It was Saturday afternoon.

And Kurt was panicking.

No, like seriously.

All of this stuff was driving him up the damn wall.

He had his tux. His suit thing. That thing he was going to wear to prom.

Which was tonight. Prom was tonight. Yeah, tonight was the night that prom was.

Tonight was prom.

FUCK. Why did he ever say yes? Why was this so stressful? It was just a stupid dance. Dinner and then the stupid dance. But…but Blaine was looking forward to him looking especially nice and Kurt just thought he looked boring. At least with girls, they could all go out and get their hair all done up and they could get manicures and pedicures and do their makeup all special and stuff but Kurt was most definitely not a girl. So for the first time in like, forever, he was at a loss.

He sat in front of his vanity mirror, staring at his pale face and his frantic blue eyes.

What the hell did Blaine even see in him? Because all Kurt saw was pasty skin, an unremarkable jaw line, and dull, brown hair that was simply refusing to cooperate with him today.

He sighed heavily and began applying a thin sheen of moisturizer. It was supposed to make his skin glow, but even after he let it sit for a few minutes he didn't see a damn difference. Ugh, why was this so difficult? He threw the bottle of moisturizer at his trashcan, not even caring to see if he missed or not and flopped onto his bed. He was supposed to be at Blaine's house in two hours and he'd never been more frustrated.

Angry tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes and he rubbed them away with his fists, furious at himself for getting so worked up over one stupid night.

His phone buzzed.

He couldn't stop the slightest of smiles from spreading over his lips when he read a text message from the one person he was trying to impress.

To: Kurt

From: Blaine

I know you're probably stressing yourself out over tonight. Stop it. You'd look good even if you wore a potato sack.

Kurt released a breathless little laugh and responded immediately.

To: Blaine

From: Kurt

If only this were a hoe down. I'd love to see you in a pair of overalls with a piece of straw hanging out of your mouth.

Blaine's response was swift.

To: Kurt

From: Blaine

Hey, there's always Halloween. :)

Kurt snorted and just as he was about to reply, another text from Blaine showed up.

To: Kurt

From: Blaine

But seriously. You're going to look fantastic. I can't wait to dance with you tonight.

Blaine always knew what to say, didn't he?

With a renewed sense of confidence and determination, he sat back down in front of his vanity.

Two hours later, Kurt arrived on Blaine's doorstep, a small box in his hands which held Blaine's boutonnière.

"Kurt, dear, come in!" Cassandra greeted him. "Gracious, you look positively dashing!"

"Thank you," Kurt said, ducking his head a little.

"Blaine's up in his room," the woman told him. "He refuses to let anyone see him before you. That boy, I swear."

"I'll drag him down," Kurt said, taking the stairs up to Blaine's bedroom. He knocked softly on the closed door. "Blaine? It's me."

"Come in!" his boyfriend's voice sounded, muffled slightly by the door.

Kurt opened the door and walked in, but when he peered inside, he found no sight of Blaine.

"Where are you?"

"Here," Blaine replied, walking out of his bathroom.

And oh. Oh. Okay.

Blaine stood, clad in his tux, the color of which was such a deep blue that it was almost black. His matching tie was draped around his neck, undone and hanging loosely over his chest. His hazel eyes seemed to shine more brightly than ever before and he'd let his scruff along his jaw and on his upper lip grow out just a bit. The dark curly locks on his head which were usually free and fluffy had been slightly tamed with some sort of product, but not nearly as tame as he'd worn it when he was at Dalton. His curls just seemed so shimmer in the light of the sun glaring through his bedroom window.

He looked absolutely gorgeous.

Kurt couldn't move.

Huh, and Blaine seemed to be having a similar problem because he wasn't moving either. He simply stood there, hands frozen on the ends of his tie, looking Kurt up and down as though he was devouring every inch of him with his eyes.

"You're – you're glowing," Blaine finally breathed, sounding slightly flustered. "Kurt, I…you look beautiful."

Blaine took three steps toward Kurt and captured his lips in a sudden kiss that made Kurt stop breathing for a couple of seconds.

In hindsight, he sincerely hoped he hadn't made that moisturizer bottle in the trashcan.

The box still in his hands, his arms instinctively came up to wind around Blaine's neck, pulling him closer, flush against his body. Blaine's lips began moving south, down Kurt's chin and down even further to lick, long and hard against his Adam's apple.

"Roses," Blaine whispered as he nuzzled Kurt's neck. "I'll never be able to smell roses ever again without thinking of you."

Kurt was still having a bit of trouble breathing, but that was okay because Blaine was resting his forehead on Kurt's shoulder and it seemed like he was having some trouble too.

"Do you," Kurt had to swallow because his throat was so damn dry, "do you need help with your tie?"

"Wha – oh," Blaine stood up straight. "Sure."

Kurt set the box down on the bed and brought his hands up to fumble with the tie in question.

"You look amazing," Kurt finally said. "Just…thought I'd mention that."

Blaine gave a tiny laugh. "Thanks," he said. "But you…well, you make up for the horrid nest that is my hair."

"Nonsense," Kurt said instantly. "Your hair looks wonderful."

"You're so good to me," Blaine swooned dramatically when Kurt finished tying his tie.

"There we are," Kurt said, patting gently at the lapel of Blaine's suit jacket. "All done."

Their eyes met once more and well, it didn't seem like they were done at all because Kurt basically attacked Blaine's lips with his, their teeth clanking and hands roaming backs. Because Blaine looked hot all done up like this and Kurt couldn't help but tug at the tie he'd just fixed, trying to pull Blaine even closer and when that happened, Blaine's hips, of their own free will of course, rolled forward into Kurt's thigh. Blaine whimpered, clutching at the back of Kurt's tuxedo jacket with almost shaking hands and Kurt dropped to his knees.

"Hey, wha-"

"Shut up and enjoy," Kurt grumbled, attempted to open the placket of Blaine's pants.

"Wait no," Blaine said, reaching down and cupping Kurt's chin, forcing him to look up. "Not…no, I don't want…I don't want a quick blowjob. I…I want tonight to be really special. You can…later, you can have me all you want. But…just wait."

Kurt let his head fall against Blaine's thigh and he groaned. "You know, normally people don't complain when I'm on my knees," he remarked as he brought himself to his feet.

"People, eh? Not just me?" Blaine teased.

"Ugh, you and your morals. You have the most inconvenient moral sense, you know that?" Kurt noted, brushing off his knees.

Blaine adjusted his tie. "I do not have an inconv-"

"Quite inconvenient."

"Well, you'll appreciate it later. Trust me."

"I'd better."

"Do you want your boutonnière now or when we get downstairs?" Blaine asked.

"My parents are coming with Finn and I'm sure they'll want pictures," Kurt told him.

