Kurt stared at Blaine. All concept of time became lost to Blaine; he didn't know how long they stood there gazing at each other. Kurt's face was pale and his eyes were wide, stunned, disbelieving. His mouth hung open a little bit and his hand visibly shook where it hung by his side. He swayed slightly where he stood despite the hand still braced against the doorframe. Blaine half raised a hand out towards him, worried he would fall.

Blaine took in Kurt's appearance, his eyes sweeping him hungrily. He looked exactly as he remembered, from the perfectly styled hair to the smooth pale skin. He'd pictured Kurt a lot during their weeks of separation, but his memory was nothing compared to seeing him in person again. He was so beautiful. His stomach swooped pleasantly, his heart kicked off at a faster beat, and his body had begun to thrum with some kind of electricity the moment Kurt had opened the door, and those same sensations were still singing in his body, making him feel like he was floating.

Kurt was still staring.

Blaine wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel his warm, soft skin beneath his hands and know he was solid and real. He wanted to touch him, to hold him, to kiss him, to never let him go, but he was hesitant about doing so. He couldn't bring himself to touch Kurt when the other man looked so shocked, almost as if he'd seen a ghost.

Blaine couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Please say something, Kurt," he said, his eyes searching Kurt's face as the other man blinked at him.

Kurt's mouth opened and closed several times before he said breathlessly, "It's you; it's really you."

Relief obliterated the tiny seed of doubt that had been trying to plant itself in Blaine's mind. A seed that had been about to grow into branches of worry that Kurt had moved on, and fear that Kurt wouldn't accept him back into his life. A smile tugged at a corner of Blaine's mouth. He took half a step towards Kurt, reaching a hand out for him. "It's me."

Wariness crept into Kurt's expression, strong enough to hold Blaine back from throwing himself into Kurt's arms.

"I'm awake, aren't I?" Kurt asked, sounding both frantic and almost accusing. "This isn't a dream?" His hand dropped from the doorframe and he stumbled towards Blaine, stopping just shy of him. "Don't let this be a dream. I don't want it to be a dream," he begged, tears choking up his voice. His large eyes pleaded with Blaine in a way that made tears well up in his own eyes.

"You're not dreaming," Blaine assured him softly. "I'm here. I'm real."

After a slight hesitation, he stretched out his arm again, this time brushing his hand down the length of Kurt's forearm in a feather-light touch that left him aching for more: more skin, more touch, more Kurt.

Kurt sucked in a breath. "Blaine?" he breathed. His voice was almost inaudible and tears were beginning to slip down his cheeks. There was an ever-brightening spark of hope in his eyes.

Holding back a choked sound, Blaine gave Kurt a watery smile. "I'm here, honey."

"Blaine," Kurt said, louder this time. He stumbled forward, tripping into Blaine's arms and almost knocking him off balance when he threw an arm around him. Blaine cradled him against his chest as Kurt started to sob, placing one hand on Kurt's shuddering back and the other on his head, his fingers sliding into his thick chestnut hair. Kurt curled one of his hands into Blaine's waistcoat, the material scrunching in his fist. He clutched at Blaine tightly, as if afraid he would suddenly slip from between his fingers and vanish like smoke.

"Kurt," Blaine breathed into the other man's neck. He buried his nose into the soft skin there and inhaled deeply, breathing in the comforting scent he'd missed so much. He could feel a growing cool dampness on Kurt's shoulder where his own tears were landing, creating wet spots on the fabric of his sweater. Kurt squeezed him a little tighter in response, his face nuzzling into Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine's eyes closed and he let himself bask in the feeling of being in Kurt's arms again; of the feeling of being complete and being home. He was quite content to stand there in the doorway for hours. Neither the stiffness in his back from days of being hunched over books nor the slight twist in his neck was giving him any discomfort.

A door slamming shut down the hall brought them back to reality with an unpleasant bang. Lifting his head from the crook of Kurt's neck, Blaine looked round for the source of the noise, a little startled. Kurt slowly looked up and released the fistful of Blaine's waistcoat he'd been holding.

"Let's go inside," he murmured, taking Blaine's hand and tugging him gently into the apartment.

The feeling that had been starkly missing from his family house in the twenties washed over Blaine as he stepped inside: home. He smiled as he followed Kurt into the living area, the feeling of belonging he'd been foolishly searching for back in his own time filling him.

