Chapter 44

August 11, 2014

Kurt Hummel always hated packing. Two last times he had to pack his things up he was moving from home to a place unknown for him. First it was moving to France, not only another country but also a different continent far, far away. Next, it was coming back after many years. At that time he hadn't remembered Lima and his whole life was in Paris. Both times it sucked.

This time, though, he was excited, all because he was going to college. And some other reasons too.

For the first time the boy didn't leave his packing for the last minute so he could enjoy revisiting memories that some of his belongings held.

Kurt sighed deeply when he saw Blaine's notebook where he started writing his first songs.

It began early in spring. Slowly Blaine started spending more and more time in his room or walking around the city alone. At first Kurt didn't think much of it until it got unnerving when Burt asked him if they were broken up. That was when Kurt started paying a better attention at his boyfriend's behaviour.

His dad was right – they really did look like they had broken up. They hardly talked, not that Kurt didn't try. Whenever asked by one of his friends at school about how Blaine was doing he couldn't really answer because he just didn't know. They stopped cuddling and whenever they all watched a movie together with Burt or friends, the slave boy made sure to sit further from his official owner.

It was getting worse with each day and Kurt couldn't take it anymore. Gathering his courage, thinking that he was facing the end of their relationship, he found himself in front of Blaine's room and knocked.

"Come in," Blaine's voice came from inside the room.

Kurt pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked.

Blaine who was sitting in his bed motioned with a notebook in his hand. "Just trying to put some words in right places... Is there something important you want? 'Cause I'm kind of busy," he finished coldly.

"I... yeah, there is something important actually," Kurt said and closed the door. He sat down on the bed and looked at Blaine. "I'll just say it... Do you want to break up?"

Blaine's mouth opened in a perfect 'o' and the notebook dropped from his hand. "I... do you?"

"No, of course I don't. I love you, okay? But recently it just doesn't feel like you feel the same so I was wondering if you were just waiting for me to break up with you so you didn't have to do that," Kurt mumbled playing with the hem of his shirt.

"I love you, too, I do," Blaine said and bit his bottom lip. "I just... I'm going to miss you so much when you go to New York."

"Why would you miss me?" Kurt asked confused.

"So you won't miss me?" the other boy asked and Kurt couldn't miss the hurt in his voice.

"Well, I would, but seeing how I'm taking you with me I can't see why we should miss each other while sharing an apartment."

Kurt knew he could never forget the look on Blaine's face when he realised that yes, Kurt wasn't leaving him in Lima. Later that day Burt pretended to be offended that Blaine was so happy to leave as if he was a bad company.

Carefully Kurt put the notebook next to his own books and closed the box. They would be taking the most important things and later Burt would send them the rest. Well, mostly important things. Kurt couldn't see why but Blaine insisted that their teddy dear Mr Honey travelled with them. The way the slave boy loved the toy always amused Kurt. When he suggested giving it to Mini Cooper Blaine bought him a new teddy bear instead and kept the old toy for himself. Kurt didn't question it.

After some time the boy started looking through the table drawers to see if there was anything there worth taking. In the second one he found something he just had to have with him – his scrapbook. With a small smile Kurt sat down on his bed and opened the first page where he was met with the old receipt from the Lima Bean. He remembered how scared Blaine looked at first and how happy he became when Kurt offered him a cup of hot tea. It was a painful memory but it was the beginning of what they had now.

The boy looked through a few other pages until he saw a piece of an old thin wire tapped there. It was from one of the first times he and Blaine went for a drive after they got his ownership documents.

They had gone shopping for a couple of times before but Blaine still seemed quite uncomfortable walking around the city, especially in the places he hadn't been allowed into while he still lived on the streets. The mall was an especially weird experience for him.

Sensing his discomfort Kurt didn't push him to go out with him often, only when Blaine offered to keep him company and even then Kurt made sure he understood that he didn't have to go just to help him with bags or anything else. That time was different though since it was Blaine who suggested going out.

"Would you like to see where I used to live before you and your dad took me in?" he asked one evening when they were making banana bread in the kitchen.

