Blaine wakes fitfully the next morning, confused as to why his chest feels hollow and empty until he remembers that the day before hadn't in fact been a cruel nightmare.
By the time his brain catches up, Blaine wishes he'd never woken at all.
Kurt is gone.
Gone gone gone. The word reverberates inside his skull until it seemingly loses all meaning and instead merely evokes a feeling in him that's not unlike being punched in the stomach.
But the fact that he's gone is secondary to the fact that Blaine will never know if he got away, if he's okay. How is Blaine supposed to live out the rest of his life knowing that somewhere Kurt could be hurting.
He knows the reason Kurt left was to protect himself but what if they caught him? What if they had enough information to track him down? Blaine hates that his mind won't let him forget the terrible things that Kurt told him about his mom and the things she endured. The mere thought of Kurt being subjected to that has Blaine rushing for the bathroom and heaving while clutching the sides of the toilet bowl.
Over and over again he tells himself that it's all in his head, that Kurt is fine and he has absolutely no reason whatsoever to think that he's in any danger at all. Kurt was careful when he lived in Lima, he wouldn't leave anything behind that could potentially harm him later on. However, Blaine can't just can't shake the images that seem to burned into his brain, he hates himself for even letting his mind conjure them but they're there and the more Blaine thinks of them, the more panicked he becomes until he knows he has to do something.
But what? Kurt's gone, out of reach entirely, he left without a trace and that fact should be enough to comfort Blaine, there's nothing for anyone to find.
Slumped against the toilet bowl, Blaine hears a knock at the door, tentative and unsure before it's followed by a voice equally as unsettled.
"Blaine? I heard you throwing up." It's his mother's voice. Blaine makes no attempt to respond, instead resting his cheek against his hand, miserably trying not to let the tears fall. But his mother persistent. "Are you okay in there?"
"No," Blaine's croaks, his voice scratchy. There's no point trying to pretend he's fine anymore. Slowly, his mother turns the handle, giving Blaine time to protest if he'd rather she not come in but he barely has the energy to say anything. She stands in the doorway, still in her pyjamas, with concern painted across her face.
"Is this at all related to last night?" she asks softly and Blaine manages to feel guilty for keeping her up and crying on her all night. He nods solemnly before his mother kneels down beside him, resting a comforting hand against his back but keeping her distance in case he pukes again. "Are you ready to tell me what this is about?" she asks patiently. Blaine's breathe hitches as he sucks in a mouthful of air. He can't tell her, but the hand on his back feels so warm and loving that he can't stop the tears from flowing any longer.
"Blaine…" before his mother has a chance to say anything further, Blaine has buried himself in her arms, crying into her shoulder once more as she hugs him back, whispering soothing words despite having no clue as to what the matter is. He can't tell her what's wrong but it's nice just to be held together when he feels like he's about to fall apart.
Blaine drives to Kurt's without even really thinking about it. It's out of habit perhaps, whenever he needed to get away from his house before, Kurt's place was his first – and only – choice. He had become restless at home, and had grown more and more tired of the pitying looks his mother was giving him. In the end, he just told her that he and Kurt had broken up and Kurt had moved away and, though she didn't say it, he could tell she thought he was overreacting. He couldn't tell her the truth though.
It's not until Blaine is making the turn onto Kurt's street that he realises where he's headed towards. He's not sure what he's expecting exactly, he knows Kurt and his dad are gone and the thought of seeing their house devoid of people makes his stomach drop. Nonetheless, he navigates his car towards what was formerly the Hummel residence. However, before he can come to a stop, he sees them.
The door to Kurt's house is open and by it are two seemingly ordinary looking men but they're enough to make Blaine's heart stop in his chest.
Mind in overdrive, Blaine passes the house without stopping, trying not to make himself too obvious for fear that they'll notice him.
