education in harmony: part three
Cooper's play opens on a Thursday night a couple of weeks later and as expected, it's a train wreck. Cooper had offered to get them seats in the front row but Blaine managed to stop him, making excuses about preferring to buy his own and having a better view of the whole stage if he sits further back.
Kurt and Blaine sit by the aisle two rows from the back and from the opening scenes they realise they're not going to be able to look at each other during the show for fear of giggling. Blaine had been hoping that because they've both read the script and are aware of what's coming, it might be easier to control themselves.
If only.
Some inserts have been pre-recorded to show on a screen as part of a documentary-style interlude between scenes. Blaine's not sure if that was originally part of the plan, or if the director didn't trust the cast to be able to remember all of their lines if they had to act the whole thing on the night. Unfortunately whoever they've got controlling the projection clearly isn't all that good with technology and Blaine has to stifle a giggle when the second clip of the night starts and it's the one they've already seen. Cooper is still on stage, waiting for the clip to end and the lights to come back up and Blaine chances a look, realising that Cooper is in his zone and hasn't even noticed it's the wrong piece of video.
Kurt pokes Blaine in the leg and leans toward him, whispering “Is that being projected from somebody's laptop?”, but before Blaine can reply the question is answered for him as an arrow cursor appears on the screen, followed by a right click menu. Whoever's in charge clicks next, then accidentally clicks next again, and there's an agonising pause while they wait for the clip to start before clicking previous one last time. With the right piece of video finally playing, Blaine buries his head in his hands and chews on his lip, trying to hold back the urge to laugh.
Blaine's trying hard not to critique the staging too much and he's looking out for things he might be able to use later when Cooper inevitably wants to know all the things that they loved about it. Blaine's pretty sure that telling his brother how hilarious all of the technological failure was isn't going to cut it. It's hard, though, when all they have is a sliding wall to signify changes of scene, but none of the furniture moves so it feels like everything is taking place in the same room. When Cooper starts pointing at a non-existent painting on the wall, he leans to Kurt and mutters “Oh good, he gets to point,” and Kurt dissolves into silent giggles beside him.
They're both aware that it's a tiny production and the company probably can't afford a lot of technology or set dressing or complicated staging, but Blaine knows there are things they could do to make it better than this. He's minutes away from going to find Cooper in the intermission and telling him he'll take over the laptop for the rest of the show if somebody just gives him a list of cues, but he's sure that if he does it once they'll rope him into doing it for the rest of the run and there's no way he can stand to watch this again every night for another month.
A few minutes before they break for the intermission there's another clip, and again it's the wrong thing. This is the point when Blaine realises they don't actually have anybody in charge of the video and it's just being done by whoever isn't on stage at the time, because when the same clip starts three times in a row and Blaine hears a hissed “Fuck!” from backstage, it comes in a voice that is unmistakably Cooper's. Finally the playlist skips back far enough that the right piece of video is playing and Blaine lets out a sigh of relief. He's chewing the inside of his cheek when Kurt mutters “Was that Cooper?” and Blaine nods, one hundred percent positive that if he looks at Kurt he'll start to laugh in the inappropriate - loud - way that he knows he won't be able to stop.
Finally the act ends and the cast slip off stage - there's no curtain, and in fact Blaine realises that the front two rows of seats have been removed in order to fit extra stage into the room. Blaine finally chances a glance at Kurt, who is staring at his fingers with his lips pressed together. The theatre is small but three quarters full, and only a couple of people have slipped out to the bathroom so it's noisy with chatter. He nudges Kurt with his elbow until Kurt looks up, and the second they lock eyes Blaine is grinning and Kurt's whole face lights up with joy.
“Right click, next, fuck!” Kurt giggles, leaning his head against Blaine's shoulder as he laughs.
“Shhh,” Blaine tries to chastise, but it's undermined by the fact that he's laughing too. “At least it can't get worse right?”
Kurt gasps and covers his mouth with his hand. “Oh Blaine, you should know better than to say that during a performance!”
“But,” Blaine mutters, gesturing at the stage. “Cooper said fuck, Kurt. During the show. Loudly.”
“I still think you've just doomed the second act to be worse than the first.”
Blaine raises an eyebrow with a smirk on his face and Kurt snorts, dissolving into giggles again just in time for the lights to dim for the start of the second act. Blaine looks up at the ceiling and bites his lip, forcing the smile from his face before the actors come back out.
He tries his hardest to treat it as the serious play it's meant to be, but it's difficult. It's completely offensive and incredibly complicated, and Blaine loses himself in the way they keep talking about their hoverball and hovercar and various other anvil sized reminders that they're meant to be in a world almost two hundred years in a the future. He's so distracted by nitpicking the script that he almost misses the next time one of the videos starts to play and Kurt mimes a tiny round of applause because it's the right one.
Twenty seconds into the clip, though, a little pop-up message appears in the corner of the screen.
FIND LOVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
Blaine doesn't quite catch the rest of the message before the cursor completely un-subtly slides across the screen and clicks the message away. He can already feel Kurt's shoulders shaking beside him and he's determined not to laugh, but they're making it hard for him. In fact, he's starting to wonder if this is some kind of hidden camera show and the whole thing is out to get him, but he's pretty sure Cooper's not good enough at acting to keep that a secret.
By the time the play ends and they take their curtain call, Blaine can tell that Cooper thinks the whole thing has been a complete success and that the audience adores him. As soon as the cast leaves the stage Kurt is on his feet, tugging on Blaine's hand and pulling him down the aisle towards the door, apologising to anybody he bumps into as they run from the building.
They both start laughing as soon as they're outside the door and then it's Blaine doing the pulling, not wanting to stand and laugh outside the theatre door in case Cooper comes out. They don't stop until they're leaning against the window of the Starbucks two blocks up and every time one of them manages to get their laughter under control, one glance at the other sets them off again.
“That was actually worse,” Kurt chokes out between giggles. “Than when we acted it out in your apartment. I didn't think that was possible.”
“Find love this holiday season!” Blaine snorts. “At least I know that wasn't Cooper's computer. Finding dates is not something he'd ever resort to the internet for.”
It takes almost fifteen minutes before they can look at each other without more laughter bubbling up, and Blaine's pretty sure the people inside the store think they're crazy. He relaxes against the glass and presses his fingers into his eyes as he tries to get his breathing back under control. He hears a contented sigh from Kurt beside him and twists sideways to smile up at him.
“Thanks for coming with me. I don't think I could have handled that otherwise.”
Kurt smiles a little shyly and looks down at his fingers, stretching them against each other. “It was my pleasure.”
Blaine looks down at Kurt's fingers too, and then back up to his face. All of a sudden Kurt seems nervous and it's like something has shifted in the air between them. When Kurt looks at Blaine again he's still smiling but it's a different smile and now it's making Blaine feel nervous too. Neither of them speak for a minute until Kurt's gaze flicks down from Blaine's eyes to his lips and back up again, his lips parting slightly and drawing Blaine's attention.
Blaine's stomach does a little flip and he suddenly can't remember how to do anything at all, so he pulls his eyes away from Kurt's mouth and clears his throat. “I should get back,” he mutters, and he can't believe it's his mouth these words are coming from. “Cooper will be waiting to hear my review, so he can be showered with compliments.”
“Oh.” Kurt straightens up, and Blaine's pretty sure that's a look of hurt on Kurt's face but it's like he's working on autopilot and his mouth is speaking on its own. “Okay.”
“I've got an early start tomorrow,” he continues, suddenly desperate to voice every single excuse that's running through his head, even the ones he knows Kurt knows are lies.
“You don't start until ten thirty on Fridays,” Kurt points out, his voice a mixture of confused and disinterested that Blaine's never heard aimed at him before.
“I, -uh.” He winces and wishes he could just rewind the clock five minutes and kiss Kurt like he wanted to. Instead he just carries on lying. “I have to meet a friend first, to go through something for acting class.”
Kurt just nods and Blaine turns slightly to head back towards the theatre. “Tell Cooper I enjoyed the play,” Kurt blinks a couple of times and forces a smile. “I'll see you Saturday?”
Blaine smiles, relief flooding through him that Kurt still wants to meet for coffee. The whole point of not wanting to date Kurt was that he'd rather have him as a friend than not at all, but maybe it's time to stop pretending he doesn't feel anything stronger. He just needs a couple of days to figure it out.
“Yeah,” he pulls his jacket around him, getting cold now that they're just standing still on the street. “Same as always.”
