Blaine

Blaine returned to the karaoke room, muttering, “Fuckedity fuck fuck.”

Jeff slapped him on the back of his head. “You let Kurt leave!”

Blaine rubbed the sore spot. “Ow, that hurt!”

Wes walked over to Blaine. “Let’s see if I’ve got this right. You meet a gorgeous single gay man who happens to like bowling. Not only did he join your league, but you guys hang out all the time. You’re crazy about him. You want to let Kurt know how you feel on Valentine’s Day. You buy him flowers and make a card, then tell him to meet you at the bowling alley for a surprise. We then serenade him with a few songs.”

“At least we didn’t sing about sex toys or blowing whistles,” Thad joked.

When the sniggering died down, Wes continued, “You have candles scattered around your apartment, a romantic playlist ready to go, and cheesecake in the fridge. Everything was set for a perfect evening.”

Blaine dropped his head, thinking of how he prepared for a special night. “I don’t know what went wrong.”

“Us, you big doofus!” David hollered. “Bowling and karaoke with your high school friends aren’t anyone’s ideas of a romantic evening.” 

“But I thought he would like you guys and we would have fun,” Blaine rationalized.

Jeff wrapped his arm around Blaine and gave him a side hug. “We could have all met up tomorrow night. I know Kurt likes you. You better step up your game before Kurt loses interest.”

Blaine nodded, knowing deep down that Jeff was right. He had to fix things. But how?

Tuesday night, the bowling finals

“Hey, handsome. Long time no see!” Blaine exclaimed when Kurt walked into the alley.

“Hey. It hasn’t been that long. We saw each other on Friday night. I’ve been busy with classes and work.”

Blaine looked at Kurt affectionately. “I still missed you.” 

“You’ve got me now.”

“Nick and Jeff are already at the alley, and I put your bowling gear there. We’ve got an hour to warm up before the finals begin.”

Blaine took hold of Kurt’s soft warm hand, led him to the alley, and greeted their teammates. When Kurt took off his winter coat, Blaine couldn’t keep his eyes off him.

The shirt had the team’s name “Blaine’s Ball Busters” written on the back, and a badge with Kurt’s name was stitched on the front. 

A warm feeling bubbled inside Blaine; Kurt looked as if he belonged to him. Forever a fashionista, Kurt had accessorized the bowling outfit with a complementary cravat. 

“Blaine, did you bring your A-game tonight?” Jeff asked with a wink. 

Blaine appreciated the double entendre in Jeff’s question. “You bet I did. Did you see the blog post about Bowling Explosion practicing from midnight to dawn at the other bowling venue that shall not be named?”

Nick scratched his chin. “The blog post?” 

“Do none of you read the bowling league blogs?” Blaine huffed. 

Kurt chuckled. “No, Blaine, we don't. None of us read the bowling league blogs. Just you.” 

Blaine stood up, solidly and at the ready. “Jean Baptiste bragged that they would show us no mercy tonight. But we’ll crush them like a bug.”

The Bowling Explosions team soon arrived at the alley next to theirs. After each team had a chance to warm up, Jean Baptiste walked over to Kurt. 

“I finally figured out where I’ve seen you before. You used to be in the Nude Erections.”

Kurt placed a hand on his hips and gave Jean his best bitch face. “I don’t remember you from my show choir days. You were probably in the audience watching the NEW DIRECTIONS win nationals.” Kurt picked up a rosin powder bag to dry his hands and turned to his teammates. “I’m ready to roll.”

Blaine shook Jean’s hand. “Let the best team win.”

There was quite a crowd behind the two alleys, cheering the teams on. Blaine knew that everyone was bowling their best, but Bowling Explosion was proving difficult to beat. Blaine’s Ball Busters had one remaining frame in the last game of the tournament. The tension in the air was palpable; the winners would depend upon this throw. 

Blaine walked over to Kurt who was waiting for the bowling pins to reset. “You just need to bowl a spare. You’re on fire tonight. Block out everything around you.”

“I can do it. I know I can,” Kurt assured him. He picked up his ball and positioned himself behind the foul line. After a couple of minutes, he turned to Blaine. “I think something is wrong. The bowling pins haven’t reset.”

