Chapter 15
By GleefulPoppet

"You what?" a female voice bellowed from the side of the stage, and Sebastian's head shot in her direction. Sue Sylvester was looking at him with a face that could murder.

At least, he assumed it was Sue. Dave had warned him that there was a 12-foot tall, terrifying woman that always wore tracksuits who would smell his bullshit from a mile away. She was scary enough. Even more shocking was that the voice came out of a petite, red-haired woman standing next to her, who looked like she'd walked right out of a magazine ad from the 1950s with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

"Who the hell are you?"Sebestian spat out at her. He started to panic when he realized this plan might not have been so well thought out and that there were at least six adults at the side of the stage staring at him.

"We might ask you the same question, young man!" Principal Figgins said, taking a step forward. "Sue, if you might be so kind, let's take this ruffian to my office." He shook his head and made a tsk tsk sound as he looked at Sebastian with pity. "Imagine doubting something like hashtag Klaine? You must have blinders on, young man. Ms. Pilsbury, if you might join us?"

She nodded, and with more venom in her voice than anyone knew she was capable of, she asked, "How did you get in here?" She'd worked too hard with all of these students over the years to allow someone to come rushing in here and ruin their Senior Prom.

When Sebastian didn't answer, Sue finally had enough and charged forward, ready to drag him out.

His eyes went wide in surprise at seeing her headed towards him, and he jutted his chin toward Dave and Landon, who were down in the crowd, front and center. "Dave Karofsky."

Sue gave a menacing glare and held up two fingers, pointing to her eyes and then at Dave and Landon and back again. "In the office. Now." She flicked her head toward the right exit. "Everyone else, carry on with this disgusting display of love-sick, doe-eyed croaking!" She grabbed the mic from Sebastian and shoved it back into Kurt's hand. As she passed by Kurt and Blaine with a firm hand on Sebastian's shoulder, ushering him from the stage, she whispered, "In the office when your duet and the next Glee Club performance are over. No excuses. Don't make me come looking for you."

"Back to the festivities, children! On with the show, as they say. Yes. Yes," Principal Figgins said as they exited the stage.

Three teachers and three teens disappeared through the gymnasium doors. Everyone cheered, and the gossip started buzzing through the air faster than a swarm of bees.

Kurt looked at Blaine and then down at their hands. "Oh, god! Are you okay? I didn't realize how hard I was squeezing your hand."

"Huh?" Blaine shook his head to clear the shock, looking down and seeing that their skin was pale and their fingertips dark purple from clinging to each other. "Looks like it was mutual. I'm fine. You okay, love?"

Before Kurt could answer, an intense drum rift got everyone's attention, and the band played the intro to their duet song, just a bit faster-paced this time.

"Sing it, boys!" Santana yelled.

They grinned at each other, knowing that they had promised they wouldn't let Sebastian ruin this for them. They winked and jumped back into the song. Whatever would happen to them later in the office could wait. Right then, it was their moment, and they were going to take it. They hammed up the dance even more and spun each other across the stage, causing everyone to laugh. They waggled their eyebrows and blew kisses as they worked the cheering crowd, and when they sang the final lines, they gazed into each other's eyes.

And if I had to walk the world, I'd make you fall for me.
I promise you, I promise you I will
I will, I will

With the last note, Blaine leaned over and kissed Kurt. It was quick yet filled with all his devotion. Kurt playfully popped his foot up behind him, and when they pulled apart, he had the biggest grin. He turned his head toward the crowd and, with an exaggerated wink, fanned his face, tipping his head towards Blaine. A chorus of laughter blew across the dance floor, and everything seemed back to normal.

"Vote Klaine for Prom Kings! Voting ends after this next song from the Glee Club!"

The Glee Club joined them on stage, and together, they put on a perfect performance of "Here's to Us!," utilizing everyone's talents and voices, including brilliant choreography by Brittany and Mike. The energy in the room became palpable as the DJ took over, playing a club mix of "We Could be Heroes" that got everyone jumping.

The parent and teacher committee took the ballot boxes out one door, and no one noticed Blaine and Kurt slip away, hand in hand, out another to face whatever they were about to find waiting for them in the office.

—*—

"Aww... Boys. Nice. Thanks for joining us," Principal Figgins said as he opened the glass door for them. "Your parents have been called and should be here shortly."