He turns back to wave when he's halfway down the block but Kurt's already disappeared, and Blaine can see him inside Starbucks waiting to order. He has an idea about what he can do on Saturday that might fix whatever he's just messed up, but he needs to be sure that Cooper's not going to be home first, and then spend the next forty eight hours working on his nerves. And maybe a song. He could definitely perform an apology song for Kurt, maybe that would work.
He sighs as he reaches the theatre, telling himself to stop being stupid. Kurt doesn't need a song. Kurt - apparently - already likes him, so all he needs is the truth. He pushes open the door to backstage, plastering on a smile as Cooper catches sight of him and bounds out, full of post-show adrenaline and confidence.
-
Blaine wakes up on Saturday morning with a plan. While he lies in bed, he reaches for his phone and sends a text to Kurt. I'm so, so sorry, but I can't make this afternoon. Can you come to my place tonight instead? 7? He closes his eyes with his phone on the pillow beside him, and has almost drifted off again when Kurt replies with an Okay.
Blaine can hear Cooper showering so he gets up and shuffles out into the kitchen, pulling out bread and switching on the toaster so he can make Cooper some bribery breakfast. By the time Cooper comes into the kitchen freshly showered and dressed, the toast is done and Blaine's just spreading jelly on it. He smiles and hands Cooper the plate before turning to make some more for himself.
“Thanks, squirt,” he grins, sitting down and taking a bite out of the first slice before frowning. “Wait. Does this mean that you want something?”
“No,” Blaine answers quickly and then realises he needs to clarify because actually that's exactly what it means. “Not necessarily?”
“So that means yes, then.”
Blaine sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “I was just wondering if you were going to be out tonight,” he starts. “After the play.” Cooper's staring at him to continue, clearly waiting for a reason, so Blaine goes on. “It's just I know you haven't come home a few nights recently and I was kind of hoping tonight was going to be another one of those nights.”
Cooper breaks out into a wide grin and slaps Blaine on the back. “Well now that you mention it, I have been seeing somebody lately, and things have been progressing well, if you know what I mean.”
“Ugh,” Blaine looks up at the ceiling, refusing to meet Cooper's eyes for fear of being forced to fist bump his brother. “Everybody alive knows what you mean, Coop. Are you going to be out tonight, or what?”
“Yeah, I can stay out. But you owe me.” Cooper shoves the last of his toast into his mouth with a grin, standing up. “And if Kurt's going to be using you as a pincushion again, try to remember to shut the blinds this time. Nobody needs to see you with your shirt off, especially not the neighbours.”
Cooper disappears into his bedroom and Blaine huffs as he sits down in the seat his brother's just vacated and starts on his own toast. “I'll try to remember,” he yells out, wincing and wishing he'd managed to come up with something snappier or more sarcastic.
Blaine's cleaning the kitchen when Cooper reappears, a bag slung over his shoulder and a script in his hand. “I'm leaving now, I'll be back sometime tomorrow.”
“Already?” Blaine frowns, looking at his watch. “Don't you usually take a morning nap to prepare yourself on showdays?” His personal opinion is that Cooper's idea of preparing himself is stupid, but it's the way he's always been.
“That's what I'd rather be doing, yeah. But the director has some notes on the play; apparently some of the audiences have found certain parts confusing. Confusing, Blaine! Did you find it confusing?” Blaine opens his mouth to mumble something about understanding it fine, but Cooper doesn't give him time to utter a single syllable, he just ploughs on through. “I mean if these people are getting confused then maybe they're at the wrong play, you know? Maybe they should see something simpler, like Sesame Street.”
Cooper's gone before Blaine can process most of the rant, which is clearly not really meant for him anyway, and he turns his attention to the lounge and dining area. He's managed to pick up some nice fabric he could pass off as a tablecloth, and he even made a special trip to buy a whole selection of candles on his way home from class yesterday. By the time five o'clock rolls around he's tidied the entire apartment, set candles on all of the surfaces he can find that won't come to any harm if wax gets on them, and taken a shower before changing into the clothes he'd picked out.
When Kurt knocks on the door on the dot of seven, Blaine's already lit all of the candles and he's draining the pasta, trying to convince his hands there's no need to be shaking so hard, it's only Kurt. “Just a second!” he calls out, setting the pasta down beside the sink and rubbing his hands on a towel before taking a deep breath and heading for the door.
His breath catches in his throat when he pulls the door open and sees Kurt standing there, leaning against the door frame and refusing to look Blaine in the eye, which Blaine figures he deserves after the other night. After much deliberation, Blaine has finally settled on wearing his nicest pair of slacks and a fitted white shirt with thin blue stripes that he'd picked up at Kurt's suggestion when one of their Saturday coffee dates had turned into something of a shopping spree. And even without knowing the reason Blaine has invited him over, Kurt looks gorgeous as ever in a pair of skinny jeans and black waistcoat over a thin navy sweater.
“Hi. Um, come in.” Blaine steps back from the door to let Kurt in. “You look great.”
Kurt actually makes eye contact when Blaine says that, looking up in surprise. “Thanks.” He steps inside and Blaine closes the door behind him and then heads back to the food while Kurt looks around the room in surprise.
“Blaine?” Blaine turns away from the food and back towards Kurt, who's leaning against the back of one of the dining chairs, staring at the candles. “Can I ask you a question?” He quickly shakes his head and starts again. “Can I ask you two questions? Though the second one is kind of dependent on the answer to the first.”
Blaine nods, his hands tensing into fists at his side, and forces himself to relax. “Sure.”
Kurt's quiet for a minute before he takes one step away from the chair and closer to Blaine. He gestures wildly around him at the candles and the slightly dimmed lights. “Is this a date?”
Blaine smiles a little and then nods again. “Yeah.”
“With me, right?”
“Was that the second question?”
“No, that was a clarification on the first question.”
“Oh.” Blaine's unable to stop himself from grinning at Kurt now. “Yeah. With you. You and me,” he finishes, doing some clarification of his own. “What's the second question?”
Kurt bites his lip for a second, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he walks across the room towards Blaine. “Can I kiss you now?”
Blaine blushes and smiles even wider, managing to keep his eyes locked with Kurt's and not look away through nerves. “Please.”
“I thought I'd ask first this time,” Kurt teases softly, stepping right into Blaine's space and pressing him back against the counter. “In case you ran away again.” Kurt reaches towards Blaine's face with his right hand, gently tilting Blaine's face upwards and pressing their lips together before Blaine can formulate a response. His left hand has settled on Blaine's hip, anchoring him in place, and he smiles at Blaine as he pulls away. “Needed to get that out of the way before dinner. It'll cut way back on the awkward first date small talk. Speaking of which,” he smiles, twisting out of Blaine's space but catching his hand on Blaine's wrist to maintain contact. “What are we having?”
“Um,” Blaine glances down at Kurt's hand and back up to Kurt with a smile. He's shocked how intimate such a small touch feels. “Spaghetti. With sauce. Sauce that has stuff in it.” He reacts quickly when he sees Kurt going to dip his finger in the saucepan, smacking his hand away with a laugh. “It's not the most exciting thing I can cook, but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't mess it up. I can do this one in my sleep.”
“It smells good,” Kurt confirms, while Blaine rests his hand on the small of Kurt's back and steers him towards the dining table.
“Go. Sit. I'll bring it over.”
Kurt goes where he's told but doesn't sit, leaning against the back of one of the chairs instead. “Is there anything I can do?”
Blaine is busy splitting the spaghetti between the two plates, biting his lip while he concentrates. “Seriously, sit.” He starts spooning the sauce on top of the pasta and when he turns back to the table, Kurt has finally caved and taken a seat, leaning back in the chair and watching Blaine with a smile. “Voila,” he smiles, placing a plate in front of Kurt and one at the place he'd set opposite. “Drink?”
Kurt nods, and he heads back towards the kitchen and pulls a bottle of wine from the fridge. “I talked Cooper into buying us this by threatening to drink all his beer,” he starts, holding up the bottle and then setting it down on the counter, reaching back into the fridge and pulling out a can of Diet Coke. “But if you'd prefer, there's this.”
Laughing, Kurt points towards the bottle. “Wine is good. I trust you not to let me get sozzled.”
Blaine nods solemnly as he returns to the table with the bottle and two glasses. “I do not want you throwing up on my shoes.”
“Is this your idea of romantic? Talking about my chances of vomit?”
