From: Chase Young

2014-02-21 14:29

Call me?

Kurt smiled at his phone, subconsciously sidestepping a gaggle of excited teenage tourists as he headed for a deserted bench in Washington Square. Sitting down, he took a moment to look around at the crowded space - at the film students carrying cameras, at the shady figures lurking just on the edge, and at the couples of all ages scattered about.

Many people wore cuffs like Kurt, though a few seemed to have no qualms about sharing their Letter; he spotted a dark-skinned woman in a light, lime-green jacket who had her left sleeve pinned up so that the letter T was visible for all to see. She noticed him staring and winked, giving him a friendly wave which he returned after a moment's hesitation.

Before he could get distracted by any more of New York's individuals, Kurt started a new call. It rang a few times and he started to worry - after all, it wouldn't be the first time this guy had left him hanging. He was relieved when he finally heard Chase's voice.

"Hey, Kurt!"

"Hi," Kurt said, suppressing a giggle at the exuberance of Chase's greeting. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Chase said, sounding anxious. "An old buddy called and asked me if I could help him move into his new apartment. Guess he didn't think about hiring help."

"Oh. Well, that's fine, we can meet up another day."

"How about right now?"

"Now?" Kurt checked the time and realized he had no more classes for the day and no immediate plans. He had been thinking about going home to take a nap, but that could wait another few hours. "Where?"

"Uh..." Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. Of course he has no idea.

"I can meet you at Common Ground?" he suggested, remembering their first date at that very same coffeehouse. He'd enjoyed it immensely, even though Chase had admitted that he wasn't the biggest fan of coffee. Luckily, they also had decent teas on the menu.

"Common..." Kurt closed his eyes, dearly hoping that Chase hadn't forgotten the location of their first date, of all things. "Oh! Yeah, that sounds great. Three-thirty?"

"Three-thirty," Kurt agreed. They said their farewells and Kurt hung up first, stretching his arms as he stood up from the bench. The little coffeehouse wasn't far from the square, so he decided to take advantage of the oddly warm weather and just walk there.

The walk was strangely calm; few people were around and Kurt decided that he liked it. That is, until he realized he no longer had the people around him as distractions - he became acutely aware of the almost aching pull in his wrist and Kurt glared down at it, at the innocent red Letter he knew was hidden under the cuff.

"God, B, just leave me alone," he muttered, though there was no venom in his tone - just worn-out exasperation. The past few months had been incredibly taxing on him, the mark keeping Kurt awake so often that he'd had to resort to (organic) sleep aids. Still, he remained fairly optimistic, particularly after meeting Chase at a party he'd been dragged to. More than a little tipsy and admittedly lonely, Kurt had ended up locked in a bedroom with him, and the rest was history. Chase had turned out to be quite sweet, though Kurt sometimes cringed at his fashion choices. And he wasn't always reliable, but Chase had promised to work on that.

Kurt thought this could be it.

He reached Common Ground and pushed the door open, smiling a bit at the sudden warmth and the relaxing smell of coffee. There wasn't a line - there never was - so he stepped right up to the counter to order. The barista at the cash register perked up immediately upon seeing Kurt.

"You're back! Thank god, I was getting worried that your Letter had yanked you right out of the city," she said, and Kurt laughed. Tracy never seemed to be bothered by the social stigma of talking about Letters in public, and it was refreshing (even if Kurt did resent being reminded of it). "Anyways, let me guess: Grande nonfat mocha with caramel?"

"You know me too well," Kurt said, grinning.

"You come here too often," Tracy shot back. "Do you mind if the newbie takes a shot at your order?"

"It's fine with me." Tracy nodded and shooed him away, grumbling about people always feeling like they have to stand in front of her counter for minutes on end.

Kurt took his usual spot near the window, where he could watch for Chase. He was still about fifteen minutes early, so he took out his phone as he waited for his coffee. It wasn't long before a nervous-looking boy - he appeared to be a teenager - walked up to him with a cup in hand.

"Uh- Hi, you ordered a medium drip with peppermint?" Kurt frowned, shaking his head. "Oh wow, I'm sorry, I'll just take this-"

"You know what, don't even worry about it," Kurt said kindly. "I'll take it. It's an opportunity to try something new, hm?"

"Yeah! Yeah, totally, here." He handed Kurt the paper cup, and Kurt could already smell the peppermint. It was different, new, but he sort of liked the change. "Sorry again."

"Hey, it's fine, we all make mistakes."