The apartment was exactly as he remembered it - there was even some of his music books still on the coffee table and balanced on the music stand on the piano, he was surprised to note. The smell of cooking, Kurt, and a faint trace of Rachel's perfume lingered in the air, and Blaine breathed it in as if it was a rare, intoxicating scent. Everything was familiar and comforting. It was as if he'd never left.

Kurt led the way over to the couch, where he flipped the lid closed on his laptop and moved it from its position on the couch onto the coffee table. They sat down, Kurt still keeping a hold of Blaine's hand, like he couldn't bear to let it go. Blaine knew how he felt: he never wanted to be apart from Kurt again.

They sat close to each other: legs touching and shoulders brushing. They gazed at each other silently: rememorizing the sight of each other after relying on memory for so many weeks. They were so close and the apartment was so quiet that Blaine could hear Kurt's soft breathing. The sound was soothing to him; it served as a steady, constant reminder that he wasn't in a dream.

After a moment he began craving more of Kurt than what clasped hands and brushing limbs were giving him. He placed a free hand on Kurt's leg and began rubbing tiny circles on his thigh with his thumb. His movement brought Kurt out of whatever trance he was in.

"H- How?" he whispered, now gazing at Blaine with something close to awe. He was still so shocked by Blaine's sudden appearance that he seemed incapable of doing much more than simply staring at Blaine.

Blaine took a moment to gather his thoughts. He still couldn't quite believe all of this himself. An hour ago he'd been in 1923, fearing he would have to propose to a woman he didn't like just to please society and his parents. Now he was back with Kurt. He'd done the research, found the people to help him, and he'd actually succeeded; he'd actually decided where he wanted to be and had gotten himself there. He could live the life he wanted; he could be happy.

Shaking his head to clear away the approaching wave of realization, Blaine gave Kurt an astonished smile. "I- I- Wes and I did some research in the library, I talked to this strange man in a bookshop, and then we found a group of people who practice magic like Kayleigh does. I told them I wanted to come back here, and they were sceptical at first, but I explained exactly how Kayleigh helped me travel and, well, it worked."

He knew he'd been incredibly lucky that it had worked. The blond man and few others who had helped him return to Kurt had relied completely on his descriptions of what he remembered from when Kayleigh helped him travel. If he had made a mistake or forgotten something crucial, it could have all gone horrifically wrong. Wes had panicked a little when they'd arrived at the coffee shop from which Blaine would travel again. After a few words from Blaine, he had calmed down, his fear Blaine would get hurt fading upon Blaine's reminder of how much Kurt meant to him, and how he was willing to risk everything for happiness and love.

Kurt was staring at him silently again. Blaine took the opportunity to move his left hand from Kurt's thigh to his arm, his neck, his waist, his cheekbone; caressing every inch of Kurt's body he could reach. He desperately wanted to embrace Kurt again, to wrap his arms around his body and hold him close. But he also wanted to curl up into Kurt's side and be held by him, to tuck his face into the curve of Kurt's neck and feel his strong hands on his body. He had to hold back the urge to do either of these things, knowing Kurt was still trying to comprehend him being there.

The shock and disbelief that had been frozen on Kurt's face since he'd opened the door were fading. The hope and wondrous awe were still there, growing ever stronger the longer he and Blaine gazed at each other.

"What made you come back?" Kurt asked curiously, barely supressed hope in his voice.

"I- Almost as soon as I arrived back in that time I realized I'd made a mistake." Blaine's left hand came to a rest against Kurt's neck, his thumb caressing the spot where his jaw flowed into his neck. Kurt was gazing down at him, his eyes shining with tears. "I couldn't live in a time where I couldn't be who I was, making myself miserable trying to please parents who don't really care about me. Everything I'd gone back for - it wasn't there; it's all here." He swallowed thickly. "I'm just sorry I had to hurt you to realise this is where I belong."

Kurt's face softened. "Blaine," he murmured. He let go of Blaine's hand and framed his face with both of his hands, holding his gaze. "All that matters is that you're here now." He gave a small, wry smile. "The rest is in the past."

Blaine returned the smile, trying desperately not to cry. "I won't leave you like that again," he promised. "This is where I belong, with you. This is where my heart is."

