Kurt did the oil change on the Corolla alone, demanding that his dad sit down behind the counter and rest. It was a good enough excuse to get time to himself to contemplate Blaine’s motives. Kurt couldn't stop thinking about Blaine kissing his hand. He had never been properly kissed by another boy in his life, and now he began to imagine what those soft, full lips might feel like pressed against his own, or possibly on other places over his body. Kurt hustled to finish, concentrating on his work to settle his body and keep it from responding to the thought of Blaine’s kisses. He vacuumed the carpets, cleaned the windows, and checked the air pressure on the tires. Burt looked quizzically at his son, lured by the flurry of activity after Kurt’s sluggish morning and examined Kurt's work.

Kurt looked up at the smirk on his father's face and grimaced. He hated being so transparent.

"There's nothing wrong with going the extra mile," Kurt answered without being asked. "We need repeat customers."

"I didn't say anything," Burt said, stepping back with his hands in the air. "I appreciate your dedication. Just one thing?"

"What, dad?" Kurt groaned. "I'm kind of busy."

"Is he gay?"

Kurt stood up quickly and smacked his head on the steering wheel. He put a hand to the sore back of his head and turned to see his dad laughing silently. Kurt couldn't help but let a smile slip.

"Yes, he's gay,” Kurt answered, “but that has nothing to do with providing excellent customer service."

"Sure, kiddo," Burt said, making his way back to the counter and leaving Kurt to finish his work, "whatever you say."

Blaine came back exactly an hour later, and from the moment he stepped through the bay doors Kurt felt his heart race inside his chest. Kurt expected Blaine to make a bee line for him, but he didn't. He glanced Kurt's way with a polite smile, and then headed straight for Burt sitting behind the counter. Kurt watched as Blaine and Burt talked. His father wasn’t one to open up to people right away, but soon they were talking back and forth with smiles on their faces, lost in conversation. At one point, Blaine said something that had Burt throwing his head back with laughter, shaking his head from side to side.

Kurt felt so conflicted it was maddening. He didn't know if he was more annoyed that Blaine seemed to be paying no attention to him after pursuing him so ardently, or that Blaine had gotten his father to laugh that carefree, full body laugh that Kurt hadn't seen in years. Kurt stared hard, waiting for some sort of acknowledgement, but Blaine and Burt didn't seem too eager to end their conversation, and they definitely didn't seem too concerned with Kurt, so Kurt walked to where Mark was struggling with a radiator flush and decided to offer some assistance.

As was the way of things around the shop, Mark eventually left Kurt to finish up the radiator service alone, and wandered off to the back to inventory some plugs. Kurt let his mind drift as he went through the motions of siphoning out the fluid and draining the reservoir, all the while running lyrics for his NYADA audition piece through his head. He was stuck between choosing a Whitney Houston song, or something a little more Broadway like “I’m the Greatest Star” from Funny Girl, but his thoughts kept returning to the boy in the leather jacket a mere twenty feet away, who had apparently made Burt Hummel his new best friend.

Kurt sighed. This hyper-infatuation he had with Blaine had to stop. He had only met him last night and already Blaine had slipped seamlessly into his daydreams.

Kurt dreamt about his audition for NYADA, and there Blaine was, sitting in the audience, watching him, eyes blown wide with awe and adoration. Kurt imagined he was leaving school after a hard day in dance class, and there was Blaine showing up in his leather jacket to walk him home. Kurt fantasized that he was in his tiny shoebox apartment, taking an early morning shower and preparing for the day, when along came Blaine, climbing in behind him, gloriously naked, sucking on his neck, his soapy hands wandering down along his sides, light fingertips making trails through the suds...

A hand tapped Kurt gently on the shoulder.

"Cheesus!" Kurt screeched as he jumped like a bolt and tossed the empty plastic container of radiator flush straight into the air, sending it vaulting over the Celica he was working on and slamming into the office window. From behind him, Kurt heard Burt roar with laughter. Kurt turned slowly, small droplets of bluish liquid clinging to his hair, his cheeks so red they almost pulsated. Blaine stood a short distance away, biting his lips curled over his teeth to stifle a grin.

