Forever Excusing Your Intentions [3]

The entire process of leaving Dalton had been extremely awkward. Avoiding Blaine, though, was the hardest part of the entire thing. That was what made the transition awkward.

There was no doubt that Blaine was one of the most popular - if not the most popular person at Dalton. Most of Kurt's friends he had met through Blaine, and after their very public heated discussion, most were either choosing sides, sharing their time between the two, or just there to try and figure out the details, which Kurt did not discuss. With them, at least.

It wasn't soon after the debate that Kurt had called up his Mckinley friends to not only let them know the news of returning, but to also vent to them about what had happen. It was a short and painful talk over the phone that lead to his females friends coming over abruptly later that night to console and swear to have Blaine's head on a stick for hurting Kurt, letting Kurt know that he made the right choice in coming back.

Kurt had already told the Warblers his choice in leaving the school the day Pavarotti died, which they had been upset about, of course, but supported Kurt nonetheless. He had never told Blaine, though. He hadn't talked to him after the fight, and he figured that the news would get around to him through his friends. He knew it wasn't fair to the boy he used to call his best friend, but Blaine lost all rights to fairness from Kurt the moment he decided Kurt wasn't a friend at all. It just saved him the heartache to think he wouldn't have to be the one to tell him.

He hated to say that he stayed up later than he had liked thinking about his decision to not tell Blaine, but avoiding him rescued Kurt from confrontation that he wasn't ready to have. They still had class and Warbler meetings, so it wasn't that easy to avoid seeing him, especially with the competition so close, but he did what he could, making sure he kept a straight face around him.

He avoided looking towards Blaine, even when he felt his eyes on him, and when things were finished, he was almost always the first one out the door, making sure Blaine couldn't speak to him even if he wanted to. He abandoned the little places in Dalton he knew they both liked to reside, figuring it was only right to give it up with him leaving in a week. He even stopped having lunch there all together; instead going out to eat, usually with friends.

It made things easier that way, distracting himself from all the tension at Dalton. It had been with Rachel after a few days of getting lunch out that Kurt had finally opened up about the whole debacle again, explaining how unsettling the entire thing was over a cup of coffee.

"So, now you're doing the same thing to him, with all the ignoring and being upset?" she piped in after Kurt had finished speaking, taking a sip of her coffee as she waited for him to answer.

"It's different. I have an actual reason to be upset with him. And it's not like he's actively seeking me out like I was for him. He's doesn't even seem to care. And if he did, he's doing a poor job at showing it." Rachel nodded, chewing down at her bottom lip in silence. For any other person, this could've been a natural response, but knowing Rachel Berry - the person who had an opinion on everything, this was weird. "What?" Kurt questioned after a while with a sigh.

"I've just... I've always liked Blaine." Rachel spoke, slightly cowering at the end of the sentence as she got the face she expected from Kurt.

"Well, so did I, Rachel. I didn't exactly ask for a reason to be angry with him." Kurt snapped, brows furrowing in disbelief that that was her defense.

"I know, I'm not saying you were," Rachel spoke quickly. Kurt slumped back in his seat with a roll of his eyes as he crossed his arms and waited for her to continue. "It just doesn't seem right for you guys to just be going your separate ways after this. Without even working it out."

"He hasn't even tried to apologize, Rachel."

"And you don't seem that keen on accepting that apology when he does." Rachel reminded, making Kurt huff in defeat. It was a moment before Rachel started speaking again, waiting for Kurt to return her gaze. "I'm not saying that you need to forgive him right away. Just that when he does apologize - and he will," Rachel quickly worked in an additional part of her sentence, already seeing Kurt prepare to question if Blaine was going to apologize at all. "That you at least hear what he has to say."

Kurt shook his head softly, looking down at his hands. "You don't know what he said to me, Rachel. How he said it. He put me and Jeremiah up against each other and just picked him like I never meant anything to him. How am I supposed to listen to him?"

A warm hand was suddenly on Kurt's, and he looked up when Rachel gave it a squeeze of reassurance. "Stupid people do stupid things when they're scared." Kurt nodded at Rachel's words and with that they didn't speak of the topic for the rest of their break.

