Chapter Eight
The halls of McKinley High were too loud as Kurt towed Blaine along behind him toward Ms. Pillsbury's office the next day. She was on her feet and opening the door the moment she saw the pair trudging toward her office.
"Oh my gosh, you two look terrible!" She exclaimed softly. "What on Earth's the matter?"
Kurt took Blaine's hand across the small gap between the chairs and squeezed reassuringly in the hope that Blaine would open up and explain. He'd barely spoken since they'd woke up without Sebastian on Saturday morning, and Kurt knew that it couldn't possibly be healthy to keep everything inside.
But Blaine's eyes remained cast miserably to the ground. Kurt lifted their intertwined hands to press a kiss against the back of Blaine's before sliding his thumb across the spot he'd kissed, but Blaine still looked numb even as he gave Kurt's hand a gentle squeeze.
"Ms. Pillsbury," Kurt began quietly, his voice low and sad. "I tried to look on the internet, but I just...couldn't, and we really, really need help right now." Kurt took a deep breath. "Ms. Pillsbury, have you ever heard anything about a three-way binding?"
"There's no such thing as a three-way binding," she said, shaking her head.
"Actually, there is. I'm bound to Blaine, but he's bound to Seb-" Kurt stuttered, unable to say the name. "Someone else."
Finally, concern flickered across Blaine's face and he lifted his eyes to Kurt's, frowning empathetically and squeezing his hand, mouthing "I love you."
Kurt kissed his hand again and scooted his chair closer to wrap his arm around Blaine's shoulders, his only thought was to support his boyfriend. Blaine relaxed a little, so Kurt continued.
"I know it seems unorthodox, but it's true-"
"Kurt," the councilor admonished in her softest voice, her tone gentle. "Honey, I know this may be difficult for you to hear, but that kind of thing just doesn't happen, sweetheart. If Blaine is bound to someone else, then you have to let him go..."
Blaine winced and spoke, his voice defensive and a little loud for the room as he clung to Kurt's arm possessively. "No. You don't understand, Ms. Pillsbury. I love him..."
"No, honey, I understand, but if you're bound to someone else, then it's best to just go be with them instead of keeping Kurt hanging on, because you don't want to hurt him," she said kindly.
Blaine's voice was harsh when he saw the way the woman's words made Kurt's face crumple in pain. "Well, what in the hell does it mean that the person I'm bound to has Kurt's name on his wrist?"
The redhead's eyes flew open. "That's not possible."
"Clearly it is," Blaine hissed back, tugging on Kurt's arm to pull him to his feet. "Thank you, but I can see that you can't help us."
Blaine led Kurt out the door forcefully, unwilling to let him listen to anymore of Ms. Pillsbury's "Just let go..." speech. He turned to Kurt in the hall when they were far enough away from the woman's office.
"Kurt, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" It was a stupid question, because of course Kurt wasn't okay. Neither of them were okay, but at that moment, helping Kurt took precedence over his own pain. He pulled Kurt into his arms and held him tight.
"B-Blaine...I want to go home," Kurt whimpered against his shoulder. He kissed the taller boy on the forehead and towed him to the parking lot, uncaring of any repercussions that would befall them if they were caught. Kurt wanted to go home, and that's what was going to happen.
—x—
Burt and Carole came back from D.C around dinnertime.
"Where's your brother, Kurt?" Burt asked, shrugging out of his jacket and turning toward where his son sat on the couch threading his fingers through Blaine's hair. His face screwed up in concern as he took in the pure exhaustion on the boys' faces. "Jesus, Kurt. What the hell happened to you two?"
Kurt took a deep breath when he felt Blaine tense up at his side. "S-Sit down, dad," Kurt said tensely.
Burt clamored to comply, his eyes never leaving Kurt or the boy he'd come to care about as a son as he made his way to his recliner, dropping down heavily and leaning forward.
"Dad, I know that this won't make a lot of sense to you—Blaine and I don't understand it, yet—but, you know how I'm bound to Blaine? How his name is on my wrist?" He figured he'd try and break it down as simply as he possibly could. When his father nodded, Kurt continued. "Well, Blaine and I were hoping that there was just some kind of glitch or something and that my name would show up eventually, but that's—that's not going to happen."
"What are you talkin' about, Kurt? Blaine's crazy for you. I mean, I've never heard of anything like that happening, but I'm sure it will for you two-"
"Blaine's bound to someone else," Kurt stated, his voice flat before continuing in an even voice. "And the person Blaine's bound to has my name on his wrist."
"Mr. Hummel," Blaine cut in, his voice soft and calm in a way that Kurt knew was to comfort him. "I love Kurt just as much as I always have. From the day I met him, I knew that I loved him—even if I wasn't smart enough to understand it yet. And you have to understand that I would never do anything to hurt him..."
