The rest of Blaine's tour went well. Kitty was excited to be working for Blaine and Santana and Kurt let her go without two weeks notice. He began his search for a new barista. Which ended shortly after Unique strutted in telling him that her internship at Elle didn't pay enough. He tossed her an apron and showed her how to make a latte.

Blaine hung around The Lima Bean every day that Kurt was working. A few people had caught on. There were only some that stopped to talk to Blaine. The regulars were well aware of the situation, but they had known Kurt so long, they didn't dare annoy him and his boyfriend.

Though Kurt figured Blaine could probably do better things with his time, he didn't mind the extra business Blaine brought in by just being there. Young fans coming in and buying a coffee then having Blaine sign the cup was a popular thing to do at this point and it meant Kurt was making money, if in a perhaps somewhat morally ambiguous way.

Blaine ended up being such a fixture at the coffee shop that he would gladly let someone sit across from him and talk about anything. He was like an old man in a park waiting for the right person to listen to his stories and opinions. Kurt smiled every time he watched Blaine. One day he got in a heated argument with Kurt's Tuesday and Thursday regular, Simon.

"The Browns do not suck!"

"Blaine, they have not won in years. Accept it, they suck."

"Maybe they haven't won a superbowl. But has anyone beat them at being beat? No, the Browns have that in the bag."

"Exactly they win at sucking!"

"Blaine! Simon! If you want to talk football go to a sports bar. People are trying to enjoy coffee here!"

"Sorry, Kurt." They said in unison looking down, before Simon slid out of his seat and went back over to the corner his laptop was set up in.

"Blaine are you sure you don't have anything to do? Don't you want to prepare for your upcoming concerts or something?"

"I'll practice when I get home. It's just like the other concerts I might just mix up the set list." Blaine titled his head at Kurt. "Do you not want me here?"

"No, it's not that." Kurt reached out to keep Blaine seated. "I just feel like I'm keeping you from something important."

"I'm free as a bird." Blaine winked at Kurt. "I could sort sugar packets."

"No, I'm not letting you go into creepy, obsessive organization mode again."

"I could sing."

"Here?"

"Yeah."

"I can't afford to hire you for a gig."

"It's not a gig. I just need to practice, and this seems like a good place to do it."

"Well I'm sure it would please the customers."

"Can I borrow a guitar?"

"You can borrow whatever you like." Blaine leaned up to Kurt's ear.

"In that case." He whispered, and Kurt could feel Blaine's hand moving closer to him.

"Not at work." He said strictly, and Blaine's hand dropped.

"Fine, but immediately after."

He walked over to the door to Kurt's apartment and pulled out his key. It made Kurt smile every time he saw Blaine with it. He had given him a key to his apartment and to The Lima Bean. He wasn't sure why he had given him one to The Lima Bean, but since they had met there it just felt right. He disappeared upstairs and returned a moment later with one of the guitars.

Some of the customers looked up and smiled. Others didn't even realize what was happening.

"Do you guys mind if I play a little bit?" Blaine said casually to the ten or so people in the building.

"As long as you don't suck as much as the Browns!" Simon called from his corner.

Blaine stuck his tongue out at him childishly, making Kurt laugh and turn away to get back to cleaning up behind the counter.

At first Blaine just strummed. He played different riffs, ones Kurt hadn't heard before. Eventually he was just singing what he saw around him. He was making everything up as he went, and it was entertaining the customers, who were expecting a completely serious performance of love songs.

Simon's being a jerk, talking trash about the Brown's while he should be at work.

Kurt's been cleaning the same spot on the counter for a while

He's been too busy checking out my sexy style.

The room laughed and Kurt blushed dropping the rag in a bucket and going to work on something else.

He thinks now that I can't see his gorgeous blue eyes

I will stop spitting out annoying lies.

Well I will keep singing with sass

So long as I can see that amazing, round—

"Blaine!" Kurt snapped turning around and pointing a finger at him.

You're mad that I've written another song for you

But my dear Kurt there's no need to be blue.

Everybody knows what rhymes with sass.

I was obviously going to say glass.

Everyone likes coffee that comes from a pot.

The Lima Beans coffee really hits the spot.

"Are you writing commercial jingles now?"

Why must you mock my lyrics my love.

I've been told I sing like a dove

I've never heard a dove sing but I assume they are good

Plus another thing we have in common is sitting on wood.

"Okay you're done. Upstairs. You're grounded."

"You're grounding me?"

"Until you can learn to behave yourself."

