Blaine was in the shower, thinking over everything that had happened since he'd met the beautiful man in the woods. There's something different about him, he thought. Almost like he could be from another world, if that were even possible. I've never in my life seen another man as graceful and ethereal as he is, not even on TV. It was then that a song from Hamilton hit him, and he started to sing it quietly, knowing his home was small and not quite sure he wanted his feelings out there just yet for Kurt to hear.
Helpless!
Oh, look at those eyes
Oh! Yeah, I'm helpless, I know
I'm so into you, I am so into you
I know I'm down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em
Where are you taking me?
I'm about to change your life
Then by all means, lead the way
Blaine took a deep breath, knowing he was already falling in love with the man. It had been years since Blaine had felt emotions this strong. After he lost his parents, everything was dull. And sure, writing songs about loss and sad stuff was fine for a while. Now that Kurt had come into his life, though, something new had been ignited. Blaine felt alive in a way he hadn't in years, and he couldn't wait to see where it led him.
Once both men were clean and comfortable, Blaine in a pair of plaid pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt and Kurt in a pair of cotton pants and a long-sleeved cotton tunic, they met on the sofa in front of the roaring fireplace. Blaine had made some tea while Kurt was in the shower, and they were both sipping on it. Kurt was grateful for the tea in his hands as it gave him time to think about everything he wanted to say.
When he didn't feel like he could put it off any longer, he spoke.
"Do you believe in magic?" Kurt whispered.
"I believe that there are a lot of things in the world that can't be explained, and it would be ignorant for me to believe things aren't true simply because I don't understand them," Blaine answered, undeterred by the question Kurt asked.
Kurt smiled. Of course, he'd think something like that. "Well, what would you say if I told you I wasn't from around here?"
"I'd say I sort of already figured that out," Blaine said with a smile. "I mean, I know you told me you were new around here. And you don't dress like you're from here. Not that you dress badly. Just… It's not what I'm used to seeing. And… I don't know. There's just something otherworldly about you, I suppose."
The tips of Kurt's ears pinkened with what Blaine was saying, and Kurt looked down at his now cool tea. "I'm from a town called O'a Nalore on the planet Ecrulia." Kurt paused to gauge Blaine's reaction.
"So, are you an alien?" Blaine asked, intrigued.
"I have no idea what an alien is," Kurt answered. "I'm a half-elf."
"Like from The Shannara Chronicles or Lord of the Rings?" Blaine asked and then shook his head. "You wouldn't know what those are if you're not from here. Wow. This is… This is amazing! So, how did you get here?"
"Well," Kurt said and then told him the story of how he'd met the woman by the bridge and how he'd drunk the vial.
"What did she look like?" Blaine asked, feeling like it was important somehow.
"I didn't get a great look at her," Kurt said as he closed his eyes and pictured the woman. "She had short black hair that was sort of choppy around her face. Her eyes were a beautiful warm honey color, and her skin looked like it had been kissed slightly by the sun."
Blaine had tears in his eyes and stood up. He went over to his small bookshelf and pulled out what looked like a book of sorts. He opened it to a specific page and showed it to Kurt, who gasped.
All of a sudden, Kurt burst out into laughter. "Things really should stop surprising me. Your mom?"
"Yes," Blaine answered, chuckling slightly under his breath. "She loved everything fantasy and even joked that she hoped she'd be reincarnated into one of the series she'd read over and over again."
"She sounds amazing," Kurt said as he looked at the picture. "So, she somehow found her way to my world, gave me a vial to drink, and then I found myself in your world?"
"That sounds like it sums it up to me," Blaine said as he shut the photo album and placed it on the coffee table in front of them.
"So, where am I?" Kurt asked.
"You're in Houghton, Michigan," Blaine said. "It's on the planet Earth." Blaine then spent several minutes showing Kurt pictures of the solar system on his laptop—which fascinated Kurt to no end—and then showed him pictures of the books and movies he had referenced earlier.
"What did you do in O'a Nalore?" Blaine asked once he put the laptop down.
"I read," Kurt said. "More specifically, I was studying magic and had planned to go to school soon. My path, it would seem, was destined to go elsewhere."
"Thank goodness it did," Blaine said, and then his cheeks flushed with a deep red.
"What is it that you do here?" Kurt asked, rescuing Blaine from his obvious embarrassment.
"I write," Blaine said. "I write songs more specifically. And I live here where it's quiet, though still close enough to town that, when I need something, it's only a 30-minute drive. Burt and I put up a tower so I can have internet and cell signal, and anything I really and truly need I can get from the land."
"Internet and cell?" Kurt asked.
"The internet is how I could access and show you the pictures on my computer, and a cell phone allows me to make calls to people without cables and cords," Blaine explained.
Kurt tried to wrap his head around what Blaine was explaining to him. It was difficult for him to do so, though not at the same time. Magic was a lot like what Blaine was explaining. He knew there were spells that would allow him to not only send messages to people he couldn't see, there were also ones that would allow him to link his mind telepathically with others.
Several minutes of silence passed, both men processing everything they'd learned about the other, before Kurt spoke.
"Blaine? Do you think Burt might be my dad? Or a version of my dad?" Kurt asked so quietly he wasn't sure Blaine would actually be able to hear him.
"At this point, I think that anything is possible," Blaine said and reached out to grab Kurt's hand. "I don't know if time works the same here as it does on Ecrulia. Burt lost his family when his child was 10, and you lost Burt when you were 11, right?" At Kurt's nod, Blaine continued. "What I do know is no amount of speculation is going to confirm whether it is or isn't. Would you be up for going to meet him with me tomorrow?"
Kurt nodded again, unsure what his voice would sound like if he tried to speak, tears already forming in his eyes at the slim possibility that this Burt might be some version of his father.
Seeing Kurt lost in his mind, Blaine made a decision. He grabbed Kurt's hand and led him to the loft—turning off the lights on the way—where his bed was and pulled the shocked man into his bed. Blaine spooned in behind him.
"I know this day must have been scary for you," Blaine whispered, and at the sound of his voice, Kurt squeezed the arms around him. "Just know that you are safe here, and I will do anything I can to help you find your way. Whether that's back home, to Burt, or wherever else you'd like to go."
What if what I want is right here? Kurt thought. Instead of speaking those words aloud, he simply said, "Thank you," and fell asleep fast, a song playing in his mind like a lullaby.
Helpless!
Oh, look at those eyes
Oh! Yeah, I'm helpless, I know
I'm so into you, I am so into you
I know I'm down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em
Where are you taking me?
I'm about to change your life
Then by all means, lead the way
A/N: The song used is "Helpless" from Hamilton. The photo (which you can see if you head over to AO3 or on my Tumblr) is of the Turkish actress, Tuba Büyüküstün, who I think is one of the most stunning women I've ever seen, and is also the physical inspiration for the D&D character I played for 5.5 years.