#klainevalentines2017

It wasn’t for lack of trying. His duet idea backfired spectacularly. While every Warbler agreed that he should sing a duet with Kurt, Blaine wasn’t prepared for the difficulty of song selections. The council rejected all of his more romantic suggestions after they somehow got word of the New Directions’ plan to play the underdog card and came up with a new plan that would follow suite. New selections were announced quickly, and instead of the lovey-dovey duet Blaine had hoped for, he found himself practicing Mika and Ariana Grande’s Popular with Kurt, who was so happy about the song choice (“It’s Mika and Wicked-inspired, this is absolutely fantastic, oh my god!”) that Blaine wouldn’t even openly complain to him.

Other than rehearsal, Kurt spent all his free time decorating the casket for Pavarotti’s funeral. Blaine tried to talk to him a few times but it always ended with them deciding to rehearse some more, and really, has anyone ever confessed their crush while singing about getting their heads dunked into toilets and not being a model?

Blaine could have predicted the outcome – the New Directions won fair and square – but he doesn’t even really care about going to Nationals anymore. He’d rather go on dates with Kurt, maybe hold his hand and listen to him ramble about things that excite him so that his amazingly blue eyes will sparkle the way Blaine’s only recently started to seriously notice but has come to adore already.

But there are no dates. Instead, Kurt moves back to Lima when the situation at McKinley eases up and leaves Blaine at Dalton, aching heart and all. The Warblers’ spontaneously organized flash mob to see Kurt off is a success but it doesn’t quite deliver the message that Blaine is going to miss more than just his best friend. He’s going to miss Kurt, and not just on a platonic basis.

It’s complicated to say the least. Blaine’s in a difficult position – he’s gone from Kurt’s rescue to his friend to his best friend and then to unrequited crush. That last part Blaine is especially bitter about because he stupidly just didn’t see in Kurt what Kurt saw in him at first, and now that he’s starting to understand, Blaine is getting the worrying feeling that Kurt might not be as into him as he was a few weeks ago. He’s certainly a lot more upfront now whenever Blaine does something that bugs him. That should be a good thing – Blaine wouldn’t want Kurt to feel uncomfortable to speak his mind around him – but more than anything, it makes Blaine wonder if Kurt has moved on.

He has to do something – anything – so that Kurt will see he’s finally reciprocating his feelings.

Better late than never, right?

-

“Late” turns out to be difficult, still.

Blaine’s lost count of how many times he’s tried to ask Kurt out now. Tentatively, but still obvious enough – asking him to get coffee and paying for Kurt’s orders, getting tickets to showings of old movies or local shows and surprising Kurt with them, inviting him over for movie nights at Dalton with his laptop placed just right on the bed so that there is enough space to potentially cuddle on the bed yet keep the appropriate amount of space between them.

Kurt always says yes, smile radiant and eyes blinking, which never fails to make Blaine’s heart beat a little faster. But while Kurt is obviously delighted to continue spending time with Blaine even after his move back to Lima, nothing ever happens, and Kurt doesn’t hint at wanting more like he did all those months ago on Valentine’s Day (or, as Blaine is dubbing it now, the Day He Probably Ruined His Chances with Kurt Forever).

He finally mentions his failed attempts to Wes and David one day. His despair is met with raised eyebrows.

“Wait, you’re trying to ask him out?!” David repeats, sharing a look with Wes. “We had no idea!”

“Duh.” Blaine rolls his eyes. “I’m kind of going by every trick in the book! Movie nights, coffee dates, fancy shows… but he doesn’t seem to get it.”

Wes clears his throat, his nose wrinkling. “Blaine, that’s… that’s all very cute of you and I’m sure Kurt appreciates it but – we’ve seen you around him before you started to, you know, like him-”

“I’ve liked him the whole time,” Blaine sighs, staring at his hands.

“Yeah, no, but… Blaine, if you think what you are doing now is dating, what exactly did you think you were doing before?”

Blaine looks up at his friends, who seem to be more amused than concerned.

“Um, what?” Blaine asks.

Wes smiles. “Blaine, you and Kurt have kind of been… I don’t know – dating without really dating, I guess, for a long time now.”

“Since you met him, actually,” David adds, nodding along to Wes’ words.

Blaine shakes his head. “No, we only-”

“Went on coffee dates, saw Rent together, practiced flirty duets-”

“Hung out alone pretty much all the time…”

Blaine blinks.

In retrospect, has anything really changed?

“I’m really not doing anything different, am I?” he breathes out, incredulous.

Wes and David shrug and shake their heads.

“Sorry to burst your bubble,” Wes says, patting Blaine on the shoulder. “But you go get him, tiger!”

“Yeah, Kurt is going to be so happy, man,” David agrees. “You don’t just fall out of love with Blaine Anderson, right?”

Blaine smiles, but he’s not so sure.

-

“So, what do you think?” Kurt asks excitedly, stepping out of the fitting room, wearing a dark vest over his checkered shirt, and twisting his head down to see if it looks good on him. It does, of course, and Blaine nods eagerly.

“Oh, wow, you look amazing,” he gushes, eyes falling to the way the vest hugs Kurt’s waist perfectly. "Kurt, I just lo-” He clears his throat, pretending to look through the cardigans on the nearest clothing rack when he feels himself blush. “I like it, you should take it.”

Kurt turns to the mirror, oblivious to Blaine’s almost-confession. “Hm… yeah, I think I will!”

A few minutes later, Kurt leaves the store with a shopping bag and Blaine with a hammering heart.

The realization that he needs to step up his game beyond dates that could be mistaken for friendly outings has Blaine shaking like a leaf every time he gets close to telling Kurt how he really feels. With every step Kurt takes forward, probably moving on from the thing they never had, Blaine follows in his step, falling a bit more, wondering how far Kurt needs to get to finally not want to look back anymore.

He’s faintly aware that Kurt is rambling on and on about how that vest actually was on sale and how the store had extra discounts for clothes already on sale, so that he really only paid a third of the original price, and he’s being so Kurt while doing it – waving his hands animatedly, slightly out of breath because of his excitement, eyes lighting up – that Blaine has a hard time not just blurting out that he-

“I love you!”

Ah. Apparently he’s not only having a hard time not doing it, he’s actually full-on shouting it now.

Standing frozen next to Kurt, Blaine almost misses how Kurt jumps up and down at his words, but only almost.

Still bouncing on his heels, Kurt leans over and kisses Blaine’s cheek, squealing, “I love you, too!” He clutches the shopping bag to his chest and continues walking, leaving Blaine to stare after him.

Whatever’s happening, he’s not sure he understands it very well.

“I’ve always had an eye for bargains but this was really just a lucky find, so-” Kurt turns to him, raising an eyebrow. “Well? Are you coming? We still have time for ice cream before the movie, and I plan on using the money I just saved to buy us some.”

