6. Home Ice Advantage

Blaine has never been so nervous to play a game in his life. Well, not in a long time, anyway. The Islanders aren't off to a good start, and it's still early enough in the season that points and stats can be easily recovered, but knowing that Kurt will be watching him play is making Blaine's fingers fumble while he laces up his skates. It isn't as if Kurt hasn't seen him in action before - that was how they met - but he wasn't entirely aware that Kurt was watching back then. Blaine feels an irrational need to be at his best more than usual, because as proud as he is of his own accomplishments, he wants Kurt to be proud of him, too.

As the time before the game dwindles, Blaine stares at the inside of his locker for longer than usual, imagining all the ways this could go wrong. What if he falls on his ass? What if he scores on his own team's net? What if he gets into a fight and loses? Blaine shudders at the thought. Just as he stands to grab his gloves, his phone buzzes against the metal of the locker shelf, indicating a new text.

Kurt: Don't know if you'll get this in time, but break a leg!
Kurt: P.S. Can't wait to see you Xo

Blaine bites his lip as he reads Kurt's messages a few times, his smile growing.

"I think someone's getting sexted!"

"Aww, look at the Warbler blush!"

Blaine laughs at teammates teasing him, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at the use of his not-as-badass-as-he-would-like nickname. It started when he first joined the team, supposedly because he was admittedly pretty small but could fly over the ice. It didn't help that he also had a penchant for singing in the locker room, sometimes jumping up on the benches just to get the team pumped up for a game.

The guys know of his relationship with Kurt, but, thankfully, never give him any real crap for it, the kind that used to make Blaine afraid to be who he was. That isn't to say that they don't harass him about it, especially when they know he had been talking to Kurt just by seeing his goofy smile. It's all good-natured teasing, though, the same as for anyone else on the team. They continue to catcall and try their best to make him blush as they finish padding up, but Blaine just keeps smiling. He has a game to win and somebody to win it for.

The roar of the crowd as he skates out on the ice is something Blaine is confident he will never get tired of. It makes him feel alive. He loves the crisp feeling of fresh ice under his blades as he skates around the rink, the smell of the chilled air as it breezes over his face when he picks up speed. For those first few minutes, Blaine feels free, soaking up the energy buzzing around him. He looks around as the crowd settles before the anthem starts, and seated a few rows up behind the players' bench, was Kurt.

Blaine swallows hard as they lock eyes, his chest tightening at seeing Kurt for the first time in much too long. Kurt is looking right at him, too, smiling and waving, and Blaine winks at him before turning his attention back to the high school student singing the Star Spangled Banner.

~^*^~

"Oh, these are excellent seats," Rachel comments as they wait for the game to start. "I wonder if this is the VIP section."

"I don't think they have VIP sections at hockey games, Rach," Kurt replies, patting Rachel's hand quickly and grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bag in her lap.

"That girl that sang our nation's anthem wasn't very good, was she?" Rachel muses. "I'm seriously questioning the audition process."

Kurt smiles at her fondly. Leave it to Rachel to judge the poor teenage girl who had looked terrified to sing in front of such a large crowd.

"So, where is this new beau of yours?" Rachel leans into Kurt's shoulder, talking to him like she is trying to get top secret info. "I'm dying to see what he looks like."

The players were lining up to do something in the middle of the ice, and Kurt quickly scans over the jerseys until he finds Blaine, crouching down low in front of a guy from the other team. Kurt vaguely remembers the same thing happening at the last game he was at, but he can definitely say he's paying more attention now.

"Right there in the middle, by the referee." Kurt points over to Blaine, Rachel following his gaze and smiling broadly.

"He's kind of short, isn't he?" Rachel comments.

"So are you," Kurt sings, earning a glare. "He's the cutest, though."

"I'm sure he is."

Kurt watches intently as the players skate around furiously. He actually doesn't mind watching the game so much, even though he has a hard time following the puck thing around. It's better than football, anyway, with less downtime. It was exciting in a way, he supposes, but that could be because Blaine is out there, and anything Blaine does is exciting. Kurt's eyes follow Blaine more than the actual game, gasping every time someone gets too close to him or he hits the walls too hard for it not to be painful. He tells himself that it's part of the game, that hockey is a full contact sport where guys practically fly at each other, but he can't help worrying a little bit. He want Blaine in one piece.

