CHAPTER 8

They barely got to see each other the following week, and when they did, Kurt looked like he was about to keel over from exhaustion. It was the week leading up to the premiere and Kurt practically lived at the theater, sitting in on dress rehearsals, adding final changes and alterations to costumes, sewing a few additional ones in a hurry when there was a last minute change in the director's vision. Blaine knew how busy and tired Kurt was, so when he dropped by the theater a few times this week, always with fresh coffee and a bagel for him, or some fruit, he didn't touch the subject of That Night.

Blaine had feared the Morning After talk just as much as he felt hopeful for it, but it had never come. They'd met for lunch the next day, but it was with Cooper and Sebastian, and Kurt had been his normal friendly self – no meaningful looks, but no avoiding Blaine's eyes, either – and everything seemed like the night before had never happened. Except Blaine knew it had, his lips still tingled whenever he looked at Kurt, he could feel the phantom touch of Kurt's hand on his cock, half-hard just from the memories, could describe with tiniest detail the way Kurt looked and felt, and sounded. And when Sebastian leaned in to kiss Kurt good morning, the fierce protest almost choked Blaine, trying to escape his lips.

Kurt hadn't said anything about it since, busy with work, and Blaine wasn't going to pester him, no matter how much he wanted to know where they stood; just as he wasn't going to kiss Kurt's temple tenderly when leaving him laboring over the machine, or reach and fix his hair, tousled from running his fingers through in frustration. He wanted to – god, he did, his fingers itching to touch, lips drawn to kiss – but it wouldn't be fair to add more complications to Kurt's already rough week.

He was almost certain he knew what he would hear, anyway. That Friday night, he'd forced himself out of Kurt's bed and returned home as soon as possible because he was afraid to hear that it had been a mistake, a one-time thing, and could they please go back to being just friends? Blaine knew it was the most likely scenario, he'd thought he was prepared for it, but not right then. Not when all he wanted was to relive and cherish what just happened, as beautiful and breathtaking as it was, not tainted with rejection or regrets. Not in the moment when he felt so open and vulnerable, his heart and every nerve exposed, pulsing with emotions he couldn't contain. He'd been pretty sure that if he got rejected right then, he might have actually died. So he'd gone home.

But now, after six torturous days of alternating between Of course it was just a one-night stand for him and But... he said he liked me!, Blaine felt like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He needed to know, one way or another, whatever it was – he just needed to know. But all he got so far was more confusion as Kurt called today – Thursday – sounding bubbly and bright, well rested at last, to tell Blaine he was taking him to the show premiere tomorrow evening. And Blaine was excited, of course he was, and he asked all the right questions about dress code and what time they should meet and where, but he didn't ask the one he really wanted to, so he still didn't know.

Was it a date?

It seemed like one – they were going alone, just the two of them, all dressed up, to a Broadway premiere; and it sounded so classy, so perfect for a first date... except it most likely wasn't. Kurt was going because he worked there, because this musical was what he'd put all of his time and effort into these past weeks and now he could finally sit back and enjoy the effect, letting other people worry. And he was taking Blaine, because... well, Blaine had told him how much he wanted to see a Broadway musical, hadn't he? And Kurt probably had a spare ticket, so he decided to be thoughtful. Yes, that was most likely it. No need to get his hopes up.

But he still couldn't stop thinking about it, his dreams that night filled with Kurt's kisses, his breathy voice, his hands and lips teasing in ways Blaine didn't dare to ask for that night, and he woke up desperately hard and needy the next morning, but most of all, overwhelmed with feelings. Because Kurt was sex incarnated, yes, but he was so much more. Blaine wanted him to be more.

The day after such a night could only be filled with emotional turmoil, with desperate hope, excitement and anxiety battling for domination in his heart. By the time Kurt came to pick him up (like he would for a date, right?), Blaine had had enough. As soon as he regained his ability to speak – because Kurt Hummel dressed up was a view that should have books written about it – the question spilled out of him as if a dam had burst.

"Kurt, what are we?"

The bright, approving smile that Kurt gave him as he came in and eyed Blaine's simple, yet stylish outfit was fading now, and Kurt sighed, not even trying to deflect the question.