Kurt had found himself back at Dalton before his lunch break was even over after Rachel had to go for a sudden emergency New Directions meeting. She kissed him on the cheek and wished him luck and then here he was, walking through semi empty hallways on a trail to his locker to get his books before rehearsal. It wasn't until he had saw his familiar short Dalton boy waiting for him there that he wondered if Rachel's whole "hear him out" speech was actually planned, quickly turned on his heel, and realizing he could survive without going to his locker today.

"Kurt!" Blaine quickly called out upon seeing him, running up to him and stopping Kurt before he could actually make any distance between them. "Please wait, I need to talk to you."

"I need to go, I left my phone somewhere." Kurt quickly excused himself starting to walk away before Blaine stopped him again.

"Kurt, your phone is in you hand..." he sighed lamely.

"Oh, well, would you look at that?"

"Kurt please, just-" Blaine cut himself off, face scrunching up in anguish, and for a moment, Kurt had the instinct to lean into Blaine and hug him. To tell him that things were okay like he had so many times before. But he didn't. Even then though, his feet wouldn't let him walk away, and he waited patiently for Blaine to speak. "You're leaving Dalton."

It wasn't a question, just a statement, but Kurt nodded his head anyway in verification, watching Blaine swallow hard and lose his words. "If that's all, then I'd really to leave now." Kurt mumbled before Blaine shook his head quickly.

"It's not, I swear, I'm just..." Blaine let out a breath, looking around them in a way of trying to avert his eyes from Kurt's gaze, and Kurt knew exactly why. "I didn't think you were going to leave." he spoke, voice wavering, and god, Kurt hoped Blaine wasn't doing what he thought Blaine was doing. "You said you loved it here. That it was better than Mckinley and that you were safe here and... the Warblers are going to be devastated-"

"I think the Warblers are going to be perfectly fine without me, Blaine."

"They're not." Blaine piped in, and then Kurt could see it. The unshed tears that Blaine was trying to hide in his eyes. "Kurt, they're not."

Kurt paused, licking his suddenly dry lips as he tried to gather his words. "Well, what do you want me to say Blaine? I'm not happy here. Not anymore, and... the Warblers can't keep me trapped here for them to just throw away and expect to come back."

"That's not what they're doing. That's not what they meant to do, Kurt." Blaine pleaded as Kurt scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, maybe the Warblers can tell me that for themselves." Kurt was ready to walk away, but Blaine was quick to hold him back again, speaking before Kurt could protest.

"Kurt, I - I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me, because... I don't deserve your forgiveness. You're right, I've been terrible to you. I only thought about myself and my problems, and I took it out on you. But I'm so sorry. For screaming and saying those things that I said, and doing all of that stuff to you that you didn't deserve. And I'm... I'm so devastated that you're leaving because I can't remember what Dalton was even like without you, and if you're leaving because of me then... God Kurt, I'm so sorry. Please just know that I'm sorry and that I never meant to hurt you."

Kurt was silent for a long time, taking in the entire apology, holding on to every word. He took a breath, trying his best to stay composed as he looked at Blaine - which was harder than it had been before - and asked, "Is that all?"

The look on Blaine's face was enough to make Kurt want to give in. To let his guard down for a moment and stop being mad because they both were hurting, and what good was this doing? Why was he doing this?

Blaine's hand let go of Kurt as he looked down at his feet. He found himself not even being able to speak, simply nodding at Kurt's question as he wiped his hands over his face quickly, mouth forming a tight line on his face. "Thank you for apologizing." Kurt said lowly.

Blaine sniffed softly, looking back up at Kurt and nodded once more. There was an awkward beat between the two before Blaine was turning, walking in the opposite direction. Kurt bit into his cheek, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment as he tried to think, but couldn't. His head was spinning with the thousands of thoughts in there, and his chest was tight from the constant tugging Blaine had done. Why did he always do that?

He knew he just wanted the conversation to be over, and he was so relieved when Blaine had finally ended it, and yet, he couldn't stop himself. As much as he wanted to walk away and tell Rachel he tried but simply couldn't work it out, he knew that he wanted to, and the words came stumbling out as if he couldn't leave that spot until Blaine knew. "I'm not leaving because of you!"

