MONDAY

After taking several deep breaths to calm himself down, Blaine started walking down the hallway. He swallowed hard as he purposefully put one foot in front of the other, feeling the stares of the strangers around him. Though he kept a steady gaze, on the inside he was smacking himself for his chosen outfit. Red highwaters and a tight black shirt with a red, white and black bowtie were definitely not all part of his usual wardrobe, but seeing the joy on Kurt’s face when the younger boy picked them out on Saturday was reason enough to go through with wearing it on his first day at McKinley. To compensate for his unfamiliar clothes, Blaine did layer on a sizable amount of hair gel to keep his curls in check. He didn’t want to look sloppy or not so put together at his new school.

Blaine put a hand to his tie to double check that it was still on straight. Kurt’s locker was right around the corner and he knew the other boy would likely be there gathering his books for his morning classes.

As luck would have it, Kurt was at his locker, but his back was toward Blaine. The older boy barely kept a blossoming grin in check as he planted himself a couple lockers down from Kurt. Blaine propped his right arm up on a locker, feeling his shirt pull tighter against his chest and bicep. He couldn’t believe he let Kurt talk him into buying a size down than he normally wore – it felt like he was going to rip through his top like the Incredible Hulk or something.

The pretty black girl Kurt was talking to – his best friend, Mercedes, as Blaine recalled – stopped listening to Kurt and eyeballed Blaine. Kurt told Blaine about Mercedes, but in that moment, he wasn’t entirely sure if Kurt had mentioned him to her, or any of his friends for that matter. In a moment of panic, he realized he was probably going to look like a huge asshole, standing like that. Mercedes looked so confused and he chided himself for it being a bad idea to surprise Kurt like this. He should have just told him on Saturday like he originally planned.

Just as he was about to take his arm off the locker, Kurt saw that Mercedes was side eyeing whoever was standing behind him. He turned to see who she was looking at and dropped his Pre-Calc book, narrowly missing both their feet. Kurt’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

“Hey you,” Blaine said softly, a now nervous smile plastered to his face. His eyes searched Kurt’s, hoping to find that the other boy was glad to see him, even if he was so surprised.

“Oh my god, what are you doing here?!”

FIVE DAYS PRIOR… THURSDAY

The cruise ship docked in port around 4:00am and people started leaving the ship a couple hours later. The Andersons were out of their rooms and walking down the hallway before the Hudson-Hummels even woke up.

As they walked past Kurt and Finn’s room, Blaine looked at the door and his heart ached, knowing that his boyfriend was in there but that they wouldn’t see each other awhile. Vanessa saw a pained expression flash across her son’s face before he shook himself off and assumed a more neutral guise. She frowned, wanting to know if he was okay and hoping he would be open enough to share with her what was bothering him. Though he said he was all right about the news from the night before, she wondered if he was just saying that to keep the peace or if there was more to the story than he was letting on.

Once off the boat, the Andersons loaded their bags into a hired car they had waiting for them to take them to the airport. Their flight was at 11:00am and they were the kind of family who arrived at the airport two hours before takeoff to make sure they got through security with plenty of time to spare.

For Blaine, airport security was even less fun. He liked when there was the option to do a full body scan so that way he wouldn’t call attention to himself when it was his turn to pass through. However, he frowned when he saw that the line he was ushered into was the traditional metal detector.

Ethan could tell Blaine was displeased as they all put their carryon luggage onto the conveyor belt. “Sorry, B.” He thought for a moment before continuing, “If you want, I can leave my belt on and then I’ll beep too.”

Blaine rolled his eyes and chuckled at his dad’s attempt to make him feel better about what was about to happen. “Nah, I’m good. Honest.”

They shuffled forward, with Ethan and Vanessa walking through the machine without hassle. They were sliding their shoes back on when they heard the familiar alarm sound and a sassy voice telling their son to step out of the way and put his arms out.

