‘THE FRESH START’

It was probably his parents’ pitying looks that made him come here, Kurt thought as he parked Carole’s Toyota in front of Scandals, Lima’s only gay bar. They probably agreed with JBI, otherwise they wouldn’t have been so happy when Kurt told them he finally had a boyfriend. He was just glad he’d come clean about his crush on Finn and the Chandler thing years ago, so his family didn’t hear it from the news. And maybe he was just too picky. Maybe what he should do was get drunk and just get it over and done with. Maybe then, he could just date guys like a normal almost twenty-four year old instead of acting like a teenager in his very first relationship. Just because he’d never had that kind of experience when he was in high school didn’t mean he had to act like he was still seventeen. People had drunk hook ups all the time and the world didn’t end. Blaine had done it for years and he turned out okay, right? So why couldn’t he do the same? Kurt squared his shoulders and got out off the car. He’d told his parents he was going for a drive to clear his head and not to wait up for him.

The bouncer barely looked at his ID when Kurt handed it over.

“Enjoy, it’s drag queen Wednesday,” he drawled.

There was nothing scandalous about Scandals. The bar was filled with middle aged men who looked at the door apprehensively every time someone new entered. Most were wearing wedding rings and seemed afraid to be seen by anyone they knew. It made Kurt grateful that being in the closet had never been an option for him, because the men at Scandals all seemed so unhappy. He went over to the bar where a couple of college aged guys were sitting. Before he could order a drink, one of the guys did it for him.

“Whatever he’s having, put it on my tap,” he winked at the bartender and Kurt took the barstool next to him.

“Gin and Tonic, please,” he ordered, before he turned to the guy. “Thanks.”

“No problem at all,” the guy smiled. “I’m Dan and those are Tom and Henry,” he introduced his friends.

“Kurt,” Kurt said. From the way they were looking at him they knew who he was anyway.

“So Kurt, what brings you back to Lima? Looking for some real guys?” Tom asked. Kurt wanted to roll his eyes, but this was what he was here for. To find someone who was interested in him.

“Just visiting,” he lied, because these days he couldn’t trust anyone not to sell him out to the press for a quick buck. “So you three are the real deal then,” he tried to flirt awkwardly.

“Yep,” Tom winked. “And we have no problem being your rebound guys.”

Kurt emptied his glass in one go. If he really wanted to go home with one of these guys he needed a lot of liquid courage. Four Gin and Tonics later, he let Tom, Dan and Henry pull him out onto the dance floor. He quickly found himself sandwiched between Tom and Henry and willed himself to relax. This was just dancing; people did it all the times. When Tom leaned in to kiss him though, Kurt turned his head.

“Sorry, bathroom,” he mumbled and stumbled away. In the surprisingly clean bathroom, he was splashing water on his face when his phone buzzed in his pocket. The caller ID told him that Blaine was calling yet again. He’d done so on and off since Kurt had been spotted at LAX, but Kurt had never picked up. His alcohol addled brain, however, thought it was a good idea to take the actor’s call now..

“Hi Blaine,” he answered, still happy drunk. Another man entered the bathroom and for a moment the room was filled with loud music from the dance floor.

“Kurt, where are you?” Blaine yelled.

“I’m at Scandals,” Kurt announced giddily. “That’s a gay bar.”

“You’re in Lima?”

“Yep,” Kurt replied, popping the p. “Men like me here.”

“I don't understand. I liked you in L.A,” Blaine replied after a moment’s pause.

“But you don’t like me anymore,” Kurt pouted. “You like Sebastian now. It’s in all the tabloids.”

“Kurt, it’s really loud where you are. Can you go somewhere more quiet. I really think we should talk,” Blaine evaded his question. Kurt didn’t like that.

“I can’t leave now, I haven’t decided if I want to go home with Tom or with Henry,” he giggled.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to do here, Kurt. I’m not dating Sebastian, but even if I were, what’s it to you? You rejected me.”

Blaine was still shouting and Kurt pulled his phone from his ear. He was here to have fun not to fight with his ex fake boyfriend. But Blaine had asked him a question and it was only polite to answer.

“You wouldn’t have wanted me if you knew the truth,” he accused Blaine.

