Kurt and Blaine didnt get further than a day later when it came to planning their date.

After a night of sleeping in Jeffs basement rec room side by side, Kurt woke up to find that Blaines arm was over him protectively. Either Blaine was a sleep snuggler or he had flailed in the night to Kurts fortune, but he didnt particularly mind which. His hair was all messy and his curls were free, which made Kurts heart swoop. There was a certain kind of familiarity and comfort that came with waking up next to one another, and he was glad that he had had the experience, even if no more had come from it than them crashing on a shared mattress.

Kurt took the Lima kids home again, slept for another couple of hours, told his dad that he was going to be going out, and then he started getting ready. He was pretty sure he looked like he was running on minimal sleep, but he was so excited at the prospect of seeing Blaine- on a date- that he couldnt even care. He did his best to compensate for missing his moisturising routine the day before, he selected the absolute perfect outfit, and he waited impatiently for Blaine to arrive.

"You look happy," Burt commented as Kurt sat on the window seat to look out at the front yard.

"I am happy," Kurt replied. He hadnt felt that happy in a long time, and he was glad that he showed it. He had been told that he looked sad a lot of times in the past few months, and now he felt like he could truly be on the other side of it. With Blaine around, Kurt couldnt imagine ever feeling as sad as he used to be ever again.

"Where are you off to tonight anyway?" Burt asked, sitting down nearby so they could continue the conversation.

"Breadstix. Nothing too fancy."

"You look like its fancy."

"Thats because Im going on a date tonight," Kurt admitted, unable to stop the smile that came with the thought.

"Oh, well, thats really nice, kiddo. So when is he coming around here for dinner then?" Kurt turned away from the window to find Burt with his arms folded. Burt had had years to perfect his papa bear routine exactly for these occasions. Kurt thought he was lucky he was an only child (when you excluded Finn), because he could only imagine how much worse this scenario could be for a daughter of Burts.

"Its not like hes my boyfriend yet, dad. This is our first proper date." Burt widened his eyes at Kurt at the word proper. He could only imagine the scenarios that were playing through Burts mind at the term, at the thought that dates had happened in some form.

"You could have fooled me. Whats his name?"

"Uh... Blaine. Its Blaine. Youve met him already." Burt smiled for a moment and Kurt didnt miss it, but he had his role on again promptly.

"Doesnt stop me wanting to meet your boyfriend. Hes different now," Burt reasoned. Kurt rolled his eyes but didnt dare question his fathers logic.

"You said he was charming."

"Well, he didnt want to get in your pants then!" Burt was really getting exasperated about nothing.

Kurt could feel himself blushing. He didnt really want to talk about sex in any way with Burt, even at simple connotation levels. "Hes still not trying to do that, dad."

"I was a teenage boy once, I know how it goes."

"Dad, Im a teenage boy now," Kurt said, and Burt opened his mouth to respond, "And Im not sleeping with him!" Kurt added.

"That makes it worse, that youre a teenage boy! There are two teenage guys; you dont have a girl to keep it going all slow and old fashioned. You know what they say about how guys only have one thing on their mind."

"I like romance, dad. I want hand holding and being walked to the door and having good night kisses. I dont want to be a stereotype enabler, but if youre that worried, I guess Im not that different to my teenage female friends. We have the same ideals even if we dont have the same equipment." Burt sighed, but Kurts point seemed to have gotten through to him. It was just in time too, as Blaines car pulled up in the driveway.

"Go on, bud," Burt said, "scram. You have a first date to go on." Kurt thanked his dad and didnt even refuse when Burt handed him twenty dollars. He had a feeling that Blaine would be paying for dinner anyway, but he knew when to accept his dads gestures of approval. The smile Burt gave him, one that absolutely screamed of how proud he was, made it all worthwhile.

The doorbell rang and Kurt counted to five before he opened the door, making sure not to look too desperate. Blaine was dressed absolutely perfectly for the occasion, and Kurt wondered if maybe he had gone home and spent a similar amount of time getting ready. He was wearing a polo shirt and bowtie that Kurt thought was adorable and so utterly Blaine, the perfect balance of preppy and whimsical.

