PART FIVE

Where people've changed, I've stayed true
Where love remains, I fought you
Where young love lies through fickle sheets
But I've cut all ties
With those memories
Before

~~~

Sebastian didn't remember the last time he felt so nervous, so unprepared in front of Blaine. He found that he didn't know what to say or how to act. Should he tell him straight away? Should he lead up to it with an apology, a peace offering, a sign of forgiveness? Blaine took off his coat and hung it on the rack by the door and Sebastian went to take the tea kettle off the stove. Blaine followed, hesitantly, neither boy sure where to begin.

Sebastian had called Blaine a few days before and invited him to get together and talk; and while Blaine was surprised to hear from Sebastian, they both knew they had much to discuss. It had been three weeks since the wedding and they hadn't exchanged so much as a text or a phone call, they hadn't passed each other on the street or run into each other at their favorite coffee shop (probably because they were both avoiding it, fearing such an encounter). It was the longest they had gone without speaking in a while, maybe even since before they met. Blaine found his fingers itching to text Sebastian when he passed a dog dressed in human clothes, Sebastian's pet peeve, or when he went to their favorite deli and they were out of olive bread, Sebastian's favorite. Blaine had resisted the temptation, though, knowing that Sebastian would talk to him if he wanted to, would reach out when he was ready, if that day ever came. So, when Blaine returned home to see the light blinking on his answering machine and heard Sebastian's voice, crackly and familiar through the speaker, he was surprised and relieved. The wedding had been lovely, sure, but his interaction with Sebastian - and with Kurt - had left Blaine feeling nauseous, guilty and unsure. He needed to talk to Sebastian, needed to see him and apologize and hope that Sebastian could forgive him.

It had also been three weeks since Blaine and Kurt had spoken, which was just as rare an occasion. Since Kurt's move to the city, and their new attempt at friendship, Blaine and Kurt had talked to each other in some way almost every day. They were constantly in and out of each other's apartments, texting and talking on the phone; Blaine had seen Kurt almost as much as he had seen Sebastian, so the loss of contact left an equally gaping hole in his life. In a way, though, Blaine was calmed by the lack of communication. He was haunted by his memory of Kurt, cheeks pink and eyes angry, yelling at him in the moonlight as the snow fell around them; of Kurt's piercing words and furious mood, of the things he had said and the way he had said them. And, of course, he was haunted by that kiss. Blaine was so confused, so drained and exhausted, that he knew speaking to Kurt would only confuse him more. Things were unsettled with Sebastian and that was a more pressing issue, Blaine realized. If he could right that wrong, fix whatever he had done with Sebastian, maybe then he would know how to handle the Kurt situation. Maybe then the knot in his stomach would go away.

Blaine broke the silence first, as Sebastian poured hot water into two mugs and moved to join Blaine at the table. "I owe you an apology," Blaine started, "for everything. I..." he trailed off, sighing heavily and Sebastian have him a small, encouraging nod. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am, how much I wish..." he stopped again, and ran a hand through his hair.

Sebastian took advantage of Blaine's pause and reached across the table to grab his hand, "You don't need to say it Blaine." He smiled again at the stressed boy across from him and said, "I forgive you, for everything, because you really have nothing to be sorry for." Blaine shook his head, ready to protest, but Sebastian held up a hand, "Really, you don't. Or at least, if you do, than I do, too. So, I'm sorry, Blaine. I'm just as sorry as you." Blaine looked down into his mug of tea glumly and Sebastian squeezed his hand and then dropped it to take a sip of his tea. "How are you? I haven't seen you since...well," Sebastian smirked, rolling his eyes and Blaine laughed, the sound reassuring and so very normal.

Blaine looked up and hesitated before replying, "I'm okay. I've been doing a lot of thinking and moping and sitting around." Sebastian nodded, understanding the feeling perfectly. "I think I'm leaving actually," Blaine said and Sebastian's eyes widened. "I'm going to Evanston, to visit Erik and some other friends. I think I just need to get away from it all, clear my head." Sebastian nodded and Blaine took a sip of his tea before continuing, "It doesn't make much sense but..." he raised his eyebrows, meeting Sebastian's gaze, "do you ever feel claustrophobic here?" Sebastian didn't respond so Blaine looked down, "I guess it's stupid to feel boxed in in such a big city..." he trailed off and Sebastian shook his head.

"It's not stupid. It makes perfect sense actually." Blaine looked up, curious as Sebastian went on, "There's nowhere to breath, to think, to just be. It's suffocating sometimes." Sebastian took a sip of his tea and Blaine laughed.

"I'd offer that you could come with me, but..." he paused to look at Sebastian's questioning face and they both laughed, a bit forced and Blaine shook his head. "I don't get it." Sebastian raised his eyebrows in question and Blaine explained, "I don't understand why you're being so nice to me. You should hate me!" Blaine's eyes looked a bit crazed and Sebastian frowned at him, "You should yell at me and tell me I'm a horrible person."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and gave Blaine a look, "But you're not a horrible person." Blaine looked down and Sebastian pressed on, "You did your best, we both did. We tried to make it work, we did. Believe me, there were days when I wanted to hate you, to yell at you. I wished I could believe that you were a horrible person, that you'd hurt me on purpose, but I couldn't. I knew it wasn't true. It took me a while to realize, but when I did, I just knew it was true:" Sebastian took a breath and met Blaine's eyes as he said, "You just can't fight fate."

Blaine choked on his tea and raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Fate? You, Sebastian Smythe believe in fate?" Sebastian shrugged and Blaine chortled, "Somewhere pigs are flying!"

"I guess I'm starting to be convinced," Sebastian said with another shrug. "Regardless of that, though, I do know that you don't choose who you fall in love with. You didn't choose Kurt and he didn't choose you. It just happens. So, no, I don't hate you and I'm not going to yell at you, because it's not your fault. I can't blame you, Blaine, and you shouldn't blame yourself," Sebastian gave Blaine a look to emphasize, to convince him, "or Kurt or anyone or anything. Unless," he said with a smirk, "you want to blame fate."

Blaine leaned back in his chair, a small smile forming on his lips. "Well, I'll be. I never thought you'd be sitting across from me, telling me that destiny was responsible for my problems."

"I suppose we all have to grow up at some point," Sebastian said with a grin. He cleared his throat and leaned in, eyes growing more serious as he said, "But there's a reason I asked you to come here." Blaine sat up straighter, curious and nodded for Sebastian to continue. "I want you to know, I give you my blessing." Blaine's eyebrows shot up as Sebastian added, "I want you to be happy, and I think Kurt's your best chance at that." Sebastian smiled at Blaine, the boy he loved, with sweetness and sincerity and a bit of pain as he said, "So be with him, Blaine. Let yourself love him again." Blaine looked down as Sebastian finished, "Or I think you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