Blaine stopped. Kurt questioned if Blaine was going to ever turn around as he waited, but Blaine did, and if Kurt thought he was relieved before then this was an entirely new high of alleviation. "Then why are you?"

"Like I said, I'm not happy here. I feel trapped. I miss being myself and having friends."

"You have friends here." Blaine protested.

"It's not the same. You and I both know that." Blaine was silent again, but it was a calming silence this time. One that assured Kurt that Blaine knew what he meant and wasn't going to argue further on that topic. "But you were right. I did love it here. It's so much better in comparison to Mckinley. Everyone was nice, and I felt so safe here, but... well, I've never exactly been one to sacrifice my freedom for safety, and I just feel trapped here. I think I always have, I just wished I didn't."

"I wish you didn't either." Came a mumble from Blaine. There was another hesitant silence before Kurt let out a sigh, looking around them and taking a few steps closer to Blaine.

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to miss it here," he claimed, smiling softly to himself. "Dalton was like another home to me, and I looked forward to coming here every day. How can I not be sad about leaving? I met my best friend here..." The words caught Blaine's attention, his expression softening, a flash of hope as he waited for Kurt to continue. "Pavarotti, I meant." Kurt quickly added in.

And then, there was a booming laugh, cutting straight through the tension. It was so genuine and full of content and relief; a laugh that one could only hear from a joke as dumb as the ones Kurt would tell, but somehow always made Blaine laugh. It was thrilling the affects the sound had on Kurt, a sound he felt like he hadn't heard in a very long time. The way it was contagious and made Kurt burst out laughing also, the way it made his smile spread a little too brightly for a joke based on a dead bird - may he rest in peace.

The way it spread through Kurt until he was feeling lighter. The way it made Kurt's heart do it's tiny thumping dance in his chest that was only reserved for two things: his New York City daydreams, and Blaine Anderson. The way it made his feet move closer to Blaine, and Blaine's feet move closer to him as they finished their fit of giggles, smiling widely at each other. The way it made Kurt want this feud to be all over.

Blaine calmed his laughter, giving Kurt a look that so clearly said 'I'm going to miss you.' Kurt didn't need him to say it, because he knew. After being by someone's side every day, Kurt just knew, and he was positive Blaine could read the look on his face just as well. "I know that you may still be upset with me, which I understand completely," Blaine started, clearing his throat softly as Kurt waited. "But would it be overstepping if I asked for a hug right now?"

"Yeah, it would." Kurt answered, nodding. Blaine was barely able to get disappointed before Kurt was talking again, keeping his eyes on him. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to hug you back."

Blaine's arms were around him, strong and tight, but not in an uncomfortable way. Just tight enough to show how much Blaine had missed his best friend as much as Kurt had. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's torso, closing his eyes and enjoying the embrace. Only did they pull back when Blaine questioned Kurt, just enough so they could make eye contact. "What about Karofsky?"

"He shouldn't be a problem anymore. He wants to try and turn over a new leaf." Kurt repeated his father's words. The skepticism on Blaine's face was laughable, and Kurt couldn't help but pull Blaine back in for another hug, letting out a few more chuckles.

After a while, Blaine questioned Kurt again, this time not breaking the hug. "What about us?" It was a soft, sad question, and Kurt couldn't have admitted that he hadn't thought about it, because he had. He had avoided the thought just as he had avoided Blaine before, but there was no way of avoiding it now.

Kurt choked on his words so instead he just hugged Blaine tighter, and Blaine had no problem with doing the same. He bit his lip as he thought, mumbling words into Blaine's shoulder that he hoped would be enough.

"I'm never saying goodbye to you."

The next few days had passed in an exciting blur for Kurt. After making up with Blaine, it was as if all of fate was in his favor and things were finally looking up for him in the best ways. Immediately after his and Blaine's discussion in the hall, Blaine hadn't waste any time making it up to Kurt. Later that day, he had announced that he had wanted to do a duet with Kurt as a parting gift, and as a way of "showing the world true unacknowledged talent." The Warblers took a vote and it had been decided that they would duet for Regionals. It was the first time Kurt had found himself performing a solid part in front of a large audience that weren't just his friends and family.

