Kurt Hummel knew who his soulmate was since he was 4 years old and could finally make out the name written on his ankle.�

He'd found it when he was around 2, the small, soft, loopy print catching his attention.�

And then when he was older his dad explained that the names usually didn't appear that early, that they usually only came about during one's teenage years, and that they could form on any part of the body.�

By the time Kurt was 6, he'd all but forgotten about the name on his ankle. Somedays it took him awhile to remember the name, and others he remembered it right when he woke up.�

But, the thing was, Kurt Hummel knew the person the name belonged to.�

And that person was his best friend.�

.....

Blaine Anderson never looked at the name of his soulmate. The first time he'd spied it on the soft, tender spot above his ear, he'd made sure to style his hair just so he couldn't see it, so that it was always completely covered.�

His parents would often ask who was there, and Blaine would just shake his head and tell them that no, he didn't want to know who his soulmate was.�

He supposed that was part of the reason he and Kurt had become friends in fourth grade.�

They had been seated in the classroom, and as the teacher took attendance, Blaine remembered Kurt's then unfamiliar face shooting towards him, his eyes widening as he seemed to subconsciously cross his ankles.�

And then at lunch he'd walked up to Blaine, held out his had, and said: "I'm Kurt. We're going to be friends, but we're never going to talk about soulmates, got it?"

He wasn't sure what possessed Kurt to walk up to him that day, but he was glad he did. Kurt was the only person in his life who never asked why he hid his soulmate's name, why he didn't want to look at it. It was refreshing, and he knew that the whole don't speak of soulmates thing was part of what solidified their friendship.�

It had, however, come up once. Blaine had guessed Kurt's was on his ankle. He crossed his ankles whenever he could, wearing slightly higher than normal socks so as to cover it from outside view.�

And Blaine, having one of his braver days, asked Kurt if he'd looked at the name.�

Kurt just nodded and wouldn't meet Blaine's eyes, crossing his ankles again and shifting uncomfortably.�

"Yes," Kurt replied slowly. "It's not important though."

And then he quickly changed the subject.�

....

Kurt, now 16 and a junior at McKinley High, sat on his bed with only one sock on.�

For the first time in his life, he wished he hadn't walked up to Blaine that day in fourth grade, wished he hadn't instantly recognized his name and felt that he had to be involved in the boy's life in one way or another.�

He sighed and stated at the name printed on his ankle, loopy and soft as ever.�

Blaine Anderson.�

Somedays he just wanted to rip all of Blaine's clothes off and look for his soulmate, just for verification that his name was printed somewhere in Blaine's body, like Blaine's was in his own. He knew that there were no reported cases of unreciprocated soulmates, just unclaimed and unfound ones.�

That didn't help the worry in Kurt's heart though.�

But that wasn't what Kurt was worrying about at the moment.�

No, the problem of the week was that Blaine had been asked to the next school dance by someone claiming to be his soulmate.�

And Blaine, being the person he is, told them not to show him, that he believed him.�

If there was one thing everyone knew about soulmates, it was that each name was ever printed only once.�

No exceptions.�

Ever.�

So he knew that this Sebastian guy was lying, but how exactly did he bring that up without being forced to show Blaine his own name printed on his ankle.�

"I'm just not sure about him, Blaine," he said in his room one say. "What if he's just lying?"

Blaine sighed and leant back against the headboard. "Don't worry about me, Kurt," he replied. "I can take care of myself."

Kurt huffed and crossed his ankles. "Blaine..." he started, "maybe you should just look at your name..."

Blaine sat up and fixed Kurt with a hard look, his right hand coming up and patting down the hair above his ear. "You know how I feel about that," Blaine replied. "And it's not going to happen."

Kurt sighed but nodded. He'd lost that argument several times before.�

So when Blaine came sobbing to him after the dance - which Kurt hadn't gone to - claiming to have seen the name Daniel on Sebastian's forearm, Kurt wanted so very badly to tell Blaine that he told him so. �

But Blaine was hurting and crying and soaking up his shirt with his tears, so he didn't.�

Blaine stayed at Kurt's that night, and, despite their years and years or friendship, it was the first sleepover they'd ever had.�

And then when he woke up the next morning, Kurt woke up to Blaine panicking how he didn't have any hair gel, holding his hair down and over his ears firmly.�

And, as Kurt handed him a bottle of his own gel, he thought that he might have just found where Blaine's soulmate was written.�

....

