Happy Saturday! I don't know about you, but I'm certainly glad it's time for the weekend!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on the last chapter. We're getting so close to the end! Can't wait to see what you guys think about the rest of this story.

Thank you to Christine for her support and help with this and all my stories.

Thanks to Sofi for reminding me to take breaks.

Enjoy!


Regarding himself in the mirror one last time, Kurt finished buttoning up his shirt and took one last critical look at his outfit: the dark brown pants complimented the blue floral pattern shirt perfectly, he thought. It made his shoulders look broader, even. He liked that.

He had barely finished straightening up everything just right, when Blaine wrapped his arms around him from behind, ruining all his careful work. If it hadn't been for the sweet smile on his face, Kurt would have been actually mad.

As if he could actually get mad at Blaine…

"Thanks for doing this tonight," Blaine said, further cementing Kurt's desire to allow him anything he ever asked. It was unfair how sweet and earnest he was. "It really means a lot to me."

"Of course," Kurt muttered, tilting his head to the side so he could kiss Blaine's temple. "They're like your family. I'm really looking forward to meeting them."

They had been enjoying a lazy Saturday at Blaine's when Tina had called, asking if they wanted to join her and Mike for dinner that night. The rainy weather had kept them cooped up in the apartment since the previous night, so it seemed like a perfect excuse to go out.

It was a big deal, Kurt knew, meeting Tina and Mike for the first time. They were like siblings to Blaine, just as important as Cooper had always been. And not only that, but they were also Blaine's biggest reference when it came to adult, established, healthy relationships. Kurt knew he had always been mature for his age, but he also didn't want Blaine to look at his friends, and then back at what he had with Kurt, and find it lacking.

It probably wasn't helping that lately Kurt had been worrying about Blaine not telling him that he loved him yet.

He was aware that he was allowed to be the one to say it first, but he stupidly needed Blaine to say those words before he did – he needed Blaine to get to that stage, to be able to look at Kurt and see trust, to see a future. Blaine, who had been lonely for so long, who had never found someone he could fully trust, needed to take that first step. Because what if Kurt said the words and Blaine…?

"I can see you freaking out, you know," Blaine murmured, looking at him in the mirror. He looked so calm, so relaxed. Kurt didn't know if it was because he wasn't worried about introducing Kurt to his friends, or because he'd had three mind-blowing orgasms throughout the day. He hoped it was a bit of both. "There's no need, though. They're going to love you."

Well, but do you? Kurt wanted to ask, but instead he smiled, eyebrow arched teasingly. "Oh, I'm not worried about your friends not liking me. I'm worried about you ruining my clothes," he muttered playfully.

Blaine let go at once, looking very apologetic. "Oh! I'm sorry, Kurt. I didn't…"

"Hey," Kurt said, turning around and catching Blaine by the waist. "Save the ruining my clothes for after dinner, please?"

Blaine grinned as he leaned in for a kiss. "Deal."

The heavy rain that had fallen over the city the entire day had finally slowed down to a manageable drizzle, so Blaine grabbed a big umbrella and they huddled close together under it to navigate the few streets that separated them from the restaurant Tina had picked.

"Anything I should know?" Kurt asked as they walked, careful not to step into any puddles. He didn't want to ruin his pants. "Sensitive topics I should avoid? Any particular interests they might be happy to discuss?"

Blaine glanced at him, half frowning, half smiling. "Are you really nervous?"

"Please don't judge me," Kurt said at once. "I'm just worried they'll hate me, or they'll think I'm dull. These are your best friends, Blaine. Tina knows you better than anyone. Their children are your godchildren. It would be such a mess if they didn't like me..." He paused and saw Blaine trying to bite back his laughter. "Okay, fine, you can judge me."

Blaine stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, hurried New Yorkers be damnned, and faced Kurt under the shelter of their shared umbrella. "I think it's adorable. I think you are adorable. There's absolutely no way they wouldn't like you, Kurt. They'll take one look at you and they'll see how happy you make me, and that's all they'll care about. And even if they didn't... they'd be so, so wrong. You're absolutely amazing."

Kurt could feel the blush building in his cheeks, the smile tugging at his lips. At this point, it didn't really matter if Blaine said I love you or not. As long as he kept looking at Kurt like that, as long as his voice kept going soft like a caress as it just had... then he knew they were on the right path.


