Author's Notes: Blaine Anderson was back home in Dover, Ohio and there were no cheers of exuberance, no parade to mark his return. He wasn't the mayor though, he was an average twenty-one year-old and the warm welcome his parents had given him at the airport was very appreciated. His parents had sewn up all of Blaine's free time over the past week; they'd visited old haunts and had countless relatives over for dinner. Blaine had enjoyed every moment, but now, seven days later and the novelty had worn off, leaving a lull in its wake. Ohio was still a boring place to be after all, or at least in comparison to San Francisco and Blaine noticed that very clearly as the days inched by. Blaine had insisted his folks didn't need to stick around for his sake and life in Dover was back to its normal slow pace. Leaving Blaine home alone in an empty house and he felt no urge to go out to find any possible excitement. Instead he was sitting in his bedroom, like he had somehow gone back in time to when he was eighteen and it was the summer before university. But Blaine wasn't sure what he was waiting for this time, aside from his senior year at USF.

He also wasn't wondering (like he had back then) if the new location would bring the thing he had been longing for, love. Moving had brought love (even if it took a while) but when it had, there was no fairy-tale ending, no horse ride into the sunset. Since there was nothing to keep Blaine's mind occupied, he was beginning to miss Kurt more and more as the days passed. Blaine was surprised he'd been taking it pretty well so far, his parents never even noticed. Maybe that was because Blaine had worn himself out before it had come to the breaking point, so now there were no emotional breakdowns left in him. Instead there was just an underlining depression that followed him wherever he went. Every song he heard reminded him of Kurt, every attractive male face with similar features looked like Kurt. Everything brought the sassy young man back into his mind, and Blaine honestly wasn't even trying to forget him.

Blaine knew he couldn't hide out in Dover forever, although he told himself he wasn't trying to do that, he'd just needed to get away. After all, come the end of the summer Blaine would be back in the bay area and the three of them were almost certain to cross paths at some point. Unless one of them purposely tried to avoid each other like the plague and Blaine had yet to decide if he would go there. All he knew was it would be far too painful to watch Kurt and Sebastian's new relationship status bloom and develop into something permanent. Blaine was just using the new location and time away from the place that held so many memories of Kurt to recover from the fact and to reach a happy medium somehow. So far he was still totally clueless and unsure if he could ever be strong enough to see Kurt again. It might take him a while, months, maybe even years, but if it meant it wasn't a true goodbye, he'd face that day head on. But at the moment, Blaine was just trying to fight boredom.

Little did Blaine know his salvation to the dull atmosphere he was being submitted to was pulling up in the driveway, opening the front door and bounding up the stairs to his bedroom. The music playing in his room kept Blaine from hearing the friendly knock, or his name being quietly called through the door. Blaine didn't even notice right away when the door swung open all of a sudden.

“Blainey!” The handsome arrival said as a big friendly smile spread across his face.

Blaine simply blinked in surprise at first but soon the exact same smile was on his own face as he shot up and met the guest with a fierce bear hug. “Cooper!” Blaine said with surprised delight as he hugged his older brother. “What are you doing here?” He asked in excitement.

Cooper Anderson finally let go of his baby brother to beam at him. “Well I heard through the grapevine you were coming home for a visit. I decided it was about time I did the same, so I caught a flight and here I am! How could I pass the chance of us being one big happy family again! Speaking of which, where are Mom and Dad?” Cooper began to ramble off.

This was exactly the sort of thing Blaine needed right now. When he was a teenager he had found his brother tiresome at times, but over the last four years they'd matured enough to get through most of their differences and had come out closer than before. But Cooper was still a busy actor even if he hadn't gotten his big break yet. But he still had plenty to be proud about, and his career kept him occupied. So they rarely got the chance to meet, or even talk. In fact Blaine had been so wrapped up in his own personal life for the last three months, they hadn't spoken since the early spring. Right before he had met Sebastian and Kurt but he pushed such thoughts out of his mind.

“Out, doing what they normally do to pass the time, whatever that is,” Blaine chuckled.

“Okay, then how about I take you out to lunch just like old times. So we can catch up?” Cooper offered.

Blaine grinned at Cooper and nodded. “That's just the sort of thing I need right now.”

Cooper draped his arm over Blaine's shoulders and gripped onto his bicep as they headed out of Blaine's bedroom towards the front door. “You okay?” he suddenly asked, his tone getting slightly serious (for his standards anyway).

Blaine nodded, he wasn't ready to open that Pandora's box just yet, he feared what might be unleash if he did. “I'm fine, just bored,” Blaine assured him playfully.

“Lucky you've got me for a brother then,” Cooper winked.

The brothers soon arrive at their destination, a restaurant they had frequently visited when Blaine was still in high school. Like back then Cooper got on his nerves now and then, just the intensity wasn't as concentrated. So when he was forced to watch Cooper be approached and fawned over by a group of teenage girls begging for photos and autographs, he put on a polite face and simply waited it out.

“Sorry about that, sport,” Cooper said when he finally sat back down at the table.

“You love it, and don't call me sport! I'm twenty-one for gosh sake...” Blaine replied.

“You still sound like a kid though,” Cooper chose to point out.

“If there weren't children around that gosh would have been replaced with strong profanity,” Blaine added smartly.

Cooper let out a long musical laugh. “Oh look who's all feisty now, I love it!” he teased.

Blaine just simply rolled his eyes at his brother’s antics and started to scan the menu for what he might order. It was such a nostalgic scene for the brothers, sitting together and talking, but it hadn't happened for ages. It was exactly what Blaine needed at the moment. After their orders were taken they started filling each other in on their lives since they'd last talked. Cooper went first, and Blaine was fine to let him take over; it was a nice change to let someone else do all the talking and just have to listen for once.

