Kurt Hummel watches as the ship with the black sail drifts into the harbor.

"Puckerman," he says in a low voice, shifting his weight to his other foot and looping his fingers through his belt loops. �"Fetch my hat."

"Aye, Captain."

Kurt tilts his head and smiles at the ship that had now stopped in the harbor, his eyes gleaming at the sight of the dark red flag waving in the wind.

"Who is it, Cap?"

Kurt turns to the man beside him, his eyes never leaving the other ship.

"Why, Evans," he answers, the smile on his lips never vanishing, "It's none other than Pavarotti's Legend."

Kurt feels the other man's eyes widen at the name.

"You mean –"

"Yes," Kurt says, reaching out and taking the hat that is being offered to him. �He smiles as he reaches up and sets it gently on his head, adjusting it just so it keeps the light out of his eyes. �"We, gentleman, are in the presence of Blaine Anderson and his crew."

Kurt briefly looks at both of the men flanking him on either side and, with his smirk still firmly in place, starts to walk towards the ship.

***

"Capp'n, this is Hummel's territory."

"I know exactly where we are," Blaine replies, adjusting his hat and brushing the few stray curls out of his eyes. �"I didn't bring us here on accident."

"Of course not, Cap."

Blaine smiles at his crew before walking towards the edge of the ship. �He runs his hand along the wood, watching as the tall, slender man places the hat on his head and starts his graceful walk towards him. �It never fails to amuse him that Kurt manages to walk with such grace and elegance with a sword attached to his hip. �His hips sway in a way that Blaine is all too familiar with and, as he comes closer, Blaine sees Kurt's signature smirk playing on his lips.

"Captain, are you sure this is a good –"

"Don't worry," Blaine says, pushing off from the edge of the boat where he found himself leaning. �Kurt always manages to put him in a trance, and apparently four years without seeing him hasn't change that. �"I know exactly what I'm doing."

Blaine signals for his crew to release the ramp. �He can feel Kurt's eyes on him as he walks off of his ship, the blue sparkling in the sunlight and illuminated by the sea.

"Kurt Hummel," Blaine says once he stops in front of the other man. �He lets his eyes glance down Kurt's body, taking in his long legs accentuated by his tight pants and high boots, his shoulders broad under his loose shirt.

"Well, Blaine," Kurt replies, looping his fingers through his belt loops, something which Blaine had seen Kurt do many, many years ago, and starting to walk a slow circle around Blaine. �"Or should I say Captain Anderson?"

Blaine smiles and, if he had been a different person, he might have even blushed. �"Technically, yes," Blaine replies. �It is always a relief to talk to Kurt, he thinks, because, for some reason, he never uses the same language that many of the other pirates do. �"But I prefer to skip all the formalities."

"You always have," Kurt says, shaking his head and letting out a brief laugh. �Blaine feels his eyes raking up and down his body. �"And I also happen to know that you aren't in my harbor by accident."

"You know me well," Blaine replies, catching Kurt's eye. �The rim of black thickly traced around them makes them pop even more, if Blaine is being completely truthful with himself.

"Well, you were never one for getting directions wrong," Kurt says as he stops directly in front of Blaine, a few feet away. �He's close enough that Blaine clearly sees all his features – his hair poking out from under his hat, the way his lips curved up in the ever present smirk, the soft curve of his cheeks and nose. �"You always had a . . . gift for knowing the right path."

Blaine smiles at Kurt and tips his head to the side. �He sees a few members of Kurt's crew watching them with a close eye. �He knows that his crew was most likely doing the same thing since, for all they knew, Blaine's only had limited interaction with the well-known captain of the McQueen.

"That I have," Blaine says, taking a few steps forward and reaching out to fix Kurt's shirt. �Kurt's eyes darken at the touch, and Blaine can easily guess that Goosebumps have popped up under the fabric where his fingers had brushed.

"Dammit," Kurt mutters after a few moments of Blaine watching Kurt's eyes intently. �"I thought that after four years this would be over."

"So did I." Blaine pauses and takes another bold step forward. �There's no hesitation in his step, not like there used to be.

Kurt groans, Blaine's breath hitching as he feels Kurt's fists grab on to the front of his shirt and pull his face even closer.

"I knew you'd come here," Kurt murmurs, his breath blowing across Blaine's lips. �"Once I heard that you'd captured Pavarotti's Legend, once I heard the rumors that you had a crew, I knew you'd come."

Blaine takes a shaky breath and wraps an arm around Kurt's waist. �"It was always going to be my first stop," he replies.

Kurt lets out a strangled whimper before pulling Blaine's face towards his and crashing their lips together.

If Blaine had been thinking straight, he would have been able to hear his crew's gasps and confused exclamations. �He would have noticed Kurt's crew, with their mouths agape and their eyes wide in disbelief.

But Kurt's lips are moving in tandem against his, their tongues dueling for dominance as they trade kiss after kiss. �Blaine almost forgot what it was like to kiss Kurt – what his lips tasted like and how they could go from soft and tender to hard and lustful within seconds.

"I was worried you didn't have it in you," Kurt gasps as Blaine starts trailing soft kisses down Kurt's jaw. �"That you, ah, that you didn't have the right nature to commandeer a ship."

Blaine pulls away, just far enough so that he can feel Kurt's heavy breaths on his face. �"It was the only way I could see you again," Blaine whispers, raising one hand up and removing Kurt's hat. �He runs his finger through Kurt's soft, chestnut brown hair, softly smiling at the whimper that escapes Kurt's lips. �He lifts Kurt's hand up and presses it gently over the pocket that holds the watch. "It's really quite a long story. But of course I found a way."

***

4 Years Earlier

"Hm," Santana murmurs before looking around. �Kurt tries to stay as still as possible so as not to be noticed, even though he knows that her eyes will land on him. �They always land on him. �"Hummel, get over here."

Kurt sighs and bites his lower lip before straightening his posture and walking over to the woman. �"Yes, Captain?"

She gives him a smile, one that clearly says that she knew something he didn't. �"We're going to be running into another ship in a few days' time," she says, "and you're going to be the mediator between the two ships." �Santana pauses and looks back to Kurt. �"Think of it as a little . . . test."

"What are you plotting?" Kurt sighs as he leans back against the edge of the ship, eyeing her with suspicion.

She smirks at him and reaches over to grab her hat from where it's resting next to the wheel. �"Nothing, nothing," she says, placing the hat on her head and fixing her hair underneath it. �"I just want to make sure that the ship is . . . attended for, in case I'm not around."

Kurt narrows his eyes at her. �He's been on the ship long enough now to know that she's up to something. �Ever since Santana saw him walking down a dock twirling his sword and pointed her long, slender finger at him before summoning him over, she never failed to make it obvious that he was her favorite.

"Just don't do anything stupid," Kurt tells her before pushing up and off of the side of the ship.

"Me?" She smirks again before winking at him. �"I never do stupid things, Kurt."

Kurt rolls his eyes and walks down to the base of the ship, nodding back at the crew members as each takes notice to him. �He has to admit that being close to Santana has its perks. �For one, all of the crew members respect him, and almost see him as a co-captain – even if Santana insists that she definitely does not need a co-captain.

"What's the Cap on about now?"

Kurt turns to see Puck trotting up next to him. �He gestures with his head for Puck to follow him, only explaining when he does so.

"We're supposedly going to cross paths with another ship soon," Kurt says, "and I'm supposed to make sure that they don't destroy us. �Or something." Kurt pauses to think for a moment. �"I'm not actually sure what I'm supposed to be doing."

Puck laughs and jabs him with his elbow. �"Knowing Santana you're just going to distract them while she goes off and does something else."

Kurt nods. �"Knowing Santana, you're probably right."

***

Blaine whimpers as he's thrown onto the cold, hard deck of the ship.

"Well, well, well," the voice of the captain sneers behind him. �"And you thought you could escape."

Blaine winces and turns on his side, biting his lip at the piercing pain that courses up his leg at just the slight movement.

"It really was a valiant effort," the captain goes on, "except that you forget who I am."

"Look, Clarington," Blaine says, attempting to sound harsh. �It comes out sounding more like he was begging, though, which is definitely not what he was going for.

"Ah, ah," he bends down and looks Blaine in the eye, a sneer on his face. �"It's Captain to you."

Blaine growls and flinches away from his glare. �He knows that other ships aren't like this, that they don't all have possessive, controlling captains who are harsh in order to earn their respect. �All he'd wanted was to get away. �But, apparently, running during the middle of the night when they stopped for more supplies was exactly what Hunter Clarington was expecting him to do.

"Capp'n!"

Blaine watches with wide eyes as he stood up and looked towards where the watchman was pointing. �"Ship ahead!"

"Ah, yes," he says with a smile, "I have a deal to strike with their captain."

Blaine glances at the ship in question, recognizing the black flag that is such a striking contrast to their own red one.

"Are you serious?" Blaine says once he's put all the pieces together. �"That's the McQueen. �That's Santana Lopez's ship. �You don't mess with –"

"I know, Anderson." He stomps his foot a little too close to Blaine's hand for his liking, causing Blaine to whimper and curl in on himself even more.

Blaine watches as the McQueen pulls up next to their own ship. �He takes in the Captain, wearing the usual black hat that the captains of ships have taken to wearing. �Her hair is long and dark, her eyes piercing and determined. �But that isn't what caught Blaine's attention. �No, next to the captain is a tall, slender man. �His chestnut brown is messy and tousled, in what Blaine thinks was the perfect look on him, his deep blue eyes lit by the sea and the dark, black rim of makeup surrounding them only making them pop more.

He's gorgeous, Blaine thinks, in ways he'd never expected of a fellow pirate. �He can't seem to tear his eyes away, entranced by the gorgeous man.

Blaine hastily stands up, ignoring the pain in his leg and straightening out his shirt and his pants. �He feels his heart pounding in his chest, his breathing stuttering, and he only hopes that the captain and the rest of the crew haven't noticed.

"Clarington," the girl says, leaning against the edge of her own ship as her crew set out to make the bridge between the two ships.

"It's Captain Clarington."

"Ha," the girl says as she starts walking across the plank set between the ships, "you've got another thing coming if you think I'm going to be calling you that."

"Santana," Hunter growls, "I'm just as high up in stature as you –"

"In your dreams, muffin," she says, stroking his chin and walking past him, hopping onto the ship. �She pauses and glances around, Blaine noting that she seems to have a constant smirk on her face, before turning and shouting back to her own ship. �"Hummel, get over here!"

The boy who had been standing next to her quickly, but with a grace that Blaine can't even comprehend, walks over to her.

"This is Kurt Hummel," she introduces him, "he'll be dealing with all the – ah – matters that go along with this deal."

Blaine has no idea what this deal was they were talking about, and he figures that he really shouldn't be listening in, but if he is so far unnoticed, then he isn't going to risk attempting to move.

"So, muffin, Hummel here will be joining you in retrieving your side of the deal, since you have so far failed –"

"It's Hunter –"

"And once he's got it, we're going to meet again, and then we'll discuss –"

"Excuse me."

Blaine's eyes widen as the boy – Kurt – interrupts the two captain's conversation. �No one on the Pavarotti would have dared to do that, and yet, here Kurt and Santana are, giving Hunter a run for his money.

"I have vocal chords, you know," he says. �His voice is clear and piercing, one that could easily take command of a whole ship. �"And I would really like to know what exactly I'm doing, since it seems like I'm going to be playing a fairly large role in whatever it is Santana has up her sleeve."

Santana turns and gives Kurt a sweet, knowing smile. �"Muffin and I –"

"Hunter!"

" – made a deal that if he retrieved something for me, then I would give up my captaincy," Santana goes on as if there hadn't even been interruption.

Kurt's eyes widen. �"Are you serious?" He shrieks. �"Who would –"

"You," Santana cuts in, shrugging her shoulders and tilting her hat on her head a little to the left. �"This little mission is to prove yourself to me, Hummel, that you'll be fine to take over the McQueen."

Kurt sighs and runs a hand over his face. �Blaine finds himself mesmerized by his every movement – how he moves with such grace and poise, his actions that appear to be the complete opposite of his rugged appearance.

"What is it I'm retrieving?"

Santana gives him that smile before turning back to Hunter and giving the same one to him. �"A girl."

