TUESDAY

Breakfast was a blur as Kurt was internally panicking that he actually got see Blaine again and that Blaine seemed to like spending time with him. This was also the first time he was actually excited about going to the beach. Usually he did everything he could to stay out of direct sunlight, but the thought of going swimming with Blaine and getting to hang out with him made him feel a kind of joy he had never felt before.

Blaine knew his parents were watching him as he downed a second stack of pancakes. Vanessa and Ethan spoke the night before and were debating if they should just go ahead and tell him about the move before they went to the beach so he would have a few days to adjust to the idea. But, upon seeing him so happy and knowing it was because he had made a new friend, they decided maybe they should wait so as not to ruin the moment. They hadn’t seen Blaine this cheerful in awhile and it would have broken their hearts and his if they went about it the wrong way.

It was by random happenstance that the Hudson-Hummels and Andersons all ended up in the elevator bay at the same time. Hands shook and beach plans were solidified as the group made their way off the boat. Kurt and Blaine were unable to hide their smiles when they saw each other, causing both sets of parents to share looks with their significant others. Burt Hummel made a note to talk to Ethan Anderson about their sons and what part of Ohio their family was from. He liked seeing his kid happy and if spending time with this Blaine kid could put that kind of smile on his face, he was willing to pay for gas money so Kurt could visit with him.

The cab to the beach was much like the van ride from the day before. The Andersons piled into the back of the minivan and the Hudson-Hummels took the middle and front seats. Chatter was amicable among everyone in the cab as they quickly made their way to a gorgeous public beach. Everyone scrambled out of the cab and Burt and Ethan each insisted on paying for everyone. The stalemate ended when Carole pointed out that one of them could pay then and the other could pay for the cab ride back to the boat later. Vanessa shot her a knowing smile and the two of them linked arms and chuckled as they walked toward the beach, leaving their husbands behind.

The families rented a few lounge chairs and an umbrella apiece so as to have somewhere shady to leave their things while they swam. It was understood that at least one person would always stay behind with their belongings so nothing got stolen. The grownups agreed to take the first watch, so Finn, Kurt and Blaine set their bags down and began taking off sandals.

Kurt hesitated as Finn and Blaine quickly shed their t-shirts, but slowly peeled his off as well. He looked over at Blaine who gave him a warm smile. Blaine made sure to keep his eyes locked on Kurt’s so as not to weird him out by ogling his body, but Blaine definitely noticed that Kurt was as beautiful on the outside as he was on the inside.

Together, the boys ran down the beach and into the small waves that were crashing on the shore. As soon as he was a few feet out, Blaine dove headfirst under the water and started swimming as fast as his arms and legs would allow. Kurt giggled as Finn tried to catch up with Blaine while he himself waded out, letting each new wave splash the base of his swim trunks. Soon Finn and Blaine were a dozen or so yards away from Kurt, treading water as they took in the morning sun.

“Come on, Kurt!” Finn called out, splashing around, much to Blaine’s delight.

Normally he’d be annoyed, but Kurt just smiled as he kept walking until his feet could no longer touch the ocean’s floor.

Kurt eventually made it out to where Blaine and Finn were floating around and the three of them fell into easy conversation. It turned out Blaine was in the glee club at his school and very into football, which lead him and Finn to have a heated debate over what the Buckeyes should do differently that fall in order to ensure a winning season.

It didn’t bother Kurt that Blaine was talking with Finn more during their swim than he was with him because he knew they would talk later. He was actually content to watch his stepbrother and this new, amazing person he just met converse with each other. Kurt wasn’t sure how being brothers with Finn was going to be, but he had to give the other boy infinite amounts of credit for seemingly not caring one way or another that the two boys he was hanging out with right then were gay. He almost couldn’t believe that this was the same person who used to throw around words like “faggy” just that past year.

The boys swam around for almost an hour when they made their way back to shore to get a drink. Though it was only almost 11:00am, the sun was hot and high in the sky, though there were clouds forming off in the distance.

After rehydrating and applying another coat or two of sunscreen, Blaine and Finn decided to play some Frisbee on the beach. They tried to get Kurt to join in, but the sun was getting to be too much for him, so he told the other two to have fun but that he was going to read under the umbrella.

Ethan and Burt both fell asleep on their lounge chairs with open books lying across their chests. Carole and Vanessa were getting giggly as they chatted with each other. Each woman treated herself to a refillable coconut shell-full of some brightly colored alcoholic beverage. They sipped their tropical drinks and gabbed about life, grateful for some girl time when they were usually surrounded by the men in their lives.

Pretending to flip through his Vogue, Kurt was paying more attention to Blaine and Finn on the beach than the trends for what was in that summer. Every now and again, one of the boys would burst into a fit of laughter or have to chase the Frisbee into the waves that were getting larger and larger as the tide rolled in. Kurt watched as Finn flung the Frisbee over Blaine’s head and into a group of college-age girls who were laying out a ways down the beach.

