The sound of the baggage carousel lurching to life pulled Blaine out of his lack-of-sleep induced stupor.

It was the first week of May and he and Kurt had flown to New York City to attend the annual Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, more commonly known as the Met Ball. According to Kurt, it was fashions biggest night (even though, alas, there were no awards given out) and designers often attended with a celebrity who theyd dressed for the event. Jennifer Lawrence, fresh off her second Academy Award for Best Actress, was wearing a Kurt Hummel original and would be attending with him.

Blaine had known that Kurt was going back to New York for the ball, but itd only been a week before, over morning cereal that had gone soggy after a good morning kiss had gotten out-of-hand, that hed received an invitation to come along. Though Blaine would never have described Kurt as lacking in confidence, hed definitely been a little tentative when hed made the suggestion, as if he wasnt sure if they were at that stage in their relationship. Blaine wasnt sure why Kurt thought a trip to New York for three days somehow implied a deeper connection than deciding to stay five extra months in a town on the other side of the country from his business after one night together, but hed found Kurts blush and stammer absolutely adorable.

Theyd taken the red-eye from Seattle, so it was only 6:30 in the morning by the time their town car pulled up outside of Kurts apartment. They stumbled inside, dropped their luggage in the hallway and, since neither one of them had slept well on the plane, collapsed onto Kurts bed for a nap.

After a few hours of restorative sleep and refreshing showers ("Separately, Blaine. Were on a schedule today"), they hailed a cab and made their way to Kurts studio to pick out a tuxedo for Blaine to wear.

After greeting the receptionist who met them at the door, Kurt led Blaine directly to the storage room, where rack-after-rack of clothes hung. In the back, a collection of mens suits and tuxedos sat nestled between some ball gowns and flirty cocktail dresses. Kurt began to flip through the hangers, muttering softly to himself as he discarded some options and set others aside for further consideration.

It was obvious that most of the suits were either too casual or were made for someone with vastly different measurements than his, but eventually Kurt selected four options and had Blaine try them on. He rejected the first tuxedo before Blaine had even finished putting it on and the second option didnt fare much better, but number three was the charm. The classically cut tuxedo was a perfect fit across his shoulders and would only need to have the sleeves and pants hemmed to work for him. Kurt grabbed a few pins from a basket in the corner and tucked them between his lips as he knelt at Blaines feet to fold up the pants legs to the correct length.

Though Blaine had a definite style and always tried to look his best, he was quite happy to surrender all decisions on his attire for the ball to Kurt. He still couldnt really believe that he was just about 24 hours away from schmoozing with the cr�me de la cr�me of Hollywood and New York. The closest hed ever come to meeting a real celebrity (other than Kurt) had been the time hed visited his brother on the set of his latest commercial and run across Zachary Quinto outside the soundstage.

It was just part of everyday life for Kurt, though. Accompanying an Oscar winning actress to a fancy ball? Check. Catching up with Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs over cocktails? Check, check. Blaine loved being with Kurt and knew that, given the opportunity, they could really have something special, but he was suddenly hyper aware of just how different their lives truly were. Silk, jersey, and phrases like "point-of-view" and "haute couture" had no more of a place in Blaines life than blueprints and drywall had in Kurts.

After a nip here and a tuck there, Kurt had the jacket and pants pinned to his liking. He moved to stand behind Blaine and looked over his shoulder at their reflections in the full-length mirror.

"Im going to have the hottest date there," Kurt breathed into his ear, causing Blaine to shiver at the both the sound and the sensation. "Everyone is going to be so jealous."

"Only until they get a load of my date," Blaine countered.

"Nope," Kurt slid an arm around Blaine and pulled him backwards until they were plastered together hip-to-chest. "Ive got the mystery factor on my side. Everyone is going to be wondering who the magnificent stranger is in the exquisite custom tailored Kurt Hummel tux."

Blaine smiled at him in the mirror. "Well, I —"

"God, we get it, we get it. Youre both pretty, pretty ponies. Enough already. Some of us just had lunch."

Blaine jerked his eyes up on the mirror until he could see the reflection of the door and the exotically dressed woman standing there. He felt Kurts arm tighten for a second before it fell away.

"Santana, have I ever told you that youve got quite the knack for inconvenient timing." Kurt slipped the three rejected tuxes back into place on the rack as he spoke.

