The anklet clicks open, and Blaine pulls it away from Kurt's leg, slowly standing back up again. He sets the anklet on his desk and watches as Kurt takes a deep breath. Kurt flexes his fingers and then slowly extends his left leg in front of him, looking at his bare ankle with a curious expression. They have taken the anklet out for undercover missions before, but this time is so much more different.

"Alright?" Blaine asks carefully.

"My leg feels weirdly empty without the anklet." Kurt tilts his head in confusion, inspecting his foot and wiggling it a little in the air. "It feels lighter, somehow. I guess I'd gotten used to wearing that particular accessory..."

Blaine smiles at him. They've already had their celebrations – a private party for their closest friends at Kurt's loft, with lots of singing and laughing, and then later a small party at the office with the expensive champagne that was confiscated during one of their cases and a cake one of the probies had baked with the words "Fly, Songbird, fly" written on it. Even Peterson wandered out into the bullpen during the party to clap Kurt on the shoulder and tell him congrats on his freedom before stealing a piece of the cake and disappearing back to his office.

Kurt's smile was breathless and overwhelmed, so real even though there were dozens of people around him, and Blaine doesn't think he's ever seen him smile as much as he did during those two celebrations. He has rarely even heard Kurt laugh so freely, and when he has it has always been in the privacy of their homes, where no one else but Blaine can see and hear it. Something warm and loving and proud kept shooting through Blaine's heart every time he saw Kurt chatting with someone with a wide, toothy smile on his face and his hands gesturing excitedly – and he just knew that he would do whatever it takes to make Kurt look that happy as often as possible for the rest of his life.

But the celebrations have come and gone, the paperwork for Kurt's release has finally come through, and the only thing left now is to get rid of the anklet. And to say goodbye.

"Maybe you should start wearing pants that show your ankles?" Blaine jokes, looking down and trying to keep his overwhelming emotions at bay.

"Maybe not," Kurt replies, narrowing his eyes at the idea. He stands up and stretches his legs, still staring at his empty ankle and looking a little overwhelmed himself. "I think they're more your style than mine anyway," he adds and glances up at Blaine with a grin.

Blaine gives a watery laugh, blinking his eyes more quickly. Damn his treacherous emotions. He has already gotten through everything else without breaking down, from the moment when the decision was announced to Kurt's emotional speech at the office party the other night, but now when they finally take the anklet off he's unable to fight back the waterworks.

He takes a shuddering breath and brushes away the few tears that have managed to escape, trying to make the movement seem casual. "So do you – Do you have everything ready?"

Kurt nods, rocking on his heels. "I do. The flight for Cincinnati leaves in a couple of hours, and all I have to do before that is to pick up my suitcase from the loft and leave the keys to my landlord." He gives a sheepish smile. "And try not to panic too much."

"It's going to be fine, Kurt," Blaine assures him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "I'm sure Finn has missed you too and will be happy to see you – and even happier to see that you've turned your life practically upside down."

"And who do I get to thank for that?" Kurt asks softly, looking into Blaine's eyes.

Blaine feels a tremor run through his body, and then all of his emotions finally spill over. He pulls Kurt against himself, winding his arms around his body and holding on tightly. Kurt immediately hugs him back, tucking his chin over his shoulder and stroking his hands down Blaine's back.

Blaine inhales deeply and lets himself get lost in the touch, in Kurt's familiar scent all around him. He buries his face in Kurt's shoulder, hoping that the few tears he couldn't reel back in will just soak into the fabric of Kurt's jacket without a trace.

"I'm going to miss you so much," he whispers in a hoarse voice.

Kurt inhales shakily and squeezes Blaine against himself. "And me you. But I'm coming back," he promises, his hand rubbing over Blaine's shoulder blade. "It might take weeks or even a few months while I figure everything out, but then I'm coming back and I'll be right here again. In New York with you." Kurt leans away and tilts his head so he can look into Blaine's eyes. "I know this is terrifying and new for both of us, but we're going to make it, okay?"

Blaine nods, taking a step back but letting his hands stay on Kurt's waist. "I know," he says, swallowing roughly. "Just promise me you'll be careful?"

"I will." Kurt pats his shoulders once more and then lets go, glancing around to make sure no one saw them. Blaine reluctantly withdraws his own hands as well, even though he just wants to keep holding on to Kurt, wants to stay with him and never let him go.

