Chapter Nine

The cold hard truth that Kurt was now in a long distant relationship hit him the next morning, when he wasn't treated to waking up next to a naked boyfriend. Instead he was alone, nude and with nothing but a closed laptop beside him on the bed. The second his eyes opened Kurt felt an onslaught of something, that wasn't quite guilt or regret but still left him in an odd mood. The best he could gauge was what had transpired last-night was still hard to fully taken in but it had happened. He and Blaine had virtual sex and while it was hot at the time, now Blaine's o-face kept popping into his mind and distracting him from figuring out how he really felt. Kurt certainly hadn't expected anything racy to happen when he started to undress in front of Blaine. He intended to just flirt and tease a little but he should have known better than to rule out the unpredictable. What he hadn't counted on was Blaine practically begging to see him naked and how that triggered a laps in judgment due to his own ragging desire. What that had lead to was... Kurt could barely think it let alone say it out loud or to Blaine. But they both at least had promised to call each other as soon as they woke up in the morning so he wouldn't allow himself to become distant, not over this. Blaine ended up beating him to the punch but he didn't call, sending a text message instead.

I know we said we'd talk on the phone, but... I can't, not yet, sorry.

Kurt let out a sigh of relief, thankful that they were on the same wavelength yet again.

It's okay Blaine; neither can I. Which is silly, I still don't regret it...

Right? I just feel a little... rattled.

I think we both need some space this morning, to recover.

As long as we're sure we're okay.

I'm okay, sure it was a rash decision, but god, it was amazing.

It really was, but like you said, a probably a bit premature.

'Least nothing else was.

Go eat something Kurt, can we text during your train ride at least?

I was going to insist on it!

You're so cute, even in text form.

Likewise, bye honey.

Bye for now, happy breakfast.

Feeling renewed, Kurt hurried off to start his morning, happy to become far more relaxed now that he'd touched base with Blaine. He was still rattled, as Blaine had phrased so cutely, but knowing Blaine felt the same way helped by leaps and bounds. So when he finished showering Kurt was almost giddy as he sent Blaine his daily outfit photo, which got Blaine's usual heart of approval in reply. By the time he found his way to the kitchen his good mood was increasing and he almost had a kick in his step.

When Rachel made her entrance her eyes instantly fell on Kurt, but said nothing to him and that surprised her roommate. It didn't take long for her attempts to keep herself at bay to fail from her growing curiosity. But Rachel was still trying to side line her nosiness and pass it off as being friendly, which Kurt wasn't buying for a second.

Kurt decided to put on his own charade and act like he wasn't aware of her ploy and how she must be dying to ask him what had happened last-night. "Good morning Rachel, want some breakfast ah-lah Kurt?" he asked in a musical tone. "Don't worry... I've already come up with a vegan version I can cook for you." He added. It was amusing that Kurt was enjoying the vegan cookbook Rachel bought when they moved in more than her. Rachel's more limited diet meant he embraced the chance to be more creative with his cooking and Kurt loved a good challenge.

"Sure... thanks." Rachel replied as she casually walked past Kurt to get a cup of tea.

Kurt noticed the odd way she was eyeing him the whole time and he ignored it, humming merrily away as he cooked up a tasty smelling vegetable and rice combination for his friend.

"So... did you and Blaine have a good night?" Rachel finally asked, trying her best to be discreet.

It wasn't working but Kurt was enjoying himself far too much to call her out on it, instead he played naive to push her to work a bit more. "Yes, we certainly did." he confirmed.

Instead Kurt's toying with Rachel only made her become impatient enough to drop the act and go the direct route. "Do you even plan to tell me what that text last-night was about?" she asked.

Kurt paused to place Rachel's plate of food in front of her, he figured it was time to fess up but in a way that he could still have some fun. "That depends... did you use the earplugs?" he questioned.

"Yes!" Rachel groaned.

Kurt hid his relief under a cheeky grin, basking in the satisfaction as he sat down beside her with his own plate of food. Only when he had a fork in hand and a cup of tea at his side did he finally bother to answer the question. Choosing to be blunt since he was curious to see what her reaction would be like. "Blaine and I had sex... or the virtual equivalent." Kurt answered casually, like it was nothing out of the ordinary to admit.

But it was and Rachel, who had been busy chewing, suddenly went wide-eyed and began to choke on her food. Before Kurt could become guilty and rush to her rescue she managed to swallow and got her breathing under control. Stopping to take a long drink of tea before she could use her impressive lungs to get loud. "You what? Oh my god, Kurt!" she shouted in shock.

"Thank you Rachel, any embarrassment from telling you that is well worth your reaction. You should see the look on your face right now, it's priceless... in fact..." Kurt chuckled as he brought out his cellphone and snapped a photo. 'That's going right to Blaine.' he thought in amusement.

"I wasn't expecting... that!" Rachel exclaimed.

"What did you think I'd say then?" Kurt questioned.

"I dunno, something a little less... extreme? I thought maybe you were trying dirty talk or something. Not sex!"

"I can't blame you there..."

"How did it even happen?" Rachel demanded.

It would probably be a good idea to explain his actions to Rachel, because he could convince himself it wasn't a big mistake at the same time. The tricky part was that Kurt wasn't sure what he should or shouldn't tell his friend. He still found it odd to talk about his sex life that up until this point had been totally non-existent. "I didn't plan for it to happen... it just sort of did..." Kurt began, feeling a little awkward.

"Well, that can happen to anyone." Rachel said in encouragement.

"At the time I wasn't thinking how it was too soon and I'm trying not to make it a big deal. It happened either way and nothing will change that."

"Have you and Blaine talked since?"

"Only a little this morning, where we agreed it was rushed but not regrettable."

"I know it's none of my business but I can't help it... was it good?" Rachel pressed.

That question caused Kurt to give one of his famous eye rolls and he decided to make her wait for an answer as he took another bite of his eggs. Really it was a harmless question that would take one word to divulge so he was over-reacting a little. "Yes... it was very good, a little embarrassing but we pulled through. Good thing for young virility I guess, that and how my hormones were pent up from lack of proper use." Kurt joked.

"I can't believe you're voluntarily telling me all this." Rachel said with a playful smile.