Blaine pressed a chaste kiss to Kurt's lips. "Then we should go down."

"I suppose," Kurt sighed.

"Hey," Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand. "You look…you look…just…"

"Thank you," Kurt whispered, squeezing Blaine's fingers. "So do you."

They shared a smile and made their way down the staircase, boxes in hand, just as the doorbell rang. Blaine opened the door, all smiles and pleasantries as Carole, Burt, Finn, and Rachel walked inside.

"Where are your dads?" Kurt asked Rachel.

"Oh we already took about a hundred pictures at my house," Rachel replied. "Isn't it pretty?"

She held out her wrist, revealing a pretty pink corsage that Finn had placed there earlier.

"Very pretty," Kurt smiled. He winked at Finn when Rachel turned her back. Pretty indeed, considering Kurt had helped Finn pick it out.

"Terribly sorry!" came Cassandra Anderson's voice. "It took us ages to find our cam – oh Blaine, darling, you look wonderful!"

"Thank you, mom," Blaine said with a pink tint on his cheeks.

"And so do you all!" Cassandra continued to gush. "Carole, so nice to see you again!"

"Burt, my man," Harold greeted. "How's the shop?"

"Good as can be," Burt replied with a nod.

"Well everyone else should be arriving soon," Cassandra said. "Blaine?"

"Oh, yeah," Blaine said, having to stop himself from staring openly at his boyfriend beside him. He opened the box in his hands, revealing a beautiful little group of three white stephanotis flowers surrounded by baby's breath.

Kurt suppressed a gasp at just how pretty the little bunch of flowers was as Blaine plucked it out of the box, handing the box to his father to hold while he pulled out the pins from the fastening.

"I'll…try not to poke you," Blaine said as he raised the boutonniere to Kurt's lapel.

"You instill confidence so easily," Kurt teased, ignoring the couple of flashes that were going off around them.

Blaine was focusing rather intensely on the pins as he slid them through Kurt's lapel and through the fastening. When he was sure he had it done right, his hands remained in their place as he looked up and smiled into Kurt's eyes. Kurt blushed fiercely as another flash went off.

"All done," Blaine whispered as he lowered his hands.

Kurt lifted his own box, opening it to show off a simple white rose, surrounded by two other petit white roses and a cluster of baby's breath as well. He handed the empty box to his own father and leaned in closer to Blaine's ear as he pulled out the pins.

"Because I know how much you like the smell of roses," he said, nearly inaudible.

Blaine pressed their cheeks together, acknowledging that he received the touching message, and then Kurt pulled away to pin the little groups of flowers on Blaine's lapel as well. When he was done, Kurt leaned forward to rest their foreheads against each other, their noses barely brushing, heedless of the 'aww's' and the cameras snapping wildly.

"It looks really good," Blaine said quietly.

"You look really good," Kurt replied.

"Blaine, darling, can we get a few of you boys on the staircase?" Cassandra asked with a smile on her face.

"Sure," Blaine said, tugging Kurt up a few steps. "Oh, I'm going to have to get in front, huh? Since I'm shorter."

Everyone laughed at that bit but Kurt simply said, "We can do two sets."

Multitudes of pictures were taken, some with Kurt on the lower step and others with Blaine in front. Some showed their arms around each other's waists, some showed them leaning on the banister together, and others included Rachel and Finn as well.

By that time, Kurt was pretty sure the memory cards were almost full and thankfully the other Glee kids began to show up, as did the most awesome white, Escalade stretch limousine. Even more pictures were taken and the girls were fawning over each other's dresses and hairstyles.

"Hey," Burt said, stopping Kurt and Blaine as everyone else began climbing into the limousine. "Can I talk to you guys for a sec?"

With a nervous expression, Kurt pulled Blaine behind him as his father led them off to the side of the rest of the teenagers.

"I just…I wanted to say that…" Burt seemed to be floundering and Kurt wished his dad would just get to the point because this wasn't really like him at all. "You boys look great," Burt finally said. He shot a pointed look towards Blaine. "You both do."

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel," Blaine replied graciously.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, kid, but you can call me Burt."

Blaine gave a sincere smile. "Thank you, Burt."

"I want you two to have a good time tonight," Burt continued. "Don't…don't let anybody get you down. You have the right to have just as much fun as the rest of those kids. I want you to dance every chance you get and…and don't drink the punch, because some idiot will probably spike it."

"Thank you, dad," Kurt said, suppressing a couple of tears as he reached out to hug his father.

"You're welcome," Burt mumbled, hugging his son tightly and then releasing him, almost reluctantly.

And then, quite unexpectedly, Burt also reached out and pulled Blaine into a hug that was just as warm and just as loving.

"You show my boy a good time tonight," he whispered into Blaine's ear.

"Without a doubt," Blaine said softly. "Thank you, Burt."

"You bet."

With that little moment done and over with, they bid their parents farewell, sure to tell them they'd see them tomorrow, and climbed into the limo with their friends. Kurt insisted they share the seat in the back, the one that faced forward properly, because he didn't know if he might get motion sickness from sitting any other way. But that was fine with Blaine. He'd do pretty much anything for Kurt tonight because he was going to make this the best prom experience ever.

The ride to the restaurant went as expected, everyone drinking sodas and energy drinks that were stock piled inside the multiple mini fridges in the limo and singing along with whatever song someone else started singing.

All the while, Blaine kept Kurt close, hip to hip with an arm around his waist.

Kurt didn't mind that at all.

Dinner was a fun little fiasco. They'd reserved one of the rooms because they knew they'd be far too loud for any of the other guests and at the end, Kurt was insisting on paying for dinner.

"Your parents paid for the limo, I can pay for dinner," Kurt argued.

"But I don't want you to have to pay for anything," Blaine returned. "I just want you to enjoy tonight."

"This is your prom too, need I remind you."

"Is this going to be the hot cocoa argument all over again?"

"Please," Kurt begged, sliding his hand down Blaine's thigh under the table. "If you want me to enjoy tonight, let me pay."

Caught in a trap, Blaine threw up a white flag and slid his wallet back into his pocket.

"Thank you," Kurt said with a genuine smile, sliding his card into the holder and handing it to the waiter.

The ride to the hotel was more of the same, everyone loud and rowdy and singing. When the driver pulled up and opened the door for them, Blaine graciously thanked the man and slid him a fifty dollar bill, making sure Kurt didn't see, before he led his boyfriend inside to the front desk to pick up their card keys for the room his parents had reserved for them.

And when the group entered the ball room, they certainly weren't expecting anything as extravagant as they saw. It looked like Sue Sylvester had forked over mounds of her Cheerios money to decorate the place. It was elegant and lovely and the tables were decorated so nicely that Kurt was blown away by the entire set up.

