Blaine walked into Breadstix and glanced around, quickly finding Kurt seated at a table close to the stage. As he approached, he realized that it was the same table where they'd shared that slice of consolation cheesecake the previous week.

“Ready to sing?” Kurt's voice was chipper, but Blaine could see that his eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, his lashes clumped together. Blaine swallowed the lump in his throat and sat down at the table, immediately reaching for Kurt's hand.

“Yeah. How about you? Are you feeling any better?” Blaine gently knocked their fingers together, in a playful, comforting gesture.

“Much, thank you,” Kurt replied, sucking in a breath that was trying not to sound like a sniffle.

“Kurt...” Blaine said softly, curling his fingers around Kurt's hand.

“Blaine, don't,” Kurt said, pulling his fingers free and folding his hands on the table in front of him. “I'm fine. And I don't want to think about him tonight. Let's have some fun and sing some Karaoke. And eat some cheesecake. Deal?”

Blaine grinned. “Deal. What's your first song pick?”

“I've already put it in,” Kurt said coyly, tilting his head to the side. “You'll have to wait and see.”

* * * * *

“Right now he's probably slow dancing with a bleached-blond tramp,

and he's probably getting frisky...

right now, he's probably buying him some fruity little drink

'cause he can't shoot whiskey...”

Blaine snorted, accidentally blowing bubbles into his coke. Kurt was really throwing his emotions into the performance, resulting in an outpouring of dramatic theatricality. Blaine hoped that Sebastian didn't choose that moment to stroll through the door, because Kurt looked like he really could go out and slash the tires on his beautiful Corvette.

Kurt took a bow as the song concluded and handed the microphone back to a slightly terrified DJ. Kurt smoothed back his bangs and sat across from Blaine, taking a big forkful of what remained of the cheesecake and sipping on his diet coke.

“Are you going to explain the diet coke and dessert thing to me at some point?” Blaine asked, a wry smile playing across his lips.

“Why would you waste precious calories on coke when you could eat more cheesecake instead?” Kurt teased. “Besides, diet coke tastes better, and the lack of sugar heightens the impact of the sugary dessert.”

“Or you could just have sugar with a sugar chaser, like me.” Blaine smiled and snatched another forkful of cheesecake.

“All the more fuel for you to bounce around on stage, Sockless Wonder. Did you sign up yet?” Kurt asked, gripping the edge of the plate subconsciously.

“Of course,” Blaine winked, getting up from the table. “I think I'm up next, actually.”

“Things you said and did to me

Seemed to come so easily

The love I thought I'd won you give for free

Whispers at the bus stop

I heard about nights out in the school yard

I found out about you.”

Blaine spun and bopped on the stage. Kurt noticed several women in the restaurant swooning, clearly having missed the memo about Blaine's sexuality. He clapped loudly as the song ended.

“That was wonderful, Blaine. Very passionate. I didn't know you had it in you.” Kurt relaxed and sipped his soda, thinking ahead to his next song choice.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Blaine asked, pressing his eyebrows together.

“Oh, nothing. It just seems like you're taking this breakup awfully well, for the most part.”

Blaine sat in his chair, leaning forward onto his elbows on the table and looking away in contemplation. Kurt looked up at Blaine's face, noticing for the first time the dark circles under his eyes, the not-quite perfectly gelled hair, and the slightly wrinkled bow tie.

Kurt pursed his lips, regret panging through his chest. “That was selfish of me, I'm sorry. You really are hurting just as much as I am, aren't you? Why don't you talk to me about it, Blaine? I'm the one person in the world who could truly understand.”

“I didn't want to wallow... I wanted to be there for you, Kurt. I was just so pissed at Seb for what he did to both of us. I couldn't stand to see you cry like that, and I never want to see that look in your eyes again. I thought that by being strong, I could maybe take some of your pain away.” Blaine clenched and unclenched his fingers on the tabletop as he spoke.

“Maybe what we need...” Kurt paused, swallowing hard as he fought tears, “...is to each be strong for the other. On that note, I'm up next, and I really think this performance will put a smile on your face.” Even though his eyes were wet, a mischievous grin broke across Kurt's face as he got up and took the microphone.

Blaine watched Kurt on stage, mystified by his sudden air of complete confidence and strength. True to Kurt's prediction, Blaine smiled broadly as soon as he recognized the song.

“It took all the strength I had not to fall apart

Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart

And I spent, oh, so many nights just feeling sorry for myself

I used to cry but now I hold my head up high

And you see me, somebody new

I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you

And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free

But now I'm saving all my loving for someone who's loving me”

Kurt collapsed into the chair after the conclusion of the song, choking back laughter as he took in Blaine's astounded expression.

“That was...” Blaine stuttered.

“Yes, Blaine?” Kurt fluttered his eyelashes across the table.

“That was one hell of a performance, Kurt. It was strong and sexy and not the least bit drag-queeny.” Kurt frowned and smacked Blaine on the arm.

“Ow, what was that for? I said it WASN'T drag-queeny.” Blaine protested, rubbing his arm.

“Can't I, as a high-pitched male vocalist, sing a classic girl-power anthem without drawing drag queen comparisons?” Kurt frowned and chewed his lip thoughtfully. “I guess I see your point,” he said after a pause.