~~~

Anyone who called Blaine a friend, who really knew him, was sure to know several things about him. He was a recovering hair-gel addict and he collected bow ties. He couldn't whistle, no matter how hard he tried, but he could touch his tongue to his nose and say the alphabet backwards in a matter of seconds and write an insanely good ten-page paper in a single night. He was afraid of the dark and he hated green beans and he was a�surprisingly good seamstress.

There was�something else�that those who knew Blaine best could tell you: he was a hopeless romantic, he believed in serendipity like some people believed in God, he had a big, open, loving heart, and, for as much as he trusted fate, he feared it.

Blaine's closest friends could surely list countless times when, after describing their latest meltdown or crisis or fight to Blaine, he would take their hands in his, smile at them and tell them to trust the universe, to believe in destiny; say, "You can't fight fate."

When Kurt questioned his abilities and gave in to his self-consciousness, confessing to Blaine that he was afraid that he was too ordinary to ever do something extraordinary, Blaine had almost laughed. Blaine had told Kurt how absurd he was being, how wrong he was. Kurt scoffed and waved him off, but Blaine maintained his opinion. Kurt was meant for greatness, in some way or another, Blaine was sure. With his undeniable talent and his warm heart, his great sense of style and even better sense of humor, Kurt was sure to succeed. He was fated to do something big, Blaine had told him, and so he didn't need to worry. "You can't fight fate," Blaine had said with a shrug and a smile.

