Media: Fanfic

Title: Skin and Bones

Rating: PG-13 (may go up in later chapters

Spoilers: Nothing really, just Blaine

Warnings: Sap, Fluff, future!verse, some OCs

Word Count: 4,162

Summary: They grew up and grew apart, their relationship too young to really grow with them. Now, so many years later, they find themselves face to face again older and more mature and ready to give it another go. Or maybe not.

Disclaimer: Don't own Glee. Also, I have no affiliation with Yale or the Spizzwinks(?)s. I just did some research on them and decided they were basically awesome. Look them up. They're totally awesome. (Seriously, look up their version of "Grace Kelly" by Mika. It's awesome.)

Chapter One

Everyone knew that it wasn't going to last. Sure, they had been adorable together while it lasted, but they had had two different dreams. Blaine was a year older and had been accepted into Yale. Everyone had expected him to go to Ohio State but with Yale wanting him? There was no competition. Kurt was transferring back to McKinley for his senior year and had plans for stardom.

They'd made the promise to one another to wait and stay true. At Blaine's graduation Kurt kissed him soundly and even cried a little. They had the summer and that was wonderful, but then it was time for Blaine to leave.

"We live in the technological age." Blaine assured a quivering Kurt. "Long-distance relationships are so much easier to maintain now. We'll Skype and text and call. I'll be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas." He pulled Kurt's chin up to look into his earnest eyes, "I love you Kurt. I promise I always will."

Kurt refused to say anything, already feeling pathetic for allowing himself to be so over-emotional about a man he'd known barely a year. But this man, boy really, had very quickly become a large part of his heart. He'd given Kurt courage to carry on and while they'd only really shared a relationship for a matter of months it had been wonderful. He'd given his heart and his virginity to the boy and Kurt would never, ever regret that.

That night, as cliché as it seemed, they made love. It was slow and painful and beautiful. It was meant to seal the promise between them that they would never let go.

Less than 48 hours later Kurt was Skyping with Blaine who was getting settled in his dorm room. His roommate, Nicholas, was a cheerful guy with brilliant red hair and a cheesy grin who seemed to be completely at ease with the fact that his roommate was gay. "I'll just let you guys get reacquainted. I saw this cute girl down the hall that I think might need someone to help her get situated." He said, waving a little to Kurt before leaving.

"I miss you already." Blaine said sadly, running a hand through his un-styled hair.

"I really miss you." Kurt murmured back softly, wishing he could reach out to touch Blaine's hair and face.

They spoke for an hour before Nicholas came back, "She's a cross-dresser. I'm apparently not her type. But her roommate is really sweet."

"Sorry man." Blaine said cheerfully.

"S'cool. You guys keep chatting. I'm not here." And with that he moved out of the screen. Blaine rolled his eyes a little and chuckled. The silence stretched between them and finally Kurt broke it.

"I should get ready for sleep. I have a long day tomorrow."

Blaine's smile dimmed a little, "Alright. I love you. Sleep well. Dream of me."

"No I won't." Kurt said quickly, causing Blaine's eyebrow to rise a little in surprise, "Because if I dream of you, it'll make me miss you more than I already do."

Blaine clasped his hands together as if in prayer, "I love you." He pressed his fingers to his lips and then to the screen and Kurt mimicked the movement. The logged off right after that and Kurt realized quickly that hadn't told Blaine that he'd loved him back.

Blaine hadn't planned on singing at Yale, at least not during his freshman year, but he hadn't been able to keep his voice secret for long either. His plans were foiled a little when one of the Yale a cappella singers heard him playing around on a piano in a practice room that morning after breakfast.

He was on the computer with Kurt the Saturday before classes started when Nicholas opened the door. The computer was at a perfect angle where Kurt could see the entire scene unfold. When Nicholas flung the door open he was flanked by two men. "They shanghaied me and demanded I bring them to you."

Blaine cast a curious glance back at his boyfriend and then to the two boys who now stood shoulder to shoulder in the room. The taller of the two cleared his throat and lifted his hand as if about to conduct. A moment later his hand moved and they began singing. Their voices harmonized well in a jazz swing tune,

"We'd rarely ever go out of our way,
to plead to a newbie like you.
But friday is the day,
When rush begins and the council must choose.

We represent the
Spizzwinks (don't forget the question mark),
We wish to invite you.
To Rush."

They finished with a trilling note and grinned at Blaine who looked as stunned as Nicholas and Kurt.

"Well, that was entertaining." Kurt said finally breaking the silence.

"I agree with Kurt… but I'm still confused."

The shorter, pudgier guy grinned and said, "We're an a cappella group and one of the guys heard you singing earlier and wanted us to petition to you. Normally we don't recruit, and this still isn't a recruitment, but we're asking you to come Rush."

