I can see you there with the city lights,
Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes,
I can breathe you in.

Two shadows standing by the bedroom door,
No, I could not want you more,
Then I did right then,
As our heads leaned in.

Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin,
When the time comes,
Baby, don't run,
Just kiss me slowly.

Chapter 9:

"What do you mean he didn't come home?" Kurt demanded, feeling as if ice water was being poured down his back.

Santana shrugged. "He said he was going for a walk," she told him. "But that was, uh, let's see.. five hours ago?"

Kurt's eyes widened and his legs gave way. "Oh, God, Santana," he exhaled, falling down onto the sofa. "Do you think he's okay? What if something's happened to him? Oh, God. I'll never forgive myself if anything—"

"Hummel!" Santana said, shaking him a bit. He blinked up at her. "Shut up. He's a big boy—well, technically untrue, but you know what I mean. He can take care of himself. Chillax."

"How can I 'chillax' when my boyfriend is missing—"

"Okay," Santana said, sitting down. "You are such a freakin' drama queen. Anderson is not missing. He's out, which makes a change, since he's always in. Maybe it'll do him good."

Kurt groaned. His mind was working over time. Where in the world would Blaine have gone? He hadn't made a bunch of friends that he could turn to. He didn't really know anyone and like Santana said, he hardly ever went out unless it was absolutely necessary. Kurt wondered if maybe he had gone out with someone else, maybe just to prove that no one else was right for him.

"Stop that," Santana said.

Kurt looked at her, blankly. "Stop what?"

"Stop making up crazy scenarios in that gay head of yours," she said, rolling her dark eyes again. "Look," she took her cell out of her pocket. "I'll call him."

Kurt nodded quickly, wondering why he hadn't thought to do that first. His hands were shaking too badly anyway. He watched Santana, hoping against hope that Blaine would pick up, but the look on her face told him that it had gone straight to voicemail. Kurt found the strength to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Santana asked, as he headed for the door.

"To look for him."

She ran to him and grabbed his arm. "Hummel," she said, tiredly, pulling him round to face her. "Look, we don't have any idea where he is, so looking for him isn't really an option. Maybe we could ask people if they've seen him. You go upstairs and talk to Finn and Rachel and I'll go ask Smythe."

"Sebastian isn't home," Kurt told her. "I saw him at Starbucks."

"Oh," she said. "Well, thank God for that, because I definitely don't want to talk to that asshole. Let's go up and see Berry and manboobs."

Getting Rachel involved had been a terrible idea. She had cried, which only made matters worse. Kurt felt sick and he wanted to go out and look for him, but Santana was right. it was dark and cold and they had no idea where he could have gone. Kurt and Santana ended up back in the apartment, just waiting. Santana made some phone calls to people they knew from college, but nobody had seen Blaine. Kurt just paced the floor, conjuring up more awful scenarios. He had tried to stop, but his brain seemed to do its own thing.

"You should go to sleep," Santana told him. He looked at her like she was nuts. "Kurt, it's after midnight."

He shuddered at the mention of the time, because as the clock ticked, the worse things got. Blaine didn't stay out past midnight. Something wasn't right.

"Maybe we should call the police—"

"He's over eighteen, Kurt," Santana told him. "They won't do a thing until he's been missing for 48 hours. Do you know how many people go missing here every day? Tonnes. And that's—Not that Blaine is missing," she added quickly. "I'm sure he's just hanging out some place. He probably just needed some time to himself. He hasn't been taking this crazy break well, you know."

Kurt heart twisted again. "It's my fault," he said, quietly. "If anything has happened to him, it's because of me—"

"Snap out of it!" Santana said. She sighed. "Look, I'm sure he's fine. You, on the other hand, look awful. Go rest. I'll wake you up if I hear anything."

"I can't just—"

"Look, I don't think it'll come to this, but maybe tomorrow we will have to go looking and if you don't get some rest, what good will you be?"

"Santana, I don't know if I—"

She stood up and faced him, her eyes soft. "I'm worried, too. I mean, I know I laugh at you guys a lot and I insult you, like, all the time, but he's my friend, okay? Both of you are. You're the only ones who've shown me any freakin' kindness in this crumby place. Blainers is fine. I'm sure of it. He'll come strolling in that door like nothing happened and we'll have worried and stressed ourselves out for nothing. I can feel it." Kurt nodded, hoping she was right. A single tear slid down his cheek. "Look at you," she said, smiling. "You look like crap. Go inside," she said, pushing him to the bedroom. "I'll shout if anything happens, okay?"

Kurt sighed, defeated. "Santana," he said, softly.

"What?"

"Do you really think he's okay?"

She paused, then said, "Duh. He's okay. You'll see. Now get out of here, your pacing is giving me a headache." She smiled.

He gave her a weak smile in return, then went into the bedroom.

Voicemail left at 12.16 A.M.
Please pick up. I'm going crazy, Blaine... Please.

Voicemail left at 12.32 A.M.
I love you, Blaine. Please answer me.

Voicemail left at 12.43 A.M.
Text me. Let me know you're okay.