"Hey Kurt," he greeted, "Oh, this is for you." He presented him with a single yellow rose, with a red at the tip which Kurts cheeks were doing their best to imitate.

"Thanks," he replied, taking the flower. He put it on the table just inside the door so that his hands were free before hugging Blaine, the proper kind of greeting. A kiss would have been too forward even though they had done it before, but the hug was perfectly fitted. Blaine snuck a kiss to his cheek anyway, and he really wasnt going to complain.

They finally left the doorway and climbed into Blaines car. Blaine started the car and fiddled with the radio for a moment before they drove away. "Breadstix is sort of the place to go for McKinley, right?" Blaine asked, "Like, taking you there is going with the social norms?"

"Since when do you care about social norms?" Kurt asked teasingly.

"I just want to make sure that your first date is everything you have imagined it to be."

"Well, Ive already got you here; I doubt it can match any other fantasy quite as well." Blaine smiled down for a moment before he seemed to remember he was driving and focussed on the road again.

"Youve fantasised about dating me?" he asked bashfully. And kissing you, and marrying you, and...

"Ive had a crush on you for a really long time, Blaine," Kurt said, trying to deter the subject ever so slightly. They were on a date for crying out loud, there was no reason for him to be embarrassed by his attraction to the boy.

"I know. I think everyone knew."

"They thought something was going on between us from the moment Darcy and Nightbird started dating."

"Well they werent completely wrong, we were kind of flirty right from the beginning. It took me a little longer than you though, I think."

"You flirt with everyone," Kurt teased.

"I do not! Im just a friendly person!" Blaine insisted, "But Breadstix is okay, yes?"

"Yes. Its the perfect cliché first date location, and Ill be glad to say Ive done it when its over."

"See? You are glad that I was meeting social norms."

"We never have to go to Breadstix again after tonight if you decide that its a completely awful restaurant. I suppose you Dalton boys usually take your dates somewhere more upmarket than most other high schoolers."

"Thats true, I think. Youre the first date Ive had in a really long time, though, so I wouldnt know. We can have the next date on my home turf and then I can take you to any upmarket restaurant I like," Blaine reasoned.

"Next date?" Kurt said, maybe his excitement a touch too audible.

"Was I not meant to plan ahead? I just thought that we had pretty much agreed that we like each other enough for one date and that should mean we like each other enough for more after that."

"I liked hanging out with you before the dating, and I like kissing you, so…" Blaine laughed.

"Im glad, Kurt." Blaine parked the car outside Breadstix and unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face Kurt instead of getting out. He took a deep breath before saying, "Would you mind if I kissed you now?" Kurt shook his head, and Blaine leaned over, cupping his face gently to guide their lips together. It was over much too soon, and then Kurts door was being opened for him. He was so caught up with how Blaine could take his breath away that he was only vaguely aware of Blaine having left the car and darted around to hold it open all gentlemanly. Kurt stepped out of the car and let Blaine hold his hand as they walked inside.

They sat opposite one another in a booth, the conversation between them flowing as easily as it did whenever they were together, regardless of location. He was enjoying every second of it, and when their desserts arrived, Blaine took his hand across the table. Kurt wasnt sure why he wasnt completely worried by the gesture. Usually any pride he had about being gay was completely stamped out of him and he didnt want to encourage anyone to pick on him, but Blaine made him feel so safe and secure.

"What do you think about Hadleys boyfriend?" Blaine asked, "Like, am I the only one who is a little bit suspicious by how he looks like me?"

"No, he totally does! And his name is Blake, too. Im impressed by her efforts to find someone exactly like you to persuade us all that she no longer has a crush on you."

"Do you think thats what shes trying to do?" Kurt nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, absolutely. Its not even subtle."

"He looks less scared than I did at his age," Blaine mused.

"And he cant sing," Kurt pointed out. Blaine laughed, thanking Kurt for the compliment to his own vocals.

"Kurt!" a female voice called from across the restaurant, causing Kurt to turn so fast that Blaine pulled his hand away reflexively. Over in the Cheerio booth were Santana and Brittany, along with their cheerleader friends- or at least they were, until they decided to saunter over to Kurts booth instead. "Fancy seeing you here, lady Hummel."