He had been excruciatingly nervous. Even as he approached the spotlight that night, he had felt an insincere twist in his stomach, though he had succeeded in not showing it. Despite the constant fear that he wasn't going to, he had remembered all of his words and routines, though. And he had done it well.

Despite finding out that the Warblers had lost Regionals later that night, Kurt was still genuinely proud of himself for the performance he was able to give, and he knew his teammates were as well. They celebrated together in spite of their loss, and cheered to making it as far as they had; all while wishing Kurt a safe trip back to Mckinley.

It was at Pavarotti's funeral the next day that Blaine voiced once again how well Kurt had did. Though it was only an attempted distraction to help Kurt from reminding himself of his mother's funeral - which Kurt silently thanked Blaine for even knowing he needed a distraction - the compliment was still sincere and Kurt appreciated it. They had spent the complete Sunday together, slightly mourning Pavarotti's death with hot chocolate and window shopping, while also trying to ignore the sudden fact that Kurt wouldn't be at Dalton the next day.

By the time Kurt was arriving home, it was clear that Blaine had wanted to stay the rest of the night with Kurt, both not realizing the sad truth of not being able to say 'see you tomorrow' until they hesitated at Kurt's front door.

Kurt knew by the way Blaine waited for Kurt to invite him in instead of just giving a hug that Blaine wanted to stay. He knew by the way Blaine had lied back on to Kurt's pillows instead of just sitting up with crossed legs when Kurt suggested a "quick" movie. He knew by the way Blaine hinted that he was cold by pulling the covers closer until Kurt had no choice but to move in closer to Blaine until they were spooning, his arms around Blaine so he could relish in Kurt's hold and body heat.

It had been clear to Kurt because Blaine's desire to stay was as strong as Kurt;s desire to have him stay with him. Their emotions were in sync; Kurt was sure Blaine had already texted his parents to let them know he was staying with Kurt before he even walked into Kurt's home. So, Blaine stayed the night with Kurt, both too comfortable in being back together to be apart again.

When morning came, Blaine was up and dressed before Kurt was even awake, needing to leave earlier to make it to school on time. He informed Kurt he was leaving in the gentlest way he could think of - knowing Kurt wasn't exactly the kindest person when he was awoken before he needed to be. Blaine rubbed Kurt's back gently enough for him to open his eyes and receive the coffee Blaine had made for him, which Kurt gave a drowsy smile to, inhaling the scent before thanking Blaine. He then allowed Kurt to hold him back from leaving for a few minutes so he could awaken himself enough to give Blaine a hug and mumble in his sleepy haze, "This isn't goodbye. Never saying goodbye."

Blaine squeezed Kurt in their hug and mumbled back an, "I know." before giving Kurt a smile and leaving.

The promise was quickly repeated once more to Blaine later that day in a way Kurt had completely unexpected. He had arrived at Mckinley soon after Kurt had returned, and before Kurt knew it, the Warblers were singing in the courtyard.

They were singing to him, some with misty eyes and some not. It was while Kurt had hugged each one of them and heard their farewells that he knew he had to tell Blaine again. As a way of reassurance and a way to thank him, and a way to stop Blaine from thinking whatever thoughts that made him one of those few misty eyed Warblers who were singing a goodbye to him, instead of a 'see you later'. So when the song was finally finished and Kurt was wrapped tightly in Blaine's embrace, he said it again, not letting go until he was sure that Blaine believed him.

"I'm never saying goodbye to you."

We miss you.

Three simple words. The text was enough to distract Kurt from the performance that was in front of him as he sat with the rest of the New Directions, prepping for Nationals. Attached was a photo of Kurt's Warblers huddled around a cage of miniature yellow birds in pet shop, all sharing very distressed looks, and Blaine, always needing to be the most dramatic, on his knees in the center, throwing his hands up to the sky in agony. Why they were taking pictures in pet shops, Kurt didn't question. He simply laughed at the photo, saving it into his phone and typing out a quick reply that he missed them just as much and that he was free for coffee after practice.

It was a long week of not seeing Blaine, Kurt had realized. He had been too busy catching up with Mckinley to do anything else, and Blaine had respected that, but it was obvious that he was anxious to steal Kurt's freetime when he had it. Kurt couldn't lie, he liked the attention.

