As the days separating him from New York got smaller, Kurt Hummel was getting more and more excitable.

"Dad... how am I supposed to fit in everything I want to do in just a few days? There's Broadway, Tiffany's, SOHO, Time's Square...."

"Aren't you supposed to be going to do a singing competition there kiddo?" Burt asked, poking at the vegetable omelette Kurt had made for him with his fork as he eyed it suspiciously.

Kurt had already eaten his breakfast of yogurt and berries, and was gushing to his dad about what he wanted to see and do in New York. He knew he was going for a specific purpose, but it was New York after all - the place where legends were made.

"Oh... I know dad. All I need to do is keep caffeinated and I can fit things in while everyone else is asleep. This is going to be amazing!" He was squealing as he said it, not even caring when his dad put a few squirts of hot sauce on the omelette to make it more palatable.

"Mmmhmmm..." Burt took a bite and quickly swallowed it down, barely chewing, "Just don't go past the limit I gave you on the credit card."

Kurt nodded eagerly. His dad had given him one of the credit cards, and Kurt was already mapping out which stores he absolutely needed to visit while in Manhattan.

"What's the room assignments?"

Kurt smirked a little, having already wondered how long it would take before his dad asked that. It was Burt's less than subtle way of asking if this would be a school trip that involved him and Blaine getting touchy-feely.

"Two rooms dad. Girls and boys. I'm with the girls, Blaine's with the boys."

"Hrm..." His dad mulled that over and then nodded his approval. Kurt was better off with the girls anyhow. They appreciated things like skin care, manicures, and hair styling. Blaine meanwhile, despite being gay, was not interested in any of the other guys and had made that quite clear when they had initially balked at having him in their room, citing that he had all seen their junk in the showers, and was not impressed enough for a second glance, causing chuckles from the girls, and blushes from the boys. Then once both genders got over it, they all looked curiously at Kurt, as if he was something Blaine would be comparing them all too.

He had blushed furiously.

When Finn finally announced he was ready, they both hugged Burt goodbye. They were leaving that afternoon from the school to the airport. They had said goodbye to Carol earlier since she had to work an early shift.

Kurt was still a little tense around Blaine, but he had pushed aside the idea that Blaine could have killed anyone. It simply wasn't the Blaine he knew and loved, and he knew what his dad had said to Carol was right - you shouldn't jump to conclusions.

It didn't make him any less curious about it though. He just hoped Blaine would open up and tell him at some point.

He and Finn arrived at school without much fanfare. The day dragged from period to period. He didn't have time for chemistry! New York was waiting for him!

Finally the end of the day was signalled by the bell ringing and every glee club member raced to the choir room to do their pre-trip meeting. The room was utterly noisy as everyone carried on conversations with several people at once about what they hoped to see and do, and about how excited they were. It took Mr. Schuester whistling to get everyone to pay attention.

"Alright. I can see everyone is here, and everyone had their bags. Let's get this show on the road!"

A cheer went up among them and they filed out of the choir room, through the school halls, and onto the waiting bus.

Blaine sat himself beside Kurt, looking less excited than the rest of the club members and a little nauseous.

"What's wrong?" Kurt whispered over.

"I... well I've flown lots before... but I take drugs to knock me out during the ride. I'm petrified of flying..."

Blaine? Terrified? Well this was a new one.

"Do you have anything to take for this flight?"

Blaine nodded and pulled a small prescription bottle out of the pocket of his coat to show Kurt. "I just... don't want to look like a pussy in front of everyone. I've only ever travelled with my folks before so I didn't care if I passed out around them..."

Kurt chuckled and gave Blaine a kiss on the cheek, "Oh Blaine... Just make up something legitimate sounding that would have you sleep on the plane ride. It's not a long trip either. I'm so excited... my first plane ride ever."

Blaine looked back to Kurt in both disbelief and suspicion. "Never? You've never been on a plane before?"

Kurt shook his head. "No. I can't wait."

Blaine's nose wrinkled up, clearly not sharing the sentiment.

"It's stupid that we're not in the same room."

