Kurt checked himself out in the mirror at least three times before he decided he was ready to leave the house. He shouted his goodbye to Rachel, and he'd run out of the room before she could even open her mouth to ask where he was going. He rushed outside and a few blocks down the street before signaling a cab, since Blaine's studio really wasn't in walking distance of Kurt's apartment.

Pace yourself, he reminded, as he slid into the car. He didn't need to be in such a rush. He had the whole day to find out what Blaine's big plan was. He settled back into the seat and let out a sigh as he gave the driver the directions to the location.

He handed the man his payment before practically jumping out of the cab. Without even realizing it, Kurt had walked right by Blaine's studio. He turned around swiftly and headed back up the street. Get it together, Hummel!

He stopped in front of the building. He didn't go in, he just stared. The voice inside his head was telling him to move, but his feet were firmly planted to the cement. Why couldn't he do this? Now that he'd arrived, he was suddenly nervous, and he had no idea why.

Finally, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, the cool air hitting his face as he did so, the bell jingling above his head as the door was pushed open. He walked down the short hallway and froze as he reached the end. 

In front of him was a huge room with staircases on either side, the walls lined with nothing but doors Kurt was guessing held recording studios and practice rooms. The downstairs was warm, and even though it was spacious, it was still inviting. There were instruments scattered all over the room and fold-up chairs pushed against the back.

A sparkling chandelier was hanging right above what had really caught Kurt's eye. A beautiful, black grand piano placed in the middle of the room. He wanted to go over and touch it, but he stayed put. His eyes continued to trail the room, noticing Blaine was nowhere to be found. It was a big room, and sure, Blaine was tiny, but Kurt was positive he couldn't be hiding anywhere in here.

He heard footsteps hitting the tile and he twirled around to see Blaine walking out from some room he couldn't find a door to. He was carrying sheet music in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other that Kurt quickly found out was his when Blaine reached out his arm in front of him. "Grande nonfat mocha," he presented.

Kurt took the coffee, but he just stood there blubbering like a fish. All that was going through his mind was that Blaine had remembered his coffee order, but then to how he remembered it, and this process repeated until he finally found his voice. 

"You know my coffee order," he breathed.

Blaine's lips twitched into a small smile and he ducked his head down in embarrassment. At least he hadn't said it was creepy, or thought he was a stalker since they'd only had coffee once, like he'd half-expected him to have. Blaine had a very good memory, and it was even better when it involved things he liked. "I do," his smile widened and he looked up to meet Kurt's eyes, his cheeks still tinged with pink.

"Thank you," Kurt smiled back. "Now, care to tell me what 'Operation Kurt's Forgiveness' involves, Mr. Anderson?" he suggested with a wink.

Blaine chuckled, heading over to the piano to set down the papers. He turned to face Kurt again, who was sipping happily on his coffee. "Why don't I just show you instead?"

Blaine took a seat on the bench which was placed in front of the piano. He cracked his knuckles, his fingers poised above the keys. He glanced up at Kurt from underneath his curls. The boy was watching him, and he started to get nervous. His mind started reeling with all of the possible things that could go wrong, but he instantly relaxed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned slightly to see Kurt sitting next to him, smiling gently.

He blew a few curls out of his face and he licked his lips, re-positioning his hands over the keys. His eyes flicked up momentarily at the papers in front on him, then he turned back to the keys. He was still afraid of messing up, but somehow Kurt's touch seemed to keep him much more calm than he'd been moments before.

He pressed his fingers gently down on the keys, and as soon as he did so, he was lost in the song. He looked up a few times to see Kurt watching him, his eyes never leaving his fingers or his face. Blaine wasn't singing, but the song still sounded amazing even without the vocals.

Kurt's breath hitched when Blaine started to play, his eyes raking over his fingers and his face, which was in clear concentration, his tongue sticking out just a bit, and Kurt couldn't help but stare. He shook himself out of it towards the end, and out of habit, he started clapping wildly.

"Elvis," Kurt smiled and Blaine nodded in confirmation. "All Shook Up," he added. "It's one of my favourites." He couldn't stop the grin that was now practically taking over his face. He knew that Kurt liked the Beatles, from his song choice the other day, so he figured he probably liked Elvis, and Blaine did too, so it all really worked out.

"That was beautiful," Kurt breathed out. "I mean... wow. Just—" he snapped his mouth shut, not wanting to look stupid for not having a coherent reply. His words would probably come out as mumbling or strange noises if he'd kept trying to speak.

Blaine's expression was now nothing short of a praised puppy. His eyes were sparkling, and his grin was so wide that Kurt was afraid his face was going to be stuck like that if he didn't close his mouth soon. Still grinning, the boy dipped his head down just a little, looking up at Kurt through his long lashes. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"So, was it beautiful enough to get your forgiveness?" he asked, shifting around so that his body was now fully facing Kurt, his hands folded in his lap as he crossed his legs.

