In lectures, his note-taking was even worse than before. In previous weeks during the most boring of lectures, Blaine would sit up straight in his chair and try to concentrate for the lecture, normally making it about fifteen minutes before giving up and relying on the online notes. Since he’d met Kurt and could now place a face – a beautiful face belonging to someone wonderful – to the name written on his hand, Blaine had turned up to the lectures in body but not in his mind.

He would text Kurt from inside the dark lecture halls, holding his screen up so that no one could peek over his shoulder to read the text because they were also bored or looking for a distraction. Sometimes Kurt would take ages to reply but he always gave a legitimate reason and would text for hours if he could.

The fact that Kurt would check his phone and reply to a text from Blaine at any point he could made the younger boy beam with happiness.

Blaine’s phone vibrated twice in his hand in a rare moment that he was frantically scribbling down some information about the Industrial Revolution that he should use in his essay. An essay that was still completely unwritten. He finished his thought and even though he knew that the lecturer (not the old droning man this time but a young doctor who had a way with words) was still talking about something he could use, he couldn’t resist unlocking his phone and reading Kurt’s text.

Are you busy tomorrow?

Blaine didn’t hesitate and was typing a reply before he’d fully registered the message.

Not at all.

Can you meet me here just after closing time? Here as in hummels?

Of course. What are you planning?

:)

Blaine locked his phone and looked up at the lecturer again. He’d moved on to another topic, one that Blaine wasn’t particularly interested in and didn’t need for his essay. He sighed and sat back in the uncomfortable wooden chair. His thumb moved slowly over his phone, stroking it absentmindedly. It was his current connection to Kurt and consequently, Blaine’s current most precious item.

They’d texted regularly over the past two days starting from when Blaine had arrived at his dorms and closed the door to his room. He’d lent against the wood, tipped his head back so that it banged against the door and cradled his phone to his chest, a wide smile on his face.

Kurt had asked him when they’d unwillingly parted at the back door to his store that Blaine text him when he arrived home, so that Kurt could know that Blaine was home safely. It had taken the entire subway journey back to his dorms for Blaine to compose the perfect text.

I’ve got home alright – so you don’t need to worry. I had so much fun today, thank you.

Their texts hadn’t stopped since and as Kurt was so busy with the new store opening, they hadn’t talked on the phone yet.

With the lecture ending in a few minutes, Blaine abandoned all attempts to pick up the thread once more. Instead he cast his mind around to try and figure out what to wear. He had to impress Kurt: this was their first date of course and Kurt was a fashion designer. It would hardly be right for the soul mate of a fashion designer to be entirely unfashionable himself.

--

“Do I look ok?” Blaine stood in the doorway to Sugar’s room again, with his arms spread wide so that she could see his outfit. He wore blue jeans, rolled up to just over the ankles and a white and black striped sweatshirt. He held a coat in his hand and a red scarf was tucked into one of the pockets.

“You asked me that the other day.” Sugar said, slipping her eyelash curler back into her make up bag. She and Jennifer were off on a girls’ night with a few of the other girls on their floor. “Where are you going?” She gasped and jumped out of her chair to run towards him. “Are you going on a date?”

She took Blaine’s silence for a yes and squealed, hopping on the spot and clapping her hands together a few times. When Blaine held out his hand, the one not burdened with his coat, to calm her down, she took a step back and obviously looked his outfit over.

“You need something else, Blainey.” Sugar grasped his free hand and pulled him out of the room, walking into the next door room and heading straight for Blaine’s closet. Yanking the doors open, Sugar rummaged through Blaine’s shelves. She pulled out a black and grey cardigan, which was tossed over her shoulder and landed on the bed. A grey stripy cardigan was similarly discarded.

“This one!” She said brightly and straightened from where she’d been bent nearly doubled. In her hands, she held Blaine’s maroon cardigan and she thrust it towards him. Trusting her advice – Sugar was far more fashion conscious than Blaine, even though they both read Vogue from cover to cover together – Blaine put down his coat and slipped the cardigan over his arms. He walked to the full length mirror and buttoned it up.

