NYADA graduation was looming, at least for Kurt. Rachel was a year behind him thanks to her Broadway and TV escapades, and Blaine was almost done with his first year at NYU. Rachel had started not coming home at night about twice a week these days. When Kurt finally got an answer out of her she admitted that she was seeing someone, but she wouldn't say who.

"I don't want you to pre-judge," Rachel explained.

"Please, I'm not Santana," Kurt replied, referencing the time Santana had gotten involved in Rachel's love life during their first year in New York. Though to be fair to Santana it had been for the best.

"Just drop it," Rachel told him firmly. Kurt would definitely not have dropped it, if it wasn't for the knock at the front door. Blaine was due home any minute now, but why would he knock?

When Kurt opened the door, very surprised was an great understatement for his emotional state.

"Hey little bro-in-law," Cooper greeted Kurt by pointing at him.

"Ah hi," Kurt answered stunned. Had Blaine forgotten to mention his brother was coming to visit? Or was this Cooper's interpretation of the general invite he'd received over the phone during Kurt and Blaine's honeymoon?

Cooper walked right into the apartment, and past Kurt, as he looked around.

"All three of you live here?" Cooper asked though with more disbelief than actual curiosity. "It's so small."

"We are students," Kurt reminded his brother-in-law.

"Right," Cooper said sharply, clapping his hands together. "So I'm in town filming a series of new commercials for a major car dealership, though I can't tell you which one until the commercials air." He winked before he continued. "And then I remembered that Blaine lives here now too! So I thought I'd look you guys up."

"You could have called," Kurt pointed out, still blindsided by his brother-in-law's appearance. The last time he'd seen Cooper had been during his senior year in Ohio. Talk about your flash from the past.

"And miss the looks of joy on your faces when you see me!" Cooper exclaimed dramatically. Then Cooper turned his attention back to the room, as if judging every piece of furniture. Kurt really hoped Blaine got home soon.

"Kurt did I hear-" Rachel began then as she turned the corner she saw Cooper. "Oh hi."

"Hello," Cooper said, silkily walking towards Rachel and taking her hand he kissed her knuckles.

"She has a boyfriend," Kurt snapped.

"Doesn't bother me," Cooper replied. Kurt observed for a moment how very different Cooper and Blaine were. Even discounting all the obvious personality differences, Cooper was such a player while Blaine had proposed to Kurt in high school! How did such polar opposite siblings had the same parents? Maybe Cooper was adopted.

"It will definitely bother Jesse though," Rachel replied , then suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Jesse!" Kurt yelled, totally forgetting the other Cooper shaped crisis in favour of the Rachel dating her backstabbing ex crisis. "You're dating Jesse!? Mr. Make-Breakfast-On-Your-Face Jesse!"

"Crap," Rachel yelled. Cooper was just looking back and forth between them, clearly enjoying the show.

And it was at that exact moment,Blaine walked in through the front door.

"Sorry," Blaine began absently as he closed the door. "Class ran long. Professor Smith-" But he didn't bother finishing the sentence when his eyes landed on Cooper.

"Blainie!" Cooper shouted throwing his hands up and walking quickly across the room to hug his brother. Blaine took the hug, probably more out of shock than anything else.

"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked confused.

"Well you said you'd come see me," Cooper replied, cooly. "And you didn't."

"You didn't answer any of my texts!" Blaine replied.

"I was filming besides you didn't invite me to your wedding," Cooper counted.

"We didn't know about the wedding until minutes before," Blaine yelled back. "We didn't invite anyone!"

"Mom was there," Cooper argued.

"Yes, because the crazy women, who locked us up in an elevator until we made out and sprung a wedding on us, invited her!"

"Okay wait what?" Cooper asked laughing. "Hold the phone. Crazy who now?" And just like that the tension was gone; both brothers were laughing.

"It's a long story," Blaine chuckled. "It's good to see you Coop." And they hugged again. Kurt was very confused, but at the same time this scene made him miss Finn even more. The brotherly bond, whether blood or not, was something to be cherished.

"That's my cue to leave," Rachel laughed.

"I don't like Jesse!" Kurt called after her, but she just smiled and waved as she left the apartment. Kurt made a mental note to have this out with Rachel later.

