#dad loves Blain the Insane Train

[cloudless-petrichor]

Everytime I forget something, all my brain says is "he has forgotten the face of his father"

1. I am, most of the time, not a he (but occasionally it feels nice)

2. For months I forgot what that quote was from while still quoting it

3. I remembered where the quote was from while looking at my actual father

[forabeatofadrum]

Ljubili se (6/21)

Notes: Well folks, the December Fanworks Challenge has come to an end, officially. This fic still has a long time to go. Like its predecessor, the fic will be finished, but it's just taking some time since I am super duper busy!

But I really wanted to publish a chapter today, to at least acknowledge the work that the people from the @klaineadvent have put into it and to thank them, so hooray, here I am! I am glad that the Advent lives on in whatever way. I'm really happy that this (smaller) fandom is still kicking.

Thanks for reading! Time for Kurt and Blaine to reunite!

AO3 | S&C

–

INSCRIBE

Kurt’s waiting at the airport. It’s the third time in a short while that he’s here: he landed here from Ljubljana, he sent off his dad and Carole, and now he’s picking up Blaine. God, he’s so excited. He went all out. He even brought one of those boards with Blaine’s name on it, so that he can wave it around like all the others who are picking someone up. Kurt even went the extra mile and inscribed it in a piece of wood.

And it pays off, because when Blaine arrives in the lobby and Kurt waves it around, Blaine’s entire face lights up.

“Kurt!”

“Blaine!”

They run towards each other and hug each other tightly. Kurt buries his face in the crook of Blaine’s neck and Blaine tightens his grip.

“You’re here,” Kurt says against Blaine’s skin.

“I am, love.”

“Welcome to New York!”

They stand there for a few more seconds, but then it’s time to go. Kurt’s eager to show Blaine around. They’re first going to drop Blaine’s suitcase off at Kurt’s apartment, and then they’re going into town. New York has a lot to offer.

--

“This place is insane,” Blaine says as he looks around Times Square. Kurt knows Blaine’s been to New York before, but he gets it. New York also takes his breath away. You get used to it when you live here, but it’s nice to be reminded. When Kurt came back from Ljubljana, he had to take it in as well.

He’ll miss it when he goes to LA.

If he goes to LA.

Classes start next week, so then Kurt can really sink his teeth into this. But now, he doesn’t need to think about being with Blaine in LA, since Blaine is here.

Blaine makes some photos of the billboards.

“Ljubljana was never this flashy.”

“True.”

“But I wouldn’t want it to be.”

“Same.”

When Blaine’s done taking photos, Kurt takes his hand and they make the trek to Central Park. Kurt had prepared a little picnic. He even bought a second hand picnic basket at a bargain store!

It’s a nice August day as well. It’s perfect. They roll out a picnic blanket and feed each other food. It’s too cute for words and Kurt loves it. He loves seeing Blaine smile.

“We’ll take the train back to your place next?” Blaine asks after a while.

Kurt nods.

“Do you already want to go home?”

Blaine shakes his head.

“No. Not necessarily, but just checking.”

“Why?”

“Because of your roommates.”

“Ah.”

Yes, they’re going to tell Rachel and Santana. They won’t be home until the evening, which is fine, because then Kurt will have Blaine for himself for a bit longer, but they will be home and they will notice that someone else is there.

“Could you tell me about them?” Blaine asks.

“Oh. Well. They’re cool, albeit busy,” Kurt starts, “They come from the same school and decided to live together. I joined the household later. Santana is a professional dancer. She works at this dance studio and she has a girlfriend named Dani. Rachel is driven and passionate. She landed an agent while I was in Ljubljana, so she spends most of her time auditioning and what not. Not going to lie, she almost makes me feel bad about it.”

Blaine frowns, so Kurt elaborates.

“It’s just… she’s advancing in her career. I fucked off to another country and she’s actually going somewhere.”

“But you also did it for your career!” Blaine argues, “It looks amazing on your resume. And career aside, it was also a lot of fun.”

Kurt sighs. He knows that. And he met Blaine, which is arguably the best part of his semester abroad. Rachel unfortunately tends to make remarks about how much better she’s doing. She’s not even doing it to hurt him, more to show off, but it’s noticeable.

“Besides, multiple ways lead to Rome, and with Rome I mean a theatre career,” Blaine continues, “Your degree is important and you’ll do an internship this year too, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you already started thinking about that? You can show that off to Rachel!”

“I haven’t,” Kurt lies.

He needs to change the subject. He can’t dwell on the internship thing and accidentally spill the beans.

“But yeah, that’s Rachel!” he quickly says, “And Santana. My roommates.”

“And you like them, right?”

Kurt nods.

“I do. They’re my friends. I actually miss them.”

He does. Kurt, Rachel and Santana are roommates first, friends second. It’s the truth, but they’re still friends and Kurt cares for them and he knows they care for him too. Rachel and Santana truly haven’t had time to just relax and catch up. Well, maybe Santana has had, but she prefers spending her free time with Dani.

“I can’t wait to meet them, then,” Blaine says.

They finish their picnic and then they take the train back to Kurt’s place. Kurt’s desperate to have some time with Blaine in private and judging by the way Blaine keeps reaching out, the feeling is mutual.

It’s almost as if the train ride is endless.

But once they’re inside and Blaine’s pushed Kurt against the door to kiss him, it all goes so fast. Kurt doesn’t mind. They take off their shoes and dump the picnic basket before heading to the bedroom.

-

Kurt and Blaine decide to make themselves presentable before greeting Rachel and Santana. They have a quick shower and then get dressed.

Then they wait.

They’re lying in Kurt’s bed, holding each other. Kurt has his head rested on Blaine’s chest and he can hear Blaine’s heartbeat go fast.

“It’ll be fine,” Kurt reassures him. Santana is a lesbian and Rachel has two dads, so they luckily don’t have to worry about homophobia.

“Yeah,” Blaine sighs.

Then, after a few more minutes, they hear the front door open.

“Anyone in here?” Santana screeches out. The walls of this apartment are relatively thin, so Kurt can hear her crystal clear.

“Santana, Kurt’s shoes are here!” Rachel says back.

“… together with another pair of shoes,” Santana notices.

“Kurt?” Rachel also calls out.

Kurt looks over to Blaine. Blaine nods. It’s time.

Kurt rolls of Blaine and Blaine slides out of the bed and walks towards Kurt’s mirror to check his appearance. What a ridiculous man, Kurt thinks fondly, He wants to look at his best when he meets my roommates.

“Ready?” Kurt whispers, so that Rachel and Santana will not overhear.

“Yeah,” Blaine says under his breath.

Kurt also gets out of bed and walks towards the door to open it. He does and pokes his head out of the doorway.

“Hey,” he says lamely to Rachel and Santana.

“Hey,” Santana says back in the same tone.

Rachel’s already moved to the kitchen to probably make tea with honey for her voice, but she also says a quick hello.

“So?” Santana says with a knowing smile, “Something you wanna tell us, Hummel?”

“Yes, actually,” Kurt says and he looks back over his shoulder. Blaine gives him a thumbs up. “Ladies, I have a boyfriend.”

Rachel lets out a delighted shriek.

Santana just yells: “Called it!”

“And he’s here. Ladies, please meet my boyfriend,” Kurt opens the door even wider. It feels so formal. Blaine appears in the doorway, next to Kurt, and he opens his mouth to speak, but then his eyes widen.

Santana has a similar look on her face.

“Blaine Anderson?” she asks in disbelief.

“Santana Lopez?”

[kurtstinypurse]

For the drabble game: Klaine + 7) Bookstore + 4) Meet Messy + 38) Spam 💖

I actually got two prompts for bookstore AUs, so this will be part 1 of 2! sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy!

-

Kurt’s head might be down, buried in his phone, and he might be walking down the sidewalk too briskly compared to the lazy Sunday morning wanderers headed to and from flea markets and farmers’ co-ops, but what happens still isn’t his fault.

It isn’t.

It’s not his fault that he bumps - no, crashes - into someone right as he walks out of his favorite coffee shop, but suddenly there’s a full-force collision, and there’s scaldingly hot coffee spilling all over him, and it burns.

“Watch where you’re going!” he hisses, hoisting his messenger bag further onto his shoulder and pointlessly tugging the clinging wet fabric away from his torso with his free hand. God, it’s probably ruined, and he’s still finding his way around the thrifting scene in Portland, and he really liked this sweater...

“I am so sorry.” 

Kurt jerks his head up at the voice, looking at his offender for the first time, up and down - colorful boat shoes, sockless ankles revealed by cuffed jeans, a chunky, warm-looking sweater, dark curly hair poking out from underneath-

A beanie.

Kurt wasn’t an idiot - he knew to expect hipsters along all lengths of the cliche spectrum when he moved to Oregon. He knew.

But those godforsaken beanies drive him insane (and maybe he has his high school ex-boyfriend, Chandler, Ohio’s most hip hipster, to thank for tarnishing that).

Either way, this beanie-wearing Portland cliche has just dumped coffee all over Kurt, and now the guy is looking at him like he actually feels terribly, horribly guilty about it, like he did something much worse than ruin Kurt’s sweater.

Which, truthfully, is still pretty bad.

And the guy starts talking again.

“Look, I-I know it’s not much, but if you- This coffee was for my boss, so I’ll have to go back in, and I-I could get you something if you want, a coffee or a donut or a sandwich or- or anything-”

Later, Kurt will blame this on his lack of caffeine, on the piling-up nights sleeping on his aunt’s lumpy couch, on his sweater being ruined, on being insanely uncomfortable and embarrassed and tired, because what he says is pettier and more rude and just more than what this guy deserves, and what he says is this:

“I think I would rather eat expired spam than anything you would buy me.”

The guy flinches, and Kurt wants to flinch, too, and he wants to backtrack, because he’s suddenly also aware that he’s- he’s kind of cute, really, those guilt-ridden eyes soft and warm and golden, sunlight compared to the near-eternal gray gloom of the Pacific Northwest.

But Kurt isn’t one to waver, particularly not for a stranger, particularly not for someone that’s inconvenienced him.

And so without another word, he brushes past the guy and into the coffee shop, clinging wet sweater be damned, because he needs coffee, and he needs this coffee, and he’s not about to walk all the way back to his aunt’s house to change.

He orders, and he ignores the way the barista is looking at him, pointedly avoids looking at anyone else to determine whether the guy actually did come back in or not. Instead, Kurt looks at the bulletin board covered in flyers by the counter while he waits for his latte, and one captures his interest.

The gist of it: Powell’s Books, help wanted, email resume, wait for a call.

And Kurt suddenly remembers he needs a job. He needs money - he’s running out of it, actually, and if he has any hopes of making it in Portland and making it off his aunt’s lumpy couch, he needs an income.

Plus, he’s been meaning to go to Powell’s. It just makes sense.

