Fic: Once More With Feeling, Chapter 8/14
Title: Once More With Feeling (8/14+Epilogue)
Rating: R
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Blaine/Sebastian
Spoilers: -
Warnings:
Word Count: ~5700
Summary: After a long year of separation, things are finally looking up for Kurt and Blaine. They're ready to start their lives together in New York as an engaged couple. Everything is perfect.
Until it's suddenly not.
Torn apart by forces beyond their understanding, they find themselves alone, facing a world that is just not quite right anymore. A second first meeting of strangers on a staircase brings another chance for love, but is that chance enough for them to find their way back to each other, and can they break the spell before it's too late?
Disclaimer: The characters aren't my property, neither are any song lyrics within this story, just borrowing it all for a bit.
Notes: So, here's the next chapter. This one starts with some exposition, which I hope doesn't end up boring everybody. Also, this is the chapter were the supernatural elements start getting discussed, so there's some background on that - also the point where the whole "Once Upon My Time broke my brain" thing really comes to play, not only with the supernatural background but with a scene stolen from one of my non-glee OTPs. So yes, a bit nervous about this one, which should explain the rambling here.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Previously...
Chapter 8 - I've Got A Theory
At first, Kurt was sure she was joking, although he couldn't figure out how this was supposed to be funny. After a few moments, when she still hadn't started to laugh or given any indication that she had been anything but serious, Kurt had to speak up.
“He's what?” he asked, not very eloquently.
“Your fiancé,” Isabelle said. “I know this is confusing, and probably scary, but think about it. Really think about it. Don't you ever get the feeling around him that you know him already? Like he's way more familiar than he should be?”
“Well, yes,” Kurt admitted.
“And if you think back, did you ever notice any gaps in your memory? Things that are missing, or things that just seem blurry?”
Kurt's first instinct was to protest. He would have noticed if something was wrong with his memory, wouldn't he? But then he remembered the conversation he'd had with Rachel about the warblers, and about how they couldn't remember the performances that must have featured Blaine as their lead singer. When he had thought about it, he couldn't remember either sectionals or regionals from his junior year, and it wasn't just competitions. He had crystal clear memories of most lessons in glee club during his sophomore year, but those of his last two years were more of a blur than anything.
“There are,” he finally admitted. Helplessly, he looked up at Isabelle, hoping that she might actually have a solution for this. “And I've been having dreams about him. But they felt more like memories.”
“They are memories, Kurt,” Isabelle said. “They're just buried, but your real memories are still there. You remember all that you and Blaine have gone through. It's all there, just hidden.”
“But... how?”
Isabelle looked slightly uncomfortable now. “That's the long part of the story,” she said. “I hope you don't have any plans today?”
Even if he had, there was no way he could have left without getting the whole story now. “I'm all ears,” he said.
“Right,” Isabelle said, and nervously tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear, “so, where do I start... Do you believe in magic?”
“What?”
“Magic. Like... fairy tales, and spells and curses, those things,” Isabelle said.
For once, Kurt bit his tongue instead of speaking his mind. But what immediately sprang to his mind was that maybe he wasn't actually getting an explanation on what was going on with Blaine - maybe Isabelle had just completely lost her mind.
“Of course you don't,” Isabelle said after a moment of silence, “and why would you? It's become so rare by now, why would you know it. But it exists. Well, existed, mostly. Um, remember how you referred to me once as your fairy godmother?”
Kurt raised his eyebrow, almost dreading what he expected next. “You're not saying you actually are my fairy godmother, right?” he asked, aiming for a joke.
“Oh, no, of course not, that would be absurd,” Isabelle said, “there are only a handful of actual godmothers around, and I wasn't on that level of power even before... But yes. I'm actually a fairy. Well, I was at least, once upon a time - pun not intended. But that's what it boils down to. I used to be a fairy.”
Kurt stared at her, unsure on what to say. That was the last thing he would have expected to learn today. Or maybe poor Isabelle really was working too hard.
“And now you think poor Isabelle has lost her marbles and you should find a discreet psychiatric ward, right?”
Kurt gulped. Was mind-reading maybe a fairy power?
“It's the natural reaction, I admit,” Isabelle continued, a knowing smile on her face, “and I didn't expect you to believe it right away. So here, I've put together a bit of evidence for you. You will need a little bit of faith, still, but let's see how far this will take us.” She turned to her desk where there was a small flask filled with what looked like dust. As Isabelle took it into his hand, Kurt thought that the dust almost seemed to glow with a soft, greenish shimmer. Great, now he was losing his mind, too...
“Ever heard of fairy dust?” Isabelle asked.
“What, I need a lovely thought and then I'll fly?” Kurt asked. He tried to sound sarcastic, but the little particles inside the flask seemed to be floating.
“Something like that,” Isabelle said, “think of your boy, maybe?” With a secretive smile, she poured some of the dust into the palm of her hand and with an encouraging look at Kurt, she softly blew the dust into his face.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, he sneezed.
But he must have inhaled something, because the world seemed to take a green tint, and then he could hear voices, and everytime he blinked there were images behind his eyes - images of Blaine. They were kissing, for the first time over a dead bird's casket; dancing at two different proms and a failed wedding; he was walking away from Blaine, his heart breaking; lying on his bed, their hands intertwined and so much love between them; surrounded by people, but only the two of them counted, as he finally said yes, and the ring that Blaine put onto his finger; and kisses, so many kisses, and more...
With a gasp, he opened his eyes to reality, only to find Isabelle looking at him full of disappointment.
“It's not working,” she said. “Why isn't it working?” she wondered.
“It's not?” Kurt asked, slightly out of breath.
“You're not flying, are you?” Isabelle said. “I really thought it would work. There's magic inside the dust, I thought this at least could work, even if I lost my powers...”
“I think it did,” Kurt interrupted her. “Not the flying. I really don't need to be flying. But I think I... I remember, Isabelle. This is weird, but something just happened. Can you give me a moment?” He tried to sort his thoughts, those... images...
No, not images, memories. He wasn't sure what exactly he had just inhaled, what it had done with his brain, or if maybe both of them actually had lost their minds. But he felt completely sure that Isabelle had said the truth, that those weird dreams and flashes were memories. Blaine had proposed to him. they had gotten engaged, and Kurt had returned to New York. They'd been together again for Blaine's graduation, and then...
Then things had changed. But how, or why...?
Well, maybe now he would find the answers he was looking for.
“Okay, I... I think I... believe you? I'm not sure, it's a bit overwhelming,” he said. “So... what happened? Why is everything like this?”
Isabelle looked at him in surprise. “Oh... that was... easier than I thought,” she said. “Okay, then let's go to what went wrong. It happened at the end of summer. I felt it when it happened, but it took me some time to understand just what it was. It's a curse.”
“A curse?” Kurt asked.
“It was a curse cast on Blaine, I think. It took his memories of you and everything that's connected to you. Of course, this had consequences on more than him - on you, obviously, but on a minor scale also on everybody who's been in contact with the two of you. The curse altered reality. Your relationship was taken away, and something else was put in its place.”
