Tuesday night, the night before Halloween and three nights before the dinner at Jeremiah's parent's house, Blaine found himself at Xcelerate. He and Kurt decided to have dinner after his shift to rework their story. After the almost fiasco with Sebastian , they did not want to risk anymore slip ups. So, they decided they should sit down and hash out the dirtier details; things that neither of them would know unless they were an actual couple; a loving couple.

Blaine sat in the front row and watched a girl swing around a pole. She made her way over to him a few times during her dance, but Blaine always ducked his head away and pulled out his phone. Eventually, she got the picture and turned her attention to other patrons of the club.Thank goodness. He thought as he slid his phone back into his pocket.She's gone and Kurt will be out here soon.

He was relieved. These places were never his idea of a fun hangout spot, but Kurt made him feel more comfortable. It wasn't the fact that he and Kurt were getting to know one another –that was a farce as far as farces went- but it was just the way Kurt acted. He saved the pharmacist countless times during the first dinner and he was just nice to talk to. He was bubbly, and giggly, and everything that Blaine wanted in a friend. If only Kurt would stop holding out and actually be his friend.

"That was Bridget, an ex-cheerleader with some killer double joints." Artie, if Blaine remembered correctly, bellowed into the microphone from a booth upstairs. The crowd went wild. From the girl's pigtail to her bright smile, Blaine could imagine her as a cheerleader. "And up next, drum roll please," Blaine turned his attention to the stage. Kurt was up next; the buildup was enough to suggest as much, "the show stopping, jaw dropping, Kaaaaaaaaalvvvvvvvviiiiiiiii iiinnnnnnnnnnnn..." Before the emcee could finish the sentence, the audience went crazy.

Blaine watched in awe as the lights in the club dimmed from a pale yellow to black for a few moments. When the darkness lifted, Kurt was seated in folding chair on stage; dressed in a tiny candy striper short set and licking a giant round lollipop. It reminded Blaine of the lollipop his mother bought them on their family trip to Disney World.Ohhh...I never did that with a lollipop.Blaine thought as he watched his 'boyfriend' run his tongue along the surface of the sugary treat.Nope. Never did that.

The beat of the song dropped so hard that it rattled the table. Blaine grabbed his glass of wine-anything else would be too much and he had an early shift the next morning- and held it so that it would not tip over. That would be a travesty.

I'll take you to the candy shop
I'll let you lick the lollipop
Go 'head girl, don't you stop
Keep going 'til you hit the spot (whoa)

Kurt stood from his chair and sashayed across the stage. It was one of the things he did best. It was also something that drove the crowd wild. Blaine was certain that Kurt could make a night's worth of money simply by strutting his stuff for any and all onlookers. There was something about the confidence in his strut that commanded attention...and money.

Blaine watched the dollar bills fly as Kurt rolled his hips and traced the patterns of the hard candy with his tongue. The pharmacist loosened his neck tie. Suddenly, the room as very, very warm.

I'll break it down for you now, baby it's simple
If you be a nympho, I'll be a nympho
In the hotel or in the back of the rental
On the beach or in the park, it's whatever you into
Got the magic stick, I'm the love doctor
Have your friends teasing you 'bout how sprung I gotcha
Wanna show me how you work it baby, no problem
Get on top then get to bouncing round like a low rider

Kurt strutted across the stage to Blaine's table and dropped to his knees. He stared at the audience innocently as he rolled his hips and licked his candy.He's doing things to my lollipop that I've never had done to my lollipop. Wait that does not sound right. Never mind.

Kurt noticed the distant look on Blaine's face and crawled over to him. He took one last lick of the lollipop and held it in front of Blaine's face. 'Lick it' he mouthed. He watched as Blaine's eyes widened and an adorable blush crept up his face.

Blaine shook his head. He couldn't. That was a bit too...it was just too. Kurt nodded. In his mind, Blaine was too uptight; he was too sheltered. He needed to break out of his shell and he could start that process with a single action; a lick. Blaine shook his head again. Because, there was no way.

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. The crowd ate it up. Before Blaine could fully process the scene, the audience began to boo loudly. He sighed and looked back up at the young boy; he barely looked old enough to be in a 30 mile radius of the seedy club. Kurt smiled. He won; he knew it. Without a second thought, the dancer held the lollipop back out.

