Brittany was confused and disoriented when she emerged from the samovar, as it had been quite a while since she had last been in the world. Kurt explained to Santana that Brittany had always been a bit odd, but she also had the misfortune of being one of the genies who had gone once so long without a connection that it had damaged her permanently. The resulting quirks in her personality made it harder for her to have a successful connection, since most people didn't have the patience to deal with her. This led to few connections, which only resulted in further damage. Kurt had watched the vicious cycle with sorrow, but there was nothing he could do. When he saw the samovar in the shop he knew he couldn't just leave her there and had thought that maybe with Santana there was the possibility of a long term connection that would allow Brittany to heal some. Thankfully, Santana seemed taken with Brittany right away, and, of course, already believed, so the connection had been made.

Kurt was a little reluctant to leave that night, especially since he would be out of town with Blaine in New York for several days. He didn't want to leave them alone so soon after the connection was made, but Santana told him that they needed to get to know each other on their own and didn't need a "genie sitter".

He rushed home and told Blaine about what had happened, wondering how the other man would react. One genie in his life was adventure enough, so how would he feel about two? Blaine listened to Kurt's description of Brittany with tears in his eyes and assured him that he had done the right thing.

"Kurt, you have the biggest heart of anyone I know and I'd expect nothing less from you. Brittany's so lucky to have you as a friend and so is Santana. This might just be the kick in the butt she needs to get her life back on track. I think they'll be good for each other."

The next morning, they left bright and early to fly to New York. Kurt was nearly vibrating with excitement by the time the city skyline was visible from the plane window, crying out with joy when he saw the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty for the first time. Since they had flown on a private plane, it only took moments to gather their luggage and make their way to a waiting town car. Kurt sat with his nose pressed against the window, not wanting to miss a moment of their trip into the city. As they approached the Queens Midtown Tunnel the skyscrapers appeared in the distance and he began to point out each one to Blaine as he recognized them.

"I'm surprised with all you've seen that you still get excited about stuff like this," Blaine commented, enjoying Kurt's enthusiasm.

"I've wanted to come here for over 150 years, but it's never worked out. I'm glad though, because it just means that I get to see it for the first time with you and that makes it all the more special."

Blaine choked up a little at Kurt's declaration, so in response all he could do was reach over and pat his hand.

Their driver easily navigated the mid-morning Manhattan traffic and they were pulling up in front of The Plaza hotel in no time. Kurt clutched Blaine's arm in shock when he realized where they were staying and he didn't release his grip until they were shown to the Plaza Suite on the 17th floor and the door closed behind them.

"The Plaza? We're seriously staying at The Plaza? I can't believe this." Kurt rushed into the living room, took one look at the Louis XV furnishings and spun around in a perfect pirouette, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Look at this place! It's gorgeous!"

Blaine confirmed that the butler had placed Kurt's luggage into the master bedroom and Blaine's into the 2nd bedroom then joined Kurt in the living room to spend a few minutes looking out the window down at the bustling people on 5th Avenue. "OK, enough watching other people enjoy New York. It's time for us to do some enjoying for ourselves. I was thinking today we'd take care of some of the major items on your list. Ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple?"

Blaine let out a quiet groan as he slid into his seat at the theater, thankful to finally be resting his tired feet. He couldn't remember the last time he had walked so much. They had spent hours in Central Park, roaming the pathways with no clear destination in mind, before walking up to Times Square and soaking in the perpetual bustle of activity there. Throughout the day they had sampled different foods from street vendors and neither of them was particularly interested in a full meal, so they had settled instead for huge slices of cheesecake at Juniors. Kurt had taken one bite, declared that all other cheesecakes were now dead to him and vowed from then on to only eat the treat in New York.

They had returned to their hotel room with just enough time to change and walk back down to the theater. When Blaine had been planning the trip he had asked Kurt what shows he wanted to see, but Kurt had wanted to be surprised. Blaine knew right away the one musical they absolutely had to see, but since they had planned on going to the theater twice during their stay he still had to pick a second show. He had thought long and hard and decided to pick one that he hadn't seen either, so that both of them could have a new experience. Since they both loved Disney he decided to go with Mary Poppins.

As they left the theater after the show, Kurt looked thoughtful and slightly bemused. "Do you know who's original story this is based on?"

"I'm not sure." Blaine pulled out his phone and did a quick internet search. "It says here the story was written by P.L. Travers."

