Fic: The Wisdom of Wildflowers - Part 9/9 +epilogue
Title: The Wisdom of Wildflowers
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word Count: 35000, 1650 this part
Characters/Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Brittany/Santana, rest of New Directions, Burt Hummel
Spoilers: everything through Glease, veers away from canon after that
Warnings: character death
Summary: It's been ten years since Kurt set foot in the halls of William McKinley High School, but the death of a friend has him headed back to Lima and spending time with his old friends. The week brings sorrow, reminiscences, love, and maybe the chance to mend the tears in old relationships.
Just the epilogue left!
Nine
When he gets back to his parents' house the following afternoon, Burt gives him a look. He takes Kurt's suitcase from his hands and wheels it the rest of the way into the hall. “You got somethin' you wanna tell me, Kurt?”
Kurt stumbles a little, bent over removing his shoes, and has to brace himself against the wall to keep from toppling over. He looks up and his dad is still giving him an odd, searching look. “No?”
Burt huffs and takes off his cap, rubbing his hand over his bare head and placing it back, twisting it a little from side to side before he's satisfied with the positioning. “You sure about that?”
And then Kurt remembers. “Finn!” he yells into the depths of the house. He's not even sure if his brother is over visiting like he said he would be. It turns out that he is.
“Sorry, bro! It slipped out!”
Kurt grumbles under his breath and finishes taking off his shoes, tossing them violently onto the mat by the door. He feels Burt's gentle hand on his shoulder and looks back up at him. He's got a serene sort of half smile on his face. “Come on, kiddo. I'll fix you something to eat.”
“So, you and Blaine, huh?” Burt says as he's putting together a sandwich. He gets a knife from the rack and slices it neatly in a diagonal line and slides it onto a plate. He grabs a napkin and puts it in front of Kurt, then pulls down a glass from the cupboard.
“Yeah. We're trying again.” Kurt watches as his dad pours him a glass of juice, something that he normally never drinks, not since he was a kid, but he accepts it gratefully and takes a long swallow. “Do you think I'm crazy?”
He feels his stomach churn with worry. He doesn't need his father's approval, of course he doesn't. He's a grown man and lives his own life and makes his own decisions. But God, he still wants it. He wants Burt to look him over when he comes to visit and not turn away with sad eyes and a furrowed brow, leaving Kurt with an empty feeling like he's the biggest disappointment in the world. He knows that's not the truth - that his dad is proud of him, and that he's just worried, that he just wants Kurt to be happier. Well, he feels as though he has that chance now, to feel complete, and not simply with his career, but with his personal life as well. He wants that empty hole in his heart to be full again the way it hasn't been in years. He knows his dad wants that for him more than anything.
“Maybe,” Burt says with a shrug and Kurt feels his heart swoop. “But your crazy ideas are usually your best ones.”
Kurt feels a smile break over his face and watches as Burt's expression softens. He comes over and pushes Kurt's plate and glass away and takes him into his arms. “You look happy, bud,” he says.
“I am, Dad. I am.”
Kurt drives Blaine to the airport on Saturday night to catch his flight back to L.A. They make no promises, no proclamations. They just embrace and hold on a little bit too long and a little bit too tight.
“I'll see you in two weeks,” Blaine says.
“Two weeks. Send me your flight info and I'll meet you at the airport.”
Blaine nods and smiles and they grasp each others' shoulders and squeeze. They shared their kisses in the car and at Blaine's parents' house when Kurt picked him up. Blaine bends over to retrieve his carry on and throws it over his shoulder. He takes Kurt's hand in his one last time and rubs his thumb over his knuckles, staring into his eyes. He needs no words when his eyes say absolutely everything. He mouths I love you anyway, before turning away to move towards security.
On the drive back to Lima, Kurt can't seem to stop smiling. He thinks back to one week before when he had been bereft, standing in a funeral suit with his knees knocking together at the thought of seeing all of his old friends, at the thought of singing goodbye to one of the most special people he has ever known. But everything is better now somehow. He feels as though the things he had been missing in his life have slid back into their proper slots and filled him with a renewed purpose, a renewed energy.
