June 2013

Kurt is, rightfully, wary of his boyfriend's friendship with Sebastian. After everything the Warbler had done to him Kurt was wary because not only had he thrown something dangerous at Blaine's face, he'd been after him for months knowing full well that Blaine was taken and in love with someone else. He'd been nothing but a pest, a giant asshole who wanted nothing more than to ruin Blaine and his relationship so he could hump him and dump him after he got what he wanted. But Blaine hadn't given him that choice; they hadn't allowed Sebastian that satisfaction. And for a few months they ignored Sebastian's existence and fell back into a routine. They were miles apart, Kurt in New York and Blaine still in Ohio for his senior year, but still in love and when Blaine started to mention Sebastian again Kurt began to worry. But Kurt did, eventually with all that time spent at home in Lima for breaks and holidays, see a change in Sebastian. He was still cocky and abrasive and sometimes slightly mean, but he did have a good heart. He was a smart guy and he was trying to change.

And oddly enough he was trying to be friendlier to Kurt, which, during his first trip home during Thanksgiving, threw Kurt for a complete loop. Blaine had only beamed at him, proud of making some kind of change in someone with just his friendship. It was the same smile that he gave Kurt when Santana had admitted to actually liking Blaine's silly bowties and Kurt's incredibly dramatic and emotional solos before she had departed for college. They'd broken Santana's wall down, and now Blaine had broken Sebastian's. There was a good person behind the incredibly offensive mask that Sebastian had worn for so many years.

But behind those sometimes-hurtful eyes Kurt could see a kid who just wanted to be accepted, who had put on an act to hide from everyone. He was defensive for a reason, he'd soon learn.

Blaine had called him after Christmas break (he'd only gone home for a few days; he needed to get back to New York for his typical college student job), his voice laced with sadness and Kurt knew just from the softness to it that Blaine was crying. He'd told him about Sebastian's father, angry and explosive, how Sebastian was sleeping next to him, curled in on himself with an angry black and blue bruise just under his eye. He didn't want Kurt to be angry with him, with either of them, but Kurt was angry. He wanted to fly home and take Finn's wooden baseball bat to Sebastian's father's head because holy shit that's exactly what he deserved. He had quelled Blaine's fears and told him to watch over Sebastian, that he'd call his father and ask him for a favor—if at least for the weekend.

"My dad isn't heartless. He isn't entirely fond of Sebastian either, but I doubt he'd ever let a kid go home to an unsafe environment. Just—make him feel safe tonight, we'll worry about the rest of the weekend in the morning, okay?"

They'd said their I love you's and Kurt hung up the phone, only for a moment, before ringing his father. Burt wasn't angry, he was downright homicidal, swearing up and down, left and right and causing Carole to snatch away the phone, telling her husband to sit down and shut up. She returned him the phone once he'd calmed down, but not before getting in her own two cents about how disgusting and vile that man was.

"You tell him he can spend a few nights here, okay, bud? We'll work it out if he needs to stay longer."

From all accounts Sebastian was guarded and unusually quiet his first night in the Hudmel household, but eventually warmed up, especially with Carole. Sebastian's weekend there turned permanent until Blaine graduated in August. He stayed with them almost eight months, integrating into the family enough for even Finn to start thinking of him as family. Burt and Carole had begun to think the same as well. He stayed at Dalton, but instead of boarding or living at home with an abusive father he spent his nights and weekends with Carole and Burt in Lima. Blaine, Tina, and Sebastian spent more and more time together, forming a bond that was only ever penetrated by outsiders when Kurt and Mike visited during breaks and holidays.

And then Blaine graduated and moved to New York and Sebastian went back to boarding at Dalton (his father was more than willing to pay the tuition so he wouldn't have to come home) regardless of everyone's protesting. They had all wanted him to stay, but there was no explanation—just a short note and a thank you for their hospitality. Informal. He would never admit it, but Burt had always worried after that. He had cared more than he was willing to let on.

