Kurt rushed around their hotel room trying to make some last minute adjustments to his outfit. Rachel saw him run past the kitchenette in a blur of red and called out for him to calm down. “I can’t calm down!” he yelled back and Rachel rolled her eyes before walking into the bathroom. She leaned against the door frame and watched as Kurt stared at his reflection in horror. “How can you expect me to calm down when I look like this?” He gestured to the mirror and Rachel raised a brow at him. Kurt looked absolutely perfect.

The man began to adjust his hair and Rachel charged forward and locked his arms to his sides before he could mess with it too much. “Kurt. Stop.” Kurt slumped back against her and pouted. “You look amazing. Just take a deep breath.” Kurt nodded his head and inhaled deeply, but seemed to hold it in his lungs until he was about to pop. “And exhale!” He let out his breath and closed his eyes. “Why are you freaking out over this? It’s a high school reunion. You should be excited to rub your success in everyone’s faces.” Kurt looked over at his friend and smiled softly back at her.

“I know. And I am. I’ll be fine once we get there,” he said, but whether he was trying to convince Rachel or himself, she couldn’t tell.

“Okay,” she said, a little unsure, and turned toward the door. “Then let’s get a move on. The sooner you return to normal the better.”

xXx

Blaine bit his lip and looked at himself in the mirror. “Sam, can you help me?” he called and a moment later his roommate came into the room. Sam snorted when he saw Blaine standing in front of the mirror in his old bedroom holding up five different bowties. He looked over at Sam with huge puppy dog eyes. “Help?” Sam shook his head and sat down on the edge of Blaine’s old bed.

“Dude, I’ve told you a million times before, lose the bowtie.” Blaine just continued to stare at Sam with the same hopeless expression and Sam sighed over dramatically. “Blaine, I will personally burn all of your ties-” Blaine let out a horrified gasp. “You haven’t even worn them in, what, five years? Why tonight?” But Sam knew. He just wanted Blaine to admit it.

“It’s a reunion, Sam. I wore bowties all through high school and if I don’t wear one to the reunion, there’s a very good chance that no one will recognize me.” Sam blinked at him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sam muttered and Blaine shook his head hastily.

“It’s true! I already got rid of the gel- if I lose the tie too? They’ll think I’m trying to crash or something.”

“Oh my god,” Sam said under his breath. “Blaine, no one in their right mind, hell, not even someone psychotic would crash a McKinley High School reunion. Plus, there’s no way anyone could forget those brunt Doritos you call eyebrows.” Blaine frowned at his reflection, staring at his eye brows.

“I should’ve gotten them waxed. I should have listened to Cooper. Oh god, do we have time?” Blaine looked back and forth rapidly between the bedside clock and his eyebrows and Sam groaned as he grabbed a pillow and chucked it at the other man. Blaine looked over at Sam with wide eyes.

“What the hell?”

“Dude, snap out of it. You’re starting to make me anxious. And if we don’t leave now, we’re going to be late. So you can drop your ties and leave calmly, or I can grab some of the rope from the closet, tie you up, and carry you out to the car.” Blaine gave his bow ties another longing look, and Sam was about to go get the rope, but Blaine put them back in his closet with a sigh. Finally.

xXx

The second Kurt had walked into their old high school gymnasium he was tackled by one very excited Noah Puckerman. “Nice to see you too, Noah,” Kurt managed to gasp out in the boy’s tight embrace. He looked over Puck’s back and saw a familiar face standing behind him with a friendly smile on her face. He looked at the woman curiously and when Puck pulled back he looked between the two. Puck rolled his eyes and took the woman’s hand, putting her left hand on a sort of display for Kurt; an engagement ring glinted on her finger. Kurt grinned at the couple before him in excitement. “When did this happen? I didn’t even know you two were talking again.” Puck shrugged.

“Well, I ran into Lauren again about a year ago on a nude beach in California and-”

“Okay,” Kurt interrupted, pretty sure he didn’t want to hear the rest of that story. “Well I’m very happy for you guys.”

“Thanks. What about you? Seeing anyone?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Kurt?” Kurt turned around at the sound of his name and smiled at the man behind him.

“Hey, Trouty Mouth.” Sam glared at him and Kurt laughed as he pulled the boy into a hug. “How are you?”

“Good. I was just telling- where the hell did he go?” Sam began looking around the room and Kurt looking at him questioningly.

