For fic purposes

Blaine can hear the shuffling footsteps slowly approaching before two familiar arms slide around his waist, pulling him close and Kurt's body presses against his from behind. Kurt's chin rests on Blaine's shoulder softly, and Blaine can't help but smile. He's so grateful for the little things in their life. From all of them, this one is definitely one of his favorites — sleepy, cuddly Kurt in the mornings.

“Hey, you,” he says softly.

--

Kurt loves cycling. It makes living in the Netherlands way more enjoyable than America. He would like to think he's assimilated enough to get the cycling rules. Sure, he's fucked up once by not extending his hand when he braked in order to turn left, and he almost created a chain collision, but that was weeks ago! He's gotten better!

And because he's gotten better, he now knows what's rude and what's not. And what is happening in front of him now, is rude.

There’s a man standing in the middle of Kurt’s path, and he’s holding up a phone to make a photo of a beautiful building.

Tourists.

Kurt cannot blame him. He remembers when he first moved to Groningen and he also spent a lot of time taking in the sights. But he can blame him for the fact that this asshole is obstructing his path. He waits for this man to finish taking his photo, but then to Kurt’s dismay, the man doesn’t move when he’s done and instead takes his sweet time to post it online, or whatever.

Seriously?

It's a narrow road, so it's not like Kurt can go past him, unless he decides to bike on the pavement.

Kurt rings the bell.

The man startles and looks at Kurt with wide eyes. Kurt gestures towards the path, and the man realises what he's doing.

"Sorry, sorry," he says, sounding apologetic, but he's still not moving from his spot.

"Sam, come on," they hear. And then another man appears to gracefully whisk away his friend from his spot on the road.

"Thanks," Kurt says, and turns towards his saviour.

And he almost falls of his bike.

This guy is very cute!

"Oh. Uh. Thanks," Kurt stutters out, "Again."

"No biggie. Sorry for my friend," the guy says.

"Dude. Damn, I was so caught up in this," the first guy says, "Let me make it up to you!"

"That's not-" Kurt starts. He'd rather just go on with his day.

"Please, let me!" he sounds maybe a bit too desperate.

"Sam-" the hot one cuts in.

"Trust me, bro, trust me," the first guy, Sam, says to his bro.

"Uh," is all that Kurt can muster.

"Okay?"

Sam takes out a note and a pen and quickly scribbles something down.

"Here. My number. I'll pay a coffee or whatever. Maybe a muffin."

"That's not need-"

Sam shoves the note in Kurt's hand.

"Send me a message."

"Are you... hitting on me?" Kurt asks to be sure. How else can he explain Sam's utter glee at asking Kurt out?

Sam laughs.

"No, I have a girlfriend."

"Okay?"

This is getting weirder and weirder.

"Sam, I think he just wants to continue his trip," the hot one says and he gives Kurt an apologetic look.

"Yes. I would like that," Kurt says with a pointed tone in his voice.

Sam apologises again, but then finally, he lets Kurt go on with his day. Kurt gives an awkward nod as a farewell and bikes on.

What just happened?

--

A couple of hours later, he texts Sam. He almost didn't plan to do it, but he's craving a coffee, and maybe a muffin, and if the offer stands, it stands. Kurt's not going to pass up free coffee. And Kurt wants to know if Sam is serious.

It seems so, because Sam is once again apologetic and asks Kurt to meet up at Toet, a café that specialises in desserts.

Kurt has nothing better to do, so he goes. He bikes towards Toet, because of course he does, this is the Netherlands, and waits for Sam inside.

But to Kurt's surprise, Sam isn't the one who arrives.

It's the hot one.

"Hi," he says.

"Uh. Hello?" Kurt says back.

"I hope you weren't too hopeful about seeing Sam, cause he sent me!"

"Hello," Kurt says again. Truly, this entire ordeal did not go as planned.

But he also doesn't mind. He only came here for the free coffee and muffin, so he has to admit that he's not too bothered about Sam not showing up.