"You know perfectly well why we aren't..." Kurt noted. Really it didn't bother him. It wasn't like he wanted to make out in the same room as his brother or friends anyhow.

"I asked Mr. Butthead if I could buy a third room for just us with my own money and he said he couldn't, in good conscience, give me clearance to have a room alone with my boyfriend during a school trip. Ass." Blaine spat, staring angrily at the back of Mr. Schuester's head several seats up.

A shake of his head, and a chuckle later, Kurt asked, "So you'll just have to wait until we're back in Lima to cuddle."

"Fuck that." Blaine growled and pressed his side against Kurt's, bowing his head down to rest on Kurt's shoulder. "I want to cuddle fucking now."

"You know..." Kurt mused as he wrapped an arm around Blaine, "I can't decide if you sound like a deviant or a five year old when you talk like that."

"Five and a half." Blaine grumbled.

"Dude. I can't believe Blaine napped the whole flight. You could see like the whole of Manhattan from up in the plane!"

"Apparently lady lips and him joined the mile high club and he said he was exhausted from the orgasm so he passed out."

"What?!"

"You know, in Canada it's called the kilometre high club..."

"Blaine... what did you tell them?" Kurt hissed quietly at the groggy, but adorable boy beside him.

"Hrm... I said the reason we went up to the front together ... is 'cause you wanted to suck me off on a plane..." Blaine mumbled, leaning against Kurt. The medicine was apparently taking awhile to wear off, leaving Blaine looking exhausted and sounding confused despite the fact that he quite clearly knew what he had done..

Kurt groaned, hoping that Finn wouldn't say anything in passing that could get back to his dad. They had gone up to the front of the plane where the attendant had gotten Blaine a drink for him to take the medication with - now everyone thought they had done something salacious, and he had been the one who told Blaine to come up with a cover story for why he was napping on the flight. Kurt just thought he might have come up with something more innocent sounding. Really, he should have known better.

Kurt was still coming down from the high of his first plane ride. Even with Blaine crushed against him, drooling on his shoulder the whole way, the experience was phenomenal. He had decided to take way more vacations and to travel by plane. The thrill of take-off, seeing everything growing smaller until it looked like a map from geography, and then seeing the New York skyline from above was all permanently pressed into his memory.

"All right guys! Group meeting in the boys room in fifteen! Get your bathroom breaks in and put your stuff away fast!" Mr. Schuester announced, giving Rachel and Finn each a room key that would allow them access to each of the rooms. The time limit would barely give Kurt a chance to refresh himself from the flight.

Everyone rushed off, and Kurt struggled with his bags, having brought a couple extra empty suitcases in order to bring home as much as he possibly could, in addition to helping direct Blaine and Blaine's solitary duffel bag..

"Come on Blaine."

"Don't wanna...." Blaine drawled, nuzzling his head against Kurt's neck despite them walking, or at least shuffling, toward the elevator.

Kurt grumbled, but eventually managed to maneuver himself and Blaine into the elevator well after everyone else had made their way up. He dared not look at his shoulder, knowing by this point it was probably coated in a thick layer of Blaine's saliva. When they did reach their floor, the process of leading Blaine while managing all his luggage began again and he moaned in relief when he finally made it to the girls room and dropped all his stuff inside the door just as all the girls were leaving the room and telling him he was going to be late.

Grabbing Blaine by the shoulders, he pushed him from behind to the boys room where he directed him to a chair and pushed him into a sitting position. There. Blaine-sitting was done as far as he was concerned.

The meeting consisted of Mr. Schuester told them they were to stay in the room and pump out some songs while he went to deal with some paperwork at the theatre. Rachel immediately took over and tried to get everyone to support her singing everything, and then everyone became irritated with her and went into their own little groups to brainstorm.

Two hours later, and several terrible attempts at songwriting later, they were no further ahead and all tired of being locked away in a hotel room while New York was just outside. Blaine had gotten over his medication by this point, so when the group decided to abandon the room despite Mr. Schuester's orders, Blaine was the first one out the door, leading Kurt by the hand.

