How Will I Know
Part I
It shouldn't bother Kurt. And it doesn't bother Kurt. He knows that Blaine has the graveyard shift at his job, but it's only because he wants the best for Kurt. So Kurt being bothered by it is just him being selfish, but when it's been three weeks without more than three nights together, he knows it's time for an intervention.
He's leaning against the kitchen counter, inspecting the smooth planes of his boyfriend's face, arms crossed, back cooled by the granite. Blaine looks up, amber eyes warm and wide. "Do you want to go out for dinner sometime soon? Maybe in a day or two? Hopefully tomorrow?"
Kurt knows he'll sound rude when he answers, but he has to. "Only if you promise to stay."
A look of confusion crosses Blaine's face, and his nose scrunches up. "If I promise to stay?"
"It's been three weeks, Blaine," Kurt sighs, rolling his eyes. "Three weeks without …," he hesitates because he doesn't want to sound needy, but then he repeats the words in his head and knows he just has to say it; they might be older, but Blaine can still be entirely clueless about what Kurt wants, "sex. Not even that. Forget about that. It's been three weeks without any late night cuddling as some sappy musical plays on the TV. Three weeks without waking up next to you and being filled with nothing but love. Three weeks without knowing you're here to stay."
Blaine's eyebrows raise, and his mouth opens up in an 'o'. "I'm sorry," he stutters, honey eyes wide, but then his apologetic expression deepens, "but, Kurt, you know I'm busy. I'm really sorry." He takes a careful step towards Kurt, "I love you," on his lips, but Kurt holds up his hand.
"Make your job take a break, or that's what we'll do instead," and Kurt knows, he knows, it's a bit much, a bit too dramatic, but he knows that sometimes being dramatic is the only way to get Blaine to understand.
There's a shocked silence before Blaine's unreasonably endearing, triangular eyebrows are scrunching together, and his forehead is creased. His gaze is directed at the ground. "I didn't know you felt … I didn't know you feel that way." When he looks up at Kurt, it's the perfect picture of someone miserable.
Kurt sighs, this time out of sympathy, before reaching out a hand to rub his boyfriend's arm. "Honey, I love you, but it's getting out of hand."
Blaine still looks miserable.
It's not that he wants to leave Kurt like that, but New York City needs him. Sure, he has Blond Chameleon and Asian Persuasion backing him up, but Nightbird is the one that does the tough jobs.
It's not that he doesn't trust his friends, it's just that he loves saving people. Helping them. It makes him feel like he's actually changing something in the world. He's eliminating injustice, one slow-motion running montage with cape-flapping-sounds at a time.
He really does save the citizens of the large city.
Blaine remembers his first act as Nightbird like the back of his hand. It was definitely risky for someone who had never saved another person before, but he did it: he saved a little boy who had fallen off the platform as a subway came rattling down the tracks.
The boy had looked so in awe of Blaine—no, Nightbird—that ever since then, he's gone out every night under the pretense of working some late shift at a diner. He knows there's a risk of Kurt finding out about his alter ego, so he never gives Kurt the name of the made-up diner, but he always leaves his boyfriend around the same time every day. He knows that he should be honest with Kurt or let Sam or Tina take over for a week or two, but the feeling of knowing that some little kid out there in the big city sits up at night waiting for the tiniest glimpse of the great Nightbird is so addicting and exciting that he just can't stop his acts of heroism.
Things go to pot as soon as he realises his cape is ripped. It's not that he can't fix it, but the special material he uses is at Kurt's, tucked somewhere safe for the other boy's discretion on whether or not to use it in his newest design. No, Blaine can't have Kurt finding out about Nightbird. So that's when he plans it: a super secret mission to break into Kurt's apartment (which really means to use the key Kurt gave him) while Kurt is out and take the fabric before safely returning it, all of it down without Kurt knowing. He realises though that maybe Sam could it. Blaine could go on a date with Kurt, and Sam would sneak in while the two are out, taking the material and giving it to Blaine back at his own apartment.
When he brings up his genius idea to Sam, however, his best friend looks less than amused. "Blaine, I know I'm not the best guy to give advice on dating or girls … not that Kurt's a girl," his words stumble out as a blush appears on his cheeks. Blaine shakes his head and motions for Sam to continue. Sam smiles his thanks before carrying on: "so I don't know if you should completely trust me on this, but this is a terrible idea. You shouldn't lie to Kurt like this. You and me both know something will go wrong. It's best that you just tell him the truth."
Blaine deflates. "I know, Sam, I really do, but Kurt can't know."
"Well, why not? What's so bad about Kurt knowing?"
There's a long pause before Blaine shakes his head. "It's just too dangerous. Kurt can't know, and he won't know." He stands up, grabbing his keys, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall.
He's halfway out the door when Sam speaks: "I'll help you."
Blaine freezes. "What?"
