Blaine had given up trying to label his friendship with Kurt. He knew it was rather unusual, and he had caught more than a few curious looks at their hugs and linked hands. But he couldn't really bring himself to care, especially now as he sat pressed up against Kurt's side in Glee.

They were watching Finn and Rachel sing the last of the duets, but Blaine wasn't paying much attention. His entire mind and body had narrowed to focus on one point, where Kurt's hand was tracing a circle on Blaine's kneecap.

Kurt had been going out of his way throughout the day to initiate physical contact with Blaine in a variety of ways. Not only did it make Blaine happy, it was as if it grounded him. As if Kurt's touch could keep him in the present, and without it he might float away.

Blaine’s focus was pulled back to the front when the song ended and he clapped politely for Finn and Rachel. Mr. Schue thanked them and class was called to a close.

"Buckeyes at the Hudmels’ tomorrow!" Puck hollered as he got up to leave the room. "Everyone who gives a shit about football better be there!"

"Sweet, that means I don't have to go," Mercedes said with a laugh.

"It's pretty much a boys’ tradition, anyway," Finn said, turning to Blaine. "Are you coming?"

Blaine looked to Kurt hopefully.

"I don’t suppose you’d want to watch the Buckeyes tomorrow," Kurt said, playfully jostling Blaine's shoulder.

"Maybe, I’m a bit of a fan," Blaine replied, enjoying the inside joke.

"Then come over and watch the game with us tomorrow," Kurt said, voice slipping back into his kind and assertive tone.

"OK," Blaine easily agreed. "I'd like that."

--

From Blaine

Should I bring anything?

From Kurt

You don't have to, we have plenty of food. But thanks for the offer!

From Blaine

Ok, if you're sure. What time are the guys getting there?

From Kurt

I'm sure, all you need to bring is yourself. Puck is already here, most of the guys will get here around 11. Come over anytime.

From Blaine

Ok, see you soon.

"Hey!" Kurt snapped when Puck snatched his phone from his hand, running to the other side of the room to read the text before Kurt could take it back.

"Aww, 'all you need to bring is yourself,' that is such a good line. I am totally using that one!" Puck laughed as Kurt stalked over to him and grabbed his wrist in his strong grip, pulling his phone out of Puck's hand.

"Very funny, Puck. You better keep your mouth shut when he gets here, or I swear to god..." Kurt growled, finger in Puck's face.

"Everything OK, boys?" Burt's voice echoed from the kitchen.

"Yes!" They both hollered back at once, Puck laughing and Kurt glaring.

"Dude," Puck said seriously. "You know I'm totally pulling for you here. This Blaine kid is pretty awesome, and you deserve to get laid."

Kurt tried to keep glaring, but he knew that Puck was being sincere in his own special way. He huffed. "Fine, just don't say anything horribly embarrassing when he gets here." He smiled a bit, adding, "And Blaine is more important than just a booty call."

Puck just grinned and slapped him on the arm.

--

Blaine really hoped that ten to eleven wasn't too early, and he fidgeted a bit before he reached out and pressed the doorbell. He heard Finn holler inside the house.

"Door!"

"Jesus, Finn, I have ears," a familiar voice snapped back, and then the door was pulled open to reveal Kurt beaming at him. He looked simply amazing. He wore a dark grey tee shirt that hugged his broad shoulders perfectly, and his dark bootcut jeans fit him snuggly, slung just a little low on his hips. 

"Hi," Kurt said simply as he opened the door wider.

"Hi." Blaine smiled; it felt like it was so long since he had seen Kurt, even though it had been less than a day.

"Come here.” Kurt chuckled softly, and grabbed Blaine by the shoulders to pull him across the threshold and into his arms.

Blaine just sighed and buried his face in Kurt's neck, breathing in his familiar scent. Kurt's hand rubbed at his back for a minute and pressed his cheek to the side of Blaine's head.

After a minute, Kurt pulled back and looked at Blaine closely.

"Better?"

"Yeah." Blaine nodded, continually grateful for Kurt's inherent understanding.

"Hi, Blaine!" Finn stuck his head into the entry way. "Ready for some Buckeye action?"

"Totally," Blaine said and smiled at Finn, trying to pull his focus from Kurt at least a bit.

Kurt led him into the kitchen, where Blaine was introduced to Kurt's dad and Finn's mom. Carol beamed at him, and Burt shook his hand firmly. 

