If Blaine were ever to be perfectly honest with himself, he would admit that he knew he was meant to be with Kurt Hummel the second time he ever saw him.

 

But Blaine didn't just second-guess his feelings; he swallowed them down and buried them deep inside his heart until they took over his every thought and overwhelmed him to the point where if he didn't let them out, he would probably explode.

 

This process took several months over the course of eight years.

 

There were signs. Looking back there were so many signs that there may have well been a gigantic blinking neon arrow pointing at Kurt anytime he and Blaine were in the same room.

 

Their second encounter was on the steps at Dalton. For some reason, a usually punctual Blaine was running down the master staircase, constantly checking his pocket watch in hopes it would turn back a couple minutes so he wouldn't be late for the "impromptu" performance the Warblers were putting on in the senior commons. Though he was in Warbler-mode, a voice called out and his body involuntarily stopped to turn around to answer the polite plea for help.

 

"Excuse me," an angelically high-pitched voice called out, causing Blaine to turn and his jaw to drop at the sight of its source. "Um, hi, can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

 

Blaine instantly forgot that he was running late and focused all his attention on this boy on the steps who was obviously not a Dalton student, based off of his non-uniform. "I'm Blaine." He reached out and offered his hand.

 

A smile sprouted across the taller boy's face and his blue eyes danced as he shook Blaine's hand. "Kurt."

 

If Blaine weren't so smitten and his brain was working at even minimum capacity, he should have been able to recall those eyes and why that name sounded so familiar. Instead, he was too overcome with the warm fuzzy feeling that came in the form of sparks shooting up his arm from what appeared to be a simple introductory handshake. But, since this was not their first introduction, Blaine wasn't able to register that the internal fireworks that were going off were actually years of repressed feelings trying to race their way to his brain to unlock the memories of this same boy whose hand he was presently holding.

 

After a brief discussion about glee clubs on the staircase, Blaine instinctively grabbed Kurt's hand and led him down a hallway so he could watch the Warblers performance.

 

In any other situation, singing "Teenage Dream" while staring into the beautiful eyes of someone you just met a few minutes prior would be considered creepy. However, since these boys had known each other and Kurt often played a familiar character in Blaine's late night reveries over the past eight years, serenading him with lyrics of being the other boy's teenage dream were more subconsciously flirtatious than not.

 

Usually one of the people in this situation is more level headed than the other. Later in life, Blaine would tease Kurt and ask why he didn't say anything sooner. Kurt would smack at his arm and say that he did admit first, between the two of them, that he had feelings for Blaine but that Blaine was too blind to see it. Blaine would argue that Kurt didn't fully remember their past either until he jostled his memory with that photograph.

 

You're probably asking yourself – "What photograph?"

 

(All in good time, my friends, all in good time. Remember - It took Blaine and Kurt eight years to find each other again. You can wait a few more minutes while you finish reading their story.)

 

See, this is Blaine's story. And at the time he was pretty clueless.

 

Lucky for him, the clues would start to fall into place. That might not have happened as quickly as he hoped, but he got there, or rather they got there. Eventually.

 

.

 

.

 

But for now, let's take it back to the start, shall we?

 

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.

 

The year was 2002. Kurt Elizabeth Hummel and Blaine Devon Anderson were nine years old and living in Lima, Ohio. They lived on opposite sides of town and were in different school districts. Their parents were in different income brackets; so while Kurt spent hot summer days eating freezer pops and swimming for free at the community center pool, Blaine was at the country club, lounging poolside and drinking lemonade from a glass.

 

Regardless of social status, Allen County's annual "Independence Day Jamboree" was quickly approaching and Kurt and Blaine were both hoping to go.

 

Kurt's mom was sick and his parents couldn't drive to the celebration. However, he was still able to attend because his friend Mercedes said he could go with her and her family.

 

Blaine's parents were busy hosting a lavish charity gathering for the Fourth of July holiday. They allowed Blaine and their oldest son, Cooper, to drive a few towns over for the event just so they didn't have to worry about keeping their kids entertained during their black-tie party.

 

So, as luck would have it, Kurt and Blaine were en route to the jamboree on the same day at the same time with strict instructions from their parents to stay close to Mercedes (Kurt) and Cooper (Blaine) and have fun.

 

Both boys were able to follow both instructions to a T, but only for about 30 minutes.

 

In the melee of excitement, Kurt got separated from Mercedes when she wandered away, leaving him alone to finish watching the dancers on the children's stage. Later she would confess that she saw a tater tot stand and went off to buy them some tots to share. When she returned, she claimed Kurt was gone, so she ate the tots herself and then went to get her face painted with sparkly butterfly wings. While getting her face painted, she ran into some girlfriends from school and was content to hang with them the rest of the day. When they ran into Kurt a little later, he pulled Mercedes aside and told her he made a friend and asked if he could spend the rest of the day with said new friend. Kurt promised her if she asked him no questions and agreed to lie to her parents that she was with Kurt the whole day, he would do whatever she wanted on their next five play dates. They shook on it and didn't see each other the rest of the day until it was almost time for them to meet back up with Mercedes parents after the fireworks.

 

Blaine also got deserted, but it was no accident.

 

After parking his Dad's brand new BMW, 17-year old Cooper Anderson grabbed his little brother by the hand and walked him over to the kid's area. Once there, he unceremoniously dropped Blaine's hand and took him by the shoulders.

 

"Look Squirt, I'm gonna meet some of my buddies. You just stay here in the kid area, okay, and I'll come get you when the fireworks are over." Cooper said this all very matter-of-factly, as if there were no room for argument by his vertically challenged younger brother.

 

Blaine, who had been looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with his brother - his hero - was visibly upset even though he was trying hard not to. His tiny hand flew to his face to preemptively wipe snot away from his nose as he sniffled with sadness. "But mom said –"

 

Cooper's eyebrows shot up in panic, as he was not ready to deal with an emotionally wrecked little brother. However, he also wasn't willing to give up spending time with his friends. So, he did what he saw his dad do on occasions such as this. After digging his wallet out of his back pocket, Cooper fished out $50 and flashed it in Blaine's face. "Hey! Look, here's $50 bucks for you to spend on whatever you want today, okay?"

 

With another sniffle, Blaine reluctantly accepted the money, dug his own wallet out of his pocket and tucked the money safely inside before he Velcroed it shut and returned it to its place. He was used to this – being handed money as if that were the solution to every problem. Cooper ruffled his brother's already messy hair and walked away. To this day, Blaine couldn't even tell you if his brother even bothered to look over his shoulder as he made his way out of the children's area. He probably didn't.

 

Armed with $50 and nothing else, Blaine wandered around for a while, taking in the sights and trying to make a game plan for himself. He took out his pocket watch and inspected its face. It was just after 3:00pm and the fireworks were to end around 10:00 that night. He heaved a heavy sigh. What was he supposed to do for seven hours?

