Saturday, July 21

Twenty minutes later, the boys were freshly washed, dry, and dressed in the last of their clean clothes.  Neither one seemed willing to break their connection, so they held hands as they gathered their dirty laundry to throw into the washer.  

Once their clothes were in the machine – a front-loader with plenty of room for both of their stuff – Blaine led Kurt to the living room and pulled him down on the sofa.  “Look,” he said, batting his eyelashes, “It's another opportunity to lose our virginity together.”  

“Blaine, honey, you know I'm totally into you, but it might be a little soon.”

Blaine quirked an eyebrow at him.  “I just meant that we've never made out on a sofa before.”

Kurt blushed.  “Oh.  Okay.”

Blaine spun Kurt around on the wide cushions, pulling him across his lap.  Kurt went willingly, nestling his face into the crook of Blaine's shoulder.  He loved the feeling of Blaine's arms encircling him possessively.  Snuggling closer, he began kissing his boyfriend's neck.

“Mmmm,” Blaine hummed.  “I could get used to this.”

“Don't get too used to it.  After all, we don't have a sofa back at camp.”

“Well, then, let's make the most of this one while we're here.”

The boys soon lost track of time, drifting in a pleasant haze of kisses and caresses.  Kurt was brought back to reality with a jolt when he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock and the front door began to swing open.  He leapt up off of Blaine's lap, catapulting himself into a nearby armchair.

Blaine seemed unfazed.  He popped up with a big smile and rushed to greet his parents.  After hugging first his mom, then his dad, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him up out of the chair.  “Mom, Dad, you remember Kurt.”

“Of course,” Blaine's mom said warmly, at the same time as his dad said, “It's nice to see you again.”

Kurt hoped he didn't look as though he'd almost been caught doing something naughty.  He said, in his most polite voice, “It's good to see you again, too, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.  Thank you for inviting me.  You have a lovely home.”

“Oh, Kurt, there's no need to be so formal,” Blaine's mom said, stepping forward and wrapping him in a hug.  “Please, call me Pam.  And my husband's name is Charles.”

“Yes, please, call me Charles,” Blaine's dad said, pulling Kurt in for a hug as soon as his wife let go.

“Okay,” Kurt said, realizing where Blaine got his sense of ease with physical affection.  “Thanks.”

“Now, you boys must be getting hungry,” Pam said, glancing at her watch.  “I've got cranberry coq au vin going in the slow-cooker.  Would you like to help out by putting together a salad?”

“Sure, Mom,” Blaine said, following her into the kitchen.

Kurt trailed along behind.  He still felt a little shy, but his nervousness was quickly dissipating in the face of Blaine's parents' warm welcome.  He was pleased to be asked to help out with the meal preparations; it made him feel like part of the family.

Charles joined them in the kitchen, gathering plates and silverware to set the table.  Blaine chattered happily to his parents as they worked, filling them in on all of the details of camp life that hadn't made it into his letters.  Kurt chipped in now and then with an amusing anecdote, feeling more and more at home.

By the time they sat down to dinner, Kurt had completely relaxed.  The meal was delicious, and Kurt was effusive in his praise.  Pam beamed at him, urging him to take seconds.  It didn't require much coaxing, since he could honestly say that this was the best food he'd had in months. 

After dinner, Blaine and Kurt helped to clear the table and load the dishwasher.  Then, they went to get their long-forgotten laundry out of the washing machine and put it in the dryer.  When they returned from the laundry room, Pam asked, “Kurt, did Blaine show you our guest room?  I already made up the bed with clean sheets for you.”  

Kurt felt a surge of disappointment.  He'd been imagining spending the night in Blaine's room, but he guessed that was too much to hope for.  Before he could answer, Blaine said, “I didn't have a chance yet, Mom.  I'll show him now.”

He led Kurt down the hall to the only bedroom on the first floor.  It was a large room, with a queen-sized bed covered in a cheerful quilt.  Closing the door behind them, Blaine said quietly, “Don't worry, I'll sneak down here and spend the night with you.”  Then, looking suddenly hesitant, he added, “If you want me to, that is.”

“Of course I want you to.  So long as you won't get in trouble.”

“I won't.  My bedroom is closest to the stairs.  No one will even notice.”

Kurt smiled, giving his boyfriend a quick kiss.  “Good.  Now let's go back out there before your parents start to wonder what we're up to.”

