Road To Love: Chapter 17

On Monday, Blaine arrived at McKinley High in the late morning so he could pick up his timetable and Student ID card from the office before his afternoon classes. As he drove into the parking lot, he spotted Kurt waiting for him by the front entrance of the school, and his face lit up. He parked his car and quickly checked his reflection in the rear-view mirror, making sure that his bowtie was straight and his hair was still gelled in place before grabbing his shoulder-bag and climbing out of the car.

Kurt met him half-way to the entrance, bouncing on his toes excitedly.

"I'm so glad you're here with me," he said, a wide smile on his face as he pecked Blaine on the lips and clasped his hand before leading him into the school. "Mercedes is the only one who knows I'm coming back– this should be fun."

Once all the paperwork was sorted out, Kurt and Blaine headed out to the Quad, where most of the students gathered for lunch when it was warm outside. Blaine spotted Kurt's friends from New Directions seated around a table at the bottom of the stairs, and Kurt quickly pulled his phone and sent a text. A moment later Mercedes pulled her phone out of her pocket and grinned down at the screen.

"Well, my fellow Glee Clubbers," Mercedes announced loudly, and those seated around the table looked up at her in interest. "It's noon. Which means, it's official."

"What's official?" Sam asked.

"My transfer!" Kurt yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth as the attention of all the students suddenly turned to him. "Kurt Hummel's back at McKinley!"

Kurt threw his hands up in the air as he made the announcement, and Blaine laughed at his side as Kurt grabbed his hand to pull him down the stairs towards his friends, who were cheering and clapping below.

Soon they were all hugging Kurt and clapping him on the back enthusiastically, and Blaine felt suddenly emotional when they hugged him too, and welcomed him to the school.

"Kurt, Blaine," Mercedes said, "there's a reason I asked you guys to meet me here today. There's some people who wanted to say goodbye to you."

Blaine spotted some familiar blue and red blazers at the top of the stairs, and gasped in surprise as the Warblers made their way down. He turned to Kurt, who looked equally shocked.

Nick stood at the front of the group, smiling down at Kurt and Blaine as the boys approached. "Kurt, Blaine," he said, nodding to each of them in turn, "Dalton's going to miss you. Blaine, you have served as The Warblers' wonderful lead singer for several years now, and I don't know what we'll do without you. Kurt, you were a great addition to the Warblers, and you made us a better team. We're sad to see you go, but we know this is something that you both want. Some of us will still get to see you guys on the weekends, but most of these guys probably won't, so we wanted to say goodbye."

"And thank you," Wes interjected, smiling sadly down at the boys.

Then suddenly Blaine and Kurt were being serenaded with Keane's Somewhere Only We Know, and Blaine blinked as tears threatened to slip from his eyes, blurring the faces of his friends as they swayed and sang, their voices filled with honestly and caring. Nick had taken the lead, and he was singing the song beautifully.

At the end of the song, the Warblers all descended on Kurt and Blaine to hug them and wish them all the best. Sebastian, to nobody's surprise, was not present.

Wes, David, Nick and Jeff went last, and clung to both the boys a little tighter and for a little longer.

As sad as it was to say goodbye to his friends, Blaine felt like this was the closure that he needed to really start his new life with Kurt at McKinley. It was as if the Warblers had given him his blessing, and it meant the world to him.

Much to Blaine's surprise, he survived his first week at McKinley unscathed.

Neither he nor Kurt were slushied, and they also managed to avoid being shoved or insulted in the halls. Although they received some dirty looks when they held hands, it was nothing they couldn't deal with. Blaine had no idea what Mr Figgins had said to the footballers, but it had definitely worked.

Blaine joined New Directions immediately, and found that he fit in remarkably well, and he picked up his first solo before the end of his first week. He was also quite pleased to find that classes were significantly easier at McKinley than they were at Dalton. Kurt was the kind of person to enjoy a challenge, and he often complained about his classes being too easy and boring. Blaine, on the other hand, found that after three years of slaving away at Dalton, he was really enjoying the opportunity to sit back and relax a little.

As the weeks progressed, Blaine only became happier. He quickly became very close with everyone in New Directions. He and Kurt saw each other every day – at school, after school during Glee practice, and every weekend at the garage. Blaine was in heaven – he simply loved spending time with his boyfriend. Every morning he thought to himself 'I couldn't possibly be more in love with him', and every evening, he proved himself wrong once again.

