Kurt looked up from where he was assembling a bookshelf, dropped the screwdriver, and rushed to help Blaine as he struggled to keep his balance and not drop the box almost slipping from his grasp.

"Here," he said, taking it from Blaine. "I've got it."

"Thanks," Blaine smiled. "It's full of dictionaries, so it was a little too heavy."

"Well, the weight of knowledge isn't something to be taken lightly," Kurt muttered, and then he scrunched his nose. "That was terrible."

Blaine chuckled. "It's okay, I've heard a lot worse." He pushed the box out of the way of where Kurt was working. The book store was currently a mess with tools everywhere, furniture waiting to be assembled, and lots of boxes of books that Blaine was nearly ready to display. The new armchairs that had arrived earlier that day were in a corner, still covered in protective plastic, and the tiny, colorful tables and chairs for the children's section were all scattered around the room.

There still was a lot to do, but everything was coming together, and Blaine couldn't help the feeling of excitement bubbling in his stomach.

Within a few more hours, Kurt finished assembling the furniture and then he helped Blaine place every piece in exactly the perfect place. Blaine carefully considered Kurt's opinions because he certainly knew his decorating principles. They were both sweaty and tired by the time they were done, but Blaine was incredibly delighted with how everything turned out.

And then he realized Kurt's job was done.

Everything that needed to be fixed was fixed. Everything that needed to be rebuilt, had been rebuilt. The walls were painted in warm and inviting colors, the floors gleamed. Every bookshelf was in its place, waiting for the stacks of books, each holding new worlds to be discovered. The children's section looked lovely with the decorations Kurt had helped him select online, with models of the solar system and stars hanging over the little tables and chairs...

The bubbles of excitement Blaine had been feeling in his stomach abruptly popped and disappeared, replaced by a twisting nauseous sensation. He could hear Kurt behind him, replacing his tools in the toolbox, gathering his stuff, getting ready to put an end to his day...

Getting ready to put an end to his time with Blaine.

Blaine swallowed. He wasn't sure he could say goodbye without making a fool of himself, letting Kurt see how much he wanted him around.

"So..." Kurt said after everything was tidied away.

Blaine took a deep breath. "So."

"You did it. You have your book store finished just the way you wanted it," Kurt muttered, standing next to him to admire the place, and sharing a little smile with him. "Or, well, you'll have it once you put all those books on the shelves."

"Yeah," Blaine bit his lip. He was considering tearing everything apart or breaking something that would force them to start over again.

"When are you planning to open?" Kurt asked conversationally.

"Probably Monday," Blaine answered quietly.

"That will give you time to relax a little this weekend, then."

"Yeah," Blaine said again. He clenched his fists. If Kurt was going to walk away, he'd rather have him do it now. The sooner, the better. Delaying it would only make it worse.

"I was thinking..." Kurt started in a quiet, hesitant voice. "We should go out and celebrate."

Blaine, who had been holding his breath, waiting for Kurt to say the opposite of that, turned to look at him, perplexed. "What?"

"You know, you worked really hard for this, and, well, so did I," Kurt shrugged and rolled his eyes. "We deserve to celebrate a little, don't you think?"

Blaine's mouth was suddenly very, very dry. "W-what do you suggest?"

"I haven't had the chance to go out for a drink in a while," Kurt said, thoughtfully. "Are there any places in Westerville that could fix that?"

Trying to ignore how hard his heart was beating with renewed hope, Blaine nodded. "I know just the place."

"Good," Kurt gave him a smile that threatened to melt Blaine's insides. "First round's on me."

*

They decided to wait until the next night, since Kurt didn't want to cancel on his family's regular Friday night dinner tradition. Blaine didn't mind – he needed some time to get a grip on his emotions anyway.

Kurt had an easy out and he hadn't taken it. Blaine wasn't sure if he was making too much of an invitation to get a drink or not, but he couldn't help but feel like maybe things didn't have to end, if maybe Kurt really did still want to be with him. Between how well lunch with his mother had gone the past weekend, and then this... why would Kurt ask him out for drinks if he wasn't interested in seeing him?

