Blaine let his right hand wander down to Kurt's waist, as the left one made its way to the other boy's hair.

"Kurt...", he sighed, unable to stop himself,

He knew Kurt tended to freak out a little whenever he did that, but this time, however, he was rewarded with a kiss on his neck, followed by a tiny bite. He let out a louder moan, relishing in the fact that no one could hear them because they were alone in an apartment in Los Angeles and... was that someone knocking on the bedroom door ? Did someone just break into -

"K-Kurt ? I-I know you're awake..."

Both boys froze at the same time. This was impossible. FINN ?

The incomprehension on Kurt's face matched his thoughts and they both leaped off the bed at the same time, looking around in awe.

"KURT ! WE'RE BACK !", Blaine whisper-shouted,

"OH MY GOD ! IS - IS THIS REAL ?"

Kurt literally threw himself into Blaine arms, almost sending them both rolling on the floor.

"But how did that happen ?", Blaine asked, a huge smile breaking into his face,

"I have no idea, we didn't do anything, we just -"

"Kurt", Finn said from behind the door, "please, if your dad gets up and -"

"Oh for the love of God !", Kurt shouted,

He walked towards the door, pulling it open so suddenly that Finn jumped two feet back.

"Are you a moron ?", Kurt asked, "It's -", he glanced at the clock on the nearest shelf, "-not even 6 yet, my dad won't be awake before 6:30, and we are supposed to get up earlier to finish packing, but I am done, Finn, and I won't be seeing Blaine for a week, so if you could please just get. Away. From my room !"

Finn's jaw dropped and he nodded shakily, hurrying back to the other end of the corridor. Blaine chuckled and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist from behind.

"He probably wanted you to help him pack."

"Yeah, I guess... well that's his problem, New York can handle his horrible wardrobe. I'm sure it won't be the worst that's ever been seen on its streets. I mean, we are bringing Rachel along."

Blaine snorted and kissed Kurt's neck tenderly.

"You know, I think I have an idea as to what might've happened."

Kurt closed his bedroom door and turned around, placing one hand on Blaine's cheek and leaning closer, smiling as he gave him a soft peck on the lips.

"What are you thinking about ?"

"I-I... well, you know yesterday, I stayed behind with Darren a little, right ? In the dream ?"

"Uh-hu."

"Well, he said he'd tell Chris about his feelings once they'd be back in their world. Maybe he... did it earlier than expected ?"

Kurt smiled.

"Oh, I hope that's what happened, they both deserve it so much -" wait. A kiss ? That's all it took ?"

Blaine shrugged.

"I guess. Well, actually, I don't know about you but I sure had a bigger rush of adrenaline during that kiss than when I jumped."

Kurt blushed, avoiding Blaine's gaze.

"Y-yeah, me too. I didn't think kissing could do that. But I guess it's... I mean, after everything you said and...", he paused, biting his lips, "you said you loved me."

Blaine chuckled at Kurt's expression. It was like he was trying to tame his joy, not letting it show, like he'd done after the first few weeks of their relationship.

At first Blaine had thought something was wrong, that Kurt wasn't happy - turns out it was the exact opposite. He was too happy and afraid Blaine would run away.

Blaine had then had no other choice but to admit that he'd had a breakdown the night after their first kiss and had jumped on his bed, giggling like a maniac. After that confession Kurt had let himself show his emotions a little more, and Blaine was glad.

Kurt Hummel wasn't one to open up to others.

But Blaine was reaching new levels of trust everyday.

"That's because I do. I love you, Kurt."

"I love you too."

"Say it again ?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and moved so that his lips were almost touching Blaine's earlobe.

"I love you", he whispered,

Blaine blushed and tightened his grip on Kurt's waist.

"I can't wait for our lives to begin. You know, in New York and all and -"

"Blaine, our lives have already begun. It's worth the wait, right ? Besides, there're still plenty of things to look forward to this summer and next year."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Kurt's tone. His voice had reached octaves so low Blaine felt some shivers run down his spine. It was a voice he only used when they - oh. Yes, well, that was most certainly something to look forward to.

He smiled and leaned closer to Kurt, lips ghosting over his, when he was interrupted by his phone, classical music filling the space.

"Oh, come on", Kurt said, rolling his eyes in despair, "why's your dad calling you so early in the morning ?"

"No idea", Blaine shrugged, "better pick up."

He went to the small alcove over Kurt's bed, reaching for his phone and pressing the answer button.

"Hello ?"

"Good morning Blaine !", answered his father, way too cheerfully at such an ungodly hour, "How are you ?"

"M-morning father, I'm fine, how are -"

"Listen, remember how I told you I had a meeting in Lima this morning ?"

"No, I -"

"Well it was rescheduled to early this afternoon, but I just got the call now, so I'm only a few miles away. I can't make a U-turn before at least three more miles but that would be stupid - I'll just keep driving and I can pick you up at your friend's house since you don't have a car."

"Boyfriend", Blaine answered, anger already spreading through his entire body, making his fingers tremble, "and no thanks, it's fine, I have to be at the airport, at Dayton before -"

"I'll drive you there, it's fine, I need to go to the main office soon anyways. So, see you in twenty minutes ? Where does your friend live again ?"

"My boyfriend lives on Axminster Terrace, first house on the right, it's just after -"

"Beaumont Place right ? Where the Robinsons live ?"

"Yes, that's what I was going to say."

"Okay, see you then."

"Bye, dad, see -"

But he could already hear the faint "beep" coming from the other end of the line. He threw his phone behind him on the bed and sat down, sighing.

"I can't... I can't believe him. Wait, when did they come back from New York ?"

He reached back towards his phone, checking through the history. No call from his dad apart from the one Darren had told him about. And no text messages either. He bit his lips to keep himself from breaking down and let out a deep breath in relief when he felt Kurt's warm hands on his shoulders.

"He's coming to get you ?"

"Yeah. Cancelled meeting but he was already on his way."

"Did he say anything else ?"

