Kurt sat backstage, digging through his trunk, pulling out various accessories to look over with a critical eye, before putting them back. He let out a long sigh.

Looking up from his book, Blaine gave him an inquiring once over. "Something wrong?" 

It was common to find them together backstage between shows, preparing their costumes and just spending time together. Blaine had been welcomed into the company with ease; his friendly, laid-back manner helping him fit right in.

Biting his lip a little, Kurt fingered the feathered hair accessory in his hands. "I'm just trying to think of a bigger and better way to do my act. Something fresh and interesting to the audience."

"But your current act is going over so well, Kurt. Why change something that's working?" Blaine moved closer, letting his leg press against Kurt's. Although the theatre group was probably aware of the nature of their relationship, being discrete about overt displays in public kept the peace. 

Kurt reached over to give Blaine's arm a squeeze for his kind comment. It was good being able to discuss this together, after being on his own so long. It felt like they were in a partnership, supporting each other. "It works for my act now, but if Marshall gives me a longer spot, I need to do more than just sing and rip my wig off. Something more than other female impersonators on the circuits."

Blaine nodded in understanding, but didn't have any ideas. He left Kurt looking over his costumes, and went back to his book.

Barely ten pages later, the book was snatched out of his hands. Looking up, Elliott was towering above him, a big smirk in his face as he held the book far out of Blaine's reach.

Rolling his eyes, Blaine jumped up and tried reaching for the book, but Elliott's height and longer limbs made that an impossibility. Blaine poked the tall man in the stomach hard. "Elliott, you giraffe, give it back."

Kurt watched, bemused, as Elliott switched the book to his other hand, teasingly holding it almost within Blaine's reach, before moving it away again. He liked seeing them getting along, and it wasn't uncommon to see the two musicians huddled in the corner with their instruments, working out a new arrangement. 

Seeing Blaine hop around Elliott made their height difference more apparent. Although both slim and muscular, Blaine was more compact. Elliott looked practically oversized next to him. 

Kurt chuckled to himself, as an idea popped into his head. "Hey guys, are you free for the next hour or so?" 

They both stopped goofing around and turned to look at Kurt. 

Elliott passed the book back to Blaine. "Sure, Peter. I've got some time."

Blaine nodded too. 

"I'm working on some ideas for my act. All I need is for you two to play around with my stuff here, while I take some notes." Kurt waved at his trunk and make-up table, normally highly protected no-touch zones.

Blaine and Elliott gave each other big smiles, and looked back at Kurt with nods. 

Grabbing a pad of paper and a pencil, Kurt moved to a chair a little further away, giving the boys room to invade his personal area. 

At first, they were a bit tentative, picking things up gently, and giving Kurt little sideways glances to make sure he was OK with this, really OK with it. At Kurt's encouraging nod, their inhibitions fell away and they really started to play with everything.

Trying to keep a straight face, Kurt simply crossed his legs and made notes and little sketches of the funny things the boys did with his stuff. 

Elliott seemed to like running his hands over the dresses hanging on the roll bar, delighting in the smooth glide of the silk and satins, the scratchy lace, the contrasting velvet.

Blaine had an elaborate purple hat with big bows and feathers on his head, and was seated at Kurt's make-up table, dabbing the various cosmetics on his face like a toddler with a crayon and a big sheet of blank paper. The red lipstick was so thickly applied, it looked more like he'd been messily eating it than applying it.

Seeming to find the right dress, Elliot had stripped down to his underwear and was pulling a red satin evening gown down over his head. Kurt cringed at the way he was trying to work it down his body, wriggling his arms and shoulders, fearing the material would rip at the strain on the seams. But his other side could see the comedic potential, as Elliott was trapped in the material, his face covered and arms immobilized.

"Um, could I have a hand here?" His muffled voice eventually could be heard, and Kurt tilted his head at Blaine to help him. 

Blaine looked over his friend trapped in the dress with a bit of a bewildered expression. He was a bit short to yank the dress upwards, and the dress was too tight to be pulled downwards. After tugging on the material in a few places, Blaine finally leaned closer. "Elliott, bend over at your waist so I can pull the dress off you."

Again, Kurt had to stifle his laugh as Blaine, still wearing the large purple hat and messy red lipstick, worked at easing the slippery red fabric from his friend's torso, his expression one of fierce concentration.

Finally, the dress was separated from Elliott, and he straightened up, his hair a mess and his undershirt pulled halfway up his chest. Blaine held the dress like a trophy, looking quite proud of himself, and they both turned towards Kurt for approval. 

Kurt closed his notebook with satisfaction and stood up to take the dress back from Blaine. "Thanks, boys. That was perfect. Elliott, you can get dressed again now and fix your hair. Bl-Andrew, you can sit here and I'll get the make-up off your face." He still had a hard time remembering to call Blaine Andrew when they were out of their hotel room.

Elliott chuckled as he buttoned up his shirt. "You call him Blandrew? That's pretty mean, Peter. He's not that boring" he snuck a teasing glance at Blaine, who was taking off the purple hat and sitting down.

