Kurt and Blaine leave with a big spectacle, as expected. Once they’re at their carriage, they change into their other clothes and Blaine lets out a long breath.

“Wow. That was…”

“That was,” Kurt nods.

Now that they’re alone, it’s time to read the note. Blaine unfolds it.

Dear mister Hummel and prince Blaine of Daltonia,

Almost there! I only need one more book from you. Luckily, it’s right in the heart of the kingdom, in Castle Town. What would you say if I tell you I even hid it in the Castle, right under your noses?

“What? The Castle got infiltrated?” Blaine sounds shocked.

I am there too. Not in the Castle, no. But in Castle Town. Once you have all eight books, come and say hello! I am eager to see my dear mister Hummel again. I need to thank you after everything you’ve done. I eagerly await your arrival.

Greetings,

The Sergeant

They set up camp in the evening. Kurt connects the external batteries to the sleeping bags and Blaine once again spells a fire.

“Okay, we spent more time in the south than expected, but we’re getting somewhere.”

“Uh-hm,” Blaine hums in agreement.

“I’m… almost going home.”

Blaine looks up. Kurt sounded a bit sad.

“Aren’t you happy to go home?” he asks. That’s why they’re doing all of this, after all!

“I am,” Kurt says quickly, “But damnit, I will miss Daltonia.”

“Daltonia will miss you,” Blaine says back.

“And… I will miss you the most.”

Blaine startles, and the flame rises for a second. The light of the fire shows that Kurt is blushing.

“I will miss you too,” Blaine says, equally red in the face.

Kurt coughs.

“So. Yeah. Uh. Almost home. Assuming that the Sergeant will uphold his promise, but I doubt it.”

“Why?”

Kurt crosses his arms.

“He makes it sound like he needs these books to get me home, Blaine, but he’s the one who hid them in the first place, so he had them!”

Blaine blinks a couple of times, letting the words sink in. Kurt is absolutely right. They’ve already realised that they’re doing some work for this Sergeant, since finding the books has been danger-free and they probably let Kurt out in the first place. But yes, why did he spread the books in the first place?

More reasons not to trust this Sergeant.

“He knew I’d do anything to get home. He knew he would have to dangle that over me, but I don’t trust he will get me home, no matter how much he promises.”

“But you will go home. I promise. We will find another way, if we must!” Blaine tries to cheer Kurt up.

But Kurt has a serious look on his face. He sits down next to Blaine.

“Blaine?”

“Yes?”

“The end of our journey is near.”

“… I know.”

“And I just want to thank you again for everything.”

“Kurt, you don’t-”

“Please, let me,” Kurt puts his hand on Blaine’s arm to shut him up. He has a kind smile on his face. “I want to say this, just in case we don’t have a lot of time left.”

“… Okay.”

“Thank you for showing me Daltonia, the world of my childhood dreams, and also enhancing it. I know you were afraid you meant nothing in The Cooper Chronicles, but you mean everything to me. Being with you has made all of this so much better, and you showed that this world is way bigger than anyone, including B.D. Dalton, could have imagined.”

“You’re welcome,” Blaine’s certain he’s turned even redder.

“And I know this is bad timing, but I don’t think I could ever leave this world without doing this.”

“Doing… what?” Blaine asks.

Kurt cups Blaine’s face and leans closer and Blaine knows what is about to happen. He should put a stop to it. Kurt is leaving Daltonia. Kurt is leaving him. But he can’t stop, because he wants this too. He’s wanted this for a while.

When Kurt kisses him, it’s not unexpected, and Blaine kisses back.

The next day, it’s eerily quiet in the carriage. That’s partially because they’re tired. They spent last night kissing till they were exhausted. But also because reality is sinking in. Ideally, they will confront the Sergeant today, and Kurt is going home.

They don’t speak about the kisses. Maybe it’s best if they just move past it. It happened, and Blaine’s glad that it happened, but thinking about how it’ll end only makes it hurt more.

So instead they go over their simple plan and before they know it, they arrive at the gates of Castle Town. They park their carriage in the woods where it all started and walk towards the town. The guards recognise them.

“Welcome home prince Blaine,” they bow three times.

“Glad to be home,” Blaine says flatly, because he isn’t, not really. It only means it’s almost over.

The guards walk Kurt and Blaine back to the Castle, and they meet up with Blaine’s parents in the throne room.

“Your majesties,” Kurt bows three times. Blaine doesn’t, since they’re his parents.

“Blaine, oh, am I glad to see you home!” his mother rushes towards him to hug him.

“You did well in Knight City, my son!” his father joins the hug.

“You heard?” Blaine asks.

“Of course!”

“Dad, what happened to the staff that originally accompanied me and Kurt?” he asks. It’s been on his mind since the first day.

“What? Weren’t they with you in the south?” his mother sounds confused and breaks away from the hug.

“No…” Blaine says and the dread kicks in. His soldiers never made it home. His parents believed that he and Kurt weren’t alone all this time, which is probably why they never came looking for him. Blaine had suspected it for this reason, but still.

He and Kurt quickly recount their journey and the king immediately orders a search party for the missing soldiers.

“Come sit down, both of you!” his mother says, “You’ve had an awful fright.”

