EPILOGUE B:

New York was fucking big.

He had been there before of course, but now lost in the crowd with so many other people, he was truly experiencing it. People moved everywhere, in all directions, with serious urgency. Everyone clearly had a purpose here, and damned if they were going to let Blaine, fumbling with two bags and a wheeled suitcase to get in his way. They just wove around him like he was an object to avoid.

God he could use a cigarette right about now.

Stress levels aside, Blaine was happy though. This was the start of their great adventure. This was them becoming adults. Having a place of their own, getting married, having kids, having careers - that was what this was the beginning of.

First on the list though was getting to the hotel where they'd be staying while they apartment shopped with the realtor, Blaine met with his academic counsellor, and Kurt went searching for a job. They had been putting this off for over a month as they watched their friends, one by one, leave Lima. Some stayed of course - Brittany and Sam for example, who were both still in school, But Rachel had started the steady stream of departures when she had taken that train over a month ago. Finn had followed - enlisting in the army. Then Mike and Santana had both left to their respective colleges. Mercedes went to L.A. (where apparently she was now fast friends with Cooper) and Puckerman headed there not long after to start his pool cleaning business.

Kurt and Blaine were the last ones to leave out of their group, and it had been an emotional farewell - especially when it came to Kurt's dad.

Not for Kurt though. Kurt knew his dad would always be there for him and no doubt the two would connect over the phone on a daily basis. No, it was emotional for Blaine in a way he didn't expect until it came time to leave.

"You take care of yourself kiddo." was all Burt Hummel had to say, with a trademark Burt Hummel hug and pat on the back to get Blaine's waterworks running. This was the dad he wanted, that he needed. He couldn't believe in that moment that he was purposely leaving him.

But he had, after Kurt and Burt had worked on consoling Blaine to the point where he could board the bus to New York (no planes unless absolutely necessary) and move on with life. Their life.

Beside him, Kurt was alight with joy, rambling on and on about what they should do with their evening since it was free.

But first...

"Rachel!" Kurt squealed, rushing over to the brunette diva who had already set herself up in a dorm at NYADA and was now meeting them here at the train station to catch up and help them get to the hotel. Hugs and loud greetings followed, while Blaine stood off to the side as they told one another how happy they were to see each other and how they had to "totally" catch up - like they were in some horrid 1980's movie.

But it got them out of there. Rachel hailed a cab like a pro and they packed it up, squeezed all in, and were right away off to the hotel. Blaine remained quiet, smelling the cigarettes off the cab driver who didn't seem to know any english but clearly was an avid smoker by his scent. It was almost like getting a fix just sitting there and breathing him in. Thankfully, Rachel and Kurt were so caught up in catching up they didn't pay him any mind, letting Blaine get his bearings back before they got to their destination.

The hotel they were staying at was mid-ranged - a compromise between Blaine, who wanted to spend to spoil Kurt, and Kurt, who wanted to save their money and insisted they could do with less. Regardless, it impressed Rachel enough and it looked clean enough too. It certainly couldn't have been any worse than the concrete-bed hellhole they had stayed in during Nationals in Chicago anyhow. They dumped off their stuff, took a moment to stretch, and then led Rachel take them out to dinner where she insisted on paying. The whole time Blaine just listened in. Out of his element in Lima, he knew this was the beginning of rediscovering who he was. In New York, he didn't have to be that bad-ass who beat down those kids who looked at him funny. Here, he could maybe rediscover that bowtie wearing dapper boy he once was.

So he listened, and watched the city move with a heartbeat so unique and beautiful. He wanted to be able to watch it, to learn it, so that when he did rediscover himself, he could fit himself into this place during the process. Kurt insisted that New York, this place, was his dream - but it was Blaine's too.

Sure it didn't matter which city he ended up in, but he did have parameters. It had to be big. It had to be far away from Lima. It had to have opportunities. Most importantly, it needed Kurt. New York fit that all. So Blaine was dedicated to discovering New York and being good to her. He would make this place home.

By the time dinner was done, they had also had dessert and drinks. Blaine clearly hadn't been paying attention back in Lima because Kurt had lots of gossip to report to Rachel, which they discussed at length and overanalyzed.

It was midnight when they returned to the hotel.

They replayed their first night in New York from Nationals the year before and before Blaine knew it, it was morning already and Kurt was calling for him to wake up and get ready because he had an appointment with the guidance counsellor at the school.

