Another argument. Another slammed door.

Blaine winced as the pictures hanging next to the front door rattled with the force of Kurt's anger. It would inevitably spark another passive aggressive note by their next-door neighbor - their third one this week. Julia was a nice, older woman who had hated them since the first week in their new apartment when they'd yelled at each other at 3 am because Blaine had dared move some of Kurt's clothes to try to fit more of his into the closet.

Their new apartment was smaller than the loft which meant they argued even more than they had when they'd lived together the first time. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be better about everything, argue less, love more, now that they were married.

Blaine headed to the bathroom to finish gelling his hair, unable to even remember what had started the fight. Their fights seemed to blend together, lengthening until they were mad at each other for weeks at a time. Three months they'd been in New York and things seemed to be getting worse.

They'd tried to resolve the space issue by having Blaine set up a desk to get ready in the bedroom while Kurt could get ready in the bathroom. Except that meant their space in the bedroom was too cramped. So, Kurt's vanity for his skincare routine had been moved to the living room which meant they were too crowded out there as well. Short tempers in the morning, and every other time of the day.

Blaine had thought it would be better once they got married. They were husbands now. They wore each other's rings and Blaine just wanted to feel like he belonged. Honestly, Blaine felt more lost than he had when they were broken up his senior year of high school. They'd talked through more of their problems, taken time to be themselves, and they were supposed to be communicating more. Blaine was determined to make it work. He wanted to think Kurt felt the same way.

Which was why knowing Kurt had stalked out of their apartment this morning during their third argument of the week hurt. And it was only Thursday.

Blaine groaned, rubbing his eyes and straightening his bowtie. They'd had big plans of heading towards their respective schools together for their first days back, picking up a coffee at a shop that was between the two colleges. Blaine shook his head, grabbing his phone and shoving it in his pocket. A malicious voice in his head was telling him to rinse the gel out of his hair and go back to bed but he couldn't.

When he'd gotten back together with Kurt this time, he'd inwardly promised he wouldn't let himself drift away again. He was older now. And he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to get back into college if he flunked out a second time. He was lucky enough that NYU had taken him.

With that thought, Blaine pat his head, making sure all of his curls were completely gelled and grabbed his messenger bag. He had classes to get to. A life to lead. His marriage that he wanted to save could wait until later.

Blaine considered that the entire time as he got on the subway and made his way to school, making notes on his phone of what he wanted to do for Kurt. Flowers, maybe? A slice of his favorite cheesecake from the restaurant that Kurt hated every other food at. They were both stressed and Blaine wanted to make sure he didn't push Kurt too much like he had the last time. If Blaine had to push himself to make Kurt happy, he could. He'd done it before.

The college campus didn't take as long to get to as Blaine had planned, and he had time to wander around, to get acquainted. He and Kurt had come a few weeks ago so Blaine could find his classes but he couldn't wait to immerse himself. This was his chance to shine and not have to worry about ruining his and Kurt's relationship like he had when they attended NYADA together.

Blaine couldn't help the way he smiled, taking in the atmosphere. Any one of these people could become a good friend in the coming weeks. Maybe he shared classes with them or they'd meet in one of the clubs he wanted to join. It was going to be a ton of fun and Blaine could feel the optimism building in him. Blaine was always ready to take on the world.

Of course, he didn't have that much time before his first class.

When he came across a coffee shop that seemed to be overflowing with students, Blaine looked at his watch before heading towards the door. He'd get coffee and he'd feel so much better when he headed to his first class of the day.

Blaine pushed the door of the coffee shop open, his eyes on the menu above the counter and his phone in one of his hands. He gasped as somebody ran into him in the doorway, walking too fast, and then cringed as the feeling of ice-cold coffee showered over him. It reminded him unpleasantly of being slushie'd in high school.

"Fuck, I'm sorry."

Blaine blinked up as he recognized the voice, his head tilting as the ice cubes on the floor in front of him were forgotten. Sebastian Smythe didn't look much different than he had when Blaine had last seen him. He had grown his hair out again, the brown strands swooping over his forehead, but that seemed to be the only difference. His eyes were just as wide as Blaine's as they looked at each other.

Sebastian recovered first, shaking himself. "Fancy meeting you here, Blaine. I am sorry about the coffee. I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay," Blaine breathed, pulling his shirt away from his chest as the liquid began making his way down his front. At least the tight collar and bowtie had prevented any ice from going down his shirt.

Sebastian smirked, tossing his mostly empty cup in the trash and checking his watch. "Do you still have the same coffee order? I feel it's only fair I buy you a coffee while you get cleaned up."

"I feel like I kind of owe you a coffee after you dropped yours," Blaine responded easily, jumping as a worker came bustling up to get the coffee cleaned up. He and Sebastian moved out of the way and Blaine winced at the wetness starting to seep into his pants now. "Okay, actually, you win. I'm going to get cleaned up. Yes, my order is the same."

