Sighing deeply, Kurt fell into one of the airport chairs. He winced when one of the armrest stabbed him in the back as he fell a little bit sideways, exhausted. "Of freaking course," he said under his breath. "Damn thunderstorm." He stared at the floor in front of him, trying to decide what to do. His rescheduled flight was set to leave at 5:47 the next morning, and it was currently after 8:00 p.m. He wasn't tired yet. It almost seemed pointless to get a hotel at this point.
From the corner of his eye, Kurt saw another person flop down in a chair across from him. He glanced up, and another aggravated sigh immediately left his lips. "What the fuck," he said, louder than he realized. "You?"
The person across from him looked him in the eyes, the moment of recognition apparent on his face. "You…"
"What are you doing here?" Kurt bit out. "And why are you so close to me?"
"Flight got rescheduled for tomorrow," Blaine replied curtly, crossing his legs at the knees.
"Don't tell me you're going to Florida, too."
Blaine nodded but didn't say anything.
Kurt let out a frustrated grunt. Blaine Anderson was his sworn enemy. They had an unspoken hatred for one another, one that was only evidenced by the angry looks, clipped words, and active avoidance that surrounded their interactions. No one besides the two boys was sure what it was that had started their intense war of hatred. All anyone knew was that it had begun during the eighth-grade year and had continued through all of high school. Neither one of them wanted to spend even a small portion of their senior year spring break with the other.
"You need to move," Kurt declared finally after the two of them spent a few minutes staring at each other. "I was here first, and I don't want to see you."
"I'm not moving."
"Um, you have to."
"Still no."
Kurt crossed his arms across his chest, glowering at Blaine. "Fine. Well, I'm not moving. I'm staying here all night. You're gonna get awfully tired of staring at me."
"Good thing I have a book," Blaine retorted, reaching into one of the bags by his feet. "I think you are going to get tired of staring at me."
Harrumph! Kurt swiped his phone open, pulling open his text messages and sending one to Mercedes.
To Mercedes: I missed my flight. Rescheduled for tomorrow morning, and you'll never guess who I'm stuck in the freaking airport with!
To Kurt: I'm sorry you're delayed. Who's there with you? Someone cool?
To Mercedes: Hell to the no! Blaine freaking Anderson
To Kurt: Ohhhh…
To Mercedes: No I'm sorry? You don't feel bad for me?
To Kurt: Well…
To Mercedes: Well what?
To Kurt: Don't you kinda think maybe it's time you two let that go? Maybe this is the perfect time.
To Mercedes: What do you mean? What are you suggesting?
To Kurt: Just that the two of you have been at war for almost five years. Don't you think it's time to kiss and make up, put the past behind you?
To Mercedes: You want me to KISS him?!
To Kurt: Not the worst idea ever, is it?
To Mercedes: Mercedes! Excuse me! Do I even know you? Oh, my god.
To Kurt: Well, the two of you have SO much in common. You'd know that if you didn't spend all your time glaring at each other.
To Mercedes: Why are you telling me this now? I have to be here with him for, like, eight hours. I've already issued a challenge and promised I won't leave until it's time to board. I can't break my promise.
To Kurt: Sounds like the perfect time to me.
To Mercedes: If I didn't love you so much, I'd say that I hate you. Is someone paying you to try to get me to talk to him?
To Kurt: No one is paying me. Lol! Just know I love you, boo!
To Mercedes: I love you, too.
Kurt didn't say anything for a while. He continued to mess around on his phone, unable to keep himself from glancing up at Blaine every once in a while. His mind went back to that day, the day that started it all.
Kurt was sitting in the choir room, taking deep breaths. Today was their "Express Yourself" day in the junior Glee Club, and he was planning to come out. Like, out of the closet, let everybody know who the real Kurt Elizabeth Hummel was. He was nervous, but he trusted in Lady Gaga; her song was perfect for this.
All of them had written their truths on sticky notes and put them in an envelope, and the assignment was that they were supposed to reveal their truths by writing them on the whiteboard at the end of their songs. The order of the eight junior members had already been chosen by student request. Kurt had requested to go last.
So, he watched as a few of his classmates that he didn't know well went first, two boys and a girl. Then, Mercedes got up to sing her song, R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Aretha Franklin. When it was over, she revealed her truth by writing, "Strong, Independent Woman." Everyone clapped and cheered for her upon the reveal, excited for her.
Then, another girl sang before Blaine Anderson rose from his seat to stand in front of the class. "The song I've chosen today is Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara. And I've changed the lyrics to make the gender match mine. You'll understand when we get to the end.