Blaine watches as Kurt's eyes light up in understanding. �"Brittany," he murmurs.

Santana smiles again and nods. �"Yes," she says, moving back towards the bridge between the ships. �She removes her hat and tips it to Hunter before stepping onto the board and walking backwards towards the McQueen. �"Bring me back Brittany S. Pierce, muffin, and you'll be the greatest captain on the sea."

Blaine somehow doesn't think that would be possible if Kurt is the one who would be taking over the ship.

***

Kurt slumps against the edge of the Pavarotti as he watches Santana sail away. �He really doesn't appreciate being signed up for things like this, but he knows that Santana has been lonely ever since she was forced to leave Brittany at their last stop. �It was one of the biggest gathering areas for crews of pirates, but Kurt knows from experience that it was almost impossible to see the same people there more than once. �He remembers watching Santana whisper to Brittany that she'd find her, even though both Santana and Kurt knew that she wouldn't be there.

This is reason enough for Kurt to feel like he is being sent on an impossible mission. �If he couldn't find Brittany, he would probably be stuck on the Pavoratti for who knows how long. �There is just a lot at stake, and Kurt feels like it has all sort of been thrown at him.

The sound of someone walking up next to him startles Kurt out of his thoughts. �He turns his head and sees Hunter walking towards him with an irritated expression, flanked by what Kurt guesses was a crew member. �He has dark curly hair; a red bandana obscuring some of it in what Kurt assumes is the man's attempt to hide the unruliness of the curls. �His eyes are hazel and shining in the sunlight, the dark, thick black lines around them making them pop even more than Kurt originally expected.

Their eyes meet, and Kurt gives him a small smile before giving his attention back to the captain.

"Look, Hummel," Hunter grunts, "I'm assuming you have a plan, because I don't even know who this girl is."

Kurt sighs and bites his lower lip for a moment. �"We'll start at the last place we saw her," he says after a moment, realizing that he should at least sound like he knows what he's doing. �"And we'll go from there."

Kurt notices that the other man hasn't said anything as slowly sits down and leans his back against the edge of the boat. �Shrugging to himself, Kurt leans his head back and takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself and plan what he should do in order to find Brittany and get off of this ship.

From what he's observed in the past fifteen minutes, Captain Clarington runs the ship differently than Santana. �Kurt can almost feel the fear radiating off of the crew. �Santana has that effect too, but they all know that, deep, deep down in that heart of hers, she secretly cares about them.

This is not the same as that. �It's obvious that Hunter is only in this for the power, the control. �The effect he has on everyone is tangible, and Kurt is definitely not comfortable with it.

When he opens his eyes again, he notices the curly haired man – boy? He can't be that much older than Kurt – watching him with a sympathetic eye. �Kurt gives him another small smile before dropping his gaze to his hands in his lap. �He feels him sit down next to him, his presence providing Kurt with some sort of grounding.

"I'm Blaine."

Kurt turns his head again and sees the boy looking at him. �He cracks a smile at him before responding. "Kurt."

Blaine grins at him as his eyes dart around the deck, and Kurt has a hunch that he feels as uncomfortable on this ship as he does.

"This is...it's a lot different than the McQueen. "

Blaine huffs and nods. �"You have no idea."

Kurt hums and watches as Blaine tips his head back to rest it against the side of the ship. �He looks worn out, Kurt thinks, like he's missing something.

"It's kind of funny," Blaine says after a few moments of silence. �"I had actually tried to escape not long before we met up with your ship."

Kurt laughs before he even thinks to stop himself. �"And how exactly did that work? Considering we're in the middle of the ocean."

Blaine, much to Kurt's relief, laughs along with him. �"Well I'm obviously still here," he says, an amused, bitter tone to his voice, "and I'm under extra watch by the captain, so it's safe to say it didn't quite go according to plan."

Kurt raises his eyebrows at how properly Blaine speaks. �Most pirates aren't grammatically incorrect, per say, but they do have a tendency to abbreviate words and shorten phrases. �But Blaine speaks with fluency, something that Kurt has so far really only seen in himself and Santana.

A few minutes of silence pass, Kurt listening as Blaine breathes beside him.

"I have no idea how I'm going to find her."

Blaine turns to look at him, his voice filled with concern. �"You will." �Blaine pauses and reaches out to gently squeeze his shoulder.

Kurt swallows the sudden lump in his throat and turns towards Blaine again. �He's about to respond when he sees Blaine's eyes light up, jumping onto his feet and bouncing slightly.

"Follow me," he whispers excitedly, his eyes sparkling as he fidgets and waits for Kurt to stand up. �It's adorable, Kurt thinks. �"I have something that might be able to help us."

Kurt gives Blaine a quizzical look as he relents and follows him across the ship, Blaine leading him down into the cabin. �He kneels down next to one of the cots – which surprises Kurt, considering the McQueen only had hammocks – and pulls a bag out from underneath the bed and rummages around in it for a few moments.

"Aha!"

Kurt, again, doesn't understand what Blaine's talking about. �He's holding a golden pocket watch, his eyes glowing with excitement as he hands it to Kurt.

"Um, thank you?" Kurt replies, knowing that it comes out sounding more like a question.

"No, no," Blaine grins, taking the watch back out of Kurt's hands and messing with the nob on the side. �"This isn't just a pocket watch, Kurt."

"Oh, right," Kurt says, "and these boots aren't just boots either."

"Kurt, listen." Blaine's voice drops to a whisper as he holds the watch up to Kurt's ear. �"Do you hear that?"

Kurt has to listen for a few moments before he hears it, the soft ticking in his ear accompanied by a different, murmuring buzz.

Kurt's eyes widen when he finally realizes.

"That's – that's the –"

"The Watch of Cooper Anderson," Blaine supplies for him, his grin never faltering.

"But – how did you –"

Blaine laughs and ducks his head for a moment before he responded. �"He's my brother," Blaine shrugs.

"So – he was lost at sea –"

"He gave me the watch before."

Kurt stares at Blaine with wide eyes, and he's sure that his mouth is gaping open in shock. �"You're trying to tell me that you've had the Watch of Cooper Anderson for who knows how long, and yet you're still on this ship?"

Blaine nods and glances down at the watch in his hands. �"I take it you don't really know how it works."

Kurt bites his bottom lip and shakes his head. �"No..."

Blaine sighs and sits down on his bed, patting the open space next to him in invitation. �"Okay," he starts once Kurt is seated. �"I'm guessing you know that the watch is supposed to help you find what you're looking for?"

Kurt nods and watches as Blaine's hand idly spins the nob on the side of the watch again. �"It has a catch, though," Blaine says after a few moments. �"It only works if you have a specific person on your mind to relate to that place."

Kurt cocks his head to the side as he looks at Blaine. �"So...you mean it only works if you're. . .looking for a person?"

Blaine nods. �"Essentially, yes."

"So, why exactly haven't you used it then?"

Blaine shrugs as he traces his thumb against the glass of the watch. �"I don't really have anyone worth finding."

Kurt wants to pry. �He knows that Cooper Anderson's ship capsized a few years ago during a storm, but he figures Blaine has someone in some distant land waiting for him to come visit every now and then.

Blaine clears his throat then and places the watch back in Kurt's hands. �"Once you're ready to start using it, pop the glass, place your thumb against the center, spin the nob on the side, and say the name of the person you're looking for. �The minute hand should point in the direction of the person, and once the hour hand is on the twelve, you'll know you're in the right place."

Kurt nods and clasps the watch in his hand, gently putting it in his inside coat pocket. �"Thank you," he whispers to Blaine, looking up and meeting his hazel eyes. �"You didn't have to give this to me."

Blaine shrugs again, his gaze falling to his lap. �"Like I said," he replies. �"I don't have anyone to find."

"No relatives? No pining girlfriends?"

Blaine chuckles and shakes his head again. �"Unfortunately, my family decided that, after the incident with Cooper , they didn't want any involvement with pirates anymore." He pauses, quirking a smile at Kurt and giving him a thoughtful look. �"And, as for the girlfriend, I'm afraid that they aren't really my type."

Kurt's eyebrows shoot up, his eyes widening. �"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I just . . .wasn't expecting that from you. �And, for the record, me too. �I mean – me neither. �Or, um, girls. They aren't. �I don't like them. Either."

Blaine has been quietly chuckling through Kurt's stutter fit, and now he lets out a loud, deep laugh.

"We'll find her," Blaine says once his laughter has died down. �"And then you'll be captain of the McQueen."

Kurt smiles at the thought, even if it does leave a bitter taste in his mouth. �But he doesn't tell Blaine that, at least not yet, anyway. �"Maybe I'll even convince Clarington to let you become part of my crew," he says, turning to smirk at Blaine. �His smile dies when he sees Blaine's face, his downturned mouth and the cold, worried look in his eyes.

"...What?" �Kurt asks. �"What is it?"

"He has a Binding Curse on us."

Kurt's eyes widen as he clenches his fists at his sides and jumps off the bed. �"He has a what?"

"A Binding Curse," Blaine says. �"Come on, Kurt, I know you know –"

"I know what it is, Blaine," Kurt scoffs, "but I also know that no respectable captain puts those on his crew."

"Well, you've seen how it is," Blaine shrugs. �"None of us would stay without it. �He'd be crewless."

Kurt finds himself fuming. �He clenches and unclenches his fists once before turning back to Blaine. �"So the only way you can get out of this crew is if you defeat Clarington."

"Yes."

"Unless you used the watch."

Blaine nods. �"Yes, but like I said, I don't exactly have what it needs in order to, you know, work."

Kurt groans and slumps back onto the bed. �"This sucks."

Blaine laughs again and pulls his knees up so they're pressed against his chest before resting his head on them. �"You're telling me."

***

Kurt decides that, since he has the watch now, they could potentially scratch his original plan of heading to the place where he and Santana last saw Brittany. �He does, however, know that it isn't the best idea to let Hunter know that he has the watch, given his obsessive controlling manner that he's observed in the past 24 hours.

"Blaine."

Kurt watches from where he's crouched down behind some barrels of what he assumes is gun powder, laughing as Blaine's head whips around in search of the voice that called his name.

"Look behind the barrels."

Blaine's face breaks into a grin as he spots Kurt, quickly glancing around to make sure no one is watching before crouching down and joining him behind the barrels. "Fancy seeing you here," Blaine grins as he sits down. �"I haven't seen you around these parts before."

Kurt lets out a muffled laugh, quickly clamping a hand over his mouth. �"You're an idiot," he replies, shaking his head at Blaine.

Blaine shrugs. �"That is true," he says, his mouth twitching up into another smile. �"But, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly are we hiding behind a bunch of barrels of gun powder?"

"We need a plan."

Blaine scrunches his forehead – adorably so, Kurt thinks – and blinks a few times. �"I thought we had one."

Kurt sighs and slouches back against the side of the ship. �"We just need a way to keep the watch away from Hunter. �Because – and correct me if I'm wrong – it would definitely not be good if he knew we had it."

Blaine bites his lower lip and nods in agreement. �He's known Hunter for a while now, and the fact that Kurt picked that up within 24 hours really said something about the captain's personality. �"We should just...stick to the plan he knows. �Let's just go along and look where you already told him, and then once we don't find her there, we can use the watch."

Kurt thinks about this for a moment, realizing that it probably is the best course of action. �"Okay," he agrees after a few seconds. �He pauses and looks at Blaine out of the corner of his eye, watching as his stray curls – not hidden under a bandana today – blow in the light breeze. �He really is beautiful, Kurt thinks to himself, his hazel eyes glowing in the midday sunlight. �Not that he'd tell Blaine that, especially since he's only known Blaine for about a day. �But there is really no denying that he was attracted to Blaine.

"Thank you," Kurt says once he realizes he's been silent for probably too long. �"For helping me."

Blaine tilts his head to the side and smiles at him again. �"I know what it's like to be roped into something you didn't have a choice in," he says, "and I just wish I had someone there to help me. �So that's what I'm doing to you."

Kurt takes a deep breath and asks the question he'd been thinking since Blaine told him about being stuck on the ship. �"How did you end up on this ship anyway?"

Blaine blows out a breath at the question. �"It's a really long story."

"We have plenty of time."

