"As fun as it's been, I really actually have to get going," Rachel explained with a pout.

Kurt checked the time on his phone and was amazed at how time had flown by. It had been over an hour since the last he'd opened his phone. It felt like fifteen minutes.

"Yeah, and I have to be at the airport early in the morning." Wes started getting up, taking one last sip of water and leaving a nice tip on the table.

"Aw, well we'll have to do this again sometime." Blaine stood up to give each of them a hug as Kurt followed his lead.

"Yeah, definitely!" Rachel exclaimed. "It's always nice to have some friends who aren't in the business. There's always so much gossip and you wouldn't' believe the politics. Maybe we can go out for drinks or something in a week or two."

They all voiced their agreements and gave a last round of hugs. Rachel and Wes left, chatting animatedly, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone. Kurt had a moment of mini panic. Oh God, do we leave too? Or would that seem like I'm trying to avoid Blaine?

But before he could freak out too thoroughly, Blaine was smiling kindly at him. "Would you like another drink? On me, of course."

It took Kurt about half a second to decide. "Well if it's on you how could I resist?"

Blaine let out a warm laugh and the two were taking their seats. Blaine called the waitress over and recited their orders and she seemed more than happy to comply. Kurt looked at him quizzically with his chin resting on his hands. When Blaine caught sight of him, he looked the slightest bit self-conscious, a hint of a blush coloring his cheeks. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm just trying to think if I've ever seen you associate with someone and not charm their socks off."

Blaine laughed. "Common misconception. I'm actually a total asshole. I just use hypnotism and witchcraft to make people think I'm super polite and adorable."

Kurt scoffed, trying his best not to smile as he leaned back in his seat. "I think you may be flattering yourself."

"What? Impossible."

Kurt shook his head good-naturedly. "No, that's what's happening. But it's okay. You were bound to have some sort of flaw."

Blaine pouted. "Being adorable is a flaw."

Mentally, Kurt was screaming YES ACTUALLY. STOP IT. "Being adorable? No. Thinking you're cuter than you actually are..."

"Hey, I'm just basing this off of what all my mom's friends have always told me. High society ladies, you know." He rolled his eyes.

"Ah, well those high society ladies are always the best judges of character."

"They certainly seem to think so. But then you look at the men they marry..." Blaine trailed off, eyes becoming distant.

After a pause Kurt decided to bite the bullet. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that your father is not the most accommodating of gentlemen?"

Blaine chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that." He shook his head, getting lost in a memory. "Before I came out... Well, I mean, things were never great. But they didn't get bad until I came out. Then it just got cold and distant." He pursed his lips into a line and gave a nod.

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Blaine."

Blaine's smile came back, but it looked less rehearsed than what Kurt was used to. "I came to terms with it years ago. I would rather be okay with myself than make myself miserable trying to please him. So it is what it is." Blaine shrugged. He wasn't pretending everything was okay. He was stating the facts. Kurt had a feeling he wasn't getting canned answers and fake smiles, and for some reason that made him feel really special.

"But your dad seems great!" Blaine continued, perking up. "When I met him at the hospital, he was such a good guy. It was clear he loves you a lot."

Kurt couldn't help his smile. "Yeah, my dad... He's great."

"Good. I'm happy for you." Blaine took a sip of his drink and seemed to contemplate something before leaning back in his chair and growing somber. "I, uh, I met someone else at the hospital the other day, too."

Kurt leaned in, leaning his face on his hand. "Do tell. My curiosity consumes me."

Blaine kept eye contact for a long moment. "Aidan was there."

Kurt looked like he had just gotten punched in the gut.

"The day after you got checked out... He came... Looking for you, I guess." Kurt was still not responding. "He seemed really stressed out. Not the most attractive behavior."

This seemed to pull Kurt back to reality. "Oh God. What'd he do?"

"Well he..." Blaine rubbed his face and let out a humorless laugh. "Well he scoffed a lot. And when he found out you were gone he said, 'Well this is—'"

"'--Just perfect,'" Kurt finished, nodding. "I'm sure." He shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

Blaine bit his lip, trying to keep from grinning ear to ear. "Don't feel bad for me. I actually..." He let his head fall, looking as bashful schoolboy as he could manage. "I kind of bitched him out."

Kurt gasped, laughing. "You didn't!"

He nodded, trying to keep from cracking up. "I did! And if I'm being completely honest..." He looked Kurt dead in the eye. "It was great."

Kurt chuckled, leaning back in his seat and taking a long sip of his drink. "I would have liked to have seen that."

"I wish I could have recorded it. I felt like Han Solo."

Kurt's eyes went wide. "Oh no. Don't tell me.... Are you a nerd?" He was smiling playfully and there was a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm a doctor! What did you expect?"

