Author's Note: This chapter is on the longer side of what's normal for this story, so hopefully that makes you happy :) I rather like the chapter and I hope you do too.

Oh, and wahoo for New York!

-SQ

Disclaimer: Doesn't it kind of insult your intelligence that we say we don't own it at the beginning of every chapter? I mean, I know we have to do it, but really.

Chapter Ten: Lunch Date

"So, Blaine…" said Kurt as he pulled the car up in front of his house.

"So what?" said Blaine warily, eyeing his boyfriend. The younger boy was wearing a sly kind of smile that Blaine did not like one little bit.

"Yesterday was Saturday," said Kurt.

"Yes," said Blaine. "It was."

"Which means that today is Sunday."

"Yes…"

"Which means that we are supposed to go out to lunch and you are supposed to pay."

Blaine laughed.

"Ah yes, that was the arrangement, wasn't it?" He leaned forward over Finn's shoulder. "Sorry, Finn, but I'm afraid this is about to turn into a private party."

"No problem, dude," said Finn, quickly exiting the car and giving up his seat to Blaine. "He's all yours. You guys rock, but there's only so much gay I can take at once and I've pretty much reached my limit."

Kurt stuck his tongue out at his step-brother.

"You'd better be careful, making comments like that, Mr."

"Hey, I said you guys rocked!"

Blaine watched the banter and couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

"Are you guys going to be at this for long?" he asked. "Because I can come back later…"

He made to leave the car, but Kurt pulled him back inside.

"You're not going anywhere except out to lunch," he said. "With me." He turned back to Finn, his hand still clamped around Blaine's arm.

"See you later, Finn." It was clearly a dismissal.

"Later, bro," Finn agreed.

Finn went into the house and Blaine shut the car door.

"So, where do you want to go?"

Kurt shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't actually eat out very often. And when I do it's usually at Breadstix or the mall. Or the Lima bean with you of course, but that's hardly lunch food."

"Well, if you trust me with your care I can surprise you," said Blaine.

Kurt pursed his lips.

"Alright…" he said finally, "but you'd better be very careful, Blaine Anderson!"

He handed the keys almost reverently to Blaine and they switched places.

"How do you know somewhere in Lime, anyway?" asked Kurt, his hand resting on Blaine's knee as they drove.

"My dad used to take us there when I was little," said Blaine, smiling at the contact of Kurt's hand on his knee. Why had he taken so damn long to get together with this boy? "My mom, my older brother, and me. It's been years, but I think I still remember where it is."

Blaine did remember where it was. As he pulled the car into the parking lot Kurt's jaw fell open.

"Blaine," he squeaked. "We can't eat here!"

Blaine looked at him.

"Why not? Don't you like it?"

"It's not that, I—I'm not dressed for it!"

"Don't worry," said Blaine, killing the engine and getting out of the car. "We're dressed fine; formal attire isn't required, you just have to not look like a bum. And trust me," he added, letting his eyes briefly appreciate the sight of Kurt dressed in his clothes, you don't look like a bum."

Kurt, however, remained in the car, staring at the entrance to the high-end restaurant.

Blaine went around to the passenger side, opened the door, and held his hand out to his boyfriend.

"Come on, Kurt. Aren't you hungry?"

Kurt didn't budge.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"Blaine…" said Kurt quietly. "I can't…I can't afford to eat here."

"Oh Kurt," said Blaine, bending down to give the younger boy a hug. "Baby, don't worry about it. I brought you here, it's my treat. We agreed that I'd pay, remember?"

"No, Blaine, I can't let you—"

"Kurt, I want to," said Blaine. "This is still part of my apology to you for being a jerk."

"Yeah, but I thought it'd be at, like, a diner or something," said Kurt. "Not at some place like this. I—I'll never be able to take you out to somewhere as nice as this."

"Kurt, baby," said Blaine, "I don't care. Where we go doesn't matter as long as I'm with you." He lifted Kurt's hands and kissed both his palms in turn. "I'd really like for you to come into the restaurant with me, but we can go somewhere else if you want."

"No, if you want to eat here we'll eat here."

"Are you sure?" said Blaine. "It's your choice. This is your day, okay?"

"I know," said Kurt. "I just—I hate having less money than everyone else at Dalton."

"Oh Kurt," said Blaine again, tightening his arms around his boyfriend's slim shoulders. "I didn't know it bothered you so much. None of us even think about it. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"Kurt, you are so lucky; you have a loving father, a wonderful step-mother, a frickin' awesome brother… I'd give up all my family's dumb money to have a family like yours."

Kurt sniffled

"It's just—we can barely pay the tuition at Dalton as it is. My Dad and Carole had to give up their honeymoon for it. And I don't want to be taking charity from you."

"What? No! Kurt, it's not charity. I'm buying you lunch because you're my boyfriend. It has nothing to do with how much money either of us has. God." Blaine rubbed his forehead. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Kurt sniffled again and Blaine wiped a couple of escaped tears way with is thumbs.