Ever the gentleman, Blaine apologized to the girls when he went over to get the Frisbee. Kurt was too far away to actually hear what was said, but as Blaine reached down to grab the disc, he saw one of the girls run a hand up and down his arm and say something to Blaine while she tossed her hair. In his lounge chair, Kurt squirmed as a stab of jealousy danced cruelly across his heart. He saw Blaine smile politely at the girl and walk away, as if that was just something that happened and he was expected to be okay with it.

A few minutes later, a different group of girls walked by where Finn and Blaine were playing. Coconuts in hand, a few of them lifted their sunglasses as they passed Blaine. They were close enough to Kurt this time for him to hear one of them whistle at Blaine and call him hunky. Kurt’s cheeks flushed red with anger as Blaine’s tinted pinker than they already were with embarrassment, but Kurt’s frustration lessened slightly when he saw Blaine look up at him and smile apologetically.

Kurt realized he didn’t really have a right to be upset. They weren’t together or dating or anything. They were two people who had met a couple days prior and that didn’t give Kurt permission to get jealous when other people hit on Blaine, although he couldn’t help but find it frustrating. He tried to rationalize with himself that Blaine was gay and it shouldn’t matter if girls were attracted to him because Blaine wasn’t attracted to them, right? But why was everyone hitting on Blaine all the time? The only person who ever hit on him was Sebastian, and Sebastian was an asshole.

Frisbeeing came to an end when the sky got real dark and ominous clouds started moving closer toward the beach. Vanessa and Carole gently shook their husbands awake as their sons started packing up their things to head back down to where they could grab a cab to return to the boat. On the trip back, the families decided that they would all go to their respective rooms to shower and change clothes before they regrouped for lunch together.

Kurt and Finn waved goodbye to Blaine as they keycarded their way into their shared suite. Finn threw his backpack in a corner and flopped down on his bed while Kurt went into the bathroom to change out of his swim trunks. Though the door was closed, he could hear his stepbrother shout from the other room.

“Blaine’s really cool!”

A wide smile crept across Kurt’s face as he tried to fix his hair.

…

During lunch, everyone started talking over each other with regard to the plans he or she had in mind for the afternoon. Finn wanted to go to some sort of 21 and under club on the boat he read about in that morning’s “Fun Times.” Carole and Vanessa made plans to get mani-pedis at the spa together. Burt asked Ethan if he’d like to grab a drink at one of the bars on the lower deck. Kurt and Blaine were given permission to go back into Nassau to walk around and go shopping, so long as they were back on the boat by 7:00pm in order to meet their families for dinner.

…

Vanessa and Carole swore they were sisters in a past life. Conversation was easy and they had so much to gossip about their husbands. Though most of the alcohol from the beach was out of their system, they were still giggly like high school girls as they swapped tips on how to keep their love lives interesting.

However, while they waited for their toenails to dry, topics switched to their children and the tone got more serious when they found that both their sons had problems with bullies.

“I know there is more going on at school than Kurt let’s on, but we can’t get him to talk,” Carole said with a sigh.

Vanessa nodded, “Blaine was the same way. Ethan and I didn’t know how bad it actually was until it was too late. When we got the phone call that he was in the hospital. Well, you can imagine that was the worst moment of my entire life.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand how someone can beat a fifteen year old within an inch of his life because he went to a dance with a boy.”

Carole gritted her teeth. Kurt might not be her biological son, but if someone ever did that to him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to control her actions.

“He’s different now, though,” Vanessa said quietly. “Blaine. He’s quieter and more reserved.” She looked over at Carole and smiled. “Seeing him with Kurt is actually the happiest I’ve seen him since that night. I haven’t seen him smile like that since before the dance.”

“Same goes for Kurt, though. Poor kid’s been through so much this year. Burt had a heart attack in the fall and the doctor’s weren’t sure he was going to make it,” Carole explained. “I know he gets picked on at school. Finn told me he saw Kurt get shoved into some lockers, but when I asked Kurt about it, he just changed the subject. It’s sad, but I’ve gotten used to him shutting me out. But these last couple days... it’s like he doesn’t have to worry about being himself.”

…

“The first round is on me,” Burt told Ethan as they sat on adjacent bar stools.

Ethan was confused, but agreed with Burt because the other man didn’t look like someone you should defy. “All right.”

Burt flagged down the bartender and ordered them some beer before turning back toward Ethan. “I’m not going to beat around the bush, but I think our kids like each other. And, I was on the deck reading yesterday and overheard you and Blaine talkin’ and I just wanted to say that I was glad to hear that you’re okay with your boy being… well, you know.” Burt nodded, not feeling he needed to say the word for Ethan to get what he was talking about.

The bartender set bottles of beer in front of each man and Burt slid a few bills across the bar to cover their drinks and tip.

“I’m not gonna lie. I was a little surprised when Blaine came out a few years ago because I honestly had no idea,” Ethan confessed. “I mean, it didn’t matter to me because he’s my kid and I love him no matter what, but I was upset with myself because I just didn’t know. He never talks about those kinds of things with me. Or his mom. I gotta admit, though. It’s kind of nice to see him opening up around your son.”

Burt chuckled. “Yeah. But it’s weird though, right? I mean, I’ve never seen my kid flirt with anyone.” The two men smiled as they drank their beers. “So, you guys are from Ohio too?”

