"Blaine!"

The voice echoed through the empty hallway, just as the curly-haired boy was about to leave the school. Glancing over his left shoulder, he caught sight of a certain blonde running towards him.

"Yes, Sam?" Blaine inquired as soon as his best friend caught up to him, slightly out of breath.

"I forgot to ask you if you could take me home. I can't go with Finn because he's going out to dinner with the other alums to celebrate our sweet, sweet victory. Can Robin hitch a ride on the Batmobile?"

"Only if you don't change the music while I'm driving," Blaine agreed with a small smile. "Batman finally got the new P!nk CD."

----

P!nk blasted through the car as the duo began their journey to the house the Evans family moved into the summer before senior year. Blaine couldn't help but sing with more enthusiasm when Sam joined him in Blow Me, despite his mid-song interruption of "Dude, isn't this song about blowjobs? It's totally about blowjobs."

The two continued the drive as Sam contentedly hummed along, tapping his thighs to the beat as Blaine voiced the lyrics.

"We're not broken, just bent, and we can learn to love -"

"SAM! I told you you're not allowed to change the music."

"I didn't change it," Sam smirked. "I stopped it. You have to learn to choose your words wisely. I thought you were the smart one."

Blaine simply rolled his eyes and took his right hand off the steering wheel so he could turn the music back on. Just as his index finger was about to press down on the power button, Sam quickly pushed his hand away, preventing him from doing so.

"Sam."

"Dude, just spill already."

"Spill what?"

"Blaine, we've only been bros for a few months now, but don't think I haven't spent enough time with you to know when something's up. You're genuinely happy for the first time in forever and I doubt it was just the sectionals win. You're actually smiling, bro, and not that fake one you put on every day. That's a pretty big deal. So spill."

"Kurt called me," Blaine blurted out.

"Alright alright!" Sam exclaimed, practically jumping out of his seat. "Wait, it was a good phone call, right?"

"Yup," answered Blaine, smiling to himself as he thought about the conversation that had taken place maybe an hour ago. "It even ended with an 'I love you.'"

"I knew it! I knew something was funky when you came back for the number after picking up your phone! But the good kind of funky. Now tell me everything, young jedi."

Blaine relayed the two and a half minute phone call to his friend, fighting back tears as it began to sink in that Kurt had actually called him. Kurt had told him he missed him like crazy, Kurt wanted to see him for Christmas, and he was still Kurt's best friend. It wasn't a dream. Kurt had called him - Blaine still couldn't get over it - and had said all those things, instilling in him a hope he had lost after the text Kurt had sent a week ago.

Blaine glanced at the passenger seat to find Sam smiling at him with a glint in his eyes as well.

"Are you tearing up?"

"Dude, shut up. You're my bro and I'm happy for you. Do you know how refreshing it is to see you really happy for the first time since Kurt left?"

"Thanks Sam," Blaine chimed, as he pulled into the driveway of the Evans household. "I mean it. Thanks for being my best friend, for reaching out to me, and for being there through all of this. I'm really not as put together as everyone assumes."

Sam fist bumped his friend and pulled him into a hug."That's what bros are for, Blaine. Come over tomorrow and help me babysit Stacy and Stevie. We can plan your New York Christmas trip and start planning 'Operation: Win Kurt Hummel Back.' Not that you ever completely lost him, man, but you know what I mean. It'll be awesome! Like we're creating our own superhero scheme. Blaine and Sam: saving the world, one relationship at the time."

All Blaine could do was grin and agree to come over.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then!" Sam called out as he got out of the car. Before he shut the door, he turned around.

"Hey Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you didn't leave McKinley. And I'm glad we're bros."

Blaine stared at him, not knowing what to say. The tears - the happy tears - threatened to fall at any moment.

"Me too, Sam, me too."

The door slammed shut and Sam ran to the front door, yelling "Thanks for the ride, bro!" over his shoulder.

Blaine drove home, all smiles as he knew this would be the first night in months he wouldn't fall asleep crying in pain.

He wasn't the bad guy anymore.

And most importantly, Kurt still loved him. There was hope.