CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Holiday

Party City, Lima OH: Halloween 2011

"There's nothing but slim pickings here."

Kurt stood in front of Party City's very limited selection of costumes for men. Rachel's Halloween party was in less than two hours and he and Blaine had yet to find something to wear. If it were up to him, he would be at home on the couch with a giant bowl of popcorn in his lap watching dumb, horny teens getting stabbed to death, but Blaine had insisted they go to the party and frankly he was in no mood to hear Rachel whine about him not being there.

"What about this?" Blaine held up a bright yellow jumpsuit with a matching mask with rabbit ears.

"What is that?"

Blaine shot him a 'you don't know?' look and said, "It's Pikachu!"

"Pika-who?"

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Pikachu. It's a Pokémon, Kurt."

"It's disturbing, Blaine. There's no way I'm wearing that or letting you wear that."

Blaine frowned and placed the costume back on the rack. "You know, it's not too late for us to go with my idea."

Kurt reached for the brown trench coat and fedora hanging in front of him. "Which was?"

"You could go as me, and I could go as you. You could wear my old Dalton blazer and tie and I could wear one of your spiffy little outfits."

Kurt's left brow raised. "Spiffy little outfits? Hm, as fun as that sounds the whole point of Halloween is that you can wear whatever you want to wear and be whoever you want to be. I wore that same blazer and tie for half a semester so it wouldn't feel like I was wearing a costume." Kurt slipped on the trench coat and placed the fedora on his head. "Also, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to fit into any of my clothes."

"You calling me fat?"

"Um, no. All I'm saying is that most of my clothes are tailored and you're much shorter than me." Kurt checked himself out in the full-length mirror next to the rack.

"Kurt, how tall do you think I am?"

"I don't know – five-six? I don't exactly have a measuring tape with me, Blaine."

"I'm five-eight, Kurt. And a quarter."

"Is that all? Huh. Well – my mistake." He turned to face his boyfriend. "What do you think? I'm thinking sexy Sherlock Holmes. I have a magnifying glass at home and some suspenders."

"Looks great," Blaine muttered. He placed his hand on his stomach. "I need to find a restroom. I really shouldn't have had that second medium drip."

"I think the restrooms are over there." Kurt pointed towards the rear of the store.

"I'll be back," Blaine said moving past him. "Pick me something out. At this point I don't care. I'll even be Pikachu."

"Over my dead body," Kurt said to himself. One costume down, he thought to himself. All he needed was something for Blaine and then they could head back to his house, get dressed and be at Rachel's by seven. He figured he and Blaine would arrive, mingle for a bit, play a couple of games, do some karaoke and be out of there by ten. If Blaine or Rachel gave him any flack, he could always remind them both that it was a school night and that he had an Economics paper due first thing in the morning.

The last week, scratch that, the last month had been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. To think, he had been so excited about starting his senior year. Sure, it was still McKinley High School and there were still a few dumb football players and Sue Sylvester to deal with on top of filling out college applications and rehearsing for West Side Story and preparing for Sectionals but at least he had a solid group of friends around him along with a boyfriend who had left his friends and one of the best schools in Ohio to be by his side. Then he lost out on the role he had been wanting so badly and his bid for Senior Class President was not looking too good either. It certainly did not help matters that Blaine was starting to drop hints that he wanted to take their relationship to the next level.

As much as he loved them, the last people he wanted to be at a high school Halloween party with was Blaine and Rachel and Brittany – all of whom were constant reminders of how much he was failing at being a high school senior. At least if things became too much to handle, he could stuff his face with lots of vegan, gluten-free goodies and play Candy Crush on his phone until it was time to leave.

Kurt placed the trench coat and fedora into the cart he had grabbed upon entering the store. Then it occurred to him. Blaine was already wearing a crisp periwinkle button down shirt tucked into a pair of navy-blue slacks with a gray cardigan. He could borrow the long, black coat he had bought for his dad a few Christmases ago to complete the look and if anyone asked, he would tell them Blaine was Sherlock Holmes' ever trusty sidekick, Watson – the Martin Freeman version, not the Jude Law one.

"Kurt?"

