A/N: My week-long training is complete and I am back and able to finish this story up. Thank you for being patient with me.
Kurt spent all of Sunday packing and talking back and forth with Blaine. At times, it was definitely easier for the two of them to write on their skin. Their hands were becoming more used to all of the writing, but sometimes, they liked to text or talk to one another on the phone. It was easier, but nothing could replace the intimacy of writing on their skin.
He was excited to see Blaine more often for sure, but he was having mixed emotions. He knew he was going to miss seeing his dad and Noah every day.
"Hey, are you okay?" Blaine asked, having sensed his soulmate's melancholy mood.
"Yeah," Kurt answered. "I'm just thinking about how much I'm going to miss my dad and Noah when I move to Dalton."
"It's going to be hard, I won't lie and tell you it won't. I will be there for you whenever you need me," Blaine answered.
"Thank you! That means more than you know," Kurt replied. "I'm going to finish getting my car loaded, and then, I'm heading that way."
A few moments later, the messages were erased and a new one appeared. "Drive safe, and call me if you need to."
"I will," Kurt replied, loving that his soulmate was so concerned about his safety already.
"You about ready to go, bud?" Burt asked his son as he walked into his much less decorated bedroom.
"Yeah," Kurt answered, trying not to break down into tears. "I only have this one box left to take to the car."
"Wanna talk about it?" Burt asked. He hated to see his kid crying.
"I'm just having a hard time with the thought of leaving," Kurt said. "I'm worried about you. I'm worried about Noah. I'm worried about forgetting Mom if I'm not here, surrounded by her stuff. I'm worried about being the new kid in school. I'm just...worried, Dad, and I don't know how to ease any of it." He hung his head, defeated.
"Breathe." A new message came through on Kurt's left hand.
"I know this is going to be hard, kiddo," Burt said. "It's going to be hard on all of us. But, it's something I think we can all work through. Your safety is worth a little distance, don't you think?"
"I know you're right," Kurt said. "And, I know that you're only a couple of hours away and that I will have Blaine right there to help me if I need him. But, what if it's not enough? What if I have a panic attack or something, and he can't calm me down?"
"Then, you call me, and I will come to you," Burt answered without hesitation. "No matter the time of day or what I'm doing, you are my priority."
Kurt took a deep breath, letting the words that his dad had said to him sink in. He nodded his head and said, "Okay. Okay, I think I'm ready to go. But, you really don't have to follow me up there just to help me unpack."
"It's really not a problem at all," Burt said, contemplating if he should tell Kurt his real plans or not. He wanted to ease his son's worry, but he didn't want him to get his hopes up just to have things not pan out. In the end, he decided against saying anything until he had more concrete answers.
Kurt and Burt drove separately to Dalton and arrived two hours later. Burt was not surprised at all to see Blaine there, ready to help move Kurt into the dorms, when they pulled in. What did surprise him was the four other guys there, ready to help. He hadn't expected, which in hindsight he should have, so many boys besides his son's soulmate there to help move him in.
Kurt was also surprised, as he had only been expecting Blaine to come and help. David, Wes, Nick, and Jeff were there too, ready and eager to help Kurt move in.
With all of the boys' help, it didn't take them long to get Kurt's things all moved in. Kurt allowed them to help unpack some, though he only let Jeff help with his clothes since he was the only one who showed any respect for the garments. He hoped that the blond and himself would become great friends as he didn't really have anyone else in his life that got his obsession with fashion.
Kurt walked with his dad outside when he was all unpacked and it was time for his dad to head back to Lima. "I'm going to miss you so much, Dad," Kurt said to him and hugged him tightly. He was trying his hardest to not let the tears that were in his eyes spill over.
"I'm going to miss you too, Kurt," Burt said, trying to keep his tears in, too. "Call me tomorrow, and let me know how your first day went, okay?"
"Okay," Kurt said. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you, too, bud," Burt replied and kissed the top of his head before getting into his truck and leaving the campus.
Kurt felt a body come up behind him as his dad drove away, and he knew in an instant that it was his soulmate. "You doing okay?" Blaine whispered.
"Not really," Kurt answered honestly. His eyes were misty, and it was hard to speak. Still, he tried to gather his courage. "But, I will be soon."
"Are you ready to go back inside, or do you need a few more minutes?" Blaine asked, kissing Kurt's cheek.
"I think I'm ready to go inside," Kurt answered. "I'd like to take a look at my schedule and maybe try to get some idea of where I'm supposed to go tomorrow."
Blaine laced his fingers with Kurt's and walked them back into the dorm. "I can look over your schedule with you and see if we have any classes together if you'd like."
"That would be great," Kurt said. He was secretly glad Blaine wanted to help him look over it; he wasn't ready to be apart from him so soon after his dad left.
It turned out that Kurt had all of his classes with either Blaine or David, except French, which he had with Jeff. It was a relief to him to know he'd always have someone else he knew in the classroom with him. That night, Kurt laid out his uniform and got everything ready that he would need for the following day. He wanted his morning to go as smoothly as possible
Kurt woke up bright and early the next morning, showered, coiffed his hair, and got into the very un-form fitting uniform. It was too boxy and didn't hug his ass like his skinny jeans; his ass was definitely something he liked to accentuate. After he was ready, he and David met Blaine and Wes in the cafeteria for breakfast before heading to their morning classes. Kurt loved all of his classes. They were much harder than at McKinley, but the boys seemed to want to learn and not just be there because they had to. The teachers, by the same account, wanted to be there as well and were passionate about the subjects they were teaching.