Blaine wondered how they could have such bad luck. It would take a while for someone to fix the pin setter. 

“The alley is free next to us,” a member of Bowling Explosion called out. “Unless you want to concede the game.”

“Not a chance!” Kurt huffed.

As Blaine’s Ball Busters walked to the spare alley, their supporters changed positions to watch the last frame. Kurt walked with purpose onto the lane. Blaine held his breath and crossed his fingers.

Kurt swung the ball back and raced up to the fault line, but he slipped and slid. He released the ball, which barreled backward to hit Blaine, who fell to the ground in pain. Blaine moved to his side and somehow pressed a few buttons on the alley’s master remote control. The water sprinklers were set off and the LED lights strobed multiple colors. The crowd shrieked as they ran for cover.

Kurt rushed over to Blaine and knelt by his side. “Honey, are you okay?”

Blaine rubbed his ankle. “I don’t think anything is broken.”

Jeff, Nick, and Trent joined them. “What happened?” Trent asked.

“The alley was so slippery. I think someone oiled it.”

“Sabotage!” Jeff exclaimed. 

Unique was soon there with her master remote. She shut off the sprinklers and the LED lighting while two staff members began to mop the area. Marley arrived with towels so that they could dry off.

Kurt lifted Blaine and set him on a chair. “Still good? Are you feeling dizzy?”

“No, I’m okay. Did you call me ‘honey’?” 

Kurt’s flushed cheeks were the only confirmation Blaine needed that he heard correctly, and butterflies fluttered in his stomach.

He held Kurt’s hand while Unique knelt to check out Blaine’s ankle, gently rotating it.

“I bet you didn’t think the first person you would treat after your CPR & First Aid certification would be me,” Blaine said. 

“Shush you. Nothing appears broken. You should go to the ER for an x-ray to be sure.”

Blaine rotated his ankle. “I think it’s good.”

Jean Baptiste came over holding an empty spray bottle of mineral oil and a trophy. Customers began to regroup near them. “I got to the bottom of it. A member of my team oiled the alley, and got a friend to sneak behind to switch off the pin setter.”

“So, it was sabotage!” Nick shouted.

Jean pursed his lips and nodded. “Blaine, I’m very sorry. Jimmy did this without me knowing, and he’s now off the team. I’ll make sure he pays for any damages and medical bills.” Jean handed the trophy to Blaine. “We concede the game. Blaine’s Ball Busters were the clear winners. Kurt would have easily bowled a spare or a strike.”

The customers clapped when Blaine accepted the trophy and shook hands with Jea. He was pleased to find out that Jean had a sense of honor. When a staff member handed him an extra trophy, Blaine remembered that there was one more award to hand out.

“This wasn’t exactly the way I expected the tournament to end. Never say that bowling is boring.” He paused for the customers’ laughter, then continued, “We also have the most valuable player award. This year it goes to… Kurt Hummel.”

The customers cheered while Blaine handed the trophy to Kurt. 

Kurt’s face broke out in a huge grin. “Thank you! I only started bowling again in the new year, and it has been a lot of fun.” Kurt turned to his teammates. “I’ve made a lot of new friends.”

Unique came over with two large bags of ice for Blaine. “Your ankle is beginning to swell. You better go to your apartment. You need to raise your leg and ice it.”

“Gimme your keys and we’ll help you upstairs,” Nick said.

Blaine dug the keys out of his pocket and gave them to Nick. Jeff and Kurt were by his side and helped him up. As soon Blaine put some weight on his right leg, he winced in pain. The next thing he knew, Kurt had scooped him up and was cradling him in his arms. “It’ll be easier if I carry you.”

Blaine immediately wrapped his arms around Kurt’s neck. “I’m not too heavy for you?”

Kurt playfully rolled his eyes. “I’ve had to lift girls much bigger and heavier than you in dance class.”

Blaine nuzzled into Kurt’s neck, enjoying his masculine scent combined with a trace of cologne. He marveled at Kurt’s strength, feeling warm and safe in his arms. Nick took the lead up the stairs, and Jeff trailed behind with the bags of ice. Nick unlocked and opened the apartment door. Blaine closed his eyes, wondering what Kurt would think when he saw the living area.

