2034

'And that was Kurt's last Christmas at home. He sure had some stories to take with him to New York!'

'I – We still came home for Christmas. It's not like I disappeared off the face of the earth. And now, if we don't come here for Christmas it's because you're coming to the City.'

'But it was different Kurt. We all missed you. Your father more than he'll ever admit.' Carole took Burt's hand.

'If Dad could have, he would have locked me up in a tower or something.' Kurt joked. 'But I just can't rock the Rapunzel look.'

'I would have.' Burt nodded but Ava couldn't imagine her Grandpa ever committing any kind of crime. Not counting eating a greasy burger, which her Dad would probably label a crime. She had the best granddad in the world and nobody was going to convince her otherwise. 'I'm sure Baba would have loved to be your knight in shining armor though.' She giggled.

'Oh, stop it you.' Kurt and Blaine said in perfect unison. They almost felt like it was the only thing they'd been saying to their teenage daughter lately.

2012

'I really prefer larger planes. Like, really.'

'Are you scared Blaine?' Kurt turned to Blaine, some surprise in his eyes.

'Only a little.'

Kurt took Blaine's hand and placed both their hands on his thigh. He stroked the back of Blaine's with his thumb.

'Why? You've flown before, right?'

'I have, I have. But you can feel everything so muchmore when the planes are tiny.'

'Nothing's going to happen, you know that, don't you?'

'I do. I do. I do. … Kurt? Talk to me about New York. Please? You know how to take my mind offthings.'

'Located on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, consolidated in 1898: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.'

'Kuuuuuuuuurt. Come on.'

'Okay, okay, what do you want to know?'

'Are you taking me home? Is New York home to you now or is it still Lima? And you've told me how amazing New York is, you tell me every time we call but does it make you happy Kurt, being there?'

'I don't know if it is home yet. Home is still where my dad is I guess, so that's Lima, maybe when you come to live with me it'll be home. But it is so where I, we, belong, Blaine. I can't explain, the lights, everything, you'll see, you'll feel it. It's spectacular. ' He tried to do some sort of jazz hands, but because he was still holding onto Blaine's hand, it looked rather silly. 'Let's do all of the typical tourist stuff this week. I haven't been able to really go sightseeing yet. We can go to Rockefeller Plaza, did you know the tree has over 30 000 lights? And now that you can skate, we have to take a spin there. And you can play the piano at FAO Schwarz for me and then we can window shop on fifth. The lights, Blaine. And oh, of course New Year's Eve on Times Square.'

'You seem to have it all planned out already.'

'That's because I have!' Kurt giggled, he always got far too carried away. He didn't have dreams, he had plans.

'I really missed that.' Blaine sighed. 'Hearing you laugh to yourself when you realize something.' He clarified when Kurt shot him a puzzled look. 'It's really different from hearing you laugh on the phone, or even watching it on skype.'

'We've got a week B, all to ourselves, to make up for lost time. Just you, me and New York.' Kurt smiled at his boyfriend fondly.

'One week, to make up for four months.' Blaine sulked.

'And our entire life after that.' Kurt let his head rest on Blaine's shoulder. 'Only a couple more months and you'll be out of there too Blaine.'

Blaine looked at his suitcase next to Kurt's, as they stood together in the hall outside of Kurt's apartment. He was pretty sure that this was the only time his bag would be the larger one. He had taken his largest suitcase and only half of it was filled right now. Kurt wouldn't let him leave without half a new wardrobe. Another certainty.

'Got it. Damn lock.' Kurt swung the door to his apartment open. 'After you sir.' He said, holding out his arm to indicate that Blaine could enter.

'Oh my, thanks.' Blaine took the suitcases and squeezed past Kurt through the doorway.

'Oh, wow, it is tiny.' Blaine looked around the apartment and it was odd. A moment ago, riding in a cab around Manhattan, everything about this city had seemed so big.

'Well, welcome to New York.'

Kurt hugged Blaine from behind and started kissing his neck. Blaine had to drop the bags, because Kurt knew exactly how to make him feel welcome.

'Wow.'

The first thing Blaine had seen when he had woken was Kurt, in bed with him, in New York. His mind wandered to how it might be for them, this time next year. This would be their life, their apartment.

'Hmm, yeah, the advantage of having your own apartment huh?' Kurt smiled as he opened his eyes, remembering the previous night.

' It wasn't about that.' Blaine laughed and he kissed Kurt on the cheek. 'Good morning. I just really like waking up next to you. Like, a lot.'

'This isn't the first time you woke up next to me though.'

'No, but I just realized that in a couple of months I'll being doing that every day. And that makes me a happy guy. So what are we doing today?'

'Oh wow, topic change. I've been awake for one minute B. How about we start with a shower and breakfast, huh?'

'A shower? As in one?' Blaine teased.

Kurt nodded and threw off the duvet. 'Catch me if you can!'

'Come on.' Kurt tugged on Blaine's sleeve.

'But Kurt, I'm still looking.' Blaine said, his eyes still fixed on all the billboards for different musicals.

'You can look forever and you'll never have seen it all. Trust me.' Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and added. 'Let's go the visitor's center so that we can write down our wishes on a piece of confetti. And after that coffee and Central Park. We'll pass through Times Square a couple more times, don't worry.'

Blaine looked between the wall, full of wishes in front of him, the small note in his hand and Kurt. 'Kurt? What's your wish?'

'I'm not telling you, that's bad luck! It's one that has to come true, you know.'

'Okay. I'll put mine up here. Maybe you can put yours up on the other far end? That way we don't have to see what the other wished for.'

