They had been hanging out almost every day in Ohio after Christmas, and being apart for five whole days now – it was the longest they'd been apart since they'd become boyfriends and Kurt didn't like it at all.

And then Friday was Jesse's musical thing, which turned out to be mostly a gathering of the few people Jesse had cast already. He made them try out different scenes and songs, scribbling down things in a notepad and alternating between telling them how to “improve” and walking around between them with a cross between a disapproving and sympathetic expression on his face.

“Hey, Amy, could you maybe try lowering your voice to a volume that won't carry all the way to England? I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it sounds ridiculous.”

“Okay, Greg? If that's your best attempt at a depressed face, I don't ever want to see you when you're really happy. You must be insufferable.”

“Kurt? Could you maybe stop looking at your watch every ten seconds? There's nothing in the script telling you to do that and as much as I appreciate my actors interpreting their own roles – within certain limits – I really don't think – ”

Kurt sighed audibly. “It's just getting really late now and I told you – ”

“Late? Oh please. Once we've really started rehearsals, we'll be here until midnight the way you're all acting like you've never been on a stage before.”

“It's 9 p.m., Jesse,” Kurt reminded him. “I told you that was as long as I could stay.”

“I have no memory of that,” Jesse insisted, checking his notepad as if everything he'd ever had to memorize in his life was written down there.

“Regardless.” Kurt grabbed his bag that he had placed on the front row of seats, slinging it over his shoulder. “I did tell you, and I do have plans tonight. I am going now.”

“Plans?” Jesse looked confused for a moment, then his face brightened. “Oh. You're meeting that small guy, right? Blake?”

Kurt sighed. “You know his name, Jesse, and he's not that small. But yes, I am meeting him. Right now, in fact. And I'm sorry if that interferes with your fun evening of criticizing all of us, but I – ”

“No, no, by all means, go.” Jesse waved his hand toward the exit, nodding enthusiastically. “Say hi for me.”

“You... I... what?” Kurt took a tentative step backwards in the direction of the door, ready to run if he had to.

“You don't want to keep him waiting, I understand,” Jesse said.

“I just... you understand?”

“Look.” Jesse put on his best patronizing expression, patting Kurt's shoulder. “I have put a lot of thought into this, recently. You know, how to preserve your sanity when you're a star, how best to deal with the pressure of being famous. You may still have a long way to go until then, but it's best to get into some sort of a routine early on, I suppose.”

“I have no idea...”

“There seem to be two common ways of dealing with it,” Jesse interrupted. “Drugs, or a stable home life. You know, a partner, kids, a dog to take care of. Something like that. Well, and working with me, you will inevitably get your taste of stardom sooner or later. Probably sooner with all the doors I can open for you. Better to hang onto the things that will keep you sane then right now, so you don't have to turn to drinking or worse once it all becomes a little too much. I wouldn't want to have to replace you. You never know when you might crack – this production might only be a small taste of what real fame is going to be like, and I do think you can take quite a lot; you seem to work well under pressure, which is important. But better safe than sorry, right?” He gave Kurt his widest smile, looking as if he had just shared the most revolutionary insight into the human mind.

“So...” Kurt shook his head lightly. “What you're saying is that me dating Blaine is good for your musical.” For this not-even-finished, slightly ridiculous and a lot over the top musical, in a small theater that was mostly being rented out for A.A. meetings and rehearsal space for the nearby high school these days.

“Yes.” Jesse grabbed his shoulders, turning him around and shoving him towards the door. “Now. We've been over your more important scenes already and you don't want to keep Blake standing out there all by himself for too long. Some old woman might mistake him for a lost puppy and put him in her purse to take him home. And, between you and me, most of the others will need far more extra rehearsals than you do anyway. Some of our last lessons must really have stuck with you. I knew you'd learn a lot from me.”

Kurt swallowed down the biting response on the tip of his tongue – after all, from Jesse, this was almost a compliment, the closest thing to a compliment he'd ever get from him, probably. “Thanks,” he managed, restraining himself from sprinting to the door before Jesse could change his mind and decide he’d rather Kurt be a drug addict instead of happy. “I'll see you later,” he called over his shoulder, not stopping until he was outside, finally.

