The tide is high
But I'm holding on
I'm gonna be your number one

I'm not the kinda girl
Who gives up just like that *Oh no*

Kurt stepped into the bar just as Blaine started to sing the first song of the set. The singer looked overly joyful on stage for someone who was currently covering an Atomic Kitten version of a Blondie's song. Kurt smiled to himself and shook his head at the child-like man on stage. Blaine was positively beaming and having the time of his life. He was jumping everywhere and sharing his mic with a tall and blonde guy who was playing the guitar next to the brunette drummer. The guitarist looked just as pleased as the singer about the song choice and they continued singing together, the blonde missing a few notes here and there.

Kurt watched the band and the lead singer from the bar, sitting on a stool like the first time he saw the man. This time Kurt took time to really listen. The last time Kurt was here he had only been looking for prey, someone to gently - or not so gently - seduce into his bed. But this time he was here for a somewhat-acquaintance or a barely-friend, so this time Kurt really took time to take Blaine in, to listen to him and to fully look at him, not just as a nice body and nice voice but in his entirety. The man was a natural on stage, he had that kind of stage presence that made the crowd completely mesmerized by him and hung on his every word. He also had an amazing voice, rough but soothing, giving the songs and the lyrics a deeper meaning. Kurt found himself wanting to know more about him, to get more from him and to give him too. Blaine had a lulling voice that made Kurt drawn to him.

The designer shook his thoughts from his head, he was not going to like that man as more than just a friend, he was here to be nice to him but not to crush on him. Kurt had had crushes before, it never ended well and he knew that. He sat back on his stool, only listening to the song and looking at the crowd rather than the band. He would not crush on another man, especially this one, given his name.

Kurt waited for the band to end their set list and waited at the bar for Blaine to come and find him. The singer found him within minutes and sat beside him.

"Hi! I'm really glad you're here. Did you like the set? Do you want something to drink?" Blaine asked breathlessly after a very physical set.

"Hi," Kurt answered,smiling, "I'm already served, thank. And your set was...Interesting. Atomic Kitten? Really? You have no shame." Kurt playfully said, bumping his shoulder against Blaine's.

"Hey! I used to listen to that band all the time."

"They used to wear fake leather orange tops, Blaine."

"So you did listen to them and watch their clips!" Blaine pointed out, proud of himself.

"Whatever Anderson, your set was nice by the way. But you should definitely veto the person that chose the opening song, he or she has terrible taste."

They continued to talk for hours, not seeing the time fly nor Jeff spying on them from the other end of the room and smiling knowingly.

"I need my model tomorrow. Would you be up for some hanging out time tomorrow?" Kurt asked Blaine, surprising the both of them.

"So I'm yours now?" Blaine acknowledged before blushing furiously when he understood the double meaning of his words. "I mean... Er... Yes, great. Of course. Just text me when you want me... I mean... I'll just shut up now." Kurt was trying really hard not to laugh at the man and his stuttering. It was both endearing and cute. Kurt put his hand on Blaine's arm and gently squeezed to take the stress away.

"It's alright. I got it and I'll text you." Kurt gathered his things and leaned into Blaine's space to whisper to the man locking eyes with him. "By the way, your little blush: really cute."

Two days after, Blaine once again stepped into Kurt's room to model for him. After an hour or two Blaine remembered the designer's promise and started to wonder what would be too much to ask.

"Where are you from?" Blaine blurted out, wanting too much to know more about the man.

"Not far from you actually. Lima, Ohio." Kurt answered, working on some thin fabrics. After a few more seconds Kurt added evenly. "I can feel you buzzing with questions, Blaine. Ask away, I'll tell you if I don't want to answer."

"okay, alright..." Blaine stuttered taken aback by the designer's willingness to answer some of his questions. "So, tell me about your parents. Please?"

"There isn't so much to say. My dad's a mechanic, my mom is dead." Kurt shrugged. Blaine's eyes grew big and the man started to say something but was cut by the designer. "Don't apologize, it wasn't your fault." Blaine closed his mouth and carefully chose his words.

"I was not going to apologize. I was going to say that no one should lose someone dear that young."

"Thank you." Kurt whispered waiting for another question, when none came he spoke up. "Don't you have some other questions?"

"I do, but I was thinking that maybe you'd like to tell me things at your own pace." Blaine answered honestly.

"Once again, thank you. But you can ask anything. I almost promised you that I would answer."

"I don't want you to feel obliged to."

They felt into a comfortable silence after this. Blaine lost in his thoughts and Kurt pondering what he felt comfortable sharing.

"I know I said I would talk, and I will. I'm just not sure what I want to share with you just yet." The designer added truthfully. He wanted what Blaine was offering, he wanted time and to do it at his own pace.

