His grandfather's uniform pressed and clean, Blaine was the very image of a soldier from the cover of an Andrew Sisters LP. Anticipation thrummed through him as he pressed the doorbell of Kurt's home. He could not wait to see his boyfriend decked out in the nurse's uniform, especially since the preview at the army surplus store had left his blood boiling. That night Blaine had had to take himself in hand and fantasize over the stunning visual. When the door opened and Kurt revealed himself, Blaine felt his breath taken away all over again. Somehow he managed to regain his senses and offered a salute. "Private Anderson reporting for duty," he proclaimed wearing a bright smile.

"Mmm... remind me to give you a very, very thorough physical later," Kurt answered, taking in the view slowly from head to toe. Blaine was always gorgeous, almost unnaturally so, but Blaine in uniform was a whole new level of sexy. Still Kurt forced his gaze away long enough to give a little spin to show off his own ensemble. The dress was a given, but he'd also managed to put together a passable nurse's cap and paired the whole thing with white shoes - he'd foregone platforms to avoid accentuating the difference between their heights - and a pair of white pantyhose. Glad that Burt and Carol were out, Kurt lifted the skirt slightly to flash a hint of the garters holding up the stockings. After getting done up, Kurt had found himself once again hesitating over the idea of a wig and make-up and had compromised in the end with a touch of mascara and eyeliner with some light lip gloss. None of those were new items on his dresser anyway, and they added a finishing touch.

Blaine's gaze roamed hungrily up and down the length of Kurt's body. His first instinct was to forgo the Halloween festivities, take his boyfriend up to the bedroom and ravish him completely. "There's no way I could forget," Blaine replied, ever so slightly breathless. "In fact, I'll be holding you to that. After tonight, something tells me I might be needing a physical exam." He reached out, pressed one large hand against the small of Kurt's back and pulled him into an impulsive kiss full of heat. "You know," he whispered, nuzzling the other teen's lush mouth, "I'm almost afraid to let you out looking this amazing."

Kurt blushed and wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck. "You'll just have to be sure you keep me close all night long, then," he answered with a hint of a playful smile. The truth was that Kurt was looking forward to some time alone with his boyfriend after the party almost as much as showing him off at the party. "Now, I believe you have some chauffeuring to do." Kurt lifted his chin, slid his arm through Blaine's, and began half-dragging his boyfriend toward the car. "The sooner I'm dancing with you the better."

"Me too, but..." Blaine paused, his handsome face warming in the autumn night air, "...what if I lose control in the middle of the room?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, hoping Kurt would take the hint. His blood racing, Blaine felt himself already half-aroused from being close to Kurt. His boyfriend was the very image of desire, and the things Blaine wanted to indulge in with him would scorch the crisp breeze whipping up the leaves around them. "I can barely control myself now, Kurt..."

Kurt's breath caught as he paused in his rush to the car and turned to throw his arms around Blaine's neck instead. "Well... there has to be something for you to look forward to at the end of the night," he teased, blushing as well. Being sensual didn't come at all naturally, and he had to fight to keep from looking away from the other boy's intense gaze. Blaine was almost too lovely standing there in the dim porchlight that filtered over to them by the car. "Sometimes it almost hurts to look at you," he whispered, reaching up to run his thumb over Blaine's jawline. He could just barely feel a ghost of stubble beneath the surface. "You're too gorgeous." Kurt finally did look away, taking a shaky breath. "Come on. We did say we'd put in an appearance, and if we don't put a little bit of distance between us, the neighbors are going to get more of a show than they bargained for."

Blaine shivered, not from the night air but from the desire Kurt's touch sparked inside of him. "You're right," he conceded beneath a shuddering breath. "Let's go, have a dance or two, then..." Blaine leaned in close again, nipping lightly at Kurt's delectable mouth, "...we'll retire somewhere nice and quiet and private." Reaching for his boyfriend's hand, he found it trembling almost as much as his own. Blaine smiled and opened the passenger door for Kurt before sliding into the other seat and starting the car. As he drove toward their destination, Blaine found it difficult to concentrate on the road ahead with Kurt looking utterly edible beside him. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he murmured, unable to keep himself from touching Kurt.

