Part two (of two)

'And remember, any question you don't want to answer, you just say so,' Kurt said as the car pulled into the driveway. He reached over and straightened Blaine's bow tie, although it was more for the gesture than anything. 'They don't get an all access pass just because they're my family.'

Blaine nodded mutely, his head twisted away from Kurt and staring out the window towards the house.

Kurt had made the suggestion to come here the previous night and Blaine had agreed that it would be a good idea to clear the air of any misunderstandings and that it might serve as a sort of practice run for Monday when he would be facing the entire school. He had been quiet all morning, however, and on the drive over to Kurt's house he had been getting steadily paler and paler. Kurt made a mental note to get Blaine a glass of water once they were inside.

'Ready?' Mrs. Anderson asked from the driver's seat and for a moment Blaine looked like he wanted to back down, but then he nodded determinedly.

They exited the car and not many moments later (too few probably, if you asked Blaine) Mrs. Anderson rang the doorbell, Kurt and Blaine standing side by side behind her. Kurt took Blaine's hand momentarily, squeezing reassuringly although he wasn't altogether sure Blaine noticed.

It wasn't until Kurt's dad opened the door that it occurred to Kurt that his and Blaine's parents had never met before, and he and Blaine shared a look as the adults made awkward first introductions. What a way to meet.

'Was that them?' came Finn's voice from the top of the stairs, and a moment later he stood in front of them in the hall. He gave Blaine his best friendly smile. 'Hi, Blaine.'

'Hi,' Blaine breathed, voice barely audible and eyes wide and staring. Kurt got the sudden feeling Blaine hadn't realized that Finn would be there.

'Please, come inside,' Carole said, gesturing towards the living room, which thankfully turned Finn's attention from Blaine's unfortunate reaction.

The plan was for Blaine himself to take the lead in telling Kurt's family what he thought they needed to know. Blaine had specifically asked for that. However, when the moment came – when they had all sat down, been supplied with drinks and tasted Carole's home baking – Blaine was quiet.

'Sweetheart?' Mrs. Anderson said, and on Blaine's other side Kurt took Blaine's hand, hoping to inspire courage.

Blaine kept staring at a spot on the coffee table, still saying nothing.

'Okay, I guess I'll start us off then,' Mrs. Anderson said, turning her attention to the three relative strangers across from her. 'As you now know my son – Blaine – is transgender. In his case that means that he was born into a female body and for many years we viewed him as our daughter, but today he lives and identifies as male.' She paused, and next to him Kurt could feel Blaine relax the tiniest bit, though he still looked like he wanted to sink into the ground. 'I want you to know that this is nothing to be scared of, that he's not dangerous or crazy, but we also understand if you have questions. It's not something most people ever deal with. Trust me, my husband and I had a lot of questions and worries at first, so it's completely normal.'

When Mrs. Anderson fell silent, Carole cleared her throat and looked uncertainly from Blaine to his mother, clearly wondering who it was prudent to address. 'When did you... I mean, how old...'

'It's been four years,' Mrs. Anderson said. 'Blaine was nearly fourteen when he finally came clean. We set him up with a therapist and he began transitioning socially, and then a few months after turning fifteen, he began transitioning medically as well.'

'I'm- I'm sorry, "medically"?' Carole asked, still the only one to really react to Mrs. Anderson's words. Kurt's dad and Finn sat on either side of her, Finn in quiet confusion while his dad's expression was unreadable. 'What does that mean exactly?'

'HRT,' Mrs. Anderson said, then clarified, 'Hormone Replacement Therapy. Bi-weekly injections of testosterone to give him the male puberty he wanted.'

'And how long does that take?' Kurt's dad asked, speaking for the first time since the hellos in the hall.

'Well, it's for life. It is possible to stop treatment, but some things would go back to the way they were before, not to mention the mental effects can be quite profound.'

'Okay, I see,' his dad said. He glanced at Blaine just as Blaine finally looked up, and their eyes met for a moment, at least judging from the way Blaine's hand clenched around Kurt's.

'It's okay, you're okay,' Kurt said quietly enough that he thought only Blaine could hear. He wished his dad would smile or something.

'Can I ask something?' Finn said.