“So the movie I was in just wrapped, mind you it was a minor role but I'm sure it will lead me to bigger things! I already have an indie movie lined up which starts filming in the fall! My commercials are still going strong, so all in all, I can't really complain. In this industry there are far worse off people, but none with my talent level of course,” Cooper began to ramble on and on.

All the while during the long babble, Blaine simply smiled and nodded at the right places, never finding the need, or the chance, to say anything in response. Not that he minded, this was usual Cooper and Blaine listened to every word with interest. It distracted him from his own life. Now if only Cooper would forget to ask what he had been up to, he'd be Scott free, but life rarely went the way he wanted. So instead when Cooper seemed to be finished Blaine thought of another topic to set him off again.

“You still seeing Amy?” Blaine asked.

It hardly seemed possible but at the mention of her name, Cooper's smile got even bigger. Cooper slammed his hands down on the table, causing Blaine to flinch in surprise. “Oh man Blaine, am I ever! In fact it's been going really well, we're reaching our one-year anniversary and I'm still a lovesick fool. I actually tried to get her to come along but she was too busy with work sadly. I'll get her to visit here during the winter holidays though,” Cooper explained.

“Really? I know I haven't met her yet, but have Mom and Dad?” Blaine asked. What he knew about Amy was she was a receptionist at one of the filming companies Cooper had done work for. He'd flirted with her ambitiously, which had worked and they had been dating for close to year now. How they made it work with their busy schedules he couldn't begin to theorize, but he was happy for his brother nonetheless. Blaine tried very hard not to be bitter over his own recent unhappy brush with love.

“They met her in the spring and adore her almost as much as I do! Yah know I always said it could never happen. I was too focused on acting and trying to make it big, so I wouldn't have time for someone beside myself. But love creeps up on you when you least expect it, Blaine! It might be bit too soon but... I think she's the one,” Cooper gushed like a teenage girl.

“That's awesome, Coop!” Blaine exclaimed.

“Well I'm not about to pop the question just yet... but it's getting close. So Blaine, this makes me wonder, what's been happening with your own love life? Any special guy give you his heart?” Cooper asked, suddenly changing the subject.

Blaine fought the urge to groan, of course he should have known bringing up the subject of romance would lead to Cooper becoming curious about Blaine's own love life. Blaine knew if his brother really wanted to know, dodging the question would do no good, he'd just become more obnoxious. As much as Blaine didn't want to share the whole Kurt ordeal, he didn't want to lie to his brother even more. What he wanted to do was stall that discussion and his chance came when he saw the waitress head was bringing their food. 'Saved by the bell,' he thought with a grin.

“Nope,” Blaine answered casually, since it was the truth.
________________________________________________________________________

“What?” Kurt shouted in disbelief. He couldn't have heard that right, but knowing Sebastian it was very likely he had.

“You heard me, we're going to Ohio,” Sebastian answered casually, his eyes never leaving the road ahead as he drove on.

Kurt was such a mix of emotions he didn't know which one to pick, he was angry, shocked and concerned all at once. “Stop. The. Fucking. Car. Sebastian!” Kurt said.

“We're on the freeway, Kurt,” Sebastian reminded him.

Kurt let out a frustrated cry, swearing like an enraged sailor as he tried to keep his temper in check. There wasn't a single thing Kurt thought Sebastian could gain from taking them all the way to Ohio. There was no way he would go that far just to piss Kurt off. So he had no clue what Sebastian was plotting this time and was the most alarming thing at all. It was no use to blow up, so Kurt remained poised as possible, for his own sake not Sebastian's. “So we're driving to Ohio because...” Kurt began warily.

Kurt's maturity wasn't rewarded in the least by Sebastian, who was quick to use his usual tactics. “You're acting a scared little shit Kurt, you need a wake up call. ‘Cause sitting around the apartment moping like a jilted bride won't work. Funny how all it took was you falling in love to get kicked in the emotional crotch. Anyway, before you start insisting you're not crazy for Blaine, I'm not finished...” Sebastian said.

Kurt closed his mouth, though he was far from a happy camper at the moment. Good, Kurt deserved it and Sebastian was enjoying the whole experience, because for once Kurt had none of his usual tools in his snark tool-belt. He couldn't run, he couldn't initiate sex and he couldn't finally resort to violence. All he could do was shout, yell and deny, deny, deny. “But we're not driving all the way to Ohio, we're going to the airport,” Sebastian corrected.

The main reason Kurt wasn't already exploding from the accusation at this point was he knew it wouldn't do any good. He needed to save his strength when the chance for Kurt to really show how he felt would come. “Tell me what the fuck you're pulling here or I will call the cops and say you've kidnapped me,” Kurt threatened.

“You get so dramatic when you're scared,” Sebastian laughed.

Kurt was loosing his patience and fast. “I thought you already went through your personality changing episode?”

“I did and I'm back to my old self, as I'm sure you've noticed. What I've noticed is you're doing the opposite. When someone like me sees that, then the way you're going is fucking stupid. You need to face the cold hard truth,” Sebastian explained.

“Which is?” Kurt asked weakly, giving in, since he was at the moment trapped.

“The way I see it, you have two options: you can either admit you love Blaine and can't live without him, accept that and go get him. Or if you actually have convinced yourself he's better off without you, you need to commit to that choice. By actually getting over him and move on with your boring life. I'm not going to be Blaine's replacement Kurt, I think we know how fucked up that would be.”

“I don't want that!” Kurt snapped.

“No shit, but we're shifting that way, or as close as we can get and I don't like it. So if you're not gonna man up then as usual, the job falls to me, that's why we're going to Ohio,” Sebastian explained.

There was something missing from the conversation and Kurt was still totally clueless. It was time for Sebastian to cut to the chase and quick. “Why...” Kurt began anxiously.

“Haven't you been listening? To make up your fucking mind, you gotta choose fight or flight,” Sebastian answered smugly.

“No, I mean why do we have to go to Ohio for me to make this choice?” Kurt added.