“Sebastian,” Kurt hissed.
Isabelle tilted her head. “That's the boyfriend's name, isn't it?” she asked. “Yes, he's at the center of it. He must have a fairy godmother, the magic is all over him. I could see it clearly. And it's the same power that's behind the curse.”
“Wait, so this actually does go back to a fairy godmother?” Kurt asked, just to be completely sure.
“It does, yes,” Isabelle said, “his family's fairy godmother cast the curse on Blaine, to tear him away from you. Only a godmother could wield magic this powerful, and they only act on behalf of the family they protect.”
“How long have you known?”
“From the moment the curse fell,” Isabelle admitted. “I felt the impact of it, although it took some time until I found out what it meant. And even then, although I hated that you got hurt by it, I didn't wish to interfere. I couldn't even tell that Blaine was at the center of it until I saw him”
“Then what has changed? Why are you telling me now?”
“I knew it had to be a godmother casting the curse, and I don't have a lot of good experiences in dealing with them. I didn't want to get involved, not as long as I didn't even know the point of the curse. But well... now I realized just what that point was. That boy, Sebastian? What he's doing is simply disgusting. Think about it, he took Blaine's memory, had reality altered, just to get him into a relationship? That's brainwashing on a level I don't even want to think about. Knowing that... I couldn't stay out of it. I couldn't just watch.”
Suddenly, Kurt felt very cold. During all those revelations, he hadn't had time to really think. He had felt angry, of course, shocked and hurt, but... he wasn't the one suffering. His hand had somehow come up to cover his mouth. It was shaking.
“Does he know? Blaine, do you think he knows that something is wrong?” But even as he asked, he realized the answer. Maybe he didn't know, but it was obvious that Blaine felt that something was wrong - though rather than assume the world was wrong, of course he would think something was the matter with him...
Isabelle looked to the ceiling. “I'm... not sure,” she admitted, “it's hard to observe these things from the outside. And curses are complicated.. They don't get cast and exist. When they come into this world, they are pending. Either they are stabilized, and then they jus turn into fixed reality. If that had happened yet, you wouldn't be able to remember anything, even those dreams and déjà-vûs weren't possible. And if they can be stabilized... well, then they can be broken, too.”
“How? You have to tell me what to do, I'll do anything,” Kurt said.
“I don't know,” Isabelle said, “the classic used to be something romantic, like true love's kiss, but it really could be anything.”
“Then what do I do?”
Isabell sighed. “I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Trust me, I've been researching things, but it doesn't lead me anywhere. I tried to find out who the godmother is, but that takes time and a lot of research. I've been hoping that maybe you don't have to break the curse. Maybe it's enough if you manage to get Blaine out of there. At least he'd be out of the grasp of that horrible person. The problem might even sort itself out then. These things can't stay unstable forever.”
“Can Blaine even leave?” Kurt asked. “Or does that curse make him stay with Sebastian?”
Again, Isabelle sighed before she answered. “It's hard to tell. The one thing I'm sure of is that the curse altered reality in so far that it put him into this relationship, and probably gave him the information that he loves his boyfriend and always was very happy with him. It's hard to argue with powerful memories, no matter how fake they are. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say the curse isn't actively stopping him from leaving - but it makes it very hard.”
“So I could convince him to leave?” Kurt tried to assure himself.
“You'd have to be very convincing,” Isabelle said, “but I figure if anyone can do it, it's you. And you have to be subtle, you can't tell him what's going on.” She took his hand and gave him what was probably supposed to be an encouraging smile, but turned out about as shaky as Kurt felt. “I know this is all very confusing and scary, but we will figure out how to make this right, okay?”
“We have to,” Kurt said. “I'm sorry, I just... I think I need some time to think this through.”
“Take all the time you need. If it helps, you can have a few days off?”
“I'll think about it. And Isabelle? Thank you.”
By the time Monday came around, Kurt had thought things through a million times. It was completely ridiculous, unrealistic and impossible. It also made way too much sense. Rachel and Santana both had noticed that something was wrong, but he had managed to dodge their questioning and eventually they had chalked it up to him sulking about how they guy he was interested in already had a boyfriend.
If they knew...
His mood hadn't improved by the time he had come to NYADA, the usual two cups of coffee in his hands to wait for Blaine. By now, he was quite sure he remembered almost everything that had been blocked out of his memory. God, he really hated Sebastian.
Speaking of the devil...
Kurt finally got a glimpse of Blaine, but he wasn't alone. Sebastian was walking beside him, an arm around Blaine's shoulders, apparently escorting him to class. So they had made up, despite what Sebastian had done... It all got even worse now that he realized that Sebastian was behind it all.
He quickly stepped into a position where he could watch them without being too obvious. If he didn't know better, he actually could have believed that Sebastian cared. There was something about the expression on his face that was almost tender. Kurt had the unfamiliar urge to punch him.
From this angle, he couldn't see Blaine's face, but he found himself wondering nonetheless. Would he be happy, or at least content, now that they had made up? Or would he look as lost as he had this weekend? For a moment, Kurt wondered which of these options would hurt more.
Before they could get out of sight, he started following them, always keeping enough space between them not to be noticed. Only when they stopped before Carmen Tibideaux's class room, did he manage to get into a position from where he could actually see Blaine's face.
Blaine didn't look happy. His face looked blank. He was staring into nothing as Sebastian talked to him. He could as well have been sleepwalking. Kurt could see how Sebastian leaned in for a kiss that landed somewhere at the corner of Blaine's mouth. He felt his anger rise to the surface again. Forget punching, he was going to kill Sebastian - especially when he noticed the shudder that went through Blaine once the bastard had turned his back.
Blaine had to know on some level that something was wrong. It all made sense now that he thought about it - how Blaine was so isolated from everybody but Sebastian, why he stayed in a relationship that obviously made him unhappy, probably even his recent problems with music... so much of who he was had been just locked away, and only because of Sebastian.
How on earth was he supposed to get Blaine out of there?
And then, suddenly, Isabelle's words came back to the front of his mind. Something romantic, like true love's kiss...
True love's kiss - well, he could definitely do that.
With hardly a look to see if Sebastian was far enough away, Kurt made his way down the corridor to where Blaine was still standing, looking lost again.
“Blaine!” he called out when he was nearly there.
The other boy looked up and their eyes met. A smile appeared on Blaine's face, relieved and hopeful, and really, what more did Kurt need as a reassurance? With a few steps he had reached him.
Blaine's eyes widened and the happiness turned to confusion as Kurt stepped right into his personal space, and that was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes and sealed their lips together.
Blaine's lips were exactly as he remembered them, soft and pliant under his, and so familiar he could have cried. Without permission, one of his arms slipped around Blaine's shoulders, pulled him closer. Blaine's mouth opened in a gasp for breath, or maybe of surprise, and Kurt took the invitation, tracing the other boy - his fiancé's, this was his fiancé - lips with his tongue. Blaine's hands came up, as if to clutch at the front of Kurt's shirt, and then...
