Like A Firework

Chapter 3

Kurt waited at the door of Blaine's apartment, balancing two smoothies, a bag with their lunch sandwiches, and his cell phone. He couldn't help but to be struck by how things had changed since their first date nearly a month earlier. Most of the questions and insecurities that had plagued their earliest days were resolved, thankfully. They saw each other at least twice a week and had learned so much more about each other.

Kurt fondly thought back on their first dinner together.

It should have been awkward, the first date between two people who had met and kissed at a party, one not realizing the other's fame, only then to refuse to speak to or see him until a happenstance meeting. The date should have been full of stilted conversation, mumbled apologies, and plenty of silences that neither party knew how to fill.

It was the opposite. From the moment Blaine saw Kurt walking up to the door of his hotel suite that evening, they both immediately fell into the comfortable space they had found the night of the party.

Kurt greeted him with a tight hug that warmed him to the bones, and Blaine knew from that moment that all was well.

The conversation was light and fun and just right for a first date. Blaine had attempted making dinner for them though he was not much of a cook, and Kurt praised his successes and poked fun at his failures.

The only apology to be made was Kurt saying he was sorry he never made it to Blaine's show, and the only silences were far from awkward.

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief as they laughed together over the most ridiculous things and bantered back and forth easily. He had worried that he had made up the Kurt from the party, or worse, that Kurt might have changed after finding out Blaine's true identity. His fears, of course, were totally unfounded, because Kurt was even better than he remembered and seemed not to care or even notice that Blaine was famous. As a bonus, now that his head and eyes were clear of alcohol, he could see that Kurt was even more gorgeous than he recalled. Had his first instinct about Kurt actually been right?

Things were going perfectly, but while Kurt talked about Blaine's food again, the creases between Blaine's eyebrows grew more and more pronounced.

"This cobbler really is delicious, Blaine. You know, a man has never made me dinner before. So I really appreciate it. But you really didn't have to slave over baking and cooking all afternoon just for me. I would have been happy with takeout," Kurt joked.

"I'm sorry," Blaine blurted out, face solemn as he looked down at his plate.

"What for?"

"For not being able to take you out on a real date." Blaine was kicking himself then, afraid he had messed everything up. Kurt deserved a real first date, and that was something Blaine could never give to him. But much to his surprise, Kurt laughed.

"This is a real date. I understand why we can't go out in public, but I don't need that anyway. I'd much rather be here with you."

"You would?" Blaine chewed his lip, trying but finding it difficult to believe Kurt. He wasn't used to his dates preferring to stay in. Usually they wanted to be seen with him by as many people as possible. Some of his dates in the past had even called the paparazzi themselves to tip them off to where they would be.

"Of course," Kurt said sincerely, and Blaine swooned. "Call me selfish, but I want to have this for ourselves."

If Blaine had not already been rushing headfirst into his crush on Kurt, that would have put him over the edge.

"Plus, you were nice enough to invite me over to your home. I'm sure that takes a lot of trust."

Blaine let his head fall to the table with a loud thunk. Could he get anything right?

"I'm fucking this all up. Shit. Kurt, I don't live here. I'm not even staying in this hotel."

"I don't understand?"

Blaine lifted his head just enough to peer up at Kurt. "I have a long history of guys using me and breaking my heart because of my fame. And I swear, it's not that I think you're like them, I just have learned how to protect myself, and one of those ways is to not give away anything personal. It's why I've called you from a restricted number, why I brought you to a fake hotel room, and it's why I never sleep with people anymore."

"What?"

"Oh God," Blaine put his head back down and mumbled into the table. "I didn't mean I don't want to sleep with you. I mean, I don't not want to sleep with you, I just...shut me up. Please."

Kurt stood and rounded the table, giving off what sounded like a chuckle. He gently pulled Blaine's shoulders until he was sitting upright and looked into his eyes.

"I get it."

Blaine nodded dumbly into the abyss of Kurt's swirling gaze. "I—okay."

"And I'm sorry all of those assholes took advantage of you." Kurt leaned in and stroked a hand across his jawline.

Why couldn't Blaine make his brain function? They looked at each other with Kurt's hand on his face for a moment.

"So," Kurt started. "You said guys...you're not bisexual?"

He shook his head. "Boys. I like boys."

"Good. Me too. Not that there would be anything wrong with you being bisexual, I just have enough insecurities to deal with and don't fancy having the entire population as competition." He laughed self-deprecatingly. "And the other headlines and rumors out there?"

