One day. That's all the time the designers had before the final runway show. The judges didn't instruct Kurt to change much so he focused on nipping and tucking and few pieces and making sure each fit the model to perfection. Without Alice it was strangely quiet. Her presence had brightened the room, something Kurt didn't notice until she was gone.

The day, to Kurt's annoyance, was filled with interviews. They were constantly being singled out and told to come to a side room to film. It was worse for Blaine, though. He was trying to do some major construction on a few of his pieces and the fire in his eyes was clear when he got called out for a third time. Still, he plastered that smile on his face that Kurt could barely tell was off and conducted the interview with the utmost politeness.

Time passed agonizingly slow, leaving Kurt to glance at the clock every ten minutes. In less than twenty four hours he would be showing at a real, professional runway show. And not just on any runway, but on the main stage during Mercedes Benz fashion week.

They had until 11 that night to keep working and all three of them worked until the end. There always seemed to be one last little thing to fix, or for Blaine, a last minute decision on which pieces to show. He had created a new top for one of his dresses, a dark blue shirt with a collar and long, sheer sleeves, something with a different neckline in accordance to the judges wishes, but he wasn't sure it fit well with the rest of the collection. With about two minutes left, he decided to keep it, a good decision in Kurt's opinion.

Harry hadn't talked to either one of them all day, and he continued that trend when they got back to the apartment and he grabbed a water bottle before retreating to his room. Kurt and Blaine spent a little time in the main room, chatting and eating a small snack, but soon they too went to bed. It was late and they had to be up in five hours.

But despite the fact that Kurt's body was exhausted, he couldn't sleep. His mind was racing and every position he tried felt uncomfortable. Eventually he got up and went to the kitchen area to get some water.

"Can't sleep?"

Kurt startled and spun to face Blaine who was leaning against the counter.

"Sorry," he said, lowering his voice, "didn't mean to scare you."

Kurt waved off his apology and took his glass of water into the common area. Blaine followed and sat next to him on the couch, leaving only an inch or two between them. "I don't think I'll be getting much sleep at all tonight," he muttered.

"Me either," Blaine said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Kurt felt a pressure building in his chest. He didn't recognize what it was at first but then his eyes were watering and he knew.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked, leaning over to look him in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kurt choked out, trying his best to blink away the tears.

"Come here," Blaine said, pulling Kurt towards him until his head was resting on his chest.

Kurt attempted to control the little sobs that were trying to escape and while he managed to stifle the noises his chest still shook. "I'm-I'm sorry," Kurt said, his shaky breathing making his words stutter, "It's just so overwhelming, the runway show tomorrow, everyone seeing my designs, them announcing the winner," you, he thought but didn't add. "It just feels like my whole life has led to this point and if I fail... well I don't know what I'll do." Gone was the confident exterior that got Kurt through so much; it was the little voice in the back of his mind that had taken over now.

A soothing hand rubbed up and down Kurt's back slowly and Blaine simply listened and said nothing. Then when he spoke he only murmured softly, "That's right, let it out Kurt, don't be afraid to cry." Kurt let go and the tears streamed and the sobs wracked his body but it was over almost before it had begun. He had already calmed down significantly.

When he finally quieted he sniffled a few times before looking up at Blaine and apologizing.

"Hey now, don't apologize. Remember when I had my little breakdown a while back? You helped me through that, and we barely knew each other then."

"But you had a reason," Kurt argued, thinking back to Blaine's confessions about the uncertainty of his future.

"And so do you," Blaine said gently.

Kurt continued to lay on Blaine until it was obvious that he was feeling better and no longer needed to. "Sorry if that made you uncomfortable," Kurt said once he was sitting upright again.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's face and forced him to look at him before saying, "Kurt, listen to me, none of that made me uncomfortable." He paused and then continued, "Being with you is so easy, and it's what I want, and sometimes I wonder why I don't just go for it because it doesn't make sense to deny myself this happiness..." It almost seemed like he was talking to himself towards the end but then he reigned it back in. "But anyway, I just can't, not quite yet."

"I understand."

Things were quiet again but then Blaine asked a question, a question that surprised Kurt. "The other day, after you sang that song, you said things from your past had been affecting you, what were those things?"

An answer didn't come right away because Kurt was deciding how much to tell, and eventually he chose everything. He told Blaine about Karofsky, the parts he skipped over last time, the kiss in the locker room, the death threat, the lingering looks in the hallway, and how he was the only gay boy he met before moving to New York. Then he told him about the string of one night stands that he mistook for a relationship a couple months after getting to the city, and how that sucked all the romantic notions he had out of his head. He told him about Tyler, about how he had started to heal him, but that it wasn't enough, that he needed to heal himself. He even told him about Marcus, the only guy he'd thought about opening up to since Tyler, and how he cheated on him before he got the chance. Blaine was quiet all the way through, minus a few pained noises at the mention of Karofsky.

