Blaine felt like he would never stop flying.

It was strange to feel so at home in a city that was so not his home, but Blaine could honestly say that New York felt like where he belonged. Between the constant movement of the city and the way there was always something happening no matter the time or day, it had the energy the boy craved. Plus, his two favorite people besides his brother were there. Things couldnt really be better.

School was pretty great, too. Music surrounded him and the people were so much like him, so easy to get along with and so much fun. It was just... different there. He didnt have to hide anything about himself, and he wasnt scared. Sure, he wouldnt be running down the streets alone in the dark yelling about how he loved sex with men, but he also wasnt hiding behind his boxing gloves and uncomfortably-loose jeans. He was just being Blaine, and it was working for him. He felt like he actually belonged.

The same seemed to be going on for Kurt and Sebastian as far as Blaine could tell. His boyfriend wasnt flinching when Blaine took his hand (which hed done in Lima sometimes and had definitely done when they first moved) and Bas was even bringing home men. Which they were about to have a conversation about once the other boys made it back to the apartment.

It wasnt so much that they had issues with sharing a living space, but it was hard to get used to random people being in said living space without prior knowledge, and when Bas couldnt even tell them the guys names, well, there was a problem. Blaine didnt want to have this conversation, but at the same time he knew they needed to. It would have been much worse if Kurt was still living in the dorms and Blaine was left to deal with this alone, he reminded himself. He had Kurt with him in this. It wouldnt be so bad.

Of course, Sebastian would storm through the door then and ruin whatever idea of calm and peacefulness Blaine had tricked himself into. He swallowed hard and glanced at his disgruntled friend and roommate. "Uh, hey. Whats wrong?" he asked, concern taking over in place of nerves.

"Fucking professors dont value new fucking ideas, thats all. Cant get a damn word in and when you write a fucking paper about different opinions and ideas you get a fucking C because it just wasnt quite on point whatever the fuck that means." He practically threw his bag on the couch before storming into the kitchen and yanking the fridge open, pulling out a bottle of beer and popping the cap as Blaine vaguely wondered how the boy even got the alcohol in the first place. Whatever. He probably didnt want to know. "Ill tell you what it means. It means I didnt say what that douchebag thought so he took liberties with the grade and theres nothing I can fucking do about it. I hate core requirements. They stick the worst teachers on them so enough people drop out, I fucking swear..."

Right, so Sebastian was already in a horrible mood and now Blaine was going to face him with Kurt and lay down some rules about his sex life. This was going to go over fantastically. He groaned just as Kurt opened the door to the apartment, strolling in with curiosity lighting his blue eyes.

Blaine shook his head and Kurt tilted his own at his boyfriend before opening his mouth. "Hey boys. What did I miss?" He looked between the two of them, then attempted to pluck the beer from Sebastians fingers as he hated when the boy drank on weeknights. "Come on, Meerkat, you know those are for weekends..." he trailed off when he saw the look in Sebastians eyes. "What happened?"

The boy explained again and Kurt patted his shoulder before rubbing his back in a reassuring way. Blaine watched and found himself loving his boyfriend even more if that was even possible. He just adored the way Kurt cared. He was just so... loving. Blaine felt so damn lucky to have Kurt in his life.

"You wanna splurge and order that Thai you love so much and we can watch some Disney movies and Blaine can sing along to all the songs while we giggle at him?" Kurt asked with a knowing smile. Sebastian smiled back and nodded and Blaine couldnt even find the will to argue about their plans to laugh at him. He would allow his boys to laugh if it lifted their spirits. There would be no hard discussions just yet. No rules laid down and no anger expressed. Bas needed them, so he and Kurt would be there and cheer him up as best they could. After all, thats what friends were for.

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The necessary conversation about randoms didnt come before the weekend, and said weekend was one full of clubs and drinking and... guys. More than usual, too, which had Kurt and Blaine sharing glances and nervously checking to make sure nothing went missing if either of them left at any given time. There was an understanding between the two of them that as soon as there were no extra people in the apartment, the difficult conversation was going to happen.

