Blaine hugs his forearms around Kurt’s shoulders, tugs him impossibly closer.

This is perfect.

They break apart, but Blaine can’t stop himself from darting back in for little kisses here and there as Kurt’s breathing manages to even out.

“What is this?” Kurt asks, sliding his arms down to hang limp from his sides, filling from fingertips to lips with sensation from wherever he’d touched Blaine.

“What’s what?” Blaine half-echoes, lazily tracing the sharp cut of Kurt’s face in the bright sunlight with his eyes.

“What’s this, here, now.” Kurt gestures between them. “What are we?”

“We can be whatever you want,” Blaine answers, sounding far too desperate for Kurt’s liking. “We don’t even have to talk during school, you don’t even have to look at me-”

“-why not?”

Blaine sighs. “Because of my reputation.”

Kurt’s smile falters, his breath catching a little at Blaine’s words. “What do you mean?” He half-laughs.

“Please don’t try to brush this off, Kurt – you know how practically everyone sees me, and compared with how everyone sees you-“Blaine cuts himself off before he can think about it too much.

“No.”

Blaine perks up. “What?”

Kurt’s shaking his head almost-furiously. “I can’t do that to you, Blaine – it already hurt too much the first time, and it’s beyond unfair on you.”

“I can take it-“

“Why would you?” Kurt sounds almost incredulous.

Blaine pauses. “You’re worth it.” He looks Kurt in the eye, squeezes his shoulder gently. “I feel like I could wait for you forever.”

“No, Blaine; if I can’t be proud of you in front of other people, you shouldn’t spare me a second. I’m not worth it.”

Blaine scoffs, and Kurt’s eyes start to water again. “Are you kidding? You’re perfect.” He says quietly, softly, stretching for Kurt’s hand with his spare one, still looking him in the eye. “Did you know I almost got detention on our first day because I couldn’t stop staring at you, Kurt Hummel?”

Kurt smiles tightly, eyes spilling over. “I’m far from perfect.” He sniffs.

“Well, you’re as close as I’m ever gonna get.”

Kurt lets out a sob, shoulders jerking with the force of it, and Blaine squeezes his hand tighter.

“Y-you’re perfect, too, you know.” Kurt manages, all nasal and high.

“Well, I try.” Blaine jokes sombrely, cracking a small smile. He pauses. “Are you...scared, Kurt?”

“Terrified.”

“What of?”

Kurt splutters his sentences, trying to come up with something that won’t contradict what he needs Blaine to know so, so badly-

“I can hear you thinking, Kurt.” He says, holding up a finger to his trembling lips. “Try to calm down.”

Kurt’s breathing starts up half-normal, and Blaine tries again.

“Are you scared of what might happen if you’re with me…publicly?” Blaine asks quietly, voice thick with emotion. “Because I said, we can be whatever you want, Kurt, I promise-“

“That’s not it.” Kurt interrupts, loosening his hand on Blaine’s. “That’s not it at all.”

“What is it, then?” Blaine asks, trying not to speak to quickly, too desperate.

You have to give him time. Space. Anything he wants.

“I’m scared of what’ll happen, sure, but…that’s only because last time I was at the bottom of the pit,” he hesitates, “I-I was alone.”

Kurt takes a deep breath, and Blaine’s heart must be trying to kill him at this point.

“B-but if I go back now – if I stop pretending…I’ll have you, won’t I?”

Blaine nods so fast he thinks he might have put a kink in his neck.

“Then I have nothing to be scared of.”

*

Blaine sucks in a breath.

He trusts you.

“Whatever you choose, I’ll be here for you, I promise.”

“I’ve already decided – I want you. I want all of you, and I want everyone to know it.” Kurt looks a little dazed from how fast he’s speaking.

He wants to be with you.

Kurt’s looking down at their joined hands, a soft, serene, teary smile on his lips. Blaine’s heart pangs.

He loves you.

“Your hand is really warm, Blaine, are you okay?”

Shit.

He wrenches his hand out of Kurt’s grasp quickly, nods awkwardly while shaking it. “Yeah, I’ve – um – just been – I – a little feverish, lately?” His voice spirals upward at the end.

Kurt pauses, eyes suspicious. A long moment passes.

“Okay.”

*

“Brittany, no – don’t-“

“-I have to wolf-whistle or something, come on, look at them, they’re so-“

“-cute, they’re cute, I get it, but you can’t barge in there now! Can’t you see how vulnerable this situation is?”

Brittany sighs, not moving her gaze from the inside of the cafeteria, where Blaine and Kurt are conversing silently, both teary-eyed. “I sure can.”

A moment passes.

“They look like us – minus the dicks, of course-“

Brittany snorts, twirls around to face her girlfriend. “You sure about that?”

Santana grins, pressing a finger to her chin and looking skyward in mock confusion. “About you having…a dick?” She whispers scandalously.

Brittany nods, bites Santana’s finger gently. “I’m not sure.” She gently strokes Santana’s shoulder, cocking her head to the side. “Maybe you should…help me figure that out.”

Santana visibly shivers. “I hate you.”

Brittany giggles. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

Santana glances around, pulls her in for a quick kiss, just a peck. Nothing too risky.

“It’s a definite yes.” She says, eyes alight with something dark, pulling Brittany as quickly as she can towards her car.

