Opening night was slowly but surely creeping up on them. It was one week after Thanksgiving meaning the show was scheduled to open tomorrow. This afternoon, they were doing the final run through with a full set and costumes. From the moment the pianist struck the first chord to the final few moments of the last scene, Blaine had chills running down his spine.

There was nothing that could compare to being on stage, all eyes on you. It was an incredible rush and Blaine could only imagine what tomorrow was going to be like, feeling the throbbing energy from an audience watching him. There truly was nothing like it.

Everyone congratulated one another on a job well done at the end of the afternoon's rehearsal. Artie (the students had reached a first name basis with the man) gathered everyone in a group circle, arms around each other. He thanked everyone for the hard work and told them, especially those who were new to performing on stage, not to be nervous. That they were going to kill it and deliver the best performance in Foster's Academy history tomorrow. The idea made Blaine's stomach twist with half nerves and half excitement.

Kurt was waiting for him in the mostly empty parking lot, leaning again his car. Blaine spotted him the moment he stepped out of the building and as soon as Kurt's eyes fell on him, the man grinned.

"How did it go?" Kurt asked the moment Blaine was within earshot.

"Amazing," Blaine sighed happily. "I'm still pretty nervous about tomorrow, but I think I'll be fine."

Kurt pulled Blaine into a half hug, squeezing his shoulder. "You're going to be wonderful," he promised before letting go and walking around the car. "Let's get you home, you need all the rest you can get."

-o-o-o-o-o

December 6. Friday. 8 o'clock.

Opening night.

Bright lights, an introduction from the theater's owner, roaring applause and a heart-stopping orchestra.

Blaine missed a few of his marks and stumbled over one of his lines. He hoped his mistakes weren't noticeable enough to grab the audience's attention, but it was enough to disappoint him. He couldn't ignore the nerves vibrating through his body. Blaine knew who was out there, beyond the blinding lights and sitting in those seats. His family was there. Kurt was there. All eyes were on him during his solo performances and he couldn't help but wonder, "Am I good enough?"

After the show, he found his family. Sam and Rachel were there as well. The tall blonde boy immediately reached out to tug Blaine into a congratulatory hug. He muttered a happy, "Awesome job out there, dude, seriously" before pulling away to allow Blaine's dad to hug him next.

They chatted for a little. Blaine's dad finally announced it was time to go home, as the girls ran off towards the theater doors. Blaine's father stayed behind. "Are you coming with us, or you getting a ride?"

"Kurt said he'd take me home," Blaine said, still forcing the smile from before. "I need to change out of this costume and get the make-up off."

"Alright, kid. See you at home." Blaine's father said his good-bye to Rachel and Sam before leaving.

Clothes changed and face scrubbed, Blaine wandered back onto the stage. He stood in the middle, looking out towards the empty seats and squinting against the bright lights shining down on him. He sighed, closing his eyes and mentally going through the cues he has missed. He walked through every little move, every step. He nailed it the first time and second, then missed it the third, fourth and fifth. It was through his sixth run that Kurt scared him out of it, emerging from the side of the stage. Blaine jumped, practically tripping over his own feet when he noticed Kurt watching him from the distance. He let out a soft sigh. "Hey," he said quietly before falling back into what he had been doing. "I'm just...going through these moves that I missed tonight," he explained.

"You were amazing out there tonight," Kurt said as he approached Blaine who stopped half way through his blocking and let his arms hang loosely at his sides. His eyes remained on the stage floor as he thanked Kurt.

"And somehow..." Kurt continued softly as he stopped in front of Blaine, "...It seems like you don't agree."

"I didn't do as well as I might have wanted," Blaine admitted looking up.

"I think you need to stop being such a harsh critic and accept that you were incredible tonight," Kurt whispered.

Blaine couldn't help but smile softly at the praise.

"Stop worrying so much," Kurt soothed as he took a step forward.

Without a moment of hesitance, Blaine pushed himself up just slightly, arms winding around Kurt's neck as he pressed a kiss to his mouth. Kurt responded immediately, head tilting into the kiss. Blaine could feel Kurt take in a shaky breath through his nose as his hand grabbed at Blaine's waist to pull him closer. Kurt was the first to pull back, resting his forehead against Blaine's. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered.

The words struck deep, making his stomach twist unexpectedly. Blaine never realized how much he had needed that praise until this moment. He had never realized that it was something he didn't hear often. "I want you to be," Blaine choked out, voice coming out a little more broken than he might have liked. He pressed his hand to the back of Kurt's head, pulling him back down for another kiss.

o-o-o-o

"I want you to bring your sisters over one day."

The statement was sudden. Unexpected. Blaine looked away from the television.

Kurt was sprawled on the couch, long legs stretched across it, feet resting on Blaine's lap. In his own lap was a pile of papers he was grading. He was looking at Blaine from above his glasses.

"Um..." Blaine laughed quietly. "I don't think you want that, they can be a bit of a handful."

"Oh, come on. I'm sure I can handle having them here for a few hours," Kurt argued playfully as he sat up, setting the papers aside and closing the wide space between them. "It'll be fun having them over. I love your sisters." He rested his head on Blaine's shoulder. "I can make lunch for all of us and it'll get them out of your dad's hair for a bit. He deserves a break."

"He does," Blaine agreed. "He goes back to work on Monday."

"Perfect!" Kurt chirped before twisting around to rest his head on Blaine's lap, papers forgotten. "Sunday afternoon it is then," he said as he pulled off his glasses and nuzzled Blaine's stomach making him giggle.

o-o-o-o-o

Having his sisters over at Kurt's cottage was relatively less chaotic than Blaine had imagined. It was actually really nice. By the time the sun started dipping into the horizon, they decided to start up the fireplace. Bri, Bailey and Belinda were snuggled up on the couch under a fleece throw while Beth sat at the dining room table, texting on her phone.

