1 year later.

"I can't believe we're finally here!" Kurt spun in a slow circle in the middle of the apartment's main living area, beaming at everything from the bare wooden floorboards to the view of a New York street outside the window.

The thump of bags hitting the floor caused Kurt to turn and face the front door again. Blaine had just dumped a pile of bags just inside the doorway next to the stacks of boxes that had arrived yesterday. Blaine smiled teasingly at him. "It's ok, you just stand there and admire the view, and I'll bring all our stuff up."

Kurt stuck his tongue out at him. "I'll help; I'm just- I just can't believe we're now living here, in New York, together."

Blaine came over to join him and Kurt wrapped an arm around his shoulders causing Blaine to lean against him. Blaine sighed in contentment. "When I told you what I wanted to do with my life after leaving school that time in the coffee shop it was just a dream I had, I never expected it to come true. But it has done more than come true, I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be living my dream with you."

Kurt turned his head away from the window to look down at Blaine who was gazing up at him from where his head rested on Kurt's shoulder.

"On the way back to Dalton that day, things changed, my dreams changed, suddenly they all involved you, and it will always be like that now."

Kurt moved quickly until he was standing in front of Blaine, his arms around his neck, and his lips pressed against Blaine's in a passionate kiss. When he pulled away Blaine tried to follow his mouth. "I thought you wanted me to help bring our stuff up?" He laughed softly at the expression on his boyfriend's face. "We'll have plenty of time for this later."

Blaine unzipped one of Kurt's suitcases that he had just sat down next to the others in the bedroom, took one look at the contents, and shook his head, an affectionate smile spreading across his face as he let the lid of the case fall shut. "You can unpack all your own clothes, Kurt. There's no way I'm doing it." He called through to the kitchen where Kurt had started to unpack all their pans and kitchen utensils.

"I wouldn't want you doing it anyway!" Kurt called back. "You don't know how I organise my clothes."

His smile widened at Kurt's response. Unzipping one of his own suitcases, he began to unpack and put away all his clothes. When he reached his bags of toiletries, he frowned. "Kurt?" He rummaged through the contents of one bag, pushing aside a can of shaving cream to see the rest of the bag's contents.

Kurt's voice called back from the kitchen. "Yeah?"

Tossing aside the bag he was holding, Blaine picked up another one and began searching through it, still frowning at the contents."Do you know what happened to all my hair gel? I can only find one tub." He threw some deodorant out of the bag to see the items hidden beneath it. "I thought I put it all with the rest of my toiletries, but it's not here." He searched fruitlessly for a little longer, then he realised Kurt still hadn't replied. "Kurt?"

"I may have taken most of your gel out of you bag after you had finished packing."

Blaine spun around to see Kurt standing in the doorway of their bedroom, looking slightly sheepish. "What? Why?"

Kurt walked further into the room until he reached Blaine. "Because you wear too much gel." He touched Blaine's hair, letting a few loose curls slide through his fingers. "And your hair looks so much better without it. I'm not saying you should stop wearing it completely, just use less of it." He added after seeing the look on Blaine's face.

"I guess I could do that." Blaine said, only a little grudgingly. He knew how much Kurt loved his hair curly and he supposed it wouldn't look too bad with only a small amount of gel in it. Besides, he had been gelling his hair like that for years now; it was about time for a change.

Kurt beamed at him. "Great!" He gave Blaine a quick kiss on the forehead before heading for the door. "Come help me unpack in the living room when you're finished." He added over his shoulder as he left the room.

Kurt was only half-way through unpacking the first box when Blaine joined him in the living room.

"You don't realise how much stuff you have until you move and have to unpack it all." Kurt commented as Blaine pulled a stack of books out of one of the boxes.

"You'll feel the same way about your clothes when you have to unpack all those suitcases of yours. I'm sure you'll find several outfits you've forgotten you owned."

Kurt shook his head, piling up the last of the DVDs and placing the stack beside the TV. "Like I said earlier, I have a very organised closet." He lifted the next item out of the box, his smile fading and his face screwing up into a frown when he saw what it was. "Blaine, this isn't yours is it?"

Blaine looked up from unwrapping some framed photographs from tissue paper. He examined the object in Kurt's hands. "No," he said slowly. He met Kurt's eyes and Kurt could see the same emotions and memories he was experiencing filling them.

Kurt ran his fingers over the wooden box in his hands, his fingers skimming over spots where the wood had been worn smooth with age. He remembered another box, remembered opening it curiously, remembered the years of self-torture and misery that followed.

"Kurt?" Blaine was suddenly in front of him, but he barely noticed, he was so deep in his own memories. The carvings on this box were different, as was the clasp, and just by running a finger over the clasp, he could tell it would open easily unlike the one that had been on the box in his attic.