"Wow," Blaine commented. "Looks like they really went all out this year."

"Agreed," Kurt said as the entire group moved over to a couple of tables.

"I wonder if they – ah! Be right back!"

Blaine shot off in some direction so quickly that Kurt had to lift an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's that about?" Jared asked.

"No idea," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"You guys are going to dance, right?" Jared wondered.

"That's the plan," Kurt nodded. "Why?"

"Oh just…if you guys wanted pictures…I'd take some for you," Jared said. Kurt couldn't tell if he was blushing, the lighting was too dim.

"I didn't bring my camera, actu-"

"I brought mine," Blaine said when he returned with two champagne flutes filled with something bubbly. "Here." He handed one of the glasses to Kurt.

"Oh," Kurt said, accepting the glass. It seemed Blaine really wanted to fulfill every notion in the speech he'd made to Kurt, the one when they were dancing in the rain. "Thank you."

"To a fantastic night," Blaine toasted.

"To a fantastic night," Kurt agreed, smiling broadly and clinking his glass to Blaine's before taking a sip. "Sparkling cider, indeed."

Blaine grinned and set his glass down, urging Kurt to set his down as well. "What did you need the camera for?" He slid the item in question out of his pocket.

"You're always so prepared," Kurt commented.

"It's because I'm dapper."

"Oh is it, now?"

"I was just telling Kurt that if you guys wanted to dance, I'd take pictures for you," Jared interrupted their flirting.

"Pictures!" Blaine exclaimed, shoving the camera into Jared's hands and pulling Kurt against his side.

"Okay then," Kurt yelped as Jared flicked the camera on and Blaine pressed their cheeks together.

"Smile!" Jared called cheerily, peering at the little screen on the back of the camera.

Blaine made sure to wrap his arms around Kurt's waist, pulling him even closer, and grinning broadly. When Kurt felt Blaine's cheek twist up, he had to smile too and then the flash went off.

"You guys are way too cute," Santana remarked, peering over Jared's shoulder at the screen.

"Let me s-"

"Ah!" Jared pulled the camera away from Blaine's grabby hands. "You don't get to look at all of them until later! That way it'll be a surprise!" He pocketed the device and then Santana dragged Jared off to the dance floor.

"What if I look hideous in a picture, though?"

"You never look hideous," Blaine told a worried Kurt. "But when I look like an idiot in some of them, we can laugh about it later."

"Hm."

"You want to dance? That's why we're here after all."

Kurt adjusted his tie. "I'm not the best dancer."

"Bullshit," Blaine said, sliding his hand into Kurt's. "I've seen the way you move those hips."

"Blaine!" Kurt flushed red instantly.

"In Glee club!" Blaine laughed. "You didn't let me finish! Ahah, I was going to say when we dance in Glee club!"

"Sure you were," Kurt said, peering at him through narrowed eyes.

"Well," Blaine leaned in closer to Kurt's ear, "you do know how to work them in the bedroom too."

Kurt blushed even more and nudged his nose against Blaine's cheek. "Blaine you can't say things like that, not here."

"Just wait until I get you into out hotel room," Blaine breathed.

"Nngh," Kurt moaned, the noise caught in his throat, grateful for the loud music coming through the huge speakers.

"Come on," Blaine said, tugging Kurt away from the tables. "Let's put those hips of yours to good use."

"You're insane!" Kurt had to shout as they got closer to the dance floor and the speakers.

"But you love me!" Blaine yelled back.

"I'm starting to question that judgment!"

"Just dance with me!"

So Kurt did. He remembered dancing like this before, with the music thrumming, the bass pounding, and everyone jumping up and down. But this time, there was no trashcan punch and no drugging of his drink; there was just this warm happy feeling settling in his stomach and flowing through his limbs as he watched Blaine's curls bounce around on his head. A bunch of the other Glee kids wound up surrounding them and they moved around in this giant bubble of laughter as they watched Mike and Brittany go crazy with their dance moves. It was just…it was fun. Kurt watched as Jared would pause occasionally, snapping a few pictures of the group with Blaine's camera before joining back in. But eventually Kurt's legs got tired and it was really hot with everyone packed in so close and he excused himself back to the table and finished off his glass of cider as he watched his friends.

He took in the room around him. It wasn't like school, the way people refused to intermingle with other groups. The dance floor was simply full of anyone and everyone all pressed together. Sure, they seemed to be grouped by their cliques that Kurt usually saw in the hallways, but they weren't afraid to rub shoulders with other people from other cliques and he even saw Quinn complimenting Lauren Zises' choice of prom dress.

Along a far wall, where it looked like Blaine had retrieved their cider, was a long table filled with punch bowls and champagne glasses and snacks of all sorts. He saw Jacob Ben Israel hoarding a bowl of chocolate covered pretzels and at each end of the table stood two giant chocolate fountains, surrounded by bowls of strawberries.

It seemed like, for one, single night at least, people were willing to put aside everything else and just enjoy themselves.

Kurt thought back to a few hours ago, when he was frustrated with saying yes when Blaine asked him to come here, and realized he was very, very glad that he did not say no.

"Having fun?" Finn asked as he sat down next to Kurt, a glass of punch in his hand.

"Yeah," Kurt said with a smile. "I am."

"I'm glad, dude," Finn said, clapping his brother on his shoulder. "I'm glad we all rode here together too, that limo was awesome."

"I'll be sure to tell Blaine's parents."

"Are you and Blaine gonna slow dance later?" Finn felt he had to ask. "Because you should, you know. Just 'cause you're like, two guys or whatever…doesn't mean you shouldn't."

"I know," Kurt smiled. "And don't worry, we'll dance."

"Cool," Finn nodded. "Ohmygod, they have ice cream!"

And then Finn shot off in the direction of the snack tables. Kurt shook his head and laughed, still slightly baffled at his brother's obsession with food.

"Hey," Blaine greeted, slightly breathless and a little sweaty, taking up his glass of cider. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Kurt's forehead. "It's hot as shit over there." He tugged on his tie a little bit, loosening the thing and unbuttoning the top few buttons of his dress shirt.

Kurt looked his boyfriend up and down, noticing a few drops of sweat at his hair line and the way his chest was heaving as he panted slightly.

"I can tell," Kurt finally said, almost feeling the need to loosen his own tie at the sight of his hot, sweaty lover.

"You okay?" Blaine asked, swallowing the rest of the cider and Kurt couldn't help but watch the way his throat worked around the liquid.

"Just cooling off," Kurt replied. And so yeah, he might have meant that in more ways than one at this point.

"Understandable," Blaine nodded. "Do you want anything from the snack table?"

Kurt scanned the length of the table, watching as Finn tried to grab a handful or pretzels and then watching as Jacob ran off with the entire bowl.

