"Finn tried to get me to take you to Breadstix, but it's always swarming with high schoolers, so I thought we could go somewhere a little classier," Kurt explained as they pulled out of the driveway in Blaine's car. Kurt had warned Blaine in advance that he might need a suit, and so they were both dressed up for the occasion. Kurt gave Blaine the odd direction until they pulled up in a parking lot of a fancy looking restaurant. They walked in and Kurt gave his name to the host, who showed them to their table in the courtyard. There were outdoor lights along the path, but each table was illuminated totally individually. Each table seemed to be its own private paradise, purely because you couldn't make out faces clearly until you were close enough to the table. Kurt sincerely doubted anyone would bother them there.

The couple sat down and began scanning through their menus. "Are you in the mood for a full multiple course meal, or would you prefer to skip straight to mains?" Kurt asked, "Personally I would only go as far as a two course tonight, being starters and mains. I don't think I could go for a five course, but it's up to you."

Blaine pouted at him. "We don't get to stay for dessert?"

"I have other plans for dessert," Blaine instantly smiled.

"Two courses will be fine."

The food at the restaurant was expensive, but it was well within reason. It was some of the most delicious food Blaine had ever eaten, and he had been eating at upper class restaurants his whole life. These days his dad didn't take them out, choosing to go with his colleagues instead of his family. The last time they had all gone out for dinner was when Cooper had been in town- and Blaine didn't blame him for not visiting more often. Kurt paid for the meal and they headed back out to Blaine's car. They got in and Blaine turned as much as the seat would allow him to face Kurt.

"So," Blaine said, "you have dessert plans."

"I do. Actually, give me two seconds..." Kurt tapped out a text on his phone and sent it, hiding the screen from Blaine so he couldn't read it from where he was sitting. "Okay. Dessert plans."

"Where am I driving?" Kurt gave him directions in the same way he had to navigate them to the restaurant, but this time the directions took them up onto a hill overlooking the town. There wasn't anyone else around- it was almost silent.

They got out of the car and Kurt took Blaine's hand, leading him a short way to the faint glow of a few candles, which lit up enough of the area to display a picnic blanket and basket. They sat down and Kurt opened the basket, offering a selection of desserts to Blaine. "Would you prefer to start with the mini cheesecakes or the cupcakes?"

"You know I would have been happy with a pudding cup, right?" Kurt laughed and leaned over to kiss Blaine on the forehead.

"I spent all day baking. If you don't sample at least a little bit of everything I will be deeply upset." Kurt said, holding out a red velvet cupcake to Blaine.

"You made all this? Did you set this all up, too?" He took the cupcake and started to eat it immediately.

"I had some help," Kurt said, "but the food, yes, that was all me. And the idea, too. But I wasn't the one to set up the blanket and stuff."

"Well this is an amazing cupcake," Blaine said, as he took another bite of the cupcake.

"Thanks," Kurt said, "Cheesecake?"

Blaine took the cheesecake when it was offered to him, and began to eat it as soon as he finished his cupcake. Kurt kept handing him more desserts, until Blaine finally decided that he couldn't eat any more, flopping back onto the grass. "Kurt," he said, "you need to cook me things far more often."

Kurt lay back too, grabbing Blaine's hand. "I'm not your slave, Anderson."

"I feel like you should be getting mad at me for getting my suit grassy, but instead you're just doing the same."

"I have other suits. I can afford for one to be a little bit grassy."

"The sacrifices you make for me," Blaine said, grinning over at him.

"Exactly. You should be positively touched."

"I am, Kurt, I truly am." Kurt giggled slightly followed by a comfortable silence as they each gazed up at the stars.

Kurt shuffled closer to Blaine, nuzzling his head into his shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, because he was, above all else, genuinely curious about the thought process of the teenage boy.

"Just about how completely improbable this all was. We shouldn't work like we do." Kurt felt his face flush red, and was pleased it was dark enough that Blaine couldn't see.