And there was Blaine, leaning against the wall next to the door, hands shoved into the pockets of his coat. Blaine, whom he hadn't seen in five days, five days that, truthfully, had seemed like an eternity to him, even if he was probably too old by now to be quite so dramatic. He didn't care. It was Blaine. How had he ever made it through this week without seeing him?

“Hi,” he breathed, giving Blaine just time enough to get out his name before he had his arms around him, kissing him like it had been five months rather than days.

“Oh god, I missed you,” Blaine managed when they came up for air, and Kurt only nodded quickly before attaching his lips to Blaine's again.

He still couldn't believe how good this felt. Had it felt this good last week? Or had they both miraculously gotten better at it over the past days? Curling his fingers into the back of Blaine's coat, he pulled him closer, felt Blaine's arms tighten around him in return. It was so easy, just giving into this, losing himself in the sensation of holding and being held, the wetness of Blaine's lips against his, the scent of his cologne, the roughness of his winter coat under his fingertips.

“So, how about that date you promised me?” he asked when they finally just had to catch their breath.

Blaine smiled at him, that special smile he had given Kurt so many times during the course of their friendship, the one Kurt could finally fully make sense of. I love you, it said, the words unspoken yet perfectly clear in the air between their faces.

“Yes. Let's go.”

Blaine took his hand, threading their fingers together as he led him away in the direction of the subway.

**

“Have I mentioned that you have the best ideas sometimes?” Kurt asked, snuggling closer to Blaine on his subway seat. “Going on a date with you is so much better than being stuck in Jesse's rehearsal.”

“Well.” Blaine shrugged. “I'm afraid it's not going to be fancy or anything, you know, right after Christmas and everything...”

“Blaine, I can pay for my own meal, I told you – ”

Blaine held up a hand to silence him. “I am taking you out and I'm paying. This time,” he quickly added, seeing Kurt roll his eyes at him. “You can pay next time. Promise.” He reached for his hand, pressing a quick kiss to his knuckles. “Just let me do this for you tonight. Let me buy you dinner and get the door for you and all of that. It can be your turn next time. I think I'd really like that. If you'll go out with me again,” he added with a grin.

“Actually, that sounds great,” Kurt said. “Are you...” he paused, wondering how they could have overlooked this detail in their plans for the night. “Are you staying over? After? Or do you have to go back to your dorm? You don't have anything with you so...”

“Oh.” Blaine smiled at him shyly. “I kind of stopped by your apartment before I came here and left my stuff there. I hope that's okay? I just thought you wouldn't mind...”

“No, no, of course I don't mind,” Kurt hastened to assure him. “I don't mind at all. I want you to spend the night. I'd be disappointed if you didn't.”

“Good, then.” Blaine kissed his temple, squeezing his hand a little tighter. “I'm glad. I missed you so much this week – I'd hate to say goodbye to you again so soon.”

It had started snowing again by the time they stepped off the subway and back out onto the street, so they wrapped themselves tightly in their scarves, clasping their gloved hands together before strolling down the pavement together, silent now in the warm glow of the streetlamps and the soft fall of snowflakes around them.

It was freezing, and yet Kurt felt nothing but warm inside, Blaine's hand in his, their shoulders bumping as they walked side by side. The flickering candle on their table as they talked about their weeks over plates of overcooked pasta a gentle imitation of the pleasant wave of heat running through him as Blaine hooked their ankles together under the table, smiling at him like he'd hung the moon.

He felt so loved, so content. All of the things he'd been afraid he would never get to have. Blaine gave them all to him, and it still astonished him how he hadn't seen it sooner; how he hadn't known all along that this smart, funny, beautiful, caring, ridiculous man was all he had ever wanted. He felt loved, and he loved back so fiercely he thought it should frighten him, considering they had only been together for a few weeks. But then he had known Blaine for almost two years – so he knew exactly just how lucky he was. Blaine liked most people, but being loved by him like this felt like such a privilege, it almost took Kurt's breath away sometimes.

He reached out, covering one of Blaine's hands with his own. Blaine met his eyes and Kurt couldn't speak, so instead he just smiled and kept breathing. He had the feeling that Blaine understood him anyway.

Coming back to the apartment after dinner, he found that Blaine had not only dropped off his things earlier, but also bribed Rachel to clear out for the night and take Jesse with her. So, instead of coming home to his roommates he found himself in an empty living room with hi boyfriend, a bottle of champagne (David bought it for me, Blaine explained), and nothing to do but enjoy each other’s company for one glorious, uninterrupted night.