"Let's go get strawberries." Kurt stood, taking Blaine's hand and walking them both over to the closest chocolate fondue fountain. He noticed that, not only did they have strawberries, but they had various nuts and raisins and…oh. They had cherries too.

"This night keeps getting better and better," Blaine said with a grin, reaching for one of the little bowls and filling it with things. Kurt only allowed himself two strawberries and…yeah, okay, he had a weakness for cherries, so he grabbed a few stems of those and then they let the chocolate pour into their bowls. "Here," Blaine said, plucking the stem of one of the cherries in his bowl, letting a bit of excess chocolate drip down before holding it out.

Blushing only slightly, Kurt leaned over and snapped the chocolate covered cherry off with his teeth and sucked the little fruit into his mouth. He watched as Blaine watched him, watched his every movement and then he saw Blaine's eyes go a little darker.

And because he could, he played the tease, turned around on his heel, and headed back towards the table, Blaine following him almost like a puppy dog.

"You should eat cherries all the time," Blaine remarked as they sat down with their bowls.

"That would be spoiling you." Kurt fished out a strawberry and licked all the chocolate off, watching Blaine's eyes go wide at the action.

"…You can't sit there and eat things like that and expect me not to jump you."

"You'll appreciate it later," Kurt said, echoing Blaine's own words from earlier. "Trust me."

"You're fucking evil."

"Only in the best way," Kurt said as he bit down into the strawberry.

"If you keep teasing me like that," Blaine rifled through his own bowl, avoiding Kurt's eyes, "you won't get any of me tonight."

"Well, at least you have Herman to go home too, then."

"Always gotta bring Herman into it, don't you?"

"Your love for that plant is unhealthy."

"So my love for us is unhealthy?" Blaine asked, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically. "Your faith in our relationship is so reassuring."

"It always comes back to that metaphor."

"Just wait until we move in together," Blaine said. "Herman grows on you."

"Of course he grows on you, he's a plant."

"He can live with Klaine on our mantle."

"Oh lord."

"It will be a beautiful thing."

"You're ridiculous."

At that moment, the DJ near the front announced the first slow song of the night. Their witty bit of flirting came to a halt and Blaine looked at Kurt with…with so much emotion in his eyes as Kurt finished swiping at his lips and fingers with a napkin that Kurt thought his heart might just burst. Blaine tossed his own napkin down on the tabletop. He held out his hand.

"Dance with me."

And Kurt couldn't say no.

So he let Blaine tug him back on the dance floor. They stopped somewhere between Finn and Rachel, Tina and Mike, but then Blaine pulled him into his arms, his hands settling gently on Kurt's hips. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and really, all they were doing was swaying to the music, they were barely shuffling their feet.

But it didn't matter how much they were moving, the only thing that mattered was that they were there together and they were dancing at their senior prom together. Kurt didn't recognize the song, but the lyrics made him smile. They made him smile so much that he wanted to cry.

I close my eyes and I smile
Knowing that everything is alright
To the core
So close that door
Is this happening?

My breath is on your hair
I'm unaware
That you opened the blinds and let the city in
God, you held my hand
And we stand
Just taking in everything.

And maybe it was odd that Kurt was taller, maybe it was odd that his arms were wound around Blaine's neck instead of the other way around, but everything kind of felt perfect in this moment.

And I knew it from the start
So my arms are open wide
Your head is on my stomach
And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep
Here we are
On this 18th floor balcony.
We're both flying away.

Blaine's grip tightened on his hips and Kurt took a tiny step forward, his arms folding over themselves around Blaine's neck. Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder, his dark curly head pressed against Kurt's neck and jaw. He felt Blaine's breath through his suit jacket, through his shirt, and it burned his skin beneath. Kurt inhaled, savoring the sweet scent of coconut shampoo in his lover's hair.

So we talked about moms and dads
About family pasts
Just getting to know where we came from
Our hearts were on display
For all to see
I can't believe this is happening to me.

The rest of the world dissolved, and Kurt felt like he was in a trance, like he was warm in the sunlight, like they were lost in this hazy cocoon of something soft and natural.

And I raised my hand as if to show you that I was yours
That I was so yours for the taking
I'm so yours for the taking
That's when I felt the wind pick up
I grabbed the rail while choking up
These words to say and then you kissed me.

Blaine lifted his head from Kurt's shoulder, owl eyes glistening with unshed tears as he looked up at Kurt through dark lashes. But despite his tears, Blaine's smile was genuinely happy and so Kurt smiled too, lowering his head, their dry lips meeting slowly, sweetly.

I knew it from the start
So my arms are open wide
Your head is on my stomach
And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep
Here we are
On this 18th floor balcony
We're both flying away.

They soaked up every second, every precious moment, every sense of right in the air and then they parted lips.

No one was looking at them. No one noticed them. No one said hurtful things, no one frowned upon them sharing this dance.

And I'll try to sleep
To keep you in my dreams
'til I can bring you home with me
I'll try to sleep
And when I do I'll keep you in my... dreams

They were barely moving their feet now, but Blaine let his head fall to Kurt's shoulder once more, this time with his faced pressed into Kurt's neck. Kurt leaned his head, resting his cheek on Blaine's forehead, a stray curl tickling at Kurt's cheekbone.

I knew it from the start
So my arms are open wide
Your head is on my stomach
And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep
So here we are
On this 18th floor balcony, yeah

I knew it from the start
My arms are open wide
Your head is on my stomach
No, we're not going to sleep

Here we are
On this 18th floor balcony... we're both
Flying away

The song drew to a delicate close but for nearly five glorious minutes they were able to revel in each other and nothing else at all.

"I love you," Blaine whispered.

"I love you too, Blaine." Kurt kissed Blaine's forehead before they had to pull away and then the music changed to some other fast song.

The moment was over and Kurt wanted it back.

His emotions must have been clear on his face because then Blaine said, "Don't worry. There will be plenty of other slow songs."

And so there were.

They slow danced to every single one but Kurt thought that none of them would feel as perfect as the first one did. But that was okay.

Apparently there was quite a lot of drama going on around them. But Kurt had heard school dances generally had a few teary-eyed betrayed girlfriends and guys that were fed up with their girls being too clingy. Finn snapped at Rachel once over something, Kurt didn't know over what. But he watched as Mercedes dragged her out of the ballroom and into the bathroom, he and Blaine seated at their table, Blaine's suit jacket tossed over the back of his chair.

"Glad we don't have to worry about that," Blaine remarked, nodding his head towards the girls.

"Mmm," Kurt agreed. "So when do we get to go up to the room and fuck until we can't anymore?"

Blaine snapped his head around to Kurt, his mouth gaping open at the sudden frankness of his boyfriend's words. "Uh…I – oh. Well they still haven't announced prom king and queen yet."