"Hey! You shadduppa your face!" Blaine snapped back teasingly, shaking a fist in Elliott's direction. He turned to look in the mirror, making kissing motions. "Peter, are you sure you can resist kissing me when I look so good?"

Rolling his eyes, Kurt grabbed Blaine's chin, holding him steady as he wiped a tissue with cold cream on it around his mouth. "You better close your eyes, then. Those big gorgeous hazel eyes plus such succulent lips might overwhelm my good intentions."

Blaine's lips twitched under Kurt's tissue, but he obediently closed his eyes, leaning in to Kurt's touch. 

His expressive eyes were definitely Kurt's weakness, but as he cleared off the make-up, Blaine's olive skin and lips were revealed, and Kurt was very, very tempted to kiss and explore that mouth for an hour…or maybe two. They were still finding everything so new and exciting about each other.

Kurt pushed the feelings down, knowing he couldn't act on them until after the evening performance. Throwing away the tissues, he looked up to find Elliott standing in the shadows, a knowing look on his face.

---

"Have you ever been to see Old Faithful, Andrew?" Elliott lowered his trumpet to his lap, turning to look over at the man sitting nearby.

Blaine looked up from tuning his guitar. He'd gotten used to responding to the other name after all these months. He shook his head. "It's some kind of natural spring or something, right?"

Shaking his head, Elliott let out a chuckle. "It's boiling hot water shooting out hundreds of feet in the air, every couple hours, for fifteen minutes straight. Really something to see."

A look of pure wonder came over Blaine's face. "Really?" He tried to imagine it, and just couldn't. It was times like this he felt so young and inexperienced. The other Vaudevillians had travelled so many times around the country they had seen everything, it seemed. Besides the Europe trip with his father, Blaine had only seen New York and the town where he went to school.

Taking in Blaine's expression, Elliott called over to an older man, who was sipping a beer. "Jimmy, are you still planning on going out to Old Faithful tomorrow?"

The clarinet player looked up at Elliott's question, and walked over. "Yeah, and Frank's coming too."

Elliott nudged Blaine's side. "Would you up for taking our new guy with you? He's never seen it."

Pretty soon, Blaine was in a deep discussion with Jimmy, making travel plans. Elliott gave a satisfied nod and ambled away, his hands in his pockets. 

---

Kurt waved at the busy waitress, but she seemed determined to ignore him as she whizzed past, her arms laden with plates. He sighed.

"What's got you so blue, Peggy Sue?" Elliott smiled down at Kurt before slipping onto the seat at the diner counter beside him. 

Looking up at his tall friend, Kurt could see he was in a really good mood. Definitely the opposite of Kurt today. He sighed. "Just having a crappy morning and not being able to place my order isn't helping my state of mind at all."

He had worked late on costumes for his act, and been woken up far too early by Blaine jumping out of bed before dawn to go on some trip. He wasn't quiet in his preparations, and Kurt found it impossible to fall back asleep after he had gone. He'd gotten so used to curling up with Blaine the past few weeks. Plus he missed the kissing and lazy morning sex they so often indulged in.

But he wasn't sharing any of that with Elliott. It was best to keep their relationship as discrete as possible. 

Elliott grinned, and spun around on his chair, leaning back against the counter. Next time the waitress passed by, she practically fell over, stopping abruptly to take Elliott's order. He flirted with her shamelessly, making her blush repeatedly, as he placed orders for coffees and large breakfasts. 

Kurt was chuckling as the flustered waitress hurried away. "Don't you feel the tiniest bit of guilt leading her on like that? I had the impression you don't play for her team."

Arching an eyebrow, Elliott gave a little shrug. "You kiss a guy a few times and you end up with a label." His gaze was warm and appreciative, moving down to Kurt's lips. 

Kurt couldn't help but blush a little at the look. Usually, things were casual and friendly between them, but getting a look like that from his tall, attractive friend reminded Kurt that he was, well...tall and attractive, and of that night with those kisses. Seeing Elliott point that charm at the waitress didn't seem to lessen its effect.

Their meal came remarkably fast, heaped with extra bacon. The server glowed under Elliott's pleased exclamations. Kurt just shook his head as he dug in hungrily. At least Elliott used his powers for good.

"Where's your little sidekick today?" Elliott asked, taking a sip of his coffee. 

Kurt slanted a glance Elliott's way before swallowing. "Off to see some natural wonder with some band guys. He'll be back by show time."

Nodding, Elliott finished his meal and pushed the plate away. "Oh right, I think I heard mention of that yesterday. You didn't want to see it?"

"Been there, done that. Back when I first left home, on my first couple tours. Everything was so new and exciting back then." Kurt slathered strawberry jam on his toast. 

Elliott nudged his shoulder with his own. "You're sounded kind of jaded. Are you tired of being in Vaudeville?"

The question made Kurt pause and think for a minute. "Well, the travelling part is definitely tiresome. I'd rather just live in a big city. I still love performing though. How about for you?"

