Kurt rubbed his eyes blearily as he stared at his computer screen, reminding himself over and over again that he was doing this as a favor to Isabella. Not that he really had a choice, but it was still technically a favor. She couldn't find anyone else to write a piece on such a horrendous new fashion statement that could be moderate, so she had delegated the task to Kurt, and after calling on several favors he was owed and being turned down by laughing interns, he decided just to write the damn article himself.

Thinking this was not helping his cause.

Having been upgraded from lowly, coffee-fetching intern to one of Isabella's assortment of assistants had definitely come with a pay upgrade that he needed, but it had also come with a lot of new responsibilities, some of them much more unpleasant than getting coffee.

He looked over at the clock. 4:53. Seven minutes until he could leave Vogue headquarters, ride the subway into Brooklyn, climb the stairs to his studio apartment (stupid broken elevator from The Big Bang Theory, and stupid lazy super), and relax into a bubble bath in a moderately stable, claw-footed tub, ready to tackle the article again tomorrow. It wasn't due until the end of the week, but at the pace he had currently been suffering through, it might take him until the end of the month to finish.

By the time 5:00 rolled around, and Kameron (with a K, as she always reminded everyone) rang the big gong they had put in their wing as a joke, signaling the day had ended and everyone could go home if they didn't have any due dates coming up, Kurt was literally pulling some strands of his hair out of his head. Not out of frustration (though he was feeling plenty of that), but because he needed something to do.

Kurt shut his company laptop as the sound of the gong reverberated around the wing. He wouldn't see Isabella until the end of the week (she was in Paris, covering some big event), so the article was really his only assignment. He had completely his normal work on Monday (it never took him very long. Hopefully, she would give him more pleasant responsibilities soon, or he would become way too good at solitaire), and he didn't want to think about the article more, even if he should. He had never wanted to become one of those people that worked twelve hours, went home, ate, and then thought about or did more work. Sadly, that was exactly what he had become.

Yes, he loved fashion. He loved picking out clothes and even designing his own, keeping up with the latest trends and reading the most scathing reviews. Sadly, that wasn't what he did. He wrote fluff pieces on trends that were so beyond the realm of normal that even he wouldn't wear them (and his sense of style had become even more couture since high school). He liked his job, but it was the most boring portion of the fashion world he could imagine, besides sewing someone else's designs, and even that might be more interesting.

Since the weather seemed to have a sense of drama in New York City (in Lima, it focused more on irony), it was pouring rain when he got out of work. His umbrella, much like the umbrellas of most New Yorkers, was black, and it cast a dark shadow around him as he put it up under the glass ceiling that extended from the building before stepping out into the pouring rain. It was always tempting to turn right and get on the subway at the Times Square station, but he would have to switch trains twice if he did that. It was more realistic to walk the block or so that would take him to the train he would eventually end up on. Didn't make walking the extra few blocks any easier. Kurt hesitated. Going left, he would have to him walk two blocks to get on the M, which was the quickest way home. Going right, he would have to walk less than a block to get on the 7, which would route him to the N, which would then route him to the M.

He sighed, and turned right. Switching trains wasn't that bad in other areas of the city, and he hoped it wouldn't be here. He had never been so lazy or so frustrated that he was willing to get on the 7 instead of walking the extra two blocks to the M. But it was raining, and he'd had a long, lousy day, and it wasn't like he was in a hurry to get home.

As he stuck close to the buildings to avoid getting sprayed by cabbies, he rolled his eyes to think that he had once been excited to get on the subway every day. Back when he and Rachel were sharing an apartment, surviving NYADA together, they had hopped on the subway every day, bright-eyed and excited by the prospect of going to school, drinking coffee and staring at the other bleary-eyed passengers and thinking that New York was the most amazing city in the world and they were excited to head into Manhattan every day.

Now Kurt was relieved to be getting out of Manhattan. With the money he made in a higher position, he could have easily got an apartment in the city, live closer to his job and not have to come in by subway unless he wanted to. But he still lived out near Bushwick, while Rachel had moved into the city. He didn't see Rachel nearly as much as he had in college, even after she had moved in with some boyfriend or other. None of her relationships had lasted very long, but she kept trying. Kurt wasn't even sure who she was dating at that point.