 

After wandering aimlessly for what felt like an eternity (though another peak at his pocket watch indicated it was really only nine minutes), Blaine found himself in front of a stage where other children were performing in groups. Intrigued, he settled into a seat in the back row and watched a group of girls do a pretty intricate tap routine.

 

As the dance ended, he felt his chair shift forward. Surprised by the sudden movement, he craned his neck and saw that in the rush of a group of people passing by, a boy about his age had just been shoved into the back of his chair.

 

The boy who got shoved into Blaine's chair looked mortified and quickly apologized. "Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry!"

 

"It's okay," Blaine replied. Though he knew that he was actually surrounded by a lot of people, Blaine felt like he and this stranger boy were the only two people on Earth in that moment. His jaw dropped a little, but he wasn't quite sure why. There was something about this stranger. "Pretty" was the only word that came to Blaine's mind even though he never heard boys being called pretty – only girls. But this boy was pretty. He had sparkly blue eyes that looked like the water in the pool at the country club. His voice sounded pretty too. Blaine shook himself out of his overly fascinated state enough to introduce himself. "I'm Blaine."

 

"Kurt," the other boy replied.

 

Without thinking, Blaine asked Kurt if he wanted to sit down. Kurt smiled and walked around the row of chairs, side-stepping his way down the aisle before climbing onto the empty chair next to Blaine. Both boys were too short so nobody's feet were even close to touching the ground. Instead, two pairs of legs dangled and four shoes bumped into chairs and each other's legs as the boys sat and started to chat.

 

It was quickly revealed that they both were separated from their original parties. While Kurt was legitimately sad he got left by his friend, Mercedes, Blaine just shrugged when he told Kurt that his older brother left him with a handful of money to fend for himself.

 

"But doesn't that make you sad you got left behind?" Kurt asked with wide eyes.

 

Blaine just shrugged again. He was sad, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He was used to being left to his own devices.

 

They sat there quietly and looked around. Blaine knew Kurt was looking for his friend and could tell he was disappointed when he didn't see her. A series of cheers and applause rang out somewhere behind them and both boys' attention were drawn down a ways to the Midway. Apparently someone won one of those giant stuffed bananas that were the size of a grown person. This gave Blaine an idea. He looked over at Kurt and asked, "Wanna go play some games? My treat."

 

Kurt weighed his options for a moment. He knew he should probably wait for Mercedes, but he was curious about this new boy who seemed to want to be friends. "Okay."

 

Blaine was a little bit surprised that Kurt agreed, "Really?" When Kurt nodded his affirmation, Blaine stuck out his hand. "Come on. I know a shortcut."

 

Kurt linked his hand in Blaine's as they both hopped off of their chairs and sprinted toward the Midway. They ducked and weaved through the crowds of people, giggling the whole way.

 

The boys skidded to a halt near the arcade. After Blaine fed a $10 bill into a machine, they were rewarded with dozens of tokens that they wasted on skeeball. While trying to land every ball in the 100-point slot, Blaine and Kurt had a chance to chat and learn a bit about each other. They quickly realized they were both from Lima and the same age. Blaine was envious of the stories Kurt told about his Dad ("He lets me help him in his garage!") and Kurt marveled at the amount of shopping Blaine was about to do ("My mom's making me get all new clothes for school next year. Something about sports. Or spurts. I don't know.").

 

Though neither boy was very good at skeeball, they played for over an hour. Once they ran out of tokens, they pooled their tickets together and found they had enough for a cowboy hat (for Blaine) and a gaudy piece of costume jewelry with an oversized gemstone (for Kurt).

 

They walked out of the arcade feeling like they won the lottery. Blaine wore his cowboy hat proudly (albeit crookedly over his curls) and Kurt admired the sparkly new ring that circled the second finger on his left hand.

 

As they walked down the midway, Blaine turned to Kurt and asked if he wouldn't mind waiting a minute while he used the restroom. After promising he'd be right back, Blaine ran off toward the line of Port-a-Johns, leaving Kurt on a bench.

 

"KURT!"

 

The blue-eyed boy whipped his head around to see Mercedes and a couple other girls he vaguely recognized from her Girl Scout troop. All of their faces were painted like butterflies, but that didn't faze Kurt at all. "Oh hey, Cedes."

 

The posse stopped in front of the bench and every girl had her hands on her hips. "We've been looking all over for you!"

 

Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "You're the one who left me!" He hopped off the bench, grabbed Mercedes arm and dragged her away from the other girls so they could talk in private. "Look, I know your parents said we were supposed to stick together all day, but I made a new friend and I really want to spend time with him. Alone." Mercedes looked like she was ready to start an argument, so Kurt kept going. "If you don't tell your mom and dad, I promise I'll do whatever you want on our next play date." The sassy look on his friend's face indicated that this was not a good enough offer. "Okay, five play dates."

 

Mercedes considered this increase then sighed. "Fine."

 

Kurt was surprised. Usually Mercedes put up a bigger fight than that. "Really?"

 

She held out her hand. "Five play dates. And that ring."

 

He was disappointed she wanted his new ring, but if it was the only way to get her to leave, he agreed. He shook her hand, "Five play dates and my ring. Thanks, Mercedes." He frowned a bit as he handed over his ring.

 

Mercedes and her group of girlfriends wandered away just before Blaine got back from the restroom. "Sorry for the wait. It took me awhile to find somewhere to wash my hands. You wanna play some more games?"

 

Kurt smiled at his new friend, "Sure!"

 

Back at the Midway, they each tried their hand at a ring toss and knocking milk bottles over with baseballs. Blaine noticed that Kurt was already without his ring, but Kurt shrugged it off and told him it must have fallen off earlier. Blaine did not quite buy this story, but he let it slide. When they walked away from those booths empty handed they decided maybe they should get something to eat. However, before they made it out of the Midway, Blaine stopped in front of a booth where you had to throw a football through a hula-hoop several yards away. "Kurt, wait!"

 

Kurt had his heart set on food but something warmed his heart when he turned to find Blaine looking at him with the most determined look on his face.

 

Blaine fished a couple dollars out of his pocket and handed them to the guy running the booth. The guy pocketed the money and set three footballs on the counter in front of Blaine. "You got three tries, kid."

 

The cowboy hat threatened to fall off of Blaine's head as he nodded in understanding.

 

Blaine was barely tall enough to see over the counter, but that didn't stop him from reaching up and grabbing a football. He quickly threw it and missed the hula-hoop by a good few feet.

 

The guy running the booth was unable to suppress a chuckle. Blaine heaved a heavy sigh and looked over at Kurt. His frustrated expression softened to a small smile when he saw Kurt nodding him on, encouraging him to keep going. "You can do it, Blaine. I know it."

