Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kurt Hummel was done! He was ready to take a nice, long, well-deserved break. He was ready to have some time to himself without having to take responsibility for anything. He was ready to read one of the many books he had bought over the past few years, but had never had time to. And hey, if he fell in love along the way, that would just be icing on the cake. Ever since he had moved to New York six years ago, Kurt had been busting his ass trying to make it in the big city. And make it he did.

oOoOo

His dad and stepmother were ecstatic and so proud of him. They really didn't have any idea what Kurt was planning to do after high school. He was talented in so many things: singing, acting, writing, and designing. They knew he would be successful in any path he chose. Some paths might be harder than others, and they had full confidence that he would succeed in anything he put his mind to. They knew without a shadow of a doubt that Kurt Hummel was not a quitter and his hard work would pay off.

The hardest part of the whole thing, Kurt thought, was going to be telling Rachel that he wasn't going to NYADA with her. He knew, deep down, that she was going to blow up on him. Rachel didn't care about anyone but herself. Somehow, she would make it all about how he was ‘abandoning’ her and ‘how he could he do this’ to her and so on.

Kurt was right. When he told Rachel, "I'm not going to NYADA," she totally flipped her shit.

"How could you, Kurt?" she screamed. "How could you ruin my plans like this? You're abandoning me at the most important time in my life! You are clearly not the person I thought you were."

"I'm not the person anyone thought I was, Rachel," he said, calmly turning to walk away. "This time, I was only thinking about myself."

Needless to say, that was the day that Rachel stopped being his friend and confidant, and he felt a weight lift off of his shoulder that he didn't even know he was carrying. Kurt Hummel was ready to finally live his best life.

Kurt loved Parsons. He loved the classes, the students, the opportunities. Most of all, though, he loved being able to put his sketches and creations out there for others to see. All of his instructors were impressed, as were his classmates. In group projects, everyone wanted to be partnered with him. He was always the star of any showcase he was part of, and they all knew they were sharing their learning experience with somebody special, someone who would undoubtedly make it in the fashion world.

A few of the guys at school tried to earn Kurt's attention; they wanted to be with the beautiful and talented man. Each time they asked, they were politely shut down. Kurt didn't have time to date. He had to work to help pay for what his scholarships didn't, because he was not going to have his parents go into mountains of debt for him to be able to fulfill his dreams.

After graduation, Kurt worked as hard as he could to make his way in the fashion world. He had had the best internships and impressed all of the mentors he worked under. By the time he graduated, all of them were offering him a chance to work with them. The thing was, though, that Kurt didn't want to work for anyone. He wanted full artistic control of his designs. So, he talked to his dad, and they decided the best plan was to take out a business loan, which Burt would co-sign on, and Kurt would open his own store.

With Burt's help, Kurt was able to find the perfect storefront for his shop, Kurt Hummel Designs, and the first collection he released was evening dresses that he designed with his mother in mind. He wanted to honor her memory and continued presence in his life. They were elegant, classic, and whimsical. A few weeks after the collection released, an up-and-coming Broadway star walked by and saw a display in the window. She came in, special ordered two dresses for the approaching awards season, and the rest was history. His name was out there, and the orders continued to pile in ever since.

oOoOo

That was two years ago, he had been working nonstop since then, and he was in desperate need of a vacation. He had no love life to speak of, not having any time at all to date in between running his company, designing, and keeping up with the never-ending orders from people willing to pay top dollar for his unique designs. When he would attend events, his assistant and seemingly unlikely friend from high school would go with him as his plus one.

"Porcelain," Santana started one day. The name had stuck with him after all these years. "You need to get out of here. Close up shop for a couple of weeks, and just go enjoy life."

"It's not that simple, San," Kurt replied.

"Sure it is," Santana rebutted. "I know how to run this place inside and out. You don't have any pressing orders that need attention until mid-to-late January. You need to have some downtime, Kurt."

At the mention of his name and not a nickname, Kurt knew she was serious and wasn't likely to back down. "I’ll think about it," Kurt said in a tone that let Santana know it was best she not continue with the subject. He knew she was right, but there was no way he was going to admit it to her.

Chapter Text

Shit! If there was one word to describe the last couple of days of work, it would be shit. Everything and anything that could go wrong did. One of the seams on a dress had gotten snagged yesterday, and Kurt had to stay at the office for several hours after he should have been home to fix it for the client who was picking it up today. When he finally did get to his apartment, he was too tired to eat and almost too tired to shower. Almost. He was Kurt Hummel after all, and while he might forego his moisturizing ritual once in a while, he would never go to sleep after such a long day without cleaning himself.

The next day, he woke up hoping that it would be better. It started out better for sure. The client loved their dress and said they'd be back to place more orders after the holidays. After that, though, things went downhill quickly. He measured fabric wrong, ripped out seams left and right, and was just being plain bitchy to everybody who crossed his path.

Everyone went home around their usual time, and Kurt was still at the shop, trying like hell to get things finished up. The projects didn't necessarily have to be done right now, but Kurt liked to have everything in order. It helped him feel in control and like the world made sense. He didn't want to have people waiting on him for any reason. He didn't really have anything that needed to be done right away since the dress he had sent off today was the last one that needed to be done before Christmas. Kurt figured he would get a head start on what needed to be done next month since he was here right now and didn't have any plans for the evening.

As he finished that thought, Santana came back into the shop with take-out and a 12-pack of beer. She looked like a woman on a mission, and he was the main subject of that mission.

"I know you haven't stopped to eat all day," Santana said. "And I'm guessing you didn't eat yesterday either."

"I had a salad for lunch yesterday, thank you very much!" Kurt retorted.

"Mmm-hmm," Santana replied. "Anyway, we're going to eat this Thai take-out and drink these, and then, you're going to go home and take tomorrow off."

"But…" Kurt tried.

"No, Kurt," she firmly said. "No buts. You need to take better care of yourself, or you are going to end up in the hospital. I love you too fucking much to let you do that to yourself. Now, eat the damn food and drink a beer, or so help me, I will pull the razorblades from my hair and slice you with them until you relent!"

Kurt knew that she would never hurt him. He also knew that it was a testament to her concern for him if she was threatening him. "Thank you, San. I love you, too, you know."

They ate and drank and laughed and drank some more. When the duo was on their fourth beer apiece, Santana brought up the idea of a vacation again. She was much better at holding her alcohol than Kurt was, and she was barely buzzed. Kurt, however, was well on his way to being toasted. Santana figured it didn't help that he'd barely eaten anything in the last two days either.

"So, Porcelain," Santana began, "where is the one place in the world you've always wanted to go, and, for whatever reason, haven't."

Without hesitation, Kurt replied, "Tuscany."

"You're such a romantic, aren't you?" Santana said without any hint of malice in her accusation.

"I've dreamt about this realllly beautiful villa there a few times," Kurt shyly said. "I don't…hmmm…I don’t even know if it is real, or if maybe…my brain has just made it up. It's so super pretty, though."

"Tell me more about this dream," Santana said, pulling out her computer and signing on to a travel website.

"Well..." Kurt said, closing his eyes. He tried to picture the villa in his head, but the beer was making his mental pictures fuzzy. "The villa...sits on a hill!" He threw a hand on her shoulder, pulling her body back toward him. "It's breathtaking, San. There's a garden, and...it's amazing." He paused, and Santana thought he might have fallen asleep. Then, "It's big. Like, for a family, it'd be really big. But, like, two people is good, too."

As he was speaking, she was searching and found a place that looked somewhat like what he was describing. "Does it look anything like this?" she asked.

Kurt opened his eyes and scooted over to her, not trusting his legs at the moment. When he looked at the picture she was showing him, his eyes about popped out of his head and he sobered up immediately.

"Holy shit!" Kurt exclaimed. "It's real." Tears sprang to his eyes. There were other reasons that this place was so special to him, and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to share those with Santana.

"What is it, Kurt?" she asked. "I can tell there's something you're not telling me."

Kurt tore his eyes away from the screen and looked into hers. They were so sincere, and he was tired of carrying around this secret. Taking a fortifying breath, he prepared to tell her something he'd never told anybody before.

"For as long as I can remember, I've had these dreams," Kurt said, looking back at the villa on Santana's computer screen again. "When I was younger, I didn't really realize what was going on. There was just someone who popped up in my dreams every once in a while, to help me go through whatever it was I was struggling with."

He stopped to look over at her, gauging her reaction to what he was saying. When she nodded, he continued. "After my mom died, he would come and just hold my hand while I cried. I don't know his name, and we don't ever talk. He's just there for me, and I'm there for him too when he needs me. The dreams have been happening less and less over the past few years, though. In several of the dreams, we are there," Kurt pointed at the screen. "That is the place we go to as adults. The other dreams we’ve had are memories, but these aren’t because we haven’t ever been there, it’s confusing and it doesn’t make a lot of sense. But I know, that villa is the place where we fall in love. I can just tell by the looks we give each other. Nothing more, nothing less. The love is just there in his golden eyes, and I imagine, my own eyes are reflecting the same emotion."

"You have to go there, Kurt!" Santana practically yelled. "It's destiny. You have time to take off right now for at least a month. Your dad and Carole are going on that cruise for Christmas, and Finn is spending it with his wife's family. Nothing is holding you back from going! And think about it, if it weren’t destiny, how would I have found this place, among all of the villas in Tuscany that could fit the very vague description you gave me?"

Kurt looked at her and then back at the screen. The villa was a bed and breakfast type of place and only allowed two separate occupants at a time. If a family wanted to go, it could accommodate six, but when it was booked separately, they only allowed two. There was one vacancy for two weeks if he left in two days. Looking between Santana and the screen again, he made his decision. He was going to Bagnoregio.

Chapter Text

Two days after booking the villa, Kurt found himself on an eight-and-a-half-hour plane ride to Rome, leaving Santana in charge of the shop for two weeks. He had a car rental lined up so that he could drive himself to the villa, a two-hour drive from Rome. Kurt wasn't sure if he would use the car much or if he would just lounge around the villa, but he didn't want to get there and wish he had rented one. During the flight, he had a lot of time to think about the events that led up to this point in his life.

"I really need to buy Santana something she wouldn't buy for herself," Kurt thought as his mind began to wander. "And I really can't believe I told her about my dream man." He sighed, readjusting himself against the seat. "There is no way that someone that perfect is real. No way at all! The way that he is always there when I need him and can comfort me no matter what I’m going through...The way that I know what to do to comfort him...There's no way possible that there's a real man like that out there somewhere who would be perfect for me."

As he sat and pondered the existence of his dream man, he thought back to a quote he had read sometime after his mother had died. It had become somewhat of a way of living for him. "I'm not going to rush anything. I'm not going to stress out or worry about how things will work out for me. Instead of overthinking, I will align my faith with divine timing and trust that everything that belongs in my life is making its way toward me right now."

Kurt had never been a religious person. At least, not in the sense that others thought of when they typically thought of a religious person. Kurt, however, did believe in something. He believed in Fate, hard work, and knowing that things will somehow, someway work out, even when they don't seem like they will. He had let this creed slip some in the past couple of years. He was no longer consciously thinking it anymore, and, as a result, he realized he was not taking care of himself.

"Everything may have worked out how it was supposed to," Kurt continued to think. "Maybe this was the path I was destined to be on all along. It could have been that this was the way things were supposed to work out for me; the failure to take care of myself led to this very trip. Which makes me wonder what exactly Fate has in store for me while I'm in Italy. I hope it's him. I so want him to be real."

That thought led him down the rabbit trail of his non-existent love life. At least, it hadn't existed since high school. He had met his first boyfriend, Sebastian, while spying on a rival glee club. Seb could tell that Kurt was there for more than just spying. This was yet another thing that destiny had in store for Kurt that he was not expecting as Kurt never believed he would have any sort of romantic relationship until he was in college and out of Ohio. He and Seb were together for two years until it was time for them to go to college. Neither one felt that living on opposite ends of the country would be beneficial to them or their relationship, so they decided to break it off. They still talked often, and Kurt was the best man when Sebastian married his soulmate.

Soulmate. That was a word he hadn't thought of since the day of Seb and Danny's wedding.

oOoOo

"How do you know he's your soulmate, Seb?" Kurt had asked him while they were getting their tuxes on.

"Umm…" Sebastian had not really been prepared to answer this question, ever. He always had just felt his connection to Danny, and really wasn’t sure he could put his feelings into words that would encompass what he felt. "It's like when I saw him, something inside me clicked, and all of the pieces of my being were put together in a way that finally made sense. Honestly, it's not something I can really describe with words. It's just something that I feel in the depths of my soul."

oOoOo

Kurt really wanted that. He loved Sebastian, and they had shared all of their firsts with each other. But Kurt didn't get that ‘clicking’ feeling when he thought about Seb. "He's out there. I know he is. My perfect match will be put in my path when he's supposed to be." For the remainder of the flight, Kurt thought about his own soulmate. He trusted that he wasn't meant to be alone, and he most definitely wasn't hardwired for one-night stands. The one he had had right after he graduated from Parsons was enough for him. He felt dirty afterward, and the words "you matter" from Burt’s sex talk kept swirling around his mind. From then on out, he was determined that he would only sleep with someone he loved, because it never felt wrong when he had sex with Seb.

When Kurt landed in Rome, the weather was beautiful. It wasn't warm per se, but there was no snow on the ground, so he was happy. After he gathered his luggage and collected his car from the rental place, he was on his way to Bagnoregio and a place he had only ever dreamt about, Domus Civita. When he finally got there, he realized he should have researched the area a little better. He found out very quickly that he would not be able to drive the car to the villa. There was a parking lot where he could leave it, and then he would either have to walk or take a shuttle across a very long bridge to get into the villa.

Kurt was able to communicate enough with the guide on the shuttle to get to where he was staying. The guide helped him to get to where he needed to be so he could check-in.

"Here is your key," Liliana said after Kurt gave her all of the information she asked for in order to confirm his stay. "It looks like the other occupant you will be sharing the house with arrived yesterday and will be leaving a few days before you. If you need anything, this is my number. I live here in the city and would be more than happy to show you around if you would like me to."

"Thank you," Kurt said. "I might have to take you up on that." Grabbing his luggage, he took off toward the villa in the direction Liliana pointed him in, eager to get to the villa and relax after the long flight.

As he went into the house, he was stunned by the decor and overall ambiance of the place. "Wow!" he whispered as he walked out on the terrace and took in the scenery of the valley. He was in such awe of the home that he didn't hear the other guest approaching.

"Hello," the man said. As Kurt turned around, both men gasped. "Is it really you?" was the last thing Kurt heard before everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Kurt was having the most beautiful dream. His dream man was there, holding him tight, telling him, "Everything is going to be alright, baby." That gave Kurt pause. In the dreams, the man never said anything to him. He didn't know what his voice sounded like at all, and he would most definitely remember being called 'baby.' Maybe he wasn't dreaming...

At that thought, he started to stir. The first thing he noticed was that his body was lying on something hard, but his head was being cradled on something soft-ish. There was a distinct smell of cologne, Aqua di Gio by Armani, one of his favorites. He also noticed a hand rubbing his cheek softly, and that was what finally woke him completely.

As Kurt sat up, he heard a soft, calming voice behind him. "Slow down, please. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Kurt turned around and almost fainted again. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Am I still dreaming?" he whispered, afraid he would break the spell if he were to talk any louder.

"No," the man said with a blinding smile. "You're not. You did fall and hit your head pretty hard, though."

"Is it really you?" Kurt asked, still shocked by the man who was sitting in front of him.

"If you mean the 'you' from the series of dreams we've been having over the past several years, then yes, I'm that 'you.'"

And just like that, the pieces inside of Kurt clicked together. He now understood what Sebastian was trying to describe to him. He also realized that there were absolutely no words to adequately describe what he was feeling.

With the happiest of unshed tears in his eyes, Kurt scooted closer to the man, offered his hand for him to shake, and said, "I'm Kurt."

"Blaine," the other man said and took Kurt's hand. Fireworks exploded in both of their bodies, and they could feel some otherworldly bond beginning to form between them.

"Please tell me you feel that, too," Kurt plead.

"The fireworks?" Blaine asked. At Kurt's nod, he continued. "Yeah, I feel them. How is this real?"

"I was just wondering the same thing," Kurt said, still holding Blaine's hand. "Should we sit down?" He gestured to a sofa to their left. "I feel like we have so much to talk about, even though it seems like I've known you my whole life."

"I'd like that," Blaine said with another one of his signature smiles. At least, that's what Kurt was going to call them.

As they sat, they both realized that they hadn't let go of each other's hands. When they looked into each other's eyes, they saw the same questioning look reflected back. "I'm not sure I want to let go quite yet," Kurt said, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not ready to let go, either," Blaine answered with a similar blush.

The men talked. They talked about everything they could think of, the good, the bad and the ugly. Though, the more difficult topics they ‘surface’ talked about, not wanting their memory of the moment they met to be tainted with so much sorrow and hurt. They learned that they both lived in New York on opposite ends of Central Park, that Kurt owned his own business, and that Blaine was still in law school. Each of them talked about remembering the events when they had been comforted by the other in their dreams.

"So," Kurt asked, "what do you think this means?"

"I'm not really sure," Blaine answered. He hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Do you believe in soulmates?"

Kurt's eyes almost bugged out of his head as he nodded in confirmation. "My one and only ex-boyfriend met his soulmate after we broke up, and they got married a couple of years ago. When he tried to tell me about his feelings toward Danny, I was skeptical and couldn’t quite understand what he was trying to tell me. Now, I know exactly what he was trying to describe though."

"My best friend, Wes, met his soulmate and married her a couple of years ago, too," Blaine explained. "He tried to describe to me what it was like to fall in love with Claudia, but I'm not sure I ever really understood the magnitude of it until today. And...I hope that I don't scare you away with what I'm about to say." He stopped, swallowing hard before whispering, "What he was trying to describe to me is exactly how I feel about you."

Kurt let the tears fall now. He was so overwhelmed with emotions that he didn't quite know how to express them. "You're not going to scare me away, because I feel exactly the same."

They sat there, looking into each other's eyes for several more minutes until Kurt's stomach interrupted them. "Should I go find you something to eat?" Blaine asked with a soft chuckle.

"Oh, my goodness!" Kurt exclaimed and jumped up. "I haven't unpacked. My clothes will be all wrinkly by now." He got up in a panic and retrieved his luggage from the balcony.

"I've taken one of the rooms upstairs and left the other two for you to choose from," Blaine said, following closely behind Kurt. He was afraid that he had a concussion, and he didn't want him to fall again. "The room down here has more space, but the one upstairs has a killer view."

"Which one has the bigger closet?" Kurt asked.

"I think they're about the same," Blaine answered with another soft chuckle. He was starting to understand his soulmate's love of clothes and how important they really were to him.

"Let me see the one down here first, please, and then I'll go upstairs and check that one out," Kurt responded.

After seeing both rooms, he decided that he wanted the view more than the extra space.

"Would you like any help unpacking?" Blaine offered after he had insisted on carrying Kurt's luggage up the stairs for him. He really didn't want to leave Kurt yet. The possible concussion was just a convenient excuse to spend more time with him.

"No, thank you," Kurt answered. "You can stay here and talk with me while I unpack if you'd like, though."

"I'd like that very much," Blaine said, secretly relieved, and he sat down on the bed since there was no other place for him to sit. Blaine regaled him with a story of his travels over to Rome while Kurt unpacked. By the end, Kurt was in tears from laughing so much.

"Would you like to join me for supper tonight?" Kurt asked after he had finally finished putting his belongings away.

"I'd love to," Blaine answered. "Should we call the chef, or would you like to see what there is to cook?"

"Actually," Kurt started, "I already had the chef scheduled since it's my first night here. Liliana gave me her number, so I will just shoot her a text and see if the meal can be prepared for two instead of just one."

Liliana was delighted with the change of plans; she had secretly been hoping that the two of them would get together after meeting both of them. There was just something about them that seemed to go together. Liliana assured them it wouldn't be a problem, and the men went downstairs and outside to the balcony. As they sat down to take in the landscape and the enormity of what the events of the day meant to both of them, they both knew that this date, December 20^th, 2019, would be a day they would never forget.

Chapter Text

As the duo chatted on the balcony, they were met with the delightful aroma of authentic Italian cuisine. Kurt and Blaine made their way to the kitchen and introduced themselves to the chef.

"I am Lorenzo, and it is my pleasure to cook for you," the chef said, in his thick, Italian accent. He seemed to enjoy his job and didn't mind at all being the couple's personal chef for the night. He pointed toward the terrace. "Appetizers on de table in de gazebo. I hope you like spaghetti," he grinned, waving them off with both hands.

"Whatever you are cooking, it smells wonderful," Kurt chuckled, and he and Blaine made their way to the terrace.

The gazebo had a singular light illuminating it, and candles adorned the other surfaces that created a very romantic ambiance. How had they missed all of this while they were sitting on the sofa at the other end of the terrace? When they reached the table, they saw a beautiful meat and cheese platter and two glasses of wine.

Kurt's stomach rumbled again, and Blaine's smile widened. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing toward the table. When Kurt moved to sit down, Blaine pulled out his chair for him before taking his own seat.

As they nibbled on the food, they looked at the menu printed on elegant parchment to see what else was in store for them that night and learn a little more about what was on the platter in front of them.

Welcome to Domus Civita

Appetizers : Cheese and cold cuts including sausage from Mount St. Biagio, Susianella salami, ham steak from Viterbo, ripened Pecorino cheese, Florentine cheese, seasoned Fiocco cheese from Tuscia, half-seasoned Caprino cheese served with pear and ginger marmalade, walnuts and confit tomatoes

First Course : Spaghetti with Gragnano carbonara with Cheek lard from Guarcino, eggs from St. Bartolomeo in Viterbo, and Pecorino cheese

Second Course : Pork tenderloin with plum sauce and a flan of roman artichokes

Dessert : Tiramisu

While they were eating their appetizers, Blaine talked a little more about growing up. Kurt learned that Blaine had discovered he was gay in late elementary school. Blaine talked about how, while he liked to hang out with the girls sometimes, he didn't find them attractive like the other boys in his class did. He told Kurt that the first thing he noticed he liked about boys was their smell after gym class, which some people would find gross, but Kurt could somewhat sympathize with. Nothing had been sexier to him when he and Sebastian were dating than him after a run, drenched in sweat. Kurt told the story of how his parents knew he was gay when he was three and asked for a pair of sensible heels for Christmas.

When Chef Lorenzo brought out the first course and a completely different wine which he explained was from a local winery, the boys were already falling in love with each other. During the meal, Kurt told Blaine about losing his mother to a drunk driving accident. He wasn't as subdued about the event as he once had been. Time had healed the deepest wounds, and it was easier for him to recall the happy times with her before her untimely passing. Both boys silently reminisced about the dreams they had had around the time of Kurt's mother's death. That was the first time they had seen each other in their dreams.

During the second course, they made an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't have any more ‘sad talk’ for the remainder of the night. Their pork tenderloin had yet again been expertly paired with another local wine. Blaine told Kurt about how he came to New York. He had hoped to attend Columbia like his father had, and was utterly devastated when he didn't get in. Kurt was starting to wonder if this was going to be another sad story until Blaine spoke about getting into NYU and loving every minute of it. He talked about the friends he had met and how he was able to stay in contact with some of his friends from high school since they were also in the city. Blaine told Kurt that he was in his second year of law school at Columbia and how proud he was of himself for getting in after being rejected as an undergraduate.

By the time Chef Lorenzo served their tiramisu and a sweet Moscato, the boys were well on their way to a nice buzz, and neither one could tell if it was from the wine or their connection to each other. They spent the rest of their meal looking shyly into each other's eyes and giggling like a couple of teenagers. Seemingly out of nowhere, but in reality, they both should have felt it approaching, they leaned in at the same time and shared a sweet, both literally and figuratively, first kiss.

As they leaned back, Blaine thought to himself, "Man, I am really out of practice. I wish we could keep practicing that."

Well, he thought he was just thinking that, because the next thing Kurt said was, "I thought we were."

Before he could get embarrassed, Blaine dived back in, and the boys shared several more ‘practice’ kisses. They were so focused on each other that they didn't notice Lorenzo pick up the remainder of their dishes and leave the villa to go home. After a while, Kurt felt a chill, and effectively brought them out of their kissing haze.

"As much as I would love to stay up and talk more, I am exhausted and freezing," Kurt said as another shiver went through his body.

"How's your head?" Blaine asked brushing his hand against Kurt’s cheek. "I'm not sure I should let you go to bed yet, especially after you hit it so hard earlier." He halfway wanted to say that he wasn't sure if Kurt should go to bed by himself, but he didn't want to push it too much on their first night. After all, that's what they invented masturbation for, right?

"I think it's ok," Kurt replied with a grin on his face, totally seeing through Blaine's question. "If it makes you feel any better, you can set an alarm and wake me up every few hours to make sure I'm alright."

"You wouldn't mind?" Blaine asked, hopefully.

"Not at all," Kurt told him. He knew he'd regret it in the morning, not being able to get eight or more straight hours of sleep, but it was worth it to see the look on Blaine's face at being able to keep an eye on him throughout the night. It was nice to have someone want to take care of him.

"Good night, Blaine," Kurt said. "I will see you in…" he wanted to say my dreams, but settled for, "in a few hours." He retreated into his room, took a shower, and fell right asleep.

Blaine did the same and set his alarm to wake him up in four hours to check on Kurt. He wasn't prepared for the dream he had that night. Not at all!

"There's an emergency and I need to pull Blaine out of class," Headmaster Kelly whispered to the teacher.

"Blaine," the headmaster at his high school said as he interrupted Blaine's Biology class. "You need to come to the office, please." Blaine was worried about what this could mean and felt he had done a decent job of ignoring the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach all day.

When he got to the office, the first thing he noticed was his mother sitting there, looking unkempt, very unlike herself. "Momma, what's going on?" he asked.

She just looked at him with extreme sadness in her eyes. All it took was a look, and he knew in an instant what had happened. "NOOOOO!" he wailed. "They t-told us we had m-more time. They s-said we'd ha-have until Christmas with him."

Dalisay Anderson shot up from her chair and embraced her son before he had the chance to fall to the floor in shock. She was trying her hardest to keep it together, knowing that what she had to say next was going to break his heart. "I know, my son. I know,” she said and kissed his forehead. “I'm s-so sorry. He went to take a n-nap and just didn't wake up. I called the ambulance, and they took him to the hos-hospital, they tried and tried to get him to come back. They...they just couldn't."

Blaine was devastated. Adrian Anderson, the greatest man he had ever known, was gone.

The dream morphed into the funeral and Kurt was right there beside him, holding his hand and doing everything he could to send comfort to the boy sitting beside him.

Before the alarm could go off and wake either of them, Kurt woke up and walked to Blaine's room. He laid down beside him and just held him while Blaine cried in his sleep. Silent tears made their way down Kurt's face, too. The alarm sounded, and he shut it off as quickly as he could, not wanting to wake Blaine, knowing that he needed to work through his pain.

"You're safe, sweetheart," Kurt whispered to Blaine's sleeping form. "I've got you." There Kurt stayed until he fell asleep again and rejoined Blaine in his dream, holding him there, too.

Chapter Text

Blaine didn't want to wake up. Ever. Even though he had had to relive his father's death and funeral, he had never slept better, which didn't make sense to his sleep-addled mind. He knew consciousness was calling him, but he wanted, more than anything, to stay wrapped up in the warm embrace of sleep, and enjoy every moment with Kurt.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Kurt answered. He had been awake for a little bit now, just holding Blaine and marveling at how beautiful and peaceful he looked while he slept.

"Don't want to leave you," Blaine muttered, still thinking he was talking to ‘Dream Kurt.’

"Are you going somewhere I don't know about?" Kurt chuckled in response.

"When I wake up, you'll be gone," Blaine said and snuggled deeper into ‘Dream Kurt's’ arms.

"Sweetheart," Kurt prodded, "open your eyes, and you’ll see that I'm right here." Kurt kissed him on his temple in hopes that it would coax him awake and assure him that he was real and right there with him.

It took Blaine a few moments to process this, but when he did begin to wake, he realized that he was lying on a substantial chest and lips were pressing gentle kisses to his forehead, temple, and hair. "Baby?" Blaine said in a sleepy voice.

"Yes?" Kurt answered.

"Is it really you? Are you really real?" Blaine asked, afraid to open his eyes and be disappointed when Kurt wasn't there. This had happened too many times before and he wasn’t sure that he would be able to handle it if it happened this time.

"I'm real, and I'm right here," Kurt said, squeezing Blaine a little more to assure him that yes, he was real and that Blaine wasn't still dreaming.

Blaine peeked his eyes open, and sure enough, Kurt was right there. "Thank god," Blaine said, and he surged up for a kiss that was met with equal fervor. When they had kissed for a couple of minutes, Blaine pulled back, looked into those glasz eyes, realized (not for the first-time mind you) that he could stare into them forever and never really see all their colors, and said, "Good morning."

Kurt smiled, looking into Blaine's golden, hazel eyes he knew he could look into forever, gave him another peck on the lips, and answered, "Good morning to you, too. How do you feel this morning?" he asked as he ran his fingers through Blaine’s luscious curls.

Blaine looked away from Kurt, not wanting him to see the pain he feeling was all of a sudden. "Um…"

Kurt hooked two of his fingers under Blaine's chin to get him to make eye contact again. "Don't hide from me, please. I'm here for you now, just like I have been ever since we were kids."

Before Blaine could even start talking, tears filled his eyes. "What you saw last night was when my dad died," he whispered, afraid that speaking louder would make him cry harder. "He had cancer, and the d-doctors had told us we had about s-six more months with him at that time. I boarded at my high school some of the time and hadn't been ho-home at all that we-week because we were preparing for finals. It hurt sss-so bad that I wasn't there."

As Blaine sniffled out his story, Kurt wondered if from now on, every time either one of them felt an emotion this extreme, the other one would, too. He felt like his heart was breaking, and he knew that Blaine's heart was breaking all over again at telling the story. "I am so sorry you had to go through that. Death is never pleasant, and it's doubly hard when it's your parent," Kurt soothed, wrapping his arms tighter around his soulmate.

Blaine soaked up Kurt's words and his embrace as he reminisced for a few minutes. A part of him liked remembering if only so he could soak up Kurt's love just a bit longer. After a deep, cleansing breath, Blaine looked back up at Kurt and noticed that he had tear tracks going down his face. "Please don't cry," he said, leaning up to wipe them away with his thumb. "You're much too beautiful to cry."

"I could say the same thing about you, my dear," Kurt replied as he dried Blaine's tears and gave him a sweet kiss, followed by an Eskimo kiss that coaxed a giggle out of Blaine.

Blaine tilted his head once more to give Kurt a peck and asked, "What would you like to do today? I guess we didn't even talk about either of our plans while we are here last night did we?"

"I have nothing planned at all for this trip," Kurt said, deciding that he would wait for another time to talk about how he'd decided to make the reservation here.

"Well," Blaine started, "how would you feel about some breakfast? Then, I would like to find a gym if we can. Whenever I have a dream like that, I need to work off the energy."

Kurt got a little bug-eyed at the coincidence. "I like to go to the gym, too. Yoga helps re-center me after I wake up feeling like I’ve been run over by a stampede of wild elephants."

"I like to box," Blaine said, sitting up. "Okay, well, let's go find what there is to eat and then ask Liliana if there's a gym we can go to. If there isn't, I can shadow box on the terrace. Do you need the gym to do your yoga?"

"Nope," Kurt answered as he reluctantly let go of Blaine and started to climb out of bed. "I've been doing yoga since high school and have learned how to adapt to various locations and limited resources."

The boys made their way down to the kitchen after each stopping at their own bathrooms and taking care of their morning routines. They decided on fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast, choosing again to eat on the terrace and take in the beautiful scenery in the early morning light. While they ate, Kurt texted Liliana and found out that there, unfortunately, wasn't a gym in the city.

While they were eating breakfast, they both talked about how long they typically worked out and were happy to hear that their regular workout times were about the same. Kurt usually stretched for 15 minutes, got into the yoga poses for about an hour, and then had another 15-minute cooldown. Blaine said he liked to get his heart rate going a little by jumping rope and running on a treadmill for about 20 minutes, hitting the bag or shadow boxing for about 45 minutes, and then doing a set of cool-down stretches as well until his muscles were loose.

After they were done eating, they both retired to their rooms to change so they could work out, both thankful they had brought a change of suitable clothes. Kurt thanked Liliana for letting him borrow a yoga mat. She had offered to drop one by after she told him that there wasn't a gym. As Blaine wrapped his wrists for his workout, Kurt set up his mat in what he determined to be the most picturesque spot.

Both men put in their headphones and tried to get in the right headspace to get rid of the negative emotions from their night. Both had a way they liked to do things and typically stuck with that set plan. About 20 minutes into really working out, Kurt got into the Pigeon pose. He almost wished he hadn't. Almost. From that position, he could see Blaine in all of his sweaty glory. “FUCK!” he thought. He was dancing around, jabbing here and hooking there, completely unaware of how incredibly sexy he was and how much he was turning Kurt on.

Kurt had never really noticed before, but he loved backs. And shoulder blades. And asses. "Oh my god is his ass beautiful," Kurt thought. "There should be a shrine built in honor of that ass and placed in my bedroom. And it needs to be drenched in his sweat that only I'm allowed to lick and smell and…uggggggg," Kurt didn't want to change poses because he hadn’t been in this one long enough to really do anything, but knew he needed to. He transitioned into Child pose to get a good stretch in his back since he wasn't really paying too much attention during the last one. As he stretched out, he kept thinking about Blaine behind him.

"His arms are so strong. He could really do damage if the wrong person ever came into contact with his fist. It would feel really nice to have that kind of protection walking down the street with me back in New York," Kurt thought as he stretched.

What Kurt didn't notice was that while he was transitioning to new poses, Blaine had turned around and almost choked on air as he was met with the sight of Kurt, face down, his ass sticking out.

Chapter Text

"Ghuuuu," Blaine groaned aloud as he stared, mesmerized by Kurt's ass. Thankfully, his groan didn't reach Kurt's ears. "That would have been embarrassing. But his ass...it's so perfect. I want to get my hands on that ass. My hands, and my lips, and my tongue, and-oh my god, I need to stop this train of thought before he changes poses and sees my raging boner. Milkman, Grandma, dead animals on the side of the road, that annoying witch that's married to that singer I love. Okay, that one did it for sure. Now, turn back around and finish your workout."