Kurt reached over and linked his free hand with Blaine's. "As much as I love you. God, Blaine..." He blushed and squeezed tighter. "It may sound silly, but as much as I want to spend time alone with you... I want to show you off too. I want other people to see that I've been lucky enough to find someone this amazing." Some of his usual bluster returned as Kurt smiled coyly at his boyfriend. "I'm luckier than them, and they should know it." Kurt lifted their joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of Blaine's hand. "So, party. At least for awhile."

Blaine melted. How could he possibly argue when Kurt was being even sweeter than usual? "Okay, we'll party... for a little while," he agreed, mirroring Kurt's action by returning a kiss to his boyfriend's hand. "It should be fun, right? Some of my classmates'll be there, maybe yours too." He flashed Kurt another bright smile. "Something tells me they'll be as blown away by your costume as I am." Finally arriving at their destination, Blaine found someplace to park that would be easy to leave when he and Kurt were ready to depart. Music blared from the house while costumed teenagers poured out onto the front yard. "Okay, first guy to grab your ass gets a punch from me."

Kurt laughed and grabbed Blaine's hand. "Calm down. No one's going to notice me for a second with you looking this good." The taller boy was pleased to note that no one seemed to care that the pair was walking into the party holding fast to each other. As they entered the living room, Kurt scanned the place. "If you promise not to make out with any pretty girls this time, I'll be happy to volunteer my services as a designated driver. Alcohol does not sit well with me." That was true on a whole new variety of levels since Finn's accident, and Kurt had no intention of having anything stronger than Mountain Dew even in the name of relaxing.

From across the room, Damien caught sight of the pair entering and couldn't tear his eyes away. He wanted to be cool and casual and go over and say hi, but Blaine looked absolutely fucking amazing in the uniform, and he could barely even pretend to chat with the girl who had stopped by to compliment his own costume.

Blaine could feel Damien's eyes raking all over him the moment he and Kurt entered the house. Although he had extended the hand of friendship to Damien, Blaine's first instinct was to simply ignore his ex, but when he caught Damien's eye, he had to admit that the other boy cut quite a dashing figure in his costume and with his radically changed hairstyle. "There's Damien," he whispered to Kurt. "When I ran into him at the hospital, I called a truce. So don't be surprised if he walks over."

Kurt considered that and nodded. The young man at least looked less like a refugee from a tragic reggae boy band. It was a start. He watched the other teen apparently take a moment to get himself together before excusing himself from his companion and sauntering over to them. Deciding to take the first step at being polite, Kurt ventured, "Thank you for the invitation."

Some of the stiffness drained from Damien's posture, and he nodded. "Sure. No problem. I'm glad you guys came," he added with genuine feeling. "I actually..." He trailed off as a pretty girl dressed as Diana Ross grabbed Kurt by the arm.

"Kurt, baby, I have found myself a gorgeous slice of beefcake... and I have got to make sure all this," Mercedes gestured to included her sequin-covered body, "is at its best." The girl turned to Blaine with a hopeful smile. "Can I steal him? Please? I promise I'll bring him back."

Though Kurt certainly didn't have any issues with providing an assist, he didn't want to abandon Blaine with Damien if that was a problem. He raised his eyebrows in silent inquiry, ready to stand by whatever his boyfriend requested.

Blaine hesitated a moment only to give Kurt an approving nod when he realized how excited and anxious Mercedes was for her best friend's help. He watched Kurt disappear into the crowd. Sighing to himself, he turned his attention back to Damien after realizing he'd been staring after Kurt for far too long. "I have to say, you do clean up nicely," he complimented with a soft smile.

