Kurt knew he loved Blaine. He always had. That first moment on the stairs when they met was a moment he would never forget. But he never truly realized how good he really had it, not until Blaine took the stage that first night.
They had never expected to come this far. Life between Lima, Ohio and New York had seemed like such an impossible leap that neither of them had gotten their hopes up in high school. Knowing that you're destined for greatness and proving it to the rest of the world were two very different things, but Kurt had been accepted into NYADA, as Blaine swore up and down he would be, and planned to move to New York at the end of that summer. The two boys promised to spend every waking moment together for as long as possible. After the summer was over their relationship would be reduced to Skype conversations a few times a week if they were lucky. That was why they decided to call it a break when Kurt moved off in the last days of August. When Blaine graduated he would accept admission to Julliard College for voice and move in with Kurt, and possibly Rachel if Finn finally stopped walking out of the bathroom without clothes on, as soon as the semester started.
Their relationship had always been somewhat timid, neither one wanting to push the other too far, and so the break was hard but doable. Blaine spent his senior year at McKinley with frequent visits to Dalton to keep his mind off of Kurt, who he often wished he could talk to and Kurt spent his freshmen year at NYADA somewhat miserable but excited about the prospects of New York none the less. So when Blaine finally moved in after graduation, the two were nearly inseparable, only spending time apart when they had to attend classes. Together they auditioned for musicals, shows, modeling, anything that would get them to the top of the city that never sleeps. What had surprised them was actually getting there. After years of classes and auditions, they finally hit the right nerve in New York. In the last semester of Kurt's senior year his agent had called him with news about a new musical looking for two male leads. Kurt and Blaine had leapt at the opportunity and managed to gather enough information from friends in the business to prepare their audition pieces. The musical director had been floored by their performances and within a day both Kurt and Blaine were headed to Broadway. Together.
Rehearsals were long and brutal but the couple stuck through it, refusing to let anything get the best of them. They worked hard and put everything they had into the show because, really, it was their only shot. The show was in the running to become one of the best musicals of the past few decades and neither one were prepared to give that up. Kurt praised the show to every person he could lay his hands on at bars, clubs, and school events. Blaine, always by his side, would laugh and drag Kurt away, an "I'm so sorry" whisper thrown in, to get another drink that just might shut him up this time. The time finally came for opening night and after a soft exchange of "I love you" the overture filled the rush of the backstage area. With a deep breath Blaine shook out his nerves and walked to the middle of the stage, waiting for the curtain to go up. After everything they had been through, this was it.
Blaine was heart wrenchingly beautiful. Kurt had desperately wanted for ages to find something wrong with him, something to throw his perfection off just an inch, but there was nothing. Well, there was that small strand of untamed hair that fell onto his forehead, and the fact that his left eye tended to scrunch up just a little further than his right with a grin. But these things were what made his beauty so stunning, so real. He didn't have to be perfect in order to take your breath away, he just did it anyway. Kurt was unable to place his finger on the exact reason why he had come to this conclusion but it must have been the thousands of things he loved about Blaine that hit him so suddenly. As Blaine stood on the stage of the St. James Theatre, the realization of this moment slammed into Kurt with overwhelming force.
With tears in his eyes, Kurt watched from the side stage as Blaine, his beautiful Blaine, captivated the New York audience. Every small thing he did that made him smile now combined into one large reason why his heart swelled in his chest at the mere sight of him. It was the way he turned his right heel outwards when he danced, the way you could close your eyes and hear the smile in his voice, the way he had a tendency to be a never-ending ball of energy, and the way he sang with so much conviction and heart that you could easily believe his life depended on it. Kurt had never realized it before, never come to this conclusion, but these were the reasons why he felt like someone tore a gaping hole in his chest whenever he wasn't around. The reasons Kurt loved Blaine.
The opening number ended and the crowd erupted into applause as the last note rang out over the theatre. Kurt quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks, praying to high heavens that his makeup had stayed relatively in place; there was no time to fix it. Blaine bounded from the stage and Kurt wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's torso in a tight hug.
"That was incredible." He said, tears filling his eyes again.
Blaine smiled that gorgeous smile and bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. He put his hands on Kurt's hips and stood on his toes to press a quick kiss to his lips.
"Thank you." He said when he pulled away. He squeezed his hips lightly and then pushed him forward, whispering in his ear, "Knock 'em dead."
Kurt took his place onstage and as the spotlight hit him he glanced to his left and saw Blaine standing there, a hand on his heart. He caught a mouthed "I love you" and smiled. Kurt knew in that moment that this was everything he wanted, all he would ever need. A loving boyfriend who was willing to follow him to the ends of the earth and beyond, a crowd of people, large or small, that was willing to listen, and a song waiting to be sung. This was the life he was meant to have. He would never need the large apartment overlooking Central Park or a room to fill with his numerous awards. All he needed was Blaine and music. And hey, if a Tony managed to work its way into that mix, he wasn't going to complain. So he lifted his head, soaked in that feeling and this moment, another one he would never want to forget, and began to sing.