The force of the push made Kurt stumble. He was so taken by surprise that he didn't manage to catch himself, and suddenly, with a surprised yelp, he hit the floor. For a second he felt frozen, and could only stare at Blaine standing above him with a shocked expression in his face.
Then, time went on again.
“Oh my god!”
Blaine finally broke out of his trance and knelt down beside Kurt.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I'm... fine, I'm... Blaine?” Kurt looked up at him, hoping for recognition or any sign that it had worked. But after the first shock, Blaine's expression turned into something else, and it wasn't the joy or relief Kurt had expected. His heard almost stopped as he realized that the expression on Blaine's face was outrage.
“What was that? Why did you... kiss me? You know that I have a boyfriend!”
“But... he's not... you're not...” Kurt knew he was stammering, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't planned for this. Really, he hadn't planned at all, he had acted spontaneously, and obviously it had been a horrible idea.
“Really, Kurt? You know we're having a rough time at the moment, and that you're already a sore spot for him... I... God, I told him there's nothing going on between us, you can't just kiss me!”
He stood up abruptly, although he did reach out to pull Kurt to his feet. “You can't do that, Kurt,” he said, “that is so out of line.”
“Blaine, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking...”
Blaine shook his head. He looked less angry now, more upset and hurt, or maybe even betrayed. “No. I don't want to hear it right now. You can't. You just... you can't.” Without another look at Kurt, Blaine turned on his heel and walked into the class room. His squared shoulders made it obvious that following him was not an option.
Kurt felt a shiver run down his spine. Oh god, he had ruined everything hadn't he? Now how would Blaine ever trust him?
“Mr. Hummel, don't you have a class to attend?”
Kurt turned around astonished. Carmen Tibideaux had come up behind him, ready to enter the class room Blaine had disappeared into. He looked to his watch. Right, class...
“I was on my way,” he said.
Carmen Tibideaux watched him with interest as he made his way to his own class. He wasn't sure he would be able to concentrate at all. Maybe it would be the best thing if he took a day off...?
But really, the only thing he could think of was that look on Blaine's face - outrage, and betrayal... He wasn't sure he could ever shake it off.
Sebastian hadn't expected to come back to NYADA this soon. Now, he wasn't even sure about why he had accompanied Blaine to class earlier. It was somewhere between concern about Blaine after the... episode on Sunday, and hoping he'd at least keep Kurt Hummel at bay. He had to admit that was about as stupid as the phone thing had been - Blaine was right, they could see each other several times a day during school, and Sebastian couldn't exactly hang around Blaine 24/7.
Though maybe that wouldn't be the worst plan. At least then he wouldn't get called in the middle of a lecture and had to go to this joke of a school because his boyfriend had the killer migraine from hell, again. Of course, after that episode on Sunday, Sebastian had panicked and rushed to NYADA immediately. They said it was just a migraine, but what if they were wrong? What if Blaine had gotten worse?
At least now after seeing Blaine, he was calmer. The migraine was so bad that he couldn't keep his eyes open and he was leaning heavily against Sebastian's side, but there didn't seem to be anything else wrong with him. Sebastian would just have to get him home, get some meds into him and let him sleep for some time, and then he'd be better... well, as good as he'd get these days, not that that was saying a lot.
As they stepped outside, he felt Blaine flinch at the sunlight.
“Come on, the cab's waiting,” Sebastian said. “I'll have you home in a moment.”
“Thanks,” Blaine muttered, “for coming. I'm sorry, I know you have classes.”
“Screw them,” Sebastian said dismissively, “you're more important. It's just a headache though, right?”
“It's a migraine, Sebastian,” Blaine said, exhaustion evident in his voice, “that's not just a headache.”
“I know that,” Sebastian said, unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Migraine, then. But otherwise you're fine?”
There was a sigh before Blaine answered. “Sure, apart from the migraine I'm wonderful , Sebastian.”
“Well, I guess it's not that bad if you're getting sarcastic,” Sebastian said. “Did something happen, though?” He had wondered about this from the moment he had heard Blaine had another... yes, he'd stick with “episode” for now. After Sunday, he'd thought they'd have at least some time before another thing happened, but obviously he had been wrong.
The interesting thing was Blaine's reaction, though. His eyes darted up to Sebastian's, and then he quickly looked away. “What should have happened?” he asked dismissively. He couldn't have been more obvious if he had held up a transparent. Something had happened, and Sebastian could have made a bet on just whose fault that was. But now wasn't the right moment to discuss this.
Blaine didn't speak much during the cab ride, but for once, Sebastian wasn't put out by that, too busy with his own thoughts. He couldn't take his eyes off Blaine. He was paler than when they'd first met, and he looked exhausted. Most of that was probably because of the migraine, but Sebastian knew that even on good days it wasn't much better.
This wasn't how he had imagined things would be if Blaine ever became his boyfriend. He would deny it, of course, but ever since they met he had made up way too many scenarioes of that. At first, it had just been fantasizing - nothing unusual, it was more of a reflex when he met somebody he found hot. He didn't know himself when he had started to actually fall in love with Blaine, but it had happened, had almost turned into an obsession. Sebastian was self-aware enough to know he had problems accepting if things didn't go his way. If he wanted something, he wanted it right then, and then he took it, or fought tooth and nail until he got it. And god, did he want Blaine, had wanted him from the moment he saw him. It would have been so easy, too, if only it wasn't for Kurt Hummel. He had known Blaine would be perfect for him, perfect by his side...
Then why were things so utterly un-perfect now? It wasn't supposed to be like this. That's not what he had envisioned when he had this spell cast.
This was another thing he'd take to his grave. Nobody would look at him and think he'd believe in fairy tales. Of course, they hadn't met Nerida. He had always been aware that his full-time nanny had more power than everybody else seemed to see. When Sebastian had found out just what she was, she had taken him under her wings, and when she had, it had changed his life for the better. She had let him stay with his mother in France and spend most of his high school time there. But after their falling-out, Sebastian had turned his back on her, opting to return to his father in Ohio. At first, it had been a reaction of spite when she refused him a wish - but once he'd met Blaine, he had started to get comfortable in his new home. After all, challenges made life so much sweeter...
Of course, Blaine had turned into a challenge he just couldn't crack. Whatever Sebastian tried, it hadn't worked - not even when Blaine was single. Sebastian had hoped to get into the role of a friend, and work from there, but that too hadn't helped, and only eventually led to him agreeing to have the Warblers help Blaine with his proposal. He had tried to do the right thing, he really had - it had just really sucked to see Blaine this happy about his engagement. What point was there in doing the right thing when it didn't get you anywhere?
That had been the last straw, and eventually, he had gotten over his pride and turned to Nerida for help. It had taken some time, and lots of groveling, but eventually she had agreed to help him, and the solution she had offered had blown him away.
