Rain.

Kurt fell asleep to rain and to rain he woke. He stretched languidly and listened to the lazy cascade of water on the roof and windows. He opened his eyes and rolled to stare out the glass door leading to his balcony, smiling despite of the gloomy weather.

The fair teen was actually glad for a rainy day. He'd had a love/hate relationship with rain when he was younger. He hated when it rained if he'd had plans to go outside or into town, but he loved what rainy days meant. Forts made out of sheets, reading by flashlight and his mom cooking all day.

He loved the fireplace, and being close to people he loved. The quiet and stillness, even though the trees shook outside and water was a constant buzzing in the backs of their minds. His dad would hole up in the garage and work on his truck or watch the outdoor channel for hours and hours.

Today, the rain meant that Blaine could take it easy and not feel bad about "wasting" a day of their vacation.

Kurt glanced at his clock and noticed that it was barely seven in the morning and chuckled. He always woke up early when it was raining. He allowed himself a few moments to lay in bed before he became restless.

Since he was up so early he decided to take a bath. He loved the claw footed tub he had. He He had convinced his parents to remodel his bathroom the year before she had died, as a birthday gift. Now he had a deep old-fashioned tub with both and attached and detached shower and a gorgeous counter and vanity area.

His grandmother was even jealous, and that was saying something.

He padded into the bathroom lazily and snatched a box of matches from the medicine cabinet, lighting a few lemon and lavender scented candles and dimming the lights. Ambience was everything.

He adjusted the taps and pulled the stopper before pouring enough bubble bath into the tub that he knew he'd be up to his ears in foam when he turned on the jets.

He quickly stripped out of his clothes and settled into the warm water of the rapidly filling tub. He hugged his knees to his chest and rested his head on the curved back of the tub. Kurt looked up to see out the arched windows, feeling calm despite the storm.

The fair boy released his long legs and stretched out languorously; trailing his fingers through the water and watching the water and suds swirl in their wake. When the water was high enough he turned the tap off with his feet, giggling quietly at his silliness.

He sunk into the bubbles and inhaled the soothing aroma, closing his eyes and relishing the moment. Of course, as with all things you are trying to avoid, thoughts of Blaine immediately plagued him. Normally he welcomed the image of Blaine's smiling face, but he felt guilty about doing it naked, with said boy only a wall away from him and his decidedly undapper thoughts.

He bit his lip and shifted his eyes guiltily, sinking further into the tub. The bubbles came up to his nose, tickling him until he batted them away. He shifted against the porcelain of the tub and slowly reached for the shower gel, pouring some in his hand.

He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, trailing his soap hand down his stomach until it wrapped around his swiftly hardening erection. He sighed softly and tightened his fingers around himself, thrusting slowly into his tight grip. In his mind he imagined that it was Blaine touching him this way.

He thought about Blaine's sweet smile and his warm eyes and the way he was always there when Kurt needed him. He thought about his amazing voice and how sexy he sounded when he whispered. He thought about how he shouldn't be thinking about this at all.

Kurt mewled as he got closer and closer to release, rocking in time with his strokes and making tiny splashes of water spill over the side of the tub. His back arched and he reached down with his other hand to tease over his entrance.

His breath hitched sharply and caught in his chest as he pressed the tip of a finger inside him. It was the last little push he needed to fall over the edge, a soft cry coming from his as ecstasy rushed through his veins.

He breathed out shakily, attempting to catch his breath, and relaxed into the warm water. Kurt snagged a bath pouf and scrubbed his skin vigorously, once again feeling guilty for thinking about the other boy. He focused on the heavy drum of rain against the roof and felt a lassitude seep into his bones.

He finished scrubbing and reached for the cup he always kept in near the tub. He pulled the plug and let some of the water run out, turning on the faucet as well. He wet his hair and washed it, taking care to be thorough and get out all that he may have missed from their impromptu barn shower the day before.

He drained the tub and rinsed the last of the suds before getting out of bed and wrapping a fluffy towel around himself. Even though he had felt wide awake before his bath, Kurt was ready to fall back to sleep.

The fair teen shuffled back into his room and glanced at the clock as he scrubbed the moisture from his body; only a few minutes past 7:30. He let out a yawn cracking yawn before just dropping the towel on the floor and crawling back into bed in nothing but his skin.