As this was now routine, Blaine did as he was told and stood like he was a scarecrow. While a wand hovered over his chest and backside, he said quietly, but with authority, “I have metal pins in my hip.”

Sure enough, the wand beeped when it passed over his abdomen and toward his crotch. The TSA employee raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little young for that?”

Blaine could only sigh and shrug as was finally waved on to collect his personal items. Vanessa rubbed his shoulder as he slid on his sandals and grabbed his bag. His jaw was clenched tight and it made her sad to know how much it upset her son every time he was reminded of the aftermath of that school dance.

They got to their gate and Blaine put in his ear buds and made himself as comfortable as he could in his chair. His mouth was pursed tightly shut, as if he was afraid that if he let it open, everything would come pouring out. But he wasn’t ready for that – he wasn’t ready to tell his parents about the overwhelming highs and lows that were making his heart pound so fast that he was sure he would throw up.

Vanessa and Ethan talked quietly between themselves, trying to respect their son’s privacy and his unspoken need to be left alone. They didn’t miss it, though, when Blaine pulled out his phone to check an incoming text. If that grin was any indication, maybe Blaine was going to be okay after all.

…

The Hudson-Hummels managed to get off the boat just after 9:00am. They would have disembarked a little sooner, but Finn thought he misplaced his wallet. Once all their things were gathered, the family began their trek down the hallway toward the elevators. Kurt cast one final glance back, knowing Blaine and his family were already gone.

Once off the boat, the family got onto a shuttle that took them back to the hotel where the van they rented was parked. They piled in and Burt navigated them onto the highway. Signs for the airport soon appeared, but instead of exiting, Burt kept driving.

“Hey, what? Dad, you missed the exit!” Kurt called out from his seat. Carole and Burt glanced over at each other and broke into evil grins. Kurt looked over at Finn. “Do you know what’s going on?” Finn shook his head, equally as confused as Kurt. “What’s going on?” The question was directed at his father.

“Oh, nothing,” Burt said nonchalantly. “Just driving a little more.”

“Dad,” Kurt said flatly, “I thought our flight was at 1:00.”

“Yep,” Burt replied. “One o’clock tomorrow.” He chuckled to himself, thinking he was really clever.

Kurt rolled his eyes at his father’s attempt at whatever it was he thought he was doing. “Carole?”

With a fond look toward Burt, she turned in her seat to address the two boys in the back. “We thought we’d make a little detour before going back to Ohio. It’s somewhere Finn always wanted to go, but when your father told me you like Harry Potter too, we –”

“WE’RE GOING TO HARRY POTTER WORLD?!” Finn yelled out with a little too much enthusiasm for his close proximity to Kurt’s ears.

After recovering from the racket his stepbrother was making, Kurt put a hand to the back of each parents’ headrest and leaned forward. “Are we really going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?” There was more than just a hint of hope in Kurt’s voice as he asked.

“You bet,” Burt said. “We’ll see that Bumbledorf guy and drink… what’s that stuff you were telling me about, hon?”

“Butterbeer,” Carole said as she pat her husband’s leg. “And it’s Dumbledore, sweetie.”

“Bumbledorf. Dumbledore. Whatever,” he mumbled to himself. “Is that okay, bud? One more day of family vacation before it’s back to the grind?” Burt made eye contact with his son in the rearview mirror.

Kurt smiled, “Sounds great, dad.” He settled back into his seat and pulled out his phone. Finn had already posted something on Facebook and tagged Kurt, so he already had a few messages to sort through. However, he pulled up his message app and typed away a quick note to the most recent contact on his phone.

Parents changed plans – going to Universal Studios to visit Hogwarts and drink butterbeer. Won’t be back to Ohio until tomorrow, but I’ll call you as soon as I get home. (Wish you were here!) xoxo

…

The Andersons’ flight back to Ohio was uneventful. Blaine kept to himself, still listening to his music, but gently rubbing his thumb over the length of his phone. Vanessa would have questioned the odd action, but it seemed to keep Blaine calm and content during the short trip. Once at the airport in Columbus, they gathered their bags and hauled everything to their car.

