Between getting ready for his flight back to New York, as well as the flight itself, it was 9:45 that night before Kurt was able to find time to even think about calling Blaine. He'd considered calling him while he picked through his salad at lunch earlier in the day before finally deciding that giving Blaine some time to get out of the airport and back to his hotel would be a better idea.

He approached his car, flinging the door open as he tore off his hat and aimlessly threw it somewhere in the back before sitting down in the driver's seat. After loosening his tie, he searched in the pocket of his pants for the little slip of paper that meant more to him than it should've. After removing his hand, sans the slip of paper, he started to get worried, thinking he'd somehow allowed the little piece of paper to slip out of his pocket without his knowledge. He frantically looked around him—on the seat, on the floor, between the seat and the console, on the ground outside of the car—before reaching into his other pocked, only to discover the same fate. After calming himself down enough to think a bit more clearly, he felt a wave of relief wash over him as he stuck his hand in his jacket pocket, remembering he'd moved it there for safer keeping. He removed the slip of paper and unfolded it, staring at the numbers on the paper as he reached over and grabbed his phone. He could feel his hands shaking and the butterflies in his stomach had suddenly become quite active. He took a deep breath as he began dialing the number and slowly raised the phone to his ear after pressing send. It rang a few times before a familiar voice broke through on the other line.

"Hello?" Blaine asked in an inquisitive tone.

Once Kurt realized Blaine didn't have a clue who the unknown number that showed up on his phone belong to, he quickly spoke up. "Hi, it's Kurt."

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine instantly sounded a bit more enthusiastic about taking the call.

"Sorry if this is a bad time. I didn't know how long I was supposed to wait before calling…" he trailed off.

"No, It's not a bad time. I'm…I'm actually glad you called."

Kurt wasn't sure what to say. He was never one to be flirty or even one to carry on a conversation for very long. That was the good thing about being with someone without the intention of having them around for very long. If things got awkward or he said the wrong thing and screwed up, it wasn't a big deal. The guy was already going to be out of his life anyway, he'd just sped up the process. But with Blaine, Kurt was scared to say the wrong thing. He was scared that if Blaine got to know him, he wouldn't be what Blaine wanted, and the last thing Kurt wanted to do was screw things up with Blaine.

"You were?" Kurt finally said.

"Yeah. Your voice…it's…it's nice. I like hearing it." Blaine was glad Kurt wasn't there to see him blush, but little did he know that Kurt's face was just as red. "Sorry, I'm probably messing this up again."

"No," Kurt said quickly, "you're not."

"Promise?" Blaine sounded genuinely concerned.

"I promise," Kurt assured him."So what's on your agenda at 6:45 every Friday night?"

"Finally getting some dinner. There's this amazing little place near my hotel that I try to eat at whenever I get the time. You have to try it sometime."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the time to leave the airport. I've been flying to L.A. and back for almost five months now and haven't once gotten out to see the city."

"It's not much to see. There's a lot of traffic and the streets are trashed, but some of the little shops are pretty cool. Maybe I'll have to take you sometime," Blaine suggested.

As Kurt began fiddling with the piece of paper in his hands, the edges were starting to become crinkled. He sat the paper down in the passenger's seat, trying to ignore the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of exploring the city with Blaine by his side. "I'd really like that."

"Mmmmm, this is so good, Kurt. I'm telling you! They have the best chicken here," Blaine's voice practically melted through the phone.

Kurt laughed. "Are you talking to me on the phone and eating simultaneously, Blaine?"

Blaine paused for a few seconds to finish chewing."Maybe." He couldn't help but to smile every time he heard Kurt's high-pitched laugh.

"I can let you go, you know. I wouldn't want to interrupt your love affair with your meal."

"It's not a love affair. I just happen to like it quite a bit."

"Are you at least eating by yourself? I'd hate to see you subject others to your make-out sessions."

"They're not make-out sessions." Blaine rolled his eyes despite the fact that Kurt couldn't see. "But, yes. I'm alone."

Kurt wasn't convinced. "Blaine, are you lying to me?"

"Plus three people from my office," he mumbled.

"Blaine!" Kurt practically shouted.

"Sorry, sorry! I'll step away from the table. Will that make you feel better?" Kurt heard a chair sliding across the floor and a quiet "excuse me."

