Archive of Our Own

Glee Season 4 Episode 3 AU - The One Where There is No Hunter:

After his more than miserable chat with Kurt, at least he thought it to be, his far away boyfriend was probably still over the moon like happy with everything going in his life, with not the slightest interest in the things going on Lima, or Westerville so to say, because he had been at home after all, when he had that stupid talk.

Yes, Blaine was miserable, he was sulking and depressed, and nothing helped more in these situations than coffee and cake, that was how he found himself sitting in the Lima Bean, craving for companionship and someone to talk to, someone who wouldn`t judge him once the first sentence left his mouth.

That was how Blaine found himself sitting in a booth at the far end of the cafe, those piercing brown eyes of his friend watching him like a hawk, trying to gauge a real reaction, the real intention for a desperate call at nine thirty on a Saturday morning. But until now his companion kept silent, for one he was tired and for the second reason, he had always been more patient with him than Blaine had earned it.

"It`s stupid." Blaine said again, taking another sip of his coffee, the only way to get his head to wake up, he hadn`t slept at all last night. Until now, he had beaten around the bush for a good hour, talking about everything that had been going on in his last week except for the talk yesterday. He had talked about the ridiculous clubs he had joined to get over his loneliness, that had gotten him a loud laugh that had half the customers in the Lima Bean shooting them strange glances. He had said some words about the presidential campain, something he was already regretting, he needed to get a decision on that, if it was worth pursuing.

Scratch that, he needed a decision about whether or not life at McKinley was still worth pursuing. His friend sighed, a clear sign that he was already biting his tongue to keep himself from talking, he had taken off the blue and red piped jacket, it was annoyingly warm inside this cafe, "Okay, say something." Blaine made it clear he was done talking for now.

"You called me at nine thirty on a Saturday morning, scaring the hell out of us by the way, we feared something might have happened." It made Blaine smile a little, because of course had he noticed the slip up, how his friend changed from single to plural this easily, "I come here, and you are talking about what went around last week. Not that I`m not interested in your life, I am, but please, just tell me what is going on. I`m going crazy over here." Blaine looked up and met Nick's gaze over the table, "Whatever it is, I take it, it has something to do with Kurt, and I`m sure it`s not stupid, or you wouldn`t have called me."

Blaine tried to keep his composure, he really tried, but when Nick's sympathy really kicked in, when the look in his warm brown eyes really got to him, he folded into himself.

"I just don`t know what happened. I was so proud of my decision to take part in that campaign, and I thought Kurt would understand, would be proud of me, too, happy for me." He admitted and Nick raised an eyebrow

"Was he angry?" Nick asked, confused, because that didn`t suit Kurt at all, but then again had any of them ever known Kurt's true face? Had any of them ever been able to say something suited him or not?

"No, no, I never got to tell him. He didn`t let me speak. He just went on and on about New York, about his internship, about Rachel, about this new guy she keeps edging on, about lots of things..." Blaine pushed a hand through his hair, ungelled, Nick had recoiled for a second as he had spotted him, no gel was never a good sign with him, "Since he is in New York, we talked three times, no, that`s not right. He talked, and I got to listen, it`s all about him, and his new life. He doesn`t answer my messages or mails, he doesn`t react at all to them."

"Have you tried telling him?" Nick wanted to know carefully, hesitating as if he was already able to tell that something was wrong, that something was brewing inside of Blaine.

"Of course I tried, several times, but he always waves it away, tells me that his news are more important. I wanted to tell him so much, he says it can wait, my life is not running away." Blaine grumbled and Nick blinked, two times, before leaning closer to him.

"What?" Nick whisper yelled and incredibility in his friend's eyes told him exactly what Blaine wanted to know, he wasn`t overreacting, this was wrong, right?

"Yeah... And at McKinley, everybody is always asking how Kurt is, if I had heard anything from Rachel. How are they coping so far away from home... since Kurt is gone, no one asked me once how I feel with him being away." Blaine added quietly in the end.

Now Nick's eyes almost bugged from their sockets, because that was new for him, and unbelievable, because Jeff and him, even Rob, they had been texting Blaine since Kurt's sudden departure at least every second day. Asking if he was alright, if he needed someone to cheer him up. Until now, he had declined, he had had his clubs to keep him busy, but since he had quit every single one of them after the first two meetings, he had time now, and he was lonely again.

"I`m really sorry, Blaine." Nick sighed and Blaine could see the sincerity behind it, always had, with Jeff and Nick, it had always been like reading a first grade book. They had never been able to hide their emotions, not from him or the bigger part of the Warblers, some months younger than Blaine himself, the two best friends had been the babies of their group at the start, and he was sure that for Wes, David and Thad, Nick and Jeff would always be the babies.

They had been his closest friends back in his time at Dalton, and Blaine had felt miserable to leave them behind after his transfer. He had laid awake often the first nights, asking himself how it would go on with them, now where Wes had graduated, where their rock had been gone off to Boston. At first he had held up contact, had talked with David over the phone, poor David, who had been practically all alone, losing his best friend to college. But the more he had missed Wes, the more he had shifted to Thad and soon Blaine had caught them laughing outside of the Lima Bean.

Nick and Jeff had been harder to crack in the beginning, miserable that with Wes they had also lost him, the boy they had looked up to for two years, who had given them so much advice. But then suddenly they had jumped back into their old giddy happy selves, and Blaine had been relieved, until he had met the reason.

After the slushly incident and especially after Dave's suicide attempt, he had worried about them, had been going crazy with the fear that they could spiral down, too. Hell, he had been fighting against his old demons again, but he was three times more confident about being gay than Jeff and Nick together.

Only Wes had been able to calm him down, even Kurt hadn`t been any help, his fury against Sebastian and the fear for Dave had been clouding every help he could have offered his boyfriend. Nick and Jeff had been alright, had been alright when David and Thad had graduated that summer, the first following Wes to Harvard and the second off to Yale.

And over the holidays, Blaine had found himself becoming close with them again, they had been friends again since Regionals, but it had still been awkward, and only time had taken them over it. He had spent every minute he had, while Kurt had been working in his father's shop, with them, at his place or in the area, he had been excited over their mails from Mexico where Rob had dragged them off to for three weeks, he had been happy about the pictures that had them all smiling brightly into the camera.

But even back then, it had been him to be happy about the situation, Kurt had been sulking whenever he had wanted to talk about the Dalton students, he had never forgiven them for their betrayal that had never been one. Kurt had thrown away a friendship with shocking ease, a friendship with people that had meant a lot to him, when he had still been at Dalton, thrown it away because of one stupid mistake Sebastian had made.

Sebastian Smythe.

So many things had happened. So many things between them, between Sebastian and Kurt, between the New Directions and Sebastian. Between the Warblers and the New Directions. But still, there didn't pass a day where Blaine didn't regret cutting off what had despite everything been an amazing friendship.

Sebastian had been more than snarky oneliners, endless flirting and badly timed pranks, he had been more than the evil villain everyone had turned him into. He had taken that role, had smirked and just slipped right into what everyone in the New Directions had already been painting him as, and Blaine had always wondered just why. Why Sebastian had worked right into everyone's assumption until Dave's suicide attempt.

Sometimes it had even looked as though Sebastian had been happy to have a role to play, to have some kind of mask to slip into. And so many times when they had been alone and talking, Blaine had wanted to grab him and shake him, demand to know just why Sebastian was doing this to himself. Just why he was letting these people believe that he was nothing more than some arrogant prep school buy out with personal vendettas against notoriously annoying public school kids.

Why he was just so afraid of showing them what he showed him. The real Sebastian behind that sneer. That confident boy who still knew what insecurities were, that boy who still knew that not everyone was as confident with their body and sexuality. Sebastian was smart and talented, he had been burned in Paris and started anew. But none of that had shown until Dave had tried to kill himself and the guilt had been written all over Sebastian's face some days after in the Lima Bean.

And for the first time all guards had been down, no more pretending, no more jokes, no more senses turned onto attack. Sebastian had been honest, had been raw and crushed, and everyone but Kurt had seen and understood, even Santana. And Blaine had been worried, so worried that Sebastian had been alone in all of this, that no one was there to catch him when he would ultimately fall, because that it had been coming had been clear. But then he had caught sight of Thad and Rob coming out of the bathroom, stopping when they caught sight of their little group.

Rob had narrowed his eyes and had braced himself for a confrontation, but Thad had held him back with an arm pushed against his chest. And Blaine was relieved, clearly seeing that both Warblers were ready to defend and support Sebastian if anything crossed a line. And then as they left again and Blaine threw one last look over his shoulder at Sebastian, he found him smiling faintly at Rob and Thad as they dropped back into their seats at the table.

Blaine had never told Kurt, and never had even thought about telling him, but those first nights after Dave had tried to kill himself, where they had only been comfortable in each others' arms, Blaine had bolted awake from nightmares.

Nightmares, in which it had been Sebastian dangling from those beams, where his lifeless green eyes had looked down at him, accusing him.