 

Before grabbing another football, Blaine reached up and adjusted his cowboy hat. After narrowing his eyes on the target, Blaine picked his second pigskin and squared his shoulders perpendicular to the hoop. He cocked his right arm back and snapped the ball crisply. It flew through the center of the hoop, not even close to touching its sides.

 

Kurt smiled as Blaine quickly picked up the final ball and threw it cleanly through the hoop. The guy running the booth was no longer chuckling, having to give up a medium-sized prize to a kid who looked like he was maybe six or seven years old.

 

"Eh, nice job, kid. Here's your prize." The guy running the booth plucked a two-foot tall yellow bird off the side wall and tossed it at Blaine.

 

"Thanks, mister," Blaine replied as he caught the bird. He beamed as he walked over toward Kurt. "Look!"

 

Kurt smiled, "I know! That was amazing, Blaine. You have a good arm."

 

Blaine blushed and handed his prize to Kurt. "I won this for you."

 

Blue eyes widened in shock as Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "What?! No!" He shook his head and tried to refuse the bird from Blaine. "No, Blaine, this is yours. You earned it."

 

"But I want you to have it." Blaine held out the toy until Kurt finally caved and took the bird.

 

"Why?" Kurt looked Blaine in the eye as he asked; completely not sure why this boy he just met would do that.

 

Blaine broke eye contact and reached out to pet the bird's head. "Because you're my friend."

 

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.

 

"Kurt, meet Pavarotti." It was Kurt's first official day of being a Warbler and Blaine was handing him a birdcage with an actual bird in it. Kurt accepted the canary as Wes droned on about how this little guy was a descendent from a long line of canaries that had been passed down from Warbler to Warbler.

 

Blaine chuckled to himself as Kurt tried to make a joke about bringing the bird to his job at a stray cat rescue. The quip wasn't even that funny, but Blaine was more tickled with the fact that he gave Kurt a present. It felt right for some reason; giving something that was his to his newfound friend.

 

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The boys walked around the fairgrounds together for a little before they realized they hadn't stopped for food yet and it was nearing dinnertime. They decided to each get a burger and chocolate milkshake and split a giant order of fries. Kurt tried to pay for his food, but Blaine just rolled his eyes and handed over a $20 bill to the woman at the cash register. Anderson men didn't let other people pay for things.

 

Kurt and Blaine took their food and shakes and made their way to a picnic table under a nearby tree. Blaine took off his hat and shook out his hair before he sat down while Kurt placed his stuffed animal on the table but away from the food so he wouldn't get anything on him.

 

Each boy settled himself on the same side of the table as the other so that they could sit close to share fries and keep talking. Kurt immediately took the lid off his milkshake and started dunking fries in the thick, choclatety confection. Blaine scrunched his nose up in disgust. "What are you doing?"

 

"What?" Kurt asked through a mouthful of fries and shake. "It's delicious."

 

.

 

.

 

Blaine popped the lid off his medium drip and grabbed a piece of biscotti. He was out for coffee with Kurt and some of Kurt's friends from his old school. It was always nice getting to spend time with Kurt outside of the walls of Dalton.

 

As he listened to Kurt's friends talk about how their football team and show choir were falling apart, Blaine dunked his biscotti into his coffee before bringing it up to his mouth. For some reason, it just tasted better when you dunked stuff in what you were drinking. Fries in shakes or Wendy's Frosties. Cookies in hot chocolate. Biscotti in coffee.

 

Blaine's attention snapped from the tastiness of his coffee-soaked biscotti when he heard Kurt talking about his step-brother, Finn, and how he neglected to tell Kurt about what Rachel and Mercedes were telling them now.

 

"Why hasn't Finn told me anything about this. I mean, we live together. I bring him a glass of warm milk every night just in hopes that we'll have a little lady chat," Kurt exclaimed.

 

Blaine almost choked on his baked good. "Warm milk?" he questioned as he looked over at his best friend. "Really?"

 

"It's delicious," Kurt replied as if that were the only acceptable answer in that scenario.

 

For some reason, Blaine felt like he was experiencing déjà vu. He let Kurt's comment slide, but wondered why on earth he felt like they've had a similar conversation before.

 

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"Kurt! Kurt! Can we do this?" Blaine had peeled off from Kurt's side and was standing in front of a booth where you could record yourself singing a song.

 

Kurt wandered back to where his newfound friend was standing. "What is this?"

 

"You record yourself singing. It's like you're a rockstar or something. Please Kurt?" Though Kurt was initially hesitant, there was no way he was going to be able to refuse the puppy dog eyes Blaine was giving him at the moment. Kurt felt his cheeks get hot as Blaine continued to pout because he was just so cute. He was presumptuous, but cute.

 

Kurt had known for a while that he was different than other boys his age. All of his best friends were girls, but he didn't like any of them. He knew his friends were pretty, but when he played pretend, he was always marrying off his Ken dolls while Barbie officiated the ceremonies.

 

So, Kurt nodded his head yes and Blaine threw both his arms around him, squishing the stuffed bird between them. When Blaine finally unwrapped his arms from Kurt, he grabbed Kurt's hand and dragged the boy up to the counter of the booth.

 

"Excuse me, Miss?" Blaine politely got the attention of the bored teenager stuck working behind the booth. "May we sing a song please?" He flashed her the same puppy dog eyes that mere minutes ago he gave Kurt, which won over the bored teenager, but suddenly made Kurt a little sad. He thought Blaine was giving him that look because he was special to Blaine… but it turned out he was just doing it to get what he wanted.

 

The now-not-quite-so-bored girl behind the booth escorted Kurt and Blaine into a pop-up recording studio-esque booth in the back. She handed Blaine two sets of headphones and he gave one to Kurt who rolled his eyes a bit before sliding them on. Before he could ask Blaine what song they were going to sing, the music kicked on and it was Hanson's "Mmm Bop."

 

"I'll sing lead and you can back me up, okay?" Blaine quickly instructed before Kurt could disagree with him.

 

Even though Kurt was a little upset that he wasn't allowed to sing the melody, he gave his all on the backing vocals to Blaine's lead. By the end of the song, Kurt was genuinely having fun, although he would have liked the opportunity to sing more than the "mmm bops" and "doo wops" behind his new friend.

 

Once the song was over, Blaine took off his headphones and skipped over to hand them to the girl from the booth. Kurt slid his off and walked over to turn his in as well. She told the boys that their CD would be ready in about an hour if they wanted to come back and pick it up.

 

Blaine practically pranced out of the booth as Kurt and his stuffed bird meandered slowly behind.

 

"Wasn't that just the funnest thing ever, Kurt?!" Blaine spun around in excitement. "Man, I love performing! I can't wait to be on a stage when I grow up."

