Lights Will Guide You Home, Prologue
Media: Fic
Title: Lights Will Guide You Home, Prologue
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe
Spoilers (if any): thru 2X16 and some mentions of things that are supposed to happen in 2x17/2x18/Season 3/Future!Klaine
Warnings (if any):
Word Count: 2182
Summary: 13 years from now, Blaine and Kurt have made a fabulous life for themselves, but there's something missing... This first chapter is some background, pretty fluffy, but angst will come eventually...
Lights Will Guide You Home
(title from "Fix You" by Coldplay)
Prologue
My life is fantastic. HOW is my life this fantastic? How the hell did I get this lucky?
Blaine's inner dialogue turned outward to a small smile as he walked, hands stuffed in his pockets and scarf wrapped around his neck and up over his chin, thinking about what awaited him at home.
Kurt.
Just the thought of his partner's name morphed that small smile into a gleaming grin, accompanied by a tingle down his spine. The cold winter wind didn't seem quite so harsh as he conjured a mental image of Kurt just getting home for the day from the studio, hanging his bag and coat up, kicking off his shoes, and plopping down on the couch. Maybe once Blaine got home they could repeat the performance of “Baby, It's Cold Outside” that they did so many years ago. That had the potential to warm them both up...
Blaine let his mind wander back through their years together, now numbering … gosh, had it been thirteen already?
He and Kurt had amazingly beaten the odds, their love and mutual respect for each other bringing them through high school and college and the sometimes-difficult period of their early twenties. After they graduated from McKinley, Kurt's childhood dream came true. The couple had moved to New York where Kurt had been accepted into the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology and Blaine had landed a spot in NYU's Creative Writing program. They flourished in the hustle and bustle of the city, both highly driven and motivated (so much so that some would have considered them workaholics). Both deeply committed to their respective art forms, they also continued to make music a priority. They had frequent date nights, and had a pretty decent social life for such busy individuals.
But while they were incredibly lucky to have been given such opportunities, and while New York was a far, far friendlier place than Lima, Ohio, things hadn't always been perfect. Living together had taken a few months to get used to at first - Kurt was surprised at how much of a boy Blaine could be sometimes, and while it typically didn't get under his skin, the adjustment period had included moments of tension. Then during their junior year of school, things came to a head and the bliss that was “Klaine” (as their friends had so affectionately dubbed them) nearly ended. Both Blaine and Kurt were in the hardest semesters of their lives, both were pulled in so hard in so many directions that it seemed impossible for something not to snap. They barely had time for themselves, let alone each other, and they fought more during that time than they ever had. Not helping the situation was Blaine's family. The Hummels, as always, loved Kurt for who he was, and by default loved Blaine because Kurt did. Burt, Carole, and even Finn had kept in close contact during the whole of their relationship. But the Anderson family just couldn't accept that Blaine was “different” - his father had even called him a “deviant” in one memorable fight where they'd nearly come to physical blows. His parents didn't entirely disown him as theirs, but they never acknowledged the reality of Blaine's and Kurt's relationship and certainly didn't make an effort to keep in touch. Because of this, Blaine felt that Kurt had a tether, a support system that he had never had and would never hope to. Kurt could call his dad or sometimes Carole when they fought, but Blaine was alone. But the men, driven as they were, were determined to make their relationship work, and with a lot of patience and a lot of talking and a nice long, steamy vacation cruise during Christmas break, there were promises and commitments made and kept, and it was bliss again.
And here we are now.
Blaine shook his head, still barely believing his good fortune. They had made it. Just on the cusp of 30, and they were there. Back several years ago they were afraid it wasn't going to pan out, but he was a writer now - a published writer - and his second book was coming out the following spring. Kurt, fairly successful from the start, was now a designer for Marc Jacobs (how he landed that job, Blaine didn't even know, something about connections and boyish charm and cookies), but he wanted to start his own line in the next several years or so. The couple had bought a condo in Manhattan a few years back, decorated impeccably by Kurt (and redecorated, and redecorated, and redecorated, Blaine thought to himself with a smile...) They'd even gotten a puppy the year before that in celebration of their “settled” status - a sweet, fluffy Maltese they'd named Romeo because of his constant attempts to woo all their female friends. And speaking of settled...