Tina let her hand graze her husband's shoulder – a simple yet familiar touch they often used to communicate even the smallest things. This time, it was a quick thank you for opening the restaurant door for her, ushering inside to get her out of the rain.

She took a brief scan of the restaurant, searching for Blaine and didn't have much trouble finding him, sitting at a table by the window. Next to him was a stunningly attractive man, his hair so impeccable Tina was a little envious – it had been so hard to control her own hair with all this humidity. He was slim and elegant, and there was a tiny smile on his face as he listened to whatever Blaine was saying. He was absolutely captivated, as if he didn't want to miss a single word. He looked at Blaine with the kind of adoration Tina had wanted for her best friend all her life.

"Mike," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of conversations inside the restaurant. "Look at them."

Mike glanced down at his wife first, and then followed her eyes. She wondered if he saw the same thing she did – the easy chemistry, the way they were sitting next to each other, shoulders leaning together, not because they needed the support but because they liked having it. Just as they were watching, Blaine lifted Kurt's hand and pressed a swift kiss to his knuckles, neither of them breaking out of the conversation, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them.

Tina reached for Mike's hand. "Mike," she said, and she felt near tears. Mike squeezed her hand, once again the silent understanding of two people who have been together long enough to speak without words. She knew he saw exactly what she did: Blaine more in love than either of them had ever seen him. He looked relaxed, calm, happy.

"Come on," Mike muttered sweetly, his hand shifting to the small of her back to guide her amongst the tables. "Let's go join them."

It wasn't until they were standing right beside them that they looked up, like glancing away from each other was too hard. Blaine looked like he had completely forgotten his friends were supposed to join them, but the surprise passed quickly, and he grinned up at them, before hurrying to stand up.

"Hi guys, so glad you made it," he said, immediately opening his arms to hug Tina. He then turned to Mike and gave him a friendly pat on the back, before he looked at Kurt, who had also stood up. "Tina, Mike... this is Kurt."

"It's so nice to meet you," Kurt said, offering his hand to them.

Tina rolled her eyes. "Oh please, come here," she babbled excitedly, as she pulled him into a hug. "It's so great to finally meet you. I've been really looking forward to this."

Mike didn't seem like he wanted to make Kurt uncomfortable, so he did accept his handshake once Tina had let go of him. "We heard so much about you, we kind of feel like we already know you a bit."

"All good things, I hope?" Kurt muttered, eyebrow slightly arched, facing Blaine.

"Of course, darling. All wonderful things," Blaine replied with a chuckle.

He pulled Kurt's chair for him, Tina noticed. Blaine had always loved being a gentleman, wooing the guys he liked. They all sat down and before they had the opportunity to say another word, their waiter arrived to leave the drink menus. Tina could barely look away from the two men sitting across from her – she had been witness of every single relationship Blaine had ever had, had been his confidant through it all, the first person to hear about what Blaine was feeling. She remembered Blaine's face, full of hope and excitement, the night before he proposed to Derek, the smile he was biting back when he showed her the ring. She remembered how crushed he had been when Derek left. She had seen Blaine lose all his hope, all his enthusiasm, the romantic in him slowly dying.

And here he was now, looking like he had never been unhappy a single day in his life, like he had never known anything but absolute and powerful joy.

Tina had only known Kurt for five minutes, and she already hoped he was here to stay forever.

"So, Kurt," she said as soon as the waiter took their drink orders. "Blaine tells us you are a fashion star at Vogue. That must be so exciting."

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly, but there was a quick blush in his cheeks as he nudged Blaine with his shoulder. "Fashion star. That's a bit far from the truth, don't you think?" He muttered, before he turned back to Tina. "I'm a personal assistant. I'm being given more responsibilities as I learn the ropes, but I'm afraid Blaine exaggerated a bit."

"Judging by your outfit, I'd say he was exactly right," Tina said appreciatively, and watched as Kurt's eyes lit up in delight. "I love your shirt."

"Oh thank you! I was about to say the same thing about your dress," Kurt said, smiling. "That color looks fantastic on you…"

"Thanks! I wasn't sure. I always feel like yellow washes me out…"

"Oh, no, not at all. And the lines are so flattering as well…"

Blaine leaned across the table towards Mike and whispered, not really trying to be subtle. "Well, I think we lost them for the night."

