Chapter 20

There was a fear lurking in Kurt’s mind that the Castro will prove to be a form of a permanent Pride Parade, full of ridiculously dressed – or undressed – and even more ridiculously muscled men that wouldn’t be able to stop flashing their tongues obnoxiously while shoving them into other men’s mouths. As soon as they left Market Street – along with the Castro Gay Flag and the Pink Triangle Park and Memorial they intended to visit later – Kurt’s mind was appeased. The only thing that reminded him of a Pride Parade like the ones he’s seen on TV was the fact that suddenly he and Blaine, and Brittany and Santana didn’t seem to be the only same-sex couples in the world. Or in the street.

The Castro was picturesque like the rest of San Francisco. The constant ups and downs were a little tiring, but gave the city its look and it was priceless.

Entering the district, Kurt squeezed Blaine’s hand a little tighter. Unconsciously, he held his head a little higher, a little prouder. Not that he hadn’t been proud to be gay or to be with Blaine before, but for the first time in his life, he felt like he wouldn’t have to pay for any of that, in one way or another.

Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hand back, a satisfied smile arching his lips. He understood perfectly what Kurt had meant the night before. The city simply felt safe, unlike so much of their life. His gaze wandered ahead of them to Brittany and Santana, walking hand-in-hand, their fingers intertwined tighter than he’d ever seen before. It was nice to see Santana happy. Blaine had always suspected her bitterness and sarcasm were a façade that helped her shield herself from something. Now that everything was out in the open, she seemed much more content, even though she hadn’t cut down on her snippy remarks.

‘They look happy,’ Kurt said unexpectedly, dragging Blaine out of his reverie.

‘Huh? Oh, yes, they do.’

Blaine glanced at his boyfriend who was staring lovingly back.

‘But I bet they are not half as happy as I am.’ A delicate tinge of pink coloured Kurt’s face.

‘Does it have anything to do with me?,’ Blaine asked cautiously. He was beginning to get used to knowing Kurt was in love with him, but he still refused to take it for granted.

‘It has everything to do with you,’ Kurt admitted, his blush deepening.

It was probably the cutest, most alluring of Kurt’s looks; that sweet, innocent embarrassment whenever he confessed something important. Blaine thought there had never been a moment he wanted to kiss him more. So he did.

The kiss surprised Kurt at first. They weren’t used to kissing in public, apart from the night they got together, they barely allowed themselves a peck here and there. But as soon as Blaine’s lips crushed hungrily into Kurt’s, he didn’t care. Kurt leaned into the kiss, parting his lips to deepen it. They stopped in their tracks without noticing it, letting the others get further ahead, so consumed by each other they barely even remembered about their friends.

‘What was that for?,’ Kurt panted out when they broke apart.

‘Nothing, just- you know, being the reason why I’m so happy.’

‘I’d hate to be the reason for anything else,’ Kurt said, beaming, his mind reeling after Blaine’s confession.

Blaine wasn’t one to share things like that too often, but the last few days had finally given him the opportunity to let out all the things he’d kept bottled up for months. So he was telling Kurt those things, one by one.

They resumed walking, fast enough not to lag too far behind, but leaving enough distance to have some space. As much as they loved their friends, they preferred to keep to themselves whenever they could these days.

‘Blaine?,’ Kurt started, his gaze conveniently slipping away from his boyfriend’s face. If he was going to embarrass himself, he’d rather not see Blaine’s face.

‘Yeah?’

‘I was thinking... We’ve been- dating- um- for almost a week now, and we still haven’t even gone out on a date.’

Kurt couldn’t help himself and his eyes flicked to Blaine. The adorable little smile of bliss that lit his face up told Kurt there was no need to worry about making a fool out of himself.

‘Is this you asking me out?,’ Blaine asked.

‘It is. So- Blaine Devon Anderson, will you go out on a date with me?’

‘Yes, I will. You know I will.’

***

Their visit to the GLBT History Museum was short and relatively uneventful. Kurt, Blaine and Rachel read eagerly all the information provided, while Finn and Puck looked around. Noah was suspiciously fascinated by the display of sex toys, standing in front of it with an expression of a scientist figuring out a complex problem.

‘Wanna try one out, Puckerman?,’ Kurt teased him.

‘I’m figuring out the mechanics,’ Puck replied, as if he was stating the obvious. ‘I’d ask you or Anderson, if you weren’t such saints.’

Kurt blushed scarlet, folding his arms uneasily over his chest. Putting an arm around his boyfriend’s waist, Blaine chuckled under his breath.

‘You’re not a saint, and we both know it,’ he whispered into Kurt’s ear, dragging him forward.

The red didn’t vanish from Kurt’s face, but a smug smile tugged the corners of his lips up.

On their way back up towards Market Street, they stopped by the Castro Theatre. Black letters over the entry announced a Grease sing-along the next evening and it crossed Kurt’s mind it would it be the perfect spot for his date with Blaine. Until it dawned on him that there was no way he’d be able to convince the rest – mostly Rachel – to pass up on the sing-along. And a second later an excited squeal from his brother’s girlfriend proved he was right.

‘They’re hosting sing-alongs! We have to go,’ Rachel stated firmly, earning a prominent eye-roll from Santana.

Ultimately, everyone turned out to be keen on going, even though Rachel was surely going to dominate the theatre, never letting an opportunity to shine pass her by. Kurt was the only one who was slightly disappointed, despite the prospect being wholly appealing. Blaine studied his face for a minute before asking what the matter was.

‘I kinda wished Rachel wouldn’t notice, so we could go alone,’ Kurt muttered, when the others started up the street again, and the two of them stayed fixed on the spot. ‘For our date.’

Blaine smiled, his eyes feasting on the sweet abashed look on Kurt’s face. God, how much he loved him.

‘That would’ve been nice,’ he admitted. ‘But they’re not that bad, even Rachel.’

Kurt felt a knot twist in his gut at the casualness with which Blaine dismissed the matter.

‘I know they’re not, but I- I wanted our date to be fun and romantic, and amazing, and-‘

A kiss planted on his lips shut him up. It took him a second to recover from the surprise enough to open his eyes and see the pair of hazel ones staring at him, sparkling and full of love.

‘It doesn’t matter where we go, Kurt,’ Blaine said softly. ‘I really don’t care. As long as I have you on my arm, I don’t care about anything else.’