“So, how long have you been in theatre?” Kurt asked Adam, leaning across the table and looking a bit wobbly. Blaine instinctively wrapped a protective arm around his boyfriend. It didn’t take too much alcohol for Kurt to get tipsy, and he’d had two glasses of wine already. It had taken almost two weeks, but Blaine and Adam had finally gotten around to scheduling their double date with Kurt and Garrett.

“Since I graduated high school,” Adam responded sadly. “My sheltered private school deemed the theatre program unworthy of money, so it got cut my freshman year, and I never got a chance to do community theatre because of my sports schedule. I used to play tennis,” he explains. “My parents forced me, even though they totally knew theatre was my passion.” He rolled his eyes, still bitter about the situation.

Kurt pouted. “I’m sorry. Two of our musicals in high school got canceled, but when I was a senior, we did West Side Story, and this guy,” Kurt leaned his head on Blaine’s shoulder, “played Tony.”

“I bet he was dreamy,” Garrett chimed in, earning himself a withering look from his fiancé. “What? Look at the boy. He was made for Tony.”

“Oh, he was so dreamy,” Kurt gushed. “We were in a bit of a...fight by the time opening night rolled around, but when I saw him out there with my best friend, who was playing Maria--it was like I fell in love with him all over again.”

Kurt glanced at Blaine, who was looking at him with nothing but love in his eyes. They kissed chastely on the lips; that was all they let themselves do in public, regardless of the fact that this was New York. They liked to keep it classy, and Kurt still wasn't a huge PDA fan.

“What Kurt’s not telling you is that his Officer Krupke stole the show,” Blaine informed the two men sitting across from him and Kurt.

“Oh, my God,” Adam gasped. It was becoming increasingly clear that his trademark conversational tactic was to insert himself into the conversation with sporadic and spastic exclamations. It was endearing, if a little frustrating. “Kurt, I almost forgot! Tell me all about NYADA. Did Blaine tell you that’s my dream?”

Kurt laughed genuinely, happy to talk about the school he loved so much. “He did, actually. I love it there. Are you applying?”

Blaine sat back and watched Kurt’s lips move. He was aware that he looked ridiculously smitten; heart emoticons were practically shooting out of his eyes. He couldn’t help it. He loved Kurt with everything he had, and he always would. They’d had two horrific fights during high school, but they’d worked it out and emerged stronger. Blaine was confident that they could do the same as mature adults. They would never give up on each other. That much he knew for sure.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand the stresses that Rent was piling on him, though; between the raised talent bar, the director who seriously wanted into his pants, and the crazy rehearsal schedule, he felt like he never even saw Kurt anymore. Whenever Blaine was free, Kurt was at school, and whenever Kurt was free, Blaine was either getting out-sung and hit on at rehearsal, or espresso-stained and berated at work. He missed the time when he could cuddle up with his boyfriend and watch movies all day on the weekends. He wanted to be able to pick Kurt up from school and give him a hello kiss. He wanted to go out with Kurt for discounted coffee at his place of employment without having to make it himself. He just plain wanted to go out with Kurt. He didn’t like not seeing him for ten, twelve, fourteen hours at a time. They weren’t even having sex as often as they used to, and that was bad enough on its own. He just missed his boyfriend. He could tell Kurt that; surely, he’d understand.

- - -

“Honey, are you okay?” Kurt asked Blaine a few hours later, snuggling up next to him and handing him a mug of chamomile tea. “You seem a little...” Kurt trailed off, trusting that Blaine knew what he meant. He did know; he just wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

“I, um. Yeah. I’m good.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, fixing Blaine with his bitch, please stare. “Blaine Warbler Anderson, that was the least convincing lie you’ve ever told me.” He pouted his lips. “Please tell me what’s wrong, so I can help you fix it.”

Blaine sighed, smiling fondly at Kurt. “Okay. It’s just that...Kurt, I miss you.”

“I’m right here,” Kurt giggled. “I’m not going anywhere.” To prove his point, he wrapped an arm around Blaine and snuggled himself into the space between Blaine’s shoulder and neck.

Blaine sighed. “I know you’re not. I just feel like, with everything we’ve both got going on, I never see you anymore. It’s not your fault; it’s all me. I’m overscheduled. I’m taking extra shifts at Bean Cuisine to pay the bills, on top of the insane rehearsal schedule for Rent, and I’m stretched as thin as possible, and I miss you. I miss being able to cuddle up with you like this when there’s actually daylight outside. I miss laughing at dumb TV shows with you. I really miss the hello kisses we’d always give each other when I used to pick you up from NYADA every day.” Blaine leaned his head on Kurt’s head, tightening his grip on his boyfriend’s body. “I just wish there were some way we could spend more time together.”

Kurt let out a hum of assent as he ran a hand through Blaine’s hair. He was practically sprawled out all over Blaine’s petite frame, but Blaine didn’t mind; Kurt was too adorable for words.

“Blaine, baby, I miss you, too,” Kurt murmured. “I miss you so much when I’m at school and I realize you won’t be home until ten that night. I’m so incredibly happy you’ve been given this opportunity with the theatre, but I know it’s been taking a toll on you. I know you feel like it’s all on you--the income, the responsibilities, the coffee, everything--because I’m still in school. I’m sorry about that, Blaine. I wish I could do more. I really do.”

“I know,” Blaine breathed. “It’s not your fault, Kurt. Really. I’m just being weak and insecure--”

“Stop that right now,” Kurt snapped, sitting upright and wrapping his arm around Blaine’s shoulders. “You are so strong, Blaine Anderson, God, you don’t even know. Life didn’t initially hand you a lot to smile about, but you made it work. You’ve never once lost sight of who you are. We found each other, and we fell in love, and we make each other stronger. At least, you make me stronger.”

“I couldn’t do any of this without you,” Blaine told Kurt. “I miss you, and I need you, but I don’t want you to feel bad.”

Kurt smiled affectionately at his boyfriend. “I know, honey, and you aren’t. I understand how it is. Don’t even hesitate to get in touch with me when you’re feeling down. I’ll always pick up your call, no matter what I’m doing.”

Blaine smiled back, reaching out to stroke Kurt’s flushed porcelain cheek with his thumb. “I remember when I said that to you.”

“I do, too.”

Blaine fell in love with the gleam in Kurt’s eye, regardless of the fact that he’d seen it so many times before. “Thank you for believing in me, sweetheart.”

“What kind of soulmate would I be if I didn’t?”

Once Kurt’s simple, wonderful, soothing words had a chance to sink in, Blaine was overcome with a sudden, new wash of love for the man he already cherished more than anything else in the world. He kissed Kurt then, placing one hand gently on the back of his neck and sliding the other one down to rest at his hip.

As Blaine reveled in the familiar sensation of his boyfriend’s lips on his own, he felt reassured in a way that could only have come from the knowledge that Kurt would always, always be there for him: no matter how much or how little they saw each other, no matter how often they had the time to kiss or make love, no matter how often they fought, and no matter what other factors happened to come along and try to throw a wrench into things. Sebastian and Chandler had tried to tear them apart back in high school, and it wasn’t as if they never disagreed, but Kurt and Blaine were forever.