He flips on the stereo and sings along all the way home. He knows it's his last night to spend with his family before he himself boards a plane back to his life, but that's okay. Everything is as it should be. And he knows when his dad takes stock of him the next time he visits, he will turn away with a smile instead of a sad frown.
Blaine doesn't have much luck finding an apartment. He likes Kurt's neighbourhood, but there is nothing available that is the right size, and anything farther away makes him turn up his nose. He wants to stick close, not to have to squander an hour travelling just to spend an evening with Kurt. This makes Kurt laugh, as it had been so recently that he'd needed to travel all the way from California in order to see him.
Blaine stays at the hotel where his company regularly puts him up during his trips to New York at first. But after he's stayed with Kurt for so many nights in a row that his clothing has become intermixed with Kurt's and they've begun to drop off and pick up each others' dry cleaning, it all seems so pointless. He gives up his room and brings over the rest of his things and stays night after night. They eat breakfast together and whoever gets home first starts dinner if they haven't made plans to go out. It's nice, and sometimes Kurt wonders if this is how it would have been all along had they never split up. It's just so easy and instinctive, this routine they've fallen into. It feels right and good.
When Blaine's six weeks are up and he needs to get back to Los Angeles to finish packing and organize the movers, he still hasn't found an apartment.
“Just move in here, Blaine,” Kurt tells him, while he agonizes over the rental section of the paper and the e-mail links for apartments sent to him by his real estate agent.
He looks up from his laptop with wide eyes. “You'd be okay with that?” he asks.
Kurt shrugs his shoulders and takes a sip of his tea. “Why not? You've been living here for over a month and it's been pretty great. At least, I think it has been.” When Blaine continues to stare at him, his hands frozen in midair with the newspaper page between them, Kurt begins to worry. “Or, you know, if it's too soon, that's okay too. You can put your things in storage and stay until you find something you like instead. If you think... Is this too soon?”
“No,” Blaine breathes out. “Ten years too late I'd say.”
The night before Blaine heads back to California, Kurt takes him to Coney Island. He's decided, at last, where he wants to scatter Brittany's ashes.
They get to the very top of the Wonder Wheel, inching slowly higher as the seats below them are loaded up with other passengers. It's quiet tonight. There aren't many tourists mulling about because of the slight rain that's been spitting off and on all day. It's a pretty evening - the sun reflecting off the clouds in warm tones of orange and pink and red. Blaine's skin literally glows from where he sits next to Kurt, golden in the rays of the setting sun and the twinkle of the Wonder Wheel's many bulbs. Kurt smiles at him and they link hands just as the wheel turns and pitches them forward over the precipice.
They go around and around a few times. There is a girl below who lets out an unholy screech every time she gets to the top and is sent forward and down again. She reminds Kurt of Rachel and of that day at the fair. He leans to the side and presses his lips to Blaine's cheek just as they round the top and his stomach drops out at the sensation of falling.
He takes the embroidered bag that contains Brittany's ashes out of his pocket as they're making their way back up, regarding it with sadness. He wishes he could truly believe that she was here with them, that she could understand. That she could know how she is loved and missed and how thankful he is to her for helping to set him on this new, hopeful path. He thinks she would be proud of him. And that she would tell him he deserves it. That he deserves this happiness that is bubbling up inside him every time he sees Blaine smile.
He pulls the drawstring and waits until they reach the top, then lets her out, lets her drift and float away in the breeze, smiling down on all of the magic and lights and laughter that surrounds them.
“Goodbye, Britts,” he whispers. “I love you. And I'll never forget you.”
“Thank you,” Blaine adds, his voice equally as quiet and as reverent. He takes Kurt's hand in his again and wipes a tear from his cheek with the other.