"Shhh."

"I know you didn't mean to make me feel bad," said Kurt finally. "Lunch?"

Blaine smiled.

"Here or somewhere else?"

"Here is good."

Blaine took Kurt's hands again and pulled him up and out of the car. Kurt's arms went around him and his cheek pressed against Blaine's shoulder. Blaine squeezed him in return.

"You're precious, you know that?" he murmured.

"Mmhmm," said Kurt impishly.

Blaine rolled his eyes and released his boyfriend.

"No more tears?"

"No more tears," Kurt agreed.

"Then come on, precious, let's go in, I'm starving!"

Kurt and Blaine entered the restaurant, waited for the waiter to seat them, and then picked up their menus.

"Wow," said Kurt. "There are so many choices! How am I ever going to make up my mind?"

"Take your time," said Blaine, perusing his menu. "And don't worry about the price," he added sternly. "Since I have access to part of the stupid Anderson miniature fortune I might as well get some use out of it."

Kurt smiled.

"It's times like these I have a hard time remembering you're not perfect."

"Believe me, I'll give you plenty of reasons to remember it soon enough," Blaine assured him. He reached across the table and took Kurt's hand. "Decided what you want yet?"

"Not yet."

"It would help if you read your menu."

"You're distracting me."

Blaine smirked.

"I'm riveting like that."

"I'm hungry."

"Me too."

"Then if you'd kindly let me decide on something so that we can order…"

Eventually Kurt settled on a raspberry, walnut, and feta cheese salad while Blaine ordered a steak and a large order of garlic bread, which he insisted that Kurt share with him.

"Blaine do you know how bad for you that stuff is?" demanded Kurt. "Plus it makes your breath smell."

"But you know it's delicious," said Blaine.

Kurt rolled his eyes and took a slice of garlic bread.

"You are such a bad influence on me, Blaine Anderson."

*****BB*****

Kurt and Blaine were laughing over their shared dessert, a decadent and ridiculously large slice of chocolate fudge cake soaked in rum and drizzled with caramel, when one of the head waiters came over to their table.

"Excuse me, sirs," he said, "but I have received several complaints from some of our other patrons that you have been behaving inappropriately, and I am going to have to ask you to leave the premises."

"What?" said Kurt. "What do you mean, 'behaving inappropriately'?"

"Your conduct does not reflect the image we want to portray at our establishment," said the waiter stiffly, his tone heavy with disapproval. "This is a family restaurant and on behalf of the other patrons we must request that you leave and do not come back."

"What you mean is that our sexuality is not welcome here, is that it?" said Blaine through his gritted teeth.

Kurt laid a hand on his arm.

"Blaine…

"The only thing inappropriate here is you and your disgusting bigotry," said Blaine angrily. "You make me sick! Come on Kurt, let's go." He grabbed his boyfriend's arm, slammed his cash down on the table, and pulled Kurt out of the restaurant, fuming. How dare they ruin his date with Kurt? How dare they? !

Blaine was still shaking with rage when he and Kurt arrived in the parking lot.

"Ugh!" he said, slamming his fist into the side of the building. "Ow!"

"Blaine," said Kurt. "Come on, Blaine, let it go."

Blaine looked up at the other boy. He had his arms wrapped around himself and there were tears shining in his eyes.

"It's not fair!" said Blaine. "I can't even take you out on a date without us being attacked. We weren't doing anything to them. There were other couples in there being more obvious about it than we were. But of course they were straight."

"Blaine, forget it, it's not worth it."

"They ruined our date!"

"Blaine—"

"They ruined my apology to you."

"Blaine, stop it. No, they didn't, I accept your apology."

"I took you there and you got harassed!" said Blaine. "I should have known—a place my Dad used to take us…"

"Blaine, replaying it in your mind isn't going to help anything," said Kurt.

Blaine sighed. "I'm sorry, Kurt, you're right. I just… What would help right now?"

"Well, I could really use a hug."

Blaine enfolded Kurt tightly in his arms and the taller boy sniffled against his shoulder.

"Shhhh," said Blaine. "Shhh, don't cry, baby, you're better than all of them." He pressed his lips to Kurt's hair.

Blaine felt Kurt's lips curve into a smile.

"Did you hurt your hand?" the brunet asked.

Blaine flexed his fingers experimentally.

"Ouch."

Kurt pulled back and took Blaine's injured hand in both of his own.

"I think it's only bruised." He brought the scraped and reddened fingers to his lips. "Let's go back to my house and put some ice on it, okay?"

Blaine nodded.

"This is really going to make English class tomorrow a bitch," he said.

"Well you should have thought of that before you punched that wall."

"Touché."

AN: Assholes. Not you, the people at the restaurant. And I keep intending to have Kurt & Finn's history come up and the right place to put it in keeps evading me. I'm planning on it making its way into the next chapter, so let's hope that happens, kay? :) Happy reviewing! ;)

-SQ