Blaine turned around right as Kurt transitioned into Downward Dog. Kurt kept his eyes closed, not wanting to get distracted again. Blaine kept his back to Kurt so he didn't get distracted either and end up embarrassing himself. They both finished their main workouts around the same time, so Blaine walked over to Kurt. "Can I cool down with you?" he asked, panting.

Kurt had a hard time focusing on what Blaine was saying. There was a particularly large drop of sweat that was trickling down Blaine’s throat, and it was taking all of Kurt's self-control not to pounce on him and lick it up. When it disappeared under his tank top, he nodded, "Yes…that would be just fine with me." He had to tear his eyes away from the spot on Blaine's neck where the sweat had disappeared, hoping the other boy hadn't noticed. If he sounded a little breathless, he hoped that Blaine would attribute it to the workout and not how the site of him was affecting Kurt.

Blaine wasn't nearly as distracted as Kurt was during the cool down. He was silently both thankful and disappointed that Kurt was sitting instead of having his glorious ass on display. After their post-workout stretching routine, they decided to head to their bathrooms and shower then explore the city for a while before grabbing a late lunch.

While in the shower, both boys replayed the last hour in their minds, and by the time they were finished, they were much less sexually frustrated. As they walked around the city and decided on pizza for lunch, they talked about random events from their lives thus far, eager to learn all they could about the other.

"Tell me a little bit more about why you decided on law," Kurt said at the restaurant after their drinks had come to the table.

"The story doesn't start out very pleasant," Blaine cautioned. "Is that okay?"

"Blaine," Kurt answered, "we know better than most that life isn't always pleasant. Through unpleasant things we learn to look forward to the good stuff. My mother's death was the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. And look at all the good that's come out of that. I met you, sort of, when you came into my dream that night, knowing that I needed comfort. I have an amazing brother and step-mother. Do I wish Mom wouldn't have died? Every damn day. Do I dwell on it? No…I can't. There's nothing I can do to change the past. All I can do is try to figure out what Fate has in store for me and live my life as best as I can."

"That's really a beautiful way of looking at things," Blaine said, in awe of the strength of his soulmate. "I really wish more people had that outlook on life."

"Me too. It would make the world a much less hateful place, don't you think?"

"I do," Blaine answered and felt a shiver of something, he wasn't quite sure what, run through his body at saying those words. "Okay. So, the reason I decided to study law has to do with me getting put into the hospital after a gay-bashing incident." Blaine stopped when he heard Kurt gasp. "I warned you it wasn't pleasant; are you sure you want me to tell you now?"

"That's why you were in the hospital?" Kurt asked, unshed tears pooling in his eyes as he remembered visiting with Blaine in the hospital in several of his dreams.

"Yeah," Blaine answered softly. "It was right before my 8th-grade year was over, and summer break was within reach. Our school had their annual Sadie Hawkins dance as their end of the year celebration. You would think that in Connecticut, people would have been a little more tolerant. And some of them were, don't get me wrong at all. There were just these few jocks, and apparently their older brothers, that didn't take too kindly to Jonathan and me going to the dance together. Our other 'out' friends weren't going to the dance for fear of any backlash that it might cause. I really, really wish we wouldn't have gone either."

Blaine took a little break in his story when their food was brought to the table. They decided to eat now and finish the story after they left the restaurant. As they ate, they debated whether they should find a place around the city to sit and finish their conversation or just going back to the villa. Kurt could feel the tension coming off of Blaine and gently steered the vote in the direction of the villa. Once there, they sat on the terrace and looked out over the valley.

After taking a deep, grounding breath, Blaine continued his story. Kurt sat next to him, holding his hand and offering all of the strength he could. "The dance itself was wonderful. Nobody messed with us, and we had a good time dancing with each other and our friends. We weren't in love or anything like that, so there was never anything affectionate between us. We were just two friends wanting to enjoy a dance like all of our classmates. Before the dance even started, we had decided not to stay until the end and beat the rush of parents picking up their kids. So, about 45 minutes before the dance ended, we walked outside to wait for Jonathan's older brother to pick us up. Our parents were all busy, and he didn't mind." Blaine paused again, mustering up the strength to tell the next part.

"I've got you, sweetheart. You're safe," Kurt whispered and placed a gentle kiss on Blaine's right temple.

Blaine leaned his head on Kurt's shoulder and tightened his grip on Kurt's hand. "Jonathan and I were talking about how much fun we had and how we wished that our other friends would have decided to come to the dance. We were laughing at some of the dance moves we had seen and didn't hear them coming. I don't remember a whole lot about what happened exactly, just little bits and pieces of them saying things like 'faggot,' 'not in my school,' and 'unnatural.' Stuff like that. Jonathan's brother had to park his car a little ways away, and he witnessed some of it happening. He startled them, and they all panicked and ran. He was able to memorize their faces and later tell the cops who it was that beat us so badly. I wasn't a lot of help in that aspect since the very first thing they did was hit us both over the head. They hit me with a bat and Jonathan with a pipe. Luckily, my head injury didn't cause any permanent damage. The doctor wondered if the guy who hit me didn't really want to hurt me, because the hit should have done more damage than it did. Jonathan wasn't so lucky. He's been in a wheelchair ever since and has lost so much of his ability to function."

Kurt was furious. Sure, he had had his fair share of name-calling and locker shoves, even those fucking slushie facials. Never had he been beaten like this, though. "What happened to the guys who did it?" Kurt asked, somehow knowing that whatever it was, it wasn't enough.

"Since neither one of us could identify them, and all the cops had to go on was Jonathan's brother, Timothy…on Timothy's account of what he saw, they all got community service," Blaine said, feeling as pissed off as he always did when he thought about how little the consequence had been.

"THAT'S IT?" Kurt yelled, jostling Blaine as he threw up his hands in disgust. "I don't know a whole lot about the law. Surely something like that deserves a harsher sentence!"

"It does," Blaine said, laying his head back down on Kurt's shoulder as Kurt wrapped his arm around Blaine and grabbed his hand to hold once more. "There wasn’t an attorney worth a damn willing to take on the case, though. And the lawyer we did get didn't know how to defend us. That's the reason I wanted to go into law. I want to make sure that people who have horrible things happen to them because of what they look like or who they love have adequate representation. I don't want anybody to feel like they can't be defended, because they're different."

"You are amazing, you know that?" Kurt whispered and kissed the top of Blaine's head, running his fingers through Blaine's curls. As he was doing this, Kurt felt a scar and knew that was where those assholes had hit his love.

"Thank you," Blaine whispered back. "You were such an integral part of my healing. I'm not sure how I would have gotten through all of that without you there each night to hold me."

"I love you," Kurt thought but didn't say. He knew it was too soon to be talking about love. "I'm glad there was something I could do. It's no less than you've done for me. I kind of love that whenever we've needed each other, the other one has been there, even if it was just in a dream."

"I agree," Blaine said and looked up at Kurt. "I love you so much," he thought, and instead of saying those words aloud, he surged up and gave Kurt the world's most passionate kiss.

Chapter Text

"Did you bring your swimming trunks?" Kurt asked through kiss-swollen lips almost half an hour later when he realized that he needed to come up for air before he passed out.

"I did," Blaine panted. "To be honest, the pool area was one of the perks of booking this place. It just looked so peaceful and intimate, and I fell in love with it." "Not to mention that's where I had dreamt of us before and knew this was the place when I saw that area."

"Me too," Kurt admitted. "That's one of the reasons I picked this place as well."

"What were the other reasons?" Blaine asked.

"Let's get our trunks on, and we can talk more when we get down there," Kurt offered. "Would that be alright?"

"Of course," Blaine answered and leaned in for another kiss before they parted to get their swimwear on.

While they were in their rooms, they both contemplated taking care of their... problems. In the end, they didn't want to keep the other waiting and decided to think of the most hard-on killing things they could. Since the 'witch' Blaine had thought of earlier in the day worked so well for him before, he tried that and was happy to report that she was still the fastest way to kill a boner. Kurt, on the other hand, thought about the time his dad gave him the sex talk and completely mortified him.

Kurt remembered that talk like it was yesterday, and, while he was beyond grateful to have had a father who was willing to give him that talk, he couldn't help but think of himself during that time and how embarrassed he was. It never failed to make him feel like he definitely didn't want to have sex. Once his body was back under control, he stepped out of his room and met Blaine just as he stepped out of his own room.

"Perfect timing," Blaine said with a blush on his face, trying his hardest not to stare too much at Kurt's pale, toned chest.

"I'll say," Kurt said, absolutely loving the sight of Blaine. In addition to having a slight sweat kink, Kurt was a sucker for a man with a perfect V near his hips. Blaine was beyond perfect in that area and had the most delicious looking trail of hair that led into his trunks. "I cannot wait to map all of that out," Kurt thought to himself, trying to maintain a regular breathing speed.

"Shall we?" Blaine asked, holding out his hand for Kurt to take so that they could walk down to the pool cave together.

"Abso-fucking-lutely," Kurt answered.

"That is one of my favorite lines from Sex and the City," Blaine responded as they walked into the kitchen. He wanted to make sure they had some wine glasses and a bottle opener before they got to the pool area. He had a feeling that once they got in there, they wouldn't want to leave anytime soon.

"Mr. Big always did have some good one-liners, didn't he?" Kurt asked, a bit confused as to why they were in the kitchen. "I was always partial to Samantha myself," he said.

"Really?" Blaine asked, a little taken aback. For some reason he couldn't explain, he felt Kurt would have identified with Charlotte more than the others. He sensed Kurt was a man who liked to be romanced and wooed.

Kurt talked while Blaine got the supplies they needed from the kitchen. He caught on quickly to what his soulmate was gathering and grabbed some cheeses and meats from the fridge to take with them. "It's not so much that I condone her lifestyle or anything like that," he began.

Blaine released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "I would have hated if he was not a relationship kind of guy," he thought.

"I love the confidence she exudes and how she owns her body," Kurt explained as they continued their walk to the pool area, stopping to grab a bottle of wine from the cellar. "I grew up as an outcast. I was the boy who sounded and somewhat looked like a girl. I would rather hang out and sing with the girls. And I was the only out kid in my whole town. For a while, I made myself as invisible as possible, because maybe if I was invisible, they wouldn't throw me in the dumpster or knock me into the lockers, making my back and arms look like a dot-to-dot with bruises."

When they got to the pool, after a quick stop at the wine cellar, they set their snacks and drinks on the table as well as their phones. Kurt was glad for the distraction as he needed a moment to figure out how to talk about the other part of the story. Blaine poured the wine and set the glasses and the meat and cheese plate on the ledge in between the pool and the outside kitchen. When they were all set, the boys walked over to the entrance of the pool and got in. The water was the perfect temperature and they found a comfy spot by the ledge where their snacks and wine were.

"To this really being you," Blaine offered as a toast. Kurt clinked his glass to Blaine's, and they both took a sip, loving the taste of the wine Blaine had chosen. "I get the sense there's more to your Samantha story, right?"

"There is," Kurt said, taking a preparatory breath. "But before I get too far into telling it, I wanted to make sure I answered your question from earlier. The main reason I booked this place is because of our dreams. And I’m guessing, that it’s the reason you did too.”

“You’d be absolutely correct in that assumption,” Blaine said. “I’m not sure why I didn’t just say it. It’s not like neither of us wasn’t aware of what this place is to us. Well, to dream ‘us.’”

“I agree,” Kurt said and kissed Blaine on his oh so perfect lips. “Okay, so back to the Samantha stuff. Talking about this part is a little bit more awkward. Honestly, you're the only person I've ever told this to."

"Take your time," Blaine said, and he scooted even closer to Kurt and put his arm around his back. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to either."

"I want to tell you this," Kurt reassured. "I have a feeling that this thing between us is happening for a reason. We met for a reason. Those dreams were for a reason. And honestly, it just feels right for me to tell you."

Blaine kissed Kurt's temple and gave his shoulder a squeeze, offering what he could to try and ease Kurt's nerves. "I agree with all of that. Sometime during our stay, I'd like to talk more about it, if that's okay with you."

"I'd like that too," Kurt answered and took another drink of his wine. "So…ummm…from a somewhat young age, I realized that parts of my body were, uh, a little different from other boys." He hesitated for a moment, not sure how to proceed. "In junior high, we were required as part of our grade to take a shower after PE class. I never had a problem with it, because I didn't really like being all sweaty and gross like that and then have to sit through the rest of the day of classes feeling dirty. I knew then that I was gay, so I never looked at the other guys. I didn't want to give them any more reasons to hate me than they did." He took another sip from his wine glass for confidence. "Back then, it was only name-calling, which, don't get me wrong, was bad enough, but I definitely didn’t want things to escalate. So, that's what I did; I got in, showered, got out, and didn't ever let my eyes wander."

Kurt took another drink and continued. "Sometime just before Christmas break, I heard a couple of the boys in my class talking to each other about someone while we were getting ready to head back to class."

"How can someone like him have a dick that big?" Brian asked Mitch.

"I have no idea! It's not like any girl is ever going to enjoy it. And no boy could take it. The Fairy Princess is going to be alone forever because that thing is going to scare everyone away!" Mitch said with a hateful laugh.

"I knew they were talking about me, because 'The Fairy Princess' was their name of choice for me. Hearing what they said confirmed it even more, though. That night, my dad caught me crying in my room and basically forced me to tell him what happened. I still to this day don't know how he did it, but I never had to shower in the communal showers again after PE," Kurt finished, scared to make eye contact with Blaine and hoping his story wouldn't have completely scared him away from wanting a relationship with him. "What I'm trying to say," he said shakily, "is that down there I'm, well, bigger than average, I guess…"

Kurt heard the clink of a glass being set down and felt the gentle touch of Blaine's fingers under his chin, coaxing him to look up. "What they did was sexual harassment, and my guess is that is how your dad got your shower spot changed." He gave Kurt a tiny smile. "From what I have seen, every single part of you is beautiful and perfect, and there is no doubt in my mind that the parts I haven't seen will be just as beautiful and perfect." Blaine leaned in and kissed Kurt softly on the lips. "So, Samantha's confidence, when did that affect you?"

"High school," Kurt answered, breathless and in awe of the amazing man sitting next to him. "There really is something to this soulmate thing," he thought as he looked into the golden pools that were Blaine's eyes. "I finally said, 'Fuck it,' and took pride in who I was. I dressed how I wanted and said what I wanted. I figured if I looked different on the outside, they’d stop talking about what was underneath it all. It started off as kind of an experiment to see if they would finally lay off of the more physical aspects of their disdain for me and focus more on the way I dressed, which did work, sort of. That time gave me the confidence to be proud of who I was and learn to love all of the parts of myself. The only hiccup in my plan was that so much of my wardrobe got destroyed during that time. Looking back, what I got out of it personally was worth more than the money I could have spent on 20 closets full of clothes."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Blaine said with that smile that Kurt could feel in his toes. "And I have to say," Blaine started as he leaned in toward Kurt getting just centimeters from his lips. "Destiny really knew what it was doing when it put us together because it sounds like you are exactly who I have been searching for in more ways than just one!" He surged forward and dove his tongue into Kurt's mouth. Kurt was so turned on, he wasn't sure if he would be able to will his erection away this time.

Chapter Text

Blaine found himself straddling Kurt not long after they started kissing. Since Kurt didn't protest, Blaine figured it was alright, and when Kurt's hands grabbed at Blaine's hips, pulling him down flush against Kurt's lap, he was confident that he'd done the right thing.

"Holy fuck, baby," Blaine groaned. "You weren't exaggerating, were you?" Blaine could feel what Kurt had been describing, and, by his estimation, not only was Kurt significantly longer than average, he was thicker, too. It was in that moment, when Blaine's ass came into contact with Kurt's cock through their swimwear, that Blaine Anderson knew that no average-sized man would ever be able to satisfy him. Not that he thought that would be a problem at all. He had a feeling that he and Kurt were endgame for each other, but one just never know what destiny had in store.

"It's okay?" Kurt asked, not knowing if Blaine's comment was good or bad.

"So, so much better than okay," Blaine groaned again as he rocked his ass down onto Kurt's now very hard cock. He reattached his lips to Kurt's and kissed him for all he was worth.

"Sweetheart," Kurt moaned. "I'm so close…it's been so long, and you're so very, very sexy, and you just -"

"Well sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I paint a picture
'Cause since I've come on home,
Well my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over
Stop making a fool out of me
Why don't you come on over Valerie?"

"Damnit, Santana!" Kurt yelled, frustrated, and losing his erection at hearing the song coming from his phone.

"Who in the hell is Santana?" Blaine groaned.

"My soon to be ex-best friend," Kurt said and slid Blaine off of him so he could retrieve his phone.

"This better be good, Satan," Kurt spat, seriously pissed at her for interrupting his orgasm.

"Oh, so you are alive," Santana said by way of an answer.

"Of course, I'm alive," Kurt replied tersely. "Where else would I be?"

"Well," Santana said, preparing to lay into him, "you never called to let me know you made it to Chateau de Magnifique. You didn't let me know that whoever the other occupant was wasn't a serial killer. For all I knew, your plane could have gone down, or you could have crashed your rental on the way to the villa."

"You're right," Kurt admitted, knowing this was his friend's way of showing concern. "I should have called you and let you know I made it here safely. Something happened, though, and it kind of threw me for a loop. And I promise I will tell you all about it later. How's the shop?"

"You know the shop’s fine; don't change the subject," Santana scolded.

"Alright," Kurt conceded. "Hold on just a second." He covered up the microphone and turned toward Blaine. "Do you mind postponing this for a little bit? I really need to talk to her."

"That's perfectly fine," Blaine said softly. "Her interruption actually reminded me I need to call Wes and let him know I'm okay, too."

Kurt leaned down and gave Blaine a kiss to hold him over until they were both finished with their phone calls. He headed over to the terrace to finish his conversation with Santana while Blaine stayed near the pool to make his phone call. The soulmates talked to their best friends for half an hour, telling them about how they had met each other and the things they had seen since then. Neither one spilled any details other than that they had met their soulmate, no matter how much they were pestered.

"San, he's perfect," Kurt gushed.

"Wes, man, he's everything I never knew I needed in my life," Blaine said.

"I won't tell you any more than that," they both told their friends.

"Just know that I'm safe, I love you, and I will be home soon,” Kurt told Santana. “And please don't bother me again unless there's an emergency."

Kurt took a breath after hanging up the phone and thought over everything that had happened since he got to the villa. There were still things he didn't understand, and answers he felt were right out of his reach. Hopefully, those answers would reveal themselves soon. Knowing how destiny worked, the answers would come out precisely when they were meant to.

When Kurt got back down to the pool, he noticed that Blaine was looking out of the entrance that led into the garden. He walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, laying soft, gentle kisses along his shoulders and up to his jaw. Blaine melted back into Kurt, loving the feeling he was creating.

As Blaine leaned back into Kurt's body, he could tell just how affected Kurt was by their closeness as well. He wondered how far was too far at this stage in their relationship. "Fuck, we really need to talk," Blaine thought. He was able to use the last of his functioning brain cells to lean forward and away from Kurt's very tantalizing lips.

"Baby," Blaine panted, "can we talk before we go any further? There are just so many things I want to do right now, but I think stopping right now would be the right thing to do. We need to talk before anything happens that one of us isn't comfortable with. And if you keep kissing me like that, I’m not sure I’d be able to stop and I would never forgive myself if this went too far and I ended up hurting you."

Kurt took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down but not necessarily enough to kill his erection, just enough to get it back under control. "I think that's a very, very good idea."

"Let's get back in the pool," Blaine suggested. "We didn't get to finish our wine or snack, and the water was so nice."

"Lead the way, sweetheart," Kurt said, and Blaine grabbed his hand, leading him back to where they were sitting before Kurt's phone went off.

The boys reclaimed their seats from earlier, and took a few sips of their wine, both waiting for the other one to start the conversation. Since Blaine had been the one who had brought it up, he decided that he should be the one to begin. "I keep trying to find the best way to say this," Blaine said shyly. "I really don't want to mess anything up, and each thing I come up with to say, I fear might scare you away."

"Me too," Kurt admitted. "Maybe this will ease some of your worries. I have this saying that I've sort of lived by for a long time. It goes like this: 'I'm not going to rush anything. I'm not going to stress out or worry about how things will work out for me. Instead of overthinking, I will align my faith with divine timing and trust that everything that belongs in my life is making its way toward me right now.' So, I'm going to trust that there is something to this feeling that we both have. I'm going to trust that destiny, or Fate, or whatever is out there put you in my path for a reason. I'm going to trust that when I saw you, and those pieces inside of me finally all clicked together...when I just knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were the one...I'm going to trust that there was a reason for it. And even though we've only known each other for a little over 24 hours, I feel like I've known you my whole life, or…that I'm remembering you from somewhere, and not just getting to know you."

Blaine just sat there and stared at Kurt for a moment. "I don't understand how this all works, and I'm not sure I want to. All of what you just said is exactly how I'm feeling. And I think I'm going to have to adopt those words you live by, because they're pretty fantastic!" He paused, clearing his throat. "Kurt, I want everything with you. I can see our future so clearly. We'll be the most fabulous old married couple anyone has ever met. I'm not sure if it's the dreams or what it is, but I, too, feel like I'm remembering you from somewhere. Maybe we met in another lifetime and that's why everything is so familiar. I don't know. All I am sure about is that I want to be with you and only you. That is, if you'll have me."

Kurt giggled a little. He was so insanely happy right now he wasn't sure how he was going to contain it. "I want to be with you and only you, too. And I want to do anything and everything with you, however it comes naturally to us. We can agree that if something is going too far, we communicate and tell each other. I don't want to be one of those couples that keep everything bottled in until it's too late."

"God, it's like you can read my mind," Blaine said. "I want all of that, too. Exactly all of that."

Both men leaned in and kissed each other with renewed fervor. Blaine climbed back on top of Kurt, desperately hoping to finish what they had started earlier. They both knew it wouldn't take long at all. They had been on edge all day between their workouts and their grinding earlier. Blaine ground his ass against Kurt while simultaneously rubbing himself on Kurt's stomach. The combination of the size of Kurt and the friction he was creating got him right to the edge in record time.

"I'm close," Blaine whispered, looking deep into Kurt's lust-blown eyes.

"Let go, sweetheart," Kurt whispered back.

Blaine obeyed and came harder than he ever had in his life, shouting Kurt's name.

Kurt was only a second behind him. As he called Blaine's name, white spots appearing in his vision. "Shit," Kurt panted after a few moments of trying to catch his breath. "If it was that good just doing this, I'm not sure I'll be able to survive the pleasure of much more."

"There's only one way to find out," Blaine suggested, wiggling his eyebrows and leaning in for a kiss.

Chapter Text

The boys kissed for several minutes before deciding to get out of the pool and head back upstairs. At the last minute, they decided it might be a good idea to eat supper as well. So, they both went to their rooms to clean up and change into comfortable clothes for the evening.

Kurt and Blaine decided to work on supper together, each tackling a dish. Blaine's specialty was a simple, delicious, fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken. Kurt decided to make a salad and put together a fruit salad for dessert. They both agreed simple was best; they didn't want cooking to take too much time out of their night.

The meal was perfect, and Kurt was able to pair it with a delicious wine he found in the cellar. They ate on the terrace under the gazebo, loving the ambiance of the place. The landscape was the perfect background for a romantic meal. The boys talked about little things, their favorite types of music and books. They were pleased to discover that they both enjoyed Broadway shows, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.

When it was time for dessert, Blaine cleared their plates, and Kurt brought the fruit to the middle of the terrace so that they could look out over the valley.

"What was it that got you through high school?" Blaine asked after he fed Kurt a strawberry. "From what you told me earlier, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, so I'm guessing there was something that helped you to get through it."

"You're right," Kurt said. "It wasn't sunshine and rainbows. It was more like dark clouds and lightning. When I was at my lowest, I joined our glee club, and it literally saved my life."

"No," Blaine gasped, understanding what Kurt meant and remembering a dream from early high school. Kurt had been really down during that dream, almost like he had given up. No matter how much comfort Blaine tried to give him, it didn't seem like it was quite enough. It was as if the comfort made it worse.

"Yeah," Kurt whispered. "I really wish you, 'real-life' you, had been around during that time. 'Dream you' was what helped me to live through that time, so thank you so much for all that you did for me." He picked at a spot on the bench next to him. It still hurt, almost as deeply as it had in high school, to think back on that time in his life when he was so close to giving up. "As I said, the bullying was so bad back then. I wasn't out to my dad yet, and I just didn't want to live like that. So somewhat on accident, I joined the glee club. And I found an outlet for my pain. Our director wasn't the best person in the world, so I didn't get to do as much as I would have liked. He favored one student over all of the others, and while her talent was impressive, she wasn't the most talented person in the group. But singing was a release for me, even if it was part of group numbers, and I made a few friends there. Glee is where I met Santana, too."

"I'm so glad you had a place where you could escape," Blaine whispered back and placed a gentle kiss on Kurt's temple. "It seems like tonight is a night of coincidences," he said in a lighter tone.

"How so?" Kurt asked as he reached for another strawberry.

"I was in my school's glee club, too," Blaine said with a smirk. "As the lead singer to be exact. It was almost like I was the head of the most popular boyband on the planet. All of the other students and teachers treated us so great! You probably would have loved it." Then, an idea struck him. "And, I just happen to have some music loaded on my phone that we could sing to. Interested?"

"I would love to," Kurt answered, needing to shake off the negative feelings of his high school memories. "Can I see what you have?"

"Mmm-hmm," Blaine replied. He unlocked his phone and went to his music app, showing Kurt the playlist he had of karaoke songs.

"This one is perfect!" Kurt said and showed Blaine the song. "I'll take the first part. Ready?"

Blaine nodded that he was, indeed, ready, and Kurt hit play.

"I really can't stay / baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away / baby it's cold outside
This evening has been / been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice / I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice."

Rising from where they'd been sitting, Blaine moved to lean against the railing, wiggling his eyebrows at Kurt as he sang. Not to be outdone, Kurt stood, too, taking a spot further down where he could watch his soulmate from a distance.

"My mother will start to worry / beautiful, what's your hurry?
My father will be pacing the floor / listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry / beautiful, please don't hurry
Maybe just a half a drink more / put some records on while I pour."

Blaine made a drinking gesture, sliding suggestively along the railing toward Kurt. When he was within a few feet of Kurt, he stopped, watching as the other boy shimmied his hips for a moment before twirling away to perch on the edge of the table.

"The neighbors might think / baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink? / No cabs to be had out there
I wish I knew how / your eyes are like starlight now
To break this spell / I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell."

Blaine again moved toward his soulmate, a large smile growing on his face as Kurt beckoned him closer with his finger. As he approached, Kurt leaned in, his face mere inches from Blaine's. For a moment, Blaine almost forgot to sing, thinking Kurt was going to kiss him. But, at the last moment, Kurt leaned away and smiled, waving his finger in front of his nose as he sang his next line.

"I ought to say no, no, no, sir / mind if I move in closer?
At least I'm gonna say that I tried / what's the sense in hurting my pride?
I really can't stay / baby don't hold out
Ah, but it's cold outside."

This time, it was Blaine's turn to move away. His eyes lingered on Kurt's face as he moved across the terrace, watching the way the other boy responded to his dancing. Kurt couldn't keep himself from letting his gaze wander to Blaine's ass. His soulmate was much too good at this.

"I simply must go / baby it's cold outside
The answer is no / baby it's cold outside
This welcome has been so nice and warm / baby it's cold outside
Look out the window at the storm
My sister will be suspicious / actually it's no suspicion
My brother will be there at the door / please you need to try to go slow."

Instead of following Blaine back toward the railing of the terrace, Kurt moved toward the villa, leaning suggestively in the doorway. He watched as Blaine danced around the terrace in front of him, his mind flashing back to the way he'd looked when he was boxing, his body flush, and dripping sweat. Kurt felt his body react, and he focused back on the song.

"My maiden aunt's mind is vicious / oh you're in trouble
Or maybe just a cigarette more
I've got to go home / oh, baby, you'll freeze out there
Say, lend me your coat / It's up to your knees out there
You've really been grand / I'm feeling you touch my hand
But don't you see / how can you do this to me?"

As the song neared its big finish, the two boys moved toward one another again, edging closer and closer to the couch again. Their eyes locked as they moved, sliding onto the couch, hips touching, faces so close their lips were nearly touching.

"There's bound to be talk tomorrow / think of my life long sorrow
At least there will be plenty implied / If you caught pneumonia and died
I really can't stay / get over that hold out
Ah, but it's cold outside."

Both were panting from the intensity of the song and the game of cat and mouse they were playing, as well as the sexual tension they could both feel once more.

"You have an amazing voice," Blaine breathed reverently.

Kurt blushed and ducked his head. "Thank you. It's taken me a long time to come to love the uniqueness of my voice."

"It's exquisite!" Blaine said, really wanting Kurt to understand how much he loved it. "I seriously could listen to you sing every day. You might have to record something, so I can have it with me always."

Kurt's blush crept even higher on his cheeks. "I think that could be arranged."

When they made eye contact again, they both leaned in for a kiss. It started off sweet and slow but gradually grew passionate and deep. "Do you want to go upstairs?" Blaine finally whispered, breathless.

"Please," Kurt whined, ridiculously turned on.

On their way upstairs, Kurt put the fruit away, and Blaine grabbed a couple of glasses of water for them. Then, they joined hands and scurried to Kurt's room. Blaine had a plan for the night and thought that Kurt might be more comfortable in his own bed.

"Your voice isn't all that I think is beautiful about you," Blaine said, voice low and full of passion as he backed Kurt up to the bed. "Everything about you is breathtaking. Can I show you?"

Kurt nodded, stunned by Blaine's intensity. It wasn't that he didn't think he was attractive; Kurt was fairly sure he had gotten that point across when they talked about Samantha Jones. It was just the way that Blaine was talking to him that got to him. The desire in his voice and the pure lust that was wafting off of him. He had never felt as cherished as he did at this moment just from Blaine's words.

Blaine took Kurt's shirt off before he laid him down on the bed. He crawled up beside him and just looked into Kurt's eyes for a few moments while he ran his fingertips up and down Kurt's torso. He took Kurt's breath away when he leaned in for a kiss. He swiped his tongue against his soulmate's lips, asking for entrance. After several minutes of kissing Kurt for all he was worth, Blaine moved his kisses to Kurt's cheek, jaw, and neck, paying extra attention to the spots that got the biggest reactions.

He figured that Kurt wasn't one that would want to have marks on him, so he was careful not to leave any hickeys. After he had thoroughly explored Kurt's neck, he ventured down to his nipples. He was happy to find that they were just as sensitive as the other parts of his body so far. Kurt arched his back up, seeking more pressure from Blaine, which he was happy to provide.

Kurt was going insane. Never in his life had anyone taken their time like this. Seb wasn't a selfish lover by any means, but he had never taken his time to find and push all of Kurt's buttons. Blaine was worshiping Kurt's body, and that in and of itself turned him on more than anything ever had.

"Baby?" Blaine asked as he brought his mouth off of Kurt's body. "Do you need me to slow down?" He had noticed Kurt's breath pick up, and he really didn't want this to be over so soon.

"Can you come back up here for a minute and kiss me? Please," Kurt whined; he was already stupidly close and wanted everything to last much longer.

Blaine slid back up next to Kurt and captured his mouth in a demanding kiss. Both boys were moaning and grabbing at each other's backs. After a few minutes, Blaine moved his left hand down toward Kurt's pants, letting it rest on the button. "Is this okay?" Blaine whispered.

"So okay," Kurt answered and then went back to kissing Blaine.

Slowly, Blaine undid the button and unzipped Kurt's pants. He kissed him once more and then left a trail of kisses down Kurt's body, not stopping anywhere for long. He had a destination in mind, and he was more than ready to get there. Once Blaine was situated, he grabbed ahold of Kurt's pants, silently asking Kurt to lift his hips so that he could take them off. Kurt obliged, and Blaine slid the pants down Kurt's long, toned legs.

He kissed his way back up both legs and finally gave attention to Kurt's very rigid cock. Blaine kissed it over Kurt's boxer briefs for a few moments and laid several kisses along the top of the band as well. He wanted to tease Kurt a little, loving the noises he was making.

"Sweetheart," Kurt whined. "Fuck, I'm whining a lot tonight. This is so not like me," he thought. "Please, do something!"

Not wanting to tease anymore and more than ready to unwrap his prize, Blaine hooked his fingers under the band of Kurt's boxer briefs. Kurt raised his hips once more, and Blaine slid them off of his body. Blaine sat there in awe of the naked body lying in front of him, running his fingers up and down Kurt's legs, taking in the stunning view in front of him. Never in his life had he ever seen or imagined a more perfect man.

"You are the most beautiful man that has ever walked this earth," Blaine said, joy in his voice at the realization that this man would be tied to him for the rest of his life. He leaned up and kissed Kurt's lips, overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation they were in.

During the kiss, Kurt pulled at Blaine's clothes, wanting to feel Blaine's skin next to his. Once the offending garments were gone, the soulmates embraced and kissed for several minutes, neither seeking more than the perfect heat between their naked bodies.

"Can I make you feel good, baby?" Blaine whispered, brushing a wayward strand of hair from Kurt's face.

"You don't really have to do anything to make me feel good, Blaine," Kurt teased, knowing precisely what Blaine was actually asking.

"Ass," Blaine answered with a chuckle. "If you want me to do this properly, though, I will. Kurt, my fabulous lover, would you allow me to put your cock in my mouth and suck it until you cum down my throat?"

"Oh my god, Blaine!" Kurt laughed, swatting Blaine's shoulder playfully. "You are absolutely ridiculous. And if you don't do just that, I might get a flight home tonight."

"As you wish," Blaine said, bowing slightly before kissing his way toward Kurt's cock. Once there, Blaine settled himself down between Kurt's legs and licked his cock from root to tip in one long swipe, stopping at the tip to gather the pre-cum.

"You taste amazing," Blaine groaned. There was so much he wanted to do to Kurt right now. He wanted to inhale his scent until that was all he could smell. He longed to wrap his lips around each one of Kurt's balls. He wanted so badly to taste Kurt's ass. "Oh god, do I want to taste him," Blaine thought. "Next time. I will for sure do that next time."

