Author's Note: Big thanks to GleefulDarrenCrissFan for helping out with this one. Go check her out if, for some crazy reason, you haven't yet!

And don't forget to go say hi on the story I'm beta reading for, Breathe Again by Beautifullybroken23. Go spread the love, beautiful people!

Last thing! I'm not sure how timely the last few chapters will be, because I'm starting a new job in the next few weeks, and in the meantime, I'm working my hardest to make the transition easier for my coworkers and the families I serve. For those of you who've read Beautiful Words or have talked with me about what I do and know how much I love my job, don't worry! I'll still be doing the same thing, just closer to home. :)

Now, without further ado...

Strangers In Love

Chapter 8

"Hey, it's me."

Kurt, pretending to still be asleep from his place in the bed, listened to Blaine speak into the phone in a hushed voice. He had woken just a minute ago to the sounds of Blaine fumbling around across their room, clearly attempting to be as quiet as possible. Had Kurt woken only five minutes prior, he would have found himself blissfully wrapped up in Blaine, who had fallen asleep at his side the night before, his makeshift bed on the couch readily abandoned in favor of curling up with a more than willing Kurt.

Kurt sighed, sad but reasonable, knowing that since Blaine was an early riser, he couldn't be expected to stay in bed all day. He would have to make it a point to wake up earlier tomorrow if he wanted to get his morning cuddle session in.

Kurt strained his ears as Blaine stopped talking briefly to listen to the voice on the other end. Who was Blaine calling this early? And why was Kurt still listening instead of falling back asleep?

"Yes, it's Blaine. Who else would 'me' be, Sam?"

Ah. That's why he was listening. Kurt fought the urge to sit up in bed, alerting Blaine to his awakened state. That would only ruin the perfect opportunity at his fingertips: the opportunity to hear Blaine interact, completely as himself, with his closest friend.

They bantered back and forth for a while before Kurt heard what he had secretly been listening for: his name.

"Of course I got you something. I found it when I went into town with Kurt yesterday...Excuse me, that is not what I sound like when I say his—...Things are going well. Great, actually." Blaine sighed in resignation. "I really like him, okay?"

Kurt's heart gave a funny leap. Blaine had admitted to having a good time on their extended first date, but it was another thing completely to hear Blaine tell his best friend about it when nobody else was listening. When he thought nobody else was listening, anyway.

"Stop! I am not telling you that...Don't you tell me what I have to do...Anything? Fine. He has a pair of blue yoga pants that are just like the ones Cute Yoga Boy has...I refuse to objectify him like that...Okay. Just once. No, his ass doesn't look as good as Cute Yoga Boy's."

Kurt pouted into his pillow in disappointment, hopes sinking. He valued his and Blaine's emotional connection above all, but he still wanted Blaine to find him attractive.

"...it looks so much better!"

Kurt almost kicked his feet around in excitement, but stopped himself just in time.

"He's gorgeous, Sammy. He's — well, you've seen him...I have not forgotten that you're not gay. I'm actually usually the one reminding you of that...Okay, you 'seriously not gay' creep. Stop asking me things like that. Kurt is so much more than his amazing body. He's funny, and sassy, and so much fun to be around...If you don't want to hear it, then stop asking. Excuse me for being a romantic…No, I don't know the answer to that. I guess I will have to wait and see."

Kurt was tensing every muscle in his body to stop himself from doing a happy dance. Blaine liked him. He liked the way he looked and he liked spending time with him. Even talking to one of his "bros," Blaine was still sweet about Kurt, unlike others he had dated, who were either vulgar when talking about him, or acted completely differently than when they were with him. Every move Blaine made proved just how different he was from the rest. The best part of it all was hearing how Blaine acted with Sam. It was not too different than he was with Kurt, and it solidified Blaine's claim that he had been himself the whole time.

Kurt almost missed the end of their conversation because he was so happily wrapped up in his thoughts.

"I miss you too. I'll see you in a few days. Maybe when I get back I'll have a new man to get my cuddles from. You might be off the hook…'Kay. Love you too, bro. See ya."

Kurt heard Blaine set down his phone and stand. He felt the dip of the mattress as Blaine sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

"Are you awake?" he asked softly.

Kurt rolled over and stretched, pretending to have just woken up.

"Mmm. Who do you love?" he asked, acting like he had only caught the last few words of the conversation.

"Oh, sorry if that woke you. I thought it would be nice to check in with Sam." Blaine laughed at something unspoken. "He insists that if we say we love each other, we have to add 'bro' or 'man' to it."