Voicemail left at 12.56 A.M.
I screwed up. I'm sorry. If this is some sort of punishment, okay, I get it. Please don't punish me any longer, even if I deserve it. I need you to be okay, Blaine. I need to know that you're okay. Just.. Please, babe.

Text message to: Blaine at 1.00 A.M.
I love you.

Kurt opened his eyes and there was a split second where he forgot, forgot that Blaine wasn't home, forgot that he had no idea where he was, then the reality set in and his blood ran cold and his stomach twisted and his head ached. He checked his phone, hoping Blaine had gotten in touch, but there was nothing on the screen but the date and the time (3.57 A.M.). Kurt felt the cold washing over him, his insides turning.

He decided he would go see if Santana was still awake. He got to his feet and opened the bedroom door and hit the switch on the tall lamp outside the bedroom. The room lit up, dimly and Kurt almost fell to the ground when he saw the dark figure under the blanket on the sofa. Kurt let out an unintentional whimper in relief and the figure shifted and sat up and honey coloured eyes landed on him.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked, groggily.

Kurt went closer and exhaled. "You're okay," he said, kneeling down in front of Blaine on the sofa.

Blaine furrowed his eyebrows. "Of course, I'm okay," he said. "Hey, you're shaking." Kurt's heart was beating rapidly and he felt the salt water tears slipping warmly down his cheeks and then Blaine was wiping them away. "Come on," he said, moving back and pulling the blanket away from him. "Come here."

Kurt got up and lay down next to him and pulled him close to him. He buried his head in his neck and breathed in his scent. He thought about asking him questions, demanding to know where he had been and why he hadn't called, but he was far too exhausted. He fell asleep nestled against Blaine like that and it was the best sleep he had had in weeks.

When Kurt woke up the next morning, Blaine was already awake. He was stroking Kurt's hair back from his face, absently and when Kurt opened his eyes, he stopped. Kurt pushed himself up and untangled himself from Blaine. he blinked himself awake, Blaine simply watching him.

"You could have called," Kurt accused. "I was worried sick."

"My phone died," Blaine told him, gesturing to his phone which was now on charge.

"I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you," Kurt told him, truthfully. "Where'd you go, anyway?"

Blaine shrugged one shoulder and looked down at his hands. "Figured I'd give you some space," he said. "It's been hard on both of us."

"But where were you?" Kurt asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"I walked for a while, then I sat in the back booth of one of those 24-hour diners in the city," he told him.

Kurt's body sagged with relief. "Just..don't do it again, okay? How would you feel if I didn't come home and you didn't hear for me for an entire day?"

"Point taken," Blaine nodded. "I'm sorry."

Kurt didn't say anything.

"Happy birthday, by the way."

Kurt looked up. "Wh-what?"

"It's your birthday," Blaine told him. "December 15th? You forgot your own birthday?" There was a glint of amusement in his bright eyes.

"I guess," Kurt shrugged. "It's not important—"

"Of course it's important," Blaine said. Pause. Then, "You know, this day two years ago was the first time we slept together."

"I know."

"I made you cry," Blaine said, the faintest of smiles playing on the corners of his lips. "And last year, I wouldn't pick up your call and I made you cry and this year I made you cry again."

Kurt didn't say anything.

"I promise I won't make you cry next year."

Kurt looked at him, tried to keep a stiff upper lip, but gave in. "It's okay."

"It's not okay."

"Yes, it is," Kurt argued. "It doesn't matter."

"Kurt, look, I know we haven't been that close lately, but I still love you—"

"I know," Kurt told him. "Actually, I ran home yesterday to tell you that I knew. I—Maybe I'm taking liberties here, but I know you want this. I know you mean it. I know this is forever. If you still want that, I mean."

Blaine's eyes were wide. "Are you really asking me that?"

"Okay," Kurt said. "I know you do. So, can we be us again?"

Blaine's mouth developed into a full smile. "I would love that."

"You would?" Kurt asked, a little breathlessly.

"We didn't break up, Kurt," Blaine told him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight. "We spent a couple of weeks without interaction, that's all. There never should have been any doubt that we were going to go back to being us at the end of it all."

Kurt nodded and Blaine kissed his cheek. "What time is it?" Kurt asked, with a yawn.

Blaine leaned across Kurt and grabbed his phone from the coffee table. He pulled the chord from the charger out of it and switched it on. The screen came to life and Blaine said, "It's not even 6AM yet."

Words flashed across the screen then:

6 NEW VOICE MESSAGES
AND 11 NEW TEXT MESSAGES.

Blaine raised an eyebrow at Kurt.

"Those weren't all me," he told him. "Some are Santana. Some are probably from Rachel."

Blaine smiled and set the phone down, then moved back beside Kurt. He tugged him down gently by the arm and snuggled in close to him. "Get some sleep," he said. "Let me take you out later? For your birthday?"

"Oh, Blaine, you don't ha—"

"I want to," Blaine told him. "Look, we'll work the rest of this stuff out once we've gotten some sleep and then we'll do something." Blaine kissed him again, this time, on the lips. "Missed you," he uttered, then shut his eyes, a smile on his lips.

"Me, too," Kurt told him.