“We’re alright, your highness, thank you. But our mission isn’t done yet.”

“We need to find the final book. It’s in the Castle.”

“The Castle?” she sounds as confused and shocked as Blaine.

“Cooper is home. He can help!” his father says, “I suggest you and your… friend go there at an instant.”

Why did his father hesitate on the word friend? They couldn’t have known about what happened last night, right? That would be even more embarrassing than that time with Trent!

“Lead the way, Blaine,” Kurt says.

Blaine nods. He wants to reach for Kurt’s hand, but that is a bit too much giving the circumstances. Instead he starts walking and Kurt trails behind him. They take the elevator to the tiger floor.

“The tiger floor, in the flesh,” Kurt says dreamingly, “Cooper chose this animal because it symbolised strength.”

“I know…”

The elevator ride feels too slow and Blaine wonders if he should break the unbroken rule and talk about it. He can’t stop thinking about it, after all, and he wonders if the same’s for Kurt. Kurt is the one who initiated it!

He spends too much time considering it, because the elevator doors open and he and Kurt open the door to Cooper’s chambers.

They should’ve knocked.

“Oh… my…” Kurt sounds as stunned as Blaine. Blaine can’t even speak.

“What the-” Cooper yells out.

Blaine slaps his hands over his eyes, but he’s seen it. Cooper lying on the sofa, with Mel on top of him. Both not wearing a lot of clothes.

“Blaine, get the- What are- Go!” his brother screams.

“We- We need your help!” Blaine blurts out, still not looking out of respect for Mel, mostly, “Father told me-”

“Go!” Cooper screams again.

“Let’s give them some time,” Kurt says and he grabs Blaine’s free arm and leads him outside. Once Blaine hears the door close behind him, he finally moves his hand from his face.

“… That was real, right?” Blaine asks Kurt.

“I- Yeah. Wow.”

Then it hits Blaine.

“Is this why he told Arasha not to join him in Castle Town? That bastard!”

And Blaine likes Mel, even though he never really got to know her. He respects her. What just happened? Holy shit!

“Can’t believe… I was right,” Kurt mutters and Blaine’s head jerks towards him.

“You knew?” he asks, aghast.

“No, not really!” Kurt quickly says, “But I have been a Mooper truther since day one and even though my fics never included infidelity-”

“I have no clue what that means!” Blaine sounds erratic.

“Doesn’t matter!” Kurt says and he grabs Blaine’s shoulders and angles Blaine’s body towards him. Blaine wants to lean into the touch, but he can’t dwell on that. “We can’t get side-tracked. Give them time to, uh, clean up, and we talk to him. Or them. Mel is very smart.”

“But… Arasha…”

“All Cooper’s narration ever talked about was Arasha’s ‘oriental beauty’, Blaine. He was more kind towards Mel with his thoughts. I don’t think Arasha loses a lot here,” Kurt says.

“But she loves him!”

“Not our business.” Although Kurt does seem pleased to know he was ‘right’. Daltonia truly is a gift that keeps on giving to him.

After what feels like ages, the door opens.

“You needed my help?” Cooper asks.

Blaine nods silently.

“Come in. And not a word about what just happened.”

“But-”

“Blaine!”

“Arasha-”

“Blaine, no.”

“She-”

“I am also not interrogating you about your relations with him, aren’t I?” Cooper nods towards Kurt, “So don’t do the same.”

“How did you…”

Cooper’s eyes widen and he rubs the back of his neck. Kurt looks to the ground. Blaine is turning red, again. This entire ordeal is weird.

“I… took a wild- I didn’t know I was right- I-”

“Okay, brotherly quarrel is over. Let’s talk about the Sergeant, shall we?” Kurt breaks in. He pushes Cooper aside and enters the chambers. Cooper and Blaine have no choice to follow.

Mel is gone, which is maybe for the best for now. Maybe she’s also hiding in the bathroom.

Cooper coughs.

“Tell me everything,” he says.

So they do, except that they leave out the whole thing about The Cooper Chronicles, because it would only fuel his ego even more.

“Father suggests that you help us find the final book. Then Kurt… can go home,” the last words feel heavy. He tries not to look at Kurt.

“To the other world,” Cooper sounds amazed.

Kurt nods.

“Yes.”

“So you’re not a lunatic after all?”

“Cooper!” Blaine bites out.

“Yup. That’s Cooper,” Kurt says.

“What?” Cooper asks, but both ignore him.

“Can you help?” Blaine asks.

“I think I already have,” he says. Cooper gets up, gestures towards them to wait, and then leaves the living room area. He returns with a box.

“You have it?”

“I found it in my room. I have no idea what it is. I tried reading it, but it won’t open for me,” he says, which confuses Blaine. Blaine could read it if he wanted to. He just didn’t want to.

“… Well, this is anticlimactic,” Kurt says.

Cooper hands the box to Kurt. Kurt opens it and Blaine looks in as well. The final book, The Cooper Chronicles: The Timelines Collide is basically a brick. It’s huge.

“Thank you,” Kurt says.

“So, does that mean you’re going to confront the Sergeant now?” Cooper asks.

Kurt nods.

“Yes. It’s time for me to go home.”