'Sure, Finn. It's why we're here,' Mrs. Anderson said kindly. Kurt really hoped Finn wasn't about to ask something stupid like "What was your birth name?" Finn was a good person and Kurt loved him, but he didn't necessarily recognize when something was inappropriate.

'Right, okay. I just, how did you know?' The question was directed at Blaine, and Finn looked him steadily in the eye as he spoke. Meanwhile Blaine's gaze seemed to flicker nervously between Finn and the rest of the room. 'Because I'm trying to understand, and I get how you might have felt very masculine or whatever, because, like, Kurt is sort of feminine and- and that's fine. Maybe a hundred years ago it wasn't, but today people can do that. You can have dudes who are feminine and chicks who are masculine. So why couldn't you just be a really masculine girl? Wouldn't that be easier? I don't understand why it matters.'

'Well, you see-' Mrs. Anderson began but cut herself off, when Blaine took a breath as if to say something. She looked at him questioningly. 'Do you want to?'

Blaine gave an almost imperceptible nod. When Kurt squeezed his hand again in reassurance, Blaine merely untangled their hands, but Kurt understood that it wasn't in rejection.

'I don't really know why it has to matter. It just does,' Blaine said. He seemed to be speaking to the armrest more than Finn, but his voice was steady enough. 'I didn't choose to be like this. I just know that whoever designed us put sex between the legs, but gender between the ears. Most people never have to think twice about that, because it just... matches. But for transgender people those two things conflict, so you get the mirror telling you one thing, but your brain keeps telling you that something is wrong. What people then choose to do about that "something" can vary a lot. For me it meant transitioning socially and medically, and come May when I have top surgery, it will be surgically as well.'

Blaine paused, cheeks suddenly pink as he seemed to realize that all focus had turned to him. He glanced around uncertainly.

'Was that- Am I making sense?'

Kurt opened his mouth to say something encouraging, but Mrs. Anderson beat him to it. 'You're doing fine, sweetheart.'

From there the conversation flowed quite smoothly. Blaine was able to answer most of the questions directed at him while calmly meeting the asker's eye, letting his nervousness show only through the occasional deep, steadying breath and clinging tightly to Kurt's hand. Kurt, for his part, stayed mostly quiet.

Kurt's three family members each tended towards specific kinds of questions. Finn seemed most concerned with trying to understand what it was like to live in "the wrong body" and Blaine did his best to explain the concept of dysphoria. When he struggled beyond "I don't like my body," he apologized and said that it was kind of like trying to describe a color. You could get all technical about it, but if a person had never seen it, then they would never really know.

Carole had a lot of questions about how Blaine had handled the transition, how friends and family had reacted. Blaine explained that his mother's side of the family had, for the most part, been open-minded ('And if anyone was rude, my mom would pretty much give them hell,' Blaine said with a small smile), but that his father's had been and was a tougher sell. It was also during this line of questioning that Kurt's family were told what had happened to Blaine in Columbus. It was the short version and Mrs. Anderson explained most of it, but Kurt's hand still almost went numb with how tightly Blaine was gripping it.

The questions Kurt's dad asked centered mostly around practicalities and Blaine's day-to-day life, was he still seeing a therapist and what about the future. Would getting into college be a problem, and what about marriage and kids. What kind of discrimination did he face and which laws protected him. At the time the conversation Kurt had had with his dad was still so fresh in his mind that he heard his dad's concerned questions as a thinly veiled message to him. Do you see? Consequences. It wasn't until later that it occurred to Kurt that his dad's tone had been more kind than accusing, and that perhaps his dad wasn't testing Blaine's suitability for Kurt as much as he was trying to figure out what he as a politician might be able to do to help his situation.

When the conversation was coming to an end, when everyone seemed to have asked what they were going to, Blaine looked around at them all, uncertainty showing again. 'So you're all... okay with this?'

'Well, it's like you said, isn't it?' Kurt's dad said. 'We may be colorblind here, but that doesn't mean that colors don't exist, and well, you're a good kid.'

Carole nodded, smiling. 'We couldn't ask for a better son-in-law.'

'Yeah,' Finn said eagerly. 'And I figure, like, Kurt is really gay, so if he's willing to date you, that's like a stamp of approval right there.'

'Finn,' Kurt said. 'He doesn't need anyone's-'

'It's fine, Kurt,' Blaine whispered, laughter in his voice. 'He means well.'