“I'm new to wooing. Is this not how it's usually done?”
Kurt lets out a soft chuckle as Blaine takes a seat and then fills their glasses. He sets one down in front of Kurt and feels a little tingle when their fingers brush. “Usually there are less shout-outs to previous embarrassments, but otherwise, you're doing perfectly.”
Blaine can't keep the smile off his face as he blushes and picks up his fork, sticking it dramatically into the spaghetti and concentrating on eating it without getting sauce all over his face and his shirt. He's suddenly regretting spaghetti until he feels a gentle kick at his ankle.
“Hey,” Kurt murmurs, and Blaine looks up in surprise. “Why are you frowning at your pasta?”
“If I get this all over my face, you have to promise you'll tell me,” he answers, and Kurt laughs.
“I promise.” Kurt spears a piece of sausage with his fork and twists spaghetti around it before sticking it in his mouth, and Blaine marvels at the technique. “Oh my God,” Kurt mumbles, suddenly remembering his manners and covering his mouth. In the ten seconds it takes him to chew and swallow Blaine is halfway out of the chair to retrieve takeout menus assuming the food is awful. It's probably too salty or too spicy or maybe Kurt's allergic to something? This is going to go down in history as the worst date ever- “Why didn't you tell me you can cook?”
“I- oh.” Blaine slumps back into the chair while Kurt watches him with an amused smile, twirling more spaghetti onto his fork while he waits for Blaine to answer. “I get by. It's not as good as your soup.”
“My soup is amazing.”
“My cooking skills mostly stem from Cooper being terrible at it,” Blaine carries on, sticking his tongue out briefly at the interruption. “He's nine years older than me and he'd be babysitting and I'd be telling him what to cook for dinner and forcing him to let me help because I knew I could do it better. When I was six.”
Kurt snorts and Blaine smiles back, trying to copy Kurt and wrap the spaghetti around his fork just as neatly as Kurt had done. He's got the fork halfway to his mouth when Kurt speaks again. “But why am I just finding out about this skill now?”
Blaine shrugs. “I just haven't had a lot of opportunity to cook since I moved here. I'm really good at making something out of whatever happens to be left on the shelves, and Cooper and I have pretty much just been buying things as and when we need them, to save money. Actual meal planning is where I tend to fall down.” He's eyeing the spaghetti as it starts to unravel, finishing his sentence as quickly as he can and shoving the fork in his mouth before it falls off altogether. He just about manages it, a stray strand poking out of the corner of his mouth before he sucks it in and Kurt claps.
“Perfect!”
Blaine just laughs and loads his fork again, and Kurt follows suit. By the time Blaine's drained his first glass of wine, Kurt is almost done eating and Blaine's managed to keep the sauce and his shirt apart so far. Before he tops up his own glass Blaine offers the bottle towards Kurt who considers it and then holds up a finger. Blaine waits while Kurt finishes the wine in his glass and then holds it out for a refill with a cheery smile.
“One more and then I'm cutting us off,” Blaine laughs, and Kurt nods in agreement.
Kurt finishes his food first, and Blaine feels a little self conscious as Kurt just sits back with his hands wrapped around his wine glass and watches him. He's feeling a little buzzed in a nice, happy way, and Kurt has a little flush on his cheeks that makes Blaine think Kurt's feeling the same. When he finally puts down his fork he leans back in his chair for a minute and then stands and pulls Kurt to his feet. Blaine nudges him gently in the direction of the TV. “Pick a movie. I'll be right there.”
When he returns from putting the wine back in the fridge and dumping their plates in the sink, Kurt is already settled on the couch with a DVD in one hand and his almost empty glass in the other. Blaine takes the box from him and eyes it curiously. “Moulin Rouge? You have a desire to remember our first date with us ending the night sobbing our eyes out?”
“It's romantic,” Kurt argues, setting his glass down on the coffee table and pulling his legs up onto the couch. Blaine's not sure when Kurt took his shoes off and smiles at how comfortable Kurt looks like that. “Besides, I don't imagine either of us will be paying much attention.”
“Oh,” Blaine murmurs, his mouth suddenly dry. “Right.” He drops to his knees and switches everything on, putting the disc in the player and then returning to the couch to settle himself next to Kurt.
Blaine's barely pressed play on the menu before Kurt is nudging him with his elbow, and when Blaine turns to look he sees Kurt's eyes are focussed on his lips. He feels the same nervous desire to turn away and pretend this isn't happening that he felt in the pit of his stomach after Cooper's play, except this time Kurt's hand is resting on his bicep and he knows for sure they both want this. He takes a deep breath as Kurt sits up straighter and moves his face slowly towards Blaine. Their noses are almost touching when Kurt squeezes Blaine's arm and it spurs Blaine on to close the gap and press their lips together.
Blaine presses Kurt back into the sofa and when they break apart for breath he starts placing kisses down the side of Kurt's neck. Blaine's always loved Kurt's neck, if he's honest with himself, and the way Kurt just willingly angles it up so that Blaine can reach it better makes Blaine's fingers tingle.
Kurt's back arches and he moans a little as Blaine plants a kiss just underneath Kurt's ear. “Your neck,” he whispers before starting to work his way back down. “Is my favourite part.”
When Kurt speaks his voice is breathy and low, and it's the hottest thing Blaine's ever heard. “You haven't seen all of me yet,” he mutters, and Blaine's brain completely freezes. He stops kissing while he processes the words, leaving his lips against Kurt's neck, and Kurt suddenly scrambles to sit up. “Oh my God,” he rambles. “That was the sluttiest thing I have ever said. We can- we should forget I said it.”
Blaine finally manages to get a signal from his brain to his mouth and he clears his throat. “I hope not.” He waits for Kurt to relax and smile before he goes right back to kissing Kurt's amazing perfect collarbone.
Kurt is laughing now, running a finger up and down against the hair at the back of Blaine's neck as he starts to tease. “Didn't Cooper specifically ask you not to do stuff like this on the couch?”
“Mmm,” Blaine sighs, sitting up a little. “He's out. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.”
Kurt puts his hand flat on Blaine's chest and then hooks a couple of fingers between the buttons of Blaine's shirt. “Are you sure he's out? He hasn't just told you he's going out and then stayed in his room listening to you have sex like a giant creeper?”
Blaine feels himself blushing and he drops his face into Kurt's shoulder, shaking with laughter. “What happened to less references to embarrassing incidents on the first date?” he chides, not really upset if it means he gets to snuggle up into Kurt even more.
Kurt laughs too and tilts Blaine's face up to look at him properly. “Oh yeah. Sorry.”
“We should, um,” Blaine croaks as he stares up at Kurt. “Bedroom.”
Kurt's eyebrows knit together in something almost resembling a frown, but gentler somehow. “We can go slow, you know. Whatever you're ready for.” He blushes a little and runs his hand through Blaine's curls, shifting them both so that Blaine is less on top of him. “And wow, I really sound like a pretentious floozy, don't I?”
Blaine shakes his head as he wriggles back into a comfortable place where he can still be pressed up against Kurt's side. “I've never known anybody less of a floozy than you.” He slides his hand up Kurt's thigh, lacing their fingers together comfortably and turns a little to the side so that he's half facing Kurt. All he wants to do is stare at Kurt forever, pretty much. “And I'm not fragile, you know. I know what I'm ready for.”
Kurt smiles and curls his fingers around Blaine's with a gentle squeeze. “You ran away because you thought I was going to kiss you, remember,” he argues with a chuckle. “I don't want you to run again.”
“I will never run from you again,” Blaine promises, and he means it. “Unless like I'm late and you're going somewhere else and I literally have to run, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
They're silent for a minute and Blaine leans his head against Kurt's shoulder. The movie is playing away in front of them but neither boy is really watching - they've both seen it enough times that it doesn't matter anyway. “I think we should go to the bedroom,” Blaine announces, and he says it so decisively that Kurt can't help but start to giggle. “Oh that does wonders for my ego,” he laughs, standing up and pulling Kurt with him. “I just need to put out the candles. Cooper will kill me if he comes home and I've burnt down the apartment.”
“Oh, but then maybe there would be firefighters!” Kurt grins and loops his arms around Blaine's neck and Blaine pulls him closer with a smile.
