The cellphone buzzed on the counter while Blaine was sleepily pouring himself a cup of coffee. He stifled a yawn as he reached for it and saw it was his mother. He'd stayed up until very late the previous night to finish the book he'd been reading, unable to put it down so close to the end, even though he knew he'd be stumbling around half asleep the whole next day.

"Hello?" He mumbled blearily.

"Blaine? Oh, dear, you sound awful," Heather said anxiously on the other end. Blaine scrunched his nose as he took a sip of coffee. He'd made it a lot stronger than he usually drank it because he really needed a jolt to wake up today. "Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm just still trying to wake up," he answered as reassuringly as he could. "I was up pretty late last night reading. How are you?"

"I... have to be honest with you, Blaine," Heather said softly. "I'm a little worried about you."

Blaine put his mug down on the counter, frowning. "What? Why would you be worried?"

"Because you've been acting sort of weirdly lately?" She muttered. "Every time I call you, you sound distracted or sleepy or tired. And the last few times I've seen you, you seemed changed. I don't know how to explain it, but I really want to know if something's wrong. What is it, Blaine? Talk to me, darling."

Blaine sighed, dropping into a chair at the kitchen table. "Nothing's wrong, I swear. I'm sorry if I worried you..."

"Blaine," she interrupted, in her firm, I'm-your-mother-and-I-know voice.

As he ran a hand down his face, Blaine realized there wasn't anything he could say to placate his mother without lying to her. And he really didn't want to do that.

"I'm sort of seeing someone," he confessed.

The squeal of absolute joy and excitement that exploded through the phone forced him to pull it away from his ear before he ended up deaf.

"Mom, gosh, please calm down," he mumbled, embarrassed.

"Why haven't you told me? Who is he?"

"Because it's... complicated," Blaine stood up to grab his coffee again, to fortify himself. "He's not sure if he's ready for a steady relationship yet, I think. Life hasn't been easy on him, and I'm just following his lead on this, mostly, so I'm not sure where we stand."

"But Blaine..." Heather said, her euphoria gone. "Is that fair to you? A relationship is between two people. Your feelings and opinions should matter, too."

"I know. I just... I don't want to overwhelm him, or do anything that will make him uncomfortable," Blaine explained, rubbing his temple. He was starting to get a headache. "I don't know if what we have is going to end up being anything more than what it is right now, so..."

Heather sighed on the other end. "Are you sure you're not going to end up getting hurt? What if you fall in love with him and things don't work out?"

The silence that followed was all the answer Heather needed.

"Oh my god, Blaine! Are you in love with him already?" She exclaimed. Blaine groaned to himself and drank more coffee. "Dear..."

"Don't bother to tell me I'm being stupid. I already know I'm putting myself at risk here. He's the kind of guy who can break hearts just by breathing..."

"Oh, you're in deep..."

"I am," Blaine admitted. "But he's... Mom, he's amazing. He's beautiful and he doesn't even know it. He's so brave, but he doesn't believe it when someone tells him so. He's broken and all I want to do is put him back together just so I can see him smile..."

"Blaine..." She whispered, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "He sounds wonderful, and he sounds like he needs you, but... I'm concerned. If you think he might break your heart..."

"Isn't love always a risk?" Blaine said, biting his lip.

There was a pause, and then he heard her breathing quietly. "Yes. Yes, it is. What's his name? I want to know more about him."

"His name is Kurt..."

"Kurt?" She interrupted, surprised. "Kurt? Isn't Kurt the man you..."

"Hired to work for me at the book store?" He finished for her. He took a deep breath. "Yes, he is the same one, Mom."

"Well, then," Heather muttered. Blaine didn't like her tone. "I think I really need to meet this man."

Blaine downed the rest of his coffee in one big gulp.

*

The strong smell of paint pervading the book store was almost unbearable. Blaine was sure he would still be able to smell it on his clothes even after he washed them. It would probably stay on his skin and hair, no matter how hard he tried to wash it off in the shower.

Kurt didn't seem to have the same concern. He was working as efficiently as usual, dipping the paintbrush in the deep red paint, and painting the walls effortlessly. But Blaine found himself staring at the muscles of his back and arms shifting, moving under the white cotton of his t-shirt.

Kurt wiped the sweat off his forehead, using his forearms as to not get paint on his face, and sighed. "Can you pass me a bottle of water, please? I'm dehydrating."

"Sure," Blaine said, trying to sound casual as he opened one for him.

