Epilogue

The black abyss Blaine found himself in was growing unbearable. How long had it even been? He had lost all sense of time. The fabric surrounding his eyes was too thick to see through, which only added to his growing impatience. This was becoming insane! It was time that he confronted the man who had done this to him in the first place.

“How much longer?” Blaine said, as if he were an impatient child.

Unfortunately for Blaine, he was unable to see the reaction his question caused but he did hear what sounded like quiet moaning. That made him scowl which only produced laughter next and Blaine threw his hands up in the air. “Im warning you, Ill take this bloody thing off and ruin the surprise at this rate!” he threatened.

“Theres no need for you to be so dramatic, Blaine, Im nearly finished,” an amused voice replied.

If werent for the fact that hed heard those exact words for what felt like the fourteenth time (when it was more like four), Blaine might have been more compliant. When hed agreed to being blindfolded and placed upon a chair, Blaine had assumed the grand reveal wouldnt take so long. But thats what he got for falling for such a perfectionist, he supposed.

“Kurt, at this rate my birthday will be over before I even get to see my present,” he said, grinning in the direction of his lover's voice.

“Try to be patient, love. It wont be long now. I just need to give it one final look before you can see it,” Kurt mumbled.

Blaine willed himself to calm down, since he hadnt been waiting for that long. He was just so excited to see Kurts gift for him. For the past three months, Kurt had locked himself away in the workshop that was connected to the music shop he and Kurt ran and owned. Not even the beckoning streets of Paris right outside the door could lure him away. At first, Blaine had been kept rather busy minding the store when it was his turn, along with holding lessons for his many music students, but now that the day was here, there was nothing to distract him anymore.

At least the morning had started out well enough (the understatement of the century) and, as the memory of the many pleasurable things Kurt had done to him drifted back, a dumb little smile spread across Blaines half-covered face. It was by far the best birthday he had even woken up to and, after spending the whole morning making love to Kurt, his lover had gone and cooked him breakfast in bed – thought it was more like brunch by the time they were finished having sex.

None of that made up for the fact that Kurt was taking far too long to get to the big reveal. After all, it wasnt like Blaine had no clue what his present was. Not considering the fact that Kurt was a luthier and, since his transformation back to a human, Blaine was without a cello. He had intended to buy one himself once their business got underway until Kurt had told him not to.

“Can I see please just see the cello youve created for me, Kurt? You know Ill love it!” Blaine pleaded.

Kurt responded with a fake-sounding gasp, as if he were shocked to discover that Blaine knew his secret already. “Did you peak?” he said.

Blaine would have rolled his eyes if they weren't hidden under his blindfold. Not for much longer, though, because as much as he always enjoyed being playful with Kurt, enough was enough. He couldnt wait a second longer, so he brought his hands to his face and said, “Thats it. This is coming off.”

Kurt made no attempt to stop him, proof that he was fine to play along with the birthday boy's wishes, though only to a certain point. “Keep your eyes closed until I say so! I want to get in the perfect position to see your reaction, Blaine,” Kurt said.

“All right, but make it quick.”

“Okay, you can open them, sweetie,” Kurt cooed lovingly a few moments later.

When Blaine opened his eyes they immediately fell upon the instrument placed directly in front of him and Kurts presence was nearly forgotten. His eyes widened in amazement; it was the most beautifully crafted cello he had ever laid eyes on. He almost felt guilty for thinking this, since the past holder of that winning position had been Kurt himself. Hunter may have used magic to achieve such fine craftsmanship, but the amount of love Kurt had been put into this cello was clear for Blaine to see. He stood up and hurried over to get a closer look. When his hands made contact with the smooth wooden finish, there was no little spark of energy but his expression was still that of pure wonder.

“Oh, Kurt, its breathtaking,” Blaine whispered.

“You really like it?” Kurt said, as if he couldnt believe Blaines delight.

Blaine stopped running his hands up and down the cello so he could convince its creator just how much he loved the cello, and him by extension. He reached for Kurt and pulled him close so he could kiss him softly on the cheek. Kurt giggled as Blaines lips gravitated from his face toward his neck and, when Blaine found that special spot, he let out a deep moan.

“Its not that amazing, Blaine,” Kurt said.

“I beg to differ, Kurt.”

Blaine couldnt wait to play it, but not until hed showed Kurt proper appreciation for his present. Since the cello was his he would have ample time to become acquainted with it, and this one didnt have a trapped human soul inside, so it could wait.

“Well, it was quite the labour of love. I was so worried I wouldnt finish it in time,” Kurt admitted.

“I never doubted you for a second, Kurt,” Blaine said reassuringly.

“Happy Birthday, Blaine,” Kurt announced.