Oh my god, was this a date?

Blaine stopped fixing his hair in the bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection with wide eyes. So what if it was? Why was he so nervous? He and Kurt had been sort of together for a little while now. He had gotten to know him quite well, and they had already had sex plenty of times. Even if it was a date, he had nothing to worry about, right?

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Blaine decided not to think too much into it. He was just going to go out and have fun with Kurt, and that was it. If anything else happened, good or bad, he would deal with it when the time came.

*

Not much later, Blaine pulled the door open to find Kurt standing there, looking as gorgeous as ever, and gaping a little at Blaine.

"Blaine, you..." he mumbled, eyes raking up and down Blaine's body. "Fuck. You look amazing."

Blaine felt the kind of warmth in his cheeks that told him he was blushing furiously, but he tried to ignore it. He self-consciously ran his hand down his grey button down. "Uhm. Thank you."

"I love this look on you," Kurt licked his lips as he took a step forward. His blue eyes fixed on Blaine's tight dark-washed jeans, and he hooked a finger through the belt loop. "You even lost the glasses," he murmured, looking into Blaine's hazel gaze.

Blaine bit his lip. "Yeah. I don't wear contacts often, because they are kind of uncomfortable after a while, but I thought..."

Kurt cut him off with a kiss, a passionate, desperate kiss that had Blaine whimpering into his mouth in a matter of seconds. When he pulled away, he simply smirked. "Like I said, you look amazing."

"O-okay," Blaine managed a smile. He took his time to actually look at Kurt now. "You look amazing, too. Not that it's a surprise though, because you always do."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but it was obvious he was pleased with the compliment. He was wearing tight black leggings that made Blaine's mouth water at how long and lean they made his legs look, tucked into knee-high boots, with a striped red and white shirt that left part of his shoulders exposed. His smooth, pale skin looked so good, peeking out to tempt him, and it was hard to resist leaning in and start sucking on it. Then he noticed Kurt was also carrying a small duffel bag.

"Oh," Kurt said, when he realized Blaine was looking at it. "Yeah. I thought I might stay the night? That is, if you don't mind. I wouldn't want to drive all the way back to Lima after I've been drinking..."

Blaine was the one to interrupt him with a kiss this time. He nibbled on his bottom lip. "If you thought I was going to let you go without asking you to spend the night, you were very, very wrong."

"Uhm, was I?" Kurt teased, his breath warming Blaine's skin. For a moment, it seemed they were both considering skipping their plans and staying in, but then Kurt sighed dramatically and took a step back to clear his thoughts. "I'd like a tour, please. I'm dying to see what Blaine Anderson's place looks like."

"Oh, sure, yeah," Blaine said, shaking his head. "That was rude to keep you standing in the doorway. Come on in."

He took Kurt's bag before he could protest, and showed him around the apartment. Kurt didn't comment on the numerous stacks of books piled on every available surface, but he did smile in a fond way at the sight, making Blaine's heart melt in his chest.

When they made it into the bedroom, Blaine put the bag on the bed, and Kurt immediately gestured towards his closet, asking silent permission to take a look, with a teasing smile.

Blaine chuckled. "Go ahead. I'll go tie my bowtie while you're judging me," he said, touching the untied bowtie hanging from his neck.

"No, wait!" Kurt exclaimed instantly, reaching for his arm to stop him. "You actually look really sexy just like this."

"Oh, I-I do?" Blaine asked, blinking incredulously.

Kurt tugged on the ends of the bowtie, his voice sultry and low. "Mm. Very."

"Well, then," Blaine muttered in a squeaky voice.

"Your apartment is lovely," Kurt commented, standing so close. "It's so you. I would've known this is where you live even if you hadn't told me."

"I feel like there's a nerd joke hiding in there," Blaine said thoughtfully.

"Nope," Kurt whispered, leaning in, very slowly. "No jokes at all. Learn how to accept a compliment, Anderson."