Kurt and Blaine, true to their word, made a point of catching up with the awesome foursome regularly. Blaine also went back to visit the Warblers a couple of times, just to make sure that nobody was killing each other over arguments about blazer piping. He needn't have worried, though – it seemed that everybody was doing wonderfully.

Blaine found that things at home had also improved since his transfer. His mom was overjoyed to have him home, and every evening for at least half an hour they would sit in the conservatory, drinking tea (occasionally wine, if his mom was feeling generous) and catching up/gossiping. Blaine's dad also seemed to be quite happy about having his son home, much to Blaine's surprise. He made a point of ensuring that everything was okay going well for Blaine at McKinley, and he often offered to help Blaine with his homework. Even though Blaine didn't need the help, he usually accepted, because it was so nice to be able to sit and talk with his dad without fighting. Blaine was shocked when his dad even helped him to choose some of the songs for his Glee club assignments, and then listened with a smile on his face as Blaine sung them.

The happiness that Blaine was feeling made time fly by and before he knew it, several months had passed and New Directions were about to go to New York for Nationals.

Kurt was extremely excited about the trip, and in the week leading up to their departure, Blaine could hardly get him to sit still.

On the Sunday afternoon two days before the trip, Kurt and Blaine were seated in the Hummel's living room, drinking ice tea and talking about New York. Well, Kurt was talking – Blaine was just listening, and trying to get his boyfriend to calm down for five minutes.

"Oh my god, Blaine, and we have to go see the statue of liberty at some point, that's like the New-York-tourist thing to do. And you should see the shops there, Blaine – I mean of course, I've never been, but I've heard they're amazing. And then there's Broadway, of course - "

"Kurt, Kurt," Blaine said, reaching a hand out to cover Kurt's mouth. Kurt let out an affronted squeak. "Shhh. Calm down."

Kurt blinked at him, and then Blaine felt something wet tickling his palm. "Oh my god!" He cried, snatching his hand back from Kurt's grinning mouth. "Did you just lickme?"

Kurt smirked at him. "Never heard you complain before."

Blaine rolled his eyes, but smiled despite himself. "Very mature, Hummel. Look, I just wanted to say that -"

"Babe, hold that thought," Kurt said, getting up from the couch. "I have to use the bathroom."

"What? But you just went, like, ten minutes ago."

"I know, Blaine, but when I get excited and/or nervous, I have to pee constantly."

"You've been excited and nervous for the past five days, though."

"I know. It's very inconvenient."

Blaine sighed and waited for Kurt to get back from the bathroom before seizing the chance to speak before Kurt went off on another spiel about New York.

"Kurt, why are you so anxious? It can't just be excitement about seeing a new city. What's going on?"

Kurt bit his lip nervously before responding. "Okay," he said, and Blaine could see him thinking carefully about exactly which words to use, "the thing is, Rachel and I…we want to be in musical theatre. It was always my dream to end up on Broadway. And…well, we both really want to go to college in New York. We went to see Miss Pillsbury the other day to talk about it, and she said that there's this school that would be perfect for us. The New York Academy of Dramatic Arts, or NYADA for short. It's really hard to get into, but I'm going to do everything I can to get in – and even if I don't make the cut and have to find another school, I really want to go to New York after I graduate."

Blaine blinked at his boyfriend. He sounded scared and nervous, as though he was expecting Blaine to react badly, but it wasn't like he was surprised. He had witnessed Kurt's passion for Broadway first-hand, and he was, without a doubt, talented enough to become a star. He had always assumed that Kurt would want to go to college in New York, it just seemed like the logical thing for him to do. Ohio couldn't contain him – it was far too small, and boring, and ordinary. New York was expansive, and vibrant, and exciting, and alive. Just like Kurt.

"Kurt," Blaine said, "I figured you'd want to go to New York. That's where you should be. But that still doesn't explain why you seem so…anxious."

"Well," Kurt said, taking a deep breath, "I have a pretty big question to ask you. Blaine, as you know, you are the love of my life. I know we're young, but I want to be with you forever, and you've told me that you want that too. Breaking up with you is not an option for me, which is why I'm scared of what you're about to say. Now, before I ask this, I want you to know that you don't have to say yes – we have other options. We could try long-distance, or I could just…wait, for a while, before going to New York…it wouldn't be ideal, but I don't want you to do something you don't want to do just because you feel like you have an obligation to me. But, Blaine, what I'm asking is…will you move to New York with me after we graduate?"

