Blaine coughed violently as the smoke collided with his lungs, making it hard to breathe. He bent over and retched, his body refusing to bring up any of the remaining sustenance that it had within him. He glanced around and watched as people fought to get down the stairs, or over towards the windows in a hope of getting at least one last inhale of precious oxygen.

He shook his head. There was no way he was ever going to get past the crowd, or down the stairs. Blaine crawled over towards a space in the corner of the room, making sure to stay low as he tried to calm his breathing. He slumped down in the space and pulled his phone out; dialling his husband’s number with shaking hands.

Kurt picked up on the second ring, checking the caller ID beforehand. "Blaine? Oh god, I'm watching it on the news, something terrible has happened," he said, shaking his head as he cradled their daughter towards his chest. 

"Yeah I know," Blaine whispered, his voice sounding hoarse. He coughed again as he inhaled a lungful of smoke.

Kurt sat bolt upright. "Blaine... Blaine please tell me you made it out... P-please tell me you're on your way home, because we need you... Lizzie's really scared and she needs one of your cuddles."

Blaine let out a broken sob at that, knowing that he'd never get to see his daughter... His little baby girl grow up, get married and have kids of her own. Knowing he'd never get to see his Kurt again. "I'm trapped, Kurt," he managed to choke out.

"No!" Kurt sobbed, standing up from the couch and shaking his head. "No you can't be! We... We have dinner reservations, Blaine! This... You can’t be trapped!"

"Hey, baby..." Blaine whispered, shaking his head. "Sh, calm down. I'm trapped okay? I'm not going to be able to make it out. There's so much smoke... I love you, alright?" 

"I love you too," Kurt sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut as the tears fell freely down his face. 

"Kurt... I need to... Let me say goodbye to Lizzie... Please," Blaine begged.

Kurt nodded his head. "Okay," he said, turning towards their daughter and smiling softly. "Lizzie, baby. You have to say goodbye to Papa. He's going away for a while and he won't be back for a very long time," he explained, holding the phone to their daughter’s ear.

"Papa? I don't want you to go..." Elizabeth whispered into the phone.

"I know baby," Blaine whispered, trying his best to get his breathing under control. "But you have to be a good girl for me, okay? You have to take care of Daddy," he said, the tears falling freely from his eyes. "You're gonna grow up to be such a beautiful girl, and I'm so sorry I won't be able to see you graduate. Or tell your first boyfriend off when you bring him home. Or get married. Or have children."

"I don't want them things though, Papa. I want you... I want you to come home," Elizabeth said, rubbing at her eyes. "I don't want you to leave us. We need you."

Blaine shook his head. "I'll always be with you Lizzie. Whenever you're said or lonely or upset... Just look up and think of me and I'll be there," he whispered. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too, Papa." Elizabeth sniffled and passed the phone back to her Daddy.

"Blaine, are you still with me?" Kurt asked, trying to control his body as it trembled with the effort of holding his sobs back.

"Still here," Blaine whispered, barely clinging onto life now. "I'm sorry, Kurt," he whimpered. "I'm sorry that we're not going to... Grow old together, or hold our grandchildren together. I'm just... I'm sorry for leaving you."

"Hey no," Kurt shook his head and sobbed again. "You don't have to apologize. This wasn't your fault... Any of it," he whispered, sinking back down against the couch and clutching Elizabeth to his chest. 

Blaine coughed violently again, causing Kurt to sob even harder. "K-Kurt..." Blaine whimpered.

"Y-yeah baby?" Kurt replied.

"Will you sing to me? Please... It'll make things easier for me... And I want your voice to be the last thing I hear," Blaine said, his voice barely audible.

"Of course baby," Kurt nodded, clearing his throat and wiping at the tears that had fallen again.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blaine couldn't help but smile at Kurt's song choice. His mind drifted back to the memories that they'd had together... Their first kiss... The first time they said I love you... When they took their wedding vows. 

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
you were only waiting for this moment to be free

On the other end of the phone, Kurt clutched their daughter towards his chest, running his fingers through her curls that reminded him so much of Blaine's. He closed his eyes and remembered the first time that he'd sung this and the events that followed in the days after.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blaine could feel himself slipping away now. It became increasingly harder to breathe, each second draining more and more life from him. He didn't want to go yet though. He wanted to hear his husband finish the song. It wasn't like he was scared of dying... More so scared of what he was leaving behind. Scared that Kurt would never find love again, scared that their daughter would forget what he looked like, and the sound of his voice. Blaine shook his head and closed his eyes, waiting...

Black bird singing in the dead of night,
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see,
All your life,
You were only waiting for this moment to be free,
You were only waiting for this moment to be free,
You were only waiting for this moment to be free...

"I love you," Blaine whispered as soon as the song had ended, the last little bit of life that he was clinging onto, quickly fading as he fell into darkness.

"I love you too," Kurt whispered. "Blaine? Blaine!" He tried, sobbing as he heard nothing but silence on the other line.

"I'll always love you," Kurt whispered into the silence. "Sweet dreams my angel," he whispered, before hanging up the phone for the very last time.