He applies, gets the call, interviews, and nails it - because of course he does.

And then Kurt receives a call offering him the job, and the older lady on the other end explains that when he shows up for his first day, he should ask any worker for Blaine, because that’s who will be training him.

Tuesday morning, 8am, Blaine. Got it.

It’s a few days away, but the morning comes quickly, and Kurt feels ready for it. He’s smart, capable, a quick learner, all traits instilled in him by his dad. He can handle books.

Powell’s, of course, is huge. It’s more than just a bookstore, and he knows this, and he loves it. He wants to get lost in the shelves, wants to find all of his favorites and discover new loves and immerse himself in it all.

He hopes he’ll have time to, at least during his breaks.

He pushes open the front doors to Powell’s at exactly 7:58, and he plucks off his sunglasses, folds them, and tucks them into the side pocket of his bag, and he approaches the front counter. It’s quiet, the shop a couple minutes from its official opening for the morning, but there are a few other employees milling around, people he figures he’ll soon know.

“Sorry, um, I’m Kurt Hummel,” he introduces himself, approaching the friendliest-looking one, a girl a few years younger than him. “I’m starting today, with Blaine?”

She smiles at him, and she nods, and she leads him over to who he assumes is Blaine, his back towards them, straightening a shelf of Austen classics.

“Blaine? Kurt’s here for you,” she says, tapping Blaine on the shoulder.

Blaine turns around, smiling widely, but it instantly falters as their eyes meet, and Kurt feels hot and scalded all over again, because there he is, the ruiner of Kurt’s sweater, the ruiner of Kurt’s Sunday morning, the stupid beanie-wearing Oregon cliche who looks like he belongs in the most annoying way.

And he’s supposed to train Kurt.

part 2!

[lilyvandersteen]

Facing Your Dragons Chapter 7

Author’s Note: I know, I know... It's been ages!! The fact of the matter is, though, no matter how much I like writing this story, I have no real plot for it, and it's going to be shelved after this chapter until I figure out where to take it. I know that I want Sam to end up living at Blaine's house, and I know I want to keep the tone of the story light and upbeat and fluffy. Apart from that, it's all a big blank. Suggestions are more than welcome. Please help me shape this story, so that I can bring it to a satisfying conclusion.

Chapter 7: Back to School

When he felt his phone buzz with a text message notification, Blaine got off his motorbike and sighed.

Show time, I guess.

He’d arrived at school early, had parked his bike near the back entrance and had been waiting for Kurt and his girls to turn up.

From: Kurt

We’re under the bleachers.

Blaine made his way to the bleachers, his eyes darting left and right to check for jocks with a grudge, but there were none. Too early in the day, perhaps.

Kurt was leaning against a metal pole, his eyes half-mast and his lips curled into a lopsided smirk.

Blaine couldn’t help grinning, and Kurt beamed back and met him half-way for a kiss.

“He’s cute, Porcelain, I’ll give you that,” a smoky voice behind them drawled.

Blaine turned around to look at the three girls under the bleachers. One blonde and two brunettes, all sporting the same smirk he’d seen on Kurt’s face just now. Had to be a Skank thing.

“Nice butt,” said Brunette no. 1, peering at him from over her glasses.

The blonde gave Blaine a slow once-over and then an approving nod. “He clearly works out. Great biceps, and look at the thighs of him!”

Kurt huffed. “Stop objectifying my boyfriend.”

They quirked an eyebrow at him – eerie how in tune they were – and said in unison, “No.”

“You bring us a piece of man candy, we’re gonna look,” said Brunette no. 2.

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned to Blaine. “Okay, so… These are my girls: Lauren Zizes, Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray. Girls, this is Blaine Anderson, my boyfriend. Look all you like, but don’t touch. He’s mine.”

Santana snorted, and Lauren murmured something like, “Making no promises.”

Blaine smiled at the girls. “Nice to meet you.”

Quinn smiled back politely. “Pleased to meet you too.”

Santana snorted. “No need to dust off your country club manners for us.”

“At least I have manners,” Quinn bit back. “And they’ll help me get out of here after high school.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you’ll go to an Ivy League school and become a big-shot lawyer and fight for women’s rights in America. Tell that to someone who’ll believe you. None of those snobby schools is gonna want a teen mom.”

Quinn’s spine stiffened. “That’s behind me.”

“It’s all in the records. Like your Lucy Caboosey period. It’s gonna come back to haunt you forever.”

“Fuck you!” Quinn snarled, and she stalked off in a huff.

Kurt swore under his breath and went after her, talking to her in a low but urgent voice, and eventually bringing her back.

Lauren grinned and seemed to gear up for another attack, but Kurt stopped her. “Don’t. Okay? I know you’ve got ammo enough to make all of us miserable, but let’s face it, everyone else here at school already has it out for us, so it would be nice if we Skanks could have each other’s backs. All right?”

Lauren shrugged. “Sure, ruin my fun.”

Kurt smirked at her. “Oh, I’ll give you plenty of fun. Blaine here knocked Karofsky into hospital, and his football buddies will no doubt try and get even with him. So girls, stick with us and show those jocks why nobody messes with us.”

The three girls grinned at Kurt, their good humour restored at once.

“I can defend myself,” Blaine grumbled.

Kurt rubbed his arm in comfort. “I know. But one more strike and you’re out. And I want you to stay here at McKinley. So let us deal with the blockheads. They won’t come anywhere near you with us around.”

Blaine gave in with bad grace, and went over his schedule for the Skanks’ benefit. He shared each of his classes with at least one of them, and promised to stick with them to keep safe.

He soon found out that Kurt was right. Everyone, even the jocks, gave the Skanks a wide berth.

“We can fleece them with our snark, kill them with our glares and hurt them in a million ways,” Kurt explained during AP French. “We’re not boxers, but Quinn and Santana and I used to be Cheerios, and you don’t want to be on the receiving end of our high kicks. You really don’t. And Lauren is a champion wrestler.”

Blaine blinked at Kurt. “You were a what?”

“A Cheerio. That’s what the cheerleaders are called here.”

Blaine looked at his boyfriend, trying to picture him in tight spandex, showing off his acrobatic prowess. Nice!

“So why did you quit?”

Kurt shrugged. “Quinn got kicked off the squad when she got pregnant. Santana got kicked off when she got a boob job. At least, I think that was the reason. And for me, it was the community service that did me in. The Cheerios’ schedule is insane. They train for hours and hours every day, even on weekends. And Coach Sylvester didn’t like me skipping training on Wednesdays and Saturdays to go sing and tell stories at the home. At first, she cut me some slack, ‘cause her sister lived in a home too, and ‘cause she has a soft spot for me, and ‘cause I always trained at home by myself those days. But then my forty hours were up, and I just kept going to the home, though I didn’t have to anymore. And she told me I had to make a choice: Cheerios or volunteering. I bet she thought I’d snap out of it fast. But I’d already lost my friends Quinn and Santana on the squad, and volunteering made me happy. So I handed in my uniform and left.”

Blaine pouted, sad that Kurt no longer had the uniform, because oh, the possibilities…

« Monsieur Hummel et compagnon, comme vous semblez avoir une opinion très forte concernant Baudelaire, vous pouvez venir ici et nous en parler ! » (Mr. Hummel and company, seeing as you seem to hold a strong opinion on Baudelaire, you can come here and tell us about it!)

Blaine looked up at the teacher, aghast, but Kurt wasn’t intimidated in the least. He went to stand at the teacher’s desk, and gave a passionate speech about Baudelaire, and about his work being censured for the themes it contained. All in French. And he ended it by reciting what he said was his favourite Baudelaire poem.

Blaine’s mouth wasn’t the only one hanging open when Kurt stopped talking. Even the teacher needed a minute to regroup.

“Intéressant. Je vois que Baudelaire vous passionne. Et vous, Monsieur… ? » (Interesting. I can tell you’re passionate about Baudelaire. What about you, Mr. …?)

“Anderson,” Blaine hastened to supply. “Comme je viens de dire à Monsieur Hummel, je préfère l’œuvre de Verlaine. J’adore sa musicalité. » (As I just told Mr. Hummel, I prefer Verlaine’s work. I love his musicality.)

Just then, the bell rang, and Blaine felt his anxiety ebb away.

The teacher smiled at him. “Très bien. La semaine prochaine, vous pouvez nous en parler plus en détail. Cela compensera pour les devoirs que vous avez manqué les jours passés. » (Very well. Next week, you can tell us more about it. That will make up for the homework you didn’t make the previous days.)

Blaine nodded and jotted down the assignment before gathering his stuff and following Kurt out of the classroom.

“Your French is impressive,” he told Kurt, who grinned and told him he looked forward to hearing Blaine’s views on Verlaine.

In the cafeteria, Kurt steered Blaine towards what he said was the glee club table, and he introduced Blaine as his boyfriend, which made Blaine’s stomach swoop happily and made him beam like an idiot.

The only one at the table Blaine recognized was Rachel, who greeted him and asked if he was joining glee club.

“Oh… Uhm… I…”

“Your singing voice could use some work, but it’s got definite potential.”

Kurt rolled his eyes at Rachel and then turned to Blaine. “So that’s Rachel. You already know her from the home. Next to her is Finn, and then there’s Artie, Tina, Mercedes, Puck, Mike and Sam.”

“Sam’s the one from the superhero club?” Blaine whispered to Kurt, and Sam perked up when he heard the club mentioned.

“Yep, that’s me. Blonde Chameleon at your service! What’s your super alter ego?”

Lunch hour flew by as Blaine talked superheroes with Sam, and he had to be reminded by Kurt that the bell was about to ring, and that Quinn was waiting for him to go to AP Biology.

Blaine quickly exchanged numbers with Sam and then hurried away.

That afternoon, after a history class he shared with Lauren, Blaine was accosted by Rachel, who asked if he was going to the home.

“N-no. I’m scheduled tomorrow.”

“I see. Well, think about glee club, okay?”

Blaine nodded, and then his face brightened when he saw Kurt coming towards him, Sam by his side.

“Mind if Sam joins our cooking lesson today?” Kurt asked.

Blaine grinned and shook his head. “Awesome. Are your brother and sister coming too?”

Sam grinned back. “Yep. We were just about to go and pick them up from school.”

“Come to my place,” Blaine said. “So you can borrow that comic book I was talking about at lunch. And there’s a big garden to play in, and spare bedrooms for when your brother and sister get tired. Mom won’t mind a bit, I promise.”

Kurt frowned. “Dad won’t like that. He had to make his own dinner yesterday, and grumbled about it.”

“Well, today at yours and tomorrow at my place, then, maybe?” Blaine asked.

Kurt bit his lip. “Friday Night Dinner is sacred for Dad. Can’t skip it. But you and Sam can cook by yourselves. I’m thinking vegetable wok. I’ll write down the recipe for you.”