Kurt swallowed down the angry remark and instead counted his blessings that they had successfully made it through this conversation, all relatively unscathed (his hand did hurt a little), and Blaine seemed fine, all things considered, if still a little pale. Although Kurt knew that the situations weren't exactly the same, he thought this boded well for Monday.

A little while later when they were all gathered in the hall once more, Blaine and Mrs. Anderson getting ready to leave, Kurt's dad stood in front of Blaine and clapped him on the shoulder.

'You keep that chin up, alright?' he said, and Blaine shifted a little under his gaze. 'And if anyone gives you a hard time, they'll have me to deal with in addition to that lioness of a mother you have. Mm?'

Blaine nodded. 'Thank you, Mr.-' Kurt's dad gave Blaine the look he had given him so many times before, and it was kind of nice to know that although some things had changed, other things stayed exactly the same. 'Burt. Thank you, Burt.'

At that moment the doorbell rang and Kurt, who was nearest the door, opened it to find Rachel on the other side.

'Hi, Kurt. I- Oh. Hi, Blaine.'

'Hi, Rachel,' Blaine said, noticeably avoiding her eyes.

Rachel looked around at the many people in the hall. 'Sorry, I'm interrupting something.'

'No no, it's fine. We were just leaving,' Blaine said quickly before turning to Kurt. 'I'll see you tomorrow?'

'I'll come over first thing,' Kurt confirmed before hugging Blaine goodbye. With a few more thank yous and goodbyes they were out the door, and as Kurt invited Rachel inside, the others dispersed from the hall (Finn with what looked like a silent exchange of I'll talk to you later to Rachel), leaving the two of them alone.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know he was here,' she said, wincing a little.

'Not your fault,' Kurt said, shrugging and leading the way upstairs to his bedroom.

'So...' Rachel said once they were inside with the door closed behind them. 'Blaine is transgender.'

'I'm not gonna tell you his entire life story,' Kurt said bluntly as he dropped his school bag on his bed.

'I wasn't going to ask you to,' Rachel said quietly, sounding hurt at the accusation. 'I was just going to say that whatever anyone else says, you have my support.'

'Oh.' When Kurt turned around, Rachel was looking at him through earnest eyes, and he reminded himself not to snap at people before giving them a chance to speak. 'Thanks.'

'How long have you known?' Rachel asked as Kurt sat down on the edge of his bed.

'About three months. I walked in on him around Thanksgiving, which kind of forced him to come clean.'

Rachel's eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. 'Really? That's how you found out?'

'Yep,' Kurt said, amused by Rachel's shock.

'Weren't you angry he didn't tell you?'

'I was,' Kurt admitted, remembering the sharp pain of the lie and the feeling that Blaine didn't trust him. So much had happened since then. 'But I also understood why he didn't, so in the end I forgave him and we moved on.'

'Wow,' Rachel said, joining Kurt on the bed, pulling her legs up and sitting cross-legged next to him. A moment passed before she spoke again. 'Well, I'm glad you found someone like Blaine.'

'What?' Kurt said, head turning sharply to look at Rachel. That was an odd thing to say, even for her.

'Oh god, that made sense in my head,' Rachel said, grimacing at her own words. 'I just mean the fact that you stuck with him despite his lie, and... I mean, I'm not saying he's diseased or anything, but it's gotta be challenging, right?'

'It's...' Kurt drew back and moved to sit against the headboard. 'It's had its moments.'

'And I guess' – Rachel's cheeks pinked a little – 'sex might have been a little different from what you expected.'

Kurt just shrugged, partly because he hadn't really thought about it much, and partly because he was so not going there with Rachel.

'So the fact that you're looking past that,' Rachel went on, her voice soft. 'must mean that...he's something special.'

Kurt smiled. 'Yeah, he is.'

'How's he doing? He looked kind of pale when I saw him downstairs.'

'Well, we just had the big talk with my family,' Kurt said, and Rachel winced sympathetically. 'It went alright, but he's still just really freaked out, I think. He didn't exactly plan for everyone to find out, least of all like this. But he's at least decided to come to school on Monday.'

'Okay, that's good,' Rachel said, nodding. 'And how are you?'

'Me? I'm fine.'

Rachel cocked her head at him. 'It's okay if you're not, you know. You didn't plan for this either.'