Blaine smiled, his head finally catching up. "Well I can't give away all my secrets on the first date."

He winked and as Kurt came even closer, he said, "Ah, there's the Blaine Anderson I met at the party. I was beginning to wonder what happened to him."

"Pretty boys make his brain stop working sometimes. And he doesn't think he needs to be that stuck up jerk around you."

"Hmm. I think he's right."

Kurt closed the distance between them in a soft kiss. "I hear you don't sleep around, but how do you feel about making out on the couch?"

"Really good. I feel really good about that." Blaine nodded seriously.

"Great." Kurt grabbed him by the front of his shirt and stood him up. "Because I've been dying to get my hands on you again."

Kurt's gaze was far off and there was a dreamy smile plastered on his face when Blaine finally answered the door, out of breath.

"I'm sorry! Cooper had me on a conference call with a producer and he would not shut up. Uh—" Blaine stopped and took in Kurt's facial expression. "Why are you smiling like that?"

Kurt shook his head to clear it and walked into the apartment, kissing Blaine's cheek as he passed. "Just remembering our first date."

Blaine followed behind him, shutting the door. "Yikes. I was such an idiot. I still don't understand why you came back for a second date."

"There must just be something about you," Kurt teased. "I can't believe I've had a whole month with you here. I thought I'd only have a few days before you had to go back to your busy life." He unpacked the food and set it on the table for them to begin eating.

Blaine had originally been supposed to return to Los Angeles the week after their first date to begin recording his next album, but he had talked Cooper into setting him up with a studio in New York City after meeting Kurt. He didn't tell Kurt that was the reason though, it was far too soon to admit something that was so heavy with commitment.

"It's been the best month of my life," Blaine admitted sweetly, kissing Kurt's face. Being with Kurt was truly refreshing. The only thing he expected of Blaine was for him to be himself, and Blaine found it remarkably easy to do so, even though he'd struggled to know who he really was for the past few years.

Admittedly, though, they'd hit a speed bump a few dates in, when Blaine made a public appearance and, in front of the cameras, reverted back into the flirty, cocky man Kurt had first met. Kurt was disappointed to see the change, but in the end they both agreed that it made no sense for Blaine to change his public persona, because, to the insistence of both men, they had decided to keep their relationship under wraps.

Blaine did not want to publicize their relationship because he feared it would tear him and Kurt apart. He had seen it happen too many times, both to himself and others, where the non-celebrity partner changed after receiving attention from the media and fans. Either they became greedy and selfish, or ran screaming at the 24/7 invasion of privacy. He couldn't bear for that to happen with Kurt, and though he trusted him thus far, it was too early in their relationship to guarantee that he wasn't going to do one or the other.

Kurt had his own reasons - primarily that he had deliberately distanced himself from the entertainment world. Announcing that he was dating Blaine would lead to events and photographs, and a head-first dive into the world he had sworn off.

Because they refused to divulge their relationship status to the public their dates were mostly restricted to either Kurt's place or Blaine's place, but it suited the two homebodies well. There was a certain level of comfort required, though, to allow a relationship to form in their personal space, and Kurt was nervous that due to Blaine's previous experiences, it may take longer than usual. But contrary to what Kurt expected, Blaine had not taken long to let him in at all.

"Kurt, I really need to go now," Blaine pleaded halfheartedly to the man pressing him into the couch cushions.

Kurt reluctantly let up, touching his fingers to his lips where they tingled from contact with Blaine's. "I wish you didn't have to be at the studio early tomorrow," he pouted.

"Me too. But I'm hoping we can do this again. Soon. My turn to host next time?"

"Will I sound too desperate if I ask if we can see each other tomorrow?"

"If that makes you desperate, then I'm equally guilty," Blaine said.

Kurt kissed the smirk off his face until Blaine was pushing him away again.

"Okay, okay," he relented, allowing Blaine off the couch and toward the door this time. He had come to expect them to set up a specific time and place for their dates because he didn't have Blaine's number, something that was slightly inconvenient, but he understood and respected the reasoning behind. So when Blaine left without confirming when they'd see each other next, Kurt panicked and called out down the hall, "Wait! What time tomorrow?"

Blaine called back, "I'll be in contact!"

Kurt shut the door and sighed happily. Blaine was everything he'd been looking for in a man and more. He giggled like a child remembering how kissing Blaine made him feel until the vibration of his phone on a nearby table startled him out of his thoughts.

He had a text from an unfamiliar number.

5:30 tomorrow. 1421 Cherry, apartment 3B. Call me when you arrive and I'll come down and let you in.