Ethan nodded as he swallowed. “Yeah, near Columbus.” He looked at his watch. “Although as of right now, our stuff is probably at our new house.” With a sigh he continued, “I got promoted to partner at my firm and we’re relocating. We haven’t told Blaine yet.”

Burt shrugged, “Eh, new house. That might throw him off for a bit, but I’m sure it’s not the end of the world.”

“We’re also pulling him out of the private school he’s been at for the last two and a half years. The place we had to send him to after he got the shit beat out of him when he was a freshman.”

“Oh,” Burt said with realization of how big the move likely was. “You gotta tell him.”

Ethan shook his head. “Vanessa and I – we were going to tell him this morning, but we didn’t want to ruin his mood. He was just so happy and we haven’t seen him like this in so long… We’re terrible parents.”

Burt scoffed, “No. You’re not. The terrible parents are the people who raised whoever beat up your kid.” He sighed through his nose before downing another gulp of beer. “Kurt gets bullied at school too. Hasn’t gotten beaten up yet, but I know it’s a lot worse than he tells me.”

“Any private schools in your area?”

With a shake of his head, Burt muttered, “No. The best one is Dalton, but that’s a couple hours away and we can’t afford to let Kurt board there.”

“It’s a great school. Blaine’s the lead singer of the glee club there. Or, was, I guess,” Ethan said with a humorless chuckle. “God, he’s going to hate us. I mean, he was safe there, but he wasn’t happy. Maybe he’ll come around?”

“Look, I won’t say anything to Kurt about this so he won’t accidentally say anything to Blaine. But you gotta tell him, because he’ll need to talk to someone about it,” Burt said seriously. “And that someone is not going to be you or your wife.”

Ethan sighed, knowing Burt was right. “Another round?”

…

Blaine was not much for shopping, especially in crowded touristy places, but he gladly followed Kurt into any store he wanted to go into because each time he agreed, he was rewarded with the sweetest little smile as if Kurt couldn’t believe Blaine would actually say yes.

Though they went in more than several stores, Kurt didn’t buy anything right away because he told Blaine he had to see what his options were before he made any sort of final decision as to what to get his friends back in Ohio. Blaine chuckled at Kurt’s seriousness about the specificity of the gifts he wanted to get and kinda thought it was really cute. Kurt’s face flushed a deep pink when Blaine told him as much, having never been called cute by a cute boy before.

They left the area of Nassau with the shops and started walking into the actual town part of the city where there were old buildings and not as many people. Not really having an agenda and with plenty of time to spare, they strolled up and down side streets, looking at the architecture and commenting on the pastels used to cover the walls of the structures in town. The sky was still dark from earlier, though neither Kurt nor Blaine had the foresight to bring an umbrella.

Without any real warning, a flash of lighting appeared in the distance and moments later, thunder clapped loudly. Kurt gasped at the noise causing Blaine to stop and look over at him to make sure the younger boy was okay. Just as Kurt was nodding to assure Blaine he was actually fine, fat raindrops began falling from the sky.

Slowly at first, but then faster and faster, the rain began to pour down on the boys. Instinctively, Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand and they started running toward the nearest shelter. They ended up under the awning of Nassau’s Public Library, breathing heavily, having sprinted almost fifty yards. Hands still clasped, their breathing evened out but their hearts kept racing. Kurt had never held anyone’s hand like that before and it was scary, but in the best way possible.

Blaine was almost embarrassed because even at eighteen, he had never been kissed, let alone held hands with a boy he liked. But Kurt’s hand was warm, albeit wet from the rain. They locked eyes and in that moment, Blaine felt safe and terrified at the same time. His eyes flickered briefly down to Kurt’s lips, but then just as quickly back up again to the orbs of blue, green and gray that he selfishly wished he could look into whenever he wanted. He wanted to kiss Kurt. He wanted to kiss Kurt so bad, but he didn’t want to do it wrong or mess up whatever they had going.

Kurt wanted to kiss Blaine. But he saw so many feelings flashing across Blaine’s hazel eyes at once that he wasn’t sure if Blaine would want to be kissed by him. Kurt had had his first kiss with a boy forced upon him. He didn’t know Blaine’s full back-story, but he wasn’t about to kiss someone he wasn’t 100% sure wanted to kiss him back. He asked himself why would Blaine want to kiss someone like him back, anyway?

And so they stood there for a few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes. Water dripped slowly down Blaine’s face and onto his neck, disappearing into the collar of the gray t-shirt he changed into before lunch.

A bell clanged nearby and they quickly dropped hands, the moment gone. They smiled awkwardly at each other before Blaine looked over and saw where they were. He liked libraries and since they were already there, he asked Kurt if he wanted to go in. The younger boy acquiesced, wanting for a fraction of a second to flee back to the boat, but wanting to do something for Blaine since the older boy had patiently followed him into any shop he had asked just an hour before.

They climbed the steep and creaking staircase up to the main floor of the library, taking in the sights and smells of old and mildewing books. Kurt watched in admiration as a small smile found it’s way to Blaine’s face. He could practically feel Blaine’s excitement to be surrounded by so many books even though Blaine thought he was successfully reigning in his emotions. Kurt could tell that despite his obvious good looks, Blaine didn’t seem to like drawing attention to himself and it made him wonder why someone so extraordinary would shy away from the spotlight he so rightfully deserved.

