FRIDAY - PART I

Throughout the night, Blaine and Kurt moved closer and closer to each other in their sleep so that by time it was morning, their legs were completely tangled and arms were draped over each other. Blaine’s face was buried in the front of Kurt’s t-shirt, while Kurt’s chin was nestled in Blaine’s hair.

No alarm had been set, but Kurt woke up first around 7:30 because that’s what time he was used to getting ready for his day. For a brief moment, he wondered where he was and why there was someone else in bed with him before he remembered that he was at his teacher’s apartment in the arms of the boy he was falling for. A week ago, if somebody had told Kurt Hummel he was going to find someone he could potentially spend forever with, he would have laughed in his or her face. But now, only days after meeting Blaine, he felt safety and contentment in this other man’s arms and it pained him to think that tonight that would be taken away from him.

Kurt kissed the top of Blaine’s head, causing the pianist to shift around and snuggle further into his chest. Blaine fisted the back of Kurt’s t-shirt, clinging onto him as he continued to sleep. Kurt always dreamed that the first night he spent with someone he loved would be full of silk pajamas, candles and soft music and not old t-shirts and a Wolverine stuffed animal sticking out from under a pillow, yet somehow it just felt right. He realized he didn’t need the clichés. He didn’t want the clichés. He just wanted Blaine and he was grateful to have him there, even if it was only going to be for another few hours.

As much as he wished they could stay in bed forever and snuggle, Kurt knew they had to get on with their day. They still needed to talk, both of them had to be at Cooper’s acting class, and Kurt remembered that Blaine promised the kids at the shelter that they would try and make it back today. Throw in the fact that Blaine wasn’t completely packed yet and had to make it to the airport around 6:00pm for an 8:00pm flight, they had a busy day ahead of themselves.

“Blaine,” Kurt whispered softly into the hair of the other boy before kissing him again. “Blaine, we need to get up.”

“Mmmmm,” Blaine murmured. “Wanna stay here. You. Warm. Snuggles.” Without opening his eyes, Blaine burrowed himself closer to Kurt.

Though Blaine’s insistence to stay where they were was adorable, Kurt knew he had to force them to move. Slowly, he unwrapped his arms from Blaine and untangled their legs.

“Nooooooooo,” Blaine protested as Kurt lifted the covers and scooted out of the bed. “Kuuuuuuuuurt.”

“Blaaaaaaaaaaine,” Kurt teased back, stretching his arms over his head.

Blaine finally opened an eye to stare up at Kurt. A smile spread across his face when he saw how rumpled Kurt looked in his pajamas as opposed to how pulled together he always appeared to be during the day. “Hi,” Blaine said shyly as he slowly sat up, blankets pooled around his waist.

“Hi,” Kurt replied, walking over to the edge of the bed. He reached out and ran a hand through Blaine’s hair, which was sticking out every which way it possibly could. Blaine reached his own hand up to Kurt’s and pulled it down so he could kiss Kurt’s palm. Kurt blushed at the intimate gesture and smiled bashfully at Blaine. “Do you want to take a shower first?”

“No, you can go. Maybe I can get some more sleep while you –”

“Blaine!” Kurt pulled his hand out of Blaine’s and shoved the older boy over onto their pile of pillows.

Through giggles, Blaine managed to sputter out, “Just kidding! Just kidding!” He scrambled to sit back up as Kurt looked down on him with a judgmental face. “I’ll pack, okay?”

Kurt raised his eyebrows, “Mmm hmm.” He walked over and grabbed his overnight bag. “Um, you said your brother had an extra towel I could borrow?”

“Oh yeah,” Blaine said as he threw the blankets off himself and reluctantly climbed out of bed. “Ummmmm… top shelf of the linen closet in the hallway. They’re blue.” He wiggled his toes against the floor, causing them to pop. “Do you want me to get one for you?”

Shaking his head, Kurt said quickly, “No, I’ll find them, thanks. Umm…” He stood there looking at Blaine and Blaine stared at him in return.

Blaine sighed, “I, uh, I really want to kiss you right now, but I didn’t know if I should ask or if I should just go for it.” He walked slowly over toward the younger boy. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Kurt,” he said softly, almost embarrassed at his own admission.