Blaine had been so confused, and the need to talk to Sebastian had grown bigger and bigger, but he hadn`t been able to dial his number, hadn`t been able to face him. He hadn`t talked to Sebastian since his few respecting words about their performance at Regionals. No contact at all, he had only known that his former friend was still alive and halfway okay, because Nick had told him. In phone calls, in text messages, told him about Sebastian's own nightmares. About how Thad and Rob had never strayed far from Sebastian's side in those weeks, how they had repeatedly spent nights talking to him behind closed doors.

And whatever had been spoken between them, it had helped Sebastian shake off or work through whatever had troubled him. Slowly. Jeff had written him one late Saturday morning before Regionals that Thad and Sebastian had sat the Warblers down the night before and given a safe space for whoever wanted to talk about what had happened in the last days, and that they hadn't stopped sitting together in the choir room until even the last person was feeling secure in having brothers at their back at all times, and that nothing needed to be kept secret.

Blaine had known that Sebastian was alright again because Nick had sent him those pictures from the post-Regionals 'Let's feel better' party, showing a smiling Sebastian, a happy Sebastian. A Sebastian with his arms around the beaming freshman he had taken under his wing. A laughing Sebastian dancing with Rob. Loosened up, making silly faces with Thad and Jeff, having thrown his arm around Nick's shoulders in such a brotherly way that Blaine had almost cried, wishing for a moment that it could be him. And than regretting it and feeling guilty when he had looked Kurt in the eye the next day, keeping the pictures hidden away.

And then the start of summer vacation, where with David and Thad off to college their support beams and anchors had broken off again. Where Rob had whisked a moping Jeff and Nick and an on edge Sebastian off to his family's house in Mexico, or at least that had been the explanation sent by him to Blaine to make sure he wouldn't get the wrong idea if no contact happened in the next weeks. Added to that already hilarious email had been a picture of a grinning Rob in the back of a limousine, surrounded by a tired looking Jeff, a sulking Nick and a Sebastian with his best impression of Grumpy Cat.

But instead of no contact due to distance, Blaine had been steadily provided with hilarious stories and even more hilarious pictures. It had always been like they had so much wanted to have him involved, to have him be there. Despite everything that had happened. Just Sebastian, he had never written.

When the new school year had started, Blaine had stopped asking Nick questions about Sebastian, because it was getting ridiculous, because it felt like cheating, because he loved Kurt and he needed to forget what had been a great friendship, even though he missed it so much. Sebastian had moved on and had probably decided that he was doing better without Blaine's drama in his life. But neither Nick, nor Jeff had stopped giving information. Simple ones, just a short notice in their stories, but it told Blaine what he wanted to hear. And Rob had still tagged Blaine in pictures on facebook and instagram that he deemed important for him to see, Sebastian had sometimes been either center stage or at least some kind of peripheral figure or been featured in describing texts.

Sebastian was happy again, had found real friends, had redeemed his place in the Warblers, not as their leader, but as a council member at least. And now, where Blaine was sincerely doubting his relationship with Kurt. Where trouble was coming from every side, or at least it felt like it, Blaine found himself craving Sebastian's presence. Not his charme or his oneliners, not his flirting, but his friendship, the conversations they had had. The knowledge that with Sebastian, with any of the Warblers really, Blaine had never needed to hide any kind of sides on himself. Sebastian especially had seen right through him right from the beginning and he liked what he had seen.

Sebastian had always been able to distract his mind, but Blaine just hadn't known if that had been a good thing.

"I just don`t know what to do anymore." Blaine sighed again, slouching back against the bench, Nick looked thoughtful for a second, as if he wanted to hold something back, but Blaine knew that Nick would never be anything but honest with him.

"Okay." Nick started, placing his hands flat onto the table, "I don`t know if I am the best person to talk to about this, but for whatever reason you chose me and so you want to hear my opinion." Blaine nodded and Nick took a deep breath before launching into it.

"You know that my opinion of Kurt hasn`t been that good since he cares less than nothing about us anymore. Since he threw our friendship into the gutter because of something that wasn`t even his business to handle. I don`t like him anymore, and the others are feeling exactly like that, and it has nothing to do with what Sebastian thinks, and you know that." Blaine nodded weakly again, yeah he knew that, he could easily remind himself of what Wes and David had to say to that, telling him in their polite straight way that they still respected Kurt as his boyfriend, but not as their friend anymore.

Rob and especiallyThad had been more blunt, but Blaine hadn`t expected anything else from them. Rob and Thad had been distant to Kurt right from the beginning, just nothing really between them that could lead to being friends. Whereas Thad and Sebastian had just worked together swimmingly, with the Warblers and Lacrosse to share, with state attorney fathers to endure, having suffered under cold mothers. And even Rob who had gone from being Blaine's roommate to Sebastian's, and like that gone from getting along just fine with his roomie to egging on with him all the time until something must have knocked their heads together and have them realize that they were actually quite the perfect friends. It hadn't come as a surprise at all to Blaine when Thad and Rob had quickly crystalized as Sebastian's strongest protectors.

But all of them, Wes, David and Thad, and now Rob as leading motherhen, they still only wanted to protect Blaine as well, wanted to protect Nick and Jeff from being dragged into a war that wasn`t theirs to fight. A war where they could only get hurt. Nick and Jeff though, for the first time they had needed no help, just advice. Blaine could still remember the last time he had met them together with Kurt, they hadn`t been alone and Kurt had been ticked off the second they had seen them laughing outside the Lima Bean, laughing with Sebastian.

Jeff and Sebastian bumping fists. Kurt had blown off instantly, the old story always repeating itself, but Sebastian had kept silent, had swallowed all the insults thrown at him, had only given one look at Blaine, one single regretful look. It had been Nick exploding, yelling at Kurt, accusing him of the betrayal, Jeff had to hold him back. Or, Blaine had been convinced and still was, Kurt would have spotted a black eye or a bloody nose. Or potentially a lawsuit if Rob had been around.

They had defended Sebastian, they had defended their friend.

"In my eyes, Kurt lost it months ago, but I didn`t want to intrude in your relationship, I still don't." Nick went on after taking another breath, "We respect you, and we respect your feelings. But the way he is treating you is crap. Wes went to Harvard, the same year Breena transferred to that boarding school in Seattle to be closer to her family. Yes, I know they broke up three months ago, but until then they had been happy, and their distance was even bigger, and most of all the distance wasn't the reason for why it didn't work out. And you know why they were happy? Because they talked, about their days, about their wishes and fears! Even I know everything that has been going on in Wes', David's and Thad's lives, and they know everything about mine and Jeff's. Rob and Seb call Thad more often than I call my own mother. Kurt has to let you talk..." Nick's tirade floated out into just staring when he caught sight of whatever was swimming around in Blaine's eyes then.

"I don`t think he will."

"You`re giving up." Nick gasped and there the words were, the words Blaine had almost wished he would hear, so he didn`t need to say them himself. Too scared. Too weak.

"I don`t know... The only thing I do know is that I`m not happy anymore..." Blaine confessed and Nick reached out a hand, and Blaine took it gratefully, "Not happy with Kurt... and not happy with McKinley anymore... I just need time to think, but everything keeps reminding me of him... When he told me he was going away, I had instantly thought about coming back to Dalton. The second Kurt said those words, I saw myself in the blazer again, because McKinley is just a stupid public school without him."

Nick was still listening patiently, but Blaine could see that this new piece of information had him surprised.

"What about your friends in the New Direction?" Nick wanted to know and Blaine snorted.

"They are my friends because of Kurt. Besides Rachel and Mike, I only saw them in school, did nothing else with them. They are almost strangers to me, they don`t know me. And we`ve got new faces, Schuester is stranger than ever. The jocks are throwing slushies again. And since the campaign started, Artie and Britanny have been nothing but mistrusting and evil." Blaine explained and glowered at a cake crumb on his empty plate.

"So, why didn`t you do it? Transferring back? You`re always welcome, we miss you. And you know just like I do that Wes would sleep throught the night again once you`re back in the Academy. What`s keeping you?" Blaine tried to let his tired eyes to look as oblivious as he could make them when he looked up at Nick but Nick scowled at him, of course he would notice.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

It was Sebastian who was keeping him. It was the thought of talking to Sebastian that was keeping him. It was the thought of intruding into something that Sebastian had made his home that was keeping him, made something his home that maybe wasn't Blaine's to step into anymore.

"I just don`t know what to say to him, how to look him in the eyes." Nick dropped his face into his hands, before slowly dragging them down.

"Alright, Blaine Anderson." And Blaine winced for a second, because that was Warblers' leader voice, that was councilhead Nick Duval speaking, and he sounded so eeriely and creepily like Wes that Blaine was sitting straight so fast he could feel his shoulders snapping. "This is absolutely ridiculous, and it will stop right now... You`re doubting yourself in anything you do again, and I don`t like it. And you won`t find any decisions until you haven`t gotten this stupid dilemma with Sebastian from your head. You`re coming with me to Dalton... right now."