**

“What are you doing this Sunday?” Kurt was lying on his bed, spending his Friday night studying while both Rachel and Jesse were out. Having a quiet apartment to himself was a rare occurrence these days. He had been bent over books for hours now, and Blaine's call had been a welcome distraction.

“I actually have plans this Sunday,” Blaine told him, the regret evident in his voice. “I've been meaning to tell you – David invited a few of our old friends from the Warblers to New York and we're going to hang out Sunday... You could come along if you want.”

“No.” Kurt sighed, rolling over onto his stomach. “That's okay. Just... call me before you go to bed? I hate that we won't see each other at all this weekend.”

“I hate that too,” Blaine answered. “I don't know when I'll get home, though... could be pretty late.”

“Call me anyway,” Kurt said. “Wake me up if you have to.”

“Okay. Maybe we can get together sometime next week? Just for a quick cup of coffee. I really want to see you.”

“Yes, please. I really want to see you too.”

“I've actually considered skipping my last class today just so I could come over and surprise you.”

Kurt laughed. “As much as I would have loved that, please don't start skipping classes for me. We'll see each other again soon.”

“I wish I'd done it, that class was boring anyway. Plus, this... that class... isn't what I want to be doing anyway. With my life. You know that.”

Kurt bit his lip. They had had this conversation a few times – Blaine was getting more and more frustrated with his studies. He missed performing. “Have you talked to your parents yet?” he asked.

Blaine sighed on the other end. “No. I was going to, but somehow... It's difficult.”

“I know it is. But you know that I'll be there for you whatever you decide, right? I'll support you no matter what.” He just wanted Blaine to know that, even if it wasn't truly helpful.

“I know that. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They talked for a few more minutes before Kurt had to return to his books. He really hated spending Friday nights like this, but sometimes, he just had no choice. The fun life of being a student who actually liked his classes.

**

“Where are you? I can hardly hear you.” Kurt pressed the phone closer to his ear as of he could crawl right through the speaker to wherever Blaine was.

“On my way to the subway, the street's so noisy, hold on a second...”

Kurt waited, listening to the noises fade until it was mostly Blaine breathing into the phone he was hearing.

“Better now?”

“Yes. Thanks.”

“Just stepped into one of the stores for a second. But I have to run soon, I'm already running late as it is.”

“I was just calling to ask you if we could do Sunday brunch instead of Saturday this week. Or maybe Saturday dinner followed by Sunday brunch? It's just that I have a surprise rehearsal for a class project this Saturday...”

He broke off when he heard Blaine sigh on the other end. “I don't think I can do Sunday morning. My parents are actually coming to the city on Sunday and I have to meet up with them.”

“No, god, of course you do.” Kurt felt a little disappointed at even less time with Blaine to look forward to, but of course he couldn't expect him to ditch his own parents to meet up with his boyfriend. “But Saturday night?”

“Sounds good.” Blaine sounded rushed, a little stressed, and Kurt wanted nothing more than to be wherever in this goddamn city Blaine was right now to hug him and rub his back and tell him everything would be okay.

“Do you want me to come over? If you have to be up early on Sunday it should be me who does the traveling all over the city.”

“That would be great, Kurt. I know your apartment is cozier than my dorm room, but I'll at least tell the roommate to get lost for the night so we have some alone time. Or we'll go out and...” Kurt waited for Blaine to continue, his fingertips itching to reach out and run his hands through Blaine's hair. He hadn't seen him in days. “Could you... stay over? I mean, I do need to get up early on Sunday and I know it's the one day you like to sleep in, but...”

“Absolutely, yes,” Kurt interrupted. “I will. I miss you. I'll stay over.”

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too. Now run. I'll see you Saturday.”

**

“Hey.” Kurt tried to control his breathing, having just sprinted from the bathroom back to his bedroom as he'd heard his phone ring. He'd been getting ready to take a shower and had only taken the time to quickly wrap a towel around his waist, holding it up with one hand as he pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hi,” Blaine answered. “Sorry I missed your call last night, I was out with friends and didn't hear...”

“It's okay,” Kurt assured him, even though it wasn't, not really, but he didn't want to be that kind of a boyfriend. “I was pretty tired after rehearsal anyway. Just wanted to say goodnight.”