Blaine looked at Sam. “What do you say? Can we do this? Stevie and Stacie can help, too.”

“We can do this! I do have a shift delivering pizzas starting at eight p.m., though, so we’ll have to make it an early dinner. Today too.”

“No problem,” Kurt promised.

Stevie and Stacie proved to be just as outgoing and friendly as their older brother, and instantly enamoured with Blaine when he told them the story of Jack and the Beanstalk while they were cooking.

When Burt got home, he grumbled a bit about Kurt always bringing more people home, but soon enough, he was talking cars with Stevie and football with Sam and Blaine, with a wide smile. And when Stacie fell asleep on the sofa soon after dinner, Burt was the one to suggest Sam’s siblings could stay over and sleep in the spare bedroom.

“And you can kip on the sofa,” Burt said to Sam, “after your shift. Kurt will give you the spare key.”

Sam looked at his sleeping sister, bit his lip and nodded, walking out of the living room. “I need to call my mom.”

He came back a few minutes later and said it was okay. “I asked for tomorrow, too, Blaine, if you were serious about us staying over?”

Blaine beamed at Sam. “Totally! It’s going to be amazing!”

Sam carefully woke Stacie so she could get ready for bed, and Kurt and Blaine went to the attic to find her and Stevie some pajamas from when Kurt was little, sharing some sweet kisses while they were alone together.

As soon as the children were tucked in, Sam and Blaine left, and Blaine dropped Sam off at the pizza place. “See you tomorrow! Can you find someone to bring you back to Kurt’s?”

“Yep, no problem, Puck will come and pick me up. Thanks, man!”

K&B

On Friday morning, Blaine had his first altercation with a jock since he’d come back. He was securing his motorbike when something hit the back of his head. Hard.

A voice hissed, “You think you can put my best friend in hospital and then come back here and parade your nancy boy around school?”

Blaine turned around slowly, and saw a tall black teen glaring at him.

“Adams! No fighting or you’re off the team!”

The jock turned towards his coach and opened his mouth to retaliate, but she stopped him. “No, I don’t need to hear it. I know what happened to Karofsky, but I also know it was provoked. I know that under Coach Tenaka, you could do as you pleased, but I’m telling you now that I don’t condone fighting. Nor bullying. I don’t care how well you play. I WILL throw you off the team if you so much as touch this boy again. Leave him alone.”

The jock glared at her. “And let him get away with almost killing Dave?”

The coach sighed. “Don’t exaggerate. Karofsky was never in any danger of dying. And it was five against one, hardly a fair fight. Can’t fault the boy for wanting to knock you guys out as fast as he could. I would have done the same. Why were you picking on him anyway?”

That seemed to take the wind out of the jock’s sails, who shrunk and shrugged.

“Just for the fun of it, huh? Well, that stops now. I’m going to work you guys so hard that you won’t have any time or energy for shenanigans.”

The jock grumbled under his breath.

“How many games have you won so far, Adams?”

More grumbling.

“My goal is to make you winners. So you had better apply yourself, or I’ll find a replacement for you. Is that clear?”

The jock nodded.

“Now clear out and leave this boy alone.”

The coach stared the jock down until he turned and left, and then turned to Blaine. “I know the fight wasn’t your idea. And I promise I’ll keep an eye out for you, pumpkin.”

“Thank you, Coach.”

She smiled at Blaine. “Feel free to join our power training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes we do some boxing, and I think my boys can learn a thing or two from you.”

Blaine grimaced. “I’m not sure I want them to learn how to beat me up.”

“Adams and Karofsky tend to skip power training, pumpkin. They’re lazy. As soon as I find decent replacements for them, they’ll be out in a heartbeat.”

Blaine stared at her. “Won’t their parents make a fuss?”

“More likely they’ll be mad at their son. I’ve won the championship with every team I’ve ever coached. So if their child doesn’t make the team, they’ll blame him, not me.”

She winked at Blaine and walked off.

K&B

That afternoon, Sam and his siblings came to the home with Blaine, and together, they told the story of the Four Clever Brothers, who saved a princess from a dragon.

Like Dolores had said, Sam was great at doing voices, and the children listened as if spellbound, and cheered when after the story, Blaine announced they still had time for a few songs.

Sam played the guitar this time, and they all sang together until the hour was up.

At Blaine’s house, they did their homework before starting on dinner, Blaine pairing up with Stacie and Sam with Stevie to help them where needed.

When Pam came home, Blaine and Sam were wearing Star Wars costumes from Blaine’s chest of Halloween apparel, re-enacting a fight scene to the loud encouragement of Stevie and Stacie.

Pam quirked an eyebrow at Blaine and inquired, “New boyfriend already?”

“Mom!!”

She smirked when Blaine hotly denied having swapped boyfriends, but her eyes softened when he introduced his new friends. Clearly, she remembered what Kurt had told them about Sam’s family, which was probably why she didn’t say a word when Blaine mentioned all the Evans children were staying over.

The next morning, when Sam’s parents came to pick up their children and thanked Pam for her hospitality, she reiterated what she’d told Kurt. “You know, this house is WAY too big for just the two of us, and I’m having a hard time covering the rent on my own. So if you like, you and your family could move in here temporarily, until you get back on your feet. You could have the second and third floor, and share the kitchen and the living room with us.”

The Evanses looked taken aback, and Pam waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, this is sudden, and we don’t know each other yet, and I’m probably weird for mentioning this straight off the bat. I know, I know. I don’t expect you to decide right away, of course, but think about it? Our children get along well, and it would help out both our families.”

Mrs Evans nodded and thanked Pam again, with a smile that was a bit brittle around the edges, but genuine nonetheless.

Her sad eyes haunted Blaine the whole weekend.

[theyearoftheking]

Book Sixteen: The Talisman

If there were ever the time to lose yourself in a dense, chonky fantasy novel... this is the time. I don’t want to admit how many hours were spent cuddling with my dogs and reading The Talisman this week. It was my favorite way to escape the insanity of the world right now.

To be clear, I don’t believe social distancing, and the cancelling of the entire world is insane. I’m speaking more to the people with their bunkers full of toilet paper and canned pears; stocking up on ammo, preparing to fight their governments. Just... stop. Color some pictures with your kid. Rake your yards. Have a beer and play Scrabble with your spouse. Crack open a book. Live your damn life without fear of what could happen next week! 

Ok, rant over. But seriously, keep washing those hands and social distancing yourselves. 

This was my second read of The Talisman, and it remains one of my all-time favorite books. Not just Steve books, but book-books in general. Like with The Stand, I’m going to give the most abridged, bastardized review ever... because there’s just too much to cram into one post. And I’m not ambitious enough to stretch it into two.  

Jack Sawyer (fun fact, the names of two of my favorite humans... Jack was my Grandfather, and Sawyer is my daughter) finds himself chilling at The Alhambra Inn and Gardens in New Hampshire with his mother, Queen of the B movies, Lily Sawyer. They’re on the run from the incessantly ringing phone, and constant calls from “Uncle” Morgan Sloat, who was Jack’s dead dad’s business partner. Spoiler: Uncle Morgan is a bad man. 

A word about The Alhambra... what initially pulled me into this book was the fact the old, abandoned hotel, beach, boardwalk and amusement park reminded me SO MUCH of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. When Steve (and Pete. I call him Pete) are describing the horses on the carousel, and the rickety old boardwalk, “This is where the world ends, right?” 

All the nostalgic feels of summers spend in OOB on the beach. Reading these pages, I could almost feel the crunchy beach towels, smell clam strips and fried dough, taste the cocktails I smuggle into my not-at-all suspicious Yeti mug... ALL THE FEELS!! 

And now a word about Lily Sawyer. One of the most memorable details about Lily is her “elementary martini,” which I will now describe for anyone who might need a cocktail during these challenging times. I’m pretending to be a homeschooling mom, so I’m going to take a hard pass. But we have Facetime Cocktail Time with friends tonight, so I might have to have one then. 

“Ice in a glass. Olive on ice. Tanqueray gin over olive... Then, you take a bottle of vermouth- any brand- and hold it against the glass. Then you put the vermouth back on the shelf and bring the glass to me.” 

Lily is spending a lot of time in bed, avoiding the phone, and fighting some kind of illness, which leaves Jack to his own devices. One day while Jack is out exploring, he makes the acquaintance of one Speedy Parker, the maintenance man at the amusement park. Speedy refers to Jack as, “Travelin’ Jack” which is what Jack’s dad used to call him when he was younger. But it’s more than just a cute nickname, it refers to the fact Jack can travel between our world, and The Territories, a Game of Thrones-esque medieval world. Speedy explains Laura DeLoessian, the Queen of the Territories is dying, and only Jack can save her by rescuing The Talisman. Laura is Lily Sawyer’s doppelganger, and if Jack saves Laura, he can also save his sick mother. Jack’s reluctant, but knows he has no other choice. Speedy hands him a vial of mysterious traveling juice that allows Jack to travel between worlds, and he’s off.

The journey is a long one, and filled with some of the best characters ever, as well as some of the worst baddies. And all their Territories doppelgangers. I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot of people to keep track of. No shade if you need to develop a spreadsheet to keep track of everyone. The OCD freak in me immediately regrets NOT creating a spreadsheet... 

My hands-down favorite character (other than Jack Sawyer) is Wolf, a well, Wolf, that Jack meets in The Territories. When they are under attack from Morgan Sloat’s Territories Twin, Jack flips him and Wolf into our world. Wolf does not adjust well. He hates the way everything smells, he can’t be in a confined space, and oh! I forgot to mention... he’s also a werewolf. I’ll talk more about Wolf’s character arch later on when I get to Sunshine Gardener. 

Everyone loves an evil character, and The Talisman has no shortage of them. My favorite Talisman baddies included Smokey Updike and Sunshine Gardener, 

Smokey owns Updike’s Oatley Tap, and hires Jack to come and work for him. Jack is on the move across the country, and needs some cash in his pocket for food and shoes... because he’s been wearing them out an alarming rate. Walking across the country will do that to you. But the fact Smokey would hire a CHILD to haul beer kegs, and mop up vomit in bathrooms pretty much tells you what kind of winner he really is. To add to his charm, he has Jack sleep on a concrete floor, slaps him around, and deducts room and board from the meager amount he pays him every week. And he threatens Jack with calling the cops and reporting him as a runaway if he tries to leave. Jack can’t have that happen. His evil Uncle Morgan knows he’s flipping between worlds, and doesn’t want Jack to get The Talisman, so he’s in pursuit of his quasi-nephew. Sooo basically Smokey’s got Jack as an indentured servant. He’s charming. One night, Jack can’t take the vomit coated floors anymore, and takes off into the night, with the help of Speedy’s traveling juice. Adios, Oatley! 