“Neither do I,” Kurt whispered as he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Blaine’s. But, just as quickly as he moved forward, Kurt pulled back and clapped a hand over his mouth before Blaine had a chance to kiss back. “Oh my god, I didn’t even brush my teeth yet!”

Blaine reached up and curled his fingers around those covering Kurt’s mouth. Without breaking eye contact, he lowered their hands slowly. He brought his mouth to Kurt’s and whispered, “I don’t care” against his lips. Instantly, they moved together, eyes closing and lips slotting together perfectly like puzzle pieces. Kurt dropped his bag and hands began roaming up and across backs. Forgetting to breathe, both boys eventually had to separate when their lungs begged for relief.

Blushing as he caught his breath, Kurt was insistent. “We have to shower.” Blaine’s eyebrows instantly slid up. “Separately,” Kurt added, though Blaine knew they weren’t ready for that quite yet. “And then we need to talk.”

Nodding in agreement, Blaine picked Kurt’s bag off the floor and handed it to the other boy as proof he was on board with Kurt’s plan.

Kurt walked quietly down the hallway, grabbing a towel out of the linen closet along the way. Knowing he had some time to himself, Blaine looked around his room, sizing up the packing task in front of him. Really all he needed for the day was a decent looking outfit that would be appropriate for Cooper’s class as well as comfortable enough to wear on the airplane that night. He pulled out his favorite pair of jeans, a cranberry cardigan, white Henley and some shoes he could just slip on without having to wear socks. That way at the airport, he’d only have to take off his belt, slide off his shoes and put his wallet in the basket by the conveyor belt.

Packing what he could and leaving his outfit for the day on his bed, Blaine wandered into the kitchen to start brewing a pot of coffee. He and Cooper usually drank a couple cups apiece in the morning, and he knew Kurt like it as well, so he dug out the 10-cup coffee maker out from one of the kitchen cabinets. After getting everything set up, he leaned against the counter and waited. He knew how he wanted to proceed with his relationship with Kurt, but this was something they had to decide upon together.

The coffee was nearly done by time Kurt came out of the bathroom. He was dressed in dark jeans that looked like they were painted on his body and a light blue button up shirt that matched his eyes. He had tied an olive green checked scarf around his neck and had done his hair up and off his face. Blaine’s jaw dropped slightly as Kurt walked toward him in the kitchen.

“You look amazing,” Blaine said as he ran a finger delicately along the ends of Kurt’s scarf. “But I still think you looked best in your pajamas.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said with an embarrassed smile as he put a hand up to Blaine’s chest. “And while you look handsome even in that t-shirt, I don’t think your brother would be entirely pleased if you showed up to speak to his class in such finery,” he joked.

With a heavy sigh, Blaine acquiesced. “I’m going, I’m going.” He shuffled toward the hallway before turning around and pointing to a cupboard. “Coffee’s almost done. There’s mugs in that cabinet and milk and stuff in the fridge. I’ll be out soon and then I’ll make you breakfast, okay?”

Kurt nodded and smiled as watched Blaine walk down the hallway toward his room to get his towel and clothes. He then turned his attention toward the coffee maker and saw it was over halfway filled up. Going to the cabinet Blaine pointed to, Kurt grabbed three mugs, hoping they were okay for himself, Blaine and Cooper. He didn’t know if they had specific mugs they used and smiled to himself that maybe this was something he would soon find out about the Anderson brothers. Kurt found himself wanting to know everything about Blaine and figured that was another pro in the mental list he made when thinking about how he wanted their relationship to go forward from there.

While digging around in the fridge for milk and cream, Kurt heard someone walk into the kitchen. Thinking it was Blaine, Kurt turned around and started, “Well that was quick. You want some mil-.” He stopped himself and stood a little straighter. “Oh, hi C-… Mr. Anderson?” Kurt winced, not quite knowing how he should refer to the oldest Anderson.

Cooper chuckled and grabbed one of the empty mugs off the counter. “Morning, Kurt.” He looked at the younger boy and sized him up. “I’m pretty sure that since you’re sleeping with my brother you can call me Cooper.”

