The afternoon of July twenty-seventh found Kurt standing in the middle of his bedroom, a large assortment of boxes and brightly-colored totes scattered haphazardly around him.

“Having problems?”

He turned to see his father lurking nervously in the doorway; although Carole’s bribery-filled intervention a few days earlier had been more than enough to push Kurt into speaking with his father again, their original argument had not been resolved, and things were still strained between them.

“Yes,” Kurt confessed after a rather long, and awkward, moment of silence. He made a vague gesture towards the mess surrounding him. “I decided to start with my school supplies, but I’m not entirely sure what I need, I guess? How many notebooks are too many? Do I really need six packs of pens and pencils? I have sixty-four highlighters...is that too many? Or is it not enough? And what about –”

“Calm down,” said Burt affectionately, successfully cutting him off mid-rant. He stepped inside Kurt’s bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him, and gave his son a knowing look. “You’re nervous about leaving for school, aren’t you?”

Kurt hesitated before grudgingly admitting that his father was right.

“You’ll be fine, Kurt.”

“Probably not,” he murmured lowly, walking across the room to sit at the edge of his bed. He stared down at the dark-blue comforter. “I’m not exactly great with social interaction these days, dad.”

Burt shook his head. “That’s not true, kiddo. You’re very likeable.”

Kurt glanced up and gave his dad a wholly unimpressed look. “The only people that I interact with anymore are the Troubletones,” he said dryly, “and people online, of course. However, according to you, they don’t count.”

Burt flushed at the obvious jab.

“I handled that situation badly,” he admitted after a second of silence, moving across the room to sit beside Kurt on the bed. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Kurt looked over at him. “You may not have meant to offend me, but you really, really hurt my feelings.”

“Look, Kurt –”

“Carole explained your viewpoint to me, and I really do understand where you come from as a parent,” Kurt continued, ignoring his father completely. “I just don’t think you understand where I’m coming from.”

“Kiddo –”

Kurt held up a hand to stop his father. “With the sole exception of you and Carole, I lost almost everything my junior year,” he asserted somewhat harshly. “I was assaulted and I was threatened. My friends and stepbrother not only abandoned me, but they had the gall to call me a liar to my face. And in the end, dad, I nearly lost my life.”

Burt made a choking noise in the back of his throat, but Kurt chose to ignore it.

“I know you don’t want to think about it, but it’s true,” Kurt continued, his voice softening significantly as he caught sight of the distressed look on his father’s face. “Accident or not, we both know that if I had been any higher up those stairs when Karofsky had pushed me, I would not be here right now.”

“Kurt, look –”

He shook his head. “No, dad, please don’t interrupt me. I just–I just really need to get this out, okay?”

His father hesitated, and then nodded.

“I was completely isolated and alone,” Kurt said, “until I accidentally stumbled onto a certain website. I made friends, dad, friends that actually liked me for me. I made friends that didn’t abandon me when I need them the most.”

Burt opened his mouth, and then immediately closed it again after seeing the look on his son’s face.

“Yes, I did make up with the Troubletones in the end,” Kurt admitted, knowing full well what his father had been about to say. “Despite that, though, I will never again trust them as much as I once did; I can forgive, but I can never forget. I needed them and, with the exception of Brittany, they just were not there for me.”

Kurt looked down at the floor for just a brief moment, and then turned back to his dad.

“I’ve known Harmony for a year now, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I truly needed her, she would drop everything at a moment’s notice to be there for me,” Kurt said, steadily holding his father’s gaze. “She is my best friend in the entire world, the best friend that I have ever had, and I would not be friends with her at all if it hadn’t been for us originally meeting online. It’s the same thing with Unique, and Blaine, and with all of the other friends that I’ve made there.”

“Kurt –”

“I know that to you, dad, it just looks like I’m wasting my time online when I could be out making new friends,” he continued, once again cutting Burt off. “What you don’t understand, though, is that these people are my friends.”

“I just worry because I don’t know any of these people,” his father replied, finally managing to contribute a full sentence to the conversation. “How can I know if they’re the sort of people that you should be associating with?”

Kurt glanced at his father, amused. “I know that it bothers you, because you can’t keep tabs on who they are and how ‘appropriate’ they might be.”

“Yes, and –”

“I understand that, but what you have to understand is that I’m nineteen. I am heading off to school in roughly three weeks,” Kurt continued, once again cutting his dad off. “You can’t keep tabs on everyone there, either. Do you just expect me to hide in my dorm all the time and not make any friends?”

“Of course not,” Burt sputtered indignantly. “That would be ridiculous.”

“That’s how you’re acting, though,” said Kurt gently. Burt deflated slightly at that statement, and Kurt quickly moved a bit closer to him.

“You have to trust that I am old enough to make these choices for myself,” he said, reaching out to take his father’s hand. “As much as it pains you to admit it, there will come a time – whether it be with my college friends, my online friends, or even my future coworkers – when you just won’t be able to dictate who I associate with anymore.”

“I know,” Burt said finally, looking down at their joint hands. “It’s just tough. You were never supposed to grow up, kiddo.”

Kurt squeezed his father’s hand and smiled warmly at him. “I know, dad, I know.”

“I want to meet her, though.”

“Who?” Kurt asked, confused.

“That girl,” Burt said, “Harmony? You said that she’s your best friend, and Carole mentioned that you’ve hung out with her in person before, which I assume means that she lives somewhat close?”

“She does, yes, but –”

“I know that I can’t necessarily meet this Blaine kid, or some of these others, because of distance issues,” his father continued. “I am trusting you with them, because I’m not threatening to fly across the country to find them myself.”

“Dad –”

“At the very least, though, I want to meet this mysterious best friend of yours,” Burt finished. “If she really is that important to you then, well, I just want to meet her.”

Kurt waited until he was absolutely sure that his father was done before speaking. “Harmony is on vacation until next week,” he said, “and then with packing, moving, and school starting, it might be hard.”

Burt was silent for just a moment. “Is she in college, too?”

“No,” he replied. “She’ll be a high school senior.”

