“Please tell me you’re not planning on getting married in that,” he breathed out before he could stop himself.

Blaine just cracked a smile. “Of course not.” He went around to the back door of the car and opened it, reaching into the back seat and pulling out a garment bag. He laid the bag across the trunk of the car to reveal a white suit jacket and black pants ensemble and Kurt approved of it so hard it was ridiculous. Blaine was going to look amazing.

At least his soon-to-be husband was gorgeous. It would not be a hardship to be married to someone as good looking and kind as Blaine seemed to be.

“Perfect,” Kurt murmured. “I have mine hanging up inside. I’ll go get it and we can hit the road.”

Blaine followed him inside. “This is nice,” he said.

“It was my dad’s pride and joy,” Kurt replied. “He built this place from the ground up.” He paused, lifting the garment bag containing his own clothes off a hook in the office. None of the staff guys were paying them any attention, each of them focused on the cars they were working on. “This place is why I need the money. If we lose it, then we lose everything.”

“We won’t let that happen,” Blaine promised, and Kurt’s breath caught in his throat. Blaine looked so earnest, so passionate. Kurt felt a little choked up at such an overt display for a shop that Blaine had never been in until that moment.

“Thank you,” Kurt whispered. “This place… being here, it’s like he’s still here, you know?”

Blaine nodded. “Should we go?” he asked after a moment.

“Yeah,” Kurt agreed. “Let’s go.”

*

Kurt was quiet for the first bit of the drive, but Blaine didn’t mind. Once he’d complimented Kurt’s car, they’d fallen into a mostly comfortable, if slightly awkward, silence. Kurt hummed along with the radio occasionally and Blaine closed his eyes and listened.

“Do you sing?” he found himself asking. Kurt smiled, glancing at him quickly before putting his eyes back on the road.

“I do, actually. I’m part of my school’s glee club – well, I was.”

Blaine laughed, though he could tell there was a story behind Kurt’s quitting. “So am I,” he said. “At least we have that in common.” Kurt laughed too. “I’m going to NYU in the fall for musical theater.”

Kurt turned to look at him again, gaping a little before focusing back on the road a second time. “I was…” he started slowly. “I was going to audition for NYADA – the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts,” Kurt offered. “I canceled it because there was no way I would be able to afford to go. But now… maybe I can reapply and go next year.”

“You should definitely do that,” Blaine encouraged. “I don’t ever want you to think that just because we’re married that you can’t do something.” He hated see that pained look in Kurt’s eyes – no one should have a look like that on their face.

“You haven’t even heard me sing,” Kurt teased, apparently trying to lighten the mood, “How do you know I’m any good?”

“Touch�,” Blaine agreed.

“I’m amazing, actually,” Kurt continued, and Blaine laughed again. “Our glee club won a lot of competitions the last few years – we just took Nationals.”

“You’re a member of New Directions?” Blaine asked, staring at Kurt with wide eyes. “You guys are fantastic.”

“You’ve heard of us?” Kurt looked surprised.

“We competed against you for two years in a row,” Blaine answered. “Dalton Academy Warblers.” Blaine pointed to himself.

“I don’t remember you,” Kurt said after moment. “I would have definitely remembered you.”
Blaine flushed at what he hoped was a compliment. “Well, we went against you for Sectionals last year and this year, we were against you for Regionals.”

“Oh.” Kurt’s voice was quiet. “I missed Sectionals last year for… personal reasons. I didn’t see you at Regionals though?”

Kurt’s tone went a little weird when he said ‘personal reasons,’ but Blaine didn’t want to call him on it. It was better that they kept this light. They could get to know each other better over the next few months – he hoped, at least. “I was out with an eye injury – took a lacrosse stick to the face during gym class. I had to have surgery and everything.”

“Wow,” Kurt replied.

“Pretty sure that’s why you guys won.” Blaine gave him a cheeky grin and Kurt laughed. He decided he liked Kurt’s laugh and vowed to make him do it as much as possible.

“Oh, that sounds like a challenge.” Kurt raised an eyebrow at him, one hand reaching for the radio dial. Blaine grinned.

“Bring it on.”

*

The drive wasn’t that long (though Kurt thought Blaine might be getting a little antsy when they got close to the border – after all, he’d driven three hours to Lima before turning around and hopping in car with Kurt for another two to three hour drive), and soon they were making their way through customs and crossing the border into Canada.

Getting through customs was an experience, but they didn’t have anything to declare and Blaine had told a small fib, indicating they were going to stay with family, and the guard had let them right through after going over their ID’s and passports.

Kurt never thought he’d see the day when he’d travel to another country – let alone Canada, or with the intent to get married there. Blaine programmed the address of the chapel into their GPS once they crossed over. The atmosphere in the car grew slowly uncomfortable. Panic was suddenly gripping him. He was really doing this. He was in Canada with a guy he barely knew and he was going to get married and how had this become this life? Kurt licked his dry lips and tried to keep his breathing under control. He was driving; he needed to keep it together. He could fall apart later.