Sunshine Gardener... there’s a villain who makes Smokey look like someone’s cuddly uncle. Sunshine is a televangelist who also runs Sunlight Home for wayward boys. Sunshine has a sweet deal going: local cops pick up runaway boys, and the judge sentences them to a stay at Sunlight Home. They get paid under the table for adding to the flock, and Sunshine gets to write it off on his taxes every year. Or something like that. He’s obsessed with Jack, and swears they’ve met before (they have. In The Territories. But Jack isn’t about to tell him that). He (and his little band of assholes) proceed to torture Jack, and try to get the truth out of him. Jack resists. Eventually, he and Wolf are caught in the bathrooms, trying to flip over to The Territories. They put Wolf in a coffin-like box in the backyard, where he eventually transforms into a werewolf and kills (almost) everyone in a bloody rage, before he’s shot. I’m not ashamed to admit I cried as Wolf died in Jack’s arms, telling him, “I...kept...my...herd...safe...” 

Yep, I’m bawling all over again. The concept of keeping the herd safe is so important right now. I want to kill these asshole kids on spring break, wanting to live their best life ever. Stop it, you entitled little bitches! Help to keep your herd safe! Social distancing won’t kill you! As my little family is tucked in with a refrigerator and freezer full of food, board games and books on the shelves, and a full wine cellar, all I can think about is keeping my herd safe. Ain’t nothing bringing me out of my house! Except my asshole beagle, who needs two walks a day, to prevent her from eating my dresser. 

Ultimately, Jack outsmarts his Uncle Morgan, gets The Talisman, this glowing ball of light from The Black Hotel; all the baddies get theirs, and Jack heals both his mother and Laura. And they all live happily ever after. Well, until Black House. But that’s a long ways off. 

The entire book is brilliant, and exactly the escape I needed. Steve and Pete are a lethal combination; they successfully weave together horror and fantasy, making you feel Jack’s struggle as if it were your own. You can tell they’re both students of the great Ray Bradbury, they write about the echos between worlds, which mirrored A Sound of Thunder. “...it suggested that just by being over here he could be doing something terrible in the other world. Starting World War III? No, probably not. He hadn’t assassinated any kings lately, young or old. But how much had it taken to set up the echo?” 

Also, their author photo cracks me up. It looks like an IBM promotional shot from the 1980′s or something. 

There were no Wisconsin references, but the book was one, big, underlying Dark Tower reference. There was talk of trains (Blaine, y’all!). Jake and his friend Richard refer to each other as chums (lobstrosities... shudder!). A building named Rainbird Towers collapses (collapsing towers. Duh). I can’t wait to get to the other books in the series. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 14

Total Dark Tower References: 10

Book Grade: A+

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

The Talisman: A+

Different Seasons: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

The Dead Zone: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Christine: D

Next up is Skeleton Crew. We all know how I feel about short stories, but it might be a nice palate cleanser after the denseness (is that a word? Spellcheck didn’t flag it, so we’re going to go with YES) that was The Talisman. 

Long Days & Pleasant Nights, Rebecca

[lady-divine-writes]

Kurtbastian one-shot - “Blaine Anderson 2.0″ (Rated PG13)

Summary: Blaine Anderson is getting a start on his brand new life with the help of Kurt, and surprisingly, Sebastian, too. (1509 words)

Notes: Takes place after 'The Emancipation of Blaine Anderson'. Warning for Blaine friendly.

Part 60 of Outside Edge

Read on AO3.

“So, what’s the plan, Stan?” Sebastian asks, sitting down at the breakfast table with his boyfriend and his new boarder, Blaine. He watches the boy sitting primly on the opposite end of the table, tucking into a plate of scrambled eggs with a fork and knife, which offends Sebastian on principle. There’s a part of Sebastian – a small part, mind you - that still thinks he’s insane for offering the boy who is clearly in love with his boyfriend (and who also happens to be perfect for him, in Sebastian’s opinion) a room at his house. But he wouldn’t go back on his decision even if he could. For one thing, inviting Blaine to stay with him was the human thing to do, and he’s been trying to act more like a human and less like a walking turd ever since he and Kurt got together. Plus, Blaine’s not a bad guy. It kills Sebastian to admit it but, in a different universe, he could see himself crushing on Blaine.

A little.

Not all that much.

Like if Sebastian happened to have the flu with a high ass fever and he was hallucinating, and Blaine was around, then he might think Blaine was cute.

But only then.

Besides, the moony eyes Kurt makes at Sebastian are more than worth the aggravation.

Like now, when Kurt is staring at him all lovesick, serving him pancakes from the platter in the middle of the table – pancakes Kurt made special to celebrate Blaine’s first breakfast at Sebastian’s house, but which he added chocolate chips to because he knows those are Sebastian’s favorite.

Oh yeah, Sebastian thinks, leaning over for a kiss on the cheek. He could get use to this.

“Well, I wanna go get some new clothes,” Blaine says, passing over a plate of bacon after helping himself to a slice. “Something a little more me.”

“Ooo! Shopping trip!” Kurt passes the bacon to Sebastian and blows him another kiss. “I’m definitely down for that.”

“Also, I want to buy a new car.”

Sebastian’s head snaps in Blaine’s direction, more interested in this development than Kurt thinks he should be. “You’re getting rid of the Mustang?”

“Yeah. I’m thinking of trading it in and buying a Prius. They’re way more environmentally friendly considering all the traveling I do. The last competition I did in Pennsylvania was a killer fuel wise. I can’t imagine the damage I’m doing to the environment every time I fill it up.”

“How much do you think you could get for it as a trade-in?”

Kurt’s eyes pop between his boyfriend and Blaine, curious as to why this matters to Sebastian so much.

“Not as much as I want, honestly. It’s a classic, completely rebuilt from the bottom up. My dad and I …” Blaine pauses, toying with his slice of bacon, tearing it slowly while he chews over the memory “… we did the work ourselves. But I don’t want to take the time selling it. Not in this economy. It’ll probably be sitting on Auto Trader forever.”

“My dad might be able to help you …” Kurt begins, sympathizing with his friend, but Sebastian leaps over him with his own offer.

“Let me take it off your hands.”

Both Blaine and Kurt shoot looks his way.

“Are you serious?” Blaine asks.

“Yeah.”

“But, didn’t your uncle just buy you that Audi?”

“Yeah, but it’s too new for someone who just got their license. I keep worrying about scratching it up and shit. Besides …” Sebastian bites his lower lip. He knows the next words out of his mouth might shut down Kurt’s moony eyes for a while, but he can’t help it. It’s too good. Plus, he’s not wrong “… Kurt likes your Mustang.”

Blaine straightens in surprise, turning to his friend who’s suddenly gone pale. “You do?” he says in a voice that makes Sebastian think that revelation may have lost him the car.

“Wh---what?” Kurt stares at them, eyes darting back and forth between the two, cheeks burning. “No. I … I didn’t say …”

“Sure you did,” Sebastian continues with a devious smirk. “You can admit it. We’re all friends here.”

“I … I may have mentioned that I admired it,” Kurt backtracks, looking at Blaine, begging him with his eyes to believe him, not his boyfriend. “You know, from a mechanic’s standpoint. It’s an exceptional piece of American craftsmanship.”

“Kurt, you said that car was so sexy that if it were a guy you would …”

“Sebastian!”

Blaine turns his head and laughs at Kurt’s indignant squeak, and even though Kurt glares Sebastian down as if he’s about to leap over the table and throttle him, cancel every scheduled make-out they have from now till next year, Sebastian has the audacity to wink at him.

“So, whaddya say, Blaine? I’ll give you whatever you think is fair. Cash.”

Blaine smiles, catching a hint of Sebastian’s smug ‘tude, only mildly disappointed about the deal he’s about to make. “I’d say you’ve bought yourself a car.”

“Great!” Sebastian digs into his delightful smelling pancakes with a shit eating grin. “And Kurt?”

Kurt stabs at his food, demolishing his pancakes until they’re unrecognizable. “Yeah?”

“You’re welcome.”

***

“Are you guys almost done in there? It’s been over two hours!” Sebastian flails in his overstuffed chair, making a scene in front of two moms waiting for their sons to come out.

“Stop your complaining!” Kurt calls. “Overhauling one’s life can be a lengthy and exhaustive process. It should not be rushed.”

“How much more lengthy!? I’m so hungry, my stomach’s about to recede!”

“You just polished off three pretzel dogs and a trough of lemonade!”

“Kurt, I am an elite athlete! I burn two thousand calories sitting and breathing. Three pretzel dogs isn’t going to satisfy me!”

“But complaining obviously does. Sit tight. He’s trying on his last outfit.”

Sebastian breathes in deep then groans unhappily into the air, unfazed by the glares aimed in his direction. This is revenge, he thinks, for what he said over breakfast. Sebastian doesn’t feel sorry for that, though. He was right. Even with daggers in his eyes, Kurt took a good long look at Blaine’s Mustang parked in Sebastian’s garage before they left, running his fingertips lightly over the hood, supremely focused on its leather back seat.

Yup.

Sebastian definitely made one hell of an investment taking that car off Blaine’s hands.

But as images of Sebastian and his half-naked boyfriend making out in that car run through his brain, another thought makes him jerk upright.

“Wait … Kurt? He’s not changing his entire look, is he?”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s not trying on new chonies with you in there, is he?”

“If you don’t sit still and keep quiet, I won’t tell you,” Kurt sings.

Sebastian seethes. “That’s not a no.”

“It’s not a yes either. Now hold on to your socks. I present for your consideration the new, not improved, Blaine Anderson!”

Kurt opens the door to the dressing room and hops out, gesturing dramatically inside like a ring master presenting an exciting circus act. Slowly, shyly, Blaine walks out, eyes trained on his hands as he smooths down his shirt, straightening seams that don’t need to be straightened. He looks happy, yet slightly insecure, and Sebastian, certain his boyfriend strong-armed him into this decision, shakes his head.

“Kurt! Christ! Couldn’t you let the man dress himself?”

“I did!” Kurt’s hands find his hips and lock on in a defiant pose. “I didn’t pick out a single thing except the bowtie, and that’s only because he asked me to!”

Sebastian looks Blaine over again from head to toe. Gone is the leather jacket, the white t-shirt with the dress shirt over it, the torn jeans, and the combat boots. Instead, the boy standing in front of him is wearing a pair of crisp, khaki slacks; a short sleeve button down; a sweater vest; a bowtie; boat shoes; and an off-white fedora.

Sebastian doesn’t want to say it, but he’s dressed a lot like the last picture Sebastian saw of his grandfather playing bocce ball a week before he died.

Kurt doesn’t dress this way, but he’s tried to get Sebastian to … politely suggesting during a few of their online shopping excursions that khaki slacks in this particular cut or boat shoes might suit him. And here Blaine comes, out of the blue, and dresses himself with no prompting like a page out of Kurt’s style journal.