"Ok, that looked like it really hurt," Kurt says after Blaine gets slammed in a corner.

"I'm sure he's fine. I think they wear all that padding for a reason," Rachel tries to reassure him. Kurt nods absently, wondering how many bruises will be marring Blaine's skin and long it would take him to kiss every one of them. This then leads to much less innocent thoughts of Blaine naked. Of course, it's at that moment that Blaine skates toward the bench to take a break. They lock eyes and Kurt's face betrays him, heating up with the image of Blaine in a less-than-dressed state swimming through his mind.

It's not that Kurt doesn't want to see Blaine naked again. He thinks about it a lot, actually, but then his fantasies end up with him underneath Blaine, or pinned up against a wall, Blaine working his way inside of him. He isn't sure if they are ready for that step yet, or even close to it, but the mental picture is more than pleasant. Kurt shakes his head to get rid of those thoughts just in time to see some guy from the other team hit the puck into the net, making everyone around him cheer and high five each other. He briefly considers booing, but decides it best to lay low. From what he can tell, hockey fans tend to get a little crazy.

~^*^~

Blaine swears loudly as soon as the Isles score. Sure, it's still early in the first period, but he doesn't care. Kurt probably won't care if they lose, but Blaine still wants to leave a good impression. To make the situation even more stressful, Kurt brought along his best friend, who was both intriguing and terrifying based on what Blaine had heard about her.

It's a big step, Blaine supposes, to meet The Best Friend. Almost as important as meeting someone's parents, but he doesn't think he and Kurt are quite at that stage yet. Granted, he wouldn't subject Kurt to his parents on purpose regardless of how long their relationship lasts. Cooper maybe, but only if there was no avoiding it, and he would have to make sure his brother wasn't going to say something horrendously embarrassing at Blaine's expense. Blaine's family is their own brand of crazy and dysfunctional, with all the bad stuff hidden under a façade of success. Blaine is the trophy son, thanks to his skill and luck in landing a two-year deal with the Blue Jackets. In all honestly, while he is good, it was luck more than anything that got him where he is. An injury to one of the team's big players led to Blaine being called down from Massachusetts, where he had been playing for the Springfield Falcons. Somehow, he had managed to impress the Blues enough that they decided to keep him around.

Now, he's 22 years old, playing in the NHL, and determined as hell to score at least one goal so Kurt can be proud to call him his boyfriend. Blaine smiles to himself, realizing that he'd never thought of Kurt and his relationship as having a label before, since it has always been so much more than that. Either way, Kurt is special, and what they have means a lot, despite being separated for weeks at a time. Blaine remembers how excited Kurt had gotten when he told him about the game against the Isles. Kurt didn't know at first that the game was in Uniondale and about an hour drive from his apartment in Bushwick, but even after Blaine broke the news to him, Kurt insisted on coming, much to Blaine's surprise and amusement.

Blaine bites his lip to hide his growing grin at Kurt's enthusiasm and how genuinely happy Kurt had been that they would see each other, even if it's only for the few hours before Blaine gets some sleep and catches an early flight to Nashville. Kurt and his friend - Rachel, if he recalls correctly - even got a hotel room to avoid traveling back home in the middle of the night. Blaine's hotel is close by, and his teammates are obviously the best in the world since a couple of them offered to sneak his roommate to one of their rooms for a couple hours.

It was one of the many things that strikes Blaine as completely unexpected, but in the best of ways. None of his teammates care that he's gay, which is a world of difference from the guys he had grown up playing with in Ohio, the ones who sneered at him in the locker rooms and accused him on more than one occasion of looking at their junk. Not all of them had been like that, of course, but the few that were helped Blaine develop a tough skin and an unwavering need to prove himself, to stand out, and to be someone that the team needed.

~^*^~

"So, how are things going with you and Blaine?" Rachel asks as they watched a bunch of guys sweep over the ice, removing little bits that Kurt assumes would get in the way.