Blaine nods, confused, and follows Kurt to the food court.

-

The “I love you” and the kiss on the cheek break a barrier Blaine isn’t sure he wanted to break, at least not in the way it’s developing. He’s fairly sure there still is nothing but friendship between them – at least from Kurt’s perspective – but Kurt doesn’t hesitate to repeat the words every now and then and Blaine actually finds himself kissing Kurt’s cheek from time to time as well, as if that’s a thing they do now.

Or is it? He doesn’t know.

He’s never had a friend like Kurt, so maybe taking their friendship to new levels isn’t exactly all that weird, but it doesn’t make the situation any less complicated.

He had no idea “I love you”s and kisses could be platonic but here he is on his bed at home during summer break, listening to sad music and pining after his best friend who kisses him and holds his hand and says “I love you”, all very devastatingly and frustratingly platonical actions that Blaine wishes would mean something.

“Okay, Squirt,” his brother says, sticking his head through the door, “I wasn’t gonna say anything but this is the fifth time you’re blasting Leona Lewis today, and I’m starting to get worried.”

Blaine turns his head to the door, sighing. “Hey, Coop.”

“You alright?”

“I…” Blaine sits up, tries to smile. “I’m fine.”

“Blaine.”

“Did mom send you?”

Cooper grins, and sits down on the bed next to Blaine. “She’s worried, too, but she has a far higher tolerance for Leona Lewis’ songs than I do.”

Blaine laughs. “Sorry.”

“Boy trouble?” Cooper asks.

Blaine blinks. “How did you know?”

Cooper lies back on the bed, raising a challenging eyebrow at Blaine. “Because you ‘keep bleeding in love’?” He chuckles. “Also because mom’s been telling me you keep hanging out with a certain Kurt…?”

“Ugh, why is mom such a gossip?” Blaine whines, throwing himself back on the bed as well and shielding his face from knowing eyes by burying it in his hands. “Yes, okay? I have boy trouble, his name is Kurt, and he’s amazing. He used to like me and now he… well, he likes me, but he doesn’t love me like I love him, and I just don’t know how to tell him that when I say ‘I love you,’ I don’t just mean the bubbly ‘love you’ kind of way but the ‘in love with you’ variant.”

“Aw, Blaine! You really are in love.” Blaine sees Cooper shake his head fondly when he peeks through his fingers, and he nods in reply. “Cute.” He dodges Blaine’s elbow and laughs. “Have you tried going for the ‘in love with you’ version?”

“No, I’m scared he’ll turn that into friendship talk as well,” Blaine mumbles. “It’s not like I deserve better, I used to do the same to him, I would flirt with him and not even realize I was doing it.”

“So you’re both knuckleheads, yeah?”

Blaine grimaces. “I guess.”

“And the only thing you can do to show how you feel is grand showy gestures that won’t be misinterpreted?” Cooper asks.

Blaine turns his face to him fully. “Who said anything about grand showy gestures?”

“Nobody did. Well, I did.” Cooper shrugs. “Come on, Blaine, you can’t ask me for advice and expect me to not come up with something straight from a movie.”

“I… didn’t ask you for advice,” Blaine says slowly.

Cooper grins. “And that was your first mistake.” He gets up and holds a hand out for Blaine. “Your second would be not to take the advice you didn’t ask for.”

“I’m confused.”

“Don’t worry, Squirt, we’ll get your boy to understand.” He spins Blaine around once and pulls him toward the door. “Mom! Let’s all go out tonight, yeah?”

-

Half an hour later, Blaine looks out the window of his mom’s car and realizes they’re not at all on the way to Breadstix but are in fact turning onto a street that is very familiar to him.

“Mom, what are we doing in Kurt’s street?” His mom doesn’t reply. Blaine scoots to the front edge of the backseat and shakes Cooper’s shoulder. “Coop? What are we doing here?”

They’re stopping in front of Kurt’s driveway.

“Can you not do the horror movie thing were you’re both silent and I have to pretend I’m not scared you’re going to bury me in the woods or-”

“Blaine honey, I know you’re scared to be honest with Kurt but you never know if you never try,” his mom interrupts him softly, smiling at Blaine through the rearview mirror.

Blaine stares at her. He thought they were going out for dinner to talk about how to proceed. They were going to come up with a plan. But not this plan. He doesn’t even know what the plan is, exactly.

“Mom, what-”

Cooper pulls out a boom box from under his seat. “I picked a good song from your playlist earlier. No Leona Lewis, though.”

Blaine blanches. “You actually brought music? No, no, no. That’s just too much!”

“Come on! It’s romantic!” both of his very clearly insane family members protest.

“You can’t just expect me to go out there and sing whatever-”

“It’s not whatever, I picked it carefully!” Cooper exclaims, visibly offended. “It’s that song, Be My Forever? It’s upbeat, it’s you, and it really can’t be misinterpreted!”

“Oh god,” Blaine groans. “It’s going to be super obvious!”

“That’s the point, honey,” his mom tells him. “Isn’t the whole crux of the matter that you’re not being obvious enough?”

Blaine bites his lip. He has to admit that they’ve got a point.

Maybe he’s let this whole thing go on too long out of the simple fear that Kurt wouldn’t reciprocate his feelings. Kurt must have had that same fear when he professed his crush at the Lima Bean… and Blaine turned him down. That was brave – Kurt is always just so damn courageous. And if the confession didn’t make Blaine like Kurt any less, shouldn’t their friendship be able to withstand yet another unrequited crush? Or maybe, hopefully, not so unrequited? If anything, Blaine feels like he owes Kurt honesty.

“Yeah, time to be obvious, little brother,” Cooper says and twists in his seat to flash him a grin. “Now get out there and make us proud.”

Grumbling, Blaine gets out the car with the boom box in tow. He’s not new to serenading people but he hasn’t had the best track record. Stupid Jeremiah, stupid GAP, stupid idea – well, not entirely stupid. The incident had prompted Kurt to admit he thought Blaine would be singing to him, not to Jeremiah, which means Blaine can at least be sure that he won’t find it tacky.

Straightening his back, Blaine walks up the driveway, mentally thanking his lucky stars that neither Burt nor Carole seem to be home, judging by the lack of cars. Kurt’s car is parked up front, so Blaine continues on his way to the window that belongs to Kurt’s bedroom.

He takes a deep breath, and without further ado, turns on the music.

We’re on top of the world…

The first few lines come out a bit shaky, but his performance skills are the one thing he can rely on, so he finds himself getting into it once he gets to the end of the first verse.

So can I call you mine now, darling, for a whole life time?

My heart finally trusts my mind, and I know somehow it is right.