And Nick already stood up, leaving Blaine to look at him, dumbfounded. For just a split second not seeing untamed black hair and gentle brown eyes in a sweet face in front of him but neat shorter black hair and darker brown eyes that could look so strict and loving at the same time. It had to be the damn spirit that Jeff had always suspected lived inside that freaking gavel.

"But... what about Kurt?" Blaine spluttered, the question coming to him like an afterthought, and that was in a way answer enough. Nick snorted.

"Talk to Sebastian and you will know what to do about him, trust me... Your head is close to exploding, and until you don`t know how you are standing with Sebastian, you won`t know how you feel about Kurt... Now, come on. If we`re lucky, Jeff has forgiven you for the early wake up call and might actually not kill us."

Blaine was much too powerless to argue, so he let Nick pull him from the Lima Bean. His mind racing from one side to another, asking himself what would happen while Nick just chatted on.

"And if we're really lucky Jeff didn't take that too early wake up call over to Rob and Seb, they came back really late on Thursday from their out of town game. And I can gladly live without Rob's moodswings or Seb's grumpy face because they didn't get their beauty sleep. And god forbid Jeff decided against them but chose Sky, because wow, don't want to face Seb in the next whole week or so if that's the case. I swear by god, Blaine, not even Wes was this protective over you back in the day, but then again, Wes didn't meet you for the first time when you were a baby." And while Nick talked, laughed and groaned on the way to his car, there was only one question remaining in Blaine's head.

Would Sebastian actually talk to him?

"Get in the car. I`ll drive you back once this is finally done." Nick gently pushed him onto the shotgun seat, before going behind the wheel.

"How long have you waited for this chance?" Blaine wanted to know, Nick smirked next to him.

"Months."

--

The drive to Dalton, one hour long, was still branded so clear into his mind, that he had time to let his head adjust to the fact that he would be seeing Sebastian again in no time, and he couldn`t help but think that maybe somewhere in this universe was the tiniest of a chance that they could be friends again, because he wanted it so bad.

Now, where he finally was faced with the need for a decision, he wanted him back as a friend. He had forgiven him, had told him that he would always look back with fond memories. Kurt had made it quite clear to him that he wanted him to keep off of Sebastian, and Blaine had respected his wish, even if it was hard, even if he had wanted nothing more than to run to Sebastian and rant about Kurt during the Chandler fiasco.

Rant to all of them to be honest. Especially maybe even to Thad and Rob because he knew they would have sat there with glowing eyes and eager smirks.

Nick had the car parked in front of the Academy before Blaine felt ready, but nevertheless, he got out of the car, following Nick into the empty corridors. It was a weekend, with the weather still warm, most students skipped lunch to hang around the grounds or the common rooms. Nick led him up to the common room for the underclassmen, he felt all eyes on him whenever they passed someone, if he looked as miserable as he felt, than they had every reason to.

"Skylar!" And Blaine looked back at Nick as the other boy called out a name Blaine still remembered falling often from Sebastian's lips. And at the top of the stairs leading to the corridor with the dormitories staircase, a vaguely familiar face looked up from the book he had been reading in while walking down the steps. Skylar Wellington, no more a fresh faced skinny freshman looked around for a second before he caught sight of them, a smile for Nick, eyebrows raised in surprise upon seeing Blaine right next to him.

They had never actually spoken with each other, as much as the kid had had the tendency to always pop up around Sebastian. Blaine didn't know if it had just been shyness or something else keeping the younger boy back. Now though Skylar closed his book with a thud and jogged down the stairs to get to them where Nick had stopped them right in the middle of the underclassmen common room. It was like placing Blaine in a zoo cage, everyone around him staring, the sophomores would only know him through whatever stories had been going around in the last year, and the freshman were just entirely clueless.

Something Blaine actually preferred to the potential dark looks of Juniors and Seniors for the boy they had all welcomed as one of their own and then watched going off towards what became the enemy.

Raven haired Skylar stopped in front of them, no blazer or white shirt but instead a Dalton hoodie, a Dalton boy's typical weekend attire. He was spotting a bandage around his left wrist as he brought the hand up to push some hair out of his face.

"Do you know if Seb is up yet?" Nick asked and hazel eyes were so fast on Blaine's face that it was almost hilarious, Blaine just tried to keep his face neutral.

"Yeah, Rob and Jeff are outside with him. Rob and Sebastian are still trying to go over the last goal." Skylar explained and Nick groaned, prompting the sophomore to smirk.

"Alright, wanna come with us? Fussing over you will probably distract them enough let me get their freaking attention." Nick offered and the sophomore Warbler nodded, still throwing glances at Blaine. "Let's go then." And Nick was back to pulling Blaine along the corridors, because Blaine's own feet were working way too slow.

"Does it still hurt? What did Miss Summers say?" Nick chose to pull up a conversation with the boy he knew would be able to answer him while Blaine tried to remember how to breathe. Skylar huffed and Blaine was quickly reminded of how much it sucked to be the Warblers' baby bird.

"She says I'm fine. She says the hand isn't even sprained and that though Rob means well, taking it easy a few days will be more than enough." Skylar muttered and when he caught Blaine's probably slightly confused eyes, he held up his hand again, "Got shoved to the ground during the game on Thursday. And naturally I'm not allowed to make two feet ouf the Academy by myself."

Some things never changed.

--

In only two minutes they were on the grounds, following the path to the old oak tree, before turning a corner and crossing the small stream over the wooden bridge. Blaine knew every step of this way, he had been at so many lacrosse games during his time at Dalton, cheering on Rob and Thad first, then Jeff joined, and he had even been to one of the games after Sebastian had arrived.

They rounded the last corner, and then his eyes saw him, for the first time in months he saw him in the flesh again, leaning casually against the wall of the small equipment building, tapping his fingers against the stick in his hand, watching Jeff chasing Rob over the field with careful eyes.

Oh god Sebastian.

"You think they're gonna hear me?" Nick asked with his head cocked to the side curiously, Skylar snorted right next to him. And Blaine just couldn't stop staring. "Guys?!" But nothing happened upon Nick's yell, Sebastian was still one hundred percent focused on Jeff's and Rob's footwork and both playing students on the ball.

"Let me try." Skylar offered and then made a few steps forward, calling out when his foot touched the borderline of the field, "Guys?" And though he was so overwhelmed by everything, Blaine still couldn't help but smile weakly when everyone stopped what they were doing to whirl around and zero in on the sophomore. "I hate my life." Skylar groaned and then walked over to Jeff and Rob, waving a hand towards Sebastian, "All yours."

"Can only agree." Nick chuckled, "All yours." And with a strong hand on his back, Nick shoved Blaine over to Sebastian while following Skylar's path before Blaine had gotten in any way over the initial shock at seeing Sebastian again. Looking as amazing as ever, nothing had changed, nothing except the attitude he was emitting, he looked happy, surprised now upon seeing Blaine stumble his way over to him, but relaxed. And not just putting on a mask, this was real.

They looked at each other for maybe two minutes, no one said a word, they just relished in the quiet air around them, starring into each others face as if they were friends who hadn`t seen each other in years and needed to remind themselves that this person in front of them was really the boy they had gotten used to knowing. And for Blaine, it sure felt like years, years since the last time he had spoken to Sebastian, and he could easily see that this was not the scornful boy he used to see, there wasn`t a playful smirk on his face, just this slight smile.

And of course he knew that they were being watched, that this wasn't really a private face to face talk between Sebastian and him. There was maybe an acoustic privacy but not a visual one, Blaine could feel Rob's eyes on the back of his head like the laser dots of a sniper rifle, like a silent mute warning and he understood so well.

Sebastian seemed so human suddenly, so breakable. For whatever reason Blaine felt the need to be strong for him, to apologize, but his tongue was knotted, he wanted to tell him so much, that he was sorry he hadn`t talked to him, that he still cared about him, that he had been so afraid for him after Karofsky's suicide attempt, that he wanted so badly for them to be friends again, because...

"I missed you." It blurted from his mouth, before he could stop himself, but once the words were out, he didn`t regret them, it was the truth. He had missed him, simple as that, as little as he had understood Kurt's reason to keep him away from his Dalton friends, he had never been really mad at Sebastian, had never felt the rage. He had enjoyed his presence, had enjoyed talking with him, because he was petty, intelligent and sarcastic.

The old Sebastian would have raised his eyebrows, probably made a stupid sexual innendo and hid all his surprise behind the biggest arrogant smirk, but this brunet boy just smiled a little brigther.

"I missed you, too. Talking to you." So truthful and emotion filled, and upon his words, Blaine felt the waves crashing down on him, the initial breakdown that had only been waiting for him in the last days caught up with him.

Kurt slipping from his fingers, not sleeping well or at all in the last week, preoccupying his mind until he forgot about his problems. The tears came first, blurrying his vision until Sebastian was all but a foggy appearance, he just couldn`t uphold this mask anymore. He felt betrayed, he felt so left alone, because the supposed love of his life was more interested in finding the best coffee in New York than the important things in his life.

