Blaine settled into his seat on the plane, praying to God that they didn't seat someone talkative next to him. He wasn't in the mood for a conversation; he had way too much going on inside his head.

He was starting to get scared. What if no one at Julliard liked him? What if he hated New York? If he tried to home back home, what would his parents think? What if he still felt just as alone as he had for the past four years? What if...what if nothing changed?

But something told him that things would change. He had a good feeling despite all of his worries. And that was partially to do with the most beautiful boy he'd ever seen in his life standing in Westerville Airport.

The boy's hair had been medium brown, styled perfectly. His skin was pale, delicate. And his eyes. Oh God, Blaine hadn't stopped thinking of them since he'd seen him. Blue eyes, but they were a thousand different colours within the blue, and so alive. They were so bright with an energy that Blaine didn't quite comprehend. He'd had to stop to catch his breath when he'd turned away from the airline check in. There he'd been, that boy, standing there and staring at him like he was worth his attention. It gave Blaine shivers, even now, just thinking about it.

As passengers continued to board the plane, Blaine let his mind wander to the mysterious boy in the airport. It kept his thoughts off his present situation, and frankly, he couldn't help but wonder. Where was the boy going? Who was the pretty brunette that had been standing next to him; his girlfriend? Blaine couldn't help but silently wish him well – wherever he was going, he hoped it was a good place. A happy place. Somewhere that people would stare at him and think, God, he's beautiful.

The last few people entered the plane, a few children and their parents. When none of them were instructed to sit next to Blaine, he assumed that he'd be alone for the flight. That was fine with him. He'd probably just watch whatever movie they played on the flight, read a bit, and daydream about that boy -

Blaine's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was beginning to wonder if the boy had really been there, or if he was just a figment of his imagination...he came running onto the plane. His hair was slightly messy now, and his blazer was askew on his shoulders. But he was as beautiful as ever. The girl from before came rushing behind him, her cheeks flushed and mascara smudged.

A flight attendant greeted them warmly, and then asked to see their boarding passes. The boy took his from his carry on bag; the girl quickly grabbed hers from her purse. With a start, Blaine realized that the only two available seats on the plane were...next to him. He was suddenly very self conscious. He should have worn newer jeans and a nicer t-shirt. Fuck, had he even checked his hair since he left the house hours ago? Even flustered, the mystery boy looked unbelievably put together. What would he think of some guy in old clothes with hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in days?

Blaine felt his face redden and an electric pulse escaped from his heart and seemed to course through his veins as the boy walked towards him. Close up, he was even more perfect...and the colours in his eyes just seemed to be endless. Blaine had to look away.

The boy paused in the aisle once he had reached Blaine's row. Blaine was seated by the window, leaving the middle and aisle seats unoccupied.

"Kurt, we're the last ones to get on..." The girl sighed, looking around at the other passengers in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Rachel, but it's not my fault the Starbucks line was a mile long."

Kurt. His name was Kurt. Blaine liked it already. And his voice suited him so well; high and clear and as perfect as any other part of him.

Without looking up, Blaine stifled a laugh. "It's a Starbucks in an airport. What can you expect?"

The mystery boy – Kurt – looked slightly offended for a second until he saw the laughter on Blaine's face. Then he blushed, a deep pink that filled his pale cheeks.

Blaine still didn't think he could meet the boy's eyes. "I got mine on the way here – it's the best bet if you want to skip the line."

"Um, thanks," Kurt mumbled, smiling slightly. "I'll remember that for next time."

"Sit down, Kurt, they're all waiting on us," Rachel whispered as she gave Kurt a slight nudge.

"Oh, um, you go first. I know you don't like the aisle seat."

"Kurt, sit. I'll be fine." Rachel gave him a surprisingly forceful shove into the seat next to Blaine, giving her size.

Kurt was now scarlet, his elbow bumping into Blaine's as he struggled to put on his seat belt with dignity.

Blaine's heart was generating enough energy to power the entire plane. He worried that Kurt could hear it's powerful beat through his chest. How was he going to survive the entire flight to New York with Kurt sitting next to him?

