Airports always seemed like a world of their own. Every single person coming and going had their own schedule, their own ideas, their own destinations and languages. Being at an airport felt like being everywhere and nowhere at the same time – you hadn't departed yet, but your mind was already at your destination point.

Kurt stood before the gate and looked up at the sign to confirm it was the right one for the millionth time. “I still have five minutes before they start boarding.”

“You have everything, right?” Alex asked, slipping a hand around Kurt's waist to hold him against him for a moment.

Alexandre knew he did, but he had asked that same question five times since they had left the apartment. Kurt was aware that he wasn't concerned about him leaving his jacket or wallet behind. It was the papers in his leather messenger bag that his fiancé was worried about.

“Yes, I have everything,” Kurt said one more time. It was impossible to forget the divorce papers he was carrying, brought to him that same morning by Vogue's lawyer. He cupped the other man's cheek reassuringly, with a little smile. “Stop worrying, Alex. I'll get this over and done with and come back home before you even notice I'm gone.”

“I wish you didn't have to go at all,” Alex whispered, leaning in for a kiss. “I wish he wasn't doing this to us…”

Old instincts to defend Blaine kicked in before Kurt could stop them. “Don't be unfair, honey. He doesn't even know this is happening. It was just a matter of time until one of us decided to get married and stumbled upon this mess.”

Alex grumbled under his breath, but before he could respond, a voice echoed around the huge hall, announcing Kurt's flight.

“I have to go,” Kurt said, kissing him again and forcing himself to be positive and cheerful despite how nervous and reluctant he felt. “I should be back on Wednesday, if things go smoothly.”

“Call me when you land,” Alex murmured against his lips. “Just… put this behind us and come back to be my husband, Kurt.”

“I will,” Kurt promised. He pulled away and fished his boarding pass out of his pocket.

Kurt maintained his calm façade until he was sitting on the plane and staring out the window, resisting the urge to bite his nails. He refused to succumb to such a nasty habit, no matter how anxious he was. However, he couldn't entirely suppress his nerves either. He was about to go face the man he had once dreamed of marrying… the man he had actually married without even remembering it. When he had pictured himself as Blaine's husband, he hadn't thought it would be like this. They had been husbands for seven years, and they hadn't seen each other, talked or even acknowledged the other's existence even once, in that time.

He wished he had asked Sam more about Blaine. What had he been doing in Los Angeles? Kurt guessed he was in showbiz, because he was Blaine Anderson, after all. He couldn't imagine Blaine anywhere but on stage, whether it was playing the piano and enchanting everyone with his mellow voice, or as the lead in a romcom, making girls everywhere swoon. Plus, if he had moved there to live with Cooper, it had probably been inevitable that his older brother would push him in that direction. Cooper had tried to convince Blaine to head to Hollywood since he had gotten his first taste of the city. Back then, Blaine had insisted that Broadway was his destiny, but… well, many things had changed since then.

It seemed strange to think Blaine hadn't gotten married yet, considering how eager he was to wed when they were younger. Even before they started dating, Blaine followed the marriage equality news online avidly, grinning every time a new state was added to the list of supporters. When New York had passed the bill, Blaine had kissed and hugged him hard, crying and laughing at the same time, as they realized the future they had imagined could become a possibility.

Kurt shook his head. That's not what he needed to think about. They had been kids back then, innocent and wide-eyed, with no idea what the real world was like, out there beyond McKinley's doors, beyond Lima's borders. Besides, Kurt was happy now. He had a wonderful man, a perfect job and a bright future.

Of course, he wished the memory of his first love wasn't tainted with Blaine's cheating. It had been a heartbreaking ending to a relationship that had been definitely perfect in every other way. Blaine hadn't only given him a broken heart – he had given him lasting trust issues, as well. It had taken a long time for Kurt stop hurting, and let someone into his heart again.

Maybe this would be an opportunity for both of them to resolve their issues, Kurt thought, as he got comfortable in his seat and watched the clouds passing by. They hadn't talked properly since the break-up. They could finally put their cards on the table and say the things they hadn't said a decade ago. Maybe Kurt could finally put the pieces together, understand, and move on. He was sure it wasn't natural to still hurt over a high school relationship gone wrong. Not considering the fantastic life he led now.

Yes, Kurt decided, this would be good for both of them. He would arrive in Los Angeles, ask Cooper for Blaine's address, find his ex-boyfriend, explain the situation, talk about their past so it could stop being unfinished business, Blaine would sign the papers, and he would be back in New York in less than forty eight hours, ready to marry the man of his dreams.

