Disclimer: So I don't own Glee. What else is new?
Note: Okay, so here's the next chunk for you. Graduation, and some pure adorable cuteness. Sandcastles and whatnot. Please read and review?
Graduation
Kurt stood in the large room. He couldn't believe that this day was finally here; he was graduating! Artie rolled up to him. Kurt bounced up and down on his toes.
"Can you believe it? We're GRADUATING!" Kurt yelled.
"I know!" Artie said. "It feels like just yesterday, we were meeting…"
"…and 14 years later, here we are!" Kurt finished.
"I know," Artie said softly. Kurt playfully flicked the tassel on Artie's mortarboard. He'd proudly been wearing Artie's promise ring for months now. He hadn't bothered to hide it from his dad, who thought they were too young to be making decisions like that. Kurt didn't care; he was headed off to college in a few short months, 1,000 miles away to the great New York City, and his boyfriend was going with him. His best friend was going to be a few hours away, in Boston (Mercedes had gotten into Berklee College of Music, after all). All was well in the world, at least, for the moment.
After the long (too long, Kurt thought to himself) ceremony, the glee kids met up outside.
"Congrats, you guys," Mr. Schue said, handing each of them a rose. "I'm so proud of all of you."
They all hugged him. "What're you going to do now that all of us are gone?" Finn asked.
"I don't know," Will said. "Maybe I'll find a new group of kids."
"They won't be as good as us, right?" Rachel asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Finn playfully shoved her. "Because no one could POSSIBLY live up to the legend of the great Rachel Barbra Berry," he said sarcastically.
"Exactly," she said, not picking up on the jab. "So! Kurt! Off to New York, are we?"
"Yep," he said. "Artie and I will both be there."
"I'll be at Tisch," she said. "But maybe, now that we're no longer competing for solos, we can…hang out sometime?"
Kurt smiled. "I think I'd like that," he said. He and Rachel stared at each other for a moment, before pulling each other in for a long-awaited hug.
"Finally," Mr. Schue said. "I'd been waiting for 3 years for you two to get along!"
Everyone laughed; they had gotten so used to Kurt and Rachel's constant bickering. They almost didn't know what they were going to do without it.
"Well, now that Kurt and Rachel actually like each other," Mr. Schue said, "I'm taking you all out to celebrate!"
"To BreadstiX!" Mercedes lead the cheer.
Artie pulled Kurt onto his lap, and Kurt kissed Artie deeply, removing Artie's mortarboard as he did so, running his hands through Artie's hair. Artie clutched onto Kurt so that Kurt wouldn't fall off his lap. Kurt snuggled in close to his boyfriend, and the two of them rolled off towards their future.
That summer was full of group dates, late summer nights singing, and the glee kids enjoying one last time to be together before they went their separate ways. They were all going to different schools across the country, but they'd all agreed to meet up at least once a year, at their beloved BreadstiX, with Mr. Schuester.
Kurt hummed to himself as he packed for New York. He smiled as he packed his favorite picture of himself and Artie, tucking it into some bubble wrap to keep it safe. He took down his Madonna poster; that was going with him as well. Kurt had requested a single dorm, so he'd have plenty of space to hang up his posters and pictures. He was packing most of his clothes, but left some behind for when he visited. He was looking forward to shopping in one of the fashion capitals of the world; he could practically already hear 5th Avenue calling his name. He couldn't believe he was going to school where he'd be doing nothing but singing all day; that he'd only be mere blocks away from his boyfriend; that he'd be just a train ride away from his best friend. It was almost like a dream, and Kurt had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do," he softly sang under his breath as he searched for his favorite sparkly scarf. He was leaving the day after tomorrow, and he just couldn't leave without that scarf! His phone started singing Britney Spears' "Toxic", Artie's new ringtone (programmed and set by Artie himself).
Wheels: Tomorrow 8?
KurtLizH: Yes, C U there, love 3
The gang was meeting up at BreadstiX for one last dinner before they all left Lima. Kurt was hoping for alone time with Artie, perhaps going to the place where they'd first met, but he knew he'd have plenty of alone time with Artie in New York. His phone rang with another text.
