Kurt eyed a big, fancy-looking building in front of him. Its yard was big and full of tall trees, which had already grown leafs. A parking lot was full of different kinds of cars and there were also a couple of scooters. Kurt knew the place so well, of course. The Dalton Academy had been his home two years ago.
"C'mon, it'll fun," Kurt heard his ex-boyfriend say. Kurt turned to look at him standing next to him. Blaine looked both excited and happy. He was wearing a cute, red-colored sweater and dark-blue jeans. Kurt smiled to him.
"I just don't understand why you want to go there, Blaine," he stated and nod towards the school building. Blaine sighed and grabbed Kurt's hand. Kurt looked at their hands with a cautious look on his pale face.
"Because," Blaine started and smiled a little bit, "Sebastian invited me, remember? And besides, I have wanted to visit the Dalton for a long time."
"And you just had to drag me with you," Kurt said more like to himself and looked at bushes on the Dalton yard. They were starting to turn green. It was already end of the March and the spring was clearly coming to Lima.
"I thought you were interested too – "
"Yes, of course," Kurt said quickly and tried to smile. He had come to Lima to visit his dad and Carole. He had called to Blaine, of course, and informed him that he was in the town. They had met and Blaine had asked – no, more like forced – Kurt to come with him to visit their old class mates. In the way Kurt understood Blaine. The Warblers had lost Sectionals because of that steroids scandal and Blaine still had friends among them. And Kurt knew Blaine was a little bit excited, by the way he almost jumped while he was standing next to his red Nissan car. Kurt just couldn't say "no" to him.
"Ok, let's go," Kurt said at last and sighed. Blaine nodded and they started to walk towards the big school building. Kurt accidentally noticed someone screaming at a gas station's parking lot but he didn't pay more notice to that. Probably just someone having trouble with a car, he thought.
• • • • •
"Okay, so one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four," Hunter counted at loud and snapped his fingers to the beat of the background music. He was standing in their usual living room with a couple of Warblers, trying to make them learn the new choreography properly. He watched as a boy with short black hair almost sideswiped an old vase on a big wooden table for water bottles. "Nick, focus!" Hunter said sharply. Nick smirked and didn't answer to him.
"We are fucking doomed," a blond boy with green eyes whispered to Nick, who looked still embarrassed.
"I know right, it's not like we even have a purpose to be here anymore," Nick whispered back and glared at Hunter, who was now focused on his new Samsung phone. "Not after we were discredited at Sectionals. Or after them, to be correct."
Jeff nodded and made sure Hunter was still looking at his phone. "Hunter's a mess. Have you noticed it?"
"You bet I have," Nick replied and stopped dancing. He walked next to a wooden table and grabbed his own water bottle. Hunter noticed Nick, glared at him but didn't say anything.
• • • • •
They treat me like a monster, Hunter though after seeing Nick's face when the boy went to drink from his water bottle. All of them.
Hunter sighed and looked at the room. It was his favorite room in Dalton – big living room with a fireplace, lots of cozy sofas and space for dancing. The heart of Dalton.
Hunter looked at his classmates. Nick and Jeff looked like they would have liked to be anywhere else but not in that living room. David and Trent danced well, focused and hadn't said anything sarcastic or mean to Hunter. Hunter was thankful for that.
There was also Sebastian in the room. The boy had stopped dancing and sat now on a dark-brown couch with his iPhone 5 looking both exhausted and glad. From time to time he lifted his head up and eyed Hunter with a flirty look on his face. Hunter tried to ignore him, even if it has as hard as trying to eat pasta – Hunter hated pasta from the bottom of his heart.
"Relax, Hunter," Sebastian said after he had realized that Hunter was looking at him. Hunter turned his look away from Sebastian. "They will do fine."
Hunter looked at Sebastian again and saw him smiling. Hunter gave in and sat next to Sebastian. They watched together as Nick, Jeff and David danced and tried to match their choreography to the background music. Trent drank water from his bottle.
"David's doing good," Sebastian said after a short silence between them two. Hunter nodded.
"Yep, but it can't be said about those two," he stated and nodded towards Nick and Jeff, who were more focused on talking to each other than dancing. Sebastian smirked.
"At least they're having fun."
"Yeah, but they could save that for an evening or something," Hunter replied annoyed.
Sebastian smiled a little bit and looked at Hunter. Hunter looked at him back with a cautious look on his face. "What are you doing?" he asked when Sebastian leaned closer.
