Chapter 22: Christmas With The Hudmels
Kurt and Santana were sitting in the living room watching a movie the next day. His parents were working, Finn was gone with Puck, and Blaine was at the Montgomery's house for their annual Christmas party, leaving them alone for the afternoon. Kurt was supposed to attend the party with Blaine, but Santana had called that morning and chewed him out for not spending enough time with her. Sure, she too had been busy with Quinn. But she needed her Kurt time, and though Kurt would never admit it to her, he needed his Santana time too.
They were watching Bring It On, the movie that started their obsession with cheerleading. Usually, they would cheer with the girls, they would quote the movie before the lines were even said, and they would argue over who the Queen B truly was. But this time around, Kurt was silent. Santana could tell the moment she walked into the house that something was off with Kurt, though she couldn't pinpoint what. She didn't call him out on it though. Instead she chose to watch him for a while and attempt to figure it out. When his favorite scene came on and Kurt sat quietly instead of quoting it though, Santana had enough.
"What the fuck's wrong with you?"
Kurt raised his brow in bemusement but kept his eyes on the movie. "What are you talking about?"
Santana gave him her, bitch please, look. "What do you think I'm talking about? You've been sitting there all quiet and shit this whole time. You didn't even make fun of Sparky's outfit like I know you love to do. Seriously, Kurt. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"It's nothing. I'm fine," Kurt told her, though he knew that she would know he was clearly lying. He wasn't surprised when the movie stopped playing. With a sigh, he looked over at her. "What?"
"I don't know," Santana said with a shrug. "You tell me." "It's nothing. I'm fine."
"Bullshit," Santana snapped and Kurt sighed in exasperation. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?"
Kurt picked at his cuticles for a moment before finally turning his full attention to Santana. "Ok, so...Blaine and I talked last night."
"Uh, huh," Santana nodded slowly. "And what? He doesn't like your wardrobe?"
Kurt scoffed. "Bitch, please. My wardrobe is fabulous," Santana rolled her eyes and waved at him to continue. "We talked about his past," Kurt paused and Santana raised a brow. "His past with Sebastian and other guys he'd been with before me."
"Ok. And?"
"And...he's been with other men," Kurt shrugged one shoulder. "Like, sexually. And last night he told me how far he'd actually gone."
"Ok. And?" Santana asked again, not exactly sure where he was going with this. "How far did he go? I thought you said he was an anal virgin."
Kurt rolled his eyes at her though he blushed at her words. "Yes, he is. He never went far, just a few blowjobs with some random hookups. And he and Sebastian only hooked up a few times too so it's nothing major."
"I'm sensing a, but, here," Santana said with narrowed eyes.
"But," Kurt said with a nod. "I'm not upset about it. Like at all. I mean, I was a little put off when we talked about it. But now? Nothing."
"Ok?"
"Shouldn't I be angry?" Kurt asked with exasperation. "Shouldn't I be pissed that he was with other men? Or jealous that some random guy had his mouth around his cock?" Santana pursed her lips to prevent herself from laughing. "Shouldn't I want to slap him or feel betrayed or want to find these guys, Sebastian included, and rip their damn hair out?"
Santana couldn't contain herself anymore. She threw her head back and laughed harder than she had in months. Kurt sent her an unamused glare. "Oh my god, I can't."
"This isn't funny, Tana," Kurt said flatly.
"Oh, this is fucking hysterical!" Santana continued to laugh. "Jesus, Hummel. I thought something was really wrong with you!"
Kurt grabbed a couch pillow and threw it at her. "Tana," he whined, though a smirk played at his lips. "I'm being serious! I feel like I should be at least a little upset but I'm not and that worries me! What if I don't love Blaine as much as I thought I did? Does this make me a bad soulmate?"