“Oh well, that's easy. Blaine's from Ohio too.”

“What?” Kurt yelled; ignoring the fact that Sebastian somehow knew Kurt was also from there.

“He's from Dover, which is a three and a half hour drive from Lima, more or less.”

“How do you even know I'm from Lima, Sebastian?” Kurt demanded.

“Cake walk Kurt, you did say your glee club’s name was the New Directions and that you won Nationals your senior year. There's a thing called the internet, but I was surprised. You were really hard to find anything about online, you have no digital footprint,” Sebastian said.

Kurt grumbled as the venom his voice turned bitter cold, “That was intentional.”

Sebastian was wise to leave out the fact that despite Kurt's best efforts to wipe it all clean, some of what Sebastian assumed had lead to slut being a trigger word was still floating around the net. Sebastian also knew that most (if not all) the slander regarding Kurt's reputation was nothing but pure fiction.

“Better make your fucking point or this road trip will be over before it can even start,” Kurt warned.

Sebastian was more than willing get to the point, everything was going to plan so far. “If you'd stop being snarky for a second I might be able to get a word in to explain. But no, you gotta be a bitch about it, classic Kurt. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with you, at least when we're done fucking...” Sebastian started, taunting like he always did since he needed Kurt angry and that was too easy.

“Keep it up and I'll make you feel sorry for the first time.”

“Moving right along... you're both from Ohio but far enough that you never crossed paths while you both lived there. Some people, the likes of which include you Kurt, since I know you're a romantic despite you telling people to fuck off, would believe. So that brings us to the present; where I'm driving you against your will to the airport, to take a flight to Columbus, Ohio. I even went so far to book us a hotel for the night there. So you better put out then for all this work I'm doing for your sake,” Sebastian said in closing.

“As if. You're doing this for yourself as always. Why are you though? Give me the real answer or so help me-” Kurt started.

“You'll what? Get mad? Actually hit me? Nice try. All you're gonna do is just go straight to denial,” Sebastian taunted.

“Nothing you're telling me sounds like an answer,” Kurt sassed, not taking the bait.

Sebastian knew Kurt would try to take the moral high road. In fact, he was counting on it. But he'd get nowhere unless he was more honest with his cranky passenger. “I owe you Kurt, I don't like being in anyone's debt, the only favours I like are sexual ones. But you were there for me when I needed someone the most in my normally solitary life. No one would have done what you did for me; you gave me everything I needed to recover. You knew what I wanted most was your body; you get how my mind works at least on a basic level. You didn't back out when it got weird for us either... that really showed how strong you are. So why the hell can't you be that fearless when it comes to Blaine? Makes me think the reason’s because, unlike with us, any feelings you have for Blaine go beyond the platonic. I meant it when I told you we were friends Kurt and no one was more surprised than me. Usually I don't care about anyone but myself….”

As Kurt listened to Sebastian he envied how easily his roommate could admit the truth and not have it be a big deal. He was basically telling Kurt he saw him as a friend he actually cared about, and he still didn't give a shit.

“But to some degree, a fucking small one compared to how I value myself mind you, you've made me care about you. Feel lucky that I'm not driving you off to some desert and abandoning you there. I figure I'd just dump you on Blaine instead since he actually wants the same things you do. He's just not afraid to want it and maybe if he see's you again he'll go for it for real. That way I get my life back, things won't be so weird between us, and who knows, maybe you two kids can be happy. Then again if you look at it from another angle I'm doing this for myself, because it gets me out of your debt in the end. For the first time you could get more swag from the end results than me,” Sebastian finished.

Throughout Sebastian's surprising reveal Kurt kept his mouth tightly clenched and he wasn't feeling so volatile anymore. He still thought Sebastian was a self-centered manipulative prick but that was nothing new. What was new was how some of the things Sebastian had admitted almost sounded human.

“Okay, call me crazy but I actually believe what you told me is the truth. But how does kidnapping me to Ohio come into things?” he asked.

“Ah yes, my master plan... one of my best I must say, I'm giving you two choices here...”

The only reason Kurt was even bothering to let Sebastian tell him those two options, (neither Kurt thought he'd like) was because he was a mere passenger. So instead of opening the car door and trying a tuck and roll escape, Kurt gave in. “What are they?” Kurt asked with a wary sigh.

“Option number one: You can go to Dover, grow some balls, admit that you love Blaine and go after him. Because no matter how many times you try to convince yourself otherwise, you want to be loved, Kurt. I know some tough shit happened to you, might not know what exactly but if you run then you're letting it keep a hold over your whole life. Thinking that you're doing some noble sacrifice might work for you, but you're really acting like a selfish scared little shit head,” Sebastian concluded, not holding back in his judgement.

“Says the fucker who doesn't believe in love!” Kurt hissed.

“It's not that I don't believe in love, it probably does exist, just not for me. I know it's unlikely I'll ever form such a strong emotional attachment with someone. I don't catch feelings and I have no triggers for there to be a reason why. Which means for me love isn't real. It is for you though and you believed in it once upon a time. Don't let whatever the fuck happened in the past make your mind up for you now,” Sebastian lectured.

“What if you're wrong Sebastian? What if you don't know me as well as you think you do? What if love isn't real for me either?”

“Then why have you been so scared? Why did you send Blaine away with lies? The clues don't add up to support that theory.”

Kurt ignored Sebastian's questions outright. “What's the second option?” Kurt demanded, wanting to change the subject and quick.

“If you're so sure you and Blaine would never work, then prove it. If that's your choice, we'll go to Lima, together. Where you'll introduce me to your parents as your loving boyfriend,” Sebastian explained.

Of all the answers Sebastian could have given Kurt, never in a million years would he think it could be this. In that instant Kurt's anger was back with a vengeance and ready to go head to head with Sebastian.