Blaine swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing, and starts. �"It was after Cooper's accident," he says softly. �"I was 16 and, usually, was part of Cooper's crew. �But I had opted out of his last trip and stayed at home with our parents. �I realized I was clueless and, since I was Cooper's brother, an Anderson, it didn't take very long for other captains to find and recruit me." Blaine pauses, his fingers idly playing with the hem of his shirt. �"Hunter came about a month after the accident, and he – well, you know how he is. �He manipulated me into joining his crew, promising me safety and a place to live since my parent's had already declared they wanted nothing to do with me."

Kurt offers Blaine his hand, squeezing it gently before he went on. �"When I voiced my hesitation, he threatened to just take my mom instead. �And, Kurt, my parents aren't pirates. �They're normal people who got roped into piracy because their eldest son stole a ship when he was twelve."

Kurt laughs at that, despite the seriousness of everything else Blaine is saying.

"So I obviously went. �I couldn't do that to my parents, not after everything they already suffered. �And once I was on the ship, Hunter put a Binding Curse on me before I even realized what he was doing." Blaine groans and thumps his head back against the side of the ship. �"And here we are."

Kurt squeezes Blaine's hand again, realizing that he hasn't let go since he first took it. �Blaine's own fingers lace between his own, warm and safe and inviting. �"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Blaine says, his thumb idly stroking Kurt's hand. �Kurt doubts he knew he was doing it, but it still doesn't stop the small blush from forming on his cheeks.

"I know," Kurt murmurs. �"It's just that you don't deserve it."

"I think that it happened for a reason," Blaine pauses, glancing at Kurt and looking into his clear blue eyes. �"I just haven't figured out what that reason is yet."

***

As they sail towards where Kurt had originally told Hunter that Brittany might be, Kurt finds himself spending his time in a corner of the deck with Blaine, leaning against the edge of the ship and watching as the waves came and broke against the side. �Kurt guesses that Santana had left Hunter orders that he was not to be treated like one of his crew members, since, at least in Kurt's observation, he's not forced to do any actual work other than give the occasional reminder of where exactly they were going.

Blaine's occasionally called off to do some chore around the ship but, for the most part, Hunter seems to have left him in charge of keeping an eye on Kurt and making sure he doesn't jump ship.

Weeks pass, and Kurt can honestly say he didn't think the McQueen had sailed for that long since they last stopped, but then again, Kurt never was the best at keeping track of the days while on the ship. �At first he tried chipping a line into the wall for every day that passed, but after about eight chips he forgot about it and, well, time was lost.

Kurt looks out into the ocean, watching the small waves crash against the edge of the boat. �Blaine had been whisked away about an hour ago, and without him around, Kurt never really knows what he should do with himself.

"Hey," a voice says to his left, close enough to his ear that he could feel the person's breath raising Goosebumps on his neck. �"Your thoughts are in the clouds."

Kurt turns his head slightly and smiles at Blaine. �"There's not much else to do when you're not around."

Blaine sighs and places his head into his hands as he leans against the edge of the ship, looking out into the ocean. �Kurt remembers a time when he was afraid to get too close to the edge, fearing that he would fall in and die like that. �Watching Blaine, it's obvious that he, too, has long gotten past that fear. �His body sways with the motion of the ship, his eyes drifting closed for a small second, his strong, muscular arms flexing with every shift in movement, keeping his balance, all because he rests his head in his hands on the ship.

Kurt's heart flutters a little as Blaine turns to him again, his eyelids drifting open and crinkling at the corners as he smiled at him. �His golden eyes shimmer as they reflect the sea beneath them, and it isn't the first time that Kurt thinks he is utterly, truly breathtaking.

"How did you get into piracy, anyway?" Blaine asks, his voice soft. �"You know my story, so what's yours?"

Kurt sighs, forcing his eyes away from Blaine's face and looking back out into the clear, open ocean. �"I've been friends with Santana since I was young," Kurt says. �"And then when my dad died and she told me she got a ship and was starting up a crew, I didn't really see any reason not to. �She was all I had."

He feels Blaine's eyes on him, his remorse seeping through the silence.

"Your mom . . ."

"Died when I was eight," Kurt supplies, shrugging it off to let Blaine know he hasn't upset him. �"Santana's all I've had for a long time now."

"Which is why you seem reluctant to take over her ship and let her leave," Blaine says knowingly. �Kurt turns to him and squints his eyes, wondering if he really is that easy to read, or if Blaine just has a knack for picking up things about him.

Kurt hums his agreement, running a hand through his loose hair.

Silence takes over, but really, Kurt thinks that Blaine's understanding silence speaks almost louder than his words.

***

Over the next few days, Kurt starts to notice something.

Whenever Blaine's hand accidentally touches his, or whenever the boat lurches to the side and sends his body falling into Blaine's, Kurt notices that, wherever they made contact, there was always a small, tingling feeling left on his body. �He always hides his small intakes of breath that he now notices, and whether or not Blaine touching him has always left him breathless, Kurt doesn't know.

He finds himself staring at the other pirate more often now, he realizes. �His eyes drift towards Blaine of their own accord, following him as he paces the side of the ship, watching the strain in his arms as he pulls on the ropes of the mast, and, on the rare occasion, the flex in all of his muscles when he takes over the steering of the ship.

And then at night, when he's left to his own devices in his small hammock, he imagines Blaine's lips tracing down his neck, his hands roaming underneath his shirt and against his skin, warm and sending shivers up his spine. �Kurt has to physically stop his fantasies whenever they start wandering into dangerous territory, whenever he begins to imagine Blaine's tongue dipping into his mouth, or when he starts envisioning Blaine's head dropping lower and lower down his body, until he's pulling down the waistband of Kurt's pants and sinking his mouth down onto Kurt's –

Kurt groans into his hand and turns to face the wall, his hammock swinging and creaking beneath him. �He mentally curses Blaine for being so attractive, and then he mentally slaps himself for both only really realizing it recently and for realizing it at all.

Giving up on the fact that he definitely isn't going to be able to sleep with all those thoughts running through his head, Kurt stands up and slips on his boots before carefully padding up the stairs and onto the deck. �He pauses, taking in the stillness and quietness of the ship that is always lacking during the day. �One of the crew members is leaning up against the wheel and another up in the watchtower, but other than those two, the deck is empty.

Kurt suspects that they would reach their destination in a few hours. �They'd been sailing for almost two weeks now and, if Kurt remembers correctly, that had to mean that they were almost there. �Even though he knows that they won't find Brittany, that he would have to resort to using the watch, he still hopes that, by some miracle, she might be there and he could take her back to Santana and take over the McQueen.

Although, he still isn't sure if that's even what he wants. �Santana was all he had left, was the closest thing he had to family. �Once he finds Brittany and brings her to Santana, she'll be gone, and he'll be left with a ship that he never really wanted. �He won't have Santana, and, surprised that he even thought this, he won't have Blaine.

Kurt sinks down into the wood beneath his feet, leaning his back against the ship and watching as the stars slowly move past him as the ship keeps treading water.

He's only known Blaine for a few weeks now, he shouldn't be this attached already, shouldn't be thinking about how much he'll miss him once he has the McQueen, about how the chances of them never seeing each other are high, and how miserable that thought makes him feel.

Kurt fishes the watch out his pocket and looks at it, his fingers idly smoothing over the shining gold on the back, watching as the moonlight reflects his eyes in the surface of the gold. �He hears the gentle padding of feet coming closer to him, and he really shouldn't be surprised that Blaine noticed him missing from his hammock and followed him out, but still, the thought that someone is there for him, that someone notices him and goes out of their way to spend time with him – it's a new and warm and inviting feeling for him, and Kurt has absolutely no idea what to do with this notion. �He has no idea what to do about his feelings for Blaine, no idea what to do about his dreams and fantasies or about the fact that Blaine is so fucking attractive all the time, how his mouth aches for his own and his fingers crave Blaine's touch and his nose longs for his scent and –

Kurt shivers as Blaine sits down next to him, their shoulders barely touching, only just so, enough to provide the small amount of heat Kurt needs to counteract the chill from the ocean. �Neither of them say anything, Kurt just sitting there listening to Blaine breathe, his eyes fixed on the barrels on the other side of the ship to keep them from straying to the man next to him.

"It's beautiful out here."

Kurt resists, or at least he tries, but after about five seconds hesitation he finally allows his eyes to wander to Blaine, and when they reach his face, he has to keep in his gasp.

Blaine looks astonishing in the moonlight. �His features are illuminated and, with his bandana missing and the dark rim worn down around his eyes, he looks softer, less like a pirate and more like . . . like Blaine, like a boy – no, a man – who is just as lost in the world as Kurt is, who's searching, and helping, and just there and willing and handsome –

Kurt takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he inhales the crisp night air.

"Are you okay?" Blaine's voice sounds through just as he finishes his exhale, soft and warm and solid and everything that drives Kurt crazy.

"I'm fine," Kurt whispers, not wanting to break the calm reverie surrounding them. �"I just couldn't sleep. �There's a lot on my mind right now."

Blaine huffs out a breath in response, tipping his head back and looking up at the stars. �"Whoever it was that said being a pirate was fun, they were horribly mistaken."

Kurt laughs, quiet and breathy. �"It has its perks occasionally," he replies. �"And, I mean, it can be fun at times. �Just, not when things get heavy. �Like now."

Blaine hums his reply, and then they fall silent again, their thoughts lost between them and the stars and the gentle moonlight illuminating Blaine and making him even more breathtaking than usual.

It's just them and the moon and the stars, and Kurt never wants it to end.

***

Blaine watches as they near land, his eyelids drooping from his lack of sleep the night before.

If asked, Blaine couldn't give an answer as to why he followed Kurt out onto the deck last night. �It felt like the right thing to do and, if Blaine was to be completely honest, he just wanted to spend time with Kurt. �He likes Kurt, he likes staring into his shining eyes, illuminated by the ocean and the dark ring of makeup surrounding them. �He wants to touch him, feel his muscles as they shift deliciously beneath his skin, he wants to lick up the column of his neck and taste him and smell him and, god, he's going crazy.

Blaine's eyes shift over to where Kurt was pacing towards the end of the deck, his long legs moving with a grace and elegance that make Blaine's mouth water.

Shaking his head, Blaine decides that he really needs to stop thinking about Kurt if he's going to survive the rest of their trip.

But then Kurt tips his head back to look at the incoming clouds, and Blaine's eyes are drawn to the taught muscles in his neck again, and he quickly realizes that ignoring Kurt and not noticing his attractiveness is definitely not going to work out for him.

Blaine hears someone call out that they will be arriving on land in a few minutes. �Sighing, he kneels down and laces up his boots, since he prefers them untied, usually, before making his way over to Kurt.

"So, what's the plan?" He asks, dutifully keeping his eyes away from Kurt's face in order to keep his focus.

"Hmm," Kurt hums. �"I guess we can genuinely look for her, in the slight chance that she's still here. �And then when we don't find her, we break the bad news to Hunter, secretly use the watch, and go from there."

Blaine nods and chances a glance at Kurt's face. �His expression is taught, his features scrunched together and distressed.

"Hey," Blaine soothes, reaching out and rubbing Kurt's back gently. �And, dammit Blaine, that is not something you do to your friend and shipmate, especially one you're attracted to, for God's sake. �"What's wrong?"

Kurt sighs and rubs his face with his hand. �When he looks back at Blaine, his eyes are dimmer, the bright blue hidden beneath a veil of gray. �"I just . . ." Kurt pauses and takes another deep breath. �"I want to find her so that this can be over and so I can get away from Hunter. �But, once we find her, Santana's leaving and she'll be gone. �And then I'll have the McQueen. By myself."

Blaine swallows the sudden lump in his throat, his hand twitching to wrap Kurt in his arms and hold him close, wanting nothing more than to whisper in his ear that everything was going to work out, that he would find a way to get off of the Pavarotti, that he would do anything for Kurt and to help him not feel so lonely. �But he doesn't want to give a false sense of hope to both Kurt and himself. �He knows that, at least at the moment, there is no foreseeable way he could get out of Hunter's grasp. �He's stuck, indefinitely, on the Pavarotti, no matter how much he wants to leave. �Blaine would give anything to move to the McQueen for Kurt, but unless Hunter releases his Binding Curse on Blaine, then there's nothing he can do.

