"I miss you, Mom," sixteen-year old Kurt Hummel whispered, bending over and placing a bouquet of flowers on his mother's gravestone.
As he straightened up, Kurt heard the rustle of leaves and crackle of branches behind him. Two seconds later, Blaine Anderson appeared at his side.
"Hi," Blaine said.
"Hi," Kurt said, still staring at his mother's tomb. "How did you know I was here?"
"You weren't at your house and you've been sad lately. It seemed like the most plausible place you'd be. Do you remember her?" Blaine asked.
"A little. Not as much as I used to," Kurt said, looking away from Blaine as tears formed in his eyes.
Blaine took Kurt's hand, but dropped it quickly. The simple, comforting gesture they used to share as kids stopped seeming appropriate now that they were teenagers.
Kurt swiftly wiped away the couple of tears that had fallen down his cheek, turned his back on his mother's grave, and started to slowly walk away. Blaine followed him.
The cemetery was only a few blocks from Kurt's house and the two boys walked back there in silence. In ten minutes time, they were at the front door and Kurt was holding the door open to let Blaine inside the house.
"Do you want something to eat?" Kurt asked, hanging his coat up in the hall closet.
"No. I'm okay. Thanks," Blaine said, draping his own coat on the back of the couch. "Kurt, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Kurt said curtly.
"Come on, Kurt. We've been best friends since we were born. Do you really think you can fool me?" Blaine said, smirking and crossing his arms over his chest.
Kurt blinked at him before sitting down on the couch. Blaine walked over and sat down next to him.
"It's been almost eight years since my mom died," Kurt said, staring at the blank TV. "I have these images in my head of her, but I don't even know if they're real. The more I think about the memories I have, the more I think they're just based off of stories my dad used to tell me about her."
"I'm sure that's not true. You still have some real memories of your mom," Blaine said.
"I thought so. Until I realized that I'd forgotten her birthday," Kurt said, looking at Blaine. "You know how every year I visit her grave on her birthday?"
Blaine nodded.
"It was last week," Kurt said. "And I just completely forgot. I was rehearsing for glee and, I don't know, I think went shopping afterwards. And it wasn't until this morning that I remembered I forgot to go to the cemetery."
"That doesn't mean you're forgetting about her," Blaine said. "You're just older now. You have a life and friends."
"I know. But I forgot her birthday!" Kurt said, almost hysterically, tears forming in his eyes again. "I swore that I would never forget and that I would visit her for as long as I was in Lima. I know I'm not forgetting her or loving her any less, but it feels like I am."
Blaine looked at him sadly and moved slightly closer to Kurt.
"Hey," Blaine said, bumping his shoulder into Kurt's.
"What?"
"Do you remember when we were kids and it was a few months after your mom died and you were upset that she wasn't coming back?"
Kurt nodded. "We were in my room."
"Yeah. Do you remember what happened?" Blaine asked seriously.
Kurt nodded slightly, the ends of his mouth turning upward a little. "We didn't like it very much."
Blaine chuckled. "We were nine. What did we know of kissing?"
Kurt smiled a little wider. "Do you want to try it again?" Kurt asked boldly. He had had an aching for Blaine for a while, but he had no idea if Blaine felt the same way.
Blaine's eyes widened in shock and surprise.
"I mean, only if you want to," Kurt backpedaled in panic.
Blaine nodded almost incomprehensibly and shifted even closer to Kurt, his hand accidentally brushing against one of Kurt's. Slowly, they closed the gap between their faces, hesitating for a few seconds when their lips were only inches apart. In what was no more than a heartbeat, the two boys simultaneously closed their eyes and brought their lips together.
After a couple seconds, the two friends broke apart. Kurt kept his eyes closed, breathing heavily, his heart beating fast.
"That was nice," Kurt said smiling, opening his eyes and looking at Blaine whose face was oddly blank. "Blaine? Are you alright?"
Blaine shook his head. Kurt looked at him curiously.
Blaine lifted his hands to cup Kurt's face. Without hesitation, Blaine brought his lips back together with Kurt's.
Kurt froze for only a second before responding enthusiastically. He snaked his arms underneath Blaine's to wrap them around the shorter boy's neck, his fingers tangling themselves in Blaine's messy curls.
Eventually, Kurt and Blaine broke apart for air, both breathing very heavily, both hearts hammering against their respective chests.
"Wow," Kurt breathed.
Blaine grinned. "A little better than when we were nine."
Kurt laughed. "Promise me that this won't change anything between us?"
"I promise. On one condition," Blaine said.
Kurt raised his eyebrows at his friend.
"Will – will you be my boyfriend?" Blaine asked, looking Kurt directly in his big blue eyes.
Kurt blinked at him and then his face split into a huge grin. "Of course!"
Blaine breathed a sigh of relief as Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's neck and hugged him tightly.
"I love you," Kurt whispered into Blaine ear.
Blaine smiled and whispered, "I love you, too."