"You say inconvenient, I say hilarious." She stepped into the room and looked Blaine up and down so thoroughly that he thought she needed to offer to buy him a drink. "I always assumed they grew them bigger out West."

Kurt had already warned Blaine about his friends her wicked tongue and refusal to obey boundaries, so he wisely kept his mouth shut, choosing not giving her any more ammunition to work with. She looked disappointed when neither of them rose to the bait.

Santana tapped her foot a few times and then huffed in frustration. "Fine, while you two have some kind of adorable argument over who has the cutest butt dimples," she said the last part in an exaggerated baby talk voice, "Im going to go work on my epic smack down for a stylist whose client returned the red tulle gown from last season with two feet chopped unevenly off the bottom and suspicious stains on the bodice."

Still looking in the mirror, Blaine caught her checking out his ass as she turned. She gave Kurt a thumbs-up and made an obscene gesture while waggling her eyebrows before sweeping out the door. Kurt just sighed and shook his head wearily.

Though he wasnt particularly proud of it, Blaine felt pleased that hed gotten her approval.

After Blaine changed out of the tuxedo, he followed Kurt down some stairs to a room where two women were hand sewing tiny crystals onto the neckline of a gorgeous deep purple gown. Kurt made introductions all around and hurried forward to examine their progress, throwing an explanation over his shoulder that it was Jennifer Lawrences gown for the ball. Theyd had the final fitting with the actress the day before and were just putting the final touches on it.

Blaine felt a twinge of guilt when Kurt asked them if they had time to make the alterations to Blaines tux, but it was quickly allayed when he saw the enthusiasm the women showed when they learned he and Kurt were dating. Their happy smiles and excited chattering as they pressed for all the details showed how much they loved working for Kurt and Blaine knew from personal experience how hard it was to keep employees happy. It said a lot about Kurt that his employees liked and respected him so much.

They soon bid the ladies goodbye and Kurt gave Blaine a tour of the studio, from his private office with its huge drafting table next to a floor-to-ceiling window, to the fabric room with bolt after bolt of luxurious material, to the salon with chic art deco style chairs where they held private fashion shows for magazine editors and high-end department store buyers.

When they reached the main office again, Santana called Kurt over to go over some last minute details for the next evening, so Blaine shooed him away and began to leaf through an expensive looking bound book that held an archive of Kurts original sketches next to photographs of the final ensembles. Each design was more incredible than the next and it made Blaine sad to think that Kurts momentary loss of inspiration had him doubting his future.

He glanced up for a second and froze, entranced by the way the early afternoon light streamed through the window, making Kurt glow as if lit by the most award winning lighting director in Hollywood. The book dropped forgotten to his lap as he took in all the shades of honey, chestnut, and subtle hints of red that gleamed in Kurts hair (which was styled even more elaborately than usual because, "Its New York, Blaine. They can smell fear and all you can do is try and distract them with pretty faces and shiny objects") and the way his eyes betrayed every single thing he was feeling.

Santana was sitting on the corner of a desk, feet swinging as she held onto the edge with both hands. She looked uncomfortable and squirmy and Kurt had a fond smile on his face, so Blaine could only assume that she was acting totally out of character and saying something pleasant.

Kurt glanced up just then and caught Blaines eye, sending him a wink before giving Santana a quick one-armed hug that had her fidgeting even more. Kurt laughed at her discomfort and she stood up and said something with a smirk before striding away, pausing once to say in one final thing that Blaine didnt quite catch before sweeping out the door.

Kurt returned to Blaines side, still chuckling. "So, what do you think?" he asked, gesturing towards the book of designs.

Blaine grabbed Kurts hand and drew him down to the sofa. "Kurt, do you know how incredibly lucky you are to be able to make a living through creativity like this? Spending your life making art? Its amazing."

"Im know. Im one of those few people who loves what they do. Im lucky. I forget that sometimes, but its true. " He stood up and pulled Blaine with him. "Come on, we need to buy you some shoes and you can keep me entertained by telling me about the architecture on Fifth Avenue."

=^..^=

Kurt set aside some time to start working on designs again as soon as they got back to Port Townsend. After all, if he couldnt get inspiration from the Met Ball, then he might as well give up hope and start looking into career options in the fast food industry.