“What, Kurt? I told you I don’t care about those articles, so what’s this really about? Why’d you run off to Ohio? Your friend Santana nearly ripped my head off because according to her you’re in love with me and I ruined everything.” Kurt was too drunk to figure out if Blaine sounded confused or angry.

“You wouldn't have wanted me,” Kurt reiterated. Why wouldn’t Blaine understand?

‘What, Kurt? What’s so horrible that you think I wouldn’t like you because of it?”

“I’m a virgin,” Kurt yelled forgetting for a moment where he was and that he wasn't alone in the bathroom. A man leered at him following his outburst, but Kurt gave him the finger, before returning to the matter at hand. Now that he started he couldn’t stop. “And you like sex. You have one night stands all the time. You didn’t even wait one day before you went out and hooked up with that sleaze. Did you also hook up with guys while you were supposedly dating me? Not that it matters now. I’m gonna go home with Tom or Dan and then I’ll be normal too.”

His outburst was met with stunned silence but when Blaine finally responded, Kurt knew he’d gone too far.

“I can’t believe you’re throwing my past back in my face,” Blaine said, voice cold and distant. “I had one night stands because I couldn’t have relationships not because I didn’t want them and I thought you understood that. I thought you understood that I wanted a relationship with you, not just another meaningless hook up. I could have easily had that with Sebastian, but I didn’t because what I really want, what I’ve wanted for a long time is a relationship.”

Fuck, he really blew it. Whatever chance he might have had with Blaine, it was definitely gone now.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Blaine. I didn’t mean that. I’m drunk, I didn’t mean to take my issues out on you,” he apologized, surprised that Blaine hadn’t hung up yet.

“Just do me a favor, Kurt,” Blaine sighed. “Go and get some water and don’t leave with anyone. Don’t make my mistakes.”

And then he hung up and Kurt stood alone in the bathroom of an Ohio gay bar and stared at his dark phone screen. He didn’t get a water, he got another drink, but he didn’t join Dan and his friends on the dance floor again.

It really was no surprise when his dad gently touched his elbow a while later and told Kurt to come with him. Pam and Carole had become fast friends since they’d been introduced and Kurt assumed Blaine had called his mom for Carole’s number.

Back home, on his family’s couch, he accepted a cup of coffee from Carole.

“Wanna tell me why Carole got a call from your ex-boyfriend telling her you were about to do something really stupid?” his dad asked after Kurt had stared at his cup in silence for a few moments.

Then the tears came fast. “I’ve made a mess of everything.”

He told them everything. How he’d agreed to fake date Blaine so Ari would help him get his screenplay produced. How he’d fallen in love with Blaine in the process but had been too scared to give them a real chance, how Rebecca had come after him when she realized she couldn’t hurt Blaine and how he’d ruined every chance he ever had with Blaine in one phone call.

Carole held him as he cried, telling the story while he sobbed uncontrollably. He’d tried apologizing for the mess he created for them, but Carole kept shushing him, telling him it wasn’t his fault when Kurt knew that it was. If he had never agreed to the deal, reporters wouldn’t still bother his family, his father wouldn’t have lost some costumers and they would still be anonymous. Kurt had ruined everything, because he’d wanted to take a short cut. His dad had probably been right, Hollywood had changed him. The old Kurt Hummel would have found his own way instead of waiting for someone else to do the work. He was the reason they were in this mess, and no matter what his parents said, he knew he was right.

===========

“Don’t tell me you still want that guy after what he said to you?” Wes hissed after Blaine got off the phone, more intent than ever to take Rebecca down, because without her, they’d never be in the mess they were in.

“Remember when you told me I self sabotage any potential relationship because I’m afraid to actually be in one,” Blaine retorted. Back then he’d told Wes he was full of shit but in hindsight, he knew his friend had been right. In a way he had no more experience than Kurt. If you never let anyone in, you couldn’t get hurt. Just look at his mom; when things got tough, his dad had abandoned her and Blaine.

“And you think Kurt’s doing the same,” Wes snorted.

“He wouldn’t have apologized if he really meant it or was done with me for good,” Blaine argued because he wasn’t ready to give up hope just jet that he and Kurt could have their happy ending. “Maybe all we need is a fresh start, a chance to do things right the second time around. Things got crazy so quickly and we never had a chance to really get to know each other with all the media attention.”