“Plan ahead,” Burt said firmly, standing. He gave Kurt a serious look. “We’ve already decided that you’ll be coming home the final weekend of September, right? Talk to her now, and invite her over for dinner that Friday night. Finn will be in New York with Rachel by then, so you won’t have to worry about seeing them. It will just be the four of us.”

“Okay,” Kurt said finally, glancing up at his father. “I’ll talk to Harmony next week, when she gets home from vacation. I’ll make it happen.”

“Good.”

***

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Kurt reached out, face half-buried in his pillow, and tried unsuccessfully to grab at his suddenly-beeping phone. After about a full minute or so of contemplation, he promptly gave up, and instead engaged in his time-old tradition of reaching for another pillow to help block out the increasingly irritating noise.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

He groaned and slid further under the blankets.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Be –

Sighing loudly, he rolled over on the bed and lazily reached out towards the bedside table, fingers searching until they finally wrapped around his phone. As he was still half-asleep, Kurt fumbled with the phone for almost a full minute before suddenly realizing that he had never actually set an alarm the night before.

Utterly bewildered, he quickly unlocked his phone and thumbed open various folders in search of the source of the beeping. About thirty seconds into his search, Kurt opened his social media folder, and quickly caught sight of the little red notification circle on his AIM app as it suddenly jumped from twenty-eight to thirty-one.

He immediately opened the app and gaped at what he saw.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: hey katman!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: or should i say
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …
hiddlestonismyforeverking: kruce kayne!!!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: dun dun duuuuuun
hiddlestonismyforeverking: bet you thought that i didn’t know your secret identity, huh?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: well, you thought wrong, katman!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …
hiddlestonismyforeverking: oh man, i know that you probably don’t believe this, but one day in the not-so-distant future, you will look back and appreciate all the ~hard work~ i put into guessing your name
hiddlestonismyforeverking: one day, kelina, one day
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :D

Kurt rolled his eyes at the screen and kept reading.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: anyway, why are you not awake yet?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: it is seven in the morning here in sunny, sunny california!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so i know that it’s at *least* ten for you, kelfred kennyworth
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …so, wake up!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: how dare you try to sleep in
hiddlestonismyforeverking: when you should be awake
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and celebrating the momentous occasion of my birth
hiddlestonismyforeverking: eighteen years ago this lovely day
hiddlestonismyforeverking: FACT: do you know that i share my birthday with both harry potter AND j.k. rowling?!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …i wonder if this will give me brownie points with harmony!?

Sadly, Kurt knew Harmony – and her borderline-insane love for Harry Potter – well enough to know that it likely would.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: WHAT IF I COULD CONVINCE HER THAT I *WAS* HARRY POTTER
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :O :O :O
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …i don’t actually know why i’m saying such stupid things right now
hiddlestonismyforeverking: in my defense, though, i have not slept yet
hiddlestonismyforeverking: but, anyway
hiddlestonismyforeverking: konathan krane
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you get out of bed RIGHT NOW
hiddlestonismyforeverking: how am i supposed to properly celebrate my birthday on tumblr
hiddlestonismyforeverking: when my best friend isn’t even around to help me?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ???
hiddlestonismyforeverking: no response?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: obviously because there is NO PROPRER RESPONSE EXCEPT FOR WAKING UP AND JOINING ME
hiddlestonismyforeverking: wake up klake
hiddlestonismyforeverking: koker
hiddlestonismyforeverking: karvey kent
hiddlestonismyforeverking: kane
hiddlestonismyforeverking: kenry kucard
hiddlestonismyforeverking: waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake
hiddlestonismyforeverking: uppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

He shook his head, trying desperately not to laugh, and was just about to type out a reply when his phone suddenly began beeping again.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: i’m just going to keep IMing you until you wake up, kucius
hiddlestonismyforeverking: because i know that you have these sent to your phone.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you made the fatal mistake of telling me so last week.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: text
hiddlestonismyforeverking: text
hiddlestonismyforeverking: text
hiddlestonismyforeverking: text
hiddlestonismyforeverking: whY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME
hiddlestonismyforeverking: DO YOU ENJOY MY PAIN, KACHEL?

Kurt typed out a response as quickly as possible, hoping that he could cut Blaine off before he managed to send another thirty messages over the span of two minutes.

votestarkforpresident: stop stop stop!
votestarkforpresident: i’m awake, i promise!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: KATMAN.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you live!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :D :D :D

A small smile tugged at the corner of Kurt’s lips.

votestarkforpresident: happy birthday, blaine!
votestarkforpresident: so, how are we spending this momentous occasion? have you picked a show for us to watch all day, yet?

Because Blaine had given him such an amazing gift for his birthday – the drawing of Moriarty that Blaine had done for him was not only Kurt’s desktop background and sidebar image, but it now also hung on a wall in his bedroom – he had felt obligated to do something equally as amazing for Blaine’s birthday.

The problem with that, however, was that Kurt’s only real online-based talent was ranting; as much as Kurt wished that he could deny it, he had a rather unfortunate tendency to cause drama and wank in his particular fandoms. It wasn’t necessarily that Kurt wanted to be an ass, but more so that he could only handle so much stupidity before he felt morally obligated to comment.

As such, with no particular online talents at his disposal, Kurt had been at an absolute loss for what to do. After a good amount of deliberation, he had finally decided to simply let Blaine pick a television show for them to watch all day together; it wasn’t the best present ever, he knew, but Kurt figured that spending time with Blaine was probably better than nothing.

votestarkforpresident: it better not be doctor who, either. i *told* you that i refuse to watch that show because it has 57388226262 seasons and makes absolutely no sense at all. any other show is fine.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: omg. what is wrong with you, kelina? doctor who makes SO MUCH SENSE. you just don’t understand any of it because you haven’t watched it!
votestarkforpresident: and i never will. it looks stupid.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: well, you’re stupid!
votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: are you turning eighteen or eight?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :(

Kurt shook his head, amused.

votestarkforpresident: so, show?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ah, well. interestingly enough, i have just the show for us to watch!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :D

Kurt suddenly had the feeling that he was probably going to regret this immensely.

