"McKinley Industries."

Kurt threw the papers down on to the table, the industries logo printed clearly out on the first sheet of paper in the stack. Underneath were results from the lab tests along with several pictures of Acid, Smash, and, of course, Silver Spark.

"We've got a match?" Sebastian asked, lazily looking through the papers.

"Best we could manage," Kurt sighed, glancing down at the file himself. Something about it felt wrong, like he was betraying Blaine. 

"Well with the shit technology we've got..." Sebastian muttered bitterly. He lifted his head, "What's the plan then? Ambush? Stakeout?" He raised a curious brow, but something in his eyes told Kurt that he wasn't too eager to go searching for the base of Genetic Altering Central.

"Nothing so far," he replied, turning to look at another folder so that his back was facing Sebastian. "No word on any sort of action."

Sebastian paused before saying, "Too bad." His soft voice didn't sound at all sincere.

"They have no previous offences," Kurt continued, keeping his back to Sebastian. He was afraid that if he saw the bitter look on Sebastian's face-the urge to keep searching for Silver instead of those harming him-he would do something rash and stupid. "The company is known for its advance in technology and is highly praised, but they’ve never gone on record for any sort of public mishap even. They've got a completely clean background."

"So this is a very low chance is what you're saying?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"I'm saying that if we do check into this we better be right."

"This doesn't help with catching Silver Spark," he muttered.

Kurt didn't reply, scowling at the ground. He shoved his hand in his pocket, biting his tongue to keep himself from snapping back. It took him a minute to make his voice sound even. "It's helping with a possible danger to the city."

"That's not our job," Sebastian replied.

"It's always been our jobs to help," Kurt said a little too angrily.

Sebastian didn't say anything for a second. "...not now," he said slowly, and Kurt could picture the malicious grin forming on his lips. "Now our job is to track down Silver. Besides," he added, flicking the folder closed, "the guys a hero, I'm sure that he knows that it's his job to take care of people like Acid, and not ours."

"He's awful," Kurt groaned into the phone, leaning his head against the wall of his living room. Sebastian was luckily long gone by now. 

"Better than him being brilliant," Blaine replied jokingly. "Just because he hates Silver doesn't mean he can do much about it, right? Even in his...position, he's still just a guy." He spoke carefully, and Kurt knew that he was afraid someone would somehow overhear them.

"I know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, where are you?"

There was a pause on the line and then Blaine said quickly, "Out."

"...Blaine?"

"I'm fine," he said, just as fast. "Nothing to worry about."

Kurt hadn't gotten a call to arms so he knew Silver wasn't doing anything too public...The thought of Blaine out there still made him uneasy though. "Are you sure that you're okay?" he asked again, listening carefully.

"I'm perfectly fine, okay, don't worry."

"Are you...busy?" he asked, choosing his own words cautiously.

"I was," Blaine mumbled. "All good now, just heading home-"

"Be careful," Kurt said, staring absently out the window. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble, Blaine." He bit down on his lip, trying to picture Blaine outside, walking alone down some street, head ducked, shadowed, alone....He was Silver Spark, though; he'd be safe, right?

Blaine laughed lightly. "Hey, I'm Mr. Troublemaker, remember?"

"Not funny," Kurt said seriously. "Blaine."

He sighed. "Okay, I know, I'll be fine."

Kurt hesitated, "You promise?"

"I promise."

Night was dawning fast on the city. The sky grew darker by the hour, a blanket thrown over the sky, descending and blocking out the sun.  The streetlights flickered to life, like fireflies buzzing high above passing heads, humming their muffled electric tunes. Blaine shoved cold fingers into pockets, keeping his head down. He was hurrying to get home, although he was pretty far. He'd been busy across town-nothing too big-just a minor break in at a bank. Silver had been in and out, an easy job. It was late though, and he wanted to get home. 

The street was quiet and mostly empty. Blaine was looking around every so often, being cautious, when he noticed someone moving quickly on the other side of the street-someone rather familiar.

