"BLAINEBLAINEBLAINEBLAINEBLAINEBLAINE," Wes yelled across the parking lot at school. Blaine waved at Wes and continued in the direction of the school building, as Wes ran over to meet him. "You," Wes said, as he caught his breath next to his best friend, who was still walking, "You have to go and see Liv after school today. She wants to meet you some place- the Sparkle Pit?"

"Wes, calm down. Could this have not waited?" Blaine replied, as he raised an eyebrow at Wes.

"I was just going to forget, and then Liv would have killed me. Metaphorically. I could take her in a fight."

Blaine shook his head. "Whatever. Why didn't she just text me or something?"

"I don't know, man! She just asked me to pass the message on." Blaine laughed it off, and hoped that everything was okay with his best friend- both his best friends. Nothing too serious could come from meeting at the karaoke bar-slash-cafe, as far as Blaine could think.

Blaine went straight to the Sparkle Pit after school, assuming that Olivia had figured in the drive in giving her meeting time. He entered and she waved him over, seated by the window. There were more people than the last time they had been there together, largely high school students who came over from McKinley. No one much touched the stage, although the karaoke was in full swing- it was just seemingly dominated by two girls in cheerleading uniforms who couldn't sing particularly well.

"Ignore the Cheerios," Olivia advised, "we'll have the stage soon enough." Although the girls couldn't sing- they really couldn't- they demanded attention. Blaine clapped politely at the end of their number.

"So, what will I be singing?" Blaine said as he looked over the song list. He was pleased to have gone home and changed quickly before driving over, if for no other reason to save himself from embarrassment for singing in his uniform in front of a crowd like that. Especially when there were two girls in the corner trying to sneak pictures of him on their phones.

Olivia shrugged. "Whatever you feel like."

"Well, you're helpful."

"I'm out of sassy quips today, babe, it was a long day of school," Liv explained, "maybe we should talk about what I planned to talk to you about?"

"Go for it."

"So the Dalton formal is this weekend, and you were originally going to take me since I begged, right?" Blaine nodded, "but now I'm going with Wes," Blaine nodded again, "and you're dateless."

"I guess." Blaine hadn't felt defeated about that point until then. It was just different when Olivia said it.

"So your boyfriend called me the other day," Blaine lit up at the mention of Kurt, not one to be jealous over that kind of thing. Olivia and Kurt had been friends for months now. "And, surprise!" Blaine looked puzzled at Liv, and she gestured behind him. He turned.

"Kurt," Blaine said, plainly, all his emotions hitting at one time. He stood up and stepped behind his chair, where his boyfriend was standing. He threw his arms around him, and Kurt just held him for a few moments. Blaine pulled back and wiped a tear from his eye, although he couldn't remember it forming. "You have to stop with these surprise visits." Kurt pulled him back into another hug, resting his chin on Blaine's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, honey," Kurt whispered in his ear, "I did plan on telling you, when I booked the ticket weeks ago; I just never quite got there."

"I don't care. You're here." Kurt dropped his hold on Blaine and sat down at the table, settling for holding hands. Olivia offered to go and buy Kurt a coffee, and he accepted. She took far longer at the counter than necessary. Blaine's eyes flicked over Kurt's lips and then back up to his eyes, acknowledging a want that he couldn't have, not now. Kurt glanced around the cafe and realised that thankfully, no one was really paying much attention to them, and took the opportunity to kiss Blaine. It was quick, nothing like he would give him if he had the privacy and time. But it was enough for then, to tone down the desire until later. They were in Lima, which made it that much more important to keep the PDA to a minimum.

Noting that Olivia was gone, no longer at the counter but not at their table, Blaine turned to Kurt, taking his other hand in his own spare one. Blaine looked directly at his boyfriend. "I never thought I would be in any situation to even ask this, but, Kurt Hummel, will you be my date to the Dalton Senior Formal?"

"Of course. It would be my honour, Blaine." Kurt squeezed his hands gently.

"Furthermore, will you sing with me?" Blaine passed Kurt the song list, "If you're familiar with number twenty-six, that's what I want to sing with you."

Kurt giggled. "What is it with you and High School Musical?"

"Zac Efron, among other things. Now, it isn't Breaking Free, but I just think that this is more... relevant?" Olivia returned to the table and Blaine led Kurt around to the waiter in charge of the karaoke lists, put in their request, and then stumbled up onto the stage. Most people were so wrapped up in their own business that they didn't pay any attention to what was going on. They didn't bother to introduce themselves in any way, instead they simply nodded to the waiter and let the music play. Blaine took the first solo, though Kurt quickly joined him on the harmony.

