"This is not the place the FBI got for you," Blaine points out, not even bothering to say hello when Kurt opens the door for him. He just spent an hour and a half explaining to his supervisors why Kurt Hummel isn't at the motel he is supposed to be staying in and how Kurt has apparently managed to find a new place in just a few hours – and yes, boss, that new place is within his three-mile radius, he's not technically breaking any rules.

Blaine has a feeling he'll be using the word technically a lot from now on.

"I know," Kurt says with a grin and gestures for Blaine to come in. "Did you really think I would stay at that sleazy motel? Agent Anderson, it's like you don't know me at all." He clucks his tongue in disappointment.

Blaine takes a deep, calming breath and steps in. It's a nice apartment, that's the first thing he notices – admittedly much nicer than the dingy motel room he had left Kurt at just this morning, but that was the best the Bureau could afford. This apartment, however, is a spacious studio with calm white walls and huge windows that show a view of the New York City skyline, and the furniture looks expensive and antique instead of the plain old IKEA things Blaine has at his own place.

"And don't worry, the rent is just as much as it was at that motel," Kurt assures him, walking further into the apartment and starting to organize the clothes in the large closet. "Elle, the woman who owns this place, promised me a discount when she heard about my situation. Apparently all the other candidates for a new tenant weren't up to her standards."

"Your situation?" Blaine repeats. "So you told her you're a criminal informant for the FBI and she gave you a discount?"

Kurt shrugs. "I've succeeded in stranger things. Besides, she noticed the anklet."

Blaine's eyes instinctively drop down to the black object around Kurt's left ankle. It looks bulky and clumsy, even though Blaine has done his research and knows that wearing it is not actually that unpleasant. "How is it?"

Kurt glances at the anklet as well. "Oh, this? It takes some getting used to, but I'll just think of it as an accessory and it'll be fine." He hangs an expensive-looking suit inside the closet, turning his back to Blaine.

Blaine drags his fingers through his hair, mindful of the gel. He suddenly feels a little overwhelmed. Kurt looks so at home in this apartment, like all those things with his brother didn't even happen, like he hasn't spent the last few weeks in prison, looking so weary and defeated that Blaine doesn't think he'll ever forget it. He did see the old Kurt Hummel when they were talking in the visiting room, but before that and even momentarily during it he could see that the usual confidence and charm were somehow diminished. But now it's all back in full force, blinding and enchanting like it used to be.

It's somehow so weird and new to be in the same space with Kurt for such a long time, talking to him and watching him hang clothes in his new closet. It's not cat and mouse anymore, but more like two cats trying to catch other mice, and it's going to take some getting used to, at least for Blaine. Even if he was the one who came up with the deal in the first place.

(The last time they spoke like this was several years ago, when Blaine was still trying to catch Kurt. It was late one night when he was still at the office, going over some evidence, and his phone ringing broke the train of his thought. Kurt obviously called from an unknown number, transmitted through several different servers and impossible to trace, but perhaps because of the late hour they didn't talk much about the chase or Kurt's alleged crimes. Instead they chatted on the phone for hours about the new exhibition at the MoMA, about the best restaurants in New York, about the new trends in men's fashion, about life in general. It was probably one of the most bizarre phone calls Blaine has ever gotten, but for some reason that also made it one of the best.)

"Where did you get the clothes?" he asks suddenly. The shirt Kurt is holding looks way too expensive for someone who just got out of prison.

"Oh, I have my ways," Kurt says and winks.

Blaine sighs. "You do realize that if you commit another crime I'll have to –"

"I didn't steal them," Kurt interrupts him, turning around to look at Blaine with his eyes wide open. "I've had them since before I went to prison for the first time. I just had them stored in a secure location."

"Oh." Blaine relaxes his shoulders and glances at his watch. He needs to get back to the office soon. He promised Sam to come back as soon as he made sure that Kurt was where he said he would be, and the lunch hour traffic will probably slow him down anyway.

Kurt is still looking at him, his eyes curious and his head tilted. "You know, Agent Anderson, this is probably the first time we've spent this much time in the same space without you trying to slap a pair of handcuffs on me." His eyes light up. "Do you want to go get lunch? I noticed this lovely bistro down the street and thought I'd try it out."

