A/N: Well I was planning on never actually posting this… it was just supposed to be just getting an idea out of my mind, but it turned into this monster of a piece that I might want to continue, so I decided to share. I hope someone else enjoys it as much as I do!
It was an important day in Kurt's life, for it was his eighteenth birthday, and he was going to be presented to all other royalty eligible to be his suitor. It was usually an event reserved for girls entering womanhood, but Kurt had insisted on also having one since it was supposed to be the time when a girl finds her potential future husband, and he wanted an equal opportunity at that.
At the moment, it was ten minutes to six, and he was sitting at his vanity, looking at himself in the mirror to make sure that he was perfectly presentable. He could meet his future husband tonight—he needed every single strand of hair in place and his skin to be flawless to ensure that he got the attention of every Duke and Earl.
When he was satisfied with his appearance, Kurt gave a small smile to himself in the mirror and placed the crown that was laying on the vanity on top of his head. He adjusted it so that it rested perfectly there, then angled himself and shot a pose in the mirror—he had to practice for all the photographs that would be taken tonight.
A knock sounded at the door, making Kurt turn to face it. In the open doorway stood Sir William Schuester, his caretaker for the past eighteen years.
"Are you ready, sir?" he asked, a smile on his face at seeing the boy he considered to be like his own son all ready to enter into the adult world. "Your father is waiting to announce you."
Kurt nodded slightly and stood up. He quickly smoothed down the front of his outfit and joined Sir William at the door. They walked through the corridors and down the stairs of the Hummel castle and ended up in a room where King Burt of Hummel was waiting patiently.
"Kurt, my boy," he grinned and pulled his son into a warm hug. "Are you nervous?"
"Nervous? No, not at all," Kurt replied honestly, "Though, I am starting to feel a slight stirring of butterflies from having to wait all day."
Burt smiled and clapped Kurt's shoulder. "Shall we hurry on, then?"
"We shall," Kurt grinned. With one last smile, Burt walked out of the two grand doors that separated the room they were in from the large staircase that led from the main room to the upper level. Through the doors, Kurt heard a muffled version of his father's deep voice preparing the people for Kurt's arrival.
"Everything's going to be great," Sir William assured him with a warm smile and a squeeze of his shoulder.
Kurt smiled in return and nodded slightly.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, my son, Kurt, Prince of Hummel!"
"That's my cue to go," Kurt murmured and swallowed back the butterflies that had attacked his insides. He and Sir William shared one more smile before Kurt opened the doors and walked through them to be presented.
When Kurt stepped out onto the large staircase, the partygoers erupted into applause and cheers. He smiled at them as he made his way down the stairs. His black tuxedo was a stark contrast to the white marble of the stairs, insuring that everyone's eyes were on him. Kurt looked around the room and took in his surroundings. The ballroom was decorated extravagantly, scarlet and white being the main two colors of the theme. There were tables near the walls of the room, some had heaps of food on them, others, drinks, and the rest were reserved for those guests that wanted to rest their legs.
"What do you think?" Burt asked when he came up behind his son.
"It's lovely," Kurt said with an approving smile. "…what do I do now?"
"Mingle, as you usually would, and wait for those brave enough to ask you to dance. I'm sure there will be a line out the door," Burt said with a wink, "Don't forget to say hello to your grandmother, as well."
"Will do, Father," Kurt promised and the two parted ways. Looking around again, Kurt saw his best friend, Mercedes, Duchess of Jones. "Mercedes, my dear!" He called out as he approached her and who he assumed to be her date.
"Kurt!" She greeted and pulled him into a hug. "Finally the big 1-8. How's it feel?"
"Not much different than what I was feeling yesterday," he shrugged and offered his hand to the boy standing next to Mercedes. "Hello," he smiled.
"Good evening, Prince Kurt," the boy replied and shook Kurt's hand. "It's an honor to meet you. I'm Samuel, Earl of Evans, also Mercedes' date. Might I say, you look absolutely dashing."
"Quite a charmer, aren't you?" Kurt said teasingly and winked at Mercedes. "A real keeper, 'Cedes."
Mercedes laughed, "He sure is."
"Well, you must catch me up on what's been going on in your life as soon as possible," Kurt told her, "But alas, I must go 'mingle' with others before I get scolded for being anti-social. I'll see you later?"
"You definitely will, white boy," Mercedes said with a smile and kissed Kurt's cheek.
"It was a pleasure to meet you," Kurt said to Sam.
