"Kurt!" Rachel Berry, one of Kurt Hummel's best friends, ran through his front door. She raced into his spacious kitchen, pushed past his family and enveloped him in a gigantic, warm embrace. "This is it!"
Kurt hugged her back just as fiercely, a little thrown by her sudden appearance. "Are your dads here?"
"They're out waiting in the car for us," Rachel ex plained, her face flushed with excitement. She looked around the room and suddenly realized she'd forgotten all about Kurt's family, who were seated at the kitchen table. "Hello Burt, Carole..." Kurt noticed Rachel's smile falter for a second as her eyes fell on Kurt's step brother. "Finn."
"Oh, Rachel, you must be completely over the moon today!" Carole, Kurt's step mother, gushed. "Thank your parents for me, for giving Kurt a ride to the airport."
"Of course," Rachel smiled back at Carole, but her eyes still shifted to Finn.
There were a few slices of what had once been a huge vanilla cake with white and blue frosting left in the centre of the table. Kurt read the letters left on the cake slices: "Con, latio, urt". They had originally been part of a much more meaningful message, "Congratulations, Kurt!"
He smiled as he remembered all of the family members who had shown up to wish him good luck in New York and tell him goodbye. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, a few members of the glee club…the last few people had just left a few minutes before Rachel came running through the door. It had been kind of his parents to organize a surprise goodbye party, even if the whole affair was a little bittersweet.
Rachel's enthusiasm seemed restored as she clasped Kurt's hands. "I couldn't even sleep last night! I mean, it's still so unreal! Us, going to NYADA...can you believe it? It really hasn't sunk in yet."
Kurt laughed. "Me either. It seems so cliche, but it's like every dream that I've ever had is finally coming true. We need to calm down, though, there's still a lot to do before we get to New York."
"Making it to the airport on time would be a good start!" Burt, Kurt's dad, joked as he got up from his chair. "I'll go bring your bags out to the car."
Carole stopped him. "Burt, honey, your heart..."
"The doctor says I'm completely back to normal," Burt reminded his wife, who was still constantly worried about his health ever since he had a heart attack many months ago. "I'm fine." Burt kissed Carole on the cheek and left the kitchen to carry out his song's bags.
"Let's help him anyway," Finn suggested, reading the worried expression on his mother's face, and they both followed Burt.
Kurt took his best friend aside for a moment. "Rachel, if you're uncomfortable, I mean, with Finn here, I totally understand-"
Rachel cut him off. "No, don't worry about it. It's stupid. We're over. I need to move on."
"He said he'd go to New York with you, maybe-"
"Kurt, don't be silly. He got into Yale, for crying out loud. I'm not going to take that away from him. He has to go. I can't let myself be the reason that he doesn't get to fulfil his dreams. I can't be that selfish."
Kurt winced as he saw the pain in Rachel's expression. It was obvious that she desperately wanted Finn to come with her to New York, but knew that it wasn't the right thing for him. She'd been struggling with it ever since he was accepted to Yale, and she had come to the conclusion that the only thing to do was to break up with him. It didn't help that Quinn, Finn's ex girlfriend, would also be attending Yale in the fall.
"Okay, but don't let him be the reason that you're upset. This is your time, what you're been waiting for forever. Don't let anyone ruin that for you, alright?" Kurt tried to reassure his best friend.
Rachel gave Kurt a small smile. "Of course not. We're going to enjoy this, and celebrate it, together. You're all I need."
Kurt wrapped Rachel in a hug. "And what would I do without you? You're the reason I'm here. I never could have made it through high school if I didn't have you by my side the entire time."
"No, I know that you would have made it here. You're unbelievably talented, Kurt, and no one can take that away from you. The bullies might have made your life a living hell, but they never stopped you. And I know that nothing ever will." Rachel gently pulled away from his embrace and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "It's all going to be worth it soon. All of the hard work is going to pay off."
"I know. NYADA! I really can't believe it." Kurt was starting to well up with tears too.
"Now, no need to cry. I'll be doing enough of that for the both of you," Carole said. She had just returned to the kitchen with Finn and Burt.
Rachel hugged both of Kurt's parents. "I guess I should go out to the car. We can't be that much later or we'll miss the flight. I'll see both of you at Christmas, okay? And you'll be hearing from me and Kurt regularly, of course."
"We'll miss having you over here all of the time, Rachel. Congratulations on NYADA, and we really do wish you the best of luck. Not that you'll need it," Burt winked.
"Thanks, that really means a lot." Rachel smiled at Kurt's father.
"Your dads must be so proud," Carole began, already starting to cry. "We're proud."
Kurt was starting to choke up. He knew that his parents would really miss Rachel. Although things had been somewhat awkward recently when Rachel came over due to her strained relationship with Finn, both his mother and father had always tried to make her feel welcome, whether she was one son's girlfriend or just the other son's best friend. It also gave him an idea of just how much his parents would miss him. And when Finn left in a few days, would they even be okay on their own?