Kurt turned his head, expecting to see Blaine standing behind him. His eyes widened and his mouth curled into a smile that took up most of his face. Dave Karofsky stood with several items cradled in his arms. He was wearing a royal blue Polo shirt with a long-sleeved white Henley underneath and a pair of blue jeans, the kind that were ripped at the knees. He was clean-shaven, not a hair was out of place and there was a glow about him that Kurt had never seen on him.

"David – what are you doing here?"

Dave slightly raised the arm he was using to hold the items he had picked up and said, "Shopping for a costume."

"Me, too."

"Great minds think alike." Dave walked over and saw what Kurt had placed into the shopping cart only moments earlier. "Let me guess – Inspector Jacques Clouseau?"

Kurt grinned. "Close. Sherlock Holmes."

"Ah, good choice."

"I waited until the last minute, so this is the only thing I found that wasn't too slutty or too dumb. What about you? Going to a party?"

"Sort of," Dave said. "I mean yes – it is a party but mostly I'm going because there's a costume contest and a friend of mine talked me into signing up for it."

"What kind of costume are you wearing?"

Dave's face reddened. "The theme of the contest is 'Sexy Fill-In-the-Blank so I've decided to go as Sexy Maximus Decimus Meridius."

"Gesundheit," Kurt said.

Dave chuckled and said, "He's from Gladiator which is one of my favorite movies."

"I remember watching that with Finn over the summer. It was a pretty decent movie although I doubt real life gladiators were nearly as attractive as Russell Crowe. I'm pretty sure those guys probably had missing teeth, bad hair and questionable hygiene."

"I'm quite sure you're right."

"Well – you'll have to let me know how that goes." Kurt opened his mouth to ask Dave about his new school and if things were much better for him there. He saw Blaine approaching from the other end of the aisle. Dave noticed as well.

"I should probably head out," he said. "Party starts at ten so I wanna get home and get some homework done before I leave."

"Well, maybe one day we can grab a coffee or something and you can fill me in on how things are going at …"

"Thurston," Dave said. "That sounds like a plan. It was really good seeing you, Kurt."

"It was good to see you, David."

Berry Residence: New Year's Eve 2011

"What time is it?"

Kurt looked down at his watch. He turned to Finn who was sitting beside him on the super comfy sofa down in the Berrys' den. "Almost midnight." Kurt yawned and leaned his head back on a cushion. After a delicious dinner prepared by Hiram and LeRoy Berry, Rachel invited Kurt, Blaine, and Finn to come to the basement to sing karaoke until it was time for the ball to drop. Both Kurt and Finn had each sang a song with their significant others but for the last hour and a half it had been the Rachel and Blaine Show further fueled by strawberry wine coolers that tasted like burnt plastic.

"We're now going to take requests," Rachel all but yelled into the bejeweled microphone in her hand. "Any requests from our lovely audience?"

Finn cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled back, "'Free Bird'."

"Hm, I don't think I know that one." Rachel swayed from side to side, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

Kurt leaned over and whispered in his stepbrother's ear, "Don't encourage her." Finn shrugged his shoulders and took a swig from the water bottle he was holding.

Rachel spun around to face Blaine and asked, "What do you think we should sing?"

"How about 'I Got You Babe'?"

"I love that one," Rachel said. She darted over to her large album of karaoke CDs and started flipping through the pages.

"Should we put a stop to this?" Kurt asked in a voice that only he and Finn could hear.

"Maybe if we take their microphones and hide them," Finn suggested.

"There's no way I'm getting between Rachel Berry and a microphone."

"Well, we've gotta do something," Finn said. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Kurt watched as Rachel inserted a CD into her karaoke machine and then she moved back over to where Blaine was standing. The two of them were both wearing red as if they had called each other earlier to coordinate their outfits. Rachel was wearing a crimson, sleeveless dress that hugged her figure and stopped just above her knees. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun and her silver, teardrop earrings were the only piece of jewelry she had on. Blaine, on the other hand, wore a cherry red button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone and the tightest black pants he owned. His hair was curly and thick rather than shellacked into place with the expensive pomade he liked to use. The two of them, standing side by side, looked like the Great Value versions of Donny and Marie Osmond.

The opening bars to "I Got You Babe" began to play and Rachel and Blaine launched into their best imitation of Cher and Sonny Bono.

"You know, there is a silver lining to all of this," Kurt told his stepbrother.

