Kurt Hummel had no idea what he was doing standing outside his high school boyfriend's house ten years after he graduated college, thirteen years since he broke up with the cheater. He had no obligation to tell his ex the news he was recently delivered. Just as he was turning around to leave, the door opened and his breath was stolen away. Blaine had stopped plastering his hair to his head with gel at some point and his hair was a fluffy halo of tight curls. His hazel eyes were so much more intense than Kurt remembered them.
"What are you doing here, Kurt?" Blaine asked, glancing back into his house before stepping onto the porch with Kurt and closing the door. Kurt took in Blaine's bare feet and lack of bow tie before glancing back up at Blaine's face. His lips were moving and Kurt only realized Blaine was still talking. "How did you even find my address? It's been years since we've even seen each other. You made your opinions quite clear last time. So, why are you here?"
"Dad-" Kurt stuttered out before taking a deep breath in and shaking his head to clear it. "My Dad died of cancer 15 months after his diagnosis-"
"I know that Kurt. I was at the funeral. It was the last time I ever saw you, which was fine with me. Why are you here?" Blaine interrupted exasperated. He kept glancing back at the door behind him.
"If you'd let me finish talking, I'd get there!" Kurt shrieked out. Blaine's eyes widened as he faced the door, as if expecting Kurt's loud, high tone to cause chaos to erupt. "I have to tell you something important Blaine! Can you just look at me for two seconds?"
As soon as Kurt was finished talking, the front door was opened and Sebastian Smythe appeared. Kurt's mouth dropped open as he glanced between the two. Sebastian put his arm around Blaine's waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek, causing Blaine to visibly relax. The old rival turned to Kurt and cocked an eyebrow, but didn't smirk as Kurt was expecting.
"Is there any particular reason you yelled at my husband?" Sebastian questioned.
"I- I just… I have cancer, okay? Thanks. Bye," Kurt hurriedly squeaked out before turning tail and rushing towards his car.
"Kurt!" Blaine shouted after a quick exchange with Sebastian. "Do… Do you want to go grab some coffee and talk?"
The glaze eyed man slowly turned to face the two men standing on the front porch and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Give me just a minute to go get some shoes on and we can go," Blaine said, sliding back into the house.
"That really blows Hummel. I hope you can beat it," Sebastian called out before heading inside as well.
Just a few minutes later, the door opened just enough for Blaine to slip out. He walked over to Kurt and grabbed his hand, pulling Kurt the rest of the way to his car. "Is it okay if I just ride with you?" Blaine questioned, walking around to the passenger side after releasing Kurt's hand. Kurt nodded again and unlocked the car, getting in. They drove in silence except for Blaine's occasional direction after asking Kurt if he knew of any coffee shops around, getting only a small shake of his head in response.
Once they parked in the lot, Kurt reached for the door handle to get out of his car, only to have Blaine's hand stop his. Kurt looked over to Blaine, seeing him unbuckled and leaning over. Blaine stared into Kurt's eyes, noting the haunted look before speaking.
"He changed." At Kurt's blank look, Blaine continued. "Sebastian changed. I went to the Warbler graduation party, and when I started crying, Sebastian took me away from everyone and just held me all night. He's nice and we fell in love. You weren't around anymore. But, I don't want you to be alone in this Kurt. Let me help you through this like I helped your dad. Let us be friends again."
Blaine's eyes were shining with hope and sincerity. Kurt took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "I came… I came here to tell you I forgive you for cheating all those years ago. I forgave you a long time ago."
"You came all the way to California to tell me you forgive me for that?" Blaine questioned.
"When Dad was really sick, towards the end, he told me things he did, knowing his time was nearing an end. One of them was giving forgiveness he'd been denying. I'd been denying you forgiveness by not telling you I had forgiven you for that. That's why I found out where you lived and drove all the way to California to see you one last time."
"Kurt, you're talking like you've already given up. You talk like you aren't even going to fight this," Blaine started, stopping when Kurt didn't deny it, when his facial features showed that Blaine was hitting the nail on the head. "Kurt. You can't just give up. This isn't a death sentence. There are treatments. Think of what Burt would say if he knew you were going to just give up and not fight!"
"Blaine, please. This is my choice. I'm not going to pump chemicals into my body and get so sick all I do is throw up when I'll probably still die anyways."
"Don't talk that way! What about your bucket list?"
"That's another reason I came out to Cali to talk to you. This is the start of me living out my bucket list. I'm traveling across America to cross things off the list. First thing, get coffee with Blaine one more time. I weeded out the unrealistic things, like making love to Taylor Lautner in a bed of lilacs before he gets fat. So, let's go in and get our coffee."
The two boys made polite small talk over their old high school coffee orders, even though both preferred a different mix of caffeine now. They talked about the weather and crazy news stories, Kurt always changing the subject when Blaine asked about his diagnosis. Finally, the coffee cups were empty and the two boys were throwing everything away when Blaine spoke. "You said you were going across the country to cross things off your bucket list Let me go with you .You don't need to do that alone."
"You're married Blaine. I just came to tell you I forgave you. I don't need a buddy for this trip," Kurt protested.
"Let's go back to my place. You can drop me off. I'll talk to Sebastian, you can stay in town tonight; I have a friend who can get you a hotel room for cheap and I'll even pay. We'll go out to dinner tonight, you, me, and Sebastian. We'll figure out the specifics then. I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm not letting you be alone for this."
Once the two boys arrived back at Blaine and Sebastian's house, Blaine told Kurt goodbye at the car, giving him directions to the hotel. Blaine let Kurt know that he would call his friend while Kurt was driving so his room would be paid for and waiting. Blaine spoke as Kurt started the car. "I'll call your room when Sebastian is ready and we've decided where to meet."
Kurt drove to the hotel and upon walking into the lobby, was handed a room key followed by the desk worker saying "Have a nice time Mr. Hummel". Kurt paused for a moment, wondering how the receptionist was so sure he was Mr. Hummel. Annoyance flitted through Kurt's mind when the room phone rang within minutes of him shutting the door.
"Hey Princess. It's Sebastian. There's a café two blocks from Blaine and my house we can eat at. You passed it on your way to the hotel. We'll see you there in fifteen minutes tops." And then the resounding 'click' sounded, signifying the end of the call. Kurt kept the phone to his ear for a minute before breathing very deeply and hanging up. After picking the phone back up and making sure it still worked after the heavy slam he just put it through, Kurt pocketed his cell phone and room key and then exited the hotel.
