Thirteen: Future

The engine of Kurt's car quieted as he turned it off outside the Lima Bean, deciding to head inside even though he was forty minutes early.

Blaine hadn't judged him so far, so he assumed he was safe arriving way too early and potentially coming off as a little overeager.

He had spent his entire trip to NYC wishing he could see Blaine again sooner, and when he arrived home the evening before, he had a difficult time sleeping due to the excited anticipation. It was unusual for someone to make Kurt feel so strongly, and perhaps it was the questions working their magic, but there was just something about Blaine that spoke to a previously untouched part of his soul.

Approaching the entrance to the café, Kurt held the door open for the person he could hear coming up behind him.

"Hey, Kurt."

Just the sound of Blaine's voice made his jitters disappear. He spun around to find his date right in front of him and wow, he looked phenomenal. "Blaine! Hi!"

"It seems I'm not the only one who couldn't wait until nine to get here," Blaine said with an elbow to Kurt's arm as he passed through the held door into the coffee shop.

There was no line at the counter, so they quickly placed their orders (Blaine insisting it was his turn to pay), and waited while catching up on the few days they had been apart before settling in at a cozy corner table.

"I can't believe you ordered a large mocha frappé with extra whipped cream and sprinkles," Blaine said, eyeing Kurt's drink.

"Says Mr. Strawberry Milkshake."

"Fair," Blaine laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'll stop making fun of your drink if you let me have some whipped cream."

"Okay," Kurt acquiesced, reaching for his straw to give Blaine a scoop. Before he could, though, Blaine was leaning across the table and dipping his index finger into the swirl of white atop Kurt's frappé.

"Blaine!" Kurt tried his best to sound horrified, but he was laughing too hard.

Blaine popped the sugary substance in his mouth and grinned. "So, shall we begin round two?"

Kurt cleared his throat and pulled the paper out of his pocket. "If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?"

Blaine stirred his drink as he thought.

"I would want to know if I'll ever have another real chance at happiness."

"Man, you sure know how to start things off! Again! You really think you won't?"

"For a long time it seemed like my only shot was gone. Now I'm starting to see that I might have been wrong."

"Of course you're wrong!" Kurt interjected.

Blaine appreciated Kurt's adamance. "Thank you. What would you want to know about your life?"

"At this point, I don't think I would want to know anything about the future. I strongly believe that our decisions forge our path, so the crystal ball could easily be wrong."

"You're much wiser than me," Blaine said.

"Well I am a year older."

Blaine snatched the paper out of Kurt's hands. "Okay, then. You answer the next one first. Age before beauty, after all."

Fourteen: Dream

"Question fourteen. Is there something that you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it?" Blaine read.

"Oh there are so many. I have a bucket list and I've only crossed off a couple of items. But one of my biggest dreams is to have my designs featured in a fashion show." Kurt's eyes gleamed as he spoke about it. "Nothing big or anything, just to see my work on a runway would be so great."

"Why haven't you done it yet? Your designs are amazing."

Kurt gave him a hard look. "Blaine. You've never even seen any of my pieces."

"Well no, but you're amazingand you are very realistic about yourself, so I believe you when you say they're good."

Blaine's blind faith in him made Kurt's stomach churn in a good way.

"Thank you. They are good." They both laughed lightly. "I haven't ever had any real time to devote to making clothes since college. If I really put my mind to it, I'm sure it's something I could accomplish, even if it means putting together a fashion show for myself."

"I think you should. Put your mind to it, that is," Blaine clarified.

"Maybe I will." Kurt's smile was stunning. "What's your answer?"

Blaine sighed, fiddling with his coffee cup. "Do you want the hard answer or the easy one?"

"If you're ready to give it, the hard answer."

Blaine took his time taking another sip of coffee and setting the cup down carefully. When he finally spoke, his voice was so quiet that Kurt had to strain to hear it.

"I have always dreamed of being a father."

When he didn't continue, Kurt prompted him with an "...and?"

"And…" he stared at Kurt, searching for something unknown. "No, you're right," he broke away from the stare. "I'm not ready for the hard answer."

But then Kurt ran unbelievably soft fingers along the back of his hand and asked gently for the easy answer instead, and he knew he wanted to share everything with him, no matter how difficult.

"Don't, Blaine. I want you to be completely comfortable."

"I am, with you," he said, making Kurt blush down to his chest. "I want to tell you. Just give me a second."

Kurt sat patiently, scooting his chair closer to Blaine's so their knees rested against each other.