Blaine's arms encircled his waist and he sighed against his neck.

Kurt smiled and closed his eyes.

Blaine woke with a start. His eyes snapped open and he saw Santana standing by the arm chair, arms folded across her chest. She was half scowling, but didn't look as if her heart was in it.

"Hey," Blaine said, quietly, not wanting to wake Kurt, who was wrapped around his body.

"Don't you 'hey' me, Anderson," Santana said and Blaine pressed a finger to his lips and gestured down at Kurt. "Oh. Oh, I see. It's fine to keep him awake half the night, sick with worry, but now that I'm talking too loud for you, you want him to get some sleep?"

Blaine sighed. "Give me a break, Santana. I apologised."

"Not to me you didn't," she pointed out, but she was whispering now.

Kurt shifted and Blaine froze. Kurt settled, then and Blaine looked back up at Santana. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Damn straight it won't," she told him. "Anyways, I gotta go, Anderson. My shift starts at 9.30. Be good."

Blaine waved her off and settled back down beside Kurt. He smiled down at him, asleep with his head on Blaine's chest. Blaine stroked his hair gently back from his forehead and took comfort in the mere fact that he was there with him. Blaine had missed him, missed holding him and kissing him and watching him sleep.

Kurt's right cheek was pressed to Blaine's chest, just over his heart. His lips were slightly parted and pale pink, not nearly as swelled as Blaine remembered them being, probably because of the severe lack of make out sessions. A fan of golden brown eyelashes rested in the hollows beneath his eyes. His skin was pale, with a slight rosy glow in his cheek bones. Kurt's legs were tangled in Blaine's and his left hand was on his shoulder. His right hand rested beneath Blaine, his palm pressed to his lower back.

He looked beautiful lying there and Blaine's heart flipped in his chest. Sometimes, Kurt took him by surprise like that. He could be next to him for hours and hours, and then at some point, he would look at him and it would send his insides whirling. He looked at Kurt lying there, completely vulnerable and trusting and Blaine knew he was going to love him for the rest of his life.

Blaine was awoken this time with a kiss. He opened his eyes slowly, just as Kurt's lips slipped away from his. He smiled up at him, looking into those ocean blue eyes.

"Morning," Blaine uttered.

"Hi."

Blaine leaned up for another kiss and they kissed properly this time, their tongues familiar inside one another's mouths. When they pulled back, Kurt pushed himself up, so Blaine did, too. Kurt leaned back against him and sighed.

"Guess we should talk, huh?" Kurt asked.

"Yep," Blaine told him. "Can I go first?"

Kurt nodded and turned himself around, so that he was facing Blaine. Blaine took his hands and looked up into his blue, blue eyes.

"Okay," he began. "You've figured it out, right? That we're for good?"

"I always knew," Kurt told him. "I just needed to remind myself."

Blaine smiled. "Okay, good," he nodded. "I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry if I haven't shown you that I love you, or if I've done something to make you think I'm not in this for the long run. I do and I am. No, let me finish. I'm going to spend the rest of our lives showing you and making sure you know that this is all I'm ever going to want and need.

"I'm sorry I didn't call last night. I figured you'd know I was okay, which was dumb, I guess. At the diner, I got talking to a waitress—Patricia—she told me about her four ex-husbands and how she didn't need a man." Blaine smiled. "She told me she was an independent woman who didn't want to be tied down and it got me thinking. I'm not like that, Kurt. I don't want to be that guy who has to try make it work with a million different people before he finally settles down. I know what I want. I want you. Forever. And Patricia was really nice and everything, but she wasn't happy. I could see it in her eyes that, yeah, she believed what she was saying, but she wasn't happy about it.

"Before I left, I told her someone would love her and that she should let them, because being loved and loving someone else, they're the greatest feelings in the world. She told me to go home and demand to know what you wanted, but I could never demand anything of you. I just want you to take all the time you need to decide what you want.

"I'm not Patricia, Kurt," Blaine told him. "I want to be tied down."

"Do you, now," Kurt teased and Blaine chuckled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

Kurt sat up and inched closer, his smile fading. "There has never been one moment, not ever, that you have ever made me feel like you don't love me. Not one. I know you do, I just needed you to be sure that you wanted to keep on loving me. I should have known you did, but I.. I don't know. Everything had me confused. I was sick of people trying to break us up and the idea of anyone else possibly taking you away from me made me panic. I know I shouldn't let these things bother me, because we're solid, but I.."

"It's okay," Blaine told him.

Kurt shook his head. "It won't happen again. And the thing with Colton. I should never have agreed to allowing him come here and play chaperone. I'm sorry. I thought that maybe if he saw us, he'd stop being the way he was being and then I wouldn't have to get mad at him, tell him to get a life. It was so wrong to let him intrude on us. And I'm sorry I let what Sebastian say get to me. I'm just..really sorry for everything."

"Okay," Blaine said, kissing his knuckles. "Hey, let's not dwell on this. What do you want to do today?"