Blaine laughed, kissing Kurt passionately. He could barely believe the life he was living now, how he and Kurt, in an attempt to find their place in the world, had gone all the way to Paris. Once they had reached the foreign land, the young couple had instantly fallen for the city and how relaxed things were there. Of course, Blaine and Kurt could never let their love be as open as they would have liked, but the subtle difference was still a pleasant surprise. With the money Hunter had given Kurt, they had bought two adjoining buildings and turned the larger one into a workshop for Kurt, while the second became a store to sell his instruments as well as a place for Blaine to teach and share his love of music with others.

It was far from the life of fame that Blaine had once longed for, but he had never been happier, nor as grateful that he had found and fallen in love with Kurt, who made his world so much brighter. He knew that worldwide acclaim could never make him feel so loved and content, so he didnt feel like he was missing anything. Not when he had everything he had ever wanted: love, a sense of worth, a life in which he not only enjoyed but felt proud of.

During his little inner monologue, Kurt had taken over kissing Blaine on the lips and neck and, while it was a pleasurable exchange, there was something else he wanted to do next and, for once, it wasnt related to sex.

“You know what would make my birthday truly perfect, Kurt?” Blaine said as he glanced at the cello hed momentarily abandoned for Kurt.

Kurt eyed him playfully. “I think I do, but Ill let you be the one to suggest it. Its your birthday after all.”

Blaine laughed. He released Kurt so he could go over to his new cello and sat down on the chair nearby. Without having to ask, Kurt carefully handed him the cello and it felt so right in his arms. It was different from when Kurt had been in his cello form, but that was understandable. That it was just a normal cello didnt diminish how special it was to Blaine. It had been months, since that fateful day of the concert, that Blaine had played a cello that was truly his. His hands were itching to make up for lost time and Kurt seemed to know this too, judging by his encouraging smile. As Blaine brought the bow up to begin, it all came back to him the moment he struck the first note. How much he longed to feel the special bond between a musician and their instrument, and Blaine had felt it for sure. He knew he wasnt just imagining things to make it seem more special; he was meant to play this cello. Even when no magic was involved – thank the maker – he could still tell.

There was no hint of jealousy on Kurts face as he silently watched Blaine throw himself into the performance. He just gazed affectionately at his lover, as if he too were under a trace just by watching Blaine play. He no doubt felt a similar rush from getting to see someone play one of his creations so beautifully.

“You got the pitch perfect, Kurt. You should feel proud of yourself,” Blaine told him.

“Oh good, though I think a lot of the credit is due to your talents, Blaine.”

“A musician is only as good as his instrument, and this cello is remarkable.”

“Yes, well, I am a little worried that anything I make after it will fail to compare...”

Blaine rolled his eyes up at Kurt, who looked too adorable for words. “Nonsense. You love the craft far too much to give up the fight.”

Kurt laughed, “You know me so well.”

“Well I should hope so!” Blaine tutted.

Their playful banter continued throughout Blaines song and, by the end, Blaine felt so happy that he could burst with joy. He put the cello down so he could sweep Kurt up in his arms and spin him around the room until Kurt stopped laughing long enough to make him cut it out. Blaine smirked at him and kissed Kurt on the mouth.

“Youll make our neighbours talk,” Kurt said teasingly.

“Oh, as if they dont already know how madly in love we are. Thats the beauty of Paris, and it is the reason we moved here. Well, that and the food.”

“Now if I could only get used to the language here, Id be set.”

“I know what could help you there. Why dont you sing in French? How about it, Kurt? Want to do a romantic duet with me?” Blaine said as he looked over at his new cello.

“Are there any songs in French that would work for the cello, though?” asked Kurt, who had that little glint in his eye that told Blaine he was kidding around.

Blaine took a seat back on the chair and picked up his cello next as he thought of any possible songs to suggest. It was true that, normally, the cello wasnt an instrument that usually included vocals, but that couldn't stop him. He and Kurt had proven long ago that their chemistry had no boundaries, so making beautiful music together was like childs play for them. He also knew for a fact that Kurt, as a hobby, had translated some of his favourite songs into the French language so that he could sing them. So far, he hadnt gotten the nerve to share those songs with anyone but Blaine, which was a gift he treasured greatly. Now, what he just needed to do in this case was simply play along until Kurt would start to sing one on his own.

“Not for artists of our calibre, Kurt,” Blaine said.

As if on cue, Kurt cleared his throat lightly before breaking out into a gentle song. Blaines grasp on the French language was still a work in progress, so it took him a few lines to recognize the melody. Eventually he figured out that the song in question was Stars of the Summer Night and the translation, from what Blaine could tell, was none too shabby. But then, Kurt could make even the most roughly composed song sound beautiful with his angelic voice, Blaine thought lovingly.

Blaine struggled in his first attempts to join in but, by the second verse, harmony was achieved. And he, for one, looked forward to that trend continuing for the rest of their time together – which he hoped would be long indeed.

The End