The boys spent a decent amount of time in the library, which also happened to be home to a small history museum. Kurt watched Blaine stare reverently at the artifacts that were almost haphazardly displayed as if they were precious gems. What Kurt didn’t know was that when he wasn’t looking, Blaine stared at him that way too.

When Blaine finished looking at everything at the museum and library, the boys made their way back toward the touristy area again so Kurt could finalize the purchases of souvenirs for Mercedes and some of the other glee club kids. As he watched Kurt hem and haw over which trinket would be best for each of his friends, Blaine shoved his hands in his pockets and thought to himself how he didn’t have anything like that. Blaine had friends at Dalton – he was friendly with some of the other Warblers – but he didn’t have anyone that he was close to and hadn’t had someone like that since Jackson. He thought maybe Kurt could be that person for him, but then shook himself off because he couldn’t expect Kurt to feel that way about him since they had only known each other a couple days.

…

Kurt and Blaine got to the boat just before 7:00pm and knocked on Carole and Burt’s door to let them know that they were back before doing the same at Ethan and Vanessa’s suite.

As Blaine walked Kurt back to his room, Kurt stopped them in the hallway. “Look, I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to go to that LGBTQ meeting tonight.” Blaine raised his eyebrows. “I was thinking that maybe, I mean if you wanted, we could just hang out or something.”

Blaine smiled, “Yeah. Yeah, I would really like that.”

After taking a deep breath, Kurt said softly, “And, um, I was going to ask my dad if maybe I could have a later curfew tonight. Would that… would that be all right?” An almost instantaneous nod from Blaine let Kurt know that his plan was more than fine. Kurt smiled shyly. “So, meet back here around 10?”

…

Kurt was so focused on making sure to say the right thing when asking his dad about the later curfew that he didn’t even bother chastising Finn for finishing off his dessert.

“Uh, Dad?”

“Yeah, bud?”

Kurt folded his hands against the edge of the table. “Since I have been responsible with getting back to my room on time the past couple nights, I was wondering if perhaps tonight you might extend my curfew an hour or so.”

Burt shrugged, having assumed Kurt would ask this at some point. “Yeah, okay.”

“I mean, I feel that I – wait what?”

With a chuckle, Burt patted his son on the back. “I said yes. Carole and I talked it over before dinner and decided that you and Finn can both stay out a little later tonight. So, be back in your room by 1:00am, okay?”

Kurt and Finn looked at each other, almost in disbelief that it was that easy to get an extension.

“Really?! Thanks mom!” Finn hugged his mom. “Thanks, Burt!”

Blaine was sitting across the room with his parents, but clearly saw the thumbs up Kurt flashed him as the Andersons finished up their dessert.

…

Walking around the boat deck once more, Kurt and Blaine were close enough that their hands would brush against each other every now and again. The first time it happened that night, it was definitely an accident, but when neither boy had issue with it, each made sure it happened again and then again.

Kurt couldn’t tell if he really had feelings for Blaine or if he just was feeling that way because he was spending so much time around another boy who also liked boys. Trying not to over think things, Kurt tried to just be in the moment and enjoy the little touches – pretending that this was what it would be like in a couple years when he went away to college.

Somehow in their travels, Kurt and Blaine ended up outside of a club on the boat where the thumping bass could not be contained behind its closed doors.

Blaine looked at Kurt nervously before he blurted out, “I want to go in.”

With a confused look on his face, Kurt asked, “Really?”

The older boy nodded as he rubbed his sweaty palms on the front of his cargo shorts. “Mmm hmm.” He looked forlornly thought the club’s doors at the sweaty dancing people inside before turning back toward Kurt. “I’m an adult. I don’t want to be scared when dancing around large groups of people.”

Kurt immediately thought it was a bad idea, but didn’t want to stop Blaine from trying to overcome something that was obviously still bothering him as per their conversation the night before. Trying to be a good friend, Kurt opened the door to the club and motioned for Blaine to step inside.

The music was loud and Kurt could feel the drum beat in his throat. Strobe lights flashed silhouettes of flailing arms and grinding bodies on the walls. He briefly closed his eyes and opened them to find Blaine starting to bop along to the pulsing music.

They danced near each other, but not together, as Blaine kept looking around to make sure no one was going to hurt him. After fifteen minutes or so, Kurt grabbed Blaine’s arm and motioned that he needed a drink. There were too many people in there and Kurt was not dressed for that kind of group activity.

Blaine nodded and walked with Kurt to the bar, not wanting to get separated. Just as Kurt was about to order a bottle of water, shots were placed in front of him and Blaine. Kurt looked up in alarm to find that it was someone’s bachelor party and they just so happened to be at the bar when a round of shots were ordered for anyone standing in the vicinity of the celebration.