A few months ago, before the Davies case had even popped up on their radar, Blaine actually stopped in front of jewelry store on his way home from Kurt's loft. He stared at the engagement rings on display in the shop window, and a part of him was tempted to step in and look at them more closely, just because – but then the rational part of his brain caught up with him and reminded him that it was too soon, way too soon, even if he's at the age where getting married is almost expected and his mom has hinted at it already. The timing and the situation just wasn't right in any way, even if his heart already knows that what he has with Kurt is it for him.

But now Kurt's sentence is commuted and he's leaving, with no idea when he'll come back. Blaine still knows that Kurt is it for him, knows that Kurt is his forever, no matter what, but he doesn't know what's going to happen now that Kurt finally gets the chance to be completely free again. He wants Kurt to be free, wants him to do everything he has ever wanted to do, but it doesn't matter how often Kurt reassures him that everything will be alright between them. Blaine still can't help feeling like he can't really compete against the rest of the world, against everything Kurt now gets the chance to experience as a free man with nothing holding him back.

Blaine trusts Kurt more than anyone else, but he also knows that going out into the world after four years of prison and eighteen months of CI work might make Kurt realize that New York is not the place for him after all. That the FBI agent who caught him is not the person for him.

But that's okay. If it makes Kurt happy, it's okay.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to the airport?" Blaine asks, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"I am." Kurt nods, giving a small smile. "If you drove me, I wouldn't be able to step through those gates and leave. And I want to do this on my own."

Blaine smiles back at him. "I'm really proud of you, Kurt. You know that?" Because he is. He always will be.

"I know." Kurt's smile softens and he starts leaning in, obviously about to kiss Blaine, but then he seems to realize that they're still at the office and stops, giving a sheepish smile and looking away.

"I... I should probably get going," he says, a little disappointed. "I promised my landlord I'd bring her the key as soon as possible. Apparently she already has new tenants lined up for the loft."

Blaine's heart clenches painfully in his chest when he thinks about new people living in Kurt's loft, about all of Kurt's possessions tucked away in a storage unit for safe-keeping. It feels like he's losing one half of his literal home, and when Kurt leaves his figurative home will be gone as well.

"Then I guess this is g–," Blaine starts and stops, remembering what he once promised to Kurt. He can't say that word.

Kurt smiles sadly. "You promised you'd never say goodbye to me, Blaine. So we won't say that." He reaches out to brush his fingers over Blaine's hand. "So let's say... I'll be seeing you?" he suggests tentatively.

Blaine nods, tangling their fingers together. "I'll be seeing you," he agrees.

They step out of Blaine's office together, instinctively letting go of each other's hands when they start to walk down the stairs to the lower level. It's a quiet day, with most of the agents on the field or running errands, but Sam and Tina are still present, and Kurt stops to say his goodbyes to them. Blaine stands aside, hoping that his smile doesn't look as tearful as he feels, and when Sam has hugged Kurt and Tina has wished him good luck, he follows Kurt into the lobby, feeling the way his hands twitch nervously at his sides. If he can't drive Kurt to the airport, he'll at least escort him to the elevator.

Kurt pushes the button and turns around to face Blaine, looking at him as if he's trying to memorize his features. "So..." he starts, fiddling with his hands.

"So," Blaine repeats.

"I really want to kiss you before I go," Kurt confesses quietly.

Blaine swallows and blinks against the tears that have started gathering in his eyes again. "I really want to kiss you too," he breathes out.

Kurt's face crumples for a moment, but then he slowly reaches out for Blaine's hand again, giving a watery smile. Blaine immediately takes the offered touch, squeezing Kurt's fingers inside his own and desperately wishing he didn't have to let go when the elevator makes it way to the right floor.

Kurt looks down at their hands, a small frown forming over his forehead. "You're not my handler anymore though, are you?"

Blaine tilts his head in confusion. "Um, no? Your deal with the FBI is over, and that means you're no longer working for me."

Kurt grins. "That means that I can actually do this, right here."

He leans in, and before Blaine even realizes what's happening their lips are pressed together, Kurt's free hand rising to cup Blaine's face while he still keeps holding on to his hand with his other one. Blaine sucks in a breath and immediately kisses him back, pressing their mouths closer and putting everything he has into the kiss, completely letting himself forget that they're standing right in front of the glass doors to the office and that every agent in that office can see them right now.

It doesn't matter – Kurt is free, free to do whatever he wants, and Blaine doesn't have to worry about him going back to prison because prison is not even an option anymore. Blaine lifts their joined hands to Kurt's chest, holding them right over his heart, and whimpers into the kiss when Kurt deepens it, almost as if he's desperate to make this kiss as meaningful as possible. This is them, finally being able to show everyone how much they mean to each other, finally being able to do this at the office, with every ounce of pride and love they have. It's also the last chance for a kiss before Kurt leaves, and Blaine doesn't even know how it could get any more meaningful than this, but somehow Kurt's lips manage to do it anyway.