"Of course, I'll be here whenever you're ready. In the meantime I could use a studying buddy. Would you mind meeting at the library tomorrow? We could work on a personal project but I need someone to help me channel my attention. A fly could easily disturb me."

"Don't push it, Anderson. We've almost seen each other every other day this week. I'm not quite sure I could handle you one more time." Kurt said with a smile to show that he was joking.

"But I'm worth taking the risk." Blaine answered, smirking.

"Cocky, I like that. Fine, I'll take the risk."

Blaine did a happy little dance in his head. Not only was he getting a chance to get to know the man but he was almost certain that the designer was warming up to him.

The next day Blaine brought coffee before meeting Kurt at the library. They work in silence for hours. Blaine secretly glanced at the man in front of him, trying to be as discreet as he could. A few times he would catch Kurt's eyes on him and they would smile at each other. Kurt pointed to Blaine's work once or twice during their studying session, making sure that the singer was indeed working and not daydreaming.

They did that a few other times over the week. It wasn't getting to know each other per se, but it was getting accustomed to each other, to feel comfortable around each other. And it was just as important to Blaine. He wanted Kurt to feel comfortable around him, the man had walls higher than any skyscraper and Blaine didn't want the designer to feel attacked and to build them higher. He wanted him to feel relaxed and serene around him. It didn't matter how long it would take, he wanted the relationship, the trust and the safeness of a sheltered friendship. And if coffee and study sessions were what it took, then so be it.

That's how they ended up at Blaine's place one afternoon, sitting around the living room, each working on their projects.

"That's kind of big for just one person." Kurt blurted out after spending five minutes wondering if it was appropriate to ask or not.

"Hum... What are you talking about? Oh! The place? Yeah, my grandma went a bit crazy, especially for a kind of struggling student/artist." Blaine answered shrugging. He loved his apartment but sometimes it got a bit too spacy for him. It was good when the guys were over but when he was alone, the place just felt empty.

"I like it. Not because it's big or very well situated but because it somehow looks like a home and not something out of a magazine. It's nice." Kurt was trying, he was trying to talk just like he had promised, granted it wasn't about himself but at least he wasn't giving bitchy short answers anymore and he was even starting conversation.

"Thank you, my grandma and I worked hard on this." Kurt eyed Blaine for a second, studying him.

"You and your Grandma are pretty close, right?" At the mention of the lady a broad smile appeared on Blaine's face.

"Yep, she is the best. She is really rude for an old lady but she compensates for it by being cute. That woman is an evil angel!" Blaine smiled fondly at whatever was going through his mind.

"She seems nice."

They didn't get to finish their discussion as the front door opened violently and three men busted into the living room.

"Blainey! Could you just tell Wes that I never stole his gavel and this one time before Christmas was just a mistake! How was I supposed to know that I had honey in my bag and that..." Jeff stopped in track when he saw that Blaine wasn't alone, creating a traffic jam into the hallway. "Oh hi". The blonde added after few seconds.

"Jeff, babe. Could you move a little?"

"Oh right sorry. Look! Blaines's got company" Jeff pointed mischievously, smirking a little as Nick and Wes made their way into the living room.

"Hello, I'm Wesley and this is Nick and his boyfriend Jeff. But you can ignore the blonde idiot. And you must be..." Wes introduced himself and Nick before wondering about the man in front of him.

"I'm Porcelain, nice to meet you all. I should probably go." The designer said before standing up and starting to gather his things.

"You don't have to." Blaine added in a whisper, not wanting the man to go just now. "If you don't mind being surrounded by energetic and humorless people, that is." Blaine joked a little, hoping it would get the man to stay.

"I...um..."

"Oh come on, P. We have no idea who you are and I already see you all the time at the park and the coffee shop and the bar. I need to know more!" Jeff exclaimed before shutting his mouth quickly after realizing what he had just said.

"I...What?"

"Oh yeah, you'll have to excuse my boyfriend, he's a bit of a creep sometimes and a big gossip so after seeing you with Blainey Bear over here, he might have followed you around. I promise he is harmless." Nick explained with a sorry look on his face while Jeff was half pouting, half trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Figured." Kurt muttered, "Is it mandatory to be creepy as hell to be part of your gang?"

Wes and Nick burst out laughing as Blaine started to pout and Jeff hid his face in his boyfriend's neck.

"Well unfortunately these two are a bit over the top with the creepiness but the rest of us are perfectly normal." Wes informed, searching for Nick's eyes for support. The brunette was rubbing his boyfriend's back but smiled knowingly at his friend.

"I hope we didn't interrupt anything by the way." Wes started to apologize." We are used to coming in and never knocking or ringing the bell. But we can go or we could all spend the afternoon here." The man offered.

