Kurt woke up the next morning smiling.  The day before had been exhausting, but had ended perfectly.  He had kissed someone, he had changed his alleged “first kiss” and he couldn’t help but have a crush on the boy who had given it to him.   Maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought it would be.  He quickly changed from his silk pajamas and knocked on his bedroom door before exiting.  He wanted to make sure that they didn’t have another accident like the morning before.  Without hearing any response, Kurt opened the door cautiously, looking over at the couch and felt a slight pang of guilt.  Blaine looked very uncomfortable, asleep on the couch.  He had his upper body hanging off the couch and the blanket he had used was bunched by his feet.  His cute, sleeping face was smushed against the carpet, with his mouth hanging open ever so slightly.  He walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.  When it had brewed completely, he poured two cups.  With cream and sugar in his, he looked down at the second cup.  He tried to recall what he had seen in Blaine’s cup the previous morning and decided on leaving it black, rather than mess it up.  He moved over to where Blaine was sleeping and crouched down, placing his hand on the other boys back.

 “Blaine.”  He said quietly, not quite expecting the reaction that he was about to witness.  Blaine shot off of the couch, eyes open with worry, hitting Kurt’s arm on accident and sending the coffee prepared for him flying.  It hit the hardwood floor with a smash and splintered into pieces.  Kurt was shocked at the face Blaine was making and couldn’t help but stare for a moment.  Blaine just sat on the couch staring at Kurt, until a moment later when they were both laughing hard.    Kurt’s wake up techniques had been 0 for 2 so far, so he needed to be a bit more cautious in his tactics.  When they had both calmed down, Blaine got up off the couch (thankfully donning sweatpants to bed) and went to get a broom.  He cleaned up the mug off the floor as Kurt got him another cup of coffee and they both sat down at the island and looked at each other. “Sorry I was jumpy, I had a little bit of a rough night.”

“You’re fine, I guess I just need to figure out how to wake you up without making you freak out.  Have I ever figured it out?”

“Uh, yeah” Blaine replied, rubbing his neck bashfully, “You have.  We can discuss it later, I feel like it wouldn’t really be appropriate in the situation we are in.”

“Oh…. I think I understand…” Kurt looked down at his coffee clearly embarrassed by the idea that he would do anything sexual at all.  I’ve got a lot of growing up to do.  He decided to change the subject. “So where are you playing tonight?”

“I’m playing at one of the more popular bars near Times Square tonight, I’ve played for them once or twice, so I’m pretty excited about it.  I have to be there around 7pm to set up and I start at 9.  You’re still coming, right?”  Kurt nodded, as his mouth was full of coffee at that moment. “Cool, yeah Rach and Finn should be there, too, so you won’t be alone in the crowd.”

“I look forward to hearing you sing.  I assume you’re good, but there’s really no telling.” Blaine laughed at Kurt’s sarcasm. “So do you have to work today?”

“Nope! Remember, we are going to your studio this afternoon and we can practice a little bit, if you want.  I know you know the music, but relearning all of your blocking might be a little confusing.”

“That’s great.  I’d really like that. Just let me get ready and we can head over there?”  Blaine agreed and the both of them went through their morning routines to prepare for the day.

**

The boys sat on the bus, chatting away about different areas in New York that Kurt wanted to visit again, arguing that it was a necessity.  Their apartment was only about a 30 minute bus ride from NYADA, which was located in Midtown East, so they were able to fill up the time quite easily.  Kurt had decided that a trip through Central Park was necessary, as it was walking distance from school, and Blaine had happily agreed.  He knew how much Kurt had loved the Park, acting giddy every time they would walk through it together.  When they reached their stop, Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand without thinking to guide him off the bus.  Kurt looked down at his hand, which was tingling, but didn’t pull away.  He smiled warmly at the fact that Blaine was becoming more affectionate again, but more at Kurt’s pace than his own.  When they were safely on the side walk, Blaine realized he was still holding Kurt’s hand and dropped it, feeling slightly embarrassed and nervous to see Kurt’s reaction. Although they had shared a kiss the night before, he didn’t want to assume that everything had gone back to normal.  It definitely had not yet and he didn’t want to push it.  He looked forward, starting to head in the direction of the school when he was stopped by a warm feeling in his hand.  He looked down to see Kurt taking his hand back in his own and couldn’t help but smile a huge, goofy grin.  He looked back up at Kurt, who was blushing and smiling. God, I love him so much.

“Shall we get to school then?” Kurt smiled bigger and Blaine pulled on his hand in the direction of the school.  They walked in silence, reveling in the feeling of each other’s hands against their own.  Who knew that a touch of a hand could mean so much?  This is definitely one of those moments to remember, Blaine mused.