Blaine buckled himself into the backseat and took a deep breath. He didn’t know what he was so nervous about – it was just a new home in a new town with a new school to start at on Monday.

Though the car ride didn’t last long, Blaine nodded off. Since he was little, he always fell asleep in the car, as the bouncing and jarring motions were somehow comforting. He was still out when they passed the “Welcome to Lima” sign as they drove over the city limits of their new place of residence. Blaine didn’t wake up until his mom nudged him after they parked in their new home’s driveway.

“Blaine,” Vanessa cooed softly. “Blaine, sweetie. Wake up, B. We’re home.”

Home.

Blaine’s lashes fluttered for a moment as he willed his eyelids open. He snapped his head a little too fast toward his mom, giving himself a headache in the process. They were home. His belongings were in a room someone deemed his, but that he had never once stepped foot in.

As he got out of the car, Blaine looked up at the brick house in front of him. It was big – bigger than their place in Westerville. There was a wraparound porch and a large garden; things Blaine knew his mother always wanted. The two-car garage was wide open and Blaine saw that his Audi was already parked inside among shelves of sports equipment and boxes clearly labeled with different holidays.

Blaine went to the back of his parents’ car and grabbed his bags. He shouldered his Dalton duffel and sighed knowing he would never again wear that school’s crest upon his blazer. A groan sounded from the base of his throat when he realized he was going to need different clothes for when he started up at his new school on Monday because most of his non-Dalton wardrobe was suit jackets and trousers or t-shirts and shorts. He chuckled, though, when he remembered how excited Kurt was just last night that Blaine would get to wear something other than a uniform. Maybe he could convince Kurt to go clothes shopping that weekend.

Once in the house, Blaine stopped to look around. The different foyer would have been more unsettling had there not been the familiar furniture he was so used to.

“You okay, honey?”

Blaine craned his neck to see his mother standing behind him. He gave her a small smile and nod, trying to reassure her that he understood the need to move and that he was going to be fine. “Um, which way to my room?”

Vanessa offered her son a warm smile and put an arm around his shoulder. Together they walked up one flight of stairs and then another until they reached the third floor of the house. Walking passed the room Blaine understood to be his practice room (as it already housed his piano, guitars and bookshelves, as promised by his parents), they stopped at a closed door mid-hallway. With a look of encouragement from his mother, Blaine reached out and turned the doorknob.

He smiled when he saw his bed was situated in the corner of his room and already made. His bureau and nightstand mirrored where they were at in his old room as well. Garment bags and labeled boxes were situated in a corner, waiting for their owner to unpack them when he got a chance. Blaine set his duffel bag down on the floor and turned to his mom. Sure, it was going to take a little getting used to, but the new house would not be the end of his world. Blaine held out his arms and his mom smiled as she stepped closer and allowed her son to wrap her in a loving hug. He would always be her baby boy, but knew he had grown into a fine young man and that was a continued source of pride.

While they hugged, Blaine’s phone beeped in his pocket. Vanessa was the first to pull away, silently signaling to her son that it was okay if he tended to whoever was texting him. He swiftly fished his phone out and smiled when he saw it was a picture text from Kurt. Vanessa tried not to look, but she couldn’t help but see it was a picture of Kurt and Finn standing proudly in front of some train.

Blaine’s cheeks flushed pink when he saw his mom was looking at him.

Tomorrow. He would tell her tomorrow.

Right then, though, right then he only could grin at the radiant smile on his boyfriend’s face in front of the Hogwarts Express.

…

Burt threw an arm around his son’s shoulders after he handed him back his phone. Kurt quickly checked the picture, smiled widely, and then sent it to Blaine without any sort of message. Burt shook his head, amazed at the speed at which his son’s fingers flew and was able to manipulate images and text at his will on that stupid phone.

