The moment Kurt had left with the brutish boy leading Kurt to his father, Blaine slumped to his knees by the door that had opened to let the boy leave. His head fell to his open palms, elbows resting on his knees. He desperately wanted to fling open the door and run after the chestnut haired boy, but his better instincts controlled him. If he ran to Kurt, the boy might never forgive him.

To Blaine, it was cowardice. The very wish to have Kurt still by his side pained him, burned him to his very core. He willed the image of his bright blue eyes from his mind, attempting to erase the feeling of his impossibly soft hands on his wounds, the impish grin that played upon his face when Blaine amused him.

Every time he willed a thought away, another took its place. Blaine was a man consumed by something foreign, something that burned, but not in a painful way. The bitterness that came from being alone with a multitude of secrets had faded to the background when Kurt was there.

The joys of life before had sunk deeply under a haze of depression and loneliness. He sometimes wondered if he remembered happiness, the bright spark it was. Being so close to people he'd once called friends and family yet so far was much worse of a hurt than he'd expected it to be. Exile was his punishment, the madness of it was a personal hell.

At the time of Kurt's arrival, he was at his personal low. Blaine was in full remorse for ever thinking the world would be ready to see him for who he was. He'd taken to hiding himself from any eyes that could have seen him, fearing judgement past what had already been extended to him.

And then Kurt found his way to him somehow. Blaine had once believed in fate, and that he was in charge of his own. He'd given up such a silly dream after his exile, but upon seeing the boy for the first time he'd known that something stronger than him had to be in charge of his fate. Blaine could have never dreamed up such a creature on his own.

For some idiotic reason, Blaine had let the boy in. At the time, he had simply been inspired by Kurt's enthralling appearance, but looking back on the moment he knew it had to be something else pulling the strings. Blaine had forced the belief that he needed no one but himself into his life and heart, but something about Kurt had snapped him back. He let Kurt force his way into his heart, planting seeds of something more to come. Setting tiny fires that would burn and consume him. Snapping into the present, Blaine closed his eyes. He knew if he shut away reality, the lonely castle that held him prisoner, he could find Kurt again.

The sun slipped lower as time trudged on, leaving Blaine still waiting by the door. He'd barely moved, only letting his thoughts wander through the time he'd spent with Kurt. Every time he closed his eyes, Kurt was there waiting for him. Blaine could see him, with his blue eyes and impeccable hair, a laugh burbling from his smiling lips. It was at moments when Kurt was truly happy that Blaine remembered what it meant to be happy for himself.

He couldn't deny it any longer. Whatever controlled his fate had led him to Kurt, and he'd fallen in love with the boy who was never meant to find him. Blaine cursed his weakness, his trusting heart, and whatever had decided to intervene. He cursed his willingness to love again, and more than ever he cursed the love he'd already lost. It didn't matter anymore, Kurt had broken through his haze and changed him into something like the man he'd been before.

Something snapped inside Blaine. The brute who'd taken Kurt had looked at him in a way that mirrored a wolf looking at its prey, a dangerous spark alight in his beady eyes. Yet there was something behind the cruelty in his eyes when he looked at Kurt. Blaine knew it was impossible, but he did know.

The monster who'd taken Kurt was in love with him.

It snapped Blaine even more, the realization. The way Kurt made him feel was like a gunshot, piercing the anger and hurt and breaking through to something more. His heart was heavy but impossibly free, and the feeling was almost too much to bear. Blaine knew one thing- he'd never give Kurt up without a fight. Blaine would gladly stay in the castle and wait a thousand years to bring him back. He'd walk through any storm or fire to find comfort with Kurt again, to feel the comforting brush of his fingertips one last time.

Somehow he knew that Kurt wouldn't leave him. He dared to hope for more, wanting the feeling of Kurt's arms wrapped around him, Kurt sharing breaths with him, Kurt kissing him…

He wouldn't have any of it if he let Kurt go. His eyes closed again, but all he could see was Kurt walking away from him. Kurt continued to torment him and break his heart even in his half-conscious dreams. The very thought of him was a calming presence, but not the way he was seen now. His receding figure was taunting Blaine, a single thought worming its way into Blaine's mind.

Come find me. Come to me. Come and bring me back if that's what you want.

Blaine stood, a resolute and determined look on his face. He wouldn't give up. When Blaine wanted something, he got it. And he'd never wanted anything more than Kurt in his entire life.

He flung the door open and dashed out into the night.