Chapter 5
Sue was putting the finishing touches on her voodoo dolls she made of the faculty at McKinley when her doorbell sounded. She glanced at the clock and noted the time. It was late. Too late to be the cops again or Becky. Puzzled, she grabbed a baseball bat and carefully opened the door.
Out of all the possibilities, she never would have guessed it would be Burt Hummel on her doorstep.
He didn't look good. He had bags under his tired eyes and his clothes looked wrinkled, like he hadn't changed them in over twenty-four hours. He had removed his baseball cap and was twisting it in his hands as he looked down the street, but as soon as Sue had opened the door he faced her.
"Mr. Hummel. How can I help you?"
"Ms. Sylvester-"
"Coach."
"Uh, sorry. Coach Sylvester, I know it's awfully late and you already spoke to the police, but I'm just feeling a little desperate." He twisted his cap tightly again before looking up at her pleadingly. "I have to find my son."
Trust me, I'm trying to find him... Sue thought to herself. She set the bat down against the door frame and put her hands on her hips.
"Well like you said, I already talked to the cops and told them everything I knew."
"I know," Burt interjected quickly. "But maybe there was something you forgot. Anything. It might not mean much to the police, but I know my son and his routine, so it might mean something to me."
"I'm sorry Mr. Hummel, but I don't know. Porcelain came to practice and then he left. I certainly didn't kidnap him."
Burt stared at her for a few moments. "I just... is there anything you can think of? No detail is too small."
Sue paused and considered his words. She had an opportunity here to throw him off her scent...
"I'm really very sorry but..." She trailed off and let his face fall before she gasped. "Now, come to think of it... I did see Porcelain talking to someone I didn't recognize in the parking lot after practice. At first I thought it was Frankenteen because he was so tall, but I am not so sure now."
Burt looked excited. "Do you remember what he looked like?"
She gave him a bogus description that resembled her mailman. Burt nodded as he wrote it all down on his arm.
"Thank you, Coach. And you didn't tell the police this when they interviewed you?"
"No," she said thinking fast. "Ever since I bought a white Broncho in '94 and got mixed up in a case of mistaken identity, I shy away from the cops just a bit. Now, if you will excuse me..."
"Of course," he said nodding. "I'll tell them. Thank you so much!" She tilted her head in acknowledgement as he bounded down the steps to the police station, she guessed.
"Oh, and Mr. Hummel?"
He skidded to a stop on the sidewalk. "Yeah?"
"I'll see you at the candlelight vigil! Anything to help!"
He thanked her and hurried off. Sue shut and locked her door before heading back down her hallway. Something felt heavy in her chest and she wondered for a moment if it was guilt.
Then she burped. Nope. Just indigestion.
"Nick! If you don't stop whistling, I'm going to shove you so far in the toilet you'll find the Ninja Turtles!"
Nick stuck his tongue out at David and continued to trim the hedges. "I like to whistle while I work. It helps the time go faster. Plus, the Ninja Turtles don't live in the toilet dummy. They live in the sewer."
David rolled his eyes and dumped the pile of sticks he was carrying into the rubbish pile. "Where do you think the toilet leads dummy?"
Nick very maturely repeated what David said in a mocking tone and then ran away when David went after him.
Jeff sighed from where he was weeding the flower beds with Trent. "Do you think they will ever grow up?"
Trent shrugged without looking up from his task. He had to concentrate very hard to make sure he didn't pluck a flower instead of a weed. He definitely didn't want to mess this up like he had so many other chores.
"Who knows? You would think with Nick's big old' watermelon head and David's 4.0 GPA, they would have some brains between them."
"I'll show you your own brains when I knock them out of your head..."
"I do not have a big ol' watermelon head!"
Jeff giggled. "Don't listen to them, Nick. Your head is fine."
Nick beamed at Jeff's words.
"Now look what you've done, Jeff!" David said, rolling his eyes. "His head's gonna get even bigger!"
He yelped as Nick launched himself at the other boy and they tussled around. Sebastian almost ran into them as they rolled by the door, but he stopped up short and weaved around them, his arms full of the garden hose. He rolled his eyes at their antics and muttered about how he was going to feed them to Pennywise who also lived in the sewers. He strolled by a pensive Blaine who was up on the ladder and cleaning out the gutter.