After about 5 minutes of walking, Blaine stopped outside an older looking building in the midst of the tall skyscrapers of the city. “This is where the musical theater studios are.  Most of your classes are in this building, so it’s best that you get acquainted with it.

They entered the building, hand in hand, Kurt gasping at the beautiful surroundings inside.  There were huge paintings covering the walls, a bronze railed staircase winding on the left side of the grand entrance, and quite a few people bustling around.  Kurt could hear music coming from different directions, realizing that this place would probably be much louder and sound even more beautiful when everyone was back in class.  Blaine tugged on his hand suggestively and they headed up the stairs to the third floor of the building.  Down the hall, Kurt could see many doors, all leading to different studios, mostly wide open rooms with mirrors and pianos.  Blaine stopped in front of the last door on the right of the hallway.

“This is your favorite, you love the view and for some reason, you argue the acoustics are better. I think you sound great everywhere, but who am I to argue.” Kurt smiled and pushed open the door.

“This is amazing!  I sing here?”

“Yeah, sometimes I come and play for you so you can practice your staging and movements.  You’re a natural, really, but you love to practice… We can, if you want.”

“Oh… I would love to, but we don’t have any music, it doesn’t look like there’s any here.”

“And that is why I came prepared!” Blaine opened up the messenger bag that he had been wearing and pulled out a small folder.  “I brought your solo, if you want. Do you remember ‘Role of a Lifetime?’ I know it’s been a while.”

“Of course I remember it. It’s one of my favorites, Blaine.  I may have lost my memory, but this musical came out in 2004, remember? I had a few years of practice before my Junior year.” Blaine chuckled and nodded his head, understanding that it was a silly question and headed to the piano. “Can I say I’m a little nervous?”

“Why’s that?”

“I love performing, but I don’t know my vocal range as it is right now, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it and you’ll laugh.”  Blaine laughed and Kurt looked confused.  Blaine quickly explained.

“I’ve never seen you nervous to sing in front of me.  It’s just different.  You’re great at singing this song.  You still have a countertenor range, but you’ve gotten better at lower baritone notes, so you might surprise yourself, babe.” Kurt blushed at the nickname Blaine had called him, which in turn made Blaine blush. “I’m sorry, it’s just habit.”

“No, you’re fine.  Shall we just start?”  Blaine nodded again and sat down on the bench.  He gently opened the piano and began playing the low melody.

Everything’s an act,
When you’re pleasing everyone.
And he assumes that role
To such renown.
He plays a perfect part,
Straight from his heart
Knowing the risk he takes
And hoping that the house
Is not brought down.

Blaine watched Kurt as Kurt began to gain more confidence and move around the piano.  His face expressed the pain from the song so well that Blaine could cry.  He felt ridiculous for being so emotional, seeing how he had heard the song literally hundreds of times from previous practices, but seeing Kurt realize his talents again was one of the greatest things Blaine could experience.

The role of a lifetime, it's living a fantasy.
A drama that you struggle to erase.
Thoughts battle words over deeds
A war with such casualties.
All played out behind a smiling face.

God I need your guidance
Tell me what it means
To live a life where nothings as it seems.
Spending days in silent fear,
And spending nights in lonely prayer.
Hoping that one day when you wake,
Those feelings won’t be there.

Blaine finished the song here, understanding that Kurt was probably emotional and would want to stop, which was exactly what Kurt needed.  He looked up at Blaine from the center of the room and smiled.

“That felt really good. Thank you.”

“Anytime, really.”  Kurt began to wander around the room, becoming acquainted with the walls and other objects around the room, finally ending full circle back at the piano and Blaine.

“Shall we go? I’m sure you need to get ready for your show.”

“Of course we can go.  Come on.”

**

Kurt and Blaine entered The Perfect Pint at about 5 minutes past 7pm.  It was a smaller bar, but in the back, there had been a stage set up for Blaine to sit at.  The bar wouldn’t get busy for another hour, so they both decided to grab a drink.  Blaine headed over to talk to the manager and sort out payment options and to go tune his guitar.  As the bar began to fill up, Kurt began to get a little nervous about the large number of people around.  Since he had woken up from his coma, he hadn’t really had to deal with too many people, except for when he got lost and needed Rachel.  Blaine came back to check on Kurt and noticed his discomfort.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you here.  I knew it would be busy and overwhelming.  I can have Rachel and Finn take you home when they get here-“

“Blaine, it’s fine.” Kurt replied, a little harshly, but simply because of the heightened tension he felt.  He wasn’t mad at Blaine, but he didn’t want to start being babied.  “They will be here and we can relax and listen.  Go play.”  Blaine seemed to look a little concerned still, but turned to head back to the stage, spotting Finn’s tall stature in the doorway and waving him over before he disappeared in the crowd.