June 2017

"What did the hospital say?" Blaine asks, his voice soft and more nervous than Kurt's heard in a while. The last time he sounded so unsure of something was the day he had told Mr. Anderson that he wasn't going into business or law, but teaching children instead. He knew sitting behind a desk or arguing cases in defense of incredibly rich criminals would never satisfy him. He wanted to change people's lives, not help people get away with hurting others. It was also the last time Blaine had spoken with his father, and even though Mrs. Anderson still called it had hurt Blaine more than he'd admit. "Did they say we could visit him today?"

"He's on a seventy two hour hold, and the only visitors are his doctors. We can go in a few days when he's out of the psychiatric ward," Kurt says, hands wrapping around Blaine's waist and hugging him softly. "He's very lucky to have had you there."

"No one else was going to do anything. They had to have seen what he was about to do. How could they have seen what he was about to do, and just… stand there?"

"Blaine—"

"I just don't understand," Blaine says softly, huffing back a sob because he really doesn't want to cry right now. This wasn't supposed about his feelings; this was supposed to be about Sebastian trying to take his life and whatever the hell circumstances lead him to that moment.

"I love you. I love you so much," Kurt kisses the side of Blaine's head, pressing soft pecks across his temple and cheek. "We'll figure it out. I promise you, Blaine, we'll figure it out. How about you go down to the gym? I think it might help to work off some steam. I'll make lunch for when you get back."

Blaine nodded, agreeing, and quickly pulled on an appropriate outfit to box in before kissing Kurt at their apartment door. Kurt watched him go down the street, the gym relatively nearby so that they could walked to it easily, before turning into the apartment building, his phone already out and open as he dialed his father's number.

"D-dad?"

"Hey bud, you sound weird. You okay?"

Kurt sniffles, wiping a Kleenex against his already red nose and eyes, "N-no. We uh—we found Sebastian today."

He could hear the shock from his father's voice even if he did try to play it cool through the speaker, "Oh?"

"He tried to throw himself in front of a subway car," Kurt says after a long moment of silence, and for a second it sounds like Burt has dropped the cell phone on the other end of the line. "Dad?"

"What—Christ, bud, you have to give me more than that."

Kurt pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, "Blaine was on his way home and he noticed some man standing at the edge of the platform. He said it was obvious what this person wanted to do, and as soon as he heard the train coming Blaine jumped forward and pulled him back. It was Sebastian. How fucking coincidental is that? God dad. You should have seen Blaine when I rushed into the emergency room. He looked like he'd seen a ghost, and I brushed it off as hey my boyfriend just saved someone from dying and he deserves to look a little white and shaky. And then Blaine asked to stay and make sure this person was okay."

"He has a big heart, that kid," Burt says, musing softly, proudly.

"I thought so too, but I didn't realize why. He forced me to come with him and see this person; this person who he had just saved from certain death and—bam, there he was. A little scrawnier than I remember and his hair is a bit more unkempt, but dad—it was Sebastian."

"You want me to fly up there, bud? I can be there tomorrow if you need me."

"N-not right now. We can't see him for 72 hours, but—soon? Dad, soon, okay, because I really need a hug from you and I'm sure Blaine could use it too. They had the same dad, essentially. Blaine's dad never hit him—" Kurt thinks back though, to the one single time he'd slapped Blaine, but it had never happened again and it never had escalated. It was really the last time Blaine and his father had a meaningful conversation. Somehow Kurt knew that wouldn't have mattered to Burt at all. "—but their dads are both egotistical sons of bitches. They had a common bond."

"I'll look at a few flights for the end of the week. Carole and I will be up by then at least. You boys don't need to deal with this alone," Burt says and Kurt almost smiles because he knows when his dad says 'boys' that it means Kurt, Blaine, and Sebastian combined. "Give Finn a call. At least he's closer. He can't be much help, but he can bring Rachel and you know she'll bring some of that meatless concoction you love. You two take care of yourselves and we'll see you in a few days, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, dad."

"I love you too, son."

When he hangs up he drops to the floor and leans against the refrigerator for support as he sobs into his hands. He's in his mid-twenties already. Yet somehow he still feels like that same, scared sixteen-year-old boy who took another boy's hand in the middle of a private, all boys high school hallway and never looked back.