"Hmm. Doctor. Former acapella lead singer. Semi-closeted theatre nerd. Totally closeted reality tv junkie. And a nerd, too? You are a layered man, aren't you?" Kurt teased.

Blaine dropped his head and knitted his eyebrows, giving Kurt a jokingly stern look. "Don't tell me you don't love Star Wars."

"Well I have a step-brother. So I have seen them a million times."

"And?"

"And..." Kurt looked around the room, searching for something to distract him. Unfortunately, there was nothing. "And they're not horrible. They're cheesy seventies sci-fi, but they're not completely awful."

"Kurt."

They held each other's gazes a moment, a battle of wills.

"Okay, fine!" Kurt threw his hands up in the air. "I think they're pretty great. I had a marathon last time I got sick."

Blaine laughed, reveling in his triumph. "I knew it! No one can resist Star Wars." Kurt scoffed. "And if you could, I don't think I could associate with you anymore. I think this would have to be the end."

Kurt laughed at the sheer ridiculousness. "Like you could get rid of me that easily."

Blaine took a sip of his drink and smiled. "That's probably true."

"I get what I want." He pretended to flip his hair in true diva fashion.

"And what is it that you want?"

Their eyes met and Kurt swore he could feel actual electricity in the pit of his stomach. The moment lasted probably longer than it should have, neither willing to break the tension.

Finally, Kurt smirked. "I want another drink."

...

The rest of the night continued in a similar fashion. Their conversations flowed from topic to topic seamlessly, never feeling awkward. At one point, Piano Bob came over and congratulated each of them on a good performance. He and Blaine had a quick chat about piano arrangements and interludes, and honestly Kurt missed most of it. He was too caught up in how Blaine's eyes lit up when he got excited, or how he talked with his hands when he wanted to make a point.

At some point in the early morning, the boys decided to cut themselves off and head home, each thinking that if they didn't do it then they may have just stayed there forever. When they stood up, Kurt stumbled slightly, only for Blaine to catch him by his arm to keep him steady.

"Whoa, careful there," he chuckled.

"Ohh no, I'm sloppy, aren't I?" Kurt whined, trying to keep himself upright.

"Not at all." If Blaine was being completely honest, Kurt was in fact a teensy bit sloppy, but it was actually pretty cute so he didn't mind. "But I should probably walk you home. Just to be safe."

Kurt looked at him and squinted his eyes playfully. "Mhmm. Safety."

"What?" Blaine gasped. "The streets of New York can be treacherous and the buddy system is important."

Kurt laughed and shook his head. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"I've been told."

The boys left their money on the table and headed towards the door, shouting out quick goodbyes to Piano Bob before leaving the building. It was one of those rare nights in New York where the air was warm, but not stifling, and almost didn't smell polluted. Kurt looked up at the sky, just gazing for a moment.

Blaine followed his line of vision. "What're you looking at?"

Kurt sighed. "It's such a nice night. If I pretend really hard I can almost see the stars."

Blaine smiled and gazed at the man in front of him. Even after a night of debauchery, he still looked flawless. "Let's get you home."

Their walk home was mostly quiet, save for the occasional comment on this restaurant or that old apartment. The night was surprisingly serene for New York, and both men tried to soak it in.

When they got to Kurt's building, he turned around to face the man in front of him. They were both quiet, not quite knowing how to proceed.

Finally Kurt broke the ice. "Tonight was a lot of fun."

"Yeah. It was."

It was silent again. Kurt involuntarily scuffed his shoe, something he never did. He looked up at Blaine and felt it again, the electricity in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what to make of it, so he simply went on instinct. He took a step in, tilted his head—

"Hey, we'll... We'll do this again soon, okay?" Blaine had taken a step back.

Kurt let it sink in before feeling his heart plummet. "Oh. Yeah. Of course."

Blaine looked at him, and for all the world looked like he wished he could have taken it back. "I..." He sighed. "Goodnight, Kurt."

Kurt tried not to let the hurt show on his face. He didn't succeed. "Goodnight, Blaine."

He turned around and went into his building, leaving Blaine alone. Blaine let out a huge breath and rubbed his face. God, what had just happened?

...

Up the stairs, Kurt was trying not to cry. God, what had just happened?

He knew what happened. He just got rejected.

He thought he had felt something. He was sure Blaine had felt it too. How could he have been so stupid?

He turned the corner to the next flight of stairs and almost stumbled into the wall. He hoped he wouldn't feel this in the morning. The last thing he needed was a hangover on top of all this.

When Kurt reached his door, he fumbled for his key, taking a few tries before finally opening the door. All he wanted to do was collapse on the bed and not get up for a week.

He almost didn't notice the lamp on in the living room.

Or the person sitting there.

"Kurt..."

Kurt gasped, completely startled. It took him a moment to register what was happening and who was in front of him.

"Aidan?"