Blaine would text every day to ask what Kurt was up to, how he was settling in, if he was available to get lunch or go to the movies. The answer had been always been no, because Kurt hadn't been, but there was always something weirdly pleasing when Blaine would follow up with a text saying, "Okay, I'll be here when you are." After following Blaine around for so long, it was nice to bask in how much Blaine wanted him now. Not in the most ideal kind of want like Kurt had for him, but Kurt wasn't complaining.

When he had arrived at the Lima Bean, Blaine was already at a table, playing with his phone. A smile hit Kurt's face instantly as he walked over to him, Blaine standing to greet and hug him.

"Geez, who knew you'd become Mr. Popular once you returned to McKinley? I started to worry that you had moved on from Dalton already." Blaine spoke with a light chuckle, sitting down with Kurt as he slid him the coffee he had already ordered while waiting for Kurt.

"What can I say? I'm a wanted guy. I can't please everyone, Blaine." Kurt bantered back, making Blaine chuckle a little more as Kurt took a sip of his coffee with a hum. There was a warmth from both the drink and the feeling of Blaine knowing his coffee order, the giddiness of Blaine knowing Kurt well enough to order or answer anything for him never dying down. "Plus, Dalton's not exactly a place you can just forget about through educational downgrades and high school glee drama."

"I see you're having a fun return." Blaine spoke with a questioning raise of his brow.

"Oh, simply the best." Kurt spoke back sarcastically before frowning, his hand reaching for Blaine's. "I miss you guys, why did I ever leave?"

"Because it was what's best for you." Blaine answered matter of factly, his hand turning to give Kurt's a squeeze of reassurance, making him smile. "Don't give into nostalgia, Kurt. Stay strong."

"I would think you would be the first person to get me to give in and come back to Dalton..."

"Well, don't be mistaken, I want you back a lot," Blaine told easily, his eyes watching their hands together, distracted, as his thumb traced the back of Kurt's hand - the words and gesture forcing a fluttering feeling in Kurt's chest. "I just know that's not what you want. My main concern is to make sure you're comfortable and happy."

"How considerate," Kurt breathed out, a soft smile on his lips when Blaine finally looked up at him again.

"I wouldn't exactly call it considerate to not be selfish and keep you all to myself."

"Well, if you saw how many people have tried to, you'd call it considerate too. Everyone wants me for themselves, it's exhausting."

"Oh yeah? Well, I may have to have a little talk with these obsessive fans of yours, tell them to back off some unless they wanna deal with me."

"Ooh, maybe you should. I like the strong, fight-y boxer Blaine. He's hot."

The words slipped out before Kurt was able to stop them, his eyes widening comically at himself. He had never called Blaine 'hot' before. 'Dapper', 'handsome', the occasional 'cute', sure, but never hot. The words felt forbidden said out loud just as it had when he had described Blaine as sexy after a very embarrassing slight sex talk in his room; only feeling safe in his wandering thoughts but never out loud, and never said to Blaine.

Kurt's expression went unnoticed though, Blaine missing it as he ducked his head with a soft laugh. It wasn't until Blaine looked up a bit more, his eyes focusing on their hands again, this time less distracted and with more purpose, that Kurt could see the blush on Blaine's cheeks. It wasn't a strange thing to see, Blaine not usually being one to be able to hide his emotions from showing up on his face, especially when he was flustered.

But it was strange to know that Kurt had been the one to cause it. That he even had the ability to cause Blaine to blush. To scrunch up his nose with nervous laughter, shaking his head like there was no way the compliment he was receiving could ever be true. To be so flattered that he actually got nervous, as if Kurt's opinion on if he was hot or not mattered. It was so strange. But god, was it fucking adorable.

The urge to never stop complimenting Blaine was sudden, and Kurt had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying some things that would definitely cross the platonic line straight into shameless flirting.

"Well, let's hope I don't actually have to show that side of me outside of a workout, despite how attractive it is." Blaine laughed through his sentence, trailing off as his phone dinged with a message. He glanced at the screen before quickly turning the phone on silent and looking up at Kurt.

