It became an unspoken routine for them.  Each day around lunchtime one of them would wander over to the other’s house and they would spend the afternoon together. They watched movies, listened to music, read silently sprawled out on the floor. 

Kurt taught Blaine about fashion and accessorizing, raiding Blaine’s closet and making disapproving noises the entire time.  Blaine defended his arsenal of t-shirts and jeans by saying he was used to his school uniform and thus did not need anything fancy to wear.  Kurt demanded that they pencil in a shopping trip as soon as possible.

Blaine taught Kurt about the different adaptive devices that helped him utilize the latest trends.  Kurt was surprised and a little jealous to see that Blaine had an iPhone, but programmed in his number and told Blaine to prepare himself for random text messages.  Blaine showed him how he used a Bluetooth braille display with his laptop, adding Kurt as a friend on Facebook as his ‘demonstration.’

In the span of two weeks, they had gone from strangers to being practically attached at the hip.  It was a comforting feeling to both of them.

….

“We’re going out.”

Blaine ran his hand through his curls trying to wake up as he listened to Kurt through the phone.  “Excuse me?”

“Today.  We’re going out.  So get up and get dressed and meet me outside in an hour.”

“Serious?  But my bed is so comfy right now,” Blaine whined.

“I don’t care.  You need to expand your wardrobe beyond raggedy shirts and jeans.  And then we’ll get lunch.  Oh and maybe even a movie.  That new Ryan Gosling film just came out.”

He groaned at Kurt’s chipper tone, but found it impossible to say no.  “Fine.  See you in an hour.”

Blaine dragged himself out of bed and into the shower. 

This will be an interesting day.

….

Blaine was nothing if not punctual.  Kurt wandered up to his car where Blaine was casually leaning.

“Are you ready to become the dashing and stylish guy that I know is hiding under those hideous clothes?”

Blaine laughed and shook his head.  “I have a feeling I’m going to regret today.”

“The only thing you’ll regret is not letting me save you from your wardrobe sooner.  Now let’s go.”

They got in the car, Roxy taking her usual perch in the backseat.  As Kurt rattled off stores they could visit, he noticed Blaine fidgeting next to him.

“Are you nervous?”

“Maybe.”

“What could you possible be nervous about, Blaine?”

Blaine seemed to contemplate the question for a few moments.  “It’s been a while since I’ve been out shopping.  I told you – I like to keep things simple.”

“Trust me.  I won’t steer you wrong.”

Blaine turned towards him and smiled.  “Okay.”

They pulled up to one of Kurt’s favorite stores and they were inside for mere minutes before Kurt had a handful of pieces for Blaine to try on.  Unlike many of the things he owned, Kurt looked for conservative yet stylish options that would be easy to change into.  Something told him Blaine did not want the bondage jacket with buckles and zippers in the front and back. 

Blaine wandered slowly throughout the store, Kurt catching up with him to ask a question here or there – color preference, size, likes and dislikes.  His arms were overflowing when he pushed Blaine towards the fitting room.  He arranged the clothes into piles: tops, bottoms, and other.  Blaine raised an eyebrow at that third category, but went into the dressing room without complaint.  Kurt took a seat just outside with Roxy by his side.

“How am I supposed to know what matches with what?”

“How do you normally know how to match things?”

“I put braille labels on the inside tags.”

“Okay, well for now just don’t worry about it.  Let’s find things that feel good and look good and then we’ll worry about matching them up.”

It took some time, but Blaine came out with his first outfit on and Kurt clapped and squealed.

“First outfit and we already have a winner.  It looks amazing.  How does it feel?”

“The shirt is really soft.  And the pants are nice, but they’re a little huggy in the butt.”

“Oh trust me, Blaine.  They’re supposed to be like that and your butt looks great in them.”

Blaine immediately blushed and opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.  Kurt’s face was bright red as well and he was thankful Blaine could not see him in that moment.  “I mean… that’s the design.”

“Got it.  Pants that make my butt look great.  Let’s buy them in every color.”

Kurt threw a hanger in his direction.  “Next!”