"Thanks," Kurt took a swig and Blaine found it impossible to keep his eyes from fixing on Kurt's throat, as he swallowed... "You perv."

"I... what?" Blaine mumbled, blinking at him, dumbly.

Kurt smirked. "You said you were going to help me paint, but you've been ogling me for ages. Subtlety is not your friend, Blaine."

"I was not ogling," Blaine scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"Mm," Kurt hummed, amused. He rolled his eyes as he took another sip, not missing the way Blaine's gaze went right back to his throat. "Right, I'm sure you weren't."

Blaine blinked, to get a grip on himself and cleared his throat. He looked at the half-painted wall. "So, uhm, you said the colors needed to..."

"Blaine," Kurt muttered, interrupting him.

"Yes?" Blaine raised his eyebrows, questioningly.

Kurt booped Blaine's nose with the paintbrush, taking Blaine by surprise. He barked out a laugh, almost doubling over. "Oh my gosh, you look like a clown!"

"Kurt!" Blaine whined, shocked. "What did you do that for?"

"Because you were perving on me," Kurt answered, biting his lip, clearly trying to hold back more laughter.

"So you decided to act like a child? Very mature of you," Blaine turned to find a cloth to wipe his nose clean with, even though he knew it wouldn't remove most of it.

"At least you admitted to being a per-... hey!" Kurt cried out, when Blaine quickly grabbed the spare paintbrush (the one he was supposed to be using) and traced a thick red line down Kurt's cheek. "You asshole!"

"Oh, so it's okay if you do it, but if I do it I'm an asshole?" Blaine smirked playfully. Then he instantly took three steps back when Kurt moved forward menacingly with the brush.

"Do you have any idea how much moisturizer I'm going to have to use on my skin after this, Anderson?" Kurt said, narrowing his eyes.

"You started it, Kurt. I simply..."

But before Blaine could say anything else, Kurt was running the brush down Blaine's arm, barely missing his clothes.

"Hey!"

A few minutes later, it stopped being important who had started it, or who was being more immature, because they were both chasing each other around the bookshop, and Blaine realized he had never felt as free as he felt right then. But, besides that, he realized that he had never seen Kurt like this either. Because not even when they were in bed together was Kurt completely relaxed and at ease. But now, acting like a kid, laughing, playful, teasing, he was a different man. One that made Blaine fall a little more in love with him.

The battle to get the other covered in paint ended when Blaine pushed Kurt against a wall and crowded him between his arms on either side of him, leaning in. Kurt's breath hitched and Blaine smiled in victory.

"Who's laughing now, Hummel?" He teased, so close to Kurt that his breath was warming his pale skin.

But Kurt's face was completely serious now. His eyes flickered up and behind Blaine, to where the window was, before he dropped the paintbrush and put his hands on Blaine's chest, to push him away a little. "Blaine... please, get off of me. Anyone could see..."

Blaine's entire body froze and a flash of self-hatred rushed over him for being the one to make Kurt sound like that. He never wanted to be the guy who gave him any reason to be scared, to put him on edge. He stepped back immediately, looking at him apologetically and feeling like the biggest idiot in the world.

"I'm sorry, Kurt, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Kurt replied, in a quiet voice, but he was still making sure no one had seen him, almost as if he was expecting someone to be glued to the window to see what they were doing. "I just... I don't like to..."

"I know," Blaine said as soothingly as he could, wishing he could pull him into his arms. "I know."

Kurt swallowed and forced himself to look away from the window and back into Blaine's earnest hazel eyes. Blaine could see the mix of emotions flashing through his face, struggling for dominance. He startled when he felt Kurt's hand in his, when his long fingers closed around his wrist to make him follow.

The back room was safely away from any prying eyes, a little shelter from the outside world. Kurt pushed him back against the wall, very much in the same manner Blaine had mere minutes ago, and lost no time in closing the gap, pressing his body to his, letting his lips seek Blaine's.

It was a desperate, wet messy kiss, slightly off-center. Kurt's tongue made its way into Blaine's mouth almost as soon as their lips connected, as if the simple contact of lips on lips just wasn't enough. Blaine whimpered, hands tightening on Kurt's waist, needing something to ground him as he was shocked with a million sensations all at once.

Kurt pulled away after a few seconds, panting violently, his fists wringing Blaine's navy polo.

"I need you," he said, voice thick and breathless, and Blaine had never heard him like that before. "Blaine, please..."

"What do you want?" Blaine asked, shakily.

"I want to touch you. I need to touch you, right here, right now..." Kurt's fingers were already fumbling with Blaine's belt.