"And then there was you. I saw the same thing happening again, me falling for you and then you leaving, or cheating, or wanting something else, and I couldn't let that happen again. So I convinced myself you were only with me because you had limited options, and that you would leave me as soon as the competition ended, that way it felt like I was only breaking up with you before you broke up with me. But I realize now that being with someone, loving someone, is a risk, and I don't care if you're going to leave me in a week, I still want to be with you. Because a week with you is better than nothing at all."

Blaine nodded a few time and then swallowed hard before leaning forward and gathering Kurt in a strong hug. The hug lasted for quite some time and before pulling away Blaine whispered, "I'm not going to leave you, I'm not going to leave you."

Even though the embrace was over their hands were still intertwined and their bodies were pressed against one another. After Kurt yawned for a third time Blaine sat up straight and shook him slightly. "Come on Kurt, if we go to bed now we can still get two hours of sleep." Kurt started to move but before he stood up Blaine leaned after and planted a kiss on his head. "Soon," he mumbled into his hair. Then he got up and offered his hand to Kurt.

&&&&&

Blaine knew he should be putting the finishing touches on his collection but he couldn't stay away from the backstage TV that showed the runway. Kurt was the first of the three to show his collection and he was just getting ready to do his introduction.

"Hello everybody, my name is Kurt Hummel. I grew up in a small town in Ohio where anything but jeans and a t-shirt was considered a fashion statement. Regardless, I somehow developed a keen sense of fashion which, with the help of my fairy god mother Isabelle Wright, landed me a job at Vogue and a spot at Parsons. Now I'm ready to take the next step and I hope this collection will take me there. I want to thank my family, but especially my dad, for supporting me all these years. Thank you!"

Kurt left the stage and Blaine could see him standing a few feet away with Tim, both of them glued to the monitor. Looking up at his own screen, Blaine watched as the show began. The clothes were feminine but tough, and Blaine could so clearly see the fashionable and powerful women of New York parading around in them. The small, pointy, black caps were a little strange, Blaine thought, but to each his own. The only word Blaine could think to describe it as was fierce. It represented who Kurt was a designer so well and Blaine felt an overwhelming wave of pride wash over him.

As soon as it was over Blaine ran back to where his models were getting ready and made sure everyone was wearing the right thing. Suddenly it was time to line up and he was leading the models to the stage when he noticed the fourth in line, Marina he believed, was wearing the bad shoe. Somewhere in the scuffle of getting everything to the stage today, one of the shoes had gotten a white scratch across the top. Luckily he had an extra pair just in case but apparently she hadn't noticed and wore the wrong ones.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," he cursed under his breath as he debated running back to get them. His makeshift, backstage work area was only a few yards away and he started to go when the producer yanked him back.

"Where are you going, you need to go on stage and make your introduction now!"

"What do you need?" Kurt asked, materializing beside Blaine.

"The black shoes in my work area need to be put on model four- the ones she is wearing are scratched."

He had no time to give a better explanation or even thank Kurt because suddenly he was practically be pushed out onto the runway. Taking a deep breath, he put on his performance face and stepped into the spotlight.

"Hi everyone, my name is Blaine Anderson! The judges really took a chance with me, letting a young guy with no professional fashion experience be on their show, and I hope I can prove they made the right decision tonight. I want to thank my family, and all of you in the audience for being here today and putting up with this digression from the more seasoned designers. Enjoy the show!" he called as he waved and walked off stage. Then he took his place by Tim to watch the show.

"Very nice Blaine, very nice," Tim said beside him as the models walked.

It was surreal seeing the pieces he'd worked on for so long walk down the stage, and almost a little disappointing at how fast it went. The runway gave the pieces a boost, made them look better than ever before, and Blaine wished he could capture it and keep it forever. Somehow he knew photographs just wouldn't be able to show the magic of the runway.

Once every piece had been shown all the models walked out together with Blaine following them. He waved to the crowd and just tried to soak the experience in. Never before had Blaine felt so proud of something he'd done, and he wanted to remember this forever.

Harry's collection had already walked, during the time Blaine was prepping for his own show, so when he reentered backstage he watched the replay on one of the TV screens. It was a solid collection, very forward, very unique, but it lacked a clear client. Who would actually wear that stuff? Blaine didn't know.

Then he went off in search of Kurt who he found deep in conversation with Tim. "Kurt!" he called, walking up to them. "Thank you so much for helping out with that shoe debacle." He'd had his eyes glued to the models feet when she entered the runway and breathed a sigh at the clean shoes.

"Don't worry about it," Kurt said with a breezy smile but Blaine knew this was no small deal. Kurt wanted nothing more than to win Project Runway, yet here he was at the final stretch, helping out an opponent without even being asked to.