He noticed the hair first, then the sharpness of the eyes. Sebastian was hurrying along the street in the same direction as Blaine, turning right. Something about the rush he seemed to be in, the way he was glancing around, made him suspicious. Biting down on his lower lip, Blaine paused only a second before he made the decision and darted across the street in pursuit, being as quiet as he could and sticking to the shadows.

The buildings started to become older as they walked. Broken windows were boarded over and paint was chipping. Spray paint tagged walls and the sidewalk was cracked. The entire area seemed to be deserted with thick plants growing around the buildings, clinging to walls like ghosts that were desperate to stay. 

'Where are you going?' Blaine thought, unfamiliar with the area.

Sebastian ducked down an alleyway and Blaine paused before looking carefully around the corner. He was around back now, and Blaine hurried to catch up. They walked a few buildings down until they reached the largest of the few. Doors lined the back under flickering lights hung above. Sebastian tapped his finger against the first door, waited a second, before it opened and he stepped inside, the letting it close behind him.

Blaine looked around before sprinting forwards. The suit curled around his ear as he ran-a little tricked he’d learned to improve his hearing. He pressed his ear, coated slick with silver, to the door and listened.

"Sir, I believe that you and I can help each other," Sebastian was saying.

"How can I be sure....Salamander?" another voice said quietly.

"Sebastian Smythe," Sebastian corrected, sounding annoyed. "And you and I both have access to information that will help one another in our mutual goal."

"Of what again?" he asked lazily.

Sebastian huffed. "Silver Spark. We can finish him together."

There was a pause and Blaine felt himself freeze, his breath caught in his throat. "You...you can help us to destroy Silver. Ah yes now I remember speaking with you," he said, and Blaine could hear the smile in his voice and a shiver ran up his spine. Interest sparked in his tone. "We certainly have information, and you're certainly in the perfect position to gather more."

"Exactly," Sebastian said. "I give you my data and you share yours. Together we plan how to stop him."

"Why exactly should you be trusted?" a third, lower voice, added.

Blaine could picture Sebastian turning and grinning. "I want Silver out of the way for once and for all. It's my job to find him and stop him already, and I'm getting sick of him. I want him gone."

"What have you obtained?" the first voice asked quickly.

"Hardly anything," Sebastian sneered. "But I do warn you that your little creations have been tracked down to McKinley Industries. They've figured that much out but aren't entirely prepared to act out due to the clean background you've got."

"Good good," the voice murmured.

"What do you have on him?" Sebastian asked impatiently.

"Hair colour," he muttered, sounding distracted. "He has brown hair."

Blaine froze again, images of Acid running through his head suddenly. 

Sebastian took a second to reply. "Brown hair?" he echoed. "Alright, well I'm sure that all the data we've acquired combined with anything else you can manage to scrape together can be used to track him down. Then one of your...employees...can do the rest and we won't be worrying about Silver Spark anymore."

"My employees are awful!" the man shouted. There was a moment of silence and then something smashed against a wall.

"Well that's not a problem," Sebastian continued a little breathlessly. He must've been close to whatever the other man threw. "We've got our own technology readily available to be used on Silver. Certain...weapons. Your employees have the best chance of getting close enough to use them."

The man cackled, and feet stomped on the ground. "Yes!" he yelped happily, clapping. "We can get rid of this pest!"

Blaine swallowed hard, staring at the door. His head was reeling and the world was crumbling quickly around him. Sebastian really was working towards hurting Silver-really would do anything to get rid of him. And from the sounds of it, he'd tracked down those in control of Acid and Smash before anyone else could and was prepared to use something against him....'The weapon,' Blaine thought numbly, feeling sick. There was no way that he would be able to fight them with that on their side. There was no way he would survive Acid or Smash if they could get a shot at him with that thing...

Crack. There was a noise behind him-a pair of footsteps, and then-"Hey, kid, what are you doing?"