Kurt squealed and held his phone to his chest before promptly dropping into a chair and kicking his socked feet in the air.

Blaine had let Kurt into many aspects of his life he normally did not share with anyone anymore, but it had taken him only two dates to realize that Kurt was the real deal.

One part of his life Blaine had not yet been able to share with Kurt was his music, and that was the one thing about their relationship that made him uneasy. Every time he brought up his music, Kurt changed the subject. Blaine had invited him to probably a dozen shows since they had met, and Kurt had refused every last one. He appreciated that Kurt liked him for more than his status, but he wished he could share his passion with the guy with whom he wanted to spend every waking hour.

Then there was the elephant in the room: both of them were aware that Blaine was leaving to go on tour in another couple of weeks, but neither of them had brought it up. It was a mixture of denial and apprehension that kept them both from discussing it, but the conversation could hardly wait much longer.

"Thanks so much for grabbing lunch, Kurt." Blaine beamed at him before taking a huge bite of his sandwich. "I'm sorry I only have an hour before I have to get back, but…"

"But?" Kurt prompted curiously, feeling Blaine's nerves floating in the space between them.

"But I was wondering if you would want to come back to the studio with me and be the first to hear some of my new stuff?"

Kurt could see how hopeful Blaine was as he asked, and it broke his heart to have to turn him down.

"I can't, Blaine. I need to get back to finish an essay for my morning class."

He watched as Blaine's face fell. "Okay. Maybe next time."

"Yeah," Kurt said noncommittally.

"Are we still on for going to my parents' house tomorrow?"

"Of course we are. I wouldn't miss it."

Blaine's parents had wanted to throw him an early birthday dinner since he would be on tour during his actual birthday, so the two were headed to the house in New Jersey where Kurt would meet Blaine's family for the first time, including Cooper.

Kurt couldn't remember ever being so nervous in his life.

Kurt's nerves turned out to be for naught. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, as aloof and disconnected as they were, were perfectly nice to Kurt, and Cooper was exactly what Kurt had expected based upon Blaine's description of him. He was immature and boisterous and self-involved and Kurt loved him. Cooper had given Blaine the nod, too, which Blaine appreciated more than anyone could know, because despite all of Cooper's many, many flaws, he was a brilliant judge of character, and had been the only person in his life to stand by him no matter what.

After a post-dinner drink with Cooper and Mr. Anderson, Blaine and Kurt retreated to Blaine's room, where they had met the first time, to hoots and hollers from Cooper.

"Please ignore him." Blaine rolled his eyes. "I tried warning you, but some things just can't be adequately described using only words."

Kurt chuckled. "Don't worry. He's actually really great."

Blaine breathed out in relief. Two of the most important men in his life approved of each other. "Okay. I'm glad you think so. Just do me a favor and don't ever mention that to him."

"Deal. Hey!" Kurt exclaimed suddenly, turning away from the window out of which he had been looking. "Grab that blanket and follow me." He gestured to the large, soft blanket on the bed before heading out the balcony doors.

"What are we doing?" Blaine asked when he caught up with Kurt, bringing the blanket and shutting the door behind him.

Kurt just smiled and pointed off into the distance.

"Fireworks," Blaine breathed. They weren't as extravagant as the show on New Year's Eve, but fireworks were still symbolic for the two of them, so Blaine wrapped Kurt and himself in the blanket and they cuddled together watching the bursts of light and feeling the beating of the other's heart.

"This past month with you has been phenomenal," Blaine confessed, tilting his head to look at Kurt. "I'm beyond grateful that you wandered into my room that night."

Kurt's pulse pounded in his ears. "I thank Mercedes every day for dragging me with her to your party. You're...you're worth every bad date. Every awful guy I've met, everyone I've dated and had bad breakups with...they were all worth it to get to you. And I know you've been hurt more than you deserve, and I don't know how to show you how much I appreciate you letting me in."

Blaine's eyes shone with something Kurt had never seen from him before, and he knew something had shifted between them.

"I can think of a way…" Blaine pressed their bodies together and kissed him fiercely.

"You mean—?" Kurt cut off with a gasp as Blaine sucked a tender spot on his neck.

"I mean," Blaine affirmed.

When Blaine had first mentioned to Kurt that he strongly guarded the most intimate act because of his history with guys taking advantage of him, Kurt had not questioned or pushed him on the matter. He hadn't made any moves to do anything more than kissing and grinding together either, so Blaine knew he would have to be the one to initiate when he was ready. And he was ready.