“I don't even... what can I! Fuck! You just said you didn't think you could love someone and now suddenly you want us to date?” Kurt shouted, taking a pause to catch his breath.

“Conceited much, Kurt? Who said I wanted to be your boyfriend? We'd never survive that, that's why I'm driving to an airport as we speak... remember?”

“Well sorry, nothing’s making sense right now!”

“Then stop interrupting me so I can finish. I happen to love my life of countless fucks thank you very much. So before you freak out on me... I'm gonna need you to prove to me that you're not in love with Blaine. Oh sorry, I mean that you 'can't love him' as you word it to try to seem less selfish. If that's the way you wanna play then it's gonna take a lot to make me drop the matter. I figure lying to your parents that we're a couple would do it and as a bonus you'd get to bring a boyfriend home to meet your family. Which could put them at ease that you're happy and wholesome and you can keep hiding your actual views on love from them, yourself and the rest of the world,” Sebastian finished.

“You're the farthest from the type of individual any parent would want their kid to date,” Kurt sassed.

“You forget I'm an actor Kurt, don't worry, I can lay on the charm when I want to. Besides, I already have the perfect model to mold myself into...” Sebastian taunted, not giving any names but they both knew which dapper young man he was referring to.

“You wouldn't...”

“Oh, you so know I would, just like I know you won't trust me enough to think I'm not plotting to mortify you in front of your folks. It sure would be way more entertaining for me, so it's a shame you won't go for that choice. For once Blaine is the easy option...” Sebastian taunted. 'And the one the one you really want,' Sebastian finished in thought.

“You're bluffing,” Kurt said with narrowed eyes.

“I'm really not, those are the only options you get Kurt, and you know how persuasive I can be,” Sebastian replied.

Kurt didn't want to pick either one, he wanted to wake up and find out this was nothing but a bad dream. But no such luck and it didn't take Kurt pinching himself to know he wasn't asleep, so there was no choice but to accept reality. Sebastian knew exactly how to use Kurt's weaknesses against him and it was like his emotional walls weren't even there. He knew there technically was a third loophole option: make Sebastian pull over and go back home on his own. But then, Kurt knew he'd live to regret that choice because there was no telling what Sebastian would dish out as punishment. Whatever the repercussions were, they would be far worse than the two options Sebastian had just given him. That was why Kurt wasn't fighting back and Sebastian knew this. He hated himself for acting so weak but he didn't know what else to do, but before he'd even consider his given options, Kurt wanted more info. “Okay before I try to decide... bring me up to date with the facts here. How did you pull this off? Are we going to Ohio with just the clothes on our backs? What about my round trip flight, which I've paid for already?” Kurt questioned.

“All of that was so easily deal with it was pathetic, our luggage is in the trunk. Proves how depressed you been since you haven't noticed the extra weight. As for your ticket... that was the easiest to overcome. I was helped by a delightful young lady from the airline over the phone. She found the whole idea of me wanting to change your flight to an earlier date and add an additional ticket so I could surprise my boyfriend and come home with him extremely romantic. Really you doubt my powers far too much, Kurt,” Sebastian dismissed.

“Seriously, what the fuck's your deal?” Kurt hissed angrily.

“You seem so surprised, when you probably know me better than anyone else now,” Sebastian said with a chuckle.

“You've been getting your way for your whole life haven't you?” Kurt accused.

“Most of the time,” Sebastian confirmed with a smug grin.

“Fuck... my... life...” Kurt swore.

“Bitch and whine all you want, it's not gonna make be budge on anything, I've put too much time and effort into this plan. You have the entire plane ride to make up your mind, so you better use those three hours and forty minuets to the fullest. Well more like four hours since we'll have to rent a car and drive to the hotel after that. When we arrive at the hotel for the night you'll give me your answer and there will be no chance to back out. Because once we check in you'll have an important phone call to make. Either call up Blaine to make sure he's home; you can tell him then or wait to surprise him in person, your choice there. Or if you take the coward’s way out then you'll call your parents and tell them you're coming home early with a boyfriend in tow,” Sebastian explained.

“Oh yeah... what if I were to choose neither?” Kurt challenged, he was still full of defiance no matter how cornered Sebastian had him. “What if I show you how persuasive I can be the second we get off of the freeway? What if I make you pull over? Because you also know I'm capable of that and I just head back to SFS and make all your efforts and money a total waste?” Kurt interjected.

There was no change in Sebastian's relaxed body language, if anything he looked bored. “Empty threats Kurt, you can't reach my level when it comes to the game of manipulation I'm afraid. If you try anything like that then I'll call a certain tire and lube shop in Lima and tell the owner what his son's like in the sack. Bet he'd find the way you fuck riveting...” Sebastian said innocently, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile.

“You fucking prick!” Kurt shouted with rage.

“Hah! Try telling me something I don't already know! I find no problem in letting my get my hands dirty if it means I'll get my way. I have no noble reason for putting you through this, and I'm not making any excuses. Sure I owe you but this will be quite entertaining for me... makes me kind of wish you'd wuss out and pick Lima over Dover,” Sebastian said.

“So what are you planning to do if I choose Dover?”

“Go slumming, see if there's any fuckable ass there.”

“Oh for fucks sake, Sebastian!” Kurt groaned.

“That's my name and people's usual insult to shout at me, don't wear it out.”

How was it possible that Kurt wasn't fighting Sebastian's insane plot but was actually starting to think it held actual merit? Probably because Kurt couldn't, and really couldn't, think of a better alternative to go with at the time being. For all his meddling Sebastian did know how to get results and more often than not, Kurt enjoyed them. Really Kurt wouldn't be able to challenge Sebastian's wild choices if he didn't sit down and seriously weigh them both for possible pros and cons. Why was Kurt letting Sebastian get his way this time and by so much? The answer, much to Kurt's annoyance, was because such a difficult choice was exactly what Kurt needed to face. Clearly his own attempts (or lack thereof) weren't working; he was running from Blaine and his feelings. Perhaps if he finally stood up and faced everything he was trying to avoid, he's come out unscathed in the end.

