Blaine was curled up on the floor in a tight ball when he woke up, his head was pounding and his neck was sore. He isn't sure what woke him up; he isn't sure he wanted to wake up so he stays still, eyes closed until he hears a voice near him.

"Blaine?" it said softly, a tentative hand on his shoulder.

Blaine snapped awake sitting up and pressing his back against the wall. It's Kurt. Kurt's there in the hallway kneeling in front of him. His hand frozen in mid air where he pulled it away from Blaine's shoulder, his face pale and worried.

Blaine has a moment where he can't move, he can hardly think. Last night he really thought he might have lost Kurt for good. But he's here. And he's okay.

"Oh my god." Blaine says and then rockets forward enveloping Kurt in his arms and holding him like he can't let go. Kurt put his arms around Blaine and buries his face in the curve of his neck and softly cries.

"Kurt" Blaine's voice raspy from yelling so much last night. "Are you okay? Oh god, Kurt. I am so sorry. So sorry. I shouldn't have made you stay. I didn't know. I was terrified I'd lost you and... Kurt. Are you okay?"

Blaine sat back just enough to look Kurt in the face. Kurt was even paler than normal, his eyes bloodshot.

"I'm okay Blaine. I am." he answered and pressed a firm kiss to Blaine's lips. Kurt curled his fingers into the curls at the nape of Blaine's neck. Blaine leans into the kiss holding Kurt firmly against him.

Kurt pulls back to say, "I was terrified. I thought something had happened to you."

Blaine's mind is a swirl of confusion, fear and relief. "Kurt, you were dragged through the house and to the music room. It was... you. How could you be worried about me?"

Kurt moved over until he was sitting next to Blaine with his back against the wall, hands finding Blaine's to tangle their fingers together.

"I saw you." Kurt said. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I think I may have seen you before, but last night? I know I saw you... when... when I was with Sebastian. You were there and I saw you."

"I know." Blaine said.

Kurt opened his eyes and turned towards Blaine. "No. You don't understand. Yes, what happened last night was... awful, being pulled upstairs like that. But with Sebastian, it was like I was only partly with him. And I saw you and then..." Kurt swallowed his eyes brimming with tears. "I saw you get jerked back and pulled out of the room. The whole time I was being dragged upstairs I knew what I was being pulled towards. But when you were forced out of the room? God, Blaine. I didn't know what happened to you."

Blaine reached forward and cupped Kurt's face. "Nothing." He said and kissed him. "Nothing happened to me. I was just out here trying to get back in."

"But that echo or whatever it is has never touched you before... you're supposed to be safe."

"I am safe. I'm fine."

"Of course you're not fine." Kurt replied. "I just found you curled up on the floor in the hallway. When I saw you laying there... I... I..." Kurt couldn't finish, instead he swiped his thumbs under Blaine's eyes. "Look at you. You barely sleep anymore. You look tired and scared. You have put your whole life on hold for me. You don't even work on your music anymore. You aren't fine. This is hurting you. I am hurting you."

"You are not hurting me Kurt." Blaine said fiercely. "And we are going to find a way to stop this. I'm going to save you." Blaine insisted.

Kurt just glanced down and shook his head. "You need to leave." Kurt said.

Blaine's stomach dropped, "Excuse me?"

Kurt looked back up. "You need to leave. You should move. Get out of this house. Don't look back. This isn't you're battle. You should go."

"Like hell I should go." Blaine said suddenly angry and scared. "I'm not leaving you."

"But Blaine..."

"No." Blaine said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere. Don't you understand? I love you Kurt. I love you so much I feel it in my bones. I'm not leaving you here alone. I'm not."

Kurt looked at Blaine and blinked. "You love me?"

"Of course I do!"

Kurt let out a startled laugh and covered his mouth with both hands.

Blaine looked at Kurt's shocked face in wonder, how could Kurt think Blaine didn't love him? Blaine should have told him sooner, he needs Kurt to understand. "You make me happy...and brave. You make me a better person. I've never been in love before so I don't know how to tell you what I feel. What to say. I..." Blaine struggled with his words. "I'd do anything for you Kurt. Anything but leave."

Kurt surged forward kissing him and wrapping his arms around Blaine's shoulders. Blaine kissed back, angling his face to kiss him deeper, hot lips against cold ones. Blaine pressed their chests together, getting as close to Kurt as he could. They panted into each others' mouths, sharing the same air as their lips moved together. Finally Blaine pulled back. Fingertips prickling, stomach swooping and his heart in his throat.

"I love you too." Kurt whispered, lips brushing against Blaine's skin. "I've never been in love before either." He said shyly, cheeks turning pink. "I thought I knew what love was. It was selfish and jealous. It held on too tight. But you... you love like, like it is a gift. And I love you Blaine." Kurt said tears in his throat, "That's why you should go. It'd be selfish for me to make you stay."