The coffee wasn't easy to get cleaned up and Blaine knew he was going to feel sticky for the rest of the day. But at least he'd foregone the canary yellow shirt he'd originally planned on wearing and had opted for a royal purple. There were some streaks from the coffee but after holding it under the hand dryer, it was the best it could be. He'd had experience doing this.

When Blaine came out of the bathroom, Sebastian was sitting at a small table by the window and Blaine joined him, grinning. He was still having a hard time believing he'd really run into Sebastian, of all people, here. It was nice, though, to see a face from home, even if that face had once almost blinded him. It had been a long time and Blaine had moved past, if not completely forgiven him for that.

Blaine forgave people, even sometimes when they didn't deserve it. It's what he did.

"So, what are you doing here, anyway?" Sebastian asked as he put his phone back onto the table now that Blaine was sitting with him. Blaine pulled the lid off his coffee and poured sugar in, stirring thoughtfully. "Last I heard you were coaching the Warblers. Or the New Directions, whatever weird thing happened once Dalton burned down."

Blaine felt his cheeks go pink at the fact that Sebastian had heard about that. He wondered what other gossip the other man had heard about him. Did he know about Kurt breaking their proposal? Probably. And likely about Blaine dropping out of NYADA. How embarrassing.

"I did. Mr. Schuester, Kurt, Rachel, and I coached them straight to a Nationals win. I got accepted into NYU and Rachel and Kurt went back to NYADA," Blaine explained, keeping his eyes low, unable to meet Sebastian's. He didn't want to know what he'd see in them. "What about you? I didn't know you were coming to New York."

A sip of his coffee and Sebastian nodded. "I'm going into my second year of NYU, actually. Political science," he said, his eyes sliding over Blaine's face in a way that made something warm curl in Blaine's stomach.

"That's great," Blaine said and he meant it. He and Sebastian weren't close anymore but they'd been friends once upon a time. Before Michael Jackson week, Blaine and Sebastian had talked on the phone morning and night, texting at all hours of the day. And after Regionals, they'd reconnected shortly before Blaine's relationship with Kurt had started dissolving and Blaine had done everything he could to hold onto it. That included dropping any friendship that might upset Kurt.

Sebastian nodded, a small smile on his lips that had always gotten Blaine as a teenager. "And you got married?"

Blaine looked down at his coffee, subconsciously twisting his wedding ring on his left hand. Ever since they'd gotten married, it had seemed to weigh more and more. "Yes. It was unplanned. In a barn, actually. In Indiana. During Brittany and Santana's wedding."

The look on Sebastian's face made Blaine laugh and he played with the lid of his cup as he explained further. He was surprised by how easy it was to fall back into talking with Sebastian like they knew each other. That was how it had always been, though. Blaine wasn't sure what it was about Sebastian that made him feel like he could just talk without having to worry about what he was saying. Maybe it was the way Sebastian seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say most of the time.

Blaine could tell Sebastian didn't care about the wedding, though, not really. And he didn't blame him. Besides, Sebastian was looking at him the way he always did, as if he could see right through him. It made Blaine want to look away, to erect a wall to hide behind. He'd always been good at making Kurt see exactly what he wanted him to see but it wasn't the same with Sebastian. Every time he had a conversation with Sebastian, Blaine felt like his emotions were written on his skin.

"What about you?" Blaine asked, deciding he was done talking about himself. It felt like anything he could say would be the wrong thing. He didn't want to talk about Kurt with Sebastian, nor college since he was still undecided about it all, or anything else. He was curious about Sebastian, anyway. "You were really good in the Warblers. Why political science?"

Sebastian shrugged, although he looked completely confident in his decision. "I like performing but only as a hobby. I managed to pull the Warblers back together after the Hunter debacle although that says more about my leadership abilities than my singing or dancing. Besides, my father is thrilled that I'm going into law."

While it had been years since they'd been friends, Blaine could still recognize the cynical tone to Sebastian's voice. Blaine didn't want to bring up any painful topics and he knew Sebastian's father was one. Instead, they chatted about Dalton, the Warblers that Sebastian had left behind to carry on the legacy, including a handful that Blaine had coached the next year.

Blaine didn't even realize he had to go until Sebastian was smiling and holding up his phone to show Blaine the time.

"I have to get to class. I probably should've left a few minutes ago," Sebastian said, his tone apologetic as he picked up his coffee cup.

And Blaine knew he had to go too but he didn't want to. Not when he was reconnecting with Sebastian this way. He'd been eager to make friends and why would he give up this one? Sebastian knew him already, knew what he'd gone through. It would be nice to have a friend like that. "I do too. Do you still have the same number? I'd love if we could get lunch sometime?"

Sebastian looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes, as if he was trying to figure out Blaine's angle. But he nodded, pushing his chair in as Blaine stood up. "Sure. My number's still the same. Text me anytime."

Blaine smiled at him, letting out a breath as he thought to their first meeting. He could still remember the butterflies that had swarmed in his stomach, the way he'd been terrified when Sebastian had left. All he could think about then was that he hadn't thought about Kurt once. And he hated the way he felt the same again. "Great."