Blaine leaned up on his elbows and contemplated how in the world he was going to get Kurt into his mouth. "He's so fucking big! Maybe I can just concentrate on the head for right now and work on seeing how much I can fit in." So, that's what he did. Blaine wrapped his lips around the head of Kurt's cock. He sucked and flicked his tongue, trying his best to move up and down as much as he could, which in all honesty, wasn't much. He moved his hand up and down over the rest of his cock, wanting to cause as much pleasure as possible and knowing that there was no way he could take any more in his mouth right now. "I definitely need to practice this as often as possible," Blaine thought, challenging himself to take more each time.

"That feels amazing, Blaine," Kurt moaned. "Just like that. Oh, fuck, sweetheart." Eventually, Kurt was just making incoherent noises. As he got close, he gripped Blaine's hair in warning that he was going to cum.

Before Kurt knew it, cum was painting Blaine's mouth as he released his orgasm, shouting Blaine's name at the top of his lungs. Blaine swallowed every drop, reveling in Kurt's taste. He worked Kurt through his orgasm and then pulled off, resting his head on Kurt's hip.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Kurt asked voice husky from panting and shouting in pleasure.

"Perfect," Blaine replied in a dreamy but strained tone.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked, noticing the strain in Blaine's voice.

"Nothing," Blaine said and looked up at Kurt so he could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Then what's with the tension I can hear in your voice?" Kurt asked.

Blaine was impressed that Kurt picked up on that. "Honestly, it's nothing. I'm just trying not to move, or else your sheets are going to be very, very sticky."

"Do you think you'd be able to roll over onto your back?" Kurt asked. He was tired from his orgasm, but the need to make Blaine feel as good as he did was a stronger driving force than the exhaustion.

Blaine took a deep breath, calming enough of his arousal that he was able to do as Kurt asked. Once he was on his back, he closed his eyes and let out another long, deep breath, proud of himself for doing that without cumming all over the bed.

With his eyes closed and his focus solely on calming himself, he didn't notice that Kurt had moved from beside him until he felt warmth around his own leaking hard cock. Blaine's hands went directly to Kurt's hair, gripping it but not pulling.

Kurt came up for air long enough to say, "You can pull it. I like it," and then sank back down, enveloping Blaine's whole cock into the hot heat of his mouth.

Blaine did as Kurt instructed and pulled his hair. He was rewarded with a moan that vibrated around his cock, which only led him to tighten his grip. It was a vicious cycle that Blaine wished he could make last forever. Before either man was ready, Blaine was screaming Kurt's name as he came long and hard down Kurt's throat.

Kurt scooted up on the pillow beside Blaine and both boys fell asleep without another word. It was the best night of sleep either of them could ever remember having, and they knew that it was because they were wrapped up in each other's arms.

Chapter Text

The boys woke up the next morning tangled up in each other’s arms, feeling like they had been run through the wringer, yet they were surprisingly well-rested. Blaine blinked his eyes open first, loving that for the last two mornings, the first thing that he had seen was his soulmate. He pressed a kiss to the center of Kurt's chest and snuggled further into his arms, content to wait until Kurt woke up.

Waking up in Blaine's arms was becoming Kurt's new favorite thing in the world. The weight of his arms around him and the solidness of his body made Kurt feel so incredibly safe, and he hoped that after their vacation, they would find a way to see each other often. "We really need to talk about that," Kurt thought.

He really enjoyed their dream that night, too. Maybe not so much the content as how it happened. It was like Kurt and Blaine, the here and now Kurt and Blaine, were watching the dream together through a snow globe. They had been able to talk with each other about what was happening, while it was happening. Every other time they’d dreamt together before, they could interact with the other during the dream. But in those dreams, there wasn't a memory or anything playing, just the other boy by themselves, looking like they needed something and not knowing what it was they needed.

Blaine had somehow used his dream that night to show Kurt a past relationship. It looked like it was from when he was in high school. Blaine was in a uniform, just the opposite of the one Sebastian wore at Dalton. It was red with blue piping, and damn did he look good in it.

Blaine was front and center, singing his heart out when his attention changed focus from the crowd in general to one person in the room. He was looking at someone specific, but Kurt couldn't quite tell who it was. After the performance, the group cleared and Blaine approached a very handsome guy who appeared to be around Blaine's age. He was a few inches taller than Blaine with straight brown hair and piercing ice-blue eyes.

"You know how you told me you wished that ‘Dream me’ were real?" Blaine asked, sliding up next to Kurt and watching the scene play out in front of them.

"Yeah," Kurt murmured.

"I wished ‘Dream you’ were real, too," Blaine said. "This happened shortly after we got my dad's final prognosis. We were supposed to get six months with him before he started to decline. He didn't want to spend the last little bit of his life sick from the treatments that would have prolonged his life a few more months, and honestly, we didn't want to watch him go through that."

Kurt reached for Blaine's hand, hoping to give him the strength to tell his story. "Eric was a new student who transferred mid-semester to Walton Academy for Boys. It wasn't unheard of for a transfer at that time of the year, but it was rare. The faculty and staff preferred that students begin at the start of the term. He didn't have a tragic background; his parents had just moved into the area, and it was either Walton or public school. They all agreed on Walton and his parents could afford it. We started talking on Eric's first day after classes let out, and we just clicked."

At hearing this, Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand, and somehow, Blaine knew exactly what word Kurt was responding to. "Nobody has ever made me feel the way you do. He and I clicked. You and I connected. We complete something within each other that nobody else ever will. You know that, right?" Blaine plead, searching Kurt's eyes for understanding.

"I do know that," Kurt said. "I guess that word, 'clicked,' just rubbed me the wrong way. Please, will you continue your story?"

"Alright," Blaine said, feeling that Kurt was truly okay for him to continue. "Over the next couple of months, Eric and I got closer and eventually started dating. Then Dad died, and I kind of just shut down. Eric anchored me during the day, and you did during the night. Now that I think about it more, I'm pretty sure you both would get along spectacularly. You're both sort of kindred spirits, and I think that's the main reason he was able to keep me sane during that time, when I couldn't be in my dreams with you."

"I wish I could have done more for you then," Kurt said with tears running down his cheeks.

Blaine shook his head and wiped away the tears on Kurt's face with his thumbs. "I promise you, you did so much to comfort me, baby. You were there for me and kept me safe while I slept so that I was able to function and face the day."

Kurt and Blaine continued to watch the dream pass by, both thankful that there were no intimate times shown. From what Kurt could glean, he agreed with Blaine. He felt that he and Eric were kindred spirits, and he thought that maybe someday they could meet each other.

Kurt finally awoke and noticed that Blaine was awake, too. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Blaine's head. "Good morning, sweetheart," he said, voice husky with sleep still.

Blaine looked up at him, eyes shining with affection. "Good morning. Shall we go see what there is for breakfast and plan the rest of our day?"

"I'd like that," Kurt answered with a smile.

They got up and did their morning routines, meeting down in the kitchen. Blaine beat Kurt down there and began getting out some items for their breakfast. When Kurt got to the kitchen, he saw yogurt and muesli on the countertop, as well as the fruit salad he had cut up the day before. There were also some croissants and jams. Blaine was off to the side, making some coffee.

"I thought we would get what we wanted and eat on the terrace," Blaine offered.

"That sounds wonderful," Kurt replied, fixing himself some yogurt and muesli, adding some fruit to both.

While the coffee was brewing, Blaine fixed himself a croissant with grape jam and put some fruit on his plate as well. He got two coffee cups out and poured them both some coffee. Kurt fixed his beverage the way he liked it and Blaine made sure to pay close attention so that he could make it the next morning. Kurt was secretly doing the same thing and noticed that Blaine only added a little sugar and a few sprinkles of cinnamon to his coffee.

Their meal passed in comfortable silence. Kurt and Blaine were both replaying the dream from last night, and neither one really knew how to bring it up in the light of day. There was so much they still had yet to learn about each other, and an ever-growing list of things that they needed to discuss.

After they were finished eating, Kurt gathered up the dishes and took them to the kitchen. Blaine tried to protest, but Kurt assured him that it was okay. In all honesty, he needed a moment to himself. He hoped he would figure out how to bring up the dream and what he had learned.

He wanted to know so many things about what he saw in the dream, mainly why had Blaine shown him that? Kurt really didn't want to admit it out loud, but it had made him feel very uncomfortable, watching Blaine be that close to someone else. Even if that relationship was over, even if it had happened in the past, something about seeing someone else do the things he was supposed to do for Blaine made Kurt jealous. He hadn't seen them kiss or even hug, really. But he knew that while he'd been waiting patiently every night to get back to the beautiful boy in his dreams, someone else had been taking care of his soulmate for real. That knowledge made Kurt both angry and sad at the same time. He just didn't know how to tell Blaine without hurting his feelings. He stalled as long as he could in the kitchen, but he knew he couldn't hide forever.

When Kurt was done in the kitchen, he went back out to the terrace to talk with Blaine, but he wasn't there. Kurt wondered if Blaine needed a moment, too, and sat down on the rocks that overlooked the valley. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming his thoughts. Kurt heard Blaine approach him and eventually felt his solid body behind him, soft lips on his cheek.

"Hey, you," Kurt whispered, not opening his eyes.

"Hey back," Blaine said just as softly.

"There's something I feel I should tell you about me," Kurt began. "I'm not always very good at talking about things gently. Over the years, I've found that when I try to beat around the bush, what I want to say gets lost in translation, and it just makes a big mess. I wanted to say all of that so you know where I'm coming from. If I ask or say something that sounds really direct or harsh, I don't necessarily mean it that way."

"Okay," Blaine said, not sure he liked the preface to whatever Kurt felt he needed to say. He wanted to talk about some things, too, and he hoped there would be time after whatever Kurt wanted to say. Blaine had to swallow back the feeling that something could be wrong.

"Why did you show me all of that last night?"

Chapter Text

WHEW! Blaine let the breath he was holding go. "I wasn't quite sure where you were going with that statement, and I guess, in the back of my mind, I was preparing for the worst. That's something you should know about me; my first thought is typically the worst possible scenario."

"That's good to know," Kurt said quietly.

"To answer your question," Blaine began, "I'm not really sure why those memories chose last night to appear. Maybe my subconscious thought it would be easier to 'talk' about in dream form?"

"Maybe," Kurt replied solemnly. "Why did you two break up?"

"It's not a happy story, at all," Blaine said, studying the rocks beneath his feet.

Before he could finish the thought, Kurt said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just curious because from what you showed me, he seemed pretty perfect." Admitting that hurt worse than he'd imagined.

Blaine took a deep breath and closed his eyes, not really wanting to relive those last several weeks of his relationship with Eric. He knew, though, that it would help put Kurt's mind at rest and show him that Eric wasn't perfect for Blaine at all. He let out the air in a long woosh, stalling for just a moment. "Eric was a year older than me in school which meant that he obviously graduated a year before me. We thought that our relationship was strong enough to withstand the long-distance, which in reality, wasn’t that long at all. He was only an hour away from me. Anyway, before he left, we had a plan that we would text at least once a day, and call in the evenings when it was possible and we were both free. Every Tuesday night, we had a standing Skype date since I didn't have glee practice, and he didn't have any late classes that night."

Blaine started fiddling with his fingers, knowing he was getting to the part where his heart got broken by a boy for the first and only time. Kurt noticed his fidgeting, too, and took a chance, grabbing Blaine's hand to hold, hoping it would anchor him enough to finish his story. "I'm here, and you're safe," Kurt reminded him gently.

Blaine looked up into Kurt's eyes and he reveled in the connection he felt. When he felt ready to speak, he looked away again. "It all started off very gradual. He'd forget to text me or wouldn't pick up when I called. Then, one missed Skype date turned into several. Eric wasn't just my boyfriend; he was my best friend, and there were days that I needed my friend more than I needed my boyfriend. The anniversary of my dad's death came, and I texted him, saying that I needed him, really missed him, and hoped we could talk later. He responded, saying he didn't know if he'd be available to talk and that he might have plans. His college was only about an hour away, like I said, so I decided to just go visit him that night. I needed to see him that badly."

By this time, Blaine's hands were shaking, both from thinking about his dad again and what he knew happened next. Kurt kissed his temple and repeated, "I'm here, and you're safe. You don't have to continue this if you don't want to."

"I do want to; I promise I do," Blaine explained. He took another deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut. "Okay, I'm just going to blow through the rest. Then, I'll probably break down a little, just so you're prepared." He chuckled a little, and Kurt squeezed his hand tighter, reassuring him that he was there. "When I got near his dorm, I heard noises. They sounded like Eric, but I wasn't quite sure. As I got closer, I knew it was Eric because I had been the one to cause those noises multiple times before. I knocked on the door and heard someone inside say, 'Shit!' Eric opened the door with a sheet around his waist, and I could see a very naked woman in his bed. He had never indicated that he was bisexual, and I never would have had a problem with it if he were. I was shocked and hurt and just...broken." Blaine paused, focusing on the feeling of Kurt's hand in his own, trying to ground himself as much as possible in the present and not slip too much into the past.

When he felt that he could, he continued, "I told him, 'Today's the anniversary of my dad's death, and I just wanted a hug from my friend. Thank you for making this day even shittier. Goodbye, Eric.' Then, I left. I got to my car and completely broke down for I don't even know how long. Then, I drove home and crashed. I called another ‘friend’ on my way home, but that’s definitely not a story I can talk about right now. My mom saw how exhausted I was, both when I got home and how torn up I still was the next morning, and she called the school, telling them I was staying home for the day. After that, Eric tried to get in contact with me, and I just blocked him. I didn't want an explanation from him. And I think that maybe the reason I had that dream was to help me even broach the topics of talking to you about Eric. He helped me so much, and we had some really great times. But, he hurt me so badly, Kurt."

As predicted, Blaine broke down as all of the hurt came crashing back into him. He cried for the loss of his dad. He cried for the loss of his friend. And he cried for the broken pieces of his heart, all the while huddled against his soulmate's solid, comforting form.

"You know," Kurt said when Blaine's tears seemed to subside. "I was thinking to myself during your dream that Eric and I seemed like we could have been kindred spirits like you said. He seemed to have a lot of really great things about him."

"There were good things about him," Blaine said. "I'm not sure what happened after he went to college, and I'm not sure I'm ready to know. Maybe someday I will try to reconnect with him, though I know it won't be anytime soon."

"If you ever want to know, to meet up with him or talk to him on the phone or by email, I’ll be by your side," Kurt offered. "If you want me to be."

Blaine looked up at Kurt, seeing all of the affection and what he hoped was love in those beautiful eyes. "Would you really do that?"

"I'm beginning to believe that there's not a lot I won't do for you," Kurt confessed and leaned down to bestow a gentle kiss on Blaine's luscious lips. The kiss was chaste, neither needing or wanting it to go further than that.

"That really took a lot out of me," Blaine said, wiping roughly at his face to get the stickiness of the tears away. "I think I might go up and lay down for a little while."

"Would you like me to come with you or would you prefer to be by yourself?" Kurt offered, unsure what his soulmate would need right now.

"I’d like some time by myself if that's alright," Blaine said. "I feel like I need to regroup and do some meditation exercises, and if you're next to me, calming down will be the last thing I want to do." Blaine waggled his eyebrows, hoping that Kurt understood that he wasn't pushing him away.

"Goof," Kurt giggled and placed another kiss on Blaine's lips. "I might go walk around the city then and see what there is to see."

"Sounds like a plan," Blaine said. "Thank you. For everything."

"Ditto," Kurt said. He walked Blaine up to his room and gave him one last parting kiss before going to his own room to get his phone, wallet, and camera.

Since coming to the city, Kurt had spent every moment with Blaine, and it was nice to have a few hours to himself. He made his way around town, just taking in the beauty and simplicity of the city. He walked aimlessly, without much sense of direction, but it didn't seem to matter. Everything here was peaceful and quiet. He approached a fancy set of wooden doors and read the placard nearby and learned what used to be behind those doors. Made of solid wood, the beautiful doors led into an expanse of open air. The open-air had once been the inside of a grand palace, but as the rock that the city was built on eroded, the palace had fallen away. The passage of time had changed the city, but to Kurt, it seemed to have made the city more beautiful. Now, he could admire the doors and still view the crevices and cracks of rock beyond them.

Time was a demanding master, always forcing you on its march toward the next item on its agenda. Space was the real issue, though. Here, standing just inside these ornate doors in the open air, he felt free, loose, like nothing was holding him back. That thought made Kurt reevaluate all of his time thus far with Blaine.

He loved every moment with his soulmate, even the rough ones. Kurt had been on his own for quite some time, though, and knew that he could get a little claustrophobic if he didn't feel like he could get away and have some time by himself. "I should probably explain that to Blaine. I don't want him to feel like I'm running away from him when I need space. But, what if he wants to spend every minute of every day with me? What if he wants me to text him during every break I take at work and call him multiple times per day? What if-?"

"Well sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I paint a picture-"

"Hey, San," Kurt said as he answered his phone.

"How's paradise?" Santana asked.

"It's just that. Paradise," Kurt giggled, already feeling some of the tension from the 'what ifs' leave his body. "I'm just out for a walk while Blaine rests at the villa."

"Wanky," Santana replied. Kurt could almost hear the brow wiggle in her voice. "Did you wear him out that much with your huge-"

"SANTANA!" Kurt interrupted. "We are not talking about that. Ever!" He glanced around, making sure no one else had come by, eavesdropping on this mortifying conversation. "For your information, we had a bizarre joint dream last night, and then, he explained a little more about it this morning. It was really emotional, and the stress from all of it just got to him. So, he's laying down, and I'm exploring the city."

"Okay," Santana said, pulling back on the teasing and understanding that this was something big and very real. "That makes sense. I'm not going to ask you to tell me about it, because that's your guys' business. How are you feeling after whatever he told you? I'm guessing that if it bothered him enough to have to lay down that it bothered you more than you let him know."

"You know me so well," Kurt replied with a small chuckle. Santana knew when to push and when to let things go, and she always seemed to know exactly what questions to ask to get Kurt back on track again. "Well, without telling you all of the details, Blaine caught his ex-boyfriend cheating on him at possibly the worst possible time in his life. It was horrible. What got me freaking out, though, was that before they broke up, they had all of these things put into place since they were doing the long-distance thing. Calling each other when they could, texting daily, setting up weekly Skype dates, stuff like that. What if he wants that from me? I can't guarantee things like that. You know me, San, and I need to have time to myself. I'll feel like he's smothering me if that's what he expects and-"

"Wait, just a damn minute, Porcelain," Santana yelled into the phone, and Kurt knew she meant business. "First, take a fucking breath. You're making me feel like I can't breathe since you've yet to breathe during your whole rant. Second, did he say anything about any of that? About him wanting you to do all of that? Third," she continued to lecture, not even stopping to let Kurt get a word in edgewise, "aren't you off by yourself right now, because he needed some time alone? Do you really think he'd deny you something that you need when it seems like he needs the same thing?"

Kurt breathed deeply, looking out over the valley, taking in everything that Santana had just said. "I'm freaking out over nothing, aren't I?"

"Possibly," Santana answered in a gentler tone. "You won't know until you talk to him about all of this stuff yourself."

"It's weird," Kurt said. "I feel like I know everything and nothing about him all at the same time. I sometimes forget that we haven’t known each other since we were kids and we actually just met a couple of days ago. Other times, I feel like everything is moving way too fast, yet too slow at the same time."

"I have no idea what that feels like, but maybe you can talk to him about that, too?" Santana offered.

"That's a really good idea," Kurt replied. "Thank you, San. You truly are the greatest friend there is."

"You can thank me by bringing me back something expensive," Santana joked, though Kurt knew she really wasn’t joking about him bringing her something when he came home.

They talked a little bit more about how things were going at the shop, and Kurt made his way back to the villa. Climbing the stairs to his room, he made a list on his phone of things he wanted to make sure to talk with Blaine about, preferably soon. He always found that working via lists helped to calm him. Without a list, he was sure to forget everything and feel completely overwhelmed.

1. What do we do after we leave here?
2. Needing time alone sometimes.

Kurt was sure he would add to his list at some point. There were more things he wanted to make sure they talked about, though nothing else was coming to him at the moment. He quietly retrieved a book from his suitcase and took the book to the living room, enjoying the opportunity to read without anything else to distract him.

Chapter Text

Kurt had only been reading his book for about 45 minutes when Blaine joined him in the living room, still groggy with sleep. "Did you have a nice rest, sweetheart?" Kurt asked, giving Blaine a kiss on the temple as he snuggled in beside him.

"I did," Blaine said softly. "Thank you for letting me have some space. It really means a lot to me."

"Blaine," Kurt started, "I understand needing time alone. Really, I do. That's actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about at some point during our vacation."

"There's no time like the present," Blaine said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked. "I know the day has already been pretty emotional for you, and I don't want to add to it in any way."

"Are you going to tell me you're thinking of leaving me?" Blaine asked in a somewhat joking manner.

"NO!" Kurt shouted and almost knocked Blaine off of the sofa. "Where would you get that idea? I haven't given you that impression, have I? If I have, I'm so so-"

"Kurt," interrupted Blaine. "Stop. Take a breath. You haven't given me that impression at all. I guess I just meant that I can handle whatever you have to say. I'm sorry to have caused you so much anxiety with that comment. That wasn't my intention at all, and I'm sorry."

Kurt took a deep breath. "So…I sometimes have a tendency to overreact," he said sheepishly. "It's something I've always struggled with, and, if you can believe it, I used to be worse. Santana tells me quite often that I need to 'calm down and take a fucking breath' when I get like that. You might have to do that, too, from time to time."

"I can do that," Blaine said, "though I'm not sure I'll be able to curse at you to get you to calm down."

"You might have to sometimes," Kurt said as Blaine looked at him incredulously. "I'm just saying, you might. Sometimes, I get so stuck in my head that it takes cursing at me, or something else really jarring, to get me to snap out of it."

"Alright. I will curse at you if I absolutely have to, and nothing else is working," Blaine agreed. "Now, what was it you wanted to say about sometimes needing space?"

"I know we've talked some about it," Kurt began. "Past relationships, I mean. You now that I've only ever had one boyfriend. We were together for a while, but still, that's the only relationship I've had that amounted to anything. I tried to do the one-night-stand thing, and it just wasn't for me. I left feeling dirty and cheap and just awful. There have been random dates here and there, too, but they all amounted to just that, dates. Needless to say, I've been by myself for a long time." Kurt paused there and looked at Blaine to gauge his mood. The news didn't really seem to bother his soulmate; Blaine just gave a comforting squeeze to his arm, so Kurt continued.

"In addition to being by myself for a long time, I've also always been fairly independent," Kurt continued. "I loved it when my parents took care of me. Sometimes, though, I felt smothered. Claustrophobic almost. And, if I didn't have somewhere to escape to, it would make things so much worse. My 'friend,'" he said, making air quotes to be sure that Blaine got the memo, "Rachel, once accused me of running away from my problems when the bullying was at its worst, and I transferred schools for a brief period. I wasn't running, though; I was looking out for myself and taking the time I needed to regroup and figure out what my next move was. Thankfully, my dad was supportive of all of it, and we were able to work it all out. My point is that sometimes, I need time to myself to think about things away from everyone and everything."

"Thank you for sharing all of that with me," Blaine said and placed a kiss on Kurt's lips. "I think, when we need this time, we just have to tell the other. Because I will need it, too. Just like I did earlier today. I don't want you to feel like I'm pushing you away when I need it, either. Just like you, I need that time to re-group."

"Hmmm," Kurt said, leaning down to capture Blaine's lips in a searing kiss. "Damn, Fate really knew what it was doing when it put us together," he thought, trying to pour all of the gratitude he had for Blaine and Fate into the kiss.

"Wow," Blaine murmured when the kiss finally broke. "Ummm." He shook his head, trying to clear the fog the kiss had left behind. "Wasn't there something else you wanted to talk about? You said that the time apart thing was one thing you wanted to talk about, so I guess there is something else you wanted to talk about as well?"

"That one might be a little more complicated and we might not have the answer to it just yet," Kurt said.

"That's alright," Blaine replied, grabbing Kurt's hand to hold. "What it is, baby?"

"Well, um, well..." Kurt stumbled, taking a deep breath when Blaine squeezed his hand. "What happens when we leave this magical place?

"I guess that depends," Blaine said, not needing any time to think about his answer. He had been thinking about this same thing quite a lot since they first laid eyes on each other. "We both live in New York. So, proximity won't be an issue. To me, it comes down to this: do we want to see where this goes or keep it a vacation thing?"

"I don't want to lose you," Kurt whispered, his eyes welling at the thought of not seeing Blaine after their amazing couple of weeks together. "I don't want things to end between us just because we leave the villa."

"I don't either," Blaine whispered back, his voice betraying his relief at Kurt's admission. "I think, no, I know with all of my heart, that we are supposed to be together. Fate or destiny, or whatever it is, put us together for a reason. I don't think that means that we won't have to work at things or that I'm expecting our relationship to be all sunshine and rainbows, but I do believe we are meant to be together for some reason."

"I feel exactly the same way," Kurt said, thankful that they were on the same page. "It shouldn't surprise me that we feel the same way, should it?" He smiled at Blaine fondly.

"When do you head back home?" Blaine asked as he realized that wasn't something they had talked about.

"January third," Kurt answered. "You?"

"I'm supposed to fly back late on the first," Blaine replied. "I wish I could stay until you leave. But my mom is expecting me back that day and I don’t get to spend a whole lot of time with her since law school has essentially taken over my life. Basically, I'll get back to New York and then drive to our house in Connecticut to spend a week or two there. My older brother was supposed to come too, but he had to change his plans due to his filming schedule."

"You have an older brother?" Kurt asked.

"That's a story for another day. I don't have the energy to explain all that is Cooper."

"Cooper Anderson? Like, the Cooper Anderson that stars on White Collar?" Kurt asked, his voice raising the more excited he got.

"That's the one," Blaine said, losing some of the pep he had.

Kurt noticed the mood change immediately. "We can most definitely talk about siblings some other time," he offered, squeezing the hand that was still tightly in his grip. “I will need a good chunk of time to explain all that is Finn.”

"For now," Blaine said with a grateful smile, glad that his soulmate was already starting to be able to read his nonverbal cues, "I think we should use the time we have left here to its maximum capacity. I want to learn as much about you as I can. We can see where our journey takes us after we leave the villa later."

"I like the sound of that," Kurt answered. He maneuvered Blaine more on the couch and then hovered above him. Slowly, he pressed his pelvis against Blaine's thigh, grinding against him just a little bit to prove his point. "I have something that's at its maximum capacity right here if you'd like to explore that..." Kurt whispered with a saucy wink, wiggling his hips a bit more.

"You're ridiculous," Blaine laughed and bucked his hips up to meet Kurt's. "But that doesn't mean that I don't want to explore all of the possibilities we have."

Chapter Text

The boys rutted themselves into a frenzy quickly. "Wait," Kurt panted. "I…can we…I want to take my time with you."

"Do you want to take this little party up to my room?" Blaine suggested.

"Abso-fucking-lutely," Kurt said with a coy grin. "Oh, the things I want to do to your body," he thought as they rushed up to Blaine's room.

Not wanting to waste any time, Blaine stripped off his clothes and lay on the bed, not ashamed or anxious at all to be so vulnerable in front of his soulmate.

"Holy sh-shit, B," Kurt stammered as he straightened from undressing himself. "Warn a guy before he looks up if you're just going to be laying there in all of your naked glory." Kurt was grabbing at the base of his cock to try and stave off his orgasm.

"Good to know my body does that to you," Blaine said with a cheeky smile, not looking sorry at all.

Kurt growled, fucking growled, and pounced on Blaine. He placed a kiss on his lips that he knew would bruise them, but he didn't care. There had been so much emotional turmoil over the last 24 hours that he was ready to show Blaine some of the tricks he had up his sleeves. Last night seemed to be all about Kurt; tonight, it was going to be all about Blaine.

Where Blaine had licked and kissed at Kurt's skin the night before, Kurt nipped and bit at Blaine's. Sure, there were kisses and kitten licks interspersed, but the majority of the contact between Kurt's mouth and Blaine's body was with Kurt's teeth. By the sounds of the moans Blaine was producing, he had no qualms with the slightly rough treatment of his body, and when Kurt's mouth latched on and sucked a mark to Blaine's chest, he moaned even louder.

Kurt made his way down Blaine's body, making sure to note where he got the loudest responses from him. When he reached Blaine's hips, the moans became louder, so he heaped bites and marks on both of them, making a trail of hickeys to Blaine's very hard cock. He gave it a long swipe with his tongue and then took him all the way into his mouth, providing just enough friction to take the edge off before pulling back.

"Nooooo," Blaine groaned. "Please, go back."

"I will, sweetheart," Kurt chuckled. "Patience."

Kurt then kept going lower, taking each one of Blaine's balls into his mouth for a few moments before releasing it. He urged Blaine to lift his hips, using his arms to hold his legs up so that he could continue his journey down.

"Your ass is just as beautiful as the rest of you," Kurt whispered and buried his face in Blaine's ass.

"Fuuuuuccccckkkkk," Blaine groaned even louder than before. He panted and moaned loudly as Kurt licked, sucked, nibbled, and blew gentle air around his rim before diving as much of his tongue in as he could. After what felt like a lifetime to Blaine, Kurt finally, finally added a spit-slick finger. One finger became two soon after. Kurt expertly found Blaine's prostate, and, when he brushed across it the second time, he took Blaine's now steadily leaking cock back into his mouth and pressed hard onto Blaine's prostate.

"KURT!" Blaine screamed as he came down Kurt’s throat harder than he ever had before in his life. He came so hard, in fact, that he passed out for several seconds, and, right as he came to, he felt Kurt rutting against his very sensitive cock, painting both of their stomachs in his cum.

When their breathing finally evened out, Kurt looked up to see the golden eyes of his soulmate looking at him in awe. "Nobody has ever made me cum that hard or feel the feelings you make me feel," Blaine softly said, afraid that this might all be a beautiful dream that he never wanted to wake up from.

They lay in bed for some time, reveling in the feel of the other beside them. After they had gotten out of bed and cleaned up, they journeyed downstairs to make some supper. It was a relaxed meal under the gazebo where they talked more about living in New York and their favorite places to eat and shop. They discovered that they didn't live too far from each other and liked the fact that they wouldn't have to travel clear across the city to see each other when they got back home.

Over dinner, they also talked about their sleeping arrangements and decided that unless one of them needed time alone, they would sleep together in Kurt's room for the remainder of the trip. After they were finished eating, they cleaned up and sat on the patio, simply just enjoying being next to each other and taking in the scenery.

That night, after they were cuddled up in bed, they shared one of Kurt's dreams in much the same way they had Blaine's the night before, as observers looking in and not interacting.

"He makes me feel good," Kurt told a petite brunette.

"I think this is one of those things that I need to show you to make it easier to talk about later," Kurt said to Blaine as they watched what was unfolding before them. "Please remember that I was young and have learned so much from this."

"I love Sebastian and-and Sebastian loves me, but he doesn't exactly make me blush with his texts right now. W-What's the harm of someone making me feel special if it's all innocent? Okay."

"Would you show Sebastian those text messages?" Rachel asked.

"Of course not," Kurt scoffed.

"Oh, well, then I guess it's not that innocent," she said and left it alone.

"This was a series of really poor choices on my part," Kurt explained to Blaine. Thankfully, Blaine was still holding his hand, but it didn't make Kurt feel good at all that he had unshed tears in his eyes as he watched the happenings in front of him.

"Who's Chandler?" Sebastian asked as he looked at the messages rolling in on Kurt's phone.

"Why are you going through my phone?" Kurt asked in a slight panic.

"I'm not going through your phone," Sebastian defended. "It's just that it keeps buzzing because Chandler won't stop texting you. 'When we go to New York, let's go to the front of the Plaza and reenact the end of The Way We Were.'"

"Give me that," Kurt demanded half-heartedly.

"'Can you sing into my voicemail? I want to make your voice my ringtone,'" Sebastian quoted yet another text, pain evident in his voice.

"Give me my phone," Kurt demanded again, this time with a little more force.

"There are literally dozens of texts between the two of you," Sebastian said. "Do you know how many times you've texted me in the past two days? Four. And three of them were about finding peach-colored shoe polish."

"Why are you getting so upset? This is, this is all innocent," Kurt said, trying his best not to lose his patience with his boyfriend and not seeing any problem with the texts.

"This is cheating, Kurt," Sebastian said.

"This is texting," Kurt replied. "Okay. He’s just a guy that I met at the music store," he explained. "Nothing happened. You used to text Jackson all the time. You would call him, even."

"But, I didn't like him, and all of those texts were family-friendly," Sebastian replied and sighed. "You like this guy." He looked like he might cry.

"I like the way he makes me feel," Kurt defended. "I mean, when was the last time that you complimented me or told me how special I was?"

"I transferred schools to be with you!" Sebastian chuckled and raised his voice slightly. "I, I changed my whole life for you! That doesn't make you feel loved?"

"You don't know what it's like being your boyfriend, okay?" Kurt retorted. "You are the alpha gay! Even Rachel wanted to make out with you. I used to get solos every week in Glee. Do you know how many times I've had to sit on a stool and watch you perform since you transferred?"

"Then talk to me," Sebastian pleaded. "Tell me that you're unhappy, but don't cheat on me."

"I feel like I have taken crazy pills!" Kurt said loudly. "I didn't cheat on you! I'm, I'm really sorry if this made you upset, but it's, it's, it's okay."

"It's not right, but it's okay," Sebastian spat back. The scene morphed into a choir room where Sebastian sang, 'It's Not Right, But It's Okay,' by Whitney Houston. The whole room seemingly took his side, effectively ganging up on Kurt.

The choir room faded away after this, and the boys watched Kurt sit on a bench by himself in what looked like a cemetery, watching the trees blow in the wind. The scene didn't change for the rest of their dream.

"I came here to talk with my mom and think about everything that had happened that day," Kurt said in a voice so light, Blaine had to strain to hear him. "I realized that Sebastian was right. I was cheating. And that realization broke my heart." By now, both boys had tears streaming down their faces. Kurt's for what he had done to Sebastian and Blaine for fear of what Kurt could possibly do to him in the future. "The next day, I sang to Sebastian, and we were able to work things out. I stopped talking to Chandler because there was no reason to continue to put my relationship in jeopardy."

"You cheated," Blaine spoke for the first time since the dream started. He sounded upset and maybe a little hurt.