"I knew him and…I'm pretty Mary Poppins is based on a genie friend of mine. She was connected to Travers at the time and he must have been inspired because some of the things in that play…they really happened."

"You're saying Mary Poppins was a genie?" Blaine stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Well, her name wasn't Mary, it was Holly. She was nowhere near as strict as Mary, but kids loved her. She would dress up in costumes and tell wild stories and sing. She used to say 'It's a jolly holiday with Holly.'"

"Does this happen often? Real life genies making it into books and such, I mean? Am I going to have to wonder about every character from my childhood? Peter Pan? Alice in Wonderland? Willie Wonka?

"I think your childhood memories are safe. This is the only instance of genie inspired kid lit that I know of." Kurt pulled at Blaine's hand, urging him further down the street. "Come on, I'm starving. What can we find to eat at this time of night?"

They stopped for a slice of pizza at a tiny little whole-in-the-wall restaurant and stood at the counter to eat their greasy slices of heaven.

"Blaine," Kurt mumbled around his mouthful of pizza, "Will you hate me if I tell you I like this better than the Chicago style?"

"Of course not, but mainly because I kinda agree with you."

"Good, because I'm telling you right now, if the guy who made this pizza believes in magic I might be making a new connection here. In fact…" Kurt turned and made as if he was going to approach the cook standing at the pizza oven.

"No way," Blaine cried, grabbing Kurt's hand and pulling him back to counter, "I'll buy this place and take it and all of the people who work here back to Chicago before I'd let that happen."

"Ah, so romantic. I love it when you're jealous." When Kurt realized what he had just said he blushed and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Come on Money Bags. I want to see Times Square at night."

Blaine swallowed his last bite of pizza and followed, thinking about how Kurt had called him romantic.

Their first day in New York had been about introducing Kurt to some of the iconic areas of the city, but their second day was devoted to shopping. Kurt woke up early and was bounding around the suite as if it was Christmas morning. Blaine barely had time to finish his morning bagel before he was being dragged out of the hotel to 5th Avenue.

As they exited onto the street they could see the horse drawn carriages by the park waiting to pick up tourists. As they passed, Kurt scowled a little and looked like he was about to say something, but Blaine cut him off. "No, I haven't planned for us to take a carriage ride. I've met you, remember?" Kurt sent him a pleased smile, though his eyes still held a touch of sorrow from looking at the sad looking horses. Blaine made a mental note to make a donation to the movement that was attempting to find more humane alternatives to the horse drawn carriages.

The first stop on their shopping excursion was FAO Schwartz, right across the street from The Plaza. They wandered the aisles and basically acted like children for an hour. They had a mock sword fight upstairs next to the large windows before wandering through the huge Lego creations on their way to the oversized floor piano. They played Chopsticks on the piano just like in the movie, though nowhere near as successfully, and ended up in a tangled heap on the floor, laughing hysterically. Kurt bought Blaine a stuffed dog that he named Margaret Thatcher Dog and Blaine bought him a stuffed cat that was wearing an expression of disdain on its face that Blaine could have sworn was modeled off of Kurt.

They left the store and headed up the street in the direction of the designer stores. Blaine could see Kurt figuratively rolling up his sleeves as if preparing for battle. The stores weren't going to know what hit them.

Blaine had a sense of déjà vu all day and it was finally in the fifth store that he realized why everything felt so familiar. It was if they were reenacting the shopping scene from Pretty Woman. They would enter a store and the sales people would immediately fawn all over them as soon as they found out who Blaine was. Kurt whirled through outfit after outfit as Blaine watched on, usually drinking some coffee or sparkling water that had been offered to him. He'd nod his support of some ensembles and indicate his ambivalence to others then watch as purchases were rung up. The only difference from the movie was that Kurt was paying for his own clothes. Well, that wasn't the only difference. He didn't remember the sales people flirting with Julia Roberts the way that they were flirting with Kurt.

The first time it happened was amusing. The manager at Versace had come out to wait on them himself and then proceeded to practically drool all over Kurt. The second and third times were not as funny and by the fourth time Blaine was ready to throw something through a window. They had taken a car over to the Alexander McQueen store and Kurt was on his way to try on several pieced when Blaine had to practically restrain the salesman to keep him from following Kurt into the dressing room. He glared at the man and proceeded to stand guard outside the door, trying to avoid analyzing why this was upsetting him so much.