“You having fun, kid?” Burt asked his son, hoping he was doing right by Kurt. Ever since Elizabeth died ten years ago, that was something that was on his mind every day - always making sure Kurt was loved and cared for.

Kurt grinned at his father, his eyes full of joy and a stress-free excitement that Burt hadn’t seen in awhile. “This is amazing, Dad. Thank you.”

FRIDAY

Blaine spent an hour with his mom at his new school filling out the final paperwork for his transfer and figuring out what classes he would be taking at McKinley High. Dalton Academy was one of the most academically strict schools in the state so Blaine was placed into as many Advanced Placement classes that were available to keep him challenged as well as on track for graduation. When they were nearing the end of finalizing his schedule, Blaine asked the guidance counselor if there was any sort of school choir or glee club he could join. Vanessa was proud of her son for his inquiry, knowing he loved performing but was hesitant to join an already established group.

“Well,” Emma Pillsbury said as she leaned across the table to address Blaine. “I’m not sure, but I think the New Directions are always looking for additional members.”

New Directions. For some reason that sounded familiar to Blaine.

“Do you know how I could get an audition?”

Emma smiled. “I have an in with the glee club’s advisor, so I’m sure I can work something out for you for Monday. Would that be alright?”

Blaine nodded, “Yeah, that would be great. Thank you!” He thought for a second. “Um, what kind of glee club is it? I mean, the Warblers were an a cappella group, but we competed against madrigal groups and dance-heavy choirs…”

After a moment of thought, Emma replied, “Well, they do dance a bit and they have a little band that backs them up, but it’s nothing too crazy. They sing mostly classic rock and some showtunes. For example, last year during Regionals, Finn and Rachel lead the group in a medley of Journey songs.”

New Directions. Finn.

No… there was no way.

“Finn?” Blaine asked in voice slightly higher than he normally thought. Vanessa watched her son shift in his seat and she hoped to God that the hunch she knew he had was a reality.

Emma nodded, “Finn Hudson. He’s one of the leads of the club.” She flipped through a file on her desk. “If you’d like I can give you his phone number. He’s out of town right now because his mom was getting married.” Her eyes lit up as she continued talking. “Actually, it’s a cute story. Finn’s mom married Kurt’s dad. Kurt is another one of the boy’s in the glee club and –”

“-Um, that’s okay, thank you!” Blaine exclaimed a little louder than he probably should. His eyes were wide in combination of shock and excitement. He looked quickly between Miss Pillsbury and his mother who was giving him a knowing grin. “Was there anything else I needed to fill out?” He had to get out of that tiny office before he exploded.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, “Um, nope. You seem good to go.”

Blaine bolted out of his chair and thrust his hand out to shake Miss Pillsbury’s. “Thanks. Just… uh, thank you. Thank you, Miss Pillsbury. I’ll see you on Monday.”

Smiles were exchanged before Vanessa and Blaine exited the office. Once they were in the car, Vanessa looked over at her son who seemed to be thinking a mile a minute. “B?”

Blaine snapped his head toward his mom, heart racing as he processed all the information he now had. He was enrolled at McKinley High School. Kurt went to McKinley High School. He had an audition for the New Directions on Monday. Kurt was in the New Directions. Kurt was his boyfriend. He was going to be with his boyfriend. “I’m going to be with my boyfriend.”

“What?” Vanessa asked, just making sure she heard what she thought she heard.

The youngest Anderson’s eyebrows shot up as he realized what he just said to his mom. “Oh… uh…”

Vanessa bit back a smile as she started the car. “Come on, kid, I’ll take you to lunch.” The engine kicked on and she pulled the car into reverse. “Then you can tell me all about your boyfriend.”

…

Blaine thanked the waitress and handed her his and his mom’s menus. As she left, Blaine pulled a breadstick out of a basket on the table and took a bite off of one end. It was a lot drier than he anticipated and he made a face as he chewed. He put the offending appetizer down and downed half his glass of water. Vanessa waited patiently for her son to start speaking on his own. Blaine knew this.