I've got a lot of things I have to do, all these distractions, our future's coming soon, we're being pulled a hundred different directions, but whatever happens, I know I've got you.

You're on my mind, you're in my heart, it doesn't matter where we are, we'll be alright, even if we're miles apart...

Kurt looked at Blaine. Their months of long distance would be coming to a close so soon. They wouldn't be miles apart anymore. They were alright, even when they were miles apart. He should never have doubted Blaine's faith in the relevance of the song.

All I wanna do, is be with you, be with you. There's nothing we can't do, just wanna be with you, only you. No matter where life takes us, nothing can break us apart; you know it's true; I just wanna be with you.

Blaine met Kurt's gaze, breaking his usual connection with the audience. He was singing with Kurt for a reason. Kurt smiled, and Blaine couldn't help but grin back as he kept singing.

You know how life can be, it changes overnight, it's sunny then raining, but it's alright. A friend like you always makes it easy- I know that you get me, every time. Through every up, through every down, you know I'll always be around, through anything, you can count on me...

All I wanna do, is be with you, be with you. There's nothing we can't do, just wanna be with you, only you. No matter where life takes us, nothing can break us apart; you know it's true; I just wanna be with you.

There was a light scattering of applause through the cafe as the song concluded, and the pair returned to their table. "I mean it," Blaine said, "all of it."

"I didn't know that I did until we were singing, but me too. No matter what happens, Blaine, no matter what my future holds without Highlands, I want to be with you."

"I can't imagine my New York future without you, Kurt. Which is why... I want to take you up on your offer. I want to live with you, to wake up next to you, to kiss you when you come in from a busy day at work. To make dinner and do the dishes together, talk about our day, and then snuggle together while we watch whatever is on TV. And then, finally, we can tangle together and fall asleep." Kurt smiled.

"There isn't anything else I want more in the world," Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand, a poor substitute for everything else he wants to do. "You should text your mom, and tell her you're staying in Lima for dinner. That is, if you're up for dinner at the Hummel-Hudson house."

"With you? Always."

Blaine and Kurt said goodbye to Olivia and headed on their way back to Kurt's parents' house. They didn't get further than Blaine's car before Kurt kissed Blaine, and it was happily reciprocated. Kurt pulled away, and shook his head, to clear it from the fog that Blaine seemed to induce. "Dinner," he stated, and Blaine started the car.

"Of course," he agreed, though he leaned over and kissed Kurt again quickly before he drove anywhere.

Dinner was quiet, Carole and Burt making comfortable conversation about both Blaine and Kurt and their plans. They were clearly happy to have Blaine there, even though they hadn't seen Kurt for so long. They weren't selfish enough to keep Kurt to themselves while he visited, because they knew they weren't the only important visited people in Kurt's life.

Kurt and Blaine slipped upstairs after dinner and lay on Kurt's bed, side by side, fitting neatly together. Blaine ran his hand absentmindedly along Kurt's chest. He pressed a gentle kiss to his jaw and attempted to shuffle closer. Kurt smiled. "You're adorable, you know that?" Kurt said.

"I just need to check that you're real." Blaine mumbled into Kurt's neck.

"I'm here, baby. I haven't even bought a return ticket."

Blaine paused and pulled away so he could look at Kurt properly, leaning up on one arm. "You haven't?"

"I didn't know how long I would want to stay yet. Unless something comes up, I think I'll stay for a few weeks, at least. Until Ohio gets boring." Kurt pushed himself up to mirror Blaine, so they were facing each other.

"So I should drop you at the airport tomorrow?"

Kurt laughed. "As long as you're here, I could stay for a lot longer than that. I used to never visit, but now it's all I want to do. There is a reason I left, you know? And as soon as you get out of here too, I'll have lost my motivation. For visiting Ohio, that is."

"I love you," Blaine said plainly, "Whether I'm in Ohio or New York."

"I love you too."

"What do you wear to a prom?" Kurt asked Blaine, over the phone, "I've never actually been."

"It's not a prom, Kurt, it's a Senior Formal. We're too masculine for proms or something."

"Whatever. What do I wear?"

"You can turn up in sweats for all I care, I'm just proud that I can take you, and that we can dance. That we can take couples pictures with a cheesy background and I can get you punch and basically live every cliché in the book." Blaine neatened the way the boutonniere he had bought for Kurt sat in its box.

"A tux, then?"

"That would be what I'm wearing."

"Such a safe choice," Kurt sighed, "But alas, I'll fit in with your classy Dalton norms."