He didn't pause to see where the voice was coming from; he just started to sprint away, as though away would carry him further from this horrible reality. Footsteps followed but he was faster than whoever was behind him. With the suit still curved over his ear, he could still hear well enough to hear the door snap open in a panic. He ran around the corner, breathing hard, his heart racing, his hands trembling. What if someone saw? What if they followed him?

He kept running, darting into the shadows, unsure of where he was going. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't breathe right. The world kept crumbling faster and faster and all he could do was run and hope the ground stayed beneath his feet...

Somehow he managed to find his way back on to familiar ground. He still didn't stop, looking around anxiously, feeling like there were eyes everywhere. People passing by seemed to be staring, shadows seemed to whisper, and the chilling wind nipped at his skin like teeth biting at his flesh. He had to go farther, go faster. He had to get away. He couldn't go home...he didn't want to go home. He needed...he needed...

"Blaine?"

Kurt looked at him in confusion when he opened the door. He was breathing hard; it felt like someone was choking him, like imaginary hands clutched round his throat. He was feeling afraid just standing in one spot for so long-he was just terrified in general. He chewed on his lip, staring at Kurt, unsure what exactly he could say. He felt at a loss for words. They all want to stop him. The world kept falling to pieces, his mind kept spinning. 'Is this a nightmare?' he thought, trying to grasp onto reality. 'Has my life become the nightmare?' He felt sick, dizzy. "Can I come in?" he asked, his words sounding like they were tumbling out of his mouth.

"Yeah," Kurt said, stepping aside so that he could come inside his house.

Blaine stumbled inside, standing in the middle of the room, clutching at his own hands, fingers bending together then apart. He didn't know what to do. Sebastian really could do damage...What pretty brown hair you have....he could really figure it out and he could find Blaine so easily...they could hurt him so easily...and Kurt...

"I-I..." he muttered, not sure what he was saying or doing.

"Blaine?" Kurt said again, watching him with concern. "What's wrong?"

Blaine stared at Kurt, swallowing again. "I..." He shook his head-he couldn't breathe properly.

"Sit down," Kurt said, guiding him to the couch with a gentle hand on his elbow. Blaine took a shaky breath and nodded, taking a seat. Kurt sat down beside him, putting an arm around him, pulling him closer, watching him with those beautiful, caring eyes. Kurt could be hurt too, they could hurt him too, Sebastian didn't actually care..."Take a deep breath, okay?" Kurt was saying. "It’s okay, Blaine, alright? I promise. Whatever it is, we'll get through it."

He could feel Kurt's hand in his, the warmth of his skin. 'It can't be okay,' he thought. 

Kurt looked over at him. "Blaine? What's wrong?"

He took another shaky breath, feeling unsteady. "I-I followed Sebastian," he managed finally, staring at his hands. 

He could feel Kurt stiffen beside him, the hand on his shoulder clenching. "What?"

"He looked suspicious," Blaine said plainly.

"What happened?" Kurt asked quickly, panicked. "Was he up to something? Did-did he hurt you or anything? Blaine?"

Blaine shook his head. The world was still spinning, dancing dizzying circles around and around the room. "No...no he didn't hurt me-nobody hurt me," he added hurriedly, because he was sure that was what Kurt was thinking. "I'm fine it's just....Sebastian...I followed him down an alley and he went into this building and he was talking to somebody about-about Silver Spark."

"...Shit," Kurt muttered, shaking his head. "What did they say?"

We can get rid of this pest! Blaine suppressed a shiver. "Sebastian said they could help each other...to destroy Silver Spark," he said numbly. He stared at his hands, folding and unfolding them in his lap. "They wanted to make some sort of plan and he told them that you guys had information on Acid and Smash." Blaine swallowed, hesitating. "And then they told him that they knew he had brown hair...." He glanced over at Kurt who looked slightly surprised.

"How would they know that?" he asked.

Blaine looked away. "Acid," he said simply. 

Kurt was quiet a moment. "Did they say anything else...?"

"Yeah, um, they were asking how they could destroy Silver an-and Sebastian told them that he had this weapon..." Blaine stared at the table. He felt like he was about to pass out. "They want to use that on Silver."

