"Becky, I think we have ourselves a problem here."

"What's that coach?"

"That joke of a glee club just won at regionals. Anderson is still breathing my air, and Sandbags has failed me," Sue says, an air of exasperation in her voice.

A knock at the door derails Sue's complaints, though.

"Come in," she shouts.

A smug-looking Santana saunters into the room, her sleek ponytail bouncing behind her.

"I have news, Coach," she says.

Sue raises an eyebrow but otherwise gives no indication of her interest in hearing Santana's news.

"There's a rumor," she says. "About Lady Lips and our preppiest little teacher."

Sue's grin spreads from ear to ear as she leans toward Santana, leaning heavily on her forearm. Maybe Santana hasn't failed her after all.

"Tell me more," she says.

Two weeks later, and Kurt's starting to think it had all been a dream. After New Directions' miraculous win at regionals— apparently the judges cared less about flubbed lyrics and more about missed dance steps — Blaine had been noticeably distant. At first he had thought it was because of the almost-confrontation with his dad, but Kurt had diffused that situation quickly, reassuring his dad that Kurt had just choked thanks to good old-fashioned stage fright. It was also clear that Rachel hadn't said anything about what she'd overheard.

Kurt had immediately texted Blaine to tell him they were in the clear. But he never got a response. Kurt understood that getting seen by someone had shaken Blaine, but what Kurt couldn't understand was why Blaine felt the need to avoid him altogether. And that hurt.

Their limited interactions at school had also been distant, and with winter break rapidly approaching, Kurt was running out of chances for forced interaction. Every time he tried to get Blaine into a private conversation, he either changed the subject or left the room completely. Kurt was so confused, and he had no one to talk to about it.

If he had stopped to think about it, he might have considered that his heart was breaking, but instead he just got more determined to regain his fragile friendship with his teacher. He was also busy salvaging his friendships in glee. Thanks to his flub at regionals, he felt like an outcast in his own clique. No one was particularly cruel, but he felt the invisible walls everyone had been putting up. The only exceptions to this had been Finn, Rachel, Mercedes, Tina, and by proxy, Mike.

Rachel is her usual self, prodding at him about his poor moods, no matter how much Kurt insists he is fine. Mercedes, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. She keeps asking him about Mr. Anderson and why there is sudden tension. And even what had happened at regionals. Her suspicions are becoming exhausting, and Kurt feels ready to cave. So he avoids her. Instead, he starts spending more time with Tina, if only for the fact that she doesn't seem to notice his mood swings. He never thought he'd be so grateful for her absorption in her relationship with Mike.

Without realizing it, Kurt has walked all the way to his second period class without remembering the journey.

"Hey Kurt wait up!" Tina is calling out to Kurt from somewhere behind him. He turns to see her weaving through the throng of bodies meandering its way down the hallway. She nearly trips on a girl with braces and almost gets taken out by some letterman jacket-wearing hulk of a baseball player. When she catches up to Kurt, her long hair is obscuring half her face and she's slightly out of breath.

"Hey," he says halfheartedly. "What's up?"

Tina puffs out a well-aimed breath and her hair flies out of her eyes. She smooths it down with a free hand and smiles at Kurt.

"Sooo," she begins, a look of trepidation on her face. "Winter break starts tomorrow, and I know you've been down."

"Tina."

"Just listen," she pleads.

Kurt rolls his eyes and hopes he manages to convey his lack of patience for whatever it is she's about to say because he's two seconds from walking into his classroom and ignoring her completely. She must get the hint because her face softens and she gives him a warm smile.

"Look, I know you've been down. And I don't pretend to know what it's about, and I know you don't want to talk about it. I won't pry. I just thought maybe we could have a sleepover at my place. You, me, Mercedes. Even Rachel if she promises not to sing 'Cabaret' at the top of her lungs again. My mom thinks she's got a condition or something."

Kurt snorts out a small laugh at that. Tina smiles.

"What do you say?" she asks, bumping his shoulder with hers. "It will be fun. We'll eat junk food, give each other facials. Talk about boys." She raises her eyebrows suggestively.

Kurt considers it for a long moment. It could be good to have the distraction, even if only for a night. The fact that none of them know about him and Mr. Anderson might keep him from thinking about it for a while.

"Okay," he says, forcing his best fake smile as the bell rings. "What time?