"Wait Rachel is dating Jesse again?" Blaine asked when Rachel was gone.

"Yes," Kurt said sharply.

"That's who she's been seeing all this time?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded. "All the nights she's been gone?"

"Yes," Kurt confirmed.

"Damn," Blaine said. "I did not see that coming."

"So who's Jesse?" Cooper asked.

"Another long story," Kurt sighed.

"Well somebody better start talking then," Cooper laughed, casually taking a seat on their couch. "Two long stories and I only just got here."

Hanging out with his brother-in-law turned out to be a fun afternoon. They both enjoyed recounting stories for Cooper and he rejoiced in bragging about his new commercial. Kurt watched Blaine's face for signs that Cooper was upsetting him, but found none. In fact, Blaine seemed to be genuinely happy to spend time with his brother and Kurt was glad.

"I'm in town a couple days for filming," Cooper informed them as he bid them goodbye. Their adventure having ending outside on the streets of New York. "I'll try and come by again."

"Notice how he didn't say 'I'll phone ahead'," Kurt laughed, once Cooper was out of earshot.

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, with a light chuckle. "You know," he added casually. "I remember being a little jealous when you first met Coop. You said he was the sexiest man in America or something and I was so happy when he left."

"You don't seem that way now," Kurt noticed.

"We aren't in high school anymore," Blaine replied. "And I put a ring on your finger." He grinned, turning to Kurt.

"Oh yes, because before the ring, there was a very good chance of your brother stealing me away," Kurt laughed. He was glad to see Blaine accept the teasing easily. The last thing Kurt wanted was for his teasing to be taken seriously. He knew Cooper could be a sensitive topic with Blaine sometimes and Kurt had to admit that if Cooper was his brother he might feel the same way. Together they walked hand in hand back home.

"Movie?" Blaine asked, when they walked inside the apartment.

"On one condition," Kurt grinned. "We get ready for bed first."

"Deal," Blaine laughed and the two of them headed to the bathroom to wash up before cuddling up on the couch together, Kurt absently running his fingers through his husbands silky smooth curls.

"That's what you were after isn't it?" Blaine smiling, one side of his mouth turning up at the corner more than the other.

"Maybe," Kurt replied, smiling as he pointedly continued stroking Blaine's soft clean hair.

"I can't believe I was ever nervous to show you my gel-free hair," Blaine laughed.

"I remember you didn't even want to go to prom without gel in your hair," Kurt chuckled.

"That and I kept sleeping in the stuff when we first moved in together," Blaine added. Kurt was surprised, ignoring the movie he turned to his husband.

"I didn't know that," Kurt whispered. "I thought you just liked sleeping like that."

"I didn't dislike it," Blaine shrugged.

"But there was more to this?" Kurt observed.

"Yeah," Blaine mumbled. "It's silly though."

"Didn't we agree silly or not we tell each other everything?" Kurt reminded his husband.

Blaine took a deep breath, telling it out in a sigh before he mumbled, "I didn't want to wake up with bed hair while you were sleeping next to me. I wanted to look my best for you."

"Silly indeed," Kurt smiled. "You look sexy with messy hair." Blaine pulled him in for a kiss before they settled back down to watch the movie.

"Also I hated the feel of that gel against my skin!" Kurt chuckled, a moment later. He remembered how uncomfortable it was to have dry hair gel pressed up against his chin all night.

"And my hair is happier," Blaine laughed with him. Kurt continued his slow stroking of Blaine's hair as the movie played. Which mean Blaine was fast asleep before the credits rolled.

When Rachel arrived home the next day Kurt was determined to give her a lecture about dating a guy who'd once played with her emotions to win a show choir competition.

"I don't want to hear it, Kurt," Rachel said when Kurt opened his mouth.

"But-" Kurt started, however Rachel held up her hand to silence him.

"None of your business," she replied.

"My best friend dating a jerk is my buisness," Kurt argued.

"He isn't a jerk," Rachel replied. "In fact he may have been why I got into NYADA the first time."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"He spoke to Carmen on my behalf at Nationals," Rachel said firmly.

"And I'm guessing he told you this?" Kurt asked, disbelieving.