"Besides calling you 'my friend' twice ?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and let his hands fall down Blaine's chest so that his arms were completely wrapped around him from behind, his mouth meeting his cheek for a gentle kiss.

"That's not going to change any time soon, Blaine. Maybe not ever. At least he's not... ignoring my existence."

"Well, at some point he'll have to call you 'my fianc�' when he introduces us to his employees on the annual Christmas Party."

Kurt chuckled, a warm feeling running through Blaine's body. Kurt started leaving butterfly kisses down his jaw to where his neck met his shoulder.

"Your mother'll get through to him, don't worry", he said,

"She doesn't care", Blaine stated, shaking his head, "you know that. She just wants my father to be happy and she wants the entire world to envy her. She adores you, but she'd treat you the same whether you're the love of my life or the occasional one night stand. Well, I might be exaggerating."

Kurt smiled.

"Good thing I'm here to stay then", he whispered, nibbling at Blaine's earlobe before moving away, "Come on, we've got to gather your things. Darren is the messiest person I know. Besides Finn."

Blaine chuckled and got up. Well, at least his father had offered to drive him to Dayton and - wait. No. That's not what's going to happen. It wasn't in the scene. Blaine closed his eyes, trying to remember his exact lines.

He knew Chris was saying the first line. He was welcoming him. Excitedly.

"Blaine ! You made it !"

"Had to take a cab."

Yes, all right, but why ? Blaine frowned. Next up was Kurt's father. Well, Mike. What did he say ?

"Wasn't your father supposed to drive you ?"

Yes, that was the question, wasn't it ? Blaine tried to concentrate. It was a lot like trying to remember a dream just after waking up. Which was weird because he recalled everything that had happened during his time in the 'real' world. Just... not the parts he'd acted as himself.

Damn, what answer did he give to Burt ?

"He was. He thought I was here to say goodbye to friends from Dalton, he hadn't understood it was Kurt."

Oh. Right. That made much more sense. He sighed as he got up and helped Kurt gather his clothes from where Darren had left them on the floor. He couldn't tell his boyfriend about that though, because then the entire airport scene would be changed.

He also had to act with his father as if he honestly believed he was going to drive him there.

"Is everything all right, Blaine ?"

"Y-yeah, I'm... just... I wanted to spend all the time left... with you."

Kurt smiled sadly and took Blaine's hand as the slightly shorter teen closed his backpack and left it by the door.

"We'll have all the time in the world when I come back. Hey, here's the deal. When you'll come pick me up at the airport, I'll leave my suitcases to my dad and we can go straight to the Lima Bean so I can tell you everything about the Big Apple."

Blaine smiled.

"That would be lovely."

"And I'll call you everyday."

"Don't. Kurt, I want you to enjoy New York as much as possible, don't feel obligated to call me if you don't have the time to, okay ?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I'll text you, at least. Or leave you a voicemail."

Blaine smiled and squeezed Kurt's hand.

"Okay, I'll take the quickest shower in history before my father arrives."

"I'll fix you some coffee and see if there's anything left to eat."

Blaine nodded and gave his boyfriend a quick peck on the lips before walking to Kurt's bathroom.

Darren was pretty sure his heart was going to explode when Chris ran his fingers through his hair, all the while sucking softly on his tongue, and couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips.

"Shhh", Chris hushed him, "Finn or Burt will... hear us..."

Darren rolled his eyes, leaning back down, when he noticed Chris was staring at the wall, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.

"Da... Darren we... we... we..."

"... we what ?"

He turned his head to the left and his arms gave out as he gasped in shock at the sight that met his eyes. This is a Star Wars poster.

It took him a millisecond to realize he was entirely covering Chris' body with his, since he'd fallen on him. He rolled over, blushing, thus freeing the younger man, who leaped out of bed and opened the bedroom door.

"Holy shit", he whispered, "Darren, we're back, it... we're back."

Darren got up and hurried out of the bedroom, checking every room in his apartment, as if to make sure everything was in place.

"Oh my God, but... how ? We didn't -"

Chris and Darren's jaws fell at the same time as they understood.

"Of course. They must've kissed too or something."

"... you think they did something in my bed ?"

Chris narrowed his eyes.

"It's Kurt and Blaine we're talking about, Darren."

"Oh. Right. But you never know."

"Well my pants are clean."

"So are mine."

"You got your answer."

Darren smiled and walked back to Chris, taking his hand.

"Hey, you."

Chris blushed and rolled his eyes at Darren's grin.

"You're ridiculous."

"Only for you."

"I never took you for the sappy romantic guy."

"Again, only for you."

Chris chuckled and pulled Darren along with him back to the bedroom.

"Come on, let's go back to bed, it's still the middle of the night. And we need to catch up on everything tomorrow."

He sat down and patted the spot beside him on the bed.

"And we need to... talk about...", he waved his hand between them, "... this."

Darren clenched his jaw and nodded gravely. He knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Listen Chris, can I just -"

"In the morning, Darren. Let's just... enjoy the night carelessly and act like responsible adults later."

"Can I just say one thing ?"

"... yes ?"

"I meant every word I said."

"So did I."

"And I would really like it if you accepted to be my boyfriend."

"Darren, it's -"

"Tttt, leave the complicated part to the morning. Just say 'yes' and kiss me ?"

"... yes."

Darren smiled and he barely had the time to say 'see, easy' that Chris' lips were on his own, and damn, that felt good. He brought his hand up to cup Chris' cheek as the other man wrapped his arms around his waist. Darren slowly lowered them both on the bed, Chris on top of him.

His heart was beating way too fast for it to be completely healthy and his damn cast was making it very difficult to pass his fingers through Chris' hair the way he wanted to, but everything was perfect nonetheless.

"Maybe this curse wasn't so bad after all", Chris said between kisses, "I mean, we met our characters."

"Did it really just happen ? Or am I still unconscious somewhere in a hospital with you crying at my feet and clutching the sheets like a - hey, don' t hit me."

"I'll keep hitting you if you keep saying such things. Stop it, it's not funny."