The last time Kurt had alcohol, he threw up all over his guidance counselor’s shoes. He had made a vow to never drink again, but when he saw the rebellious look in Blaine’s eyes, they picked up their shots. With a quick toast, each boy threw back the shot in his hand and grimaced at the burning sensation that was racing down his throat. A second round of shots was poured and the boys shrugged before gulping down what tasted like fire.

With a little liquid courage in his system, Blaine began to open up on the dance floor. It may have only been two shots, but his body became less rigid and the proximity he was keeping between he and Kurt all but vanished. They weren’t grinding or anything, but Blaine’s hips shimmied as he waved his arms in unadulterated glee. Blaine felt free and Kurt felt oddly empowered because another boy was dancing with him on purpose. He wondered if Blaine liked him, or if the other boy was just enjoying being around another gay kid and that kid just happened to be Kurt.

Kurt tried to not think about it. Blaine was already attractive, but there was something about the way his eyes sparkled when his body moved freely that made Kurt’s heart race. Kurt allowed his eyes to close as he let himself move with the music. When he opened them a moment later, he frowned because Blaine was no longer in front of him – Blaine was being pulled over by a group of girls whose skirts were leaving little to the imagination. Kurt couldn’t tell if it was the shots or the jealousy that was making his face flush.

Blaine chuckled and shook his head, trying to tell them above the music that they weren’t his type. When one of the girls began running her hand down Blaine’s chest as he continued to shake his head, Kurt grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back toward the bar.

“Can I get a bottle of water, please?” Kurt asked the bartender before turning to Blaine to see if he wanted anything. Before he could get his question out, the bartender leaned over the bar toward Blaine and purred, “Anything for you, sexy?”

That was it. Kurt rolled his eyes and turned away from the bar without even waiting for his bottle of water. Pissed off, he stormed toward the club’s entrance with Blaine several steps behind him. Though Blaine was calling out to him, Kurt didn’t stop until he was out on the boat’s deck and could suck in fresh air. He glared at Blaine, angrily. “You didn’t have to follow me, you know. You could have stayed in there with your precious fan club.”

Blaine’s face was still red from the two shots and dancing. His eye scrunched up in confusion. “My what?”

Kurt shook his head in frustration. “Do you really not get it? All day, Blaine. Those girls on the beach. Those girls in there. Even that bartender.” He barked out a cruel laugh. “Why are you following me when you could literally be spending time with anyone else?”

“Kurt, what are you talking about? I want to spend time with you!”

“But you’re so – ” Kurt couldn’t find the words as he pointed at Blaine, “and I’m just –.” He motioned to himself with a look of disgust.

“Just what, Kurt?”

“Nothing,” Kurt muttered. He didn’t mean that he was nothing, he was just trying to drop the conversation he really regretted starting in the first place. The younger boy turned to start walking down the deck when he felt Blaine quickly grab his arm.

“Hey!” Blaine called out (much too loudly since it was just the two of them). “Hey.” Kurt took a deep breath and forced himself to look up at Blaine’s pleading eyes. “You’re not nothing.”

Kurt shook his head, “No, I know. When I said ‘nothing’ I didn’t mean I was nothing, but… look, can we just drop this? Maybe I should just go back to my room.” He tried to pull his arm out of Blaine’s grasp, but the older boy kept hold, albeit gently.

“Stop, please,” Blaine begged softly. “Will you at least look at me?” It took a lot for Kurt to not tear up as he slowly met Blaine’s gaze. “What’s going on?”

“I think I like you,” Kurt started with a sigh. “But, I mean, I don’t know if I like you for you or if I’m feeling this way because you’re the only other gay guy I know who isn’t, well, you know, repulsive.”

Triangular eyebrows slid up and underneath the raven curls that hung damp with sweat, covering Blaine’s forehead. “You… like me?”

Kurt couldn’t understand why Blaine sounded so astonished. Everyone seemed to like Blaine, even strangers. He was the most attractive guy Kurt had ever seen in person and he had people hitting on him all day.

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“It’s just that – I mean – I really like you, Kurt,” Blaine sputtered.

Kurt ripped his arm out of Blaine’s grasp like what he said was some sick joke. “But you’re – ”

Blaine threw his hands up, so confused. “I’m what, Kurt?”

“ATTRACTIVE!” Kurt spat out. “You’re, like, the alpha gay, okay?” He wasn’t mad at Blaine. Not really. He knew it wasn’t Blaine’s fault that he was genetically blessed with gorgeous eyes and curly hair that Kurt’s fingers were aching to run through. “And I’m – I’m –” He desperately tried to think of the right word to express his own discontent with his less than perfect appearance.

“Beautiful.” Blaine plead softly, not knowing whether he was more upset that Kurt was yelling at him over something he didn’t agree with or that Kurt thought so little of himself.

There was silence between them as they both looked at each other in disbelief. The only sound for a few moments was the slosh of water against the boat.

Blaine’s head was spinning. He was still feeling the effects of the shots they took in the club and he was trying to process the conversation he and Kurt were having. Though he wasn’t usually one to open up about his feelings, he knew they needed to talk so they could move forward with whatever was going on between them.

“If it’s okay with you, I think maybe we should go somewhere and talk some more,” Blaine suggested.

With slight reluctance, Kurt nodded in agreement.

