First, I've been asked to write a fluffy follow-up to 3x05 and I'm already one step ahead of you - 550 Tumblr followers fic was exactly this with a little bit of crack at the end that I couldn't resist. Link is on my profile as per usual. Someday I might actually write a proper one (as in, without the crack) but don't hold me to that.

Second, the feedback on yesterday's chapter was astounding but there's one thing that confused me a little. So many people said they wanted some kind of sequel or for it to be its own chapter story and I can't for the life of me work out how I would do that. I mean, yeah, I could continue it with them going on with their respective careers and being together but... I don't know. That would actually be kind of boring for me to write after all the initial excitement of it all. So I don't see this as one I plan to sequel or chapter story.

From AprilShowers87: Kurt and Blaine go on their first date and it goes completely wrong.

Another one I hinted at on Tumblr.

Ruined

So, here they were.

The moment Kurt had dreamed about for so long but had never really held out hope for coming true was true. Blaine had just admitted his feelings, a breathless Kurt had confirmed that he still felt the same and they were together. Like, boyfriends.

Now what?

Blaine laughed suddenly, breaking the silence. "Okay, are we going to sit here and stare at each other or are we, I don't know, going to go on a date or something?"

A date. Right.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Uh…" Kurt trailed off, trying to find the best way to put it. "Who takes who?"

Blaine frowned, clearly not having thought of that. "Oh. Yeah, um, I don't know. I mean, do you want me to or do you want to or should, I don't know, should we alternate? I have no idea."

Kurt stifled a chuckle at how adorable Blaine was when he got flustered. "Neither do I. But I thought you would have had a plan. I mean, you have a plan for everything."

Blaine's blush wasn't going away and Kurt wasn't falling any less in love with it. "I kind of did, I just didn't want to assume, you know?"

And now Kurt really did have to laugh. Thankfully Blaine could see the humor in the situation and laughed as well. "Okay," Kurt finally said. "You take me out and then I'll take you out the next time, alright?" Blaine nodded gratefully and Kurt smiled. "Alright. When are we going on this date then?"

"Tomorrow? I'll pick you up at seven?"

Kurt smiled again, pulling his books together. "Tomorrow it is."

It should have been a sign, really. If organizing the date itself was complicated, how should Kurt have expected that the night itself would go any better? But he had still held out high hopes because, after all, this was his first date ever. Of course it was going to be perfect, right?

Blaine was late.

"He's never late," Kurt explained to his father who was watching him, clearly trying not to be amused. "The boy carries a pocket watch for goodness sakes, what's going on? And he's not answering his phone and - oh god, Dad, he's decided he doesn't want to date me anymore and he's trying to figure out the best way to break up with me -"

"Kurt!"

Kurt stopped pacing and turned to Burt who was holding up his phone, Blaine's name flashing up on the screen. "I believe this is him?"

Kurt grabbed the phone and answered. "Blaine?"

"Kurt! I'm so sorry, I know I said I'd be there at seven but I can't fix it and none of the other guys can come and pick me up so I'm kind of stranded right now -"

"Woah, hey!" Kurt raised a hand even though Blaine couldn't see it. "Slow down. What do you mean, stranded?"

Blaine sighed. "My car broke down halfway to your place. I can't work out what's wrong but it just won't start so - I mean, I could walk but I don't really want to leave the car here because it'll probably be destroyed by the time I get back -"

Kurt giggled, immediately shutting Blaine up. "Sorry," he said quickly, "but you do remember my dad owns a garage, right?"

There was a second of silence. "Oh," Blaine finally said, his voice small. "Yeah. I - ah, I didn't think of that."

"Where are you?" Blaine gave some directions which Kurt scribbled down, pushing over to his dad. "Okay, we'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Well, this is good," Burt said as he grabbed his keys and the two headed out to the truck. "Gives me a chance to meet this boyfriend of yours."

Kurt frowned, climbing in next to his dad. "You've already met Blaine though - oh, no! No way do you get to threaten him, Dad! He's already feeling awful enough for not being here on time, the last thing he needs is to hear that you don't think he's good enough for me or anything like that." Sighing he crossed his arms and slumped back against the seat. "Should've brought my own car," he muttered.