Against his better judgment, Blaine leaned forward and ran his tongue over it. The moment only lasted a matter of seconds, but in those seconds, Blaine felt alive. For the first time in his entire life, he felt his heart beat in his chest. It was exhilarating.

Give it to me baby, nice and slow
Climb on top, ride like you in the rodeo
You ain't never heard a sound like this before
Cause I ain't never put it down like this before
Soon as I come through the door she get to pulling on my zipper
It's like it's a race who can get undressed quicker
Isn't it ironic how erotic it is to watch em in thongs
Had me thinking 'bout that ass after I'm gone

The rest of the performance passed with barely an acknowledgment from the pharmacist. One minute, Kurt was dressed and grinding against the scuffed stage, the next, he was down to his underwear and strutting off stage.

"And coming to the stage we have..." Blaine shook his head to catch his bearings. When he heard Artie introducing another dancer, he gathered his wallet –when did I pull that out? Am I missing $20? -and rushed out of the club. Kurt hated waiting, that much he knew, so he needed to reach the car first. He could do that.

Kurt rushed backstage after his routine and straight to Will's office. He paid out, always a daunting task, and then headed to the dressing rooms to wash the glitter off his face and to change his clothes. He and Blaine had a business dinner planned and he was starving. "Kurt, are you going out with Blaine tonight?" Rachel shouted from across the room.

Heads turned to face the young dancer, as if waiting for a reply and or an explanation. Kurt rolled his eyes.Leave it Rachel to make it sound like I have a boyfriend."No, Rachel, I have a business dinner." He supplied as he pulled off the tiny underwear and tossed them on top of his performance shoes. He then wiped himself down with the damp wash cloth he grabbed on his way in. Being naked in front of the other dancers was never a big deal for him. He always thought of it as being unclothed backstage on Broadway. It came with the territory.

Once the sweat was gone from his body, Kurt pulled on a pair of boxers and his skinniest of skinny jeans. Paired with an oversized, Michael Kors cashmere sweater –purchased at a thrift store- and his favorite Doc Martins, Kurt was almost ready for his business dinner, almost. He could not go out in public with his 'I shake my ass for cash' hair. So, he headed to the backstage restroom to solve that issue.

Two hands full of wet fingers, half a can of hairspray, and a rat tailed comb later, Kurt's hair was perfectly coifed and he was ready to leave.

He gathered his things as quickly as possible from his station, waved goodbye to Rachel, and walked out the side door. From there, he could see Blaine waiting next to his Prius. Kurt bit back a giggle. He was not surprised to find out Blaine owned an environmentally friendly car. It was a safe choice and Blaine was a safe guy.

As he neared the car, Blaine waved. Politely, Kurt waved back. "Hey, stranger. Did you enjoy the show?" He asked as he walked to the passenger's side.

Blaine scowled but it faded quickly. "You shouldn't have put me on the spot like that." He chastised with a grin on his face.

With a faked look of shock on his face, Kurt gasped. "Oh...dear. I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?" He joked as he opened the car door and plopped down inside. He heard Blaine chuckle as he climbed into the driver's seat and he knew all was well.

A short time later, Kurt and Blaine were seated in a window booth at Applebee's. Kurt loved Applebee's; he ate there with his parents every Friday night until his mother's death. His father was not able to step foot in the restaurant afterwards.

"So...where do we start?" Blaine asked as he dipped his mozzarella stick in the tiny dish of marinara sauce. "I mean, this is our second stab at this, so we have to get this right. Sebastian seemed a bit...suspicious the first time." Kurt nodded. The rat faced weasel did seem suspicious. He couldn't know anything though. There was no way.

Kurt shrugged as he sipped his water. "Okay, um...well, one thing I forgot to tell you last time is that my favorite movie is Harry Potter. That's kind of a big deal, and that is my fault." Blaine advised.

"Which one?" Kurt asked as he set his water back down on the table. Blaine tilted his head as if he was trying to remember the exact placement of every digit of Pi.

"All of them." He replied without another thought. He then took a bite of his mozzarella stick and smiled as the flavor filled his mouth.

Kurt stared at him skeptically. "All of them? I get that you like Harry Potter, but which is your absolute favorite? Mine is the one with Robert Pattinson. He looked scrumptious." Kurt's eyes rolled back. That was one of the few movies that Kurt thought the man looked good in.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "The Goblet of Fire? I liked that one, but...I mean...the thing about movies is that they can stray so far from the book and-" Kurt cut him off quickly.