“We can talk now,” Blaine offered. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Kurt sighed, cursing their timing which seemed to be forever off these days. “But I have class in an hour and I haven't even showered yet and – ”

“Oh, no, all right. It's fine.” Blaine sounded disappointed, and Kurt hated it. Two weeks since they had last seen each other.

“I'll call you tonight, okay?” Kurt tried to sound cheerful, failing miserably.

“Yes, okay. Talk to you then.”

“Blaine? I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Kurt dropped his phone on the bed, making his way back to the bathroom quickly before one of his roommates realized it was free and beat him to it. He was already late and needed to get going.

**

“It's just... I know it's incredibly last minute, but it was the only time we were all free and...”

“But you weren't free tonight, Kurt, we had plans,” Blaine insisted. “I thought you wanted to see me.”

“I do, but we have this big project we're working on...”

“Stood up for a study group. Great.”

“I can come over after and we can hang out, okay?”

“I have an early class tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“This sucks.”

“I know.”

“Well, I guess I'll see you whenever, then.” Blaine sounded angry, and Kurt could feel the frustration and hurt rise up in his throat. This really wasn't his fault.

“I guess,” he said coldly. “I'll call you tomorrow after class.”

“I might be busy tomorrow after class. Sometimes I have plans of my own, you know?”

“Fine,” Kurt snapped. “Whatever.”

“Fine,” Blaine echoed. “I'm sure you have a lot to do, so I'm not going to bother you anymore. Bye.”

Kurt resisted the urge to smash his phone against the wall, instead just dropped it onto his bed before sinking into his desk chair, swallowing around the lump in his throat. “Whatever,” he repeated, his voice sounding rough and strange in his ears. This wasn't his fault.

**

“So he fired the entire cast?” Blaine laughed into the phone, the sound sending a pleasant shiver down Kurt's spine.

“Well, you know how Jesse gets when something doesn't go one hundred percent his way. He re-cast all of us twenty minutes later, though. Apparently he was just 'trying to scare us'.”

“Oh my god, I wish I could have been there,” Blaine said, a smile in his voice.

“I wish you could have been there too. I wish that all the time,” Kurt answered. Maybe it was silly; they usually saw each other almost every weekend. They met up during the week whenever their schedules allowed. It was just that this semester, their timing just never seemed quite right and once again it had been only phone calls for well over a week now.

Blaine was silent for a minute before saying, so quietly Kurt barely heard him: “I have to cancel Saturday, by the way.”

It was Kurt's turn to be quiet now as disappointment swept through him. Not wanting to be too pushy after their last big fight, he tried to keep his voice level as he spoke. “Why?”

“I have... Kurt, it's actually a good thing. I wanted to tell you tonight, but since we won't see each other...”

“What is it?” Kurt could hear the hint of excitement in Blaine's voice and he wished so badly he could be there to see his face right now.

“Two things.” Blaine took a deep breath. “One: David got me an audition. On Saturday. It's a small production and my chances of getting in are next to none, but, Kurt, I've finally started. This is a step in the right direction, isn't it?”

“Blaine,” Kurt breathed, all thoughts of feeling unappreciated forgotten. “That's... wonderful, I'm so happy for you...”

“That's not all, though,” Blaine interrupted. “Two: you know that cute little club just off campus I took you to last time? I have a gig there Wednesday night.”

“What?” Kurt actually jumped up at that, unable to suppress an excited little squeal. “That is amazing. Oh god, Blaine, that is... so amazing. When?”

“9 p.m..”

“I'll be there.” Kurt didn't even need to think about it – of course he'd be there.

“You have rehearsal Wednesday night.”

Kurt shook his head. “Ask me how much I don't care. They can do without me this one time. There is no way I won't be there to see you play for the first time. A real gig. A real gig making music for other people, Blaine!”

“I know. I can't quite believe it.”

“I can.” Kurt sat back down on his bed, wiping at his eyes where they were tearing up a little. “I always believed it. Always believed in you. I'm so... I'm just so proud of you.”

“Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

“You mean a lot to me. You know that, don't you?”

“I've suspected something like that,” Blaine said and Kurt could picture the wide grin on his face so clearly.

