"Do you even know what it is?" The way Jesse spoke made him laugh, of course it did. He was so baffled and repulsed by his studies and honestly, yeah, Sebastian got that. He never realised how insufferable political students could be until he started studying it in a city like New York. The strong views, the boring terminology, the money. God, the money. Hartley might have a point on that one.
"I'm good at what I do, no one is denying that. I'm not denying it either. Broadway would be so lucky but I got other plans." His dad's plans. Arts in his family was a no-go and he had no idea what would happen if he told his dad he wanted to audition for a musical.
It would get ugly fast. "I'm surprised you didn't just cast yourself as the lead."
"Hard to direct and have the leading role at the same time. Anyway, I don't fit the part. I'd need someone with a different kind of versatility." Someone who had more of that innocent schoolboy charm. Though Jesse didn't say it like that, he simply smiled. And he wondered whether there was a way to make Sebastian blush. Because if there was than he felt there would be give. There had to be give. The stage had to be calling him. He saw him perform.
"Let's sing another duet, Sebastian. Darling, you get to pick this time."
"I already sang for the night, let the tuneless teens have their turn." Sebastian dismissed. Yes, he was tempted but singing was kind of a drug and he didn't need to go down that road. Whenever he felt that burning desire to do anything but his dad's path, he liked to imagine that shitty tunnel he had to go into with Kurt. That was his future without his parents.
"I'm sure you can find a duet partner here. You're like sex on legs, everyone is watching you, dying to be with you. Take it and run with it, handsome." He couldn't sing with Jesse again. Too deadly.
"See, that's the thing though. Everyone is dying to be with you and here I'm just dying to sing with you again, darling. If anything, you're now the most irresistible person in this whole place." Jesse sighed but got up and, yes, there were some people watching him. In fact, once he approached the stage, the people on their stopped their performance to hold out the mic to him, which he graciously accepted. He rolled his shoulders as he got into character and Tina watched.
"You know, I've never found him that attractive before..." She was just saying.
"He must be getting gayer then," Artie said drily, which made Tina slap his shoulder. And on stage, Jesse started singing and performing a very energetic version of the Rum Tum Tugger.
Ah shit, he fucking loved Cats. He didn't care that everyone hated it, they were wrong. It was musical genius. Not that he was about to admit to that. He watched Jesse's performance with a small smile, unable to help himself. He was good. The way he sang, the way he moved, his fucking hips. Mick Jagger would be so lucky.
Sebastian leaned back and admired the show but it was as much as a challenge as an impressive feat. Oh, he wanted to sing again. He wanted to upstage Jesse in his own way. He just thought if he went up their solo, if he sang alone, he would never want to stop.
Jesse grinned in the cocky way the number demanded once he'd finished the song, smirking at Sebastian especially and enjoying the applause and the appropriate, in this context, cat calls. Then he spoke into the mic, deciding to simply make it a challenge. Sebastian didn't seem like a person who could easily resist a challenge. "I don't think anyone other than Sebastian Smythe here would be up for following me after this. He said he'd be able to, no problem."
He shrugged, looking at him and raising his eyebrows. "What, Sebastian? Are you feeling shy now?"
"No, I just have to get up and study tomorrow." He looked around and then back at Jesse's stupid smirking face and he didn't want to lose. He never lost. He huffed in annoyance. He could do one song, it wouldn't fuck him entirely up, would it. After a few moments, he stood up and took the mic. "But fine, I can sing before I go home. I can bring the house down cause, well, you clearly can't."
Sebastian knew that to upstage Jesse was impossible if he went with the same energy. He couldn't go energetic, he had to ballad. Earnest, simple, sweet. He had to be different to be better. He stopped at the DJ and told him the song before he put the mic into the stand.
"Let me catch my breath. This is really hard. If I start to look like I'm sweating, well... that's 'cause I am." Sebastian was earnest in his singing, a little self deprecating laughter. He kept his body language close at first, knowing he had to turn up the charm in a less slick and more earnest way.
