Hey guys! So we're slowing getting through this story. There will be 2 more chapters until the big climactic event sooo prepare yourselves :P Here, have some fluff.

Chapter 6

"You're leaving early today."

"Rachel, I'm really busy right now. So unless it's the second coming of Christ or something, I'm not leaving early." Kurt replied as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. He had a headache to rival all others and he didn't think a phone call with Rachel was going to help, somehow.

"Considering I'm Jewish and you're an atheist, I don't think even that would get you out of the office early."

"I don't know, I think it would be kind of amusing to watch all the rabid Christians keel over and die of excitement."

"Not the point. You have to go downtown."

"No I don't. I'm working, and chances are I'm going to be here all night."

"Answer me this, Kurt."

"Mmmm?" Kurt said, leaning back in his desk chair and setting down his pencil.

"How many times have you thought about Blaine today?"

Kurt sat up a little straighter in his chair at the mention of his name.

"I haven't at all." He sniffed, trying to sound convincing.

"Liar. You've been moping all week and I know it's because you miss Blaine."

"Rachel, you know what he did." Kurt replied in an icy tone.

"Yes, and it obviously hasn't made you stop loving him."

Kurt made fake puking sounds at Rachel's cheesy sentiment and put his feet up on the chair opposite him. She had such overblown dramatic ideas about 'love'. Kurt wondered if she secretly expected every relationship in her life to play out like a scene from West Side Story or Les Misérables.

When Julius walked by and snapped his fingers, Kurt quickly took his feet off the chair and picked up his pencil again to make it look like he was working.

"Okay, Rach, I really have to go, the dictator is patrolling the hallways." Kurt said furtively into his phone.

"Alright, alright. But here's the deal. I saw Blaine and his friends this morning down on 54th Street. He was performing. They're still there. So if you think that maybe, just maybe, you might want to talk to him, this is your chance."

"Rachel, I'm hanging up now."

"I know you hate to admit when you're wrong. I know you think that giving him another chance would make you vulnerable. You're right; it would. But what's more important to you Kurt? Keeping yourself safe, or pursuing happiness?"

Kurt sighed as he disconnected the call, leaving her question hanging in the air.

He indulged himself for a few moments; letting his mind meander over memories of Blaine that he had been trying to prevent himself from dwelling on.

"Now I want to hear you sing."

"All I'm saying is you should paint. Do what makes you happy."

"If working for Julius makes you so miserable, then quit"

"I love you."

He let Blaine's voice run through his head in a loop, savouring the remembered sound of his voice.

"Hummel! Get to work, those patterns are not going to draw themselves. If you want to come with me to Fashion Week next month, you better get your ass into gear."

Julius's voice cut through his thoughts, causing Kurt to startle. He almost turned back to his drawing but instead he found himself standing up and walking through the door of his office.

"Hummel? Where are you going? I need you here all night to proof the final collection!"

Kurt breezed past his boss with a confidence he had no idea how he mustered and called back over his shoulder in a way he had never dared to before,

"Not now Julius. I'm in pursuit of happiness!"

As he boarded the subway, Kurt felt the adrenaline start to wear off and he realized what he had done.

Oh god, I can't believe I just said that to my boss.

He grasped the subway rail for support.

What am I doing? He is so going to fire me. This is why you never ever listen to Rachel Berry. Only bad things come of it.

Trying to calm his racing heart, Kurt took deep breaths as he approached 54th Street. He turned around and changed his mind once at 51st, 52nd and 53rd before shaking his head at his childish behaviour.

Kurt turned the corner, and there he was.

The first thing Kurt noticed was that he was singing beautifully.

Then, he noticed how tired Blaine looked, and felt the familiar rush of guilt in his stomach. Of course he looked tired; he'd been sleeping on the streets.

Kurt noticed Ray sitting on a bench near Blaine with a dark haired girl he didn't recognize and he was momentarily thankful that Blaine had someone.

He waited impatiently for Blaine to finish the song, trying not to let his breath hitch as Blaine wrapped his voice around each high note perfectly. When the crowd around him had dispersed, he walked up to Blaine, hoping he looked more calm than he felt.

