Kurt smiled to himself as he finished writing out the point values sheet for grading his final exam. The exams had been turned in an hour ago and were sitting in a neat pile on his desk. He was planning to work around the clock to grade them all, finish in a couple of days and turn them in, and then … Blaine. He had never been so motivated to grade exams in his life.

Blaine burst into the office, slamming the door shut behind him. Without a word he rushed to Kurt’s desk and started flipping through the stack of exams one by one.

“What are you doing?” Kurt was aghast. “You can’t look at other students’ exams, those are confidential! And there’s no way you can change an answer on your own after you turned it in, forget it.”

Blaine found his exam in the stack, pulled it out, and threw it down on Kurt’s desk. “Grade it. Right now. Please, you have to.”

“What has gotten into you?” Kurt said, annoyed. “We talked about this. I need a few days to grade and then I’ll turn everything in and the class will officially be over.”

“My father just called,” Blaine said. “He changed my flight without telling me. Wants me to go to some stupid party for his clients this weekend so I can meet them. I’m leaving tomorrow.” He finally looked up at Kurt, his eyes pleading and wet with tears.

Kurt slumped down in his chair and let out a long breath.

“Can you grade it now?” Blaine’s voice was desperate, on the edge of begging.

“Yeah. Okay.”

“How long will it take?”

“Half an hour, forty-five minutes? The first few always take longer.”

Blaine nodded.

“I’ll text you when I’m done.”

“Okay.” Blaine walked out the door, and Kurt set to work.

* * *

Finished.

Blaine was back in the office less than two minutes after receiving Kurt’s text. He shut the door, more quietly this time, and the two of them practically flew at each other. They met in the middle of the room, arms locking around one another, lips crashing messily together. Blaine pulled back and then kissed again and again, desperate short kisses on Kurt’s mouth with gasps of breath in between. It was as if every kiss they had ever wanted, for months on end, could be packed in to this moment. Blaine was dizzy with it, so he ducked his head and kissed Kurt on his neck, just where it met his left shoulder, and reveled in Kurt’s moan of pleasure. And then Kurt was licking around the shell of his ear and it was Blaine’s turn to moan, far too loudly, and go weak in the knees.

Kurt held him up, one hand under his arm and the other tight against the small of his back, as he nearly stumbled. “I think we should take this somewhere more private,” he said softly.

Blaine nodded.

“Will you come to my apartment? I …” Kurt looked uncertain. “I don’t want you to misunderstand me or freak out or anything, but … I would really like it if you would spend the night. I don’t expect anything, really, I don’t. Actually, I think we shouldn’t have sex, not if we just have one night and then three months apart, there’s too much time over the summer for us to second-guess and not be around to reassure each other and, oh god, now I’m babbling like a crazy person, but what I want to say is, we have so little time, I want to hold you and have you right beside me while I sleep and just not waste a single second that we can spend together right now. Can we do that? Would you … would that be okay with you? If it’s not, that’s totally fine, we could—”

Blaine cut him off. “That sounds perfect.” Kurt’s nervousness gave Blaine a boost of confidence. Though he’d been the one initially pursuing the relationship, he’d always thought that when it came down to reality after all the anticipation, he would be filled with anxiety. Seeing Kurt so concerned with Blaine’s comfort, wanting to take it slow, set Blaine at ease.

 “I’m going to go pack the rest of my stuff and turn in my dorm key,” Blaine said. “That way I won’t have to come back in the morning, I’ll just go straight to the airport. Okay?”

Kurt nodded, and Blaine was surprised to find himself the one more in control. The physical contact could make him fall apart in seconds, but once they were talking he somehow knew exactly what to say.

“I’ll meet you at your apartment in, say, an hour and a half?”

“Okay.”

“Kurt?”

“Hmm?”

Blaine leaned in and kissed him again.

* * *

Kurt left his office just a few minutes after Blaine did. He walked home quickly, but instead of going inside he hopped in his car and drove three miles away to buy condoms at a place where he’d be less likely to run into anyone from school. He’d just said no sex, but he wanted to be prepared in case they got carried away, and he had none at home because it had been way, way too long since he’d been with anybody at all.