"Luke and I had talked about adoption for years." Blaine's voice wavered already, so Kurt reached out to grab his hand to ground him. "We decided to finally start the process, and it took so long, but it was worth it. We were so close to the final step when we separated. And that was that."

Kurt had a feeling that was not that, but he let it go because a tear had escaped Blaine's eye, so he hugged him instead.

"Do you want to take a break from the questions? We can go for a walk instead," Kurt offered, but Blaine shook his head while he wiped at his cheek.

"No, it's good for me to talk about this with someone. I've been keeping it bottled up for a while now."

"Why haven't you talked to anyone about it?" Kurt implored.

Blaine gave him a shy smile. "There hasn't really been anyone I trusted enough to share it with."

If Kurt had not known yet that he was a goner, Blaine had just sealed his fate with those words.

Fifteen: Accomplishment

Blaine broke eye contact first, ready to move on. "Go ahead and ask the next question."

"All right. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?"

"This is going to sound extremely cheesy, but I honestly don't think my greatest accomplishment has happened yet."

Blaine seemed to be far off when he answered, leading Kurt to wonder if he was still thinking of raising a child.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of the things I've done so far, but I feel like there is something much bigger that's still to come."

"That's actually an amazing outlook, and you leave me speechless once again."

Blaine bumped kurt with his knee and gave a playful "stop it."

"You're making me rethink my answer," Kurt admitted, causing Blaine to gasp sarcastically. "I was going to say that it was a simple answer for me; landing my first leading role on Broadway is my greatest accomplishment. But then I realized how depressing that is, to think that the greatest thing I'll accomplish in life has already come and passed. Your view is much more positive."

"I think you'll still go on to do great things, Kurt. Don't you?"

"I suppose I'm starting to redefine what 'great things' are to me. I always measured success by the size of my role or the popularity of my blog or my place in my graduating class."

"And now?"

"Certain people and events are helping me figure out that I've had it all wrong this whole time. Maybe my greatest accomplishments are the people I've surrounded myself with and the relationships I've formed."

Blaine's responding smile reached the corners of his eyes.

Sixteen: Value

"Speaking of...the next question is 'what do you value most in a friendship?'"

Kurt swirled his drink in the cup. "Loyalty, I guess. I mean, I can't stand my two best friends most of the time, but since our freshman year in college, they've always been there for me. What about you?"

Blaine thought for a while. "Acceptance. I unfortunately put a lot of importance on what the people I love think of me. I need to know that my closest friends accept me and my choices. They can't try to change my mind and they have to let me make my own mistakes."

"You make mistakes?" Kurt feigned disbelief.

Blaine laughed. "Happens to the best of us."

They both sipped their drinks, peering over their cups at each other.

"I'm glad I'm getting to know you. I could use a friend around here," Kurt admitted.

"Where do the two friends you mentioned live?"

"Santana is out in LA now, and Rachel is in New York in a new show. I miss them like crazy."

Blaine's eyes were wide. "You can't mean Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry? The singer and the Broadway actress?"

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. "Yeah, yeah, my girls are pretty awesome. I shouldn't mention then that I'm also good friends with Mercedes Jones…"

Blaine let out a low whistle. "I had no idea I was in the presence of someone with connections to pop royalty. High school Blaine would be a swooning mess right now."

Kurt pretended to pout. "You only like me because of who I know."

Blaine sat back and grinned. "No, that's definitely not why."

That seemed to satisfy Kurt. "What about your friends? Are any of them close by?"

"Oh yeah, most of them are still around Ohio. I went to high school with them," he clarified. "We're actually going out dancing this weekend if you want to come?"

Kurt noticed the hopeful nervousness in Blaine's voice. "But how will we answer our questions if we're out with a big group?" he teased.

"Consider it a bonus date."

"Oh, I do."

Seventeen: Memory

"Hey, this is a fun one," Kurt said, reading from the question list. "What is your most treasured memory?"

"Easy. It was the day I knew I'd chosen the right thing to do with my life. There was a little boy, about 9, in my after school music program. He was from an amazing family, but they were living in poverty. He wasn't doing well in classes and he hated coming to school. When he started coming to my program, he watched everyone playing with instruments with such a fascination, but wouldn't try anything himself. One day, he opened up to me about it. He was nervous to touch the instruments because he'd never had anything so nice in his life. I found out that he'd always wanted to play the piano, and once I convinced him to try it out, he was the best student I ever had. He soaked everything in, and made such quick progress. He told me that because of me, he wanted to come to school."

Kurt had forgotten his coffee, completely engrossed in Blaine's story. "What happened when you left?"

