"You look so good," Tina said as she did up the strap on her shoe. "Too bad you just like boys."
Kurt smirked in the mirror at his roommate. "You look amazing in that dress."
Tina stood beside him, her gown a frothy glittery concoction of pink and burgundy tulle. Kurt was wearing a beautifully fitted suit jacket in deep sapphire velvet with black satin lapels. A stark ivory shirt and black dress pants completed his outfit.
They had rushed back after their big evening show and had quick showers. It was fun to dress up like this, knowing they had the rest of the night off to just enjoy themselves.
They stopped off at Carole's cabin to pick her up. She had watched the earlier show but wanted a rest before joining them for the New Year's celebrations.
Kurt grinned as his stepmother came into the hallway. She was in an ice-blue dress that came to just below her knees. The week had left her with a light tan. The biggest change was her demeanor. Her smile for Tina and Kurt was relaxed and happy.
"I wore my lowest heels. I'm ready for dancing," Carole said as she linked her arm through Kurt's.
"Great!" Kurt said, and he could feel a bubble of true happiness inside him. It didn't matter where you were, as long as you were with people you cared about.
It was a perfect Caribbean night, the sky full of stars and the ship draped with thousands of tiny fairy lights. Candles in lanterns flickered on the tables around the edge of the deck, and on the long buffet table. A band on stage was singing popular favorites, and the crowd was dancing along.
In the middle of the ocean, they could be as loud as they wanted. This promised to be a wild night, with the alcohol flowing freely.
Tina guided them away from the crush of people. There were a couple tables already crowded with the rest of the Broadway group and the other crew members they had basically adopted.
There were lots of hugs and greetings, admiring each other's fine clothing. Mercedes looked like royalty in a black dress with gold trim, and Rachel in a tiny red sequined mini dress.
Kurt gave a low whistle when he saw Blaine though. His black blazer was covered with floral embroidery. Flowers in every size and color covered the fabric. He had paired it with a simple black dress shirt, no tie, and black pants. "That's gorgeous," he said, and didn't resist sliding a hand down his arm.
"This feels nice too," Blaine said softly, his hand on Kurt's forearm. Rubbing his fingers over the velvet.
Kurt chuckled. "It's more suited to a cold climate than here, but I like it anyways."
"You look lovely, Carole," Sebastian said, coming to stand beside her. He was dressed in a dark grey suit. "Would you like to dance?"
Carole accepted, much to Kurt's amusement. They had gotten along surprisingly well, sharing stories about horrible patients.
The group often paired off for a dance or two, or leaving to get a plate of food or more drinks. Kurt wasn't sure how many drinks he'd had. There always seemed to be a pina colada (made with fresh pineapple, who could resist that) near him. He felt relaxed and a bit tipsy, but not out of control drunk. He danced with Rachel, Tina, and Mercedes. He even danced with Sam, Sebastian and a few of the other guys, feeling relieved when it didn't get negative responses from other people.
When he ended up being dragged to the dance floor by Blaine, Kurt just chuckled and went with him. It was getting later by then, and the band switched to a slow song.
Chuckling a bit more nervously, Kurt just shrugged and moved into a close hold with Blaine. He rested one hand on his shoulder and the other on his waist. "Did you request this? Didn't you say Billy Joel was one of your favorite singers?"
"He is, and no, I didn't," Blaine replied, with a bit of a smile.
Didn't I say
I wasn't ready for romance?
Didn't we promise
We would only be friends?
Kurt shuffled his feet as they slowly spun, feeling more and more aware of Blaine. He felt warm under Kurt's hands, and he was very conscious of Blaine's hands as well. Somehow, they seemed to have moved closer, his chest brushing against Blaine's as they swayed. His cologne smelled delicious.
Now that you're here
It's not the same situation,
Suddenly I don't remember the rules anymore
Hmmm... how had they ended up pressed together like this, with Blaine's arm along his lower back? His arm was in a similar position, more like hugging. His head was beside Blaine's now, even more aware of his scent, his heat.
He felt good, fitting against Kurt like he was meant to be there. The world seemed to fall away, narrowing to just the music and this man in his arms.
Blaine turned his head slightly, and Kurt could feel his warm breath against the bare skin of his neck. His heart was beating faster, and he closed his eyes. Just savoring this.
Was that... was that... had Blaine pressed his lips against his neck? Kurt felt a bit breathless at the thought, and then felt it again. It was a proper neck kiss that time. Something he had a complete weakness for.