Kurt shrugged. 'It's a hundred times worse for him, so I can't really complain.'

Rachel crawled across the bed to sit in front of Kurt. She put a hand on his leg. 'Just because he's not okay doesn't mean that you have to be.'

'It doesn't?' The words were more of a statement than an actual question.

'Kurt.'

'Rachel, I'm fine,' Kurt insisted though he avoided Rachel's eyes. 'And he needs me. You don't know the kind of things he's going through. I don't wanna add to that.'

Silence fell between them for a few seconds. Then, 'Have you thought about yourself at all for the past three months?'

'Of course I have,' Kurt said, waving a hand. 'Look, Blaine helped me a lot when I first met him. So...it's my turn now.'

'I don't think you're really supposed to take turns,' Rachel said, frowning. Kurt didn't answer. 'Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you shouldn't be there for him. You love him, and you absolutely should. But don't forget that you're a person too.'

'You're quiet,' Blaine said. It was Sunday morning, and the two of them had been watching TV in the Anderson living room for an hour or so, not talking about anything in particular.

'It's a quiet sort of day,' he said, shrugging his shoulders. The quiet before the storm.

'Everything okay?'

'I can't believe you of all people are asking me that, Blaine.'

'What does that-' Blaine cut himself off at the sound of the doorbell ringing, and his eyes lit up. 'That'll be him.'

Blaine rose from his seat, and Kurt followed him out into the hall, where Mrs. Anderson was already opening the door. He watched Blaine's face light up in a smile at the sight of Cooper on the other side.

'Blainey!' he exclaimed, though it was without the usual enthusiasm Kurt had come to expect from him. The moment he had unloaded his bags on the floor, he pulled Blaine into a tight hug, and Kurt saw but didn't hear him mumble something into Blaine's ear as he did.

An hour later the two brothers were sitting in together in the living room, having a serious conversation while Kurt went to and from the kitchen, helping Mrs. Anderson prepare lunch, and as such Kurt only heard snippets of the conversation.

'So what's your plan for tomorrow?' Cooper asked at one point.

'Well, I figured I'd just go to my lessons as usual?' Blaine replied, looking confused.

'And the moment someone looks at you or says something to you, what then?'

Blaine sighed and leaned back into the couch. 'I don't know, run and hide?'

'No, no, no,' Cooper said, tugging at Blaine to make him sit up straight again. 'You gotta stand tall, alright? Show 'em they can't get to you.'

'But what if they can get to me?' Blaine asked quietly, just as Kurt left the living room, heart aching and cutting off his access to the conversation.

Another time Kurt walked back in, bearing two glasses of water, to find the two brothers sitting cross-legged face to face on the couch, both wearing serious expressions.

'Alright,' Cooper said. 'Repeat after me: I am someone.'

'Coop,' Blaine said, expression cracking and if Blaine hadn't been Blaine, Kurt was sure he would have rolled his eyes.

'No, I'm serious, okay,' Cooper said, glancing at Kurt and taking a sip from his water. 'Thanks, Kurt.' He looked back at Blaine. 'This stuff's been proven to boost confidence. Come on, try again.'

Blaine sent Kurt an embarrassed look, flushing a little. 'I am someone,' he mumbled.

'Good. Now again, a little louder, and mean it.'

'I am someone,' Blaine repeated, voice firmer.

'I deserve respect,' Cooper went on.

'I deserve respect.'

'I am strong.'

'I am st-' Blaine let out a sudden snort and dissolved into a fit of giggles. 'I'm sorry, Coop. Thank you, but this isn't gonna help.'

'Well, not if you laugh yourself through it,' Cooper said, looking perturbed.

Kurt, on the other hand, was just so happy that Blaine was capable of laughing at all, and he felt lighter than he had for days. The next moment, however, Blaine seemed to catch himself as though he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be having fun right now, and he didn't laugh again for the rest of the day.

'Pass the peas, please?' Kurt said before accepting them from Cooper a moment later.

When he was done, he offered the bowl to Blaine, who was sitting next to Kurt, playing with the food on his plate. He shook his head without even looking up. Kurt set the bowl down and put his hand on Blaine's leg, stroking gently.

'Are you okay? You're barely eating.'