"Too early to laugh about it, uh ?"

"Waaay too early."

Darren sighed and moved so that Chris could rest his head on his shoulder with their legs were still tangled together. He smiled when he felt Chris' arms sneak around his neck, bringing their bodies impossibly closer.

"I'm so tired...", Chris whispered, "... but I think the adrenaline hasn't completely worn off yet."

"... so ?"

"So I think you should sing a lullaby to help me fall asleep."

"But who will help me fall asleep then ?"

"Well you'll just have to be a creep and stare at me the whole night. You seem to like doing that."

"Hey, it was one time and I was drunk and you should never have been in my bed in the first place. And also their was some damn moonlight that shone right on your fucking perfect face and it was just beautiful, okay ?"

Chris blushed and snuggled closer.

"...hey, Darren ?", he asked after a while,

"Mmh ?"

"Never, ever change."

"I don't intend to."

"Good."

Darren smiled again, thinking that if he kept going like that he was going to pull a muscle in his jaw. He started tracing patterns on Chris' back as he sung a wordless song, the melody an odd mix of a lullaby his mother used to sing to him and something entirely invented.

He quite liked the sound of it actually. Without really noticing, he let go of the old lullaby progressively to concentrate on the new part. He kept on humming until he could feel Chris' body going limp against him. He waited a few minutes longer and extricated himself from under his boyfriend (Darren's heart missed a few beats at the thought) to go to the other bedroom, stopping at the door to watch Chris sleep. He was not doing that in a creepy way... well, not exactly.

He shook his head and walked away, taking out some blank sheet music and his headphones as he sat down by his synthesizer. He needed to get the melody down so he could work on the lyrics later.

He usually did things the other around, but this was one of the first times he came up with the notes before the words. Maybe because what he had with Chris was so unusual, the things it inspired him were just as different. He plugged the headphones in and tried to get back the melody that was stuck in his head. It wasn't easy, with his casted wrist, but he managed it anyway.

Three hours later, he had recorded the melody and was loading it on his computer when he accidentally launched Skype. Before he had the chance to log off, Joey was calling him.

"Hey dude, what're you doing up so early ?"

Darren smiled. He'd missed that face.

"Working on something actually. Hey, d'you think I could send you a mp3 that you'd listen to ? And then tell me if it's okay ? It's just the instrumental version..."

"You didn't have the time to record the vocals yet ?"

"There's no vocals, that's the thing. I... imagined the melody first. I'll write something over it, I've got a few ideas already."

Joey raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Okay. Is everything okay ? You seemed a little... off the other day when we saw each other ?"

The other day ? Saw each other ? They saw Blaine ? Holy crap.

"Uh, yeah. I'm much better."

He smiled, not really knowing what Joey had meant. He was about to ask him how he was when he heard some footsteps behind him.

"Darren ? What're ya doin' up, come back to bed, it's too early..."

And before he knew it he had a lapful of Chris Colfer. He opened his mouth to protest but Chris leaned down and kissed him full on the lips, right in front of the camera. Darren reached behind Chris to close his computer but it was way too late and cheers were already erupting from the speakers, which caused for Chris to jump away from him.

"What - is - what... who were you talking to ?"

"Joey, I - I tried to tell you but you..."

Chris blushed and hid his face behind his hands.

"Oh my God, oh my God this is - this is bad, Darren, why didn't... okay, you did try to stop me... shit I'm so stupid ! I wasn't fully awake and -"

"Chris, it's fine, it's Joey -"

"Guys ? Is something wrong ?"

Chris moved back to the computer, taking a seat on Darren's lap.

"Joey ?"

"Hi Chris !"

"Ehm, hi. Look, I'd appreciate it if you didn't... tell anyone ? It's... very new and we still need to talk about this so please, please just... don't tell anyone until we tell you so."

Darren let out a sigh of relief. For a minute he'd thought Chris wanted their relationship to be completely hidden, not only from the press - which was absolutely logical -, but from their closest friends as well.

"Ehm, yeah, sure, I get it, I won't... tell anyone. Are... are you going to be okay ?"

Chris turned around and grabbed Darren's hand.

"Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Don't worry."

Darren felt like this was not only directed at Joey but at himself too, and smiled, squeezing Chris' hand in his.

"Hey look Darren, why don't you just give me the file when we meet tomorrow ? I'm still learning for my exams so I'm kinda busy right now. Or just send it to your brother ?"

Darren looked over Chris' shoulder and nodded.

"All right, I'll let you two... go back to sleep then."

"G'night Joey", Chris muttered, standing up,

"'night Richter", Darren said, waving at the screen, "See you soon !"

Joey smiled and the screen went black.

"Darren ?"

"Mmh ?"

"He's... he's not going to tell anyone, is he ?"

"I don't think so. I trust him."

"Not even Lauren ?"

"As much as he'd love to tell her just to see her faint in happiness, I'm sure he'll keep his mouth shut until we tell him it's okay."

"I... look, when I said that, I didn't mean... that it would take long. I just... we really, really need to talk about this because with everything that's coming up this summer and just... life in general, I mean, if the press hears about us, people are going to -"

Darren cut him mid-sentence with a soft kiss, with just enough pressure to send both of their hearts bumping into their ribcages as if they were trying to escape.

"Tomorrow", Darren whispered, lips millimeters away from Chris', "we said we'd talk about this tomorrow."

"Technically, it's already tom - mmph"

Darren smiled into the kiss. He usually was the one to point out that after midnight, it was another day. His way of thinking was starting to wear off on Chris.

"I know, silly. Let's say... we'll discuss this after a good night's sleep. Or, you know, a few hours."

"Okay."

Darren took Chris' hand and led him back to the bed, where they both snuggled under the blanket quickly to be back in the other's arms as soon as possible.

"I hate to leave you here when we've spent so much time apart and... and by 'apart', I mean in different universes. Kurt, seriously, I could tell my dad I don't want to go with him."

And the other reality be damned, they can re-shoot the scene.