“So, um… I was going to tell you, I swear. Today even!” he added quickly. “But, Kurt and I are… boyfriends.” Blaine looked nervously at his mom and could not read her face as she kept her expression even.

Vanessa could tell Blaine was dying a little inside when she didn’t respond right away and she guiltily got a kick out it. Knowing she couldn’t keep quiet much longer, she broke into a wide grin. “Blaine, honey, if you’re waiting for me to say something bad about this, you’re going to be waiting a long time.” She reached across the table and put a hand over his. “I like Kurt. Your father likes Kurt. And we know you like him, B. I think it’s cute you two made it official.” The tension in Blaine’s shoulders relaxed a bit, but he still felt like he was withholding information from his mom. She could tell he still had something to say. “Was there something else?”

He sighed through his nose and sat up a bit in his seat. He was 18-years-old, dammit, and if he wanted to see his boyfriend, then he was going to see his boyfriend. But the kind look in his mother’s eyes made him feel like he whatever he was about to tell her or ask her was likely going to be met with acceptance. “Um… Kurt was going to call later. I was wondering if it’d be okay if I asked him out for tomorrow? To help me get some new clothes for school?”

This was a reasonable request and Vanessa almost rolled her eyes. “Blaine, short of you guys robbing a bank, I trust the two of you to spend time together. But thank you for asking.” She took a sip from her own water glass. “Of course you can go out with him tomorrow. Okay?”

Blaine nodded. He knew his parents inherently trusted him and that so long as he didn’t do anything illegal, he could probably do whatever he wanted. He knew he had to keep that trust, though. And that meant telling his mom everything. “There’s one more thing I should probably tell you.” He sighed and leaned forward a little, eyes pleading for her to understand. “On the boat, Kurt and I spent a night together.” Vanessa’s eyebrows slid up. “We didn’t do anything or anything, I swear. We just slept. But… I thought you should… know.”

Vanessa didn’t know what to say, so she gave herself a moment to just look at her son. Cooper never would have told her something like that. Ethan gave both his sons the sex talk when they were freshmen and hoped his kids knew to keep it in their pants until they were ready. Vanessa knew Cooper was sexually active since he was in the tenth grade after finding a partial box of condoms in his sock drawer, but he never once told her about any of the antics he got into with his various girlfriends over the years. She was surprised and actually really grateful for Blaine’s honesty.

“That means a lot that you told me that, B,” she said with genuine gratitude in her voice. “And I want you to know that your father and I trust you to make smart decisions when it comes to… that.” They were in a crowded restaurant and she didn’t want to say anything too specific to make her son more embarrassed than he clearly already was. “You two be good to each other, okay?” Blaine nodded. “And I want you to promise me that neither of you are going to pressure each other into doing anything before you’re ready.” Blaine nodded again, cheeks burning bright red. Vanessa smiled, hoping he would relax a bit. “I love you, Blaine.”

The waitress came back and placed a salad in front of Blaine and lasagna in front of Vanessa. They both offered her grateful smiles and thanks before she walked away.

“I promise,” he said in a low voice, staring at the table in embarrassment. Blaine swallowed hard and picked up his fork before looking his mom square in the eye and offering her a small, albeit sincere, smile. “I love you too, mom.” He stabbed a few pieces of lettuce and a tomato before popping the entire forkful in his mouth. It felt good to tell the truth. It felt better knowing he was going to be so close to Kurt and that his parents were supportive of their relationship.

…

Before they boarded the plane, Kurt pulled Carole aside and asked if she wouldn’t mind switching seats with him so that he could be next to his dad on the return flight back to Ohio. When Kurt leaned in and whispered that he was going to talk to his dad about him and Blaine, she understood immediately and agreed to sit with Finn while Kurt and Burt sat alone a few rows ahead.