**

Kurt had to actually not only ditch rehearsal, but also skip his last class of the day to be on time for Blaine's first gig at the club, but he found that he didn't mind one bit. He was nervous, almost as much as he was any time he had to go on stage himself, and at the same time ridiculously excited and so proud he was close to bursting with it.

He took special care assembling his outfit for the night, not that he didn't always, but tonight it had to be perfect. Blaine deserved perfect, and nothing less.

It only took him about an hour. Everything finally in order, he left early, making a last stop at the flower shop around the corner to pick up a beautiful bouquet of red and yellow roses for Blaine. He just wanted to have something for him – something to tell him I love you so much and you deserve this more than anyone I know. Sometimes, he just didn't have the words to explain the things he felt for Blaine.

He knew how long Blaine had waited for a chance like this, how long he’d hoped for the opportunity to finally pursue his dreams, and this was such a big step for him. And Kurt had every intention of giving Blaine nothing but his full support, being there every step of the way. Because he knew in his heart that it wouldn't end here. Blaine was just so insanely talented, and he was ambitious too, in his own way – kinder and gentler than Kurt and Rachel in his approach to his dreams, but no less passionate. Kurt loved that about him; Blaine was just... he was so good. It was a sad truth that the kind souls in this world often went without being noticed for the fact alone that they didn't believe in shoving others out of the way to get where they knew they belonged. But Blaine was truly amazing, too much so to go unnoticed forever and Kurt... he just felt so, so happy. Blaine deserved the world. He couldn't give that to him, but he could bring him flowers and be in the audience, supporting him every step of the way. Just like Blaine had always done for him, would always do for him. He'd be at that club tonight, Blaine's first and biggest fan, from now until the day he died and after that still. It would never, never change. He'd never let it.

He and Blaine had agreed to meet at Blaine's dorm and take the short walk to the club together. Kurt arrived fifteen minutes early – he hadn't wanted to wait a moment longer than necessary to see Blaine again. They really hadn't spent much time together lately.

Blaine opened the door seconds after he'd knocked, his face lighting up as always as he saw Kurt standing before him, flowers in his hand and a matching smile on his own face. He looked a little stressed, a lot nervous, and really, really excited.

“Hi,” he greeted him. “Finally.”

“I know. Hi.” Kurt looked him up and down, wondering how after more than a year of friendship seeing Blaine could suddenly take his breath away every time they met. Or maybe it had always been like this and he just hadn't been paying attention. “I brought you something,” he said, offering the flowers to Blaine.

“Kurt.” Blaine took the bouquet, inhaling the sweet scent for a moment before looking back up at him, eyes shining. “I... Thank you. You didn't have to.”

“I just... I wanted to let you know how happy I am for you. How proud I am to be with you.” Kurt reached out, taking Blaine's free hand into his own. “Because I really, really am.” He leaned in, pressing a short, chaste kiss to Blaine's lips. After almost two weeks apart, the brief contact shot sparks of tingling pleasure through his veins.

“Let me just put those in a vase and then I can greet you properly,” Blaine whispered, their faces still close enough together that Kurt felt his breath against his cheek.

“Okay.”

It turned out Blaine didn't actually own a proper vase, but they found a large water glass and minutes later the yellow-red flowers were decorating Blaine's night stand, right next to the framed picture of them Rachel had taken at her New Year's party, showing the two of them in Rachel's basement, Kurt hugging Blaine from behind, cheeks pressed together, huge smiles on both their faces.

“So.” Blaine turned towards him, sliding his arms around his waist. “Here we are now.”

“Yes.” Kurt wrapped his own arms around Blaine's shoulders, the warm and solid feeling of Blaine's body making a shiver run down his spine after days of nothing but phone calls. “And I believe I was promised a proper greeting. I'm still waiting for that.”

“Well, you see,” Blaine's hand was rubbing small circles into his back, the corners of his eyes crinkling with his bright smile. “I have this amazing boyfriend and he showed up at my door early tonight to give me flowers. I got a little distracted over that.”

“He sounds like a great guy,” Kurt said. “I hope he makes you happy.”

“The happiest I've ever been,” Blaine said, his voice so serious all of a sudden, breaking slightly on the last syllable.

Kurt closed his eyes, resting their foreheads together. “You make him really happy too, by the way,” he said. “I know for a fact that he's insanely in love with you.”