"What?" Kurt and Blaine said at the same time.

"Let's just all sit tight and wait for them. Some of the accusations flying around between these two," he pointed between Dave and Sebastian, "are quite serious. And we need your parents here."

"My parents are—" Blaine cut himself off and closed his eyes. His parents were going out on a date, and he wanted that for them. His dad had been working a lot, and it sometimes took a toll on his mom. He opened his eyes when Kurt squeezed his hand to get his attention and tugged on him.

There was only one seat left in the room at the end of the couch that Landon and Dave were sitting on, so Kurt sat down and then pulled Blaine down onto his lap, wrapped his hands around his waist, and offered a simple kiss in the middle of his back in silent reassurance. He smiled when he saw Dave and Landon discreetly finding comfort by rubbing a finger against each other's hands.

The following seven minutes were the longest torture of their lives as the tick tick tick of the clock seemed slower with each second that passed.

The first person to arrive was Mr. Smythe, pointing to his son. "Sebastian, you are in more hot water than you can dare to imagine. Not the least of which is I was already on my way here, using your location because I came home early, and low and behold, you weren't in your room, grounded and where you belong. You will not speak unless spoken to. Now, tell me. What the hell is going on here?" He looked to Principal Figgins.

"We'd love to know that, too," Burt said from the doorway and then walked in with Carole and Blaine's parents right behind him. The office was suddenly stifling with eight adults and five petrified teenagers crammed into it.

"Yes. Of course. Thank you for coming so quickly. I have contacted Dave's father—who is out of town. He said Dave may speak for himself and requested that he be informed of these happenings in a call tomorrow morning. Landon seems innocent in whatever shenanigans are happening here and would like to stay with Dave since his parents cannot be here. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No," several of the parents said in unison.

"Well, let's start from the beginning then. Dave, if you will."

"Uhm... So, I was a jerk? I treated Kurt like crap for years. And man, I just—It took me a while to get my act together. And Kurt, he just kept being cool, you know? He was never cruel back. So, I took that to mean he…could maybe… You know, like me one day. No one had ever been kind to me or understood what I was going through except him. So, I fixated on it—on him. I'm so, so sorry. I was over the top about it all. It wasn't until... Not until…" He looked over at Landon with a nervous smile. "Well, I guess I know what it feels like now to actually have that go two ways. I did some stupid stuff. I know I did. I'm truly sorry." He looked at Kurt and hoped that he knew how sincere he was.

"Tell us about the phone, please," Principal Figgins prompted.

"Right. Uhh... So, Sebastian convinced me to clone Kurt's SIM card from his locker."

"You did what?" Burt said.

Dave shrugged. "I followed the exact directions and software Sebastian gave me, cloned it, met him after school, and handed it over. I didn't do anything with it. I swear I didn't."

Sebastian turned red and let out a small, threatening growl.

"What the hell, Sebastian?" his dad roared.

"Seb has been using it to spy on them and prove they were fake dating or something because he wants to—Uhh... Well, you know…with Blaine. He…" Dave turned bright red.

"That's what got you into this mess, isn't it? It's why you're grounded until June! You can't keep it in your pants. First, the testing and medication, and now this? Dammit!"

Blaine chimed in, horrified by the implications of sexual diseases. He'd been tested twice to ensure he hadn't gotten anything from his cheating ex. Luckily, the universe had spared him that particular consequence. "He's been harassing me since we broke up, texting constantly. He sent me a picture of his private parts in various...uh…stages. I've blocked his numbers three times now."

Mr. Smythe looked at his son, shaking his head. "Convenient. I heard three sob stories about how your phones have been stolen or broken when I confronted you about the credit card bill." He looked to Blaine and took a deep breath. "Do I dare ask how old you were when he sent this picture—or was it pictures?"

"Seventeen."

He whistled and looked over at Blaine's dad, who offered him his hand.

"Charles Anderson. I'm a lawyer as well. I'm very much aware that you're a State's Attorney for Ohio. I'm sure you're aware we can press charges for distributing pornography to my son, a minor at the time. After he told me about the pictures, I prepared the documents and collected our phone records. We didn't pursue it when they stopped. In light of this new information, though…"

"I won't try to talk you out of it if you think it's the right course of action. He deserves what is coming to him," Mr. Smythe said as he put his arms up in surrender. "I've given him too many chances. I'm done."