When Erik didn't get the first five jobs for which he applied their sophomore year, Blaine wasn't worried. He told Erik that he was sure the perfect job was right around the corner, that Erik should take a few deep breaths and relax, that it would happen when it was meant to, because, after all, "You can't fight fate."

When Quinn came to Blaine, tears in her eyes, fresh from a phone call during which her father flat-out refused to walk her down the aisle, Blaine wrapped her in his arms and sat with her, telling her everything would work out. Quinn replied with doubts and fears and bad memories aplenty, but Blaine wasn't fazed. He smiled at her and told her, with complete and utter conviction, that she didn't need to worry, if her father was meant to be at the wedding, he would be there, and there was no use crying about it either way. "You can't fight fate," he said with a sad smile.

When Rachel confided in Blaine that she was still in love with Finn, that she knew they were soul mates and she was miserable without him, that she had screwed it all up and would never get him back, Blaine had disagreed. He had told her that, come hell or high water, if they were soul mates, then they would end up together. She asked him how he was so sure, to which he simply replied, "You can't fight fate."

When Drew first told Blaine about his high school sweetheart their freshman year of college, Blaine had listened intently and nodded. Drew had gone on and on about how worried he was about the long-distance relationship; what if she met someone? What if they grew apart? What if they couldn't make it work, even though they loved each other so much? Blaine had done his due dilligance, letting Drew say his piece, but Blaine hadn't echoed Drew's concerns about the distance or told Drew he was right to be worried. Instead, Blaine had told Drew he was sure it would all work out - although maybe not in the ways Drew would expect - because, of course, "You can't fight fate."

It had become his mantra, somehow, and he couldn't help but know it was true. Maybe it was his mother's influence; her constant reassurance that things would get better in time, and that if they weren't better, Blaine hadn't waited long enough. Or maybe it was something deeper, something with which he was simply born.

Believing in fate, trusting it and knowing it was guiding him wasn't difficult for Blaine. He had his moments, sure. He doubted and questioned and debated just as anyone would. But, he could never shake the feeling that coincidences were something more, that things didn't just happen, rather they were meant to happen. No, for Blaine, the difficulty never came in having faith in fate. The difficulty came in understanding it.

What was he to do when his fate pointed him toward something new and different and scary? When it lead him down a path full of risk and opportunity for heartbreak? If being with Kurt was his fate, what would he have to sacrifice to achieve it? Who would he have to hurt? For the first time in his life, Blaine found that he wanted to rebel against his fate, to ignore it or pretend he didn't feel it. He couldn't be with Kurt, not if it meant hurting Erik. He couldn't be with Kurt, not if it meant hurting Sebastian.