New York was amazing.

The people had a sense of urgency and direction that Kurt loved. They walked down those sidewalks with a goal in mind. There was no mindless ambling that one would see in Ohio. The buildings were tall, and, more importantly, beautiful. They had a timeless quality.

And oh, the stores. The multitude of places to shop, and the immensity of the stores, coupled with the professional security guards at every store entrance completely overwhelmed Kurt - and of all things he thought he would be ready for in New York, shopping was top of the list.

Blaine saw Kurt's face light up when they came across the first designer store and insisted on them going in. Hesitantly, Kurt stepped in. He wondered if the locals could smell the Ohio on him, or see it. He was definitely nervous. Designer labels came to Lima only now and then, and usually very out of season.

The feeling passed though, and pretty quickly once he started recognized pieces that had just been on the runway. Blaine seemed amused by it all, and humoured Kurt as he tried on piece after piece of clothing.

"I love the leather jacket on you." Blaine nearly purred when Kurt came out in his twelfth ensemble from the dressing room.

Kurt chuckled. "I'm sure you do." He twirled in front of the 3-way mirror and checked himself out from the back. There was no way his credit limit could afford one piece of clothing on him, let alone all of it, but he was enjoying the fantasy.

So when he finally returned to his own clothing after trying on damn near everything in the store, he was aghast to see Blaine holding out two bags of clothing for him.

"What fun is being a trust fund brat if I don't get to take advantage of it now and then?"

"But won't your mom be upset?" Kurt hissed, peeking into the bags at the items Blaine had selected for him from what he had tried on, which, not surprisingly, included the leather jacket.

"She doesn't fund my account. The lawyers who take care of my dad's business do. I get a certain percentage of profits just for existing."

"Oh my god... I suddenly see the appeal in being a trophy wife...." Kurt said, shaking his head. He knew Blaine and his family had money, especially considering the frequent gifts and flowers, but given that he had just been bought thousands of dollars worth of clothing without Blaine evening batting an eyelash, he was just now really realizing just how much money they had. Kurt might have felt guilty about spending that money, or rather, having that money so freely spent on him, but he was too in love with the idea of having so many fantastic clothes in his closet to care.

Blaine laughed and wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist as they walked down the sidewalk. No one stared, or looked upset by their act of open affection, and it was just another item on his mental list of reasons to move to New York when he graduated.

More stores were stopped at, and more bags of clothes bought for him by Blaine, until they were both overloaded and had to return to the hotel.

"God... the girls are going to hate me when they see all this...." Kurt gushed.

Blaine smirked to himself and, when they entered the elevator, Kurt had to tell him that he had pressed the wrong button.

"Or did I?" Blaine snickered, winking at Kurt.

Kurt gasped, and then spun a bag at Blaine's side playfully, "You didn't!"

Blaine laughed, leading the way out of the elevator onto the penthouse floor where he used the key to open up a luxurious suite that couldn't even compare to the ones Kurt had seen in his favourite romance movies. "Obviously we need to be down in the other rooms for Mr. Schuester's check... but let's face it. He lets a lot get by under his nose. It won't be hard to get this by him."

Kurt stared at Blaine with wide eyes. The kid dressed like he had found his clothing in a garbage piled and yet here he was, paying for a penthouse room and buying Kurt all the latest clothes off the runways.

The bags dropped from Kurt's hands and in a rush, he had Blaine pressed back against the wall, their lips crushed together. Blaine dropped the bags and moved his hands around Kurt, grabbing handfuls of ass and lifting him up.

Blaine kicked the door closed and carried Kurt to the bedroom as they continued to lock lips passionately. Kurt had his fingers running through Blaine's curls, grabbing now and then. His legs had wrapped themselves up around Blaine's waist to hold himself up as he was carried down the hall and then tossed down onto the bed.

Hitting the bed, he let out a breath of air. His face was completely flushed and his cock was painfully hard against his skinny jeans. Blaine was also flushed, and looking down at him, looking Kurt up and down with dark eyed hunger... no. Starvation.