Blaine bit his lip and looked embarrassed. "I wasn't sure if they'd find someone to take over the program, so I…" he mumbled the rest of the sentence into his cup.

"What was that?"

Blaine lifted his red face and repeated, "I donated my old keyboard and hired someone to continue his lessons for the next year."

Kurt just stared, his mouth slightly open.

"Um…" Blaine said awkwardly. "I—"

"You're phenomenal." Kurt sounded truly awed.

"It's nothing," he waved it off.

"Don't diminish your kindness."

"Sorry," Blaine said, blushing all over again. "Bad habit."

Kurt sat back, pursing his lips. "Damn it."

"What?" Blaine looked up.

"I was hoping you'd say your best memory was meeting me."

"Meh. Too soon to tell," Blaine deadpanned.

Kurt bumped Blaine's ankle with his and they giggled.

"So what is your best memory?"

"Hands down the day I moved to NYC. It was so significant to me, to know that I did it. I finally got out of Ohio. And yes, I recognize the irony of what I'm saying." He laughed humorlessly. "It just felt so big. Like my life was truly beginning. And I guess it did."

"I felt similarly about my move."

"It's so great to have someone to talk to who gets it."

"I've been waiting too long for that."

"The wait is over."

Eighteen: Memory Pt. 2

"This next question is pretty heavy. Should we take our drinks and head out for a walk?" Blaine asked, looking out the window at the sunshine that was calling to him.

"There's a park just down the block, we can head there?" Kurt suggested.

"Lead the way."

Kurt was the perfect gentleman, offering to hold his coffee while he put on his jacket, opening the door, and then holding out his arm for Blaine to link with his as they walked. It made Blaine feel so special.

"So what is this heavy question?"

"What is your most terrible memory?"

Kurt's sigh mixed with the wind and blew away. "It was the day my mom died. She'd been sick and getting sicker for so long that when my dad shipped me off to stay with my grandparents for a few days, I knew something bad was happening. As much as a kid can without being told, anyway. My dad's face when he came to pick me up was enough for me to figure it out. The memory is getting hazier as I get older, and I think that's the worst part of it all."

Blaine squeezed his arm. "You'll never forget her."

"Some days I still worry that I will."

"You can always tell me stories if you need to keep her memory alive."

Kurt gave Blaine one of his fathomless smiles.

"Thank you."

"Can I request a no-elaboration-clause again for my answer?"

"Of course," Kurt rushed to assure him.

"Okay." Blaine nodded and his mouth formed around the words like he was forcing them to come out. "My worst memory is getting the phone call that the adoption agency was rescinding my eligibility because of my changed domestic status after Luke and I separated."

It was easier to tell Kurt than he'd anticipated, and he found himself actually wanting to answer the questions Kurt was so obviously holding back.

"We had actually—" Blaine broke off, choked up. Kurt waited patiently, his arm in Blaine's a steady reminder that he had a new friend to confide in who wouldn't push him if he couldn't get it out. "We had actually met the kids. There was a little boy - Sammy - who was one of the brightest, most inquisitive kids I'd ever met. I was going to ask Luke if we could adopt him before everything went downhill. The kid had my heart. Still has my heart. Shit, I'm sorry." He hastily wiped the tears from his face.

"Don't be. You went through one hell of a loss. You're...I can tell you're meant to be a father. And when that time comes, you'll be incredible."

Blaine's heart swelled with pride.

"Thank you, Kurt. I really hope I have the chance."

Nineteen: One Year

They reached the park and decided on a paved path that disappeared into a row of trees. Blaine dabbed the lingering tears from the corners of his eyes and picked up the question sheet.

"Nineteen. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?"

"Well I sure as hell wouldn't want to die in Ohio," Kurt scoffed.

Having taken a sip at exactly the wrong time, Blaine almost choked on his drink. "Amen to that. Where would you rather be?" Blaine asked, and the answer suddenly felt very important. He had no interest in going back to the city where his life fell apart, and if that was Kurt's dream, he wasn't sure he could make things work between them.

"All of my dreams came true in New York. But I think I'm ready for something new. I loved the big city, so maybe I'll move out to LA with the girls or San Francisco with the gays. Or maybe I'll find a reason to go somewhere else." He smirked up at Blaine.

"San Francisco would be nice," Blaine said, returning the smile.

"What's your answer? What would you change?"

"Hey, you didn't finish answering the question!"

Kurt looked up, unimpressed. "Do I really need to explain why I don't want to die in Ohio?"

"Touché. So what would I change about my life? I'd stop dwelling on the past and start living."

"What kinds of things breathe life into you?"

"Music. Teaching. Making connections with amazing new people."

