Alright, so this is based off of the Devil Wears Prada, which is an amazing movie (also a book!) based off of the fashion world. I was watching it again a few days ago, and the 'I'm not your baby' scene stood out as something I could imagine happening with Kurtbastian, which inspired most of the story.
A few warnings- this is a story that revolves mostly around Kurt, although there is a lot of Sebastian. The fic is based off of The Devil Wears Prada, which means a lot of the quotes are taken directly from the movie, and it will, for the most part, be hard to understand what is happening unless you have seen the movie, read the book, or at least have some sort of idea what happens in the story.
Also, a small Klaine breakup scene, Sebastian being a little bit of a douche, and some swearing.
Leave a review letting me know if you like the story, or if I'm bat shit crazy to try to write something like this. Enjoy!
2 hours ago
Kurt feels himself wake up slowly, his eyes fluttering open, the light in the room dull, masked by the thin curtains that hang in front of the windows. Stretching, he yawns, his muddled brain wondering why his hotel room looked so different.
Shit.
Kurt jumps out of bed, before yelping, picking up the suit pants he finds sprawled across a rug on the other side of the room, covering up his naked body. His head is pounding, and his ears feel like their blocked, everything around him moving slowly. There's only one explanation for it- hangover. But what was he doing in this hotel, infinitely better than his own, completely different to the one Miranda had gotten for him (or the one he'd gotten for himself, actually, considering he did all the work, he thought to himself).
Kurt rushed around the room, gathering up the clothes he could find, flashes of last night running through his head- a lean body hovering above his, pressing kisses down the column of his throat; eating dinner at a fancy French restaurant, drinking more than three glasses of expensive wine; hearing himself say "I'm out of excuses" before leaning in to kiss a man.
Sebastian Smythe.
Kurt groaned before flopping down on the bed again, his face smashed against a pillow. Why, he thought to himself. Why did he have to do this today, why now, why at all?
Kurt groaned again, before hearing the bathroom door open, turning his face to watch Sebastian walk out of the bathroom, clad in nothing but a dark green towel, wrapped low across his waist, his hipbones jutting out.
"You're awake," Sebastian said, a slow grin spreading across his face as he crawled towards Kurt. "And wearing clothes. Why are you wearing clothes?"
"This was a mistake Sebastian," Kurt began, glancing around the room. "I'm sorry, I don't even know why I thought this would be appropriate-"
Kurt let his eyes move over to the couch on the other side of the room, where a book that looked like Miranda's mock up for every month, Jacqueline Follet on the cover, the words "Runaway's Finest" written across the cover.
"What is that?" Kurt asked, his eyes moving back to Sebastian's.
"What's what?" Sebastian asked, before looking at the couch himself. "Oh, it's just the new cover of Runway. We're replacing Miranda with Jacqueline for American Runway." He moves in to kiss Kurt's neck, placing soft kisses down his throat, before Kurt pushes him away.
"What do you mean replacing her?" He screeches, standing up. "You can't replace Miranda."
"And why not? She's younger, she's beautiful, and she has a bright future in the business."
"But," Kurt starts, at a loss for words. "You just can't."
Sebastian smirks. "We can do whatever we want, Kurt. This is fashion, anything goes."
Kurt looks around the room, and then looks back at Sebastian, a disgusted look across his face. "You are disgusting," He whispers.
"I am rich," Sebastian says, holding up one finger. "I am successful." Another finger. Holding up a third finger, he says his last line before Kurt gets up to leave the room. "And I can do whatever the fuck I want to."
Kurt gapes at him, before moving to pick up the last of his stuff, wrapping his scarf haphazardly around his neck.
"Kurt, baby, it's over," Sebastian says, watching him leave. "It's done."
"I'm not your baby," Kurt says, before slamming the door shut.
2 months ago
"You what?" Santana screams, slapping the table Kurt is sitting at, staring at him. "You went upstairs? Why didn't you just crawl into bed with her and ask for a bedtime story?"
"I'm sorry," Kurt pleads. "I just saw the twins, and they told me to bring it upstairs, and I didn't know what to do, so I just went upstairs. There were three tables, it's not my fault you didn't tell me where I was supposed to put the mock-up."
Santana snarls, running a hand through her hair before pacing up and down the office. "You have ruined everything, Hummel. You don't know what she's going to do today. She might even fire you."
"What?" Kurt screeches, staring at Santana. "She's going to fire me?"
"She's certainly not happy."