Blaine chuckled, resting his chin on a curled fist, his eyes shining across the table at Kurt. He didn't respond when the DJ called his name once, then twice. It was only when Kurt waved a hand before his face, one eyebrow lifted quizzically, that Blaine broke out of his spell and took the stage.

This time, Blaine didn't hold back any emotion, singing with every ounce of the raw heartbreak he'd experienced only one week before.

“He kissed my lips

I taste your mouth

He pulled me in

I was disgusted with myself

Cause when I'm with him

I am thinking of you

Thinking of you”

When Blaine got back to their table, Kurt was watching him with wide eyes. “What's wrong?” Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head slightly, focusing again on his soda. “You sounded... wow. And that song. I should have been expecting it given the artist, but it still caught me off-guard. It's so... it's about a regretted hook-up.”

Blaine nodded, sitting down. “It fits. It says things I needed to express.”

Kurt swallowed hard and stared fixedly into his glass, stirring the ice with his straw. “He was my first, you know,” he said quietly.

“Aw, Kurt...” Blaine said, reaching his hand halfway across the table, where it lay untouched by the other boy.

“It just meant a lot to me.” Kurt sniffled, pressing his eyes shut and popping them back open with newly contained emotion. “You're lucky.”

“Not really. He was my first, too.” Blaine mumbled, staring at his lap.

Kurt's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected that. “I don't understand. How can you be so calm about this whole thing?”

Blaine rubbed the back of his neck. “Like I said before, I had an idea what I was getting into with Sebastian. I figured there was a good chance he was just using me. I kept a close watch on my heart. Anyway, I wanted to lose my virginity. I was sick of being inexperienced and I wanted practice.”

Kurt said nothing in response. Blaine noticed his stiffened shoulders and shifting eyes.

“Oh, come on, Kurt. Don't look at me like that.” Blaine protested, leaning far forward over the table.

“I'm sorry. I just... would have thought you'd be a little less cynical about sex.” Kurt was practically whispering as he finished the sentence.

“I'm not! I'm really a romantic at heart. But Seb was so attractive, and so assertive about it. I tried to justify it... I thought it would help for me to know what I'm doing, for future relationships. You can only learn so much reading sex ed blogs.”

“Who am I to judge, anyway?” Kurt chuckled sadly. “He used me just as much as he used you.”

Blaine frowned sadly, hesitantly reaching to stroke Kurt's cheek, relaxing when the boy didn't flinch away.

“I'm sorry to be such a downer. Come on, we're going to shut this place down, but I have one more song and I want you to sing it with me,” Blaine said softly.

When the opening notes of the song began, Kurt's eyes flickered briefly. “Wow, we're really hitting all of the eras here, aren't we? Except the 80's... oh, wait, that was last week.”

“It's our glee club training,” Blaine replied, “Now get your butt up out of that chair and sing one last song with me.” He smiled and reached his hand out to Kurt, who took it and was in position in time to begin alongside Blaine.

“Tonight you're mine completely

You give you love so sweetly

Tonight the light of love is in your eyes

But will you love me tomorrow?”

Partway through the song, Blaine grabbed Kurt and spun him in to dance together, and suddenly they were singing just to each other. The clamor of the restaurant, the lights and the smells and the heat, all faded into the background.

* * * * *

The boys tumbled out into the cool night, laughing together.

“Ah, Kurt... I don't want to say goodnight,” Blaine said.

Kurt giggled. “Me neither. This is the best time I've had in...” he trailed off, chuckling and biting his lip, then growing serious as he noticed the look on Blaine's face.

“Kurt...” Blaine said, closing the distance between them. “There's something I want to tell you.”

“You can share anything with me,” Kurt countered. “That's part of the deal. I'm sorry I was being judgmental before... I have no right.”

Blaine shook his head. “It's fine. It was foolish of me to sleep with Sebastian when I didn't trust him. I regret it now.”

Kurt wound his arms around Blaine's neck and pulled him into a tight hug. “It's okay, Blaine.”

“You're right, it is,” Blaine whispered into Kurt's hair, easing him back a bit so that they could look each other in the eye. “I can't regret a minute if it led me to you.”

Kurt's eyes were as wide as saucers, gleaming in the moonlight.

“Kurt, the song I sang before, wasn't a coincidence... and not just because it was Katy Perry,” Blaine quirked up a smile, causing a similar reaction in Kurt, before continuing. “Sebastian had a jealous side, even though he tried to play it cool. He always tried to put that extra wedge in between us. I think that on some level, he knew.”

“Knew what, Blaine?” Kurt replied, breathlessly.

“All this time, I wanted it to be you,” Blaine whispered. “It's like I've been looking for you forever.”

And then Blaine's lips were on Kurt's, knocking the breath out of them both with the rightness of it. Raw emotion, denied and held back for so long, surged between the boys as their lips pressed together. Kurt parted his lips first, hungry for Blaine's tongue, and the other boy obliged.

Kurt whimpered and pulled away to catch his breath, blinking open dazed eyes to take in Blaine's joyous, desperate face. They only managed a split second of pensive eye contact before crashing their lips together again, complete.