“Kurt? Are you okay? You’ve been really quiet since we got home.” Rachel said, her tone laden with concern.

“Yeah. Just something Nick said.” Kurt breathed. Since that evening he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. Not his upcoming callback, not his homework for NYADA, his brain refused to focus on anything but the encrypted messages that Nick had sent.

“Oh?”

“He told me that Blaine was great, but that I needed to be careful. That stuff with Blaine is messy and that I needed to know where I stood. He kinda emphasized that last bit.”

“That’s odd. Did he say what ‘messy’ meant?”

“No.” Kurt whispered after a moment.

“Well, I wouldn’t concern yourself. I’m sure that being friends with Blaine is fine. I doubt that it’s as ‘messy’ as you think” Rachel said, trying her best to be comforting. “Besides, maybe he was just having you on. That’s the right phrase, right?”

“Yes, Rachel, that is an appropriate phase. I don’t think he was though. He seemed terrified.”

Rachel gulped quietly. “Nonsense. I have excellent intuition and I didn’t see anything overly fishy at all.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Kurt said sarcastically, and a little more harshly than necessary. “Let’s just forget about it for now.” 

“You what?” Blaine yelled, his voice echoing through his apartment.

“I don’t understand why you’re so angry. It seems unreasonable that we can’t sit down with your family and have a nice dinner. It’s not the end of the world, Blaine.”

“I can’t even begin to comprehend when you thought this might be a good idea. Did you not hear all the times I told you about my dad? ‘We don’t speak anymore’, ‘my father said he never wanted to see me again’, ‘my mother has to pretend she doesn’t talk to me’. Did you miss these?”

“I think this is ridiculously immature of you, Blaine. I’m your boyfriend and I want to meet your parents. It’s not too hard for you to be civil, is it?” Sebastian’s voice grew tenser and tenser.

“The last time my father and I saw each other I ended up in a hospital. That was not a coincidence.” Blaine’s anger suddenly morphed into desperation and sadness. “Please, Bas, please. I told you from the beginning that this was how things are with my family. Maybe you can meet my mother at some point?”

“Blaine, fighting with your parents is something most people left behind once they became an adult, and there’s a reason for that. I don’t want to be hidden from your family, swept under the rug any time you interact with them.”

“Can’t you please just try to understand?”

“I’ve already invited them Blaine, and if they accept, that’s it. It’s done.”

“What? You don’t get to treat me like a child who has no say in any decision. This is my life. I won’t back down from this, like I do with every other time you do something stupid or inconsiderate. I said no, and I can’t believe you didn’t even bring it up with me first.”

“Stop being such a brat, Blaine. Have your temper tantrum elsewhere. Stop acting like such a victim. Can’t you hear yourself? Oh poor Blaine, his boyfriend wants to meet his family. He actually cares about you. Of course, it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean he’s trying to make sure he’s going to be a part of your life in the future or anything. Well, fuck you too, Blaine. Go home.”

“Bas, I-“

“Go home, Blaine.”

Blaine silently picked up his jacket and left Sebastian’s apartment, feeling as shitty as he always did whenever they fought. Somehow, his boyfriend managed to make him feel like he was the heartless one, even if he had done nothing wrong. Whether it was because he was a pushover or because Sebastian was overly sensitive, Blaine was unsure. He had been having a lot of relationship troubles since the previous weekend in Ohio, when he thought about it. Sebastian would be overreacting to everything. The way Blaine looked at somebody, how often he made an effort to text or call, how many hours he worked. He blamed him for their lack of sex life, which was sort of Blaine’s fault, but he had been hit by a car, so it was perhaps a little unfair.

Moping alone in his room didn’t really appeal, so he decided to ask Kurt to a coffee. 

To: Blaine

From: Kurt

Now’s not a really good time, sorry.

To: Kurt

From: Blaine

No problems, are you busy all day?

To: Blaine

From: Kurt

Yeah, sorry.

Ok, so that was a little odd, but Blaine decided not to read into it too much. Kurt was probably just stressed with his callback coming up soon and everything. He wasn’t being dismissive; he’s probably just really busy. Right? Try as he might, Blaine couldn’t help but feel as if he had just been rejected. Dejectedly, he returned to his own apartment and put in a movie that he didn’t really pay attention to. He simply prayed for sleep.

Kurt a strange feeling of being everywhere at once, and yet at the same time, nowhere at all. The seconds bled into minutes, minutes into hours. Each blink of his eyes was heavy and purposeful, seemingly taking forever as his lids cast the world black for a moment. Unable to sleep, he tossed and turned in his sheets. Uncomfortable. Cold. Hot. Exhausted. Alert. Each dream that overcame him was another scenario, another idea, about Blaine. About what could happen, about what it all meant. And just as it began to resolve himself he was thrust back into consciousness, only more confused than he had been before.

A more logical and reasonable part of his brain came to the conclusion that he was being ridiculous. What could be so bad? He highly doubted Blaine was involved in the Mafia, or some underground drug ring. What could be so complicated? But the logical voice is never heard. His heart longed to be with Blaine, spend time with him, laugh with him. It burnt with desire to wrap his arms around the tanned, toned body and pull him close. To press his lips against Blaine’s and let his mind be silenced from the sheer magnitude of the greatness of that kiss. But every step he took in that direction was blocked, his muscles refusing to cooperate. He felt as if he were suffocating, like his lungs could not find the oxygen that surrounded him.

With every last iota of his willpower, he forced his fingers to press down on each letter.

To: Blaine

From: Kurt

I’m free this evening. Want to come round for dinner with Rachel and I? About 7:30?

His phone blinked. [Sent.]

And on the other end was a boy squealing with glee.