Blaine let Kurt pull him out of the house for a December 23rd mall run; he had to get all the Hummel's gifts anyway. "Give me two hours to find you something, don't try to find me," Blaine said to get the younger boy away.

"Oh, I haven't bought you anything either." Kurt's delectable tongue poked out of his mouth. "I'll call you when I'm done."

"Deal," Blaine said and they shook on it. Blaine's skin was still tingling when he couldn't see Kurt anymore.

Once he was alone Blaine collapsed on a bench next to an old man holding his wife's flowery, pink purse. He rubbed at his eyes and sighed heavily.

His skin was still tingling, and when he closed his eyes Kurt filled the black space of his eyelids. Blaine's heart jumped happily at the thought of the boy and Blaine groaned.

He'd never felt this way for someone, forget that it had only been a few weeks; he was already fonder of Kurt than he'd been of his last boyfriend. Blaine had gone out with that boy for four months, lost his virginity to him. But still, Kurt was deeper in his heart.

But why?

They weren't even dating! Sure they DID THINGS together, but they weren't dating. Dating involved going out and holding hands and flirting looks and stolen kisses AS WELL as the physical side of things they were so clearly exploring.

Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose hard and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright, son?" the old man interrupted Blaine's thoughts to ask.

"I'm fine," Blaine answered, "but thank you."

"The old man quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything else. Instead he stood and an equally old woman met him. She took her purse and patted his arm. Blaine watched them walk away and smiled.

He got up off his bench and looked around for a store to start in. He had two hours to look for gifts, he should probably get that done before he worried more about his attachment to Kurt.


Kurt had no idea what to get the boy was sleeping with. He got a little thrill when he thought of it like that, a grown up thrill. He had a friend with benefits, and even if he didn't particularly like that term, what was more grown up than casual sex with the same person?

Still, now Kurt was left with the dilemma of what to buy for Blaine. He gravitated towards the music store, but he didn't know what music Blaine already had and he didn't want to buy him something he already had. Besides a CD didn't seem personal enough for somebody he'd been so intimate with.

Kurt's mouth still buzzed with the phantom feeling of Blaine on his tongue. He sighed happily, struck by a thought.


Blaine waited for Kurt in the food court, bag hidden in a regular 'Thank You' bag from the little convenience store next to the food court.

He'd gotten progressively more freaked out as he contemplated girts, unsure what each thing would say. But then, as he'd been looking over the thing he ended up actually buying, he'd come to an epiphany.

He LIKED Kurt, more than any other boy he'd been with, but that was okay. Just because he enjoyed Kurt more didn't mean he couldn't continue to be as practical in their relationship as he had in all his others. It was impractical to get serious with Kurt, they would have to expend a lot of effort to see each other and Kurt was still in high school. Kurt, and Blaine, was still too young to think about serious. They were fine as they were.

Somehow his epiphany made Blaine feel simultaneously better and worse. He figured the worse came from his flair for drama, disappointed at his lack of indulgence.