***

The following Tuesday, Kurt and Harmony met at the Lima Bean for a late lunch.

“You look absolutely terri–I mean, um, how was your vacation?” Kurt asked by way of greeting, fervently hoping that she hadn’t heard his slip towards the beginning.

She glowered at him.

Kurt visibly flinched at the expression on her face, immediately realizing that he would not be so lucky.

“I wasn’t trying to be mean,” he said defensively, quickly glancing around the café to make sure that no one was listening in. “It’s just, well, umm...”

“Oh my god, you’re actually speechless,” Harmony suddenly wailed, looking absolutely mortified. “I knew that it was bad, of course, but I didn’t think it was that bad! You always have something to say, Kurt!”

“Please calm down, Harmony,” he begged, glancing around the room again. At least half the people in the café were now openly staring at the two friends. “It’s really not that bad, sweetie. I’m sure we can fix your right up with a bit of foundation and –”

Harmony ignored him.

“I’m going to go sit down in the back where no one can see me,” she cried, “please order my usual!”

Before he had the chance to react, his best friend had already stomped halfway across the Lima Bean, still sobbing uncontrollably.

Kurt could only stare.

The barista that afternoon – an obnoxious older woman by the name of Lena, whom Kurt could barely tolerate on even the best of days – leaned across the counter and smirked at him.

“What’s wrong with her?” she said, chuckling as though she had made some sort of joke. “Well, I guess that’s a stupid question, really. I mean, did you see her fa –”

Kurt suddenly slammed his money down on the counter and gave Lena a hard look.

“Harmony wants a large iced white chocolate mocha with an extra espresso shot,” he said, his voice cold. “She also wants a slice of the cinnamon coffee cake. I want my usual grande non-fat mocha, with two extra espresso shots, and two pieces of the cinnamon biscotti.”

Lena made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. “Anything else, sir?”

“Yes,” said Kurt sweetly, “I’d appreciate it if you dropped your attitude. I’m not sure what sort of manners they have in the swamp that you likely crawled out of a hundred years ago, but openly mocking paying customers is generally frowned upon in the workplace.”

Lena frowned angrily at him, her face turning an interesting shade of purplish-red. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, you ungrateful little –”

“Is there a problem here?”

They both whirled around and found themselves face-to-face with Michael, the Lima Bean’s owner. He was watching them closely, a frown on his face.

“Lena was making fun of Harmony’s face,” Kurt said briskly. “I was correcting her manners.”

“He’s lying!” Lena snapped, her face darkening even further, and Kurt suddenly found himself wondering if it was physically possible for a person’s face to explode from anger.

“I heard most of your conversation before I stepped in,” Michael said. “Lena, please head back to the break room. We need to have a little talk. Kurt, your food is on me today.”

Kurt blinked at him. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I should have had this talk with Lena awhile ago, so this is partially my fault,” Michael replied, waving him off. “Besides, Harmony is a good kid, and I could hear her sobbing all the way in the office. Go take care of her. I promise that Lena won’t be a problem anymore.”

***

Kurt was still waiting for his cinnamon biscotti when a beeping noise caught his attention. Glancing down, he saw a text message from Unique flash across his phone.

(1:34)
Hey, where are you? Isn’t Harmony supposed to be home? Blaine and I wanted to talk with you guys! :/ We have a Tinychat going with some of the others. JJ is there, but you can ignore him?

(1:35)
We’re at the Lima Bean right now. Not sure when we’ll be home. There may or may not be a Code Red going down as we speak.

The codes system had been developed by Unique and Kurt early in their mutual friendship with Harmony; considering how quickly her moods could change, it had seemed like the best option for an early-warning system. Over the past year, it had gradually spread to include most of her online friends; Harmony was, ironically enough, the only one completely unaware of its existence.

The codes were simple enough to remember, and they covered everything from her moods to her crazy fandom antics; for example, “Code Blue” meant that Harmony was on a Harry Potter tangent that could possibly go on for days at a time. “Code Yellow” meant that she was angry about something. “Code Green” meant she was in a good, normal mood. “Code Black” meant she was writing – or posting – some of her terrible fanfiction. “Code Pink” meant that she was in the middle of a Twilight rant.

The two most feared, though, were “Code Orange” and “Code Red.”

The first one meant that she had gone full-out extreme crazy fangirl, and had only been used once thus far, when Harmony had met Daniel Radcliffe in person after one of his final performances of How to Succeed; she had screeched like a pterodactyl in his face, thrown up on him, and then promptly fainted.

The video that Unique had gotten was, without a doubt, one of the most embarrassing things that Kurt had ever witnessed. And, considering that Kurt had seen almost all of the Cooper-Anderson-near-death-experiences-at-the-hands-of-his-previous-girlfriends videos floating around the internet, that was definitely saying something.

“Code Red,” on the other hand, simply meant that she was in the midst of a full-blown mental breakdown. It had been used, rather frequently, in regards to NYADA.

(1:35)
Damn it, Kurt! What the hell did you do to her to cause a Code Red?

(1:36)
Why do you automatically assume that *I* did something wrong?

(1:37)
Well, what happened?

(1:38)
Harmony’s face looks like she may or may not have face-planted directly into the sun itself.

(1:39)
Is the sunburn seriously that bad?
Also, wait. I thought she was in the mountains? Who the hell gets extreme sunburn in the mountains?

(1:40)
I think her mother lied about the location of their vacation. Harmony’s mother is crazy.
Also, yes, Harmony sort of looks like a human fire truck right now, I guess. And she’s been sobbing in the corner of the Lima Bean since we got here.

(1:41)
Jfc. Okay, I’ll warn everyone else. Can you manage some damage control, please? Also, your boy Blaine wants to know if you two are still watching the new episode of…’Dance Moms’…tonight? Really? I mean, come on, ‘DANCE MOMS’?