"Thank you," Blaine managed to say before Kurt was pressing their lips together again.

Kurt hummed into the kiss and ended it before Blaine really had time to push for more. "If we keep doing this, we're never going out."

"I don't see a big problem with that," Blaine answered, as he trailed little kisses on Kurt's jaw.

"I'm failing to see a problem, too, but that doesn't mean I don't want to go out for a while anyway," Kurt mumbled, exposing his neck so Blaine could brush his lips on it, looking for that spot that made Kurt melt into him completely. "I rarely have a chance to go out and have fun, unless you count going to Scandals, and I definitely don't."

That was enough for Blaine to find his self-control. He knew Kurt couldn't be free in Lima, couldn't do what he wanted, couldn't go out and relax like anyone else, and that's exactly what Blaine wanted to give him tonight. And every night.

"So," he cleared his throat, but he still sounded hoarse and Kurt smirked. "The place we're going..."

"Oh, yes!" Kurt said enthusiastically. "What is it like?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Blaine admitted. "I've never been there, but it looks like a nice bar, and it's walking distance from here, which means we won't have to worry about driving home at the end of the night."

"That sounds like a good idea," Kurt conceded. He offered his hand to Blaine. "Ready to go?"

Blaine didn't hesitate before taking it.

*

The bar Blaine had mentioned was an English style pub called Pints. Despite being crowded, Kurt immediately approved, saying it still managed to look sophisticated even in the semi-darkness with loud music playing.

Blaine wasn't a fan of crowded places, but he stuck close to Kurt to not lose him in the sea of people around them. They made it to the bar where Kurt ordered a couple of drinks, and they toasted the bookshop's opening, making Blaine grin proudly.

"By the way," Kurt said, putting his beer down on the bar after taking a sip. "I haven't asked you what you're going to call it!"

"What I'm going to call it?" Blaine repeated, looking confused.

"The bookshop," Kurt explained. "It will have a name, won't it?"

"Yeah, but I haven't decided on one yet," Blaine frowned. He had been thinking about it for a while, but he just couldn't decide.

"I'm sure you'll find the ideal one," Kurt said, leaning closer and nudging their shoulders together. "You're a little bookworm, so I wouldn't be surprised if you found a place or a character from one of the books you like..."

"Isn't this when you say I should call it The Shire because I look like a hobbit?" Blaine teased and Kurt laughed.

"Your words, Anderson, not mine," Kurt retorted playfully. He looked around and noticed a few people were dancing, even though it clearly didn't have a dance floor. He finished his beer and grabbed Blaine's hand. "Hey, let's dance."

Blaine's eyes went a little wide. He hadn't danced in a very long time, and he hadn't expected Kurt to want to, either. He let him guide him anyway, until they were pressed together tightly amongst the people who were already dancing to some song Blaine had never heard before. Kurt's arms immediately wrapped around his neck, until there wasn't one single inch of him that wasn't against Kurt, feeling the heat of his body and the shift of his muscles as he danced.

Being close like this was amazing, and somehow felt even more intimate than sex. Kurt was looking into his eyes, with throngs of people around them, pushing them even closer. Blaine could feel sweat on his forehead and his back, but he didn't care. This was fun. It was arousing and liberating, and he never wanted to stop.

Kurt was teasing him, his lips close to his, brushing against the corner of his mouth without really touching them, so Blaine tried to chase him, to kiss him, but Kurt smiled roguishly and moved slightly farther away, eliciting a little groan of frustration out of him.

"All this dancing is making me thirsty," Kurt murmured in his ear after a few songs. "Do you want another drink?"

Honestly, Blaine didn't want to let go of him at all, but he had to admit he needed to drink something. His mouth was dry and pasty at the same time. He nodded.

Intertwining their fingers, they wove through the thick mass of people to the outskirts of the dancers on the floor. Blaine was left watching everyone dance, and breathing a little easier while Kurt went to the bar, insisting he wanted to get the next round, in spite of Blaine's protests.