“Where did who go?” Suddenly something was being placed in Kurt’s hand and he looked down to see a glass. When he looked back up he was blindsided by the face of an angel. “Thanks,” Kurt said when he finally found his voice.

“Wow, thanks for the drink, Blaine,” Sam said sarcastically and Blaine tore his eyes away from Kurt.

“Oh, they’re over on the table back there,” Blaine said as he pointed behind him blindly. “Why don’t you go get one? Way, way back there.” Sam shook his head softly and muttered to himself as he walked away, only to get swept up by Brittany. “So,” Blaine began once they were alone, “how’s work going?” Kurt swallowed the cheap champagne in his mouth before speaking.

“It’s going great.” Kurt looked at Blaine’s outfit and smiled at the other boy. “I see you like my designs.” Blaine looked down at his wardrobe and blushed slightly when he remembered he was wearing a sweater from one of Kurt’s lines.

“One of many I have stocked in my closet. Sam keeps telling me to stop buy your clothes every time I see them,” Blaine heard himself blurt out and buried his beet red face into his glass. Kurt laughed, a beautiful sound that Blaine missed terribly.

“Well, thank you. And I must say you definitely wear it well.” Blaine lowered his glass and smiled softly at the man, his mind wandering to the times they spent together in high school. Their proms in this same gymnasium and dancing around all night. Being in the choir room and singing on stage together. Their first kiss. Saying “I love you” for the first time. Saying “I love you” for the second time. Coffee dates. The first time they made love. Their first fight. Sebastian. Chandler. Eli. Kurt leaving for New York. The night they broke up.

Blaine forced the thoughts from his mind and focused on the man before him. Kurt. Kurt had definitely grown up since the last time Blaine had seen him. He was taller, his shoulders were broader, his face was more angular and his bone structure was more defined. But he could still see the boy he used to love. The boy who’d stolen his heart. The boy who still held it.

“I almost didn’t recognize you without the bowtie,” Kurt said jokingly and Blaine mentally scolded Sam. “You were fantastic, by the way.” Blaine blinked at the man in confusion. “In How to Succeed,” Kurt clarified.

“Thanks. Rachel told me you two went to the opening night. Why didn’t you let me know before hand? I could have reserved tickets for you two or we could’ve met up afterwards.” Kurt looked down at his glass instead of Blaine’s face.

“I didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t know if you had plans already and Rachel had to get back to the baby,” Kurt rambled on and Blaine placed a hand on his arm, instantly shutting him up.

“You should know by now that you are never a bother. And Rachel could’ve gone home. We’re adults, we don’t need a babysitter.” Kurt looked down at the hand on his arm, warmth instantly emanating from the touch. He looked back up to Blaine, those liquid gold eyes as sweet as ever and Kurt knew he was hooked, just like he had been twelve years ago on that staircase.

“I’ll let you know next time,” Kurt said with a smile.

“In that case, you’re probably going to need my number,” Blaine said and Kurt’s grin widened.

“That’s it?” Blaine cocked his head to the side and Kurt shook his head, feigning disappointment.

“It used to be that a guy would give you his photograph and sing you Katy Perry as a sign of affection. Now all I get is a phone number?”

“Baby if you want Katy Perry I will give you Katy Perry.” Kurt made a “go on” gesture and Blaine seemed to go back into the recesses of his mind to remember the lyrics. Once he seemed confident, he grabbed Kurt’s glass and put it and his own on a nearby table before rejoining Kurt. He took his hands in his and began to sing softly, so only Kurt could hear.

In another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away

Kurt swallowed down the lump in his throat and started to look away from Blaine’s gaze because it almost felt like too much, but he stopped himself. Kurt had been alone for so long. He always blamed it on busy schedules and sharp deadlines but maybe that was because he wouldn’t let him admit that it was really the fact that those other men weren’t Blaine. He’d always known it would be Blaine. Blaine was the light in an otherwise darkened world. He’d always loved Blaine, he realized, even now after years of being apart, his heart still yearned for Blaine.

So he didn’t look away. He kept his eyes on Blaine’s and let the overflow of emotions do what they pleased. He kept Blaine’s hands around his and held on tightly, never wanting to let go. Finally, after what somehow felt like years but at the same time mere seconds, Kurt spoke. “No picture?” Blaine smiled at him and Kurt knew that Blaine would never let him go again.