A/N: Reviews are LOVE. I promise this story gets better, friends. Give it a shot! :)
Westerville, Ohio November 2010
Blaine can practically feel his excitement vibrating out of his skin as he hurriedly shoves his books into his locker. Today is Friday. Today is his third public performance as lead soloist for the Warblers and his first performance for his peers. Wes had mentioned the potential "impromptu" performance on Tuesday, warning him to have the lyrics down by Friday afternoon. Thankfully, they'd gotten called out of class early to ready themselves and Blaine was given just enough time to calm his buzzing nerves. So really it was less "impromptu" and more "tactfully planned" but the purpose would still be fulfilled. This was to get them ready for Sectionals and, as lead soloist, it was his job to deliver a performance that was worth talking about. Blaine sighed to himself as he shoulders his bag and carefully shuts his locker with a soft click.
It isn't that he doesn't believe that the performance will go well; he's confident enough in his own voice and preparation to know that he'll be just fine. It's just that he's running late because his math teacher made him stay to finish his quiz and most of the Warblers will already be there ready to go and waiting on him and he's not really sure he remembered to put his history notes back in his bag and-shit, shit, shit-was that the bell already?Blaine watches as his classmates dart out of the various classrooms that line the hallway, chattering excitedly. He overhears a lot of people talking about heading over to the senior commons to hear the Warblers and when someone says they think the performance has already started, he flies down the hallway like a bat out of hell.
He slows down slightly when he sees Nick only a few steps in front of him and breathes a little more deeply when he spots David at the bottom of the stairs. A few paces later, Blaine is nearly caught up with David when he's stopped by a small noise behind him.
"Excuse me!" A clear, high voice calls out. Blaine turns and is met by a pair of stunning blue eyes-
"Honestly Grandpa? You're going to start off like that?" Eli bemoans as his pen stills. Blaine gives his grandson a hard look.
"Well? What would you have me say? Kurt's eyes were beautiful. They were wide and this extraordinary gray-blue. Completely breath-taking." Blaine states the last as fact, a goofy grin appearing on his face as he recalls his husband's eyes. Eli, in turn, rolls his eyes and taps the end of the pen to the page.
"Oh no. I have no doubt about that. Granddad's eyes were quite pretty," he admits, amusement and warmth coating his words. "But this is the true story. What did you really notice about Kurt the very first time you laid eyes on him?" Eli cocks his head to the side and grins at Blaine. Blaine crosses his arms and avoids the knowing look he's getting.
"Fine, fine. You're so pushy!" he huffs.
Blaine turns and is met by the sight of a boy who is clearly out of place in the mass of students.
Eli nods. "Better, much better. Go on."
He's slim and tall, with pale skin and soft looking chestnut-colored hair. His blue eyes have a hazy look of confusion about them.
"Um hi, can I ask you a question...I'm new here," he admits quickly despite the evidence of hisstatement in his clear lack of uniform. He's dressed in what Blaine can only assume is a fashion designer's ideal prep school uniform. Despite all his trouble, Blaine thinks, he's still so far from fitting into this crowd.
"My name's Blaine-" he offers his hand, smiling at the taller boy, shakes it firmly. He seems so nervous, completely out of his comfort zone. The least Blaine can do is offer him some kindness. The boy smiles gratefully.
"Kurt," the boy breathes back before continuing. "So what exactly is going on?" Blaine grins. Now that's one thing he can answer in confidence. The adrenaline of his impending performance floods him and he suddenly wants nothing more than to show this nervous new student his favorite thing about Dalton.
"The Warblers!" he says brightly, "Every now and then, they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. It tends to shut the school down for a bit." He glances in the direction of the senior commons a few times during his little speech to be sure he can still see a few Warblers ahead of him. As much as he doesn't mind helping Kurt get his bearings, he doesn't want to miss this and risk losing his position in the Warblers. Kurt's eyes widen slightly.
"So, wait-the glee club here is kind of cool?" he asks, a mixture of surprise and delight flitting across his face. Another easy question.