It had only been a couple of minutes when Blaine felt a hand settling on the small of his back. He turned with a smile, expecting to see Kurt there, but blinked in numb shock when it turned out not to be him.

"Hi, Blaine," Josh said, grinning avidly. "How unexpected to find you here."

"Oh hi, Josh," Blaine answered him coldly.

"What's a little librarian like you doing in a place like this?" He asked, leaning a bit closer into his personal space. Blaine suspected he'd already had a few drinks.

"That's really no concern of yours, is it?" Blaine put his hands on Josh's chest and tried to push him away. "Now please, just leave me alone."

"Let me buy you a drink," Josh stayed glued to his side, looking at him with hungry eyes.

"No, thank you, I'm not interested," Blaine said firmly. "And I'm serious. Just leave me alone. I have no interest in talking to you or having a drink with you."

"Why don't we do some dancing, huh?" Josh muttered, his hands coming to rest on Blaine's shoulders, one of them slowly moving up to cup his cheek. "I know for a fact that you know how to move those hips..."

"Josh, leave me alone," Blaine said angrily, trying to peel his sweaty hands off him. "I don't want to dance with you!"

"I've been waiting for you to call me to say you changed your mind," Josh whispered in his ear, before licking at the shell, "so I can fuck you again."

Blaine's heart pounded so hard against his chest he was sure he would have a heart attack. Josh had somehow backed him against a concrete column and he felt like he couldn't breathe with the bigger man pressing so close to him, so strong, trapping him there...

"Let go of me, Josh," Blaine exclaimed ineffectually, once again trying to push him away without much success.

Josh moved even closer, although Blaine hadn't thought that could even be possible. "Come on baby, why don't we..."

Fingers wrapped around Josh's wrist where he was cupping Blaine's face and yanked him away, almost into a passing waiter. Kurt looked at him as if he was nothing but trash. "Didn't your mother teach you not to touch what isn't yours?" He asked in a brittle ominous tone.

Blaine suddenly saw how tense Kurt was, broad shoulders and back ramrod straight, staring down at Josh with his lips set in an angry line and his eyes hooded. He had never seen Kurt look like this...

"And who the hell are you?" Josh snapped, anger taking over him. "Blaine and I were..."

"There is no Blaine and you," Kurt interrupted, taking an aggressive step closer to him. Blaine put a warning hand on his arm, in case he needed to stop him from doing something crazy, but neither of them took any notice of him. "He was telling you to back off and you're too much of an asshole to listen to what he says."

Josh laughed raucously, to Blaine's surprise. "Oh god, please tell me you aren't trying to get into his pants. I've already been there, you know, and it's totally not worth the hassle. Little Blaine here can't deal with one night stands, though I agree that he has a delectable ass..."

Josh's sneer was cut off by Kurt grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him towards him like a rag doll. Blaine had never seen his blue eyes look so coldly hard before. "Why don't you shut the fuck up," he growled, and it wasn't a question. His menacing voice sent a shiver down Blaine's spine. "If you don't know how to do that, I'll be happy to help you," his right hand was already clenched into a fist, and they were starting to attract the attention of the people around them.

"Kurt, don't," Blaine whispered, putting a pleading hand on his shoulder. Blaine could feel that he was so tense it was almost painful. "It's okay. It's not worth it."

"It's not okay," Kurt spat angrily. "He has no right to force himself on you like that!"

"Let's just go," Blaine insisted, because he didn't want Kurt to get in trouble. "He isn't worth wasting our time. Let's go home."

Kurt didn't seem quite ready to let go of Josh yet. Blaine wrapped his arms around him, gently pulling him until his back was against Blaine's chest, hoping the contact would somehow relax him.

"Come on, sweetheart," Blaine murmured in his ear, soothingly. "Come on."

"If you ever touch him again, I will find you..." Kurt said through gritted teeth, leaning into Josh's personal space.

"Like I would go through this kind of shit for him," Josh answered insolently. "I have better things to do with my time..."