"You mean the factory?" Kurt asked absentmindedly. "I've been there, remember?"

"I know," Blaine said and gave him two eggs, "but I was thinking of going back there and I was wondering if you would, maybe, want to accompany me?"

Kurt looked at him like he was crazy because he must have been. "Why would you want to go back there?"

"For closure? At least I was hoping that going back there would help me to finally close this page of my life for good. It would mean a lot to me if you were there with me."

"Well, in that case, I'd love to go there with you," Kurt said with a smile and gave his boyfriend a peck on his lips.

That awful factory was the last place on Earth he wanted to go to but if it was important to Blaine, he could deal with the memories that this place held. After all, Blaine's memories must have been even worse and if he was willing to make peace with them, so was he.

The drive to the factory was mostly silent as they both kept their thoughts to themselves. They spoke for the first time when Kurt took a few blankets from the backseat.

"What are those for?" Blaine asked when they started walking towards the building.

"In case we get cold," Kurt responded vaguely and the other boy didn't question further.

The two of them walked into the building and up the stairs. Everything looked different in the daylight, yet somehow even sadder. Especially when Kurt realised that it wasn't just some abandoned building, it was his boyfriend's home for a long time. He took Blaine's hand whether asking for support or offering it to the other boy he didn't know.

The first room they entered was spacious and had several chairs in it.

"Remember how I told you I liked pretending I was at school?" Blaine said and his voice echoed in the room.

"Is this where you did that?" Kurt asked looking around.

"Yeah," Blaine said and sat down on one of the chairs.

Kurt stood in front of him and looked at him solemnly. "Mr Anderson, what is the capital city of France?" he asked with a wink.

The slave boy snorted. "It's Paris, Mr Hummel," he laughed.

"Very well, Mr Anderson, you get an A for the participation in class."

"You are the best, Mr Hummel," Blaine said with a bright smile and stood up. "Let's go, there is no need to stay here for longer than necessary."

They walked into a couple more rooms, a place where the slave used to hide his most precious belongings and a place where once a cat used to live. They kept the conversation light until they stopped by the entrance to the place that Kurt hated the most.

"This is where we found you," he whispered not sure if he was ready to go in. There still might have been some traces of Blaine's blood and it wasn't something Kurt wanted to see.

Blaine nodded and pulled his hand. "Let's not go in there. I never spent much time in there anyway. It's one of the coldest places in the building."

"Oh, okay," Kurt breathed in gratitude. "So, where to now?"

"Um, do you want to see where I used to sleep?" Blaine offered and Kurt's eyes lit up, his hold on the blankets tightening.

"Yeah, I'd love to," he nodded.

It wasn't far, just a few steps away. Blaine opened the door and let Kurt in. It was a small room with a tiny window. It wasn't light but Kurt knew why Blaine must have chosen this place as his sleeping room – it should be the warmest place in the building.

"So, yeah, this is it," the slave said looking around the small place. "I used to sleep in here for over a year. Wow, time really flies..."

"It must have been really hard," Kurt said not able to imagine himself in such position.

"Still better than the streets," Blaine shrugged. "Can we stay here for a moment?"

"Of course," Kurt smiled and bent to spread the blankets on the floor. "Come here, let's lie down."

"I– Why am I not surprised?" Blaine asked with a chuckle as they both lay down on the blanket and Kurt covered them with another one. It was uncomfortable and cold but they couldn't care less. "I don't know what I did in my previous lives to deserve you but I'm so glad my previous selves were smart enough to be good people."

"And you still are, a good person," Kurt said and took Blaine's hand. "After all the shit that happened to you, you still have the kindest heart. You should be proud of yourself, I know that I am proud of you."

"You make me a better person," the slave said and held onto Kurt's hand tighter. "You are brave and selfless. So smart and loving. I want to be like you when I grow up."

Kurt laughed. "I'm sorry but it's highly unlikely for you to grow any more."

It was Blaine's turn to laugh. "You are mean," he pouted. "Seriously though, if I had to go through everything I did again just so I could be with you, I would."