Kurt allowed a little smile to tug at his lips, as he closed his eyes in contentment. He suddenly had a good feeling about this trip.

*

Burt Hummel dropped down onto the armchair and glanced at the television screen with a perplexed frown before turning to the two boys sitting close together on the couch next to him.

“Why do you always watch this movie when you know you'll end up crying like babies?” He asked in confusion. This was at least the fifth time this month that he found them watching Moulin Rouge.

“Because it's perfect,” Kurt sniffed, shifting to fit himself against Blaine's side. Blaine lifted his arm to make room for him and then used it to tug Kurt even closer, if that was even possible.

“It really is,” Blaine agreed with a soft sigh. “Their love is epic…”

“And the music is so overwhelmingly good,” Kurt added, with his gaze fixed on the screen. “That's why Come What May is going to be our wedding song…”

Those words caught Burt mid-eye roll. He stopped and stared at the boys, a little surprised. “Wedding song?”

“Of course,” Kurt scoffed, not really paying attention to his father. “It's poignant, emotional and it describes our feelings just as well as if we had written it ourselves.”

It was obvious Blaine was trying to hide his pleased, happy smile, but completely failing. He leaned to whisper into his boyfriend's ear, and though Burt only managed to hear the last few words, he had an idea of what he had just said. “…until my dying day.”

Kurt grinned and hummed in contentment before turning his head just enough to place a sweet little kiss on Blaine's jaw.

Burt cleared his throat awkwardly. “I didn't know you two were already talking about wedding songs and stuff like that…”

“Dad, we've been together for almost a year,” Kurt said calmly, still focused on the movie and the boy pressed to his side. “Are you really that surprised that we're talking about our future?”

“Seems a little soon, that's all,” Burt shrugged. Then he caught Blaine's worried look. “I don't mean I don't think you two are going to make it. It's just that you're still so young…”

“When you know, you know, right?” Kurt mumbled, shifting to drop his head onto Blaine's hair, sleepily.

Blaine still seemed a bit concerned about what Burt had said, so the older man gave him a quick smile. “Well, even if I'd prefer that you two wait until you're done with college and settled financially… I guess I couldn't ask for a better future-son-in-law, huh?”

The way Blaine's face lit up could've illuminated the whole town. His arms tightened around Kurt, and he looked at Burt with a grateful smile, the way he always did when he felt truly accepted into the Hummel-Hudson household…

Kurt woke with a start when the captain's voice announced over the speakers that they were about to make their descent into Los Angeles. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he couldn't have been conscious for too long, either. The magazine that he had been reading was on the floor, caught between his feet and his reading glasses were crooked. He sat up, suddenly apprehensive again, and wondered where that dream – memory – had come from. He hadn't thought about that afternoon in so long. It had been just another day watching movies with Blaine after school, but for some reason, he still remembered it so clearly. Maybe this whole situation was just bringing back memories that had seemed so simple back then – Kurt would've thought that the fact that he and Blaine had spent so many hours planning every single detail of their dream wedding when they were teenagers, it was ironic that neither or them didn't even realize they were getting married when they did it. But it was difficult to laugh about this situation. Kurt and Blaine's wedding wasn't meant to be an inebriated moment in Vegas. Their love had been so epic, as a younger Blaine had once said, that they should've had a fairy tale wedding. They should've had that future they had once dreamed of.

Kurt fixed his hair as he waited for the plane to land, pushing away the dream and the thoughts. They hadn't gotten their dream wedding because Blaine hadn't been able to spend even a month without him, because he had cheated and destroyed what they had built together…

As resentment, anger and pain started filling his heart, Kurt took a deep breath and forced all those feelings away. No. It wouldn't do to get carried away like that. Even though he still hadn't forgiven Blaine for what he'd done, and he didn't understand why Blaine would trample over their love and their dreams just like that, Kurt was happy with the way his life had turned out. Everything was fine. Everything was perfect. The pain had been rewarded.

By the time Kurt had claimed his suitcase, he was practically swaying on his feet with fatigue. Between the time difference and stress of the past few days, he realized he was exhausted. It was late enough to call it a day, and Kurt thought it probably was a good idea to wait until the morning to go to Cooper's house and talk to him. So he walked out of the terminal, dragging his suitcase behind him and feeling the distinctive weight of his messenger bag on his shoulder. He managed to get a cab relatively soon, and he asked the driver to take him to the Four Seasons. He slumped limply against the seat and stared out the window as the lights of Los Angeles passed him by, while he dutifully called his fiancé to let him know he had landed safely.