Kurt beamed back at her, munching on his food as she began to laugh from his silly look. "Well it's not like I'm giving you any real details." he pointed out. When their breakfasts were finally done he stood up from the table, collected their plates and dumped them into the sink to clean later on. "Come on Rachel, we gotta go to class. Oh and save your breath about asking me anymore on Blaine and I's night time activities..." he warned.

"I'm not that much of a gossip Kurt..." Rachel protested. "But promise you'll keep warning me when to wear earplugs to bed." she added.

"Sure but there won't be much need, Blaine and I agreed we're not doing that again, for a while anyway." Kurt explained.

"Really? Wow, that's mature." Rachel said.

With their morning meal finished, Kurt quickly grabbed his book-bag off the back of his chair and linked arms with Rachel as they headed out the door. A classic scene for the pair of friends but the subject matter was very different from any other times a similar exit took place. "Well... I'm sure Blaine will test my control, since it's him. But what we have is special, so matter how good it could feel, I refuse to ruin this..."

"It's not like there's a time limit for when couples need to become intimate." Rachel added.

"Exactly... I think the next time we want to try something, I'd like it to be in person." Kurt admitted, his face becoming a little red.

"Like when you'll see him in a week?" Rachel teased.

"Hmm? No, way later than that... let's hope we can keep to that plan!" Kurt muttered with determination. ______________________________________________________________________________

On the Ohio side of things, Blaine didn't even bother to hide his good mood when he arrived at school that day. Really, despite how deep down he was still a little unnerved by what had happened yesterday, he couldn't of stopped himself from smiling if he tried. Blaine was that happy, he and Kurt were boyfriends, he had a boyfriend, it was hard to wrap his head around. Maybe it was good that the virtual sex happened so suddenly, because he could look past it to the bigger picture and not let it be a big deal. Blaine was happy to only look to the positive, because the bond between him and Kurt was that strong. The pair of teen's chemistry was so intense that they were willing to go through the stress of a long distance relationship. At the moment Blaine didn't feel nervous or wrung out and his beaming face was the proving factor. So when he came to join his usual group of friends for lunch, it was no surprise they stopped talking instantly. "Hey guys, what's new?" Blaine asked in a giddy tone as he took a seat.

"Nothing that will top what must of happened to you." Jeff replied.

For once Blaine was totally oblivious to their teasing because he was in that good of a mood, which meant he felt no need to hold back. His friends were about to learn it wouldn't take much for Blaine to start gushing about the wonderful man in his life. "Oh, I'd say that's a good assumption." he answered coyly.

"Gonna tell us why you look like you could break out into song at any moment?" Trent urged.

His almost high on air state, which was due to Kurt, didn't show any signs of wavering and he didn't bother to beat around the bush, he wanted to tell the world. "You happen to be looking at a Blaine Anderson who is no longer single." Blaine announced.

"It's about time!" Trent exclaimed.

"Congrats, man!" Nick said.

Blaine accepted their smiles and words of congratulations, beaming all the while, when he had a feeling they'd change their tunes as time went on. But for now Blaine took their enthusiasm to heart and it truly was hard not to start an impromptu performance right there and then. He held back somehow but Blaine figured he'd allow himself to sing a big energetic number during Warbler practice that day, to help get some of this built up energy out of his system. "Thanks but you guys are acting like I'm the only one who has someone!" he laughed, trying to take it down a peg or two.

"It's you Blaine, the Warbler's fearless leader, that's pretty big." Nick pointed out.

"Heck for Dalton, wait until the news spreads." Rodney added.

Blaine rolled his eyes at that remark, he knew his friends where just teasing him for the most part but Dalton not having any girls didn't meant gossip didn't fly around campus. He'd just take it in stride, it wasn't like his having a boyfriend was something he felt the need to keep a secret. Only the last time Blaine had been front-page news at school was when his sexual orientation got revealed, back at his old school. So the idea of his change in relationship status spreading around like wild fire still was a little daunting to consider. "It's a small price to pay to have Kurt in my life, as someone more than a friend." he said with adoration.

"Just keep grinning like that and the news will get old real quick." Trent suggested.

"Yeah, I'm not scandalous enough..." Blaine agreed.

"At least until you see him next." Rodney teased.

The jab wasn't meant to be taken seriously and Blaine saw it as such so his response was to merely smile. In fact it was ironic because he knew his friends would of asked him questions along the lines of 'How far did you get with Kurt?' if he weren't in a long distance relationship. His being gay didn't mean the group of friends couldn't talk about scoring like any other group of guys. What they didn't know was something had happened on that front but Blaine wasn't sure if he wanted to share anything like that. Sure he always wanted to be honest but Blaine didn't want to go so far as to brag about it and bring on even worse teasing. "That will be when Kurt comes back to Ohio for Christmas."

"That close? I'm surprised you're keeping it together then." Nick admitted.

"Well I have no choice, besides, just because we're gay doesn't mean we're deranged cocks looking for ass." Blaine declared, for once speaking very out of terms for his usual polite mannerism.

The end result was for his group of friends, consisting of Jon, Trent, Nick, Jeff and Rodney, to go deadpan and gape in shock. Blaine's comment triggering them to look completely dumbstruck at he found their extreme reaction quite entertaining. Sure he had never said anything like that before but there was a first time for everything, maybe the sexual deviant in Blaine had been awoken last-night and this was the result. "You guys look ridiculous." Blaine said while smirking.

"What's gotten into you?" Nick laughed.

"Cause we know it's not Kurt." Trent added.

Blaine shook his head in respond, still grinning away and decided not to give any comebacks to that comment because then he really might cross a line. What was the harm in having a raunchy discussion among friends anyway, deciding to use the break in conversation to make fast work of his lunch instead. "Are you guys that surprised? I meant I'm still a teenage guy, there's such a double standard about gay men. We don't need to have sex all the time, but on the other hand, we also don't need to mix romance with every physical encounter either..." Blaine began to argue, but he realized he was making little sense and stopped his attempts.

"Our surprise has nothing to do with you're liking guys Blaine, gay or straight, doesn't really matter here." Jeff began.

"What you're saying can be true for straight guys as well." Rodney said.

"What's got us gaping is... this is you Blaine, you're normally so properly dapper that nothing like that would ever come out of your polite mouth." Trent explained.