Here he was, with Blaine as his boyfriend, Hummel not even in the picture. It was the perfect setup. Sebastan had really thought he would be happy like this.
But it wasn't real, was it? Everything was still pending, because he couldn't manage to fix it. And Blaine was so obviously not happy. The spell hadn't just taken his memory, it had taken... more. Sebastian couldn't even describe what it was exactly, but Blaine seemed exhausted all the time, as if most of his passion had just been drained out of him. Sometimes, Sebastian couldn't even recognize him as the boy he'd met back in Ohio.
They finally arrived at the apartment complex. Blaine got out of the car while Sebastian paid and walked up to the door where he leaned against it, waiting for Sebastian to catch up with him.
It was getting worse. The spell was starting to hurt Blaine. A shudder went down Sebastian's spine as he remembered yesterday, how he'd found Blaine barely awake, bleeding and confused over the folder holding his diploma. It had been so close... but apparently, it hadn't been able to make Blaine realize what was going on. It had to be one of the spell's side-effects, that it kept his brain from accepting that reality had changed.
On some level, Sebastian envied Blaine and everybody else. At least they didn't have to deal with this dual set of memories. He had to be so careful not to screw things up. Once, he had slipped up and talked about something from their real memory. Blaine had almost gone into a seizure...
But it wasn't supposed to be like this. By the time they'd gone to New York, the spell was supposed to be stable. Blaine and him were supposed to be happy, and Kurt Hummel was supposed to be out of the picture forever.
But he was back in the picture now, and Sebastian had no idea how to handle that, and even less of an idea on how he was supposed to get Blaine to be okay again.
Well, he knew exactly what he had to do, it just wasn't working.
When they got into the apartment, Blaine weakly started walking to the bedroom. Sebastian followed and saw him just shrug off his jacket and fall onto the matress, not even taking of his shoes.
With an impatient sigh, Sebastian sat down at the edge of the matress and took them off for him.
“You're kind of a mess at the moment, hm?” Sebastian asked. There was a muffled noise instead of an answer. Blaine didn't even look up from the pillow.
“Come on, sit up,” Sebastian said, rolling his eyes. He didn't like seeing Blaine hurting, but just pitying him wasn't helping. So he rummaged through the nightstand until he found the migraine medication. With some effort, he managed to get Blaine to sit up long enough to actually take some, before he dropped back down into the pillows. With a sigh, Sebastian stroked through his hair, a few strands escaping the gel on his head.
Maybe it was worth another attempt? Gently, Sebastian took Blaine's shoulders and turned him over onto his back. His boyfriend blinked at him in confusion, turning away from the sunlight streaming in through the window.
“What?” he muttered.
Sebastian bowed down and put a kiss right onto Blaine's lips, as gentle as he could, putting a hand against his cheek. He softly stroked his thumbs over Blaine's skin, hoping and praying that it would work this time.
But his hope was disappointed again, as Blaine turned his face to get away from his kiss.
He never would have expected that to hurt as much as it did. But probably nobody wanted that kind of reaction when they kissed their boyfriend.
“Come on,” Sebastian muttered and tried to kiss him again, but now Blaine weakly pushed him away.
“Are you serious?” Blaine muttered.
“Why not?” Sebastian replied. “Come on, it's been ages...”
“You're not serious...” Blaine said and looked at him as if he had completely lost his mind.
“Again, why not?” Sebastian insisted, even though he knew he sounded whiny now.
“Because my head feels like it's exploding, for one? I think that's a really good reason not to.”
“Blaine, I-”
“No, Sebastian. I really want to sleep right now,” Blaine said. “You don't have to stay with me. I just... really... really need some sleep. And, you know, dark. Dark would be nice.”
Sebastian thought about protesting, but he realized it was useless. “Fine,” he muttered turning away, “I've got classes anyway.”
Blaine made another sound that might have been a goodbye, and Sebastian looked back to him once more, but Blaine had turned away so his face was buried into the pillow, shielding him from the light. With another exasperated sigh, he walked over to the window and closed the curtains. Another noise that may or may not have beeen a thank you came from the bed. Sebastian looked at him, wishing things were different.
But why on earth didn't it work?
Kurt had kissed him.
There were other things Blaine should be thinking about. Maybe about how he had finally managed to pull off a performance that Carmen Tibideaux was satisfied with. Or about how his boyfriend had actually taken some time off his busy schedule to take him home. Maybe thank heaven that for now the pain had finally subsided.
But Kurt had kissed him, and that made it really hard to think of anything else.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed since Sebastian had left. He knew he must have fallen asleep, it was obvious from how much better his head felt. For a moment he wondered whether he should be disappointed that his boyfriend hadn't stayed - but of course, that was ridiculous. Sebastian had classes, and better things to do than watch Blaine sleep. Besides, he wasn't too upset about having some time to get his thoughts in order.
Just what had happened? What had Kurt been thinking? How could he just do that? They were friends, just platonic friends, nothing else. Not people that kissed.
They had kissed.
It didn't mean anything. Kurt had just... who knew, temporarily lost his mind? Something like that, probably. Just a kiss, nothing to get upset about. And it hadn't even been that long. Just... a few seconds? A few seconds of Kurt's lips moving against his, soft and warm, and as if they'd kissed a million times and...
It didn't mean anything.
They had just kissed once...
No, they hadn't. It wasn't that they had kissed. Kurt had kissed him . And he had pushed Kurt away. That was all. He had pushed Kurt away because that was not what they were about, and so what if there had been a moment when all he had wanted was to pull him closer, to kiss back...
But he hadn't. He had a boyfriend, and Kurt was his best friend - platonic best friend.
So what if it had made his pulse skyrocket and not slow down for what seemed like ages? Or if it had finally given him that push he needed to pull off a performance good enough for NYADA?
It still didn't mean anything. It was bad, even. It might ruin their friendship.
...what if it did ruin their friendship?
Blaine sat up again and ran a hand through his hair. It couldn't... this couldn't ruin them, could it?
But yes, it could. Because if Kurt kissed him... if Kurt wanted more from him than friendship... then they couldn't even be friends anymore. Sebastian was already jealous of Kurt, suspected him of having ulterior motives, and Blaine kept telling him that there was nothing going on... What if there was, though? They wanted to give their relationship a second shot. The logical conclusion of that was that he couldn't see Kurt anymorre.
Blaine was shaking now. This was bad. He needed a solution to this. If he could talk to Kurt... He looked at the alarm, checking the time. It was already after three, so he had spent hours asleep. But at least he was painfree now.
Kurt had said he'd be at the diner this afternoon... Slowly, to not upset his head or stomach, Blaine stood up from the bed. He had nothing else planned for today, he was well enough to get up, and the sooner he cleared things up with Kurt, the better. And if he hurried, he might even manage to be back home before Sebastian returned.
He did feel bad. This was going behind Sebastian's back, too. But in the end, this was going to be helpful He would tell Kurt that nothing could happen between them, and with some luck he could keep a friendship without endangering his relationship. This would work out. It had to.