"Calm down, kid, I won't say anything," Burt said, smirking a little. "As long as you don't think that this means he gets to stay the night because his car is out of commission or anything. I accept you for who you are but the same rules apply for when Quinn's over and -"

"Oh my god, Dad!" Kurt exploded, throwing his hands in the air. "We've been dating for one day. We haven't even kissed yet! So could you please cut the overprotective act for five minutes and just focus on getting us to Blaine?"

The silence would have been awkward if Burt didn't look far too pleased with himself the entire trip. But finally they came across Blaine's car with his frustrated looking boyfriend sitting in the drivers seat and Kurt was straight out of the truck. "Are you alright?" he demanded because yes, Blaine said he had just broken down but Kurt wouldn't put it past him to actually be injured and concealing the truth.

"Fine," Blaine said, sighing. "Just embarrassed beyond belief."

Kurt frowned. "Why would you be embarrassed?"

"Because my boyfriend's dad owns a garage and I can't even work out what's wrong with my car?"

And despite how disappointed in himself Blaine looked, Kurt had to laugh. "Any time I break down, I have to call Dad for help," he admitted when Blaine's expression turned wounded. "It doesn't matter, honestly. We'll just get the car back to the shop and then we can go on our date."

"But -"

"I have a car, Blaine," Kurt explained patiently. "If you still want to drive you are more than welcome to drive it." And then the thought hit him. "Unless, you know, you wanted to cancel," he added tentatively. "I mean, I'd understand if -"

"I'm not canceling," Blaine said immediately, too fast but clearly honest. "This sucks, yeah, but we have a date and you're my boyfriend and let's face it, I'm going to do other stupid and embarrassing stuff while we're dating. Unfortunately you'll have to get used to it."

And the tension evaporated. "Well with a proposition like that, what else could I say," Kurt teased, smiling sweetly at Blaine's eye roll. "Come on, let's wait in the truck."

By the time Burt joined them, all potential awkwardness had completely disappeared and Blaine was midway through the story of how Wes became Head Warbler. And while Kurt noticed a slight tense in Blaine's shoulders when his father hopped in the truck, his boyfriend didn't stop talking and Kurt's respect rose. The last thing Kurt wanted was a boyfriend who was too scared to be himself around Burt. Apparently Burt had noticed too because the raised eyebrow he shot Kurt over Blaine's head (and Kurt would smirk about that one later) was of grudging respect. Kurt raised his own eyebrow in return before turning his attention back to Blaine and bursting into laughter. "So there wasn't a gavel before Wes came?"

"No, he actually brought it from home," Blaine explained, his own laughter bubbling under the surface. "He had very grand illusions of how he wanted the Council run - that's not to say it wasn't strict before him but nobody felt like they were going to be knocked unconscious if they didn't listen to him."

"Just a question, what does he want to be when he grows up?"

Blaine smirked. "Funnily enough, a doctor."

Kurt closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Not a judge?"

"Nope."

They looked at each other and started laughing again. Kurt found himself slumping into Blaine's side a little and purposely stayed there, resting his head against Blaine's shoulder. He felt Blaine's head lean on his for a brief second as their hands twined together. "So," Burt suddenly said a little too loud. "Blaine, where are you taking my son tonight?"

Kurt sighed, lifting his head. "Dad, you can't ask him that. He's kept it a secret from me so far and as much as I want to know, you can't make him say it in front of me."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel," Blaine said, a little quieter than usual but still determined. "Kurt's right, I can't say that."

There was a moment of tense silence and then Burt grunted. "Fair enough. I'm also going to give you the benefit of the doubt that there isn't a fake ID in that wallet of yours and if there is, you have the sense of mind to take a cab home. Obviously you'll never be able to take my son out anywhere again but my priority is to keep him safe."

Kurt began to bang his head against the dashboard until Blaine grabbed his shoulders, gently pulling him back. "I can assure you, sir, I have no desire to drink tonight and I would never even consider putting Kurt in any risk. I just want to spend a nice evening with my boyfriend, I'll have him home right on time and then I'll organize a way to get myself home."

Another grunt but Kurt could tell he was impressed. "Alright. I'll drop you at the house then go on to the shop. Blaine, I can't make any promises on how soon we'll get this fixed but I'll do a preliminary check tonight and let you know when you drop Kurt home."

