"Kurt?"

He walks around the house when he doesn't hear Kurt calling out his name. Anxiety bubbles inside him at the thought that maybe Kurt is gone. Maybe he found out about everything, maybe he hasn't been quite the actor he thought he was and made him run away.

He smiles as soon as he steps into the living room and finds him on the sofa, surrounded by a heavy white sweater that covered his neck, and a woolen blanket.

He walks towards him and puts the keys on the small table beside the white sofa, wood sheltered in thin glass. The tv is turned on still, a low voice sounding out in the room, just like Kurt leaves it every time he just needs to get some rest and not even pay attention to what he's watching.

He sits next to him, passes one hand though his hair, fingertips brushing the softness.

It just seems so real.

xxx

"Sebastian?" Blaine's voice is calling him out and Sebastian scowls because he feels like Blaine has woke him up from some important reflection. "Sebastian, are you okay? You won't answer and-"

"Where's Kurt?" He asks again, looking with lifted eyebrows where Blaine is tugging at his arm; he lets his gaze slide upon Blaine's own arm until he has reached for his eyes, so that their looks are now connected. These hazel eyes are full of confusion.

Blaine shushes a laugh in the end.

"I have no idea who Kurt is." He answers but quit smiling when he sees the serious expression on Sebastian's face. "Sebastian? Maybe … you're still suffering a little for the operation and-"

"Operation?" Sebastian asks, anxiety filling his body fast, blooming like flowers in the spring, "Did I have surgery or something? I thought-"

"You got it while you were unconscious. It was a terrible accident, but surgery would have given you more chances to survive the coma, so … I signed it. Luckily it worked." He explains, and Sebastian calms down for a few seconds, before the question explodes into his brain again.

"Kurt's-"

"Sebastian, we don't know any 'Kurt's." He cuts in, taking his hand again, as if he wants to calm him. "Maybe you're just a little upset with the days of unconsciously, but I swear we don't know any 'Kurt's." He says again.

Sebastian looks down, eyebrows still arched in doubt: the visions he started having in his subconscious sleep look so real that Blaine's words seem false. He knows it's absurd: how could his roommate, best friend in college, lie to him on such a silly thing?

And still … there's something wrong in the whole thing.

He doesn't have a lot of time to think about it though because the door is opened and the doctor enters, carrying a folder in his hands. Sebastian is mainly surprised about the fact that the doctor doesn't look surprised he's awakening, and that definately must mean something's wrong.

"Mr. Smythe," he says, browsing the folder into his hands and studying it superficially, "I see you've finally honored us with your presence." He smiles a little too, ironically, and Sebastian really wants to know what's so funny about being in a coma.

He searches for an answer in Blaine's eyes, turning to him, but he doesn't get it, because the boy is already staring at the doctor (Sebastian doesn't know if he's looking at him for something or maybe just to avoid his eyes).

"I …" He tries to say, but there's a sharp stab fills his mind while he tries to give an explanation.

"Relax," the doctor, dark skin and Asian features, "right now you should just rest. Forcing your mind is gonna make you weaker, so you shouldn't really get nervous." He says as he steps closer, pulling out his pen and putting it on the folder. "The best you can do now is closing your eyes, take a breath and wait for the sleep to come, believe me. It's going to be easier remembering after a few awakenings, we're going by levels. Trying to force your brain now is in vain and painful for your temples."

Sebastian isn't sure but he's starting to feel like there's something strange in the room: there's a weird moment he even thinks they want to convince him not to remember. The thought is immediately altered by a stab, and he tries not to scream. Maybe he should really listen to the doctor.

When he comes back to reality though, he notice something: his gaze catches silence looks between Blaine and the doctor and has no idea how to read into them. It looks like they're having entire subtle conversations, nodding and blinking, but the code of the exchange is totally unknown to Sebastian, so he's just forcing his brain out, again.

It hurts and he doesn't realize that stab after stab, he's getting tired again, forcing him to go back to chaos in his mind that's too confusing.

"Sebastian," He hears Blaine call him out, as if his voice is far, too far to belong to the boy sitting next to him, "Maybe the doctor's right. You should keep resting. You'll only hurt yourself like this."

He scowls weakly, trying to keep his eyes opened, but he can't. He feels something hitting his hand, as it's trying to verify his reactivity, and realizes it's Blaine's hand.