As soon as Santana begins pacing again, Miranda walks into the office, slinging her coat and bag off of her shoulders and dropping it onto Andy's desk, before walking into her office. Santana gives Kurt a smirk, motioning for him to go in. Kurt gets up slowly, before walking over to Miranda's office, discreetly wiping his hands against his grey suit pants.
"Miranda, about yesterday, I'm so sorry," Kurt begins, before Miranda waves a hand.
"Details of your incompetence do not matter to me," Miranda says, turning another page of the magazine she was reading. "I need American Horror Story for the girls."
"Alright," Kurt says, letting out a relieved sigh. "I'll download the episodes from iTunes right now."
"Did you fall and smack your head on the pavement on your way to work?" Miranda asks, eyeing him.
Silence.
"I," Kurt begins. "Not that I remember?"
"The girls have all of the episodes that are already out for American Horror Story," Miranda says, her tone disapproving. "They want to know what happens next."
"You want the unaired episode of American Horror Story?"
"Well," Miranda says, smirking at Kurt. "We know everyone in the industry, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? And you can do anything, can't you?"
Kurt nods meekly, before walking out of the room, and to his desk, sitting down, and promptly banging his head against the desk.
"Holy fucking shit," He whispers, ignoring Santana's snicker.
Kurt couldn't decide what was worse- thinking he was going to get fired, or not getting fired.
2 weeks ago
"I saw it Kurt," Santana snarls, ripping open a packet of pudding. "You sold your soul the day you put on anything Nigel gave you."
"Santana, I couldn't say no," Kurt pleads. "She didn't even ask, she just told me I had to come to Paris with her. I couldn't say no."
"You can do anything," Santana says, biting into a piece of bread ferociously. "You can fuck do anything, but no- you became one of us. Even though you thought you were better than us, with your dreams of Broadway, and your tacky messenger caps. You thought you were better, and now, you're just like us."
"Santana, I'm sorry," Kurt begs again, moving forward. "I'm sorry, I didn't know-"
"Just go," Santana whispers, staring up at the ceiling. "Just leave."
"Santana, I-" Kurt tries again.
"Leave," Santana shouts, glaring at him.
Kurt leaves the hospital room, his eyes brimming with tears.
4 months ago
"Don't let her see that, it's foul," Santana says, grabbing Kurt's messenger bag and throwing it under the desk.
Kurt looks back at her, confused, before moving towards the office, wondering what he was doing here. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in fashion, of course he was; but Broadway. Broadway was his dream, everything he aspired to achieve. He knew he couldn't fit in here- he was different, from the way he acted, to the way he dressed. But he needed this, needed something until he could get what he wanted.
"Who are you?" Miranda says, watching Kurt walk into her office.
"I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt begins, before Miranda waves her hand asking him to be quiet.
"You're here to try to get this job," Miranda says. "One that hundreds of girls would die for." She looks him over once, taking in his clothes. "You have no sense in fashion…"
"I think that depends on," Kurt begins before Miranda interrupts.
"No no, that wasn't a question."
Kurt feels himself turn red, looking away from Miranda as she scrutinizes him once again.
"You're hired," She says simply, turning back to her magazine.
"I…what?" Kurt says in disbelief.
"Get out of my office," is the only reply he gets.
15 hours ago
Kurt walks down the streets of Paris, his arm wrapped around Sebastian's, as he tells her about the places they pass by. Kurt lets go of his hand to wrap it around a street lamp, looking up and sighing happily.
"I never understood why almost everybody I knew was crazy about Paris," Kurt says dreamily, letting himself turn in a circle around the lamp. "But now…"
He's silenced by Sebastian's lips as Sebastian brings up a hand to cup Kurt's cheek, kissing him intently, rubbing his thumb slowly across his cheekbone. Kurt breaks away from the kiss, shaking his head.
"I can't do this," Kurt says, before Sebastian kisses him again, harder.
"No," Kurt says, breaking away again. "Blaine and I only split up a few days ago."
Sebastian grins, moving in to kiss him again.
"I've had a few drinks, and I'm in a strange city," Kurt tries again, staring down at Sebastian's lips.
Sebastian kisses him again, letting his tongue swipe across Kurt's bottom lip.
"I'm," Kurt says breathlessly, pulling away. "I'm out of excuses."
"Thank God," Sebastian says with a smirk, pulling Kurt closer, before kissing him again.
5 days ago
"I'm still the same Kurt," Kurt shouts, watching Blaine shake his head.
"The same Kurt?" Blaine says, smirking. "My Kurt wouldn't miss my birthday, or change his clothes, or do anything of this."
"I'm still the same," Kurt says. "Same Kurt, better clothes."
"I liked your old clothes," Blaine said simply.