He pulled the covers up over his shoulders and huddled into the still-warm bed. Kurt stretched out onto his stomach and smiled as the rustle of the soft sheets lulled him back to sleep.

For about two hours.

Around 9:30, someone came to knock on his door. He blearily called for them to come in and saw Blaine's curly head peek around the corner. He smiled at the other boy blearily and struggled to free one of his hands to give him a sleepy wave.

"Hey," the shorter teen said, coming over to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Hi," Kurt replied thickly. "Rain wake you?"

Blaine nodded, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs to warm them. "Yeah, I always wake up when it rains. I was hoping that I wouldn't have woken you," he explained.

"You didn't. Well, not really," the slim boy replied. "I woke up a few hours ago and took a bath." And I really hope you didn't hear it, he thought fervently.

Blaine chuckled and gestured to his current bundled state. "Did you decide that being awake wasn't worth it or…?"

Kurt smiled and chuckled into the sheets. "I was really relaxed after my bath and I kind of just collapsed into bed." Boy, was I relaxed…

The dark haired boy laughed and slumped over in bed, sprawling on his back and staring up at the ceiling. Kurt became acutely aware that he was naked and in the bed with the boy he was kind of in love with. He had imagined this moment to involve more candles and chocolate and less morning breath and embarrassment.

"Um, so," he began. "I…didn't put my pajamas back on."

"Oh. Oh," Blaine realized, nearly tumbling off the bed in his haste to get up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to like, be overly familiar."

The tanned boy was blushing to the roots of his hair and looked aghast with himself. Kurt couldn't decide if he wanted to be offended or grateful for his swift retreat. "You weren't," he rushed to assure the other boy. "I just… forgot I hadn't gotten dressed."

"Should I just…?" Blaine asked pointing to the bathroom and then the closet and then the hall.

Kurt sat up slowly and made sure the blankets were gathered around him thickly. "Just… turn around for a second."

Blaine nodded and turned around, adding the extra layer of privacy by covering his already closed eyes. Kurt regretfully slipped from bed and quickly snatched up the towel to wrap around his waist. He darted into the closet and quickly pulled on some comfortable shorts and an oversized shirt.

"All done," Kurt said, emerging from the walk-in closet with a sheepish grin on his face.

The other boy turned around, still blushing. "Sorry, again."

Kurt just shrugged it off. Maybe he could have played that a little cooler. If all went well, he kind of had plans for Blaine to see him naked and didn't want him to think that he was opposed to a little nudity. Southern gentleman (belle) that he was, he still had urges. Urges he wanted to fulfill sometime in the near future.

To show that he wasn't bent out of shape over their little awkwardness he hopped back in bed, patting the space next to him in invitation. Blaine smiled happily and threw himself into bed next to him, bouncing on the plush mattress.

"So," Blaine began. "What do you like to do on rainy days?"

Kurt chuckled. "Nothing, really. Watch movies, play board games, pig out. My dad will probably in the garage all day, and Finn too. They've been bonding over motor oil."

Blaine made a sympathetic face, remembering how Kurt had felt when Finn had first come into his life as a potential sibling.

"I'm fine with it," he said softly but honestly. "It took a while, but I realize that my dad isn't replacing me and he still loves me, blah blah blah. I was stupid."

Blaine pinched him sharply. Kurt made an affronted face and scowled at the other boy. "You were not stupid," he said adamantly.

"Well," Kurt said. "Agree to disagree."

The dark haired boy shook his head but Kurt ignored him. "What do you want to do?" he asked instead.

Blaine took a slow, deep breath and let it out in a rush. "I dunno," he said. "I'm just glad I don't have to move around."

Kurt chuckled. "I figured you'd be grateful for the rain," he teased. Before Blaine could defend his honor, he plowed on. "And, if my nose doesn't deceive me, I think Carole is making those berry pancakes she talked about."

Blaine's eyes lit up and the fair teen couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm. "Let's go," Kurt urged. "Then we can figure out what to do for the day."

This trip was turning out to be very educational. Blaine Anderson was one of the most mature individuals he knew. He was calm and collected and understanding and willing to share the spotlight, even though he loved it.

Now Kurt could add sore loser to the list as well.