“Trying really hard at the whole not looking like a floozy thing, huh?” He's laughing and so's Kurt, who prods him in the back of the shoulder in mock outrage. Blaine tilts his head forward until their foreheads are resting against each other. “Just to be clear,” he murmurs. “I want you, Kurt. I've never been very good at reading signals and I tend to put up barriers when I'm scared like that, but I want you. We've wasted enough time already going slow and I want to do everything with you. It doesn't all have to be tonight, but I don't want to wait any longer to get you in my bed.”
Kurt stares back at him and it seems like an eternity to Blaine before Kurt leans in and presses a kiss to his lips. “Let me help you put these candles out,” he whispers. “It'll be quicker.”
Blaine nods and turns away from Kurt, starting at one side of the room while Kurt starts at the other. By the time Blaine has extinguished his share of the flames and switched off the television, Kurt is done and standing in the bedroom doorway, leaning up against the frame with a smile that Blaine can only describe as seductive. Blaine blushes under the scrutiny and takes the hand Kurt offers him and tugs him gently into the bedroom. When he turns to close the door he pushes Kurt up against it, and Kurt automatically shifts his legs out to the sides and slides a little down the door so that he's more Blaine's height. Kurt grabs the front of Blaine's shirt in his fist and pulls him closer until he can wrap his arms around Blaine's neck.
Blaine's nerves are trying to get the better of him and he can feel his heart beating against his chest. He happily pushes his head back against Kurt's hand as Kurt's fingers stroke gently up the back of his neck and tangle in his hair. Leaning forward, he presses a kiss to Kurt's lips before starting to kiss back down the side of Kurt's neck, settling on a spot just above Kurt's collarbone and sucking a little.
Kurt's head drops back against the door and his eyes flutter closed for a minute before he regains control of his senses and breathes out some words. “No hickeys, Blaine,” he sighs. He opens his eyes as Blaine complies with the request, pulling back and smiling as Kurt starts to walk him backwards towards the bed.
By the time they reach the edge of the mattress Kurt's hands have dropped to Blaine's waistband and he's trying to work Blaine's zipper open while they're still kissing. Blaine helps as soon as Kurt has unfastened them, standing on the bottom of one pants leg with the other foot and pulling, which makes Kurt start to giggle into Blaine's mouth.
“Kuuurt,” Blaine whines, blushing slightly. “Don't laugh.”
Kurt smiles and shakes his head, taking the opportunity to reach down and start to unbutton his jeans. “I'm just impressed. Downside of skinny jeans is how difficult they are to get off.”
Blaine grins. “Let me help with that, then.”
He lets Kurt finish up unfasting them before he reaches down, forcing them halfway down Kurt's thighs before spinning Kurt around and pushing him onto the bed. Kurt helpfully lifts his legs and Blaine pulls the jeans the rest of the way off, tossing them to the side with his own pants.
“You are so lucky those aren't designer,” Kurt laughs, his fingers flying to the buttons on his own shirt, quickly removing the offending garment without tearing his eyes away from Blaine while he does the same. Both shirts are deposited on top of the discarded pants before Blaine crawls onto the bed, hovering over Kurt.
“You're perfect,” he says, because his brain is working at least two steps behind right now and the fact that Kurt is half naked on his bed is stopping him from coming up with something better.
Kurt huffs a laugh against Blaine's shoulder and then kisses him again, settling on his side so that he's facing Blaine. “I'm really not.” He grins cheekily before adding, “But thank you.”
Blaine smiles back and gets comfortable. Kurt has one hand resting between them on the bed and Blaine shifts, wrapping his hand around Kurt's forearm and pushing one knee slightly between Kurt's legs. He smiles into the pillow as he strokes his thumb across the back of Kurt's wrist. “Tonight has gone way better than it did in my head.”
Kurt chuckles and rubs his nose up against Blaine's. “How did it go in your head?”
“I wasn't sure you'd even come. I wasn't sure how mad you were.” Blaine looks down when he says that, avoiding eye contact with Kurt until he hears Kurt sigh quietly and he looks back up.
“I wasn't mad, Blaine. I was a little confused, a little frustrated, I was a little of a whole lot of feelings but I wasn't really mad.” He pulls closer still and rests his free hand on Blaine's shoulder. “I didn't notice when you became my best friend, but you did-”
“I'm your best friend?” Blaine butts in, grinning. “Whatever will Rachel say?”
Kurt laughs and presses a kiss to Blaine's lips. “She can never know.”
Blaine is already laughing before they've even broken the kiss and he feels like his face is going to break if he doesn't stop smiling soon. He closes his eyes for a second and takes a breath, and laces his fingers with Kurt's.
“It's important to me that you know I wasn't having doubts about you.”
“Blaine, you don't have to explain-”
Blaine interrupts before Kurt can finish. “No, I know I don't have to, but I want you to know.” He pauses and looks at Kurt, raising his eyebrows and Kurt nods for him to continue. ““I put up a lot of walls over the last couple of years without really realising it. I get caught up in my head and I end up freaking myself out when spontaneous stuff happens.”
“You like to think things through, after everything that happened with Sebastian. That makes sense.”
“Yeah. And it was just that damn split second when it hit me that we were maybe going to kiss. This excited knot formed in my stomach because I knew, and at the same time there was a voice in my head telling me no, that's not what's happening, don't mess this up.” He pauses and feels Kurt squeeze his shoulder in support. “I just... I've been falling for you since the day I met you and I wanted to be sure about everything, and then the more sure I was the more scared I got that I didn't know what I would do if you didn't feel the same. And if I didn't kiss you on Thursday then there was no way you could tell me I was wrong, and there's nothing there. Because most of all I was scared of losing your friendship.”
Kurt takes all of this in and quietly rubs his nose against Blaine's. “You had that entire train of thought in that one split second?” he whispers, smiling as Blaine nods. “That's impressive.”
“At the time it was more an overwhelming feeling of RUN, and the reasons behind it kind of filtered through on the walk back to the theatre,” he admits. “Also, bros before hos,” Blaine grins and shrugs by way of explanation. “I wanted you to be my bro before you could become my ho.”
Kurt makes a strangled squawking noise that turns into laughing-and-choking and stares wide-eyed at Blaine. “You did not just say that.”
“I did.”
“Also I'm pretty sure that's not actually what that phrase is supposed to mean.”
“I'm re-appropriating the phrase. It's mine now.”
Kurt tucks his head against Blaine's shoulder and laughs, closing his eyes. “You're truly certifiable.”
-
When Blaine wakes up the next morning, Kurt is missing from the bed and he can hear movement in the kitchen. Deciding that clothes aren't important any more, he heads out of the bedroom in only his boxers and smiles when he sees Kurt standing at the stove.
“Eggs again?” Blaine smiles, coming up beside him and peering into the pan.
“You know me so well,” Kurt laughs, turning into Blaine's arms and pressing a kiss on his lips. “Morning.”
Blaine doesn't realise at first that Kurt is wearing his clothes - a faded old tee and a pair of sweats. He's about to tell Kurt how hot that is when he hears the jingle of keys and then the front door swings open.
“Blainey!” Cooper calls, and Blaine groans as Kurt just laughs and turns back to breakfast. Blaine sees the back of Cooper's head as he passes the kitchen door and heads into his room, and for a minute Blaine thinks they've earned a few minutes reprieve to get back into the relative safety of his own bedroom with their food when Cooper reappears.
“So how did-” Cooper starts, before he's even reached the door. He interrupts himself when he sets eyes on Kurt and Blaine, and then a grin spreads slowly across his face. “About time!” he exclaims, and comes striding into the kitchen with his arm extended for a fist bump.
Blaine sighs and concedes, knocking his fist against Cooper's. Cooper then turns to Kurt, whose eyes widen comically. “Seriously?”
“It's probably easiest if you just do it,” Blaine mutters into Kurt's ear.
Blaine laughs when Kurt carefully turns off the heat on his pan and clenches his hand into a fist, allowing Cooper to bump his own against it. Grinning in victory, Cooper peers into the pan, squinting at it hopefully. “Scrambled eggs?”
Blaine rolls his eyes. “If we bring you some, will you leave us alone?”
Cooper nods happily and turns away from them, heading back into his bedroom. “I'll be in here, you can bring it to me.”
Blaine drops his chin down to his chest and sighs, while Kurt just laughs. “I hope you realise this is your life now,” Blaine raises an eyebrow, unable to stop himself from smiling when Kurt is already giggling. “Mollycoddling Cooper and cooking.”
“And making out with you?”
Blaine chuckles. “Yeah. That too.”