Kurt furrowed his brows in confusion, looking between the phone and Blaine. "Giving someone the cold shoulder?" he questioned, taking another sip of his coffee as Blaine looked down for a moment.

"Yeah, sort of. It's just Jeremiah, it's nothing." he spoke, sparking Kurt's curiosity even more.

"Are you sure? Do you wanna talk about it?"

Blaine paused, his eyes looking up at Kurt to read his face as if he wasn't sure if Kurt was serious or not, and then Kurt realized: he hadn't heard a word about Jeremiah since his and Blaine's fight. Not once was he mentioned in their conversations, nor did Kurt see him at Regionals, where he should've been supporting Blaine. There were no cancelled plans, or things pushed around so Blaine could spend time with his boyfriend; it was him and Kurt. Blaine was prioritizing Kurt again, so much so that he had stopped talking about his trainwreck of a love life, simply focusing on Kurt when Kurt was around, and no one else. No wonder why things seemed so peaceful and serene.

"Blaine," Kurt started, giving Blaine's hand a squeeze as he sat up a bit more. "You can still talk to me about this stuff. If something's going on, I'm always here to listen no matter what. You can talk about Jeremiah if you need to, I'm not going to scream at you."

Blaine smiled softly at Kurt, thanking him with his eyes as he mumbled out an "Okay." Despite Kurt's words of encouragement, Blaine still seemed stuck on what to say, so Kurt decided to start and let Blaine fill in the blanks.

"What happened, did you two break up?" He asked.

"No," Blaine spoke, shaking his head. Kurt forced himself to not sigh in disappointment as he kept his face straight, waiting for Blaine to continue. "We're sort of on a break. After our fight, I really thought about what you said. We were already having issues, and then you telling me how he wasn't a good person for me was just like a slap in the face. We just got into this big argument after and said some things that we didn't mean, but I don't know... I just need some time away from him."

Kurt nodded as he listened attentively, his thumb tracing patterns on Blaine's skin now to comfort him. Despite not being fully broken up, Kurt couldn't help but be glad that Blaine had at least came to his senses about Jeremiah. It was better this way, Kurt knew. Jeremiah was an asshole, and Kurt would go to his grave saying that the bastard never deserved his friend in the first place.

He bit his lip as he thought about what Blaine said and wondered if Blaine knew about that night at the movies, or anything that happened after for that matter. He wanted to ask, but worried about voicing his curiosity. If Blaine didn't know then it would be just adding on to the problem. Jeremiah would be gone soon anyway, Kurt was sure he could spare Blaine the extra heartache over something he didn't have any real evidence over.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I'm positive he's regretting ever taking you for granted." Kurt said instead of his thoughts.

"Oh, I know he is," Blaine said with an edge in his voice. "He hasn't stopped texting me since; it's doing nothing but pouring salt into the wound. All I want is just some really big distraction so I can stop thinking about him."

"And all I've been doing is declining you all week while you were going through this..." Kurt spoke, appalled at himself before Blaine squeezed his hand.

"No, no you're fine." He quickly assured. "I know how busy you've been with catching up, I understand. I don't expect you to be at my side to listen to my dumb problems 100% of the time."

"They're not dumb," Kurt told, assuring Blaine just as quickly as he had been. "And I'm here now." Blaine gave another thankful smile that made Kurt smile in return, taking a sip of coffee in thought before humming. "There's a get together happening tonight at Rachel's. I was going to skip out, but maybe it could be fun if we went together."

"Are you sure? Don't you have an essay due Monday or something?" Blaine questioned with a worrying tone as Kurt shook his head.

"Half of it is already finished, and you need a distraction, so yes, I am sure. As long as you don't kiss Rachel again."

Blaine laughed, ducking his head in embarrassment of the night that he almost wished he was too drunk to remember. "Okay, deal." he smiled with a nod. His eyes met Kurt's again, thumb brushing against Kurt's hand absentmindedly, making the flutter in his chest return. This time, Kurt embraced the feeling instead. He let the bubbliness show, his smile growing a little bigger as he laughed along with Blaine. Blaine, who was on a break. Blaine, who blushed when Kurt complimented him. Whose main concern was that Kurt was comfortable and happy. Who saw Kurt as a priority. Who Kurt was so smitten over it wasn't even funny.