The subway was also a great place to muse, Kurt decided as he descended the stairs into the busy Times Square station, being jockeyed this way and that by people in a greater hurry than he was. His train was set to come in any minute, so he waited patiently on the platform, trying his hand at people-watching. Mothers with crying babies, businessmen arguing on the phone in various languages, street performers trying to get cash out of people in one last song before they headed home for the day. Nothing out of the ordinary for New York City. So, he looked across the platform... and froze.

Blaine Anderson. He hadn't seen his ex-boyfriend since Blaine had asked Kurt to marry him after Regionals in 2013, and he had decided to get away from Lima for a long time. He occasionally visited Dad and Carole in Washington, D.C. (they had moved there permanently after Finn), but he didn't keep any other ties to his old life.

He always thought seeing someone across a crowded subway platform in New York City was a total cliché (slightly romantic, but extremely lame), and he had personally hoped it never happened to him. Turned out, fate had a sense of humor, because there was Blaine, standing across the subway platform, and the longer he looked, the more likely it was that Blaine would look over, but he couldn't seem to stop staring.

Blaine looked good. He was wearing less gel in his hair, and he still smiled at everyone like he wanted the world to be his friend. He was dressed in a business suit, which made Kurt wonder what he was up to, and he appeared to be alone, checking his watch every few seconds. He hadn't grown an inch, something Kurt was sure he was pretty upset about.

Suddenly, Blaine's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as they made eye contact across the platform. Kurt had changed a bit in the last four years since Blaine had last seen him. He was about an inch taller, had a new hairstyle (a few shades darker, too, because he could), and he had hidden his outlandish outfit under a long black coat, which only showed his green cut-denim jeans. Still, he was sure by Blaine's expression that he was perfectly recognizable.

Within moments, Blaine's shocked expression turned into a wide grin, and he waved across the platform just as the train came barreling in. As always, it came so fast, it seemed like it couldn't possibly stop, but at the last second it screeched to a halt.

Some section of Kurt's self-preservation (something New York had forced him to acquire) was hoping that Blaine was waiting for another train, but realistically he knew there was no other train someone would already be on the platform for, and sure enough, when the doors opened, Kurt could see Blaine again through them. He mentally steeled himself for the bitch-out of a lifetime when he stepped onto the train at almost the same time Blaine did, but he was pleasantly surprised when Blaine crossed the width of the train almost immediately to grab him in a hug.

"Kurt Hummel!" Blaine explained with a bright smile. "I haven't seen you since..." he faltered then for a moment, but he smiled again and persevered. "Well, I'm sure you remember the last time we saw one another about as well as I do. It feels like it was a million years ago." Kurt took that statement for what it was. A white flag. An olive branch. A 'let bygones be bygones.' A 'water under the bridge.' And he would be stupid not to accept it.

"Too many years," Kurt acknowledged as the doors closed and he was almost slammed into a pole as the train started to move.

"Come on, let's grab seats." Blaine, obviously still very much the same person he had known, grabbed his hand and pulled him into the closest space he could find that would hold two people. It barely held two people, but it was workable, even if they were semi-lap-sitting.

It was when Blaine grabbed his hand that Kurt noticed. Blaine's hand was slightly wet, but that made sense. Everyone on the train was wet, it was pouring. It was the cold that made him look down where Blaine had yet to let go. "Oh, my God," was his only reaction, because there were really no other words for it.

"Oh yeah," Blaine said with a shy smile, taking his hand back and unconsciously rubbing at it. "I always forget it's there until someone notices. It's weird," he said with a self-conscious little laugh. "It's not like it's new, but it still feels a little... alien, you know?"

"No," Kurt said honestly, holding up his own empty left hand.

"Oh," Blaine said, and now he sounded a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I just assumed because-"

"Not everyone's as lucky as you, Blaine," Kurt said, but he wasn't jealous. He wasn't angry. He was just... surprised. "So, what's his name?"