Next Chapter
Rating: R
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Blaine/Sebastian
Spoilers: -
Warnings:
Word Count: ~5700
Summary: After a long year of separation, things are finally looking up for Kurt and Blaine. They're ready to start their lives together in New York as an engaged couple. Everything is perfect.
Until it's suddenly not.
Torn apart by forces beyond their understanding, they find themselves alone, facing a world that is just not quite right anymore. A second first meeting of strangers on a staircase brings another chance for love, but is that chance enough for them to find their way back to each other, and can they break the spell before it's too late?
Disclaimer: The characters aren't my property, neither are any song lyrics within this story, just borrowing it all for a bit.
Notes: So, here's the next chapter. This one starts with some exposition, which I hope doesn't end up boring everybody. Also, this is the chapter were the supernatural elements start getting discussed, so there's some background on that - also the point where the whole "Once Upon My Time broke my brain" thing really comes to play, not only with the supernatural background but with a scene stolen from one of my non-glee OTPs. So yes, a bit nervous about this one, which should explain the rambling here.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Previously...
Chapter 8 - I've Got A Theory
At first, Kurt was sure she was joking, although he couldn't figure out how this was supposed to be funny. After a few moments, when she still hadn't started to laugh or given any indication that she had been anything but serious, Kurt had to speak up.
“He's what?” he asked, not very eloquently.
“Your fiancé,” Isabelle said. “I know this is confusing, and probably scary, but think about it. Really think about it. Don't you ever get the feeling around him that you know him already? Like he's way more familiar than he should be?”
“Well, yes,” Kurt admitted.
“And if you think back, did you ever notice any gaps in your memory? Things that are missing, or things that just seem blurry?”
Kurt's first instinct was to protest. He would have noticed if something was wrong with his memory, wouldn't he? But then he remembered the conversation he'd had with Rachel about the warblers, and about how they couldn't remember the performances that must have featured Blaine as their lead singer. When he had thought about it, he couldn't remember either sectionals or regionals from his junior year, and it wasn't just competitions. He had crystal clear memories of most lessons in glee club during his sophomore year, but those of his last two years were more of a blur than anything.
“There are,” he finally admitted. Helplessly, he looked up at Isabelle, hoping that she might actually have a solution for this. “And I've been having dreams about him. But they felt more like memories.”
“They are memories, Kurt,” Isabelle said. “They're just buried, but your real memories are still there. You remember all that you and Blaine have gone through. It's all there, just hidden.”
“But... how?”
Isabelle looked slightly uncomfortable now. “That's the long part of the story,” she said. “I hope you don't have any plans today?”
Even if he had, there was no way he could have left without getting the whole story now. “I'm all ears,” he said.
“Right,” Isabelle said, and nervously tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear, “so, where do I start... Do you believe in magic?”
“What?”
“Magic. Like... fairy tales, and spells and curses, those things,” Isabelle said.
For once, Kurt bit his tongue instead of speaking his mind. But what immediately sprang to his mind was that maybe he wasn't actually getting an explanation on what was going on with Blaine - maybe Isabelle had just completely lost her mind.
“Of course you don't,” Isabelle said after a moment of silence, “and why would you? It's become so rare by now, why would you know it. But it exists. Well, existed, mostly. Um, remember how you referred to me once as your fairy godmother?”
Kurt raised his eyebrow, almost dreading what he expected next. “You're not saying you actually are my fairy godmother, right?” he asked, aiming for a joke.
“Oh, no, of course not, that would be absurd,” Isabelle said, “there are only a handful of actual godmothers around, and I wasn't on that level of power even before... But yes. I'm actually a fairy. Well, I was at least, once upon a time - pun not intended. But that's what it boils down to. I used to be a fairy.”
Kurt stared at her, unsure on what to say. That was the last thing he would have expected to learn today. Or maybe poor Isabelle really was working too hard.
“And now you think poor Isabelle has lost her marbles and you should find a discreet psychiatric ward, right?”
Kurt gulped. Was mind-reading maybe a fairy power?
“It's the natural reaction, I admit,” Isabelle continued, a knowing smile on her face, “and I didn't expect you to believe it right away. So here, I've put together a bit of evidence for you. You will need a little bit of faith, still, but let's see how far this will take us.” She turned to her desk where there was a small flask filled with what looked like dust. As Isabelle took it into his hand, Kurt thought that the dust almost seemed to glow with a soft, greenish shimmer. Great, now he was losing his mind, too...
“Ever heard of fairy dust?” Isabelle asked.
“What, I need a lovely thought and then I'll fly?” Kurt asked. He tried to sound sarcastic, but the little particles inside the flask seemed to be floating.
“Something like that,” Isabelle said, “think of your boy, maybe?” With a secretive smile, she poured some of the dust into the palm of her hand and with an encouraging look at Kurt, she softly blew the dust into his face.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, he sneezed.
But he must have inhaled something, because the world seemed to take a green tint, and then he could hear voices, and everytime he blinked there were images behind his eyes - images of Blaine. They were kissing, for the first time over a dead bird's casket; dancing at two different proms and a failed wedding; he was walking away from Blaine, his heart breaking; lying on his bed, their hands intertwined and so much love between them; surrounded by people, but only the two of them counted, as he finally said yes, and the ring that Blaine put onto his finger; and kisses, so many kisses, and more...
With a gasp, he opened his eyes to reality, only to find Isabelle looking at him full of disappointment.
“It's not working,” she said. “Why isn't it working?” she wondered.
“It's not?” Kurt asked, slightly out of breath.
“You're not flying, are you?” Isabelle said. “I really thought it would work. There's magic inside the dust, I thought this at least could work, even if I lost my powers...”
“I think it did,” Kurt interrupted her. “Not the flying. I really don't need to be flying. But I think I... I remember, Isabelle. This is weird, but something just happened. Can you give me a moment?” He tried to sort his thoughts, those... images...
No, not images, memories. He wasn't sure what exactly he had just inhaled, what it had done with his brain, or if maybe both of them actually had lost their minds. But he felt completely sure that Isabelle had said the truth, that those weird dreams and flashes were memories. Blaine had proposed to him. they had gotten engaged, and Kurt had returned to New York. They'd been together again for Blaine's graduation, and then...
Then things had changed. But how, or why...?
Well, maybe now he would find the answers he was looking for.
“Okay, I... I think I... believe you? I'm not sure, it's a bit overwhelming,” he said. “So... what happened? Why is everything like this?”
Isabelle looked at him in surprise. “Oh... that was... easier than I thought,” she said. “Okay, then let's go to what went wrong. It happened at the end of summer. I felt it when it happened, but it took me some time to understand just what it was. It's a curse.”
“A curse?” Kurt asked.
“It was a curse cast on Blaine, I think. It took his memories of you and everything that's connected to you. Of course, this had consequences on more than him - on you, obviously, but on a minor scale also on everybody who's been in contact with the two of you. The curse altered reality. Your relationship was taken away, and something else was put in its place.”