“This” - Sebastian gestures at him in disgust - “is your style?”

“Yup. Always has been.” Blaine beams at Kurt, that nugget of insecurity evaporating inside his smile. “God! It feels good to finally wear what I want for once!”

“Oh dear God!” Sebastian covers his eyes and slinks down in his chair. Just when he thought Blaine Anderson couldn’t get any worse - as in any more perfect for Kurt - he pulls this.

Dammit!

That Mustang better be worth the money he spent!

[notthetoothfairy]

KLAINE ADVENT 2017: LoveSick (19/24)

Summary: Kurt has SCID and can’t leave his house. Ever. Luckily, Blaine moves in next door.

A/N: A fic?!?!?! Yes, my dears, after what feels like an eternity, I finally wrote a new thing. I was going to do just one prompt for @klaineadvent​ but - ha ha ha, and ho ho ho - never mind, I wrote an entire story.

The plot is loosely based on “Everything Everything”. Saw it on the plane, didn’t end up liking it all that much but I loooved the premise for Klaine, so here it is. :D It’s not all that realistic, sorry about that, but I tried to make it as accurate as possible!

Beta: @a-simple-rainbow (who’s surprised? not us - we’re basically fandom wives)

Read: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

Read on: AO3

TALK

Kurt’s eyes open for the fraction of a second before he shuts them again with a groan. Too much light everywhere.

“Kurt! Kurt, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, dad,” Kurt mumbles, blinking furiously to get used to the brightness. “What… ugh.” He squints, spots his dad sitting to the left of his bed, Carole standing behind him in full nursing gear. “What’s going on?”

“What’s going on is you were out cold for a little more than a week,” his dad says brokenly. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, buddy.”

“A week?!” Kurt asks.

Burt leans in close, careful not to touch Kurt. “I am so thankful to have you back, Kurt. I was so worried.”

“We were both scared,” Carole pitches in, squeezing Burt’s shoulder. “You had a very bad fever, it knocked you out almost instantly. But you’re a fighter, Kurt. Thank goodness for that.”

“I’m sorry you were worried,” Kurt whispers.

He lets his dad and Carole fuss over him for a while, going over the usual post-illness protocol. They take his temperature, test his blood levels and give him water and medication. Kurt tries to concentrate on his typical breathing exercise, wiggles all his toes and fingers one by one to regain control over his body.

It’s been a long time since he’s been this sick, he had such a good streak going.

“What happened…?” he asks. “What could have-” He blinks again, slower this time. It all comes back to him, the kiss, the phone call. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” His dad raises his eyebrows at Kurt’s grimace. “Oh.”

Kurt closes his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Kurt.”

“I don’t give a damn about language right now, dad.”

“Not what I’m Kurt-ing you about,” Burt says, pinching his nose slowly.

“A lecture, then?” Kurt sighs. “I know what I did was stupid, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Well, yes, but mostly I’m worried about what I have to tell you next.”

Kurt frowns. “Dad,” he says warningly.

“Kurt,” his dad says again, clearly trying to stay stern. “It’s about Blaine.”

“What about Blaine, dad?” Kurt asks in a matching tone.

His dad is silent for a second but at Kurt’s glare, he says, “He’s not coming over here again again.”

“Are you insane?!” Kurt yells, sitting up a bit too quickly. “Ouch.” He waves his hand in his dad and Carole’s direction. “Get off me! What do you mean I’m not seeing Blaine again?”

“Kurt,” his dad says weakly.

“Don’t ‘Kurt’ me again!” Kurt says, tears welling up in his eyes. It’s too bright, he’s confused, and he longs for Blaine. “I want to see Blaine. In person, I mean.”

“Kurt, he got you sick.”

“Not on purpose!” Kurt cries out. “It wasn’t even his fault, I kissed him!”

“Well, no matter whose fault it was, it got you sick, so-”

“So you’re telling me I can’t see Blaine because I might die,” Kurt spits. “Lovely. Just lovely.” He crosses his arms. “You know what, dad? If I had the chance to go back in time, I would do the same thing all over again. It was amazing, and I don’t regret it one bit.”

“And that’s exactly why he can’t be here. For now, I mean. Until we get you a proper match for a bone-marrow transplant,” Burt says, sighing. “Kurt, I know you’re young and in love and it feels like that’s the most important thing in the world right now.”

“Dad, I’ve been trapped in the same house for my whole life, every day the same routine.” A tear escapes as he looks at his dad. “Blaine’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I never thought I could even have something like what I have with Blaine. For the first time I feel like I’m not limited by this stupid genetic disorder, and now you’re telling me-” He breaks off, swallows another rush of tears. “You’re telling me that I am. Limited. Not normal. A freak.” He shakes his head. “Oh, wait, until I get my transplant. Like that’s happening anytime soon. It’s only been 17 years!”

His dad looks at him, conflicted, and for a moment Kurt thinks he’s going to change his mind.

“Kurt, that’s – look, I want you to live your life without limitations.” Another pause. “But I also want you to live your life. For you that means something different than it does for other kids, it just does.” Kurt tries to interrupt but his dad silences him. “Let me talk just for now? I know you think we’re being horrible. But tell you what – think about how Blaine felt. He was up all night crying when he saw what happened, his parents had to call a doctor because he was having a panic attack. We were supposed to update him over the phone but he couldn’t even breathe enough to listen to us tell him you were probably going to be fine.”

Kurt gasps. “He did?” he asks in a small voice. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine now. We’ve all had a week to adjust… and now it’s your turn.”

Kurt finds himself at a loss of words. “Dad, how do you expect me… I mean… I don’t-” He breathes in slowly, tries again. “You’re telling me Blaine’s better off without me.”

“No. I think you two are in love, and it’s wonderful, but this… thing is getting in the way, and sometimes life sucks. Sometimes you have to make a tough decision for the better. For now.”

“You’re wrong. You must be wrong.”

“Kurt… I talked to Blaine about this.” Burt purses his lips. “And he agrees.”

“No,” Kurt whispers, heart leaping out of his chest. “You’re lying.”

Carole steps closer.

“We’re hitting a dead end here. Maybe we should just let Blaine talk to him?” she asks Burt.

Burt sighs. “Yeah, we should let the boys settle this.”

“Settle?” Kurt laughs hollowly. “Apparently you’re all in agreement and my only option is to surrender.”

Nobody argues with that. Instead of getting upset, Kurt might as well hit his head against the wall repeatedly. Same difference.

“You have a few missed calls,” his father says as he passes him his phone from the desk. “We’ll leave you alone now. Holler if you need us.”

“Oh, so you’re not afraid I might die if you breathe the same air as me?!” Kurt yells after them venomously.

His missed calls are from Blaine and Rachel – who else would be calling – but he ignores Rachel’s calls and texts for now. If he texts back, she’s going to want to talk immediately, and he just needs to be in the clear about his relationship. If Blaine is going to break up with his, Kurt wants to know right now.

He dials the number and lets his rage wash through him freely. Blaine won’t know what hit him. Breaking up with him over a stupid fever. Over their first kiss, no less – the nerve of him!

Blaine picks up after the first ring, and Kurt can see out of the corner of his eye how he rushes to the bedroom window and puts his hand on the glass, as if reaching out to Kurt.

“Kurt, oh my god, you’re up,” Blaine’s breathy voice comes on the line. “Kurt, I thought- oh, I- I love you so much, I’m so glad you’re better. You are better, aren’t you? Carole said you were doing a bit better yesterday, so I’m just assuming that-”

Kurt deflates in an instant. With the loss of his rage, the helplessness come back immediately.

“What are you, some kind of monster?” he asks through tears. “Who says ‘I love you’ right before breaking up with someone?”

He pierces Blaine with an icy stare all the way from his bed, and watches as Blaine’s eyebrows rise as high as his hairline.

“I- I- what?!” he sputters. “Kurt, what…?”

“You’re breaking up with me,” Kurt says as matter-of-factly as he can manage, swallowing his tears and pride. “Dad told me.”

“No, no, wait, you’re getting something wrong there,” Blaine says frantically. “I’m not breaking up with you. Obviously. I love you! But… we all agreed that waiting is the safest option, that maybe it’s best if we’re not in the same room until-”

“Donor match, yadda yadda yadda, transplant, yeah, I get it, Blaine.” Kurt rolls his eyes and lets his head sink against the pillow. He doesn’t want to look at Blaine while they go over this. “Listen. I’ve been alive 17 years. Do you know how many donors have come knocking on my door? Zero, nilch, nada – none at all, okay?! Are you telling me you want to wait a hundred fucking years for some random miracle that lets me be with you?”

Blaine sighs on the other hand. “Obviously I’m hoping it’ll be sooner. But I will wait, no matter what.”

“Yeah, well, it won’t be sooner.”

“I got myself tested, you know?” Blaine asks. “Cooper and mom and dad, too. Even Wes and David, and some of the New Directions, too.”

Kurt frowns at his ceiling. “What?” he asks.

“I will wait,” Blaine repeats. “The results are not back yet. Maybe we’re a match. Maybe someone’s a match.”

Kurt shakes his head. “Blaine…”

“What? You have that tone of voice that makes me feel like a naïve kid.”

“Well…” Kurt hesitates. “I love that you’re optimistic and that you want to do this for me. But you’re not as trained in disappointment as I am.”

“I just think we shouldn’t rule it out as a possibility. You never know!” Blaine says. “And… Kurt?”

“Yes, Blaine?”

“Look at me, please?”

Kurt sits up again, and this time the gaze he fixes Blaine with is nothing but want. He’s thrilled to find Blaine looking back with the same intensity.

“I love you,” Blaine says, tracing a line on his window that Kurt suspects might be where his own face is. “And I miss you. But I’d rather have you be safe and sound with me being all the way over here than risk losing you by being close to you.”

Kurt feels warmth spreading inside of him.

“I love you, too. But you know it wasn’t just your presence that got me sick.”

“I do,” Blaine admits. “But that kiss was beyond amazing and I’m afraid I might not be able to help myself around you.”

Kurt laughs. “It was, wasn’t it?”

“Definitely.”

“But,” Kurt points out, “you’re lying. I was the one who gave in, and you were the one who actually left so we wouldn’t go on. You can help yourself.”

“I might be able to,” Blaine relents. “Because I am a lot more worried about you than you are.”

“Yeah.” Kurt bites his lip guiltily. “My dad told me you went through a pretty rough time while I was out.”

“Understatement.” Blaine ducks his head, looks up at Kurt a lot more seriously than before. “Kurt, I thought you were dying. Because of me. And I just left… instead of staying and making sure you were okay. I’ve never felt so helpless.”

“Please get over that,” Kurt begs. “If that’s the reason stopping you from coming over, then… don’t let it stop you, okay?”