"Well I won't let him," Kurt said determinedly, but even his voice shook.

There was a beat of silence, and then Blaine raised his head, staring at Kurt. "What if they do find out? What if Sebastian pieces things together?"

"He wouldn't-"

"Kurt you could get hurt," Blaine whispered, and the words sounded as though they were being squeezed from his mouth-words like knives in his throat. 

"My entire job is based around me possibly getting hurt," he stated, staring back at Blaine, whom he had never seen looking so vulnerable. "I care about you and I'm not going to let you do this on your own. You've been alone for too long."

He didn't look away. Blaine's mind seemed to wobble as the world kept falling apart around him. Faster, faster. Crumbling like rocks off of a mountain, the avalanche descending. He bit down on his lip, trying to gather his thoughts in the whirlwind of the moment. He wouldn't let this become Kurt's problem. He couldn't....then he realized-"Kurt, with you I could get hurt."

Kurt blanked, shaking his head. "What-"

"If you make all these moves to try and stop him he'll piece it together faster and I'll end up getting caught," Blaine said, speaking without thinking. 'You have to make sure Kurt doesn't get hurt,' he kept telling himself, his mind a broken record. A desperate, terrified, broken record.

He thought about this a second, "...I-I...." but he was at a loss for words, too. "Maybe..." he trailed away, looking down.

"Maybe what?" Blaine asked quietly.

Kurt shook his head. "No...it’s nothing."

"....Maybe,” Blaine said, swallowing because his throat felt too tight and he basically hated himself for what he was about to say. “....maybe we should break up in order to keep each other safe? Stay away so that we don’t endanger one another?" Blaine whispered, finishing the thought they both shared. 

For a moment the two just lifted their heads and looked at one another, eye-to-eye. The room was silent and the air seemed too tense, too full of things they didn’t want to hear or say. Blaine knotted his hands again and again and again, chewing on his lip, wanting the words to disappear just as quickly as they'd slipped out of his mouth. It was what needed to happen, but even the idea tore at his heart. Kurt was the glue keeping him together; Kurt was what made him feel whole. Nobody else had ever made him feel this way.

"Maybe we should," Kurt said finally, sounding shaky.

Blaine looked at him, feeling the world falling faster and faster, tumbling rocks rushing forwards-'This is a nightmare-my life has become my nightmare,' he thought, staring at Kurt. He didn't want to move, didn't want this to be real. Didn’t want this to be reality. Why did this have to be his reality? 

'No Kurt, please, I really don't want to leave you.' His hands shook. He stood up. He wanted Kurt to hear his thoughts, wanted-for once-that he didn't have this weight on his shoulders. Wanted for one minute more to just pretend like he was normal. 'Tell me to stay, Kurt,' he thought desperately, throat so tight that even if he tried he was sure he wouldn’t be able to say it, moving towards the door. 'I'll stay if you say it.' He knew he couldn't, knew that leaving was the safest for both of them, but it felt like part of him was grabbing on to Kurt, clutching to him like the last breath of life. 

He stopped at the door, taking a sharp breath. He couldn't cry-he had to do this. He wanted to look back, to see Kurt looking at him with sad, pleading eyes, but he didn't. He walked out the door and down the steps and on to the sidewalk. He made his way down the streets, hands in pockets, breathing normally, walking as any other person would on a typical night. He opened the door to his house with steady hands and stepped inside, shrugging off his coat.

"Hey, Blainers," Coop greeted with a lazy grin. "Where've you been?"

Blaine swallowed, stared at his brother, and let out a broken sob. 

"Blaine?" Coop asked, hurrying forwards. He wrapped his arms around his brother and Blaine collapsed into the embrace, his eyes blurry and another sob breaking free of his throat. His hands shook and his head spun and Coop held him close, murmuring something, but he wasn't listening. He felt too numb, too lost, too empty, and he just let Coop console him, taking shaking breaths and trying to block out the ache that was growing inside him. 

Because he had to leave, but that didn’t mean that leaving wouldn’t hurt.