When he reaches the chorus, he looks back to Cooper and his mother, who are dancing in their seats, sending him thumbs up. Looking back to Kurt’s window, he sees the curtain drawing back and the window open a bit. His heart flutters, and he gives the next verse all he’s got.

I’ve got something to say, you’re perfect in every way.

I’m gonna shout it out, I wanna tell you now.

Now the window is opened wider. He doesn’t see anyone because the light is too dim but he figures it’s easier to not see Kurt’s face as he sings these words to him. He focuses on the performances instead, and spins right before the next chorus starts before turning back to the window, pouring all his unsaid feelings in the rest of the song.

By the end of it, when he gets to, Will you love me forever? I’ll love you forever, be my forever, his voice breaks a little. He looks down for a moment, steeling himself for whatever reaction he might get once he’s done. This is it.

He looks back up, shaking and panting, and calls out, “Kurt?” He breathes in slowly. “I know this is very sudden, and not at all what you’re expecting, probably, and maybe you don’t even know what I’m talking about but-”

The window finally opens all the way, revealing a face – just not Kurt’s.

“Uhm,” Finn says awkwardly, throwing Blaine an apologetic look. “My brother’s not here.”

Blaine suddenly feels very foolish and blushes all the way from his collar to the tip of his ears. He really should rethink this whole serenading-people-in-public thing, even though this one was technically not his idea.

“And it’s not that sudden,” another voice pipes up – Blaine recognizes it as Artie. “Everyone knows you have the hots for Kurt, he’s probably waiting for you to say something.”

That sends Blaine into a coughing fit. “What- what are you doing in Kurt’s room?” he chokes out.

“We needed one of his Broadway mixtapes for a Glee assignment,” Finn tells him. “Then we heard you sing and… well…”

“Why’d you let me finish?!” Blaine exclaims.

“Recorded it for posterity!” Artie says. His face is still not visible – he must not be sitting high enough in his chair for that – but a camera appears right above the windowsill. “I’m sure Kurt will-”

“Do not send it to Kurt!” Blaine hisses, picking up the boom box. “Just- please promise me to not tell him I was here.”

It’s one thing to serenade someone in front of their bedroom window. It’s another to accidentally address someone else. Someone else with a camera. Someone else who might give the footage to the original someone. Oh god, how did things get so ridiculously awkward? Blaine suddenly wishes he could have just gotten his nerve up after Blackbird and swept Kurt off his feet right then and there.

“Uh…” Finn shifts from side to side in obvious discomfort. “The thing is… he already knows.”

“What?! How?!”

“Well, we had to discuss- he was on the phone when you started and- uh, well-”

“Really?” Blaine breathes out, sending Finn a pleading look. “Is he still…?”

“No, he hung up. Had to be somewhere.” Finn clears his throat. “Really weird, actually, because he and Rachel are looking through her Broadway playlist, too, so I know he’s free but… I don’t know, maybe he was embarrassed?”

“Finn,” Blaine hears Artie say, “don’t break the guy’s heart, come on, that’s cruel.”

“I’ve gotta go,” Blaine says quickly, already feeling tears well up in his eyes. If Kurt really got embarrassed and he didn’t think it was nice to at least know about Blaine’s feelings, then, well, he really screwed up – not only a relationship, but his friendship to Kurt. He wonders if he’ll even have to bother explaining the whole thing to Kurt or if he should just go back to Dalton after the summer and pretend Kurt was never in his life in the first place… but can he even do that? Can his heart unlearn to love Kurt the way Kurt's apparently unlearned to love him?

He reaches the car, and wipes at his cheeks before motioning for Cooper to roll down the window all the way. He all but hurls the boom box onto his brother’s lap.

“Um…” Cooper says, wrinkling his nose in pity. “So I guess Kurt’s brother and his friend aren’t gay? Otherwise they would have kissed your feet by now.”

“I don’t need your jokes right now,” Blaine says, frowning. “It’s your fault I’m even here.”

“Blaine, no one could have kno-” his mother says, turning to fully look at Blaine before stopping mid-sentence. “Oh.”

“What, mom?” Blaine sighs. “No more brilliant plans now that I’ve really made a fool out of myself? I knew that I shouldn’t tell Kurt through song that-”

“We’ll wait for you at Breadstix,” she says quickly, and suddenly drives off.

“What the hell…?” Blaine mutters to himself before a touch to his shoulder makes him jump.

“Blaine.”

Blaine collects himself, turns around and – gasps. He knew it was Kurt, recognized his voice immediately, but he didn’t quite imagine him to look so… mesmerized, almost enamored.

Blaine remembers that look. He swears he saw it on Kurt when he sang to Jeremiah, too, but increased tenfold now.

“Um, so you heard all that…”

Kurt is out of breath when he speaks. “I ran all the way from Rachel’s,” he pants. “I… Blaine, I… I had no idea, I- I convinced myself I was reading too much into… I tried so hard to just be a friend… but- I’m not making any of this up anymore, am I? You really do… lo- I mean, you’re really…?”

“In love with you?” Blaine mumbles, heart almost breaking his ribcage with how hard it’s pumping away in his chest. “Y-yeah. I am. I wasn’t sure if you’d moved on, so I tried so much to just lay it all out on the line but… nothing really worked, and- I thought you didn’t like me like that anymore.”

“How on earth would you even think that was a possibility?!” Kurt exclaims softly, coming a step closer. “Blaine, that song…”

Blaine dares to look Kurt right in the eye at the awestruck tone of his voice. “Yeah?” he asks.

“It’s a duet.” Kurt smiles and tilts his head cheekily. “You should suggest that to the council sometime. Perfect for when the Warblers performance at the Lima nursing home next month.”

Blaine has to laugh at that, looking down on the ground, knowing he is smiling impossibly wide.

“If I did, would you be my duet partner?” he asks, biting his lip as he looks back up.

Kurt nods at once. “Yeah,” he says. “Yes, of course.”

There’s a groan coming from the house. “Would you kiss already?!” Artie shouts. Blaine turns his head and spots the video camera still sticking out of the window.

“Shut up!” Kurt shouts back. “And remember to save the video on my laptop before you leave my room!” He reaches for Blaine and pulls at his shirt to get him to move forward. “Is it okay if I…?” he asks, blinking as if he’s only now realizing what he’s doing.

Blaine nods wordlessly and draws Kurt in close. Their lips meet off-center and at an awkward angle but Blaine couldn’t care less; he’s kissing Kurt and the whole thing actually worked, and he has to remember to thank his mom and Cooper later – but for now, he’s content just mapping every inch of Kurt’s face with his fingertips as they continue to kiss with abandon.

“Our first kiss is on camera,” Kurt giggles as he twists his face to the side to catch his breath. “That’s something I never thought my first actual kiss would be. Not that I hate it. Kinda love it, actually.”

“Did you think it would be with me?” Blaine asks quietly.