"Oh no please, stay." Kurt said, " We were only studying and I'm gonna go and..."

"Nonsense. We barged in, we should be the ones to leave and to be honest we are all dying to know you; Blaine here can't seem to shut up about you. Jeff, go make some coffee, please." Wes said in a very council voice.

They all sat around the living room, Blaine still pouting and Kurt was a bit uncomfortable around men he'd never talked to before. When the blonde came back with a mug of coffee for everyone and sat on his boyfriend's lap they all started to talk, sharing stories and giving news about the rest of the band. Kurt was listening intently and didn't really know how to fit in. They all knew each other for such a long time that it was difficult to follow whatever conversation they were having or to give any input without feeling left out of it.

Blaine seemed to see how uncomfortable the designer was and tried to change the conversation. Nick seemed to understand and knowingly went with it. The bubbly personality of Jeff gave them something to laugh at and after a few hours Kurt seemed to relax a bit.

"I'm gonna have to go, remember that I need your set list for the next concert tomorrow. Nick I count on you because I know that Blaine and Jeff will forget about it. Porcelain, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we didn't bore you too much with all of our talk." Wes said gently and waved them all goodbye before disappearing.

"So," Kurt started, "I don't want to be rude, so feel free not to answer me but how did you too meet? You're soulmates, right?" The man asked, unsure of if it was appropriate to ask them.

Nick and Jeff exchanged a loving look and held their hands with their marks more tightly. For a few seconds the world around them didn't exist anymore and Kurt felt like an intruder into a very private moment. It was obvious that the two lovers were both remembering the first time they saw each other.

They slowly got back to reality and Jeff seemed to ask a silent question to his boyfriend who nodded silently.

"I crashed into his car!" Jeff exclaimed like it was the best news he ever had. "I really seriously destroyed his car! Like properly destroyed it!" Jeff finished, beaming and gesticulating happily with his free hand.

"What my over-excited boyfriend is trying to say here is that the first time we saw each other, he had run right into my car as he tried to park his on Dalton parking. I was so mad at him, but then he apologized profusely for days and days, driving me around whenever I needed too. I was new to Dalton and this boy almost assaulted me on my first week before being my knight in shining armor for the next..."

"It only took me five minutes to know it was him! I mean have you seen him, of course my soulmate would be that good looking and he is so cute too! But I tried to act calmed and collected so I wouldn't scare him off. After three weeks I asked him out and kissed him while holding his hand." Jeff continued quickly, reliving the story as he told it.

"And then you said my name, my full name. We didn't share any classes and I never told him, so he had no way of knowing my full name. He blurted it out and didn't even wait for me to say anything before he started to jump everywhere and make his little happy dance and yelled for the neighborhood to know that he had just found his soulmate." Nick finished, shaking his head lightly at the silliness of his boyfriend.

"What? I was really happy, okay? Can you blame me?" Jeff asked, frowning a little.

"Of course not." Nick pecked him on the lips and turned back to Kurt and Blaine who were listening silently to them.

"That's a beautiful story. You really are lucky to have found each other." Kurt said, with loneliness in his voice.

"Oh, but I'm sure you'll find yours soon enough!" Nick offered, not missing the longing look on Blaine's face and the defeated one on Kurt's.

"I should go too." Kurt said and stood up quickly. "It was nice meeting you and talking to you. Break a leg for your next gig."

They all said their goodbyes and the second Kurt stepped outside the building he left a shaky breath out, trying not to let the tears spill from his eyes. Nick and Jeff looked so happy, so balanced and complete. He didn't want to but he longed for this, he longed for the unconditional love of his soulmate, the safety of his arms and the warmth of his heart. Kurt was happy for the couple, of course he was, but he also was bitter and tired. He was tired of sleepless night with strangers and empty days.

[From Blaine]

Hey stranger! We haven't talked in a few days but I was thinking, if you're not busy, would you like to spend Tuesday night with me?

[To Blaine]

Hi. You do know that Tuesday is valentine day, right?

[From Blaine]

I do, but I'm all alone and I don't like being alone on V-day. Beside I would rather spend it with you than at Wes' little party for loners. So? You, me, movies and ice cream?

Kurt had no intention of spending Valentine's Day on his own, but he also didn't really want to spend it with Blaine. It felt like a couple-y thing to do, and they were not a couple, they were barely friends. But knowing himself it was either going out with Bas and Puck and find a man to fuck or spend a nice evening with the singer and in all honestly Kurt was getting sick of meaningless sex.

[To Blaine]

If you change ice cream to cheesecake, I'm in.

On Tuesday night Kurt stepped into Blaine's home and shrugged his coat off his shoulder, his nose a little red because of the cold outside.