“Fine! I'll go along with this insanity, not because I'm intimidated by you... but because it's about time I stop bitching about how my life sucks and do something about it myself,” Kurt rambled in one long unbroken sentence.

“I'm impressed,” Sebastian admitted.

Kurt made a scoffing noise in response. “No you're not,” he argued. Judging by the smirk Sebastian gave him when they stopped at a red light, they both knew the comment was true.
________________________________________________________________________

Sebastian left Kurt alone to his thoughts for the remainder of the drive, making it rather low key when it came to them. By the time they reached the airport Kurt had managed to avoid a scene, but there was little to no progress on his choice conundrum. At least Sebastian had spent the wait for their flight flirting shamelessly with a cute guy, thus ignoring his roommate entirely for a spell. Good, it meant he still put his own desires ahead of Kurt's or anyone else.

When Kurt found himself on the plane pending take off with Sebastian sitting next to him, he was still ignoring his presence. Kurt was beginning to get suspicious about why he was so quiet. Curiosity got the better of him so Kurt finally let out a sigh and glanced over at the man in question. It took Kurt staring at him for three minuets for Sebastian to even acknowledge him.

“Can I help you?” Sebastian asked smugly.

Kurt rolled his eyes, why did he let himself think getting Sebastian to talk would be a good idea? “I'm just wondering why you're being so...” Kurt began as he searched for the right word.

“Wondering why I'm ignoring you?” Sebastian offered.

Kurt made a face; he hadn't expected him to get to the point so quickly. “Okay yes, exactly,” Kurt admitted weakly.

“It's simple, I find no urge to keep taunting you, it's tiresome after a while. If you try to fight then I'll be so relentless you'll wish you'd made your choice by the deadline. Now shut the fuck up, I'm gonna watch the in flight movie and you got some serious thinking to do,” Sebastian replied as he put on a pair of head phones and didn't look Kurt's way again.

So Kurt gave in, what Sebastian was telling him was true, though it was still infuriating as hell to admit. But not as much as he loathed that it took Sebastian tricking him to face his whole dilemma pertaining to Blaine. Try as he might Kurt couldn't push that dapper young man out of his mind, so that meant above all, Kurt needed closure. Did he love Blaine? Kurt's answer had been yes when Sebastian had given him that fast quiz. So could he really keep clinging to denial? The real problem was that neither option really made Kurt eager to make up his mind. Sure the first meant he could possible have a real future with Blaine. But when was Kurt's life ever that simple?

All his doubts, fears, concerns and most of all, the reasons he had since meeting Blaine hadn't disappeared. They were still stuck firmly in place, always in the back of his mind, getting in the way of any real connection forming. If Kurt were actually in love with Blaine, then the whole question was, would that really help? Love didn't solve everything, and it sure didn't secure a happy ending. If Kurt's life had shown him anything it was that there was more chance if he picked Blaine that choice would only end with pain and regret. Hadn't he hurt Blaine enough? What right did he have to bring him back when Kurt wasn't completely sure how he felt?

The only thing Kurt did know was that he couldn't live with himself if he ruined Blaine's chance to find love. Blaine was the romantic, the one who longed for such a relationship, so he deserved better. If Kurt chose Dover and headed off to offer up his damaged heart, there was no telling if they could even make it work. If Blaine somehow forgave Kurt and they got together, what if they stayed together for too long? What if the only ending it gave them was where they had no other choice but to part ways on an unhappy note? In a sense that had already happened to them, with their firm decision to stay friends no matter what and look where that had gotten them. Saying goodbye to Blaine as only his friend had been one of the hardest things Kurt had ever done. How much worse would saying goodbye to Blaine the beloved boyfriend be? His heart was already aching from that scenario and Kurt felt terrified.

Besides what could Kurt say if he did go to Dover to see Blaine? Something like: 'Oh hey Blaine, so remember all that stuff I kept saying to convince you I'm not the one for you? How I'm broken, that you can't love me, that I can't offer you anything. That if I let myself go to that place I might want to kill myself? Yeah just forget about that, I've suddenly changed my mind.'

It all sounded so fucking messed up. But knowing Blaine, he'd forgive Kurt for every single mistake and assure him the risk was worth it. Kurt was willing to take the darker path if it meant Blaine could remain in the light were he belonged. Though the first option wasn't fully analyzed Kurt wasn't getting anywhere so he decided to move onto the Lima one.

Which was just as bad as the first because next to dealing with emotion Kurt hated lying to anyone, his family most of all. He didn't want to make up some elaborate act to fool his parents into thinking Sebastian and him were a couple. Lying to his dad would be no easy undertaking; Burt Hummel could usually read his son like a book. Kurt's ability to put on a poker face was proved five years ago when he'd withheld crucial details. Burt didn't even know his son had given up on love or why and his parents knew nothing of Travis either. They thought the whole online thing was by some unknown hater and had never pressed Kurt on the matter. Kurt doubted his dad bought the whole story, especially the part about where his burn scar was from an ironing clothes accident. Since Kurt had moved away for college their relationship felt more distant than it should be. But then, if he was already keeping so much from them would adding something else be that hard?

The real challenge would be if he could actually pretend that Sebastian was his boyfriend and make the act convincing to fool his folks. But then he remembered that Blaine thought they were and without either him or Sebastian trying. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to pull off and Kurt had to admit he liked the idea of proving he still knew how act. It was fucked up and insane but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Sebastian could actually be bluffing and he'd lose interest in the charade before long, all it would take was a horny guy to divert his attention away. Oh how Kurt wanted to watch Burt take on Sebastian and give him a firm talking to. If that outcome didn't mean he'd also have to face his dad after the lie was revealed he'd be all for it.