"You know, you are so tense all the time, I could really make you feel more relaxed – "
"I already told you that I'm not – "
"I could make you interested – "
Hunter nudged Sebastian and the boy sighed. "Stop it, or they'll notice," he warned and took a look at Nick, Jeff, Trent and David to make sure they hadn't noticed anything. They hadn't.
"You see, that's your problem, you are just afraid of other people, if you could just let me show you how it feels to be with me – "
Hunter looked at Sebastian with cautionary look on his face. Sebastian looked like he hadn't given up yet. Hunter knew Sebastian was right but he wouldn't admit that.
• • • • •
"Um, knock, knock, hello guys?" Blaine said carefully and knocked the open door. He felt himself excited and was even shaking. He and Kurt had finally walked into the right corridor and found Blaine's closest friends in the living room where they used to practice songs together. In the same room Blaine had realized how much he loves Kurt.
"Blaine!" Trent screamed, leaved his water bottle on the wooden table and run to hug Blaine. Blaine laughed and hugged his best friend from Dalton. He had been so glad when the Warblers had decided to take Trent back to their choir after the boy had told everyone about steroids.
"Good to see you, man," Nick said and hugged Blaine after Trent. Blaine laughed.
"Finally here," Blaine said and smirked. Nick laughed too and nodded when he saw Kurt, who looked a little bit awkward next to Blaine.
Blaine smiled and after hugging everyone else but Hunter he grabbed Kurt's right hand and looked at his ex-boyfriend's beautiful face. "Don't be shy," he whispered. Kurt didn't answer anything but agreed to be pulled into the room. He almost stumbled in the stairs but no one seemed to notice.
Kurt tried to smile to Nick, Jeff, David and Trent. They all smiled back and nodded to him. Kurt, however, didn't even pay a notice to Sebastian, even if he had seen him. Sebastian had cut his hair and looked pretty much the same as they first met at Lima Bean.
Kurt took a look at a guy who he had seen on the tape. He must be Hunter, Kurt thought and looked at the boy with dark blond hair and firm, strong body. He's the one who made that steroids scandal, Kurt continued in this thoughts and looked at Hunter, who shook hands with Blaine. Sebastian stood next to them and smirked a little bit. Kurt didn't like the way he smirked, but noticed that the smirk wasn't for Blaine. It was for that Hunter guy.
"Ok, stop the music," Hunter said at loud and Jeff went to stop the music. "Let's see, here's for Blaine and Kurt."
He took dozen glasses from a big shelf and clinked them. Kurt walked towards the others and smiled a little bit to Blaine who looked at him happily.
"Here's for our guests," Hunter announced and poured champagne into everyone's glasses. Kurt took his own glass and drank a little bit. It was good, a bit sparkling and probably as expensive as an old manor full of antique things.
"Isn't this fun, Kurt?" Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear when they drank the champagne. Kurt got shivers from Blaine's soft breath and started smile like a little child.
Bang!
Kurt almost dropped his glass. Blaine stopped talking. Nick and Jeff looked at each other with surprised looks on their faces. David's forehead wrinkled and Trent looked worried. Hunter looked like a handsome statue. Sebastian looked at him. "What the fuck was that?" Hunter said and finally looked at others in the room. "Where did it come from?" he asked and looked at a big open window and door to a big balcony.
"What was it?" Trent asked and looked worried.
"Probably just some guy did something loud at that gas station next your school," Blaine suggested and was about to continue his speech. He didn't because they heard another sound.
Bang! Bang!
"Ok, that was totally something else than a gas station", Trent shouted in panic and dropped his glass onto the parquet. Kurt looked at shard of Trent's glass and felt how his heart started to go faster and faster. He felt how his hands began to shake. He put his glass onto the wooden table.
Bang! Bang!
They heard people starting to scream inside the building and outside of the building and people starting to run on the corridors through the whole school. There were loud screams upstairs and downstairs.
Trent started to panic and almost fell onto the floor. Nick and Jeff looked at each other and run behind a leather sofa. Kurt felt how his world became almost black and that he would lose his consciousness soon. He didn't even realize that Blaine had grabbed him and started to take him under a big wooden table next to a balcony door, which was still open.
"Everybody shut up and calm down!" Hunter said immediately and run to lock the door to the corridor, where people were still running. After that he run to close a balcony door and an window. David hide behind a book shelf.
Sebastian felt how his heart began to pound faster. He just stared at Hunter, who made sure that every possible door and window was closed.
"Sebastian, take care of Trent!" Hunter shouted while trying to lock the door to the balcony. Sebastian shook his head to realize that the situation was real. He looked down and saw Trent, who was squatted down in the middle of the room.