"What's that?" Finn asked.

"Well, we've got one semester left and then we graduate which means Rachel goes to New York and Blaine will still be here. You can't karaoke from over 500 miles away."

"I'm sure they'd fine a way," Finn said.

When the song concluded, Kurt looked at his watch again and saw they only had a few minutes until midnight. Rachel grabbed the TV remote from off the coffee table in front of where Kurt and Finn were sitting. She aimed it at the flat screen TV mounted to the wall behind her and flipped the channel to the station airing Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Rachel walked over and wedged herself between Finn and Kurt on the sofa while Blaine sat on Kurt's lap.

"2012 is going to be my year," Rachel said. She tipped her wine cooler back and took a few chugs. "I'm leaving for New York at the end of the summer and mark my words, I am never coming back." She leaned over and laid her head against Kurt's. "What about you? Any big plans for the new year?"

"Well, I'm crossing my fingers that I get into NYADA," Kurt said. "Oh, and I hope we get to Nationals again. That would be nice. And maybe …." Before Kurt could get the rest of his thoughts out, Blaine leaned forward and emptied the contents of his stomach onto his brand-new Kenneth Cole black patent leather loafers.

Kurt spent half an hour getting Blaine cleaned up. Rachel gave him a plastic bag for his ruined shoes. Finn stood outside the bathroom exchanging worried glances with him.

"I spoke to my dads," Rachel said pushing past Finn and entering the bathroom. "They both agree it would be best if Blaine stayed here overnight in case he gets sick again." She turned to Finn and said, "We don't want him throwing up all over your truck, sweetie."

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Blaine moaned from his spot on the linoleum in front of the commode.

"It's okay," Kurt said patting him on the head.

Rachel held her hand up as if she were about to take the Oath of Office. "I promise to take good care of him. You two should probably get home. It's super-duper late."

"I'll grab your coat," Finn said moving away from the door. Kurt washed his hands and a few moments later, Finn appeared with his coat. The two of them told Rachel and Blaine goodbye and made their way out to Finn's truck parked in the Berrys' driveway. Kurt climbed into the passenger seat and sat the bag with his shoes on the floor between his feet. Finn looked over at him and asked if he was okay.

"I just want to go home," he said. The smell of throw up still lingered inside of his nasal passages. He could not wait to get home and shower. He hoped Blaine throwing up all over him was not a revelation of things to come.

His phone buzzed. He lifted it out of the breast pocket of his shirt and looked down at the screen. He had over fifty Facebook notifications, most likely people wishing him a Happy New Year, and several messages inside the New Directions group chat. He scrolled through his texts until he came across one sent at midnight on the dot.

Maybe Dave: "Happy New Year Kurt! May 2012 Be The Year All Your Dreams Come True. P.S. maybe we can get that coffee some time. – Dave"

Kurt smiled and quickly pecked out a response.

Kurt: "Happy New Year, David! I wish you the same and yes, let's make plans to grab that coffee. My treat. – Kurt."

Kurt saved Dave's number and slipped his phone back inside his pocket.

"What's got you smiling?" Finn asked as he turned his truck onto the street where they lived.

Kurt looked over at his stepbrother and shrugged. "Nothing. Just excited about this year is all."

Hudson-Hummel Residence: Valentine's Day 2012

Kurt tossed his keys into the large bowl on the antique credenza right beside the front door and headed for the basement stairs.

"Whoa, kiddo – come here."Kurt took a few steps backward and peeked his head inside the living room. Burt was in his favorite chair – a black leather La-Z Boy recliner with a built-in cupholder – watching some talk show on ESPN. "How was the party?"

Kurt leaned against the doorframe. "It was fun."

"Fun," Burt repeated. "Just fun?"

Kurt shrugged and gave a slight smile. "I mean it was great. Blaine showed up. Everyone was really happy to see him." He reached up and touched his face. "No more eyepatch."

Burt grimaced and sat up a bit. "Kurt – what's the matter?"

"I'm fine, Dad."

Burt shook his head. "No, you're not." He patted the armrest. "Sit."

Kurt sighed and slowly moved over to where Burt was sitting. He sat down on the armrest. Burt placed his arm around him and pulled him in for a hug.

"You know," he spoke. "With you graduating here in a couple of months, these talks of ours will become few and far between."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You do realize there are these things called phones and you can carry them around with you."