"Keeping straight men straight," Kurt nodded with a sleepy smirk.

"Sam will be the first to tell you how straight he is, but he's always the one who offers up cuddles…"

Kurt could see how happy Blaine was when he talked about his best friend. "He sounds like a great friend."

"Oh, he is. He's a huge goof, but he has a big heart." Remembering why he had come to wake up Kurt in the first place, Blaine said, "It's time to get up, sleepyhead. We've got to get ready to go meet the film crew. Volcano hike today."

"Okay. I…" Kurt bit his lip, feeling quite timid all of a sudden as he pulled the covers tighter around himself.

Blaine, who was sitting cross-legged next to where Kurt was lying, poked his chest.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the shy one here, not you. Out with it!"

Kurt smiled, though a blush still colored his cheeks.

"Is it too forward of me to say that I was hoping I could wake up in your arms again today?" His heart beat erratically while he awaited Blaine's response.

"Is it too forward of me to do this?" Blaine crawled under the blanket and spooned himself right up next to Kurt, who hummed in satisfaction. "Never be afraid to ask for snuggles. I am the world's biggest cuddle whore."

Kurt giggled against Blaine's front, and Blaine willed himself not to get (more) turned on.

"We've only got about ten minutes, and then we have to get going, Okay?"

"M'kay," Kurt agreed.

Thirty minutes later, Kurt dragged himself away from Blaine's hold, coercing him to follow ("Blaine! The ten minute rule was yours! We have to get to the hike location now, or GMA will...I don't know...deport us or something!").

They each threw on what they deemed to be appropriate hiking clothes — Kurt in those damn yoga pants and a loose fitting T-shirt and Blaine in gym shorts and a tight athletic top — and ran out the door with bagels hanging out of their mouths.

In the car on the way to the meeting spot, Blaine looked over to Kurt, frown lines creasing his face. "I'm wondering if—I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but—can we maybe downplay things between us a little bit?"

Kurt looked like Blaine's words had destroyed his whole world. A dagger stabbed through Blaine's heart just at the sight of his expression, and he wanted to take his words back. He waited, though, and when Kurt spoke, it was in a quiet, high voice. "I—sure, if you think that's best. I mean, I know we've only known each other a few days and maybe we're moving a little fast, but I thought things were going well?" He sounded hurt and so unsure of himself that Blaine almost slammed on the brakes and hugged Kurt for the rest of eternity. Instead, he took Kurt's hand.

"God no. Please don't be—of course they are. Things are going extremely well, Kurt. You're just perfect. I only mean in front of the cameras. I'm a pretty private person, and I don't know that I need all of America seeing that far into my relationship with you."

Kurt placed a hand over his heart in an attempt to slow it down. He had honestly thought Blaine wanted to call it quits. And then to hear Blaine say 'relationship' like they had a Capital R Relationship...his heart might just have stopped from overexertion.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Blaine apologized, rubbing his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand. "But is that okay? The privacy thing, I mean?"

Kurt nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. Just friends as soon as the cameras turn on."

Just friends. Could that mean—Did Kurt think of them as more than friends? They were dating, technically. Maybe that is what he had meant. Blaine decided to chalk it up to that and stop dwelling on the matter.

But it became immediately apparent as soon as the hike began and the cameras turned on, that it was more than that. Up until that point, Blaine and Kurt had not realized how much they had come to rely on the touches and flirty comments from each other. However, as soon as those things were taken off the table, both boys missed them like a piece of their hearts had been taken away. Blaine found Kurt staring at his hand as though he wished he could take it in his own, and more than once, he reached out to brush Kurt's cheek or hair, or to tug Kurt closer to him, only to pull back when he remembered they were deliberately keeping their distance. He knew, just knew, like it was some innate part of him, that Kurt felt the same way.

Aside from their difficulty keeping their hands to themselves, the hike was wonderful. The guide for the small group they were with talked them through the history of the volcano, and the types of animals and plants they encountered along the way. It was nothing short of beautiful.

Still, everything became infinitely more enjoyable the moment the camera crew announced they had enough footage, and would be leaving. Like two magnets, Kurt and Blaine's bodies came together, the distance between them shrinking to nothingness as they wrapped arms around each other's waists in unexpected relief. The last remaining cameraman raised an amused eyebrow at them, but his smile let them know he understood.

They bent their heads together, talking in low voices about all of the things they had refrained from saying when they were being filmed, like how the color of the birds were the same gorgeous shade of blue as Kurt's eyes, or how the humidity was causing Blaine's hair to curl more than normal and how badly Kurt wanted to run his fingers through it.