Kurt sighed. Of course they would. Carole was a nurse, the perfect person to be there for Burt. And his father was the only one who could make Carole laugh on her worst days. It comforted him that they had each other. They would help each other, and support each other through anything. Kurt had told his parents that he would call at least twice a week, and he intended to keep that promise.
Finn was seated at the kitchen table, awkwardly listening to the conversation. He looked at a loss for words as Rachel started to head for the door. Kurt knew that Finn still loved her; he could see it in the way that he looked at her, like he wanted to follow her out of the house and to the airport and all the way to New York. He looked at her differently than he had ever looked at Quinn. Finn and Rachel shared something truly special, a connection that Kurt didn't quite understand.
But how could he? Despite an incident with Karofsky, one of the boys who had bullied him relentlessly throughout high school, he had never been kissed. Not by a boy he felt something for. Not by a boy who loved him back.
As much as Kurt was absolutely certain about his sexuality, he had felt guilty in the past about being gay. His family accepted him for who he was, which he was extremely grateful for, but he had often wondered if it wouldn't just be easier to be like Finn. If he played football and worked on cars with his dad. If he spent weekends hanging out with the guys instead of Rachel and Mercedes. But then he realized that while it would have been exponentially easier to be straight, he wasn't. He was never going to be. He liked singing and clothes and fashion and skin care routines and dancing and glee club and boys. With that realization, Kurt had finally begun to start accepting himself. He deserved a chance to go to NYADA and live in New York and to do what he loved. Like Rachel had said, the bullies may have made his life difficult, but those days were over. He was now graduated, and on his way to living out his dreams…and maybe one day, even finding love?
"I'll see you out at the car, okay, Rach?" Kurt asked her. "I just need to say goodbye to my family."
"Alright," Rachel waved politely to Carole and Burt. She stopped for a second at the table to say something to Finn, but decided against it and walked out the front door.
Finn watched her go, a look of pure heartbreak on his normally happy face. Kurt had no idea what to say to him. Rachel was right, Finn couldn't pass up an opportunity like Yale. But he just looked so sad…
Burt shook his son's hand and clapped him on the back before pulling him into a long hug. "Congratulations, buddy," he smiled as tears fell freely from his eyes. "I would give so much for your mother to see you today. She's so proud, Kurt, I know she is. She's looking down on you and smiling. You've come so far, bud, you've beat so many odds. You held your head high through the most difficult times, and I'm sorry that I couldn't always protect you. But you're so, so strong, Kurt. Stronger than you know. And I really can't wait to see what amazing things you're doing to do next. No matter where life takes you, son, I love you. And I'm always here for you. Always."
"Oh, Dad," Kurt let out a gasp as his own tears slid down his cheeks. He hadn't expected his father to say something so…beautiful. "Thank you, so, so much, for everything. For helping me through and never giving up on me. And I love you too."
Kurt noticed that Finn had gotten up from the kitchen table and was standing next to Carole. Both of their eyes were also wet, even though Kurt couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Finn cry. He'd heard him a few times in his bedroom, in the days after his break up with Rachel, but he'd never let anyone see him.
Carole approached her step son, and Kurt could see in her expression happiness as well as sorrow. "I'm just so thankful for the chance I've had to be a part of this family, and to get to know you, Kurt. Thank you for accepting me so fully into your life. None of us are strangers to loss. We understand each other in so many ways. And I just want you to know that no matter where you go, no matter how far away you are, you're not losing us. You can always call, or text, or just come home whenever you need to. And we're going to be here to help whenever you need advice or someone to talk to. Never forget that, okay?"
Kurt returned Carole's watery smile and held her in a tight embrace until he felt for sure that he couldn't breathe. She finally let him go, and he pulled away slightly. "Thank you Carole, for not trying to replace my mom but just being you. You taught me that there's always room for more love in a family and that you have to be open to it, you know? Thank you for loving me, despite all that you've lost. And thank you for making my dad happy, he loves you so much. I do too."
Tears were still running from all of their eyes, including Finn's, who was being unusually silent. It had taken Kurt and Finn a while to accept each other and learn how to live with each other, but it had definitely been worth it. Kurt cared about Finn a lot now, and he truly felt like a brother to him. He couldn't imagine his life being any other way.
"Finn, I'm really going to miss you," Kurt began, not waiting for his step brother to say anything. He knew that this was a difficult day for Finn, with Rachel leaving, and the reality of his own departure becoming clearer by the second.
"I'm going to miss you too, bro," Finn said, giving Kurt an affectionate clap on the shoulder. "It's really not going to be the same this year without you. I hope NYADA is everything you`ve been waiting for. Come visit me, alright?"
"Absolutely," Kurt smiled. He felt completely surrounded by the love and support of his family. Despite everything that he'd been though, he'd still made it here. He was loved, appreciated, and accepted. Kurt had never dared to imagine having a family larger than his father and himself until more recently. Of course he had extended family, but he had been lonely for so many years, and he knew that his father had felt the same way. Now he truly had the most amazing family that he could ever ask for.
