Hidden Treasure, a Cliff’s Secret (Part 8)
. : Part One // Two // Three // Four // Five // Six // Seven : .
When Kurt wakes up, he’s almost out of breath. He escapes from the arms that hold him close, and he swims up, heading towards the light above the water. He gasps, his lungs filling with air when his head pops out of the water. He treads, looking around him in panic when he sees neither Blaine nor Rachel, but soon he sees them popping out as well, gasping in deep breaths of air.
When they calm down, Kurt begins to laugh, and they join him, unbelievably alive and well.
“We made it!” Rachel says, arms shooting out of the water before she drops them with a splash.
A head pops up next to Kurt, and he yelps, swimming away.
“Yes, you did,” Santana says. Another head surfaces beside her, and Brittany appears with a smile.
“Shore’s that way,” she says, pointing towards the beach. They all look to see the Dream at the port.
Kurt turns to Brittany, looking at her with a grateful smile.
“Thank you so much, Brittany,” he says, and he turns toward Santana. “You too. Thank you all for getting us here safely.”
Santana shrugs, and Brittany replies, “It’s no problem, Kurt.”
“How-how did we get here anyway?” Rachel asks, swimming towards them. “All I remember was jumping in and then falling asleep.”
“We sang a chant to put you to sleep, then we swam through a series of channels under the cave that connected to the sea,” Santana explains, and Rachel’s eyes widen again.
“Well, ladies,” Blaine says, swimming towards the beach, “it’s been lovely meeting you all again, but we have to get going.”
They all nod, and Blaine starts swimming for shore, Rachel trailing behind him. Kurt stays, looking at the two mermaids again. “I can’t thank you enough,” he says, but the two mermaids come close to him, wrapping him in a hug.
“We will miss you, Kurt,” Brittany says, and Santana nods against his shoulder.
When they part, Kurt says, “I can’t say that I will ever come back, but I can promise I will never forget you two.” The girls nod, and Kurt smiles.
Then, he heads back to shore.
.x.
The crew is ecstatic to see them, dragging them all to land when they get too tired to swim any father. They immediately begin to fuss after Rachel, asking her if she’s alright. Kurt rolls his eyes.
Sam walks over to give him and Blaine a blanket, patting them both on the shoulder and welcoming them back.
“Kurt,” he hears Blaine gasp out when Sam leaves. Kurt turns, surprised to see Blaine walking over towards him. He’s about to ask Blaine what was going on until Blaine collapses, and Kurt stands, rushing over with aching legs towards him.
“Blaine!” Kurt cries, dropping in front of him. He huddles close, holding Blaine tight. Blaine’s absolutely freezing, Kurt wraps his blanket around him.
“Kurt,” Blaine breathes out, a hand escaping the blankets to cup Kurt’s cheek. “Oh, Kurt...”
“Blaine?” Kurt says. “What’s going on? Are you oka -”
Kurt’s cut off by Blaine’s lips on his. Kurt gasps, surprised, but Blaine presses his lips harder against Kurt’s, and Kurt sighs, melting into the kiss.
When they break apart, Kurt nuzzles his cheek into Blaine’s palm.
“Kurt, I was so scared,” Blaine begins, voice shaking. “When Cassandra had her gun pointed at you... I’ve never been more scared in my life.”
Kurt’s breath escapes him, and his heart pounds in his chest.
“Blaine, what-what are you trying to say?” he stammers.
Blaine smiles, so beautiful and free. “I’m saying I think I love you, Kurt.”
Kurt, speechless, dives in for another kiss. He kisses passionately, lips moving smoothly against Blaine’s, and when they part their lips smack.
Kurt swallows, touching his forehead with Blaine’s.
“I think I love you, too.”
.x.
They’re back at sea for a few weeks, leaving the island with more than enough treasure not too long after they escape Brownbeard’s Cavern. Sam says they’d probably brought about half the treasure in that cave--an astonishing feat, considering they were being attacked by the undead at the time. The treasure had already been split evenly by the crew, a few trinkets even going with both Kurt and Rachel.
Rachel is ecstatic to escape the island alive and mostly unscathed, telling Kurt how she’d survived while on-board Crazy Cassie’s ship. They share a cabin together, Rachel being too afraid to be left alone.
Kurt ends his conversation with Rachel, leaving her to pack her things up for home, heading out on the main deck before climbing up the stairs to the forecastle.
Blaine’s at the wheel, and Kurt creeps up behind him, wrapping his arms around Blaine’s waist. Blaine stiffens at first, but he relaxes when he realizes it’s Kurt.
Kurt presses his face into Blaine’s red coat, inhaling deep. Blaine smells like the sea and a bit of grime, but he also smells like comfort and the man he loves.
They’re sailing into the sunset, the sun shining red-orange as its rays kiss the ocean waters in the horizon. The sky is purple-pink, signalling the coming of nightfall, and Kurt presses his cheek against Blaine’s shoulder, holding Blaine as tight as he can with Blaine’s thick coat on.
They stay like that for a long time, trading kisses whenever Blaine asks for it. They only break apart when Sam comes up the stairs, ready to take over the wheel.
Night has fallen by the time they head down to the main deck. The crew is sleeping and Rachel hasn’t left Kurt’s room, so the deck is empty, the only sounds to be heard are the ocean waves, the creaks of the Dream and Kurt and Blaine’s footsteps.
They hold hands as they make their way down to the deck, Blaine tugs on Kurt’s hand, bringing him over to one edge of the ship where a lamp hangs. They let go of each other and Kurt leans on the edge, looking to the horizon. There’s barely anything to be seen now, the sun set and the last of its rays gone for the night.