Kurt was inside cleaning up after breakfast. Blaine sighed when he thought of him. Everything had been going so well last night. They had danced and laughed and the way Kurt had looked at him... They had a moment together while they were dancing; he was sure of it. Everything was just amazing.
Then it all just changed and Blaine felt like he had missed something.
The previous evening, Kurt had come back from the kitchen acting weird and quiet. He wouldn't meet Blaine's eyes or dance anymore, but when Blaine tried to talk to him about it, he just shrugged it off and said he was tired. He still hadn't said much by the time they went to bed and Blaine was wracking his brain trying to figure out what he had done wrong. He might have just been tired, but there seemed like something else was wrong. He was just acting... different. The next morning, Kurt had kept busy with breakfast and the others and then Wes had announced an outside chore day since they had time today after Kurt had done all the inside chores. That led to grumbling from the Warblers and threats from Wes of making them do extra chores unless they stopped whining.
So here they all were, Sebastian and David cleaning up the yard, Trent and Jeff weeding the flower beds, Nick trimming the hedges, Wes changing the oil and checking the tire pressure of the van, and Blaine cleaning out the gutter.
"Iced tea anyone?" Blaine's heart skipped helplessly at the sight of Kurt with a tray of drinks. He almost fell off the ladder when he leaned towards the brunet teen, but he was saved by Jeff grabbing the bottom and righting it.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks Jeff." He shimmied down the ladder. Jeff nodded and brushed dirt off his pants.
"Better be careful. You're turning into Trent." He shrugged and tried to catch Kurt's eye which, of course, he couldn't. If only Kurt would look at him...
"Kurt, you are seriously the best. How did you know I wanted something to drink?" David winked at Kurt and wiped his face off with the tail of his t shirt which exposed his abs. Kurt blushed and immediately looked away, causing David to smirk. "It's okay if you like what you see, Kurt. I'm pretty impressive."
Blaine rolled his eyes and had to squeeze his glass so he didn't dump it all over David's head. The others thanked Kurt and gulped their tea down. Even Sebastian was being nice to Kurt. Blaine wondered what he was up to this time.
Wes finished first and set his empty glass back onto the tray with only a few partially melted ice cubes in it.
"What are you working on?" Kurt asked.
Wes gestured towards the old van. "Well, I'm changing the oil and checking the brake pads." He shot Kurt an amused smile. "Interested in cars?"
Kurt tilted his head at the open car hood and scratched at his head bandage. "I would use a full-flow filter on a model this old and your using the wrong wrench."
Everyone was silent, including Kurt.
"Well, apparently I am interested in cars," Kurt said while squinting at the engine.
"Who are you?" Nick shook his head at Kurt. Kurt shrugged, visions of tires and cars up on lifts and that grimy rubber smell flooding his memories. His vision swam and he swayed. The next thing he knew, all the boys were swarming him and holding him up as he felt his knees give out.
"Grab him!"
"Kurt! Kurt, can you hear me?"
"Oh man! We killed him!"
Wes' voice rang out firm. "Everyone calm down! David, get his head. Sebastian, grab his legs." Softer. "Blaine, we got him."
"I'm coming too."
"Fine. Grab my bag and some pillows."
Kurt came back to his senses on the couch with his legs propped up in the air with pillows and Wes shining a light in his eyes. The only other person in the room was Blaine and he was kneeling in front of the couch holding Kurt's hand and rubbing his thumb gently across the knuckles. It was reminiscent of the first time he met Blaine and made his heart swell just as much.
Wes sighed and dropped his little light back in his satchel. "I'm not going to lie, Kurt. I'm a bit worried." He turned towards the other two, hands on his hips. "I would strongly suggest you go to the doctor. It's not a good sign that you are fainting. I can take you tomorrow before the Warbler concert."
Kurt nodded. "I understand. Can I think about it?"
Wes told him sure before heading back to the door. "I'm gonna go finish up the van. Can you keep an eye on him Blaine?" Wes' lip quirked up momentarily, letting Blaine know he knew exactly what he was doing. Blaine nodded and with the click of the door, it was just the two of them.