Kurt stared at the boy across from him like he'd grown another head or something. He'd completely forget the reason he was here, being so caught up in the song. Even with all the music he listened to, he'd never heard anything so breathtaking in his life. He blinked rapidly, shaking himself out of his daze.

"I — yes. It was," he replied with a smile. Blaine returned the smile, his eyes still sparkling. 

"Good. I kind of planned a picnic to go along with it in case you said no," he said with a laugh. "We can still have lunch," he proposed, "I uh, mean — only if you want to, of course. I understand if you don't, it's totally fine."

Kurt shook his head, giggling. He found the way Blaine rambled a lot was absolutely adorable. "Stop babbling, I'd love to have lunch with you."

_________________________________

Blaine went to the back to retrieve the picnic basket and Kurt stood, waiting for him to return. Once he came back out, the basket in hand, the two set off to the park, talking about nonsense and laughing the whole trip.

Blaine was glad that Kurt had forgiven him. It meant they could talk, get to know each other better and become friends, like he wanted. He needed someone like Kurt in his life, and now he had him. Sure, he had Wes and David, and his other friends, but they didn't really understand Blaine like Kurt did.

He never had anyone in his life like Kurt; nobody who understood or listened to him like Kurt does. Yeah, he had Sebastian. But just because they're both gay and were in a relationship, it didn't mean he paid attention to what Blaine was saying. He was self-centered and cocky, and the spotlight always had to be on Sebastian. And Blaine was happy he'd realized this now and had gotten rid of him.

He set the basket down when they'd found a spot right underneath a tree. He pulled out a blanket and sprawled it down on the grass, collapsing onto the ground. He was lying flat on his back, his arms and legs splayed out in front of him. Kurt sat down gracefully and crossed his legs, giggling at the heap on the ground. He reached for his arm and sat him upright, picking leaves out of his hair before he realized what he was doing.

He blushed and looked away, retreating his hand and tossing it at his side. Blaine only grinned. Kurt's hand in his hair felt nice — really nice actually, and he missed the contact when he pulled his hand away. Instead of dwelling too much on it, he shrugged it off instead and reached for the picnic basket, pulling out varieties of food.

First, Blaine pulled out a plate of wrapped sandwiches, a salad, fruit, cookies and finally two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. He poured the drinks and lifted his glass, the both of them giggling as they clinked them together, the wine swishing around in the glasses.

They ate in silence for a while. It wasn't awkward, but comfortable. They listened to the rustling of the leaves and the birds and watched as parents chased after their children who were chasing after dogs.

Blaine chewed and swallowed the last bit of his sandwich, washing it down with his drink before looking up at Kurt and opening his mouth to speak. "How about we play 20 questions?" he suggested, watching as Kurt chewed the rest of his food before replying.

Kurt nodded in agreement, smiling lightly and popping a piece of fruit in his mouth. "Sure." he agreed. "You can start."

Blaine made a face. There were so many things he wanted to ask Kurt, but they somehow seemed to vanish. He licked his lips and stared down at his hands in concentration. He wanted to know anything and everything about Kurt, but why couldn't he remember how to put what he wanted to ask into actual words? 

He looked up and caught Kurt's eye, and for a moment he couldn't remember how to breathe or actually even function, for that matter. He stared into Kurt's eyes, trying to decide which colour they were. One moment, they were grey and then the next they were a bright blue with little specks of gold and green.

His face turned a deep red and he quickly turned his head away when he realized he'd been staring at the boy much longer than he'd intended to. He willed himself to turn back to his normal colour before looking back up at Kurt. Right. Twenty questions.

"What's your favourite colour?" he finally asked lamely.

This caused Kurt to snort into his drink and Blaine shot him a glare. "I'm sorry," he giggled, "but you couldn't come up with anything better than the infamous colour question? Really, Blaine?"

Blaine only shrugged, still glaring over at the boy, but it wasn't as intense. He wasn't just about to tell him he couldn't come up with a better question because he was too busy trying to figure out what colour his eyes were. "Whatever. Just answer the question."

Kurt giggled again, this time at Blaine's face. He looked like a pouty child; with his arms crossed over his chest and his bottom lip slightly puckered. "Scarlet," he answered.

"Do you have any pets?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. He's a grey cat and his name's Mowgli, and he likes watching Disney movies with me," he beamed. "What about you?"

Kurt giggled once more and Blaine decided it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard, apart from the boy's singing, and he never wanted the sound to end. He wanted to record it and play it again and again, whether it was a good day or bad. He just wanted to hear the beautiful sound that came out of this beautiful boy's mouth.