Blaine responded by kissing him, long and wet and a little hungrily, and Kurt kissed him back and just held on, heart pounding in his chest the same way it had on the Dalton stairs on Christmas eve. He hoped that feeling would never go away.

**

“Are you nervous?” Kurt felt like he was bursting with tender affection for this boy whose hands were shaking as he opened his guitar case, a focused expression on his face, the smile spreading there a little too forced as he turned his head to look at him.

“No,” Blaine answered immediately. “Yes,” he corrected himself a moment later, laughing shortly. “Ridiculously.”

“Don't be.” Kurt rubbed his shoulders comfortingly, kissing his temple. “I know you'll be so great, Blaine.”

“It helps that you're here.” Blaine leaned against him, taking a deep breath and Kurt couldn't control the fluttering of his own heart.

“There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now. Or ever.”

“It's been a while since I performed for a real audience. Not since the Warblers Christmas concert.”

“Don't forget open-mic nights,” Kurt reminded him, pressing a gentle kiss to the skin under Blaine's ear as encouragement.

“Not the same,” Blaine pointed out.

“They are going to love you. I don't see how anyone couldn't.”

“You're a little biased, though, you have to admit.”

“Doesn't mean I'm wrong.” Kurt let go of him then, nudging his shoulder with his own. “Now go be amazing. I love you. So much.”

“I love you too.” Blaine smiled at him, real this time, less nervous than before, and started tuning his guitar.

Kurt stayed close to the stage – the club wasn't crowded, but there was definitely an audience. Blaine wasn't the only one playing that night, so it was mostly his own friends from college plus the friends of the other artists playing, plus a few stray students who had decided coming here tonight was preferable to hanging out at the library cramming for upcoming tests and sweating over papers. Kurt knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that some of them would come back the next time Blaine played somewhere. He just knew. There was no way at least some of them wouldn't see what he saw every time he looked at Blaine. How breathtakingly wonderful he was. How very worth coming back for. Hell, Blaine was worth everything.

And then Blaine hopped onto the stage, taking his time adjusting the microphone, and Kurt could see him settle back into his own skin, could feel him taking himself to that place where he knew how to do this, watched his smile get more and more confident as he fiddled with the microphone, adjusted his guitar strap, that spark returning to his eyes as he finally looked up to glance over the audience.

“Good evening,” he said, his eyes finding Kurt's as he struck the first chord on his guitar and Kurt couldn't have been prouder of him if he'd tried.

Over the course of the evening, Kurt watched the people in the club as much as he watched Blaine, watched them break apart from their little groups and migrate closer to the stage, humming along to the songs they knew, more and more of them clapping and cheering for Blaine after every number. He won them over one by one, talking to them, laughing with them between songs, so confident and relaxed now. So... in his element.

This was where he belonged, Kurt realized, not for the first time, but it never quite hit him like this before – Blaine made people happy. He had a gift. The gift of bringing joy to others and Kurt would never get tired of seeing it, hearing it, feeling it. And he would be damned if he'd let him waste it any longer – anything he could think of to get Blaine onto a stage more often, he'd do it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seem Blaine like this: so comfortable, so excited, so... happy. Happy about what he was doing. This was what he loved to do. This was what he was best at. This was what he had to do with his life, regardless of what his parents or anyone else seemed to think about it.

Even if the songs he was playing were still other people's now, one day they'd be his own. One day, he would be on a bigger stage, surrounded by people who were there to see him and only him, would pay money to see him, Kurt was sure of it. Just as sure as he was of the fact that he'd still be there himself, backstage or in the audience, wherever Blaine needed him. He would be there, with Blaine. Kissing him for good luck before every performance, being in love with him as much as he was tonight. And Blaine would do the same for him – be there for all of Kurt's opening nights, calm him when he needed it. Like he already had in the past, before they had even been together. Kurt hoped (knew) that this aspect of their relationship was never going to change. Together, they would make it. Both of them, through everything.

“All of these lines across my face / Tell you the story of who I am,” Blaine began his last song, locking eyes with Kurt and he smiled, touching a hand to his heart, mouthing the words “I love you” up at him.”