"Ah, so it seems you've already started living."

Blaine took in a shuddering breath to rid himself of the remains of emotion. "It only took listening to my mother."

"It's clear we should never doubt them again."

"You might not be saying that if you'd met my mother."

"Ha! Well at least her one moment of good judgment was reserved for this."

The smile Blaine gave Kurt made him melt into a puddle right there on the pavement.

Twenty: Friendship

Kurt swiped the question sheet from where it was already falling out of Blaine's hand. His grip had slackened as he looked Kurt over with affection and having it stolen from him made him straighten up and wipe the hearts from his eyes.

"What does friendship mean to you?" Kurt asked.

"Didn't we just answer this question?"

"That one was what we value most in friendship. This is what it means to us. Pay attention, Anderson!"

"Okay, okay." Blaine focused in. "A true friend is…"

"Someone who always stands up for you, even when they think you're wrong—"

"—But still call you out on it privately."

"Someone who doesn't think you're crazy when they come home at 2am and find you fallen asleep on piles of wedding magazines when you don't even have a boyfriend."

"Someone who will come with you to a first date and sit a few tables over watching for the signal one way or another."

"Wait wait wait, please tell me you didn't do that on our date."

Blaine shrugged, embarrassed. "It was my mother's idea. You could have been awful."

"Oh my god, you did!" Kurt laughed disbelievingly.

"I actually forgot to give him the go ahead to leave because I was—it slipped my mind, I guess." Blaine blushed.

"So he sat there watching us for two hours?"

"No, no! He said he left after the first ten minutes when he could tell—yeah."

Kurt's eyes gleamed with amusement. "You're having trouble finishing your sentences, huh?"

"I just don't want to make a fool of myself by saying too much." Blaine blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Kurt mimed zipping his lips in response, because he too, was in danger of saying too much.

Twenty-One: Affection

"What roles do love and affection play in your life?" Blaine asked.

"I'm the very independent, spontaneous type, and I'm proud that I haven't needed anyone to help me get where I am today. Does that stop me from wanting someone to share things with? No. Does that stop me from being so lonely I cry in the bathroom of a bar in a strange city? Nope. Love for me has taken more of a backseat in my life so far. I think when the right person comes along, that could change. Hopefully, anyway, because up until now, my independence has been 'too much' for most people.

"All that being said, the love I have for my close friends and family has always been steady and strong, and though I take it for granted sometimes, it's something I never have to question.

"As for affection...In twenty-six years, nobody has ever used the word 'warm' to describe Kurt Hummel. I think I show my affection in ways that others don't always expect or understand. That also makes me appreciate affection from others that might look different from the norm."

Blaine nodded in understanding. "Well I can see the love you have for your friends and parents when you talk about them. I don't think it has a backseat at all. And you're right, the right person for you could change it all. Some guys are looking for the independent, spontaneous type who can take care of them."

"Would some guys drop everything to follow me to another city on a whim?"

Blaine pressed his lips together to stop from smiling. "They might be convinced."

"Tell me your answer," Kurt prompted when the bubbly feeling inside him ebbed.

"If you couldn't tell already, love and affection are at the forefront of everything I do. I think missing the love of my father has made me crave love in other places, which is why I have my heart so set on a family of my own.

"I've been told I'm ultra affectionate. Whether that's good or bad is up to the other person...I'm the guy who will make your lunch and leave a punny note in there. I can't help it, it's like a compulsion."

Kurt laughed, picturing it.

"That's cute."

Blaine's face fell. "Some guys don't agree. They might see it as smothering."

Kurt looped his arm back through Blaine's and tilted his head toward him. "Ah, but other guys might see it as loving and appreciative and downright adorable."

Twenty-Two: Positive

There was no time for Blaine to form a response because Kurt launched into the next question immediately.

"Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items." Kurt looked up. "Ooh, fun! You start."

"Uh…" Blaine searched for what to say.

Kurt extracted his arm from Blaine's and gave him a light smack on the shoulder. "You can't even think of one thing? I must be worse than I thought…" he joked.

"No, I…" Blaine blushed. "I'm having a hard time finding words to describe how wonderful you are."

Pink tinged Kurt's cheeks at the compliment, but he quickly recovered and rattled off the first three qualities that came to mind when he thought of Blaine. "Sweet. Charming. Endearing."

"That's three all at once! And I was supposed to go first!"

"Yeah well, you took too long."

"Okay, fine. I've got one," Blaine announced triumphantly.

"Good. Let's hear it."

"Punctual."

Kurt stared.

"Your turn."

"No. No way. That doesn't count."