It was Kurt's first time in this city – and on the West Coast – and the little he managed to see with his tired eyes made him wish he had time to explore a bit more. Though his heart had always belonged to New York, he was drawn to big cities in general. He guessed it had something to do with his internal small-town-wide-eyed little boy.

When he finally checked into the hotel, Kurt was relieved. What he had to do the very next day wasn't something he wanted to face without a proper night of sleep. He couldn't help wondering what Blaine would say about all of this, but he decided those thoughts would have to wait, as he took a quick shower and slipped under the pristine white sheets in the enormous king size bed.

His last thought before falling asleep was that, by this time the following night, he would be a divorced man.

He would've never imagined that such an idea could be comforting.

*

At half past seven in the morning, Kurt's alarm started blaring, waking him abruptly and almost making him roll out of bed. For the first few seconds, he looked around the unfamiliar room, disoriented, wondering where the hell he was. But then his brain finally caught up and he dropped back against the pillows, sighing. He was in Los Angeles, looking for Blaine, who somehow happened to be his husband.

Maybe now that he was in Hollywood he could find someone who could be interested in making a movie out of his life – this kind of thing just didn't happen in real life.

He was still a little confused with the time difference and his head seemed to be having trouble adapting to being on the other side of the country, so he decided to start his day with another shower, hoping it would wake him fully. Afterwards, he spent a few minutes choosing his outfit for the day, laying the options on the bed and combining them carefully until he settled on a pair of jeans and a purple Henley. It was a lot more low-profile than he usually wore back in New York when he was out and about, but today he needed to keep it simple. This situation was already complicated enough. He didn't need to add knee high boots and shirts with eye-catching patterns. Today, he just wanted to be Kurt, unadorned and unmasked.

Every ounce of calm that he had managed to conjure the previous day on the plane was gone. Kurt was sure he would not be able to stomach any food, but he still went downstairs to grab something. He needed a cup of coffee to function properly, so he sat at a small table by the window, people-watching, and picking at his scrambled eggs and toast as he drank his coffee.

Once he was caffeinated enough to fortify himself for what he was about to do, Kurt got a cab outside the hotel. He gave Cooper's address to the driver and tried to relax against the seat. His messenger bag was on his lap, and he was very aware of the weight of the divorce papers again.

He suddenly realized that he had been so busy thinking about what was going to happen with Blaine that he hadn't even thought about Cooper. He hadn't seen the man in so long… Kurt couldn't help wondering what the elder Anderson brother had been up to. Cooper had always been a rather unconventional character – even though he was a good man, no one would ever deny he was self-absorbed and a little petulant. Blaine had had his differences with his brother, but in the end, Kurt had always known how much they meant to each other.

Kurt supposed that Cooper hadn't really made it big in his career, considering he had never seen him in any movies or television shows. His old credit company commercials had played for years, but they had eventually faded, too. Kurt didn't know if the company had stopped existing or if they had taken a different route, but he hadn't cared much at the moment. Part of him had been relieved not to see his ex-boyfriend's brother's face every time he turned on the television.

There had been a worry in the back of Kurt's mind since the moment the plane had departed from the airport in New York, but he hadn't entertained it much, not sure what to do with it. What if Cooper wasn't living at that address anymore? It was a possibility, wasn't it? Sam had said he had lost contact with Blaine five years ago. A lot could've happened in five years. Maybe Cooper had a new place now…

Kurt knew that, if he couldn't track him down, he would have no choice but to call their parents, and ask the Andersons about Blaine. Kurt wasn't particularly fond of the idea, but these were desperate times. He couldn't wander aimlessly around the country looking for Blaine. He had a wedding to get ready for.

Kurt had been so distracted with his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the driver had stopped until the man cleared his throat loudly, raising an eyebrow at him from the rearview mirror.

“Oh! Sorry, I…” He looked around curiously. It was a nice neighborhood, with sidewalks lined by tall, beautiful trees. The house they had stopped at had cream-colored walls and exquisite red roof tiles that gave it an attractive Spanish style. The path to the front door was lined with flowers and green bushes and there were two cars in the wide driveway; a blue one, and a red one.

Kurt hesitated, not knowing if he should ask the driver to wait there or just tell him to go and try to get another cab later. Was Cooper even going to be here? If he was, would it take too long? Would it be rude to ask him to just ask him where Blaine was and leave as soon as possible? Kurt wasn't sure what the protocol was in a situation like this.