"I was going to talk to you about it tonight, actually. I wanted to wait until after the show, though – no need to distract you and spoil the fun, don't you think?"

That didn't sound promising, but no matter what Kurt had to say, Blaine just wanted it out, now.

"I don't think I can get more distracted. I keep thinking about you and me, and that night, and what you said, and... Just tell me, Kurt. What is this between us?"

Kurt nodded, his face solemn as he entered the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. He leaned against the counter opposite Blaine and took a drink. The silence was stretching between them, heavy with tension. Finally, Kurt spoke.

"Okay. What do you want it to be?"

The question surprised Blaine, shook him into momentary speechlessness. He was expecting a simple yes or no, friends or lovers, a decision he would have to take and accept. Instead, Kurt asked him – and in spite of all his dreams and hopes, he didn't know what to say. Was forever a stupid answer? Of course it was, coming from someone you'd known for mere weeks, and a teenager at that. What then? A relationship? Too vague. Boyfriends? Did they qualify, considering Kurt was hardly a boy anymore?

His struggle for words didn't escape Kurt's searching eyes. He put the bottle on the counter.

"Would you like it to be a date, tonight?" He asked simply and smiled as Blaine's eyes widened in disbelief. "It can be, as long as you don't mind the secrecy part. Because no matter what we say, I don't think Cooper is going to be too understanding."

"Yes." The word was out of his mouth even before Kurt finished talking. "Yes, I'd like that. Very much." He added, to make certain Kurt knew what he meant. And then, just to clarify, he took the two steps between them and kissed him, his heart light and giddy, ready to soar.

Kurt pulled away from the kiss way too fast for Blaine's liking, and reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, his face suddenly more serious.

"Wait, I brought this for you, in case you were interested in us being... more."

He handed Blaine a folded piece of paper and waited for him to open it. It was some sort of lab report, plenty of medical abbreviations, and a bold, cursive negative after each and every one. Was it...?

"I just got it this morning, that's why I wanted to talk to you . I needed you to know, wanted to make sure. I'm clean, Blaine. I've been with plenty of men, but I'm safe. So when we get any further than that night, you don't have to worry about this. If we do, I mean – if you want to, at some point."

There was the tiniest bit of anxiety in Kurt's eyes, and Blaine couldn't have that. He moved back into Kurt's space and into another deep kiss, pressing against him in a way he hadn't dared before – and gasping at the delicious friction when his hips moved just-so.

"I so do. Can some point be now?" He whispered against Kurt's lips between kisses and was amazed to hear him inhale sharply, feel him rapidly hardening against Blaine's hip. The next instant their positions were switched, Blaine's back pressed against the fridge with Kurt sucking lightly on his neck and moving his hips against Blaine's, their erections perfectly slotted together, in a way that made his eyes roll back. And then it stopped; cold, empty space where Kurt had just been, and Blaine whined.

Kurt lay his hand on Blaine's cheek, pressed one soft kiss to his lips, before moving even further away.

"I'd love to – you have no idea how much. But we need to go now or we'll be late, and you don't want to miss your first Broadway show, do you?"

If Blaine was being perfectly honest, right now he didn't really care about the show. He would gladly give up going and spend the evening naked in bed with Kurt. Or just kissing, fully clothed. Or even sitting on a sofa together, barely touching, while he reveled in a fact that they were dating. Or whatever they were, together. That Kurt liked him, wanted him, that he was thoughtful enough to make sure he was safe for Blaine. That he cared.

Which, actually, he could just as well do in a theater, sitting next to Kurt and watching the show.

There was a cab parked in front of the building when they came out, though Kurt hadn't called anyone since he'd come to pick Blaine up. Did it mean that the car had been waiting all along? Blaine had no time to express his curiosity because Kurt was already opening the back door and guiding him inside with a gentle hand on the small of his back. He waited for Blaine to settle in and closed the door behind him with a smile before getting in on the other side.

The driver, a young, long-haired blond guy smiled widely. "Hi Kurt! 'Sup?"

"Good evening, Steve." Kurt's tone and demeanor matched his outfit perfectly. "I'm sorry if you had to wait."

"Nah, man. It's cool. Where d'you wanna go?"

"The theater, please."