"The Warblers are like rock-stars-" Blaine spouts off vauntingly. It's more or less true. Since when had any other student-led group been allowed to create such chaos out of the exceptionally formal school?
Eli burst out laughing and Blaine frowns.
"What? What's so funny?" he demands. Eli gently sets down his pen and stares contemplatively at him.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. You were just so cocky, Grandpa. Poor Granddad!" he teases. Blaine rolls his eyes.
"Poor Granddad? Eli you don't even know. We haven't even gotten to Granddad's competitive streak yet. And I was a stud back in the day. Haven't you seen my wedding video?" Blaine grins back at Eli who shakes his head.
"Can't say I have. That was kind of before my time. Besides, we've got a while. Let's get back to Blaine, Kurt and the Warblers." Eli picks up the pen again
Kurt quirks an eyebrow at him and Blaine knows he's got to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. And soon-the hallway has completely emptied out by now, leaving the two of them alone on the grand staircase.
"Come on, I know a short cut." Blaine grabs Kurt's hand, which is soft and firm, without a second thought, pulling the taller teen behind him as they race down the corridor. Soon enough, he's opening the door to the senior commons. Relief floods through him when he sees the disarray of the room. He releases Kurt's hand and turns to face him. Kurt's eyes are scanning the room with an unconcealed look of awe.
"Oh, I stick out like a sore thumb," he says shyly, a small smile still present on his face.
"Next time don't forget your jacket, new kid," he says, adjusting the lapel of Kurt's jacket. "You'll fit right in." He pats him on the shoulder and Kurt beams at him, shifting slightly from foot to foot. Blaine hears the opening notes of the song start behind him and he knows that it's time. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He says, strolling over to his spot in the formation just as he starts his solo.
"Before you met me
I was all right
But things were kind of heavy
You brought me to life
Now every February,
You'll be my valentine...
Valentine"
Blaine watches Kurt's expression, a mixture of surprise and excitement at Blaine's leading position in the Warblers. Blaine has the decency to at least feel a little embarrassed over his rock star comment from earlier as he starts the pre-chorus.
"Let's go all the way tonight," he sings as they start to side step and snap in time to the bass line. "No regrets, just love. We can dance, until we die. You and I, we'll be young forever." The energy of the performance crackles throughout the room as they hit the chorus. The students are really getting into the music, fist pumping and generally jamming out as they always do.
"You make me
Feel like I'm living a
teenage dream
The way you turn me on
I can't sleep
Let's run away
And don't ever look back
Don't ever look back"
Blaine glances at Kurt again as they sing the pre-chorus through a second time. He looks beside himself with the crowd's reaction but Kurt's smiling at him like he's the greatest thing on the planet which just makes this performance that much more special.
They finish up in a classic, tight formation with their hands clasped in front of them. It was a favored position to end with because of their stark contrast to the flow of the movements in their songs. He quickly signals Wes and David to follow him and he meets up with Kurt, who is over the moon with praise for their number.
"Hey would you like to come get coffee with us? We'd like to have a word with you." Blaine asks gently. Kurt freezes like he knows he's been caught and nods sheepishly so they grab coffee from the little kiosk outside the dining hall and make themselves comfortable in one of spacious the dining rooms. They quickly discover that Kurt is indeed a member of the McKinley High School New Directions, the Warbler's competition for Sectionals, just as they had suspected. But Blaine has the feeling that there's more to Kurt's story than just scoping out the competition.
So he asks and it's just as he'd feared. Kurt launches into his story of how he's constantly bullied at his school for being the only out-and-proud student and no one seems to care. Blaine feels a pang of regret as he remembers his own experience with bullying and how it had driven him to Dalton. Blaine never had trouble in school until seventh grade when he'd finally come out to his parents and his small group of friends at Walnut Springs Middle School. His mother and father looked disappointed but they begrudgingly accepted him. Of course his mother continually talked about 'how sweet Julie's daughter is' and 'oh she's just your age, Blaine, dear.'
