The plane ride was short, and before he knew it, Kurt was searching the crowd at baggage claim for the familiar face of his brother.

“KURT!” There he was. Finn rushed forward and quickly engulfed him in a huge hug that lifted Kurt off the ground.

“Can’t. Breathe,” Kurt wheezed.

“Sorry, bro! I’ve just missed you!”

“Missed you, too, Finn,” Kurt said when his feet were back on solid ground. “This is Blaine, by the way. My boyfriend.”

Finn offered his hand and Blaine shook it. “Nice to finally meet you, Blaine. Kurt’s told me a lot about you.”

Kurt and Finn talked non-stop during the two-hour-long drive from Columbus to Lima. Blaine learned a lot about Kurt from listening to the brothers catch up.

He found out that Kurt was still primary owner of his father’s garage, but he was signing over control of it to Finn this weekend.

Also this weekend, Kurt planned to meet with lawyers to get Finn’s name put on the deed to the Hummel house, where Finn, Finn’s wife Sarah, and Carol still lived.

“I feel like I can finally let go,” Kurt said with an adoring smile towards Blaine. “I held on for so long. But it’s time.”

“...And he thought that Burt liked me better than him, so he started watching football and dressing in plaid flannel shirts and trucker hats. Oh, and he dated this ditzy blonde cheerleader, Brittany-”

“NO!” Blaine gasped, looking at Kurt with wide, teasing eyes.

“Yeah! Burt walked in on them making out once.”

“Kurt, your face is so red!”

“Shut up, Blaine!”

The three dissolved into laughter.

“I have so many stories to tell you, Blaine. There is SO much you need to know about our Kurtie.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that! And PLEASE don’t embarrass me too much.”

“It’s not ME you should be worried about...”

Kurt sighed. “And how is mom?”

Finn’s face fell slightly, lips drawn into a tight line as he stared pointedly at the road.

“She... she’s sad. It’s like she’s in a funk and she can’t get out of it,” she sighed heavily. “She misses dad.”

A thick silence settled over the car and remained until the old Ford pulled into the familiar driveway ten minutes later. Finn killed the engine and gave Kurt’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze before climbing out of the truck.

Just like dad would do, Kurt thought fondly.

It was easy, Blaine found, to quickly become comfortable around the “Hudmels”-- as Finn called the blended family.

Carol was wonderful. He could tell she was worn down, though. Lines had crept across her forehead and her eyes looked tired and distant.

But she was poised, strong.

She held her head high as she welcomed Blaine into her home with a warm embrace.

“You have a beautiful family,” Blaine said later that night as they readied for bed.

“They are. I’m so lucky.” Kurt slid into bed, pulling the covers back for Blaine.

“So what are your plans for tomorrow?” Blaine asked as he tossed his shirt and pants next to the suitcase and joined Kurt under the faded quilt.

Kurt snuggled into Blaine’s arms. “Oh I’m meeting with the lawyer at noon. And I want to check on things at the garage.”

Kurt intertwined their fingers, their hands resting on Blaine’s chest.

“I’ll go visit my dad on Sunday.”

Blaine placed a kiss to Kurt’s hair.

“You can come with me. If you want.”

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes.”

The next evening, Blaine settled on the couch with Finn, drinking a Bud and yelling at the Buckeyes game on ESPN.

Kurt was in his basement bedroom going through the closet where all of his old stuff had accumulated. Sarah was helping him sort the items into ‘keep,’ ‘trash,’ and ‘Goodwill’ piles.

“Kurt, is this a cheerleading uniform?”

“Oh, God. Get rid of that!”

“Are you sure Blaine doesn’t want to see it?” Sarah winked.

“Don’t you dare! He would NEVER let me live it down.”

The ‘trash’ and ‘Goodwill’ piles continued to grow the further into the closet they got. There were so many memories hidden in boxes and bags, not all happy, either. He found several designer shirts covered in bright red stains.

“Slushies,” he explained to Sarah. “The bullies at McKinley used to get a kick out of tossing them in my face. And these shirts are Alexander McQueen. I just couldn’t part with them.” He threw the shirts forcefully into the ‘trash’ pile.

From the back corner of the closet, Sarah pulled a small cardboard box. Inside were seven notebooks.

“Journals,” Kurt said, flipping open the one on top.

“September 20, 2010,” it read. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“These are my journals from high school. I wrote everything in here. Every instance of bullying. Every solo in glee club. Everything.”

“So... trash?”

“No. I’m going to burn them.”

“Hey, babe, where’re you going?” Blaine called as Kurt stomped through the den with the cardboard box under his arm.

“To start a fire.”

Finn and Blaine exchanged worried looks before bolting from the couch to catch up with Kurt.

“Why are you starting a fire?”

“Will you get some wood from behind the shed?”

“If you tell me what you’re doing!”

“I’m burning my past, Finn.”

With the fire burning brightly and a nod towards Blaine, Finn retreated to the house, mumbling something about marshmallows. Blaine sat down on the grass next to Kurt.