Hed dabbled a bit since hed first arrived in Washington, but since the only sketches that had been worth keeping had all been for variations of his Victorian Ball ensemble, he wouldnt call his efforts a rousing success. He hadnt drawn much since meeting Blaine, though. Wallpaper samples and paint color cards had replaced his sketch book on his bedside table and the sewing machine had been packed away with the rest of the houses contents, but little sparks of ideas had bounced around in his head during their return flight, so the next day he pulled his box of drawing supplies out from under his bed, told Blaine hed see him in a few days, set his phone to "do not disturb", and settled down to work.

The first sketch looked like a dress Maria might have made with her comforter after she finished using her curtains for the Von Trapp childrens clothes and things just went downhill from there.

After a few hours, he decided to distract himself from his looming failure with some online shopping. He ordered a few "As Seen on TV" items that he decided were necessary for the continued happiness of his existence and then clicked over to eBay, where he made note of the auction end dates for a vintage Armani jacket and Dolce and Gabbana shirt that caught his eye. He no longer needed to troll auctions and thrift stores for his high fashion items, but he was addicted to the thrill he got from swooping in at the last minute with a winning bid and he didnt want to give it up. Before leaving the site, he poked around the music section and bought a few vinyl records from some classic artists that Blaine had mentioned liking. It was always nice to have gifts ready when the perfect moment struck.

Thoughts of Blaine soon had him sighing over memories of the Met Ball. Blaine had looked at home there in the middle of all the movie stars, models, and socialites, and Kurt had seen more than one photographer take his picture, probably under the assumption that he was someone famous that they just didnt recognize.

Even Santana had seemed to like Blaine, though she had only spoken to him for a few minutes. When shed pulled Kurt aside in the office, shed only made a few X-rated cracks about them before shed turned serious.

Shed avoided looking him in the eye, instead glancing out the window beside her. "You seem different, you know? Happier, more relaxed. And if the littlest construction worker… I mean Blaine, is even part of the reason why, then Im behind this 100 percent. Its been hard managing your empire without you, but if youre getting what you need then it will all be worth it. Youre my family and if youre happy, then Im happy."

There had been many times over the years when Kurt had wondered why he put up with Santana (usually after hed caught her going through his stuff or shed taken her "truth telling" a step too far and said something particularly hurtful), but it was moments like that, when she dropped her defenses enough so that he could see that she truly cared about him that made it all worthwhile. Those glimpses of the vulnerable center she kept hidden were few and far-between and were typically gone in the blink of an eye, but they were real and kept him hanging on.

Hed given her a hug and been about to respond with something sappy when shed stood up, her usual smirk back in place. "I read somewhere that the hormones released during sex stimulate other areas of the brain than just the pleasure centers, so I suspect the old Hummel design magic will be back in action soon. God, somewhere out there, some dork who hasnt left his basement in 10 years is missing out on the fact that his geek wet dream of a hobbit and an elf getting it on is a real thing. So very sad." With that shed smoothed her hands down the front of her skintight skirt and turned to walk away. Shed only taken a few steps before looking back over her shoulder. "Oh, and since this whole thing is totally due to me kicking your butt outta here, I expect a large Christmas bonus this year and a window office, preferably corner."

Whenever Santana let her softer emotions show there was always a smart ass comment afterwards to cleanse the palate.

Thinking of Santanas confidence that hed be back designing soon made Kurt even more restless, so he wandered down to his makeshift kitchen, which was a spot in the sunroom in the back where hed set up a tiny fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and crock-pot. Even if he couldnt create a sketch of a new spring ball gown worth the paper it was drawn on, at least he could whip himself up some lunch.

The next day didnt go any better. By five oclock he was so frustrated and mad that he felt like he was ready to come out of his skin. Maybe he wasnt in a dry spell. Maybe hed only had a limited number of good designs in him and hed used them all up. Washed up at the ripe old age of 28 and destined for a place in a "where are they now" retrospective on Fashion TV. Thats all that his future held. He could feel himself spiraling and was unable to do anything to stop it when he heard the doorbell ring.

He opened the door to find Blaine standing there, his right hand holding a DVD of the first season of Greys Anatomy up in front of the lower part of his face, his left hand holding a bottle of wine.

Without a second thought, Kurt launched himself at Blaine, hauling him in for a tight hug. "How did you know to come?" he cried, his voice muffled against Blaines shoulder.

"I was picking up groceries and Benji at the check-out stand told me that youd ordered a whole cheesecake to be delivered, so I figured it was an emergency." Still enclosed in Kurts embrace, Blaine gracefully walked them backwards until they were inside.