His mood wasn't the best as they drove back towards the hotel and Kurt noticed. "I'm sorry. We haven't really gone anywhere that's your style, have we? I'm being selfish." He leaned forward and gave the driver a new destination. In no time at all they were pulling up in front of Brooks Brothers and Kurt was pulling him out of the car. "Come on, I've been dying to dress you up like a paper doll."

They wandered the store for a bit and Kurt let him pick the first round of clothes to try on. He disappeared into the dressing room and came back out wearing the first outfit, striking a pose for Kurt. "How about this?"

"Oh my god, Blaine. A bowtie and suspenders? You look like a high school nerd looking to do someone's calculus homework."

He disappeared back into the dressing room and emerged a few minutes later in a new look. "This?"

"Um, it's a little too bad boy for me. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good leather jacket, but this is way too 'juvenile delinquent'. I don't think that's the right one."

"This?"

"Elbow patches? Hello, Professor Anderson."

"This?"

"Blaine, are you trying to look like a pirate? You just need an eye patch to complete the look. Take it off before someone else sees you."

"This?"

"Ok, you're just messing with me now, aren't you? That looks like a private school uniform. I feel like we should be walking to class and complaining about the headmaster. OK, enough. Stand aside and let an expert handle this."

Kurt disappeared into the store and returned a few minutes later carrying an armful of clothes. "Here try these on."

Blaine changed and came back out to show Kurt, this time doing a little dramatic cat walk down the hallway.

"Cute! I think we have a winner. You should wear that tonight."

By the end of the day they were both exhausted, but each had new ensembles to wear that evening. All day long they had been paying to have their purchases delivered to the hotel, so when they arrived back in the room they found the correct packages and sent the new clothes off with the butler to be pressed.

There was still an hour left before they needed to head off to their dinner reservation, so Kurt blockaded himself in the master bathroom and filled the claw footed tub so that he could take a bubble bath. Having already experienced how long it took Kurt to get ready to go out, Blaine watched TV for a bit before heading down to the lobby on a secret mission. When Kurt emerged from the bathroom, dressed and coiffed to perfection, Blaine was standing just outside the door, holding two cups of steaming coffee.

"You are a prince among men," Kurt declared, taking one of the cups from him and inhaling deeply. "Disney will base their next prince upon you and little woodland creatures will sing an ode to your generosity. And your hair. A song of generosity and hair."

After dinner Blaine led the way to the theater. Kurt still didn't know what show they were seeing, so Blaine watched closely as they turned the corner and the sign for Wicked rose up before them. Kurt let out a delighted cry and clasped his hands together at his chin, bouncing up and down on his toes.

"I can't believe it! How did you know?"

"Well, I peeked at your iTunes and if the listen counts are to be believed this is by far the soundtrack you like the most, so it wasn't a hard decision."

Kurt reached over to tuck his arm into Blaine's and pulled him in closer as they joined the line to present their tickets. Once inside they headed up the escalator and made their way into the theater, where the usher directed them to their seats in the middle of the eighth row.

Kurt's eyes widened when he saw their seat location and just shook his head. "I don't know why I'm surprised," he whispered, "One would think you were the one with the magic, the way you pull this stuff off."

The show passed quickly and soon the curtain was coming down after the final bow. Blaine looked over at Kurt to see him surreptitiously wiping tears from his eyes. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief and offered it silently.

Kurt took the offered cloth gratefully, dabbing his eyes, and snuffling quietly. "That was so sad. Being green isn't that big of a deal. Why did people have to act that way?"

"Ah, don't be sad. Didn't you like it?"

"Are you kidding? I loved it." Kurt gripped his program to his chest as if he could absorb the details of the show into this body. "I think that may be the single best thing I have ever seen."

"Phew! I'm glad you said that, because I have a surprise for you."

Blaine led the way out of the theater and around to the stage door, where he gave his name to the guard, who spoke into his headset for a second before opening the door and ushering Kurt and Blaine inside. There they were met by a stage manager who led them up to meet the members of the cast. Kurt squeaked with delight when he met the actresses playing Glinda and Elphaba and within moments they were deep in a conversation about the intricacies of the show and their characters. When the conversation turned to the high notes that Elphaba had to hit during 'Defying Gravity' and what the actress did to preserve her voice Blaine felt compelled to mention that Kurt was able to hit the same high note.

