When Blaine was finally sat on the plane, he didn’t feel nervous or sad, he felt relieved. He could only look forward now, no regrets. The past couple of days had been awful. He had been forced to re-pack his bags several times and his parents had been nagging on and on about all of the papers he had to bring. His mom had been extra affectionate and cuddly. Blaine didn’t like it. He knew it meant nothing to her, but she just wanted to act like all normal mothers would act if their sons were going away for a year. The only “person” Blaine had been generally sad about saying goodbye to was his dog. Molly was the one creature who truly understood him and knowing that she was thirteen years old, there was a big risk that she would be dead when he came home.

“Excuse me, I think that’s my seat, mate.” A voice woke him from his daydreaming. Blaine had the seat closest to the aisle.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” he said and stood up, allowing the other boy to take the window seat. He watched him get situated. He hummed to himself and looked out the window. The boy was… Well, he was a little cute, Blaine had to admit. Not his type though. He was wearing a simple t-shirt, tucked in a little under his jeans. His brown hair wasn’t exactly styled, but it wasn’t a mess either. He looked a little younger than Blaine, but maybe he was just imagining it. He had a thick Irish accent, which surprised Blaine. They were on a plane from Rome to New York, after all.

The Irish suddenly turned and caught Blaine looking at him.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I should have introduced myself. I’m Rory Flanagan. I’m going to America to be an exchange student.” Rory took Blaine’s hand and shook it warmly.

“Oh,” Blaine said. “Well, I am, too. Are you going with AFS?” Blaine had looked around for many different programs online with his mother, but they had decided that AFS sounded like the best one. So far, everything had been very good with them.

“I am!” said Rory enthusiastically. “Are you flying again after New York?”

Blaine nodded. “I’m going to Lima, Ohio.”

“No way, mate!” Rory said with wide eyes. “I am, too! Which school have you been placed at?”

“Ehm…” Blaine reached to the seat pocket to look at his papers, he easily forgot names of things. “McKinley High, I think.”

Rory’s eyes lit up. “We’ll be at the same school! That’s so awesome. I already made a new friend! My mom’s going to be so happy when-“ An announcement cut him off mid-sentence. The seat belt sign lit up and they both fastened themselves to their chairs.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I caught your name…” Rory said, turning to Blaine again.

“Right! I’m Blaine Anderson. I’m from Rome, but I’m guessing you’re not…? You just sound sort of eh… Irish, I guess.” Blaine blushed. This could be awkward if he was wrong.

“That’s correct,” Rory giggled. “I had to go over here to take the flight across the ocean. Pretty stupid according to me, since I’m going in the wrong direction, but I guess it was cheaper,” he shrugged. “I don’t really mind.”

During the eleven hour flight, Blaine came to really like Rory. Sure, he was different from the people Blaine was used to, but he was nice. They talked about their expectations and hopes mostly, but also about school and their host families.

“I have a super cute girl in my family,” Rory blushed as he spoke. “Her name is Brittany and she’ll be a senior this year…” Rory’s eyes went dreamy as he stared up into the ceiling with a smile on his lips.

Blaine thought about mentioning the fact that he had the most gorgeous boy he had ever seen in his family, but he decided against it. He didn’t want to ruin his new friendship by admitting that he was gay, not this early. So he kept quiet about it, at least for now.

When they eventually landed in New York, Rory looked exhausted. Blaine had been able to sleep for a few hours, but Rory had claimed that he was too nervous to even close his eyes. They walked around on the huge airport for a while, wondering what to do. Half an hour later, they found an AFS volunteer who helped them get where they were supposed to go. They checked in their bags again and soon enough, they were sat on the plane. This time, they didn’t sit together. Blaine had seat 46E and Rory 13B. The flight was three hours long and they both slept through it. When Blaine woke up, they were set to land in twenty minutes. That’s when it hit him. He was going to meet his family in half an hour. Normally, AFS students would have an arrival orientation before they went to their families, but since there had been some problems with Blaine’s visa, he had been forced to go a bit later. He didn’t know why Rory went later though… He’d have to ask him.

When they touched ground in Lima, Ohio, Blaine smiled. For one year, this would be his home.

:)

Kurt had been nervous the whole day. He would never admit it though. The boy on the photo, his new brother was so… beautiful. Yes, beautiful was the right word. With dark, curly hair, big eyebrows, slightly tanned skin, a killing smile with white teeth and a well trained body, the guy was perfect. Kurt couldn’t wait to see him with his own eyes.

“Now, remember to be welcoming and-“

“We know!” all three boys in the Hudson-Hummel family burst out. Carole had gone through everything a million times and honestly, it just made them more nervous.

“Just trying to help,” she muttered.

“We know, honey,” said Burt and put a hand on her knee. “But I think we’ve all understood by now.”

The airport wasn’t very crowded, so their sign that said “WELCOME, BLAINE” was fairly obvious. Something caught Kurt’s eye right next to him. He turned his head and-

“Brittany?” he asked, completely surprised.
“Kurt!” she squealed and hugged him tight. Kurt could see the sign she held in her hand. It said “Welcome, the greenest of the green” and had green stars painted all around it. Kurt frowned.

“Are you also hosting an exchange student this year?” he asked, finding it hard to believe.

“Sure we are! Rory from Ireland, where everything is green,” she grinned.

“Brit, I’m not sure-“ He was cut off by someone pulling at his arm.

“He’s coming,” Finn whispered. Kurt turned around and when he saw the boy, he could barely breathe. He was even more beautiful in person. Blaine was looking around, searching for his family and when he saw them, his gaze landed on Kurt first. Blue met hazel and everything else disappeared.