Blaine turns to look at Kurt, surprised and even more overwhelmed than he was before. "Oh. Um," he stammers, glancing at his watch again. A part of him, the part he usually manages to keep silent, is screaming at him to say yes, to spend more time with Kurt, to make the sudden weirdness natural and comfortable – but another part of him knows that he has work to do, witnesses to interview and paperwork to be signed.

For the umpteenth time he wonders if he actually knows what he's doing with Kurt Hummel.

"I have to get back to the office," he says lamely. "I just came by to give you the paperwork of your... Of our first case." He hands the file he has been holding to Kurt, who takes it with the same curious look in his eyes. "My superiors said that you can spend the first day settling in, so I'll meet you here first thing tomorrow morning to give you ride to the office. Is that okay?"

"Sure." Kurt starts thumbing through the file, not showing any reaction to Blaine's refusal. The case should be right up Kurt's alley, a jewelry theft in one of the more prestigious stores in Manhattan, and he can see Kurt flicking through the evidence photos with obvious interest.

"Good. I just... I wanted to make sure you're still here," Blaine suddenly adds, for no apparent reason.

Kurt lifts his head and shrugs his shoulders. "Where else would I go?"

Blaine looks around the spotless apartment, at the light streaming in from the window, the painting on the wall that seems to depict some picturesque town in the Mediterranean, the expensive clothes strewn over the immaculate bed. Kurt is basically free, even if he has the anklet – if someone could hack into the GPS tracker and fool it, it'd be Kurt Hummel – and a part of Blaine is already dreading the inevitable, of coming to pick up Kurt one morning and finding the apartment empty. He isn't stupid; he knows that this work release must probably feel as if the FBI is dangling complete freedom right under Kurt's nose, giving him glimpses and promises of it, enchanting and alluring. And since Kurt is his responsibility, his CI, it's Blaine's job to make sure Kurt stays.

"Anywhere, I suppose," he answers truthfully.

Kurt purses his lips in thought. "But that's the problem, isn't it? Anywhere is almost the same as..." He pauses, blinking his eyes, and then his face melts into a confident grin. "Never mind. Are you sure I can't interest you in some lunch avec Kurt Hummel, criminal informant extraordinaire?" He shimmies his shoulder a little.

Blaine gives a small smile. "No, sorry. I promised Agent Evans I'd get back to the office as soon as possible to help him with a few witness interviews."

"Fine. I'll start reading this then," Kurt says, waving the case file. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Blaine repeats, taking a step towards the door.

"Bye –" Kurt hesitates for a short moment, barely noticeable, before he straightens his back and smiles, "– Blaine."

Blaine blinks and then gives a wave before opening the door and leaving the apartment. "Bye, Kurt."

---

One of the witnesses turns out to be extremely useful, and Blaine spends the rest of the day connecting the dots with Sam and Tina, casing through previous reports and finding a few possible suspects. It's good progress, and it means they don't have to start the day with tedious paperwork tomorrow. Blaine can pick up Kurt on his way to interviewing the first suspect and let Kurt use his expertise on the field right from the start. That should be more exciting to Kurt than just spending time at the office and waiting for the next coffee break.

Blaine practically flops into his bed when he gets home that evening, barely managing to change into his pajamas with his eyes slipping shut every few seconds. Perry is already snoring gently on the floor next to his bed when he finally crawls under the covers with a tired smile on his face, and the familiar rumble lulls Blaine into deep and peaceful sleep almost immediately.

Until his dreams are interrupted by the sound of the doorbell at half past five in the morning.

"W-what?" Blaine groans, lifting his head from the pillow. Perry is already up and standing next to Blaine's bed, waving her tail at him and looking excited to be up at this ungodly hour. Her panting mouth is right next to Blaine's face, and he groans again at the smell of his dog's morning breath.

The doorbell rings the second time, and Blaine pushes the covers away, rubbing his eyes. He manages to slide out of bed, stretching his shoulders with a yawn once he's up and standing, but his movement is halted by another ring at the door. Perry seems satisfied now that Blaine is up, and she trots out of the bedroom towards the hall, her tail still wagging behind her.

Blaine sighs and follows her, patting his unruly curls with his hands and trying to look more awake. He has no idea who would be at his door at this hour, but experience has taught him that everything that happens this early usually has something to do with his work. It's probably either Sam or Tina with a new lead or something else equally urgent – although they would usually just call him instead of coming to see him personally...