 

"Yeah. That was fun," Kurt replied, though quite a bit less enthusiastically than Blaine would have hoped.

 

Blaine stopped spinning and walked over toward Kurt. "What's wrong? Didn't you have a good time?"

 

"I did," Kurt started. "But it would have been fun to sing with you instead of just being in the background."

 

"Oh." It took a minute, but Blaine realized he should have shared the spotlight with Kurt instead of taking it all for himself. "Hey, I'm sorry. Maybe when we pick up the CD, we can do a duet or something. Or you could do a solo and I could back you up."

 

Kurt gave Blaine half a smile. They were having such a good time that Kurt felt a little guilty for bringing down the mood. Though, if he were being completely honest, he really would have liked to sing more. "Yeah, maybe."

 

They walked in silence for a bit through the crowds. It was nearing 7:00 pm and they still had about two hours to kill before the fireworks were supposed to start.

 

A few booths down from where they just were was a kissing booth. Kurt watched an older girl pay a dollar to give the guy sitting behind the counter a kiss. He gave a small sigh, thinking how romantic it'll be when he's old enough to do that. However, his daydream was short-lived when Blaine grabbed his arm and dragged him past the booth.

 

"Ew, gross," Blaine commented.

 

.

 

.

 

"Ew. Gross," Kurt muttered to himself while Blaine was walking toward the center of the Gap. He couldn't believe he agreed to help his best friend (and current crush) serenade this Jeremiah guy. Like, he was kind of cute, but Blaine never mentioned this guy before. Were they serious? Kurt assumed they must be if Blaine chose to sing "When I Get You Alone." That song mentioned sex toys and changed last names. That was the epitome of serious for Kurt.

 

Kurt liked Blaine. A lot. In fact, he was pretty sure on some level he loved Blaine. Blaine was his best friend and felt like home. He felt like he knew Blaine forever, even though he was pretty sure they only met a few months ago.

 

Even though he knew it was wrong, Kurt was grateful when Blaine's song backfired. But, even though his heart swelled when Jeremiah shot Blaine down, Kurt couldn't help but feel a little bad for Blaine as his heart got stomped on in front of a whole store full of Warblers and strangers.

 

The next day at the Lima Bean, Kurt listened to Blaine lament how he made up the whole Jeremiah relationship up in his head. Kurt knew how this could happen as he had made up his and Blaine's relationship in his head. Blaine was always singing flirty duets with him and knew his coffee order. Blaine also always gave him these huge puppy dog eyes whenever he wanted Kurt to agree to something he probably wouldn't want to do otherwise.

 

Blaine knew he could get people to do what he wanted. It was a talent he had since he was little and it always worked. Well, almost always.

 

After getting rejected by Jeremiah, Blaine didn't know if he could ever put his heart out there again. Why were feelings so hard?

 

And then Blaine got the wind knocked out his sails again when Kurt told him that he thought Blaine was going to ask him out on Valentine's Day.

 

Wow, Blaine really was clueless.

 

Blaine liked Kurt. A lot. In fact, he was pretty sure on some level he loved Kurt. Kurt was his best friend and felt like home. He felt like he knew Kurt forever, even though he was pretty sure they only met a few months ago. (Oh, Blaine. You're going to want to kick yourself in a couple months over this.)

 

"Let me be really clear about something. I really, really care about you," Blaine started, though the way he said it made it sound like he was flat-out rejecting his friend even though that was not his intent. "But, as you and about twenty mortified shoppers saw, I'm not very good at romance." His eyes were locked on Kurt's, silently pleading for him to understand. "I don't want to screw this up."

 

Blaine was relieved when Kurt seemed to get what he was saying, though he could tell there was some disappointment behind the blue eyes of his best friend. He was telling the truth, though. He cared about Kurt so much and wouldn't know what to do with himself if he ever lost his best friend.

 

He was pretty sure he had already lost a best friend before and he was so scared it could happen again.

 

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"Hey Blaine?" Somewhere after the kissing booth, Blaine and Kurt's hands got separated and the shorter boy was a few feet in front of Kurt, almost getting swept up by the crowd. Thank goodness he still had on his cowboy hat so Kurt could keep tabs on him.

 

Blaine stopped in his tracks and was almost knocked over by a group of teens that were running toward a stage that was up ahead. "Yeah, Kurt?"

 

"Um, can we go over there? That looks like fun."

 

Blaine's eyes followed where Kurt's finger and gaze were pointed. It was one of those old timey photograph booths where they dress women up in saloon girl dresses or put you in shackles in a Wanted poster.

 

Since Blaine still felt bad about not letting Kurt get to sing more on the song, he immediately agreed to the picture booth. Within minutes, he found himself cloaked in a tasseled vest with a sheriff badge, a holster with a toy gun, and some cowboy boots that were entirely too big for him. His cowboy hat was still nestled on his head from earlier, but Kurt had wet his hair and slicked it back so you couldn't tell he normally had a halo of unruly curls. He looked older than his nine years and admired his reflection in a prop mirror.

 

However, Blaine's attention was glued on Kurt once he walked out from the makeshift dressing room. He looked dashing in a waistcoat and jacket (though the sleeves were rolled up and cuffed over his tiny frame). Perched at an angle atop his head was a top hat and he had a monocle in his hand, ready to put on when the picture was about to be taken.

 

Kurt insisted the stuffed bird be in the picture, so the woman who was in charge of this booth found a birdcage and hung it in the corner of the frame. Though the toy was a little too big for the cage, they managed to gently squish him in its confines.

 

Though inappropriate for their age, Blaine and Kurt were positioned side-by-side on stools in front of a fake bar. The woman told them to give her serious faces while she snapped a total of five pictures. The first picture went well, but during the second picture, Kurt sneezed and the monocle fell off. During the third picture Blaine was laughing. In the fourth picture, Kurt was laughing and almost fell off his stool, but he had grabbed Blaine's arm for support. It was the fifth picture that the woman ended up printing out for them.

 

Kurt had managed to steady himself on his stool, but Blaine had whipped his head around to make sure Kurt was okay. Their eyes were locked and they were looking at each other so intently that it appeared they completely forgot about the woman in the room, or the fact that they were dressed in silly costumes. Though they were only nine years old, the amount of concern each boy showed toward the other was mature beyond their years.

 

If they were older, the look would have been mistaken for love.

 

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.

 

"I like romance. That's why I like Broadway musicals. Because, the touch of the fingertips is as sexy as it gets," Kurt admitted, his face flushing pink from embarrassment.

 

Pavarotti chirped loudly behind Blaine as he leaned forward and gently explained to his best friend, "Kurt, you're going to have to learn about it someday."

 

"Well, not today." Blaine could tell Kurt was getting upset. "I think I've learned quite enough for today, thank you." Kurt couldn't even look Blaine in the eye anymore. "I think you should leave."