"A little. Although I can just hang up and call back later," he offered.

"No. I'm already on my way outside. Talk to me." There was a sound of a door closing and the voices on the other line were silenced, apart from Blaine's.

"Ok, Blaine. Were you at a business dinner?"

"No, just a few guys from the office, like I said before. We go out to eat quite a bit when we're in L.A. Make fun of the boss, gossip about work, the usual."

"Any of these guys interested in you?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Mhm." Blaine murmured, knowing Kurt had some kind of hidden agenda. "Actually, all of them are. They've all asked me out on numerous occasions. I even made out with two and had sex with one. It was great sex too. Hot. And in the back of a taxi."

Kurt didn't pick up on the sarcasm that laced through Blaine's voice? "Really?" His heart dropped.

"No, Kurt. They're all straight," Blaine chuckled. "Two of them are even married and one has a son on the way. You don't have to worry about them."

"Who said I was worried?"

"You weren't?"

"You said I didn't have a reason to be." He heard Blaine exhale on the other line.

"Kurt, can I take you out next week?" Blaine said rather bluntly.

Kurt was speechless, not sure if he even heard Blaine correctly. That was the last thing he expected to hear during their first phone call, and it took everything he had not to scream "yes." Instead, he steadied his breath before asking for clarification, worried he'd misinterpreted Blaine's words. "What?"

"I want to see you, Kurt, away from the plane and the airport. Can…can we maybe go out for dinner or something when I get back?"

"Yes, under one condition," Kurt agreed.

"What would that be?" Blaine asked cautiously.

"I get to plan the entire night. You don't get to ask questions about where we're going or what we're doing. All you get to do is tell me when you're free, and I'll do the rest."

He could hear Blaine laughing on the other line. "Deal. Would you be free on Tuesday night?"

"I think I can work something out."

"Great. What time?"

Kurt paused for a minute while he thought about the plan already working itself out inside of his head. He already had a pretty good idea what he wanted to do and where he wanted to take Blaine, but he knew he'd have time during the weekend to work out the minute details. "You know the Starbucks on the corner of Broadway and Reade Street?"

"Yeah, I've been there a few times."

"Great. Meet me there around 7:00? Be sure to have a light dinner beforehand."

"Are we going to have a coffee date?"

"No, that's just a good meeting place. Now no more questions, okay? This is all up to me." At that moment, Kurt heard his phone beep, signaling he had an incoming call. He quickly removed his phone from his ear to see the Finn's name flashing across his screen. "Blaine, I hate to go, but my brother's calling me." He sighed.

"Oh, ok. That's fine. Can I call you tomorrow?" Blaine asked, and Kurt picked up on the disappointment in his voice.

Kurt would have to talk to Finn about bad timing later on. He wished more than anything that he could just sit on the phone with Blaine for the rest of the night. "Absolutely. Please do."

"Great. I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow night then," Blaine confirmed. "Goodbye, Kurt."

"Bye, Blaine."

After hearing the line go dead, he pushed send and took the Finn's call. "Hello?"

"She's here!" Finn said in an overly-excited manner.

"What?" Kurt suddenly felt a little less bitter about having to hang up on Blaine. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes! Kurt, I'm scared. She's so little. What if I hurt her?"

"Calm down, Finn. You'll be fine. Tell me about her!"

"Well, she has Rachel's dark hair. Mom says she has my eyes. She was a little over seven pounds. The doctors say she's healthy and that the delivery went well and there weren't any major concerns which is good, I guess. I just can't believe she's finally here."

"I can't either. Tell Rachel I'm on the first flight to Ohio. I'll be there by tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Dude, you're coming here? Isn't that kind of hard with your job?"

"No. I have tomorrow off and I'll just ask for Sunday and Monday off as well. I never miss flights, so they shouldn't give me any trouble. I'm not going to miss this. I can't wait to see her. Just wait until her Uncle Kurt gets to spoil her crazy!"

"You'll be her favorite person."

"That's the plan," Kurt laughed.

"Look, I have to go. Rachel's awake and I guess she wants to see if she can hold the baby now. I'll just talk to you when you get here, I guess. Are you going to need a ride from the airport? I can come get you or get mom or dad to pick you up."