“Sebastian,” Kurt hissed.
Isabelle tilted her head. “That's the boyfriend's name, isn't it?” she asked. “Yes, he's at the center of it. He must have a fairy godmother, the magic is all over him. I could see it clearly. And it's the same power that's behind the curse.”
“Wait, so this actually does go back to a fairy godmother?” Kurt asked, just to be completely sure.
“It does, yes,” Isabelle said, “his family's fairy godmother cast the curse on Blaine, to tear him away from you. Only a godmother could wield magic this powerful, and they only act on behalf of the family they protect.”
“How long have you known?”
“From the moment the curse fell,” Isabelle admitted. “I felt the impact of it, although it took some time until I found out what it meant. And even then, although I hated that you got hurt by it, I didn't wish to interfere. I couldn't even tell that Blaine was at the center of it until I saw him”
“Then what has changed? Why are you telling me now?”
“I knew it had to be a godmother casting the curse, and I don't have a lot of good experiences in dealing with them. I didn't want to get involved, not as long as I didn't even know the point of the curse. But well... now I realized just what that point was. That boy, Sebastian? What he's doing is simply disgusting. Think about it, he took Blaine's memory, had reality altered, just to get him into a relationship? That's brainwashing on a level I don't even want to think about. Knowing that... I couldn't stay out of it. I couldn't just watch.”
Suddenly, Kurt felt very cold. During all those revelations, he hadn't had time to really think. He had felt angry, of course, shocked and hurt, but... he wasn't the one suffering. His hand had somehow come up to cover his mouth. It was shaking.
“Does he know? Blaine, do you think he knows that something is wrong?” But even as he asked, he realized the answer. Maybe he didn't know, but it was obvious that Blaine felt that something was wrong - though rather than assume the world was wrong, of course he would think something was the matter with him...
Isabelle looked to the ceiling. “I'm... not sure,” she admitted, “it's hard to observe these things from the outside. And curses are complicated.. They don't get cast and exist. When they come into this world, they are pending. Either they are stabilized, and then they jus turn into fixed reality. If that had happened yet, you wouldn't be able to remember anything, even those dreams and déjà-vûs weren't possible. And if they can be stabilized... well, then they can be broken, too.”
“How? You have to tell me what to do, I'll do anything,” Kurt said.
“I don't know,” Isabelle said, “the classic used to be something romantic, like true love's kiss, but it really could be anything.”
“Then what do I do?”
Isabell sighed. “I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Trust me, I've been researching things, but it doesn't lead me anywhere. I tried to find out who the godmother is, but that takes time and a lot of research. I've been hoping that maybe you don't have to break the curse. Maybe it's enough if you manage to get Blaine out of there. At least he'd be out of the grasp of that horrible person. The problem might even sort itself out then. These things can't stay unstable forever.”
“Can Blaine even leave?” Kurt asked. “Or does that curse make him stay with Sebastian?”
Again, Isabelle sighed before she answered. “It's hard to tell. The one thing I'm sure of is that the curse altered reality in so far that it put him into this relationship, and probably gave him the information that he loves his boyfriend and always was very happy with him. It's hard to argue with powerful memories, no matter how fake they are. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say the curse isn't actively stopping him from leaving - but it makes it very hard.”
“So I could convince him to leave?” Kurt tried to assure himself.
“You'd have to be very convincing,” Isabelle said, “but I figure if anyone can do it, it's you. And you have to be subtle, you can't tell him what's going on.” She took his hand and gave him what was probably supposed to be an encouraging smile, but turned out about as shaky as Kurt felt. “I know this is all very confusing and scary, but we will figure out how to make this right, okay?”
“We have to,” Kurt said. “I'm sorry, I just... I think I need some time to think this through.”
“Take all the time you need. If it helps, you can have a few days off?”
“I'll think about it. And Isabelle? Thank you.”
By the time Monday came around, Kurt had thought things through a million times. It was completely ridiculous, unrealistic and impossible. It also made way too much sense. Rachel and Santana both had noticed that something was wrong, but he had managed to dodge their questioning and eventually they had chalked it up to him sulking about how they guy he was interested in already had a boyfriend.
If they knew...
His mood hadn't improved by the time he had come to NYADA, the usual two cups of coffee in his hands to wait for Blaine. By now, he was quite sure he remembered almost everything that had been blocked out of his memory. God, he really hated Sebastian.
Speaking of the devil...
Kurt finally got a glimpse of Blaine, but he wasn't alone. Sebastian was walking beside him, an arm around Blaine's shoulders, apparently escorting him to class. So they had made up, despite what Sebastian had done... It all got even worse now that he realized that Sebastian was behind it all.
He quickly stepped into a position where he could watch them without being too obvious. If he didn't know better, he actually could have believed that Sebastian cared. There was something about the expression on his face that was almost tender. Kurt had the unfamiliar urge to punch him.
From this angle, he couldn't see Blaine's face, but he found himself wondering nonetheless. Would he be happy, or at least content, now that they had made up? Or would he look as lost as he had this weekend? For a moment, Kurt wondered which of these options would hurt more.
Before they could get out of sight, he started following them, always keeping enough space between them not to be noticed. Only when they stopped before Carmen Tibideaux's class room, did he manage to get into a position from where he could actually see Blaine's face.
Blaine didn't look happy. His face looked blank. He was staring into nothing as Sebastian talked to him. He could as well have been sleepwalking. Kurt could see how Sebastian leaned in for a kiss that landed somewhere at the corner of Blaine's mouth. He felt his anger rise to the surface again. Forget punching, he was going to kill Sebastian - especially when he noticed the shudder that went through Blaine once the bastard had turned his back.
Blaine had to know on some level that something was wrong. It all made sense now that he thought about it - how Blaine was so isolated from everybody but Sebastian, why he stayed in a relationship that obviously made him unhappy, probably even his recent problems with music... so much of who he was had been just locked away, and only because of Sebastian.
How on earth was he supposed to get Blaine out of there?
And then, suddenly, Isabelle's words came back to the front of his mind. Something romantic, like true love's kiss...
True love's kiss - well, he could definitely do that.
With hardly a look to see if Sebastian was far enough away, Kurt made his way down the corridor to where Blaine was still standing, looking lost again.
“Blaine!” he called out when he was nearly there.
The other boy looked up and their eyes met. A smile appeared on Blaine's face, relieved and hopeful, and really, what more did Kurt need as a reassurance? With a few steps he had reached him.
Blaine's eyes widened and the happiness turned to confusion as Kurt stepped right into his personal space, and that was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes and sealed their lips together.
Blaine's lips were exactly as he remembered them, soft and pliant under his, and so familiar he could have cried. Without permission, one of his arms slipped around Blaine's shoulders, pulled him closer. Blaine's mouth opened in a gasp for breath, or maybe of surprise, and Kurt took the invitation, tracing the other boy - his fiancé's, this was his fiancé - lips with his tongue. Blaine's hands came up, as if to clutch at the front of Kurt's shirt, and then...
