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31
Love
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Love flooded all around them over the next few weeks. They had visits from all of the Ohio sector, their New York counterparts were over often and lavishing over Kurt's return. The England Sector came over to visit as well as a many other of their friends. Now that Kurt was back in earnest, even more of their friends had popped out of the woodwork.
In some ways there was some reminiscent about their fair-weather friends but the love from those who had been with them through it all was still so strong.
Life in a lot of ways returned back to normal too, except Kurt still stayed in New York and didn't go walking outside of their apartment without Sebastian. Part of it was his own awareness now of what had happened and what they'd almost lost. They debated about moving after the bad memories returned to both of them but it was decided against. Bad memories could happen anywhere and they didn't want to move every time a new one formed. There were more good ones here anyway and they definitely weren't in a hurry to move away from those.
Eventually they'd both feel comfortable with Kurt walking in their neighborhood alone again and they might not even recognize it happening until it did. If they didn't get to that point, it was ok too, they would do what felt best for the two of them, together.
Rachel had reached out to them with new tickets to her show about a month later and there had been serious debate and in the end Kurt had won. They attended and applauded and stood for the cast when they came on after the show and then hung out with Blaine and Rachel afterward along with some other cast members.
Most ignored Blaine and Blaine hung back after a stilted apology to both of them and didn't really participate after that. The director came over an hour into their after show drinks and bent to say something to Blaine and then those two were going off together. Kurt looked about to say something but Blaine shook his head, he'd dug himself this hole.
Sebastian ran a reassuring hand over Kurt's back, also feeling badly for Blaine, somehow. He'd look into what he could do to help Blaine out. Rachel looked at the departing backs, unease in her eyes but she then turned back to them overly bright. Sebastian hated how she could shove it down and turn it off. "I think we're going to go home, Rach." Kurt didn't like it either and stood with Sebastian following quickly behind, they were both no longer interested in being part of this now that things were confirmed in front of them. Partying now just seemed so wrong. Sebastian would be better about Blaine from now on, he swore to himself. Maybe even help him find a real boyfriend or something.
Rachel's face fell, she had wanted them around to help her tuck it away safely but now she didn't have them to distract her. "Ok, well, safe journey home." She really meant it as she hugged both of them. Then she went to drown her thoughts out of her head by joining the other cast members still at the bar.
Sebastian felt sick and he could only imagine how Kurt felt. Kurt had always been the more moral north of the two of them and he cared about people more than Sebastian did and he was crazily compassionate. It was easy to see the toll on Kurt's face as everything got confirmed for him, even after everything that had gone down. "It's just so terrible." Kurt confided his feelings to Sebastian as they sat in the towncar on the way back to their condo. "It's just a deeper level of abuse."
For Kurt who had gone through his own less than stellar situation with a man in power and Brody's chosen second career, this still seemed worse than those things.
"We'll talk to lawyers in the morning, see what's legal and what's not and get ideas on how to help Blaine." Sebastian didn't want to see Blaine in this situation either, they'd known each other almost as long as he'd known Santana.
Turned out, there wasn't much they could do without Blaine's participation. There had to be others who had been in this position before with them, maybe even concurrently. The only thing they could do was let the authorities know and let them try to build a case and find other victims. Then it was out of their hands and they could only be there for Blaine as moral support. Sebastian was even convinced to forgive Blaine and while he didn't let his guard down, he did allow him to participate in activities with the rest of them more. He ignored Santana's very vocal ire. Kurt was right, they were all Blaine really had and he only sank deeper into that world when he was cut off from their lives. A better support group might change Blaine's mind about coming forward.
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Sebastian went back to work full time, knowing Kurt would be there when he got home or would be home soon after Sebastian did. They attended each other's events and hung out with Brittana quite a bit.
They even went to Ohio and stayed in Kurt's former home with the three boys, Quinn and the newest member of the boys' lives, little Ruby. It almost seemed like a 'three dads' scenario now that Finn and Puck resolved their problems with each other and Finn had fallen in love with Ruby as if she were his own. Sam treated her well as well and had Mercedes over whenever she was in town. She attempted to be in Ohio more than ever. Sam also went out to visit her whenever he knew she'd be in a bigger city that he could get to for cheaper and faster. She attempted to pay his way or have him come on tour with her but he deferred.
Kurt and Sebastian hung out with Mercedes (and Sam) whenever she was in New York and took a trip to England to see Adam, his husband and their dog.
Life was good.
Then Kurt was cleaning and knocked into the end table on Sebastian's side and saw a whole lot of lube as predicted- Sebastian was always pulling out a new bottle whenever they ran out- that wasn't surprising at all. There was another box in there that caught his attention and brought it out to Sebastian, already knowing what it was and needing more information.
"How long has this been in there?" Kurt asked, cupping his hands around it as if it was the most precious and delicate thing on the planet.
Sebastian stayed away as if it were poisonous and would burn. "Since our trip to Greece."