Burt reached up and thumped Kurt on the forehead. "Smartass," he muttered. "Now, tell me what's wrong and don't tell me it's nothing because I've known you for eighteen years now and I can tell when you're lying."

"It's just … a lot."

"Well, lucky for you, I can handle a lot."

Kurt exhaled and slumped into his dad's embrace. "Do you remember me telling you about the note I found?"

"Yeah," Burt said. "The one from your 'secret admirer'."

"That would be the one," Kurt said. "Well, I thought it was from Blaine …"

"It wasn't?"

Kurt shook his head. "No. It was from … someone else."

Burt's eyebrow raised. "Who?"

Kurt chewed his bottom lip. "I can't say. It's someone I know but they're not out."

Burt nodded his head. "I understand. So, this guy, your 'secret admirer' …"

"Dad – you don't have to keep saying it like that."

"What happened?"

"Well, it was super awkward. I mean this guy … he and I … we have an extremely complicated history. We reconnected recently and I thought that maybe we were working towards becoming friends. Then he totally blindsided me tonight and told me that he's in love with me."

Burt blew out air. "He did?"

"Yeah," Kurt said. "Right there in the middle of Breadstix. On Valentine's Day."

"What did you say to him?"

I am so proud of you for coming so far and I want you to be happy. And you will be happy. But I'm with Blaine. And I like you. But just as friends.

"I told him I was already seeing someone."

"I see," Burt said. "So …"

"So what?"

"So how do you feel about this guy?"

"What?"

"This guy … how do you feel about him?"

"Dad, what does that matter? I'm with Blaine."

"I know."

Kurt sighed. "Now I feel bad because he left the restaurant right after I told him that I was only interested in being friends with him. I basically ruined his Valentine's Day. So, I'm going to go downstairs and get ready for bed. I just want to go to sleep and forget this night even happened. Even the good parts."

Burt gave his son a light squeeze. "Have I ever told you about me and your mom's first date?"

"Only like a hundred times," Kurt said. "Not that I mind hearing it again."

"Well, tonight I'm going to tell you the whole story. You see, when I first met your mom, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, and she thought I was a bum."

"Wait," Kurt said. "What? You told me that when you and Mom met it was love at first sight."

"Yeah – it was love at first sight for me. Back then I was running with a rough crowd. I mean we weren't criminals, but we definitely got in our fair share of trouble."

"A couple of star-crossed lovers," Kurt smiled. "Like Romeo and Juliet."

"Only difference is that Juliet loved Romeo the moment she first saw him. I, on the other hand, had to prove myself to your mom. I started showing up at where she worked with her flowers and she would decline them. I even started kissing up to her sorority sisters just so they could put in a good word for me, but nothing worked."

"So, obviously she said yes at some point," Kurt said. "I mean I wouldn't be here if she hadn't. What finally convinced her?"

"You know that movie Say Anything with John Cusack?" Burt asked.

Kurt's eyes went wide. "Dad, you didn't!"

Burt chuckled. "Oh yes I did. I went to Radio Shack and spent two paychecks on a Casio boombox. Then I drove to her sorority house when I knew she'd be home, and I stood outside her bedroom window blasting 'I Want to Know What Love Is' by Foreigner."

Kurt nudged his dad in the side. "Dad, I can't believe you did that. I'm surprised she didn't call the police."

"She almost did but one of her sisters convinced her not to. But hey – it worked. A week later we went to see The Breakfast Club. And the rest, as they say, is history."

"Well, that's a lovely story and all but why haven't you ever told me?"

"Because it sounds way more romantic to say it was love at first sight. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret anything that happened but being rejected by your mom not once, not twice but ten times was pretty heartbreaking."

"I bet," Kurt said. "Seeing D-I mean seeing him look so sad and dejected … he was so heartbroken, Dad and it's all my fault." Kurt leaned his head on his dad's shoulder.

"Oh, Kurt. That's all part of it. Love is the riskiest thing in the world. Riskier than walking a tightrope across the Grand Canyon."

"I'm pretty sure you can die if you fall off that tightrope," Kurt said.