"I'll just take a cab. You guys stay at the hospital and be there with Rachel and Elizabeth. I'll be fine."

"Alright. Talk to you tomorrow, Kurt."

"Bye, Finn."

Kurt pressed end and tossed his phone onto the passenger's seat next to Blaine's phone number. He didn't know how his life had suddenly become so great, but with Blaine and Elizabeth now in the picture, he finally felt like he had everything he ever wanted.

Kurt stepped through the hospital doors the next morning after catching the earliest flight from New York to Ohio. He was eager not only to see his new niece, but also his family. Living in New York limited the time he was able to spend with the ones he loved, and he made sure every little bit of time he spent with them was time well-spent. With a new addition to their happy family, Kurt was determined to make it back to Ohio more often than he had in the past couple of years. He didn't know if he would ever have children of his own, and there was no way he was going to miss out on watching Elizabeth grow up.

With the help of a few nurses, he managed to find his way to Rachel's room with ease. After quietly knocking a few times to make sure it was ok for him to come in, he cracked the door open just enough to squeeze through. The first thing he noticed was the bundle of joy wrapped up in blankets and nestled in Rachel's arms. Finn sat next to her on the bed and Kurt smiled at the sight of the young family.

"Hey," he whispered, careful not to wake up the sleeping baby.

"Hey, Kurt," Rachel replied, not bothering to keep her voice quiet. "Elizabeth's been waiting for you."

"She's excited to see her uncle." Kurt looked to his right to see Burt and Carole sitting on the couch in the corner of the room.

"Do you want to hold her?" Finn offered.

"Can I?" Kurt moved forward and held out his arms as Rachel slowly lowered Elizabeth into his arms. He held on tight and smiled as he looked down at her. She had the longest, most beautiful eyelashes he'd ever seen on a baby, and the hair on top of her head was as dark as he'd imagined. He lifted up his free hand to run his fingers along her tiny hand and she immediately wrapped her fragile fingers around his. He couldn't stop looking at her. Everything wrong in the world seemed to disappear when he looked at the perfect little girl in his arms. As soon as she was placed in his arms, he knew he'd fallen in love with her. Kurt knew there was no way he could love anything as much as the sweet baby, so innocent of all the bad in the world. "She's beautiful," he finally said.

"Isn't she? I can't believe I finally got to look at her after all of these months of waiting." Rachel sighed and started at her daughter snuggled tightly in her brother-in-law's arms.

"October fourteenth. The day your lives both changed for good," Kurt laughed. "No more date night or rough sex or quiet evenings to yourself."

"Like you get any of that," Finn joked back. "Well, the quiet evening to yourself maybe, but the sex-"

"Finn! Kurt! Stop it!" Rachel scolded, giving Burt and Carole an apologetic smile before changing the subject. "How did your flight go?"

"Just like any other flight," he said without removing his eyes from the baby.

"I think you might have a problem, Rachel. I doubt Kurt's going to want to give the baby back to you," Burt joked.

"Oh, I am not changing any dirty diapers. I'll just tell you that right now. There is no way I'm allowing this little girl to ruin any of designer tops. I don't care how cute she is."

At that moment, a young nurse stepped into the room and began making her way towards Rachel and the baby. "Hey, sorry to break up the party. We just need to take her away for a little bit to run the necessary tests if that's okay with you."

"Of course." Kurt reluctantly handed Elizabeth over to the nurse, watching her carry away one of the greatest things in his life.

"Elizabeth is a pretty girl, isn't she? She already loves her uncle Kurt more than anyone else, right? Don't you, Lizzie?" Kurt cooed, rocking Elizabeth back and forth in his arms.

"Oh my gosh, Kurt, no! You are not nicknaming her Lizzie," Rachel groaned. "Her name is Elizabeth!"

"Rach, she's going to get tired of writing that out all the time." Kurt looked down at the sleeping baby and watched her eyelids flutter as she began to wake up. "Oh, look at those beautiful little eyes. They look just like your daddy's. Yes they do, Lizzie!"

"Kurt!" Rachel scolded.

