A/N: Late posting ... I had the house to myself today while my Dad and brother went to work and my mum drove my sister to University so naturally I spent the day playing Glee music incredibly loudly and singing incredibly loudly. I'm sure my neighbours appreciated the impromptu concert.

Mentions: As always, Lgleek95 - such a lovely reviewer! We have a latecomer to the Glitter In The Air party guys - SMFAHForLife a.k.a Meghan, Connecticut, USA. Welcome to the wonderful land of my crazy! Also, I just had far too much fun saying Connecticut in an awful American accent... I honestly need to find myself a hobby... or a boyfriend... or both.

Anyway - enjoy the chapter. There is angst and fluff and Klaine and OH just read it.

The hourglass on the table, the walk before the run.

Blaine drummed his fingers on the table and nodded, admiring the shadows his fingers made as they rose and fell.

"I'm breaking up with you."

Blaine jumped and looked at Kurt with wide eyes.

"WHAT!"

"Just checking you were listening," Kurt smirked. Blaine relaxed and slumped back in his chair with a sigh. "As I was saying, New York is gorgeous and I know you'd love it. There are so many people, so much energy and so much music. Everyone would appreciate me there Blaine and they'd appreciate you and us and all that we have. There isn't a better place to start my life, Blaine. It'll be mag-"

"Stop, Kurt." And Kurt did stop. He stopped with his mouth wide open and his eyes glittering with pure happiness.

"Bl-"

"No," Blaine interrupted as he sat forward in his chair to rest his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. He took a moment to rub his temples and finally meet Kurt's gaze. "Can we go back to yours?" Kurt eyed Blaine suspiciously.

"I was joking about breaking up with you," he murmured. Blaine cracked a smile and shook his head.

"I know, I just need to talk to you and I don't want to do it in a public place."

"This isn't sounding like anything other than pre-break up talk."

"I am not breaking up with you, Kurt. Just... can we go, please?" Blaine pleaded with Kurt with his eyes and relief washed over him as Kurt began to stand up, taking Blaine's hand so he could follow behind.

Kurt had driven them back to his house and the ride was uncomfortably silent. After pulling into the driveway and walking into the house, Blaine sat down at the breakfast bar gesturing for Kurt to sit next to him. Blaine took both of Kurt's hands and squeezed them.

"Kurt, I know this is weird at the moment and you're probably silently freaking out but I promise you it's nothing bad. Okay?"

"Okay," Kurt replied, maintaining eye contact with Blaine. Blaine gave him a thankful smile.

"Now, you know how happy I am that you had the time of your life in New York and I watch you talk about it with such passion that it is an inevitable truth that you will become the person you dream to be. There is a life for you in New York and a life for you on Broadway." Kurt was flushing and Blaine was sure if you looked up delight in the dictionary, Kurt would be staring back at you. Kurt's grin was infectious but Blaine had to fight it off. "I just want to bring you back to the here and now." Kurt's face fell and his brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" Kurt looked genuinely confused and Blaine knew this was the hard part.

"I admire you for dreaming so big and you should dream even bigger than you do because anything is possible for you but I'm worried you're missing the world around you right now." Kurt was still frowning at him. "Summer starts in a week Kurt and you're heart is so caught up in New York and the future you'll have, you might forget to make a life and memories here first. All I want is for you to slow down and enjoy the time you have here."

"I don't have and will never have a life to enjoy here, Blaine. This is Lima. This is hate." Kurt had pulled his hands away from Blaine's and turned sideways on to him, staring blankly across the kitchen.

"It doesn't have to be. This summer, you can make Lima what you want it to be."

"It will never be what I want it to be, Blaine!" Kurt snapped and stood up to pace the length of the kitchen. "What is there for me here? Nothing. New York is my life and if thinking about all the time means I can ignore and forget all the shit I have to deal with in this place, then that's what I'll do. I have nothing here, Blaine. Yes, I will always have my family and friends like Mercedes but what else is there? There. Is. Nothing."

"There's me." Blaine barely even made a sound as he spoke, staring at the floor and at first he didn't think Kurt had heard him. Hands on his face and a pair of lips on his told him otherwise.

"There is you," Kurt whispered against Blaine's mouth, his warm breath mixing with Blaine's. Kurt went to speak again but Blaine beat him to it.

"I love you."

"Wh-what?" Kurt pulled back a little and searched Blaine's face. Blaine chuckled and ducked his head, smiling at the way Kurt slotted between his thighs so perfectly and how they became this close without even realising.

"I want you to stop running through your life, Kurt, so I can stop having to catch up. I love you, but I need you to stop for five minutes and pay attention to what's happening now because one day you'll sprint past a moment like this and regret not remembering how life felt when you could walk."

"But I don't want to walk through life in Lima," Kurt mumbled as he brought a hand up to rub a thumb over Blaine's cheekbone. Blaine leant into the touch and smiled.

"Then walk through a life with me and when it's time to run, we'll do it together." Kurt's face was split into a grin again and Blaine placed a kiss to the palm still touching his face.

"I used to love you," Kurt whispered, trying not to laugh at the mixture of confusion and shock on Blaine's face, "until I fell in love with you." Blaine growled low in his throat and dragged Kurt's face down for a kiss, wrapping his arms tightly around Kurt's waist as Kurt draped his arms over his shoulders. "But then again, I've always been in love with you," Kurt breathed as they separated. Blaine huffed out a laugh and rubbed their noses together.

"So you'll forget about New York and actually enjoy summer?"

"I'll try," Kurt sighed.

"That's my boy," Blaine beamed.

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