You’re difficult to shop for, you know that? I spent about three hours trying to find you a fierce pair of heeled booties before I realized I didn’t know your shoe size which is an issue. So, I went for the ultimate relaxation package instead. You work too hard. Take some time for yourself, okay?
PACKAGE CONTENTS:
Lush Bath Bombs.
PJ Pants.
And a gift card to Hand & Stone.
—-
[Quinn found the bag and was taken aback, even though she knew about the secret santa. She smiled to herself, knowing from the contents, knowing who they were from, because really, who else would know her so well? Mentally, she knew she’d have to take him out for a night on the town, after, of course, a bath and wine night of her own.]
[ An embarrassingly bright pink envelope is inside Kitty’s locker at work. When she picks it up, gold and pink glitter comes off in her hands. In fact, she will find that faint traces of gold glitter cover most things in her locker. Even more loose glitter is inside the envelope, along with a pink and gold card with the following printed in purple ink:
To redeem your gift, come to Sugar’s house at 7pm Monday night. Dress code: club sexy!
WHAT → Kurt breaks up with Blaine at the Piggly Wiggly and decides to cope by going camping, which is the most pathetic sentence ever to be written. What follows is an irrational inner monologue about how he feels like his life is over despite the fact that it’s not. It’s probably not worth reading but it’ll be fun if you take a shot every time Kurt says “fuck.”
Kurt half-stumbled into the office, barely hearing the door click shut behind him. He wondered if he should have expected this--Blaine’s occasional distance, the inexplicable late nights, and God, Sebastian had practically laid the proof out in front of him over a week ago--but instead he’d been so stupid. Blaine was the love of his life. They were supposed to get married and move to New York and have a family. They were going to grow old together. And he could remember how extensively they talked about it, right down to the name of their future corgi, and all that time Blaine had been--
“Kurt--”
“Explain.”
He has given ten years of his life to Blaine. They’ve fallen asleep together almost every night. They’ve eaten at the same restaurant every Thursday since college. They’ve shared everything, stayed up all night talking about getting married and having kids and–
–God, Kurt gave him everything. He feels like he is nothing now, now that Blaine has made it clear that even all of Kurt isn’t enough and honestly, how could he have gone so long not realizing that he was a worthless piece of shit?
Somewhere, a part of him knows that’s dramatic and irrational. It’ll be a long time before he listens.
He tried so fucking hard not to break down but he thought he might vomit, so he leaned up against the desk just to keep himself upright. He hadn’t had a lot to drink but his world felt like it been shifted off its axis, so he might as well have been drunk.
“It was a bad audition. And we met and he just...wanted me, Kurt. And I needed that. And he was this confident New York guy and...it happened. And I’m sorry.”
“You should have told me.”
“You’d have dumped me, Kurt, and I thought I was in love with you...”
“You thought?” His voice raises and cracks. “What the fuck, Bla--”
“I love you. Okay? I’m sorry. I love yo--”
“Bullshit.”
“Kurt.”
He’s never been one for camping but he finds himself driving to a camp ground he used to go to with his dad when his mom died, because he gets no cell reception and it’s quiet. Despite the fact that it’s terribly cold outside, he welcomes the sensation as a weak distraction. Kurt doesn’t look it, but he is Burt Hummel’s son, so he’s handy enough to build the tent and start a fire. It doesn’t take him nearly long enough. He settles on the ground, for once not caring about the state of his clothes, and watches the flames dance.
Blaine has shattered every particle of Kurt’s trust and sense of self worth, but what’s worse is that Kurt doesn’t have anything now. The love of his fucking life has lied and cheated and now Kurt doesn’t have a home considering the apartment is in Blaine's name. He's wasted the past ten years--the prime years--waiting for Blaine only to find that, in the end, he doesn't get the guy. And honestly, he’s probably lost half of his friends, too. Blaine’s the more likable one. He supposes it’s good that no one’s coming to look for him, because he hasn’t told anyone where he’s going. He suspects Finn and his dad will worry but he doesn't plan on being gone more than a couple of days. Especially because he probably has to have some sort of permit or pay some kind of fee to actually camp there, but whatever. It doesn't matter.
“Last week, when you said you were staying with Angie to get some work done, were you lying?”