But, with Sebastian's blessing, where did that leave Blaine? With one obstacle left, and then only his fate in front of him, Blaine knew what he had to do. And, somehow, that scared him more than anything ever had.

~~~

Kurt couldn't stop thinking. Sleep was allusive and he could barely eat and nothing felt right; not sitting and watching TV with Rachel, not calling Quinn to talk about the honeymoon, not pouring over Vogue.

It had been weeks and yet the same night kept replaying itself over and over and over in his brain; unyielding and all-consuming, unwilling to let him go. He was both haunted and mesmerized. His words and Blaine's. Blaine's anger, piercing and honest and cruel. Kurt's response, open and painful and harsh. The snow and the bench and Blaine's eyes dark with anger and hurt and then lust. That kiss.

Kurt couldn't stop thinking about that kiss.

Just when he thought he had Blaine figured out, that nothing about Blaine would ever shock or surprise him, Blaine had done the most shocking thing of all: he had yelled at Kurt and torn him apart and kissed him, all in a mater of minutes. So, it seemed, Blaine still had tricks up his sleeve. But what did it mean? What about Sebastian, Blaine's boyfriend? What business did Blaine have kissing Kurt when he was with Sebastian? Kurt tried to be angry, to muster up some feelings of disdain for Blaine, but he couldn't. All he could feel was swept off his feet, the way Blaine had always seemed to make him feel.

He had tried to keep it a secret: the fight and the feelings and the kiss, but he just couldn't. A few days after the wedding, when Rachel and Finn finally emerged from doing god-knows-what-Kurt-would-rather-not-think-about-it-thank-you, Kurt had practically burst with the news.

Rachel had looked at him funny, asking him if he was feeling okay and he couldn't help but say, excited and scared and confused, "Blaine kissed me."

Rachel had gasped and Finn had said, "Right on, man!" and reached his hand to high-five Kurt. Kurt had hesitantly reached his hand up to Finn's as Rachel eyed him questioningly, eyebrows raised.

"What?" he had asked, feigning lack of understanding.

"Oh, don't what me, Kurt Hummel, you know what!" Rachel had said, eyes wide and concerned. "I don't know if I'm supposed to cheer or scold you! What about that tall, sarcastic guy? Sergio? Sheldon?"

Ignoring Rachel's horrible attempts at pretending to forget Sebastian's name, Kurt had hung his head and responded, "I know. I don't know if you should cheer or scold me either." He had sighed deeply and raised his eyes to meet those of his best friend. "I just know that I love him. And I think he might still love me. Everything else is a mystery."

At this, Finn had laughed and said, "Dude, I think that's all that matters." Rachel hadn't been able to resist shooting Finn a winning smile and kissing him on the cheek proudly.

"He's right," she had said, smile on her face. "I've always said that snarky fellow was more of a supporting character, anyway. Blaine deserves a lead, a hero. He deserves you."

Kurt had agreed, although he still felt unsure. And, as he lay in bed, unable to sleep weeks later, he was still unsure. He couldn't banish thoughts of Blaine and Blaine's voice and Blaine's eyes and Blaine's lips from his thoughts. But he also couldn't help but remember that, in spite of their fight and everything that happened after, he hadn't heard from Blaine in weeks. For all Kurt knew, he was in bed with Sebastian right now, fighting with him or yelling at him or kissing him. Kurt found that everything was turning out to be too much of a mystery.

~~~

"Well, I think that's everything from in here!" Quinn said, taping up the final box and wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. Blaine set his last box on top of Quinn's and Drew followed suit, adding his box to the pile. "One room done, three to go!" Both Drew and Blaine groaned in response and Quinn laughed, "I think we've earned a break."

The three of them collapsed on the couch in the living room, exhausted and hoping that, if they ignored the task at hand, and the eventual goodbyes that went along with it, it would disappear.

Drew was moving out, and as he and Blaine and Quinn sat on the couch, they were each convinced that they were the most sad, the most emotional at the prospect.

Drew couldn't remember what it felt like to not live with Blaine. The past six years had been the best of his life, and he had always come home to Blaine's smiling face, on good days and bad.

On his left sat Blaine, who, as he paged through the latest Vogue, realized that Drew had been his rock, his constant for the past six years. What would he do without him? How would he survive the chaos of everyday life without Drew to make him laugh and to force him into in-prompt-to dance parties and new adventures?

Quinn watched as Drew pretended to watch TV and Blaine tried to be interested in Vogue, fearing that she was the worst wife of all time. Who was she to split these two up? Long before she had entered their lives, they were each other's everything and who was she to come between that? They sat and moped and worried until Drew came to his senses and shot off the couch, turning to face the two most important people in his life, smile spreading across his face.

"There's an apartment open next to ours!" he said, face full of excitement, waiting for Quinn and Blaine to respond with equal joy. When, instead, they both given him confused, wary looks, he elaborated, "Quinn, our new apartment? The one next door is vacant, remember? The realtor said we could choose between them." Quinn nodded but continued to frown, unsure of where Drew could possibly be going with this.

Drew sighed, exasperated and said, "Come on, guys! We're all moping around, because we all know that it would be way too weird for me and Blaine to live miles apart. But we don't have to." At this, Blaine's brow furrowed deeper and Quinn's eyes widened as she began to understand.

"You know that might be the best idea you've ever had!" She said, smiling at Drew and standing up to face Blaine with him. "And you chose to marry me, so we know you've had some good ideas." Blaine laughed at this but continued to look puzzled.

"You want a fresh start, right?" Quinn asked, eying Blaine eagerly, who nodded slowly in return. "You and Sebastian broke up-

"-may Seblaine rest in peace," Drew interjected dramatically.