Blaine shifted in his seat, jerking his leg away from Kurt's touch.

'I'm fine,' he mumbled, still staring down at his plate.

Kurt looked up to find that Cooper and Mrs. Anderson had both been observing this small incident from their side of the table.

'Wow, Mom, this is actually really good,' Cooper said, voice full of false cheer. 'When did you become such a great cook?'

Mrs. Anderson waved a hand, mimicking Cooper when she spoke. 'Oh, with all the whispering in my ear, I probably shouldn't take too much credit.'

Mrs. Anderson smiled at Kurt, and Kurt attempted to smile back but was distracted by the way Blaine was stabbing moodily at his food. He had been quiet for most of the day – more and more so – but now he was adding irritability to it, and it worried Kurt.

'You really should eat, Blaine,' Cooper said, dropping the cheer and speaking sincerely. 'You're going to-'

'Don't tell me what to do,' Blaine said, shooting a glare at his brother.

'You're stressed about tomorrow, we get it. But just, remember what we talked about, and you'll-'

Blaine made a particularly violent stab at a piece of chicken before looking up properly. 'Can we just not talk about this for two seconds?'

'Well, we haven't actually since-'

'God, Cooper.' Blaine set his fork down with a clatter.

'Honey, he's just trying to help,' Kurt tried.

'Just' – The chair scraped against the floor as Blaine stood up – 'leave me alone.'

Blaine threw his napkin on the chair, and without a second glance at any of them, he turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving them all to stare helplessly after him.

'I should go talk to him,' Mrs. Anderson said after a moment, eyes flickering uncertainly towards the living room door.

'Don't,' Kurt said at the same time as Cooper put his hand on her arm. 'I think he just needs space for a minute.'

Mrs. Anderson nodded mutely, and they ate the rest of the meal in relative silence, speaking only in short sentences. Afterward Mrs. Anderson busied herself with the dishes, and Kurt and Cooper shared a brief look before moving into the living room.

Blaine was sitting cross-legged on the couch, his face buried in his hands. Kurt sat down next to him while Cooper took a nearby chair.

'I'm sorry,' Blaine whispered. 'I was...'

'I know,' Kurt said, reaching to caress Blaine's leg again, thankful when he didn't shy away this time.

When Blaine looked up at Cooper, he loked suddenly so tired, and Kurt knew it was at the prospect of another round of confidence-boosting quotes. Kurt thought maybe it was because it mostly just reminded Blaine how much he didn't believe them.

'You know what, let's just watch some TV. Budge over.' Cooper sat down next to Blaine, turning on the TV as he did. 'Look, Punk'D marathon. Remember how you used to laugh at those?'

But Blaine didn't laugh today. In fact the whole thing ended up becoming an exercise in uncomfortable as they watched things that were supposed to be funny, but which no one felt like laughing at. It only got worse when Mrs. Anderson joined them, all the time looking back and forth between the TV and Blaine, as though she wanted to say something but didn't quite know where to start.

Finally when the third episode ended, Blaine stood up and announced that he was going to bed.

'Wait,' Mrs. Anderson said, grabbing Blaine's arm when he passed her chair.

'Mom, I just wanna go to sleep,' he said, voice small.

'I know. But just' – Mrs. Anderson stood and faced Blaine properly – 'whatever happens know that you have people who love and support you.' Blaine nodded, and when Mrs. Anderson pulled him into an awkward hug, Kurt barely heard her mumble into his ear, 'And we're so proud of you.'

Blaine pulled back out of her arms and glanced briefly around at them all. 'Goodnight.'

As Mrs. Anderson watched him go with a confused look on her face, Cooper rose and went to her, running a comforting hand along her arm. 'It's okay, Mom. He'll be fine.'

Kurt felt like perhaps it was time to leave the remaining Andersons alone and go to bed too, but he still waited twenty minutes before going upstairs, giving Blaine time in case he wanted to pretend to be asleep when Kurt slipped into bed next to him, whispering, 'You awake?'

'Yeah,' came the response, murmured against a pillow. 'I can't actually sleep, but I didn't really want to sit down there any longer.'

'Yeah, I get that,' Kurt said, shifting closer and spooning himself around Blaine. The tension in Blaine's body was unmistakable and even more apparent when Kurt wrapped an arm around his middle. He couldn't even imagine what Blaine was feeling right now.