"See if I ever shop there again," Kurt grumbled as he reluctantly let go so that he could close the door. "So much for customer-grocer confidentiality."

Blaine squinted a little and tilted his head. "Yeah, Im pretty sure thats not a thing. Besides, I thought you were happy to see me?"

"I am, but itd still be nice to know that one could choose to eat their feelings with a bodys weight worth of cheesecake without it becoming part of the clich�d small town grapevine. Speaking of eating, do you want some dinner? A crock-pot chicken creole was the only thing I successfully created in the last two days." He led the way towards the sunroom. "Did Benji tell you about my spice purchases also?" he tacked on sarcastically as he grabbed a bowl from a little cupboard.

Kurt didnt volunteer any other information on what was wrong and Blaine didnt push. Hed already eaten earilier, so he fixed Blaine a bowl of the creole, then sat down at the table beside him, unable to keep his hands from playing with the colored pencils that littered the surface. He could feel Blaine silently watching as he organized the pencils first by color, then by length. Hed just started to re-order them by sharpness when Blaines hands settled down softly over his. Kurt looked down at their intertwined hands and felt a calm flow into him. He lifted a finger and drew it slowly over Blaines thumb in gratitude, letting the rhythmic contact sooth him even further.

Blaine still didnt press for him to talk about it, for which Kurt was supremely grateful. All he said was, "Youll figure it out. I believe in you," before he took Kurts hand to lead him up the stairs. Kurt snuggled in under the covers on his bed and waited for Blaine to pop the first disc into the DVD player. Within seconds, Blaine was crawling in next to him, nudging him slightly so that he could get his left arm wrapped around his shoulders. Kurt let Blaine pull him forward he was draped over him, his cheek resting on Blaines chest.

As the opening scene of Greys began to play, Kurt felt the last of the constriction in his chest finally loosen. There, in that room, wrapped up in Blaines strong arms, the idea that everything would be fine again didnt seem so ridiculous.

=^..^=

May and June were a whirlwind of construction, botched supply shipments, and business meetings, happily mixed in with shared yoga classes, quiet nights on the couch, and home cooked dinners. Kurt had been getting antsy without his kitchen, so Blaine had happily abdicated the cooking when they were at his place. His stomach had expressed its gratitude night-after-night as Kurt whipped up some of the most gourmet items in his repertoire as a thank you.

Thered been some picnics on Kurts still unfinished floor and a few double dates with Kurts friend Emily and her new boyfriend, but in general theyd spent most of their nights at Blaines, happy to get away from the construction project that was Kurts house.

After two months of seeing Kurt nearly every day (for business, pleasure, business that turned into pleasure, and pleasure with a little bit of business discussed in the afterglow), Blaine could safely say that he was still learning something new about him every day.

There were times, like when theyd come across a baby bunny quivering next to the body of its mother, whod been the unfortunate victim of a speeding car, that the compassionate, caring Kurt who had the biggest marshmallow heart that Blaine had ever seen, came out. Kurt had bundled the baby up in his scarf and taken it home for the night before driving it to a local school the next morning, where one of the women he knew taught third grade. The bunny was now the pampered class pet and would never have to worry about cars ever again.

Other times, Kurt could be very cold and standoffish, especially when feeling overwhelmed or emotionally vulnerable. Though Blaines first instinct was to rush in with reassurances and try to make everything better, hed learned that it was best if he just gave Kurt his space at those moments and waited for Kurt to come to him, which he always did.

Still other times, it was as if Kurt should walk around with some Im-taking-none-of-your-shit rock song playing behind him as his theme music. Sometimes he used his sassy attitude for good (when an outside contractor Blaine had hired to install some windows had made an offensive comment about Kurt underneath his breath, Kurt had wheeled around and torn him down with an awe-inspiring set down before informing him that his services were no longer required. Blaine had arrived at the house at the tail-end, but had been filled in by his crew, who seemed to respect Kurt even more after the incident), but not always (Kurts comments on the clothing stocked by a local boutique were a little harsh and said a touch too loud in the presence of the store owner for Blaines taste).

In turn, Kurt could be scared, amusingly over-confident, sullen, giddy, protective, dismissive, worldly and sophisticated, or just another consumer of mass, lowest common denominator entertainment.

The contradictions were intoxicating.