Twelve outfits later (four pants and five shirts that were keepers) and they were headed out.  Kurt was tempted to have Blaine change into the gorgeous sapphire button-up and the grey ‘butt pants’ as Blaine called them, but decided the new outfit could wait until another day.  They headed to the café just a few doors down to grab a quick lunch.

The greeting they got was not what they expected.  “I’m sorry, sir, but there are no pets allowed in the establishment.”

“She’s a guide dog.”

“Yes, well, perhaps you’d like to sit on the patio then.”

“Why would we need to sit out there when there are plenty of tables in here?”  Kurt’s limited restraint was obvious.

“I just thought… with the dog…”  The young hostess stumbled over her words.

“The patio will be fine.  It’s a beautiful day,” Blaine said with a smile.

“Blaine, they can’t make us sit out there.”

“I know.  It’s just not worth the fight.  I’m sure they very rarely see a blind person in here, let alone one with a guide dog.  It’s Lima, Kurt.  I’m used to things like this.”

“That doesn’t make it right.”

“I know.  I just want to continue having a nice day.”

After they sat and ordered, the tension was gone and they were back to making jokes about Blaine’s poor attempt at a runway walk back at the store.

“Thanks for getting me out today.  This is nice.”

Kurt beamed.  “It is.  I’m glad you’re having a good time.”

“So, what’s next?  A movie?”

“Yah, if you’re up to it.  The theaters here don’t have the narration like your home movies, but I’ll be your own personal narrator.”

Blaine smirked.  “That should be interesting.”

They finished their lunch and got their waitress to reluctantly bring out a bowl of water for Roxy.

Kurt noticed some odd looks once they got to the movie theater, but he made no mention of it to Blaine. 

….

Kurt guided him to their seats and Roxy settled in her normal spot at his feet.  When the movie started, Blaine could feel Kurt lean over to him.  The warm breath on his neck was startling at first.

“Mr. Anderson, I will be your personal narrator for this movie.  If at any time you would like to discontinue this narration, please notify me immediately.  I will warn you ahead of time that I won’t describe any sex scenes or anything I deem to be inappropriate merely for the fact that I would feel like a perv whispering that in your ear.”

They both laughed and Blaine nodded.  “Understood, but if Ryan Gosling is at any point naked or semi-naked, I demand that you at least describe that.  If you can talk about my butt, you can surely talk about his.”

“Deal.”

True to his word, Kurt explained everything happening outside of the dialogue to help Blaine imagine the full movie.  Thankfully, the theater was mostly empty, so when they dissolved in a fit of giggles after Kurt described Ryan Gosling’s bare chest nobody shushed them.

As the movie continued on, Blaine found himself far too distracted by Kurt’s proximity.  The warm words whispered into his ear.  The firm shoulder pressed against his own.  Blaine’s not entirely sure what happened in the last thirty minutes of the movie.

As they walked back to Kurt’s car, Blaine hears someone yell ‘hey fag’ and Kurt bristles beside him.  Kurt grabs his shirt sleeve and mumbles to walk faster, but before they get to the car there are several voices very close to them.

“Why so quick to run Hummel?  We haven’t seen you in days.  Did we scare you off from the mall?”

Blaine isn’t sure who these people are, but he can hear at least three voices and Kurt has gone completely quiet.

“You got nothing to say, huh?  What about your boyfriend here?  And what’s up with the dog.”

“Dude, I think he’s blind.”

The original voice lets out a boisterous laugh.  “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me.  You had to go out and get a blind boyfriend because nobody else would ever want you.”

“Look guys, I’m not sure who you are, but I’m blind - not deaf, so feel free to address me directly.  It’s obvious from your limited vocabulary and severely lacking social skills that you’re not here to discuss anything that could possibly interest us.  So Kurt and I are going to continue on our way and you can feel free to act like idiots elsewhere.”

Blaine felt someone push into his personal space and Roxy growled.  “I don’t know who you are dumbass, but nobody tells me what to do.”

The body was pushed away and he could hear Kurt who was now standing directly in front of him.  “Get off, Karofsky.  Go find some women to beat over the head and drag back to your cave.”

Blaine heard the group make a few more snide comments as Kurt grabbed him by the arm and led them to the car.  The drive home was completely silent and Blaine briefly wondered if this was how all of their outings were going to end.