Before Blaine could ask the obvious question the taller one added, "A cappella rush isn't like frat rushes. It's more like auditions. Students come to different places around the campus to audition for different groups and you're asked to sing a solo and then there's this whole ceremony deal. But that doesn't really matter much right now. We just came to petition to you to come and audition for the Spizzwinks(?) before anyone else could come get you."

"I saw Lucy from Shades poking around earlier." He gave Blaine a sheet of paper with the groups' general information on it and a CD with a few samples of their songs. "I really hope we'll see you at auditions." The shorter one saluted to Kurt and they hurried out of the room.

Blaine glanced at the paper and then set it to the side. "Aren't you even going to look it over man?" Nicholas said from his post in the doorway.

Blaine shook his head, "I don't think I'll have time to actually do any of this. I mean this is going to be a tough and crucial year, I can't-"

Kurt cut him off. "Blaine. I don't want your voice to go to waste. I think you should at least check out a couple of these groups. Those boys even went out of their way to petition to you, the least you could do is humor them."

Blaine grinned at his boyfriend a little and nodded, "Maybe I will."

Days began to move quickly after that. Blaine tried out for the Spizzwinks(?)s, not planning on getting in. He started to attend different groups' performances and actually seemed very excited. One night when they were chatting one of the guys who had petitioned to Blaine earlier came to the room to tell him he'd gotten a callback. "You shouldn't worry though. You're awesome and Josh said we'd be mad to let you get past us. See you soon man."

Kurt couldn't have been happier for his boyfriend. "You're going to have to text me when you get the details."

Kurt, while not as busy as Blaine had suddenly become, was still constantly on his toes. He dove headfirst back into the Glee club so they could put a kick-ass set list together to win at least Regionals. With all that he'd learned from the Warblers about harmonizing and blending they came back stronger than ever and were able to power through Sectionals without a hitch.

Mercedes was overjoyed at having her best friend back that she tried to monopolize his time as much as possible. If they weren't at Glee then they were shopping or hanging out and often times she found herself getting jealous when Kurt would practically flip when Blaine would text him. "I miss him so much!" He would mope.

"You seriously need to tone it down a bit." She snapped at him one night about two months into their separation.

Kurt rolled his eyes at her petulantly, "Well, he is my first real boyfriend and we've been separated for too long. I now understand why all the worlds' worst love songs are about being away from the one you love."

Mercedes could have gagged, but she didn't. "Are you sure he's feeling the separation as much as you are? I mean, he hasn't been texting you as much lately."

Kurt frowned at her but tried to hide his insecurities. "Well, he's incredibly busy. Splitting his time between schoolwork and all the gigs that the Spizzwinks(?) perform is really tough. He told me last night that if he keeps working in a cappella he might be voted into the Wiffenpoofs."

"Please tell me you're joking." Mercedes said in disgust but Kurt held up his hand to stop her.

"I do realize the ridiculousness of the name but they are world renowned and the highest ranking a cappella group on the campus. He's really excited." In all honesty Kurt was a little worried about their relationship. It had been waning a little lately. The Spizzwinks(?) practiced all the time and performed a lot on weekends. They traveled a ton and Kurt barely got to Skype with Blaine anymore.

It was honestly beginning to piss Kurt off.

Here he was, the only out gay kid at McKinley and he didn't even have a boyfriend to boost the title. Problems with Karofsky had disappeared almost overnight. Karofsky seemed to no longer have the will to fight against his sexuality. Now it seemed he lived only for football and hiding who he was. Sure he was still able to throw out a ''Sup homo' but he no longer held the intensity he had before.

This didn't mean that Kurt was bully free, oh no. There was still the rest of the football team to fend off, but it just wasn't the same without Karofsky holding the hostility together.

The work that Blaine faced at Yale was terrifying at best. He was drowning before November started and often times his conversations with Kurt happened while he was studying, stressing about studying, or working on music for the group. Kurt did all that was in his power to be understanding. "It'll get easier as the year goes on. Don't worry." He said, trying to calm his lover. Their conversations moved to only once every other week, on Saturdays when Blaine was able to put aside his work for a few hours to talk to Kurt.

Their conversations were usually filled with anecdotal stories about classes or the people they knew. Kurt was always talking about Glee club and Blaine had created a group of friends made up of the cross-dressing girl, Jay, down the hallway and her roommate, a sweet girl named Carrie. Nicholas had grown very close to Blaine and there was apparently a sophomore boy who had taken a liking to Blaine and often kept close to him. Plus there were the other guys in the group, two of which had taken to flirting with Blaine constantly.

Their relationship seemed rather stagnant until Christmas when Blaine was able to come home. He hadn't been able to come home as early as he'd hoped on account of the fact that the Spizzwinks(?) were doing a Christmas show so he came home two days before Christmas but Kurt wasn't able to see him until the day after.