The process of undressing the models and getting everything packed up to move back to Parsons took almost an hour and by the time they got into the cars, all three men were suffering from some serious anxiety. Harry attempted to seem unaffected but he had a nervous twitch that he couldn't shake, Kurt was excessively picking at his cuticles and he appeared to be bleeding slightly on more than one finger, and Blaine had broken out in a cold sweat and felt quite nauseous.

Finally they reached Parsons and all three exited the car on shaky legs and made their way to the familiar runway. The judges were already there and deep into discussion when they walked out on stage. Immediately the talking stopped and the makeup crew came out to do a few finishing touches and that was it, they were ready.

The final critique wasn't so much of a critique, but a congratulations. The judges only had nice things to say and didn't indicate clearly which they liked best. Then came the important part, the final plea.

"Kurt," Heidi began, "why do you think you should be the winner of Project Runway?"

Kurt took a deep breath and said, "I believe out of the three of us here I have the most to offer. Along with having a unique style, I'm completely dedicated to this industry, and I already have the connections I need to make it big; I just need a chance. And I think if you look at the work I've done throughout this competition, and the collection I showed today, you'll see I've earned it."

"Thank you," she said, then turned towards Harry. "And Harry, why do you think you should be the winner of Project Runway?"

"I've shown countless times that I create well-made clothes, and with this collection I've shown my versatility and creativity as a designer. I'll constantly bring new ideas to the table and that's what being a great designer is all about. I've had more worldly experience than either of the two here, and I'm older, and more experienced. With the prize money, I'll be able to create a line that the world's never seen before."

"Thanks, and Blaine? Same thing, why do you think you should be the winner of Project Runway?"

Time stopped. Ideas and words flew around in his mind but Blaine couldn't grab onto anything solid. There were plenty of things he could say but none felt right. Anything he said now would be superficial bullshit, it would be a lie, and he couldn't deal with that. He had always wondered how much this last statement affected their chances, and he was about to find out.

"Blaine?" Heidi repeated, knitting her eyebrows.

"I," he stopped, taking a deep breath, "I don't think I should be the winner of Project Runway." A shocked silence fell and the judges looked at if they had just had the wind knocked out of them. "I think Kurt should win."

"That's crap! That's complete crap!" Harry shouted, his face turning an ugly reddish-purple. "They're- they're dating! That's what! It's a complete conflict of interest!"

The judges finally seemed to pull it together and Heidi signaled at Harry to stop. "Harry, calm down, let's hear Blaine out."

"I just think he's the best designer here," Blaine said with a shrug. "I think his collection was the best, and I think he'll make the most of the prize." He looked to Kurt but the lights were shining too brightly to get a clear look at his expression.

"And is it true what Harry said?" Heidi asked. "Are you two romantically involved?"

Blaine really hoped Kurt was telling the truth when he said he was okay with everyone finding out about them because there was no stopping it now. "As of right now, no, but in the past, yes. Regardless, though, I still believe Kurt is the best designer..."

Harry scoffed loudly and threw his hands up, shooting Blaine a look that could kill.

"Well, we certainly have a lot to talk about," Heidi said with a spark in eyes as if this made things all the more fun, which it probably did for her. "We will call you back when we've made our decision, you may leave the runway."

Kurt strode on ahead of Blaine, not waiting for him to catch up. But once they reached the waiting room there was nowhere for him to hide. Blaine sat next to him and waited for him to say something.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," he finally said. His voice was calm and unreadable, as was his face, which was turned downward to look at his clasped hands.

"Of course I do. And you didn't need the help, I'm sure you would have won even without it. It was just the only thing I could think to say that would be true."

"You need to have confidence in your work." He looked up at Blaine now and there was a flash of anger in his eyes.

"I do," Blaine insisted, "I thought my collection was great, just not as good as yours. But besides that, what am I going to do with 100,000 dollars to start my own line? I don't- it's taken me awhile, but I've realized this isn't it for me. Not for my career at least. I don't have the passion that you, or even Harry, has, and it would be a shame to waste such an incredible opportunity on someone who's not going to take advantage of it."

Kurt was quiet but then nodded a few times and looked up at Blaine again. "Well I think the fashion world has lost a great designer today, but if that's your decision then I support it wholeheartedly."

Blaine smiled and Kurt echoed it, although it was dimmer.

"You know there are cameras in here right? There getting all this on tape.," Harry said from the corner where he was sulking.

Blaine shrugged, "I don't really see how that changes anything."

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled, turning away. If he wasn't such an incredible jerk, Blaine would almost feel bad for the guy. It would suck to be in his position.

Over an hour went by before Tim came in and announced the judges were ready. Tim held eye contact with him for longer than usual, and Blaine expected some kind of scolding, but then, for a second, his lips quirked up, and in that moment Blaine realized that perhaps Tim knew what had been going on in his mind before even he did.