"I feel the same, I would do anything for you."

"Even kiss me on the floor of an abandoned building?"

"Even that," Kurt said and just as promised kissed his boyfriend with all the passion he had in himself.

They didn't stay long, just a couple of minutes before it got too cold. The boys stood up and Blaine walked towards the door when he saw Kurt lingering.

"Is everything okay?" he asked watching as Kurt folded the blankets and put them in the corner.

"Yeah, just leaving these here. You know, if someone like you was looking for a shelter here," the boy said and left the room together with his boyfriend, hoping to never see that place again.

They hadn't been there after that one time. Blaine seemed to have found what he had been looking for and Kurt didn't see the need to go there again. Ever since that day Blaine's demeanour changed slightly. He looked more relaxed walking around the city as if he had said the final goodbye to his past and embraced his present – the life with friends and family that loved him.

As for his family, they all fell in love with Mini Coop and he with his mother Cassandra were frequent guests at the Hummel residence as well as they often visited the duo. Puck was still wary around the boy but nobody paid much attention to that since the teen really did have a good reason to be.

In the corner of the same page where the wire from the factory was Kurt noticed a string of dark hair taped there. It was one of his favourite memories and a running joke in their small family.

The weekend after Blaine's ownership documents came into Kurt's hands, there was a sleepover held in Cassie's home. She invited Blaine together with Kurt and Puck so that they could spend some time with Blaine's nephew Cooper. Everything went smoothly until the morning.

They were sleeping in Cooper's room on the floor even though the house had enough rooms for all of them. But as Coop pointed out 'you have to s'eep in one loom' during a sleepover. And so they did.

Kurt was awoken by someone freaking out.

"Oh my god, oh my god," someone was whispering.

"M?" the boy yawned and opened his eyes. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Oh god, Kurt, look," it was Blaine talking and Kurt saw him pointing at something.

The boy rubbed his eyes and took a better look at where Blaine was pointing. "Oh my god," he laughed.

In front of him was the best sight in the whole world. Puck was sound asleep with half of his mohawk lying on the floor. In the meantime, Mini Coop was sleeping on the floor by Puck's head with a pair of scissors in-between them.

"This is priceless," Kurt whispered and quickly found his phone to take a photo. He kept taking them until Puck woke up and freaked out himself. In the end Kurt had numerous photos to remember such a beautiful morning.

"Cassandra is going to kill me if Puck doesn't do that before her," Blaine freaked out when his friend went into the bathroom to check the damage.

"It's okay, kids do crazy things sometimes," Kurt tried to calm him down. "Where is his mother by the way?"

"She went out for shopping. Should come back in an hour or so... Do you think she will notice the lack of Puck's hair?"

"Yeah, it's kind of obvious, you know?" Kurt laughed. "Don't worry so much, Noah will look much better without that stupid thing on his head."

Blaine smiled at that. "You are right but he will be upset nevertheless..."

"True... So, Coop," Kurt looked at the sleepy boy who had woken up during the commotion and had no idea what was going on, "you deserve ice-cream for breakfast today."

The boy's eyes lit up with joy but Blaine cut in before it got the boy's hopes up. "Kurt, he can't have ice-cream this early."

"Oh come on, Blaine, just this time... He was a good boy," Kurt said and winked at the boy who nodded eagerly.

"No, he wasn't good," Blaine snapped. "We shouldn't encourage such behaviour. What if he starts cutting anyone's hair? It's a bad thing."

"I–" Kurt was about to respond when the little boy spoke up.

"You sound like Lily's mama and papa," he said. "Her papa lets her do stuff and her mama says 'no, no, no' and then Lily can't do that and so she loves her papa more, unc' B'ane."

"Um that's... your friend should love both of her parents equally, Coop. They both love her a lot and want the best for her. Just because they make you do something you don't like, it doesn't mean they are bad. Like, you don't like peas but your mother makes you eat them because they are good for you. You shouldn't love her less for that," Blaine explained the best he could. He lacked experience with kids.

"Oh... Okay," the boy said thoughtfully.