"My name is Blaine," the hot guy introduces himself.

"Kurt," Kurt says back. He had sent his name to Sam in his message, but he doesn't know if Sam told Blaine. "So, uh, what exactly is going on here?"

Blaine turns a bit red.

Or maybe it is just the cosy lightning.

"Sam, uhm... Okay, I will be upfront. I think you're cute and Sam is setting us up."

Kurt's eyes widen.

"I mean, if you're- That's- If it makes you uncomfortable- Argh, sorry! Let me just buy you the coffee and muffin and I'll go," Blaine stutters out and turns around to see if he can order.

"Wait," Kurt leaps out of his seat and grabs Blaine's arm.

Blaine looks over his shoulder.

"I don't mind!" Kurt says quickly, "Truly. I'd rather have you here than Sam. No offense to him."

"None taken," Blaine says.

"Kurt lets go of Blaine, so that Blaine can finally, properly, take a seat."Kurt lets go of Blaine, so that Blaine can finally, properly, take a seat.

"I admit I think you're hot too," Kurt says. It is true, but he's also glad to have gotten the option to get to know Blaine.

Damn, was this all one big elaborate scheme from Sam?

"Sam is truly sorry, though," Blaine says, "He didn't think. He was too busy sending a nice photo to his girlfriend, that he didn't notice he was blocking your way."

Okay, still an honest mistake, with a nice consequence.

It would be a bit creepy if Sam knew him before today and deliberately looked up Kurt's route just to play wingman.

Blaine tells Kurt that he's been living in Groningen for as long as him, and that Sam's visiting him. Kurt also tells Blaine more about his life and how he ended up here.

It's nice. They're hitting it off.

They order two coffees and a piece of cake to share.

"Sam's buying," Blaine says gleefully, and Kurt is grateful for Sam's convoluted plan.

After two hours and another piece of cake, it's time for them to part. It was an unexpected, but succesful, first date.

"Can I get your number?" Kurt asks once they're outside. He'd rather have Blaine's number up front, instead of having Sam be a messenger.

"Sure, of course," Blaine looks happy.

"I'd like to see you again," Kurt adds.

"Same," Blaine says with a smile.

They quickly exchange numbers.

"See you," Blaine says with a wave.

"Yes. Definitely," Kurt says back.

He watches Blaine unlock a bike and then bike away. Kurt smiles. He also unlocks his bike to go home. During his way home, he passes the building that Sam was photographing.

"Thanks!" he yells towards the building, which leads to some confused bystanders, but Kurt doesn't care. He bikes on, happily humming a tune. He can't wait to text Blaine.

--

En spring maar achterop bij mij, dan gaan we samen weg,

En ik weet nog niet waar naar toe, maar dat maakt niet uit want ik weet wel de weg.

--

End notes: Shhhh don't think too much about why Kurt and Blaine are living in Groningen. I chose that city because I recently visited it for the first time and I liked it. Also, since I've only been to Groningen once, I have no clue where their initial meeting is taking place, or if a place like that even exists. I actually didn't go to Toet, although it was recommended to me. I preferred to go to the cat café, but Toet felt like a fitting place for them to have their first date.

It’s extraordinarily hard to focus on history homework like this, with Kurt sitting on his bed so close, breathing mere inches away. And maybe that wouldn’t be so much of a problem if not for the slit in his shirt, apparently part of the design, a clean cut right over his heart, exposing milk-white skin with every inhale. In and out. In and out. It teases and tortures. Shows off a scrap of what Blaine hasn’t seen or touched enough of yet, what he craves more of. That craving returns tenfold. There’s simply no way he can get anything done. So, he sets his notebook aside and reaches out, lets his fingertips graze the small window of opportunity. 

“Can I touch you here?”

Kurt glances over, eyes widened. But he doesn’t shrink away. In fact, he’s already setting down the notes he’d been working on. He shifts closer on the bed to give Blaine’s hand easier access. He even bites his lip. 

“Yeah.” 