Blaine wasn't sure what was going on in Kurt's head, but if that was what Kurt wanted, needed, then he would give him anything, everything. "Yes."

Kurt got the zipper down plunging his hand into Blaine's underwear, to grasp him. He stroked him hard, immediately gathering the first drops of pre-come to make the slide easier. Blaine moaned quietly, shutting his eyes and letting his head fall back against the wall.

Kurt latched his mouth onto Blaine's exposed throat, sucking on his pulse point in a way that was sure to leave a mark. Blaine didn't care, though. He would wear Kurt's marks proudly if only he didn't stop what he was doing.

"Kurt..." He moaned brokenly. "Please..."

Kurt circled the head with his thumb in an upstroke, making Blaine groan. Blaine bucked into his hand, trying to get even more fiction, feeling like he could never get enough with Kurt. He just wanted more and more, and wished they never had to stop.

"Y-you too," he babbled, his brain barely working enough for him to get his hands between them, trying to get at Kurt's pants. "I want to feel you, too..."

Blaine whined when Kurt stopped stroking him long enough for Blaine to be able to get his pants undone, pushing them aside so he could get into Kurt's boxer briefs, but was rewarded when he finally had Kurt hard, hot and gorgeous in hand. Kurt bit his lip to stifle a moan and swatted Blaine's hand away to take over, wrapping his fingers around both of them with a little difficulty. Blaine whined when he felt both their lengths pressed together. All that tightness and heat was impossibly delicious, causing them to moan into each other's mouths when they leaned in for a hungry kiss.

Kurt was rough, frantic. He stroked them both, pushing them further and further to the edge, making Blaine nearly scream in pleasure. Knowing the town Kurt was scared of, that frowned at what they were, was just on the other side of the wall, made the temperature in the room increase by several degrees. Blaine wanted to show them, wanted to let them know how unfortunate they were, because they didn't get to feel Kurt like this, to kiss him, to have him. Only Blaine knew how glorious he was like this.

Their orgasms struck them like lightning, shaking them both to their cores, ripping moans from Kurt's lips that he muffled by biting on Blaine's shoulder, while Blaine wantonly threw his head back and let them out, let them free, let them echo against the walls.

Kurt's fist was covered in their come, hot and sticky, his fingers still wrapped around them, as if he couldn't bring himself to let go. It was a contrast, after something so purely sexual, to the kisses he slowly, tenderly trailed up Blaine's neck and jaw, until he reached his lips, claiming them in an equally slow and tender kiss. He barely pulled away to whisper against them: "thank you."

Blaine wasn't sure what he was being thanked for. He couldn't understand all of Kurt's reasons; he hadn't reached the deepest part of his soul where all the answers lived, not yet, at least. But he enveloped Kurt in his arms, pulling him flush against his chest, and rested their foreheads together before he whispered back: "anytime."

*

Once they were able to breathe normally again, Blaine convinced Kurt to call it a day, even if it was still quite early. Kurt's blue eyes had wandered around the bookshop, taking in all the things that needed to be done, but Blaine had looked at him pleadingly and he hadn't been able to say no.

That's how they had ended back at Kurt's place. As soon as they arrived, Kurt pulled Blaine into the bathroom so they could wash off the paint and sweat (neither of them could be blamed for a couple of blowjobs under the shower spray that followed since showering with an attractive man was likely to end like that), before they changed into sweatpants and comfy t-shirts. Blaine had almost been waiting for Kurt to take him straight to the bedroom, but instead, he grabbed his hand and guided him back downstairs, where they snuggle on the couch while a movie played in the background on the television.

Blaine's head was on Kurt's chest, and the constant thumpthumpthump of his heart felt familiar, and so soothing. Kurt's fingers were playing with Blaine's damp curls as he hummed under his breath. He was so relaxed, that Blaine thought, for a moment, that something had shifted between them.

They didn't do this. They didn't cuddle while they watched TV. They seemed to have a connection only under the sheets that sometimes extended to the kitchen, where they had dinner sometimes before or after they had sex, but that was it. Their relationship was only physical, but this... this intimacy was different, and it shouldn't have felt as natural as it did.

That unexpected feeling of belonging together, must have been what caused Blaine to talk before he thought about what he was about to say.

"My mom wants to meet you."

Kurt stiffened immediately beneath him and Blaine closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, realizing his mistake much too late.

"I mean..."

"Your mom." Kurt pulled away, almost peeling Blaine off himself. "Wants to meet me."