Kurt frowned at him. "You've been sitting on it for that long? Seb, that was before any cracks started forming, why did you wait to ask? Were you afraid of my answer? Afraid to ask? Unsure still but impulsively buying it? Why haven't you asked since?"
"I can't!" Sebastian threw his hands up into the air. "I've tried and then with the accident, I can't anymore."
Kurt blinked at him several times trying to follow what he was saying and then he sank down onto the edge of the table. "I haven't had any more seizures since the blood thinners worked their magic. I have no long lasting effects and I'm back to normal. We've been so good, but you still can't ask me? What's wrong? What did the accident change?"
Sebastian sank down onto his knees in front of Kurt and took his hands, box included. "I tried once and failed miserably. I had attempted to several times after that but those were all false starts that I abandoned quickly. There had never been a right time then I went and messed everything up for awhile with my self-destructive behavior. Then I got sick and you almost found the box then."
"I remember you yelling at me, that had hurt." Kurt agreed. "It had never been expressly off limits to go into your things, we were in a partnership but I respected there were some things you may want to surprise me with or keep to yourself until you were ready to share."
"Yeah, I didn't want you seeing the ring then, I wanted to surprise you with it. Then you got into the accident and in a coma and... can't you see Kurt? I've lost the ability to ask you. I want to marry you, but I can't be the one to ask, not after everything I did and said and went through. There would always be a question hanging above us."
"No, I don't see." Kurt shook his head and tightened his fingers around the box. "There's no question about it and there will never be."
Sebastian resigned himself to fully flaying himself open for Kurt to see everything. "I was in such a pathetic shape while you were in the coma. I was lost without you and my whole existence became about just you. If there weren't others involved, I'd probably have been by yourself as a skeleton when you woke up."
"Yeah but I did and you learned how to live life again without me in many ways."
"It was still only about you." Sebastian countered. "Even going to work and keeping up appearances was all for you so you could come back to this world a little easier."
"Even so-." Kurt was shaking a little. "Really? Seb- I guess I have never fully appreciated what you've gone through. I thought I did."
"In so many ways when you woke up without your memory it was like I had lost you for good. I thought it might have been worse than if you died but then pretty quickly I realized you were still you, it was just a step back, not the end, not game over. It wasn't like you were completely different, you were you but just before everything. Even if you had a complete change in personality and weren't you anymore, I was already committed to you in all ways. In my heart, we were already married. Then I realized it was a chance to start over. When your memories returned, it didn't really matter, I was in love with both versions of you and again, it was just you that I was in love with. I am glad for your memories to return and not lose that you in the process and that things have worked for us." Sebastian pressed the box further toward Kurt. "Like so many things in the past, while I feel it, it's got to be you who goes first. I had wanted to this time but it's only right if it's your decision, you asking."
"Sebastian, you're so stupid sometimes."
"So I've been told." Sebastian felt a little defeated right then, Kurt despite all appearances did not actually want to get married. That was something he could deal with, as long as Kurt knew and didn't end things.
"I'm just going to pretend you asked because my answer is and would have always been yes." He attempted to open the box but Sebastian snatched it out of his hands.
"You're not going to ask me but pretend I was the one doing the asking?"
"Yep."
"That's cruel after everything I've said." Sebastian was a little put out.
"It's not, you're just scared and chickening out again. This was always your plan to ask me, so you might as well. If you're worried about how others view this, about you doing the asking then they can go jump off a cliff for all I care. The person that matters most to me in this world is you."
"Just not how I feel about things."
"One day you'll realize I'm right." Kurt teased and ran his fingers gently along Sebastian's chin. "You're in the right position for this... a few things actually."
Sebastian laughed with him and pressed a kiss to Kurt's hand, over where the right would go once his boyfriend said yes to the proposal. "Will you marry me, Kurt?"
He opened the box and Kurt gasped. "That's beautiful... probably the most beautiful ring I've ever seen."
"It's not fancy or expensive-." Sebastian started to explain and was surprised when Kurt dropped down to his knees in front of him.
"Seb, that has never mattered to me and I know you could have easily gone that route. This ring is perfect, it is infused with more love, memories of happy times, than the most expensive ring could." He held out his hand for Sebastian to slid it onto his finger. "I love you so much, Sebastian, I can't wait to marry you."
"Kurt... there's no one in this whole world I would ever want to marry other than you. I've loved our lives together and I know the rest of our lives together will be just as good if not even better. You won't need me to promise to be with you through sickness and health, good and bad, rich and poor times. You've got me for life and I'm not going anywhere."
"Ditto." Kurt teased even as Sebastian finally slid the ring onto his finger. "I'm not going anywhere ever again, I'm with you through everything and I think I've shown it didn't matter when we met, all of me will always love all of you."
Sebastian chuckled and pulled Kurt into a hug. Kurt's arms wrapped around his waist in return and they just held each other, happy just to be there but then Kurt tipped his head back and Sebastian tipped his head down and their lips met.
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EAN: Non-epileptic seizures/Myoclonic seizures.
Also, one more chapter to go. :)
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