New York. Blaine suddenly remembered the destination of the plane. That meant...Kurt was on his way to New York, too? And Rachel? More questions filled his mind as the plane started to move down the runway and a blonde flight attendant began the safety demonstration.

Blaine didn't like flying. He'd done it many times – "family vacations" that usually consisted of his father taking off to meet prospective patients and his mother drinking margaritas alone at the fancy hotel bar – and it never failed to remind him of those memories. Take off was always the worst. And Kurt was just inches away, sitting there with his perfect hair and his perfect eyes and the corner of his dark boot touching the toe of Blaine's oldest pair of converse. Why had he thought it was okay to wear those? Could he have picked anything more immature -

"Are you okay?" Kurt was staring at him, really looking at him for the first time since their breathtaking moment in the airport.

Blaine forced himself to look into Kurt's eyes and immediately wished he hadn't. They were too beautiful to be real, and they held a story which Blaine desperately wanted to know. He wanted to know the boy behind those shining colours. He wanted to look into those eyes and discover that they felt something for him, too.

"Yeah, I'm just not a huge fan of flying," Blaine managed to form a coherent sentence after several moments.

"Oh," Kurt said, but Blaine could tell that he didn't buy it. He knew that there was something else going on.

"I don't have the best memories to associate with it," Blaine tried his best to explain what he was thinking of to a complete stranger who knew nothing about his life.

"That's a shame," Kurt said, more to himself than to Blaine.

"Yeah. I'm Blaine, by the way. Blaine Anderson." It was his turn to blush, although it wasn't nearly as noticeable as Kurt's.

"I'm Kurt Hummel." Kurt smiled, and Blaine felt something inside of him melt.

While trying to recover, he heard himself blurt out, "I know."

"You- how do you know what my name is?" Kurt asked, a crease appearing in his forehead. "Have we met before, because I think I'd remem-"

"Oh, um, I just heard your - your friend, or your girlfriend, or whoever, um, Rachel, she just said your name a few minutes ago, and I heard.." Blaine let his voice trail off, fully aware that he was stuttering like an idiot and blushing madly.

"Oh! That makes sense," Kurt let out a slightly nervous laugh, and Blaine couldn't help but love the sound. "She's um, not my girlfriend. She's my best friend. Rach, say hi to Blaine-" Kurt realized that Rachel was already passed out, her head resting slightly against his shoulder. "I'll introduce you to her later."

"Of course." Blaine smiled back at Kurt. God, he hoped he looked presentable.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, questions running though Blaine's mind a mile a minute. He wanted to know so much more about Kurt, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. They were just strangers on a plane. He didn't want to annoy the other boy. And besides, what were the chances they'd ever meet again? New York was a huge city. It was possible that Kurt was just going there to visit someone and then coming back to Ohio. Blaine didn't think he could handle getting any more attached to Kurt – he already knew that he'd be thinking about him for weeks to come.

He had to control the urge to rip Kurt's blazer off every time their hands accidentally touched. His skin was so soft, so light, so delicate...At the same time, he just wanted to intertwine his fingers with the other boy's and talk for hours. Blaine found himself needing reminders every few minutes that he didn't even know Kurt, that he was a stranger and that that's probably all he'd ever be.

Blaine also wondered if Kurt was gay. He had an embarrassingly inaccurate ability to guess the sexuality of other guys. But Blaine couldn't imagine any straight male travelling with Rachel and simply calling her his "best friend". She was gorgeous; surely Kurt would have made some kind of move? Maybe she had a boyfriend back home; wouldn't he care about her spending so much time with a guy like Kurt? Blaine still wasn't sure. There was so much he didn't know.

About halfway through the hour and a half flight, Kurt finally spoke. The fact that Blaine's heart didn't immediately speed up let him know that it still hadn't slowed down. "So, why are you headed to New York?"

"I'm actually moving there. I got accepted to Julliard and I start in the fall." Blaine did his best to smile casually at Kurt without getting caught up in the curve of his lips, the way his hair fell, and the general perfection of his face.

"Wow! Congratulations, that's a huge accomplishment." Kurt seemed genuinely impressed.

"Thanks," Blaine mumbled, embarrassed. "What about you?"

"I'm moving too. Both Rachel and I got accepted to NYADA for musical theatre. It's kind of my dream school," Kurt laughed, and Blaine watched his face light up just talking about it.