"No, no. We're not spending this dinner going over the discrepancies between books and movies." He chastised as he reached for his own mozzarella stick. That was too friend, and or, real date like for his taste. Blaine sank back and blushed. He usually had no problem keeping his Potter loving side under wraps, but....life. "But, I will keep that in mind." There was a mischievous look that passed over Kurt's face and it frightened Blaine a bit.What is he thinking?

Kurt realized quickly that he had an audience and his smirk grew. He had an idea; a great idea. But that was something to think about at another time. Dinner was not about future plans, it was about strategy. "Okay, so what is your favorite movie?"

"Moulin Rouge." Kurt replied promptly. Blaine grinned. It made sense.

"An epic love story between a performer and a writer; I can see why you like that movie."

Kurt shook his head. "I don't like it. Iloveit. It's so beautiful and romantic. It's....it's...everything you could want in a movie." He gushed. Blaine rested his chin in his palm and watched Kurt eager eyes. Kurt went on and on about the beauty of the movie and Blaine smiled and nodded in response. The only time he saw Kurt look so enthused was when he discussed New York. "I'm sorry. I get kind of excited when I talk about it."

Blaine smiled and waved his hand. "It's quite alright. It's nice to see you opening up for me."Oh, that didn't sound right.

"It's for business purposes only." Kurt replied.Nope. That didn't sound right either.

Dinner continued at a comfortable pace. They ate and shared facts about themselves. Kurt found out that Jeremiah was Blaine's first and only and Blaine found out that Kurt was saving himself for whomever. "That's great, Kurt. I wish more people would consider saving themselves for someone that mattered because they matter."You matter, Kurt.The performer felt the sides of his mouth twitch upwards. His father told him that once and he never forgot it. "A guy said that to me once; a customer. He was actually one of my first regular customers after I got out of school." Kurt tilted his head as if interested, so Blaine continued. "In our first encounter, he actually insulted me."

It was his second week on the job and the senior pharmacists were giving him grief. He couldn't seem to do anything right. Try as he might, he seemed to mess things up. Then, on top of all that, he found out that Jeremiah cheated on him again. "He was just a bartender at Scandals." He said before Blaine left for work. Jeremiah did not seem to understand that the guy was not just the bartender at Scandals to his husband. He was the millionth customer on the 'Free Rides Here' express.

Kurt giggled despite the depressing content of Blaine's story. Blaine chuckled as well. It was kind of funny; kind of.

Blaine loved him though. Blaine loved him more than he ever loved anything in his life. After a particularly trying day behind the pharmacy counter, Blaine took an early lunch. Jeremiah was supposed to meet him and they were meant to discuss his infidelity. Blaine was not excited but he did not let that show. He needed Jeremiah to understand his point of view and that would not happen if he was hostile.

Blaine sat on the tiny brick wall behind the pharmacy and enjoyed his lunch; a bologna sandwich, sans crust, with a dab of mayonnaise. It was Blaine's version of normal. He liked normal.

Jeremiah's car pulled up just as Blaine was wiping his fingers on the napkin he packed in his lunch bag. As usual, they fought. Jeremiah pled his case and Blaine pled his own. "Jer, you have to understand why this hurts me. I love you so much and you just do these things." The young pharmacist's eyes shone with unshed tears. He willed himself not to cry as he spoke but he was not able to control the break in his voice.

Jeremiah rolled his eyes, he always felt Blaine was a bit dramatic, and assured the man that he loved him as well. "You know it'll always be you, babe. Always." Blaine nodded. He knew that deep down. He knew Jeremiah loved him. "Besides, we haven't done anything since you started this job. You're always tired and I'm a man with needs."

Blaine looked at his husband and sighed. "I know, Jer. I'll...I don't know...we'll work at it. Okay?" Jeremiah grinned- it was never hard to get Blaine back on his side- and kissed his husband's forehead. "I'll see you tonight." He whispered before walking away. Blaine shot him a watery smile before plopping back down on the wall. He was exhausted and he still had half a shift remaining.

Blaine sat in silence for a moment, only the sound of the wind and honking automobiles to keep him company, and thought about his marriage. He liked being married, but he did not like being cheated on. Because, really, who did? Just as he was about to give up on trying to crack the complex code that was the Anderson-Myers matrimony, he heard a whistle; it started high and lasted longer than expected. "I hope my kid isn't like you when he's an adult." An older man in a baseball cap quipped as he walked near the brick wall.