Not to mention his father started forcing him into "male bonding time" which involved firing lessons at the gun club, car shows and all the Buckeye home games they could get tickets to. Admittedly the last one was exciting and he did enjoy spending time with his Dad but it always felt like there was a catch. For example, they could go to the game on Saturday, but that meant Blaine would miss rehearsal for the school play and he'd have to turn down the part. Blaine knew his Dad wanted him to be happy but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he'd always want more out of Blaine than he could give.
His friends were even less supportive, sadly. They took his confession with stoic nods of acknowledgment but other than that they said nothing. Blaine remembered the first time someone had yelled at him to "move out of the way, you little faggot" in the hallway after his freshman English class. He froze in shock as the older boy who had slung the insult at him shoved his way past with a grunt.
The insults started to become a daily occurrence and the first day he'd come home with a black eye after telling a burly freshman football player to "back off", his mother had cried and demanded he transfer. Blaine was devastated and argued that if he could talk to the administration, maybe the bullying would stop. So he went into the principle's office on Monday morning and told her his story. She smiled and patted him on the hand, telling him 'We'll do everything we can.' and sent him off to class. Blaine wasn't too eager to see results after he found his bike tires slashed that afternoon.
The truth was he hated his school but he wasn't ready to leave behind his friends and especially wasn't ready to leave Steven. Steven was his first real crush. Steven was a fair skinned, sandy haired boy of fourteen when Blaine met him and fell for him over late night monster movie marathons and games of tennis at the YMCA. He'd moved into the school district Blaine's eight-grade year and the two had easily hit it off. And when Steven told him he was gay in a conspiratory whisper late one Friday night Blaine could proudly tell someone that he was too for the very first time.
About two months later, the two were on the cusp of dating-not-really-dating when Blaine plucked up the nerve to ask Steven to the Sadie Hawkins dance. To his shock and delight, Steven had agreed and Blaine had spent three whole days deciding what polo shirt looked the best with his jeans. The dance had been fun, nothing extraordinary really, and Blaine was excited over the prospect of getting to kiss Steven good-night after Blaine's mom dropped him off.
As they waited outside the gym, glancing around for their ride, five larger boys came over towards them.
"Hey faeries, have fun at the dance?" One of them called, his face twisted into an expression of mockery and disgust. Blaine held up his hands as the five boys crowded in, too close for comfort.
"Look we don't want any trouble. We're just waiting for our ride." he said, voice quivering ever so slightly despite his attempt at bravery. The gang members snorted at him and the boy closest to him gave him a little shove. Russel, Blaine thinks, his name is Russel and he's in algebra with me. Russel sneers at him and shoves him again.
"Yeah? Well maybe we aren't out looking for trouble, queer. Maybe we're about to teach you a lesson."
Blaine can feel his heart beating in his throat as he pushes Steven behind him and Russel's fist collides with his nose with a sickening crunch. The pain is excruciating but he some how manages to stay on his feet, staggering backwards into one of the other boys. The boy grabs Blaine and steadies him as Russel knees him in the ribs, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He can feel the steady trickle of blood down his face and realizes faintly that his nose must be broken as the gang closes in on them.
After that beating, Blaine's parents immediately pulled him out of public school and enrolled him at Dalton. He didn't argue with his parents this time, especially now that Steven was being home schooled. There was no reason for him to go back anymore. So he moved forward and tried his hardest not to look back. To shove aside his regret of not fighting to get justice. To push away how easily he caved to his parent's demands over a broken nose, two chipped teeth and several severely bruised ribs.
So he tells Kurt the shortened version and he encourages him to stand up for himself. His own hypocrisy settles uneasily over him as he watches Kurt's tear streaked face from across the table. "...you can refuse to be the victim." Kurt looks at him warily but there is something behind the expression that speaks volumes, hope? Realization? Whatever it is, it drives him onward. "Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have the chance right now to teach 'em." Kurt stares back at him.
"How?" he breathes. Blaine steels himself as he tells Kurt what he'd only wished someone had told him a year ago.