Burt was a bit surprised to see his son sit down next to him instead of his wife, but it didn’t matter to him because they both were the most special people in his life and private time with either of them was a blessing. He watched as Kurt buckled himself in and then nervously fidgeted around in his seat – something that was uncharacteristic of his son.

“What’s up, bud?” Burt asked, hoping his son would just spit out whatever it was that was bothering him.

Kurt curled his lips on themselves, wondering just how to tell his dad about the escalation of his and Blaine’s relationship from friends to boyfriends. With a sigh, he resigned to the fact that honesty was probably the best route. “You know Blaine, right?”

Burt chuckled, “The kid from the boat who you were playing footsie with at lunch the other day?” Burt raised his eyebrows and smiled at his son, “Yeah, I know him.”

Kurt blushed, not realizing his dad saw them. “Um, right. Well… we’re kinda of… boyfriends.”

The smile was still plastered on Burt’s face, but he was trying desperately not to laugh out loud. It wasn’t that what Kurt was saying was funny, it was just that Kurt looked so unbelievably nervous and uncomfortable that Burt almost lost it. Kurt didn’t know whether to be mortified or frustrated at his dad’s response.

“Kid, you gotta lighten up,” Burt said as he put a hand on his son’s knee. “I don’t know if you thought I was going to be mad or something, but I’m not.” He patted Kurt’s knee twice for emphasis. “In fact, I think it’s great.”

Blue eyes widened as Kurt’s eyebrows shot upward. “You do?”

With a nod and a few more knee pats, Burt reassured his son. “Yeah, I do. Look, Kurt, I don’t know if I’ve seen you that happy before.” Burt thought to himself to make sure he was right, “Well, not recently anyway. You were pretty much the happiest kid ever when you got that tea set for Christmas when you were seven –”

“Dad!”

“The point is,” Burt said as he shifted his body toward his son, offering up his full attention and support. “If you two make each other happy, then I think it’s great that you’re boyfriends. He’s a good kid. He’s got a real nice family.” Kurt knew his dad was supportive, but was not expecting him to be this supportive. Burt caught on to his son’s disbelief. “His dad and I had a few beers. We’ll have to have them all over sometime for a barbeque or something.” Kurt’s mouth dropped open a bit. “What?”

Kurt shook his head. “Nothing, I mean nothing…” He shifted around in his seat, trying to make himself more comfortable but failing spectacularly. “But, like, no lecture about how we’ve only known each other for a few days, or how it’s too soon to be in a relationship?”

Burt was a bit concerned that his son thought he deserved some sort of talking to, leading him to think that maybe he didn’t know the whole story. “I wasn’t gonna give you one, but it sounds like maybe I should. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Well,” Kurt started. “On the boat, Blaine and I kinda… spent the night together.”

That got Burt’s attention. “Hey, hey, hey. Dating is one thing, Kurt, but are you tryin’ to tell me you already know this kid well enough to… well, you know… do that with each other?”

Kurt’s head whipped around, cringing that his dad was getting loud and upset. “Jesus, Dad, keep it down! We didn’t have sex,” Kurt hissed. “We just slept in the same bed together.”

“Just sleeping?”

With a sigh, Kurt nodded. “Just sleeping. I swear.”

Burt knew his son was telling the truth. “Why are you telling me this? I mean, you coulda gotten away Scott Free and I would have been none the wiser.”

“It’s just – I’ve always felt like I could tell you everything and even though this is super awkward, I… I thought you should know. So, that way when I ask to hang out with Blaine when we get back to Ohio, you’ll… let me.”

So many thoughts were going through Burt’s head. Of course he was going to let his son hang out with Blaine. And of course he trusted his son, but he kind of figured Kurt would be a lot older when he got a boyfriend since he didn’t know any other gay kids. In all honesty, Burt wasn’t ready to give his kid the sex talk because he didn’t know what that entailed for kids like Kurt. He saw Brokeback Mountain. He saw it probably twenty times. As far as Burt could tell, something went down in that tent. He wasn’t sure what exactly or how, but it was definitely sex.

