Blaine was already waiting for him by the time he got to their meeting point, smiling brightly when he saw him, and even though Kurt still wasn't sure exactly what to say or how to act around him, he couldn't help that feeling of excitement bubbling up in his chest at the idea of an entire day with him. Blaine was just... well, he was just Blaine.

“Hey,” Blaine greeted him.

“Hey,” Kurt answered.

The silence that followed stretched between them for what seemed like minutes to Kurt, smiling at each other awkwardly, until Kurt finally looked away and cleared his throat, trying his best to suppress the blush that was rising in his cheeks. Not for the first time in his life he cursed the fact that he was so fair-skinned.

Okay. This was a little weird, after all. He racked his brain for something to say, just something to make this less embarrassing. They had exchanged random texts over the past two days, but that wasn't the same as actually talking to someone. He'd been thinking about this so much that he'd kind of forgotten they didn't really know each other, not yet. But now that he was here, face-to-face with Blaine again, he wasn't really so sure anymore that this was such a good idea.

“So...” he paused. “How do you like New York so far?” Oh yes, that was a great way to start a conversation, Kurt thought. Maybe they could talk about the weather next.

“Oh, it's... I think I like it,” Blaine answered. “I mean, I haven't seen much, but that's what today is for, right?”

“Right.” Kurt smiled, stuck again.

Blaine was the one to break the silence first. “So, how are your roommates?”

“Oh my god.” Kurt rolled his eyes, relieved to finally have something to talk about. “You will never believe what Jesse has come up with now.”

“What has he done this time?” Blaine sounded genuinely interested and Kurt liked him just that much more for it, for taking an interest, for helping him break the ice like this.

“I told you he was kind of obsessed with being famous and all that?”

Blaine nodded and Kurt continued. “Well, apparently he has thought of a new way to become a star over night. Something only he could come up with.” Kurt paused for dramatic effect, taking a deep breath before he continued. “He somehow got it into his head that it's always the gay actors who get the best parts in the musicals. Which is why he's currently looking for a boyfriend. He asked me if I wanted the part.”

Blaine gasped. “He... what?”

Kurt almost had to laugh out loud at the shocked expression on Blaine's face. “He asked me to be his boyfriend for a few months. Well, asked me to play his boyfriend, to be exact.”

“As in...”

“As in, exactly what it sounds like.”

Blaine's eyes widened. “But... Why? Are you going to do that?”

Kurt raised his eyebrows. “What do you think? Of course I said no. As for why... well, he's Jesse.”

Blaine thought about this for a moment. “So... Jesse's gay?”

Kurt laughed. “God, no. He really isn't.”

“But then, why?”

“Because he wants to be, I quote, 'more interesting as a potential musical icon to the world of Broadway.' Apparently he auditioned for Roger in some production of Rent, and they gave the part to someone else.” Kurt shrugged. “And that kind of kicked off some sort of premature mid-life crisis. I don't know. I don't really want to know, to be honest.”

Blaine just stared at him. “Wait, wait. Let me get this straight... He asked you to be his boyfriend so he would get cast in musicals?”

“Exactly.” Kurt smiled at Blaine's confused face.

“Because he wasn't cast as Roger? Roger isn't even gay.”

“I don't think it really was the musical that brought this on. He's just weird that way.” Kurt didn't actually believe that any of Jesse's actions were grounded in logic. At least not any kind of logic that could be grasped by a normally functioning brain.

“But how was he going to pull it off? I mean, what exactly did he want you to do?”

Kurt shrugged. “He had the whole thing planned out already. He said about a month from now I should start accompanying him to auditions, go out to dinner with him a few times a week and hold his hand in public places so people could take pictures of us. And then he was going to 'dump' me in March, so he asked me not to date anyone until July of next year, because the public needed to believe that I needed some time to get over him.”

“That's... insane.” Blaine shook his head. “That's just... insane.”

“Well, that's Jesse St. James for you.” Kurt was kind of used to all of it by now, which didn't stop him from noticing the madness, of course. “But yes, even for him that's a little... much.”

