New York is everything Blaine has been dreaming of, and more. It's huge and crowded, bright with neon lights and murky where the lights don't reach. It smells of car fumes and street food and, most of all, possibilities. It's a place where dreams come true. It's life itself, and Blaine drinks it up from the minute they get off the plane. It doesn't matter that they only have two hotel rooms for the entire Glee club, or that Mr. Schue disappears as soon as he's done lecturing them on the ground rules for this trip – they have three days and two nights in the city that never sleeps, and Blaine wishes he could give up on sleep, too.

They're in New York.

The first day is the most busy and chaotic. Everyone's in a frenzy of sightseeing and exploring, in couples and little groups, so it's the best opportunity to do something Blaine has been planning for weeks.

"Can I take you out on a proper date tonight?" he blurts out at Kurt as soon as the three of them are out of earshot of their friends. Or they would be, if Rachel's delighted squeal on her brother's behalf wasn't quite that piercing. Kurt's eyes get wide and incredulous.

"Really? A real date? Just the two of us and dressing up and not hiding?"

"Yes." Blaine shoots Rachel a look in case she wanted to invite herself along, but she's just beaming at them. "I called my brother, he spent a few months here last year, and he recommended some nice places. We could go around seven and have a walk afterwards, and still be back for Mr. Schue's curfew at eleven. I wish we could go see a Broadway play, too, but it's too late and–"

"Blaine. I'd love to go on a date with you. Dinner and a walk sound wonderful." Kurt's eyes are sparkling, two bits of bright blue sky, filled with sunshine.

The restaurant is even nicer than Blaine expected after exploring its website. When he talked with Cooper, he said he needed something lovely and classy, but not overly formal, and out of the way enough to avoid being accidentally spotted by his friends.

Of course, it got Coop's attention. "Ooh, my little brother has a secret girlfriend?" he crooned happily.

"Actually..." Blaine bit his lip, but then shrugged. He could just as well say it. He wanted to. "A secret boyfriend."

"Oh." Cooper sounded concerned. "But B – you know you don't have to hide, don't you? Mom and dad will be okay with it."

"Yeah, I know that ours will be. But his definitely won't, so no one can know. Please don't tell anyone?"

"Of course, Squirt. I wouldn't. Now let me look through the box of stuff from the New York filming; I think I have a perfect place for your needs. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Coop." They both knew he meant more than the restaurant.

Now that they are here, Blaine understands why this was the place Cooper recommended most. It's relatively close to their hotel, but with its location in a side street and the simple, subdued sign over the old wooden door it doesn't look like a restaurant a bunch of teenagers – or anyone, really – would choose randomly. But inside, it's magical. Strings of white fairy lights overhead and candles on the red-covered tables create a cozy, intimate atmosphere. The music is soft and hushed, and the smells permeating the air make Blaine's mouth water. The hostess takes one look at their joined hands – such a simple thing, and yet it made Blaine shiver with joy when Kurt's fingers found his – and smiles, leading them to a secluded nook where they can have privacy. When she comes back with the menus, she puts a vase with a single white rose on the table.

The food turns out to be delicious and Kurt is absolutely charming, heart-stoppingly beautiful, and they don't talk about school or parents or Rachel, don't touch the subject of the impending separation. They just let themselves be who they are, for once, away from the rules and limits put upon them by others – just two boys on a date.

"If you could be whatever you want, go anywhere, choose your own way with no influences whatsoever – what would you do?"

Blaine surprises himself with the question – they never talk about the future, it's one of the few topics both Kurt and Rachel always ignore. But looking at Kurt like this, in the golden glow of the candlelight, makes him want to be able to imagine him five years from now, or ten, all done growing up and settled in his undoubtedly fabulous life. Even if Blaine won't be part of it, he wants this picture in his head.

Kurt licks the spoon clean of the last remnants of tiramisu, his eyes turning distant.

"I'd come back here. To New York." He pauses, thinks a little. "I'd like to work in fashion, anywhere really – just as long as I could create clothes, I'd be happy. Maybe I'd be with a man who... who loved me, if I were lucky. Maybe we'd have a pet, or... I don't know. Just a normal, everyday life of being myself, that's what I would choose."

"I'm sure you will get that one day, Kurt."

Kurt just shakes his head, a sad little smile on his face.

"How about that walk now?"

The mood is a little melancholy when they leave the restaurant, but soon the awe and joy of walking hand in hand through the busy streets of nighttime New York take over. They kiss on every street corner until they're too close to the hotel to risk it anymore, and Blaine will never, ever have enough of this – Kurt's soft lips and his delighted face, and their fingers intertwined like this. By the time they slip into the boys' shared room, they're ten minutes late and trying very hard to look innocent. Not that anyone really cares.