"Actually Carmen did," Rachel replied. "Jesse just confirmed it." She sighed then turned to face Kurt. "Look, changed a lot since high school, we both have. He's sorry for what he did and we are having a good time, okay."

"Just so long as you are careful," Kurt said cautiously. "And I still say you got into NYADA on talent not endorsements from competitors."

"Still they say praise from one's competition is the highest praise of all," Rachel replied, smiling in that way she did that made Kurt remember the vain person she'd been when they'd met.

"On second thought," Kurt added. "Maybe it would do your ego good to get eggs thrown at your face again. Might help make you more likeable."

She laughed, "Is that so, well maybe we need to have another diva off to find out."

"You pick the song," Kurt said. "I'll be there."

The playful threats were just that, playful and between friends. The two of them did end up singing their way through their afternoon chores though. Blaine joined in when he realized there was no stopping them from putting show tunes to laundry.

Over the next few months Rachel spent more and more time with Jesse, but it wasn't until Rachel called both her roommates together to give them her big 'news', that Kurt started to worry.

"Jesse asked me to move in with him," Rachel exclaimed, smiling hugely.

"You guys haven't even been dating six months," Kurt reminded her.

"So?" Rachel asked.

"So it's kind of a big step really fast don't ya think?" Kurt asked.

Rachel took a deep breath before speaking.

"I love both of you," Rachel started. "And I'm so glad I got to live with you, but I need to be a little selfish here. I know I am settling for Jesse, and I know that is something neither of you can understand because you have each other, but I lost my soulmate and I'm lonely. No matter who I choose I will be settling for them because I can't choose Finn."

And Kurt suddenly understood what she meant. If for some reason Blaine was beyond his grasp, no other love would, or could compare.

"Jesse is good to me and I need to move out," Rachel said. "He asked and I said yes. It's that simple." And Kurt thought for the first time what it must be like for Rachel to be around a happy couple all the time, when her happy ending had been so cruelly ripped away.

"Alright," Kurt said softly into the silence, then continued with more energy, "But if he ever so much as looks at eggs wrong…" Rachel laughed and both Blaine and Kurt got up to hug her. It was one giant group hug or rather one giant Rachel sandwich, with Blaine and Kurt both wrapped around her.

Kurt did manage to get Jesse's number out of Rachel's phone before the day was out and he called Jesse soon after. Kurt was all ready to make sure this guy had good intentions when Jesse disarmed him with blunt honesty.

"I love her, okay," Jesse had said. "So you don't need to be that protective best friend I know you are."

After that Kurt got on the Rachel-moves-in-with-Jesse train while he tried to forever forget the time Jesse had helped Will coach the Glee club, ripping everyone a new one as he did so. It seemed the guy had changed.

And then all of Rachel's things were gone, her suitcase by the door as she hugged them both, before walking out their door. Sure, Kurt would see her in a few days, they had a coffee date, but it wouldn't be the same.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt from behind and Kurt leaned into his husband.

"I'm going to miss our third wheel," Kurt sighed.

"Me too," Blaine said. "But just think now we could spend an entire day naked if we wanted to." Kurt almost choked on air as he started laughing.

"I would have to sterilize all the furniture," Kurt chuckled, leaning on his husband for support.

"Might be worth it," Blaine grinned at him, but Kurt shook his head.

"Windows," Kurt reminded Blaine. "And cold."

"You know when we first arrived back in New York," Blaine said thoughtfully. "I was scared of this."

"Of us?" Kurt asked stunned, turning to face Blaine.

"Oh no, no," Blaine amended. "I mean living alone with you. I was worried we'd fall apart like before."

Kurt eyed his husband, scrupulously. "You don't look worried now," he said cautiously.

"That's because I'm not," Blaine smiled with that warm love in his eyes that always made Kurt melt.

"Good," Kurt replied firmly, taking Blaine's arm and gently encouraging his husband in the direction of what was now their private bathroom.

It was strange adjusting to life without Rachel, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. In fact, after a while Kurt found he rather preferred it this way. Just him and Blaine.

So funny story... I am losing track of the days of the week... My wifi was down for two days and I could have sworn I'd already updated this story today but it turns out... I hadn't. lol. Oops! So here you go. :) Also time gaps are gonna start getting slowly longer.