"When have you ever you said the words cock, deranged and ass in the same sentence?" Nick said in closing.

They had a point, even when Blaine did get more relaxed around his friends and joked around like the rest, he'd never said anything like that before. Blaine would have to watch himself from now on, though again he didn't feel embarrassed, so that was something. "Sorry I doubted you guys, guess there's a part of me that's never had a chance to come out, until now." Blaine apologized.

The words 'come out' caused the table occupants to break out into laughter and Blaine joined in.

"What happened to bring on this new side of you, Blaine? What aren't you telling us?" Trent demanded.

Whenever there was something bold to be said, Trent, who was Blaine's closet friend at school, was usually the one to say it. Only Blaine wasn't about to give into the request, not this time, he had shared enough already. So he finished his meal instead and stood up from the table and then, as if on cue, his phone rang. Already knowing who it would be, Blaine brought is phone up to his ear and his smile widened. "Oh hey Kurt, were we just talking about you..." he chimed. Giving his friends a quick wink, Blaine strolled off to continue the call at a safer distance, his friends laughing as he went. ________________________________________________________________________________

With the new changing factor, meaning their getting together as boyfriends, meant that when Monday night came around both boys had the same thing on their minds; winter holiday plans. Kurt, ever the planner, was already on track for how to use their time together to the best of their ability. The only reason they hadn't already finalized their itinerary during the holiday was for two key reasons. The first being that, as expected, final exams had kept the couple quite busy right up until the end of the term. While the second went back to the fact that when they reunited now it was be as boyfriends and not friends wishing to be more. On some aspects the second reason wouldn't change things too drastically and most of Kurt's ideas for what they could do was the same. But there was one detail he needed to run by Blaine before he could finish.

Monday marked another final being finished and that meant the teens finally had time to spend together over Skype. Kurt was curled up on his bed, a warm cup of coco in hand and a blanket wrapped around him. While his computer had its place of honour on his lap, giving the perfect view of Blaine's handsome face. With things finally winding down enough, the pair were delighted they were usual able to spend their evenings together over Skype.

"Okay Blaine... I think it's time we get to the big picture here. That at the end of the week I'll be on a plane bound for Lima. I'll have three weeks off were we could spend it together... so we need to figure out what my visit will entail." Kurt gushed with barely controlled excitement.

"Meaning what exactly?" Blaine questioned, not really understanding why Kurt was so wired.

"Location! I mean I'll be in Lima for Christmas... but after that... I was sort of hoping you could come back to New York with me? So we can spend a week here together, over New Years! Think how wonderful that would be!" Kurt explained.

The visual proof of how much Blaine liked that idea was easy to read on his beaming face, in fact he was hoping Kurt would suggest that. The only reason he hadn't voiced it yet himself was he didn't want to seem pretentious and there was the matter of convincing his folks. So far all they'd covered was during the first week of holidays, they need to tread lightly. It would be so easy to spend every waking moment together and become totally co-dependent. But then, when the vacation was over separating would become too painful to bare. Besides, no matter how strong their connection was, family still held some precedence. Now that the idea was mentioned, Blaine allowed himself to get just as excited as his boyfriend. "I'd love that Kurt! It would be the perfect way to start a new year, being there with you! It's like we'd get a little preview into our future... it's perfect!" Blaine babbled.

Now that Blaine was joining in on his already delighted state, Kurt could continue and elaborate, "I'm already picturing so many romantic scenarios! I can't wait to show you around Manhattan, imagine all the places we can go, all the sights we can see..." Kurt began as he gazed off dreamily into space.

"All the kisses we can share?" Blaine added with a cheeky grin.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but his face showed affection not annoyance at the interruption. "Well of course Blaine, that's a given." he scoffed. "So what do you say, think it's possible? Because I'm not naive, I know we're all for it... but what about your parents? Should we begin to hope you could get their permission?" Kurt asked.

There was always a catch, or at least in this instance and Blaine let out a heavy sigh. "I dunno... I'm sure gonna try. But it might not be enough because... the idea of their teenage son spending a week with his boyfriend in New York... alone might be pushing it, even for them. I know no matter how many times I'd try to convince them we won't get up to no good they'll still go there. Because of course all we think about is having sex..." Blaine grumbled, his voice turning to bitter sarcasm at the end.

"We can't rule out that something won't happen, Blaine... but I am hoping we'll keep from acting on our desires. Because last-night was a real rush and I enjoyed it but... I don't want to go there again. Not when we're in person, I want to keep things tame as possible... and not go past more than horizontal make-outs." Kurt admitted.

"You know I'm with on this Kurt, no matter how bad I might want you... I want every part of you, not just your body. That can wait, until we're ready, I'd rather spend our first week together as a couple starting out slow. Like we would of wanted, if we had been given the time when we first met. The fact that our time together is short shouldn't make us pressure ourselves into moving too fast." Blaine stated.

"I guess that leaves the challenge of convincing our parents that we're mature enough." Kurt added with a weak smile.

"Leave that to me, I only need permission from my parents to make it possible. I'll try to go in a totally different direction. I won't even bring the topic of sex up unless they do and they probably will. But spending an entire week in New York with you is worth anything I'm submitted to during that nerve-wrecking talk." Blaine assured.

"Let's hold off on getting our hopes up too much, or make any set plans until we know for sure." Kurt suggested.

"Good idea, we still have six days, that's plenty of time. I'll talk to my parents tomorrow and call you right after."

"Oh, there is one last thing, if you parents give you their blessing to visit me. When that magical week is over, I'll still have one last week. Where I thought I'd go back to Ohio with you, it would be fitting. We'll get to spend one week in New York and one in Ohio, where we can stick together like glue." Kurt told Blaine playfully.

"What about when I'm in class, can you survive the wait?"

"I'll keep, sure I'll miss you like crazy but I'll find something to occupy my time. I was sort of hoping I could catch a Warbler rehearsal or two though...."

"That would be awesome! I'll sure try to make that possible... hopefully my friends won't torment me too much with their teasing." Blaine muttered.

"You're a big boy, I have faith in you." Kurt tutted.

"I can wait to see you." Blaine gushed.