They parked and Kurt grabbed Blaine’s shopping bags, following him up the steps to his house.  “Just set them inside.  I’ll take them up later.”

Kurt did as asked without saying a word.  In fact, he hadn’t said a word since they left the movie theater parking lot.

“Come sit with me on the porch swing?”

Kurt didn’t reply, but Blaine felt the added weight on the swing as he sat down. 

“Want to tell me who those guys were?”

Kurt let out a short, bitter laugh.  The silence stretched on for minutes and Blaine could almost hear the gears turning in Kurt’s head.

“Why didn’t you ever ask me why I was crying that night?”

“Pardon?”

“That night…  when you sang.  I assume it was because you heard me crying.  But you never asked why.”

“As someone who’s been pushed his entire life to open up and talk about his feelings, I thought it best to let you talk when you were ready.  I just wanted to be here for you whenever that time came.”

Kurt’s breathing became short and stuttered and Blaine realized he was crying.

“Kurt…”

“Those are homophobic jocks from my school.  I’m the only openly gay kid at my school and they’ve made it their life’s mission to make me miserable.”

Now that he was talking, the words were coming out as if Kurt couldn’t stop if he tried, so Blaine just listened.

“And nobody cares.  They pretend not to see when I’m shoved into lockers or thrown into dumpsters.  That day I came home crying, they spray painted ‘FAG’ on my locker and it just felt like the last straw.”

Kurt was nearly gasping for breath, his tears coming too quickly.

“And then that night this incredible voice came wafting in my window and I sang back without thinking.  Then I was scared because I thought ‘people don’t just burst into song with strangers’ so I closed the window.  But when it comes down to it, you were the first person in a really long time to notice and even care.”

“I’m sorry all of this happened.  You don’t deserve it.”

“Yah, well, they didn’t get the memo.”

“Does this happen a lot?”

“It happens almost daily at school.  I thought it was over at least for the summer, but I was obviously wrong there.  The day we went for coffee, the reason that I almost cancelled was because they slushied me and my friends at the mall.  Dozens of people standing around and no one did a thing.”

Blaine reached over and gripped Kurt’s shoulder lightly.  “I wish I could make it better.”

Kurt sniffed and seemed to be collecting himself.  He stood and moved to sit on the porch railing.  “Let’s just forget them.  I don’t want the day ruined because of them.”

Blaine sighed, not wanting to push the matter.  Another time perhaps.

“Well I must say, I had quite the delightful time today.”

“Delightful?  Really Blaine?”

“What?  It was.  I have fun no matter what we do, but today was a treat.”

“I’m glad.  Hopefully the first of many.”

He couldn’t keep the grin off his face.  “Absolutely.”

….

It was nice finally having a friend to talk to.  Sure, he still had his lady chats with Finn and he saw Rachel and Mercedes on the weekends.  But he felt like Blaine understood him.  And he never felt judged or stupid or like he needed to hide who he was.  It was a comfort.  Kurt knew he was getting attached and his biggest fear was that Blaine would go back to school in August and forget about him.  Kurt spent his life waiting to be hurt.

….

Blaine was thankful, but scared.  Aside from his family and the people at his school, he wasn’t close with any sighted people.  Especially not any that were his age.

It’s like living in a bubble your entire life and then suddenly leaving the confines of that bubble and being so afraid of what might happen without that comforting familiarity.

But Kurt was comfort.  Blaine couldn’t imagine this boy ever hurting him.

….

“So what’s going on with this neighbor kid, Kurt?”

Kurt rolled his eyes, not even bothering to look up or set down his magazine.  “We’re friends, Dad.  He doesn’t have any friends here and I don’t have a lot of friends anyway and we get along.”

“That it?  You’re spending an awful lot of time over there and Carol says when you ain’t over there then he’s over here.”

“Those are two very accurate observations.”

“Hey, come on, I’m trying to talk to you, kiddo.”

Kurt put the magazine down and sat up on the couch.  “Look Dad, we’re friends.  I like spending time with Blaine and he likes spending time with me.  Carol has met him and can vouch that he’s a nice guy.”

“What do you guys get up to over at his house?”