They did not even make it as far as the door. Blaine guided Kurt to a reclined patio chair and pulled him down to straddle his hips, reaching up desperately to keep their lips linked.

Kurt rearranged the blanket around them, refusing to notice the cold air sneaking in around the edges. As on their first night together, the heat they generated in their passion warmed them through to the toes. Kurt nipped along Blaine's collarbone and up to his earlobe, which he tugged on with his teeth. The simple action made Blaine arch his back with a high pitched gasp, and okay, he liked it a little rougher, Kurt noted.

Blaine threw his head back to give Kurt better access to his neck and blindly started unbuttoning their shirts. With surprising success, he slid Kurt's shirt off his shoulders smoothly, unable to get him undressed quickly enough.

"We should — inside — right?" Kurt stumbled around the words while Blaine brushed his thumbs over his nipples.

"Nobody is out here, it's fine," Blaine assured him.

"But...supplies?"

Blaine cursed, and dragged Kurt inside. While up, he grabbed lube and a condom out of his duffel bag and threw them on the nightstand before whipping off his shirt the rest of the way and removing the rest of his clothes in the process. He pounced on Kurt, who was fumbling with his jeans button while he watched Blaine, jaw dropping.

"Oh good god you're hot," Kurt growled, having only gotten his pants down halfway, but throwing himself into a kiss with Blaine anyway.

Blaine managed to wiggle the pants down his calves and off his feet while they made out, making sure to press their bodies together wherever new skin was revealed. He had longed to be with Kurt like this since their first date, and he was determined to make every last second count.

Once free from his clothes, Kurt grabbed Blaine around the waist and flipped him onto his back so that Kurt was on top again.

"You're breathtaking," Blaine whispered between kisses, hands roaming across the expanses of bare skin on Kurt's back and shoulders and down to his ass.

Kurt ran his hands from Blaine's shoulders down to his wrists, which he pinned down to the mattress next to his head. Holding him there, he lined them up perfectly and began rocking slowly into Blaine, causing all remaining rational thought to fly out the window as they handed themselves over to their instincts.

"Fucking hell," Blaine gasped. "Lube. Now or I won't make it."

Kurt twisted around to grab the lube and condom and held them out to Blaine, giving him the choice.

"I'm happy either way," Kurt told him.

Blaine took the lube and shoved Kurt's hand with the condom away without much thought, and just the idea of being inside of Blaine made Kurt's cock jump with excitement.

He tore open the condom package and rolled it on, then looked up, intending to return to Blaine's side to start opening him up, but he found that Blaine had his legs spread already, a slicked up finger disappearing past his rim.

"Jesus Christ," Kurt muttered, stroking himself as he watched Blaine writhe in pleasure to the tempo of his moving finger, heavy-lidded eyes locked on Kurt.

Kurt abandoned his own erection and launched forward, kissing up Blaine's thigh until he was lying on his stomach between Blaine's legs. He lubed his own finger and slipped it in alongside Blaine's, sucking a mark into his inner thigh as he did so.

"Oh, oh, oh," Blaine grunted out in shallow breaths as he was worked over by both Kurt and his own hand.

"Are you ready?" Kurt asked desperately. "You're so incredibly sexy. I need you now."

"I'm ready," Blaine said with closed eyes. When he felt Kurt stand from the bed, though, he opened them. "Wait, where are you—?"

Kurt cut him off by grabbing his legs and pulling him around to lay at the edge of the bed, which Kurt now stood beside. He guided Blaine's legs to wrap around his hips and lined himself up. Blaine pushed his hips forward, causing Kurt's cock to breach the very entrance to his body, and met with little resistance, Kurt pushed in all at once until he was buried deep.

"Fuck," they cried in unison.

Kurt tried to gauge how fast and how hard he should go (as if he could really help it at that point), and as though Blaine could read his mind, he told him with a resolute nod, "I can take it."

With permission granted, Kurt pulled almost all the way out and snapped his hips forward again.

Blaine felt so good tensed around him that he never wanted it to end, but he knew realistically that he wouldn't make it much longer. He shifted Blaine down slightly, tilting his pelvis so that each thrust of Kurt's hit Blaine's prostate.

The maneuver had Blaine sweating, moaning, and biting his lip.

"So fucking good, Kurt," he said, throwing his head back as Kurt grabbed his waist to be able to better control their rhythm. Blaine dug his heels into Kurt's back and pulled him forward to encourage Kurt to go harder.

"I won't — soon," Kurt tried to explain, but was having difficulty stringing words together into full thoughts.