Kurt only breaks the kiss when both of them start to feel like they need some more air, their lips already a little numb from the force of the kiss. He still stays close, though, nuzzling his nose against Blaine's cheek and pressing their hands more tightly against his heart. Someone, probably Sam, catcalls from the office, but they both ignore it, just breathing each other in.

Until the elevator dings next to them, the doors sliding open.

"I love you," Kurt whispers urgently, "and I'll be seeing you."

"I love you too," Blaine says, his voice breaking on the last word.

Kurt offers him one last smile, and then he reluctantly lets go, stepping away and into the elevator. They look at each other, both of them holding back tears, and Blaine's whole body aches with the need to follow Kurt, to pull him in and just kiss him again.

The elevator doors slide closed, and the last thing Blaine sees is Kurt raising his hand in a small wave, his eyes shining with so many emotions that Blaine knows he'll be trying to make sense of them for weeks to come.

And then he's gone.

---

When Blaine gets home later that day, Perry greets him at the door, her tail swishing back and forth with excitement. Blaine pets her head with a tired smile, and when he moves to step further inside, Perry suddenly stops, staring at the closed door with her tail wagging a lot more slowly than it did just a few seconds ago.

"Perry?" Blaine calls, his hands stilling against the tie he was loosening.

Perry sits down in front of the door, turning to look at Blaine over her shoulder. She looks a bit confused, as confused as dogs can look, and it takes a moment for Blaine to figure out what's going on.

Perry is used to greeting two people instead of one.

"Oh girl," Blaine breathes out, letting go of his tie. He kneels down next to his dog and wraps his arms around her, stroking her back. His throat feels tight, more than it has the whole day, and he lets himself bury his face in Perry's soft fur, trying to ignore the way his heart stutters painfully inside his chest.

Perry lets out a muffled whine, nudging his muzzle against Blaine's shoulder.

"He'll be back," Blaine says, the words catching in his throat.

He doesn't know if he's telling it to Perry or to himself.

---

Missing Kurt is like an ache inside Blaine's chest, something that keeps eating him up until he can feel his body echoing as if it's hollow and all he can feel is the absence of Kurt. And it doesn't help that no matter where he goes he's always reminded of Kurt – at the office Kurt's empty desk is still waiting for its new occupant, the sketch books and pens Kurt used to keep there gone with him; no one sits across Blaine in the conference room or goes out to have lunch with him every day; and when he gets home in the evening it feels like something's missing, like he's suddenly living in a half-finished home and he can't make it whole on his own.

But Blaine keeps going. He just can't not to. He still has work to do, he still has Perry to take care of, he still has Sam patting his shoulder in silent support every day. He can get by without Kurt, of course he can. He did it for years before Kurt escaped from prison. This time is different, though, because now he knows what's missing, knows that there's something outside his work and his friends that makes him happier than anything else.

Luckily Peterson tells him that the promotion is still on the table, so Blaine can throw himself into his work with a good excuse, taking all the cases that are offered to his team and then some. He brings paperwork and case files home every evening, just so he has something to do that makes him unable to focus on the sudden emptiness of his apartment. It's silly, really – he and Kurt did hang out a lot at his place and Kurt often said he felt more at home there, but they were at the loft as well, and they didn't even spend every night together, just to be careful – but still the apartment seems to echo around Blaine's steps, as if there's suddenly more empty space to be filled.

Except it can't be filled, not at least until Kurt comes back.

(If he comes back, the annoying voice inside Blaine's head whispers.)

There are no messages from Kurt, no text messages or postcards, and Blaine knows that it means Kurt is just busy making up for lost time with Finn or dealing with everything else he wanted to take care of. Kurt had told him that he may not contact Blaine until he comes back, so it's not a surprise, not at all – but for some reason Blaine still startles every time his phone rings, and he goes through his mail even more thoroughly than usually every morning, even if he knows that it's a lost cause.

His team works so hard that almost no one has time to question why Blaine spends as much time at the office as possible or why his desk is always covered in case files. Sam is the only one who seems to notice that something's off. He keeps asking Blaine out for drinks or to watch the game at their regular place, and for the first five times Blaine declines, saying that he has work to do and he has to focus on it if he wants to get that promotion.

On the sixth time, Sam takes the case file Blaine's working on out of his hands and ignores his disgruntled yelp.