Kurt's face crumpled with emotion and he made a small noise, like a little desperate whimper. He darted forward and crushed his mouth against Blaine's, one hand sliding round from Blaine's face to tangle in the curls at the back of his neck. Blaine reached for Kurt's body, wanting to hold him close, but instead ended up with a handful of his shirt, which he clutched tightly. He whined softly into Kurt's mouth, curling his fingers tighter around his shirt when Kurt traced his lower lip with his tongue. He could feel his heart, absent for so long, nothing more than a gaping hole in his chest, swelling with love and happiness and belonging.

"I love you," Blaine breathed when they broke apart, foreheads tilted together and gasping for breath. "I never told you before and I hated that; I regretted it every day I was gone. I love you, Kurt."

Kurt huffed a delighted laugh against Blaine's lips, his thumb softly rubbing the back of Blaine's neck. "I love you, too."

Tears spilled from Blaine's eyes and the muscles in his face ached from his wide smile. He never thought it was possible for him to be this happy, even the short time before when he'd thought he was staying in Kurt's time he hadn't been this deliriously, wonderfully happy. He'd always felt there was a deadline on their time together, lingering just out of reach. There was no sense of that now, and it was wonderful. He felt like he could do anything; he felt invincible.

"Blaine," Kurt breathed, brushing trembling lips against Blaine's. Blaine pressed back against Kurt's mouth, kissing harder. He smiled when Kurt laughed against his mouth, his heart leaping at the sound. He wondered if he'd ever sad again; right now it seemed impossible.

"Let's go to bed," Kurt whispered once they'd stopped kissing. "Rachel will be home soon and I'd rather- I want to keep you to myself tonight," he said, his thumb caressing the back of Blaine's neck again.

Blaine nodded. "Ok," he agreed. If he was being honest, he wasn't really in the mood to explain everything to Rachel or answer all of the questions she would surely have. He would much rather spend a night curled up with Kurt at his side, falling asleep to the sound of his breathing.

Kurt gently disentangled himself from Blaine and stood up, tugging Blaine up with him by the hand he was still holding. Blaine followed behind him in silence as Kurt led the way through to his bedroom.

The room was exactly as Blaine remembered: Kurt's creams and lotions stood on the dressing table, swatches of fabric and rough sketches of designs were stuck around the edge of his mirror where he could ponder them as he went through his moisturising regimen, the latest issue of Vogue lay on his nightstand, and the same trinkets and framed photographs were displayed on other surfaces. The room still smelled the same way as well: Kurt's creams, hairspray, the fragrance he wore, and the unique, indescribable scent that clung to Kurt's skin. Blaine inhaled deeply as Kurt nudged the door closed behind them.

Kurt turned to face him, dropping his hand and resting his hands on Blaine's shoulders. "You're wearing the bowtie," he said softly.

Blaine glanced down. "Oh, yes. I couldn't leave it behind." He looked back up and met Kurt's eyes. "Thank you for giving it to me before I left; it helped a lot when I- When I missed you too much."

Kurt nodded and, saying nothing, reached down and pulled the pocket watch out of his pocket. Blaine took it from his hand and set it aside on the dresser.

"We don't need to rely on these anymore. We don't need to live on memories now."

Kurt kissed him again, his hands tugging at Blaine's bowtie, untying it, and then pulling it free from his collar, before tossing it aside. Blaine smoothed his hands over the muscles of Kurt's back, remembering their firmness and the feel of them bunching and releasing beneath his palms. His hat was knocked to the floor as Kurt's hand moved to his hair. He made a small noise of frustration at the amount of gel in it and Blaine grinned upon hearing it.

"I missed this," Blaine sighed, pressing kisses to any part of Kurt's face he could reach.

Kurt pushed Blaine's jacket off his shoulders and tossed it over a nearby armchair. He placed a quick kiss to Blaine's lips. "No more talk of that now; no more reminiscing, or talk of being apart. I want us to just be together and forget about everything else tonight."

"Ok," Blaine said again, brushing a kiss to the spot between Kurt's eyebrows. "Ok."

