“What did you order?” Kurt laughed as the server walked away.

Blaine shrugged, a playful glint in his eye. “OK, I ordered way too much food for just the two of us. But you just confessed to never really eating fresh seafood before. You need to try it.” 

The restaurant was far fancier than anything Kurt usually went to, with very attentive service. But Blaine had insisted on fulfilling his promise of a fancy dinner in return for looking at the houses a couple weeks ago.

Rolling his eyes, Kurt fidgeted with his cloth napkin. “Hey, I grew up in Ohio and we didn't have money for fancy dining out. I've never learned how to eat a lobster, or anything like that.” 

“I'm happy to teach you. It will be fun.” Blaine smiled and looked far too good. He was dressed in a fitted burgundy dress shirt, a couple buttons undone, teasing Kurt with glimpses of his tanned neck. Skin Kurt used to kiss and taste. 

Kurt sipped his white wine, liking the light, crisp taste. “So, how is your father doing these days?”

“Much better. He's down to working only about two days a week now, and Cooper is saying that he's much more energetic. He's playing with his granddaughter and going golfing often.” It was obvious that Blaine was very happy about this news. 

Tilting his head to the side a little, Kurt looked at Blaine. “You know, you seem to have a better relationship with him since the hearings. Before you'd only call him your ‘father' and seemed almost… formal… I guess that's the right word for it.” 

Nodding, Blaine met Kurt's gaze. “Yes, being in Chicago all those months, we were together a lot. And we talked as adults, instead of just father and son, and really got to know each other. By the time I was getting ready to come back to San Francisco, he was supporting my decision to leave the firm.” 

Kurt felt happy for his friend. “And what does Cooper think about it?” He'd heard about Blaine's brother so much, it felt almost strange that they hadn't met. He felt like he knew Cooper already.

Blaine's expression changed to a warm look, as it always did when he thought about his brother. “He said it's about fucking time. He's so proud of me, even though I haven't done much yet.” Whenever he doubted himself, and this new, scary path ahead of him, Blaine just called Cooper up. His unfailing support recharged Blaine. 

Taking a sip of his wine, Kurt looked over at Blaine, and decided to just ask the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long. “Blaine….can I ask you something?” 

Stilling at Kurt's serious tone, Blaine's gaze met his directly. “Of course. Ask me anything, Kurt.” 

Fiddling with the stem of his wineglass, Kurt searched for the right words. “Um… what happened the day you left? You were in the café, like normal, and then things were suddenly weird…”

Blaine sighed, and leaned back in his chair. He seemed to have drawn in on himself, thinking. “That was so jarring. I had gotten so comfortable, living my free and easy lifestyle. And then I suddenly ran into someone from my old life…”

“Hunter.” Kurt said, his tone neutral like his expression.

His eyes wide, Blaine just blinked at Kurt in surprise. “You know him? You saw him that day?” 

With a nod, Kurt looked down, and then met Blaine's gaze again. “Hunter was ‘Voldemort', Blaine.”

Blaine was frozen in shock for a good minute, and then he ran his hands through his hair. “Well, then you know what he's really like. He recognized me right away, and I knew that he'd be telling everyone we knew that he'd seen me. And I knew he would exaggerate the truth, paint me in the worst possible light.”

Kurt could understand that. “So, what did you do?”

Looking down, Blaine let out a breath. “I wanted to control any possible damage he could cause. Limit what he could stir up, just for his own amusement. So, I practically ran out of that café and talked to the legal team.”

Surprised, Kurt took a sip of his wine. “What did they say?”

Frowning, Blaine looked over at Kurt. “Basically, that I needed to leave town, as soon as possible. They wanted to limit any kind of negative publicity, especially since it looked like the hearings would start soon.” 

“Where did you go?” 

“One of Cooper's friends has a cabin just outside of Chicago, in the middle of nowhere. No phone, no internet, nothing for weeks. I just played my guitar and read every book in that cabin, including about a dozen Nancy Drew mysteries.” Blaine gave Kurt a small smile.

So, that's why Blaine was so out of touch when he left. “Why didn't you tell me anything, Blaine?” 