Burt looked lost, his expression confused. He could see the way the conversation was affecting his kid, but he didn't know how to help. He'd been bound to Liz since high school, and when she died it had been devastating, but in time he'd been able to rebind to Carole.
But the look on Kurt and Blaine's faces was enough to break his heart. They didn't just look sad, they looked damn near exhausted.
Kurt was leaning into Blaine's side as though he was the only thing holding him upright, and Burt stopped to think that maybe he was. Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's body and pulled him closer as Kurt took a shuddering breath and let himself be pulled into the other boy's side. Blaine's face was screwed up in worry, and he kissed the top of Kurt's head and brushed the hair away from his pale forehead before he continued.
"Sir, we don't know how it happened—or why—but even though I'm not marked with Kurt's name, I'm still very much bound to him. And so is Sebastian."
"That's this other kid's name?" Burt asked gruffly, trying to understand.
Kurt steadied himself and spoke. "Yeah, dad."
"So, you're bound to him and Blaine?" Kurt nodded. "But you don't have his name."
Burt lifted his baseball hat to scratch his head, doing his best to make some sense of the situation. To try and offer any help to the two obviously confused boys on his couch but coming up short. He figured that Kurt would have made sure before talking to him, so he trusted his son when he said that the three of them were bound.
He pulled in a deep breath through his nose before letting it out in a huff. "So, where is this Sebastian?"
He realized immediately that he'd asked the wrong question. Hurt flashed across both boys' faces before each one stole a glance to the other, trying to secretly assess the damage the words had caused without getting caught looking.
"We can't be sure, but we think he's probably in France..." Kurt trailed off when his father's eyes popped wide.
"France? What the hell is he doing in France?" Burt asked, astonished.
Blaine winced at the man's tone but stiffened his back and saved Kurt the pain of explaining, figuring it was best to get it all out in the open anyway. Neither one was really strong enough to keep up a lie anyway. "After the play ended on Friday night, Kurt was going to come back to my house, because neither of us like sleeping in an empty house..."
Burt's eyes narrowed, and Blaine realized belatedly that Burt had been unaware that his house was going to be empty at all. Finn and Sam had been grounded after Burt had caught them both sneaking out. Blaine continued anyway.
"Anyway, we were getting ready to go, and Puck came up to us and needed us to babysit Beth, so we agreed. I went to go get her stuff from Puck's truck and told Kurt I'd meet him at the car. Kurt won't tell me what happened, but when he finally made it to the car, he had Sebastian with him, and Sebastian had a really bad black eye, so he couldn't drive. Kurt and I had felt the bind for a while, but we didn't talk about it, and we didn't know that Sebastian had been feeling it too until we found Kurt's name on his wrist," Blaine said in a rush.
The older man nodded knowingly as though he knew what came next, trying his best to keep his expression neutral, but his eyes were grudgingly resigned. "So you consummated the bind?"
"I-I don't know," Blaine sighed, casting his eyes to his feet. "I don't understand. We didn't even have sex." Burt winced, but Blaine seemed beyond noticing. "We just slept..."
Finally, Burt felt as though he could offer some help. "Well, sleeping together is a pretty intimate thing. It's letting someone see you at your most vulnerable. Hell, I never feel closer to Carole than when we're sleeping and I got my arms around her. There's just something about knowing that someone else is there. Now, I ain't stupid. You think I don't know about the times that either Kurt's snuck out to see you or he's snuck you in here?"
Kurt's voice was dreamy and distant when he spoke, as though he was deep in thought over his father's words. "I snuck him in, because there's nothing better than falling asleep next to him. Knowing that he'll be there when I open my eyes, holding me. It's when I feel the safest." A tear slid down Kurt's face. "That's how it felt with Sebastian, too."
Blaine nodded beside him, his expression somber, and reached down to take Kurt's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.
"So then why isn't he here?" Burt asked, worrying just a bit for the boy he didn't know, because if Kurt and Blaine were this tore up together, he couldn't imagine what this kid felt being alone.
"He was scared," Kurt breathed in the same far away voice, turning to face Blaine as though he'd figured it all out. "Blaine, that's why he was scared. Think about it. He didn't exactly seem used to letting people really know him. He let his guard down with us and then got freaked out."
Blaine's hand lifted to cover his mouth. "Oh my God, Kurt. I didn't even—I didn't even think about that. I just thought that...Well, I'm not sure what I thought, but you're right."
Burt broke into the conversation. "So, this kid just left? He's bound to both of you, but he just left?"
The man remembered the week he had to leave Carole behind in Lima while he went to D.C. He could barely sleep for missing her, and he knew she'd be waiting for him when he got home, knew he could call her whenever he wanted. Kurt and Blaine didn't have that luxury. From the sound of it, that Sebastian kid had just took off.