"Yes," Kurt admitted. "I did."

"Did it ever happen again?" Blaine asked, needing to know the answer.

"No," Kurt answered vehemently. "I never did it again. I realized the mistake that I made and never wanted to see that look of hurt on anyone's face again because of something I did."

"Trust goes both ways," Blaine explained, willing the tears running down his face to stop. "I don't think I could ever trust Eric again, no matter what. And I know, logically, that you and that guy were only texting, but it scares me. I'm not going to lie about that."

"I will do whatever I need to, for as long as I need to do it, to earn and keep your trust, Blaine," Kurt said, holding Blaine's face in his hands. He wiped at the tears streaming down Blaine's face with his thumbs.

"I'm not sure why this is hurting me so badly," Blaine admitted with a slight chuckle. "You haven't done anything to me that would make me think you'd cheat on me."

"I fucked up and made a huge mistake," Kurt offered. "And regardless of when it happened, the fact is it did happen and it’s not something I can take back or go back and redo. I learned from it and haven't so much as flirted with another guy if I was with someone else, even on dates. You were hurt badly, so of course, it makes sense that this would affect you worse than it might someone else. Your trust in me being questioned makes sense."

"I want to trust you," Blaine said, looking deep into Kurt's eyes. "No, I do trust you. I trust you with everything I have and am."

"That is the most precious gift you could ever give me," Kurt said, tears in his eyes now. "I will guard your trust with my life and will do everything in my power not to break it."

"I know it's too soon to say this," Blaine said. "And if you don't feel the same way, that's fine. I've just been thinking-"

"I love you, too," Kurt said, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Wait, what?" Blaine said, grasping what Kurt had said. His eyes grew wide as he stared at his soulmate, shocked.

"Was that not where you were going with that?" Kurt panicked. "Shit, I'm so sorry. It's way too soon and-"

"Baby," Blaine interrupted. "That is exactly where I was going with that. I'm just somewhat surprised that you love me back."

"How could I not?" Kurt asked then kissed Blaine with all of the love, trust, and passion he could.

The boys woke up from their dream then, embracing and kissing. Their kissing continued, and neither man felt the need to take it further.

"I love you," Blaine whispered when their lips broke away from each other for the first time since they awoke.

"I love you, too," Kurt whispered back.

Looking at the clock, Kurt noticed that it was nearing time for the sun to rise. "Want to go make a nest of blankets and pillows and watch the sunrise from the terrace?"

"That sounds absolutely wonderful!" Blaine answered.

They gathered up all of the extra pillows and blankets they could find and made, quite literally, a nest on the terrace. Kurt sat down first and beckoned Blaine to get between his legs and lean back against him. Blaine did and pulled some blankets on top of them both until they were snuggled in their own little cocoon.

"Thank you," Kurt softly said into Blaine's ear.

"What for, my love?" Blaine asked.

"For that," Kurt answered. "For loving me in spite of what you saw in that dream. It means so much to me that you love and trust me."

Blaine craned his neck so he could meet Kurt's eyes. "We were born so that we could find each other," Blaine explained. "There is no way I'm going to let one brief lapse in judgment get in the way."

In the end, they missed the sunrise. They were too wrapped up in each other's eyes and lips to notice.

Chapter Text

The boys finally stopped kissing when Blaine's stomach growled loudly. They noticed that the sun was up and they had missed the sunrise.

"Shall we go find something to eat, baby?" Blaine asked.

"That sounds like a great idea, sweetheart," Kurt answered and pecked Blaine one more time.

Blaine helped Kurt up from the nest of blankets and pillows and led him into the kitchen. Kurt volunteered to make omelets, eager to show off his cooking skills.

"These are perfect!" Blaine exclaimed after taking a bite of the steamy, golden eggs. "This is seriously the best omelet I've ever eaten."

"Thank you," Kurt answered. "I really love to cook. My dad used to tease me that if I didn't go into performing or fashion, I should be a chef."

"You'd be wonderful at it, I'm sure," Blaine said, grinning.

"What should we do this Christmas Eve?" Kurt asked after they had finished eating and cleaned up.

"I'm happy to stay here and lounge or go out and wander around the town," Blaine answered. "I honestly don't care what we do as long as we're together."

"I found this lovely spot when I was walking around the other day," Kurt remembered. "Would you like to see it?"

"That sounds perfect," Blaine answered.

They both went to their bedrooms and got ready for the day. Unbeknownst to the other, both jerked off in the shower with images of the time spent worshiping the other's body, hoping that doing so would take the edge off of any sexual tension they might experience while walking around. Both came with the other's name on their breath.

When they were dressed and ready to go, Kurt led Blaine through the city to the wooden doors that opened to nothing. Kurt told Blaine about the placard that described what the doors used to open to.

"This place really makes you take a step back and think about things, doesn't it?" Blaine asked, in awe of the site that was before him.

"It does," Kurt agreed.

"It makes me look at what was, what is, and what could be," Blaine explained. "What was, has fallen away, gone with time. What is, could be anything, anything at all. What could be, well, that is up to us."

"That's a wonderful way of looking at things," Kurt said, giving Blaine's hand a little squeeze.

"I choose to trust and love you through everything," Blaine whispered and then turned to look Kurt right in the eyes. "The past, while we can learn from it, is done with. We can't go back and change the mistakes we've made. What we can do is learn all we can from them and make sure we don't repeat them. When I look at our future, I see wide open spaces and blank canvases, ready for us to paint them."

Kurt had silent tears streaming down his face. "I want that so much, my love." Kurt loved the way calling Blaine "my love" felt rolling off of his tongue. And by Blaine's totally blissed out expression, he did too.

"Then, that's what our future will be. It will be whatever we make it," Blaine said and bestowed a chaste, though promise filled kiss on Kurt's waiting lips.

The boys found a bench near the doors that looked out over the valley. They held hands and simply took in the majesty of the scenery around them.

"What was your mom like?" Blaine asked after a while, breaking the silence. When he heard Kurt inhale sharply, he added, "You don't have to tell me. Not ever if you don't want to. Her passing just seems to have left some deep scars. And I thought...maybe I could help you mend them."

"I don't mind talking about her," Kurt said. "Your question just caught me a little off guard."

"Take however much time you need," Blaine said back to him. He leaned up and kissed Kurt on the temple, which was sort of awkward considering their height difference. He didn't care though. That was one of the most comforting things he had ever experienced himself, and he hoped like hell that it comforted Kurt too.

"Thank you," Kurt replied in a whisper. He sat there for several minutes, looking out into the valley and piecing together memories of his mother.

"There's not a whole lot I remember to be honest," Kurt said after he was able to compose himself. "I was 10 when she passed away. She had the best laugh, and my dad says that when I really let myself go, he hears that same laugh from me." Kurt chuckled as he shared with Blaine the last time he really, really laughed.

Burt had asked him to meet him in the auditorium the week before his high school graduation. When Kurt got there, he noticed two of his friends, Tina and Brittany, on the stage in very familiar outfits. Burt joined them, gave him a little speech, and then danced for him. It was one of the best and most memorable things his dad had ever done for him. Kurt was laughing so hard at the end, he had tears leaking from his eyes. He noticed his dad look up toward the ceiling and mouth the words, "Thank you, Lizzy." Kurt’s grin widened at this. He knew that each time his dad heard him laugh like that, laugh her laugh, he would look upwards and thank her for their son. Kurt would always be their greatest accomplishment and their most precious treasure.

"She wore this one perfume," Kurt reminisced. "Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. It wasn't some fancy designer perfume, but god did she love it. And whenever I smell it, it makes me happy and sad at the same time." Kurt took a second to breathe and then laughed, "There are times someone wearing it will pass by me on the sidewalk, and I find myself following them for just a little bit, so I can smell it for the time being."

Blaine could picture Kurt doing just that. He guessed that his soulmate would never interact with whoever was wearing it. He could just see him walking behind them a few steps, so the scent could waft toward him for a while.

"I spilled some in her dresser when I was about eight. I wanted my stuffed bunny to smell like her, so it could help keep the bad dreams away. I ended up getting it everywhere. I still have that dresser, and, every now and then, I will go and open the drawer, either lean up against it or lay on the floor, and just talk to her." Kurt stopped there and looked at Blaine, expecting to see an inquisitive look on his face. Which is why it surprised him to see love and understanding instead. "Of course, he understands," Kurt thought. "He's lost a parent too."

"What else?" Blaine urged, sensing that this was good for his soulmate to talk about.

"Well," Kurt thought, "she loved musicals. Which isn't surprising to me, considering where my name came from." Kurt looked over towards Blaine again, seeing if he could figure it out.

"The Sound of Music," Blaine answered with certainty.

Kurt nodded. "That was her favorite. I remember watching it at least four times a year. It always amazed me that when I sang with Kurt's character on screen, I could hit all of the notes he could. She's where my love of singing came from too."

"Do you still watch it that often?" Blaine asked, feeling like this piece of information was significant for some reason.

"No," Kurt answered solemnly. "I don't really have the time anymore. Running my own business is nuts, and all of my spare time is spent catching up on sleep or designing for my customers."

"Maybe," Blaine said hesitantly, "when we get back to New York, we can have a date and watch it? It's been so many years since I've watched it, and I'm not sure I've ever really appreciated it. It was just something I was forced to watch with my grandmother."

"I'd really love that, Blaine," Kurt replied, feeling so much better after talking about his mom. "How old were you when your dad died?" He was hoping that they could talk about the bad stuff now and get it out of the way.

Now, it was Blaine's turn to inhale sharply. "I…I was 15," he answered softly.

Kurt put his arm around Blaine's back and held him close. "You don't have to talk about him if you don't want. But, like you said, talking might help mend some of the scars."

"No…um…I'm okay to talk about him," Blaine stumbled out. "I was in my freshman year; I was one of the older ones in my class, so that's why it seems like I should have been in the next grade up. It never really bothered me that I was older than most of the other guys in my grade; they were all pretty cool, and I got to hang out with other guys in glee. So, anyway, um…" Blaine took a breath to clear his head and stop his rambling. "Sorry. I ramble sometimes. It's...It helps me cope I guess. Anyway, he got diagnosed with cancer when I was 13, and he fought like hell for two years. The mass would get smaller and then come back with a vengeance. Eventually, he was tired, and we hated seeing him suffer over and over again. So, we decided to go the hospice route, and he seemed to be so much more at peace after we made that decision."

Blaine had tears running down his cheeks as he remembered one of the last talks he had with his dad. He had had several with him throughout his treatment, but this one seemed more final right from the beginning. Almost like his dad had known that this would be their last ‘big’ talk.

"Blaine?" his dad called one Sunday afternoon. "Could you come in here and keep me company for a little while?"

He went into his dad's makeshift bedroom. Adrian was too weak to climb up and down the stairs, so they had set him up in the den since it was the most convenient room that had a bathroom close to it. Blaine leaned down and kissed his dad's forehead before sitting in the armchair next to his bed.

"What's up, Dad?" Blaine asked. "Want to play some Rummy?"

"Maybe in a little bit," Adrian replied, loving that his son still liked to play cards with him. It had been something they had done as a family for as long as Blaine could grasp the game. They played Pitch with the extended family, but the four of them in their immediate family preferred Rummy. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your future."

"Okay," Blaine said reluctantly, not liking it when his dad talked about the future. He knew logically that his dad was going to die, but it wasn't something that he liked to think about at length at all. So he knew that this was going to be an ‘after I die’ speech and his eyes already had started to well up with unshed tears.

"I wish I could be here when you fall in love," Adrian said. "It's going to be one of the most epic love stories of all time. Do you know how I know that?"

Blaine’s tears were streaming down his face. "How?" he asked.

"I know that, because I know you," Adrian explained. "You have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I have ever known. The love that you are capable of giving is insurmountable, and whoever is lucky enough to earn that love from you will be the luckiest man alive."

"Daddy," Blaine sobbed, feeling so very young, and lunged into the bed with his dad. "I-I do-don't wan-want you to go. There's sti-still so much we have left to-to do. You ha-have to see m-me graduate and fi-fi-figure out what I'm go-gonna to do with my life. You ha-have to be at m-my wedding and help M-m-momma walk me down the aisle. You have to meet m-my first ki-kid. I do-don't want you to miss a-all of that."

"Oh, my sweet boy," Adrian said, shedding several tears of his own and kissing Blaine's curls. "I won't miss it. I'll see every single accomplishment you have. When all of those things happen, I will be there. I'll send you some sort of a sign that I'm there; all you'll have to do is look for it."

"I love you so much," Blaine whispered and eventually cried himself to sleep, curled up next to his dad.

"What was the sign?" Kurt asked gently after Blaine had shared the memory with him. He often felt like the perfume was his mom's sign.

"Um…" Blaine chuckled as he dried his tears. "Pennies."

"Pennies?" Kurt questioned.

"Yeah," Blaine answered with another giggle. "The day I graduated high school, I found a penny near my car when I left the house. The day I got my acceptance letter from Columbia, there was a penny by the mailbox. Um…the day that you came to the villa, I found a penny when I walked to the market. I have all of them, and they all have the same year on them: his birth year. 1964."

"Wow," Kurt said, in awe of Blaine's story. They sat in silence for another few minutes, really taking in what they had learned about each other over the last hour as they gazed at the expanse of mountains beyond the craggy cliff.

"What do you say we go back to the villa?" Kurt asked. "This trip out has been much more overwhelming than I had originally intended."

"That sounds like an excellent plan. Maybe we could go for a swim after we eat some lunch?" Blaine suggested.

"It's a date, sweetheart," Kurt said and leaned in to kiss Blaine. "I love you so much," he said when they parted, voice low and emotional. "And I'm so glad that I am the one that gets to experience your love. Your dad was right. Even though we haven't known each other in this world very long, you've loved me through my dreams since I was 10. And I can just tell that the love you've shown is just the tip of the iceberg of what you're capable of."

"I love you, too," Blaine said, more unshed tears welling up in his eyes.

Chapter Text

When the boys came back to the villa, they fixed a simple lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and veggies. They took their time eating and enjoying each other's company. Every so often, one would feed the other bits of fruit, inevitably followed by sweet kisses.

After they had finished eating, they adjourned to their respective rooms to change into the swimwear. Neither felt the need to jerk off beforehand, knowing that if the mood struck them, they would take care of each other. They met back by the pool after selecting a bottle of wine and a few light snacks. Since they had just eaten lunch, neither really thought they'd need anything, but they didn't want to have to leave the pool if they did get hungry.

They spent a couple of hours just lounging in the pool and hot tub. Neither wanted to talk about anything life-changing, both being somewhat emotionally exhausted from their talk near the palace doors.

"I'm getting pruney," Kurt complained as they finished their bottle of wine and got out of the hot tub.

"I have an idea of what we could do after we get cleaned up," Blaine offered.

"What's that?" Kurt asked with a sly look on his face.

"Not that, love," Blaine answered. "It's something I think you'll like it though."

"Alright," Kurt conceded.

They went and got showered and dressed again, Blaine moving quickly through his routine so he could get everything set up in the living room. While he was putting on his swimsuit earlier, he had texted Liliana and asked if she had a copy of The Sound of Music that they could borrow. Luckily, she was a musical theater enthusiast and had the movie in both English and Italian. Blaine had asked her if they could borrow her English copy that afternoon. She had said she would bring it by and slip it in the mail slot after she finished her lunch. When Blaine got to the mail slot, he was happy to find the movie along with a note: "Enjoy! It's one of my favorites!"

Kurt finally joined Blaine in the living room, curious to see what his soulmate had planned. "So, what're we doing?"

"Well," Blaine said, hoping his plan wouldn't backfire, "tomorrow is Christmas, and, since I didn't really plan on meeting you, I don't have a gift for you."

"You don't need to give me anything, Blaine," Kurt said. "Finding you is the best gift I could ever receive."

"Ditto," Blaine said with a blush high on his cheeks. "Anyway, I wanted to give you something, and this is the only thing I could come up with on such short notice." He pulled out the copy of the movie he had borrowed and watched as the realization came over Kurt's face.

"You…how...where…?" Kurt stammered, not quite sure which question he wanted to ask.

Sensing that he needed a little help, Blaine decided to rescue him. "I was really, really touched by your story earlier. And I want you to take the time to connect with your mom again. If anyone knows how important that is, it's me. So, I sent Liliana a text when we got back from our outing, and she said she had a copy of it that she'd let us borrow."

"You…" Kurt started to say but choked on a sob. "Are the best, most amazing soulmate in the history of soulmates." Little trickles of tears began to leak down his cheeks, and he swiped at them with the backs of his hands.

"Is that a yes then?" Blaine tentatively asked.

"Yes!" Kurt answered. "A thousand times, yes!"

"Okay," Blaine said. "We need to figure out one more thing."

"And what's that?" Kurt asked while drying the tears that had fallen, giddy at the thought of watching this movie with his soulmate.

"Shall we remake our nest or cuddle on the sofa?"

"Nest! Definitely, nest," Kurt answered eagerly.

For the next three hours, the boys got lost in the magic that was The Sound of Music. They sang and laughed and cried together. Both were surprised that they had any more tears left to cry by the end of the movie.

"Thank you for my gift," Kurt said after the closing credits had finished. "I'm not sure when the last time I watched that was."

"I'm glad I got to experience it with you," Blaine said and placed a kiss on Kurt's lips.

The boys kissed for several minutes, needing to feel the connection between them.

"What do you say I go and make us some supper, and then we can decide what to do for the rest of the night?" Kurt offered.

"That sounds great, baby," Blaine answered. "Only if I can help, though."

"How about you get our little love nest all picked up, and then come join me," Kurt offered.

"Okay."

Kurt went to the kitchen and found all of the ingredients he would need for his mother's lasagna recipe. When Blaine joined him, Kurt suggested that he cut up the fixings to make a salad. They worked in tandem and sang together, mostly songs from the movie they had just watched. When they sang “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” they danced around the kitchen. Kurt was pleased to see that his soulmate knew how to do more than just sway back and forth. After their song and dance, they got back to work on the food.

Their meal was delicious, and Blaine found the perfect wine to pair with it. As they ate, they talked about their coming out stories and when they figured out they were gay. Blaine had figured it out when he was nine. He told Kurt about how he talked to his dad about a new boy in his class that he found pretty. He recalled happily that his dad didn't bat an eyelash. Kurt told Blaine about his dad finding him dancing to “Single Ladies” and then his stint on the football team before he finally dredged up the courage to tell his dad when he was 15.

After they had finished and cleaned up, the men decided to go to bed early. They were both mentally and emotionally exhausted from all of the memories they had shared that day. Blaine went into his room and changed into his pajamas then joined Kurt in his room. Neither man wanted anything more than just cuddling that night, longing to feel the comfort and closeness only their soulmate could offer. They lay together, face to face like koala bears, sharing chaste kisses and whispering sweet nothings into the air.

The last thing Kurt remembered before falling asleep was Blaine placing a kiss in the middle of his chest. That kiss made him feel more cherished and loved than any other kiss ever had. He wasn't quite sure what it was about it, but he knew in the depth of his soul that something big was going to happen that night.

Both boys were in each other's dreams again. But something was different. They were just standing there, almost like they were waiting for a show to start.

"I wonder why nothing is happening," Kurt asked, thoroughly confused.

"I was thinking the same thing," Blaine replied.

Just then, something started to happen. It was like a fog was lifting from the earth, revealing bits and fragmented parts of dreams they had both had before.

"It's moving too fast for me to piece the parts together," Kurt panicked. "This seems important! I felt it before I fell asleep." He turned wild, anxious eyes to Blaine.

"Love," Blaine said, trying his best to calm Kurt. He reached out, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"What if the universe is trying to tell us something, and we mess this all up?" Kurt asked, beginning to spiral.

"LOVE," Blaine said a little louder. He patted at Kurt's arm.

"We can't fuck this up, Blaine. I refuse to lose you right after I found you," Kurt sobbed. “I can't! I ju-"

"KURT, TAKE A FUCKING BREATH," Blaine yelled, finally able to break through the thoughts that were clouding Kurt's mind.

Kurt listened, taking a deep breath. "Thank you," he said. "I told you you might have to do that."

"Yes, you did," Blaine replied. "Okay, let's look at what we are seeing. There are what appear to be parts of several different dreams that I've had with you. I also recognize some of yours that I've visited."

"I see that all now, too," Kurt said. "The villa keeps getting interspersed in there, too. Is that…?" Kurt stopped and took a closer look. "Is that us here, under the gazebo, when we were younger?"

"There we are again as teenagers," Blaine observed, pointing to another dream fragment. "I don't remember having those dreams, the ones that take place here."

"I don't either," Kurt confessed. "But, when I was talking with Santana the night that she found the website for this place, I could see it clear as day. I described it to her perfectly, and she was able to find it. How did that happen if I don't actually remember the dream? And how did we both know that it was because of our dreams that we booked this place? It’s like, we remembered a dream about being here but not the actual dream. Does that make sense? How is that even possible?"

"Fate?" Blaine guessed. "It happened similarly to me, though I wasn't planning with anyone else. I was just browsing, and something compelled me to click on the site for this villa. Once I saw it, it felt like home, and I knew I had to come here."

"Alright," Kurt said, taking another deep breath. "So, we have all of these dreams that we're a part of, and they're just playing on repeat now it seems. What's the commonality? There has to be something there that we are missing."

Blaine started thinking about everything they had shared with each other since they met, both in and out of their dreams. "Baby?" Blaine asked hesitantly, starting to come up with something that might be a solution.

"Yeah?" Kurt answered, still trying to figure out what they were missing.

"You were 10 when your mom died. I was nine when I figured out I was gay," Blaine explained.

"Correct," Kurt said, turning toward Blaine, sensing he was on to something but not knowing where this train of thought was headed.

"That was the first time we showed up in each other's dreams," Blaine stated. And, just like that, the scrolling dreams went to those exact moments, putting them side by side. One was Kurt's dream, one was Blaine's, and a third one showed the boys under the gazebo.

"When is the next time you remember seeing me in your dreams?" Blaine asked.

"I think it was when I finally came out to my dad," Kurt guessed. That dream showed up right next to the one of Blaine in the hospital. Again, there was a third dream of the boys under the gazebo.

"From then on, we got to see each other a little more frequently than we had been," Blaine pointed out. "My guess is that I showed up somewhere in your dreams around the time my dad died."

"My dad had a heart attack," Kurt breathed, amazed at the pattern they were discovering as those dreams appeared. "He was in a coma for two weeks, and we weren't sure if he was going to make it." Again, there was a third dream sequence of the boys under the gazebo, though this time, they were hugging instead of just sitting next to each other.

Two more dream triads appeared as the boys stood there and watched in complete awe. Burt's cancer diagnosis and Blaine's rejection to Columbia appeared together, and then Burt's remission and Eric cheating flashed next.

"Whenever something huge has happened in either other our lives, something just as big happened in the other. And somehow, we knew that this would be the place we'd figure it all out," Kurt said, finally being able to put all that he had seen and figured out into words.

"This can't be real," Blaine murmured, missing the look of hurt on Kurt's face. "This is…it's just…I don't understand how this can be real, love."

"Do you not want it to be real?" Kurt whispered, afraid if he spoke any louder, he would break.

Blaine sensed the tension in Kurt's words and finally tore his eyes away from the dreams that kept cycling through in their completed triads. When he saw the unshed tears in Kurt's eyes, he hugged his soulmate in the tightest embrace he could. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. All I meant was this seems so surreal, beyond anything I've ever heard of or could ever imagine, and I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you've always been there for me. I've always been there for you, and, I think, we were always meant to be here. In this moment, right here, right now."

"Can we wake up?" Kurt pleaded. "Please? I need to see you, the real you. I need to know that this is real and not another dream where I wake up, and you aren't really there."

Blaine was able to pull himself out of sleep first and spent a couple of minutes trying to wake Kurt. It was breaking his heart to see the tears streaming down his lover's face.

"Kurt," Blaine said. "Baby, wake up. I'm real, and this is real. I'm right here. You just need to open your eyes."

Kurt shook his head no, not sure who to believe. Was the ‘real’ Blaine the Blaine who was talking to him in his dream or the one who was slowly but surely pulling him out of that dream and back into reality? He finally gasped awake and frantically searched for his soulmate.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's face and forced him to focus on him, to look directly in his eyes. "I'm right here, baby," Blaine repeated. "I have always been right here, and I always will be. I'm not going anywhere, and the only way I will is if you send me away."

"I love you," Kurt whispered, still staring into those golden pools of love. "I love you so much, Blaine. I won't ever send you away. I promise."

"I love you, too, Kurt," Blaine said and dove in for a kiss that felt like the promise of forever to Kurt.

They fell asleep quickly after that, arms twined around one another, dreaming that they were walking through Central Park, seeing the Eiffel Tower and skydiving somewhere warm.

Chapter Text

Kurt woke first the next morning, feeling more well-rested than he had in a very long time. He wasn't sure if it was because of the emotional roller coaster he and Blaine had been on yesterday, or because he was wrapped up in Blaine's arms all night. The latter wasn't something he wanted to give up, ever.

He lay there, just thinking, not wanting to disturb Blaine's sleep. "I don't know how I'm ever going to go back to sleeping without Blaine beside me. It's only been a few days, and already I don't want to be apart from him. I wonder how soon after meeting someone is too soon to ask them to move in with you. Maybe he doesn't want to live with me. What if he does want to live with me but not at my apartment? What if his apartment is better? Should I suggest we find a new place that's completely ours?"

As he finished that thought, he heard a voice inside his head that sounded just like Santana. "KURT, TAKE A FUCKING BREATH!" So, he did and mentally thanked her for the reminder. "Is that the only phrase that gets me to calm down anymore? I really should work on that."

Kurt took a few more "fucking" breaths and thought more rationally about the whole situation. "Okay, it's Christmas Day, so maybe I will just call Santana and get her thoughts on the whole thing. I'd call Dad, but he's on a cruise so no cell service there. I hope they're having a good time. How in the hell am I going to explain all of this to them? Maybe I will just bring Blaine back with me for a visit, and they'll be able to see the connection between us. No, that's stupid. I'll just explain it to him and hope he understands. He will; he's my dad and the biggest cheerleader for happiness in my life. When am I going to see him again? Damnit, there’s too much going on in my head right now I can’t even remember."

With that thought, he calmed down and snuggled closer to Blaine's sleeping form. One thing Kurt knew he'd never get over was...well, there were tons of things that he would never get over when it came to Blaine, but Kurt absolutely loved the way his soulmate smelled. He loved the smell of Blaine's hair and neck, his chest, his groin, and oh dear god, his ass. "Stop Kurt! Mailman, Grandma, that one singer's annoying personal assistant that plasters themselves in every single photo they can. Okay…that did it. Just concentrate on Blaine's hair. That other stuff can come later."

Blaine slept for another 30 minutes or so, and Kurt spent that time trying to memorize every feature of his soulmate's face. When Blaine started to stir, Kurt began kissing his face, unable to resist it any longer. He kissed Blaine's temple, his cheeks, his eyelids, his nose, and then finally his lips, which is how Blaine fully woke up.

"I could get used to this," Blaine said, voice husky with sleep. He kissed Kurt back lazily, thoroughly enjoying the wake-up call.

"Me too," Kurt replied, and his mind started wandering to his earlier dilemma of asking Blaine to move in with him.

The boys continued kissing for several more minutes before they were interrupted by Kurt's phone ringing. "I'm going to throttle her when I get home," Kurt fumed as he broke away from Blaine's lips. "She won't stop calling either, so I'm going to have to take this."

"It's not a problem, baby," Blaine replied and stole one more kiss as Kurt's phone stopped ringing. "Shall I go make some breakfast while you talk with her?"

"I would love that," Kurt answered.

"Merry Christmas, love," Blaine said as Kurt's phone began singing again.

"Merry Christmas, my love," Kurt replied. He captured Blaine's lips one more time before answering his phone. "Yes?"

"Well, a Merry fucking Christmas to you, too," Santana snarked on the other end of the line. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said, not sounding sorry about anything at all.

"Nope," Kurt answered dryly, emphasizing the ‘p.’ "We just woke up."

"Daaaaamn," she joked.

"Merry Christmas, San," Kurt said fondly.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Kurt," Santana answered. She heard her best friend sigh and guessed that there was something he wanted to talk to her about but wouldn't bring up on his own. Sometimes, it paid to know his little quirks. She always knew when he needed to talk or be pushed and when to back off. Right now, he needed to talk. "What's up? You sound like you've got something on your mind."

"Well," Kurt began, "I've been thinking about asking Blaine to move in with me when we get home. It's just—"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Santana yelled. "You've known each other, what, five days, and you already want to make that jump? He's going to think you're crazy. Which you are." She wanted to say something more, but Kurt sounded like he was already struggling to make a protest.

"San, there's a lot more to it than that," Kurt tried to explain.

"I don't care what all there is to it," Santana replied. "You can't ask him that. It's too fucking soon." Really, she just wanted to look out for her friend. She wanted to meet this guy before Kurt made any drastic changes. Her Mexican third-eye had never let her down before, and she knew if this guy was a creep or just after Kurt for his money, she'd be able to tell.

"Well, it's not really up to you, now, is it?" Kurt shouted and hung up on her, silencing his ringer so he wouldn't hear it when she inevitably called back.

Kurt was pissed. He knew what Santana was saying was true. He did. It was too soon, and he knew that. He just wished she would have listened to his side before blowing up on him. And there was no way he was going to let her order him around. She wasn't his fucking mother after all.

"Everything okay?" Blaine asked from the doorway. "I heard you shout and wanted to check on you."

Kurt looked up at Blaine, hating the worry that was on his face. "Yeah," he said, sighing. "Santana and I just quarreled over something fairly stupid. I hate fighting with her. We're both stubborn sometimes, and this is one of those times. Though, this time, she was right. And if you ever tell her I said that I'll never kiss you again." Both boys knew this was an idle threat. They could never not kiss each other.

"I won't ever tell her," Blaine said and went over to the bed to sit down by his soulmate. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now," Kurt said. "I promise I will tell you at some point, and by then, I'm sure it will seem ridiculous. Just not right now, please."

"Okay," Blaine replied and placed a gentle kiss on Kurt's mouth. "Breakfast will be ready in just a little bit. We had all of the stuff for a frittata, and I was about to put it in the oven when I heard you shout."

"That sounds amazing," Kurt replied. "Do I have time to go jump in the shower?"

"Yeah," Blaine answered. "I'll take one after we eat."

"I love you," Kurt said, thrilled that he could say this whenever he felt like it.

"I love you, too," Blaine replied. "Now, go get your stinky self in the shower so we can eat." He chuckled to himself at Kurt's instant response.

"I do not stink," Kurt reprimanded and tried to swat at Blaine, but he jumped out of the way too fast. He listened to Blaine giggle as he left the room, and Kurt got up to go to the en-suite bathroom and get ready for the day.

While he was in the shower, he thought about a gift he could give Blaine. "Oh, this is going to be so good!"

Chapter Text

After Kurt was done in the shower, he headed downstairs to the kitchen. The aroma that filled his nostrils was terrific. "The man can definitely cook," Kurt thought. As he approached the kitchen, he heard Blaine talking to someone.

"He's so perfect, Momma," Blaine said into his phone. "I can't wait for you to meet him. Yeah, I wish he was here, too, but you'll never guess what I found when I got here! Yep, right year and everything. Don't cry, Momma. He wouldn't want us to be sad, especially when something so great is happening right now." He chuckled. "I will; I promise. Maybe he would want to come with me sometime so you can meet him."

"I'd love that," Kurt said, letting Blaine know that he was there.

Blaine beamed at seeing Kurt, knowing that he was willing to meet one of the most special people in the world to him. "Momma, I'm going to go. Our breakfast is almost finished cooking. Alright, I'll talk to him and get back to you. Mahal din kita, Momma."

"What language was that?" Kurt asked, unaware that his soulmate knew anything other than English.

"Um…it's Filipino," Blaine said, realizing that his love had no idea of his heritage. "Let's get breakfast, and I will elaborate."

They opted to eat in the dining room instead of on the terrace that morning. "So, about my family...My mom is from the Philippines, and my dad was American. Momma came over to the states for college, and that's where they met. It's always been important for her to keep that part of our heritage alive, so she taught Cooper and me the language early on."

"That's really great," Kurt said. "She sounds lovely."

"She is," Blaine replied. "She'd, um, she'd like to meet you sometime if you're up for it."

"Of course, I am," Kurt said. "When was she thinking?"

"Wow! Really? Just like that?" Blaine asked, surprised. Eric had been terrified to meet his parents, and he’d never dated anyone long enough after that to want to introduce them to his mother and brother. "I guess that makes sense. We're soulmates, so maybe it's our bond that makes us more okay with this kind of thing than other relationships?"

"Yeah," Kurt answered. "Just like that. Reasonably, I could understand why you'd think I might freak out, but there's been so much stuff going on between us since we met; meeting your mom seems like a walk in the park. When can I meet her?"

"Well, I already told you I'm heading back on New Year's Day," Blaine said. "I was planning on staying with her for a week or so and then head back to the city to get ready for my spring semester. If you wanted, you could come when you get back home. Even if it's just for the weekend. Darien, Connecticut, where she lives, is only about an hour northeast of the city."

"I'd love to," Kurt replied. "Make sure it's alright with her first, though. I know you two don't get a whole lot of time together, and I don't want to be monopolizing the little that you do."

"I'll ask, though I'm sure she will be fine with it," Blaine said. He was giddy inside at the idea of having his two favorite people in the same place.

"What's your mom's name?" Kurt asked as he finished up his breakfast.

"Dalisay," Blaine said. "It would be the equivalent to our Daisy. And my dad's name was Adrian."

"My dad's name is Burt, and my mom's was Elizabeth, though Dad just called her Lizzy," Kurt said. "When I was a junior in high school, he remarried a woman named Carole. She's wonderful and is going to absolutely adore you. When we added her to our family, we also added Finn, my step-brother. I can tell you more about him some other time, though." He shook his head, not even sure how he'd broach the topic of his oaf of a step-brother and the reason their parents were introduced.

"That's completely fine. I can't wait to meet them!" Blaine exclaimed. "Now, let's get this all cleaned up, so I can give you your Christmas present."

"You already gave me something yesterday," Kurt protested. "I have something I want to give you."

"Mine first," Blaine said. "Trust me, you're going to love it."

"Alright," Kurt conceded. "You're going to love mine as well.”