“We need to talk about it eventually,” Kurt says sadly.
“My offer still stands,” Blaine insists, voice pleading, and when Kurt turns to look at him he can see Blaine’s eye shining in the glow of the lamp. He looks forlorn, and Kurt’s heart aches to see him like this.
Blaine had offered, during their first few days out at sea, for Kurt to travel the world with him, to leave Rachel at Port Royal and stay on-board the Dream for the rest of his days. It was so tempting, but Kurt couldn’t do it.
“I can’t just leave my father, Blaine,” he says, the back of his eyes prickling with tears. “I can’t.”
Blaine bites his lip, bringing up a fist to wipe at his eye.
“I can’t come with you, Kurt,” he whispers, voice so full of sadness that it breaks Kurt’s heart. “I’m a wanted pirate. I’d be hanged if I set foot on Port Royal.”
“I know, I know,” Kurt says, his voice breaking. “I don’t know what to do. I-I... I don’t know what will happen to us...”
There’s a moment of silence, and Blaine stiffens.
“So, that’s it?” he huffs, and he looks angrier now. Blaine shakes his head. “You go back to Port Royal and I just leave? Forget about you altogether?”
“No, Blaine -” Kurt tries, but Blaine leaves, stomping away to his cabin and slamming the door shut.
Kurt’s left on deck, tears brimming on his eyes.
.x.
The next morning, Kurt wakes up early, as he always does. He leaves Rachel in the bed, stretching and rubbing at his eyes before making his way on deck.
He’d barely been able to sleep last night, mind filled with what he could possibly do when he returns home with Rachel. He knows he can’t leave his father, can’t abandon his responsibilities for a pirate.
But he wants to, for Blaine.
The sun’s barely out, just rising over the horizon, and Kurt makes his way up the forecastle, finding Blaine already at the wheel.
“Blaine,” he says softly, walking over to him.
“I’m sorry,” Blaine says, looking at him sadly. “I overreacted last night, and I -”
Kurt cuts him off with a brief kiss, soft and gentle, melting into it when Blaine kisses back. When they part, Kurt’s hand is on Blaine’s chin, and he touches his forehead with Blaine’s.
“I’m going to go back,” Kurt says with finality. He can hear Blaine’s sharp breath intake, and he moves the hand on Blaine’s chin to cup the back of his neck.
“I’m going to go back,” he repeats, gulping, “to Port Royal. My father needs me, and I love him.”
Blaine’s eye is still closed, but Kurt can the tears falling down his cheek. With his other hand, Kurt brushes the track away with his thumb.
“But I love you too,” he says, “and I will wait for you. And when the time comes, I will find you, or you will find me, and we’ll be together again.”
Blaine looks at him with a sad gaze, and Kurt bites back his own tears.
“We will be together again,” Blaine says, conviction in his voice. “I promise you, even if I have to cross the seven seas and back again, I will find my way back to you, Kurt.”
Kurt smiles, tears spilling. “Yes, and I will wait for you.”
“I’ll write you,” Blaine promises, pulling away, hands tight on the wheel. “And-and you can write back.”
“Blaine,” Kurt says with a chuckle, standing up straight, “where am I supposed to send my letters to?”
Blaine chuckles, facing forwards, looking into the rising sun.
“You don’t know everything about me, quite yet, Hummel.”
.x.
Port Royal is in their sights, and Kurt laughs when Rachel squeals, pointing, “There it is, Kurt! Home!”
Kurt leans against the rail of the ship, breathing in the air. Home.
Someone taps his shoulder, and when he turns he sees Blaine smiling softly at him. Rachel looks between the two of them, and with a pointed look at Kurt she announces, “I’m going back to my cabin to get my things ready.”
Kurt knows it’s a lie as she walks away, humming to herself, because she’s had her things ready for days now.
When he looks around the deck, it’s suspiciously empty, and Kurt tilts his head, crossing his arms.
“I suppose you have nothing to do with this now, do you?”
“Absolutely not,” Blaine says, stepping closer.
They come together smoothly, Kurt’s arms wrapping around Blaine’s neck and Blaine’s hands coming to his hips. Their lips meet in a passionate kiss, and Kurt gives it all his worth, kissing Blaine because he knows this’ll be the last time they get to for a long while.
They only part for air, and before long their lips are on each other again, meeting kiss after kiss.
“I love you,” Blaine whispers when they part, and Kurt squeezes his arms around Blaine, murmuring, “I love you too.”
Their foreheads touch again, and Blaine says, “I have something for you.”
Curious, Kurt steps away far enough for Blaine to reach into his jacket. What he pulls out makes Kurt gasp.
It’s the block of wood Blaine had been carving their entire time together. A beautifully intricate design frames the borders of the plank, and in the centre is the Wandering Dream itself, all its glory in every carved detail. Behind the ship is a sun, hiding behind the sea’s horizon, carved like the one in the medallion Blaine kept.
Kurt reaches out for the plank of wood, he holds it carefully, holding it as if it were more precious than all the gold and treasure in the world.
Which it is, because Blaine gave it to him.
Upon closer inspection, Kurt sees carved at the very bottom of the plank, in the midst of all the intricate designs is a message:
I will wait for you, fearlessly and forever
Kurt chokes, overwhelmed with all he’s feeling, fingers brushing along the details of Blaine’s carving. When he looks up, he has tears in his eyes.
“That is a promise, Kurt Hummel,” Blaine says. “I will wait for you, fearlessly and forever.”
Kurt tucks his lips into his mouth, letting Blaine brush the tears from his eyes.
“I love you,” Kurt whispers, moving closer to touch his forehead with Blaine’s.
“And I love you.”
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