They had been playing board games for the past two hours and now they were finishing their second round of Uno while the Wicked soundtrack played from a boom box in the corner.

Kurt had already caught Blaine staring a few times. He wanted to be embarrassed, but couldn't bring himself to do so. Everything felt so perfect. So comfortable and so very domestic. He was reminded of Thanksgiving and of that indescribable feeling spending time with Kurt and his family brought. Once they finished the game, Kurt suggested they watch a movie, and after about thirty minutes over arguing on what to watch, they settled on the timeless classic The Sound Of Music, though the girls all fell asleep half way through the movie.

There were a few minutes left of the movie when Kurt reached over to grab at Blaine's wrist, causing the boy to look over and squint against the darkness. He watched Kurt bring a hand up to his own mouth, making a hushing sound before signaling Blaine to follow him before he stood. Blaine followed suit, a little confused at what Kurt's intentions were. They became quite clear, however, when Kurt tugged Blaine into the bedroom, silently shutting the door behind them. Soon, Kurt's mouth was on his and they were kissing. It was a little desperate and rushed, but so very welcomed. Blaine tugged Kurt a little closer as he leaned back against the door and Kurt braced himself against it. He pulled back just a bit to look down at Blaine. There was something in his eyes that Blaine hadn't seen until tonight. Something almost hungry and wild. It made Blaine want more, and he pulled Kurt back in for another kiss, tongue swiping into his mouth this time and teeth biting and tugging at his lip.

"You make me crazy, you know that?" Kurt gasped out as he broke the kiss and turned his head away slightly.

Blaine grinned, hooking his fingers around the belt loops of Kurt's jeans. He pulled the man dangerously close and nipped at his jaw, suddenly desperate for more. Blaine pushed his hand up under Kurt's shirt, but the moment his fingers touched the man's stomach, he felt Kurt go stiff. Blaine paused, looking up. His heart sunk. Suddenly he felt embarrassed. Denied. "What?" he whispered.

"N...Nothing, um..." He took a step back. "It's just that...your sisters. And...well..."

"Oh," Blaine breathed out, almost like a sigh of relief. "Yeah. You're—Of course. I should—We should probably get going. It's late and they have school tomorrow."

"Yeah," Kurt breathed.

When Blaine left that night, though, he felt something wasn't right. Like maybe he was doing something that was scaring Kurt away.

o-o-o-o

It was three days later that Blaine found himself alone with Kurt. It was the first time since that Sunday night Kurt had more or less denied him, but Blaine had forced himself to ignore that odd feeling that came over him.

They had shared a few drinks that night. Kurt made margaritas that Blaine downed a little too quickly. He didn't expect them to be so strong. He coughed with the first sip and Kurt had giggled from the kitchen, calling out a, "A little too strong?" to which Blaine defensively responded with, "No, I'm fine." Maybe that was why Blaine had finished it so quickly. He told Kurt it was because they were delicious, but the real reason was because he wanted to prove that it wasn't too much for him.

Blaine was half way through his second one when he started snuggling up against Kurt who had joined him on the couch. He nosed Kurt's neck, kissing at the skin as he moved a little closer.

Five minutes later, Blaine was in Kurt's lap and his hands were pressed against Blaine's back, warm and firm and so very sure. It was when Blaine moaned softly into his mouth that Kurt fell apart, gasping into the kiss, tugging Blaine a little closer and whispering, "You take my breath away."

Blaine responded with another searing kiss, grinding his hips down against Kurt's. He was already hard and he didn't even care. Maybe he should have been embarrassed at how desperate he suddenly felt, maybe it was the alcohol making him act this way and maybe it was the reason why he didn't care—it didn't matter. He just—

"I want you so bad," Blaine groaned against Kurt's mouth, tugging at the collar of Kurt's shirt revealing more skin to kiss. "Please, Kurt, I'm ready—I'm so ready." He kissed Kurt's mouth. It took him a few seconds to realize that Kurt was suddenly not responding. He wasn't really moving, and his grip on Blaine's back loosened. He leaned back to look into Kurt's eyes. And then he saw something different in them. Something like worry. "What?"

"Blaine, I think maybe we should slow down a little," Kurt muttered, eyebrows drawn together.

"Why?" Blaine asked, he brought his hands up to the top button of Kurt's shirt to undo it. Kurt slowly reached up, fingers gently wrapping around Blaine's wrist.

"I just—I want to make sure that you—please, Blaine..." The last few words came out softly. "I don't think we're ready."

"We are, though," Blaine insisted, "We so are, come on."

"No, Blaine." The words were firm, almost demanding. They made Blaine shrink back, eyes wide and eyebrows drawn together.

"Is this because you think I'm too young?" Blaine suddenly bit out. "You think you're—too good for me or something? That I won't be good enough? As good as the dozens of hot guys you've hooked up with?"

"I haven't—"

"No." Blaine said sternly as he pushed himself off of Kurt's lap and stood. "No, Kurt. I know what this is about. You're ashamed of me, of us. I'm practically an adult. I'm gonna be eighteen in two months." He threw his hands up in the air, "But I guess I'm still just some snot-nosed kid to you, aren't I?"

"Blaine, that is not what I—"

"No. You know what—I don't care." He snatched up his jacket from where it was draped over the armrest. He pulled it on. "I have to go," he said as he turned and walked towards the door.

"Blaine wait, let me drive you," Kurt called after him.

"I'll walk," Blaine snapped over his shoulder before he slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Kurt alone with nothing but the silence of his little cottage.