"It's so nice to meet you, sweetheart!" Carol smiled. "The kids have all been talking about you."

"Really?" Blaine asked, eyebrows drawn together. He missed how Puck and Finn looked pointedly at Kurt, and the way that Kurt's face tinged pink.

"Let's wrangle up some food," Kurt spoke up, sending a pointed look at Carol that Blaine didn't understand. "The rest of the guys will be here soon."

Blaine happily helped out, taking a plate of food from Carole. Pretty soon the coffee table in the downstairs TV room was covered in snacks and a cooler full of sodas was set up off to the side. Kurt wasn't kidding - there was a lot of food. Seven layer nachos, chicken wings, and tots, just to name a few.

"Did you guys buy all this?" Blaine asked Kurt, once everything was settled. Puck and Finn had disappeared back upstairs. "Because I can totally chip in cash."

"Don't be ridiculous, you're a guest," Kurt said. He sat down on the couch, and Blaine automatically sat next to him. "And no, I made most of it. Except the tots, those came frozen, but don't tell anyone." Kurt smiled at him, charmingly. 

"You made all this?" Blaine looked at the spread of food, even more impressed than he had been before.

Kurt shrugged. "It's a hobby. I like cooking."

Blaine considered Kurt for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "You're a really interesting guy, Kurt. Not many guys like sports and singing, and then you throw cooking in there, too."

"Sports are just something I do, really," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I'm good at it, it keeps me in shape. All my friends play sports, and it might get me into a good college, but really, it's not my passion."

That definitely peaked Blaine's curiosity, and he opened his mouth to ask Kurt what exactly his passion was, when a thundering horde of teenage boys stampeded down the stairs.

"Kurt! Blaine!" Mike, Sam and Dave leapt over the back of the couch, shoving Blaine a little in their enthusiasm to make room on the couch. There really wasn't enough room on the couch for all five boys, and Blaine suddenly found himself nearly in Kurt's lap, he was pressed so close. Blaine blushed and tried to pulled away, but Kurt just responded by extracting the arm that was trapped between them and wrapping it around Blaine's shoulders.

Kurt smiled warmly at him and Blaine found himself relaxing a bit and snuggling into Kurt's broad chest. Kurt didn't seem to mind, and Blaine couldn't deny that the closeness felt amazing.

The back door opened and Blaine peered around Kurt to see Puck and Finn helping Artie in through the basement door. Wheels on the ground, Artie rolled in and parked next to Kurt's end of the couch while Finn and Puck each claimed one of the two remaining arm chairs. 

Blaine was a little worried that someone would be uncomfortable with his extra cozy position on the couch. But no one was objecting, in fact Finn gave Blaine a strange grin when they made eye-contact. 

Blaine glanced over and noticed that the other boys didn’t seem to care much about their personal space. Blaine knew Dave was gay, but neither Sam nor Mike seemed to care how tightly they were all squeezed together.

Puck turned on the game just in time for the pre-show and conversation quickly turned to the Buckeyes chances against Michigan. 

--

Kurt loved everything about the way Blaine was tucked against him. His body fit perfectly against Kurt's, and Kurt loved having Blaine wrapped up under his arm. It didn't take long for Blaine's head to drop to Kurt's shoulder, and Kurt had to stop himself from pressing a kiss to his brow.

Throughout the game, Kurt spent more time watching Blaine than anything else. He seemed to be really into the game; he would lean forward a bit whenever there was a good play, but always slumped back against Kurt when it was over. He never left Kurt's embrace entirely.

Kurt realized at one point that Blaine hadn't eaten anything, despite the huge array of food that the other boys were all pigging out on. Kurt leaned across the table and made up a plate of a variety of foods, before leaning back and putting the plate on Blaine’s lap.

"You need to eat," Kurt softly chastised Blaine, squeezing his shoulders.

Blaine blushed, but he pliantly started picking at the selection on his plate.

The game was close and by the end of it Kurt and Blaine were both leaning forward, perched on the edge of the couch. Kurt's arm had dropped to wrap around Blaine's waist as they strained forward with the rest of the boys. When the Buckeyes scored the winning touchdown, they all leapt up to their feet and cheered.  

Kurt was startled to suddenly have an arm full of excited Blaine, who had whooped and wrapped his arms around Kurt's neck. Kurt grinned and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, actually picking him up off his feet. 