Sighing, Blaine looked down again before meeting his gaze. “I was in shock at first, and just went to Tom's to pack my bag and clean the place up. By the time Cooper had arranged for where I'd be going, I asked him to book me a bus ticket after midnight. I wanted, needed to see you again….”

His voice trailed off, as he blinked, gathering his thoughts. “I was really afraid that Hunter would leak things to the press about me, make things up. That's why I got out of the café so quickly, before someone said something to me or did something else that would tip him off that I was more than just a customer. If he knew I worked there, or that we were involved, you would have been part of the new story. Didn't want media crawling all over the store, hunting for a story. I didn't want you dragged into that mess, just when you have the store doing so well.” 

“And open mic…?” Kurt prompted.

“Yeah, I was there as little as I could be. I just wanted to sing as a way to say goodbye to Tina and the other staff, and to sing that song for you, Kurt.” Blaine's eyes softened, along with his voice.

Under that gaze, Kurt blushed. He was remembering the song, and going back to his apartment afterwards. That hot, intense sex. The last time they'd had sex. 

The spell was broken by the server arriving with a large tray, unloading lobster, crab and many other plates of food for them. 

----

“Ugh…. I'm so full….” Kurt put down the nutcracker, and wiped his hands on the napkin. A mess of shell pieces were littered all over his plate, stripped clean of the succulent meat.

Blaine chuckled. “So, you are a convert now? A seafood lover?” There was a small mountain of snow crab leg shells on his plate. He hadn't eaten as much as Kurt had, intent on demonstrating the proper techniques for picking out the meat. But he'd made up for it by drinking far more than his share of the wine.

Giving him a small smile, Kurt nodded. “When it's so fresh and there's melted butter, who can resist?” Standing up, he drew on his coat.

Following his motions, Blaine stood and almost fell over. “Woah.” He grabbed the edge of the table. 

Kurt held out his coat, and helped Blaine get it on, chuckling when he kept missing the sleeve. “Well, I guess I'm the one driving us home.”

Not arguing, Blaine followed him out to the parking lot. Luckily, Blaine's new house was quite close to the restaurant.

“Come on, put your arm around my waist and we'll get you up the stairs.” Blaine obeyed, and Kurt shifted to take a lot of his weight against his body, feeling Blaine's warm body so close. 

They entered the apartment and Kurt was surprised to see it didnt look much different from before. Mostly empty. There were stools along one side of the kitchen island and a deluxe looking coffee maker on the counter. But nothing else. 

Shaking his head, Kurt dragged Blaine to the bedroom. Here, he had made changes. The bed was king-sized, with an elaborate head and footboard of swooping steel-grey wrought iron swirls. Thick, fluffy down comforters and pillows completed the vision. It was like a huge cloud of luxury fabrics. Clearly, Blaine had splurged here. 

Letting go of Blaine at the foot of the bed, Kurt soon had to reach out a steading hand when he tilted to the side. Chuckling, he helped him strip down to his black boxer-briefs and tucked him under the covers. 

"Kurt, stay..." Blaine blinked up at him, his hazel eyes beseeching. "Just to sleep. Want you close to me..."

Looking down at Blaines unguarded expression, Kurts resistance melted. Plus, he still felt so full from dinner. The idea of going down all of Blaines stairs, driving, and then up all of Kurts stairs seemed like far too much work. Especially when this heavenly cloud of a bed was so temptingly close. 

"Ok. Im going to the bathroom first though." 

Stripping down to his undershirt and boxer-briefs, Kurt had no hesitation opening Blaines cabinets and using his skin care products. There was even a toothbrush still in the package that Kurt used. The towels were as luxurious as the bedding. 

In minutes, Kurt was asleep on the other side of the bed, grateful it was a king with lots of space. 

---

Kurt woke up and it took a minute to remember where he was. In Blaines wonderful huge bed. 

Looking around, Kurt cringed when he realized that he was cuddled against Blaine. On Blaines side of the bed. Sometime during the night, he must have worked his way across this huge bed to him. 

To move away or to get out of bed would probably wake Blaine up, so Kurt just relaxed back. There was no urgent need to get up yet. 

Kurt felt so well rested. Was it the wine and good food the night before? This amazing bed? Or being curled up against Blaine? Hed really missed sharing his bed when Blaine had left before. It felt so cold and empty for ages. 