Kurt grins and leans over for a kiss before turning back to the stove to start serving their breakfast. “Sounds awesome.”
Back to Masterpost
Kurt and Blaine sit by the aisle two rows from the back and from the opening scenes they realise they're not going to be able to look at each other during the show for fear of giggling. Blaine had been hoping that because they've both read the script and are aware of what's coming, it might be easier to control themselves.
If only.
Some inserts have been pre-recorded to show on a screen as part of a documentary-style interlude between scenes. Blaine's not sure if that was originally part of the plan, or if the director didn't trust the cast to be able to remember all of their lines if they had to act the whole thing on the night. Unfortunately whoever they've got controlling the projection clearly isn't all that good with technology and Blaine has to stifle a giggle when the second clip of the night starts and it's the one they've already seen. Cooper is still on stage, waiting for the clip to end and the lights to come back up and Blaine chances a look, realising that Cooper is in his zone and hasn't even noticed it's the wrong piece of video.
Kurt pokes Blaine in the leg and leans toward him, whispering “Is that being projected from somebody's laptop?”, but before Blaine can reply the question is answered for him as an arrow cursor appears on the screen, followed by a right click menu. Whoever's in charge clicks next, then accidentally clicks next again, and there's an agonising pause while they wait for the clip to start before clicking previous one last time. With the right piece of video finally playing, Blaine buries his head in his hands and chews on his lip, trying to hold back the urge to laugh.
Blaine's trying hard not to critique the staging too much and he's looking out for things he might be able to use later when Cooper inevitably wants to know all the things that they loved about it. Blaine's pretty sure that telling his brother how hilarious all of the technological failure was isn't going to cut it. It's hard, though, when all they have is a sliding wall to signify changes of scene, but none of the furniture moves so it feels like everything is taking place in the same room. When Cooper starts pointing at a non-existent painting on the wall, he leans to Kurt and mutters “Oh good, he gets to point,” and Kurt dissolves into silent giggles beside him.
They're both aware that it's a tiny production and the company probably can't afford a lot of technology or set dressing or complicated staging, but Blaine knows there are things they could do to make it better than this. He's minutes away from going to find Cooper in the intermission and telling him he'll take over the laptop for the rest of the show if somebody just gives him a list of cues, but he's sure that if he does it once they'll rope him into doing it for the rest of the run and there's no way he can stand to watch this again every night for another month.
A few minutes before they break for the intermission there's another clip, and again it's the wrong thing. This is the point when Blaine realises they don't actually have anybody in charge of the video and it's just being done by whoever isn't on stage at the time, because when the same clip starts three times in a row and Blaine hears a hissed “Fuck!” from backstage, it comes in a voice that is unmistakably Cooper's. Finally the playlist skips back far enough that the right piece of video is playing and Blaine lets out a sigh of relief. He's chewing the inside of his cheek when Kurt mutters “Was that Cooper?” and Blaine nods, one hundred percent positive that if he looks at Kurt he'll start to laugh in the inappropriate - loud - way that he knows he won't be able to stop.
Finally the act ends and the cast slip off stage - there's no curtain, and in fact Blaine realises that the front two rows of seats have been removed in order to fit extra stage into the room. Blaine finally chances a glance at Kurt, who is staring at his fingers with his lips pressed together. The theatre is small but three quarters full, and only a couple of people have slipped out to the bathroom so it's noisy with chatter. He nudges Kurt with his elbow until Kurt looks up, and the second they lock eyes Blaine is grinning and Kurt's whole face lights up with joy.
“Right click, next, fuck!” Kurt giggles, leaning his head against Blaine's shoulder as he laughs.
“Shhh,” Blaine tries to chastise, but it's undermined by the fact that he's laughing too. “At least it can't get worse right?”
Kurt gasps and covers his mouth with his hand. “Oh Blaine, you should know better than to say that during a performance!”
“But,” Blaine mutters, gesturing at the stage. “Cooper said fuck, Kurt. During the show. Loudly.”
“I still think you've just doomed the second act to be worse than the first.”
Blaine raises an eyebrow with a smirk on his face and Kurt snorts, dissolving into giggles again just in time for the lights to dim for the start of the second act. Blaine looks up at the ceiling and bites his lip, forcing the smile from his face before the actors come back out.
He tries his hardest to treat it as the serious play it's meant to be, but it's difficult. It's completely offensive and incredibly complicated, and Blaine loses himself in the way they keep talking about their hoverball and hovercar and various other anvil sized reminders that they're meant to be in a world almost two hundred years in a the future. He's so distracted by nitpicking the script that he almost misses the next time one of the videos starts to play and Kurt mimes a tiny round of applause because it's the right one.
Twenty seconds into the clip, though, a little pop-up message appears in the corner of the screen.
FIND LOVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
Blaine doesn't quite catch the rest of the message before the cursor completely un-subtly slides across the screen and clicks the message away. He can already feel Kurt's shoulders shaking beside him and he's determined not to laugh, but they're making it hard for him. In fact, he's starting to wonder if this is some kind of hidden camera show and the whole thing is out to get him, but he's pretty sure Cooper's not good enough at acting to keep that a secret.
By the time the play ends and they take their curtain call, Blaine can tell that Cooper thinks the whole thing has been a complete success and that the audience adores him. As soon as the cast leaves the stage Kurt is on his feet, tugging on Blaine's hand and pulling him down the aisle towards the door, apologising to anybody he bumps into as they run from the building.
They both start laughing as soon as they're outside the door and then it's Blaine doing the pulling, not wanting to stand and laugh outside the theatre door in case Cooper comes out. They don't stop until they're leaning against the window of the Starbucks two blocks up and every time one of them manages to get their laughter under control, one glance at the other sets them off again.
“That was actually worse,” Kurt chokes out between giggles. “Than when we acted it out in your apartment. I didn't think that was possible.”
“Find love this holiday season!” Blaine snorts. “At least I know that wasn't Cooper's computer. Finding dates is not something he'd ever resort to the internet for.”
It takes almost fifteen minutes before they can look at each other without more laughter bubbling up, and Blaine's pretty sure the people inside the store think they're crazy. He relaxes against the glass and presses his fingers into his eyes as he tries to get his breathing back under control. He hears a contented sigh from Kurt beside him and twists sideways to smile up at him.
“Thanks for coming with me. I don't think I could have handled that otherwise.”
Kurt smiles a little shyly and looks down at his fingers, stretching them against each other. “It was my pleasure.”
Blaine looks down at Kurt's fingers too, and then back up to his face. All of a sudden Kurt seems nervous and it's like something has shifted in the air between them. When Kurt looks at Blaine again he's still smiling but it's a different smile and now it's making Blaine feel nervous too. Neither of them speak for a minute until Kurt's gaze flicks down from Blaine's eyes to his lips and back up again, his lips parting slightly and drawing Blaine's attention.
Blaine's stomach does a little flip and he suddenly can't remember how to do anything at all, so he pulls his eyes away from Kurt's mouth and clears his throat. “I should get back,” he mutters, and he can't believe it's his mouth these words are coming from. “Cooper will be waiting to hear my review, so he can be showered with compliments.”
“Oh.” Kurt straightens up, and Blaine's pretty sure that's a look of hurt on Kurt's face but it's like he's working on autopilot and his mouth is speaking on its own. “Okay.”
“I've got an early start tomorrow,” he continues, suddenly desperate to voice every single excuse that's running through his head, even the ones he knows Kurt knows are lies.
“You don't start until ten thirty on Fridays,” Kurt points out, his voice a mixture of confused and disinterested that Blaine's never heard aimed at him before.
“I, -uh.” He winces and wishes he could just rewind the clock five minutes and kiss Kurt like he wanted to. Instead he just carries on lying. “I have to meet a friend first, to go through something for acting class.”
Kurt just nods and Blaine turns slightly to head back towards the theatre. “Tell Cooper I enjoyed the play,” Kurt blinks a couple of times and forces a smile. “I'll see you Saturday?”
Blaine smiles, relief flooding through him that Kurt still wants to meet for coffee. The whole point of not wanting to date Kurt was that he'd rather have him as a friend than not at all, but maybe it's time to stop pretending he doesn't feel anything stronger. He just needs a couple of days to figure it out.
“Yeah,” he pulls his jacket around him, getting cold now that they're just standing still on the street. “Same as always.”