He tossed the box of condoms into the drawer of the bedside table when he got home. Then he changed the sheets on the bed and cleaned up the pile of papers and magazines that had gathered on the coffee table and unloaded the dishes from the dishwasher. He took a shower and then put the same clothes back on so it wouldn’t look like he had. When he found himself cleaning the bathroom, which he had just cleaned the day before, he realized that maybe he might be a little bit nervous about this whole thing. He finished cleaning anyway, then looked at the clock. Still twenty minutes to wait. He sat down on the couch and pretended to read the latest issue of Vogue.

* * *

“Hi!” Kurt’s voice was much too bright as he opened the door. He looked everywhere but at Blaine’s face. “Come on in, you can set your things down right there by the door. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea, I have a couple different kinds of juice and there’s also sparkling water and–” his words cut off suddenly as Blaine took both of his hands, holding them calmly, silently, at his sides.

Kurt finally looked into Blaine’s eyes. “Hi,” he said again, this time soft and breathy and breathless.

“Hi,” Blaine answered quietly. “You seem pretty shaken up. Are you sure you’re okay with this? I turned in my dorm key to the Residence office, but I’m sure Mike will let me back in if I call. I’ll tell him my flight was canceled or I read the wrong date on the ticket or something. He thinks I’m on my way to the airport right now, I figured it was best to be discrete about this.”

“No!” Kurt said, more forcefully than he’d intended. “No,” he repeated more calmly. “Don’t leave. Yeah, okay, I’m kind of nervous, but I need you here. I want you here. I want you…”

Blaine leaned in, their hands still joined, and kissed Kurt gently on the lips, guiding his mouth open. A thrill ran through him when he elicited a low moan from Kurt. “Yes, baby, yes, I want this, I want you,” Kurt whispered in his ear. And then it was Kurt pulling him close, letting go of his hands and touching his shoulder and the back of his head instead. Blaine was lost in the clash of lips and tongue and teeth, taking steps somehow in some direction, locked against Kurt’s body, until his legs bumped against the couch. He half fell, half sat onto it, with Kurt pushing him back and down onto the couch, gentle but certain.

Blaine had imagined this scene a hundred times before, in dozens of different variations, but nothing in his fantasies came close to the overwhelming reality of his body pressed beneath the weight of this sweet, gentle, quirky, loving, incredibly sexy man. Nothing in his experience had prepared him for the way he would tremble and squirm when Kurt’s tongue traced around the edge of his ear, the groans that would escape his throat when Kurt nibbled at his jaw line, the feeling of coming completely undone when Kurt’s deft fingers popped open the top button on his shirt, and then the next one and the next one until it was hanging loose around his shoulders and Kurt’s hands roamed up and down on his bare skin. The months of anticipation and longing seemed to have intensified everything so that each touch, each kiss, each shaky breath was close to overwhelming.

“Noooooooo,” Blaine whined as Kurt sat up and stared down at him, leaving Blaine shivering and feeling rather exposed lying on the couch with his shirt open.

Kurt’s fingers softly traced the lines of Blaine’s muscles. “Shh, I’m not going anywhere. You’re fucking gorgeous, do you know that?”

Blaine whimpered softly and Kurt laughed a little, pleased with the response his attentions were getting. He pushed Blaine’s shirt past his shoulders and helped him shift to take it off completely before removing his own vest and shirt. Blaine’s hands reached up, almost automatically, to rest against Kurt’s chest and then slide around behind to pull him back down.

“So hot, Kurt, you’re so hot,” Blaine mumbled into his ear. “Waited for this for so long, Kurt, I need you like air to breathe.”

And then Blaine couldn’t talk, could barely breathe, because Kurt’s mouth was on his and Kurt’s tongue was in his mouth and Kurt’s strong hands were on his biceps, bracing, supporting as their bodies moved against each other.

“Kurt, Kurt, you need to stop, I’m so close, if you don’t stop I’m going to come,” Blaine finally gasped.

Kurt’s body instantly froze against Blaine’s. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked, looking questioningly into Blaine’s eyes. “Or do you want to come? Because, you can. If you want. I don’t mind. I mean, it’s not … I don’t think it’s too much, do you? I want to make you feel amazing, I want to see you… But of course, absolutely, we’ll stop if that’s what you want.”