"He's blacking out again." He hears him murmuring at the doctor and God, he hates not being able to open his eyes. He doesn't understand what the hell it's happening around him and it makes him terribly nervous, but his nerves don't seem to react a push that should have made them contract.

It doesn't happen anything he was expecting to into his body and it's so damn frustrating.

"It's normal." The doctor is speaking: his voice is lower, altered as the years have gone by, probably he smokes too or has smoked for years (the birds of prey watch, they need, they take what they need, they bite as you bleed). "He's going to be fine. Right now he just needs to do what his body asks for. It could take him a few hours of sleep. Even your presence could disturb him, so I beg you to leave."

"Fine." Blaine answers immediately and Sebastian can feel the sound of the chair shifting along the pavement, and he can't even feel the pain when the noise get's to his ears. He hears Blaine's steps, but he's scowling more, he can feel the muscles of his face, while he trice to listen but the effort is just too much.

He's just trying to fight back.

He doesn't want to sleep, he needs to know what's happening, he wants to be sure; he feels like he's manipulated, like he's in trap and he needs to see it clear.

But he can't.

It's too hard.

Still, somewhere into his mind – in that chaos – he remembers he has had insomnia at times. He isn't sure, he can't be sure about anything. He doesn't even know what's his life about and there are pieces that look like they're clearly out of the line. Blaine's the first thing wrong mainly because … who is even Blaine? He knows who's Blaine, but there's something missing, something wrong, empty spaces between his memories, a confusion that fills him every time he tries to remember.

He's getting weak.

Weaker and weaker.

xxx

"It hurts." Kurt complains, while Sebastian tightens the bandages around his wrists, holding them together firmly with a smug grin on his face. He pushes one hand through his soft hair, messing it and then pulling them strongly back, forcing Kurt to arch his back.

He kisses him from there, pushing his tongue into the boy's mouth with no kindness, unable to keep from smirking wickedly and feeling the anxiety growing inside: his beat is fastening, his skin almost burns, his sight improves even better, allowing him to study each and every detail of Kurt's freckles that cover his soft, delicate, milky skin. So beautiful, it looks like it was made to be signed with the tip of a knife, so perfect that it needs a treatment like this one as a punishment for having crossed the limits allowed to human beauty.

"It's gonna hurt just a bit …" He murmurs low at his ear, feeling Kurt shiver against him.

He loves having him like this, enjoy that Kurt's so weak to surrender his games, that he doesn't even want to complain and likes being defeated by him. He may be the best prey he has ever had, the one that makes him proud the most. So apparently perfect and yet fragile victim of his touch, as if it's a natural hypnosis, as if he had fallen into his trap before Sebastian even had the honor and the pleasure to place it.

The bed under the boy's knees taste like them, their bodies, and it's such a turn on for him; It might turn him on more than Kurt himself.

He is starting to feel the anxiety of the victory so much he can't even find the right moment for that. Week might have gone by and yet he hasn't decided when to strike and put an end to this game; a one sided challenge he knows he's going to win.

It's always been like that and it's always going to be.

The bird of prey only can survive the hunt.

"It's already hurting a bit …" Kurt complains and the fingers through his hair tugged at it strongly, again. "No, it's not, it's not hurting …" He murmurs, thrusting his hips back and forward, searching for a friction.

Sebastian walks on his knees until he reaches his back: he puts his long fingers – merciful blades of cruelness – along his hips and pushes him a little back, making him lean against his chest so that he could reach Kurt's ear with his lips.

"Does it hurt, Kurt?" He whispers, meanly. He doesn't care. Kurt's used to it. "Let me hear it, does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't …" Kurt moans, sounding pathetically suffering. "No, no, it's not hurting …" He murmurs, in an indirect plea to make him stop.

"Do you want me to tighten it?" He asks again, sucking his lobe between his teeth and biting his hard, so much he can feel the warmth of his skin, ready blow up in a little mark. Just a little, it's good for now. "You don't seem sincere, baby."

"It doesn't hurt, don't worry about me …" Kurt tries to look more spontaneous but Sebastian …

xxx

He blinks, startling for the sudden awakening.

Blaine is walking around the room, back and forward, and maybe the fact it didn't take him long to focus on him must be a good sign. He can't tell the same about the vision he's just had.