Sugar came up behind him and had to stand on tiptoes to hook her chin over his shoulder. They both looked at the now complete outfit, which worked with the bold coloured cardigan.

“You’ve now been Sugared.” Sugar laughed and pressed a kiss to the side of Blaine’s jaw. “Go and wow your date.”

Blaine turned his head and leaned a little away from Sugar in order to look at her over his shoulder. “Thanks.” His voice was filled with sincerity and Sugar gave a bright smile to wave off the gratitude.

Ever the gentleman, Blaine let Sugar out of his room first, checked his pockets for his phone, keys and wallet and then locked the door. He slipped his coat on as he walked down the hallway and towards the stairs, nerves growing with every step.

Blaine had dated before. There had been Jeremiah – if that could be called dating – and then Sebastian – not that that involved much dating either – in senior year. There was something romantic about waiting for your soul mate, but some people didn’t meet and connect until much later in life. Some people didn’t meet their soul mates at all, or met briefly and didn’t recognise each other for who they were. With his young crush on Jeremiah and the brief but memorable relationship he’d had with Sebastian, Blaine had had his share of dates.

The nerves that he’d felt on those dates were like comparing a tiny breeze to a hurricane. This wasn’t just another boy, despite what Sugar had incorrectly deduced. This was Blaine’s soul mate. The most important person in his life. The most important person that Blaine would ever have contact with.

Tonight would make or break their budding relationship.

Blaine shook his head and said out loud: “No.”

He couldn’t think like that. He and Kurt had gotten on fabulously in Flat White, after they’d dispelled the initial awkward silences. They talked like they had known each other for years and then had texted regularly about nothing in particular for the two interim days. Kurt had even sent Blaine a text about the pet shop he’d passed after a meeting and the canary he’d seen in the window and had wanted to buy.

Blaine had filed that away in his mind’s box about Kurt for future reference. If Kurt really liked birds, then that could be a future birthday gift.

The time between Blaine’s dorm room and hummels grew longer and shorter with each journey. The first three trips Blaine had undertaken lasted forever. The return journey after their coffee date and today’s journey took no time at all. Blaine had been lost in his musings and when the crackly tannoy announced the stop he needed, Blaine jumped up in surprise and hurried passed grumbling passengers to stand by the doors.

The street was dark and nearly empty, street lamps shining brightly out of the night. The nerves only grew as he walked closer to hummels and Blaine took to staring at the cracks in the paving stones to focus on something other than the butterflies in his stomach.

Once reaching the back entrance to hummels, Blaine knocked a few times. He doubted that many people would be here. The shop had closed and he knew that only the necessary people stayed to cash the tills down and finish up their work once the shop itself closed. And this was a Saturday: granted the first Saturday the shop had been open, but employees would want to leave their jobs as soon as possible on a weekend.

Yet, no one answered Blaine’s knock and he turned his head around when a dog barked from behind him followed by the sound of car horns in the distance. In the dark and the quiet, the back of hummels was intimidating. It did nothing to soothe his nerves.

Blaine knocked again but pulled out his phone and opened Kurt’s number. He waited a moment – no answer at the door – and pressed the touch screen to call Kurt.

The dial tone sounded in his ear before Kurt’s high and musical voice came on the line.

“Blaine!” Blaine smiled at the happiness he heard in Kurt’s voice. “Are you here?”

Nodding, Blaine replied: “Yeah I’m outside. No one’s let me in yet.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Kurt put the phone down and Blaine held his cell in his hand, only slipping it into his coat pocket because a gust of bitingly cold wind blew through the small street at that point. He waited for a few moments, bouncing on the balls of his feet to rid himself of nerves.

The heavy silver back door opened to reveal a beaming Kurt. Blaine immediately smiled back and flicked his eyes over Kurt’s long, lithe body. He looked fantastic. He was wearing tight black pants with pointed black boots, a pristine white shirt that was buttoned to the top, a black waist coat and a thin silver scarf wrapped twice around his neck. Blaine was immediately outgunned in the clothing department (not that he’d anticipated otherwise) but his soul mate really looked wonderful.