“Look, Kurt,” Burt said softly. “I’m sorry. You can hang out with Blaine. But this conversation isn’t over, okay? There’s some, well stuff we gotta discuss… ground rules and whatnot for when you guys go out or when he’s over at the house. You understand?”

Kurt nodded and settled back in his seat. “I do. Thanks, Dad.”

Each Hummel kept to himself the remainder of the flight, trying to read a magazine, but distracted by the fact that there was going to be more awkwardness to get through.

…

Blaine was lying on his bed with his phone in hand, willing it to ring. He almost rolled off the bed and onto the floor when it rang a few moments later, Kurt’s name coming up on his screen.

“Hello? Kurt?!”

Kurt giggled at Blaine’s obvious enthusiasm. “Hey, Blaine. You sound out of breath. Do you need me to call back?”

“NO!” Blaine almost shouted as he righted himself. “I mean, I’m fine. Honest.” There was a beat. “Okay, so I almost fell out of bed. I just… I just couldn’t wait to hear your voice.” The youngest Anderson voice was low and bashful by this point.

“Oh, Blaine,” Kurt said, his breath almost taken away by his painfully honest boyfriend. “I can’t even tease you about that because that’s just…” He shook his head even though Blaine couldn’t see him. “I couldn’t wait to hear your voice too.” Blaine blushed. Hard. He liked Kurt so much and it made his head spin in the best way possible to know that Kurt felt the same way. “So, how’s the new house?”

“It’s… different, that’s for sure. But it’s nice. There’s a garden for my mom and I pretty much have the whole third floor to myself since Cooper is only home around the holidays.” Blaine flopped back down on his bed, making himself comfortable as he expected to be on the phone for a while. “I noticed a new guitar when I was unpacking some of my music stuff last night and am pretty sure my parents got it because they felt guilty about the move.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “They didn’t have to do that. They shouldn’t have done that.”

Kurt shrugged. He was lying on his own bed; his luggage was uncharacteristically still packed and piled next to his desk chair. Talking to his boyfriend was infinitely more important than doing wash at the moment. “I think they probably know they didn’t have to do that, but your parents seem like the kind of people who just want to see you happy. And music makes you happy, right?’

“Yeah,” Blaine admitted.

“Well then there’s your answer.”

There was a pleasant moment of silence as each boy hummed to himself. Blaine was the first to speak up as he had something to get off his chest.

“Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

Blaine heaved a heavy sigh. “I told my mom about us, um, being boyfriends…. And sleeping together on the boat.” He clenched his eyes shut, waiting for Kurt to get upset at him, and was genuinely surprised when he heard Kurt choke back a chuckle on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry – does that amuse you?”

“It’s just that… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing,” Kurt apologized. “I kinda told my dad too. About that. You know, the boat… and, uh, us.”

“Was he mad?” Blaine asked quickly, hoping he wasn’t because Burt Hummel’s approval was something he desperately wanted.

“He wasn’t mad, per se,” Kurt mused. “Like, he was really supportive of the two of us being boyfriends -”

“- Yay,” Blaine interjected as he squeezed a fist in triumph.

“But, he said he still had some stuff he wanted to talk over with me. Something about ground rules for when you come over… but the fact that he mentioned you coming over was a good sign, right?”

Blaine shrugged and scrunched his nose, though in an I can’t believe I have a boyfriend and got the all clear to go to his house kind of way. “I’d like to think so.”

“What’d your mom say?”

“Um, she said it was cute that we made our relationship official –”

“Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Blaine grinned at Kurt’s response. “She also made me promise that neither one of us would pressure the other into doing something we weren’t ready for.”

Kurt nodded, “That was fair. I mean, I hope you know I would never want you to do something you weren’t comfortable with.”