"No, Blaine, it's not necessary... you don't want your father to be pissed at you for the whole time I'll be away, right ? If... I hate to say that, but if you two start fighting, I won't be there and you'll have... nowhere to go."

"I still... have the Warblers..."

"They have no idea how bad it can get, Blaine."

"Kurt, honestly, I really don't care, if it means I can stay with you a little longer..."

"Blaine. As much as I would love to spend those hours with you, we have to be responsible. You know your father, right ? If you're nice and all, well who knows, maybe you'll have the right to spend a little more time at my house this summer. Maybe your father will be okay with you coming to my uncle's cabin with us."

Blaine smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're... probably right."

Kurt got up from where he was sitting on the kitchen's counter and went to the window. He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head to the side.

"He's driving the Lamborghini", he said simply,

"What ?"

"Your dad. He just arrived."

"Oh..."

Blaine got up, picking his bag. His father loved to show off how much money they had, especially in front of his boyfriend. He took Kurt's hand and they walked together to the front door.

Blaine hooked his hand behind Kurt's neck and brought their mouths together in a slow and tender kiss, as he tried his best not to let the desperation transpire.

He pulled away just as his phone rang.

"Hell-"

"Hey son, I'm outside, hurry up."

"Okay dad I'll -", he was interrupted by the loud 'beeep', "...be right there."

He sighed and gave Kurt one last kiss before opening the door. Kurt let go of his hand and they walked side by side, fingers brushing together, towards the shiny black car parked right in front of the house. Blaine's father got out of the car when he saw the two teenagers approach and greeted Blaine with a one-arm hug before turning towards Kurt.

"Good morning Kurt, you're up early."

"The day belongs to those who rise before the sun, Mr Anderson."

"Well, if you could drill that into Blaine's brain, I'd be thankful. Never seen anyone who was that much the opposite of a morning person."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Blaine gaped at his father as he smiled at Kurt, visibly not understanding what the brunet's words implied. It was so unusual to see the two of them speaking casually. And about him, of all things.

"You ready to go ?"

"Yes dad."

He quickly kissed Kurt on the cheek once he was sure his father couldn't see and hopped in the car. He mentally prepared himself for the detailed speech his father was going to give him, describing very precisely the receptions he had attended in New York and how this or that associate had a daughter who was just Blaine's age and maybe they should organize a dinner party and get married.

He tuned his father's voice out just as they passed the city limit of Lima and reached the highway.

"...and since your mother and I couldn't decide what you'd like better, we got a you a gift card."

Typical. His parents didn't want to lose any time picking presents for him in whichever big city they were and either gave him money or gift cards. He had hundreds of them stacked in a box that he'd probably never have the chance to use.

"Thanks, dad", he muttered, eyes on the side of the road,

"Oh and your mother will explain this better but, some of your friends at Dalton are graduating this year, right ? Your Hughes friend, what's his name again ?"

"Wes, dad, he's the son of -"

"Yes, yes, I know who he is, well, his mother asked your mother to take care of the design and organization of the room for the graduating party. And she said she'd ask your friend Kurt for help, because she's really busy these days, as you know."

"Boyfriend", Blaine said, "And I'm sure Kurt will be thrilled."

"Great ! You can call him tonight with your mother and start making plans."

"He's... going to New York until next Monday, dad."

"New York ? What's he doing in New York ?"

"Well, you... probably don't remember, but at Regionals, the Warblers lost to another glee club, New Directions ?"

"Your mother must've mentioned something about it, yes ?"

"Well, it's McKinley High's glee club. Kurt's glee club. Nationals are this week-end, and New Directions are leaving this afternoon. Which is why I'm going to Dayton."

"... to see your friend ?"

"Y-yes."

He didn't even bother correcting him. He could see his father's face going white and his knuckles turned the same color as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Well then. You'll have to find yourself a bus to go there."

"A b-bus ? Dad, you said you'd drive -"

"I have other things to do."

Blaine's jaw fell. It wasn't as if he didn't already know this was going to happen, but it wasn't wrong to have hoped for better, right ? Especially after he'd been so surprisingly nice to Kurt.

He didn't say a word until they reached his house twenty minutes later. He grabbed his bag and left the car without glancing back at his father and ran directly to his room, not bothering to greet his mother.

Throwing his bag on the floor, he closed the door and pushed the button of his stereo. He sat down, back against the foot of his bed, and let the tears flow down.

He needed out. He wanted out so, so bad. It was so unfair. Why couldn't his father just accept him the way he was ? Why couldn't he be like Burt ?

And his mother was almost worst. She was completely indifferent. Chances were, she was going to come knock on his door to ask if he'd called Kurt to talk about the graduation party yet and not even notice his eyes were red.

He sighed and took out his phone. He almost dialed Kurt's number to tell him all about what had happened before remembering Kurt was not supposed to know before he actually met him at the airport. Scrolling down his contact list he hesitated for a moment before pressing 'call'.

"Hobbit ?"

"Hello 'Tana. I'm not waking you up, am I ?"

"No, been awake for a while. I'm waiting for Brittany's mother to call me and tell me it's okay to go to her place. What's wrong ?"

"My dad, the usual."

"Oh... wait, I thought you were staying with Kurt ?"

"I was. My dad came to pick me up. He said he'd had a meeting in Lima, and that it was cancelled, but since he was on the way he'd come and get me, but I suspect he just didn't want me to spend so much time with Kurt."

He rubbed his eyes as more tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Blaine, I'm so sorry..."

"No, it's fine, 'Tana, I'm... used to it. Actually, I just wanted to know how you were doing."

"I can move my arms and legs and my head doesn't hurt anymore."

"Did they find the guys who did it ?"

"Yes. But we don't have any proof and the police isn't being really... understanding. Hate crime in Lima Heights - not exactly a surprise..."

They both sighed at the same time.

"I'm seriously thinking of bailing and staying in New York."

"Come on, you've only got one year left. Don't give up now."

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about doing it too."