"That's precisely why we work," he said, "because we shouldn't. Everyone loves a star-crossed lovers story, and maybe that's just it." Blaine kissed the top of Kurt's forehead.

"Lovers?" Blaine asked. Kurt smiled.

"Don't push it." Blaine squeezed his hand lightly and smiled too.

Blaine drove back to Kurt's house and parked on the road outside. "I have a dilemma," Blaine announced, and Kurt raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do tell."

"I completely planned on staying at Liv's house tonight and then I never called her to actually ask."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Don't be silly, Blaine. Just stay here."

"Are you sure that would be okay?"

"Have you met my family? You can stay in the guest room again. I know we're dating now-" Blaine mouthed the word boyfriend at him, earning him a smile, "but that doesn't mean there's any pressure to stay in my room, right?"

"Of course," Blaine said, hopping out of the car and racing around to the other side to open Kurt's door for him.

"Ever the gentleman," Kurt teased, kissing him quickly.

Blaine retrieved his overnight bag from the car and followed Kurt inside and then upstairs, kissing him goodnight at the top of the stairs before each retreated to their own bedroom for the night.

Kurt was in a church. No, it was too small to be a church. A chapel, perhaps. It resembled the kind of chapel one might find on a school campus. Kurt couldn't be sure. He looked up at the stained glass windows, depicting a nativity scene.

He straightened his tie absentmindedly before looking down to see he was wearing a suit, black, simple and yet classy. He felt a hand on his shoulder, a reassuring pat as a person passed by. He was sitting alone in the front row. The few people he saw were dressed up, and Kurt thought of a wedding. An intimate wedding, each party only inviting enough people to fill the small chapel. He smiled ever so slightly. Everyone was supporting him. It was his wedding day.

He cast his gaze across the aisle to see Marie, Blaine's mother, in the arms of a young man, who Kurt recognised as Cooper. She was crying. Cooper wasn't, although it looked like he had been.

Finally, Kurt looked to the front.

It wasn't a wedding. He was at a funeral. The picture on the casket was of his boyfriend, and he felt like he was drowning. All at once, it fell into place. People were supporting him because he had just lost a person he might have even loved.

Kurt's eyes snapped open, and he found that he was covered in sweat. He wasn't in any suit, just his standard pyjamas in his bed. Unable to bear the thought of sleeping while soaked in his own bodily fluids he crept across to the bathroom and showered quickly before changing into his secondary pair of pyjamas, feeling sufficiently clean to go to bed again.

It wasn't long before he realised that he wasn't going to be able to sleep again, haunted by the image of Blaine's funeral. He lay awake for ten minutes before deciding to leave his room again. He headed straight for the guest room and opened the door.

He stood in the doorway for a minute or so, listening to the sound of Blaine's gentle breathing.

Blaine rolled over and rubbed his eyes, opening them to see Kurt in the doorway. "Kurt?" he said, although it sounded more like a question, "what time is it? Is everything okay?" he turned on the bedside lamp and sat up.

Kurt walked closer to the bed. "It's um, the middle of the night. I don't know what time it is. And for your second question, well, that depends on your definition of everything."

"Are you okay?"

Kurt shook his head. "Not really," Blaine's face fell. "Don't panic, please. I just didn't exactly have a pleasant dream."

"Oh Kurt," there was something so delicate about the way Blaine said his name that instantly made Kurt feel a little bit better. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kurt nodded, and Blaine pulled down the covers on the other side of the bed. Kurt walked around and climbed in, and then shuffled over into Blaine's arms when they were extended to him. "How are you health wise? Don't try to sugar coat it."

"I'm fine. I have to take my meds everyday because the doctors don't totally know what's going on inside my body. My cancer... it's rare. Everything is experimental. It looks as though survival rates are good, though. I haven't had to have a single cancer related operation or radiation or anything in the past few years. Why do you ask?"

"My dream... I was at your funeral." Blaine tightened his grip on Kurt in some desperate attempt to remind him that he was still there. "I don't remember all the details. I just couldn't get back to sleep."