"How about you go to the bathroom, apologise to uncle Puck and ask him to help you brush your teeth?" Blaine suggested and the boy left with a nod. "See, Kurt? He already likes you more than me and I want him to love us equally. I really don't want him to see me as some monster who always says 'no, no, no' even if it's for his own good because well, he doesn't understand it's for his own benefit. Could we, please, agree to discuss things like ice-cream first and not argue in front of him? I'd rather tell him it's our mutual decision for him to not have ice-cream for breakfast..."

"I totally agree, I saw my mistake as soon as Coop told us about his friend. You are absolutely right, from now on we are a team."

"Thank you, Kurt," Blaine smiled at him. "We should probably talk to him why it's a bad thing to cut someone's hair without permission. Otherwise there might be some really bad consequences."

Kurt could proudly tell that ever since that incident Cooper didn't cut a hair from any living creature's head. Also, Puck forgot all about mohawks and sported a bald look from then on. He told everyone that papa Hummel inspired his new look. It might have also been one of the reasons why Lauren soon broke up with him but it wasn't confirmed.

Looking over page after page of his scrapbook Kurt realised that there was nothing that didn't have to do with Blaine as if he was a part of him now. In a way it was not only his scrapbook anymore, it was theirs.

As if on cue, Blaine entered the room. "What's with the smile?" he asked putting his old boxing gloves in one of the boxes.

"Nothing, just looking through my old scrapbook," Kurt explained and Blaine dropped on the bed next to him.

"What do these rose petals mean?" he asked when Kurt opened a page full of dried petals.

"Our first time, remember? You had my bed covered with them and I saved a few," he explained.

"Ah that, we were awful back then," Blaine laughed. "Don't get me wrong, it was perfect on a way but we are much better now."

Dating was amazing, kissing was great too but soon the boys wanted more. With time their kisses became more heated and hands started wandering more boldly. So they talked and decided to take things to the next level.

It was Saturday evening and with Burt gone to have an evening out with his co-workers the boys decided it was time to go further into the intimacy. Blaine kept him out of his room for some time and Kurt couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on. His question was answered as soon as the door to his bedroom opened.

There were candles lit up everywhere, his bed was covered with red rose petals and a soft music was playing in the background.

Blaine stood there looking nervous. "It's too much, isn't it?"

"No, it's... perfect," Kurt looked in awe. "Wow, you did this all for me... Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it," Blaine said and extended his hand for Kurt that the other boy took.

"So, how..." the slave boy said slowly.

"How about we don't over think and just go with the flow?" Kurt suggested. "I'd love to start with some kissing."

"Yeah, kissing is very nice," Blaine chuckled nervously as they sat down on the bed.

"Blaine, love, we don't have to do this if you are not ready," Kurt said gently. "Or I could take the lead if you want to. I've read some stuff on the internet."

"Actually I've watched some porn on your laptop," Blaine said and blushed at how it sounded. "I mean, for this purpose only. I promise, nothing more!"

Kurt laughed and lay on his back, pulling Blaine on top. "And what did you learn?"

"That it always starts with an awful dialogue?" Blaine laughed feeling the mood becoming less tense. "So, I was promised some kissing I think..."

"That you were," Kurt said capturing his lips with his own.

They kissed lazily for a few minutes before Blaine got tired of kissing and started devouring Kurt's neck. "Is it okay if I take your shirt off?" he asked uncertainly.

"More than okay," Kurt said and sat up a little so he could take his shirt off while Blaine took off his. "Those training sessions are so good for you. You look delicious."

"You look even better," Blaine said watching Kurt hungrily. "Could I... Maybe..."

"What is it?"

"I just thought maybe... could I touch your nipple?" the boy asked shyly eyeing the darkened nub.

"Yeah, um, that sounds like a... great idea," Kurt said swallowing thickly. "You can do that. And seriously, you don't need to ask permission for every little thing."

"Just making sure you are comfortable," Blaine said.

He slowly slid his fingers up from where his hand had laid on Kurt's hip and soon reached his left nipple. The boy gently ran his finger over it until braving enough to squeeze it between his two fingers.

