Chapter 22

After a day spent on hanging around the city without any other purpose than simply catching the vibe of San Francisco, they caught a streetcar that took them back towards the Castro. They still had some time left until the sing-along, and their tickets were bought, so they got off by the Flag and crossed the street to see the Pink Triangle Memorial.

‘Why Pink Triangle?,’ Puck wondered out loud with a frown. ‘I mean, it kinda looks like a triangle, but wouldn’t Rainbow Triangle or something make more sense?’

Rachel shook her head at his lack of historical knowledge.

‘It wouldn’t, because pink triangles were the symbol gay people were given by the Nazis in concentration camps,’ Kurt explained patiently.

‘I thought it was just Jews and some other people like the Russians that they put in camps,’ Puck said.

‘It’s probably because that’s what people usually talk about,’ Blaine told him. ‘But the Holocaust took a great toll on many communities. The sad fact is that many of those who were imprisoned for being gay, were falsely accused.’

‘If that’s even something to be accused of,’ Kurt snorted. It made him angry to think about what unthinkable things had happened to people like him. Had he been born half a century earlier, a few generations up the Hummel family tree, he’d likely end up sent off to Auschwitz or some other, similarly terrifying place.

‘And after the camps were liberated at the end of the war, gays were the only ones that had to serve the rest of their sentences,’ Rachel added.

They fell silent, their eyes fixed on the fifteen stone columns. It was beyond their comprehension how anybody could justify the murder of fifteen thousand innocent people on the basis of the false idea that who they were wasn’t natural.

‘That’s just fucking stupid,’ Puck said, his expression caught between sadness and anger. ‘They didn’t choose that, like the Jews didn’t choose to be Jewish.’

Kurt sighed, even though deep down he felt proud of his friend. Noah had went a long way in the last two years.

‘Yeah, it was fucking stupid,’ Kurt agreed. ‘Hopefully, now we’re a little less stupid and nothing like that will ever happen again.’

Ten minutes later they were casting their last glances at the memorial, heading towards the Castro Theatre. Finn and Rachel led the way, with Brittany and Santana close at their heels. Kurt and Blaine were about to catch up with them when Puck stopped them.

‘Guys?,’ he said in a small voice. ‘Mostly Kurt, but I know you’re kinda glued together and all.’

‘Yeah?,’ Kurt asked.

‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I never really apologised for- you know- tossing you into the dumpster and all. And I could swear I slushied you a couple of times, so sorry for that, too.’

Kurt smiled warmly at him, patting him on the shoulder.

‘I know, Noah. You’ve changed, and that’s enough of an apology for me, but I appreciate you doing this anyway.’ He paused for a second, slightly thrown off by the unmistakable shine in Puck’s eyes. ‘I’m really glad to have you for a friend. Being on the other side of the barricade is much less fun.’

He’d barely stopped speaking, when Puck engulfed him and Blaine in a massive bear-hug, almost knocking them out of breath.

‘Thanks,’ Noah mumbled, backing out of the embrace. ‘I never thought I’d say it to dudes, but I love you, guys.’

‘We love you, too,’ Kurt said with a grin.

***

The Grease sing-along at the Castro Theatre was even more fun than they’d expected. The solemnity which accompanied during their visit to the Pink Triangle Memorial was gone by opening credits. The rest of the audience was as eager to join the actors in belting out the songs, and none of the friends – even the ever-hungry for attention Rachel – didn’t mind their voices were drowned by the chorus. Not everybody around them was pitch perfect, but nobody complained. It was sheer, undiluted fun.

During Hopelessly Devoted to You, Blaine did his best to make sure Kurt was aware he was the object of Blaine’s devotion. Kurt’s face ached from the beaming smile that didn’t cease even for the sadder parts of the movie. This was everything that he ever hoped for; his boyfriend and best friend were one and the same, they shared interests, loved ones, beds and food. There were no boundaries left between them, just like he’d wished for the last few months.

Puck enjoyed himself thoroughly as well, especially since he started mimicking the characters during Greased Lightning, which resulted in him gaining a considerable fanbase one row over. Seeing his it was girls around their age that seemed to be enjoying watching him the most, Puck got even smugger and flashed them the most charming of Puckerman smiles. He also earned a somewhat scornful look from Rachel – as well as a reminder that it wasn’t a dance-along – but he chose to ignore the buzz-kill.

Although Puck was the only one who didn’t have anyone to sing You’re the One That I Want to, he was quite content to watch his friends. Brittany and Santana were practically dancing in their seats, while Finn and Rachel exchanged long, gooey looks.

Kurt and Blaine managed to sing the song to each other without making it overly romantic. Noah watched them with an unconscious smile on his lips, the teasing between the boys and the obvious love in their eyes almost making him tear up. He really did adore them, and couldn’t be happier for them. It crossed his mind that most people – himself included – could only hope for a love like the one those two had.

***

The day left Kurt and Blaine exhausted, yet neither felt like sleeping when they switched the lights off. They weren’t even kissing anymore, their hands were clasped together, their trips over each other’s bodies over for the night. Only the quiet humming of the city outside their window was breaking the silence for a while as they cuddled, cherishing the last night they had in San Francisco.

‘I wish we could stay longer,’ Kurt sighed after a time.

‘I thought you didn’t like the heat.’ Blaine nuzzled his face to the crook of Kurt’s neck.

Kurt chuckled under his breath, tracing his fingers lightly along his boyfriend’s arms that held him in a tight embrace.

‘Well, I guess I could get used to it,’ he said. ‘If I ever had to choose the second best place to live, it would be here.’

Blaine hummed in assent and put his lips to Kurt’s collarbone, brushing it softly. He had already discovered that his boyfriend loved being kissed in that area, so he wasn’t going to let that knowledge go to waste.

A gasp escaped Kurt’s mouth in response.

‘Hey, I thought we were done with this sort of things for tonight,’ he said, but his tone told Blaine there was no objection from the other boy, and he went on kissing the side of Kurt’s neck.

‘I guess we’re not,’ Blaine murmured, sending a shiver down Kurt’s spine.

Kurt craned his neck, and reached to pull Blaine’s face up. He couldn’t see it in the scanty light coming in from the street, but he could swear his boyfriend’s pupils were blown.

‘Sweetie,’ he whispered. ‘I guess we really should catch some sleep.’

Blaine groaned, falling back to his pillow.

‘Really?’

With a roll of his eyes, Kurt leant over his boyfriend to look him in the face.

‘Yes, really, but not because I don’t want to- because I do, you know I do,’ he replied softly. ‘But we agreed to take things slow and we’ve been breaking this self-imposed rule pretty much since we put it in place. Plus, we’re setting off in the morning, so we should be well rested.’

‘I wish I could say you’re wrong,’ Blaine muttered, slightly discontented. ‘Why do you always have to be so right?’

Kurt giggled before planting one last kiss on Blaine’s lips and cuddling him again.

‘You love that about me.’

‘Yeah, I do,’ Blaine sighed.