Without warning Kurt felt tears forming in his eyes, burning them when he tried to keep them back, and he sniffled quietly.

'Kurt, are you crying?' Blaine asked, rolling over to face Kurt, worried eyes visible even in the dark of the bedroom.

'It's nothing, it's nothing,' Kurt said, waving a dismissive hand, which Blaine stilled and held between both of his.

'It's not nothing, you're crying.'

'It's fine, don't worry.' Kurt pulled his hand back to wipe at the few tears that escaped. 'I'm just being silly.'

'Hey,' Blaine implored, cupping Kurt's face with a warm hand. 'Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not silly.'

'It's just-' Kurt's voice broke and he swallowed, trying to get it under control. 'It breaks my heart to see you like this. I know it's not your fault, and I know it's, like, a million times worse for you, so I shouldn't even complain-'

'Hey, no, that's fine. You're allowed to have feelings too.'

Kurt shook his head. 'I wanted to be strong for you. To be there for you and help you in whatever way I can.'

'You are, Kurt. And you do. Every day.' Blaine's eyes were soft and concerned, and he seemed to have set aside his own fears and anxieties for the moment. Kurt almost smiled at the irony. 'But don't put so much pressure on yourself, and don't forget about yourself in the process. I never wanted that.'

Kurt was about to protest that he hadn't forgotten about himself, but had to admit that maybe he sort of had, if only in small ways. He let out a sudden half-choked sob, as Blaine inched closer to him, a hand on Kurt's waist caressing gently. 'This is the worst timing ever, I'm so sorry.'

'No, it's fine.' Kurt's saw Blaine's soft smile through blurry eyes. 'I don't mind the distraction to be honest.'

Something Blaine's quiet, warm voice melted Kurt's last hold on his emotions, and before he knew it he was sobbing into Blaine's chest, releasing months of pent-up worries and feelings he had denied himself at the time. None of them were actually that big, but a lot of small brushed aside – verbally and mentally – issues had somehow added up to a lot, and releasing everything at once was more than a little overwhelming.

'Oh, Kurt, sweetheart,' Blaine murmured as his strong arms wrapped around Kurt. 'You've been doing this a lot, haven't you? Holding everything in.'

Kurt attempted to pull away, already feeling guilty for falling apart like this – he didn't even fully understand what he was crying for – but Blaine wasn't having it.

'It's okay, I'm not gonna break,' he whispered, pulling Kurt impossibly closer.

Minutes passed like this until eventually the tears stopped flowing and Kurt's breathing evened out, everything bad now overshadowed by the simple pleasure of being this close to Blaine. Something that got even more pleasurable when Blaine tipped his face up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. It was innocent and sweet at first – chaste almost – and Kurt smiled into it, but it soon grew hungrier, more insistent. When the kiss broke and Kurt pulled back a little, Blaine's pupils were very obviously blown.

'Really?' Kurt said, quirking an eyebrow. 'I thought you were supposed to be all scared and upset right now?'

'You're proving to be a very nice distraction,' Blaine said with a grin as he pushed Kurt onto his back and straddled him. He smirked and swiveled his hips, making Kurt groan. 'You don't seem to mind.'

'Mm, you're right, I really don't,' Kurt said, pulling at Blaine's pajamas to claim another kiss. 'But only if we can be really quiet. I'm not having another conversation like the one we had with your dad the other week.'

'It'll be fine,' Blaine said, but Kurt had a feeling he was far too aroused to care at this point. If he was honest, he wasn't very far behind himself. 'But you gotta promise me one thing.'

'What?'

The expression on Blaine's face was serious now. 'Don't worry about me.'

Kurt frowned. 'What?'

'Am I wrong in thinking that me and my issues have always been at the back of your mind whenever we've fooled around?'

'You say that like it's a bad thing that I care about you.'

'No, it's not, and I'm not saying it's not my fault it's been that way but, Kurt, you gotta let it go, at least some of the time. Trust that I'll speak up if I'm not comfortable.'

'Okay, I guess that makes sense.'

'Good boy,' Blaine said, shifting quickly back into flirty mode. 'Now with that out of the way, I thought we might like to try something new.'

'Did you now?' Kurt said, running his hands up Blaine's thighs. 'Do share.'