"C'mon, get up, you can't just be there, if someone comes here, they will see you immediately – " Sebastian started to hurry Trent. Trent let out a cry and run to hide behind another leather sofa.
"Fuck, be quieter or you'll expose us!" Hunter said angrily and finally locked the door to a balcony. "Fuck, this fucking door – " he swore and glared at the door. "Okay, everyone, let's just be hush and quiet, and don't panic, that's how they taught to me at my old school, just be quiet."
He looked at Sebastian who stood where Trent used to squat. "Sebastian, come here."
Sebastian looked pale and didn't move. Hunter came next to him, turned off the lights and grabbed his strong arm. "Come here, Sebastian, you can't stand in the middle of the room," he whispered a lot more nicely than he had talked to Trent or anyone else.
"O-okay," Sebastian mumbled and let Hunter to drag him under the other wooden table.
The room was quiet. Hunter had drawn the curtains so the room was really dark and nobody could see anything but a person next to him. Kurt gave a sob under the table and Blaine took his in his arms. "It's ok, Kurt, it's ok," he hushed and rubbed Kurt's back. Kurt noticed how fearful Blaine sounded but guessed that the boy didn't want to say it at loud, especially when Kurt himself was so scared.
"Blaine, I'm scared," Kurt cried quietly and made Blaine to hold him tighter. Blaine hushed slightly.
"It's ok – "
"I had an argument with Rachel when I left New York," Kurt cried and talked more like to himself than Blaine, "and now," he cried harder, "and now… I can never…"
"Kurt, you're becoming too loud," Hunter warned him with a stable voice from the other side of the room, where he hide under the big wooden table with Sebastian. "And I say that same to you, Trent," he added. Trent stopped sobbing. "Let's just be quiet here, okay?"
Sebastian sighed quietly and let his look wander around the room. His eyes had already got used to dark and he discerned Nick and Jeff hiding behind the leather sofa. They were holding hands and looking worriedly at each other. "Don't cry, Jeff," Sebastian heard Nick say, "don't cry, baby"
Sebastian turned his head to look Hunter, who sat next to him. He looked uncomfortable, which was quite obvious – they were both tall and the table wasn't big enough for them two to fit under it. "How can you be so calm?" Sebastian whispered to Hunter. Hunter looked at him and Sebastian could see a little smile on his face.
"I have to be, I'm a leader," he replied.
Sebastian just stared at him. "Aren't you scared? At all?"
"Of course I am, but I can't let that show. Didn't you see Trent's face? Or Kurt's? If I start to panic like them, we are doomed," Hunter said and nodded towards Kurt, who was crying silently against Blaine's chest. Blaine himself looked miserable and just stared at the floor like he had lost his soul.
"Fuck, I will admit it, I'm scared," Sebastian whispered to Hunter and wished that the boy would do something. Hunter just stared at him.
"You?" he asked. "Of all people, you?"
"Is that so fucking hard to believe?" Sebastian said nervously and felt like punching Hunter. Hunter sighed but didn't say anything because of a sound coming from door.
Someone knocked the door in the corridor, and that someone didn't knock it gently.
"Oh my God," Kurt cried out quietly. Blaine held him closer to himself. Trent started sobbing again and David hide more behind the self.
"Hush!" Hunter said strongly but still quietly. The person behind the door knocked again. Sebastian could see the person's shadow under the door.
"Just please, I want to get out of here," Jeff prayed while he was still sobbing. Nick held him closer. Sebastian looked at them and Kurt and Blaine. He was scared too and just wanted Hunter to hold him. Hunter, however, looked firmly at the door.
"He goes away," he said after a while. Sebastian turned to look how the shallow disappeared.
"Thank God," Jeff whispered and started to cry silently.
"What's going to happen now?" Kurt whispered and everyone could hear the deep fear in his voice.
"We'll see, let's just be quiet, we don't know what's happening there and who it is – "
"I know something," Kurt sobbed. Blaine didn't lift up his gaze but Kurt could tell he was interested. "When Blaine and I walked outside of this building, I saw how some man at the gas station screamed and looked very angry – "
"Kurt, you don't know if it has anything to do with this," David said immediately behind the book shelf.
"I also think you shouldn't think about that," Nick said while holding Jeff in his arms. They were sitting on the floor. "Don't start blaming yourself," he continued and gave a sob.