"I'm confused and aroused." Kurt pushed Blaine through the door. Everyone clapped for him as he was kicked out.

Kurt tried not to laugh as he turned back to the café. His regulars chuckling at Blaine and Kurt, who had become their own live sitcom.

"Sorry for the disturbance. He won't be back until he learns how to be a better lyricist."

"Yeah that song about coffee pots won't win any Grammy's." Kurt nodded his head at Kathy who was munching on a scone and winking at Kurt.

Brittney was to be in charge of The Lima Bean while Kurt was back in Lima for Christmas. He decided they would close the coffee shop for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after so Britt and the other employees would have a chance to see their families. Kurt and Blaine would be in Ohio for a week and a half.

Burt and Carole gladly picked them up from the airport. They even volunteered to drop Blaine off at his brother Cooper's house in Westerville.

"Thanks so much. I asked Coop if he would pick me up, but he said he didn't want to be seen at the airport. Apparently, he's been having paparazzi problems since he stopped doing those insurance commercials and moved back to Ohio." Blaine just looked confused, he had never understood Ohio's obsession with his brother's weird commercials.

"How come you never told me Cooper Anderson was your brother?" Kurt smiled at Blaine, his lips pulled up and his cheeks stuck.

"Because I knew you would have acted like this. Like everyone else acts. You have a crush on him."

"Well. I mean you guys are related so you look alike and everything."

"Yeah okay."

Burt laughed from the driver's seat. "Nice save, kid." His voice was mocking, and he winked at Kurt in the rearview mirror.

"What? You're both so handsome and good."

"Yeah. So I've been told." Blaine put his head on Kurt's shoulder. "Mostly by him. And he doesn't typically say we both are." Blaine rested his eyes. He was way too tired from the flight to deal with his brother's narcissism right now. But his parents didn't even know he was back in town and staying at a hotel didn't feel right during the holidays.

"You said the blue one on Python Street, right?" Burt's voice was hesitant, and the car slowed.

"Yeah. I forget the number. But it's blue with red shudders."

"Does it usually have crowds of young girls on the lawn?" Carole asked.

Blaine's head shot up from Kurt's shoulder and he looked out the window ahead. Cooper's house was surrounded by fans all holding posters with Blaine's face on them and wearing t-shirts with his album cover.

"Crap, how did they find out?" Kurt pushed Blaine's head down and ducked himself realizing he was just as much a part of the public eye now.

Cooper called Blaine then. "Hey little brother. So there's a small problem. Some people might have found out you were staying with me…"

"How did they find out, Coop?" Blaine knew the answer, but he wanted to hear his brother admit to being an idiot.

"I might have tweeted it."

"What made you think that was a good idea?"

"What, you don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of devoted fans?"

"No Coop, I can honestly say I don't want to be surrounded by fans for the entirety of my stay in Ohio."

"I guess you'll have to get a hotel then." Cooper sounded distracted. Blaine figured he was picturing those fans there for him instead of Blaine.

"Bye Cooper." He hung up and groaned. "Well that's about as well as I expected that to go. Guess I'm getting a hotel room."

"No, you're not." Carole turned back to him. "It's Christmas you're not staying in a hotel. You can stay with us."

She turned to Burt who thought about it a moment then nodded back at Blaine, still ducking behind the seat.

"We would love to have you."

"That's wonderful of you to offer. But I couldn't. I would just be in your way."

"The parents have spoken there is no denying it. You have to stay with us." Kurt smiled down at him and ran his fingers through his hair.

"But the first sign of paparazzi, we will throw you out and let the obsessed teenage girls have you."

"Dad!"

"Joking." Burt backed up and turned around, heading to Lima.

Blaine smiled throughout the entire tour of Kurt's home. Kurt was most excited to take him up to his bedroom.

He showed Blaine all of his high school memorabilia. Blaine put the prom queen crown on Kurt's head and took his hand, pulling him in to dance as he hummed.

"Who got the first dance with the Prom Queen?"

"There wasn't one." Kurt didn't want to tell the story of Karofsky right now, not when everything was so perfect.

"Does that mean I got the first dance with you as Prom Queen?" Blaine was suddenly a giddy high schooler.

"I suppose it does." They danced around a bit more before Kurt put the crown back on the glittery skull.

Kurt pulled out his t-shirt from their Born This Way performance.

"I wore this to convince Rachel not to get a nose job." He held it up and told Blaine about how everyone made a shirt about what they were insecure about.