“Hoped it would,” Kurt admits. “Sorry I lost that hope along the way and didn’t see any of the signs you practically threw at my face. That must have been disheartening…”

“Sorry it took me so long, that must have been disheartening,” Blaine replies with a shrug. He leans in close and presses their foreheads together with a smile. “But… now that you won’t mistake it for a friendly outing… would you like to get coffee with me? I think I still have some time before Coop and mom are done with dinner.”

“Why, Blaine Anderson, are you asking me out on a date?” Kurt flashes him a toothy grin. “You’re really pulling out all the stops today.”

Blaine laughs, and kisses Kurt again, slower and more lazily this time. When they finally detangle, he holds out a hand for Kurt to take and mumbles, “Better late than never, right?”

He can tell Kurt feels the same way. They've just finished grinding -his face flushing at how raunchy it sounds- and Kurt fell asleep moments after whispering “I love you” into Blaine’s ear.

Blaine loves moments like this.

Kurt has one hand slung behind his head, the other lax against the sheets from where he had been clutching Blaine’s hand before drifting off. His eyelashes hang low as he sleeps, his lips are parted, pink, plush from kissing.

Kurt's legs are twisted in the sheets, his torso exposed, nipples peaked from the cold air and his breathing steady.

Blaine can't help the spark of arousal that rushes down his spine as he looks down at the sleek, dried come across his belly and pelvis. He knows Kurt is going to kill him for letting it dry, but he glances up at the once swooped-up hair now demolished by his fingers and smiles.

Blaine turns over, unable to directly look at Kurt as he thinks about how he got like that.

“God, you feel so good,” Kurt whispered, groaning at the feeling of Blaine’s wet cock against his.

“Yeah, you too-oh god,” he said, rutting his hips harder, pressing his face into the crook of Kurt’s neck before letting himself go.

Kurt groans as he sits up in bed. “Blaine, are you up?”

He rolls over, rubbing his eyes and pretending to yawn. “Huh-what?”

“Your parents will be home soon, we fell asleep,” Kurt says, pressing a kiss to his hair.

“Yeah, okay,” Blaine says, leaning into Kurt.

“No- none of that, we need to clean up,” Kurt persists.

“Five minutes,” Blaine whispers into his neck.

Kurt sighs, complying. His hand trails down Blaine’s side, pushing the covers down. “God are you- you’re hard?” Kurt asks, voice low.

Blaine chuckled and shook his head. "You go first. You know, as well as I, if we take it together, we'll be late." He kissed his forehead. It had been a very trying year, but Blaine was glad he had Kurt by his side. They had moved in together 6 months after they met and Kurt as thriving in design school.

Kurt pouted playfully but he nodded heading toward the bathroom. "You're no fun." He sighed and blew him a kiss.  Kurt never thought he would ever feel love but Blaine had quickly become his everything.

"You can smile  every smile for the man who held your hand neath the pale moon light."

Blaine chuckled as he watched Kurt walk away. They both had changed so much in the last year. Blaine went into their bedroom and pulled out their suits, which Kurt had designed. Blaine was so proud of his lover and could not wait to walk into the premier with Kurt on his arm. He was still sorting rough everything when Kurt exited the shower, 20 minutes later.

Kurt saw him messing with their ties and grinned as he walked behind him and kissed his neck. "You look so nervous. You know everything is going to be great. the music you wrote, is beautiful."

Blaine smiled and sighed. "Not nervous, I'm excited. This is our first premier together, and you inspired all the music." He turned around and kissed him softly. "You are going to be a bit hit."

Kurt chuckled and shook his head, blushing. "No one will even know my name. They will be praising you, as it should be."

Blaine nodded, not wanting to argue. "I'm going to shower. Your suit is laid out, on the bed." He pecked his lips and walked around him to get to the restroom. He knew that they could stand here all night, and forget the rest of the world, and they were expected soon.

“But don’t forget who’s takin’ you home, and in whose arms you’re gonna be. So,  Darlin, save the last dance for me.”

Kurt chuckled as he sat at his vanity and began doing his skin moisturizing routine. He had never felt happier. He almost felt normal again and he knew Blaine was responsible for that.He sang softly as he looked into the mirror. He could the nervousness in his eyes.  He took a deep breath and smiled. He had to remind himself that he deserved to be happy.  

One he finished his face, Kurt stood up and pulled on his suit. He wanted to look his best for Blaine’s night. He was just excited that Blaine had allowed him to make their suits. He stood in front of the mirror fixing his tie when Blaine came out of the shower.

Blaine smiled as he stood behind him. “You look amazing, baby.” He sighed and shook his head. “Every person there tonight, is going to be all over you. At least I know that I get to bring you home.” He chuckled and bit his lip.

Kurt turned around and frowned at him. “Blaine, you know, that I love you, and only you.”

Blaine nodded and kissed him, lovingly. “Yes, I love you too. I was voicing a stray thought.”

Kurt nodded and blushed. “Will you dance with me, tonight?”

Blaine nodded. “Every moment you ask.”

“Oh I know that the music's fine, Like sparklin' wine, go and have your fun. Laugh and sing, but while we're apart. Don't give your heart to anyone.”

Kurt nodded and bit his lip. He was still a little insecure about their relationship at times. He really had fallen deeply for Blaine, but he knew that Blaine could have any man he wanted. “Not every moment. I know that you are expected to socialize at those things. Just remember I’ll be waiting in the wings.”

Blaine nodded and kissed his forehead. “You hold my heart, Kurt. I have to get dressed now, but remember who you are going to hold in your arms tonight.”

Kurt nodded as he walked out to living room to call down to check on the limo. He loved how Blaine always seemed to be so sure of them. His heart fluttered every time the older man spoke of their past, present, and future. He was just always terrified that Blaine would finds someone who was more suited to this lifestyle. Some one who did not have Kurt’s dark past.

“Baby don't you know I love you so. Can't you feel it when we touch. I will never, never let you go. I love you oh so much.”

Blaine got dressed and went to the kitchen to get them each a glass of wine. He could feel Kurt’s insecurities surrounding them again. He took a deep breath and walked into the living room as Kurt was hanging up the phone. “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” He walked over and handed him a glass.

Kurt nodded and took a sip. “You know you can always say anything to me.” He sat in of the chairs and crossed his legs, trying not to look too scared.

Blaine sat across from him and looked into his eyes. “I don’t know how to make it any clearer. I’m in love with you Kurt. I think I have been, since the moment I met you.” He took a sip of wine and smiled at him.

Kurt blushed and smiled at him. “I love you too. I know you love me, but…” He sighed and looked at his hand. “I just get a little down sometimes. I know you love me, but I worry that someday, that won’t be enough.”

Blaine nodded and lifted his chin. “You’re all I’ll ever want.” He kissed him softly and grinned. “Is the limo ready?”