'My, aren't you smart?' Kurt smiled at Blaine and walked to the other end. Blaine pinned his paper to the wall and took a step back, taking in the bigger picture of it all. It was quite amazing. All these wishes, from all around the world.

'You ready?' Kurt asked, having reached Blaine again. He had to try very hard not to look at the wall. He knew Blaine had a blue confetti and if he'd look at the wall, he would try to find it.

'Yes, coffee!' Blaine took his boyfriend's hand and they left the center, swinging their arms between them.

'This is really good Kurt!' Blaine said as he finished the bowl of soup Kurt had made. This apartment felt like home already.

'Thank you, baby. We need to keep warm tonight. I'll put the leftovers in a thermos and we can take that with us. I'll teach you how to make this soup someday.'

'I'm very good at reheating, thank you very much.' Blaine asked.

'We're going to be living together and I don't plan on cooking every night mister.' Kurt raised his eyebrow.

'I don't expect you to. But I might burn the milk the first couple of times. Or you know, something like that. We can eat plenty of McDonalds when it's my turn to cook.'

'Blaine!' That remark earned Blaine a flying oven mitten. Had the boy forgotten about Kurt's campaign for senior class president?

'Hey!' Blaine ducked to avoid the mitten. 'I was only joking. I'll watch a lot of cooking programs over summer, okay?'

'Deal.'

'So what are we doing this afternoon?' Blaine was really looking forward to tonight, to kissing Kurt when the globe came down, but it wasn't exactly night yet.

'I suggest we only get down to Times Square around six, that's when the show starts. The best viewing areas will already be filled but I don't want to stand there, waiting for 3 hours. I actually hadn't planned anything for this afternoon. What do you want to do?'

'Let's do what we always used to do when we were at each other's house after school.'

'Dance around the room and watch silly reality shows to laugh at the contestants?'

'Exactly!' Because that was precisely what Blaine had missed the most. Being together, doing nothing. 'I'll put these bowls in the sink, you put on some music.'

Kurt decided to just turn on the radio for once, instead of docking his iPod or opening his laptop. He was skipping through channels when he found the perfect song and rushed to the kitchen to drag Blaine into the living room.

'Leave the dishes, dance with me.' They ended up shuffling in circles a bit, pressed into each other. There was really nowhere they could go, they'd bump into the couch or table. But they were fine like this, swaying as one.

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight

When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night

Welcoming in the New Year

New Year's Eve

'Kurt, this is amazing. So many peop-'

'One million, I read somewhere. And one ton of confetti. One, it's a pretty number, isn't it?'

'Two is better.' Blaine said as he pulled Kurt closer. 'But it makes sense, there's a sense of 'one' here. We're all here for the same thing. And everybody's so happy. It's beautiful, Kurt. We fit in here, don't you think?'

'We're squeezed in here. I'm glad I'm not claustrophobic.' Kurt joked, but he really did not want to think about the fact that he was surrounded by one million people, that was a rather daunting thought. 'Aww, they're going to read some of the wishes again. They're all so cute.' Kurt held onto Blaine a little tighter. It really was cold. They'd been here for four hours now.

'Yes, but they're all pretty generic aren't they? I mean, everybody just wants to be happy and find love.'

'But what if they already have that?' Kurt asked. 'What do you wish for then?'

'To keep it, I guess. Things slip away so easily.' Blaine offered.

'This one is from Kurt.' Ryan Seacrest read and Blaine and Kurt immediately locked eyes.

'No way.' Blaine whispered.

'And he wishes that this time next year New York will be home, where Blaine is. Well, that is cute.'

'Well, thank you Ryan.' Kurt huffed slightly.

'Well, thank you Kurt.' Blaine countered and kissed his boyfriend on the lips. 'But that's not a wish, it's a plan. It's our future.'

'You never know, Blaine. Anything can happen. ' He played with the ends of his boyfriends scarf. Blaine took Kurt's hand into his own, looked into his eyes and smiled. 'Nope. Fate is fate. And fate says that I will spend the rest of my life with the person I kiss tonight, as the globe comes down.'

'Sounds like a fairytale.'

'It might just become one.'

'Last wishes we're going to read! I want all blue ones!' Lady Gaga said as she selected only blue confetti's from the container next to her. 'Here we go. Jessica, who's from Belgium wants to find love this year. Well honey, don't we all?'

'I told you!' Blaine nudged Kurt's side.

'Yeah, yeah, mister right.' Kurt said, without thinking too much. When Blaine started laughing he came to realize what he had just said. 'Oh well.' He snorted, Blaine still laughing.

'And the next one is from a certain Blaine.' The artist continued.

'No, no, no.' Kurt shook his head. 'What are the odds?'

'Relax, I'm probably not the only Blaine here.'

'And he hopes fate will make him believe it exists.' Gaga read the little paper.

Kurt's eyes widened. Neither of them said anything. They both knew.

2034

'They read both your wishes? I've never heard of that happening before.' Ava asked. 'And did they both come true?'

'They sure did!' Blaine laughed. 'Because I kissed him when that globe came down, I kissed him good!'

'Ew Baba!'

Rachel started laughing, because both her kids and Ava sported the exact same look of disgust. Teenagers. They didn't want to be doing anything else themselves, but when parents kiss, then all of a sudden, it was something repulsive.

'Ah, come on Ava. Don't you want to kiss someone on New Year's Eve this year?' She asked, her own children shooting her murderous glances.

'Mom! Please!' Barbra came to her cousin's defense, but it was already too late. Ava's face was about as red as the candles on the table.