"I am so sorry I startled you, Kurt," Blaine said when he finally dared to speak. "I thought for sure you heard me coming up behind you."

"No," Kurt said, nonchalantly brushing damp locks from his face, ignoring the rivulets of fluid flowing down from his brow, trying to sound nonplussed by it all. "No, I didn't hear you. Was there something you needed?"

"Yes, actually…" Blaine closed the distance between them so he could whisper in Kurt's ear. "I wanted to know if you would be at the race tonight?"

"Most likely," Kurt replied, his voice breathy as the stubble on Blaine's cheek tickled his neck, sending tiny jolts racing everywhere they touched. “I do have a job to do, you know.”

"Great," Blaine said, pulling away with a smile.

Blaine turned and walked away, climbing into the Corolla with a final wave to Burt, which the older man enthusiastically returned. Kurt followed Blaine with his eyes as he drove off, the back of his hand tingling where it longed to be kissed.

The races were held in the same business park as the night before. Kurt figured this was probably where they were always held. The area was open to eight lanes of traffic, deserted, and there didn’t seem to be any police presence this time of night. That didn’t necessarily mean the cops didn’t know about the races, but with this amount of kids driving cars that could easily break 100 miles per hour in nearly nothing flat, they probably couldn’t be bothered. The Lima P. D. most likely didn’t have a single car that could keep up with the likes of Kurt’s Eclipse, not to mention Sebastian’s GT-R, so it wouldn’t be worth their trouble. They’d let the kids do their thing, and then come out to handle the situation if there was a major fight…or if someone died.

When Kurt arrived, he didn't see Blaine anywhere. Sebastian wasted no time monopolizing Kurt, swearing up and down that his GT-R was making a pinging noise he had never heard before. Kurt knew it was just another excuse by Sebastian to have Kurt bent over his engine, but with a beauty like Bas's GT-R, Kurt couldn't really say that he minded.

Kurt employed every trick in his arsenal to block Sebastian's presence from his mind while he futilely chased a mysterious ailment that Kurt knew didn't exist. Sebastian leaned in close, watching Kurt work.

"Do you always sing while you work?" Sebastian asked. Kurt stopped immediately. He didn't realize he had been singing. He usually didn’t sing in public unless he was competing, but he found himself slipping up more and more as he thought about his upcoming audition.

"Not always," Kurt said, standing upright and dismissing the subject. "I'm going to check your NOS canister. This line doesn't look quite right."

Kurt walked around to the car door and let himself inside.

'Oh God, those seats do smell fantastic,' Kurt thought. Suddenly he remembered the leather seats in Blaine's Mustang, how cool and smooth they felt beneath his hands, and that smell...that had to have been Blaine's smell. Just thinking about it...

"Because it's really fantastic."

Kurt swallowed suddenly, choking a little. He turned to look at Sebastian's face.

"Wait...what?"

"Your voice," Sebastian clarified. "I said it was really fantastic. Why don't you consider attending Dalton? We have an excellent a cappella choir. The Warblers. We're kind of like rock stars. And we could sure use a voice like yours."

"Really?" Kurt stood up and looked boldly into Sebastian's green eyes. "Are you really interested in my voice, or do you just have some weird fantasy that involves a prep school uniform?"

Sebastian bit his lower lip and shook his head.

Kurt returned to the NOS canister and reconnected the line.

"You might not want to keep pulling on that," Kurt said, and Sebastian's face went blank. Kurt snickered.

'Jesus Christ,' Kurt thought. 'Cars and sex, that's all these guys think about.'

That's when he spotted Blaine. He smiled subconsciously until he saw Blaine’s arms wrapped around the waist of some other man Kurt hadn't seen before. They were hugging and laughing, lost in their own world amidst the mob of drivers and spectators. The man in Blaine’s arms was older, taller, and had an amazing head of tawny-colored hair. Kurt held his breath, waiting for them to break apart. He became light-headed, blowing the held breath out forcefully, and yet the two still stayed linked in each other's arms.

Kurt felt a warm breath tickle his neck as the familiar smell of CK wafted around him.

"Ouch," Sebastian said with a chuckle, following Kurt's eye line and seeing the couple embrace one more time before the tall man bent down and pressed his lips to Blaine's cheek.