It seemed that while Blaine had no qualms about sharing the limelight, he absolutely hated losing a board game, tic-tac-toe, hangman, or any other child's game. When it looked like he was falling behind the olive skinned boy resorted to made-up-on-the-spot rules and downright cheating.

Kurt didn't think he had laughed this hard in years. They were currently playing Monopoly and Kurt's realized that Blaine had been stealing money the entire time.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you be the banker," he gasped out. "Blaine, you are the reason Occupy Wall street is happening. Our Monopoly world is about to undergo a financial crisis because I'm about to pass go and the bank can't give me money because someone stole it all!"

"I'll just write an IOU. I'm the bank, I can do that. And I haven't been stealing!" he defended.

Kurt scoffed outrageously. "They where did all those five hundreds come from? You went broke when you landed on Park Place and had to pay me almost everything you had, yet now you're suddenly wealthier than me. Do you see the discrepancy here?"

"Nope," Blaine said simply. "Now roll the dice. It's your turn."

Kurt shook his head. "No; I'm protesting."

"Then I win!" Blaine declared triumphantly.

"It's not a real win! You got there with lies and deceit and a technicality and luck because you chose the thimble!"

Blaine looked derailed by the last reason. "What?" he questioned.

"The thimble!" Kurt repeated firmly. "It's good luck!"

"Since when?"

Kurt growled in frustration and shook his piece at the other boy. "Since I always play with the thimble and you made me play with the shoe!"

"You love shoes," Blaine replied sincerely.

The fair teen sighed. "I do love shoes, but not this shoe! Look at it! It's all boring and slouchy and probably made from really bad leather."

Blaine took a moment from organizing the money in its holder. "I'm sorry the shoe offends you."

"Liar!" Kurt declared dramatically. "You're only sorry you got caught cheating."

"No comment."

Kurt growled in frustration before slumping back on the mounds of pillows around them. He hadn't been this frustrated playing a board game since his mother had played chutes and ladders with him and he kept getting chutes. "I'm going to strangle you," he promised.

Blaine just nodded in acceptance. "And no one will find my body for a hundred years, since there are so many places you could get rid of it out here."

"Exactly," Kurt agreed. He snagged Blaine's phone and dangled it in front of him. "Call you parents; say goodbye."

"Who's saying goodbye?"

The teens looked over to the doorway and saw Burt standing there, a smudge of grease on his cheek and a power drill in his hand.

"Blaine," Kurt answered. "I'm killing him later."

Mr. Hummel just nodded in understanding. "You cheated at a board game, didn't you?"

"No," the shorter teen replied, even though he was shaking his head yes and admitting his guilt."

"Knew it," Kurt grumbled.

His father just shrugged. "Well, try to keep it down."

The fair teen turned to scowl at Blaine. "No more Monopoly," he said firmly.

Blaine raised his hands in surrender. "No more Monopoly."

"Let's watch a movie," Kurt suggested. "I'm pretty sure you can't cheat at that."

The other boy just grinned roguishly. "Well, I could try…"

"Silence," Kurt said imperiously, walking over to his movie collection while Blaine pretended to zip his lips closed.

He pawed through his drawers until he came across Zoolander. Kurt giggled as he removed the DVD and waved it at Blaine. "This okay?"

Blaine squinted at the title before chuckling. "Yeah."

Kurt walked over to the TV and popped the DVD into the flat screen and hunted for the remote. Blaine eventually found it accidentally packed away inside the Monopoly box, which just made Kurt glare at him again.

They both took a quick break for the restroom and refreshments before starting the movie. Kurt had a feeling once he settled down again that he was going to be in it for the long haul. He had forgotten that laziness like this was contagious and just got worse as the day wore on.

The both of them curled up on the couch, the only light in the room coming from the TV. The rain continued to pour down and Kurt knew from experience that the water from the pond would rise and flood the far side of their property.

He yawned and sunk further into the antique couch, eyes and body drooping to the side. He was drawn out of his drowsiness by Blaine's arm going around his shoulders. "Hmm?" he mumbled questioning, pulse racing furiously at their proximity.

"This way you can lie down," he explained, motioning for Kurt to curl up next to him.

The fair teen felt his heart skip a beat at the thought of essentially cuddling with the object of his affections. He tried to scoot closer without showing his eagerness and slid under Blaine's surprisingly toned arm.

"I think you can give Puckerman a run for his money," he muttered, impressed.