“Dad!  Nothing!  We listen to music and watch movies.  His mom is usually there, but it’s not like we’d be doing anything else if she wasn’t.”

“How’s a blind kid watch movies?”

Kurt rubbed his temple.  “Do you really want to know or are you just trying to be nosey?”

“It ain’t being nosey when you’re interested in what your kid is doing with another boy all day every day.”

“Well feel free to stay home tomorrow so you can meet him and watch us do some pretty scandalous things like read the latest Vogue and gossip about celebrities.  If he comes over here, he may even take off his shoes and I’ll get to see his sexy ankles.”  He picked up his magazine again to hide the small blush that was actually beginning to sprout on his cheeks.  He’d never really paid attention to Blaine’s ankles, but just describing any part of him as sexy in front of his father made him embarrassed.

“Don’t go gettin’ snippy.  Besides, Carol already invited them over for dinner tonight, so I’ll just meet him then.”

“What?!” Kurt squeaked, tossing the magazine aside.

“They should be here in about an hour.”

Kurt looked at his father who had a curious smirk on his face.  “Fine.  I’ll go help Carol with dinner then.”

Kurt walked into the kitchen and saw Carol putting a casserole in the oven.  “I understand we’re having guests this evening.”

“Oh, yes, I invited the Andersons over.  Your father thought it would be a good idea.”

“Well, what can I do to help then?”

“Nothing, dear.  The casserole is baking and the salad is already made in the fridge.

Carol went about cleaning her mess in the kitchen and Kurt stalked up to his room.  He flung his window open and sat on the windowsill.

“Blaine!”

He yelled three times with no response, so he went to change his clothes and wait.  They had just hung out that afternoon and Blaine had to leave early because he said his parents were taking him to dinner.  Apparently, neither of them knew the dinner was to be at the Hudson-Hummel residence.

At 6:30, the doorbell rang and Kurt practically hurled himself down the stairs, but found his dad there already opening the door.

“Come in, come in.  I’m Burt.”

“Nice to meet you, Burt.  I’m James and you already know my lovely wife Christina.  And of course this is our son, Blaine.”

Blaine held his mother’s arm, but smiled.  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hummel.”

“Nice to meet you too, kid, but call me Burt.”

Kurt walked the final few steps down the stairs as the Andersons came in.  “Hi Mr. Anderson.  I’m Kurt.  It’s nice to finally meet you.”

James Anderson smiled tightly at Kurt.  “Yes, yes.  Nice to meet you.”

Carol came around the corner and ushered them into the dining room.  Dinner was almost ready. 

Blaine let go of his mother when Kurt approached him.  “So, going out to dinner with your parents?”

“Kurt, I’m just as surprised as you are.  I just thought it was because my dad got off early.  I had no idea we were coming over here.”

Kurt followed the group into the dining room, Blaine not far behind.

….

The dinner seemed to be going along quite well.  The casserole was delicious, his mother had chatted almost non-stop with Kurt’s stepmother, and even his father seemed to find common conversational territory with Burt. He had been sat opposite of Kurt, so they couldn’t whisper conspiratorially.

A door slamming and a boy rushing in drew Blaine’s attention away from pushing his food around his plate nervously.

“Finn, we thought you wouldn’t make it.”

“Sorry, mom.  It’s Puck’s big weekend and we got carried away shopping for stuff.”

The boy sat across the table next to Kurt, and quickly got the introductions around the table.

“Hey, dude.  Nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

There was a pause and Blaine realized that Finn had been addressing him.  “Oh, yes, of course.  You too.  I mean, I’ve heard a lot about you too.”

“Did you bring your dog?  Kurt said you’ve got an awesome seeing eye dog.”

“No, she’s at home.  I don’t need her in places that I know the layout and I’ve been over here quite a bit.”

That sounded awkward, even to Blaine, and the silence afterward only made it worse.

“Bummer.  I like dogs.”

Blaine couldn’t help but chuckle.  Finn was just as random as Kurt had described him.

“So, Blaine, have you begun applying for any colleges yet?”

He set his fork down and turned towards Carol.  “No, ma’am, not yet.  I’ve started researching different places though.”

His mother spoke up.  “He’s hoping for Juilliard.  He’s quite skilled with a number of musical instruments, but piano is his best.”