"I've been around a lotta years, guys, and I ain't never heard of nothin' like this, but if you say it's true, then I believe ya. You both look like hell, and I'm sure that Sebastian kid doesn't look much better. If he's bound to you boys, there's no way he's gonna be able to stay away for much longer," Burt offered as reassurance. He was surprised the kid had been able to stay away at all.
"T-Thanks, dad," Kurt said softly, his voice filled with enough pain to break Burt's heart. "I know that it's against the rules, dad, but do you think that Blaine could stay here for awhile? I just—I don't want to be alone."
Burt was nodding his agreement before Kurt had finished talking. "Sure, buddy."
He'd never seen his boy look so hurt, so he was willing to do anything in his power to make him feel better. Burt heaved himself out of his chair, ready to leave the emotionally charged atmosphere in favor of stealing some food from the kitchen, stopping by the side of the couch as he realized he should ask about how the kid's parents felt.
"As long as your parents are alright with it..." Burt added belatedly.
"Well, I've been here for two days and they haven't noticed I'm gone yet, so I'm sure it's fine," Blaine said, shrugging as though it didn't matter.
Burt clapped a hand on Blaine's shoulder and shook his head sadly. "They don't treat you as good as they should, Blaine. You're a damn good kid."
"Thank you, sir. It means so much to hear that coming from you," Blaine answered honestly, looking up toward the man's face with bright eyes. "You've been more of a father to me than my own dad."
Kurt's breath stuttered out, emotion making his heart swell to hear the words coming from his boyfriend's mouth.
"Yeah, well, you're like a son to me, so I'm glad to hear you say that, kid." Burt smiled toward Blaine and clapped his shoulder again before leaving the room.
—x—
Dinner passed quickly, neither Kurt nor Blaine eating much. Finn had strolled in just in time to be grounded for being gone all weekend, and the mood over the table sunk very quickly after that. With his headache, Kurt wasn't able to tolerate much of his father's gruff reprimanding, so he excused himself and Blaine from the table and dragged him upstairs.
Blaine dropped down on the bed and sighed, sitting with his legs criss-crossed. "Come here." He reached out toward Kurt and took his hand to guide him onto the bed.
"Kurt, last night, while you were asleep, Sebastian called..." Kurt pulled in a shocked breath. "I-I wasn't going to say anything, because well he didn't actually say anything, but if it had been you that answered the phone, I would have wanted you to tell me."
Kurt was frozen and Blaine saw his adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly. "S-So he just called and didn't say anything at all?" Kurt asked, his voice brokenly trying to stay even.
"No, I just talked to him, and, God, Kurt-" Blaine's face screwed up in pain at the memory of the hitching sobs he'd heard on the phone. "He was crying, Kurt, and he said my name, and all I wanted to do was help him, but I couldn't because he's-"
"Shh, sweetheart," Kurt soothed, pulling Blaine into his arms and shifting them both until they were lying across the bed. "Come here."
He pulled Blaine tighter against his side, glad all at once that he hadn't changed out of his pajamas that day, because he just wanted Blaine to sleep, and pulled the covers up over them both, relaxing as he felt Blaine nuzzle into the crook of his shoulder. "He'll come home, Blaine. I promise."
Kurt immediately felt the weight of his words as he spoke them. He felt sure of them in a way he hadn't before and briefly wondered to himself what that meant before quickly squashing down any hopefulness he might have felt, unable to bear having his hopes dashed again when he woke up the next morning to find that Sebastian still wasn't there.
Blaine shifted against his side and whimpered quietly.
"Sleep, honey. I'm here. I've got you, okay?" Kurt said softly, resting a hand on the back of Blaine's curls to hold the smaller boy's head against his chest.
—x—
Blaine finally fell asleep around two. It was little moments like feeling the comfort that Blaine got from clinging onto him as though he'd disappear if Blaine let go, that made Kurt amazingly thankful that his father had been understanding about the whole situation. He couldn't imagine Blaine lying in his bed, which he always complained was too big, alone, crying, and heartbroken. The thought was painful.
The truth of the matter was, Blaine probably was afraid that Kurt would disappear if he let go. Sebastian had.
Kurt carefully untangled himself from Blaine and climbed out of bed, brushing away a stray curl and dropping a kiss to his forehead before leaving the room. He needed time to think away from Blaine, needed time to cry and be miserable on his own without Blaine feeling obligated to comfort him.
He went downstairs and made himself a cup of tea, settling down onto the couch and staring off as he lost himself in thought. He was sure he dozed off a few times, because the next time he remembered reaching for his tea, it was almost ice cold. He pushed it further back on the coffee table and let his body fall against the back of the couch.
The clock struck three, but the chiming from the clock was drown out by a timid knocking on the door. The sound was sluggish and quiet, but it was enough to send Kurt's heart into his throat. He crossed the room to look out the small window on top of the door, his heart kicking into double-time when he immediately recognized the figure on the other side.