“And you think it’d be different now? People are still talking about you and him, even though you haven’t been seen together in weeks,” Wes reminded him.

“Yeah, but they’re talking about the wrong things. They make Kurt out to be this horrible person, when it’s Rebecca they should go after,” Blaine sighed.

He had been selfish when he’d agreed to the deal, hoping that if Kurt had to spend more time with him, he’d eventually agree to date. Instead, he should have just taken Kurt up on his offer to be friends. He understood Ari’s reasoning that people would accept his coming out more easily if he already was in a monogamous relationship when he did, but the prize he and Kurt paid, ended up being too high in the end.

“Do you at least have a plan? Lauren only managed to tie her IP addresses to a bunch of coffee shops and you can’t watch them all hoping to catch her in the act. If there’s even anything she hasn’t released yet.”

Blaine took another beer out of his mini fridge. After how much he’d drank the past week out partying with Sebastian, his liver deserved a break, but talking about Rebecca made him desperate for a drink.

“We have a plan. I asked Rebecca to meet because I want to know what I can do to make her stop and when we do, I’m going to record her. Lauren showed me how I can use my phone to do it,” he revealed.

“And you think she’s going to fall for it?” Wes asked, a frown on his face.

“Rebecca likes to talk about her accomplishments.”

“I really hope this works out, Blaine,” his best friend sighed. “Because I like the Blaine who was with Kurt much more than the Blaine who spends his nights getting wasted with a guy like Sebastian. And I’m saying this as your friend and not your manager.”

============

They’d agreed to meet in Malibu, on the beach they had shot Parker and Madison’s wedding on. It was a cloudy and rather cold day in early May, so barely anyone was around.

“So you’ve come to your senses?” Rebecca asked and Blaine slipped his hand into his spring coat and pressed the record button.

“So are you happy that you ruined my life and Kurt’s life?” Blaine countered. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t ruin your life. Your fans love you more than ever. If anything, I gave you tons of free publicity. You should thank me.”

Blaine took a deep breath to keep calm. He couldn’t blow up on her, not until he had a confession.

“Me I get, but why Kurt? What did he ever do to you?” he asked. Rebecca scoffed.

“He took you away from me. If it hadn’t been for him, everyone would be talking about us now. But I only went after him, when no one important really cared about your skeletons. Sure, you lost an audition but it was a shitty script anyway. I thought the last season of LLM was shit, but that script was just horrible. I know because they asked me to audition too. Even got a callback.”

Blaine fought the urge to smile. This was even better. Rebecca talking shit about her jobs would definitely hurt her career.

“Are you sure you aren’t just bitter that you didn’t get cast in Bare?” he goaded her.

“Oh please, you know you only got the job because Sebastian wants to get into your pants and his daddy gives him whatever he wants. How this guy ever won two Tonys is a mystery to me.”

“Maybe you should have been a detective instead. I can’t believe you found all that stuff about Kurt.”

Rebecca snorted again. “This is 2009. All I had to do was spend a few hours on google and send a few links to the right people. I really didn’t have to do all that much, the media took care of the rest and those Ohio loser looking for their fifteen minutes of fame were just a lucky byproduct. It really was too easy with Kurt. You should have found a toyboy who didn’t have so many skeletons in his closet.”

“You disgust me,” Blaine couldn’t hold back any longer. “Kurt’s been through hell and thanks to you he’s had to relive all of it again. He’s the victim, but you made it so that people are blaming him for the things that were done to him. Luckily, he’s much stronger than you gave him credit for.”

Rebecca laughed. “So he’s not run off to Ohio, because the bad bad media was mean to him? He’s going to need a thicker skin if you ever get him back.”

Blaine didn’t answer. He’d never confirmed his relationship with Kurt and he sure as hell wasn’t going to do it on a tape he planned to release to the media.

“Goodbye Rebecca, I hope you can find a way to live with yourself.”