"The pleasure was all mine," Sam said with a smile, causing Kurt to blush slightly. He gave them one last smile before continuing on and finding others to socialize with. He didn't have to go far because a teenage boy, much taller than him and much broader than him, stepped into his path.
"Hello, Prince Kurt," the large boy greeted with a bright smile.
"Hello," Kurt said with a smile of his own.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Finn, Duke of Hudson, and I would like to ask you to dance."
Finn held a hand out to Kurt, and the smaller boy felt a wave of excitement flow through him. Oh my God, what do I do now? How am I supposed to act? What if he doesn't like me after he talks to me? Oh God, he must think I'm a fool! Kurt tore himself out of his thoughts and jerked his head up and down in nod. "I, um, yes, please, let's dance," he finally answered and placed his hand into Finn's. The taller boy graced him with a grin and led them onto the dance floor.
"I should warn you now… I'm not a very good dancer," Finn told him when they stepped onto the dance floor. "My mother even goes as far as to say I have two left feet."
Kurt laughed and felt the nerves had bundled in him dissipate. "It's quite alright," he assured and placed one hand on Finn's shoulder and let Finn take the other one in his own hand. Finn's other hand found its way to Kurt's hip, and Kurt smiled at how warm it felt. "I'm sure you're just fine."
Kurt was wrong, so very wrong. After their dance, Kurt's shoes were scuffed and his toes hurt, two people had been accidentally knocked over by Finn's rather large frame, and there were many others who had been bumped into. At the sight of Finn's bashful expression, Kurt couldn't be mad. "That was… fun," he commented and laughed when Finn turned bright red.
"I warned you…"
"Don't be embarrassed, you gave it character," Kurt assured and mentally patted himself on the back for being so diplomatic.
"Tha-"
"Finn, are you trying to get it in?" Another teenage boy came up to Kurt and Finn, making very suggestive motions with his hips, and Kurt just went wide-eyed and nodded slowly at him.
"Puck," Finn warned with narrowed eyes, "This is Prince Kurt."
"...right, I know," Puck said with an eyebrow raised, "We just saw him walk down that huge ass staircase."
Finn sighed and gave up on his friend. "Prince Kurt, this is Noah, Earl of Puckerman, known to everyone as Puck."
"Pleased to meet you," Kurt said with a strained smile and offered his hand. "And please, call me Kurt, the both of you."
"What's up, hot stuff?" Puck smirked and bypassed Kurt's hand to snake an arm around Kurt's shoulders. Kurt stood there stiffly, feeling quite uncomfortable. Both of the boys were rather attractive—Finn, in a boy-next-door, star quarterback, sweetheart way, and Puck, in a bad-boy, I-don't-care-if-you-don't-like-me-or-my-mohawk way, but Kurt wasn't feeling at ease with Puck's arm around him, and Kurt could only imagine that the more time he spent with Finn, the more he'd see of Puck.
"Um, well, I have to go… interact and such… with other people, so um, well, if you'd excuse me," Kurt tried to excuse himself as politely as possible and began to walk away, but Finn stopped him with a hand on his bicep.
"No, wait! Puck is just joking, he's engaged already," Finn explained, and Kurt smiled nicely at his attempt, but shook his head slightly.
"Really, I have to go and meet with others. Perhaps we'll speak again later in the night?" Kurt appeased and took a hold of Finn's hand to give it a light squeeze. Finn nodded slightly and let go of Kurt's arm. As Kurt walked away, he caught some of Puck and Finn's conversation:
"Dude! What the hell?"
"What? I was trying to help you out!"
"...by humping the air?"
"Whatever…"
Kurt laughed quietly to himself at the exchange before going around to people he knew to greet them. He was just walking away from his grandmother and her cheek-pinching when a young man stopped him.
"Good evening, Prince Kurt. May I have the pleasure of having this dance?" He asked and Kurt agreed with a smile.
"May I have your name?" Kurt asked as he followed the other man to the dance floor, their arms linked together.
"Of course, my apologies. I'm Mike, Prince of Chan **CHECK LAST NAME**," Mike said with a smile and took Kurt in his arms when they reached the dance floor, immediately leading them into a waltz.
"My, you can certainly move well," Kurt commented as they glided around the other couples.
Mike chuckled in agreement, "Well, I've been taking lessons since I could walk," he told him, "I would hope that they've paid off."