“It’s… it’s not.” Blaine sighs. “Partly it is. But I just honestly want us to be able to do this right. We had a taste and now we know what we’re waiting for. If you look at it from that angle, it’s almost romantic.”

“Yeah, almost.” Kurt huffs. “If you’re from the Victorian age, maybe.”

“Kurt Hummel, don’t even try to tell me you’re not a Victorian age romance kind of guy.”

“Touché.” Kurt grins at Blaine despite everything. “You’re such a dork, Blaine. I can’t believe I’m in love with you.”

“Ah, but you are.”

“I’ll miss you a lot,” Kurt confesses. “But I feel better now that I know you’re not actually just staying out of my life for good.”

“Hey, I’ll be right here and we’ll talk like this, just like in the beginning.” Blaine leans against the window and puts his foot up on the window sill like he usually does when they talk on the phone for a few hours. “I’m waiting, I promise.”

Kurt closes his eyes. “Okay, good,” he finally decides. “I’m in.” After a long pause, he adds, “I’m sorry you had a panic attack. And that I put you in that position.”

“Not your fault.”

“Still.” Kurt smiles at Blaine wistfully. “Just so you know, I’m waiting for you, too.” He laughs at himself. “I mean, obviously, since I can’t leave.”

Blaine bites his lip. “Thanks,” he says half-amusedly, half-genuinely.

“You’re wondering if it’s too early to laugh out loud, aren’t you?” Kurt asks, rolling his eyes.

“Nuh-uh, I know it’s too soon.”

“Go ahead, though.”

Blaine shakes his head.

“Blaine, just do it,” Kurt says, pretending to be exasperated. “Or do I need to crack more jokes at the situation?”

Blaine waves his hand so-so. “Maybe.”

“Hm, let’s see. I’m stuck with you.”

Blaine merely cracks a smile. “Meh, not good enough. Plus, you’re stuck without me, isn’t that the point? Hate to burst your bubble that was a half-assed attempt.”

Kurt pouts. “But, Blaine, my bubble is all I have.”

There’s a second of silence before Blaine throws his head back and dissolves into giggles.

“You had that one coming,” Kurt comments wryly.

Even if he can’t meet up with Blaine anymore, he feels as close to him as ever.

[forabeatofadrum]

Myosotis sylvatica (24/24)

Notes: And here we are. After 11 months, we have reached the end of the 2019 Advent. Thank you for waiting patiently, since I am ten months late, but here we finally are.

While writing this long epilogue, I also wrote some ‘missing scenes’ about Blaine’s family finding out about the amnesia. The three chapters are published in Myosotis scorpioides.

Now, enjoy reading the end of Myosotis sylvatica.

AO3

--

YEARN

January 2029

Mae and Wes decided to marry on January 1st 2029, a year after their engagement. Yup, they have a New Year’s Day wedding. Some people in the wedding party still seem hungover. Mae and Wes both have wedding parties and Kurt is part of Mae’s.

They did not want to divide their wedding parties by gender, since that is outdated in 2029, and because they did not wanted to be limited in choosing their wedding parties. Besides, Mae’s sibling’s gender identity changes based on who’s fronting, and Mae definitely wants her sibling in her wedding party.

Kurt’s honoured to be chosen by Mae. He’s here with Kitty, Roderick and some people he doesn’t really know. Everyone’s sitting in the bride’s room, watching Mae panic.

Mae is shuffling around the room. She’s dragging the train of her beautiful wedding dress around.

“Mae, sit down, you’re driving us all mad!” Kitty snaps. It’s probably not appropriate to get angry at the bride on her wedding, but Kitty doesn’t care and she’s right. Mae’s shuffling is slowly getting on people’s nerves, since her dress rustles a lot.

Roderick says: “Should I sing?”

Kurt snorts. Roderick’s singing is often a miracle cure, but Mae is so utterly nervous that even that might not help.

“I’m not nervous about marrying him,” Mae says, as if she’s read Kurt’s mind, “I’m absolutely sure that I want to marry him and to start a family with him. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I love kids, that’s why I became a teacher! But my entire family is about to be here and some of them can be kind of judgemental and some of them flew all the way from Senegal and the Netherlands to be here and I just… gosh… jitters!”

Kate, one of Mae’s friends, gets up and she puts her hands on Mae’s shoulders. “Inhale.”

Mae does.

“Exhale.”

Mae does that as well.

“You know that your mom and dad will have everything under control,” Leslie, an alter of Mae’s sibling, says carefully. Mae is too nervous, so everything can set her off. As far as Kurt knows, Leslie is the one who fronts the most and who’s closest with Mae.

“I know, I know,” Mae sighs, “But grandma Joke is gonna be here and you know what she’s like.”

“Fuck grandma Joke and her weird conservative views,” Leslie yells.

Mae rolls her eyes. “Nice of you to show on my wedding, Jan.”

“They’re right,” Kurt says quickly, “Today is about you and Wes. No one else. Not even us.”

Kitty nods. “Even though we’re the best wedding party ever!”

“Heck yeah,” Jeremy yells. He’s Mae’s closest colleague.

Mae still seems nervous and Kurt sighs. Wedding nerves. Kurt almost had them. It’s insane to him that he’s now at the age that his friends are getting married, but then again, Rachel had told them that Brittany and Santana got married in their early twenties.

Kurt’s phone beeps and he smiles at Blaine’s text.

>Wes is totally freaking out. How’s Mae?

Kurt looks at Mae talking frantically to some other people in the wedding party and he sighs.

>I think she’s losing it tbh. How are you dealing with Wes freaking out?

A reply comes quickly.

>Not. I’m letting Adam handle all that for now.

Kurt snorts. He still thinks it is quite funny that Adam is part of Wes’s wedding party whereas Sebastian isn’t involved. The only reason that he’s invited is because of Mae. Wes almost barred him from coming.

> He misses Angela, tho. He wishes she were here.

Kurt knows what Wes means. Kurt might not get married today, but knowing that Finn won’t be there at his wedding hurts. All this wedding talk has made Kurt think a lot about weddings and marriage. He watches Mae fumble with her dress, which horrifies Kurt, since the lace is delicate. Despite that, he smiles warmly when he sees Mae. She’s getting married! Kurt’s extremely happy for her.

The wedding planner comes in to tell everyone that it’s time to go. Mae pales slightly.

“Mae, Kurt is right,” Kate once again puts her hands on Mae’s shoulders to steady her, “Forget everyone else but Wes. Focus on him and how much you love him.”

Mae exhales deeply. “Okay.”

They all move to the barn, since Mae and Wes have a wedding in a barn just outside the city center. They were inspired by Brittany and Santana, who apparently had a barn wedding as well. The entire place is beautifully decorated. It’s a cold day, but Mae and Wes have put heating devices everywhere. It is really nice inside the barn.

Blaine and Wes’s old glee club does the music and they’re singing an acapella cover over Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Wes is standing at the altar. Kurt and Leslie walk down the aisle together. The other members of the wedding party follow suit and eventually, Mae walks down the aisle with both parents.

Kurt moves to the side to stand with Blaine.

The officiator starts: “Welcome everyone to this wedding, bienvenue à tous à ce mariage, 欢迎大家参加这场婚礼, welkom allemaal op deze bruiloft.”

Kurt’s very impressed by this person’s language skills, but it’s true that people from all over the world are here. The officiator continues their speech. Mae and Wes didn’t write vows, because they simply didn’t want to, so the ceremony is relatively small.

“Do you, Wes Xiùlán Montgomery, take Mae Anniek Ndeye Faal-De Vries as your lawfully wedded spouse?”

“Heck yeah!” Wes yells loudly, which causes some people to laugh. To Kurt’s horror, some of the Warblers dab. Blaine has explained dabbing to him and it’s ridiculous.

“Do you, Mae Anniek Ndeye Faal-De Vries, take Wes Xiùlán Montgomery as your lawfully wedded spouse?”

A tear streams down Mae’s cheek when she says: “I sure as fuck do.”

“Then, by the power invested in me by the internet and the state of New York, I now pronounce you married!” the officiator says, “You may kiss each other.”

Mae immediately dips Wes into a kiss and the attendees stand up to applaud them. Kurt takes Blaine’s hand as they watch Mae and Wes kiss. It’s beautiful. The kiss goes on and on, but no one complains.

When they’re finally done kissing, they hold hands and they run down the aisle while the others applaud. Kurt and Blaine are standing side by side and they cheer loudly when their friends pass them.

All the other people in the wedding people follow after them, but Kurt makes Blaine stay put.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Kurt says nervously.

“Hm?”

“This whole wedding thing put things in perspective for me,” Kurt says. He takes a deep breath. “I think I’d like to get engaged again.”

And it is silent for a moment. Some might wonder why Kurt cancelled the wedding in the first place, since he got engaged again only a few months later. Some might say that Kurt should’ve postponed it, instead of fully cancelling everything. For a split second, Kurt is worried that Blaine’s going to ask those questions, since Blaine looks a bit confused.

But then he smiles widely.

“… Love, that is one hell of a romantic proposal!”

Blaine understands. Of course, he does understand why Kurt is asking him to marry now. It’s all about feeling. A few months ago, it didn’t feel right, but now it does. Blaine cups Kurt’s face and he plants a big kiss on his face.

There’s no ring. They are standing in the barn where their two friends just got married. But it’s just another thing that happened in an unexpected way, but it still feels right. It’s not the proposal Kurt dreamt of, but it’s his. Kitty said it a while ago. When you’re ready, you know, and Kurt and Blaine are definitely ready.

--

July 2030

On some days, Kurt still struggles with the fact that he’s lost 15 years of his life. He also still struggles sometimes with the fact that he has put everyone else’s lives on hold.

Especially Blaine’s. Most days, he can remind himself that Blaine truly does not mind, but other days aren’t as easy.

Quinn’s illness comes like a shock for everyone. She calls Kurt and Blaine to tell them the bad news.

“But I will be fine,” Quinn says confidently, “We caught it in its early stages. Medicine has evolved a lot in the last few years and there’s a big chance of a full recovery!”

Kurt and Blaine look at each other. They’re still not entirely at ease.

“We’ll be there for you,” Blaine says.

Kurt nods, even though Quinn can’t see it. “Yup, just say the word and we’ll fly to New Haven immediately.”

“Thanks boys, but I needed to talk to you about something,” Quinn says seriously, “It’s about our plan with Rachel. The treatment will leave me infertile. I will no longer be able to donate the eggs. I can freeze them, but is that what we want?”

Kurt looks at Blaine, who looks down to the phone.

“Well, it probably wasn’t going to happen anyway,” Blaine says solemnly, and Kurt feels his heart break. He’s right, though. Rachel has announced her second pregnancy and she accidentally let it slip that this is going to be her final one. Her body is done with being pregnant.