While he and Kurt had so much in common that he didnt think theyd ever run out of things to talk about, in many ways they were complete opposites.

Kurt was practical and methodical and thoroughly considered all the facts before making a plan of action, while Blaine plowed ahead spontaneously with little more than enthusiasm and a vague destination in mind. In his youth, a predilection for impulsive grand romantic gestures had backfired on him several times. Despite that, he still tended to leap before he looked. In fact, staying an extra five months in a strange town to renovate a house basically because he met a guy he liked seemed like something much more Blaine-like than Kurt. When hed pointed it out over dinner one night, Kurt had sheepishly confessed that it was the most impulsive thing hed ever done and totally unlike him.

Blaine had replied that he was more grateful for that moment of uncharacteristic spontaneity than hed ever been for anything else, ever.

Despite all the good times, though, they hadnt been without their little disagreements.

Kurt was a little high-handed about taking over certain parts of Blaines life – hed come home one day to find different brands of shampoo in the shower, his original bottles laying discarded in a garbage can ("But yours was shampoo and conditioner in one, Blaine! And the stuff I bought is organic!"). He had the tendency to hijack the story someone else was telling and turn it into a story of his own and always seemed to drive the movie and restaurant selection. Blaine knew Kurt would let him choose if he said something and it actually didnt bother him that much, but he thought it would be nice if Kurt would ask, at least once in a while, because he wouldnt be averse to mixing a few superheroes into their rotation of rom coms and musicals.

Of course, Blaine himself had been the cause of just as many "learning moments" as Kurt liked to call them. In fact, hed been primarily responsible for the only actual fight theyd had when hed been too slow to shut a guy down whod been flirting with him at a bar the night theyd driven into nearby Port Angeles. He hadnt even realized that the guy was coming on to him at first and once he did hed felt guilty for leading him on, so hed tried to bring Kurt into the conversation, but bar guy had just ignored his attempts.

Kurt had become increasingly frustrated with him and Blaine had known it, but for some reason he had just laughed uncomfortably at the mans attentions and let them continue. Eventually, Kurt had gotten up and left. It had taken Blaine 10 minutes to realize he wasnt coming back. Hed run out into the parking lot in a panic and found Kurt waiting in the car, stone faced. Theyd driven home in silence and hadnt spoken for two days before Blaine had finally gone to Kurts house, figurative and literal hat-in-hand, and theyd talked it through.

It had taken a week until things finally felt back on an even keel and Blaine knew he never wanted to fight with Kurt again.

=^..^=

Towards the end of June, many of the major renovations had begun to finish up. The fixture, wall, and flooring work were finished in the bathrooms. The built-in bookshelves were completed and the new crown moldings and chair rails had been cut and set in their corresponding rooms, ready for installation. New windows had been put in and cracks to old drywall and plaster repaired. The kitchen had been resurrected and only awaited new appliances.

Now the fun part (at least for Kurt) was about to begin.

For two months, Kurt had been dragging Blaine to every appliance, home d�cor, hardware, and furniture store within reasonable driving distance and now the fruits of their labor were starting to pay off. Boxes were being delivered daily with his purchases and he couldnt wait until the decorating part of the project got underway.

He was sitting in the living room on the now stained and ripped couch that hed been all too happy to donate to the cause (he was seriously thinking of burning it in a bonfire to celebrate the end of construction), looking through boxes of wallpaper that had just arrived, when Blaine walked in. Kurt had given him a key because of the construction work, but had made it clear he was also giving it to him as his boyfriend and that he should feel free to use it at any time. It had been the first time hed ever given a key to someone he was dating and hed grinned like he was being named CFDA Designer of the Year when Blaine had given him a key in return.

"The wallpapers here!" Kurt sang out as Blaine shut the door behind him. "Look at these!" He fanned out the example pieces that had arrived in each box and pointed to a lovely striped paper in silver, white, and navy blue. "This one is for the master bedroom. It goes perfectly with that paint I got last week."

Blaine made the appropriate "oohs" and "ahhs" as Kurt matched up each paper to the room it was meant for, even offering up a suggestion for switching the paper in two of the bedrooms that Kurt loved and agreed to immediately.

"I still havent found the right paper for the dining room, but Ive got a new sample book and Im sure the perfect one is in there. I can just feel it." Kurt tapped the sheets into a neat pile and set them aside so that they wouldnt get wrinkled and then draped himself over Blaines shoulder. "And to what do I owe this unexpected visit? I thought you werent going to be able to come by until tonight."

