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Sometimes, Kurt felt less like a boyfriend and more like a parent. He understood why Sebastian sometimes acted the way he did- his parents had rarely been around when he was growing up, leaving his jerk of an older brother to be his only role model. Sebastian hadn’t learned much about respect or how to act appropriately in some situations.
Occasionally, Kurt just had to give him a reminder.
Especially when Sebastian was stressed. He wouldn’t give anything a second thought and would only follow what he thought was right.
Kurt wasn’t always able to give his boyfriend the guidance he needed since they lived far apart and attended different schools, which led to Kurt receiving the occasional text from a Warbler begging for him to sort Sebastian out.
Kurt rolled his eyes as he heard his phone vibrate for the 5th time in the space of 10 minutes. He was in the middle of a pop-quiz (Mr Schuester had decided to assess the Glee club on their knowledge of Journey) so he was unable to check the messages, which irritated him.
“Mr Schue?” Rachel said, raising her hand. “There’s a spelling error on question 7. Yes, I’m already on question 7.” She added the last part with a proud smile.
“What? That can’t be right. I double-checked these last night before I printed them,” Mr Schuester said.
“Well, see for yourself. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone had given me a sabotaged copy to ensure I failed.” Rachel stalked up to the front of the class and shoved her paper under Mr Schuester’s nose.
While Mr Schuester was distracted, Kurt checked his phone.
Trent: Help us. Sebastian has gone mad with power.
Trent: He won’t let Nick go to the bathroom. Everyone is crying.
Trent: Kurt, you know only you can help him.
Trent: He may keep us here all night.
Trent: I’ve forgotten what sunlight looks like.
Kurt groaned loudly causing Rachel to turn away from Mr Schuester and glare at him.
“Kurt!” she snapped. “Stop cheating! Mr Schue, confiscate his phone at once.”
Kurt rolled his eyes. “Sorry, Mr Schue, but I have to leave.”
“Why? Did something happen?” Mr Schue asked.
“My boyfriend is drunk on power and is keeping the Warblers captive,” Kurt said as he grabbed his bag and exited the classroom.
“And that is why you’re all disappointments! And that is why we’re going to lose at Regionals! And that is why we are not taking a break until after you get the move right!” Sebastian snapped, pointing his finger in a way that would make Cooper Anderson nothing but proud.
“Sebastian, come on,” Trent said. “Give us a break.”
“Do you think the New Directions take breaks?!”
“Yes!”
“Exactly!” Sebastian exclaimed. “And that’s how we get better than them!”
“Look, Sebastian, you might want to calm down before Kurt gets here,” Trent warned.
Sebastian laughed. “Kurt isn’t coming.”
“I texted him.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “You did what?!”
“You’re acting crazy and-“
Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair. “Dammit,” he muttered.
Kurt left his car and made his way inside the academy. He followed the familiar route to the rehearsal room.
“Sebastian,” he said as soon as he walked into the room. “Stop.”
Sebastian stared at him, face flushed and hair a mess, in the middle of a rant. “Kurt. My God, Trent, you actually texted him?!”
Kurt examined his boyfriend more closely. His eyes were red, and he was swaying on his feet. “Come back to your dorm with me.”
Sebastian was about to argue but one look at Kurt’s stern expression made him sigh and follow his boyfriend.
Once they were alone in the hallway together, Kurt asked, “When was the last time you slept?”
“I don’t know,” Sebastian muttered, rubbing his eyes. “I’ve been up all night handling choreography and set lists and buses.”
“Why are you stressing so much about this?” Kurt took Sebastian’s hand in his and gently stroked his palm with his thumb.
“My dad’s coming. My mom convinced him and… he’s coming to see if singing is just a pipe dream of mine or if it’s worth investing my future in.”
“So, you need to impress him.”
“Exactly. But I can’t do that if those stupid Warblers don’t get their act together.”
“Hey,” Kurt said, “it’s not their fault. You know I love you, but we’re both aware that you can be… unreasonable and demanding at times.”
“But Regionals is 2 weeks away-”
“And if you burn them out before then?”
Sebastian sighed. “Sorry.” He pulled Kurt into a hug and buried his face into the crook of his neck.
“Let’s go back to your room. Get changed into your pyjamas, curl up in bed, and we’ll cuddle for a bit. You can talk to me about how you’re feeling. Then, we’ll get something to eat and come up with a plan together. I’ll text Trent and tell him to end rehearsal now and let everyone rest.”
“I love you,” Sebastian murmured.
“I love you too. Now, let’s go to your dorm.” They walked the rest of the way back to Sebastian’s dorm room. Kurt helped Sebastian put on his pyjamas and crawled into bed beside him. “How are your classes going?”
“Fine,” Sebastian said, not meeting Kurt’s eyes.
“Bas.”
“I’m not doing so well. They’re hard and I have barely any time to study and do homework.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were struggling?” Kurt asked. He already knew the answer. Sebastian had never felt safe to ask for help or admit that he wasn’t able to manage something. “Next time, tell me, alright? We’ll handle this together.”
“I’m just afraid that I won’t be good enough for him. I need to do this on my own-”
“No, you don’t. Remember, everyone is here to help you. We’re all a team. That’s what friendship is. You can ask for help, Bas. It’s okay.”
Sebastian nodded softly. “And if I still fail?”
“We won’t love you any less. Sometimes in life, things don’t go exactly to plan, but you can always count on us to be there. And if someone stops loving you because you don’t meet their expectations, then they aren’t worth it.”
“But I’ll always have you, right?” Sebastian asked. “Even if I can get way in over my head sometimes?”
“You’ll always have me. I love you unconditionally. Now, get some sleep.”