Santana waved her arms in front of her and shook her head. "Stop, stop. Hold on," she said as she tried to control her laughter. "So what you're telling me is that you're upset that you aren't upset? That doesn't even make any sense!" Kurt groaned and set his head back on the couch. "Kurt, are you being serious right now?" Kurt shrugged but said nothing. "Wow," she shook her head in astonishment. "Ok, first of all, nobody, and I mean nobody, loves Blaine more than you do. Second, this does not in any way, shape, or form make you a bad soulmate. If anything, this makes you an amazing soulmate because you aren't letting something that happened years ago get in the way of your life now. I can't believe that you were seriously upset at yourself for handling this so maturely. What were you even thinking? Really?"
"I don't know," Kurt said with a sigh. "I guess I kept thinking about what happened with you and Britt and Sam, and Q, and I thought that I should be angry and jealous too."
"That's completely different and you know it," Santana deadpanned. "What happened with us was messy and complicated and it happened to us now. This thing with Blaine happened when we were like, 12."
"So I'm not wrong for just accepting his past without question?" Kurt asked her.
"Do you feel like there's something you need to question? Honestly."
Kurt thought about it for a moment. He thought about the details behind Sebastian and Hunter's bad choices, because yes, they did choose wrong by sleeping together and not working it out, though it wasn't his place to judge. He thought about Blaine's involvement in it, his commitment to Sebastian and their friendship. He thought about how had it not been for Blaine's questionable choices, Sebastian would've been much worse off. He smiled softly to himself as he recalled how attentive Blaine had been last night and this morning, as if he was waiting for Kurt to go off on him. He remembered the look of worry on Blaine's face when he told Kurt the whole truth; the worry that he would somehow become a disappointment to Kurt because he wasn't as perfect as the world thought he was. But the truth is that it's all of Blaine's imperfections Kurt loved the most. It's the nerdy quirks and the insecurities that made Kurt swoon. Blaine was his soulmate, for better or worse, and he's certainly not going to get worked up over something that had nothing to do with him.
"You know, I don't," Kurt finally answered. "He's my soulmate, my one and only. How could I be upset with him for experimenting with other guys? It's not like we knew each other. And it's not like I hadn't planned on going out and doing my own experimenting before I knew Blaine was mine."
"Exactly," Santana grinned. "Why are you even trying to fret about this?"
Kurt shrugged and sighed. "I don't even know. I guess things have been going so well that I was looking for something to be wrong, ya know?"
"Yeah, I guess that's true," Santana nodded. "I think you need to get used to things going well for the rest of your life, Kurt. I mean, Blaine freaking Anderson is your soulmate! It doesn't get any better than that."
Kurt smiled brightly, a future with Blaine flashing before his eyes. "No, it really doesn't."
Later that night, once everyone was in bed and Kurt was wrapped up in Blaine's arms, Kurt finally decided to bring Blaine's past up for the last time.
"I'm not mad at you."
He spoke so quietly that Blaine wasn't sure if he'd heard him. "What?"
Kurt looked up at Blaine with a small smile. "I'm not mad at you," he repeated. "For dating Sebastian or for the random guys at the clubs; for any of it. I understand that things were complicated and I get that you were only trying to help your best friend. I just needed you to know that I'm not mad at you."
The relief on Blaine's face was as clear as day. "I was so sure that you would be," he admitted softly. "I kept waiting for you to flip out on me. Why do you think I was so willing to go to the Montgomery's by myself today? I was terrified you'd see Hunter and then talk to him and just... explode."
Kurt chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. I'm sorry if I worried you, but I'm honestly ok. I can't be mad at you for something like this. You were young and naïve and Hollywood is scary. If anything I'm grateful you had Sebastian around. He helped keep you in check just as much as you helped him."
Blaine raised his hand to Kurt's cheek and caressed it. "You're incredible, you know that? I've never met a more compassionate person in my life."
Kurt blushed at the compliment. "I get it from Dad, though he'll tell you I get it from my mom," he leaned forward and kissed Blaine sweetly. "Let's get some sleep," he said as he settled back down against Blaine's chest. "We have an early day tomorrow."
Christmas Eve morning was a rush of events. Burt and Carole woke the boys up before sunrise and sat them down in the living room. Blaine didn't mind too much. As long as he had his cup of coffee, which Carole supplied the moment they got downstairs, he was good to go. Kurt and Finn however grumbled and complained at the early wakeup call.
