The next hours are a blur to Blaine, his eyelids too heavy to stay opened all the time while they are waiting. It is quiet on the boat and no one seems to be able to find the words that could describe their misery. Blaine barely notices Mr. Andrews trying to make some space in the boat in order to put people from another boat in it so the crew can go back and search for people in the water that are still alive. He also doesn’t feel the cold seeping into his shirt and freezing his wet hair. In trance he watches the sun rising, not able to see the beauty of it, and only when the other people in the boats start to row he notices the ship coming closer. One boat after the other gets rescued by the crew of the ship, and finally it’s their turn. Blaine barely manages to walk towards the helping hands of the crew because of the stiffness in his limbs, created by exhaustion and coldness. One of them finally grabs his arm and pulls him inside the boat. “Come on boy, let’s warm you up.” Blaine gets pushed in a direction by hands, hands that are putting a blanket on his shoulders, hands that are handing him a cup of tea and hands that help to steady him when he seems to fall. Then, he is back outside again, in the middle of a crowd of people with blankets wrapped around them and a tea in their hands, just like him. He looks around frantically, and starts to push people away in order to make his way through the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. After a while he sees one, not the one he was looking for, but it still is a relief. “Mom!” His mother turns around, hope shining in her eyes full of tears. “Blaine!” she makes her way to him and wraps her arms around him tightly. Blaine takes a deep breath, taking his mother’s scent in and feeling a little part of his anxiousness melting down. “Thank god, I have my boy back. I though you hadn’t made it. When James told me what you’d done…” Another wave of relief. “Is he okay?” “Yes, he is just getting some more tea-“ “Blaine.” Blaine never was so happy to hear his father’s voice. When he turns around to look at him he sees tears in his eyes – for the first time. “Dad.” And then his mother’s arms are replaced by his father’s. “Blaine, I’m so sorry. For everything.” In this moment Blaine realizes that his life wasn’t the only one to change those past few hours. “I know.” He answers simply.

After a while his father lets go of him again. Blaine takes a deep breath, but it isn’t relaxing. There is still this heavy feeling in his chest, this fear, and he knows he can’t rest until he is sure if Kurt is alive. He looks at his parents with pleading eyes. “Have you – Have you seen Kurt?” Blaine can directly tell by their sad looking faces that they haven’t. “Don’t worry darling, I’m sure he is somewhere on this ship. The crew is trying to list everyone they saved, you could ask them about him. And we will keep our eyes open, okay?” Blaine gives them another thankful look before he walks back into the mass of people.

After searching for Kurt in almost every corner of the deck by himself, Blaine finally descries a steward walking around and writing names of people down on his list. “Excuse me sir?” The steward looks up with a helping smile. “What name are you searching for boy?” Blaine feels like he could break down every moment. This is it. “Hummel. Kurt Hummel.” The steward Looks down on his list for a while, before he looks back up. “I’m sorry kid, the name is not on my list. You have to wait until all of our lists are getting compared and hung out. Just try to be patient, okay?” Blaine manages to whisper a ‘Thank you’ before turning around, feeling his eyes stinging from unshed tears. He manages to find a place at the guardrail, aside from most of the people. He needs some time alone. Standing at the guardrail, he closes his eyes, letting the wind blow in his face, messing up his hair and taking him back in his memories to the last time he felt the wind on his face like that.

“Everything alright, love?” Blaine smiles at the endearment that just left his lips so natural. “Yes. This is really nice. Just lying here with you, not worrying about anything, or anyone for that matter.” Blaine hums in agreement, enjoying the feeling of Kurt’s body vibrating against his chest with every word he says. He keeps looking at the sky, when suddenly… “Kurt, a shooting star! Look how beautiful it is!” He looks down at Kurt, excitement written in his face. “You are beautiful.” Kurt answers simply.

Blaine can’t stop a tear from sliding down his cheek. He won’t ever be able to feel like this. To feel alive like this. To feel loved like this.

His eyes still closed, he takes a step forwards, placing his foot on the deepest bar of the guardrail. Kurt.

“B-Blaine?” Blaine feels a wave of electricity flooding through his body, a shudder running down his spine causing gooseflesh to appear on his skin. And with that one word all his fear, his anxiousness and his pain peels away.

Finally, he is able to move again. There in front of him is Kurt, beautiful as in his memory. His hair is messed up, his clothes are dirty, but the wound at his forehead is wrapped in a clean white bandage. He looks tired, but his eyes shine, not only with sadness but with strength and another emotion Blaine can’t spot. “Kurt” It’s only a breathless whisper, but the moment he says it both boys, suddenly in a hurry, rush towards each other and wrap their arms around one another. Finally able to breathe properly again, Blaine fills his lungs with the smell of Kurt. He feels him shaking in his arms and hears sobs escaping Kurt’s mouth. Only then Blaine realizes he is crying too, the tears finally spilling over. “Kurt.” It’s all he can say, all he needs to say. No ‘I love you’ could express as much as saying his name over and over again. After a while Kurt moves to look at Blaine. His eyes are full of tears, even after letting them flow for a few minutes. Blaine can’t help but notice how different they look, in color and expression, than the last time he saw them. In his room, when Kurt told him he doesn’t love him. Blaine quickly removes his arms from Kurt and takes a step back. Kurt looks at him confused “What?” Blaine looks at his feet, poking his hands in the pockets of his trousers after wiping away some tears that are left on his cheeks. “I’m sorry I overstepped, that was inappropriate. I just – I’m so relieved that you’re alive. I just needed to know that.” In that moment, he senses a piece of paper in his pocket he totally forgot about. He pulls it out of his pocket, looking at it instead of Kurt. “I took that with me when I was looking for you… I thought you might want to keep it.” With that he hands Kurt the photo. Kurt unfolds it and stares at it, unable to believe his eyes. Blaine looks at him once more, trying to memorize every inch of his face, every wrinkle, every freckle. “I’ll leave you alone then.” He walks past Kurt, but suddenly he gets pulled back at his arm and Kurt’s lips finally are on his again. It feels like the first kiss all over again, sending shivers through his body and letting his brain shut down. After a few moments Kurt releases his lips, but his arms stay wrapped around Blaine’s waist. Blaine can’t figure out what just happened, he can’t even think straight. “But… You said you don’t – Not like that.” Kurt looks at him in disbelief “I lied. Of course I love you, you idiot!” And he presses another kiss on Blaine’s lips. Now, his voice is quiet. “When I saw you talking with Maria – I tried to meet your eyes, but you wouldn’t look at me. And you seemed so damn uncomfortable – I thought you’d changed your mind. And I knew you would have to deal with a lot of problems because of me. I didn’t want to do that to you. I knew you would be too honest to break up with me, so I thought I would help you w-with setting you free.” His voice is barely a whisper and Blaine has to gain control of his breathing himself. “When I managed to get away from the front and met my father I knew I had to find you. I was so scared I would lose you Blaine. I thought it was too late to tell you what I really feel for you. They had to drag me away from the ship, and as soon as I was here I started searching for you. And now I found you and you brought me the thing I own that is most important to me as well as the most important person in my life: yourself.” He smiles at Blaine sadly. “I know I may have ruined my chance with you, but I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than I could’ve ever imagined loving someone.” Blaine can’t believe it. By this time a mixture of sobbing and laughing is leaving his lungs, and once more he can’t stop the tears of relief. He encircles Kurt’s neck with his arms and captures Kurt’s lips with his own again. The movement of soft skin against his lips and Kurt’s fingers running through his completely gel-free hair is the best Blaine has ever felt.

“I love you too, Kurt.”