"There is also the issue of this SIM card. As you know, copying a card is not illegal unless you have the express intention of gathering personal data. So, I think Dave here," he waved over to him, "is off the hook on a technicality since he did it solely with the intention of giving it to Sebastian and didn't use the card. However, if your son has been using it to gather information about Kurt, that is a second-degree felony."

Kurt interjected, "He sent Blaine false texts that looked like they were from me, trying to lure Blaine into being alone with him and other situations where he would think he was meeting me, and it was actually Sebastian,"

"You knew? You knew he was cloning your phone, Kurt?" Burt asked, flabbergasted.

Kurt's eyes went wide, shock on his face. "Uhm... Yes?"

"And it didn't occur to you to come to me? To go to Ms. Pilsbury or the principal and get help from an adult? Kurt, come on, kid! You're smarter than that. What were ya thinkin'?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Blaine and I—We were—I was caught up in the drama of all of it, what was happening in our relationship and with Dave and Seb and Prom and graduation, and I don't know. I'm sorry, Dad. It's the most obvious solution now, and I'm pretty ashamed of myself."

"I knew, too," Blaine said sheepishly. "That is inexcusable. It didn't even occur to me. I was so lost in my hate for Sebastian. It was all so stupid. And the pictures were the worst. I don't know. We were trying to handle it on our own."

"Yes. Well, we can all see how well that went," Charles said.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Blaine said. His eyes welled up with tears. He hated disappointing his father, although the way Kurt wrapped his arms tighter around him in comfort helped tremendously.

"We'll talk about this later. I'm livid you didn't tell me about the SIM card. That being said, I can see you kids have been going through plenty. Let's not let this ruin your Senior Prom, alright?"

Blaine nodded, his voice timid when he replied, "Thank you, Dad. That's extremely generous."

"What else needs to be addressed?" Ms. Pilsbury asked, trying to get all eyes off Blaine, who was clearly upset with himself.

"Being a State's Attorney, I'm going to call in some favors. I can skip about 20 steps to getting a restraining order filed against my son," Mr. Smythe gritted the word between his teeth, "on behalf of both Blaine and Kurt—and Dave, if needed. I can also assure you that after graduation, Seb will be going on a nice, long internship somewhere, like an ice fishing boat in Alaska or coal mining in some dark cave, so he can think about the choices he's making, throwing away his life like this. I'm not expending for Harvard until he gets his act together and actually goes to the counseling I'm paying for. He's also being financially cut off until improvements are made. Just because you're smart doesn't make you wise. And if he dares disappoint me again tonight, he might wake up with a tracking anklet on his person tomorrow."

"Dad!" Sebastian shouted, tears springing to his eyes as anger suddenly spread like wildfire up his neck and cheeks.

"Is this amiable?" Mr. Smythe looked between Burt and Charles.

The fathers looked at their sons, who looked at each other, nodding.

"We just want him to leave us alone and stop harassing us," Blaine said. He didn't want Sebestain's whole life to be ruined, yet the guy had shown no remorse, and he needed to learn there were consequences to his actions.

After Burt, Carole, Charles, and Pam went into the hall to discuss it for a moment, they came back in and agreed. They exchanged contact information with Mr. Smythe to get everything in order, and then Sebastian was escorted by the elbow firmly out of the office by his father. "Idiots, all of you!" he said under his breath on the way out.

"Aww... Yes. A little trip to Alaska should cool him off nicely. As for you, Dave, you have two weeks of detention for breaking into a locker. And you are hanging by a thread for suspension. Understand?" Mr. Figgins asked.

"Yes, sir. I will be on my best behavior until graduation."

"Good. Good. Now, is everything fine here? Everyone is happy? Yes," he said without waiting for an answer. "Then let's see if Klaine won Prom Kings. With the roar coming from the auditorium, things are getting frenzied. Let's rejoin the party."