Kurt cursed to himself, his eyes going misty for a moment. He turned quickly and jogged off down the line of cars just as Blaine turned his eyes, following Kurt's form as he stormed away. Kurt grabbed Monster's elbow with his slender hand, eyes firmly downcast.

"Come on, Monster," Kurt barked, pulling the giant along with him to his Charger. "Let's go see how you managed to fuck up your plugs this time."

Sometimes Kurt wished he had a vice other than cars. He always admired the drama of a spurned character finding solace at some seedy bar where they could smoke or drink their troubles away. But he had nothing. Well, he had Bokwa and the occasional shot of wheat grass, but he wasn't sure those qualified as vices. For five races he had avoided Blaine. Every time Blaine even looked as if he might come over to talk to Kurt, Kurt found someplace else he had to be. The first time, he jetted off to the porta potty, even though Kurt Hummel would never be caught dead using a porta potty. The second time, he had ducked down behind Monster's Charger, garnering a strange look from the massive boy. The third time, he had actually resorted to hopping into Jeff's 300ZX when Jeff decided to stretch his car's legs, risking the passive aggressive distaste of Nick Duval, and they shot off down the road and around the block for about 20 minutes.

But Blaine was becoming hard to avoid.

Kurt was trapped between his car and Wes’s when he saw Blaine look his way, his body language projecting his intention to go over and approach him.

"I have to run back to the shop," Kurt declared when Blaine's eyes lock with his. "I'll be back in 30." As Blaine headed his way, Kurt hopped nimbly into his Eclipse through the open window and fired up the engine. Blaine saw the move, turned tail, and rushed to his Mustang. He leapt into the driver’s seat, turned the key in the ignition, and threw the car into gear, all in one smooth move. He watched Kurt’s car blow by him, and shot out onto the main drag after him.

Kurt heard the Mustang before he saw it, even over the rumble of the next race about to start. Kurt's Eclipse glided swiftly over the asphalt as he veered down a street that he thought he recognized, feeling for certain it would take him back home. After a couple of miles, the street lamps disappeared, and the only lights around were the headlights of the two cars and the glow of the full moon overhead.

After a long while of driving, longer than Kurt anticipated, he noticed that Blaine was no longer trying to keep up, and he breathed a sigh of relief. That relief was short lived when Kurt peered into the darkness, seeing further down the road, and realized why. Without a chance to change direction, Kurt drove into an alley between two buildings, with another building only a mile or so ahead.

"Shit shit shit!" Kurt muttered angrily to himself as he threw his car quickly into reverse. Kurt looked into his rearview mirror to see Blaine's car parked behind his, blocking Kurt's only exit. Blaine had already gotten out and was coming his way. Kurt had no room to open his car door, so he climbed out of the window again and shimmied along the space between his car and the wall. Blaine walked toward him. Needing the upper hand, Kurt rushed forward to confront him.

"Why the hell are you following me?" Kurt growled.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Blaine countered.

"I thought you said you weren't playing me!"

"I'm not!" Blaine's incredulous expression angered Kurt.

"Oh, really?" Kurt shot back. "Then who's the guy with the white man's perm you were hanging all over?"

Blaine's eyes shifted as he thought, and then he laughed.

"You mean Jeremiah?" Blaine asked with a chuckle.

"How the hell should I know," Kurt groused.

Blaine shook his head, smiling.

"No, he's just a friend," Blaine explained, walking closer to Kurt. Kurt backed away at his approach. "He just got into Stanford. He's moving to California with his boyfriend."

California...with his boyfriend...Kurt was incredibly jealous.

Then he came to his senses, and he was mortified.

He had just laid all his cards out on the table. Now Blaine would know...

"Wait, wait, wait," Blaine said. Kurt didn't realize they had still been walking until the back of his knees hit the rear bumper of his car, and he was trapped...again.

Kurt was beginning to sense a pattern.

"No, I wasn't," Kurt said, anticipating the words before they left Blaine's mouth.

Blaine smiled.

"Whatever you're thinking right now, it's completely untrue," Kurt persisted.

