Adam was an EMT, and recognized the signs of a panic attack immediately. Sudden flushing of the cheeks, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, initiation of the fight or flight response...he saw all of them happening right at the table next to him in the Lima Bean. He approached the two boys slowly and confidently.

"My name is Adam, I'm an EMT, and I can help. It looks like you're having a panic attack. Can you tell me your name?"

"His name is Sebastian," Blaine replied, looking worried.

"Okay, Sebastian, I want you to take a few deep slow breaths with me. Then we'll go outside."

About 10 minutes later, Blaine and Sebastian were sitting on a bench outside the Lima Bean, Sebastian with a paper bag he had been breathing into and Blaine with his arm around Sebastian's shoulders. Blaine had been softly trying to make reassuring comments, while inside he was reeling. He had not planned on a competition and didn't want one. Sebastian was the right one for him and that was that.

Inside the coffee shop, Adam was feeling pretty proud of himself. As soon as Kurt arrived, he excitedly began to tell the story of how he had helped somebody. Kurt had to interrupt him just for a kiss hello.

When Adam finally seemed to be done with his story and Kurt thought it was safe to try and get a word in, he told his candidate all about his trip.

"Baby, it was so exciting! We are going to have such a great time living together. I am sick to death of the stupid dorms. So I have pictures on my phone of the different apartments I saw, but this one on Macdougal Street above an Israeli coffee shop was my favorite. The landlords are this adorable old lesbian couple, you will love them. It's close to St. Vincent's and to NYU, and the neighborhood is just my favorite."

Adam couldn't help the giddy smile on his face as he got caught up in the excitement in Kurt's eyes. "Oh Kurt it sounds perfect. I will look at the pictures but you have great taste, and we know each other so well that I'm sure you're right about the place. I trust you." Then Adam remembered something. "Oh, your dad asked me to tell you...they're having dinner tonight with the new neighbors that moved in across the street, and we're invited."

"Oh." Kurt looked disappointed. "I kind of wanted to spend time with you alone tonight, it's been a whole week since we've seen each other."

Adam gave Kurt's thigh a light squeeze under the table and winked. "Don't worry, we'll cut out early."

Adam and Kurt had known each other for three years, and had been an exclusive couple for two. Adam had been Kurt's savior when he first moved to New York, showing him the cool gay bars in Greenwich village, and helping him figure out how to navigate the subways. Adam was four years older and in medical school, but the age difference didn't bother either of them. It was only two weeks after they met that the candidate marks had appeared, and neither of them was surprised. It was fate, and good karma, and everything right and natural and safe. It was what finally got Kurt's dad to agree that he had made the right decision to move so far away for college.

And wow the sex. It was like nothing Kurt had dreamed about before. He would spend hours daydreaming about what they had done the night before. The past two years had been like a constant porno reel in his head whenever he wasn't distracted by something else. He was a romantic at heart, but when he and Adam found out they were candidates, he figured it didn't make sense to wait. That was a decision he definitely did not regret.

Kurt reached out and stroked his mark on Adam's arm fondly. Kurt's entire name was spelled out, though the 't' looked a little cut off, like maybe it needed another centimeter on the top. "Are you ready to go," Adam asked, "or should we avoid your family for another hour and you can show me around the great state of Ohio?" Kurt giggled, but shook his head. He stood up and reached for his candidate. They walked out arm in arm, reveling in the closeness after a week apart.

After settling in and unpacking for the week, Kurt and Adam arrived to dinner a little late. They had dressed casually but nicely, with matching ties because Kurt thought it was cute and Adam indulged him. A middle aged woman with a dark brown hair in a severe bun and rectangular glasses answered the door. She tried to smile, but it didn't look very convincing.

"You must be Kurt and Adam. I am Mrs. Anderson, and your family and I have already sat down to dinner. Please come in, welcome."

Kurt didn't feel especially welcome. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time an adult told him to call them "Mr." or "Mrs." But he smiled anyway, and followed her. At the table, there were two empty seats but not next to each other. Kurt sat next to his dad, and smiled apologetically at Adam, who actually did not seem too upset about being separated...

In fact, Adam was already talking animatedly with the boy who must have been Mrs. Anderson's son.

"Kurt!" Adam exclaimed, "this is Blaine, I helped his friend earlier at the coffee shop."

Blaine stood up and walked over to Kurt's seat, politely holding out his hand to shake. As their hands touched, Blaine grimaced as if in pain. "Are you okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine looked down at his left arm, and saw a name there. Not just a few letters, but an entire completed name with no hint of uncertainty. Kurt followed his eyes and gasped.