Blaine opened his mouth to deny it but figured it was unnecessary.

"Yeah, you're right. But still. If we give up, they win. We can stand strong and united against them."

Santana sighed again.

"Hey Blaine, can I ask you something ?"

"Sure, anything."

"Do they ever stop ? The nightmares ?"

Blaine gulped and closed his eyes.

"N-not really. I mean, if I'm in a happy mood, or sleeping in the same bed as Kurt, it's fine. But the days when things are hard at school or when my father is feeling particularly like bringing up how much of a failure I am... I can barely sleep. But it gets better eventually."

"Brittany's having a hard time too, she's been calling me almost every hour to make sure I'm okay and... once, I had finally fallen asleep, and I missed one of her calls and she... she freaked out."

"I know what she feels like. I never told Kurt any of this but the week after he went back to McKinley, I... I was flipping out. Completely. I asked Puck to keep me up to date because I knew it would annoy Kurt if I sent him text messages every two seconds. Then things seemed to be fine so I relaxed a little. And then... well, the Prom happened."

"Yeah, I... I'm sorry I was too focused on my campaign to even consider someone would do that. I should've known, Blaine. We could've avoided that."

"Yeah, maybe this time. But then what ? That's how the world is. We know acceptance won't be there every step of the way. At Dalton, I'm having a hard time remembering that but... McKinley and most of the world outside is just... horrible to us. God, I can't wait to be out of here. I'm going to try and make the most of my senior year, and then everything will be all right."

"Speaking of next year... is it true that you might let go of your feathers and leave gay Hogwarts to join us ?"

"Who told you that ?"

"Evans. He overheard Quinn and Kurt talking about it."

"I... We've only talked about it once. I honestly have no idea what to do. Kurt said I didn't have to, but you know, he said that in that tone he uses when he really, really wants me to do something."

"Oh, yeah. He uses it on Mr Schue all the time too."

"Anyways, I... I still have the whole summer to decide what to do, so yeah. Let's not rush things. And the Warblers need me."

"Kurt needs you. He's... he's terribly lonely here, you know it. He's got us but... he needs his best friend. And I know you're lonely at Dalton too."

"Yeah, I... I'll think about it. I'm just... I'm scared of going back... having to go through it all over again. And I'm not sure my parents will agree with putting me back into a public school."

"I'm sure you'll know how to be convincing, Hobbit. I have faith in you."

Blaine chuckled at the overly formal tone. He knew Santana wasn't kidding but she didn't want to show she really cared.

"Look, I gotta go... see you at the airport ?"

"Hope so, yeah. I'll... call a cab."

"Bye. And, Blaine ?"

"Yes ?"

"Thank you."

She hung up and Blaine let his head fall on the mattress behind him, stretching his neck. He really, really didn't know what he was doing.

He loved Kurt more than anything or anyone in this world and it was truly terrifying. They were still young, as everyone seemed to point out, and not that many people spend their entire life with their high school sweetheart.

Blaine always felt like punching whoever said that because clearly, they didn't know anything.

Just because I met the One early doesn't make it a valid reason for me to let him go, simply because of some statistics.

He sighed again and grabbed his phone, calling a cab and making sure he'd be in Dayton in time. He didn't have that much money left in his wallet but it would be enough. He could find an ATM at the airport after all.

There was a knock on his door.

"Blaine ?"

It was his mother calling.

"Yeah ?", he answered, trying to repress the shivers in his voice,

"Can I come in ?"

"Sure", he said, before mumbling, "since when do you ask ?"

She opened the door, smiling.

Blaine's mother looked like Catherine Zeta-Jones' twin sister, only prettier. All of his friends from Dalton were in love with her and it made Blaine sick. Not many of them knew how cold she could be. Or they were in the same situation, so they didn't care. She was wearing a dress Blaine recognized from one of Kurt's magazine.

"Like the dress ?", she asked, visibly happy he had noticed, "I remember talking about it with Kurt and since we went to the store in New York I thought, what the Hell, and your father bought it for me."

She smiled and took a step inside the room.

"Your father told me Kurt was leaving and not coming back until next Monday, do you think he could come over for dinner one day next week ? You could come back from school for the night ?"

"Sure, mom, it would be lovely, with dad calling him 'my friend' and you blatantly ignoring his sneers and not saying a thing to defend us."

"Blaine, what are you -"

"Please. You know."

His voice was unsteady, but he was growing tired of laying low.

"Blaine, you know how I feel about your... situation. But your dad -"

"Why can't you talk to him, uh ? Is... is the image of the perfect couple you're trying to give to the world more important than your own son's well-being ?"

"You will not use that tone with me young man, I'm warning you -"

"What ? What are you going to do ? Threaten me ? Of what, uh ? You're going to take away my - my... oh wait, you don't even know what my favorite things are, how could you know what would stand for a big enough punishment ?"

"Blaine, for the last time, now is not the moment to talk about that. Things are the way they are, and it's never going to change ! Why can't you make an effort and -"

"Make an effort ? Me ?", his pulse was speeding dangerously but he didn't care, "What, you mean as in, trying to blend in ? Why don't you make an effort and try to be a mother for once instead ?"

Tears were prickling the corner of his eyes as his mother left his room without looking back at him. He was going to get in trouble for this, he knew it. He didn't even know what had possessed him to stand up instead of looking down and taking it, like he usually did.

Suddenly he wasn't so sure standing up to his parents was the right thing to do.

He felt bad.

He never should've done that.

He was going to go apologize and things were going to go back to normal. Better have his mother be indifferent than angry, right ?

Blaine felt sick when he realized he was trying to figure which feeling was closest to some actual pride and ran to his bathroom, emptying the content of his stomach in the toilet.

He wasn't supposed to feel that way. He wasn't supposed to let his parents make him be someone he was not in order to keep up with the appearances and stay away from everyone's judging looks. They should be supporting him. Accepting him.

All he ever wanted was for them to tell him how proud they were to have him as their son. The last time Blaine's father had ever said "I'm proud of you" was when he'd successfully managed to ride his bike on the driveway without falling down.