“You didn’t tell me you were thinking of applying to Juilliard.”  Kurt sounded confused.

“It’s just a thought.  I don’t even know if I would get in.”

“Yes, it’s a very difficult school to get into.”  Blaine was surprised to hear his father join the conversation.  “Besides, Blaine needs to focus on his senior year of high school and think about what would be the most realistic option for him when it comes to higher learning.  Moving to New York with his… affliction… would not be easy.  He would probably be better suited staying close to home.”

Blaine slouched slightly in his chair.  This was not a conversation he wanted to have here and now.

“Actually most large schools in major cities like New York offer accommodations to assist those that need them.  And it would be a shame to waste a talent like that by not even trying.”  Kurt spoke with a defiant air about him, but was not disrespectful.  Blaine’s heart swelled a little with the support.

“Yah, Kurt here’s looking at New York also.  I think he’s pretty much researched every school down to the tiniest detail.”

When Burt spoke about Kurt, it was like every word was in support and full of love.  It didn’t matter what they were talking about.

Talk of school seemed to end there and thankfully Carol saved the evening by announcing dessert.  Finn cheered as if he’d just won a prize, while everyone else silently fidgeted.

Blaine loved his dad, but sometimes he was thankful that he wasn’t around very much.  Blaine somehow always felt like a disappointment.

….

The next day, Kurt knocked lightly before letting himself into the Anderson home.

“Up here!”

He followed the voice to Blaine’s room and saw the mess of books spread out.

“What are you doing?”

“Alphabetizing my bookshelf.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow.  “Seriously?”

“Don’t judge.  It was hard to find what I was looking for before and now it will be so much better.”

He laughed, but settled on the floor near Blaine.

“So… Juilliard?  Why didn’t you saying something?  You’ve listened to me babble about New York for weeks now.”

“It’s just a thought.  My mom is really encouraging me to apply, but I’m sure the competition would crush me.  Besides, you heard my dad.  It’s not realistic.  And it’s expensive.  And it’s so far away.  And…”

Kurt covered Blaine’s mouth with his hand.  “Stop it.”

He stared at Blaine, unmoving and unsure what to say or do next.

“Oh my god!”  Kurt snatched his hand back.  “Did you really just lick me?”

Blaine’s face burst into the biggest smile he’d ever seen.

“You are gross, Blaine Anderson.”  Gross wasn’t really how he was feeling though.

“But seriously.  Don’t let your father talk you out of something you might want.  Besides, I did some searching online last night and they offer financial aid, on-campus housing.  They even won some breaking barriers award for hiring visually impaired staff.”

“You researched Juilliard for me?”

“Of course.  I would’ve done it a long time ago if you’d actually told me you were interested in going there.”

Blaine smiled shyly.  “Thanks.”

“Let’s get these books cleaned up and then we can go online some more.”

They rearranged the books how Blaine wanted them and then started looking on the internet for piano pieces that Blaine could include in his audition.

“So, some of my friends are getting together this weekend for a barbecue.  You know – lots of meat, probably some drinking, and fireworks.”

“Oh yah?”  Blaine turned away from his computer towards Kurt.

“And I was wondering if you wanted to go?  With me…”

“I sort of figured it would be with you.  Ya know, them being your friends and all.”

Kurt huffed in annoyance, but then felt unsure of himself.  “So…?”

“That could be fun.  I’ve never met any of your friends.”

“Well, they’re pretty much accusing me of making you up since we’ve yet to hang out with them.”

“Oh. So I’m your dirty little secret?

Kurt smiled at the joke, but there was something in Blaine’s voice that hinted at another emotion Kurt couldn’t pinpoint.

“Not a secret.  I just don’t like to share.”

Blaine laughed.  “Now I’m a possession?”

“You’re so difficult.  Yes or no?  It’s Saturday at 3.”

“I would be delighted to accompany you, Kurt.”

“That’s more like it.”

….

For the first time in days, Blaine was without his furry companion.

“Where’s Roxy?”

“I thought I’d leave her home today since we’ll be at your friend’s house.  If you don’t mind leading me and helping me get around, that would just be a lot easier.”

“Yah, definitely.  I mean, no big deal.  I can do that.”