"At least they're getting along," Mike winked. Tina playfully patted his shoulder. Mike caught her hand and kissed the back of it. "Tina, maybe you can ask Kurt to help you find an outfit for my performance? You were saying earlier you didn't know what to wear…"

"Oh!" Tina grinned. Sometimes her husband had the best ideas. "Yes! That would be amazing…" She turned back to Kurt and Blaine. "Mike's dancing at the Carnegie Hall with his company in a month…"

"Which reminds me," Mike interrupted, reaching into his jacket inner pocket and retrieving two tickets. "I saved you some tickets, Blaine. In case you guys want to come."

Blaine smiled as he accepted them. "We would love to."

"And I can definitely help you pick out an outfit," Kurt said at once. "What are we talking about here? Elegant? Casual?"

The conversation flowed so easily then. From Mike's performance, they moved on to their kids. Kurt asked a lot of questions about them, and Tina didn't miss Blaine's pleased and tender look when he did. Mike asked then about Kurt's own family and so dinner was almost an afterthought, busy as they were getting to know Blaine's boyfriend.

As they talked, Tina paid attention to the way they acted around each other, the easy way in which they interacted without even noticing it: Blaine putting a few of his roasted potatoes on Kurt's plate, Kurt sliding some of his chicken onto Blaine's. She didn't need to look under the table to know when Blaine's hand was settled on Kurt's thigh, and she had to admit she loved the way Kurt kept pressing his shoulder to Blaine's, leaning into him as he talked about his roommates.

Yes, Tina had been there for every single one of Blaine's relationships, but she had never seen him have this kind of simple chemistry, this kind of practiced and sweet intimacy.

It took her breath away.

As they waited for dessert, Blaine leaned and pressed a quick kiss to Kurt's cheek. "I'll be right back, just need to use the restroom," he explained, and got up.

Tina watched him disappear, zig-zagging through the tables, before she faced Kurt. Apparently she moved too abruptly, because he startled and almost spilled his drink.

"Before he comes back, I need to ask you…" She said. It looked like Kurt was getting nervous, so she hurried to add: "Are you planning anything for Blaine's birthday? Because we usually have him over for dinner, but we wouldn't want to mess up your plans."

Kurt blinked at her for a moment. "It's Blaine's birthday? He didn't say…"

Tina sighed heavily, but was not surprised. "Of course he didn't say. He probably doesn't want to impose or cause any troubles. It's the fifth, so it falls on a Wednesday? We were planning to have you two over for dinner on Friday. But we could reschedule if you want to do something else…"

"Oh," Kurt frowned, and it looked like his brain was working full speed. "No. It's fine. Dinner on Friday sounds great. If I plan anything, I'll plan it for Wednesday. I can't believe he didn't tell me…"

Mike smiled gently. "He probably doesn't want to bring it up and make you feel like you need to do something special for him."

"Thanks for the heads up," Kurt said. "I would have felt terrible if the day came and I didn't know." He paused, thoughtful. "I need to come up with something truly special for his present. He's been… more than generous, sending me flowers at work and everything."

"Well, he does like to spoil the people he loves," Mike said and Tina nudged him with her elbow to signal Blaine's return.

They didn't miss Kurt's expression – like an adorable deer caught in the headlights.

"So," Blaine said as he sat back down next to Kurt, hand immediately going to rest on his thigh under the table. "What did I miss?"

Kurt opened his mouth, clearly trying to come up with something to say, but the waiter arrived then, carrying their desserts. Saved by the flan.

Later that night, when she had already kissed her kids' forehead and tucked the blankets around them, careful not to wake them, Tina slipped into her own bed and exhaled.

She hadn't realized just how worried she had been about Blaine all these years, until now, until she saw there was nothing to worry about anymore.

Her best friend was in good hands.


"What are you still doing here?"

Kurt almost jumped a foot out of his chair, completely startled. He turned to see Isabelle standing just outside her office, watching him with her eyebrows all the way up to her hairline.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said with an apologetic smile. "What's keeping you at the office so late? I thought I was the last one here."

Kurt looked around the darkened, empty office. Everyone else had left about an hour ago. The Manhattan skyline visible through the window had lost the sun a few minutes ago, so most of the light still left inside the floor was artificial. Every computer was off, every cubicle vacant. Kurt's desk was a mess of files and notes, as well as discarded ideas, balls of paper everywhere.