Kurt was back to square one until a brilliant thought formed in his mind, making him realize why the second option was the better choice. Picking Lima over Dover didn't mean Kurt had to give up on Blaine entirely. In fact, it would allow Kurt to stall on that front and still give him a slight chance, if that's what he even wanted. The trials and tribulations of having to lie to his parents, whilst play-acting with Sebastian could push him enough to act. Saving them a ton of angst in the process and hopefully, give Kurt the courage to start telling the truth. But life didn't go the way people wanted, so Kurt knew it was just as likely Blaine could find someone new, someone who truly deserved Blaine's love while Kurt took his time. That was it then wasn't it? Kurt had his answer. That didn't mean he was going to tell Sebastian any sooner than needed, the fucker certainly didn't deserve any easy breaks.

Sebastian wasn't completely ignoring Kurt during his brainstorming; every so often he glanced over at Kurt for visual clues. When their second trek of their journey was over Sebastian kept the silent treatment up as he went in search for a cab.

“So where to now?” Kurt asked casually, keeping things simple.

“I've rented us a car, so we'll go get that. Then, since it's late... well not late for a night owl like me but late enough, we'll go check into the hotel,” Sebastian explained.

“Not gonna go hunting for action?” Kurt asked.

“What and give you the opportunity to stall with your answer? Fat chance, we'll just fuck when you're done making your mind up,” Sebastian explained.

Kurt wasn't about to tell Sebastian his mind was already made up. When it came to love, he didn't deserve Blaine; the closest he'd get was faking it with the likes of Sebastian Smythe.
________________________________________________________________________

“Shit Sebastian, how much did this room end up costing?” Kurt muttered in amazement as they walked inside. It was a last minuet booking, and judging by how fancy the place looked, the price for even one night had to be very costly. “I'm not gonna get a cheque after this is all over am I?” Kurt asked cautiously.

“No, my parents are loaded, as I'm sure you've guessed. If anything they'd probably approve of the choice, make them think I'm becoming respectable. What they don't know is how nasty we're gonna get in such a classy place,” Sebastian said with a smirk as he put down his luggage.

Thanks to Kurt's new middle ground persona he just shook his head, because lashing out all the time was too stressful. If he thought for a minute giving in to Sebastian's sexual advances meant he'd forget the real reason for coming here, he'd go for it. But Kurt wasn't so disillusioned with the world or his roommate for that matter. So he simply flopped down on the bed and waited for the question of the hour to be asked.

Sebastian eyed Kurt as he took off his jacket, while his tense body language obviously meant he wasn't planning to get naked. Once Kurt admitted they were heading to Dover tomorrow their fuck buddy arrangement was probably over for good. Kurt might cave and sleep with Sebastian one last time if he really tried; but it would it be worth it? “Who yah gonna call, Kurt?” he asked.

Kurt sighed just as he was about to say his answer music started to play, Kurt didn't recognize the song but when he heard the words 'haven't had enough' he could harbour a guess. “Is that Blaine?” he asked, trying to hide his inner panic.

“Why yes, how awesome is this! Should I answer?” Sebastian asked evilly.

Kurt shifted backwards on the bed until he was pressed against the headboard and fully out of Sebastian's reach. He wanted to lie and say he didn't care but Sebastian would see right through that without question. “If you're going to answer then don't let him know I'm here, where we are or where we're going. Remember, I haven't given you my answer yet,” he warned.

Sebastian nodded, bringing his cell up to his ear with a grin. “Blaine, I'm surprised but delighted that you called me,” Sebastian spoke.

Kurt was so far away he couldn't hear Blaine's reply and Sebastian didn't bother to put it on speakerphone for his benefit either. So he kept tensely quiet as he tried to decipher what was being said between them when he could only hear one side of the conversation.

“I wasn't sure I'd be able to call you actually,” Blaine admitted over the phone.

“Blaine, I had hoped this wouldn't be the end of our friendship. But if it is, I fully understand. Heck, the fact that you've fought the urge to kick the shit out of me is impressive enough,” Sebastian replied.

“That's big of you, is Kurt influencing you already?” Blaine asked in surprise.

Sebastian glanced over at Kurt and gave his roommate a devious smile. “Maybe... that still deems to be unproven in the long run,” he answered casually.

Blaine groaned, so far this phone call was far from enjoyable, even when Sebastian wasn't being difficult. But his good mood probably meant that things between him and Kurt were going well and Blaine didn't want to hear about that. Blaine only wanted to know how Kurt was doing and he knew he couldn't ask him directly, so Sebastian was the only other option. “Are you happy? Is Kurt happy?” Blaine whispered.

“It's still too early to tell, it's hard to know what Kurt's thinking at anytime, as you well know. But... I think things are about to take an interesting turn. Though I'll spare you the details, Blaine,” Sebastian said.

Blaine let out a long sigh, “Thanks. Anyway uh... I gotta go...” Blaine stuttered. He'd made an error in judgment about his ability to act like nothing was wrong. “Sorry, at least I tried right?” he added with an awkward laugh.

“Have a nice summer break Blaine, see you on campus,” Sebastian said and hung up the phone before Blaine could force himself to reply. With the call now over and done with, Sebastian turned his attention back to Kurt. He crawled onto the bed and over to his way, Kurt watched him with indifference. Sebastian upped the game by leaning forward and kissed Kurt passionately on the mouth, expecting him to tell him to fuck off.

Instead Kurt responded to the contact and pulled Sebastian even closer still. “You better not expect us to have sex in my room back home,” Kurt growled.

Sebastian went dead still, and he just looked at Kurt in shock. “Wait, you choosing Lima?” he blurted out.

“Yes, why are you so surprised? Hold on... did you think I'd choose Dover?” Kurt asked, equally in shock from his reaction.