"-and you want to start over. Do something new. So why not move to a new apartment?" Blaine's eyebrows shot up as he, too, began to understand.

"You mean..." he started, smiling creeping on to his face.

"Come be our neighbor!" Drew said, ecstatic smile on his face. He sat next to Blaine and placed his arm around his shoulder, pointing his arm and Blaine's gaze off into the distance. "I can see it now. We don't have to split up at all, it can still be Drew and Blaine's great New York adventure, just with separate apartments."

"And me!" Quinn said eagerly.

Drew smiled at her and corrected himself, "Of course, it'll be Drew and Blaine and Quinn's great New York adventure." He turned to gauge Blaine's expression and asked, "What do you think?"

Blaine hesitated, looking from Drew to Quinn and back again. "I wouldn't be some sad puppy following his best friends, invading their privacy and refusing to let go?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"No!" they both yelled in response, shaking their heads eagerly.

At this, Blaine smiled brightly and nodded, "Let's do it." Drew jumped up and pulled Blaine with him. He reached out to Quinn and pulled the three of him into a group hug as they all laughed, matching smiles on their faces.

"I guess we'll need more boxes, then," Blaine said as they pulled apart and their smiles faded slightly. "Maybe we can save the rest of the packing for tomorrow?" he suggested and they cheered again.

Maybe it was codependent of them; to find a way for Blaine to follow Drew and Quinn across town, to avoid separation and independence. But Quinn loved Blaine nearly as much as Drew did and none of the three of them were eager to be apart, even if only by a few blocks. Blaine blamed it on his fear of being alone or abandoned or left behind. Drew blamed it on Blaine being too gosh darn lovable and impossible to live without. And Quinn blamed it on years of watching Friends reruns and dreaming of living right by all of her closest friends. Whatever their reasons, Blaine went to see the apartment the next day, admiring the working fireplace and the window seat and, just as they all hoped he would, he�loved it. The fact that Drew and Quinn would be across the hall didn't hurt, of course, but Blaine found that he would have loved the apartment regardless. So, without a second thought or a look back, Blaine signed a lease.