"Ugh, really, we have to stay through that crap?"

"It's part of the experience."

"Why do you keep acting like you've done this before? You know so much."

At their table, Blaine lowered his head and toyed with the stem of his glass.

"I – I went to prom with Daniel. He was a junior and I was a sophomore so he had to invite me. It was hosted by Dalton but of course everyone brought their girlfriends or had dates from our sister school. It wasn't nearly as fun as this though."

"Oh."

"Actually, it kind of sucked. That was the night I found out he was cheating on me. I walked into the bathroom and he was feeling up some other guy."

"Wha – so this entire night, you've – you've been trying to make this special for me when it's really…really you that needs a special night? Blaine, why didn't-"

"You don't…you don't understand," Blaine said, scooting his chair closer to Kurt so that their thighs were pressed together. "Doing this kind of stuff, making it special for you and seeing you have a good time…it does make it special for me. Seeing you just…enjoy yourself, seeing you happy…with me is plenty redemption in my eyes."

Kurt sat slightly stunned. "…You really are a romantic. I don't know if you've come to terms with this or not, but that's exactly what you are."

Blaine shrugged. "I'd rather be a romantic than an asshole."

"Well, I happen to like that you're a romantic," Kurt said, prying one of Blaine's hands from the glass stem so he could slide their fingers together.

Blaine smiled slowly and he was just about to say something else when Finn plopped down into the chair next to him.

"Girls are so…ugh, whatever. You two are lucky."

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked. "Why did Rachel run out crying?"

"Dude, she didn't even want to let me go to the freakin' bathroom by myself. I don't – it's like she doesn't get that I love her. I'm not gonna cheat on her."

"You should tell her that," Kurt said. "If you really mean it."

"But I have. I've told her like, a billion times!"

"Another reason why I'm gay," Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah, well. Lucky you."

"Uh…Finn?" Blaine gestured his head towards the door. Rachel stood there, wiping her tears away.

"Guess I should…go apologize."

"Probably for the best," Blaine agreed.

After watching his brother make up with his girlfriend, their conversation turned to trivial things until Jacob Ben Israel stood on a stage near the DJ. Kurt would never understand why they got this kid to present things. His public speaking skills were worthless. He nattered on about something or another, Kurt really wasn't paying attention because Blaine was looking at him like he wanted to rip off his clothes and take him to the hotel room right fucking then. Jacob announced the prom king and queen, some cheerleader and some football player. The epitome of a cliché, Kurt said sassily in his own mind. And just when Blaine was going to go find Jared so they could get his camera back, Sue Sylvester took the stage.

"I don't want to be up here any longer than I have to," she began, "so shut up and listen."

Everyone went silent immediately. Kurt's curiosity was definitely piqued so he turned to face the stage.

"We all know this is the last year I have to deal with this round of useless misfits. That being said, the student body has settled on another award they wish to give to one of you tonight. There's a certain person in this room who's had to deal with a lot more crap than most. Let me just say that I find it outrageously ironic that the same kids who dished the crap out to this person are the same kids who suddenly want to give them this award. So will Kurt Hummel aka Sweet Porcelain approach the stage?"

Kurt was frozen on the spot, his eyes wide as saucers. Finn had to steer him up front towards the stage and nudge him forward so he'd take the stairs up and stand by the cheerleading coach.

"It seems, Porcelain, that there are a lot of mentally deranged teenagers in this group that want to say they're sorry. I should think so," Sue glared out at the mass of students, "after they saw you nearly get shoved into a freaking coma last year. And they want to give you this little thing after most of them stood by and did nothing."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pendant, about as big as the size of her palm, in the shape of a shield.

"The Badge of Courage," she explained. Suddenly, the students broke out into applause and he could hear Puck whistling loudly from their tables. She placed the pendant into Kurt's hand. She lowered her voice. "Because you sure as hell deserve something."

Absolutely stunned, Kurt surveyed the little pendant and saw the word courage inscribed on the gold surface. He turned out towards his uh, audience, lowered his head in an awkward nod when he saw a sea of smiling faces (except for a few) and smiled back at them.

"Aaaand we're done here," Sue said with finality, dragging him off the stage.

She left him then, and as he made his way back over to his friends, he received a few pats on the back and lots of big smiles.

"Did you know about this?" Kurt asked his boyfriend.

"No, actually, I didn't."

"Well we couldn't tell you," Quinn said to Blaine. "You would have said something."

"Wha – I'm an excellent secret keeper! We pulled off the birthday kidnapping just fine!"

"Yeah, but this was something way bigger, dude," Finn said, hugging the bowl of pretzels he'd stolen from Jacob Ben Israel. "Do you like it?"

Kurt opened his palm, letting his thumb rub over the pendant once more. "Yeah," he admitted before pocketing the thing. "Though I don't know what any of you people expect me to wear it with. I never wear anything gold."

Everyone burst into laughter and Blaine sidled up to Kurt, putting an arm around his waist. "Congratulations," he whispered into Kurt's ear.

"Thank you," Kurt spoke just as softly.

"See, not everyone at this school is that bad," Puck pointed out.

"Whose idea was it though?" Blaine wondered.

"No one knows," Rachel informed. "It was just kind of spread around that it would be happening. No one even argued the point."

Wow, Kurt thought, thoroughly stunned. He'd spent four years at this horrible institution of learning. He could have died at this school. In the four years he'd attended William McKinley High School, he'd been shoved, slushied, dumpster-tossed, ridiculed, taunted, and nearly ended up in a coma and everyone around didn't even lift a finger to help him. As much as he appreciated the sentiment, he couldn't help but…be kind agitated. 'Oh, here, we're going to give you this little token of our love, even though everyone still hates you because you're gay'.

"I think you deserve it," Blaine said to him. "Sure, it's kind of a cop out, like everyone's trying to say 'sorry we treated you like shit', but you know, even if it's four years too late at least they realized they were wrong. And…and maybe them seeing that or them realizing that…you know, maybe it will help them with their intolerance in the future."

Kurt stared at Blaine because, huh, he didn't think about it. He'd suffered for years and now…maybe…maybe his pain would help someone else down the line. Maybe one of the kids he went to school with will run into someone gay at their university or wherever they plan on working and…maybe they'll think back to Kurt. And maybe they'll think of this night and maybe, just maybe, it'll stop them from being such horrible people to someone else.

Well, that was kind of nice.

"Yeah," Kurt finally agreed. "Maybe it will."

Blaine smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. "Oh hey, Jared, can I have my camera?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, here. I took uh – lots. Not just of you guys, but of everything."

"Awesome, thanks," Blaine said, dropping the slim camera in his pocket. He turned to Kurt. "You ready?"