“I …” Blaine’s face flushed red, but he held Kurt’s intense gaze. He couldn’t believe this was real, that he was actually here making out with this unbelievably hot guy who seemed to care more about Blaine’s happiness than his own. “Don’t stop,” he managed to say.

Kurt smiled. “Good,” he said. “I want to watch you.” He planted his hands on either side of Blaine’s shoulders and stared at his face, thrusting hard but slowly against his body. Blaine groaned as he felt Kurt’s erection hitting the crease of his thigh, clearly evident even through two pairs of pants. His own cock ached unbearably under the pressure of Kurt’s weight, throbbing as their bodies slid against each other. Kurt rocked into him again and Blaine lost control, gasping out Kurt’s name as his hips bucked upward and he came harder than he could have imagined. Blaine barely managed to register the look of awe on Kurt’s face before they were suddenly locked in a wet, open-mouthed kiss again. Kurt rocked insistently against him a few more times before Blaine felt him tremble in his arms, moaning loudly into Blaine’s mouth and then collapsing with his face buried in Blaine’s neck. Blaine clasped his arms as tightly as possible around Kurt, wanting to never let go.

They were silent, buried against each other’s bodies, for a few moments before Kurt lifted his head and looked sideways at Blaine. “Hi,” he said, grinning.

Blaine giggled involuntarily. “Hi,” he answered shyly. “That was … wow.”

“Yeah.” Kurt stroked his hair tenderly. “Wow. I guess when there’s that much waiting and anticipation and build-up … it was just … pretty intense, if you know what I mean. For not actually having sex.”

Blaine blushed again, and Kurt laughed sweetly. “You make me feel young again,” he said. “Making out on the couch and coming in our pants all rushed and nervous? The whole thing is so ... high school. Not that I ever had the opportunity to do anything like this when I was actually in high school, but it’s just one of those stereotypical high school experiences, isn’t it?”

“It may be stereotypical,” Blaine said, “but there’s nobody like you in high school.”

Kurt placed one more kiss on Blaine’s lips, then sat up on the couch. “We should probably get cleaned up. And, are you hungry? It’s getting toward dinner time. Maybe we could order Chinese food or something? I’ve got a delivery menu around here somewhere.”

“Chinese sounds great,” Blaine said. “I’ll go get changed. Fortunately I brought a bunch of clothes.” He gestured toward his suitcase.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Convenient,” he joked.

Blaine pulled a fresh pair of underwear, sweatpants, and a t-shirt out of his suitcase before Kurt stopped him. He took the t-shirt from Blaine and slid it back in the suitcase. “Indulge me,” Kurt said. “You don’t really need a shirt, do you?”

Blaine grinned wickedly at him. “What, I’m just a piece of eye candy for you?” he teased.

“Mmmm,” Kurt said, looking him up and down. “Eye candy.” He kissed Blaine softly on the neck. “And mouth candy.” He set his hands on Blaine’s shoulders and traced down the muscles of his arms slowly. “And ... what do I even call this? You’re just beyond hot and I want to drink up every possible minute of you. Is that okay?”

“I’m not going to complain. For now.” Blaine winked at him and headed toward the bathroom.

“Anything in particular you want from the Chinese place, or should I just order a few things?”

“Egg rolls,” Blaine called over his shoulder.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I suppose I pretty much deserve that tease, don’t I?”

Blaine laughed as he shut the bathroom door. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, shocked at what he saw. His hair was a tousled mess. Dried sweat clung to his skin. Several angry red spots had sprouted on his neck and shoulders. He touched the hickies gently, smiling as he remembered Kurt’s mouth sucking on his skin. He wanted to feel that, all of it, again and again. The sooner he got out of the bathroom, he realized, the sooner he could kiss Kurt again. He opened the linen closet and found a couple of hand towels to clean himself up with.

They switched places when Blaine was done and he amused himself by looking through the bookshelves that lined every windowless bit of wall in Kurt’s apartment. Many of the books were history and biography, mostly American but ranging all over the world and through time from modern to ancient. There were two full floor-to-ceiling shelves on gender and sexuality, including a selection of what looked like it might be very classy erotica. Plenty of other humanities and social sciences were well-represented, especially modern philosophy, political science, economics, and psychology. There was a large literature collection as well, including sections for historical fiction, science fiction, and surprisingly, graphic novels. Books in foreign languages—French, German, Italian, Latin—were strewn liberally throughout the shelves, filed with their genres instead of by language.