Their eyes locked and together they pulled their shirts off and tossed them down to the floor. Kurt was about to pull off his own pants, but Blaine was there quicker - ripping off Kurt's pants from the waist, and briefs along with them.

Then Blaine stared. He just looked Kurt over and stared with an intensity that told Kurt that this was it. A shiver went up Kurt's spine as he laid back on the bed, propped up on his elbows. Slowly he spread his legs apart and looked at Blaine intently, inviting him.

Blaine crawled up over Kurt, still in his jeans and kissed Kurt sweetly, just once, before sitting back on his legs and running his hands down Kurt's abdomen, over hips on each side, and then meeting his fingers back together to gently nudge Kurt's yet untouched pucker. Kurt couldn't help but gasp, another shudder going through him.

Blaine had clearly prepared for this, drawing one hand away from Kurt's ass and reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out a small bottle of lube. Kurt stared at it, knowing exactly what this meant, and the fear and the thrill shot through him together so he didn't know how he felt. His cock knew what it wanted though, and it swelled with that want.

Blaine smirked as he followed Kurt's gaze to the lube bottle. He purposely, teasingly, cracked it open slowly and then let the clear liquid drop on his fingers drop by drop before finally bringing his hand back down and rolling a finger against the clenched barrier, which tightened even more at the unfamiliar feeling. It certainly wasn't a bad feeling, just new, and frighteningly exciting.

"Fuck babe... you need to relax..." Blaine uttered, gently trying to press his finger in without much success.

Kurt let out a long, slow breath as he tried to calm his body, coaxing his muscles to slowly loosen up. As he did, Blaine slid his finger up to the knuckle inside of Kurt, and Kurt's breath caught again as his mind screamed at him. He was being invaded. No. He was letting someone else in.

Blaine was watching him quietly, and as Kurt again let out a long breath to relax himself, the finger was pushed up further. Kurt willed himself to not tense up this time, and the finger within him began a slow in-and-out pumping that made Kurt feel like he was going to fall over even though he was already laying down. It was good, and Blaine seemed to know what to look for because it didn't take long for an especially sensitive nerve bundle to be hit - sending shockwaves of pleasure down to Kurt's toes and up to his ears.

At this point he had given up on trying to watch what was happening and had fallen back off his elbows, writhing back on the bed and moaning softly, so he didn't notice that Blaine had dotted lube onto a second finger until that finger was suddenly plunged into him as well. A hiss came out within his whimpered moans as he was rapidly stretched out. A flash of worry went through his mind, worried he might tear, but it was stopped by that jolt of pleasure he got whenever Blaine hit that special spot.

Throughout it all, Blaine just kept telling Kurt how turned on he was. "You're so fucking hot... I'm not going to be able to last... fuck I want to hear you scream my name."

A third finger pressed in, and Kurt whined from the pressure and the pull he felt in his ass. He dared not move now as Blaine was rapidly slamming his fingers in and out. From the corner of his eye he could see that Blaine had pulled down his own pants finally, and was jerking himself off with his free hand. With a sight like that and the spasms of pleasure going though him, Kurt didn't think he'd last long either.

He thought that this would be all they would be able to do today, that they would both orgasm soon and the rest would be left for another day, but the fingers were abruptly removed - making him cringe as his now spread hole was swollen from the penetration it had experienced and the air hitting it made it feel dry and sore.

He cracked his eyes open to look to Blaine questioningly, finding that Blaine was over him, one arm looping behind Kurt's back while the other was hooking under his legs to pick him up bridal style with no warning. Kurt made a small whimper of inquiry, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck as he was carried to the bathroom.

"I want to see you from every possible angle when I fuck you... and this bathroom has a lot of mirrors." Blaine said softly, sitting Kurt down on the edge of the bathroom counter, which indeed, had mirrors all around. The height of the counter was perfect, as if Blaine had checked it out beforehand to make sure, so that Blaine's cock could just slide into Kurt's ass.