"Dude, I know you miss Kurt," Sam says, putting the file down on the desk out of Blaine's reach, "but you can't bury yourself into work. That's not healthy." He grabs Blaine's arm and pulls him up, cutting off his protests. "So tonight we're going to go to that bar down the street, watch the Buckeyes kick some ass and drink a few beers. And if you want to talk about anything, I'll listen. And if you don't, I'm paying the first round anyways."

Blaine does end up talking, after he has drunk two beers, and he tells Sam how much he misses Kurt and how he's afraid that he's not coming back after all. He talks about how incredibly happy he is that Kurt is finally free and being himself and exploring the world he wants to see, not the one dictated by his next con or the movements of the law enforcement, but it's still difficult. He talks about how empty his apartment feels, how Perry still looks at the door like she's waiting for someone to step through it, how he himself sometimes looks up from his work and expects to see Kurt sitting across him at the dining room table, discussing their current case with him or drawing clothes in one of his sketchbooks.

Sam just takes a sip of his beer and looks at him. "You're an idiot," he tells him.

"Excuse me?" Blaine says, turning to stare at Sam in confusion.

"Of course he's coming back, man." Sam leans against the bar, putting his beer down. "Have you noticed the way he looks at you? That's some serious stuff right there, and there's no way you're not going to end up together."

Blaine sighs in exasperation, rubbing his hand over his face. "I know that. I know that he loves me and I love him and I know we're both in this for the long run – but I can't help feeling unsure anyway. I've gotten so used to him being here that I'm having a hard time with him..." he waves his hand in the air, "... not being here."

"Well of course you are." Sam rolls his eyes. "You've been moping around all on your own ever since he left, just thinking about what-ifs and letting everything... fester? Is that the right word?"

Blaine nods, staring at his beer.

"Yeah, you've been letting everything fester," Sam continues, pointing at Blaine with a serious expression, "and that's why you're an idiot. You can't just work all the time and ignore everything else in your life because then when Kurt comes back you're just going to be a burned-out super agent who has lost his touch with the real world. I mean, you haven't gone out with your friends ever since Kurt left, and Tina actually thinks that you're angry at her for the things she said in the commutation hearing."

Blaine's head snaps up. "What?" he exclaims. "I'm not angry at her!"

"Exactly," Sam says, "but she doesn't know it because you're always sulking and working double-shifts and being stupid."

Blaine stares at him, unsure and not really following Sam's train of thought.

"I can't believe that someone who's so good at their job can be such an idiot when it comes to their personal life," Sam mutters, taking a gulp of his beer before he looks into Blaine's eyes. "Look – he's going to come back, Blaine. I may not know a lot, but I know that what you two have is something serious. I get that you miss him, I do, but you just gotta wait it out. And what you've been doing for the past few weeks is not a very healthy way of doing that."

Blaine blinks slowly, mulling over the words. "So you're saying that I shouldn't work as much as I have?"

"Fact." Sam clinks their beers together, almost a little aggressively. "Because you're going to get that promotion anyway. And because Kurt is going to come back. I mean, after everything you two have already been through, I can't come up with a single reason why he wouldn't come back. So you don't have to worry about that."

Blaine huffs out a laugh, shaking his head and lifting his hands in a calming gesture. "Okay, okay, I get it. You're basically telling me to have faith in Kurt and in us?"

"Yes," Sam drawls. "Because you're an idiot if you don't. Now let's watch the game and get another round. Your turn to pay."

Blaine snorts in amusement and signals for the bartender. He actually does feel better and more reassured, oddly enough. Maybe Sam is right; maybe Blaine has been letting things fester too much. Maybe he has been moping when he should've just had faith in Kurt and in their relationship – and well, having that faith is not actually that difficult, now that someone has slapped some sense into him. Kurt is his forever, and the way Kurt looks at him and holds his hand and makes love to him... If that's not a sign of him being Kurt's forever as well, he doesn't know what is. He just needs to remember that.

Perhaps he and Kurt both have their issues with trusting that things will turn out the way they want them to.

"You know, Sam... If I do get that promotion, they're going to need a new leader for the team," Blaine points out after a moment.

"Hm?" Sam hums, keeping his eyes on the television at the corner of the bar.

"Never mind," Blaine laughs. "We can talk about it later."

It does get easier after that, little by little. He still misses Kurt, of course he does – he misses him more than anything or anyone he has ever missed in his life, and his apartment still echoes dully around him, the other side of the bed feeling empty when he's sleeping – but he starts to get used to it. He still works hard, not because he's trying to ignore everything else but because he's always worked hard, and when the emptiness gets too much to handle or when the annoying voice inside his head starts whispering nonsense again, he calls Sam or a few times even Rachel, just to have someone to keep him company and get him out of his apartment, out of his head.