The first week of their senior year, Kurt was once again sitting in his room staring at Blaine's name on his ankle.�

And he had a new problem entirely.�

He was in love with Blaine.�

It wasn't overly dramatic like in movies, nor was it accompanied by a lightbulb lighting over his head or fireworks shooting in the sky.�

No, I'd was more of just those five little words popping into his head: I'm in love with Blaine.�

Blaine had been singing a song in Glee, another show tune, which Kurt knew was Blaine's favorite, and he'd �just glanced at Kurt, hazel meeting blue, and then Kurt just knew.�

But with the realization came more cons than pros. Ever since the Sebastian incident, as they'd taken to calling it, Blaine had been weary of everyone who even showed an interest in him, and he'd even told Kurt he was taking extra precautions so as not to look at the name of his soulmate.�

Meaning that the only way Kurt would ever be able to act on his newfound feelings for Blaine would be to show him his name on Kurt's ankle.�

But Kurt, because of all the insecurities he had, �would want to see Blaine's in response, as verification that they were meant to be together.�

And he knew Blaine wouldn't go for that.�

So he was at a loss.�

.....

Being best friends with your soulmate is difficult, Kurt quickly realized.�

Especially when you're in love with him.�

He often found himself snapping at Blaine about his stubbornness, not sure if Blaine knew it was an indirect jab at his hiding of the name.�

And Blaine didn't know what he was doing wrong. As far as he knew, nothing had changed.�

He would go home and mope whenever he and Kurt for into one of their little spats, which were becoming more and more often. He'd think about what he had done, what had possibly set Kurt off.�

And, every time, he'd come up with nothing.�

Although he did often get the feeling that Kurt wanted him to look at the name of his soulmate, but he didn't know why.�

It wasn't Blaine's fault that he didn't want love to be determined for him. And, the older he got - and especially after the Sebastian Incident - the more he didn't want to look at the name printed above his ear.�

But as the weeks dragged on, something hit him.�

Kurt was singing Blackbird in Glee that week, and Blaine couldn't tear his eyes away.�

He didn't know when it happened, but he'd fallen in love with his best friend.�

And he still has no idea who his soulmate was.�

.....

The first time Blaine pressed his lips to Kurt's, Kurt had frozen for a moment before responding, his arms winding around Blaine's neck and held him there.�

"Tell me who your soulmate is," Blaine breathed against his lips a few moments later.�

And Kurt could feel him holding his breath as he waited for his response.�

"You," Kurt whispered. "It's you."

He sat down in the ground and peeled off his sock, showing Blaine his own name printed on Kurt's ankle, soft and loopy and definitely his name.�

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine replied, scooping him into his arms and holding him close.�

And Kurt cried. He didn't know why, but he just felt that he had to.�

Blaine cradled him to his chest, smoothing his hair and pressing soft kisses to his neck every so often.�

"I wish I could show you mine," he whispered.�

"I know why you can't," Kurt replied, "but I wish you could too."

.....

They kept up their strange, definitely unusual relationship up for months. Sure, it was a little weird and there were a lot of questions, but they made it work.�

Kurt never asked about seeing the name Blaine had printed above one of his ears, and Blaine never offered to show him.�

He knew Kurt just wanted security, but he didn't want Kurt to be with him just because they were written in each others' bodies. He'd always been a fan of storybook romances, and he sort if had one at the moment.�

Granted, it was discombobulated and a little unorthodox, but it was still pretty close.�

.....

It was by pure accident that Blaine found out who the name printed above belonged to.�

He's been driving home from Kurt's house when a semi had slammed into him, sending his head into the steering wheel and the paramedics scurrying in after him.�

"Look, his soulmate," one said, Blaine's head so foggy that he almost didn't register the words that followed. "See if he had a Kurt Hummel in his contacts and call him."

And that was it. After 17 years of keeping it away from him, he finally knew who his soulmate was.�

He wasn't sure whether it was from the impact or the news he'd just learned, but he blacked out not long after.�

.....

When Blaine was released from the hospital, kurt knew something was off. But he didn't �know what, and Blaine wouldn't tell him.�

And that's how they continued until a few months before graduation, where their acceptance letters were pouring in and not so many people were talking about their relationship anymore.�

Blaine didn't tell Kurt which colleges he'd been accepted to. But there's a lot of things Blaine hadn't told Kurt.�

.....

Blaine's parents made a big announcement a few weeks after graduation.�

They're moving to England. They got Blaine a scholarship to an elite college, and everything was settled.�

.....

Kurt drove Blaine to the airport a week after his parents left, both wanting to have as much time with each other as they could. They were standing at the entrance to the terminal, Kurt planting kisses all over Blaine's face and whispering how much he loves him in his ear, brushing the escaping curls away from his eyes and ears.�

Blaine flinched as Kurt's fingers brushed the shell of his ear, and then he realized that, if he's going to tell Kurt, now was as good of time as any.�

Blaine pulled away a little, just far enough so that he could lift the hair above his ear up, exposing the letters of the name that he himself hadn't even seen, only heard once out of the paramedic's mouth.�

Kurt's mouth opened, his eyes widening and tears forming in his eyes.�

The last call for Blaine's plane sounded, and he grabbed Kurt's hands, wrapping his other arm around his waist and pulling him closer and closer until their lips are crushing one another's.

"I'm your soulmate," Blaine whispered as he kissed Kurt once more before turning and walking onto the plane.