Blaine’s not entirely sure what he’ll do or what the plan is, but that’s not going to stop him now. He slips his fingers into the opening in the fabric and is instantly greeted by the warmth of Kurt’s chest. Kurt sucks in a shaky breath. Blaine can feel his heart pulsing wildly beneath his finger. It sends a thrill through his own, at Kurt’s reaction, at the knowledge that he can jumpstart his heart like this with a single touch. The small part of Kurt’s chest he can feel is smooth and firm. He dares to explore. He pushes his hand further into the slit, up a little, tracing the fine bone of Kurt’s clavicle poking out from beneath his skin, keen and even. He traces it back and forth and back and forth with his fingers. It’s soothing, almost, like petting a cat. 

He hopes for more. He wonders how much of his hand he can fit inside this slit. How far he could get. What Kurt would let him touch just from here. Would he take off his shirt again so Blaine could see as well as touch?

He dips his fingers downwards, slides in his middle and ring finger. Further, further. Until he finds something more tempting—the soft nub of Kurt’s nipple. He traces the shape of it with his fingertips, imagining what it looks like from the last time he saw it: just a few weeks ago, Kurt with his shirt off, with everything off, here in his bedroom for the first time. 

It was all Blaine had wanted for so long that he’s now pissed at himself for moving faster than he should have. He regrets not taking the time to drink everything in. To attend to and indulge in Kurt’s body, in the way his eyes flutter shut now as Blaine presses his nipple between two eager fingers. How he wishes those were his lips instead. He longs to taste. To feel this part of Kurt, always shielded under layers, soft and tender on his tongue. To bite, even. Softly, like on a berry. What might Kurt’s reaction be? Blaine didn’t try it last time. But now? He traces the nub in circles, paying attention. 

Kurt leans closer, fingertips unexpectedly wrapping around Blaine’s wrist, pulling him in further. Kurt wants this. The heat pooling in Blaine’s body ignites in response. He suddenly wants so much, wants everything, to do more than what they did the first time, to take all the time in the world to learn Kurt’s body, to master the art of his pleasure. He wants to map every inch of his skin with his hands, his tongue, to memorize each ridge and crevice that lie hidden, to find the places and motions that make Kurt rock forward like this, that draw sudden gasps and moans from deep in his throat. He needs all of it right now. The scale and shape of that need suddenly overwhelms him. His mouth releases a little noise somewhere between a moan and a whimper. 

Kurt’s eyes snap open. Shit. Embarrassment streaks through Blaine’s core, a third degree burn. He’s never made that sound around another person before. It sounds strange to his own ears, a betrayal of control. And in front of Kurt, who’s looking at him now with unblinking, critical eyes and a expression he can’t name. Blaine can only guess it’s bad. The swelling desire from before instantly morphs into something too unshapely and unstable to hold. He yanks his hand out of the shirt slit and nearly runs to lock himself in the bathroom and cry. What the hell is wrong with him?

“Blaine?”

He crosses his arms and keeps his eyes on the navy comforter beneath them. 

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you stop?”

“Sorry.”

“Is something wrong?”

He takes a breath. What is he supposed to say?

“I… made a weird sound.”

An awful moment of silence. Then, Kurt laughs softly. It only makes him feel worse. Is Kurt making fun of him? He can’t believe he just did something so pathetic. 

“It wasn’t a weird sound.”

Blaine has to look back up to see his face because he needs to know if he means it. Kurt’s smiling, eyes bright. Pupils dilated. Blaine notices the red flush that’s creeping up his neck and when Kurt takes a deep breath as the slit opens and expands to reveal red-speckled skin. Blaine wonders how he made that happen. If he can make it happen again. 

So Kurt isn’t making fun of him?

“It sounded weird to me.” He doesn’t know what else to say. 

He tries again. 

“I didn’t… I don’t…” But his brain isn’t giving him any useful words. 

Kurt hums, glances away with a look Blaine recognizes a split second too late as insecurity.

“Look at me with my inflated ego. I thought it meant you liked touching me that way. Sorry, I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.” 