The person he was going to admit that to once this break was over and Jeremiah was gone and Kurt could finally say all the things he had been holding in since Valentine's Day. He had to. He couldn't allow himself to make the same mistake twice. He couldn't let Blaine slip away again.

It had been decided that Blaine would meet at Kurt's house and they'd take a cab to Rachel' Kurt had no intention in drinking, Blaine had insisted in case Kurt would change his mind or become too tired to drive, not wanting to become a burden that Kurt absolutely had to keep watch over and not be able to enjoy himself. "Better safe than sorry." He had said in a sing song voice, and Kurt had no option but to agree.

Looking back on it now, Kurt was very grateful about the decision because he was beginning to stress. He hadn't prepared to go to a party tonight. more specifically a party with Blaine. It was as if any suitable clothes Kurt thought he had were either not cooperating or had somehow disappeared, leaving him frustrated in his underwear close to eight.

There was a knock at his bedroom and Kurt quickly pulled on his robe before shouting a "Come in," playing with his slightly damp hair in the mirror with a sigh.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice appeared where Kurt had expected his father's, making his heart speed up twice as fast as it had before, leaving him with an embarrassing blush on his face and neck that he hoped Blaine would pretend not to see. Of course, he was early. "Hey, why aren't you dressed?"

"I have nothing to wear." He admitted in a grumble, tying his robe tighter around his waist and trying to prevent himself from becoming bashful in Blaine's presence. The other boy didn't seem to be alarmed, so why should he be?

"Oh, I doubt that." Blaine scoffed, closing Kurt's door after stepping in and going straight to his closet. "May I?" he asked, which Kurt gave a half hearted nod to, watching as Blaine went through hangers just as Kurt had done for him so many times before.

"It's true, there's nothing in there." Kurt huffed, plopping down on the bed and subconsciously pulling his sheets over his legs to cover himself a bit more. He allowed Blaine to dig through his closet despite his statement, admiring the casual outfit he had on instead. A navy short sleeved button down that clung to Blaine's biceps perfectly, and a pair of dark skinny jeans that Blaine filled out all too well - both thing Kurt pretended not to notice. He would've probably been caught staring, though, it it hadn't been for Blaine letting out a fascinated hum before turning around to meet Kurt's eyes, a pair of unworn leather pants in his hands and an amused grin on his face,

"What are these?" Blaine spoke with enthusiasm as Kurt stood with a shake of his head.

"A pair of pants that were only an impulse buy for fantasizing about wearing in the very far future. There's no way I can pull those off without at least a knee length sweater, which I won't fully object to but may die of a heat stroke." Kurt laughed at the idea of even trying to put those pants on tonight as Blaine loosely crossed his arms.

"So, you're perfectly fine with wearing pants that were basically being held together by safety pins up the sides, but leather pants crosses the line?"

"Yeah,"

"Oh, yeah, I understand. Put them on." Blaine nodded before pushing the pants into Kurt's hand, the smirk still playing on his face before he turned back to Kurt's closet.

"What? No, impulse buy, Blaine. I just like looking at them, that's why they still have the tag on them." Kurt protested but was just met with another item of clothing being dropped in his arms.

"Then that means you'll enjoy looking at them even more on you. I'll be downstairs." Blaine smiled, and before Kurt could even object again, he was walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Kurt stood, looking at the clothes in his hands in disbelief. It took a half hour to dress himself, admittedly a third going to trying to find something else to wear and failing and another third simply trying to pull the pants on. By the time he actually looked in the mirror though, he couldn't deny that Blaine had picked out a pretty nice outfit. The shirt he had given Kurt was a burgundy button up that Kurt easily paired with a pair of matching boots and a silver and black statement tie, and the pants, well, they fit a hell of a lot better than they did when Kurt had first bought them. He actually looked... hot.

Kurt hummed in approval of himself before grabbing his things and heading downstairs. He wasn't surprised to find Blaine sharing a conversation with his father in the kitchen as he waited, so engaged in whatever topic they were talking about that Kurt had to clear his throat to get their attention. "Okay, I'm ready. Did you call a cab?"