Blaine laughed filled the room. "Thanks for your vote of confidence, but Noah Puckerman would crush me like a bug."

"Psh," Kurt said with a dismissively hand wave. "He's big and brawny, but you're quick and scrappy. You could totally take that meathead."

The dark haired boy chuckled. "Is this some kind of hint? Do you have some kind of beef with McKinley's Mohawk that you're trying to getting me to settle?"

"Please," Kurt scoffed. "I can handle that jock myself. I was just… complimenting you."

Oh my god, just shut up, he thought at himself. And I teased Blaine for not being smooth?

The curly haired teen just chuckled and squeezed around his shoulder. "Well," he began. "Thanks. Really."

Kurt just nodded and wormed his way closer. He didn't know when or if this opportunity was going to present itself again, so he was determined to make the most of it.

By the time evening rolls around it's still raining, but it's tapered off to an enthusiastic drizzle. Dinner had been served and put away but the Blaine had convinced Kurt to show him how to bake. When the slim boy learned he had never had a homemade pie before he couldn't push Blaine into the kitchen fast enough.

Now Kurt was thumbing through his mother's recipe book, filled with pages torn from books and hand written recipes and even the occasional printed (and altered) Food Network contribution.

"What kind of pie do you like?" he asked, glancing over at Blaine sitting on a high stool.

The dark haired boy shrugged. "I don't know," he said unhelpfully. "I don't really think there's a pie I don't like."

Kurt huffed and went back to looking through his mother's recipes. He didn't have the ingredients (pears) to make this amazing pear pie he had been craving, but they did have the ingredients for peach pie.

"How about peach pie?" he asked.

"Oh," Blaine said excitedly. "I don't think I've ever had that."

"Have you ever pitted a peach before?"

"… No," Blaine replied. "Is it hard? "

Kurt shook his head. "Nope. It's kind of like removing the pit of an avocado, but smaller." He grabbed a paring knife and a peach form the bowl and made sure he had Blaine's attention. "You can do this while I get the stuff for the crust ready."

He cut to the pit and ran the knife around the peach, starting at the stem. He gave each half a good twist and one side broke free, leaving the other with the pit. "You can either pry it out with your thumb or the knife, whichever you prefer," he explained. "Then slice them up and toss them in the bowl."

Blaine nodded in understanding, face adorably serious. Kurt held back a chuckle and made his way to the pantry to grab the ingredients for pie crust.

He placed them all on the counter and grabbed a big bowl. When he noticed Blaine's pouty face he rolled his eyes. "Don't worry," he assured. "You can still make the dough. I'm just going to get the dry ingredients together and sift them."

The other boy beamed at him and went back to peach pitting. Predictably, Finn poked his head in the kitchen. "Is someone cutting peaches?" he asked.

"Yes," Kurt replied. "But you can't have any; it's for pie. We've been over this, Finn."

The lanky teen pouted but nodded. "I know…"

Kurt sighed. "I think there's still some pound cake left. I think I saw my dad hide it behind the milk in the fridge."

And, well, while he didn't want to give Finn the last slices of his grandmother's pound cake, he really didn't want his father to eat it. This trip was going to be bad enough for his diet and he wasn't going to stand around and let his father eat himself to another heart attack.

The tall boy grinned and rooted around in the refrigerator until he emerged victorious. "Thanks, Kurt," he said mouth already full of the thick confection and shuffling back to the living room.

He rolled his eyes and continued measuring the dry ingredients and helping Blaine finish with the peaches. Kurt spread a sugar and butter mixture over the sliced fruit and set them to the side.

"The sugar will help the peaches make a natural syrup," he explained, shaking his head at Blaine's flour covered form. He gestured at the powdered boy. "How did you manage this?"

The dark haired boy looked down at himself in surprise. "I don't know," he said, bewildered. "I swear I just leaned against the counter."

Kurt chuckled and swiped at the other boy with a damp dishcloth before moving to get the wet ingredients. Blaine watched him avidly, absorbing the direction Kurt gave him like a sponge.

Before long, Kurt was showing Blaine how make a lattice pattern with the pie crust for the top of their dessert. Even though his heart was pounding in his chest from being so close to the other boy, he felt oddly subdued.