"We're good, I think," Kurt replies, nodding his head as if he needs to reassure himself. "I mean, we don't see each other as much as we would like, but we do what we can."

Rachel nods along with him, playing with her cup of hot chocolate that she insisted on spending five dollars on. "Well, it's not like they play year round, right? Ice does melt eventually."

"I'm pretty sure the ice down there is fake, sweetie," Kurt says, patting Rachel's arm. "But yes, they have a break after March or April, I think. Blaine said it depends on how well they do and if they make it to the playoffs."

Rachel nods again, clearly just pretending to understand. Kurt can sympathize, not really getting it either, but he's excited about the possibility of spending more time with Blaine during the spring and summer. That is, if Blaine is still interested at that point, which Kurt hopes will be the case. It was still a few months away, though, and Kurt's schedule is filling up quickly with the addition of several new, albeit important, responsibilities at work.

In a nutshell, his lack of time with Blaine epically sucks.

~^*^~

Blaine skates out to the Isles' end, getting ready for the face off. He lost the last two and is determined to win this one. They have the man advantage, Blaine's line is playing well, and there is no reason why they can't pull into the lead in the next two minutes. The score is tied at one and there are only three minutes left to play. If they don't score, there will be overtime, and Blaine really isn't feeling it. He wants to make a win happen before it gets to that point, especially since the sooner the game ends, the sooner he and Kurt can catch up.

As soon as the puck hit the ice, Blaine moves without thinking, dumping it into the corner and chasing after it as fast as his legs will let him. One of his teammates gets to it first, knocking it around the back of the net to the other winger. Blaine breaks away from the guy covering him and manages to get in front of the net, feeling the goalie's eyes on him. After that, it's all instinct. He watches carefully as his teammates pass the puck back and forth, winding down the clock. As soon as the puck makes its way to him, Blaine takes his shot.

~^*^~

Kurt jumps out of his seat, yanking Rachel up with him. A loud horn went off and Blaine was currently being swarmed by his teammates, who were patting him on the head and bumping their gloved fists against his. Kurt cheers loudly, clapping his hands and bouncing on his feet, Rachel yelling out an enthusiastic "Go Team!" next to him. Kurt ignores the glares of the people around him, his gaze set on Blaine, who returned to the bench. His stomach swoops as Blaine, with his helmet perched on top of his head, points directly at him and winks, letting him know that the goal had been for him.

"Oh, he is handsome!" Rachel squeals once they sit back down. Kurt looks up at the clock and is relieved to see that there is less than a minute left in the game, his heart speeding up from the anticipation of being able to feel Blaine's arms around him so soon.

"Of course he is. I have impeccable taste," Kurt counters, trying to tame the way his gut was doing back flips. "Okay, so here's the plan. I'll go back to the hotel with you, and then Blaine is coming by to pick me up. Promise me you'll behave yourself."

Rachel looks at him incredulously. "I'm not a child, Kurt," she argues. "I am more than capable of interacting with other people."

"I know you, Rachel Berry, and I'm confident that Blaine won't want to hear about your entire resume."

"There is nothing wrong with being proud of one's accomplishments," Rachel replies, sniffing loudly and trying to avoid Kurt's knowing look. "But fine. I'll be good."

"That's all I ask."

~^*^~

Blaine presses the elevator button for the third floor a few times for good measure. He had showered and changed, then put on his favorite mustard pants and white jacket and combed his hair down into submission. He thought he looked pretty damn good when he left, but as he steps into the elevator, he turns into a giant bundle of nerves firing in every known direction. Blaine jumps as the elevator jerks to a halt, trying to plan out what he will do when Kurt answers the door. He wants to kiss him as soon as possible, but thinks that may be rude considering they won't be alone. A handshake? No, that would be dumb and much too impersonal.

He stops in front of Kurt's shared room, takes a deep breath, and knocks twice. He hears some shuffling behind the door and what sounds like Kurt hissing "out of my way, Berry". Blaine smiles to himself, hoping that means that Kurt is just as eager to see him as he is to see Kurt. The door suddenly flies open, and Blaine finally has Kurt in front of him.