"Thank you, sir," Blaine said politely and Kurt breathed a silent sigh of relief as their house came into sight. "I'll take good care of your son."

"See that you do," Burt said, pulling the truck to a stop. "Have fun."

"We will."

They escaped the truck quickly, watching as Burt drove away before turning to each other. "I'm sorry," Kurt said immediately. "I had hoped you wouldn't have to go through that, especially not on our first date."

"It's alright." Blaine took his hand, rubbing his thumb over Kurt's. "He cares about you and wants to make sure you're safe. That's a good thing and I'll deal with the potential animosity because it means he's looking after you. And I'll know if he doesn't start liking me that I'm not treating you right and I'll need to do something about that."

Kurt's heart skipped at least two beats at that. "Oh," he managed and Blaine smiled, clearly understanding the reaction. "Uh. Well, should we go?"

Blaine continued to smile at him, waiting. "Can I have your keys?" he asked finally. Kurt smacked himself on the head and Blaine grabbed his hand straight away. "Hey, none of that. It's alright."

There was another moment of silence and then Kurt chuckled. "I can't get my keys until you let go -"

"Oh!" Blaine released his hand, shaking his head and Kurt smirked at him. "We make a great pair tonight, don't we?"

"We do," Kurt said, his tone turning serious halfway through because yeah, they did make a good pair and Kurt knew it. Blaine's smile softened and he held out his hand for Kurt's keys, brushing their fingers together as Kurt dropped them into his hand. Kurt resisted a shiver, thankful for the distance between them as they sat in Kurt's car.

The car trip was short, surprising Kurt. He figured they would be headed back to Westerville but instead Blaine pulled into a small restaurant on the outskirts of Lima, turning to look at Kurt questioningly. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks great," Kurt said honestly and was rewarded with a relieved smile from his boyfriend. "Let's go find out."

Blaine had made reservations - and yeah, Kurt was feeling ridiculously posh right now - so they were seated straight away. In the few moments they had to wait, Blaine reached out for his hand and lifted it to his lips, brushing them against Kurt's knuckles in a gesture that really should have been cheesy. "You look wonderful tonight, I forgot to tell you."

It took Kurt a couple of seconds to come back to his senses. "You - you too," he murmured, cursing the stammer that appeared but really? Blaine couldn't just do that.

Still smiling, Blaine lowered Kurt's hand to the table again and released it to take a sip of his water just as their server appeared, handing them each a menu. "Tonight in celebration of our ten year anniversary, we're going back to our roots!" the woman explained cheerfully but with an air that showed Kurt that she had repeated the words many times that day. "When this restaurant first started, it was a seafood-only bistro so we're going back to the original menu! Enjoy and let me know when you're ready to order!"

Blaine was already looking over his menu, humming appreciatively, but Kurt's fingers clenched over the cover of his own. "It all looks great," Blaine said before looking up, his satisfied expression switching to a frown. "Kurt? What's the matter?"

"I - I didn't realize it would be all seafood."

"Oh," Blaine said, his eyes widening. "You don't like seafood?"

Kurt sighed, ducking his head a little. "I'm allergic."

There were a few seconds of silence and then Blaine's voice could be heard, smoothly telling their server that they wouldn't be eating there tonight, that something had come up and no, they wouldn't be taking a raincheck. And then Blaine's hand was on his elbow and Kurt allowed himself to be led out of the restaurant, still blushing. "Hey," Blaine said as soon as they made it outside, stopping. "It's alright - I should have checked first before I made reservations, it's my own fault. Don't feel bad."

"We're not going to be able to get seats anywhere else," Kurt said dully. "I know how hard it was for you to get those - don't lie," he added when Blaine opened his mouth to do exactly that. "I looked into something similar for our second date and I couldn't even get reservations, so I have no idea how you did it. We should have just stayed, Blaine, I could have handled it."

"I'm not letting you eat something you're allergic to," Blaine said, staring at him like he had two heads. "The point of a date is that we both enjoy it and if you weren't happy, I wouldn't be happy."

Kurt ducked his head, blushing a little. "Still."

"No," Blaine said firmly. "We can't do dinner, that's fine. There's a coffee shop just down the road that apparently has killer muffins. It's not the best meal but it's either that or go back to your place with your family."