"Jonathan," Blaine said with a dreamy smile, still rubbing at the ring. Kurt didn't ask, but Blaine started telling. "We met at Columbia, sophomore year. We started dating second semester, and he asked me after graduation à la Legally Blonde. We're getting married in two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Kurt asked, because that was... soon. Very soon.

"Yeah," Blaine said, still sounding blissfully happy. "We rented this huge reception hall at 404 NYC, in Midtown. It's actually going to be a pretty big reception. I was against it, but Jonathan said that getting married was kind of a big deal for him. Plus, he needed to invite all of his co-workers and their families."

"Why?" Kurt asked, even though he kind of really didn't want to know.

"Well, he's an executive at his company, but they're uncertain about his... image, shall we say. They think it's unsuitable for someone in his position to be unmarried. They say it makes him seem flighty and irresponsible. If they come to our wedding, they'll be much more certain that he's fit for the job."

"And they don't have any objections to the... type of wedding?" Kurt asked gently, and Blaine laughed.

"No, there's not as much of a stigma as you would think," he admitted. He was still rubbing that ring. "What stop?" he asked as the train stopped for the third time.

"Intersection with N and S. You?"

"Queensboro Plaza to the N, then onto the F train on Lex," Blaine answered quickly. "Didn't we already pass that intersection?"

The announcer called out "5th Ave station," and Kurt let out a few swearwords Blaine had probably never heard him say before (some of which he had only learned recently thanks to the city). Thankfully, that only made his ex laugh.

"New plan?" Blaine asked.

"I'll ride with you to Queensboro Plaza, then ride the N back to the 34th street station to get on the M home," Kurt answered, looking at the map above Blaine's head to figure out his plan.

"Really? The M?" Blaine asked in surprise. "After everything you went through to get out of Lima, I thought you would be living in Manhattan."

"I found that Brooklyn is a little closer to my pace," Kurt admitted without shame. Blaine didn't seem to have anything to say to that, and they sat in silence until the stop at Grand Central Station. "So," he said finally, just wanting to break the uncomfortable silence, "what's with the suit?"

"Meeting with my agent," Blaine said, his voice still warm and friendly. "He likes it when I look professional." Blaine rolled his eyes at that.

"Agent?" Kurt asked, because he now realized he didn't even know what Blaine had gone to college for, never mind what he had actually ended up doing. The last time he had talked to Blaine, he was going to apply to NYADA, but things never quite worked out as high school students planned.

"Music," Blaine explained. "I have a bunch of demos, and I do a bunch of small shows, but I have two things simultaneously happening right now that could really start up my career. A CD deal that's pending, and the possibility of opening for Florence + the Machine on their next tour. If I could get both of those things to go through..."

"You would be the next overnight sensation," Kurt filled in the blank. "That's actually pretty awesome for you." And he was genuinely happy for Blaine.

"Thanks," Blaine said with a smile, finally dropping his hand. At least he had stopped rubbing at that ring. "How have you been?" he asked, and Kurt knew he wasn't just being polite. It was Blaine's nature to honestly care.

"Good," Kurt fibbed with a smile. "I'm still at Vogue, but I've been promoted far beyond intern. I still live over in Brooklyn, but in a much nicer place." 'And I'm still single,' he wanted to add, but he didn't. It wasn't the right moment.

Blaine was living in Manhattan. Blaine was working in the music industry. Blaine was engaged. Everything had changed for Blaine in the four years they had been disconnected, but Kurt was pretty much the same person. A nicer place; a nicer job. That was about it.

"That's great," Blaine said brightly. He was staring at the ring. Still. Even though he had stopped absentmindedly rubbing it, he obviously hadn't stopped thinking about it. About Jonathan.

"So, tell me about your fiancé," Kurt said before his brain could really process how stupid saying that was.