Kurt promised to never lie to Blaine, and he said he'll be back. Blaine just needs to trust in that.

---

Kurt has been gone for over a month when the first report gets dropped on Blaine's desk. It's about an old case from seven years ago, an art gallery heist in Brooklyn that was never solved because they didn't have enough evidence. The report is to inform Blaine that the painting that was then stolen has been unexpectedly returned to the gallery without any trace of where it has been for the past years or who decided to give it back.

It really isn't that common for stolen artwork to suddenly get returned years after the robbery – it does happen every once in a while, but it's not exactly something that the FBI is relying on with unsolved cases. Blaine makes a few inquiries into the matter, only to find out that there isn't much to find out. The painting has already been authenticated as the real thing by several experts, there was no evidence left on it, and it was delivered to the gallery by a courier service that has no idea who the original sender is. The gallery is understandably elated by the painting's return, so Blaine decides not to dig too much into it.

Happy endings are sometimes just that, so he marks the case as solved and moves on.

But then there are more reports about similar incidents – from banks, archives and galleries all over the States, from several private collectors in the New York area, from museums in London and Rome and Paris; paintings, money, jewels, bonds, historical artifacts and pop culture memorabilia being returned years after they were taken.

By the time the fourth report makes its way to Blaine's desk, he has already made the connection, and as he reads the statement through with wide, surprised eyes, something warm starts spreading through his chest, making the corners of his mouth twitch with a smile.

They're all Kurt's crimes.

Most of them are cases where Kurt was suspected but never convicted, but a few of them, including the first one, are crimes Blaine has never connected to Kurt. One or two he has never even heard of. In either case, everything Kurt ever stole or forged is getting returned, aside from the things he fenced to someone else back in the day. It's still a lot, with over twenty cases basically getting solved in a few week's time. Blaine doesn't know if anyone else has made the connection – they must have, it's not exactly normal for several stolen items to start popping up like this – but he doesn't say anything, just marks the cases as solved and smiles at the reports when they reach his desk or when he reads in the news about forged bonds being sent to a local police station with no trace of the sender.

Blaine almost bumps into Peterson in the breakroom one day when he has just finished reading a news article about a less known Renoir turning up in Paris after six years. A Renoir certainly brings back memories from the second time Blaine caught Kurt, from the time when their lives changed for good, and he's humming under his breath as he steps into the breakroom, quickly changing his movement when he notices that Peterson is standing right next to the doorway, stirring his coffee.

"Anderson," he says as a greeting.

"Sir," Blaine replies, giving a nod as he reaches for the half-empty coffee pot.

"You heard from Hummel recently?" Peterson asks after a moment, his voice sounding deliberately casual.

Blaine can't help it – he ducks his head with a wide grin. "Um, no – I haven't, actually," he lies, his voice just as casual.

Peterson purses his lips, looking almost a bit... amused? "I see. Good work on the copyright infringement case, by the way," he adds, raising his coffee mug at Blaine before leaving the breakroom.

Blaine leans against the counter once he's alone and lets out a laugh. Kurt did tell him that he wanted to say goodbye to everything in his old life, but Blaine honestly had no idea that it would mean this – that Kurt would literally get rid of everything that he had left of his previous life, showing the world that Kurt Hummel is done with crimes for good.

It really is a reinvention.

Kurt must have known that Blaine would get reports about the returned items, and it's almost as if Kurt's communicating with him, in some weird way, and somehow that makes missing him a little bit easier.

---

Blaine pushes the door to his apartment open with his shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief when he manages to wrangle himself, his keys, and all the case files and papers he's carrying inside without dropping anything. He nudges the door closed with his hip before sidestepping to the small dresser he has in his hall and dropping everything he has in his hands on it, exhaling tiredly.

It's been a long day, especially after last night's stake-out, with interviewing suspects for their current case and finishing up the paperwork for their previous one. Blaine stretches his arms above his head for a moment, his muscles feeling tense and aching after the hours he has spent sitting in the uncomfortable chairs in the van or hunched over his desk. The Bureau should really invest in some ergonomic chairs.

He drops his arms down when he feels a little more flexible and sighs again – and only then does he realize that Perry hasn't come to greet him yet.

