"I don't believe in fate."

64 Days Until Kurt's Wedding

Kurt knew Blaine was stalling. But Kurt didn't mind. He'd be stalling too.

The windshield wipers in his old Escalade (Finn's current car) slapped rapidly back and forth against the rain. Blaine watched them, almost hypnotized. Kurt watched Blaine.

"I want to go inside," Blaine muttered, eyes still looking away from Kurt.

"Isn't that breaking and entering?" Kurt questioned, trying to see past the rain.

They sat in the almost empty parking lot of Blaine's old school – Dalton Academy. Insisting upon driving, they took Finn's car and made a detour here. They've been sitting in the car for about ten minutes.

"I'm an alumnus, and the Warblers should be practicing, so there are people in the school, technically."

Before getting the go-ahead, Blaine opened his door and ran towards the elegant, double-door entrance. Kurt watched his fuzzy figure become smaller and smaller from his warm seat. Blaine forced a wooden door open. Turning, he waved for Kurt to follow.

Sighing, he followed, the rain smacking against him. Rushing past Blaine, Kurt shook off the droplets on his coat inside; water splashed everywhere. Blaine grinned, thinking that Kurt looked like an uncomfortable, wet cat.

Fingering through his hair, Kurt glanced around. Dalton was like no other school he'd ever seen. It looked like a museum with the painted walls, crystal chandlers, and marble floors. It suited its pupils though. Dalton graduated scholars, not just students. Most of Blaine's friends went to Ivy League schools.

"It looks the same," Kurt said absentmindedly, looking at his own reflection in the floor.

Blaine's soppy seats approached him. He took Kurt's gaze, and his eyes were confused.

"I don't remember taking you here," he said lightly.

Kurt stifled a laugh. "You didn't," he assured. "I spied on the Warblers one day for New Directions."

"Seriously?" Blaine laughed.

Kurt nodded. "I wandered around the school, following groups of people, until I realized I was in a mob of kids going to see the Warblers," Kurt told. "I just followed. You guys were singing some Kelly Clarkson* song. I don't know if you remember that."

Blaine bit back a smile. "I remember, yeah. That was my solo."

Kurt's mouth fell agape. Racking his brain, he tried to remember that day. Blending with the crowd, he only caught glimpses of the Warblers.

Wait, he remembered.

"Oh my God," Kurt mumbled, seeing a fresh-faced Blaine flash through his mind.

"It was my first solo," Blaine said self-consciously, playing with the buttons of his coat.

Kurt blushed. He remembered his seventeen-year-old self thinking, that soloist is gorgeous. Make eye contact with me. Make eye contact with me! Kurt remembered his knees going weak as the seventeen-year-old version of Blaine caught his gaze, smiling wider as he continued to sing.

"You saw me!" Kurt said suddenly. "We made eye contact." Blaine made a how-do-you-even-remember-that? face. "I just remember; I don't know how. It's weird."

"I guess we met before we met," Blaine noted.

"It's like we were supposed to meet," Kurt uttered. There was a warmth in his stomach that rose through him, making the feeling of cold rain disappear for a second.

Blaine elbowed Kurt gently. "I don't believe in fate, but yeah, we were supposed to, I think."

Smiling to himself, Kurt started to walk down the empty hallway. His feet echoed. Blaine followed closely. Kurt wanted to stay here as long as possible. He wanted to freeze this moment. Outside of Dalton, only bad things waited.

"What time are your parents expecting you?" Kurt questioned.

"They aren't," Blaine stated.

Kurt raised his eyebrows. "You didn't tell them you were stopping by, that you're in Ohio?"

Blaine shook his head. "I'm only going home to see Chad. I kind of hope my parents aren't home."

They approached a huge spiral staircase. Rain tapped against the window overhead, and it cast a gloomy color on the room. Kurt sat on the first step and patted the space next to him for Blaine to sit.

"My dad was thrilled Eddie left me," Blaine said, and Kurt saw him flinch. "Being gay is bad. Acting on it is worse. When I told him I was getting married, he almost disowned me."

Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's knee, rubbing his thumb down, soothingly.

Blaine continued, "If his plan was for me to be unhappy, it worked."

"I promise, this'll pass, Blaine, and you can show your father that he can't dictate your life. Being unhappy is a choice and so is being happy," Kurt assured gently.

Blaine placed his hand on Kurt's. Their eyes locked. Similar to the first time their eyes met, seven years ago, Kurt's insides spun.

Before further investigation of the feeling, sound filled the quiet around them. Blaine, smiling, picked himself up.

Grabbing Kurt's hand, he said, "Come on. I know a shortcut."

Practically running, Blaine pulled Kurt down another empty hall. The music got louder. The two paused at a set of doors that were cracked open. Inside, the Warblers were practicing.

Blaine smiled, eyes practically glowing. Kurt watched him.

"Do you miss this?" he whispered.

Blaine nodded sadly. "Things were so simple back then."

Kurt disagreed. High school was awful. Once he got to college, he was more understood, and now in the real world, he was gaining respect. There was an innocence he missed about being a teenager though.

Kurt pressed on the doors until they snapped shut. Blaine bore a stare into him.

"We should go," Kurt said, backing away from Blaine. Stalling wouldn't actually help. Blaine needed to face this, Kurt realized. Blaine frowned but nodded, following.

Kurt expected the ride to Blaine's old home to be quiet, where they'd both be consumed in thought. Blaine shut off the music, and Kurt caught him smiling.

"So, about you spying…"

Kurt grinned and went into detail about the experience.

Blaine had a huge house – yellow brick against large black framed windows. The front lawn was green and the gardeners obviously planted flowers recently because they wrapped around the front. The inside looked warm and inviting, which was a lie.