Artie is already asleep on one of the large beds, Mike next to him, reading. Sam is sitting on the cot, eating nachos. Finn and Puck have created elaborate sleeping nests on the floor, using all the duvets and bedspreads. The second bed is standing empty.

"You two are small enough to fit together." Finn shrugs at Kurt's questioning look.

"You don't mind, do you?" Mike looks up from his Kindle. "We figured you'd be fine with it, but if not, I can switch with either of you."

"No, no it's fine." Kurt is making a spectacular job of looking like he doesn't care, then bumps Blaine's shoulder. "I hope you don't snore."

"Dude, Finn snores loud enough for the whole room. You won't be able to hear the hobbit even if he does, too." Puck barely manages to duck the pillow Finn tosses at him.

It's all very boyish and camp-like as they settle down to sleep, and Blaine enjoys it immensely. Not to mention, sleeping close to Kurt is a wonderful bonus he didn't even think of. When the lights go off, a warm hand finds its way into his under the sheets, and Kurt breathes into his ear, merely a shadow of a whisper.

"Thank you for tonight. Thank you for everything."

The next day is filled with rehearsals and group sightseeing; Mr. Schue even treats them all to a slice of true New York pizza. They're supposed to go to bed early that evening and have proper rest before Nationals, but the city is calling to them. It's their last night, and the competition doesn't start until noon anyway, so of course everyone sneaks away to experience as much of New York as possible.

Blaine and the siblings walk the city until late, taking in as much as they can in this small bubble of time they have. Blaine holds Kurt's hand, staring at him openly with adoring eyes whenever he can get away with not looking where he's going. Kurt is so unrestrained when he doesn't have to hide, so beautiful and bold, that at times Blaine completely forgets they're not alone. Until Rachel calls out to them, pointing towards something or commenting on one thing or another, and she laughs when Blaine gets startled out of his reverie, her face full of affection.

And then they are sipping coffee at Starbucks and talking about what they love most in the city, and Blaine is sharing college plans, because maybe, possibly, here. Before long he's making a list of places he wants to see and things he wants to do if he gets here after graduation, and suddenly Kurt is right there with him, contributing, adding more, and somehow it's almost as if it's their list, as if they're planning to meet here again, one day, in college.

Except at some point Kurt looks up at Rachel who's been sitting silently next to him, and his excited face falls. Blaine can't read the meaning of the look they share, but he knows there is one – one that makes Kurt quiet and subdued in a heartbeat, suddenly looking sad and tired.

They go back to their hotel after that, walking in silence, but still Kurt's hand sneaks into Blaine's, and when he lays his head on Blaine's shoulder in the elevator, Blaine wishes he could take all the trouble away from him, just hold him and keep him safe.

It's almost too hard to let go of the boy in his arms in time to avoid being seen by anyone from McKinley.

Kurt wakes Blaine up at an ungodly early hour the next morning, all gorgeous and nice-smelling and impeccably dressed in a fancy suit, whispering about breakfast at Tiffany's, and Blaine needs no more incentive to get up and get ready than the prospect of some more New York gallivanting with Kurt.

Well, Kurt and Rachel, it turns out.

They look fabulous, all three of them, and have fun pretending to be classy New Yorkers even while eating their bagels in front of the Tiffany's building. The moods are lighter again, bright, and when Kurt suggests breaking into the Gershwin theater... well, they can't not, not on a day like this, emboldened by the feeling of last day, last chance.

It's a bad idea. A terrible one; if the guard wasn't so understanding–

True, they haven't been exactly sneaky, no matter how much they thought they were – singing the lines of Defying Gravity to one another under their breath, happy giggles bubbling out of them. And now they're here, and they have the stage to themselves for fifteen amazing minutes, and Blaine is so full of happiness he feels ready to burst.

"Ohhh, I can't believe that!" Rachel is almost vibrating next to him. "I have to choose the right song, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, oh god, such a tough choice! Blaine, go, you first, I need time!" She flops into the first-row seat, only to spring up immediately and start pacing up and down the aisle, muttering to herself.

Blaine doesn't have to be told twice. Literally bouncing up the steps to the stage, scrolling through the Wicked soundtrack in his head, he's almost set on One Short Day, it would be so appropriate for their short time in New York. But then... oh.

It's perfect.

Kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight
I need help believing you're with me tonight

He starts and his eyes immediately settle on Kurt at the side of the stage, where he's inspecting the staircase that's part of the set – and they never leave him as Blaine sings, every word like a confession of something he hasn't even let himself think yet, but can feel growing, deep within him. Kurt looks enchanted, his face soft and stunned in the half-dimmed light, and Blaine knows, he remembers what's coming soon, too soon, and each word resonates within him perfectly.

And just for this moment, as long as you're mine
I've lost all resistance and crossed some borderline
And if it turns out it's over too fast
I'll make every last moment last
As long as you're mine

He hoped Kurt would understand, hoped he'd get it, but when he actually joins in, his voice cutting clear and perfect through the theater, Blaine feels his heart flutter and breath catch in his throat because it feels so right, like Kurt feels it too, like he's singing from the same place deep within.

Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise
But you've got me seeing through different eyes

Their voices blend perfectly, better than Blaine has ever thought they could, when they sing together standing face to face now, mere feet from each other.

Every moment as long as your mine
I'll wake up my body and make up for lost time
Say there's no future for us as a pair
And though I may know, I don't care

Kurt is kissing him before the last echoes of the song die down, and he's so real in Blaine's arms, warm and solid and there, it's hard to believe he may ever not be, no matter what he said.

Rachel's clapping and cheering brings them back to reality, and Kurt lets out a choked sound, almost a sob, as he buries his face in Blaine's neck for a second. But then he pulls away and he's flushed and bright-eyed but composed, dismissing Rachel's call that it's her turn now.

"No, Rach, I have to sing this one first. It's not from Wicked, but–" he shrugs and looks away, his head held high and jaw set. "Blaine, could you please record it on your phone and then send it to my email? I'll want to show it to someone."

Kurt glances at Rachel then and she frowns, suddenly focused, and it's another one of those moments where Blaine can't really read what goes between them, this secret path of understanding. But he gets off the stage and takes out his iPhone, ready to record Kurt's performance from the central aisle. And oh, is it a performance worth recording. Kurt doesn't look at either of them as he sings, focused on the empty audience, as if imagining someone there, someone who makes his face clench into hard defiance as he sings.

Coming home used to feel so good
I'm a stranger now in my neighborhood

Kurt's not only singing – he's dancing as well, flexible and flamboyant, so out there, it almost looks like a challenge. Against whom, Blaine can only guess, so he just stands there with his phone and tries to keep his hand steady as his jaw drops at what Kurt can do with his body and his voice – oh god that voice – when he chooses to.

It's breathtaking, but somehow Blaine doesn't think Rachel's tear-filled eyes and the way she covers her mouth with both hands can be explained with the stunning quality of Kurt's song.

I can't go back there anymore
'Cause I am not the boy next door

Kurt finishes on an impossibly high note, keeping it clear and strong, his whole body vibrating with sound – or maybe something else. Blaine stops the recording and claps so hard his hands hurt. He's not the only one. The guard is standing in the back of the audience, visibly impressed.

Rachel moves then, and Blaine can clearly see the tear tracks on her face as she runs onto the stage and pulls Kurt into a tight hug. They seem to whisper to each other, and Kurt is nodding, and then Rachel steps away but keeps Kurt's hand in hers and her eyes on him as she starts, voice strong even though she's still crying.

I'm limited...

The siblings are entirely focused on each other now, their gaze never wavering once. Kurt comes in with Glinda's part.

I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason

Blaine thinks, for a heartbeat, that Kurt may be singing about him – but no. He and Rachel are in their own little world, the way they get sometimes, but so much stronger right now, like nothing exists but the two of them. Blaine knows it means something, knows they are telling each other things he will never understand because he's an outsider and no matter how close they let him get sometimes, this is their inner sanctum, that connection he will never get. He's fine with it, mostly. He's perfectly fine with watching and taking in the beauty of this song when they perform it, stunning, almost ethereal, with their voices like molten gold. Still, he feels like something of grave, desperate importance is happening before his very eyes – and he wishes he could understand.

Kurt and Rachel leave the stage still holding hands, both teary-eyed, but it only takes Blaine's enthusiastic cheering to make them shake out of the suddenly somber mood. The guard from before is standing next to him, grinning widely.

"Man, I've heard a lot working here, but you three are something else. I don't know what your dreams are, kids, but don't you give up on them. You're good. Really good, all of you. Hold on to that, and I'll see you here in a few years." He nods and retreats into the darkness again, and the three of them laugh and hug and gather their things to leave with one last look at the magnificent stage, overwhelmed and stunned, and that just happened, and okay, they are ready to face the competition – to face anything now.

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CHAPTER ART by HACHI (click!)

For Good