When Blaine showed up on his doorstep on the 26th it was like fireworks flew around them. They were inseparable until New Year's Eve when Blaine had to head home to see his family. But that space of time between those two days was perfect. Blaine stayed with the Hud-mels because Burt was sure Blaine was too much of a gentleman to do anything while he was in the house. He held Blaine in the highest respect and Blaine tried to reciprocate but Kurt was often the instigator and led them to do naughty things in the night that would have made his father take the shotgun to Blaine if he knew.

Kurt saw Blaine off on the plane to Connecticut on the 3rd of January. That was the last time he saw Blaine in person. Blaine's schedule grew to be very packed, very quickly as he started to get solos with the group and they began to tour outside of the East coast.

Kurt and New Directions were working harder and harder to make their set list amazing for Regionals. He was proud of the group and how they had all pulled together to create something really mind-blowing for the performance.

Regionals, as it turned out, was the final straw for Kurt and Blaine.

Blaine had promised Kurt he would be at Regionals, cheering Kurt on no matter what. When the date came up for Regionals and Kurt told Blaine over Skype one night before Valentines' day Blaine looked worried. "I don't know if I'll be able to make it."

"What?" Kurt couldn't believe what Blaine was saying. "What do you mean you won't be able to make it?"

In Blaine's defense he did look truly repentant. "The group has a gig the day before that's shaping up to be really important and then I have a couple of tests that week that I can't afford to miss. This isn't like high school where I can just ask to make up the test at a later date. I'm really sorry Kurt."

Blaine's apology didn't help. Instead it hurt Kurt even more. He felt overly emotional about this, but that was Kurt. He was a whirlwind of emotions. "No, don't worry about it. I'll just do Regionals again sometime. Oh wait, I can't."

"Kurt-" Blaine started, but was cut off as Nicholas opened the door to their room.

"Man, aren't you done yet? The party at Mece's is in full swing and we're getting ready to go." Blaine turned to his roommate and told him to give them a minute.

As Nicholas shut the door Kurt felt rage and hurt build up inside of him. "Kurt-" Blaine started again, but this time Kurt cut him off.

"No Blaine. It's fine. You go and party and do your Spizzwink stuff. I see where I stand now. Good night." He turned off his computer and sat on his bed and cried for the rest of the night. He ignored Blaine's calls and texts and emails for the next three nights. A present from Blaine arrived on his doorstep Valentine's Day morning and Kurt refused to open it. He couldn't, he felt betrayed.

He felt drained when it came to Glee club stuff, in all honesty he didn't have the energy to do anything. The rest of the club felt it and did their best to cheer him up, telling him Blaine was a jerk and Kurt should forget him… but it wasn't that easy. Kurt still loved Blaine… but he now realized that long-distance was not going to work between the two of them.

A week after Valentines' Day Kurt called Blaine when he knew the boy would be in class and left a message with a time that he wanted Blaine to get on Skype.

Sure enough Blaine was there looking tired and worried. Before Kurt could say anything Blaine launched into a repentant speech that included how sorry he was and how he would quit the Spizzwinks(?) if that would make Kurt happy.

"No, it wouldn't make me happy. I'd actually feel like shit if you did that." Kurt said venomously and immediately regretted it because of the look on Blaine's face. Quickly he got back on track with what he'd wanted to say, "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I came to the conclusion that we need to break up. We're too young and inexperienced to be holding such an important relationship long-distance. You have Yale and I have McKinley and it's too hard to carry that along with our relationship."

He glanced at Blaine's face and immediately ice shot through his heart. On Blaine's face was the mask he recognized from Dalton. That mask was something Blaine used to get through his time being bullied and his time during Dalton. It was designed to keep everyone out and it killed Kurt to see it being used on him.

"Although I don't agree at all I will accept your proposal. I'm always going to love you Kurt, even if you don't. I'm guessing this is the end though, correct?"

Kurt felt a lump in his throat and nodded and as Blaine was reaching to turn off his computer Kurt whispered a haggard "I'll always love you too Blaine." He was sure that Blaine heard those last words because he knew he'd heard a choked sob coming from Blaine as the screen went blank.

Kurt refused to fall apart after that. He focused all his energy on Glee and getting them through Regionals. Every so often he'd pull out his phone to text Blaine but realized he couldn't. It would be like he was toying with the boy. He would often take out the present that Blaine had given him on that fateful Valentines' day and wonder what was hidden behind the wrapping. It was small and light and Kurt often wondered if it was a ring. But he couldn't open it. He wouldn't open it.

When New Directions went to Regionals and placed first he received a text from Blaine.