Slightly startled Kurt let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a meowl.

"What was that?" Blaine laughed and saw Kurt blush in the dim light.

"You caught me by surprise, okay?" the boy pouted.

"Just teasing you, it was a very cute noise actually," Blaine laughed again. "No, not cute, sexy, very sexy."

"Oh shut up," Kurt laughed.

"I know a way to shut up," the other boy smiled deviously. "I mean, if I could, you know, put my mouth on your nipple... Would that be okay with you?"

"Yes, yes, hundred times yes!"

"One yes would have been enough," Blaine laughed and started kissing down Kurt's neck while his right hand still played with Kurt's left nipple.

Ready to explode with anticipation Kurt let out a moan as soon as his boyfriend's mouth reached his other nipple and sucked it in. Without thinking his hand found its place in Blaine's hair and pulled gently.

"Feels very good," Kurt managed.

"Yeah?" Blaine raised his head to look into his boyfriend's face.

"It's a synonym for 'don't stop', you know," Kurt said slightly annoyed at the lack of stimulation.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Blaine apologised and went back to sucking on the nipple.

"Wait a second," Kurt stopped him. "I think we could lose the rest of our clothes. It's something we are planning to do at some point anyway so why not now?"

"Fair enough," Blaine agreed and sat up a bit too quickly. "I can see stars."

"What?"

"Nothing," he laughed awkwardly. "Okay, let me help you with your pants. I mean, you are sure about this, right?"

"Yes, I'm more than sure but your nervousness makes me think that you aren't," Kurt eyed him carefully. "If you don't want to do this, it's okay. Just tell me."

Blaine shook his head. "I really want this. I'm not nervous about sex, I'm just worried it won't be perfect for you..."

"Of course it will because I'm with you," Kurt said rubbing Blaine's thighs trying to soothe him. "Now let's get rid of those annoying pants, shall we?"

"Okay, I like that," Blaine said and crawled back so that he could help Kurt out of his pants and underwear. Soon his boyfriend lay naked in front of him. "Oh wow..."

"You are staring," Kurt commented feeling slightly self-conscious.

"I'm sorry, I could blow the candles out or not look if it makes you uncomfortable," Blaine hurried to find a way to make Kurt feel better.

Kurt shook his head immediately. "Thank you but I think we need to get used to being around each other naked. I don't want to be one of those couples that only have sex at night or under blankets. Not that it's bad. I mean, if you want to get under the blanket I'll be fine with that–"

"No, I really want to see you," Blaine said not failing to blush. "Should I get naked too?"

"That would be, yeah, you should take these off," Kurt agreed pulling gently on Blaine's pants.

"Okay, just don't laugh, okay?" the other boy pleaded and got off the bed to ease out of the rest of his clothing.

"Why would I laugh?" Kurt asked and got his answer as soon as his boyfriend stood bare by the bed. "Oh my god, you shaved!"

"You said you wouldn't laugh," Blaine's shoulders slumped slightly and his hands found their way to cover up his crotch.

"I'm not laughing, I'm just surprised," Kurt's face became serious at once. He extended his arms to his boyfriend. "Come here."

Blaine took his hands and went up to bed, successfully straddling his boyfriend's lap. "I wasn't sure how you would like it so I thought I would clean myself just in case. I realised I should have asked you first right after I finished shaving... Now it's kind of too late."

"Well, I like this look but maybe I would prepare seeing the natural you. On the other hand, I get to see your hair growing back day after day. It will be like my personal garden."

"You are unbelievable," Blaine laughed wholeheartedly. "You realise that our cocks are touching and we are talking how my crotch is going to be your garden?"

"Well, at least it got you less self-conscious so I'm totally fine with that."

"Yeah, you got me feeling better," Blaine said and gently pushed Kurt into a lying position. "Should we kiss some more now or do you want to... you know."

"Um, lube first, then some kissing maybe? If that's okay with you of course," Kurt suggested with hope in his chest, anticipating to finally get that magical friction everyone on the internet had been talking about.