That's unusual. Normally Perry is waiting at the door when he comes home, or she at least rushes to the hall when she hears him coming in, but as Blaine glances around the apartment he notices that his dog is nowhere to be seen. Blaine frowns in confusion as he starts to shrug out of his jacket. Maybe she's just sleeping in the bedroom, but at this time of the evening that seems a bit out of the ordinary as well.

He has just draped his jacket over a chair and is reaching for his tie to loosen it, ready to call out Perry's name, when he hears it. Someone is humming quietly in his apartment. His fingers freeze against the tie, his other hand unconsciously reaching for his gun. It sounds as if someone is in his kitchen, singing quietly under their breath, and Blaine can feel his heart starting to thud against his chest in anxiety.

He eases his gun halfway out of its holster and creeps down the hallway towards the kitchen, straining all his senses. Is it a burglar? But why would a burglar be humming in his kitchen? The front door was still locked, and when Blaine glances around his apartment a second time everything seems to be as he left it – even his laptop is still on the dining room table where he forgot it last night. He keeps his fingers on the handle of his gun and stops next to his bookcase, slowly leaning forward to peek into the kitchen.

Perry is sitting next to the kitchen island – that explains where she's been all this time – smiling her Labrador smile with her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her tail resting comfortably still on the floor. Blaine's hand instinctively lets go of his gun, easing it back into the holster, because standing right in front of Perry, making coffee and humming Silly Love Songs so softly that Blaine has to strain his ears to identify the song, is...

Kurt.

His back is to Blaine, but Blaine could recognize those shoulders anywhere. Could recognize Kurt anywhere. Kurt is swaying his hips in time with his humming as he measures coffee beans into Blaine's coffee maker, and there's a suitcase leaning against the kitchen counter a few feet from his legs, a familiar jacket draped over it.

It's such a domestic sight, such a welcome sight, that Blaine can feel his heart swell inside his chest. Even the air in his throat seems to stutter on its way to his lungs because Kurt is back. He came back, and Blaine finally feels like he's home again.

"Kurt," he breathes out, his own voice sounding surprised in his ears.

Kurt startles in surprise, dropping the spoon he's holding into the coffee bean bag before he spins around to face Blaine. Perry looks over to Blaine as well, her tail thudding against the floor a few times, but Blaine barely notices it. Kurt is here, Kurt is standing just a few feet from him, and the smile that breaks over Kurt's face when their eyes meet is the most beautiful thing Blaine has ever seen.

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaims, throwing the coffee beans on the counter, his smile widening even more. He instantly closes the distance between them and launches himself at Blaine, squeezing his arms tightly around Blaine's shoulders and letting out a choked-off laugh against the curve of his shoulder. "God, I've missed you so much."

Blaine closes his eyes and pulls Kurt more tightly against his body. He feels like crying and laughing at the same time, and the sound that comes out of his throat does sound like a weird mix between a sob and a laugh. He's here. He's home.

"I've missed you too," he gasps. "Oh god, Kurt, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

Kurt laughs, leaning away a little just so he can press his lips against Blaine's and kiss him like it's their first kiss all over again. "I think I do," he whispers into Blaine's mouth, "because I've missed you just as much."

"P-please tell me you're here for real," Blaine says urgently, nuzzling his nose against Kurt's cheek and running his hands over Kurt's back. "Please tell me you're really here and I'm not just dreaming after a rough day at work."

Kurt leans away, his eyes suddenly worried. "You had a rough day? Oh god, is everything alright? You didn't –"

"Kurt," Blaine interrupts, laughing even though he can feel a few tears trailing down his cheeks.

Kurt expression softens into a smile. "Sorry. I'm here, I promise. I'm here for good and I'm not going anywhere."

Blaine lets out another combination between a laugh and a sob and pulls Kurt closer again, kissing the curve of his neck and clenching his hands into the fabric of Kurt's shirt. "God, I was so scared that you weren't going to come back," he confesses.

"Blaine." Kurt's voice breaks on his name. "I told you I'd come back, I –"

"I know, I know," Blaine interrupts again, stroking Kurt's back reassuringly. "I know you did, but I was still so scared that you were going to realize New York isn't for you after all and –"

"Well, to be honest, I was a bit scared that you'd have changed the locks," Kurt says, shrugging in Blaine's embrace. "Then I would have had to pick my way in."

"I would never..." Blaine starts, turning to look into Kurt's eyes.

"I know. Just as I knew I would always come back," Kurt interrupts this time. "This is my city as well, Blaine. And you are my forever," he adds, smiling a little shyly.

