Bryant Park. 7 pm. Wear something warm. :)

Kurt stared at the text message that he had received earlier that morning from Blaine and tried not to bite a hole through his lip.

Bryant Park was an outdoor ice skating rink. Kurt didn't know how to ice skate. He'd been a total of two times since moving to New York and he wasn't sure that going with Blaine would be a good idea. He was likely going to fall on his face, or his ass, several times before the night was over and he didn't feel like making a fool of himself in front of the guy he had been crushing on for a long time now.

He sighed and Isabelle just happened to walk by at that moment.

"Uh oh," she said, stopping in front of his desk. "I know that sigh – that's the 'I can't do this' sigh. Kurt, what's going on?"

Kurt blinked and looked up, quickly locking his phone. "Uh," he mumbled and shook his head. "Nothing. It's... nothing."

"Kurt," Isabelle said pointedly.

Kurt got up and followed her into her office, taking the seat across from her desk. She sat next to him in the other guest seat and waited for him to start talking.

"There's this guy that I like," he started, wondering if he should tell her his age or any other details. "And we've kind of... well, I don't even know if he's interested, actually. We've kind of bumped into each other a whole bunch but nothing ever happened. He sent me a text asking me to meet him at Bryant Park tonight and to wear something warm... I don't ice skate. I'm going to fall flat on my face and he's never going to want to see me again."

Kurt knew he was babbling but when he got really stressed about things, he tended to babble a little. It was somewhat embarrassing, especially in front of his boss.

Isabelle smiled. "I'm going to assume, since he's asked you to meet him there that he can skate – which is a good thing. It means he can hold you close and teach you."

Kurt paused. "...I never thought of that."

"Mmmhmm," Isabelle said with a nod. "And, even if you do fall, he'll probably enjoy helping you get back on your feet and will hold you tighter. It's a romantic time of year, winter, take advantage of it, Kurt! Carpe diem!"

Kurt couldn't help but smile. Isabelle had a point. This could potentially work in his favour. Especially if Blaine knew how to skate already.

"Take the rest of the afternoon off," Isabelle said. "Go home, get ready and make sure that this potential boyfriend of yours plays his cards right."

Kurt really did have the best boss in the world. "Thank you," he said, reaching over to give her a hug. She patted him on the back and squeezed him a little.

"Let me know how it goes," she said when they parted. "I want to hear all of the romantic details."

Kurt chuckled as he got up to leave her office. "You'll be the first person I tell on Monday."

"I'd better be," Isabelle said, waving her hand at him to shoo him away. "Go, have fun, and kiss him already. Make it official. Then give me details."

Kurt nodded and left her office. He quickly shut his work computer down and made sure to take his office laptop with him to do work over the weekend. It was the least he could do if he was leaving the office early on a Friday afternoon.

Kurt was grateful for an empty apartment when he got home. It meant that he could go about doing what he needed to do without answering to his room-mate's questions every ten minutes. He loved them all, he did, but they had to be three of the nosiest girls on the planet.

He showered and made sure that he had chosen a fashionable, yet warm outfit, complete with a coat and Blaine's scarf. He dressed and managed to leave the apartment before anyone else got home, successfully avoiding any and all potential confrontation with them.

Before he knew it, Kurt was outside of Bryant Park, his gaze automatically looking out for Blaine. He headed towards the entrance where the booth was to hire skates from and he was about to step up to it when he saw Blaine smiling at him from a few feet away.

"Hi," Blaine said with a smile. "How are you?"

"Good," Kurt replied, feeling his stomach tighten with nerves as he noticed the skates that Blaine was holding in his hand. It just proved him right; Blaine obviously knew what he was doing if he had his own skates.

"Do you need to rent skates?" Blaine asked and Kurt nodded.

Once Kurt had his skates, they both sat down on a bench to pull them on. Kurt watched as Blaine's fingers quickly and efficiently laced his skates up. He turned his attention back to his own, making sure they were secure enough.

"Have you ever skated before?"

Kurt glanced up. Blaine looked a lot taller on skates. "Uh," he started. "Only twice. I'm probably not going to be a lot of fun tonight so I'm going to say sorry in advance."

"You'll be fine," Blaine said encouragingly. "I'm steady on my feet on the ice, so I'll help you."

Kurt nodded and stood up himself. He wobbled for a moment before finding his centre of gravity again. He took tentative steps to the small opening to the rink, letting Blaine go first. He stepped out and immediately felt his skates try to give way underneath him. He gripped onto the side tightly and took a deep breath. This was going to end in him covered in bruises, he knew it.

"Here, take my hands," Blaine said.

Kurt glanced up at Blaine and hesitantly took one of his hands first. Blaine's hands felt warm, even through their gloves. He let go of the rink fence and took Blaine's other hand.

