"Hi," the other man choked out.
"Hello," Kurt said breathily.
The two stood there for a few more moments and just stared. As the wind blew gently around them, they were broken out of their reverie, and the man in the checkered shirt put his axe down and walked over to Kurt.
"My name is Blaine," he said and held out his hand.
"Kurt," he said softly and shook Blaine's hand. As he shook his hand, he gasped.
"What's wrong?" Blaine asked, surprised by the sound.
"Impossible," Kurt whispered again.
"Pardon?" Blaine asked.
There were so many things whooshing through Kurt's mind, he didn't know where to even begin. The song. The exact same cuff as mine. I can understand him. How is any of this possible?
"Kurt? Are you okay?" Blaine asked, now worried about the man standing in front of him.
"I'm sorry," Kurt apologized, pulling himself together. He could sense that this man was pure of heart, and whatever the reason he was sent here to this place, Blaine was involved. "It's just… Your cuff."
"Oh," Blaine said and then lifted his left hand. "Yeah. My… Well, I guess you'd call him my mentor, gave it to me."
"Mentor?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah," Blaine said with a sad smile. "Right after I turned 18, my parents died, leaving me alone in this world. So, my mentor, he sort of took me in and helped me work through the grief. I didn't want to be adopted by him, so we continued more of a friendship. He helped me build my cabin, and in return, I help him out with things."
"Does he not have a family of his own?" Kurt asked, unsure as to why this was an important question to ask.
"He did. Yes," Blaine answered. "So much sadness we are speaking of. They both died in a car wreck when his child was young. Ten, if I'm not mistaken. I remember it vaguely. The whole town wept. After that, my mentor moved out here into the woods. He didn't become a recluse, just… I think he wanted to grieve them in his own way. It was only by Fate that he ventured into town that day and found me crying in the park."
"I am so sorry for your loss," Kurt said. "For both of your losses. And as far as grief goes, my mom told me that our grief is all of the love we never got to express to our loved ones when they were alive."
"It sounds like you know what we're both going through, then?" Blaine asked.
"Something like that." Kurt smiled as his eyes misted over like they did whenever he thought of his dad. And now, he added his mom into those thoughts.
"So, are you new around here?" Blaine asked.
"You could say that," Kurt smiled.
"Where are you staying?" Blaine asked.
"I honestly have no idea," Kurt said, anxiety starting to set in. He hadn't really thought about this when he drank the contents of the vial.
"Well, it's not a permanent solution by any means, but you could stay at my house for tonight," Blaine offered. "I don't have an extra room. I do, however, have a very comfortable couch. Then, maybe tomorrow, we could ask my mentor if he has any suggestions. I need to take him some firewood anyway."
"That would be very much appreciated," Kurt answered as his anxiety began to fade. "Is there anything I can help with?"
The two worked on chopping and stacking wood for the next 30 minutes before Blaine had enough for him and his mentor for the following week. As the two walked to Blaine's house, Blaine began to hum a song he was singing in his head.
Pave me a path to follow
And I'll tread any dangerous road
I will beg and I'll steal, I will borrow
If I can make, if I can make your heart my home
Throw me to the water
I don't care how deep or shallow
Because my heart can pound like thunder
And your love, and your love can set me free
I have promised I will love you till the end of time
Through it all, the good, the bad, the ugly, and divine
I will be the melody, the rhythm, and your rhyme
All I want is for you to be mine
As he hummed, he thought about everything that had happened in the last hour. He wasn't looking for anyone. Not in the least. That didn't mean that someone wasn't going to find him. And there wasn't a fiber in his being that wanted to fight against this. Whoever Kurt was, and wherever he came from—because he definitely wasn't from around here—he was meant to find Blaine.
So can I get it right now?
Can I get it right now?
Can I get it?
Can I get it right now?
Can I get it right now?
Let me, let me just come and get it
Can I get it?
When will you run with me
Like I know you want to?
You're the one for me
And I'm counting on you
To put the pieces of me back together
So can I get it right now?
Can I get it right now?
Can I get it right now?
Can I get it right now?
Let me, let me just come and get it
And maybe, just maybe, the two of them could help each other heal. Blaine could tell when Kurt spoke of grief that something terrible had happened in his life. He was hoping that, once they got to the cabin, the two could talk, and Blaine could learn a little more about the beautiful man that had happened upon him.
"You never did say," Kurt said as they were crossing a rock bridge and were approaching a beautifully quaint little cabin, "what is your mentor's name? That is, I feel like I should know something about him if he is to help me."
Blaine laughed. "His name is Burt."
A/N: The song used is "Can I Get It" by the one and only Adele. I had never heard this song before (I know, I know) and I absolutely love it. It worked so perfectly with this chapter and where I wanted it to go.