Blaine didn’t know if he could open his eyes. Everything was heavy, especially his head and eyelids. He couldn’t remember much, but the surface below him didn’t feel like the comfy mattress he was used to. It was a cold stone floor and it was soaked with some type of liquid. It smelled like urine and when trying to move a little bit, he realized that urine was exactly what it was. His pants and underwear felt wet, although so did his forehead. Maybe he was just soaked in water? That’s what it felt like.

He understood that the only way to find out was to open his eyes, but he didn’t know if he could quite yet. He took another minute to let his senses figure out his surroundings. It was dark for sure because even though his eyes were closed, they couldn’t detect any signs of light. The air was cold and it suddenly hit him that his hands were tied together. What had happened?

Kidnapped. He had been kidnapped, hadn’t he? Yes, he remembered now. They had taken him in the dark alley outside of Scandals, asked him things about his father and money or something like that and then taken him with. There was nothing but darkness and a loud, desperate shout for help after that. But… that shout in his memory didn’t sound like himself. No, the voice was higher, it sounded almost like-

“Kurt!” His eyes immediately shot open, completely ignoring the extreme headache he had. He found Kurt within a split second, lying on the floor. His hands were also tied up and there were multiple trails of blood coming from his head, running down his beautifully pale face. Despite the pain, he scooted closer to Kurt and unsuccessfully tried to free his own hands from the rope. Adding to the wetness of blood on his face, Blaine was now also crying. He made himself lay down on his side so he could be face to face with Kurt.

“Kurt, baby?” he asked with a small, broken voice. “Please open your eyes. I know it’s hard, but please look at me. I need to know that you’re okay.” Quite frankly, Blaine wasn’t sure if Kurt was even breathing at this point. He seemed to have some pretty severe head injuries, but Blaine couldn’t think like that. He had to remain positive because if he gave up hope, his whole world would go under. Luckily, he didn’t have to think about that because slowly, extremely slowly, Kurt’s eyes opened. Blaine let out a sigh of relief through his tears.

“Where are we?” he asked, his voice surprisingly calm considering the situation they were in.

“I-I don’t know,” Blaine whispered with a broken sob. “I just know we- we got taken and b-beaten by some guys and I’m so sorry, Kurt. This isn’t even about you and I-I’m just so sorry.” Blaine couldn’t believe how he’d let this happen to Kurt at all. He promised he would take care of the other boy for as long as he lived and he’d broken the promise two years into their relationship.

“Hey,” Kurt said and it immediately made Blaine stop ranting. “We’re here together, okay? We promised we’d be here for each other and we are.” The simple and true nature of that statement almost made Blaine cry even harder. Instead, he just nodded and scooted impossibly closer to Kurt. All he wanted was to hold the other man as safely as he could, but the rope holding his hands together made that completely impossible. All he could do for right now was to simply be there.

“We’ll make it through,” he whispered softly. Kurt simply nodded and the faintest of smiles appeared on his split lip.

“I remember what I told you after I was elected prom queen at McKinley…” His eyes slid shut as he spoke and he was imagining the scenario before his eyes. “That they can’t touch us or what we have. I still believe that, Blaine,” he whispered.

“I do too,” Blaine responded, closing his own eyes. They were silent for a moment before Blaine had to bring up their current situation. “What do we do now?” he asked.

Kurt opened his eyes weakly once more and looked at Blaine with a tired gaze. “You kiss me, tell me that you love me and then you try to get out of here. If they threaten you, give them what they want. It’s only money after all and the police can probably get it back later anyway. Okay?”

Blaine frowned and eyed Kurt as he shook his head. “N-No. I’m going to help you out too,” he said firmly. “We-We’re going to get out of here.”

Kurt’s smile grew a little bit as he heard what Blaine said. “I always loved your optimism, sweetie. But I just really want you to kiss me one last time and then go live your life, alright?” Kurt’s eyelids were growing heavier and his head felt as if it was melting almost. He knew this was how his life was going to end and even though he hated the fact that he barely got to live it, he still felt at peace being with the man he had planned to spend the rest of his life with. “Tell my dad that I love him and that I’m really sorry,” he whispered. “And promise me you’ll get out of here.”

Blaine was a wreck. What could he say? What could he do? His boyfriend was dying. His best friend, his soul mate, his everything was dying. Deep inside, he knew he couldn’t stop it since he didn’t even have his hands free, so he did what Kurt asked him for. He kissed him hard and passionate, not caring at all that his lip was hurting from being bruised.

“I love you,” he murmured against Kurt’s lips. “I love you I love you I love you. You-You’re going to make it, baby. I-I’ll help you and-“

The older boy cut him off with another kiss on the lips. “It’s okay, Blaine. I love you too and I’ll be okay here. Just make sure my dad eats healthy for me, yeah? I’ll still be with you.” Kurt rested his head against the stone floor again and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. He was still smiling though and it all made him look just as peaceful as he felt.

“This isn’t meant to be,” Blaine said through a wrecked sob and a few tears dropped down to join the pool of blood from Kurt’s head on the floor.

“I don’t think it is either. But it’s happening and we can’t change that. Courage, Blaine,” he said, his voice small but firm.

“Courage,” the crying man repeated. “C-Courage.”

“Courage,” Kurt whispered one more time and that word became the last thing to ever be said by Kurt Elizabeth Hummel.

The following morning, people all over the world heard about the boy who managed to escape his kidnappers even though he suffered from a severe head injury and about the boy who was killed by the same kidnappers.

Nothing was ever quite the same after that, but life went on. Blaine went to become a Broadway star along with Rachel. After many years of trying to let go of his long lost love, Blaine got married to James, a guy he met in New York who helped him through his heartache. They adopted two kids and really did live a good life together. Rachel married her high school sweetheart Finn, who took over Burt’s tire shop. Burt and Carole both lived healthy and happy lives until they passed away from nothing but age.

Every year on Kurt’s death day, the Hudmel family plus Blaine would all gather in Ohio so they could visit the graveyard, which was always followed by watching The Wizard of Oz and Wicked, Kurt’s favorite musicals. Burt was the one who insisted on watching The Wizard of Oz first though. It had been Elizabeth Hummel’s favorite as well and somehow, it was a little bit comforting to know that his wife and son had both died on the same day, although many years apart. It brought him some type of closure that he couldn’t quite explain.

Elizabeth was up there with him right now and she was so proud of her son for the man he managed to become, even at the young age of eighteen. Soon, Burt would be there as well with them but until then, he had another family to take care of. And even though things were never as good as they would have been, they were okay.