"Fine, sorry." He turned his attention back to Elizabeth and leaned down to place a sweet kiss on the tip of her nose. "You'll still be Lizzie to me, okay precious?" He whispered into her ear—too quiet for Rachel to hear—as he moved to kiss her cheek. He took in the smell of her skin, the perfect balance between baby powder and lotion. She was everything he had imagined she would be. What he hadn't imagined was how attached he would get within hours of seeing her. As he pulled back and squeezed her tight in his arms, his phone began ringing inside his pocket. Groaning, he pulled it out and read the name flashing across the screen. Blaine. Sighing, he stood up and handed Elizabeth off to her proud grandpa.

"Wow, you're giving her up just like that? Must be an important call," Burt joked and took Elizabeth into his arms.

"I'll just be right back. I expect you to return her to me as soon as I step back into this room," Kurt warned, smiling as he took Blaine's call and quickly exited the room. "Hello?"

"Hi."

"Hi." Kurt made his way to the chair located just outside the room and sat down, trying to ignore the dirty upholstery and the tears in the fabric.

"Hello."

Kurt giggled like a thirteen year old with a crush, pulling his legs up against him and resting his feet on the edge of the chair. "Are we going to do this all night?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay." Neither one of them said anything for a few seconds and instead just enjoyed the silence of the call, knowing they were so far away but somehow still connected. "So I'm in Ohio right now," Kurt finally said.

"Ohio? Really? What for?"

"It's where my family is, where I grew up. Lima to be more exact. My best friend, sister-in-law, high school competitor, whatever you want to call her," he laughed, thinking about all of the memories he'd had with her over the years, "she had her baby last night. I came to see her."

"Aw. Kids are great. If my dad hadn't expected so much of me, I would've considered a job as a teacher."

Kurt didn't miss the way Blaine sounded disappointed, unhappy with his job, wanting more from his life, but he let it pass, not wanting to get into anything too personal just yet. "I'm looking forward to spoiling her to death."

"She'll be one lucky little girl. Was it her first one?"

"Yes. Her name is Elizabeth," he sighed. "She's perfect in every way."

"Well congratulations, Uncle Kurt. You must be excited."

"I am. The wait for her to get here seemed endless." Kurt smiled at a young couple as they passed by, most likely on their way to a checkup. She was barely showing, but had the glow that all new mothers had and it was apparent on the man standing next to her as well. It was something he hoped to see on his husband in the future when they held their daughter or son in their arms for the first time.

"You should send me a picture of the two of you. If she's half as beautiful as you, she won't have any problems getting whatever she wants."

Kurt started blushing upon hearing Blaine's compliment and began chewing on his bottom lip. Talking on the phone with Blaine was more nerve-wracking than actually being with him, though he was happy to feel so close to Blaine despite how far away they were. "I don't know about that. She's much better looking than I am."

"Kurt, I…" Blaine stopped talking, immediately regretting how slow his filter could be to react at times.

"Yes, Blaine?"

Kurt could hear Blaine hesitating on the other line. "I… should you get back to them? I don't want to keep you…" he trailed off.

"No, they'll be fine. It's nice to get out of that tiny hospital room anyway." Kurt rested his chin on his knee. "I can't wait until Tuesday night. Getting out of my apartment for something other than work or errands will be nice as well."

"I assume you aren't going to be my flight attendant tomorrow, are you?" Kurt thought he heard a hint of sadness in Blaine's voice, despite his teasing tone.

"I'm staying here until Tuesday morning, but I asked Kassie to cover my shift. You'll love her. She's one of the top-rated flight attendants the airline has."

"She's not you, though. She won't give me an extra cookie or entertain me while she passes. Whatever will I do without that extra sugar and conversation, Kurt? I'll die!"

"Someone's being a bit over-dramatic. You seemed to get along just fine before." Kurt couldn't contain the smile plastered on his face. Blaine was the perfect balance between mature and immature; between playful and serious; between what Kurt looked for in a man and what he actually needed from a partner.

"You won't think that when I flop over dead."

"I'll tell you what. I'll buy an extra cookie and give Kassie specific directions as to who to deliver it to. Will that work?"

Blaine grumbled, but accepted Kurt's offer "I guess it will have to. You'll just have to make up for it on Tuesday."

"I'll be more than happy to. I may even make a special batch of cookies especially for you if Kassie tells me you didn't give her any trouble."

"You bake?" Blaine asked, surprised.

"Of course I do, so be sure to treat Kassie well, and you'll find out just how talented I am come Tuesday."