Guilt makes his stomach drop. He almost slips his fingers back in, wants to make Kurt’s eyes flutter and his body lean forward, relaxed and eager again. 

“No, it wasn’t that. I liked it. I really like it. I guess…”

He puts his hands over his face because he isn’t sure what else to do with them now. And the embarrassment’s back, suffocating. He can’t look at Kurt like this or let Kurt see him like this.

“I don’t know. I know I acted like I knew everything about sex and intimacy, but I’m still not really used to it yet. It’s not your fault—you’re amazing, Kurt. You’re like everything I’ve ever dreamed about—”

“Careful now, don’t want to go inflating my ego too much again.”

“—so, I guess I’m kind of self-conscious around you. I want to be everything you dream of.”

Gentle but firm fingers press onto his knuckles. Blaine lets Kurt take his hands in his and pull them away from his face. And there’s Kurt, smiling and a little glassy-eyed.

“You are everything I’ve dreamed of, Blaine. Seriously. And I get self-conscious around you, too. We’re both still figuring this thing out. It’s not like we’re both going to be magically perfect at sex immediately. Unfortunately.”

“You’re pretty great at it though,” Blaine has to counter. 

Kurt smirks and squeezes his hand. 

“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself, handsome.”

Warmth blooms in his chest at the name. He hopes Kurt will call him that again.

“Now who’s inflating whose ego?”

“I think you needed the boost. You had kind of a rough day, didn’t you?”

He’s surprised that Kurt has read him already. He’s still not used to it, the way Kurt pounces on feelings before Blaine’s even named them for himself.

“I did. How did you know?”

“I was there when you tried to fight Sam.”

“Oh, right. And…” 

More embarrassment creeps back over his neck. He’s not sure he should admit to his boyfriend that he got into a little fight with his brother. 

“I kind of yelled at Finn.”

“I know.” 

“He told you?”

“Yeah. Plus I may have asked him to go talk to you in the first place.”

“Oh.”

Mortification prickles. Why did Kurt ask Finn to talk to him? He’s weirdly disappointed Finn didn’t come talk to him on his own. Did he not even care?

Kurt, as always, notices this. It must show on Blaine’s face.

“Not that he wasn’t going to already. He was worried about you,” Kurt assures. 

Blaine frowns, hoping he doesn’t start crying. Exhaustion swarms his body as the day’s events come back to him.

“I’m still getting used to the new school, too. Everything’s so different at McKinley.”

“Can’t hide behind a blazer anymore.”

Blaine can’t help but bristle at the comment, even though he knows it’s sort of true.

“I wasn’t hiding.” 

“No, you definitely stood out, Mr. Unofficial Leader.”

“I like to stand out by blending in.”

“I know. But it’s not like that at McKinley, and especially not in Glee club. All of us stand out. And we can’t hide. So we stand out together.”

He’s noticed that. They’re quite the ragtag group. Not a single one of them would be able to blend in in the Dalton uniform. Despite that, Blaine kind of likes it. 

“I like that. I want to try that.” 

“I want that for you, too. And I’m proud of you for everything you’ve done so far. I know you said you came here for you, but thanks for coming. I seriously don’t know how I’d get through this year without you, what with my class president fiasco and now my NYADA application up in the air…”

Kurt stares off at a random corner, focus fading. Blaine wants to bring the brightness back. He truly doesn’t know what he would do without Kurt this year, either. He’d still be at Dalton, probably, with the same friends, same Glee club, same old version of him. But he wouldn’t be challenged to face his fears at public school again, or by a new group of very different teammates that would hopefully turn out to be friends, or by Kurt. Kurt challenges him in ways no one has before. And Blaine is nothing if not encouraged by a challenge. 

“I’m glad I came. I don’t know what I’d do without you this year, either.” 

He really doesn’t. Now that he’s focusing on it, he can’t imagine the specifics of a life without Kurt. And he doesn’t want to. 

Kurt snaps back to the present at his words, softens again. 