 

Blaine didn't know what to say, and therefore didn't say anything as he got up from where he was seated in front of Kurt's vanity. He left without saying goodbye and almost ran into the doorframe when a flash of yellow stuffed into a box in the bottom of Kurt's closet caught his eye.

 

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The woman at the booth printed two copies of the picture and slid it into a brown envelope while Blaine and Kurt took off their costumes. She handed Blaine the envelope and then retrieved Kurt's bird from the cage for him. Kurt insisted on paying for the pictures because it was his idea and Blaine could do nothing but allow it. Though Anderson men (almost) always paid for everything, nobody pushed a Hummel around.

 

When they walked out of the booth, each boy immediately reached out for the other's hand. They smiled as they linked fingers and walked around some more. Kurt hugged his bird closer to his chest as he squeezed Blaine's hand while they made their way through the crowd.

 

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Blaine walked out of Hummel Tires and Lube and then practically ran to his car; his dad's BMW that Cooper used to drive. It was an older model by this point, but still in great shape. He wasn't visiting Mr. Hummel because of his car; he just talked to Kurt's dad about giving his son the sex talk. Blaine quickly tossed his gloves onto the passenger seat and peeled out of the parking lot. The sudden jerk of the car caused his gloves to slide between the seat and the middle console, but he kept driving.

 

He cared about Kurt so much and was legitimately worried that Kurt would rather remain ignorant than informed because he was too uncomfortable to talk about sex.

 

Blaine felt all sorts of awkward, but truth be told, that's just how his social situations seemed to be at the present. Kurt and Blaine's friendship had become a bit awkward after that day at the Lima Bean when Kurt pretty much admitted that he liked Blaine and he thought that Blaine wanted to ask him out. Though he let Kurt down as gently as he could, Blaine couldn't help but see his best friend in a new light. He wasn't sure if he was ready to admit to himself that he might have "more than just friends" feelings about Kurt, but there definitely was something there.

 

What Blaine didn't understand, though, was why Kurt was trying so hard to be sexy. Kurt didn't have to try because he was already sexy. Kurt exuded self-confidence and was completely comfortable in his own skin - at least that's what Blaine had thought before his horrible attempt to help Kurt learn how to make sexy faces.

 

It didn't take long for Blaine to get back to his house on the other side of Lima. He often wondered how he and Kurt hadn't met before since they lived in the same city their whole lives. But, Kurt's dad worked at a garage and Blaine's dad was a Senator, so their families didn't move in the same social circles. He pulled his car into the driveway of the Anderson mansion and jerked the emergency break up into a locked position after he turned off the ignition.

 

Without looking, Blaine thrust his hand next to the passenger seat to retrieve his gloves when his hand brushed against something papery. He yanked his hand up and found it was grasping his missing gloves and a mystery brown envelope. Before he could look inside to see what it contained, he got a text from Wes, on of the Warbler Council members, telling him that they were scrapping "Animal" and going to rehearse a Maroon 5 song for Regionals. Blaine grabbed the envelope and his gloves and threw them all on his desk when he finally got to his room. He was too busy texting Wes talking about harmonies and dance moves to be bothered with the envelope's contents.

 

.

 

.

 

Blaine pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was nearing 8:00 and they were supposed to pick up the CD they made. "Come on, Kurt!"

 

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Kurt had lost some of his pep from earlier, but Blaine was still enthusiastic as ever.

 

Hand-in-hand they made their way back to the booth and the bored teen from before was still there. Her unimpressed face spawned a smile when she saw Blaine and Kurt approaching. Kurt rolled his eyes a bit as she ducked down behind the counter to grab their CD.

 

"Here you go, boys," she said as she handed Blaine the CD. "Did you want to record another one? I'm closing up soon, so you could be my last customers if you wanted."

 

Blaine looked over at Kurt and started to give him the puppy dog eyes again. Kurt held his hand up to stop Blaine from what he was doing and then turned to address the girl. "Yes, we would like to record another song. Can we sing something from the Beatles?"

 

The girl nodded and Kurt brushed past Blaine and followed the girl to the recording booth. He sat his stuffed bird on a chair in the corner of the room and gladly accepted the headphones the girl was holding out for him and Blaine. "Do you know Blackbird, Blaine? It's my mom's favorite song. I want to make this CD for her because she's not feeling well and, I dunno, maybe this'll help."

 

Blaine heart warmed at Kurt's generosity so he smiled and lied through his teeth. "I don't know that one… why don't you sing it by yourself? I'm sure your mom will love it."

 

Kurt beamed, excited to sing a solo. Blaine shut the door of the recording booth and stood outside the glass with the girl who was in charge. They watched Kurt lose himself in the song, turning to sing at his stuffed bird. As much as Blaine loved to perform, he was so glad he let Kurt sing by himself so he could just watch his friend express himself.

 

The girl looked down at Blaine and saw him staring at Kurt like he was the most precious thing on the planet. "So, is he your little boyfriend or something?" Blaine shook his head but kept his eyes locked on Kurt, who now had his eyes closed as he sang. "You want him to be?" Blaine shrugged.

 

The song ended and Kurt snapped back to reality and blushed when he saw Blaine staring at him through the glass. Upon exiting the booth, Blaine threw his arms around Kurt and whispered in his ear, "You're amazing, Kurt."

 

.

 

.

 

"You're amazing, Blaine. Your solos are breathtaking. They're also numerous," Kurt stated matter-of-factly as he tried to back away from their conversation after an impromptu performance of Misery in the hallway.

 

"Kurt, the Council decides who gets the solos," Blaine responded before it dawned on him that Kurt was bitter as hell. "Do I detect a little jealousy?"

 

"No, you detect a lot of jealousy. Look, Blaine, sometimes I don't feel like we're the Warblers. I feel like we're Blaine and the Pips." Kurt shrugged as he carried Pavarotti's cage with him out of the hallway, leaving Blaine slack-jawed and alone.

 

Kurt's commented plagued Blaine the whole day. Was he really stealing everyone's thunder? He auditioned for solos like everybody else, but the Warblers Council kept giving them to him. He earned them, so why should Kurt be jealous? It wasn't his fault.

 

Blaine felt bad and a little guilty during all his classes, Warblers practice and his drive home after school. Kurt avoided him most of the day, which wasn't a huge surprise after the multiple rough patches they had been through over the past couple months. First with the awkward Valentine's Day stuff, then with the botched sexy face lesson and subsequent humiliation he caused Kurt when Burt Hummel sat him down for "the talk." Last week they fought over Blaine's drunken make out session and date with Rachel Berry. So maybe he thought he was bisexual for a couple days… Kurt shouldn't have gotten on his case about it. But, Blaine didn't handle their disagreement very well either and stormed out, leaving Kurt alone at the Lima Bean. They eventually made up, and Blaine confirmed he was 100% gay, but something still felt off. They were still best friends, but all these things involving feelings and relationships were getting in the way. Blaine wondered if Kurt still liked him like he seemed to at Valentine's Day. Was that why he got so pissed when Blaine went out with Rachel?

