"Do I love you? Do I hate you?
I can't make up my mind.
So let's free fall, and see where we land."

'Where We Land' by Ed Sheeran

Blaine woke blearily, stretching out an arm, expecting it to rest upon another body. When his hand met only cold air, his eyes flashed open to see an empty bed next to him. The sheets were still rumpled, but the pillow was fluffed and smooth. Blaine felt equal parts dismayed and bitter that Kurt had already left; in a way he should have expected it, although he hoped to wake up next to him regardless.

Blaine rolled over to look at the time on the alarm clock. It read eleven fifteen, just over an hour after the party ended. He untangled his legs from the sheets and glanced around for his underwear, finding them by the end of the bed and pulling them on. He really,reallydidn't want to put his formal wedding attire back on, but he couldn't find a better alternative and ended up pulling on his slacks and buttoning up his dress shirt. A quick glance in the mirror told him that his hair was nowhere near presentable, but it was late and Blaine had a bit of champagne and what he really wanted to do was go home and sleep and not think about Kurt. That last part, of course, would also be the hardest. At least with sleep came some sort of oblivion.

Blaine dragged his fingers through his hair harshly, wondrous at himself for believing that something with Kurt could actually happen again. Sure, Kurt had said he was considering the possibility of getting back together, but his speech had been filled with a lot of hurt that Blaine was positive Kurt hadn't fully dealt with; maybe tonight had been a horrible mistake. What if sleeping together not only hurt their chances at rekindling their relationship, but also wrecked their friendship? It was enough to make Blaine rip his heart out of his chest; if it wasn't in his body, at least he wouldn't have to feel it rip and tear with every wrenching memory of Kurt his mind brought to the surface.

He had been sosurethat they'd relit their flame, once they'd danced and Blaine had sung and everything that needed to be said between them had been spoken with their eyes. But it was just too fast; Blaine should never have booked the room, never dragged Kurt into something that he was still unsure about. He remembered Kurt murmuring 'I love you'into his ear, and it felt like a blow to the gut. Because Blaine, caught up in the moment and the sensations and caught up inKurt, wanted so badly to believe him that he actuallydid.And Kurt had woken up and realized what a huge mistake it had been. Blaine choked off a sob and did his best not to collapse onto the carpet.

Kurt may have left, but he'd left behind his bowtie, so Blaine picked up in and slipped it into his pocket. Blaine wiped his wet eyes with a sleeve, picked up his own discarded tie and suit jacket, and slipped the room key into his pocket. He decided there was really no use staying and breathing in Kurt's lingering scent for much longer. Slipping his shoes on with some difficulty, finally Blaine managed to escape the room. It was only then that he breathed a sigh of relief. Being away from the room already helped him to forget.

But just barely.

Blaine meandered down the hall, head hanging low in fear that someone would see him and recognize the disheveled, depressed look of someone who'd just had sex and then been abandoned. It was mortifying and he just prayed none of his friends would wander out to see him without Kurt. It would require more explaining than he was capable of. He shuffled down the hall, his feet scuffing the rough carpet, his heart squeezing tightly.

Finally Blaine made it to the elevator and pushed the down arrow. The bell chimed and the doors opened, and Blaine found himself face to face with a red-eyed, miserable Kurt.

Wide eyed, Kurt could only gape at Blaine, his lips moving silently. Seeing Kurt made Blaine feel irrationally angry, his cheeks becoming heated.

"Blaine," Kurt sputtered weakly. "You're awake."

"Yes." Blaine crossed his arms over his chest. "You left." His tone was biting, cold.

The doors of the elevator began to close and Kurt dived to put his hand over the door and keep it open. "I . . . yes." His head fell. "I was just coming back up to the room because I forgot my bowtie."

Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out the little fake bowtie with the chain attachment. "Here," he said colorlessly, his voice borderline rude.