"I have a cat as well. His name is McQueen, and since we're naming things our animals like, he likes wearing bowties... well, I like him wearing bowties, he likes trying to claw them off."

Blaine laughed as he imagined Kurt trying to wrestle a small cat into a bowtie. When he laughed, his eyes crinkled slightly and Kurt definitely took notice of this, thinking it was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen. He shook the thought away immediately, not wanting to go through this again. He just couldn't. So instead he forced himself to focus on grabbing for Blaine's wrist as he leaned back, almost falling over in the process.

"Steady," he said with a sheepish smile. His fingers lingered on Blaine's wrist for a few moments and he quickly pulled back his hand when he'd noticed this. He coughed awkwardly, looking anywhere but at Blaine as he asked the next question.

"Hmm... what did you want to be when you were little?"

Blaine smiled fondly at the memories rushing through his head. "A teacher," he replied. "When I was a kid, I always made Cooper play 'school' with me and my stuffed animals."

Kurt raised his eyebrow. "Cooper?"

"My older brother. He lives in California now, but he was my best friend when we were kids."

Kurt couldn't stop the smile that was forming on his lips, his eyes sparkling. He could see in Blaine's eyes that he really cared for his brother and loved him when he'd spoke, and Kurt wanted that. Sure, he had Finn and they got a long great most of the time, but he didn't have Finn when he was younger; he didn't have anyone.

"What about you?" Blaine's voice broke Kurt out of his trance. "I can't wait to hear this."

Kurt shot him a look and he could've sworn he'd seen fear in his eyes for a moment, but it vanished when he looked back over him. 

"I wanted to be a wedding planner," he admitted. "My mom would buy me dolls and I would help her sew clothes for them. I built an arch and tables and everything for them out of legos and lincoln logs."

"That's adorable," Blaine smiled. His face then fell at the constant question that had been nagging his mind since Kurt asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. He debated asking it — he didn't want the boy to feel uncomfortable if he asked, and he definitely didn't want him running away.

He gnawed on his lower lip, running his fingers through his curls. "Kurt?" the boy perked up at his name, seeming to be lost in some dream world when neither of them spoke up again. "I — want to ask you something. But you don't have to answer it if it's too awkward."

Kurt nodded, but didn't speak, waiting for Blaine to ask the question. "I — well,  um, how... I mean, why did you take the job at the... er... strip club?"

The brunette stared at him for a moment, stunned. He hadn't expected that to pop up. He shifted on the blanket uncomfortably. You don't have to answer it if it's too awkward, Blaine's voice rang through his mind over and over as he opened his mouth, debating on whether he should tell him or not.

He shuddered when he thought about it, but he guessed if he answered, he could always just leave that part out. He didn't really know if he could talk about it. "Well, it was a few months after Rachel and I first moved here," he spoke softly. 

"We were starting college, and her dad's were grateful enough to buy our apartment and pay the first months rent," he continued, "but we had to have money to pay the bills for the rest of the time, and neither of us were really getting auditions... or big parts in shows, just minor ones, and you know, they didn't really pay that well. So, I saw an ad for the club, and thought it couldn't be much different than performing on a big stage, just with... less clothes," he finally concluded.

Blaine frowned sadly, rubbing the other boy's shoulder soothingly. "You're doing better now though, right?" he asked, suddenly feeling self conscious. His parents basically paid for everything; for his apartment, his college tuition, and for his studio. He didn't really like it; he wanted to prove to his parents that he could make it on his own, but he couldn't just say no to them, and now he started to feel like a spoiled rich kid.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, but not by much. I mean, I've got that audition, and it's a pretty big role, so hopefully if I get it, we'll be much better off."

"There you go," Blaine smiled. "Think positive."

The taller boy nodded again, though this time he seemed to be distracted. He looked back up at Blaine after a few minutes had passed. He seemed to take in what Blaine had said, and he was starting to feel better. "I should get home," he spoke sadly, not really wanting to leave. "Rachel's going back home to Ohio tomorrow morning, and I have to take her to the airport."

_________________________________

After packing up, the boy's headed back to Blaine's studio and he called a cab for Kurt. He pulled open the cab door when the driver stopped and Kurt slid inside, smiling up at him. "Such a gentleman," he grinned, reaching up to ruffle the boy's hair.

Blaine stuck out his tongue, shaking his head like to dog to fix his hair, but it only messed it up more. "Thank you for today, Blaine," Kurt said, this time seriously.

"Not a problem, Kurt," he said back with a smile and closed the door.

The driver pulled into the busy New York traffic and looked at Kurt through the rearview mirror, "so, was that your boyfriend?"

Kurt looked up from the app he was playing on his phone, taken aback by the man's question. "Wha-what? No," he stumbled over his words, "he's not my boyfriend."

The man let out a grunt and turned down the street. "Should be. You're cute together."