When next they make it to the top they share a kiss, and when Kurt's stomach swoops at the fall this time, he giggles into Blaine's mouth.
previous next
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word Count: 35000, 1650 this part
Characters/Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Brittany/Santana, rest of New Directions, Burt Hummel
Spoilers: everything through Glease, veers away from canon after that
Warnings: character death
Summary: It's been ten years since Kurt set foot in the halls of William McKinley High School, but the death of a friend has him headed back to Lima and spending time with his old friends. The week brings sorrow, reminiscences, love, and maybe the chance to mend the tears in old relationships.
Just the epilogue left!
Nine
When he gets back to his parents' house the following afternoon, Burt gives him a look. He takes Kurt's suitcase from his hands and wheels it the rest of the way into the hall. “You got somethin' you wanna tell me, Kurt?”
Kurt stumbles a little, bent over removing his shoes, and has to brace himself against the wall to keep from toppling over. He looks up and his dad is still giving him an odd, searching look. “No?”
Burt huffs and takes off his cap, rubbing his hand over his bare head and placing it back, twisting it a little from side to side before he's satisfied with the positioning. “You sure about that?”
And then Kurt remembers. “Finn!” he yells into the depths of the house. He's not even sure if his brother is over visiting like he said he would be. It turns out that he is.
“Sorry, bro! It slipped out!”
Kurt grumbles under his breath and finishes taking off his shoes, tossing them violently onto the mat by the door. He feels Burt's gentle hand on his shoulder and looks back up at him. He's got a serene sort of half smile on his face. “Come on, kiddo. I'll fix you something to eat.”
“So, you and Blaine, huh?” Burt says as he's putting together a sandwich. He gets a knife from the rack and slices it neatly in a diagonal line and slides it onto a plate. He grabs a napkin and puts it in front of Kurt, then pulls down a glass from the cupboard.
“Yeah. We're trying again.” Kurt watches as his dad pours him a glass of juice, something that he normally never drinks, not since he was a kid, but he accepts it gratefully and takes a long swallow. “Do you think I'm crazy?”
He feels his stomach churn with worry. He doesn't need his father's approval, of course he doesn't. He's a grown man and lives his own life and makes his own decisions. But God, he still wants it. He wants Burt to look him over when he comes to visit and not turn away with sad eyes and a furrowed brow, leaving Kurt with an empty feeling like he's the biggest disappointment in the world. He knows that's not the truth - that his dad is proud of him, and that he's just worried, that he just wants Kurt to be happier. Well, he feels as though he has that chance now, to feel complete, and not simply with his career, but with his personal life as well. He wants that empty hole in his heart to be full again the way it hasn't been in years. He knows his dad wants that for him more than anything.
“Maybe,” Burt says with a shrug and Kurt feels his heart swoop. “But your crazy ideas are usually your best ones.”
Kurt feels a smile break over his face and watches as Burt's expression softens. He comes over and pushes Kurt's plate and glass away and takes him into his arms. “You look happy, bud,” he says.
“I am, Dad. I am.”
Kurt drives Blaine to the airport on Saturday night to catch his flight back to L.A. They make no promises, no proclamations. They just embrace and hold on a little bit too long and a little bit too tight.
“I'll see you in two weeks,” Blaine says.
“Two weeks. Send me your flight info and I'll meet you at the airport.”
Blaine nods and smiles and they grasp each others' shoulders and squeeze. They shared their kisses in the car and at Blaine's parents' house when Kurt picked him up. Blaine bends over to retrieve his carry on and throws it over his shoulder. He takes Kurt's hand in his one last time and rubs his thumb over his knuckles, staring into his eyes. He needs no words when his eyes say absolutely everything. He mouths I love you anyway, before turning away to move towards security.
On the drive back to Lima, Kurt can't seem to stop smiling. He thinks back to one week before when he had been bereft, standing in a funeral suit with his knees knocking together at the thought of seeing all of his old friends, at the thought of singing goodbye to one of the most special people he has ever known. But everything is better now somehow. He feels as though the things he had been missing in his life have slid back into their proper slots and filled him with a renewed purpose, a renewed energy.