Mmmm, home.
Blaine rounded the last corner of his walk from Starbucks, his current writing locale of choice, and looked at his building stretching up toward the skyline. A welcome whoosh of warm air greeted him as he entered, and he pulled the scarf down and tucked it back under his chin. He made his way to the elevator, hit the button for floor 8, and sighed as he tried to rub some warmth back into his hands.
“Kurt? Are you home yet? I'm back,” he called, entering the condo.
As he set his laptop bag down on the table, three things hit him at once: 1) their condo was much tidier than when he'd left that morning, 2) something positively sinful had to be happening in the kitchen to produce smells like that, and 3) Kurt was home, in the kitchen, and he was singing to himself. Blaine picked up Romeo, gave him a cuddle, and headed in Kurt's direction.
“Kurt?” he repeated, walking into the kitchen. “You got home early.”
“Oh, Blaine! You're early! I wasn't expecting you for another half hour at least! Oh, this was supposed to be a surprise...” Kurt was flitting around the kitchen like Pavoratti, the Warblers' late canary, used to do in his cage. He had an apron tied over himself to protect his ever-fashionable outfit, and his normally perfect hair was just the slightest bit mussed. Blaine smiled to himself.
“Hey you. I am surprised. It looks great in here, and whatever you're making over there smells divine - what are you making, actually?” He walked over to the stove, where several pots sat simmering. Kurt turned and faced Blaine, tilting his chin ever-so-slightly down so he could look straight into his partner's eyes.
“Oh, it's nothing really.” Kurt's face was casual, his tone nonchalant, but his eyes glimmered and from that fact alone Blaine knew that he'd spent hours in the kitchen that day.
“Seriously Kurt, you know that's not true. What is it?”
Kurt sighed. “Well, I wanted it all to be ready and on the table when you got home, but I'm making Cornish game hens with sweet potato risotto and cranberry sauce.”
Blaine let out a low whistle. “See, this is why I love you.” He pulled Kurt into his arms, fingers snaking through his now-slightly-more-mussed hair, and slowly kissed him. “I missed you today.”
Kurt smiled. “And I missed you. Now get out of this kitchen so I can really impress you.”
* * * * * * * *
Twenty minutes later, Blaine and Kurt were sitting at the table, soft music in the background, making semi-obscene noises as they tasted the first bites of Kurt's carefully prepared meal.
“Mmmm, Kurt, this is … Jesus, there aren't words to say how good this tastes!”
Kurt smiled a smug little smile. “I'm glad you like it, my love.” Blaine returned the smile, and they sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the food. Then he spoke again.
“So, did I miss our anniversary or something? Did you hear something from my publicist that I haven't? Is there a specific reason for this amazing meal of yours … and the expensive wine?”
Kurt cleared his throat. Suddenly, Blaine realized, he looked … nervous. And that was odd. Because of all the things that they could be around each other by this point - well, nervous was not usually one of them.
“No.” His voice was almost shaky. He cleared his throat again. “No Blaine, you didn't miss anything important. I actually … I want to talk to you about something. Important.”
Blaine hesitated for just a second. Was this bad news? What was he about to hear? “Kurt, you know you can talk to me about anything. With or without fancy food. Although I do appreciate your handiwork...” He ended with what he hoped was an encouraging smile.
Okay. Kurt was psyching himself up. Okay, Hummel, just come out and say it. What's the worst that can happen? He can just say no. He loves you. It's okay. Okay.
“I've been thinking lately,” he started. “Our life is pretty settled at this point, I feel like. We're pretty stable. We both have good jobs, jobs we like.” Blaine nodded, agreeing with him. “And I love you. So, so much. You know that, right? That I love you more than life itself?” The tone in Kurt's voice was close to pleading.
“Of course. Of course I know that.” Blaine's voice was soft, gentle, reassuring. Exactly what Kurt needed. “I love you too. To the moon and back.”