They never actually sat down to talk with each other and Rachel and Quinn about this, but now it is inevitable and under shitty circumstances.

Blaine tries to keep it together, but when he tells Kurt that he’s going to the office to write, Kurt knows that Blaine needs some space. The office is still a place for Blaine to retreat. They once talked about turning it into a nursery, but those plans are completely dashed now.

The moment Blaine’s in the office, Kurt tells Lizzie to call Kitty.

Kurt tells Blaine that he’s meeting up with Kitty and off he goes. On his way out, he looks at his Springo. It’s been almost three years since the amnesia and Kurt still goes rogue as often as possible, but he’s learned a while ago that going out all alone and rogue is hard.

He sighs deeply and he takes his Springo before walking the relatively short route to Kitty and Roderick’s new place.

Kitty knows that Kurt wants to talk about this. He’s told her over the phone.

Roderick is also at home, but he’s heading for the studio, so Kitty and Kurt have the place to themselves. Kitty makes a pot of tea and they sit in the living room. Kitty listens when Kurt tells her everything that’s on his mind.

“I mean, we were supposed to have kids three years ago, Kit-Kat. Quinn and Rachel were ready for us. Now, Rachel is pregnant with her own child and Quinn is ill. Now, I obviously don’t blame them, because we know that they aren’t baby machines for us, but this sucks. I am not ready to have children, but now it’s too late and Blaine will get nothing. And now I also feel like a dick because Quinn just got diagnosed with fucking cancer and I am making it all about us.”

Kitty nods. “It is understandable why you two feel crap. And as long as you’re not totally making it about you, it isn’t terrible. After all, you care about Quinn.”

“Of course!”

“See! And with the baby thing… well, by now, we all know that none of this was ‘supposed’ to happen.”

Kurt groans out. “Yes, I know that! We are living the alternative to what was supposed to happen and despite some flaws and bad days, it’s going grand. But what is the alternative for this? I don’t think I can handle having a baby to care for in the next few years.”

And Kurt wants children, but he is only twenty-three. Emotionally. As he pointed out, he is living his ‘twenties’ differently than expected, but emotionally, he’s not ready. But the clock is ticking. In reality, he’s nearing his forties.

It’s as if Kitty knows what he’s thinking, because she says: “You know, my dad was forty when I was born and it never affected my childhood in a bad way. Sure, my childhood had one shit part, namely my parents’ divorce, but that was due to my parents not being compatible, not due to old age.”

Kurt shakes his head. “You don’t get it. I am just waiting to get that feeling you know? The feeling of being ready. I remember how Brittany and Santana described it and I want that, but I also don’t see it happening. I’m not ready to be a father before my thirties, but unfortunately for me, I am fifteen years older than wanted.”

It’s just difficult. Kurt wonders if Kitty will truly get it. Kitty and Roderick don’t want children. Neither do Sebastian and Adam. All their friends who do want children already have them. Mae and Wes welcomed their first child a couple of weeks ago, so they’re swamped with work and Kurt doesn’t want to drop in unannounced.

“You don’t want to have a baby when you’re in your forties or possibly fifties?” Kitty asks, just to be sure, “Why? Because you don’t want your kids to grow up with parents that are too old?”

Kurt nods solemnly. Kitty put it in words, but it seems like that’s going to happen or Kurt and Blaine will die without having children. And sure, Kitty is right that ‘too old’ is subjective and there are probably children out there with ‘old’ parents who are absolutely fine, but Kurt does not want it.

Kitty looks deep in thought. Kurt drinks his tea while he waits for Kitty to tell him what she’s thinking about.

“Well, I might be saying some weird shit here, but have you ever considered… not having a baby? Like, instead go into fostering or maybe adopt an older child. Lucy was seven when Puck and Quinn adopted her.”

Kurt furrows his brow.

Adoption?

He can’t say that he never considered it. After all, he’s gay, so from a very young age he had to think about alternative ways to have children. Using a surrogate just felt like the obvious option to him and the fact that he, Rachel and Quinn made a pact in high school shows that he kept that as his most obvious option throughout his life.

“What are you saying?” Kurt asks.

Kitty smiles. She must feel so smart about her epiphany.

“From my perspective, it sounds like you’re afraid to be too old to have a baby. You are afraid that there’s a time limit and even though I can tell you that there’s not, you seem to be troubled with the idea of raising a young child at an old age. Yet, you still want kids. So yeah, have you and Blaine ever thought about fostering or maybe adopting an older child? Kurt, the world still sucks, so unfortunately, there are still a lot of kids in need of a loving home. Who would be more loving than you two?”

Kurt lets the idea sink in.

Kitty throws her free hand in the air. “Look, I am just saying! But, like, think about it.”

Before they can continue their conversation, Rachel unexpectedly shows up. She has plans to make a virtual card for Quinn and she wants all the New Directions members from the first generation, and Kitty, to be on it together with their partners.

“Oh Kurt, I couldn’t reach Blaine, but will you tell him to come over to sign it when everything’s ready?”

“You couldn’t reach him?” Kurt asks.

Rachel shrugs. “Nope.”

Kurt sets down his cup of tea. “I think I should go home.”

“But my card!” Rachel shrieks and Kitty rolls her eyes.

“You and Kitty can get a head start. Call me later. I will tell Blaine.”

He lets himself out and he walks back home. Kitty’s made a very good point. There are still alternatives to the alternatives. Once he’s home, he hears music coming from the office.

Blaine’s playing guitar and Kurt lets himself listen for a while. He always loves listening to Blaine. But then, the melody turns sad, so he knocks on the door.

The music stops and Blaine asks: “Kurt, is that you?”

“Yes, can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Kurt opens the door and he sees Blaine sitting on the couch with his guitar in his hands. His hair is a bit messy and he looks like he’s been crying.

“Rachel came over. She tried to reach you, but she couldn’t.”

“I had my phone on silent,” Blaine explains, “I needed some time to think.”

Kurt nods. That makes sense.

“Anyway, Rachel aside, Kitty and I talked about something interesting.”

“What is it?” Blaine puts the guitar away.

“I think we need to look into alternatives,” Kurt says and he closes the door behind him.

--

July 2033

At forty years old, Kurt did not expect to be standing at his brother’s grave. He’s visited Finn every time he’s in Lima, but this summer is the 20th anniversary of Finn’s death. It’s still weird that Kurt is out here, at forty years old, or twenty-five if you will, standing at the grave of his brother who never lived past nineteen.

Rachel is standing next to him with Barbra next to her. She’s holding her second child in her arms. On Kurt’s other side, Burt and Carole are talking to Finn. It’s sort of tradition. Apparently, on the 10th anniversary of Finn’s death, a lot of Finn’s loved ones crowded the graveyard so that they could talk to him, all together.

The graveyard is filled with Kurt’s former glee club. It is a weird reunion.

Wes is here as well. There’s a cruel kind of irony here. Angela is buried in the same graveyard as Finn. Wes and Mae don’t go to Ohio very often, since their families live elsewhere, but when they do, they do it for Angela.

Kurt and Wes don’t really discuss the talk about grief that they had a couple of years ago, but the mutual understanding is still there. Right after Kurt and Blaine’s wedding, the four of them came home to Ohio so that they could share stories about the weddings with their deceased siblings.

This time, Kurt has more big news. He waits for Carole to wrap up, but of course, Kurt gives her time. After all, he was her son.

Carole buries her face in Burt’s chest and together, they walk away. Kurt never asks what Carole tells Finn, since it feels too private.

Kurt, Rachel and Barbara move closer to the tombstone. Kurt crouches down to put down a fresh bouquet of flowers.

“Hey there. It’s me. Sorry I haven’t been here in a while, but I have a reason. Remember when I told you last year that Blaine and I were planning on moving out of the city center? Well, it happened. Of course, we’ll never truly leave New York, but now we have a house with a garden. I am not looking forwards to the commute to Broadway, but the garden is great and the garage is huge, and there’s a kid’s room.”

Barbra nods when she hears this. “It is for me, so that I can have sleepovers!”

Kurt and Rachel laugh.

“No Barbra, remember what we said? Kurt and Blaine moved house so that they can have other kids live with them if necessary.”

“Like me,” Barbra exclaims and Kurt stifles another laugh. Barbra automatically assumes that everyone revolves around her. She’s got that from her mother.

Rachel sighs. The irony is that Rachel finds Barbra a bit annoying, yet she has no problem thinking that the world revolves around her. Kurt looks at Rachel and Rachel says: “Let Kurt talk to Finn, okay Barbra?”

Barbra nods, so Kurt continues.

“Blaine’s still in New York to do some more work on the house. He says hi. We’ve started going into foster care. We might possibly adopt. Luckily, it’s become way easier in the 2030s, since a lot of new legislations have made the process easier and better. This way, kids can have a home earlier than before. We’re excited. We’re nervous.”

Silence. Of course. The tombstone can’t talk.

“I hope you’re excited too.”

Rachel puts her free hand on Kurt’s shoulder for support. “He sure is.”

--

December 2035

“Smile for the camera!” Blaine says and Kitty pushes the video recorder out of her sight. Kurt laughs when he sees it.

“Really? An old video recorder? What is this? 2005? That’s thirty years ago, Anderson!”

Blaine puts the focus of the camera back on Kitty and he says: “I am singlehandedly bringing back the old-fashioned home video, Wilde. None of this will end up on Firmspring, so no vlog. It’s all for us!”

Wes laughs from behind. “Woah, what’s next? You’re gonna turn it into a DVD?”

Blaine turns around, so that the camera focuses on Wes. “You’re joking, but I actually considered it. You can still get DVDs at tech antique shops. Or junkyards. But no, I’m gonna convert it to quirl file immediately. Honestly, I wish people would still use DVDs!”

“Yeah, because it was definitely fun to have all those discs scattered around your house instead of having it all on one quirl,” Wes deadpans in a sarcastic way.

“Yes, yes,” Isabel says from another corner of the room, “The DVD. Mama has told me about it. It’s what you used for your flip phones so that you could use Twitter.”

Isabel nods knowingly and after a small beat of silence, all the adults in the room burst into laughter.

“Close enough, kid,” Burt says.

Blaine makes a close up of Isabel’s confused face. “Isabel, I have memorised this moment!”

Kurt laughs again before leading Blaine away from Isabel. “Come, come, let’s not bother Isabel. She made a wonderful drawing for Julie, so let’s focus on that.”

Blaine looks up from the lens. “Where is Julie, actually? This is her birthday home video!”

Kurt looks around and he spots Julie talking to Rachel. Or, Rachel is the one talking and Julie seems desperate for a way out, so Kurt grabs Blaine by the arm and they walk towards her.

“Julie!” Blaine yells excitedly.

Julie and Rachel look up and Julie’s eyes widen at the sight of the camera.