"What do you want me to do? This is my job," Kurt screams, wiping away a tear that glides down his cheek.
"It stopped being your job when you became Miranda's slave," Blaine screams back. "You know, I wouldn't care if you were out there pole dancing for a living, as long as you did it with some integrity! You used to make fun of the Runway girls, and now you're just one of them!"
"What else do you want me to do, Blaine?" Kurt screams. "I can change, if you want me to. I can change for you."
"I never wanted you to change," Blaine says, shaking his head. "I wanted you to be who you were."
"We can work this out," Kurt says, before he hears his phone ringing in his bag. Shooting a pleading look at Blaine, he takes his phone out of his bag to check whose calling. "Just give me a second, please."
Blaine scoffs, and begins walking away, before turning around to face Kurt one last time.
"You know, incase you were wondering- the person whose calls you always take? That's the relationship you're in." He pauses, before spitting out his last words. "I hope you're very happy together."
1 hour ago
Kurt looked around the room, tugging at his shirts collar and trying to calm down, his heart beating fast as he see's Miranda walk up to the stage, taking out her glasses and coughing into her hand before beginning her speech. Kurt zones out as he hears her talk about how great Jacqueline and Sebastian were. He looks across the room at Sebastian, who was already watching him, a hopeless look on his face, one that catches Kurt off guard- he never thought he'd see Sebastian seem…human.
"I'm sorry," he sees Sebastian mouth at him. "I don't know why I did it."
Kurt stares at him a little longer, expressionless, before turning away, to hear Miranda's last few words.
"And that is why, we've decided to make Jacqueline's branch of Runway, here in Paris, the biggest in three continents, with Sebastian Smythe as her co-editor."
Everyone smiles and claps, and Kurt sits in his seat, stunned, before clapping moments after everyone had already started.
I should've known, Kurt thought to himself. I should've known.
Looking back at Sebastian, he saw him staring at him again, but now, all Kurt felt was pity. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, watching Sebastian nod, telling him he understood.
This was fashion, after all.
Present
"You thought I didn't know," Miranda says, eyeing Kurt from where she was sitting next to him in the car, on their way to the last event in Paris. Kurt looks back at her silently.
"I've known for quite some time," Miranda says, turning away to look at the streets they passed by. I've known what was happening for quite some time. I just needed to find an alternative for Jacqueline, and the job for International Runway was so absurdly overpaid, I knew she'd jump at the opportunity. Sebastian, too- I knew he would jump for anything, given that he's nobody in the fashion industry, not yet."
"He didn't jump at this opportunity; he was going to be the most important man in fashion if you hadn't taken it away from him," Kurt says. He didn't know where his anger was coming from, or why he felt the need to defend Sebastian.
Miranda chuckles, but otherwise pretends Kurt didn't say anything. "Truth is, there's no one that can do what I do. Including her, or Sebastian. Any of the other choices would have found that job impossible and the magazine would have suffered. Especially because of the list. The list of designers, photographers, editors, writers, models, all of whom were found by me, nurtured by me and have promised me they will follow me whenever and if ever I choose to leave Runway. So it was reconsidered. But I was very, very impressed by how intently you tried to warn me. I never thought I would say this, Kurt, but I really- I see a great deal of myself in you. You can see beyond what people want, and what they need and you can choose for yourself."
"I don't think I could do what you did, Miranda," Kurt says quietly. "I couldn't do what you did to Sebastian, or to Jacqueline."
"Oh, but you already did," Miranda said, smirking. "To Santana."
"That's not the same," Kurt said, gasping. "I didn't have a choice."
"Oh no, you had a choice," Miranda said. "You just chose to let yourself get ahead. These choices are necessary."
"What if I don't want this life?"
"Oh please, Kurt," Miranda says with a wave of her hand, before slipping on her sunglasses and getting ready to leave the car. "Everyone wants this. Everyone wants to be us."
2 weeks later
Kurt leaves the theater he met up with Will Schuester, co-producer of the new musical 'Where the Wild Men Go', smiling at the thought of standing center stage, belting out a song to crowds of impressed people.
This is it, he thought to himself. This is my chance to finally be me.
Slowing down as he passed the Runway building, he stops as he sees Sebastian and Jacqueline step out of a car, luggage next to them. Sebastian spots him, and they stare at each other for a second, before Kurt gives him a small wave. Sebastian gives him a small smile, waving back before turning away. Kurt watches them walk into the building, where he sees Miranda standing at the door, staring at Kurt.
Kurt waves to her too, smiling. Miranda stares at him, before turning around and walking further into the building.
And Kurt smiles, because it's done, and he's changed.