"Most musicians travel and tour a lot for work. I don't let that bother me." His blue eyes glinted at Kurt, and he leaned closer, speaking in a lower tone. "Is it true you may be getting a bigger spot?"

Kurt was surprised that word had gotten around about it, but tried not to show it. "Nothing's been confirmed." 

"Well, I hope the rumor is true because you are very talented. If I can help you in any way, just let me know." Elliott waved away Kurt's attempts to pay, and covered the bill with a generous tip to his fawning waitress.

---

Blaine was already lying face down in the bed when Kurt got in the room. Stripping down to his underwear, Kurt crawled under the covers, cuddling against his side. One of the best things about sharing a bed was having a warm bedmate to rest cold feet on.

"Kurt..." A grumbled complaint came from the pillow. 

Moving his icy toes up Blaine's leg, Kurt giggled when Blaine grabbed his ankle and flipped onto his back, glaring. "I was trying to sleep!"

Rolling his eyes, Kurt snuggled in to steal a kiss. "It's only eleven pm. Too early to sleep." His hands traced over Blaine's chest, admiring his slim muscular frame, the olive skin. 

Blaine's breath caught as Kurt's lips kissed down his neck, occasionally biting lightly in a way that always got him going. "Kurt, I like the idea, but I'm seriously so tired tonight. Remember that I was up really early this morning."

Pouting slightly, Kurt gave Blaine a bit of space. It was the first time he had ever refused sex, and it stung a little. "How was Old Faithful? Did you see it erupt?"

Blaine nodded, his tired eyes still glowing with his adventure. "Jimmy even put his dirty laundry into the vent, and after it blew, we had to search around a bit for where the wet clothes landed."

Seeing Blaine so happy made Kurt smile in return. It was the first time Blaine had travelled through these states. Kurt could remember how exciting and new had been the first few times he'd been on tour. "I'm glad you had a good time."

"My back and butt ache though. The road was pretty bumpy and we had to drive pretty fast to get there and back on time." Blaine arched his back, curving his shoulders in.

Chuckling, Kurt got up and got some body lotion from his trunk. Standing beside the bed, he looked down at Blaine with a little half-smile. “Roll on your stomach. This might help.” 

Blaine raised his eyebrows, and gave little nod before rolling over into the center of the bed. 

Straddling Blaine’s thighs, Kurt poured some lotion into his hands, rubbing them together to warm it a little. Leaning forward, he slathered it thickly over Blaine’s back, concentrating on spreading it evenly over his skin. Then he worked his hands in with firmer pressure, feeling where the tension was, kneading the muscles until he could feel them loosening. 

He was so focused on working out the knots in Blaine’s back, he hardly even noticed Blaine’s little sounds of pleasure, and the way he wiggled under Kurt’s touch. 

Getting more lotion, Kurt was working on Blaine’s lower back, the sweet slope of skin going up to his ass. Pushing Blaine’s pajama bottoms down a little to keep the lotion off them, Kurt was suddenly more aware of Blaine’s low moans, slightly muffled by his pillow. 

The massage was done, but Kurt kept his hands moving, now more light and teasing. Pushing his pajama bottoms down to Blaine’s thighs, Kurt got more lotion, rubbing it all over his ass, and letting his slick fingers trace between his legs. 

Blaine’s earlier complaint of being too tired seemed to have been forgotten, as he widened his legs as far as the pajamas would let him, arching his back up towards Kurt. The sight was too tempting, far too tempting.

Pushing his underwear down, Kurt added more lotion, and lowered down on top of Blaine. His erection slid between his ass cheeks, and they both moaned. Kurt reached under Blaine, cupping his hardness as they ground against each other. It was going to be fast and a bit sloppy, but that’s all they wanted. 

Kurt had sincerely suggested the massage to make Blaine feel better. That it had ended this way was only a happy outcome he hadn’t expected. So far, they had found they were pretty well matched in sexual interest, but he never wanted Blaine to feel pressured to participate if he wasn’t interested sometimes. 

Knowing Blaine was a bit tired and sore from the travelling, Kurt didn’t tease or draw it out. His strokes were firm and fast, sensing Blaine was getting close, and rubbing against his ass in a rhythm that soon had him groaning out Blaine’s name. Blaine found his peak soon after, shuddering under Kurt in pleasure, while Kurt kissed the back of his neck, loving sharing this. Loving their closeness, being able to touch and to be so intimate. 

----

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: Thanks for sticking with this fic! It's taking me a while to research for it, but I'm learning a lot about US history pre-WWI. Your continued support is very appreciated. 

-Fun Facts: Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, the first National Park in the US. It’s known for its wildlife and many geothermal features. The US Army oversaw management of the park until 1916, when the newly created National Park Service took over. The most famous geyser of the park is Old Faithful, so named for reliably erupting every 35 to 120 minutes, with up to 32,000 litres (8,400 US gallons) of boiling water up to 55 meters (185 feet) in the air. Some of the army men used it as a laundry, finding cotton and linens came out clean, but woolen clothes were torn to sheds.