Kurt opened the first journal and began reading aloud. Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt’s shoulders as he spoke of his tormented past.

He spoke of bullies and unhelpful teachers, slushies and dumpsters, getting pushed into lockers and getting tripped in the hallways.

And then the forced kiss in the locker room. Being so fed up that he couldn’t take it anymore, standing up for himself, finally, and losing his first kiss to a closeted jock. He spoke of the threats to his life if he told anyone. He spoke of living everyday in fear, not having anyone to confide it, and being afraid to look people in the eyes for months afterward.

He read every word in the seven journals in a strong, unwavering voice. He didn’t break down. He didn’t cry. He felt Blaine, real and warm and close. And he felt definite, invincible. He was no longer that scared, lonely little boy.

No more.

He laid each notebook into the orange flames and watched them become nothing more than black ashes against the wood.

And they sat there, until the moon was high in the sky and all that was left of the fire was a glowing pile of ember and ash.

“It’s done.”

“Are you ok?”

Kurt turned to face Blaine, cupping his face with both hands. He nodded slowly. “Kiss me.”

Blaine closed the distance quickly, letting their lips mould together sweetly. Almost immediately, Kurt deepened the kiss, moaning softly into Blaine’s mouth. He pulled back after a few long moments, panting and resting his forehead against Blaine’s.

“Let’s go inside.”

The morning hours of the following day were spent lazily in bed. They held each other close, talking quietly, sharing slow kisses and soft touches.

Sarah forced them out of bed for lunch, and later they found themselves sprawled out on the couch watching football with Finn.

When the late afternoon sun shone through the windows, Kurt extracted himself from Blaine’s arms. “It’s time.”

Kurt and Blaine stood at the entrance to the Lima Memorial Cemetery.

“Do you mind giving me a few minutes alone?”

“Whatever you need, babe,” Blaine whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek.

Kurt walked the familiar path to the small twin stones that marked his parent’s graves.

“Hi, mom. Hi, dad,” he spoke aloud, like he did every time he visited. Back when he still lived at home, he would come here almost every week to talk to his mom. It was a comfort to him, a way to hold on to the memory of her.

After his dad died, however, it was a few months before he was able to visit. It was too painful.

“Life is pretty good right now. I love New York still. Probably even more now.”

Kurt talked about Carol and Finn and Sarah. He talked about the coffee shop and the garage. And he talked about Blaine.

“I met someone. Blaine. He’s wonderful. I met him in the coffee shop, actually. We... we’re in love. And I am finally, incredibly happy.”

Kurt wiped away the tears that ran down his cheeks. “I just wish he could meet you. Both of you. I think you’d really like him, dad. He had a hard time with his parents. He could have used someone like you in his life... He... he’s here now, actually.”

Kurt stood and looked around, spotting Blaine sitting on a bench under a shade tree. Catching Blaine’s eye, he smiled and nodded.

When Blaine reached him, Kurt wrapped his arm around Blaine’s waist.

“Blaine, meet Elizabeth and Burt Hummel. Mom, dad, meet my boyfriend.”

Blaine squatted down, running a hand over each stone reverently.

“I love your son,” Blaine said without preamble. “And I’m not going anywhere. I will take care of him and I will treat him right. I promise.”

Blaine stood, reaching to wipe the fresh tears from Kurt’s cheeks. “I love you.”

Kurt covered his face with his hands, letting out a strangled sob.

“Baby?” Blaine asked worriedly. “Kurt, what is it?”

It took a few minutes for Kurt to compose himself enough to speak.

“I... I just... Blaine, you’re wonderful. You’re amazing and you’re perfect and you’re so good to me. And I almost lost you. This fucking idiot almost took you away from me!” Kurt cried anew, shaking, his body wracked with uncontrollable sobs.

“Oh, baby,” Blaine whispered, gathering Kurt into his arms. “I’m still here. I’m here.”

“I know b-but you almost weren’t and I don’t know what I would have done... I still don’t know what I’d do if I had to bury...” Kurt broke off with a hiccup.

“Shhhh, baby, look at me. Hey, look at me. Kurt, you are so strong. You are strong and you are capable and you are so very, very brave. You’ve been through so much and you’re still here.

“You fought and you survived. And God-forbid anything should ever happen to me, you have to promise me you’ll fight again. And you will, you will survive, Kurt.

“Promise me, Kurt Hummel. Promise me you’ll never give up. Promise me!”

Kurt swallowed the lump in his throat. “I-I promise,” he whispered.

“Blaine, do you want to go visit your parents’ graves while we’re here?”

“W-what?” Blaine asked incredulously.

“Well, we're here and I know you haven’t been back since they died. You don’t have to, I was just thinking you might want to.”

“I... I can’t... not yet. Maybe... maybe next year.”

Kurt nodded in understanding.

“I love you, babe.”

“I love you, too, Blaine.”