He pulled his hands up to his face to hide his tears, he knew Sebastian appreciated honesty, but he felt so weak, in a moment where he had needed to be the strong one, the one to show that old mistakes could be forgiven, to be maybe the only person who could really prove to Sebastian that he had changed and could be a better person. The sob fighting its way through his lungs sent a flash of pain through his skull, he stumbled forwards, his legs giving away, and just when he was sure he would fall, two strong arms caught him, holding him to a broad chest.

Even in his troubled mind he could still smell Sebastian's cologne, could still feel the soothing effect it had on him, but it only made him cry harder. Shouldn`t Kurt be this person? Shouldn`t he have been the one to catch him when he broke? Why wasn`t he here? Hadn`t he promised to always be there, that nothing would come between them, especially not New York? Why did this feel like betrayal? And why was everybody taking his side? Nobody liked him anymore, nobody took notice of him, wasn`t he their voted leader? Hadn`t he proven to them that he was with them? He had given up so much, for nothing as it seemed.

He just wanted back home.

Back home inside these walls. A long sigh worked itself through Sebastian, as Blaine pulled his head against his shoulder, his arms going around his middle to hold onto him, and then Blaine realized he had spoken his thoughts out loud.

"I`m so sorry." Blaine sobbed out, feeling bad about his tears soaking Sebastian's shirt, the other boy pushed him slightly away, so he could look down into his eyes.

"Don`t be sorry... I don`t know what is going on, but I`m sure it`s not your fault." His green eyes, so much compassion and regret, so apologizing and understanding, so much warmth.

"I needed to see you, needed to talk to you... I wanna come back... here... I wanna come back to Dalton, but I needed to talk to you first..." Blaine started to babble and Sebastian sensed the panic in him, the panic and the fear to be rejected, and he quickly pulled him back into his arms.

"Shh... Blaine, everything will be okay... everything is already okay. There are no grudges between us, we came clear with each other." He hurried to explain and Blaine nodded into his chest, feeling his sobs calming down.

--

They talked, talked and apologized until standing there became too awkward and uncomfortable and they turned to look over to their friends looking all casual and completely not observing every single one of their gestures.

Jeff, Nick, Skylar and Rob came forward, Jeff hugged Blaine shortly and then Blaine found himself standing in front of Rob.

"Are you coming back?" His former roommate wanted to know and Blaine looked into the faces of the Dalton boys around him, his friends, real friends.

"I need to talk to my parents first, but I think it's...all in favor of Dalton again." He replied and all five boys around him cheered, Sebastian especially looked happy.

They took him inside then, up into the upperclassmen common room, sat down with him and talked to him, told him about the stuff he had missed, the things he just had to know. They didn't ask questions about McKinley or the New Directions, didn't throw out any comments.

They just...were his friends and treated him like a friend. An equal.

And Blaine had almost forgotten how that felt like.

When he drove home later after Nick had set him off at the Lima Bean again, he didn't even need time to think about his decision anymore.

Sebastian had made it easy.

--

It should have maybe been a sign of what he truly was left feeling for Kurt, when the first person he called after talking to his parents and sleeping twice over his decision was Wes. His oldest friend from Dalton and not his boyfriend.

But it felt right and Wes certainly made up for the squeasy feeling in Blaine's stomach by being happy enough about the news to scream half of Boston deaf. And then they talked almost the entire afternoon until Wes had to leave for his evening courses, but Blaine felt even more ensured in his decision.

He called David next, went through the same 'I could have told you that a year ago' lecture and downright laughed when David groaned after Blaine had told him that he sounded exactly like Wes. They caught up with each other, and just like Wes David promised to come down for Thanksgiving for a happy reunion at Dalton.

Mike and him talked while Blaine attacked the first half of his homework, and Blaine was surprised when Mike became the next person to tell him the famous 'I told you so' as Blaine mentioned going back to Dalton for the rest of his Senior Year. They parted with a promise to talk again soon, and for Blaine to tell Mike everything about Dalton's craziness once he was settled back in.

And once homework was finished, Blaine dialed the next number his fingers worked out and Cooper picked up with a sunny charme. They laughed and the entire conversation was way more pleasant than Blaine had expected, his relationship to his brother might still be on the mending side of things, but it was going better. Wes would still be the first person Blaine would reach out to if he needed brotherly advice, but things with Cooper were going in the right direction.

So it was high time that Blaine took his own life back into his own hands as well.

But when Cooper and him ended the call, it was already late, too late to call ahead to New York and Blaine finished off homework and then went to bed after answering some curious messages from Nick and Jeff with vague excuses of still needing time.

On the next morning, he called Thad even before school, with New Haven being ahead and Thad up and at them at the rise of the sun anyway, Blaine didn't have to worry. Thad was just as happy to hear about his transfer decision and promised to not tell anything to Sebastian or Rob until Blaine did himself.

And then it was school and his Tuesdays were long and exhausting, including a glee club meeting where he sat deep in thoughts at the back and only later when almost all of them have gone their own way again, he pulled Tina and Sam to the side and told him about leaving for Dalton. And though Tina initially protested, Sam quickly had her calmed down again, patted Blaine's back and told him he understood.

And that was that.

Even before Kurt knew, Blaine was already packing up the first half of his locker in an empty hallway, he said goodbye to the first bad memories on his way out. A few more days.

He didn't have any homework and still took his time rearranging some things in his room to start on the list of things he wanted to bring with himself into the dorms at Dalton. And then he spend some more time sending out more vague excuses to Nick, Jeff, Rob and Trent this time, actually astonished at that point that Sebastian was the patient one out of the lot for a change. The thing was, he wasn't avoiding calling Kurt, quite on the contrary, Blaine was excited about going back to Dalton and wanted to share the news about it because it made him happy.

But there was also a part of him that was petty, because Kurt was barely talking to him anymore, Kurt was even less curious over what Blaine was doing back in boring Ohio. So he wasn't the first person he called, it wasn't like anything would change for them at all, Blaine would still be in Ohio, still spending most of his time in Westerville, just not at home anymore.

Where was the difference really?

--

On Tuesday evening Kurt didn't pick up his call and later texted him that he was too busy.

On Wednesday Blaine didn't try to call and texted Kurt before school to call him when he had the time. Nothing happened for almost the entire day, Blaine's mother picked him up from school and took him to Columbus to buy new clothes and stuff for Dalton, a trip that was awkward in its best moments and just really uncomfortable. But once he was home and kinda exhausted, he picked up his phone.

Hitting speed dial, Blaine didn't even slump onto his bed like he had first pictured him delivering this news, instead he edged his phone between shoulder and ear and started to drag a suitcase from his closet. Waiting for Kurt to pick up while he began to pack.

Kurt did pick up and then catapulted himself into a half an hour rant about Rachel and his internship, followed by a fifteen minute babbling about how great and perfect New York was. Blaine could feel the familiar frustration built up again in his chest but he still let Kurt talk, no use in trying to fight for something now that he had basically given up.

He still loved Kurt.

But he couldn't keep a relationship alive that was slowly but surely killing him.

"Hey, eh." He said as Kurt made a small pause, breaking into his maybe only chance for the next twenty minutes, Blaine pushed his packed up suitcase close and grabbed another bag from the bottom of his closet, "I got some news."

"Mister Schue brought back 80s week?" Kurt snickered, moving around somewhere or at least it sounded like it, "Or no, did he dig out the seventies now? Disco, maybe? Are you all going to wear bell-bottoms for Sectionals? Did he..."

"I'm transferring." Blaine broke through Kurt's babbling, dared to interrupt him for the first time in months, and there was no racing heart, no sweat breaking out, no guilt, just relief, "I'm going to finish my Senior Year at Dalton."

"No, you're not." Kurt snapped out and Blaine took a deep breath, pushing a few Cds into the bag, "You're definitely not going back to Dalton."

"It's a made decision, Kurt. My father already talked with Headmaster Simmons, he'll be driving with me to Dalton on Monday, to help get me settled back into the dorms and to sign the transfer papers. I'm talking to Figgins and Schuester tomorrow." Blaine explained calmly and Kurt of course exploded.

"You've got to be kidding me! How can you betray me like this?...And oh my god!" Kurt yelled downright, "It's because of him!!"

And there we go, Blaine thought as he set his phone on speaker and pulled up the box of movies from under his bed, sitting down on the edge to sort through it.

He had in preparation of this phone call prepared a 'It's not because of Sebastian' speech, had even bet with himself how quickly it would come up. Kurt had been quicker to the point than Blaine's most pessimistic side could have predicted. He had still hoped him to have grown up by now.

"It's not because of Se..." He began but Kurt interrupted him harshly, something got thumped to the ground on his side of the line.

But nothing could have prepared him for what Kurt said next.

"It's because of him! Isn't it? Fucking Soresito!"

Blaine snapped up his head and stared into the mirror, hands frozen in mid air.

Wait....what?

What in the hell....ROB?!

How...why....what....

And then they were arguing, one stupidity after the other and with every dumb word sprouding from Kurt's mouth, Blaine realized more and more just why this relationship had been over for weeks already. He was sick of living for Kurt, and Kurt only, he had a right to live a life he wanted, to have dreams that didn't just evolve around Kurt.