"My meeting got out a bit early and I was walking through town when I saw that The Seafarer must have gotten a new shipment in, because they were putting new items out in the window. Do you want to have lunch at the cafe and then take a look?"

The Seafarer was Kurts favorite local antique store, where hed already purchased several items for the house, so he jumped at the chance of being one of the first to take a look at their new stock. They took separate cars into town so that Kurt go home after Blaine returned to work and went straight to the store at Kurts insistence ("What if we go to lunch first and someone else buys the piece that would have been perfect for the house, Blaine?").

The store had indeed gotten in a large shipment of new items from a giant flea market in Pennsylvania and they spent an hour sorting through everything, some of it not even out of the packing boxes yet. Kurt found a vintage herringbone fedora and immediately plopped it on Blaines head. He declared it sartorial perfection and nodded to the proprietor to add it to their list of purchases, despite Blaines protests that he wasnt sure of where hed wear it.

"The key with vintage is to buy now, create ensembles later, Blaine." Kurt rifled through a pile of scarves, setting a few to the side. "The regret over an item you let slip away can haunt you when you find the perfect outfit you could have worn it with. Besides," he looked back at Blaine with a reassuring smile, "hats are back in fashion for men and you look amazing in it."

Kurt was carefully looking through a box for 10 unique, but complimentary, glass cabinet pulls, when a hand appeared in front of his face, waving something small. He refocused his eyes and saw that Blaine held a brooch of gold and opalescent gemstones that was in the shape of a scorpion, its claws outstretched and curled forward until they almost met in the middle. It was beautiful and ominous and Kurt loved it. It warmed his heart that Blaine knew him well enough to recognize it as something he would wear. He hadnt been wearing as many brooches as he would normally have back in New York, so Blaine had figured out his style from only a few examples.

Before long, Kurts stomach was telling him it was way past lunchtime and he knew that Blaine had to get back to the office soon, so he reluctantly headed towards the register to get his purchases totaled up. On the way he made one last stop to poke through a stack of weathervanes. The one that had come with the house had been damaged beyond repair and hed not yet been able to find something that excited him enough to buy it. He was looking for something nautical, given the houses location, but hadnt found the right design. The pile only contained three clich�d roosters, a horse, and an angel blowing on a horn, so he left them where they were.

After a quick lunch of salads and fresh baked sourdough from the caf� next door, Kurt tucked his arm into Blaines and walked him back towards the office. About halfway there, they passed a small mattress store with giant sale signs in the window. With a mischievous smile, Blaine pulled Kurt inside. They prowled around the store, testing out the various mattresses by bouncing on them and giggling uncontrollably. Finally, they collapsed onto a king-sized memory foam mattress, sighing in unison as the foam molded around their bodies.

"This is it," Kurt declared. "I dont think Ive ever been this comfortable in my entire life. If I dont buy this for the master bedroom Ill never be able to sleep again."

Blaine nodded emphatically in agreement for a second before turning his head to look at Kurt, his expression solemn. "But youre only going to be here for less than two more months. Would you ship it back to New York when you leave?"

Kurt felt all the joy of the afternoon drain away at the reminder of the expiration date on his time with Blaine. For a while there hed forgotten that he wasnt going to be keeping the house, that all the wallpaper and appliances and d�cor choices would ultimately be for someone else and not for him.

"No, youre right. I got seduced by the fair siren that is memory foam." He inched off the mattress and extended a hand to help Blaine up. "Lets get you back to work before someone puts out a missing persons report." He slid his arm around Blaines waist as they made their way down the aisle, needing the close contact right then. "Goodbye memory foam. Ill miss you!" he cried out comically as they left the store, in an ineffectual attempt to pretend his heart wasnt breaking just a little.

=^..^=

Kurt was looking through his new book of wallpaper samples when he felt it. A tickle in the back of his mind that he hadnt felt in longer than he cared to admit began to grow. He set the book aside carefully, as if moving too quickly would scare the idea away like a frightened animal, and reached for his sketch pad, which lay under the table in front of him.

He pulled out a pencil and began to draw, the patterns and colors in the samples hed just been looking at morphing into dresses and skirts and pants and jackets until his hand was aching and his eyes were blurred.