Kurt smiled. Courage. “Okay. I'm just going to come out and say it, because I'll never get it out if I don't do it that way. I love you. So much. But I feel like something's missing. I feel like there could be more for us. Blaine...” He paused, sucked in a breath of air. “Blaine … I think I want to have a baby with you. I mean, I think I want to raise a kid. With you. Like, have a family.”
Blaine let loose a sigh of relief that he didn't quite realize he'd been holding.
“Oh my gosh, Kurt, you scared me for a minute - I was thinking you were going to tell me you had cancer or had lost your job or had found some Latin lover that you wanted to run off to Cancun with...”
This somehow didn't make Kurt feel better. “So... so, what are you thinking right now?” he asked.
Blaine paused. A baby. Wow. That was big. But … not so big. They'd been together for so long. And Kurt was right - they could be more. Romeo was great, but a puppy wasn't quite the same as a child. They were stable - if he was being honest, they were very well-off. Much more than the average person. It … made sense.
“Um, well, I don't want to rush into anything... I mean, I haven't been actively thinking about it like you have, Kurt...”
Kurt's eyes fell. “Oh. Oh, right. Okay.”
“Wait, wait, no, I'm not saying no, Kurt.” Blaine hurriedly backtracked - this was coming out wrong. “I'm just saying … I think we need to talk more about this. I think we need to really think it through, because it's such a huge decision. But … but now that I'm thinking about it, yeah, I can see it. A baby. Our baby.” He broke into a smile with the last sentence.
Kurt beamed back at him. “Our baby.”
“Okay,” Blaine breathed.
“Okay,” Kurt intoned back. They finished their dinner with a quiet giddiness, not needing to talk. Their fingers intertwined, the couple's body language did all the communication that was necessary at the time. There was an unspoken agreement that this was IT, this was bigger than all the other events and successes and failures that they'd ever experienced, and somehow it made both of them feel as if they'd never loved the other more. In time, they were going to be parents. In time, they would figure out how to be responsible for another tiny little human. But for now, their fingers buzzing with an electricity they hadn't felt in years, there was love, heady, strong, terrifying. So much so that they went immediately to their bedroom after dinner, never bothering to even look at the dirty dishes, too busy intertwining the rest of their bodies together.
So much love.
[Chapter 1]
Title: Lights Will Guide You Home, Prologue
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe
Spoilers (if any): thru 2X16 and some mentions of things that are supposed to happen in 2x17/2x18/Season 3/Future!Klaine
Warnings (if any):
Word Count: 2182
Summary: 13 years from now, Blaine and Kurt have made a fabulous life for themselves, but there's something missing... This first chapter is some background, pretty fluffy, but angst will come eventually...
Lights Will Guide You Home
(title from "Fix You" by Coldplay)
Prologue
My life is fantastic. HOW is my life this fantastic? How the hell did I get this lucky?
Blaine's inner dialogue turned outward to a small smile as he walked, hands stuffed in his pockets and scarf wrapped around his neck and up over his chin, thinking about what awaited him at home.
Kurt.
Just the thought of his partner's name morphed that small smile into a gleaming grin, accompanied by a tingle down his spine. The cold winter wind didn't seem quite so harsh as he conjured a mental image of Kurt just getting home for the day from the studio, hanging his bag and coat up, kicking off his shoes, and plopping down on the couch. Maybe once Blaine got home they could repeat the performance of “Baby, It's Cold Outside” that they did so many years ago. That had the potential to warm them both up...
Blaine let his mind wander back through their years together, now numbering … gosh, had it been thirteen already?
He and Kurt had amazingly beaten the odds, their love and mutual respect for each other bringing them through high school and college and the sometimes-difficult period of their early twenties. After they graduated from McKinley, Kurt's childhood dream came true. The couple had moved to New York where Kurt had been accepted into the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology and Blaine had landed a spot in NYU's Creative Writing program. They flourished in the hustle and bustle of the city, both highly driven and motivated (so much so that some would have considered them workaholics). Both deeply committed to their respective art forms, they also continued to make music a priority. They had frequent date nights, and had a pretty decent social life for such busy individuals.