"Yeah, well, apparently you started a trend," Damien answered, glad that Blaine hadn't told him to get lost the second Kurt was gone. That was definitely progress. "Hey, want something to drink?" He nodded toward the table. "My treat." The words came out slightly more flirtatious than he'd intended, and he tried to backtrack slightly. "I'll grab Kurt something too for when he's back. What does he like?"
"Diet Coke," Blaine replied, adding with a wry grin, "He lives for the stuff." Thanking Damien for the drink, he could not help but notice how those pants seemed to hug the other teen in all the right places. Blaine supposed Damien had chosen the pair for that very purpose. Remembering well how powerfully seductive his ex could be, it was a sure thing Damien would be taking someone home tonight. Blaine coughed the moment he took a sip from the plastic cup. "Okay, somebody's... definitely... spiked that!" he gasped.

"That's kinda the idea," Damien answered with a laugh. He decided to go for broke and added, "Don't smack me, but you look fucking amazing. Seriously. Kurt better keep his eye on you." If the two of them hadn't been so obviously in love, Damien would have made a play himself no matter how stupid it might have been given their history.

"Thanks..." Despite himself Blaine flushed warmly at the compliment. "You look pretty good yourself. Great choice, by the way." He was flattered that Damien had noticed how well the uniform suited him, but he had only gone to all the trouble of dressing the part for Kurt. Damien was eying him like a hungry tiger about to devour his prey. Another sip and Blaine's throat burned. "Kurt told me you invited Finn. Did he make it here okay?"

"We caught a cab together," Damien agreed, nodding before looking around the room in an attempt to spot the other teen. "Guess he's already found someplace to hide. Or he got dragged off for wardrobe advice too." He smirked at the idea of anyone cornering the jock for such a thing. "I told him if he doesn't find other company we'll do the same on the way back. Y'know, don't want him getting in trouble." He shrugged and met Blaine's gaze for the briefest of moments before turning his attention back to the cup in his hand. Damien winced at the taste. "It's like Hawaiian Punch with acid in it." The aftermath of the pain wasn't so bad, though. Damien could feel some of the edginess easing away. He nodded toward the karaoke set-up where a girl was croaking out something by Taylor Swift. "Wanna steal that thing from her before my ears start fucking bleeding?"

A few sips of the spiked punch and Blaine was already feeling more than a little buzzed. Faces blurred and forms hazed; Blaine had lost sight of Kurt, who had been dragged off to parts unknown by Mercedes. Even if Kurt reappeared before him, Blaine doubted he'd even recognize his boyfriend with all of the grey dots swimming before his eyes. "Any requests?" he asked, not too far gone to understand what Damien meant.

"Anything." The truth was that he'd just missed the sound of Blaine's voice. Damien downed the rest of his glass and decided it might be better to wait awhile before grabbing a second. He drank only at parties and didn't party much, which made him a lightweight, but a practical one. "You'll kill it no matter what." Being buzzed would do nothing to stunt Blaine's charisma or talent. Damien took the liberty of putting a hand on the other teen's back. It lingered for a beat before he used the leverage to give Blaine a shove in the right direction.

Blaine took one more gulp from his drink, and then set the cup aside before taking over the karaoke machine. He peered at the list of songs available while the crowd urged him on in the background. The titles swam before his eyes, and Blaine decided to take a chance and choose one at random. It didn't really matter as he possessed a vast repertoire in every music style imaginable. As the melody started, Blaine recognized it at once. He raised the microphone to his mouth, singing,

"Love will abide, take things in stride
Sounds like good advice but there's no one at my side
And time washes clean love's wounds unseen
That's what someone told me but I don't know what it means.

Cause I've done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think I'm gonna love you for a long long time..."

Damien was standing, rapt, watching Blaine like it was the last time he was going to see the other boy. He was shaken from the reverie by the feeling of someone grabbing his shoulder. He dimly recognized a boy from Dalton that he'd spoken with a time or two - Tom? Tim? - and who had seen him sitting on the grounds strumming his guitar. As quickly as he absorbed the fact, he was being shoved onto the makeshift stage, which was really just a spot of floor cleared off for the equipment with enough room for a few people to stand together. Damien had to breathe for a moment to steady himself, to keep from falling over again as soon as he was in position, but he glanced at the monitor and decided that he might as well go for it.