"And are you still insecure about it?" Blaine took the shirt out of Kurt's hands and tossed it on the bed, winding his fingers through Kurt's hair and putting his lips right in front of Kurt's.

"No." Kurt breathed leaning in to close the distance between them.

"Eh hem." Burt cleared his throat from the doorway and Blaine was off Kurt faster than if he were a burning hot pan just pulled from the oven. "If you two are quite finished with the 'tour'" Burt did air quotes and giggled, "Dinner is ready."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Blaine. We all know Kurt was the one who did it." Burt cackled and walked away.

"He saw us kiss and he laughed." Blaine stated, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah. It was pretty funny. You were terrified."

"He laughed."

"Blaine. Are you okay?"

"Your father saw two guys kissing, and I apologized, and he didn't want an apology."

"Blaine, he is perfectly okay with us being together. In his eyes there is nothing wrong with it. You don't have to be ashamed to kiss me in front of my family. Let's just not do anything too crazy in front of them. If you really want to be ashamed think about the fact that they probably watched you give me a lap dance on Ellen." Kurt patted his cheek and walked past him out of the room.

"He looked and cleared his throat. And he…laughed?" Blaine was still processing when Kurt grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of the room.

"Where's Finn?" Kurt looked at the empty seat beside Carole.

"Shop is still open." Burt grumbled.

"How does he like it?"

"I think it makes him feel like he belongs. He likes being looked up to and they do that at the shop." Carole assured Kurt.

"That's good. He needs that." He turned to Blaine. "You'll meet him eventually."

"So, Blaine." Burt peered up from his plate of greens. "We saw you and Kurt on Ellen."

"I'm sorry." Blaine said instinctively. Remembering what Kurt had just said about the lap dance.

Burt chuckled. "For what, kid?"

"You're not mad that I—that I uh—danced on Kurt on live television?"

"And embarrassed the crap out of him. That's like a father's dream. Maybe not the means of doing it but watching him squirm as they played that video of him. I was dying."

"Thanks, dad."

"Do you think I could dance like Blaine did, Carole?"

"I think you should avoid even trying, dear." She laughed then yelped as he stood and swung his hips at her. Blaine's face went bright red as he realized he was being mocked.

"We're just messing with you guys. That was a great show. I'm proud of you both."

"That was a stunning performance at the piano, Blaine." Carole added, smiling across the table at him.

"Thank you." He spoke shyly, and Kurt put a hand over his at the table. He went to pull away but looking up at the smiles on Burt and Carole's faces, he left it. Turning it over so they could interlock fingers.

"So, we've been dying to know." Burt leaned over the table and looked at Carole conspiratorially before glancing at Blaine. "Does it take you longer to gel your hair back than it does for Kurt to perfect his coif?"

Blaine started cracking up at their question. He shook his head. "I've got mine down to 30 minutes, Kurt spends at least 45 and that's if he decides not to do the last layer of hairspray."

They all laughed together. Taking turns mocking each other and telling stories. After they were done, Blaine offered to clean up and Carole hugged him so tight, he had to take a big breath after.

"This one's a keeper." She yelled to Kurt and Burt who were talking in the living room.

"I know." Kurt yelled back, continuing the conversation with his father.

Blaine smiled and went to work on the dishes. At this point, doing the dishes usually meant he had just been a part of a great memory, so it hardly felt like a chore anymore…more like a tradition.

After Blaine was finished, he went to where everyone was in the living room. He hadn't even noticed two others had joined while he was in the kitchen.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" He excitedly ran over to hug her.

"I was at my dads' house and thought I would come see Finn. I hear there were fan troubles at Cooper's house. Did they see you guys?"

"No Cooper was just being an idiot."

"Well you can stay at my dads' if you need a place."

"He's staying here." Kurt said almost forcefully, and Burt rolled his eyes and took a seat next to Finn on the couch to talk about his day at the shop.

After Finn pillaged the leftovers, the group decided to go ice skating. It was a week night, so they figured it wouldn't be busy. Burt and Carole declined the invitation, so they could work on decorating the house, their being in DC rather often kept them behind on holiday preparations. Rachel grabbed Kurt and dragged him out and to the car. Blaine and Finn fell in step behind them.

"I guess I haven't like actually introduced myself. I mean of course I know you, and I'm sure Kurt's mentioned me, but anyway I am his step brother, Finn Hudson."

He stuck a hand out to shake Blaine's. Blaine smiled up at him then grabbed his hand to pull him into a half hug.

"Nice to meet you Finn. Kurt has told me all about you, I'm glad we finally get a chance to hang out."