Quinn and Drew were right, it was time he started acting on the fresh start he kept saying he wanted. With plans for a new place to live, Blaine called Erik and booked a flight back to Evanston. It was time he tied off the last of his loose ends, resolved the final thing that was hanging over his head, so he could give himself a chance at a new beginning.

~~~

Drew and Blaine had packed and unpacked many a box together over the years.

As they started the daunting task of packing up all of their things to move to their new apartments, Drew couldn't help but feel nostalgic, remembering all they had been through. They had been randomly thrown together during their freshman year - who would have thought the housing department could pair them up so well, guide them to their future best friends? - and since then they had moved from room to room to apartment in Evanston, and then across the country to New York, together the whole way. They had been through co-ed showers and dining halls, leaky ceilings and rat infestations, creaking radiators and breezy windows. And to think, it was all almost over before it even began.

When Drew first moved to Evanston, to start his first year of Northwestern, he did so with his mother fighting him tooth-and-nail the whole way. She had always not so subtly hoped that Drew would follow in her footsteps and go to Stanford. Didn't he want to be a legacy? Didn't he want to stay close to home and his friends and his girlfriend? Wouldn't he miss the ocean and the warm weather and the sunlight? Wouldn't he miss his mother? While Drew had to admit that Stanford held some appeal, he had truly never wanted to be a legacy. He wanted to make his own story, to become someone new: College Drew, with a new beginning fitting of his new identity. Northwestern and the Midwest offered him just that: a fresh start not just a continuation of high school and adolescence and the first 18 years of his life. Northwestern felt exactly how he hoped college would feel - when he first set foot on the campus during a high school tour, he had known, somewhere deep in his gut, that it was the place for him - and none of his mother's protests or nagging questions would convince him otherwise.

So, when Blaine stepped into their joint room for the first time, eager to meet his new roommate - boxes piled in his arms, yelling to his mom who was following him down the hallway - and found Drew's mother packing his things into his boxes instead of unpacking them onto the shelves, he was pretty confused.

"Are you Drew?" he had asked the tall boy who stood in the corner with arms folded across his chest, fury written all over his face. When the boy didn't respond, Blaine said, "I'm Blaine. Unless I have the wrong room..."

Drew's mom had responded, talking over her son's heavy sigh, "I'm sorry dear. But Drew won't be your roommate this year. We're leaving."

The mad boy - Drew, apparently - had thrown his arms over his head at this and said, "Ignore her, Blaine." He had then stepped across the room to help Blaine set his boxes down and shook Blaine's hand with a smile. "My mother is insane. It's nice to meet you, roomie." Blaine had smiled hesitantly at this and watched as Drew went back to his side of the room and began unpacking his things. Blaine tried to resist the urge to laugh as Drew unpacked items his mom had just packed, and his mom continued to move Drew's things off of his bed and into the box.

Blaine's mom had come in then, oblivious and confused saying, "Blainey, we still have more boxes to get from the car." Blaine had smiled and blushed a bit at the nickname, turning to his mother who stood in the doorway, watching Drew's side of the room with amusement.

"Yeah, we can go, Mom. Uh, Drew?" Blaine asked, hesitantly and Drew looked up from his half-packed box. "Will you be here when we get back?"

Drew said, "Definitely," just as his mom began to respond quite differently, so Blaine chose to ignore her and nod at Drew. Blaine and his mom left and Drew turned on his mother. "You can't do this! I know it's hard for you, Mom, but really? You're being ridiculous."

His mom had huffed in response and redoubled her packing efforts, throwing Drew's things back into his boxes. "I know an omen when I see one, and you forgetting your favorite blanket is the worst kind of omen." Drew had rolled his eyes and moved to place his hands on his mom's shoulders, looking her in the eye.

"I like it here, Mom. I'll be fine without my favorite blanket." His mom had looked up to meet his gaze and promptly burst into tears, dropping the shirts she was holding and reaching to hug Drew. Mothers always took these things poorly, Drew thought to himself. He was, after all, the baby of the family, the last boy to leave the nest, so naturally his mom was reluctant. He stood with her, hugging her and promising her that he would visit when he could, trying to stop his own eyes from getting misty.

When Blaine and his mother returned with more boxes, they found a very different scene from the first one. Drew was putting his clothes into his half of the closet and Drew's mom was organizing Drew's books on his desk. Hours later, after both Blaine and Drew had said goodbye to their parents and wandered back to their room, ready to spend their first night as college boys, they had slipped into an easy conversation, had become fast friends.

As they sat in the dining hall that night, getting to know each other over pizza and chips, Blaine had said with a smile, "I think it's going to be a good year."

"You mean you like me?" Drew had asked, feigning surprise. "You really like me?" Blaine had laughed and shook his head at Drew's goofiness and Drew had thrown a chip at Blaine in response.

Now, six years later, Drew realized he hadn't lived without Blaine since that day. Sure, they had spent some summers and winter breaks apart, but they had always come back to one another. How had they gotten so lucky? he wondered. He didn't have to look far to hear horror stories of random freshman roommates, and yet somehow, against all odds, he and Blaine had been perfect for one another.

As he watched Blaine attempt to fold a fitted sheet, he smiled, feeling even more grateful that Blaine would be moving with them. If he had to learn to survive without Blaine for a roommate, he was glad that at least he could call Blaine a neighbor instead.

~~~

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?!"

A deep, booming voice came from behind Blaine as he retrieved his bags from the luggage claim, and he turned around to be wrapped in Erik's strong arms.

Erik had been thrilled and surprised to hear from Blaine. When Blaine mentioned his idea of visiting Erik and his other friends from Northwestern, Erik had nearly booked the tickets for him. A few weeks later, Blaine found himself back in his old town, watching the familiar buildings go by as Erik drove him to his apartment, talking eagerly about his new job and his new boyfriend and their new life together. Blaine listened and couldn't help but be happy just to see his old friend so happy. He could hear it in the way Erik talked about Dave and see it in his eyes as he described their plans for the future. Erik was happy, so Blaine sighed, relieved. Surely, Erik would want that for Blaine, wouldn't he? Surely, he would approve of Blaine and Kurt, if it meant that they were as happy as Erik was with Dave, right? Blaine was optimistic, but hesitantly so. The fact of the matter remained that Erik was Kurt's boyfriend first, and Blaine would never feel right if he didn't have Erik's blessing to be with Kurt.