Blaine was so engrossed in reading the book titles that he didn’t notice Kurt coming out of the bathroom until his arms were wrapped around Blaine from behind. He pressed a light kiss to the back of Blaine’s neck.

“Can you really read all of these languages?” Blaine asked.

Kurt laughed. “Mm-hmm. Well, some better than others, really,” he admitted. “My French is pretty good, Italian is passable. German always gave me trouble, though. And most of the Latin texts here have facing-page translations in English, totally cheating. Latin grammar makes my head spin. German grammar too, for that matter. I’m actually pretty terrible at languages, compared to most academics. It was a really good reason to go into American history instead of European or, god forbid, Asian.”

“Clever,” Blaine said. “But I thought you intended to go into gender studies and ended up in history to have more career options.”

“Stop messing up my adorable self-effacing stories, would you?”

“Sorry,” Blaine laughed, turning around in Kurt’s arms to face him. “Hey—how come you’re wearing a shirt when you wouldn’t let me put one on? That’s not fair!”

“Because I am a fashion expert,” Kurt said. “I wrote an entire book on fashion, you know.”

“You wrote a book about wearing girl clothes,” Blaine said.

Kurt ignored the interruption. “As a fashion expert, I always dress perfectly for my audience, and right now my audience is nobody but you. So take a look, and if I do say so myself, I doubt you will be disappointed.”

Blaine took a step back to get a better look at what Kurt was wearing. His black yoga pants emphasized his hips and ass and left little to the imagination in front, as well. The gray tank top he’d paired with them was snug to his body and exposed his broad shoulders and strong arms perfectly while leaving just enough to the imagination.

“Good god, you look hot,” Blaine blurted out, to Kurt’s amusement.

“Told you s—” Kurt’s taunt ended in a squeak as Blaine kissed him hard on the mouth, pushing him backward toward the couch again. Blaine sat and pulled Kurt into his lap, barely breaking the kiss in the process.

Kurt planted his knees on either side of Blaine’s legs and pulled himself up to tower over him. Blaine leaned his head back and looked up at him. “So hot,” he repeated. Kurt bent down to kiss him on the mouth, deeply but not frantic and desperate like before. His tongue slid into Blaine’s mouth and he lowered his body down to sit in Blaine’s lap again.

Kurt giggled, breaking the kiss, when he noticed that Blaine was already hard again. “Quick turn around, eh? Must be nice to be twenty years old.” Blaine blushed a deep red. “Nothing to be embarrassed about!” Kurt said quickly. “Quite the opposite.”

Blaine tentatively raised his hips against Kurt’s body and suddenly they were kissing again, Kurt moving his body up and down rhythmically against Blaine.

Finally Kurt pulled away, looking tenderly at Blaine and cupping the side of his face with one hand. “Blaine, baby … I’ve kind of been all over you tonight and I just want to make sure you know, it’s not just … it’s not like I only want you for sex. You know that, right? I mean, you’re unbelievably sexy and I totally want you and everything, but it’s not just that. The friendship and the romance and the emotional closeness, it’s all really important and if we didn’t have that I wouldn’t be here with you now. It’s just, I’m kind of getting carried away on the sex part right now because we’ve already had all the other stuff for months and this is the new thing and I’ve been going crazy waiting for it and now I can finally … but it’s not the only … god, what am I even saying? Why do I lose the ability to speak coherently when I look at you?”

“Okay, so first you tell me we’re not going to have sex tonight, and then you try to reassure me that you’re not just using me for sex?”

“When you put it that way…” Kurt looked chagrined.

“Also, don’t ever apologize for making out with me,” Blaine said.

“Noted.” Kurt leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth again. “You’re fucking amazing, you know that?”

The doorbell rang, and Kurt groaned loudly. “Whose stupid idea was it to order Chinese food?”

“Um, yours,” Blaine said.

“Oh sure, blame the victim,” Kurt complained, getting up to answer the door.