Kurt went to Westerville early on Saturday so they would be able to spend the whole day together before the dance, and Blaine's parents had agreed to let Kurt stay afterwards. Blaine let him into the house and instructed Kurt to put his things in a guest room. Blaine whispered to Kurt as soon as they reached the landing at the top of the stairs, "Of course, I have no intentions of letting you sleep there. Strictly a formality."

They got ready in separate rooms and then posed for pictures at the bottom of the stairs, much to Marie's delight. They exchanged boutonnieres, although they hadn't discussed it beforehand, and then got into Blaine's car and drove to a classy restaurant which was swarming with Dalton boys, many of whom greeted Blaine as they passed by their tables. They sat in a cosy corner, gently candlelit, and ate their meal. The restaurant began to clear of high school couples, and they took that as a prompt to head on their way.

"I'm a little bit nervous," Kurt admitted, as he walked hand in hand with Blaine to the Dalton ballroom, "is that weird?"

Blaine shook his head. "Of course not. You don't need to be worried about anything. You know Wes and Olivia, and you met all the Warblers." Blaine squeezed his hand supportively. Kurt stopped and pulled Blaine into him, kissing him regardless of who saw. There was no reason for his standard no PDA policy then.

"Thank you," Kurt mumbled against Blaine's lips.

The formal passed by without any major difficulties, and no one openly gaped at Kurt. They danced with each other for most of the night, and lived out the clichés as Blaine wanted to. They sat together when standing became too tiring, didn't bother hiding any affection, allowing themselves the occasional kiss or two. If anyone recognised them as the much photographed couple that they were, they didn't say anything about it, or they were so sneaky with the picture taking that it went unnoticed.

Wes and Olivia went over to where they were sitting and hauled them to their feet, dragging them out onto the dance floor. Olivia and Kurt danced together, while Wes and Blaine did the same. Blaine cocked his head at Wes. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Can one friend not simply dance with another friend?" Wes replied, "What's that thing about how only a man who was truly comfortable in his heterosexuality would dance with another man?"

"Okay, mister heterosexual, but don't think you're getting your hands on my boyfriend." Wes pulled Blaine over to dance by Kurt and Olivia.

"Partner switch!" Wes called, and stepped between Liv and Kurt- facing towards Kurt. Olivia shrugged and walked around Wes to dance with Blaine instead.

"Do you know what that was about?" Olivia asked, sliding her arms around Blaine's neck.

"I told him he wasn't getting his hands on my boyfriend."

Liv shot a glance over to Wes and Kurt, not really dancing with each other, just next to each other. "You don't seem too cut up about it."

"I'm not. It gave me a chance to talk to you." Blaine explained. He had missed her.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages. Why is that, B?"

"I don't know. Life has been moving pretty fast, I suppose."

"You're just racing through the last few months until you get to New York, right?"

Blaine nodded. "And I don't even know what your plans are for next year."

"I'm going to take a gap year. See the world. Learn Italian. Dance like no one is watching as frequently and as varied as possible. Play the ukulele. Volunteer at the children's hospital," She shrugged, "I'll do whatever the year leads me to do. My plan is to have no plan."

"Will you come to visit me?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss a second of your fabulous New York lifestyle." There was a brief pause in their conversation as the song changed, and then Olivia continued, "I'm pleased that I'm not your date. Wait, no, that came out wrong. I mean, Wes is great, but for you. I'm pleased that Kurt is your date."

Blaine laughed. "Thanks, Liv."

"One day," Olivia mused, "I will be as happy as you two are."

"Aren't you currently?"

She shook her head. "It's... different. I'm not saying that I don't necessarily have a future with Wes; I just mean that it's a relationship that develops with time, what you and Kurt have. Less physical and more talking and really getting to know each other."

"We didn't really have that choice to make. The distance did it for us."

"Irrelevant, you could have done no talking at all. You put in time and effort to it all and it's paid off." Blaine and Olivia parted and he made his way over to the DJ, who seemed to be taking requests.

"Do you have any High School Musical?" he asked, and threw a grin over his shoulder to Kurt, who simply sighed and rolled his eyes as the song changed, beckoning Blaine over to dance again.