Blaine paused for a moment as he absorbed Kurt's words, and then he felt himself breaking out into a huge grin as his body relaxed with feelings of happiness and relief. "Of course I will, you silly goose," he said. "I'll go wherever you go. Besides, it's not like I'm particularly attached to Ohio – I always knew I'd go to college out of state."

Kurt's jaw dropped, and then suddenly he was throwing himself into Blaine's arms. Blaine let out a surprised squawk, and then Kurt was kissing him all over his face.

"We're going to New York together," Kurt whispered, clinging to Blaine tightly. "We're going to live there, oh my god. I was so nervous about this trip, I mean, what if you hated New York and never wanted to go there again?"

"Shhh," Blaine said, kissing Kurt's cheek lovingly. "You worry too much. I can't wait to move to New York with you after we graduate. And, for now, we'll have a chance to explore our future home together in just a couple of days."

"Oh my god," Kurt groaned. "There's so much I want to see and do, but we're not going to have anywhere near enough time to do all of it!"

Blaine grinned. "You might be surprised."

When Blaine arrived home that evening, he dashed up to his room and logged onto his email account, smiling when he saw the response to the email he had sent two days prior.

BLAINERS!

Where the fuck have you been? It's been, like, a month since I've heard from you. Not cool. Texting doesn't count, we need to resume our usual Skype-sessions. I like watching you get progressively uglier and more hairy.

Anyways, I am totally keen to meet Kurt, and to be the mastermind behind your overly-ambitious endeavours. You know my address – come around at 9am on Friday morning and I'll have everything sorted! Wear something comfortable, and don't even bother trying to give me money – I'm super rich now, I've got it covered ;)

Love you bro!

Cooper

Blaine typed out a hasty reply confirming the date and thanking his brother for everything he had done to help.

That night, he had a dream that he and Kurt made love on an empty Broadway stage. It was a good dream.

Three days later, Kurt clasped Blaine's hand tightly, staring out of the window of the plane at the vastness of New York City sprawled below them and pointing out all the significant landmarks that he recognised. When they landed, he was one of the first to his feet, eager to get off the plane and step into the city of his dreams.

On the bus ride to the hotel, Kurt had his face pressed up against the window, excitedly pointing out every interesting thing that he saw as they drove, and not even caring when Blaine laughed at him.

"Oh my god, Blaine, look at all the buildings!"

"Blaine, Blaine, look! Those two guys are holding hands, just walking down the street! This place is awesome!"

"Look at all the designer boutiques! Blaine, this city is perfect!"

"Oh my god, is that man wearing any pants?"

"A DISNEY STORE!"

And so it continued until Blaine eventually kissed Kurt to keep his mouth occupied and provide him with a distraction lest he get too worked up, because the last thing Blaine needed was for Kurt to get tired and fizzle out before they even got to experience the city first-hand.

When the bus reached the hotel, the kids swarmed in, and rushed upstairs to their rooms to claim the best beds. Girls were assigned to one room and boys to another, which was totally fine with Kurt and Blaine, because the beds were large enough for two people to sleep comfortably if they didn't mind cuddling up to each other – which was, of course, their favourite way to fall asleep.

After the bed assignment mission was over, everybody gathered in the girls' room. Mr Schue put them under lockdown until they finished writing two more songs for Nationals, and Blaine couldn't help but think that it was a little weird to wait until they were mere days away from the competition to write the songs. Thankfully, Quinn suggested that they disobey Mr Schue's orders and escape the room for a while to explore the city, convinced that it would provide them with the artistic inspiration needed to write their songs. After a day of frolicking around the city and singing and taking in the amazing sights, inspiration did indeed strike, and when the kids got back to the hotel later that afternoon the songs were written within a couple of hours, and they didn't even get caught by Mr Schue.

The next day the boys invited Kurt and Blaine to go to a baseball game. Kurt didn't want to go, and Blaine wasn't a huge fan either, but Kurt encouraged him to spend some time with the boys because he and Rachel had a few things to take care of. So Blaine agreed to tag along, and actually ended up having a lot more fun than he had originally anticipated.

When Kurt returned to the hotel room later that evening positively glowing with happiness, Blaine was alone in the room, as the rest of the guys were downstairs seeing if they could get the bartender to serve them alcohol. Blaine was lying sprawled on his and Kurt's bed with his laptop, and was in the process of updating his Facebook status when he spotted Kurt. He immediately closed his laptop and shoved it under the bed, grinning at his boyfriend from across the room. Kurt approached the bed and as soon as he was within range Blaine grabbed his wrist and yanked him forwards, eliciting a surprised (and totally adorable) squeak.