He flips on the stereo and sings along all the way home. He knows it's his last night to spend with his family before he himself boards a plane back to his life, but that's okay. Everything is as it should be. And he knows when his dad takes stock of him the next time he visits, he will turn away with a smile instead of a sad frown.
Blaine doesn't have much luck finding an apartment. He likes Kurt's neighbourhood, but there is nothing available that is the right size, and anything farther away makes him turn up his nose. He wants to stick close, not to have to squander an hour travelling just to spend an evening with Kurt. This makes Kurt laugh, as it had been so recently that he'd needed to travel all the way from California in order to see him.
Blaine stays at the hotel where his company regularly puts him up during his trips to New York at first. But after he's stayed with Kurt for so many nights in a row that his clothing has become intermixed with Kurt's and they've begun to drop off and pick up each others' dry cleaning, it all seems so pointless. He gives up his room and brings over the rest of his things and stays night after night. They eat breakfast together and whoever gets home first starts dinner if they haven't made plans to go out. It's nice, and sometimes Kurt wonders if this is how it would have been all along had they never split up. It's just so easy and instinctive, this routine they've fallen into. It feels right and good.
When Blaine's six weeks are up and he needs to get back to Los Angeles to finish packing and organize the movers, he still hasn't found an apartment.
“Just move in here, Blaine,” Kurt tells him, while he agonizes over the rental section of the paper and the e-mail links for apartments sent to him by his real estate agent.
He looks up from his laptop with wide eyes. “You'd be okay with that?” he asks.
Kurt shrugs his shoulders and takes a sip of his tea. “Why not? You've been living here for over a month and it's been pretty great. At least, I think it has been.” When Blaine continues to stare at him, his hands frozen in midair with the newspaper page between them, Kurt begins to worry. “Or, you know, if it's too soon, that's okay too. You can put your things in storage and stay until you find something you like instead. If you think... Is this too soon?”
“No,” Blaine breathes out. “Ten years too late I'd say.”
The night before Blaine heads back to California, Kurt takes him to Coney Island. He's decided, at last, where he wants to scatter Brittany's ashes.
They get to the very top of the Wonder Wheel, inching slowly higher as the seats below them are loaded up with other passengers. It's quiet tonight. There aren't many tourists mulling about because of the slight rain that's been spitting off and on all day. It's a pretty evening - the sun reflecting off the clouds in warm tones of orange and pink and red. Blaine's skin literally glows from where he sits next to Kurt, golden in the rays of the setting sun and the twinkle of the Wonder Wheel's many bulbs. Kurt smiles at him and they link hands just as the wheel turns and pitches them forward over the precipice.
They go around and around a few times. There is a girl below who lets out an unholy screech every time she gets to the top and is sent forward and down again. She reminds Kurt of Rachel and of that day at the fair. He leans to the side and presses his lips to Blaine's cheek just as they round the top and his stomach drops out at the sensation of falling.
He takes the embroidered bag that contains Brittany's ashes out of his pocket as they're making their way back up, regarding it with sadness. He wishes he could truly believe that she was here with them, that she could understand. That she could know how she is loved and missed and how thankful he is to her for helping to set him on this new, hopeful path. He thinks she would be proud of him. And that she would tell him he deserves it. That he deserves this happiness that is bubbling up inside him every time he sees Blaine smile.
He pulls the drawstring and waits until they reach the top, then lets her out, lets her drift and float away in the breeze, smiling down on all of the magic and lights and laughter that surrounds them.
“Goodbye, Britts,” he whispers. “I love you. And I'll never forget you.”
“Thank you,” Blaine adds, his voice equally as quiet and as reverent. He takes Kurt's hand in his again and wipes a tear from his cheek with the other.
When next they make it to the top they share a kiss, and when Kurt's stomach swoops at the fall this time, he giggles into Blaine's mouth.
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