"Fearlessly and forever," Blaine mutters to himself, amazed and happier than he has ever been, and then he surges forwards, meeting Kurt's lips in another kiss. It quickly turns heated, Kurt's hands scrabbling desperately against Blaine's back while Blaine sucks Kurt's lower lip into his mouth, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Blaine starts pulling at the hem of Kurt's shirt, trying to get it out of his pants, and Kurt is quickly loosening the tie Blaine didn't have the chance to get rid off when he came home. Blaine starts pulling Kurt away from the kitchen, barely managing to gasp the words, "bedroom, now," against Kurt's mouth.

"But," Kurt says breathlessly, nipping at Blaine's lips, "I was going to make you coffee. From your favorite coffee beans at that."

"It can wait. Coffee can definitely wait," Blaine answers, letting out a small triumphant noise when Kurt's shirt finally comes free and he can push his hands against the warm, soft skin on Kurt's back and pull him closer. "God, I've missed you so much in every. Single. Way," he whispers, punctuating each of the last three words with a kiss.

Kurt whines into them, pushing his body against Blaine's. "Y-yeah," he stammers out, "you're right, coffee can wait."

They can't get to the bedroom fast enough.

---

Kurt strokes his hand down Blaine's naked back, and Blaine snuggles closer to him on the bed, his breath finally starting to run through his lungs at normal speed. He feels warm and content and loved, and he doesn't even mind the sweat or come drying against his skin, doesn't mind that he probably has to wash his sheets tomorrow even if he just changed them the other day.

Kurt's hand finds its way to Blaine's hair, breaking the last remains of gel from his curls, and yeah, Blaine really doesn't mind. He's going to change those sheets tomorrow with the biggest smile on his face.

He starts drawing patterns against Kurt's stomach, pressing a small dry kiss on his chest. "So where were you all this time?" he asks, looking up at Kurt.

Kurt shuffles down on the bed so that their heads are almost on the same level. "Well, I spent the first month in Cincinnati with Finn," he starts, "and then the rest of the time I was basically in New Jersey, emptying my regular hide-outs."

"How was Finn?" Blaine asks, his hand pausing against Kurt's skin.

Kurt lets out an overwhelmed laugh. "Surprising, to be honest. I was so sure that it was going to be really awkward or he would just turn me away the moment he saw me, but..." His smile softens, and he ducks his head with an overwhelmed expression. "When I walked into the garage he's working at, he literally hit his head against a car hoist in surprise. And then he..." Kurt pauses, playing with Blaine's hair. "He instantly pulled me into a hug and told me he'd missed me and been so worried about me."

Blaine shifts on the bed, resting his chin on Kurt's chest and feeling the way a smile spreads over his own face. "So he didn't know you'd been looking for him?"

"No," Kurt says, shaking his head, "he didn't. He had no idea that I broke out of prison to find him when he left New York all those months ago. He had just been moving around the States, trying to find work here and there, but he hadn't... He hadn't tried looking for me." Kurt's forehead creases over. "Not that I blame him. He thought I wanted nothing to do with him, and let's be honest, Kurt Hummel, con-man extraordinaire, really didn't want to have anything to do with him."

Blaine nudges Kurt. "But he was still worried about you."

"He was, and he was so..." Kurt shakes his head again, almost disbelievingly. "He was so happy to see me again. I spent the month basically living on his couch, catching up on everything that had happened to him since we parted ways, and when I left, we promised to keep in touch from now on and never be that stupid again. We even... We even talked about trying to find dad and Carole again."

Kurt's breath hitches in his throat almost unnoticeably, and Blaine shifts closer to him on the bed, kissing his collarbone and stroking his hand over his side. Kurt blinks his eyes quickly for a few minutes, obviously trying to keep himself from crying both happy and sad tears, and Blaine waits patiently, staying close to him and not saying anything until Kurt is ready.

"So why didn't you stay with him then?" he eventually asks when Kurt's eyes turn back to look at him. "I would've understood if you had."

Kurt shrugs. "Because it's not my life. My life is not in Ohio. Now that we've made up we can be brothers even if we live in different states. Finn's happy there – he was even talking about going back to college and getting that teacher's degree he's always dreamed about – and I could probably live there as well, but it's..." Kurt scrunches up his nose in thought. "Finn's the only thing in Cincinnati I care about. We talked about it, and he told me to do what I really want to do. And I want to live in New York."

"With me?" Blaine adds, smiling up at Kurt.

"With you," Kurt agrees, smiling back before his smile turns into a grin. "Did you get the reports?"

Blaine laughs, burying his head against Kurt's chest for a moment. "I did," he admits. "Nice touch. I especially liked the way you returned that Renoir."