"Well, he's a Columbia graduate, like me, but I told you that." Blaine seemed... nervous. Kurt couldn't blame him. "He's an insurance broker. He's from Florida, but all his family has settled on the West Coast and refused to move, with the exception of him." Blaine didn't seem sure what to say. Kurt couldn't blame him. "Um, he's a huge Broadway fan. Giant nerd, like me. Giant momma's boy," Blaine said with a chuckle. "He's... he's really sweet," Blaine said with a smile, but he wasn't looking at Kurt. He was looking at the floor. Like he didn't want to say that to Kurt's face.

"I-I'm happy for you." Blaine looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. Kurt couldn't blame him for being skeptical. His voice was shaking a bit. "Really," he said a little more securely. "He sounds like a great guy and... I'm glad you're happy," Kurt swallowed a bit of his pride to say that, but he was rewarded with a giant smile.

"Thanks, Kurt," Blaine said with a smile as the announcer called out that they were at 45th Road, Court House Square in Queens. Theirs was the next stop. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Kurt knew what Blaine was asking, but if he forced Blaine to articulate it, maybe he would get the hint that Kurt didn't want to talk about it.

"Is there anyone special in your life?" Blaine asked. No such luck.

"Ah, no," Kurt answered honestly, because fabricating a boyfriend was way too much effort. "Not since..." 'you asked me to marry you and I turned you down.' "Not for a while," Kurt censored himself.

"Oh." Now Blaine sounded uncomfortable. If only he had let it go. "I... I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Kurt said, and now he was looking at the ring. It was gorgeous, if a little bit too feminine for Blaine's calloused hands. A lot too feminine for Blaine. One huge diamond in the middle, the kind of diamond that Kurt didn't want to think about the price tag of, asscher cut, clear and perfect (close enough, to the naked eye), and so sparkly it was stationary and still blinding. Then, of course, there were smaller diamonds on either side, and the band was thick, too perfect to be white gold. Platinum, maybe.

It was the Mac Daddy of engagement rings. Kurt could understand why Blaine liked staring at it.

They were both staring down at the ring in silence for about two minutes. Then the conductor called out Queensboro Plaza, and they had to get off the train.

"So, Midtown?" Kurt asked, because he had already asked about the fiancé. Might as well ask about the wedding.

"We looked at places in the Theater District, but they weren't as spacious, and the 404 is beautiful," Blaine said as they hopped onto the platform. They had to run across to get to the N train before the doors closed, and there were no seats available, so they both grabbed onto the overhead bar. "Like I said, it's going to be a rather huge reception, but a small ceremony."

"Where?"

"Saint Patrick's," Blaine said, looking at the ground, and Kurt almost choked on his own tongue.

"Saint... you mean the most famous cathedral in New York, St. Patrick's Cathedral? On Madison?" Blaine shrugged.

"Yeah. It was important to Jonathan, for some reason, and it's a beautiful church."

"I'll say," Kurt breathed out, because yes, he had been inside the cathedral, for curiosity's sake, and it was stunning. "You mean," Kurt continued, pulling out his phone and doing a quick Google search for the interior of the cathedral, pulling up a particularly impressive flickr photo of the altar, "you will be getting married right there?" he asked, showing the phone to Blaine.

"Yes."

"In two weeks?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"Yeah," Blaine said, and this was the first time he had caught Blaine sounding unnerved.

"Are you nervous?" His mouth was just asking the best questions.

"I... I don't want to talk about this," Blaine said quickly. "Besides, this is my stop." Blaine was right. The announcer had just called out Lexington Avenue.

The doors opened, and Blaine released the overhead bar, headed out. A few seconds before stepping off the train, he stopped, and turned around. "Look, I know this is short notice, and maybe a little awkward, given our history, but... will you come to my wedding? Both parts: the ceremony and the reception. I just... it wouldn't feel right without you there."

"Yes," Kurt answered immediately. He didn't really have an option.

Especially because the bright smile Blaine gave him right after he answered, as he hopped off the train and the doors closed right behind him, made something cramp deep in his chest.

He was so screwed.

Kurt rode N to the 34th Street Station, and then the M all the way home. As tempting as it was, he resisted the urge to get on the F with Blaine and hope it would connect with the M. He hadn't seen the man for 4 years, he could handle 24 hours.

But he was definitely taking the 7 home from now on.