* * *

Blaine dunked one end of his egg roll in sweet and sour sauce, then held it up so the sauce began to slowly drip down. He stuck out his tongue and touched it to the bottom of the drip, licking his way up to the top. He slid his mouth over the top of the egg roll deliberately, his eyes locked on Kurt’s as he finally bit off a piece.

Kurt laughed so hard he nearly fell off the barstool.

“You asked me to do that! No fair laughing!” Blaine said, his mouth still full of egg roll.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Kurt tried to even out his breathing. “It’s just too hilariously clichéd. No, I’m sorry. It was hot. Really hot. Laughing turns me on, I promise.”

“You’re impossible,” Blaine sulked.

“You’re adorable,” Kurt said reassuringly. “And I’m sure you’re fantastic at giving blow jobs.”

Blaine turned bright red and looked down at his plate, mumbling something unintelligible.

“And you’re adorable,” Kurt said.

“Why was that so laughable, but when you did it, it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen?” Blaine asked.

“When I did what?” Kurt was confused. “I never ate an egg roll suggestively in front of you. Or in front of anyone, for that matter.”

“Remember on Thanksgiving? With the cheesecake? When you ate that bite off my fork, I seriously thought I might come in my pants right then and there. It was so hot. Beyond hot. That was … kind of a moment for me. Up until then it had all just been harmless flirting, a little crush, nothing to be too concerned about. But that night, between the cheesecake thing and the conversation and the whole feeling that night, something shifted in me and I knew that it was more than just a crush. It was something I couldn’t play around with any longer, because it was too real, too important to me.”

Kurt looked at him. “I had a moment like that too, but it was later. Just before Christmas, when we drove to Ohio together, that night at the hotel. When you gave me that backrub. I’d had a crush on you for months, but I was trying to deny it, or ignore it, I couldn’t believe that I would let myself get caught up in anything so … well, inappropriate, for lack of a better word. I told myself it wasn’t real, that I’d get over it, that I’d forget all about you soon enough. But once your hands were on me … I had no chance. I knew I’d never forget it, I couldn’t deny any more that there was some real connection going on between us.”

“That was hardly even a real backrub,” Blaine said. “I’ve been thinking ever since about how nice it would be to give you a proper massage. With no shirt on. With you lying down. With massage oil.”

Blaine would never have guessed that Kurt’s crystal blue eyes were capable of going dark, but somehow they managed it. Without a word, Kurt got up and went into the bathroom. When he emerged a minute later, he was carrying a tiny blue bottle, which he handed to Blaine. “Vanilla scented massage oil. It was a free sample that came with something or other I bought like a year ago. I’ve never opened the bottle.”

Blaine looked at him, stunned. “You mean now?”

“Now. Bedroom. Go.” Kurt took his hand and led him in the right direction.

Kurt sat on the bed and was about to take his shirt off when he took a good look at Blaine, still standing there with a mildly unsettled look on his face. “Is this cool with you? We don’t have to… It was just a thought.”

“No, no, it’s totally cool,” Blaine said. “I’m just wondering how I actually got here. In real life. With you.”

Kurt stood up again and kissed him. “You’re amazing and wonderful and gorgeous and it is killing me that it took us this long to get here.”

Blaine pulled Kurt’s tank top over his head and off. “Lie face-down on the bed.”

Kurt hurried to follow his instructions, and Blaine sat cross-legged on the bed beside him. He opened the bottle and poured a small amount of the oil onto one hand. He rubbed his hands together to warm it, then brought them to his face to breathe in the vanilla scent.

He set his hands just above the center of Kurt’s back and slid them slowly upwards, not applying any pressure yet, just spreading the oil around his back and enjoying the sensation of the touch. Kurt nevertheless moaned wantonly into his pillow.

“I haven’t even started yet, you silly man,” he teased.

“Don’t care. Feels amazing. Don’t ever stop touching me.”

Blaine added more oil, bit by bit, until his hands could glide easily around all of Kurt’s back, shoulders, and arms. Only then did he begin to press in with more force, beginning with his thumbs just below Kurt’s shoulder blades. Kurt groaned loudly at the sensation. “God, Blaine, that feels amazing. You’re amazing. Did I say amazing?”