"Hey there, superstar," Kurt says, his voice low and breathy. Blaine swallows, taking a hesitant step forward and when Kurt's eyes light up, he closes the distance between them, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist tightly and burying his face in his neck. Kurt's arms are warm around his shoulders, strong and solid and absolutely perfect.

They pull back just enough to be able to look at each other, both of them smiling like idiots and getting completely lost in the moment.

"Hey, yourself," Blaine says softly, leaning forward to press his lips to Kurt's. He sighs against Kurt's mouth, the warmth of Kurt's breath on his face and the softness of Kurt's lips making everything around them melt away, leaving them in their own world. Kurt's hands on his shoulders tighten and his lips part slightly, closing back down gently on Blaine's bottom lip. Blaine figures they could just stay right where they were for the rest of the night, wrapped up in each other's arms, and by the way Kurt was kissing him back, he didn't think there would be any objection.

The loud, sudden sound of a throat clearing makes them jump apart. Blaine looks over Kurt's shoulder and sees a petite brunette standing by the door, her arms crossed but a warm smile on her face.

"Right, sorry." Kurt takes a couple steps back and turns to face Rachel, who was looking back and forth between him and Kurt so quickly that Blaine thought she might give herself whiplash. "Blaine, this is - "

"Rachel Berry," Rachel cuts in, sticking her hand out toward Blaine. He grabs it quickly for fear that she may hurt him if he doesn't move fast enough. "I'm thrilled to finally meet you! I'm sure Kurt has told you all about me."

"Um, yeah, of course," Blaine agrees, sharing an amused look with Kurt. He did hear about Rachel a bit, but he and Kurt always found more important things to talk about, like their mutual disdain for who got sent home in the latest episode of The Bachelorette. "Kurt mentioned that you're an amazing singer."

"Well, he does speak the truth," Rachel preens. Kurt rolls his eyes and steps further out into the hallway, wrapping his hand around Blaine's elbow.

"Now that your ego has been sufficiently stroked, Blaine and I are going to head out," Kurt says, starting to nudge Blaine toward the elevators.

"Oh, of course. I hope you boys have a lovely evening," Rachel says with an exaggerated wink. Blaine decides that subtlety is definitely not her strong suit.

"I'm sure we will," Kurt calls over his shoulder, already half way down the hall, tugging Blaine along behind him with their fingers laced together. Blaine chuckles at Kurt's impatience, letting go of his hand and sliding his arms around Kurt's hips as they waited for the elevator, hugging him from behind.

"I missed you," Blaine whispers, lightly kissing the back of Kurt's neck. It was an understatement, really. He more than just missed Kurt and he hates that they only have a few hours together until they have to go their separate ways again. It's like a carrot is being dangled in front of him, except instead of an actual carrot it's their future, so tempting and wonderful, but still out of reach.

~^*^~

"So, we have approximately one hour and twenty-seven minutes left," Blaine says, popping another cherry tomato in his mouth. Once they had gotten to his hotel, Blaine insisted on ordering room service, completely disregarding Kurt's suggestion to find somewhere to eat out. Kurt really hadn't argued, though, wanting to have as much alone time with Blaine as possible. "Any ideas on what we could do?"

Kurt raises his eyebrows, biting his lip and feeling his cheeks heat up. Blaine was sitting back against the headboard with a tray in his lap, arranging the rest of his salad on the plate like a vegetable bouquet. Once he was pleased with the pattern, he looked up at Kurt, smiling softly with a glint to his eyes. It really wasn't fair how Blaine could make Kurt's insides twist just by looking at him through his ridiculously long lashes, feigning innocence while looking at Kurt up and down, his intentions obvious and not exactly pure.

"We could see what this fancy hotel has to offer in its porn library," Kurt jokes, outright laughing at Blaine's scandalized look.

"Kurt Hummel, are you trying to seduce me with poorly acted soft core?"

"Totally. The music itself is enough to make me hot," Kurt replies, somehow managing to keep a straight face. He has definitely come a long way since his high school years, when just the thought of porn made him want to crawl under a rock and stay there forever. He still hates those types of movies, but now it's more due to the horrible acting that annoys him more than it turns him on.

"I could see that. It's like the perfect soundtrack to half-clothed humping," Blaine agrees, his lips twitching in the corners.

