Timeframe: season 4, shortly before Christmas

Chapter summary: Sebastian makes a decision.

Kurt came up from behind unexpectedly and wrapped his arms around Sebastian. The other boy quickly tried to minimize the window on his laptop, but it was too late.

"What are you doing? Are you booking a trip?" Kurt asked curiously, looking at the website over Sebastian's shoulder. "Where to?"

Sebastian sighed. "To Paris."

"We're going to Paris?!" Kurt exclaimed, sounding excited. He squeezed Sebastian tightly before letting go and stepping around him to look at his face.

Why wasn't he saying anything?

"I'm going to Paris. You're going to NYADA," Sebastian corrected him quietly, closing his laptop with a soft click. The acceptance letter had arrived yesterday and after a long and exuberant party with Rachel and their new New York friends, Sebastian had had the rest of the night time to think.

"But not until after Christmas," Kurt said, and then paused.

"It's not just a holiday, is it?"

Sebastian looked up at him and already regretted what he was about to say. Still, he knew it was for the best.

"Kurt, the last few weeks with you have been...amazing. But it's time to face the facts. You're going off to into this whole new chapter of your life; NYADA, Broadway, fame. All day long you'll be surrounded by talented people who are just like you, who share your big dreams."

He shrugged. "I'm not a part of that world. When you're out there, achieving all of those things you've always dreamed of, there will be no room in your life for me. I'd just hold you back."

Sebastian paused and looked away, unable to keep looking at the tears that had started to gather in Kurt's eyes.

"Not to mention, in six months, Blaine will be coming to New York-" he continued, but there, Kurt cut him off.

"Stop it. Stop it, Sebastian. Look at me."

His voice was so full of determination that Sebastian couldn't help but do what he said.

"This is not about Blaine. Stop being a coward. I don't know where this is coming from, but I'm not going to let you throw everything away. Running off to Paris! And then what, Bas? What will you do there? Huh?" Kurt demanded angrily.

"Do you think you can just move back into your old dorm to go back to your life of... of doing nothing but partying and fucking everything with two legs?"

Sebastian blinked. Kurt's vocabulary had certainly taken a turn for the worse since they got together. "Kurt, I don't-" he started, but Kurt shook his head.

"For the last half year, you've been working your ass off to make enough money to get into NYU. And all of the sudden, you want to throw that all away, and worse: blame me for it?" Kurt pointed his finger at him.

"Don't you dare use me and our relationship as an excuse for your own fears, Sebastian. If you're afraid you aren't gonna cut it at NYU, just say so - so I can tell you you're being ridiculous and we can get over it. But I'm not going to let you pull a Finn on me."

Kurt was practically seething by now, his eyes fierce and blazing with blue fire.

Sebastian stared at him. "Pull a.. a what?" he stammered.

"A Finn," Kurt bit back. "Last year after graduation, Finn and Rachel were going to get married and then she got into NYADA and he suddenly felt the need to 'set her free' to be a star." Kurt scoffed.

"It was bullshit. He was just too chicken to man up and make plans for himself."

Kurt raised his chin and stared down at Sebastian. Then his expression softened.

"I know you'll be fine at NYU. You're smart, and determined, and you would never have graduated at Dalton if you weren't capable of applying yourself."

He paused and put a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. "And if you're worried I'll have less time for you once I start school, I can promise you, I won't make the same mistake twice. I lost Blaine that way and I will not do that to you. Besides, after the weeks we spent together, do you really think I wouldn't want to make time in my schedule for you? You're addictive, you know."

Sebastian laughed a little. "That's true," he admitted cockily. Then his face fell a little.

"Half of the professors at NYU are old friends of my dad's," he said quietly. "What if he had told them about me, about... the stuff I got up to in Paris? They'd never give me a fair chance."

Kurt tightened his hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "Then you'll have to show them you've changed, like you showed me."

He offered Sebastian a sly smile. "And if that doesn't work, I'll help you blackmail them."

Sebastian laughed out loud. "I really corrupted you, haven't I?" he said, chuckling. He put his arms around his boyfriend and pulled him onto his lap.

"No, you haven't," Kurt replied happily, "you should have seen me in freshman year."

END OF PART ONE - This epilogue was written before I knew I was going to write a sequel. Bildungsromance II skips back to the events of ch 18.