“Thanks. And now that I’ve got you in my clutches, I’m never letting you go.”

Kurt launches himself forward, tackling Blaine with a hug. They land back on the bed, Kurt on top of him. He can’t even see, his head trapped between Kurt’s chest and the mattress. It’s bliss. Kurt’s weight over him, around him, pressing him into the bed. This is new. The heat from his body, the solidness of him. The sweet scent of honeycrisp apples. Kurt’s perfect. And Blaine feels heavy and light simultaneously, grounded in the sensation even as he’s floating. He almost starts to cry again, but for a very different feeling than before. It’s too big to put into words. He only knows he never wants to leave it. He wraps his arms around Kurt’s waist and holds tight.

He circles behind Kurt, stopping at the far end of the vanity, and leans against it. That's Blaine's spot. He would stand there while Kurt got his makeup done: shot the shit with him, distracted him, joked with him, ran lines with him. He never pulled up a chair, content to lean his rear against the wood.

Kurt examined it one day when he noticed offhandedly that the color had faded. He smiled when he saw a smooth spot where the pockets of Blaine's jeans had worn down the finish.

"Our audience really seemed to like us, didn't they?"

Blaine smiles. This was Kurt's big worry from day one. Not for himself. He had faith in his acting abilities. More importantly, he knew he couldn't please everyone. He made peace with that. But he wanted to know that he and Blaine were doing their characters justice, portraying people that tadpole gays could look up to and older queers would be proud to count as representation.

"They loved us," Blaine assures him. "Of course, when you consider the fact that there were so few shows on TV featuring a married gay couple, the bar was set kind of low."

Kurt shoots Blaine a sarcastic smirk. "Nice."

"Hey. You guys almost done in there?"

Kurt and Blaine turn toward a voice coming from the rear double doors and spot Tony, the security guard, strolling their way. Kurt bites his lower lip, and Blaine smiles sheepishly. Not half an hour ago, Kurt commented that they had been on the show for so long that they knew Tony back when he had hair.    

"Yeah, Tony," Blaine says. "Just five more minutes?"

Tony responds with a nod and a wave, then retreats out the door. He's not a man of many words, but Blaine was sure he saw the man getting misty-eyed when they arrived.

"I'm heading to DiGazio's for lunch," Blaine says. "Say goodbye to this thing properly. You wanna come? My treat." Blaine bumps Kurt's shoulder lightly with his fist. "I'll get you a slice of cake."

"Sure. That sounds...that sounds great."

Blaine tilts his chin when Kurt sniffs, moving to get a better look at Kurt's eyes. They're clouded, memories piling up, obscuring the here and now. But there's something else there, too, furrowing Kurt's brow and causing his upper lip to twitch slightly. "What's wrong, Kurt? You look close to tears."

Kurt nods, lost in his thoughts, and Blaine feels like he has interrupted a conversation Kurt was having with himself, one that hadn't yet come to a resolution. He takes a breath in and exhales for a long time. "I'm thinking about the future. The challenges ahead. What my life is going to look like."

"And?" Blaine inches closer, curious about Kurt's conclusion, hoping it might help him resolve his own conundrum.

Kurt pins his gaze to his reflection. He looks so forlorn that Blaine isn't sure he'll continue. "What do I do now?"

Blaine feels that question deep in his soul. "Well, you stand up, and you come with me for a bite."

"That's not what I mean."

"I know," Blaine sighs. He doesn't have an answer. He wishes he did. He's struggling with the same problem, asking himself the same thing all morning. He hasn't come up with a satisfactory answer. So he offers Kurt a sympathetic shrug and tells him what he's been telling himself. "You move on, I guess. Your agent told my agent that studios are clamoring for you. You've had three offers already, haven't you?"

"But this show has been my life for so long. I'm not one to hold on to a character with white knuckles, but I finally started to feel like we belonged. I'm not eager to let that feeling go. Does that make sense?"

