On a bright Monday morning in September, Kurt Hummel found himself sitting alone in his car, in Dalton's parking lot, staring at his sun-bathed school building and feeling torn between reminiscing and anticipation. Those walls held a lot of fond memories - most of them involving a certain curly-haired, kind-hearted individual also known as Blaine Anderson/Warbler - and he was sure that this school year would create even more. But it was also going to be his last year of high school, his last year of regarding this place as a second home, the Warblers' last chance to get their hands on the Nationals trophy Kurt wanted so much. This was going to be the year when he'd definitely have to decide what he wanted to do with his life, his future. There was just so much stress ahead - not to mention the surreal concepts of graduating and leaving his friends behind and going to college. Leaving his dad, and now also the weird new additions to their family.

For one, of course, Kurt counted Blaine. Burt had practically adopted him as his second son by now, anyway, and Kurt hoped with all his heart that eventually, that notion wouldn't remain an abstract, but turn into reality in the form of Blaine becoming Burt's son-in-law. Then there was Blaine's brother Cooper. Kurt had no idea how big of a part he would play in their lives now that they had returned to Ohio and their everyday lives as high school students had them back, but they had definitely bonded over the summer. In those two weeks they'd spent in Cooper's loft in L.A., Kurt had gained more blackmailing material on Blaine than he'd probably ever have to use. Who'd have guessed that adorable, polite Blaine had been a bit of a wild child in his childhood years?

Not counting Blaine's parents - whom he still hadn't met because they'd allegedly been busy all summer long, and Blaine didn't seem like he would miss them all that much once they'd move to New York, either way - there were also a few additions from a rather unexpected side. It had turned out that the woman Burt was 'seeing' was anything but a short fling, more like a permanent-fixture-to-be in their lives. Burt had introduced Carole and Kurt to each other within the first three weeks of summer vacation, and with Carole came her son, Finn. Kurt still remembered Finn from when they used to attend McKinley together and when he'd towered over everyone else in the New Directions during Sectionals and Regionals. They'd never really interacted with each other, mostly because Finn had been one of the jocks (despite being in Glee Club) and Kurt had been their preferred victim. Even though Finn himself had never touched him, they hadn't really been likely to meet up and make small talk during lunch.

The first time Carole had come to one of their famous Hummel barbecues she had been alone and Blaine had been there. Kurt assumed that his father had tried to make it as easy as possible on him, allowing him Blaine as support and keeping Finn out of it because Burt knew he'd make Kurt nervous. Perhaps it was also a little bit because Blaine had already been a permanent fixture in their lives at that point, someone you had to introduce as well if you wanted to get to know Kurt. They came as a bit of a package deal, no matter how much Burt rolled his eyes at their sappiness. Kurt knew that he was actually insanely happy that his son had found someone to love and be loved by so unconditionally.

In all honesty, Kurt had been a bit uncomfortable the first time Carole had brought Finn along. Okay, so maybe a bit was understating it and he had actually hid under the table hissing at Blaine and his father as they'd tried to get him out from there before the guests arrived. Luckily for Burt, Blaine not only knew a lot of generally useful tricks by now, he'd also had a lot of experience with calming down Kurt specifically and it had taken him under five minutes to have his boyfriend away from the table and folded into his lap on the couch. No one had dared to refer to the ten minutes preceding the ringing of the doorbell that day. Though later, as soon as Kurt had started being somewhat comfortable around Finn, both Blaine and Burt had teased him mercilessly for it.

Normally, Kurt would have been mad at them for making fun of his cat instincts, but he had to admit that it was somewhat ridiculous to be this afraid of Finn of all people. The boy was a gigantic, awkward puppy, not the brightest of the litter but good-natured in general. Kurt had been a bit worried about Blaine being there at first, avoiding any semblance of PDA to the point that Finn had asked him over Burt's patented roasted potatoes - the only thing he could cook without Kurt having to worry that was not meat on a grill - if they'd had a fight because why else would you sit on the other end of the table, as far away from your boyfriend as possible? After that, Kurt had stopped acting silly and done his best to just be himself, automatically finding himself searching for Blaine's touch whenever he could and not seeing any reason why he should deprive himself of a brush of fingertips or a warm hand closing around his as they watched Burt handle the grill. Finn didn't seem fazed at all and it wasn't like Kurt had planned on eating Blaine's face in front of his father and his father's girlfriend, anyway.

While Kurt tolerated Finn, and Blaine and Burt bonded with him over football and who knew what else - Kurt couldn't bring himself to pay attention for more than a few minutes before his fingers itched for a Vogue - he took to Carole like they'd been best friends since kindergarten. Her fashion sense was nonexistent to horrible but she was nice and sweet and beautiful and if he'd had to choose anyone for his father to date he couldn't have picked someone better. The first few meetings he still felt a weird sense of guilt, like they were somehow betraying his mother by allowing someone else into their little family. But he knew no one could ever replace his mom, neither in his heart nor in Burt's, and he genuinely liked Carole, so he got over it quickly.

As was to be expected, Blaine and Carole also hit it off right away and it took their little jumbled group maybe two prolonged barbecues that went well into the night until they'd overcome any semblance of awkward silences and conversation flowed easily between them. On the Hudsons' fourth visit at the Hummel home. Finn even somehow got involved in an astoundingly deep talk with Kurt at the end of which he apologized profusely for all the times he'd just stood by and done nothing when his peers had taunted and tortured Kurt. Kurt forgave him graciously and from then on they were as harmonious a family as they were mismatched, no hard feelings remaining. When Cooper had shown up a few days prior to Blaine and Kurt's trip to L.A. to get to know Blaine's 'new family' as he had dubbed them and eventually pick them up, he had been integrated in their group as smoothly as if he'd always belonged there.