"You're catching a cab?" Burt piped in immediately, looking between the two as Kurt nodded.

"We'll be safe, though, I promise. Don't worry, I doubt I'll actually drink anything at all." he reassured.

"Well good. Someone's going to need to have their head on them and make sure you both are okay." Burt spoke, patting Kurt's shoulder before looking over to Blaine. "No offense, kid."

"Hm?" Blaine hummed slowly, his eyes meeting Burt's in a slightly confused daze. There was a quiet pause before a realization that Blaine hadn't stopped looking at Kurt since he walked into the room; both sets of Hummel eyes on him as he shifted, a soft redness appearing on his cheeks. "No offense taken, I didn't exactly make that great of a first impression last time." He finally spoke, glancing between the two and clearing his throat. "Anyway, the cab's been waiting outside for a while, so..."

"Right," Kurt spoke up in attempt to fix the mood despite the bit of blush rising on his cheeks also. "Finn must be wondering where we are by now. Let's go." With a quick goodbye to Burt, Kurt led Blaine out of his home to the car waiting out front, his arm looped around Blaine's to try and make things a little more comfortable between them, even though Kurt was screaming inside.

Majority of the car ride was silent. It was partially Kurt's fault, not exactly trying to start an actual conversation, not exactly knowing what to say. What do you say after finding out the guy you're practically head over heels for was checking you out? Kurt would pay anything to know what Blaine was thinking.

"You look really nice." He spoke up almost on cue, turning to Kurt instead of looking out the window the way he was before.

Kurt paused in his thoughts, the compliment catching him off guard as he ducked his head. "Oh, thank you." he smiled, looking over his outfit once more. "You look really nice too."

"Thank you," Blaine smiled back. "But really, the pants look really good. I don't want to say I told you so, but..."

"Oh, shut up, you would love to say 'I told you so'." Kurt laughed, pushing Blaine softly on the shoulder.

"You're right, I told you so. You should let me style you more often." Blaine bantered back, a prideful smile on his face as Kurt rolled his eyes. "If I was being honest though, I'm confused how you're even sitting comfortably in them. They're basically clinging to your skin." He spoke, poking Kurt's thigh as if the fabric might tear under the pressure.

"Fashion is hardly ever comfortable." Kurt spoke as Blaine laughed, nodding in agreement. "These are definitely only coming out for emergencies from now on."

"Maybe you should wear them more often. I like fashion model, leather-wearing Kurt. He's hot."

Kurt's face scrunched up in embarrassment of the words that mocked his statement from earlier as he tried to stop himself from blushing harder than he already was, but it was a lost cause. His hands covered his face as Blaine chuckled.

"Why must you torture me like this?" Kurt huffed despite the smile spread across his face.

"That wasn't my intention." Blaine hummed, trying and succeeding in pulling Kurt's hands away, one still holding on to his, which didn't calm the redness on Kurt's face in any way. "I just wanted you to know that I think you're hot too, so maybe we can feel a little more comfortable saying it around each other without getting flustered."

"I don't know if that'll be possible." Kurt admitted honestly, his free hand playing with his tie in distraction.

"It's just me, Kurt." Blaine spoke in a softened tone, his hand squeezing Kurt's, making him look up into his eyes. He said that with so much assurance, as if the thought of it being 'just Blaine' would help in anyway, but Kurt let the words settle him despite. He took a calming breath, forcing himself to stop from being nervous before nodding with a smile.

"Yeah, it is. It's just you."

Blaine smiled back at Kurt, scooting slightly closer, his fingers sliding between Kurt's easily. "Now that that's resolved, you ready to turn the heads in that party, hot stuff?"

Kurt laughed at the name, the compliment still making him flush, but he leaned into it now than away, nodding. He could get used to it; the names and compliments and hand holding. It all felt like the build up that Kurt had been waiting for, and he couldn't help the excitement of the day where the flattery became a norm in their lives, something that didn't come as a shock for either one of them.

It was something Kurt could become comfortable with. He was just Blaine, and Kurt was just Kurt. They were just Blaine and Kurt. Kurt and Blaine. Openly hand holding and comfortably flirting. They were just them, together. And that was perfect.

"Lead the way, good looking."