"Seriously Dad, you couldn't give us like, another hour?" Kurt mumbled into his cup of coffee. "It's not like we're doing anything today but putting up the tree."
"That is where you're wrong," Burt said with a point of his finger. "Eileen called, they're back early from the Bahamas and we're going over there for dinner. That means we need to get everything done before we leave."
"You mean before you guys leave," Kurt said pointedly. "Blaine and I are staying here."
"Now, Kurt," Carole started gently. "I know you and the girls don't exactly get along but-"
"But nothing," Kurt cut her off. "I am not spending my Christmas Eve with those devil spawn. Besides, they're huge Warbler fans. If Blaine shows up there with us, the whole world will know that we're soulmates before we even tell them to keep their mouths shut," Burt and Carole glanced at each other but said nothing. "You know I'm right. And I'm not about to leave Blaine here by himself. Just tell them I have the flu or something."
Burt sighed. "Alright fine. You two can stay here," Kurt grinned happily and bounced in his seat. An entire afternoon alone in the house with Blaine sounded much better than spending even a second with his cousins. "We still need to get things done early though so, Finn," Burt called out and Finn grunted in response. "You, Kurt, and I are going out to get the tree. Blaine and Carole will stay here and get the rest of the decorations in this box up by the time we get home. Let's try and be done by noon. It's a long drive to Eileen's. Ready, break!" Burt clapped.
Blaine stood up with a grin, eager to help Carole put up the rest of the decorations. Kurt gulped down his coffee and then smacked Finn on the head. "Let's go, Phineas."
"Don't call me that," Finn grumbled though he started to stand anyway. "Then hurry up," Kurt retorted back as he made his way upstairs.
Finn begrudgingly followed him. "If I'm Phineas, you're Ferb right?" "Yep," Kurt laughed. "Blaine could be Perry."
Blaine gasped dramatically. "The super-secret platypus spy?" Kurt looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Awesome!"
Burt chuckled and shook his head. His boys were too much sometimes. He turned to look at Blaine who was taking instructions from Carole and smiled. Blaine was one of his boys now and it warmed his heart. They were in for a good Christmas this year.
A few hours and a delicious pancake breakfast later, Blaine and the Hudmels were in the living room starting on the tree. Carole was sitting on the chair stringing popcorn, Kurt and Finn were sitting on the couch making paper chains, and Burt and Blaine were putting the lights on the tree. There was soft Christmas music playing in the background which they all hum along to and the snow was beginning to fall once more. Kurt's end of the paper chain took longer than usual because instead of paying attention to which color strip he picked up, his eyes were on Blaine and his father. He watched them interact with a loving a smile, his heart swelling with joy at the sight. He wondered though if he would ever have a relationship with Blaine's parents like Blaine had with his. He hoped that one day in the future both families could come together for the holidays.
"Dude, you just glued three greens in a row," Finn said with a hint of annoyance. Kurt turned his attention to his end of the paper chain and cursed under his breath. Finn smirked. "Maybe if you stop staring at Blaine's ass you wouldn't have messed up," he whispered.
"I was not staring at his ass," Kurt said with an eye roll as he tore off the green strips.
Finn scoffed. "Yeah, sure."
"I wasn't!" Kurt argued, balling up the construction paper and tossing it at Finn.
Blaine and Burt looked over their shoulders as Kurt and Finn playfully argued. Burt shook his head with a half smirk while Blaine chuckled. Blaine looked at Burt with a grateful smile. "Thank you for letting me be a part of this, Burt. It means a lot to me that you've been so welcoming."
"No need to thank me, son. You're a part of this family now. We're happy to have you," Burt said with soft smile.
Blaine looked down bashfully. "I know. I just...we never did things like this in my house," he spoke quietly. "We didn't have traditions like this or have family nights," Blaine glanced back up with a sad smile. "This past week has been amazing. I'm so incredibly lucky to have been able to be a part of it."
