I held Kurt's hand all the way back to Dalton after Pavarotti's funeral. The bird cemetery on campus wasn't too far away from the dorm buildings, so we went back to my room. Kurt sat down in his favorite chair—he said comfort was the key to studying—and I began making him a cup of Earl Grey. As I sat down across from him, I heard him humming Blackbird to himself. I set down the mug on my small coffee table and took his hand again. His palms were so soft, I could easily see myself getting addicted to them in the future.

"If there's anything you need, you know I'm right here, right?" I said softly, and he put up a small smile for me.

"Yeah, thank you," he said with a nod. "I'm just not totally up to seeing Mercedes and Rachel tonight. They're going to be aglow with their victory…"

"Then so should you," I said, trying to put that positive spark back in his eyes. "Next year, we could totally beat them to nationals, or even have them as competition once we're there. Until then, I think it would be awesome to stow away in someone's suitcase and get a free ride to New York. We could crash a Broadway show, shop until we die, stay at some marvelously sparkling hotel."

Kurt chuckled, his smile finally reaching his eyes as he looked up at me, so full of admiration.

"Or we could stay here and fantasize about everything we could do in New York and totally be envious of everybody tonight," he laughed, tilting his head to the side in that adorable puppy way of his.

"Sounds perfect," I agreed. I reached up and softly pet his pale cheek with my hand which suddenly seemed so coarse against his skin. Knowing I wouldn't be able to stop touching him if I got started, I quickly let go of his hand and stood up, walking over to my closet. "I should probably start getting ready for Breadsticks. I'm guessing you'll want to stop at your house to change out of the uniform, so we should leave here early."

"Yeah…good plan." I could hear the loss and confusion in his voice even though I wasn't looking at him.

I pulled off my blazer and hung it up next to the other one in my closet. I pulled off my tie, simultaneously kicking off my shoes. With quick, practiced movements, I unbuttoned my collared shirt and pulled it off before tossing it in the hamper. I suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath from Kurt and I felt a chill on my bare shoulders. I turned around and saw his eyes quickly find the floor, a bright blush creeping up his neck and face.

"Kurt, are you embarrassed?" I said, unable to keep the amusement out of my voice.

"No…I just—I—" he stuttered, gulping rather loudly.

"You're blushing," I pointed out to him, and his mouth clamped shut. Sometimes, he was just too cute to resist. I walked over to the chair and knelt in front of him so that his eyes would have nowhere to hide. "You're adorable when you get this way."

"I look like a baby penguin again, don't I?" he said tragically, reaching up to cover his face with both hands. I laughed loudly and pried his hands away from the sight I loved so much.

"You need to stop underestimating yourself," I said. His eyes dared to find mine after quickly darting to my chest, then forcing themselves back to my face. "I know how you feel about the romance department, but maybe, someday in the future, I can help ease you into a new comfort zone. Just know that, until then, baby penguins have become the sexiest thing in the world."

He giggled in an almost breathless way and squeezed my hand, though his eyes still darted to and fro in order to avoid staring at me. There was a question in his head as he gently bit his bottom lip in the way he did when I knew he wanted to say something. This time I already knew. I stood up, still holding onto his hands, and pulled him to his feet. I walked him over to my bed and I sat down. He watched me with confusion as I moved over to the far side, leaving enough room for him to join me, should he choose to.

"We're boyfriends now, Kurt," I said, watching his eyes suddenly widen as I said the word. "I'm yours just as much as you're mine now. You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, which is why I'm just going to lie here and let you be you."

I let my head fall back onto my pillow and stretched out my legs. Looking over at Kurt, I saw how badly he wanted to indulge in what I had just offered, so I reached out for him. He accepted my invitation and sat down on the bed. He removed his blazer and tie with shaking hands, delicately setting them down on my nightstand. Then he turned back to me and slowly lowered himself onto the pillow beside mine.