“You look amazing.” Blaine said as he stepped inside the store. Kurt brushed imaginary lint from his black waistcoat and looked down at his outfit for a second before looking up at Blaine.

He frowned for a brief moment when he took in what Blaine was wearing and Blaine tugged at the bottom of his cardigan self-consciously. The frown lasted only a second and then Kurt beamed once more.

“So do you.” He reached out a grabbed Blaine’s hand, pulling him down the hallway towards the offices before he’d even had a chance to remove his scarf. Kurt walked beside his soul mate and glanced at him, emotion still written clearly on his face. “I’m really glad you could come tonight. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

Blaine shook his head. “Me too. I couldn’t wait to see you again after Wednesday.”

“Your texts kept me going until tonight.” Kurt dropped Blaine’s hand, which felt colder from the abrupt end to the warmth Blaine felt when he was in contact with Kurt, and pushed a door open. The plaque on the door read ‘Kurt Hummel’ and the inside was tastefully decorated with light walls, a dark wooden floor, and red skirting boards. A drawing desk was the main feature of the room but a computer desk was pushed into a corner away from the door. Comfortable rolling chairs were everywhere and Kurt jacket lay folded neatly over the arm rest of the chair behind the drawing desk.

Kurt was still talking while Blaine had looked around what he could only guess was Kurt’s office. “I rang the restaurant that we’re going to yesterday and they squeezed us in. Sometimes being a celebrity has its advantages.” He looked up from where he was fiddling with the drawers and sent a blinding smile in Blaine’s direction. “I really like the restaurant we’re going to. I went there with my family when they came to New York the last time so it’s got good memories already.”

Blaine licked his lips and said: “I know I’ll love it.” Because I’m with you went unsaid but from Kurt’s small smile, he knew what Blaine was implying.

He finished locking the drawers underneath the desk, storing away his precious sketch books for the night. He picked up the coat, a long grey pea coat that hit his knees and walked around the wooden desk to Blaine. Kurt followed Blaine out of the office, turning around to lock the door and then took Blaine’s hand again.

--

The restaurant they were going to was small, a deep blue awning over the front where outside tables must sit in the New York summer. The name was written in lowercase letters, babbo, with the Bs in black colouring and the vowels in red. Kurt tugged at Blaine’s hand when he walked towards the door and Blaine stopped to look over the front of the restaurant. They hadn’t let go of each other’s hands through the entire drive from hummels to the restaurant (in the car driven by a driver, whose name Blaine hadn’t caught and who Kurt had told that they wouldn’t need him to pick them up later in the evening.)

Kurt was wearing his large round sunglasses again and in the dimly light foyer, he dipped his head so that he spoke quietly with the ma�tre d who greeted them. The smartly dressed woman nodded once Kurt had finished talking, paused by the table where a reservations book was kept to cross out a line written there, and beckoned to Kurt and Blaine.

“This way, sirs.” She said, her Italian accent pronounced. Kurt followed her and Blaine walked a pace behind him, following blindly as he looked around the restaurant they passed.

Red carpets were laid on the floor, the walls were a deep golden colour, the chairs were comfortable red leather chairs and the tables were made of a deep wood, although they were all covered with long white table cloths. Soft jazz music was playing in the main room but they were led passed the main room and into a private room where there were four tables, two of which were already occupied.

“This is our private room, sir.” The ma�tre d spoke in a hushed tone to Kurt when they’d stopped at one of the empty tables. “You will not be disturbed here.”

They took their seats, Kurt sitting with his back to the door like he had done in Flat White. The ma�tre d picked up the intricately folded napkin off the table, flung it open with an impressive snap and laid it on Kurt’s lap. Blaine scratched his fingertips on his pants with nerves when it was his turn to have his lap covered with a napkin that had been folded like an orchid.

He never ate in restaurants like this one. New York had its fair share of upmarket restaurants and its fair share of cheap places that poor students would frequent. He knew how to act in a restaurant like this, of course, but it had been a while since he and his family had gone out for a nice meal together. And that was the only time Blaine would go out to a nice restaurant.