"He just wants to be, beautiful
He goes, unnoticed he knows, no limits
He craves, attention he praises, an image
He prays to be, sculpted by the sculptor
Oh, he don't see, the light that's shining
Deeper than the eyes can find it
Maybe we have made him blind
So he tries to cover up his pain
And cut his woes away
'Cause coverboys don't cry
After their face is made
[***]
But there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful
We're stars and we're beautiful
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful
We're stars and we're beautiful"
At the end of the song, Blaine bowed low, quickly straightening his bow tie and tugging nervously at the button-down he was wearing. Then, he rose and grabbed a marker, writing his truth swiftly on the board: "I'm gay."
Kurt's eyes went wide, and the whole room was silent. Everyone was watching Blaine, waiting for him to say more. They wanted to understand exactly what he was telling them, what those words meant to him.
Blaine cleared his throat, looking up at the other junior Glee Club members sitting in front of him. "It's taken me a long time to get to a place where I could accept this about me. Growing up in Ohio, we all know it isn't easy to be different. Everyone looks down on you and tries to pressure you into being exactly who they want you to be. If you choose to do something else, be someone else, they discount you and discard you. But I'm claiming my truth, and I think it's beautiful. So, if anyone else is feeling like they don't fit or belong, know that I see you, and I think you're perfect as you are."
At that, everyone cheered and clapped, standing up and surrounding Blaine. They all hugged and talked to him excitedly, letting him know how much they supported him and loved him.
Everyone except Kurt. He was in too much shock to say anything to Blaine. He hadn't known anyone else was gay. He'd suspected; of course, he'd suspected that he couldn't be the only one, but Blaine? The guy he'd been crushing on for a couple of years? There was no way, was there? And… Somehow, his revelation, coming at the end of his Lady Gaga song, seemed less important now. Why couldn't he just feel happy for Blaine instead of anger that the other boy had stolen his thunder?
One more boy sang before their junior Glee Club teacher, Miss Holiday, called Kurt up to the front. "What are you singing today, dear?" she asked.
"Um, Born This Way by Lady Gaga," he announced quietly.
"Take it away."
Kurt stepped a few steps away, bowing his head and taking a deep breath as the song started.
"It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M
Just put your paws up
'Cause you were Born This Way, Baby
My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstars
[***]
I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Oh there ain't no other way
Baby I was born this way
Baby I was born this way
Oh there ain't no other way
Baby I was born
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
[***]
Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Whether you're broke or evergreen
You're black, white, beige, chola descent
You're Lebanese, you're orient
Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby you were born this way
No matter gay, straight, or bi,
Lesbian, transgendered life,
I'm on the right track baby,
I was born to survive.
No matter black, white or beige
Chola or orient made,
I'm on the right track baby,
I was born to be brave.
[***]
I was born this way, hey
I was born this way, hey
I'm on the right track, baby,
I was born this way, hey
Same D.N.A.
But born this way
Same D.N.A.
But born this way"
Kurt took a deep breath as he straightened his dark blue sweater. Then he wrote on the board in bold blue letters "Likes Boys."
Nervously, he turned around, looking at the class. His eye caught Blaine's, who was looking confused at him, a bit of anger or irritation flashing in his eyes. Everyone else was waiting for his explanation, wanting to be sure they understood him before they said anything.
"I'm tired of hiding," Kurt said quietly, bashful. "I want to be honest about who I am and let everyone know I know there's nothing wrong with it. I'm just me, and I can't be anything else."
Everyone waited for a moment to be sure he was done before they rose and congratulated him on speaking his truth, giving him hugs and pats on the back, happy he was being honest with himself and with them.
Everyone but Blaine. He stayed in his chair, his arms crossed, watching with something on his face that Kurt couldn't quite read. It struck him like a slap, though, that Blaine—who had just admitted that he, too, was gay—was unwilling to support him in his future.
That was the beginning of a long war.
Finally, Kurt worked up the courage to say something. "Why didn't you congratulate me that day? Say that you supported me?"
Blaine's head snapped up. "What? What did you say?"
"That day in eighth grade, during junior Glee Club. Why didn't you say you supported me after I told the class I was gay?"
"Why didn't you say you supported me?"
Kurt swallowed, chancing looking directly at Blaine's face, whose eyes were flashing with anger. "I was… Conflicted. I wanted you to know, but I was jealous of the attention you were getting, mad that you were taking the attention away from me since I was about to reveal the same secret, and I was… Well, I'd been crushing on you."
Blaine's head whipped up. "What?"
"Are you hard of hearing?" Kurt snapped, starting to get irritated now. "I don't want to repeat myself all the time when I'm trying to be honest with you."
"Sorry," Blaine murmured. "I just… I-I can't believe what I'm hearing…"
"Why? Is it such a shock that as a 13-year-old, I could feel jealousy?"