"Alright, we'll go slowly, I promise," Blaine said.

Kurt nodded but then lost his footing and started to slip. Blaine quickly reacted and before Kurt could end up on his ass, he was pulled close against Blaine. "Sorry," he said.

"Don't apologise," Blaine replied softly. "Here, we're going to start moving. Since you've skated before, you should pick it up really quickly."

Kurt nodded again and Blaine started to skate backwards, still holding onto Kurt's hands. He moved along with Blaine, concentrating on his feet on the ice. He could do this, he knew he could.

"You're getting it," Blaine said after a while. "You're a natural."

Kurt snorted. "I don't know about that," he replied. "But thank you."

Blaine's hands squeezed his own in response. "Do you think you can skate by yourself?"

"Yeah, I think I've got it," Kurt said confidently.

"I'll stay with you, just in case."

Kurt shot Blaine a grateful smile and Blaine let go of his hands. Kurt immediately felt the loss of warmth and he tried desperately not to rub them against his thighs or shove them in his coat pockets to get the warmth back.

Kurt made it half way around the rink by himself before he fell flat on his ass. "Well, that was short lived," he said, struggling to get back up.

Blaine's hands came into his view and Kurt grabbed onto them, letting Blaine pull him up. They were flush against each other and Kurt could feel Blaine's warm breath on his cheek. "I think you did alright," he said.

Kurt swallowed thickly. "Thanks. Let's go again. My goal tonight is to make it around the rink at least once without falling and bruising myself."

"Sounds like a good plan," Blaine said fondly.

Kurt gave Blaine a small smile and let go of his hands to start skating again. Blaine quickly fell into line with him as Kurt made his way back around the rink. It felt easier already, even though he had only been skating for about half an hour. Kurt was getting the hang of it; except he kept falling over.

"Damnit, I thought I had it that time," Kurt said, dusting off the back of his coat where he had landed on his ass on the ice again.

"Don't rush yourself," Blaine replied. "You're doing really well."

Kurt determinedly pushed off on the skates again. He still hadn't made it all the way around one time without falling down. They had been at this for more than two hours already and he just wanted to complete this one, small task. He knew he could do it; he just had to not fall over.

Blaine was at his side, watching him the entire time as Kurt skated. Kurt persevered, trying not to skate too close to the wall or into other people. It wasn't as busy as Kurt thought it would be, which he was really grateful for. It was embarrassing enough falling on his ass in front of strangers without people who potentially knew him or knew where he worked watching him fall on his ass.

Kurt glided along, feeling the cool air biting at his cheeks. He should have worn a beanie, like some of the other patrons had. He knew it would mess up his hair, though, so he hadn't worn one. His goal was to impress Blaine, not scare him away with hat hair.

"Hey, Kurt?"

Kurt glanced over at Blaine who was staring at him. "Yeah?"

"Look," Blaine said, nodding ahead.

Kurt glanced around, wondering what Blaine was talking about when he realised it. He had skated around the entire rink, not once, but twice in a row without falling over. "I did it!" he cheered.

Blaine's laughter filled the space between them as he started to skate backwards so he could face Kurt. "You did," he replied. "How does it feel?"

"Pretty great, actually," Kurt admitted with a grin. He glanced around at the rest of the patrons skating, finally feeling confident enough to look around rather than right ahead or at his flailing feet.

There were so many happy faces and the laughter from the people was like music to Kurt's ears. Even though he was sure his ass and thighs were going to be covered in bruises tomorrow when he woke, it was worth it.

He felt something wet hit his cheek and he looked up, watching the first snowflakes fall from the sky. He let out a happy laugh and reached up with his gloved hand to catch one.

"Blaine, it's snowing!" he said happily.

Kurt glanced at Blaine who had stopped and was staring at him. "It looks gorgeous."

Kurt felt his heart thud in his chest as Blaine spoke while looking directly at him. He came to a stop a short distance from Blaine, his palm still stretched out to catch snowflakes. One landed on Blaine's cheek and he had a smattering of white in his hair where the snow had stuck first.

He couldn't help but stare as a particularly lucky snowflake landed on Blaine's long eyelashes. Blaine blinked to get rid of it and Kurt tried not to pout. He wobbled on the spot for a moment but Blaine's hand came out to rest on his waist, steadying him.

Blaine's face was flushed from the cold but he had a small, happy smile that had been there since the beginning of the night. It really made Kurt want to kiss him. His lips were soft looking and looked absolutely kissable. Kurt's mind screamed at him to do something for once – to make the first move.

"Carpe diem, Kurt," he muttered to himself and he leaned forwards to kiss Blaine.

His lips were as soft as Kurt thought they would be and they were surprisingly warm despite the cold air and the snow that was falling onto Blaine's face.

