It’s December. 

They’re at Will and Emma’s wedding, and there are winter colors everywhere. The reception room is lit up with fabulous blues, white and silver, and everything is sparkling. 

He can practically smell Christmas in the air. 

He’s been trying to ignore the next table over all night. But now Rachel is up dancing with Noah, Burt, and Carole and happily congratulating the newlyweds and laughing over their own jokes as they regale their own wedding stories. Mercedes is in the powder room and he’s been left all alone to bob his foot up and down with the music. He considered talking to Finn next to him, but he couldn’t stomach the sad puppy eyes he kept making at Rachel. No doubt he’d be dragged into conversation about Finn’s ‘epic plan’ to win Rachel back, and he just couldn’t think about that right now. 

His eyes slipped to his left completely by accident. Then accidentally again. Then of course he absolutely needed to be looking over his shoulder towards the door of the Ladies’ room, and Blaine at his table just happened to be in the way. 

Blaine. Who he hadn’t spoken to since he returned to Lima and ended their 1.5 year relationship. His first love. His first love who cheated on him. 

The thoughts in his head made him feel nauseous, so he looked away and tried to concentrate on the music and dancing again. 

And if he thought that maybe Blaine deserved to be sitting all alone, sullenly moping, and looking worse and skinnier than he’d ever seen him, he didn’t stop himself. 

Before he did stop himself, because the thought of Blaine in pain still pained Kurt. 

Out of the corner of his eye - that he promised himself he wasn’t paying any special attention to - he noticed Blaine slip from his chair, weaving through the tables to practically bolt out the main door. 

His feet were moving before he could blink, and suddenly he was following after him. Clearly he wasn’t thinking. 


“Leaving so soon?” The words left his mouth as soon as he stepped through the door. 

Blaine paused mid-pace. 

“I thought it was customary for the Bride and Groom to be the first to leave? You wouldn’t want to miss ‘Mrs. Schuester’s’ fabulous honeymoon outfit. I’m sure it’s all anyone will be talking about next week.
Well, anyone who matters.”

Blaine turned and his enormous red-rimmed eyes pinned him with his tortured stare. 

Kurt winced, because wasn’t that the worst thing he could do. Those honey-colored eyes were always Kurt’s weakness and turned him near hysterical when he had to face that sad, puppy stare. 

He was let off though, because Blaine looked away again. And quietly, he said the first words to Kurt in months. 

“I won’t be missed. It was a lovely wedding, but I can’t be here right now.”

He turned to run away again, but something in Kurt couldn’t let him leave. “They haven’t even cut the cake yet. At least stay for cake.”

Blaine seemed determined to leave, already at his car. 

“Why are you running away to Dalton again?” He shouted before he even knew what he ways saying. “Is that all you can do when things get too hard? Run away to the place where nothing is ever talked about, and your problems are swept away, hidden beneath button ups and blazers and wrapped up in a neat little tie?”

“How-“

“Brittany let slip that the sad clown was running away with the circus. Only she couldn’t understand why the circus folk all looked the same and lived locked away in gay Hogwarts. I figured out the rest”

“I can’t stay at McKinley anymore, Kurt”

“Bullcrap. Do you know what that will do to your College transcripts? The constantly going back and forth - that doesn’t look good.”

“Why do you care, Kurt?! All I have when I walk down those halls are memories. Memories of us, and what I lost, and what I did to you, and I can’t do it anymore.” He seemed to be pleading with Kurt. 

“Because the Glee club needs you. No, we’re not together anymore, and we’re not friends, but they are! And they need you. Don’t turn your back on them and run away to the Warblers. They don’t deserve you, not after what they did. ” 

Blaine winced. “I don’t deserve to be with the New Directions. Maybe I belong with Nolan and Sebastian and his crew. After what /I/ did, how can I- “

“So be better! I’m standing here looking at you, and I can see you’re punishing yourself. Going back there, and running away from your problems will only make it worse. You’ll bury it under solos, hierarchies, and competition. You’ll strip yourself of everything you feel again, because that’s what you do, and years from now you’ll meet someone-” Kurt choked on his words and almost couldn’t go on, but he couldn’t let himself stop, “and you’ll STILL have to deal with it. Only it will be worse.”

They were silent. Blaine was hunched over, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Kurt knew Blaine held the biggest guilt complex, but now he was seeing it. 

“Why do you care Kurt? It’s what I deserve,” he shrugged. “And there’ll never be anyone else” he added the last past so quietly, Kurt almost missed it. 

“Because I still love you.” and that Kurt couldn’t stop from saying. 

Blaine head shot up in shock. 

“Even after what you did, I still love you. And I can’t bear to see you do this to yourself.” Kurt stepped closer to Blaine. “So you screwed up. And I can’t believe I’m even saying this, personally I never thought I could get over this, but - I’m saying this to you. And I mean every word, so you better listen,” Kurt commanded, desperate to be heard. “You made a mistake. A huge, giant, colossal mistake which broke my heart, but you’re human, and humans make mistakes…You’re not a bad person, Blaine.”

Blaine was crying now. His face was screwing up and he brought his hands up to shield his face. If Kurt started crying along with him, he didn’t notice. He had to get this out. 

“But don’t let it define your life. Don’t run away from it and hide in the corners. You still have friends here, and at McKinley. Friends who won’t conspire against you. Well, not for anything except solos.”

Kurt couldn’t tell if Blaine was laughing or just crying harder. 

“The Glee club is like a family. A dysfunctional family at best, but you can’t turn your back on them. Put your past behind you - you can’t change it. But you can be better, and you will be, Blaine. You’re gonna be amazing.”

“You’re amazing.” There were hearts in Blaine’s eyes, just like Kurt remembered, and god if that didn’t hurt. “You’re gonna be on top, Kurt, and nothing can stop you now. Fashion, Vogue, Broadway… The world is gonna love you.”

They stood there looking at each other, the weight of the past in their eyes. 

“Like I love you.”

Just like that, their connection broke. 

Kurt was struck by the passion behind the familiar words and he fell back a step and almost turned away, pretending not to see Blaine’s face fall. He steeled himself, and looked at Blaine one last time. ”Don’t run away, Blaine. You’re better than that. I better see you front and center come Regionals.”

“You’re coming?” There was a hope in Blaine’s stare Kurt couldn’t bring down. 

“Maybe…” He left cryptically and Kurt started to walk back into the hall. But Blaine’s last words reached across space and took a hold of his heart.

“I’ll be better for you, Kurt. Even if you’ll never have me again, I’ll wait for you. I want to be the kind of man that could deserve you. That’s all I ever wanted.” 

Kurt turned suddenly, and left him with a smile. “So do it.”

Blaine’s face split into a knowing grin, and Kurt’s heart was lighter than it had been in months. 

———-

They might never be KurtandBlaine again. But they could be Kurt and Blaine. And maybe just that was still special enough to breach gaps, lift hearts, unite worlds and cross galaxies. So take a chance and don’t ever look back. 
These two hearts - they’ll be young forever.