Bas seemed well over his anger and frustration with his professor, after all, so it wasnt like it would be mean to bring up some... rules. It just wasnt okay to have people they didnt know wandering their home while making Sebastian scream obscenities Kurt hadnt even heard before as they banged against the wall from how rough their sex had gotten. For one, it was awkward as all hell, and for another, it was starting to make Kurt feel inadequate, which he confessed to Blaine, which then made Blaine feel inadequate as well. At least it got them a night of intense sex wherein they went to war with Bas and his bed partner, coming so hard Blaine actually passed out for a few minutes while Kurt proved his highest note did not actually shatter glass.

Of course, Sunday afternoon came and the unknown men (yes, men, as in Sebastian totally had a freaking threesome and Blaine was red with embarrassment, anger, and envy all at once) left. It was finally time for The Conversation, which earned its own title by that point. It had just been building too long and Blaine was really not looking forward to it. At all. Not even a little bit. He groaned as Kurt poured all three of them some coffee and brought some pastries to the table for a light lunch.

"Sebastian, we really need to talk," Kurt started, which would definitely tip the Dalton graduate off. It was so rare for either Kurt or Blaine to use Bass full name anymore, and really, it was far more common for Kurt to call him some form of a meerkat than to bother with his name. Sebs eyes narrowed as he looked from Kurt to Blaine and back again. "We need to establish some rules. I... I know you and Blaine got this place together while I was dorming it up, but Blaine wants these rules too. Hes just too nice to say anything."

Kurt shot Blaine a glare since hed yet to say anything and the curly-haired man blushed and shrugged before running a hand awkwardly through his hair, getting the fingers tangled and squeaking in pain. "Ow... Hes right, though. Bas, the randoms really need to stop. For one thing, youre so much better than that. And for another, it isnt cool having people we dont even know wandering in the apartment where all our stuff is." Blaine was terrified he was going to wake up one day to no instruments, and they all cost a pretty penny to even keep up let alone replace.

Before Sebastian could speak, Kurt cut in again. "Its mostly the first reason, though, Meerkat," he said softly, reaching across the table and tentatively touching Sebastians hand. Kurt smiled when the taller boy didnt pull away. "We care about you. Youre better than most of these guys, and you deserve more than just some hookup. You at least deserve to know a name. 

It was a little awkward, but not as horrible as Blaine feared it would be. "Alright, alright. Quit being so sappy already. Ill stop with the random hookups. That means you two dont get to compete with my noise, though," he added with a cheeky smirk. Kurt smacked his arm while Blaine just laughed and things were back to normal. They just... worked, the three of them. They had become best friends and they clicked. It was really nice, and Blaine could honestly say that the apartment felt like home.

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"You guys, seriously," Blaines voice carried through the apartment to where Kurt and Bas sat on the couch with their shoulders pressed together supporting each other as they each worked on their studies. Kurt was swearing as he worked on demonstrating ten different hand stitching techniques on a swatch of fabric, poking himself every now and then with the needle. Bas, meanwhile, muttered under his breath about how much he utterly despised his fathers insistence that he at least carry some law courses even if he did want to mainly focus on English.

Blaine still didnt really understand why Sebastian was still trying to please his father when the man had mostly cut his son off since hed declined Columbia. It wasnt Blaines decision to make, though. Not his family and not his battle. No, what was his battle was the mound of dishes in the sink and the two boys who didnt seem willing to ever freaking do them!

"You guys!" he demanded, hands on his hips, eyes narrowed on the two. He knew they were both students with a lot of work to do, but so was Blaine, and he couldnt do all the housework by himself while keeping up with his grades and the like. It wasnt that bad for him to want to keep up a clean and orderly apartment though, was it? He didnt think so. "Please, can we please try to keep the place clean? Please? I know school is hard and I know balancing it with interviews is harder and Kurts got his internship and Bas, I know you said theyre working on giving you more hours at the writing center or pay, but... I just cant do it all and Im freaking out, okay?"

So maybe Blaine was having a bit of a panic attack over the dirty dishes and the dusty floors and the schoolwork all over the apartment and... yeah. Nothing had a place anymore and it was making him a nervous wreck. It seemed the boys finally noticed that, though, when they both looked at him, then looked at each other.

