Kurt woke up on Monday smiling, a knowing feeling in the pit of his stomach that it was going to be a good day.

He quickly showered and put on his dance clothes, as today was purely choreography rehearsal.

Though dancing for two hours straight was tiring, Kurt was excited to stop by Anderson's, so he rushed over when the cast was dismissed.

Instead of waiting from a greeting from Blaine, Kurt immediately walked around the counter, sitting on a stool beside his drink, waiting for Blaine to finish making an order.

"Welcoming yourself behind the employee line now, are you?" Blaine said after he handed the mug over the counter and pulled up a stool next to Kurt.

"How's your day?" Kurt asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Blaine leaned his back against the counter, his shoulders folding in, "It's better."

Kurt didn't know why Blaine had a habit of saying that. He would say it so matter-of-factly, like Kurt should already know what he means. When, in fact, he didn't.

"It's always better when I see you walk through the door," Blaine explained, smiling.

A burst of emotions hit Kurt like a tidal wave. He tried to keep his composure, biting his lip, fighting the smile that was forming.

"So," Kurt said, trying to refocus his thoughts, "are you ready for tomorrow?"

"I'm really excited to see what we're doing!" Blaine clasped his hands together on his lap.

"When should you be ready?"

Blaine looked up at the ceiling, considering the question, "I usually close at nine."

"Perfect. I'll be here at nine."

"Are you coming tomorrow for lunch?" Blaine looked worried, and it made Kurt's heart ache.

"Yes, but I just wanted to finalize the details of our outing. That's all," Kurt gently squeezed Blaine's hands where they were fastened on his lap.

Blaine visibly relaxed, the lines on his forehead disappearing with Kurt's words.

The rest of the afternoon, Blaine asked questions, tried to trick Kurt in to giving away his plan for the following evening, but Kurt avoided the questions with grace, easily changing the subject.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Kurt said as he stood from his seat, after realizing he needed to get back to rehearsal.

"Yeah, see ya," Blaine walked Kurt to the door, holding it open for him.

Kurt's mind was buzzing all evening, and for the entirety of the next day. His plan was mapped out perfectly in his head.

He set up a small picnic blanket on a grassy field near a park and walked a few blocks to Anderson's to pick up Blaine.

"Hey, Kurt! I'll be ready in just a sec. Gotta lock up," Blaine called out.

"I'll wait outside!" Kurt answered, stepping back out into the dark, leaning against the glass window of the cafe.

There was a rustling noise. Kurt turned around to see Blaine fidgeting with the lock on the door, and then standing at Kurt's side, "Lead the way."

Kurt started walking, and Blaine fell into stride next to him. Blaine's hands were in his pockets. Kurt wanted to feel the warmth of Blaine's hand around his own, but he wasn't going to take any risks.

It was only a few minutes before they were at the park, approaching the blankey that Kurt had set up earlier. Blaine pressed a reassuring hand on Kurt's lower back, "This is amazing. Thank you for doing all of this."

"I thought we could do some stargazing, or something," Kurt said, becoming nervous, hoping Blaine couldn't see his cheeks reddening.

"That sounds perfect," Blaine lowered himself on the blanket, patting the spot next to him.

Kurt laid down, his arms at his sides, and Blaine did the same.

"You know," Kurt started after a few minutes of silence, hoping to break the tension, "I heard that those tiny lights up there were fireflies that got trapped all the way up in the big black blue-ish thing."

Blaine laughed, "I'm glad someone finally understands my love for children's movies."

"We should have a movie marathon. But only cartoons. And musicals," Kurt suggested, hoping that it would dawn on Blaine that he was suggesting another date.

"Yeah!" Blaine said excitedly, propping himself up on his elbows and looking over at Kurt, "I've never done that before. That sounds good."

Kurt rolled on to his side and was leaning on his arm, his face barely an inch from Blaine's, "Never had a movie marathon?"

Blaine rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth turned up, "I meant as a date."

They both laid back down, a few inches closer to each other, but it was enough that Kurt definitely noticed. He could see the rise and drop of Blaine's stomach with his breathing. He noticed Blaine's long lashes hitting his brow bone, and the definition of his bone structure that cut across his cheek. Kurt shuddered, Blaine's beauty suddenly taking him by storm.