Blaine leaned in close while Kurt leaned away, but there was nowhere left for Kurt to go.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered, his voice low and sinful, "do I detect a little bit of jealousy?"

"No," Kurt said quickly. 'No, you detect a LOT of jealousy.'

"I mean, what...what do I have to be jealous of?" Kurt eyed Blaine darkly as Blaine moved in on him, pursing his lips and blowing a cool breath of air over the column of Kurt's neck. Goosebumps spread like wildfire over the expanse of Kurt's skin, delighting Blaine to no end.

"That's right," Blaine said as he moved down Kurt's neck, inhaling as he went, searching out that elusive scent of vanilla. "What do you have to worry about?"

"I..." Kurt stammered nervously and he hated himself for it. "I'm worried that I'm mistaking flattery for affection."

Blaine stopped and looked up into Kurt's face. Kurt's eyes were closed, but his expression was almost frightened.

"I...I'm worried because I've never had a boyfriend," Kurt continued, his voice sounding broken as he spoke. "I'm worried because I've never been kissed...at least, not one that counted. I'm worried because I'm not sure I know what this is, and I don't know why a guy like you would like me when you could probably pick anyone you wanted, male or female, and at home in California, the general consensus was that I had all the sexual appeal of a baby penguin."

Blaine would have laughed if Kurt didn't look so undone. Blaine leaned away, gripping Kurt's elbow and pulling him back upright.

Blaine breathed out slowly. He was right. Kurt was going to be a challenge, but the challenge had changed.

The new challenge was to not break Kurt's heart.

And Blaine never turned his back on a challenge.

"Kurt," Blaine said, his voice soothing. "Kurt, please look at me."

Kurt blinked and opened his eyes, looking into Blaine's face.

"Kurt, I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to get to know you," Blaine said, rubbing his thumb over Kurt's arm. "And for what it's worth, I think you have much more appeal than a baby penguin."

Blaine left out the word sexual. He didn't want Kurt to get the wrong impression.

"And whatever this is," Blaine said, gesturing between the two of them, "I'm willing to wait for it to happen."

Blaine ran his hand down Kurt's arm, taking Kurt's hand in his. He raised it to his eye level. He took a moment to look at the smooth, pale skin, covered with a light smudge of grease. Blaine pulled a handkerchief purposefully from his pocket. Kurt took a second to be impressed because he didn't know anyone who carried a handkerchief anymore. Blaine wiped at the spot on Kurt's hand with the handkerchief, staining the white fabric black, but Blaine didn't seem at all concerned. When Kurt's skin was cleaned to Blaine's satisfaction, he stuffed the cloth back into his pocket. Then he raised Kurt's hand to his lips and kissed it.

"I'm willing to wait for you," Blaine whispered against Kurt's skin.

Blaine saw an almost pained look cloud Kurt's blue eyes. Blaine carefully dropped Kurt’s hand and pulled his body into the circle of his arms, winding them around Kurt’s frame and rubbing his back in soothing circles. Kurt broke a little, wrapping his arms around Blaine and holding him tight.

There they stood, bathed in moonlight, trapped between their cars, the low hum of racers in the distance a gentle lullaby in the humid air.

Blaine could feel Kurt all around him, and even though Kurt was slightly taller, they fit together like the pieces of an abstract puzzle. Blaine smiled, perching his chin on Kurt's shoulder. This felt so comfortable.

It felt so right.

The insistent vibrating of Kurt's iPhone brought Kurt back from the comfort of Blaine's embrace.

"I have to get that," Kurt apologized. "It might be my dad."

Blaine nodded. Kurt pulled his phone from his pocket and read the text.

"It's Wes." Kurt squinted at the bright light of the screen. "He says they're packing it in early." Kurt pocketed his phone and looked back at Blaine. "I guess I'd better head home."

"May I drive with you?" Blaine offered. "Make sure you get home safe and all."

"You don't have to," Kurt said, hoping that Blaine would insist.

"I don't have anywhere better to be." Blaine looked deep into Kurt’s eyes, letting the sincerity of his words shine through. "In fact, there's no place else I want to be."

And with those few words, Blaine had done the impossible. He had taken Kurt's breath away.