Kurt’s eyebrows shot up toward his hairline as he sputtered quickly, “We didn’t – I mean, we slept in the same bed, but we didn’t…”

Laughing, Cooper guided Kurt away from the refrigerator and shut the door. He took the milk and cream cartons out of Kurt’s hands and set them on the counter. “Man, you’re even easier to mess with than Blaine.” He put a reassuring hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “When you’re here, with us, I’m just Blaine’s big brother. You only have to ‘Mr. Anderson’ me when we’re in class, okay? But, don’t think you’re getting any special privileges just because you’re schtupping B.” When Kurt didn’t react as horrified as he did before, Cooper smiled. “See? You’re already catching on. Welcome to the family, kid.” He clapped Kurt on the shoulder before pouring two mugs of coffee and offering one to Kurt.

“Thanks,” Kurt said slowly as he took the proffered mug.

Cooper leaned against the counter the same way Blaine was when Kurt first walked in. It was strange but it also wasn’t how similar the Anderson brothers were and Kurt kicked himself for not realizing it sooner, thinking how that would have saved him and Blaine from all that extra stress the day before.

After taking a sip of coffee, Cooper looked over at Kurt and asked, “So, I know this isn’t really any of my business, but did you two get a chance to talk last night?”

At first Kurt didn’t know how to answer, but he decided it was best to be completely honest with the older Anderson in case he had any sort of insight into the situation. He nodded before saying, “A little bit. We,” he sighed, “we know that distance if going to be an issue, so we decided to sleep on it and talk more this morning.” Cooper nodded in understanding and took another sip of his drink. “It’s just that this has all happened so fast and…”

“And you’re worried that feelings this strong shouldn’t seem so easy so soon?” Cooper offered for him. Kurt put down his cup and looked down at the floor, fiddling with his scarf.  He nodded in agreement. “Kurt, look at me.” The younger boy reluctantly did as he was told, cheeks red with embarrassment for seeming so transparent. “I don’t want to see either of you get hurt, but I also don’t want you guys to miss out on something special because you’re scared that it’s ‘too soon.’ There’s no timeline for feelings, okay?” Kurt nodded again, afraid that if he tried to talk, he would get emotional.

“Is this more to your liking, K –.” Blaine called out as he entered the kitchen, thinking he and Kurt were going to be alone. “Oh hey, Coop,” he said once he saw his brother. Blaine glanced from Cooper to Kurt and back to Cooper after seeing that Kurt looked a bit distraught. “What did you say to him?” Blaine asked his brother in a slightly accusatory tone.

“Nothing that I haven’t said to you,” Cooper said as he put his mug in the sink. “You guys finish talking, okay? I’ll see you at class later.” Walked toward Blaine and reached out to pat his brother on the back as he passed. “Follow your heart, B,” Cooper muttered softly as he kept walking past Blaine back toward his bedroom to gather his stuff for his morning class.

Blaine walked over to Kurt and put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

Kurt looked up at Blaine and gave him a watery smile. “I will be.”

They stood together in silence, hands finding each other’s and fingers twining together.

“I want to do this,” Blaine suddenly blurted out. “Us.”

Kurt chuckled through his nose at Blaine’s sudden outburst; grateful he wasn’t the only one who wanted them to work out. “I do too,” he admitted softly. He brought a hand up and grasped the lapel of Blaine’s cardigan. “Part of me still thinks that this is all happening too fast, but as scared as I am to be with you after only a few days, I can’t imagine us being apart.”

Blaine’s chest heaved under Kurt’s touch, heart daring to beat out of his chest. He was so overwhelmed, feeling equal parts elated and terrified, but he was comforted knowing Kurt felt the exact same way. They were in this together and that’s how they would figure things out.

“New York’s not that far, really,” Blaine said softly, as he wrapped his arms around Kurt’s back. “So we can make plans to visit each other. And there’s always cell phones and Skype and email and letters…” He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Kurt’s lips.

“Oh, you gonna write me letters?” Kurt murmured, turning his head to whisper in Blaine’s ear before planting a soft kiss under his earlobe.

“Mmm hmm.” Blaine craned his neck, allowing Kurt better access. “So many letters.”

“Oh my god you two, go back into the guest room if that’s where this is headed,” Cooper yelled as he walked past the kitchen on his way to the front door. “I stand over that counter and eat food, sad and alone. Stop rubbing your adorable express relationship in my face or Kurt’s going to fail acting class.”