"Me too, even when we won't see as much as we did yesterday." Kurt added with a wink. _______________________________________________________________________________

Blaine was up first to talk to his parents and there was no way he'd allow himself to back down, no matter how much he was dreading the awkward conversation. He and Kurt had gone over the points he planned to bring up earlier that day and now he was ready. The chance to lay his case to his parents happened when he came home from school. His parent's workloads were already becoming less hectic with the upcoming holiday and so they were both back earlier than normal. Blaine took that as a sign and he walked into the living room to find his mother relaxing after a shorter but still busy day of work. "Hey mom, are you and dad free? I have something I want to talk to the both of you about." Blaine asked nervously.

That request lead to the three members of the Anderson family sitting in front of one another, with Blaine on the pushed back coffee table so he could look at his parents seated on the couch head on. Blaine took a deep breath, he was getting worked up for nothing, and it wasn't like he was asking for something outrageous. "So winter break is almost here and Kurt and I have started discussing what our plans will be..." Blaine began, but he stopped when he realized there was one fact he needed to confess to. "Wait, before I get into that there's something I should admit. Kurt and I... we're dating now, we've officially become boyfriends." Blaine stuttered.

"You mean you weren't already?" Jennifer asked in a puzzled tone.

Blaine couldn't help but laugh at that comment, "No.. We got together on Friday; I shouldn't be surprised that you thought we were a couple already. We tried to hold back because long distance relationships rarely work... but I guess our chemistry is too strong to ignore. It won't be easy but Kurt's worth it and I've never been so happy before." Blaine continued, a warm smile spreading over his face at the thought of Kurt.

"That's... wonderful Blaine." Jennifer replied.

"Thanks, so um... anyway... Kurt's invited me to spend the first week of January with him in New York." Blaine continued.

"Alone?" Brandon asked, speaking up for the first time.

It wasn't easy to hide his annoyance from his father asking that question, without giving any feedback beforehand like his mother. But this was typical Brandon Anderson and that only made his son more determined to get his way, by proving how mature he was. "Kurt has a roommate named Rachel, but I don't know if she'll be there or not. So we could be and I know that's a lot to ask... since we're in a relationship now. All I'm asking here is for you to listen to what I have to say before making your minds up." Blaine requested.

"We can do that." Brandon replied, who looked at his wife to see her nod in agreement.

"You were mature enough to ask us first and to be honest, so we'll do the same." She confirmed.

Blaine gave them both a grateful smile, he could tell his father was still uncomfortable at the idea of Blaine being alone with his boyfriend, hundreds of miles away and without adult supervision. But he had expected this and he knew just how to counteract the possible setback. "The main reason for me wanting to go is to be with Kurt of course, but it's not the only one. You both know heading off to New York after I graduate is a long dream of mine. One I started to plan before I met Kurt... so I'd make good use of my time there. Kurt's already offered to take me to potential schools that are on my application list. Kurt's enrolled at Nyada, the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts... which is a school you've heard me mention before. So he's going to show me around campus if I'm allowed to go, with my own personal tour." Blaine explained, pausing to smile from how sweet Kurt was. "Anyway... this could be my chance to see how I'll fit in there. See if it's a place I could belong... I think it will be but... time will tell."

"We've talked about your post high school plans before and so you already know I'm proud you're aiming for such an exclusive program. While still being sensible enough to apply to other schools, because having fall back plans are necessary." Brandon said.

"Your father and I know how talented you are and we want you to excel whenever you go." Jennifer added.

Blaine could tell his parents were really trying to be supportive and at the same time prepare him for heading off into the real world, where he would be on his own. Just like Blaine knew even when Kurt would be there with him, Blaine couldn't depend on his boyfriend, he needed to go there for himself first and foremost. "I'm actually sort of relieved that I wanted to go there before I met Kurt. It keeps a lot of pressure of us both... which we'll have enough of with being in a long distance relationship now. So even when he's not the only reason for wanting to visit, he's the most significant one. I want a chance to see if Kurt and I have a future together and spending a week with him there... could really help us, when we're not together." Blaine admitted.

"I know it has to be hard for you, with Kurt not being here, Blaine. But you must understand why we're... oh, what's the right word to use..." Jennifer grumbled.

"Suspicious?" Blaine offered. "I get that, we're both young..." Blaine added sheepishly.

"This isn't about you being gay, Blaine." Brandon said in defense.

"I know it's not!" Blaine snapped back, he then sighed. "Sorry..." he muttered.

"I shouldn't have said it like that." Brandon apologized, but it was still a struggle for him.

That was it then, just as Blaine had assumed there was the need to go there and bring up the subject of sex. Which wasn't easy considering neither of his parents had bothered to have 'the talk' with him. "I wasn't going to say anything unless it came up... but... here goes. You can choose to believe me or not, but Kurt and I aren't ready to be intimidate yet, he means too much to me... I just want to spend time with him."

"Sometimes life rarely goes to plan." Brandon countered.

It was hard not to get frustrated, just exactly what was his father trying to pull here? His comments were neither uncalled for nor encouraging but were still lacking. "Oh I know, do you think I planned for this to happen? That when I've finally connected with someone on such a strong level and he'd end up living in a whole other state? No matter what struggles we might go through from that, I still wouldn't change a thing." Blaine said in reply. When his parents didn't speak up and gave each other unsure glanced instead, Blaine let out a tired sigh, time to make one final plea. "I have one last note to submit to the jury... I'm eighteen; I'm a year behind. I should have graduated by this point and could be living in New York. It's not our fault that my life turned out this way... but I had to bring it up." Blaine added.

"That's very true." Jennifer admitted.

Brandon looked from his son to his wife, his expression not giving any clue to what his opinion was. "Give us a bit of time to talk this over, Blaine." he requested.

More than willing to comply, Blaine shot up and nodded, bobbing his head up and down until he was starting to feel dizzy. "Oh sure, of course! Just come see me in my room when you're done." He stuttered and bolted out of the room. As soon as the teen cleared his bedroom Blaine brought out his phone and sent Kurt a message.

Well I just asked, now they're talking it over.

How'd it go?

Not sure, I'm still hopeful though.

Pointing out that you're 18 was a brilliant idea.

You talk to your dad yet?

No, waiting to hear if you coming here can happen. Then I will.

God, they're taking forever!

Relax Blaine, no matter what we'll be together. Even if we spend the whole break in Ohio, we'll make the best of it.

