The buzz of people talking, or the constantly flowing alcohol, caused a ringing in Kurt's ears as the night went on and he decided to leave a little earlier than Rachel who was dancing with Quinn like they had never left high school. He looked over at them, a few drinks and admiring glances giving Rachel the boost she needed, and he smiled at how carefree and confident she now looked.

She looked disappointed when he walked over to the dance floor to tell her he was leaving but she kissed him dramatically on the cheek and told him to text her when he arrived home. Quinn waved goodbye happily and then Kurt started to walk out the door but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Blaine," Kurt said a little startled.

"I was just going to see if you were still ok for our meeting on Monday?" Blaine said too quickly so his words come out in a rushed breath. He laughed nervously and repeated himself.

"Oh yes, if that's ok?" Kurt said nodding. Blaine looked a little too eager for the meeting, surprising Kurt after his earlier reticence and the delay in setting up the appointment. Blaine's eyes were wide, the little nods of his head giving the impression he was checking the finer details to ensure he got everything correct. It looked most important to him.

"Definitely," Blaine said, "I wondered if we could meet at your office rather than mine though?"

Kurt was surprised again, his eyes wide too.

"It's just I wanted to see what the loan would be for, get a feel for what help you would need and I just want to see where you work." He laughed nervously as if admitting something that Kurt would find ridiculous. Kurt smiled.

"I'd love to show you," he said, a happy glint in his eye at showing off his sketches and some of his created designs but he knew that Blaine was going beyond the call of duty and it wasn't really necessary.

"Good," Blaine said, clapping in his enthusiasm, "Shall we still meet at 9.30?"

"Yes I'll be there from 7.30 anyway."

"I'll bring breakfast then and try to guess your coffee order," Blaine said laughing and he turned away before Kurt could respond.

---

What had he been thinking? Offering breakfast and joking about coffee orders? Blaine closed his eyes in frustration as he stood once again in front of the mirror. There was something about undressing there, forcing himself to see his imperfections and studying his eyes that allowed him to think, decide important decisions and ask questions of himself that he would shirk if he just went to bed. He put his used clothes in the laundry basket, and brushed his teeth naked, allowing the late chill to bring goose bumps to his skin as he stood in front of the sink. After a while he returned to the full-length mirror, once again fully naked in front of it, and breathed in. Did Kurt really see him or just what he projected to the world? Sometimes Blaine would catch him looking while Blaine sang at the piano or when he was speaking and he thought he knew, thought he might just understand but then the moment would disappear. He knew he had been changeable, shy and reticent in front of the piano, revealing himself only in little snippets and at other times he had been confident and bouncy. There was something about Kurt that made Blaine feel like he could soar, like he didn't have to hide his enthusiasm about the things he loved, like he could be himself. As he stood now in front of the mirror, putting on his pyjamas once again, he thought about how he carefully constructed his personality and the thought of a little crack showing, revealing his real self, scared him.

Kurt was special, he knew that much. His innocence and zest for life, his compassion, the way he cared for Blaine despite hardly knowing him, all spoke of how amazing Blaine was sure he would be in his own boutique, selling his own designs. Maybe, just maybe, Blaine could let him in, even just a little and see where things went. Blaine knew he had trust issues, the only person he vaguely revealed personal confidences to was Quinn but as she detached herself from him, spent more time with her new boyfriend after work, he could feel himself loosen around Kurt, like he was younger and didn't care what people thought. He would see him on Monday, remain professional and if their circles merged again he wouldn't avoid him, he decided.

---

Kurt was practically twirling from one sketch to another, that Monday morning, his easels dotted around his office. They showed such a variety of different themes that he wasn't sure which direction to travel in but as he turned to one in particular that he had sketched very quickly the night before, he realised it had his heart and his step slowed so he could peer at it again, closer this time. He smiled. A million other ideas seemed to whizz through his mind as he stared at the image ahead of him. A person, a fleeting feeling, a shocking revelation – all led him to believe he was a genius in that moment and he laughed.

"What's so funny?" Blaine said laughing too as he stood by the doorway to Kurt's office. His hands were full and he immediately came closer to Kurt's desk so he could lay down his many brown paper bags and take away coffee cups.

"Just an idea I had," Kurt said smiling, "I see you have bought an entire coffee shop." He smiled down at Blaine's breakfast gifts.