"Fine by me," Blaine nodded and grabbed a small bottle of lube from the bedside table. "Okay, so should we lube ourselves or do you want us to do each other?"

"I don't know how about you but I'd love to touch you," Kurt said glancing at his boyfriend's cock.

"Okay, yeah, I think I would like that too. I mean, you touching me, me touching you, both sound good," the boy stumbled over his words while covering his hand with lube. "Might be cold."

Kurt prepared himself for the cold feeling but still hissed at the sensation when Blaine's hand touched him. "More like freezing," he mumbled while his boyfriend sent him an apologetic smile.

"I think it's enough lube for you," Blaine said after a few moments when Kurt's cock was fully covered with lube.

"Your turn then," Kurt smiled and took the lube from the bed.

He spread some on his fingers and warmed it up for a bit to save his boyfriend from the cold. As soon as his hand was on Blaine's cock, the other boy gasped loudly.

"Oh you are the one to talk about weird noises," Kurt laughed at him.

"I take it back," the boy moaned while Kurt continued to lazily move his hand on his cock. "I had no idea it would feel like this."

"You know what would feel even better? Going through with the plan," Kurt said and took his hand away, wiping it on the bed sheet.

Blaine whined at the loss but couldn't help but anticipate what was going to happen next. "The plan, yes, I loved that plan," he said and crawled further up so that their crotches were lined up perfectly. "Here goes nothing," he said as he lowered himself on his boyfriend.

"Oh my god, it sounded like you were doing something dangerous," Kurt laughed, ignoring how good it felt to have his boyfriend's cock pressed to his own for the first time. "I'm sorry, it's just so funny."

"I know," Blaine laughed as well. "Maybe we should try this some other time? I don't think either of us is in the right mood today."

"Agreed," Kurt laughed. "Next time we are making out we should just go with the flow because setting up time is not working for us."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed and got up. "We could still shower together? We need to get this lube off of us."

"Good idea," Kurt agreed and they went into his bathroom together.

"It wasn't awful," Kurt said and closed his scrapbook. "Yeah, it was awkward and we didn't even get to come but I still cherish that memory. It was fun."

"I can't argue with that," Blaine nodded and stood up. "Have you seen my locket? I can't find it anywhere..."

Kurt thought for a second. "Haven't I told you? Cassie called your phone while you were in the shower. You left it at her place yesterday. She said she would bring it to the airport tomorrow. She will come with Mini Coop to say goodbye."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they are coming and bringing my locket and all but you know, it seems like we are leaving for a very long time," Blaine laughed. "With my parents' money that I've saved I think it's safe to say we'll come back for Christmas. Maybe for Thanksgiving even?"

"Maybe," Kurt smiled not really looking at his boyfriend. "Are you nearly done packing?"

"Yeah. I only had the gloves left but since I had my last training session with Lauren today I couldn't pack them earlier."

"How did it go?"

"Good as always. I'll need to find some boxing club that allows slaves in when we are in New York. I haven't looked anything up yet..."

"There will be time for that," Kurt said and turned around just so that he would have an excuse to not look at Blaine. "Is Puck coming today or is he going to the airport with us?"

"Airport. He's busy playing Halo at Finn's place."

"He probably thought we might ask his help packing if he had come over," Kurt rolled his eyes and looked over the shelves. "We should take this photo," he said absentmindedly and Blaine looked over his shoulder.

It was a photo from Kurt's birthday. Everyone they cared about was in that photo. Blaine and Kurt were surrounded by their family – Burt, Cassandra and Cooper, as well as their friends – Rachel with Jesse, Tina with Mike, Puck, Finn and Lauren. Looking back at how most of those friendships began he wouldn't have thought that he would have all these people at his birthday party. Especially when it came to Finn.

After everything that happened with Karofsky Kurt didn't feel like going to school. Burt allowed him to stay home for the rest of the week and Blaine used that time to his advantage. Even though Kurt insisted he was alright the slave boy raided the internet looking for tips and various exercises for Kurt to do so that he could deal with his demons after Karofsky's continuous assault. Kurt hated to admit but those little exercises Blaine gave him really did make him feel better. He realised he had been affected more than he had initially thought and made sure to follow his boyfriend's instructions that slowly helped him to get back to normal.