Blaine closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? You’re fucking sorry? Are you kidding me? God, it was so fucking textbook and I was stupid enough to not even notice, I can’t believe--”
“--I love you, Kurt. I swear. I just...”
“You just what?”
“Sometimes you just piss me off, you know?”
That flipped a switch in Kurt and he stood, stepping closer to Blaine. "Excuse me?”
Blaine, on the defensive, stepped back. "You're not the easiest person to get along with, Kurt. You get so--I don't know, Kurt. I love you but sometimes you get so bitchy and I can't... It's not an excuse. It isn't."
"It sounds like you're trying to pass it off as one." He sounded nearly hysterical, at that point, despite the fact that he knew that people were right on the other side of the door. "So, sometimes I'm testy, so you go out and fuck other people? What, do you have some other boyfriend in the next town over?"
"Kurt, it's nothing like that, I--"
"You fucking asshole. How often?"
"Please."
"Answer me."
"A few times. I don't know, Kurt. Not all the time. I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot. I screwed up, okay?"
"After ten years, I can't fucking believe--"
"We can work through this. Okay? Please, Kurt. Let's..."
"You've been cheating on me off and on for ten fucking years."
"I screwed up, I'm--"
"Do you even want to marry me?"
Silence.
He can’t fight the image in his head of Blaine giving himself over to Sebastian then coming home and telling Kurt he loves him. The entire basis of their future was such bullshit. He feels like an idiot. He’s angry. He’s heartbroken. That nagging voice in the back of his head that always used to tell him he was unlovable was really fucking right.
Kurt’s been stupid.
He loves Blaine. That's not something that just goes away. But there's no coming back from this. He wants to know why Blaine hadn't just broken up with him when they were younger. Was it out of pity? Had Blaine ever honestly loved him? Kurt struggles to believe it; that ship has sailed. Kurt wants him. Needs him. And he can't breathe, there's no fucking point, God--
Kurt's breathing was shallow as his anxiety rose, and he continued to fight to keep himself from crying. He cleared his throat. "You don't want to marry me. Okay. Great."
"It's not that I don't want to marry you. I love you. We've just only been with each other, Kurt."
"That's not fucking true, now, is it?"
And honestly? Fuck Sebastian. Fuck Sebastian for showing up and taking this from him, for seducing Blaine to begin with, for opening the can of worms. Fuck him for confessing. Kurt could still be living in ignorant bliss.
"Maybe we need to take some time. See other people. Make sure this is what we want. I'm scared we're going to lock ourselves into something and realize it's a mistake ten years down the line when we have kids and a house."
"You're doubting this now? This didn't occur to you ten fucking years ago? I'm in love with you, Blaine. I put my life on hold for you."
"On hold? You're blaming me?"
"You're the one who wanted to stay here. You're the one who didn't want to get engaged right away. And now you have the nerve to break up with me? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"I'm not breaking up with you. I'm suggesting a break, okay? Just time to--"
"Go to hell, Blaine. I'm not waiting around while you have your sexual Rumspringa just to see if you decide you still love me. Fuck you."
Again, he's feeling dramatic. Everything's been uprooted in a matter of minutes and he's still struggling to really grasp what happened. Sebastian isn't the enemy here. Life will change but it'll go on, and he'll be okay, and on the bright side, there's nothing keeping him in Lima anymore. It will only take a few hours before reality starts to set in and he realizes that camping fucking sucks, but for now, he feels numb and humiliated and angry and he needs a quiet place to cry. So. Camping it is.
WHEN → The Piggly Wiggly Holiday Party, approx. 9:30
WHAT → The night takes a turn when Sebastian realizes that he’s definitely hooked up with Kurt’s boyfriend. Who’s standing right in front of him. Next to Kurt. Looking like a deer in the headlights. Basically, it’s really awkward for Sebastian and Madison to watch Kurt and Blaine’s relationship crumble super fast. Yikes. (This happens publicly! Embarrassingly public, actually, so this is known to everyone in the area!)