Kurt's hand went to the back of Blaine's neck and Blaine immediately wrapped both of his arms around Kurt's middle, holding him close. The brushing of their lips against each other was enough to send Kurt's heart thudding in his chest. He was sure that Blaine could feel it from how close they were pressed together.

He pulled back enough to look at Blaine. "I..."

Blaine shook his head a little and reclaimed Kurt's mouth with another kiss. Kurt sighed as Blaine's tongue slid against his own, wet and warm and full of promise. Blaine's hands tightened on his waist and Kurt shifted a little, trying to get closer when he lost his footing. He fell backwards with a hard thud and he winced as he felt the sharp sting of his ass hitting the ice below him.

~*~

"Well, my kisses have never literally knocked someone off their feet before but there's always a first for everything," Blaine teased, grinning.

Kurt shook his head and held out a hand for Blaine to help him up. "Charming," he said. "My ass is going to be so sore tomorrow, and not in the good way."

Blaine laughed and pulled Kurt against him, securely holding him this time. He could see the happiness sparkling in Kurt's eyes and he felt elated that he had helped put that there. "I would offer to kiss it better but I don't think we're quite there yet."

Kurt laughed, throwing his head back a little and all Blaine wanted to do was kiss up his neck until he reached the soft skin of his jaw. "No, definitely not."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's waist lightly. "How about we go get you a nice, soft seat to sit on and a hot chocolate?"

"That sounds perfect," Kurt replied.

Blaine took Kurt's gloved hand in his own and led him to the rink's exit. They stepped out and Kurt wobbled on his feet again. Blaine steadied him and they headed to sit on a bench to take off their skates.

Kurt groaned the moment his feet were free of the skates and Blaine tried not to let the noise go straight through him. "My feet are killing me," he said. "And we weren't out there for that long either."

"It's okay," Blaine replied. "You get used to it after a while."

"I don't know if I ever want to get used to that."

Blaine slipped his own shoes back on before holding out a hand to Kurt for his skates. "I'll return them for you."

Kurt shot him a grateful look as he laced up his own boots once more. Blaine returned the skates for Kurt and by the time he got back, Kurt was waiting for him.

"So, where are we going for a hot chocolate?" Kurt asked.

"Uh, I hope this isn't too forward," Blaine started. "But my apartment isn't too far from here if you would like to go there? I have a soft couch and I make a pretty good hot chocolate."

Kurt smiled. "Can we pick up doughnuts on the way?" he asked.

"Of course," Blaine replied.

They left Bryant Park and Blaine walked them in the direction of his apartment building. They chatted as they walked, about work mostly but Blaine was honestly distracted by Kurt's lips.

Surprise didn't begin to describe how he felt when Kurt had kissed him. It had been incredible. He had been pining for Kurt for so long that he'd been sure that nothing would ever come of it. Kurt was so young. Even Audrey was older than Kurt was and that was kind of a scary prospect when he thought about it like that.

Everyone had been telling him for a while now that he needed to get back out there and just date a bunch of guys. He had been with Dale for so long that the prospect of dating was scary and daunting – things Blaine didn't want to associate with finding someone new to love.

That's all he wanted. He didn't want to date around; he wanted to find someone to share his life with. Of course, he had thought that person was Dale, but that ship had sailed a long time ago; now, now there was Kurt. Beautiful, intelligent and amazing Kurt. Kurt, who Blaine had only spent specks of time with but with whom Blaine knew he knew he wanted to get to know better.

Blaine hadn't felt this way about anyone in a long time.

As they walked, the backs of their hands brushed together a couple of times. Blaine took initiative and slipped his hand into Kurt's, twining their fingers together.

Kurt stopped speaking and Blaine noticed the flush high on his cheek bones. Kurt's fingers squeezed around his and they kept walking. They stopped a few moments later at a little bakery that was open late and Blaine bought a box of a variety of doughnuts. Blaine carried the box the rest of the way to his apartment.

"Wow," Kurt said, voice filled with awe, as they approached the building. "This is... wow."

Blaine felt his cheeks beginning to burn a little. "It's not much, but it's home."

"Not much?" Kurt asked, quirking an eyebrow in Blaine's direction. He couldn't help but be turned on by it.

"My last apartment was a lot more... lavish than this," Blaine started as he pushed the call button for the elevator. "My ex had expensive tastes."

Kurt made a noise but before Blaine could decipher it, the elevator doors opened and he gestured for Kurt to step in before him. They rode the elevator in relative silence, still holding hands, Blaine was pleased to note.

The elevator stopped at his floor and Blaine stepped out first. Kurt's eyes were wide as he looked around, taking everything in. Blaine walked the few paces into his living room and set the box of doughnuts on the coffee table.