They were both quiet for several minutes before Kurt attempted a weak giggle.
"We have to quit meeting like this."
Blaine didn't laugh. He squeezed Kurt's hand.
"Are you mad at me?"
Kurt's breath hitched and he squeezed Blaine's hand back.
"Of course I'm not. Why would you ask that?"
Blaine shrugged. "You have been avoiding me."
"No I have-"
"Yes you have. Please don't lie. Just tell me what I did so I can fix it."
Kurt sat up a little and looked Blaine over. He still had Kurt's hand, but his eyes were downcast and he had a pained expression, like he feared Kurt's response. His heart broke a little at the vulnerable look and Kurt wanted to scoop Blaine up and cuddle him until he looked happy again. He really wanted to kick himself.
"Blaine, please look at me." The hazel-eyed teen finally did.
"I'm not mad at you. I... I was talking to Sebastian-" Blaine's eyes narrowed. "-And he reminded me that... well, I don't know exactly who I've left behind. Like, what if..."
He couldn't make himself say the words. Blaine looked like he was bracing himself for Kurt to smash his heart into a million pieces. Kurt couldn't do it. He made up his mind in that moment. He had promised Sebastian he wouldn't hurt Blaine's feelings, but here he was hurting him now. Kurt didn't care if he had a boyfriend or whatever, Blaine was here right now and he knew he was developing feelings for the boy. He would deal with whatever came later.
"What if...?" Blaine asked as he waited for Kurt to finish his thoughts. Now he just looked confused as well as wary. Kurt smiled and put his other hand on top of the one already holding his other hands. Blaine looked at the stack of hands and blushed.
"It doesn't matter. I was just overthinking everything. What other chores need to be done?"
Blaine arched an eyebrow at the abrupt change of subject, but he let Kurt get away with it without comment. Maybe he was afraid what Kurt would say if he pushed it.
"Well, since you fainted you should probably stay inside. We could go strip all the sheets off of the beds to wash?"
Kurt nodded and let Blaine help him up from the couch. He was still a little woozy, but he felt much stronger now. They made their way into the bedroom and got right to work, pulling off the pillow cases first and then piling all the blankets back onto the beds they belonged to. Kurt glanced up at the picture David had tacked up on the underside of his bunk of a bikini model from a magazine. He shook his head and tried not to think about why it was there. Blaine caught his look and raised an eyebrow is question.
"So, I'm really confused if David is actually straight or not."
Blaine ducked his head to look at the picture and rolled his eyes. "He's straight. He just has a perverse compulsion to flirt with every pretty person he comes into contact with."
Deciding to ignore the fact that Blaine sort of called him pretty, Kurt continued stripping the bed. "He could have fooled me. Do any of the guys have girlfriends? Besides Sebastian, Nick, and Jeff obviously. And can we talk about Nick and Jeff being clueless?"
"Those two," Blaine laughed. "I have tried to help them to get their act together, but every time I talk to Nick, he thinks Jeff only sees him as a friend and Jeff... well, it's an act of god to get him to just talk. He just gets all bashful and runs away as quick as possible." Blaine threw more sheets into the pile in the middle of the floor. "As far as Wes is concerned, he claims he is too busy for a girlfriend, but I think he just hasn't found the right girl. He was dating this one girl for a few months, but they broke up. He never said why, but we were always worried it had something to do with us. But that's Wes. He would rather give up a girlfriend than abandon us."
Kurt hummed in acknowledgment as he climbed down from Trent's bed, his arms laden with extra-fluffy blankets. "Wes is a wonderful person. I'm glad you have someone like him in your corner."
"Yeah, Wes has always been so patient with us even with all our issues. I know I've never made it easy on him." He said it with a soft smile, but Kurt could see the tense set of his jaw. He glanced at Blaine's little wall of papers and pictures he had tacked up as he began to carefully remove Blaine's pillow case. He told himself not to press it to his nose to see if it smelled like him. He knew from experience it did.
"I can't imagine you being anything but pleasant."
Blaine didn't say anything for so long that Kurt worried he had pushed too hard. He was about to change the subject again when Blaine finally spoke.