"NYADA? I heard that school is practically impossible to get into!" Blaine was a little thrown. NYADA meant that Kurt was interested in dancing, singing, acting…so much like himself.

"I worked my ass off, and even then I was sure I wouldn't be accepted. You should have seen me when I got the acceptance letter.." Kurt blushed slightly. "I haven't stopped talking about it since then. My family's probably glad I'm finally going."

Blaine laughed quietly, but he couldn't help thinking of his own family. Would they be glad about his departure? He tried to tell himself that they would miss him, but he honestly wasn't sure.

Kurt saw the look on his face. "Miss home?"

Blaine sighed. "Kind of the opposite."

Kurt frowned. Blaine realized that this was the moment where they could either get to know each other or remain passengers on a plane who just happened to be sitting together.

They both opted for the latter, although Blaine could see the questions forming in Kurt's mind. He wanted to know about him. Despite everything, it made him smile.

Rachel woke up a few minutes later, and politely introduced herself to Blaine. They chatted for a few minutes about Julliard and NYADA. Blaine learned that both her and Kurt had been part of their school's glee club – just like he had. Rachel had no problem sharing details about herself. She managed to tell Blaine about her Broadway ambitions, school in Ohio, and dreams for New York within the time span of ten minutes.

When Rachel got to the part about her family, she effortlessly explained that both of her dads were gay, and that they adopted her. "They absolutely love Kurt," she gushed. "I think they're happy I have a gay best friend."

"Ku-Kurt's gay?" Blaine stammered. Inside, a rush of emotion he couldn't quite place soared to his chest. It took him a minute to realize that it must have come out the wrong way. "I mean – that's great! Well not that Kurt's gay, but that he's okay with being himself, um, and it's great that he's gay too, of course, I mean, gay people in general are nice..."

Both Rachel and Kurt were staring at Blaine like he was from another planet.

Blaine found himself blushing again. "What I'm trying to say is..uh, I'm gay, too."

"Oh!" Rachel lit up once again. "You should have told me before! My dads would love to meet you, they're always interested..."

Blaine attempted to tune Rachel's constant monologue out as he looked over at Kurt. Kurt was smiling slightly, a pleased expression on his face. So he knew all along. Probably from the moment Blaine had opened his mouth, Kurt had had his suspicions. Now they were confirmed; the stranger on the plane was indeed gay.

The fact that Kurt was also gay shouldn't have mattered to Blaine. It wasn't like they had any chance of talking once they got off the plane, much less being together. But he grinned anyway; just the thought that he might be Kurt's type was enough to make him smile. Who knew, maybe he liked messed up strangers with unbrushed hair he met on planes.

Rachel took Blaine's smile as a sign that he was utterly fascinated by their conversation, which she continued for the rest of the flight. Blaine found himself sharing winks and eye rolls with Kurt, who had probably heard the glee club stories she was sharing a thousand times. He enjoyed Kurt's presence, just being around him. Kurt kind of had his own energy, a vibrant glow that radiated around him. It was impossible to ignore, and Blaine had never met anyone quite as captivating.

When the pilot announced their descent to New York City, Blaine desperately wished he had more time to talk with Kurt. He wanted to get to know him. He wanted to have to look away from his eyes because they were just too goddamned gorgeous. He wanted to worry about what he looked like and wonder what Kurt thought of him. He wanted to hear another of Rachel's stories if he meant he could look at the perfect boy and laugh one more time.

The plane landed on the runway at JFK smoothly. It was only a few minutes before the passengers started to grab their carry-ons and file off the aircraft. Blaine followed Rachel and Kurt down the aisle to the exit.

They walked along the narrow hallway, Rachel talking all the way about her favourite musicals, following the other passengers to the baggage claim. Blaine just wanted to hold Kurt's hand so badly.

What the hell was he thinking? He had no idea who Kurt was. He hadn't even spent two hours with the guy. And he'd never held another boy's hand before, much less in the middle of a crowded airport. Was he thinking this way because he was finally free, away from Ohio and the judgement of his parents and the kids at school? Was Kurt just the first attractive boy he happened to meet once he was on his own? Blaine tried to tell himself that was exactly what was happening. But it didn't feel like it. Kurt wasn't just another cute boy – he was breathtaking. Blaine certainly didn't believe in the "love at first sight" stories from fairy tales, but he couldn't escape the way Kurt made him feel.