Someone nudged against them, and Kurt pulled back a bit. The song was over, and people were moving off the dance floor area.
"Oh, um, I guess we should...," Kurt said awkwardly, stepping out of their close hold.
Blaine's head straightened up, and his eyes held Kurt's, so big and dark. The moment stretched for several heartbeats, and then he blinked, and seemed more himself. "Oh, yeah, right...," he mumbled, stepping to Kurt's side with his hand still on the small of his back, guiding him back to their friends. "Thanks for the dance, Kurt."
Giving him a nod of acknowledgement, Kurt slipped away to take an empty seat between Tina and Mercedes. His drink was still there, and Kurt grabbed it for a long sip, his mouth feeling so dry suddenly.
"You two looked pretty cozy out there," Tina leaned in close to say.
Kurt could feel himself flush, and hoped it was dark enough to not be too noticeable. "It was a slow dance. Everyone was dancing like that," Kurt replied. By this time of night, there were even drunker people doing a lot more suggestive things on the dance floor.
Mercedes chuckled, leaning in on his other side. "I swear I saw your eyes fluttering shut at the end there. Was he kissing your neck?"
"Neck kisses? Oh yeah, Kurt is a total sucker for those," Rachel said, her arms hugging him from behind as she bent over the back of his chair. She was the most drunk of the four of them, having a great night flirting and dancing with half the crew.
"I'm going to the washroom," Kurt said, sipping down the rest of his drink. He escaped his teasing friends, and the crowd, feeling thankful when he was in the quiet hallway.
After relieving himself, he washed his hands and looked at himself closely in the mirror. Hours of dancing had softened the hold his styling products had in his hair. He straightened it a little, but knew it was fine. He was feeling a bit warm, so he took off his tie and tucked it into his jacket pocket. He unbuttoned a couple buttons of his shirt and turned his head to look at the side of his neck. There was no mark, but it still felt a bit warm where Blaine's lips had touched him.
Shaking his head at his own foolishness, Kurt headed back to the party. Carole was coming off the dance floor and he grabbed her hand to pull her to the buffet. All the dancing had made him a bit peckish, and it was probably a good idea to balance out the booze with a bit of food.
"Having a good time?" Kurt asked, passing her a small plate.
Carole chuckled, and filled it was fruit, cheese and a slice of chocolate mousse cake. "Wonderful, although maybe not as good a time as you are having."
Kurt almost spilled the mango he put on his plate. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I saw you dancing with Blaine," she replied, her eyes bemused. "And I wholeheartedly approve. He is so handsome, talented, and kind."
"We are just friends," Kurt objected, trying to act normal when his heart was thumping fast. The girls, and now Carole, commenting about Blaine. Had everyone noticed them dancing so close? "Just friends," he repeated inanely.
"Sure, sure," Carole said with a smirk, and linked her arm through his to guide him back to the table.
Kurt took a seat beside her, eager to be away from his teasing friends. He looked down at his plate and groaned. In his distraction, he'd grabbed a couple chunks of mango and three pieces of cheesecake. One was swirled with caramel and chocolate, one with cranberries, and the last with pineapple. His ultimate comfort food.
He nibbled on the rich dessert as he acted like he was listening to Carole chatting with Sam, but his thoughts were miles away. Sure, Blaine had stuck close to Kurt and Carole all week, helping Kurt make sure she had a great time. They were often with his other friends too, going onshore to show her the best shopping, restaurants and beaches.
Why was everyone thinking there was more to it? It was just one slow dance.
...
Fuck. Blaine barely kept from swearing aloud as Kurt scooped the whip cream off the top of his cheesecake and popped his finger into his mouth. He closed his eyes, seeming to savor it, before removing his finger. His tongue flicked out, licking up the smear of whip cream from his upper lip.
"It's like watching high-quality porn, isn't it?" Sebastian leaned in to say softly, his gaze still on Kurt.
The comment was like a bucket of ice water on Blaine. "Um, what? No!"
Sebastian just chuckled knowingly, and patted Blaine's shoulder. "You know, I'd kinda written Kurt off as too much of a prude to bother pursuing, but this little show and the amount of drinks he's had is making me reconsider. Maybe the lock on his chastity belt is missing tonight."
"Leave him alone, Sebastian," Blaine growled, the image of the two men together in his mind sickening him.