He still had no idea what he was doing, but as he walked, he heard Rachel's words again and knew he was doing the right thing.

"What's more important to you, Kurt? Keeping yourself safe, or pursuing happiness?"

He smiled awkwardly when Blaine looked up and caught his eye.

"Kurt?"

He felt the blood rushing to his head with the realization that he was hearing Blaine's voice again; that it wasn't just in his head.

"Hi."

He scolded himself as he realized he had no idea what he was trying to say. He must have sounded pretty dumb just waltzing up to him and saying 'hi'.

"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked quietly.

Kurt tried to answer but he could feel the gaze of the dark haired girl burning holes in his back.

"Can we walk?"

Blaine nodded once, and slung his guitar over his shoulder, placating the girl with a vague hand gesture.

They walked awkwardly, far enough apart so that there was no chance of their hands ever touching but, close enough that they could talk quietly. When neither of them spoke for a while, Blaine said,

"Rocky road or mint chocolate chip?"

It was enough. It was such a silly thing to say after everything, and yet it meant everything. Kurt grinned, just for a second, and the words came tumbling out.

"If you were anyone else, I would let you go. I would never have come back. But Blaine, something about you is different. I can't...let go."

Blaine just watched him intently as he spoke.

"Before you came along, I hadn't picked up a paintbrush in four years. I had completely abandoned the one thing that made me feel good about myself. But then, there you were, encouraging me, telling me I could, pushing me, making me feel things that I wanted to paint."

"And I know it sounds silly, that I'm standing here telling you that I want you back because of some paintbrushes...but it wasn't until you were gone that I realized what those paintbrushes meant."

He took a deep shaky breath, wondering if anything he was saying was making any sense.

"You taught me how to be happy again. Somehow, I had forgotten what it felt like. But being with you, loving you, made me happy again."

Blaine blew out a heavy breath through pursed lips and it pushed the curls off his forehead.

"I...I love you, Kurt. I do." He trailed off as he looked at the sidewalk.

Kurt's heart sank. "But?"

He watched Blaine grapple with his thoughts for what seemed like forever before he said, "Now that you know...what I am...I don't know if things can go back to the way they were before."

"Why not?" Kurt asked uneasily. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. Blaine was supposed to jump into his arms so he could smell him again and tangle his fingers in his hair. They were supposed to kiss and laugh and never let go. Not this.

"I...Kurt, this was the mistake I made with..." he swallowed hard, "Nathan. Our relationship wasn't one of equals. He had so much power over me. I need us to be equals Kurt, and we can't be. Not when I have nothing."

Kurt paused and thought about it for a moment. It wasn't as if he would ever abuse Blaine, not the way Nathan had. But he could see Blaine's point.

"Money isn't what makes people equal Blaine. It's about what you give and what you receive in a relationship."

Blaine couldn't help it. He snorted.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You are hopeless. I'm trying to be serious. What I meant was..."

Blaine held a finger up to Kurt's lips. "I know. I just don't ever want to be your charity case. I want to be your boyfriend. Your completely honest boyfriend, if you'll give me the chance."

Kurt couldn't help it. He smiled.

Blaine smiled back and extended his hand to Kurt.

"Let me start as of right now. Blaine Anderson, 23, homeless guitar playing barista. I snore loudly and will probably always forget important dates like birthdays and anniversaries."

Kurt laughed and shook his hand.

"Kurt Hummel, 24, fashion design associate with a shopping addiction. I hog the covers and criticize your fashion decisions. I may even make you change before going out with me in public."

Blaine still looked uncertain. "Are you sure Kurt? You asked to me leave once, I can do it again. If you're not sure."

Kurt shook his head as he pulled Blaine closer to him and kissed him.

"Stay with me. I want you to stay."

4 months later

Blaine was woken up by a man in his bed who wasn't Kurt.

He'd spent the evening before performing a low key gig at a bohemian bar in the Village. Kurt had accompanied him for what Kurt claimed was "a legitimate excuse to drown his work related sorrows in Pinot" but Blaine knew was actually just moral support.

They had gone home drunk at far too late an hour for a Thursday night, kissing and groping in the back of a cab. They'd somehow managed seven flights of stairs with only one painful stumble, and fallen into bed naked and attached at the hips.