“So, how did he react when you said you weren't interested?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “He didn't understand, of course. He gave me a week to reconsider.”

Blaine was laughing now. “I assume you won't change your mind, though, will you?”

“That's highly unlikely.” Kurt sighed. “But enough about my roommates. There's an entire city waiting for us. We shouldn't keep it waiting any longer, don't you think?”

“No, you're right.” Blaine smiled back at him. “Well, then. Shall we?”

“Absolutely,” Kurt replied. “Let's go.”

“But you're telling me the rest of this story over lunch,” Blaine insisted. “Seriously, I need to hear all about this.”

Kurt nodded. He really needed someone he could talk to about this, after all, just to make sure he wasn't the crazy one here. He was pretty sure of his own sanity, but living with his roommates, it was good to be reminded of it on occasion. “Oh, I'm so going to tell you all about this. It's too good not to share it with someone. So, where to first?”

Once again, he was more than grateful for the opportunity to spend an entire day with Blaine. In his constant attempts to hide from Jesse with his weird ideas and avoid Rachel who was completely stressed out about starting college and doing nothing but vocal exercises all day, forcing everyone who didn't run fast enough to listen and tell her if her voice sounded weaker or stronger than the day before, he was slowly turning into a hermit. Clearly, he needed someone like Blaine in his life.

**

While New York was every bit as wonderful as Kurt remembered from the time he'd been there for Nationals, it also was really, really big.

By 5 pm Kurt could hardly lift his feet anymore and Blaine was yawning constantly, looking like he hadn't slept in days. If Kurt hadn't been so tired himself, he was sure he would have found it way too adorable. Okay, he still found it adorable, but he could just blame it on the city and his beginning headache. And forget about it. Still, they found themselves walking more slowly, taking every chance they got to sit down anywhere – benches, steps in front of public buildings, subway seats – and they hadn't even been to half the places they'd planned to see.

So by 6 pm they found themselves in a tiny coffee shop not far from Kurt's apartment, both silent, exhausted, overwhelmed by the life of the city all around them, moving at a pace that was so very different from their home towns.

“My feet hurt,” Kurt complained.

“My head hurts more than your feet,” Blaine answered, wrapping his hands around his coffee cup. It was cold outside, unseasonably so for this time of year, and they'd just spend the entire day walking around in the chilly September air. Kurt loved the fall – the colors, the crisp, clean smell of the air outside, the rain, the clothes. But right now, his fingers felt frozen and he couldn't really feel his toes and he longed for summer and to find a comfortable position to sit in.

“How do you even know that? My feet really hurt a lot.” Kurt was actually debating whether or not it was okay to take his shoes off in the middle of a coffee shop. It was just a passing thought though and he dismissed it again immediately, a little shocked at himself for even thinking about it.

“Because nothing can hurt as much as my head is hurting right now,” Blaine explained. “God, do people never shut up in this city?” He groaned, dropping his head on the table.

Kurt hadn't even noticed before, but now that Blaine had mentioned it, he heard it as well – the constant hum of voices surrounding them like an angry swarm of bees. It was kind of annoying once he became aware of it.

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked.

Blaine looked up at that. “Where do you want to go?”

“I live close by,” Kurt explained. “And while my roommates can be a bit... irritating, at least they don't talk all the time – well, sometimes they do, but at least I can yell at them to stop. It has been known to work on occasion. And I could take my shoes off. I really want to take my shoes off so much, you have no idea.”

Blaine nodded. “Sounds good. Let's go.”

**

Of course, Jesse was home. Kurt had been hoping he'd be at some rehearsal, or standing at some street corner forcing his autographs on people or something. But no, there he was, on the living room couch, typing something on his laptop.

“Oh, good, you're home, I need to talk to you,” he greeted Kurt, before his eyes wandered over to Blaine. “And you must be Kurt's boyfriend. Nice to meet you.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “He's not my boyfriend, Jesse,” he said, slowly, as if speaking to a child. It felt like every conversation he'd had with Jesse over the past week had gone like this, ever since he'd accidentally mentioned Blaine's name in his presence. “This is Blaine. I told you about him, remember? He's just... a friend, okay?”