Kurt shrugged and his shoulders relaxed. "I don't even want to do anything. We could just stay here and—"

Blaine smirked. "Plenty of time for that," he told him. "But let's go out. What do you want to do? I'll go shopping with you. I won't complain once. We'll do anything you want and go wherever you want, then we'll have dinner. Out, obviously, because I don't want to set our kitchen on fire again. Then we'll come back and watch a movie, or whatever and then I can give you your present."

"By which you mean sex," Kurt smiled, knowingly.

"No, by which I mean your present," Blaine apprised him. "But I'm not opposed to sex, afterwards."

Kurt elbowed him playfully. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"It's something I would have gotten you anyway," Blaine told him with a shrug.

"Now I'm curious."

"And curious you shall remain!" Blaine grinned and leaned across for another kiss. "Now go get ready."

Kurt kissed him back, gave him a content smile, then went to the bedroom to get ready.

"Only you could dress like Carl from 'Up' and make it work," Kurt said, standing in the frame of the bedroom door, while Blaine did up his dark bow tie. He was wearing a grey cardigan with white stripes, a crisp white shirt and grey pants, a shade darker than the cardigan.

Blaine turned and gave him a smile. "You look amazing."

"I know," Kurt teased.

Blaine walked to Kurt and offered him a hand. "Ready to go, birthday boy?"

Kurt took his hand and chuckled. "As long as you don't call me 'birthday boy', I'll go anywhere with you."

Blaine twisted their fingers together and said, "You'd go anywhere with me anyway."

And it was true.

Blaine and Kurt didn't have any disagreements while shopping, which made a change. Blaine couldn't ignore the swelling of his heart as he watched Kurt marvelling in the designer stores, the smile on his face broad and real. Blaine loved that these little things made him happy, that his face would light up simply from the fact that the shoes he absolutely had to have or he'd positively die were on sale.

Kurt came back from the check out and gave Blaine a huge grin. "I think I might love these shoes more than I love you," he joked.

"Oh, well, maybe you'd rather sleep with them tonight?" Blaine smirked sideways at him, as they left the store.

"I bet they'd be much quieter than you are," Kurt said. "And I bet they wouldn't hog all the covers."

"Harder to clean off, though, I'd imagine."

Kurt shook his head, laughing quietly. "We're talking about having sex with a shoe," he said. "A sure sign that we are food deprived."

"Possibly," Blaine smiled and looked at his watch. "Where to?"

"I think I've got an idea," Kurt told him and grabbed his hand with the hand that was not holding several shopping bags. "But you need to lead the way."

They ended up in the same back booth in which Blaine had spent the previous day moping. Kurt ordered a salad and Blaine ordered sandwiches, because he wasn't thathungry.

"Which one's Patricia?" Kurt asked, looking behind Blaine as they waited for their food. "Is she the blonde one with the glasses? Or the short one with the bad dye job?"

Blaine turned around to look. "No," he told Kurt, eyes searching. "I don't see her. Maybe it's her day off. Did you eat yesterday?"

"I had coffee," Kurt shrugged, absently. "Lots and lots of coffee. And I had an apple at breakfast."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you order more food?"

"Not that hungry," he told him, folding his napkin into a square, then a lopsided triangle.

Blaine watched him, smiling to himself, his cerulean blue eyes trained on the white napkin, his long, thin fingers folding it over and smoothening it out, carefully. He was pale, but not so that he was sickly-looking, and the dark shirt, along with the dark vest and the dark pants and the dark, silk scarf, made him look paler still. He was flawless, beautiful and classy and perfect and there were no other words Blaine could think of that described him better.

Kurt's blue eyes were on him, then, watching him expectantly. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, eyes widening. "Please tell me I'm not getting a spot."

Blaine laughed. "Stop, you're perfect," he assured him. "I was just thinking about how much I love you, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

"Oh," Kurt said, dropping his eyes again. He was smiling a little bit. "I love you and I think you're perfect, too."

Blaine grinned and sat back against the leather seats. "So, how does it feel to have lost the teen suffix?"

"Not much different," Kurt smiled fully. "Do I look different?"

"Only more beautiful, but that happens every day," Blaine told him and Kurt rolled his blue eyes, but he was still smiling. "Then again I have always been into older men."

"You've always been into girls," Kurt quipped back.

"I've always been into an older man, then," Blaine clarified, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. "It's kind of a fetish."

"Yeah, the whole one-month-age-difference must really get you hot."

"You have no idea." Blaine chuckled and grabbed Kurt's hand and they just smiled at one another.

Then a loud voice shouted, "Blaine, honey! You came back!"

They both looked towards the woman shouting and Blaine grinned and gave her a wave, then looked back at Kurt. "Patricia," he provided and Kurt nodded.

She made her way down to their booth and slipped in to sit beside Blaine. She looked the same as she had the day before, her brown hair pulled back and held with a thin hair net, blue eyes curious and lined at the sides, a bright smile on her face. She was probably about Blaine's mom's age, but larger. She reminded Blaine a little of coach Beiste from school, but with better hair.

"Well?" she said, looking at Blaine. "Is this your boy?"

His boy.

Blaine smiled and said, "Yes, Patricia, this is Kurt. Kurt, Patricia."