Blaine received a hug from his parents, and Kurt got one from Burt and Carole. They assured them that, while they were unhappy with them not coming to them about the SIM card and a discussion was to be held, they genuinely wanted them to have a nice Prom night. They all blushed, thinking about the awkward conversation about being allowed to get a hotel room for the night because they were both 18 now. At least they'd be somewhere safe and not sneaking around, and of course, there was the clichéd, "We were teenagers in love once, too," which made Kurt and Blaine want to gag. No. Just no. No kid can imagine their parents having sex, thank you very much. Then the room was filled with the harmony of six people clearing their throats and exiting the office with smiles and promises to see each other in the morning.

Once in the hall, Blaine held his hand out for Kurt and kissed him on the cheek. "I can't believe our parents were out on a double date. That's sort of cool. We've all hung out before at family dinners, but they met up. I sort of love that. Like, we were all absorbed in Prom, and meanwhile, the parental units were texting each other to go get cheesecake while we're on a date."

"It's adorable. I hope we're like that someday. You know, when we have kids. I want to be friends with their dates' parents."

Blaine's step faltered, and he yanked Kurt gently to a stop. "When we have kids?" he asked with wide eyes, full of excitement at the implications of that.

"Mmhm... When we have kids." He leaned in and kissed Blaine's lips, and oh, god, it felt so incredible. It felt like slipping his feet into his favorite Alexander McQueen boots, molded perfectly to his feet: flawless, comfortable, and ready for adventure.

"Kurt! Blaine! For hell's sake! This isn't French class! Get in here. They need us on stage. Now!" Santana yelled and pointed to the doors.

A few minutes later, in a blur of activity, Kurt and Blaine stood on the stage with the other nominees. The adults were droning on about this and that when all the students just wanted to know one thing.

"And now, without further ado, this year's Prom Queen is…" Mr. Figgins opened the envelope and smiled. "A tie for the lovely Cheerio duo of Santana and Brittany! Congratulations!"

Ms. Pilsbury carried over two crowns and grinned. "We planned ahead for this. I hoped you'd win," she whispered between them as she handed one to Brittany to put on Santana's head and then gave the other to Santana to place on her girlfriend, which she did with a sweet kiss on her cheek. "You ladies look beautiful. Congratulations." She stepped back and waved an arm out, presenting them to the applauding students, catcalls and hollers mixed in.

"Achievement! Good. Fine. And your Prom King is…" After he pulled the card out, he smiled and waited for at least four eternal seconds.

"Tell us!" someone screamed from the back. Everyone started chanting, "Tell us! Tell us!"

"Your Prom Kings are hashtag Klaine! Kurt and Blaine, congratulations!"

Kurt and Blaine turned and stared at each other, shocked, then collided into each other's arms, wrapped in a hug like they'd never shared before. It hurt in the best kind of way. They managed to take the crowns from Ms. Pilsbury and place them on each other's heads. Neither of them were embarrassed by the few tears that escaped the corners of their eyes.

"You boys are amazing. I'm so happy for you both. Congrats."

The opening notes of "When You Look Me in the Eyes" filled the air, and the four of them descended the stairs together and then melted into their date's arms as they started to sway and slowly spin on the dance floor.

When you look me in the eyes,
And tell me that you love me
Everything's alright,
When you're right here by my side

With each line of the song, the world grew progressively smaller. All that mattered was in their arms, and suddenly, it was a shocking reminder that high school was coming to an end, that in some miraculous turn of events for all of them, the most important thing they were taking away from this experience was not their diploma. It was the person in their arms.

I can't take a day without you here,
You're the light that makes my darkness disappear
When you look me in the eyes,
And tell me that you love me
Everything's alright
When you're right here by my side

Blaine had a flash of a double wedding with the girls someday and then smiled; Kurt would never go for that. He let the thoughts go and shivered at the idea of a wedding, though—no matter what it looked like—and turned, inhaled deeply in Kurt's neck, and pressed a kiss there before he started whisper-singing some of the words to Kurt, who joined in.

'Cause when you look me in the eyes
And tell me that you love me
Everything's alright
When you're right here by my side

When you look me in the eyes,

I catch a glimpse of heaven

I find my paradise

When you look me in the eyes

As more and more students wandered onto the dance floor, the slow songs were eventually replaced with dance mixes. There was laughing with friends, ridiculous chain dances that included at least 50 people doing the bunny hop, hugs with everyone who was realizing this was the last dance of high school, tears, kisses, and eventually whispered longing as some students started heading out.