Sighing, Kurt slowly shifted onto his side, facing away from Blaine. As tempting as it was to get involved with Blaine again, would he really stick around this time? What if his new business failed, or he realized after a few months that he missed his old lifestyle, his old job? 

Blaine had been through so much this year. And moving in together with so much else going on was just nuts. 

Love… Blaine had said he loved Kurt, and really seemed to mean it. The words had been echoing in Kurt's head for days. Sometimes, they made him smile and dream of their future together. 

Other times, Kurt would wonder how true they were. Did Blaine really, really know Kurt? Know his bad sides, like days when he was a grumpy asshole, fit for no company. Or when he was sick and only wanted gingerale, chicken soup and to be left alone with the six hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Or when he was in a mood to gossip and bitch. 

And how well did Kurt know Blaine? What was he like on his bad days? 

"You are sure thinking loudly over there." Blaines voice was a soft drawl. 

Rolling over, Kurt turned to Blaine, looking over his face. He didnt seem to be showing many affects from the drinking yesterday. His hair was sticking up in a way Kurt found adorable. His eyes were warm as they returned Kurts gaze. 

"This bed is amazing, Blaine. I had the best sleep." Kurt stuck to an easy topic, leaving all his deeper thoughts for later. 

Blaine grinned. "Good. Its all just part of my plan. Tempt you with Egyptian cotton and memory foam."

Rolling onto his back, Kurt stretched out, sighing. "Best. Bed. Ever."

Crawling over Kurt, Blaine supported himself on his arms, looking down at Kurts face with a smile on his full lips. His eyes moved from Kurts eyes, down to his mouth. Lowering his face, his lips were soft as they brushed over Kurts, teasing. 

Moving back, he looked down at Kurt, checking on his response. Seeing only a warm look in return, Blaine lowered his face to Kurts neck, kissing softly, teasingly, along the tender skin there. He also let his body lower down, resting lightly against Kurt.

Kurt ran his hands lightly over Blaines back, enjoying the soft, lazy kisses. He liked this. Missed this. Missed Blaines body. Missed being close, touching. 

Blaine pressed closer, his breath coming a bit quicker, and Kurt could feel the brush of his erection against his hip. Kurt was getting aroused too, but he shifted away from Blaine slightly. 

Opening his eyes, Blaine gave him a questioning glance. Kurt took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Sorry, but can we just take things slowly? Maybe just keep it to kissing?”

Nodding, Blaines lips were curled in a small smile as he lowered them to Kurts. His lips were soft, brushing over Kurts again and again. Kurts hands held Blaines shoulders, fingers splayed over his warm, olive skin. 

Capturing Blaines bottom lip, Kurt ran his tongue lightly over it. Nibbling along Blaines top lip, he felt the slightly scratchy whiskers above. The rasp of them reminded Kurt that hed never kissed Blaine without a beard before, and he was intent on exploring, seeing how it felt different. 

Groaning, Blaine rolled into his back. His chest was bare, the golden morning sun making the expanse of skin far too tempting for Kurt to resist. Draping himself over one side of Blaines chest, Kurt kissed along his collarbone and up his neck. His hand was splayed against Blaines ribs, rising and falling with each of his breaths. 

It was a timeless bubble. The luxurious bedding covered them in a warm cocoon. There was a soft silence to the room, the city hushed outside in the morning lull of activity. Kurt took his time, relearning Blaine. Lazy exploration with no intent beyond kissing, touching and tasting his skin. 

Blaine could sense Kurts mood, and simply laid back, drifting in a sensual haze. So many times in Chicago, hed pulled up memories of being in bed with Kurt. Beyond the sex, he had missed these touches so much. Wasnt sure if he would ever have them again. To be in bed again with Kurt now, touching, kissing.... It was a wonder. He would lay here forever under his sweet caresses. His hand rested lightly on Kurts back, his fingers skimming back and forth over the fabric of his thin undershirt. 

Kurt was kissing along Blaines sternum, when his stomach growled loudly. Chuckling against Blaines skin, Kurt glanced up at his face. 

Blaine blushed a little. "Sorry, just ignore my stomach. Please dont stop what you were doing." 

Smiling, Kurt rolled over on his back, arching it up into a stretch. "No, I think I agree with your stomach. And Im ashamed to admit Im craving some of that hipster toast."