But while they were incredibly lucky to have been given such opportunities, and while New York was a far, far friendlier place than Lima, Ohio, things hadn't always been perfect. Living together had taken a few months to get used to at first - Kurt was surprised at how much of a boy Blaine could be sometimes, and while it typically didn't get under his skin, the adjustment period had included moments of tension. Then during their junior year of school, things came to a head and the bliss that was “Klaine” (as their friends had so affectionately dubbed them) nearly ended. Both Blaine and Kurt were in the hardest semesters of their lives, both were pulled in so hard in so many directions that it seemed impossible for something not to snap. They barely had time for themselves, let alone each other, and they fought more during that time than they ever had. Not helping the situation was Blaine's family. The Hummels, as always, loved Kurt for who he was, and by default loved Blaine because Kurt did. Burt, Carole, and even Finn had kept in close contact during the whole of their relationship. But the Anderson family just couldn't accept that Blaine was “different” - his father had even called him a “deviant” in one memorable fight where they'd nearly come to physical blows. His parents didn't entirely disown him as theirs, but they never acknowledged the reality of Blaine's and Kurt's relationship and certainly didn't make an effort to keep in touch. Because of this, Blaine felt that Kurt had a tether, a support system that he had never had and would never hope to. Kurt could call his dad or sometimes Carole when they fought, but Blaine was alone. But the men, driven as they were, were determined to make their relationship work, and with a lot of patience and a lot of talking and a nice long, steamy vacation cruise during Christmas break, there were promises and commitments made and kept, and it was bliss again.
And here we are now.
Blaine shook his head, still barely believing his good fortune. They had made it. Just on the cusp of 30, and they were there. Back several years ago they were afraid it wasn't going to pan out, but he was a writer now - a published writer - and his second book was coming out the following spring. Kurt, fairly successful from the start, was now a designer for Marc Jacobs (how he landed that job, Blaine didn't even know, something about connections and boyish charm and cookies), but he wanted to start his own line in the next several years or so. The couple had bought a condo in Manhattan a few years back, decorated impeccably by Kurt (and redecorated, and redecorated, and redecorated, Blaine thought to himself with a smile...) They'd even gotten a puppy the year before that in celebration of their “settled” status - a sweet, fluffy Maltese they'd named Romeo because of his constant attempts to woo all their female friends. And speaking of settled...
Mmmm, home.
Blaine rounded the last corner of his walk from Starbucks, his current writing locale of choice, and looked at his building stretching up toward the skyline. A welcome whoosh of warm air greeted him as he entered, and he pulled the scarf down and tucked it back under his chin. He made his way to the elevator, hit the button for floor 8, and sighed as he tried to rub some warmth back into his hands.
“Kurt? Are you home yet? I'm back,” he called, entering the condo.
As he set his laptop bag down on the table, three things hit him at once: 1) their condo was much tidier than when he'd left that morning, 2) something positively sinful had to be happening in the kitchen to produce smells like that, and 3) Kurt was home, in the kitchen, and he was singing to himself. Blaine picked up Romeo, gave him a cuddle, and headed in Kurt's direction.
“Kurt?” he repeated, walking into the kitchen. “You got home early.”
“Oh, Blaine! You're early! I wasn't expecting you for another half hour at least! Oh, this was supposed to be a surprise...” Kurt was flitting around the kitchen like Pavoratti, the Warblers' late canary, used to do in his cage. He had an apron tied over himself to protect his ever-fashionable outfit, and his normally perfect hair was just the slightest bit mussed. Blaine smiled to himself.
“Hey you. I am surprised. It looks great in here, and whatever you're making over there smells divine - what are you making, actually?” He walked over to the stove, where several pots sat simmering. Kurt turned and faced Blaine, tilting his chin ever-so-slightly down so he could look straight into his partner's eyes.
“Oh, it's nothing really.” Kurt's face was casual, his tone nonchalant, but his eyes glimmered and from that fact alone Blaine knew that he'd spent hours in the kitchen that day.
“Seriously Kurt, you know that's not true. What is it?”
Kurt sighed. “Well, I wanted it all to be ready and on the table when you got home, but I'm making Cornish game hens with sweet potato risotto and cranberry sauce.”
Blaine let out a low whistle. “See, this is why I love you.” He pulled Kurt into his arms, fingers snaking through his now-slightly-more-mussed hair, and slowly kissed him. “I missed you today.”