When they got to Puck’s, Kurt was by Blaine’s side as soon as he was out of the car.

“So, do you want me to lead you by the shoulder?  Or how would this work best.”

“Actually if I could just hold on to your arm, that would be fine.  And tell me if we get to any steps or obstacles.”

Blaine extended his arm and Kurt quickly sidled up next to him.  He gripped Kurt’s inner arm, just above the elbow, and moved close enough for Kurt to feel his body heat.  “Lead on.”

Kurt walked right in, knowing full well that everyone would be out back and wouldn’t hear even if he did knock.  They walked slowly through the house and Kurt felt Blaine’s grip tighten momentarily when they heard voices calling out and heading their direction.  “Are you okay?”

Blaine nodded.  “Nervous.”

“Don’t be.  Trust me – they’ll love you.”

“Well, well.  It’s about time you got here.  I was about to come drag your butt out of your house!”

“Mercedes, it takes a long time to look this summer chic.”

“And this must be the infamous Blaine,” Rachel said stepping directly in front of the boy.  “I understand that you are quite the pianist.  As a fellow lover of all things musical, I want to make sure that you enjoy yourself today.  And even though you can’t see, I hope you’ll stay long enough to at least hear me display some of my talent.  You won’t get the full effect without the visual, but I assure you my voice is the most important thing.”

“Thirty seconds in and its already awkward.  Thank you, Rachel.  So, yes, Blaine – this is Rachel and Mercedes.”

Blaine still had a blank expression on his face.  “Nice to meet you both.”

“And now we’re moving along,” Kurt said putting his hand over Blaine’s where it rested in the crook of his elbow.  “See you girls later.”

As they opened the patio door to walk outside, Kurt nearly slammed directly into Brittany.

“Oh, Kurtie, I didn’t see you there.”  She leaned in closer to whisper to Kurt, but anyone within five feet could’ve heard her.  “And he can’t see me, right?”

Kurt played along and whispered loudly back.  “That is correct, Brittany.  This is Blaine and he’s blind.  Would you like to meet him?”

Brittany beamed and nodded.

“Blaine, I’m sure you didn’t notice, but Brittany is here now.  Brittany, this is Blaine.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Brittany.”

“Can you swim if you can’t see?  Santana said we are definitely swimming later and I brought extra floaties if you need them.”

Blaine finally smiled.  “I appreciate it, but I’ll probably stay out this time around.”

Brittany shrugged and seemed to remember she was heading into the house before being stopped by the two boys.

“Sorry about that.  Brittany’s a little… special.”

“She seemed nice.”

Everyone was slightly intrigued with Blaine.  The girls teased Kurt about how cute Blaine was and that they should definitely be boyfriends.  The boys quickly warmed up to Blaine when he started playing Puck’s guitar and joked that they should start a band.

There was more food than the group could possibly ever eat, quite a bit of alcoholic drink available as well – thought both Kurt and Blaine politely declined.  When the group started another rousing game of Marco Polo in the pool, Blaine asked Kurt if he wanted to find some place quieter to get away from the madness for a bit.

Kurt led them back through the house and into the front yard. 

“Stay here for a second.”  Kurt rushed off for a minute, returning triumphantly with the blanket from his car.  He spread it out on the grass and they both lay on their backs enjoying the cooling air as the sun began to set.

“Sorry, I just needed to get away.  They’re a boisterous bunch.”

“No, it’s fine.  I needed a break also.  Besides, it’s a beautiful evening.”

“Tell me what it looks like.”

Kurt turned his head to glance at Blaine before looking back up to the sky.  “It looks like the sky is on fire.  Orange bleeding into pink.  There are just a handful of clouds catching the last direct sunlight.”  A light breeze blew over them as they lay in silence.  “The sky is turning purple now, almost all of the light gone.  You can only see a few stars, still not quite dark enough, but the moon is full.”

“Beautiful,” Blaine whispered.  Kurt looked back at him and his eyes were closed with just the hint of a smile.  Something in the way Blaine looked, lying there under the fading light of the sun and the rising light of the moon, made Kurt feel brave.  He slowly inched his hand towards Blaine’s, resting by his side on the blanket.  Kurt ran his fingers lightly over Blaine’s knuckles before grabbing his hand.  Blaine stretched his fingers out and for the briefest second Kurt was terrified that he was drawing his hand away.  But Blaine just interlocked their fingers and let out a contented sigh.