He turns back to wave when he's halfway down the block but Kurt's already disappeared, and Blaine can see him inside Starbucks waiting to order. He has an idea about what he can do on Saturday that might fix whatever he's just messed up, but he needs to be sure that Cooper's not going to be home first, and then spend the next forty eight hours working on his nerves. And maybe a song. He could definitely perform an apology song for Kurt, maybe that would work.
He sighs as he reaches the theatre, telling himself to stop being stupid. Kurt doesn't need a song. Kurt - apparently - already likes him, so all he needs is the truth. He pushes open the door to backstage, plastering on a smile as Cooper catches sight of him and bounds out, full of post-show adrenaline and confidence.
-
Blaine wakes up on Saturday morning with a plan. While he lies in bed, he reaches for his phone and sends a text to Kurt. I'm so, so sorry, but I can't make this afternoon. Can you come to my place tonight instead? 7? He closes his eyes with his phone on the pillow beside him, and has almost drifted off again when Kurt replies with an Okay.
Blaine can hear Cooper showering so he gets up and shuffles out into the kitchen, pulling out bread and switching on the toaster so he can make Cooper some bribery breakfast. By the time Cooper comes into the kitchen freshly showered and dressed, the toast is done and Blaine's just spreading jelly on it. He smiles and hands Cooper the plate before turning to make some more for himself.
“Thanks, squirt,” he grins, sitting down and taking a bite out of the first slice before frowning. “Wait. Does this mean that you want something?”
“No,” Blaine answers quickly and then realises he needs to clarify because actually that's exactly what it means. “Not necessarily?”
“So that means yes, then.”
Blaine sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “I was just wondering if you were going to be out tonight,” he starts. “After the play.” Cooper's staring at him to continue, clearly waiting for a reason, so Blaine goes on. “It's just I know you haven't come home a few nights recently and I was kind of hoping tonight was going to be another one of those nights.”
Cooper breaks out into a wide grin and slaps Blaine on the back. “Well now that you mention it, I have been seeing somebody lately, and things have been progressing well, if you know what I mean.”
“Ugh,” Blaine looks up at the ceiling, refusing to meet Cooper's eyes for fear of being forced to fist bump his brother. “Everybody alive knows what you mean, Coop. Are you going to be out tonight, or what?”
“Yeah, I can stay out. But you owe me.” Cooper shoves the last of his toast into his mouth with a grin, standing up. “And if Kurt's going to be using you as a pincushion again, try to remember to shut the blinds this time. Nobody needs to see you with your shirt off, especially not the neighbours.”
Cooper disappears into his bedroom and Blaine huffs as he sits down in the seat his brother's just vacated and starts on his own toast. “I'll try to remember,” he yells out, wincing and wishing he'd managed to come up with something snappier or more sarcastic.
Blaine's cleaning the kitchen when Cooper reappears, a bag slung over his shoulder and a script in his hand. “I'm leaving now, I'll be back sometime tomorrow.”
“Already?” Blaine frowns, looking at his watch. “Don't you usually take a morning nap to prepare yourself on showdays?” His personal opinion is that Cooper's idea of preparing himself is stupid, but it's the way he's always been.
“That's what I'd rather be doing, yeah. But the director has some notes on the play; apparently some of the audiences have found certain parts confusing. Confusing, Blaine! Did you find it confusing?” Blaine opens his mouth to mumble something about understanding it fine, but Cooper doesn't give him time to utter a single syllable, he just ploughs on through. “I mean if these people are getting confused then maybe they're at the wrong play, you know? Maybe they should see something simpler, like Sesame Street.”
Cooper's gone before Blaine can process most of the rant, which is clearly not really meant for him anyway, and he turns his attention to the lounge and dining area. He's managed to pick up some nice fabric he could pass off as a tablecloth, and he even made a special trip to buy a whole selection of candles on his way home from class yesterday. By the time five o'clock rolls around he's tidied the entire apartment, set candles on all of the surfaces he can find that won't come to any harm if wax gets on them, and taken a shower before changing into the clothes he'd picked out.
When Kurt knocks on the door on the dot of seven, Blaine's already lit all of the candles and he's draining the pasta, trying to convince his hands there's no need to be shaking so hard, it's only Kurt. “Just a second!” he calls out, setting the pasta down beside the sink and rubbing his hands on a towel before taking a deep breath and heading for the door.
His breath catches in his throat when he pulls the door open and sees Kurt standing there, leaning against the door frame and refusing to look Blaine in the eye, which Blaine figures he deserves after the other night. After much deliberation, Blaine has finally settled on wearing his nicest pair of slacks and a fitted white shirt with thin blue stripes that he'd picked up at Kurt's suggestion when one of their Saturday coffee dates had turned into something of a shopping spree. And even without knowing the reason Blaine has invited him over, Kurt looks gorgeous as ever in a pair of skinny jeans and black waistcoat over a thin navy sweater.
“Hi. Um, come in.” Blaine steps back from the door to let Kurt in. “You look great.”
Kurt actually makes eye contact when Blaine says that, looking up in surprise. “Thanks.” He steps inside and Blaine closes the door behind him and then heads back to the food while Kurt looks around the room in surprise.
“Blaine?” Blaine turns away from the food and back towards Kurt, who's leaning against the back of one of the dining chairs, staring at the candles. “Can I ask you a question?” He quickly shakes his head and starts again. “Can I ask you two questions? Though the second one is kind of dependent on the answer to the first.”
Blaine nods, his hands tensing into fists at his side, and forces himself to relax. “Sure.”
Kurt's quiet for a minute before he takes one step away from the chair and closer to Blaine. He gestures wildly around him at the candles and the slightly dimmed lights. “Is this a date?”
Blaine smiles a little and then nods again. “Yeah.”
“With me, right?”
“Was that the second question?”
“No, that was a clarification on the first question.”
“Oh.” Blaine's unable to stop himself from grinning at Kurt now. “Yeah. With you. You and me,” he finishes, doing some clarification of his own. “What's the second question?”
Kurt bites his lip for a second, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he walks across the room towards Blaine. “Can I kiss you now?”
Blaine blushes and smiles even wider, managing to keep his eyes locked with Kurt's and not look away through nerves. “Please.”
“I thought I'd ask first this time,” Kurt teases softly, stepping right into Blaine's space and pressing him back against the counter. “In case you ran away again.” Kurt reaches towards Blaine's face with his right hand, gently tilting Blaine's face upwards and pressing their lips together before Blaine can formulate a response. His left hand has settled on Blaine's hip, anchoring him in place, and he smiles at Blaine as he pulls away. “Needed to get that out of the way before dinner. It'll cut way back on the awkward first date small talk. Speaking of which,” he smiles, twisting out of Blaine's space but catching his hand on Blaine's wrist to maintain contact. “What are we having?”
“Um,” Blaine glances down at Kurt's hand and back up to Kurt with a smile. He's shocked how intimate such a small touch feels. “Spaghetti. With sauce. Sauce that has stuff in it.” He reacts quickly when he sees Kurt going to dip his finger in the saucepan, smacking his hand away with a laugh. “It's not the most exciting thing I can cook, but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't mess it up. I can do this one in my sleep.”
“It smells good,” Kurt confirms, while Blaine rests his hand on the small of Kurt's back and steers him towards the dining table.
“Go. Sit. I'll bring it over.”
Kurt goes where he's told but doesn't sit, leaning against the back of one of the chairs instead. “Is there anything I can do?”
Blaine is busy splitting the spaghetti between the two plates, biting his lip while he concentrates. “Seriously, sit.” He starts spooning the sauce on top of the pasta and when he turns back to the table, Kurt has finally caved and taken a seat, leaning back in the chair and watching Blaine with a smile. “Voila,” he smiles, placing a plate in front of Kurt and one at the place he'd set opposite. “Drink?”
Kurt nods, and he heads back towards the kitchen and pulls a bottle of wine from the fridge. “I talked Cooper into buying us this by threatening to drink all his beer,” he starts, holding up the bottle and then setting it down on the counter, reaching back into the fridge and pulling out a can of Diet Coke. “But if you'd prefer, there's this.”
Laughing, Kurt points towards the bottle. “Wine is good. I trust you not to let me get sozzled.”
Blaine nods solemnly as he returns to the table with the bottle and two glasses. “I do not want you throwing up on my shoes.”
“Is this your idea of romantic? Talking about my chances of vomit?”
“I'm new to wooing. Is this not how it's usually done?”