"No." Blaine said simply. "I am staying here as long as you're still here."

"What if I can't find a way to move on?"

"Then I stay with you."

"And what happens to you if I do move on?"

Blaine is quiet. Contemplating before he answers, "Then at least I'll know I spent as much time with you as I could."

"That doesn't seem fair to you." Kurt said fingers softly trailing down Blaine's cheek.

"As if any of this is fair. What happened to you wasn't fair. The fact that Sebastian made you feel like you didn't deserve better isn't fair. The fact that you are stuck here like this. The fact that we didn't meet in Highschool when we could have. None of it is fair." Blaine shook his head in frustration. "It's just the way things are. And I'd rather be with you under unfair circumstances than not be with you at all."

Kurt smiled brightly. "You've thought this through haven't you?"

"Yes. I have." Blaine answered. They were quiet for a moment leaning their foreheads together before Blaine's stomach growled.

Kurt laughed. "We got caught up last night and you didn't have dinner and now it is mid-morning. I need to remember to feed my human." Kurt joked.

Kurt stood to his feet and held a hand out to Blaine, helping him up. They went downstairs, starting their day as if the horrors of last night hadn't happened. Blaine made an omelet while Kurt started some coffee for him. It was all very domestic and warm. Kurt hummed cheerfully and sat at the table with Blaine as he ate but there was something sad behind his eyes.

"What do you think it would have been like if we had met in Highschool?" Kurt asked out of the blue. "If New Directions had competed with The Warblers do you think you'd have even noticed me?"

Blaine finished his bite before answering, "Yes. Definitely. I saw a picture of you on your dad's desk. You must have been Highschool aged when it was taken. You were just as gorgeous then as you are now."

Kurt ducked his head and blushed. "I would have noticed you. A dapper prep school boy in a uniform with your voice? Yeah. I would have noticed."

"And then what?" Blaine asked.

"I don't know. Maybe I would have asked you out for coffee. Maybe we would have started dating or become friends first and then dated."

It was Blaine's turn to blush now. "Either way we would have ended up dating?"

"If I had anything to do with it, yes." Kurt nodded mater-of-factly "And after Highschool you would have gone to NYU. Like you did."

"And you would have been at NYADA for a year already."

"If I got in." Kurt sighed.

"You would have gotten in." Blaine said and smiled. "I've heard you sing. You'd get in."

"And then we'd both be in New York. Would you stay in the dorms at NYU?" Kurt asked.

"I did, but if you had been there with me? No, maybe not." Blaine smiled and winked.

Kurt laughed. "What if we both tried your first semester in the dorms and then couldn't stand it and said, 'screw this' and then next semester we got an apartment together?"

"It would have been a crappy little apartment." Blaine said sipping his coffee.

"Not if it we were together." Kurt replied and then blushed again.

"No, you're right. Not if we were together. It would be perfect."

"We'd fight over whose turn it was to do the dishes." Kurt smiled sadly. "And get frustrated with each other when we were stressed out about school finals."

"Yeah" Blaine said leaning his chin on his hand and staring at Kurt, "It'd be perfect."


After breakfast and sweeping up the glass on the floor that was scattered the previous evening, Kurt and Blaine spent the day together. Blaine worked on his song a little with Kurt's help. They talked more about their imaginary lives together in New York and they didn't talk too much about what happened the night before. Instead they savored the time they had together, Blaine fighting the feeling that they didn't have much of it left. Kurt seemed on edge so Blaine purposely kept things light and cheerful.

As the day drew to a close Kurt told Blaine he didn't have to go to the music room that night. "It can't be easy for you to be there."

Blaine shook his head. "Does my being there make is worse for you?" Blaine asked.

Kurt didn't answer for a moment. "No." he said softly. "I'm scared to be there alone."

"I'll be there Kurt, we are in this together. Okay?"


It was different than normal that night. Kurt was unattached to what was happening to him. His eyes stayed on Blaine the whole time. Sebastian's echo continued as normal. Not noticing when Kurt didn't answer him or fight back.Sebastian was part of a loop that Kurt was still stuck in, but not responding to anymore.

Blaine's chest felt tight as he watched, his hands shook his eyes locked on the man he loved. Tears streamed down Kurt's face but he never looked away.

Kurt still died.

When it was over Blaine felt spent, empty and heavy at the same time. He went to his room and grabbed his phone and made a call.

"Hello?" A female voice answered.

"I am sorry to be calling you this late."

"Blaine? It's okay. What's wrong?" Camille said.

"I need to talk to you."