Congratulations. I always knew you could get there. Good luck at Nationals. I'm rooting for you. Always. –Blaine

That text killed Kurt. It was devoid of the usual flair from Blaine and set his mind reeling about how the boy was doing. Blaine rarely updated his Facebook but he was often tagged in pictures of gigs and videos. Sometimes Kurt would spend hours trying to not look at the pictures. He knew that if he took one look that wall he'd built around himself would crumble and he'd break down and call Blaine begging him to take him back.

Nationals came at the end of the year, just before prom. Nationals took a lot out of the group and while they didn't place they still kicked butt and left a resounding impression on the judges. It made Kurt so proud to see the group so strong and fierce. Kurt received another text from Blaine after Nationals stating close to the same as his text after Regionals and Kurt texted him another thank you and this time he added. 'I wish I could have shared it with you.' Blaine never texted back after that.

Prom time hurt Kurt because he'd hoped to have been able to attend his senior Prom with Blaine seeing as McKinley no longer had rules against same sex couples attending it together. He received the shock of his life when Sam asked him. "And here I was thinking you weren't gay." He joked to Sam after he'd agreed to go with the faux-blond.

Sam laughed a little, "I'm still a little on the outs about my sexuality but I saw how much you were hurting and thought you might like a little sunshine in your day."

Kurt laughed and hugged Sam for all he was worth.

Prom turned out to be amazing, especially seeing as Kurt was named Prom King with Sam by his side. He never understood how it happened but he was pretty sure that Coach Sylvester had something to do with it, not that he was complaining. After the party that New Directions threw when the prom was done Sam took Kurt home.

Kurt knew his father would be waiting up for him, but he didn't mind. He turned to Sam at the door and smiled sweetly. "Thank you for tonight. I haven't been this happy in a long time." That was when Sam kissed him.

Honestly, Sam was a good kisser but he lacked that spark that Kurt had gotten so often from Blaine. When Sam pulled away he gave Kurt a hopeful look and asked, "So, do you think there could be something between us?"

Kurt only shook his head. "I don't think so. I really don't think I'm ready for anything like that as of yet. I'm sorry if I led you to that."

Sam quickly shook his head, "No, I just hoped that maybe. But I really understand. I had a great night Kurt."

Kurt smiled at his date and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you for going above and beyond the call to make me feel better. I really do appreciate it."

Kurt stood on his doorstep and waved as Sam drove off, clutching his flowers to his chest and trying to make them fill the Blaine sized hole in his chest.

Graduation came swiftly after that and before Kurt knew it, he was a McKinley grad. He partied with his family and friends all day and that night as he lay in bed he received one final text from Blaine.

"Congratulations, feels good to be out of high school, doesn't it? I hope that someday soon you make it onto Broadway and prove to the world all the talent that I know you have. Always courage. – Blaine."

That night Kurt decided would be the last time he cried over Blaine, which as it turned out was the truth for the next few years.

Kurt focused on his career. He went to college and got the best education he could in musical theatre and fashion design and moved to New York. There were days he wondered where Blaine was now, but he would swiftly push those thoughts aside and focus on what he was doing.

He had a horribly rough start into theatre and for years he struggled to get a job until finally he got a job in a revival of "A Chorus Line" and his talent soared from there. By the time he was twenty eight he'd scored a role in a new and incredibly popular musical and made a name for himself. He'd gone to Paris Fashion Week so many times it had become passé to him and he'd even started his own fashion line.

The world was his oyster and he was the king and he forgot all his problems with homophobes ruining his life. He had men throwing themselves at his feet and while he dated many of them, they could never fit with him perfectly. He never told any of them he loved them and found the kisses and the sex to be lacking.

Finally, during the summer when he was just about to turn thirty his past came back to bite him in the ass. Hard.

Kurt was waiting in the lobby for the elevator to come down from the 64th floor and that day it seemed to be taking a horribly long time. The doors to the front opened and someone entered, though Kurt didn't take notice of him until, "I'm here to pick up the mail for room 785."

Kurt froze, he knew that voice. It had haunted him for years… but he only knew the younger version of the voice. This one was deeper and more sophisticated but even from those few words Kurt knew that it still held that tender and joking quality.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Anderson. You received quite a number of letters today." The concierge told the man, reaching behind the desk for some mail. "Fan letters, yes?"

The man chuckled lightly, "I wouldn't say that. Probably angry letters from my editor. I'm behind on my work and when that happens she tends to want to tear her hair out. But considering she's there and I'm here the best she can do is send me angry letters."

Kurt turned to look at the man at the counter. He wore a pair of simple tan dress slacks, a white shirt and tan vest with a smart tie. He was lean and taller than the last time Kurt had seen him. He'd grown his hair out to curl around his head sexily and he now wore glasses on his nose.

Oh grilled cheesus.

Blaine.