"Kurt, look at you! You're like something from an old time movie!" she told him, happily, taking his hand in both of hers. Blaine laughed. "It's great to put a face with a name, y'know?"

"It is," Kurt told her.

"So, you fixed your little problem, huh?" she asked Blaine.

"It wasn't a problem," Blaine corrected. "We just needed to smoothen few things out."

"Well, good for you," she beamed. "He couldn't shut up about you, you know. I felt like I knew you before we even met."

"That so," Kurt said, raising an eyebrow at Blaine, who smiled in return.

"You boys been doing some shopping?" she asked, gesturing to the numerous shopping bags on the floor next to Kurt's feet.

"It's Kurt's birthday today," Blaine told Patricia. "So, we're just spending the day doing whatever he wants. And shopping is one of his favourite things. Besides me, of course."

Kurt smiled. "I don't know," he said. "Those shoes are coming very close to taking your spot."

"Oh, happy birthday, sweetheart!" Patricia said, with a grin. "Let me get you some coffee."

She jumped up out of the booth, gave them another bright smile, then turned around and went back behind the counter. Blaine smiled at Kurt.

"She's nice," Kurt told him. "I'm not sure I could see myself spending hours and hours with her, while my boyfriend was at home envisioning me in a cold, dark ditch somewhere, like some people I could mention." He gave Blaine a meaningful look. "But she's nice."

"Maybe if you start a love affair with your shoes I could become her fifth husband, because, hey, free coffee, right?" Kurt kicked him in the shin under the table, but not so that it hurt. Blaine jerked sideways a little. "Ouch! Abusive!"

Kurt smiled and Blaine gave him a light kick back. "Feet away from the jeans, Anderson," Kurt protested, but he was still smiling.

Blaine slid out of his seat and moved in next to Kurt. He leaned in close, so that they were side by side, then laid his head down on his shoulder and Kurt shrugged him off.

"Excessive amounts of hair gel," he gestured at Blaine's head, then pointed at his scarf. "Expensive, delicate silk." He elbowed Blaine playfully. "Not a good combination."

"I missed you," Blaine told Kurt, quietly, as he reached across and took his hand and held it in his own lap. He really had missed everything about Kurt, right down to his snarky little ways.

Kurt smiled at him, twisted their fingers around one another, then leaned in so that Blaine's head was against his shoulder again. "I missed you, too."

Blaine kissed him quickly on the cheek, then lifted his head up, because he knew the gel probably would stain the silk scarf. He didn't let go of his hand, though and when Patricia came back with their food and some coffee, she tilted her head to the side and smiled. She set everything down, then stood up straight.

"Can I get you boys anything else?"

"No, we're good, thanks, Patricia," Blaine gave her a smile.

"Thanks," Kurt said, as she walked away. He looked at Blaine, a smile on his lips. "Don't say it."

Blaine grinned and leaned in closer and said the words Kurt had told him not to say, "I already have everything I need." He bent in for a kiss and Kurt laughed and pushed him off, but Blaine just laughed and kept leaning in.

Finally, Kurt turned his head, laughter dissipating, and took a handful of Blaine's shirt, then tugged him forward and kissed him properly.

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt told him, once they'd broken apart. "You have no idea how frightened I was when you didn't come home yesterday. I'm just.. I'm so glad you're here."

Blaine felt his heart twisting in his chest. He leaned up, so that he could look into Kurt's ocean blue eyes. "I'm so sorry," he told him and he meant it. "I guess I just didn't think. I should have and I will from now on. I'm sorry I scared you."

"You made Rachel cry," Kurt informed him. Blaine smiled. Rachel was a drama queen, probably a bigger drama queen than both Blaine and Kurt combined. "I know what you're thinking," Kurt went on. "That she was being over-dramatic, but she was genuinely worried about you. Santana, too."

Blaine thought about Santana and how a year previously, he never would have even been able to imagine holding a conversation with her. Now, they were sort of close and he liked that she was showing more and more of her more emotional, vulnerable side.

"I'll make it up to you," Blaine promised. "Now eat, because I want to go home and just kiss you for a while, before dinner."

"I don't suppose I get a say in the matter."

"Nope," Blaine told him with a smile, as he picked the tomatoes from his sandwich. "And even if you did, we both know exactly what you would choose." Kurt laughed, quietly. "Admit it, it's true."

Kurt smiled down into his coffee.

"Eat your tomatoes, Blaine."

"I'm—mmh—going to have to—Blaine!—gonna have to change after, um, this," Kurt stammered as Blaine sucked on the skin right over the pulse in his neck. He had one hand on the back of Kurt's neck, tugging very lightly on his hair, while the other hand was under his shirt, stroking the curve of his hip bone. "I'm serious, Blaine."

"You're always serious," Blaine chuckled and his breath was hot on Kurt's skin. Kurt tilted his head sideways to give him better access. "God, you're gorgeous," Blaine told him, opening his mouth against his skin.

Kurt hummed as Blaine pulled his lips back and grazed his teeth over his pulse. He closed his eyes as his fingers slid a little lower, the tips kissing his skin, sending small thrills all up and down his spine.

"Missed this," Blaine whispered, flicking the tip of his tongue over Kurt's earlobe.