Tina jumps a little at the sound. "I'll text you," she says beaming. "It's gonna be so much fun!"

She practically skips down the hallway, looking an awful lot like Rachel.

Kurt shows up at Tina's promptly at 8, overnight bag and a small case containing at least half a dozen creams, masks, and various other skin products firmly in hand. Tina's mother answers the door and after politely asking Kurt about his father, waves him in the direction of Tina's bedroom. Rachel is already there, sitting at the foot of Tina's bed, flipping through a gossip magazine.

"Can you believe she's dating Jake Gyllenhaal?" she asks, shoving the magazine in Tina's direction.

"Hey Kurt," Tina says, spotting him in the doorway.

"I brought Aveda," he says, falsely bright. Rachel is on her feet faster than he can blink. She grabs the case and sets it down on Tina's bed and begins rummaging through it. She squeals in delight when she finds a particular almond mask she'd been dying to try.

"May I?" she asks, waving it in Kurt's direction.

He nods, and Rachel is off the bed in a flash, headed down the hall to the bathroom.

"I'm glad you came," Tina says.

"Not as much as Rachel is," Kurt jokes. At Tina's serious look he says, "I'm glad too."

She throws an arm around him in a quick hug, just as Mercedes' voice rings out from the hallway.

"I saw my boy Kurt's car in the driveway. There better be cheesecake," she says. "And it better not be any of that vegan crap Rachel insists tastes like the real thing."

"Would I ever subject you to such a thing?" Kurt says in mock horror.

Mercedes smiles at him as Tina grabs both their bags and drops them in a heap on the floor next to the bed.

"Let's find a movie before Rachel gets back and makes us watch 'Rent' for the 50th time," Tina says.

"Hey…I like 'Rent,' " Kurt says.

"Are you telling me you want to watch it again?" Mercedes asks, picking up a copy of "Moulin Rouge," and dropping it in a small pile when Tina nods her head.

"No, I guess not," Kurt says, reaching for "When Harry Met Sally" and adding it to the pile.

Two hours later, and they're glutted on veggie pizza — Rachel having brought her own homemade vegan one — and starting their second rom-com of the night.

About two minutes in, Rachel grabs the remote and pauses the movie, turning toward her friends.

"I'm bored," she says.

"We could always play truth or dare," Tina says. "As long as we keep our voices down." She throws an admonishing look at Rachel, who just smiles at her.

"I'm in," Mercedes says.

"Kurt?" Rachel singsongs, waggling her eyebrows.

"Fine," he says, "but I'm not streaking through the neighborhood. So you can just get that out of your heads."

Tina giggles and Rachel claps her hands together excitedly.

"I'll go first," she says.

"Okay," Kurt says. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Rachel says.

Kurt looks thoughtful for a moment, even though he knows exactly what he wants to ask.

"Last week when Finn asked for my opinion on control-top versus sheer stockings, was that for you or him?"

Rachel blushes and squeaks as she flops to the side, burying her head in a pillow. Kurt can just make out a muffled "both" over Mercedes and Tina's giggles. He reaches over to pull the pillow away and says, "What was that?"

She sits up, brushing her bangs out of her face and squares her shoulders.

"I'll have you know Finn has very nice legs."

Mercedes and Tina fall into fits of giggles again as Kurt looks thoughtful. He'd never considered it before, but he can kind of see the appeal of Finn in … holy shit he's thinking about his stepbrother in women's lingerie!

"Oh god," Kurt says as he shudders at the thought, and it's Rachel's turn to giggle.

When the laughter dies down, Mercedes turns to Kurt smiling. "Your turn," she says.

"Yeah, Kurt," Tina says. "Truth or dare?"

Kurt thinks for a moment, knowing his friends have questions they've been dying to ask him and weighs it against the possibility of whatever embarrassing thing they might dare him to do.

"Dare," he says finally.

"Okay," Mercedes says and pauses for a moment before grinning lecherously at him. "I dare you to text Mr. Anderson and tell him you're thinking of him."

Kurt feels as if the floor has dropped out below him and there's a hard lump in his throat that he can't seem to swallow. His heart races as he tries to keep his face neutral, willing himself not to panic.

"What?" he says when he feels like he can finally manage words.

"I dare you to text Mr. Anderson and tell him you've been thinking about him…" Mercedes says, grinning. "All. Day."