Kurt pushed him, making Josh stumble a few steps backwards. He glared at him one last time. "You have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

And just like that, Kurt turned, snaked his arm around Blaine's waist to pull him possessively against his side, and headed towards the exit. People moved aside to let them go, to avoid being the next a target of Kurt's fury.

The chilly night air raised goosebumps in Blaine's skin when they made it outside, or maybe it was just his reaction setting in. Kurt didn't say a word to him; he simply walked toward Blaine's apartment, his jaw still tense and his arm tightly clasped around him. Blaine shivered and instinctively snuggled closer to him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly once they turned around the corner, when it seemed like they were a safe distance away from the bar.

Kurt finally looked at him in bafflement. "Why are you sorry?"

"I ruined our night out," Blaine answered, sadly. "You told me you don't often go out for fun and then I had to go and..."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Kurt interrupted firmly. "It was that asshole..."

"We can go somewhere else if you want," Blaine offered, a little desperately. "We don't have to go home already. There are other bars, we could..."

"No, it's okay," Kurt stopped on the curb before crossing the street to face Blaine fully. He ran his fingers tenderly through the curls on Blaine's neck. "I just... I just want to be with you right now, okay? Just us."

Blaine licked his lips and nodded, feeling his apprehension float away on the evening breeze. Yeah, he really liked the way that sounded. "Just us," he echoed.

*

As soon as they made it back to Blaine's apartment, they went straight to the bedroom and peeled each other's clothes off, carefully taking their time to fold them on a chair, occasionally sharing quick pecks and long glances, but barely touching the other's skin. Finally they slipped into bed, gravitating towards the middle, until they were entwined under the blankets, Blaine's head against Kurt's chest, his heart thumping against his ear.

"I'm sorry if I lost control a little. I didn't mean to make a scene," Kurt murmured in a low voice, fingers brushing the hair on Blaine's arm.

"Don't apologize, Kurt," Blaine dropped a kiss to his collarbone. "I actually want to thank you. I was getting really nervous because I couldn't push him away..."

"I hate entitled people like him," Kurt closed his eyes and sighed tiredly. "People who think they have the right to take what isn't theirs, without thinking of the consequences or the feelings of other person."

"I should've realized what an ass he is," Blaine said, disappointed in himself. "He's a teacher at Dalton..."

"That asshole is in charge of influencing young minds?! Oh god..." Kurt frowned in distaste.

"Yeah. He asked me out a bunch of times, and I thought he really cared about me so when I finally agreed to go to dinner with him..." Blaine bit his lip. He really wasn't proud of what had happened with Josh. "Well... we ended up having sex. But... I clearly read a lot more into it than there actually was. It was just another fuck to him, and afterward I felt so... used. Disgusting."

Kurt wordlessly stroked his hair, clearly not knowing how to soothe Blaine, without knowing that he already was doing an amazing job at that by simply being there. They were silent for a while, enjoying how comfortable they were together.

"I really hate that he ever touched you," Kurt finally whispered, so quietly that Blaine wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not. He looked up to find Kurt biting his lip, looking very upset. "I just wanted to rip his arms off so he wouldn't ever be able to do it again."

Blaine stopped breathing for a moment with the sudden realization that Kurt was jealous. He really was jealous of another man touching him. It wasn't a product of his imagination. The way he had acted, the things he had said... they were all because he was jealous. Didn't your mother teach you not to touch what isn't yours? Those words had sounded so possessive...

"I don't want to be touched by anyone but you," Blaine whispered, shifting slowly so he could hover over him face to face, to look in each other's eyes. "Only you, Kurt. This is the first time it's ever felt right..."

Kurt surged forward, capturing Blaine's mouth in a deep kiss. Words weren't necessary, because actions spoke louder. They kissed, clinging to each other, tongues moving together, lips sliding slickly, moans being pulled out of the other with every new angle.

"Touch me," Blaine moaned against Kurt's lips. "Touch me the way only you can, Kurt, please..."