"They most definitely have," Kurt affirmed with a smile. They danced around the floor for two songs, laughing and talking, before both agreeing to take a break. The two of them got a drink and a plate of food before sitting down at a table near the wall.
"So you really like dancing?" Kurt asked when they were seated. They were sitting at a smaller table, on either side of it.
"Yeah, it's great fun. What about you, what do you like to do?"
And the two of them led an amicable conversation as they ate. The more they spoke, however, the more Kurt thought about how well Mike would get along with his friend, Tina. He didn't mention it, though, not yet… he would tell Tina about him first and see what she wanted to do.
Mike and Kurt parted ways when another boy came up and asked Kurt to dance, and a domino effect seemed to have taken place because each time Kurt was done dancing with one boy, he was asked to dance by another. By the time he got a chance to sit down, Kurt was ready to go to bed and sleep the rest of his birthday away.
After he regained some energy, he got up and walked over to balcony for some fresh air. He stepped out and took a deep breath of the crisp night air as leaned against the railing and looked out onto the backyard. All of the flowers, trees, and shrubs looked elegant and delicate in the light of the full moon. He looked up at the sky and took in the stars and constellations, the moonlit clouds, and the moon right in the middle of it all.
"Enjoying the view?" A voice asked from behind him and Kurt turned around to see who it was. "I love the night time, myself."
"Yes, it does have a certain appeal about it," Kurt answered and looked the stranger up and down. He was wearing a simple black tuxedo, as many of the other male guests were. He had had gelled down curls and a strong jawline that had the hints of five o'clock shadow. The moonlight caught his eyes in just the right way and showcased the hazel of his irises.
Kurt was captivated.
"I'm Blaine, by the way, Prince of Anderson," the stranger, Blaine, stated. "And you, you're the man of the hour, aren't you?"
Kurt grinned and nodded slightly, a bit of red coloring his cheeks. "Yes, that's me. Um, I'm pleased to meet you," he said softly and held his hand out.
"Same goes for you," Blaine smiled and took his hand to bring it up to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it. Kurt swooned, his knees nearly buckling. His cheeks were burning by now, and he couldn't think of anything to say.
"Um, well, I, uh, I, uh, I like your tie," he floundered, then mentally kicked himself. What the hell are you saying, Kurt? His TIE? ...really? You are so smooth, just a regular ole smooth dog. What is wrong with you?
"Why, thank you," Blaine chuckled, "I'm sorry to say I didn't pick it out. My sister did. She doesn't trust my fashion sense, unfortunately."
Kurt chuckled, grateful that Blaine didn't find him to utterly weird and stupid. "That truly is unfortunate. Fashion sense is a very important thing to have, and if you're lacking… well, at least you have a sister."
Blaine grinned and rolled his eyes. "Not all of us can be born to pick clothes out as well as you do, I suppose."
"It's quite difficult to mess up a black tuxedo," Kurt said with a smirk. "I can't even imagine how one can."
"Well, I can't help if I like eccentric ties," Blaine defended and made a face at the tie he was wearing. "This is too… plain."
Kurt made a contemplative sound and took the tie between his fingers and ran them down the length of it, causing Blaine to blush and watch as his tie was caressed by Kurt's pale hand, but Kurt was oblivious. "Perhaps a touch of glitter to catch the eye, hm?"
Blaine cleared his throat his throat and brought his eyes back to meet Kurt's blue ones. "Um, actually, I was thinking more a bright color, maybe a pattern as well."
Kurt scoffed and shook his head, imagining a bright pink tie with neon green and yellow polka dots and plaid to top it off. "Thank God your sister took over then. I could only imagine the atrocity that you would have chosen."
"Yeah, it's probably for the best," Blaine chuckled softly and walked forward to lean against the railing of the balcony, his hand brushing lightly against Kurt's to encourage him to follow.
"Is the party not entertainment enough for you?" Kurt joked as he copied Blaine's stance against the railing.
"Oh, it is. The music is excellent, and the food is to die for," Blaine complimented, turning his head so that he could see Kurt's profile in the moonlight, "But I'd rather be out here."
"And why is that?" Kurt asked, turning his head. He was surprised to see Blaine was already looking at him. It caused him to smile shyly and turn his head back towards the moon.
Blaine smirked at Kurt's reaction and took a half step closer to him. "Is there a better way to get a moment alone with you? You're quite popular."
That comment had Kurt blushing and looking down at the garden. "Not… not really. I, just, uh, well, um, uh, no, I guess, this is the best place for a quiet moment."