Kurt moaned, not caring about being quiet any more, as he felt his erection growing, the jeans he was wearing a little too tight in the groin area. He shifted uncomfortably and Blaine leaned back to look at him, with those wide, golden eyes. They were darker, dilated and filed with fire.

"What..?" he asked, a little breathlessly, copper penny eyes studying Kurt's face carefully, his right hands still pressed to Kurt's lower abdomen. "Oh," he said, finally, eyes resting on Kurt's lower half.

Blaine laughed heartily and pushed Kurt onto his back, then lowered himself down on top of him, slipping a knee between his thighs. Kurt swallowed hard as Blaine bent his head, this time catching Kurt's mouth in a sloppy, wet kiss. He began to rut against Kurt and Kurt groaned into his mouth. Kurt slid a hand around Blaine's body and pressed his palm to his backside, pushing him harder against him, needing more. Blaine gasped against Kurt's lips when Kurt arched his back to meet Blaine's hips.

Kurt tore his mouth off of Blaine's and said in a choked voice, "Not coming in these jeans. Blaine, don't you dare—mmph!"

Blaine crashed their mouths together again and pushed his hips forward again and Kurt forgot all about his jeans, because Blaine's hard on was pressing against his own and who even needed jeans when they could be naked later doing this and definitely even more than this?

Blaine's right hand slid up the back of Kurt's shirt and his fingers traced invisible lines up and down his spine and across his shoulder blades and he was still grinding against him and Kurt's eyes rolled back in his head and with a final shout of Blaine's name, he came inside his pants. Moments later, Blaine was coming, too. He buried his head in Kurt's neck and they lay there, just breathing.

And the front door opened.

Kurt groaned and forced his eyes open. He saw Santana standing there, a look of disgust on her face.

"Wow, what the hell did I just walk in on?" she asked, as Kurt pushed Blaine gently up, grimacing at the fact that they'd just come in their pants. Santana noticed the grimace. "Oh, crap. Looks like I'm never sitting there again."

Blaine sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Kurt sat forward, face twisted, then stood up. "I'm, um.." Santana was raising one eyebrow at him. "Yeah," he said, then looked down at Blaine, who was looking at the TV. Kurt rolled his eyes, then reached down and pulled him up. "Come on, Anderson."

"So in love with you," Blaine said, as Kurt pushed him gently out of the shower.

Their lips were swollen from the making out and their bodies were tired from all the touching and twisting and pressing and Blaine wanted to sleep for about a month, but he'd made dinner reservations and he still had to give Kurt his present.

"Love you, too," Kurt told him, flinging a towel at him.

After they'd dried themselves and redressed (in different outfits this time, Kurt had immediately shoved the stained pants into the laundry basket) and gotten themselves ready to go back out, Blaine pulled Kurt to stand in front of him.

"Want your present now or later?" he asked.

Kurt smiled. "I'm obviously going to say now," he told Blaine. "But whatever works best for you."

Blaine grinned. He was excited about this gift. The moment he'd seen it online, he'd bought it and it had arrived during their 'break', but that didn't matter, because he knew that Kurt would be his again, sooner or later and then he was going to give him that gift.

Blaine couldn't decide when would be best to give it to him, though. He thought about it, then nodded and pulled Kurt to sit on the bed.

"One second," he told him, pressing a light kiss to his lips, before walking across the room to open the closet. He pulled his jacket out, then reached into the inside pocket and produced a small, wrapped box.

Kurt was looking up at him, waiting.

"Okay," he said, finally, sitting down next to him. "Here. Don't freak out, though, because it's nothing.. Well, you'll see."

He handed him to box and Kurt unwrapped it carefully. Blaine's heart was beating too quickly and Kurt was going far too slow.

But he waited, because for Kurt, he would always wait.

When all the wrapping paper was torn off, Kurt was left holding a small silver box, with a small silver ribbon around it. Blaine was watching him intently, waiting for him to just lift the lid and look inside.

Kurt pulled the ribbon and it unravelled and fell into his lap. He took the lid off and inside was a ring of some form. He furrowed his eyebrows and reached inside, taking the ring into his hand, but it fell apart at the middle, where a cardiogram line seemed to be etched.

And then it made sense.

He squinted and saw that beside the small hole shaped like a heart, were letters.

K and B.

Kurt looked up at him, the two silver rings in the palm of his hand.

"Two hearts, one beat," Blaine smiled. "That was the caption on them. If you hate the idea, it's fine, I won't be offended. Maybe it's cheesy, I don't know, but I was sort of hoping you'd wear one. If you want to."

"Blaine," Kurt smiled and silenced him with a kiss. "You babble when you're nervous," he said, pulling back. "But you don't have to be nervous. I love this idea, it's beyond romantic. Which one did you want?"

Blaine smiled, clearly relieved. "I thought you'd prefer the thinner one."

"You thought right," Kurt said, slipping it on his ring finger. It fit perfectly. "Here," he said and took Blaine's hand, then slid the other, thicker ring onto his ring finger. It fit Blaine perfectly, too. "I love you."

They fit perfectly.