Wheels: Meet me at sandbox in half hr
KurtLizH: U read my mind
Kurt approached the sandbox where he'd first met Artie, 14 years ago. He was already there, waiting for him. He kissed his boyfriend with a flourish. "Hey, baby."
"Hey," Artie said. "Remember this?" he gestured to the sandbox.
"I sure do," Kurt smiled. "Didn't I yell at you for something?"
"Yes," Artie said. "I wore a sweater-vest. You wore some crazy Marc Jacobs toddler getup. You told me I should be wearing that instead."
"Oh, right," Kurt grinned, remembering now.
"You spoke French at age 4," Artie reminded him.
"Of course I did," Kurt said. "I was obsessed with French things."
"Kurt, you're still obsessed with French things," Artie laughed.
"I remember not wanting to get my clothes dirty," Kurt reminisced.
"Still true," Artie observed.
"Hey, I'm wearing my sweats just for this occasion!" Kurt pointed out.
"…they're designer sweats, aren't they?"
Kurt stammered. "They…um, they're…"
Artie gave him a knowing glance. "Kurt, Kurt, Kurt."
"Okay, so they are," Kurt said. "But they're two seasons ago."
"Of course they are," Artie said, not knowing the difference.
"Look what I brought," Kurt said, holding out the bag he'd been carrying. Artie peered inside. "Shovels and pails?"
"We're gonna play in the sandbox," Kurt said. "Just like old times." Artie's eyes widened. Kurt nodded. "Oh, yes." He picked Artie up gently and sat him down in the sand. Artie hadn't felt sand in so long; there weren't exactly any beaches in Ohio, and he'd stopped coming here after his accident. The sand felt cool and gritty under his fingers. Kurt knelt beside him and handed him a shovel.
"What're we going to do?" Artie asked.
"We're going to make a castle," Kurt said with a gleam in his eye.
Artie laughed, beginning to dig and fill his pail. The two boys laughed and played in the sand, chatting about old memories and plans for the future. After an hour, they'd built the perfect castle, set against the backdrop of the setting sun.
"One final touch," Kurt said, pulling out two glitter-drenched flags and sticking them in the two highest turrets.
"Perfect," Artie smiled. "My camera's in my bag, in the right pocket." Kurt located the camera, set it on automatic, and fixed it on Artie's chair. He quickly sat down next to Artie, threw his arm around Artie's shoulders, and smiled. The camera flashed, capturing the moment.
"And now," Kurt said, pushing a button on the camera. "We post to Facebook."
He helped Artie get back into his chair, plopping himself down in Artie's lap. They watched the sun go down and watched as the Facebook comments started to pop up on Kurt's phone. They got half a dozen "likes" and "aww" comments from the New Directions ladies. Kurt held Artie's hand, tousling Artie's hair with his other hand. Artie lazily draped his arm around Kurt's waist, pulling him in close. Kurt kissed the top of Artie's head, breathing in his spicy shampoo. Artie shivered. How was it that Kurt could still make him feel this way after all these years? Kurt titled Artie's chin up and kissed his lips tenderly. Artie melted, entranced by this whole scene. He caressed Kurt's smooth face slowly, feeling Kurt whimper into the kiss. Finally, they broke away.
"Come on, baby," Kurt whispered. "Let's go back to my place."
"You read my mind," Artie whispered back with a naughty giggle.
"How'd you get here, anyway?" Kurt asked, as he pushed Artie out of the park.
"I rolled," Artie said.
"Come on. I drove my baby here. I'm not letting you roll anywhere in the dark."
Artie didn't complain; he loved driving with Kurt. Kurt helped Artie into the passenger seat, and then folded up his chair, putting it safely in the backseat. Kurt slid into the driver's seat and turned the key. They started to drive off. Soon, they reached an intersection. Artie started to shake quietly. Kurt looked over.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"This is where it happened," Artie whispered, still shaking.