Kurt flushed slightly. Blaine had chosen to watch Dance Moms all day for his birthday, and Kurt had been dragged along for the ride.

Of course, now Kurt was also ragingly obsessed with the show. Not that he would ever admit that to Blaine, though.

(1:42)
Blaine is not “my boy,” Unique. And tell him yes, I will be there. And you can just shut up! I know for a fact that you watch ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’ daily, and that show is like twenty times worse than ‘Dance Moms’

(1:42)
YOU SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH ABOUT ‘TODDLERS AND TIARAS,’ KURT.
YOU JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND. AND IF YOU KEEP MAKING FUN OF IT, I’LL TELL YOUR BOY BLAINE WHAT YOUR NAME REALLY IS.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at the text. He was just about to reply when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned and found himself face-to-face with Harmony.

“You took a really long time,” she said quietly, still sniffling a bit.

Kurt blinked at her for just a moment before realizing that he had forgotten all about their food.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, embarrassed. “I got distracted by fighting with Unique.”

Harmony smiled a bit at that, but that smile quickly faded into a painful-looking grimace.

Kurt gave her a sympathetic look. “It hurts to move your face, doesn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Why don’t we take our food to go?” he said suddenly. “We can stop at the store and get some stuff for your face. I’ll help you figure out what to put on it to make it hurt less, okay? Then we can spend the rest of the day watching movies and chatting with our idiotic friends, yes? And, besides, I need to talk to you about maybe coming over to meet my dad next month.”

She raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

Kurt grabbed their food and linked his free arm through Harmony’s.

“Come on,” he said cheerfully. “Let’s go.”

***

hiddlestonismyforeverking: hey, i know that you are busy packing for school
hiddlestonismyforeverking: because you leave in two days
hiddlestonismyforeverking: but if you can spare an hour or two
hiddlestonismyforeverking: we should totally pick up with our twenty questions game!

Kurt stared down at his phone, the box he had been in the process of packing long forgotten. After a brief moment of hesitation, he stood up and walked across the room to where his computer was sitting. A few seconds later, Kurt was sprawled out lazily across his bed, laptop open in front of him and AIM loading.

votestarkforpresident: I always have a minute to spare for you, blaine
hiddlestonismyforeverking: yes!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :D :D :D
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i am so excited! i’m really enjoying our game so far
hiddlestonismyforeverking: the last question we did was me asking about your favorite and least favorite class in high school
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so that means it is your turn to ask something!

Kurt stared blankly at the screen, mind racing as he attempted to come up with some sort of question.

votestarkforpresident: well, okay
votestarkforpresident: i guess that I will do a fandom-ish question this time, maybe?
votestarkforpresident: since all of my others have been about food
votestarkforpresident: which, apparently, is somehow offensive to you
hiddlestonismyforeverking: OH MY GOD, I NEVER SAID THAT FOOD QUESTIONS WERE OFFENSIVE TO ME!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: THAT IS A FILTHY LIE
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i just said that it seemed like *all* of your questions were food related!!

He rolled his eyes at the screen.

votestarkforpresident: well, obviously, i am attempting to rectify that
votestarkforpresident: IF YOU WOULD LET ME *SPEAK*
hiddlestonismyforeverking: okay, okay, jeesh
hiddlestonismyforeverking: calm down, karebear
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ooh, i really like that one!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: that might be your new nickname, k!
votestarkforpresident: no.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ;asghjadsslfshdfkjlghsdjghd
hiddlestonismyforeverking: sorry, okay, i promise that i'll behave
hiddlestonismyforeverking: please continue with your interrogation
hiddlestonismyforeverking: karebear

Kurt hesitated, his fingers hovering just over the keyboard. He had absolutely no idea what sort of question to ask. Another minute passed, and he was just about to give up and let Blaine ask instead, when he suddenly glanced around his bedroom, his gaze landing on a poster hanging just above his bed.

votestarkforpresident: how about this
votestarkforpresident: who are your two favorite actors and actresses?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: wait
hiddlestonismyforeverking: what
hiddlestonismyforeverking: how can i only pick two?
votestarkforpresident: well, technically you are picking four
votestarkforpresident: two actresses and two actors
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ugh, okay, i guess that i can do that
votestarkforpresident: wait, i'm not done!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: huh?
votestarkforpresident: there is a stipulation.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: what
hiddlestonismyforeverking: we never agreed to stipulations!
votestarkforpresident: you can pick one actor and actress over forty
votestarkforpresident: and one actor and actress under forty
hiddlestonismyforeverking: WHAT
hiddlestonismyforeverking: THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you are evil
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :(

He rolled his eyes at Blaine’s rather dramatic outburst.

votestarkforpresident: i am not evil!
votestarkforpresident: i'm just trying to make it interesting
votestarkforpresident: I will start since it was my question
votestarkforpresident: my favorite actor under forty is probably christian bale
hiddlestonismyforeverking: really?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: for some reason, i would not have expected that answer from you
votestarkforpresident: have you even SEEN the batman movies, blaine?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: of course i have!
votestarkforpresident: well, i absolutely hate batman, and i always have
votestarkforpresident: but christian bale really, really made me like him a LOT
votestarkforpresident: the new batman trilogy is one of my favorites ever
votestarkforpresident: i mean, part of that was definitely nolan and the overall flawless casting
votestarkforpresident: but christian bale was absolutely amazing. as always
votestarkforpresident: and i guess if i had to pick a favorite actress under forty
votestarkforpresident: i guess that i would probably pick jennifer lawrence
hiddlestonismyforeverking: hmm, she played katniss in the hunger games, right?
votestarkforpresident: yes

Kurt stared at the screen as Blaine typed out a response.

hiddlestonismyforverking: hmmm, and your over forty actor/actresses?
votestarkforpresident: julie andrews is my favorite actress over forty
votestarkforpresident: and alan rickman is my favorite actor
hiddlestonismyforeverking: lsjdhgdsjghskjldhglakdsjhlkjadfshglakjssknlds
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you are just full of surprises, karebear!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: although they are not my absolute favorites
hiddlestonismyforeverking: andrews and rickman are both undoubtedly flawless
hiddlestonismyforeverking: they would both be in my top five for sure
votestarkforpresident: ...how is alan rickman NOT your favorite actor?
votestarkforpresident: i'm pretty sure that it's, like, an absolute law on tumblr that you have to be ridiculously in love with alan rickman
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i never said i didn’t *love* alan rickman! i just said that he wasn’t my overall favorite actor! there is a difference, karebear!
votestarkforpresident: i mean, the man was snape, blaine!
votestarkforpresident: also, he played hans gruber! who is absolutely terrifying but still undoubtedly flawless
votestarkforpresident: i mean, do you even KNOW how terrifying hans gruber was to me as a child?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ?