"This sounds like something I want to see," Blaine's voice was muffled by what sounded like a full mouth.

"Blaine, are you eating again?"

"Why would you think that?"

"You are always eating, aren't you?" Kurt shook his head. "I'm surprised you look the way you do with as much as you eat."

"You barely even know me," Blaine pointed out, as if that changed anything."You don't know my eating habits."

"I know you well enough to know that you eat enough food to feed a family of four. I don't think I've talked to you a single time when you haven't been eating or drinking something."

"Not true!" Blaine disagreed.

"You have cookies on every flight, coffee when we talked in the airport, when I called you last night you were eating dinner, and now your mouth is stuffed with…."

"Pie," Blaine supplied.

"Pie?" Kurt questioned. "Do you ever eat anything healthy?"

"I eat salad sometimes."

"You do?"

"Yes. On tacos."

"Blaine, a little lettuce on a taco doesn't constitute a salad," Kurt laughed. "Besides, why are you eating right now? It's 4:00 in the afternoon!"

"Ah, it is there, but here it's only 2:00. I'm on my break, flopped on my small office couch and eating some chocolate pie," Blaine said through a full mouth.

"Now I'm starting to rethink where I planned to take you on Tuesday. I need to get some decent food in you."

"Are you taking me somewhere unhealthy, Kurt?"

"You shouldn't be as excited about that as you are."

"Is that a yes?"

"I am not giving you any more clues. You'll just have to wait and see."

Their conversation was interrupted as the door beside him creaked open and Burt appeared in the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt, but Elizabeth seems to want her uncle back. I don't know what you did to that girl, but she's already in love with you."

"It's the charm of Kurt Hummel."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. I was talking to my dad. Apparently Elizabeth just can't get enough of me."

"I want to see just how charming Kurt Hummel can be."

"Tuesday." Kurt mumbled quietly and glanced at his dad out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry, I don't want to go, but…" He trailed off, not wanting to complete the sentence.

"Go be with your family. I'll see you on Tuesday."

"I can't wait. Bye, Blaine." He ended the call and stuffed his phone into his pocket as he stood up.

"Who was that?" Burt asked curiously.

"Just someone from work. I'm having him take over my flights for the next couple of days while I'm here so we were just rearranging times and stuff." Kurt hated lying to his dad, the one person who had always accepted him and been there for him, but he wasn't ready to talk about Blaine. Not yet. Blaine had just come into his life, and as selfish as it sounds, Kurt wasn't ready to share him yet. He wanted a little bit of time to get to know Blaine for himself before hearing his family's opinions on the matter.

"Alright, well you better get in here pretty quick. I'm not sure she can wait much longer."

Kurt scurried inside and scooped Elizabeth up in his arms, followed closely by Burt. He still couldn't contain the smile Blaine had put on his face, lucky that he could pass it off as nothing more than the baby he held in his arms.

Burt snapped a quick picture of the two of them on Kurt's phone, which he proceeded to send to Blaine as asked. He was surprised when he received a reply not even a minute later.

Good looks must run in the family. The baby isn't the

Only gorgeous thing in that picture.

Kurt smiled and sent a quick reply before placing his phone back in his pocket, conflicted as to whether he wanted Tuesday to come quick or savor the time he had with his family.

"You'll call us as soon as you land, won't you?" Carole clung to Kurt in the airport on Tuesday morning. It felt as if she'd forgotten that he was used to flying to and from New York, as if it weren't his job.

"Of course I will," he assured her anyway. He turned to his dad and wrapped his arms around him. "Make sure you send me a lot of pictures of Lizzie, okay?"

"You're still calling her that?" Burt pulled away and slid an arm around Carole's waist.

Kurt shrugged. "What Rachel doesn't know won't hurt her."

"You could always come back and see her for yourself, you know." Burt nudged him in the arm.

"I know. I'll make it back more often," Kurt promised. The overhead speaker called for any remaining passengers for the flight to New York and Kurt picked up his bag, pulling his ticket out of the front pocket before zipping it shut. "I guess I should go."

"Tell that Blaine kid thanks for taking over your flights," Burt reminded him.

"What- oh, y-yeah. I will, Dad." He moved forward to hug Carole and Burt one last time before telling them goodbye and heading into the terminal.