So when Blaine was awoken by a strange man jumping onto the bed, he was groggy and more than a little confused.

"Kurt! We're here!"

Blaine let out a surprised yelp as the stranger bounced on the edge of the bed. He sat up and pulled the covers up higher around his waist.

"Who are you?" Blaine asked as he surveyed the tall stranger in his bed with alarm.

"Oh shit. You're not Kurt." He kept talking as he scrambled off the bed, "I'm uh...Finn. Kurt's brother...you must be Blaine."

Blaine grimaced. What a great first impression to make with Kurt's family. "Um...yeah I am. Nice to meet you."

"Good to meet you too, man." Finn was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, shifting from foot to foot.

"Um, Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we continue this conversation when I have some clothes on?"

Something seemed to click in Finn's head, "Oh yeah, sorry dude, no problem," he said as he retreated, closing the door behind him.

Blaine lay back for a moment and laughed. It wasn't exactly the way he had envisioned meeting Kurt's brother, but it could have been a lot worse.

He was extremely relieved that Burt hadn't been there too.

When Kurt had told him that his father and brother would be visiting New York and wanted to meet him, Blaine had felt a strange mixture of excitement and fear. Kurt had told him so much about Burt, the admiration and love always evident in his voice. He wanted to meet Burt, but more than anything he wanted Burt to like him.

He felt that it was essential for the most important person in Kurt's life to approve of him, but his motivations for wanting to impress Burt ran deeper, even if he was unwilling to admit it to himself.

Burt was his second chance at a father.

He disentangled himself from the sheets before throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He then flopped back down on the bed and dialled Kurt's number at work.

"Hey, you."

"Kurt, I just met your brother."

"What! They weren't supposed to come till tomorrow. Wait...why are you laughing?"

"I was naked."

By the time Blaine got home, with his guitar slung over his shoulder, Kurt was already tucked into bed reading the New York Times in his pajamas.

"Hey, where have you been?" Kurt asked gently as Blaine walked into the bedroom and flopped down at the foot of the bed.

He glanced at the clocked and cringed guiltily when he noticed it was nearly midnight. He hadn't even told Kurt where he was going when he left the house early in the afternoon.

"Sorry, I lost track of time. I was playing downtown." he answered, gesturing vaguely to his guitar.

Kurt nodded, but Blaine could tell from the expression on his face that he was confused. It wasn't like him to just disappear for an entire day without so much as a word.

He turned away from Kurt anyway, and ventured into the kitchen, stripping off his denim jacket and filling a glass with water at the sink.

All he wanted was to crawl into bed with Kurt and sleep for ages, but the anxiety settling in his chest prevented him.

He opened the window over the kitchen sink and breathed in the dewy April air for a moment, trying to push away the uneasiness.

His main motivation for his full day of street performing had been release.

Burt and Finn had left New York earlier that morning and Blaine had desperately needed to forget that the last couple of days had happened.

Music had always eased his pain.

So he had whiled the day away, drifting in and out of reality, wrapping himself in a blanket of harmony.

He'd soaked up the smiles of his listeners and just let the bad weekend roll off his shoulders.

But back in the apartment, in close proximity to Kurt and the fresh memories of his disastrous weekend with Burt, he could feel the anxiety gripping him once again.

Burt's words echoed in his mind; words overheard exchanged between father and son.

How can you be sure?

What if he's using you?

Be careful.

He wandered into the bathroom, picking up a sponge that was resting on the edge of the sink.

When Kurt walked in later, Blaine hadn't even realized that nearly an hour had passed.

"Babe, what are you doing?" Kurt asked quietly as he surveyed Blaine.

Blaine looked up from his position on his knees on the bathroom floor, scrubbing the bath tub with a sponge.

He continued scrubbing anyway, trying to illicit some kind of relief from it.

He had picked up the habit months ago, when he had first moved in with Kurt. He paid some rent, what he could, but it was mere pennies compared to what it should be and he buried the guilt by contributing in other ways.

