At the sight of the tears, Kurt stepped forward, but Andrew held up a hand and took two steps back quickly. "Dont."

"Why not?" Every nerve in Kurts body was thrumming, tingling, pushing him to reach for the other man. Andrews eyes were wary, though, and Kurt forced his feet to remain still as he reached behind him to shut the apartment door.

"We have to talk first. If we..." Andrew closed his eyes briefly. "Talking first. Then you can decide what you–"

"Decide? You really think theres a decision to be made here?"

Andrew stared at him pleadingly. "Kurt, if you took me back, Id be the happiest man alive. Truly. But I need you to know what youd be getting yourself into first. Because if you chose to be with me now, and then you changed your mind after an hour or a day or a month, after youd thought it through... I wouldnt be able to recover from that."

"But–"

"Please." He swiped at the tears on his cheeks with the back of his sleeve. "Have dinner with me. Hear about what the rest of my life will entail, before you decide whether you want to be a part of it."

The apartment had a small eat-in kitchen, in which Andrew had set up a little card table with two placemats side-by-side. He poured two glasses of water as Kurt sat down on one of the folding chairs, then served them both spaghetti bolognese before taking his seat beside Kurt.

Dinner was truly terrible. Andrew had managed to both undercook the pasta and nearly scorch the meat. Kurt chewed exactly two bites before the urge to laugh became too great. Their eyes met, and they both lost it. Andrews mouth was still full of the disgusting concoction, the spaghetti sticking in between his teeth, and he had to spit it into his napkin to keep from choking. They each leaned forward, clutching their stomachs as they howled with laughter. Once they calmed down, the tension between them had finally lessened.

"I was never supposed to cook, remember?" Andrew reminded him between lingering giggles. "I was supposed to do the cleaning, and you were–"

Kurt grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him close, claiming his lips greedily as Andrew kissed him back just as fiercely. His head swam from the feel of his skin, and the scent of his sweat, and the sound of his moans, and the taste of his mouth. After a few seconds, though, Andrew fisted the front of Kurts shirt in his hands, pushing him away even as he held him tight.

"We need to talk first," Andrew gasped, watching Kurt lick his lips. "Please."

"So talk," Kurt said breathlessly.

They sat at opposite ends of the couch, facing each other. Andrew ran a hand nervously through his hair as Kurt stared at his lips. "I dont even know where to begin."

"Scott told me the basics," Kurt said. "Witnessing the crime, moving to Wisconsin. Start after that."

"It was bad. Our family had always been seen as high-risk, because a mixed-race couple with one son is fairly noticeable in much of the country. When I refused to play straight, even after everything that had gone down in Wisconsin, the Witness Protection program decided that our family had to be split up, to attract less attention. I went with my mom to Ohio, and my dad went off on his own. Turns out he was in Florida, but we werent told his location, and he wasnt told ours."

Kurt nodded. "Why Ohio?"

"Asian populations are higher in major cities, and the Marshals knew that Castellanos men were focusing their searches there. They placed me and Mom in an upper-class town in the Midwest and gave us the cover story that my dad was traveling a lot on business. The biggest draw to Ohio, though, was Dalton."

"Really? Why?"

"It had a zero-tolerance bullying policy, and enough racial diversity that my ethnic background wouldnt be particularly interesting to anyone. And single-gender schools tend to be more accepting of gay students." Andrew looked wistful. "Everyone there was so nice to me. They were the first real friends Id had in years. I joined the Warblers and finally felt like I belonged somewhere. You know?"

"I know."

"And just when I thought it couldnt get any better, I met you. And for the first time ever, I didnt feel that barrier between me and someone else. You got me – better than my friends did, better than my parents did, even. All of a sudden, I realized that my name didnt matter. Where I came from didnt matter. You understood and loved me without all of that. And I loved you back, I–" Andrew shook his head. "I guess Id never loved anyone like I loved you."

Kurt wondered at the past tense.

"Castellano had a whole team of lawyers whose real purpose was to keep stalling the trial while his goons searched for me and my dad. It seemed like wed never go to trial, and so I... I got comfortable. I started thinking maybe it would be years, decades even, before theyd call us to testify. So I let myself dream. I dreamed about moving to New York, starting a life with you. And then–" He broke off.

"And then Scott called," Kurt supplied. "That was in, what, October?"

"Late September," Andrew said miserably. "At first, he said the trial would begin within the year. Then, the timetable kept being pushed up, until a few weeks later he called and said theyd need to extract us in two days. I wanted to tell you, I swear."

"I know you did."