By the time he actually reached his apartment, he was barely awake enough to climb the four sets of stairs up to his tiny apartment. He had told Blaine that he had a better apartment than the loft, and he did. He could afford one much bigger than the one he was living in, but he liked the minimalism. Plus, he didn't have to share it with anyone.

Besides, it was big for a studio, and even though it was technically one room with a bathroom, the walls created subdivisions between the kitchen and living area and the bedroom nook. Plus, the bathroom was very spacious, and he loved his claw-footed tub. Not that he had the energy to draw a bath at the moment, but he did almost every other day.

After putting in his daily call to the super in an effort to get the elevator fixed, Kurt collapsed onto his queen bed (the apartment really was a nice size), too lazy even for take-out. That would require fetching it. There was so little delivery around.

It had been... surreal, seeing Blaine. The tenor was the one chapter of his history that had never really felt closed, and Kurt had a feeling opening that door again would drag his entire history back into his life in two weeks. He also had the feeling that it was worth it. Blaine was the nicest person he had ever met, and he was worth it. Whatever 'it' could be.

For the first time in a long time, Kurt whistled as he left for work the next morning.

Kurt finished his evil article at work the next day with a smile and a plan. He would ride the 7 train out of work again today, but not all the way to Queensboro Plaza. That had been too long a ride, even for the opportunity to see Blaine. He would ride with Blaine to Grand Central, then transfer to the 4, which would take him downtown, so he could get on the M at Bleecker Street. Theoretically, it wouldn't add much time to his commute, but it would give him a chance to talk to Blaine.

He didn't see Blaine on the platform that afternoon, but when he got on the 7, Blaine was sitting there, glaring at people who were glaring at the backpack saving Kurt a seat. Blaine was wearing street clothes this time, jeans and a T-shirt for an insurance firm, probably the one that his fiancé worked for.

"Where from this time?" Kurt asked as he moved the backpack and sat down.

"73 Cooper Street," Blaine said with a smile. "I got on the A at the Inwood Station." It took Kurt a moment to remember where that was.

"Isn't that the uppermost point of Manhattan?"

"Pretty much."

"What the hell were you doing up there?"

"Bell's Voice Coaching," Blaine said casually. "Susan Bell is a friend of my mother, and she wanted to talk to me about a potential endorsement. Let's just say the meeting didn't go well and move on."

"Wait, couldn't you have just stayed on the A, gotten onto the B, then taken the F straight to Lexington?" Kurt asked, because it was weird Blaine didn't know that. He had gone to school in Morningside Heights. He should know those subways.

"I wanted to see you," Blaine said casually, as if it didn't mean anything. "Besides, I kind of dumped a major decision on you yesterday," he added. "I know it's weird to have my ex at my wedding, but I don't think Jonathan will mind, and I don't think about you the way most people think about their exes." What the hell did that mean? Blaine didn't seem inclined to share.

"Blaine, I would love to be at your wedding," Kurt said, even though it felt a little like a lie. "I want to see you get your happy ending."

"Great," Blaine said with that same smile. "So, I'm guessing we had the same idea about meeting on the train today?" Blaine asked, and it was obviously awkward for both of them.

"I may or may not have found a new way home which involves a short trip on the 7, but doesn't add to my commute," much.

"Very nice," Blaine said with a smile. "What's your stop?"

"Grand Central." Blaine cracked up laughing.

"Oh, have fun. There's no way you'll make a connector train at Grand Central. It is madness over there, always. I hate getting off at that station." Kurt put his head in his hands and groaned. So much for not adding to his commute. "Sorry," Blaine said, and it sounded like he actually meant it.

"Not your fault," Kurt said with a sigh. "Besides, my trip is always going to take a significant portion of my time after work."

"I meant to ask you about that," Blaine said as he stretched out a little when the person beside him got off. "Why Brooklyn? I know how much you love Manhattan."

"Manhattan's more expensive."

"You said you make enough money."

"Manhattan is louder."

"I've heard your step-brother snore. I don't think loud really disrupts your sleep."

"Manhattan's dirty."

