Part two

'Hi, boys,' Blaine's mother said as he and Kurt entered the kitchen a few minutes later. 'Are you staying for dinner, Kurt? I was going to order take-out.'

'Actually...' Blaine hesitated, just now realizing that (for obvious reasons) he had never asked his parents to let Kurt stay over before, and he didn't really know what their policy on sleepovers were. 'We were wondering if Kurt could spend the night. With me,' he added meaningfully.

Blaine's mother looked confusedly from one boy to the other as though she wasn't quite sure what the appropriate response was. It occurred to Blaine that maybe she thought it was one of those teenage trick questions where she was really supposed to say no, because Blaine didn't want to do it himself.

'It's okay, Mom. I asked him to. He knows, remember?'

'Right. Of course. Good.' She smiled fondly at Kurt. 'He sleeps on a mattress on the floor though.'

'Mom!' Blaine protested. 'I'm seventeen years old. Almost eighteen,' he added, knowing it was a bit of a stretch, when his birthday was in March, but it seemed to make his mother reconsider all the same.

'Your dad wouldn't like it,' she said slowly.

'Dad isn't here. Please, Mom?' Blaine looked imploringly at his mother, trying to convey with his eyes how much it would mean to him. It seemed like the right way to arrange their first sleepover; impulsive and spur-of-the-moment when it felt right, rather than planned days in advance giving both of them time to wonder if it was really a good idea.

'Fine,' she said finally, and Blaine made a quiet noise of triumph. He caught Kurt's eye, and they grinned happily at each other. 'Door stays open though.' She turned to Kurt. 'This okay with your parents?'

'I'll ask them now,' Kurt said when he had wiped the grin off his face. He pulled out his phone and gestured that he would make the call privately in the hall.

As Kurt left the room, Blaine moved to the other side of the kitchen island to stand next to his mother, leaning his arms against the counter. There was a small stack of take-out menus in front of her, which she had evidently been in the middle of choosing between, when Blaine and Kurt had interrupted her. Blaine smiled goofily. 'So where are we ordering from?'

'I was thinking... Thai... or Italian.' She held up two different menus. 'What do you think?'

'Thai, definitely,' Blaine said. 'Kurt prefers Thai.'

'Okay, then. Thai it is,' she said and put aside every menu but the one for the Thai place, which she spread out on the counter. They poured over the menu for a while, the silence broken only by the muffled sound of Kurt's phone conversation in the hall, but after a few moments Blaine's mother spoke again, her tone serious. 'Kurt – he's a good kid, right?'

Blaine looked up at his mother, confused by the question. 'Yes?'

'I just mean, he wouldn't try anything with you that you're not ready for?'

Blaine blushed. The last time he had had "the talk" with his mother, he had been thirteen years old, and given that he had still been in the closet at the time, the conversation had made him extremely uncomfortable. Or maybe it was just uncomfortable in general, he realized. 'No, Mom. He wouldn't.'

'And you can always say no, you know that, right?' she continued, her voice soft and keeping eye contact.

Blaine blinked. This was probably the most interest his mother had shown in his life in a long time, and he was torn between feeling sad and happy at the realization. He nodded. 'Yes. I know.'

'Good,' she said. 'And if you have questions... about anything... you can come to me, all right?'

Blaine bit back a rude retort about her bloated work schedule and instead smiled appreciatively. 'Thanks, Mom.'

She gave a tiny nod and Blaine thought he heard her let out a small sigh of relief. Apparently he wasn't the only one who found the topic uncomfortable.

'They said okay!'

Blaine and his mother looked around as Kurt strode back into the kitchen, all smiles, and Blaine's mother clapped her hands together. 'Wonderful! Slumber party it is.'

Blaine snorted and rolled his eyes. 'Mom, I said I'm seventeen. Not seven.'

'I know, silly,' she said with a fond smile. 'Listen, you boys pick whatever you want from the menu. A number three for me. I'm gonna go upstairs and take a shower.'

When she had left the room, Blaine grinned again at Kurt. 'I can't believe they said yes.'

'Me either,' Kurt said as he took Blaine's mother's place beside Blaine and glanced at the menu. 'Not that it was easy. My dad made me swear on my Lady Gaga boots thatyes, there's a parent in the house and no, nothing "inappropriate" is gonna happen.'

Blaine giggled. 'Too bad something inappropriate has already happened.'

Kurt's lips quirked, but he kept his face and tone mock-serious when he replied. 'Yes, well, you're gonna have to keep your hands to yourself tonight, because I'm just not ready to part with those boots. I have nothing else that goes with that outfit.'

'If "keeping my hands to myself" is supposed to include cuddles, I'm afraid I can't promise that,' Blaine said, faking regret. 'I'm a cuddler. You have been warned.'

'Mm, I think we can work something out,' Kurt said, snaking an arm around Blaine's waist, drawing him closer. 'Besides, what my dad doesn't know can't, you know, give him a heart attack.'