Despite the alternative nature of his look, Damien's musical tastes were varied. He'd grown up listening to Linda Ronstadt, John Prine and a host of other more classic artists with his mother, and when given the choice, he was as likely to turn on Katy Perry as Disturbed.

“Caught in my fears
Blinking back the tears
I can't say you hurt me when you never let me near
And I never drew one response from you
All the while you fell all over boys you never knew
Cause I've done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think it's gonna hurt me for a long long time .”

The words hit home a little more firmly than he would've liked, but it was too late. Damien focused on the sound, the tone, all the technical things that his brain was almost too saturated with booze to really have command of. The young man blinked and found himself staring into Blaine's eyes. That hurt too, but it also came with a thrill that warmed him more thoroughly than the alcohol.

“Wait for the day
You'll go away
Knowing that you warned me of the price I'd have to pay
And life's full of flaws
Who knows the cause?
Living in the memory of a love that never was
Cause I've done everything I know to try and change your mind
and I think I'm gonna miss you for a long long time
Cause I've done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think I'm gonna love you for a long long time.”

Blaine had never quite realized what a beautiful singing voice Damien possessed until that moment. A sizable lump formed in his throat, and he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the words of the songs that affected him so much. Damien gazed at him with an intensity that rocked Blaine to his core. It was that same intensity that had frightened him so much before, but somehow the alcohol made Damien's expression less scary and more... alluring. The moment was broken when the crowd erupted in applause, and Blaine stumbled as he passed the microphone to a frat who immediately began singing "Pump Up The Jam."

"You've got talent," Blaine told Damien once they were free from the partiers. "Shame to waste it. You really ought to consider joining glee."

It took Damien a minute to think of a response. "Yeah? I mean, you wouldn't mind?" It was obvious enough that Blaine would join, and with Kurt headlining at McKinley too, Damien hadn't expected to be particularly welcome. "I'd... like to." The Warblers hadn't worked for him at all, were uptight like the rest of Dalton. He'd balked at the very idea of trying to join their ranks when Blaine had suggested it so long before, but McKinley's glee club, from everything Noah had said, was a lot more relaxed. "If you really don't think it's a problem." The moment had become slightly uncomfortable, and Damien looked around. "Wonder if that girl's ever gonna let Kurt go."

Since he and Damien were on better terms, Blaine really didn't see how his ex joining glee club would constitute a problem. The mention of Kurt sparked his fuzzy thoughts, and Blaine immediately began searching through the crowd again. Everyone's faces blurred as did the colors of their costumes. "Do you see him? That drink did a number on my eyes..." He rubbed at them, but that only seemed to make matters worse.

“The drink and the smoke. Too many damn stoners hanging around in here.” Damien did a scan and came up empty. "No, but... hey, why don't you go siddown for awhile, huh? Not gonna find him if you're passed out." He pointed toward a side room that was generally abandoned. "Down that hall there, there's a sitting room. Not usually a lotta people." He looked Blaine over. "Go on and lay down on a couch or something. I'll be in here if ya forget your name," he added with a smirk before giving Blaine a shove in the right direction.

Blaine nodded and murmured a thank you to Damien before setting off in the indicated direction. It seemed he wasn't the only one feeling the effects of the demon drink as other Halloween revelers bobbed and weaved drunkenly before his eyes. //That's it. No more drinking for me.// He crashed into a the arm of a chair where a couple were heatedly making out before finally making it to the archway leading into the sitting room. Taking a moment to catch his breath and to try and clear his head, Blaine glanced up and felt his heart constrict inside of his chest. //Kurt...?// There was Finn crawling all over a vision in white, who was returning the jock's kisses with equal fervor. //No, not again... He can't... He wouldn't...// Blaine started forward, only to dart back into the other room a complete emotional wreck. Unable to see or think straight, he collided with Damien.