…

They both agreed they should probably eat a snack to have something in their stomach besides alcohol, so they grabbed a few slices of pizza and glasses of water from the dining area before heading back out to a secluded table on the deck.

Blaine watched as Kurt dabbed his pizza with napkins, soaking up the excess grease before Kurt picked up his slice and took a sizeable bite. As he chewed, he looked over at Blaine and saw that the other boy was staring at him intently. Too tired for manners, Kurt muttered, “Would you stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Blaine countered as he pulled a piece of pepperoni off his slice of pizza and popped it in his mouth.

“Like I’m worth looking at or something,” Kurt replied sarcastically through his mouthful of pizza.

The older boy smiled sadly, wishing Kurt would stop thinking he wasn’t good enough to be wanted. “But you are, Kurt. And whether you believe it or not, I’m probably going to keep looking at you like this.” Blaine then thought about what he said and realized he didn’t want to force himself in any capacity onto Kurt, remembering what Kurt told him about Karofsky the night before and how Kurt had responded so defensively – and rightly so – against Sebastian’s advances. “I mean, if that’s okay with you. I do like you, Kurt. But I respect you enough to walk away now if you want me to.”

Kurt swallowed as he shook his head. “No. You said we should talk. So keep talking,” he said. “Please?

Blaine took a sip of water as he gathered his thoughts. He figured he might as well lay everything on the line. Though he had only known Kurt for a couple days, he really thought that whatever they had was at the very least the start of a lasting friendship. They were both from Ohio and with cell phones and Skype, they could make whatever this was last past the cruise.

“After what happened at the dance, I closed myself off to a lot of people,” Blaine started. “I mean, there are other out guys at my school and some of them have… asked me out.”  Kurt wanted to roll his eyes. Of course other guys have asked Blaine out. Blaine saw the look in Kurt’s eyes and continued. “Look, it’s not like that. I’ve actually… never really had a boyfriend before.” Blaine looked into Kurt’s eyes and tried to convey the rest of his embarrassing lack of social life story without having to actually say it out loud.

“Well, neither have I,” Kurt said as he shrugged, like Blaine should have known that that was the obvious response he was going to get.

Blaine nervously ran a hand up the back of his neck and into his hair, reluctant to go on, but knowing he should be completely honest with Kurt. “What I’m trying to say, Kurt, is that I’ve never even… been kissed.”

Kurt’s eyes grew wide and his pizza slice was abandoned on his plate. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked softly.

Blaine blinked slowly as he took a deep breath. “It’s just that, you seem to have this ridiculous idea that I’m, I dunno, some sort of experienced person and I just needed to you know that I’m… not.” He sighed. “After what happened with Jackson, I just shut everyone out. I thought it would be easier to just not feel. But then I saw you, Kurt, and I got to know you a little bit and I just… I don’t want to be afraid to feel things anymore.”

The younger boy didn’t know what to say. He normally would ramble and crack snarky jokes to fill the silence, but he was too busy looking at Blaine. It terrified Kurt how vulnerable the other boy looked, having just put his heart out there for Kurt to do with it what he wanted. This information was his for the taking and it seemed to be up to his whim what he could and would do with it.

“Oh,” was all Kurt could manage to say.

…

Picking at their pizza in relative silence, there was an unspoken agreement that they would just head back down to their respective rooms. The night definitely wasn’t turning out how either boy thought it would, but as mortifying as it was to bare a usually hidden part of himself, Blaine was glad he said what he said. They still had one more full day on the ship and he thought perhaps maybe he and Kurt could salvage what was left of their friendship and use that to forge ahead in keeping in contact once the cruise was over.

Downstairs, they caught up to Finn in the hallway outside of his and Kurt’s room, trying to unlock the door. Finn was obviously drunk and Blaine tried to hold him up while Kurt keycarded his way into the suite. With Kurt’s help, Blaine managed to walk Finn inside the room and get him to lie down on his bed.

“Thanks,” Kurt muttered appreciatively to Blaine as he yanked Finn’s shoes off.

“Of course,” Blaine responded, hoping Kurt would understand that he would do anything for him.

It took a couple minutes, but Kurt and Blaine got Finn tucked in bed. His loud snores punctuated the otherwise quiet room.

Blaine looked at Kurt, wanting to say something profound, but coming up short. He wanted to spend more time with Kurt, but was still not entirely sure what Kurt thought about everything he had said earlier. He slowly backed toward the door. “I should… go. I should, I should go.”

Kurt went to stop him, but stopped himself because he still didn’t know what to say.

“See you tomorrow, maybe?” Blaine asked, his voice tinged with hope. When Kurt nodded, Blaine flashed him a small smile before letting himself out of the room.

Quietly shutting the door behind himself, Blaine leaned against its wooden frame and slammed his eyes closed, wishing their time together that night could have gone better.

…

After double-checking that Finn was all right, Kurt allowed himself a fairly lengthy shower. He stood under the poorly pressured flow of water until his skin felt raw, and then he got out and did his full nightly moisturizing routine. While he was taking off the last of his night mask, he thought long and hard about what Blaine told him. Kurt realized it wasn’t fair of him to assume that Blaine had this wonderful social life just because he looked a certain way. He wanted to smack himself for being so superficial and wished he could take back the accusations he flung so freely.