When the food arrived half an hour later, the three of them ate together in the kitchen. As usual Blaine's mother was preoccupied with her laptop, but for once Blaine didn't mind, because Kurt was here, and he had eyes only for him. Eating together like this, knowing Kurt wasn't going to have to leave afterward, felt so wonderfully domestic. They talked and laughed and held hands across the table, and they took turns feeding each other bits of food. Blaine had a sudden flash of their future together, sharing an apartment in New York, where they would be able to do this kind of thing every day. He had never really dared to think about that before.

After dinner they left Blaine's mother to her work in the kitchen and went to the living room to watch TV, sitting close together, their hands resting warmly on Blaine's thigh, fingers intertwined. It wasn't long before Blaine started yawning, though. He dimly noted that he didn't even really know what they were watching – some rerun of some reality show or other – and he dropped his head onto Kurt's shoulder, closing his eyes every now and then, content to just be as close to Kurt as possible, enjoying the sound and the way his body shook when he laughed at the on-screen antics.

'Tired, honey?' Kurt asked after a while.

'No. I mean yes, but this is good,' Blaine mumbled, shifting a little as though that proved his point.

'Your neck's going to get all stiff if you keep sitting like that,' Kurt pointed out. 'Andthen what are we gonna do tomorrow?'

Blaine could hear the smile in Kurt's voice, and he wanted to joke that he was hurt Kurt only cared about his ability to perform, but he couldn't really muster the energy, so instead the only sound he made was a low 'Mmm,' as his eyes drooped again.

'Do you wanna go to bed?'

'Mm, no. 's too early. And you're watching that. I like when you laugh.' Blaine's brain was starting to go fuzzy.

Kurt chuckled. 'Okay, sleepy head. But at least get more comfortable. C'mere.' Kurt moved so he was leaning against the armrest and he stretched out his legs, spreading them a little and motioning for Blaine to sit in between. Blaine did so happily and he sighed in warm contentment as he lay back against Kurt's chest and his arms wrapped tenderly around Blaine's middle. 'Better?'

'Mm, much. Thank you.'

Blaine quickly drifted off to near sleep, half aware of his surroundings still, but losing track of time. Every now and then he would jerk awake slightly, wondering where he was and why he could feel another person's heartbeat, but then he would remember, smile to himself and doze off again. After a while he heard his mother's voice and he opened his eyes, looking blearily at her as she bid them goodnight, explaining that she had an early morning the next day. Blaine sat up quickly, then, suddenly wide awake, and Kurt startled behind him.

'But Mom, it's Saturday,' he protested, still blinking a little against the light in the living room. 'Sectionals. You said you'd be there.'

'I know,' his mother replied, her tone apologetic. 'I'm sorry, sweetie. But you know how it is.' That Blaine did. 'Since we landed that big contract, things have been extra hectic. I have to go in tomorrow, at least for a few hours. I'll be there next time, I promise.' She frowned in concentration for a moment before adding, 'When's the next time?'

'February. Regionals,' Blaine replied shortly. 'If we win tomorrow.'

Blaine's mother smiled. 'I'm sure you will.' She was trying to sound supportive, Blaine knew, but it felt empty and all he could think was How would she know? She's never seen us perform. 'I'll be cheering for you from the office.'

When his mother had gone upstairs, Blaine felt Kurt's comforting hand on his shoulder. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, it's fine.' Blaine sighed and leaned back into Kurt's embrace. 'I don't know why I'm even surprised anymore.'

'Has it always been like this with your parents?' Kurt asked quietly.

'I don't know. Sort of.' Blaine closed his eyes for a moment. 'My mom's sort of always been like this. Career before family. My dad was the one who wanted kids. So they had Cooper. I was never meant to happen, but my dad convinced her not to have an abortion.'

'They actually told you this?' Kurt sounded horrified, but Blaine just shrugged.

'They didn't have to. They fought about it often enough when I was little.'

'I'm sorry,' Kurt said, the arms around Blaine squeezing a little tighter. 'I never knew.'

'It's okay. It's not like I felt unloved or anything. I had Cooper. I know I complain about him sometimes, and he's a bit silly and full of himself, but he's a good brother, really. And Dad. I was always a bit of a... well, a daddy's girl.'

'So what happened? Kurt asked. 'With your dad, I mean.'

'Well, I told you, didn't I?' Blaine said, tensing a bit. '"Blaine" happened. Things got awkward after I came out and started living full-time as male. And then I went away to Dalton and barely saw him for two years. Things just haven't gone back to normal since.'

Kurt was quiet for a little while following this statement, and as Blaine turned his attention to the TV, he hoped the silence meant that they were done with the topic, but he knew they weren't.

'I know you think he's homophobic,' Kurt said slowly, as though he was choosing his words carefully. 'Or effeminophobic. I still don't really buy it though.'

'What do you mean you don't "buy it"?'

'I know I don't know him that well, but he just doesn't strike me as the type.'

'Er, Kurt?' Blaine said, lifting an eyebrow though he knew Kurt couldn't see because of the way they were sitting. 'You do remember when I told you about his family, right?'