Kurt laughed and nodded. “It is waiting downstairs. Cooper is meeting us at the premier.”

BLaine nodded drinking down the rest of the wine. “Then let’s get down. The party won’t wait for us.”

Kurt grinned and stood up offering his hand to Blaine. “Please, the party starts when we arrive.”

“He’s not waking up, Rachel.”

Rachel shakes her head, but she can feel the tears streaming down her face. “I don’t understand. Nothing happened. He didn’t fall ill or anything, he just fell asleep. And now you’re telling me he’s not waking up?”

“Do you think I like this?” Finn bites back, “I hate it, fuck, I hate it. I hate seeing my brother like this. It looks like as if he’s fucking dead, Rachel. Do you think I want my brother to die?”

“Finn...” Santana tries to calm him down, but she’s equally exhausted.

“He only fell asleep,” Rachel looks back to her friend. His condition is confusing. A week ago, Kurt’s boss called Rachel and Santana. He hadn’t shown up to work. Rachel thought this was odd, since Kurt loves his job at Vogue, so she went to check on him and she was surprised to see he was still asleep. It was four in the afternoon.

She tried waking him up, but Kurt didn’t open his eyes.

She decided to let him sleep. The next day, he was still sleeping. To her dismay, Santana wasn’t in the mood for softness, so she violently shook him and started yelling at him.

But Kurt didn’t wake up.

Alarmed, they called the hospital, but they couldn’t help them. To their surprise, Kurt was just asleep. They considered taking him in, but strangely enough, it seemed as if his body was okay. Rachel and Santana have been caring for him by giving him water every now and then, but to everyone’s surprise, it looked like Kurt was well-fed and well-rested. 

The hospital had no reason to take him in, since he didn’t need help with breathing or feeding. Kurt was simply asleep.

Two days later, Kurt’s family arrived in New York. Since then, it’s only been waiting for Kurt to open his eyes.

“Here, fresh from the oven!” Blaine says happily. He’s carrying a plate with cookies.

“There’s an oven in there?” Kurt nods towards Blaine’s wooden house.

“There are so many thing you haven’t seen yet, Kurt,” Blaine says and smiles, “The only thing you need to do is Dream about it.” Kurt knows this is true. About a week ago, he woke up to find himself in a different dimension.

After walking around for an hour, Blaine found him. 

“Give me you hand,” Blaine had said and he had introduced Kurt to the Dream World. Back in the real world, his body is asleep, but in the Dream World Kurt is very awake.

The Dream World was everything Kurt dreamed of, pun intended.

The scenery was beautiful. Everything was brightly coloured, the nature was wonderful, and different kind of creatures roamed around. And then there’s Blaine. Blaine’s the only human in the Dream World.

Blaine told him he left the real world, or reality, a year ago. He woke up in this dimension and he decided to stay. Back home, life was too hectic and he was unhappy. In the Dream World, all those worries didn’t exist.

“Aren’t you worried about your body?”

“Well, I’m still here, right? They haven’t killed me or anything. And even if they do, I will leave on a happy note.”

According to Blaine, their actual bodies are still in sync with their lives in the Dream World. The reason they can’t die is because there’s plenty of food in the Dream World, and as long as they eat it, their bodies will be okay. Same goes for moving. As long as they walk, talk, climb, and so on, the muscles in their actual bodies will remain active.

The only way they can die is if someone kills them, in the Dream World or in reality. 

“I don’t think about my body in reality, Kurt,” he says, “It’s easier that way.”

But Kurt can’t help it. Blaine was unhappy in reality. He made the wrong choices, his family disowned him, and he had no friends. No one’s waiting for him to return, so Blaine won’t. 

Kurt’s story is different.

Blaine’s right about it being easier to ignore reality, because the thought of his friends and family waiting for Kurt to wake up breaks his heart. Blaine’s told him that time is also in sync with reality, so he’s been asleep for a week. Knowing his father, he’s sitting next to him, waiting.

Kurt knows he can wake up.

All he has to do is pinch himself.

But he can’t.

He watches Blaine devouring the cookies. Since this world is made of Dreams, Blaine can Dream they taste absolutely delicious, so they do. He pets one of the creatures. The creatures are very friendly and Blaine has named most of them. They’re like pets.

Kurt can’t leave, knowing he’ll leave Blaine behind.

“We are not going to kill him,” Burt says sternly, “As long as he’s only asleep and in no pain, we have no reason to.”

“Burt...” Carole puts her hand on her husband’s shoulder, “It’s been a month.”

“I agree with Burt, mom,” Finn says, “As strange as this whole ordeal is, he’s only asleep. We already moved his body back to Ohio, isn’t that enough for now?”

Staying is so tempting.

But there are days where Kurt’s watching himself in the mirror and sadness washes over him. He’s not awake. He only looks awake. On those days, he’s this close to pinching himself.

“What’s on your mind?” Blaine asks. They’re sitting outside Blaine’s house, sipping coffee and petting creatures. He’s sketching possible ideas for a new house: Kurt’s house.

They’re both planning Kurt’s stay, but Kurt doesn’t know if he can.

“It’s been a month, Blaine,” he says slowly.

“Kurt.”

“I know I shouldn’t think about reality, but how can I not? It’s reality. It’s life,” Kurt says sadly, “And I love living here, but my dad... How can I do this to him?”

Blaine looks down on his sketches. “Kurt, be brutally honest with me. Are you sure you want to stay here?”

When Kurt doesn’t respond, Blaine’s face falls. “... oh.”

Kurt can feel himself tearing up. He never thought about telling Blaine, because it would break his heart. Blaine can’t know he’s the only reason Kurt considers staying. Blaine can’t know Kurt has fallen for him.

And Kurt doesn’t know what to do.

He can be happy in the Dream World, living his life with Blaine. Maybe Blaine will feel the same and one of the creatures, one who can speak, can marry them. And even if Blaine won’t love him back, Kurt’s okay with having him as a friend. Who knows what the future will look like. Maybe they will die within a couple of years, because people might let their bodies die, but they will be together.

But his dad.

And Finn and Carole.

And his glee club friends.

He has a life in reality, a life he can’t ignore. He can’t pretend it doesn’t exist, like Blaine does. He has a job he loves, he has student debts to pay, he has parties to attend... he has so much in reality, and waking up means he’ll get all of that back.

But he will lose Blaine.

“You told me you were happy,” Blaine says, looking serious. He hands his sketch to a creature called Bumbum, who eats it. 

“I am!” Kurt immediately says, “But I was also happy in reality.”

“And you want to go back.”

“I never said th-”

“But something is stopping you.”

Damn that Blaine for being so observant. Kurt tries to look away, but Blaine grabs his hand. “What is stopping you?”

Again, Kurt doesn’t answer. Blaine’s eyes widen and he sits back.