"It does," Blaine admits. It's one thing performing in mainstream shows. But acting in something considered niche and turning it into a success? That's lightning in a bottle.

"I'm not saying we should drag this show out any longer. We put the Helversons to bed, and I'm content with how it was done, but I'm leaving so much behind. This studio set is more my home than my apartment. Then there's Jeremiah and Caty. Those are our babies! They've been with us since birth! We've held them, fed them, burped them for the past two years, the formidable years of their lives! And then there's...there's you..." Kurt's speech stumbles to a halt. Blaine startles at the sudden change.

"What...what about me?" he asks, concern etched on his face. That concern, Blaine's brows drawn together above the bridge of his nose and his forehead creased with worry, is the only reason Kurt continues.

"I...I don't know how to do anything but be your husband. You have been a fixture in my life. One I fooled myself into believing would be permanent. Because as ridiculous as it sounds, there came a point where I didn't see myself doing anything else for a good chunk of my career. And I was okay with that."

Blaine's response comes out in a whisper. He'd been holding his breath from the moment Kurt said he didn't know how to do anything but be Blaine's husband. "It's not ridiculous. I feel the same."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

They fall silent around those confessions. Blaine's heart beats inside his chest like a clock ticking, reminding him they don't have all day in here. Eventually, Tony will return, and the two of them will have to leave. This moment may not come around for them again. But first, Blaine needs to know if Kurt is saying what Blaine thinks he's saying?

There's only one way to find out.

And though Blaine has always been scared shitless of saying the wrong thing and losing Kurt forever, he jumps in with both feet. "Do you maybe want to try...being my boyfriend?"

Kurt looks at Blaine, confused. Then his eyes brighten, his face awash in relief. "Oh my God! You got the callback? That's fantastic! Why didn't you say so? Because I..."

"What?" Blaine puts up his hands to slow Kurt down. "No!" Kurt goes back to melancholic so quickly it gives Blaine whiplash, and he has to laugh because he knows he's screwing up. He can't seem to help himself. "I mean, yes, I did, but...what I mean is, would you like to be my boyfriend, but for real?"

For six years, their contracts encouraged them to socialize but forbade them to date. Both men were fine with that at the beginning. They hung out between takes to familiarize themselves with one another. They saw themselves becoming good friends but were sure they could maintain a professional relationship.

They never realized that they would get along like a house on fire.

Blaine and Kurt have been there for each other as much as any couple. When Kurt's father had his stroke, Blaine drove Kurt to and from the hospital at all hours, brought him his favorite lunch, made sure he got quiet when needed, and fended off his fans with official statements when Kurt didn't have the spoons to go out in public.

When Blaine needed his appendix removed, he confided in Kurt about his debilitating fear of hospitals. Kurt stayed by his side every second before and after surgery. He held Blaine's hand while he slept, organized his medications, filled out paperwork, and even helped Blaine bathe. They've dined together, vacationed together, gotten drunk together.

They've made it this far.

That's more than a lot of couples can say.

And besides, Blaine really wants to kiss him.

Blaine has kissed Kurt goodbye after every day of shooting, but the studio only cleared them for the chastest pecks in public.

A day hasn't gone by that Blaine hasn't imagined how fantastic kissing Kurt would feel or holding him tight and with abandon.

"How...how do you mean?" Kurt asks, breaking from his stupor.

"I mean you and me, being a couple in the real world. We have been so fortunate, Kurt. We had an opportunity that other people rarely get. We met, became friends, fell in love, got married, adopted children, but in front of an audience. And now that that's done, we can do it all over again if we want, but for us this time."

Kurt nods again, but this time, he looks happier. Resolute. "How very Whatever Dreams May Come of you." He reaches a hand for Blaine's, and Blaine takes it on instinct, the way he has hundreds of times. Blaine tugs tentatively, and Kurt moves closer, sliding into his arms.

"What do you say?" Blaine asks. "We can start with lunch today, then dinner tomorrow, and after that, who knows?"

--

Tickets to New York Comic Con are way too expensive.

