Imagine That
Clicking the mute button on the remote control, Blaine unfolded his legs from where they'd been curled beneath him. As the credits for the film scrolled by, he rose, reaching his arms high above his head. "Stretch time," he groaned.
Twisting sideways, he glanced behind him to find Kurt staring blankly at the silent screen. Turning forward again, he scooped a few pieces of popcorn from the half-full bowl on the table and gently tossed them at Kurt. "Earth to Kurt," he called, snickering as the fluffy kernels bounced off of his husband. "Come on, upsy daisy" he urged, taking him by the hands and tugging him to his feet.
The movement brought Kurt back to the present from wherever his mind had been. "Sorry," he apologized, picking a piece of popcorn out of his hair and wrinkling his nose. "Seriously?"
Blaine chuckled softly. "Got your attention, didn't it? Where'd you go, anyway?" he asked, following Kurt to the kitchen to refill their glasses.
"I was just thinking about the movie," he responded vaguely as he went through the motions of pouring a glass of soda for Blaine and an iced tea for himself. It was a dreary, rainy Sunday afternoon, and Blaine had finally convinced Kurt to give the Harry Potter movies a try, promising him they could stop whenever he wanted (but guaranteeing Kurt that he wouldn't want to). They'd finished Chamber of Secrets and were about to start Prisoner of Azkaban.
Returning to the living room, Kurt sat on the couch as Blaine swapped out the DVDs. "I could never think like that," Kurt mused, finally voicing what he'd been thinking.
"What do you mean?"
"The whole thing - creating a new world, all these beings and creatures and things that never existed before. I could never even begin to think up something like that, and it all came out of one person's head. I guess I'm just not that creative," Kurt sighed.
Blaine sat on the couch next to Kurt, paying no attention to the television as the movie's menu screen popped up. He was taken aback by how dejected Kurt sounded all of a sudden. Taking his hand, he asked, "Kurt, what's the matter?"
Kurt simply shrugged, his gaze fixed on the floor.
"Honey, you have one of the most creative minds of anyone I've ever met," Blaine argued. Kurt glanced askance at him, but Blaine was undeterred. "You forget, I knew you in high school. I saw some of the outfits you wore, a lot of which you sewed yourself."
"That's different," Kurt retorted, waving his hand dismissively. "Making bold fashion choices is nowhere near the same as imagining a totally unique universe."
"Not really. Take superheroes, for example. A big part of the character of a superhero is the costume, right?" Blaine offered.
Kurt turned to face Blaine, jumping on the example he'd used. "Superheroes! That's another perfect example. I bet you played Superman or something as a kid, right?" he asked, waiting for Blaine's inevitable nod. "Hell, you even came up with your own superhero in high school, Nightbird. I never did that. While you and every other kid in town was pretending you could fly, my Power Rangers were getting married and divorced in more combinations than Fleetwood Mac. I even married GI Joe to Ken once." Kurt smirked to himself at the memory. "Got him kicked right out the army. Barbie was ticked."
Blaine laughed, picturing little Kurt performing wedding ceremonies with his action figures and dolls. "See? That's creativity right there. Nobody else would have thought of that," he contended, squeezing Kurt's hand for emphasis.
Kurt sighed again, sinking backwards into the couch cushions. "I know, but it's so…normal. I took fantasy characters out of the fantasy world and dragged them into the real world with me. Shouldn't it have been the other way around?"
Blaine moved over to sit close to Kurt and put an arm around him. "Okay, let's come at this a different way. Imagination is a way to give yourself what you're missing in life. Some people feel they need adventure, so they play Indiana Jones. Some people want to escape this world, so they make up a different one. You give yourself what you need."
"You're saying I wasn't looking for adventure or escape, but rather…" Kurt prompted.
Blaine gently tightened his hold and cupped Kurt's cheek with his free hand. "You were looking for love and acceptance, Kurt. You wanted a world where it was okay for people to be happy - where you could be happy and someone could love you for who you are."
Kurt bit his lip as Blaine's words washed over him. While Kurt had always felt loved by his father, he'd also known at a young age that he was, well, different from the other boys. He never exactly fit in, though he didn't understand why until he was older. Still, the feeling of being an outsider had been noticeable – perhaps more noticeable than he'd actually realized.
"You see?" Blaine whispered, gazing into Kurt's eyes. "You really do have the most amazing, imaginative mind. You envisioned the best fantasy world of all, Kurt."
Kurt smiled, leaning forward to give Blaine a quick, soft kiss. "Come on, let's watch the next one," he murmured, swiping away a stray tear. I need to find out what happens next."
Blaine ignored the playful slap on the arm he received when he muttered, "Told ya," under his breath. As he was about to click play on the remote, Kurt said, "It's a shame, you know."
"What is?" Blaine asked, confused by the non sequitur.
Kurt snuggled up close and said, "Well, I got to grow up and have my dream world turn into a reality," he explained, dropping a kiss to Blaine's shoulder before resting his chin there. "But you? You'll never be Harry Potter."
Blaine grinned at the mischievous glint in Kurt's eye. "Eh, I'll live," he answered, kissing Kurt on the tip of his nose.
They both giggled, settling in more comfortably with Kurt's head on Blaine's shoulder and Blaine holding him close. "Blaine Anderson, The Boy Who Lived," Kurt quipped.
"Happily ever after," Blaine amended.
A/N: I'm sorry, but once the line "You'll never be Harry Potter" came to me, I was determined to write this. Also, I may have projected more than a little of my creative insecurities onto Kurt. I hope he forgives me.