Road To Love: Chapter 18

As soon as Kurt and Blaine exited the building, they were greeted by a tall man with a rather impressive moustache and a strong British accent. "Hi, Mr Anderson and Mr Hummel," he said, shaking their hands. "I'm Joseph, and I'll be your chauffeur for the day. This way, please."

Joseph led them over to a shiny black lexus, and while Kurt was impressed, Blaine just rolled his eyes and muttered "show-off" under his breath.

The minute they were in the car, Kurt began hounding Blaine with questions.

"Where are we going?"

"How long is this going to take?"

"Why won't you tell me anything?"

Eventually Blaine ended up grabbing Kurt's face in his hands and kissing him passionately, eliciting a surprised squeak from his boyfriend.

"Blaine, I know you're just doing that to shut me up," Kurt said with a pout when Blaine finally pulled away.

"Are you complaining?" Blaine asked, smirking when Kurt's already flushed cheeks reddened further.

"Yes."

"You love my kisses, just admit it."

"Be that as it may, I want to know – mmmph!"

Blaine kissed him again, and this time Kurt just went with it, because he honestly didn't have much self-control when it came to Blaine's mouth.

After about half an hour of driving (it would only have been about five minutes with clear roads, but New York traffic was horrendous), they arrived at the bottom of a high-rise building even taller than the one where Cooper lived.

Blaine pulled Kurt out of the car excitedly and dragged him into the building, and once they got into the elevator Blaine pressed the button to the highest floor.

"You're going to love this," he said, grinning at Kurt. "At least, I really hope you'll love it, and if you don't, please pretend you do or I think I might cry."

Kurt giggled. "Pretend to love it. Got it."

When the boys got out of the elevator, Blaine led Kurt to a small staircase. Kurt frowned. "I thought this was the top floor?"

"It is," Blaine said smugly. "We're going to the roof."

Blaine opened the door at the top of the stairs and Kurt immediately pressed his hands to ears as he was struck by a sudden blast of loud noise. He followed Blaine up onto the flat concrete surface of the roof, only to find a helicopter parked there, propellers whirring.

A cheerful middle-aged man climbed out of the helicopter and approached them. "BLAINE ANDERSON AND KURT HUMMEL?" He called over the loud whirring of the helicopter.

"THAT'S US!" Blaine said, turning to grin at Kurt.

Kurt gasped as he realised exactly what was going on. "BLAINE, ARE WE GETTING IN THERE?" He asked, pointing at the helicopter.

"YUP!" Blaine responded, grabbing Kurt's hand and pulling him towards the helicopter. "COME ON!"

Once the boys were in the helicopter and the doors were closed, the enthusiastic pilot handed them communicating headsets and earmuffs before telling them to fasten their seatbelts and enjoy the trip.

"We didn't have enough time to take you to see all the famous New York landmarks individually," Blaine said, grinning over at his boyfriend, "So we're taking an aerial tour. You can see it all in just twenty minutes, and you also get to fly in a helicopter, which is pretty awesome if I do say so myself."

Kurt laughed loudly, eyes twinkling with excitement. He grabbed Blaine's face and pulled him in for a rough kiss, not caring that the pilot was right there. "This is the best surprise ever, and I'm not just pretending. I love it. Thank you."

"Who said the surprise ends with the tour?" Blaine asked, winking at Kurt. Kurt gawped at his boyfriend, unsure of what else he could possibly have planned. He was about to respond when the pilot informed them that they were taking off now, and Kurt squealed in excitement and immediately turned to press his face against the glass window of the helicopter as it rose into the air and began soaring over the city.

In the bus, Kurt hadn't been able to shut up as he pointed out all the interesting things he saw in the new city. Now, he was stumped for words. He gazed out at the vast city spread out below him, mouth open in awe and wonder, and he felt his eyes prick with joyful tears as it fully set in that he was looking at his future home.Their future home. The thought was a little overwhelming.