He couldn't believe his luck sometimes. After Lima, after his awkward attempts at dating since he'd come to New York, and then suddenly there he'd been, Blaine, his Blaine, and he hadn't known being in love could feel like it was part of your soul, the feeling itself like a missing piece, like he was more himself now he'd realized that loving Blaine was part of who he was. “Because even when I was flat broke / You made me feel like a million bucks,” Blaine sang, and Kurt didn't care about the audience anymore, he was just glad that this was Blaine's last song, because he needed to kiss him. He needed to wrap him up in his arms and never, never let go.

“And they don't know what I've been through like you do / And I was made for you.”

He saw it with such clarity: the rest of his life. With Blaine. And maybe he was getting ahead of himself, because they'd only known each other for not even two years, and after only a few months, their relationship was still fairly new (even if it didn't always feel like it), but still. He couldn't see this ending, ever. Any kind of end to this would break him. Maybe that's why the concept of forever had been invented in the first place.

Blaine was still looking at him, and Kurt shuddered at the intensity of the moment as the whole world narrowed down to the sight of his slightly sweaty, very happy boyfriend up on that stage.

But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true, I was made for you

Blaine's smile was bright enough to be almost blinding and Kurt could hardly hear the cheers of the crowd over the pounding of his heart in his ears. He knew he was clapping, his vision blurry with tears, his own grin so wide his cheeks hurt. Feeling in love, so in love.

He waited for Blaine who was packing away his guitar, making friends with the band who'd played before him. They had stuck around to listen and were apparently asking him to sing with them some time. He could see the excitement radiating off of Blaine. And Kurt was glad, so glad that this night had been a success for Blaine. It was a crappy little college bar, but still. It was a start. And a great one at that, because everyone had loved him.

“Hey,” Blaine greeted him, guitar case slung over his shoulder, looking tired but energized at the same time, a feeling Kurt knew all too well from the aftermath of each of his own performances (at school or at New York's smallest, most run-down theater-slash-community center).

Lost for words, he just wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders instead and kissed him, soft and slow. “You're a star,” he said against his lips once he found his voice again. “You're amazing.”

“It felt so good to get to do that again,” Blaine admitted. “I've missed it so much.”

“You have to do it again,” Kurt answered. “Soon. Promise me you'll do it again. You're too good not to.”

“I don't think I could stop now that I really remember what it feels like.” Blaine pressed his head against Kurt's neck. “Thank you for being here tonight. With me.”

“Always,” Kurt promised, and meant it.

**

There were other fights over the next few months, and there was a time right around finals when they simply didn't find the time to meet up in more than three weeks except for a quick cup of coffee twice.

But the next time Blaine landed a gig, Kurt was there, a proud smile on his face and generous with his words of praise, his love and his support.

Blaine was there for the opening night of Kurt's second musical, took him out to dinner later before they returned to Kurt's apartment where they made love until the early hours of the next morning.

When they found a little time to visit their families in Ohio during the summer, they planned it so that they were on the same flight both ways. Before they had even left the airport in Ohio, Blaine had been invited by both Burt and Carole independently from each other to come over for as many family dinners as he wanted.

Kurt got to meet Blaine's parents at last, something he had dreaded and really wanted in equal measure. It was awkward, but not unpleasant. Blaine had assured him they had no problem whatsoever with him bringing a boyfriend home, and he'd been right about that. Kurt was welcomed with open arms into their family. What they did have a problem with, though, was their son admitting to them that he was planning to pursue a music career – there was arguing and begging and reasoning and endless remarks along the lines of “don't you remember how difficult it was for your brother with his acting at first.”

Blaine had told Kurt about this – as proud as his parents were of his brother now, it had taken them some time to come to terms with his life choices. Being away from home a lot of the time, they had always wanted to know their children somewhere safe, and that included career paths, apparently.

“It's just such a big risk to take,” his father explained, “I thought we had discussed this several times after your graduation. We know you're good, Blaine, but that's not all it takes to make it in that business.”

Blaine hated making people unhappy and Kurt held his hand while he defended his choice, assuring them he wasn't going to drop out of school to do it and he'd still attend his classes and everything, he could still be a music teacher if all else failed, so could they please, please support him and accept this about him, until his mother sighed, making Blaine promise one more time to not miss too many classes over rehearsals and all of that, and then asked Kurt to at least record Blaine's next performance for them so they could see him. They probably wouldn't be able to be there themselves since they were rarely ever home. Of course he agreed, and then stayed until late at night, holding Blaine's shaking body as he cried with relief over everything.