They arrived back at Blaine's house to find the house virtually empty. All the lights were off save for the porch light which was customarily left on for the last person home to turn off, and, after a quick scanning of the interior, Blaine's parents hadn't waited up for them, even the computer in Phillip's office having been shut down. They slid into the bathroom and undressed silently, the only noise coming from the running water as the shower heated up. They folded their tuxes into neat piles- Kurt couldn't stand the thought of leaving them in a mess, even just for a few minutes- and stepped under the stream together. They retreated to Blaine's room, where Kurt insisted they hung up their abandoned clothing, and Blaine complied. They did no more than whisper to one another, ghost fingertips flirtatiously as they passed one another, bare skin to bare skin. They converged in Blaine's bed, and it was a while before either fell asleep, warm in each other's arms.

The next few weeks were graced with frequent dates, as they set into a comfortable rhythm- Blaine would go home and work on his homework until Kurt arrived from Lima. If they had the house to themselves, they were less limited in the way they spent their time, although they didn't often venture further than Blaine's bedroom while they had the chance. Occasionally they would mix it up, and Blaine would drive to Lima instead, though most often weekends resulted in sleepovers at one house or the other- or a marathon sleepover, where Kurt would stay at Blaine's house on Friday, and then they would both go to Kurt's house for Saturday.

Blaine woke up in Kurt's bed, having seemingly fallen asleep. Judging by the lighting, it was early evening. Kurt stood by the window, fully clothed, his phone pressed to his ear. "Yes, I'll be there... no, we are not going to tell him, not yet. At least not until... I think he's waking up. I'll call you back." Kurt put his phone down and smiled across at Blaine. "Nice nap?"

Blaine nodded. "Delightful. Come over here." Kurt complied- it wasn't a hard choice to make, really- and sat on the bed. Blaine sat up and pulled Kurt into his arms, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "What was all that about?"

"The phone call?" Blaine nodded, "Nothing. It was just Leah. Though, how much of that did you catch?"

"Not a lot, just not telling me something until sometime."

"I see. That's alright then- because I'm not going to tell you now."

"I won't ask."

"Good. But, I do need to tell you that I have a flight back to New York planned now." Blaine's face fell.

"I was just getting used to this."

"I know, honey, but we'll be fine. I promise I'll be back in time for your graduation next week, one hundred percent, not going to miss it for anything." Kurt said, "I'll just be gone for a few days. I have a couple of things that need doing."

"Okay."

Kurt's trip back to New York felt lifeless. It had been his home for years, and yet it didn't have quite the same glow coming away from Ohio as it usually did. It wasn't until he had been back at his oddly quiet apartment for a few hours, unpacking and then repacking his suitcase with a fresh range of outfits so it would be ready to leave in a few days, that he realised exactly why everything felt so off.

Blaine wasn't there.

Blaine was in Ohio.

Kurt arrived back in Lima late the day before Blaine's graduation. It was too late to go to Westerville, especially since Blaine wasn't expecting him- so he called instead.

"Hey, you," Blaine answered, "still coming tomorrow?"

"Of course. I promised, didn't I? Actually, that's not why I'm calling."

"Oh?"

"I have some news. New York related."

"Are you going to tell me, or are you just going to tease?"

"You know those announcements for Born Rivals, how they're making a live action movie out of the games?" Kurt started.

"Well duh, it's pretty exciting."

"And you are definitely aware that I voiced a main character, right?"

"Oh really? You know, I had never noticed."

"Ha, ha. Well, I have been offered a role. They want me to play Prince Julio. And I said yes."

"Kurt! That's amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thanks! I mean, I don't look like him, not really, but they wanted me anyway!"

"You could have saved this for tomorrow."

"No, tomorrow is about you. I refuse to steal any thunder."

"I'm really happy for you, Kurt. Do you know when filming starts?"

"I think July, some time."

"That's soon."

"But not too soon, because we will definitely be living together by then." Kurt said, certain his smile was audible.

"That is true."

"That was all I had to say. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you too."

The next day the Andersons had a simple graduation party at their house. A few Dalton families threw significantly larger parties, but Blaine was happy that, for him, it was just his family (less Cooper), Kurt and his parents, Wes and his family, and Olivia and hers. The much more intimate gathering ended up with the teenagers in Blaine's bedroom, hardly associating with the rest of the party goers. When Wes and Olivia ditched to sneakily head to a guest room, no doubt to make out, Blaine and Kurt didn't complain.

With school ended and the summer begun, Blaine began to pack for New York. Moving into Kurt's fully stocked apartment there wasn't anywhere near as much stuff for him to take as he had expected initially. He wanted to leave his Westerville bedroom as his, wanted to leave it looking lived in and comfortable- not for him, but for his mom. He left all his various awards as a result, along with most of the room's decoration. He emptied his drawers and his bookcase, and tried to leave the room with all of the charm it already had, only taking what he knew he needed.