"I've always struggled with depression. Even before my mom died, I would get into these... funks I guess. Everything just seemed dull around me, like the color had bleached out of the world. I felt like I had fallen into a deep, dark hole and couldn't get out. I still feel like that sometimes..." He glanced up at the pictures, first looking at the lyrics and then resting his eyes on the picture of him with his mom.
"Mom knew about them. The episodes. She always just got me. Like, she knew when I needed time alone and when I needed hugs or attention." He smiled at the picture fondly and reached out to gently brush the edge with his fingertip. Kurt felt tears coming to his eyes. He remembered Blaine saying his mom had died... He didn't want to cry in front of Blaine, (not again) but he just sympathized with him so much.
"My dad left when I was just a baby," he continued. "I don't remember him. But I never needed him when I had her."
Kurt couldn't help himself anymore. He reached out and grabbed Blaine's other hand in his, like he could share his strength through his fingertips. Blaine didn't look at Kurt, but just curled his fingers around his hand.
"Mom would do this thing when I would be trying to come out of it and she would turn on that song-" he nodded his head towards the lyrics, "-and she would grab my hands and dance around with me and sing at the top of her lungs. I would start laughing and dance and sing too." He gave a watery chuckle at the memories.
"When she died... it was a drunk driver... I just felt so lost. It was the most depressed I've ever been. She was my whole world, you know? I didn't have any other family, so I was sent here.
"It was so hard at first. I got here the same week as Sebastian and he was a handful, so Wes didn't have a lot of time for me. Trent wasn't here yet, but I'm kind of glad because he's never seen me that bad." He took a shaky breath. "The guys tried to talk to me for several months, but I barely spoke. I felt like a zombie. But then I remember I was in here with Nick and he was doing his homework or something and I was just sitting here on my bed. He was listening to music and suddenly Mr. Blue Sky came on. I don't really know if I believe in ghosts or anything, but it was like all those times she would grab me and pull me out. It was like she was there, trying to get through to me." Blaine laughed again and wiped at his eyes.
"I think Nick almost had a heart attack. They had heard me say maybe three words at once and then suddenly I just jumped up and started singing and dancing along with the song. I was laughing like a maniac.
"Things got better after that. I still have times where things get... dark, but just listening to that song helps me remember she's here with me."
They had stopped pulling the sheets off when Blaine started talking about his mom and Kurt took both the shorter boy's hands in his own.
"I'm sorry about your mom. Thank you for telling me. I just wish I could return the favor."
Blaine smiled and bumped his shoulder. "Me too. I think you will be able to one day." He squeezed Kurt's hand one more time and then went to grab his sheets. "We better get these done before Wes comes in her and sees I've been crying. I'm not in the mood for a sharing circle today."
Kurt laughed as they continued their task. He surreptitiously watched Blaine out of the corner of his eye. He thought Blaine was very brave to have gone through everything he went through and still be such a sweet person. They all were. He vowed then and there that no matter what happened, he would do anything he could to help his new friends.
That evening after all the boys had finished their jobs and gotten showers, they practiced for their show the next day with only a few grumbles while Kurt made dinner. He hummed along to the songs and danced in the kitchen, causing Blaine to miss his mark a few times. He had never opened up to anyone besides the other guys like he did with Kurt and the boy seemed to have gotten past whatever was causing him to ignore Blaine. He felt weightless. He was determined to keep the boy in his life whatever it took. He was also going to have a little talk with Sebastian. He had a feeling he was behind whatever weirdness had been between him and Kurt earlier today.
"Blaine! What the hell are you doing? It's right, spin, then snap!" Wes chastised him from his perch on a kitchen chair. Blaine felt his ears and neck go hot as the others tried not to look at him.
"Sorry, Wes. Just tired I guess."
Wes scrubbed a hand down his face. "Yeah. Yeah you're probably right. We should all go to bed early since we have the concert tomorrow."
His suggestion was met with groans and strong disagreement.
"I'm not tired!" Trent whined. "Plus you said we could play a game tonight!"
"Ugh. Fine. One game and then it's off to bed. What are we playing?"
"Xbox?" David suggested. Nick shook his head.
"We only have three controllers since someone got mad and broke one the other day." He gave Sebastian a pointed look, who ignored him.