"Yeah – oh, wait," Kurt stopped, listening to the song that suddenly came through the speakers. "Can we…one more dance?"

Blaine looked to Kurt, hearing the song as well and nodded, holding out his hand. Kurt took it willingly, following behind Blaine as they made their way to the dance floor for the last time. This time, Blaine put one hand on Kurt's waist, holding their joined hands up as Kurt slid his own free hand up to Blaine's shoulder, much like the day they danced in the rain.

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you
Yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down
I want to come too…

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you

Blaine led them around slowly, tilting his head and smiling at Kurt, who naturally returned a similar smile. Sometimes Kurt liked to think this song was almost made for them.

No one understands me quite like you do
Through all of the shadowy corners of me

I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew…
Ahh…

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you
Yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine
now I'm shining too

Because, you know, coffee shops were kind of their thing. Blaine even named his teddy bear in lieu of that fact. Kurt couldn't have a sip of a latte or a mocha or even just plain old coffee that Carole made at home without thinking of the boy he loved.

Because, oh because
I've fallen quite hard over you

If I didn't know you, I'd rather not know
If I couldn't have you, I'd rather be alone

Blaine stepped a bit closer, causing them to slow their pace to a mere shuffle of feet, but he pressed his cheek to Kurt's (well, really it was more his cheekbone and his temple, considering their height difference) but Kurt pressed back gently. Their eyes fell closed, their chests rising and falling against the other's.

I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while, I never knew
I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while, I never knew

All of the while, All of the while it was you
You…
You…
You…

Kurt didn't want to move, the music still lingering in his ears and Blaine warm against him and all around him. Because the song was beautiful and it did something to his heart.

"It's like it's our song," Blaine whispered when the song finally ended.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed softly. "It is."

Blaine kissed Kurt's jaw sweetly before pulling away, their hands still clasped. "Let's go to our room."

Yes, please, Kurt thought. He decided the first and the last dance of the night would be the most memorable.

They made their way back over to their friends, making sure to give goodbye hugs while Blaine gave Rachel the limousine driver's number so they could contact him when they were all ready to leave.

"Uh…how are we getting home tomorrow?" Kurt had to ask.

"My parents will send a car," Blaine assured him.

Oh, hey that was kind of cool.

"We'll see you guys on Monday!" Blaine called out, his suit jacket hanging on his finger over his shoulder and his other arm around Kurt's waist.

They moved out of the ballroom, into the large lobby and over to the elevator.

"I still can't believe you didn't allow me to bring a bag or a change of clothes or anything like that," Kurt huffed as Blaine pressed the elevator button.

"You won't need it," Blaine promised him.

"I will wake up tomorrow and I will look awful."

"You never look awful," Blaine said, pushing him inside the open elevator door and punching their floor number on the button panel.

"So says you," Kurt drawled, "who wakes up and looks adorable."

"You worry too much," Blaine said, planting a kiss on Kurt's cheek.

"Hmm."

They stayed silent until the elevator doors opened up and Blaine checked a piece of paper in his pocket. "This way," he said motioning down the hall with his hand.

Kurt followed, noticing how tastefully decorated even just the hallways were. But nothing could have prepared them for when Blaine slid the key card in the door and pushed it open.

"Jesus," Blaine said aloud.

Uh…yeah.

The room was huge. Actually, no, this was just the freaking anteroom thing. Apparently, Blaine's parents had reserved them a suite.

"Why did they…Blaine, we don't need a…parlor…living room…thing!"

"I don't…huh," Blaine said as they moved fully into the room, shutting and locking the door behind them. "Maybe they just want to let themselves think that we didn't want a hotel room solely for the sake of having loads in uninterrupted sex."

"Ah. Well, we'll let them keep thinking that," Kurt said with a grin before darting through a door.

Blaine followed and sweet…good god. The bed was an enormous four poster bed, covered in pristine white linens that had already been folded down. The foot of the bed was…

Wow. The foot of the bed was littered with fresh daisies.

He'd seriously have to thank his parents when he got home tomorrow.

A bottle of champagne was sitting on ice on an extra table near the dresser.

Okay, so maybe he'd do a lot of thanking.

Kurt squealed, kicked off his shoes, and threw himself face first onto the huge bed.

"Blaine, ohmygod," he mumbled into the sheets. "It smells like lavender."

"Wha – really?" Blaine asked in awe, pulling his own shoes off and tossing them on the ground before joining Kurt on the bed. "Holy shit it does."

"Mmm," Kurt nuzzled his face into the bed.

"No. Way," Blaine stated when he turned his head.

Because somehow, they hadn't seen it before, situated in front of the pillows was a towel. It was a towel that had been twisted and folded into the shape of a teddy bear.

"Kurt, look!" Blaine said happily, holding his prize out for Kurt to see.

Kurt turned his face to see what Blaine was talking about and oh my god.

"If you name it, Blaine, I swear I'll toss you off the balcony."

"There's a balcony?" Blaine asked, setting the towel bear on one of the nightstands. He climbed off the bed and over to two giant, curtained doors. He pulled them open. "Oh. There is."

"I was only guessing," Kurt said as he slid over next to Blaine. "Oh, it's so pretty."

And it was. They were quite high up and as they looked over the railing, they could see limousines coming and going beneath them and the sounds of teenage laughter tinkling in the air. The stars shone quite bright, as did the moon, in the sky tonight.

"I have a feeling I'll be thanking your parents for the rest of my life," Kurt said.

"Did you see the champagne? They got us champagne."

"And now I'll have to have a written inscription on my tombstone thanking them," Kurt continued. "Blaine this is…it's amazing."

"I'm glad you like it," Blaine smiled. "Stay here."

Blaine went back inside and with his trust-fund baby expertise, popped open the champagne without it spilling all over the room. He filled two glasses and brought one back out to Kurt.

"To us," Blaine stated, lifting his glass.

"To us," Kurt agreed quietly, making their second toast of the night before they took a sip.

They stood outside on the balcony, leaning on the rail with their arms touching, and sipped at their champagne, simply enjoying the moment. Out of the corner of his eyes, Kurt could see Blaine looking at him.

"Enjoying the view?" Kurt asked.

"I can't help it, the view is very enjoyable."

"Mhmm."

"Kurt…can I kiss you?"

Kurt turned to Blaine, taking his champagne glass away and setting both glasses on the table right inside the doors. He wound his arms around Blaine, pulling him flush against his body.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Kurt whispered, leaning in closer, "you never have to ask to kiss me."

With no further hesitation, Blaine closed the space between them and they met in a slow, sensual, delightfully long kiss. Their lips moved over each other's with a practiced ease and Blaine brought his hands up to cup Kurt's cheek. Every so slowly, Kurt slid his tongue out, tickling at Blaine's lips and teeth until Blaine allowed him entrance and Kurt slipped his tongue inside. He swirled it around, tasting every centimeter of Blaine's mouth and Blaine still tasted like champagne and a tiny bit of chocolate and good god, it was an aphrodisiac.