Jesse frowned. “He's gay, right?”

“I am,” Blaine jumped in.

“And you're sure that you're not his boyfriend?” Jesse directed that question at Blaine.

“Um, yes?” Blaine answered, giving Kurt a confused look.

“Just... ignore him,” Kurt advised. “Don't even answer him.” And seriously, he was blushing again. Good thing it was cold outside and his face was already red from the sudden warmth of the apartment.

“Oh, you don't have to be embarrassed, Kurt,” Jesse assured him. “I just assumed there was a boyfriend in the picture when you told me you couldn't date me. Does this mean you've reconsidered? This is going to be great. If it's true that you're single, then why did you even need time to think about this?”

“Oh, god.” Kurt interrupted, staring at him incredulously. “You just don't get it, do you? Blaine,” he continued, “my room's right through here.” And without awaiting any further explanation from Jesse, he grabbed Blaine's hand to lead him across the living room.

It wasn't until he closed the door to his room that he noticed Jesse had actually followed them in there.

“It's just that after the whole fiasco with Rachel I was so depressed I considered giving up women altogether,” he explained in Blaine's direction. “And then this idea struck me and, seriously,” he turned back to Kurt. “It's so perfect, can't you see that? This is the opportunity of a lifetime for you. Being seen with me? As my boyfriend? Once I'm famous you can have all the parts in all the musicals you ever want. Being gay seems to be becoming a thing in the music industry these days, so I should come out quickly and get all the good parts before everyone else has the same idea. So that's why-”

“Oh god, please stop talking now,” Kurt begged him. “And get out of my room. Now.” He looked to Blaine for help, who was staring at the floor intently, looking like he'd burst out laughing any second now.

“Anyways,” Jesse continued, dismissing what Kurt had said with a wave of his hand, “if the two of you really aren't together, I think we can speed up the process a bit, right? I'm working on my autobiography and I'm actually writing that chapter right now, so I thought we'd just stick to my original plan. Are you okay with it if we start 'dating' next month? And I scheduled the break-up – in public, though I haven't decided on a place yet – for early March, I was thinking the fifth—”

“Get out of my room, Jesse. I mean it.” Seriously, what did it take to finally shut Jesse up? Kurt already felt like he was going to have a major headache from this conversation for at least a week.

“So, the only thing you really have to do is not date anyone else between next month and July of next year, and be seen in public with me, and everything will be—”

“Jesse!” Kurt interrupted sharply. “If you don't leave my room this instant, I'm going to start throwing things at you. Or kill you. This is not an empty threat. I mean it.”

Jesse shrugged and sighed dramatically. “Fine. I don't get why you're so opposed to this, though. But okay. I'm going to put off writing this chapter. I promised to give you a week to think about this. Granted, that was when I still thought that little guy there was your boyfriend, but—”

“Out. Now.”

“Alright.” Jesse threw up his hands, admitting defeat. For now. “You'll come to your senses soon enough.” With that, he turned on his heels and headed for the door. “Oh, and,” he added, looking back, hand already on the doorknob, “Blake?”

“Blaine,” Blaine corrected him.

“Whatever. If our little Kurt here insists on being so stubborn – well, you're a bit short, but if you want, you can audition for the part as well. Think about it.” And with a last shrug in Kurt's direction, he was finally gone.

Kurt sank down on his bed, burying his face in his hands, not sure whether to laugh or run to the airport and catch the next flight back to Ohio. “That was my roommate,” he mumbled through his fingers, not looking at Blaine.

“He's... interesting,” Blaine answered, and Kurt could hear the suppressed laughter in his voice.

Kurt looked up at him, slightly annoyed now. “You're just saying that because you don't have to live with him.”

“He called me a little guy. Trust me, I'm not his biggest fan,” Blaine said reassuringly.

Kurt couldn't help but smile at that. “There's nothing wrong with your height. Don't listen to Jesse, he's an idiot.”