And then Kurt got really going. And Blaine had enough.

About right at the same time.

"If you transfer, we're done."

"I am transferring to Dalton, Kurt. This is something I am doing for myself, not because of anyone." Blaine snapped angrily, "I want to go home, Kurt. I want to go back to my friends and spent the last months of my Senior Year with them. I want to graduate from Dalton because it's the best school in the area, because I feel at home there, more than I ever did at McKinley. And if you can't even give me that, then I am glad you're taking the decision from me!"

Kurt was silent for a moment while Blaine furiously shoved movies into his bag.

"I don't even recognize you anymore." Kurt sneered after a moment and Blaine couldn't bite back the hilarious laughter falling from his lips, because when he glanced into the mirror he found that it was the first time in months that he actually recognized himself again.

"Funny." Blaine snapped out, "Because this is me. For the first time maybe in over a year. This. Is. Me."

"Go to hell, Blaine, we're done. Have fun switching between Smythe's and Soresito's beds. New York is better without you anyway!"

And Blaine ended the call and threw his phone under the bed.

--

On Friday he sulked his way through school and then said goodbye to a gobsmacked Mister Schuester and emptied his locker for good. He drove home and pushed the stupid break up to the back of his mind, it had been coming and he didn't even feel upset over it anymore.

Kurt wasn't the boy anymore with whom Blaine had fallen in love with. They had changed too much.

Good clean break. That was what he needed now.

So, almost a week after meeting Nick for coffee, it took a moment for Blaine to get all necessary numbers into a group text, what had previously been so easy was now a task again because he had in fit of rage deleted the group "Brothers" from his contacts months ago.

'I made my decision. I'm coming home.'

The first answer came quicker than Blaine had expected, he couldn't even put his phone down to get changed before it was buzzing with an incoming message. He smiled, expecting some kind of 'FINALLY' from Nick or a 'Hallejuh, you idiot' from Jeff, but the message was from neither of them.

'Good, otherwise this would have been really awkward.'

And he frowned, had just a second to ask himself what the hell that was supposed mean before the doorbell at the front door rang out. He jumped to his feet, mouth dropping open as he stared at his image in the mirror.

Oh he wouldn't.

This had to be someone else.

Steps in the foyer, heavy ones, oh god his father was opening the door. Blaine was already scrambling from the room before his father could have even reached for the handle, stumbling against his door and hitting his toe against it, hopping for the next few steps and cursing like a sewer rat. But it was too late, because just as he reached the banister in the staircase overlooking the foyer, his father had the door open and his hand was shaking the one of the boy standing in their doorway.

"Mister Soresito, it has been a long time, what a pleasure to see you."

And the worst thing was that his father was actually freaking honest about his words, Blaine could hear it in his voice, how happy he really was to see Rob standing there all proper and polite. Wearing the blazer even though it was fucking hot outside again, and Rob never wore the blazer outside of Dalton grounds unless it was for Warbler performances or to impress anything with a face below twenty at fairs.

The truth was, his father had always treated his friends from McKinley different than the ones from Dalton, had gone so far as to ask when Warblers had so suddenly stopped being a part of his life. There had been actual fights between his distant parents after the slushie incident where his mother had been angry at every single one of his friends, even at Blaine himself, and his father had repeated 'accidents happen' over and over again.

Their relationship, father and son, had strangely gotten better in the last years, ever since Blaine had found his footing at Dalton and wrapped himself up into a group of what his father had called 'amazing' friends, they had somehow stopped being awkward around each other most of the time. Mostly, as Blaine suspected, because his father was no longer afraid he would come to him for talking about falling in love or finding a guy attractive.

His Dad was still, even after four years, coming to terms with having a gay son but instead of frustrating over the slow process, Blaine had come to accept that he needed time. It was still better than what other kids he knew had gone through, Nick being the best example of how much worse things could have been. His father respected Wes, David and Thad, good proper students who had taken Blaine under their wings, brought that smile back on his face, now all gone off to Ivy League colleges.

And Rob was on the good list anyway, despite the fact that he jumped everything human that couldn't run away from his charme fast enough, he was a good student and one of Dalton's sport stars. Nick and Jeff, Blaine had been careful there when he had first brought them over to hang out at his place, his first openly gay friends, not 'I-don't-do-labels-I-find-humans-attractive' Rob, who could pass as straight if he ever wanted to. But despite the strict facade, James Anderson was also human, and to this day Blaine hadn't met a human who hadn't bend under Nick's and Jeff's lovable adorableness.

And they're not like Kurt. Him his father had never liked, and in retrospect Blaine understood it a lot, how quickly Kurt had brazed into his life, turned it around entirely and then dropped him like some emptied out beer bottle at a party. Sebastian and Rob, and even Thad, his father knew about their way of handling flings and attractions due to many awkward conversations Blaine had endured in the living room, awkward for him while the rest had just been happy talking about living the life while you were young.

So what was the difference? Kurt had made promises, Kurt had promised Blaine the world and Blaine had believed him, had defended their relationship, even to his own father. Dalton's former resident Casanova trio were honest about their fleeting flings, 'don't do relationships', Blaine had heard those words long before Sebastian had popped into his life. There had been a joke, was probably still around, that the only reason Thad and Rob couldn't hold a girlfriend or boyfriend was because they were already too committed to the marriage between each other.

His other friends from McKinley, they had not been unwelcome in the Anderson house, but except maybe for Mike, his father had never really gone out of his way to greet them or talk to them.

Should have been a sign.

Different worlds. Different people.

But now here, his father and Rob were talking while Blaine had lost himself in his head and when he snapped back, Rob was holding out a binder with papers to his father.

"I've come to give this to you, Sir. And to kidnap your son in return." Rob said just then and only he was capable on making it sound like that would in any way be an equal exchange. Blaine scowled as his father laughed.

"Go ahead then."

--

Half an hour later, Blaine got out of Rob's car in front of the Smythe's house on the far outskirts of Westerville, in the really fancy area. Not his first visit to Sebastian's home but also not exactly a number up so high that he could have grown used to this, the Andersons had money, but the Smythes were old money and though the house was beautiful it screamed of it.

But not the two boys waiting on the porch, one casually draped against one of the pillars, having been home long enough to get rid of the blazer but not the dress shirt yet, the other figure was bouncing at the bottom of the stairs, Star Wars shirt and jeans. And Blaine had to grin so much it almost hurt when he locked eyes with beaming brown ones.

In the next moment almost he had his arms around a laughing Sage, all thirteen year old pack of never ending bouncy energy, and he didn't even realize how much he had missed Sebastian's brother until he had him right there. All bright grins and sunshine smiles. Rob rolled his eyes over them quickly falling into talking about latest superhero movies and instead grabbed his bag and the one he had packed for Blaine while Blaine had still stared at him and his kidnapping plans back in his room, and Rob walked over to Sebastian.

But just as he reached the stairs leading up to the entrance of the house, and also just as Blaine and Sage turned to join them as well, another figure stepped from the open front door and Rob flung the bags against Sebastian who caught them with a grunt.

"Buttercup!" Rob called out loudly and Thad rolled his eyes but was grinning as well as the only slightly taller boy crashed against him. Sebastian looked like he might start to regret agreeing to this weekend hang out, setting the bags down on the ground again, but the way his lips did curl into a fond smile when he glanced over to Thad and Rob hugging told Blaine how he was really thinking about it.

"Was this your idea?" He asked Sebastian as they reached him, and Sebastian frowned, looking betweem him and his best friends bickering like an elderly couple after fifty years of marriage. Rob still looking like Dalton's poster boy of elegance, Thad more along the lines of college freshman escaping finals hell for one weekend, stubble, faded T-shirt and all.

"Them? Afraid not, I tried to run but they were quicker with the adoption papers than I could remember their names." Sebastian snarked and Blaine hit his upper hand.

"Hanging out for the weekend, smartypants." He clarified and Sebastian chuckled, kicking Rob's bag over to his little brother and taking Blaine's himself.

"Nah, that was all squirrel's thing." And Sage huffed as he picked up Rob's bag, "The college man dropped in this morning on my Dad as a surprise for us, worked out really well. Nick, Jeff and Skylar are on their way as well." Sebastian explained and then nudged him to get moving.

--

That night after lazying around all afternoon, getting take out and watching movies to rip them apart with sarcastic commentary, Blaine remembered again why he had missed the guys so much.

Especially when they got a chance to talk.

Blaine wasn't entirely sure if Skylar was a saint who could sense the conversation turning into a direction not really suited for Sage to be around for or if it was just pure damn luck when Skylar goaded Sage into watching a movie instead of listening to the "old people" talk like some boring Senior citizens. Judging by the look Sebastian threw Skylar on the boy's way out of the living room, Sage already bounding up the stairs, it was more on the former side of things.

There was of course no way in hell that Sage Smythe hadn't at least known something of what had been going on in the last year. First of all the kid was way too smart and way too observing for a thirteen year old boy slipped into the early stages of puberty drama, and secondly, as much as Sebastian was protecting his little brother he would also never lie to him.

