HIDEOUS: horrible or frightful to the senses; repulsive; very ugly. (If you've been reading thus far…there is nothing hideous about anything in this story-at least not to me-so this word was a little difficult to fit in. Hence where and how it got interjected.)
Kurt woke up the following morning to the sun shining in through the blinds they'd forgotten to close the night before. He laid there, trying not to move and wake the beautiful man in his arms. The same man he'd gone to bed with for the last 60-some years. The same man he'd fallen in love with almost instantaneously. The same man, yet different in so many ways. "I promise to not compare the two of you," Kurt whispered. "I promise that you will be you and he will be him, and whatever similarities you share will be just that. I didn't realize until just now that I am so incredibly blessed and honored to get to love you in more than one lifetime. And gods willing, I'll get to love you for the rest of my lifetimes, however many they might be."
"That sounded like a proposal," Blaine's sleep-gruff voice said.
Kurt stiffened, unsure as to what to do now. He took a breath, knowing that this always helped his anxiety, and told Blaine what was in his heart. "I'm sorry if I woke you," he whispered. "Yesterday, when you were talking to Cooper, this was one of my worries—that I would compare you and the Blaine I have already lived a life with. And I really don't want to do that. I think, at your core, you will always be the same, regardless of the reality I am taken into. And I meant what I said last night, too. I want to get to know you, everything about you. I want to know your likes and dislikes. I want to know about each and every scar you have on your body. I want to know your favorite book and food and song. I want to know what spots on your body I can kiss that will make you fall completely apart and turn into malleable goo in my hands. I just… I want all of that again. And… It almost makes me feel selfish that I get to have that, you know? I mean, who gets this? Who gets what I get?"
Blaine turned over in Kurt's arms so he could face him. He looked directly into Kurt's eyes and spoke. "We get this. Me and you. I don't know what other Blaines or Kurts are out there. Or if there's another version of you in this reality. What I do know is that you're here right now, and so am I. I think if we think about the other ones out there too much, it will drive us mad. And if, someday, you want to drive to Houghton and see if that Kurt and Blaine exist there, we can."
"I don't," Kurt answered almost immediately. "In the depths of my soul, I don't believe they're there. And if they were, what would I say?" Kurt started to chuckle as a memory from his last life came back to him.
"What's so funny?" Blaine asked and smiled at Kurt's laughter.
"In my last life, I found out that I love all things Harry Potter," Kurt began to explain. "I was laughing because I started to think about The Prisoner of Azkaban and how Hermione sees herself, and it could have turned into a huge mess if they'd 'met.' I don't want to chance anything sending me back before it's my time to go back. So, I guess I'll just live my life with you, if you'll have me, and see where it leads."
"Yes," Blaine said instantly. "I want all of that, Kurt. There's so much we need to figure out and so much we have to learn about and from each other. And… We have time. We have all of the time in the world."
Kurt slowly, so Blaine could refuse if he wanted, moved his lips toward the man in front of him. When their lips met—morning breath be damned—something inside of them shifted. It was almost like their first kiss, when their souls sighed at being reunited. Though this time, it was different. It was like a small piece of their souls were fusing to the other, making the connection even more permanent.
When the kiss broke, the boys smiled at each other and started laughing in pure euphoria.
"Shall we get up and go make some breakfast so I can show you around the island?" Blaine asked.
"I'd love that," Kurt said. "When does Cooper come?"
"We've got two days to ourselves before he storms in," Blaine said, still smiling and then he stopped.
"What? What's wrong?" Kurt asked.
"I'm not sure I want the two of you to meet," Blaine answered, the slightest smirk on his lips. Before Kurt could work himself into any sort of panic, Blaine continued. "The two of you are going to gang up on me. I know it."
Kurt giggled at Blaine's silliness. "That, my dear, is definitely a possibility. I guess I'll have to try to get to know all I can about you before he gets here, then, so I can either join in the fun—and only if it's actually fun for you—or defend you until I take my last breath."
"It's all in fun," Blaine replied. "Coop… He's really big on consent. If whatever he's teasing me about isn't funny for me, he stops."
"He sounds amazing," Kurt replied.
"He is."
The two got out of bed and took turns in the bathroom before heading to the kitchen to make some breakfast. The more Kurt saw of the house, the more he knew there was absolutely nothing hideous about it, and if he were given the chance, he'd gladly live there for the rest of this life with the man he loved more than anything.
After the two had eaten breakfast, they decided to get dressed and then take a walk. Kurt put on some of his own clothes, knowing that, at some point, he'd have to ask Blaine if he could order him some more clothes, since what he brought with him from O'a Nalore wouldn't exactly fit in. It was in that moment, when he thought about his homeland, that he realized he'd forgotten to tell Blaine something important about himself. He knew—well, he hoped at least—that it wouldn't be a huge deal in Blaine's eyes. Still, it was something the man needed to know, and sooner rather than later.
When they'd finished getting dressed, they met downstairs in the living room. Kurt was there first and was looking at the pool through the large glass doors when he heard Blaine come up behind him, much like he'd done the night before.
"You look very deep in thought," Blaine said softly.
"There's something I forgot to tell you last night," Kurt said, still staring out at the water lapping around in the pool, being pushed ever so slightly by the light wind blowing.
"I'm sure there's a lot you haven't told me, Kurt," Blaine said with a smile. "Though, I'm wondering if this is a 'big' thing and that's why you look so somber."
"It is," Kurt answered and finally looked at Blaine. "And I'm not sure how you're going to react."
Blaine took Kurt's hand and led him to the sofa. They sat down right next to each other, leaving no room between them.
"Take your time and tell me whatever it is you need to," Blaine said. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't think there's anything you could tell me that would make me want to turn you away or have me leave you in any way."
Kurt nodded his head and smiled. Yup. This is one of those core Blaine traits. He's genuinely a good person, and damn am I lucky that of all of the other people in any reality, the magic of the vial chose him to send me to. "I'm not human," he stated, looking right into Blaine's eyes. "My father was human, and my mom is an elf. I honestly forgot because I went right from living my life with the other Blaine to the bridge and then almost immediately here. With him and me, it was never a huge thing we talked about. And when I was home, I didn't even see my mom, so… Sometimes, it's almost 'out of sight, out of mind.'"
Blaine looked at Kurt and was relieved. "That's all?" he asked with a smile. "I have no idea what I thought you were going to tell me. That certainly wasn't nearly as bad as what my mind was trying to conjure. Kurt… I'm going to say this, and I really want you to listen, okay?" Kurt nodded. "I am already mesmerized by you, and I know that it won't take me long to completely and irrevocably fall in love with you, all of you. Your eyes, your skin, your ears, your magic—if you still have some—your laugh, your kisses. I'm going to fall in love with each and every part of you. Earlier, you said you were blessed and honored that you got to be with me, and I feel the exact same way. Out of everyone in any other reality there is out there, this magic brought you to me. That's extraordinary, and I think we need to focus on that. We were meant to be together so much that one lifetime, one reality, isn't enough."
By this time, both men had tears slowly trickling down their cheeks with the sheer amount of love they had for the other.
"Okay. I will start telling my worries to go away whenever they start trying to make me panic," Kurt vowed. "We are so incredibly lucky to have each other, and you're absolutely right that that is what we need to focus on. Everything else will work itself out one way or another."
"Agreed," Blaine said and attached his lips to Kurt's. Their tongues started dancing for a few minutes before they parted breathlessly. "Can I show you my island now?"
"Yes, please," Kurt sighed. "Let's go see your island."