"Sure thing." The car was already moving, the driver not paying them any more attention, and Blaine started, feeling Kurt's soft, warm hand take his, their fingers intertwining. The gesture, though simple, meant more than anything they shared before, even that night in Kurt's bedroom. It was like a confirmation – this wasn't just fun or sex. They were on a date.

But wasn't it supposed to be a secret?

Kurt smiled, seeing the question in Blaine's eyes, and brushed a thumb across his knuckles. "It's okay. Steve is discretion personified."

Steve chuckled from the front seat. "Yeah, I'm deaf and blind here until I hear my name." As if to prove his point, he started singing quietly with the radio, his voice pleasant and surprisingly clear. Blaine pushed away the jagged edges of a thought of how many times Kurt must have driven like this, with how many men, to have tested Steve's discretion so thoroughly. He chose to focus on Kurt's face instead, so beautiful and open as he brought Blaine's hand to his lips to kiss it – soft, languid kisses over his knuckles, down the side of his thumb, to the inside of his wrist where he paused. His tongue flicked out and unhurriedly teased the tender skin over the pulse point, sucking at it lightly, and Blaine's breath stuttered with the pleasure and intimacy of it.

Kurt smiled and lowered their joined hands to his knees where he continued to caress Blaine's palm with feather-light touches of his fingers.

"Will you trust me with plans for tonight?"

"Of course." Blaine's voice came out a little raspy and he cleared his throat, trying to conceal the effect Kurt had on him even with just the touch of his fingertips.

"Thank you."

They rode in silence, only exchanging a sentence or two, but in the meantime, their hands were having a lively conversation. Or, well, maybe it was a monologue, with Kurt's hand continuing the slow, sweet caresses. Somehow it moved to Blaine's thigh at some point and just stayed there, tracing abstract little patterns, almost absent-mindedly. Blaine's hands were by this point restricted to flexing and tightening by his sides as he focused on not whimpering or climbing right into Kurt's lap.

And then they were at the theater, so he got out of the car, straightened his jacket and reminded himself that officially, they were friends. Just friends. Nothing more, in public. Kurt leaned towards the driver before getting out.

"Could you be here at 10:30? I have one more destination in mind for tonight." He said, passing Steve a fifty.

"Sure. See you then."

The car pulled away and they walked towards the well-known building, and into the crowd.

As exciting as the premiere was, Blaine had trouble focusing on the stage. Part of it might have been the fact that he'd seen the play so many times in rehearsals that he could quote parts of it in his sleep. But mostly, it was Kurt's presence just inches away and the fact that this was a date, that caused everything else to fade into the background, unimportant.

He stole glances at Kurt's lovely profile, sometimes catching him looking back, eyes bright even in the dark and a corner of his mouth twitching into a smile. Every casual, seemingly accidental brush of Kurt's fingers against his on the armrest felt like a low electric current running up his arm and through his body; every time Kurt leaned towards him to whisper something quietly into his ear – a dry-witted comment or, once, a breathy "Have I told you that you look gorgeous tonight?" – Blaine felt his heart quicken and his breath turn shallow. By intermission he honestly hoped that there were no mind-readers around; because frankly, even thinking about a quickie in a Broadway theater's bathroom was probably awfully bad taste, if not sacrilege.

Kurt turned to him as soon as the lights went back up. People around them were leaving their seats, chattering animatedly.

"Do you want to go get some drinks?"

"No. I want to kiss you." Oh, hello, blurter. Long time no see.

Kurt laughed fondly, but then his eyes widened and he looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Actually, why not. Let's go."

This was too good to be true. They slipped through the Staff only door and all but ran towards Kurt's workroom. Almost there, Kurt stopped by an old wardrobe crowding the narrow corridor and pulled on a piece of simple brown cord sticking out from behind it. A second later a single silver key was in his hand.

"I keep it here just in case. The guard closes the key cabinet for the night and I need a way to get in sometimes. Shall we?"

"Yes."

The second Kurt shut the door and pressed Blaine against it, they were kissing – deep, passionate kisses right from the beginning, and Blaine felt like a thirsty man on a desert getting a cup of fresh cold water. He moaned into Kurt's mouth and slid his hands under his jacket and up Kurt's back to pull him closer.