"And I love you," Blaine told him, taking his hand. "I was scared you'd get scared and think I was proposing, or something." He chuckled, nervously. "I was thinking it could be like a...a promise ring. Or not, because we don't need a ring for our promises. Maybe just something to represent our love. Like the bracelets." He paused, looking confused, sighed, then went on. "When you slot them together, the little lifeline edges fit and that's how I feel about us. Like we just fit. Like you're my lifeline."

Kurt's heart did a back flip inside his chest and it was beating far too quickly and far too loudly and he never understood how Blaine couldn't hear it. He smiled and kissed Blaine again. He really had the best boyfriend in the world.

"I have the best boyfriend in the world."

"I'll get you a real one someday," Blaine replied. "A wedding ring. I'll get you one and I'll drop to my knees and beg you to sped forever with me."

"I'll say yes," Kurt assured him. "But, you never know, I could ask you first." Blaine laughed.

"I love you," he told Kurt, smiling, his eyes glistening. "Those words aren't even enough. I more than love you."

"I more than love you, too," Kurt asked, a glint of amusement in his blue eyes. "And I love this," he said, laying his hand down next to Blaine's and admiring the rings. "It is, however, going to be an extremely hard act to follow, once your birthday comes up."

"Don't even get me anything," Blaine said. "All I want is for you to keep on loving me."

Kurt chuckled and kissed him on instinct, because sometimes Blaine said things that could only be responded to with kisses.

"Am I terribly cheesy?" Blaine asked, eyes half closed.

"Not cheesy," Kurt assured him. "Romantic. Now kiss me again. I'm gonna call my dad, then we can go."

Blaine obliged, happily.

"Hi, dad," Kurt said, while Blaine talked to Santana.

"Hey, kiddo," Burt said, on the other end. "Happy birthday. Did you get my card?"

Kurt had gotten Burt's card and cheque that morning, with a small note telling him to get whatever he wanted out of it, hence the fabulous shoes.

"I did," he affirmed. "Thanks, dad. Thank Carole for me, too."

"Oh, I will," he told Kurt. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, Blaine and I are about to go out to dinner. He got me this ring—"

"A ring?" Burt asked, sounding sceptical.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Relax, dad, it's just like a—a promise ring. But not. The only wedding taking place in the very near future is yours. Which I'm really excited about, by the way. Did Carole get the colour schemes I emailed her?"

"I think so," Burt told him. "Listen, I'll let you kids get going. Say hi to Blaine for me and I'll call you."

"Okay, dad," Kurt smiled. "See you in a little over a week. Love you."

"Love you, too, Kurt," Burt told him. "Have a good night."

"I will." Kurt clicked the red button and slipped his phone in his pocket.

"Hey, Hummel," Santana said and he looked up. "Here," she said, throwing an envelope at him. "Happy birthday and I totally thought about getting you a dildo, but Anderson's dick is always up your ass and the vibrator would get jealous."

Blaine spluttered beside her. "Santana."

"So, I just got you a scarf. Because you need something to cover up that God-awful hickey." She flung a bag at him.

"Thank you, Santana," he said, grinning. "You really didn't have to."

"Don't get soppy on me, Hummel," she said, but she was smiling. "Now get out of here, because I'm pretty sure I heard Berry telling Finn that she was going to stop by later today."

Kurt stood up and Blaine did, too. They went to the door and Kurt looked back at Santana.

"Santana," he said.

"Yeah, Boy George, what is it?"

"Thanks."

"Yeah, well, just keep it down later on," she told him. "Some of us have to be up early."

"Do you remember the first time we slept together?" Blaine asked Kurt later, as they sat at the table after finishing dinner.

Kurt snorted. "By which you mean do I remember losing my virginity? Yes, I remember."

Blaine smiled and said, "I think about it sometimes. Especially the past few weeks. I kept thinking that it was really selfish of me to do that to you. I mean, back then, I thought I was going to be able to pretend forever. Hell, I don't think I even knew I was gay back then. But I figured I was going to end up with some girl anyway, yet I went and had sex with you on your birthday. And I keep thinking about how if we hadn't done anything more than that, your birthday would always have been a reminder of losing your virginity to some asshole who wasn't even brave enough to come out of the closet."

"Blaine, I wasn't exactly pushing you off, if I remember correctly."

"No, I know that," Blaine told him. "But I made some really stupid mistakes, things that could have really hurt you."

Kurt reached across and laid a hand down over Blaine's. He looked up into his blue eyes. "We all make stupid mistakes," Kurt told him. "In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I made a huge mistake by having us go on this ridiculous 'break' thing. You didn't hurt me, so forget about it. The important thing is that we're good now."

Blaine smiled. Kurt could always make him feel better.

"Besides," Kurt said. "Aside from my momentary panic and your momentary panic, that was sort of a good night." He lifted his wrist and pushed his sleeve down, revealing the bracelet. "You in your leather jacket looking all tough and dangerous and then you pulled out this little box with a cute little bracelet inside."

Blaine laughed at the memory, so vivid in his mind that it could have happened yesterday. "I guess it did sort of kill the image, huh?"