Until he’d met Kurt.

They were presented with the menus but Kurt flicked his eyes briefly over his before folding it, laying it on the table in front of him, resting his arms on the table top and leaning forward.

“I asked for us to be here so that we weren’t disturbed.” He twisted the empty wine glass in front of him, long fingers curled around the thin glass stem. “I wanted tonight to be about us.”

Blaine also folded his menu but held it in his hands. “It’s fine.” He cast his eyes over the small room, music a little quieter in here and a huge white flowering plant the centrepiece of the room. “I’m glad we won’t be disturbed.”

Kurt beamed and Blaine opened his menu again. “You’ve been here before: what’s good?” He asked, looking up at Kurt from beneath long black lashes.

After giving his recommendations, Kurt shot Blaine a grin that spoke volumes of cheeky intention. “Don’t worry about desert though. I know the perfect place that’s not too far from here.”

“Is that why you didn’t arrange a car to pick us up from here?” Blaine asked. He didn’t know this neck of the woods too well but he cast his mind around to think of a place where they could just buy desert. He came up blank.

Before Kurt could answer, the waiter appeared and jotted their orders down on a small pad. He offered them the wine list but after a moment’s silent communication, they both shook their heads at him. Blaine didn’t handle alcohol all that well – he was a lightweight, something that greatly amused any college friend who tried to tempt him to get drunk – and wanted his memory of this evening intact. Not to mention he didn’t want to make a complete fool of himself in front of his soul mate on their first official date.

He’d already made enough of a fool of himself by freezing where he stood when they’d been introduced.

The waiter poured a glass of water for them both and then lifted the unnecessary wine glasses from the table. Kurt took a sip of the water and then said: “I’ve been meaning to ask you since Thursday. You mentioned a subscription to Vogue.”

His question unasked but Blaine still smiled with embarrassment and looked down at the table. He raised his hand and rested his forehead in it briefly before looking up Kurt again.

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I’ve subscribed to Vogue for years. It’s an unhealthy addiction.”

“It’s not unhealthy.” Kurt’s face was earnest and he leant towards Blaine again, resting his arms on the table. “I do too. I’ve read it cover to cover for years. Since high school.”

“Was it your dream?” Blaine cocked his head to the side. “To be featured in Vogue?”

“I like how you said featured. And I won’t deny that that article is pinned to the wall near my bed.” They shared a laugh. “But what would say was your favourite edition?”

Blaine knew the answer to that question immediately but pretended to think about it. “It was from a few years ago.” Six years in fact. “But the Marion Cotillard cover is probably-”

Kurt gasped and threw out his hand to cover one of Blaine’s, resting next to his water glass. “That’s my favourite too!” Blaine gaped at him for a moment, remembered that he was on a date with his soul mate and quickly closed his mouth. “Nothing since that edition has come close. She’s-”

“Amazing.” They said in unison and laughed again.

In one fell swoop, all the nerves Blaine had had on the journey to hummels and the journey to the restaurant were gone. Brushed away with a sweep of a broom. He was on a date with his soul mate. There was nothing more perfect than that.

“Being on Broadway was my dream for a long time.” Kurt had started digging into the side salad that accompanied his entr�e and was looking at the plate while he spoke. “But I think fashion just took over.”

“Not that that was a bad thing.” Blaine raised an eyebrow and Kurt blushed, the red on his cheeks showing up clearly against his pale skin even in the dimmed lighting in the restaurant.

“No.” Kurt shrugged one shoulder and speared a bean onto the fork containing lettuce, alfalfa and a slice of tomato. “I still wanted to be up on stage in front of a crowd of people while they watched me sing a classic Broadway song.”

“What’s your favourite Broadway show then?” Blaine slipped a slice of the salmon into his mouth and chewed while watching his soul mate.

“Wicked.” Kurt replied without hesitation. He too took a bite of food and gestured towards Blaine, asking the same question with his actions.