Blaine let him go and Finn looked at him with an awkward smile. Apparently, he was a little starstruck.

"So this is super weird. My brother is actually dating a rockstar."

"I still can't get over the fact that I'm dating Kurt Hummel. He's extraordinary." Blaine looked up to him and Rachel. From what he could tell, they were jumping up and down talking about some new development on Broadway.

"He really is." Finn agreed. "You're a cool guy, Blaine Anderson."

They got to the car and Finn hopped in the driver's seat, Rachel in the passenger and Blaine and Kurt slid easily next to each other in the back.

"So, you've met Finn." Kurt whispered, waiting for Blaine's thoughts on his stepbrother.

"He's great. I'm glad you two are so close." Blaine whispered back giving Kurt a kiss on the cheek.

The car ride went by in relative silence. Blaine was longingly staring at Kurt and Kurt was pretending not to notice.

"So, I have like a million questions for you, Blaine. But one, why are you so obsessed with Kurt's ratty old McKinley sweatshirt? Every picture of you on tour is in that thing." Blaine and Kurt laughed into each other's shoulders. Rachel just patted Finn on the leg. "What? Seriously I don't get it. Can't you afford like everything in those magazines Kurt reads?"

"Nothing you can buy in a magazine, keeps the love of your life in your arms when you are hundreds of miles away from him."

"You could bring Kurt along that way you can wear him on your arm instead of a ripped-up sweatshirt." Finn added. Kurt pulled back a little and looked at Finn's unconcerned face in the rearview mirror. Then over at Blaine, who had stopped smiling when he thought about his upcoming tour in Europe where he wouldn't be able to jet back to New York after each weekend.

"That's true." Kurt stated then nuzzled his face back into Blaine.

They were right about the ice-skating rink being pretty empty. While they were in Ohio, Blaine figured he wouldn't post pictures somewhere until they had left to keep people from tracking them.

Unfortunately, Lima, Ohio wasn't used to having a rockstar in their midst so everyone that recognized him, fawned over him. Kurt shooed Finn and Rachel to go ice skating and have their fun, so they wouldn't be stuck having to wait for Blaine to sign autographs and take pictures.

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Blaine whispered as a group of fans approached.

Kurt just smiled sadly at him. He would have to wear a wig if they wanted to go anywhere in Ohio. Kurt took pictures for people to hurry the process along and as opposed to standing and chatting Blaine quickly signed things, asked if they would be at the concert, then excused himself to go back to what he was doing.

"I just hate disappointing them." They were putting their skates on when Blaine realized he had probably made the last group sad by not hanging around.

"They probably feel lucky they got a few minutes with you. No one can expect you to talk to them for so long when you have so many fans in the world. You still need time to eat, sleep, and make music."

"Among other things." Kurt laughed and pushed Blaine.

"Please don't remind me that the entire world imagines our sex life."

"Come on guys!" Finn yelled from the barrier to the ice. Him and Rachel had been flopping around. Neither were particularly good at ice skating.

"Hey, so have you been ice skating before?" Kurt asked nervously realizing, if he had been, it hadn't been in years.

"Nope." Blaine smiled at him as they helped each other up and over to the ice.

It took Kurt a minute to gain his balance. He leaned against Blaine who wasn't struggling at all.

"I thought you said you've never been before?"

"I lied." Blaine laughed and held onto Kurt who was sliding all over the place. "I didn't realize you would be this bad."

"There is no trust in this relationship." Kurt yelled as he fell to the ground.

Blaine slid over, coming to an effortless stop in front of Kurt, sprawled on the ice. "Don't joke about that." He offered a hand and Kurt took it without hesitation, letting Blaine pull him up and into his side.

"I'm sorry. I love you and trust you with my life." Kurt looked at where their hips were just about connected, and his feet were sliding in every direction. "Which by the looks of it you are currently holding. Please don't let me fall again, my butt is freezing."

"I can help warm it up." Blaine's eyes hooded as a hand slid down to Kurt's ass.

"Hey, keep it PG!" Rachel yelled as she sped past them with her legs kicking ridiculously behind her. She was trying desperately not to fall and in the effort just smacked against the wall almost flipping over it.

"Yeah, man we don't want to have to do hand checks the entire time you guys are here." Finn flashed past them and over to help Rachel who was quickly pulling at her skirt and readjusting her ear muffs. Finn helped her back to the ice and they held hands as they skated together.