“Wow, Blaine. Now I know what happened with the Valentine’s Day balloons and decorations,” Kurt remarked.

Kurt carefully put him down on the sofa and lifted his leg on a couple of stacked throw cushions. He then put a bag of ice on Blaine’s ankle. 

“We’re gonna leave you guys. Do you need anything?” Jeff asked.

“No, I think I’m good,” Blaine replied.

“I’ll stay with Blaine tonight to make sure he’s okay. I’ll text you tomorrow about how he’s doing,” Kurt said.

Once Nick and Jeff had left, Blaine said, “You don’t have to spend the night if you don’t want to.”

Kurt sat down on the couch. “I’m not leaving you on your own, especially since it was my rogue bowling bowl that attacked you.” He glanced around the room. “Unless you’re expecting someone special. There’s a lot of candles around the place…”

“It’s all for you,” Blaine blurted out. He then instantly regretted saying it when he saw Kurt’s shocked expression.

“Moi?”

Blaine knew it was time to man up and let Kurt know how he felt. “I…I’m crazy about you. After your first night at the bowling alley, it felt like we had an instant connection. Later that night, I said to myself, ‘Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever.’ When we started to hang out and I got to know you better, I really didn’t want to screw things up. I hoped that we would get together on Valentine’s Day so I set things up here. But as my Warbler friends pointed out, I gave you the wrong message by inviting you to bowl and sing karaoke with them.” Blaine ducked his head. “I’m not very good at romance.”

Kurt leaped off the couch to sit on the other side, lifting Blaine’s head and placing it on his lap. “I like you, too. A. Lot. I was going to ask you on a date for Valentine’s Day, but then you invited me to meet you at the alley.”

Blaine could hardly suppress his squeal. He and Kurt were on the same page. 

Blaine could then feel a shift in the air, a tension that wasn’t there before. His gaze shifted from Kurt’s eyes to lips, going down further, before meeting his eyes again. He ended up blurting out, “May I kiss you?”

Kurt cupped the side of Blaine’s face, leaned down, and pressed their lips together. Blaine could feel his body tingle as their lips slid together. He couldn’t resist carding his fingers in Kurt’s hair; it was as soft as it looked. Kurt slowly pulled away, smiling at Blaine.

“I wish I wasn’t lying down with an ice compress on my ankle.”

“Maybe we can lie down on your bed later,” Kurt suggested.

Blaine took Kurt’s hand in his. He was definitely on board with this idea. “I’d like that.”

Kurt’s stomach growled. “Sorry. I didn’t eat dinner before the tournament.”

“I’ll order some food from downstairs. What do you feel like eating?”

“Since we won the league tournament, let’s splash out. I wanna cheeseburger,” Kurt said.

While Blaine ordered the food, Kurt flitted around the room lighting the candles. Fifteen minutes later, they were munching on cheeseburgers and fries, washing their meal down with vanilla milkshakes. They talked about the tournament, then made date plans for the rest of the month. They were definitely a couple now… at least he hoped.

After they had finished the meal, Kurt went to the kitchen to make some coffee and returned with a tray that included the heart-shaped mini cheesecakes that Blaine had bought earlier in the day. They took turns feeding each other bites, and Blaine loved watching Kurt practically purr with every taste. But then, Kurt suddenly appeared nervous, eyes darting around the apartment.

“I can practically see your mind swirling.”

Kurt set down his coffee mug. “I’m probably gonna scare you off.”

Blaine held Kurt’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the top. “I seriously doubt it. What’s on your mind?”

“There’s one thing I need you to know if we’re gonna be an item. I don’t do casual. When I’m in, I’m all in. I really like you, and I think we could be something special. What do you say?”

Blaine’s heart raced. This was like a dream come true. “Sweetheart, I want us to be a couple. The exclusive kind.”

Kurt’s face lit up. “You’ll never get rid of me now.”

“I certainly hope not.”

In spite of Blaine’s sore ankle, this had turned out to be the best night ever. They’d won the bowling championship, and more importantly, Blaine had won Kurt as his boyfriend. Double score!