“Hey man! How’s it going?” Finn said going in for a hug, which Kurt blushed at, clearly still getting used to trying to not have a crush on him.  Rachel grabbed his arm and slightly shook her head, noting Kurt’s dismeaner.  She understood.

“Hey, Finn, it’s been a while! Or has it not?” Kurt tried to joke, smilling slightly and Rachel giggled behind him.

“Yeah, Kurt, it’s been a while.  How are you?”  Rachel went in for a hug and was well received, Kurt wrapping his arm around her.  She seemed much more mature than her high school self, which Kurt was appreciative for.

“I’m good.  There are a lot of people here.” He laughed nervously.

“Yeah, but this is the hottest place to be.   You should be proud of Blaine, they love him here.  All the tourists stop here on the weekends because it’s so popular.”  Kurt really couldn’t not feel proud of Blaine, even though he only had really known him for a short while.  His… husband… was a successful singer.  It was pretty much what Kurt had dreamed about marrying from a young age, so he was proud of himself for finding someone who fit the bill perfectly.  He turned to the stage when he heard cheering and Blaine’s voice over the microphone.

“Hello, everyone! How are you tonight?”  There was clapping and a few hoots from the crowd. “Well I’m gonna be here for the next hour or two, rocking out with you guys, so I hope you like it, or I hope you get really blasted and think you like it!  This first song is dedicated to someone special.”  Blaine directed his sights towards Kurt quickly and smiled before starting into his song.

You think I'm pretty without any make-up on
You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong
I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down

Kurt turned to Rachel, elated. “I love this song! Is it still a big hit? I remember it had just come out really.”

Rachel laughed, “Yeah, actually this was the song that Blaine sang when you first met him!  You would not shut up about this boy in a blazer with a voice like liquid gold.  Mercedes and I were about to kill you because you were non-stop playing it after that.”

Kurt smiled, loving the fact that Blaine was so sentimental with songs that he sang to Kurt.  He knew he could look forward to relearning everything Blaine had to show him.

“Why don’t we grab a booth before there are none left?” Finn offered.

“Yeah, I’ll just grab up some drink really quick.  You guys head over there.”  Kurt turned to the bar tender and waited to get his attention.  He started looking through the crowd around the bar.  A lot of couples were there, some groups of girls, but the atmosphere was very friendly.  As he scanned the groups, he spotted a particular couple and froze.  Kurt broke out into a cold sweat and didn’t know what to do.  He could tear his eyes away from a tall, slender, brown haired man in a button down, but he couldn’t stop staring at the thicker, brown haired man next to him.  Karofsky.  How could he be here? Blaine said he was in Iowa, why? What is he doing here? Did Blaine lie? Oh, God, I have to get out of here.  But before he could will himself to move, Karofky’s eyes landed on Kurt.  Kurt wanted to cry, he was so petrified.  What was even worse is that he saw him turn towards the taller man and whisper in his ear, nodding his head in Kurt’s direction. Are they going to hurt me here in public? He saw Karofsky make his way towards Kurt with a grin on his face that Kurt interpreted as predatory and his legs suddenly started to work again.  He pushed his seat back and accidentally knocked back into the people next to him, who retorted angrily and shoved him a little.  Flashbacks of high school were flooding his mind as he started remembering the taunting and shoving, the bruises and hitting.  The terror that was Karofsky.  Before he could regain his composure and move again, he felt a strong arm grab onto his forearm.  Kurt let out a yell so loud that people around him stopped their conversation.

“Please don’t.  Let me go, David!” Kurt yelled. Yanking his arm away.  Karofsky was clearly confused and tried to reach out again, but Kurt moved sharply and tumbled over his legs, falling to the ground, abruptly stopping all conversations around them.  The music stopped and he heard people buzzing.  Kurt stood up quickly and began to run, heading for the door and pushing passed people.  He could hear clearly multiple people yelling at him to stop, but he couldn’t.  He wasn’t going to go back to the pain that Karofsky had been about to inflict.  No one could really protect him.  He got out to the street, which was busy with people, as it was a party night and they were so close to Times Square, further increasing his stress and anxiety, but it also allowed him to easily hail a taxi.

“Take me to the airport? Please?”  He asked quickly as he got in.  Kurt’s head was throbbing painfully, clearly from the amount of unease he had just went through and pressed his hand to his forehead. He looked back through the car’s rear window, with tear filled eyes at the bar, only to see Blaine running out, looking distraught, followed by Rachel, Finn, and David.  He turned back around and settled into his seat.  Safe.