Blaine leaned over Kurt's shoulder so he could see what Kurt was seeing, despite the fact that it would be much easier for him to look out of his own window. Kurt pulled Blaine closer to his side and rested his head on his shoulder as they looked down, hands clasped tightly between them. "I see why they call it the concrete jungle," Blaine whispered, and Kurt looked up at him.

"Having second thoughts about moving here with me?"

"Not one."

Kurt's temporary speechlessness ended as soon as they landed. He suddenly found himself with a serious case of word vomit. He was so busy talking about everything that they'd seen that he didn't even register the fact that Blaine had led him back down the building and into Joseph's car until they were on the road once again.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, blushing. "I didn't realise how much I've been talking."

Blaine just gazed at him adoringly. "It's ok," he said. "I'm just really glad that you liked it. You're adorable when you get excited."

Kurt smiled. "So I'm guessing you're not going to tell me where you're taking me next?"

"Nope."

The car soon slowed down and pulled over at the side of a quiet and somewhat dilapidated street. "Lunch time!" Blaine said.

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "What, no fancy five-star restaurant?"

"That's for tonight," Blaine said with a grin. "Don't be so quick to judge based on appearances, my dear."

They climbed out of the car and walked down the street before Blaine pushed open a heavy wooden door of what looked like a run-down bookstore. He held the door open for Kurt, and as soon as he entered the room, Kurt was met with warm air and the delightful scent of coffee and good food. "Wow," he gasped, looking around.

The shop was large and warmly lit, filled with antique wooden tables and couches. The walls were all surrounded by stacked bookshelves, and there were a few young people seated at the tables (college students, by the looks of it) reading books and sipping coffee and laughing with their friends. There was a serving counter at the left side of the room where the baristas were making coffee, and a large blackboard menu displayed a wide selection of meal choices written in colourful, curling letters.

"Oh my god," Kurt said, "Blaine, this is the most adorable café I've ever seen. How did you find this place?"

"I asked Cooper where the best place to get coffee in New York was, and he recommended this place. He said they make amazing pasta, too."

The boys took a seat at a table in the corner, and a bright and cheery waitress immediately came over and took their drink orders. "A medium drip and Grande non-fat Mocha, please," Blaine said with a smile.

Kurt couldn't stop looking around the shop. "So does this place call itself a bookstore or a café?"

"I believe it is a 'book café'. Like an internet café, but better. The books aren't for sale; they're just here to provide reading material and ambience."

"I love it."

The waitress returned shortly with their coffees, and the boys ordered their lunch. As soon as Kurt took a sip of his coffee his eyes rolled back in his head and he let out a low moan that would have been considered obscene in any other setting. Blaine nearly choked on his coffee.

"Blaine, this coffee is amazing," Kurt said, taking another sip. "If I could have sex with this cup of coffee, I would."

Blaine mock-pouted. "I'm better than a cup of coffee!"

"Not this coffee."

"Hey!"

A few minutes later their pasta dishes arrived, eliciting several more moans from Kurt. By the end of the meal Blaine's pants were feeling uncomfortably tight.

"Ok, I'm done," Kurt said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Blaine? Are you ready to go?"

"Give me a sec," Blaine mumbled, shifting in his seat. Kurt's eyebrows shot up in his head.

"Blaine…what…?"

"The sounds you were making, Kurt, come on – I'm only human!"

Kurt burst into laughter, and Blaine glared at his boyfriend as he clutched at his sides, wiping tears from his eyes.

After a few minutes Blaine was ready to go, and Kurt smirked as he took his hand and led him from the café, chuckling at the childish pout on Blaine's face.

As they headed back down the street to where the car was parked, Kurt leaned over to whisper in his boyfriend's ear. "I'd offer to blow you in the car, baby, but I don't think Joseph would appreciate that too much."

Blaine groaned as he opened the car door for Kurt to climb in, grumbling about sexual frustration and pasta.

It wasn't long before they arrived at their next stop. Blaine seemed particularly excited about this one, and his eyes were sparkling with excitement as the car stopped. He quickly ushered Kurt into a shop before Kurt even had a chance to read the sign above the door.