"I'll help you," Sam says again, words reluctant. "Look, I know I'll probably regret this or whatever, but you're my best friend, in the most heterosexual sense, sorry," he clears his throat and continues: "so I'll back you up. But just be honest with Kurt soon, please, Blaine. Kurt's pretty strong. Maybe stronger than you think."
Blaine blinks at his friend's sudden wisdom before nodding, face splitting into a smile. "Thank you so much, Sam, and I'll … I'll try to tell Kurt, really." His smile grows some more before he's dashing out of Sam's apartment building, into the streets of good ol' NYC, heading straight for Kurt's.
When he arrives, Kurt's watching old episodes of Project Runway, laughing at one designer who's complaining about colors. There's something cooking on the stove, and the curtains are pulled back, and Blaine feels a tug of something akin to domesticity at the sight.
He realizes Kurt's glasz eyes are on him seconds later, and then that same bright smile is on his face again. "Let's have a picnic."
The words are out before he can stop them, and his face twists up in horror. He still isn't sure about Kurt's stance on parks, and suggesting a picnic might've just lead to downfall, but no, because there's Kurt, smiling back at him, blush on his cheeks. The taller man sashays over and presses a loving kiss to Blaine's lips. "Of course."
Blaine grins and grips Kurt's arms. "Let's go."
Kurt's smile falters before strengthening once more. "I'll just pack things now."
The unknown food was soup.
It was almost warmer than the feeling of Kurt cuddled up against him.
He almost forgets about Sam until he arrives back at his own living space. His friend is sitting on his couch, messing with the soft fabric. "I got it," he says after a pause. When he gets up to go, he lays a heavy hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Just don't hurt him."
Even without Sam using his name, Blaine's stomach sank.
The second slip up is while he's on a mission.
It's been two weeks since he's fixed his cape, and four weeks since Kurt threatened the ending of their is on patrol, searching for any signs of trouble when he sees it: two burly guys cornering a perfectly postured boy. Upon closer inspection, however, he sees that the cornered boy isn't a boy at all and is in fact Kurt.
His heart rate turns rapid, and he's going faster than he's ever gone. And there he is, trapped between these two huge guys, defenseless aside from what Blaine's taught him in boxing. One of the guys is backing him into a wall while the other makes sure he can't escape. Blaine wants to commit homicide. He doesn't though, and instead focusses on Kurt. When Idiot #1 pulls back Nightbird's instincts kick in, and suddenly he's there, holding the lug's fist in an iron grip, murderous look glinting in his eyes. Kurt is protected by his body, and both Blaine and Nightbird want it to stay that way. They'd both kill and they'd both die for Kurt.
Both of the men look confused at Nightbird's sudden appearance, and he uses that to his advantage, taking the other jerk by his arm, so he now has both of them in his clutches, and then they're away from Kurt, one stumbling backwards because Nightbird had thrown him towards the main street, the other turning and running away, tail tucked between his legs, at the sight of his friend being so easily tossed about.
As soon as the idiots are gone, Nightbird turns to Kurt. He's reaching out an arm before he can stop himself, looking carefully into those bright blue eyes. His gloved hand brushes against the fabric of Kurt's shirt, and Nightbird quickly retracts it. Kurt's silent. Nightbird stutters out an apologetic, "I should go," and he really is about to when Kurt is suddenly gripping his hand. Nightbird turns back around, shocked, and sees an earnest expression.
"Thank you," Kurt says, "for saving me."
Nightbird is halfway through a humble, "It's the right thing to do," when Kurt interrupts.
"I know, but that doesn't mean you have to do it. So…," and then he's staring intensely at Nightbird, and the superhero gulps. He can feel himself start to lean in and is so close, so, so close, but then there's Kurt's hand, and a soft smile on his lips. Nightbird stops, a blush rising in his cheeks and neck and probably everywhere, but Kurt just laughs and shakes his head. "I'm sure you're a great guy, and I really do appreciate what you did, but," a beautiful smile appears on his face, and his eyes fill with an emotion that both Blaine and Nightbird know to be love, and then Kurt is speaking again, "I have someone, and no superhero can take me away from them." His eyes drift down to Nightbird's legs. "No matter how good they look in spandex."
Nightbird just nods his head aggressively before blushing and stuttering a, "see you around maybe," before he's stumbling off into the chilly, NYC streets, mind still cloudy, but eyes searching for anymore danger. Hopefully, Kurt is the last person that needs to be rescued for the night. Blaine is starting to shine through Nightbird's personality, and it's never good to have a mix of his normal self and superhero self.
It's just too much risk.
DISCLAIMER: Any characters that seem to be associated with the television series Glee belong to the show's producers, directors and the actors portraying the characters. (Mainly Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, portrayed by Chris Colfer and Darren Criss. This time along with the characters Sam Evans and Tina Cohen-Chang, portrayed by Chord Overstreet and Jenna Ushkowitz.)