“No shit! Wow Kurt, I didn't think you'd go with the second option at all!” Sebastian said as his usual smugness returned, showing he was quick to recover from the surprise.

“Not gonna grill and taunt me about it, say I'm being a coward?” Kurt asked.

“Nope, I know from experience it wouldn't do any good to try to sway you and honestly, I don't care what choice you make. Sure I expected you to go for Blaine, but then, I'm not gonna try to figure out why you didn't. I already know it's not because you actually want to be my boyfriend. By all means, keep acting stubborn. I'm really going to enjoy watching you pretend you're madly in love with me in front of your family, Kurt. Do you have a hot fuckable brother I would find tempting to seduce?” Sebastian asked as he slipped his hand down under Kurt's boxer briefs and went for his cock.

“No! Just a straight step-brother who will not be there, thank god!” Kurt snapped back, shooting his hopes down. “So do you expect me to call my dad now or can that wait till after we come?” Kurt gasped as Sebastian began to pump his hardening cock. Before Kurt knew it his pants were fully taken off as Sebastian let his mouth take over tending to Kurt's erection.

“That depends...” Sebastian began as he paused to roll his tongue over the tip of Kurt's shaft, causing him to moan loudly. “…. If you'd trust me to keep quiet during the call once we're naked? Waiting until we're done would go well past your parents’ bedtime as well,” Sebastian said, his voice heavy with seduction as their normal sexual tension began to rise.

Kurt was in far too deep to get out of Sebastian's cleverly planned snare, so he just gave into his fate but not without smart remarks. “Denying me sex when I'm already pissed off about your fucking choices is bad enough,” he grumbled. Kurt pulled himself out of Sebastian's grasp, got off the bed and tried to forget he wasn't wearing any pants. Once Kurt was a safe enough distance away from Sebastian he took a deep breath, held it and then slowly exhaled. He ignored his bedmate outright as he called up his dad. “Hey, Dad,” Kurt said as he attempted to sound normal.

“Hey, Kurt! I was wondering when you'd call. All set to come down in two days?” Burt said in reply.

So the lies would have to start right off the bat then, 'Oh well, so be it,' Kurt thought. Really it was better to get it over and done with anyway. “Actually Dad... there's been a change in plans... I'm still coming for a visit... just a bit earlier now...” Kurt began to explain.

“I'm listening...” Burt said warily.

“I'm bringing a surprise along with me.”

“I'm not a big fan of surprises when they come to you, Kurt...”

“I know but don't worry, this time it's good... I'm actually already in Ohio. I'll be arriving tomorrow and I won't be coming alone,” Kurt finally told his dad. Kurt might have given up on his dreams of becoming a Broadway star but his talent hadn't left him.

“'Bout freaking time you brought a guy home to old Mom and Dad, Kurt. I'm not even gonna comment on you not telling me about him sooner. If it's a guy you're bringing home. Who isn't just a friend keeping you company,” Burt told him.

Both Sebastian and his dad were quietly chuckling away and Kurt resisted the urge to throw something at the wise guy in the same room. Instead he glared at Sebastian and mouthed 'fuck off' in warning before turning his back to him again. At least Sebastian was keeping quiet so that was something.

“You guessed right Dad, he isn't just a friend of mine... he's so much more than that,” Kurt continued, his voice was flawless but on the inside he hated how he sounded. “Now I'm sorry this is so out of the blue... but you know how I am. I've never been good about discussing my personal life. Really finding myself with a boyfriend is still hard to believe, but love sort of crept on me. But we've reached a point where I want you and Mom to meet him. Honestly it's easier for me to come back to Lima if he's with me too,” Kurt explained.

“You happy then?” Burt questioned.

Kurt knew his dad would picture him smiling as he answered, when his face was so neutral it was hard to look at his reflection in the hotel mirror. “Yes... Dad, I think I am. So are you ready to finally do this? Have me bring a boy home to meet you and Mom for the first time?” Kurt asked with fake playfulness. Kurt had stopped calling his step-mom Carole during his senior year of high school because she was like his actual mother in every sense.

“Oh yeah, I think we've all waited long enough. Will Carole and I like this boyfriend of yours? Who's name you haven't bothered to tell me yet,” Burt questioned.

“Err...” Kurt faltered as he looked over at Sebastian and saw the devilish grin he was sporting. “I'd like to think so... I guess we'll find out tomorrow. We're in Columbus right now, and staying the night in a hotel. I'll call once we're ready to head off for Lima in the morning,” Kurt explained.

“Okay that sounds good to me, wait till I tell Carole,” Burt agreed.

“Great, so um... I guess we'll talk tomorrow then,” Kurt said.

Just When Kurt thought things were going well, Burt when oddly quiet.

“Kurt...” Burt spoke up.

Kurt paused, had he see through the charade already? In the off case he hadn't Kurt tried his best to remain calm and sound natural. “Yeah Dad?” Kurt asked innocently.

“You still haven't told me his name,” Burt pointed out.

Kurt began to laugh in relief, “Oh! Sorry! His name is Sebastian, he's twenty-one like me and he's going to USF for theatre. I'll leave the other details till you see him in person, if that's okay,” Kurt answered quickly.

“Sure kid, I'll let you get back to whatever you two have planned...” Burt began to say and Kurt swore he was teasing him a little. God this was going to be a test to his nerves and that was a fucking understatement.

“You lied you know,” Sebastian remarked when the call was over.

“Duh, I know. We're not dating for real,” Kurt said sarcastically.

“No, you said I'm twenty-one... when I'm actually twenty,” Sebastian corrected.

Kurt gaped at Sebastian in surprise, “Wait, I'm older than you?” Kurt sputtered off.

“Not when it comes to life experiences.”

Kurt was quite fed up with the happenings of the day, so he very much wanted to get some sort of consolation for what he'd been put through. Which brought his attention back to his acting partner on the bed, good thing that Sebastian never had any trouble pushing his buttons to get him feeling randy. Because the phone call had killed his boner. “Please tell me I get sex now?” Kurt asked.