The time for sweet and slow had passed, Kurt decided.

He moved his hands down to grip Blaine's ass, pulling their hips together and he heard Blaine gasp into their open mouths. Fuck, the sounds Blaine always made…

"We're taking advantage of the bed. Right now," Kurt stated as he tugged Blaine back inside with him by his tie, not even caring about the open balcony doors.

Blaine groaned loudly when Kurt shoved him onto the bed, immediately straddling his waist and leaning back down, their lips colliding once more. Kurt bit down hard on Blaine's bottom lip, worrying it between his teeth and then Blaine's hips jerked up instinctively. Kurt fisted Blaine's hair and he might as well have been working out any and all of the product Blaine had put in it earlier to tame his curls and then Blaine's hands reached between them, undoing Kurt's tie and tugging it off quickly as though it were offensive.

"Kurt, god," Blaine hissed when Kurt began sucking harshly at a spot on his neck. "I – fuck, we need to – clothes…we need less clothes."

"I've never agreed with you more," Kurt replied, his voice deeper than Blaine had ever heard it.

Both of them fumbled with their own buttons and then Blaine slid Kurt's suit jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground behind him. Somewhere in his mind, Kurt knew that he should probably hang that up because it was going to be seriously wrinkled tomorrow but ha, fuck if any of that mattered because now they were both completely shirtless. They had tossed their dress shirts somewhere and Kurt could see Blaine's tie hanging over the edge of the footboard just before he reattached his lips and teeth to Blaine's neck.

"Nngh, yes," Blaine moaned, sliding his blunt nails down Kurt's pale back. "Kurt, bite…just…please…"

Oh okay, Blaine had never requested that before and now Kurt was seriously intrigued. So he ceded to Blaine's pleading and bit down harder than he ever had while simultaneously pulling harshly at Blaine's curls. Hot damn, Blaine had never gripped his hips THAT hard, but he was now so Kurt did it again and Blaine dug his fingers into the muscled flesh of Kurt's ass, effectively grinding their erections together so hard it was almost painful. Kurt bit down again and Blaine almost twitched so hard that Kurt was afraid the sudden movement would send them tumbling off the bed.

"God, you're so hot," Kurt breathed against Blaine's neck, pressing wet, sloppy kisses to the skin there. "Fuck me, please, please…"

"M-my jacket, look in my jacket pocket."

His body nearly shaking with need, Kurt clambered off of Blaine and found his boyfriend's suit jacket which he'd tossed on a chair and fished around in the pockets while Blaine slid out of his pants. What the hell was he even looking f – oh. Sneaky little thing. He tossed the little bottle of lube onto the bed.

"Always the prepared one," Kurt noted as he began undoing his own pants.

"One of us has to be," Blaine said in a husky voice.

While Kurt shed the rest of his clothing, Blaine perched himself on his knees on top of the bed, reaching down to stroke himself. Kurt stood by the bed post, his eyes locked on his fantastically beautiful boyfriend until the need to taste overcame him. He climbed back onto the bed and Blaine watched through heated, dark eyes as Kurt climbed on all fours right up to him and Blaine kept watching as Kurt slid his tongue out and licked over the purpling head of Blaine's cock. Kurt's eyes turned up to look at him and Blaine's almost came right then and there from the sight alone.

"Kurt-" and apparently the way Blaine's voice cracked helped Kurt get the message loud and clear because Kurt slid his tight lips over Blaine's length. Blaine's eyes fell shut and his head lolled backwards and he moaned loudly.

And then Kurt moaned around him in his mouth because, yeah, the sounds Blaine always made seemed to send the blood rushing south and he could feel himself getting even harder as he hollowed out his cheeks and sucked forcefully.

"Fuck, yes…mmm," Blaine's hands both came up to thread through Kurt's hair as he slid his teeth over the head of Blaine's cock. Blaine peered back down at Kurt, watching his cherry red lips slide over him, watching as the saliva from Kurt's mouth glistened on his length and fuck, he felt the back of Kurt's throat and he had to use his hands to hold Kurt in place because he did not want this to end so soon. Kurt seemed to understand though and let Blaine's cock slide out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry," Blaine breathed. "It was too much and I-"

"I know," Kurt said, getting to his knees and taking Blaine's face in his hands. He kissed him quickly. "I know."

With nothing else needing to be said, Blaine crashed their lips together in a desperate kiss, pulling Kurt's naked body closer. God, and Kurt could kiss Blaine forever, he thought.

"Do you still want me to fuck you?" Blaine asked into Kurt's mouth before he sucked on his lover's tongue. But since Blaine was busy with his tongue, the only way Kurt could agree was by taking Blaine's hands and forcing them to grip Kurt's own ass and Blaine's hips twitched a little. Blaine released Kurt's tongue and brought two of his fingers up to Kurt's mouth. "Suck," he ordered.

Kurt almost moaned but he did as he was told, sucking Blaine's fingers into his mouth. He tongued the two digits thoroughly but kept his eyes locked on Blaine's while Blaine watched him through lust-blown pupils. Kurt opened his mouth and licked wetly at the fingers before Blaine pulled them away and reached behind Kurt, seeking out his entrance and slowly sliding the two spit-slick fingers inside. Kurt's hands immediately gripped Blaine's shoulders, holding on for all he was worth as Blaine kissed his temple and stretched him easily.

"B-Blaine," Kurt stuttered. "I – oh god…"

"Shh," Blaine said, his fingers still moving. He then slid his hands into Kurt's hair and forced the other boy's head up so he could lick slowly across Kurt's swollen lips. Kurt nearly melted but then Blaine removed his fingers, bringing his hands to Kurt's hips and urging him to lie down on the bed. He watched Kurt's pale chest heave as he panted, so eager and so ready to have Blaine inside him as Blaine slicked his erection up with lube from the tiny bottle. Settling himself between Kurt's open thighs, he leaned down and pressed a heated, hard kiss to Kurt's open mouth. "Put your legs on my shoulders."

Kurt pulled away from the kiss. "That is the most undignified position to ever exist," he said.

So Blaine lifted Kurt's legs up to his shoulders on his own anyway.

"I don't even know wh – ah!"

Kurt stopped speaking when he felt Blaine's cock breach his tight ring of muscle. Blaine would have laughed had Kurt not felt so heavenly around him, so perfectly tight, and then he pushed inside more, sure to go slow so as not to hurt Kurt but then he was buried deep inside and because of the angle, he was already brushing against Kurt's prostate.