"Ooh, half-clothed humping. Such a dirty mind you have. Tell me more," Kurt teases.

Blaine sets his tray on the bedside table and slips off the bed, sauntering over to Kurt, who was sitting at the small desk in the corner of the room, his chair turned to face the bed and his own food long forgotten on the tray behind him. Kurt feels his heart pounding in his chest as Blaine sways his hips and moves closer, coming to a stop barely an inch away. Kurt leans against the back of the chair, watching intently as Blaine slides onto his lap, straddling him and winding his arms around his shoulders.

"Baby, I'll tell you anything you want," Blaine drawls, exaggerating every word and smirking as he wags his eyebrows. "You make me so... hard... in my pants."

Kurt bursts out laughing. "Consider the moment ruined," he says, shaking his head fondly at the adorable, silly man in front of him. "I don't think there's any chance of recovering from that."

"Oh, I don't know," Blaine argues, suddenly making his voice low and extremely sexy. He shifts closer so their chests are pressed together and he leans forward until Kurt can feel his lips ghosting over his own. "I think there's hope yet."

Kurt closes the space between them, slipping his tongue past Blaine's lips almost immediately. His hands work their way underneath the back of Blaine's shirt and smooth over the warm skin he had missed touching for so long. It doesn't take long for their mouths to wander, brushing over each other's necks, testing out new spots to nibble and lick. Their shirts disappear quickly, Kurt too caught up in the feeling of Blaine rocking against him to care where his had ended up. Their hips move in a fast rhythm, not quite in sync, but it doesn't matter.

"I think... ah... we should move this to the bed," Kurt pants, his fingers skidding over Blaine's back. "And m-maybe, um, lose the pants."

"Yeah. Yeah, definitely," Blaine agrees, sucking gently on Kurt's shoulder before standing and pulling Kurt up with him. Kurt pushes Blaine back until they both topple over onto the bed, mouths connecting and legs tangling. Kurt wedges his hand between them, working Blaine's pants open and lowering his zipper. Blaine raises himself up and does the same to Kurt's pants, and they scramble to get rid of both articles of clothing as fast as possible. Kurt tugs Blaine back down eagerly, whimpering against his mouth.

Neither of them worry about dragging it out. Kurt gasps as Blaine sucks at a particularly sensitive spot at the base of his neck, kissing his way down Kurt's chest and stomach. Kurt's eyes slam shut and his fingers clutch at Blaine's shoulders, a low whine escaping his throat as Blaine takes him into his mouth. Blaine practically devours him, licking and sucking like he can't get enough. Kurt can definitely sympathize. If they had more time, he would map out every inch of Blaine's body, memorizing every perfect imperfection of Blaine's skin and the rhythm of his blood pumping underneath.

It doesn't take long for Kurt to moan loudly, a long and drawn out noise that he can feel more than hear. His back arches and his hands grasp Blaine's hair as his hips shake from the delicious suction of Blaine's mouth, and he spills deep into his throat, Blaine swallowing him down like he was starved for it.

Blaine scrambles up the bed, looking like sex personified, eyes dark and glazed over, his lips looking worn and deep red, and if Kurt hadn't just came his brains out, seeing Blaine like that would have done it.

"Good god, Blaine," Kurt gasps, still trying to collect himself. Blaine smirks at him, latching onto his neck and nudging his erection against Kurt's thigh. Kurt grabs the back of Blaine's hair and yanks him down into a hard kiss, dipping his tongue into Blaine's mouth and growling when he tastes himself. He gets a firm hold on Blaine's hips and rolls them so he can straddle Blaine's thighs, determined to return the favor tenfold.

~^*^~

"So, are you going to walk me back, or am I doing the Walk of Shame?" Kurt jokes several minutes later, his head resting on Blaine's shoulder and fingers dragging lightly over the soft hair of Blaine's chest. Blaine huffs out a laugh and holds him closer, kissing his hair.

"Don't wanna move. Like it here," Blaine responds lazily. "No shame for you, though. You're awesome."