Further up the road, surrounded by picture perfect detached houses most likely filled with happy, wealthy families, Blaine collects his thoughts. Without a doubt in his mind, he knows who those people outside Kurt's house are. In his mind he'd pictured them older, angrier, and meaner; the type of obvious villain in children's movies. The idea that they could just be ordinary people, was one he was never able to stomach.
Blaine's not surprised they're here, his only surprise is that they got here so fast. Kurt wasn't kidding when he said the news would travel fast, someone in that audience at graduation noticed him and tipped off the Hybrid Traders and they were already here in their search for the one that slipped through their fingers all those years ago.
Though the one they're really after is dead, Kurt is her legacy and has just as big a bounty on his head now they know of his existence.
It shouldn't be legal, it probably isn't, but there's not a thing Blaine can do to stop them. All he can hope for is that there really is nothing for them to find as they rummage through Kurt's former home, all the memories created there disregarded while they tear apart everything in their search. There are no pictures of Kurt at their house, something Blaine had noticed early on in their relationship. The only photographic evidence of any of them is the one photo frame Kurt keeps by his bed of his mother. Blaine has no idea whether he had managed to take that with him, if they'd even stopped home at all before leaving.
Pictures are evidence, Kurt had always told him, even if his ears are covered in them, they can still be used as references to identify him with.
Taking out his phone, Blaine swipes the screen and allows himself one last look at his home screen. It's him and Kurt; the only picture Kurt had ever allowed Blaine to take of him after he promised that it would stay on his phone, there would be no hard copies and most certainly no uploading it to the internet. The only other copy of this photo is on Kurt's phone but since Kurt has left all traces of this life behind him, Blaine highly doubts that it still exists there.
They're in the choir room, sitting close together with their heads resting on each other and smiling like there isn't a single thing that could ever bring them down. It's painful to look at.
Kurt's words ring through his ears. If they come here looking for me, they're going to use you.
Blaine's finger hesitates over the button, trembling as he tries to memorise every curve of Kurt's face, every blemish and every perfection and the exact way his smile sits on his lips. If they do somehow end up with this picture, all it will do will give them a better idea of Kurt and that's the last thing Blaine wants to do.
He deletes it.
His phone rings.
He ignores it.
Blaine's lying on his bed, unsure what to do with himself. The curtains are closed, blocking the world from Blaine's darkened bedroom but a strip of sunlight still manages to peak through and Blaine decides to fix his eyes on it. It's been a whole week since Kurt left and he feels as though his life has hit a sudden dead end. The glee club have all been calling him non-stop, Blaine assumes Rachel told them about Kurt and he wants nothing more than to hate her for it, for spreading Kurt's rumour like some juicy gossip she heard in the girl's bathroom but he just can't bring himself to. He can't really bring himself to feel much at all.
Eventually, the incessant ringing starts to rub on his nerves and he turns to his side to grab his phone and turn it to silent. There are plenty of missed calls and texts, but none from the one person he needs to hear from. There's still a glimmer of hope that Kurt will text or call or write or email or something. He just can't take the fact that Kurt is no longer a part of his life and that he just needs to get used to it. He can't. There's still a part of him expecting Kurt to text him any second, inviting him over, there's still that denial that Kurt isn't really gone and Blaine wishes he could just shut off his brain for a few months so he didn't have to go through this.
Scrolling through the list of missed calls, Blaine jumps when his phone begins vibrating again.
It's not Kurt, neither is it anyone from the glee club.
It's Sebastian.
Blaine frowns, they haven't spoken since Blaine and Kurt withdrew the New Directions from regionals. He'd done his damage and disappeared from Blaine's life with nothing more than a sarcastic remark.
He has no idea what inclines him to do so, but he picks up.
"You're probably wondering why I asked you here," Sebastian says, grinning facetiously as they sit in an empty corner of the Lima Bean. There are only a handful of other customers, it's not crowded but it's just busy enough to give them the privacy that Sebastian wants. Eying him warily, Blaine says nothing. He can't deny that he's curious as to why Sebastian had been so eager to meet up but all of his prior experiences with Sebastian have not been positive. "You look so lost without your pet making moon eyes at you," Sebastian mocks. Fists clenched, Blaine forces himself to say something, if only so he can get this encounter over with.