He hesitated for just a second, suddenly remembering how embarrassing the entire story was, before shrugging it off. It was just Blaine, after all, and Kurt knew that he wouldn’t judge him that harshly.

votestarkforpresident: well, just after my mom died – when i was seven – my dad would let me sit up on friday nights with him while he watched his “man films"
hiddlestonismyforeverking: please tell me that your dad did NOT actually call them that
votestarkforpresident: oh, he did
votestarkforpresident: anyway, one friday night – maybe about three months after my mom had died, i think? – the movie on was die hard
votestarkforpresident: which, in retrospect, my mother NEVER would have let a seven-year-old watch
votestarkforpresident: but my dad – well, he was pretty out of it in general for a good six months after she died – didn't seem to realize just how inappropriate it was at the time, i guess?
votestarkforpresident: i think that he just really, *really* wanted to spend time with me
votestarkforpresident: and he thought movie nights were a good way of doing it, I guess? which, they probably would have been, had he picked more appropriate films.

He paused for just a second before continuing.

votestarkforpresident: so, anyway, die hard was on
votestarkforpresident: and hans gruber was absolutely TERRIFYING to me
votestarkforpresident: horror films have never bothered me at all, but apparently attractive men indulging in armed robbery and murder is just far too much for me to handle, i guess
votestarkforpresident: so anyway, long story short, i spent at least a good week convinced that he had not actually died at the end of the movie
votestarkforpresident: and that he would come after me to steal all my barbies and power rangers before killing me
hiddlestonismyforeverking: omfg i am CRYING
votestarkforpresident: so one night towards the end of the week, i woke up crying and screaming, and my dad rushed in. i sobbed to him for like four hours about how i was convinced that hans gruber was going to murder to me and steal my toys
votestarkforpresident: and that was the end of “man films” movie nights
votestarkforpresident: the next week we watch my little pony or something, i think
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ;lghkj;laghglkjhsglkdshkdsldkjhgakjlsdhghals;gAh
hiddlestonismyforeverking: IS IT BAD THAT I’M LAUGHING
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i’m imagining this whole scenario in my head
hiddlestonismyforeverking: like, your raging seven-year-old paranoia, and going from die hard to my little pony
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and i’m literally laughing so hard that i just tumbled off my bed
hiddlestonismyforeverking: lakdsghaldskjghakls crying omfg this is the best story ever
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i am SO buying you the die hard box set for christmas!!
votestarkforpresident: >:(

Kurt huffed, annoyed.

Almost immediately, the little pencil icon began moving furiously across the screen, indicating that his friend was typing; apparently, Blaine had a sixth sense or something, because the next few messages to appear on the screen were clearly meant to appease Kurt.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: don’t get mad, karebear!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: if it makes you feel any better, i have an even worse story!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: one night when i was eight, my parents wanted to go to this business dinner, so they made my older brother stay home from a party to babysit me. and he was not happy at ALL
hiddlestonismyforeverking: he was so mad, in fact, that to get revenge he decided to force me to watch “It”
votestarkforpresident: …oh dear
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and i absolutely refused to take a shower or bath for, like, at least two months omg. my parents literally had to force me into the bathroom
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i was CONVINCED that clown was going to come out of the drain
hiddlestonismyforeverking: my brother got in so much trouble for that omg
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i seriously thought he would never be ungrounded
hiddlestonismyforeverking: also, it’s been ten years and i am still completely terrified of clowns. last summer, a bunch of us went to the circus for my friend nick’s birthday, and there were clowns EVERYWHERE
hiddlestonismyforeverking: it was so upsetting to me
hiddlestonismyforeverking: no lie, but i would seriously rather face down an army of bloodthirsty zombies than an army of creepy clowns
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :|

Kurt shook his head at that, amused.

votestarkforpresident: okay as terrifying as hans gruber is to me, i think that you win, hands down, for most traumatizing childhood film experience. i managed to go without seeing “It” until i was about fourteen, so i must have missed the whole you-have-to-be-terrified-of-clowns-forever requirement that goes along with it
votestarkforpresident: i also think that might be a thing; kids being eternally terrified of clowns because of that movie, i mean. Finn saw it when he was seven, too, and is also deathly afraid of clowns
hiddlestonismyforeverking: who is finn?

Kurt blinked at the screen a few times, confused, before suddenly realizing that he had never actually called Finn by name.

votestarkforpresident: i’m sorry! i hadn’t realized that i’d never mentioned him by name
votestarkforpresident: finn is, unfortunately, my stepbrother

A good five minutes passed without any sort of reply, the only indication that Blaine was even still there being the small pencil icon scrolling across the bottom of the screen. After what seemed like an eternity, a new series of messages appeared.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: i know that it is still your turn for questions – and i haven’t answered your last one yet – so I don’t want this to count as mine
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so please don’t feel obligated, because you do *not* have to answer this
hiddlestonismyforeverking: but...could you tell me a bit about your family? i mean, you know a LOT about my family and, idk, i’m just curious, i guess?