"Yeah – I reckon you're right," Burt said. "But I think I'd rather fall into the Grand Canyon than have my heart broken." Burt shifted in his chair so that he was facing Kurt. "Kurt, this guy, I'm sure he's pretty heartbroken but – falling in love sometimes means getting your heart broken. And it sucks and it hurts and there are moments where you feel like you're dying. But – I'm a firm believer that if two people are truly meant to be together then the universe will find a way to bring them together."

"You really think that?" Kurt asked. "It sounds so Shakespearean."

"Hell yeah I believe it," Burt said. "I swore up and down that I'd never be with another woman after your mother. But then … the universe."

Kurt wrapped his arms around his dad's neck. "Dad, did I ever tell you that you're the wisest person I know."

Burt chuckled. "Well, I don't know about that. What little wisdom I have is only because I've spent too much of my life being a screw-up."

"Well, in that case, you're the best screw-up I know." Kurt pecked his father on the forehead and stood up. "I'm off to bed, sir. Don't stay up too late."

"Goodnight, kiddo. Sweet dreams."

Camp Black Bear, Dunkirk, NY: Wednesday, July 4

Kurt found Dave standing near the dock. He tugged at the drawstrings on his sweatshirt and walked over to where he stood. Dave glanced up from his phone and saw Kurt heading his way.

"Hey, Kurt." Dave slid his phone inside his pocket.

"Have you seen Finn?"

"Last time I saw him, he and Anders were taking the leftover food back to the Welcome Center. Everything okay?"

Kurt sighed and said, "Yeah – I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Want to take a walk?"

"Sure – I could use some fresh air."

Dave laughed. "Kurt, we're outside. There's fresh air all around us."

The two of them started off in the direction of the cabins. Kurt looked down at his watch and saw that it was almost ten o'clock. Jake and Katie would be setting fireworks off very soon and he was so looking forward to seeing them. Ever since he was little, Kurt had liked standing out in his backyard, looking up and watching the colors, red, yellow, blue, green, streaking the dark sky. He had hoped he and Finn could watch the fireworks together like they had the previous year.

"Where are we going?" Kurt asked as they approached the soccer field.

"There's something I want to show you," Dave said.

Kurt followed him out onto the field and saw there was something laying on the ground. As they walked closer, Kurt saw a blanket unfolded on the recently cut grass and a basket sitting on top of it. His gaze flickered back and forth between the picnic set up in front of him to Dave who was looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.

"What's this?" Kurt asked realizing instantly how dumb the question was. It was a picnic. Even a two-year-old would recognize it as a picnic.

Dave shoved his hands inside his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet. "Well, I could tell you've been feeling homesick," he said. "So, I thought that maybe we could watch the fireworks together."

Kurt watched as Dave walked over to the picnic basket. He knelt, opened the lid, and took out a pack of Twizzlers. He held them up and said, "I asked Finn what some of your favorite snacks were and then I asked him to pick them up for me when he and Anders went into town yesterday."

Kurt slowly sat down on the patchwork blanket and looked inside the basket. "Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies," he whispered. He looked up at Dave who looked a mixture of nervous and satisfied. "These are my favorite." He reached inside and pulled the bag out. He then tore open the bag and took out a cookie. He bit into it, closed his eyes, and started to moan. "Oh my gosh – thank you, thank you, thank you. I've been craving these cookies for weeks."

Dave sat down next to him. He crossed his legs and reached inside the basket and took out a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos and a 20oz. Mountain Dew."

Kurt took another bite of cookie and used his hand to wipe away stray crumbs from his mouth and the front of his sweatshirt. "David – this is." He swallowed the wad of cookie in his mouth and continued. "This is too sweet. You didn't have to."

"I wanted to, Kurt," Dave said. "And also, I just wanted to thank you."

Kurt lifted a second cookie to his mouth. "For what?"

"For …" Dave cleared his throat. "For being you. For being so kind and so patient with me over the last few months. I realize I may not have always been the best person to be around, but you've been by my side all the way and I …"

Kurt dropped the cookie in his hand back inside the bag and sat it between the two of them. He reached out his hand and placed it on Dave's knee. "David – I want you to listen to me. I feel honored that you've allowed me to be by your side during the lowest point in your life and that you've continued to let me be by your side. I am so happy to be in your life."