Sighing, he decided there was no need to brush courtesy aside. Cooper and he had nearly been family back in the day. He couldn't just demand Blaine's address and walk away.

Finally, Kurt paid the driver and walked to the front door with slow, careful steps. He knew that, if this wasn't still Cooper's house, things were going to get a lot more complicated. He really didn't have time for complicated…

He was about to knock on the door when it practically flew open before him. A whole family almost walked right into him, but he let out an exclamation of surprise and moved aside just as a pretty blonde woman carrying a little girl stepped out of the house, talking to the man who was following after her, carrying an identical little girl. The man was Cooper.

“Oh,” the woman stopped mid-sentence when she realized someone was at the door. “Hello! Can we help you?”

“I…” Kurt had been taken by surprise. Despite Sam mentioning something about Cooper wanting to get married, he had never been able to imagine Blaine's brother as a family man. And, against all odds, here he was.

“Kurt?” Cooper tilted his head in confusion as he looked him over.

Kurt forced a smile on his face. “Hi, Cooper. I'm sorry to just drop by…”

“You two know each other?” His wife asked, watching them with interest.

“Yeah. He's Blaine's ex-boyfriend,” Cooper answered tersely. His blue eyes were still fixed on Kurt. He wasn't smiling. The woman's face morphed into quiet understanding. “Kurt, this is my wife, Madison.”

“Hi Madison, it's really nice to meet you,” Kurt shook her hand politely.

“What are you doing here?” Cooper asked, clearly not in the mood for pleasantries.

Kurt cleared his throat. He really didn't want to get into any details here at the porch. “I was hoping we could talk for a bit? Something came up and… well, it's really important.”

Cooper shifted the little girl to take a look at his watch. “I have a meeting I need to get to…”

“I won't keep you long, I promise. I'm sort of running on a tight schedule myself,” Kurt said immediately.

Cooper exchanged a quick glance with Madison and finally sighed. “Okay. Let me get the kids in the car and then we can talk for a minute or two.”

“Of course,” Kurt agreed promptly.

He smiled at Madison, who smiled back, and watched the little family as they walked towards the cars parked in the driveway. They put the girls on booster seats in the backseat, and Kurt heard Cooper giving each of them a noisy kiss and wishing them a nice day, before opening the driver's seat for his wife and kissing her goodbye, as well. Cooper watched as Madison drove off, waving at his daughters, who were waving back at him enthusiastically.

Cooper walked back towards him and Kurt only had a few seconds to admire the great cut of Cooper's suit (obviously designer – Armani, maybe?) before the man was gesturing for him to go inside, a silent invitation. The house was just as nice on the inside as it was on the outside, tastefully decorated. Every surface had at least one family picture, and Kurt glanced at them in passing as Cooper guided him into the living room.

“You have a beautiful house,” Kurt complimented, feeling a bit awkward. He looked at a stunning portrait of the girls on the coffee table. “They're adorable. Twins, right? What are their names?”

“Thank you. Ava and Olivia. They're almost three,” Cooper replied, nodding towards the couch for Kurt to take a seat.

“They look a lot like you,” Kurt said with a smile. “I never pictured you as a father, but I have to say… it suits you.”

“Oh well, my life didn't turn out like I imagined it, either,” Cooper shrugged. “I wasn't always big on family, but I guess I just needed to meet the perfect girl. It took a while to find her, but I think we're made for each other. She's a saint, really, for putting up with me. You know how I can be…”

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. “Yeah, I remember. Are you still acting?”

“Nah, I gave it up ages ago. It wasn't working out anyway, but that's probably not a surprise to you. I had quite a big head and I wasn't good at accepting direction… Madison helped me with that too…”

“What do you do now?” Kurt asked curiously. He couldn't imagine Cooper at a nine to five office job.

“I'm a talent agent,” Cooper replied. “Turns out I didn't have enough talent to put myself in front of a camera, but I'm really good at helping other people get there, for some reason.” He watched Kurt in silence for some very long seconds. “What about you? Still trying to get on Broadway?”

“No, I'm an editor at Vogue now. I like it. I still love Broadway and singing, but I'm really good at this,” Kurt explained. God, it seemed so strange, to sit here chatting with his ex-boyfriend's brother (he's my brother in law, oh my god) and talk about life as if nothing of importance had happened.