"I'm just finishing with the stats you need for tomorrow," Kurt said.

Isabelle lifted his notepad and read the list he had scribbled there. "A shirt, a guitar, a book…" She looked at Kurt strangely. "This has nothing to do with the stats. What is it?"

Kurt groaned in frustration. "I'm just writing down ideas for Blaine's birthday present. It's useless. I don't know what to get him. Nothing I buy will be good enough. He has everything he could possibly need. Why would I get him a guitar? He has like three in his living room. The man has everything. I'm screwed."

Isabelle smiled down at him like he had said something adorable, which didn't help Kurt feel less frustrated. "Kurt. Why would you get him something he needs? Get him something he wants but wouldn't buy for himself. Something he would enjoy. Something that he'll treasure forever."

"Well, that's making it easier and putting less pressure on finding the perfect thing," Kurt sighed gravely.

"Who says it has to be a thing?" Isabelle shrugged.

Kurt blinked for a moment, and then sat up straight. "Oh. You're right. He's said a few times that he would love a vacation. We clearly wouldn't have time to go away for two weeks, but maybe a little weekend getaway? Somewhere where he can disconnect and forget about all the difficult stuff he'd had to deal with recently?" Kurt opened a new tab on his computer, ready to search for location ideas, but then deflated. "Who am I kidding? I've been saving but I don't know if I can afford a place nice enough to take him. Or plane tickets. Do you think there's a nice place somewhere in New York where we could go and still be far away from the city?"

Isabelle clapped her hands in delight. "I know! I have the perfect idea!"

Kurt leaned in eagerly to hear what she had to say.

He loved Isabelle Wright with everything he was.


The day Blaine turned thirty eight, he woke up in bed alone.

Unfortunately, Kurt hadn't been able to stay the night, and he hadn't seen him since Monday, when they met for a quick lunch and then Blaine walked him to Vogue. He knew it was ridiculous, to miss him this much, but he couldn't help it – in the past few weeks, he had grown used to having Kurt in the house, to see him make himself at home in his kitchen, to his sheets and pillows smelling of Kurt's shampoo and aftershave.

It was a pity that today, of all days, he wasn't around, but it was Blaine's own fault. It had felt awkward, mentioning it was his birthday. He didn't want it to sound like he expected Kurt to do anything special, and so he hadn't known how to bring it up, and now the day was here, and it had only gotten more awkward. He knew Kurt would feel terrible when he eventually found out, though, so maybe he would casually mention it at some point today. They were, after all, invited to Mike and Tina's on Friday for his birthday dinner.

His morning was rather uneventful – after his good morning text to Kurt, he found out it was a very hectic day at Vogue, so he wasn't exactly surprised at the radio silence that followed – and after working out, a shower and breakfast, he answered a few birthday messages, the more important ones from Cooper, Mike and Tina, who had sent him a video of his godchildren singing happy birthday to him. It made him smile and he replayed it a few times.

Cooper asked him to join him for lunch, so Blaine took him up on the offer and met him at noon at one of their favorite restaurants in town. Blaine arrived first, and almost expected his brother to make one of his grand entrances, pausing at the door and taking his sunglasses off so everyone would turn around and see the great Cooper Anderson, handsome as hell, always pulling focus, coming to grace their regular days with his presence. But Cooper had changed a lot in the past few weeks, and he was a dimmer version of himself, so once he arrived, he simply headed to the table where Blaine was waiting for him, and made sure to make no eye contact with anyone, even if they recognized him.

"Happy birthday, little brother," he said with a kind smile, as greeting. He pushed a little gift bag across the table towards him. "Hope you like it."

Blaine smiled. "Aw, Coop. You didn't need to get me anything..." Once he opened it, he found a really dashing Rolex watch, silver and gold straps with tiny diamonds instead of numbers. For all of Cooper's faults, he had always been very generous with his gifts. "Wow. This is... so elegant, Coop. Thank you."

"If you don't like it, or if it's too flashy, feel free to exchange it, okay? I just thought it would look really nice on you," Cooper said.

"I love it, really. I'll wear it to Mike's performance in Carnegie Hall next month." Blaine put the present back in the bag and focused on his brother. "How are you doing, Coop? You look a little better."

"I'm good. Tired. Things are a little tense at the show right now, but we're working things through. I promised I'd stay until they can find a replacement," Cooper shrugged. "I just hope they hurry up."