"You know, Kurt, I've said a lot of cheesy things today, but I'm going to tell you one more thing." Burt smiled jokingly at his son but then became more serious. "The day you were born, your mother told me that she knew you were destined for great things. Not great things like owning the car shop one day, bigger things. You're special. Unique. Extraordinary. So this is your chance, bud. Go out into the world and do those great things that I know you've been dreaming of. Just don't forget us back here in Ohio, alright?"
"Never, Dad," Kurt promised, crying even harder. "You – this family – is everything to me."
"I know, son, I know," Burt pulled him into one last hug, and Carole and Finn joined the embrace around them as well.
"Take care of each other," Kurt said to Carole and Burt.
"We will," Burt told him. "She'll make sure that I don't eat any food that tastes good."
"Now, Burt, just because it's whole wheat doesn't mean it tastes any different-"
Burt silenced Carole's words by kissing her quickly on the lips.
"They'll be fine," Finn told Kurt, laughing at his mother and stepfather. "They're maybe too good for each other."
"I think you're right," Kurt agreed. "Listen, about Rachel-"
Finn cut him off. "Don't even worry about her right now. We both know that we're doing the right thing. It hurts like hell, but yeah, I think it's the right thing. It should be."
"It'll work out for the best, Finn. I know it will." Kurt patted his stepbrother on the shoulder lightly.
"Thanks, bro, I hope you're right." Finn tried to smile but Kurt could easily see the pain behind it. He briefly wondered if he would ever feel that way about someone, to love them enough to have his heart broken in the way Finn had. It was something he desperately wanted but hoped he never had to face at the same time.
Outside, one of Rachel's dads honked the horn of their black SUV. It was definitely time to leave for the airport.
"You know we'd come, hun, if there was room in the car. Ours isn't fixed yet, we're still having transmission trouble." Carole was genuinely upset that her and Burt couldn't follow Kurt and Rachel to the airport to see them off.
"Pretty bad, huh? I fix cars for a living and I haven't even gotten around to ours yet." Burt laughed.
"Don't worry about it guys, really. I'll be fine, I'm with Rachel." Kurt grabbed his carry-on bag from the hallway and started walking towards the front door.
"We'll see you – at – at- Christmas, honey?" Carole managed to choke out through her tears.
"Of course," Kurt promised, waving one last time to his family. "I'll call as soon as I land."
"Have a safe flight!" Burt called out as Kurt walked slowly from the only home he'd ever known towards Rachel's car. He pulled open the door and got in the back seat next to his best friend, who gave him a reassuring smile.
All four passengers waved to Kurt's family through the windows of the SUV until the house faded from view.
Kurt wiped a few more tears from his eyes and tried to focus on the journey he had ahead of him, both the physical one on a plane and the metaphorical one of finding out who he wanted to be and what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. But there was tons of time for that. He needed to take it one day at a time and see where life decided to lead him.
"Are you okay?" Kurt asked Rachel. "Do you need another inspirational Kurt Hummel pep talk?"
"No, I'm alright," Rachel reassured him and gave him what appeared to be a genuine smile. "No more waiting. We're living our dream right now. So, how does it feel to be on the way to New York freaking City!"
"Fucking amazing!" Kurt gasped, realizing for the first time that day how truly excited he was. New York was his chance to leave behind all of the negative memories and focus on the positive things he had going for him. There would be no one to bully him, no shouts following him down hallways. He could put all of his energy into music, singing, and acting. He didn't have to be scared anymore, and it felt good.
A few minutes later, Rachel's dads pulled up at the departure terminal of the airport. They were running a little bit late, so they offered to load Kurt and Rachel's luggage onto carts and sent both of them inside to stand in the lineup to check in.
The airport was bustling with people, everyone from small children with their parents to older couples departing to warmer climates. Kurt and Rachel managed to find the correct line, and stood behind about fifteen other people waiting to get checked in. By the time they made it to the front of the line, Rachel's dads would be there with their luggage.
The hum of activity and energy that filled the terminal was infectious and Kurt couldn't recall the last time he'd been this excited. He chatted with Rachel for a few minutes about the apartment that they would be sharing, and the stores that they were heading to the second they got any spare time.
There was only one person in the line standing alone. Kurt couldn't see his face, but he just assumed he was a business traveller. The man was wearing jeans, though, and judging by his stature, wasn't much older than Kurt. From behind, he certainly didn't look like a high-powered businessman heading to New York City. Kurt wasn't sure why, but he couldn't stop wondering why the guy was alone. Plenty of people travelled alone, he knew, so he wasn't sure why he was so intrigued by this particular traveller. Maybe it was because he just looked…lonely. And unbelievably well built.
The guy was about 10 people ahead of Kurt and Rachel, and pretty soon it was his turn to check in. He only checked one small bag, full of clothes, Kurt decided. He watched the traveller speak to the airline attendant for a few minutes before turning to find the gate he was required to board from.
Kurt let out an audible gasp as the dark-haired boy turned around, and his gaze met the most gorgeous pair of hazel eyes he had ever seen in his life.