That's true, how was your final today?

Went pretty well, I think Carmen was impressed with my song. It's hard to tell, she didn't have any criticism, so that's a good sign hopefully.

I wish I could of seen it.

You had your private viewing for the number already.

Before Blaine could think of a cute reply to type, he heard a quiet knock on his door and his mother walked in. "Well?" he asked, his eyes all big and hopeful.

As Jennifer watched her son she thought he looked so grown up in that moment, which made her feel maternal, where had her little boy gone? After talking with her husband, they both knew Blaine was right, he should have been off to start his separate life by this point. Because of an act of violence he wasn't and he certainly deserved a small preview at least. "You can go..." Jennifer began but Blaine making a loud hooting cheer interrupted her.

Blaine saw his mother give him a look he knew from his childhood days and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, can't help it."

"Don't forget that your dad and I are trusting you. Try to remember that while you're gone and that we expect you to be responsible." Jennifer finished.

"I will, I'll even make regular check-ins while I'm there if you want." Blaine promised.

Blaine felt like he could float into the air, he managed to stop himself from leaping at his mother with a tackling hug. Instead he saw her beckon him and he casually came within reach so she could sweep him in a big hug. "Careful now..." he warned as her hold got a bit too tight.

Jennifer loosened her grip; it had been too long since they had shared a tender moment like this, which made her even more sentimental. "I'm sorry... I just find myself getting emotional... because my baby's all grown up." she admitted.

"I kind of wish I had grown a bit more but oh well, least Kurt likes me no matter what my height is. I'll still your son and I won't be leaving the nest until the summer." Blaine pointed out, giving her a warm smile. "I'll be here for Christmas as well... I won't be heading to New York until the 28th." Blaine explained.

"Will we see you at all during the holidays?" She teased.

Feeling like a kid again, Blaine rolled his eyes mockingly. "Yes! We're going to keep some distance... or will try to." he assured.

"Whatever for?"

"So we don't shut off the rest of the world when we're together. We're going to keep to our usual habits of staying in touch even when we're in the same state. I'm curious to see how that will go." Blaine admitted with a chuckle. Blaine had a feeling he and Kurt would have to explain that decision a lot to their family and friends over the holiday. Good thing there were stubborn and had a gift for gab.

"Good luck then... but I have one request before we're done for today." Jennifer prompted.

"Sure, what's that?"

"Bring Kurt over during the break, I'd like to get to know him better before he steals you away for good. I think it will help Brandon become more at ease if he sees the both of you together. Because that first introduction hardly counts as a proper meeting..." Jennifer explained.

He had almost forgotten that crazy morning; Blaine was very touched that his mother was reaching out to Kurt. "I'd love that and I'm sure Kurt will too."

"Why don't we invite Kurt over for dinner on the 27th?"

"Sounds good to me, I'll tell him the good news right away."

Blaine's chance to inform his boyfriend of his good news didn't take long, when his mother saw he was dying to call Kurt she left him so he could. This time his excitement couldn't be contained to send a simple text message; he needed to hear Kurt's excitement directly. As soon as he called Kurt picked up on the other end, proving how anxious he was.

"Please tell me you have good news, Blaine." Kurt sputtered before Blaine could get a word in.

"Looks like we'll be spending New Years in the Big Apple Kurt, so you better bring it." Blaine

Hearing Kurt's delighted squeals was the best sound in the world and Blaine laughed at how adorable his boyfriend was proving to be. "Oh my god Blaine, I'm so freaking excited! I can't wait until you'll get here. It's going to be impossible to survive the next five days!" Kurt shouted through the phone.

"Don't even start Kurt, we can't hype this up so much. Yeah the wait will be unbearable but remember this is us we're talking about." Blaine warned.

Kurt toned his exuberance down a few levels because Blaine had a point; there were too many variables that couldn't be anticipated. No matter what happened Kurt and Blaine would be together and it was up to them to make the most of that time. So he'd try his best to keep living his life and when their three weeks together were up, he'd keeping on living. "You're right, let's focus on our plans for now."

"Please tell me I can pick you up at the airport?" Blaine pleaded.

"Of course you can Blaine, I want the first thing I see when I set foot in Ohio is to be your handsome smiling face." Kurt told him affectionately.

"Moving onto the next matter of business then, what else do we need to finalize?" Blaine prompted.

"Already ahead of you there honey, I thought you could look for flight times and ticket details while I go talk to my dad. He's been bugging me about Skyping so this is a perfect opportunity to."

"Will do"

"Oh and when it comes to the New York side of our time together, let me plan that on my own. If there's anything you really want to see or do, just let me know and I'll add it to our itinerary. I want it to be part of my Christmas present for you." Kurt chimed happily.

"Don't go too crazy though, I want us to spend some casual time together in your apartment. After our countless skype dates I want to relish in getting to be there with you in person finally." Blaine warned, albeit playfully.

"Don't worry your handsome head Blaine, I've schedule in plenty of apartment time for us." Kurt scoffed.

"That includes lots of make-out time too right?"

"That goes without saying, now behave, I need to go talk to my dad. Wait, are you free tonight or do you have plans?" Kurt asked, reminding himself Blaine had his own like back in Ohio and friends, who Kurt hoped to meet during his visit.

"I'm good, after today's exam all I want to do tonight is sit on my ass and stay in." Blaine assured. ________________________________________________________________________________

Eventually Kurt and Blaine managed to say their goodbyes for the moment so they could both get to work with their tasks at hand. Which meant when Kurt logged onto skype for the first time he wouldn't see a familiar digital face that belong to Blaine on the screen. Instead when the window loaded, Kurt's dad came into few and his smile wasn't any less genuine. "Hi dad, it's nice to see you." Kurt said in greeting.

"Likewise kid, I feel like I got shorted handed when you were here." Burt said in reply.

Kurt re-framed from rolling his eyes like he wanted to because he knew he deserved the treatment. But it wasn't his fault that his wish to find someone had come true and turned his world upside down. "I know, I know and while I'm sorry we saw so little of each other... but I'm not sorry why it happened. Blaine's entrance into my life hasn't been ideal but still a dream come true for someone like me."

"I know, so you don't need to go into defence here." Burt said with a quite chuckle.