Upon entering, Kurt gasped when he realised that he was in a pet store. But not just any pet store – this pet store was huge. The sound of yips and barks filled the air, and as Kurt looked around, he noticed that in the middle of the huge a room was a large fenced-off area that was filled with puppies of varying breeds. They were scampering around the floor freely, and playing with children and adults alike, who seemed to be able to enter the fenced-off area at their leisure.

"Isn't it awesome?" Blaine asked, turning to Kurt, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. "Puppies, Kurt! Dozens of puppies and we get to play with all of them! It's like a puppy petting zoo! I mean, you never actually said anything about liking puppies, but everyone likes puppies, right? Oh god, you do like puppies, don't you?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow, regarding his boyfriend with amusement. "Well, I like you, don't I?"

Blaine giggled and practically dragged Kurt over to the fenced area, stopping in front of a gate where a worker was standing guard.

"Hi, guys," he said, grinning at Kurt and Blaine. "Feel free to play with the puppies, but please be gentle with them and don't feed them. All our puppies are up for adoption and they are wearing numbered collars, so if you want to buy one, you can inquire about it at the front desk. Have fun!"

With that, he opened the gate and allowed them in, quickly shutting it behind them to prevent any of the puppies from escaping. As soon as they were inside, about 10 puppies scampered over to them and began hopping around excitedly, yapping and wagging their tails. Kurt and Blaine immediately sat down on the floor and began playing with the puppies, scratching them behind the ears and rubbing their tummies, cooing in delight at how adorable they all were.

Kurt and Blaine immediately took a liking to a tiny Pug puppy – a male, by the looks of things. He was one of the more excitable ones of the bunch, and he and Kurt were playing a game – Kurt would pretend to be totally captivated by one of the other puppies, and in the meantime, the cheeky Pug would sneak up on him and launch himself into Kurt's lap, effectively ending any playtime with the other dogs. Kurt thought his jealousy was absolutely adorable.

After about an hour, Blaine looked at his watch and sighed, smiling sadly at Kurt. "We better be going now, it's getting kind of late. But I don't want to leave." He indicated the puppy now battling with a poodle for Kurt's attention. "I want him."

Kurt giggled. "I want him too. He reminds me of you."

Blaine snorted. "Please. I am much cuter than that puppy."

"Mhm, whatever you say, hun. Look, why don't we just buy him? I'm pretty sure our airline lets us take small pets on the plane."

"I can't," Blaine whined. "My parents won't let me have a dog in the house. The claws would scratch the hardwood."

Kurt shrugged. "No problem, he can stay at my house. My family definitely won't mind, I've always been the one who had to talk them out of getting a dog in the past. I couldn't risk my shoes being chewed up."

"And yet you're willing to take on this guy?"

The pug was now running laps around the both of them, yipping every time he made a full-circle.

Kurt chuckled. "He's sort of stolen my heart. I have one condition on taking him home, though – I get to name him."

"Okay. What did you have in mind?"

"Blaine, meet Blainers."

Blaine regarded the pug for a moment, before bursting into laughter. "Oh my god. Blainers? That's what Cooper and my mom call me when they're trying to annoy me."

"That's even better then," Kurt said, trying to hold back a smile. "He's cheeky and cute and hyperactive, just like you. And his eyes are much too big for his head." Kurt picked the puppy up and kissed him right on his squishy face, to which the dog responded by extending his tongue to try to lick Kurt on the nose.

"See?" Kurt asked, putting him back down on the floor, "he's your spirit animal."

Blaine giggled, eyes sparking with excitement when the dog started pawing at his lap, demanding to be played with. "You're serious? We're really getting a dog?"

"Yup."

"Together?"

"Yup."

"Next thing you'll be wanting to tie me down and force marriage and babies on me."

"Oh, please, Blaine. You're the sappy one in this relationship."

Blaine grinned at the little puppy, who tilted his head to the side and regarded him with big brown eyes. "Welcome to the family, Blainers," he said, pulling a pen out of his bag to jot down the number on the dog's collar.