And there was that same look from Sebastian, heat in his eyes and a confidence that Sebastian could see through Blaine. "Good luck with your first day, killer. You don't need it, though. Everybody will see how amazing you are."

With that, Sebastian was heading for the door and Blaine followed at a slower pace. He could try to pretend a stranger's praise would make him feel just as warm as Sebastian did but it would be a lie. All he could do was pretend it didn't matter so much that Sebastian had seemed to know exactly what Blaine needed to hear.

The clicking as Blaine unlocked the door seemed deafening and reminded him of the notes he'd taken of romantic gestures he'd planned for his husband tonight. Of course, he'd only remembered as soon as he was stepping in the door, his stomach turning when he took in the smell of food in the air.

Kurt was standing at the stove, back to the door, and he glanced over his shoulder when he heard Blaine come in. "Hey," Kurt said, a small, apologetic smile on his lips.

It made a weight lift off Blaine's shoulder as he took off his jacket, hanging it up and coming into the kitchen. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, kissing his cheek before hooking his chin over Kurt's shoulder. "Hey. Let me just take a quick shower and I'll be right out if you need any help. I want to hear about how your classes went."

Kurt nodded, turning his head to kiss the corner of Blaine's lips and stirring whatever it was that smelled so good. "Go ahead. Dinner should be ready when you get out."

Blaine breathed out, melting as he got into the shower, thankful to finally be home. He loved New York and NYU was fine, but he loved quiet evenings at home. Preferably with a few friends but with just his husband was good enough. Blaine showered quickly, making sure all the gel was out of his hair and stepping out smelling like vanilla.

By the time he was back in the kitchen, dressed in comfortable clothes, Kurt was already done cooking and Blaine helped him set the table. They seemed to share silent looks, both of them trying to evaluate the other. Were they still trying to poke holes in the other's armor or were they fighting on the same side? Blaine just hoped their battle was over for now.

"So… I wanted to apologize for earlier," Kurt said primly, looking down as he cut into his chicken. Blaine blinked at him, unused to Kurt actually taking the initiative and apologizing. "I didn't sleep well last night. Or the night before. Not that it's an excuse but… I'm sorry."

Blaine nodded immediately, so grateful he wasn't the one apologizing that he was reaching out before he could consider it. Kurt set his hand in Blaine's slowly. "No, it's okay. Of course. Me too. I mean, I'm sorry too. We're both stressed going back to school. It happens. How was it, though? Your classes?"

Kurt shrugged, twirling his fork as he specifically avoided looking in Blaine's eyes. "Same old NYADA. Everybody wanted to talk about Rachel before realizing she's back. It was okay, though. I'm glad I'm almost done. Just one more year and then… who knows? Then I can do whatever I want."

"I'm so proud of you," Blaine responded, a genuine smile on his lips as Kurt finally met his eyes. There was still something behind Kurt's eyes, hurt maybe? Whatever it was had Blaine's stomach twisting in knots. "You're on the path to being a star. Not that you're not already but soon everybody else will see what I see."

"How was your first day? How's NYU?"

"It's no NYADA but it was fine. Actually…" Blaine blew out a breath, tempted to lie but he knew that was going to be a bad idea. Especially if he really did want to become friends with Sebastian again, he couldn't try to hide it. "I ran into… Sebastian. Physically ran into him at a coffee shop on campus. We sat and talked. Was that okay?"

"Oh, of course," Kurt said. Although Blaine could see by the tightening of his lips that it wasn't really okay. Blaine couldn't exactly blame him for the jealousy considering what had happened when they were in high school but they were married now. Blaine had meant something when he'd said those vows. Being married meant they didn't have to worry anymore. "Is he going to NYU?"

Blaine nodded, taking another bite before he answered. "Yeah, he is."

"And he's not going to try to assault you again?" Kurt asked with fake casualness. Blaine knew Kurt had taken that hard, in a different way than Blaine had. The rock salt had been meant for Kurt, likely wouldn't have ended up on his face, and Blaine knew Kurt still felt guilty he'd jumped in front of him. Blaine wouldn't change that, though. Protecting Kurt like that had been instinctual, something important to him.

"No. He seems different now. Calmer," Blaine said slowly, not sure how he could explain the differences he'd seen in Sebastian. It had been years since Sebastian had thrown that slushie and Sebastian had made it clear he didn't play those games anymore. Even before this reconciliation, Sebastian had been different.

Blaine didn't know why but he trusted him. But then, Blaine had the first time too and look how that turned out.

Kurt nodded back, something seeming to clear on his face as he changed the subject, talking about what had happened in one of his classes.

It was the best Blaine could hope to get. He didn't have to pretend to be interested in Kurt's classes, listening and remarking at the appropriate moments. It was only later, as they lay tangled together in bed, after a few hours of homework and winding down watching their favorite sitcoms, that Blaine realized he hadn't told him anything else that had happened at school.

That was okay, he thought, pressing a kiss to Kurt's temple. This was good already. They were going to get through this and their marriage would be stronger. He just wanted to be happy with Kurt.

He wanted to stop feeling like he was lost all the time.