&&&&&

One of the most cliche things to say when something incredible happened was "I never could have imagined this is my wildest dreams." To Kurt this just showed that these people had no imagination. He had dreamed winning Project Runway plenty of times since he was kid, and now he was here, so very close. The anxiety was so intense he was afraid he'd faint right there on stage before they even announced anything.

What Blaine had done was a complete shock, of course, but he didn't think it would affect him or his chances all that much. Obviously it took Blaine out of the running, but other than that it was more for Blaine's effect than his own. Finally he had begun to admit to himself what he wanted and didn't want in this life, and that was the first step in finding his path.

The lights dimmed, bringing Kurt back to reality, and his nausea flared.

The spotlight fell on Heidi and composed as ever, she began to speak. "In light of recent events, we've decided to disregard the personal statements you gave us. Through the raw scores, there had already been a relatively clear winner, so they were virtually unnecessary anyway. So, moving on, the winner of Project Runway, who will receive 100,000 dollars to start their own line, a spread in Marie Claire magazine, and chance to sell their clothes on the Lord and Taylor website is... Kurt Hummel!"

Kurt's body took over and began reacting but his mind couldn't keep up. He gasped, and began to cry, while his head was still frozen in a state of shock. Somewhere along the way Blaine and Harry must have left the runway because suddenly his dad was running towards him with Carole and Finn in tow. "I knew you could do it buddy," Burt said as he enveloped Kurt and squeezed him hard.

Carole gave her congratulations as well as the judges who had joined them on stage. Usually Kurt was pretty eloquent but right now he had no words for what he was feeling. He was so happy it felt like he was going to float away. Things hadn't really sunk in - about how much this was going to change his life - all he knew is this is what he had been working towards for so many years, and he finally got it.

The judges gently ushered them all off the runway and back to the waiting room where Blaine and Harry sat with their loved ones. Harry was sandwiched between his mother and boyfriend, both of whom were trying to comfort him, while Blaine sat and talked quietly with his parents and Cooper. When he walked in Blaine jumped up to give him a hug as did Cooper, and even Harry's boyfriend gave him a sullen "congratulations".

But then Kurt was being pushed along even further and he began to panic. "Hold on," he said, taking a few steps back towards Blaine. "Wait for me?" he asked quietly, suddenly so afraid if he stepped through those doors he would lose contact with Blaine again.

"Of course," Blaine said, and only then did Kurt allow him to be whisked away into another room.

&&&&&

Blaine had no idea how long the post-competition, winner-of-Project-Runway, interviews would last but he told Kurt he would wait and that he would. He'd sent his parents back to the hotel with a promise he'd call him when he got done with this, so he stood alone, leaning against the wall outside the entrance of the building.

Despite ensuring the outcome for himself, Blaine couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Months of hard work gone and this was the outcome. But then he shook his head, ridding himself of that thought. This absolutely wasn't all for nothing. He'd improved as a designer, he'd learned a lot about himself, and he'd met the person who could be the love of his life.

As always, it all came back to Kurt. Blaine knew what he had to do, and it wasn't going to be easy, but it was for the best. Now he just had to wait.

The sun was low in the sky before Kurt exited the building with his family, looking far too glum for someone who had just won Project Runway. Kurt craned his neck to look around and when he saw Blaine it was like a floodgate broke. Suddenly the tension was gone and he was smiling bright, laughing even as he leaned over to say something to the rest of his family. They all turned to look at Blaine and, feeling subconscious, Blaine gave them a small wave. Then the two adults nodded at Kurt and Carole, Blaine remembered, grabbed Finn's arm and tugged him from where he was still standing and staring.

Kurt walked towards him slowly and didn't say anything until he as a few feet away. "I didn't think you would wait."

"I said I would, didn't I?" They weren't talking about that afternoon anymore and they both knew it. "Kurt, can we start over? I don't mean, like, forgetting everything that's happened between us, but we haven't even been on a proper date, so can we start there, and just see how things go?" Blaine had no doubts on where things would go, as long as Kurt was on board, but it seemed the logical place to start.

"That sounds wonderful," Kurt said as he reached out and grabbed Blaine's hands in his.

But then, just for a second, something flickered in Kurt's eyes. "What is it?" Blaine asked.

"Nothing," Kurt said quickly, with a shake of his head.

Blaine sighed slightly. "Kurt, if this is going to work out we need to be completely honest with each other. No more secrets."

Kurt bit his lip, staying quiet, but then said, "I just, I was really hoping I'd get to kiss you, but I totally understand we need to start with the first date and work our way up and-"

Not being able to take it any longer, Blaine surged forward and pressed his lips against Kurt. "Five minutes," he mumbled against Kurt's mouth. "We'll start in five minutes."

"Then we better make the most of it," Kurt practically purred before claiming Blaine's lips in a hungry kiss.