============

It felt good helping out in the shop again, though Kurt stuck to his dad’s office because he wasn’t ready to face any customers. He’d also taken his dad’s advice and had started writing a new script based on his experiences with online media and social networks over the last couple of weeks, leaving out his pretend relationship with Blaine though. He wanted to write a story about how publications in the race to always be the first to report something, stopped fact checking and just published anything they were told. His main character was a young college student, who’s picture accidentally was used in an article about sexual assault on a college campus and before the day was over, every newspaper in the country was using his picture to report about the crime. It didn’t matter that a retraction was printed the following day, his life, after, was forever changed.

His dad was glad for the help too, because while he really did know his way around a computer, he didn’t like them very much. Following Kurt’s break down, the whole family had agreed however to stay away from the Internet for the time being. Blaine had texted him once the following day, saying that he hoped Kurt was feeling okay, but Kurt hadn’t responded and that was the last he’d heard from the actor. He wasn’t surprised; after the horrible things he’d said, he’d stay away too.

When he was done with the most recent paperwork, he decided to check his emails. There was one from Ari telling him that if he wasn’t back in L.A by the end of the week he would be fired, but Kurt had found his peace with it. He wasn’t ready to go back to L.A any time soon and had known he’d lose his job when he’d just taken off. He didn’t even have a place to live anymore as his former roommates had already found a replacement. He quickly replied to a message from Mercedes, who was worried because Kurt’s phone was off. His friend was currently touring the South and had only heard about what was going on from the tabloids.

And then there was an email from Santana with the subject line ‘check this out’. Warily, Kurt opened the message. Inside was a link to an article by the L.A Times. ‘I know you’re staying away from the internet, but you gotta read this,’ his friend wrote. After taking a deep breath, Kurt clicked on the link.

=====

Former LLM Star Rebecca Quinn Revealed As Source Behind ‘Blainegate’ - Clearasil drops Ms. Quinn as spokeswoman

The L.A Times

People have been speculating for weeks about the man or woman who kept releasing private pictures from actor Blaine Anderson’s past and supplied the media with information about Mr. Anderson’s rumored boyfriend Kurt Hummel. Neither Mr. Anderson nor Mr. Hummel have confirmed that they are in a relationship.

The actress was caught on tape admitting in a conversation with Mr. Anderson that it had been her who was the source behind what fans and media came to call ‘Blainegate’. She also admitted that she targeted Mr. Hummel out of jealousy.

Loser Like Me creator Ben Williams shocked

Ms. Quinn was also recorded making disparaging remarks about the show that started her career and a production, both she and Mr. Anderson were considered for. Ben Williams, the creator and show runner of Loser Like Me, in a statement, said he was shocked to learn that ‘Rebecca could have done something like this.’

Meanwhile, ‘Clearasil’ announced they’d dropped Ms. Quinn as their spokeswoman and a Public Service Announcement the actress recorded about bullying in schools was pulled off the air following the release of the tape.

Legal Repercussions

As Mr. Hummel was not a public figure when his personal information was released, Ms. Quinn and several media outlets have violated Mr. Hummel’s right to privacy. However, currently, we do not have information whether Mr. Hummel intends to sue Ms. Quinn or the media outlets who first reported on him.

=======

Kurt was stunned as he reread the article. The truth was finally out and from what he gathered from the article, it had been Blaine who’d brought Rebecca down. Against his better judgment, he googled his name. TMZ had released a full recording of the tape along with a public apology to Kurt. It was the same on NO TMI and other online blogs like it. It seemed like everyone was afraid of getting sued. Kurt had no plans to do so. He wanted this whole affair to be over and suing Rebecca would only keep his name in the papers.

After reading the article for the third time, he poked his head into the garage and seeing that no customers were around, he called for his dad.

“About damn time,” his dad grumbled after he’d read the L.A Times article as well.

Kurt left to get lunch. He needed some time to clear his head and consider his next steps.

Burt clicked out of the article and started eating his own lunch, a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, when the office phone rang.

“Hummel Tires and Lube,” he answered after swallowing his bite.

“Mr. Hummel, I don’t know if you remember me, but it’s Blaine Anderson,” the person on the other end of the line said.

“How could I ever forget you,” Burt growled. The line went silent for a moment.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Hummel. I never meant for Kurt to get hurt.” The kid sounded sincere and Burt sighed. “It’s Burt and as much as it pains me to say it, it isn’t all your fault. So what can I do for you?”