When he could finally draw no more he sat back and looked around at the sketches that littered the floor and table. He carefully examined each one, afraid that on second glance hed discover that they werent that good after all. He held his breath, his eyes running over each flounce and ruffle, each pleat and hem. No, they were good. They were really good.

He carefully photographed each sketch and sent a few to Santana, needing to get a second opinion from someone who wouldnt sugar coat their response. He gathered the papers, pulling one particular sketch out before putting the rest in a folder for safe keeping. He carried the sketch upstairs with him and set it on the apple crate he was using as a nightstand. He showered, moisturized, brushed, and then crawled into bed, his mind racing with accessory options and ways he could make certain pieces more commercial or editorial with slight changes. He turned over on his side and looked at the design hed brought with him, which was only slightly visible in the light from the full moon. He reached out one finger and lightly brushed it across the way-too-detailed-for-a-normal-design-sketch face of the dark-haired, curly-headed man wearing a 1960s inspired skinny suit with a boldly patterned yellow tie, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

In the morning he woke up to an email from Santana that simply read "Youre back, baby!"

=^..^=

Just as the locals had been promising for months, the weather finally turned reliably beautiful and rain-free on July 5th. The company Blaine had hired to paint the repaired exterior of the house showed up soon afterwards and set about improving the curb appeal. After much deliberation and a stack of paint sample cards two inches thick, Kurt had finally settled on Flyaway Blue, which was close to the original color, but just had that little extra oomph he was looking for. With an additional nod towards tradition hed decided to stay with white for the trims, but at the last minute added a dark red accent for the cut-outs near the windows and the front door.

He felt a little sad not to be doing any of the painting himself (hed done more than his fair share over the years, because while his dad was in no way into interior decorating, he did love a fresh coat of paint and Kurt had discovered at a young age that the whole painting process was really fulfilling), but hed been so caught up in designing lately that he just didnt have the time or energy.

Luckily, sketching was the perfect thing to do on quiet evenings while cuddled up with your sweetie. Sitting on the couch, his toes tucked under Blaines leg as he drew and Blaine read had become one of his favorite things. In fact, he must have found it very inspirational, because hed come up so many Blaine-esqe designs he was thinking about starting a second clothing line. He wondered if hed be able to find enough short, dark-haired models to do the runway show like he was picturing it in his head.

Kurt went to sleep many a night with a smile on his face at thoughts of a catwalk full of models who looked just like Blaine strutting their stuff in front of the cr�me de la cr�me of the fashion world.

=^..^=

Blaines father was in town.

Theyd only known he was coming for a few days and Kurt, for one, was thankful that they hadnt gotten more notice because 48 hours of nervous anticipation was more than enough.

Kurt slipped into the Anderson and Sons office just before noon, nervously adjusting the swoop of his light silk scarf as he quietly closed the door behind him. Blaine had been meeting with his father all morning and had just called Kurt a half hour before, asking if he wanted to come down to join them for lunch. Hed been preparing to be introduced to Douglas Anderson at a cocktail party being hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce later that evening, so hed almost balked at the change in plans. A first meeting with several local community leaders in attendance to act as a buffer sounded much better than an intimate lunch. Kurt had heard the hope in Blaines voice, though, and hadnt been able to say no.

He could hear a booming voice through the door to Blaines office, which was slightly ajar, but he made no move to rush in. Instead, he chatted with Blaines assistant for a few minutes, exchanging some local gossip and promising to email her the recipe for the salmon dish hed brought to her barbeque the weekend before.

Hed just about decided that hed stalled long enough when the office door opened fully and Blaine came out, followed by a taller man who looked just enough like Blaine to be believable as his father. Douglas eyes were blue instead of hazel and he didnt have Blaines luxurious eyelashes or distinctively expressive eyebrows, but he did have Blaines wide smile, which Kurt took as a good sign.

"Youre here!" Blaine cried out as he rushed over to give Kurt a kiss and hug.

The kiss went on just long enough to cause Douglas some amusement. "Blaine, Im assuming this is Kurt and that you dont greet everyone who visits your office this way?"

Kurt felt his chest freeze, his last breath held hostage by the fear that hed made a bad first impression, but Blaine just laughed against his lips and ended the kiss with an obnoxiously loud "Mhaw," so he forced a shuddering exhale and tried to tame his meeting-the-parent-jitters. He held his hand out in greeting as soon as he got his arms disentangled from Blaines, smiling ruefully at Douglas indulgent, knowing look.