Kurt stepped forward, away from the elevator and toward him, taking the bowtie from his hand. He was biting his lip, the way he always did when he had something to say but couldn't word properly. "Look, Blaine, I'm—"

"Sorry?" Blaine cut him off harshly. "For what? Filling me with false hope? For sleeping with me and then running away as soon as we were done? For telling me you loved me?" Blaine swept his hands in front of him in a disregarding manner. "It's fine. Whatever."Fuck you, he said in his head, too afraid to voice it.

"N-No, Blaine, that wasn't my intention at all. I was just very overwhelmed, I needed some fresh air. This is all happening so fast, I wasn't prepared and I really just needed to think things over—"

"Thinkwhatover? I thought you wanted this; I thought you wantedme! Was that a lie? Were you just leading me on so you could get laid? I didn't think you could be so shallow, Kurt."

Kurt felt his anger building, adrenaline flooding his veins as their voices became louder and higher. "That isn't what Isaid! Idowant you, Blaine, but this needs to go slowly! I'm still dealing with what happened before, and what happened with Adam. Can't you see howbrokenI am?" Kurt exclaimed, his voice cracking.

Blaine's heart sank like a rock. The words wouldn't come, no matter how many times he attempted to force something out.

"When Adam hit me after I broke up with him . . . well, it wasn't the first time." Kurt's face was expressionless. Blaine was suddenly very aware of the lack of oxygen around him; he couldn't get enough in his lungs. "It was only occasionally, when he was very drunk. But that's not really an excuse for it." Kurt's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I shouldn't have stayed with him, but I thought that I needed someone, and he was there and he liked me. Only now do I see how stupid I was to stay in that kind of relationship just because I was scared of being alone."

"K-Kurt," Blaine finally choked out. "I don't know what to say—"

"Don't." Kurt reached up and pulled aside his collar. "This mark—" he pointed to an angry red splotch by his ear "—came fromyou, Blaine, in a moment of passion and—andlove. This mark means so much more to me than any mark that came from an act of violence. You'd never hurt me in the way that Adam did; I realized this tonight. I knew I owed it to you to forgive you, when you've gone so out of your way to make me see your regret. Adam was never even sorry afterwards."

Blaine, caught up in the moment and his need to touch Kurt, reached out and wrapped the man up in the gentlest, warmest embrace. "I didn't mean to yell at you," he whispered quietly. "I understand that you're overwhelmed. But when I woke up without you, I'd thought it was over. I thought you ran because you couldn't bear to face me and tell me tonight was a mistake."

"No," said Kurt, resting his chin on Blaine's shoulder. "I don't think it was a mistake. You were so gentle, so careful with me; every time you touched me, I felt . . . cherished? It felt . . . well, it felt like we'd never broken up." He allowed himself a small grin. "I left because I needed to be alone with my thoughts and think about it. I just needed time to process it. It didn't mean anything, I promise."

"Does this, I mean . . . does this mean you want to get back together?" Blaine spoke quietly, a sliver of hope slipping into his voice.

Kurt pretended to think about it for a moment, a finger on his chin mockingly, alleviating some of the tension of the situation. "I think so. If you ask me nicely," he teased.

"Kurt?"

"Yes, Blaine?" Kurt replied, feigning innocence.

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

Kurt smiled, the genuine smile that Blaine felt warm his fingers and toes. He stroked Blaine's cheek thoughtfully, the softest brush of skin against skin. "Yes." After a pause, "I love you Blaine."

Blaine hummed in contentment, wanting to lose himself in the moment but also never wanting to forget the significance of it. "I love you, Kurt. So much." They kissed briefly, and it was so sweet and chaste and so much like their very first. "So what happens now?" Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear, nuzzling against his soft skin.

"I don't really know," Kurt admitted, not having given it much thought, distracted by the sensation of Blaine placing a gentle kiss to the spot below his ear. Then Blaine pulled back, brushing a stray hair from Kurt's face, finally facing his brilliant blue eyes and losing himself in their depths.

"Let's just . . . free fall, and see where we land."