Burt patted Blaine's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "If anyone is lucky, it's me," he said with a glance at Kurt. "His mom used to always buy the tree. I'd always tell her to wait until I got home from work but she never could," Burt looked at Blaine with sad eyes. "And then, the first Christmas after she died, I totally forgot about it. That is until I saw little Kurt hanging his own version of a Christmas ornament on his window shade Christmas Eve; her old perfume bottle. He always loved the way she smelled." Blaine looked over his shoulder at Kurt and smiled at the blush that spread across Kurt's cheek at getting caught staring.
"So I pull him out of bed, I throw a coat on him, and I drive through a snowstorm right down to the Christmas tree sale. It was the first time he smiled since his mom died. After that, his smile was far and few between. Until he met you at the park," Blaine looked back at Burt with soft eyes. "He talked about you for months and when he did, his whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. You and your music brought him back to me, Blaine. You may be fated to be together, but I'm the lucky one here. Not only did I get to witness years of you inadvertently teaching him to always be proud of who he is, but now I get to sit front row and center for your future together. I couldn't have asked for a better soulmate for my son than you."
Kurt looked up just as Blaine dropped the lights in his hand and threw his arms around his father who hugged him right back. He watched them with growing curiosity as they continued their hushed conversation. "Finn, what do you think they're talking about?" he whispered.
Finn glanced at Burt and Blaine. "Beats me," he shrugged. He looked at Kurt's end of the paper chain and groaned. "Dude, seriously?"
Kurt hummed with a raised brow though his eyes were still on Blaine and his dad. They had let go and it looked like Blaine had wiped a tear away. He heard Finn sigh in exasperation and turned back. He groaned when he saw that once again he messed up the color pattern. "Alright, I'm done getting distracted."
"Yeah, right," Finn muttered as Kurt once again glanced over at Blaine and Burt. They were never going to get this done.
Shortly after Burt, Carole, and Finn left for Carole's sister's house, Blaine and Kurt got into Kurt's navigator and drove to the cemetery. Kurt was wary about bringing Blaine with him, not wanting to risk anyone recognizing him. But Blaine had assured him they would be fine thanks to his winter gear.
"The best thing about the cold is that I can cover up my entire face and no one would be the wiser," Blaine had told him with a goofy grin. Kurt had simply shaken his head with a smirk.
Kurt pulled up to the cemetery and sighed with relief when he saw that they were the only ones there. He parked the car, turned it off, and unbuckled his seatbelt before turning to look at Blaine. He tried to hold back a laugh but couldn't stop the giggle that escaped. The only part of Blaine that was visible was his eyes and they were hidden behind thick framed black glasses. Kurt pulled out his phone and took a picture.
"You are seriously the biggest dork I've ever met," Kurt said with a fond smile.
Blaine pulled his scarf down and grinned happily. "But I'm your dork."
Kurt leaned over and kissed him chastely. "Yes, you are," he said as he reached into the back seat for the white roses. "Come on."
Blaine waited for Kurt by the passenger side door and took his hand when he came around the car. Kurt walked the familiar path to his mother's grave, the newly fallen snow covering the remaining tracks of any recent visitors. When they reached the headstone, Kurt knelt in the snow and placed the flowers down. Blaine knelt down next to him, glancing around quickly before bringing his scarf down. Kurt brushed the snow off her headstone and smiled when he saw her name.
"Hi, Mommy," Kurt spoke softly and Blaine couldn't help but look at him. There was a sudden innocence radiating off him and it somehow made him even more beautiful. "I know I just saw you last week and I usually come with Dad on Christmas Day, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow," he glanced at Blaine and smiled. "I brought Blaine with me. He really wanted to meet you."
"Hi, Mrs. Hummel," Blaine said a bit bashfully. This was an entirely new experience for him, talking to someone's grave. He didn't want to mess it up. "It's lovely to meet you."
"You can call her Elizabeth," Kurt said with a smirk. "She says to stop being so nervous."
Blaine raised a brow. "Did she now?"
"Mhm," Kurt nodded matter of factly. "Trust me, I know these things." This was something Burt did with his son when he was a child. They would visit his late wife together and he'd speak for her as if she was there. As Kurt grew older and he started visiting her by himself, he answered his own questions and spoke to her, allowing all the good memories to fill his soul.