Kurt was still trembling, so sensitive from what had already happened. He didn't know how Blaine was staying so calm through this all since it was his first time doing this as well. Lube was applied again to Kurt's ass and Kurt was pushed back to lean again the wall, his ass exposed to Blaine. The fingers rubbed the lube along Kurt's tender ass before the head of Blaine's pulsing and eager cock lined itself up and, with no amount of gentleness, rammed in.

Kurt let out a small, surprised cry, and then went silent. He felt choked. He felt more full than he ever knew was possible. Blaine moaned, and held himself in place, pushing Kurt's hips down with his hands so no movement away was possible. After what seemed like an eternity, he started to move back, though it didn't last long before he was slammed back up inside Kurt to the hilt again.

White knuckled, Kurt hung onto the edge of the counter. He could see himself, and Blaine, from every possible angle - and a small part of him felt embarrassed for watching, just like he had felt embarrassed when he had tried watching porn. Largely though, he felt completely overwhelmed by the sensations running through him. His toes curled as his prostate was hit every second second, drowning out the burning pain in the ring of muscles enveloping Blaine's cock.

And he did cry out finally; a long, drawn out cry as he orgasmed. He didn't even realize it was going to happen - it just happened, his own cum covering his stomach and chest as the waves of orgasm washed over him while Blaine continued to slam up into him well past the point where Kurt was coming down from the high.

Blaine gave one final, sharp thrust, burying himself deep inside Kurt and groaning lowly as he shot his own load up inside Kurt. They hadn't even bothered with a condom. The thought passed through Kurt lazily, and despite what all the pamphlets had said about safe sex, he knew he wasn't going to let it bother him right now.

They didn't move for a minute after that as their breathing slowed and deepened, and Blaine didn't pull out right away either. It was when Kurt finally pulled his fingers off the edge of the counter and gently tapped Blaine's stomach that he seemed to remember where he was and what had happened, slowly and delicately pulling himself out as Kurt cringed with the hollowed out and fiery feeling of his first bottoming experience.

Again Blaine cleaned himself up and then Kurt, as his orgasm was now dripping out, making Kurt grimace at the thought of the mess. Too sore to try to move, Blaine picked him up and returned him to the bed where he lovingly tucked him under the covers before crawling in to snuggle against him.

"I...." Kurt started. He felt like he needed to say something, but when his mouth opened, he found he didn't know what to say.

"I love you." Blaine said, resting his head against Kurt's shoulder. Familiar hands wrapped around Kurt and pulled him close. He was so afraid of moving and finding out how sore he really was because it already hurt pretty damn badly just by staying still.

Kurt however, was happy. His dad was right. It was a way of connecting with another person, and despite the rumors and the questions he still had, he was happy he had made that connection with Blaine. Right now, everything felt so very right, and he would have been happy to stay in this moment forever.

He didn't know when he dozed off, but he knew that they would be in trouble when he did wake up to see that night had fallen by the moonlight shining in through the window. Blaine was snoring softly with his head rested on Kurt's chest, and as Kurt tried to slip out from under Blaine, a painful jolt went up him to remind him of what had happened and kept him from moving anymore.

He prodded Blaine's shoulder gently, "Blaine... BLAINE! Wake up."

Blaine grumbled, but his eyes opened, staring up at Kurt.

"We fell asleep. It's night time. We need to get back down before Mr. Schuester finds out."

Blaine smirked, and reached across the bed, grabbing his phone and holding it out to Kurt. "You fell asleep and you looked so goddamn sweet... I sure as hell wasn't going to wake you. Brittany and Puckerman are covering for us."

Kurt scanned the last few texts, seeing how Blaine had promised Puck some beer and Brittany some cool ranch doritos if they set up some pillows under blankets as if Kurt and Blaine were in their respective rooms and had already gone to sleep. Both of them had texted back later to let Blaine know that Mr. Schuester had bought it when he had come by to check, and that everyone was willing to keep their little secret so long as lunch was bought for them tomorrow.

Kurt chuckled and set the phone on the night table beside him. "Once again... you have it all figured out."

Blaine shrugged, gently tracing a finger up and down Kurt's abdomen, outlining his ribs and muscles. "I just wanted... for things to be perfect for you."