Kurt laughed as he put Blaine back down, and Blaine blushed and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Sorry about that." Blaine laughed nervously. "I guess I got a little excited."

Kurt shook his head with a grin, putting a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Don't apologize, we're all a little excited." Kurt looked pointedly at Puck who was standing on his chair and pumping his fist ("Yes, yes, yes!").

Blaine laughed, and they turned to the TV to watch the last few seconds tick off the clock before the win was official.

"Here, um, let me help you with some of this." Blaine picked up the empty plates from the table; the boys had killed all the food.

"No way, man, we got that!" Puck said, taking the plates from Blaine's hands and winking at Kurt.

Blaine seemed rather bemused as the boys quickly cleared the basement and got Artie out the back door in under a minute. Kurt wanted to call shenanigans - clearly they thought the two boys needed some alone time. But he couldn't say that he wasn't grateful.

Both boys were quiet for a minute, before Kurt finally broke the ice.

“Junk TV marathon?”

Blaine grinned. “OK.”

The two of them settled down on the couch, still close, even if Kurt couldn’t justify cuddling up as closely as they had been during the game. The afternoon passed easily, with both boys trading wise cracks and witty banter over the horrors of reality television. 

--

From Kurt

How's your Sunday?

From Blaine

Boring? I've been in my room, studying. My dad is the only one home, and we don't usually get along very well.

From Kurt

Why is that?

From Blaine

He doesn't exactly approve of my "lifestyle choices."

From Kurt

What about your mom?

From Blaine

She’s usually too busy to notice. Or care. And she’s gone on business trips more often than not.

Kurt was at the shop the next morning, helping his dad cover the Sunday shift. He and Blaine had been exchanging text messages almost constantly since the other boy had left the night before. Burt had been letting it slide until he found Kurt bent over a car engine with his phone in his hand.

"Kurt," Burt snapped, but his irritation quickly turned to concern at the obvious distress on Kurt's face. "What's wrong, kid?"

Kurt frowned at his phone. "It's Blaine."

"That boy from yesterday?"

"Yeah," Kurt said. "He's been spending the whole day hiding in his room, because his dad doesn't like that he's gay."

"He's gay, huh," Burt commented, scratching his head, "Are you two, ya know?" He waved his hand in the air.

"I haven't even kissed him yet, Dad," Kurt said, blushing. "We're taking it slow."

"Oh, uh, good," Burt said. "I'm sorry to hear about his dad. You know, I really don't understand parents who can be like that."

"I know you don't." Kurt smiled. He knew his dad loved him, unconditionally.

"You're treatin' this boy right?" Burt asked, seriously.

"Yes, dad," Kurt replied, honestly. He was doing everything in his power to take care of Blaine.

"Then look, I can't spare you quite yet, but if that Blaine kid wants to come over and hang out while you work, that's OK with me," Burt said, giving Kurt a small smile. "You make sure he knows that he's always welcome here, and at the house, OK?"

Kurt nodded eagerly. "Thanks, dad!" He threw his arms around Burt’s neck and hugged his dad tightly. 

Kurt pulled out his phone to text Blaine, but he paused for a moment. He had noticed over the last few days, that if he directly told Blaine to do something, he always agreed. Kurt didn't entirely understand it and he certainly didn't want to abuse it, so he was being very careful with how he used that knowledge. 

But there was a balance to strike, if Kurt could find it. Because Kurt had already noticed that Blaine was more likely to finish a meal if Kurt asked him to, and Kurt could make Blaine relax with a gentle suggestion. So Kurt had been growing comfortable taking control, especially when it was in Blaine’s best interest.

From Kurt

Come over to my dad's shop and keep me company while I work. You can bring your homework if you're not done with it.

From Blaine

Ok, sure. My homework is already done.

From Kurt

Good, I'm glad to hear it. Get here as quick as you can, but drive safe.

From Blaine

I will.

--

Blaine drove the speed limit the whole way to Hummel Tires & Lube, being careful to only check the directions when he was idling at lights and stop signs. Kurt had told him to drive carefully, and Blaine intended to do just that.

By the time Blaine pulled up to the tire shop he was almost vibrating he was so eager to see Kurt. He hopped out of his car and hurried up to the front door of the shop, pausing barely for a moment when his hand touched the door handle before he pushed it open and walked in.

Burt was sitting at the front counter doing some sort of paperwork, and he looked up as Blaine approached the front desk.