Kurt lets out a soft chuckle as Blaine takes a seat and then fills their glasses. He sets one down in front of Kurt and feels a little tingle when their fingers brush. “Usually there are less shout-outs to previous embarrassments, but otherwise, you're doing perfectly.”
Blaine can't keep the smile off his face as he blushes and picks up his fork, sticking it dramatically into the spaghetti and concentrating on eating it without getting sauce all over his face and his shirt. He's suddenly regretting spaghetti until he feels a gentle kick at his ankle.
“Hey,” Kurt murmurs, and Blaine looks up in surprise. “Why are you frowning at your pasta?”
“If I get this all over my face, you have to promise you'll tell me,” he answers, and Kurt laughs.
“I promise.” Kurt spears a piece of sausage with his fork and twists spaghetti around it before sticking it in his mouth, and Blaine marvels at the technique. “Oh my God,” Kurt mumbles, suddenly remembering his manners and covering his mouth. In the ten seconds it takes him to chew and swallow Blaine is halfway out of the chair to retrieve takeout menus assuming the food is awful. It's probably too salty or too spicy or maybe Kurt's allergic to something? This is going to go down in history as the worst date ever- “Why didn't you tell me you can cook?”
“I- oh.” Blaine slumps back into the chair while Kurt watches him with an amused smile, twirling more spaghetti onto his fork while he waits for Blaine to answer. “I get by. It's not as good as your soup.”
“My soup is amazing.”
“My cooking skills mostly stem from Cooper being terrible at it,” Blaine carries on, sticking his tongue out briefly at the interruption. “He's nine years older than me and he'd be babysitting and I'd be telling him what to cook for dinner and forcing him to let me help because I knew I could do it better. When I was six.”
Kurt snorts and Blaine smiles back, trying to copy Kurt and wrap the spaghetti around his fork just as neatly as Kurt had done. He's got the fork halfway to his mouth when Kurt speaks again. “But why am I just finding out about this skill now?”
Blaine shrugs. “I just haven't had a lot of opportunity to cook since I moved here. I'm really good at making something out of whatever happens to be left on the shelves, and Cooper and I have pretty much just been buying things as and when we need them, to save money. Actual meal planning is where I tend to fall down.” He's eyeing the spaghetti as it starts to unravel, finishing his sentence as quickly as he can and shoving the fork in his mouth before it falls off altogether. He just about manages it, a stray strand poking out of the corner of his mouth before he sucks it in and Kurt claps.
“Perfect!”
Blaine just laughs and loads his fork again, and Kurt follows suit. By the time Blaine's drained his first glass of wine, Kurt is almost done eating and Blaine's managed to keep the sauce and his shirt apart so far. Before he tops up his own glass Blaine offers the bottle towards Kurt who considers it and then holds up a finger. Blaine waits while Kurt finishes the wine in his glass and then holds it out for a refill with a cheery smile.
“One more and then I'm cutting us off,” Blaine laughs, and Kurt nods in agreement.
Kurt finishes his food first, and Blaine feels a little self conscious as Kurt just sits back with his hands wrapped around his wine glass and watches him. He's feeling a little buzzed in a nice, happy way, and Kurt has a little flush on his cheeks that makes Blaine think Kurt's feeling the same. When he finally puts down his fork he leans back in his chair for a minute and then stands and pulls Kurt to his feet. Blaine nudges him gently in the direction of the TV. “Pick a movie. I'll be right there.”
When he returns from putting the wine back in the fridge and dumping their plates in the sink, Kurt is already settled on the couch with a DVD in one hand and his almost empty glass in the other. Blaine takes the box from him and eyes it curiously. “Moulin Rouge? You have a desire to remember our first date with us ending the night sobbing our eyes out?”
“It's romantic,” Kurt argues, setting his glass down on the coffee table and pulling his legs up onto the couch. Blaine's not sure when Kurt took his shoes off and smiles at how comfortable Kurt looks like that. “Besides, I don't imagine either of us will be paying much attention.”
“Oh,” Blaine murmurs, his mouth suddenly dry. “Right.” He drops to his knees and switches everything on, putting the disc in the player and then returning to the couch to settle himself next to Kurt.
Blaine's barely pressed play on the menu before Kurt is nudging him with his elbow, and when Blaine turns to look he sees Kurt's eyes are focussed on his lips. He feels the same nervous desire to turn away and pretend this isn't happening that he felt in the pit of his stomach after Cooper's play, except this time Kurt's hand is resting on his bicep and he knows for sure they both want this. He takes a deep breath as Kurt sits up straighter and moves his face slowly towards Blaine. Their noses are almost touching when Kurt squeezes Blaine's arm and it spurs Blaine on to close the gap and press their lips together.
Blaine presses Kurt back into the sofa and when they break apart for breath he starts placing kisses down the side of Kurt's neck. Blaine's always loved Kurt's neck, if he's honest with himself, and the way Kurt just willingly angles it up so that Blaine can reach it better makes Blaine's fingers tingle.
Kurt's back arches and he moans a little as Blaine plants a kiss just underneath Kurt's ear. “Your neck,” he whispers before starting to work his way back down. “Is my favourite part.”
When Kurt speaks his voice is breathy and low, and it's the hottest thing Blaine's ever heard. “You haven't seen all of me yet,” he mutters, and Blaine's brain completely freezes. He stops kissing while he processes the words, leaving his lips against Kurt's neck, and Kurt suddenly scrambles to sit up. “Oh my God,” he rambles. “That was the sluttiest thing I have ever said. We can- we should forget I said it.”
Blaine finally manages to get a signal from his brain to his mouth and he clears his throat. “I hope not.” He waits for Kurt to relax and smile before he goes right back to kissing Kurt's amazing perfect collarbone.
Kurt is laughing now, running a finger up and down against the hair at the back of Blaine's neck as he starts to tease. “Didn't Cooper specifically ask you not to do stuff like this on the couch?”
“Mmm,” Blaine sighs, sitting up a little. “He's out. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.”
Kurt puts his hand flat on Blaine's chest and then hooks a couple of fingers between the buttons of Blaine's shirt. “Are you sure he's out? He hasn't just told you he's going out and then stayed in his room listening to you have sex like a giant creeper?”
Blaine feels himself blushing and he drops his face into Kurt's shoulder, shaking with laughter. “What happened to less references to embarrassing incidents on the first date?” he chides, not really upset if it means he gets to snuggle up into Kurt even more.
Kurt laughs too and tilts Blaine's face up to look at him properly. “Oh yeah. Sorry.”
“We should, um,” Blaine croaks as he stares up at Kurt. “Bedroom.”
Kurt's eyebrows knit together in something almost resembling a frown, but gentler somehow. “We can go slow, you know. Whatever you're ready for.” He blushes a little and runs his hand through Blaine's curls, shifting them both so that Blaine is less on top of him. “And wow, I really sound like a pretentious floozy, don't I?”
Blaine shakes his head as he wriggles back into a comfortable place where he can still be pressed up against Kurt's side. “I've never known anybody less of a floozy than you.” He slides his hand up Kurt's thigh, lacing their fingers together comfortably and turns a little to the side so that he's half facing Kurt. All he wants to do is stare at Kurt forever, pretty much. “And I'm not fragile, you know. I know what I'm ready for.”
Kurt smiles and curls his fingers around Blaine's with a gentle squeeze. “You ran away because you thought I was going to kiss you, remember,” he argues with a chuckle. “I don't want you to run again.”
“I will never run from you again,” Blaine promises, and he means it. “Unless like I'm late and you're going somewhere else and I literally have to run, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
They're silent for a minute and Blaine leans his head against Kurt's shoulder. The movie is playing away in front of them but neither boy is really watching - they've both seen it enough times that it doesn't matter anyway. “I think we should go to the bedroom,” Blaine announces, and he says it so decisively that Kurt can't help but start to giggle. “Oh that does wonders for my ego,” he laughs, standing up and pulling Kurt with him. “I just need to put out the candles. Cooper will kill me if he comes home and I've burnt down the apartment.”
“Oh, but then maybe there would be firefighters!” Kurt grins and loops his arms around Blaine's neck and Blaine pulls him closer with a smile.
“Trying really hard at the whole not looking like a floozy thing, huh?” He's laughing and so's Kurt, who prods him in the back of the shoulder in mock outrage. Blaine tilts his head forward until their foreheads are resting against each other. “Just to be clear,” he murmurs. “I want you, Kurt. I've never been very good at reading signals and I tend to put up barriers when I'm scared like that, but I want you. We've wasted enough time already going slow and I want to do everything with you. It doesn't all have to be tonight, but I don't want to wait any longer to get you in my bed.”