"Confront 'em." Blaine says. "Call 'em out. I ran, Kurt...I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away and it is something I really, really regret." Blaine nods a bit as he finishes his little speech. Kurt remains frozen for a time and Blaine can see Kurt is lost in his thoughts. He waits it out and after a moment or two, Kurt thanks him quietly.
They finish their coffee in silence and then Blaine offers to walk Kurt to his car. With a smile and a faint blush, Kurt nods and allows himself to be led from dining room out to his car in the guest parking lot. Kurt slowly climbed into the car, one leg dangling off the ground as he settled himself into the seat.
"Hey Blaine, " he said, blue eyes piercing Blaine's own hazel. "Thanks...for everything today. You don't know what it means to me know that...that there is someone out there who's been here before..." He trails off and quickly looks away. At that moment, the muffled sound of Rihanna's Only Girl in the World permeates the air. Blaine stifles a laugh at the exasperatedly embarrassed look on Kurt's face as he shoves his hand in his pocket to silence his phone. This boy is so unreal and at the same time exactly the person he needs in his life. The contrast is maddening.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Kurt gasps, cheeks tinged red as he averts his eyes. "It's probably my dad wondering why I'm not home yet." He groans as he reads the text message. Blaine nods in understanding. Kurt moves to put the phone away but Blaine stops him.
"Hey wait." he says, closing a hand around the phone. Kurt raises an eyebrow at him as he punches his number into the phone. "Call me if you ever need anything, okay? You're not alone in this." Kurt smiles at him as Blaine hands Kurt his phone back and Blaine knows that he did the right thing. In giving Kurt his number With a little wave, Blaine retreats back into the school.
Over the next few days, Blaine has taken to sending words of encouragement to the other boy. It's everything he'd wanted back before his transfer to Dalton and yet he feels that it's never enough. Getting the call from Kurt a few days after they meet doesn't surprise him but he is surprised by the contents. He'd been at lacrosse practice and had returned to the locker room to find that Kurt had left him a very disturbing voice mail
"Blaine...Hi, this is Kurt...I...I did what you told me to do. I-I stood up to Karofsky..." Kurt voice is frantic and he sounds winded as though he's been running. Blaine struggles to remember who Karofsky is before he realizes that he must be the bully Kurt had been talking about. Kurt's message pauses for a long time before he continues, his voice barely above a whisper. "And he...he kissed me.
New York City, New York June 2083
"What?" Eli shouts, looking up at Blaine with wide eyes. "You can't be serious." Blaine nods solemnly. Eli shakes his head in horror.
"Wow, poor Granddad. He...he never really talked about getting bullied in high school. I mean, I knew his dad got really sick and he transferred schools but...that's all I can remember. Why on earth would anyone do that to him?" Blaine places a hand over Eli's.
"Elijah, it was a different time. The world was harsher, less accepting of people like us." Eli furrows his eyebrows at the comment but relaxes into the touch as Blaine continues. "Your Granddad was the bravest man I've ever met. He never compromised who he was for anyone or anything. I love...I loved that about him, but when we were in high school, it got him into a couple of circumstances he'd probably would have liked to avoid." Eli nods slowly, the question of what Blaine was referring to left hanging between them. Blaine sighs.
"We'll get to it, I promise. I honestly don't know why you're upset, kiddo. You know how it ends anyway. If Kurt hadn't been pushed around by Karofsky and the rest of those goons, we may never have met, you know?" Blaine allows himself to give Eli a reassuring smile. Eli returns it but that doesn't stop him from sighing heavily.
"True, true. Onward, I guess."
Westerville, Ohio November 2010
Kurt breathed in shakily before continuing "And it was...god, Blaine it was awful. I've never been more...more frightened in my life. I don't even know what to do right now. I just-j-just call me back when you can. I don't think I should be alone after...after this." The message abruptly cuts off and Blaine yanks the phone away from his ear to find out when the message was left. The hard-cut digital read-out says it's been an hour and a half since Kurt left him the message.