Blaine shook his head, giving Kurt an affectionate smile. “I think all of that was kind of hilarious.” He was laughing now, quietly, as if he didn't want to upset Kurt by finding this too funny. “But I see what you mean. You... you know you can always take refuge at my place if it gets too bad, right? You know, before you actually go through with that threat of killing him.” He sat down next to Kurt and gently placed a hand on the other boy's knee. “I wouldn't want you to accidentally murder anyone. You might go to prison and I couldn't hang out with you anymore. I like hanging out with you.”

“You wouldn't visit me if I was in jail?” Kurt put a hand over his heart and tried to look shocked. “You would just forget about me, just like that? Does my friendship mean nothing at all to you?”

Blaine put on the best serious face he could manage. “I like you, Kurt. I really do. But please try to understand – just think about what it would mean for my career if it ever came out that I've been socializing with murderers when I first came to New York.”

“Oh, of course. That's right,” Kurt said, pretending to be wounded by Blaine's words and removing Blaine's hand from where it was still resting on his knee. “Of course your career is more important than your friends. Good to know.”

“Maybe I could visit you in disguise,” Blaine suggested. “You know, with a fake beard and sunglasses and some kind of silly hat and all that.”

“You do know I haven't actually murdered anyone yet, right?” Kurt laughed. “Besides, please don't start wearing fake beards. If I ever do end up in prison, just send me postcards or something. That sounds a lot less hideous.”

“Can it be postcards with guys wearing fake beards on them?” Blaine asked in a hopeful voice.

Kurt sighed. “You're impossible. I'm going to ignore everything you say from now on.”

Blaine grinned and let himself fall back onto the bed. “I like your room, by the way,” he said, taking a good look around. “Your roommates may be sociopaths, but in here, it's really nice.”

“Thank you.” Kurt smiled at him. He had put a lot of effort into decorating the room over the past few days to make it look like a place where he wanted to live – the memory of the awful posters still fresh on his mind – and he was rather proud of the result. “So,” he added. “What do you want to do now? Or do you have to go home?”

Blaine sat up. “No, no. I can stay a while. If... if that's okay, I mean. It's been a long day and if you'd rather be alone right now, I mean, I'm pretty tired myself-”

“Oh, no, you can stay. If you want to,” Kurt interrupted.

“Okay, then.” Blaine grinned. “What are we gonna do with the rest of this day?”

Kurt shrugged. “Anything that doesn't involve getting up or going outside again. We could watch a movie or something,” he suggested. “On the other hand, we'd have to occupy the living room for that. And Jesse might still be out there.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Blaine said, eying the door with a semi-scared look on his face. “I've only seen him for a few minutes, but I think that's really all I can take for one day. And we're both tired, I'm actually afraid he might succeed bullying one of us into fake-dating him.”

“That's... no. Just no.” Kurt shuddered. “That is never going to happen. But at least now you know what I'm always complaining about.” He sighed. “Just try to imagine having that kind of insanity in your own apartment every single day. And you've met Rachel. She's not exactly low-maintenance either.”

“Seriously, I thought you were exaggerating,” Blaine confessed. “But you really weren't. I can see that now.”

“Right?” Kurt rolled his eyes. “I mean, he's always been crazy. But asking me to play his boyfriend?”

“Oh, I don't think that's necessarily such a crazy idea...”

“Are you trying to flirt with me, Blaine?” Kurt was surprised at himself, hearing those words leave his mouth. It didn't feel weird, though, not as weird as he would have expected, at least. He'd only been in New York for a few days, and yet he was quite sure that Lima-Kurt would never have had the guts to say this to another guy, gay or not.

“Sorry. Yes. I'll stop now.”

“Please.”

“But why is he writing his autobiography?”

Kurt shrugged. “Because he's Jesse.”

They ended up just sitting on Kurt's bed and talking for another two hours. About music, their high school experiences, about all the plans and expectations they had for their time in New York.

Kurt had half expected Blaine to laugh at him when he confessed his Broadway dreams to him, but Blaine didn't laugh. Instead, he told him about his own dreams, his own love for music and how much he wanted to be a singer, but how his parents had insisted on him going to college and learning something 'useful.' He was not giving up on his music, though, he told Kurt. This was New York City, after all. He would find a way, he would keep making music because it was his dream and it was what he wanted to do with his life.