"What? Why not?"

"Seriously, Blaine? Punctual?! I was hoping for 'sexy' or even 'a chilly exterior but a warm heart', but the first thing that pops into your head when you think of me is my timeliness. You need to go again."

Blaine rubbed his temples, thinking until he came up with the perfect word.

"Alluring."

"Thank god. Magnetic."

"Graceful."

"Benevolent."

"Strong."

"Attuned."

"Wise."

"Smooth."

"Beautiful," they spoke together.

They had stopped walking and were turned facing each other, gripping each other's forearms.

"I knew you had it in you," Kurt joked after a few seconds, jerking them out of the magic of the moment, yet something seemed changed forever.

Twenty-Three: Childhood

"Should we head back toward the coffee shop? We only have 2 questions left for this date."

In lieu of an answer, Kurt, having replaced his arm in Blaine's yet again, swung them around to walk in the opposite direction.

"Question twenty-three. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people's?"

"Our family was the closest and warmest I could have asked for. My mom and I were meant to be on the earth together. When she died, my dad did the best he could while grieving the loss of the love of his life, and we were all the other had until I was in middle school and started showing more of an interest in fashion and musical theater and less in sports and girls. I wouldn't say my childhood was happier than most other people's, for obvious reasons, but it was still a good one."

"I'm glad you have such good memories of her and your family together. She sounds like she was incredible."

"She was perfect. What is your answer?"

Blaine looked back down at the question and sighed. "I didn't realize it at the time, but my childhood kind of sucked. Everything that led up to my dad leaving, and then being abandoned by him...Just like your dad, my mom did the best she could. She made everything we did together feel special and tried to protect me from what was going on with them. That's probably why I didn't see until I was older just how toxic our household was.

"Sorry. God, I don't mean to complain about my parents' issues when your mom died when you were so young."

"Don't be." Kurt shook his head. "My trauma doesn't outweigh your trauma."

"Thanks. This has been a depressing question."

"I have a happier idea. Tell me how you imagine your son or daughter's childhood to be."

"Oh!" Blaine perked up and squeezed Kurt's arm tighter in excitement. "They'd have two loving dads, obviously."

"Obviously," Kurt agreed, unable to ward off Blaine's contagious happiness.

"We'd have waffle breakfasts together every Sunday and take dance lessons in the park. There would be movie nights on Fridays and heaps of holiday traditions. They'd know that I was always there for them and I'd be the one they turned to with any problems. We'd love each other more than anything in the world."

Kurt realized he'd been staring at Blaine as he spoke and shook off the spell Blaine had unknowingly cast on him.

"You're going to be the greatest father and your husband is going to be the luckiest man in the world."

Twenty-Four: Mother

Blaine hadn't gotten over Kurt's flattery (was it flirting?) when Kurt jumped in to their last question of the date.

"How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?"

"We can skip this question if you want," Blaine offered.

"It's okay, I like talking about her. Go ahead."

"I love my mom more than probably anyone else on this earth. I'm so glad our relationship has grown into what it is now that I'm an adult. There's a part of me that's her protector now, too, and it feels like I'm giving back to her what she gave me as a child."

"That's really sweet."

"I'm a mama's boy, what can I say?" Blaine grinned. "You go."

"I miss my mom, but even though she's been gone 20 years, I feel like I still have a strong relationship with her. I talk to her a lot, like some people talk to god, I think. Whenever I go to my dad for advice, he always tells me what he thinks my mom would have said. It's a nice way to keep her with us.

"And I love my stepmother, too. I couldn't have picked a better match for my dad at this stage in his life. I'm really happy with how things turned out."

"Do you ever think about how if you bring children into this world, or adopt them, they may never know their mother?"

"Sometimes, but my support system is so strong and includes a bunch of amazing women, so I know any child of mine would have plenty of female role models to turn to."

"That's a great perspective. I feel the same."

"So." Kurt fidgeted with a button on his sweater.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to continue on and have our third date?"

"Are you crazy?" Blaine laughed.

"I've been told that, yes."

"Of course I do."

They rounded a corner and could see the parking lot where they'd left their cars.

"Good. Then I'll see you soon. Back at the restaurant where we met?" Blaine nodded his assent. "Text me to let me know what day works. I'm open."

Blaine gave Kurt a hug, squeezing him tight and lingering just long enough for Kurt to never want to let go. "I will. But don't judge me if that text comes in about 10 minutes and I want to schedule for tomorrow night."

Kurt's breath of laughter tickled Blaine's ear. "I'll judge you for a million things, but not that. See you tomorrow."