He was a lot of things.

The whispers of reminders in Kurt's subconscious told him that Ben was a lot more than he thought, but Kurt pushed those feelings aside, because he knew if he acknowledged them, all hell would break loose.
Ben's advocacy was admirable. Desirable. He was young and fresh, and it made Kurt want to do better; to be better.

In the short time they walked around headquarters, he taught Kurt how to see from new perspectives, how to not reject things outright without critical thought. He made Kurt want to be Kal rather than the ghost of his real name he was born with 18 years ago.

Kurt learned that Ben was orphaned by parents who didn't want him. He bounced around foster homes until he came of age and decided to join the cause. Kurt was struck by how well-rounded he was with such a troubled upbringing.

They couldn't stop talking. They couldn't stop staring. They couldn't stop touching.

After what felt like sharing a lifetime of experiences and inner-thoughts, easier than it had been for Kurt in his entire life with basically a perfect stranger, they made their way into the hall to listen to his father's opening speech of the recruitment ceremony.

They sat close on uncomfortable chairs near the front. Electricity was flowing through them, their arm hairs on edge as they brushed with each adjusting position. Kurt breathed easily and listened to Ben doing the same, picking up on the subtle scent of his sweet breath and fruity hair gel.

Burt took the stage and Kurt heard Ben inhale sharply in awe, sitting more straight in his chair. Kurt's body thrummed with the need to hold him closer until they were just one person, but he managed to contain the urge, mostly because he didn't understand it.

"We were not put on this planet for the purpose of another."

Kurt looked over and saw Ben's eyes shining with pure delight at Burt's opening words, resounding and powerful. The room was silent and respectful.

"We were put on this planet for ourselves. We are allowed to be selfish in this one short life we are given. We are not to take anything for granted."

Even though Kurt has heard this speech hundreds of times over, it never failed to captivate him. This was the root of it all. The root of everything this was started with a small idea a man told his son years ago that had sparked a movement that others found worthy of joining. There was some point in each of these individuals lives where they felt the same exact way.

They knew the truth of Burt's words just as much as Kurt did.

"What we do here is not an act of rebellion, it's an act of integrity. Nothing is more important than that."

Ben took Kurt's hand suddenly, and he nearly fell off his chair.

"We should believe in our own self-worth over another," Burt continued, his speech coming from a place that Kurt will never be lucky enough to understand. "We should believe that something given to us involuntarily by no means of explanation shouldn't conduct the way we live our lives. It should be supplemental at very best."

There were murmurs of assent amongst the crowd, and it swelled Kurt's heart.

"There was a time long ago that the blank wrist we were born with stayed that way for the duration of one's life," Burt explained, his voice throaty and meaningful. "People discovered love, orientation, and lifetime mates on their own without being told beforehand. It is presumptuous to think that some higher power bestowed this gift upon us to make our short lives easier. It has only made the world more complicated."

Kurt nodded, squeezing Ben's hand, and the returned feeling sent jolts of thrill to his heart. Complicated, that's for sure.

"-blank wristers, our brethren when exiled from the rest of the world, we take them in and tell them the world has grown weary. I believe in love friends, so much so that I give you these words of wisdom. I believe in love, but with pace and progress because ultimately that is truth."

Burt concluded and the entire room erupted in ear-splitting cheers and applause. Letting go of Ben's hand made Kurt's wrist hurt, but he clapped harder to mask the feeling.

He then turned to Ben and saw him wipe a tear from his crinkled, happy eye. This was new promise, it gave Kurt great inspiration, reaffirming everything he believed in. Then like a petulant child, his wrist tingled again. Kurt jostled his wrist cuff to scratch it away.

"Now my son shall give a few words regarding rules and regulations."

Kurt heard his name through the microphone and jumped a bit. It was like he forgot where he was when concentrated on Ben's beautiful face. He really needed to pull himself together, especially today of all days.

"My son, Kal, everybody," Burt announced, and the audience gave Kurt a generous welcome to the podium as he made his way up. Burt hugged his son and the crowd sighed happily.

Kurt took a deep breath. This was all routine. The words were memorized and imprinted time and again that gave Kurt no fear of public speaking any longer.

"Thank you father for offering your words to us. Welcome to those who first join us-"

Kurt's eyes met Ben's in the crowd, and he only faltered for a microsecond.

"And welcome back to those who have been with us."

Kurt cleared his throat again. "As expected, it is forbidden to speak of the name on your wrist with another. If you do so, we assume you do not wish to be here and you may take off your cuff and leave us for other pursuits. The cuff is there for a reason, as a representation of what we all stand for. However, if you do wish to divulge your true name, it is completely up to your discretion. Adopting an alias may not be easy, but it is advisable. Please keep these thoughts in mind, and remember, we're on a first name basis here."

He received hearty applause, and couldn't help but smile, the burning in his cheeks more excitement than anything else. He twisted the cuff around his wrist again, swallowing excess saliva in his mouth.

"Now we feast."

Kurt made his way through the crowd, trying to not look too distressed when he couldn't find Ben right away. Just as he started to have a mini panic attack, which he didn't understand at all someone's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, pain flaring more searing and potent. Kurt bit his lip to hide his expression.

"Hey," Ben greeted breathlessly, squeezing between an obese couple looking around with dazed eyes. "Wanna eat with me?"

Ben's smile was so cute Kurt felt like he was going to melt down into his shoes, but he merely nodded, leading the way as Ben pressed into his wrist to not lose him through the masses.

Later at dinner, between mouthfuls, Kurt started to suspect that Ben was even more trouble than he let on.

He had asked, "Burt... is that really your father's true name?"

Kurt still couldn't help but smile at Ben's curiosity despite the warning bells going off in his brain. He decided to be ballsy.

"It is," Kurt affirmed.

Ben chewed thoughtfully, contemplating. Kurt admired the delicate way he feasted.

"So I could probably find his last name somewhere online couldn't I? By consequence, yours too."

Ben quirked an eyebrow, and Kurt frowned. "Impossible."

"How so?"

Kurt swallowed. "My father shed his last name so long ago, before he was anybody. You'd have more luck finding the name on his wrist-"

Kurt halted, regretting what he had said right away. Around Ben, he seemed to have a loose mouth and a muddled brain because that was something he would have never discussed so easily in the past.

He thought of his father's wrist cuff, similar to Kurt's in design but worn with age. It had character. Burt bore a tan line so stark that the skin underneath probably was raw, just like the forbidden name.

"Was it your mother?" Ben asked in hushed tones, venturing to dangerous territory.

He really knew how to strike a nerve, didn't he? Kurt wanted to tell Ben that he didn't even know the answer to that question, his father never once told him. Kurt never asked, it wasn't his business.

"We aren't supposed to be talking about this," Kurt hissed, feeling wounded and vulnerable under Ben's empathetic gaze.

Their conversation dulled to uncomfortable silence until one of Kurt's lifelong friends, Rachel (known to the rest of the world as 'Raven') came and sat with them, discussing the details of Burt's next television appearance.

It was a nice distraction since the dull burn in Kurt's wrist turned to scorching until sundown, when it finally settled and went away.

That night, Kurt dreamt of Ben for the first time.