Kurt didn't know how he'd managed to get Blaine to come with him to the holiday party, but it felt like a breakthrough; at the very least, it was the first time in a month that he'd looked at Blaine and felt something that resembled hope. This boy--gelled hair and chinos and the Brooks Brothers bow tie he'd bought him three years back--was his everything. The only good thing he had to hold onto. And, for tonight, they were on good terms. Blaine had smacked his ass when they were getting ready. They would probably have sex that night. Kurt was elated. The party itself was mild--he was barely tipsy and okay with that, even though he could tell that Blaine was beginning to sway from the alcohol. When he realized that Blaine's conversation with Madison about something he wasn't paying attention to wasn't ending anytime soon, he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's hair and murmured something about getting them drinks. Kurt made his way to the table and poured them each whatever extremely potent cocktail someone had set out, humming beneath his breath.
Sebastian arrived to the party fashionably late as was his habit. Partially to make an entrance and partially because it just took him awhile to get his hair just right. He liked to look good after all, even if this party left him no chance of hooking up. Perhaps he could get some intel on his case from drunk workers and get a laugh or two along the way. He headed straight for the bar area when he came in, knowing he'd never make it through the night without something good in his system, and he noticed the familiar shape of the man already standing there. "Look who it is. Still pissed at me?" he asked curiously.
Kurt felt some of the elation drain away as he heard Sebastian's voice. He didn't hate the man as much as everyone else seemed to, but their last conversation had him on edge; despite the fact that he knew that Blaine wasn't the same as whoever he kept talking about, the entire thing made him uncomfortable. Thankfully, Blaine was there to put any doubts he might have had to rest. "Not pissed," he responded, throwing back a good portion of his drink, casting Sebastian a sidelong glance. "I just don't appreciate you trying to hint that my boyfriend might in a million years cheat on me." He huffed. "I'm surprised you're even here. Or that you were even invited."
Sebastian widened his eyes a little at direct response. He had a feeling Kurt had already had a couple drinks of his own. "Blondie has a soft spot for me," he started out with, though he really wasn't sure why he was invited either. But he was strangely glad that he was. "And I like parties. And presents. And booze." And maybe he sort of liked these people, but he wasn't going to admit that. "And I never said anything about your man doing anything of the sort. I just found it an interesting coincidence that we both lost the big V to guys with the same weird appliance name."
Kurt probably should have felt a little bad for snapping, although that wasn't even his original intention; at most, he was just annoyed that Sebastian had even put the idea in his head to begin with, whether he meant to or not. It all had to be one big coincidence but that didn't make him any less comfortable with it. "Who, Quinn? Or Kitty?" He took another sip. "Well, if there's one thing you can be sure the Piggly Wiggly has, it's booze." He made sure of that one. At the explanation, Kurt shrugged, trying his best to feign casual. "Guess so. I googled it, out of curiosity. There are about 24,000 guys in the US with the name. So. Not that big of a coincidence." He shrugged, gesturing behind him. "He's with me. Got suckered into a conversation, but he came out tonight."
Sebastian eyed the table of said booze and grinned, turning to pour himself something. "Kitty. We have a sort of love/hate relationship. In that she keeps telling me she hates me, but I know it's not true. As proven by the fact that I'm here," he pointed out, gesturing to himself. "That's not really that many considering how many people are in the United States, but I'll give it to you anyway. Especially since we're standing here with names from Sound of Music and Little Mermaid." He took a sip from his cup and let out satisfied sigh. "Oh really? I get to meet the infamous Blaine, hmm?"
Kurt reached forward to refill his own cup, just beginning to feel fuzzy; he could hold his liquor well but tonight was one of those nights where he felt like he needed to let loose and really enjoy himself. "She probably actually hates you," he commented nonchalantly, "but I wouldn't take it personally. She and Santana are really close. I like Santana, too, but I'm not worried about her. She's resourceful." Kurt couldn't help but laugh, just a little. "It's funny because I was actually named after The Sound of Music. It was my mom's favorite movie." He furrowed his brow, quickly changing the subject. "I don't really intend to introduce you because if you make any kind of comment about sleeping with him, I'll ruin your life. But."
Sebastian let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm really not out to get Miss Lopez though. I've tried to make that clear to all of you." It was no wonder he barely had any friends, he thought with a sigh. "You fit the bill at least. I'm not Jamaican at all. Though my name came from my great-grandfather, not the crab." He just gave Kurt a look after that, rolling his eyes obviously. "Why would I make a comment about sleeping with him if I hadn't actually done it. I am completely honest about my escapades, thank you."