 

Oh, God. Kurt still liked him.

 

Blaine's stomach flipped when he realized that he liked Kurt too.

 

After dragging himself up to his room, Blaine sat down at his desk, crossed his arms and dropped his head against them. "What is going on?" he asked himself aloud. He closed his eyes and thought about what Kurt said – not just that morning, but over the past few months. He cared about Kurt so much, and he cared about Kurt's opinions and always wanted to please Kurt… but somehow he felt like he just kept failing him.

 

.

 

.

 

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Blaine apologized as he flopped down onto the ground on a hill near the Midway. The fireworks were supposed to start in a few minutes and the boys had decided they wanted a good seat.

 

Kurt face screwed up in confusion as he gingerly sat down next to his friend, hoping he wouldn't get grass stains on his shorts. "For what?"

 

Blaine pulled at blades of grass as he spoke, "I feel like we did more of what I wanted to do today than you. And, I dunno…" At the sound of Kurt sighing, Blaine stopped what he was doing and looked up at his new friend. Kurt looked upset and Blaine was convinced it was his fault. "I'm just sorry. Please don't be mad at me."

 

Kurt shook his head. "I'm not mad at you, silly! And you don't have to apologize for anything. I had a lot of fun today. Probably more fun than I would have had with Mercedes. She would have made me get my face painted like a butterfly."

 

A wave of relief washed over Blaine. "I had a lot of fun today too. I wish we could hang out all the time."

 

Kurt nodded, "Me too. Well, where do you live? Maybe we could –"

 

"KURT!"

 

His head whipped around to see who was calling his name and found it was Mercedes, followed by her parents. Kurt's nose scrunched up in anticipation for being yelled at for not being with Mercedes the whole day. He was ready to apologize when Mercedes's mom swooped down and picked him up and gave him a big hug.

 

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jones, I didn't mean to get separated from Mercedes. But I was safe, I promise. Please don't tell my parents," Kurt blurted out as she squeezed him harder than was probably necessary.

 

Blaine stood up and held his hand out to Mr. Jones. "Excuse me, sir. My name is Blaine and I asked Kurt if he would hang out with me today. I'm sorry if I caused him or you any trouble."

 

Mercedes's dad leaned down and shook Blaine's hand. "Thank you, son. It was nice to meet you, but we have to get Kurt home now, okay?"

 

Kurt squirmed his was out of Mrs. Jones's grasp as she lowered him to the ground. "Now? But we'll miss the fireworks!"

 

Mercedes looked over at her mom and her mom nodded. Obviously Mercedes and her family were aware of information that Kurt was not privy to because Mercedes took Kurt by the hand and squeezed it hard.

 

"Sweetie, your dad called and told us your mom is in the hospital again. So we're going to take you home so you can see her, okay?" Mrs. Jones ran a hand through Kurt's hair as his body began to shudder involuntarily from the news.

 

Kurt nodded through tears and turned to look at Blaine who had no idea what was going on, but surmised the situation was not good. The shorter boy immediately threw both his arms around Kurt and pulled him in close, knocking off his own cowboy hat. "I'm so glad I met you today. Everything's going to be okay, Kurt. Okay?" Kurt nodded into Blaine's neck as tears dampened his skin. They pulled apart and looked each other in the eye. Blaine gave Kurt a small smile and Kurt tried to give one in return but failed spectacularly.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Jones each put a hand on Kurt's shoulders as they guided him toward the parking lot.

 

"Wait!" Blaine called out and the Jones family and Kurt stopped. Curls bouncing, Blaine sprinted the short distance to Kurt and handed him the yellow bird. "You almost forgot your bird." Kurt snuggled the toy close to his chest and kissed it on the head. "Bye Kurt."

 

Blaine returned to the hillside to his cowboy hat and the envelope of pictures and CDs. "Aw, man." He exhaled loudly through his nose as he realized he forgot to give Kurt his copy of their picture and the CD of "Blackbird" he recorded for his mom. At least he got him his bird.

 

The fireworks were not as exciting to Blaine as they should have been. Normally he loved watching the various sized bursts of color and sound, but he was so upset about Kurt having to leave and not knowing if he'd ever see his new friend again that the fireworks just didn't seem as bright this year.

 

When the finale was over, Blaine gathered his belongings and worked his was over to the kid's tent where he hoped he would find his brother. What an awful ending to an otherwise awesome day.

 

.

 

.

 

Blaine should have been more excited about Regionals, but he was just so distracted because Kurt hadn't shown up to rehearsal that day. He did his best to pretend to care by fighting for a different tie and blazer jacket combination for their performance when Kurt finally walked into the room. Blaine knew in an instant something was wrong and he was proven right when Kurt tearily informed the Warblers that Pavarotti was dead.

 

It was just a bird, but Blaine felt awful because Kurt looked and felt awful. It didn't even faze him when Kurt made a jab about how they were supposed to practice singing backup for Blaine during rehearsal that day.

 

However, Blaine did take notice when Kurt started to sing in honor of the deceased bird. He had chosen "Blackbird," a Beatles song that had been one of Blaine's favorites since he was little. After a few verses, Blaine led the other Warblers in backup harmonies for Kurt's lead.

 

It was only when Kurt started walking toward the corner of the room did Blaine realize he had seen this before. He had a flashback to some rickety recording booth at some fair or something. And he was watching some boy he had met that day sing this song to a yellow bird stuffed animal… Kurt. He was watching Kurt.

 

Oh, God.

 

He was watching Kurt.

 

Blaine stopped singing as his mouth dropped open. He shifted in his seat to get a better look at Kurt, who had tears streaming down his face as he sang.

 

While Kurt crooned for a dead bird, Blaine's heart swelled to maximum capacity.

 

Why hadn't he realized it sooner? All those feelings of déjà vu… all those times he swore he and Kurt already shared that moment, or had that conversation. Staring into those same blue eyes every day for the past few months, how did he not remember the young boy who had come so quickly into and out of his life so many years ago?

 

Blaine avoided Kurt the rest of the day, unsure if he had made everything up or if he was remembering actual events. He had to be sure before he said anything because he didn't want to get his hopes up.

 

During his drive home, Blaine searched his memory for anything else he could remember about that Fourth of July. He remembered Cooper leaving him, and running hand-in-hand throughout the crowds with another boy. He remembered fries and shakes, CDs and pictures. If only he could find those pictures!