He sounded so serious, it instantly made Kurt a lot more comfortable talking about his own ambition, about all the parts he wanted to play and all the songs he wanted to sing on Broadway stages. He told Blaine about that time he and Rachel broke into the Gershwin Theater, and Blaine was so impressed and so jealous that Kurt had been standing on a real Broadway stage, it made Kurt almost ridiculously happy.

And Kurt had never thought he'd meet someone who was so different from himself and yet had so much in common with him that it took him all of one plane ride, a few texts and one day to feel like he'd known him forever.

Rachel stopped by for a few minutes, hugging Blaine enthusiastically when she found him sitting cross-legged on Kurt's bed. She then sang them a twelve-minute medley of Streisand songs and refused to leave until they'd assured her repeatedly that her voice had nothing but improved over the past few months.

“So, when will I get to hear you sing?” Blaine asked after Rachel had left.

Kurt laughed. “Not today, that's for sure. I'm much too tired. Besides, I haven't heard you sing yet either.”

“Yes, but Rachel told you I'm really good.”

“So?” Kurt grinned at him. “She told you the same thing about me.”

Blaine nodded. “She did. But I'd like to hear it for myself sometime.”

“And you will,” Kurt assured him. “If Rachel and I have one thing in common, it's that we would never, never miss a chance to perform. I'd be dancing around the room impressing you with my voice this very second if I could actually get up. Unfortunately for you, New York kind of drained me of all my energy today and I'm afraid you'll just have to wait a bit longer. But don't worry – it'll be worth it.” He laughed.

Blaine smiled at him warmly, in that way that Kurt had already decided he wanted to see more of. “I don't doubt that for a second.”

**

Eventually, though, Blaine looked at his watch and announced that he had to go home.

Kurt walked him to the door, a little reluctant to say goodbye. He wished he could have met Blaine back in Ohio. He could have used a friend like him when everything had been too much. Someone who just knew, someone who just understood everything Kurt was going through. It felt so good to finally have someone in his life who simply got it.

“You can find your way back to your place, right?” Kurt asked. “It's a big city, don't get lost or anything.”

Blaine smiled. “I think I can manage it. I'll text you when I get home, if that will make you feel better.”

“It would, yes,” Kurt answered, smiling back at Blaine.

Blaine watched him for a second, then, without warning, pulled him into a tight hug. “Okay,” he simply said.

Kurt froze instantly, more than a little surprised, needing a minute before he let himself relax and wrapped his arms around Blaine in response. It was awkward and it was new and Blaine's body was warm and solid against his, and, dammit, Kurt wasn't the kind of person who went around hugging people all the time, but this felt nice, even though he was a little afraid to admit that, even to himself.

Blaine stepped back much too soon and Kurt couldn't help it, he instantly missed the comfortable feeling of just being held like that. He missed the warmth of it, the feeling of safety he'd felt for the tiniest second, being so close to Blaine. Seriously, since when did he even like hugs?

“I had a great time today, Kurt,” Blaine said.

Kurt nodded, not sure what to say. “Me too. We should do that again sometime.” The day, the hanging out together, he reminded himself in his head. Not the hugging. Well, that too, maybe, but not on a regular basis, because... oh, whatever, it had just been a hug, after all. Friends hugged each other. It didn't mean anything. He had hugged Mercedes all the time. He even hugged Rachel. This wasn't any different just because it was... Blaine.

“Definitely,” Blaine answered. “So. See you soon?”

“Yes. See you.” Kurt kept standing in the doorway until Blaine disappeared down the stairs. He closed the door quietly and walked over to the couch.

He let himself fall back onto it and closed his eyes. It was quiet in the apartment, too quiet, now that he was suddenly alone after this busy day. Being with Blaine all day, at first surrounded by people and voices and buildings and cars and then talking for hours, laughing, telling each other their stories, the sudden silence pressed down on him heavily now and he felt exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days.