"Cool. Um, I'll be up there if you... yeah." The boy scurried back to the counter and Kurt couldn't resist smiling. He was adorable - flustered, but adorable. His contentment quickly passed, however, as his wrist continued to bother him. He sighed, taking a sip of the coffee and finding that it was a suitable alternative to his nonfat mocha.

An hour and a half later, the cup was empty and cold, and Kurt was thoroughly irritated - but it wasn't because of the Letter this time.

"Hel-"

"Where the fuck are you?" Kurt asked.

"I'm at home... shit."

"That's all you can say?"

"I'm sorry, baby, what do you want me-"

"Please stop," Kurt said, every other incident like this running through his brain and firing up his courage enough to say the next two words. "We're done."

"Kurt..."

"Bye, Chase." Kurt hung up and hoped that he wouldn't try to call back. He didn't. And it hurt a little bit, that Chase didn't even try to fight to get him back. Inconsequential, forgettable, easily replaceable - that was Kurt Hummel.

He didn't leave Common Ground right away - a sad shake of the head to Tracy let her know that he'd be staying, and she was at his table with his regular order in minutes.

"I can take some time away if you want to talk," she said quietly.

"I'll be fine, thank you." If Kurt had a dollar for every time he remembered saying that, he was pretty sure he'd have a small fortune.

"I don't believe you, but I'll leave you alone. That's on the house, by the way," Tracy added as she turned away.

Kurt gratefully took a sip of his mocha, but it wasn't as comforting as it usually was. It tasted the same, just as delicious as ever, but it was missing something, somehow. Kurt grabbed the empty cup that was still sitting on the table and leaned towards the garbage can to throw it away - but he stopped when he smelled the peppermint again. That sharp, clear scent that he associated with Christmas and family. And something else, but he couldn't put his finger on what that could be.

Shrugging, he threw it away. Then - after taking off his cuff - he stared at the Letter. He wasn't sure why, exactly, he felt the sudden desire to pay attention to it. It tugged and pulled; he could swear that B was all the way across the country or something from the strength of it. Maybe he needed a break, needed to get out of the city for a little while. He could visit his family and revel in a (hopefully) weaker pull for some time in Ohio. Rachel was right, too; he was getting overworked.

So it was that Kurt found himself searching for decently-priced plane tickets and rearranging his schedule around his spring break. Kurt Hummel was going back to Ohio, and he had no idea what made him so sure that it would help him feel better. Maybe it wouldn't, but he had to try.

It wasn't like B was still there, anyways.

"Blainey, we're going out!"

"I have homework, I can't go anywhere right now."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Just get your ass into some nice pants and come with me for dinner."

That was how Blaine found himself being dragged off to some dingy restaurant in a shady corner of L.A., Cooper practically waxing poetic about the history of the place, most of which Blaine was pretty sure was untrue. He'd ordered a salad, having already eaten at home. Cooper, on the other hand, had ordered a massive steak, medium rare, and a baked potato that didn't look thoroughly baked at all.

"Coop, don't you have a girlfriend?" Blaine finally asked after he had to watch his brother flirt with yet another of the waitresses that kept hustling past them.

"Not anymore," Cooper grumbled, his face falling. "I found her in Andy's bed when I went over there last week - with Andy."

"Oh, god, I'm sorry," Blaine said. Cooper didn't take that sort of thing well in any way, shape, or form. He liked attention and, when it turned out that someone else was taking attention from him, he was brokenhearted. Blaine understood and had come to accept this about his brother in the few months they'd been living together now.

"It's cool, don't worry about me," Cooper reassured him. "I'm not going to let it get me down."

"Good!"

"And here's the part of our brotherly dinner date where I ask you if you've got anyone lusting after your admittedly handsome Anderson features."

"I- No?" Blaine said, bewildered at the change of topic.

"Are you sure? You're blushing," Cooper said smugly. "There's a guy, isn't there?"

"No! No, there is no guy," Blaine said, exasperated. "I told you, I don't plan on dating anyone."

"Oh, come on, there has to at least be a one-night stand that stood out."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Have you even had any one-night stands?" Cooper asked, genuinely curious. "You're always at the apartment when you're not at school."

"A couple," Blaine admitted. He wouldn't admit, however, that he generally despised them. Sex was fine, fantastic actually, but that was it. There wasn't anything more than that, and it bothered him. He wanted more, even as he knew he wouldn't take anything less than his angel.

Stop thinking about him, he thought. But, of course, it was useless.

"Really? You must be sneaky," Cooper said, eyebrows raised. "I've never heard you leaving or coming back at weird times."

"That's because you're not at home most of the time," Blaine pointed out, sticking his fork up at Cooper. "You've got your own things to worry about." Cooper sighed.