"Santana," Kurt greeted monotonously, "always a pleasure."

"Hi!" Brittany said brightly, missing the obvious annoyance in Kurts voice, "is this your boyfriend, Kurt?" he looked at Blaine, who just raised his eyebrows at him with a smile.

"Uh… yes. This is Blaine, my boyfriend." He didnt miss Blaines attempt to try not to smile too big. He ultimately failed, but Kurt knew exactly how he was feeling. Boyfriend sounded so good.

"Damn, Hummel, you know how to pick them," Santana said, squeezing into the booth beside Blaine. Brittany hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to Kurt, as though she knew she would be interrupting something but had some innate desire to follow along behind Santana.

"We were just about to go, actually-"

"Dont worry Kurt, you can finish your cheesecake still," Blaine said. Kurt wasnt sure whether he should have been thankful or not for it.

"Im Santana," she introduced, "and this is my girl Brittany. Youre a Gargler, right?"

"Um, excuse me?" Blaine said, taken aback at the comment.

"You know, the show choir at gay Hogwarts."

"Warbler! Hes a Warbler," Kurt said quickly as Blaine looked vaguely embarrassed. At second thought he realised that the four people who went to Dalton that he knew best were all gay, and he hadnt exactly hurried to ask the other Warblers that he met about their sexual orientation. For all he knew they could all be gay. Blaine had mentioned that they had some weird processes and traditions.

"Same thing, right?" Santana stood up from the booth, although she had barely just sat down, and Brittany hopped happily to her side, "well, it was nice to meet you, Fluttershy," Blaine nodded in recognition, taking a sip from his drink, "remember that its polite to swallow because spitters are quitters." Blaine visibly tried his hardest not to do just that as the cheerleaders walked away.

"Sorry about her," Kurt said, "Are you okay?" Blaine cleared his throat.

"Im fine. I wasnt expecting her to go from My Little Pony to blowjobs, though." Kurt smiled slightly.

"Well, theres Santana for you."

"Boyfriend though, huh?" Blaine asked, smiling adorably at Kurt. The new word still made Kurt flutter on the inside, especially when it was attached to Blaine.

"Um, yeah, if you want. I know its kind of the norm these days to go on more dates than this before going exclusive."

"Kurt Hummel," Blaine started, taking his hand across the table, "will you go steady with me?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "Id love to."

"No one says go steady anymore, but I kind of like it," Blaine said.

"Im not surprised in the slightest." Blaine called their waiter over to get the bill and didnt bat an eyelid before he paid, and Kurt knew just to let him. "Are you going to pay for all our dates like this?" he asked nonetheless.

"Does it make you uncomfortable? Because I dont have to. I just have a lot of money that I dont do anything with and its kind of how I show affection, I guess," Kurt smiled at his choice of words, and Blaine didnt miss it. "Yes, affection. I like you, Kurt. We just agreed that were a couple, you would think you would understand by now that Im not joking."

"I know. Its just hard to believe that for once everything is coming up Kurt."

"Come on, lets get out of here." They slid out of the booth and Blaine put his hand on Kurts lower back as he guided him from the restaurant and to the car. "So, what do you want to do now? The night is young and so are we."

"You didnt plan further than dinner? Im surprised," Kurt teased.

"I have about five plans, really."

Kurt thought for a moment about what it was that he actually would like to do. "Is it too late at night to go walking in the park?"

Blaine checked his watch. "I think so. Why do you ask?"

"Because with Nightbird and Darcy… its nice. Theres no pressure to do anything but talk and get to know each other better," Kurt admitted.

"I have an idea." They got into the car and Blaine drove, refusing to answer any of Kurts questions about the location of the next part of their date. Kurt stopped paying attention to where they were even going until Blaine parked the car. He looked around and realised that Blaine had taken him right back home, though they were parked a little way down the road. "How much will your parents hear if we sit in your yard?"