They undressed silently, Blaine hesitating before unbuttoning his pants, wondering if he should make a quick trip down the hall to his old room to grab some clothes to sleep in. The thought that Kurt may not have kept his stuff held him back from doing so, and the sight of Kurt tossing his own clothes over the stool at his dresser and padding towards the bed in only his boxer briefs encouraged him to finish undressing without any more worries of what he'd wear. He was still a little shy about being so underdressed around Kurt. But Kurt loved him, he reminded himself as he folded his pants and set them aside with the rest of his clothes; he didn't have to be embarrassed or nervous around him.

Kurt pulled back the covers on the bed, tossed the decorative cushions off to the side, and then turned to smile at Blaine, who bit his lip at the sight of his pale, toned chest and stomach.

"I'm just going to quickly brush my teeth," Kurt said, nodding towards the bathroom. "There's a toothbrush in there you can use."

Blaine nodded and followed Kurt through to the bathroom where they stood side-by-side at the sink, brushing their teeth and shooting glances at each other in the mirror. Blaine's heart soared with each one.

Back in the bedroom, Blaine found himself hesitating again as he stood beside Kurt's bed. The tiny flutter of nerves holding him back vanished when Kurt crawled eagerly beneath the covers and gazed up at him with soft, inviting eyes, his hand stretched out towards him. Blaine got into bed, letting out an involuntary sigh at the feel of the soft bedding and the comforting scent that enveloped him. He slid over to Kurt, who snuggled into him happily, his hand settling on his side over the curve of his ribcage.

"This all feels like a dream," Blaine whispered. "I keep waiting to wake up and find myself back in my parent's house knowing that-" He gulped, his throat now thick with the tears that had pooled in his eyes again and were now spilling down his cheeks. "Knowing that-" he tried again, the thought of the life he had just escaped overwhelming him, choking up his throat and making it near impossible to speak.

Kurt placed a hand on his cheek. "Shh." He wiped away the tears clinging to Blaine's face, swiping them gently with the pad of his thumb. "Blaine," he said softly, as Blaine's breath hitched in a sob. "We don't have to talk about this now. We're not talking about it tonight." He brushed his thumb over the delicate skin beneath Blaine's eyes, wiping away the last of the tears. "We will talk about it tomorrow. Tonight I just want us to be together; to enjoy being with each other again."

Swallowing down the lump of sadness and relief in his throat, Blaine nodded. He tilted his head and nuzzled into the palm of Kurt's hand. So, so unbelievably grateful he was with his love once more. Kurt kissed Blaine's forehead, his lips lingering for a moment, before he drew back and rested his head on the pillow again. His hand was still cupping Blaine's face, his thumb still stroking rhythmically over his cheekbone. Blaine felt his eyelids drooping. An exhausting day like the one he'd just had would normally have been just enough to send him to sleep without wallowing in misery over the loss of Kurt; tonight the tiredness and being back in Kurt's bed filled him with a drowsy peace and, despite his attempts to stay awake so he could gaze at Kurt, he soon fell asleep.

Kurt woke to a sight he'd been dreaming of, one he'd never thought he'd see again: Blaine sleeping next to him. It almost made him cry, seeing Blaine lying beside him, his body curled to fit against his own, but he managed to hold back the emotions rising up inside him, pressing on his lungs and choking up his throat.

Blaine shifted slightly in his sleep, moving closer to Kurt and nuzzling his nose against Kurt's shoulder. Kurt admired the way his long, dark eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks and how the morning sunlight picked out lighter streaks in his hair that were almost the exact color of hot chocolate. It almost made his heart ache how beautiful Blaine was.

He knew he should feel slightly creepy and intrusive staring at Blaine as he slept, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. He missed this - missed Blaine - so much so that not watching him during this moment felt like a waste. Now that he knew how precious time could be and what it was like to lose Blaine, he wouldn't ever take any time with him for granted again; he was going to savor every second with him.

Sometime later, when the light shining into the room was a little bit stronger and Kurt felt a little less drowsy, Blaine woke up. He stirred, rubbing his cheek against Kurt's shoulder, his forehead creasing into a tiny frown, before his eyes blinked open. He looked confused at first, but his perplexity was swiftly replaced by relief. When his eyes lifted to meet Kurt's he was smiling; he looked deliriously happy.

"Good morning," he said softly, his voice roughened slightly by sleep.

Kurt reached out and smoothed the curls that had broken free of the gel overnight back off his forehead. "Good morning."