Even in the few short minutes they'd spent together, Kurt's presence soothed him. He made him feel like everything was going to be okay, and anything was possible. He just opened him up to this whole world of emotion he hadn't known existed. This was more than some stupid crush, he really felt like he and Kurt had a connection, although he didn't understand it yet.

"Blaine? Are you okay?" Kurt asked for the second time that day.

"Yeah, I really am." Blaine gave Kurt a small smile. "Hey, is that your bag?"

Kurt rushed to retrieve his red suitcase from the baggage carousel. "Thanks," he mumbled as he heaved the bag onto a cart. "How'd you know?"

"It was the only one that wasn't black," Blaine reasoned. "And it was designer. I just assumed."

Kurt laughed. God, his laugh was adorable.

Blaine spotted his small bag and grabbed it off the carousel, then turned towards Kurt and Rachel. "Well, it was great to meet both of you. Good luck to you at NYADA, although I'm sure you don't need it." Blaine winked in Kurt's direction, causing his normally pale cheeks to turn a light shade of pink once again.

"Congratulations on Julliard, you're going to have a fantastic time," Rachel assured him. "And it was lovely to meet you too."

"Good luck Blaine," Kurt added. "You're going to be absolutely amazing. I have no doubt that I'll be listening to your album in a few months."

"Thank you, Kurt," Blaine smiled. "And maybe we'll meet again sometime. It's a small world, right?"

Kurt just kind of smiled back, so Blaine decided that was his queue to leave. He turned and took a few steps away from Kurt and Rachel, although he desperately wanted to stay.

He'd gotten about halfway across the room when he heard Kurt's voice call out after him. "Blaine!"

Blaine stopped walking and turned around, only to lose his breath as a beautiful boy ran across the terminal after him. He wanted to count the colours in his eyes as he got closer and closer. A few people stared.

For one fleeting moment, Blaine thought Kurt was going to run up to him and pull him into his arms and kiss him passionately, beautifully, just like in the movies. Kurt was going to tell him that he'd felt something from the second their eyes met in the airport. It was going to be the most romantic moment of his life with everyone in whole terminal watching and smiling because how could you not? Kurt was never going to stop kissing him, and when Blaine finally had to pull away to gasp some air into his lungs, he'd look into the other boy's eyes and they'd be shining brilliantly. It was during this second that Blaine realized there was nothing he wanted more in the world.

When Kurt finally reached him, he paused kind of awkwardly before handing Blaine something black that fit into his hand. "You forgot your phone."

"Oh," Blaine managed to choke out. "Thanks. Yeah. I must have left it by the carousel when I was grabbing my bag."

"Yeah, I guess you did." Kurt was blushing again – when wasn't he blushing? – and Blaine loved the colour pink it dyed his pale cheeks.

"I'll see you around, okay?" Blaine started to turn away.

Kurt stopped him. "Maybe you will. It really is a small world, and New York's not that big of a city."

Blaine laughed. "Yeah, maybe I will. Goodbye, Kurt Hummel."

"Goodbye, Blaine Anderson."

Kurt started to walk back towards Rachel and Blaine headed over to the terminal's exit. He pulled his phone out, secretly hoping that Kurt had left his number on it, but he hadn't. God, why wasn't life like the movies?

Blaine hopped into a taxi outside the airport and gave the driver the address of his new apartment. All he could think about was that he was getting farther and farther away from Kurt. Why hadn't he gotten his number or asked where his apartment was or something? Kurt was still just a stranger, but that didn't mean anything to him anymore. During that one moment where he had been sure that Kurt was about to kiss him, he had realized: he didn't want to lose him. Blaine was already so attached to the perfect boy with brown hair and red luggage.

All thoughts of his parents and Julliard and even the magical city that was passing outside the taxi's windows were gone.

As the car pulled into the parking lot of his new building, only one question remained in Blaine's mind: had he just made the biggest mistake of his life?