"I have lot of movies right beside the TV, you can choose whichever you'd like. I'm just heating up our dinner." Blaine said before disappearing in the kitchen. Kurt studied Blaine's collection of DVDs and picked one that wasn't too romantic but not too scary as well.

They sat on the couch and started to eat while watching the movie.

"I have to admit this is much better than whatever Puck had..." The doorbell rang loudly and Blaine rolled his eyes.

"This better not be Wes or Trent again! I'm sorry, give me a minute." Blaine excused himself and went to the door.

Kurt continued to eat and watched the movie until he heard muffled noise and voices from the front door. Blaine seemed in deep conversation with whoever it was. After five minutes, Kurt stood up and went to see what was happening.

"Blaine, darling, I'm really happy that you're finally getting laid, but my back is killing me so let me in now."

"Granny, just don't..."

"Blaine?" Kurt wondered. The man turned around, giving Kurt the opportunity to see who was at the door. It was an old petite woman, with a white coat, standing proudly.

"Oh my god, baby!" the old woman squealed, pinching his cheeks. "You got yourself a cutie!" the woman passed by the singer and held her hand to Kurt.

"I'm Suzie, baby boy's, over here, grandma. I'm sure he told you everything about me already. So, darling, what's your name, where are you from and what size condom do you use?"

Kurt's eyes grew big and his mouth fell open at the woman's words. Blaine stayed where he was, frozen in shock. Kurt collected himself faster than his not-quite friend and answered Blaine's grandma.

"My name is Porcelain, madam; I'm from Ohio just like your grandson. As for the last question, buy me a drink and I'll tell you all you want to know about my private parts." Kurt winked at the lady who smiled and nodded quickly.

"Deal! Blainey, two Jack's. I'm feeling lucky tonight!"

They spent hours talking and laughing together, talking about Blaine's childhood, but never mentioning his parents. The old lady told them all about how she used to travel all the time and how she fell in love with an Italian one summer and how they had run away together on a boat. The woman was gossipy and maybe rude for her age, but she had lived fully and her stories where amazing.

"So, Porcelain. What do you think about my grandson?" the woman asked, drinking her fourth glass of whiskey. Kurt shifted awkwardly on his seat, looking at Blaine to find some support but the singer was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to answer.

"He is a very talented musician and a very confident show runner. He can mesmerize a crowd by just talking to them and make them swoon with a song and his guitar. But he also is very persistent, smart and funny, bubbly, and borderline creepy." Kurt said truthfully. He liked the man, he wasn't ready to admit it, wasn't ready to word it but at least he could give an honest answer to the woman's question.

Suzie carefully studied her grandson's face as his friend gave his answer. She had never seen him that appeased, calm and happy in her life. But what struck her was how the men were somehow in unison, they seemed to balance each other. She barely listened to the designer's answer, it didn't really matter to her. Words could be empty but body language was everything to her, and the way both men were turned to each other, spoke loudly to her.

"Are you planning on asking him out any time soon, then?" Both men gaped at the woman's words but neither said anything. After a moment of silence, the lady rolled her eyes and pointed to them both.

"Listen up kids, you obviously want to get into each other's pants whether you know it or not. But I can also say that there is more than wild lust between you two. So get your shit together and you, young man," Suzie said turning to Kurt, "ask him out like a true gentleman, woo the shit out of him and treat him right. If you don't, I'll chop your balls off myself. Do you understand?" Kurt's jaw clenched but the man nodded anyway. "Good. Now I might look like a thirty-year-old cutie but I'm dying to get to my bed. So if you two young souls will excuse me, I'll go back to my place. Baby boy, call me sometimes just so I know that you're not dead somewhere." Blaine nodded as well and helped the woman get out of the building before coming back to the apartment, where the designer was still sitting on his couch.

"I'm sorry for whatever she said, I know she is a lot and I'm used to it by now but she was out of line a few times tonight." Blaine apologized, afraid that his grandma had scared off the man.

"She was right, though. You deserve someone who will treat you right and take you on romantic dates." Kurt stated.

"You could be that someone, you know." Blaine said timidly, not meeting Kurt's eyes. The taller man bit his lip worriedly and stood up before stepping into Blaine's space.

"Blaine, I couldn't be that someone. I wouldn't treat you well and I don't do romance. All we can have is friendship but that's it. Don't push it, please." Kurt asked, a lump forming in his throat.

"What about one date? Just one and if it's not what you'd expect it to be then I will never mention it again." Blaine offered hopefully.

"No." Kurt said icily. "I won't date you, I won't ask you out nor will I ever consider you as something other than a nice guy that spilled coffee on me once. Drop it, now. "

Kurt left the place quickly, not looking back at its owner. Blaine went to bed almost immediately. He turned the light off, trying to forget about his growing headache.