Kurt and Blaine headed back to their car after paying the pet store for their new puppy and providing them with delivery instructions.

"How do you think Cooper's going to react when a puppy gets delivered to his bachelor-pad?" Kurt asks, curling up to Blaine's side as the car pulls away from the curb.

Blaine snorted. "Not sure. I texted him and told him to be home and expect a delivery…it's his fault for finding us a pet store with such adorable puppies."

"True. He brought this upon himself."

"He's paying for him, by the way."

"What? Blaine, you said you'd let me pay you back, I don't want Cooper to think I'm using you, or him, for money -"

Blaine chuckled. "No, no, you don't understand," he said. "Coop owes me, big time. When he was in his senior year of high school, he told our dad that he was going on a school camping trip, but instead, he and his friends bought plane tickets and ran off to Las Vegas for the week with fake ID's and one of dad's credit cards."

"Oh my god."

"I know. And I had to cover for him all week and intercept dad's credit card statement, and when he got back, I leant him all my savings so he could replace the money he spent before dad noticed. It was a huge mess, he never tried anything like that again. Anyway, this is him repaying my money. With interest. At first I wasn't going to worry about it, but he's a rich hot-shot lawyer now, so I think he actually likes throwing his money around a little." Blaine grinned.

Kurt laughed. "Fair enough, then, I guess."

"Besides," Blaine added as the car pulled over onto yet another street, "I think he'll appreciate the fact that you named such a ridiculous-looking dog after me."

Kurt and Blaine ate dinner at an extremely fancy restaurant in yet another high-rise building. They were seated right against one of the walls, and as the walls were made of glass, they had an amazing view. Kurt was just relieved that he wasn't afraid of heights.

When a tall, handsome waiter came around with their dinner menus, his eyes raked over Kurt suggestively.

"Good evening, gentlemen," he said, looking only at Kurt. "Might I just say, sir, that jacket is exquisite."

Kurt preened, smiling as he looked down at the silver Marc Jacob's jacket. "Yes, well, I should hope so," he said. "It cost me enough."

The waiter laughed lightly. "It really brings out the colour of your eyes."

Kurt blushed, mumbling a "thank you" under his breath.

"And what can I get you tonight?" The waiter asked, smiling at Kurt a little too brightly. Blaine scowled.

"The seafood salad, please," Kurt replied.

The waiter then turned to Blaine with a slight frown on his face. "And you?" He asked, his tone drastically changing to become icy and clipped.

"I'll have the steak, medium-rare with a side of fries," Blaine said, scowling at the waiter as he took down their orders. Once he was gone, Blaine turned to Kurt, who raised a questioning eyebrow at his sour expression.

"That waiter was hitting on you," Blaine said, glaring at the man's back as he took orders from another couple at the far side of the restaurant.

Kurt's eyes widened. "Really? Are you sure? Maybe he was just being friendly…"

Blaine laughed humourlessly. "Trust me, Kurt, he wants to get more than friendly with you."

Kurt looked over at the waiter in surprise, his brow furrowing in contemplation. When he turned around and headed back over to their side of the restaurant, Kurt raised a hand to call him back over to the table.

"Hello again, sir," the waiter said as he approached, smiling down at Kurt. "Is there something else I can get you?"

"Actually yes, there is," Kurt said, leaning over and batting his eyelashes at the waiter. "Sorry, what did you say your name was again?"

The waiter blushed. "It's Julian, sir."

"Well, Julian," Kurt said, reaching out to brush a piece of imaginary lint from the front of the waiter's jacket, "my friend and I here -" he gestured towards Blaine, who was gawping at him "- heard that you serve some amazing French champagne. Is that correct?"

Julian nodded frantically. "Yes, sir," he squeaked. Kurt smiled coyly up at him, biting his lip in a way that he knew drove Blaine crazy.

"It's the best champagne in all of New York, sir. I'll go and grab you a bottle, on the house. I'll be right back."

With that, he hurried off, looking quite flustered.