Once he was done in the bathroom, Kurt climbed into his own bed and wished for dreamless sleep.

He tossed and turned for what felt like forever when sleep never came.

…

Blaine turned on his phone and saw it was nearing 1:00am. He chuckled sadly to himself when he remembered that was the curfew Kurt had to adhere to that night. But, instead of spending time with each other, each boy was in his own room and Blaine blamed himself. Though he was glad he was honest with Kurt, he almost wished he had kept his mouth shut about his inexperience because he assumed that it just made things worse – like it was his own fault for not having a boyfriend because apparently people were throwing themselves at him.

Since sleep would not come, Blaine sat up in his bed and read another few pages of the book he had been reading. Just as he was to start another chapter, he heard a faint knock. Thinking it must have been on someone else’s door, he kept reading. However, when a louder knock sounded a few moments later, he climbed off his bed and made his way to the door.

After turning the lock, Blaine opened his suite’s door a crack and found himself face to face with Kurt.

“Hey,” Kurt murmured as he bit his lip.

“Hi,” Blaine responded, opening up his door a little wider. He didn’t know why, but he looked up and down the hallway to make sure it was empty before he asked, “Um, you want to come in?”

With a small nod, Kurt stepped into Blaine’s room and waited for Blaine to shut the door behind him before he started talking. “Listen, I’m really sorry about what I said and, well, what I didn’t say, earlier.”

“Kurt, you don’t have to apologi-”

“No, I do Blaine. Let me finish?” Kurt requested. “Please?”

“Okay, but…” Blaine looked around his room, but didn’t think it’d be wholly appropriate if they sat on his bed. He pointed toward the balcony door. “You wanna sit out there?”

Soon they were seated next to each other, overlooking the ocean. The water was still and the sky was black.

There were a few minutes of silence before Kurt finally spoke up. “I’m sorry, Blaine.” The older boy looked toward Kurt and saw the younger boy looking at him. They locked eyes briefly and Blaine didn’t respond because he could tell Kurt had more to say. “I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that before. That wasn’t fair and I wish I could take it back.” Kurt looked down at his hands. “Since you were so honest with me earlier, I feel like I owe you an explanation or something in return.”

“Kurt, no –”

Kurt held up a hand and flashed Blaine as confident of a smile as he could muster. “I believe I asked you to let me finish?” Blaine sat back in his chair and did everything he could to keep his mouth shut while Kurt kept talking. “It was just really hard for me to see everyone hit on you today because I’ve never had that kind of attention. Well,” he stopped to chuckle bitterly, “I guess there was that Sebastian guy, but he’s a creep.” Kurt sighed before he continued, “Anyway. I was jealous. I mean, I know we’re not together or anything, but to those other people, it was like I didn’t even exist.” Blaine wanted to speak up, but he bit his cheek and kept quiet because he knew he shouldn’t talk until Kurt granted him permission. “But then when we were arguing and you said that you liked me… I didn’t handle that well because, well, I didn’t think that it could be real.” Kurt dared to glance over at Blaine and saw he was basically bursting at the seams to say something, which made him chuckle. “I can tell you want to interject, so I guess I’m done. For now,” he teased gently.

Words started pouring out of Blaine’s mouth because he couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Kurt, you shouldn’t need the validation of drunk strangers for you to know that you are an extraordinary person and I do like you.” Blaine paused to catch his breath before he finished slowly, “I really, really like you. And it’s not because you’re the only nice, handsome gay guy I met on this boat. It’s because you’re you.”

Kurt’s mouth dropped open, still in awe how Blaine could just say something like that and actually mean it.

Blaine reached over and gently took Kurt by the hand. He laced his fingers slowly through Kurt’s, giving the younger boy the time and freedom to pull away if he wanted before their hands were completely intertwined. A shy smile formed when he felt Kurt tenderly squeeze his hand, acknowledging that what Blaine did was more than all right.

They sat, contentedly, in silence for a few minutes, each savoring the feeling having a strong, sure hand holding his own.

It was Kurt who broke the silence again. “This is going to sound silly,” he confessed, “but I’ve always wanted to hold someone’s hand like this. I just didn’t think it would happen until college.”

Blaine felt his heart swell and for some reason, he grew bolder. “Same here, actually.” Slowly, he lifted their joined hands to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on Kurt’s knuckles. In the darkness, he heard Kurt’s breath hitch.

With a soft sigh, Kurt wiggled back in his seat, completely comfortable to be in the moment with Blaine, but a little sad about how great this was but was likely something he would never experience back home.

Blaine could sense that Kurt was conflicted about something. “What’s wrong, Kurt?”

The younger boy shook his head, “It’s not you, I promise.” Both boys let out soft chuckles through their noses. “It’s just that, my junior prom is next week and… god, I shouldn’t be complaining about that right now.”

“No, I want to know. Please?” Blaine rubbed his thumb over Kurt’s knuckles, hopefully encouraging him to continue.