After finally collapsing in a chair with Blaine in his lap again, Kurt's heart raced for an entirely different reason than the dance with Mercedes and Sam that had left them breathless. "Blaine?"

Blaine turned sideways and put his arm around Kurt's neck. "Hi."

Kurt's face beamed at seeing how happy his boyfriend was. "Hi."

"What were you going to ask me?" Blaine queried before kissing Kurt on the nose.

"I—Well, I could really use a shower. I feel disgusting. This fabric was not made to wick away sweat." He shuddered, scrunching his face.

Blaine laughed and shook his head. "I see. And exactly what would you like me to do about your current predicament?" He walked his fingers up Kurt's chest.

"May I be as blunt and honest as I can muster?"

Blaine's fingers suddenly twisted in the ruffled fabric on the front of Kurt's shirt, his eyes widened, and his breath caught. "Oh, dear god, please, yes."

"Blaine Anderson, I've loved you for so long. I want to take a shower with you if you're ready. And just... We can see what happens? We don't have to rush. We have our whole lives in front of us. Still, I'm not going to waste another day not telling you that I love you and that I'm ready for whatever is next for us." He took a quick breath, and with determination in his eyes, he said, "I want to go to the hotel."

Blaine's eyes shone with understanding, and he nodded twice. "Okay." He slid off his lap, intertwined their fingers, and without a word between them, they walked to the car, squeezing each other's hands intermittently to make sure this was actually happening.

After driving for several miles in comfortable silence, Kurt asked, "You okay, honey?"

"Yeah. I'm so okay. You?"

"Yeah. Uhm... Can I ask you something? Do you know what a safeword is, Blaine?"

Blaine shook his head. "Not sure I know exactly. I have a vague idea, though."

"Well, basically, we pick a word for us, and then if one of us says it—ever—during sex or in conversation, it means whatever is happening stops immediately. We take a few deep breaths and figure out what happens next."

"Where did you learn that?"

Kurt blushed, visible even in just the faint lights from the console dash. "Uhh... Promise you won't laugh?"

"Kurt. Of course," Blaine said sincerely as he quickly glanced over.

"I might have read those pamphlets my dad gave me a while back. Uhm... After your parents called him this afternoon to get permission for the hotel—and he agreed after blushing as red as his favorite buffalo check flannel—I promised him I would if we were going to stay here tonight. Plus, I wanted—I wanted to be prepared."

"Wow. Thank you. That's—Wow, Kurt."

"It's been a day. Reading those pamphlets and thinking about last night..."

"I haven't stopped thinking about it," Blaine said quietly.

"Me neither." Kurt brought Blaine's hand up and kissed it.

"So, the safeword. I love that idea. What word do you want?"

"Something ridiculous that won't come up in the heat of the moment."

"Hmm..." Blaine thought for a moment. "Like 'Prince Humperdinck'?"

Kurt laughed. "I love you. 'Humperdinck' could work, though, couldn't it?"

"Yeah. We can just try it, and we can change it later, right?"

"Right," Kurt said. When he realized they had turned into the hotel's parking lot, he knew he had to say the next part before he lost his nerve or they lost their clothes. "Blaine. Can I—Can we talk about one more thing before we get out?"

"Always," Blaine said as he turned off the ignition and turned towards Kurt, rubbing his fingers up and down his arm.

"I know we've been caught up in finally being in each other's arms. And when you—Blaine, when you were so brave and finally told me, you said that you were mentally exhausted from trying to keep it inside."

"I was. It had been a year. Longer, probably."

Kurt nodded. "I wanted to tell you thank you. Thank you for…opening your heart. My heart and mind were exhausted, too, with the same 'should I or shouldn't I' rhetoric that made me feel like I was sometimes on a hamster wheel. And I've caught myself wishing that we could get that time back. On the flip side of it, though, I keep trying to figure out why."

"Why we didn't say anything?"

"Yeah. And I know we talked about it last night for a minute. I have a theory, though, and before we go in there, I feel like I need to take a turn being brave and open and share my heart with you. Is that—Is that okay?"