Taking a chance, Blaine takes a deep breath and shifts a few inches closer to Kurt. �"I wish I could come with you," he says, his voice soft as their shoulders brush together.

He hears Kurt swallow, noticing out of the corner of his eye that he turns to look at Blaine. �"I wish you could, too," he whispers, and then he's holding out his hand for Blaine, only a few inches from Blaine's own, open and waiting to be grasped.

Blaine grips Kurt's hand and squeezes it, the feeling of his smooth but calloused hand sending small tingles up his arm and leaving him breathless.

They hit land a few minutes later. �Kurt quickly drops Blaine's hand, after giving it one final squeeze, and makes his way towards the ramp that was promptly being set up. �Blaine watches as he moves through the gathering crowd, shoving past the other pirates and securing his position of being the first one off the ship.

Blaine, figuring since that Hunter put him 'in charge' of Kurt, decides that it would probably be a good idea if he stays alongside of him. �Only to keep Hunter happy, though, of course. �There is absolutely no other reason behind it. �None at all.

Shoving his way through the crowd swarming around the ramp, Blaine quickly catches up to Kurt a few feet up the dock. �Once he falls into step beside him, Kurt turns and grins at Blaine. �His smile lights up his face, and Blaine suddenly realizes that he's the only one that smile was ever directed at.

"So, where to?" Blaine asks. �"I mean, this isn't exactly Tortuga. �There's more than one hang out for pirates here."

Kurt hums and nods, pausing mid step and glancing around. �"That was where Santana and I met her," he says after a few moments, pointing to a building with the sign that says McKinley Cavern. �"We weren't sure if she worked there or was just visiting, but she was definitely there."

Blaine nods and follows Kurt into the cavern, wincing at the stench that fills his nose as they open the door. �"Fucking pirates," he murmurs, smiling as Kurt laughs a little. �"Can't ever keep themselves properly clean."

"I'll go look in the backrooms," Kurt says after a moment, pointing towards a door off to the side. �"You can look around here. �She's tall with blonde hair and blue eyes and – and she's very . . . unique. �You'll know if you see her."

Blaine nods again and watches as Kurt grins at him before walking towards the door. �He weaves easily through the crowd of pirates, his long legs moving seamlessly, his body never once colliding with another.

Shit, Blaine thinks as he tears his eyes away from Kurt and starts searching around the room. �He is totally, totally screwed.

Blaine wanders around for a little while, but he knows that they aren't going to find Brittany. �It would be too simple, and if he's learned anything from his years as a pirate, it's that nothing is ever, ever simple.

It's only when he spots a tall man in the corner that he pauses his search. �Because – the wavy brown hair and the blue eyes and the way he's pointing – no, no, it can't be, there's absolutely no way –

"Blaine!"

He hears his name at the same time he feels a hand wrap around his arm, tugging him quickly into a run. �Tearing his eyes away from the man in the corner, the one who cannot possibly be who he thought it was, Blaine struggles to keep up with Kurt.

"What – what the hell, Kurt – why –"

"I may have made someone really mad while trying to find out if she was here," Kurt says as they burst through the door and into the fresh air. �"Don't ask me how, but I just mentioned her name and the guy started swearing and throwing bottles."

"So I'll take that to mean she isn't here?"

Kurt grins and rolls his eyes as they continue running onto the ship. �"Looks like this was a dead end after all," he says once they're safely on the ship, having given Hunter instructions to pull out of the harbor as quickly as possible.

Maybe a dead end for Brittany, Blaine thinks as he watches Kurt catch his breath. �But he keeps thinking about the man he saw, the one that looked exactly like his brother, and he wonders if maybe, just maybe, he isn't dead after all.

***

"What's the plan now, Hummel?" Hunter asks later that night. �Kurt sighs and glares at him, because really, it would be helpful if this dipshit of a captain would just give him some time to think.

"Just keep sailing in this direction, I guess, and I'll have a solid plan by morning," Kurt says, his voice stiff with agitation.

Hunter grunts but walks away, leaving Kurt to sit and watch the moon with his thoughts.

Everything had been, god, exhilarating. �From grabbing Blaine's arm and running away from the crazy, bottle smashing man to the laughing fit they'd had once they were safely sailing away from the harbor, Kurt has never, never felt as free as he does with Blaine.

Blaine makes him laugh, he makes Kurt feel things he never thought he would feel. �He's always had his friendship with Santana, but this, Blaine, it's different, it's more.

Once Kurt's sure that Hunter won't bother him for the rest of the night, Kurt fishes the watch out of his pocket. �He looks at it for a moment, and for a second he thinks, would it really be bad staying on this ship with Blaine forever?

Of course it would. �Hunter is horrible, and if he fails Santana, if he never finds Brittany, Santana will probably take him back anyway and continue being captain. �She'll just be sad and bitter and it would have been all Kurt's fault.

So that's not an option, which means that the only other possible solution is that they find Brittany. �And he knows that the watch in his hands is the only way of making that happen.

Kurt flips he glass cover open and watches for a moment as it ticks without any of the hands moving. �It's remarkable, really. �And a little coincidental, he thinks, that Cooper gave the watch to Blaine right before his final voyage. �It's – It's almost like he knew Blaine would need it, like he knew he wouldn't have another opportunity . . .

Kurt shakes his head. �Thinking too hard about anything pirates do is never healthy, he knows. �They're always plotting and conning and, usually, one step ahead of another, or at least so they think.

He presses his thumb against the center of the watch where the two hands meet and, after a moment, he begins to turn the nob on the bottom. �"Brittany S. Pierce," he whispers.

He waits a few seconds and, suddenly, the ticking from the watch stops, replaced by a quiet whooshing sound as the hands spin in furious circles. �He knows his eyes are wide as he watches it, which makes him thankful once again that none of the other pirates are around.

The hands settle after a few moments, the minute hand on the three and the hour hand on the six. �He remembers what Blaine said, how the minute hand tells direction, but he's already told Hunter that he won't give any further instructions until the morning, so for now, he closes the watch and slips it back into his pocket.

If it sets them back a few days, then it sets them back a few days. �After all, a few more days with Blaine won't really hurt anyone, will they?

***

Blaine knows he's asleep, he knows that he's dreaming, but he can't seem to wake himself up.

"Blaine," dream-Kurt whispers, his voice soft and soothing in Blaine's ear. �"Brave, brave Blaine."

Blaine feels dream-Kurt's breath on his ear, he can smell his sweet breath and feel the heat radiating off of his body.

Dream-Kurt morphs into dream-Cooper, then, and Blaine takes a step back, because even a dream, he really has no desire to be that close to his brother.

"Hey, squirt," dream-Cooper says, his smile wide and teasing. �"Thought you'd be rid of me forever, didn't you?"

Blaine tries to talk, but he can't, he can't even open his mouth. �Dream-Cooper just shakes his head at Blaine and playfully rolls his eyes.

"Everything will work out, Blaine," dream-Cooper says before ruffling Blaine's hair and walking away. �"Don't you worry your pretty little head."

Dream-Cooper morphs back into dream-Kurt, who's smiling at him again and reaching out for his hand. �"Blaine," he says, his smile wide and inviting. �"Blaine, I did it."

Blaine just watches him, his light eyes dancing with excitement. �"Blaine," he says again. �"Blaine. �Blaine."

Blaine startles awake, sitting up on his cot and glancing around until his eyes land on Kurt kneeling next to him.

"Sorry," Kurt whispers, "I didn't mean to startle you."

Blaine shakes his head and rubs a hand across his face. �Kurt's looking at him with wide eyes, his hand holding the watch out for Blaine to see.

"I did it," he says. �"I'll tell Hunter which direction to head in the morning."

Blaine nods and looks at the watch, and it looks the same except for the faint glow around the minute hand.

"I'm sorry I did it without you," Kurt says after a moment. �"I just . . . I felt like I needed to do it right then before I talked myself out of it."

"It's fine," Blaine says, his own voice scratchy from sleep. �He doesn't know what time it is, but it's still dark and Kurt looks exhausted, so he's assuming that it's still night. �"Hopefully I'll be able to use it myself someday, anyway."

Kurt bites his lower lip, and it looks like he wants to say something. �Instead, Blaine watches as he tucks the watch back into his pocket and stands up, giving him a little smile. �"Goodnight, Blaine," he whispers. �"I'll see you in the morning."

Blaine watches his silhouette as he walks over to his hammock, his form outlined by the small amount of moonlight and Blaine, really, really shouldn't be surprised that he even finds Kurt's silhouette beautiful, but he is, nonetheless.

"Goodnight, Kurt," he whispers into the darkness, knowing that Kurt is too far away to hear him. �"I think I'm falling in love with you."

***

In the morning, Kurt suggests to Hunter that they should head northeast, making up some reason for why he thinks that. �He's sure that he sounds completely unbelievable, but it must not be as bad as he thinks since Hunter just sighs and nods and directs he crew in the proper direction.

Maybe he's just as tired of this as Kurt is.

The days go on, and Kurt knows that he's getting restless. �He's starting to think that they're never going to see land, that they're just sailing on a never ending sea. �He fills his time with Blaine, though, and that does make the whole thing a little more bearable.

Kurt thinks that they've been sailing for a week since they changed direction when he finds Blaine heaving over the side of the ship and small, painful sounding retching noises coming from his mouth.

"Blaine, shit," Kurt says as he rushes over to him, placing his hands on his waist to keep him steady. �"Sea sickness? It seems a little weird considering you're always on a ship."

Blaine laughs, or tries to anyway, but it's cut off by another heaving gag. �Kurt's thankful that nothing's coming out anymore, at least, but then again, dry heaving is never good, either. �"Not exactly," Blaine moans in between. �"I think I had some bad fish last night."

Kurt remembers the fish, and he remembers not eating it because he swore it smelled a little funny. �Turns out he was right.

He keeps holding onto Blaine's waist – his tiny, slim waist – and it's only because he doesn't want Blaine heaving himself overboard. �Really. �That's the only reason.

After a few more minutes, Blaine stands up right before wobbling a little. �His face is pale as he looks at Kurt, swaying into his body.

"Whoa," Kurt says, gripping Blaine tightly and guiding him down to the floor. �"Careful."

"Sorry," Blaine murmurs, his eyes closing as he leans his head to the side and on Kurt's shoulder. �"Just – not feelin' so great."

Kurt hums and rubs Blaine's back with his hand, and it isn't until he feels the small, even puffs of breath against his neck that he realizes Blaine fell asleep.

He looks at Blaine and his beautiful, peaceful face, his long eyelashes fanned across his cheeks and his mouth looking so soft and perfect as he sleeps. �It hurts Kurt, sometimes, knowing that there's this gorgeous man near him and that he can't do anything that he really wants to do.

Kurt really wants to just kiss him – kiss his lips until their pink and swollen, kiss him everywhere until it's too much, until both their senses are overwhelmed and the kisses become more and . . .

He really shouldn't be thinking these things with Blaine sleeping against his shoulder, but then again, he really can't help it because Blaine's sleeping against his shoulder.

I'm falling in love with you, he thinks to himself. And I don't think there's anything I can do about it.

The ticking in his pocket reminds him that he's only here for a certain amount of time. �As soon as they find Brittany and meet back up with Santana, he's gone, separated from Blaine and that's it. �He can't afford to fall in love. �Especially not with a perfect, sweet, gorgeous pirate who makes him feel happy and whole and normal, almost like he felt before he was roped into the pirate life.

Because if he falls in love, he knows that it'll make leaving Blaine that much more painful.

The watch ticks in his chest pocket, right against his heart, but in that moment, Kurt isn't sure whether it's the ticking of the watch he feels, or if it's the rhythmic beating of his heart as he watches Blaine, and because of that, he knows that he doesn't have a choice in the matter. �If he falls in love with Blaine, he falls in love with Blaine. �And the fact that he can't distinguish between the watch and his heart, well, he's sure that speaks for itself.

He brushes the stray hair out of Blaine's face and leans back against the edge of the boat. �He doesn't know where the watch is taking them, and he doesn't know where his heart is taking him.

The watch and his heart are similar in a lot of different ways.

