Kurt could not believe what had just happened. Blaine. Blaine had proposed to him. After three years. Kurt was so happy, he just couldn't believe it. However, he thought back on the entire proposal number, and he realized that some people were missing. Now, Puck was almost understandable… But where had Finn been?

Biting his lip, Kurt pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and shot a quick text to Finn. Hey, where've you been? Blaine proposed to me. (smiley face) Then he slid the phone back into his pocket to head downstairs to the party that his parents were throwing him.

While it would be rude to check his phone during the party (especially since he was hanging off of Blaine's arm and smiling and laughing with all his friends, even Rachel and Santana), he couldn't help but feel worried. Finn sometimes forgot to check his phone, but surely Blaine would have wanted Kurt's stepbrother to come and help him with the proposal… And it wasn't like Finn to shirk a responsibility like that.

After the party had wrapped up, Kurt headed upstairs to his old bedroom, as the party had been thrown at his house, with Carole and Burt hosting. Lying down on the bed, he pulled his phone out again. Finn still hadn't read the text… Not entirely sure why his stomach seemed to be cramping with an uneasy feeling, he tried texting Puck. Hi, Noah. Have you heard from Finn recently?

Almost immediately, Puck responded. No, dude. He said he was going back to Lima to help B with something. Any big news to tell me?

Kurt smiled at the engagement ring safely nestled on his left ring finger before responding. Yep. B proposed to me today. That's why I texted. Finn wasn't here; I was worried.

After a moment, Puck responded. That's weird. Finn told me he was going back home to help with the proposal. Wonder what happened?

Kurt's stomach really, really hurt now. What do you mean? What do you think happened?

Puck responded quickly. I'm sure it's nothing, Kurt. He's probably just playing a video game marathon and got too wrapped up in it to check a clock. Or he could have forgotten.

Kurt responded angrily. No. He wouldn't have forgotten something this important.

Puck answered back almost immediately. I'm sure you're right, but I'm just going to check on his dorm room just in case.

Kurt breathed through the cramp as well as he could, his phone resting on his belly as he waited for Puck's response. Though not the praying type, he hoped beyond all reason that Puck would respond with a simple, "He's here; he was studying," or some inane reason like that. After about ten minutes, the phone started buzzing.

Kurt looked at the caller ID before answering the call; it was Puck. The second he put it up to his ear, Kurt could hear muffled sobbing on the other end. "Noah? Noah, what's going on? Tell me what's wrong." He felt almost physically sick.

"H-he's dead. I'm so sorry, Kurt!" Puck responded through the sobs.

Kurt rubbed his stomach gently. "Who's dead?" After a minute of sobs, Kurt was starting to get a little frustrated. "Noah. I need you to tell me who's dead."

The word that Puck said stopped Kurt's heart cold. "Finn. Finn is dead."

Kurt's phone crashed onto the floor, but it didn't break (thank you, Autobox). He ran into the nearest bathroom and threw up, unable to take the pain anymore, before he started crying.

Blaine had been downstairs during this entire exchange; Kurt had said he needed to go lie down for a bit because he wasn't feeling well. However, when he heard the vomiting, he ran upstairs and into the bathroom where Kurt was throwing up and crying. He quickly put his arms around his fiancé and kissed his hair, trying to calm him down.

When Kurt seemed rational enough to function, Blaine stroked his hair and asked, "What's wrong, Kurt? Why are you crying?"

Kurt just shook his head, crying even harder, and wrapped his arms around Blaine. Blaine rubbed Kurt's back gently and kissed the top of his head, unwilling to put him through any more distress at that moment.

Finally, Kurt seemed to have calmed down enough to speak. With a few hiccups, Kurt explained the situation. "I-I was wondering why F-Finn hadn't come back to Lima for the p-proposal earlier today. I asked Puck where he was, thinking maybe they had finals or something this week. But when Puck answered his phone, he said … he said that he hadn't seen Finn in a few days, and that he thought Finn was at home with us. So he went to go check Finn's room. So … so he did, and … and…" And here Kurt again burst into hysterical tears.

Although Kurt was unable to continue the story, Blaine was smart enough to be able to figure out the most likely event that had occurred. He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to stay calm. "I am so sorry, Kurt." He pressed another kiss to the top of Kurt's head.

Suddenly, Kurt felt very angry, and he pushed Blaine away. "Stop treating me like I'm a damn child, Blaine Devon Anderson! I'm not a little kid, or a fucking dog that can be soothed with silly caresses or kind but meaningless apologies! He is the second family member that I've lost! I almost lost my dad last year, I lost my mom when I was friggin' 8 years old, and now I've lost the only brother I've ever known!" Taking a deep breath, he continued slightly more calmly, though his voice was still wavering with unshed tears. "I think I'd like to be left alone for a bit, Blaine. I-I need to think of what to tell the others. Is everyone still downstairs?"

Blaine thought for a moment before standing up and stretching. "I think so. Your dad and Carole definitely are, and I think Rachel and – oh, God."

"What?" Kurt asked, still somewhat irritated.

"Someone has to tell Rachel, too. She and Carole should probably be the first to know…"

Kurt stood up as well, going over to the sink to wash the taste of vomit from his mouth. "Fine. Bring them and my dad up here, and we can tell them privately. Then, could you please tell the others later? I … I don't know how many times I can break the news to people without crying and completely ruining this outfit." He smiled slightly, though he was a bit ashamed to be smiling so soon after finding out about his stepbrother's death.

Blaine rubbed Kurt's shoulder lightly. "Of course. I'll tell them once we're done up here, okay?" He pressed a quick kiss to Kurt's cheek, then ran downstairs to get Carole, Rachel, and Burt. While he was, of course, happy to have proposed to Kurt and that Kurt had accepted said proposal, he couldn't help but feel really upset at having lost the chance to have a brother-in-law. And, of course, he never would have expected to be the one to have to break the news to said brother-in-law's family and girlfriend. Just outside the kitchen where everyone was gathered, he took a deep breath and walked in, saying, "Carole, Burt, and Rachel, could you please come upstairs for a minute? Kurt has something … something he needs to tell you."

I'm really, really, really sorry for any OOC moments; I was trying to deal with the situation as in-character as possible and yet still have the events of the story make sense. This is, of course, the prolog, with the first chapter to follow once I've written it. Each chapter, including this one, will be named after a song, as will the story as a whole. Thank you for your feedback. Also, please note that this story is published on two sites, both and ArchiveOfOurOwn, possibly under different names, so please don't think that I am plagiarizing off myself.