He sang along quietly with the radio while listening to Kurt talk animatedly about his plans for the apartment – colors, furniture - the works. Blaine added an idea or two but mostly was content to let Kurt plan it out. The drive up had been long but fine, and they’d stopped overnight the night before in Pennsylvania so they would be rested and ready to unload their things.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Kurt said as they reach the outskirts of New York City. “I really can’t believe it.”

“Well, it is,” Blaine replied. “We’re starting a whole new life, both of us.”

Not much had changed between him and Kurt over the last few months – they were really good friends, still loved watching cheesy reality shows and reading Vogue together but that was it.

He’d been nurturing a hope that once they were alone together things might change for him and Kurt, that they could make this a real marriage instead of one in name only, but he had no idea if Kurt was really interested in him like that.

Blaine was distracted from his thoughts by the buildings and sights of New York and he and Kurt talked excitedly about going out and really sight-seeing now that they would be living there and could take their time. Blaine exhaled loudly when they pulled up in front of their apartment building, the doorman eying them as they pulled up.

Blaine hopped out and explained who they were to the doorman, who was expecting them.

Then they set about the arduous task of unloading, Finn silent as he and Kurt talked about what should go in first and where they should put the boxes until they were ready to unpack them. It went fast, Carole and Kurt doing a lot of the directing while Finn and Blaine made trips back and forth.

Finally, Blaine followed Finn down for their last load. They were pulling the last of the boxes from the car and loading them on the dolly when Finn suddenly spoke.

“I don’t hate you, you know.” Blaine stared at him, surprised, because no, he hadn’t known that. He figured that Finn blamed him for the elopement (and rightly so, since it was Blaine who’d needed to be married in the first place).

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” Blaine said quietly.

“Well, I don’t,” Finn replied. “I’ve been watching you with Kurt – not in that creepy ‘I’m watching you’ sort of way – and since he’s been married to you, he’s been happier than I can remember seeing him.”

Once again, Blaine found himself staring at Finn with a surprised expression on his face.

“I figure that it’s gotta be being married to you that’s making him so happy, and if you’re making him that happy, then you can’t be that bad,” Finn explained.

“Thank you,” Blaine told him. “I think.”

“I just wanted you to know that it wasn’t really about you,” Finn continued. “Burt’s death hit us all hard, and then to find out Kurt got married and didn’t tell anyone or invite us – it hurt. And I think I took it out on you.”

“It’s okay, Finn,” Blaine assured him.

“No, it’s not,” Finn countered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to head off to basic training without telling you that.”

By now they were wheeling the dolly full of boxes down the hallway toward the apart. The door was cracked and Blaine could hear Kurt and Carole talking in the living room.

*

“It really is a great place you boys found,” Carole said. Kurt smiled, digging through one of the boxes labeled kitchen.

“Isn’t it?” He couldn’t resist doing an excited little shimmy as he walked the stack of plates he’d found into the kitchen and set them on the counter. “Blaine and I loved it right away.”

“Sweetie, about you and Blaine…” Carole trailed off and Kurt turned to look at her, taken aback by the worried tone in her voice.

“What about me and Blaine?” he asked, probably a little more sharply than he needed to. “I thought you liked him.”

“I do,” Carole rushed to reassure him. “I just… I’m a little concerned about you two. Is everything okay?”

“What do you mean?” Kurt was confused now and he devoted his full attention to Carole.

“You just… you don’t seem to touch each other very much, and I can’t recall ever seeing you kiss,” she said. “You’ve been married for three months and you still haven’t gotten rings.”

Kurt’s mouth fell open and he scrambled for something to say. Aside from the aborted kiss that he and Blaine had never discussed in some sort of unspoken agreement, kissing hadn’t really come up. They held hands a lot though. Surely that was something? “We just don’t really do PDA, Carole, and as for rings… well, I’ll be honest and say that the subject has never come up. Everything happened so fast…”

“I know it did.” Carole smiled sadly. “I didn’t mean to butt in or anything, I just… you’re my son, Kurt. I can’t leave you here with Blaine without knowing that you’re going to be okay.” She sniffed and wiped away a tear from her cheek.

“Oh, God, Carole, please don’t cry,” Kurt replied. “If you do, I will.” He gave her a hug and held her tight. “I’m fine. Blaine and I are fine, and we’ll be fine here, I promise.”

“Your father would be so proud of you right now,” Carole whispered.

“You think so?” Kurt asked, pulling back. His eyes burned with unshed tears but he swallowed down the urge to cry.

“You’re in New York, you’ve settled down with an amazing guy and you’re going to achieve you dreams. It’s all he ever wanted for you.”

“Will you do me a favor?” Kurt requested, when he could speak.

“Anything,” Carole promised.

“Will you go put flowers on his grave for me?” He hadn’t been able to go out to the gravesite again. It had just hurt too much.

“Of course.” She patted his cheek and then excused herself to the bathroom, just as Finn and Blaine came in with the last load of stuff.