Kurt quickly scrambled to type out a reply before Blaine got it into his head that he was being inappropriate or nosy.

votestarkforpresident: i don’t mind. i mean, i *do* know a lot about your family already, so it’s only fair that i tell you a bit about mine.
votestarkforpresident: well, my father is a mechanic
votestarkforpresident: he owns his own shop
votestarkforpresident: my stepmother is a nurse
votestarkforpresident: and my stepbrother is an idiot
votestarkforpresident: professionally

A moment of silence passed where Blaine was, quite obviously, typing and erasing a message numerous times.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: i am going to assume, based on that last comment – and some other things that you've said in the past – that you and your stepbrother don't get along?
votestarkforpresident: you could say that
votestarkforpresident: we have a lot of history together
votestarkforpresident: and almost none of it is good
votestarkforpresident: also, a lot of it is sort of...
votestarkforpresident: embarrassing, i guess? for numerous reasons
votestarkforpresident: i'll tell you about it someday, just...not yet.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: okay
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so, what about your mother? i mean, i know you said she had passed away when you were young, but what was she like?

Kurt hesitated, unsure of what to write.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: oh god, I made everything awkward, didn’t i?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ;sjlghakjdshasgkjhask
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i’m sorry, just ignore the whole question
votestarkforpresident: no, it’s okay!
votestarkforpresident: you didn’t upset me. i was just sort of surprised, and was caught off guard.
votestarkforpresident: no one ever asks me about my mother. they just make all sorts of assumptions based on my father and i and…well, it’s just really, REALLY weird to have someone actually ask about her, i guess
votestarkforpresident: it’s not bad. just weird
votestarkforpresident: so, what do you want to know?

Blaine’s message appeared almost instantly, something which amused Kurt greatly; it made him happy to know that his friend was actually interested in his family and background

hiddlestonismyforeverking: how did your parents meet?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: my parents met at college. super boring story about a pre-law class.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: both of my parents were lawyers, btw. i don’t know if i told you that before? my mother worked for a private firm, and my father was an assistant district attorney.
votestarkforpresident: well, my mother grew up in michigan, and my father grew up in ohio, so they did not know each other as children
votestarkforpresident: ...actually, they didn’t meet until my mother was nearly done with college. she was two years younger than my dad, by the way
votestarkforpresident: anyway, my dad went to a technical college and got an associate’s degree in automotive technology. he started working at a shop here in town and was saving money for his own place
votestarkforpresident: one morning, my dad was working when he heard all this commotion outside the shop. so he stopped what he was doing, and went outside to look, and literally ran right into my mother, who was coming in because her car had broken down on the way to one of her finals. she was supposed to graduate at the end of that week, but wouldn’t if she missed that final. she was panicking and was, as my dad likes to say, “absolutely crazy and overly dramatic”
votestarkforpresident: he says that i got my tendency to overreact from her, but that is a LIE, because i never overreact to anything
hiddlestonismyforeverking: lolololol

“Shut up,” he typed, flushing a bit at Blaine’s lighthearted teasing.

votestarkforpresident: so, anyway, my dad apparently really liked her craziness because he was ridiculously smitten
votestarkforpresident: so her offered to drive her to her final
votestarkforpresident: and then he took a risk by asking her out when they got there, and she said yes
votestarkforpresident: they dated for two years and then got married when my dad was 26 and my mom was 24. they had me a year later.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: that is so cute!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: what was your mother’s name?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: my dad’s name was thomas

Kurt wisely chose not to comment on the fact that Blaine had decided not to mention his mother.

votestarkforpresident: my dad’s name is burt. my mother’s name was alicia.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: that’s a pretty name!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so, i know that your dad works with cars, but what did your mother major in?
votestarkforpresident: chemistry
votestarkforpresident: my mother was a HUGE science nerd
votestarkforpresident: she loved all science
votestarkforpresident: but chemistry was always her favorite

Six minutes passed without any new messages from Blaine, and Kurt was suddenly a bit worried that he had somehow overstepped a boundary of some sort.

votestarkforpresident: you okay, blaine?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: yeah, sorry! i can’t figure out a way to phrase my next question without sounding like an insensitive douche
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :|

Kurt suddenly had the feeling that he knew exactly what Blaine’s next question was.

votestarkforpresident: you were going to ask how she died, weren’t you?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i’m sorry, i don’t want to make you uncomfortable
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :(
votestarkforpresident: blaine, it’s been twelve years since my mom died. i’m still sad about it, and i’ll never get over it entirely, but i promise you that i’m not going to burst into tears and throw a fit just because you asked about her.
votestarkforpresident: besides, i know how your parents died, so fair is fair. 100% willingness to answer, remember?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: I told you this wasn’t a part of the game! :/ I don’t want you to feel obligated to answer
votestarkforpresident: and i don’t. but you were honest with me about what happened with you and, because of that, i feel comfortable being honest with you about this. so calm down, all right? :)

Blaine quickly replied with something along the lines of “Okay, if you’re really sure,” and then went completely silent on his end.

Kurt suddenly found him staring blankly at the computer screen, trying to figure out how to start. It wasn’t as though he didn’t want to talk about his mother – because he loved her, of course, and he really did want to talk about her with someone – but he just didn’t know where to begin.

votestarkforpresident: you're the first person that has ever outright asked about how she died, you know
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ...you mean that your friends never bothered?
votestarkforpresident: nope
votestarkforpresident: only three of my glee club friends - mike, brittany, and tina - went to elementary school with me when it happened (just to clarify, our school district has one high school and three different elementary schools)
votestarkforpresident: so, anyway, they know, i’m sure – because it was big news amongst parents at my school when it happened – but none of the others knew or ever bothered to ask
votestarkforpresident: actually, tbh, i don't even think that finn knows how my mother died
votestarkforpresident: his mother knows, of course, but i don't think that he's ever bothered to ask
hiddlestonismyforeverking: wtf
hiddlestonismyforeverking: he is your STEPBROTHER
votestarkforpresident: i told you that our relationship was complicated
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i don't think "complicated" is the word i would use, karebear

Kurt made a face at the apparently-persistent nickname.