"So's Brooklyn," Blaine countered with a roll of his eyes. "Come on, Kurt, I know you. Why are you living in Brooklyn when you worked so hard to get to Manhattan?"

"Well, it's not exactly like all my dreams are coming true," Kurt said before thinking about it, and then sighed. Great. They had been reconnected for about twenty-four hours and Blaine was already dragging secrets out of him with that damn imploring voice.

"Ah, so it's the Broadway thing," Blaine said, and he sounded a bit victorious, having figured it out. The bastard.

"What would you know about the Broadway thing?" Blaine started rubbing Mac Daddy ring again.

"I... Like I told you, Jonathan's a big Broadway fan, and when he discovered I knew Kurt Hummel, he seemed to recognize your name. So I... I looked into what you had been doing after NYADA, and during NYADA. You got quite an impressive resume, even before graduating." Blaine kept rubbing the ring; he didn't even seem aware that he was doing so. "What happened?"

"I retired," Kurt said with a little laugh. "I was working three jobs, Broadway and the Starlight Diner and Vogue, and I was restricted by my range, and I retired."

"So why are you blaming Manhattan for your choice?" Blaine asked, and Kurt didn't have a good answer for that.

"'If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere,' but I couldn't make it. What else is there to blame?" he decided on, and Blaine didn't seem to have anything to say to that. They sat in uncomfortable silence, but they were wasting valuable time. They only saw each other for a few minutes each day. "So. Does music come with a day job?" Kurt asked, looking for a safe topic and making Blaine laugh.

"At first, it came with a variety of day jobs, from being a cashier to being an executive assistant, but it doesn't anymore. It's plenty profitable."

"Well, at least you'll have some good stories for the Jimmy Kimmel Show," Kurt said dryly, thinking of Rachel's desire to live in a cramped apartment for the sake of having stories to tell.

Clearly, Blaine remembered that too, because he rolled his eyes. "I haven't talked to her in a while. Is she any less crazy now than she was in high school?"

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her since college, and even then we weren't sharing an apartment anymore. She was living with... it starts with an 'M.'" Crap. "I can't remember. It's not like it lasted long anyway."

"Yeah, Rachel has been terribly flighty since Finn." Blaine didn't say anything else. No one ever did.

"So, any big celebrities I'll be seeing at your wedding?" His mouth apparently didn't know the meaning of 'safe topics.'

"Not that I know of, but Jonathan always has a way of surprising me. Knowing him, he'll have Macklemore performing Same Love at the reception or something." Blaine rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. He sounded more enchanted than annoyed. "I can't believe it's already Friday."

"Why? Not looking forward to the weekend?" Who didn't look forward to the weekend?

"No, it just means I'm getting married in eight days." Kurt almost choked on his own spit.

"Eight days? I thought you said two weeks yesterday!" Kurt exclaimed, because he really should have through this through. He had agreed to come to Blaine's wedding without even knowing what day it was.

"I rounded up," Blaine said innocently, and he was rubbing his ring again. "Besides, to say one week makes it... scarier."

"You are nervous," Kurt said, because yeah. It was obvious. Every time they talked about the wedding or Blaine's fiancé, Blaine was doing his best to erode that ring on his finger to dust.

"Of course I'm nervous," Blaine said with a slight laugh. "Isn't everyone nervous before their wedding?"

"I don't know," Kurt said honestly, and he could have strangled the announcer when they announced Grand Central.

"Have fun fighting the crowds," Blaine said as more than half the train stood up, and Kurt didn't really have a choice but to be swept away with them. After he was on the platform, he caught sight of Blaine through the window, ignoring the crowd that was shoving him towards the stairs. Blaine was looking down at his hand, still rubbing that ring, and Kurt made an executive decision.

He had to meet Jonathan before Blaine got married.

A/N: Welcome to my new story! This has been several months in the works (I don't remember exactly when/why I came up with the idea), but I've put a lot of work into it and I hope you guys enjoy! This story is eleven chapters long, all written, so I'll be posting every week on Friday. The title is from the Taylor Swift song 'Speak Now'.

Reviews are Love.