I let my eyes close as his fingers carefully found my face, tracing my ears and cheeks. I knew he would be more comfortable if I wasn't watching him, but I couldn't help smirking just a little as he touched the eyebrows I had been so self-conscious of all my life. Moving his body a bit closer, I felt his lips grace mine with innocent little kisses that left me dying for more contact. He must have read my mind because he slowed down and pressed a little harder, letting our mouths fully connect with the same amount of magic and love I had put into the first kiss. At the slightest inclination from him, I parted my lips and allowed him to deepen the kiss, his tongue shyly finding mine. As he gained more confidence, his hands moved down from my neck to feel my shoulders and arms. I felt him lingering over my more prudent muscles, at the same time the kiss became just a bit more heated.

His breathing became heavier and his hands began to shake, so he stopped the kiss, though not allowing his lips to leave me. He lightly kissed the corners of my mouth, my cheeks, jaw line, eventually finding his way down my neck. I opened my eyes a little as he propped himself up on one arm to better have access to me. He stared down at my chest, hesitating as though he was forbidden to explore the new territory. He looked up at me and I smiled adoringly which seemed to comfort him. He looked back down at my body and finally let his hand rest flat against my heartbeat. He and I both watched his hand as he moved across my skin, spreading soft warmth wherever he went. Somewhere in the back of my head, I thought that he would make a great masseur and with the amount of curiosity that drove his touch, I didn't doubt that I would get to know firsthand.

Kurt seemed way more comfortable that before as he felt my collarbone with his fingers. He brought them down just a little to feel my pecs, but he didn't linger. I guessed it was because he was still a little nervous, and I had to admit, I was thankful that he was at that particular moment. I happened to be very sensitive there and I knew that I had to keep control over what was trying to happen below my pants. Kurt continued exploring, occasionally dipping his head forward to plant a kiss that I could feel even after he'd moved on. Daring to go lower, he found my abdomen which housed the ghost of a six pack yet to develop. He seemed to admire my progress though, and lingered there more than he had on my arms. He felt every line and muscle as though committing it to memory by touch of hands and lips. Then he went just a little bit lower and every muscle in my body suddenly contracted, forcing me to sit up and startling him to doing the same.

"I'm s-sorry," he said quickly, eyes wide, blush bright. "I didn't mean to…I—"

"Kurt, it's okay," I said breathlessly, offering him a smile. "I just don't think either of us are ready to go where…that would take us. We need to ease into the water, not cannonball in."

He giggled at my metaphor and wrapped his arms around my torso, letting his head rest in the crook of my neck between my chin and shoulder. I grinned to myself and gathered him in my arms, holding him close and feeling the hummingbird heartbeat that matched my own.

"Just to give you warning, I'm going to start bragging to all the girls that my boyfriend is better than theirs," Kurt said in his normal tone of confidence. I laughed, overjoyed to have him back. Seeing him sad and defeated like he was just half an hour ago…it was too strange.

"I don't mind," I told him, gently stroking his silky hair. "I'm going to be telling all the boys here that my boyfriend is hotter than any of their girlfriends."

Kurt pulled back a little in order to find my lips, kissing me with measured passion so that I was left needing more and missing him once he bounced off the bed to gather the rest of his uniform and put it on. I took a few deep breaths, thinking of cold showers and sharp kitten claws; anything to get my heart to calm down and cool the heat that was trying to gather in my groin. When I felt a little more stable, I stood up and went back over to my closet, quickly picking out an outfit and throwing it on. I knew Kurt would try to better dress me up once we got to his house, so I didn't bother putting too much thought into it. We both stood in front of my door a minute later, straightening shirts and tucking in waistbands. When he reached for the doorknob, I stopped him and he looked up at me with a frown.

"Wait, you're not finished," I said with a devilish grin. I reached up and carefully messed with his hair so he looked just as perfect as he always was, but evidently disheveled. To be fair, I messed with my own hair to add the same look. He rolled he eyes and continued out the door.

We both walked down the hallway and found our way to the Dalton main hall where most of the students were gathered for social and study time. I held Kurt's hand as we headed for the main exit. We both felt a few of the shocked stares and smiles from those who knew us better. We marched forward with pride, wearing each other on our arms.

A/N: Reviews, pretty please? Even if it's just to say high or scream nonsense at me, I'm addicted to them ^.^