….

Things were going to be weird.  Kurt just knew that when Blaine came over, it was going to be awkward between them.  They held hands while lying on a blanket under the stars two nights ago, drove home in relative silence, and said a simple goodnight.  Kurt had done this before – crushing on someone that just wanted to be his friend.  He worried that this was starting to become a pattern.

….

Blaine let himself in as usual and headed up to Kurt’s room.  He heard the shuffling coming from the direction of Kurt’s closet.

“Kurt?”

“Hey Blaine, come in.  I’m reorganizing some stuff.”

“Didn’t you just do that like two weeks ago?”

“One can never be too organized, Blaine.  You of all people should know that.”

“Well take a break and come here.”  Blaine kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed, back against the headboard.  “I brought you the latest edition of French Vogue.”

Kurt’s voice got closer.  “You got it for me?”

“Of course.  I know there’s nowhere to buy it around here, so I ordered a subscription online after you talked about it a couple weeks ago.”

“But you don’t understand French.  Why would you spend the money?”

Blaine shrugged.  “You like it and I like how it sounds even if I can’t understand it.  So stop fiddling around in your closet and come read something to me.”

The bed dipped slightly and Kurt took the magazine out of his hands.  “I can’t believe you bought this.”

Kurt’s voice was quiet, disbelieving.  Had no one ever done something nice for Kurt just because?  Blaine saddened at the thought.

“So… am I going to get to hear about French fashion or what?”

….

Kurt ran his fingers over the cover.  Such a simple thing – a magazine – but one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for him.  Blaine had listened to him, remembered a mundane comment.  Blaine had heard him.

“Yah, sorry.”  Kurt flipped through to the first article and began to read.  “Tandis que sa silhouette tirée, châle de fourrure, et sac distingué harken de nouveau à une autre ère, elle le maintient moderne en utilisant le lacet de la tête à l'orteil (tout à fait littéralement avec une prise complètement fraîche sur la botte) et aux bijoux francs et vrille-libres.”

“You could be describing paint drying on a wall and it would sound beautiful in French.”

“Well, no paint here, just lacey boots and fur shawls.  Apparently, the latest trends.”

Kurt continued to read, stumbling over a word or two he wasn’t familiar with.  Blaine didn’t seem to want or care about a translation, his head cocked as he listened intently.

“Some of these models look tragic.  Seriously.  There’s maybe one hot guy in here for every ten ugly ones.”

Kurt was startled by the hand on his shoulder.  “Hey Kurt, can I ask you something?”

“Of course. You know that.”

“What do I look like?  I mean, to you.”

“What? You look…  I don’t know what kind of answer you’re looking for, Blaine.”

“No, I’m not trying to get you to say something specific.  I guess I just want to hear from someone other than my mother what I look like.  When you’re blind, people don’t really talk a lot about appearance.  I know I’m no Vogue model -- just describe me.”

Kurt’s throat went dry suddenly, so afraid of saying the wrong thing.  Or the right thing.  Or being embarrassed in general.

“Okay. Um, well you’re quite vertically challenged and you are definitely not using the right conditioner for your hair type.”

Blaine hit him with the pillow.  “Be serious!”

Kurt turned his body so he was facing him.  “Fine, no more jokes.”  He cleared his throat and just stared for a few moments.  “This might be the weirdest thing someone has ever asked me to do though, so don’t judge me.”

“Not asking for a dissertation here, Kurt, just what you see.”

“Fine.”  Kurt wiped his hands on his knees.  When did they get so sweaty?  “You have kind of an olive skin tone.  And you have dark brown hair, lots of curls, but you hide them under all of the gel.  And we totally need to have a side conversation about that because really, Blaine, it’s not supposed to be plastered to your head.”  They both smiled and Kurt took a deep breath as he continued.  “And after a long day or if you’ve been laying down, some of the curls start to rebel and curl again.  You have a strong jawline, and um, pink full lips.  Your nose is a little big, but it fits well on your face.  Your eyes are hazel-ish.  In here they look brown, but when we’re outside they are lighter, more golden.  You have a small scar just above your eyebrow.”  Kurt stared at the scar for a minute and started to raise his hand to touch, but stopped himself.  “You have the longest eyelashes that I’ve ever seen.  And then of course I can’t forget your crazy triangular eyebrows.”