"I love your verbal skills. So eloquent," Kurt says, nuzzling into Blaine's skin and inhaling the scent of Blaine's soap and sweat and skin. "I do have to go soon, unfortunately, and you need some sleep."

"It would be better if I could sleep with you," Blaine says softly, cupping Kurt's face and tracing his thumb along his cheekbone. "I hate letting you go."

Kurt sighs deeply and closes his eyes. "Me too."

Neither one of them says anything for a few minutes, content just to hear each other breathe.

"We'll have to plan another visit soon, then," Blaine suggests. Kurt hums in agreement, not sure when he will have the free time. He has an overwhelming amount of deadlines coming up and will be busier than usual over the next few weeks, except for the short break he is pretty sure he will get for the holidays.

"How much longer until you're done for the season?" Kurt asks, looking up at Blaine and kissing his jaw. He knows the answer. He's asked the same question more than once before, but he keeps asking in case the answer changes.

Blaine shifts so he is on his side, facing Kurt. His fingers wrap around Kurt's wrist, thumb stroking gently over the thin skin stretched over Kurt's knuckles, and their are noses so close they are almost touching. "A couple months. More if we keep doing well," Blaine replies, nudging Kurt's nose and leaning up to kiss the tip.

"Is it bad that a part of me hopes that you guys bomb the rest of your games?"

"Hey, stop that. We'll have a couple months together soon enough," Blaine whispers.

Kurt pouts, making Blaine laugh. "Can't you switch teams or something? That happens, right?"

"I suppose I could get traded eventually. My contract is up at the end of this season, so who knows where I'll end up."

Kurt was pretty sure Blaine was happy where he was, and it would be unfair for him to hope that Blaine would get sent elsewhere or that his team would choke and not make it to the playoffs. Kurt knew it was selfish of him to think that way, but it was hard not to. On the other hand, there is always the chance that Blaine will get sent to a team even farther away, and Kurt hopes that Alaska doesn't have a team.

"Yeah, I guess." Kurt takes a deep breath, knowing that he has to get moving but really, really not wanting to.

"Christmas is just around the corner," Blaine offers. "I'm free for three whole days then."

"And I'll be in Ohio," Kurt grins, feeling a bit better. It's still a couple weeks away, of course, but just knowing that he will spend time over the holidays with Blaine makes his heart expand.

Kurt never expected to be in a long distance relationship, always scoffing at others that were - Finn and Rachel's relationship had been a huge disaster - but now that he was in one, he realizes that for every moment spent missing each other, there will always be an amazing moment just around the corner where they will be together again.

"You could meet my dad," Kurt says, smiling wickedly as Blaine's eyes grow wide. "I'm sure he'll love you. And you know Finn already does."

"Ha. Well, if I know my brother, he'll want to meet you, too," Blaine laughs, squeaking as Kurt pinches his side playfully.

"I'm sure I can handle that."

Blaine just smiles, looking a little smug, and Kurt wonders what he exactly he'd gotten himself into.

~^*^~

They slowly get out of bed and gather their clothes, taking much longer to get dressed than usual. They draw out the time as best as they can and fill it with small touches and lingering kisses. Their fingers lace together the moment they step out of Blaine's room and don't part until they reach Kurt's, needing the contact before for as long as possible before it's gone again. They hold each other for a while, swaying and whispering reassurances, until Kurt gives Blaine one last kiss and opens the door. He watches Blaine walk backward toward the elevators and wave as he steps inside.

Rachel is still up, obviously waiting to hear about Kurt's date, but when she looks at Kurt, she simply pats the spot on the bed next to her. Kurt doesn't bother kicking off his shoes or getting undressed before he lays down next to her and lets her hug him. She's a pain in the ass, but she's still his best friend and she knows him better than nearly anyone. Kurt is grateful that she doesn't ask questions or try to lighten the mood. Apparently, his somber expression speaks volumes. He sniffs lightly and realizes that there are tears on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to blubber all over you," Kurt says quietly.

"It's okay. I know it must be hard to say goodbye."

"No. No goodbyes. I'll never say that to him," Kurt mumbles, sitting up and wiping his eyes. "Besides, I'll see him again soon."

"You really like this guy, huh?" Rachel asks, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, Rach. I really do."