The darkness outside the window just added to this feeling of being tired, making him feel lonely, a tight feeling rising in his chest that he too easily identified as homesickness. It happened, especially when it got dark. There was nothing he could do about it. It was a little pathetic, maybe, but he missed his dad, he missed Carole, he even missed Finn. This city was so big and he felt so young and if he could just be back in Lima, he'd even watch some boring football game with his dad just to hear him swear and curse at the TV and watch him eat all that unhealthy stuff the doctor had told him never to touch again.

Kurt wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly cold. He wished Blaine would come back. He wished Blaine could have stayed a little longer. He'd been okay, talking to Blaine. He'd been more than okay. Now, he just felt alone.

Was it weird that he already felt that way about Blaine, after knowing him for only a few days? That he thought of him as a remedy for homesickness? It was just that it had been a really long time since he'd felt so comfortable around anyone. He had never, in his whole life, met anyone he simply wanted to know that much.

“Your boyfriend gone?” Jesse poked his head out of his room. “Have you thought about what we talked about earlier?”

“Not my boyfriend,” Kurt corrected Jesse. “And I don't need to think about what you said earlier. The answer's still no and will always be no.”

“You're just saying that now. Just keep thinking about it,” Jesse reminded him, before closing his door again.

“Not in a hundred years,” Kurt mumbled.

“What was that about?” Rachel asked, coming out of the kitchen with a cup of herbal tea in her hands.

“Nothing,” Kurt answered. “Just Jesse being weird.”

“Oh, okay,” Rachel said, stopping in the middle of the living room, biting her lip and just staring at Kurt as if she was waiting for something.

“What's up?” he asked. He wasn't really in the mood for any of her drama right now, but it didn't look like she was going to leave.

“I just...” she shrugged and looked away. “I was wondering... are you busy right now? I thought maybe we could watch a movie together? Funny Girl?”

Kurt smiled. Okay, yes, that actually sounded like the perfect idea. Watching TV with Rachel. Rachel, who was a part of Ohio just like Blaine, of everything he was missing so terribly right now. Yes, she really could be a good friend when she wanted to be. He patted the space on the couch next to him. “Of course we can. Come over here.”

Rachel put in the DVD before sitting down next to him on the couch. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “Kurt?”

“What?”

“Is it stupid that I miss Lima?” She sounded just as lonely as he felt.

“No.” He shook his head and leaned his head against hers. “No, it isn't.”

He still felt homesick, but at least he wasn't alone anymore.

“I'm glad you decided to stay here,” Rachel said.

“Me too,” he answered. “Some of the time.”

**

Blaine texted him halfway through the movie. His phone vibrated on the coffee table where he'd put it earlier and he picked it up, smiling as he read Blaine's message.

From Blaine to Kurt:
Just wanted to let you know that I'm home. Murdered anyone yet?

“Is that from Blaine?” Rachel asked.

“Yes,” Kurt said. “He says he made it home alright.”

“Good for him,” Rachel yawned, snuggling closer to Kurt, already half asleep.

Kurt hit the reply button and texted back.

From Kurt to Blaine:
Not yet. Things are frighteningly normal around here tonight. Glad you didn't get lost.

Blaine's reply came just seconds later.

From Blaine to Kurt:
Glad to hear you won't be going to jail any time soon. What are you doing tomorrow?

From Kurt to Blaine:
I don't know yet. Nothing. Why?

From Blaine to Kurt:
You showed me your place. Now I'm going to show you mine. If you want.

From Kurt to Blaine:
Tomorrow? Sure, why not.

From Blaine to Kurt:
What an overly enthusiastic reply. I'm flattered. ^^

From Kurt to Blaine:
Shut up. I said okay, didn't I? When?

From Blaine to Kurt:
Afternoon-ish? I'm here all day, just come over whenever you like.

From Kurt to Blaine:
Alright. See you tomorrow, then.

From Blaine to Kurt:
Looking forward to it. :)

From Kurt to Blaine:
You should. ;) I just agreed to honor you with my presence for yet another day.

From Blaine to Kurt:
Your modesty is what I like most about you :P

From Kurt to Blaine:
Good night, Blaine.

From Blaine to Kurt:
Good night, Kurt. Sweet dreams.