Kurt flew back to New York at the start of the summer, leaving Blaine alone in Ohio for a few weeks. The Thursday before Blaine was due to leave, they had their regular Skype date, and Kurt simply smiled and said, "This is the last one. This is it."

After a few days of hardly seeing each other while Kurt had meetings and interviews scheduled one after the other and Blaine unpacked- and then a few days of spending every moment together, except for when absolutely necessary that they separated- they finally softened into the rhythm of living together. One would arrive back and greet the other with a kiss, lead them through to the kitchen and serve them dinner. They would take turns showering or save water by sharing, and then head to bed. When they woke the other would still be there, and it was wonderful even after the first few weeks of routine.

They sat in the kitchen one morning, sipping coffee and each just adjusting to being awake for the day, when Kurt reached across the table and took Blaine's hand. "Do you remember when you overheard me on the phone, and I said I wouldn't tell you yet?"

Blaine nodded. "I do."

"Well, today is the day. I got another call yesterday. We have a meeting at eleven."

"We? As in both of us?" Blaine was surprised, since he was rarely involved in any of Kurt's meetings.

"Actually? Mostly you. But I really should be there too since it's my doing, right? We'll go out for lunch afterward."

It wasn't until they were checking in at the reception and led into the office of one Kathryn Woodrow that Blaine realised why he recognised the offices. He had been there before, after all. They sat across the desk from her, and she tapped her pen. Blaine wondered if she ever did anything productive, with all the pen tapping she did.

"Is this about our relationship again? Because I thought I aged out of your system a few months ago." Blaine stated.

Kathryn looked between the two. "You mean you're still together? How... sweet."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Of course we're still together. Now can we talk about what we're here to talk about?"

Kathryn picked up a folder and passed it over the desk. The Blaine Project was printed neatly on the front, and Blaine simply looked at it in his hands for a moment.

"What is this?" Blaine asked, looking at Kurt, who smiled.

"It's something I've been working on for the past couple of months. For you. Ever since we went to LA, for the Teenies. Open it." Inside the folder was a series of plans and budgets for what Blaine could only assume were Wish Factory related schemes. Blaine turned expectantly to Kurt to explain, ignoring Kathryn.

"Why is my name on the front?"

"You told me that you wanted to make a dent- change a piece of the world- and that charity was the way you would get there. So I've been talking to Miss Woodrow, and we've figured out a way that we can make this a reality."

Kathryn nodded. "You can take this folder and talk about it all; get back to us if you can think of a way you want to further our planning. The name is negotiable, too."

Blaine began to understand what exactly was going on- there was a project, a side scheme from the main Wish Factory mission, focussed on whatever it was that he deemed important. After much discussion, he realised he had a plan, that he knew what areas he thought someone should focus on. If the Wish Factory was facilitating it, he was happy to be the face of the campaign; and so the title stuck.

After a few weeks of living together they had a fight. It was nothing serious, but Kurt felt as though Blaine was always there, a constant presence, and suddenly everything became a lot heavier than it had been before. He had escaped up to the roof for half an hour before anyone came to find him.

The door swung open and Kurt turned from his spot at the edge to see Blaine. He smiled gently at his new company. "Hi."

"Hey. Do you want to come back in now? Dinner's ready." Kurt took a deep breath and walked over to Blaine, accepting his extended hand. He was quiet all through the evening and kept mostly to himself, and Blaine knew to keep his distance, that Kurt would come back to him when he was ready. He went to bed before Kurt did, but not by much. When Kurt slid under the sheets he shuffled across the bed until he was safely nestled in Blaine's arms.

Kurt was due to stay in LA for the months of filming Born Rivals. He got packing his bags for the trip early, and Blaine offered to help him however he could. "Don't you have your own bags to pack?" Kurt asked, and Blaine raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't really think I was going to go to LA without you for that long, did you? Not when we only just used to this close range thing. I refuse to go back to Skype dates."

Blaine returned to New York when school started in the fall, leaving Kurt in LA, although he insisted on flying back home every weekend he had available. At the final conclusion of filming he returned home. His definition of home was ever changing; it had been his apartment, and then the city as a whole, and now, more and more, his definition was Blaine. He couldn't- and didn't want to- imagine a future without his amazing, curly haired, charismatic boyfriend.

Blaine was it.

And Kurt never wanted to find out what would happen if he wasn't, if he hadn't been. And so he waited for just the perfect moment to finally secure what they had. He didn't know how long he would wait before asking Blaine to be his forever, but he knew he would happen. He was absolutely positive.