"Coffee sounds great," Kurt said immediately. They caught each others eye and laughed and Kurt could see the relief on Blaine's face. He let it go, however, and took the arm Blaine offered to him. That was something they could deal with later - Kurt knew how much of a perfectionist Blaine could be and his boyfriend would probably struggle with the fact that their date wasn't going to plan when the night was over. For now, Kurt just needed to reassure him that he was happy.

And he was, surprisingly enough. Kurt's imagine of the perfect first date was absolutely not coming true, no, but he couldn't regret it, couldn't say that the night was ruined. He was still alone with Blaine, his boyfriend. Nothing changed that.

As the coffee shop came closer, Blaine frowned. "There's a sign up on the door and it's dark… don't tell me -?"

"It's shut," Kurt said, his long distance vision always having been better than Blaine's. "They only stay open until seven on Fridays."

"Oh," Blaine said quietly. "Well that - ah, yeah."

Kurt shrugged. "I'm not that hungry," he said, only lying slightly. "I can handle not eating for a little longer. Did you have any backup plans?"

Blaine took a second to reply and Kurt tightened his grip a little, reassuring. "We could just go for a walk?"

"That sounds great," Kurt said, putting as much honesty into it as he could. Apparently it had worked because Blaine finally met his eye, smiling a little. "Let's go."

Kurt was pretty sure that was the best idea they had had all night because, short of falling over and injuring oneself, nothing much could ruin a walk. Maybe Blaine had sensed the same thing because they were holding each others hands just a little tighter than usual, not wanting to tempt fate in case one of them did fall. And judging by the night they had just experienced, Kurt wouldn't rule it out.

It was nice though, just being with Blaine. They could talk about anything under the sun, but they also didn't have to talk and the silence wouldn't be awkward. So they would occasionally lapse in and out of conversation, spending more time enjoying being with each other than anything else.

And then Blaine stopped, listening. "Is that - no."

"What?" Kurt asked, turning to face his boyfriend who was tilting his head slightly. "What can you hear?"

"It sounds like -"

The sky opened and, within seconds, the two boys were drenched. Kurt was immediately tugging Blaine off the road and under a shop awning, unable to do anything but stare at the water pouring down around them. "Rain," Blaine finished dully, sighing so painfully that Kurt's heart hurt to hear it. "This just sucks."

Kurt ran a hand through his hair, cringing. "I must look like a drowned rat," he muttered, wishing he had thought to bring a mirror and some emergency hair care supplies but really? Nobody anticipated their first date turning out like this.

"Nonsense, you're still gorgeous," Blaine said absently, wringing water out of his cardigan. "I checked the weather forecast and it didn't say anything about - what?"

Kurt knew he was staring but with good reason. "You - you just called me gorgeous."

Blaine blushed but he was smiling. "You are."

"I never realized you thought… things like that. About me."

"Of course I do!" Blaine looked genuinely shocked at that. "How could I not? You're stunning, no matter whether you're trapped in the uniform or just rolled out of bed or drenched with water… right now…"

And then something in Blaine's face shifted and Kurt blinked at the sudden determination. But before he could ask, Blaine was stepping closer and lifting one hand to touch Kurt's cheek gently. "What - what are you doing?"

"Salvaging," Blaine stated before leaning in and kissing him.

Ruined night? What are you talking about?

This was perfect.

They broke apart slowly, their eyes locked. And then Blaine smiled, half-sheepish, half-ridiculously cute. "Can I be really cheesy and cliche right now?"

"How?"

In answer, Blaine took his hands and tugged him out from under the awning. Kurt shivered as the rain hit them again before it dawned on him. "You're not -"

Blaine's lips met his again and Kurt kissed him back softly, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck and feeling Blaine's hands ghost across his waist before pulling him in properly. Kurt had never thought he could enjoy this sort of kiss - drenched, hair plastering his face, clothes ruined, so vulnerable… and yet, he had never thought about the simple fact that the kiss itself was the only thing on his mind and even if there was a worry about his appearance, the simple fact that Blaine couldn't stop kissing him was enough that Kurt couldn't care about how he looked. He couldn't care about anything.

They arrived home half an hour before Kurt's curfew. Burt was sitting on the couch, waiting for them, confusion evident on his face as they walked in. "What happened to you two?"