Blaine seemed to consider for a moment. Then he stretched across the bed, staying on top of Kurt as he did, and opened the drawer in his night table. He rummaged for a moment before straightening back up and dropping a condom on Kurt's stomach.

'For you,' he said. 'But I stay up here.'

When Kurt gave an involuntary moan, he wasn't sure if it had more to do with Blaine's words or the fact that his hands were roaming rather freely now. Kurt let his own explore what they could from his lying position, and gave a satisfied smirk when Blaine's breathing hitched. 'Mm, Mr. Anderson, I like how you think.'

'Of course you do,' Blaine said, grinning mischievously, and Kurt was glad that, if nothing else, Blaine had gained confidence in the bedroom.

'Excuse me.'

This is how it starts.

'Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here.'

The boy has kind eyes.

'My name is Blaine.'

The handshake is simple, but to an untouched boy it means so impossibly much. And then even more when the warm hand stays in his all the time as they run. To be touched so effortlessly.

Then the strange boy starts singing, and despite a million other boys in the room, it feels like a serenade.

'...you brought me to life, now every February, you'll be my Valentine.'

Kurt is pretty sure he must have been dropped into the middle of a fairytale.

.

Kurt felt himself slipping out of the dream and struggled to hold on to it, to still hear the song in his mind. It had been such a nice dream. So simple and hopeful.

Kurt blinked himself awake, suddenly sensing something wrong with his surroundings. The space next to him, the space where Blaine should have been lying, was empty. Kurt felt the mattress. Cold. Blaine had to have been gone for a while then.

Frowning, Kurt rose from the bed and tiptoed into the dark hall. He looked down the hall and was just considering checking the bathroom when soft piano music reached his ears. Assuming that the noise was coming from the living room downstairs, Kurt padded down the hall and down the stairs.

A single small lamp lit the living room where Blaine was sitting at the piano, playing a soft melody, a little hesitant and with small stops and starts as though he was still figuring out how to play it.

'Hey,' Kurt said from the doorway, hoping he wouldn't startle Blaine.

'Hey.'

Blaine didn't turn around or stop playing, but neither did he sound annoyed at being disturbed, so Kurt took that as permission to approach him.

'Couldn't sleep?' he asked when he was next to Blaine.

Blaine shook his head. 'Ran out of distractions.'

The playing stopped, and Blaine scooted over on the piano bench, making room. Kurt sat carefully, just close enough to feel the heat of Blaine's body through thin layers of clothing.

'What were you playing?'

'Just some song that was stuck in my head,' Blaine replied as he ran his fingers across a couple of keys, touching but not tapping hard enough to produce notes. 'I was trying to arrange it for the piano.'

'Do you want to play it for me?' If Kurt knew Blaine right, it wasn't just some random song that was on his mind at a time like this.

'I don't really know how to play it yet,' Blaine said quietly, eyes still on the piano.

'That's okay.' Kurt touched Blaine's leg gently. 'It doesn't have to be perfect.'

'Okay.' Blaine breathed in deeply and readjusted his posture. He began playing, similar notes to the ones Kurt had heard a moment before, and after a short intro he began singing as well.

'Life's too short to even care at all,' he sang quietly. 'I'm losing my mind, losing my mind, losing control. These fishes in the sea, they're staring at me...'

.

'My heart stops when you look at me.'

The boy is perfection. Laughing eyes. A cute smile. Killer voice. Confident performer. Most importantly he looks at Kurt with a smile. With kindness. With warmth.

And Kurt's lonely heart wants to burst in his chest, because he's ready. He feels ready. Ready to love and be loved.

'Be your teenage dream tonight.'

The song ends, and Kurt claps so long and hard that his hands hurt a little by the end.

His very own Prince Charming.

.

'...Restore life the way it should be, I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down.'

Kurt blinked himself back to the present. The harsh reality of the here and now where his Prince Charming didn't simply exist to be handsome and perfect. Where he had his own, very real problems.

'One more spoon of cough syrup now.'

Blaine was still playing music, just like he had on that first day, but the song had changed a lot. Maybe he and Blaine were not everything Kurt had imagined on that day sixteen months ago. Maybe Blaine wasn't quite the Prince Charming he had expected.

But maybe they were actually each other's Prince Charming, and maybe that was even better.