"I... yes," Blaine bit his lip nervously. "I know how that sounds like... it isn't..."

"Why would she want to do that?" Kurt asked, his eyes wide with suspicion.

"I might have mentioned you to her," Blaine answered carefully. "She said I was acting different lately, and she started asking questions... I just admitted I've been... seeing someone." He braced himself for whatever Kurt's reply would be to his next question. "Should I... have not mentioned this to her?"

"Well, I don't... I don't know," Kurt played with the hem of his t-shirt, absently. "Do you usually tell your mother about the guys you sleep with?"

Blaine ignored the little pang of disappointment. He'd already known things with Kurt weren't serious. It was a casual arrangement. They were good for each other, and that was it. It didn't mean they were... they weren't anything. "No," he admitted in a pathetically small voice.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kurt frowned, and Blaine realized he was closing himself off, just like that. "Blaine..."

"I just... it feels nice having someone to talk about," Blaine hurried to say, not even giving himself time to choose his words wisely. "I know this isn't... I know we aren't... but..." Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair, messing up his curls even more. "You know when you said this is the closest thing to a relationship you've ever had? Well, it's the closest thing to a relationship I've had in a very long time, too." His hazel eyes looked for Kurt's, but he still wasn't glancing back at him. "So call me an idiot, call me lame, call me whatever you want... but I like this. I like what we have."

"Blaine..." Kurt said again, but Blaine interrupted, sighing.

"I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable, and I'm sorry I even mentioned it. I know that isn't something we do," he wanted to reach for Kurt's hand so badly, but he didn't know if he should. "I'll just... I'll tell her that you're busy, or I'll just tell her the truth. I'll tell her that now isn't a good time to have lunch with her or that we..."

"I'd love to have lunch with her," Kurt blurted out, so suddenly that it surprised them both. Kurt held his breath, eyes still very wide, as if he couldn't believe he had actually said that. "Oh."

"Oh?" Blaine repeated, dumbly, confused. "You... Kurt, you don't have to do this just because I asked."

"No, it's okay," Kurt mumbled, finally looking at him. "I can do it. It's just lunch, right? Besides, if she meets me she won't be disappointed when you have to explain why we aren't together..."

"Kurt," Blaine said softly, reaching for his hand and squeezing his fingers. "Why wouldn't she like you? You're a great guy."

"That doesn't tend to be a popular opinion," Kurt rolled his eyes, trying to laugh. "But it's okay. It'll be better for you, to get it over with."

Blaine swallowed. For what seemed to be the hundreth time that day, he had no idea what was happening. He never knew what to expect from Kurt. He wasn't even sure what to say – was it better to talk Kurt out of it, to just avoid the meeting?

But Blaine wanted it to happen. He wanted it so bad. Right now, the two most important people in his life were his mother and Kurt, and even if Kurt was only waiting to finish his job to say goodbye to him permanently, he wanted to share as much as he could with him.

He wanted it all, but he would take whatever Kurt was willing to give.

So he did the only thing he could think of doing. He nodded very slowly, looking Kurt in the eyes, and muttered: "okay."

*

It was hard to tell who was more nervous about having lunch with Heather Anderson. Kurt seemed to be absolutely convinced that the woman would immediately judge him completely unworthy of her son, and Blaine was afraid his mother would say something to make Kurt uncomfortable – and he knew how Kurt reacted when he felt inadequate. He didn't want Kurt to act brusquely defensive the way he had when they first met.

And, mostly, Blaine wasn't sure why he cared so much about what Kurt and his mother thought of each other. It wasn't like he and Kurt would ever have a real long term relationship or anything... Kurt was going to leave and forget about him as soon as he finished working for Blaine. That much seemed certain.

At first, Blaine considered inviting them over to his apartment for lunch, but then decided they would be a lot safer in a public place. Maybe that would make Kurt think twice before he said something rude, and maybe that would keep his mother from trying to get into a deeply intimate conversation if there were other people around. So Blaine chose a nice restaurant in Westerville and made reservations.

"Wait," Kurt said when Blaine told him about it, frozen with a paintbrush halfway to the wall. "I didn't know you wanted to go to a restaurant. I'm not sure I can..."

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted softly, smiling as reassuringly as he could. "You told me you've never been to Westerville. You don't know anyone there so there's nothing to worry about. It's just lunch with my mom."

The way Kurt bit his lip and said nothing, but that was enough reason to worry.

