Kurt watched the fireworks from his window seat on the train. They were just beautiful. He had insisted on pulling open the curtains, even though that got him a lot of dirty looks from both fellow passengers and train crew. But how could he resist? It was Soul Independence Day in the lower colonies, and it always gave him the chills. This year was better, though, it was more. At 50 years old, Kurt never thought he would be alive to see this day.

The soul sitting next to him looked to be about 150, and very distinguished and self important with a black suit and tie. Kurt would have preferred not to speak with him at all, but the trip took five hours and he wasnt inclined to be rude.

“I see you are watching the explosions,” The polished older soul said,.with disdain.

“Yes.”

After a few minutes of silence, the older soul tried again.

“What year of school are you in?”

“Post-doc 4,” Kurt replied, “With a focus on fortification research.”

“Oh I see,” the soul said, as if he had solved a particularly interesting mystery. “I see why the explosions interest you so much. I, myself, am involved in Fast Fortification. Really a lucrative industry, my starting salary last year was very competitive.” He paused for a few loud booms from the fireworks, then continued. “I was hired immediately as a manager, of course, because of my advanced degrees. The pinkburgers that you buy on the train are so overpriced it is ridiculous, by the way. You should always bring your own.”

Kurt tried to pretend that he was paying attention. The Fast Fortification industry was slimier than the pink slime they used to make their burgers, and he wished it would just disappear.

“Undergrad, grad school in a government program, 5 internships in the registers, and 20 post-docs” the soul boasted, “yes I have definitely set myself up for life. You should take my advice, son, education is the way to go these days.”

“Yes,” Kurt said, attempting to let the conversation fizzle by agreeing. He couldnt help but think of what Blaine used to do, the internship that changed the course of his life.

************

Kurt had been in his 2nd internship, having not yet decided whether to go into education or research. He would normally stay far away from the Fast Fortifications but he had no choice. He was supposed to see what it was like out in the field at the restaurants in order to give his future research the proper background knowledge. He supposed that a three year throwaway internship wasnt that big of an inconvenience when he had at least 200 years to live. He would pay his dues without complaint. He had walked in to Pinkburger, wincing a little at the smell, planning to introduce himself right away.

In his head, he practiced. Hello, sir, my name is Kurt Hummel and I am here from the university for internship 2. I am happy to be here and Im ready to learn.

Instead, he walked up to the register and saw the most compelling face he had ever encountered. Blaines hair was caught in a white hairnet, his dark eyebrows and hazel eyes overtaking all of Kurts senses.

“Hello” Kurt said breathlessly.

“Welcome to Fast Fort, can I take your order?” Blaine said mechanically.

Kurt was intrigued, and rudely asked the stranger what his level of education was.

“None of your fucking business. May I take your order?” Blaine repeated, his voice still mechanical.

“No, no I didnt mean it like that. Im not judging you, its just...you seem like someone meant for better things than this. Are you still in school part time?”

“Brittany!” Blaine called loudly, ignoring Kurt. “Im taking my break!”

In his three year long internship at Fast Fort, Kurt learned how to prepare the food, the fortification process and how to do it remotely, and the basic sales practices. He also learned that the conditions for workers were pretty terrible and that customers were either rude, stupid, or rude and stupid. The fortification process was pretty simple at this step. He just had to take the patented vitamin mixture and dissolve it in the frying oil. Everything sold there was fried in that oil and cook time was monitored to be at least 6 and a half minutes in order to properly absorb the vitamins and be considered fortified.

Blaine did not forgive him right away, but eventually they became civil with each other, and finally they became friends near the end of the second year. It wasnt until Kurts very last day, though, that Blaine invited him to dinner at his house.

It was that night that they kissed for the first time, and Blaine told Kurt his whole story. Kurt imagined it would be something like not having enough money for education higher than grad school and being forced to take a menial job. Kurt was very wrong.

Blaine was part of a cult, and he wanted Kurt to join.

They didnt worship any gods or adhere to any scriptures. They didnt have any goofy names or stories of burning in Hell. However, they were extremely xenophobic and held on to their soul practices like iron shackles. None of them ate fortified foods, at all. Ever. And so they died. Not of natural causes at a ripe old age of 215, but from disease or disintegration of the body. It was backward and weird, and if he hadnt felt so connected to Blaine he would have left immediately. The budding researcher in him was intrigued, though. So, like a secret anthropologist, he continued to go to meetings and meals with Blaines cult. Kurts favorite tradition was the Soul Independence Day fireworks, commemorating the day that the first group of 20 souls had made acquired unfortified foods and made the decision to let their souls be unfortified. They burned pounds of stolen fortification solutions, the vitamins making the sparks visually brilliant in greens and reds.

The cult grew in numbers and in infamy in the following 20 years, and Kurt was able to do his research while keeping his relationship with Blaine a secret. Kurt also secretly stopped eating fortified foods in his home, though he couldnt manage it in public because of his research position. It would be suspicious if he went to luncheons and cocktail hours for the university without consuming anything. He began to worry about Blaines lifespan. It would be 100 years in the absolute best case scenario.

They had long debates about humanity and responsibility to the earth. They argued about God-complexes and extinction of non-human souls. They made love whenever they could.

Kurt was happy.

************

Kurt politely asked the old soul next to him on the train to let him by, claiming to be hungry. The old soul obliged with nod, then went back to contemplating his own greatness after shutting the curtains.

Kurt slowly made his way through the train cars, backpack strapped on and mind focused. It would be very soon now.

He got to the cafe car where a beautiful Blaine in a similar backpack was waiting for him. They sat across from each other, holding hands.

“Ready?” Blaine asked.

“Its now or never, I guess,” Kurt said, nodding.

They entered the space between cars, pried open the outside door, and admired the view. They were above the clouds, which looked pillowy and innocent, hiding every corrupt thing going on below them. They stepped up to the entrance, held onto each other tightly, and jumped.

************

Blaines parachute was faulty, which made both of them infinitely glad that they had decided to jump together as a precaution. Kurts worked fine, and now strapped to each other in midair, Kurts parachute floating them slowly and safely to their destination, they took a moment to look around.

They saw fireworks in every direction. Rainbow, green, red, white light banging in their ears louder than the wind as they descended. They were burning all of it. Every single scoop of vitamin fortification mixture was in those fireworks, from the factories to the supermarkets to the Fast Fort restaurants. It was an accomplishment that Blaines group had planned for years, and today was the result. It would take at least a year to make more, and Kurt would be surprised if the factories even got back to their production schedules in the next six months. There would be an uproar, all right.

They landed lightly in a mossy clearing, and hiked to the nearest fireworks site. They were recognized and congratulated immediately, and added the vials of fortification solution from the train to the pile to be burned.

They stood looking at each other and letting a sense of pride and belonging seep into their bones.

“I think I see a wrinkle on your face,” Blaine said affectionately.

“Yes, I think you do.”