Blaine chuckled and looked at Elizabeth's headstone. "You'll have to excuse me, Elizabeth. I've never done this before. But Kurt's right, I really wanted to meet you. I'm honored that he shared this moment with me."
Kurt smiled. "She says it's lovely to meet you too and she's glad that I brought you," Blaine smiled lovingly at him. A sudden chill pierced through their heavy coats and Kurt sighed sadly. "Mommy, we can't stay. It's going to start snowing again and I don't want to get stuck on the road. I just wanted to come say hi and introduce you to Blaine. But we'll be back soon. Dad will be here tomorrow, weather permitting. I love you. Merry Christmas." Kurt blew her a kiss and started to stand up. He looked at Blaine with confusion when he didn't follow suit. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Blaine assured him with a gentle smile. "Why don't you turn the car on and I'll be right there? I want to talk to her for one more minute."
Kurt raised a suspicious brow. "Does this have anything to do with whatever you and Dad talked about this morning?"
Blaine hummed in contemplation. "Not exactly."
"Alright," Kurt said with an eye roll and a smirk. "Don't be long."
Blaine nodded with a small smile. He waited until he was certain that Kurt was out of earshot before turning his attention to the headstone. "Mrs. Hummel, Elizabeth, I need to thank you," he started just above a whisper. "You see, my life has been really crazy and when I needed hope the most, Kurt was there pulling me through. Kurt told me that you used to call him your good luck charm and I truly believe that he was, because you see, he's my good luck charm too. I'm so incredibly blessed to have him and I have you to thank for that. So, thank you, for sharing him with me. I promise to always take care of him and to always treat him with respect," Blaine looked towards the entry way and saw Kurt reaching his car. "I love him more than anything. Thank you for bringing him into my life," Blaine looked at the headstone with soft smile. "Merry Christmas, Elizabeth."
Blaine covered his face with his scarf and stood up to leave. Before he could a take step though, a gust of wind blew, and despite the cold, the breeze filled Blaine with warmth. He was probably imagining it, but he could've sworn he heard the words, thank you, whispered in his ear. As he walked back the car, the warmth in his heart grew. Any doubt he could've possibly had was suddenly gone. They were ready.
"KURT! BLAINE! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Finn jumped up and down on Kurt's bed, a giddy grin on his face. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"
Kurt groaned with frustration. "Get off my damn bed, you buffoon!" he snapped.
"GET UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Finn shouted before running out of the room.
Kurt rolled his eyes while Blaine merely chuckled. "Sorry about him."
"It's fine," Blaine assured him. He watched Kurt stretch and yawn before capturing his lips. Kurt gasped at the sudden ferocity. Blaine's kiss was gentle and sweet, but there was a passion behind it that left Kurt breathless. "Merry Christmas, my love," Blaine whispered as they parted. "It's our first in this lifetime."
Kurt smiled up at Blaine, his whole face flushed. "Merry Christmas," he breathed out.
Blaine grinned, pecked him on the nose and got up. "Come on. It's Christmas!" he said eagerly. "We can't spend it in bed!"
Kurt watched with amusement as Blaine hurried into the bathroom. As soon as Blaine shut the door, Kurt grabbed Blaine's pillow and inhaled deeply. The day hadn't even begun and it was already the best Christmas ever.
The Hudmels sat around the tree opening their gifts. While Carole and Kurt opened their gifts slowly and set the wrapping paper aside, Finn and Burt tore through theirs like children. Blaine simply watched them with amusement. His gift had been the music studio so there was nothing for him to unwrap. Except for Kurt's gift, but they were exchanging theirs later in Kurt's room. Or so Kurt thought. Blaine technically bought him two gifts; the cuffs were what he was giving Kurt in private.
"Where are the gifts from Blaine?" Finn asked eagerly, his unwrapped presents on the floor next to him.
"What makes you think he got you anything, Finn?" Kurt asked seriously, though he knew exactly what Blaine had bought for him. "Just because he's rich doesn't mean he spent money on you."