Why the fuck had he made an appointment so early?

Regardless, Blaine got himself out of bed, grinned as he noticed Kurt limping a little as he got ready to meet with Rachel again while Blaine was talking to the counsellor at NYU, and got ready himself.

He should have asked Kurt to come with him.

For the first time in this city, Blaine was alone, and it was an incredible amount of stimulus to take in when Kurt wasn't there to ground him. Somehow he managed to make the right subway connections and get himself to NYU unscathed by the crowds in the subway, or the smell of the stations, or the general lack of space afforded to anyone walking down the sidewalk in this town. He was going to have to give up the notion of having his own personal space living in this city.

He didn't have to wait long to see the counsellor, and it was a relief when he was in her office because it was only two people sharing the 2 meter square room - which was plenty of space compared to what he had endured outside.

"So, Mr. Anderson. I already spoke to your guidance counsellor at your home school, and reviewed your file and your registration. I think NYU will be a good fit for you so long as we can figure out what classes will best suit your needs." the woman said as a means of starting up the conversation. She was older, such that her blonde hair was streaked with grey, and looked like she could use a makeover, but his gut said she would help him so he felt alright talking to her.

"I want to do something to help kids who are being abused...." he said, wringing his hands together as he looked at the file, his own probably, she was holding in her hands.

"Yes I see that in here. Your grades are fabulous and we've already been contacted by the lawyers who handle your estate to let us know that all tuition and fees should be invoiced to them. Have you considered medicine?"

Blaine blinked and looked at the woman with confusion covering all the features of his face. "Ah... I just said that I wanted to help kids who are abused..."

She nodded and set the file down flat on the desk, looking to him directly, "I know. Pediatric and emergency room doctors are often the ones who see the effects of abused children first, and if they're doing their job properly, are the ones most likely, after elementary school teachers, to report it to the authorities. However, most doctors cite that they're too busy to properly look into injuries that show up in their office or the ER and the abuse is either not properly checked into, or, more often, attributed to accidents instead of purposeful abuse. You have the marks to get into a science program that could take you into medicine afterwards - where you could really make a difference in how things are handled at that level."

Blaine was silent. He thought of how many times he had checked himself into the ER when the abuse started and how many excuses he had made to the doctors to cover up what had happened - that shiner was because of getting hit with a basketball in gym class, not because his dad had too much to drink and he made the mistake of showing his face, or the bruises around his neck being because of some playful wrestling with friends that got too exuberant, not his dad holding him up against the wall and telling him what a disgrace he was. The doctors had all given him a quick check-up and then rushed to their next patient after giving him a prescription - usually for pain. He knew it was a busy profession, but he remembered all the times he had felt crushed because he had been hoping one of them would see through the lies he was telling.

What she said... actually made a lot of sense.

"Okay... so what do I need to do to get in?"

Kurt had been surprised when Blaine had told him. Then, once he had explained why, Kurt had his arms wrapped securely around him and was telling him over and over just how proud of Blaine he was, and how much he loved him.

Medicine would take more than a few years to finish, and it was highly competitive and apparently quite stressful she had warned him in the office as he filled in a timetable for the courses that interested him the most out of those that would help him eventually get into the program.

Most students who were accepted into the program already had an undergraduate degree completed, though there was no rules about that so long as he had already completed some compulsory undergraduate courses first. Blaine intended to be one of the few students who got into the medicine program early. He let Kurt know about the potential stress he might be under, and the need to study consistently to ensure he was at the top of all his classes so that he could avoid wasting any time in classes he didn't need so he could get the degree done sooner.

His boyfriend was more than supportive.

"You should see if there's doctor's willing to let you shadow them a little so you can get them as references... and I know you don't have to work, but maybe you could volunteer at the hospital to get some more insights." Kurt had suggested, and Blaine had to kiss him for that. His boyfriend was damned smart.

"How was your date this morning with Rachel?" he had asked after they had exhausted the subject of Blaine's college planning.

Kurt shrugged up his shoulders a little, "Missing Finn, digging for information on him. Honestly, and you know this too, I haven't heard from him other than a letter from when he got to his army school... She's excited for NYADA though..."

Blaine didn't miss the hint of sadness in Kurt's voice when NYADA was mentioned and he ensured he gave Kurt the loving squeeze he knew he needed. "You'll get in...."

"...and not because you threaten anyone or throw money at them Blaine Anderson. I want to get in on my own merits." Kurt finished for him. Damn that boy knew him too well.