The force of the push made Kurt stumble. He was so taken by surprise that he didn't manage to catch himself, and suddenly, with a surprised yelp, he hit the floor. For a second he felt frozen, and could only stare at Blaine standing above him with a shocked expression in his face.
Then, time went on again.
“Oh my god!”
Blaine finally broke out of his trance and knelt down beside Kurt.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I'm... fine, I'm... Blaine?” Kurt looked up at him, hoping for recognition or any sign that it had worked. But after the first shock, Blaine's expression turned into something else, and it wasn't the joy or relief Kurt had expected. His heard almost stopped as he realized that the expression on Blaine's face was outrage.
“What was that? Why did you... kiss me? You know that I have a boyfriend!”
“But... he's not... you're not...” Kurt knew he was stammering, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't planned for this. Really, he hadn't planned at all, he had acted spontaneously, and obviously it had been a horrible idea.
“Really, Kurt? You know we're having a rough time at the moment, and that you're already a sore spot for him... I... God, I told him there's nothing going on between us, you can't just kiss me!”
He stood up abruptly, although he did reach out to pull Kurt to his feet. “You can't do that, Kurt,” he said, “that is so out of line.”
“Blaine, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking...”
Blaine shook his head. He looked less angry now, more upset and hurt, or maybe even betrayed. “No. I don't want to hear it right now. You can't. You just... you can't.” Without another look at Kurt, Blaine turned on his heel and walked into the class room. His squared shoulders made it obvious that following him was not an option.
Kurt felt a shiver run down his spine. Oh god, he had ruined everything hadn't he? Now how would Blaine ever trust him?
“Mr. Hummel, don't you have a class to attend?”
Kurt turned around astonished. Carmen Tibideaux had come up behind him, ready to enter the class room Blaine had disappeared into. He looked to his watch. Right, class...
“I was on my way,” he said.
Carmen Tibideaux watched him with interest as he made his way to his own class. He wasn't sure he would be able to concentrate at all. Maybe it would be the best thing if he took a day off...?
But really, the only thing he could think of was that look on Blaine's face - outrage, and betrayal... He wasn't sure he could ever shake it off.
Sebastian hadn't expected to come back to NYADA this soon. Now, he wasn't even sure about why he had accompanied Blaine to class earlier. It was somewhere between concern about Blaine after the... episode on Sunday, and hoping he'd at least keep Kurt Hummel at bay. He had to admit that was about as stupid as the phone thing had been - Blaine was right, they could see each other several times a day during school, and Sebastian couldn't exactly hang around Blaine 24/7.
Though maybe that wouldn't be the worst plan. At least then he wouldn't get called in the middle of a lecture and had to go to this joke of a school because his boyfriend had the killer migraine from hell, again. Of course, after that episode on Sunday, Sebastian had panicked and rushed to NYADA immediately. They said it was just a migraine, but what if they were wrong? What if Blaine had gotten worse?
At least now after seeing Blaine, he was calmer. The migraine was so bad that he couldn't keep his eyes open and he was leaning heavily against Sebastian's side, but there didn't seem to be anything else wrong with him. Sebastian would just have to get him home, get some meds into him and let him sleep for some time, and then he'd be better... well, as good as he'd get these days, not that that was saying a lot.
As they stepped outside, he felt Blaine flinch at the sunlight.
“Come on, the cab's waiting,” Sebastian said. “I'll have you home in a moment.”
“Thanks,” Blaine muttered, “for coming. I'm sorry, I know you have classes.”
“Screw them,” Sebastian said dismissively, “you're more important. It's just a headache though, right?”
“It's a migraine, Sebastian,” Blaine said, exhaustion evident in his voice, “that's not just a headache.”
“I know that,” Sebastian said, unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Migraine, then. But otherwise you're fine?”
There was a sigh before Blaine answered. “Sure, apart from the migraine I'm wonderful , Sebastian.”
“Well, I guess it's not that bad if you're getting sarcastic,” Sebastian said. “Did something happen, though?” He had wondered about this from the moment he had heard Blaine had another... yes, he'd stick with “episode” for now. After Sunday, he'd thought they'd have at least some time before another thing happened, but obviously he had been wrong.
The interesting thing was Blaine's reaction, though. His eyes darted up to Sebastian's, and then he quickly looked away. “What should have happened?” he asked dismissively. He couldn't have been more obvious if he had held up a transparent. Something had happened, and Sebastian could have made a bet on just whose fault that was. But now wasn't the right moment to discuss this.
Blaine didn't speak much during the cab ride, but for once, Sebastian wasn't put out by that, too busy with his own thoughts. He couldn't take his eyes off Blaine. He was paler than when they'd first met, and he looked exhausted. Most of that was probably because of the migraine, but Sebastian knew that even on good days it wasn't much better.
This wasn't how he had imagined things would be if Blaine ever became his boyfriend. He would deny it, of course, but ever since they met he had made up way too many scenarioes of that. At first, it had just been fantasizing - nothing unusual, it was more of a reflex when he met somebody he found hot. He didn't know himself when he had started to actually fall in love with Blaine, but it had happened, had almost turned into an obsession. Sebastian was self-aware enough to know he had problems accepting if things didn't go his way. If he wanted something, he wanted it right then, and then he took it, or fought tooth and nail until he got it. And god, did he want Blaine, had wanted him from the moment he saw him. It would have been so easy, too, if only it wasn't for Kurt Hummel. He had known Blaine would be perfect for him, perfect by his side...
Then why were things so utterly un-perfect now? It wasn't supposed to be like this. That's not what he had envisioned when he had this spell cast.
This was another thing he'd take to his grave. Nobody would look at him and think he'd believe in fairy tales. Of course, they hadn't met Nerida. He had always been aware that his full-time nanny had more power than everybody else seemed to see. When Sebastian had found out just what she was, she had taken him under her wings, and when she had, it had changed his life for the better. She had let him stay with his mother in France and spend most of his high school time there. But after their falling-out, Sebastian had turned his back on her, opting to return to his father in Ohio. At first, it had been a reaction of spite when she refused him a wish - but once he'd met Blaine, he had started to get comfortable in his new home. After all, challenges made life so much sweeter...
Of course, Blaine had turned into a challenge he just couldn't crack. Whatever Sebastian tried, it hadn't worked - not even when Blaine was single. Sebastian had hoped to get into the role of a friend, and work from there, but that too hadn't helped, and only eventually led to him agreeing to have the Warblers help Blaine with his proposal. He had tried to do the right thing, he really had - it had just really sucked to see Blaine this happy about his engagement. What point was there in doing the right thing when it didn't get you anywhere?
That had been the last straw, and eventually, he had gotten over his pride and turned to Nerida for help. It had taken some time, and lots of groveling, but eventually she had agreed to help him, and the solution she had offered had blown him away.