Finn shrunk back. "I didn't mean it like that," he muttered with embarrassment.
"Kurt," Blaine chided with a smirk. "Don't be mean to him."
Kurt grinned from ear to ear. "He just makes it so easy!"
Blaine shook his head and laughed. "Finn, Carole, Burt, I did buy you guys gifts, but before I give them to you, just know that nothing you say will make me take them back." Burt and Carole glanced at each other curiously and Finn's eyes widened with excitement. "You've all been so unbelievably welcoming. The least I can do is show my appreciation."
"Blaine," Carole started softly. "You didn't have to buy us anything. You're family-"
"Exactly!" Finn cut in. "He's family so he gets to buy us whatever he wants and we don't get to complain!"
"He has a point, Carole," Burt nodded. "Not that I'm exactly thrilled about you spending a lot of money on us, but I can't say I'm not intrigued either."
Blaine smiled excitedly and stood up. He walked to the book shelf and pulled out the four envelopes he had hidden the night before. He handed one to each family member, the last one going to Kurt.
Kurt looked at him in confusion. "I thought we were exchanging gifts later."
"We are," Blaine nodded as he sat down. "This is something else," he winked.
Kurt raised a brow but instead of opening it, he turned to his family to watch them open theirs. Carole's face lit up when she saw that her gift was a five year membership to one of the best spa resorts in Columbus. Burt's jaw dropped in shock, his eyes sparkling with excitement when he saw two tickets to attend the Frankfurt Motor Show, the largest car show in the world. Along with the motor show tickets were two plane tickets to Germany where the show was held, and the hotel stay information. Finn's reaction was Blaine's favorite. He didn't scream or freak out. He simply stared dumbfounded, unable to believe what he held in his hands.
"Dude...Superbowl tickets?" Finn finally asked, looking up at Blaine with awe. "You got me Superbowl tickets?"
"Technically, I got you vouchers," Blaine corrected with a smile. "Since we still don't know who is playing. But, you and one more person will have box seats and your airfare and hotel stay will be paid for as well."
"Whoa," Finn breathed out. "Best bro-in-law ever."
Blaine looked over at Kurt who was still holding his envelope. "Are you gonna open that?"
Kurt hummed. "I don't know. I'm kinda scared," he teased lightly. Blaine shrugged nonchalantly but said nothing, a smirk on his lips. With a sigh Kurt opened his envelope. He gasped, his eyes wide. "Blaine! These are front row seats to Panic! At The Disco!"
"Not just front row seats," Blaine shook his head. "All day passes. I called in a favor and Brendon will be there to give you a tour. You and your girls. You'll get to hang out with him and the band all day."
"AAAAH!" Kurt threw his arms around Blaine and tackled to the floor. "Oh my God! This is so cool! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Blaine chuckled. "I'm glad you like it."
"I love it!" Kurt said with a groan as they parted. He quickly got on his feet and started to run upstairs. "I need to call Tana!"
Later in the afternoon, Blaine and Kurt sat crossed legged across from each other on Kurt's bed. Kurt held a big square box in his hands, a shy smile on his lips. Blaine held a much smaller box with a nervous smile. He hoped that Kurt was as ready as he thought they were. They exchanged gifts but as Kurt started to unwrap the bow, Blaine stopped him
"Let me open yours first," Blaine said with a gentle smile. Kurt nodded and set his gift down. Blaine unwrapped his gift, a soft breath escaping his lips. "Kurt."
"It's my Blaine book," Kurt explained as Blaine opened the large scrap book. "I started it when I was little and just kept adding to it."
Blaine ran his fingers over the pages of different articles that spoke of him. He smiled at the decorations surrounding the photos and chuckled at the commentary that young Kurt had written underneath each one. Kurt bit his lip anxiously when Blaine turned to the page that he called the Hummel- Anderson Wedding Extraordinaire. Blaine bit back a laugh, not wanting Kurt to think he was laughing at him.