Her eyes are twinkling, and Kurt can tell she thinks the dare she's just devised is probably the most ingenious thing anyone has ever thought up. And he wants to strangle her. He glances over to Tina and then to Rachel, but they're both staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Rachel speaks first.

"Come on, Kurt," she says. "It's a dare. You have to do it."

"Oh guys, I don't think…" Tina begins.

"No," Kurt interrupts, lifting his chin and glaring down his nose at them. "I'll do it."

With shaking hands, he reaches for his phone behind him. He grips it tightly and slides his finger across the screen. He pretends to search for Blaine's number, even though it's the first person in his contacts because he had texted him just that morning.

Maybe if he cuts to the chase, Blaine will respond. He had tried being casual, he'd tried begging. Perhaps it's time to be direct.

From Kurt (10:28 p.m.)
I've been thinking about you all day.

He shows the text to Mercedes, careful to obscure his previous texts, and hits send.

"Do you think he'll respond?" Tina says softly, looking a little nervous on Kurt's behalf.

Kurt shrugs and they all stare at the screen of his phone waiting for a response. When one doesn't come right away, Rachel suggests they move on to Mercedes.

"Truth or dare?" Tina asks.

"Truth," Mercedes says.

"Are you and Sam dating?"

She smiles and nods slowly as Rachel gives Tina a smug look. Obviously they'd been speculating behind Mercedes' back. Kurt tries to act interested as they prod her for details, but the feel of his phone in his hands distracts him. The cold plastic presses into his palm as he grips it tighter, willing it to vibrate.

Another peal of laughter rings out from the three girls, and Kurt jumps. He nearly drops his phone when it buzzes in his hands a second later. His heart drops as he stares at the screen in disbelief.

From Blaine (10:32 p.m.)
I think it's time we nix the singing lessons.

He doesn't even feel the tears as they begin to fall. But he feels Rachel's hand when it starts rubbing small circles on his back and Tina's hand on his knee. He looks up to meet three pairs of concerned brown eyes, and he chokes back a sob.

"He hates me," Kurt blurts out just before he proceeds to tell his three closest friends that he's in love with their teacher.

Rachel gets jolted out of her sleep by a voice whispering her name in her ear, as a hand shakes her shoulder. She blinks a few times and sees that it's just starting to get light out. When she gets her bearings, she rolls over and rubs the sleep from her eyes, only to be greeted with a wide-awake Kurt, who is smiling down at her ruefully.

"I'm going to head home," he whispers.

"You okay?" she manages to get out, even though her mouth still feels like it's stuffed with cotton.

"Yeah," he says, trying to smile. "I just don't feel like talking anymore. We can all go shopping later this week."

Rachel smiles, and stares after him as he grabs his stuff and makes his way out of the house quietly. She reaches over to nudge Tina.

"Hey," she whispers as loudly as she can without waking Mercedes, who is thankfully a pretty heavy sleeper. "Hey….Tina."

Tina mumbles something incoherent as she pushes up from her stomach and rolls over toward Rachel.

"What time is it?" she asks.

"I think we should go talk to Mr. Anderson about Kurt," Rachel blurts. Tina looks wide awake suddenly as she nods slowly.

"I'm not sure this is entirely appropriate," Tina says. "Are you sure Kurt would be okay with us doing this?"

"Of course not," Rachel says. "But that's not why we're doing this. He's upset, and Mr. Anderson can fix it."

Tina feels unsure, but follows Rachel into Mr. Anderson's apartment building and stands firmly at her side when she knocks sharply at the door.

Their teacher opens the door looking completely different than they've ever seen him. He's wearing a faded t-shirt and sweatpants and his hair is a mess of curls. He looks like he hasn't shaved in a couple of days, and he's wearing glasses.

"Rachel…Tina?" he says, running a hand self-consciously through his hair. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to talk about Kurt," Rachel says. She never fails to get right to the point.

Mr. Anderson's face falls, but he recovers quickly with a polite smile.

"What about Kurt?" he asks. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, that remains to be seen," Rachel says. "May we come in?"

"Um….sure," Mr. Anderson says, opening the door wider and gesturing them inside. "Would you like anything to drink? I think I have some juice…water?"

"We're fine thank you," Tina says as Rachel takes off her coat and makes herself at home on the sofa.