Blaine seemed to slow down as the car approached, avoiding the inevitable. He put the car into Park. Kurt mentally wished for the best as he pushed out into the rain. Blaine didn't follow. Kurt ran around the car, ripping Blaine's door open.

"Come on!" he yelled over the rain.

In a moment, both boys charged to the door. There was no porch, so they rang the bell and stood there. Kurt could see a figure approaching through the warped glass of the door. When it opened, he realized it was Blaine's father.

His fingers gripped the door tighter, and for a millisecond, the door twitched as if he was about to shut it.

"Blaine?" his father said.

Blaine muttered a hello before charging inside. Kurt eased his way past the man who's eyes were fixed on his son.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding less than thrilled.

"Kurt and I were in Ohio. I thought I'd stop by," Blaine said as if walking on egg shells.

"Honey, who was at the door?" a sweet voice called from the next room. Blaine's mother came trotting into the hall holding a basket of clothes. She smiled widely at her son. "Blaine, sweetheart, what are you doing here?"

Blaine took the basket, placing it on the stairs and kissed his mom.

"They were in Ohio," his father said rigidly.

"Oh, I am so glad you visited," his mom said, unzipping his coat. "You're soaked. I didn't realize it was raining so hard. Why don't you two go change?"

She kissed Blaine again and then moved over and kissed Kurt as well. Kurt remembered suddenly that he actually didlike Blaine's mom.

"There's a box of your old clothes as soon as you walk into the attic," his mom called after them as they jumped up the steps.

They passed a few rooms. Blaine peered into Chad's unoccupied room, huffing unhappily. He also stopped at his old room, rolling his eyes. They had transformed into a guest room, and it didn't look like Blaine's room at all. Kurt got all of this from one quick look around. Then they were at the attic.

"I'm surprised they didn't burn these," Blaine said, pulling the box of his old clothes out.

Kurt followed him as they walked back to Blaine's old room. He opened the box as soon as he set it on the bed.

"Take whatever you want."

Kurt peered in only seeing red and blue. He smiled. "This was when you were still going through your Dalton color days, huh?"

As Blaine replaced his wet shirt with a dry one, he laughed. Kurt dug through the box, looking for an appropriate outfit, specifically longer pants so he wasn't a walking fashion violation. Blaine rapidly finished changing.

"Okay, I'll be back. I'll fight with him now to get it over with," Blaine said regrettably, his hand sliding across Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt swapped clothes and after a few minutes, decided to head downstairs. As he approached the steps, he heard Blaine's voice rise.

"What? Do you want me to apologize for visiting?" Blaine asked harshly.

"No, but I don't appreciate you spending our money to jet around pointlessly with that boy," Blaine dad retorted.

"That boy's name is Kurt, which you know, and it's not your money I used. I do have a job! Besides, this trip isn't pointless. Kurt had to tell his parents…some…stuff."

"Stuff? What stuff?" his mom asked, worry in her voice.

"Nothing bad," Blaine replied, his voice softer. "He's just- he's getting married."

Blaine's dad laughed in a laugh that wasn't in a tone to follow something humorous.

"You people never learn."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blaine spat.

"I mean, there's a reason you people shouldn't be able to marry. Didn't he learn anything from you and your sham of a marriage?"

Fire was igniting in Kurt's stomach. He didn't care if Blaine's father bashed his wedding, but to talk so bleakly about Blaine's wedding was pushing it.

Blaine's dad continued, "Unless… Are you marrying him, Blaine?"

"No!" Blaine said immediately. "I'm not marrying Kurt."

"Good. It was a mistake for you to get married in the first place, Blaine."

Blaine made a frustrated sound. "See, I know better than to think those are your words of encouragement. You're just saying that because to you, gays' getting married is an abomination. I'm going upstairs. Once Chad gets home, and I say hello, we're leaving."

Kurt heard Blaine stomp towards the steps. Panicked, he booked it back to the room. Sitting on the bed as casually as possible, Kurt tried to pretend he hadn't heard anything. Blaine charged into the room. He pushed the box of clothes to the floor and sat next to Kurt, breathing deeply.

"That bad?" Kurt questioned, rubbing Blaine's back.

Blaine's face was colored with rage. "Worse."

"How long till your brother's home, you think?"

"An hour? He has baseball after school."

"Come here," Kurt mumbled, pulling himself and Blaine into the middle of the bed, lying down. He pushed Blaine's head onto his chest, wrapping his arms around Blaine's shoulders, fingers playing with the curls on his friend's head. Blaine held Kurt's waist close.

"I just wish he would accept me. I'm just a burden, taking their money, and existing in a way he doesn't approve. If I could choose to be happy, I'd choose right now," Blaine admitted.

A pain in Kurt's chest curled. If Blaine wasn't happy now, he wouldn't be happy for a long time. He wanted to make him happy, even for a little while. He wanted to stop everything and give Blaine that.

"Go to sleep, Blaine," Kurt whispered, touching his friend's face. Blaine sunk into the touch before sinking back into Kurt's chest.

Sleeping, he couldn't think of his dad or Eddie or how life hadn't been simple since leaving Dalton. When he slept, everything went away.

"I'm not tired," Blaine said, breathing out a single laugh.

Well, there goes that plan.

"Blaine, Eddie's back," Kurt just spilled.

Blaine's grip around Kurt tightened.

"Yeah, let's go to sleep," Blaine replied, dread in his voice.

Kurt pursed his lips, holding Blaine, letting his arms tell him he wasn't letting him go, that he wouldn't let him face this alone. Tears seeped through Kurt's shirt.

His heart throbbed as if his was breaking instead of Blaine's. It was.