"Yes, let's just be quiet now," Hunter said sharply. Sebastian sighed and felt huge urge to just be in Hunter's arms. He liked Hunter – well, he didn't love him, but he had affection. And he needed someone to take care of him. He was always so cold and tough but right now he felt like he could cry.
The room was silent. Sebastian thought about just leaning against Hunter. "Hunter," he asked with a tiny voice. It took a while for Hunter to answer.
"Hm?"
"Can you hug me?"
"What the fuck, Smythe?"
"Can you hug me?"
Sebastian stared at Hunter, who looked both confused and surprised. "Please," he asked. "Please. I won't start to cuddle with you or – or give you a blowjob or something like that."
Hunter looked even more confused. "W-well I guess it's ok, then," he mumbled. Sebastian leaned as close as he could get and let Hunter to wrap his arms around him.
"Thank you," Sebastian said quietly and sighed. He tried to relax but it was hard because of he was scared. Hunter smelled so good and held Sebastian gently in his arms.
"Do you feel better?" Hunter asked after a while. He rubbed Sebastian's back. Sebastian lifted his gaze to look Hunter in the eye.
"I actually do," he replied. Hunter was surprised to see a tiny tear falling down Sebastian's face. He had never thought that Sebastian could cry.
"What about you guys? Still alive?" Hunter asked tiredly from the others. He felt himself exhausted. Kurt was still sobbing against Blaine, who was still looking like a ghost.
"Barely," David managed to say.
"I just want to go home," Trent said sadly and started to cry again.
Hunter was about to answer, but then they heard a loud knock behind the door. Kurt whimpered and Trent got up. "What the fuck?" Hunter spat and looked Trent. "Back down, now. And hush!"
"I can't do this," Trent panicked and run towards the balcony door. He was crying. "I'm out of here."
"Get back here!" Hunter said and winced when the other knock was heard from the door. "And shut up!"
He was about to spring up but David was faster – he grabbed Trent behind the book shelf and dragged him there with him. Hunter sighed and felt how Sebastian tightened his grip. "Don't be scared, Seb," he whispered.
There were another knock. "It's the police!" a loud voice shouted. Hunter lifted his head up and stared at the door. "Stay here," he said to Sebastian and gently took his arms around his body. "Everyone, stay where you are."
"Hunter," Sebastian said but Hunter shook his head.
"Shut up," he told him and started to walk towards the door. He could here "all clear!" shouts from everywhere in the corridor behind the door. He sighed and opened the door.
They were safe.
Corridor was filled up with police officers and Special Forces. A man with black armor and a gun stood in front of Hunter. "Are you okay? Is there anyone else?"
"Y-yes, there are 7 persons and me," Hunter stumbled with his words.
"All clear, you can come out."
Hunter sighed again and felt how relief took place in his whole body. "All clear," he repeated and put lights on in the room. He saw how his classmates started to cry and hug each other. Kurt and Blaine were still under the table and held each other tightly.
"I love you so much, Kurt," Blaine told Kurt. Kurt sobbed.
"I love you too, Blaine, I really do. I'm so sorry – "
"Hush, it's ok," Blaine cried and tightened his grip.
Trent looked like he was going to faint soon. Hunter looked at him carefully. "I think we need a paramedic here," he said to police officers and looked at Trent.
"We take care of him. It's the best that you all leave right now, go to the front yard."
Hunter waited for Sebastian to come under the table. Sebastian looked pale but wasn't as nervous as earlier. He walked to Hunter and grabbed him by an arm. Hunter didn't shake him off.
They all walked to the front yard of the building and saw dozens of Dalton Academy students, reporters and police officers. "What happened?" Hunter asked from the very first police officer he saw then they arrived at the yard.
"They had problems with a gas station. Some folk started to shout and he had a gun. That kind of gun is usually used when hunting, so he probably was coming from forests. He took it out of his pocket to scare a worker, but the gun went off."
Hunter stared at the police officer, who looked quite relaxed. "How come we heard the sound so well inside of the school?"
"Apparently you guys have open windows everywhere. The front door was also open and the corridors are big and empty, which cause the effect of hearing all noises from outside. And the gas station is so close, it is no wonder you felt like someone was shooting inside."
Hunter sighed and looked at Sebastian, who stood next to him and held him by an arm. "It's okay now," he said to him.
"I know, but I just… I can't let go yet."
"It's ok," Hunter said with a sigh and looked at Kurt and Blaine. They hugged each other and some older man and woman. The man had something common with Kurt.
Hunter let Sebastian hug him. "It's ok now, Sebastian."