"I didn't know your coffee order and I was too scared to make such a risk so I bought four different types of coffee in the hope that you might like one." Blaine's cheeks went a little pink in his effort to impress and Kurt thought he looked adorable.

"Oh I love coffee, I'm sure I'll want them all," Kurt said. "I prefer a skinny mocha though." And Blaine held the coffee cup closer to Kurt's nose and smiled.

"I hoped so," Blaine said, "A lucky guess. I brought many different kinds of bagel too as well as French pastries. Take your pick."

Blaine spread the whole amazing breakfast fare out in front of Kurt on his desk.

"This was too much Blaine," Kurt said amazed, "You didn't have to do this, I normally only grab a coffee on the way to work."

"I thought as much," Blaine said, gesturing to the chair to ask permission to sit. Kurt nodded quickly. "I love what you're wearing, by the way."

Kurt glanced at his fox shirt just as Blaine admired the tail that was attached to his belt.

"Is it your own creation?" Blaine asked.

"Yes, one of my many insane ideas at three o'clock in the morning," Kurt said laughing, "I keep having those at the moment."

"Oh?"

"Yeah just strange ideas that flit through my mind almost fully formed as I drift off to sleep and my mind won't let me sleep until I've sketched a rough idea. The next day I walk around like a zombie until I have drunk at least five cups of coffee but I love it. It makes me feel alive, even if my creations are mad."

"I love it," Blaine said enthusiastically, "I'd love to see more."

"I was hoping you might say that," Kurt said placing his coffee back down on the desk and walking Blaine to his first sketch, which was of a black plastic rain mac.

"This was drawn over a month ago but I haven't been able to develop it yet. It doesn't quite speak to me the way I thought it would at the time. I keep coming back to it in the hope that more inspiration will strike but it just doesn't happen."

"I like it, it's a different take on the see-through macs that were in fashion a few years ago."

"Exactly," Kurt said, clearly impressed with Blaine's knowledge, "But I think it'll stand there until something else happens."

"What about this one?" Blaine asked as he walked to the next easel.

"Now this one I'm excited about!" Kurt exclaimed, coming in closer to point out areas he liked. "I love skylines and really wanted to explore cities and colour. I think waistcoats are madly underappreciated and I've seen so many artistic shots of city skylines silhouetted against light, I wanted to explore colour too."

"It's fantastic Kurt," Blaine said in awe, coming closer to inspect the sketch in more detail. "You use colour so well and it's just such a bold design."

"Thanks," Kurt said, blushing slightly at the praise.

Blaine wandered over to the last sketch, the one Kurt had sketched only the night before. The smile, that had graced his face before at the other sketches, soon changed, his face fell. Kurt noticed.

"What's wrong?" he said, coming closer to the sketch in question.

"It's me," Blaine whispered, staring straight ahead.

Kurt was shocked, took a step back at the realisation of what Blaine would think.

"No, no it isn't." Kurt said quickly, coming forward again to explain. "No it's any man, I promise it's not you."

Blaine continued to look at the sketch that had Kurt so excited before, had caused happy laughter to bubble out of his chest at the thought that he had a good idea. Panic rose instead now and Kurt's heart raced.

"The red fence," Blaine whispered again, his finger reaching out almost to touch the part of the sketch.

"I don't normally add such detail," Kurt whispered too, "It just seemed to go with the character I created."

At his words, Blaine turned to look more carefully at Kurt's face.

"What character? What is this man like?" he said, pointing at the sketch of the man in a black suit. Blaine looked again and realised that the face was devoid of any real defining feature, nondescript eyes, nose and lips, only the eyebrows looked remarkably triangular. The man had his hands in the pockets of his black suit, his shirt a simple white, the tie a dark blue. The contrast with the red flimsy fence was interesting though.

"I think it represents how he feels: trapped," Kurt said, avoiding Blaine's gaze and looking straight at the sketch. "Trapped in his life but you see how he leans on it, just as he knows it doesn't really support him, it's too flimsy."

Blaine looked again at the sketch and nodded.

"Go on," Blaine said, his eyes returning to Kurt. Kurt's cheeks tinted red.

"He's squinting in the distance, the light ahead causing his eyes to ache but he wants to look. He doesn't really know what he wants, he just waits."

"You see all of that in a simple sketch?" Blaine asked quietly. He admired Kurt's opinion, he could tell.