The chance to talk to his dad about a boy still felt really weird and Kurt realized he didn't even know the whole story yet. "Sorry, this is still very new to me..." Kurt apologized.

"You and me both, now you better still be planning to come home for the holidays and not just to see Blaine." His dad warned.

"Don't worry, when I come home you'll have my attention for the first week." Kurt scoffed.

"What about the other two?"

"Actually... after that... then I might not be around so much..." Kurt admitted sheepishly. 'Or at all.' Kurt thought when it came to the second week.

"I kind of figured your break would mainly be about Blaine." Burt confirmed.

Kurt's sassy side came out, when he was finding the exchange oddly amusing. "Well it was a long time coming! While we're on the subject, Blaine's my boyfriend now... but before you start to tease me, saying it's a dad's right, I'm not done. I've invited Blaine to come back with me to New York for a week and his parents just agreed to it..." Kurt rambled but he stopped, while he didn't need his dad's permission he still wondered what his thoughts were.

"Which is why you won't be around so much?" Burt questioned, proving he was fine with the news.

"Exactly, we're leaving on the 28th but that means you'll have me from the 21rst to the 27th." Kurt answered with a hopeful grin.

"Okay, I can live with that." Burt said.

"Before you offer I've already promised Blaine that he could pick me up. I'm just trying to not make him my entire world now, which is tough. I really like him and no matter how good we've been getting along, long distance isn't easy. Even when we only met like a month ago!" Kurt grumbled as he rent into one of his babbling sprints.

Burt always knew when to call his son out for not taking in enough breaths between talking and this was one of those times. "Relax Kurt, I get it, this is big for you... so as long as Carole and I get to see you we'll keep. Looks like you have everything planned out as usual. Guess some things haven't change since you left for the Big Apple." Burt pointed out.

"That oddly comforting for some reason... oh and before I forget, after our week together in NYC Blaine has to come back for school. So I figured I'd make the most of it and come back to Ohio with him. So that will give you even more chances to see me." Kurt chimed but when he saw his dad become tense, his merriment turned to concern. "Uh dad... what's with the look?" he asked nervously.

"Carole and I are going to be in Washington then, so we won't be home." Burt explained.

"Oh..."

"I'm not saying you can't stay here, this will always be your home."

"I know, thanks."

Burt rubbed the bottom of his chin with his had, clearly not sure how to voice what he thought about Kurt staying at home when he wouldn't be around to keep an eye on him. Burt reminded himself Kurt hadn't given him a reason not to trust him, but he'd never had a boyfriend before either. "I'm just having a hard time forgetting the fact that you'll be alone when you have a boyfriend now." he finally admitted.

"I get that and it's okay... I mean you are a parent. No matter how old I get you're still going to worry about me. But I won't be completely alone, remember there's Finn and Sam. Feel free to have them spy on me and report back to you." Kurt offered with a cheeky tone.

"Enough with the smart talk, you're in College and I trust you. Just don't make me regret it."

Kurt laughed, "Oh dad, boyfriend or not, I'm still pretty boring by teenage standards."

The Skype conversation between father and son switched from the topic of boyfriends to far easier ones and by the end it was an enjoyable virtual visit. Just like when Blaine was finished talking to his parents, Kurt called Blaine up, this time on Skype and soon they were sitting in front of their computers. Like it was any other night for them but soon there would be a break in their normal long distance routine and neither boy could wait.

"Get this, my parents will be off to Washington when we come back from New York." Kurt exclaimed.

"Really?" Blaine blurted out in surprise.

"Blaine, what are you even..." Kurt teased.

"I wasn't! Don't make it look like I'm a horn dog, Kurt." Blaine grumbled.

"Sorry... because that sound like I've become conceited now that I have a boyfriend." Kurt apologized, sounding more annoyed than Blaine.

Just because Blaine was crazy about his new boyfriend didn't mean his affection held no bounds and he was still able to call Kurt out on his little quirks. "Don't be so dramatic Kurt... it's true I've given you plenty of encouragement on that front. But let's forget about that right now, because we have bigger things to deal with. I looked at possible flights and this won't be a cheap vacation. Did you even realize how many plane tickets you'll need to buy?"

"It's not as bad as you think and I've got a good idea how to make this more affordable." Kurt interjected.

"I'm listening..."

"My parents already bought my ticket there, so that's one down. Then I thought we could make this our Christmas presents to each other." Kurt began.

"So what, I buy one of your tickets and you one of mine?" Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded, "I'll purchase your ticket here since you'll be my guest and you could buy my ticket back to Ohio. For my trip back home I'll take the train, how does that sound to you, honey?" Kurt asked cutely.

"Why did I ever doubt your ability and is honey sticking?" Blaine asked, changing the subject mid sentence.

"Maybe, I'm giving the possible pet name a test run... any thoughts?"

"It's cute, just like you... and now I want to do the same. But when I think about it, all I've really called you so far is baby. Which is kind of weird, I'm not your dad..." Blaine sputtered off in building alarm.

"It's hot when you call me that and we can try other pet names out during the visit." Kurt suggested.

"Best idea yet!" Blaine exclaimed.

"Six more days, Blaine." Kurt told him with a sigh. ______________________________________________________________________________

No amount of patience could hold Kurt's wanting to see Blaine back for long, even more than normal since Blaine had insisted giving Kurt some space to focus on his finals. In consequence the days etched by at a barely tolerable speed and whatever time wasn't spent with his studies was put towards planning his and Blaine's time together. Until finally his first term at Nyada was finished and he was still alive and kicking, an amazing feat in his mind. Celebrations were in order and for once Kurt wanted to go out on the town, with his fellow classmate and who he had come to NYC with in the first place; one Rachel Berry. After attending an entertaining off Broadway show, the pair of roommates had decided to head for home with a pizza to head up.

"Isn't this quite the contrast to when we first moved in?" Kurt remarked.

To get a better sense of the difference, Rachel looked around the room and Kurt was right, it was a very different scene from back in the summer. "We've managed to make this place feel like home." Rachel agreed.

"It's seemed so unreal back then but here we are, we made it... remember when we were crying eyes our out in your car?"

"That feels like it was lifetimes ago... but we didn't give up back when and look where it brought us."

"I'll drink to that." Kurt said as he raised his can of pop.