Blaine quickly rolled on top of Kurt so that he was trapped beneath him on the bed, and then he kissed him several times. Kurt didn't protest.

"You seem happy," Blaine whispered, pulling away slightly so he could take in the entirety of his boyfriend's beautiful face. "How was your day, my love?"

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt said, letting out a dreamy sigh. "It was amazing. Rachel and I had breakfast at Tiffany's, and then we snuck into the Gershwin Theatre and sang 'For Good'…it was so amazing, Blaine. I wish you'd been there to see it."

Blaine smiled and kissed the tip of Kurt's nose. "As wonderful as it sounds, I think it's nice that it was just you and Rachel. I've noticed how close you guys are."

"Yeah. It wasn't always like this, but over the years, we've grown to love each other. I should warn you though, I think she has her heart set on being our roommate when we move out here."

Blaine winced. "Well…I guess rent in New York is pretty steep. I could get used to her constant presence…maybe. I'll need to invest in some earplugs."

Kurt giggled, and Blaine leaned in to kiss him again. Suddenly, the door was flung open and the rest of the boys walked in, stopping short when they caught sight of Blaine still lying on top of Kurt on the bed.

Kurt and Blaine whipped their heads around in surprise and annoyance, and Puck coughed awkwardly. "Are we…umm…interrupting something?" he asked, and Blaine noticed the subtle smirk on his face.

"No, you are not," Kurt snapped. "Blaine and I are not going to have sex in a hotel room that we share with a bunch of boys who could walk in at any time, thank you very much."

"Really?" Puck asked, his smirk widening. "'Cos I wouldn't put it past you. Remember at that party, when you -"

"OKAY, LET'S NOT BRING THAT UP!" Finn yelled, and Blaine shot him a grateful glance as he scrambled off Kurt, his boyfriend's face reddening as he shot Puck a death glare so intense that it would leave Voldemort trembling with fear.

The next morning, Kurt found himself being woken up early by Blaine, who was placing soft kisses to various parts of his face and neck.

"Baby, wake up," he whispered, nuzzling into Kurt's side. "We need to go."

"Mmm, where we goin'?" Kurt mumbled, still half asleep.

"It's a surprise. Come on, put on something fabulous but comfortable and we'll grab some breakfast and then head out." He nibbled on Kurt's earlobe for good measure.

"Okay, okay," Kurt said, smiling despite himself. "I'm up."

An hour and a half later, Kurt and Blaine arrived outside an extremely fancy high-rise building. Blaine paid the cab driver and grabbed Kurt's hand, leading him into the building. "What's in this building?" Kurt asked.

"Luxury penthouses," Blaine responded.

Kurt nodded, not bothering to ask any further questions – he had tried during the drive over, but Blaine had adamantly refused to spill the beans. "It's a surprise," he'd said. "You'll see."

The elevator took them to one of the highest levels of the building. Blaine rang the doorbell of one of the apartments, and Kurt stood slightly behind him, looking confused. Suddenly, the door was flung open.

Kurt gasped in surprise when he recognised the man standing in the doorway. Shortly after they had first started dating, Blaine had shown Kurt an old photograph from when he was about five years old, standing next to his older brother, Cooper.

The first thing that Kurt registered was that attractiveness must run in the Anderson family, because Cooper was definitely easy on the eyes. He had a strong jawline and piercing blue eyes, and his hair was a lighter brown than Blaine's (whose hair was almost black), and wavy instead of curly. He was also considerably taller than Blaine. Despite these differences, however, they had similar strong features, and while the family resemblance wasn't extremely strong, it was there.

"Blaine!" Cooper exclaimed, pulling his brother into an enthusiastic hug. "It's so good to see you, little bro. I'd like to say that you've grown, but…" Blaine laughed as he pulled away from his brother, smacking him playfully on the arm.

"Nice to see you too, Coop."

Cooper ruffled his brother's hair before turning his attention to Kurt. His face broke into a cheeky grin that Kurt recognised all too well.

"And you must be Kurt."

Suddenly Kurt found himself being hoisted off the floor and pulled into a bone-crushing hug. Blaine laughed loudly, but Kurt was too shocked to say anything.

"Nice to meet you," he wheezed once he had finally been released, attempting to regain the breath that had been squeezed out of him.

"Blaine, he's adorable," Cooper teased, reaching out a finger to boop Kurt on the nose.