Giving Kurt one last kiss, Blaine got off the bed. "Stay here. I havent done much with the apartment yet, but I can make you coffee and awesome toast." 

Blaine vanished, and Kurt pulled up the fluffy bedding and rearranged the mountain of pillows against the headboard. He was quite content to recline back and listen to Blaine in the kitchen, falling half-asleep in the warm comfort. 

After a few minutes, Blaine returned with a large tray. He crawled into bed, settling against the headboard and they enjoyed the coffee and food. Blaine looked over at Kurt, licking a bit of honey from his upper lip, his hair a mess, and his heart skipped a beat. 

He wanted this. Wanted to wake up every morning with Kurt. Wanted the ordinary moments of eating toast in bed. Wanted to share their lives, the highs and the lows. 

Kurt felt his gaze, and lowered his toast slowly to his plate. He reached out and took Blaines hand. Never before had he seen someone looking at him like that. Truly, it was heart-eyes, his feelings expressed so clearly there. If Kurt had any doubt if Blaine truly loved him before, when hed said it at Lands End, he knew it was true now. 

Swallowing hard, Kurt looked down at their joined hands. "Give me time, Blaine. I care about you so much, and I want us to keep seeing each other. I want to see where things will go between us." 

"Us." A small smile played over Blaines lips. It was the first time Kurt had ever used that term about them. Blaine was so happy. Squeezing Kurts hand, he let go and went back to his breakfast. Thoughts whirled around his head, ways he could continue to woo Kurt. Draw him closer and closer.

---

Tina giggled as Kurt danced to the catchy tune playing on the store stereo, singing along softly. "I never learned to cook, But I can write a hook, Sing along with me, Sing-sing along with me..." He finished pouring his coffee, and looked over at Tina. 

"What?" He asked of her smug, little expression. 

Tina smirked wider. "Somebody got some last night!"

Blushing slightly, Kurt got very busy adding milk to his mug. "No, not really."

Stepping close to his side, Tina leaned in to his ear. "Not really? Well, something happened, right?" Her tone was completely teasing, putting him on the spot. 

Kurt couldnt keep from smiling back. "Yeah, well.... It was just kissing. A lot of kissing."

Hopping onto a stool, Tina sipped her coffee, as she looked Kurt over. "Its funny, but sometimes making out for a long time with someone can be so intimate. Its something you dont do with just anybody."

Scoffing, Kurt sat on the other stool. The store was quiet except some customers sipping beverages in the cafe, reading the paper. "Are you saying its more intimate to have a long make out session than a quickie?" 

"Well, mad lust and the heat of the moment could result in a quickie. A kiss or two wont become a make-out unless you are both into each other." Tina shrugged. 

Kurt wasnt sure he agreed, but let the matter drop. He sipped his coffee. 

Tina wasnt going to let it drop, though. "So, I trust all the hot kisses were with Blaine? Whats going on there?"

Kurt sighed, thinking how to sum things up. "Well, hes back and he wants us back together."

"What do you want?" Tina had noticed Blaine flirting with Kurt over coffees, but hadnt had a chance to get the full story. 

"Thats a good question. Its tempting to just jump back into things with him, but part of me is scared. Sure, hes all gung-ho right now about his new business and me, but will it last? His life has been more twisty than a roller-coaster this year." Kurt took a big sip of coffee.

Tina thought about what Kurt said. "His interest in you hasnt waivered since he first saw you, even though he had to be in Chicago for so long. As soon as he could, he was right back here with you."

Kurt shrugged. "I guess. He keeps bugging me to move in with him, and his place is gorgeous. I can totally picture myself living there with him. Its equal parts exciting and terrifying to consider it."

Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Tina gave him a squeeze. "Thats how it should be! The best opportunities in life make you feel like that. Think of when we decided to leave Ohio and come out here to run the store. We were shaking in our boots, but it has turned out so great. It would have been so much easier and safer to just continue living in Ohio. Imagine living there now, still working at your Dads shop. Would that be really living?"

Kurt squeezed Tina back, hopping off the stool to grab more coffee and wander around the store. While he tidied and rearranged things, her comments repeated in his head.

---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: “Dear Future Husband” by Meghan Trainor - video here.