Kurt could tell there was still some tension between Blaine and his brother, mostly over Cooper tending to draw everybody's attention to himself and completely ignore Blaine's existence, but Carole turned out to be an expert in dealing with that kind of thing and always made sure the rest of them didn't get lost in their Cooper-induced haze. When she later whispered to Kurt and Blaine that she'd grown up with six siblings and could show Blaine some tricks, Kurt couldn't have been more grateful for her. On their last evening before they'd left for California, Burt had pulled Blaine aside as well to mumble something about being happy that even though Cooper was a nice guy he was glad that Blaine wasn't such a nut job. And thus Blaine went into their little vacation much more relaxed than he'd ever expected a longer stay with Cooper to be, with Burt's seal of approval and a place to go to where he finally wasn't overshadowed anymore.

Kurt had been so lost in the sweet memories of this summer - the best of his life, if anyone had asked him - that he hadn't even noticed someone had been approaching his car until there was a knock on the window and his eyes snapped up to meet Blaine's. With a huge grin, Kurt opened the door and let himself be pulled into the soft breeze and Blaine's arms.

"Hmm, I missed you," Blaine hummed into his neck, nuzzling gently behind Kurt's ear with a content little grin when Kurt started purring softly.

"We've seen each other just yesterday, you dork," Kurt chuckled, though he didn't move out of their embrace just yet and his purrs merely got louder.

"Can you blame me? I still suffer from withdrawal symptoms from when Mom and Dad forced me on that ridiculous trip to Italy." It might have only been two and a half weeks of separation but Kurt was more than ready to admit that he considered it way too long and hadn't been able to go to sleep without somehow hearing from Blaine at all that whole time. Whether it was a call or a text or a mail, Kurt just needed to know that wherever he was, he and Blaine were still connected somehow, that his best friend and soulmate was with him in thought when he fell asleep.

Most people would have thought of it as clingy and ridiculous but Blaine understood. It had become something of a ritual for Kurt after his mom's death; every night he would sneak down to his father's room to check up on him, make sure he was still there and breathing and the solid presence that kept Kurt grounded. Even when the need had subsided he'd continued doing it, knowing that Burt expected him to. It had taken Blaine at least ten overnight stays at the Hummel home but eventually he'd been let in on the secret after he'd caught Kurt tiptoeing into the living room only to take a quick look at him and then disappear in the general direction of where he knew Burt's room was. Kurt had been blushing bright red but making fun of something so sweet and heartfelt was the last thing on Blaine's mind and he'd been happy to indulge his boyfriend.

"Me too," Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear, a certain note to his tone that made it clear that this confession went a lot deeper than just a serious reply to what could have been lighthearted banter. Blaine pulled away a bit to press a soft kiss to the slight frown forming between his eyebrows, hands swiftly adjusting Kurt's already perfectly straight tie.

"What were you thinking about earlier? You looked so deep in thought. Is the first day of school already getting to you?" Blaine murmured with a little grin, wriggling back into Kurt's arms the minute he was sure his boyfriend was just feeling a little melancholy and not seriously down.

"No, it's not that." Kurt shook his head thoughtfully, considering his reply. "I was just thinking about how much has changed this summer. And how this is our last year here. I must admit, I've grown quite fond of Dalton. It'll be hard to just leave it behind. Though I'm kind of hoping I'll be keeping the best thing I stumbled over when I came here." They grinned at each other, their noses only inches apart and ready to eskimo kiss until one of their friends would inevitably show up and call them out on being sickeningly sweet when Jeff got ahead of them.

"Aw Kurt, of course we'll stay in touch!"

Blaine watched with a fond grin as Kurt hissed playfully and set off after their simultaneously running and hysterically laughing friend, ears pressed to his head and tail flicking dangerously. Jeff might think he was only in for a mock chase, but Blaine knew all too well how Kurt got when he caught his prey. This was going to be hilarious.

"Some things just never change, man," Nick chuckled as he, David and Wes joined Blaine, all leaning against Kurt's car and watching. Blaine thought about pointing out that less than a year from now they'd just gotten to know Kurt and that he'd never have been comfortable with letting his instincts come out in a mock fight in the middle of a setting as public as their school's parking lot. In fact, that had been a very recent positive development that had taken place over the summer, after quite a few afternoons of Kurt hiding in cupboards or under tables because fireworks or an unexpected shot from a water gun had set his instincts off during one of their pool parties and Blaine had had to gently lure him back out. Until one day Kurt had had enough, huffed at himself and come back out of his own free will with a muttered 'hell, they've seen me hanging in a curtain and hissing at them, can't get much worse than that, really'. After that Blaine had sort of lost count of how often Jeff had ended up going home with scratch marks - and one remarkable evening even with a slight bite wound - for pushing it too far, though never far enough for Kurt to actually resent him or consider it some form of bullying.

But as he watched his boyfriend and his friend chasing each other around the parked cars around them he thought that maybe Nick was right. It certainly felt like this was how it had always been. As he looked on, he just hoped that it was also how it would always stay, on some level.