Kurt busied himself with sorting out the kitchen stuff and hoped he could keep it together long enough to see Carole and Finn off.

*

Saying goodbye was hard for Kurt, Blaine could tell. Carole cried, hugging both of them tightly and making them promise to call if they needed anything or even just to talk, and to not wait too long to come visit. He and Finn exchanged a bro fist bump (according to Finn) and Blaine knew from Kurt’s wide-eyed expression that he’d probably have to explain that once Finn and Carole where gone.

“You take care of yourself, little brother,” Finn said, pulling Kurt into a hug. Blaine smiled even though his heart ached. He was glad that Finn and Kurt were so close but it made him long for the days when Cooper actually acknowledged Blaine’s existence and didn’t forget that he had a brother.

“You too, big brother,” Kurt murmured. “If you get shot, I’m going to be really put out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Finn smiled sadly.

“We better hit the road, sweetie, if we want to hit Pennsylvania before it gets late,” Carole finally said. Last hugs were exchanged and then Carole and Finn were gone, Kurt locking the door behind them.

“Well.” He turned around and looked at Blaine. “Guess it’s just us now.”

“I guess so,” Blaine replied, staring hard at Kurt. He couldn’t keep his gaze from drifting down to Kurt’s lips.

“I guess we should… unpack,” Kurt finally broke the tension and Blaine nearly started.

“Yeah,” he agreed softly. They’d already talked over where everything would go long before the move. He was getting the master bedroom (Kurt had insisted, since the apartment was in Blaine’s name and Blaine would be living there once their marriage was annulled), and Kurt would be taking the second bedroom for his own. Blaine had bought himself a new bed before the move and they’d explained away taking Kurt’s bed by indicating it would be a guest bedroom.

Blaine set about setting up his things, adjusting the furniture placement and hanging up clothes. He could hear Kurt doing the same thing along with the sound of Kurt humming. A smile crossed his face and he joined in the humming.

Before long they were singing together, even though they were in separate rooms, taking turns picking a new song when they were done with the previous one. It was the most fun Blaine had ever had when unpacking.

“We should stop for dinner,” Blaine told Kurt, having gone into his room and sat down on the bed. Kurt looked up from where he was meticulously organizing his closet.

“Pizza?” Kurt asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

“I’ll order,” Blaine replied.

Kurt declared himself done for the day once the food showed up and Blaine decided that sounded like a good idea. The two of them settled onto the floor in the living room, eating on a blanket (the couch was scheduled to be delivered the next day, along with other living room furniture Kurt had ordered before they’d left Ohio), and watching a DVD on Kurt’s TV.

They stretched out next to each other once the food was gone, laughing along with the movie occasionally. Blaine’s heart swelled with happiness. He was in New York, with a husband that he loved (and okay, maybe Kurt didn’t quite love him back but he had hope) and he was started NYU in a few weeks.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy.

Kurt shifted onto his side so he was lying facing Blaine. Blaine looked over and was surprised to see Kurt staring at him.

“What?” he asked softly.

“Nothing,” Kurt practically whispered. “Just… happy. I’d kind of forgotten what that felt like.”

Blaine really, really wanted to kiss him right then. He was leaning over before he’d even given himself permission to move. Kurt stared at Blaine with wide eyes, his mouth parting before falling open into a yawn. Kurt’s face flushed as he covered his open mouth with his hand.

The moment broken, Blaine picked up the remote to turn off the movie and tried not to be disappointed.

“Bedtime?” he suggested instead. Kurt nodded after a long moment, and the two of them cleaned up quickly and went down the hall. They each paused outside their rooms, sharing a look.

“Good night,” Blaine finally nodded.

“Good night, Blaine,” Kurt responded before slipping into his room and shutting the door. Blaine did the same and then sagged against sturdy oak with a sigh.

*

Two hours.

Kurt had been trying to sleep for two hours. There was just no getting around it – he couldn’t fall asleep without Blaine.

He’d almost gotten up and gone into Blaine’s room so many times in the last hundred and twenty minutes, it was ridiculous. He needed to be able to do this on his own.

Kurt bit his lip, staring at the clock for another thirty minutes before groaning.

Okay. Screw it.

He could do it on his own another night. With that, Kurt slipped on his robe and slippers and made his way across the hall to Blaine’s room.

“Blaine?” he whispered, opening the door and poking his head in.

“Kurt? Is something wrong?” Blaine asked, the blankets rustling as he sat up in bed.

Kurt felt stupid and childlike, but it didn’t stop him from answering. “I can’t sleep. I…”

Blaine didn’t even let him get the words out, drawing the covers back in invitation. “Me either.”

Kurt shut the door and crossed the room, taking off his robe and slippers on the way. He climbing into bed beside Blaine and Blaine immediately wrapped himself around Kurt like usual.

Kurt made a happy humming noise and sleep overtook him in minutes.