"Oh, it almost hurt to give that painting up," Kurt jokes, clutching at his chest in mock-pain and rolling his eyes.

Blaine stops, sobering and glancing up at Kurt. "But you still gave it all up," he says quietly.

"I did," Kurt acquiesces. "Because it didn't matter anymore. I didn't want them hanging over my head for the rest of my life." He huffs and then bites his lower lip suddenly, a familiar gesture of excitement that has Blaine lifting his head from Kurt's chest in curiosity. "Besides," Kurt continues. "I don't need them anymore, not even as a back-up. Because I have a job."

"Kurt!" Blaine exclaims, pushing himself up in surprise. "You have a job? When did this happen? What is it?"

Kurt laughs, reaching out to take Blaine's hand and stroking his thumb over his knuckles. "Do you remember Isabelle Wright? She called me a few days ago."

"Yeah, of course," Blaine says. "We worked with her on that canary diamond case." Then his eyes widen, and he can feel his heart jumping into his throat. "Are you telling me that..."

"She wants me to write a column for Vogue," Kurt blurts out, his smile so wide that it practically breaks his face in half. "About fashion and the art world because I know them both so well and Isabelle somehow found out about my release and wanted to offer me the job as soon as possible, and – Blaine, if they're happy with my work they might even consider signing up some of my designs and helping me get my name out there as a designer, and they're thinking about calling the column 'White Collar' which sounds a bit cheesy to me, to be honest, but –"

Blaine stops his rambling with a kiss, grabbing Kurt's face and sealing their lips together so that Kurt gets cut off in the middle of a word. Blaine can't help himself – Kurt seems so happy, so genuinely excited that he just has to kiss him, has to show how proud and happy he is. Kurt 's eyelids flutter closed at the touch, and he sighs into Blaine's mouth, tilting his head a little to get their lips together in a better angle, his hand rising up to rest lightly on Blaine's chest, right over his heart.

Blaine breaks the kiss with an audible smack after a while, but Kurt keeps his eyes closed for a moment, licking his lips slowly. Blaine watches as the smile spreads back over Kurt's face, how it first starts twitching at the corners of his mouth and then pulls them tight over his cheeks, so happy and content and excited.

"... but I guess it's kind of witty as well," Kurt breathes out, finishing his sentence and then blinking his eyes open to meet Blaine's gaze.

Blaine smiles at him, their hands still holding each other between their bodies and Kurt's other hand playing with Blaine's chest hair. "I guess you figured out what you want to do, then," he says.

Kurt laughs, ducking his head with his cheeks flushed. "I guess I did," he admits, squeezing Blaine's hand.

"Did you also figure out where you're going to live?" Blaine asks, tilting his head with a smile. "Because the new tenants in your old loft are not going to give it up without a fight or an elaborate con."

"You already know I've given up on elaborate cons, Agent Anderson," Kurt replies cheekily. His eyes are twinkling in a way that makes Blaine's stomach swoop with love. "I was actually thinking that I could move in with my boyfriend," Kurt continues with a grin, "now that I can actually tell the whole world that he is my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend – who by the way loves you very much – approves of the idea," Blaine says in a low voice, feeling the goofy smile on his face and leaning in to kiss Kurt again. Just because he can and he wants to.

Kurt laughs into the kiss. "I love you, too. And perhaps..." He leans back a little, his smile turning shy. "Perhaps one day soon I'll be sharing an apartment with a fiancé instead of a boyfriend?"

Blaine blinks. "But that fiancé is still me?" he asks dumbly, just because he knows it'll make Kurt laugh again.

Kurt does laugh, ducking his head against Blaine's chest for a moment before lifting it up again and squeezing Blaine's hand. "Yes," he says, "that fiancé is still you. If you want it to be."

"I do," Blaine promises, and then lets out a laugh himself, realizing what he just said. "I mean... I'd love that," he adds softly.

"Good," Kurt says with a grin. "Because you're stuck with this con for good."

Blaine lifts Kurt's left hand and kisses the knuckle of his ring finger, thinking about that jewelry store he passed by months ago. The timing and the situation are right in every single way now, and perhaps they don't need an elaborate proposal for this – maybe just this is enough; them being together and promising to be together in the future as well, honest and real.

It's more than enough.

"Man," Blaine corrects, glancing up at Kurt through his lashes. "You're not a con, you're a man. And I'm happily stuck with this man for good."

Kurt blinks, something wet shining in his eyes, and then pulls Blaine in for a kiss.

It tastes like forever.