Kurt shrugged. "Not a lot, as long as we dont sit right outside the kitchen window." Blaine grabbed blankets out of the back of his car- of course he kept blankets in there- and Kurt walked him to a spot at the edge of the garden. Blaine spread out one blanket for them to sit on, and then wrapped the other around his shoulders, offering an open arm to Kurt. He shuffled over until he was close into Blaines side, and Blaine closed the blanket around them again.

"Does this satisfy how you were wanting to talk?" Blaine asked.

"This is nicer than walking around," Kurt replied. He was genuinely content with the set up. Any time spent with Blaine was great, and the times when Kurt could sit with Blaines arms around him were some of his favourites. He made him feel so safe and wanted, feelings that he was beginning to find harder and harder to associate with some of his best friends.

"Mm, I agree."

"What sort of things should we learn about each other now were this far?" Kurt asked. Blaine shrugged.

"You can ask me anything you want to, I wont mind. That way we can get all the little stuff out of the way. Like, I dont know, whats your favourite class at school?"

"Besides glee club? French. And you?"

"I like music best, but I like English a lot, too," Blaine said. He paused for a moment before saying, "okay, now you ask something."

"Whats your favourite musical?" Kurt asked. It was an important question for him to know the answer to, especially when it came to his new boyfriend.

"I really like Rent a lot, but my favourite sort of changes depending on my mood," Blaine answered.

"Are you more of a Sondheim or a Webber fan?"

"Thats not fair, you asked two questions. But that changes, too. Overall probably Sondheim, but Webber has his gems that you have to give him credit for, no matter how strongly you support Sondheim."

"Wicked is my favourite," Kurt said, answering his own question.

"Its a classic. Like a Broadway staple. And your second answer?"

"I dont think I could choose between them. Wicked is Stephen Schwartz, so I cant even be biased." Blaine laughed.

"Thats adorable. Who would you cast yourself as?"

"Galinda. Well, Guy-linda."

"Id be Fiyero."

"Well, maybe that would be worth me playing Elphaba instead," Kurt said, "except I dont think youre tall enough. You might have to shoot for Boq."

"Or Chistery! I like to climb things, after all," Kurt laughed, because Blaine was being so endearing. He liked to climb things and he sounded so damn happy to feel that way. "Wait, why is my height an issue when your gender isnt?"

"I was only kidding, B."

"B? Is that a thing now?" Blaine asked.

"Unless you hate it," Kurt said quickly. He really liked having little nicknames like that for people, and he hadnt even really thought about it before he said it. It had just sort of happened.

Blaine thought for a moment. "You can call me B. Its not Squirt or Blainey, so Im okay with it."

"How about Rent? Who would you be then?" Kurt asked, pulling their conversation back to the previous topic.

"Ive always wanted to be Mimi. You know, for Out Tonight, mostly. Im guessing you would go with Maureen for Idina?"

"Idina really does have a special place in my heart," Kurt mused, "but I think Angel is my favourite. For Ill Cover You."

"Lets make a deal right now," Blaine offered, "Well sing Ill Cover You, so long as we also sing As Long As Youre Mine."

"You think I wouldnt agree to singing duets with you? You could have suggested that we sing the Goofy Goober Song together and I would have agreed to your deal."

"We can totally do that sometime too, Kurt!" Blaine said with genuine enthusiasm. Kurt wasnt sure why he ever thought Blaine wouldnt go for that.

They stayed chatting right up until Blaine realised he should be driving home to make it back before his curfew, and both of them hesitated as Blaine packed up the blankets. It was much colder without the close proximity and body heat, as they found when Blaine walked Kurt to the door. "Can I kiss you goodnight now, Kurt?" Blaine asked shyly, and Kurt nodded. Blaine put his hands on Kurts hips as he leaned up to kiss him gently. Shocks ran through Kurt, a feeling that he couldnt get enough of, telling him that there would never be a time in his life when he didnt want to kiss Blaine Anderson.

"Are you always going to ask if its okay to kiss me?"

"I just want to make sure that youre comf-" Kurt cut him off with a forceful kiss, and it certainly seemed to work. They lingered on the doorstep for far too long, neither one wanting to be the first to pull away.

Kurt had barely gotten inside when his phone buzzed.

Blaine A. Good night, Kurt B)