"Well now I'm not going to be able to sleep either," Blaine said, "but we may as well try."

"Agreed," Kurt said, "But I'm staying here."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Blaine said, turning out the lamp and lying down. Kurt lay down too, still in his arms, Blaine's closeness providing reassuring warmth. "I'm not going anywhere," Blaine whispered, and Kurt nuzzled into him. His boyfriend was real, there, and most importantly, alive. Eventually he fell asleep, safe in Blaine's embrace.

Kurt woke up having not moved a lot since falling asleep in Blaine's arms. He looked up to see that Blaine was already awake, smiling down at him. "Morning," Blaine said, "I didn't want to wake you."

Kurt lifted his chin to kiss Blaine gently. "Good morning. Your chest is awfully comfortable." Blaine chuckled lightly.

"Carole came in earlier to see where you had gotten to. She told me that breakfast was ready when you were."

"I'm fine here." Kurt said, snuggling into him again.

"Did you sleep well then?" Blaine asked. Kurt smiled.

"Yeah. Thank you for letting me sleep on you."

"You're welcome, Kurt. What are boyfriends for?"

"Sleeping on, award show dates, making lasagne, providing a place to stay in Westerville... all the important things."

"It's nice to know I mean so much to you."

"The world. Do you want to go down to breakfast then?"

"Yeah, definitely." Kurt sat up, transferring his weight off of Blaine's chest, and Blaine slid out of bed. Kurt got up too, stretching before walking around the bed to Blaine's side. He took his hand and began to walk downstairs.

Once in the kitchen Carole started piling food on plates for each of them, handing them cutlery and steering them towards the table, practically forcing them to eat.

After they each insisted they were full Carole cleared their plates and started doing the dishes, ensuring them that she didn't need any help, instructing the two boys to go and shower and change. Kurt held Blaine's hand again as they returned upstairs. "Are you wearing Superman pyjamas, Blaine?"

Blaine shrugged. "My Batman pyjamas were in the wash."

Kurt kissed his cheek on the landing before splitting away from him to get showered and dressed for the day.

The pair sat in the grass in Kurt's yard later that morning, sitting cross-legged facing one another, holding hands and touching foreheads. The weather had cleared up, and although the breeze was crisp the sun was shining. They spoke in near whispers, because there was no need to speak any other way.

"Are you okay, Blaine? How are things at home?" Kurt asked, after realising he had never checked up with him properly.

"Fine. My dad's avoiding me still, but my mom knows we're dating." Blaine shrugged.

"Are you going to make me have dinner with your parents?"

"No, but I think you'll end up sitting with them at the showcase next week. I think Olivia's coming, maybe Sky. You won't be alone with them."

"That's okay. When is the showcase? Not Wednesday or Thursday, right? Because that's when I'm back in New York."

"Friday. I'm missing another episode of Highlands for it."

Kurt mock pouted. "Poor Blainers is missing his precious teen drama."

Blaine kissed Kurt's pout away. "Poor me. I'm going to be stuck with my boyfriend again." He sighed dramatically.

"You really are making the most of the terminology, aren't you?" Kurt said, smiling. As much as he planned on teasing Blaine about it, he loved hearing Blaine say it. He loved knowing that their relationship was real, that it was two sided. That Blaine wanted to be his boyfriend as much as Kurt wanted him to be.

"Why would you say that, boyfriend?" Blaine smiled back.

"Because, boyfriend, it's true." Kurt said.

"It's debatable, boyfriend." Kurt kissed him. "Sue me for enjoying saying it."

"Blaine, I really like that you're my boyfriend too, but saying it too much is going to make it lose its meaning, and there aren't really any alternatives."

"I could start calling you my man partner," Blaine said, raising his eyebrows at him, "Or my guy amigo. Or my dude buddy."

"Boyfriend is fine." Kurt said, perhaps too quickly. "Please don't start calling me your dude buddy."