"Fuck, why are you so hot?" Kurt sucked on Blaine's lower lip and trailed kisses across his jaw to whisper against the sensitive skin of his neck. "All I could think about out there was that I hadn't kissed you nearly enough before we left."

His lips on Blaine's neck were insistent, feverish, and Blaine gasped Kurt's name, turning his head to the side to give him better access. A heady rush was coursing through him, and had he really ever thought that kissing Nathan felt good? It seemed ridiculous now.

Kurt's hands were tight on Blaine's hips, his thumbs occasionally tracing little circles, until he brushed over the erection straining Blaine's pants, and they both gasped. Kurt moved his hand to stroke on purpose now and Blaine's head thumped against the door as he arched; the sensation of Kurt's fingers smoothing up and down his length was almost too much to bear right now.

"Kurt please... please." He couldn't stop the whimper.

"Please what?" Kurt murmured, low and rough, into his ear.

"I want you... so much..." He was panting, and the little part of his brain still capable of rational thinking knew that they didn't have time or conditions to do anything more now, but he felt like he was going to explode.

Kurt pulled away, flushed and dark-eyed, one hand reaching over Blaine's shoulder to lock the door.

"We don't have much time. And you have to be quiet." And then he simply knelt down in front of him, and Blaine had to bite the inside of his cheek not to groan. Surely he was dreaming and was going to wake up any minute now...

Except he didn't.

"May I?" Kurt's voice was husky and the way he licked his lips shot right to Blaine's groin.

"Yes. God yes."

Next thing Blaine knew, Kurt was opening his fly with practiced fingers, pulling his pants and underwear down enough to free his cock, and nuzzling his face into the crook of his thigh with a delighted sigh. And then...

And then Kurt's fingers closed around the shaft and his pink tongue traced slowly across the head of Blaine's cock, gathering the precome leaking at the tip, and Blaine didn't manage to hold in a choked cry. He'd never felt anything so perfect before, soft and warm and so much gentler than a hand. But then the velvet heat of Kurt's mouth enveloped him completely and it was the same sensation multiplied by infinity, and Blaine's hips jerked forward of their own accord. He pulled back immediately, apologizing in a breathless whisper, but Kurt just grinned – and god, the picture of his perfect mouth just millimeters from Blaine's cock was something Blaine would never, ever forget.

"No, it's okay. Fuck my mouth if you want to. I can take it. And don't hold back."

With that, Kurt sank back over Blaine's cock, taking in all of its length, and Blaine couldn't help himself even if he tried. His hips moving with gentle encouragement from Kurt's hands, he had no words, no coherent thoughts; it was bliss at its most basic and in the last flash of reason he pushed his fist against his mouth to try and stay quiet. After that, everything faded but the wet, slick softness around his dick and he hadn't even realized how close he was until Kurt sucked on his way up and then danced the hardened tip of his tongue around the sensitive edge of his cockhead, and Blaine was coming, hard and fast, biting on his hand to keep the stream of sounds in. The last sensation before his universe exploded was that of Kurt swallowing tightly around his pulsing cock.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't lying in his bed after an extremely realistic erotic dream. He was in a dimly lit room full of fabrics and costumes, leaning heavily against Kurt with his head on Kurt's shoulder and his body loose and pliant. He noticed that his pants were back up, his belt buckled, and he drew a long, shuddering breath, still unable to process what had just happened.

Right then, a muffled sound of a bell came from a distance. Blaine raised his head and met Kurt's eyes, sparking and tender.

"We need to go. It's the first call." Kurt pressed his lips softly against his and Blaine couldn't stop himself from flicking his tongue inside just for a second. The taste was new and foreign, and the realization that Kurt's kiss tasted of his come was enough to make him half-hard again despite the post-orgasmic sensitivity.

"What about you?" They had no time for anything more, but he couldn't leave Kurt wanting, could he?

Kurt smiled and unlocked the door. "I can wait. Come on."

There may have been things happening on stage after they returned and the lights went down again, but Blaine was too shell-shocked to pay them any attention. He'd just received his first blowjob. From Kurt. In a Broadway theater, during an intermission of a show premiere. And it felt about a million times better than he'd ever imagined.

He couldn't believe this was his life.