*

“So, are we really gonna do this?” Blaine gulps, veering as far away from the previous subject as possible; this one doesn’t make him feel any lighter, though. “Be together? Public?”

“If you’ll take me.” Kurt smiles, and Blaine can’t help but brush his fingertips along the dimple at the corner of his mouth.

“I love you, Kurt.” Blaine says, and Kurt lets out a little gasp of breath and it rushes past Blaine’s fingers and god, how can such a simple sensation have sparks flying from head to toe?

“I love you too.”

*

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Kurt blinks back at Blaine, hand trembling in his.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Blaine gives his hand a final squeeze of encouragement, lets go. Tries to whisper good luck, courage, I love you with his eyes alone.

“Hummel!”

Kurt’s head snaps up, eyes wide, to see Santana holding a blue slushy cup and trying to say please don’t punch me in the face with her eyes alone. He gulps, and Blaine adds yet another reason to his reasons to love Kurt Hummel – his acting skills.

“What do you want, Lopez?” He practically squeaks, and if Blaine, Santana and Kurt hadn’t sat down yesterday and rehearsed everything to a tee, he would grab Kurt by the collar and wrench him into his arms and hide him from the world and-

“Just wanted to know if the rumours are true.” She says, a little breathless, and Blaine secretly wishes she was a little better at controlling her emotions around people she cared about.

“What rumours?”

“That you and Loser McGel over there are fuck-buddies.”

Kurt lets his eyes skitter over the hallway – people are starting to notice, they’re tapping on their friends shoulders, point towards the two of them, and he’s so damn scared he wishes he could turn invisible on the spot but he can’t stop now.

“Why’s that any of your business?”

“Because if it’s true, then we have a little order to restore.” She gestures to the slushy, and Blaine has to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the amount of people who gasp as they finally catch up. “By order, I mean-“

“-you’re gonna slushy me.” Kurt interrupts, crossing his arms tightly, and he just sounds so damn scared-

“Correct.” Santana brings her feet together, holds the slushy cup in both hands. People are starting to gather behind her now, letterman jackets beaming out like warning signals to Kurt. He sighs dramatically.

Don’t stop me now, boys.

“You know what, Santana? Fuck you. Fuck the Cheerios, and fuck your hierarchy, and fuck whatever you think you’ve got against me because you know what? I’ve got Blaine, and he is brave and honest and everything you’re not, Lopez.” Kurt’s speaking so fast he’s practically spitting, each word trembling harshly. “I have him, and he’s not going anywhere.”

Kurt reaches back a hand, and Blaine doesn’t wait a second before he grabs it so Kurt can tug him forward. Kurt glances down at him for a second, eyes vulnerable, and Blaine thinks he may be cutting off the circulation but he can’t bring himself to care because he’s just so proud of his boyfriend. Boyfriend.

“I’ve got him,” and the words are growing solid, whole, and Blaine just wants to cry at how perfect his Kurt is. “-so do your worst.”

A moment passes, and Santana gulps quickly.

I wish I could be as brave as you.

“I’m sorry.” Is all she can manage before he launches the slushy at his face and turns away down the hall, keeping her features as still as possible.

Don’t cry. Not here.

*

The mutterings turn to whispers, and by lunch have grown to full-blown rumours that the catfight of the century had left Kurt Hummel and Santana Lopez with three-week suspensions. Kurt actually laughs out loud when they reach their table in the cafeteria, nudging Blaine’s shoulder and nodding towards the Cheerio table.

“Too bad they didn’t make up something about you having superpowers or something, huh?”

Blaine chuckles along, tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Congratulations, Anderson, you’re a freak of nature.”

You have everything you’ve ever wanted.

“Blaine?”

“Yeah?”

“You with me?”

Blaine blinks slowly, realizes he’s standing at the foot of their table and he can’t remember sitting down and he should probably do that now.

“So.”

“Are you gonna quit the Cheerios?”

 “Not if they don’t make me.” Kurt shrugs, popping a grape into his mouth. “As cliché as it is, cheerleading is my passion – well, it’s the only one that I could find that was popular enough, and it grew on me.”

Blaine nods. “So you’re not looking for any new passions?”

Kurt giggles, and Blaine’s heart swells. “Depends on what those passions are.”

“Can I be your passion?”

“Any day of the week.”

Blaine smiles, and Kurt smiles, and they lean in a little closer and-

“Get a room, freaks!”

Blaine pauses for a second, trying to gauge Kurt’s reaction. He’s still for a second, but then he looks at Blaine again, and bends his to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Love you.”

*

“Love you.”

Maybe you should try to let him go.

Nope. He’s yours. Why are you letting that nothing take him from you?

Sebastian sighs, rubs his face with his hands. He’s been so tired lately – coincidentally, he’s been wanting Kurt back more too.

That Brittany girl down at the bakery seemed nice – maybe you should go see about that position they were advertising.

Are you fucking kidding? Your father’s already pissed enough at you for being a fag, don’t even start thinking about working in a bakery.

Sebastian gets up from his table, tries to exit the cafeteria without thinking too much.

Please, just leave him alone. It’s best for both of you.

Have you seen yourself lately, Smythe? This isn’t good for you, it can’t be.

If you don’t stop soon, you’re gonna get caught up in a storm of bad.