"You were brave and open when you told me you wanted to take a shower together. And last night when you told me your boundaries. And just now, talking to me about safewords. Not to mention reading those pamphlets so we could be safe and prepared for tonight. You are brave, and you have nothing to prove to me. If you need to talk to me, though, I'm right here. And if all we do is talk tonight, that would be okay, too. You know that, right?"

A wide smile spread across Kurt's face, and he nodded. "I appreciate that, but you and I are taking a shower together, Mr. Anderson."

Blaine chuckled. "As you wish, Mr. Hummel. Now, tell me what's on your mind. You get kind of cute when you get nervous."

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand and let out an anxious laugh. "Whew. Okay. I have been a little hard on myself about not telling you. I've asked myself a million times why I didn't, why we didn't. And while we were dancing tonight, I think I had an epiphany."

"Oh, yeah? And what was it?"

"Last night… Well, last night, we said we were 'really oblivious,' and in a way, it's true. It's just that I've been thinking about it a lot the last 24 hours, and it's so much more than that, so much more profound and deeper with a little reflection."

"Tell me, please?" Blaine asked quietly.

"I think we always knew. And it's a testament to how important we are to each other that we were willing to sacrifice part of what we wanted so intensely to keep the amazing foundation of friendship we already had. You are a rock in my life, Blaine, and I'm not embarrassed to say I need you. I love you first and foremost as my best friend, and I always will."

"You're my best friend, too, Kurt. I can't imagine—could never imagine—my life without you in it."

"Exactly. That's exactly what I'm saying. And so, on the one hand, it seems ridiculous we didn't just talk about it. We talk about everything else. Everything. On the other hand… Our friendship will always be first, and this—what we have now—is beautiful and arousing, and god, I want you so badly I feel like I'm on fire. It will never be more important to me than seeing you smile. Or more than knowing that you'll always love me, that you will defend me—even when you know I'm wrong—and that we call each other ten times a day and text non-stop at all hours of the day and night, that we like to bake cookies together and talk about life and our dreams about Broadway. We've always accepted each other as perfectly imperfect, Blaine. I wish I could articulate it better."

Blaine wiped the tears off his cheek. "I think you're articulating it beautifully."

"I never want to lose you as my best friend, and I needed you to know that before we walked in there. This can't—" Kurt got choked up, his voice thick with his feelings. "This can't ever lead to a horrible, nasty breakup, Blaine. We have to promise each other, please, that we'll do whatever it takes to learn how to communicate with each other and how to grow older and be adults together."

"I promise, Kurt. Maybe when we go to New York this summer, we should… Maybe we should..."

"What?"

"It might be a good idea for each of us to go to counseling? We're going to be away from our parents for the first time. Plus, living together. We thought it would be as roommates; now, though, we'll be boyfriends. And college is going to take its toll. It might be smart to—"

"I agree," Kurt immediately stated. "Ms. Pilsbury, she pulled me aside a few days ago and suggested it, too. I'm nervous about it. Still, I want to give us our best chance. And I know sometimes I pull away emotionally when I'm overwhelmed. Plus… With the bullying and, well, just everything we've gone through... Yeah."

"Okay. We'll look into it. We're going to get this right, Kurt. Sometimes, it's not going to be easy, and we can't pretend it will be. We just have to keep doing this, being honest." He waved between them.

Kurt nodded, his eyes radiating brighter, hopeful at Blaine's words.

"Best friends, fearlessly and forever then, Mr. Hummel?"

"Fearlessly and forever, Mr. Anderson."

Neither of them felt the need to fill the next few minutes with words. The anticipation spoke volumes with the way the veins in their throats pulsed, how it was hard to get a deep breath, and the way their palms became clammy. They grabbed their bags, only letting go of each other when strictly necessary to lock up the car. A short walk later, they stepped off the elevator, and Blaine slid the key into the lock of room 305 and opened the door for Kurt. He was shocked when Kurt playfully grabbed his bow tie and pulled him into the room. Letting the door shut behind them, he reached back to bolt it.

One look at each other had Blaine rushing the few feet between them and wrapping Kurt in his arms.

"I love you, Kurt. So much."

"I love you, too. Hey, Blaine?"

"Yes, Kurt?" Blaine nuzzled into his neck, pressing dozens of kisses in a line up to his ear and loving the faint taste of salt on his skin from all the dancing they'd done.