When Blaine replied, he sounded surprised. “Oh wow, I didn’t think you’d forgive me so quickly. The reason why I’m calling is because I wanted to ask you for a favor. Can I just explain and then you can decided whether you want to help me or not?”

That didn’t sound ominous at all. “Shoot."

==============

Kurt was finishing up his salad in the office, when his dad poked his head in.

“Can you take the tow truck out to West Lima? I just got a call from some guy and it sounded like something I can only fix in the garage,” he said.

“Can’t someone else do it?” Kurt asked, because he wasn’t ready to go out in public again. His dead shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but Jimmy and Hector just left for lunch and I promised Mrs. Stottlemeyer her car would be done in an hour. All I need you to do is take a quick look at the car and either bring it back or fix it straight away.”

“Fine,” Kurt grumbled. “What’s the address?”

“Next to the phone,” his dad pointed to a yellow legal pad next to the office phone.

Kurt wrote down the address before he got dressed and took the keys to one of their two tow trucks off the hook in his dad’s office. There was no name, just a description of the car and the address. Kurt thought it was a bit strange, but maybe his dad hadn’t understood the name and didn’t want Kurt to call a costumer by the wrong name.

Fifteen minutes later, he pulled over next to a vaguely familiar green station wagon. The owner was nowhere in sight, so Kurt climbed out of the truck and walked over to the driver’s window. Just as he raised his hand to knock, he realized who was sitting in the car. Blaine Anderson. The window rolled down.

“Are you Kurt Hummel?” the actor asked and Kurt frowned because, well, they weren’t strangers. He still nodded. “Thank god. I’ve been out here for an hour. Tried to fix the car myself, but it didn’t work. I’m Blaine by the way.”

“I know,” Kurt replied looking at the actor in confusion. Why was he pretending not to know Kurt? Just then, Blaine gave him a look that seemed to say, just go with it and Kurt decided, alright, why not.

“I mean, I know who you are. Loser Like Me is my favorite guilty pleasure show.” The actor laughed.

“I like your honesty. It’s refreshing.” He winked at Kurt and Kurt wondered if it was possible that the actor was flirting with him. It seemed pretty impossible because Kurt was Kurt and secondly,Blaine Anderson was a celebrity. He decided to distract himself with looking under the hood of the actor’s car. The oil level was a little low but other than that Kurt saw nothing wrong with the car.

‘What’s the verdict doctor?” the actor had stepped out of the car and was suddenly right next to him.

“Give me your keys,” Kurt told Blaine. He got into the car and turned them in the ignition. As he’d suspected, the car started without a problem and not even the oil lamp lit up.

“You’re a miracle worker,” Blaine sighed in relief. “This is my mom’s car and I promised her I’d return it before five.”

“What brings you to this neck of the woods,” Kurt asked, wincing as soon as the words left his mouth. Could he act even more flirty? The actor just smiled though.

“Just visiting a friend. Nothing scandalous I’m afraid.”

Kurt cut the engine, climbed out of the car and closed the hood. “Well, you’re all set here. Tell your mom she should get her oil changed soon, but otherwise, her car’s fine.”

“Oh okay,” Blaine sounded disappointed and slightly nervous. Kurt watched as he wiped his hands on his probably very expensive jeans yet again. “Would you, I mean, can I take you out for coffee to say thanks for fixing my car this quickly.”

Kurt smiled. “You don’t have to take me out for coffee, I’m charging you for this service anyway.” Blaine’s face fell.

“Of course, I understand.”

“I didn’t say I don’t want to go for coffee with you, just that you don’t have to buy me coffee,” Kurt quickly amended, because he didn’t want Blaine to think that Kurt was rejecting him. The actor’s face lit up.

“Oh great. Would you mind if we went back to my mom’s place though? I have a lot of young fans in Ohio and they can go a little crazy when I’m out in public.”

Kurt considered the offer for a moment. He didn’t really know the guy in front of him, just saw him on TV once a week, so was it a smart idea to go home with him? But if they just went to the Lima Bean, someone would definitely recognize Blaine and what if they took pictures of the two of them getting coffee?