Blaine's head is spinning with the wrongness of the situation. This was not supposed to be the outcome of Blaine's advice to Kurt. He'd thought...he'd thought that if Kurt was able to stand up to his demons, maybe Kurt's story would end up differently. Where as his attempt to stand up for himself, for who he was, ended in a cowardly transfer, Kurt's story would be one of triumph and justice. He though that by helping Kurt he'd finally be doing the right thing. He tries to tell himself that no one could have predicted this but that offers little comfort. Before he can really think of what to say, he's already calling Kurt back.
"Hello?" a clear voice buzzes in his ear as he holds his phone in an uncomfortably harsh grip. Hearing Kurt's voice makes his worries ebb slightly. After a message like that, Blaine hadn't really known what to expect.
"Hi, Kurt. It's Blaine. I...why don't you tell me exactly what happened and we can go on from there, yeah?" Kurt sighs and begins to tell him what happened in the locker room earlier that afternoon. Karofsky had shoved Kurt into a locker for the hundredth and Kurt had positively seen red. He'd chased after Karofsky and demanded to know why he kept bothering him. Karofsky kept evading his questions, turning to insults. The argument got more heated and when in his rage he'd barely realized how much closer the larger boy had gotten to him until he'd roughly pulled Kurt in to kiss him.
Kurt tells him of the paralyzing shock and fear that rendered him horribly defenseless to the point that Karofsky actually tried to kiss him a second time. Of course by then, he'd managed to push him away and Karofsky stormed away like Kurt had struck him. And after finally managing to control the tears and make to his car, he'd called Blaine and then his father to tell him he'd be home shortly. When he'd gotten there, he'd went to bed without dinner and that was where he was now, in the present, talking to Blaine.
"Oh Kurt..." he whispers once Kurt had finished his story. "I...I'm so sorry. That sounds awful..." Kurt sniffs a little into the phone.
"Yes well...I suppose it could have been much worse. He didn't hit me at least." He laughs, a small bitter sound that makes Blaine flinch. It sounds too unnatural and callous to indicate any sort of joy.
"At least he hasn't yet. Let me have a talk with him-" Kurt immediately protests but Blaine silences him with a series of shushes. "It's okay. We'll do it in a public place. He wouldn't dare try anything with witnesses around. And, if you want, you can come too. I told you that you weren't alone, Kurt. I started this mess and I'm going to help you through it."
"Oh...okay, Blaine. Are you sure? I mean you really don't have to-"
"I'm sure Kurt. And yes, I do have to. No one deserves to go through what Karofsky did to you. Who knows, maybe we can help him come to terms with himself, yeah?"At this, Kurt snorts, which leads to a discussion of animal noises as Blaine attempts to show Kurt his horse noise. After that, the conversation turns into a lengthy debate over PETA's credibility and the destruction of fashion over the years - which, inevitably, leads to an hour-long talk about the merits of Alexander McQueen versus Christian Dior. Before long he glances at the screen on his laptop and realizes that it's well past midnight.
"Oh my, I guess I better get to bed. I didn't even realize it was that late and I'm completely behind on my moisturizing routine. So remember the plan?"Kurt asks, his voice much happier and lighter than it had been three hours ago. It makes something swell up in his chest that he couldn't quite place; to know that he could make Kurt happy even after the horrible day he'd had.
"Yes, yes. I'll be on the front steps of McKinley at three where you'll meet me and we'll subsequently gallivant away to right the wrongs of the world. Do I have that all correct, Sir Hummel?"
Kurt groans. "Indeed, Sir Blaine. You'd better get to bed, my little knight in shining armor," he teases, his voice cracking ever so slightly on 'knight.' If either of them blushes as they hang up the phone, it didn't doesn't register a bit.
They confront Karofsky the next day, but, naturally, the plan doesn't work out so well. They meet up with the bully in a stairwell that's rather heavily populated. Blaine comes right from class, his school-issued blue and red blazer a veritable beacon in the crowd of outlet mall polos and department store sale items. The students dart between Blaine and Kurt as they make their way to the stairwell.