They gazed at each other in silence, drinking the sight of each other in. Blaine's eyes were a soft, honeyed gold, looking at Kurt with such adoration and wonder it tugged at Kurt's heart, making it impossible for him not to reach out and touch him. He ducked down and pressed a kiss to Blaine's nose, making a truly gorgeous smile crinkle up the other man's eyes.

"I love you," Blaine said, his hand finding Kurt's beneath the blankets.

Kurt kissed him again, this time on the mouth, kissing him soft, slow, and deep. He squeezed Blaine's hand gently. When they broke apart, Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's, wanting to stay close to him, to stay close enough to feel his warm breath on his cheek.

"Every day we were apart I knew I had made a mistake by leaving here," Blaine murmured. Kurt tightened his grip on his hand. "It hurt so much not being able to see you, and knowing I never could. I had the stars and the bowtie, but they could never ease the pain. I even wrote you letters - wait."

Letting go of his hand, Blaine untangled himself from Kurt and slid out of bed. Sitting up, Kurt watched with a mixture of surprise and curiosity as Blaine searched through the pockets of his jacket. He returned to the bed carrying a sheaf of neatly-folded paper. Once he was seated next to Kurt again, he handed him the papers.

"I wrote you a letter every time I wanted to talk to you but couldn't," he said, watching apprehensively as Kurt unfolded the papers and looked down at the top page of Blaine's handwriting. "It helped with the distance, somehow; made me feel like I was connected to you, more so than looking at the stars did."

Kurt traced the letters of his name with his fingers, following the curving path Blaine had made with his pen. He couldn't believe Blaine had done this. While he had been typing out emails to him, Blaine himself had been penning letters to him. He couldn't believe they'd had the exact same idea of a way to cope with being apart. The memory of Rachel's voice spoke up in his mind: 'soulmates'.

"Blaine," he breathed, lost for words.

Blaine dropped his gaze down to his hands where they rested on top of the bed covers. "I know it was silly, writing letters to someone who would never read them, but they really did-"

Kurt covered one of Blaine's hands with his own. "Blaine," he said again, cutting off the other man's rambling. "It's not silly at all." He smiled encouragingly at him. "I did the same thing, actually."

Blaine's head jerked up, his eyes wide with surprise. "You wrote-?"

"I wrote you emails, actually," Kurt admitted. "Not quite as romantic as your letters, but I thought they would be easier to keep from Rachel. I wanted them to be private."

Blaine was shaking his head. "Kurt, that doesn't- Emails or letters - it doesn't matter. The fact that we both wrote-" He broke off, apparently unable to voice what he was thinking.

Kurt nodded. "I know."

They gazed at each other for a long moment, smiling softly, content and peaceful, not a line of worry or frown of stress on either of their faces. Kurt would be quite happy to spend the rest of the day in bed, just looking at Blaine and touching him, being constantly, wonderfully reminded that Blaine was really here, that they were together once more.

Blaine made a small happy noise in his throat and lifted his hand to run his fingers through Kurt's hair. Kurt hummed at his touch, his eyes slipping closed at the feeling. Yes, he could quite easily not move for the rest of the day.

"Kurt?" Rachel's voice shouted from outside the room.

Kurt and Blaine both jumped, and Kurt cursed silently; he had forgotten they weren't entirely alone.

"Are you awake?" Rachel asked through the door, no longer shouting. "I've made coffee!"

Kurt bit back a frustrated sigh. "I'll be through in a minute," he called back.

Once he'd heard Rachel's footsteps walk away, he turned back to Blaine. "I kind of wanted to avoid telling Rachel you were back," he admitted. "Just for another day or two." He kissed Blaine and rubbed at his collarbone with his thumb. "I wanted you to myself for longer - I'm selfish like that."

Blaine smirked at him. "I don't mind hiding until she's gone to work. It's for a good cause."

"Mmm," Kurt hummed, smoothing his hand from Blaine's collarbone down towards his belly, smirking at the hitch in his breathing. "Too bad she's perceptive and would notice how happy I am." He rubbed his hand over the soft curve of Blaine's belly.

"We'll have to just show her why you're so happy then," Blaine said, his voice coming out shaky and breathy as Kurt continued to trace the lines of his belly and chest with his fingers.

