The sun was setting as Kurt walked toward his North Beacon Hill townhouse. He had been at his new job for a month, and he loved every aspect of it so far. Being an assistant artistic director and getting to work with so many talented guest directors meant that every day was a new challenge, and Kurt loved that he could stretch his creative mind to its limits on a regular basis.

Kurt also discovered that, as much as he loved New York, he could embrace Seattle as the anti-New York. He wasn't going to start buying clothes at REI or North Face any time soon, and he would never go anywhere but the gym in trainers, but, still, he loved the relaxed lifestyle of the city, the fresh ocean air, the slower pace, the ubiquitous coffee shops, and the obsession with craft beer.

It had been more then six weeks since he had tearfully hugged Blaine goodbye at the airport, and he still felt a twinge of longing each time he came home from work to an empty—but now tastefully decorated—home. Blaine's seemingly abrupt decision to return to the East Coast had taken Kurt by surprise and twisted like a knife in his heart, but Kurt had known that Blaine wasn't his forever. Although Kurt wanted to wrap Blaine up and never let him go (he actually has a momentary fantasy of throwing Blaine in the trunk and forcing him to come to Seattle—a fantasy slightly marred by the fact that Kurt's car didn't have a trunk), Kurt was also contented to do whatever he could to make Blaine happy. Blaine's commitment was to his family, and although Kurt wished that the commitment would allow Blaine to follow his dreams of teaching music to children, he realized now that some dreams must be sacrificed so that other dreams can flourish. Kurt had learned this from Blaine, and he now knew that he would be a new and better man for having spent a crazy, painful, and wonderful week with the bright-faced, smiling hitchhiker with the crazy curls.

As Kurt thought back to their final farewell, he smiled. At the entrance to Sea-Tac's security screening, Blaine had pulled him into an embrace and whispered, “I love you so much, Kurt.  Thank you for everything.”

Kurt had pulled back far enough to kiss Blaine full on the mouth. Then he smiled and said, “I love you, too.”

Blaine's eyes, which were bright with unshed tears, grew wide. “Are you serious? You love me?”

Kurt laughed, swallowing his own salty tears, “Yes, Blaine. I will never say goodbye to you—not really—because you'll always be in my heart.” And then there was one more kiss, one more hug, a wave, and Blaine disappeared through the security gates.

At the memory, Kurt smiled slightly, pulled out his phone and sent a text: Just thinking about you. XO, K.

Blaine wrote back: I'm thinking about you, too, and I see you.

Kurt: With your secret Nightbird x-ray vision?

Blaine: Yes, what else?

Kurt smiled more broadly, and then his phone chirped and his screen lit up again: And also with my regular eyes. Look up.

That was cryptic, but Kurt complied, looking up at the stars. His phone chirped again and he looked down: Not that far up, silly.

And then Kurt looked straight ahead and he saw him, and then he was running. They both were.

“Oh my God, Blaine, what are you doing here?” Kurt exclaimed after finally coming up for air after a rib-cracking hug and a breath-stealing kiss.

“I realized it wasn't enough--my love--it wasnt enough. I always thought love was something you felt, that it was an emotion—something to keep you warm at night. But I realized, watching you with your family and friends, that love is an action. It's something you do. And I want to love you, Kurt. Not from afar, but in a way that is meaningful, so I had to act.”

“Blaine, honey, I love you. I really do, but you're not making a lot of sense.”

Blaine laughed and pulled Kurt into another embrace. “I know. What I'm trying to say is that I thought I loved Sebastian, because he was my boyfriend and my lover, but that love didn't mean anything because it just meant we dated and we had sex, but we could have done those things without love. In fact, we probably did. But true love means sacrifice and giving up some parts of you in order to gain something else—something wonderful and warm and soul-satisfying.”

Kurt twined his arms around Blaine's neck, kissed him warmly on the mouth, and said, “Still not following you, darling.”

Blaine pulled Kurt a little closer and said near his ear, “I went home and I talked to my parents. I told them that the business was important, but that I couldn't be an administrator. I told them that I wanted to work with children, but, more importantly, that I wanted to be with you. I realized that love without passion—not sexual passion but the kind of passion that gets you out of bed every day and keeps you moving forward—wasn't enough for me. You're my passion, Kurt, and I want to pursue you. I want to get up every morning and think of new ways to make you happy, if you'll let me. I love you, and I know you love me, so, please, will you let me make you happy for the rest of our lives?”

Kurt pulled back from Blaine's embrace just enough to look into Blaine's amber eyes. “You gave up your financial security and went against your parents just for me?”

Blaine looked down and to the side, slightly abashed, “Actually, no, as it turns out. I meant to; that's why I went back to DC. But I found out my parents actually thought I would make a terrible administrator, but they felt obligated to train me to take over the family business, even though there are others who work for them who are better suited. And, as luck would have it, they also own a charter school in Tacoma that just happens to need a music teacher.”

Kurt affected a shocked air, “Blaine Anderson, I can't believe that you would stoop to nepotism.”

Blaine let his arms slide down Kurt's side until the fingers of both hands were interlocked, then he whirled them both around right there on the sidewalk. “Believe it, gorgeous. I love you, but I suspect that living on love is a lot easier when you also get a paycheck.”

“So now what?” Kurt asked.

“Now, I scoop you up in my arms, carry you to your bed, and thoroughly ravish you until you beg me to stay in your arms forever and let me spend the rest of my life making you fall in love with me every single day.”

“I will if you will.”

And they did: no regrets, more than love—all that life had to offer.