votestarkforpresident: please don't tell me karebear is going to become a thing, blaine
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i have no idea what you're talking about, karebear
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :D
votestarkforpresident: ugh, fine
votestarkforpresident: i'm not going to argue with you about this
votestarkforpresident: but if you EVER use it in front of harmony or unique
votestarkforpresident: i reserve the right to punch you in the face upon meeting in person
hiddlestonismyforeverking: duly noted
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ...karebear
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :D :D :D
votestarkforpresident: how are we even friends
hiddlestonismyforeverking: clearly, karebear, you were swayed by my immense charm and intelligence
hiddlestonismyforeverking: that's how
votestarkforpresident: no
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :'(
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so, anyway, back to topic
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you were telling me about your mother?
votestarkforpresident: oh, yes
votestarkforpresident: so, none of them ever bothered to ask how she had died
votestarkforpresident: but apparently they all came up with their own scenarios
votestarkforpresident: i've literally heard everything from cancer to a car crash to murder
votestarkforpresident: none of which are true, btw

Blaine did not reply right away, but Kurt could see the small pencil icon moving furiously across the screen.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: so how did your mother
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ...you know
votestarkforpresident: i'm pretty sure that the word you're looking for is "die"
votestarkforpresident: blaine, I really appreciate that you're trying not to upset me, but seriously, it's been twelve years. believe me, if you were upsetting me, I’d tell you, okay?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :">
hiddlestonismyforeverking: sorry, it's just that it's way, WAY harder to tell if i'm upsetting you over IM
hiddlestonismyforeverking: like, i can't see your face or reactions, so idk if i should be stopping or not
votestarkforpresident: i can promise you, blaine, that if it upset me i would use one of our passes (even though you said this didn’t count) or just tell you, okay?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: sdkjlghsd okay
hiddlestonismyforeverking: sorry
votestarkforpresident: oh my god, blaine, stop apologizing!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: sorry
hiddlestonismyforeverking: wait, nevermind, you said to stop that. wow, i’m just going to be awkward forever, aren’t i? asd;lgslxkhgskjdh

Kurt bit back a small smile at his rather endearing awkwardness

votestarkforpresident: well, long story short, my mother put off continuing her education for a few years when i was born, and went back when i was a little older. she was working on her PhD – her ultimate dream was to teach – and was working in the lab one evening with some other students
votestarkforpresident: there was an accident
votestarkforpresident: i don’t know exactly what happened – i did not take chemistry in high school for obvious reasons, and stuck with biology – but someone accidentally caused an explosion
hiddlestonismyforeverking: oh my god
votestarkforpresident: my dad told me, when i was much older, that she had apparently been thrown across the room
votestarkforpresident: she suffered a head injury and died almost instantly
votestarkforpresident: so she didn't suffer, which i'm grateful for
votestarkforpresident: in that, she was lucky; there were three others in the accident, and none of them died instantly. they all suffered from severe injuries and burns
votestarkforpresident: my dad said one of them managed to last a whole week before they passed away
votestarkforpresident: i can't imagine how painful it would have been

Blaine was silent for a long, long time.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: i am so, *so* sorry, karebear
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i know you said it was okay to ask, but i still feel terrible, bringing this up
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i’m sorry if this made you at all uncomfortable
votestarkforpresident: well, even though it doesn’t bother me, it is apparently bothering you, blaine?
votestarkforpresident: so, how about you make it up to me – and by that, i really mean “make yourself feel better” – by telling me a bit about this mysterious older brother of yours?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: oh god, believe me, you do NOT want to hear about my brother. he is the most self-centered man on the planet
votestarkforpresident: oh, but i really, *really* do
votestarkforpresident: ...right after i grab some food, because i am absolutely starving from all this packing and stuff. give me, like, fifteen minutes and we’ll pick up where we left off?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ljhgskdhgsdg okay, but trust me when i say that you’ll regret this immensely

Kurt rolled his eyes at the screen

votestarkforpresident: i’m sure that i won’t. anyway, be right back!

***

Roughly ten minutes later, Kurt made his way back downstairs, a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and a piece of cinnamon biscotti in the other. He carefully set his breakfast on the bedside table before turning his attention back to his laptop.

votestarkforpresident: all right, i’m back. so, your brother?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: um, well, what do you want to know about him?
votestarkforpresident: how old is he?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: cooper just turned 25 in march, so he’s 7 years older than i am

Kurt raised an eyebrow at the name, but refrained from replying right away in favor of taking a sip of his coffee. After setting his mug back on the bedside table, Kurt turned his attention back to their chat.

votestarkforpresident: wait, so, your brother’s name is COOPER?
votestarkforpresident: that’s a terrible name
hiddlestonismyforeverking: actually, his *nickname* is cooper
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and it’s actually a huge, HUGE step up from his real name

He raised an eyebrow at that.

votestarkforpresident: how can his real name be any worse than “cooper”?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: well, okay, I guess I have to give you some background on my parents for this one
hiddlestonismyforeverking: when my parents got married, they decided they wanted two kids; no more, no less. and, when they were talking about having kids, they apparently made a deal regarding names. they decided that with their first child, my mother would pick the first name and my father would pick the middle name. with their second child, they would switch.
votestarkforpresident: …okay?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: well, my mother – as i am sure you have gathered – was rather pretentious and, well, sort of obnoxious. and, unfortunately for my brother, she got to pick his first name.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: she picked Copernicus

Kurt stared, rather stupidly, at the screen for at least a full minute.

votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: as in the mathematician and astronomer? THAT copernicus?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: yes
votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: …
votestarkforpresident: that is TERRIBLE
votestarkforpresident: i feel so bad for your brother
hiddlestonismyforeverking: my dad tried to make up for it by giving him “james” as a middle name. my dad *always* called him jamie, which upset my mother
votestarkforpresident: why is his nickname cooper, then?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: oh, that’s entirely my fault. i, for obvious reasons, could not pronounce my brother’s name as a young child. i always ended up saying “cooper-icus” or something along those lines. my mother did not find it amusing, but my dad thought it was absolutely hilarious and started alternating between calling him jamie and cooper, and it sort of just snowballed from there, i guess.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and now everyone calls him cooper.