"I'm really glad you're here with me Kurt, and that I've had you to lean on." Rachel admitted.

"Or to argue with." Kurt added with a smirk.

"Well, even that can be fun at times." Rachel laughed.

While their idle chatter might of seemed low key, deep down Kurt had a hidden plot to begin and information to draw out of his friend. That meant waiting for the right time to nudge the conversation in the direction he wanted and not make Rachel suspicious. "You know I've yet to hear what your plans for New Years are? Will you come back here or stay in Lima?" Kurt asked casually, trying his best to sound natural.

His efforts were working because Rachel had no idea what her friend was really trying to get at. So she finished her bite of vegan pizza and got excited. "Oh! Well of course I'm gonna be here for that Kurt, how could I miss the chance to break in the New Year in my new city!" Rachel babbled.

Kurt did his best to hide his slight disappointment at the news because he knew that there was a 50-50 chance things would turn out this way. Nor did Rachel sticking around meant his week with Blaine would be ruined. Rachel had already assured whenever Blaine came to visit she'd make herself scarce when the need arose. So he remained hopeful that he'd get to spend a great deal of time with Blaine alone all the same. During his little inner monolog Rachel was still going full forced when her focusing on her face subject; herself.

"What are you doing? I guess you'll be staying in Ohio to be with Blaine?" Rachel asked.

"Actually no, I'll be here too... with him." Kurt admitted. Figuring there was no reason to keep that fact a secret, she'd fine out soon enough.

Rachel, true to her nature, became instantly excited at the news. "Oh that's wonderful, Kurt! Damn I wish could see you two be ridiculously cute!" Rachel grumbled.

Kurt eyed her curiously, becoming very confused from conflicting information. "Wait, what? I thought you said you'd be here?" he sputtered off.

"In New York yes but not at the apartment! My dads are coming to spend the New Years with me on the 30th. I'll be back the day before, I wish we could of flown together but they had a social commitment. It's okay though, I do want a day to prepare and get this place ready for company. I would have invited you to join us but I knew you'd decline. I won't be here for the whole week, I'll be spending it with my dads at a luxurious five star hotel!" Rachel gushed, finding the chance to be pampered very thrilling. She stopped thinking about herself for long enough to realize that meant Kurt would be alone with his boyfriend. "So don't worry... I won't be here to ruin anything for you and Blaine." She teased.

"Good, not that there will be anything to ruin, at least, not sex wise." Kurt replied.

"Really? Even after Sunday night?"

"I told you, It's still too soon to go there... Blaine's special Rachel, I get the feeling us being together will test me. Where there will be plenty of times I'll want to rip off his sweater vests and do the nasty. But what will hold me back is everything he means to me... or that's the plan." Kurt explained.

Rachel reached out to pat Kurt's shoulder as gave him a warm smile, "You know, I might tease you over Blaine but I'm really proud of you. Here you are, faced with the hardship of long distance and you're handling it. I that means you and Blaine could have what it takes to go the distance and make it until the summer." Rachel told Kurt in encouragement.

"Thanks Rachel..." Kurt said sweetly.

"I hope you don't mind me at least spending time with Blaine on the one day we'll both be here. I get that he's your boyfriend but I like what I've seen of him so far." Rachel admitted.

"Don't worry, I already know Blaine feels the same way about you and I won't get in the way of you two bonding for a while. It's only fair, since I'll have Blaine for the rest of the break and all to myself..." Kurt said dreamily.

"Oh how things have changed for us, now you're the one with the boyfriend!" Rachel pointed out.

"I know, crazy isn't it but I don't feel like complaining." Kurt replied. ______________________________________________________________________________

At long last the night before Kurt's flight to Lima arrived and even when it was his first official day of his vacation, he wasn't rushing off to Ohio be at Blaine's side. Kurt had admitted to his boyfriend that no matter how much he wanted to see him, he really needed a day to unwind and pack. The normal ritual of packing up and leaving his clothes at a storage locker was already done, so he was ahead of schedule. After spending the day with Rachel cleaning their home up in preparation for their guests, not wanting to leave it until their return marked a much-needed break. All that cleaning had keep him busy during Blaine's last day at school for the term and when he finished the last chore on his list he flipped down on his bed with a toasted bagel smothered in cream cheese. "This is the life." Kurt said with a content sigh.

As much as Kurt loved school he was glad for the much-needed break, not to mention he'd be in company of Blaine in less than 24-hours. By this point every detail for the next three and a half weeks were planned out. Starting tomorrow, when Kurt would leave for Lima, (it being the 21rst) and Blaine would pick him up at the airport and the reunited couple would spend the day together. The 22nd would mark their intended separation, where they were keeping to their choice about making family their main focus of the holidays. During which they'd skype, text and call like they always did and there was hope to see each other still. Then came the highly anticipated trek to New York on the 28th and that for that week, they would be keeping close. But time would still continue, bringing an end to their week alone and their last flight back to Ohio would still take place. But then, at least Kurt would be in tow, to spend one final week in Ohio, with Blaine having to start the new school term.

Kurt was confident that he'd find something to pass the hours away from Blaine along; he had survived living single in Lima for eighteen years. So far he was thinking of paying a visit to McKinley and the New Directions, to remind him that Blaine wasn't the only reason to be there. The hardest part was not to hype any part of these plans, because Kurt knew life rarely went the way you wanted. But then, as long as Kurt was in the company of Blaine he knew he'd enjoy himself no matter what. Kurt snapped to attention at the sound of his laptop making that familiar tune and he quickly double clicked and beamed at Blaine on the screen. "Hi sweetie, I missed you!" he gushed.

"I missed you too, Kurtsie." Blaine cooed, sounding far too adorable.

Kurt made a face at the name, but he was too cute to chide. "I won't veto that one yet but keep trying. How was class?" he asked, changing the subject to be about Blaine.

But Blaine was having none of that and he pulled his own topic change, "Who cares! Tomorrow Kurt, how are you keeping so together and composed?" he demanded.

Composed indeed, Kurt was lying on his stomach with his feet in the air, dressed in a pair of black sweats and grey t-shirt, looking almost shabby. "I'm saving my energy for you... not that I have much right now. I'm exhausted! Rachel and I went to town on the loft with a intense cleaning spree, I think even you'll see the difference." he boasted.