"I'm going to kiss you now," Kurt said breathlessly and then couldn't move. Blaine had kissed a spot behind his ear and then laved his tongue over it, which had rendered him frozen as chills reverberated throughout his body, causing him to break into goosebumps.

Blaine kissed across Kurt's cheek, and with a final gaze, he leaned forward, slid his lips across Kurt's as they parted, and moaned into his mouth as their curious tongues explored and danced together. In rising urgency, their jackets were removed and tossed on the chair, fumbling fingers unbuttoned shirts, the fabric cascading to the floor languidly. Their hands meticulously searched the expanse of uncovered skin. A few minutes later, their belt buckles were opened, flies were down, and then they fell into a fit of giggles, trying to take each other's pants off when they realized their shoes really needed to come off first.

"Since the moment has passed us by, do you mind if maybe—Can I get in the shower first? And then you can join me? I feel gross, and Blaine, I want you to touch me. And I want to touch you and—"

Blaine cut in. "Kurt. Love, it's fine. That is a good plan. Go ahead."

"Maybe after I get my shoes off?"

Blaine laughed when he looked down at the tangled mess of chaos at their feet. "After you get your shoes off," he replied.

Ten minutes later, Kurt told him it was okay for Blaine to enter the bathroom.

Blaine thought he'd be a nervous wreck, but he realized that he and Kurt were more than comfortable with each other and always had been. Annoyingly, he had to pee, and there was no getting around it, so he used the facilities. They both laughed at how obnoxiously loud and embarrassing something so ordinary was, even though they'd stayed in hotel rooms together before for Glee Club competitions.

"Not sorry!" Blaine said over the running water. "It had to be done some time. I mean, we do it all the time with a flimsy door between us. What's the difference?"

"None. We don't need to be shy about our bodies anymore, right?" Kurt said behind the shower curtain. "Or at least we can try." Kurt laughed. It was the reason he went in there first, and he didn't even think it was selfish. He couldn't have found the courage to break that boundary first.

"So, with that romantic segue, may I please get in with you now?"

"Um... Yeah. I mean, I'm hard. Is that okay? It's just..." Kurt trailed off.

"Holy hell! Yes. It's okay, love." Blaine was getting that way fast. He took a deep breath and slid the shower curtain back slowly. He almost fell to his knees. "Oh, Kurt... Oh. My. God. You're so beautiful. I'm—"

At the same time, Kurt said, "Blaine!" He covered his gaping mouth with one hand. "You're stunning! Wait. Wait. Why are you laughing and crying?" Kurt could see how turned on Blaine was, so he didn't take any personal offense to it; he just didn't understand.

"Look at you! I'm crying because I'm in awe and so in love with you. And laughing because this can't be real. You're too gorgeous. This is some elaborate dream."

"I'm looking at you, honey. Not me. Have you seen you?"

Blaine didn't even register what Kurt said. He couldn't stop staring as he took in an entirely naked Kurt. The previous night had been marvelous, but this… His brain was short-circuiting. He could see the whole picture now: every muscle of Kurt's body and how they connected in his long, lithe limbs, every purple vein, the dusting of freckles, and the coarse trail of hair he'd gotten a hint at the day before now led down to his perfectly groomed cock that was larger than Blaine had even imagined it would be when he saw Kurt in some of those pants he wore. "I'm Kurtsexual. That is all there is to it."

Kurt laughed, the water dripping down his face and off his chin. "You're what?"

"Did I say that out loud?"

"You did, as a matter of fact. Would you like to get in here with me, or should we continue gawking at each other like the awkward teens we are?" Blaine still seemed dazed. "Blaine, look at me. I mean my eyes, please?"

He immediately looked up. "I'm sorry. I'm being rude. You really are magnificent, though."

"Thank you. I don't think I mind you looking. Maybe—Can I—Let me wash you? Get in with me?"

Blaine nodded and stepped tentatively into the shower, putting his hands on Kurt's hips.

Kurt squirted some of the mandarin mint body wash he'd brought for them into his hands and rubbed it into a rich lather. "Can I touch you now?"

"Yes. Whatever you want. We have our safeword, too, right?"

"Right."