The doorbell rings one last time just as Blaine reaches the front door, and he twists the door open, barely suppressing a yawn.

"Morning!" Kurt exclaims when he sees Blaine, waving two take-away cups of coffee in his hands.

Blaine blinks, rubs his eyes one more time, and when Kurt's cheery smile doesn't disappear, he sighs. "It's half past five. What are you doing here?"

"I'm usually awake at this hour," Kurt explains with a shrug. "Anyway – about an hour ago as I was doing my moisturizing routine I was going through the case file you gave me, and I think I noticed something in the display stand where the stolen jewels were."

"If by something you mean that small button near the glass's edge, we checked it already. It's nothing," Blaine yawns, rubbing his eyes once more.

Kurt's face falls a little. "Oh. I sometimes forget that you're actually pretty clever as well." Then he perks up again, bouncing a little on his feet. "But that's not the only things I noticed and – well well well, who are you?"

Blaine blinks at the sudden change in Kurt's tone, and when he follows Kurt's line of vision he sees that Perry has nudged her head between the door and Blaine's legs and is currently sniffing at Kurt's pants, her tail still wagging.

"Is this Perry?" Kurt asks with a gentle smile, crouching down and putting one of the coffee cups on the floor so he can scratch Perry behind her ears. "Oh, she's adorable."

"How do you –" Blaine starts and then thinks better of it. He should be used to Kurt Hummel knowing details about Blaine's own life by now. "Do you want to come in?" he asks instead, grabbing Perry's collar and opening the door a little more.

Kurt looks up, his hand still petting Perry's head. "Oh? Sure." He picks up the coffee cup and gives it to Blaine. "This one's for you. I assumed that I should have some sort of a peace offering in case you were not a morning person." He looks Blaine up and down as he closes the door behind him. "I've never seen your hair so curly."

Blaine blushes. "There's a reason for that," he mumbles and gestures for Kurt to follow him to the living room, trying not to feel self-conscious about his hair. Perry, however, seems to be completely enamored with Kurt by now, judging by the way she keeps smiling her Labrador smile and butting her muzzle against Kurt's thighs.

Kurt looks around the apartment, obviously curious, as he unwinds the light blue scarf around his neck. "You have a nice apartment. Very homey."

Blaine smiles his thanks as he sits down in the arm chair and takes a sip of the coffee. It's a medium drip with too much sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon, just the way he likes it, and he looks up at Kurt in surprise. "You know my coffee order?" he asks.

Kurt shrugs, sitting down opposite Blaine. "Of course I do. You're not the only one who has done his research, Blaine."

Blaine watches as Perry nudges Kurt's hand, asking for some more attention, and Kurt immediately smiles down at her and starts scratching her short fur. It's strange, having Kurt Hummel in his apartment, playing with his dog and bringing him a cup of coffee, as if this is something that happens every day. Blaine is definitely underdressed in his pajamas next to Kurt's stylish and fitting clothes, and he's still trying to wrap his sleepy mind around everything, but to his surprise he notices that he doesn't mind it all that much.

"I would've come to pick you up in a few hours," he says.

"Oh, sorry." Kurt looks up and scrunches his nose a little. "I realized last night that your apartment is within my three-mile radius, and when I was going through the case file this morning I got so excited that I came here without giving it another thought." He stops petting Perry, his eyes widening. "I can go away, if this is a bad time. I mean, you are basically my boss and you probably don't want me just waltzing into your apartment like this, especially at this early in the morning and..."

Blaine leans back in the chair and shakes his head. "No, it's fine. You said you found something else in the display stand?" he prompts.

Kurt closes his mouth, and then his face breaks into a wide, toothy grin, something Blaine can't remember seeing ever before. The criminal he chased for years is suddenly sitting on his sofa, fishing out the case file from his messenger bag (Blaine can see several post-it notes peeking from the file, full of Kurt's neat hand-writing) and looking like he's always been there, like he somehow belongs there with his impeccable clothes and excited gestures – and for the first time Blaine realizes that he might have actually made the right choice with this partnership.

Maybe he doesn't have to work so hard to make Kurt Hummel stay after all.