Blaine would know, since the credits that his parents gave him a year ago are, to no one’s surprise, utterly useless. He and Kurt had to pay in dollars!

But it’s a special occasion. It’s a reunion of the cast of The Cooper Chronicles movies, including the actor who played Blaine. But they’re not here for him. They’re here because B.D. Dalton is making an appearance, which is basically unheard of.

B.D. loves her privacy and has barely made any public appearance since the final movie came out. But she’s made an exception for the anniversary.

“I am going to see my creator,” Blaine mutters and he and Kurt take a seat in the convention hall.

“Yup.”

“So weird.”

“She won’t know, though.”

Of course she won’t. Apart from Kurt, no one knows the truth. Kurt and Blaine have created a story for Blaine. He’s Blaine Anderson, originally from a town in the middle of nowhere in America, and he’s lost his parents in an accident, so he moved to the big city to start anew. He and Kurt met in New York, but lost contact. Blaine then found Kurt again, and no one can disprove it. It helps that Santana believed herself to be high when Blaine arrived. She totally hallucinated this fire portal! What a trip!

It also helps that no time had passed on Earth when Kurt was in Daltonia. That was a huge relief for Kurt. No worried friends and family! No awkward explanation of where he’d been for days! When Blaine heard, he was happy for Kurt, although he did wonder if that means that time in Daltonia is now stopped.

But Kurt didn’t think so.

“I never belonged in Daltonia, so the world I am from was halted to a stop while I was there. You, on the other hand, do belong on Earth now,” Kurt had explained, and he had a reason for thinking that Blaine was at home on Earth. It’s thanks to his mother.

It’s been a year since Blaine moved to this world, and he’s getting used to it. He doesn’t regret his choice, especially since he now lives with Kurt, Rachel and Santana in the loft. Waking up next to Kurt is a dream come true, and it makes it all okay. He’s still as directionless as before, and even more so, since he has to adjust to a new world, but he’s also more optimistic than ever.

The panel starts and Kurt and Blaine applaud loudly, together with the many other fans.

It starts off rather boringly. Everyone talks about their experiences filming the movies and what not. Blaine hasn’t seen the movies. He still hasn’t even read the books. Maybe he never will. It is still too strange for him.

But when it’s time for the audience to ask questions, he sits up.

Kurt’s hand flies up.

“Yes, you,” the moderator points towards him.

Kurt stands up. He talks about how much he loves the book series and the movies, and how happy he is to see B.D. in the flesh.

“My question is for B.D.,” he continues, “If any of your characters would come to life, what would you say to them?”

“Any?” B.D. asks.

Kurt nods.

“Well, that is easy. I would tell them I love them,” she says with a warm smile, and Blaine instantly believes her.

The audience also coos and awwwws.

Blaine also raises his hand.

“Yes, with the bowtie?” the moderator says.

Kurt sits down and Blaine gets up instead.

“Uh, hi B.D.”

“Hello,” she says back.

“If, uh- Imagine your world were real. Daltonia were real. And it would exist alongside this one, do you think it’d be possible for people between them to be connected?”

B.D. blinks a couple of times. She did not expect that question, which is fair, because it sounds ridiculous. Only Kurt and Blaine know the truth.

“I don’t think so, because Daltonia is a world of fiction,” she answers, obviously. She frowns. “May I ask… Connected how?”

“Well, I found out that the character of queen Pamela was originally planned for another book. You repurposed her for this series.”

“True.”

“And, uh, what if- I mean… What if because of that, queen Pamela would always be a bit, uh, off within the world of Daltonia?”

That is Kurt and Blaine’s theory. When Kurt found out about queen Pamela’s character, he immediately started theorising. What if queen Pamela also didn’t fully belong in Daltonia, even though she never knew? And if so, then her child may be the same. Maybe that is why Kurt, who definitely didn’t belong in Daltonia, reacted towards Blaine’s potions and why Blaine was able to read the books, even though they came from a different world.