On Monday morning saying goodbye to Blaine before going to school was particularly hard mostly because Blaine meant safety. He had no idea what was waiting for him at school now that everyone knew that Karofsky was sent to juvie because of him but he knew what he would be doing if he stayed at home – cook, cuddle, watch movies with Blaine, and just laze around. The latter option was way more appealing.

He worried with no reason though. Nobody at school seemed to care that Karofsky was gone, not even his friends from the football team. It also helped that Puck was like glued to his hip, always by his side. Kurt wondered if he even went to his own classes since he was always by Kurt's classroom door ready to walk him to his next class. He also wondered if Blaine had anything to do with that.

At lunch time they met up with Tina at the corner table and Lauren surprisingly joined them as well for the first time. They were chatting amongst themselves when someone caught his attention. Finn was carrying his tray of food when someone tripped him and he almost dropped his food on the ground.

"I feel sorry for him," Kurt said eyeing the boy with pity. "I mean, I don't like him, he's a douche but still... I think we went overboard with what we did."

"He was actually quite nice to me at Biology yesterday. I couldn't read what was written on the board and he gave me his notes to copy," Tina said. "He might have a human side after all."

"Hey, don't go all soft on us," Puck growled looking at Finn. "We had a good reason to do what we did. Just because he looks miserable now doesn't mean that we should feel sorry for him. Remember what he did to Blaine?"

Kurt rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'll never forget that, Noah, but Blaine didn't like what we did to Finn. I think he would like us to apologise. And don't forget that it was Karofsky who really beat Blaine up. We could just apologise for what we did, we don't need to make friends with him."

But they did. It started with an apology right there in the cafeteria and even though Finn was suspicious he accepted the apology. Later they started saying hi in the hallways, sometimes even exchanging some small talk. The real breakthrough happened when he and Rachel started dating again and so Finn slowly became a part of their company. It was awkward at first but when Blaine showed that he could be a bigger man and forgive his former tormentor it was easier for everyone else to let him in too.

"Oh, I like this one," Blaine smiled still looking over Kurt's shoulder. "You look particularly cute in that birthday hat."

"I'll have you know that I always look cute," Kurt looked at his boyfriend pointedly.

"That you do," Blaine laughed and kissed him on a cheek. "So, almost ready, huh? Looking forward to starting your first year at Tisch?"

"I don't know," Kurt shrugged. "It's a good school so it's probably quite difficult to study there."

"You are very hard-working and I saw your designs, you'll do great."

"Hope so, but anyway, there's still time before school starts," Kurt said hoping to end the conversation. "Let's go downstairs. I want to raid all other rooms to see if I haven't forgotten anything."

***

August 11, 2014

"You have your passports?"

"Yes, dad."

"Tickets?"

"Yes, dad."

"Money?"

"Yes, dad."

"Credit card?"

"Yes, yes, yes, we have everything, I checked millions of times before we left," Kurt snapped.

The morning had been tense for all of them. There was this feeling in the air that words couldn't describe. They kept looking at their watches but time didn't go fast enough while they waited for the time they had to leave for the airport. They were just sitting around not really feeling like talking at all but not feeling like doing anything either. They were all in a weird mood and it didn't change even after Puck arrived. He just joined their sulking.

The ride to the airport was silent as nobody wanted to say a word fearing of yet another useless fight. They went into the airport and checked-in leaving them with their backpacks only and Mr Honey in Blaine's hands. Kurt took care of all necessary ordeals since Blaine didn't have any rights anyway.

When they were done they waited for Cassandra and Mini Coop who were slightly late.

"So, afraid to fly?" Puck teased Blaine and pulled on the toy's ear.

Blaine shrugged. "I'm not afraid of flying itself. I've just never flown in the slave compartment. I read awful comments about those so I thought I would have Mr Honey with me for moral support and to keep me company."