He got up and rinsed him mouth before sitting back down, head against the toilet bowl. He sobbed quietly for a few minutes until his phone buzzed.

Hey handsome, you're probably going to leave soon but can you take your leather bracelet with you, so you can give it to me ? See you soon, I miss you, xoxo -K

Blaine smiled.

Kurt. Kurt was proud of him. He'd told him so once after he'd won the fencing competition at Dalton. And a few other times after that.

But most importantly Kurt loved him. He took his phone out and typed a quick response before going back to his room.

He took out his suitcase and threw a pair of jeans, sweatpants, a few t-shirts and underwear as well as the McKinley High hoodie Kurt had "accidentally" put in his bag when he'd left his house earlier.

He was going to go straight to Dalton after saying goodbye to Kurt and not come back home for the week-end. He was going to spend the night with the Warblers and -

Well no, he wasn't.

He smiled.

He had completely forgotten that Burt was inviting him to their house to watch the second game of the Buckeyes (who had apparently won the previous day) and have dinner together.

His smile widened and he finished packing more cheerfully. He got on his computer and printed the homework Thad had sent him, in order to look at it in the cab ride to the airport.

He opened the front door just as the cab parked in front of his house. Not bothering to say goodbye to his parents, he hurried down the stairs and shook the hand of the driver. It wasn't the first time he'd had to call him. A few fights with his parents had ended up with his car being confiscated, and he'd had to find another way to go to Dalton or Lima.

"Dayton Airport, right kiddo ?"

He nodded and took his seat in the back.

Darren woke up to the delicious smell of coffee and pancakes, the sheets tangled around his waist, probably where Chris had let them fall back after getting up.

The smell was accompanied by the wonderful sound of Chris humming something that sounded suspiciously like Poker Face. Darren got up, ready to make fun of him for it, only to be met with the sight of his boyfriend (he almost started giggling in joy) sitting on the counter, dressed in his boxers and one of Darren's t-shirt, eyes locked on the pancakes he was making.

"Morning", Darren said, approaching,

"Hey", Chris answered, smiling,

He stood up and turned the fire off, putting the last pancake on the plate.

"Why the pancakes ?"

"Found some mix ready in the fridge, so I thought I'd make some."

"I knew you'd never do that for me spontaneously..."

"That's not true, I've made you breakfast before !"

Chris rolled his eyes playfully before biting his lower lip, visibly unsure of what to do. Darren felt the awkwardness of the situation and smiled nervously.

What was he supposed to do... kiss him ?

On the lips ?

Hug him ?

He felt like a 12 year old getting with someone for the first time. Finally Chris took a step closer and kissed Darren on the cheek, quickly covering his mouth with his hand when he turned his head to reach his lips.

"Nah-ha, let's eat something first, morning breath ain't exactly the most romantic thing in the world."

Darren chuckled and kissed Chris' cheek before taking a seat at the table. They ate silently, hands joined on the table, stealing glances at each other every once in a while.

Truth be told, Darren was a little anxious about the inevitable discussion to come.

He didn't know what to say, or what to do.

He wanted to tell the whole world that they were together, but then would come the paparazzo and the hate mail and everything he knew he was not really prepared for. And he sure as Hell didn't want to put Chris through all of this either.

"So... what're we going to do ?", he asked finally, "Because... I mean, it's... kinda complicated, but at the same time I've been waiting for this for so long that it's almost a shame to hide it."

"Darren, you... you don't know what it's like to receive hate mail every week telling you you're a freak and should be sentenced to death. People... look at you differently. Why do you think I'm not physically that close to the other guys on set ? Try as they might, it makes them uncomfortable."

"I think most of them guessed how I feel about you by now, hasn't changed anything. For them or the Warblers"

"But you've been with girls before. I haven't."

"Chris, come on. I'm not going to push you into doing anything, I just want you to be comfortable. I also want you to know that when I said I wanted you to be my boyfriend, I meant it like, the whole deal, dates and flowers and all that."

Chris smiled.

"Darren...", he stopped, eyes closed, "I want that. I really do. But I want it to be okay, I... I don't want you to run away from this because it would be too much to take."

"Don't say that. I wouldn't. You know I wouldn't."

"You don't know that, you've never had to live through this. I know most of the fans will support us but some of the hate I get will be transferred to you too."

"I don't care what anyone else thinks, I want to be with you. I... I know I... Okay, I need some time before we tell the press and everything, but I'm ready to tell our friends."

"We have to... to make sure no one will tell."

"Why would they ?"

"Imagine how much money they could get for a scoop like that ?"

Darren frowned, nodding. But he couldn't think of any of his friends who'd do something like that.

"What're we going to tell Ryan ?"

Chris chuckled.

"He's probably going to have a stroke."

"Oh God, Lea too."

"What do you mean ?"

"You can't be that blind, she ships us together harder than the fans."

Chris smiled.

"Well. I'll have to tell my parents too. And my sister. She's probably going to hate you for a while."

"What ? Hannah loves me !"

"She did, but now she's going to think you're stealing me from her."

Darren giggled and squeezed Chris' hand.

"And for you, I know Chuck likes me and insisted that we should get married just for what my name would be but...what about your parents ?"

Darren inhaled deeply. His parents were extremely accepting people. And they knew him very well.

"I'm sure you're going to be invited to the annual Criss dinner party on my parents' wedding anniversary and be put at the VIP table when I still have to sit with my younger cousins. My mum never shuts up about you whenever I go see them."

"Well, I spent most of the time with her when they came on set to see you."

"It was great, by the way, very nice of you. They'll be happy for me."

Chris smiled.

"And my parents adore you too."

"See ? Nothing to worry about."

Chris rolled his eyes and got up, pulling Darren to his feet and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Darren stood on his toes to kiss Chris on the lips, letting his arms around the taller man's waist.

Darren pulled away after a moment, locking eyes with Chris.

"We should probably get ready."

"Uh-hu."