"Oh my God," Kurt muttered. He immediately pulled over into the nearest parking lot. He unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled Artie close to him, soothing him.
"Artie, tell me what happened that night."
"You know what happened, Kurt. I lost my legs; you lost your mother."
"I know that," Kurt said calmly. "I want to know your perspective on it. I want to know how it happened through your eyes." Artie didn't respond. "Talking about this will be good for you, baby," Kurt whispered, kissing Artie's forehead.
Artie laid his head on Kurt's chest. "We were coming home from the movies. You were home, getting over a cold. Your mom was driving, my mom was in the passenger seat, and I was in the backseat, on the driver's side." Kurt stroked Artie's hair, encouraging him to continue. "We were talking about the movie, and how much you would've liked it. It was raining that night. I remember jumping into puddles when we were walking to the car after the movie…that was the last time I'd ever jump," Artie said sadly. Kurt gave a sympathetic moan, kissing Artie's temple. "Anyway," Artie continued. "We were driving home, and I saw really bright headlights coming at us really fast. We were stopped at the intersection, and this car wasn't stopping. I heard our moms scream. I think I screamed, too. The last thing I remember before the impact was my mom looking back at me. Then, everything went black. The other driver hit the driver's side, but the force of the impact was on your mom's door. That's why she died, and why I got so messed up, while my mom was more or less fine." Kurt sniffled. He pulled Artie closer. "Do you know what my first memory upon waking up in the hospital was?" Artie asked.
"No; what was your first memory upon waking up?" Kurt asked softly.
"You holding my hand," Artie said, looking up at Kurt. "You were holding my hand and talking to me."
Kurt smiled fondly at the bittersweet memory. "I remember that now," he said.
"You climbed in bed with me, and you held me. I remember that, too."
"Climbing into bed with another guy at the mere age of 8," Kurt giggled. "I was a tramp even back then."
Artie smiled. "I thought it was very sweet."
"Do you feel better now?" Kurt asked quietly.
"Yes," Artie said. "You were right. I needed to talk about that. I hadn't talked about it since I saw my therapist, and that was years ago."
"Good," Kurt said. "Let's go home now." Artie agreed.
Later
The two boys lay on Kurt's bed, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
Artie traced Kurt's hipbone with his finger. Kurt shivered.
"Artie, can I ask you a serious question?"
"Of course. What's up?"
"Do you ever think about it?"
"Think about what?" Artie asked, confused.
"Marriage," Kurt said, not quite meeting Artie's eyes.
"What do you mean?" Artie asked, tilting Kurt's chin up to look into his eyes.
Kurt looked away. "I mean, us. Getting married someday."
Artie sighed. "I have thought about it," he admitted.
"What about children. Do you want children?" Kurt asked, twiddling his fingers.
"Yes," Artie said.
"Adopted?"
"What other way is there for two gay men?" Artie asked.
"Surrogate," Kurt said absent-mindedly.
"…surrogate, Kurt?"
"Rachel's mom was a surrogate, wasn't she?"
"I believe so."
"And who, pray tell, would we get to be a surrogate for our children?"
Kurt shrugged. "Mercedes?"
Artie laughed. "Somehow, I can't imagine Mercedes pregnant."
Kurt's mouth opened, but Artie cut him off. "And don't even suggest Quinn, Kurt. She's already had one unwanted pregnancy."
Kurt closed his mouth and sighed. "I do want kids, Artie."
"How many?" Artie asked, afraid.
"Mmm…maybe two?" Kurt said, unsure.
"I think I can deal with two," Artie said.
"Do you think we'd make good parents?" Kurt asked worriedly.
"Yes," Artie said. "I think we'd make awesome parents."
Kurt snuggled up to Artie's chest. "Do you want to?"
"When we're older, love," Artie whispered. "We can't yet, not legally."
"When we're 18, then?" Kurt asked, voice muffled by Artie's chest.
"Maybe," Artie said. "When the time's right."
Kurt seemed to accept that answer, and found himself falling asleep in Artie's arms.