"Hey bud." Burt smiled at him. "Kurt's in the back working on a car. Go on in."

Blaine nodded, smiling shyly. Blaine never knew what to expect from a man like Burt, especially since Blaine had no idea whether Burt knew that he was gay.

Blaine slipped through the door that led from the front room to the shop space in the back. There were several cars, and as Blaine scanned the room he saw Kurt, leaning over the open hood of a truck.

Blaine approached slowly, eyes wide as he took the opportunity to watch Kurt work. He was wearing a simple white wife-beater and dark jeans that were much tighter fitting than he usually wore at school. Blaine couldn't help but admire the way they hugged Kurt's ass and legs.

Kurt must have heard him coming, because he pulled his head out from under the hood and turned around. Suddenly, all Blaine could see were Kurt's arms. Blaine had never seen Kurt's arms bare before, and they looked strong and so perfectly defined.

Blaine was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to feel those arms around him.

"Hey you." Kurt smiled, grabbing a rag to clean his hands before he crossed the open space in the middle of the shop. "Come here."

Blaine happily let Kurt pull him into a hug. Blaine closed his eyes as he felt Kurt's arms wrap around his waist and he smiled as he burrowed into Kurt's embrace.

"I'm sorry about your dad," Kurt said in his ear, rubbing at Blaine's back.

"Thanks," Blaine murmured. "But I'm OK." I've got you, Blaine thought.

"OK," Kurt said, pulling back and taking Blaine's hand in his. "I have to keep working on this truck, but you'll keep me company, right?"

"Of course." Blaine nodded, letting Kurt guide him to a chair next to the truck. Blaine sat down and tucked his feet up under himself, watching Kurt work. “May I ask what you’re doing?”

 “Replacing the carburetor,” Kurt said, glancing over at Blaine. “Do you have any experience with cars?”

“No,” Blaine said with a frown. “I don’t even know how to check my own oil.”

“Your dad never taught you that?” Kurt seemed surprised.

Blaine just shook his head. Quality time wasn’t exactly his father’s highest priority.

 “Come here,” Kurt said. He had finished with the carburetor and he grabbed a rag to clean his hands. “Let me teach you some basics.”

Blaine stood and joined Kurt in front of the truck. To Blaine everything under the hood was like a confusing mass of metal, he wasn’t sure how Kurt remembered what everything was.

“Checking your oil is really important,” Kurt said, resting a hand on the small of Blaine’s back as he spoke. “Every engine has a dip stick, it usually looks like a little pull ring. Do you see it?”

Blaine scanned the engine until he spotted a small yellow ring. “Is that it?” he asked, pointing.

“Yep,” Kurt said with a grin, rubbing a little circle on Blaine’s back. “OK, now I want you to grab it and pull it out.”

Blaine did as he was told, reaching for the stick and tugging on it until it popped out. It was covered in clear oil.

“Clear is good, that means the oil doesn’t need to be changed,” Kurt said, grabbing a rag with his free hand and handing it to Blaine. “Now wipe it off, dip it back in the engine and pull it right back out.”

“OK,” Blaine said, carefully feeding the long and thin metal stick back into the engine and pulling it back out again.

“You see this here,” Kurt said, leaning in closer to Blaine and pointing at the stick. “The oil is at just the right level, we can tell because it hits right in the middle of the ideal range.”

Kurt continued to teach Blaine some basic maintenance, such as how to check his fluid levels. He even taught Blaine how to change a head light, although Kurt warned him that would likely be different on his own car.

“I have to change a belt now,” Kurt said, bringing an end to their lesson. “But will you be my assistant?”

“Sure,” Blaine replied with a grin. He doubted he would be of any real help, but he was happy to be asked.

Kurt chatted about the shop as he worked, telling Blaine a variety of stories about crazy customers and weird cars. They spent most of the afternoon this way, just talking. Every once in a while, Kurt would pause to clean his hands and stop to drop a touch to Blaine's hand or arm or back before he went back to work. 

When Blaine had first become friends with Kurt, he had thought how nice it would be if he could someday meet a boy just like him who happened to be gay. He had thought about how happy that would make him.

But now, Blaine was quickly realizing that he didn't want anyone else. Kurt was everything; he was Blaine's whole world. Kurt was the one who took care of Blaine, the one who Blaine trusted completely. The only person Blaine ever wanted to be with was Kurt.

Which meant that the one person Blaine wanted in the whole word was the one person that Blaine could never have.