Blaine's head was bent in concentration and Kurt glanced at him from under his lashes. Their hands were covered in flour and butter and sugar and brushed against one another every few seconds. He was worried that if the dark haired boy's finger lingered over his pulse he would know something was up.

Tucking the last strip in he made his way to the sink to wash the mess off his hands, watching as Blaine smiled down at their admittedly sad looking pie. He had let the shorter teen do most of the work. Even though the pie looked messy, it was sure to be delicious with his mother's recipe.

Kurt opened the oven and carefully slid the pastry inside. "Well," he began. "We have at least forty-five minutes. What do you want to do?"

The other boy grinned sheepishly. "Maybe I should take a shower. After I help clean up," he clarified.

Kurt chuckled and nodded. Yes, Blaine certainly needed a shower. In the process of finishing, the other boy had covered himself from head to toe. "You go on ahead and take a shower," he bid. "Let me take care of this. I fared much better than you."

He gestured to the lone flour smear over his cheek and Blaine nodded reluctantly before making his way up the steps. Kurt exhaled shakily and relaxed against the counter.

He turned around and began clearing things away tiredly. Who knew that concealing emotions could be so exhausting?

He dumped the bowls and utensils into the sink and got to cleaning, letting himself focus on the task at hand to distract himself from his increasing inability to act normally around the other teen. Blaine shuffled into the room as he finished wiping the counter clean, looking devastatingly handsome.

His hair was still damp and hung in loose curls, making Kurt want to run his fingers through it. He'd pulled on a pair of shorts and a grey shirt that clung to his chest enticingly. Well, Kurt thought. Well, well.

"How many more minutes?" Blaine asked excitedly.

The fair teen rolled his eyes and felt himself smiling against his will, glad for the distraction. He glanced at the clock and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Twenty-three minutes."

Blaine threw himself into chair at the table. "That's so loooong," he whined.

Kurt found himself giggling. Blaine's childlike enthusiasm was infectious. "I'm sure you'll survive," he said slowly, accent as thick as the filling of that peach pie.

He watched as other boy's eyebrow quirked upward at his slow drawl. "So," he said, surprising Kurt with the change of subject. "If it's not raining tomorrow, what do you want to do?"

"Hmm," Kurt replied, sliding into the seat across from him. "Well, how do you feel about fishing?"

Blaine looked at him in shock. "I like it, but I'm surprised you're bringing it up. Didn't you say that you hated it?"

Kurt made a dismissive noise. "I just can't get into it. Or bait my own hook," he clarified. "When I used to go with my dad, we never really had anything to talk about and I grew impatient. With you there, he'll have someone to talk sports with and I'll have someone to talk performing with. Besides, don't you know the best fishing is after it's rained?"

The shorter teen just shook his head a chuckled. "I can't say that I did," he admitted.

"Well," Kurt backtracked. "Technically, at least according to my father, it's when it's raining but I'll be damned before I sit out in this weather to catch some fish."

Blaine grimaced as well. "Right. Fishing sounds great, if you're sure that's what you want."

"I am," Kurt said honestly. "It'll give me chance to spend some time with my dad and Finn. We've kind of all gone our separate ways so far."

The dark haired teen nodded. "Yeah, I've been thinking about how we could all do something together. I feel bad, that he's kinda been off by himself."

Kurt nodded in agreement. "Me too, but it's his own fault," he explained. "Since I was allowed to invite you, it was only fair that he was allowed to have someone come too."

"Right," Blaine said reasonably. "That makes sense."

"But he waited too long," Kurt said in aggravation, alerting Blaine to the fact that there had been an argument about this. "My dad and Carole told him to ask right away. He was going to ask Puck, since there was no way Rachel's parents would be okay with it, but he kept forgetting and putting it off until it was the day before we were going to leave and there were no more tickets available."

Blaine made an understanding sound. "I bet that went over well."

"You have no idea," Kurt deadpanned before shaking himself out of his aggravation. "Still, I do feel bad for him."

The dark haired boy nodded distractedly, eyes on the timer behind Kurt. The fair teen huffed in exasperation and threw his hands in the air.

"Are you serious?"

"Dessert is nothing to joke about, Kurt."

"You're ridiculous," Kurt said, flabbergasted. "I might as well make some tea and coffee since it's clear that you'll be useless until you've had some of this pie."

Blaine nodded imperiously. "I'm glad you could see things my way."