Blaine made a face. When the man was close enough to hear, the pharmacist responded. "Why? Because I have a husband?" The man rolled his piercing, blue eyes –yes, Blaine had noticed. Eyes were his thing.- and took a seat next to the young man.

"Oh, please. I've got a 14 year old at home right now and I'm 72 percent sure he's as queer as Dennis Rodman." The man replied.

Blaine furrowed his eyebrows. "Dennis Rodman isn't gay."

"Not that you know of." That made Blaine laugh. It felt good to laugh. "See, I made you smile. I wasn't talking about you being gay though. I was talking about you being an idiot. That man doesn't respect you, yet you fall at his feet. It's a damn shame." The man replied as he tightened his grip on the tiny white bag that more than likely held a prescription.

Blaine went to defend himself, but the man cut him off. "That's the problem with you kids these days. You want everything and you're willing to do anything to get it. Like my son. He's willing to eat nothing but this weird, bushy, green stuff-"

The pharmacist cut him off. "Broccoli?"

The man shrugged. "Whatever, I don't know. Anyways, he's willing to eat nothing but this stuff to fit into a pair of jeans that he bought two sizes too small. When I asked him why he bought the pants so small, he said that they were the last pair in the store and that he couldn't wait for another shipment of 'em. And that's another thing," Blaine felt a rant coming and he still had no idea how this man's son's too small jeans pertained to his unfaithful husband. Thank God there were other pharmacists inside, so they wouldn't notice if he was gone a while longer. It's not like he was doing a good job anyways. "you kids spend hundreds of dollars on clothes. Literally. That day, my son bought 1 pair of pants and 2 shirts and it cost me almost $200. Do you know how many pairs of decent, long lasting Goodwill pants I can buy with that kind of money? Lots! I just don't understand your generation." He sighed.

Again, Blaine chuckled. "You said your son is 14. I'm 25, so I don't think we fall into the same generation. About the other thing though, my husband and I have a...complicated relationship."

The man nodded. "Yep. He treats you like shit and you take it. But the problem with that is the fact that you take it. I'm sure you don't know this but, you matter. He doesn't seem to understand that and you damn sure don't understand that, but you do. You matter, so start acting like it." Blaine felt the tears all over again. In his entire life, through thick and thin, nobody ever bothered to tell him that. Yet, there he was, sitting with a complete stranger, being told that he mattered. Needless to say, he was emotional.

Before Blaine could think of a response, the man was on his feet. "So, you work here?" He asked. Well, that was a swift change of topic. Blaine nodded and advised that he was a new pharmacist. "Good. So, wanna tell me about these pills?" The man held out the bag for Blaine to take.

Bag in hand, Blaine dug out the amber bottle and read over the label. "Well, um, Mr. Hummel, it's an ACE Inhibitor-"

Mr. Hummel shook his head. "Don't know what that means." Blaine smirked.

"It's for high blood pressure. Just, take it as the label instructs and see your doctor if you have any adverse side effects. They can change it if necessary." Mr. Hummel nodded and asked for a list of side effects. After Blaine instructed him of the list printed in the drug pamphlet that came with the medication, he listed off common side effects.

"Great, well, I guess I kind of need this then." Mr. Hummel said as he grabbed the bag from Blaine's outstretched hand. "If I die from high blood pressure, my kid will kill me."

The two shared another laugh. Yeah, Blaine liked laughing again. "So, Mr. Pharmacist, who do I need to ask for when I come in this place? You seem nice enough and you've got enough information under that hair helmet to make sure I'm getting the right stuff."

Blaine patted his hair subconsciously. "Umm...Anderson. Blaine. Blaine Anderson." He stammered. Mr. Hummel chuckled again and held out his hand.

"Well, Anderson, Blaine. I'm Hummel-"

"Burt." Blaine jumped at the sound of Kurt's voice. He'd almost forgotten he had an audience.Wait...how did he?"Burt Hummel was his name." When Blaine looked up, he noticed the way the light hit Kurt's eyes. From the angle he sat at, it looked as if they were swimming. But why?

"How did you know that?" He asked. He watched as Kurt lulled his head backwards and stared absently at the ceiling.

"Because he was my dad."