A middle-aged man and woman in their tour group kept peeking over their shoulders to shoot glances at the two of them. Kurt was the first to notice, and he squeezed Blaine's side, jerking his head slightly to indicate the pair. Blaine was no stranger to homophobia, but had gotten used to how liberal everything was in New York. But he had also never had a boy to walk hand in hand with before to garner unwanted glares. It made his stomach sink to think that people could be so harsh to something so beautiful. How could anyone be rude to someone as amazing as Kurt?

They both brushed off the looks, but refused to separate. They would not apologize for wanting to be close to the person they cared about.

But as the looks grew into whispers, Kurt must have been feeling the same way, because he finally snapped.

"Is there a problem?" he asked the couple, an unmistakable edge to his voice.

The man and woman blushed in embarrassment and shook their heads.

"Excuse us for staring, but are you Blaine Anderson?" the woman spoke.

Blaine was taken aback, not at all expecting that response. He suddenly felt overwhelmingly timid and shied into Kurt's side a little, nodding his head to answer the woman who had spoken.

"It's so nice to meet you, I'm Julie and this is my partner Marco. We're Cooper's talent agents." She smiled brightly and stuck out her hand for him to shake, which he did hesitantly.

"What—H—how?" Blaine couldn't find the right words to say what he wanted. Luckily, Kurt was the most amazing person on the planet, and he stepped in.

"What a small world! How did you recognize Blaine?"

"Oh," Julie gushed, "Cooper talks about you often. He has a picture of you in his wallet and tells anyone who will listen about how you're studying music at Juilliard."

"No way," Blaine muttered under his breath. He knew his brother. His self-absorbed, pompous brother who had never given him a direct compliment in his life. He would have been more likely to believe her if she had for him that scientists proved the world was actually flat.

"You better believe it. He's very proud of you, Blaine."

"We all are," Kurt beamed at her as Blaine turned bright red, squeezing Kurt's hand.

"Again, we're sorry for staring, we just couldn't believe it could be you."

"Great to meet you," Blaine said quietly with a small smile.

"And we're sorry for jumping to conclusions. Most of the stares I get when I'm out in public with another man are unfriendly. I apologize," Kurt spoke up.

Blaine nodded by his side, relieved that Kurt was taking the lead so he didn't have to worry about stumbling his way through saying something stupid.

"It sucks that things have to be that way," Marco offered. "Especially for a couple as handsome and vibrant as the two of you. Don't let anyone dull your light." He winked at them before he and Julie turned to face the guide, who had started to speak again.

They had arrived at their destination in the middle of the crater, and the guide was pulling out a bag full of packaged lunches for the hikers.

"You go grab our lunches and I'll find a place for us to sit," Kurt instructed Blaine, rubbing his shoulder blade as they parted.

A minute later, Blaine was joining Kurt on a large, flat rock formation situated far enough away from the rest of their group that they could be seen, but not heard. He handed Kurt his lunch box and opened his own, digging into the sandwich hungrily. He ignored the fact that his mouth was full of food, and he began to talk about the encounter with Julie and Marco.

"It's so strange that they would recognize me because of Cooper. I haven't told you much about him, but even though he's my brother and I know he loves me in an obligatory familial way, he's never gone out of his way to show his love or support for me. He kind of sucks up the attention when we're around my parents, so they don't even notice me. I almost can't even believe Julie. That's how farfetched it is to me."

"Well you should believe her. It seems that Cooper really does support you. Maybe he just doesn't know how to show it." While Kurt listened to Blaine and spoke in return, a funny smile adorned his face.

"What?" Blaine asked, convinced that such a smile could only be the result of Kurt laughing at him for doing or saying something dumb.

Kurt seemed to debate for a second. "It's nothing. Just thinking about how sweet you are. You don't even realize the effect you have on the people around you."

Blaine nudged Kurt's knee with his own.

"You're the dazzling one. 'Don't let anyone dull your light,'" he said with a wink, perfectly mocking Marco's voice and facial expression.

They laughed with their faces close together, reveling in the joy of sharing the joke with the other. It felt very intimate for the pair, and very, very long overdue.

"It's funny, isn't it, that things have done a complete 180 since we started?" Kurt asked, setting down his empty sandwich wrapper.

"What do you mean?"

"Just that when we met, you were too shy to talk to me in real life, but acted like you liked me in front of the cameras, and now you like me in real life and are acting like you don't in front of the cameras." The strange smile was back on his face. "I'm glad it's the way it is now, for the record."