"Whoa," Kurt said. "This is lovely, Blaine."

Blaine gave him a small smile and took Kurt's coat to hang in the closet by the elevator. He hung up his own next to Kurt's and slipped off his shoes, leaving them inside as well. "Thank you," he said. "I wasn't originally going to get a penthouse but Cooper insisted that I deserved some luxury after the break up."

"Cooper has good taste," Kurt returned.

"Please don't ever say that to him, he'll lord it over my head forever," Blaine replied.

He was glad that Kurt seemed to like his home. It wasn't often that he brought people to his apartment but with Kurt, Blaine wanted everything. He knew it was silly to be thinking like that when they had only just kissed that evening but there was something inside of him that was telling him this was all so right.

"Would you still like that hot chocolate?" Blaine asked.

Kurt's attention snapped back to him. "I'd love it."

"Alright," he started. "Have a look around while I make the drinks. Or make yourself comfortable in the living room, if you want."

"Okay," Kurt replied.

Blaine pottered about in the kitchen, making their hot chocolates. He put little marshmallows in their steaming mugs when he was done and headed back to the living room where Kurt had taken a seat in the middle of his plush couch. Everything Blaine had chosen for his furniture was for comfort over fashion. He knew that a lot of people never did that but Blaine was all about comfort these days. He had put up with the eccentrics when he and Dale were together; he had wanted his own things to his own tastes when he moved in.

Blaine set the mugs on the table and quickly ducked back to the kitchen to get them a small plate each to use for the doughnuts.

"Thank you," Kurt said as he picked up the mug in front of him, taking a long sip. "Mmm, this is delicious."

Blaine grinned. "Told you I made a great hot chocolate," he said, sitting next to Kurt on the couch, their thighs brushing against each other as he got comfortable.

He offered the doughnut box to Kurt so he could have first pick and selected one for himself once Kurt had chosen. He broke a large piece off to eat before taking a long sip of his hot chocolate. He could feel the last remnants of the cold leaving his body as the chocolate warmed him up.

"Thank you for tonight," Kurt said softly.

Blaine watched as Kurt curled his fingers around his mug, a look of fondness on his face. "It was my pleasure," he replied. "I just hope you're not too bruised tomorrow."

"It's worth it," Kurt said.

Blaine set his mug down on the coffee table and Kurt followed suit. They moved together, both leaning in at the same time, their lips brushing against each other's a moment later. Kurt's lips were warm against Blaine's own and Blaine could taste his hot chocolate as he gently ran his tongue along Kurt's lower lip. Kurt shifted a little, opening his mouth under Blaine's as he reached up a hand to cup the back of Blaine's head. Blaine sighed into the kiss, curling one hand onto Kurt's shoulder.

The kiss broke naturally a few long moments later and Blaine could feel his heart beating faster in his chest from it. Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's own, smiling. Blaine leant forwards again, kissing Kurt once more. He cupped Kurt's cheek, his thumb stroking over the soft line of Kurt's jaw. Kurt made a sound that went straight to Blaine's stomach, making him moan in response.

They parted again a moment later and Blaine stared at Kurt's lips, red and shining from their kissing. He licked his own lips before pulling back a little more.

"I..." he started.

"Yeah," Kurt said breathily. "You're really good at that."

Blaine chuckled. "You are too."

Kurt leaned back against the couch, taking Blaine's hand in his own. "So, I've wanted to do that for a while now."

Blaine shot him a surprised look. "Really?" he asked.

Kurt nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah," he replied. "I... This is so awkward. I've kind of had a crush on you for a while. It was getting to the point where I thought I was back in high school."

Blaine couldn't help but smile. "You're definitely not in high school," he said, shifting to lean back against the couch the way Kurt was, turning to face Kurt as bodily as he could. Their knees bumped together and Kurt stroked his free hand over their joined ones.

"I know," he said. "But it was though I was being teased with tastes of you every time I saw you."

"If it helps, it was completely mutual," Blaine replied.

"That helps."

Blaine dipped his head to press another soft kiss to Kurt's lips. "I'm glad."

Kurt squeezed his hand lightly before kissing Blaine again. It was slow and perfect, Blaine thought. It was everything he wanted and so much more than he ever thought he could have.

He knew they had a lot to talk about. Blaine didn't just want a random hook up and he didn't know if that would scare Kurt away or not. He knew he was attracted to Kurt on a physical level, but every time they actually got a chance to talk Blaine knew that Kurt was the only guy he had met in a while that could keep up with him not only intellectually but also keep him on his toes. Kurt was talented, vivacious and everything Blaine wanted in a partner.

He figured he'd worry about that a little later, though, because Kurt's lips against his own and the way their tongues were moving together liked they belong together made Blaine forget about anything that wasn't Kurt right in front of him.