"I can talk to our lawyer again, if you need me to. We can try to speed things up," Blaine proposed. The waitress left their menus with a smile and a quick greeting, before she left them alone again. "You don't need to keep doing this if it's making you miserable."

"I know," Cooper reassured him. "I just don't want to leave the kids in my team high and dry. I mean... I already did that to Santana and I feel like shit. The least I can do is make sure I don't ruin anyone else's life."

Blaine frowned. He had never heard Cooper like this, and it worried him. He reached across the table to squeeze his shoulder. "Coop..."

"Hey, no," Cooper interrupted, and he managed to manufacture one of his patented smiles, though it was more sincere this time. "It's your birthday. Let's just enjoy some time together, okay? Whatever needs to be fixed... it'll be fixed when it's time. Now, tell me about your birthday plans. I assume you and Kurt have something nice planned?"

Blaine scrunched his nose, feeling a little guilty. "He doesn't know it's my birthday."

"What?" Cooper exclaimed, shocked. "You are an idiot. Why didn't you tell him?"

"I don't know," Blaine ran a hand down his face. "I am an idiot. I felt uncomfortable bringing it up and the longer I waited, the weirder it felt to say something, and now... he has no idea. But I'll probably say something later. I'll call him after work or something."

"You could've done something with him today. Don't you want to spend your birthday with your boyfriend?" Cooper asked.

"Of course I do! I'm just really bad at this, I guess. I'm rusty when it comes to relationships..." Blaine rolled his eyes at himself. "He's really great. I don't know why I didn't tell him. I didn't even need him to do something special for me. I would've been happy just asking him over for dinner and hanging out at home with him..."

"So? Do that. It's still early. Call him and tell him to go over to your place after work, and then you just tell him. Stop making it weird." The waitress came back so they ordered their food and their drinks, and it wasn't until she was gone again that Cooper added: "Hey. I think Kurt really cares about you. He'd be hurt if you don't tell him."

"I know," Blaine nodded. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Kurt. "I'll tell him."

"Good. And if for any reason, you can't spend tonight with him... give me a call, okay? I'd love to buy my little brother a drink for his thirty eighth birthday," Cooper grinned.

"Wait, I thought you were buying lunch," Blaine teased.

Cooper laughed. It was a sound Blaine had missed so much, that it left him a little breathless.

It felt like that was the real birthday present.


The end of the day was approaching, and Blaine still hadn't been able to get a hold of Kurt. His texts throughout the day were met with quick apologies and explanations of what a mess the office was. Blaine offered to pick Kurt up at Condé Nast, thinking maybe they could go out for dinner, but Kurt declined, saying he had a headache and he didn't think he would be good company tonight. Blaine felt bad for Kurt, and also a bit for himself. But there was no one to blame but himself for ruining his own birthday.

He was leaning against the kitchen counter, considering his options (make dinner for himself or call Cooper and take him up on that offer to buy him a drink?), when his phone started vibrating with a new call. He smiled when he saw Kurt's gorgeous face on his screen – maybe he had changed his mind?

"Hey you," Blaine said softly.

Kurt's voice was tense when he replied: "Blaine. Hi."

Blaine immediately frowned. He was suddenly remembering the night Kurt had shown up at his door after being mugged. "What's wrong?" He asked, worry creeping in.

"I fell in the shower," Kurt explained miserably. "I think I hurt myself. The girls aren't home. Do you think you could come and help me…?"

"Of course," Blaine said, already pushing away from the kitchen counter and heading towards the front door, catching his keys and jacket on the way. "Should I call an ambulance? How hurt are you?"

"No, no, no ambulance. Just come, please? The door should be unlocked. Rachel never locks it when she leaves, and she left just as I was getting in the shower," Kurt said.

"I'm already on my way, baby," Blaine said, closing the door behind him, scanning frantically for cabs. He hated thinking of Kurt being hurt in any way. "Just hang in there, okay?"

"Thank you," Kurt muttered, and then the call ended.

It had to be the longest cab ride in Blaine's life. He should've asked Kurt more: was it his arm? Had he hit his head? Oh god, he should have kept him talking. What if he had a concussion? What if…?

"I'm sorry," Blaine said, leaning a little closer to the front seat to look at the driver. "Could you go a little faster? I'm in a hurry."