“Alright,” he agreed. “But we need to drive by my dad’s shop first so I can drop off the truck. You’re going to have to drive me because I don’t have a car.”

“You don’t have a car?” Blaine asked, brows furrowed. “I thought only New Yorkers could survive without a car.” Kurt laughed.

“I can’t even imagine living in a place where you don’t need a car. I live in L.A and if I had to rely on public transport, I’d never get anywhere on time.”

“You live in L.A?” Blaine asked and Kurt nodded. “What a small world. I’m from L.A too.”

==========

Kurt turned to Blaine as they walked into his mother’s house after the two hour drive from Lima. They’d spent the drive to ‘get to know one another’.

“As much fun as that was, can we now talk like we already know each other? And what was that all about?” he asked.

Blaine didn’t answer until they’d taken off their shoes and jackets and were sitting on the living room couch.

“It’s just how I wish we’d met,” Blaine explained. “I wish I’d had the chance to just meet you accidentally instead of how we met. Because maybe, then I would have had a real shot with you; if we’d gotten the chance to get to know each other like a normal couple.”

Blaine was looking everywhere but at Kurt, and so Kurt took a deep breath, forced his fears to the back of his mind and took Blaine’s hands into his own. It made Blaine look up.

“So, I’m not sure, but are you asking for a do over?” he asked, hoping he hadn’t misunderstood the actor. Blaine’s shoulders slumped.

“Yes. I want us to start over. I don’t need to be back in L.A for another five weeks and Santana told me you have no plans to return any time soon either. Can we just go on a few dates and see if this could work out? I’m willing to take this as slow as you need and I don’t expect you to come back to L.A until you’re ready. And even if you don’t want to come back at all, I’m sure we could find a way to make it work. I don’t need to be there permanently either.” Blaine looked at him so earnestly, Kurt was sure the actor really meant what he’d said.

“But what about your friends? Won’t they miss you in that big house of yours,” he joked to lighten the mood. Blaine’s expression sobered however.

“Actually, I’m selling the house. We all agree that maybe it’s time to strike out on our own. Jeff and Nick, they’ve gotten comfortable working for me instead of working to make their own dreams come true. Wes and David, they both have girlfriends who’d love to live with them, Cooper will do fine on his own and I, I kinda want to go back to my roots. I don’t need a driver or personal assistants, I’m capable of taking care of myself even though I’ve never lived on my own. And I think it’s about time that I do. If I ever want to have a serious relationship, I wanna know first that I’m not dependent on anyone.”

Kurt was definitely surprised. He’d fully expected that he’d have to move in with Blaine and his entourage if they ever got serious because he didn’t think Blaine would ever move out. Again, he tried to lighten the mood and failed miserably.

“Says the guy who’s living with his mother.”

“I can rent an apartment in Lima if you don’t want me to stay with my mom,” Blaine quickly assured him.

“Do you want to rent an apartment in Lima?” Kurt challenged. Blaine sighed and shook his head.

“No. I like spending time with my mom. I’ve been so busy the past few years that I barely ever got to see her,” Blaine admitted. Kurt liked him even more for being a mama’s boy. Family was very important to both of them, and he liked that they had that in common.

“You said something about coffee,” Kurt changed the subject yet again.

“So you’ll stay?” Blaine asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

“I’ll stay,” Kurt agreed and it was easier than he thought he would be.

============

It still wasn’t a normal courtship as they tried to avoid going out in public together. Dinner dates meant that their parents - both in the know now - graciously made plans to be out of the house so they could cook dinner, in Kurt’s case, or order dinner, in Blaine’s case, for the two of them.

For their third official date, Blaine got them tickets for the midnight screening of The Philadelphia Story at the Columbus Revival Cinema. They figured that the chances of running into people who knew the two of them were small in a midnight screening of a 1940s movie. The cinema was old as well and had seats that let you lift the armrest. Kurt was used to holding hands with Blaine by now, but he smiled when Blaine wrapped his right arm around Kurt’s shoulders and pulled him closer.

“This okay?” he asked and Kurt nodded. “And what if I don’t want to wait till the end of the date to kiss you, would that be okay too?”