"I used to plan our wedding," Kurt said self-consciously. Blaine looked up at him, his eyes dancing with delight. "I even got a light haired Ken doll and a dark haired one and married them as if it was us. Now obviously, not everything in there is accurate. Like, Finn will be my best man, not Tana, and of course we won't be getting married at the Taj Mahal, but I liked to dream big."
"I can't believe you're giving me your Blaine book," Blaine laughed softly.
"I wanted to give you something personal," Kurt spoke quietly. "This book was my everything. It held all my hopes and dreams. I wanted to share that with you," Blaine looked up at Kurt lovingly. "I've added pages recently too, from after we met. I know it's not much, but I thought that maybe this could give you some insight on how much I've really appreciated you and your music."
Blaine closed the book and set it aside. He cupped Kurt's face and brought their lips together in a passionate kiss. Much like this morning, Kurt was left breathless. "I love it," Blaine whispered against his lips when they parted. "Thank you for trusting me with this. When we go back on tour, it'll be this book that I read every single night."
Kurt blushed and looked away. He gingerly picked up Blaine's gift and looked up at him through his lashes. "My turn?" Blaine took a deep breath and nodded. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for. He watched Kurt unwrap the bow, the soft cloth Blaine wrapped the box in slipping off. Kurt looked up at Blaine, his heart beating erratically. "Blaine?"
"Open it," Blaine said with a hopeful smile. With a shaky hand, Kurt lifted the lid, gasping quietly when he saw the black cuffs. "I know the plan was to wait until after you graduated to bond, but to be honest, I don't want to wait. When I present you to the world, I want to present you as my soulmate, wholly and truly. I want the world to see that you are mine and mine alone. I want them to know that no matter what anyone else says, you and I the real deal; that they can't break us or what we have."
Tears filled Kurt's eyes as he lifted one of the cuffs. He ran his fingers over the high quality leather, lifting the buckle. He'd always wanted his bonding cuff to have a buckle instead of the usual clip. He had always meant to tell Blaine that, assuming they would pick out their bonding cuffs together. The fact that Blaine had surprised him with them made his heart swell. He flipped it over and nearly broke down at the stitching on the bottom of the cuff. The initials B.D.A. were beautifully stitched in the same location as Blaine's name was etched on his skin. He picked up the other cuff and flipped it over to see his initials stitched on it as well.
"They're beautiful," Kurt said just above a whisper, a single tear streaming down his cheek. He looked up at Blaine and smiled. "Are you sure we're ready?"
"I am," Blaine said with a nod. He grabbed the cuffs from Kurt's hands and placed them back in the box. He then intertwined their fingers and looked deep into his eyes. "It'll be tough at times. Being away from you after we bond will be the hardest thing we've ever done. But nothing would bring me greater joy than to bond my soul to yours. Will you bond with me, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel? Will you become mine for all eternity?"
Kurt choked out a laugh and nodded. "Yes, I will. I'll bond with you."
Blaine leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss. Their heads were spinning, their hearts racing at the same beat. Their souls were desperate to become one and the overwhelming need made them cry. They finally parted, their foreheads resting on each other. They couldn't help but laugh jovially, hundreds of emotions coursing through them.
Kurt lifted his head and looked into Blaine's sparkling eyes. "When?"
Blaine's grin grew wider. "We leave first thing in the morning on a private getaway," he said, Kurt's eyebrows shooting straight up. "I'm taking you to the Rocky Mountains for two weeks."
"Seriously?" Kurt squeaked.
Blaine nodded. "Mhm. It's just you, me, and the mountains."
Kurt clapped excitedly. "Oh my God, Blaine!" Blaine laughed and Kurt's face suddenly went serious. "Oh my God! Blaine!" he shouted, quickly jumping off his bed. "I have to pack!"
"I guess it's a good thing I told you now instead of in the morning then?" Blaine questioned with a smirk.
Kurt sent him a glare though a smirk played at his lips. "You're lucky I love you so damn much," he said before disappearing into the closet.
"Love you too," Blaine called out happily. He fell back on the bed, grabbing the scrapbook Kurt gave him and holding it against his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. They were in for the best vacation of their lives.