*

Blaine made sure to arrive at the restaurant extra early, to avoid any chance that Kurt and his mother would precede him, and they would have to sit together in awkwardly strained silence. Blaine had actually asked Kurt to spend the night at his apartment so they could go together from there, but Kurt had declined because he'd already promised to help his dad at the garage.

The hostess guided Blaine to their table and declined her offer for a drink as he waited. He looked around. He remembered being there with his parents on a few other occasions since this was one of his mother's favorite restaurants. It was a nice place, but fairly casual. He had chosen it very carefully to not give Kurt any added reason to be uncomfortable.

Heather walked into the restaurant immediately smiled when she saw Blaine sitting at the table. Blaine stood up to hug her and helped her to her seat.

"So, honey. Didn't Kurt come with you?" She asked, reaching across the table to grab her son's hand and squeeze gently.

"No, but I'm sure he'll be here any minute now," Blaine answered, smiling back at her. "Tell me about that project you're doing with Claire Stevens. How is it going?"

Blaine managed to distract her for a while, asking questions about her latest charity project. Blaine was genuinely interested, since it involved raising funds for the pediatric wing of the local hospital, and Heather and her friends were planning to redecorate the sombre looking rooms into more colorful spaces because it was sad enough that some kids had to live for months and months in a hospital. Blaine promised to help in any way he could, and to make a donation of children's books to create a small library in the recreation room.

It wasn't until that conversation was over that Blaine glanced down to his watch and realized Kurt was almost half an hour late.

A sudden rush of panic flooded him. What if Kurt stood him up? What if he decided it wasn't worth his time to meet Blaine's mother because Blaine didn't mean anything to him?

Why would you think you meant anything to him?

Heather must have noticed something was wrong, because she checked the time too, and leaned over the table to talk to him quietly. "Why don't you check on him, dear? Just to make sure he didn't get lost?"

Blaine toyed with his cellphone, unsure. "I don't want to bother him if he's driving," he muttered, and he knew that was a poor excuse. He just didn't want to be rejected by Kurt on the phone.

Heather frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he answered too quickly. "He would've called if he had trouble finding the restaurant. He's..." Not knowing how to end that sentence, Blaine fell silent.

"Blaine," his mother seemed terribly concerned now. "I know you, dear. There's something you're not saying..."

Blaine swallowed. God, he was so pathetic. He couldn't even get a guy to commit to him enough to show up for a stupid lunch... "Mom, I don't..."

"Sorry, I'm late!" A breathless voice interrupted, and they both looked up, wide eyed, to find Kurt next to their table, with a hand on his chest. "Oh my god, I thought I would never make it. I'm so sorry I kept you waiting."

It took a moment for Blaine to realize he wasn't breathing. He had expected Kurt to show up wearing the clothes he always wore when he was in public, but he was so, so pleasantly surprised that he wasn't. Everything about his outfit screamed designer, so Blaine knew he had probably spent a long time making sure everything looked perfect. He was wearing extremely tight white jeans, black shiny shoes, a light blue button up with the sleeves carefully rolled up to his elbows, with a silk scarf around his neck that was a few shades darker. He was stunning, standing there like he had just walked out of one of Blaine's dreams, with his cheeks flushed and his hair styled to look immaculate.

"You're here..." Blaine mumbled dumbly.

Kurt looked at him, scrunching his nose in confusion. "Of course I'm here. I said I would be, didn't I?"

"Yeah..." A slow smile made its way onto Blaine's face, but he remembered to shake off his daze when Kurt looked at him pointedly. "Oh! Yes! Mom, this is Kurt Hummel," he said, standing up and putting a hand on the small of Kurt's back without even thinking how that would look or how Kurt would react to that small display. Heather stood up, too, smiling very brightly. Kurt extended his hand with a smile of his own. "Kurt, this is my mother, Heather."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Anderson," Kurt said politely, extending his hand, which Heather accepted immediately.

"Please call me Heather, Kurt," she replied happily, before taking her seat again. "And the pleasure's all mine. I was just asking Blaine to call you, we were getting worried."

"I'm so sorry," he said, biting his lip shyly. "My dad wanted to move some boxes from the basement this morning, so I gave him a hand. He was going to do it himself, but he's had heart problems and he isn't supposed to be lifting anything too heavy." He smiled gently at Blaine when he pulled a chair for him, inviting him to sit. "I didn't think it would take so long."

"It's okay," Heather said, patting his hand soothingly. "We just wanted to make sure you were finding your way here without trouble."

"Oh, Blaine was very thorough with his instructions to get here," Kurt shared a quick, playful glance with Blaine. "I had to stop him from drawing me a map, actually."