"I promise that I won't, boyfriend." Blaine grinned.

"Shut up, Blaine."

"Why, boyfriend?"

"If you don't stop saying it like that I'm leaving."

"But boyfriend..."

Kurt stood up and started walking melodramatically back towards the house. "That's it Blaine, we can't do this anymore..."

Blaine stood up and ran the few metres between them, lifting Kurt by the waist and spinning him around a couple of times before tackling him to the ground as lightly as possible. Kurt squealed in a purely positive way.

"What were you saying, boyfriend?" Blaine asked, his face hovering just inches from Kurt's.

"That you, Blaine Anderson, are kind of an idiot. An adorable, gorgeous, idiot."

"Thanks, Kurt." Kurt rolled over so he was now on top of Blaine, reversing their roles.

"You're welcome, boyfriend." He closed the gap between them, kissing Blaine. By the time they thought to go inside Blaine completely forgot what he was going to protest about. Kurt smiled, knowing that in a sort of roundabout way he had won the battle.

After lunch Blaine decided that it was time to drive back to Westerville. As much as he wanted to stay with Kurt, he had to keep reminding himself that he would be around for another week and a half yet. He wasn't going to vanish from his life any time soon, and he would be spending more time with Kurt before he knew it. He had homework to do anyway.

Kurt kissed him goodbye and watched him drive off, waving from the window. He passed back through to the kitchen where he helped himself to a leftover cupcake, and offered Burt one when he appeared in the doorway. He accepted.

"So Carole told me you weren't in your own room this morning," Burt said. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Dad, we weren't-"

"I don't want to know, Kurt. I don't want to know." Kurt smiled to himself. His dad could think whatever he wanted to think.

Kurt saw Blaine nearly every day that week. They took Sunday off from each other after spending all of Friday evening and Saturday morning together, figuring that their family and friends needed to be given some chance to socialise with them. On Monday Olivia was leaving school early to visit her family in Westerville and invited Kurt to tag along and split off to see Blaine. On Tuesday Blaine persuaded the Warblers to go to Lima for coffee as a group after practice, and went home slightly later than the rest after dropping by Kurt's house. On Wednesday and Thursday Kurt was back in New York, and it was possibly the longest two days of work Kurt had ever gone through.

Finally, on Friday, was the showcase. The Warblers were given permission to miss afternoon classes to help set up the ballroom, moving chairs from storage and testing the sound system by playing music obnoxiously loud. They were given a couple of run-throughs on the stage, and then they had to give up the ballroom to let all the other performers have their own practices. The bell for the final class rang and school ended for the day. The Warblers continued rehearsing in the common room, because there was a last minute change in their choreography that they needed to learn. At five o'clock they all left school as a group to go and get dinner, since the showcase was starting promptly at seven.

After a mass hair-doing session (the Warblers always seemed to fight over who would get to gel Blaine's hair), they headed out into the hallway to meet their families and friends and get them seated.

Blaine's group came in at about half past six, and his parents greeted him and went with his grandma to find a seat. Because she lived in Westerville she was able to attend the showcase, but didn't often attend Blaine's competitions, them being too far to travel easily- even the ones in Lima.

Sky, Olivia, Leah and Kurt hung back to talk to Blaine for the next five minutes or so, same as every other Warbler's roughly teenaged friends and siblings. Blaine knew that if Cooper had come for the performance he would be hanging around with them, too.

Earlier in the week Blaine had taken Olivia and Sky out for coffee so they could get to know one another a little bit better- the last time they had been forced to hang out had been when Sky was pretending that she was dating Blaine, and for Olivia it had made teasing him about Kurt much harder than it needed to be. Olivia really had become one of Blaine's best friends again, and she was his go-to person to discuss all things Kurt related, since she had always known the full story. He needed her help explaining his relationship to Sky. Olivia had decided to befriend Sky to save her from any unnecessary drama, and she and Kurt already got along fine- as a group, they were all plenty friendly with one another.