"No," Blaine answered, shaking his head. "That you had a crush on me. Because I… I had a crush on you." He whispered something else underneath his breath, but Kurt didn't catch it.
So, it was his turn to ask, "What?"
"I still do."
The airport was silent, and Blaine's statement hung heavily in the air between the two of them, neither knowing what to say.
Kurt took this opportunity to really look at Blaine, to take in the way his hair, with it's soft curls, framed his face. He had beautiful honey-colored eyes, expressive eyebrows, and cute, pouty lips. He had slender shoulders that matched his small, compact body and perfect hips. He had strong legs, and though he was shorter than Kurt, he thought that made him the perfect size.
Blaine studied Kurt, too. His hair was perfect, coifed and styled to make him seem taller than he was. His face had thinned out a lot since eighth grade, and it brought out the blue in his eyes and the little laugh crinkles he had. He had beautiful, kissable lips and broad shoulders leading to long arms and fingers, perfect for hugging. His torso was toned, leading down a trimmed waist, and his legs seemed to stretch on for miles, adding to his appeal. All in all, Blaine's perfect man.
"Why have we spent so long hating one another?" Kurt asked softly, finally breaking the silence. "Why did we never talk about this?"
"Too caught up in high school and our heads, I guess," Blaine replied with a shrug. "You know how it is there; you fall into your clique and you don't come out. Everyone's safer that way."
"It's so dumb, isn't it?" Kurt asked. "We've spent all this time hating each other over a stupid mental block we had as prepubescent boys, and it's gone on for five years, dictating the way we've treated each other. Who knows how much fun we could have been having all along."
"It is dumb," Blaine agreed. His eyes raked over Kurt with something new behind them this time, something he'd always felt but never let get through his stoney gaze: lust.
"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered, swallowing hard when he recognized the desire on Blaine's face. "I should have supported you, jealous or not. It was brave what you did that way, and your speech was beautiful." He paused. "You know, I think that was part of my hatred for you, too. That speech of yours."
"You disagreed?"
"No. I'd never felt more seen in my entire life. You saw all the things about me that I could see when I looked in the mirror but never said aloud, and you spoke them as a plain and simple fact. It was… I was embarrassed that I wasn't as brave as you, and I hated you for being stronger than me."
"You were just as strong. You spoke your truth not long after, too. That took a lot of guts."
"You were encouraging, though. You told people to accept themselves for who they were, too. That's strength, being a leaning post for someone."
"Kurt, it's not the same."
Kurt's breath caught; his name sounded beautiful on Blaine's lips, and he never wanted to stop hearing his name come from them. "Agree to disagree," he whispered.
For a moment, the two of them just sat there, staring at each other. Then, wordlessly, Blaine rose, setting all his stuff on his seat beside him before striding across the short aisle between them and seating himself on Kurt's lap. It was bold and forward, and they both knew that neither of them would protest.
"I'm sorry I didn't support you that day," Blaine whispered. "I should have, regardless of how rude I thought you'd been to snub me after my song. I should have recognized your struggle for what it was and tried to encourage you. Regardless of what you think, you were very brave and incredibly strong. I mean, we live in the middle of freaking Ohio for heaven's sake. You were very brave. And you still are."
"You, too."
For a second, they stared into each other's eyes, asking silently what the other wanted. Then, Blaine leaned in and pressed his lips gently against Kurt's, his eyes fluttering shut, his long eyelashes brushing gently across the skin of his cheek.
The kiss lasted no more than a second or two, but when they broke apart, they were both breathless, staring once more, their mind's reeling at what this could mean. How had their lives changed so drastically in such a short time?
"Make up for lost time?" Blaine asked. "We've got six and a half hours to kill before our plane takes off."
"I think we should," Kurt agreed.
Blaine moved his stuff across the aisle to the chairs beside Kurt, and the two of them stayed up for another two hours, talking about school, life, and learning about one another. They found that they had a great deal in common—not that they were surprised—and were scheduled to stay at the same resort over their spring break vacation.
Eventually, though, they both got tired, and they moved to a two-person seat, Blaine cuddling up into Kurt's chest. It didn't take long before he was snoring softly, his ear pressed to Kurt's heart.
Smiling, Kurt took a quick picture of them and sent it to Mercedes.
To Mercedes: You were right. We do have a lot in common.
To Kurt: Awww! The cutest picture ever! Have fun on spring break, you two. I can't wait to hear all about it. *Wink, wink!*
Kurt shook his head, put his phone down, and nestled his cheek against the top of Blaine's head, letting his eyes close.
Maybe having to spend the night in the airport isn't so bad after all.