Kurt cooed softly, "It was. Though I don't think I can move ever again."

"Sorry." Blaine said, though with a smugness in his voice. He seemed pleased with himself.

"God... if that's what that's like I can't wait for summer... all the extra free time we'll have together.... Mmm..."

Blaine didn't respond, and as Kurt glanced down, he saw sadness in Blaine's eyes. "Blaine?"

"I can't be in Lima in the summer..."

Kurt felt a sharp pain in his heart, his eyes widened, and he looked at Blaine open-mouthed.

"When they did the investigation into my dad, they found out my grandmom was here illegally. We have to move her back to the Philippines this summer and my mom won't let me stay in Lima alone."

Guilt filled Kurt. If he hadn't had pressed charges, the investigation wouldn't have been done, and Blaine wouldn't be going. He made a small cry and Blaine squeezed him tighter.

"I... just wanted this to be perfect for you..."

He held onto Blaine as if his life depended on it, and though his mind was going a mile a minute, he couldn't form any words.

Everything had gone from perfect to awful.

The next morning, Kurt had forced himself to get up. It hurt quite a bit, and he needed to waddle around while he showered and got dressed, but eventually he got accustomed to the dull ache coming from inside him and was able to force himself to walk properly, if not with a little bit of a limp.

He didn't dare wake Blaine, but watched him sleep for a long while, taking every little detail into memory. He knew this wasn't the end of the world, that it was only a summer, but after yesterday, he felt, more than ever, the need to be permanently connected with Blaine. Knowing that they would be apart for several months hurt him in a way he had never felt before. It was a little like someone had died, when no one actually had, and that part of him was being slowly torn out.

He needed a distraction.

So that morning he woke up Rachel and they had breakfast at Tiffany's. He knew no one would appreciate that as much as Rachel would. As Rachel lamented her struggles with Finn and balancing out the career she wanted, Kurt wondered if he shouldn't be thinking the same way about Blaine and him.

Sure, he loved Blaine dearly, but he didn't even know what Blaine wanted to do after graduation. He didn't seem to have a goal in life beyond getting into Kurt's pants, and as much as Kurt enjoyed it, he wanted Blaine to be as passionate about something as Kurt was about performing.

Which is what prompted Kurt to suggest to Rachel that they break into the Gershwin theater.

He needed the distraction as much as Rachel needed to know that Broadway was her destiny. He didn't want to worry about his future with Blaine, or his lack of Blaine in the summer - he just wanted to do what he loved the most - sing.

So they sang, with the guards blessing, on the same stage that Wicked was performed on - pouring out all their emotions and dreams on that floor to the absent audience. It was magic.

Kurt always knew it was what he wanted to do. Now he knew it was also what he needed to do.

As they walked back to the hotel, he and Rachel discussed moving to New York, finding a school that specialized in theater, and making names for themselves on stage.

The conversation was fluid, and went on until they got back to the girls room where they joined everyone else, awake now, in their struggles to write songs. Rachel went immediately to her computer, feeling suddenly inspired, while Finn noted he was getting the finishing touches done on a song he had been working on since last night.

Kurt quietly walked over to Blaine, who was sitting on the floor by the window and picking at Sam's guitar lazily. He smiled softly to Kurt, holding Kurt's eyes in his own as he settled on the floor by Blaine.

"You alright?" Blaine whispered, noticing how gingerly Kurt was sitting himself down.

Kurt nodded once, grinning back to Blaine. His whole body had started humming the instant he had seen Blaine in the room, as if his heart had been powered back on and the motor was running hard within him.

They listened in at the sudden brilliance that had come from Finn. He had managed to create a beautifully moving ballad that everyone seemed to like. Rachel meanwhile, with the help of Mercedes, had created an uplifting tune to go out on. Getting out and exploring the city had definitely inspired some creativity.

They worked on choreography under the lead of Brittany and Mike, and while the boys were doing a spin, Puck stumbled into Blaine, nearly knocking him over.

"Fuck Pottyman! Watch it!" Blaine snapped as he balanced himself on both feet.