“Oh my God, dad, don’t tell me you’re streaming this,” she says, panicked. Kurt and Blaine fall silent for a second before bursting into laughter again.

“Jules, this bad boy can’t even stream,” Blaine says as he taps the old video recorder, “It’s so old, it doesn’t even have Wi-Fi.”

Kurt laughs. “Your father is singlehandedly bringing back the old-fashioned home video.”

“Kids these days,” Blaine says mockingly before zooming on Julie’s face. She rolls her eyes. Blaine continues: “I can’t even imagine growing up in a time where it’s normal for parents to share their children’s entire lives on the internet.”

Kurt nods in agreement and he shudders at the thought of his parents filming his every move for views, but it’s a sign of the times. This home video will be for family and friends’ eyes only.

“Your dad is documenting this special moment,” Kurt says, “Uncle Cooper and aunt Devorah are almost here and then it’s time for the big birthday gift.”

“We want to remember this moment forever!” Blaine adds.

Apart from Julie, her friends, and the kids, everyone knows what the gift is going to be and as a result, many took the effort to be here. That’s why Cooper and Devorah are flying in from Los Angeles. Blaine’s mother was the only one who tried to come, but who couldn’t, but Blaine will definitely send her this video.

Rachel’s about to open her mouth to say something, but Julie quickly cuts in and says: “Well, in that case, I better wait at the front door.”

And then she’s gone. Blaine turns off the video camera, so that it can save battery life for the moment of the gift. This old camera still uses a cable that needs to be plugged into a electricity socket.

“God, it feels like yesterday since she started living with us and look at her now,” Blaine says, sounding emotional.

“The best two years of our lives,” Kurt agrees easily.

Julie was fourteen years old when she got placed in the Hummel-Anderson household. Then, everything went swimmingly. Sometimes, Kurt thinks it went too swimmingly. It almost sounds like a fantasy: Kurt and Blaine decide to foster and the first child they take in is the perfect fit. Julie’s the part that has been missing in their lives.

But then everyone reminds him that the systems have improved a lot over the years. Now, the happiness of the child will always be the first priority, and Julie soon realised that she wanted to be a part of the family.

Of course, the first few months were a bit rough, but once they broke through Julie’s shell, it became perfectly clear that this was supposed to be forever. All three of them wanted it.

When Kurt and Blaine started thinking about adopting older kids, they were thinking about seven year olds, like Lucy, or maybe slightly older or younger. And now there’s Julie, at age sixteen. She doesn’t know yet, but the envelope that she will be given for her birthday has the papers that confirm the adoption process.

Kurt’s life truly went different than planned. Here he is, at age forty-two, or more accurately, twenty-seven, and he’s leaning against his husband, thinking about his sixteen year old soon-to-be daughter.

For the first time since he woke up on that kitchen floor, something that ‘wasn’t supposed to happen’ feels different. This time, it feels like this was supposed to happen. Kurt, Blaine and Julie were supposed to be a family.

Kurt gets pulled out his thoughts when the doorbell rings. He turns around and he sees Barbra and Finn pressing themselves against the window.

Finn yells: “It’s Blaine’s brother and his wife!”

Blaine looks surprised.

“Earlier than I thought,” he says and he turns on the camera again. It’s go time.

“He’s finally on time for something.”

Julie was truly waiting by the door, so by the time Kurt and Blaine have reached the door, she’s already hugging Cooper’s wife Devorah. Cooper and Devorah also comment of Blaine’s old camera, but then everyone gets ushered into the living room.

Blaine pans around and everyone waves and smiles while they’re in the frame. It’s a messy bunch. It’s a mix between family, Julie’s friends from school, Kurt and Blaine’s friends from the city, and New Directions members that could come to New York for the weekend.

Blaine’s still filming Julie and they’re talking, so Kurt has the time to retrieve the envelope.

“Happy 16th birthday, dear!” he says and Blaine focuses the camera on Kurt, so that he can film the exact moment where Kurt hands Julie the envelope.

But then Quinn pats him on the shoulder and she whispers something in his ear. Blaine nods and he hands the camera to Quinn, so that he can join Kurt and Julie.

Quinn gives them a thumbs up from behind the camera. Her smile is radiant. She’s looking healthy.

Julie looks at the envelope with a curious look on her face.

“Open it, Julie,” Blaine says. Kurt can feel that Blaine’s bursting with energy. They’ve waited for this moment for quite a while now.

Julie opens the envelope and she takes out the first sheet of paper. At first, she scrunches up her face in confusion, but then her eyes start to dart across the paper and they grow wide when she realises what she’s holding.

“Really?” she looks at Kurt and Blaine, “Really?!”

Blaine nods and he’s too choked up to speak, so Kurt says: “Really, really.”

And then there’s screaming of joy, and hugging, and crying, and a lot of cheering from everyone else in the room.

--

The last party guests have left and Blaine’s cleaning up some mess in the kitchen. Kurt wants to help out, but then he sees Julie sitting in the garden. She’s sitting on a blanket and looking up at the stars.

Kurt grabs his coat and he opens the door.

“Did you have a nice birthday?” Kurt asks.

Julie looks over her shoulder and she smiles when she sees Kurt. “Yes.”

Still, she as a weird look on her face. Kurt sighs and he sits next to her. “What is on your mind, Jules?”

Julie shakes her head, but Kurt raises an eyebrow, so she says: “It’s just weird. It’s official. Don’t get me wrong, it is good weird, but after being in care for so long and then two years of a voice in the back of my head saying ‘Julie, they will turn on you’, I was so convinced that you guys were going to give up on me,  but you didn’t.”

Kurt knows that Julie’s had that voice in the back of her mind. Their accompanying social worker has talked a lot about it. The three of them have talked about it.

He also knows that the voice became smaller as time flew by. As Julie said: it is official. She’s theirs.

“Life takes a completely unexpected direction sometimes,” Kurt says, “I would know. I’m only twenty-seven.”

Julie snorts. “I can’t believe my dad is only eleven years older than I am.”

Kurt laughs too. “See! Weird, right?”

“I remember when I first heard about it on the news. And then when I first met you and dad, it didn’t click, since I didn’t know that dad was the face behind some of the greatest songs of our generation and I didn't connect you to the face behind one of the biggest neuroscientific research activist groups. But now, it just makes sense. You’re twenty-seven and forty-two at the same time.”

“And I still haven’t figured out the secrets of the universe,” Kurt says.

Julie rolls her eyes. “Dad, I know that adults don’t have all the answers.”

“God, I wish that were me as a child,” Kurt laughs.

Julie looks up to the stars again. Kurt follows suit and the two of them remain silent while they look at the stars. It’s quiet in the suburbs. Sometimes, Kurt and Blaine miss the city center, but they don’t regret their choice to leave. It’s peaceful here.

Julie likes it, and that is what matters most.

Eventually, Julie breaks that silence. “I wonder if the secrets of the universe are out there. But what are the secrets? I always wanted a normal life, but what is normal?”

“Don’t let your dad hear you, or he’s going to break into song,” Kurt jokes, referring to Blaine’s Grammy-winning album A New Normal.

“I wouldn’t mind. Dad has an amazing voice. So do you.”

“So do you,” Kurt points out and Julie looks bashful. Julie is extremely musically talented. They really are a perfect fit. “But I get what you mean. Ever since the amnesia happened, I spent a long time yearning for normalcy. The moment you realise that normalcy doesn’t exist, it feels like a huge burden has been lifted off your shoulders.”

“Exactly!” Julie exclaims. Then she looks back to Kurt. “You two have lifted that burden for me.”

Kurt smiles and he pulls Julie closer. “I love you, Jules.”

They hear the door open and when they look over their shoulders, they see Blaine’s looking at the two of them with a fond look on his face.

“You’re doing a family hug without me?” Blaine pretends to be hurt.

Kurt spreads his arms. “Come here, my sweet.”

It doesn’t need to be said twice. Blaine also grabs his coat. At first, doesn’t move to Kurt. Instead, he sits next to Julie’s other side and Kurt and Blaine cuddle her from both sides.

“What were you guys talking about?” Blaine asks.

“Oh you know,” Julie says nonchalantly, “The secrets of the universe, the unexpected alternatives to your life, the old yearning for normalcy and how that burdens you. The usual for a 16th birthday.”

Blaine barks a laugh. “Sounds about right. You know, I based-”

“-entire Grammy-award winning album A New Normal on those exact same questions?” both Kurt and Julie finish at the same time, which makes Blaine laugh again.

“We’re happy, though,” Kurt says, “We’re happy, despite everything.”

“Yeah, we are,” Julie agrees and Blaine also hums in agreement.

The three of them huddle closer and they talk about the day and their plans for the future. Those plans are not certain. Nothing is certain. That’s what they all have learned, but it doesn’t matter. Alternatives are out there. There will be bad days and moments of grief on what could’ve been, but in the end, it all works out.

“Should we sing?” Blaine asks and Julie laughs out loud.

“It’s not family night without your father forcing us to sing, Julie,” Kurt says jokingly.

“Oh, you love it!” Blaine says back.

Julie starts tapping her feet, Blaine claps in a rhythm and Kurt hums.

Blaine starts singing. It’s a silly song that the three of them wrote together. It’s not great, but it’s something in the family.

When everything is doom and gloom You have to look at a flower in bloom When life gives you another shot Pick a beautiful forget-me-not

Kurt and Julie chime in too and the three of them sing their hearts out.

--

End notes: Damn, that’s a wrap. 

I hope you all enjoyed the end and the look into Kurt’s life. I considered also writing their wedding, but honestly, I’m fine with keeping that up for interpretation. After all, I had no clue what, where, when and how it happened.

Bienvenue à tous à ce mariage, 欢迎大家参加这场婚礼 (Huānyíng dàjiā cānjiā zhè chǎng hūnlǐ), welkom allemaal op deze bruiloft = welcome everyone to this wedding. First French, then Chinese, then Dutch.

Julie is based on Julie Molina, look-wise and voice-wise. I watched all of Julie and the Phantoms in one go and I highly recommended it. If someone has the power of Photoshop and you’re willing to photoshop Darren Criss, Chris Colfer and Madison Reyes together, tag me! Find me on tumblr (justasmallbloginabigklainefandom or forabeatofadrum).

The song in the end is written by me and it is indeed terrible. I tried to find a song about memories to end with, but none of them felt right. And then I considered adding Flowers by Hadestown, but that is too sad. So now you got treated to my mediocre songwriting.

Last story note: I published a Myosotis sylvatica timeline here. If you want to know the exact dates, then you can find them here.

Thank you all for reading. This story was one hell or a ride and it got deeper and longer than initially anticipated. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for the comments, especially if you left a comment on every chapter. Thank you for the kudos. Thank you for reading. I love that this fandom still has people reading fic, five years after the series finale.

And with that, I bid you farewell. For two months. See you guys for the next advent!