"Fine." Blaine huffed. It was time for them to meet the realtor anyhow, so they didn't have to focus on the tired topic of the stupid school that didn't seem to realize what a gem Kurt was. NYADA could stuff it as far as Blaine was concerned.

The realtor spent the better part of the afternoon showing them various apartments available on Manhattan. She suggested several times looking at places off the island, but Blaine wouldn't hear of it. He wanted Kurt to have the home he dreamed of, and he wanted it now. His trust funds meant he didn't have to be patient about it either. Kurt kept going pale everytime prices were announced and then trying to tell Blaine it was too much, but Blaine pointedly ignored him each and every time, asking the realtor about subway access, apartment facilities, and security in the building.

Honestly they all looked good to Blaine, but he watched Kurt's reactions to see what his boyfriend was thinking when he wasn't sickened by the cost. He got the response he wanted in a smaller apartment in Midtown. It overlooked the city with giant windows that touched floor and ceiling, and even had a small balcony. The rooms weren't huge, but there were three bedroom, none much bigger than the others - but what sold it was the walk-in closet, nearly as big as a room on its own.

Blaine knew this was the one for them, but he still asked the usual questions of the realtor while Kurt tinkered in the kitchen. The building had a pool and weight room, the subway was accessible just down the street, there was a grocer in the main level, and there was a doorman in addition to double locked doors to get in so there shouldn't be any problem with break-ins.

He told the realtor to write up an offer as soon as Kurt had declared the kitchen to be acceptable.

Kurt grumbled a little, but Blaine could tell he was holding himself back from being too argumentative. "Happy birthday sweetcheeks."

"My birthday was a couple months ago you dope, and you put a thousand dollars on my itunes account - which I'm still not even close to being done using even though I've been trying." Kurt noted.

"Happy... moving to New York?" Blaine suggested then, and Kurt just shook his head and laughed at Blaine.

"You're insane."

"And you're worth it."

They didn't have to wait long to find out the offer was accepted. Apparently the owner was in a rush to drop the property because he had to pay off a lawsuit against him and Kurt and Blaine were able to secure possession of the property in a week once it was processed.

Kurt was more excited than Blaine thought he was once the realtor gave them the good news.

"Oh! Blaine! We have to paint it and I need to come up with a design that speaks to both of us, yet it not too over the top for when my parents come to visit... and we'll need to get furniture... and oh! A week is not long enough to plan this out!" Kurt rambled as he rushed around the hotel room, grabbing his laptop so he could start designing and shopping online.

Blaine shook his head and went about running them a bath in the jacuzzi tub that sat a few feet away from their bed. If this was any suggestion of how Kurt was going to be when he was wedding planning, it was a good thing Blaine would be so busy with his schoolwork to distract him.

When the bath was full and Kurt had been talking to himself about color coordination for a solid ten minutes, Blaine stepped behind him, hands setting themselves on Kurt's shoulders, "Come bathe with me sweetcheeks."

"Can't. Planning." Kurt said simply, not even looking away from the screen.

"No. Bath."

"But Blaine..." Kurt whined and turned his head up, just in time for Blaine to catch his mouth in an upside-down kiss. At first Kurt was tense, not expecting it, but then he melted into it and murmured a small "Okay." as they pulled apart.

Clothes were discarded, and after a couple minutes, Kurt's back was against Blaine's chest as Blaine let his fingers roam over Kurt's naked body while Kurt talked on and on about the esthetic he wanted for the apartment. Finally, Blaine decided that Kurt wasn't getting the hint and let his fingers roll themselves around the base of Kurt's cock, gently stroking it until Kurt was only whining softly and not talking about decorating as his cock went fully erect under the water.

"How's your ass feel sweetcheeks?"

"Sore... but so wanting you now... you..." Kurt gasped when Blaine's fingers rolled over the slit of his cock and ran down along his frenulum, "... you... oh god.... I can't even form any thoughts..."

Blaine smirked to himself. That was part of the plan. He let one hand continue to stroke Kurt while the other snaked around to Kurt's ass, gently pushing a finger up and into his hole, still swollen from the work he had done on it last night. His boyfriend went rigid then, whimpering in small, short breaths.

"Just think...." Blaine said between the kisses he was now placing around Kurt's earlobe, "We can do this all the time without worrying about your folks or Finn or Sam walking in on us now..." He pumped the finger inside Kurt, the tightness so much more than it usually was as he continued to breach that entrance. His cock was achingly hard as it went untouched throughout this, but he knew it would be taken care of soon enough.