"Screw off Anderson! It was just an accident!" Puck snapped back.

"Oh yah? Well my fist is just going to accidentally punch your face if you don't figure out what the hell you're supposed to be doing!"

Puck puffed out his chest. He knew Blaine's reputation, but seemed to want to hold his ground in front of everyone. "What? You going to off me too like you did to that kid at your old school?"

Kurt's eyes bulged and immediately locked onto Finn who was trying to look away nervously. Finn had told Puck what they had heard.

Everyone went completely silent and still, all looking at the space between Puck and Blaine. Blaine's face was screwed up, brows furrowed in confusion, "What the fuck are you on about?"

"You killed some kid at your old school. We all know about it! We know you're going to court about it!" Puck raged on.

Kurt looked around the room, seeing in everyone's eyes that they did know. Had Finn told them all or had it been passed from person to person without him knowing? His eyes settled back on Blaine who seemed to have some of recognition flickering in his eyes. His hand reached over and grabbed Puck by the collar, who just let it happen as he smugly smirked at Blaine, knowing he had managed to get under his skin.

"I... didn't... kill... him." Blaine spoke slowly and deliberately as he drew Puck closer to him. "He was killed when he and I were attacked."

Blaine shoved Puck back then, releasing his hand as he did it so Puck ended up falling back. All eyes were on Blaine though, including Kurt's. Kurt could see now the pain in his eyes, and the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. When Blaine stalked out angrily, Kurt followed.

"Blaine!"

Blaine kept walking forward, and Kurt could see him using his sleeve as a towel to dry his eyes on. He wouldn't turn around if he was crying. He wouldn't want Kurt to see.

So Kurt ran up behind Blaine and drew his arms around his waist from behind, holding him tightly up against him. "I'm so sorry...."

"You told them? How did you even find out?" Blaine whimpered to the empty air in front of him.

"I didn't tell them... Finn must have. We overheard my dad talking about some papers he saw in your mom's minivan about you being summoned to court for involvement in a kid's death..." Kurt admitted. He should have told Finn to keep it quiet. He should have told Blaine about what he had heard.

Blaine swallowed hard enough that Kurt could hear it, and then weakly asked, "Can we go hide in our room?"

Kurt nodded his head against Blaine's back, "Yes."

Blaine allowed Kurt to come up to his side and they walked to the elevator where Kurt slipped his hand over Blaine's and rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb gently. The trip up the hotel was quiet as Blaine looked at the floor and Kurt looked at Blaine.

When they were finally back in their room, which apparently had been cleaned since this morning as the bed was all neatly made and the towels replaced, Blaine crawled up on top of the bed and laid down on his stomach, sighing softly as he nestled his cheek into the blanket.

Kurt crawled up beside him, but sat instead and gently rubbed Blaine's back. He didn't ask any questions, knowing full well that Blaine would speak when he was ready.

"So... I told you about being attacked by those guys after the Sadie Hawkins dance... and how I ended up in hospital recovering for awhile... well... I got off easy. That day I ran outside of my house when you pulled up and I wanted you to drive away... I testified that day about what had happened. I had to look at them all again... I became that weak little kid again who wasn't able to fight them off to save myself or my friend..."

Click. Click. Click.

That was the sound of Kurt's mind as the missing pieces of the puzzle surrounding Blaine were put into place. That was who Arthur had been. That was why Blaine was so protective of Kurt.

"Oh Blaine...."

Blaine rolled onto his back and looked up at Kurt. Surprisingly, his eyes were dry and he seemed to have composed himself while talking about it. That was good since Kurt's eyes felt like they were going to burst open as his heart cried for Blaine and what he had been through and still had to relive because it was only now in court.

They held one another for awhile, both wrapping their arms around the other as they laid back on the bed, heads on the pillows.

"Guess I'm out of mystery now..." Blaine noted after a lengthy silence, smiling to Kurt as he brushed his fingers over Kurt's cheek.

Kurt chuckled, leaning his head into the touch. "And I'm still here - short, dark, and not-so-mysterious. Guess I must really love you."