Kurt steered the car toward City Hall. He and Blaine had to get their marriage license and then they would have an appointment with the officiator of the ceremony for a quick interview before he married them. Kurt was a little nervous about it – he had no idea what they would be asked. It wasn’t like they were marrying for love or anything and even if that was the lie they were going to perpetuate to his family, he wasn’t sure he could lie to the government either.

Getting the marriage license went quickly and they decided to go ahead and search out the room where the ceremonies took place. They found it without difficulty and realized they still had over an hour before they were due inside.

“Why don’t we find somewhere to have a snack or something?” Blaine suggested. Kurt agreed, though he didn’t think he could eat. The knot in his stomach was stretched to the breaking point and the thought of food made him feel kind of sick. Still, he followed after Blaine, who led them down a nearby street to a restaurant. Kurt ended up ordering for them in French (something Blaine had been incredibly impressed by, and Kurt had blushed at his praise). They took their food outside to eat, even though the sky was overcast.

Kurt picked at his food while they made awkward small talk. Blaine finally asked about his family and Kurt felt the burn of tears against his eyes as he thought of how his father would miss his wedding. He blinked them back and answered Blaine in a steady voice. “Well, my father’s deceased, like I said,” he began. “But I have a stepmother and a stepbrother and we’re very close.”

“Must be nice,” Blaine muttered. Kurt sensed a story there – Blaine’s need to get this trust released combined with his homelessness issue after graduation led to a lot of speculation. “Where do they think you are?”

“School, then shopping with a friend,” Kurt told him. “I told my stepbrother – Finn, his name is Finn – that I was working at the shop and not to bother me.”

“I hate that you’re lying to them,” Blaine murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“I’d be lying to them anyway,” Kurt replied. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.” Blaine took a bite of his sandwich and motioned for Kurt to continue while he chewed. “I’m going to tell them that we’ve known each other for a while and we eloped because we couldn’t wait any longer to be together.” His cheeks burned at his words and Kurt could feel Blaine’s stunned eyes on him.

Possessed by a need to explain, Kurt kept talking. “It’s just… if Carole – my stepmother – finds out I married you for money, I can’t even imagine what her reaction would be. She’ll still be upset that I did this if I tell her it was for love, but she’ll understand it better.”

“So when we’re around them – and we will be a lot since we’ll be living with them for a bit – we’re going to have to pretend to be so in love we’d run off an get married?” Blaine asked.

“Unless you have a better idea?” Kurt wanted to know, feeling helpless.

Blaine shook his head after a moment. “No, it’s the least I can do for asking you to give up a year of your life for me.”

“Thank you,” Kurt whispered.

“Our interview is in a few minutes. We should go.” Kurt got up alongside Blaine and gathered up their trash.

*

Blaine wasn’t sure what to expect from the interview process. He certainly wasn’t expecting Kurt to get sentimental about his father and turn on the charm with the officiate, a perky woman named Amanda. He was, however, stumped by the news that they needed two witnesses.

That’s why he was currently outside the facility, dressed in his wedding outfit, looking for a couple to help them out. He spotted an older, friendly looking couple walking by and put on his most charming smile.

They never knew what hit them and Blaine had them agreeing within moments.

That taken care of, he headed back inside to collect Kurt from the bathroom, where his intended groom was still changing. When Kurt walked out in a white dress shirt and black dress pants with a top hat perched on his head, Blaine’s mouth fell open in shock. “Wow,” he managed. “You look… nice.” He struggled for a word, cringing internally at ‘nice’ – Kurt looked so much better than just ‘nice.’

“Thanks,” he replied. “You look good, too.”

“The Hummel-Anderson party?” someone called.

“This is it,” Blaine replied, smiling softly. Kurt looked a little stricken, like he was nervous, so Blaine took his hand. Kurt gave him a shocked glance but then gripped it tightly as they went inside the ceremony room. It was beautifully decorated and there was soft music playing in the background. After going over a couple of things, noting the witnesses (whom Kurt was very startled to see) the ceremony started. Blaine kept his eyes on Kurt, who still looked panicked. Blaine made sure he was smiling reassuringly when it was Kurt’s turn to say ‘I do,’ and kept it up when it was his turn.

Finally, he was told he could kiss his groom. Kurt looked like a deer in headlights now, and Blaine wondered why – surely he’d known they’d have to kiss at least once (more, probably, if they stuck with the “love story” Kurt was planning to sell to his stepmother). Blaine moved very slowly then, cupping Kurt’s face in his hands as he leaned in and pressed their lips together, gently but firmly.

It took Kurt a second to respond but once he did, it was nothing like Blaine had ever felt before in his life.

They broke apart and Blaine could hardly control his breathing, he was so shaken by the feelings that had swept through him. They were pronounced married, and Blaine couldn’t help but grin brightly at Kurt. His husband – husband- was staring at him with a look of shock.

Blaine just tucked Kurt’s hand into the crook of his elbow, thanked everyone and led Kurt out.

“Well, the hard part’s over,” Blaine told him.

Kurt snorted, looking more relaxed now that they were outside. “You think that was the hard part?”

For the second time in two days, Blaine was left to wonder exactly what he’d gotten himself into.