Dave looked down at the hand on his knee. He reached out and placed his hand on top of Kurt's. Kurt closed his eyes and smiled. Dave stroked his thumb across the top of his hand and asked if he was okay.

Kurt nodded and opened his eyes. "I just thought of something?"

"What?"

"Remember when we ran into each other at Party City last year?"

"Halloween?" Kurt nodded his head. "Yeah – I remember. You were thinking about buying the trench coat and the fedora so you could be Sherlock Holmes."

"Sexy Sherlock Homes," Kurt said.

Dave grinned and said, "I stand corrected."

"I remember you told me you were going to a party that night," Kurt said. "You said that you'd signed up for a costume contest."

"Yeah," Dave said. "I showed up dressed as Russell Crowe's character from Gladiator."

"Was this party, by chance, at Scandals?"

Dave chuckled. "How'd you know?"

"Oh, I overheard Sebastian talking about it with Blaine. So, you never told me if you won or not."

Dave hung his head. "I lost actually. Believe it or not, I lost to some twinky dude with frosted tips who showed up as Sexy Pikachu."

Kurt snorted and clasped his hand over his mouth. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack," Dave said. "I was so pissed. I spent over a hundred dollars on that costume. Whortensia threatened to beat up the owner."

Kurt blinked a couple of times. "I'm sorry but who?"

"Whortensia Flowers, only the best drag queen in the whole Midwest," Dave said. "She or rather he is a friend of mine."

"You're hanging out with drag queens now?" Kurt asked. "Who are you and what have you done with David Karofsky?"

"I know, I know – if you told me I'd be going to gay bars and hanging out with drag queens and doing shots with guys old enough to be my dad, I would've said you were crazy."

"I clearly need to get out more often," Kurt said.

Dave took a swig of Mountain Dew. "Gerald … that's Whortensia's real name … is awesome. I'd like you to meet him. He really took me under his wing when I started coming to Scandals. This big burly truck driver tried to slip something in my beer one night and Gerald beat the shit out of him."

"Wow – good thing he was looking out. That sound scary."

"I always thought that shit only happened to girls," Dave said. "Anyway, now that I'm officially out, I reckon I don't have to worry about keeping that part of my life a secret any longer. Although, I'm sure my dad won't be too pleased to find out I've been hanging out at a bar and hour and a half away from home."

"Neither will my dad," Kurt said before popping a Twizzler into his mouth. A big boom went off in the distance, startling him.

"Look," Dave said pointing at the sky. "It's starting."

Kurt looked up and saw two streaks of electric blue crackle and fizzle in the air followed by a burst of red and white. He looked over at Dave who had leaned back on his elbows and was taking in the spectacle overhead. Kurt scooted over so that their knees were touching and leaned back a bit. He tugged another piece of cherry licorice from the pack and held it over his open mouth. "So, I know this is probably the last thing you want to talk about right now, but I've been itching to ask you something."

Dave leaned over so that his body was angled towards Kurt. "What's that?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd made a decision about where you're going in the fall. I mean, personally I just wanna know if I should be saving up for a bus pass or a plain ticket for when I come visit you."

"You know, as much as I'd like to put you out of your misery right now, I'm afraid as far as that's concerned, I'm still undecided. I have, however, given myself a deadline. My decision will be made by the end of this month."

Kurt groaned. "Ugh – but that's like soooooo far away, David."

"I know, but I'm not picking out paint here. This decision affects the next four or more years of my life."

Kurt sighed. "I know – I'm just being a baby."

"No, you're not," Dave said.

"Just do me a favor and promise me that no matter what school you choose that you'll always keep in touch."

"Kurt – I promise you I will keep in touch. Even if I were moving to Australia, I'd still make sure to keep in touch with you."

"Good," Kurt said. "Because I've sorta gotten used to you being around."

Dave grinned. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. I mean who else am I going to watch shitty Sy-Fy movies with?"

"Oh, come on! You loved Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York."

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. I'll never tell."

There was another boom and the sky this time lit up with bright green and purple. Kurt turned so that his body was facing Dave. "On a serious note – I've decided that I'm going to put in a couple of semesters at UNOH and then I thought that I'd transfer, sophomore year, to whatever school you were at – if that was okay with you."