“Mine’s Les Mis�rables.” Blaine smiled and wiggled his shoulders in a cocky manner. “I wanted to be Marius. The scene where he connects with Cosette… I always wanted to perform that.”

“Why didn’t you?” Kurt had rested his elbows on the table, crossed his hands (still holding the cutlery) and perched his chin on the back of his hands. “Why chose history rather than a theatre programme. And don’t give me rubbish about you not wanting to perform:” Kurt pre-empted the line that Blaine was already preparing in his head, “you were the lead singer for the Warblers. You must love the performance.”

For this conversation, Blaine laid his knife and fork gently on the plate: one to either side and hanging off the edge with the base on the table top.

“My dad.” Blaine focused on the bottom of the goblet with his untouched water rather than look into Kurt’s very blue eyes. “He didn’t think that the theatre was a good enough career.”

“Your brother’s a Hollywood actor.” Kurt pointed out, his voice sounding outraged already.

Blaine shrugged. “Cooper was-” he thought around for an appropriate word to describe his brother “-not the favourite, but he did what was expected.”

Blaine went quiet for a moment, again thinking of the correct words he’d need to tell Kurt about the status of things at home. But Kurt filled in the gap for him. “Your brother has a girl’s name on his palm.”

Blaine nodded and he cupped his left hand in his right, thumb resting over Kurt’s name scarred there. It was an action he’d done a hundred times over since he was fourteen, whenever the topic of the brothers’ soul mates was broached.

“My family knew I was gay before my mark developed. But I know my dad was holding out for an unexpected girl’s name. So was my mum, for that matter.” Blaine finally caught Kurt’s gaze and saw no pity, only curiosity and perhaps a little sympathy. “But once I had your name scarred there, they had to accept it.

“They didn’t stop me from things. Like I was still allowed to perform in the Warblers and I was allowed to go for extensive shopping trips and have my subscription to Vogue, but something like theatre as a job…” Blaine shook his head.

He licked his lips and frowned obviously, putting on a deep voice when he spoke to badly imitate his father. “You need a degree in something useful Blaine. Maybe law or a science so you can convert easily to pre-med.” Blaine shook his head and spoke in his own voice. “I would have just ignored him completely and applied for music programmes but he’s still my dad.”

While Blaine had been talking, Kurt had also put his knife and fork down. When Blaine’s face lost the happiness that had been ever present since Kurt had opened the heavy back door a few hours ago, he reached over and took one hand in his own. He hooked his fingers around the edge of Blaine’s hand and squeezed. Telling him that he was here even if no words were said.

“I’m lucky.” Kurt spoke in a quiet voice. “My dad already knew. It wasn’t that hard for him to figure out. So when your name developed, he wasn’t surprised at all.”

“He sounds like a wonderful person.”

Kurt nodded emphatically, his eyes shining. “He is. He means the world to me. And he’ll like you, I know it.”

Blaine sent Kurt a look that clearly said he didn’t believe a word of what he just said. Kurt’s father would probably scare him to pieces until he was accepted into the Hummel family. Just because Blaine was Kurt’s soul mate didn’t stop the need to get a parent’s approval for the relationship. From what Kurt had said and how he spoke about his father, Burt Hummel was an important man for Blaine to impress.

--

“So where are we going to for desert?” Blaine asked as they stepped out into the evening after paying their cheque. There was a cold wind blowing down the street and Blaine shivered, tightening his scarf around his neck. Kurt also shivered and Blaine immediately stepped closer and slipped an arm around his waist to share some body heat through the coats.

It was a moment of silence and comfortable walking away from the restaurant before Blaine realised that not only did he have his arm around Kurt’s waist and hadn’t removed it but Kurt had put his arm around his waist.

The first reaction was to stiffen in shock and his eyes opened as wide as they had done when they’d met that first time in the large meeting room. However, the panic that coursed through his body lasted milliseconds. His mind firmly reminded his locked muscles that they’d spent an afternoon, two days and an evening of friendly and flirty conversation between newly connected soul mates.