“I love the Dream World-” I love you “- but I miss reality a lot.” But I will miss you. “And I don’t know what to do.”

Bumbum hops towards Kurt and sniffs his legs. According to Blaine, that means Bumbum knows something is up. Kurt leans over to pet it. He’s really grown to love the Dream World, but he can’t pretend reality doesn’t exist anymore.

Blaine’s frowning.

“Blaine?”

Blaine gets up and moves towards Kurt. He takes his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Kurt says, “There’s nothing you can do. It’s just me and my messy, all-over-the-place feelings.”

“No, not because of that,” Blaine says sadly. He shooes Bumbum away, even though Bumbum tries to sniff Blaine now. “I’m sorry for this.”

“For wha-”

But Kurt can’t finish his sentence. Blaine pinches him, hard, and Kurt can feel himself slip away.

When Kurt shoots up, Finn yells.

He was doing his daily Kurt check-up when Kurt shot awake. They hear footsteps and not a minute later, Burt and Carole are standing in the doorway.

“Finn what’s going...” Burt trails off when he sees Kurt sitting there, awake. Carole gasps and clutches her chest.

“Kurt?” he says and he can feel himself tearing up. 

“Dad?”

That’s enough for Burt to start sobbing. He rushes towards his son and he gives him a bone-crushing hug. “You’re awake, you’re awake...”

Carole’s legs give out and she also starts to sob. Finn’s still staring at his brother in shock. 

“We thought you were gone, but you’re awake!”

When Kurt gets back to New York, Rachel and Santana basically throw themselves on him. 

“Girls, girls, in the past week I’ve had enough bone-crushing hugs for a lifetime,” he says, but he laughs. He’s only been gone for a month but he’s really missed his roommates.

His father had insisted on Kurt staying in Ohio for the week, so Kurt did. He also played along with their stories. In their eyes, Kurt only slept. He pretended to be as equally surprised when the doctors told him there’s no lasting damage and that his body is in perfect condition.

That week was filled with quality time with his family, but he had to go back to New York. Luckily for him, his job was waiting for him. He doesn’t know what Rachel told his boss, but it worked.

The first month he’s back in reality, a lot of people come over to visit. Glee club friends fly from all over the country to visit him and to see with their own eyes that he’s awake and okay. 

Kurt doesn’t tell anyone the truth, but that doesn’t mean he pretends the Dream World never existed.

Yet, he tries not to think of it too much, because when he does, he misses Blaine too much.

Blaine pinched him.

Blaine made sure he woke up. 

At night, he still dreams of Blaine, but it’s not the same anymore. Every morning he wakes up and he knows it was just a dream, not a Dream. 

But sometimes, he has nightmares. He dreams something goes wrong and Blaine dies. He dreams that people kill his body, wherever it is, and Kurt will never see him again. Sometimes, Kurt even dreams he dies with him, even though he knows he’s back in reality.

But the worst dreams are the ones where Kurt wonders if it’s real. What if it really was just a dream, and the fact that his body is healthy really is a miracle?

“Kurt, we’re worried about you,” Rachel tells him again. Santana nods. “Ever since you woke up, you’re sadder. Is there anything we can do?”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kurt’s never heard Santana sound so sincere.

Kurt shakes his head, because he can’t. 

That evening, he googles ‘Blaine Anderson’. He finds his Facebook, but he’s not surprised to see it hasn’t updated in over a year.

Then, something catches his eye.

Lives in New York, USA.

Blaine never talked about reality. Kurt immediately goes through his Facebook. According to his page, he studies law at Columbia. He still lives in New York, he’s single, he has a preference for men, and he graduated from Dalton Academy, in Westerville, Ohio.

Blaine’s body might be in New York.

The thought of Blaine’s almost life-less body lying somewhere in New York is terrifying, but it must be somewhere. Kurt won’t wake him up, since he knows Blaine wouldn’t want that, and Blaine can only be woken up from the Dream World, but he still wants to know where to find him. Kurt can’t do much for him, but he might be able to protect him from harm.

After that, it becomes an obsession. Kurt spends most of his free time looking for Blaine. At first, he asks his Facebook friends, but Blaine was right when he told Kurt he doesn’t have any friends. Most of those people don’t even know Blaine’s been asleep for over a year.

Some of them express their concerns, but they all tell Kurt the same thing: I haven’t spoken to Blaine in years.

Kurt finds more social media, but they’re all as empty as his Facebook. He stops by at Columbia, but they can’t help him. They cut off Blaine from the program a year ago after he stopped showing up.

Kurt yells at the receptionist for not looking for him. He knows it’s bad and that that woman has nothing to do with it, but he’s tired.

A student basically disappears, and they just cut him off? Even after they never got responses from him when they were threatening to sue him, since he still owes them some cash, they just dropped it?

The receptionist tells him Blaine lived in the dorms, but when they broke in to threaten to evict him, his room was empty. 

Kurt has no leads.

“Maybe it was a dream after all,” Kurt tells himself, “Maybe I dreamed the perfect guy, knowing I can’t find him in reality.”

He doesn’t want to believe it, but after four months of nothing, he can’t help but wonder if it really was a dream. Except for social media, he has nothing on Blaine. Maybe Blaine really did exist, but meeting him wasn’t real. 

The thought of Blaine’s body being unsupervised for over a year is unrealistic anyway.

What if he fell in love with a dream?

“Hummel, are you still talking to yourself?” Santana yells from the living room.

“Shut it, Satan,” Kurt says back. Rachel and Santana are still careful around him, but Kurt’s happy to see Santana can still be the devil itself.

“Whatever!” Kurt knows Santana just rolled her eyes. “Anyway, get your pretty ass over here. There’s someone for you.”

Kurt sighs and goes back to the living room.

Kurt’s surprised to see one of his colleagues standing in their living room. Kurt’s always liked Robbie, but he didn’t know Robbie knew where to find him.

“Please don’t tell me you guys are going to fire me,” Kurt tries to joke, but he’s not in the mood to make it sound like a joke.

“No?” Robbie looks perplexed, “Why would Vogue fire you? You’re a genius.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Oh, uhm,” Robbie looks behind him, “Because there’s this man who’s been looking for you. Apparently, he found your name on our website, so I decided to bring him here.”

Kurt follows Robbie’s gaze. The door to the loft is open, but that’s not unusual. But then out of nowhere, or so it seems, someone appears in the doorframe.

“You know this guy, Kurt?” Robbie asks, but Kurt doesn’t respond. Instead, he runs towards Blaine and basically jumps on him.

He knows he’s crying, and he knows this must look weird to Robbie and Santana, but Kurt doesn’t care. Blaine’s there. Blaine’s real, and he’s been looking for Kurt too.

“You’re here,” Kurt manages to cry out.