Blaine shrugged. "It's been—you make it easy for me. You make me want to forget everything and just be myself around you."

The air around them went still. Kurt's next words were loaded. "When did you stop the act?"

"I didn't—" The breath left Blaine in a tidal wave, because Kurt was right. Blaine had told Kurt the day before that when he was in character, it was easy for him to talk to other people as well. Kurt must have noticed how shy Blaine was around Julie and Marco and how comfortable he was around him. Kurt had put together the pieces, and the revelation was stunning.

Blaine's shocked and tear-filled eyes found Kurt's, and a dam broke between them. Emotions flooded their hearts as every last barrier came crumbling down.

Without conscious decision, Blaine was throwing his arms around Kurt, kissing him with total abandon, the other boy reciprocating as though that kiss with Blaine was his lifeline.

It quickly became abundantly clear that they needed to cool it when a broken moan escaped Kurt's throat while Blaine tongued at his mouth. Still gripping each other, the boys regretfully separated.

"We have to get home," Blaine stated simply. He knew the need to unclothe and discover each other's bodies piece by piece was wrecking Kurt, too.

They practically led the hike on the way back, touching in some fashion all the while, then jumped into the car and Kurt sped the entire way home.

By the time the villa door clicked shut behind them, the air was so charged and thick with desire that it could not be ignored a minute longer.

Kurt sat on the bed to take off his shoes, but only succeeded in removing one before he was pushed backward by a pair of strong hands.

Blaine stretched out his body along the length of Kurt's, and moaned at the feeling of the other boy's warmth pressed up beneath him. As difficult as it had been for him to be comfortable speaking to Kurt, this — the physical stuff — came naturally to Blaine. He found a sense of home there in Kurt's body.

"You're beautiful," Blaine was breathless. "I could look at you forever."

"Please," Kurt said with a desperate tone, and Blaine was not entirely sure whether he was responding just to the statement, or if he was asking for more, but if it was the latter, he wanted nothing more than to give it to him.

Blaine began kissing at the point of Kurt's v-neck shirt, about halfway down his sternum, and traveled up, up, up along his neck and jaw and finally to his mouth.

They were too impatient and too taken with each other to spend much time giving only kisses, and in a matter of minutes, both boys lay in their underwear, the skin to skin contact sending shocks between them.

"This…" was all Blaine could say.

"Yep," Kurt knew exactly what he meant.

Kurt raised his head from where it was buried in Blaine's neck. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes dark with pupils blown wide, and his lips were plumped and looked sinfully delicious, and that was that. Blaine needed him. His hands traveled to the waistband of Kurt's briefs, two fingers hooking underneath.

Kurt placed a hand over Blaine's, stopping him, which caused Blaine to whine in disappointment.

Kurt's chest heaved dramatically as he released a couple of grounding breaths before speaking. His eyes searched Blaine's. They seemed to be asking, begging. "I don't do casual hookups."

Blaine wanted to reassure Kurt that what he was feeling and what he wanted was anything but casual. He wanted to tell Kurt that he had never felt this way about anyone before, that he was sure he never would again. He wanted to erase any of the hurt Kurt had been dealt in the past, and replace it with the love that was threatening to burst out of his chest. But his brain was too lost in Kurt's eyes and Kurt's chest and Kurt's legs and Kurt's lips to form sentences, so he brushed his fingertips across Kurt's cheek in reassurance, said "Okay," and proceeded to remove the last scraps of clothing between the two of them

Their first time was mutual exploration. It was all sensuality and romance. It was sensory overload. It was two people uniting themselves, showing their devotion to each other, physically manifesting their feelings for each other in the most intimate way possible.

It was lips on chests, stomachs, hips, lower. It was hands caressing, stroking, teasing, worshipping.

It was give and take, please and be pleased. It was being exposed and vulnerable and loving every second of it. It was discovering ways to make each other writhe in pleasure, and wanting to spend every day of the rest of their lives making the other feel that way.

It was two bodies moving together in a perfect, sweaty, addicting dance, crying out to voice emotions never felt before, going faster harder justlikethat, coming to the edge of something indescribably divine and taking the plunge, first one and then the other, and then just floating there, suspended by cords that kept them irreversibly tied together.

It was collapsing afterward, unthinkably sated and seemingly boneless, and gazing at each other through fresh eyes, never wanting to let go.

Their first time was Kurt and Blaine, navigating the unfamiliar yet heady waters of falling in love for the first time, and cherishing every last moment.