The world falls back into place and suddenly he and Blaine are standing on a still crowded dance floor, eyes of his friends locking onto their too close bodies and oh, yes, their lips are still pressed together and oh god oh god oh god –

Kurt pulls away.

Blaine's eyes flutter open slowly to peer up at Kurt with some form of fascination and something else Kurt can't quite recognize.

"Please," Blaine begs in a rough, low voice. "Please don't run away."

"Blaine we-"

"We'll go outside. We'll talk. Please just…don't run out of here crying, please don't. It isn't as bad as you think it is."

Now Kurt should probably say no, this is a really bad idea because oh sweet hell, he just kissed Blaine and it was perfect, everything about it was amazingly wonderfully brilliant and fantastic but they're not them, they're not Kurt and Blaine, they're Blaine and Elliot with Kurt on the outside looking in and why shouldn't he run out, why shouldn't he cry, this was a huge mistake, huge huge huge –

Kurt follows Blaine outside anyway.

But this isn't how it's supposed to go. In the movies, doesn't one of them run away and then they find each other again and they're both single and they realize they were made for each other? Isn't that how it's supposed to happen? Why is this not following the rules of romantic movies everywhere?

They're standing outside together. The sun is setting.

Kurt wants to look at him.

But he keeps his eyes on the ground because he knows if he catches one glimpse of Blaine's lips…he'll be lost again.

"I shouldn't have done that," Kurt says eventually. "I'm so sorry, Blaine, I-"

"Don't," Blaine interrupts. "Don't act like it was a – a mistake."

"That's exactly what it was."

"It didn't feel like a mistake," Blaine says to him and suddenly his shoes come into Kurt's view.

Blaine's standing right in front of him. But he can't look up.

"It felt…right," Blaine says softly. "It's the most…the most right I've felt since I moved to Maryland."

"We can't do this," Kurt says miserably, shaking his head, squeezing back the tears welling in his eyes. "You're with him. You've been happy with him, even after he found us in your room. You – you worked things out, there's obviously something in him worth keeping."

"He didn't want me to come here," Blaine reveals, reaching out to trace his fingertips along the sensitive skin of one of Kurt's wrists. "We had a huge fight when I was trying to leave. He was yelling so much. He told me – he told me that if I…if I wanted to be with him that I – that I had to let you go. That I couldn't be friends with you if I wanted to continue being his boyfriend."

Kurt's eyes finally meet Blaine's and he sees that Blaine is…is smiling.

"He…he did?" Kurt wonders, his breath weak.

"Yeah," Blaine nods.

"But what – what happened?"

"Kurt," Blaine whispers, bringing his hand up to Kurt's face, letting the soft pad of his thumb brush over Kurt's kiss-swollen bottom lip. "I chose you."

Kurt's legs almost give out from underneath him.

But Blaine is suddenly there, all around him and his strong, warm hands are on Kurt's back and he's got him, he's safe here, he's alright here.

"I'll always choose you," Blaine says into Kurt's ear. "Always."

The world is quiet. Kurt thinks he can hear the sun setting. His heart thrums against his ribcage and Blaine's hair is soft beneath is fingertips.

But it isn't perfect.

It isn't that easy.

It's never that easy.

"We can't – we can't yet," Kurt finally says, though he's unwilling to let Blaine out of his arms.

"What?" Blaine tenses immediately.

"I won't let – you just left him."

"Yeah. I know I did, that's-"

"Blaine," Kurt says, pulling away just enough to see the hurt on the smaller boy's face. "You just left him."

"I know, I left him for you."

"I know," Kurt says wearily. "But you know we can't just suddenly – just suddenly be us."

"Yes we can," Blaine says and Kurt can hear the desperation, the pleading, the 'don't do this' in his voice. "We can, we can make it work."

"Hush," Kurt says, framing Blaine's terrified face in his hands. "We will. You know we will, but…can you honestly stand there, right now, and tell me that he still doesn't have a piece of your heart? A miniscule bit? Even just a speck?"

He sees Blaine's Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallows.

Blaine doesn't reply.

"It's okay," Kurt says softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Blaine's forehead. "It's okay."

"K-Kurt, I'm sor-"

"No," Kurt shakes his head, pulling Blaine into a hug again and he can feel Blaine's wet lashes against the skin of his neck. "You were with him for almost two months, you saw him every single day at Dalton."

"But we – we fought so much, I don't know why I can't just-"

"But there were times when he made you laugh, right? There were times when he made you smile and there were days when he made you feel really, really special?"

Blaine holds him tighter. "Yeah," he admits. "There were."

Kurt nods against the top of Blaine's curly head. "It's okay. It's supposed to be that way."

"I don't want him, I want you," Blaine chokes on his own breath. "I know that's what I want."

"And I want all of you," Kurt says. "I want every last bit of you, every last inch of your heart and I – I won't share it. I won't share you with the part of him that's still with you, that's still somewhere inside you."

"Kurt, please-"

"I love you," Kurt says, his voice hushed, right into Blaine's delicate little ear. "But you need time to love me back. Just me. No one else."

"Oh god, Kurt, please-"

"And I'm willing to wait as long as I have to."

"But I want you now," Blaine cries into Kurt's shoulder. "I want you now."

"I've waited ten years to have you all to myself," Kurt says. "A few more weeks or a couple of months isn't going to break us."

He begins walking Blaine toward his car, arm securely around his shoulders as Blaine continues to cry.

"It'll be okay," Kurt breathes into Blaine's hair and he thinks that maybe he smells like strawberries. "I'll wait for you."

"Don't let me go, please, please Kurt, don't let me go," Blaine begs, clinging to Kurt like a lifeline. "Please, I lov-"

"No," Kurt says immediately. "Please. Please don't say it until you're done with him."

"I just want to be with you, let me – let me be with you," Blaine's whimpering now and Kurt can't handle it. He can't handle Blaine trembling in his arms, can't handle the way his sobs are muffled against his suit jacket.

He pries Blaine's arms from around his waist.

"No, no I don't want to go!" Blaine cries. "Don't – don't, Kurt! You always – you always held me when I cried, you were always there, please don't make me go away!"

"Text me when you get home," Kurt says flatly, opening Blaine's car door, gently pushing him inside.

"Kurt, please-"

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt says once more, leaning inside the car, buckling Blaine's seatbelt despite his reluctance and hysterics. "And I'll be here when you're ready."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Blaine keeps saying.

"No," Kurt says firmly. "Don't ever apologize for having love in your heart. Don't ever do that."

Blaine falls silent, but tears are still streaming down his face and Kurt's heart shatters at the sight. He leans in to press a kiss to the shell of Blaine's ear.

"I'll always be yours."

Blaine emits a broken, heart wrenching, guttural little sob and Kurt slides his hand up to his check, turning Blaine's head to face him.

He nudges their noses against one another fondly.

"I need you to find me this time," he finally says.

And then Kurt backs away, closes the door, and walks towards the reception venue. He refuses to look back. He refuses to meet any of his friends' eyes. He refuses to look at his father and his new stepmother. He walks straight into the bathroom and hides himself in a stall.

He shoves his knuckles into his mouth and bites down so hard that he starts to bleed as his tears finally fall.

But he won't let himself scream at the injustice of it all.

He won't.

Because he's doing the right thing for once.