"Oh... Blaine..." Kurt was trying to say more. Blaine could see him mouthing words, though nothing vocal came out except for the moans and whimpers that followed. Water wasn't a great lubricant, and he wished he had brought a bottle of lube over from one of the drawers now, even though a large part of him wanted to just see if Kurt could take him like this.

A second finger worked itself up into Kurt, who hissed and writhed with the addition. He had to be sore after Blaine had taken him so roughly the night before, pounding into him well after the lube had been worked out from the friction and holding back from coming to see just how long he could go.

It turned out his stamina wasn't what he had hoped for, but longer than Kurt's, who came without being touched and continued to take Blaine up his ass despite his sensitivity until Blaine did come.

Now Blaine wanted to see just how tight Kurt's hole was around his aching cock, see how much Kurt would limp after a second night of being taken roughly.

He didn't ask, he didn't even tell Kurt what he was doing when he pulled the two fingers out, a few bubbles of air floating to the surface of the water as Kurt hissed. Blaine moved moved his hands to Kurt's hips, guiding them as he lifted them up and then pressed his needy cock against that hole.

"Blaine..." Kurt whispered as he realized what Blaine was about to do, but anything he might have said was cut off by him letting out a sharp cry as Blaine pressed Kurt's hips down, pushing his ass over Blaine's cock in the process. God it was tight. Amazingly tight. Between pushing Kurt down on him and bucking his hips up, he was buried inside in a matter of seconds, Kurt whimpering and whining atop of him.

He held them like that, locked together, for a few seconds before he felt the tension in Kurt dissipate a little as he got used to the stretch and burn. Blaine withdrew then, so slowly as he drew out the groan Kurt was exhaling, and then pounded himself back up again to complete the groan with another loud cry.

Blaine had his head buried in the crook of Kurt's neck meanwhile, sucking hard and deep there. In this this town, he wanted anyone Kurt came in contact with to know that Kurt was taken, so he was marking him. When he was done on this side, he would move onto the other. His fingers remained on Kurt's hips to keep them still as Blaine found a rhythm where he slowly withdrew and then slammed himself up into Kurt. The water was definitely lacking in lubricating properties, and each time he pushed himself into Kurt, a bit of water would get pushed up as well, making Kurt feel more full each time he forced himself in.

Kurt was now a mess, his head tipped forward and babbling incoherently between cries and guttural moaning. Blaine knew that if he felt Kurt's cock it would be painfully hard right now, but along with his need to be rough right now, he also wanted Kurt to come just from what he was doing to his neck and ass. Kurt had to be close though because Blaine didn't have to direct Kurt's riding of his cock as much anymore, his need to feel his prostate hit causing Kurt to bounce his own body up and down in a frantic pace.

When Kurt did come, he had the entirety of Blaine's cock up his ass. A loud wail escaped his mouth and he leaned back against Blaine who watched over Kurt's shoulder as he came into the water. Bucking his hips up a few more times, Blaine joined him, filling Kurt up with his cum while Kurt moaned weakly. His boyfriend had fallen back against Blaine now and was almost totally out of it, shuddering every few seconds as the aftershocks of his orgasm coursed through him. Blaine would definitely be carrying him to bed in his present condition.

Until that point though, he let himself come down from his own orgasm, holding Kurt against him who had taken to babbling incoherently once again. His eyes had shut and he his head had fallen back onto Blaine's shoulder where Blaine could see him about to doze off. So much for active cuddling in bed tonight.

After deciding it was absolutely necessary, Blaine did pull himself out of Kurt, groaning in a less than happy way about it. He loved being inside Kurt, having that ultimate connection to him, but when he was that tight around Blaine's now deflated cock, well, it was definitely uncomfortable.

The tub plug was kicked open by one of Blaine's feet and then he was gently scooping Kurt up into his arms, who automatically wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and cuddled closer despite being five seconds away from dreamland. After some awkward maneuvering, Blaine managed to get out of the tub with Kurt in his arms and set him on the bed, tucking him in while Blaine toweled himself off before joining him.

"I love you." Kurt murmured as he threw an arm over Blaine and proceeded to let loose a small snore. Blaine's face broke into a grin and he pulled the taller boy against him, humming softly to himself as he fell asleep.

He would always love Kurt.