Sometimes he'd wash the dishes, or clean the bathroom; something small. But other times, when he felt in inequality between them tilting the ground beneath his feet, he'd scrub the entire kitchen floor on his hands and knees until his hands were raw and bleeding.

He heard Kurt shift behind him and he reached down, taking the sponge from Blaine's hand.

Kurt grimaced at the raw skin on Blaine's hands. "Hey, stop. Stop. We've talked about the cleaning. What's bothering you?"

Wanting to avoid this conversation, Blaine stood up and began cleaning the mirror with a piece of paper towel.

"Nothing. It's just really dirty in here. Thought I'd clean it up a little before I came to bed."

He's homeless?

Not anymore, Dad

Kurt, how can you trust him?

He felt Kurt place his hands on his hips and twist him around so they were face to face.

"Is this about this weekend?"

Blaine dropped his shoulders, fighting the urge to keep everything bottled up inside. In the months he had spent with Kurt, he had learned that it didn't help anything; that telling Kurt what was bothering him always helped.

"Yes."

"Hey, I know it didn't go perfectly, but they liked you. Finn wouldn't shut up about how cool he thought you were. And my dad likes you too. He just takes a while to warm up to any of my boyfriends." Kurt reassured him with a smile.

"Kurt, I heard what he said. You don't have to pretend."

Blaine felt Kurt deflate as he revealed that he had overheard the hushed conversation with his father.

"And he has every right to be concerned." Blaine mumbled as he picked up the sponge again and started scrubbing the bathtub again.

"He likes you. He just...I should have told him about...your past. I think it just took him by surprise and he was concerned. That's all. My dad will come around; he always does."

Blaine shot Kurt an incredulous look and continued cleaning despite his stinging palms.

He didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to hear Burt's hurtful words ringing in his ears, he didn't want to dwell on yet another person he had disappointed.

"Kurt, what he said was true. I don't...you don't get anything out of this relationship. I feel like I'm your charity case. Or a sponge. All I do is take from you and I hate that. I hate it."

Kurt then did something Blaine didn't expect.

He climbed into the bathtub and lay down on his back.

"Come here." He motioned for Blaine to join him.

Blaine hesitated for a moment before setting down the sponge and climbing into the empty bathtub beside Kurt.

When the two were squished in tightly lying on their backs beside each other, Kurt spoke.

"Do you remember that night when we laid like this? In the rowboat in Central Park?"

Blaine nodded.

"Do you remember what I said to you?" Kurt asked as he turned his body towards Blaine's.

"You smell like coffee?" Blaine ventured.

Kurt shook his head.

"You're pretty?"

Kurt laughed. "Oh god, I did say that. But that's not what I meant. You asked me 'money or happiness?' and I told you happiness, of course."

"You make me happy, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine felt a smile tugging at his lips despite himself. He nuzzled his face into Kurt's neck and snuffled happily.

Kurt giggled. "You are such a puppy."

"But you hear what I'm saying, right? I chose happiness and you were the one who helped me do that."

"I know you think that you're a coward for running away. For running away from your parents, and your old life. For running away from Nathan. But Blaine, you are the bravest person I know. You were never running away. You were running towards something. You were running towards happiness. You were brave enough to break free of all those things that got in the way of your happiness and run towards the things that would make you happy. New York, your music...me."

Blaine looked at Kurt in wonder. "That's...I..."

"So excuse me if I'm not particularly concerned with my dad's rushed assumptions after spending two days with you."

Blaine's heart swelled in his chest. How could he have lost sight of that? Kurt loved him, and as long as that was true, it didn't matter who else did.

Kurt loved him.

He loved Kurt.

Everything else is background noise.

"Hey, Kurt?"

"Mhmm?"

"Is that a new shirt?"

"No."

"Good." Blaine replied as he reached up and turned on the hot water spout on the bathtub, effectively soaking both of them.

Kurt shrieked in surprise when the water sprayed everywhere.

Blaine smiled devilishly as he climbed on top of Kurt, pressing his hips down on top of Kurt's and kissing up his neck.

"Good, because we're going to get wet."

Hope you liked! Thanks to everyone for their lovely reviews so far, they make me sooooo happy! Next chapter is already written so I'll update asap.