He stays there for a few minutes, in silence, staring at him and wondering what the hell is he thinking. Must be really though since Anderson never massages his temples. It's more like a Smythe thing.

Then, finally, Blaine seems to be having realized Sebastian has woken up.

He forces a smile, looking at him, but Sebastian can read it into his innocent eyes – too innocent to lie – that something's going through his mind and he's trying to hide it. How silly of him.

The birds of prey watch and observe.

"You've woken up. We were starting to worry that it'd never happened. It's so strange one can risk a second coma by simply lying on the bed, when they just wake up from their first one." He says but yet again, he looks totally too calm, considered he has just risked of losing his best friend. "Are you okay? Did you have strange visions or something? You look pale."

Sebastian lifts his chin, silently challenging him.

He knows what he has seen. There's no way Blaine is going to fool him; but he doesn't want to seem to evident though.

"Yeah, that was weird." He explains, leaning on the flexing back of the bed. "The vision was awkward and I'm still trying to give it a reason or a meaning."

"Talk to me." Blaine steps towards him and the bed, grabbing the chair back there.

Sebastian has the immediate sensation it's forced: for some reasons, his mind is suggesting Blaine hast to ask and it's not for personal interest. He's got some weird piece of memory that he's suggesting him there relationship has changed because of something, but he has no idea what it is. But right now he just suddenly feels like he can't trust the guy anymore.

"Kurt." He breathes out. "I'll ask you again, Blaine. I'll ask you a thousand times more until you'll answer me. Where's Kurt?" He asks, having no idea about why his voice has now become low and threatening.

His eyes stare at Blaine throat moving, almost in slow motion. He's swallowing.

The birds of prey watch.

He gains another stab but this time he just scowls without even lifting his hand to his temples. He lifts his chin proudly instead, exposing his perfect neck to Blaine in a gesture of superiority.

A bird of prey is a proud hunter.

"Sebastian, seriously, I don't even know how to say that anymore: we don't know any Kurt and … even if you do know him, you've never introduced us."

Blaine is such a bad liar.

He's always been, Sebastian knows it, but now it's totally clear. He isn't just an idiot and he isn't going to let Anderson play such a stupid lame game. Sebastian has got his rules, he has always had them. No one can force him to anything.

He feels a sparkle through his body and he knows he's born again.

The first awakening has been weird, confused, but right now, Sebastian is starting to feel himself again. His eyes are getting more skilled while they stare at Blaine, and a smirk is blooming on his face.

Blaine must have noticed because he swallows again, this time shortly. But still, Sebastian is able to catch it.

"Of course. Maybe I've just never introduced him to you." Sebastian answers on a purpose.

As he thought, Blaine startles a little: of course, he has imagined that since Sebastian hasn't introduced them according to his story, then Kurt mustn't exist. Sebastian really feels like laughing, because how silly must Blaine be to think he can keep on the pretending? He isn't stupid, but he's totally too ingenuous to play such a game; a game Sebastian seems to know how to play too.

Another stab.

Another grimace.

"I don't think so." Blaine contests, trying awkwardly to save the discussion. He was such a terrible liar "We usually share everything about our live so, if you've met anybody named Kurt, I'd know at least, don't you think?"

"What if I didn't tell you?" Sebastian asks immediately, tightening his eyelids together, trying to catch on any sign of hesitation from him, eventually. "Maybe there's a reason I haven't told you. Maybe there's something I can't remember right now about Kurt. Something I didn't want to tell you for a specific reason."

"Sebastian." Blaine stops him, a little unsurely. "Seriously, you just got hit worse than they thought I guess. Because you can't even remember I know everything about you and you know everything about me. We don't know any Kurt, I have no idea how to tell you anymore."

Sebastian rolls his eyes, relaxing his back, staring at the ceiling.

He tries to allow his mind another of his spiritual voyages inside the visions he gets when his eyes close without his permission, but he isn't able to force it. He's like he needs to sleep now because he can't hold all the pieces together: the short confused scenes he sees when he's sleeping are not really helpful.

He remembers Kurt, and everything he focuses on these fantasies, memories or whatever they are, they look like they're completely at ease with each other. However, when he's awake, rationally thinking, he isn't able to understand who Kurt really is, what happened between them and when it has begun.