Here he was, with Blaine as his boyfriend, Hummel not even in the picture. It was the perfect setup. Sebastan had really thought he would be happy like this.
But it wasn't real, was it? Everything was still pending, because he couldn't manage to fix it. And Blaine was so obviously not happy. The spell hadn't just taken his memory, it had taken... more. Sebastian couldn't even describe what it was exactly, but Blaine seemed exhausted all the time, as if most of his passion had just been drained out of him. Sometimes, Sebastian couldn't even recognize him as the boy he'd met back in Ohio.
They finally arrived at the apartment complex. Blaine got out of the car while Sebastian paid and walked up to the door where he leaned against it, waiting for Sebastian to catch up with him.
It was getting worse. The spell was starting to hurt Blaine. A shudder went down Sebastian's spine as he remembered yesterday, how he'd found Blaine barely awake, bleeding and confused over the folder holding his diploma. It had been so close... but apparently, it hadn't been able to make Blaine realize what was going on. It had to be one of the spell's side-effects, that it kept his brain from accepting that reality had changed.
On some level, Sebastian envied Blaine and everybody else. At least they didn't have to deal with this dual set of memories. He had to be so careful not to screw things up. Once, he had slipped up and talked about something from their real memory. Blaine had almost gone into a seizure...
But it wasn't supposed to be like this. By the time they'd gone to New York, the spell was supposed to be stable. Blaine and him were supposed to be happy, and Kurt Hummel was supposed to be out of the picture forever.
But he was back in the picture now, and Sebastian had no idea how to handle that, and even less of an idea on how he was supposed to get Blaine to be okay again.
Well, he knew exactly what he had to do, it just wasn't working.
When they got into the apartment, Blaine weakly started walking to the bedroom. Sebastian followed and saw him just shrug off his jacket and fall onto the matress, not even taking of his shoes.
With an impatient sigh, Sebastian sat down at the edge of the matress and took them off for him.
“You're kind of a mess at the moment, hm?” Sebastian asked. There was a muffled noise instead of an answer. Blaine didn't even look up from the pillow.
“Come on, sit up,” Sebastian said, rolling his eyes. He didn't like seeing Blaine hurting, but just pitying him wasn't helping. So he rummaged through the nightstand until he found the migraine medication. With some effort, he managed to get Blaine to sit up long enough to actually take some, before he dropped back down into the pillows. With a sigh, Sebastian stroked through his hair, a few strands escaping the gel on his head.
Maybe it was worth another attempt? Gently, Sebastian took Blaine's shoulders and turned him over onto his back. His boyfriend blinked at him in confusion, turning away from the sunlight streaming in through the window.
“What?” he muttered.
Sebastian bowed down and put a kiss right onto Blaine's lips, as gentle as he could, putting a hand against his cheek. He softly stroked his thumbs over Blaine's skin, hoping and praying that it would work this time.
But his hope was disappointed again, as Blaine turned his face to get away from his kiss.
He never would have expected that to hurt as much as it did. But probably nobody wanted that kind of reaction when they kissed their boyfriend.
“Come on,” Sebastian muttered and tried to kiss him again, but now Blaine weakly pushed him away.
“Are you serious?” Blaine muttered.
“Why not?” Sebastian replied. “Come on, it's been ages...”
“You're not serious...” Blaine said and looked at him as if he had completely lost his mind.
“Again, why not?” Sebastian insisted, even though he knew he sounded whiny now.
“Because my head feels like it's exploding, for one? I think that's a really good reason not to.”
“Blaine, I-”
“No, Sebastian. I really want to sleep right now,” Blaine said. “You don't have to stay with me. I just... really... really need some sleep. And, you know, dark. Dark would be nice.”
Sebastian thought about protesting, but he realized it was useless. “Fine,” he muttered turning away, “I've got classes anyway.”
Blaine made another sound that might have been a goodbye, and Sebastian looked back to him once more, but Blaine had turned away so his face was buried into the pillow, shielding him from the light. With another exasperated sigh, he walked over to the window and closed the curtains. Another noise that may or may not have beeen a thank you came from the bed. Sebastian looked at him, wishing things were different.
But why on earth didn't it work?
Kurt had kissed him.
There were other things Blaine should be thinking about. Maybe about how he had finally managed to pull off a performance that Carmen Tibideaux was satisfied with. Or about how his boyfriend had actually taken some time off his busy schedule to take him home. Maybe thank heaven that for now the pain had finally subsided.
But Kurt had kissed him, and that made it really hard to think of anything else.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed since Sebastian had left. He knew he must have fallen asleep, it was obvious from how much better his head felt. For a moment he wondered whether he should be disappointed that his boyfriend hadn't stayed - but of course, that was ridiculous. Sebastian had classes, and better things to do than watch Blaine sleep. Besides, he wasn't too upset about having some time to get his thoughts in order.
Just what had happened? What had Kurt been thinking? How could he just do that? They were friends, just platonic friends, nothing else. Not people that kissed.
They had kissed.
It didn't mean anything. Kurt had just... who knew, temporarily lost his mind? Something like that, probably. Just a kiss, nothing to get upset about. And it hadn't even been that long. Just... a few seconds? A few seconds of Kurt's lips moving against his, soft and warm, and as if they'd kissed a million times and...
It didn't mean anything.
They had just kissed once...
No, they hadn't. It wasn't that they had kissed. Kurt had kissed him . And he had pushed Kurt away. That was all. He had pushed Kurt away because that was not what they were about, and so what if there had been a moment when all he had wanted was to pull him closer, to kiss back...
But he hadn't. He had a boyfriend, and Kurt was his best friend - platonic best friend.
So what if it had made his pulse skyrocket and not slow down for what seemed like ages? Or if it had finally given him that push he needed to pull off a performance good enough for NYADA?
It still didn't mean anything. It was bad, even. It might ruin their friendship.
...what if it did ruin their friendship?
Blaine sat up again and ran a hand through his hair. It couldn't... this couldn't ruin them, could it?
But yes, it could. Because if Kurt kissed him... if Kurt wanted more from him than friendship... then they couldn't even be friends anymore. Sebastian was already jealous of Kurt, suspected him of having ulterior motives, and Blaine kept telling him that there was nothing going on... What if there was, though? They wanted to give their relationship a second shot. The logical conclusion of that was that he couldn't see Kurt anymorre.
Blaine was shaking now. This was bad. He needed a solution to this. If he could talk to Kurt... He looked at the alarm, checking the time. It was already after three, so he had spent hours asleep. But at least he was painfree now.
Kurt had said he'd be at the diner this afternoon... Slowly, to not upset his head or stomach, Blaine stood up from the bed. He had nothing else planned for today, he was well enough to get up, and the sooner he cleared things up with Kurt, the better. And if he hurried, he might even manage to be back home before Sebastian returned.
He did feel bad. This was going behind Sebastian's back, too. But in the end, this was going to be helpful He would tell Kurt that nothing could happen between them, and with some luck he could keep a friendship without endangering his relationship. This would work out. It had to.
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