"They took us to a safehouse in Oregon, where we had round-the-clock security. Just me and my parents, in a little house we werent allowed to leave. They deposed us there, and then we waited through the trial. All told, we were at the safehouse for about year and a half."

"You must have gone stir-crazy."

"It was lonely. I ran on a treadmill to get rid of nervous energy, and I wrote a lot of songs. And I thought about you."

Kurt felt his heart swell. "Okay, there, weve talked. Now I can decide?"

"Weve talked about what happened until the verdict. Its everything after that that will affect your decision." Andrew drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his shins. He suddenly looked very young to Kurt. "After Castellano was convicted, it was time to place us somewhere permanently. I kept asking to go back to Ohio, but the Marshals wouldnt allow it. They said if our family were to move back after suddenly disappearing, wed draw too much scrutiny. And then Scott reminded me that youd said goodbye, and had probably moved on and found someone else."

"I knew I didnt like that guy," Kurt scowled.

"In retrospect it was probably an attempt at manipulating me," Andrew said. "But at the time... I almost punched him, I was so angry." He looked ashamed at the memory. "After that, we barely spoke to each other. I kept saying I wanted to go to New York to find you, and the Marshals kept saying no. The hit order was still in effect, and my parents still look too similar to the photos that Castellanos hit-men were given, so they would be too high-risk for New York."

"How did you convince the Marshals?"

"I didnt, actually. My dad did." Andrew shook his head. "It still blows my mind. Scott and I were arguing, and everyone kept telling me I was being selfish, and suddenly my dad stood up and yelled for everyone to be quiet. And then he said that if I went to New York, Id be in very little danger, since my appearance is so different from when I was a kid. And–" He swallowed.

"Oh my god." Kurts eyes widened. "You were relocated alone, werent you? They split you up."

Andrew nodded, taking a shuddering breath. "Dad said... he said he and my mom would always love and be there for me, at any point. But I might have a limited time to get you back, and... he said Id already lost so much because of the trial..."

"They let you go, so we could be together," Kurt finished, awed.

"So we could have the option, at least," Andrew said carefully. "And after five years, the Marshals will reassess our risk levels and see if the hit order still stands. At that point, theyll determine whether we can reestablish contact with each other."

"Wow."

"Heres the thing, Kurt." Andrew leaned forward seriously. "You need to look at the situation with open eyes. Im in constant danger of being recognized. If I am compromised, at best Ill have to give up everything I have here and be relocated again. At worst, Ill be murdered. Probably along with anyone whos with me."

Kurt paled.

"Say we end up together," Andrew continued. "And my cover gets blown, and the Marshals have to move me. What would you do? Because if you came with me, you would lose everything. You couldnt stay in contact with your dad, or your family, or your friends. You couldnt even warn them that you were leaving. Youd just be gone."

"How – how high are the odds?"

"That my cover gets blown? Theres no way to tell. The odds change constantly. Right now, theyre really low. But everything could change in an instant. Someone could call out Perfecto nearby, and if I looked up, someone else could notice. There are a million little ways I could expose myself. Think of all the times I slipped up when we were dating."

"Right," Kurt said, remembering.

"Its easy to say we should be together now, when the risks are low," Andrew said earnestly. "What Im asking you to do, please, is make your decision based on all scenarios. Think about what you want, but think about me too. I may talk a good game about courage, but Im weak, Kurt. Id take you back any way I could have you. But if I get compromised here, and you decide not to come with me..."

"Youre telling me its all or nothing," Kurt said. "Either I take you back forever, or I let you go right now."

Andrew steeled himself before nodding. "And if youre even remotely considering it, I want you to think about it for twenty-four hours. Not here, either. Go spend time with your friends. Call your dad. Work on some new fashion designs. Think about all the people and the passions that make you who you are, and what they mean to you. Think about whether you could give them all up, just to be with me." He stood up, walking toward the door and opening it.

Kurt hesitated before following him to the door. They looked at each other, and Kurt suddenly felt as though they were still thousands of miles apart. "So well talk tomorrow," he said.

"If you, um..." Andrews jaw clenched a little. "If you decide you dont want to be with me, Ill completely understand. But please dont come back here just to tell me that. I wont be able to take it. If you decide not to be with me, Ill know if I dont see you after twenty-four hours have passed. Okay?"

Kurt nodded, not trusting his voice. He stepped through the doorway, turning around to look at Andrew. "Your hair really is awful," he said finally.

Andrew laughed, leaning his head against the door frame. "I love you, Kurt," he said, before closing the door.