They had been dating for almost half a year and Blaine had spent countless afternoons and nights at Kurt's apartment when Jesse finally started calling him Blaine and seemed able to remember the name. They had karaoke nights with Rachel and David, and on the other hand both kept doing things with their own friends, not wanting to become one of those entirely co-dependent couples.

And suddenly, Kurt found, that he could handle not seeing too much of Blaine for a week or two, just maybe a half hour for coffee one day and an hour for lunch a few days later, if they were both busy with other obligations. Because he knew, deep down, that he would still be there once their schedules cleared. He would always, always be there, waiting for Kurt. Just like Kurt would always be waiting for him.

**

It was a month after their one-year anniversary.

They lay on Blaine's single bed, on their sides, legs tangled under the covers and Kurt couldn't stop stroking his hair, his face, kissing his eyelids, his nose, his mouth. They were silent now, all the words of love and affection already whispered into each other's skin earlier. And yet there was one more thing he wanted to say, a few more words he wanted to get out before they fell asleep.

“I want us to move in together.”

Blaine, who had been close to drifting off, opened his eyes, the surprise and hope in them making Kurt's throat feel tight with affection.

“Really?”

“Yes.” He had thought about this a lot, and come to the conclusion that it was where they were heading anyway. He didn't want to wait any longer. He wanted his best friend, his boyfriend, his Blaine all the time. “I'm not saying we should move in together next week. We should find a place that's an equal distance between our schools and that we can actually afford. And I have to give Rachel and Jesse a fair amount of time to find a new roommate they can both live with. But I want this. I want to come home to you every night and wake up next to you every morning. I want all of it. With you.”

“I want that too,” Blaine breathed, shuffling away a little so they could properly look at each other. “I want that so much. But... are you sure? This is a big step.”

Kurt nodded. “I'm sure. If you are. We can wait a few more months... or years, if that's what you prefer. I just wanted you to know. That it's what I want. That you are what I want. To come home to. Not just random nights and weekends.”

“Kurt.” Blaine touched a hand to the side of his face, eyes welling up with tears. “Of course. Of course, yes.”

“Okay.” Kurt reached up to put his hand over Blaine's where it was still resting on his cheek, holding it there. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Blaine echoed, before closing the rest of the distance between them, kissing Kurt, who kissed him back like his life depended on it. In some ways, he thought, it did. “This is great. Can we paint the bedroom walls orange? I always wanted orange walls but you can't do that in a dorm. Oh god, I'll never have to miss you again,” he added.

“Never,” Kurt agreed. “The same thing goes for the orange walls, by the way. Never.” He laughed at Blaine's pouting face, threading his fingers through his boyfriend's curls. “We'll be seeing so much of each other, we'll be sick of each other within a month.”

“Never going to happen.” Blaine laughed, his breath warm on Kurt's face.

“So, we'll just... we won't rush it, we'll just keep looking for a place that's right.”

“And once we find that...” Blaine slipped an arm around his waist, burying his face against Kurt's chest.

“Once we find it, we'll be living together.” He couldn't believe it.

“Kurt?”

“Yes?”

“I really, really love you. So much sometimes I can hardly breathe.”

He closed his eyes, feeling warm and safe and happy and calm all over. “Oh Blaine.” If only there was a way to put it into words, the love that swelled up inside of him until it felt like there wasn't enough room inside of him to contain it all. So he settled for “I love you too,” hoping that Blaine would understand the full meaning of the words anyway.

**

And shortly before classes started again in the fall they finally put both their names on a new lease form and were handed the keys to their first place together, halfway between their schools. It was small, it was on the fifth floor without an elevator and there was a weird smell of soup lingering in the stairwell, but to them,, it was all their dreams come true. It was the place where they'd come home to each other every night.

After a last night of drinking, talking, laughing and singing with Jesse and Rachel and a teary goodbye between them and Kurt, they left for their new place together in the morning, with the last of Kurt's stuff from the old apartment. Kurt was nervous, excited, happy, strangely exhilarated all at the same time, and even though he didn't say it out loud he could feel that Blaine was going through the same stages from the way he clutched his hand tightly in his own as they climbed up the stairs to their floor together.

The beginning of the rest of our lives, Kurt thought. He was looking forward to every second of it.