"We could play Trouble?" Blaine said, his eyes on Kurt as usual. "We could actually do teams since we have Kurt." The blue-eyed boy threw him a smile which he returned.
Cheers went up as everyone immediately called partners. Wes held out a hand as Jeff lay the game box down on the table and lifted the lid.
"I will assign partners because last time we let Sebastian and David on a team together, they cheated."
"Did not."
"Prove it."
Wes ignored them and scratched thoughtfully at his chin. "Okay. Nick and Jeff, me and David, Blaine and Trent, and Sebastian, you're with Kurt."
"What?" Kurt, Blaine, and Sebastian exclaimed all at once.
"But I think Kurt would feel more comfortable with me," Blaine argued.
"You are always Trent's partner. Don't make him feel bad," Wes countered. Blaine gave Trent a guilty look before smiling at him and grabbing his shoulder. He sent Kurt an apologetic smile.
"You know I always want to be your partner, Trent." The younger boy rolled his eyes fondly.
"Well, I want to win this game so Kurt can just go find something to clean while I mop the floor with you all." Sebastian said as he took his place in front of the green pieces. He was always green. Blaine thought it was because he was probably a Slytherin.
"Seb-" Wes started, but Kurt held up his hand.
"I suggest you all guard your pieces because I play to win. I hope you can actually play, Sebastian. I don't like losing." His eyes had darkened and there was a fierce smirk on his face that had Blaine's mouth going dry. Sebastian looked taken aback while David just clapped his hands gleefully.
"Oooh, kitty has claws! Damn, Bassy! We just may have found someone more competitive than you!"
"No one's more competitive than me! And don't call me Bassy!" He eyed Kurt. "Just sit your bony ass down and don't get in my way." He said it without any real heat. Kurt might earn a bit of respect if he actually played as well as he was acting.
Everyone got into their seats and set up the board. Nick glanced over at Blaine.
"Dude, close your mouth. You're drooling."
Blaine responded by shoving him lightly, but he did close his mouth.
"Thank you for checking in, Mercedes. You can tell everyone I'm working with the police, but so far we haven't found any more clues. I appreciate the glee club helping to distribute the flyers though."
Burt spoke tiredly into his cell phone. He had used the damn thing more than ever these last few days and he was just glad Kurt had taught him how. He was more tired than he had ever been in his entire life; he hadn't eaten, and he hadn't showered. If Kurt was here, he would be chewing him out for not taking care of himself. He frowned. He couldn't go five minutes without something reminding him of his son.
"Of course, Mr. Hummel-"
"You know you can call me Burt."
"Sorry. We want to help all we can, Burt. Everything is set for the vigil tomorrow and we put out all the flyers you gave us. Please tell us if there's anything else we can do."
Burt settled at the kitchen table and tried not to think about the times he had sat here and eaten with Kurt, something delicious his son had made or a terrible dish he had attempted himself. He tried not to think about the fights they had here or the good talks. He swiped a tear away and cleared his throat. He didn't want Kurt's friends to know how upset he was. He had to be strong.
"I will. Thank you." He thought of what Coach Sylvester had told him and how it had been at the back of his mind ever since last night. "Hey, while I have you on the phone, I know you and Kurt are best friends…" She hummed in affirmation and he continued. "Look, we are close but I can understand if he had… secrets…"
"Um… Secrets?"
"Like… secret people in his life…"
A beat. "Uh, Mr.- I mean Burt, I'm not sure I understand what you're asking me."
"Did Kurt have a boyfriend I don't know about? Maybe someone he liked?"
Mercedes laughed and it confused Burt a bit. He couldn't see what was so funny…
"I'm sorry! It's not funny, but if you only knew all the talks we had about boys and how Kurt felt like he was the only gay guy in Ohio! No, I promise he wasn't dating anyone. Now, sure, he had crushes, but I don't think he had anybody he liked currently… why do you ask?"
Burt rubbed at his head. This was an uncomfortable conversation to have to have with his son, let alone his son's best friend. Still, he had to ask because it might just be the information they needed to find his boy. He would have a million uncomfortable conversations if there was a chance.
"It's just something his coach said. She was the last one to see him and she said he was talking to some guy she didn't know. I thought maybe it was a secret boyfriend he didn't want to tell me about or something. I'm just trying to figure out who this guy is. See what he knows."