Mr. Anderson follows her and sits in a small chair to left of the sofa and gestures for Tina to sit.

"Mr. Anderson," Rachel begins. "I'm sure you've noticed that Kurt hasn't been himself lately."

"I have," he replies.

"Well, we suspect," Rachel says, looking to Tina. "That perhaps you know what happened. He won't really talk to any of us, and I know you've become a mentor of sorts to him."

"Why would you think he would confide in me?" Mr. Anderson asks, looking completely confused. "If he's not confiding in you," he adds, gesturing between them.

"He trusts you," Tina says softly.

Mr. Anderson's mouth falls open at that. He looks like he wants to say something, but he closes his mouth just as quickly.

"Did something happen?" Rachel asks, giving him a pointed stare.

Tina turns her head to gape at Rachel. What the hell is she thinking? This isn't part of their plan. Kurt will kill them if he finds out they've told Mr. Anderson what he said in confidence.

"I told you, I don't know," Mr. Anderson replies looking incredibly uncomfortable as he fidgets in the chair.

"Could you try and talk to him?" Tina asks trying to guide the conversation back to what they came for.

"Tina, I don't think it's really appropriate for me to get involved in Kurt's personal problems. Perhaps Miss Pillsbury would be a better option."

"Please," she says. "He's so sad."

Mr. Anderson looks at her with an expression she can't quite place. Maybe he really does have feelings for Kurt. It doesn't really matter, though. She just wants her friend to stop hurting.

"I'll see what I can do," he says finally. "But I'm not making any promises."

"No, of course not," Rachel says, beaming.

"Thank you," Tina says, grabbing Rachel's arm and dragging her toward the door. "I'm sorry we bothered you."

When they're safely outside, Tina turns to Rachel.

"God that was embarrassing," she says.

Rachel's eyes are gleaming and her smile is almost blinding as she ignores Tina's statement.

"Did you see his reaction?" she says. "He's worried about Kurt."

"Yeah…So?"

"So?" she asks, getting more excited and high pitched as she speaks. "Tina, he's got feelings for Kurt. It obvious!"

"It is?" Tina asks. What has Rachel been smoking?

"Oh my gosh…we have to tell Kurt!"

"Rachel, no," Tina says. "He cannot know that we came here."

Rachel smiles at her and pats her arm. God, we're in so much trouble, Tina thinks.

Blaine hadn't planned on ignoring Kurt. It just sort of happened while he was trying to figure things out.

When New Directions had left the stage with their first place regionals trophy, Blaine was avoiding Kurt's entire family. He didn't know what Mr. Hummel had heard, and he really didn't want to find out. Maybe it was cowardly letting Kurt deal with any potential fallout, but he couldn't face Kurt's dad. So he ran.

And when he had gotten a text that same night assuring him that Rachel hadn't blabbed, he breathed a small sigh of relief, but he didn't reply. Because it wasn't enough. Blaine wanted to say so much to Kurt, but he was still terrified. They'd been seen. Even if they weren't caught this time, there was no reassurance that the Warbler whom Rachel had overheard would keep his mouth shut. No. Blaine had to pull away. Even being friends with Kurt was too dangerous. So he didn't reach out.

He had actually intended to respond to every text Kurt sent. Tell him why he had withdrawn. But every time he tried, he couldn't think of a safe enough response. So he let it go, and let it go. Until two weeks had passed, and Blaine had formed a routine that didn't involve texting Kurt, or talking to Kurt outside of class, or having coffee with Kurt. Unfortunately it didn't involve not thinking about Kurt, though.

Still, he slowly he gets back to the rhythm of his life before Kurt had proposed friendship. Coming home at night and watching TV, playing the piano for himself, singing along with his iPod, taking out the trash, going to the gym, grading.

He feels numb.

Kurt's presence had been electric and wonderful. The lack of it makes everything else pale in comparison. Things that had once given Blaine comfort and happiness, now feel empty and cold. Thinking about it makes it worse, so he throws himself into his work. Lets himself get lost in editing essays on Shakespearean sonnets and 19th century literature. Circling misspelled words and jotting notes in the margins. There's something soothing about the ritual of it, the scratch of the pen across the page.

That's why on a snowy Saturday night in December, he's grading essays instead of going out with a group of college friends who are in Columbus for the weekend. It's easier to stay focused on grading that way, and the alcohol and the lights and music would just weaken his resolve to contact Kurt. It almost works. He barely thinks about Kurt.