Kurt shrugged, looking over at Sebastian; he had an air of confidence about him that Kurt was almost envious of. "I know you're just doing your job," he specified with a slight shrug. "What does that mean? 'I fit the bill'? I can't tell what portion of that is an insult," he mused, though there wasn't much argument in his tone; he was in too good a mood to try and be insulted by anything Sebastian was coming out with. "More like making a comment about wanting to sleep with him, I guess." He took a swig of his drink. "If you promise to behave, I'll introduce you." Blaine being there was a good thing; having the opportunity to let everyone know they were doing just fine was big for him after doubting whether or not they'd make it. He cocked a small smile. "He might need saving, anyway."
Sebastian nodded along. He'd heard before. Either people couldn't stand him or he got the 'just doing his job' pat on the back. He had only been at this job for a few years and he was already growing tired of being defined by it. "A very small portion," he offered with a grin. "Cute, cheeks you wanna pinch, looks like you might break out into song at any moment." He shrugged innocently, figuring it could be taken however Kurt preferred to take it. He considered Kurt's worries and tilted his head, looking him over as he was growing more fond of doing. "What about making comments about wanting to sleep with you? Is that allowed? Okay, okay. I'll behave Scouts honor," he promised with a laugh. "Saving from who? My little pixie over there?" Madison was chattering away as he'd grown used to her doing and he still found it rather adorable.
Kurt rolled his eyes at Sebastian's description of him, trying to squash the amused smirk that wanted to appear. "That's fair. I used to break out into song a lot," he pointed out, although the next comment made him blush--again. He really wasn't used to having someone who wasn't Blaine be so forthcoming with him, and although he was happily taken, he couldn't deny that the flattery had an effect on him. "Not allowed," he croaked out after a minute, "though I can rest assured you're thinking it." Happy with the subject change, he straightened up again. "Your little pixie? Aw, someone's found themselves a friend," he joked, starting to back up from the table. "Come on." He turned. "Blaine, honey. Here's the Piggly Wiggly pain in the ass I was telling you about." He shot a smirk back at Sebastian, a sign that he was teasing.
Sebastian nodded at Kurt's admission. "Knew it," he teased. A grin appeared at Kurt's obvious reaction to his suggestion. The guy was absolutely thinking about it now and Sebastian considered that a win. "Yeah, that's right. I can make friends. People like me. Don't sound so surprised." Sebastian followed along and stood next to Madison. His heart fell into his stomach the moment Blaine turned around though. "Shit," he muttered to himself. He'd had his suspicions, but truthfully he'd really hoped he was wrong. He didn't actually want Kurt to get hurt in all this, but there might be no avoiding it now. He reached out and wrapped his hand around Madison's wrist, silently begging her not to go anywhere.
Kurt rolled his eyes, though at this point it was playful; he was in a good mood and Sebastian was, surprisingly, helping that. "Madison's a little neurotic, so I wouldn't get too cocky," he joked, just as he slid an arm around Blaine's waist. For the moment, he wasn't paying much mind to the way Blaine tended beside him or the look on Sebastian's face. "Blaine, Sebastian. Sebastian's working on something boring so he's stuck in Lima for the time being. Figured maybe we could show him where all the good spots are." He stopped in his ramblings, then, and looked between the two boys. Madison, always one to fill the void, slipped her arm proudly through Sebastian's and tucked herself into his side. "What's up, Buttercup?"
Sebastian turned his head toward Madison and whispered. "Nothing good. Stay here, please." It helped knowing he had any small amount of support for whatever was about to happen, even if he'd only known the girl for a couple weeks. It was certainly better than facing this disaster alone. He swallowed and forced himself to stand a little straighter. "Hello.... Blaine."
Kurt took one look at Blaine'a pale face and his stomach turned; he didn't know anything, not yet, but if there was one thing his boyfriend was bad at, it was playing it cool. His smile faded and his arm dropped, gaze glued to Blaine. "Do you two know each other or something?" Blaine didn't know what Sebastian had described to him, and it sounded so innocent when Blaine quietly replied, "We met once. When I was in New York. Hung out with a group of people, you know." Kurt, fighting to remain optimistic, looked over to Sebastian. Madison, sensing the tension, kept her mouth shut for once in lieu of tucking herself in Sebastian's side, watching the conversation unfold in front of her.