Heather chuckled while Blaine looked down at the tablecloth, cheeks blushing slightly. "I didn't want you to get lost..." he admitted in a low voice.

Kurt placed a hand on his knee under the table, leaning closer to bump their shoulders together. "And that's very sweet of you. Thank you."

Blaine's stomach did a weird little bounce inside of him. This was different. This really felt different. This felt real.

He smiled at Kurt warmly and even dared to tangle their fingers together for a moment. He felt the happiest he'd ever felt when Kurt didn't pull away.

"So, Kurt, tell me a little about you," Heather said, genuinely interested, and that's how the conversation really started.

Blaine let them talk, hoping his mother wouldn't ask anything that would make Kurt uncomfortable, but mostly just enjoying watching them interact. The two most important people in his life were getting to know each other, and after being so worried, everything was going smoothly.

Kurt complimented all the changes Blaine had made to the book store and encouraged Heather to go see them herself, since they were almost done. Blaine's heart pounded against his chest at that, remembering how Kurt had said in the beginning that a bookshop was a waste of time. Hearing him talk about it now with something akin to affection made him fall even more in love with him.

Heather reminisced about other times when they had come to this restaurant when her husband was still alive, mostly when Blaine was still a kid. Kurt inquired about Blaine's childhood, and Heather complied more than willingly, immediately recounting a dozen embarrassing memories to share, making Blaine groan and bury his face againts Kurt's shoulder to hide his reddened cheeks.

Blaine was endlessly surprised when Kurt dropped a quick kiss to the top of his head. "I bet you were even more adorable then."

Heather was positively beaming as she watched them. "He really was."

He stopped caring about how embarrassed he was, and simply looked up at Kurt, hazel eyes full of the kind of hope he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Blaine couldn't believe Kurt had thought he wouldn't be able to charm his mother, because it was so clear that Heather was half in love with him already. And he also couldn't believe how Kurt was acting in front of her, in front of the entire restaurant. It was so unlike the man he'd gotten to know, that he couldn't help but be perplexed. Still, Blaine decided, he would enjoy it. He didn't know if things would go back to how they'd been so far when he saw Kurt again in Lima. Perhaps it was that town that brought Kurt down, that held him back. Perhaps if he managed to see Kurt away from Lima more often, things could be different...

After the food was long gone, they ordered dessert and coffee, and Blaine stole a few bites of Kurt's cheesecase before Kurt slapped his hand away and stole some of his chocolate fudge torte in return. They both laughed, as Heather watched them contentedly, eyes shining, with her hands wrapped around her cup.

"You know, I have to say..." she started, softly, making them turn to look at her, "and Blaine will probably hate me for this..."

The smile fell from Blaine's lips, a concerned frown replacing it immediately. "Mom..." he muttered, warningly.

"... that I haven't seen my son as happy as he looks right now in... well, since he was a little boy, actually," Heather continued, ignoring him. She took Kurt's hand and looked in his eyes. "And I suspect it's all because of you, dear."

"Mom," Blaine repeated, running a hand through his hair nervously. "Please..."

"No, dear," Heather shook her head. "I'm just saying the truth. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. And I want to thank Kurt, because for so long I've worried about you not being happy, and he's managed to change that in just a matter of weeks..."

Kurt was still and silent, his hand trapped in Heather's, and Blaine was pretty sure he wasn't even breathing.

"So thank you, Kurt," she finished, smiling warmly. "For whatever it is you do to make him so happy."

Blaine tensed. If Kurt was feeling uncomfortable, now would be the moment he would turn to being rude just to get out of it. He braced himself for what might come out of Kurt's lips next – I just fuck him as hard as I can. What your son needed was to get his tight little hole licked open. If you think Blaine looks happy now, you should see him when he has his lips around my cock – knowing that would be the end of one of the best afternoons in Blaine's life.

But then a shy smile appeared on Kurt's face and he squeezed Heather's hand in return. "I'm not sure if I can take any credit for that..."

"Of course you can," Heather insisted, before turning to Blaine, pointing at him with a finger and adding, in a severe tone: "keep him around, Blaine. I like him."

Blaine wasn't sure what had just happened, stunned as he was at the turn of events, so he did the only thing he felt capable of and nodded dumbly.

Kurt's hand settled on his thigh – warm, real, solid – and their eyes met, hazel burning on blue, and Blaine couldn't tell exactly what had changed, but he felt something shift between them.

He laced his fingers with Kurt's and prayed Kurt could feel it, too.