“I’m here.”

“And you’re awake.”

“Very awake,” Blaine says and his voice breaks.

“Explain!” Kurt says.

“Uhm, I think we should go,” Santana says and he drags Robbie along, “Have fun, I guess.” And just like that, they have the loft for themselves. 

Kurt pulls back and he’s surprised Blaine’s also crying. “How did you find me? Where did you- How did you wake up? Why did you wake up?”

Blaine sighs.

“I have been looking for you forever,” is all Blaine can say.

“I woke you up with a reason.” 

Kurt and Blaine are both lying in Kurt’s bed. They haven’t kissed or anything, so it’s a bit awkward, but Blaine was exhausted. Apparently, he hasn’t slept in hours. He was too busy looking for Kurt.

“I hated you for doing that,” Kurt admits, “Sure, I was happy to be back in reality, but I couldn’t help but hate you. You didn’t even say goodbye. You just pinched me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For almost five months, I’ve missed you,” Kurt says, “And it was so wrong. It all felt wrong. I was afraid it was a dream.”

“It kind of was.”

“You know what I mean,” Kurt sighs, “And I couldn’t help but wonder why you woke me up. You clearly didn’t want me to go, but you made sure I left you behind. Why would you do that?”

Blaine’s silent for a moment, until-

“If you love someone, you sometimes have to let them go.”

Kurt immediately sits up. “...love?”

“I was selfish,” Blaine doesn’t look at Kurt, “Deep inside, I knew you weren’t really happy, but I fell in love with you. I wanted you to stay, so that I could have you, and I pretended not to notice the way you sometimes looked at yourself in the mirror. I’ve always known that it was impossible for you to ignore reality. You’re not like me. I kept going on about your new life in the Dream World, because the thought of losing you was too much to bear. I should’ve let you go the minute I realised this wasn’t right, but I couldn’t, and I’m sorry.”

“So you let me go.”

“I realised that if you truly love someone, you want them to be happy even if it’s without you.”

“You’re in love with me?” Kurt asks, just to be sure.

Blaine blushes. “Why do you think I woke up?”

No. No way.

“You gave up your Dream World, literally, just to be with me?”

“... yes?” Blaine asks, looking unsure, “I tried to move on, but I couldn’t. The creatures tried to comfort me, but it wasn’t enough. Every day, I tried to Dream of you, but you didn’t appear. I could only dream. You were gone, and Bumbum kept sniffing me. About a month ago, I pinched myself and I woke up.”

“A month ago?” What has he been doing for a month?

“Well, I wanted to find you the minute I woke up, but when I realised I was in Nevada, I was thrown-off guard.”

“Nevada?”

“Las Vegas, to be more precise. Looks like there’s one family member who cares for me left,” Blaine smiles weakly, “Apparently, after not hearing of me for months, my cousin Serenity hunted me down and moved my body and my stuff to Nevada. She lives there. She doesn’t know anything about the Dream World, but Serenity, the angel that she is, has been caring for my body. As you can imagine, she was freaked out to find I was awake. I didn’t tell her the truth, but she wanted me to stay so that she could be sure I was okay. I looked you up and I saw your name on the Vogue website. I borrowed some money for a plane ticket and here I am.”

“Here you are,” Kurt says, “And you just admitted you’re in love with me.”

“I’m sorry for-” but Blaine can’t finish, cause Kurt kisses him. At first, it’s a bit weird, since he caught Blaine off-guard, but the moment Blaine kisses back, it’s perfect.

When Kurt pulls away, they’re both out of breath.

“You gave up the Dream World for me,” Kurt states. Blaine nods. Kurt just hopes Blaine won’t regret it later.

“It no longer was a Dream World without you,” Blaine says and he kisses him again.

“I’ve been dreaming of doing that for months,” Kurt says.

“And I’ve been Dreaming of doing that.”

End notes: the Dream World is based on the Spirit World from Avatar: Legend of Korra.

Alternative/Extended ending:

Sometimes, Kurt still dreams about the Dream World and his time there. Sometimes, he misses it.

But then he wakes up to find his husband lying next to him, and he knows that the Dream World is nothing compared to this.

They’ve been married for five years. Sure, his dad officiated their marriage instead of a talking creature, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

In the beginning, it was weird. People didn’t know how Kurt and Blaine met, and given the fact that Blaine was asleep for over a year, saying they met during that time was impossible.

After some debate, they chose to tell Kurt’s family, Rachel, Santana, and Serenity the truth. It was hard to believe, but after a while, they realised it all made sense and they supported them.

“Any man who crosses dimensions to be with Kurt is good enough for my son,” his dad had told them.

Being back in reality was hard for Blaine. Kurt was only gone for a month, so nothing big had changed, but Blaine had to start anew. Sure, his identity still existed, so there were no problems with that, but a lot of things were lost in those months.

Luckily, this also brought new chances. Since he no longer was a law student, he decided to study music instead. And after Kurt showed Blaine some of the messages his Facebook friends sent him, Blaine decided to reconnect with them.

“Hurry up, you two horny motherfuckers!” they hear. Santana is banging on their door, “It’s your five years anniversary, and whereas it’s tempting to stay in bed, you two have things planned!”

“Yes, otherwise we wouldn’t be here at your door!” they hear Rachel.

Kurt groans in agony. “We should get up, otherwise they neighbours will complain again.”

“F’ve more minutes,” Blaine slurs, but Kurt shakes him awake.

“None of that now. The ladies are right, the day is filled with plans, and we still have to walk the dog,” Kurt says as he shakes his husband.

Bumbum barks happily. Their dog is as energetic as the actual Bumbum.

“Wake up!” Kurt says and he cracks a smile. Telling each other to wake up has always been funny to them. 

“Nooooo.”

“Oh, now you’re just asking for it,” Kurt grins and he reaches for Blaine’s arm.

“Ouch!” Blaine shoots awake, “You pinched me!”

“Good morning,” Kurt says happily, “The ladies are this close to breaking down our door, we should get up.”

Blaine falls back, but he’s not going back to sleep. “I love waking up next to you.”

“That’s me,” Kurt replies out of curiosity, but against his better judgment. Having an attractive man gawk at him is flattering, but, at the same time, the awe on his face is a little unsettling, especially since Kurt has no idea what he did to warrant it. Kurt had earned his fair share of admirers after performing in NYADA’s winter musical, Company. Maybe this man knows him from that? Kurt received rave reviews in the school paper for his portrayal of Robert, and ‘Being Alive’ is considered one of his signature songs. But he doesn’t know if he was good enough to earn the heart-eyes aimed his way right now.

Or maybe he had been. He shouldn’t downplay his talent.

Could this man be a student at NYADA that Kurt doesn’t know?

“How can I help you?” he asks.