Apparently, Cooper was having similar thoughts, because he leaned over, with his elbows on his knees, and looked at Kurt seriously. “Why are you here, Kurt?”

Kurt took a deep breath. “I'm here because of Blaine.”

Cooper licked his lips in anticipation. He seemed nervous. “Is he… is he okay?”

Kurt frowned in confusion immediately. “I… was kind of hoping you'd know that.”

“Oh.” Cooper straightened out, with a tense sigh. His eyes seemed to go a little darker and Kurt had never seen him look so serious before. He had honestly thought Cooper wasn't capable of being so solemn. “Well, then I'm afraid I can't really help you. I haven't talked to him in… two years, I think.”

Kurt's eyes widened. “What? But… Sam said he moved in with you after he graduated high school. What happened?”

Immediately, Kurt realized Cooper was reluctant to talk about it. Whatever had happened between them wasn't a foolish brotherly argument born out of resentment and jealousy. This was big; this was definitely complicated.

“Life happened, Kurt,” Cooper answered vaguely. “Look… I don't know why you decided to find Blaine after all these years, but the best you can do right now is go back to New York and forget about it…”

“I can't forget about it!” Kurt exclaimed anxiously. He needed that damn address. He needed to contact Blaine. “First Sam tells me he hasn't heard from Blaine in five years, and now you tell me you haven't talked to your brother in two years…”

“Maybe you should take the hint and stay away from him, then,” Cooper said abruptly. Kurt stared at him, with whatever he was about to say frozen in his throat. Cooper sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Kurt… I mean it. It's not a good idea to track him down. Forget about Blaine.”

“I can't, okay?” Kurt murmured exasperated. “I'm not sure how it even happened, but Blaine and I… we got married. Like, seven years ago.”

Cooper gaped at him. “What?”

“I'm pretty sure it happened while we were drunk in Vegas,” Kurt explained quickly. “But the thing is…” He raised his hand to show him his engagement ring. “I'm getting married next month and I only found out last Thursday that I'm married to your brother. I can't marry my fiancé until I divorce Blaine. I need to find him. I need him to sign those damn divorce papers.”

“I can't believe… you have got to be kidding me,” Cooper's eyes were huge and blue, completely shocked. “You've been married for seven years and neither of you knows it?”

“Yes. I'll be signing a contract for the rights for a Lifetime movie while I'm in town,” Kurt retorted sharply. “Please, Cooper. All I'm asking for here is an address. I need your brother's address and then I'll never bother you again.”

Cooper only hesitated for another minute before he finally grabbed a notepad from the table next to him. He scribbled something on it quickly. “This was his address last time we talked. That's all I have for you. If he's not there, then I have no idea where he is.”

“Thank you,” Kurt smiled at him gratefully, immensely relieved.

“I still think this is a terrible idea, Kurt,” Cooper said and he seemed even more serious and worried than before. “I know you are doing this because you need to do it… but it's a terrible idea.”

“We're not kids anymore, Cooper. I'm sure we can handle an old heartbreak,” Kurt replied, shrugging. Cooper didn't seem very convinced at all.

There wasn't a lot more to say after that. Pretending they wanted to catch up after not seeing each other in so long was pointless – they had never been close, not really. They had seen each other on a few occasions, and Blaine had always been there, playing mediator, making sure Cooper didn't tell any embarrassing stories about him and that Kurt wasn't dazzled by his brother's charms.

Cooper walked him to the door. Kurt thanked him again and then they said goodbye. Kurt was walking down the path from the front door, when Cooper stopped him.

“Kurt!” Kurt turned and watched him with a raised eyebrow, expectant. “I…” Cooper looked down at his own shoes, suddenly fascinated by them. He finally shook his head. “Nothing.”

Kurt gave him a couple more seconds in case he changed his mind, but he eventually gave Cooper a final wave and left.

However, as he walked down the street trying to find a cab, he couldn't help feeling that what Cooper had been about to say had been extremely important.

*

Kurt replayed his conversation with Cooper over and over during the drive to the address where he would supposedly find Blaine. Even though the brothers had never been as close as he and Finn were now, he hadn't expected to find out about such a falling out. When they were in high school, Blaine and Cooper had seemed to solve all their issues and figure out a way to be there for each other. He would have never guessed that they could end estranged like this.

There had to be a logical explanation. Why was Blaine pushing everyone away? He had pushed Sam away, but what about Cooper? Had it been a mutual decision? Had he felt resentful because his brother got married and he had to move out? Kurt tried listing all the possibilities, but none of them made much sense to him.