Blaine understood anyway. He wrapped a hand around his cock, frantically pumping and twisting as he felt the beginnings of his orgasm building.

"I'm going to come," he warned Kurt, who opened his eyes and watched Blaine lustfully through his climax, the way Blaine's face contorted and his back arched, and the pearly ropes of come decorated his stomach guiding him right to his own orgasm.

"Blaine," he cried as he finished. He stilled, catching his breath and watching Blaine's chest heave. He slowly pulled out, leaving Blaine hissing in sensitivity, and removed and tied off the condom.

A minute later, after cleaning them both up, he made his way into the bed and spooned up in front of Blaine.

Blaine kissed his shoulder and cuddled in closer until they fell asleep, neither saying a word but for the nonverbal communication of their bodies that spoke of affection and adoration.

Blaine crawling clumsily out of bed the following morning woke Kurt, who smiled widely before even opening his eyes.

"Mm, where you going?" Kurt asked, stretching out his sore body. He remembered that he was naked below the sheets and his grin grew even wider.

"Just going to get us some coffee," Blaine said softly, leaning over him and placing a kiss on his forehead before slipping out of the room.

Kurt pulled the pillow over his head as soon as Blaine had gone and muffled a giddy scream. He had never had such physical chemistry with anyone he had been with, and to find it with someone as amazing as Blaine was beyond his wildest dreams.

"Your coffee, my dear," Blaine said when he returned, presenting the mug to Kurt dramatically as Kurt pushed himself up to sitting.

Kurt watched Blaine settle back into bed, and recognized a conflicted look on Blaine's face.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Blaine fidgeted with the hem of his boxers. "There's something we need to talk about."

Kurt swallowed with a gulp and set his mug on the nightstand next to him.

"We both know I'm leaving for tour in two days, but we haven't discussed it at all."

"Do we have to?" Kurt whined, drawing a laugh out of Blaine.

"Unfortunately. It's unavoidable. I'm just going to lay it on the line, okay?" Blaine took a deep breath and continued. "My tour is two months long, and then I have to go back home to LA after it's over. It shouldn't come as any surprise to you that I've become attached to you, Kurt. I don't want what we have to end just because of the physical distance between us. I don't know how to make it work - I've never done long distance before, but I really want to try." He couldn't bring himself to look up to see Kurt's reaction. "Please say you feel the same."

A hand found his face and gently stroked his cheek, drawing his eyes up to the beautiful face he'd come to have a serious weakness for.

"Of course I feel the same. I'm not willing to give this up without at least trying." Kurt waved his hand between them, then rested it back in Blaine's lap, where Blaine grasped it tightly.

"I've thought a lot about it. We can Skype as often as we want, I can fly back to NYC once each month, and you can fly out to wherever I am - on me. I'll leave standing VIP tickets for you at each of my shows. I'd love for you to make as many as you can. It would really mean a lot to me."

Kurt's hand tensed around Blaine's fingers. It was too early in the morning to have this conversation.

"Blaine. I have to tell you something. I can't go to any of your shows."

"Ever?"

Kurt shook his head sadly. He began to tear up at the miserable look on Blaine's face.

"But...why?"

"I'm so sorry. It's not you, I promise. Music...it used to be my life. I was in show choir in high school. My dad will tell you he could never get me to stop singing. When I left to come out here to NYC, I was a musical theater major, with big dreams to end up on Broadway. But it was harder than I ever thought it could be. My professors were tough on me, my classmates laughed at my dream to fill some of the big roles I coveted because of my feminine voice and looks, and I was shot down at every audition.

"It wore on me, and got to be too much, and I realized that I had started to hate the one thing that used to make me happiest. So I shut it all out. I avoid listening to music like the plague, because it reminds me of my failure of achieving my dream. So you have to understand why I can't listen to you sing."

Blaine crossed his arms over his robed chest. "I don't understand, though."

"Why not?"

"Your relationship with music changed once, why can't it change again?"

"Because it's done nothing for me recently but bring me pain!"

Blaine was deathly quiet when he spoke. "It's brought us together."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I just don't see how we could be together when music is such a huge part of my life, but you won't accept it. It feels like you're not accepting me. Can you just try? Please?"

A long pause stretched between them as they regarded each other sadly.

"If I say no?"

"Then we have to go our separate ways. Please, Kurt."

Kurt knew one breath could blow over the house of cards that was Blaine in that moment.

He looked Blaine in the face and a tear escaped the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry. I can't."