"I hate the laws here," Puck frowned. "Someone needs to change everything. Like... wait a minute... Papa Hummel, are you into politics at all?"

"What?" Burt looked at the boy confused.

"Hey, guys!" they heard Cassie's voice and turned around to see her running towards them with Cooper in tow. "I'm so sorry we are late. The traffic was a nightmare."

"Uncles!" Cooper shouted excitedly and went to hug Blaine. "Mama says you are leaving, I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too," Blaine said hugging the boy. "But we'll see each other real soon, okay? And we will talk to each other every day."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Blaine assured him and stood up to hug Cassie. "Thank you for coming here today."

"I couldn't not come," Cassandra said and tightly hugged her brother-in-law. "If you ever need anything, just call me, alright? I might be further away than I am now but I'll help you as much as I can. Just don't be afraid to ask."

"Thank you," Blaine said with tears in his eyes. "Just... thank you."

"You should get going, boys, the security will take a long time," Burt told them eyeing the queue at the security check. "Let us know when you land. And when you get ho... to the hotel. Deal?"

"Of course, we'll keep you all updated," Kurt said trying to get out of Cooper's strong hold. "Buddy, I really need to go now."

"Let Kurt go, sweetie," Cassandra said gently pulling her son away.

"Okay," the boy sniffed as tears rolled down his cheeks. Reluctantly he let go of Kurt.

The moment he was free Kurt hugged his dad.

"I love you, son," Burt said hugging just as tightly.

"Love you too, dad," the boy responded and let go with a sad smile.

It was then Blaine's turn to be enveloped in Burt's embrace. "Love you, son," the man said.

"Love you too, da... Burt," the slave boy blushed at his slip up.

"Dad is just fine," Burt said with a wide grin. "Now, off you go. You don't want to be late."

"Hey, I might be badass but I want hugs too," Puck said and pulled Blaine into a hug. "Blainers, I... you know..."

"I know, me too," Blaine smiled as they pulled apart.

"I'll kind of miss you too, princess," Puck said and hugged Kurt more tightly than it was necessary. "Take care of my boy, okay?"

"Will do," Kurt said glancing at the announcement board. "We really need to go now. We'll miss you!"

"Bye!" they all shouted as Blaine and Kurt walked away.

"So, how does 'congressman Hummel' sound to you?" were the last words they heard coming from Puck.

The security check went fast and soon they were going towards their gates. "Worried?" Kurt asked taking Blaine's hand.

"A little bit? At least the flight won't take long..." he said and stopped at the announcement board to see which gates they had to go to.

"To the left here, I think."

"Um, not really," Kurt said looking at the announcements.

"What?" Blaine took another look. "I'm pretty sure our gates are that way."

Kurt took a deep breath and without another word pulled Blaine with him. They walked for another five minutes until Kurt stopped them at the right gates.

Blaine looked up and his eyes widened. "What are we doing here?"

"These are our gates," Kurt said watching Blaine intently.

"Paris? We are going to Paris? Why are we going to Paris?"

"Because I got accepted to Ecole de Condé to study fashion design?"

"Kurt..."

"Okay, fine, when I was applying to colleges I realised that I had other options than to stay in this awful country that won't treat you like a human," Kurt explained. "So I applied to a few places in Paris. We have a house there so we can live there. I'm sorry I haven't discussed it with you first but I wanted to surprise you so... surprise?"

"I... I have no words, Kurt," Blaine said and lowered his head.

"Please, tell me you are happy," Kurt asked hopefully. "Cassie said they would come visiting and dad too. And it's going to be like in New York, only the time difference is bigger but we will work out the time good for everyone and–"

"I love you so much," Blaine raised his head finally. "You got into the school of your dreams and you gave it up for me... I will never be able to repay you..."

"Condé was my dream school when I was living in Paris so I just went back to my old dream. And I'd rather see you happy anyway. Not to mention that there are no slave compartments in French airlines. Or any other European airlines."

Blaine looked at Kurt in awe failing to find the right words.

"I just... love you so, so much, Kurt."

"I love you too, I love you too."