The boys cleaned up, and then Blaine led Kurt upstairs to Kurt's bedroom. "Sit right here for a minute, and I'll be right back." Blaine ran to his room and grabbed a condom and some lube, glad he packed it just in case. He put them in his back pocket before returning to the bedroom. When he arrived, Kurt was sitting on the edge of the bed, fidgeting with a stray thread, seemingly trying to calm his nerves.

"So…umm…" Blaine started but wasn't quite sure how to continue.

"Actually, can I go first?" Kurt asked.

Blaine sighed in relief, "Yeah. Yes, you can." He was silently thankful that he had a few more minutes to figure out how exactly to say, "Kurt, my ass is your gift. Because that just doesn't sound romantic at all!"

"I want us to make love if you're okay with that idea," Kurt began, breathing through the nerves, adamant that he wasn't going to stammer or ramble. Blaine nodded vehemently at the idea. "To do that, though," Kurt continued, "I have to talk a little about my ex. Are you okay with that?"

"I'm here for you whenever you need to talk about anything, including your past relationships," Blaine said. He went over to sit by Kurt on the bed, placing the lube and condom he'd grabbed onto the nightside stand, then he wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist, hoping it would bring him comfort.

Kurt's confidence was bolstered when he saw what Blaine had gone after. So, he jumped right in. "When Sebastian and I first started dating," he reminisced, "we talked a lot before we did anything physical. It took us a while to kiss even. Most of it was because of me since he was my first relationship. I learned that he had been with other boys before, lots of them, actually. It didn't particularly bother me, because he went at my pace and was okay with that. When he learned about my…um…size, he said that he would only top if we ever had sex. He let me top once during our two-year relationship, and that's all. And I loved every moment of it. Bottoming was okay for me, I guess, but I never really enjoyed it as much as I thought I was supposed to. After having some time to really think about it, it all came down to trust and vulnerability. I want to give you that trust. I want to be completely vulnerable with you."

As Kurt talked, Blaine could tell that he was sincere yet nervous about taking this step in this way. "Can I say something now?" Kurt nodded, and Blaine continued. "I hate topping. Absolutely despise it. I've only had one relationship. Eric. Other than that, there have been blow jobs and hand jobs exchanged after going out on a date or two but nothing further than that ever. For me, I have to feel that connection to sleep with someone. And after everything that's happened in my life, all the times I've had to be calm and in control, I long to be the one out of control. To just let someone take care of me. So, if it's okay with you, I would love for you to make love to me," Blaine offered, gesturing to the lube and condom on the nightstand. "My ass is actually my gift to you," he grinned sheepishly.

"You know how big I am, Blaine. Are you sure?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"I do know how big you are," Blaine answered, wiggling his eyebrows. "I also know that you won't hurt me. You'll take your time and make sure that I'm well stretched and…even though we haven't known each other that long, I know you, Kurt. And I know, without a doubt, that this will be the best experience of my life thus far. Being able to connect with you like this...words won't be able to describe it." He kissed Kurt's cheek fondly.

Kurt had tears in his eyes. He knew he trusted Blaine with all of his heart and soul. But he wasn't sure until right at that moment that the same level of trust was reciprocated. "I love you," he said and leaned in for a sweet kiss that very quickly turned desperate. "Slow down, Kurt. You have to slow it down," he thought.

"Let me go grab something really quick," Kurt said. He went to his en-suite and grabbed a towel. He knew that he would need to use lots of lube and didn't want to get the sheets all messy. That would be so embarrassing for the housekeepers to find lube stained sheets when they checked out. When he got back into the room, he set the towel aside and beckoned Blaine to stand up.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist and brought him in for a deep kiss. While they were kissing, Kurt began unbuttoning Blaine's shirt. Blaine caught on, and once his shirt was off, he made quick work of Kurt's.

"You're so beautiful," Blaine said, hands roaming all over Kurt's pale chest.

"You are stunning," Kurt said, his hands doing the same to Blaine. "Shall we lay down?"

Blaine nodded in agreement. Kurt turned the sheets down and let Blaine crawl in first. He hovered over his soulmate's prone body, simply taking in the sight of him. Kurt started a trail of kisses that led from Blaine's forehead and traveled to his jaw, neck, chest, and down toward his very defined 'v.' Blaine whined when he got close to his waistband which encouraged Kurt to take off Blaine's pants.

Once he was no longer constricted by clothes and completely naked, Blaine sighed a breath of relief. He was letting go of everything, all of his worries and thoughts of anything that wasn't his soulmate.

Kurt felt the tension leave Blaine's body as his hands roamed over Blaine's toned muscles. He felt so honored that this man was so at ease with him. The pliability of Blaine's body and the way he willingly responded to each suggestion of Kurt's hands was another sign of the complete and total trust Blaine had put in him. The sheer magnitude of those few moments humbled Kurt. He knew that there was no gift more significant than that.

Kurt continued to place kisses down Blaine's body. He took Blaine into his mouth for a few strokes, hoping to take some of the edge off, before continuing to his final destination. Kurt asked Blaine to hold his legs up so he could get to his entrance easier. Parting his cheeks, he swiped his tongue over the rim several times, getting Blaine used to the sensation of him being there and taking in the smell. "God, I love your scent," Kurt said with a groan.

"Please," Blaine whined. "Please…" He didn't really know what else to say; he just wanted Kurt in him.

"Patience, my love," Kurt replied. "This is going to take some time."

"I know," Blaine breathed. "I just am so ready to connect this way with you, to deepen the connection that we already share."

"Me too," Kurt agreed. He grabbed the towel and slid it under Blaine before he uncapped the bottle of lube. At the sound of the cap opening, Blaine moaned in anticipation.

Kurt took his time opening Blaine up, starting with one finger and ending with four. He quickly found Blaine's prostate and stimulated it some, but not so much that it would make this all end before they could really begin.

When Blaine was sufficiently stretched, Kurt sat up, pulled his own pants off, and slid the condom on. "Rollover on your side, sweetheart," he instructed.

"But I want to see you," Blaine protested and gave Kurt his best puppy dog eyes.

"I want to see you, too, believe me," Kurt responded. "It's easier this way to start out with, though. Once you're adjusted to my size, we can switch if you still want to. I just want this to feel the best it can for you."

"You'll hold me?" Blaine asked, sounding small.

"Of course, I will," Kurt assured him. "I'm going to wrap you up in my arms and hold you close the whole time."

Blaine rolled onto his side, and Kurt spooned in behind him. "Alright, my love," Kurt whispered into Blaine's ear. "I need you to lift your leg up. You can rest it on mine if you need to."

Kurt lubed up his cock while Blaine lifted his leg to give Kurt the access he needed. Taking a deep, calming breath, Kurt placed his cock at Blaine's entrance and very slowly pushed it in just a little.

Blaine winced. He knew Kurt was well endowed, but even his biggest toy at home wasn't this big. "You're so fucking big!" Blaine panted.

"Do you need me to stop?" Kurt asked, terrified he was hurting his lover too much.

"Don't you fucking dare," Blaine hissed. "I want this so badly, Kurt. Just…"

"I know," Kurt whispered. "I'm going to go slow."

And that's what he did. Kurt was utterly overwhelmed by the tightness and heat of Blaine. He was somewhat surprised it wasn't taking all of his willpower to not just start thrusting into Blaine. However, as he sat there and waited for his soulmate to fully adjust to him, he knew that the reason he wasn't struggling with his desires was because of his responsibility to take care of Blaine. Hurting him was the absolute last thing he wanted to do.

Once Blaine's body would relax around him, he'd push in just a little bit more and wait there until Blaine's muscles stopped clenching, all along whispering sweet nothings into Blaine's ear and stroking his chest and torso with the arm he had wrapped around him.

Kurt had finally, finally bottomed out several minutes later, and he just sat there, waiting for a sign from Blaine that he was okay for Kurt to move.

"Move," Blaine pleaded, grabbing Kurt's hand for an anchor. "Dear god, please move."

"As you wish," Kurt whispered and kissed the nape of Blaine's neck as he began to rock back and forth ever so slightly. As Blaine's moans became louder, Kurt's thrusts became deeper. Kurt kept his pace slow, not chancing anything that would hurt Blaine.

"Please," Blaine whimpered after a while. "Please, love. I need to see you."

"Do you feel like you've adjusted enough to my—"

"Yes," Blaine interrupted. "Please, baby."

"Okay," Kurt replied and pulled out of Blaine who whimpered loudly at the loss of his soulmate inside him.

When Kurt was all of the way out, Blaine rolled over and lunged up to kiss Kurt hard on the mouth. "I love you so fucking much, Kurt," Blaine said between kisses. "Please, please get back inside of me. I need you so much."

Kurt didn't have to be asked twice. He applied some more lube and then slowly slid back into Blaine, bracing himself with one hand as he guided himself in with the other. When Kurt was seated against Blaine's ass again, they both groaned deeply. Everything felt right in the world.

"I'm not sure how much longer I am going to be able to last," Blaine managed as Kurt began slowly thrusting in and out.

"Me either," Kurt grunted, trying his best to stave off his orgasm for as long as possible.

"Harder," Blaine plead. "Please, baby, harder. I need—"

His sentence was cut off when Kurt did as he requested, and whatever he was about to say was replaced with a guttural groan that was nothing but purely sexual. "Holy fucking shit, Blaine," Kurt panted. "The noises you're making are going to end this much sooner than I want."

Blaine could no longer speak in words. All he could do was grunt and moan, his body and mind lost in the ecstasy of the moment. He attempted to reach his hand to his cock as his balls began to tighten, and he felt the tell-tale sign of his orgasm approaching.

Kurt saw Blaine's hand move and swatted it away, taking Blaine's cock in his own hand and pumping, matching the speed of his thrusts. A few strokes later, both boys were screaming out each other's names in euphoric pleasure and seeing spots in their fields of vision from the intensity of their orgasms.

It took a full five minutes to come down from their high and their breathing to return to normal. Kurt pulled out of Blaine as gently as he could and disposed of the condom in the bathroom, grabbing a warm washcloth to clean Blaine up with. Once both boys were clean and the towel and washcloth were deposited in the hamper, Kurt went back to the bed and gathered Blaine up in his arms.

"Best Christmas present ever!" Blaine cheered in a sleepy tone.

"I would have to agree with that sentiment," Kurt said, placing a kiss on Blaine's temple. "What do you say to a nap and then a late lunch?"

"I'd say that sounds perfect," Blaine mumbled, almost asleep. "Love you, baby."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Kurt said, placing another kiss on Blaine's forehead. "So very much. And I promise to always love you, no matter what life throws at us." With that promise, Kurt fell asleep, meeting Blaine in their dreams.

Chapter Text

During their short nap, the boys continued to see glimpses of places that were both familiar and not familiar. They saw themselves on a forest floor in the dead of night (“Is that a crown on my head?" Kurt asked), at Blaine's mother's house in Connecticut (“I loved it being right on the water," Blaine explained), in a cave with some kind of dogs they were petting (“Did we get matching tattoos?" both boys said at the same time), and back at the villa on what looked like their wedding day. When they woke up a couple of hours later, they stretched and yawned. "That last one," Blaine said groggily, "I want that to happen someday."

Realizing what he had just said, he woke quickly. "I mean…um…I just mean…"

"Breathe, sweetheart," Kurt said gently. "I want that to happen someday, too."

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, okay, then."

"Want to know something I've figured out about us?" Kurt asked, snuggling in close to Blaine.

"Always, love," Blaine said and placed a kiss on Kurt's chest.

"Our relationship is different than most," he began. "And because of that, things will likely work differently for us. I feel like the time-line in which we do things will seem sped up compared to a typical couple. Does that make sense?"

"We're going to move at our own speed and not what society dictates is ‘acceptable’ because we are soulmates and what we have is different than ‘normal’ relationships," Blaine summarized. "Is that what you're getting at?"

"Yes, exactly!" Kurt said. "Thank you for knowing me and knowing what my brain is thinking and heart is feeling when I am unable to put them into words."

Kurt leaned down to kiss Blaine, so very happy that they were on the same page. After exchanging a few lazy kisses, Kurt's stomach growled loudly.

"Hungry?" Blaine asked with a giggle.

"Apparently!" Kurt replied.

"Well," Blaine said. "If memory serves me right, you did just exert a lot of energy a little bit ago."

"Cheeky," Kurt said as his stomach growled again. "But, yes, I definitely did work up an appetite. How are you feeling?" he asked with concern in his eyes and voice.

"Perfect," Blaine answered. "A little sore but not in a bad or unexpected way. I feel loved, cared for, and absolutely perfect!"

Kurt released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Okay," he sighed thankfully, nodding his head a little. "Okay."

"Shall we go fix some lunch-er?" Blaine asked, chuckling at his newly made-up word.

"Lunch…?" Kurt began questioningly and then noticed the time. "I get it now! Yes, sweetheart, I would love to go fix some lunch-er with you."

Kurt got out of bed first and went across the room to get fresh clothes when he heard a hiss and low groan come from behind him. "Blaine," Kurt sighed, tears threatening to well up. He knew what that noise was about. "I'm so sorry," he said and rushed back to the bed to help Blaine sit up.

"I'm fine, love," Blaine assured his soulmate after he was sitting. "I promise. It's been...a while since I've done that. So, that, coupled with your size...I'm just going to have to take it slow until I get my sex-legs back under me. But, please, please don't apologize anymore. That was...it was...god Kurt, I don't even know how to describe how amazing that was for me."

Kurt could see the sincerity in Blaine's eyes. "Alright. I won't apologize anymore." He kissed Blaine's temple. "How about this? I will draw you a bath in the jacuzzi tub then go fix lunch-er," he said with a wink at their new word. "That way the warmth can help ease the soreness, and you won't have to worry about standing around for too long cooking."

"That actually sounds heavenly," Blaine said. "You're sure you don't mind cooking all by yourself?"

"I don't mind at all," Kurt answered. "Are you in the mood for anything in particular?"

"Maybe some chicken? And pasta of some sort?" Blaine replied. "Honestly, whatever you cook will be amazing."

"I can work with that," Kurt said, mentally running over the ingredients he had seen in the kitchen. "Let me go run your bath, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine answered and puckered his lips, begging for a kiss.

Kurt obliged him. "Goof," he teased and proceeded to the bathroom to fill the jacuzzi tub for his very sore soulmate.

Once the bath was ready, Kurt went back into the bedroom to help Blaine. It was slow going, and Kurt struggled to not ask Blaine if he was alright after ever step. He trusted that if he were in too much pain, Blaine would tell him. When Blaine was finally in the tub and the jets were going, he moaned softly, his body instantly relaxing at how much better it all felt.

"Feel good?" Kurt asked, unsure if the warmth and jets felt soothing or if it all was making Blaine feel too good.

"So good," Blaine moaned again. "And no, not that kind of good either." He could sense his soulmate's undertones.

"Alright," Kurt said. "I'm going to go down and get started on lunch-er. I'll be back in a little bit to see if you need any help getting out of the tub, okay, sweetheart?"

"Okay, baby," Blaine answered, eyes closed, puckering up his lips again.

Kurt bestowed him with another kiss then went downstairs to fix their meal. He decided on a simple menu of baked chicken and a side of very cheesy baked rigatoni. They would also have a small side salad and gelato for dessert, too. It took Kurt about 20 minutes to get everything together and in the oven. He decided he could get the salad fixings ready after he checked on Blaine. Despite knowing he was fine, Kurt felt an overwhelming urge to still check on him.

When he arrived back upstairs, Blaine had already gotten out of the tub and was in his bedroom, getting clothes on very slowly. Or, attempting to put his clothes on.

"Why didn't you call for help?" Kurt said, kneeling down in front of Blaine to help him with his boxer briefs and pants.

"I didn't want to bother you, and it wasn't so bad when I first got out," Blaine answered. He had always thought he would hate having someone dress him, but with Kurt, it just felt like another layer of comfort and trust. "Bending down, though...that's a whole other ballgame."

"Do you want any socks or shoes?" Kurt asked after helping Blaine stand up and pull up his pants. He had opted for a pair of Walton sweatpants and a t-shirt, wanting to be as comfortable as possible this evening.

"No, thank you," Blaine answered. "I like to be barefoot or in sandals as much as I can. I honestly hate wearing socks, no matter the weather or temperature."

"I'm not sure why, but that makes perfect sense for you," Kurt chuckled. He would usually not ever condone not wearing socks. But, for some reason, he could see it totally working for Blaine.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Blaine said.

"You should," Kurt answered and kissed Blaine sweetly on the lips. He dove in for another kiss, feeling like it has been way too long since they had kissed.

"Wow," Blaine said. "What was that for?"

"For you being you," Kurt said.

"I love you," Blaine said and kissed Kurt again.

"I love you, too," Kurt said after their kiss broke. "Let's get downstairs and get you comfortable so I can finish up our meal."

"It smells delicious, whatever it is," Blaine said as they walked down the stairs. Well, it was more like shuffling. Poor Blaine had to take the stairs one at a time, one hand on the railing and the other one being steadied by Kurt.

"Thank you," Kurt said. "We might have to sleep in the downstairs bedroom tonight depending on how he's feeling later," he thought, noting the slow pace they were taking and the winces every so many steps.

Kurt helped Blaine get settled in one of the dining room chairs, having grabbed a pillow from the living room for Blaine to sit on after he put everything in the oven. They chatted about their Christmas traditions while Kurt finished up the salad. Blaine talked about how he and his dad always watched It's A Wonderful Life on Christmas night before going to bed, and Kurt talked about how he and his dad carried on the tradition of baking cookies on Christmas Eve after his mother passed away. They both kept this information in the back of their minds; their futures were sure to be intertwined, and neither one wanted to forget.

Their meal was perfect, and Blaine complimented Kurt with each new thing he tried. They both decided they loved the domestic feelings they got from cooking for one another. They loved the ease of their conversation and just how naturally everything seemed to come to them. Blaine loved having Kurt take care of him, and Kurt found a great deal of satisfaction taking care of Blaine. Kurt cleaned up after the meal, much to Blaine's protesting.

"You can clean up tomorrow," Kurt said finally, after listening to Blaine lament not being able to help him several times. "Deal?"

"Okay," Blaine conceded, knowing that he wasn't going to win this one.

After everything was cleaned up, Kurt asked what Blaine wanted to do. He suggested going into the living room and building a fire, mainly for the ambiance. He also maybe wanted to do it for the warmth a little bit. There had been something that had been in the back of Blaine's mind all day, and he wanted to talk to Kurt about it.

When the fire was going, and the boys were cuddled together on the sofa, Blaine asked, "Is now an okay time to ask what you and Santana were fighting about this morning?"

"Well," Kurt started, "it was about you actually. Well, no, that's not true. It was about me telling her I wanted to ask you to move in with me. And then, she flew off the fucking handle, telling me it was too soon, and we hadn't known each other long enough. And I know what she's thinking and what she didn't say. She wants to make sure you're a good guy. Which I appreciate. I really do. She's just very protective of me and doesn't want someone to take advantage of me. I have a lot of money. I'm not sure if I told you that or not. And there have been guys out there who wanted to date me, because—"

Blaine cutting him off with a deep kiss surprised Kurt. "I've been rambling. Shit," he thought as he kissed Blaine. Then, he thought about everything he had just said, and he tensed. "I just told him that I want him to move in with me. Fuck. Wait…he's kissing me and not telling me I'm crazy. Maybe he wants it too?"

"Wait," Kurt said, disconnecting from Blaine with a gentle push against his chest. "You're kissing me."

"Well, I was," Blaine snarked.

"No, what I mean is—"

"I know what you're probably thinking," Blaine said, feeling like this soulmate thing was really going into overdrive now. "Hmm, I'll have to remember to talk about that with him later," he thought. "You're thinking that I was going to freak out because of what you said, and obviously, I'm not. I've been thinking about it, too, moving in together. And after our talk earlier about going at a speed that works for us, I was going to bring it up before we left. You just beat me to it."

"Number one," Kurt started, "do you think it's the soulmate thing that is helping us to read each other so easily? Number two, you've really been thinking about it?"

Blaine chuckled a little. "I was just thinking that same thing, about the soulmate bond and helping deepen our connection, I mean. So, the answer to number one is yes. I do think that's a huge part of it. I think another part is just us getting to know each other better outside of our dreams. The answer to number two is another yes. I was thinking about it in the bathtub, actually. The time we've spent together has been amazing, and I'm nowhere near ready to be without you all of the time."

"You. Are. Amazing!" Kurt said, and then they lost themselves in a kiss for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was only about 10 minutes later that they were panting for air. They both decided to cool off, knowing that things wouldn't lead any further than kissing tonight given how sore Blaine was.

"I guess the next question is," Blaine began, "do we want to live at your place, my place, or find somewhere else altogether?"

"Let's wait until we get back to make that decision," Kurt offered. "That way, we can see each other's apartments and see if either of them feels right. If they do, we choose that one. If they don't, we find some place that does."

"That sounds perfect, love," Blaine said.

The boys spent the next hour sitting in front of the fireplace, sharing lazy kisses, and just enjoying each other's company. They thought about their future and all of the possibilities that lay in front of them.

Kurt offered to have them sleep downstairs so Blaine wouldn't have to climb back up. By the time it was ready to go bed, though, Blaine was feeling a little better and not as sore, so they opted to go upstairs to sleep in Kurt's room again. It was still relatively early for sleep, especially after their nap, so they lay in bed and talked about whatever came to their minds until they fell asleep, entwined in each other's limbs.

That night, in their dreams, they revisited some of their favorite childhood Christmases. Kurt kind of met Adrian that night, and Blaine kind of met Lizzy. Both boys loved seeing the other's Christmas traditions in action. There were a few tears shed by both of them, but they were happy tears at having those memories, instead of sad tears at what they had lost.

Chapter Text

When the boys woke up the next morning, they were more in love than when they fell asleep. They absolutely adored being able to see snippets of each other’s childhood and witness some great times and happy memories. Over breakfast, Blaine brought up a question that had constantly been in the back of his mind, and when he thought to bring it up, the timing wasn’t right for one reason or another.

"Hey, baby?" Blaine asked.

"What's up?" Kurt responded.

"Have you thought much about our dreams?" he asked. "It's something I've thought about at random times, but haven't really allowed myself to delve into. And whenever I do think about talking to you about it, we’re usually in the middle of something else."

"What about them?" Kurt asked, intrigued to see where this conversation was going.

"Well..." Blaine began, trying to get his thoughts in order. "Granted, Wes hasn't discussed what it means for him to be a soulmate...I know I have never heard him mention anything about dreams that he and Claudia share, much less like the ones we have. Maybe he has them, and he just thought it was too intimate of a topic to talk to me about." Blaine shook his head. He was rambling. "Regardless, what if these dreams are unique to our bond? What do you think it means? All we get are flashes of certain things at times, and they're of places and events I have never seen before."

"Seb never mentioned anything about dreams when he talked to me about him and Danny either," Kurt replied. "He's only ever just talked about the connection piece. Do you think we should call them and ask? Or, do you think we should just see where this all leads us? I'm good with either scenario," he said and grinned at Blaine over his cup of coffee.

"Hmmm," Blaine pondered. "It would be nice to talk to Wes, and I'm sure he would be thrilled to learn more about you and our bond. I didn’t really tell him much when I talked to him that first day Santana interrupted us in the pool. Do you think Seb would be okay talking to you about this stuff? I know you've said you ended on friendly terms and that you were his best man at his wedding, so I'm guessing you two are still pretty close, right?"

"Yeah," Kurt said with a fond smile on his face. "We are close. I usually call him every Christmas. And I was so insanely happy for him when he met Danny. They are such an amazing couple and exude love out their pores. They're no match for us, obviously, but I'm sure he'd like to hear about you and offer anything that might help us navigate our bond if he can."

"Okay," Blaine said. "After we finish up eating, do you wanna go call them?"

"That sounds like a perfect plan," Kurt replied.

It didn't take either man much more time to finish their breakfast and then they adjourned to different parts of the villa. Kurt went to the downstairs bedroom and curled up in the book nook while Blaine opted to go out on the terrace.

"Hey, Seb," Kurt greeted. "Merry late Christmas."

"I was wondering if you were going to call," Seb said fondly. "You always call me right after you wake up, no matter what ungodly hour it is. What happened yesterday? Is your dad okay? Did his cancer come back?"

"Seb," Kurt interrupted before the other man could get going. "Jeez, is that what I sound like when I do that?" "Calm down. Dad's fine. He and Carole are on a cruise, so I decided to get away for a couple of weeks. Santana all but forced me."

"I knew there was a reason I always liked her," Seb replied. Kurt could practically hear his grin over the phone. "You work too much and deserved a vacation. Anyway, where are you then?"

"I'm in Italy," Kurt answered. "But, before I go too much into how I ended up here, can I ask you a question about you and Danny? More specifically, about your soulmate bond?"

"You can ask me anything," Seb said. "I may not have an answer for you, but you can ask. Danny says, 'Merry Christmas,' by the way."

"Tell him 'Merry Christmas' back for me," Kurt replied. "Well, my question might seem kinda weird…" He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Did you ever have dreams about each other before you met? Or dreams after you met where you guys, like, watched a mutual dream together?"

"Ummm," Seb muttered and then was silent for a few moments, trying to remember anything like what Kurt was talking about. "Not that I can remember. Babe, do you remember ever having dreams about me before we met?" Seb called over his shoulder.

"No. Why?" Kurt could hear Danny's muffled response.

"I'm not sure yet," Seb replied. "Kurt, Danny doesn't remember anything like that either. Can I put you on speaker so he can hear you too?"

"Go ahead," Kurt said. "Maybe he has some insight that we might not." He paused, waiting to hear the crackly sound of being on speakerphone.

“We’re here,” Seb said, letting Kurt know that he could continue with whatever he wanted to say.

"So, I met him,” Kurt said. “My soulmate, that is. And guys, he's absolutely perfect. Seb, everything you tried to explain to me when you told me about Danny...it all makes so much sense now! But, the dream thing…umm…the thing is, when I met him, it wasn't the first time I had ever seen him. He's been showing up in my dreams since my mom died. And now that we've met, we can kind of do this joint dream thing where we can basically watch a memory play out in front of us and have conscious conversations about it. But we never interact with the actual memory that we’re watching. God, am I making any sense at all?" Kurt felt out of breath and like his brain was spinning. When he said it out loud, it sounded just a little bit crazy.

"Kurt," Danny said, "take a breath. You're making perfect sense. I understand exactly what you’re saying, but I'm not sure I have much to offer you by way of an answer. I haven't experienced anything like this, and Seb's and my bond is the only one I've ever heard about. Well, now yours, too, but still. It seems like you two have an intense connection to each other from what you’re describing."

"I agree," Seb said. "Don't try to figure it out so much. Which, I know, is super hard for you. Just enjoy it. What's his name, by the way?"

"Blaine," Kurt said with a smile on his face, glad that he and Seb had the kind of relationship that allowed them to be supportive of each other no matter what. "Blaine Anderson. He's originally from Connecticut and is almost done with law school at Columbia. I can't wait for you guys to meet him. Will you be in the city anytime soon?"

"We don't have anything planned right now," Seb replied. "We'll definitely let you know, though."

They talked about how Kurt ended up in Italy and caught up on each other’s lives before getting off the phone. Kurt had one more thing he wanted to do. It was sort of a treat for himself and a surprise for Blaine. He took care of that and then went to see if his soulmate was off the phone yet.

"Hey you," Kurt said when he saw that Blaine was, indeed, off the phone and just sitting on the sofa, looking out over the valley. "Learn anything new? Seb and Danny didn't have any information regarding the dreams but did say that it sounds since we have the dream connection, it might just mean that our bond is deeper than theirs. They want to meet you, by the way," he smiled.

Blaine kissed Kurt gently after he sat down beside him on the sofa. "Wes didn't have any new information either. But I was thinking, and this is a result of my very overactive imagination running away with me. It does that sometimes," Blaine said, looking at Kurt with an apologetic face because it had annoyed people sometimes when his imagination did this.

"Love," Kurt said, sensing that this might have been an issue for some people in Blaine's life. "I love all of you. Even if sometimes something you might do will drive me crazy, I will still love you, no matter what. So, what's this possibly crazy idea you have?"

"Well, I was thinking about all the things that we've seen that don't look...normal, I guess is the best word," Blaine began thinking about the crown they had seen on Kurt’s head and the matching tattoos they had on their hands. "Also, the things that look like they're a part of our potential future, like the wedding, maybe like deja vu? And I wonder if it's Fate. Like, Fate could send us anywhere, maybe. Possibly even to other realities or planes of existence." He got a faraway look in his eye as he explained further. "It seems to me that the dreams have been showing us, even though we've only seen mere flashes, that the possibilities for our love are endless. And we could go anywhere. I'm not sure exactly how it will work when we die and leave this world. I don’t know if we'll get to pick where we go next or something like that. But it seems like we will get to go somewhere else, find each other, and fall in love all over again. For as long as we want to, even. The possibilities that we’ve seen seem endless and this, for some reason, makes sense to me. Or…I could be completely wrong and have no idea what I'm talking about."

"I guess," Kurt pondered, "since this isn't anything either one of us have any real knowledge about and it's something we can only speculate on, we'll just have to wait and find out. Though it does seem like a kind of cool idea to be able to go to other realities. I could totally rock a circlet like in that one flash we saw. And I would love nothing more to be able to continue to love you for all of eternity!"

"I love the sound of that," Blaine sighed. "Loving you for all of eternity and getting to fall in love with you over and over."

"Me too," Kurt said. "I have another surprise for you that I hope you'll love just as much. But, if you don't, please tell me. I may have overstepped or miscalcu—"

Blaine cut Kurt off with a kiss, not wanting to curse at him. He was pleased to find out that kissing him was just as effective, if not more, as telling him to 'fucking breathe.' "What is it, my love?" he whispered against Kurt's lips.

"Well, if you want, I could fly back with you and meet your mom when you go," Kurt said. "I already switched my flight and everything. But if you'd rather have some time alo—"

"Kurt," Blaine said a little forcefully but not aggressively. "Stop worrying so much. You already knew I wanted you to meet my mom. And this way, I don't have to spend a moment without you. But, how did you know what flight I was on?"

Kurt grinned, "I remembered you talking about your trip here the other night. You had mentioned really liking the hospitality on AirItaly, and I just took a guess that you were flying back with them, too. Plus, I knew you were leaving here on New Year's Day, and there was only one flight leaving from Rome to New York that day, too. I guess I'm just hoping I got it all right."

"I'll text mom and let her know you're coming with me," Blaine said with a huge smile on his face. "She's going to love you!"

Chapter Text

Blaine asked his mom if she minded Kurt coming home with him when he came to visit her in a few days. She was beyond excited to be able to meet his new boyfriend. They hadn't dropped the soulmate bomb on her yet, feeling it would be better to do in person than over text messages or a phone call. Blaine also double-checked Kurt's flight information to make sure it was the same as his, and, to their amazement, they had seats right next to one another.

While Blaine was texting back and forth with his mom, Kurt spoke with Liliana and informed her that he would be checking out when Blaine did. She was afraid that Kurt was not happy there, but he reassured her that he was very happy. Kurt had told her that he and Blaine had fallen in love and didn't want to spend the three days their trips didn't overlap apart. She was happy for them both and wished them luck, citing that Kurt would find a refund for the days he wouldn't be there back in the account he had paid with.

The remainder of their vacation was fairly uneventful. They strolled around the town and took in the sights as well as purchased souvenirs for their family and friends. They swam and cooked together during the day. At night, the boys continued to have flashes of dreams, but nothing more definitive than a snippet of a scene. And, they made love. Oh boy, did they make love. Blaine was getting more and more used to Kurt's size, which meant they were able to try new positions and have sex more frequently, neither one scared anymore that Kurt was going to harm his soulmate in some way. Kurt still took his time; he would never chance hurting Blaine due to negligence on his part.

They continued to talk about everything and nothing, including an awkward conversation about Kurt's crush on Finn that somehow morphed into how he had become a terrific brother and friend to Kurt. Blaine got emotional when he spoke about his complicated relationship with Cooper, about how it had started off strained for so many years due to their age difference but then morphed to one of protectiveness and love, particularly after the Sadie Hawkins dance. He also talked about how some of his 'friends' in high school only wanted to be friends with him because of who his brother was.

After one night of dream watching, both boys noticed another similarity between them: they each seemed to have spent a lot of time with a female friend. Blaine knew that Kurt's friend was named Rachel after seeing her in Kurt's dream about Chandler, and it was obvious how different Kurt became when he spent time around her. Blaine's friend was a mystery to Kurt, but Blaine, too, seemed to almost be a different person in her presence. The next morning, which happened to be New Year's Eve, they both knew they would have to talk about it.

Kurt started, "Shall I tell you about my friend? Or would you rather go first?"

"Can you go first?" Blaine asked quietly, needing to gather strength before he would be able to discuss her.

"Of course," Kurt said, placing a kiss on Blaine's forehead. "Do we want to go get something to eat and have some coffee first? Or just jump right in?"

"Food and coffee, definitely," Blaine answered immediately. "I'm honestly not sure I'll have much of an appetite after I tell my side of things."

"Alright," Kurt replied. "I'll meet you downstairs in a few. I just need to run to the restroom and brush my teeth and stuff."

Blaine looked at Kurt, not saying anything for a few moments. He needed to ground himself in those eyes and feel the love that was radiating from Kurt's being. Seeing her in his dream had brought back so many upsetting memories, and the idea of talking about her was making his head feel like everything around him was spinning. After taking a deep breath, Blaine nodded and was able to get out of bed.

They had a simple breakfast, and there wasn't a lot of conversation. Both boys, but mostly Blaine, were gearing up for what was sure to be a very unpleasant morning. They both knew that they would get through it; that wasn't the issue. Both of the people they were going to discuss had hurt each of them severely, and reopening old wounds, especially ones as deep as these ones were, was never an easy thing.

When they were finished eating, cleaning up, and doing everything they could think of to prolong the talk, they went into the living room. To stall just a little bit more, Blaine started at the fire and grabbed a blanket to cuddle under. He knew he would need to have as much surrounding him as possible to stay grounded and in the present, rather than let himself get sucked into the past.

Finally, when he could stall no more, Blaine sat down on the sofa next to Kurt. Kurt could sense the tension and unease wafting from his soulmate. "Love?" Kurt asked. "We don't have to do this now if you don't want to. I can sense that whoever that was did something horrible to you."