His declaration was met with a little bit of skepticism from the actors and a lot of embarrassment from Kurt, who tried to end the conversation and exit gracefully. His attempts were in vain, though as he was pulled along by the women towards the stage to show off this amazing skill. They got the stage manager to cue up a pre-recorded version of the music and moved to the side of the stage, leaving Kurt in the center. He took a deep breath and with one last look at Blaine started singing. As the song went on more and more people appeared in the wings, drawn to the stage by the mesmerizing voice. When he hit the high note a gasp went out amongst everyone gathered and amazed glances were exchanged. When the song finished those watching gave him a standing ovation and he curtsied in thanks before running over to Blaine.

"You amaze me," Blaine admired. "You just knocked all these Broadway vets out of their socks."

Kurt just smiled, still a little overwhelmed at the experience of singing on a Broadway stage. The stage manager approached them again to finish up their tour and they were soon saying their goodbyes and heading out the stage door. Kurt's outfit was topped off by a knee length jacket, but it was lightweight, so he shivered a bit as they hit the cool night air. Blaine, who was wearing a warm sweater, held out his coat and wrapped it around Kurt's shoulders.

Kurt reached up and grabbed the lapels, pulling the coat a little closer. "Thanks, but you know I could just conjure up —"

"Hey, you're ruining my chivalrous moment here. Take the coat."

"My apologies, oh gallant prince." Kurt smiled, drawing the coat even tighter around him.

Blaine glanced over to give him a grin and noticed that the coat looked a little different than it had the moment before. "Wait, something's... did you…did you just make my coat larger?" He reached out to grab at one of the dangling sleeves.

Kurt laughed and dodged Blaine's hand. "I kind of had to. You're so little I wouldn't be able to get it around my shoulders otherwise."

Blaine stopped in his tracks and bristled with indignation, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "I'm not that…you're just…hey!"

Kurt laughed even harder and had to lean up against a building to hold himself up. He was so caught that he didn't hear Blaine walk away, so he was surprised to hear his name being called from the corner.

"Come on Kurt. I've got one last surprise for tonight." Kurt hurried over to where Blaine had hailed a cab and they both slid into the backseat.

Within minutes they were pulling up to a new location. Blaine stepped out onto the sidewalk first and turned around to lend Kurt a hand to help him out of the cab.

When Kurt saw where they were his expression lit up. "The Empire State Building?"

"I've always thought the views were best at night," Blaine said, leading Kurt into the building and towards the elevators. He had already purchased tickets, so they were able to bypass the line and were soon whizzing their way up to the observation deck.

The entire city, in all its glory, was laid out before them. They walked completely around the deck to get the 360 degree view before coming to a stop on the side looking out towards Central Park.

"When I first moved to New York this was one of the first things I did. It just seemed so iconic, you know? Like being up here was going to somehow make me a real New Yorker," Blaine shook his head, leaning up against the wall. "Too many movies, I guess. In reality it's definitely a tourist thing, but it made me feel like part of the city, like I belonged."

Kurt leaned against his side, looping their arms together. "That's all that matters. How it made you feel. I've spent my whole life granting wishes for people who were just looking to fit in, to feel a part of something. Money, success, fame — none of it can make you feel like you belong, in the end. If you find something that makes you feel that way you need to grab on to it and hold on."

Blaine felt Kurt's hand tighten on his arm and he wondered if the other man knew how his actions were mirroring his words. He covered Kurt's hand with his and just kept gazing out at the city lights, thinking over what Kurt had said. When something makes you feel like you belong, grab on to it and hold on. Yes, words to live by.

The next morning Blaine kept up his string of surprises with front row tickets to a fashion show of an up-and-coming designer. Kurt could barely contain his excitement at the news and he rushed over to give Blaine a big hug before running off to his room to plan his outfit. He was familiar with the designer, whose style involved mixing casual and formal pieces, so Kurt worked to find an outfit that would complement that style without looking like he was trying to compete with it. He finally decided on a supple lightweight black leather jacket over a simple white shirt, gray waistcoat, and black tie with white polka dots. He finished it off with dark washed skinny jeans and black leather boots to keep it from looking too dressy. He teased his hair up extra high and swirled the ends in a bit of a wave for some drama that seemed appropriate for the occasion. He was still perfecting the style when Blaine called out that their car had arrived.

Though the show wasn't during New York's famous Fashion Week, it still drew a lot of star power and the press was out in force covering the arrival of the guests. Blaine was recognized by several photographers who called out to him as they took his photo. Kurt tried to move out of the way, but Blaine kept pulling him closer, making sure he was in all the photos and introducing him as "Designer Kurt Hummel" when asked for a name.