Kurt turned back to Blaine, smirking at the incredulous expression on his face. "What?" He asked coyly. "Being pretty has its perks." He picked up his napkin to lay it across his lap.

Blaine continued to stare at him. "Oh my god," he said finally, a breathless laugh escaping his lips. "I can't believe you flirted with that waiter to get free alcohol."

Kurt giggled. "I'm devious, remember?"

Julian returned shortly with their champagne, which was amazing. Their dinner was lovely also, but both Kurt and Blaine agreed that the cheap pasta at the little book café had been better.

After dinner, Julian slipped Kurt his number with the bill, along with a flirty note. When he came back around a moment later to collect the bill, Blaine grabbed Kurt and kissed him in the middle of the restaurant, causing Julian to glare daggers at both of them and march off in a huff.

The boys then headed back to the car, giggling and stumbling due to the champagne.

"We only have one more stop," Blaine said once they reached the car, leaning against the side of the lexus in an attempt to regain his balance. "How would you feel about heading back to the Gershwin theatre to see Wicked first hand? I'm sure they won't be up to par with you and Rachel, but still – oof!"

Blaine felt the breath leave his lungs at the full force of Kurt's body colliding with his own. It took him a minute to realise that Kurt was hugging him tightly, and then kissing him on the mouth, hot and heated and passionate. Blaine moaned into Kurt's mouth, and then Kurt's hands were underneath his shirt, roaming over his torso as he sucked on Blaine's bottom lip.

Someone on the street wolf-whistled, and the boys broke apart reluctantly, panting.

"You really do turn into an exhibitionist when you're drunk," Blaine said, eyes glinting mischievously. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Hush, you. This is entirely your fault for being so perfect. Come on, let's go – there's no way I'm arriving late to that show!"

The show was amazing. Kurt mouthed along with the lyrics to every song, watching the entire play with tears in his eyes.

Blaine mostly watched Kurt.

Once the play was over, Joseph drove them back to the hotel. It was so late, and the day had been so action-packed, that they boys struggled not to fall asleep in the car. Kurt lay with his head on Blaine's shoulder, blinking sleepily.

"Blaine," he whispered.

"Mmm?"

"Thank you so much. For everything. I can't believe you did all this for me." He tilted his head up to place a soft kiss to the underside of Blaine's jaw. "I want you to know that I don't expect any of this. When you make all these big romantic plans – it's amazing, and I love it, but I'd be happy just to be with you. That's what makes these things so romantic – the fact that I get to share them with you."

"I like doing it, though," Blaine responded. "It's the least I can do."

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything for you."

"Are you kidding me, Kurt? You do so much, every day. You make me feel like I could take on the world. Like I never have to be afraid, just so long as I have you by my side. No amount of romantic gestures can come close to that."

"I feel exactly the same way about you, Blaine. I love you so much. So I'll make you a deal – next time, I get to be the one to make big romantic plans."

"Okay," Blaine said, running his hands through Kurt's hair. "It's a deal."

When they finally got back to the hotel and reach their bedroom, the boys groggily pulled off their jackets and shoes, not even bothering to change their clothes as they collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. After wrapping their arms around each other and sharing a soft kiss, they were asleep within seconds.

The next morning, Mr Schuester burst into the room far too early, ordering all the boys to get ready for Nationals later that day. Kurt and Blaine chugged down several cups of coffee, and although they were still tired, the nerves of the upcoming competition, plus the coffee, kept them awake on the bus trip.

The performance was lively and fun. The original songs went down extremely well with the crowd, and when they left the stage, everyone was buzzing with adrenaline and excitement and joy.

New Directions didn't win Nationals. They didn't even place.

While the others seemed quite down about it, Kurt was surprised to find that he didn't really care. He had had an amazing trip, and there was always next year.

New Directions were all busy packing up their stuff before they left the venue, when suddenly, Blaine was ambushed by Cooper. He squeaked in surprise when his brother snuck up behind him and lifted him into the air in a bone-crushing hug.

"That was amazing, little bro," he said, ruffling Blaine's hair and then grimacing as he encountered Blaine's gel helmet.