“You weren’t nearly this loud last time,” Blaine said, smirking.

“Last time I was trying to pretend you weren’t turning me on,” Kurt said. “This time … let’s just say that is no longer the case.”

“Does this turn you on?” Blaine asked, running his hands from Kurt’s shoulders down his arms to the wrists.

“God, yes.”

“Does this turn you on?” Blaine brought his hands back to the center and pressed them in forcefully on either side of Kurt’s spine, running them slowly down the length of his back.

Kurt groaned something incoherent.

“Does this turn you on?” Blaine pressed his thumbs into the dimples just above the waistband of Kurt’s pants.

“Holy fuck, Blaine,” Kurt yelped. He twisted around and pulled Blaine down onto the bed beside him, locking his mouth in a wet kiss. “Fuck me. Fuck me right now. Please, Blaine.”

“No, baby. Backrub. Am I going to have to hold you down?”

“Yes.”

Blaine pulled himself loose from Kurt’s grasp and straddled him, sitting on Kurt’s ass. Kurt whimpered softly as Blaine’s hands returned to his shoulders and started slowly kneading his muscles. He worked his way down and up Kurt’s back again and again, beginning with gentle touches and pressing harder and harder as he went on. Kurt’s breathing grew ragged, moans and whimpers alternating as he gave in completely to Blaine’s attentions.

As Blaine felt Kurt’s muscles completely relax under his hands, his touches gradually headed toward gentle again. He turned his attention to the long, lean shape of Kurt’s body, tracing the lines carefully with his fingertips. The man was sculpted beautifully, Blaine thought. His creamy skin shone with the now rubbed-in oil, and the soft light of the bedside lamp emphasized the curves of his muscles and darkened the shadows. He was more gorgeous to look at than ever, and Blaine felt his cock hardening in his pants once again. Kurt must have felt it too, against his ass, because he gasped and reached one hand up behind him toward Blaine.

Blaine leaned down and draped his body over Kurt’s, kissing the back of his neck softly. “You look so beautiful, Kurt. So hot.”

“I’m really close, baby. You’re so good at this, I can’t even stop myself. Can we …?” Kurt tried to turn over, and Blaine moved off to the side to let him before coming back on top. “So hot, Blaine, that was so hot.” Kurt thrust his hips up as Blaine ground down against him, still kissing around his neck. They were still both wearing pants, but it didn’t seem to matter to either one of them. “I want you so bad, want you, want you,” Kurt gasped out. He threw his arms around Blaine’s neck and held him tight, trembling through his orgasm. The closeness, the intimacy of it was enough to push Blaine over the edge and he came just seconds later, surrendering himself in Kurt’s grasp.

* * *

In the delirious half-sleep of morning, Kurt felt completely happy and content and warm. Very warm. He wondered at the unfamiliar feeling as he drifted slowly towards more and more awake. A thought drifted at the edge of his consciousness, finally coming into focus. Blaine. He opened his eyes, a smile on his face. Blaine was draped over the side of Kurt’s body, one of Kurt’s arms curled around under him and the other thrown across the top. Blaine’s face was inches from Kurt’s, filling up his entire field of vision.

Blaine looked like a beautiful, sweet angel in his sleep, Kurt thought. Entirely open, entirely trusting, no worries in the world while he slept in Kurt’s arms. Kurt’s heart swelled as he watched this perfect, innocent boy take slow, deep breaths beside him. His thumb idly stroked Blaine’s shoulder, soft, tender, beautiful.

Blaine’s eyes blinked open and he smiled at finding Kurt right there beside him.

“Hi,” Kurt said quietly.

“Hi,” Blaine said, his voice cracking a little as he arched his body to stretch his back out.

“How are you doing?” Kurt asked.

“I just woke up in my boyfriend’s arms for the first time ever,” Blaine said. “I’m fantastic.” His expression faltered then, no longer confident and unworried, but suddenly vulnerable instead. “That’s what we are, aren’t we? Boyfriends?”

“Of course we are,” Kurt said, mildly confused. “What else would we be?”

“I don’t know, I just… You’re going to be in California all summer, with all those hot, tanned, shirtless guys on the beach, and I guess we should be very clear about … what this is. About our expectations, you know?”