Kurt sat back in his chair and shook his head, amused. It was then that another thought suddenly occurred to him.

votestarkforpresident: wait, you said your parents switched with you, right? like, your dad picked your first name and your mother picked your middle name, yes?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: yes, luckily for me, my dad got to name me
hiddlestonismyforeverking: in comparison to copernicus, blaine is the best name ever
votestarkforpresident: so, wait, what is your middle name then?
votestarkforpresident: i sincerely hope it’s, like, galileo or something equally as terrible
hiddlestonismyforeverking: rude!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: :|
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and it’s not galileo, thank you very much! she went with a presidential theme for my middle name, if you must know.
votestarkforpresident: …now you HAVE to tell me

A good two minutes passed without any sort of reply.

votestarkforpresident: BLAINE
votestarkforpresident: please tell me! i promise that i won’t make fun of you!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: omfg you are such a liar, karebear
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i know you well enough to know what your reaction will be
votestarkforpresident: please?
votestarkforpresident: :(
hiddlestonismyforeverking: ugh, fine. but you better not laugh!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: it’s Roosevelt-Washington

In retrospect, Kurt knew that he had promised not to laugh. However, in his defense, the names were absolutely terrible and he just couldn’t help himself.

He must have spent at least a good two or three minutes howling with laughter, because a sudden string of beeping noises caught his attention.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: IT’S BEEN FIVE MINUTES
hiddlestonismyforeverking: YOU’RE LAUGHING AREN’T YOU?!?!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: >:(
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you promised you wouldn’t!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i hate you. this bromance is OVER.

Kurt gasped for air and reached for his keyboard.

votestarkforpresident: no, wait! you can’t end our bromance!
votestarkforpresident: i’m sorry! i seriously couldn’t help myself
hiddlestonismyforeverking: >:(
votestarkforpresident: i’m just – i’m *sorry*
votestarkforpresident: but, your name is blaine roosevelt-washington...whatever?
votestarkforpresident: and your brother’s name is copernicus james...whatever?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: yes.
votestarkforpresident: to be honest, i don’t know if i believe you, blaine. those names just seem *too* terrible and ridiculous to be real
votestarkforpresident: you guys sound like you could give albus severus potter and renesmee carlie cullen a run for their money. you could all start a terrible-name club...you could have dues and secret handshakes and everything!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: omg please don’t compare me to the creepy twilight baby. it’s sort of offensive :(
hiddlestonismyforeverking: also, i am NOT making this up. why would i?!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: look, you’ll just have to come visit me someday
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and i will *show* you our birth certificates to prove how unfortunate our names are
votestarkforpresident: i’ll hold you to that, you know
hiddlestonismyforeverking: you had better!!

Kurt was just about to reply to that when a series of three quick messages appeared across the screen.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: i have to run. my brother wants to go out to get some last-minute stuff for me to take back to school
hiddlestonismyforeverking: we can pick up with our original question later, after we are all moved in to our respective schools? i’m not sure how much i’ll be on this upcoming week. but, i promise that i’ll answer it eventually! :P we just got way sidetracked.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: anyway, later, karebear!

***

“Do you have your dorm and roommate information?”

“Yes,” Kurt replied, not entirely paying attention. “I’ll be living in 247 Highland Hall. My roommates name is Thad Harwood, and he is majoring in architecture. He is from Connecticut, but he attended a private school in Ohio for the past four years.”

“Do you have your laptop?”

“Yes.”

“What about your hat collection?”

“Yes, I have it, dad.”

“What about all of your, uh, sunglasses?”

“I’m only taking twenty pairs, dad.”

“What about your phone?”

“Yes, I have it!”

“I’m just checking,” Burt said defensively, giving his son an unimpressed look. “I don’t want you calling me tomorrow and whining about how you forgot a bunch of things. I am not shipping anything up to you. Well, unless it’s absolutely necessary for your academic wellbeing. Anything else that you forget can wait until your first weekend home in late September, kiddo.”

Kurt hesitated for just a second at that. “I’m going to check one more time to make sure that I have all the clothes I want to take.”

“Good man,” Burt replied, turning his back to Kurt. “I’m going to go get Carole. We’ll be down in ten minutes to leave.”

“Whatever,” Kurt replied grumpily. It was four in the morning, and they were just about to make the five hour drive to Northwestern.

He stumbled over to the backseat and began rummaging through various boxes, making sure that he had everything.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Kurt immediately abandoned his efforts in favor of pulling out his phone. He was curious to see who was insane enough to text him at four in the morning, but his hopes were quickly dashed when no new text messages appeared.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

It took all of five seconds for Kurt to realize where the beeping was coming from. He fumbled with his phone and opened the AIM app.

hiddlestonismyforeverking: i sincerely hope you don’t murder me for this, since i know it’s like 4AM for you, but i really wanted to catch you before you left!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i know that you said you won’t have internet for a few days and, obviously, neither will i.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: and although my phone works at school, sometimes the internet on it sort of sucks. and i want to be able to talk with you.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so, um…
hiddlestonismyforeverking: 310-555-5531
hiddlestonismyforeverking: here’s my number
hiddlestonismyforeverking: so call me, maybe?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: …
hiddlestonismyforeverking: or text me, maybe? texting is also good.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: lskjdhgdskjhgsdlh
hiddlestonismyforeverking: i just realized that i accidentally quoted that annoying song at you. my bad!
hiddlestonismyforeverking: it’s sort of catchy, though, don’t you think?
hiddlestonismyforeverking: oh god, i’m just going to stop talking. i am so ridiculously awkward sjlghasjldghs
hiddlestonismyforeverking: anyway, i hope that you don’t think i’m a creeper, and i hope you text and/or call sometime this week.
hiddlestonismyforeverking: night, karebear!

He gaped down at his phone for a good minute. Had Blaine just give him his cell number..?

“Are you ready to go?”

Kurt quickly saved Blaine’s number to his phone, and then turned to face his dad and Carole.

“Yeah,” he replied, smiling widely at them. “I am.”