The next few hours were a blur to Kurt. He was anxious to see Blaine later that night; to finally spend time with the boy that consumed so many of his thoughts lately. Once home, he'd changed as quickly as he could, then moved into the kitchen to make the cookies he'd promised Blaine—a peanut butter cookie fused together with a chocolate cookie, his personal favorite. The cookies didn't take long to make—he was finished within 45 minutes—which left him with nothing to do but sit on his worn down couch as he watched each minute tick by on the clock. After an agonizingly long wait, the hour hand hit the six and the minute hand hit the three and he shot up from the couch. 6:15. By the time he got his coat on and made it to the coffee shop, it'd be around 6:45, a decent time to arrive, he reasoned. He slid his arms through his form-fitting jacket and swung a scarf around his neck before quickly exiting the apartment. He fumbled with his keys as his anxiety spiked, but locked the door and hurried down the stairs and into the streets. He was surprised when he reached Starbucks to find Blaine inside, his hair void of gel, his curls running free, and his suit replaced by a light grey cardigan and a pair of jeans that hugged his lips in a way Kurt found mesmerizing. He noticed the way a curl fell down across his forehead and way the tight cardigan accentuated every contour of his chest. He was breathtaking. Kurt stood in the doorway staring at him until Blaine looked up from his paper and smiled in his direction. Kurt quickly made his way over and sat down across from Blaine, placing his bag on the floor next to his chair.

"Hey," he said after loosening his scarf a bit.

"Hey yourself. You're early," Blaine noted.

"As are you. Just couldn't wait any longer to see me? Kurt joked.

He wasn't expecting to heart Blaine actually say yes. "I just…I also wanted to make sure I could find the place."

"You said you've been here before." Kurt sank back in his seat and made himself comfortable.

"It's been awhile. I live on the other side of town so I don't make it over here too often. It's a bit of a walk."

"Did you walk all the way here? You should've told me. I could've picked somewhere a little closer." Kurt slumped down and tried to shake off the guilt he had.

"It's fine. I like the exercise." Blaine shrugged it off like it was nothing, but Kurt remained silent. "I'll take a cab home." Blaine reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Kurt's, both of them immediately focusing on their joined hands. Blaine jerked his hand away. "Sorry."

Kurt was disappointed by the loss of contact, but tried not to make too much of it. He reached down into his bag and pulled out a container of freshly-baked cookies. "Kassie said you were very well-behaved on the flight, so as a reward, I did a little baking earlier today."

Blaine's face lit up as he took the container from Kurt. "You really baked me cookies?"

"Of course. I said I would, didn't I?" He reached across the table and removed the lid, revealing the cookies packed tightly inside. "It's my favorite kind of cookie to make, so you'll have to let me know what you think."

Blaine reached into the container and grabbed onto a cookie, but Kurt slapped his hand away. "What was that for?"

"Not now! Would you like to go now? I have a feeling you'll love this place." Kurt placed the lid back tightly on the container and stuffed it back into his bag."

"You're just a tease." Blaine playfully stuck out his tongue.

Kurt paused halfway between sitting down and standing up, unable to contain the laughter that escaped his lips. "Did you seriously just stick your tongue out at me?"

"What can I say? I've been told I have the maturity of a five-year-old. I claim it's how I compensate for being so professional and grown up all day in the office." Blaine stood up and slipped on his jacket. "Are you still not going to tell me where we're going?"

"Not a chance. I want to see the surprised look on your face when you see the place." Kurt took his place beside Blaine and led him towards the door.

"What if I've been there before? If it's somewhere with deliciously unhealthy food, there's a very good chance I have."

"You said you don't make it over here much and this place is relatively new. It opened over the summer." Blaine's smug smile disappeared and Kurt chuckled. "Exactly. Now come on. It's only a few blocks away."