"Rain," Kurt said simply.

"I thought you'd still be at dinner -"

"Seafood."

Burt blinked. "Oh." His eyes dropped to their linked hands, Kurt refusing to let go under the scrutiny. "Well - uh, how about you find some dry clothes to change into. I'll make you some toast."

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt said quietly before leading Blaine up the stairs. "Will you forgive me if I choose not to be fashionable for one night?" he asked, digging out a couple of pairs of sweatpants apprehensively. After all, everybody was used to Kurt being the fashionista but for once all he wanted was to be comfortable and warm and curl up with his boyfriend without caring how his hair looked or whether his clothes were in style.

"Nothing to forgive," Blaine said, accepting the clothes Kurt handed him and slipping into the bathroom.

Kurt frowned after him before changing quickly, balling up his wet clothing and waiting for Blaine to re-emerge. "Here," he said, holding out a hand for the bundle of Blaine's clothes as his boyfriend left the bathroom. "I'll put them in the dryer." Blaine didn't look at him and Kurt's suspicions were confirmed. He didn't say anything though, instead ducking through to the laundry and setting the dryer up before returning. "Come on, let's go eat."

At least Blaine still took the hand offered to him but Kurt could practically feel the shame rolling off him and hated it. As soon as they had a second to themselves he would deal with it, but not when they were walking into the kitchen with Kurt's dad setting a plate of toast on the table. "You're - ah, you're welcome to take that into the living room. I'll just clean up and make myself a coffee, might read the newspaper for a bit too."

"Decaf," Kurt said on autopilot before realizing what his dad was doing. "Thanks," he said, his voice a little softer as he took the plate, keeping a hold of Blaine's hand. He knew under normal circumstances there would be no way he and Blaine could be alone in the room together but his dad wasn't an idiot. And he would have to be an idiot to not notice the way Blaine was acting.

When they were finally settled in the living room, Kurt put the plate on the table and turned to face Blaine. "Look at me," he said softly. "Please."

"I'm sorry," came the quiet response.

Kurt closed his eyes and sighed. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He opened his eyes to see Blaine still looking down and lifted Blaine's chin with his fingers. "You didn't break your car. You didn't choose to put nothing but seafood on the menu. You didn't choose to make the coffee shop close at seven. You didn't make it rain. What you did do was take me out for a date and did everything in your power to make it a wonderful night. And then you kissed me for the first time - yeah," Kurt said, seeing the smile beginning to develop. "That's exactly how I feel. Nothing ruins that."

And to press his point home, Kurt leant in and brushed their lips together. Only quickly - he was conscious of the fact that his dad was in the next room over - but enough to be reassuring and to prove to Blaine that the only thing that changed as a result of their date was a good thing.

Blaine was smiling when he pulled away. "Thank you. I'm sorry about that, I just really wanted the night to be perfect."

Kurt shook his head. "Come here," he said simply, holding out his arms and smiling wider when Blaine nestled into them. "You're never going to be perfect or make it a perfect night but when I'm with you, Blaine Warbler, life feels pretty perfect."

There was a quiet cough from the door and Kurt looked up to see Burt standing there, hands cupped around a mug of coffee. "Did you two have a bad night or something?"

Kurt glanced back down at Blaine, the mass of curls that was buried in his shoulder. He bit his lip, remembering the way Blaine's lips fit so perfectly against his even when the rain was pouring down on them. The way Blaine's hand held his like it was the most precious thing he had ever held. That smile reserved for him when Kurt successfully managed to cheer him up.

He looked back up.

"No."

Because when people are emotional or awkward or embarrassed, Burt Hummel believes toast is a good comfort food. All the awards to that man.

By the way, Burt let Blaine stay the night. On the couch, of course, but when they fell asleep in each others arms he really didn't have the heart to make Kurt go to his own bed.

MusicalEscape:

"Mr. Anderson, is it true you and Kurt Hummel are dating?"

"Yes, we are." *dopey smile*

"Mhmm. Are you aware of the extremely high boyfriend standards you have set for girls everywhere? A quote from a reader: 'Blaine has set my standards sky high. I am currently searching for a fun-size man with either green or hazel eyes, who can play 9 or more instruments, sings, and has curly hair. Preferably straight, but if no one's available I'll settle for Johnny Depp."