"I love you too... but..."

Kurt's eyes fluttered open, "But? What but?"

"But I'm going away for a few months..."

"Blaine Anderson - you'd better not be proposing we take a break because you're gone. Honestly. Do you think I'd give you up that easily? Men go to war for longer than that and still come home to waiting wives."

Blaine's smile stretched from ear to ear as Kurt rambled on and he pulled him tighter against him. "Alright. No break."

"Damn straight no break." Kurt huffed, shaking his head in disbelief at Blaine, "Especially after your... 'performance' yesterday. I'm definitely not giving that up even if I have to wait years."

That made Blaine laugh, and Kurt hung onto the sweet sound of it, knowing he would make it a mission of his to get Blaine to laugh more often.

"It's going to be hard... sure... but I don't want to let you go... ever." Kurt admitted.

"I'm sorry this happened... but I can't say no. I have to be a good boy sometimes." Blaine said quietly.

"I understand... I'm sorry I pressed charges and caused it to happen..."

"Oh fuck Kurt." Blaine growled and gave him a gentle squeeze, "Don't be sorry. My dad isn't around anymore and now that old bag will be gone too. She may cook well, but that's about all she does that's good... aside from saving your lovely ass the one time - but I think she owed me that at least."

They snuggled for awhile longer until they decided that the group downstairs was probably feeling overly guilty by now and went back to join them. Murmured apologies came from all corners of the room, and Blaine's mask went back up as he scowled at them all and silently went back to working on his background singing and dancing - leaving everyone wondering if they were being forgiven or merely tolerated. Kurt didn't give any indication of his own feelings either. The goal now was to get ready for their nationals performance, and that's what they needed to focus on.

By the time bedtime came and Mr. Schuester had checked on them, every inch of Kurt was sore and he and Blaine snuck back away to their room where they fell asleep before they could even think about foreplay.

When they awoke, they rushed to get ready and helped one another get dressed. Kurt was still a little tender so when Blaine teasingly ran a finger up the slit of Kurt's ass as he pulled up Kurt's pants, Kurt nearly jumped right out of them with a yelp.

"Sorry babe..." Blaine said softly, though his eyes were on the finger print bruises on Kurt's hips now. "Shit... I didn't see those yesterday..."

Kurt put a finger against Blaine's lips and shh'd him. "I'm fine. Get ready."

Blaine nodded, though his eyes lingered for a second on Kurt's hips yet until Kurt pulled them up the rest of the way to cover them.

"Come on stud. Let's go win a nationals trophy." Kurt quipped once they were all ready, offering his hand to Blaine.

Blaine smiled, and honestly, Kurt could never tire of the impish smile his boyfriend had for him.

"You called me stud." Blaine noted as they travelled in the elevator.

"Yes.."

"You always call me Blaine. I call you all sorts of pet names, but that's the first time you've ever called me one."

Kurt chuckled and nudged Blaine in the side. "That's because words alone can't express what I feel for you." he sang playfully.

Blaine rolled his eyes with a little snort. "Sap."

They didn't even place. They didn't place because Rachel and Finn had been too busy engulfing one another's jaws on stage while everyone else had their backs turned to them and the judges thought it was unprofessional.

Kurt would have snapped at them, but Santana was doing a good enough job of it, and frankly, he wasn't really all that upset. Getting to go to New York was a prize enough for him, getting to share it with his friends and Blaine, absolutely priceless. Nationals was just one more cherry on an already overloaded cake.

So while everyone else sat quietly on the plane, buried in their magazines, Kurt reached over to squeeze his drooling boyfriends hand and smile to himself. He had honestly had a good year. He had been bullied and threatened sure, but he had come out on top. He had faced his fears, found his first love, and had an amazing trip.

He would spend the summer working to save up money for college, and keep his mind off Blaine. He knew what his future looked like and it had curly hair and an amazing skyline in it.

Now he could stand up tall, keep his shoulders back, and his head held high without any effort because he had a purpose to move towards and every moment it became clearer to him.

Love Blaine and move to New York City.

END SEASON 2