***

Blaine recovers rather quickly from his slight illness, and once he does, he can't help but notice that Kurt is acting . . . different.

It's not necessarily a bad different, at least as far as he can tell. �Kurt's touches, as infrequent as they are, have lingered a little longer, he thinks. �He's caught Kurt staring a little more, and with a little more fondness in his eyes. �He smiles more often, and his eyes seem to light up every time Blaine talks to him or touches him or looks at him.

Blaine just really, really hopes he isn't making this all up in his head.

He knows that days and days on end of being stuck on a boat can sometimes make a person go a little stir crazy. �He's been victim to that before, having befriended a plant a few months back in a desperate attempt for company that wasn't a rugged, smelly pirate stuck on a miserable ship by some stupid curse.

But Blaine doesn't think that he could imagine this, that he could make up all these things he's been noticing about Kurt. �He's always aware of Kurt, always aware of his presence and his smell and his smile, so he thinks that because of this, he isn't making anything up.

If there's one thing that's keeping him sane, it's Kurt.

They spend their days lounging around the deck, Kurt checking the watch every few hours and telling the crew to adjust their direction as necessary.

Hunter leaves them be, only making Blaine doing small things here and there but, for the most part, he's content letting Blaine entertain Kurt.

He hasn't told Kurt that he thinks he saw Cooper back at the cavern, and he's not sure if he wants to. �Hell, he doesn't even know if it was Cooper, so why should he give Kurt yet another thing to think about? He's got enough on his mind with finding Brittany and his impending captainship, he doesn't need this too.

Sometimes, when the sun falls and the crew settles down, Kurt will reach out and take his hand and just hold it, like he's calming himself and using Blaine as his tether, keeping himself grounded instead of letting all his thoughts overtake him.

And Blaine – Blaine thinks Kurt is so strong, having so many things thrown at him and yet, here he is, still trying to accomplish something he doesn't necessarily want.

Blaine watches Kurt closely on one of these nights as he looks out into the sea, his pale skin shining a little in the moonlight. �Watching him, he realizes that once all of this is over, once they find Brittany and Kurt is captain of the McQueen, he'll use the watch to find Kurt.

But as he glances around the ship, at the remaining crew members manning the wheel and the sails, he really doesn't think he could just leave everyone else here for themselves. �Maybe the old Blaine could have, but this Blaine – the Blaine he's been since he's met Kurt – this Blaine couldn't do that, leave the rest of the crew here under the Binding Curse.

Blaine takes a deep breath and lets it out, Kurt slowly turning his head and quirking it as he looks at Blaine.

"What's on your mind?" Kurt asks softly, his voice matching the calm mood that the night brings.

"I'm just thinking about how even if I had a reason to use the watch, I probably wouldn't," Blaine murmurs. �"I don't think I could leave the crew here under the cures while I just escape. �It doesn't seem fair."

Kurt hums next to him. �"You're probably the only pirate I know who thinks about whether or not something is fair," Kurt says.

"Yeah, well . . ." Blaine trails off and shrugs, looking over at Kurt again. �Kurt, who's here without much say, who's probably one of the most selfless people he's ever met.

"You'll figure something out, Blaine," Kurt whispers, reaching out and squeezing Blaine's hand. �"If there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that you're nothing but determined."

Blaine doesn't know how Kurt got that, but he hopes that he's right.

***

"Land ahead!"

Kurt looks up with wide eyes and looks towards where the watchman is pointing. �He sees the small patch of green, the signal of land and, as long as the watch is right, the place where he'll find Brittany.

He feels Blaine come up beside him and release a deep breath. �It's been weeks, maybe even months, since they started sailing in the direction of the watch, and this almost feels like some kind of burden is being lifted off of their shoulders.

"I hope that there aren't too many places to look here," Blaine says as the patch of green becomes bigger.

Kurt shrugs and adjusts his shirt before turning and facing Blaine. �"I don't think I want to split up this time," Kurt says slowly, dropping his eyes down to his feet. �"I mean – the whole crew is going to be looking for her, too, so I – I think it's best if we stay together."

What Kurt doesn't say is that he doesn't know how long he'll have with Blaine once they find Brittany, that he doesn't want to waste a single minute with him, because once they find Brittany, that could be that.

"Okay," Blaine whispers, nodding his head slowly.

Kurt gives him a small smile as they dock and let out the ramp, and they follow Hunter off of the ship. �After a quick greeting with a native and asking if anyone's seen a girl of Brittany's description, and if not could they please be on the lookout for her, Kurt and Blaine set off in the opposite direction of Hunter. �Because really, Kurt thinks, the farther away from him the better.

They find themselves in the middle of the town, with people bustling around them. �Kurt reaches out and grabs Blaine's hand, glancing at him and smiling at his questioning gaze. �"So we don't get separated," Kurt explains. �That seems to satisfy Blaine, who nods and let's Kurt continue guiding him around the town, weaving in and out of the people.

They poke their heads in stores, asking for Brittany or if they've seen Brittany. �Store after store, house after house, everything they try is a bust.

When the sun starts to set, Kurt leads them to a small bench overlooking the bay.

"God," Blaine says as he sits down next to Kurt, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. �"This feels useless."

Kurt hums and pulls out the watch from his pocket, sighing. �The hour hand is close to the twelve, but not quite on it. �At least he knows they're in the right place, just not the exact spot.

"It's getting dark," Kurt murmurs, watching as the sun sets below the sea. �"Maybe we should find somewhere to stay for the night."

Blaine nods in agreement. �"It would be great to sleep in an actual bed," he says softly. �"But we don't have any money."

Kurt looks to Blaine and grins before shoving his hand in his pocket and pulling out a few golden coins.

Blaine's eyes widen, a huge smile breaking out onto his face. �"Where the hell did you get those?"

Kurt laughs and puts the coins back into his pocket. �"When we were at the cavern and I made the guy mad, I might have made it worse by stealing a sack of coins off his table as I ran out."

Blaine laughs and shakes his head, nudging Kurt gently with his shoulder. �"You're terrible."

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," Kurt sings, grinning at Blaine.

Blaine watches as Kurt's eyes twinkle in the oncoming moonlight, his smile so huge and happy that Blaine feels his heart skip in his chest a few times.

"Okay," Blaine says after a moment, standing up and brushing off his pants. �"Let's go find ourselves a room."

***

"What do you mean you can only give us one bed?"

The man at the counter shrugs and looks back into his books. �"I'm sorry, but that's our policy. �One room, one bed per group. �If we did it any other way we'd run out of rooms and beds within minutes."

Kurt huffs and glares at him, because really, who denies a pirate what they want? �Although, judging by how un-phased the guy looks, he suspects that he probably encounters pirates here often.

"Kurt, it's fine," Blaine says, tugging on his elbow. �"We'll figure something out."

Kurt glares at the man one more time before following Blaine down the hall and up a flight of stairs.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Blaine says as Kurt opens the door.

"Like hell you will," Kurt replies, shutting the door behind Blaine. �"You're the one who kept going on and on about how good it would feel to sleep in a bed."

Blaine sits down on the bed and gently takes off his boots, groaning. �"Oh my god," he whispers, looking towards the open door next to the bed. �"We have a bathroom."

Kurt laughs and takes off his own shoes before rushing into the room Blaine's staring at. �"Dibs," he calls as he shuts the door.

Blaine shakes his head and falls back onto the bed. �It's been ages since he's been able to bathe in anything other than pouring ocean water onto exposed parts of his body.

Kurt comes out of the bathroom eventually, in his old clothes but his hair shiny and clean, the dark makeup around his eyes slightly faded from the water but still there. �Blaine knows from experience that the damn stuff never really comes off no matter how hard you scrub it, and that he can never really get his skin clean, either.

"All yours," Kurt says as he walks past Blaine.

Blaine smiles and walks into the bathroom. �He peels his clothes off and lays them out so that he can easily get back into them, slipping into the bathwater and closing his eyes and letting himself relax.

He comes out of the bathroom to find Kurt sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. �Kurt does this a lot, he's noticed, just staring into the space and thinking.

"We'll find her," he says softly, not wanting to startle him.

Kurt hums, Blaine watching as he looks out at the stars. �"I know."

They're both silent for a moment, looking out into the night.

"I was thinking," Kurt says after a few minutes, breaking the silence. �"We could both use a good night's sleep, and, I mean – we could just – we could both sleep in the bed. �If that's okay with you."

Blaine looks at Kurt, who's refusing to look at Blaine. His cheeks are flushed and Blaine smiles a little at that. �He doesn't think he's ever seen Kurt blush. �Maybe it's just the lighting, or maybe it's the fact that they aren't on a freezing ship in the middle of the night. �Or, maybe, just maybe, it's because of what he said.

He doesn't answer right away, instead watching as Kurt keeps his gaze locked on his hands in his lap. �Blaine watches as he swallows, his throat bobbing a little with the movement, his eyelashes fluttering with every blink, his lips slightly parted, his hair tousled and falling into his eyes, his . . .

Blaine's thoughts trail off as his eyes wander down Kurt's face and to his arms, hidden beneath his baggy shirt, and he thinks, fuck it –

"Kurt," Blaine murmurs, waiting a moment, and when Kurt doesn't respond, he says again, "Look at me."

Kurt looks up at him, his eyes questioning and confused, and Blaine's not even thinking anymore, he's put that part of him away, because for once, for one damn moment of his life, he wants something and he's going to be selfish.

Blaine raises a hand and cups Kurt's face with it, his thumb gently stroking his cheek after a moment when Kurt doesn't pull away. �"Okay?" Blaine murmurs, his eyes searching Kurt's, questioning.

Kurt nods slowly, biting his lower lip and dropping his gaze again before lifting his eyes back up, the light in them tentative and excited all at once.

That's all it takes, that's all Blaine needs as motivation. �He scoots closer to Kurt and leans in, his breath blowing across Kurt's lips for a moment before he captures them in his own.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath at the contact, and Blaine pauses for a moment and pulls back, opening his eyes only to see Kurt with his own closed. �Once they open, Blaine sees them shining at Blaine, the corners of them smiling. �"Okay?" Blaine murmurs again.

Kurt doesn't nod this time. �Instead, he grabs the front of Blaine's shirt and pulls him back in, his lips crushing against Blaine's in a much harder kiss than before.

Blaine's hand moves from his cheek and into his hair, tangling with his soft, soft locks and pulling his face closer, his other arm wrapping around Kurt's waist and keeping him close, closer. Kurt lets out a little noise, one that Blaine's never heard before, one that he never wants to stop hearing, and, god, he knows he's making noises too, how could he not, he's wanted this for so long, longer than he probably realizes, and now Kurt is kissing him and what else is he supposed to do . . .?

Kurt's hands release Blaine's shirt and wind around his neck, pulling him in even closer. �He tilts his head a little to the side and opens his mouth wider, and fuck, he tastes like ocean and salt with just a little, little hint of rum, and if it's not the best thing Blaine's ever tasted then he doesn't know what is.

Kurt breaks away from his mouth then, his lips plump and pink as he looks at Blaine. �"Okay?" He says to Blaine this time, and Blaine just laughs and nods.

"So okay," he whispers, catching Kurt's smile in his lips again.

Kurt tips them back, Blaine falling on top of Kurt as he keeps kissing him. �Kurt holds his waist as Blaine hovers over him, kissing him and kissing him, trailing kisses down his neck – god, his gorgeous, gorgeous neck that Blaine's been ogling for so, so long – skimming his nose along Kurt's jaw, his neck, his collarbone, smelling him, feeling him, because, hell, he really has wanted this for a long time, so long, too long.

Kurt pulls his head back up to his lips, and Blaine kisses him hard, his tongue searching and tasting as he settles himself down on top of Kurt, his arms shaking from having held himself up for so long. �He just wants to be closer, as close to Kurt as possible, and judging by the noises Kurt's making, he doesn't really seem to mind much either.

Kurt's hands slowly untuck Blaine's shirt, his palms cool against the hot flesh of Blaine's back. �Blaine gasps against Kurt's mouth at the touch, feeling the corners of his mouth perking up in a smile.

"I've wanted this for so long," Kurt murmurs as Blaine kisses him again. �"So long, you don't even know."

"I probably do," Blaine mumbles. �"I think I've wanted this since the moment I saw you."