Kurt smiled. “And I missed you. Now get out of this kitchen so I can really impress you.”
* * * * * * * *
Twenty minutes later, Blaine and Kurt were sitting at the table, soft music in the background, making semi-obscene noises as they tasted the first bites of Kurt's carefully prepared meal.
“Mmmm, Kurt, this is … Jesus, there aren't words to say how good this tastes!”
Kurt smiled a smug little smile. “I'm glad you like it, my love.” Blaine returned the smile, and they sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the food. Then he spoke again.
“So, did I miss our anniversary or something? Did you hear something from my publicist that I haven't? Is there a specific reason for this amazing meal of yours … and the expensive wine?”
Kurt cleared his throat. Suddenly, Blaine realized, he looked … nervous. And that was odd. Because of all the things that they could be around each other by this point - well, nervous was not usually one of them.
“No.” His voice was almost shaky. He cleared his throat again. “No Blaine, you didn't miss anything important. I actually … I want to talk to you about something. Important.”
Blaine hesitated for just a second. Was this bad news? What was he about to hear? “Kurt, you know you can talk to me about anything. With or without fancy food. Although I do appreciate your handiwork...” He ended with what he hoped was an encouraging smile.
Okay. Kurt was psyching himself up. Okay, Hummel, just come out and say it. What's the worst that can happen? He can just say no. He loves you. It's okay. Okay.
“I've been thinking lately,” he started. “Our life is pretty settled at this point, I feel like. We're pretty stable. We both have good jobs, jobs we like.” Blaine nodded, agreeing with him. “And I love you. So, so much. You know that, right? That I love you more than life itself?” The tone in Kurt's voice was close to pleading.
“Of course. Of course I know that.” Blaine's voice was soft, gentle, reassuring. Exactly what Kurt needed. “I love you too. To the moon and back.”
Kurt smiled. Courage. “Okay. I'm just going to come out and say it, because I'll never get it out if I don't do it that way. I love you. So much. But I feel like something's missing. I feel like there could be more for us. Blaine...” He paused, sucked in a breath of air. “Blaine … I think I want to have a baby with you. I mean, I think I want to raise a kid. With you. Like, have a family.”
Blaine let loose a sigh of relief that he didn't quite realize he'd been holding.
“Oh my gosh, Kurt, you scared me for a minute - I was thinking you were going to tell me you had cancer or had lost your job or had found some Latin lover that you wanted to run off to Cancun with...”
This somehow didn't make Kurt feel better. “So... so, what are you thinking right now?” he asked.
Blaine paused. A baby. Wow. That was big. But … not so big. They'd been together for so long. And Kurt was right - they could be more. Romeo was great, but a puppy wasn't quite the same as a child. They were stable - if he was being honest, they were very well-off. Much more than the average person. It … made sense.
“Um, well, I don't want to rush into anything... I mean, I haven't been actively thinking about it like you have, Kurt...”
Kurt's eyes fell. “Oh. Oh, right. Okay.”
“Wait, wait, no, I'm not saying no, Kurt.” Blaine hurriedly backtracked - this was coming out wrong. “I'm just saying … I think we need to talk more about this. I think we need to really think it through, because it's such a huge decision. But … but now that I'm thinking about it, yeah, I can see it. A baby. Our baby.” He broke into a smile with the last sentence.
Kurt beamed back at him. “Our baby.”
“Okay,” Blaine breathed.
“Okay,” Kurt intoned back. They finished their dinner with a quiet giddiness, not needing to talk. Their fingers intertwined, the couple's body language did all the communication that was necessary at the time. There was an unspoken agreement that this was IT, this was bigger than all the other events and successes and failures that they'd ever experienced, and somehow it made both of them feel as if they'd never loved the other more. In time, they were going to be parents. In time, they would figure out how to be responsible for another tiny little human. But for now, their fingers buzzing with an electricity they hadn't felt in years, there was love, heady, strong, terrifying. So much so that they went immediately to their bedroom after dinner, never bothering to even look at the dirty dishes, too busy intertwining the rest of their bodies together.
So much love.
[Chapter 1]