“Are you ready?” Blaine asked, wearing a wide grin, looking as handsome as ever.

“Uh-huh,” Kurt murmured.

Kurt slipped his leather-bound journal underneath the bed sheets and gave Blaine a small smile. He didn't want to go. He wanted to stay at home, silently working on his craft while drinking tea and thinking about Blaine and their relationship and everything he had been feeling. And not feeling.

“Perfect,” Blaine replied, stepping forward and taking Kurt into his arms in one fluid motion.

“Oh,” Kurt breathed out, smirking a little. Blaine's arms felt more familiar than they had in a while. A long while. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Blaine echoed, kissing him full on the mouth. “I think you're going to enjoy tonight. Really. I mean it.”

“Of course I will. It's about you,” Kurt said in a whisper, nudging their noses together.

“So you think.” Blaine gave Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away to bound towards the door.

Kurt looked upon him, an eyebrow raised and his chest contracting a little because, if he didn't know any better, he would think that Blaine was twenty-two again. But he knew better than that.

“Come on!” Blaine spoke through an excited bubble of laughter, gesturing towards the door. Kurt grabbed his wallet, phone, and jacket, letting himself believe for a moment that nothing had changed. At least for tonight.

-

The way Blaine worked and charmed the crowd amazed Kurt. He knew how to bring the audience to a quiet hush or an uproar of laughter. He was phenomenal. He always was.

“This one… This one,” Blaine hummed, a fond smile on his lips, “is for my wonderful, wonderful husband. Kurt,” he said. “I…” Blaine's lips were parting around more words that he didn't speak. Couldn't. Instead, “I'll never forget what a fan you are of Celine Dion,” he said, sending Kurt an exaggerated of wink that drew giggles from the crowd.

Kurt felt so much love in that instant. Blaine had never publically dedicated a song to him at such a big venue, and, well, he was a little excited to know what Blaine would be performing. After all, he had made everyone swoon with his cover of Dean Martin's “Everybody Loves Somebody” earlier in the set and had stayed light on the love songs since. Kurt honestly wasn't sure if he would be able to top it. But Blaine was always full of surprises.

Blaine turned his back to the crowd, humorlessly and dramatically preparing for the next number. He turned, stalling through the introduction with more nonsense. Kurt smiled, a little forced, wondering when Blaine's antics became something he endured instead of adored. But then—there was his voice.

Kurt leaned forward ever so slightly, his mouth falling open a bit. Blaine's voice was warm and open and honest, and Kurt could feel Blaine staring at only him now. It was too much. Kurt swallowed, smiling shakily because Blaine was still everything to him, and he wouldn't know what to do without him. He didn't want to know.

Blaine's voice was passionate and went on a journey, knowing when to be tender and when to be strong. Honestly, from a completely unbiased standpoint, Kurt would probably think it was his best performance to date. Kurt blinked often, trying to fight off the tears welling up in his eyes but then Blaine modulated and, well, Kurt really couldn't be blamed for the single tear that rolled down his cheek.

The crowd was cheering, and Blaine eyes searched until he fell on Kurt again, noticing him crying. Blaine's hands grasped the mic stand, grounding himself, and his eyebrows drew together as the song came to a close. Blaine incorporated more silly antics into the end of the performance, making Kurt's heart feel lighter as he laughed and wiped away the tears.

Blaine was performing again now that the number was winding down, working the crowd and earning laughs, so Kurt was able to breathe again. But he wasn't sure he wanted to. He had liked the emotions that had wrapped around him and swallowed him whole when the performance was honest and true. He had felt allowed to feel again, and he liked it.

In that moment, not everything was forced to be glossed over as perfect and familiar when it wasn't at all. He was reminded of a time before Blaine's wild flurry of success, before the marriage. A time when they were allowed to be themselves and feel any and everything. When they weren't walking on eggshells all of the time. Kurt missed the way things were. But he knew times had changed, and time kept moving on.

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers, and Blaine smiled wide, his hand raising and waving gratefully. He then bowed, following it immediately with a kiss he gestured to Kurt. The people sitting on opposite sides of Kurt turned to him, and it was then that Kurt realized he had been out of it for a moment, lost in his thoughts of Blaine and himself and everything he so desperately wanted back. He felt tears on his face and felt ridiculous for having not been applauding his husband's stunning performance.

Blaine smiled, and Kurt laughed in spite of himself, rolling his eyes a little before wiping away tears and staring to clap softly, shyly.

“Thank you,” Kurt mouthed, not knowing what else to do. Blaine's own eyes shone with emotion under the stage lights, and he nodded, giving one last wave and grin to his adoring crowd before leaving the stage.

“So you're the husband,” the woman on his right gushed, her eyes greedily drinking him in like a secret to Blaine's life she was glad to have stumbled upon.

“I'm the husband,” Kurt echoed, forcing a laugh. Reality really came back with full force. He went from feeling like the most beloved person in the room to a prop again.

“What's he like?” a man questioned, making Kurt glad he had a reason to turn away from the woman besides discomfort.

“Blaine is... He's wonderful,” Kurt answered, realizing that he barely knew Blaine anymore.

“Such a great talent. I'm sure it's a prize coming home to that every night.”

“Oh. It is,” Kurt lied, his smile put-upon.

It wouldn't be a lie if Blaine was still there to come home to on a regular basis. Kurt turned his head, facing the stage again. He was only seeing Blaine maybe two or three nights out of the week. He hoped it would change. Be like before.

Kurt glanced to his right, having noticed Blaine's smile tighten when he looked to the front row on that side. It was Sebastian.

Kurt immediately turned away, forcing on another smile when Blaine looked at him again, pretending not to notice the exchange. Always pretending.

Blaine wrapped up the concert with a few words and went backstage. Kurt wiped at his eyes one last time before the house lights went up. When he looked up, Blaine was in front of him, breathless and beautiful. Kurt's mouth fell open. He wasn't glad-handing, rubbing elbows with Broadway's best. He wasn't even talking to his publicist. He was seeking out Kurt.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine tightly, holding onto Blaine, feeling Blaine's strong clutch as well. Like they understood that they were grappling at nothing but hope at this point. Like they knew they had been for a while now.

But, Kurt realized, at least they did still have hope.