Kurt was sure he’d go crazy if Blaine didn’t finally kiss him. Instead of answering, he cupped Blaine’s cheek, made sure they were still alone in the room and pressed their lips together. He didn’t take it slow. This kiss had been a long time coming and now that he finally felt Blaine’s lips against his own, he wanted more than just as chaste kiss good night. He nipped on Blaine’s bottom lip and slipped his tongue inside the actor’s mouth when he gasped in surprise. Not that Blaine was complaining. He was kissing back just as enthusiastically.

When the lights went up again, Kurt was glad that he’d seen the movie before, because he’d missed at least half of it, lost in Blaine’s kisses. He’d only kissed a few people and while he’d liked it well enough, it had been nothing like kissing Blaine. Or rather making out with Blaine, because that’s exactly what they’d ended up doing. Making out in the back row of a cinema like two teenagers. But neither of them had had this experience as teenagers which made it just perfect.

“Shit,” Blaine said suddenly and Kurt looked around frantically, thinking that maybe they weren’t as alone as they’d thought. But they were the only people in the room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Blaine turned bright red.

“It’s a good thing you wore a scarf,” he blushed. Kurt’s hand flew to his neck.

“You gave me a hickey,” he gasped. Blaine rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Sorry,” he said. But he didn’t sound sorry at all.

They held hands on the way to Pam’s car because there were no people around. Kurt was staying in the guest room at Pam’s house because it was too late to make the two hour drive back to Lima.

“Good date?” Pam, who was still up, smirked when Kurt removed his scarf and both he and Blaine turned bright red before they fled upstairs. They spent another ten minutes kissing in front of the guest room before Kurt yawned.

“Sorry,” he blushed but Blaine shook his head.

“Don’t worry, I’m tired too. See you tomorrow.”

They parted with a last kiss. As soon as the door closed behind him, Kurt threw himself onto the bed face first and squealed into the pillow. It didn’t matter that they were both in their mid twenties and were acting like they were teenagers. It was exactly what Kurt needed and he suspected that it was the same for Blaine. He just hoped that they would stay on the same page for a while longer and that Blaine wouldn’t lose interest once he realized how slow Kurt wanted to take things. Because while he was ready to make out with Blaine, he was nowhere near ready to do anything sexual. Especially because they hadn’t even had ‘the talk’ yet, so Kurt didn’t know if they were dating, boyfriends or just fooling around.

==================

“There’s a Warblers reunion coming up and I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me?” Blaine asked the next morning. It was already close to noon by the time he and Kurt had woken up, so they’d decided to have brunch instead of a late breakfast.

Blaine was not a good cook, but he knew how to make pancakes. While he worked on the pancakes, Kurt had prepared scrambled eggs and hash browns, cooked eggs and put salmon, cheese, ham and bacon on the kitchen table.

“You want me to come?” Kurt asked surprised, because he thought they weren't telling people about them, whatever they were.

“They’re all trustworthy and I kinda wanna show off my boyfriend,” Blaine smiled. Kurt nearly choked on a piece of toast topped with a slice of smoked salmon.

“I’m your boyfriend?” he asked, once he stopped coughing.

Blaine backpedaled immediately. “I”m sorry, I shouldn’t have presumed. I just thought with the dates and the kissing that we were, but it’s okay if you’re not ready,” he rambled. Kurt decided to put him out of his misery.

“I’d love to be your boyfriend,” he smiled and carefully leaned over the table to kiss Blaine. Still, Blaine nearly upended his glass of orange juice in his haste to pull Kurt closer and deepen the kiss.

“Just ignore me,” Pam walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee maker. Again, he and Blaine turned bright red, but if he was honest, he enjoyed that he and Blaine now had something they could be teased about.

“Mom,” Blaine groaned.

“Oh hush,” Pam smiled at her son. “Just let me enjoy the fact that my baby boy finally has a boyfriend. Made me wait long enough,” she teased. And then she surprised them by snapping a picture of the two of them, faces bright red and hands linked on the kitchen table. A few seconds later, her phone pinged and Pam laughed.

“Carole says, ‘wear a scarf, your dad’s home’.”

Kurt groaned and banged his head against the table. Maybe this whole feeling like a lovesick teenager thing was overrated after all.