"Okay with me?" Dave repeated. "Of course, that would be okay with me. I'd be stoked to have you on the same campus as me. Although I may have already promised Tana that I'd get an apartment off campus with her."

"Well, I'm not saying that we have to live together but just being in the same town as you, on the same campus as you would be perfect enough."

Two booms echoed in the air and an electric rainbow streaked through the sky like a falling star.

"Dave."

"Yeah?"

Kurt looked down at his feet. "Um, can I tell you something?"

Dave shifted a bit closer towards him. "Kurt, you can tell me anything. You know that."

Kurt sighed. "It's just … what I'm about to say is … um, ugh … okay, let me start over." Kurt shut his eyes, breathed in, and exhaled. "Okay – sorry about that. What I want to say to you is, that night on Valentine's Day …"

"Kurt …"

No." Kurt held up his hand. "Let me say this. I've been thinking about that night a lot lately and what I said to you and what you said to me and … if I could hop in a time machine I would go back to that night and do it all different. I guess when you took off that giant gorilla head and sat there in the middle of Breadstix and told me you were in love with me, I was just so shocked. I told you that I didn't feel the same way about you that you felt about me because that's what you're supposed to say when you're dating someone else, and another guy tells you that he has feelings for you. But the more I thought about it, I realized that I wasn't being 100% honest with you. The truth is I was scared. Not of you or you being in love with me but scared of what that would mean in the big picture.

"David, I've known for quite some time how I felt about you. I knew about it that night. I knew about it before that night. I knew it that day in the hallway when you walked me to class. Seeing you be so vulnerable with me, seeing all your growth even if you may have been blackmailed into doing what you did, that's when I knew that I had feelings for you, too. But then prom happened, and you ran away, and I thought I'd never see you again.

"That night at Scandals, when I saw you sitting at the bar looking the happiest I've ever seen you, my heart broke. Not because of anything you said or did but because you were right there in front of me, and I was with Blaine. I just kept thinking on the ride home that night that if maybe I reached out to you over the summer or something … maybe things could have been different."

Kurt felt something damp on his cheek. He reached up and ran his thumb across it. His eyes welled with tears. He looked over at Dave who had the most intense look on his face. Kurt had never been looked at so intently.

"I guess that's my roundabout way of saying that I have feelings for you, too, David and I should have told you back then. Maybe even earlier. And I get that it's been months since you told me you have feelings for me and maybe you don't even have them anymore and …"

Dave reached out and placed his hand underneath Kurt's chin. "Kurt …"

Kurt swallowed. "Yes?"

Dave smirked. "Stop talking." Kurt slowly nodded his head. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to do something I've been wanting to do the moment I saw you in Scandals." Dave leaned in close. His face was mere centimeters away from Kurt's. "Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"I had no right to take your first kiss from you that afternoon in the locker room and I apologize, and I hope that you forgive me."

"David," Kurt said. "I've already forgiven you for that. But thanks. I'm glad you said that."

"May I kiss you?"

"Please," Kurt said.

Dave pressed his lips against Kurt's, tentatively at first. Kurt steadied himself by placing his hands on Dave's oh so massive shoulders. It did not take long before tentative turned to ravenous. Their bodies met like the last two pieces of a puzzle. Kurt held tight to Dave as the other man devoured his mouth like a starving lion. Kurt's fingertips bit into his muscled back as Dave's lips moved from his lips to his chin down to his neck leaving behind a trail of hot wetness. Kurt fell back onto his back and looked up just in time to see Dave's hazel eyes meet his own. He reached for the bigger man and pulled him down onto his smaller form.

The fireworks sounded like gunfire going off all around them and as Dave kissed him into oblivion, Kurt thought about how one day he would tell his children of the moment he fell in love with Dave Karofsky.

Chapter 26 Notes: "Halloween 2011" takes place after events of "Asian F" where Kurt loses out on the role of Tony in West Side Story to Blaine and is running against Brittany for Class President but before the events of "Pot of Gold". "New Year's Eve 2011" takes place after the events of "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" and before the events of "Yes/No". "Valentine's Day 2012" takes place after Kurt finds out Dave is his secret admirer in "Heart" and before the events of "On My Way".

Kurt Hummel's dialogue in the "Valentine's Day 2012" section is take from season 3's "Heart". The episode was directed by Brad Falchuk and was written by Allison Adler.