The kissing stopped, but Blaine and Kurt remained in each other’s arms as the oldest Anderson opened the front door. “Love you too, Coop,” Blaine called out before the door shut. He and Kurt smiled at each other and then started laughing when both their stomachs started to rumble. “Breakfast?” Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded. “Please.”

…

Working together, Blaine and Kurt whipped up scrambled eggs, bagels and a fruit salad to share with their coffee. They put everything on trays and carried it out to the living room along with a few plates, napkins and forks. Trays were placed on the coffee table as both boys sank down on the couch next to each other and started to eat.

Blaine watched as Kurt grabbed a bagel and split it open, immediately putting the lid back on his plate, as if he had done that a million times. “I want to know everything about you,” Blaine sighed before he shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “Like,” he started before completely swallowing, “like why you eat the bottom of your bagel first.”

Kurt chuckled, “Well that’s easy. The top is obviously the best part. Save the best for last, you know?” Kurt took a bite out of his bagel before staring Blaine down. “What about you, huh? Devon.”

Taking a sip of coffee to wash down his eggs, Blaine set his plate down and turned on the couch to completely face Kurt. “I am so, so sorry I didn’t tell you about that earlier. Seriously, if there was one thing I could take back about this week, it would have been that I told you that very first night who I really was.”

“Why didn’t you?” Kurt asked. He wasn’t mad anymore, but he still wanted to know the truth.

Blaine ducked his head, embarrassed for his reasons. “Because you seemed so disgusted that you were stuck going to that concert on Thursday when I asked if you were free that night. I, uh, I was actually going to invite you to see me play before I knew you were in Coop’s class and he was forcing you to go.”

Kurt put down his plate and slid one of his hands in Blaine’s. “I was only pissed off about going because I wanted to spend time with you… I would have been just as upset if I had tickets to a Broadway show. And I love Broadway shows.”

“I didn’t know that,” Blaine grumbled.

“I know,” Kurt said. “Look, we both did some dumb things this week. Like, me thinking that you were fooling around with my acting teacher…”

“Yeah,” Blaine started. “What was up with that?”

“Well, if I would have known that you were you, I would have known that the two handsiest people I’ve even seen were brothers,” Kurt pointed out. “Seriously, Blaine. You and Cooper were practically all over each other. What was I supposed to think?”

Blaine slumped down against the back of the couch. Kurt was right – if Blaine had told him who he was to begin with, Kurt never would have mistaken he and his brother for two people in a relationship. “Man, everything was my fault this week.”

“Blaine,” Kurt said softly as he rubbed his thumb over Blaine’s knuckles. “What’s done is done. How about we just work on being honest with each other from now on, okay?”

The pianist nodded. “I’m still sorry, though.”

“I know,” Kurt murmured as he ran his free hand through Blaine’s hair. “Can I ask you something else?”

“Anything.”

“Why do you have to sleep near the wall?”

Blaine chuckled and instantly the mood in the room was lifted. As they tucked back into their breakfast, Blaine explained that when he was little, Cooper made him watch ET: Extra Terrestrial and it gave him nightmares. Ever since, he had to sleep facing a wall with his rationale being that if ET came into the room while he slept, Blaine wouldn’t be able to see him because he was facing the wall. Though he was able to laugh about his ridiculously inaccurate logic with Kurt, Blaine still slept best if he was facing a wall and always had trouble sleeping if a bed was not in the corner of a room.

During the rest of breakfast, the boys took turns asking each other silly questions so they could find out the more random aspects of each other’s lives. Kurt admitted to watching reality television while Blaine confided that he still knew the words and choreography to all the High School Musical movies. They chatted for a solid hour, finding themselves falling harder as the other boy revealed more and more about himself.

Soon their plates were empty and it was nearing time for them to get ready to head off to campus. Their plan was to pick up some more coffee before Kurt’s acting class and bring Cooper some as a “Thank You” for being so supportive (albeit an epic pain in the ass) about their relationship.

In the kitchen, Blaine washed their dishes while Kurt dried them. Neither said anything, but each boy relished in the pleasant domesticity of it all. With a shared smile, as Blaine handed Kurt the last mug to dry, they knew that they made the right choice to keep going with this relationship. It may have been new, but it was already so precious to them.

Hand in hand they left the apartment, ready to face the rest of the day together but knowing they were that much closer to Blaine getting on an airplane and flying back to New York City.