He could hold Kurt’s waist without worry. Hadn’t they held hands for the journey to the restaurant? Blaine was with his soul mate. It didn’t matter that his soul mate was a famous designer who was lucky to get away with not having an unwanted entourage of paparazzi tonight. Their decision to keep the fact that they were soul mates out of the public eye for the near future meant that if there had been photographers snapping photographs while they walked, Blaine certainly couldn’t have his arm around Kurt’s waist. He’d enjoy this while he could.

“Blaine?”

Kurt’s voice broke through his musings and Blaine noticed they’d stopped walking. He’d been blindly following Kurt while he’d had his momentary mental crisis. Blaine shook his head once to clear it and then sent an apologetic look towards Kurt. That was returned by an amused stare complete with one eyebrow raised.

“I was saying that we’re going to a crepe hut that I found a year or so ago.” His voice was mirth filled with teasing. Kurt started walking again and because they were tied together with their arms around each other, Blaine followed suit.

“Have you found everywhere that’s small and amazing in this city?”

Kurt laughed, throwing his head back and the sound musical. Blaine couldn’t help but smile in response to that laugh. Another favourite thing to add to the ever growing list about his soul mate.

“No.” Kurt shook his head and then reached up to move a lock of hair that had fallen down from the perfect coif and return it to the original place. “No I haven’t found everything. I needed jobs to get by before I bought my first shop and handed out my resume to any place that had availability. I just found places close to where I applied for jobs.”

Even having been in New York for three years, Blaine knew the famous tourist spots and the student places and that was it. Kurt had been in the city for an extra year, but he knew of the smaller places: smaller and fantastic. It was those that gave the city its flavour and personality.

They walked and talked about nothing and about everything. The tea parties Kurt would hold in his front garden with his dad. The dancing that Blaine would do in front of the television, Cooper learning the same moves behind him. Kurt being caught in the middle of a food fight during a lunch time performance with New Directions. Blaine giving a lunch time performance with the Warblers but this in the senior common room and resulting in a chorus of cheers.

Details about each other that both would eventually know and would only cement their relationship.

They passed an advert for a musical and Kurt gestured to the poster.

“I actually wanted to get us tickets for that tonight.” He turned from the poster and watched Blaine instead. “But Chandler couldn’t get me the tickets. So I chose the restaurant and crepe hut instead.”

Blaine looked back at the poster and saw the details the second time. The first time he’d glanced at it and saw it was advertising Mamma Mia! Now he looked at the poster a little closer and saw the name Chandler Kiehl underneath the picture of the smiling girl in a wedding dress. Blaine’s mind immediately jumped to what he knew about Chandler Kiehl: and what he knew was always connected to Kurt.

He tried to keep his voice steady as he asked: “How do you know Chandler Kiehl?”

Kurt had been watching the ground while Blaine had chewed his bottom lip and stared at the poster advertising Mamma Mia! Now he looked up at Blaine with a confused expression over his face. Blaine didn’t repeat the question: he knew Kurt had heard him.

Kurt looked uncomfortable. He rubbed the back of his neck and actually worried at his lip for a moment. Blaine’s heart seemed to freeze. Was Kurt going to tell him that Chandler was the old love of his life or even an old flame?

“You remember when I told you that I wouldn’t have competed against you in my junior year?” Kurt asked. Not how Blaine had expected the explanation to start. He nodded despite his confusion. “Well there was this neanderthal at my school who was bullying me quite badly.

“I don’t know whether he hated that it wasn’t my name on his palm, or that he didn’t like that I was completely comfortable with a boy’s name on my palm or, I don’t know. But he attacked me numerous times, even kissed me in the locker room and then threatened to kill me.”

Blaine stopped walking and stared at his soul mate, his mouth a little open. “Oh my g-d, Kurt!” He exclaimed but Kurt shook his head.

“When my dad found out he obviously pulled me from McKinley and I went to North Lima High instead. That was just before the sectionals that we competed against you. At North Lima, I met Chandler. Who also has a boy’s name on his palm and he was completely fine about it. So we became friends. I was only at North Lima for a few months but Chandler and I stayed friends after I moved back to McKinley, joined by our love of Broadway and New York. And we’re still friends now.”