"I want to tell you everything; I really, really do," Blaine breathed. "It's just…talking about her is going to open up so many old scars and wounds and…I'm going to need you to hold me through it. And I'm probably going to cry, and stutter, and just really lose my shit." He shook his head sadly, staring down at his hands.

"I've got you, Blaine," Kurt reassured him. "You're safe with me, and I will do everything I can to help you through this. Here. Why don't we do this?" Kurt motioned for Blaine to stand up. He then repositioned himself on the couch so that his back was up against the arm and his legs were stretching out over the length of it. Then, he beckoned for Blaine to sit in between his legs with his back to Kurt's chest. Finally, Kurt wrapped the blanket around them both and pulled his soulmate in snuggly against him.

"That…" Blaine said with a breathy sigh, "feels so, so good, baby."

"I'm glad," Kurt replied and kissed Blaine's temple. Taking a calming breath, he began the saga of his old friend.

"Rachel Berry used to be what I considered my best friend," Kurt began. He was over the bitterness now. Time had healed a lot for him. Well, time and Santana. "Actually, let me rephrase that. Before I knew what a true friend was, I thought Rachel was my friend. I honestly didn't have anything to do with her until I was contemplating joining the glee club during my sophomore year. She saw me by the sign-up sheet and basically bullied me into joining so that I could help her be a star. That really should have been my first clue to run far, far away." He paused and shifted a bit, the scene he was describing playing through his mind. "But, you see, I didn't have any friends back then. None. I was a loner and there were absolutely zero prospects on the horizon for any potential friendships at all. And I so desperately wanted to fit in somewhere. So, I joined and let her bully me off and on for the next two years until my decision about college came around."

"I'm sorry you were so lonely," Blaine said when Kurt paused for a moment. He squeezed the arms encircling his middle.

"It wasn't your fault," Kurt replied. "Thank you for the sentiment, though." After another breath, he continued on. "I know there were more things she did than what I'm going to tell you about. These are just the ones that stick out in my mind. She drunkenly kissed Seb during a game of 'Spin the Bottle' and then asked him out on a date. He had had another fight with his mom about his sexuality not long before that and agreed to go through with the date, thinking that maybe if he dated a girl, he would like it and wouldn't have to fight with his mom so much. Rachel rubbed it in my face that he liked her more than me because he hadn't asked me out, and it took everything I had not to slap her."

"That selfish bitch!" Blaine exclaimed, grasping Kurt's hands tighter in support.

"Pretty much!" Kurt agreed. "When the bullying got to the point where my life was being threatened-"

"WHAT?" Blaine shouted. He twisted to look back at Kurt's face. "You never said your life was threatened! I'm guessing that was the event that led you to change schools?"

"Yeah," Kurt said softly, not really wanting to relive that day but knowing that he wanted Blaine to know everything about him, even the ugly parts. "There was this one jock at my school who had it out for me. Sure, he picked on the other 'weaklings' too, but with me, it always seemed worse and a bit more personal. One day, he pushed me to my limit, and I ran after him to confront him. Seb had given me the courage to be able to do that. Anyway, he was in the locker room, and we yelled at each other for a bit. Then, he kissed me. The asshole stole my first kiss!" Kurt sighed, letting his forehead fall onto Blaine's shoulder for a moment.

"A few days later, he cornered me again, asking me if I told anyone about the kiss. I hadn't and wouldn't have, either. No matter how bad of a person someone is, I don't condone outing anyone against their will. He didn't believe me when I told him that, though, and threatened to kill me if I told anyone then walked away. I didn't know what to do. My dad had just recovered from his heart attack not long before, and I didn't want to bother him. Really, I didn't. But it all got to be too much, and I caved and told him about all of the bullying, including the threat, but not the kiss. The next day, he pulled me out of school, and I transferred."

"You are so brave, my love," Blaine said, snuggling back toward Kurt and squeezing his arms again. "I am so glad you were able to find a place that you were safe at and could learn without fear of being harmed in any way. Can I ask...whatever happened to the boy?"

"Well," Kurt said, "he transferred schools later that year and tried to kill himself when the pressure of his sexuality became too great for him. Apparently, someone had seen him out with some other guy and the rumors started flying from there. It was that attempt that changed him, I think. He came out to his dad, and his mom left them both because she 'wouldn't have an abomination as a son' or stay married to anyone who accepted said abomination. He tried to apologize to me once, but I wasn't ready to hear it at the time and he respected the boundary I set. When I finally was ready, I let him apologize to me, told him I accepted it and that I'd forgiven him, and we've never spoken since."

"Wow…" Blaine said, in awe of his soulmate. "You are the strongest man I've ever known. I'm not sure I would be able to forgive someone who threatened my life like that and put me through that much hell." "That bitch did so much damage to me, I'm not sure I could ever forgive her," he thought.

"That's the thing, though," Kurt explained. "Forgiveness isn't about the other person. They have to live with the things they've done and that's their burden to carry. It's up to them whether they learn and improve or continue to be a hateful and hurtful person. Forgiveness is about you, and whether or not you want to continue to live with the blackness someone has put on your heart. I was done carrying around that hurt, so that's why I forgave him. He could no longer hurt me if I didn't give him the power to. Forgiveness, for me, was about taking back my power."

"Maybe I'll be able to forgive the people who have hurt me, too, someday," Blaine whispered. "I'm tired of the black spots they've left inside of me, the darkness and sadness and self-doubt suffocate me sometimes."

"You can," Kurt answered. He rubbed his hand up and down Blaine's arm. "Sweetheart, you can do anything you set your mind to, and if you need help with forgiveness, I'll help you in any way I can."

"I'd love that," Blaine replied and turned around for a kiss. "I'm sorry I derailed us a little, baby. Could we continue on?" he asked when they pulled apart.

"Of course," Kurt answered. "So, where was I? Oh yeah, having to switch schools and Rachel being Rachel. I already told you that she called me a coward for 'running away' to another school. In actuality, she was pissed because, without me, the glee club was a member short and had to scrounge up someone else to compete at Sectionals. She witnessed some of the torment I went through yet only cared about herself. When Carole and my dad got together, she used me and our friendship to get closer to Finn. I can't count the number of times she involved me in their fights, trying to get me to take her side. I ended up having to transfer back to my old school because of financial stuff and my parents not being able to afford private school tuition. So, when I ran for student body president my senior year, I saw Rachel for who she really and truly was. I really wanted to make a change in our school and ran with the platform to decrease the bullying I could, and she knew that. But she ran against me to pad her extracurriculars for college applications. She knew that I was the best candidate to really bring some change to our school. She felt like her need for padding her application was bigger than my need of really making a change at our school. After she got the lead in the school play, she dropped out the race because she didn't need this extracurricular and 'backed' my campaign. To make up for running against me, she stuffed the fucking ballot boxes so I was sure to win. I ended up not winning because she overstuffed them."

"I cannot believe...well, I guess I can believe it, but that's beside the point," Blaine stumbled over his words. "I am so, so sorry you had to go through all of that. I know it wasn't my fault, and there was nothing I could have done to stop it. But jeez, baby, that fucking sucks! Where is Rachel now?"

Kurt giggled, and really, he didn't feel as bad about it as he maybe should. Perhaps time had healed more wounds than he'd thought when they first started talking. "She got offered a part in the revival of Funny Girl, the lead to be exact, on fucking Broadway. She took it and dropped out of NYADA at the same time citing that 'being a star was taking up too much of her time.' After a handful of shows, she was offered a pilot for a TV show starring herself and left her dream role, playing her idol, for something that wasn't even guaranteed. She went to LA to shoot it and the show flopped. It flopped hard. She couldn't get back into school, and the theater had already blackballed her. I honestly have no idea where she is now, nor do I care at this point." He giggled again then stopped abruptly.

"No, it doesn't make you a bad person," Blaine answered the unasked question. "Remember, I know you, and I know that you're worried right now about not feeling bad for her fucking up so badly. You're a good person, Kurt. This is her karma coming back to bite her in the ass. Maybe she'll learn from it, and maybe she won't. But either way, none of it is on you."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for that," Kurt said and placed a kiss on Blaine's temple. "That's about all on Rachel."

Blaine knew it was his turn to tell his story now. Instantly, his palms were sweaty, and his body tensed. "Has anyone ever come into your life when you were at one of your lowest points and done everything they could to keep you there, all the while pretending to be helping you?" he whispered.

Kurt could sense this was a rhetorical question, so he just let Blaine have his time to gather his thoughts, tightening his grip around him. He nuzzled in close to Blaine as well, hooking his chin over his shoulder and kissing his neck gently, trying to give him as much physical contact as possible.

"You know that you and Eric helped me through my dad's passing," Blaine went on. "That was one of the two lowest points in my life. The other one was when I caught Eric cheating on me. That's when she essentially became a permanent fixture in my life. It was like she could fucking sense my loneliness. And now that I've lived some and been to therapy, I know what to look for in people and when to trust my gut, you know?"

Again, this was a rhetorical question, and Kurt just continued to let Blaine talk about this, in whatever way he needed to and in whatever order he needed to. He could feel his soulmate's grip tighten around him.

"Myra started at my school in our senior year. Her family had just moved into the area, and instead of going to the public school in town, she came to my school. Well, not my school exactly since it was an all-boys school. She went to the sister school that was on the same campus. Basically, we all went to the same school, but we were separated for classes. I know, it's weird, but that's how it all worked. Anyway…She was nice at first, to be honest. My therapist later called what she was doing 'grooming.' With Eric away at college, me struggling with him being gone and not communicating with me as well as not seeing him every day like I was used to, and struggling with the death of dad, she stepped up and sort of took Eric's place as my friend and confidant. She very subtly started planting seeds of doubt in my head about Eric and would tell me that he probably found somebody better than me at college. She would point out that nobody in their right mind would want a high school boyfriend while they could get all the ass they wanted at college."

"Sounds like a manipulative little bitch to me," Kurt thought, still not wanting to interrupt his soulmate.

"So, it continued like this right up until I caught him cheating. Of course, like a dumb ass, I called her on my way home and told her what had happened. She wanted me to come over to her house so she could 'comfort' me, but only after she told me how she had been right all along and how I should have just listened to her in the first place. I didn't go over there, though. I was too fucking tired, hurt, and just plain done with the day, so I went home. Not only was I dealing with the whole Eric fiasco, but I was also still mourning my dad since I caught him cheating on the anniversary of his death, remember?"

"I do remember," Kurt said softly in Blaine's ear. He gave him a temple kiss for strength, sensing that the story was going to get much, much worse.

"That weekend, she came over to hang out and keep me company while my mom went to do a bunch of shopping, and she...she said to me..." Blaine stuttered at the memory, tears fogging his vision. "Sh-she said, 'Ar-aren't y-y-ou glad-d-d..." Blaine stopped and took a breath, knowing that this was the hardest part. These words that she said to him were what he avoided more than anything. He gathered his strength so he could say it all at once. "'Aren't you glad your dad wasn't here to see how badly you failed at this?'" He started sobbing, stuttering his way through what he wanted, no, needed, to say next. "And th-the thing was, I b-b-believed h-her. I…I let her con-convince me that it w-was all my fault th-that Eric did that to m-me and that m-my d-d-dad would have been ashamed of-f me." Blaine was breathing heavily now and sobbing.

Kurt tightened his grip on Blaine, hoping the pressure would help to ground him, and told him how brave he was and how loved he was. He hoped that it would comfort him and help him calm down. After a few minutes, it seemed to do the trick, and Blaine was calm enough to talk again.

"This kind of stuff happened off and on between then and graduation," Blaine explained. "I would get down on myself or have a really shitty day, and she would be there for me in what seemed like a positive way at times, but would also kick me down further at other times. Really, however, it was to lure me back into a false sense of security only to fuck with my head in the next moment. What ended it all, though, was our graduation party. All of the seniors and their guests were all having a good time, listening to music and drinking. She, um…she slipped something into my drink and then several minutes later led me up to a secluded room to 'talk.'"

"No," Kurt thought. "No, no, no, no, no. I will fucking end this bitch."

"By the time we got to the room, I was somewhat stuck in my body, but could understand what was going on. Kind of," Blaine continued, more pissed than sad. "She told me that she was only ever my friend for my money. She said…she said that she wanted to get pregnant, so my money would always be tied to her. I had told her about the inheritance that I would get when I turned 18, which happened to be a month after graduation. Anyway, she undid my pants and tried to, you know, get me hard. She kept telling me that since I wasn't picking up on her advances, she had to find a way to do this the 'hard' way. I was a teenage boy, so, of course, with enough stimulation, I got hard. I didn't want to. When they took me to the hospital later and did a toxicity screen, they found traces of viagra. Seeing her true colors so blatantly made me more furious than I can describe." Blaine took a breath to calm himself and then chuckled.

"What's funny?" Kurt asked, horrified and beyond livid at what his soulmate had been through. "I can't find anything you've said about this girl to be funny at all. She is a user, plain and simple. She uses people to get what she wants, no matter who she has to hurt in the process and by any means possible, it would seem."

"Oh, I agree with you there. She's an awful human being and deserves what came next. What I was laughing about was, as she was leading me up to the room, my brother was calling me to let me know he and mom were back home after their movie," Blaine said with a smirk on his face. "I answered it on instinct, muscle memory if you will, but I couldn't say anything due to how the drug was hitting me at that point. It was like my body was moving on autopilot, but it wouldn't do what I wanted it to. A couple of weeks later, when I was in one of my therapy sessions, my therapist told me that it sounded like my 'fight, flight, or freeze response' kicked in, and apparently, my trauma response is to freeze. That's why I couldn't call out for help or talk to Coop." He heaved a sigh of relief. The worst part was over now.

"Anyway, I'm so fucking thankful that I was at least able to answer that call. One thing you have to know about Cooper is that he is horribly forgetful. So, he has that app on his phone that records every phone call. That way, if his agent calls and tells him about an audition, he will have it saved. He has this ritual...never mind. That's not important right now. You know enough about what I've told you about Coop the past few days that you know he's eccentric in his ways. Anyway, he heard what she was saying to me when she got me into the room and borrowed mom's phone to call 911 after telling her where to drive to since I had told them where I was going. The party was on the other side of town and he knew that the cops would get there before they would, but he still wanted to go. Cooper never did like Myra and had told me how bad she was for me. I couldn't see it then, though. Anyhow, he told the 911 dispatcher what he heard on the other end of the phone when I picked up and that he was recording it. Cooper told them where the party was, and since Darien is so small, the cops already knew where the party was being held and had patrol cars in the area rush over there. Things in my town had changed some since the Sadie Hawkins dance. My parents raised hell, like, serious hell, and since then, people had been much more open to the gay community. Anyway, when the cops got to the party, they stormed in, found the room she had me in, and arrested her right as she was straddling me and getting ready to drop down," he chuckled again. "Caught her with her pants down. As far as I know, the bitch is still rotting in jail for aggravated sexual assault and drugging me."

"Fuck, Blaine," Kurt muttered and took a few calming breaths. "Remind me to send your brother something really, really nice," Kurt said, still furious. "The police station in Darien, too."

"Her parents tried to bail her out," Blaine continued, almost finished with this horrible tale. "But there was enough evidence that even their money and status couldn't do anything to help her, and the presiding judge gave her the maximum sentence, 10 long years. After that whole ordeal, Mom and I agreed that I should go to therapy. I realized how much Myra had been manipulating and abusing me when all of these thoughts kept popping into my head and sounded exactly like her. When it was happening, I think I just shrugged it off, assuming that was just how she was, you know. Like a personality quirk or something like that. Whenever I come in contact with someone like her now, my intuition goes nuts, and I know that they aren't someone I want to be around at all."

"You are..." Kurt paused to rein in his emotions, "the strongest and most beautiful person I have ever had the privilege to meet. While we are sending nice things to people, we should send something to your therapist, too. I want to say one more thing, and then we can talk about anything you want to. Unless there's more you need to tell me."

"Nope," Blaine said, snuggling back into Kurt even more. "Nothing else. That's all there is with her, thank god."

"Alright," Kurt said. "I am even more honored that you trust me than I was before. For you to be able to give yourself up to me, to be as vulnerable as you are with me, Blaine…I can't even explain how much that means to me. I love you more than anything, and I am so, so blessed that you love me back."

Blaine turned around and crashed his lips into Kurt's. He poured all of his love, passion, and thanks into that kiss. That day was the very last time he ever thought about or talked about Myra. He forgave her in that very moment and erased the blackness she had left on his heart. She was a chapter in his book of life that he would never, ever reopen or revisit.

Chapter Text

"Sweetheart," Kurt grunted. "Fuck, you feel so good around me. So, fucking tight and warm. Don't ever want this to stop."

At hearing Kurt's wrecked voice, Blaine slowed down his movements. They had been at this for a while, though not the whole time with Blaine riding Kurt like it was his day job.

oOoOo

After their talk that morning, the boys decided to lounge for the remainder of the day. They sat in front of the fire until their stomachs were growling. Then, they ventured out into the city to eat one last time at their favorite little restaurant. When they got back to the villa, they decided to swim for a while. Well, not so much swim as skinny dip.

They hadn't actually planned on having sex while they were down there. Really, they hadn't. And when they realized that that was where things were headed, they had a discussion that killed their hard-ons for just a little bit, but it was all worth it in the end.

"I want you so bad," Blaine said as he straddled Kurt and nipped at his neck.

"We don't have any condoms down here," Kurt groaned, loving the friction that Blaine was causing. "Or lube for that matter."

"Before you, I hadn't had sex in a little over a year," Blaine said, stopping his hips from rocking because this was important. "It was a guy I went on a couple of dates with, and it was right around the anniversary of all of that bad crap happening. I was lonely and afterward, it never happened again. I hated how I felt about myself afterward. I get tested every couple of months out of habit, and my last one came back right before I came to Italy. I'm clean. And the water and spit will work just fine for lube."

Kurt didn't give Blaine a chance to keep talking. "I hadn't had sex in, god, three years. I sound so fucking pathetic right now, don't I?"

"Not at all," Blaine replied and placed a kiss on Kurt's lips. "You said before that you need to be able to connect with someone to sleep with them. It's not pathetic; it's smart."

"Anyway," Kurt continued. "I'm clean as well as of about a month ago. Like you, it was just a habit to get tested every few months."

"You're it for me, Kurt," Blaine said in a soft voice, looking deep in Kurt's eyes. "I trust you with my heart, soul, and body. I don't want any barriers between us anymore. Are you okay with that? If you're not, I could run upstairs—"

Kurt cut his soulmate off with a searing kiss, lost in the thought of being inside of him without anything between them. "Holy shit," he panted as he pulled away. "Just the thought of being inside of you bare has me so close, it's not even funny."

"Well," Blaine said with a cheeky grin, "it's a good thing you'll need to stretch me a little bit so you can put that big, hard, delicious cock ins—"

Kurt cut Blaine off again with his mouth and dug his fingers into his hips. Blaine grabbed one of Kurt's hands and detached their lips to suck on Kurt's fingers, hoping he would get the hint to use them to stretch him out. When their tongues were back to thrusting in and out of each other's mouths, Kurt reached behind Blaine and started working him open with spit slick fingers. The warmth of the hot tub and the anticipation of what was to come made it quicker than the last time they had sex. Well, that and he was still a little loose from their romp in the sheets last night.

"Now," Blaine panted when he could tell that his body was ready. His lips brushed lightly against Kurt's as he begged, "Please, I need you in me now."

"Okay, love," Kurt whispered and got them adjusted for Blaine to ride him.

They had discovered that this was one of Blaine's favorite positions thus far. He loved, absolutely loved, having Kurt so much deeper inside of him. Kurt had discovered how to help Blaine let go and be taken care of this way, too. He learned how to direct the pace with the squeeze of his hands on Blaine's hips and was learning how to give Blaine exactly what he needed.

"Breathe," Kurt reminded Blaine as he started to sink down onto Kurt.

"Oh, fucking fuck," Blaine started to ramble.

This was almost Kurt's favorite part of sex, almost. Blaine would start to ramble, and it was always a guessing game as to what would come out of his mouth before Kurt was fully enveloped in Blaine's ass.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! You're so fucking big and feel so good. So big. So, so good. Oh my god. So warm. You fucking fill me up so good. Ghuuuu," Blaine moaned as he finally seated himself on Kurt. There was sweat dripping down his face, and he wasn't quite sure if it was the heat from the hot tub or the exertion from getting Kurt all the way inside of him.

"Blaine," Kurt strained, "don't move. Please don't move, or this is going to be over, like, right the fuck now."

Blaine did as Kurt asked and stayed still. He rested his forehead against Kurt's and just sat there, breathing in sync with his soulmate. Both men needed to calm down a bit because neither was ready to fall into that glorious abyss of pure pleasure. "Baby," Blaine whispered once he had finally caught his breath, "I love you. I love you so fucking much, and I am so, so happy that we found each other here. And while I've loved all of our time here, and yes, that includes talking about the sad and scary stuff, I can't wait to go home." He moved his head just enough to kiss Kurt's cheek before continuing. "I can't wait to move in with you, to fall asleep next to you every night, and wake up next to you every morning. And I won't delude myself into thinking that everything is going to always be sunshine and rainbows, because that's not practical. But I know with my whole being that we will make it through absolutely anything the universe throws at us. We can make it through anything as long as we're together."

"That sounded like a proposal," Kurt joked. "Are you hiding a ring somewhere? Is there going to be a band around my cock when I pull out later?" He smirked at his soulmate.

Blaine laughed, and both boys moaned at the friction it caused. "No, that wasn't a proposal. Someday, but definitely not while you're buried deep in me." He winked at Kurt.

"Not if I get there first," Kurt thought. "I'm ready for you to move if you are, love."

Blaine rocked back and forth a few times, making sure everything felt comfortable. The pain had subsided, and all he felt now was wonderful pleasure. His favorite thing about this position, besides getting to look into Kurt's eyes, was the ability to control how and where Kurt was placed inside of him. He could repeatedly force Kurt against his prostate, or just tease it if he wasn't quite ready to let go yet. Despite loving to let someone else be in charge, riding Kurt was the perfect balance between being in control and letting go.

Kurt let Blaine just rock for a few moments and then placed his hands on Blaine's hips. They quickly found their place right over the fading bruises from a few nights ago. Kurt stilled Blaine's movements and thrust up into him, gently at first, then picking up speed just a little until Blaine was an incoherent mess of moans, grunts, and groans. This was Kurt's favorite part of sex with Blaine. There was just something so sexy about Blaine when he could no longer speak. He slowed down when he sensed his soulmate getting close and then just let the water and jets in the hot tub rock them until Blaine had calmed back down.

While Blaine was coming down from the edge, he was like a kitten, licking Kurt's neck, loving the sounds he was able to get his soulmate to make. When he was calm, he looked at Kurt and conveyed with his eyes what he wanted, what he needed. They had discussed their sex life quite a bit over the past week, learning what turned the other on and what fantasies they both had. Blaine loved submitting but didn't have to do it all of the time to be satisfied. Kurt loved being in control, so the dynamic worked out well for them.

The one thing that Blaine desperately wanted was for Kurt to fuck him, not make love to him. He wanted it hard and fast and oh so dirty. Kurt, however, had been very, very reluctant to give Blaine this one thing. He was terrified of hurting Blaine. To him, it just wasn't worth the risk.

Seeing the pleading and raw want in Blaine's eyes undid him, though. He couldn't resist this time. "If I'm going to do this, I need a way for you to stop me if you need me to."

"Like a safeword?" Blaine asked.

"Yes," Kurt answered. "I just know it's going to feel so fucking good, and I think I will be able to tell the difference between a good moan and a painful one. But it would make me a lot more comfortable if I had another layer of security there."

"I love you," Blaine said and surged forward to capture Kurt's lips. "Thank you for looking out for me. Umm…" It was hard to think like this. "What about the stoplight system? Red would mean stop, yellow is slow down, and green is I am fucking good to go!"

"Okay," Kurt breathed and focused his attention on the golden orbs looking back at him. He could see the love and most of all, trust. Kurt leaned forward to kiss him again and then started thrusting. It took him a moment to get leverage in the water, and he ended up with one hand on Blaine's waist and the other on his shoulder, both helping him keep Blaine in place so he could pound into him as hard and fast as he could.

"Uhhhhhhh," Blaine moaned, loving every second of what was happening to him. "Uhhhhh, uhhh, uh." Kurt was hitting his prostate with every thrust. One by one, his senses were shutting down; he couldn't focus on anything besides his soulmate's pounding rhythm.

Where Blaine was resigned to grunts, Kurt could only get one sound out of his mouth. "Blaine, Blaine, Blaine," he chanted with each thrust. Their build-up had them both on edge within minutes, and before Kurt could wrap one of his hands around Blaine's cock, Blaine was screaming and cumming, tightening down around Kurt. This triggered Kurt's orgasm, and he bit down on Blaine's shoulder in place of shouting.

"Holy fucking shit," Blaine said after taking several moments to breathe deeply. "That was…baby… there's cum floating around in here." He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he watched some float by.

"We'll need to leave them a ridiculous tip when we leave," Kurt chuckled. There most definitely was cum floating around in the hot tub. "There's probably going to be more than that when you get off of me. How are you feeling, love?" Kurt asked, concern lacing his voice.

"I feel perfect," Blaine said dreamily. "The only thing that will make me feel even better will be a repeat to bring in the new year."

"We'll see," Kurt chuckled. "Ok, love, hop-off so we can go get cleaned up and replenish our calories, especially if you want a repeat tonight."

oOoOo

Their marathon of sexual positions into the New Year didn't start off with Blaine riding Kurt. When they got up to the bedroom that night, they had talked a little at Kurt's insistence. He wanted to really, really make sure that Blaine was physically alright and that more sex today wasn't going to hurt him. During their talk, they discovered that Blaine had a bit of a pain kink that he had never really known about before.

"Baby," Blaine said, "I can't really describe it. It's not something that hurts like a sharp pain would. It doesn't feel like I've been injured. It's more like a dull reminder that you're there, that you love me and will take care of me. Does that make sense?"

"I think I get it," Kurt said, smiling at his soulmate. "It doesn't mean I like causing you pain, but as long as I'm not really hurting you, and I trust you to use your safeword if I ever do…" He raised an eyebrow expectantly at Blaine, "I will do my best not to let it get in our way."

Kurt was beyond ready to be back inside his soulmate and pushed Blaine down on his stomach, a pillow under his hips so that he had better access to Blaine's ass, and proceeded to lay a trail of kisses down his back until he got to his target. He wasn't sure why, but the puffiness of Blaine's rim turned him on, a lot! Kurt parted Blaine's cheeks and licked around the swollen area, feeling his desire spreading through his body like a wildfire.

Blaine was in heaven. The things Kurt was doing hurt in the best ways. "Suck on it, please," Blaine whimpered.

So, that's what Kurt did. He sucked on Blaine's puffy rim and licked his way into his hole. When Blaine was a writhing mess, Kurt pulled back and grabbed the bottle of lube, uncapping it and getting ready to slick up his fingers.

"Please," Blaine whined. "Please just get inside me. I don't need to be stretched again, and I promise, if it's too much after you get started, I will 'yellow' or 'red.'" By the end of his sentence, he was panting in anticipation of the stretch Kurt's cock would cause entering him with no preparation. He needed that to happen right fucking now!

Kurt laid out on top of Blaine, his cock snug between his cheeks but not entering him. He leaned up near Blaine's head and whispered into his ear, "I'm going to take such good care of you, sweetheart. I love you so much." Kurt lifted himself off of Blaine and very liberally coated his cock in lube. He also squirted a little bit right on Blaine's rim and rubbed it around, making sure the whole area was good and ready for him. Kurt spread Blaine's cheeks with one hand and guided his cock in with the other. He only paused for a moment after he breached the first ring of muscles and then slowly pushed the rest of the way in, trusting that if it was hurting in a bad way, Blaine would stop him.

Blaine was in heaven. An utterly painful, agonizing paradise that he never ever wanted to leave. When Kurt stopped after he had broached the first ring of muscles, Blaine almost started crying. He didn't want Kurt to stop at all, and he was so elated when his soulmate continued to push the rest of the way into him without stopping. It felt beyond amazing.

Kurt didn't waste any time moving in and out of Blaine. At first, they were just short strokes in and out. After several of those, Kurt picked up the pace a little, starting to get a sense of what Blaine's body could take. Several thrusts later, Kurt leaned down and kissed Blaine's neck. Blaine turned his head to capture Kurt's mouth in a sloppy kiss. He grabbed Kurt's arm and wrapped it around his chest, which forced Kurt deeper into him.

"Deeper, deeper, deep, deep, deep, oh god!" Blaine moaned.

Kurt picked up the pace, and on one particular thrust, he got a little too deep. Blaine grabbed Kurt's thigh and squeezed it, signaling to him that that particular thrust had not felt so good, but it wasn't so bad that he needed to safeword. Kurt laved kisses on Blaine's neck and cheeks in apology, slowing his pace to shallower thrusts.

"I'm okay, baby," Blaine said. "Please don't stop."

So, Kurt didn't. He sat back up and began to thrust again, faster, in and out of Blaine.

Blaine reached under himself to take the edge off of his own cock, though not enough to get him too close to cumming. "Fucking shit," he panted after a particularly deep thrust. This was better than he'd imagined.

When Kurt felt himself getting close, he wanted to change positions. "Roll over, love," Kurt said. "I want to see your beautiful face."

Blaine complied, pillow still under his ass to give Kurt the best angle. He groaned as Kurt re-entered him after applying more lube.

Kurt changed the tempo of his thrusts every so often, never letting Blaine get used to any particular sensation. His body was craving control, and he was happy Blaine was letting him have it.

This time, it was Blaine who asked to switch positions as he was approaching the edge. "Wanna ride you, baby. Please let me," he begged.

Kurt couldn't speak. The tone that Blaine was begging in, rough and needy, rendered him speechless. He pulled out of Blaine and laid down on the bed, pillows under his shoulders so he could get more leverage to piston in and out of Blaine just the way he liked.

Blaine's ass was on fire by this point. And he loved every fucking second of it. He slathered Kurt's cock once more in lube, guessing that this was the last position they would be in before they both came. Blaine lowered himself onto Kurt in one fell swoop, groaning in ecstasy the entire way down. He didn't waste any time and started bouncing up and down on Kurt at a quick pace.

"Sweetheart," Kurt grunted, "fuck, you feel so good around me. So, fucking tight and warm. Don't ever want this to stop."

At hearing Kurt's wrecked voice, Blaine slowed down his movements. They had been at this for a while, but Blaine had been riding Kurt hard and fast, a pace that was too fast for both of them at the moment.

When Blaine slowed down, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hips and started pistoning into him rapidly. He reached to wrap a hand around Blaine's cock, feeling his orgasm building and wanting Blaine to cum with him.

"Don't," Blaine panted. "Wanna cum. From your cock alone. 'll get there. When you do. Promise."

Not half a dozen thrusts later, they both came with a shout at the same time that the clock struck midnight. There could just make out the faint sound of fireworks going off all over the village.

"What's the verdict, love?" Kurt asked once they were both cleaned up and snuggled under the covers.

"Verdict on what?" Blaine asked. "Best year of my life? Best book I've read? Biggest cock that's been shoved up my—"

"That's enough," Kurt laughed. "I was going to ask which position was your favorite, but if you want to answer the questions you came up with, by all means, be my guest."

"This year, because I met you. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Yours obviously. And 'yes' to answer your question."

"’Yes’ isn't an answer, love."

"Sure, it is," Blaine replied, feeling drunk on sex, love, and perfect happiness. "You asked me which position was my favorite. My answer is ‘yes.’"

"So, all of them, then?" Kurt guessed, and Blaine nodded in agreement.

"But..." Blaine said after a moment.

"A-ha!" Kurt exclaimed. "I knew you had one you liked better than the others."

"I really like riding you," Blaine admitted. "I like how deep you can get in me, and I really, really like how deep you can get when you fuck up into me," he ended with a shudder.

"You like it so much you needed to tell me how good it was twice, huh? Duly noted," Kurt chuckled fondly. "Happy New Year, Blaine."

"Happy New Year, Kurt," Blaine replied and then kissed him. They drifted off to the sounds of people cheering outside and fireworks bursting in the distance.

Chapter Text

The next morning, the boys finished packing the rest of their belongings and decided to take one last stroll around the villa.

"I'm going to miss this place," Blaine said as they were taking in the beauty of the valley from the terrace.

"We'll be back again someday, love," Kurt said, plans already forming in his head for their next trip here.

"Promise?" Blaine asked, snuggling into his soulmate's chest.

"Promise," Kurt said.

After they had made sure they had everything, they went to see Liliana and gave her back the keys as well as the generous tip they had discussed the day before. They thanked her profusely for her hospitality and help during their stay and assured her that they would be back as soon as they could. Blaine missed the wink that Kurt gave Liliana. He didn't know it, but Kurt had left a note for her in the envelope, roughly stating his plans for their return trip to the villa.

The flight back to New York was uneventful. The boys talked about Blaine's hometown and the things he wanted to show Kurt. They also talked about the apartment situation, both describing their apartments and swapping pictures. Each man liked the others' apartment, though neither one of them saw both living in either.

"If we were going to make a wish list for the apartment we want, what would you put on it?" Kurt asked Blaine and got out a pen and a piece of paper to keep track of their wants.

"Well," Blaine thought aloud, "I'd love it to be near Central Park since that's where we both live now. I like being able to go there and just walk around without having to take a cab or the subway. Also, I have been ruined for an apartment that doesn't have in-unit washer and dryer hook-ups."

"I'm good with both of those," Kurt said, adding those to the list. "I'd need it to have good security. That extra layer of protection helps me be able to unwind when I get home. Also, I've always dreamed of an apartment with a huge kitchen and pantry."

"Yes," Blaine agreed. "I want both of those, too. Can you imagine how many fun kitchen gadgets we could get and store if we had a pantry? We'd be able to get all the things we never knew we needed, like a—"

"Blaine," Kurt grinned, "take a breath."

"Sorry," Blaine answered with his own grin. "I just really love kitchen stuff."

"I can see that," Kurt replied, giving Blaine a kiss on his cheek. He couldn't seem to wipe the grin from his face. "I love your enthusiasm. Anything else you can think of?"

"A view," Blaine answered dreamily. "All I can see from my apartment are other buildings. I'd love to have floor to ceiling windows and some sort of a view. And as long as we're making a wish list, I've always dreamed of some sort of outdoor space."

