sebastian that Blaine had cheated with. He had wanted to believe Blaine, but there had always been this slight doubt that wouldn’t go away. He had no doubt that Sebastian would have rubbed his face in it if it had been him though.

“Why Blaine?” Kurt asked. It was the one thing that he had never understood. “You chase every guy that so much as glances in your direction, why this obsession with Blaine?”

“Because he’s Blaine,” Sebastian said, as if that should explain it. Maybe it did.

“If you’re doing this just to even some score…” Kurt started to say, but Sebastian chuckled darkly.

“Give Blaine some credit. He’s already thought of all my possible less-than-honorable intentions. He’s willing to give me another chance and I’m not going to blow it over some misguided attempt at revenge over something that was my fault to begin with.”

Kurt wasn’t entirely convinced, but Sebastian did talk a good game. “He keeps telling me that you’re just friends. Is that all it is, or was he just trying to save my feelings?”

Sebastian smiled slowly and Kurt wanted to smack the grin off his face again. “I think it’ll be much more satisfying to just leave that answer to your imagination.”

“You don’t deserve him,” Kurt growled. He hated the idea of Sebastian ever being that close to Blaine. “You can only keep up this ‘good boy’ routine for so long before he sees through it.”

“And here I thought you didn’t care,” Sebastian said. “Are we about finished with this mutual admiration meeting?”

“More than finished,” Kurt replied. If looks could kill, Sebastian would be laying on the floor instead of walking out of the room, entirely too satisfied with himself.

 

~ * ~
 

Blaine watched anxiously as Sebastian slid to the floor in front of the chair Blaine was sitting in.

“I don’t see any blood,” Blaine said, only half-joking as he leaned forward so he wouldn’t disturb the others who were trying to watch the movie – or overhear their conversation while pretending to watch the movie.

“Mother always told me to use my words, not my fists,” Sebastian replied. “Besides, I doubt Hummel would risk his manicure by hitting someone.”

Blaine rolled his eyes, but was relieved that they’d done nothing more than insult each other. “If you want to go, I’ll understand.”

“It’s your call,” Sebastian said. “I’ve already been through the gauntlet.”

Blaine glanced towards the kitchen. “I should talk to him first.” He had no idea what he would say, but they needed some sort of closure. “Do you mind?”

“If you’re not back in ten, should I send in a rescue party?” Sebastian asked.

Blaine chuckled nervously. “Make it fifteen… or the first sounds of objects being thrown. Carol would be upset if her good china or crystal were broken.”

Sebastian nodded, but grabbed Blaine’s hand before he could stand. “Remember, you did nothing wrong. You were invited here.”

Blaine squeezed Sebastian’s hand slightly with a reassuring smile. “Thanks.”

Kurt looked up in surprise when Blaine walked into the kitchen and took the seat across from him. Neither of them seemed to be sure of what to say and several moments of uneasy silence followed.

“You didn’t gel your hair,” Kurt finally said, breaking the ice.

Blaine shrugged. It probably would cause even more problems if he told Kurt that he’d left the gel out for Sebastian. “It was just going to be the guys.” Blaine said, and then changed the subject. “If our being here is making you uncomfortable, we can leave.”

“You say that so easily, ‘we’ – meaning you and Sebastian,” Kurt replied. He waved away Blaine’s immediate attempt at an apology. “When I heard that you were bringing him here, all I could think about was how much he’s hurt you in the past and how I had to protect you from that.” Kurt held up a hand when Blaine started to interrupt. “Just, let me get this out. Please?”

Blaine nodded. It was Kurt’s house, after all.

“I doubt I’ll ever be able to trust him, and it’s even less likely that I’ll ever like him, but I have no right to tell you who you can be friends with.”

“Kurt…” Blaine tried to interrupt, but Kurt held a hand up to stop him again.

“I’ve been so busy trying to keep you at a distance to protect myself that I’ve forgotten how to be your friend,” Kurt said. He looked away and Blaine could see the tears in his eyes.

Blaine swallowed hard, fighting back his own tears.

Kurt finally turned to face him, steeling himself for what he was going to say. “Do you think that there is any way that we can be friends again?”

“I don’t know how to go from being everything to each other to just being friends,” Blaine said. If Sebastian had taught him anything, it was honesty, even if it hurt. “Even when I said I was okay with it, I kept hoping for more.”