Kurt shrugged and looked right into Blaine’s eyes. “I don’t see him as much as I’d like to, what with my workload and his rehearsals, but he was there for me at one of the most important times of my life. So he’s a good friend.”

Blaine had been rubbing his hand up and down Kurt’s back, fingers splayed and palm running over the coarse material. The proximity and the steady movement over his back soothe any anxiety gained from talking about a profound memory. Kurt took a deep breath and then smiled.

“Come on.” He jerked his head in the direction they’d been walking. “The crepe hut isn’t too far from here and I really want one.”

It took another ten minutes of walking in the chilled spring air to reach the crepe hut and it was nothing like Blaine had imagined. He’d pictured a very small shop named Crepe Hut. Where Kurt was taking actually was a hut in the middle of a large pedestrian only road that sold crepes. Two people were busy working inside the hut, pouring the crepe batter onto hot plates and adding savoury and sweet fillings according to the order. There was a small queue and Kurt immediately dragged Blaine towards the end of it.

They reluctantly relinquished their holds on each other’s waists. Public, and cameras, were around now and their date had gone undisturbed so far. Neither Blaine nor Kurt wanted to jinx their luck that evening.

“Can I have a sweet one with bananas and nutella?” Kurt asked, almost bouncing on his toes with excitement when they finally reached the front of the queue. He had rested both hands on the wooden counter of the hut and now looked back over his shoulder to Blaine. His eyes asked the question and Blaine moved closer to see what was available. He barely resisted resting a hand on Kurt’s back. He was desperate to have contact with his soul mate again.

“Um, can I have just sugar and lemon juice?” Blaine asked then spotted a large half full bottle of syrup. “And some maple syrup, please?”

The man inside the hut nodded and didn’t look up at either man. He simply poured the batter onto the griddle and expertly made their crepes. Only when he handed over the two sweet filled crepes did he see who had ordered them and his eyes widened a little when they rested onto Kurt. He didn’t spare a second glance for Blaine and just held out his crepe for the other man to take.

Kurt paid and they walked a little away from the crepe hut. Blaine was watching the man inside and it took the next customer three attempts to make their order before the man finally stopped staring at Blaine’s famous soul mate.

Was that what it would be like all the time? Kurt couldn’t go to get a desert from a hut in the middle of a random New York street without being stared at. Blaine immediately wanted to step up close to Kurt and force his attention away from the stares. Although, Kurt hadn’t noticed: or if he had, he wasn’t making as big a deal of it as Blaine was.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Blaine tore a little crepe off with the plastic fork and dipped the plain crepe into some of the syrup and sugar filling further in the cone. He slipped it into his mouth and could have moaned at the taste. Soft crepe, sweet filling: it melted in his mouth perfectly.

He must have made a sound because Kurt looked up from his own desert and smiled widely.

“They are amazing aren’t they?” He asked. His eyes were sparkling and the smile on his face was wide. Anyone would have smiled if they had seen him like that: looking wonderful and acting like he had no care in the world. Blaine was already on a high with his emotions from the whole date they’d had but seeing Kurt like that made his heart sore. And he was Blaine’s soul mate. Blaine could see all of those moments for the rest of his life.

Blaine’s eyes flicked from Kurt’s very blue eyes to his lips. G-d he just wanted to kiss him then. If they hadn’t been in public where someone had already recognised Kurt as the fashion designer, Blaine would have leant in and pressed his lips to his soul mate’s.

As it was, Blaine finished his mouthful and watched Kurt tear a piece off his crepe, spear a slice of banana on the fork and slip the food into his mouth. He raised his eyes and saw Blaine was looking at him, a small smile on the younger man’s face.

Kurt shrugged and Blaine explained: “You’re beautiful.”

--

They stood outside Blaine’s halls of residence with their hands linked once again. Both of them had finished their crepes in relative silence and then had walked for a little more, talking about life. When they had starting huddling with each other, walking closer and closer together for warmth they had reluctantly called it a night. There seemed to be an unspoken decision that going to either person’s house – and only Kurt’s was counted because secrecy would have been shot to hell had NYU students woken up on Sunday with Kurt Hummel leaving the halls – was not on the cards tonight.