A hand came down on top of his where it hovered in front of the clasp, his fingertips just brushing the metal. He looked up and met Blaine's concerned gaze.

"Kurt?" Blaine's eyes worriedly searched Kurt's. "Maybe it isn't what we're thinking, maybe there's another explanation." Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'm going to call Finn and see if it is his. We were all packing at the same time, there is a chance something of his accidentally ended up in one of our boxes. Just don't open the box, just in case." He began dialling.

Kurt had no intention of opening the box – there was no way he would risk turning his world upside down again – he just couldn't believe this was happening again. But, maybe it wasn't, maybe Blaine was right; maybe there was a completely innocent explanation – maybe.

"Hey, Finn I have a quick question for you." Blaine's face scrunched up in puzzlement for a moment. "What? No."

Kurt watched Blaine's face smooth out again as he began to describe the box to Finn and explain to him that it had been packed in with their stuff but it wasn't theirs.

"It's not yours?"

Kurt's heart sank and he chewed his lip apprehensively, setting the box down on the floor and pushing it firmly away from him.

"Are you sure?" Blaine was saying. "Where else could it have come from?" A long pause and then Blaine spoke again and Kurt closed his eyes at Blaine words, relief flooding through him. "It is yours? Why didn't you recognise it straight away if it is something that important?" The relief in Blaine's voice was huge and his shoulders had sagged with the extent of it. "Ok, well we can send it over to you or you can just get it when you come to visit."

There was a pause during which Kurt shook slightly from the magnitude of the relief he was feeling.

"Sure, that's fine. Give Burt and Carole our love. Thanks, Finn talk to you soon." Blaine hung up and joined Kurt where he had slid to the floor. He took one look at Kurt and pulled him into his arms. Kurt buried his head in Blaine's shoulder, breathing in the familiar smell of his boyfriend, and felt himself begin to calm down.

"Finn got the box from his Grandmother years ago," Blaine explained. "He uses it to keep money and other important stuff safe."

Kurt exhaled, shuddering. "I thought-"

"I know," Blaine tightened his hold on Kurt, "I thought that as well."

They stayed like that for several minutes until Kurt raised his head. "We had better get back to unpacking otherwise we'll never get it finished today."

Blaine brushed his lips against Kurt's cheek in a quick kiss before getting to his feet, holding out a hand for Kurt. Kurt took it and allowed Blaine to pull him to his feet.

"Are you alright to finish up in here? I'd better get started on my suitcases otherwise we'll be sleeping surrounded by my bags and cases."

Blaine smiled at him. "No problem."

When Kurt woke the next morning he felt disoriented. His bed was facing the wrong way, the window was at the opposite side of the room than it normally was, and there was a warm body pressed against him and his Dad had never let him have Blaine sleep over – he and Blaine had only ever spent the night together when Blaine's parents had been away on business and when Burt and Carole had been on their honeymoon. Then it all came rushing back to him, he was living in New York now, with Blaine.

He felt Blaine shift next to him, his arm tightening around his waist slightly, and Kurt rolled over to face his boyfriend. He smiled softly as his eyes took in Blaine. Blaine was always beautiful, but when he slept he was absolutely breathtaking. It was partly how peaceful he looked, partly his ruffled curls, partly how his long eyelashes fanned across his cheeks, partly the way his lips were parted slightly, and partly the way he occasionally mumbled quietly and snuggled closer to Kurt. But it was mainly how nobody but Kurt had seen Blaine this way, had seen him curled up beside them with his eyes occasionally fluttering as he dreamed, had seen him this vulnerable, and had been there when his eyes opened for the first time that day. And Kurt had never wanted anything more than to experience this every day for the rest of his life.

Kurt had subconsciously begun running his fingers through Blaine's hair and he didn't know how long he lay there watching his boyfriend sleep whilst lazily trailing his fingers through Blaine's curls, but after a while Blaine shifted again and his eyes opened, a smile appearing on his face when he saw Kurt.

"Morning," he said, his voice a little rough with sleep.

Kurt closed the small distance between their lips and kissed Blaine softly. They broke apart and Kurt opened his eyes to gaze into Blaine's honey-coloured ones. "Morning."

They were silent for an indefinite period of time, just gazing at each other, one of Kurt's hands still playing idly with Blaine's hair whilst Blaine rubbed Kurt's hip with his thumb. Blaine entwined the fingers of their other hands.

"I love you."

Kurt's smile grew wider in an almost mirror-image of the smile on Blaine's face. "I love you too."

Still smiling, Blaine brushed his lips against Kurt's and Kurt knew that Blaine wanted this as much as he did, that they would both always want to wake up together, for the rest of their lives.