Chris gave him a soft peck on the lips before walking away to the bedroom. Darren tried his best not to let his eyes wander but Chris was only wearing Darren's t-shirt and boxers, for God's sake, and after all, now he had every right to do that, because Chris was his boyfriend.

He waited until he was sure Chris couldn't see him and broke into a fit of hysterical dancing around the living room. He nearly fell over his guitar case in the process, and remembered what Blaine had said. Opening it, he retrieved a folded paper from the guitar picks pocket.

Darren,

If you are reading this, you must be back in the right world, hopefully with Chris. If you are with Kurt, keep him away from the stores and make sure he breathes normally.

The last sentenced was crossed out and another one was written over that said 'So now Kurt has actually been here and didn't freak out that much. We want to live in a big city, by the way.'

It has appeared quite clear to me, in the few days I have spent in your skin, that you have very, very strong feelings for Chris. I read the text messages you exchanged with Mia and talked to Joey and Lauren.

Here's the thing: he likes you too, but if you don't make a move, nothing will happen and some other guy might notice how great he is and make his head spin. He thinks you're straight, when from what I can gather you're one of those wonderful persons who likes someone for who they are inside and not what they look like or what their gender is.

Sometimes I wish I could like girls too, but I don't know, there's just something about boys that I couldn't live without and that girls lack terribly. And I'm not just talking about the physical stuff. Girls are great friends, boys are better lovers. Or maybe it's just Kurt, I wouldn't know.

Anyways, make a move. And soon. The other actors have an on-going bet, and I think Ashley and Mark win most if you get together quickly, otherwise all the money goes to Cory and Heather. They're nice, by the way. I'm a little freaked out because they all look so much older than my version of them and have different personalities, but I got over it quickly.

You and Chris are obviously meant to be. It's not a coincidence you were chosen to play us. Kurt always talked about this french movie, "Love Me If You Dare". And we watched it once because it's with Marion Cotillard. She's got the main part along with Guillaume Canet. I don't know if you've seen it but the story is about two soulmates who meet each other and get separated a few times along the years, but end up together in the end. Well, the actors have been together ever since and apparently they're a very stable couple. Now I believe Kurt and I are Sophie and Julien and you and Chris are Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet. Maybe I'm seeing too much into this but you know me, I'm just a hopeless romantic.

I'm sure things won't be easy for you two (just the way it is for Kurt and I, but for different reasons). I know you're not afraid to show the world who you really are, but take it from someone who knows, people you believe to be tolerant will end up being the most disgusted. I've lost many friends and people always look at me differently once they "find out". The good thing is that I know your fans will be supportive of you, and so will your friends. I don't know about your family but if you turned out the way you are now being raised by them, chances are they will accept it.

You deserve to be happy, and so does Chris. You're one of the few people who manage to put a smile on his face, I think. And I know you can't stop the beating of your heart from going faster, faster every time you look at him. It's your body's reaction, and I felt it.

Truly, it's not going to be all puppies and rainbows.

But you know, I think it's a good thing, because that would be terribly boring, wouldn't it ?

By the time Darren read the final sentence, tears were rolling down his cheeks.

He knew that he'd made the right choice.

And when they walked hand in hand into the conference room an hour lated and Lea tackled them to the ground, he figured that maybe, the inevitable hate was nothing compared to all the love and acceptance they would get on the side from the ones who really mattered.

tick, tock, goes the clock...

Kurt noticed fairly quickly that whenever something important happened in his life, he got to talk to Chris in his dreams. There were a few times when he was sure they were just dreams because he barely remembered anything, but otherwise it felt too real to be only his brain.

The reason behind all of this was that important things happened in the other world too, on the exact same day.

When Blaine gave him the ring, in the other world Darren kissed Chris onstage and they had sex for the first time.

And Chris had been very comforting after Kurt and Blaine's first attempt at going to a gay bar ended in a disaster, telling him they'd get out of it only stronger. He wouldn't tell Kurt why, but he only had to wait one more day to find out. That was also the day Chris finally moved in with Darren.

They only saw each other twice during his and Blaine's senior year after that. Once after Sebastian cornered Kurt and drowned him under a flow of insults, explaining in details what he was going to do with Blaine once he finally dumped Kurt. That had been a particularly rough night, and Blaine had seen Darren too, who had reassured him and explained what had happened and why Kurt hadn't called him. Since they didn't show much of the aftermath on the show, he wasn't risking anything.

The second time was on graduation day, when they all shared a dream.

Darren had signed a contract with a very important record label that day, and Julie Andrews had called Chris to ask him if he had a role for her in his next movie.

Blaine and Kurt had told them that they were going to New York together; Blaine had been accepted in Juilliard and Kurt, thanks to the fact that he'd exchanged many e-mails with influential alumni, as well as Sue Sylvester's recommendation letter, was going to Parsons.

They barely saw each other once a year after that.

Blaine proposed to Kurt on the day Chris' movie won three Golden Globes (Best Actor and Best Scenario for him, Best Supporting Actress for Julie Andrews) and Darren ran on stage to kiss him once he'd finished his acceptance speech in which he'd thanked him as his "better, much hotter half".

On the day the Starkids signed a contract for two 20 episode-long seasons with FOX, Blaine was casted as the lead in a new play that promised to open doors for him in the future.

The night after their wedding was a little different. Kurt fell asleep just as the sun rose in the sky, his body even more sore than after Blaine's 21st birthday.

He was walking down a beautiful meadow when he blinked and found himself in an almost familiar hallway. This high school looked like any other high school... but also like a mix of McKinley High and something even more terrifying. When Kurt looked down on himself, he noticed he was wearing the same clothes he wore when Karofsky had kissed him. Shivering, he kept on walking until he reached a row of lockers, noticing most of the doors were hanging off their hinges.

He took a turn left and froze when he saw the banner hanging from the roof, congratulating the Clovis High Cougars for their win.

This was Chris' old High School. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Chris ?", he called out, running towards were the auditorium was indicated, "Chris are you there ?"