They had been through hell in Paris and Sage knew the world could suck.

And still Blaine was happy that they wouldn't have to go through this with Sage's wide and still so innocent eyes looking at him.

He waited just long to hear the distant sound of a door closing before he looked at the eyes on him and slumped back into the couch.

"He broke up with me." Blaine spoke into the sudden silence in the room and a part of him wanted to scoff at the brief flicker of euphoria washing over Thad's and Rob's faces before they schooled them back into perfect pokerfaces, but the bigger part of him wanted to beg them to look like it again, "But not before using our relationship to blackmail me into staying at McKinley."

Next to him, Sebastian grabbed his beer and chucked it back, maybe to bite back a comment or so, Jeff was grimacing while Nick snorted. Thad and Rob didn't bother hiding their clearly unimpressed looks anymore.

"Wow." Rob stated, voice dry and still somehow dripping with venom, "Didn't know he had it in him. Did he bring Seb up as the next excuse? Accused you of cheating on him again?"

"Actually..." Blaine began carefully and felt awful for the hesitancy when Sebastian whirled around to stare at him, bottle held in mid air. "Kurt accused me of cheating on him with you." And he looked Rob straight in the eyes, having his former roommate drop open his mouth. Thad started laughing hysterically, while Nick and Jeff just stared at Blaine and Sebastian choked on his beer before bending over and laughing just as loud as Thad.

Quickly reaching out to pat a hand to Sebastian's back because Blaine couldn't decide if he was just laughing or actually dying, he had to smile a little bit himself though. Good to know he wasn't the only one shocked speechless over that.

"What?" Thad managed between bursts of laughter, one hand pressed to his chest, Blaine nodded and helped Sebastian put his beer back on the table when the other just fumbled around blindly, pressing his forehead almost to his knees.

Rob looked like Blaine had probably back in his bedroom.

"Just when you think it can't get any better." Nick deadpanned and drowned the remaining coke in his glass in one go before continuing, "How in the devil's name did that happen?"

"I'm not sure myself, maybe the excessive facebook and instagram tagging finally got noticed in Kurt's thick head, it was a bit...special to put so much attention on me, even though I really know what it was meant for." Blaine soothed Rob's worries when Rob's lips moved without words following, "I loved it, honestly. Maybe Kurt just needed another target because Seb was no longer a topic anymore. And frankly, even Kurt wouldn't be stupid to suspect me having come between you two." Blaine ended his explanation with a look to Nick and Jeff.

And Sebastian snorted and then choked on his own laughter before laughing harder than before, dropping sideways when he gave up on straightening up, right against Blaine who curled an arm around his shoulders, keeping him from toppling over completely again. Thad had buried his face in Rob's still unmoving shoulder, he was howling with laughter.

"Listen, buddy." Rob finally found his voice again, leaning back slightly, hands quickly snapping out to keep Thad from faceplanting into his lap, "I love you, you know that. You're a handsome fellow, and all that crap about sex on a stick that none of you will ever let me live down? I wasn't exactly making that up, but you and me? Come on, no! Even Hummel should have been able to see that that was never gonna happen."

"Like I said, you were available. Kurt knows that Seb and you are similar, Seb was getting boring..." And Blaine chuckled over the hand that Sebastian slapped to his thigh, "Old story, he knew it wouldn't rile me up enough, so he thought he'll bring up another guy. He doesn't exactly know that many gay guys around. He wouldn't touch Jeff, Nick or Trent, so you were left." Rob scowled at that and then shook his head, exasperatedly amused over it.

"Please tell me you said something really vicious in answer to that." Sebastian begged him, slowly getting himself under control again, pulling back to lean against the back of the couch, his entire face was flushed.

"I wish I could have." Blaine grumbled, "I was too busy staring at the fucking wall, by the time I had finally come up with a fitting comeback, I had already hung up on him. But this is crazy right?"

And every single face around him told him that he was right.

"Well, whatever, after that display I am really happy that I no longer have to worry about this." He grumbled and also knew that all five boys knew it wasn't the whole truth, that he was actually quite hurt by Kurt's word and that he still loved the boy who had broken up with him because it was convenient to just use Dalton as an excuse. Sebastian pulled Blaine against him with an arm around his shoulders and Jeff flipped another box of chocolate candy over to him.

He was with his friends though, surrounded by people who understood him and liked him for who he was. Blaine was happy again.

--

The next day Blaine was one of the first people to wake up, even if he had slept far longer already than in the last weeks, a pressure was lifted off of his chest, leaving his dreams free of questions and weird memories. The Dalton crew was still out like a light though, enjoying the weekend as always, using every minute of regaining energy, Dalton's shedule was way more exhausting than McKinley at finals time.

Unable to still keep lying down any longer, he got dressed and walked downstairs, over into the kitchen where he could hear at least two voices.

It was Mister Smythe hidden behind the newspaper and Sage moving around the room, already so wide awake it was frightening. It was also him who spotted Blaine hesitating awkwardly in the open door and waved him inside, his happy mood was contagious as always, Sage pointed to a chair and Blaine sat down, accepted the cup of coffee that the younger Smythe pushed into his hands not a second later.

Sage rushed off again, back to the kitchen counter and Blaine got dizzy just looking at him, thankfully Mister Smythe reached out behind his newspaper and pushed the little tray with sugar and cream closer to him, distracting him from Sage's too bouncy self.

"Trust me, you'll need it." William Smythe told him quietly, "Don't drink it black if it comes from the squirrel."

"Hey, I can make coffee!" Sage protested from behind the kitchen counter where he was searching for something in the cabinets, "Seb showed me often enough by now." William Smythe snorted and Blaine did throw some sugar into his coffee before taking a sip, only to quickly add some cream as well.

Holy shit, kid, are you trying to caffeine poison us?

Half an hour and casually relaxed small talk with Sebastian's father later, it was the older Smythe boy himself who stumbled into the kitchen, sweatshirt only half pulled on and looking like another hour could have done him well still. He slumped into a chair next to Blaine and reached for the coffee can, hesitating only after he had already poured himself a mug.

"Did squirrel make this or you, Dad?" Sebastian asked and rubbed his eyes to get more awake, once more engrossed in his newspaper, William Smythe pointed a finger over to the kitchen counter where Sage was making eggs. Sebastian groaned and shoveled sugar and cream into his coffee, Sage scowled at him. "What? Just because you pour more of it into the machine, doesn't mean it gets better!"

"Why are you awake yet anyway? You never get up before ten on a Sunday!" The younger brother argued and stretched himself up on his toes to get something from the shelf over the stove. Sebastian groaned louder and drank half the mug in one go before answering.

"Thad." He grumbled, "I don't care if this is the first time he is back, I'm not going running on a freaking Sunday. He should be happy if Honey didn't just come along to throw him in front of Miss Thyssen's poodles."

"Wow, you are grouchy in the morning." Blaine chuckled and Sebastian turned to look at him as if suddenly realizing just whom he had sat down next to.

"Why are you already awake?" Sebastian wanted to know and drank the rest of his coffee, Blaine rolled his eyes and poured them both another one.

"Contrary to you, Seb, I've gone to a public school in Ohio for the last weeks. I never had to stay up late to finish homework assignments. Neither did I ever feel the need to start running at five am during the week. And by the way, good morning to you, too." Blaine explained with a grin.

"Urgh, you're way too awake. I should have known this, Blaine Anderson wakes up in the morning all ready to charme the world and spread more happiness." Sebastian grumbled and Blaine elbowed him, "But I gotta say, I like the hair." Sebastian added with a smirk in the end and Blaine blinked at him.

And only then realized that he hadn't gelled.

"Au natural, looks good on you." Blaine blushed when Sebastian winked and then both of them became aware of the utter silence in the kitchen. They turned away from each other and found William Smythe looking at them with an eyebrow raised while Sage had his elbows propped up on the kitchen island and his chin dropped onto his hands as he watched them.

The situation got only de-embarassed when Skylar walked into the kitchen with Jeff and Nick in tow, breakfast got started and conversations popped up. And if Blaine kept on stealing glances at Sebastian and felt green eyes on him then and now, no one at least said something about it.

--

In the evening they drove out to a county fair in Columbus, one that Blaine had always loved to go to, but hadn't been in the last two years because Kurt had found them tacky and annoying.

Sage took off with a girl his age they met at the entrance, who introduced herself as "Tess, heard A LOT about you" to Blaine before winking at Sebastian. Blaine had stared at the taller Smythe brother who in turn had glowered at the smirking thirteen year old girl before telling both pre-teens to "stay out of his hair and don't cause trouble" and waving them off.

Skylar went off alone to find his girlfriend, Nick and Jeff smooched off to get some alone time as well, leaving Blaine alone with the heartbreaker trio.

"Is this the big plan to get me drunk on apple cider and then have me spill my deepest darkest secrets?" Blaine wanted to know and turned around on the spot so he could face Sebastian, Thad and Rob, all three of them were smirking at him.