"Fuck," Kurt hissed between clenched teeth, pulling Blaine even closer by using his legs and wrapping his ankles around Blaine's neck. "God, yes…"

"You were saying?" Blaine panted when began moving his hips slowly.

"Fuck you," Kurt groaned, his head tossing back and forth on the pillow with every thrust because god, every single time, Blaine was hitting that one spot and he was coming unfuckingglued.

"I thought I was," Blaine teased, pulling out and thrusting back in. Hard.

"Blaine!" Kurt very nearly screamed. "Don't stop, don't stop!"

"Never," Blaine groaned, leaning his head down and licking long and hard at a spot right under Kurt's jaw. "God, never…"

"Yes, yes…"

Blaine was sweating and his hips were moving perfectly and every time his cock hit Kurt's prostate, Kurt would tense and squeeze down around him. Blaine was losing his god damn mind by this point and Kurt's cock was leaking pre-come, pressed against their stomachs between them and fuck why did the sheets have to smell like lavender right now? It was a strange heady scent mixed with roses and the scent of sex and fuck, he did not want this to end. But he could already feel that coiling low in his belly and when his pulled his head away from the crook of Kurt's neck, he saw that Kurt looked…god, Kurt looked hot as fuck with his eyes shut tight and a flush that spread down his chest and his chestnut hair on those white pillows. And Blaine was doing this to him, he was the one making Kurt lose control and he'd never ever get tired of this sight.

"Blaine…now…now, nngh!"

Now was about right because as soon as Kurt started coming, as soon as he started tensing, Blaine pressed his forehead onto Kurt's shoulder and came harder than he ever had in his eighteen years of living and…what – were those stars…?

He woke up a few seconds later to the sound of Kurt laughing beneath him.

"What the – what?"

"You can never make fun of me again," Kurt giggled.

His muscles felt like they were made of butter but somehow Blaine was able to lift himself onto his elbows while he shook his head back into consciousness, noticing that Kurt's legs were no longer placed on his shoulders.

"I…did I-"

"You did," Kurt said, biting his lips together but his face gave away his amusement. "Only for a few seconds."

"Sorry," Blaine mumbled, pulling out and rolling off of Kurt. "I must have crushed you."

"I'm still alive," Kurt pointed out, turning and snuggling up next to Blaine. "That was awesome. Why didn't you ever tell me that position was like that?"

"You always called it undignified, just like you did earlier. You said you'd feel like, and I quote, a back alley whore."

"Yeah, but you could have explained that you'd hit that spot like, every freakin' time."

"Better to just let you find out for yourself," Blaine said with a grin, wrapping an arm around Kurt's shoulders.

"Sadist."

"Only in the best way."

"Mmm," Kurt murmured in agreement, letting his eyes fall shut and enjoying the sleepy, sated haze. "Love you."

"Even when I'm a sadist?"

"Always."

Blaine laughed a little and kissed Kurt's forehead. "Love you too."

Eventually, Kurt had to brush off the daisies at the end of the bed so he could pull the blanket and sheets up around their naked bodies. They dozed on and off, the light still on and the balcony doors still open and at one point, Blaine got up and poured them more champagne before turning off the light and climbing back into bed.

"Blaine?" Kurt whispered, the moonlight spilling into the room as they sat against the headboard, sipping their bubbly beverages.

"Hmm?"

Now Kurt was about to ask this because…well, it seemed like the best time to ask it. It was that taboo conversation they were always avoiding, just like when they were waiting for their college letters. But now…Kurt just needed to ask it.

"Do you – do you think we'll make it?"

"…What do you mean?"

Kurt shuffled his legs uneasily under the blanket. "I mean…I know we're going to college near each other and – and your parents are giving us the condo, but…I'm talking about…in the future. Do you think we'll make it? I know that high school couples, or high school sweethearts, or whatever you want to call them usually don't."

Blaine was quiet for a few seconds and to be honest, those few seconds of silence made Kurt worry.

"Does it scare you to think that we might not?" Blaine finally asked.

"It terrifies me," Kurt admitted quietly. "It terrifies me to no end."

"It scares me too," Blaine told him. "I – I don't want to lose you. For whatever reason."

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least I'm not alone on that front."

"I told you," Blaine began, "when I gave you this ring." He reached down to toy with the ring on Kurt's finger. "I want to be with you until I'm old and grey. I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me. Because I love you so much, Kurt. Sometimes I feel like…like I love you so much that I can't even comprehend it. I'll – I'll never meet anyone like you. There's no way. There's no way anyone will ever compare to you. I'll never…Kurt…you don't…"

And then tears started welling in Blaine's eyes and Kurt felt really bad, so he scooted closer to Blaine, pressing dozens of soft kisses to Blaine's shoulder and to Blaine's neck and cheek.

"I don't ever want to leave you," Kurt said softly. "Never. Never, I'll always be here. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"I – I almost lost you," Blaine breathed, trying his best not to cry. "I know I said I – I know I said I would have been okay, but…I wouldn't have," he admitted. "I'll never get over you, I'll never get past you, I'll never stop loving you, I'll…I can't…Kurt, please," he begged, cupping Kurt's chin and looking down at him. "Please don't ever be scared of me leaving. Because I won't. I don't – I don't care what stupid things we argue over, I don't care about anything you do that could ever piss me off. Because I want this, I want you. I want a thousand moments like this with you, just us in bed and talking. I don't ever want to give this up. I don't…I don't ever want to watch you walk out and – and never come back."

"I won't," Kurt said immediately, no second thoughts. "I'll always come back. Always. Even if we get in stupid fucking fights and I can't stand the sight of you…Blaine, I'll always come back. I'll always come back."

"I love you," Blaine said with the most conviction he'd ever said anything.

"I love you too."

And the champagne glasses were forgotten as they reached for each other again. There were no more tears and no thoughts of heartbreak. There were only breathless sighs and moans echoing off the walls.

A few hours later, Blaine awoke to an empty bed and a darkened room. But when he reached over to Kurt's side of the bed, the sheets were still warm. He sat up and rubbed a bit of sleep out of his eyes and then he caught sight of one of the balcony doors wide open. He climbed out of bed and pulled on his boxers, but his dress shirt was missing. With a small smile on his face, he walked out onto the balcony to see Kurt standing there alone, clad only in his boxer briefs and Blaine's dress shirt on his shoulders.

"Hey baby," he greeted softly into the starlight, walking up behind Kurt and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Hey," Kurt replied, leaning his head back on Blaine's shoulder.

"Can't sleep?"

"The sun is rising soon."

And because Blaine remembered what he'd said to Kurt that day that they danced in the rain, he went back inside and pulled on his suit jacket before returning to his spot behind Kurt, his arms reaching out parallel to Kurt's, covering his lover's hands on the railing and pressing tender kisses to his neck, they stayed there and watch the sun come up.