Kurt, who pleads with his captivating eyes every day from the front row of the classroom. Kurt, who smiles warmly at him as he sings in the choir room. Who texts him funny little things like "Heidi Klum has lost it… That dress is a train wreck" and "If Rachel thinks we're singing Taylor Swift at nationals, she's delusional" as if nothing had ever happened. Kurt, whose presence makes Blaine's ears tingle and his heart sing, and every other silly clichéd reaction you can think of.

No, Blaine barely thinks of Kurt, whom he misses terribly.

A knock at the door makes him scratch an angry red line across the essay he's grading. Well, the essay he was trying to grade while daydreaming about Kurt. He slams down the pen and calls out, "Just a minute!" while he runs a hand over his hair to smooth down his wayward curls and adjusts his glasses. He looks down at his worn out Dalton t-shirt and baggy sweat pants and sighs, hoping the person knocking at his door doesn't mind such a casual appearance.

He's not sure whom he planned on seeing when he opened the front door to his apartment, but after his visit earlier from Tina and Rachel, he's not sure what to expect. So as he throws open the door, his breath catches in his throat when he sees it's Kurt.

"Hi," Kurt says, sounding nervous, out of breath, and just a little bit perfect.

"Hi," Blaine replies, gripping the door tighter in his left hand as he holds it open. He feels like if he lets go of the stable wood beneath his fingers he'll fall. Right into Kurt's arms.

Except Kurt is standing with his arms — strong, smooth, perfect — folded across his body in a defensive gesture. If Blaine fell forward right now, he'd knock them both over and land with a thud on the hard tile floor of the hallway outside his apartment. So he grips the door even tighter and leans on the frame with his other hand for support.

Kurt's eyes flicker down to his arms so quickly Blaine can't be sure he actually saw it. Because now those startling blue-green eyes are locked on his again. And he can't speak.

"You haven't answered my texts," Kurt says matter-of-factly.

"No," Blaine replies just as simply. No apologies. He can't. He's not sorry for doing the right thing.

"I miss you," Kurt says. "I miss just talking to you."

Blaine sighs and drops his head. "I know," he mutters.

Kurt inches forward, Blaine can see his hands fall from their crossed position and then come up to grip his shoulders.

"Look at me," Kurt says. "Please."

Blaine raises his head, but keeps his eyes closed. He doesn't want this, and yet he does. He can't look into Kurt's eyes again. He'll lose. Every last ounce of resolve he's spent the last two weeks building up will be gone. He takes a deep breath, and when he opens his eyes, he meets Kurt's affectionate stare. His gorgeous, more-blue-than-green-today eyes are shining with emotion. Blaine's heart feels like it rips open in his chest, and everything he's been feeling floods his body in an instant.

"I just want to talk," Kurt says. "Can I come in?"

Blaine nods slowly. "Okay."

He steps back, and Kurt's hands fall away. Blaine opens the door wide enough for Kurt to step through and then closes it behind him. When Blaine turns back around, Kurt is sitting down on his worn leather sofa. He perches himself on the edge of the nearest cushion, knees bent and pressed together in front of him. His hands rest on his lap, posture ramrod straight. Kurt looks stiff, but not uncomfortable.

Blaine busies himself with gathering up the papers he'd been grading and stuffing them into the bag that had been leaning on the coffee table. He drops it next to the couch and sits down, careful to maintain a respectable distance from Kurt.

Blaine looks over at him. He hasn't moved. He's still sitting perfectly straight and tall, staring without blinking toward Blaine's small kitchen.

"I thought you hated me," Kurt says.

"Impossible," Blaine says.

"Then why?" Kurt turns to face him, eyes welling up.

"This isn't easy for me, Kurt."

"You think it's easy for me?" Kurt asks, anger shining out from behind his tears. Kurt's jaw is tight as he speaks, a sharp, ironic laugh escaping his lips.

"No, I know it's been tough," Blaine says, rubbing his hand on his face, the hint of stubble feels rough against his palm. He wishes he had thought to shave that morning. And it occurs to him that Kurt has never seen him like this: scruffy, hair wild, glasses obscuring his large hazel eyes, and dressed like a slob. He immediately feels self conscious next to Kurt, who as usual, looks like he walked out of a magazine. The look is a bit more casual than some of his usual ensembles, but the way the gray sweater clings to him, straps of fabric crisscrossing his chest, forces Blaine's eyes across his broad shoulders. Blaine feels small and stupid and not nearly good enough.