"It was the first time that I thought things might just go okay with you," Kurt told him. "I mean, you had a lot going on, but it made me think that yeah, you were still being a huge asshole to me, but I felt like maybe you really did like me, under all that bravado, like maybe you were starting to let yourself feel."

Blaine smiled, sadly. He had been horrible to Kurt. He wished he could go back and start over, show him the truth. "I did like you," he told Kurt. "I more than liked you, actually. I like to think I fell in love with you the second I saw you, but I just didn't know it yet."

"Wish I could say the same," Kurt laughed.

Blaine had slushied Kurt the first time he set eyes on him. That was sort of a mood killer. He never wanted to hurt Kurt, not then, not now, not ever. If he could keep Kurt free of harm things would be absolutely fine.

"Do you ever wish you could go back and change things?" Blaine asked, looking right at Kurt.

"No," he said, almost instantly. "You?"

"Um, yeah," Blaine said. "Everything. Or just most things. I'd like to go back to that first day. I wouldn't have emptied that slushie on you. I would have helped you open that stupid locker and I don't know, asked you out or something. I'd like to change every thing I ever did to hurt you. I'd like to go back and make it work, properly. Come out, date you for real, let the intimate stuff progress with our relationship. All that. You wouldn't want that?"

Kurt shook his head. "We're where we are today because of all that. I wouldn't change any of that." He looked thoughtful. "Well, I'd probably make it so that your dad didn't hurt you as badly as he did. And maybe the part where Quinn had you believe she was having your baby. But we can't change the past, babe. So, let's just look to the future, okay?"

Blaine nodded. He was right. There wasn't anything either of them could do about it now. They were happy, anyway, so it hadn't had too much of a negative impact on their relationship.

"You wanna go home and have a repeat of this night two years ago?" Blaine asked, nudging Kurt's foot with his own.

"You want to claim to be straight, then check out my ass, before fingering me and then have me fuck you? We could wake up and I could do some crying. I could throw my bracelet at you and tell you to give it to your girlfriend and then I could storm out and back in and you could hit me with some really heartfelt reason for why you freaked out and you could apologise and tell me you wanted me after all, that I didn't have to cry."

Blaine laughed. That had been an awful day. He remembered feeling worse than he had ever felt in his life for making Kurt think it had all bee a huge mistake. It hadn't been. Blaine had wanted it, wanted Kurt.

He'd gone on to want him every day since.

"It'd be fine, though," Blaine teased. "Because you look really pretty when your cry."

Kurt flashed him a wide grin. "You remembered."

"I remember everything," Blaine informed him. "Now let's go."

Blaine's hands were around Kurt's body, as he rotated his hips in and out of him, sending small moans from his swelled lips. Kurt's hands were pressed to Blaine's back, his finger nails leaving small, moon-shaped indentations in his skin. He'd missed Blaine so much. He's missed the talking and the kissing and the loving and the sex and everything. He never wanted to go that long without speaking to him ever again.

"You're perfect," Blaine told him, voice thick.

Kurt mumbled a response, but he hadn't even been sure what he'd been trying to say. it didn't matter anyway, because Blaine had reached down and started to pump his erection in time with his semi-thrusts. Kurt gave up trying to maintain his composure, because Blaine was bringing him closer and closer to the edge and it didn't help that he was muttering curse words against his body, sending small vibrations all through him.

"Come on, baby," Blaine whispered, soon and Kurt knew he was close, trying to get him off before he came himself.

Kurt tugged him closer and met his thrusts with his hips, feeling the orgasm building as he brushed over that little nub, making Kurt's eyes roll back, his breathing coming out laboured. He could feel it then, his heart hammering against his ribs, and he and Blaine sped their movements up.

They came around the same time, Kurt maybe a split second before Blaine, who pulled out and came a moment later. They rode it out, Blaine rutting against Kurt, both of them moaning each other's name, holding onto one another for dear life and God, Kurt just really, really loved him. He tried to tell him an the words came out slurred, but Blaine understood, because he uttered, "Me, too."

Kurt fell back against the pillows, eyes shut and then Blaine fell down against him. He kissed him, open mouthed and sloppy, teeth clacking, tongues lethargic and then Blaine's hot breath was against Kurt's shoulder. They lay there like that for a long time, until Kurt found the strength to push his boyfriend off of him, before grabbing handful of tissues to clean them off.

When he did, they climbed under the covers and just lay together, eyes closed, listening to the sound of their own hearts and one another's breathing.

"I won't make you cry this time," Blaine whispered, pressing a warm kiss to Kurt's cheek. "You make me so happy."

"Me, too," Kurt replied.

"Happy birthday, pretty boy," Blaine said, then yawned. "I love you more than ever."

Kurt whispered it back, but Blaine had already begun to doze and within minutes he was asleep. Kurt chuckled to himself, then moved in closer and slipped his arms around his waist, before drifting off to sleep himself. He slept soundly that night, because it was nice not to fall asleep alone again. He had missed him so much and he wasn't letting him get away, never again.

Blaine was his and he was Blaine's and they had the rings to prove it. Some day, they'd make it legal, with signatures and vows and promises for the rest of their lives.