"So are they like together?" Blaine was confused. Of course, Rachel had mentioned her high school boyfriend Finn before, but he thought her going to New York meant they broke up. She hadn't said they were still together. He thought they hadn't seen each other since her last visit to Lima in the spring.

"They will always be together in one way or another I guess." Kurt didn't know any more than Blaine. Him and Finn texted, but as far as he was aware Finn hadn't found anyone else in Lima. He was too busy keeping the shop.

"Well a matter for another day. Would you like some hot chocolate? It will give you an excuse to get off the ice." Blaine smiled sweetly at Kurt who was still slipping around beside him.

"Yes please." They made their way to the exit and headed to the little shed that sold drinks.

"Two hot chocolates please." Blaine smiled over at Kurt after he ordered and waited for the man to grab the drinks.

"Are you just conditioned to smile at me after ordering a drink or something."

"I just like smiling at you."

Kurt gave him a kiss and the man that returned with the hot chocolate made a face at them causing Kurt to take a step away from Blaine. Blaine handed the man cash and took the hot chocolates.

He handed one to Kurt with a kiss on the cheek and a glare over his shoulder at the worker.

"I guess I forgot where we were for a minute." Kurt's voice was low, and he wasn't standing as close to Blaine.

"Kurt, what are you doing?"

"We are in Ohio. One of the least tolerant states in America." Kurt looked over at Blaine who was waiting for the point. "Everyone here is going to judge us if we even look at each other kindly."

"So, let them judge." Blaine pushed himself into Kurt's side as they took a seat on a bench. "I'm not going to stop loving you because it makes people uncomfortable."

"You don't have to, but maybe we should just keep the PDA to a minimum." Kurt whispered, and Blaine saw a darkness in Kurt's expression.

"What happened at your Prom?"

Kurt looked over at Blaine, like he had been reading his mind. "You said there wasn't a first dance, Kurt. Did people-," Blaine paused, and his eyebrows furrowed as he gulped. "Hurt you?"

"No. Not at the Prom. Not physically anyway." He figured being back in hell meant he would have to relay all the hellish memories as well as the few good ones. "There was this guy, Karofsky. He bullied me mercilessly for being gay. He even threatened my life once. I finally stood up to him and then he kissed me. He got right in my face in the locker room then kissed me and I was so disgusted and terrified. It turns out the reason he bullied me was because he was gay and in the closet and frustrated and he thought that beating me would apparently beat the gay out of him or something." Kurt frowned then looked at Blaine, who put a hand on his knee for support. "Anyway, he was voted Prom King and I was Prom Queen and I told him to do the dance. To show the world that he wasn't afraid of himself and he ran off, couldn't do it."

"I can't believe he would bully you like that. Just because he was unsure of himself."

"I wish I could understand why people do the things they do."

"He wasn't... That wasn't your first kiss was it? The one he forced on you in the locker room."

Kurt just bit his cheek and looked up at Blaine with watery eyes. "Oh, Kurt." Blaine's expression quickly went from sympathetic to angry. "He stole that from you. That is something you can never get back and he just took it without even thinking." Blaine was so frustrated he was debating having Santana track this guy down, so he could talk to him. Tell him about how none of it worked because Kurt is the greatest, wisest man alive.

"It would have been you." Kurt took a sip of his hot chocolate, his hand shaking.

"What?" Blaine breathed, his anger replaced with sadness.

"If Karofsky hadn't kissed me. That kiss on the yacht would have been my first." Blaine put a hand on Kurt's cheek. Kurt leaned into it, it was warm from holding the cup. Blaine's mouth twitched into a smile as he ran a thumb over Kurt's lips, they were soft and warm from the drink.

"The first one never counts as much as the last." He leaned in and pressed his mouth against Kurt's. Instead of pulling away nervous of how people would react, Kurt let Blaine deepen the kiss. It was soft at first then harder and his tongue slid into Kurt's mouth to taste the hot chocolate on his teeth. After a long moment he pulled away slowly, pressing his forehead against Kurt's. Both kept their eyes closed not wanting to see the disgusted faces of conservatives glaring at them. Not wanting to let go of the beautiful moment they had shared.

"I think if you were my first kiss, I would have died."

"If you were mine, I would never have left your side."

"You kind of don't."

"Well you're a good kisser." Blaine smiled and pecked Kurt's lips.

Finn and Rachel whooped from the railing to the ice rink.

"Get it, bro!" Finn cupped his hands over his mouth as he yelled. Rachel joined in with a high-pitched cat call. Blaine and Kurt laughed with their foreheads pressed together before finishing their hot chocolate and going back to the ice.