Blaine wasn't eager to ask Erik about Kurt, nervous that it would cause things to shift, to become strange between them and ruin their week. Instead, they talked about everything besides Kurt. Blaine told Erik all about New York (pre-Kurt): about falling for Sebastian and living with Drew and meeting Quinn and how happy they all were. He glossed over the details of his break-up with Sebastian and moved on to other things: to graduate school and his new apartment and job-hunting. In turn, Erik had much to tell Blaine. They slipped easily into their old friendship, even though it had been years since they had seen each other and so much was still left unsaid.

At first, Erik's relationship with Kurt hadn't changed their friendship at all. But, over time, as Blaine's love for Kurt grew and things became more and more complicated, their friendship became complicated, too. Now, without Kurt between them, things went back to normal. Blaine didn't want to drag Kurt into the mix again, for fear that things would be forever changed.

The week flew by and Blaine visited his old friends and his old professors and his old haunts. He got his coffee from his favorite cafe and walked in his favorite Evanston parks, stopped in his favorite libraries and bought a bow-tie from his favorite shop, resisting the temptation to pick up a pin for Kurt. Blaine met Erik's new friends and loved them and he met Dave, too. As he watched Erik watch Dave over dinner, he couldn't keep the smile from his face. They were so completely in love. In that moment, Blaine knew: Erik had always been there for him, he had supported him and made him laugh and been the best friend he could imagine, so, of course he would give Blaine his blessing. Blaine felt stupid and foolish for worrying about it. So, the next day, over breakfast, Blaine decided it was time to tell Erik about Kurt.

Once Erik sat down with his cup of coffee and smiled at Blaine as they both ate their cereal, Blaine seized his chance.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about in person..." Blaine started, pausing to take a bite of his Cap'n Crunch. Erik raised his eyebrows, curious and nodded as he chewed his Cheerios. "It's about Kurt."

Erik's eyes shifted to something sad and he looked concerned as he asked, "How is he?"

"He's great," Blaine assured. "Don't worry, Erik. He's really great." Blaine could practically feel the tension melting off of his friend as his shoulders relaxed and he returned to his cereal, frown gone from his face.

"So are you guys together, then, or what?"

Blaine choked on the cereal in his mouth, coughing with wide eyes and Erik couldn't help but laugh as he watched Blaine's confused expression.

"I've never felt good about the way I handled things in college, Blaine," Erik said as Blaine tried to recover, coughing here and there. "Kurt and I...I don't think we were fair to you." Blaine shook his head and made to disagree, but Erik held up his spoon, "No, listen. We both could have handled things better, but honestly, I think we did the best we could. And, if we had to deal with a few bumps in the road because we were stupid enough to fall for the same guy, well we kind of deserved it!" Blaine laughed, smiling at Erik, hardly believing his ears. "After I met Dave...I started to wonder."

Erik looked down at his cereal and Blaine prompted, "What did you wonder?"

"Is that how you felt about Kurt?" Blaine looked confused, so Erik explained, "When I'm with Dave, it just feels so right. Like everything else in my life - in the world! - could fall completely and totally to crap and it wouldn't matter; as long as he was there, smiling at me, standing at my side, we'd be okay. He's my soul mate, Blaine. And when I realized that, I started to wonder: did you feel that way about Kurt?" Erik searched Blaine's face for an answer with open, slightly sad eyes.

Blaine paused, his hands worrying the edge of the tablecloth. He looked up to meet Erik's eyes and nodded. Erik sighed heavily, "That's what I thought." He made a sad face at Blaine and said, "I am so sorry. That must have been unbearable."

"Nearly," Blaine said with a small laugh.

"Well," Erik said jovially, "you know what you have to do then." Blaine frowned, sending Erik a questioning look. "You have to fight for him. If Kurt's it for you, you can't let anything stand in your way."

"You mean it?" Blaine asked, eyes wide and hopeful.

Erik laughed and nodded his head dramatically at Blaine, "Of course I mean it. If anyone deserves that kind of happiness, it's you. And Kurt. I would love it if you two could be happy together."