"Well, I don't know who she saw him talking to, but I do know he wouldn't keep a boyfriend a secret from me, let alone you. I know you don't always get each other, but Kurt really loves you, Burt, and he wouldn't lie about that. I love my dad, but I'm kind of jealous of your relationship honestly," said Mercedes.
Burt felt more tears slip out and he couldn't stop his sniff. "Thanks, Mercedes. I hope that's the case, but I had to ask. Do you know who this guy might be?" He gave her the description Sue had given him and she told him he didn't sound familiar.
"Check our yearbook though. Maybe you might recognize the guy. I'll ask everyone in glee club and Santana and Quinn and Brittany can ask the Cheerios." He thanked her again and immediately went to Kurt's bedroom after they hung up. He paused outside the door and steeled himself to go in for the first time since Kurt had disappeared.
Inside, it was like every other day. Like Kurt would just walk in and plop down onto his bed with one of his magazines he was always yammering on about. Burt swallowed more tears and pulled out all of Kurt's yearbooks he could find. He took them to the living room where it felt safer and started pouring over every picture in every book. Hours went by and he hadn't found anyone that could undeniably match the description Sue gave him and now he was really worried. What if this guy wasn't a student at all, but someone sent to kidnap his son? His heart beat faster at the thought before it occurred to him that a professional wouldn't be that stupid. Someone who was hired wouldn't risk being seen by anyone in the parking lot.
The more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Something wasn't right here and Burt couldn't quite figure out what it was, but he knew he wouldn't stop until he did and his son was back in his arms. Burt shook his head. Kurt was going in a bubble when he got him back. He was never leaving his sight again.
After pouring over the books again, he got caught up staring at all Kurt's class pictures. He was so grown up now. As the room grew darker, Burt realized how long he had been at this. He took one last fond look at Kurt's adorable third grade picture and closed the book. He wasn't hungry or interested in doing anything but find his son, but he knew he had to take care of himself so Kurt had a dad to return home to. He went off to shower and then find something to eat. Then he would try to sleep.
It wouldn't be easy, but he would try.
Jeff Sterling knew he had issues.
He had severe anxiety, almost crippling most days, that caused him to want to hide in his closet or stay lost in one of his books just to escape.
He felt like he needed to count things and have his socks washed a certain way and he had to wash his hands immediately after touching a door handle, (they are so gross, okay?) but he knew he was being irrational most of the time. It was just how his brain worked.
Wes had gotten him into therapy and that helped, but he still got overwhelmed by things sometimes. Certain people made him feel safe, like he could talk to them about his issues and they wouldn't judge him at all. Wes, Blaine, even David. He felt more like a big brother to Trent and didn't like to burden the younger boy. Sebastian cared, he knew, but he wasn't exactly the easiest person to talk to. Most of all, he trusted Nick.
And it wasn't because he had a huge crush on him either.
No, he was Jeff's best friend. Someone who was his complete opposite in most ways, but he just got him. It's like he knew instinctively when Jeff needed alone time or someone to talk to.
He might not like him back the way Jeff wished he did, but at least he still had him as a friend.
Jeff had always had a soft spot for Blaine too. Not in a romantic way, like Nick, but in a brotherly way. Ever since that first day Blaine had arrived at the home and made Jeff look like a social butterfly compared to him. He was so withdrawn and sad and Jeff had just wanted him to have some happiness.
He had hoped that maybe Sebastian could draw him out a bit, but that backfired. Sebastian just hit on him relentlessly and made Blaine uncomfortable. Jeff prayed all the time for Blaine to find someone like he had in Nick.
Then they had found Kurt in his bed and Jeff saw it. That look. The one he knew he gave Nick when no one was looking and the one he saw Wes give his phone when his girlfriend had broken up with him. Blaine had fallen in love.
He was giving Kurt that look now and how could he not? Even though he was hopelessly in love with Nick, he could see Kurt was lovely. He was all smooth skin and cheekbones like a model with gorgeous blueish green eyes that were very striking. Blaine literally just swooned as Kurt knocked off one of David and Wes' red pegs and high-fived Sebastian. Was he that obvious around Nick? He hoped not… Sebastian whooped happily and actually patted Kurt on the back. God, he was even growing on Sebastian who could be the biggest jerk known to man sometimes.