"Are you cold?" Blaine turned his head, his eyes focused on a spot somewhere under Kurt's eyes.

Kurt cleared his throat, hoping Blaine didn't notice him staring, "A little, yeah. But I'm fine."

Blaine shifted around, and Kurt realized that he was trying to take his jacket off, "No! Oh God, please don't take your coat off for me. Really. I'm fine."

"You sure?" Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded, smiling, and Blaine slipped his jacket back on.

It was only a few moments later that Kurt felt a weight on his body. He lifted his head slightly, only to see the top of Blaine's gelled hair, resting on his chest.

This was the most intimate a guy had ever been with Kurt, and it took all of his strength not to get too excited.

He wasn't sure how to show his affection the way Blaine just did. Patting the top of his head would be weird, but he didn't know what else he could do.

Blaine tilted his head and looked up at Kurt, "Is this okay? You were cold..." his voice trailed off.

Kurt placed his arm around Blaine's back, his hand rubbing where Blaine's ribs were through the thick layers.

"Yeah, thanks," Kurt felt stupid for being so lost-for-words when Blaine was being so considerate.

Blaine shifted his head back down, bringing his arm up, splaying his hand over Kurt's stomach.

"I can't believe I'm going to have to out-do this. It'll be tough trying to top this, but I'll think of something," Blaine said, his fingers tracing patterns on the fabric of Kurt's jacket.

"There's no rush," Kurt didn't want to sound as eager as he felt for a next date. If Blaine said 'tomorrow', Kurt would have been completely fine with it.

"Actually," Blaine said, interrupting Kurt's thoughts, "a carnival is coming to town for a few days. Would you want to do that?"

Though carnivals were definitely not his scene, Kurt's heart fluttered with the thought of Blaine winning a big, stupid, stuffed animal for him, "That sounds like fun! When is it?"

"It starts on Friday. But we could go on Saturday so we can spend all day there. If that's what you want," Blaine lifted his head so he was looking at Kurt.

"Yeah, yeah that's perfect," Kurt tried to sound enthusiastic.

"We don't have to go if you don't want. We could do something else. There are always new movies, bowling, roller skating-"

"You obviously like carnivals, Blaine," Kurt interrupted, "So we'll go, and it'll be fun."

Blaine smiled, his eyes bright.

"It's getting a little late, we should get going," Kurt said, pushing himself up.

Blaine rose first, offering his hand to help Kurt.

Kurt was sure his heart skipped a beat, because this was the perfect opportunity to hold hands. Finally.

He places a shaky hand into Blaine's, letting Blaine pull his weight off of the ground so they were standing next to each other.

"It's my turn to walk you home," Blaine looked at Kurt from underneath his eyelashes.

They kept their fingers laced while they walked to Kurt's apartment.

"I haven't been to a carnival in years," Kurt confessed.

Blaine looked at Kurt, his eyes wide, "Really?"

Kurt nodded.

"Well, that's okay. Me and my parents always went to the fall/winter carnival. I don't know why. But those have always been my favorite. It'll be a blast," Blaine nudged Kurt's shoulder with his own.

When they reached Kurt's apartment, Kurt was standing in the doorway, facing out toward Blaine. They stood there for a few, awkward seconds, and then Blaine leaned in for a hug.

Kurt's heart sank. He thought all that stupid, romantic stargazing would set up the mood for their first kiss.

They broke apart from the hug, but Blaine kept his hands on Kurt's waist, Kurt's hands keeping their place on Blaine's shoulders.

Blaine stepped forward, tilting his head to the side. Oh god, Kurt thought, this is really happening. Blaine closed the space between them, pressing their lips together, and Kurt kissed him back. The kiss was slow and gentle; it didn't feel rushed or out-of-place.

It was perfect.

"That was a good way to end the night," Blaine whispered dreamily as he opened his eyes and pulled his head back up.

Kurt was trying to catch his breath. His throat was dry, his mouth stretched into a wide, tight-lipped smile. He couldn't form a coherent thought to save his life.

"Yeah," was all he could manage.

"Okay, well," Blaine's hands were twisting together nervously in front of him, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Kurt leaned forward, placing another, soft kiss on Blaine's mouth, still smiling, "Of course."