Blaine smiled in earnest now, unable to believe that Erik was really giving his blessing, telling Blaine to be with Kurt without Blaine having to even ask. Blaine stood up, cereal long forgotten, and pulled Erik into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Nothing more than what you'd do for me." Erik said simply.

It was a strange circumstance, Erik knew. Most people would find it odd: the idea of their best friend dating their ex. But Erik wasn't most people and Blaine wasn't any old best friend and Kurt wasn't your ordinary ex. The three of them had always had - and probably always would have - a strange dynamic, an odd understanding. Despite of the complexities and strangeness of their history, Blaine and Kurt and Erik were held together by one thing: love. They cared for each other deeply; no secrets or infidelity or indiscretions could change that. So, while some might not understand Erik's eager encouragement, his adamant blessing, to Erik, it made perfect sense. Why wouldn't he want two of the best people he knew to be happy? Why would it be different if they found that happiness in each other? Wouldn't that be better, really? That way, Blaine could give Kurt the happiness Erik never could, and Kurt could give Blaine the happiness he always deserved, but never let himself have.

And, maybe, if Kurt and Blaine could be together, Erik could move past the paralyzing guilt that would overcome him at random times. Maybe he could learn to forgive himself for what he did to Kurt if he knew that he gave Kurt something wonderful, something like Blaine. Maybe, the awful thoughts that would sneak up on him - thoughts of what a horrible friend, what a terrible fiancee, what a selfish oaf he had been - would finally cease.

No, Erik didn't care if it was weird or atypical or if others didn't understand. Time had weaved his life together with Kurt's and with Blaine's and nothing could change that. He had found all the happiness he could ever imagine in Dave. Now, it was time he helped Blaine and Kurt find that happiness in each other.

~~~

Years and years before, the day he first talked to Kurt, Blaine went home and wrote their names side by side, surrounded by a big, obnoxious heart. It was silly, he knew. They had exchanged a few sentences, that was all. Blaine had talked about shoes. With his track record, it would probably go nowhere. He and Kurt would talk some more and he would realize his high hopes were for nothing. Kurt would turn out to be straight or mean or uninterested. They would never see each other after the semester was over. In five or six years, he wouldn’t even remember Kurt’s name. Probably.

But, what if things went differently? What if Kurt turned out to be as wonderful as Blaine expected? What if they hit it off? What if he would look back on this semester and remember it as the time he met his forever, his future, his soul mate?

So, he allowed himself to doodle. He wrote out “Blaine loves Kurt” and then scribbled it out, giggling and grinning from ear to ear. He was being ridiculous, but that was okay. He was allowed to be goofy and lovesick now and again.

When Drew got back to their room, he stashed his notebook away and pretended to be productive. Drew gave him a questioning look, noting Blaine’s extra-wide smile.

“What’s gotten in to you?” he asked, plopping down on his bed.

Blaine smiled even wider and replied, “Oh, the usual. It’s been a good day.” Used to Blaine’s cheerfulness, Drew made an approving sound and pulled out his notebook, returning to one of his many melodramatic poems.

Blaine turned back to his desk and added, “Oh, and I think I found my soul mate. No big deal.”

~~~

Blaine returned to New York, a skip in his step and the memory of Erik's blessing fresh in his mind. It had been almost two months since the wedding, he realized, almost two months since he had spoken to Kurt, since they had kissed. He vowed to never go that long without speaking to Kurt again, to never go that long without letting Kurt know how he felt and how much he meant. Maybe, to never go that long without kissing Kurt. Did he dare to hope for that?

He stopped in to see Drew and Quinn before going to his favorite coffee shop, hoping some caffiene would both calm his nerves and give him courage. Then, with his heart in his hands and a smile on his face, he made his way to Kurt's apartment.

Blaine followed a kind-looking woman into Kurt's building, thanking the universe for the perfect timing. He took the stairs two at a time, eager to reach Kurt, eager to tell him how he felt, finally. The door swung open to reveal Kurt, looking stunning as usual; but before Blaine could speak, Kurt's shook his head, eyes wide and shut the door in Blaine's face.