Chapter Two

It's dark inside the apartment when Blaine stumbles in, half asleep and ready to curl up in bed with Kurt and the boyfriend he didn't even get to kiss goodbye before having to go to work. He trips up and takes a step back when he accidentally kicks something that skitters across the wooden floor and he flips on the light to see what it is.

"Watch out, sweetheart," Kurt instructs gently from behind him, resting a hand on Blaine's hip as he side-steps him to get inside the apartment.

Blaine is staring at the floor in confusion when he sees a key. He picks it up and stares at it uncomprehending and turns toward Kurt to ask if belongs to him to see that Kurt is absolutely frozen by the counter.

He closes his fingers around the cool metal and crosses over to Kurt's side. "Kurt? What's—"

Kurt looks shocked and seconds away from shattered as he holds up a note in a very familiar handwriting and Blaine woodenly holds up the key he found on the floor, understanding now.

Neither one gets any sleep that night and they take turns calling and texting Sebastian only to receive no answer. Kurt starts to cry again and Blaine goes to make coffee. By the next morning, they're exhausted and Sebastian has changed his number.

Kurt literally picks Blaine up and carries him to bed, holding him as he cries his heart out into the already tear-stained fabric of Kurt's shirt. He shushes him and promises it will be okay, but it's mainly just words and Blaine knows it. It's almost impossible to imagine okay without Sebastian.

But eventually, life has to go on. They get back to work and school. They try to spend as little time around their apartment as possible and actually discuss moving before the idea becomes entirely too much and Blaine crawls back into bed for almost a week. Kurt apologizes and promises that he won't bring it up again.

About two more months go by and Kurt can't take it anymore. He's had the number in his phone for years and finally decides to call. Someone picks up on the second ring.

"Hello?" a familiar, friendly woman's voice greets and Kurt can't decide if he feels warmth or ice shoot through his veins as the memories come rushing back.

He clears his throat. "Hello, Mrs. Smythe, this is Kurt and I—"

"I'm sorry, Kurt, but Sebastian said not to tell you or Blaine where he is," she says, and she really does sound apologetic. He wonders what she knows and what she can't tell him.

"I know that," he breathes out a heavy sigh. "I just—I need to know if he's okay, ma'am. He hasn't answered our calls or text messages and I just need to know that he's alright."

There's silence on the other end of the phone as the woman deliberates. When she finally speaks, her voice is soft and regretful. "Yes, Kurt, he's alright. It's been hard, but he's adjusting."

"Is he with you?" He knows he's pushing his luck, but he thinks it might make him feel just a little better to know that Sebastian is with family who cares about him. Especially when something is so clearly wrong.

"No, sweetheart. He's not with us. We've tried, but he won't listen. You know how Seb is." It's all the explanation Kurt needs, because yes, he knows how Sebastian is. He internalizes everything and traps himself in his own mind. It kills Kurt to think that Sebastian is all alone without anyone to talk to.

Mrs. Smythe is speaking again, her tone even more regretful than before. "I think it would be best if you didn't call anymore."

Kurt swallows thickly against the painful lump in his throat. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

"You and Blaine take care of each other, okay?" she asks, though it's more of an instruction that rings with a final goodbye.

"We will."

"Goodbye, Kurt."

And the phone goes dead.

Kurt walks around the block for a few minutes to make sure it doesn't look like he's been crying before heading back up into the apartment.

—

It's been almost a year since Sebastian left and school is winding down again. This year there are concrete plans to spend the entire summer in Ohio due to the fact that they absolutely have to get away from New York, away from their apartment. They finish their final exams and take off that night.

Carole is the one who meets them at the airport in Columbus, running forward to sweep them both into a warm hug. "Oh you both look terrible," she laments, framing Blaine's face with her hands.

"It's good to see you, too, Carole," Kurt answers with a laugh. She smacks him on the arm as they walk toward the car.

Lima is just as they left it and it's easy to fall into the familiar patterns of coffee at the Lima Bean and meeting up with old friends. Eventually, people stop asking where Sebastian is when they see the way it makes Kurt's eyes go distant and Blaine stutter out a well-practiced explanation that doesn't really explain anything.

Kurt squeezes Blaine's hand under the table and hears him sigh just a little before plastering the bright, warm smile back on his face even if it doesn't touch his sad, hazel eyes.

During coffee with Tina and Sugar, Kurt's phone goes off in his pocket and he quickly fishes it out to find a text from Carole asking if he and Blaine could stop on the way home and pick up eggs and bread crumbs for the meat loaf she's making tonight. He breathes a sigh of relief, because while he may love Tina and Sugar, he really, really needs to get out of the Lima Bean before something he's been trying to avoid comes clawing at his consciousness. From the looks of it, Blaine is feeling it too.

They make their escape and take a deep breath as they climb into the car. "We've just got to stop at the store and pick up a few things for Carole and then we can go home."

Blaine nods and lets his head fall against the headrest with a thump. Kurt takes his hand across the console and slides a thumb across his knuckles. "Bad day, sweetheart?"

"The Lima Bean always reminds me of Seb," Blaine admits miserably. "It's kind of hard to be back here without him. I thought it would be easier than being in New York without him, but…" Blaine trails off, shrugging. "I just miss him a lot sometimes."

"I know, sweetheart," Kurt answers on a breath, lifting Blaine's hand to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it. "So do I."

—

It's florescent bright and cool inside the grocery store as Blaine grabs a basket and falls into step with Kurt. He wants to take his hand like he could back in New York, but there are eyes on them already and it makes a long suppressed anxiety threaten to surface so he keeps his hands to himself.

Kurt is already tossing a container of bread crumbs into the basket and heading toward the refrigerated section for the eggs. Blaine looks around to see that the aisle is mostly empty and rests a hand on the small of Kurt's back. "Do you want to get some ice cream and watch a movie tonight, baby?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Kurt answers, and Blaine is pleased to see a small smile curving his lips. Sometimes, it takes a lot to put a smile on Kurt's face these days. "What kind—"

Blaine looks to see why Kurt has stopped dead in the middle of the aisle and sees a familiar, yet wholly unfamiliar sight. It's Sebastian, there's no mistaking that. But he looks exhausted, from the dark circles under his eyes to the haphazard way he's dressed—sweatpants and a t-shirt. It's all too confusing. Sebastian would never leave the house looking anything less than perfect.

More disconcerting is the aisle in which he's standing. There are baby bottles and medicines and he's staring at them as though trying to figure out a complex math equation before turning just a little and ducking his head, shushing quietly toward the baby he's got on his hip, unseen until he moved.

And naturally, instead of doing the adult thing and going up to talk to him, Kurt drags Blaine aside and they hide behind an endcap until Sebastian leaves. The baby—she can't be more than five months old—stares at them with warm green eyes and smiles.

"She must be Vicky's baby," Blaine says, straightening up. "I didn't even know she was pregnant."

"I don't think she was," Kurt answers, confused. "But…then again…how would we know?"

Blaine looks determined now. "We have to follow him, Kurt."

"Blaine we can't just follow him," Kurt says, scandalized. "Wait. Do you still have Wes' number? They were friends, weren't they?"

Wordlessly, Blaine pulls out his phone and calls Wes, catching up for a few minutes before asking about Sebastian. The way Blaine's face screws up in concern before hanging up worries Kurt. "What'd he say?"

"He said he hasn't heard from him in months. But he said the last he heard from David, he's living in the Woodbriar Apartments outside of Lima."

"My aunt used to live there," Kurt says, his voice sounding determined. "I know right where it is."

They check out and get home in record time, apologizing profusely to Carole about missing dinner before jumping back in the car and heading out. Determined.

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated! :)