"I've heard from Puck that Karofsky has Chemistry this hour and all the Chem classes are upstairs," Kurt intones quietly as they weave their way through the stampede of high schoolers. The bell rings and sure enough, they both spot the burly football player in his trademark letterman jacket making his way down the stairs. The conversation is brief and ends far too quickly to get anything accomplished. As a matter of fact, it ends with Blaine pinned up against the wall for simply suggesting that Dave Karofsky might, in fact, be gay.
For the briefest of moments, as Dave Karofsky forces him backward, Blaine's throat closes in fear. The action, the way Dave moves, is so eerily familiar to his own experience. He holds his hands up, yet again, in a mockery of self-defense that sort of makes him hate himself. Not much has changed, he thinks bitterly. But then Kurt is there shoving Dave off of him.
"You have to stop this!" Kurt yells at Dave, who stares at Kurt for a moment before turning and walking away without another word. Blaine is overcome with a sudden burst of affection for Kurt's bravery. Karofsky is easily twice Kurt's size if not bigger and after yesterday's assault, Blaine can't help but be awed in the light of Kurt's intervention just now. But Kurt obviously is not in the same mindset as Blaine as he sits down on the steps with a frustrated huff. Blaine tries to make light of the situation, something he's become rather good at since his transfer.
"Well. He's not coming out anytime soon," he says lightly, hoping to at least glean a pity laugh from his frustrated friend. Kurt stares pointedly at the ground, his shoulders tense with worry.
"What's the matter? Why are you so upset?" Blaine asks as he sits down next to him. They watch as more students pour down the stairs, hurrying to their classes, almost completely unaware of the two boys blocking the stairs. Kurt takes a shuddering breath.
"Because up until yesterday I had never been kissed...or at least one that had counted anyway." Kurt shudders at the memory. Blaine says nothing. There's nothing to say. Kurt may not have been beaten down physically, the way Blaine had been, but the complete hopelessness of the statement reminds Blaine too much of how he'd sounded after he first transferred. It broke his heart. But, once again, there was no where to go but forward.
"C'mon. Let me buy you lunch," he offers lamely, helping Kurt up.
They go to lunch and before long they're quickly monopolizing each other's after school time. They have more in common than there bullying problems and show choir. Blaine is amazed by Kurt's many talents. For example, his ability to instinctively know which colors go together when putting together outfits and yet him being able to fix Blaine's car with nothing other then a wrench and a few hair pins after a concert they attended at the Westerville performing arts center. They start getting coffee together, seeing plays and movies and concerts, arguing together over Johnathan Frazen's latest novel. and constantly surprising each other.
The truth was Blaine had never known anyone like Kurt. He was so unique among the friends Blaine had over the years. The conversation never dulled and their new friendship was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced. Both boys found themselves on the phone all hours of the night or lingering over cups of coffee and school work for obscenely long stretches of time. Nothing could dull the wonderful newness of the connection, not even the fact that their glee clubs were in competition. Well until the day they suddenly weren't anymore.
They had been on their way back from Kenton High School's production of "Oliver" and had stopped for desert at a small diner on the way home. They slid into a both, thankful for the warmth of the diner after being out in the new chill of the fall air. A tired looking middle-aged waitress in a faded black a-line skirt and red blouse quickly appeared to take their order. Kurt ordered a cup of coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie and Blaine ordered a piece of the chocolate cake he'd been eying on the counter of the bar since he'd walked in. As she left, they talked easily enough about the production.
"You know their costumes were positively stunning for such a small school, don't you agree? I mean all of Nancy's dresses were fantastic."Blaine laughed a nodded.
"Alright, I'll give you that, what'd you think of the music? I liked the way they did Consider Yourself. There was a lot of energy for such a small cast." Kurt grimaced and titled his head from side to side in consideration.
"Well, it was energetic but the choreography was also sloppy." Blaine scoffed and folded his arms.
"I still think it was rather good. But excuse me if the only dance moves I know are the—what was it you were calling it the other day?-ah yes, the 'shuffle and snap' and the 'squinty munchkin.'" Kurt laughed, loud and long, as Blaine stuck his tongue out at him.