Blaine smiled and shook his head.

“Your best feature is your smile.  When it’s a genuine smile, it lights up your whole face.  Your eyes get all crinkly and you look adorable.”

The smile on Blaine’s face got even bigger.  It was infectious.

“I sound like quite the looker with my big nose, triangle eyebrows, and helmet hair.”

Kurt huffed.  “That’s not exactly how I described it.”

Blaine reached out and rubbed his knee.  “I know.”

Kurt’s heart was fluttering, staring down at the hand.

“Okay, now you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Tell me what you look like.”

“You already know.  Brown hair, blue eyes, a little taller than you, pale.  What more could you possibly want to know?”

“Seriously?  That’s all I get?”

“Yes, I don’t know what else you want.”

“You just talked about every detail on my face and then you describe yourself as brown hair, blue eyes, taller, and pale?”

“Well, that’s how I see myself.”

“Can I touch your face?”

“Touch my…? But, what, why?”

“I want to know more about what you look like.  Touching helps me to envision it when I can feel the grooves and dips and structure.  You can say no.  I don’t want you to feel pressured – some people are weird about it so I don’t ask often.”

“I… okay.”  Skincare regime be damned.  He never let anyone touch his face.  He never really let anyone touch him.  “What do I have to do?”

“Nothing.”

Blaine scooted a little closer so their knees bumped.  He reached out and placed his hands on Kurt’s shoulders.

Kurt immediately tensed.  “That’s not my face.”

“Well, I would hope not.  Just need a point of reference to start.”

He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Blaine’s hands skimmed up the side of his neck and fingertips traced along his jaw and then further up his hairline.  “Can I touch your hair?”

No, no, definitely not, no.  “Yes.”

Blaine’s hands threaded through Kurt’s hair and for the first time he actually didn’t care that his hair was being messed up.  “Tell me about your hair again and don’t just say brown.”

The fingers continued to comb slowly back through his hair.  “It’s kind of a chestnut brown, some golden highlights in the sun.  I part it to the side and use some product to give it volume.”

The hands moved down from Kurt’s hair, thumbs tracing over his forehead and eyebrows.  “Now your eyes.”

“They’re uh, blue mostly. But sometimes they’re a little green or gray.  They change with the light.  Mercedes says they change with my mood.”  He closed his eyes and felt the feather light touch over his eyelashes.  Blaine held Kurt’s face in his hands, thumbs stroking over his cheeks and then one finger drawing down the bridge of his nose.  Blaine’s hands were so soft.  The hand still cradling his face moved to hold his jaw and a thumb slowly began to trace an outline of his mouth.  Kurt fought the urge to lick his lips.

The thumb moved over each lip, top and then bottom.  And then it ran again over his bottom lip.  “Say something else in French,” Blaine whispered.

Kurt was so focused on keeping his breathing steady that he said the first thing that came to mind.  “Tu me rends heureux.”

….

Blaine kept his thumb lightly on Kurt’s lower lip as he spoke, the warm breath sending a shiver through his body.  He dragged his finger down slowly, pulling Kurt’s dry lip lower so his lips stayed parted.  His hand slid over to cradle Kurt’s neck and before he knew it he was leaning forward.  Their lips hovered so close for mere seconds before Kurt leaned up to close the gap.  Blaine could feel so much – the soft hair at the base of Kurt’s neck as he pulled him up so they were both kneeling.  The soft lips against his own.  The warm breath as Kurt gasped when Blaine pressed their chests together.  And the heat of Kurt’s mouth as the kiss deepened, their tongues both slowly gaining confidence.  Blaine pulled back for air, placing one more small kiss on Kurt’s lips.

“I should’ve let you touch my face a long time ago,” Kurt said breathlessly.

“I should’ve asked a long time ago.”  Blaine smiled and leaned forward again to claim Kurt’s lips.

….