Kurt stared at himself in the body-length mirror in his room, adjusting his navy blue tie with a textured pattern for the umpteenth time. His heart was beating out of control, and Rachel stood at his side, dressed in her lovely, coral pink brides maids dress with her fair twisted up into a simple up do.
"You look fine, Kurt," she told him. "Stop worrying. He already loves you, this is just the final step."
"I just..." Kurt began. "I can't believe it's been two years since Blaine proposed to me. I can't believe we're really getting married."
"I'm so happy for you," Rachel gave a small smile, and they looked at each other in the mirror, their arms around each other.
"Did you text Blaine? Is he already at Central Park?" Kurt asked.
"He should be," Rachel replied. "But you never know with Blaine. He's probably arranging a band to play another Beatles tune for when you walk down the aisle."
"Right," Kurt snorted. There was a comfortable silence that came over the two friends.
"I really am so, so happy for you, Kurt," Rachel told him. "It means so much to me to see you get to have something as beautiful as Blaine."
"Rachel," Kurt said, and he already knew what she was referring to.
"Sorry," Rachel said.
"Don't you dare apologize," Kurt cut in with a final tone. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
Rachel nodded, her eyes shifting to her high-heeled toes. Kurt wrapped and arm around her waist and guided her to sit down on the bed. He reached over to his nightstand and opened up the drawer. He pulled something rectangular out of it and placed it in Rachel's lap. It was a framed photo of Finn, handsome and smiling, just like how everyone remembered him. Rachel inhaled.
"Let's talk to him," Kurt told her, and Rachel nodded again.
There was another long period of silence. Finn's death had hit everyone so hard that they didn't think they could get back up again. It was two years ago that he died, about a month after Kurt and Blaine got engaged. It tore Kurt's heart in two knowing that he wouldn't be able to see his big brother smile at him while he walked down the aisle to meet the love of his life. But Kurt knew that more than anything, it was Rachel who suffered the most. Finn and Rachel had been on and off all through most of high school, but in the end, they would always end up finding each other, even if they fought a lot. Kurt wasn't even sure what to say to Rachel the first time they found out Finn had died. Kurt remembered how they both just sat on their New York City sofa, curled together while silent tears of shock rolled down their faces. Kurt remembered how his friend cried herself to sleep in his arms that night, and how later, when he went back to Ohio for the memorial, he cried himself to sleep in Blaine's arms.
"Finn," Kurt began slowly, keeping an arm around Rachel. "Hi, big brother. You know, I never really got why you called me your little brother, because I'm technically 4 months older than you, but that's just what you called me, and so it stuck. Probably because you're six feet tall and you can't even see me when you looked down."
Rachel smiled.
"I'm getting married today. To Blaine, of course, but I'm sure you somehow already know that. All of us miss you so much. I'm...devastated that you can't be here right now with us. It's not fair. I can't believe it sometimes how you're not actually here with us. I keep expecting you to send me a stupid text asking me about how to turn the oven on, or hearing you laugh about a really dumb joke you heard in a movie. I just keep expecting you to come back. Even though we fought all the time about stupid things like me being too loud in the kitchen when I used to stress-bake, or you leaving your dirty socks on the floor, we still made the best step-brother duo anyone could ask for. There's no denying that. But we all know that you're not really gone. You're always here with us in some capacity."
Rachel was crying now.
"Today, I'm not just going to celebrate for Blaine and I, but for you, and Rachel, and everyone else. I don't have a best man because I always wanted you to be my best man, and I just can't see anyone else filling that position. But I know you'll be here with us today. I don't believe in God, but I believe you're somewhere, and that's good enough for me."
Kurt sniffled and wiped a tear away. "I love you, Finn."
There was a long pause before Rachel could speak. She focused on Kurt's hand around her waist and on getting her breathing under control. Her teardrops landed on the glass frame, creating clear dots all over Finn's radiant smile.
"Finn," Rachel's voice cracked on the name, and Kurt's arm immediately tightened around her, "You don't even need me to say this out loud. You don't need me to sing or say some speech for you to know how much I love you."
Rachel had to pause for another moment again.
"I'm so happy that Kurt and Blaine get to have what we didn't. I'm so glad that in some way, I get to witness a happily ever after. I'm just so glad that even though Mr. Hummel and your mother lost a son, they get to gain a new one today."
Kurt smiled at this.
"I know we were on and off constantly. I know I did most of the talking in our relationship and you did most of the listening, or at least, you pretended to listen. But it doesn't change the fact that as dysfunctional as we were sometimes, we always made it out in the end as triumphant, singing, and braver than we were before. Even when I moved here to New York, you still did everything you could to make your own dreams come true. And boy, would you have made an interesting teacher. And of course, by interesting, I mean a great one."
Rachel wiped her hand across her face, careful not to smudge her carefully done makeup. But Kurt didn't mind if she smudged it across her face and showed up to the wedding like that. She deserved to have this moment.
"I can feel you sometimes. I've never really told anyone that, but even when I'm doing little things like making breakfast or warming up for dance practice or doing my hair, it's like I can just feel your beautiful eyes looking at me lovingly. And I'm just so lucky that you were my first love. Not many people can say that."
Kurt and Rachel's temples were pressed together now, both of their eyes closed as tears tracked down their cheeks. Rachel took a deep breath, her voice scratchy from crying.
"I love you, Finn," Rachel told the picture-told Finn. "I always have, and I will always have a special place in my heart for you. We all will. I don't even know if you can hear what Kurt and I are saying right now, but we love you so much."
The two friends sat there for a moment, letting the silence engulf them. It was nice just sitting and thinking for a moment, almost like time stopped. It was just what Kurt needed before his big day.
They didn't flinch or move when they heard the front door open and a smooth but out of breath voice. "Hey! Is anyone home? Oh god, I'm so sorry, I forgot something, I hope no one is h-"
Blaine, dressed to the nines in his form fitting suit and bowtie, caught sight of Kurt and Rachel through the open bedroom door. He knew it was bad luck to see his partner on their wedding day, but he saw the photo of Finn on Rachel's lap, and he knew that when he made eye contact with Kurt, that it would be alright to come inside.
Blaine smiled warmly, gently walking over to Kurt and Rachel, sitting on the other side of her. He copied his soon-to-be-husbands actions and wrapped an arm around Rachel, pressing a small kiss to her hair.
"I love you both," Rachel told them, her fingers still clutching the photo of Finn. "I'm so happy for you. I know Finn would be, too."
Kurt and Blaine looked at each other lovingly, smiled, and snuggled in closer to Rachel. It would be alright if they were a little late to their own wedding, because right now, the three of them were having a moment with their dear friend.
AN: I know I usually write Klaine fanfics and I'm not much of a Finchel shipper, but this episode of glee and Cory's death hit me so hard that writing something about it made me feel a little better. I still can't believe Cory is gone and I miss him so much. I've watched him for 4 years on tv, and even though I didn't know him personally, I knew how great of a guy he was. Rest in Peace, Cory Monteith/Finn Hudson, you'll be missed forever.