"You're also quite adorable," Blaine added and turned so that his body was facing Kurt and his hip was pressed against the railing. "I would think that you'd be used to this all attention by now."
"Um, uh, well, no… my father's quite protective," Kurt explained and blushed even brighter. "But, well, tonight, eighteenth birthday and all… well, you know."
"Sort of. My sister had the whole presentation thing, but I didn't because I'm a guy and all… how did you pull this off?"
"Well, I told my father that I wanted a chance to meet my future husband, just like any girl would have, and he said 'okay,' and now, here we are," Kurt explained simply and turned his head to look at Blaine. "It doesn't hurt that I have my father wrapped around my finger," he added with an innocent smile.
Blaine laughed and put a hand on Kurt's forearm, squeezing it lightly. "Well, that never hurts."
"Yeah," Kurt said softly, his eyes stuck on Blaine's hand on his forearm. "But, um, uh, it's been done before," he said, tearing his eyes away to meet Blaine's. "It doesn't happen often, but it's not all that uncommon. I'm not a trendsetter or anything."
"You've done your research," Blaine chuckled and slid his hand down Kurt's arm to his hand to cover it with his own. "You're thorough, I like it."
"Um, thank you, I try," Kurt said through a soft laugh. "Now, how about you tell me something about yourself."
And so the two of them continued to talk, learning about each other and discovering their similarities, as well as their differences. They talked for hours until Kurt's phone vibrated in his pocket.
It was a text from Mercedes: boy ur trippin if u think u can disappear like this and have no 1 notice! show ur pretty face b4 ur dad starts flippin tables. Kurt gasped when he saw the timestamp—it was a quarter to midnight. The party would be ending soon.
"Something wrong?" Blaine asked at Kurt's gasp.
"It's almost midnight! We've been out here for nearly three hours, my father must be so angry, I haven't even greeted half the guests, oh dear," Kurt muttered quickly as he rushed to the doors, but Blaine grabbed his hand and stopped him.
"Wait, Kurt, I have one more question," Blaine said, his eyes sparkling with amusement and adoration.
"Ask me inside!" Kurt told him and dragged Blaine with him as he went through the doors and into the ballroom. His father spotted him immediately and began walking toward him, more force in his step than usual.
"Kurt, where have you been? You had me worried… do you have any idea how long you've been gone? Your grandmother's been looking for you for hours!" Burt scolded, not even noticing that Blaine was right next to Kurt or that their hands were clasped together.
"I'm sorry, Father, but I went to get a breath of fresh air, and I met Blaine, and we lost track of time, and I know I shouldn't just disappear like that, but I honestly didn't mean it!" Kurt defended, a hint of a whine in his tone.
Blaine just smiled and extended his right hand to Burt. "Good evening, sir. My apologies for distracting Kurt for so long. We honestly didn't realize that the time had gone by so quickly."
Burt relaxed a bit at hearing that and took Blaine's hand to shake it firmly. "All that talking and you haven't asked my boy to dance yet?" Kurt blushed and rolled his eyes at his father.
"Well, um, no not yet. I was about to, but, well, we got interrupted," Blaine said sheepishly and turned to Kurt. "Kurt, may I have this dance?" He held out his hand for Kurt to take.
"Certainly," Kurt grinned and put his hand into Blaine's. "I'll see you later, Father."
"No funny business, you two," Burt warned playfully and watched as Blaine led his son onto the dance floor.
Blaine was slightly shorter than Kurt, but he didn't mind that. He placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder while Blaine took his other hand in his own. Blaine's other hand found its place on the small of Kurt's back, pulling him close. Kurt blushed at how close their bodies were but didn't pull away and let Blaine lead them.
"Well, aren't you forward?" Kurt teased, and it only caused Blaine to smirk and pull him closer.
"I just want to make sure I get my point across," Blaine murmured into Kurt's ear, pulling a shiver out of him.
"And, um, what point is that?" Kurt asked breathily, his own grip on Blaine tightening slightly.
"That I like you," Blaine murmured and pulled his head away slightly so that he could lock eyes with Kurt. "I like you a lot," he repeated with a small smile.
Kurt's cheeks flared red as he smiled in return. "Oh, is that your point? And here I thought you just wanted to get into my pants."
Blaine laughed and shook his head at the notion. "No, no, not just yet. I'm an old-fashioned boy," he told him and slowed their dancing down as the song came to an end.