"Oh, please." It was Thad who answered him, stepping forward and turning Blaine around again before swinging an arm around his shoulders, drawing him into the crowd of the fair. Rob and Sebastian fell into step behind them, "If we wanted to get you drunk, it would for sure as hell not be on apple cider. How cheap do you think we are? We have class."

"It would definitely be Tequila." Rob chimed in and swung himself onto Blaine's other side, "We both know how little Tequila it takes to get dapper Anderson into spilling mood, don't we, Buttercup?" And Thad laughed while Blaine tried to trip Rob.

"I want the stories behind that." Sebastian threw in from behind them, "Preferably written down. Or recorded. I mean, I know Blaine can't hold his liquor."

"Shut up, Sebastian." Blaine growled but they were all still laughing as they slipped into the crowd of locals on the fair.

"Well until that." Thad began and stopped them, turning them so that they were facing Rob and Sebastian, "You owe me cotton candy, Seb. And you owe me a teddy bear, Honey."

"What?" Rob spluttered while Sebastian simply rolled his eyes, "You know these things are ricked as hell. How am I supposed to get a fucking bear?"

"Well then, find Tess and let her shoot or throw you one. Off, off!" Thad demanded and Rob screamed with closed lips but stalked off, "Meet us in the tent when you're done! Seb?"

"You know that I know what you're doing right?" Sebastian wanted to know and Blaine looked between both suddenly smirking boys, "Well then, see you in a few minutes."

And he was gone as well.

--

"Did Wes send you down here?" Blaine asked Thad a little bit later after they had found a table in the festival tent, right at the dancefloor where people of all ages were dancing to what was mostly country music.

"No." Thad answered but smiled as if maybe the plea had been there anyway, "Or it's not the only reason why I came down here. I miss Dalton, miss Rob and Seb, and I got no classes on Monday, so I thought why not come down here and see for myself that Wes, David and I have no reason to worry."

"Do you? Now that you're here?" Blaine wanted to know and smiled when Thad laughed and shook his head, they had gotten something to drink and were now waiting for Sebastian and Rob to return to them.

"No, I don't worry. And I'll tell Wes and David to stop as well. You're in good hands here, Blaine." Thad pointed out for him and Blaine smiled at the bottle in his hands.

"I know. They're the best friends one could wish you. Wes, David and you as well, after all the shit that happened." Blaine explained and chuckled when Thad nudged a knee against his under the table.

"Hey, once a Warbler, always a Warbler. You're a Dalton boy, you just needed a kick to come home. You're gonna be okay, Blaine." Thad told him and Blaine smiled at him, believing it, too.

"Is this the moment where I get the 'don't hurt Seb again' speech?" He tried and Thad laughed, taking a long sip of his alcohol free apple cider that Blaine knew tasted like crap.

"I'm leaving that to Rob." Thad grinned, "He has been preparing that speech since Regionals last year, I can't take that away from him." And Blaine didn't know if he should gulp or laugh, "And anyway, I had that talk with someone already, only fair if I share now."

And Blaine wanted to know what that strange smile on Thad's face had to mean but he couldn't because Rob and Sebastian returned, set cotton candy and a purple teddy bear down in front of Thad before at least Rob sat down with a scowl.

"I hope you're happy because I had to sell my soul to the devil." Rob grumbled and Thad patted his head, god how much Blaine had missed this.

"I'm sure Tess will not make you suffer too painfully, Honey. And now come, I saw Aleesha and Zoey looking all glum with their dates over in the corner, someone needs to save them." Thad offered and the annoyed look on Rob's face made place for a leering smirk as he jumped to his feet again. Thad rolled his eyes but stood up as well and pushed Rob in the right direction.

"How do you survive them?" Blaine turned back to Sebastian still standing in front of him, "At least Nick and Jeff go somewhere with that married couple attitude."

"Don't ask, don't think about it." Sebastian offered to him with a soft smirk, "And don't ever try to make sense of it. They...they've been there for me when I really needed someone, and there is not a day where I'm not eternally grateful that they stood by me even when I pushed so hard to try and get them away." And it were serious words but Sebastian kept on smiling, looking happy and loose.

"I'm happy you had them." Blaine told him and then blinked when Sebastian held out a hand to him.

"Wanna dance? I even promise to keep my hands to myself." Sebastian smirked at him but also looked so honest, Blaine felt himself slip fully into the carefree mood of county fairs and the happiness of people laughing and music blaring on about true love and heartache.

"Keep your hands above my clothes and we're fine, Seb." Blaine grinned at Sebastian and grabbed the offered hand, pulling Sebastian onto the dancefloor while he was still blinking at thin air, "Sebastian?"

"Yeah." Sebastian cleared his throat and finally moved on his own again, swinging Blaine around until he could grab both his hands, "Let's dance."

--

"You knew about the break up before I told you, didn't you?" Blaine wanted to know quietly as they swayed over the dancefloor, Sebastian's arms around his waist and back while he kept his arms around the taller boy's neck. Sebastian smiled for a moment and then chuckled.

"Yeah, I did. I got a call on Thursday evening, got told about the fight, but I didn't say anything to the others. Wasn't my place to tell." Sebastian answered him, "It was...maybe half a warning. I think Santana thought that the guy in Kurt's ranted screaming about 'that Dalton wench' was me."

"Santana?" Blaine made a double take and stopped them for only a short moment before bringing them back into the soft rhythm of the music, "How did that happen?"

"I have no idea." Sebastian laughed out, "I really don't. I crossed paths with her in the Columbus Mall a few weeks after Regionals last year, we got coffee and talked while Sage spent an eternity picking out a birthday present for Dad." He explained, smirking at Blaine's face, "We exchanged phone numbers, we talk, we write. She kept us updated on what was going on, especially about the things you wouldn't tell Nick or Jeff."

"She never told me anything." Blaine wondered, trying to make sense of it. Santana wrote and texted him to from time to time, she had asked him more about what was going on with his life than Kurt and Rachel had together. And Blaine had never really known how Santana and him were standing with each other.

"She's always had her own agendas, I wouldn't worry about it. You okay?" Sebastian asked him and Blaine looked around them.

Thad and Rob were dancing with two girls who couldn't stop giggling, Nick and Jeff had returned, swaying with each other as well. Skylar was laughing with a few friends, arm around the waist of a petite brunet girl. There was no sign of Sage and Tess anywhere but Blaine knew that sometimes even the coolest big brother was lame to hang around with.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thank you for this, Seb." Blaine told him and Sebastian tightened his arms around him for a moment, "You can try and keep convincing me that it was Sage's idea, but...thank you. I think this is exactly what I needed to move on."

"I'm glad it's working." Sebastian said quietly and they smiled at each other, and then the music changed into something more uptempo and Sebastian's smile turned a little more dangerous.

"No. Seb, no!"

But it was too late, Sebastian was already swinging him around and Blaine was dizzy within the blink of an eye, but also laughing loudly before Sebastian even caught him again.

"You ready to have fun, killer?"

"Bring it on!"

--

Going back to Dalton was going back to being himself.

Every day another part of him seemed to heal back together.

Sectionals was amazing. They blew the New Directions away and when Blaine caught sight of Kurt's scowl in the audience, he grinned only brighter.

Blaine Anderson was back.

No longer Blaine Warbler, but a Warbler again.

And they would rule this year.

And every day he healed, he also fell more in love with Sebastian.

Until his heart was beating almost just for him.

--

Rob's New Year's Eve party promised to be an absolute gigantic success even before it had begun.

Blaine and Sebastian flew down to Mexico with Skylar right after Boxing Day, spent the days leading up to New Year's helping Rob and Thad prepare the Soresito's vacation house for the party while at the same time cheering Skylar up after his break up.

The weather was incredible, sunshine all day long from clear blue skies, a beautiful warm breeze, it was the first time Blaine wore short sleeved shirts during christmas vacation. It was definitely worth it though to see Sebastian abondoning morning runs for a morning dip in the ocean. If there ever was a thing worth of waking up early for then it was to see Sebastian walking out of the ocean with the sun rising behind him.

That was the stuff dreams were made of.

They hadn't invited a lot of people, Rob had preferred to keep it rather closed, so it were mostly friends from Dalton and some friends that Rob had made over the course of many many family holidays spent down here that were going to come for the party.

Until then though Blaine enjoyed the familiar bickering of Thad and Rob, helped make sure that Skylar wasn't sulking as much and took a lot of time watching Sebastian. And being watched in turn, that surely didn't get unnoticed either.

They were dancing again. A very complicated but also so easy dance, so many smiles exchanged, so much time spent in comfortable silence, sweet looks and secret glances. There had even been songs sung to each other, all alone in Dalton's auditorium, standing up on that stage and only seeing Sebastian, that had been a special moment for Blaine.

A very special moment.

The moment where he had realized that Sebastian was what he wanted, that he had fallen so deep for him after those weeks of healing and getting his head in the right order again. Sebastian had, like the others as well, been there for him every step of the way, for the good and the bad moments and he had never stopped believing in Blaine.

And he was letting Blaine take it at his pace, this thing that was building itself between them, one slow step after the next. Sebastian understood and waited.