 

Blaine wasn't paying attention to the road and was forced to slam on his brakes at a stop sign near his neighborhood. Thankfully no one else was on the road and he allowed himself an extra few seconds before he drove through the stop sign to calm himself down.

 

At the mansion, he flew up the stairs and into his room. He didn't even bother taking off his tie or blazer before he tore around the room, trying to remember where he possibly could have put the pictures and CDs from that day at the jamboree.

 

When all hope seemed to be gone, he took off his tie and threw it onto his desk. It landed near a brown envelope Blaine didn't remember. As he made his way to the desk, he recalled pulling it out of his car the other day after his gloves had fallen in between the seat and the console.

 

"No," he said to himself as he picked up the envelope. It was heavy for an envelope, like there was more than just paper inside of it.

 

The envelope was old and the self-adhesive was no longer doing its job. Blaine carefully lifted the flap and stuck a hand inside. His fingers glided past something glossy and found themselves bumping into two jewel cases.

 

Eyebrows shooting to the ceiling, Blaine yanked the cases out of the envelope and quickly flipped them over. Both were dated 7/4/02. One was labeled "Mmm Bop," and the other "Blackbird."

 

The "Mmm Bop" CD case fell to the ground as Blaine scrambled across his bed to the CD player that was on his nightstand. His fingers were shaking a bit as they fumbled to get the case open. After a few deep breaths and the pushing of some buttons on the CD player, the intro to "Blackbird" sounded throughout the room.

 

The voice that soon followed was angelic and even higher pitched than the one who sang the song earlier that day, but there was no denying they were the same person. "Kurt," Blaine whispered to himself. "I found you."

 

When the song came to an end, Blaine forced himself off the bed and back over to his desk. He sat down in his chair as he picked up the brown envelope, knowing what he should find inside. Not quite ready for this trip down memory lane, Blaine closed his eyes as he let his fingers pull the pictures out. He took another deep breath and opened his eyes to find himself face to face with the most familiar strangers. He realized he never actually saw this picture before because he remembered sealing the envelope after he and Kurt slid the CDs inside because they didn't want to lose anything.

 

His first reaction was to laugh. There he was, dressed like a cowboy. And there was Kurt… dressed like Kurt.

 

A tear snuck out of Blaine's eye and slowly rolled down his cheek as he stared at how these two young boys were looking at each other. They weren't looking at the camera, Blaine remembered, because Kurt almost fell off his stool. The photographer managed to capture this private moment between the two of them and he found himself extremely grateful. If he didn't know that this was him and Kurt, he would have guessed that these boys were important to each other on a level that they probably didn't even realize.

 

Blaine was snapped out of his reverie when his phone beeped. He wiped the tear from his eye and unlocked his phone to find he had been tagged in some Facebook photos. He went into the Facebook app to see if he needed to untag himself, as sometimes the Warblers posted pictures he'd rather his relatives didn't see.

 

He almost fell off his chair when he saw that someone had snapped a picture of him and Kurt at one of their rehearsals. Blaine had been walking around on the back of the couch and had almost fallen off. Kurt reached out and grabbed him by the arm to steady him. Their eyes were locked and if Blaine didn't know he was falling in the moment, one could have argued that he was falling in a completely different way.

 

Blaine shut off his phone and threw it onto his bed across the room. As much as things were oddly falling into place now that he knew he and Kurt had met before, he was still unsettled with the fact that Kurt never mentioned any of this to him. Didn't Kurt remember too?

 

Later that night, Blaine stretched out on his bed and listened to "Blackbird" again. He felt selfish for being able to hear this recording again when he knew the CD was meant for Kurt's mom.

 

Kurt's mom.

 

Kurt left that night because his mom was in the hospital.

 

A few months ago, Kurt told Blaine that his mom died on the Fourth of July when he was nine and that's why he doesn't like that holiday anymore.

 

No wonder Kurt didn't remember Blaine. Any memories he might have had from their one day together all those years ago were likely shrouded by his mother's death.

 

Blaine rolled over on his side and cried. He cried for Kurt's mom who was gone well before her time. He cried for Kurt because Kurt lost his mom and his bird. He cried for himself because he loved Kurt and he thinks he might have loved Kurt since they first met.

 

.

 

.

 

"Heya Squirt. You ready to go home?" Cooper addressed his younger brother as his own hand dropped from that of a pretty girl who was headed toward her car.

 

Blaine nodded as he held tight to his cowboy hat in one hand, and the envelope with the pictures and CDs in the other.

 

"Why can't I sit in the front, Coop?" Blaine asked from the backseat of the BMW. He didn't like having to sit by himself when there were only two people in the car. It made him feel like he was being driven around by a chauffer and even though that was part of his everyday life when he was being driven to events for his dad, he didn't like feeling like that when it was just he and his brother.

 

"Because you're not tall enough, buddy," Cooper replied as he turned up the music. "Did you have fun today?"

 

"Mmm Hmm," Blaine mumbled as he looked out the window. "I made a new friend."

 

"Nice. He have to leave early? I didn't see anyone with you when I picked ya up after the fireworks."

 

"His name is Kurt and yeah, he did have to leave early. His mom was in the hospital, so the family he came with took him home so he could see her."

 

"Oh, that sucks," Cooper said, but Blaine could tell he was only half paying attention as he fiddled with the radio tuner.

 

"Coop, it's a red light," Blaine stated from his seat in the back.

 

"Huh?"

 

"RED LIGHT!"

 

Cooper slammed on the brakes and the BMW skidded to a stop. Both Cooper and Blaine were safely buckled into their seats, but Blaine's cowboy hat fell off the front seat and the envelope slid in between the passenger seat and the middle console.

 

"Whoa. You okay, little brother?" Cooper asked, genuinely concerned.

 

Blaine sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just make sure you get my envelope out from next to the seat when we get home, okay?"

 

"Sure, sure," Cooper said as the light turned green and he advanced the car forward.

 

By time the Anderson brothers got home, Blaine had fallen asleep in the back seat and Cooper forgot all about the envelope he was supposed to retrieve for his brother. The BMW was brought to an auto repair shop later that week for a tune-up and the envelope shifted itself further down next to the seat. Usually the interior of the car got cleaned during its appointment, but since Hummel Tires and Lube was closed due to a death in the family, Cooper had to take the car elsewhere and the envelope remain wedged next to the seat because the new auto guys were lazy. When Blaine asked Cooper to get his envelope upon getting his car back, Cooper couldn't find it and just assumed it got thrown out when the car interior was cleaned. He felt awful, but there was nothing he could do for his little brother.

 

.

 

.

 

Blaine knew Kurt was in the student break room, alone. He took a deep breath, gripped the envelope in his hand a little tighter, and walked in to find Kurt gluing rhinestones onto Pavarotti's casket. He didn't know how to broach the topic of his feelings for Kurt, so instead he told Kurt that he picked out the perfect song for them to sing at Regionals together. He tried to be nonchalant as he set the envelope on the table and sat down in the empty chair next to Kurt.

