Later that day Blaine got his stuff out and put the little he had away. Kurt insisted on taking him shopping the next day to fill his closet up. Blaine gave in and agreed to go with him and get new clothes. He had called the coffee shop and said he could only work weekends as his week days would be spent in the studio.

About a week later Kurt came into the apartment smiling. Blaine had just finished making the spaghetti sauce and was now waiting for the noodles to finish cooking. Kurt had two things in his hand. One was a picture frame and the other was a box. Kurt shimmied over to him smiling and stopped in front of him.

“I got this fixed for you...I hope you don't mind...” Kurt said handing him the frame. In the frame was the picture of Blaine and Sebastian from their day together on a beach. It was the photo he had thrown at the wall in his apartment. He took it carefully and sighed.

“Kurt...thank you...” Blaine said. All of the photos he had had been put in a box and sent to his parent's house. He only kept this one. The one from their anniversary the year he died. Blaine smiled a teary smile and Kurt took it from him. He set it on the table by the doorway leading to the kitchen.

“You can move it if you like but right now I have something else to give you...” Kurt said. He walked back to Blaine and held the box out to him. Blaine looked at him confused and shook his head.

“I should be giving you gifts not the other way around.”

“Take it. It's nothing I'd wear right now anyway...” Kurt said. Blaine took the little green box and opened it up. He moved the paper out of the way and what he saw stopped his heart. On a chain in the box was Sebastian's ring. Blaine pulled it out and looked at the three emeralds and then the script on the inside. “One and Only” was there. Blaine dropped the box and looked up at Kurt surprised. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

“I managed to get a hold of some of the pawn shops around here and one had it. I told them what happened and he asked me to come down. The guy pawned it off for money. He made me pay for it but not as much as he paid. I thought you would like to have it back...” Kurt said. The hot tears fell from his eyes and he ran to Kurt and hugged him tightly.

“You h-have no i-idea...h-h-how much th-this means to m-me.”

“I think I have an idea though...Blaine it was the least I could do. I couldn't get your cash back but I was able to get this...”

“Thank you...thank you...thank you,” Blaine repeated. He let Kurt go and he put the chain around his neck and slipped the ring behind his shirt.

“You're more than welcome,” Kurt said smiling.

“So...dinner? I made spaghetti.”

“Actually, I'm going out with Leo tonight. We're going to catch dinner than a movie. I'll be back late so don't wait up.”

“No problem...” he said. He felt his heart fall in his chest and nodded. Kurt went to shower and a few minutes later he was gone. Blaine mixed the noodles with the sauce and had a little bit. He didn't finish his first serving and threw it away. He was foolish to think Kurt would ever want him. He was just being nice and helping the poor, broke boy.

Blaine packed his boxing gloves and changed into a tank and sweat pants. He went down to the gym that was in the building and found the punching bag he always used. Nobody else was in the gym so he turned his iPod on and set to punching the bag. He looked out into the hallway when he saw Kurt walking with Leo.

They appeared to be yelling at each other. Leo was angry and towering over Kurt. Kurt looked upset and even scared at one point but Blaine didn't run out. It wasn't his business. He hit the bag a few times and noticed Kurt was watching him. He looked up and his eyes connected with Leo's. Leo turned and yelled at Kurt some more and stormed off.

Kurt looked relieved as he left and opened the door to the gym. He came over to Blaine slowly. He sat on the bench by his iPod and went through it.

“You have a lot of musicals...” Kurt said.

“I love them,” Blaine said shrugging.

“Do you box often?” Kurt asked.

“Not usually. Depends on what kind of day I have,” Blaine said.

“Today wasn't good?”

“Today was fine. Better than it's been. I just needed to let out some steam...” Blaine replied.

“I see...”

Blaine threw a particularly hard punch at the bag and rested his forehead against it. His head was throbbing and he was seeing spots.

“Why don't you sit and take it easy?” Kurt asked. Blaine moved and sat by him. He undid the velcro straps on his gloves and pulled them off. He unwrapped his hands and put everything away.

“How was your night?” Blaine asked.

“Despite what you saw? It was okay...” Kurt replied.

“What happened?” Blaine asked.

“We did the usual. Talked fine for a while and next thing I know he thinks I'm cheating...”

“Does he know I'm staying with you?”

“Yeah...I told him you were. I told him there was nothing to worry about but he doesn't listen...he thinks he's perfect and can control me...”

“Why do you let him?” Blaine asked.

“Love. I love him,” Kurt said.

“Love makes you do stupid things doesn't it...” Blaine said. Kurt nodded and put his iPod down. He got up and offered a hand to Blaine.

“Doesn't matter. Want to have a drink with me at the bar?” Kurt asked. Blaine nodded and took his hand. They walked down the halls to the little bar the complex housed. They sat at the bar and ordered drinks. The bartender, an older man, walked over to them asking them what they wanted.

“I'll have an appletini...” Kurt said.

“Same,” Blaine said hesitantly. A few minutes later the man brought them over and set them in front of them. Kurt took a drink and sighed.

“Do you do this often?” Blaine asked.

“Drink? Hell yeah...with Leo on my back and the stress from work I like to be able to have a drink...”

“This is the first drink I've had in a while...”

“Really? How long?” Kurt asked.

“Almost a year and a half...”

“Wow...why'd you stop?”

“I was drinking away the pain and memories...I got so bad my family had an intervention. I went to AA meetings and haven't had a drink since...” Blaine said. He waited for Kurt to yell at him and kick him out of the apartment.

“I'm so sorry Blaine...I shouldn't have brought you here,” Kurt said.

“It's okay...I just avoided it all together...I can have one,” Blaine replied shaking his head.

“If you're sure...” Kurt said. Blaine nodded and took a drink. The taste of vodka rekindled all those nights he had drunken himself into oblivion. The nights where he did nothing but drink and woke up with the worst hangover. Or those nights he had very little because he couldn't afford more until pay day. He trembled at the memories and pushed his drink away.

“Ray? Can I get a glass of water?” Kurt asked. Ray brought the water over and set it in front of Blaine. Blaine thanked the man and took a sip.

“I'm sorry Blaine...you should have told me...I wouldn't have brought you here and we could have gone somewhere else,” Kurt said.

“It's okay. It's just reminding me of how bad I was and I don't want to go back there,” he said.

“How bad was it?” Kurt asked.

“Bad...it got really bad for a while...”

“If you ever want to talk I'll listen...”

“Thanks,” Blaine said. They finished their drinks and went up to the apartment. Kurt had taken his appletini and finished it off and didn't get more. Blaine saw the photo of him and Sebastian and took it to his room to put on his nightstand. He decided he'd pay Kurt back for getting two of his prized possessions back. He fell asleep easily for once and hoped it stayed this way.