He was worried. What if he couldn't find Blaine here? What if he had moved out since the last time Cooper had heard from him? Kurt would be left completely clueless as to where to contact him. He didn't want to even think about postponing the wedding. He wanted to move on with his life – it was unfair that his and Alex's future happiness depended on whether Blaine had changed his address or not.

The cab stopped in front of a building and Kurt glanced at it through the window. There wasn't anything outstanding about it, just ten lines of windows and concrete walls. Kurt fished his wallet out and paid the driver before exiting and taking a deep breath, to brace himself.

This was it. This moment, this building and the door he would be knocking on were going to decide his future. Kurt was suddenly filled with dread.

He entered the building and climbed the stairs slowly to the fourth floor. Once there, he found the apartment number four, and took another deep breath. God, he was so damn nervous. If Blaine really was there, how was he going to explain this whole situation to him? What was he supposed to say? Surprise, we're married? He hadn't seen or talked to this man in seven years, hadn't been anything but acquaintances for ten and they had so much history together regardless of their very long silence.

They were adults now, though. They had lived so much more since everything had fallen apart. They could be decently polite to each other, at least. They could find a way to make this visit worthwhile. They could use it to heal old wounds and forget about it at last…

Kurt had just raised his hand to knock when the door suddenly opened. What was it with people leaving their homes before he could even announce he was there today? He didn't have much time to dwell on that, though, because the man he was looking at now was definitely not Blaine.

He had shaggy sandy hair and he was quickly slipping a brown leather jacket on. He stopped when he noticed Kurt standing there, and with just once glance, Kurt realized that this man was about to begin his walk of shame.

Oh.

“Uhm. Hi,” Kurt murmured awkwardly.

The stranger closed the door behind him before Kurt could to look into the apartment. “Hello…”

“I'm looking for Blaine?” Kurt asked, shifting uncomfortably.

The man's face burned red in embarrassment. “I'm… I honestly don't even know what his name is.” He rolled his eyes at himself. Then he stared at Kurt in horror. “You are… you're his boyfriend? I swear I didn't…”

“Oh, no, no,” Kurt immediately calmed him down, because he didn't want to give the poor guy a heart attack. “No. We are just… uhm. I just need to talk to him.”

“Okay,” he sighed in relief. “He's, uhm, asleep right now. I have to go…”

“Sure, yeah,” Kurt nodded and let the poor guy run away. One night stands were embarrassing enough when leaving in the morning. He didn't want to give the guy another reason to stutter and blush his way through this.

He didn't seem to need to hear more. He moved past Kurt and practically tripped over his feet in his rush to get to the stairs and disappear. Kurt stood very still until the sound of his footsteps vanished completely.

So maybe the guy didn't know the name of the man still inside the apartment, but at least Kurt was almost a hundred percent sure that he had the right place.

There wasn't anything else left to do, but knock.

However, the first couple of knocks seemed pointless. No one was coming to the door. Kurt grew more nervous and impatient with every second, and pounded on the door a little harder, knowing he was just venting his anxiety and frustrations on the poor thing.

Kurt was honestly considering just barging in and risking a very awkward situation if the guy who lived there wasn't Blaine after all, when the door finally opened abruptly, and a man stepped outside, clearly irritated.

“What?!”

Kurt's breath hitched as he stared at him. The man was standing there only in his underwear. The muscles of his stomach were defined and his shoulders and arms looked chiseled. The little grey boxers left practically nothing to the imagination and Kurt had a hard time stopping his eyes from shifting down to the southern hemisphere. However, as soon as he saw the man's face, he forgot about his body.

His hair was a lot longer; thick dark curls fell on his forehead, messy and unkempt. His cheeks and jaw were covered in stubble, and his lips were set in a straight line, no signs of a smile on them. His eyes – eyes that Kurt had always compared to warm, liquid caramel – were now dull and void of emotion, despite how expressive they had been the last time Kurt had looked into them.

The simple, boyish beauty that had once made Kurt swoon was gone. Before him, stood a man who seemed to have lost every ounce of innocence and charm. There was a cold, strange aura around him that seemed to seep deep into Kurt's bones, making him shiver. There weren't any traces of kindness or sweetness in the man before him – there weren't traces of any sort of emotion left in him.

Kurt was completely frozen in place, and though he didn't even blink, trying to take it all in, he was unable to recognize in this rough, wrecked man, the boy he had fallen so madly in love with when he was seventeen.

*