"Well, you are just every father's wet dream," Kurt joked and stilled his movements. The other couples that were dancing were slowly leaving the dance floor to retrieve their coats and other belongings, but Kurt didn't want Blaine to leave just yet.
"Oh, am I?" Blaine smirked and let go of Kurt's hand so that both his hands were on the small of Kurt's back.
"Yes, you're the perfect gentleman," Kurt told him and laced his fingers behind Blaine's neck. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that?"
"I may have heard it before," Blaine shrugged slightly and let his gaze drift from Kurt's eyes to his lips quickly. He licked his own lips before averting his gaze back to his eyes. "And, being the perfect gentleman that I am, I have to ask… may I kiss you?"
Kurt grinned brightly and nodded ever so slightly. "Of course."
Blaine smiled in return and closed the space between them. He pressed his lips against Kurt's softly and hesitantly, and Kurt made the softest of sounds in the back of his throat. He enjoyed the feeling of Blaine's dry lips against his own soft ones, how their lips seemed to fit perfectly into place, how his heart pounded from Blaine being so close, how the rest of the world disappeared. When they separated, the fog around both of their minds lifted and they were greeted with a cheering audience and a wolf-whistle that Kurt was sure came from Mercedes.
Kurt laughed at all the attention and hid his blushing face in the crook of Blaine's neck, reveling in the vibrations he felt from Blaine's own laughter.
"I think we have the approval of the crowd," Blaine joked and slid his hands down Kurt's arm to hold onto his hands.
"What makes you think that?" Kurt joked and pulled his head away, shyly meeting Blaine's eyes. "How about I escort you to your car, hm?" he asked, wanting to get away from everyone's eyes on them.
"Sounds excellent," Blaine murmured and led them to the closet to retrieve his coat. Afterwards, they went outside and waited for Blaine's driver to come up to the front.
"So, um, we'll talk tomorrow?" Kurt asked, hope evident in his voice.
Blaine smiled and blushed slightly as he looked down at his feet. "Actually, I was thinking I could, possibly, text you tonight… before you go to bed?"
Kurt's face lit up in a grin as he nodded eagerly. "That would be even better! …I mean, what a swell idea," he corrected when he realized how excited he sounded.
Chuckling, Blaine leaned forward to place a kiss on Kurt's cheek. "I'll try not to text you as soon as I get in the car."
"Well… I wouldn't exactly mind…" Kurt murmured, looking around innocently, all the while blushing from the simple kiss.
"If you insist, then," Blaine grinned. "Oh, my car's here," he announced as his driver pulled up beside him. "I'll talk to you soon?"
"You better," Kurt smiled and shyly leaned in to kiss Blaine's cheek, but at the last minute, Blaine turned his head and their lips met instead. It was short kiss, sweet and chaste, a perfect way to say good night. The two of them were grinning when they pulled apart.
"Good night," Blaine said as he got inside the car.
"Good night," Kurt repeated and watched as Blaine closed the door, and his driver drove away. He sighed happily, and then turned and went around bidding good night to all of his other guests.
He thought he was walking on clouds with how light his body felt. Everybody noticed how he appeared to be glowing and congratulated him on turning eighteen—and on finding someone that made him smile like that.
Mercedes was the only that commented on his nonstop texting.
"Boy, your fingers are going to fall right off at the rate you're going!" She teased after she gave him a hug. "Exactly who are you texting?"
"...Blaine," Kurt blushed and Mercedes grinned.
"Is that the absolutely dapper boy you disappeared with for hours?"
"...maybe."
"Ooh, Kurt, I want deets, ASAP! I mean it! Call me tomorrow and we need to have a bonding sesh, this weekend, my place."
"Of course," Kurt laughed and pulled his best friend in for another hug.
"And you better still be innocent," she added and Kurt turned three shades of red all the way up to his ears.
"Mercedes! You know that I would never put out on the first date, let alone the first meeting!" He replied, acting appalled that she would even think of such a thing.
"I know," Mercedes laughed, "I'm just checking up on you, y'know, you're a teenage boy…"
"Oh shush," He chuckled, "Your car's here, thank the Lord."
"You love me," She grinned and got in.
"Wait! Where's Sam?" He called out, stopping the driver before he closed the door for her.
"We came separately so that no rumors would get started. We're just friends, and I plan on letting everyone know that," she told him, then blew him a kiss. "Now good night!"
"Good night, 'Cedes," he said with a smile and watched as the driver closed the door, went around the car to get in, and drove off.