 

When Kurt questioned why Blaine would pick that song to sing with him, Blaine knew he had to fess up. He took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts. Even though he went over what he wanted to say a thousand times in his head, it was awfully hard to form those thoughts into words.

 

"Kurt, there is a moment when you say to yourself, 'Oh there you are. I've been looking for you forever.'" Blaine didn't know how, but he found the courage to look Kurt in the eye as he spoke his heart. He swallowed and then shifted in his seat, placing his left hand on top of Kurt's right hand that was resting on the table. He heard Kurt swallow and felt him momentarily tense under the touch, but Blaine plowed through. "Watching you do 'Blackbird' this week… that was a moment for me… about you." He watched as Kurt's eyes widened and his eyebrows quivered ever so slightly. Blaine shook his head, nerves almost besting him, but somehow he got out what he needed to say. "You move me, Kurt. And this excuse would just be an excuse to spend more time with you."

 

Blaine was encouraged by the small smile that twitched across Kurt's lips and before he knew it, he was leaning in and kissing Kurt. As his hand cupped Kurt's cheek, he felt Kurt breathe in through his nose and then felt Kurt's hand rest against the side of his face as they moved together before separating their lips with a soft smack.

 

As they pulled back, their eyes were trained on the other boy's lips, half in shock of what they just did… half in wonder if what they just did was real life, or just fantasy.

 

Kurt's hand unceremoniously dropped back onto the table as Blaine took a seat in his momentarily empty chair. They both let out a nervous chuckle as Blaine scrubbed a hand across his face, eyebrows arching in disbelief that he just kissed his best friend and the boy he has loved on some level since he was nine. He couldn't make sense of any of it, so he commented offhand how they should practice.

 

"I thought we were," Kurt mused as they then both launched themselves out of their chairs and back toward each other's eager lips.

 

Kisses that started out slightly sloppy slowed down to careful explorations of previously uncharted territories. Lips were red and swollen by time the two boys sat back down to assess their present situation. Once their breathing slowed to normal levels, Blaine coyly asked if he could help Kurt decorate the casket.

 

Even with their seemingly newfound relationship, Kurt was not about to abdicate any of the bedazzling duties to Blaine, so Blaine had to be content to sit next to Kurt and watch from the sidelines. After a few minutes, Blaine's fingers found themselves playing with the flap of the envelope he had brought with him to this reunion of sorts.

 

"What's in the envelope, Blaine?" Kurt asked as he glued another jewel onto the casket's lid.

 

"Oh, um." Blaine realized he still hadn't told Kurt about the picture and now was nervous the other boy would get mad at him for holding out such information. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Kurt, do ever remember going to any sort of jamboree on the Fourth of July when you were little?"

 

"Yeah, my parents used to take me all the time. I stopped going after I was nine, though, because my mom died," Kurt replied very matter-of-factly.

 

"Do you remember the last one you went to?"

 

Kurt stopped bedazzling for a moment and looked at Blaine. "These are very random questions." Blaine looked at him with a silent plea to hang in there because he had a reason. "Um, well, my dad didn't take me to the last one I went to because my mom was sick. She ended up in the hospital and died that night right after I got there to see her. Mercedes and her parents brought me to the hospital… so if I'm remembering right, they were the ones who took me to the fair thing that year."

 

Blaine thought back to the night before when he rationalized to himself that Kurt didn't remember him because of the memories of his mom passing. "Did you spend the day with Mercedes and her family?"

 

"Blaine, what does that have to do with anything? I don't remember." Kurt was getting flustered and shook his head to himself and then went back to his craft glue.

 

"Kurt I'm not trying to make you upset, but I just want to show you something, okay?" Blaine opened the envelope and removed the picture of him and Kurt in their old timey getup. He slid the picture toward Kurt and waited until the other boy took notice.

 

A small gasp was the only sound in the room as Kurt put the glue bottle down and picked up the picture. Suddenly he remembered getting knocked into a chair and meeting this boy in the picture. He remembered this boy winning him a stuffed animal and getting mad when he took the lead on the song they sang. He remembered smoothing the other boy's hair down for the picture and telling him it'd make him look more professional. He remembers hugging the boy before the Jones family took him away to the hospital.

 

He remembered Blaine.

 

"What? Where did you…? How… how long have you known?" Kurt was feeling overwhelmed and had so many questions for the boy sitting next to him both then and in the picture.

 

Blaine wiped a tear from his eye. "I just found the picture last night. But I think I've known for a while. A lot of little moments over the past few months just felt so familiar, but I couldn't place them. But then you sang 'Blackbird' and it all clicked. And then I found this… and it just made sense."

 

Kurt flung his arms around Blaine's back and wept into his neck. "I didn't remember you. I'm sorry I didn't remember you. But, my mom… she… the hospital… and then… Oh, Blaine. I was so lost and I needed you, but…" He was unable to coherently finish what he was trying to say to Blaine, but he didn't need to say anything more for Blaine to understand.

 

"Shh, shh… I know, I know. But we found each other again. We were supposed to find each other again. Everything's going to be okay, Kurt. Okay?"

 

.

 

.

 

Blaine and Kurt returned to the Allen County Independence Day Jamboree that summer. Though they didn't waste any time in the arcade, the couple split a large order of fries and a milkshake. They dunked the greasy goodness into the thick chocolate and fed each other the concoction until their stomachs hurt. They walked hand-in-hand around to the various booths, pointing out things they thought were interesting and whispering admissions of love and affection for each other.

 

They each recorded a song at the music booth, for old time sake. Kurt walked away with a CD of Blaine singing "Teenage Dream" and Blaine clasped onto his new recording of Kurt singing "Blackbird" as if it were the most precious gem on Earth.

 

The sun was setting as they happened upon the booth where you got old timey portraits taken. Though it was the same woman taking pictures, she did not recognize the boys, nor did they remember her. Blaine requested a cowboy outfit and Kurt insisted on wearing a top hat and tails. They positioned themselves side-by-side on the barstools and grinned when the woman told them she would take five pictures.

 

The first picture was normal, with both boys staring at the camera. During the second picture, Blaine had slid his hand into Kurt's. In the third picture, Kurt had yanked Blaine off his stool. The fourth picture showed Kurt planting a kiss on Blaine's lips. But it was the fifth picture that the woman printed out for them. Though the kiss was sweet, the photo was blurry. However, in the fifth picture, Blaine had pulled back from the kiss to lock eyes with Kurt. They were looking at each other so intently that they had completely forgot about the woman in the room and the fact that they were dressed in silly costumes. Though they were seventeen years old, the amount of love each boy had for the other was mature beyond their years.