Kurt kisses him again, and again, and Blaine when they do eventually drift to sleep, Blaine thinks it's mid-kiss, Kurt's soft breath and lips and touches and noises lulling him to sleep.

***

Kurt wakes up to a warm something next to him – more like on him, actually. �He groans and slowly opens his eyes, squinting a little from the oncoming sunlight, his gaze settling in on the curly head of hair on his chest.

Blaine.

Last night.

Oh my god.

Kurt smiles as he remembers how Blaine had kissed him, and then again, and then again and again and again. �His lips still tingle; they feel swollen and well-kissed, his heart fluttering in his chest just at the thought.

It was so much better than he imagined, every kiss, every touch, the feel of his hands on the smooth skin of Blaine's back as they slid up underneath his shirt.

He knows that it was more than just kissing to Blaine, he can tell, and it was absolutely more than that to him. �But now he doesn't know what happens. �Chances are they'll find Brittany today, and then they'll send messages around to many pirate caverns and hang outs looking for Santana, and she'll come to them and Kurt will take over the McQueen and leave Blaine, and that'll be that.

But he's still got a few days, at least, and for once he plans on enjoying himself.

Blaine snuffles a little against his chest, his eyes slowly blinking open before he tilts his head and squints up at Kurt. �"Hi," he says, his voice scratchy from sleep.

"Hi," Kurt whispers, smiling shyly.

"So, last night was. . ." Blaine trails off and drops his gaze, and Kurt knows he's wondering if Kurt regrets it.

"Perfect," Kurt finishes for him, smiling as Blaine looks up at him again and just beams.

"It was," Blaine says, yawning a little.

They lay there for a few more moments in silence, Kurt's hand subconsciously rubbing Blaine's back as Blaine's own slides up the front of his shirt, just a little.

"We should probably start looking," Kurt says after a minute, knowing if they stay like this any longer they'll get carried away. �"By the looks of it, it's already well into the morning."

Blaine nods and, slowly, so slowly, it seems like, peels himself off of Kurt, sitting on the edge of the bed and sliding his boots back on.

"Let's do this," Blaine says once Kurt is ready, holding his hand out for Kurt to squeeze. �"We've got a girl to find."

***

It's funny, Blaine thinks, how they act pretty much the same around each other even though they're inherently more now. �There's still the fleeting touches and soft smiles, except now Blaine notices them all. �He notices Kurt giving them to him, he notices himself giving them to Kurt. �All in all, he's even more aware of Kurt than he was before.

They search through other parts of the town, knocking on doors and grabbing hands when the streets become too crowded and packed with people. �Sometimes one of them will pull the other into a darkened, abandoned alleyway and they'll kiss against the wall for a few minutes before they're back out in the open, searching, watching as young children stare and point at them and whisper "look at the pirates"as they walk by.

Because that's what they are. �It's easy to forget sometimes, Blaine realizes, when you're caught up in your own emotions. �They're pirates, and it's also easy to forget that not everyone is.

Kurt pauses them outside of one of the buildings. �The rickety sign reads Haven: All Unicorns Welcome. It causes Blaine to quirk an eyebrow, but Kurt's looking at it like it might hold the meaning of life.

"What?" Blaine asks as Kurt continues to just look at the sign.

Kurt doesn't answer, instead pulling out the watch and gasping when he sees it.

Blaine scoots closer and looks at it over Kurt's shoulder. �The hour hand is on the twelve.

"This is it," Kurt whispers. �"I – I thought it was a possibility because of the sign, but – but . . ."

Blaine smiles and grabs Kurt's hand, slowly opening the door with the other. �"Come on," Blaine murmurs, tugging Kurt inside. �"It's no use standing outside the door all day."

Kurt looks around, and it only takes a moment of searching before his eyes land on the tall, blonde woman in the back of the room. �There's a tray of drinks in her hand, but the long, flowing skirt makes it seem like she's gliding between the tables. �She could pass for a pirate, Blaine thinks, and maybe it's just the way she holds herself – the independent spirit he gets from her – but, looking at her face, he knows that she isn't a pirate.

"Kurt!"

Brittany runs over to Kurt once she spots them, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him close.

"Hi, Britt," he says, smiling as she releases him. �"We've been looking for you all over."

"Literally," Blaine adds, smiling when Kurt rolls his eyes at him.

Brittany looks at Blaine, and then to Kurt, and then between Blaine and Kurt for a few moments. �"You've found yourself a dolphin," she says to Kurt.

"What –" Blaine starts, but Kurt shushes him with his eyes and turns back to Brittany.

"Seems like I have," Kurt says, smiling.

Brittany glances around for a moment, and Blaine thinks it looks like she's searching for someone.

"Santana isn't here," Kurt says, somehow knowing what she was thinking. �"I came with Blaine and his crew, but now that I've found you, she should be here soon."

Brittany nods, her eyes excited as she starts to flit around the room again.

"Do you work here?" Blaine asks after a moment.

"Work here?" Brittany says, laughing. �"I guess so. �I mean, I own the place."

Kurt's eyebrows shoot up his forehead. �"How long have you been here for?"

"Since you guys left McKinley Cavern," Brittany says as she fills up another tray with drinks. �"I wanted a fresh start after that, so – here I am!"

Kurt smiles at Brittany, and Blaine takes his hand, catching his gaze. �"We should probably tell Hunter we found her so that we can send messages out for Santana," he says.

Kurt bites his lip and nods, squeezing Blaine's hand before letting go. �"Britt, we've got to go take care of some stuff," Kurt says to her. �"But we'll be back later, okay?"

Brittany nods. �"I have an extra room if you guys want to stay in it," she says. "I live upstairs, and it's just me and Lord Tubbington. So if you want, we can have a sleepover!"

Kurt laughs and nods. �"That sounds great, Britt," he says. �"We'll see you later." �He grabs Blaine's hand and leads him out of the little tavern.

"I'm guessing Hunter will be on the ship," Blaine says after a moment.

Kurt hums but doesn't say anything else. �Blaine looks over at him as they walk. �His eyes are looking straight ahead and he looks like he's thinking, and Blaine knows, he knows that he's thinking that it's only a matter of time now before Santana comes and he's captain of the McQueen.

"Hey," Blaine murmurs, taking his hand as they near the ship. �"It'll all work out."

Kurt doesn't respond, he just grips Blaine's hand tighter and keeps walking onto the ship.

They tell Hunter that they found Brittany, and he immediately sends out messages to both nearby and distant lands, saying that if Santana is seen anywhere she is to come immediately.

"It could be awhile," he tells them. �"Might want to get used to it here."

Kurt and Blaine walk back towards Brittany's tavern. �He grips Kurt's hand tightly, because even though it might be awhile, there's also a chance that Santana is near, that she's just an island away, and if that's the case, they could only have a matter of days left.

Kurt settles them down in an empty field away from the town, and as night draws in, Blaine looks up at the stars and tries to remember the constellations Cooper showed him years ago.

"Can I tell you something?" Kurt murmurs, turning on his side so that he's facing Blaine. �Blaine hums and nods, encouraging Kurt to keep talking. �"I don't really want to be captain."

Blaine sighs and turns so that he's completely facing Kurt. �"I figured," he says slowly. �"I mean, it wasn't really obvious, but – it was a hunch."

"I've never wanted to be captain," Kurt says. �"I only joined the crew so that I could be near Santana. I've never given any reason for her to think that I would want to be captain."

"She's blinded by love," Blaine murmurs, falling back onto his back and looking up at the stars. �He pauses for a moment, thinks about what he wants to say for a moment and if he really should say it, and for the second night in a row, he thinks fuck it, and goes with his instinct. �"I know the feeling."

Kurt looks over at him again, and Blaine glances at him out of the corner of his eye. �His blue, blue eyes are shining in the moonlight, light enough that he swears they could be one of the stars.

"What – what do you mean . . ." Kurt trails off, lost for words.

"Just that I think I'm a little blinded by love, too," Blaine murmurs. �"I mean, pirates aren't really supposed to fall in love, you know? They're supposed to migrate from place to place with their crew, with nothing to hold them back, nothing that they need to come home to, to stay alive for. �It's just how they are."

Blaine pauses. �He feels Kurt watching him, but now that he's started, he feels like he can't stop.

"But then you – you come on to the ship, all determined and perfect and gorgeous, and, shit, Kurt, I think from the moment I've met you I've thrown all pirate morals down the drain. �I've helped you, I've grown fond of you and kissed you and – this whole time, I've known what I was getting myself into."

Blaine stops talking and just lies in the grass and breathes for a few moments, letting the silence surround him and trying desperately to think that this isn't going to backfire on him.

"I love you."

The soft words are enough to break the silence. �Blaine's eyes snap open as he sits up, his eyes wide as he stares at Kurt.

Kurt seems startled by all of Blaine's sudden movement. �He sits up with Blaine and looks at his eyes for a minute before grabbing Blaine's hands in his own. �"I – I didn't read that whole little speech wrong, did I?"

"No," Blaine whispers. �He doesn't think he can physically talk right now, doesn't feel like he can do anything other than stare at Kurt. �"No, because I – I love you, too. That was the whole point of that speech."

Kurt laughs and wraps an arm around Blaine's waist, gently guiding him down so they're both lying in the grass again.

"You're right, though," Kurt murmurs. �"Pirates aren't supposed to fall in love. �Because – because the chances of them being part of the same crew forever are slim to none. �It's dangerous, it's – it's really fucking awful, actually – and, and it's just not what pirates do. They don't fall in love."

"Santana did," Blaine says slowly, watching as Kurt nods next to him.

"And she's getting out of it," Kurt whispers. �"She fell in love and she's relinquishing piracy. �That's how it works. �But we – we don't really have that option, do we? I'm getting a whole fucking ship, and you're under that damn curse. �We're prime examples of why exactly pirates shouldn't fall in love."

"Sometimes the heart can't be stopped, though," Blaine says, his thumb rubbing circles on Kurt's hand. �"Maybe distance can make it fade, but I doubt it ever really goes away."

He falls silent again, holding Kurt's hand and just listening to him breathe as they watch the stars.

***

The next morning, Hunter tells Kurt that Santana will be here in just a few days' time. �Kurt feels his breath shudder a little as he nods and shakily walks off the ship, his heart hurting and feeling like it's lodged in his throat.

Because – because he doesn't want to leave Blaine, he doesn't know if he can leave Blaine, he wonders if it would physically kill him to leave him now. �If only Blaine hadn't kissed him, if only they hadn't said what they said . . .

But no, he knows that if he left without kissing Blaine, if he left without saying that he loved Blaine, that it would still hurt just as much, if not more. �At least Blaine knows now, at least, if anything, that'll be motivation for them to somehow make it work someday.

Kurt walks into Brittany's tavern, smiling as he finds Blaine sitting at one of the barstools and chatting with Brittany as she washes the counter.

" . . . and she bought me a drink and then took me into the backroom, and we –"

"Okay, Britt," Blaine says, laughing, taking a sip of the drink in front of him. �"I don't need that much detail."

Brittany hums and looks at Blaine again, setting down her rag and resting her head on her arms. �"I love her."

Kurt leans against the door frame, not wanting to interrupt their moment. �It's amazing how much he loves watching Blaine, and he has for the past few months, really. �But it's even more so now, now that he knows that Blaine loves him and that he's not the only one feeling this incredible, frightening, downright intense feelings.

"I know you do," Blaine says. �"She loves you too."

Brittany nods and sighs again. �"I hope she'll be here soon."

Kurt takes that as his entrance, walking over to Blaine and sitting in the stool next to him. �"Hunter said she'll be here in about three days."

Blaine looks over at Kurt, and he can practically see the slight panic in Blaine's eyes. �He reaches over and grabs Blaine's hand, hoping to ground him a little, if not grounding himself.

Brittany squeals and flits around the room again, laughing and singing about how Santana's coming for her and how they'll finally be together, and Kurt thinks that this is the most attention the tables have gotten in weeks, probably.

"Three days," Blaine says softly, taking a deep breath and letting it out.

Kurt nods and bites his lower lip. �It sounded like so much time when Hunter said it, but the more he thinks about it, the less time it becomes. �"Three days."