"Why are you introducing me as a designer?" Kurt hissed in Blaine's ear as they made their way to their seats next to the runway.

"Isn't that what you are? You've been trying to find your perfect fit all this time and it's been right in front of you, Kurt. Your designs are spectacular and if you are at all interested in pursuing fashion as a career I'm going to do what I can to support you."

They reached their seats and sat down, taking in the dramatic staging and lighting of the room. Kurt let his eyes run over the people in the crowd, recognizing a few actors and musicians, before coming to a dead stop.

"Blaine," Kurt gasped, clutching Blaine's arm, "That's Anna Wintour. We're sitting next to Anna Wintour. I can't believe it."

"Ana," Blaine exclaimed, turning to his other side and reaching out to kiss the woman on both cheeks, "It's so good to see you. May I introduce you to my friend, Kurt Hummel? Kurt's kindly agreed to take a break from designing ball gowns for my mother and cousin in order to accompany me today."

After the roaring in his ears dissipated Kurt was able to respond to Anna Wintour's greeting. Amazingly she seemed interested in chatting and Blaine finally switched seats with him so that they could sit next to each other. They discussed the fall fashions that had been shown in February and talked about their favorite looks and trends before settling down to watch the show. To his astonishment, she took the time to say goodbye at the end of the show and asked him to send some of his designs to her office so that she could take a look.

"I'm hallucinating. I've contracted some previously unknown genie disease and am hallucinating. Is this how you felt when I told you about my powers, because if so I have a lot more sympathy for you now."

Blaine just laughed. "I don't know why you're so surprised. She can recognize talent when she sees it and would be a fool not to try and see if your designs would work for her summer issue on new designers. And believe me, Anna Wintour is no fool."

They had lunch at a neighborhood café and lingered a bit over coffee, but Blaine had other things planned for the day, so they did a coin toss to see who would pay for lunch and headed out.

"It's time to mark another item off your New York to do list," Blaine smiled, leading Kurt towards the nearest subway entrance.

They rode the subway for several minutes before Blaine indicated that their stop was next. Kurt still wasn't sure what Blaine had in mind, but he went along with it as Blaine grabbed his hand and led him through the crowd at the station. They emerged into the sunlight, squinting a bit at the sudden brightness and stopped to slip their sunglasses on. They walked a few blocks from the station and as they turned one last corner the Brooklyn Bridge rose up above them, with the Manhattan skyline in the background.

"I thought we'd walk across the bridge back into the city and they maybe head up to Greenwich Village so that I can show you my old neighborhood?"

They walked slowly across the bridge, staring up at the amazing architecture and stopping from time-to-time to enjoy the different views of the skyline or to people watch. Once off of the bridge they stopped to sit a bit in City Hall Park before heading uptown towards Greenwich Village. Blaine had lived in the Village while he was in New York, so he knew the neighborhood well. He showed Kurt many of his old haunts and they had coffee at his favorite shop before walking by the building where he had lived.

"So, you lived in a penthouse in Greenwich Village? Boy, you were really suffering for your art, weren't you?"

"I needed space for my grand piano."

"Uh huh. And the penthouse was the only place that could accommodate said piano?"

"Hey, I didn't trade on the Anderson name to get ahead in the business, isn't that enough of a sacrifice?" Blaine pouted, giving Kurt sad puppy eyes.

Kurt just laughed and headed off down the street, taking the lead in picking their direction. He had a destination in mind, but he wanted it to be a surprise, so he tried to make their walk look aimless until they finally reached the address he was looking for.

"You've been surprising me all weekend, so now it's my turn." Kurt looked across the street with a significant look and Blaine's face lit up when he realized they were near the neighborhood bar where he had played many gigs during his musician days. They darted across the street and pulled open the door, Blaine wondering aloud if they might see an old friend or two of his inside. Kurt watched Blaine closely as he glanced around the bar, his eyes drifting from table to table, and saw the exact moment when he realized that he knew almost everyone there. The room was filled with old friends and colleagues that he hadn't seen since leaving New York, as well as some people he didn't know personally, but recognized as regulars who often attended his shows.

Several people in the crowd rushed forward to greet Blaine, so Kurt dropped back, wanting to give him some time alone with his friends. He grabbed a seat at a reserved table near the stage and spent a few minutes chatting with a few people. He let Blaine mingle for a half hour or so before stepping up onto the stage and grabbing the microphone. "Hi, I'm Kurt Hummel and I wanted to thank everyone for coming out tonight. We've been in the city for a few days now and I knew the trip wouldn't be complete without Blaine being able to reconnect a little with the people that meant so much to him. Now, Blaine didn't know we were coming here, so I'm afraid I'm putting him on the spot, but I'm sure everyone here would love it if he'd play a few songs."

The crowd roared its approval and urged Blaine towards the stage, where he sat his drink down, gave Kurt a quick hug and picked up a guitar that was waiting in the corner. "Ha! No pressure." He strummed the guitar a few times, checking to make sure it was in tune. "Let's do a couple of old favorites, shall we?"

Blaine sang several songs that the audience was obviously familiar with if their loud shouts of approval were anything to go off of. More people came into the bar, some invited guests who were just arriving late and some passersby who had heard Blaine singing and were surprised to hear an old favorite returning to the neighborhood. After his fourth song Blaine took a break and approached the table where Kurt was sitting, dropping down into the empty chair next to him. "I can't believe you did this. I think this is the best surprise I've ever had. How did you know about this place?"

"I asked Rachel and Santana to help me. They knew of this place and helped put me in touch with the owner, who took it from there."

The bar owner stopped by just then to say hello and brought by more beers for the table. Kurt asked for a diet Coke instead, but Blaine, who had just finished his original beer, grabbed another one, drinking half of it before heading back up to the stage.

It was the first time Kurt had really seen Blaine in his musical element. Of course he had heard him sing before, but this was different: just Blaine and his guitar alone on the stage. Kurt felt as if he were glimpsing part of Blaine's soul through his singing and was completely captivated and by looking at the enthralled faces of the crowd he knew he wasn't the only one.

The evening turned into a blur of new people, beer, and songs. Blaine sung so much that he would probably be hoarse the next day, but he seemed to be enjoying himself so much that Kurt wanted the evening to go on and on.

It was late by the time the party wound down enough for them to think about leaving. They gathered their things and bid goodnight to the few people who remained. As they waited out front for their car to arrive Blaine slung his arm around Kurt's shoulder and leaned into him a bit. "That was the best night ever! Have I told you how glad I am to have met you? So glad. So, so glad. Being with you makes me happy and I love being happy, don't you? Who doesn't like being happy? Not me."

Kurt gave him a patronizing look. "Yes, Blaine. I like being happy."

"You know what else makes me happy? Your hair. It goes up so high and looks so perfect. Every day I smile when I see it." Blaine reached over and carded his fingers through Kurt's hair. "It's so fluffy."

"No, your hair is fluffy. Mine is sculpted. I think you, sir, might be a little drunk."

"Wha—? I'm not drunk. I only had a little sip." Blaine rested his head against Kurt's shoulder, giving him an innocent look.

"Uh huh. A little sip."

The car arrived and they climbed inside. As the car moved through the still busy streets Blaine reached down to grab Kurt's hand, intertwining their fingers. Blaine had touched his hand hundreds of times (it was kind of their thing), but this time it felt different. Every movement of Blaine's hand, every brush of a finger, sent sparks shooting up his arm.

Once they arrived at the hotel they rode the elevator silently to their room and Kurt opened the door. The lights of the city shown through the window, so Kurt didn't bother turning on a lamp, walking into the living room to set down his messenger bag. Suddenly he felt hands on his shoulders and was spun around and pushed gently back until his back hit the cool glass of the window. He looked in surprise at Blaine, who was staring at him with a hungry expression on this face. Blaine paused for a moment before leaning forward slowly, giving Kurt time to protest or pull away. When Kurt's only response was to lick his lips Blaine groaned and reached forward the last few inches until their lips met.

Kurt wasn't sure what he expected his first kiss to be like. He had spent years studiously trying to not think about it in fact, placing any thoughts of romantic physical interactions into a tightly locked box. Now that he was there, with no box in which to contain his feelings, he let go and gave himself over to the moment. He was surprised by the heat, the texture of Blaine's lips moving over his, the beating of his heart thudding loudly in his ears, but mostly he was surprised by how…natural it all seemed, how in tune they were. He would have thought that a first kiss would be awkward, especially when one of those involved had zero, but they came together as if their moves were choreographed, each knowing exactly where to go and what their role was.