Kurt flushed and swatted Cooper's hand away, attempting to muster a threatening glare. "I am not a child," he muttered, and Cooper's eyes glinted mischievously.

"Oooh, that reminds me!" He said, grabbing Kurt's hand and dragging him into the apartment, "You have to see Blaine's baby pictures! It's my job, as his big brother, to embarrass him in front of his boyfriends. Here, sit down," Cooper said as he pushed Kurt onto a large white leather sofa. "I'll be right back."

Blaine sat down next to Kurt, his face bright red. "I'm so sorry," he groaned. "I love him, I really do, but he's a tad…eccentric."

Kurt giggled. "I think he's just trying to embarrass you."

"Probably. That seems to be his life mission."

Kurt let his eyes roam around the apartment, and he thought he may have drooled a little bit. "Blaine, this place is amazing," he fawned, his voice full of awe and wonder as he took in the incredibly expensive leather furnishings, the huge flat-screen TV on the wall, and the floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a breath-taking view of the city.

"Yeah," Blaine said, "Coop's a lawyer. A really, really successful one. He went to Harvard Law School and he's never lost a case."

"Wow," Kurt said, eyes widening. "And I thought lawyers were supposed to be really serious and generally unlikeable."

Blaine laughed. "Coop likes to surprise people. He's not one to conform to stereotypes."

At this point Cooper returned, a huge photo album in his hand. He squeezed his way in-between Kurt and Blaine on the couch, despite Blaine's protests, and opened the photo album.

"Oh my god!" Kurt squealed when he caught side of baby Blaine. He snatched the photo album away from Cooper and Blaine groaned while his brother laughed at his expense.

Blaine looked to be about 1-2 years of age in the photo, and he was the most adorable baby Kurt had ever seen. He was chubbier than your average baby, and he was sitting on the floor, clad only in a nappy. His mouth and hands were smeared in melted chocolate as he grinned at the camera. His head was covered in thick dark curls, and his large golden-hazel eyes harboured the same cheeky sparkle that Kurt had become very used to over the last few months.

"Blaine, you are absolutely the most adorable baby I have ever seen!" Kurt cooed. "Look at your chubby little cheeks!"

Cooper chuckled. "Turn the page," he said, and when Kurt complied, he was greeted with a picture of a butt-naked toddler Blaine on the beach, smiling and running away from a young Cooper who was chasing after him, a pair of small swimming trunks in his hand. Kurt roared with laughter, and Blaine reached over and swiped the album from his lap, blushing furiously.

"I think that's enough of that," Blaine said, glaring at Cooper. His brother reached out and ruffled his hair once again.

"Aww, are you embarrassed that Kurt saw your widdle diddle? For his sake, I hope it's grown since then."

Blaine smacked his brother upside the head, while Kurt cackled with laughter.

"Ahhh! Abuse!" Cooper yelled, grabbing Blaine's arms and pulling him into a tight embrace to trap his arms at his sides. Blaine struggled for a few seconds before relenting with an annoyed huff.

"Fine, you win this round," he said, glaring at a giggling Kurt over Cooper's shoulder. "Now will you kindly let go of me?"

Cooper released him, and Blaine got to his feet. "Now that you two have finished ganging up on me," he said, "Shouldn't Kurt and I need to be heading off soon, Coop?" He glanced at his watch.

"Oh, yeah," Cooper said. "Hang on a sec."

He quickly ran out of the room and returned a few seconds later with a brown manila folder. "Here's your itinerary, tickets, brochures, et cetera," he said, shoving the folder into Blaine's hands. "Joseph should be here any second now."

Right on cue, Cooper's cellphone beeped, and he pulled it out of his pocket and checked it quickly.

"Always punctual, that guy," he said, grinning. "Well, have fun you two! I'll see you both again at your competition."

"Wait," Kurt said, brow furrowed in confusion, "what's going on? Who's Joseph, and why does Blaine need that?" He gestured to the folder in his Blaine's hands.

"You should ask your boyfriend," Cooper said, and with that he was quickly hustling them both out of the living room and through the front door. "Bye! Have fun!" He said cheerily, before shutting the door behind them.

"Come on," Blaine said, grabbing Kurt's hand and leading him to the elevator, hitting the button for the ground floor.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Blaine grinned at him, eyes twinkling with excitement. "Kurt Hummel," he said, squeezing his hand, "You and I are about to have the ultimate New York experience. In one day."