Sebastian watched as Kurt put his phone on the nightstand and prowled his way over. It didn't take much to notice the instant change in Kurt, showing he was in one of his assertive moods. That was interesting, there was probably some deep meaning to this choice of action but Sebastian didn't care, an aggressive Kurt during sex was always enjoyable. Not to mention Sebastian didn't encounter it that much with his usual hook-ups, so he chose to play along.

Just because Kurt ended up surprising Sebastian by choosing Lima didn't mean he wasn't already adjusting his plans. Sebastian brilliant (albeit diabolical) mind could handle any detour and even during foreplay he was secretly brainstorming away. This was where his ability to shamelessly manipulate people came in handy, plus he had no problem with getting his hands dirty. But the plotting stopped when Kurt's mouth surrounded his cock. Letting the subject drop once more, he could deal with that tomorrow because right now there were far more pressing matters to attend to.

A number hours and orgasms later, Sebastian and Kurt had finally had used each other for sex enough times that they were good and spent. So much so that Kurt ignored the urge to shower and just fell back on the bed with a thud, like he was more weighed down than usual, he felt heavy with anxiety of what was to come.

“So there's some things we should cover for tomorrow,” Sebastian began.

“I'm not telling you anything about my parents to make it easier for you. You keep saying what a great actor you are, so this will be your chance to prove it,” Kurt grumbled.

“No, I mean our history part of it. I can go on the fly like a pro, but what if our stories don't line up?” Sebastian pointed out.

“Do we really have to....” Kurt groaned in protest. “I'm gonna go through with this insanity, but all the same, I don't want to get any deeper into this than I have to,” Kurt began to complain and then he realized how the word 'deeper' would be taken by Sebastian and he groaned even louder. “No pun intended!” he snapped.

“Fine, be a chicken shit. Really if it blows up in your face then it's more fun for me to watch,” Sebastian said with a shrug.

Kurt rolled his eyes, placing his arm behind his head to rest on. Sebastian had of course picked a room with only one bed so they were forced to sleep beside each other. That made Kurt realize they'd probably have to share the bed in his room as well. He almost wished Burt would insist that Sebastian (or Kurt even) would sleep either in Finn's old room or the couch. But he had a feeling his dad wouldn't resort to that, which was such a shame.

“Okay fine, I can admit we should cover the bases of our back story. But I'm too worn out to deal with you right now. You know how snarky I can get when I'm tired,” Kurt suggested.

“We could save it for the drive to Lima?” Sebastian offered.

“That's the most sensible thing you've said in a long time,” Kurt sassed.

“Keep at it and I'll start making you regret those words of kindness,” Sebastian warned.

“Fuck that...” Kurt grumbled and rolled over on his side, facing away from Sebastian and simply waited for sleep to come.
________________________________________________________________________

Cooper wouldn't bother to challenge Blaine's claims of whenever they were together everything was about the eldest Anderson brother. But for all his stealing the spotlight Cooper had also redeemed himself over the last four years. So while it took him longer than it would for most people, Cooper finally noticed his brother was hiding something from him, something big. Cooper had to hand it to Blaine's acting ability though; it wasn't well into the night until he caught on at last. Blaine's usual high spirits were falling as the evening when on and his apparent depression was leaking out. But for some reason Blaine seemed very stubborn to keep tight lipped on his troubles and that wasn't like him at all. It made Cooper's light interest switch to genuine concern and he soon go to work on prying it out of Blaine. He already knew his best weapon of choice, good old wine. Blaine's reaction to the alcoholic beverage became very apparent and quick. A Blaine drunk on wine was pretty fun to watch, though he tended to get a bit too fresh at times. But this time Cooper had no plans to torment his baby brother, he wanted to find out what was up with him, so he could help.

That led them to sitting in Cooper's old bedroom, with a half empty bottle of wine, Cooper made sure that Blaine didn't go over board. He didn't wanted him wasted, just slightly intoxicated to loosen his tightly shut lips.

“So Blainey, I know you're hiding something from me and I'm getting worried,” Cooper began innocently.

Blaine slumped forward on the bed, he should have known better than to try to keep anything about his personal life from Cooper. His brother had a knack for coaxing whatever he wanted out of people if he tried hard enough. Blaine was well aware of that, thinking back to the time when Cooper got him to tell every detail about loosing his virginity when he was eighteen.

“It's nothing really... okay I'm lying, a lot! I just, argh! I'm trying to keep it out of my mind, Coop,” Blaine grumbled.

“Keeping everything inside won't help you, Blaine, trust me,” Cooper argued.

Blaine began to squirm under his brothers serious stare, it soon changed to a charming persuasive smile and Blaine just gulped down the remaining wine in his glass in one swig and gave up resisting. “Okay fine! Just be ready for a long story, and it doesn't have a happy ending,” Blaine said in warning.

“Did someone break your heart, Blaine?” Cooper asked, his voice getting protective.

“What? No! Well... not intentionally, so don't snap into super hero mode! It's really complicated Coop, I don't know if I'm sober enough to tell you the whole story properly either,” Blaine warned.

“Try anyway, it should keep you from crying like a four-year-old. You get frisky when you're drunk, not weepy,” Cooper said playfully.

“Oh god... don't even go there, fuck!” Blaine said as he ran his hand down his face in agony.

“So what's this guy’s name?” Cooper pressed.

Blaine looked back over at his brother as he felt his intense love for Kurt return to him and threatened to over power his whole being. But Blaine didn't run from it, he embarrassed it as he brought back all the memories from him getting ready to answer his brother’s question.

“Blaine... quit stalling and start the story, give me a name,” Cooper insisted firmly, his voice getting louder.

“Kurt Hummel,” Blaine answered back softly.