As the day progressed, Kurt was both nervous and excited about the Warblers meeting that afternoon. He knew he would have to have an official audition. Wes had come to him last evening as he was finishing unpacking things and broke the news to him. It wasn't that big of a deal for Kurt. He loved to sing and had thought of the perfect song from one of his favorite musicals.
Kurt joined the other Warblers in the choir room after classes let out that afternoon. Wes banged his gavel three times and called the meeting to order. "We've all heard him sing," Wes began. "Well, I think we all have, at least. Regardless, Kurt Hummel will officially audition for the Warblers today. Kurt, please come to the front and tell us your year in school, your vocal range, and a little about the song you chose."
Kurt took a deep breath, went to the front of the room, and handed his phone to David, his song already cued up. He knew he was going to disclose something personal to the group, and he was hoping they wouldn't look down upon him for it. When he got to the front, his eyes quickly found Blaine's, and those golden pools calmed him down immediately.
"Hello everyone!" Kurt said. "My name is Kurt Hummel. I am a junior and a countertenor. The song I chose is "Only Us" by Laura Dreyfuss and Ben Platt from Dear Evan Hansen. I know it's a duet, but I plan to sing it as a solo." He took another breath, preparing for the why. "I've always known I was different. And, it wasn't until I got into middle school that others let me know on a daily basis how different I am. It was in high school, though, that this really became a problem. I didn't have anxiety like Evan did in the show. I did, however, contemplate if anyone could or would hear me. This song…" He swallowed. "It gave me hope. Hope that my soulmate, wherever they were, would stand by me and hear me, no matter what."
Kurt already had unshed tears in his eyes, and if he had looked anywhere besides at Blaine, he would have seen that every single boy in the room did as well. David started the music, sensing that Kurt was finished talking.
"I don't need you to sell me on reasons to want you
I don't need you to search for the proof that I should
You don't have to convince me
You don't have to be scared you're not enough
'Cause what we've got going is good
I don't need more reminders of all that's been broken
I don't need you to fix what I'd rather forget
Clear the slate and start over
Try to quiet the noises in your head
We can't compete with all that"
Kurt kept eye contact with Blaine the whole time he sang. He let all of the hurt and pain he had suffered at the hands of his tormentors leave his body. He let himself start to believe that the things they had said, the terrible things he had started to believe about himself, were made up. It felt good to let go, to give up all of the negativity that had been weighing him down at McKinley. It was almost like with the words he sang came the release of the darkness and toxicity inside him. He began to feel whole again, more complete, as he left what had happened to him behind, starting his new life at his new school with a clean slate and a clearer mind.
"So what if it's us?
What if it's us
And only us
And what came before won't count anymore or matter?
Can we try that?
What if it's you
And what if it's me
And what if that's all that we need it to be
And the rest of the world falls away?
What do you say?"
Blaine quickly looked over toward the Warbler council, asking with his eyes and a small gesture if he could please sing with his soulmate. The three council members shared a quick glance with each other and nodded back to Blaine that he could. Kurt was technically in the group already; this was just a formality.
Blaine started singing, "I never thought there'd be someone like you who would want me."
Kurt answered, "Well…" understanding that this song would be a duet and loving the chance to get to sing with his soulmate.
Blaine continued.
"So I give you ten thousand reasons to not let me go
But if you really see me
If you like me for me and nothing else
Well, that's all that I've wanted for longer than you could possibly know
So it can be us
It can be us
And only us
And what came before won't count anymore or matter
We can try that"
Blaine knew that he never, ever, wanted Kurt to feel like he didn't matter anymore, that he wasn't loved and cared for. That he wasn't heard. It broke his heart to even think about Kurt taking such drastic measures as Evan did, because he wasn't feeling heard by those around him.
"It's not so impossible (both)
Nobody else but the two of us here (Blaine)
'Cause you're saying it's possible (both)
We can just watch the whole world disappear (Kurt)
'Til you're the only one (both)
I still know how to see
It's just you and me" (Blaine)
The boys finished the song off together, staring deep into each other's eyes and pouring every ounce of feeling they had into the words they were singing to each other.
"It'll be us
It'll be us
And only us
And what came before won't count anymore
We can try that
You and me
That's all that we need it to be
And the rest of the world falls away
And the rest of the world falls away
The world falls away
The world falls away
And it's only us"
They inched toward each other and ended up in each other's arms, sharing a kiss. They were so wrapped up in each other's presence that they didn't hear the clapping and the sniffling surrounding them.
"Kurt," Wes said and patted the younger boy on the shoulder, effectively breaking his and Blaine's kiss, "welcome to the Warblers!"
He and Blaine had been so wrapped up in their kiss, they hadn't heard Wes take the official vote. So, he leaned back marginally from his soulmate to give everyone a broad smile before he looked back into Blaine's beautiful eyes.
A/N: The song used is "Only Us" from Dear Evan Hansen. I was so excited when I saw this song. A friend and I saw the show last year, and I ugly cried multiple times. I loved it and if you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.