"You're scared," Kurt says, looking down at his hands. His neck stretches beautifully and Blaine is transfixed. "So am I. But I just thought…."

"Kurt," Blaine interrupts, his hand reaching for Kurt's shoulder. His head snaps up at the touch, eyes wide and, Blaine notices for the first time, red around the edges. He's been crying. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know."

And in that moment Blaine understands. Kurt loves him. He knows him heart and soul and loves him for it.

"I'm so sorry," he says, reaching for Kurt as he scoots across the couch cushions, pulling him tightly to his chest. Blaine feels Kurt collapse against him as he drags a hand through his hair and feels Kurt's elegant frame shudder with relief as he clings to Blaine and buries his face in his shirt.

Blaine instinctively presses a few light kisses to the top of Kurt's head. It occurs to him briefly that it should feel wrong, holding him like this, but it doesn't.

Because right now, he isn't Kurt's teacher. Not in this moment at least. Right now, they are equals. And Blaine is just a man, comforting the man he loves. He loves Kurt.

Oh god, I love him.

He takes in a ragged breath at the thought and pulls Kurt tighter to him. He loves him. Desperately and impossibly. He's fallen in love with his 18-year-old student. He knows he should feel terrified, ashamed maybe. But he doesn't. Not anymore. Blaine feels nothing but complete adoration and the need to protect Kurt from ever questioning his feelings again.

"Would you believe me if I promised to never do it again?" he asks after a moment.

Kurt freezes. "What do you mean?"

Blaine exhales slowly and tries to calm his heartbeat. He rubs small circles on Kurt's back.

"I think I want to try to make this work," he says. "Me and you, that is."

"Blaine?" Kurt says, pulling away and looking up at him with wet blue eyes. He's searching for something. The truth? That shred of fear that's kept them both at arm's length for so long? Blaine wants to crush that doubt under his foot. Stomp it out and convince Kurt that this time it's real.

"Will you have me?" he asks.

Kurt doesn't reply. Not with words, anyway. His eyes flutter closed and he leans up to press his lips softly to Blaine's. He pulls away and smiles. It's coy and shy and completely adorable.

"I feel like I've been yours from the moment we met," Kurt says.

Blaine doesn't wait for another response; he surges forward to capture Kurt's mouth in a bruising kiss. Mouth parted, tongue searching. Kurt gasps, and he pushes in stronger, gripping the back of Blaine's head. Blaine's never allowed himself to be this free with Kurt before, and it's exhilarating. Every other kiss has always been tinged with guilt and shame, even fear. But this…this is everything. And Blaine is drunk with it.

While he's still semi-coherent, Blaine forces a moment of clarity, and he pulls back from Kurt's mouth. His eyes don't leave the bright pink lips right away, though, because he wants to dive right back in and claim them as his own. But he has something he needs to say.

"I promise you, I will never run away scared again," he says, looking up to meet Kurt's eyes and holding his face in his hands. Blaine tries to project every last drop of sincerity that he has into that one look. He needs Kurt to understand. "This is real to me, and I want this to work. But we have to be honest with each other. Okay?"

Kurt's eyes crinkle around the edges as his mouth slowly turns up into a soft smile. He nods slowly.

"Then I think you should know, I want to talk about how this whole thing is going to work, but first," Blaine says, grinning, "I really, really want to kiss you again."

"Okay."

Blaine starts out slow, kissing the tip of Kurt's nose and each soft, closed eyelid. His lips brush across Kurt's left cheek and then his right, before Blaine slips a hand under his chin and lifts ever so slightly to press his lips softly against Kurt's parted mouth.

Kurt gasps in a ragged breath before relaxing into the kiss. He wants to remember this moment for the rest of his life, with Blaine's hand carding through his hair and his knee digging into Kurt's side, as they twist awkwardly on Blaine's sofa trying to get closer. Kurt wants more of Blaine, more of his kisses, more touches, more everything. It feels like too much and not enough all at once.