"Kurt ?"

Chris was sitting in the middle of the stage, arms wrapped around his knees.

"What happened ?", he asked, sitting down next to his alter-ego, "Why are we here ?"

"I... I broke up with Darren."

"You what ?"

"It's... I did it for him. He's not... made to be in a committed relationship."

"Are you crazy ? You two are perfect together -"

"I don't want to drive him crazy. It's been 5 years now and... there are some signs."

"... what do you mean ?"

"I... he... we were walking in the street and... a group of girls passed and his eyes lingered... they were showing off their cleavages very obviously and... he looked."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Haven't you ever looked at other boys, Chris ?"

"I... what ?"

"Well, Darren... likes boys and girls."

Chris frowned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I... I've never seen him look at any other boys. Ever."

"Doesn't mean he hasn't."

"But what if he's finally realizing that what I can offer him isn't enough ?"

"What did he tell you ?"

"W-when ?"

"When you broke up with him ?"

"I... I don't... I told him I'd seen him look at those girls and that I understood if... if 'us' wasn't what he wanted anymore because I'm a man and... and then I left because I couldn't bear it. He called after me but I... I ran."

"You - wait, you didn't even let him speak ?"

"N-no. I went to a hotel and I... might've drank all the mini-bar. I didn't even take my phone with me."

"Oh, Chris..."

Kurt shook his head. He'd had to deal with the same situation over a year before. His boss was a very attractive guy and liked to flirt with him, but it was harmless. He was happily married and had three kids. But Blaine didn't know that, and he once saw them when he'd come visit Kurt in his office. The next days had been filled with Blaine alternating between ignoring him, and begging him to stay, but no matter how many times Kurt assured him he wasn't going anywhere, Blaine was way too insecure to believe him and started panicking again.

Although the make-up sex with a jealous Blaine wasn't something Kurt disliked. It was actually very high on his list.

What surprised Kurt was that Chris did not seem to be that kind of person. He was very confident and didn't seem like the jealous type at all. Then Kurt studied Chris' expression carefully, frowning.

"Chris... isn't there a bigger picture there ?"

"What ?"

"Weren't you looking for an excuse to... get some time alone ?"

"I..."

"You know Darren. You know he's head over heels in love with you and I'm pretty sure that if his eyes lingered it's purely because he's a... partially straight man and... even Mike Chang would've looked."

Chris snorted.

"So please, tell me what this really is about. You're the one who's not sure about this, aren't you ?"

"It's not that it's... okay, now that you put it that way... maybe... it's complicated."

"I have all night."

Chris took a deep breath, looking down.

"The other day I was talking to Cory about Darren and I, and he joked that we were so much like an old married couple, and then I started... thinking about it. I looked up some rings online and tried to think of where and when I could... propose."

Kurt felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine.

"Oh my God, Chris, that's - wait, what happened ?"

"I started thinking about... what it all meant. Being married."

"Wouldn't change that many things for you two, would it ?"

Chris shrugged.

"Four out of five marriages end with a divorce in the show-business."

"One out of five doesn't, then."

"Kurt -"

"Chris, do you know what today is ?"

"9th of November, 2016. And ?"

"Six years ago, I met Blaine. And today... we got married."

Chris turned his head to look at him.

"W-what ? You did ? Oh Kurt, I'm so happy for you !"

Kurt was about to open his mouth to say thank you but received an armful of Chris instead. He hugged the other man back and smiled.

"Yeah, well, I'm happy too..."

"Wait - weren't you supposed to wait until you were thirty ? I remember one of your lines saying something like that..."

"A lot of things didn't go according to what I had planned in high school. You know I was also supposed to go into NYADA and probably would have if Brittany hadn't won the run for class president and if I'd had the role of Tony, but I'm actually much happier with what I did instead. I've been designing things since I was three, this is what I really wanted. And... well, why would we wait ?"

Chris nodded, smiling.

"I wish I could... I wish I could go tell that to you in season 1. Tell you that everything is going to be okay."

"And I wish you'd have known that when you were in high school too, Chris."

They smiled at each other, both still feeling as if they were looking into a mirror, even if Chris' hair was shorter than Kurt's and he still looked a little older.

"And you know, I married my high school sweetheart when everyone always says that this kind of relationship never works. But Mike and Tina are still together. And, surprisingly, so are Britts and Santana."

Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, I thought Finn and Rachel..."

"They broke up two years ago. Finn isn't made for New York. He went back to Lima, he's been working with my dad and he'll be in charge of the shop in a few months. My dad is retiring."

Chris smiled, visibly surprised.

"They've been talking about... doing a Glee movie."

"Really ? But I thought you said the show got cancelled after the fourth season because it had lost half of the viewers ?"

"Yeah, that's because the new characters weren't as... say 'interesting' as the first generation. But the movie would be about the original characters."

"And people would watch it ?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Darren said... Darren said it could be nice. But I think it's just because he loved being Blaine so much."

Kurt smiled and Chris looked away.

"I'm... I was afraid he was going to say no when I proposed."

Kurt gave him a surprised look.

"Why would he do that ?"

"I don't know, we... our lives are very complicated, I mean, we have two apartments, one in New York and one in LA, we're both working our asses off and sometimes we can't even see each other for over three weeks. I mean, I've spent more time on a plane in the last month than most people do in their entire life."

"But that's the life you like, isn't it ? Working so hard ?"

"Y-yeah. I guess."

"And you still manage to see each other, right ?"

"We take a break every three months. Three days without our phones or anything, just for the two us."

He smiled sadly.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I ?"

"Pretty much."

"Oh, God, he's going to hate me."

He hid his face in his hands.

"No, he's not. It's okay to freak out. Tell him everything and he'll understand."

"I... I'm not..."

He trailed off.

"I'm not sure how to tell him how I feel without screwing things up."

"Be honest. Don't try to hide anything. And don't forget to mention how much he means to you."

Chris nodded.

"Everything", he whispered,

"What ?"

"He means everything to me."