The cab ride had been serene; they had held hands over the middle seat and looked at each other without saying much. They didn’t need to say much: they were comfortable in silence.

“When am I going to see you again?” Blaine asked after he’d slipped enough money through the glass partition towards the bored taxi driver and had slid out of the cab after Kurt. “I know there’s so much to do with your shop but I want to see you all the time.”

“You’re not alone there.” Kurt shrugged and held out his hand for Blaine, who slipped his free hand into Kurt’s. Now they were holding both hands while they faced each other on the cold empty street. A car occasionally went passed them and voices were heard shouting and singing from a few streets over but once the cab that had brought them to Blaine’s dorms drove away, they were alone.

Still, Blaine watched Kurt’s eyes move around the street and look for any prying eyes. He still had the same happy and contented look that Blaine had loved when spotting it back at the crepe hut. But something else was present in Kurt’s eyes: worry about being somewhere that a stray photo could cost the budding relationship dearly.

Blaine looked at his dorms. The door was locked tight for the night: Blaine’s ID card and key would let them in. The outer doors were glass but the inner door was thick wood and Blaine doubted there’d be students milling around the entrance to halls at this time of night; they’d either be out drinking or in their rooms working.

Letting go of both of Kurt’s hands, Blaine dug into the pockets of his jacket to produce his ID card and key. He opened the door and tipped his head towards the inside, letting Kurt walk into the halls first. Kurt then, after checking with Blaine that he should continue, led the way passed the second door. Blaine quickly closed both doors, rubbing his hands together for a second to get used to the abrupt increase in warmth.

“There’s a little more privacy here.” Blaine shrugged one shoulder and took one of Kurt’s hands. He never wanted to let go of this man. This perfect man. Who was his soul mate. Blaine doubted he’d ever get over that fact.

Kurt took a breath, once more cast his eyes around to make sure that no students were standing on the stairs or walking towards the halls on their way home. Then he took a stepped closer and pressed his lips to Blaine’s.

Kurt’s lips were soft, oh so soft, but he was pressing hard and Blaine’s head moved back with surprise and the force before he realised what was happening and he pushed too. His eyes slid shut and he just felt. Kurt’s hands in his, Kurt’s lips on his own.

It was a short kiss and was just lips pressed together but the excitement that flooded through Blaine as he and Kurt opened their eyes at the same time was uncontainable. Kurt looked almost shocked that he’d kissed Blaine and he kept silent, waiting for Blaine’s reaction.

Which was to let go of Kurt’s hands, step even closer, wrap his arms around Kurt’s waist and kiss him again. Now Kurt’s arms went around his neck and squeezed, keeping Blaine’s head and, therefore, lips exactly where they were.

If Blaine enjoyed holding hands with Kurt, and holding his waist, it was nothing like kissing him. Maybe it was the fact that they were soul mates or maybe it was the perfect date that they’d had that evening. Blaine could have spent every moment kissing Kurt. He couldn’t picture anything better.

A cheer from outside the building made them break apart but they stayed in each other’s arms. The drunk students passed by without a care in the world and inside, Kurt and Blaine laughed at their noise and the abrupt end to their kiss.

“I should probably go home.” Kurt’s voice was filled with sorrow at the night ending. His eyes were shining again and Blaine couldn’t help but sneak a kiss again.

“You’ll text me when you get home?” He kept his voice low and Kurt smiled while he nodded. They kissed again, three short kisses, and a second noise from the outside stopped them again.

Blaine stood at the doorway, his hand resting on the open door and his head tipped to the side as he watched Kurt wave in his direction before he got into the ordered cab. He waited until the cab had driven off down the street before bounding up the stairs two steps at a time. He rested again the closed door of his room once he’d got back and took out his phone, staring at the black screen.

It wasn’t until he was in bed nearly twenty minutes later, smiling up at the ceiling that Blaine’s phone vibrated twice with a text.

Good night Blaine :)