Kurt stares back at him and it seems like an eternity to Blaine before Kurt leans in and presses a kiss to his lips. “Let me help you put these candles out,” he whispers. “It'll be quicker.”
Blaine nods and turns away from Kurt, starting at one side of the room while Kurt starts at the other. By the time Blaine has extinguished his share of the flames and switched off the television, Kurt is done and standing in the bedroom doorway, leaning up against the frame with a smile that Blaine can only describe as seductive. Blaine blushes under the scrutiny and takes the hand Kurt offers him and tugs him gently into the bedroom. When he turns to close the door he pushes Kurt up against it, and Kurt automatically shifts his legs out to the sides and slides a little down the door so that he's more Blaine's height. Kurt grabs the front of Blaine's shirt in his fist and pulls him closer until he can wrap his arms around Blaine's neck.
Blaine's nerves are trying to get the better of him and he can feel his heart beating against his chest. He happily pushes his head back against Kurt's hand as Kurt's fingers stroke gently up the back of his neck and tangle in his hair. Leaning forward, he presses a kiss to Kurt's lips before starting to kiss back down the side of Kurt's neck, settling on a spot just above Kurt's collarbone and sucking a little.
Kurt's head drops back against the door and his eyes flutter closed for a minute before he regains control of his senses and breathes out some words. “No hickeys, Blaine,” he sighs. He opens his eyes as Blaine complies with the request, pulling back and smiling as Kurt starts to walk him backwards towards the bed.
By the time they reach the edge of the mattress Kurt's hands have dropped to Blaine's waistband and he's trying to work Blaine's zipper open while they're still kissing. Blaine helps as soon as Kurt has unfastened them, standing on the bottom of one pants leg with the other foot and pulling, which makes Kurt start to giggle into Blaine's mouth.
“Kuuurt,” Blaine whines, blushing slightly. “Don't laugh.”
Kurt smiles and shakes his head, taking the opportunity to reach down and start to unbutton his jeans. “I'm just impressed. Downside of skinny jeans is how difficult they are to get off.”
Blaine grins. “Let me help with that, then.”
He lets Kurt finish up unfasting them before he reaches down, forcing them halfway down Kurt's thighs before spinning Kurt around and pushing him onto the bed. Kurt helpfully lifts his legs and Blaine pulls the jeans the rest of the way off, tossing them to the side with his own pants.
“You are so lucky those aren't designer,” Kurt laughs, his fingers flying to the buttons on his own shirt, quickly removing the offending garment without tearing his eyes away from Blaine while he does the same. Both shirts are deposited on top of the discarded pants before Blaine crawls onto the bed, hovering over Kurt.
“You're perfect,” he says, because his brain is working at least two steps behind right now and the fact that Kurt is half naked on his bed is stopping him from coming up with something better.
Kurt huffs a laugh against Blaine's shoulder and then kisses him again, settling on his side so that he's facing Blaine. “I'm really not.” He grins cheekily before adding, “But thank you.”
Blaine smiles back and gets comfortable. Kurt has one hand resting between them on the bed and Blaine shifts, wrapping his hand around Kurt's forearm and pushing one knee slightly between Kurt's legs. He smiles into the pillow as he strokes his thumb across the back of Kurt's wrist. “Tonight has gone way better than it did in my head.”
Kurt chuckles and rubs his nose up against Blaine's. “How did it go in your head?”
“I wasn't sure you'd even come. I wasn't sure how mad you were.” Blaine looks down when he says that, avoiding eye contact with Kurt until he hears Kurt sigh quietly and he looks back up.
“I wasn't mad, Blaine. I was a little confused, a little frustrated, I was a little of a whole lot of feelings but I wasn't really mad.” He pulls closer still and rests his free hand on Blaine's shoulder. “I didn't notice when you became my best friend, but you did-”
“I'm your best friend?” Blaine butts in, grinning. “Whatever will Rachel say?”
Kurt laughs and presses a kiss to Blaine's lips. “She can never know.”
Blaine is already laughing before they've even broken the kiss and he feels like his face is going to break if he doesn't stop smiling soon. He closes his eyes for a second and takes a breath, and laces his fingers with Kurt's.
“It's important to me that you know I wasn't having doubts about you.”
“Blaine, you don't have to explain-”
Blaine interrupts before Kurt can finish. “No, I know I don't have to, but I want you to know.” He pauses and looks at Kurt, raising his eyebrows and Kurt nods for him to continue. ““I put up a lot of walls over the last couple of years without really realising it. I get caught up in my head and I end up freaking myself out when spontaneous stuff happens.”
“You like to think things through, after everything that happened with Sebastian. That makes sense.”
“Yeah. And it was just that damn split second when it hit me that we were maybe going to kiss. This excited knot formed in my stomach because I knew, and at the same time there was a voice in my head telling me no, that's not what's happening, don't mess this up.” He pauses and feels Kurt squeeze his shoulder in support. “I just... I've been falling for you since the day I met you and I wanted to be sure about everything, and then the more sure I was the more scared I got that I didn't know what I would do if you didn't feel the same. And if I didn't kiss you on Thursday then there was no way you could tell me I was wrong, and there's nothing there. Because most of all I was scared of losing your friendship.”
Kurt takes all of this in and quietly rubs his nose against Blaine's. “You had that entire train of thought in that one split second?” he whispers, smiling as Blaine nods. “That's impressive.”
“At the time it was more an overwhelming feeling of RUN, and the reasons behind it kind of filtered through on the walk back to the theatre,” he admits. “Also, bros before hos,” Blaine grins and shrugs by way of explanation. “I wanted you to be my bro before you could become my ho.”
Kurt makes a strangled squawking noise that turns into laughing-and-choking and stares wide-eyed at Blaine. “You did not just say that.”
“I did.”
“Also I'm pretty sure that's not actually what that phrase is supposed to mean.”
“I'm re-appropriating the phrase. It's mine now.”
Kurt tucks his head against Blaine's shoulder and laughs, closing his eyes. “You're truly certifiable.”
-
When Blaine wakes up the next morning, Kurt is missing from the bed and he can hear movement in the kitchen. Deciding that clothes aren't important any more, he heads out of the bedroom in only his boxers and smiles when he sees Kurt standing at the stove.
“Eggs again?” Blaine smiles, coming up beside him and peering into the pan.
“You know me so well,” Kurt laughs, turning into Blaine's arms and pressing a kiss on his lips. “Morning.”
Blaine doesn't realise at first that Kurt is wearing his clothes - a faded old tee and a pair of sweats. He's about to tell Kurt how hot that is when he hears the jingle of keys and then the front door swings open.
“Blainey!” Cooper calls, and Blaine groans as Kurt just laughs and turns back to breakfast. Blaine sees the back of Cooper's head as he passes the kitchen door and heads into his room, and for a minute Blaine thinks they've earned a few minutes reprieve to get back into the relative safety of his own bedroom with their food when Cooper reappears.
“So how did-” Cooper starts, before he's even reached the door. He interrupts himself when he sets eyes on Kurt and Blaine, and then a grin spreads slowly across his face. “About time!” he exclaims, and comes striding into the kitchen with his arm extended for a fist bump.
Blaine sighs and concedes, knocking his fist against Cooper's. Cooper then turns to Kurt, whose eyes widen comically. “Seriously?”
“It's probably easiest if you just do it,” Blaine mutters into Kurt's ear.
Blaine laughs when Kurt carefully turns off the heat on his pan and clenches his hand into a fist, allowing Cooper to bump his own against it. Grinning in victory, Cooper peers into the pan, squinting at it hopefully. “Scrambled eggs?”
Blaine rolls his eyes. “If we bring you some, will you leave us alone?”
Cooper nods happily and turns away from them, heading back into his bedroom. “I'll be in here, you can bring it to me.”
Blaine drops his chin down to his chest and sighs, while Kurt just laughs. “I hope you realise this is your life now,” Blaine raises an eyebrow, unable to stop himself from smiling when Kurt is already giggling. “Mollycoddling Cooper and cooking.”
“And making out with you?”
Blaine chuckles. “Yeah. That too.”
Kurt grins and leans over for a kiss before turning back to the stove to start serving their breakfast. “Sounds awesome.”
Back to Masterpost