And waiting had brought them here now.

To the day before New Year's Eve, lying on the beach together, their friends off to get Nick, Jeff and Trent from the airport. Just the two of them, side by side. The ocean their only witness as Sebastian dozed on his back and Blaine let his eyes wander over the boy right next to him. From untamed brunet hair, over his sun kissed face and chest to his long long legs, Blaine couldn't get enough from him, and he didn't even have him.

Yet.

"Like what you see?" Sebastian wanted to know quietly, as if he had felt Blaine's eyes on himself, and green eyes popped open a bit. Blaine grinned, no more blushing, no more stuttering, no more looking away, that boy was still inside of him but with his new confidence Blaine was himself again, and so he brought up a hand and traced some random pattern over Sebastian's chest.

"I do." He answered honestly and Sebastian turned his head to the side, no smirk on his lips for once but a true smile.

"You have no idea how much that already means to me." Sebastian told him and Blaine grinned only brighter, shifted and pushed himself up until he could lean over Sebastian, hands propped up on either side of the taller boy's head. Green eyes followed every single movement with rapt attention.

"Seb?" Blaine asked then, drawing the look of those green eyes he loved so much right back to his own eyes.

"Hm?" Sebastian hummed, tongue flicking out to quickly lick his lips, Blaine swore he could almost feel Sebastian's heartbeat when he pressed his arm closer to his neck.

"Thank you for waiting." Blaine told him and then leaned down, had just one sweet half second to see the happiness taking over Sebastian's entire face before their lips touched for the very first time and his eyes fell shut.

--

Rob caught them mid heavy make out session two hours later on the patio. Neither Blaine nor Sebastian gave a crap and just flipped him the finger until he left them alone again.

--

And the next day when the clock stroke midnight and the party explodes into loud cheers, Sebastian pulled Blaine into his arms and kissed him right there in front of all their friends.

Best start into a new year ever.

--

Epilogue:

Two years down the road, Blaine looks up from his essay in his and Sebastian's apartment in Manhattan when the phone rings. He greets Skylar after a short look at the display and then sits down on the swing on the balcony.

"How can I help you?" Blaine asks and sets his phone on speaker, leaning back and turning his face into the sun, Wednesday was his lazy day, only one class in the morning and the rest of the day for working on assignments. And then getting dinner ready in time for Sebastian to stumble through the door after Lacrosse practice and faceplant into the couch until Blaine reawakened him with kisses and tickles.

But now he will listen to Skylar tell him about the new freshman, mid year transfer, about this kid with wide eyes and bruises, about the kid who flinches and jumps at everything and everyone. About this fourteen year old boy cowering in the back of the library, caught in a panic attack when Sage found him and gently coaxed him to follow him up to the dorm room he shared with Skylar.

And Skylar will breath out deeply and tell him about this kid having been bullied and beaten, and Blaine will remember his own demons on those first days of stepping foot into this old school, will remember not being able to believe that everything would be okay now. And Skylar will tell him about a boy with a power voice, about a boy who told him and Sage that music could let him forget the world.

And Skylar will ask him what to do.

And Blaine will smile into the sun and he will look out over Manhattan, he will listen to the city he loved right there in front of him. He will think of the wedding invitation on the kitchen counter, of the thick red mark Rob made into their calendar the last time he was here to make sure they wouldn't forget his next game again, of the gold star Jeff chose to mark his dance recital and of the purple circle around the weekend at the end of the month where Nick had marked them the time where he had finally time to come out with them again.

He would think of the wall in their bedroom that was filling with postcards and pictures from them and their friends from all over the world. And Blaine will take a breath and then speak up.

"Give him a home." He will tell Skylar who grows quiet and listens, because the boy is no longer that sky kid, he is a Senior now, Head Warbler, and he grew into what Thad, Rob and Sebastian always saw in him, a natural leader. "Take his hand, Sky, and bring him into that music room. Show him the yearbook pictures on the wall, tell him my story, tell him Nick's or if you're ready tell him yours. Tell him Alexander's or Thad's. Look into that boy's face and tell him that he is no longer alone."

And in the apartment keys are being thrown into a glass bowl and Sebastian's footsteps wander through the living room.

"Encourage him to audition for the Warblers. Tell him that no matter if he joins a club or not, if he gets in or not, he'll have brothers around him now who will protect him, defend him and always support him. That no matter how much time passes, a month, a year, a decade, he is part of a family now that will not leave anyone behind. He's a Dalton boy now, and Dalton means having a home. Dalton means family and those friends will stay with you for life. Just be yourself, Skylar, go with your gut. You learned from the best, you got the best examples to go by."

"If I still need help..."

"Thad, Rob, Seb or I, one of us will come down in heartbeat, you know that, Sky." Blaine says and looks up when Sebastian slides open the balcony door, stepping out to look at him. Skylar thanks him and then says goodbye for now.

"Everything okay?" Sebastian asks as Blaine sets his phone to the side and begs him over, Sebastian drops onto the swing beside him and Blaine throws an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

"It will be...Hey, what do you say about asking the guys to fly down for Regionals?"

They will get the guys together for a weekend down in Westerville, Wes even surprises them by turning up with Jason and Alexander, the guys who had led the Warblers before him, who had taught him everything. Thad drags Aiden away from their fancy fraternity parties in New Haven and they all tease them endlessly about their secret hush hush society. Nick spends the entire plane ride with his nose in his books but he came and Jeff keeps on nearly taking out people's eyes when he shows them the ring on his right hand, Nick smiles every single time behind his books. Rob and Seb complain in one go over going back to O-fucking-hio but Blaine sees their eyes when they step out of the car in front of Dalton and grins.

And Sebastian takes his hand and together they walk into the Academy that shaped them into who they are today. Sebastian grunts when Sage nearly runs him down, and Blaine laughs and sidesteps the brotherly reunion and Rob's excited comments. He looks around and finds Skylar standing on the staircase with an unfamiliar face at his side. He greets Skylar with a quick hug and then holds his hand out to the freshman, bruises faded by now, blue eyes no longer wide and scared.

"Hi, my name is Blaine Anderson. It's nice to finally meet you, I heard a lot of great things about you." And the boy shakes his hand and blushes, smiles completely shy and hesitant and tries to hide behind his blond hair.

"Julian Tannent...It's nice to meet you, too."

And then Wes whistles and they turn around, and then Sebastian is right there next to him, Sage under one arm, his free hand offered to Blaine who takes it with a bright smile. Blaine squeezes his hand and then looks around, sees the crowd of Dalton blazers and his friends. Skylar with his broad shoulders and his fond eyes looking over his current Warblers, this boy who grew up so much, with his best friend sneaking up to him, where Jackson knocks their elbows together, Blaine is reminded of Wes and David every time he sees them.

Little Sage who isn't little anymore, who has become so confident and strong, who will have a solo at Regionals, who glowed with pride when telling them, but who also still looks up at his big brother with those bright brown eyes. Julian, that little boy with the floppy blond hair who has only been at Dalton for five weeks but already looks as if he was finding his place.

Jeff and Nick who still defy all logic of friendship and romance, who have Blaine believe in all that talk about soulmates. They are still two of his closest friends, and they are so happy even if busy, working hard on fulfilling their dreams but never forgetting each other. An engagement ring certainly was proof enough of that.

Jason, Alex and Aiden, who had been the guys to look up to when Blaine had come to Dalton as this scared kid, who had been the ones Wes had turned to for advice all these years ago, just like Sage had done it with Skylar now. These boys who were all grown up by now, almost all graduated with Master degrees in their bags, Jason and Alex already married. And still not a day passed where you couldn't count on them trying their best to help when help was needed.

Wes, who was still and would probably always be the big brother Blaine had needed so badly after Sadie Hawkins, and even now where Cooper and him had fixed their relationship, Wes was still the brother Blaine trusted more. Wes who was so close to starting his first year as a resident at Boston General, whose wedding date was written in Blaine's and Sebastian's calendars with thick red markers. And David, who was still Wes' best friend, engaged himself by now to the best friend of the future Misses Montgomery, working on graduating early, who would as Jeff liked to joke still call them from the White House in the future to remind them of not buying him 'another fucking blue tie with red piping' for his birthday.

Thad and Rob, who still can't keep a partner for longer than a month before moving on, who enjoy life and love and sex and partying because they wanted to. Miles apart, in two different cities, two different universities, but their friendship strong enough to last. Still united in mothering Sebastian crazy, but also first on the doorstep if something was wrong.

And Sebastian.

Blaine smiles and turns to look back at Sebastian.

At his side. The love of his life. Surrounded by their best friends, their family in the place that had helped them find each other, that brought them back together again and again until fate had finally understood what it was supposed to do.

Sebastian opens his mouth in the next second while they're still looking at only each other and Blaine already knows what will happen. They grin at each other and then together they call out "Once a Warbler!"

And ten years of Warbler history and the future standing right here among them answer Sebastian and Blaine with the three words that echo from the walls for the next few seconds.

"Always a Warbler!"

Always a happy ending.