"I can hardly wait!" Blaine exclaimed.

"Yesterday was hell though, even when we're on a break our work is never done. Instead of getting to laze around, sit back and eat turkey, we've been given assignments to keep us in peak physical shape! You should see the insane dance steps Cassandra's given us, it's a shame we've decide not to have sex yet... now that's a work out I would enjoy." Kurt rambled.

Skipping past the topic of sex, since the boys wanted to avoid that happening, Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurt's antics. "You like the challenge Nyada brings, whining aside. How was vocal class?"

"I've got to work on my high F's apparently because according to Carmen, the fact that I can hit them isn't enough, I need to own them. Here's me warning you I'm going to be hitting a lot of high notes during the break. I'll lend you some ear plugs." Kurt warned.

"No, I want to hear you, I love your voice." Blaine argued.

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you, so were the Warblers sad to see you go?" Kurt asked, wanting to bring Blaine's life into the conversation.

"Kurt, they're not my fan club." Blaine moaned.

"Sure... so they're not jealous of me? In any way?"

"I'm not gonna ask them Kurt, you can do that yourself!"

"So I'll get to meet them then?" Kurt said with excitement.

"If you behave, then I don't see why not." Blaine said.

Teasing aside, Kurt wanted to meet Blaine's friends from school and to be properly introduced to his parents. He wanted to know everything he could about Blaine's life, so he could become a part of it in some form, however small. This would be a chance for the couple, another testing ground, to see how they fit when they were actually together. Hopefully, like with long distance, the new couple would succeed in making it work. They surely would be tested along the way, from their sexual urges to having silly arguments. No matter how strong their connection was, they were still human and young ones at that so there was bound to be drama. But the boyfriends were in the honeymoon phase, where everything was new and felt wonderful and they were through experiencing that apart. "Will I get to meet your parents? Because you can't call that one time a real introduction."

Here marked the first plans falling apart but Blaine's smile didn't waver, surprises were overrated anyway, at least this time. "Cat's out of the bag I guess, oh well... you won't have a long wait. My parents want to get to know you better Kurt, so you're invited to our home for dinner on the 27th. Think you can make it?" Blaine asked, laying on the charm.

When Kurt had thought it wasn't possible, he found himself falling ever further under Blaine's spell, not stopping even when there was no need to sway him. Kurt loved to swoon over his boyfriend even through a computer. "Of course I will! Please thank your parents for me; I'm really touched by the invite. I so need to pack a stunning outfit to make a good impression now!" Kurt gushed.

"I'd ask you not to go overboard but we both know there's little point." Blaine teased.

"Good call and I'll be sure not to come over dressed." Kurt sassed.

"I can't wait to show you off to everyone I know, Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed.

"Same here! I have to stop myself from singing to the world that Kurt Hummel at long last has a boyfriend!

Blaine felt like he would melt into a puddle of warm goo from how adorable Kurt was at that moment. Either that or his fluttering heart would fly out his chest; both proved how much Blaine cared for the boy before his very eyes, who he'd soon be able to hold again. "I'm crazy about you..." he gushed.

"What did I ever do to deserve you, Blaine?" Kurt sighed happily.

"That's what I've been thinking since the day I met you." Blaine said. "Now go back to venting because I know you need It." he urged.

"It's hard to complain about my life but you did offer and I should get it out of my system. If only to let me focus entirely on you come tomorrow, honey." Kurt cooed as he started to go off on one of his usual rants. Barely leaving enough breaks between as he bitched and whine for him for a break, allowing the focus to shift to him for once because it felt freeing.

During which Blaine had his heart eyes on full forced as he listened to Kurt babble and complain about the work he had to do over his 'vacation'. Silently making a vow to see through it all and help Kurt along, he wasn't kidding when he said he couldn't wait for tomorrow. It was still true that their time together wasn't permanent and they'd have to part ways yet again. Blaine forced himself not to think of that painful day until it came, or let it ruin their time together. Because spending a day with Kurt was like living an entire lifetime in twenty-four hours and Blaine looked forward to every day they'd have together, no matter how fleeting they were. _________________________________________________________________________

"Wow, you are definition of dreamy." A smooth sounding voice announced from behind Blaine.

Blaine to see where the sudden compliment had come from or rather, from whom. He hadn't even wanted to go to the Warbler's end of the year party in the first place. But his friends had dragged him along regardless and Kurt insisted he was allowed to have fun without him and not to feel guilty. In the end what had really made him go was Kurt threatening to give him the silent treatment and offering to pick his outfit to the event if he did go. But the result of his boyfriend having good taste in clothing was Blaine looked stunning, shinning out like a beacon among the attending private school boys and gaining attention as a side effect. His dashing state of dress hadn't gone unnoticed and by one guest in particular, who wasn't even a Dalton student. Blaine still gave him a polite smile in reply, ever needing to be courteous because at first he wasn't even aware he was being hit on.

"Oh thanks, I can't take the credit for my outfit though..." Blaine began, wondering if this would be a good time to mention he had a boyfriend. Having never been faced with a situation like this before. "You're not from Dalton are you?" he asked instead.

The attractive young man shook his head in reply, still smiling away. "No, I'm a college sophomore up in Westerville, went to Jr. High with Jon Hall. I've heard about you from him and now I see what all the fuss is about..." he admitted. "My names Richard." he added casually.

Blaine didn't hesitate to shake his hand in greeting but he finally noticed the flirtatious undertones he was giving off, being polite was one thing, leading on a guy was another. "It's nice to meet you... I'm Blaine." he offered, despite Richard obviously already knowing his name. Blaine figured it was almost time to slip in the fact that he had a boyfriend.

"I was wondering, if it's not too forward... by any chance..." Richard began, showing his smooth talking persona was all an act. But his now semi nervous expression made him more alluring and if Blaine weren't head over heels for Kurt, he would found the situation very welcoming.

"Want to maybe go out for a drink some time?" Richard finally finished.

Now it was Blaine's turn to become honest and he gave a polite smile in return, hoping he'd be considerate with his reply. But he couldn't help but feel a little giddy at being able to use the excuse for the very first time and what that meant. "Sorry, I'm flattered... but I'm taken." Blaine answered.