"That sounds amazing," Kurt said, writing down all of those suggestions as well. "I guess if we're going to have some sort of a view, an elevator in the building is a must. My last thing is central air and heat. You've been spoiled with a washer and dryer; I've been spoiled with no window units."

"Oh, dear god, please yes," Blaine said breathily. "Central heat and air…yes."

Kurt kissed Blaine's blissed-out face and finished up the list. "Do you have a realtor you worked with when you got your apartment, or do you want me to send this to mine?"

"Mom and I found my apartment while surfing online once we had a price range in mind," Blaine explained. "So, if you have someone you know and trust, I'm fine using them. Come to think of it, I have a friend who is a realtor...I think."

"I will send this over to Nick and see what he can do for us," Kurt said. "If he can't find us what we need, maybe we could call your friend."

Getting a tingly sensation in his belly, Blaine asked, "What's his last name?"

"Duval," Kurt answered, looking down at his phone and composing an email to Nick.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Blaine asked, effectively snapping Kurt's attention away from his phone.

"No?" Kurt asked questioningly.

"That's the friend I was talking about," Blaine laughed.

"Are you shitting me right now?" Kurt asked, befuddled. "How do you know him? He's from Ohio!"

"Well," Blaine laughed, "he was in a few of my classes at NYU. We hit it off from the start and have kept in touch ever since. We're not best friends by any means, but we do hang out every once in a while. His husband is ridiculous, though. I swear that guy lives on sugar!"

"That's crazy," Kurt said with a laugh and continued to type out the email. "I guess the only question is do we want to give him a price range or just see what he comes up with and go from there?"

"See what he comes up with," Blaine said quickly. "I don't want to miss out on the perfect place because we were limiting ourselves. My inheritance is just collecting interest since my parents had a college fund for me. My apartment was a gift from my grandparents when I moved to the city, so my expenses are pretty low right now."

"Wow," Kurt said, not fully realizing how much money Blaine's family really had.

Sensing his unease, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and asked, "Are you okay with all of that? It doesn't scare you, does it? Eric was always really intimid—"

"Hey, no," Kurt quickly responded. "It doesn't scare me or bother me at all. I just didn't realize the extent of all of that, I guess. Plus, it makes this process easier, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Blaine replied.

"Will your grandparents get mad at you for selling the apartment they bought you?" Kurt asked, not wanting Blaine to be on bad terms with anyone in his family by moving in with him.

"No," Blaine said. "They told me that they knew I likely wouldn't live there forever. They knew how much boarding bothered me at times. There were so many distractions since so many people were all sharing the same space. My grandparents didn't want me to worry about the noise in the dorms or anything like that, and they wanted me to really be able to concentrate on my degree. Honestly, they will be so fucking happy that I have you in my life; they'll understand us wanting to find our own place."

"I love you," Kurt said, kissing Blaine sweetly on the lips.

"I love you, too," Blaine replied.

About an hour before they landed, Nick had already sent the boys a list of several places that he would be more than happy to show them if they found any they liked. Kurt emailed him back and told him that they would look through them and get back to him within the next day or so.

The rest of their flight was spent watching movies and cuddling. When they landed in New York, both boys were happy to be home. They loved their time abroad and would never forget it, but there was nothing like being home. As they were waiting by baggage claim, talking about what the rest of their day looked like, Blaine tensed.

"Sweetheart?" Kurt asked. "What's wrong?

Blaine couldn't speak. He was just staring at someone across the way who was staring back at him. Kurt followed his eyes and instantly recognized who Blaine was staring at. Eric.

"Fuck, fucking, fuck," Kurt thought. "What do you want to do?" he asked Blaine, his hand instinctively reaching out to squeeze Blaine's hand comfortingly.

"I think," Blaine said, "that I'd like to go talk to him. I think I'm ready to finally hear what he has to say and forgive him."

Smiling at his soulmate, Kurt said, "As you wish. I'm so proud of you, love."

Blaine smiled back at Kurt and gave him a chaste kiss. "Could you wait here in case our bags come, and I'll go see if he has time to talk with us?"

"Of course," Kurt said and released Blaine's hand after placing a kiss to his palm.

Kurt watched as Blaine confidently walked over toward Eric to talk to him. Meanwhile, he kept an eye out for their luggage. He noticed it coming around the conveyor belt and grabbed the first of their three bags. By this time, Blaine was back at his side, helping to lift the last one off of the belt.

"Eric said he has time and will meet us in a couple of hours at a coffee shop just down the street from my apartment," Blaine said. "I told him that I was ready to hear what he had to say to me, and I think it threw him off a little. He looked like he was caught off guard some, so that's why I suggested meeting in a couple of hours instead of doing it right now. I thought the time might be good for him to gather his thoughts."

"You are so kind, love," Kurt said as they walked outside toward the car service Blaine had set up to take them to their apartments, thankful that the same driver usually took care of him when he chose to use the service instead of driving himself places. "Do you want to come up with me when we get to my place, or would you rather I meet you later?" Kurt asked, not sure what Blaine was thinking about how this all would happen.

"I'd love to come up with you," Blaine said. "George, would you mind waiting a little bit while I run up with Kurt before going to my apartment? I'll pay extra for however long it might take unless you have another appointment after me and need to go, that is. If that's the case, don't worry about it and I can just catch a cab from there."

"I don't have any other appointments after you, Mr. Anderson," George answered from the front seat. "No extra compensation will be needed either. I'm off after I drop you off and I don't have any pressing engagements I need to get to. As long as I'm home for supper in time, I will be fine."

"Thank you, George," Blaine replied.

"We shouldn't be too long at my place," Kurt added. He didn't want to be the one who caused the man to be late. His mom had always instilled in him how important family dinners were.

The car pulled up to Kurt's building shortly thereafter. Blaine helped him carry in his suitcases and looked around the living room while Kurt was packing for their stay in Connecticut. The place was very Kurt, and the pictures he had been shown on the plane definitely did not do the place justice. He took note of the items in the room and tried to envision how they would mix with his when they found their new home.

Within 30 minutes, Kurt was ready to go. They went to Blaine's apartment next, thanking George as they got Blaine's bag out of the trunk. Kurt walked around Blaine's apartment while his soulmate packed and straightened up a few things. He smiled to himself, looking at Blaine's decor. Their tastes complemented one another nicely, he decided. When Blaine was all packed and ready to go, they decided to just head to the coffee shop early, leaving their bags by the front door for easy retrieval when they got back from the coffeeshop. That way, they could just get in Blaine's car and head to his mom's house, worry-free.

The boys walked their destination hand-in-hand. Once there, Kurt ordered both drinks, a non-fat mocha for himself and a medium drip for Blaine.

"You know my coffee order?" Blaine asked after Kurt had ordered the drinks.

"That's how you fixed it when we stayed at the villa," Kurt said, panicking a little at the thought that he remembered it wrong.

"No," Blaine interrupted before Kurt could start freaking out, "you got it right. I just didn't realize you were playing that close of attention." He smiled gently at Kurt.

"I want to know everything I can about you," Kurt said. "Even things as seemingly insignificant as how you take your coffee."

"I love you," Blaine said and kissed Kurt on the cheek.

"I love you, too," Kurt replied.

Kurt found them a table where they could see the door but also be somewhat secluded. After they sat down, Kurt's remembered that Nick had sent him potential listings to look at. When he opened his email, there appeared to be even more. "Want to look through them with me?" Kurt asked.

"I'd love to," Blaine said. "I wonder why he's working on a holiday. He shouldn't even be checking his email today."

"He actually answered that very question in the email," Kurt chuckled. "He said that when my name came up in his notifications, he was curious since he thought that I had really liked my apartment when I picked it. The reason he's answering this today is that it's you and me who asked."

They sat there, sipping their coffee and looking through listings until Eric got there. As they looked through them, they talked about the pros and cons of each one, not even paying attention to the cost of any of them. Nick had saved the best for last on the list. After seeing the layout only, both boys looked at each other and knew that this one would be it; seeing the inside pictures only reinforced those feelings. Kurt emailed Nick back and asked for a showing of the house after they returned from Connecticut. Since it had been on the market for so long, they weren't too worried about it being snatched up. Nick responded and said that he could get them in that day if they wanted, but the boys declined since they were heading to Darien after they met with Eric, but would get back with him soon to choose a day.

Eric showed up 20 minutes late, just as the guys were getting ready to leave. They sat back down and listened as Eric started talking. Having Kurt near him helped Blaine stay calm as Eric gave excuse after excuse as to why he had cheated. Blaine thanked him for meeting with them and then left hand-in-hand with Kurt.

On their drive to Darien, they talked about the interaction. Blaine told Kurt that there wouldn't have been any point in talking more after hearing all of the crap Eric had to say. Eric really never was one to take full responsibility for things, not matter how in the wrong he was, it was never solely his fault. He would take partial responsibility, sometimes, but he never fully owned up to his mistakes.

"I've always worried about what I would do if and when I saw him again," Blaine said as he drove. "I thought that my anxiety would get the best of me, and I would freeze up or immediately take him back if he asked. Those were my worst-case scenarios. I think, though, that having you there with me helped for sure. But I also think that maybe I had forgiven him long ago without really noticing it." He felt a little pang of frustration at himself for just a moment. Parts of his life had been wasted, thinking that he still disliked Eric, and he knew life was too precious for that. Kurt's words made him forget all about it, though.

"You've worked so hard to get to this place of forgiveness, Blaine," Kurt said and squeezed Blaine's thigh slightly. "It's not easy, and you've done it."

The boys sang along to the songs that came on the radio, sometimes offering memories if they were reminded of one. Other times, they were just in awe of how well their voices blended together. As they got closer and closer to Darien, Blaine got more and more relaxed. Coming home to his mom's house always calmed him and he wished he could be there more.

"Everything seems so peaceful," Kurt commented as they pulled into town. He had begun to get nervous and worry about how Blaine's mom would like him.

Blaine noticed an instant shift in the air and grabbed Kurt's hand to hold. "She's going to love you because I love you. There isn't an ounce of doubt in my mind, my love."

Kurt released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Okay," he said, nodding his head in agreement. He wasn't quite sure if he was actually agreeing with Blaine or trying to convince himself that what his soulmate said was true.

To help ease Kurt's nerves, Blaine asked him about when his dad and step-mom would be back from their cruise.

"They are set to fly into JFK on the seventh," Kurt answered, loving his soulmate even more for changing the subject. "Their cruise isn't that long actually. They're stopping off in Orlando for a few days to check out Disney, and then they're planning to visit me for a few days before they head back to Ohi—" Kurt hadn't even thought about that, and they were expecting to stay at Blaine's for a full week.

"I will have you back there by then," Blaine promised, sensing his soulmates impending panic attack.

"But we planned to stay here unt—"

"Baby," Blaine interrupted, knowing he needed to calm his soulmate down, "I can come to see my mom anytime. I promise she will understand us leaving a couple of days early to see your dad. Hell, knowing her and how much she's going to love you, she may want to come with us and meet them, too."

Kurt thought that that should scare him a little, but it didn't. And with that, he relaxed. "Fate wouldn't have put us together if our families would hate each other, would they?" he asked. He just had to make sure he was thinking logically.

"I'm not sure, my love," Blaine answered. "I don't think that it is something we have to worry about with our parents though. However, if there are indeed other realities out there like our dreams have shown us, it could always be a possibility. But I know my mom, and, from what you've told me about your parents, she is probably going to ask them to move up here. They can all do retired things together." He grinned widely at Kurt.

"I would love to have my parents closer," Kurt said, dreaming about his dad only being an hour away. "I worry about my mom being lonely with nobody there to visit her, even though I know she's not really there. Is that silly?" Kurt asked with a tear in his eye. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realized they had stopped near a quaint little house surrounded by trees and water.

"It's not silly in the slightest," Blaine said, squeezing Kurt's hand. "But, you're right; she's not really there. We can fly back as often as you want to visit. I don't mind at all." He gave Kurt a reassuring squeeze to his knee. "Are you ready to go in? I can see Mom peeking out through the blinds."

"Wow," Kurt looked up and finally realized where they were. "This is amazing! Please tell me we inherit this place!" Instantly, his face colored as he realized what he'd said. "I mean…shit…that was really rude. I'm sorry. This is just…beautiful!"

Blaine was laughing by the time Kurt was done babbling. "I love it here. C'mon. Let's go inside." They got out of the car and moved to the trunk to get their suitcases. Before closing it, Blaine leaned in and gave Kurt a searing kiss just because he could. "And, yes, we do inherit it," he whispered.

Both boys loved how they spoke in terms of "we" and "when," not "I" or "you" and "if." They knew that they were each other's endgame, in this life and in future ones they got to experience. Each day, they felt their bond grow stronger, deeper, and they could just sense that there was more planned for them and their love.

When they got close to the door, it was thrown open, and a very petite woman with a huge smile on her face came out the front door. She went straight for Blaine, engulfing him in a hug, and causing him to drop his suitcase with a 'thunk.'

"Hey Momma," Blaine said, squeezing her back just as tightly. When they broke apart, Blaine reached over to Kurt and pulled him close, "Momma, this is the love of my life, Kurt. Kurt, this is my Momma, Dalisay."

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Anderson," Kurt said politely, offering his hand for her to shake.

"Handsome and polite," Dalisay said, the smile never wavering, and shook Kurt's offered hand. "I like this one, B. And it's Dalisay, Kurt. Mrs. Anderson was my mother-in-law. It's very nice to meet you, too, young man." She turned to her son and pulled him close again as she spoke. "I can already tell how good you two are for each other. You make each other light up," she said and then pulled away to address them both. "Come on in, and let's get you two settled. Then, we can get to know each other better."

Blaine led Kurt to his old room to set their suitcases down. Kurt took the time to look around his bedroom. He noticed a couple of bookshelves filled to the brim with all kinds of books, including one that surprised him. "You've read this?" Kurt asked, holding out a worn copy of Pride and Prejudice.

"It's one of my favorites," Blaine answered. "The Harry Potter series is my absolute favorite, though."

"This one is my favorite," Kurt said, hugging the book to his chest. "My mom would read it to me even though I didn't really understand anything going on. I just loved the sound of her voice and I loved the...I don't know if this is the right word, but I loved the sophistication of how they talked in the book. I've read it once a year ever since sixth grade. I tried to read it before that, and I just couldn't get into it."

"Boys," Dalisay called up. "I've got some snacks in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"Be right down, Momma," Blaine called back. "Let's go eat some snacks, my love."

Kurt followed Blaine downstairs, listening to him talk about the house as they went. While they were eating, Kurt told Dalisay about himself and asked her questions of his own. They got along splendidly, and both really enjoyed teasing Blaine whenever they could. Kurt asked both of them what they usually did when Blaine visited. They talked about the restaurants they liked to go to and how they really just enjoyed lounging by the water when the weather was beautiful. Blaine mentioned that they typically went and visited his dad at least once. The whole table got quiet at that.

"Could…um…Could I…?" Kurt was trying to get out the question he wasn't quite sure was appropriate for him to ask.

"Yes, dear," Dalisay said, reaching out to cover Kurt's hand with her own. "We would love for you to join us."

"Thank you," Kurt replied. "That would mean a lot to me."

"Can we go today?" Blaine asked. It felt like it had been forever since he had been back for a visit, when in reality it was only Thanksgiving. "The weather is nice right now, and you know how quickly it can change nowadays. Plus, I miss him. I know it's not the same as him being here, but, well…"

"We know what you mean, B," his mother said reassuringly. "And I'm up for going today if you are, Kurt."

"Absolutely," Kurt said, scooting closer to Blaine to offer support. "How far away is it?"

"It's a 10-minute drive," Blaine said, standing up and offering his mom one hand and Kurt his other.

The group got into Blaine's car and drove to Spring Grove Cemetery. Adrian's headstone was near the pond, between two mature elm trees. The weather that day was perfect, and the birds were singing loudly, loving the sun shining down on them.

The trio stayed at the cemetery for about an hour and talked to Adrian about what was going on in each of their lives. Kurt "introduced" himself and said how nice it was to meet him and how lovely his family was. He stayed reasonably quiet for the most part, though, his own thoughts automatically drifting to those of his mother.

On their way back to the house, the atmosphere in the car was a little more subdued than on their way to the cemetery. When they got back, Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand and walked toward the shore by himself. Kurt sensed that he needed a few minutes by himself.

"That was Adrian's favorite spot on the property," Dalisay said quietly as she slid up next to Kurt and reached for his hand like it was something they had done a million times before. "Some days after he would get home from work, Adrian would be so exhausted and frustrated with things that had happened that he would need a moment to calm himself before bringing all of that negative energy into the house. So, he would go sit out there and just be." She sighed, remembering. "He found ways to release the toxicity within himself out there. Whenever Blaine's home, he always goes out there for at least a few minutes each day. I'm not sure if it's to be closer to him or to release whatever he needs to. But out there, on that spot, that's where we feel Adrian the best."

"I wish I had known him," Kurt said. "It's kind of silly, I guess, but whenever I'm missing my mom, I watch this video of pictures we had put together to play at her funeral, and it helps. It's sad, sure, but seeing all of the great times I have with her helps."

Dalisay's body had gone stiff beside Kurt's as he was talking. "Fuck, motherfucker, fuck, shit! I've pissed her off somehow. Shit! She doesn't care about my mom. This is her husband. Fuck!" Kurt thought. He had started shaking slightly and was completely stuck in his head by this point, worry running rampant. He didn't hear her trying to calm him down or holler for Blaine.

Blaine rushed over when he heard his mom calling for him in panic. When he got closer, he could see why and sprinted the rest of the way toward them. Kurt was white as a ghost and shaking, never loosening his grip on Dalisay's hand. Blaine tried to get Kurt to make eye contact with him, but it was almost like his eyes were unable to see him. Dalisay explained what had happened, and Blaine knew exactly what was going through his soulmate's mind right now and what had triggered the panic attack.

"Kurt," he said gently into his ear, molding his body as tightly as he could to Kurt's. "She's not mad. Nobody is mad at you. You're allowed to miss your mom, too. Take a breath, please, baby. Match your breathing to mine. In…and out…in again…and out. That's it. I love you so much, Kurt. Just close your eyes for me and concentrate on matching your breathing to mine. When you're ready, open your eyes, and we can talk. Ok, my love?" To Blaine's astonishment, it worked. He didn't have to yell or curse at Kurt to get him to calm down.

A couple of minutes later, Kurt finally opened his eyes and was somewhat confused as to how Blaine ended up right there with him when he had been over in his dad's spot. He remembered talking to Dalisay about his moth—

"I'm so sorry," Kurt started. "I'm so sorry I made this about me. I didn't mea—"

"Kurt," Dalisay interrupted. "Look at me, please." When Kurt made eye contact with her, she continued, "I'm not mad. I promise. I would love to hear about your mother and what you do to remember her. It just surprised me, because what you were describing is exactly what Blaine and I do to remember Adrian."

"You have a video?" Blaine asked Kurt, furrowing his eyebrows.

Kurt nodded, not fully trusting his voice at the moment.

"Do you have with you by any chance?" Dalisay asked. "Or a way to access it somehow?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kurt whispered.

"If you want, and only if you want," Dalisay continued, "would you share it with us? I'd love to meet your mother."

"Really?" Kurt asked, not fully able to grasp the concept of this woman, whose husband's grave they had just visited, wanting to meet his mother.

"Yes. Really," Dalisay said, squeezing the hand that Kurt was still holding. "I have a feeling you aren't going anywhere, and I want to learn as much about you as I can while I have you here."

"Blaine..." Kurt said, not sure what he needed at the moment but knowing that he needed something.

"How about this?" Blaine offered, knowing exactly what Kurt was needing. "Let's go into the house, pop some popcorn, and watch Dad's video. Then, if you're feeling up to it afterward, we can meet your mom."

"Yeah," Kurt responded. "Okay. I can do that."

Dalisay headed into the kitchen to get their refreshments while the boys went into the living room and got comfortable on the sofa. They made sure to leave a place for Blaine's mom to snuggle in next to them. She set the snacks on the table and retrieved the video that they always watched together, putting it into the player.

As the opening chords began to play, Kurt stiffened, and Blaine paused the video. "What is it, my love?" he asked softly, holding his soulmate close for comfort.

"You've got to be shitting me," Kurt mumbled, unable to wrap his mind around what was happening.

"Um…huh?" Blaine asked, extremely confused.

"This song," Kurt said, working himself into hysterics almost, his thoughts all over the place. "This is the song that your video is to. Jeez…Fate really did know what it was doing when it put us together, didn't it? The dreams, the mirror stuff, and now this. It's almost too much. I just don't kn—"

"KURT!" Blaine said evenly. "Baby, take a breath and tell me what you mean, please."

"I did it again, didn't I?" Kurt asked, and, seeing Blaine's nod, he did as his soulmate asked after taking another deep breath. "Okay. So, this is the song that my mom's video is to also. My mom absolutely loved country music, and Brad was one of her favorites. This song came out the year before we lost her, and she absolutely loved the collaboration between Dolly and him. When it came time for the funeral, Dad and I decided to put together a bunch of pictures of her, the way we would always remember her, and we put them to this song."

Dalisay didn't need to ask any more questions. She knew what her son and this remarkable young man were. Soulmates. She looked up toward the sky and winked. "Our boy's going to be just fine."

"Are you still okay watching it?" Blaine asked.

"Absolutely," Kurt said, smiling now. "Let's do this."

The video started back up, and the very familiar song began to play. They watched as pictures of Adrian flew in and out of the screen. There were images of Adrian's childhood and family and several of him and Dalisay, but the majority of them were of him and his boys. The picture that always made Blaine's tears fall, no matter what, was taken at Blaine's sixth birthday party at the local skating rink. Adrian was doing the limbo and was still standing up on his skates, trying to get under the limbo stick. As the picture displayed on the screen, the music swelled, and Brad's voice rang out, "But when I get where I'm going/And I see my Maker's face/I'll stand forever in the light/Of His amazing grace." It always made Blaine miss his father but rejoice in the time they had; in the memories they were able to make. By then end, all three were in tears. Two for who they had lost and one for who he'd never meet.

No words were spoken for several minutes, all three of them just taking in what they had seen. Kurt turned to Blaine and silently asked with his eyes, "Should I play mine now?" At Blaine's nod, Kurt used the smart TV to find the video on his private YouTube channel.

The same song began. Only this time, the group watched a different story, that of a daughter, mother, and wife. They could all see the light and joy that she exuded in every single picture. There was one, in particular, that had them all in tears yet again. It was a picture of four people in the hospital right after Kurt was born. Elizabeth was holding him while a woman stood beside her and a man sat in a wheelchair on the other side of the bed. All of the adults were touching Kurt in some say. "I'm gonna walk with my grandaddy/And he'll match me step for step/And I'll tell him how I missed him/Every minute since he left/And then I'll hug his neck."

"That's four generations," Kurt whispered as the video kept playing.

When the song was over, Dalisay was the one to break the silence. "She was beautiful, Kurt."

"They both were," Kurt replied.

The rest of the day and evening went by smoothly with only happy tears. They laughed and told story upon story that evening and continued to for the next five days. On the morning Kurt and Blaine were set to leave to go back to the city, Blaine decided he wanted to go sit in his dad's spot for a while one more time. Kurt was secretly happy to have some quality alone time with Dalisay.

"I have something I'd like to ask you," Kurt said to her once Blaine was out of sight. "And it's not something I want Blaine to walk in on us talking about. Do you think we could go to the screened-in porch so we can see him coming back?"

"Of course," Dalisay replied, hoping that she knew what Kurt was going to talk to her about. She had watched these two closely during their time here and knew that they were it for each other, that they were meant to be together always.

Once they sat down, Kurt's nerves and all of the worry he had about what he was going to ask shot back through him like a bullet. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, slowly. "This is so not the time to lose your shit, Hummel," he said to himself. When he was calm, he opened his eyes and looked directly into Dalisay's, wanting her to see that he was serious about what he was about to say.

"I'd like your permission to ask your son to marry me," Kurt said confidently.

Chapter Text

The boys went back to the city after Kurt and Dalisay's talk and sang all the way there. They were both rejuvenated by their Italy vacation and their trip to Connecticut. They were now ready to get back to real life. Blaine loved spending time with his mom and reconnecting with his dad. Kurt, well, Kurt was just happy. He had a great time getting to know Blaine's parents and talking with his mom before they left. Plans were in motion that he couldn't be more excited about.

Their first stop when they got back into the city was Blaine's apartment so he could grab some clothes for the week to take to Kurt's. Since they didn't want to be apart, they had decided that Blaine would stay with Kurt while his parents were in town. Then, they would alternate between apartments as needed until they found their new home.

After supper their first night in Connecticut, the boys had contacted Nick and told him which apartments they wanted to see and when would work for them to see them. Nick had responded and said that they were all good to see the three apartments the boys were interested in on Wednesday after they got back into the city if that worked into their schedules. They had decided to check out a couple more apartments than just the one they really loved. They wanted to make sure that they were choosing the right one and not putting all of their eggs in one basket. The boys knew that Burt and Carole would have no objection to either coming with them or doing their own thing while they looked at apartments, so they agreed to the Wednesday suggestion, excited to start looking for their new, perfect place.

When they got to Kurt's apartment, Blaine helped Kurt get laundry started, claiming that he wanted to know how to care for Kurt's clothes. He knew how important they were to his soulmate, and he knew that at some point in their relationship, he would need to wash Kurt’s clothes. Kurt was surprised by the gesture and showed him how to properly wash each article of clothing that needed to be laundered. They ordered in from a burger joint down the street that night, too tired from all their traveling to cook. The boys made sweet love late into the night, prolonging their orgasms as long as possible, wanting to stay connected in that way for as long as they could.

Blaine woke first the next morning. He was a bundle of nerves. "Is this what Kurt felt when he was going to meet my mom?" he thought to himself. He hadn't realized that Kurt was awake, too; he was too lost inside his head to notice much of anything around him really.

"You're freaking out about meeting my dad, aren't you, love?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Blaine answered. "I kind of am. It's not so much because it's your dad, I guess. I just know he's really important to you, and I want him to like me. And maybe freaking out isn't even the right term. I think it's more like...butterflies, maybe? It's just that...he's not exactly expecting to meet me, is he?"

"No," Kurt said. "He's not. I sent him a text saying that I had big news to share with him, and he said he couldn't wait to hear it. He's one of those people who has to see things to understand them fully. I'm not sure he would grasp the concept of ‘us’ if I tried to tell him over the phone. But, Blaine, he's going to absolutely love you. Your mom could see it, and my dad, while he may not look it, is very perceptive. He will know that we were made for each other."

"I trust you," Blaine said. "I'm nervous but not scared. So, neither of us really needs to worry about anything, do we?" He smiled at Kurt, trying to make both of them feel better.

Kurt grinned back. "C'mon," he said, sliding out of bed and holding his hand out to Blaine. "Let's get some breakfast. Then, I want to pick up a little before Dad and Carole get here."

After they had eaten and gotten dressed, and when everything was straightened up to Kurt's standards, Blaine sat down on the couch with a book while Kurt was in his office on the phone. Kurt wished he could be out relaxing with Blaine. Instead, he was discussing work-related updates with Santana that couldn't wait until he was back in the office the following week. He and San were completely over their fight from Christmas morning. Their fights never lasted long anyway, and they were back to their old banter. Santana asked how things were with Blaine, and he was honest with her.

"San," he said, preparing for an over the top reaction at what he was about to say, "we're moving in together, and I'm going to ask him to marry me. I'm not exactly sure when, but I've been brainstorming something since we left Italy. I'd really, really love my maid of honor to help me pull it off." He felt like he was pleading a bit, but he didn't care.

"So, this is the real thing then, isn't it?" she asked, utterly beside herself with happiness that her best friend had found someone to spend his life with. She was still a bit apprehensive about what kind of guy this "Blaine" character was, but she was tired of watching Kurt go through life alone. He was way too good for that.

"Yeah," Kurt said softly. "It's real. I can't wait for you to meet him. How about we all go out to dinner this week? Maybe on Thursday? Dad and Carole will still be here, and I know they'll be upset if they don't see you at least once. You can bring Dani if you'd like."

"That sounds great," Santana said. "I can't wait to meet your man."

"I can't wait for that either," Kurt replied. "Anyway, I will be back in the office on Monday for sure. We may pop in sometime before then though, so I can show Blaine the place. Dad and Carole will want to see the changes we've made to the showroom, too, I'm sure. And I will let you know when I have details about what time and where dinner will be."

"Sounds good," she answered.

"Love you, San," Kurt said.

"Love you, too," Santana replied, and then they both hung up.

Kurt rejoined Blaine in the living room. He was sitting on the couch, reading Kurt's autographed copy of A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer. "Have you read that one before?" Kurt asked.

"I haven't," Blaine answered and marked his page. "But damn, it's really good so far. And, I saw that you got it signed." He waved the book. "That's awesome!"

"He's got several more books, too, if you like that one," Kurt offered. "He's one of my favorite authors and so down to earth. Anyway, I love how he can turn huge problems like prejudice and ignorance into things that kids can understand. That, and he's got a way with words that almost makes you feel like you've been transported into the world he's describing. I could go on and on about him, but it's almost time to head to the airport. Let's go catch a cab, and we'll get some coffee when we get there if there's time."

"As you wish," Blaine said.

Everything at the airport went smoothly. Burt and Carole's flight was on time, and their baggage claim went quickly. Blaine had called the car company he used when they got back from Italy to take the four of them to Kurt's apartment. He knew it would be easier than trying to catch a cab with all of the luggage Burt and Carole would likely be carrying, and, quite frankly, it was only a little bit more expensive to do it this way. Plus, it was much more clean and comfortable.

"Dad, Carole," Kurt said once they were all in the car and headed to his apartment, "this is Blaine Anderson. My boyfriend." When Burt and Carole had asked Kurt who Blaine was before, Kurt had stated he was a friend and that introductions would be made once they left the hectic airport.

Burt held his hand out for Blaine to shake. "It's nice to meet you, kid."

"You too, sir," Blaine answered. "I'm sure you have a ton of questions, and I will be more than happy to answer them. We just thought everything might be better explained when we get back to Kurt's."

"I do have some questions," Burt said, chuckling at Blaine's formalities. "I know my son, though, and I know that if you're with him, you're a good guy. And it's Burt, kid. Not sir."

"Okay, Burt," Blaine said with a shy smile, blush rising on his cheeks.

"I can't wait to hear about how you two got together," Carole said and offered her hand to Blaine as well. "Last I heard, Kurt wasn't even dating anyone, so it must be one heck of a story."

"It’s an amazing story, ma'am," Blaine said and shook the proffered hand.

"Carole, please, Blaine," she laughed, loving him already.

Kurt asked them about their vacation to fill the rest of the ride back to his apartment. Once they got there, Blaine helped carry their bags and put them in the guest room before joining Kurt in the kitchen. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked, hoping to make himself useful. He knew from experience that activity helped his nervousness.

"I'm boiling some water for tea," Kurt answered. Sensing his soulmate's nerves, he asked him to get some cups down and the box with the different varieties of teabags. Kurt told Blaine which tea he and his parents liked so he could get them out and choose one for himself if he wanted.

"Got it," Blaine answered and put each of the tea bags in their designated cups. Once that task was all done, the boys joined Burt and Carole in the living room. They all had their drinks in front of them, waiting for someone to speak first. In the end, it was Kurt who broke the silence. He told the whole story about meeting at the villa and their falling in love, with help every once in a while from Blaine. They didn't mention the soulmate connection, though. Burt and Carole asked questions here and there but, for the most part, just sat back and listened to the fairytale love story the two men across from them were telling.

"Tomorrow," Kurt finally said, getting to the end of their tale, "we're going to go look at a few apartments that a realtor friend found for us. You're more than welcome to come with us if you'd like, or you can hang out here. Or, go see the sights of the city, whatever you decide is fine with us. Then, Thursday night, San would like us all to go get supper somewhere. She wants to meet Blaine and see you guys while you're in town. What do you say?"

"I, for one, would love to go apartment hunting with you, and I definitely want to see Santana while we're here, honey," Carole said. "Burt?"

"Me too," Burt said then turned to look at his son. "Bud, can we go to your office and talk for a little bit?"

"Sure, Dad," Kurt said, expecting some sort of talk sooner or later. He gave Blaine a kiss on the cheek and told him they'd be back in a little bit. As he was walking away, he heard Carole asking Blaine about school and what he was planning to do after he graduated and passed the bar. He smiled to himself. Carole was easy to talk to. Blaine would be fine.

After Kurt closed the door to his office, he turned around and looked his dad right in the eyes. Once he started talking, he couldn't seem to stop. "I love him. I love him, and I want to marry him and live with him and grow old with him. And, if we decide to have kids, I want to do that with him, too. I know you're probably thinking that we're moving too fast, that we don't know anything about each other. How could we, right? We've only known each other for a few weeks. But, Dad, he's perfect for me in every single way. He's just—"

"Take a breath, Kurt," Burt said with a smile on his face. "I can see all of that. I can see the connection between you two. Anyone who spends more than 30 seconds with you guys will be able to see it, that you two have something special. I wanted to talk to you about something else."

"What? Huh?" Kurt asked, confused and completely thrown off by his dad's reaction. He was sure his dad would have some sort of resistance to the idea.

They talked for about 20 more minutes and then rejoined Carole and Blaine who were talking about dinner plans for the night. Everyone agreed that they would like to stay in. Kurt offered to cook, and the activity became a group effort. The rest of the night was lighthearted, and everyone enjoyed themselves and the company around them.

The next day, they spent the whole day together. The group met Nick after breakfast, and he showed them three apartments. The first one was on 5th Avenue, and they really liked it. The price was fair, and it had all of the amenities they were wanting. What they didn't like, though, was that it needed a lot of work on the bathrooms and closets to make it their dream place. They filed it away as a possibility and moved on. The next one was on 79th and Madison. Like the one before it, the price was reasonable, but this one needed a lot of updating and seemed like more work than they wanted to put in. They would have gotten discouraged had they not known that the one they liked the best was saved for last.

Their final stop of the day was on 57th Street at the south end of Central Park. They knew they loved the layout and the pictures from the listing they had seen online; now, it was time to see if it felt like the one. Once they stepped into the foyer, they noticed a powder room to their immediate right. Then, they were instantly drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows in front of them. There were lots and lots of windows spanning the entirety of the living room.