The cab driver only grumbled in response, but stepped on the accelerator, so Blaine didn't mind.

Blaine had already considered every single worst scenario by the time the car stopped right in front of Kurt's building. He paid quickly and exited, pushing the building door opened and heading up the stairs two at a time.

When he finally made it to Kurt's floor, he hurried for the door, and pushed it open, already calling for him: "Kurt! Kurt! Where…"

He stopped.

Kurt was most certainly not hurt. He was standing in the middle of the living room, smiling widely, dressed impeccably in leathery-looking pants and a grey striped button down. The entire loft was filled with flowers and candles, and something was cooking in the oven and smelled amazing.

Blaine was endlessly confused.

"What…?" He mumbled, looking around. "Are you okay?"

Kurt went towards him, an apologetic little grin on his face. He pressed his hands to Blaine's shoulders and then let them trail back until he could lock his fingers behind his neck, moving closer until their bodies were flushed together. "I'm okay. I'm sorry if I scared you. I needed a way to get you here fast and without asking many questions."

Blaine breathed out in relief. "That was incredibly mean."

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, and leaned in, kissing Blaine softly, too briefly. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Blaine watched him like he was a sorcerer. "How did you know?"

"Tina told me," Kurt said, sheepishly. "When we went out to dinner. Although I would've liked it if you mentioned it…"

"I know. I just… I guess I found it awkward," Blaine explained, shrugging. "I didn't want you to have to worry about doing anything special…"

"I'm always one step ahead of you, love," Kurt said with a wink. "And I really am sorry about telling you I was hurt. I needed you to come over, and I couldn't think of any other urgent things. You would have been suspicious if I just randomly told you to come after telling you how busy I was all day…"

"Well, you tricked me," Blaine said, and took another look around the loft. "Kurt, this is amazing. When did you have time to do all this?"

Kurt grinned. "Isabelle let me leave the office two hours early. I also kicked Rachel and Santana out for the night, so I owe them favors that I'm very afraid will be a pain to return, but I think it was worth it. Stay the night?"

Blaine took a deep breath. He was going to say yes, but instead what he said was: "I love you."

Kurt gasped, freezing momentarily in his arms, his eyes widening slightly, suddenly brighter than any stars. "You do?" He whispered.

It felt good to say it. "Yes. I love you," Blaine repeated. It didn't matter if Kurt wasn't ready to say it yet. "You don't have to…"

"I love you too," Kurt replied instantly, almost eagerly. "God, I've wanted to tell you since Christmas, but I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same, and I… I was starting to get worried that you weren't saying it, but I was hopeful, I mean…"

"How could I not love you, Kurt?" Blaine said quietly, lifting his hand to brush some hair off Kurt's forehead tenderly. "My life is so much better since you're in it. I don't think I have ever loved anyone the way I love you."

Kurt surged forward, unable to stop himself, kissing Blaine fiercely. Blaine held him tightly, one arm wrapped around his waist, his other hand cupping his face, tilting it into the kiss, making it even more perfect than it had already been. It was always perfect between them.

And Kurt loved him back.

Suddenly, the possibilities opened up before his eyes: next year's birthday, with Kurt by his side; ten years from now, waking up next to him; twenty years from now, still loving him as fiercely as he did today.

When Kurt pulled away, his face seemed ready to crack in two, he was smiling so hard. He grabbed Blaine's hand and pulled him towards the kitchen. "Come on. I don't want dinner to get ruined."

Kurt had gone all out with dinner – garlic baked salmon with vegetables and a chocolate cake with thirty eight candles on top for dessert that Blaine blew out after wishing everything would remain exactly like this. How could he wish for more, when it felt like he had it all?

He was about to dig into his slice of creamy chocolate cake, when Kurt slid an envelope with a big red bow across the table towards him.

Blaine put his fork down. "What's this?"

"Your present, silly," Kurt said with a grin. "Open it."

"Kurt, you didn't have to get me anything…" He said, as he grabbed the envelope and opened it. Inside, he found two train tickets. "What is this?"

"Well, the tickets are symbolic, really, just a way to give you something," Kurt explained, biting his lip in excitement. "Your actual present is a weekend getaway in East Hampton."

"What?" Blaine exclaimed. He got up and went around the table, unceremoniously dropping down on Kurt's lap, who began to laugh. "Are you serious?"