"I'm not going to last. I'm sorry. I think the first time you touch me, I'm going to—"

Kurt leaned his forehead against Blaine's. "I understand. Believe me, I do. It's us, sweetheart. We don't need to be embarrassed or afraid. We have all night. Let's just let this happen. We don't have to hold back from each other anymore. Not ever again."

"Okay," Blaine whispered.

Kurt watched as he slid his hands down his boyfriend's chest to that perfect "V" and further until he finally brushed his fingertips across Blaine's sac and then over his thick erection a few times before he wrapped his hand around it and stroked it twice. His thoughts ran wild. Oh, my god. I'm touching Blaine. This is us connected. He feels so incredible. The way he fits in my hand and…

"Mmmnnggh! Oh, Kurt!" Blaine shouted as he threw his arms around Kurt's neck and buried his head in his neck, cumming all over Kurt's hand. "So, so… Oh, Kurt!"

"Blaine," Kurt said desperately, still holding on and stroking tentatively. He'd imagined how it would be to see Blaine and finally touch him. However, nothing his mind could conjure up had prepared him for the euphoria thrumming through every cell of his body, knowing he'd made Blaine feel that good.

"Don't let go of me," Blaine said as he pulled back. "I think I can—Again—Oh, god. Yeah. I can." He slid his hand down his own chest to pick up some of the lather Kurt had left behind and reached down to touch Kurt's cock for the first time. He couldn't breathe as he closed his hand around the girth, shocked at how warm and rigid it was. The pulse from the underside vein throbbed against his palm. The smooth texture, how big it was, that it was Kurt. His Kurt that he could touch and worship now. "Love, I want to feel you cum. I want to hear you. Please don't hold back your noises like last night." Blaine started to stroke him as Kurt continued to do to him.

"Oh! Oh! Blaine! So damn good. It's—No one has ever—! Blaine! I'm going to—Blaine!" he called even louder as he spilled white-hot all over Blaine's stomach and fingers. It feels so different to have someone touch me! Yes! Yes! I love him so much! Seconds later, he shivered as Blaine blurted Kurt's name as he orgasmed again. Kurt couldn't help but run his fingers through it, fascinated. Someday, I want to taste it. To think one day we'll be ready to use our mouths and… Oh, god. Just everything with him. "Mmmm... Blaine!"

They looked at each other, panting, which turned into gazing, checking to make sure they were okay, to see if there were any hidden truths to be found in their eyes. Now that they knew what it looked like to see into each other's souls without holding anything back, they'd never be able to hide again. They had years of experience with that, and neither of them wanted to see that reflected there ever again.

"Love you. Love you," was whispered between them at the same time as they leaned into each other's mouths and surrendered to each other. They kissed like that night at the party, and it was a million times better with the validity of the I love yous behind it now. Their bodies pressed together, and hands gripped, pulled, and clung to each other. Permission to mark was given where their clothes would cover it. And they found new joy in taking layers of skin and flesh between their teeth and sucking until it made their boyfriend beg for mercy and more all at once. Kurt chanted his lover's name as he released between them again by rutting against Blaine's hip. When the shower ran cold, they wrapped each other in huge, soft towels, never more than a few inches apart as they dried off.

"Oh, freezing! I'm freezing now!" Kurt said, his teeth chattering.

"I happen to have the perfect solution for that!"

"Oh, do you, now?" Kurt asked and laughed.

"Mmhm... Let's crawl into bed, and I'll keep you warm and toasty."

"I love this plan."

They kissed with wild abandon, rolled and tumbled, and discovered how amazing it was to touch each other again with lube, realized that sex wasn't just hot; it was also playful and silly. Bodies make strange noises, and they could get limbs tangled up in each other. It was also vulnerable, raw, and full of emotion. It felt like a lifetime of exploration had only begun. With soft touches and hair twirled around fingers while recovering for a little while, they talked about what happened at Prom for a few minutes and then let it go. Instead, they traced shapes on each other's chests and talked about New York and all the adventures they'd have now with the lens of being together, hopefully forever, which led once more to tear-stained cheeks, and I love yous and words of awe and wonder kissed into almost every inch of their skin.

An hour before the sun rose, they finally surrendered to sleep, not only naked in each other's arms for the first time but with nothing left unsaid between them and a promise sealed in their hearts that, for the rest of their lives, they'd do their best to keep it that way.