Later that evening, Kurt found himself walking with Blaine into a crowded café in Columbus.  He'd never met Cooper, but the idea of Karaoke night with Blaine's older brother didn't feel half as nerve-wracking as he'd been afraid ‘dinner with the parents' would be.

“So, Blaine, I finally get to meet this mysterious brother of yours, who you refuse to talk about.  I'm dying to see what he looks like.”

“Oh, trust me, you already know what he looks like.”

A tall figure stepped out of the crowd and enveloped Blaine in a hug.  “Hey!”

“Hey, Coop.”

“How are you, bud?”

“Good.  Good to see you, man.”

“Is this your boyfriend, here?”

“Yes, it is.  This is Kurt.  Kurt, this is my brother, Cooper Anderson.”

As the ridiculously handsome man stepped forward to shake his hand, Kurt could feel his jaw drop.  “Oh my god,” he squeaked.  “You're the guy from the ‘Free Credit Rating Today dot com' commercials.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“I love those commercials!  The jingle's my ringtone.”

“Thanks.  My commercial's on hiatus, so I told my agent I was headed back to the heartland to do some character research.  Next season's commercials have a lot more intense, gritty character stuff, so I really want to explore my ‘salt of the earth' roots.”

“Blaine, your brother's the best-looking man in North America,” Kurt whispered to his boyfriend.

“Yeah, I know,” Blaine said wryly.  “That's why I never really talk about him.”

“C'mon, squirt,” Cooper said, ruffling Blaine's hair.  “Let's get up on that stage and show your boyfriend what we can do.”

Blaine glanced questioningly at Kurt, who waved him toward the microphone.  Cooper got there first, and addressed the audience.

“My brother and I have a little Duran Duran mash-up that I think you're gonna enjoy.”

Kurt watched in delight as Blaine and Cooper burst into a wildly entertaining rendition of “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Rio,” complete with over-the-top dance moves that they must have been practicing for years.  They finished to thunderous applause.

Blaine was beaming when he returned.  “That was so much fun!  You and I have to go up there and sing one.”

“I don't know…”

“Come on.  You have a beautiful voice, and you're going to NYADA, so you can't be shy about singing in public.”

“But we haven't rehearsed anything.”

“What about the duet we did in the car on the way here?”

“Alright,” Kurt agreed, allowing Blaine to pull him toward the makeshift stage.

Singing “Perfect” in a cafe with his boyfriend was, indeed, perfect, Kurt thought.  He loved to perform, and singing campfire songs with the kids just wasn't the same.  He got a rush from the way Blaine's voice harmonized with his own, and the obvious appreciation of their audience left him glowing with pleasure.   

The evening was an overwhelming success.  After he got over his initial feeling of being starstruck, Kurt enjoyed hanging out with Cooper and listening to his tales about life in LA.  Cooper and Blaine entertained him with several more songs, and Kurt and Blaine sang a few more duets, as well.  

As the night drew to a close, Blaine said, “I just have one more I want to do before we head home.”

He walked alone to the microphone and boldly announced, “This song is for my boyfriend, Kurt.”  

You think Im pretty without any make-up on

You think Im funny when I tell the punchline wrong

I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down

Before you met me, I was alright

But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life

Now every February, youll be my valentine, valentine

Lets go all the way tonight

No regrets, just love

We can dance until we die

You and I, well be young forever

You make me feel like Im living a teenage dream

The way you turn me on, I cant sleep

Lets run away and dont ever look back

Dont ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me

Just one touch, now baby I believe

This is real, so take a chance

And dont ever look back, dont ever look back

We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach

Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets

I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece

Im complete

Lets go all the way tonight

No regrets, just love

We can dance until we die

You and I, well be young forever

You make me feel like Im living a teenage dream

The way you turn me on, I cant sleep

Lets run away and dont ever look back

Dont ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me

Just one touch, now baby I believe

This is real, so take a chance

And dont ever look back, dont ever look back

Im a get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

You make me feel like Im living a teenage dream

The way you turn me on, I cant sleep

Lets run away and dont ever look back

Dont ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me

Just one touch, now baby I believe

This is real, so take a chance

And dont ever look back, dont ever look back

Im a get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

Tonight…

Kurt wasn't aware of the applause as the song ended.  The audience may as well have not even been there.  Every fiber of his being was focused on only one thing – Blaine, coming toward him.  Without thinking, he rose from his seat and rushed to meet his boyfriend.  Wrapping Blaine in a fierce hug, he whispered, “You're my teenage dream, too.”