Sebastian closed his eyes, unsure of what the hell he was supposed to say. Surprisingly enough, even with all his encounters, he'd never actually had a situation like this come up before. He knew there was no point in lying. Kurt didn't deserve that and he wouldn't believe it anyway after the things he'd told him. But this definitely wasn't the place for this either. He licked his lips slowly as he opened his eyes and laid them on Kurt. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I really didn't want it to be this way," he told him sincerely. "I was really hoping it wasn't."
Kurt didn't expect what came out of Sebastian's mouth next. He expected him to go along with Blaine's half-truth, leave Kurt to his imagination, but he confessed. And, suddenly, everything Sebastian had said about losing his virginity came rushing back. He was from the Midwest. Said he has a boyfriend back home. On an audition. Had a thing for bow ties ever since. I'm sorry, Kurt. And there was Blaine, standing quietly like a fucking idiot who couldn't tell if he was angry at Sebastian or horrified in general. It sunk in, gradually, because the coincidence just felt too unreal. But then Blaine croaked out a broken "Kurt..." and he immediately shoved his drink into Madison's hand to avoid dropping it.
"Are you kidding me?" He meant for it to sound incredulous, but his quivering voice betrayed him, and he tucked his arms tight against his chest as if he needed to protect himself. "Was that--God, you let me think...you came home and told me you fucking loved me after that." His voice was raised, but at that point, he was unconcerned. "I remember that trip. I--I can't believe you fucking cheated on me let alone make me think you loved me, I can't..." Kurt reached up to sink his fingers in his hair, trying to stay calm. "Please tell me it was just that one time. If it was, maybe we can--"
"I'm sorry, Kurt."
Madison, taken aback, reached down to grab Sebastian's hand. "We should probably like, go," she stage whispered, because although she honestly had no idea what was going on, this felt like a private moment. For sure. "Come on."
Sebastian stuttered, unsure of what he should do. He was part of this in some ways, but also really not. He'd been in this town for a few weeks and he was already screwing up people's lives. "I didn't mean to..." he started, looking at Madison helplessly. He met Kurt's eyes and tried to express what he was feeling. The truth was, he knew Blaine had a boyfriend when he slept with him and he hadn't cared. He'd never expected to meet the boyfriend, much less actually like the guy. That didn't make it any better though. "I'm sorry," he said again before turning to Blaine. "Not to you though."
Kurt felt like he couldn't breathe; there was more, he could hear it in Blaine's apology, and it felt like everything was crumbling around him. Never in a million years would Kurt expect Blaine to do something like this, but fuck. Sebastian talking just kept making it worse--realistically he couldn't blame him, but he'd fucked Blaine and he was standing there and he could feel himself ready to snap. He turned his head so Sebastian couldn't see the tears prick in his eyes. "Go," he snapped, then, and turned his glare full focus back to Blaine. "Let's go somewhere where we aren't being...fuck, Blaine." Madison started nudging at Bas once more, because if there was one thing she knew about the situation, it was that Sebastian's presence was just going to make it worse. Plus, she wanted the gossip.
The party was in a pretty good swing by the time Kitty walked in through the front doors of the Piggly Wiggly. The employees all had different jobs to work during the party hours; some monitored the door and made sure to check in the employees who stopped by, some made sure that no one went into the areas that were marked off inside the building, and some did other “more fun” tasks such as playing bartender and running some of the games. She had helped set up and then left to get ready, but being back and seeing everyone already having a good time was enough to settle the growing anxiety that had plagued the woman for the better part of the last few weeks. The big wigs (or as big as they got over at the office) were giving her more responsibilities for interpersonal affairs -- some initiative they were working on to try to boost morale around the departments -- and that meant that everything had to run smoothly.
A quick scan through whatever parts of the event she could see reaffirmed where the food was starting to lack, how employees were doing with their drink load, and most important -- where the mistletoe were hung. A certain someone standing beneath one of the fake leaves caught her eye and she couldn’t help but walk over with her signature smirk curled up on the corners of her lips. “Better watch where you’re standing around here, you know. Some people might take it as an invitation if you dawdle.”