Blaine’s face softened with a half smile. “Kurt, I trust you. And I think as long as we keep talking about what we are or are not ready for, then I think we’ll be fine. I mean… I just had my first kiss the other night, so I don’t think I’m going to be ready for anything that would require, like, a condom, quite yet.”

Kurt felt almost scandalized. “Blaine!”

Blaine chuckled, “See. You aren’t ready for anything either if you can’t even hear me say the word ‘condom’ without reacting like that.”

“Like what?” Kurt challenged.

“CONDOM,” Blaine said loudly through a laugh.

“BLAINE!”

Blaine was rolling around on his bed at that point, happy tears pooling up at the corners of his eyes. “See?” He was so happy hearing Kurt’s giggles in his ear.

“You are impossible,” Kurt muttered, though his tone was anything but malicious.

Blaine smiled, “But you still like me.”

“That I do,” Kurt replied through his own grin.

“Do you like me enough to want to go shopping with me tomorrow?” Blaine asked, knowing Kurt would probably jump at the chance to help him buy new outfits for school. What he didn’t know was that he should have pulled the phone away from his ear when Kurt responded with vigor.

“OH MY GOD, CAN I PICK OUT YOUR CLOTHES?! Your skin tone would look AMAZING with the colors that are on trend right now…” Kurt’s voice trailed off, deep in thought about the prospect of what would look best on his boyfriend.

Blaine closed his eyes and ran his free hand through his hair. He realized a moment too late that he actually didn’t know what he was getting himself into. With a small sigh, he broke into a genuine smile. Kurt was just so unabashedly himself and Blaine completely admired that character trait. Blaine wanted to be himself too, and he hoped that with Kurt’s help, that could be a reality. “Um, Kurt.”

“Yeah?!” Kurt’s mind was running a mile a minute, making mental lists of what Blaine needed to get.

“I’ll let you pick out some stuff if you promise not to shout again.”

Blaine heard Kurt’s mouth open as if he were going to say something, but then there was the familiar sound of teeth closing together. He imagined Kurt fighting with himself to say that he wasn’t shouting, but then thinking better of it. “What time and where do you want to meet?” Kurt’s voice was forcefully calm and definitely a lot softer than before.

“Ummmmmmm,” Blaine was not sure what the shopping situation was in Lima, but he knew there were stores at Polaris Fashion Place that he liked. Plus, if they went there, he could take Kurt out to dinner at one of the nicer sit-down places. “I usually go to Polaris, but if you know of somewhere better-”

“- No, that’s perfect!” Kurt cut in excitedly only to stop himself short. “Oh, sorry. I mean, yes,” he said much more calmly. “Polaris would be fine for our shopping endeavors.”

Blaine grinned, “Great. You wanna get there early afternoon? That’ll give us a few hours to shop, and I’d like to take you to dinner, if that’s okay with you?”

Kurt blushed as he rolled around on his bed - grateful Blaine couldn’t see him. “Like, on a date?”

“Yeah,” Blaine said quietly. “A date.” He had never asked anyone out on a date before, but he marveled at the way the word sounded coming out of his mouth and smiled, knowing it applied to him and Kurt.

“Mmmmm,” Kurt hummed in excitement, knowing he should probably get off the phone before he wholly embarrassed himself. “So, I’ll see you there at 1:00? Meet by Brooks Brothers?”

Blaine nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

“Okay great,” Kurt said quickly. “Um, I should go. I have to go. My dad, I mean… yeah, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Blaine repeated.

“Bye Blaine.”

“See ya, Kurt.”

Kurt hit the end call button on his phone and rolled onto his back, staring up at his ceiling. He rubbed the side of his phone with his fingers, thinking about how he couldn’t wait to see Blaine the next day, but also how he couldn’t wait to pick out clothes for his boyfriend to try on.

In all his excitement, Kurt forgot to ask Blaine where his family moved.

In all his excitement, Blaine forgot to tell Kurt that they were going to school together.

There was always tomorrow.