"You know you making fun of my height is appealing. I've never felt so victimized, Mr. Hummel." Blaine said, clutching a hand to his heart, causing Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Yes well in all your perfection, my dear Blaine, there has to be some Achilles Heel. Just be glad it's only your height and not your height and your ego. Trust me, we get enough short, ill-temperd ego from Rachel." Kurt smiled at him warmly just as their food arrived. The two were content to eat in comfortable silence for several minutes.
"Hey Blaine...I've got...I've got something kind of important to tell you." Kurt said, biting his lip. He set his fork down next to his half-eaten slice of pie and folded his hands in front of him. Blaine cocked his head in question at the sudden seriousness of his posture as Kurt drew in a deep breath.
"I'm transferring." He said, a hopeful little smile gracing his features. Blaine can't help control the grin that widened on his face. The idea of having his friend in classes, in the Warblers with him, is an exciting prospect but, as far as he'd been told in the past month, not exactly an option.
"Kurt...that's great and all but how? I thought you said tuition was too much for a transfer to be an option." Kurt nodded sipping on his coffee. His hair was caught up in a perfect sweep despite the wind outside and a soft green and blue plaid scarf was curled elegantly around his neck.
"Well that's what I thought. But you know how my Dad and Carol got married last week?"
"Yeah. I still wish I could've come. Stupid Warbler practice." Kurt smiles as Blaine pouts over the practice for the third time this week. He waves him off just as he's done all the other times.
"Really Blaine, it doesn't matter at this point, stop pouting. Anyway back to my story. They decided to use their honeymoon money as tuition after that last incident with Karofsky." Blaine nods sagely as Kurt glances out the window for a moment. He'd told him all about the bully's threats and they kept getting worse. Kurt's father even went in to complain after Karofsky threatened to kill Kurt if he told anyone about the kiss. The situation was literally at a stand still after Karofsky had been expelled and then readmitted in under four-eight hours.
New York City, New York June 2083
"I...wow." Eli says, dropping his pen a second time in less than two minutes. Blaine watches his grandson carefully for a moment. Eli feels everything so strongly and his revulsion is evident in his expression.
"Eli. Karofsky...what Dave did was wrong, but this story is over seventy years old. Things were different back thank and for Karofsky, Kurt was a kind of...catalyst for his own journey of self discovery." Blaine mulled it over for a moment, head tilting back and forth in consideration. "I'm not justifying what he did by any means-"
"Why do you keep telling me it was a different time?" Eli interrupts, eyes wide with confusion and second-hand grief. Blaine shifts uncomfortably in his seat.
"Well...when Kurt and I grew up, the world wasn't exactly welcoming to different kinds of love. You obviously wouldn't see my relationship with your Granddad as wrong or unnatural now would you?" The revulsion is back on Eli's face but for an entirely different reason. He sakes his head vehemently.
"God no. You and Granddad are the most generous and compassionate people I've ever met. And the way he looked at you..." Blaine's pretty sure he's swallowed loudly enough for Eli and half the city to hear as Eli trails off for a moment. "It was like he was never really sure you existed. Like you were too good to be real. Granted I know differently..." Eli smirks as Blaine bats him with one of the small throw pillows next to him. "Ouch, geez Grandpa for an old guy your hits still hurt like hell. I'm just saying you two were soul mates. It was obvious." Eli is grinning again in the sort of far off way he'd done so often as a child. His bangs are falling over his right eye and even though Blaine knows Eli is on the very threshold of manhood he wants to hold him like he did when Eli was a baby. His chest swells with an entirely different emotion than the crippling sadness that never leaves his mind for very long. He feels...relieved? Grateful? Wonderful that Eli grew up in a world that allows him to look at his relationship through untainted eyes.
"Eli...I...I appreciate you saying that more than...more than you'll probably ever realize. But you have to understand that over the course of our relationship, there were bad times. We weren't always perfectly happy and the world we lived in never helped us on our way to happiness, that's for sure. But we persevered because we had each other, you know? And some how...well some how, that was enough. Now be quiet and let me finish. It's after nine and I'm old." He smiles and Eli nods.