They wandered into the streets which were lit up by hundreds of lights, creating the illusion that it was actually the middle of the afternoon rather than 7:00 at night. Kurt looked up at the skyscrapers they were passing, seeming to take in the city as if he'd never seen it before. Perhaps he hadn't seen it in the same way as he had with the boy he liked by his side, on what seemed like the first real date he'd had in years. The city seemed different to him because he finally had someone to share it with. He had someone else who understood the rushed environment, the dirty streets, the mixed smell of exhaust and fast food. Unlike his family, Blaine knew how to deal with the rude pedestrians, homeless men, and those people who were always placed sporadically throughout the city (the ones who always tried handing you fliers or asking for a minute of your time). Kurt could point out his favorite spots to eat as they passed, make little remarks about something he'd seen in a store that he made a mental note to buy later on, or point out the graffiti (what Kurt prefers to call art) lining every inch of a building. Kurt enjoyed having someone to talk to away from work, away from the people he saw on a daily basis because he had to, not because he had the desire to be around them on his own.

They continued on their way, Kurt taking occasional shortcuts down an alleyway or across a park, until finally reached their destination. At least Kurt knew they had arrived. His sudden halt resulted in Blaine bumping right into him, nearly knocking him over. Thankfully, Blaine reached a hand out and held onto Kurt's arm to keep him from toppling over onto the ground and mussing his much too expensive jacket, which Kurt silently thanked him for.

"Well, this is it." Kurt held the door open for Blaine as he looked up at the brightly colored sign above the entryway. "It's my favorite frozen yogurt place. They've got twenty different flavors and more toppings than you could count on two hands."

Blaine stepped inside and suddenly understood why he, or anyone else for that matter, could love it so much. It didn't look like a normal ice cream shop with white tables and neutral-colored walls. Instead, it looked like he'd stepped into one of Willy Wonka's factories. The walls were blue with vertical green strips, the ceiling pink, and the floor orange. The counters weren't your typical box-like counters, but rather very rounded, very colorful pieces of furniture. The design on each tabletop imitated hundreds of tiny sprinkles and swirls were carved into the backs of the dark purple chairs. He'd never seen anything like it before. Kurt looked pleased when he saw Blaine's expression, the one that confirmed he was right about Blaine liking the place.

"This place…" Blaine trailed off, still looking around in awe.

"Oh, if you think the appearance is cool, wait until you actually taste the frozen yogurt. Come on. I'll help you out." Without giving it a second thought, he held out his hand. Blaine was hesitant to take it at first, mainly because he didn't want to take things too fast, but his desire to be as close to Kurt as possible took over. Blaine gave in and grabbed his hand, allowing Kurt to lead him to the beginning of what seemed like an assembly line.

"Any preference on flavors? They've got quite a bit," he asked, grabbing two cups and handing one to Blaine, who grabbed it from him with his free hand.

"Any suggestions?" Blaine asked in return. He could feel his voice shaking and he hoped Kurt couldn't tell how nervous he was to be standing so close to him, to have his hand still wrapped in Kurt's.

"Well, I personally like the fruity rather than the sweet. I'm a health freak, unlike you." Kurt nudged him in the side. "Mango and raspberry are my favorite. But since you seem to like the sweet stuff, I'm regretfully recommending the cotton candy, red velvet cake, or peanut butter and chocolate swirl. Of course you also have your standard chocolate and vanilla." Kurt let go of Blaine's hand and walked to one of the self-serve machines, filling his cup up with raspberry before returning to Blaine. "Still can't decide?"

"They all sound so good." Blaine continued staring at the machines, not quite sure what to make of everything. "I think I'll go with vanilla."

"Vanilla? They have sickeningly sweet flavors, and you choose to go with the original?" Kurt exaggerated his shock.

"I'll go crazy with my toppings. Plus, I have the cookies you baked for me for later." Blaine pulled the lever down on the machine closest to them and allowed the frozen yogurt to fill his cup.

"Ready to move on?" Kurt asked once they were finished. Blaine nodded and followed him to a bright yellow counter. "This is the fun part."

Blaine looked at the counter in front of him. In multicolored bowls packed tightly together, one could find any kind of topping they could possibly want: fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, bananas, kiwi, etc.); candy (reeses peanut butter cups, m&ms, butterfinger, snickers); cereal (captain crunch, cocoa puffs, rice crispies, cookie crisp); granola; various nuts such as almonds, pistachios, and peanuts; standard toppings like sprinkles' and much more. "Seems a little overwhelming," Blaine noted.

"Eh, it can be. But you've got me to help you out. For instance, I don't recommend bananas or rice crispies, but almonds and raspberries are fantastic on vanilla, especially if you add white chocolate chips to the top." Kurt sprinkled a few chocolate pieces onto his.