Cooper then turned to Kurt and hugged him too.

"It was really great meeting you," Kurt said when Cooper pulled away. "Thank you so much for funding Blaine's wonderful New York surprise. It was amazing," Kurt said, and Cooper grinned.

"Perks of having a rich brother, aye Blaine?" He teased, nudging Blaine's shoulder. "I can help get you laid."

"Coop!" Blaine hissed, flushing a deep red. Kurt giggled at his obvious embarrassment.

"I've decided to forgive you both for having a puppy delivered to my apartment," Cooper added, dusting what looked like a piece of fur from his expensive leather jacket. It was then that Kurt noticed the small carrier cage sitting on a table a few feet away. It was lined with blankets and pillows, and Blainers was staring out of the bars, watching all the passers-by with rapt attention.

"What's his name?" Cooper asked, gesturing to the puppy.

"Blainers," Kurt replied, smirking.

"Well, Blainers took a shit on my carpet, just FYI."

Blaine, who had unfortunately chosen that moment to take a sip from his water bottle, found himself coughing and spluttering as Kurt patted his back. He glared at his brother who was laughing loudly.

"Blaine! Kurt! Time to go!" Mr Schuester called from across the room. Cooper sighed in annoyance.

"Okay, well, I guess this is goodbye for now then."

"We're moving here next year," Blaine said, grinning widely. "You'll see plenty of us then."

Kurt's heart warmed when Cooper's eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kurt responded. "You won't be able to get rid of us."

Cooper pulled them both into one last, quick hug before clearing his throat and attempting to wipe his eyes inconspicuously on his sleeve.

"Thanks for everything, Coop," Blaine said. "You're the best."

"I know," Cooper responded. "Now go, you little shit, before you make me cry for real."

And with that, Kurt grabbed Blainers' cage and then took Blaine's hand, before following after the rest of New Directions.

He wasn't quite sure if he was going home, or leaving it.

Finn and Blaine cooed over Blainers throughout the entire flight back to Lima, feeding him bits of their chicken sandwiches and teasing him through the bars of his cage. Kurt rolled his eyes at the both of them, and went back to watching When Harry Met Sally.

When they landed, the boys quickly collected their luggage and then continued to haul their stuff out of the arrivals gate, eyes scanning the crowd for Burt and Carole.

Both Blaine's parents had had to work, so he had told them not to worry about coming to pick him up - he would just get a cab, he'd said. The truth was that Burt had offered to take all the boys out for an early dinner to celebrate their return, before dropping Blaine back at his house.

They spotted the Hummel-Hudsons, and when they rushed over, Burt and Carole hugged each of them in turn.

"And who's this?" Burt asked, gesturing to the cage in Kurt's hand.

"This is Blainers," Kurt said, grinning. "He's my new dog. Well, technically he's Blaine's too, but I thought he could stay at our house."

"You mean you've finally given up on the whole 'no dogs' thing?" Burt asked, eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Oh my god," Kurt said, rolling his eyes. "You and Finn are just like two big kids."

Blaine giggled, and Kurt turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't think that you're exempt from this, Blaine. You're possibly the most childish of the lot."

Blaine smirked and wound his arm around Kurt's waist, pulling him close to his side. "Is that so?" He asked, eyes twinkling mischievously. "If I'm such a big kid, how come I can do this?"

He kissed Kurt on the mouth, forgetting about the fact that his boyfriend's family was right there and they were in the middle of a busy airport.

"BLAINE!"

Blaine broke the kiss in surprise at the sound of his name being called behind him. He turned around, and quickly realised who had spoken.

His parents were standing a few metres behind him. His mom looked worried, but Blaine was only focused on his dad's face. Edward Anderson looked livid, his eyes hard and cold as they flicked from Blaine, to Kurt, to Burt.

Blaine turned around to look at Kurt and Burt, who were both standing there with their mouths open in shock.

"Blaine," his dad said, and Blaine spun back around, heart racing as he began to panic. "Come here right now. We're leaving."