"Are you here to blackmail me again?" he spits with a scowl and Sebastian's eyes widen with amusement.
"You really think I'd do that to you, buddy?" he asks, clearly enjoying himself and Blaine begins to suspect that he knows something. It can't be coincidence that he decided to get in contact so soon after Kurt left.
"We're not buddies."
Sebastian laughs.
"Yeah, okay. I guess I can understand your hostility."
Blaine sighs, this clearly isn't going anywhere.
"Just tell me what you want, Sebastian." He's growing impatient and every second he spends with the other boy is a reminder of what he did to Kurt and himself. If Sebastian hadn't forced them to betray the New Directions then perhaps they wouldn't have targeted him at graduation. Kurt would still be here.
It takes more will power than Blaine was aware he even had to prevent himself from punching him right in his smirking face.
"I know about what happened to Kurt," Sebastian says after a pregnant pause. His voice is softer and lowered and eyes suddenly serious. If Blaine hadn't been glaring at him while he said it, he'd swear it was spoken by someone else. He almost sounds regretful. "And I'm sorry. I know it must suck for you-"
"Why do you care?" Blaine demands sharply, "A few seconds ago you were mocking me about him."
Sebastian shrugs.
"That's just how I am."
"Look, I don't have the patience for any of your games. If you're not gonna tell me what you want then I'm leaving. You can't blackmail me anymore, I'm not scared of you," Blaine reminds him as he rises.
"I'm not blackmailing you," Sebastian admits before Blaine has a chance to leave. He sounds calm and measured. If Blaine didn't know any better he might assume that he was a decent guy.
"So, what is it then?" Blaine says, "You wanna date me now that Kurt's out of the way?" The words feel vile on his tongue, even the mere thought of dating someone like Sebastian makes his stomach churn. Sebastian is laughing again, the sound so irksome to Blaine that for the second time that day he questions why he hasn't hit him yet.
"God, you really do need to get over yourself," Sebastian says, his cocky attitude rearing its ugly head again, "I never once said I wanted to date you, Blaine. I just think you're hot and I wouldn't exactly say no to a little…" Sebastian raises his eyebrows as he lets his eyes trail down Blaine's front before returning his gaze back to Blaine's unimpressed face. "But that's not what this is about."
Blaine drops back to his seat, growing more and more frustrated with Sebastian's secrecy but his curiosity wins out.
"I know what happens to Hybrids when they're sold at auctions and it's sick," Sebastian starts.
"If that's how you feel then why did you threaten to give Kurt away?" Blaine counters, anger rising while Sebastian stays irritatingly cool.
"Because I know how to get what I want," Sebastian admits with a matter-of-fact tone. "I was bluffing. I'm not exactly a saint, I'll admit that, but I never would have done something like that to anyone. I just knew that you'd never take that risk and used it to my advantage."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Is that supposed to make me trust you?" Blaine scoffs, "You might not have directly put Kurt in danger but you set off the chain of events that lead to him being exposed at graduation. You're the core reason why he's gone now."
Sebastian remains unaffected by Blaine's accusations with the exception of a minor tremor underneath his left eye.
"I'm sorry," Sebastian says with a sincerity Blaine was unaware he even had.
"Well that's not going to change anything."
"Blaine." There's an edge to his tone now and Blaine takes comfort in the fact that his constant dismissal seems to have invoked some sort of reaction other than contempt from Sebastian. He sighs before shifting uncomfortably and looking around the Lima Bean to double check that no one is within ear shot. "Look, this isn't easy for me. I'm a jerk, an asshole, I pride myself in that, okay? I'm not touchy, feely, or disgustingly married like you and Kurt were, I'm not into all that. But I do, honestly, feel terrible because I know that I'm the reason that your boyfriend is god knows where, running for his life. I never wanted that to happen, I would never have intentionally made that happen, even if I can't stand him-"
"You don't even know him," Blaine interrupts with a scowl.