'Well, yes,' Kurt conceded. 'But that's his family, not him. Plus didn't he also defy them by marrying your mom? And by not becoming some fancy lawyer type?'

'Yeah, those are two pretty big offenses. Guess he didn't want to risk striking out by adding another.' Blaine tried to keep his tone as even as possible.

'But he's never been anything but nice to me,' Kurt argued. 'And if we're comparing effeminacy here-'

'We're not,' Blaine said as he sat up and turned around to face Kurt, who watched him, a concerned frown on his face. 'It's different. You're not his son.'

'But have you tried talking to him? Explain where you're coming from?'

'And accomplish what? Blaine said, his voice tight. 'I know he's disappointed. I don't particularly need to hear him say it.'

'But what if he doesn't?'

Blaine stood up suddenly, rounding on Kurt and snapping, 'Stop trying to fix everything, Kurt. You can't.' A moment passed in which Kurt simply watched Blaine's sudden display of anger, an incredulous look on his face, but then Blaine closed his eyes, sighed and sat back down. 'I'm sorry. It's been a long week and I'm tired and cranky. I know you mean well, but can we please just drop the issue?'

Kurt nodded mutely, before turning off the TV and standing up, holding out a hand to Blaine. 'Let's go to bed, okay?'

Blaine nodded and took Kurt's hand gratefully, and together they proceeded upstairs, first to the bathroom where they brushed their teeth and Kurt borrowed what products Blaine had, remarking that, while he didn't usually let Finn near his products, he had made him promise to bring Kurt's own products to tomorrow's competition, so he could do a proper routine then. Afterward they went to Blaine's bedroom, where Blaine found a spare pair of pajamas for Kurt to wear, and he threw them on the bed in front of Kurt.

'You can get changed in the bathroom if you want.'

Kurt, however, was already in the process of removing his clothes and he quirked an eyebrow in response. 'Really, Blaine, you had your hand on my dick not five hours ago. You think I'm gonna get shy on you now?'

Blaine laughed awkwardly at that and grabbed his own pajamas. 'Okay, well, I'll just... go and...' He pointed towards the door, and when Kurt looked questioningly at him, he explained, 'I have to take off my binder when I sleep. I've already been wearing it too long today.'

'Oh,' Kurt said, catching on. 'I don't mind,' he said quickly. 'I mean, I won't look. I can turn around. You don't have to go.'

'Okay.' Blaine nodded, and as Kurt turned around, getting changed while facing the door, Blaine hurried through the process of removing his own clothes until he was stood only in his underwear and binder. He tugged his hand into his briefs and removed the packer, which he quickly hid away in a drawer. He usually just left it lying on the night table or the dresser, but he thought the situation was awkward enough already without his fake penis lying around the room.

Blaine hesitated before taking off the binder. He looked up at Kurt who had finished putting on his pajamas, but remained dutifully facing the door. Even though Blaine knew that Kurt wouldn't actually see anything, and that he wouldn't suddenly turn around screaming "GOTCHA", it felt like a lot to be getting undressed with Kurt in the room. Cooper was the only other person he had ever done that with since coming out, and even that had been difficult at first. It took Blaine a few moments to make the final decision, and when he did, he pulled off the binder in one quick movement, barely registering the relief to his back and chest, and made quick work of pulling on and buttoning the pajama top, before finally pulling on the bottoms.

Blaine glanced briefly in the mirror to check how visible his chest was. Thankfully he was fairly small-chested and the hormones had done their part to keep it that way, so he didn't have that much to hide, and the loose-fitting pajama top helped some, but the presence of a decidedly non-male chest was still obvious. There was nothing to be done about it, of course, and it wasn't like Kurt didn't know it was there, but Blaine still couldn't help the nerves that built up before he called out a soft 'Done,' allowing Kurt to turn around again.

Kurt, however, simply smiled at him and gestured at the bed, asking 'What side do you want?' and a few moments later they were lying in bed, Blaine on the left and Kurt on the right, the room dark and quiet around them. After a second Kurt shifted and Blaine let out an involuntary hiss when he felt his boyfriend's icy toes against his calves.

'You're cold,' Blaine whispered, though he was unsure why he should, since his parents' room was two doors down, and it was barely even eleven anyway.

'Mm, and you're warm,' Kurt mumbled tiredly and shifted again, slinging an arm around Blaine's waist and tugging at him until he got the message and moved to lie on his side, letting Kurt spoon himself around him. 'Deal with it.'

'All right, as long as you don't hog the covers,' Blaine said, smiling into the darkness.

'I make no promises,' came Kurt's response, and as Blaine felt Kurt's warm breath on the back of his neck, slowing down and steadying minute by minute, he thought to himself that Kurt could hog the covers all he wanted and keep Blaine awake with his cold toes all night long, and Blaine honestly wouldn't mind. As long as Kurt kept holding him like this, surrounding him and so reassuring in his mere presence.

Today, Blaine thought as he drifted off to sleep. Today was good.