Kurt heaved a sigh. "Guess we will." He kissed Blaine once more, then withdrew his hand. "Let's get the shrieking over with." He reluctantly moved away from Blaine and got out of bed, padding through to the bathroom with a little yawn.

He returned from the bathroom to find Blaine hadn't moved at all and was still in bed with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Blaine," he said affectionately, taking some pyjama pants and a t-shirt from his dresser and pulling them on. "You have to get up, honey."

Sighing dramatically, Blaine got out of bed. He grumbled under his breath as he shuffled through to the bathroom, tossing Kurt a grin as he passed him.

While Blaine brushed his teeth, Kurt hurried through to his old bedroom and took some pants and a shirt out the dresser for him, positively swelling with happiness as he did so. Rachel had hesitantly suggested that he clear out Blaine's belongings once; he was glad he'd never done it.

Blaine looked a little surprised when Kurt handed him the bundle of clothes.

"You kept all of my things?" he asked, taking the clothes and smoothing a hand over the folded shirt on the top of the pile.

"Of course I did," Kurt said. "I could never have thrown them out."

Blaine lifted his gaze to meet his, holding it for a long, poignant moment, before beginning to get dressed. "Thank you," he said simply.

They held hands as they left Kurt's room and followed the sounds of Rachel's humming through to the kitchen. As they neared the kitchen, Kurt braced himself for the onslaught of questions and shrieks of surprise and disbelief.

Rachel was looking down at her phone and didn't see them at first. She didn't look up when she heard their footsteps, too engrossed in whatever she was reading on the little screen.

"Coffee's out, Kurt," she informed him, scrolling down her phone's screen with her thumb.

Deciding it would be best to get it all out straight away, Kurt led Blaine over to the table where Rachel was sitting and came to a stop.

"I hope you made enough for Blaine, as well."

"For-?" Rachel looked up from her phone, her brows knitted together in confusion. Her gaze landed on Blaine - her eyes widened and features stretched out in shock. For a moment she simply gaped at them, then-

"Blaine!"

Kurt winced as Rachel let out a piercing shriek. Shoving back her chair, she flew round the table and threw herself at Blaine, squealing in excited surprise as she tugged him from Kurt's grasp and spun him around in a circle.

Blaine stumbled slightly when she let him go. "It's good to see you, too, Rachel," he gasped.

"I can't believe you're- How are you- Blaine!" Rachel pulled him into a tight hug again.

Kurt watched on in fond amusement. "I think you're suffocating him, Rach," he said. He gently extracted Blaine from her grasp, linking their hands again.

Stepping back to look at the pair of them, Rachel beamed. "I knew you'd come back!" She bounced slightly on the spot in her excitement. "I knew it!"

Kurt glanced sideways at Blaine. He was smiling at Rachel, his eyes warm and happy. Feeling his gaze on him, Blaine started to turn his head to look at Kurt, but before their eyes met, Rachel grabbed Blaine's free hand and began tugging him over to the table.

"Come on," she said, pulling out a chair for him to sit on. "How did you get back here? I want to know everything." She dropped down in the chair opposite Blaine and stared at him expectantly.

While Blaine told Rachel the story of how he returned, Kurt fetched them all coffee. He sat down next to Blaine with his mug and, rather than listen to him answer Rachel's questions, he watched him speak. He looked so right sitting in their kitchen with bed-ruffled hair and dressed in pyjamas. He looked like he belonged - he was as much a part of Kurt's home as Rachel was. If it weren't for the fact that he kept drawing Kurt's eye and that the sight of him filled him with joyous relief and wonder each time, it would be as if he'd never left.

As Blaine's voice filled the room, Kurt's spirit and heart soared. He couldn't believe Blaine had really come back here, and had done it mostly for him. He knew now that Blaine would always come back to him. As hope had filled him whilst watching fireworks burst color in the sky, he'd come to know how much Blaine loved him and how much they meant to each other. Even though they'd never said it explicitly to each other at that point, he'd known it was true; he'd just never been confident enough in himself to realise it before then. But he knew now.

As Blaine paused in his talking to take a sip of coffee, Kurt took hold of his left hand where it rested on his thigh, linking their fingers together once more. Blaine caught his eye and smiled around his mouthful of coffee, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

They knew now.