"I don't normally sketch like that," Kurt said as a way to explain, "The suit is so simple, the tie so plain, I needed something more I guess."

"Why is the suit so boring?" Blaine asked. "I mean your other creations are so bright and amazing."

Kurt thought about it for a moment, looked back at the sad sketch of a man.

"I guess he hasn't come alive yet," Kurt said quietly, "I think that's what got me so excited about it before you came in. I can see a future for this character, I just haven't drawn it yet."

Blaine stared at Kurt for the longest time and although Kurt was nervous at the intensity of the gaze, he kept his eyes locked on his. Blaine blinked.

"Can I see the sketches afterwards?" Blaine finally asked.

"Of course," Kurt said, smiling.

"We should discuss your boutique," Blaine said after a while and he took his seat again and sipped his coffee.

"Right," Kurt said nodding and coming out of his daze. "Well I have a location in mind and I have made a tentative bid on the lease. The rent is manageable and I have enough saved for the rent on the place for a year."

Blaine's eyes widened. Kurt must have made quite a bit of money with his creations in the past then.

"I just need a small loan and I wondered what you thought about shareholders? Whether I should open the place knowing that other people will have a share in any success it may or may not have."

"Oh it'll definitely be successful," Blaine said emphatically, "I can tell from your designs." He looked over the sketches that were littered on a table nearby. "I know a little about the industry and I think your existing contacts will help you too."

"That's what I thought too," Kurt said happily, loving that Blaine understood.

"What would you need money for?"

"Stock, material, a little time to develop sketches and creations," Kurt explained.

"I can arrange a loan, I think that would be a good idea."

"Thanks," Kurt said, "What about shareholders?"

"I think you wouldn't really like that," Blaine said after he thought it through. "I think you'd rather have the success for yourself, knowing that you didn't have to share it."

Kurt nodded in agreement. How did Blaine know him better than most already?

Kurt showed him photos of the building he was considering and the amount of money he would need to borrow and Blaine took copies of important documents. They sipped coffee and ate pastries until Blaine glanced at his watch and realised he had another appointment in half an hour.

"I better go," he said reluctantly.

"Oh of course," Kurt said standing to say goodbye. "Thanks for all your help today Blaine."

"My pleasure," Blaine said smiling, "I'll have my secretary send all the forms on to you and the money is yours." The thought that he wouldn't need to speak to Kurt directly about his boutique worried him and he worked at his lip with his teeth.

"What do you think of me investing in your boutique? Being a shareholder?" Blaine said as quickly as the thought had arrived in his mind. Kurt's mouth flew open. "I mean I know what you said earlier, but I would be really interested in helping you Kurt and your designs are amazing. I'd love to see more of you," he said, his voice faltering, "I mean you and your creations, and I think I need to see what becomes of this man you have created." He gave one last glance at the sketch of the man by the red fence. "I wouldn't be a nuisance and I wouldn't expect credit, I just want to be involved silently. I'd give you money in return for a share in the profits and a percentage of the ownership."

Kurt thought it over, taking a glance at the sketch of the troubled man in a black suit. He smiled slowly as he turned to face Blaine once more.

"I think it sounds a great idea," he said beaming. "I mean I think that was the only scary thought really, doing it all alone and taking a chance."

"I'm glad I can be involved," Blaine said, now making more of an effort to leave the office. He felt a sudden need to come closer to Kurt, to seek some kind of affection but even as his hands shook with the need he walked closer to the door. Kurt walked him there.

"It was really nice of you to come to see me here, Blaine, at my office," Kurt said kindly, "I hope I didn't put you out coming here."

"No of course not, I really wanted to see your designs," Blaine said smiling, "I'm really looking forward to meeting with you more. Let me know when the loan is all signed for and I'll meet with you again to guide you further. Thanks again Kurt, you won't regret my involvement, I promise."

"I don't think I'll regret it," Kurt said smiling and he simply allowed his fingers to brush along the arm of Blaine's suit jacket in affection, just moving a few inches forward. A second later, Kurt felt the brush of soft lips along his cheek and they were gone.

He thought he might have imagined it but Blaine's wide startled eyes told him otherwise. Blaine blustered through the door, mumbled a goodbye and he was gone, leaving Kurt brushing his fingers along his cheek in astonishment.