Though lunch was at Kurts favorite restaurant in town, he didnt have much of an appetite, so just he picked at his clam chowder (fresh clams were his new obsession, ever since the weekend that Blaine had drug him over to Fort Flagler to spend the day digging for them. Hed been reluctant at first and tried to fake a throat tickle to get out of it, but had ended up having a ridiculously good time digging holes with Blaine in the sand and theyd ended up with more than enough for the white wine and clam linguine hed been dying to make) and observed the Anderson men.

Blaine was different around his father. Not earth shatteringly different, but he was a shade more formal, a touch less confident, and a just a tad bit flustered, and Kurt noticed. He understood, of course. Blaine had molded his entire adult life into something that his father wanted, so it wasnt unexpected that hed be anxious to get his approval. It was bad enough looking for validation from a parent, it must be so much harder when that parent was also your boss.

Douglas seemed to be a typical successful businessman. He was charming and intelligent and had slight tunnel vision about his business to the point where he didnt really understand that everyone else wasnt as fascinated by it as he was.

He wasnt all business, though. He told some funny stories about Blaines brother, Cooper, who hed just visited in L.A., and his doomed attempt to flirt with a policewoman, whod pulled him over, to try and get out of a ticket. He seemed genuinely interested in Blaines life and made Kurt feel included by making a point of asking him about himself, never once showing any awkwardness about being out to lunch with his son and his sons boyfriend.

The lunch hour flew by and they didnt dawdle, for the Andersons had some more meetings to get to before they were all to meet back up that night at the dinner.

Kurt spent longer than hed care to admit getting ready before hopping into the car, a soft cloth spread out under the pedals so that he didnt scuff the back of his A. Testoni shoes, and heading off to meet the Andersons at their office.

The event was held at the same location as the Victorian Ball and Kurt felt a rush of nostalgia as they walked through the front doors. Itd been almost four and a half months since hed met Blaine there, in that building, and theyd been among the best months of his life.

After dinner, the guests began to mingle, some gathering to talk boring business, some seemingly determined to drink their way through the entire alcohol supply at the bar, and the rest chatting and trying to avoid work talk.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw one of the women from the barfly group wobble over to the piano that stood in the corner of the room. She collapsed down onto the bench and started to tap at the keys. It took Kurt a while to figure out what song she was trying to play, since she missed more notes than she got right.

He saw Blaine wince at the sound and an idea began to take root. He tried to push it away. Dont meddle, dont meddle, dont…oh, screw it. "Blaine, do you remember which chord comes next? She seems to be having a problem."

The organizer of the event happened to be walking by just then and turned on her heel to come back to them when she heard Kurts words. "Blaine, you play? Oh, thank God. Please go over there and save us. Shell pick away all night long and never hit a right note if we dont do something."

Blaine shot a speaking look towards Kurt—he was sure to get a lecture about his interference later that night—but he allowed himself to be led over to the instrument. With just a few whispered words to the tone-deaf woman on the bench he slid in next to her and began to show her the right notes to play.

Within a few minutes, the woman had happily abdicated her place at the piano and had joined the crowd listening to Blaine play an old standard. Soft applause rippled through the room when he began to sing. Kurt took a sip of his drink and smiled. Blaine was amazing in his businessman and construction manager personas, but there, playing that piano and singing, he had a spark about him that just wasnt there otherwise.

Kurt was trying to think of the perfect way to point out to Douglas just how good Blaine was when he looked over to find him watching Blaine with a faraway look.

"When Blaine was little he sang so much that we actually had to bribe him in order to get him to stop every once in a while. If we had a dinner party or some meeting at home wed pay him five dollars up front so that we could have a quiet evening, with the promise of another five if he made it the whole night without bursting into song. I dont think we ever ended up having to pay the extra five." Douglas laughed at the memory and looked at Blaine fondly. "I think as he grew older he kept up the singing at home just as a way to make money."

"I wish Id thought of that. It would have been much easier for me to afford my clothes in high school with a supplemental income like that."

Douglas smile dipped a little as Blaine continued to entertain the crowd. "Its been years since Ive heard Blaine sing. Id forgotten how good he is."

"Hes amazing," Kurt agreed slowly, not wanting to spoil the moment. "But then, I think hes great at everything he sets his mind to."

Douglas nodded, his smile finally dropping away completely. "But its when he sets his heart on something that I see that little boy again."