“I’m … I’m Blaine,” the man says, hand outstretched, rushing forward as if he’s been waiting for this day his entire life. “Blaine Anderson.”

The man introduces himself like his name should mean something to Kurt. And Kurt wishes it did, not just because this man is possibly the most adorable person Kurt has ever met in his life, but because of the fact that he seems to know Kurt, and Kurt has no idea how.

“It’s nice to meet you, Blaine.” Kurt takes Blaine’s hand to shake it, but the man simply holds on, sighing in reverence. It might be a little creepy, but Kurt had better get used to it. When he’s a big name star on Broadway, he’ll have to handle overzealous fans all of the time … and they might not be this polite. Or endearing. Or handsome.

There’s an awkward pause, both men still holding hands but not speaking, expecting the other to go first. Kurt tilts his head in question, and Blaine’s expression changes from joy to confusion.

“I --- I thought you were in Nice on a modeling assignment.” Blaine’s forehead wrinkles, suddenly catching on to the fact that something about this meeting isn’t quite right.

It doesn’t seem to be going the way he thought it would.

Kurt chuckles uncomfortably, afflicted by the same suspicion. “I --- I do work at Vogue, but I’m an intern, not a model.”

“Yes, you are,” Blaine insists, no longer acting like the starry-eyed teenager he was moments ago. Instead, he’s a nervous man trying to make something be true when he’s steadily realizing it’s not.

“Um, Blaine,” Kurt asks, casually removing his hand from Blaine’s grasp, “why do you think I’m a model? And how do you know my name?”

“B-because …” Blaine laughs as if Kurt’s being ridiculous. But it’s a strained laugh, and through Blaine’s expressive, honey-colored eyes, Kurt can see Blaine’s heart breaking “… y-you told me you were. Y-you and I … we’ve been talking online for months now. We’re … we’re kind of … d-dating.” Blaine chokes on that last word, debating if he should have said it, make a bigger fool out of himself than he’s already making.

Kurt shakes his head slowly, trying to make sense of what Blaine’s saying.

“Look …” Blaine reaches into his pocket, hands shaking, and pulls out his phone. “I’ll … I’ll show you.” He unlocks his phone and hands it to Kurt, and Kurt takes it carefully. He scrolls through a screen full of messages – a conversation between Blaine and someone calling themselves Kurt Hummel. Blaine even has the number saved as Kurt Hummel. It’s surreal. The incoming number has a 212 area code, so the messages are coming from somewhere in Manhattan. But then it occurs to Kurt that it’s probably a burner phone so, in fact, whoever is texting Blaine could be anywhere. Kurt comes across a few picture messages and gasps. The photos are of him, ones that he recognizes from the profile Isabelle made him on the Vogue website, specifically from the portfolio that got him hired.

“Those are my pictures,” Kurt admits to a hopeful Blaine, “but these messages … these aren’t from me.” From the corner of his eye, he sees Blaine’s smile fade. “First of all, I didn’t go to high school in New Jersey. I’m from Ohio.”

“Really?” Blaine says. “M-me, too.”

“Oh? Small world,” Kurt says, trying to sound conversational, make something about this situation feel normal even though it’s far from that. “And this French …” Kurt shakes his head. It mentions on Kurt’s Vogue profile that he’s a fluent speaker, so this can’t be a coincidence. Kurt doesn’t know why someone would do this to either of them, but it sends a chill down Kurt’s spine. “Whoever wrote this translated it using Google translate. Very little of this is correct. I’m afraid you’ve been catfished. I would suggest contacting the police maybe?” Kurt hands Blaine’s phone back to him, trying to avoid looking at Blaine’s face. It’s too painful. “I’m so sorry. I really am.”

“No. No, that’s okay.” Blaine selects the messages and hits erase all, then puts the phone back in his pocket. “It’s not your fault. It’s just … I have been sitting in a campus coffee shop every day since the start of this semester, talking to a man who said he was you. I didn’t have a lot of friends when I started at NYU, and this guy - he was sweet, kind, compassionate … and totally lying to me.” He sighs. “I’m such a loser.”

“You’re not a loser,” Kurt says, offended on Blaine’s behalf. “Alright? That guy …” He jabs a finger at the phone in Blaine’s pocket “… that person who’s been lying to you, they’re the loser. Not you, Blaine.”

Blaine nods, but he doesn’t look too convinced, and that kills Kurt because Kurt knows how that feels, to have expectations built up high just to have something come knock them down.

To have bullies knock them down. Whoever that person is on the other end of those text messages is a bully, regardless of why they started doing what they did. It doesn’t matter to Kurt if they’re lonely themselves, or scared of meeting new people in real life. At the moment, looking at Blaine’s splotchy red cheeks and downcast eyes, whoever they are, Kurt has no sympathy for them. They used Kurt’s identity to lie to Blaine and lead him on. It’s unnecessarily cruel.

“Come on. Let me buy you a coffee,” Kurt offers. “Or lunch,” he amends, seeing as coffee might be a sore spot for Blaine now.

“That’s okay. You don't … you don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. That jerk used my face and my name to hurt you, and I want to make it up to you, maybe lecture you on the importance of healthy skepticism and Internet safeguards.” Kurt hopes that might earn him a chuckle. It doesn’t. “Besides, now I’m pissed.”

“Why?” Blaine shrugs, probably wondering why Kurt even cares.

“Because you seem like a nice guy. And do you know how hard it is to find a nice guy in this city?”

Blaine’s lips twitch, stretching slightly with the start of a smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“If you and I had met at school or in a bar, then maybe we could have gotten to know one another, hit it off normally. But now, I probably don’t have a chance with you, do I?” Kurt’s not trying to flirt with Blaine. He doesn’t want to hurt Blaine more. But this is still an opportunity, and if Kurt has learned one thing about moving to New York without a college acceptance, an apartment, or any semblance of a plan, it’s that he shouldn’t let an opportunity pass him by.

“That’s … that’s not true,” Blaine says.

“It’s not?”

“No. It’s not.”

“Then why don’t we make this awful thing into a good thing?” Kurt suggests. “We’ll eat, we’ll talk, we’ll get to know one another. If anything, at least we could be friends.”

Blaine looks like he’s chewing it over, but from the brick red filling in his cheeks, Kurt can tell he’s embarrassed. And Kurt can’t blame him. But he hopes Blaine can see that he isn’t lying. Blaine does seem like a nice guy - charming, humble, sincere, the kind of guy that, had they met in high school, might have helped Kurt get through, made him feel less lonely.

“I’d like that,” Blaine says finally. It doesn’t sound like an easy decision, but now that he’s made it, Kurt is going to do everything in his power to make sure he doesn’t regret it.

“Great. So, let’s start this over.” Kurt extends his hand again. “My name’s Kurt Hummel, the one and only,” he adds with a haughty hair flip.