"Run away with me."
Sebastian looked at Jesse for whatever reason. He didn't know why but he felt something building up inside of him and it was hard to ignore that it was a swelling feeling. Something emotional.
"Let me be your ride out of town. Let me be the place that you hide. We can make our lives on the go - run away with me."
"He's perfect," Jesse said, mostly to himself. Artie heard him, because he had his phone camera trained on him. He slowly swerved over to focus on Sebastian and while he was filming, Jesse watched, entirely enraptured.
All right, he had found his leading man. Now he just had to stop him from studying anything political. Or science. Who gave a damn, really? When the time came to applaud, Jesse was louder than anyone else, getting up and cheering.
"Best of the night!" He wasn't hearing any objections, "Come here, Sebastian, let me talk you into a callback."
Sebastian put the mic back and smiled slightly as he got off the stage, looking at Jesse and then shaking his head. It sucked. It really sucked. It was like a burning, white anger in his chest because it wasn't fair. He was good, he knew he was good, he could do whatever he wanted but no, he had to do what his dad wanted. And he didn't like. He wasn't happy. And now he felt it for the first time since he'd graduated Dalton.
"No callback. Sorry. I really can't."
Sebastian walked past Jesse and turned to the other two glee kids, taking his jacket off the back of the chair and raising his hand to them. "I've gotta go, early class tomorrow. But I think I made my point."
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no subject
"I'm good at what I do, no one is denying that. I'm not denying it either. Broadway would be so lucky but I got other plans." His dad's plans. Arts in his family was a no-go and he had no idea what would happen if he told his dad he wanted to audition for a musical.
It would get ugly fast. "I'm surprised you didn't just cast yourself as the lead."
no subject
"Let's sing another duet, Sebastian. Darling, you get to pick this time."
no subject
"I'm sure you can find a duet partner here. You're like sex on legs, everyone is watching you, dying to be with you. Take it and run with it, handsome." He couldn't sing with Jesse again. Too deadly.
no subject
"You know, I've never found him that attractive before..." She was just saying.
"He must be getting gayer then," Artie said drily, which made Tina slap his shoulder. And on stage, Jesse started singing and performing a very energetic version of the Rum Tum Tugger.
no subject
Sebastian leaned back and admired the show but it was as much as a challenge as an impressive feat. Oh, he wanted to sing again. He wanted to upstage Jesse in his own way. He just thought if he went up their solo, if he sang alone, he would never want to stop.
no subject
He shrugged, looking at him and raising his eyebrows. "What, Sebastian? Are you feeling shy now?"
no subject
Sebastian knew that to upstage Jesse was impossible if he went with the same energy. He couldn't go energetic, he had to ballad. Earnest, simple, sweet. He had to be different to be better. He stopped at the DJ and told him the song before he put the mic into the stand.
"Let me catch my breath. This is really hard. If I start to look like I'm sweating, well... that's 'cause I am." Sebastian was earnest in his singing, a little self deprecating laughter. He kept his body language close at first, knowing he had to turn up the charm in a less slick and more earnest way.
"Run away with me."
Sebastian looked at Jesse for whatever reason. He didn't know why but he felt something building up inside of him and it was hard to ignore that it was a swelling feeling. Something emotional.
"Let me be your ride out of town. Let me be the place that you hide. We can make our lives on the go - run away with me."
no subject
All right, he had found his leading man. Now he just had to stop him from studying anything political. Or science. Who gave a damn, really? When the time came to applaud, Jesse was louder than anyone else, getting up and cheering.
"Best of the night!" He wasn't hearing any objections, "Come here, Sebastian, let me talk you into a callback."
Here was hoping.
no subject
"No callback. Sorry. I really can't."
Sebastian walked past Jesse and turned to the other two glee kids, taking his jacket off the back of the chair and raising his hand to them. "I've gotta go, early class tomorrow. But I think I made my point."