“It’s just that, I’ve always wanted to hold hands with someone in the hallway,” he said as he shook their joined hands a bit. “And I’ve always wanted to slow dance with someone at prom. But I can’t do that at my school. I mean, I don’t have anyone to do those things with anyway, but even if I did, I’d still get shoved into lockers and called names. You know?” Kurt winced, recalling Blaine’s traumatic post-dance experience. “I’m sorry. Of course you know.”

Blaine frowned. “You have every right to want to go to your school dance, Kurt. It shouldn’t be like that. We shouldn’t have to be afraid to do normal high school things.”

A tear rolled slowly down Kurt’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Blaine didn’t know Kurt was crying until he heard a sniffle in the silence.

…

They sat hand in hand on Blaine’s balcony for a little while, but then it got surprisingly chilly. Neither wanted to get up, but each boy was covered in goosebumps.

Eventually, they stood and Blaine walked Kurt to the door. They dropped hands and instead wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace.

“Stay,” Blaine whispered in Kurt’s ear. “Please?”

They slowly pulled away from each other and their eyes locked. Hazel eyes plead for Kurt to agree and the younger boy immediately gave a small nod.

Kurt told Blaine he would be back in a minute before slipping out of the older boy’s room and down the hall to his shared suite with Finn.

Opening the door as quietly as possible, Kurt grabbed a notebook and pencil off the counter near his bed and stepped into the bathroom. He sat on the toilet seat and wrote out a note for his stepbrother explaining that he and Blaine had found him drunk and put him to bed and that Kurt was spending the night in Blaine’s room and for Finn not to tell their parents or else Kurt would let it slip about the drinking. He felt a little guilty blackmailing Finn, but Kurt thought it was his only option in the moment.

Kurt placed the note on top of Finn’s phone (since he knew he would have to look at that to shut off the alarm Kurt had set) and then checked his hair before he snuck back out of the room and down the hall.

…

Blaine was sitting on his bed staring into space when the soft knocking sound brought him back to his present. He couldn’t believe he asked Kurt to spend the night, but was equally shocked that Kurt agreed. Though Blaine liked Kurt and was technically an adult, there was no way he was ready for any kind of sexual relationship. Panicking about how he was going to relay that truth to Kurt, Blaine got up off the bed and crossed to the door to let the other boy in.

As soon as Kurt stepped into the room, he took one look at the bed and blurted out, “We’re not having sex.” His face quickly turned a bright shade of red, but it was something that had to be said.

Blaine burst into a fit of laughter and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he reached toward Kurt and pulled him into another hug. “Oh my god, I was going to say the same thing, but I didn’t know how!”

With the tension gone, the boys climbed into bed and lay facing each other, smiling like idiots.

“This is kind of weird,” Kurt said, causing Blaine to chuckle and agree.

“Yeah, a little.” Blaine shrugged, “But, I’d rather be with you than by myself right now, so I’m okay with weird.”

Kurt smiled and slid a little bit closer to Blaine. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Blaine parroted with a shy grin before pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth. “Um, I feel like since we’ve both been being really honest with each other tonight that I should tell you about something from this afternoon.”

Kurt’s eyebrows furrowed, not quite sure if Blaine was hinting at something good or bad. “Oh?”

“Um, when it started raining and we ran for cover and ended up at the library,” Blaine said slowly. “I wanted to kiss you so badly.”

Oh. Apparently it was something good.

“Really?” Kurt asked, as his heart began racing.

Blaine nodded, shyly, not even trying to be coy because it was just more important for him to speak his mind.

Feeling brave, Kurt slid a little closer. “Oh. Well… why didn’t you?”

The older boy’s tongue involuntarily swiped across his own bottom lip as his eyes flickered back and forth between Kurt’s darkening eyes and his perfect pink lips.

“I told you, Kurt,” Blaine said softly. “I’ve never been kissed before.” Blaine leaned toward Kurt ever so slightly. “Which means I’ve never kissed anyone before.” He asked in a completely serious tone, “I didn’t want to do it wrong. I mean, what if I’m no good at it?”

Instead of responding with words, Kurt closed the gap between them and placed his lips gently against Blaine’s. The older boy gasped slightly before he let his eyes slide shut. Kurt’s hand found its way to cup Blaine’s cheek, caressing it before he pulled his mouth away from Blaine’s.

Not knowing where his confidence was coming from, Kurt leaned in again, mouth hovering near Blaine’s, and whispered, “Very good, Mr. Anderson. Would you like to try again?”

Blaine chuckled and surged his lips forward, trying to just be in the moment as opposed to over thinking if he was doing it right.

Filled with euphoria, Kurt and Blaine eventually separated and felt content to just stare at each other from their respective pillows. Each knew how easy it would be to keep going as far as their bodies would let them, but knowing that he would respect himself less for getting too carried away on his first night with another boy.

Blaine set the alarm on his phone for an ungodly early hour, having convinced Kurt to watch the sunrise with him on his balcony before Kurt would go back to his and Finn’s room.

After a chaste kiss goodnight, Kurt turned off the light. In the darkness, their legs tangled and arms were draped across each other. Despite the new sleeping arrangements, sleep came easy to both Blaine and Kurt.