"You're not the only one who can do the spoiling, you know?" Kurt teased him, as Blaine peppered kisses all over his face. "Isabelle saw me freaking out about trying to find the perfect birthday present for you, and she offered me her cottage in the Hamptons. She says it's really nice and quiet, and right at the beach front. Apparently it's the house where she plans to retire someday, hopefully not soon, because I need to learn so much from her still…"

"She's amazing," Blaine chuckled. "I'll have to send her some flowers to thank her."

"Already did, sweetheart," Kurt said. "I learned from the best. We're going next weekend. She gave me half of Monday off so we don't have to hurry back. Do you like it?"

"I love it," Blaine said. "It's been forever since I've taken time off somewhere nice. I can't wait to go there and just lay in the sun with you and do nothing."

"I'm glad," Kurt sighed, obviously in relief. "You're painfully hard to shop for, by the way."

"I'm not. I would love anything if it came from you," Blaine retorted. "But this is truly perfect, Kurt. Seriously. I needed it."

"I know. And you deserve it. I wish it could be a longer vacation, but maybe soon? Once I can take some actual time off work?" Kurt muttered.

"Yes. Of course. There are so many places I want to go to with you," Blaine whispered, kissing the tip of his nose. And then he added, just because he could: "I love you."

"Love you more," Kurt said, smiling.

"Not possible," Blaine said, as he kissed him again, deep and needy, a little desperate.

Thirty eight years old and he was finally experiencing an all-consuming love. He had never known, until now, that he had just been waiting for Kurt to arrive. He wished he could go back in time and tell himself to be patient, to not despair: Kurt was going to be part of his life at the right time, just when he was ready to give it all up. There were things you couldn't rush. Perfect love was one of them.

Blaine didn't move, not wanting to let go. They shared bites of cake and chocolate-flavored kisses and Blaine felt young and alive and ready for the future. For a future with Kurt.

Plates empty, bellies full, Kurt lifted his hand to run his fingers through Blaine's hair, breaking the gel a bit. "Do you want to go to bed?" He asked, in a tone that told him he had no intention of sleeping.

And Blaine felt needy all over again, desperate all over again – he wanted Kurt to touch him everywhere, to kiss him everywhere, and he wanted to do the same in return to him. "Please," he practically whined.

With his back pressed to Kurt's mattress, his head nested in his pillows, Blaine felt like he was reborn. Kurt cherished every inch of him, made him feel worth it, broke him down into a million pieces only to build him back up with the touch of his tongue to the inside of his thighs, with the graze of his hand down his sides, the warmth of his mouth all around him, the pressure of his fingers as he stretched him open. Blaine wrapped himself around him, wishing he had more limbs just so he could hold on tighter, firmer, and felt the bed frame shake under him with every single one of Kurt's thrusts, at the rhythm of his growingly erratic panting in his ear, a melody Blaine wished he could add lyrics to, it was so perfect.

Kurt intertwined their fingers, pulling Blaine's hands above his head, pressing them to the bed as he fucked into him steadily, mouth parted and glued to Blaine's. "I love you," he said, breath ragged. "I love you, Blaine."

Blaine threw his head back and tilted his hips up, getting him deeper as he came, Kurt's name like a prayer on his lips. Kurt moaned, the sound echoing throughout the loft, and followed suit.

They didn't say anything for a long time, slowly coming down from their highs, trading sweet little kisses, feeling like they were learning how to breathe. Blaine kept his legs wrapped around Kurt's waist, keeping him in place, not wanting to let go yet. Kurt leaned up on his elbows so he could look down at him, his blue eyes still darkened with arousal, lips cherry red from kissing him and blowing him and making him feel amazing.

"I'm happy to be here with you, Blaine Anderson," he whispered, fingers playing over his chest, drifting through the dark hair there, until he found the wild beating of Blaine's heart and let his fingertips rest there. "I'm just… happy, you know?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, voice a little hoarse. "I know exactly what you mean." He covered Kurt's hand with his. "When I said I love you… you know that it means forever for me, right? I've waited my entire life for you, Kurt. I don't ever want anyone else."

Kurt's smile was watery but radiant. "Forever sounds perfect."


And they finally said the magic words!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

I think I might be able to update on Wednesday, in case things get too busy, I will let everyone know on Twitter (theficwhisperer). Thank you for the patience!

Love,

L-