At Blaine's insistence the group of five headed back down the hallway to where the Warblers were hanging out in one of the classrooms. Wes got everyone in the room to shut up when they entered, announcing very loudly that Blaine had brought his boyfriend along. Blaine rolled his eyes while Kurt flushed red, and all the Warblers started cheering and wolf-whistling in their direction. Leah found herself being hit on by a couple of the boys while Olivia and Sky sloped off to the back of the classroom, each with a cell phone in hand.

"Sorry," Blaine said, "as much as I hate to say it, they are kind of always like that."

"It's okay. I guess I should be flattered, really." Kurt replied, walking close by him as they wandered over to a group of Warblers.

"On the plus side, no one has pestered you about Highlands."

"Only you, Blaine, because you're missing it as we speak." Kurt feigned a sort of desperation in his voice. Blaine smiled.

"I know, it's absolutely heartbreaking." Blaine said, clutching a hand dramatically to his heart. Kurt kissed him on the cheek.

"Ever the drama queen, Blaine Anderson." Blaine introduced Kurt to a bunch of the Warblers, and not a single one of them even blinked at his presence. They all knew who he was, but his fame didn't interest any of them. The only thing they had to make a big deal about was that it was Blaine's boyfriend. They knew it was long distance, so they all figured he was probably fictional.

Finally another student came in to the classroom to round everyone up so the showcase could begin. Olivia, Leah, Sky and Kurt sat down with Blaine's family members while the Warblers continued up to the front, where they were sitting by the stage with the other performers. The headmaster stepped out onto the stage to light applause to introduce the evening and the first act, a violinist.

Soon enough the Warblers were introduced and the group got into formation on the stage. Someone tapped a key on the piano to give them a starting note, and then their performance began.

"Girl, there's something 'bout me, that you oughta know

I've never felt the need to lose control

Always held on back and played it slow, but not this time

Baby don't be gentle, I can handle anything," Their dance routine began to kick in as they came into the chorus.

"Baby, take me on a journey

I've been thinking lately, that I could use a little time alone with you

Crazy, let's do something maybe, please don't take your time

You've got me, right where you want me."

Their first song ended and the audience applauded. The choir started in on the second song in their line up, although the Warblers' backing vocals slowly built up under Blaine's solo.

"Oh my goodness, I can't hide it

You just smiled when you walked by me, oh, my goodness," Blaine sang, picking out Kurt in the crowd. This had been his contribution to the song choice debate, and it had won. He sang every word of it to Kurt, pouring his heart and soul into it. He only got one shot at this performance. Olivia noticed that Blaine was doing it and nudged Kurt lightly. He smiled in return.

"And I don't know, if I can stop now

I'm going too fast, heart first

My head just can't slow me down

And I don't care, if you don't break my fall

You got me dreaming of a life that anybody else would die for," The song ended and the audience applauded again. They had been built up and now it was time to switch from their popular take on reasonably current pop songs to something a little more old school.

The Warblers began on the song's signature da da da ba boom da da da. The song reached the first line and Blaine came in with the solo, along with their choreography.

"Hey, I got a lot of faith in ya

I'll stick with you, kid, that's the bottom line," The song was perfectly suited for a cappella, and the crowd was hanging off every note. They were a popular group and, to be fair, could probably have sung anything and had the same reaction.

"Her love shines over my horizon

She's a slice of heaven

Warm moonlight over my horizon

She's a slice of heaven," The song faded out on the da da da's and the Warbler's bowed, before filing neatly off the stage and sitting down in their seats again.

During the applause Olivia leaned over to Kurt, saying, "That whole set could have been about you, you know."

Kurt shook his head. "They're just fun songs, that's all."

Olivia raised her eyebrows at him. "Have you met Blaine? He doesn't do anything by halves. If he decided to sing to you in some grand romantic gesture, then it was all or nothing."

Kurt couldn't wait for the showcase to end so he could talk to Blaine again.