"You really know your combos."

Kurt laughed. "Well, I've been coming here once a week since it opened. It's my one indulgence." He picked up a spoonful of raspberries. "May I?" he asked, holding them over Blaine's bowl.

"Sure." He turned the spoon over and continued to put almonds and white chocolate chips on top as he mentioned before.

"You won't regret this," Kurt assured him.

"If I do, I'll just take yours," Blaine joked.

"You just try to do that. I dare you," Kurt giggled and finished putting toppings on his own. They each grabbed a spoon and walked over to the cash register. Blaine pulled out his wallet, but before he even had a chance to open it, Kurt grabbed it from his hands. "Don't. I brought you here. I'll pay."

Kurt paying made Blaine a little uncomfortable, but he went along with it anyway. He couldn't remember the last time someone paid for his dinner, apart from the business dinners he was always expected to attend. "Thanks, but you really didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. Now unless you'd absolutely like to stay here and eat, I'd really like to take you somewhere else to eat this. It's close, I promise, so you won't have to walk too much more today."

"Where would that be?" Blaine questioned.

"You'll see." Kurt walked out the door, this time not even waiting for Blaine to follow.

He hurried out of the frozen yogurt place and jogged to catch up with Kurt. Getting lost in New York City wasn't exactly what he had planned for the night and he wasn't too familiar with that part of town. After five minutes of walking and not a single word or bite of their dessert, Kurt stopped and turned to face Blaine. "I'm sure you've been here before, but I'm going to take you on a proper tour of Central Park. This is one of my favorite places in the city."

Blaine looked around. "Wow. Well, I certainly didn't expect this," he said, reminding himself that the entire night was the complete opposite of anything he could've imagined when he got out of bed that morning. They started walking down a path, the city lights blocked by the trees above their heads. Instead, the path was lit with light posts placed every couple hundred feet.

"Would you like to sit down so we can eat?" Kurt asked after noticing that Blaine hadn't even touched his frozen yogurt.

"Yeah. That'd be a good idea." They made their way over to one of the benches located along the side of the path and sat down. Blaine took his first bite and immediately fell in love with it. "Oh my gosh! This is amazing, Kurt!"

"I told you you'd love it," he laughed. That was something Blaine noticed about Kurt. While he was serious and mature, he was still laid back and easy-going. He seemed to laugh at everything, not in an obnoxious way, but in a way that was kind of refreshing. It was an endearing quality that Kurt held. You could tell that overall, he was happy with his life and he wasn't afraid to show it.

"This is like…orgasmic."

Kurt stopped moving, his spoon suspended in midair, and eyed Blaine with wonder. "Did you really just say that?"

"It's like sex in my mouth, yes. Not that I would know what sex is like, but that's not the point." Blaine made an effort to shut his mouth when he began to ramble, hoping Kurt hadn't picked up on the latter statement. Kurt continued to stare at him like he was the most interesting man in his life, which to be honest, he kind of was. "What?" Blaine took another bite, this one much larger than the first.

"You just… I never know what to expect from you. Sometimes, I feel like I'm talking to a five year old and other times a teenage boy, but it's in the best way. In the end, you still end up proving just how mature you are. It's weird." Kurt laughed nervously and looked away. He felt a cold hand on his own and looked down to see Blaine's hand taking his, resting gently on Kurt's lap. It sent a chill up Kurt's already cold arm and his stomach flopped even more. Blaine was close enough that their knees brushed against one another he had to make a conscious effort not to jerk away when they did so. He tried to ignore Blaine's close proximity and continued. "You're like this perfect balance between a happy, giggly clown and an old businessman."

"Wait a second." Blaine sat his cup of yogurt down on the bench next to him. "Did you just compare me to a clown." Blaine shook his head and erupted with laughter. "And I am the one that's unpredictable? That's the first time I've ever been compared to a clown. Clowns are often made fun of, you know." He teasingly stuck out his bottom lip, pretending to be offended.

"You just compared eating your ice cream to having sex. I think you deserve that one." Kurt stood up and tugged on Blaine's hand. "Now come on. It's time for your tour of the park." Blaine hopped up onto his feet and grabbed his yogurt. The two of them began walking down the path, still hand in hand, neither of them bothering to pull away.