There are essential pieces missing.

It seems like he's able to see little pieces of something much bigger and if it's not real, well, he might think the accident drove him crazy. There's a small chance it did actually, but Sebastian doesn't feel like that's the case: he's not going crazy, he's sure of it. Blaine is hiding something, and it's a big deal too.

"I'm going to call the doctor, okay?" His 'friend' cuts in – he's not really sure he wants to think about Blaine as a friend right now – interrupting his thought almost as if he wants to do it. As if he has seen Sebastian is thinking too much. He stands up. "He might help you understanding what you're talking about and-"

"There's no need for that." Sebastian answers calmly, a fake smile on his lips. "I'm just being a little confused, whatever."

He supposes that's the best way to do it: insisting means that he'd be going against someone's wills – he still has no idea why – so he decides to satisfy their wishes. It's the best way to get out of the hospital soon. Until he stays there, there's no really chance to get anything: he'd still remember thing and Blaine would still deny; there'd be no progress in that.

He must outsmart him.

"Maybe you're right." He murmurs then, wearing a fake sorry face, like he's the best actor on the planet, seriously. "Sorry, Blaine. I'm just a little shaken up so, my head's spinning and I just see a lot of strange things and it's confusing. I don't know what's real or not, but I guess I must trust you." He lifts his gaze and see that Blaine's already calmer.

"Exactly." He smiles too, sitting beside him again. "We shouldn't stay here too long. Just a little so that you can stop having such a mess in your head and we should go back home."

That's bad.

How much time is going to pass before he stops having these visions? He can't waste any time in a hospital bedroom, so he just gives him an instinctively grimace at the thought.

"I'm fine. It's nothing, like a few blurred visions. I'll just ignore them, they're just weird fantasies." He answers, smiling towards Blaine, trying to convince him. "There's no need for me to stay here, really."

"I completely agree, Mr. Smythe." The doctor enters the room, looking at Sebastian and then Blaine. "Air can do good. Being locked in here is just going to make him fall every time his mind trips him up. He needs to live calmly and an hospital room is not really the best thing now."

"I thought-"

"No." The doctor stops him and Sebastian notices the way he has cut it, preventing Blaine from speaking in front of him. Secrets, secrets, secrets. "There are some issues going on right now and he needs to go back to his real life before he loses contact with it."

"I get it." Blaine murmurs, looking down.

"Can you follow me? I must talk to you about some bureaucratic matters." He says, nodding towards the door of the room, and Blaine nods too. He steps forward, looking at Sebastian that smiled, reassuming.

As soon as the doctor closes the door behind their backs, Sebastian's smile drops.

He needs a plan, he needs it now: even though he's still a lot confuse right there, into his mind, he knows it can't be imagination, not totally at least: there are some pieces missing, mysterious parts that have disappeared and that he can't ignore, but still, he can't be fantasy, not everything.

There must be something real and he knows Kurt is that something.

He just needs to focus and maybe search into their apartment for something that can remind him about whatever happened.

They don't want him to investigate, it's clear.

Probably, the doctor is explaining Blaine the reason why he wants him to get out of there, and it might be because it'd gain him Sebastian's trust. Of course Sebastian doesn't really want to co-operate: he has no idea about what's missing in the puzzle but he's quite sure it's important. If it weren't, he wouldn't even be so determined.

He puts his head against the headboard and closes his eyes.

He needs to remember, to understand.

He tries to focus to listen to Blaine and the doctor speaking, but his improved sense aren't able to work on it neither.

He just thinks for a second.

There's something wrong.

Why the hell are his sense so developed? Before this moment, Sebastian hasn't thought about it because he's weirdly comfortable with it, but the stab he's feeling right now proves him that's not the case.

He's starting to get how it work: every time his mind tries to remember something it shouldn't, Sebastian feels the arching pain in his head, as if there's some sort of obstacle to it, and maybe it's there for a reason.

It looks like a paradoxical and so space-aged, but it's starting to become more and more realistic into his mind, almost as if he's sure of it even though he knows it's a damn crazy theory. He has no idea about what did actually happen, why he's there and how he even got there.

There are two things he's sure about though.

Firstly, someone doesn't want him to remember and is playing a game with him.

Secondly, this someone is going to lose.