A.N.: So I realized that the "good stuff" I had promised before only really extended to a brushing of their shoulders so far, but what can I say, I guess I'm a sucker for the Victorian romance thing. That being said, I can safely say that more good stuff, even better stuff, is happening in this chapter!
This is a rather short update, but I wanted to post it as soon as possible so as not to keep my readers (all five of you!) waiting any longer. And I'd just like to say thank you to said readers for bearing with me those past two weeks, and also for all your lovely reviews, which never fail to make me smile.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.
Blaine took a deep breath and began to tell the story of their first meeting. For the huge place that single day held in his heart, that story was a rather short one.
He glossed over some details, because, well, there was just no good reason to tell his boyfriend-but-currently-strictly-best-friend that he couldn't keep his hands off him the first day they met and had initiated more physical contact than was entirely appropriate for a complete stranger. Besides, he would later have to explain how he had abruptly switched from flirty-friend mode to gay-mentor mode, how he stubbornly refused to let their relationship progress beyond friendship and even convinced himself he was in love with someone else before finally making a move.
No, things were complicated enough as they were, Blaine thought. All Kurt needed to know were the key events of the story.
"...and then we just talked some more, and I gave you my phone number and said to, you know, call me if something happened or you needed to tell someone," he said finally.
"Which is why I called you after the Karosky kiss, I suppose," Kurt said softly.
"Oh, you remember that part."
"Apparently I do," Kurt said, an unmistakable touch of bitterness in his voice.
Kurt was silent for a second, and the frown on his features simply broke Blaine's heart.
"So you also remember our lunch that day?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood and veer Kurt off whatever dark train of thought he had gone down.
"Oh, I certainly do," Kurt said, a smile immediately returning to his face as he turned slightly towards Blaine. "And dinner on the next day, and the one after that. Mercedes was getting quite jealous of how much time I was spending with you and how much I was, um... talking about you."
"Oh… Really?" Blaine asked, a shy smile tugging at his lips.
"...yeah." Kurt scrunched his nose in the cutest way, slightly nervous about his confession, but still smiling in spite of it.
"Listen, Blaine," he took a deep breath and forced the following words to come out of his mouth, mentally reminding himself that he had nothing to be afraid of, and that there was no way Blaine would mock him or reject him.
"I may not remember everything," he said, "but what I do know is that I've– I've always liked you. I mean, not as in– not just liking you, as a friend, although you were a great friend, but really liking you, like, well..." he let out a frustrated little sigh, but Blaine only smiled wider.
"You know what I mean," he said, finally daring to look up at Blaine.
"Kurt…" Blaine couldn't finish his sentence, but the pure fondness and the blissful, uncontainable hope contained in that single word, in that single name, was enough to reassure Kurt instantly.
Blaine looked down for a moment, only long enough to take the other boy's left hand between both of his. His eyes immediately found Kurt's again, and he smiled.
"Kurt, I know that this is – that I am the last of your worries right now," he said, and his smile dropped a little, though he found it impossible to suppress it entirely, "but you should know that, if you ever want to give us another shot, I – I'll be here. I'll be waiting."
"Blaine, I…" Kurt's voice sounded hushed and small, even to his own ears, as he realized that he should probably stop staring at Blaine and give him some sort of an answer. "Yeah. I'd like that."
Kurt's heart was racing at what felt like a million beats per minute. All he could see were Blaine's hazel-green eyes shining in the soft light of the afternoon, more beautiful than he could ever remember seeing them.
Kurt could feel himself leaning towards those eyes, as if pulled by an inexorable force, a reckless confidence that he didn't really feel. They got closer, closer, until Blaine's eyelids shut at the same time as his own, and he pressed the lightest of touches to the lips that were now beneath his.
He felt Blaine return the kiss and touch the side of his cheek before pulling away. His slightly shocked expression merged into a breathless laugh, and Kurt felt an overwhelming feeling of déjà-vu. After all, he thought with a small pang of sadness that felt out of place in the moment, they must have done this a hundred times before, but this hazy feeling of familiarity was all that his memory had retained.
"I– I didn't expect you to do that." Blaine said after a few moments, snapping Kurt out of his thoughts. "But I'm glad you did."
At those words, Kurt simply leant forward again and kissed Blaine once more, hoping that his actions could express all the things that he couldn't put into words – the relief of having his feelings returned, the feeling of overwhelming, disbelieving happiness which made every other source of pain seem insignificant, and the promise of what was yet to come, of what they had yet to learn and rediscover together.