It’s a theory, though, and they may never get an answer. Definitely not now. B.D. Dalton seems absolutely confused by Blaine’s question, and of course she is.

“Never- Never mind,” Blaine says. It was a bit unfair to expect an answer from B.D.

“No, it is an interesting thought!” B.D. reassures him, “Pamela did come from a story that took place on Earth, even though it was still a work of fiction. And I hope I didn’t write her as an outsider, but it’s true she’s the one character who wasn’t originally created for Daltonia. So who knows?”

It’s an open question to a weird question, but Blaine takes it.

“Yeah. Who knows? Thank you.”

Blaine sits down again. Kurt puts his hand on Blaine’s leg and they continue listening to the panel. At one point, another fan asks if B.D. has ever thought about continuing the series in any way, be it through a sequel, a prequel, or something set in Daltonia.

“No, Daltonia is over for me,” B.D. says, “I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: I have no interests in revisiting it. I think the books ended where I wanted it to end, and I don’t want to risk besmirching that.”

“But you’ve really never thought about what the characters would be up to now?” the fan presses on.

“Never,” B.D. says with a smile, “I have no control over the Chronicles Club anymore. I’d like to think stories live on, even without the author’s interference. And you are free to use your own imaginations, but for me, I have let them go on.”

Kurt squeezes Blaine’s leg and their eyes meet. They share a look. They know that B.D. is right, and it’s their inside joke in a way.

The panel ends. The moderator thanks everyone for coming and the cast and B.D. leave the stage with a huge applause. Then, the convention room slowly empties.

Blaine follows Kurt out, but it’s so crowded, and he loses Kurt in the crowd. That’s fine. Blaine’s adapted to this nifty device called a cell phone. He can call Kurt. He first follows the stream of people, just to be sure, but it’s no use.

Blaine has to make the phone call. He can do it.

He sneaks off to another room, opening a door without reading the sign. He needs a quiet spot.

“Oh.”

Blaine looks up.

B.D. Dalton and two other people are standing in this small room. Blaine must’ve accidentally gone backstage, or what they call it.

“Sorry, sorry, I wanted to make a phone call!” Blaine sounds apologetic, “I will… leave.”

“Wait a minute,” B.D. says. Blaine stops in his tracks. “You asked the question about queen Pamela.”

“Uh. Yeah.”

“… What was your name?” B.D. asks and she looks at him, really looks at him.

“Blaine. Blaine of- Anderson.”

“Blaine,” B.D. says with a hushed voice. Her eyes are basically staring into his soul. Does she recognise him for who he really is?

That is silly.

“Like the prince,” she says, sounding awed and confused, as if she’s glad to see him but can’t understand why.

“Like the prince,” Blaine confirms with a smile. If only she knew.

She keeps looking at Blaine for a while. The other people in the room are confused. But then she quickly shakes her head and laughs quietly, as if she’s realising something funny. The moment has passed.

“Nice to meet you, Blaine,” she says, voice normal and professional, “Now go before security thinks you’re a stalker.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Blaine leaves the room with his heart beating in his chest. For a moment, B.D. recognised him. She might believe it was silly of her, but she did. Blaine doesn’t know what that means, but it makes him feel happy and warm.

“Oh, there you are!”

Kurt walks towards Blaine.

“Sweetheart, I lost you in the crowd.”

“I’m here!” Blaine says. His face is glowing. He is so happy. Kurt notices.

“Anything interesting going on?”

“I will tell you later,” he says, “At home.”

He first needs to sit with it for a while. He’ll probably never speak B.D. Dalton again, but it’s fine. He has this moment.

“Ready?” Kurt takes Blaine’s hand. They’re going to a merch hall. It’s going to be weird to see different interpretations of Cooper in fanart.

Blaine gives Kurt a quick kiss.

“Yes. Lead the way.”

--

End notes: And that's a wrap for this year. Thank you all for reading and coming along on this ride. I had a lot of fun writing it, and it reminded me how much I love writing Klaine. We all love Klaine! That's why we're here, eh?