"Yeah I guess so. Don't want you to turn into a pumpkin or whatever you do if I don't let you get to bed on time." He snarks. Blaine rolls his eyes.
"I think I like emotionally-distressed Eli better than sarcastic-about-to-find-out-how-hard-his-Grandpa-can-hit Eli, just saying." He shoots back with a grin. Eli shields his face with the journal, shaking his head.
"Okay, okay you win. I'm a lover not a fighter."
Finally Kurt tears himself away from his reverie and he smiles at Blaine again."I start Monday." Blaine grins back and, without really thinking it through, reaches out to grab his hand.
"I can't even wait. It's going to be amazing to have you at Dalton, Kurt." He says giving Kurt's hand a gentle squeeze. They both flush as the waitress returns to ask them if they need anything and Blaine draws his and away from Kurt's as if it's on fire. They thank the waitress who barely represses her annoyance as she takes away Kurt's empty coffee cup. Blaine rubs a hand nervously over the back of his neck as they finish off in silence and he picks up the check at the end. Kurt starts to protest but Blaine silences him.
"No sir. My treat. We're celebrating. To Dalton Academy's newest shining star." He raises his hand in a mockery of a toast and Kurt, laughing, joins him by pretending to click their imaginary glasses together.
"To new beginnings." Kurt says as they quietly exit the diner and head back out into the cool fall evening.
"Okay that's a great start, Grandpa. What do you say we pick up tomorrow with Kurt's transfer to Dalton, yeah?" Blaine nods and carefully pulls himself into a standing position from the couch, frowning as his back cracks loudly in the near silence of the room.
"Sounds good, my boy. This was...this was fun." He says quietly as Eli blows on the ink to let it dry before carefully shutting and fixing the leather latch on the journal. Eli smiles at him.
"Yeah...it was. Well, bonne nuit de sommeil bien." Eli says as he heads for his room.
Blaine can't help but smile after him. Good to know those french lessons paid off, he thinks to himself as he readies himself for bed. He pulls back the covers and reaches for the bedside lamp briefly before cursing himself silently for his forgetfulness. He digs under his pillow for a moment before retrieving the item in question: a fading old style Polaroid.
It's from the photo album Kurt made him their fifth anniversary. He knows there are better pictures of the two of them stashed away in several dozens of their photo albums in the closest, but right now this is his favorite. It's a picture of the two of them at the Hummel-Hudson residence for Christmas. They are standing pressed together tightly on the old couch in the living room. In Kurt's lap is the torn remnants of the blue and silver wrapping paper that covered up a collectors DVD set of the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals that Blaine had given him. Just as the picture was about to be taken, Blaine had wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and kissed him on the cheek. Kurt's happy, surprised expression manages to lift his spirits and yet renew the dull ache of loss that is never far from his conscious mind simultaneously. With a heavy sigh, he kisses the picture and tucks it back underneath his pillow. He turns off the light and let's his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room before he starts the final part of his nightly ritual.
"I'm telling him about us, sweetheart." He whispers towards the ceiling. "I don't know if it's making any of this...I don't know if it's making any of this easier but it reminds me of how much I still love you. I'm glad we met that day on the staircase. I wish I'd have known sooner though. I wish I could go back and tell myself about what we did together, about the life we made. Because...because all the years we had, they...they weren't enough, Kurt." He feels the tears stinging in the corner of his eyes and lets them track down his face and onto the pillow. "A hundred years wouldn't have been enough, a thousand lifetimes and even beyond that couldn't even encompass how many moments we had left to share. I miss you more and more everyday. I love you Kurt. I will never, ever stop loving you. Goodnight." Blaine lays quietly for a few moments, ears straining for something he can't quite understand he wants. He can hear the muffled sound of cars outside in a city thrumming with night life and the faint sound of light jazz music coming from Eli's room down the hall. But what he can't hear, or rather, what he wants to hear,-I love you too, Blaine- never comes.