Blaine falls silent, and Kurt wonders what he's thinking. �He's fairly certain that it's similar to his own thoughts, though, which mainly include him really, really not wanting this to end.

"We should make the most of it, then," Blaine says softly after a few moments. �Kurt nods and pulls Blaine up and out of the barstool. �He leans in and kisses him gently, brushing the stray curls back into his bandana once he pulls away. �"We wasted so much time on the ship," he murmurs.

Blaine hums, and it looks like he's thinking before he says, "I think if it happened any sooner it wouldn't have felt this real."

And, in some bizarre way, it makes sense to Kurt. �Because this – this does feel real, incredibly real, almost too real for Kurt to handle.

"Come on," Kurt says, dragging Blaine out the door. �"Let's get out of here."

They spend the day walking around, chatting with the villagers and laughing as the children ask to see their swords, Blaine even grinning at one group and showing them a few tricks. �Kurt watches, and he's so good with the children, he looks so happy and perfect, and the fact that Kurt feels this deep already, and that he's admitting to himself that he feels this deep, is frightening and thrilling at the same time.

They haven't seen the crew since they separated a few days prior, only talking to Hunter once they found Brittany and once they heard back from Santana. �It's a relief, Kurt thinks, being away from the toxic ship.

And then he realizes he never has to be part of that crew again, and the relief grows even more. �But then he remembers that Blaine is going back, bound by the damn curse, and that makes his good mood vanish quicker than he could have ever thought.

The next morning, they wake up tangled in each other in Brittany's spare room, Blaine's breath warm and puffing against his chest as they slowly wake up.

It's their last full day together, Kurt realizes. �At least as long as Santana's prediction was correct. �And he knows Santana, and he knows that she's usually right about these things.

Blaine's quiet as they slip their boots on, he's quiet as they walk around the town again, as they eat lunch on the dock with some of the fellow fisherman. �He's just quiet, not saying much, only really speaking when spoken to. �But he watches Kurt, his eyes never leave his face, his body, like he's taking in every part of him while he still can.

It makes Kurt feel worse than he already does, seeing Blaine like this. �Because Blaine, his Blaine, is struggling just as much as he is, if not more. �At least Kurt gets a ship out of this – not just any ship, either, he gets the McQueen. �But Blaine – Blaine has to go back to the Pavarotti's crew, stuck under a curse, the only way out being one that would make Blaine feel guilty for the rest of his life.

It's evening, now, and they're sitting on the edge of one of the docks, watching the sunset. �Blaine's hand is firm and warm in Kurt's own, holding tightly, as if he never wants to let go.

"Hunter said she'll be here early tomorrow," Blaine murmurs after a moment, his feet dangling down off the dock.

Kurt hums and leans into Blaine's side, smiling a little as he feels an arm wrap around his waist. �He thinks for a moment, thinks how much he loves Blaine and wants Blaine and how he'll love and want him forever, and, in a moment of inspiration, Kurt stands up, pulling Blaine with him.

"I want to be with you," he whispers, his voice quiet and low, his face as close to Blaine's as possible without actually touching. �"Completely."

Blaine looks at him, his bright, beautiful hazel eyes watching him. �"Okay," he breathes after a moment. �"Okay."

***

Blaine knows it would be weird if they went back to Brittany's spare room, so he follows Kurt as he leads him around, searching, for what Blaine doesn't know.

He only slows when he opens the door to one of the stables, looking around inside for a moment before pulling Blaine in and shutting and locking the door behind him.

"This will have to do," he murmurs.

Blaine looks around and – it's a stable, an abandoned one, from the looks of it. �There's still hay all over the ground, but it smells stale, with no sign of any kind of livestock having been here within the past few weeks.

Blaine's thoughts are put to a halt as Kurt pushes him back against the door and kisses him, hard and wanting, his hands fisting into Blaine's shirt and tugging it out of his pants. �His hands slide up underneath Blaine's shirt as he kisses him, his palms cool, Goosebumps forming and trailing along Blaine's flesh.

Blaine's hands trail down along Kurt's back, memorizing every curve and contour of his body, knowing that they only have a little bit of time left, they only have tonight. �They roam down even further, and he only pauses for a second before he trails them down over Kurt's ass and to his thighs. �He lifts Kurt up gently, moaning as Kurt gasps against his mouth, his legs wrapping around Blaine's waist. �Blaine doesn't think – can't think – he just starts walking back, further into the stable, holding Kurt and kissing Kurt and gasping as Kurt breaks away from his mouth and starts to suck kisses down along his jaw and the side of his neck.

He's glad to see that in the corner of the stable there's a small cot, because really, no matter how desperate he is, he isn't sure how much he would enjoy being surrounded by hay.

Blaine sets Kurt down gently, and Kurt immediately pulls him down on top of him, his mouth still sucking and licking up along the column of Blaine's throat. �His fingers are working deftly against the buttons of his shirt, and Kurt trails his lips down to kiss each inch of skin exposed. �Blaine gasps and, once the buttons are all undone, he slips off his shirt, looking at Kurt for a moment once it's off.

Kurt's eyes are dark, his lips red and plump from kissing, his chest heaving with his heavy breath as he looks at Blaine, his hands trailing up and down his exposed torso. �Blaine gasps as one of his fingers catches around his nipple, and he watches as Kurt smiles softly before bringing his other hand to Blaine's hair and pulling him down in another kiss.

Blaine kisses Kurt, he tastes Kurt, he swears Kurt always tastes like the ocean even though they haven't been anywhere near the ocean in a week. �It's just Kurt, just his smell and his taste and just him, and he can't get enough, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to get enough.

Blaine's fingers slowly unbutton Kurt's own shirt. �It's hard to focus while Kurt is kissing him, while his hands are roaming all over his bare skin, his mouth moving against his lips and trailing down his jaw and neck and collarbone, his tongue licking and sucking and, god, Blaine's so, so far gone already.

He slides Kurt's shirt off of his shoulders and gasps a little. �His pale flesh is illuminated by the faint light of the moon, and he's – he's stunning, he's absolutely, completely gorgeous, all muscle and skin and, shit, Blaine swears his mouth is watering.

Kurt pulls him back down and he gasps against Blaine's mouth as their bare chests press against one another's. �Kurt's skin feels so good against his own, so good, it's warm and hot and it sends chills down Blaine's spine, how perfect this is, how perfect Kurt is, how they're in the middle of a fucking barn and this is still the most perfect thing Blaine's ever experienced.

Blaine trails his own lips down Kurt's jaw, kissing along the column of his neck, sucking and licking along the his collarbone while Kurt's own hands dip down under Blaine's pants, and Blaine gasps against Kurt's neck, his nose nudging against his jaw as he pauses and just smells him.

"Blaine," Kurt gasps once he starts to kiss along his neck again, right when he kisses the spot connecting his neck to his shoulder. �Blaine pauses and kisses it again, grinning as Kurt lets out another strangled gasp and tightens his hands in Blaine's hair. �"Do – do that again."

Blaine grins and kisses the spot again, sloppier than before, his tongue trailing along his skin before he sucks gently, his teeth just barely skimming the moist skin. �Kurt moans, a low, guttural moan that Blaine feels throughout his whole body. �He does it again, and again, kissing and sucking on the spot, listening as Kurt gasps and moans and tugs on Blaine's hair, his body writhing beneath him.

"You sound so hot," Blaine whispers in Kurt's ear, and Kurt's hips buck up at that moment, his breath stuttering again. �Blaine gasps at the contact, his own cock throbbing in his pants. �He can feel the outline of Kurt pressed against his hip, and he thinks for barely a second before dropping his hand down and undoing the first button of Kurt's pants. �"Okay?" He murmurs. �Kurt nods several times, helping Blaine undo his pants before sliding them and his underwear off in one go and setting them somewhere off to the side.

"You, too," Kurt whispers, kissing Blaine, hot and wet and wanting, pulling away to breath in his ear. �"Want to feel you."

Blaine whimpers and nods, and together they quickly shed of his pants too, their socks and shoes having come off a while ago, although Blaine doesn't really remember that happening. �He looks down at Kurt for a moment before moaning again and leaning back in and kissing him, he needs to feel him, his mouth and his taste his body and everything feels so much more like this, because it's just them and there's nothing between them, no pirates or ships or oceans or even clothes, it's just them and their breath and their bodies and their panting gasps.

Blaine doesn't even realize that he's been rutting against Kurt for a few minutes now, their cocks lined up and sliding against one another as they move. �He knows they can't do more than this, not really – they don't have anything with them, and who knows how long it'll be until someone else tries to get in the stable, no matter how unused it looks – but for now this, this is all Blaine needs, the feeling of Kurt against him, pressed against every inch of his body, his lips on his and his hands on his ass and their cocks hard and wanting between them.

The move together, panting and gasping with little exclamations here and there, Blaine's movements quickening and then stuttering, and when he comes down from the rush he looks down at Kurt, beautiful, beautiful Kurt, who's panting and slowly opening his eyes, his arms lazily wrapping around Blaine's waist. �It's sticky and gross between their stomachs, but right now, Blaine doesn't care. �Somewhere along the line he settled himself completely on top of Kurt, their sweaty bodies now sticking together, although not in an altogether unpleasant way, so now all he has to do is lift his head a little to kiss him, his lips slow and pliant against his own.

"I love you," Kurt murmurs against his lips, his hand stroking Blaine's hair out of his face.

"I love you, too," Blaine whispers, kissing Kurt again.

Blaine finds a rag nearby and uses it to clean themselves off, gently stroking the damp rag along Kurt's torso, watching as his gasps a little at the contact of the cold water he'd used to moisten the cloth. They slowly put their clothes on after a while of just lying there, absorbing one another. And, once fully clothed again, they walk hand in hand back to Brittany's, and as they fall asleep, Blaine can't help but feel that everything is just a little bittersweet. �He wonders what it would have been like if things between them had progressed while on the ship. �They could have had months of this rather than just a week but, somehow, he knows that it would have been different. �Because now it means something, now it means everything, and Blaine really doesn't think he would trade this feeling for all the time in the world.

He drifts to sleep, holding Kurt close, not wanting the morning to come any closer, wishing for time to stop altogether.

***

In the morning, they're woken up by a high pitched squealing that could be none other than Brittany. �Kurt doesn't question what it's about, not after just having woken up, his body still relaxed from the night before. �He feels so happy, even though he knows that in a few short hours everything will be different.

Blaine snuffles a little next to him, his nose pressed against the back of Kurt's neck, their legs tangled together under the thin blanket. �Kurt looks at their entwined hands pressed against his stomach and smiles. �He never thought he would love someone like he loves Blaine, never thought he would share himself like he has with Blaine. �It's all so new and unexpected, and it makes Kurt feel like his heart is about to beat out of his chest.

Blaine starts awake as the door to their bedroom is flung open, and Brittany, still squealing launches herself down onto the bed.

"Kurt, Kurt!" She calls, ignoring Blaine's groans of protest. �"Santana's downstairs!"

Kurt stills, and notices that Blaine freezes next to him, his groans ceasing.

"Okay, Britt," Kurt says softly, trying his best to give her a smile. �"We'll be down in a minute."

Brittany nods, undeterred by the sudden heavy weight in the room, and runs out the door. �Kurt sighs and sits up on edge of the bed, reaching down for his boots and sliding them up onto his leg.

"I don't want to go down there," he hears Blaine murmur. �Kurt glances over his shoulder to look at Blaine. �He already has his boots on, and he's standing up next to the bed, his head tilted down as he stares at the floor.

Kurt walks over to him and takes his hands in his own, leaning their forehead together as Blaine takes a shuddery breath.

"I love you," Blaine whispers, closing his eyes as Kurt leans in and kisses him gently.

"I love you, too," Kurt murmurs, and he kisses him again, and again.

They eventually make their way out of the room and down the stairs, but Blaine's hand stays clasped in Kurt's own.

Santana spots them once their almost down the stairs, and her face breaks out into a smile when she sees Kurt. �"Hummel, I was starting to think you'd failed me, but obviously . . ." She trails off when she sees their clasped hands, her expression morphing, the smile that was on her face falling as she sees Kurt's face. �He's trying to be happy to see her, he really is, but he knows that he is never very good at pretending when it comes to his emotions. �"Oh, Kurt."