He tentatively flicks his tongue toward Blaine's mouth, finding it open and waiting. The tip of his tongue grazes Blaine's drawing out a small, pleased sound from the back of his throat. Kurt tries it again to see if he can get the same reaction. Another muffled moan. He pushes deeper, and Blaine latches onto his tongue this time, sucking lightly. Kurt feels like he might explode out of his body at the sensation. It's almost strange to have someone suckling on your tongue, but it's so erotic that he feels a spike of arousal shoot through him.

He reaches up instinctually to feel Blaine's cheek beneath his hands to ground himself in the moment; the feel of Blaine beneath his hand makes it all real somehow. The stubble scratches his palm, and it feels sandpapery and intoxicating. Kurt feels like he's floating, so he grips Blaine tighter. He leans his weight forward to counter the floating feeling and he catches Blaine off guard. They tumble backward onto the worn leather of the sofa, landing with a low "oof" from Blaine.

Kurt giggles when they bump noses. Blaine wraps his hands around Kurt's waist and pulls him down over him, their legs getting tangled beneath them.

"You smell amazing," Blaine says, nudging his face up with his nose and nuzzling into Kurt's neck.

When Kurt feels his tongue trailing a wet stripe along his jawline, he sighs.

"You feel amazing," Kurt breathes.

Blaine's teeth, tongue, and lips drag along Kurt's neck, trailing down to his collarbone and back again. Kurt sighs and holds on to Blaine's shoulders for stability. He shifts his weight to give Blaine better access and feels the hard line of Blaine's erection against his thigh.

"Oh," he says, sitting up slightly. He can't go far, though, because Blaine is still holding him snugly to his chest.

"Everything okay?" Blaine asks. His pupils are dilated so widely it almost obscures the warm ochre of his irises, and his lips look so full and lush, Kurt can't quite remember why he had pulled away. When he fidgets, he feels his own erection pressing tightly against the zipper of his jeans and then he remembers.

"Um…yes?" Kurt says. "I think so."

"Kurt, we don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with," Blaine says, fixing a lock of hair that had fallen across Kurt's forehead.

"I know," he says. "Just caught me off guard. This is fine."

"You sure?" Blaine asks, and Kurt is so grateful for the concerned look on his face because there isn't the slightest hint of condescension. Blaine doesn't see him as a kid or something breakable. He just sees Kurt, and doesn't want to push.

Kurt manages a small "mmhmm" before Blaine's lips are on his once more. This time he's more aware of what these kisses might mean, so he grinds his hips down experimentally. Blaine's eyes go wide and he stops kissing Kurt for a moment.

"Kurt?"

He grins mischievously and raises an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Blaine clears his throat and raises his eyebrows before breaking into a close-lipped smile.

"No," he whispers on an exhale.

There's a different gleam in his eyes than before. Just a little extra burning need than he's previously shown Kurt. It makes Kurt feel desired and sexy and powerful. He nips at Blaine's lower lip playfully. Blaine's hip snap up in response and Kurt feels the firm press of his cock through several layers of cotton. He has a fleeting fantasy about its size and shape before he drifts back into the sensation of Blaine's warm mouth and firm hands. He relaxes into the reassuring feeling of Blaine's body, pliant and writhing beneath him.

They begin to rut against one another, slowly at first, then building to a steady lust-filled rhythm. Kurt begins to lose track of everything but the slow drag of his cock against Blaine's thigh, the rough denim creating a harsh friction that he barely notices beyond the exquisite pleasure coursing through him.

It builds and builds and builds until he feels himself tipping over the edge. He vaguely hears Blaine murmur something that sounds like his name just seconds before Kurt feels his orgasm rush through him. Seconds later, he feels Blaine go rigid beneath him and Kurt opens his eyes in time to see Blaine's face tense in pleasure.

Kurt collapses on Blaine's chest and can't stop a laugh from escaping.

"I can't believe we just did that," he says.

"Me neither," Blaine rasps out beneath him.

Kurt wants to see his face, but can't bring himself to lift his head. He feels heavy and weightless all at once, and never wants to move again.

"You okay?" Blaine asks after a moment.

"Better than okay," Kurt replies, pressing a kiss to Blaine's chest. "I feel like flying."

Blaine laughs affectionately.

"You say that now, but wait until it starts to dry," he says, gesturing between them.

"Just shut up and hold me," Kurt says. "You're spoiling the moment."