Kurt fiddled with his fingers nervously. “Are you still coming to New York after graduation?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll go to Los Angeles, with Cooper. Even if I don’t get into CalArts, I can get a job and try again later. Maybe Cooper can use one of those connections he’s always bragging about.” Blaine had wanted to go to New York only because Kurt was there. He needed to let that dream go and do what was best for him.

Kurt blinked back tears. “You’re giving up on us,” he accused. “Is it because of Sebastian?”

Blaine sighed heavily. “Not in the way you mean. He’s helped me come to terms with things, but that’s all.”

“I’m sure he has,” Kurt said snidely.

Blaine knew Kurt was reacting badly because he was upset. He wanted to reach out and cover Kurt’s hand with his own, but refrained. It wasn’t easy for either of them to give up on what they’d had, but it was time. “Kurt, I think the only thing that will help either of us now is time and distance. Maybe someday, we’ll run into each other somewhere and we’ll be glad to see each other again. We’ll stop and catch up on what we’ve been doing and be happy for each other, not hurt and resentful.”

“You know, I never meant to hurt you with Adam,” Kurt said softly. “I just liked the attention; it wasn’t supposed to go anywhere.”

A small part of Blaine wanted to tell Kurt to just leave Adam and that they could be together again, but the rational part of him knew that wasn’t the answer. Too much had happened for them to go back now. “Maybe you should give him a chance. Even Santana thinks he’s a nice guy.”

“You’re giving me relationship advice now?” Kurt asked. He sounded surprised crossed with curious.

Blaine shrugged. “I want you to be happy, Kurt, even if it hurts sometimes to think that it’s not going to be with me.”

Kurt looked away and frowned slightly. “I’ll never be happy for you if that means you’re with Sebastian.”

There wasn’t any point in telling Kurt that he and Sebastian weren’t together. If he didn’t believe it by now, nothing was going to change his mind. Besides, who knew what sort of ideas Sebastian had planted in his head while he was in here.

“Can you at least wish me well in Los Angeles? I’ll probably need all the good thoughts I can get when dealing with Cooper,” Blaine asked with an attempt at a smile.

Kurt relaxed slightly. “Just remember to point and raise your voice, so he’ll know when you’re serious.”

They both laughed, a bit stiffly, but a laugh all the same.

Kurt stood with a sniffle and a small smile. “I’d better find my dad, since he is the official reason I’m here.” He paused at the kitchen door to give Blaine one last look before disappearing through the doorway.

Blaine stayed where he was, trying to regroup before returning to the living room and his friends. Breaking the last tie to Kurt had hurt and left him a little shaken. He knew it was for the best, but at the same time wanted to run after Kurt and beg him to reconsider.

“Hey, everything okay in here?” Sam asked, poking his head around the doorway before coming all the way into the kitchen. “I saw Kurt head upstairs and got worried when you didn’t come back.”

“I’m fine,” Blaine replied, managing a weak smile.

“Yeah, and that smile is really convincing,” Sam said. He pulled a couple of sodas from the fridge and handed one to Blaine before leaning on the counter across from him. “Just call me Sam the bartender. People tell their bartender all their problems, right?”

Blaine laughed slightly at his ridiculous friend. “That’s what I hear, though I haven’t exactly had a lot of experience with bars.”

“Well, pull up a stool and tell Sam all about it,” Sam said. He even found a rag so that he could pretend to wipe down the counter.

“Well, I just told my ex that I didn’t see any future for us,” Blaine said, “and that I’m going to Los Angeles after graduation.”

“How’d he take it?” Sam asked.

“He wasn’t happy, especially since he thinks something is going on between me and Sebastian,” Blaine said. “We stayed civil though, so that’s something.”

“You going to be okay?” Sam asked.

Blaine thought about it a moment and then shrugged. “I guess so.” There were plenty of things coming up to keep him too busy to dwell on it. “It’s not like it’s a big surprise. It’s been coming for a while now.”

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,” Sam said. He motioned towards the living room. “You ready to go back in? Don’t want to miss the Ents taking out Isengard.”

Blaine chuckled and waved for Sam to lead the way.

When Blaine returned, Sebastian had taken his chair. Sebastian offered to share, but Blaine opted to sit on the floor in front of him instead. He could feel Sebastian occasionally wind a finger through an ungeled curl and smiled to himself. Blaine leaned back and let Sebastian play with his hair without comment. It was a comforting feeling.

Maybe he should ditch the gel more often; at least when Sebastian was around.
 

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