"Yes," Kurt groaned, his hips bucking up on their own accord. He buried his fingers in Blaine's curls and pulled him back down for another kiss, keeping him in place until they both were breathless, panting into each other's mouth.

Kurt soon had Blaine exactly where they both wanted him – on his knees, legs spread wide, biting onto the pillow he was holding to stifle the desperate sounds that were trying to break out of him. Kurt kissed a trail down his spine, moving torturously slowly.

"Is this what you want?" Kurt asked, biting around the dimples above his ass.

Blaine exhaled loudly. "Anything, Kurt. Anything, as long as it's you."

"Did you do this with him?" Kurt's question was in a calm voice, but the way the mood seemed to shift in the room let Blaine know the answer was important to him.

"N-no," he replied, sincerely.

Kurt hummed in gratification, and then spread Blaine, one hand on each cheek, and looked down at him, taking in the view. "Good," and just like that, he leaned down and licked him where he was so sensitive.

It felt like Kurt was breaking him in pieces with every swipe of his tongue. Blaine had never done this with anyone, not before Kurt. The first time Kurt's mouth had gone near his entrance like that, he had tensed, suddenly nervous and unsure. It just felt too intimate, a lot more than the other things they'd done, but Blaine drowned in his urges and finally surrendered to let Kurt kiss him in a way no one had ever kissed him before.

His tongue silky soft and perfect, every flick sending flashes of pleasure and electricity all over his body in the best way. And then afterward, sated together, with their breathing slowing, when the sheets were sweaty and stained with their come, and they were coming down from their orgasms, Blaine had confessed to Kurt, how new and nerve-wracking it felt. Kurt had kissed him slowly and sweet, and smiled. Blaine knew he could never regret giving Kurt something he'd never given to his past boyfriends. Even if this wasn't a real relationship to Kurt, it meant so much to him. It meant everything. It was worth everything.

Now, Kurt moaned, his lips pressed against the sensitive skin surrounding his hole, Blaine's heady taste already filling his senses. Blaine reacted to the vibration that seemed to travel up his spine, sending shocks through every inch of his body, his arms tightening around the pillow he was whimpering into and clutching to his chest like a lifeline.

Blaine's cock was hard and leaking already, begging to be touched, but he liked it like this, with Kurt licking his orgasm out of him, making it grow with every brush of his tongue. It was wild and dirty in all the best ways.

Kurt's fingers spread his cheeks apart as far as he could, making Blaine moan at how tight his skin felt, before another even louder moan was torn from him when Kurt finally thrust his tongue inside, wet and warm, and started fucking him with it, making the filthiest, most sinful noises Blaine had heard in his life.

It didn't take long – it never did. Just thinking about what Kurt was doing to him was enough to make him come, and adding the sensations, the warmth of Kurt's breath, his saliva making him so wet, it was too much to take.

His cock pulsed through his release completely untouched, come painting the sheets beneath them. Kurt groaned when he felt Blaine clenching around his tongue, and pushed him through it with a couple of extra deep twisting thrusts. Blaine shook, moaned and spasmed, pleasure becoming the only thing he was capable of feeling, until his twitching muscles couldn't hold him anymore and he collapsed on his own mess, immediately missing the feeling of Kurt's perfect mouth on him.

Kurt crawled up his body, dropping kisses on random spots of his back until he stopped, lying fully on top of him, teeth scraping the back of his neck. His writhing hips ground his erection against Blaine's ass, fucking between his cheeks, slick with his own spit. It only took a few thrusts for him to come all over Blaine's ass and the small of his back, his breathy, high-pitched wrecked moans almost making Blaine hard again.

They were silent for a while, until Kurt was able to move again and shifted so he wouldn't crush Blaine, settling next to him. They looked at each other, faces half buried in their pillows, lazy satiated smiles on their lips. They knew they had to get up to clean up, and change the sheets, but for a moment, they allowed themselves not to care about anything and simply stayed there, lost in the other's eyes and feeling like that connection was, at least for now, more than enough.