"That's not the point. I don't want anything from you, I'm not blackmailing you again I just…I'm trying to clear my conscience."
Remaining silent, Blaine's eyes roam over Sebastian, searching for any hint of insincerity. After finding none, he lets his eyes drop to his untouched coffee, the full weight of everything that has happened returning to him in full.
"So you've apologized," he murmurs, voice barely above a whisper as he tears at some empty sugar packets on the table. "Fine."
"My dad's dirt poor, you know," Sebastian says out of nowhere. Blaine's brow furrows as he wonders what he's getting at. "My mom has a little inheritance from when my grandfather died but her brother, my uncle, is the one who looks out for us. He's the one who insisted I go to Dalton, when he found out my parents were planning on sending me to a public school, he went crazy. He's also the reason I know so much about Hybrids. He never got married so my parents and I are his closest relatives. I don't share his name but he treats me like I'm his son sometimes." Sebastian sucks in a breath before continuing, "I met her several times but he'd usually keep her hidden away. He had her for eight years before trading her in for a younger model.
"When I came out as gay, my uncle didn't take it well, he offered to buy me one – a Hybrid – a girl obviously, but my Dad refused to let him. They fought about it for months until my Dad finally convinced him that I was too young." Sebastian pauses as Blaine takes in what he's saying, every thought vacating his mind as he becomes wrapped up in the story. Sebastian has a perspective on Hybrids that Blaine never got from what Kurt had told him. It takes a few moments for Blaine to come back to himself, with a short shake of his head he asks, "what exactly does this have to do with anything? Are you trying to get me to pity you?"
"You have no idea where Kurt is, right?"
Blaine shakes his head, the reminder like a cannonball to the stomach.
"All I have to do is say the word and my uncle can get me into the next auction. I can give you peace of mind that he's not there."
Blaine takes a moment to consider just how valuable this sort of information would be. The past week he's been worrying himself sick – sometimes literally – when his brain decides to conjure up a thousand worst case scenarios. He just doesn't know how to function, not knowing where Kurt is or if he's safe. If he took Sebastian up on his offer then maybe he could find a way to carry on living again.
Then the thought hits him with such force that Blaine begins to feel sick again. Sebastian's plan could easily go both ways.
"What if…what if he is there, what happens then?" Because knowing for certain that Kurt is being sold to some sick fetishist is another kind of pain entirely. The thought brings tears to his eyes and he bitterly wipes them away with shaking hands, hating himself for crying in front of Sebastian.
"He won't be," Sebastian states firmly and Blaine is surprised at how he actually feels somewhat comforted by his certainty. "As stupid as you guys were when I found you at Scandals, Kurt's at least made it this far without being found so he's doing something right. As long as he's careful and doesn't leave any obvious footprints then he should be okay, he'll probably find somewhere to settle down eventually and live there quietly. I mean how long did he live here without anything happening?"
"He didn't need to hide before because they weren't looking for him, they didn't even know he existed. It was his mom they were searching for."
"And how long did she manage to evade them for?" Sebastian says with a smile that for once isn't snide. In all honesty, Blaine thinks it looks alien on his face. "I'll go to the auction and prove it to you."
"What do you want out of this?" Blaine asks, still not trusting that Sebastian has a heart big enough to allow him to help simply because he wants to. There's barely a pause before he replies.
"You really think that little of me?"
"Sebastian," Blaine says warningly.
"If I haven't asked for anything then I don't want anything. Don't be an idiot, Blaine. Just accept the offer I'm making."
"You're sure he won't be there?" Blaine asks, his voice deflated as all of his anger at Sebastian feebly returns to his own crushing depression.
"I'm sure."
To know that Kurt is okay is the most Blaine dares to hope for. The constant back and forth his brain has been doing is not going to help him move on and as much as he just wishes things could go back to how they were, he knows that it's impossible.
"Okay," he agrees.