Kurt's face falls then, and he knows that she knows what happened. �She knows that he fell in love, and she knows that he's now about to be separated from him.

"Hi, Santana," he says softly, trying to force a smile again. �"It's good to see you."

Her eyes dance between him and Blaine, whose own expression is one of pure sadness. �It pains Kurt to see him like that, but then again, he knows that underneath his attempted fa�ade, he probably looks the same.

"Kurt, I . . ." She trails off again, and Kurt shrugs.

"It's . . . it is what it is," he says slowly, glancing at Blaine. �"We'll . . . we'll figure something out."

Blaine smiles at him a little and squeezes his hand.

They walk past Santana then and out the door. �She brushes Kurt's arm gently with her hand as they walk past her, in what he knows is her way of showing affection.

Even though he says otherwise, Kurt is really starting to wonder whether or not they actually will figure something out.

But they have to. �There isn't any other option.

***

Santana meets them on the dock, and Kurt, Hunter, and Santana all stand in a triangle, eyebrows raised and questions hanging between them.

"Well, a deal's a deal," Santana says, looking at Hunter. �"You did my work while I tied up loose ends, muffin, and now I relinquish my hold on the McQueen." �She grins at Hunter and takes the black hat off of her head, watching as Hunter smirks at her.

With a glance at Kurt, she hands the hat over to him. �His fingers clasp around the edges gently as he takes it, just looking at it for a moment before looking back up at her.

Her eyes are watching him, and he knows she's thinking things along the lines of "we can talk about this later." But he doesn't know what else there is to talk about. �None of the other crew would be fit to run the McQueen, and if he leaves them on their own, Hunter will take over the McQueen, or at least it's crew, and Kurt can't let that happen.

He feels another set of eyes watching him, over from the edge of Pavarotti's Legend. �His eyes drift over and land on Blaine's small form, his arms wrapped around his waist, the thick black ring around his eyes making them pop in the sunlight, even from this distance.

"It's all yours," Santana says. �She's still looking at him, giving him a chance to back out, but he knows he can't do that.

Kurt sets the hat on his head, adjusting it until it feels normal. �He gives Santana and Hunter a forced smile before stepping away. �"If you'll excuse me," he says to them, "I need to grab some things from the Pavarotti."

Hunter nods, and Kurt turns and walks away. �He feels tears burning in his eyes as he walks up the ramp, as he reaches Blaine and grabs his hand, pulling him down into the chamber. �He feels so stupid, so pathetic. �Pirates don't cry, they don't, but then again, they don't fall in love either.

Although, if Kurt thinks about it, he really isn't a pirate, not by heart, anyway. �He wasn't born into it, he wasn't raised one. �It was purely by chance he got into this, because he had no other options. �And maybe, just maybe, that's why all these things are happening to him.

"Here," Kurt says, his voice hoarse as he fishes the watch out of his pocket and hands it over to Blaine. �"When – when you're ready, use it to find me." He pauses and clasps Blaine's hand around it, looking into his own watery eyes. �"Please, Blaine. �You have someone worth finding now."

Blaine nods and takes the watch, putting it gently into his own pocket. �"I promise," he says softly. �"I – I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll find you again. �I will."

Kurt leans in and kisses him, his hands wrapping around Blaine and holding him close. �"I love you," he whispers into his ear as he pulls away.

Blaine nods, his fingers gripping Kurt's shirt, keeping him close. �"I love you, too."

"I should probably go now," Kurt murmurs, blinking back yet even more tears in his eyes. �"I'll see you around."

Blaine nods again and reluctantly lets go of Kurt. �He watches as Kurt walks up the small set of stairs, the tears finally falling down his cheeks.

***

Kurt walks onto the McQueen, his shoulders held high in an attempt to keep himself from crumbling completely. �He knows Santana's following him, but he doesn't stop walking until he's well away from the rest of the crew.

"Kurt."

He turns around at the sound of his name, watching as she looks at him and sighs. �"I never meant for this to happen."

"I know," he says.

"I'm sorry, I – I didn't know, Kurt, I didn't know that was even a possibility."

"It's – It's . . ." He wants to say it's fine, but it's so inherently not fine that he doesn't think he can even say it convincingly. �"It is what it is."

"I didn't know you would fall in love," she whispers. �"It never even occurred to me."

Kurt shrugs. �"I never expected it to happen, either."

Santana falls silent as she watches Kurt, and he sighs under her gaze. �"Go to Brittany, Santana," he says slowly, rubbing at the skin between his eyes. �"I didn't do this for nothing."

She nods and kisses his forehead, and he listens to the clunk of her heels against the wood of the ship.

He takes a deep breath and readjusts the hat on his head, and with one last glance back at the Pavarotti, he turns back around and faces the crew.

"Alright," he says, sighing. �"Shove off."

***

Blaine watches as the McQueen sails away from the dock and further into the sea. �He watches until it becomes just small speck on the large, blue expanse of the ocean. �His heart's on that ship, he thinks as he watches it completely disappear. �In a way it makes sense – the ship disappears, and it feels like his heart has, too.

***

Blaine thinks the fresh air might do him so good, so he wanders. �Hours and hours pass, and Blaine just keeps walking, weaving in and out of people and between buildings and alleyways, trying not to let his emotions take over.

He's startled out of his thoughts by a figure approaching him. �He sees the shadow first, tall and slender, and then his eyes settle upon the actual figure, the dark brown hair and the blue eyes and –

"Cooper?"

The man's eyes light up at his name, and he runs over to Blaine and wraps him in a spinning hug. �"Little bro!"

"What the hell?" Blaine asks, and he's trying not to yell in case any other crew members are on the ship.

"Oh, right," Cooper says, stopping dead in his tracks, his eyes wide. "You and the rest of the world think that I'm dead."

Blaine gives him a look, one that he knows says something along the lines of well, yeah, and Cooper just sighs and rolls his eyes.

"I mean, technically, I am. �Sort of. Maybe. �I mean, I did die in that storm, but Blaine, Davy Jones Locker is real, did you know? And apparently he's a very persuadable guy, all I had to do was point a few times and laugh a little and the ocean spit me right back out, and then he threw the key to the Kraken at me too, so, like, I could totally oust anyone whenever I wanted to, as long as they're on the sea, I mean, and –"

Blaine shakes his head and Cooper stops talking. �He feels like his head is going to explode, so much has happened in the past hour and now this, his brother who's supposed to be lost at sea is standing right in front of him and talking about how he has a key to the Kraken, what even - ?

"You do know what the Kraken is, right?" Cooper asks, taking Blaine's silence to mean confusion. �"It's basically just a – it's a giant fucking octopus, basically, and this key that Davy gave me – he's a real cool guy, let me tell you – if I dip it into the ocean and say a name, it'll come and grab just that one person and take them to Davy himself. I don't have the power to ask him to destroy whole ships, unfortunately, but I mean, it's still pretty cool –"

"How long have you been back?" Blaine asks, his mind throbbing from too much information and Cooper's constant jabbering. �

"That time I saw you back at the cavern – McKinley, I think it was – that was, like, my second day back, and I was still enjoying having rum at my disposal again, so sorry I didn't wave or say hello or anything –"

"That was you," Blaine says, laughing and tugging at his hair a little. �"I thought I was imagining things."

"Nah, little bro, that was me. �But that was a pretty boy you were with there."

Blaine swallows and turns away from Cooper, and for a moment, he'd almost forgotten about the overwhelming sadness.

"Whoa, whoa," Cooper says as he sees Blaine's expression. �"What happened? Did he, like, die or something? Dump you?"

Blaine laughs and shakes his head. �"It's – it's a really long story."

Cooper sits down on the floor, patting the spot next to him for Blaine to sit. �"We've got time," he says. �"I think I saw your captain getting shitfaced in the tavern, so I'd say that you won't be leaving for a while, anyway."

Blaine tells him everything, starting from how he ended up a pirate to where he is now, from Kurt to the watch to the Binding Curse.

"The bastard," Cooper hisses. �Blaine shrugs, and that just seems to make Cooper angrier. �"He has no right to do that to his crew."

"He did what he had to do."

Cooper shakes his head and stands up. �"Listen, Blaine," he says slowly, whispering, like he's afraid someone will overhear. �"I . . . don't have the key with me. �It – it's really fucking heavy, so I left it a few lands over, but I'll hitch a ride over and – and once I've got it, I'll send the Kraken for him, okay? That'll break the Binding Curse and then you can find your Kurt and save the crew all in one go, and we'll leave little shithead Clarington to the ways of good ole Davy."

Blaine blinks at Cooper. �"You're letting me keep the watch?"

Cooper shrugs. �"The only person I have worth finding is you," he says. �"And right now, you need it more than I do."

Blaine nods and, before he can even think about it, he wraps Cooper in a hug.

"I'm sure I'll run into you again," Cooper says, shrugging. "I mean, there's only so many Anderson pirates out there, right? I'm sure word'll get around about you once you're captain."

Blaine grins at him then, feeling a little more hopeful than he has in a long while. �"Thanks, Coop."

"Not a problem," he says as he walks off the ship. �"It might take me a while to get back to the place where I have the key stored, but you'll know when it happens. �Just be patient."

"I will," Blaine says. �If there's one thing Blaine can do, it's be patient. �Just as long as he gets something out of it in the end.

***

Kurt's miserable, and the whole crew knows it. �They don't know why, but they do know to keep their distance from Kurt, even if he is genuinely nice and kind to them.

It's been a year, he thinks. �A whole year since he left Blaine, and there hasn't been a trace from him sense. �He hopes every time they land that he'll run into him, that he'll find out that he somehow escaped from Hunter's clutches, but every time it's nothing, and he feels his heart break just a little bit more.

***

It's a year before it happens.

Blaine's lying on his cot, his arm thrown over his face to cover his eyes from the beams of sunlight coming in through the floor boards. �He hears it before he realizes what's going on, but then a crew member hits him on the head and tells him that backup is required, and then he's in motion, running onto the deck to see what the commotion is.

He'd almost forgotten about Cooper's promise, truthfully. �He's just been in such a deep, fucking rut lately that he kind of forgot about anything that wasn't about pitying himself and his sorry, sorry life he lives on this damn ship.

So it isn't until he sees the giant tentacle come out of the water that he remembers Cooper's promise. �He tries not to smile it wraps around Hunter's torso, as Hunter screams for his crew to help him. �Blaine glances around, and then he does smile, because each and every crew member is just standing there, watching their captain be taken by a giant, overgrown octopus.

Once he's gone, Blaine realizes that the captain hat fell off of Hunter's head sometime and landed at his feet.

He slowly picks it up and looks at it before turning and looking at the crew, and it isn't until he sees one of them nod and smile that he puts it on his head and fishes the watch out of his pocket.

He places his thumb on the center of the watch and gently spins the knob, whispering Kurt Hummel into the wind, and watching as the hands spin and point him in the direction of his heart.

***

Three years pass, and with each passing year, Kurt begins to feel a little more hopeless.

He befriends his crew, because, really, what else is there to do when you're stuck on a ship for days and days on end? He's friendlier, happier, and it's almost like he's accepting that a part of his heart is going to be missing forever.

He sees the red sail one day though, and his heart lurches a little in his chest. �And then, he knows – he just knows that it's him, that he's somehow done it. �There's been talk, of course, of Blaine Anderson and his crew, but he always tried to block that out, always thinking that maybe Blaine didn't want him anymore. But now, he knows.

"Puckerman," he says in a low voice, shifting his weight to his other foot and looping his fingers through his belt loops. �"Fetch my hat."

***

It takes three years to find Kurt. �It must be that Kurt and his crew don't stop as often as most ships do, or just that Blaine was really, really not near him at all when he started his search. �He knows he was getting nearer, though, when he hears people talking of Kurt Hummel's territory, how other ships were afraid to pass through, afraid of the McQueen and its captain and crew.

And then his suspicions are confirmed, and a big, black flag on a mast comes into view.

"Capp'n, this is Hummel's territory."

"I know exactly where we are," Blaine replies, adjusting his hat and brushing the few stray curls out of his eyes. �"I didn't bring us here on accident."

Their eyes meet in the distance, and Blaine catches his breath for the first time in four years. He thinks Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever.