Things are starting to heat up in Hollywood with just over three weeks until the Oscars. Some details about the ceremony are starting to leak out, including confirmation that the Best Original Song nominees will be performed live on the show, all by their original artists. Three new presenters were also announced today… The fashion story is also heating up, as the top designers are making their bids to snag the perfect celebs to wear their creations. Most sought after this year are Tina Fey, who is a first time nominee for Original Screenplay; Kate Winslet, who is hoping for her third Best Actress win; and first time nominee Kurt Hummel who is rekindling interest in men's red carpet fashions.

Speaking of Kurt Hummel, the young actor was spotted recently attending a meeting at the studios where the latest X-Men film is about to start production. Could he be throwing his hat in the ring to play one of the beloved mutants? — ReelToReal, February 8th, 2019

=^..^=

Kurt wasn't sure if Blaine was mistaken about how many drinks he'd had at the SAG party or if he really was that much of a lightweight, but whichever it was, Blaine's hangover was at least equal to a whole bottle of champagne. Kurt had planned on mocking Blaine about the incident for at least a few more days before letting him off the hook completely, but his fun came to an abrupt end later on the first day when he spoke to Lynn and found out that she and Bev had left the party after only an hour. That meant that Blaine had been by himself for over two hours. And that meant that Kurt was officially the worst boyfriend on the planet.

Blaine had retired to his bedroom earlier, saying that he was unable to shake his headache. Kurt cracked the door open and found him lying down with the lights off, a soft piano concerto playing in the background. Though his eyes looked to be closed, he was humming along softly with the music, so Kurt decided it was okay to intrude. He slipped into the room, lay down on the bed, and rested his head on Blaine's chest. He rubbed against the soft material under his cheek as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

"So, I'm sensing a theme here. Stop me if this sounds familiar," he said quietly. "One of us gets upset about something, but instead of trying to talk through the problem, he does or says something stupid without thinking, hurting the other one of us. Then there are apologies and promises not to do it again."

Blaine's arm came up and he trailed his fingers along Kurt's bicep, causing Kurt to flex it slightly. "Yes, that does sound vaguely familiar."

"And yet, we keep repeating it over and over," Kurt observed. Suddenly the conversation seemed too important to be had while not looking into each other's eyes, so he sat up and pulled his legs under him pretzel style. "It's like Groundhog's Day only they eventually learned from their repetition."

"Hey, I love that movie," Blaine smiled up at him. "Can I be Andi McDowell?"

Kurt shook his head. "I'm way too pretty to be Bill Murray, so I think we're starring in our own modern remake version." He reached down to pull at a loose thread in the comforter and absently made a mental note to cut it off neatly later, so that it didn't pull and open the seam. Huh, there was definitely a metaphor in there for their current situation. "Seriously, though, are we ever going to learn from our mistakes? Because if we keep doing this misunderstanding-leads-to-not-so-comic-argument-which-leads-to-apologetic-reunion thing we'll eventually have a fight we can't come back from."

Blaine sat up beside him and grabbed his hands, contrition stamped on every inch of his face. "Kurt, I'm sorry about the party —"

"No, no, that isn't what this is about," Kurt rushed to reassure him. "At least not entirely. I'm not the innocent victim in all of this. I left you alone at that party for over three hours and I should be the one that's sorry. I thought you were with Lynn and Bev, but that's no excuse. I ditched you as soon as we got there and just expected you to sit around waiting for me to come back. And I made you hold my award, like that was the only reason you were there. Wow, I suck."

"Don't," Blaine said sternly. "Don't say that. I didn't mind. Truly. It was your big night and you deserved to revel in your success. That night was about you and your accomplishments. Look, we've spent 24 hours a day together for almost four months and that kind of constant togetherness can be hard, no matter who you are. We were in a safe location where you could spend some time with friends without me attached to your hip and you needed some space. And I wanted to give it to you. That wasn't what was bothering me, I swear."

"Then what was?" Kurt asked pleadingly. "And remember, we're turning over a new honesty leaf here."

Blaine ran his fingers through his hair, causing a few pieces to stick out and Kurt had to clench his hands to keep from smoothing them down. "Giles stopped by on his way to finish off yet another bottle of vodka and, like I told you this morning, he said a few things and I let him get to me. The waiter happened to walk by with a tray of drinks and…" Blaine sighed and rubbed his neck wearily. "It was stupid and it won't happen again."

Kurt could have left it there, but he was determined that they were actually going to get all of their cards out on the table this time. "But what did he say? What got you so upset that you needed to drown your sorrows in one hundred dollars a bottle champagne?"

"A hundred dollars a bottle, really?" When Kurt didn't respond to his attempt to change the subject, Blaine dropped his gaze to his lap. "He… may have pointed out how closely you were talking with that other guy and implied you were looking to trade up."

Besides an overwhelming desire to kill Giles in his sleep, Kurt felt sadness creep into the general area of his heart. "And you believed him?" he asked, his voice catching on the last word.

Blaine's eyes snapped up and refocused on his face. "No! Of course not. It was just irrational jealously on my part. I knew that guy didn't mean anything to you. I should have just gone over to join you instead of taking that drink. God I hate the way I act when I've been drinking."

"Are you always so…"

"Ridiculous? Flirty? Overly-effusive?"

Kurt stifled his laugh, because he knew that Blaine wasn't yet ready to be amused by the whole thing. "I was going to say 'happy', but we can use your words if you want."

"Yes, always. I've got a whole list of embarrassing stories, from waking up naked covered in finger paint after having decided I was going to become the next Jackson Pollock, to the time I flirted with several guys at a bar and they got into a fight that resulted in the police being called." Blaine flopped back down and burrowed his head into the pillow. "I stopped drinking after that one, despite some of my friends telling me I was ruining their fun."

Kurt crawled over and lay down next to him, propping himself up on one elbow. "Well, as entertaining as you were last night, I wish you had come over and joined me. I wasn't ignoring you on purpose. I just got caught up and lost track of time. I can be awfully self-centered and I admit it. It's another example of our Groundhog's Day cycle. We should talk to each other when we're upset." He titled his head and smiled teasingly. "I hear it's how all the cool kids are communicating these days."

"Well, if the cool kids are doing it, you've got a deal." The smile was finally reaching Blaine's eyes as well as his lips.

"Deal." Kurt reached out the arm he wasn't leaning on and they shook hands. Relief flooded through him that they'd finally had a real conversation that wasn't just about apologizing for their last argument, but was about putting down a foundation for the future. The weight that had been resting on his chest since the night before was now completely gone and they could now move on to better things. Speaking of which… "How's the headache?"

"Finally gone. Why?"

Using his free hand Kurt grabbed the tab of the zipper running down the front of his sweater and pulled (thank God he wasn't wearing something with buttons). "Well, in the limo you mentioned this 'amazing' trick you could do with your tongue and I think I need to make sure it wasn't just a drunken boast."

"I may be silly and amorous when I'm drunk, but I never lie," Blaine said solemnly, his eyes following the path of Kurt's hand.

"Oh, I think I'll be the judge of that."

=^..^=

Blaine was flipping through photos of the upcoming Brooks Brothers spring line (he couldn't believe he was now paying attention to upcoming designer fashions. What had Kurt done to him?), when Kurt came into the living room and sat down next to him, snuggling in and laying his head on Blaine's shoulder. Blaine counted himself lucky that Kurt had forgiven him for his poor decision making at the SAG party and that (by some miracle) the story hadn't been reported on by any of the gossip sites. He still couldn't believe that he had been stupid enough to drink while on protective duty and he was disappointed that he'd reacted that way to Giles' taunting. He was great at taking Kurt to task for acting out, but wasn't any better himself.

"That would look so good on you," Kurt said as he pointed to the photo Blaine had stopped on. "We should get all those pieces. Maybe we should just buy the whole line. You deserve it."

Blaine side-eyed him before clicking through to the next page. "Kurt, for such a good actor you are absolutely horrible at hiding it when you have an alternative agenda."

"What?" Kurt gaped in disbelief and pressed a dramatic hand to his chest. "I try to tell my boyfriend how wonderful he is and all I get is an accusation of dishonesty and manipulation? I'm shocked. Hurt. Devastated beyond —"

"Kurt," Blaine warned, breaking into Kurt's soliloquy before he could really get rolling.

"Fine, be that way," Kurt huffed. "I may have just had a talk with Bev about an opportunity that's come up that I really want to do, but it involves you and I'm not sure if you'll agree." Blaine set his tablet aside to show that Kurt had his attention, so he continued. "So… there's this event they have in New York every year called Broadway Backwards where they raise money for Broadway Cares. The whole show is actors singing songs from roles that they would never get cast in. The men usually sing women's songs and vice-versa, the love songs are sung with same-sex couples, that sort of thing."

"Okay..." Blaine drawled, unsure of where Kurt was going.

"Well, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka have performed several times and were schedule to be in this year's show too, but it turns out that their kids' school play is scheduled for the same weekend, so they've had to pull out. And the organizers called Bev to see if I could fill in."

Blaine smiled and gave Kurt a pat on the knee. "That sounds great. You've been wanting to get back on the stage. So, why did you think I'd have a problem with it?"

"They want both of us." Blaine's opinion of that request must have shown on his face, because Kurt rushed to convince him. "No, listen. They want us to do the same song that Neil and David were going to do, so all we have to do is learn it. Come on, I've been dying to see you on stage and it's just one performance. This will be so fun. You know you want to. I can see it in your eyes. Please, please, please? I'll buy you that expensive hair gel you like. I'll set you up with another deep tissue massage. I'll let you call the shots during sex for the next month. I won't even complain when you want to do it on the piano again, though why you like doing it on inappropriate furniture so much is beyond me—"

"Stop, stop. You'd better stop now before you promise me your kidney, should I ever need it." Blaine looked at Kurt's hopeful face and knew he couldn't say no. "What song is it that they want us to do?"

Kurt suddenly found his cuticles very interesting. "Well, like I said, Neil and David had already selected it so it's…Marry the Man Today from Guys and Dolls."

Blaine liked that song and thought that it would be really fun to see two guys singing the comic song, normally sung by two women, about marrying a guy even though he isn't perfect and then trying to change him afterwards. He was already starting to run through dance steps in his head. "And this won't come between us? You aren't going to feel threatened or throw this back in my face later as an example of me using you to get noticed as an actor?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "Not if you promise to stay away from cute choreographers named Fabrice."

Blaine silenced him quickly with a kiss. "Okay. I'm in. When is this thing anyway?"

"The Monday before Valentine's Day."

"Kurt, that's in four days."

=^..^=

They arrived in New York on the Sunday before the show and were able to run through their song several times during the Monday morning rehearsal. Blaine got a little more confident each time they sang it, though he still wished that they'd had more than four days (four days!) to put it all together.

Lynn had set up a few talk show appearances for Kurt a few weeks before, since he and Blaine had already planned on being in New York for the Liza Minnelli concert. His interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon had already been booked for Monday, but fortunately it taped early enough that he would be able to do the taping before heading off to the theater for Broadway Backwards.

Blaine stood off to the side of the stage as Kurt spoke with Jimmy and told funny stories about the Golden Globes and SAG awards. Jimmy played a clip of Kurt's SAG acceptance speech and Blaine found himself a little choked up again, though Kurt just groaned in embarrassment and talked about how his mind had blanked out and how he'd forgotten to thank so many people.

"Speaking of your acceptance speech…" Jimmy winked slyly at the audience as he spoke. "One of the people you did remember to thank was your boyfriend." He stopped to let the audience cheer. "How are things going there, if I may ask?"

Blaine could see Kurt blush all the way from where he was standing and chuckled to himself as Kurt stumbled over his response.

Finally, Jimmy came to his rescue. "You guys seem to be a favorite target of the tabloids lately. What's that been like?"

"Ugh," Kurt grunted. "I really think some of those writers missed their calling. They should be writing novels with that level of creative writing skill."

"So the stories aren't true? Blaine isn't secretly planning to go into the acting business?"

Kurt laughed and reached over to take a sip of water from the glass that had been set out for him. "No, not at all. Unless acting surprised when I suggest yet another bad reality TV marathon is considered professional acting."

The audience booed a bit at his response. "It sounds like your fans are disappointed. They probably had visions of the two of you staring in a musical together or doing a remake of Casablanca."

"No," Kurt shook his head sorrowfully, "that's not going to happen."

Jimmy went along with Kurt's act and pretended to try and cheer him up. "Hey, chin up. Maybe you can do all of that with the next boyfriend."

"Yes, I'll try to pick better for you all next time," Kurt replied wryly.

Everyone laughed because it was obvious he was kidding, but Blaine knew it was probably the truth. Kurt's next boyfriend most likely would be in an actor and his fans would be ecstatic at the thought of seeing them perform together. He and Kurt had never really spoken about the future of their relationship and Blaine didn't want to force the subject. He didn't want to taint the time they had together by making plans and promises that would just be broken. Better to live in the moment and enjoy what he had for the time that he had it.

The interview wrapped up with a reminder for everyone to watch the Academy Awards at the end of the month. Blaine grabbed Kurt's things from his dressing room and met him by the door and within minutes they were zooming back across town to the theater where Broadway Backwards was being held.

They made it in plenty of time and their performance went off without a hitch. The crowd loved them and Blaine could see that a few phones were out, capturing their routine for immediate dispersal on the internet. He'd been worried that returning to the stage after so many years might rekindle his love of performing, but as he stood looking out at the audience he was thankful to find that he had no real desire to repeat the experience again. It had been fun because he was with Kurt, but that was all.

He and Kurt took their bows and cleared the stage for the next act. Kurt stopped as soon as they were out of sight of the audience and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for doing this," he whispered as the Master of Ceremonies started introducing the next song.

"It was my pleasure." He took Kurt's hand and pulled him through the bustling backstage area towards the dressing rooms. "Now let's go take this make-up off. I have to go Tweet about getting to share the stage with award winning actor Kurt Hummel. My followers are going to freak out."

=^..^=

Kurt couldn't believe that time was passing so quickly. It seemed like just yesterday that he had opened Blaine's Christmas gift to him, but here it was, already Valentine's Day and the concert at Radio City Music Hall was only hours away. He had banished Blaine to the suite's other bedroom earlier with a quick kiss and a pat on the ass, saying that he needed extra time to make himself presentable for the incomparable Liza Minnelli, but he really just wanted to look his best for his special night out with Blaine. It was going to be his first Valentine's Day date and he wanted it to be perfect.

He ran a bath using his most expensive French bubble bath and relaxed back into the water with cucumber slices over his eyes. He could feel the steam sinking into his pores and plumping up his skin, the rich scent of vanilla and cinnamon lulling him into a half-sleep.

Luckily, he'd set the alarm on his phone, so he got out of the bath right on schedule. He wiped down the mirror and studied himself in it. He still didn't see what others seemed to when they looked at him, but there was one thing he agreed with everyone on and that was that he had awesome hair. He spent longer than usual styling the thick mass, trying to keep it supple without losing height or shape. He loved it when Blaine ran his fingers through it and didn't want him to get stuck later in a web of mousse and hairspray.

After he finished in the bathroom, he walked to the closet and pulled out the ensemble he'd bought specifically for that evening. He and Blaine had agreed on no traditional suits; they'd had plenty of opportunities to wear those lately. Instead, Kurt had selected a pair of dark gray pants that could easily be mistaken for leather breeches, a high collared shirt with embroidery on the collars and cuffs, and an amazing silver-gray silk jacket that was a modern take on a Baroque era garment. He finished it all off with black riding-style boots and the phoenix brooch. He looked like he'd stepped out of some Avant-garde music video and he loved it.

He slipped his phone and wallet into a black leather messenger bag (there were no pockets in his pants and absolutely zero chance of him ruining the lines of the jacket by using its pockets) and went to knock on the other bedroom door. It opened to reveal Blaine looking delicious and stunning in buttery soft black pants and a black V-neck sweater with vertical velvet stripes. It was different from what he usually wore, but gorgeous on him. He'd left his hair a little looser than normal and Kurt smiled at the thought that they had both styled their hair thinking about ease of handling at the other end of the evening.

The concert was magical. Their tickets were sixth row center and he could practically reach out and touch Liza's over mascaraed eyelashes and short, spiky hair. He could have sworn he'd even forgotten to breathe when she sang Maybe This Time from Cabaret during the encore and he was eternally grateful that Blaine had thought to bring a handkerchief with him so that he didn't stain his silk jacket with his tears.

They had a late dinner after the concert and Kurt couldn't begin to describe how happy it made him to look around at all of the couples in the restaurant and know that for once, he too was a part of that grand romantic Valentine's tradition. They capped the evening off by feeding each other chocolate mousse so light it was hardly there and walked the two blocks back to their hotel.

Kurt floated into the room on a cloud, singing the Theme from New York, New York under his breath. He pushed Blaine up against the door as soon as it was closed and proceeded to kiss him senseless. He could feel Blaine straining under his hands to bring them even closer and he smiled against his lips. "Stay right here. Give me a few minutes."

Blaine gave a moan of protest, but let him go. Kurt slipped into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He checked the closet and was glad to see that the box that Lynn had shipped out to him had been delivered to the room while they were gone. He opened the box and pulled out the clothing inside. After figuring out how to put the items on, he went to stand next to the bed and called out to Blaine to join him.

The door opened and Blaine bounded in, eager to pick up where they had left off, but once he caught sight of Kurt he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Kurt, is that…? Does this mean what I think it means?"

Kurt ran his hand down the front of his skintight black Lycra bodysuit with light gray shoulders and belt. "I got the part! I'm Northstar! I heard just before we left L.A. I wanted to surprise you, so Lynn sent this silly costume version of the outfit. I couldn't have done this without you."

Blaine strode over to him and lifted him up. Kurt grasped his shoulders in surprise and laughed as he swung him around in a circle.

"You are going to be the sexiest superhero ever. Bar none," Blaine growled as he set him back down.

"Hmm…" Kurt ran a finger absently along the neckline of Blaine's sweater. "I was thinking that I might give you a demonstration of part of my audition? Maybe show you some examples of my flexibility and stamina?" He batted his eyes seductively and smiled.

Blaine groaned and captured his lips for a deep kiss. Kurt spun them around and pushed Blaine back on the bed, moving to kneel over him, the Lycra stretching and straining around his thighs as he moved. "Be good and maybe I'll show you some of my trapeze skills too."

It wasn't until much later, when they were laying together in a wrung-out pile in the middle of the bed that a thought occurred to Kurt. He was in love. Kurt Hummel was in love with intense, charming, disarming, wonderful Blaine Anderson. And it scared him to death.

=^..^=

The final weeks before the Oscars were filled with almost non-stop photo shoots, interviews, official brunches, and practice runs of his Best Original Song performance. It wasn't until the day before the show that Kurt was able to take a breath and enjoy himself, which for fortuitous, since he had a party planned for that day.

After looking at the schedule of the post-Oscar parties, he and Blaine had decided to stay at a hotel near the theater instead of making a late night (or very early morning) drive back home. They had even checked in a few days early in order to spend extra time with Kurt's family. Kurt had invited them and several of his friends out to L.A. for a pre-Oscars party and he had booked rooms for them all at the same hotel they were staying at.

Everyone was set to arrive at the poolside space reserved for the party at any minute and Kurt was busy tinkering nervously with the arrangement of the different food platters and sneaking side glances at Blaine, who was a few feet away, speaking with the bartender.

He still hadn't told Blaine about his Valentine's Day epiphany. He kept searching for the right way to bring it up, but each time he thought he was close his courage failed him. After nearly a week of putting it off, he'd decided to wait until after the Oscars were over and things had returned to at least semi-normal. The decision didn't stop him from losing himself in daydreams or staring at Blaine so long that his thoughts must surely be evident, but at least he was no longer becoming tongue-tied each time Blaine came into the room.

"Everything looks wonderful. Stop worrying," Blaine assured him as Kurt moved the fruit platter to the right of the desserts in order to try and bring better balance to the color scheme of the table.

"Do you think I should have ordered more food options?" Kurt worried as he took in the elegant plates of food. "I'm not sure if Puck even knows what a canapé is and Brittany was really into fondue in high school. Maybe I should have —"

"They'll love it, Kurt. They'll love it because they love you."

Kurt loved the way that Blaine said his name, a touch deeper and slower than the other words around it, as if he was savoring the feeling of it on his tongue; it made him feel warm and safe. Suddenly, it seemed like the right time to say everything that he'd been keeping inside. He'd been given the perfect opening and was going to take it. He opened up his mouth and…

"Kurt, have you seen the size of our room?" His dad called out as he and Carole wove through the lounge chairs towards the cabana. "It has a Jacuzzi in it! We put that to good use last night, let me tell ya."

And the moment was gone. Kurt's parents had arrived the day before and were more excited than he'd ever seen them. He'd treated Carole to a day at the spa while he'd had Burt taken on a private tour of a local classic car museum he'd always wanted to see. After everyone had returned home, he'd presented Carole with the red dress she'd tried on back in November and the look in his dad's eyes when he'd seen her in it had had him looking away in embarrassment (it was never okay to see your parents when they were having impure thoughts. Never). They'd checked into the hotel after dinner and each couple had retired to their own rooms. Kurt had spent the evening trying to pretend that Burt and Carole were just going to sit down and watch a nice long movie. Now the unfortunate picture of his parents in the Jacuzzi wouldn't leave his mind. If only there was a way that he could un-hear that news.

Finn appeared a few minutes later and within half-an-hour all of the guests had arrived. It'd been a few years since Kurt had seen Britney, Santana, or Puck, so it was great catching up with them in person rather than via texts or email. With Rachel and Mercedes there too, it was a mini-New Directions reunion and they gave a toast to the friends that hadn't been able to make it. A few of Kurt's New York and L.A. friends came too and within an hour everyone had gotten to know each other and were eating and drinking up a storm.

Kurt caught Rachel on her way to the bar and pulled her aside. "How are rehearsals going?"

She gave him a blinding smile and threw her arms tightly around his neck. "So good that I'm afraid to pinch myself for fear I'll wake up. They're doing some rewrites and they've decided to expand my character! I'm getting a second song and everything."

"I knew they couldn't resist that Berry talent," Kurt managed to choke out despite his constricted airway.

"I promise I'll thank you in my Tony acceptance speech," Rachel teased as she pulled back, finally letting him breathe. "Right after Barbra and Patti, of course."

"Of course."

=^..^=

The party was going amazingly well. Blaine had enjoyed meeting more of Kurt's friends and getting to know the ones he'd already met better. He'd even had a long conversation with Burt that had left him seconds away from throwing his arms around him and pleading to be adopted. Kurt was looking more relaxed than he had in weeks and was flitting from group to group like a social butterfly. All-in-all, it was a wonderful way to while away the hours before the stressful day ahead of them.

He was standing at the buffet filling a small plate with hummus and pita chips when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey Squirt, can you step aside? You're blocking the sushi rolls."

Blaine whipped his head around and did a double-take. "Cooper? What are you going here?"

"Kurt invited me of course." Cooper gave him a one-armed hug and slapped him on the back. "I wouldn't miss this for anything."

A faint flare of disappointment ran through him, but Blaine tamped it down. "Oh, right. Oscar weekend in Hollywood is probably prime networking time, huh?"

"Yeah, but that's not what I meant," Cooper frowned as he sorted through the different types of sushi on the platter before selecting a California roll. "I came here for you. How often does a guy get to see his brother escort an Academy Award nominee on the biggest night of the year? I'm proud of you, little brother."

"You know that I didn't actually do anything, right?"

"You grew up to be the kind of man that most of us could only hope to be and that's worth more than any award."

Blaine felt his heart clench within his chest and tears threatened. "Coop."

"Hey, none of that. Save the tears for when lover boy over there wins and remember, try to get them to photograph you from the right side. As a favor to me."

It was at least 20 minutes before Blaine was able to get Kurt alone. Puck was entertaining the crowd with some so-unbelievable-that-they-had-to-be-true stories of his sexual exploits with the cougar ladies of Los Angeles, so Blaine drew Kurt to the back corner of the cabana, which was now glowing with the torches that'd been lit as dusk started to approach.

"You didn't have to invite Cooper, you know," Blaine pointed out as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. "You only met him the one time after all."

Kurt looked surprised. "Of course I had to invite him. I wanted all my closest friends and family here and he's family, right?"

Blaine didn't have the words to respond, so he just kissed him lightly instead. Kurt never ceased to surprise him. Every time he thought he had Kurt figured out, he went in the opposite direction.

The crowd around Puck broke up and Blaine and Kurt returned to the group to make their rounds again, but this time they did it together.

=^..^=

It was five minutes until the live telecast of the 92nd Annual Academy Awards was set to begin and the late arrivals were rushing to make it to their seats in time for the opening monologue. Kurt had just returned from doing a little schmoozing and was now sitting tensely in his seat, his left leg bouncing uncontrollably. Blaine sat next to him, trying to keep a pleasant, bland look on his face for the cameras that were roaming around, but he was having a hard time, given how good Kurt looked in his perfectly tailored Alexander McQueen tux. Completely traditional and one hundred percent stunning, the garment showed his trim body off to perfection and had resulted in more than one person staring at him with lust in their eyes as he'd walked down the red carpet.

"Kurt, calm down, you're going to wear yourself out before they even get to your category," Blaine murmured as Kurt's fingers started to drum on the armrest.

"I'm kind of freaking out about performing for so many people," Kurt whispered sheepishly as he glanced around at the cameras that would be beaming the ceremony all over the world.

Blaine stroked his hand softly with a fingertip, wishing there was something he could do to help. "Didn't you perform live on the Tony Awards?"

"Please remember that theater is my first love when I say this, but no one watches the Tonys. Can we please stop talking about this? Quick, distract me."

Blaine thought for a second. "Did you know that if you win tonight you'll be half-way to having the EGOT?"

Kurt stared at him blankly for a second before collapsing against him with laughter. "Gee thanks, you always know just what to say."

The music swelled and the lights dimmed and finally the moment had arrived.

An assistant came to fetch Kurt for his Original Song performance about 40 minutes into the ceremony and Blaine went with him. Once backstage, Kurt was hustled off to make-up and hair, so Blaine stood outside of the room watching the hustle and bustle of the backstage action.

"Blaine?"

He turned at the sound of his name. A man was approaching with a tentative smile and Blaine struggled to put a name with the face. Then it clicked. The Disney Channel guy. "Umm…Robert, right?"

"Right!" Robert looked pleased that Blaine had remembered him. "I don't think we were ever formally introduced, even when we were both on set in Victoria, but I saw you over here and… So what are you doing back here?"

Blaine glanced towards the make-up room. "Kurt's about to perform his song, so I came along to support him."

"Wow, that's so great. I can't believe I'm going to be able to see him perform live again," Robert exclaimed happily.

"Again?"

"Uh, yeah. I saw him several times in New York. I was kind of obsessed with him," Robert smiled sheepishly. "Don't tell him I said that, though. It's kind of embarrassing. I promise I'm not a stalker or anything."

A tickle of warning ran down Blaine's spine at Robert's choice of words. He smiled weakly and looked around to see if any security guards were in the near vicinity. "No, of course I won't say anything. What are you doing back here? Are you part of the show?"

"I'm doing back-stage reporting for one of the entertainment shows. Maybe I can get an interview with Kurt if he wins?"

"Maybe. I don't know how all that works, so… Hey, it looks like someone is trying to get your attention." Blaine tilted his head in the direction of an exasperated camera man who was gesturing at Robert with a microphone.

"Oops. Back to the grindstone. It was great seeing you. Hopefully I'll see you guys again later tonight." He waved goodbye and hurried off towards his impatient co-worker.

Blaine watched him go with narrowed eyes. He would have to keep his eye open for Robert the rest of the evening. Something about the guy just didn't sit right with him.

Kurt emerged from make-up just then and was hustled towards the stage. Blaine followed at a distance, his eyes sweeping over the hundreds of people roaming the backstage area. The Academy Awards would be exactly the kind of place a stalker would attack if this was the movies and he wanted to be prepared, just in case Kurt's self-proclaimed 'soulmate' had a flair for the dramatic.

Kurt killed the song and received a standing ovation from the audience. He left the stage and leapt into Blaine's arms, giving him a kiss that curled his toes.

"I did it," he cried happily, his body practically vibrating with excitement.

"You did and you were spectacular, but the evening's not over yet, my dear. Shall we return to our seats?" Blaine crooked an elbow and bowed his head. Kurt tilted his head regally in response and took his arm and they headed back to the auditorium.

After that, the ceremony dragged for a while as the awards for documentary, short film, and other various lower tier categories were given out. Then the Original Song category was announced and Kurt sat up a bit taller. He jumped to his feet when the song from Defiance was declared the winner and Blaine saw him surreptitiously wipe away a tear when the songwriter thanked him in his speech, saying that the win "would never have been possible if we hadn't found someone with such a spectacular and unique voice as Kurt Hummel."

Finally, in the last half hour of the ceremony, Kurt's category was announced. Jennifer Lawrence, who had won the previous year for Best Supporting Actress, was the presenter and as she read the nominees Blaine felt Kurt grab his hand and squeeze it tightly.

"And the Oscar goes to…Kurt Hummel!"

Blaine looked over at Kurt and saw the shock in his eyes. He leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, but Kurt had other plans. He turned towards Blaine, put his hands on either side of his face and tugged him in for a quick, but passionate kiss. He pulled back and smiled wickedly before standing up and walking up the stairs to the stage.

Blaine watched as he accepted the Oscar from Jennifer and stepped up to the microphone. He thanked the Defiance cast and crew and his own personal team before glancing down at the statue in his hands and smiling.

"Six years ago I was rejected from NYADA and almost gave up on my dream. There's only so many times you can hear 'no' before you start to doubt yourself, no matter how confident you are. Life can be tough when you're the one people always patronizingly call 'special.' You don't fit into the set list of categories, so people don't know what to do with you. Hopefully, if you're lucky, you have a family who supports everything you do, who loves you no matter what, and believes in you even when you don't. I've been thankful enough to have a family just like that and I want to dedicate this first of all to my father, Burt, who's here tonight." There was a shout from the back of the theater as Burt joyfully yelled out Kurt's name. "He attended every childhood tea party and mystery theater night with a smile on his face and has supported me ever since I asked for a pair of heels for my third birthday. Also, I'd like to dedicate this to Carole and Finn, who helped us make our house a home. And finally to Blaine, who not only looks damn good in a suit — I mean seriously have you guys seen him? — but has the biggest and best heart of anyone I know. I'm the better person for having known all of you."

He blew Blaine and his parents a kiss as he left the stage, but Blaine barely saw it through his tears.

The after-parties were a blur and all Blaine was sure of was that Kurt didn't let the statue, or Blaine, out of his sight all night.