"K, if you weren't such a boss in the kitchen I would be breaking things off with you for that." David scowled across the table at the grinning boy. Kurt fluttered his eyelashes at David innocently and Jeff swallowed a giggle at Blaine's face. He was too expressive for his own good.
"Maybe you should focus more on being good at this game than my devastating good looks, David."
Sebastian snorted at that and watched Blaine move his and Trent's yellow piece across the board. Blaine was always yellow. He claimed it was because it was his favorite color, but they all knew it was because he was a Hufflepuff.
"Wow, Kurt." David pretended to wipe a tear away. "That cuts deep. And to think I was going to let you kiss me goodnight tonight."
"Can we just play the game please?" Blaine interjected as Kurt was about to make another sassy retort. His voice was all high and exasperated. It was kind of adorable how jealous he was of David.
"Some of us are playing," Sebastian muttered. "And some of us are losing." Kurt giggled and bumped knuckles with Sebastian. Blaine looked like he was dying.
"Some of us are cheating…" Nick grumbled with his arms crossed. He was such a sore loser. Jeff pushed away his urge to kiss the frown off of Nick's face and gently patted his arm instead. Nick relaxed immediately under his touch and it made Jeff's heart skip a beat to know he could change Nick's mood with just a touch.
If only he loved him back…
Speaking of loving someone back, Jeff watched Kurt send Blaine a flirty wink and Blaine almost passed out.
"It's not cheating if you are actually good at the game, Nick." Sebastian answered. Nick just rolled his eyes and wiggled his arm a little under Jeff's hand. Jeff giggled and continued to gently scrape his fingernails along Nick's arm like he liked.
"That's not what you were saying a few minutes ago when Jeff and I knocked you guys back to home."
It was Sebastian's turn to roll his eyes. "What, you want a gold star every time you make a decent move? Sorry, all out of stickers." He chuckled and went to fist bump Kurt again, but the boy wasn't listening. He was doing that zoned-out thing he did when he was getting a flash back. Blaine leaped up and ran to Kurt's side, a worried frown on his lips.
"Kurt? Kurt, are you okay?"
"Oh no!" Trent said. "What if he passes out again?"
"Damn, Seabass. You're like the Kurt whisperer." David helped Wes pull Kurt back to the couch like they had done earlier that day while Blaine propped his legs up with pillows. Kurt sat up and pushed everyone's hands away. Blaine stubbornly grabbed his hand back anyway and Kurt rubbed his face with the other.
"I'm fine. I'm not gonna pass out. I just… when Sebastian said that… I remembered this girl… I think she might be one of my friends? Her name starts with a R…"
"Is she hot?"
"David! Not the time!" Jeff chastised. David just shrugged.
"Well he's not going to date her."
Sebastian was standing at Kurt's head, arms crossed and a pensive frown on his face. Jeff wondered briefly what that was all about, but then Nick was curling his arm around Jeff's and he lost all train of thought.
Kurt blew out a strained breath and fixed a smile on his face. "Let's go finish the game. I'll try to figure out what all this means later, okay?" He looked at Blaine who didn't seem convinced. "I'm fine, I promise."
Wes helped Kurt up along with Blaine who had yet to let go of Kurt's hand. "Kurt, I called the clinic I take the boys to and they don't have any appointments for tomorrow, but we will go Monday. These spells have me worried, especially with your injury. Plus, maybe they can help to locate your family."
Kurt paled, but he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think you're right. I need to at least know…" He glanced at Blaine and smiled tightly. "I'll go."
Sue hung up with Becky feeling very frustrated and annoyed. Where could that little twerp be? He was one teenager who couldn't have gone far with no shoes, no money, and no phone. This was getting ridiculous. If only she had a magic mirror or had those microchips implanted in all the cheer squad like she wanted to do a month ago…
She drummed her fingers on her dining room table and thought. Someone had to be helping him. She pulled out her laptop and started looking for any missing persons reported that would match Kurt's description. He couldn't be far.
She scribbled down the names of some places to check: homeless shelters, the Lima crack district, Dalton school for boys…