Being on the 61st floor afforded them an absolutely stunning view. They could see all of Central Park and every single building that surrounded it. Blaine could just make out his favorite spot by the lake, and Kurt could clearly see his favorite area at Strawberry Fields. They could see the Hudson River to the left of them and the East River to the right. Everywhere they looked, they could see the tops of trees and birds flitting through the air. The whole living room space was somewhere they could envision themselves entertaining and lounging for many years to come. Off to the right of the living room were two bedrooms that shared a bathroom. The dining room and kitchen were just off of the living room, everything flowing together into one big space.

"There isn't a pantry," Nick told them when they were checking out the kitchen, trying to hide his giggle at Blaine's immediately pouty expression. "The laundry room, though, is right through here," he said, indicating a set of doors at the back of the kitchen, "and you could very easily utilize it as both a pantry and laundry room." This seemed to erase the pout from Blaine's face.

The group proceeded through the kitchen and came across one more bathroom and bedroom. Then, they walked into the master suite. It was huge! They had their own gorgeous master bathroom with a rain shower and tons of vanity space. Thankfully, the other bathroom near them had a jacuzzi tub that they could always use if they wanted to. There was so much closet space that Kurt was getting a hard-on. The bedroom itself was big enough for the bed set of Kurt's dreams. He had always wanted a four-poster bed like the one the King and Queen had in "Ever After," complete with railings for curtains. And, if that wasn't enough, there was a bonus room attached by way of a sliding door. Nick said that it was advertised as a home office, but they could use it as anything they wanted to.

Sensing that the boys needed a minute to talk about things, the others left to take in the view in the living room again.

"I love it," Blaine said breathlessly, looking around them. "I really, really love it. There's enough room for each of us to have an office and more closet space than I think even you could fill. It's a little further away from Columbia than I would have liked, but that isn't a deal-breaker for me. And, there's a garage for my car, which is something I didn't think to put on the list when we were making it."

"It's closer to work for me than my old place. But, Blaine, it's so much more expensive than I was thinking. Can we make this place work?" Kurt said. He didn't want to think logically about this. He longed to jump up and down and say ‘yes’ immediately, but he knew he couldn't do that. Yet.

"Let's go talk about that part with Nick," Blaine offered, hoping that he would help them come up with some sort of solution. "Unless you don't want your parents to hear the money talk portion. I know some families aren't open about their financial situations." He yearned to live here and just hoped that it all would work out. This place just felt right.

"That's not a problem for us," Kurt replied. "We've always been pretty open about finances. Dad knows I do really well for myself, so it won't be awkward at all."

The couple went back out to the living room, hand in hand, and talked with Kurt's parents and Nick about the financial aspect of it all. Nick asked questions about Blaine's apartment, having known all about Kurt's since he was the one who sold it to him. After thinking for a moment, he told them that he might have a buyer for each of their apartments, and, since both of them owned their apartments outright, they would make 100 percent profit off the sales. They could then put the proceeds toward this apartment. He also suggested that they not make a full offer on this place to see if the seller would come down on their price.

"I can pay the difference from my inheritance," Blaine offered. "I want this to be our home, Kurt. It just feels right, and I've learned to trust that feeling. I want to live without any stress about having to work too much to make the mortgage payment. And don't you dare start with the, 'I'll pay my share,' bit. I still have a year and a half of school left and won't be able to work during that time. So, if you want that to be your way to contribute, that's fine with me. Please, Kurt, please just agree with me on this. You know it's the best possible solution to the problem. And we both love this place." Despite knowing that this decision had to be made logically, he gave Kurt his best puppy dog eyes.

"Okay," Kurt agreed, knowing that Blaine was right. He really did love this place, and he wanted to live there with Blaine more than anything. Plus, he really couldn't say no to that face.

Nick called the listing realtor for the apartment and made an offer, lower than what they were asking but not low-balling by any means. An hour later, it was accepted. He then called the people he had in mind for Kurt and Blaine's individual apartments and, after making sure it was okay, set up showings for the following day.

Everything seemed to be falling right into place, and, instead of panicking, Kurt recited his creed to himself. "I'm not going to rush anything. I'm not going to stress out or worry about how things will work out for me. Instead of overthinking, I will align my faith with divine timing and trust that everything that belongs in my life is making its way toward me right now." Things were working out exactly how they were meant to.

After they were done making one last run-through of the apartment, Blaine said he needed to go back to his place and tidy it up since he hadn't really been there since before he left for Italy. It was going to be shown to a potential buyer the next day, and he didn't want them to see his clutter. Nick asked if he could come and take a look so that he had an idea of the layout when he showed it the following day. Blaine readily agreed to this, thinking it would definitely be a good idea.

Kurt and his parents offered to help Blaine clean, much to his chagrin. He accepted the assistance, knowing that they weren't going to accept no as an answer. There wasn't a whole lot to do besides laundry and putting dishes away since he had thoroughly cleaned up before he left for Domus Civita. Blaine hated coming home from a vacation to a dirty apartment. They ordered in from Blaine's favorite Chinese place and spent the rest of the evening talking about plans for the new apartment. When everything was done at Blaine's place, they all went back to Kurt's to sleep.

The following day, they decided to spend the day on the town since both of their apartments needed to be vacant for Nick to show them to the prospective buyers. Kurt wanted to take Blaine and his parents to his shop. While he was there, he could tell Santana where they had decided on for supper that night. Blaine was so happy to meet Santana finally, and Kurt was sort of scared by their instant, kindred bond.

Dinner that night went really well as the boys had so much to celebrate. Both of the potential buyers loved the apartments and put in full offers on them. All of the closings were miraculously set to take place the week of Blaine's spring break.

The remainder of Burt and Carole's visit went well, and, before anyone knew it, it was time for them to go home. They agreed that they would come back and help the boys move when the time came, though, and hoped to be able to meet Blaine's mom during that trip.

Work picked up for Kurt the following Monday, and Blaine jumped into his spring semester of school a week later. They spent their evenings and weekends between their two apartments, packing and sorting things to take to the new place. There were little spats here and there; even soulmates sometimes disagreed. They loved each and every moment they got to spend with each other, and when one of them needed space, the other honored it.

March soon came and with it came moving day. Both boys' parents and brothers had offered to help along with Nick and his husband, Jeff, and Santana and her girlfriend, Dani. They hired a moving company to help with the big items, and the things they were donating were loaded into a separate truck.

Kurt had found them the perfect four-poster bed online, which Blaine was fully on board with. They both went to the store to see if they liked it as much in person, and if possible, they loved it even more. Blaine had been thinking about a gift he was going to ask for from Kurt for his birthday, and this bed would be absolutely perfect for parts of what he had in mind.

Kurt loved that his family and Blaine's meshed like they'd known each other their entire lives. Having Cooper and Finn together was something all of them were glad wouldn't happen too often, though. That much goof is only healthy in small doses, and there was far too much of it to go around during the move.

Dalisay did end up joking with Burt and Carole about moving closer so that they could do retired things together. What surprised all of them was that Burt and Carole had already been thinking about relocating to be closer to their boys, and really liked the way Darien sounded from everything they’d heard about it. Finn lived in Philadelphia, so it would be closer to him as well. When Dalisay saw that Burt and Carole were actually serious, she looked at listings on her phone. There were homes near hers that were currently for sale and weren't outrageously priced, and she shared the listings with them.

So, while their parents were talking about houses, the rest of them sorted boxes into the rooms they would be unpacked in, laughing and joking as they worked. Kurt called in pizza for supper that night, nobody having any energy to cook or leave the apartment to get groceries.

They were planning to use bedrooms off of the living room for guest rooms and the other two near the master for their offices. If they had guests stay over, they didn't want anyone close enough to hear them having sex. That wasn't something they were willing to hold off on, no matter who was staying with them. While all of their family was there, Finn and Cooper stayed in the living room on air mattresses so their parents could have the actual beds.

The next morning was spent organizing and putting things away, everyone spending time together before they had to rejoin their lives outside of the little bubble they were currently in. Unpacking the rest of the boxes and shopping for all of the things they needed took all of the next two days, and by the time the apartment was the way they wanted it, they were all sore and tired but happy with what they had accomplished.

The apartment was a beautiful balance between the two boys and their individual styles. Kurt's favorite thing was the dining room table. It was a mahogany, solid wood table that would seat eight comfortably. He imagined holding Thanksgiving dinner with all of his favorite people in one area again.

Too soon for all of them, it was time for Burt and Carole to head back to Ohio, Finn to Pennsylvania, Cooper to California, and Dalisay to Connecticut. They all promised to find time to visit one another and keep in touch either by phone or Skype as often as possible. That night, the boys christened their new bed, many, many times!

Time seemed to continue to fly by, and before they knew it, it was the week of Blaine's birthday. He had been thinking about something he wanted to discuss further with Kurt since their time in Italy. He had been doing research off and on and wanted to ask Kurt for something, a couple of somethings actually. He wasn't sure how his soulmate would react to either request, but he didn't think he would react badly.

His actual birthday fell on a Friday this year, which he loved and hoped would work in his favor if what he asked Kurt for actually happened. He might need a few days to recover if all went as planned. At least, he was hoping he would need a few days to recover.

After they had gone to bed that Monday and had the best sex yet, Blaine decided to talk about what he had been thinking about; his mind was relaxed, and he didn't have a single worry in the world.

"Baby?" Blaine asked, calm and sated.

"Mmm, yeah?" Kurt responded drowsily; their sex having taken a lot of energy out of him.

"Never mind," Blaine answered, not wanting to wake Kurt up when he sounded so exhausted. "You can go back to sleep. I love you."

That woke Kurt right up. "I'm awake," he said, more alert now. "Please tell me what's on your mind."

"Okay," Blaine answered, scooting further back into Kurt's big spoon. "There are a couple of things I've been thinking about. First, I've been doing some research online about how I am…um, how I act with you…in bed sometimes. And, I've come to realize that I'm kind of...well, not kind of...I am submissive to you, more often than not. I like that you take care of me, and even when I'm riding you, you're still controlling it. I like that. I like being able to completely let go, be vulnerable, and just know, no matter what, that you will keep me safe. I guess…um…what would you think about exploring that more?"

"Did you have anything particular in mind?" Kurt asked without missing a beat. He had suspected that this might come up at some point, and he was kicking himself in the ass right now for not having brought it up before. He'd definitely need to do some research himself if this was something they were going to pursue. There was no way in hell Kurt would allow himself to do something wrong. No fucking way!

"Well," Blaine said, blushing and happy that Kurt couldn't see the redness in his cheeks right now as he thought about all of the things Kurt could do to him. "I'm not sure I would ever be into the hardcore stuff. But I'd love to try bondage and sensory deprivation; there are others, but off the top of my head, those two for sure. And, you already know about my love of pain."

Kurt imagined Blaine blindfolded and completely at his mercy and instantly got hard again. "Yeah," he breathed. "I can do that." Plans were rapidly forming in his mind. "Don't make any plans this weekend."

"Okay," Blaine answered, grinding back onto Kurt's now very hard cock.

"What was the other thing you wanted to talk about?" Kurt asked, wanting to make sure Blaine was able to bring up everything that was on his mind.

"Oh," Blaine said, remembering that there was indeed something else he wanted to say. He took a breath to calm himself down. This was even more important than what he had just talked about. "Do you remember New Year's Eve, when you made a joke about me proposing to you?"

Kurt chuckled. "And then I made a joke about a cock ring? Yes, I remember that conversation."

Blaine laughed at that memory, too. "Well, the thing is, for as long as I can remember, I've never imagined myself being the one to propose when I found the guy I wanted to marry. I've always imagined that I'd be the one getting proposed to. And I want to marry you. Hell, I'd go to City Hall tomorrow if that's what you wanted." He swallowed. "But, when it comes time to do that, how do you feel about being the one to ask me? I will totally do it if you don't wan—"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted, "I'm glad you said that because I already have an idea for how I want to propose. And, before you say anything or ask any questions, it will happen when you least expect it. Just know that I do want to do it."

Blaine turned over and kissed his soulmate fiercely. "I love you so fucking much," he breathed out between kisses.

"I love you, too," Kurt replied, just as breathless.

That night, they fell asleep thinking very different things. Blaine was thinking about being tied to the bed and blindfolded, teased to his breaking point, then fucked until he came at least twice. Kurt was planning out his perfect proposal and thinking of all the people he needed to talk to in order to make it happen. He yearned for them to be each other’s in every way possible.

The following day, Kurt did a little research of his own. He found some information on being a Dom that he printed off and read during his free time so that he didn't hurt Blaine. If this was something they both liked after this weekend and wanted to continue, he would look into getting some training somewhere. He wasn’t exactly sure if there were classes he could take, but he would do whatever he needed to do to ensure Blaine’s safety.

Kurt also printed off a list of kinks, and they had talked about each and every item on the list, even the ones Kurt was certain they would both be very against trying. They made marks by the things that they would both like to try and crossed out the things they definitely didn't. Yes's included plugs, bondage, and temperature play. Maybe's included nipple clamps, gags, and spanking. Definite no's included breath play of any kind, sharing, and cages.

Friday arrived, and Blaine's birthday was finally upon them. They were both ridiculously excited, and butterflies were taking up residence in their stomachs, especially after Kurt had given Blaine his gifts: a plush blindfold and two leather interlocking cuffs.

The anticipation of the evening was starting to overwhelm them a little, so, to take the edge off, Kurt gave Blaine a blowjob. Blaine finished Kurt off quickly afterward with a handjob. The boys lay there for a few minutes, catching their breath and mentally preparing for what the remainder of the evening could be like.

Kurt didn't want to give Blaine too much time to come back from his high. He wanted him to stay pliant and floaty so that he could enjoy what was coming next. Kurt had a couple of gifts he hadn't let Blaine open earlier that he was excited to try out.

Before starting anything, Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear, "Do you remember your safewords, sweetheart?"

"Red, yellow, and green," Blaine sighed, tempted to add 'sir' to the end of his response. He wasn't sure how Kurt would react to it, though.

Knowing Blaine the way he did, Kurt knew immediately that he was holding something back and hoped that his instincts were right when he asked, "Red, yellow, and green, what?"

Sagging in relief, Blaine looked right into his soulmate's eyes and said with all of the love and trust he could convey, "Red, yellow, and green, Sir."

"I want you to enjoy this, love," Kurt said. "I do have a couple of surprises for you, gifts, if you will, that you didn't open up."

"Please…" Blaine begged, not really sure what he was begging for but knowing he would accept anything Kurt gave him tonight.

Kurt reached over to Blaine's nightstand and grabbed the blindfold, leaving the two thick brown cuffs there. "I love you, Blaine. So, so much," he said and slipped it over Blaine's eyes.

The moment the blindfold went on, Blaine's entire body thrummed with electricity and relaxed into the mattress at the same time. "I love you, too, Sir," he said, letting himself sink further into the headspace he was coming to love and even crave.

"Until I tell you otherwise," Kurt said, reaching over to his nightstand and pulling open the top drawer to retrieve four items, "I want you not to speak. You can make all of the noises you want, but the only actual words I want you to speak are your safewords if you need them. Also, I want you to put your hands above your head and keep them there. I'm not going to restrain you tonight; the cuffs are for some other time. Nod if you understand, sweetheart."

Blaine nodded fervently. He was a little upset at not getting to use the cuffs right now, but he was so hard with anticipation that it didn't matter. He trusted Kurt and knew that he was going to make this whole experience mind-blowingly awesome.

Kurt grabbed the feather he had retrieved from the nightstand and gently touched it to Blaine's cheek. As soon as it made contact, Blaine gasped at the new sensation. "I love your cheeks," Kurt murmured to him. "They're perfect for kissing, and, when you blush, they turn the loveliest shade of pink." He moved the feather over the blindfold. "Your eyes, god, where do I even begin with your eyes? I get lost in them and never want to find my way back. They let me see into your soul, love. They show me how much you love me and trust me. They can tell me what mood you're in before anything ever comes out of your mouth. Speaking of your mouth..." Kurt began, moving the feather down to Blaine's lips, which were parted now due to his panting.

Blaine squeaked, at the same time loving and hating the wispy feather that Kurt was using to torment him.

"Your mouth is fucking phenomenal," Kurt went on, his voice coming out more like a purr. "The most beautiful words and sinful noises come out of this mouth. This mouth gives me so much pleasure when it's wrapped around me. Fuck, just thinking about it is making me leak all over."

When Kurt said this, Blaine moaned loudly, picturing Kurt fucking into his mouth. He was so proud of the progress he'd made since December in regards to being able to get more and more of Kurt’s very large cock into his mouth.

Kurt continued his teasing and praise all the way down Blaine's body. By the time he had reached his calves, Blaine was a sweaty, panting mess. Kurt had deliberately not tormented the areas he knew his soulmate wanted him to. He had other ideas in mind for those particular places. Kurt put the feather down and grabbed the vibrator and uncapped lube from the top of the nightstand.

"Sweetheart," Kurt said into Blaine's ear when the vibrator was prepared, "I need you to hold your legs up and open for me. I have another present for you." He kissed Blaine's sweaty temple. "You can talk now, and you can cum whenever you want. Just know that we won't be done until I have cum, too."

"Fuck," Blaine groaned loudly, loving everything that Kurt had done and was promising. "Yes, Sir. I love you, Sir. I love you so much, Sir." He held his legs up, thighs touching his chest so that Kurt could get to all of his most intimate areas.

"I love you too, kitten," Kurt replied, the name just slipping out naturally. Apparently, Blaine liked the name, too, if his moan was any indication. Knowing how much Blaine loved pain, Kurt didn't waste any time stretching Blaine out before inserting the vibrator. He slowly, too slowly for Blaine's liking,  slid it in with one fluid motion until it was all the way inside.

"Oh my god, Sir," Blaine shouted. "That feels so fucking good. Stretching me open. Yes, fucking yes!"

Kurt leaned down and licked up the puddle of pre-cum that was currently forming on Blaine's belly, causing them both to moan in satisfaction. He pumped the vibrator in and out of Blaine a few times and then whispered into Blaine's ear, "Happy birthday, love." Then, he used the remote to turn the vibration to one of the highest settings.

"HOLY FUCKING CHRIST!" Blaine screamed as soon as the vibration hit him, and he painted Kurt's face with his cum while rocking down onto the vibrator as much as he could in his current position, never once letting go of his legs. When he began to get oversensitive, Blaine grit his teeth and panted through it, loving the painful pleasure it was causing. His soulmate knew how to work his body in the best ways.

Kurt was glad that they had put wet wipes into both of their nightstands for times when they needed to clean up quickly. He left the vibrator snug in Blaine's ass, turning it down a couple of notches. He reached over to his nightstand to get one and clean up his face as well as the final item he had set on top of it: a cock ring.

"As delicious as you taste, kitten," Kurt said as he was wiping himself up, "I don't want anything impeding my vision." When his face was clean, he lubed up and slid the cock ring on himself, doing a quick check-in with his soulmate.

"Color?" he whispered in Blaine's ear.

"Soooooooooo fucking green, Sir," he moaned, pain from overstimulation starting to turn into pleasure once more.

Kurt got up onto his knees between Blaine's legs, clicked the vibrator off, and pulled it out, ignoring Blaine's whine, loving how his ass was searching for something to grip on to. "My turn, love," he said and slid into Blaine as quickly as he'd allow himself to, still very conscious of not harming his soulmate.

"YESSSSSSSSSSS," Blaine shouted, loving the stretch and fullness that Kurt's cock always provided him. As good as the vibrator had felt, nothing was better than his soulmate's cock buried deep inside him.

Once he was all the way in, Kurt started at a relentless pace, thrusting in and out of his love. "Oh, and kitten," Kurt said casually like it was any other conversation, "I have one more present for you."

"What's that, Sir?" Blaine asked, not knowing what Kurt could possibly do to make this experience any better than it already was.

Kurt stopped his movements and bent down, getting right next to Blaine's ear one last time. "I'm wearing what I joked about in Italy," Kurt said and sat back up. When realization didn't dawn on Blaine immediately, Kurt grabbed one of Blaine's hands and guided him to feel the silicone ring around Kurt's cock.

Blaine's eyebrows raised up above the blindfold, and his breathing got heavier. "Thank you, Sir," Blaine panted. He had never loved Kurt more.

Kurt replaced Blaine's hand and started his thrusting again until he was pounding in and out of his soulmate. All the while, Blaine was chanting, "Yes, yes, yes!" When his speech finally left a minute later, Kurt removed Blaine's hands from under his knees and placed his own hands there to help hold Blaine up and open. He had been waiting for Blaine to really let go before he pulled out and removed the ring. Then, he slammed himself back into Blaine and continuing his unyielding, rough pace.

Blaine was so close again, and he knew all it would take was one brush of Kurt's hand on his cock or the feeling of Kurt filling him up with his cum before he would cum again. Kurt sensed this, too, and redoubled his efforts. When he felt his orgasm creeping up, ready to topple over the edge, he yelled, "Cum with me, kitten." Blaine screamed as he came and blacked out.

Kurt knew that this would be an intense experience for Blaine and that this might be a reaction Blaine would have to their scene, so he wasn't alarmed when it actually happened. He gently pulled out of Blaine and removed the blindfold before very quickly running to their bathroom and getting a warm, wet washcloth to clean Blaine up with. He didn't want to leave him alone for long or shock his system back awake with a cold wet wipe. He also grabbed the bottles of water he'd put in the bathroom before the scene; Blaine would be dehydrated, no doubt. Once they were both clean and the toys were all in a pile to be cleaned tomorrow, Kurt laid down beside his soulmate and pulled the blankets over them.

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt whispered, holding Blaine close to him, waiting for him to come to. "You were so amazing, sweetheart. So, so stunning. I can't wait to explore this with you for the rest of our lives. You are so perfect for me." After only a couple of minutes of gentle, quiet praise, Blaine started to stir. "Welcome back, sweetheart."

"Wow," Blaine groaned, throat scratchy from all the moaning, groaning, and screaming.

Kurt grabbed the bottle of water from his nightstand and propped Blaine up so he could take a drink.

"Yeah?" Kurt asked once Blaine had his fill of water. He wanted to be sure that Blaine was okay and had enjoyed their experience.

"Mmm-hmm," Blaine agreed sleepily. "Thank you, Kurt. That was more perfect than anything I could ever have imagined."

"I'm glad you liked it," Kurt replied. "Let's get some sleep, okay?"

"Mmmm-kay," Blaine murmured, mostly asleep already.

"Happy birthday, love," Kurt whispered then kissed Blaine on the temple before succumbing to sleep himself.

Chapter Text

Exactly one year after they met, Kurt and Blaine went back to Domus Civita. Kurt had planned everything perfectly; their parents, brothers, and best friends were all there, too. Blaine didn't know that little detail…yet. He thought his mom was going to visit Cooper in California that Christmas, and he thought that Kurt's parents were going on another cruise. It didn't really matter to Blaine where their families were; all that mattered was being back at the villa with Kurt.

Kurt, on the other hand, was insanely nervous. He knew that he loved Blaine and that Blaine loved him; there was no question about that. And, he knew in the depths of his soul that they were meant to be together always, no matter what. Kurt was nervous because he just wanted everything to be perfect. He wanted to make a memory with his soulmate that neither one of them would ever forget. Kurt had a speech prepared, and he hoped that he didn't mess it up. He kept reciting it over and over again in his mind and he almost wished he could tell Blaine so he could be reminded to take a fucking breath.

They touched down in Rome on the morning of December 20th and had the villa's car service pick them up at the airport and drive them to the house. When they arrived, they both took a deep breath, so happy to be back where it all started. Blaine looked down at the ground and found a penny dated 1964. He knew then that today was going to be special, though he wasn't sure how or why yet.

oOoOo

Liliana had just gone through the villa to make sure that everything was in order after its most recent tenants had checked out. She had really liked those guys and hoped that they would come back like they said they would. It was then that she remembered that Kurt had given her an envelope when they had checked out. Pulling it out of her pocket, she opened it and found a handwritten letter and $1,000 with a sticky note on it saying, "Thanks for everything."

January 1, 2020

Liliana,

Thank you so much for the hospitality you've shown us while we've been here. This place has turned out to be very special to us and is going to be somewhere we come back to time and time again. This where we fell in love, and someday, it's going to be the place I bring Blaine to ask him to marry me. When this proposal plan is more concrete, I will be in touch. I hope that the stars will be aligned for us and that the villa will be available. I can't imagine proposing to him anywhere else. I'm going to need some help on your side of the ocean to pull everything off. Would you be at all up to the task?

Sincerely,

Kurt Hummel

As soon as she was finished reading the letter, Liliana sent Kurt a text. "Tell me when, and I'll make it happen."

oOoOo

Both boys were reminiscing about their last trip to the villa as they walked through the house and out toward the terrace, the place where both of their lives changed forever. Kurt knew that their families were in the swimming pool cave, staying very quiet. They had flown in the day before and met with Liliana early that morning to get into their rooms. They were waiting for him to escort Blaine to the terrace railing, right to the spot where he had fainted. As they walked hand in hand, Kurt remembered the day he asked Dalisay if he could marry her son.

oOoOo

"I have something I'd like to ask you," Kurt said to her once Blaine was out of sight. "And it's not something I want Blaine to walk in on us talking about. Do you think we could go to the screened-in porch so we can see him coming back?"

"Of course," Dalisay replied, hoping that she knew what Kurt was going to talk to her about. She had watched these two closely during their time here and knew that they were it for each other, that they were meant to be together always.

Once they sat down, Kurt's nerves and all of the worry he had about what he was going to ask shot back through him like a bullet. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, slowly. "This is so not the time to lose your shit, Hummel," he said to himself. When he was calm, he opened his eyes and looked directly into Dalisay's, wanting her to see that he was serious about what he was about to say.

"I'd like your permission to ask your son to marry me," Kurt said confidently.

"Yes," Dalisay replied without hesitation.

"I know what you're going to say. We haven't…wait, what?" Kurt asked as her words registered.

"Yes," Dalisay repeated, smiling from ear to ear.

"You don't think that it's too soon?" Kurt asked, still not fully understanding what was going on.

"Do you think it's too early?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"No!" Kurt adamantly said. "He's it for me. He and I, we…we're…"

"Soulmates?" she asked, her smile growing impossibly wider.

"How? What? Huh?" Kurt said, not sure how to respond to her at all.

"When you mentioned the dreams and Fate after we started Adrian's movie the other day, and you started to...what's the word...freak out a little," Dalisay said with her signature grin, "that gave it away. I'm not sure what you meant by the mirror thing, though."

"I'll explain that part later," Kurt agreed. "You're telling me that you know about soulmates and the dreams that they can share?"

"Uh-huh," she replied, her grin never leaving her face. "Adrian and I shared dreams, too. And that's how I know that he and I...we did what we were supposed to during our time together. When it was his time to leave, he knew his job here was done. He still comes to visit me in my dreams sometimes, but it's nothing like it was before when we could physically connect."

"Do you ever have dreams of the two of you in unfamiliar places?" Kurt asked, excited to have someone to talk about this with.

Dalisay winked. "That, my dear, sounds like it's part of your journey, not mine," she replied. "Trust that Fate will take you where you need to go. It will put you in the path of things that you're meant to come across. The people that you're meant to meet, you will. Just trust it, Kurt." She patted his knee lovingly.

"Okay," he said. "I can do that." After a couple of moments, he asked, "So, I really have your blessing?"

"You do," Dalisay answered, tears forming in her eyes. "You have his dad's, too."

oOoOo

Kurt continued to walk with Blaine toward the edge of the terrace. It was a beautiful day. The weather was as perfect today as it had been a year ago. He took a deep breath to center himself and closed his eyes. He looked at Blaine and smiled, unexpected relief washing over him. After he had talked to his dad the day they met Blaine, he knew that this moment, even if he messed up his speech, was going to be absolutely perfect.

oOoOo

"Bud, can we go to your office and talk for a little bit?"

"Sure, Dad," Kurt said, expecting some sort of talk sooner or later. He gave Blaine a kiss on the cheek and told him they'd be back in a little bit. As he was walking away, he heard Carole asking Blaine about school and what he was planning to do after he graduated and passed the bar. He smiled to himself. Carole was easy to talk to. Blaine would be fine.

After Kurt closed the door to his office, he turned around and looked his dad right in the eyes. Once he started talking, he couldn't seem to stop. "I love him. I love him, and I want to marry him and live with him and grow old with him. And, if we decide to have kids, I want to do that with him, too. I know you're probably thinking that we're moving too fast, that we don't know anything about each other. How could we, right? We've only known each other for a few weeks. But, Dad, he's perfect for me in every single way. He's just—"

"Take a breath, Kurt," Burt said with a smile on his face. "I can see all of that. I can see the connection between you two. Anyone who spends more than 30 seconds with you guys will be able to see it, that you two have something special. I wanted to talk to you about something else."

"What? Huh?" Kurt asked, confused and completely thrown off by his dad's reaction. He was sure his dad would have some sort of resistance to the idea.

"Your mom and I...we had a connection like the one I see between you and Blaine. It's something I was sure I would never see again. You guys have a bond, an extraordinary bond, that not everyone gets to experience. Cherish it and never, ever take it for granted. Each day, each moment that you spend with that man out there will be the best one of your life. That is, until the next one happens."

"You and mom? You were soulmates?" Kurt whispered with tears in his eyes. "Why did you never tell me?"

"It was something we wanted to keep just between us, because it was sacred," Burt answered. "Not everyone will understand it. There will be people who will try to break you and Blaine apart, say that what you have isn't real and that you can each do better. But, you two will know better. You two can feel it, your deep, unconditional bond, and anyone who tries to destroy that is jealous of what you have, because it's something that they don't. Your mom..." Burt said, choking up a little, "your mom would be so, so proud of you right now." Tears misted Burt's vision, and he stepped closer to his son, putting his hands on his shoulders and meeting his gaze. "She would love him, that's for damn sure. And, I know that she's smiling down on all of us right now. She'll be there on the day you propose and on the day you guys get married. She'll be there for any kids you have, if that's something you choose to do. She'll be there, because I will be there, supporting you every step of the way."

By this time, both men had tears streaming down their cheeks. They closed the small space between them and hugged each other, both feeling a little extra warmth wrapping around them.

"I love you," they both said in unison, unsure if they were talking to each other or the extra warmth they felt.

oOoOo

Kurt turned toward Blaine, held both of his hands in his, and looked lovingly into the depths of his eyes. He made sure that Blaine's back was toward the cave entrance so Blaine wouldn't be distracted by anything. For this, Kurt wanted all of his soulmate's attention on him.

He took a deep breath. "We met right here," Kurt began, voice confident. "I heard you say, 'Hello,' and I passed out as soon as I turned around and saw you. You came over and held my head in your hands until I came to, and, ever since then, you've held my hands in yours. I think, back then, that my soul knew something that my body and my mind hadn't quite figured out yet. It knew that our hands were meant to hold each other's, fearlessly and forever, which is why it's never really felt like I've been getting to know you; it's always felt like I was remembering you from something. As if in every lifetime you and I have ever lived or will ever live, we've chosen to come back and find each other and fall in love again, over and over for all eternity. And, I just feel so lucky that I found you all those years ago in my dreams, that I met you here a year ago, because all I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do, is spend my life loving you. So, Blaine Anderson, my amazing friend, my one true love, my soulmate, will you marry me?"

Kurt was down on one knee with the most beautiful ring Blaine had ever seen. It was a platinum band with two interweaving lines that formed infinity symbols all the way around. Blaine was so overcome with joy and love that he could only nod his head and say, "Yeah. Yes."

Kurt leaped up after sliding the ring on Blaine's hand and kissed him deeply. Both were so wrapped up in the moment and kiss that they were unaware of the clapping and cheers behind them as their family stepped out to watch the whole scene.

They all celebrated well into the night after the proposal. Lorenzo had been hired to cook them a feast that everyone loved. When the partying was over, their guests went back across the bridge to stay in a hotel and allow the boys some alone time to celebrate. Boy, did they celebrate.

Later that night while they were lying in bed, post intimate celebration, Blaine thought of something. "You know," he began, "one of the only things that would make this whole story more perfect would be to come back here and get married. What do you think?" He turned on his side to face Kurt. "Can we plan to have the wedding here when we decide on a date?"

Kurt giggled. "Does tomorrow work for you?"

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Blaine exclaimed, leaning up on an elbow.

Kurt flat out laughed at that. "Mm-hmm. I planned for us to get married tomorrow, if that's okay with you. I have a marriage license and everything. What do you say?"

"I say that I love you so fucking much, Kurt Hummel!" Blaine exclaimed, attacking Kurt's mouth with a series of kisses that left him breathless.

"I love you, too, Blaine Anderson," Kurt said. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes," Blaine shouted and kissed Kurt breathless.

"Blaine," Kurt said, remembering there was something he wanted his soulmate to know before they became husbands tomorrow.

"Yeah?" Blaine answered, settling back down into Kurt's shoulder.

"When I asked your mom if I could marry you," Kurt started, "she told me something that I think is important for you to know. She said that she and your dad were soulmates as well and that they shared dreams similar to ours."

"You asked my mom's permission?" Blaine said, tears forming in his eyes at the gesture.

"Yeah, I did," Kurt replied. "Our last day in Darien, you had gone out to your dad's spot one last time, and I asked her then. She said yes right away and told me that she knew we were soulmates after she heard me talk about Fate, our dreams, and the mirroring thing."

"Why didn't she ever tell me?" Blaine wondered aloud, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm not sure, love," Kurt answered, wiping Blaine's face with his thumbs. "You'd have to ask her. Dad says it's because it's sacred and not meant for everyone to know."

"Your dad knows we're soulmates, too?" Blaine asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Kurt replied. "He...um...he figured it out just by how we were with each other. He and my mom...they had a connection like ours. They were soulmates, too, and he told me that it's not something that he felt needed to be advertised, even to me."

"That makes sense," Blaine said. He sighed dreamily, cuddling up to his soulmate once more. "Fate is awesome. It brought all of us together, and tomorrow, it will make sure that we are all one big family."

Decades later when they were both old and gray and ready to depart that world, as they drifted off to sleep one night and dreamt one last time together, they saw another, younger version of themselves in a place they had never been before. It wasn't a well-lit place, and there seemed to be a man standing behind a podium, holding a book out to them.

"It looks like we're going on yet another adventure, love," Kurt said excitedly. With final, ragged breaths, they stepped from their dream into the light and walked hand in hand to the podium.