"Look, Blaine. Buddy, look at me." He did. "I miss you, man."

"What do you mean?"

"I miss us being brothers like when we were kids. I miss you being able to tell me anything and everything you were thinking, even if I might have thought it was stupid."

"You thought a lot of things were stupid." Cooper laughed, shaking his head.

"Well, that's because I was stupid. I left you with our parents and no one else and I don't like that. I want us to be real brothers, Blaine, not just two guys sharing an apartment like we are now."

"Really?"

"I mean everything I'm saying right now, and it's kind of scaring me how sentimental I'm being."

"I'd like that, though. Being brothers, I mean," Blaine said, smiling for the first time since they'd arrived at the restaurant.

"Awesome! Okay, so, first conversation as actual brothers: soulmate talk." Blaine nearly choked on a crouton at that point, eyes watering as he glared at Cooper from across the table.

"Are we really going to talk about this now?" he asked, wincing as he became aware of the sensation again. He couldn't stay distracted for the life of him since moving to L.A., and it was affecting his schoolwork. What would have taken him half an hour back in Westerville was taking two hours here, due to having to focus through being constantly reminded that he was about 2,800 miles from his soulmate. He checked.

"Yes. There's nobody around and you've never talked to me about that little K there," Cooper said. "And I've never talked to you about my Letter, either."

"You first."

"Well, it's not pretty in pink like yours-"

"This is red, actually."

"Same deal. I'll show you mine." Cooper took off the wristwatch he wore on his left arm, holding his wrist up so that Blaine could see the black S etched into his skin.

"Have you ever tried to find her?" Blaine asked suddenly, his curiosity piqued.

"Oh, yeah. She's not around here, though," Cooper said, shrugging. "The feeling doesn't bother me anymore, so there's no point trying."

"How can it not bother you?" Blaine was even more interested now; if he could find a way to stop his Letter from being so irritating, he could finally get the damn soulmate stuff out of his conscious mind for good.

"I don't know," Cooper said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's because I stopped caring. I'm never going to find her, and that's okay. I'm sure she's doing fine."

Blaine was surprised by the simplicity of it. Then he thought about it, and realized he couldn't just stop caring. K, whoever he was, was Blaine's protector, his silent supporter, his angel. There wasn't a reason in the world that would make Blaine stop caring.

"How about you, little bro? What's the story behind your Letter?"

"There isn't much to say except that it's on the other wrist and it's red."

"And it appeared early," Cooper reminded him, as if he needed reminding of that. "What about distance?"

"... Somewhere on the opposite side of the country," Blaine mumbled, bracing himself. Cooper's mouth dropped into a perfect 'O.'

"Are you kidding? What are you doing here?" he asked, aghast.

"Going to school," Blaine said uncertainly. Cooper opened his mouth to say something, but Blaine continued. "I'm not going to disappoint myself by trying to find him, okay?"

"But how do you know you won't find him?"

"I just won't, alright? Things don't work out that way for me. I'm perfectly fine with knowing that he exists."

"But he's your soulmate," Cooper said, uncharacteristically quiet.

"You have one too," Blaine said bitterly. "But you're able to just not care about her, while I can't possibly forget about the guy that saved me without ever meeting me."

"Saved you?"

"You said it yourself, Coop. You left me alone." Blaine hadn't meant to say it, at least not as rudely as he did. He took in Cooper's deeply regretful last glance as he got up from the table, leaving some cash in the middle for payment. Blaine had never seen Cooper so crestfallen, and he didn't say anything as his brother started to walk away.

"I'll see you at home, Blaine."

Blaine leaned back in his chair, running his hand over his face. So much for trying to be brotherly, he thought. He decided that Cooper probably needed some space to think, so Blaine stayed in the restaurant, ordering a dessert - cheesecake in favor of his usual sundae.

He thought about his mother, who hadn't called once since he left Ohio. Blaine thought about going to visit, despite his resolution to never go back there. But he had a feeling it would be a good idea. He could see his mother, politely acknowledge his father, and give Cooper some time alone. Or Cooper could go with him, if he wanted.

All of this didn't seem like enough reason to go back, though. As Blaine worked his way through the cheesecake, he wondered at the sudden impulse. Normally he would have fought against his instincts; they hadn't been kind to him in the past, and he had no reason to believe that being in Ohio would change anything.

Blaine sighed, pushing the empty plate away at last. He made a mental note to ask Cooper if he was free during Blaine's spring break, and finally accepted that he was actually going through with this.

Ohio, here I come.