“Blaine, sweetheart,” Kurt squeezed Blaine’s arm reassuringly and looked straight into his eyes. “I’m yours. We’re together. And that’s it for me. You’re all I need, all I want.”

Blaine barked out a laugh. “‘Together.’ That’s what I want. I mean, it’s a relief that we’re on the same page here. It’s just that word, ‘together.’ It’s kind of a ridiculous way to describe us, don’t you think? Seeing as how a few hours from now we’ll be hundreds of miles apart.”

“I know, baby. But I’ll call you every day, and we can Skype, and I’ll try to visit if I can. It will be okay. We’ve waited this long, we can wait a few more months.”

“I’m tired of waiting!” Blaine seemed angry, but Kurt thought it was a mask, hiding his sadness. “I’ve been waiting for almost a year! Waiting to find out if you liked me. Waiting to kiss you. Waiting to be able to be together. And now we’re going to be waiting again. Fuck that. I’m sick of these stolen, secret moments. I want to be with you. All the time. Every day. I just want to enjoy this and not have to sit here pining away all the time.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go. I wish neither of us had to go.”

There was silence for a moment, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes, their longing mirroring each other.

“Kurt, I…” Blaine looked like he was fumbling for the right words. “I’ve never felt like this before. Never felt so completely happy before. It’s not just about you and me. I mean, that’s a huge part of it, but the whole thing, college and the east coast and the theater program and you … Everything is so amazing and perfect, especially now, here, lying in your arms, it’s just unbelievable. I feel so safe and accepted and content and wanted. And … grown up, you know? For the first time, I’m being who I really am instead of who my parents and everyone else wants me to be. I’m finally making my own choices. I’ve finally found someone who…” His voice trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence. He paused for a moment.

“But now I have to go back to Ohio,” he finally continued. “I have to leave all of this behind, for months. Back to my parents’ house. Back to trying to please them. Back to hiding who I am. None of my friends from high school even know I’m gay, and god knows what would happen if I told anyone at my father’s office. But it’s not just that, it’s everything, it’s like a whole different life back there that is nothing like who I’ve become. And god, I am going to miss you so much, I can’t even…”

“I’m so sorry, Blaine,” Kurt said. “I wish there was something I could do, some way I could make this better for you. I wish I could make you happy all the time.”

“You do make me happy, Kurt,” Blaine said. “So unbelievably happy…”

“If you need anything, really anything, I want you to call me,” Kurt said. “Little things like some reassuring words, all the way up through huge things like a daring midnight rescue-kidnapping from your parents’ house. I don’t care what it is, I will give you anything you need, I swear it.”

Blaine smiled. “If you kidnap me, could you wear a mask and a cape?”

“Maybe.” Kurt grinned, then kissed him on the forehead. “It’s going to be okay, Blaine. The summer will be hard for both of us … for you more than for me, but for both of us … But it’s only a few months. We’ll make it through. And when the summer is over, we’ll pick up right here where we left off. And then there won’t be any more waiting. In September—the end of August, really—there will be nothing to come between us. Nothing to keep us apart. We’ll be able to be together every day. You can stay here every night, if you want.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Blaine sighed. “I need to get up in a minute if I’m going to catch my flight. Just … can you hold me for a little while longer?”

“Of course,” Kurt whispered, cuddling closer.

Three little words could carry so much weight, Kurt thought. His heart ached with all the love he felt for Blaine, and he was longing to tell him so. But he wasn’t sure Blaine was ready to hear it. This relationship—or at least, the acknowledgement that they were having a relationship—was so new, maybe it was too soon. The last thing Kurt wanted to do was scare Blaine off by getting too serious too fast. Maybe ‘I love you’ would be reassuring and comforting to Blaine, but maybe it would be too much pressure. The words were on the tip of Kurt’s tongue, but he bit them back.

“You mean so much to me, Blaine,” he said instead. “You’re so … just so amazing. I care about you so much.”

Blaine paused before answering, as if trying to figure out Kurt’s meaning. “You’re the best thing in my life, Kurt,” he finally said.

Kurt kissed him, long and slow, one last time. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll drive you to the airport.”