Holding up his two hands, Sebastian nodded with a smirk. "OK, OK, I got the message. You are calling 'Dibs'. Fuck him good for me, OK? I bet you could get him to hit some really high notes."
Blaine shifted his chair from Sebastian, turning away from him. Even though he'd known the man for years and basically liked him, there were times he went too far. It was best to just distance yourself, avoid the irritating person for a while, when that happened. They all still had to live and work together on the same ship.
The servers were coming around with trays full of champagne, and the crowd was all standing up to gather at the best viewing locations. There was going to be a big fireworks display right at midnight.
The band was playing a fast, energetic song, and Blaine could sense the excitement in the crowd. Only a couple more minutes...
He found himself on an upper deck near a railing. Mercedes, Tina, Rachel, Carole and Kurt were nearby, clutching their champagne and looking around. Blaine eased closer to them.
Kurt had taken off his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He looked a bit more rumpled than a few hours ago, but Blaine liked him like this. Smiling and laughing often with his friends, sharing the moment. His eyes glittering with excitement.
TEN, NINE, EIGHT...
The countdown was starting, and Blaine was being pressed in closer with Kurt's group as more people gathered. Tina grinned at him in a welcoming way as she shouted along with the countdown.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Everyone was shouting out the words, cheering and applauding. Within seconds, fireworks seem to be bursting from every side of the ship, cascading down with colorful streams of flashing lights, reflected endlessly in the waves going to the horizon. Whizzing, popping and banging loudly over the music and the crowd.
Tina hugged and kissed him, before moving on to the next closest person in their group. Blaine did the same, kissing Carole's cheek as they called out salutations to the New Year.
In that blur of hugs and kisses, Blaine suddenly found himself flush against Kurt in a hard hug. "Oof," Blaine grunted in surprise, feeling Kurt's hand moving to cup the back of his neck.
It felt almost like slow motion then, Kurt turning his face and their lips meeting. It wasn't a quick kiss, like it had been with the others. Kurt tilted his head, kissing him deeply, his fingers clenching against Blaine's neck. It was beautiful, fast, perfect.
But over far too soon. Blaine felt dazed when Kurt pulled away, and turned to hug Sam. He noticed that the taller man only got a kiss on the cheek.
He was swept up in the crowd again, everyone dancing and singing together. At some point, Carole said her goodbyes and left. The crowd kept thinning, as older people and the ones with families went to their cabins.
Blaine drew away too, feeling like he had run ten miles emotionally tonight. He really should go back to his own cabin and sleep. He was a bit tipsy still, and he could take things too far if he stayed.
He waved at the friends who were still dancing and made his way to the elevators. People were everywhere, drunk, making out, laughing, singing. He suddenly felt so lonely.
The elevator doors slid open and he entered with about a dozen other people. The passenger floors were closest, and he knew it would be many stops before they got to the crew levels. He leaned against the back wall and closed his eyes.
After about five stops, he sensed someone moving beside him. He opened his eyes, only to find Kurt there.
"You left without saying 'Goodnight' to me?" Kurt said softly. There were still a few other crew members in the elevator.
They got to Blaine's floor, and he was surprised when Kurt stepped out with him. "You followed me all this way just to say 'Goodnight'?"
Kurt blinked a few times, and then his gaze dropped to Blaine's lips. "Maybe I just wanted a goodnight kiss."
"Kurt," Blaine groaned, and stepped closer to grab him. They ended up against the hallway wall, but Blaine didn't care as his lips found Kurt's.
It was an instant continuation of the earlier kiss, but rapidly becoming even more intense. Kurt was holding him tight and kissing him deeply. His tongue was right there too, and Blaine moaned as he flicked it over his top lip.
He wasn't so far gone that he didn't see the need for privacy, as soon as possible. "My cabin," he gasped, grabbing Kurt's wrist to pull him down the hallway.
He felt like he was floating, like his heart might burst, as Kurt urged him along. They were practically running by the time they got to his door, both a bit breathless. Blaine opened the door, and Kurt didn't hesitate to follow him in. Shutting and locking the door behind him.
They were kissing again, even more urgently, and Blaine sighed as Kurt pushed his suit jacket off. This was happening. Really, really happening. His hands got just as busy, unbuttoning, unzipping, pushing the clothes away. Needing to see, touch and kiss Kurt everywhere.
...
-A/N: Yay! Kissing finally!
-'This Night' by Billy Joel, from 1983 album, 'An Innocent Man'. The chorus is from Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique 2nd Movement.