"Shit..." Bas muttered and Kurt was already on his feet, sliding up behind Blaine and wrapping his arms around him, supporting him and holding him close, whispering soothingly in his ear as Sebastian strode up in front of them and ran his hands along Blaines arms. "Were sorry, Killer. We should have realized what all this was doing to you. Blainers..." The use of the nickname Cooper always used made Blaine choke up and he just sagged between his boyfriend and best friend, letting out undignified sobs.

Kurt held him, not really sure what to do, but knowing he would do all he could to put the place back in order. It was clear Bas would help, too. Theyd take care of Blaine. Theyd do everything they could to keep their boy in one piece. He did so much to take care of them, after all.

Blaine shook slightly, but cleared his throat and wiped his face on Sebastians shirt, knowing Kurt would be more upset if he messed up his clothes. "Im sorry... I just... I miss Coop and schools so challenging and its just hard and sometimes I feel like its too much and you guys are gonna get wrapped up in it all and forget... about... m-me..." His bottom lip trembled, and Kurt pushed his finger over it to stop it.

Surrounded by Kurt and Bas, Blaine felt safe even if he was still scared and intimidated. They would take care of him. They loved him. They would keep him together even when the world felt like it would pull him apart. He sighed and breathed deeply, pulling himself out of the panic he felt. "Thanks. I... I dont know what Id do without you guys. Im sorry I freaked out I just... you know how I get about messes and I have to perform soon for a faculty thing and l-" He was cut off by Kurts mouth on his, the countertenor having pushed Bas away and shifted in front of his boyfriend instead.

Kurt kissed him deeply, bodies flush against each other even as Sebastian started straightening up the living room. "Shh, baby. Its okay. I love you. Our fuzzy little Meerkat loves you. Were going to make this work no matter what it takes, okay?" And Blaine nodded. Bas and Kurt did the dishes before they all curled up on the couch for Disney movies. Kurt tried not to be too loud when he stabbed himself as he finished up his sewing assignment.

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By the time talk of Halloween parties started, Sebastian had already established himself as a regular with a group of frat guys who played ultimate frisbee on campus at NYU. Because of that, hed been invited to their apparently epic costume party, and he was encouraged to bring his roommates. Even though Kurt wasnt so sure about going to some frat party, Seb told him that the guys were cool with whatever, since he jokingly (and not so jokingly) hit on half of them every time they played since there was inevitably tackling and he inevitably ended up on top of someone, or with someone on top of him.

Another key factor encouraging Kurt to agree to go to the party was Blaines excitement for it. He was practically bouncing with ideas for costumes. "You are not repeating the damn cat thing again, Kurt. You just arent. Buuuuut," he grinned and actually started bouncing then. "I have an idea that would incorporate the old cat theme. Im gonna be Batman, and youre gonna be Catwoman. Only, not woman. But you know. full on latex catsuit, ears, mask, and the whip. Oh, and the fuckin sexy boots of course." He grinned and wiggled his brows, while Sebastian groaned at the word whip.

"Princess, I swear, if you whip me I will kick your latex-covered ass." It was a half-hearted threat, but Blaine didnt call him on it and Kurt was much too busy blushing to focus enough to do so.

Blue eyes focused on golden hazel and he squeaked a bit. "You really want me to wear a latex catsuit? Blaine... Thats gonna like... put everything on display!" Of course, Blaine would be wearing spandex if he did Batman right, which would be really sexy, so maybe it was an even trade.

Before a decision could be made as far as costumes went, Kurts phone started ringing. "Hello? Yes, Rachel. Yes, Rachel. I know, Rachel. You already told me about the NYADA party," he started pacing, a glare on his face while Blaine and Bas exchanged a look before shrugging. "Why in the hell would I want to come hang out with your ridiculous rivals? Its not like any of them are your friends. Seriously, Rach, I dont want to come to your stupid party! Oh, my God, no. Argh! Fine, fine, Rachel Berry stop singing at me! Ill come to your stupid party. Im bringing Blaine and the Meerkat though. I refuse to suffer alone. Okay, okay, well be there. Goodbye, Rachel." He hung up and gave the boys a significant look. "Were going to another party..."

Blaine and Sebastian shared a look and groaned. This was going to be fun.