Blaine pulled back, his questioning eyes searching Kurt's face. In answer Kurt reached up his hand, grabbing hold of Blaine's suddenly curly hair to pull him back in for a second kiss. That seemed to be all the encouragement Blaine needed. He pushed his palms flat against the window pane and brought his body into full contact with Kurt's. He opened his mouth slightly and ran his tongue over Kurt's lips, silently asking for entry. When Kurt complied Blaine rushed inside, wrapping his tongue around Kurt's, causing a new rush of sensations to run through Kurt's body. The kiss became more passionate and he felt the strength leave his legs. The weight of Blaine's body became the only thing keeping him upright, pinned against the glass, stretched out before the city.

Kurt wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but finally Blaine pulled away again. He backed away slightly and Kurt was thankful to find that his legs were once again able to hold him up. Blaine caressed his face with one hand, tracing the lines of his nose, brow and chin before running a fingertip across his now swollen lips. "Kurt, this has been the most amazing trip and I…I owe it all to you. Thank you so much. For everything."

Kurt smiled and brought his hand up to cover Blaine's, which was still caressing his face.

"Now, I-I know you aren't ready for more, so I'd better go, before I lose my head. Goodnight." Blaine dropped a light kiss on Kurt's lips and walked away to his bedroom.

Kurt stood in the dark for several minutes, replaying the past few moments in his head over and over. Blaine had kissed him. Blaine. Had. Kissed. Him. He almost couldn't believe it and actually might not have, if not for the slightly bruised feeling in his lips and the remaining taste of Blaine on his tongue. What did this turn of events mean? Was he ready to take their relationship in a new direction? Was Blaine?

He finally made his way to his own room and dropped down on the bed face first, splayed out like a starfish. He lay still for a moment before flipping over to stare at the ceiling. A big grin overtook his face and he kicked his feet in happiness. Who knew what tomorrow would bring.

Blaine was quiet the next morning, but Kurt attributed it to his being a little nervous and shy about the shift in their relationship. Kurt was nervous too, unsure of what to say or how to act after their kiss. He kept finding himself staring at Blaine's lips, so to distract himself he talked almost non-stop at breakfast and on the drive to the airport. Once on the plane he was finally able to calm down and started thinking about what they might do on their next trip to New York. There was so much they hadn't seen and he filled his mental list with activities he might have previously rejected for being too romantic in nature.

Before he knew it the plane was landing and they were in the car on the way home. When they arrived Kathleen met them and grabbed their bags to take them up to their rooms, leaving them alone in the entryway. Kurt was taking off his coat when Blaine cleared his throat.

"Kurt, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course," Kurt replied, folding his coat over his arm.

"I-I wanted to apologize for last night."

"Apologize? What for?"

"I drank too much and I make really bad decisions when I'm drunk. I know I get inappropriately affectionate and do things I don't mean, so I just want you to know I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable and I-I'm hoping we can just forget what happened when we got back to the hotel."

For a minute Kurt was confused by what Blaine was saying, sure that at any moment he would say something to turn the conversation around, but that moment never came. Blaine regretted their kiss. It would never have happened if he had been sober. He hadn't meant it. Suddenly, the only important thing in his life was to show Blaine that he wasn't hurt by this turn of events, to put on a facade that would fool him into thinking that Kurt too had been unaffected by the kiss. "Don't worry about it. At least your reaction to alcohol is nowhere near as bad as mine," he laughed, hoping it didn't sound too forced. "I would've probably had the Statue of Liberty performing a hula out in the middle of the harbor." He reached down and picked up his messenger bag. "I think I'm going to go unpack and rest up a bit. I'll see you at dinner?"

He gave Blaine a slight smile so as to not oversell the moment and turned up the stairs. Within moments he had reached his bedroom and was closing the door behind him. He stood for a moment in the silent room, still a little shell shocked at the turn of events. He dropped his bag on the floor, pressed his back to the wall, and slid down until he was sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees.

How had everything changed so quickly? Why did Blaine's apology bother him so much? The kiss had been just a few moments out of an extraordinary friendship. Why not just forget about it and return to the way they were? Well, that at least he could answer easily. Somehow Blaine had managed to get past the barrier he used to keep people at arm's length. Kurt had spent his entire life avoiding any hint of romantic entanglement, so why him? Why now? And why had he allowed himself, if even for a minute, to imagine never being alone, never being lonely, again.

For the first time in almost two months Kurt retreated to the safety of his samovar, finding it too painful to remain in human form.