When Kurt’s phone rings an hour before the ceremony, he can’t even say he’s surprised. He plucks the phone up off the table, chuckling to see his fianc� – and soon to be husband – smiling at him on the screen.

“Hello, dear. When did you put that picture of yourself on my phone? I don’t remember it.” He runs a comb through his hair, holding the phone between his shoulder and his ear. He may answer the phone, but it’s an hour before his wedding and he needs every second to prepare.

“Yesterday, and hi.” Blaine’s voice is breathless, clearly already nervous.

Kurt sets the phone down momentarily, setting his hair quickly with hairspray before he can mess it up. He picks up the phone quickly, muttering an apology.

“It’s okay. I – I know it’s last minute. I just… uhm, well-“ he trails off, and Kurt can practically see him pacing back and forth, wringing his hands as he does so.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet on me now, Anderson,” he chides, though for a second a small stone of dread falls into his stomach. What if?

Blaine scoffs. “Never, Kurt. I just… needed to hear your voice.”

Kurt is about to reply when the phone is snatched suddenly from his hand. He swirls around in his chair and there is Rachel Berry in all her glory – hair done up elegantly, simple sage green dress clinging in all the right places. She brings the phone up to her ear without glancing at the screen.

“Blaine Anderson, that better not be you. You know you’re not allowed to see, or talk to, Kurt before the wedding!”

Kurt can vaguely hear Blaine protesting on the other end, but Rachel will have none of it, it seems. When Kurt tries to grab his phone back, she flits quickly to the other side of the dressing room. She may be small, but she’s light on her feet after all those years of ballet.

“No, Blaine, I will not give him back the phone.” Silence. “No! It’s tradition.” Silence, but her eyebrows furrow together. “You’ll be seeing him in an hour, though! Less than, by now.”

Kurt takes her brief moment of confusion to sneak up behind her, snatching back the phone in one victorious swoop. Rachel protests loudly, but Kurt holds the phone high above her head.

Eventually, she gets tired of sulking and makes some excuse about needing to make sure the pianist was ready. Kurt waits a moment, staring down the hall to make sure she’s really gone before he brings the phone back to his ear, sighing dramatically.

“What was that all about?” Blaine asks, sounding even more nervous now.

“That was Rachel being Rachel,” he sighs.

“Oh,” Blaine pauses. “Is she gone now?”

Kurt nods before remembering that Blaine can’t see him, so he quickly answers in the affirmative.

Blaine lets out a long breath. “Good. I – sorry, I know I’m taking up time and we both need to be getting ready. But I… God, my stomach feels like it’s completely in knots and my heart feels like it’s about to jump out of my chest, it’s beating so hard, and I just… hoped that hearing your voice would help calm me down some.”

Kurt smiles to himself at the small rant. Even after all these years, Blaine never managed to develop any semblance of a filter around him. “And? Is it helping?”

His fianc�’s voice was rushed and quiet when he spoke again. “Yeah. I mean, yes. It is.”

Kurt shrugs into his vest, buttoning it up with skillful fingers as he pinches the phone between his ear and shoulder again. “Good. I’m glad.”

There’s a slight pause before Blaine speaks again. “Are you not… nervous at all?”

He has to really work to hold back the laugh that time. “Are you kidding me? I’m terrified. I’m afraid I’m going to trip or – or forget my vows or drop the ring.”

“You won’t.”

“You sound awfully sure of yourself,” Kurt says, slipping his tie around his neck.

Blaine smiles. Kurt knows he does – he can hear it in his voice when he speaks again. “I know you. No matter how nervous you may be, it won’t show.”

“Hello, pot? This is kettle.”

Kurt pictures him rolling his eyes as he pulls on his suit jacket, buttoning the single button.

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“You sound more relaxed,” Kurt comments, looking himself over once in the mirror. Burt sticks his head in then, asking if Kurt needs anything. He shakes his head, but his dad comes in the room anyway, giving him a questioning look when he sees the phone up to his ear.

“Just a second, Dad,” he remarks, before tuning back into Blaine.

“I am. I – thanks, Kurt. For answering. I guess I should go. I need to finish getting dressed. Alex keeps pointedly staring at his watch and staring at me. I think he’s trying to tell me something.”

Kurt grins. “Probably so. I’ll see you soon, alright?”

Blaine swallows, and it’s audible over the phone. Kurt vaguely thinks that it must have hurt before Blaine speaks again. “Yeah. In exactly,” he pauses briefly, presumably looking at the clock on his phone, “Thirty-seven minutes.”

Kurt feels his heart skip a beat. This man was going to be his husband, and so soon now. “Don’t be late,” he manages to tease, though his voice is airy.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” is the last thing he hears before a strange rustling sound on the other end.

“Blaine?”

The voice that answers back is definitely not Blaine. It’s deeper, and the accent is just slightly different. “Hello, Kurt. You’ve talked to my brother for almost twenty minutes now, and he’s standing here in his dress pants and an undershirt, so I’m going to have to request that you hang up now.” Alex’s voice is lilting, joking, but Kurt can tell he’s still serious.

“Alright, alright, fine. He’s the one who called me, you know!” he protests, laughing.

“Tomato, tomahto. Bye, Kurt.”

Kurt just rolls his eyes, ending the call before turning the phone off and sliding it into his pocket. He turns back to his dad, who immediately walks over and straightens his tie – though Kurt was pretty sure it was straight to begin with.

“You ready for this, kiddo?”

Kurt smiles at the old nickname before nodding, pulling his father into a tight hug. “More ready than I’ve ever been for anything.”

Burt pulls back, keeping his hands on Kurt’s shoulders. “Alright. Let’s go, then. We’ve got a wedding to attend.”

Kurt pins the flower on his lapel before exiting the room, significantly less nervous after talking to Blaine and his father.

He’ll come back later that evening to get his things, a new man in both name and spirit.