CHAPTER 9

"And then he just hugged you? Like his life depended on it?"

Blaine was currently at Tina's house and the woman was currently freaking out. He just retold the events that had happened yesterday and she literally tried to scream the soul out of him. Blaine haven't even gotten a wink of sleep the night before because of a person named Kurt Hummel and a screaming, squealing Tina was not helping his massive headache.

He was actually at Tina's for two reasons; (1) To tell her about yesterday and (2) he needed a costume for Wednesday night and Tina was the perfect person to go to for that. But apparently, his life was far more interesting than his troubles of finding clothes. Blaine, however, was totally freaking out about the costume because Kurt—that beautiful, evil person – sent him a photo of his own costume that afternoon after his shift at the coffee shop.

And it was motherfucking awesome.

October 28 (5:55 p.m.)

B! Look at this beautiful ensemble that I will be wearing Wednesday night. I went as Riff Raff last year so this year I want to be more –I don't know–cool, maybe? But yeah, make sure you dress appropriately (and by appropriately I mean please stick close to my theme. Can't wait to see your costume! :P ) – K.

Kurt was going to be wearing a full Van Helsing costume and, heck, Blaine could only imagine what he would look like in all those black leather and boots. It will be even sexier if he was to see it in person and holy shit, those don't look like they're loose pants.

"Blaine, focus." He heard Tina as she snapped her fingers in front of Blaine face to get his attention.

"I'm sorry, what? I thought you were still flailing."

"I asked what idea you had in mind? And for the record, I stopped flailing after you zoned out while staring at your phone a few minutes ago." Tina frowned. "What's that anyway?" She quickly grabbed Blaine's phone, ignoring his screams of protest and a huge grin grazed her face. She scrolled down the conversation and her smile got bigger, if that was possible. "Blaine Anderson, you have been keeping secrets from me."

"That's nothing. Really. He's just really nice." Blaine tried to explain, fighting down the blush that was making its way to his face. However, Tina proceeded to read some of the messages in his phone.

"October 25, 3:15 a.m." She paused. "B. Are you awake?" She paused again. "Yes. Why?" Tina smiled. "Nothing, just can't sleep." She read the conversation aloud, eyeing Blaine curiously.

"See? It's nothing. It's just silly stuff." Blaine rolled his eyes although he knew he was lying.

"It's not silly stuff when he texts you in the wee hours of the morning and you reply even though I know you hate being woken up because you need all the sleep you can get." Tina pointed out bluntly. Blaine sighed in defeat; he really can't escape the prying eye that is Tina Cohen-Chang.

"Alright fine, so we're flirting but is that really a big deal?" Blaine shrugged. Tina looked at him in shock and frowned.

"It is to you." She said. "You don't mindlessly flirt with people Blaine. That's not like you. Last time you flirted with a guy, you ended up dating him for 4 months." Tina continued. She gave Blaine her best heart-eyes and smiled "You are so going to end up with him. I can feel it. And you'll probably go official soon. Oh my god, you'll be dating a celebrity which means you're like a celebrity. I can't…" She squealed again, like a total fangirl.

"Tina, I don't even know where I stand with him. I'm just going with it." Blaine replied although the thought of him officially dating Kurt made him giddy. What if Wednesday night was the night where Kurt will announce to the world that he was dating the bushy-haired guy who had to keep a ton of gel on his hair to tame it? Stop it Blaine. "And besides, we haven't known each other that long so I'm not getting my hopes up."

"So what if you haven't known each other that long?" Tina snapped which surprised Blaine. "I dated Mike two weeks after I met him and you have known Kurt since last month with all the coffee and stuff like that." Tina told him. "You know what you have to do? Ask him about it. He wouldn't invite you to be his plus one if he didn't want to date you or something." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him.

Blaine had thought of that too. He wanted to ask Kurt where he stood in this thing that they were doing. They practically text each other every day so Blaine hadn't even opened his computer for a week after they started texting because he gets first-hand information from Kurt himself. The fact that Kurt tells him first when James does something new or when he gets his script or some other little things like that makes Blaine feel special.

"But anyway, we still have to get you the perfect costume and I'm thinking Dracula." Tina suggested, getting up from the bed and going over to her wardrobe. Blaine knew that Tina had this kind of stuff knowing that she was so into vampires before.

"But isn't Dracula Van Helsing's archenemy?" Blaine asked, recalling the book and the Hugh Jackman movie that he got to watch a few years back.

"Which makes it perfect. I can't dress you like a girl Blaine, that doesn't fit you. It might fit Kurt but not you, your body screams man. And I mean that in both—"

"Alright, I get it Tina."

Tina laughed as she rummaged through her "vampire closet". Blaine definitely saw a black cape being pulled away in there. Sometimes, Blaine doesn't understand his friend and he wouldn't attempt to. Not with this one.

Wednesday soon came along and Blaine was waiting outside The Coffee House for Kurt. It was a long battle because Kurt wanted to pick him up at his apartment but Blaine, after being in Kurt's house, felt like his apartment was not worthy of a visit from the celebrity. He sighed, he's not up to par to the beauty and wealthy that is Kurt Hummel.

His phone vibrated and he instantly knew that it was from Kurt. Blaine read the text that says "Well don't you look dashing? Finally! An outfit that can match your exaggeratedly gelled hair."

Blaine rolled his eyes, Kurt was there but wasn't showing himself just yet. "I could almost hear you laughing in this text Kurt Hummel." He said to himself as he imagined Kurt's genuine laugh.

"That's because I am laughing Blaine Anderson."

Blaine looked around and true enough, it wasn't his imagination. Kurt was walking towards him from the van that Blaine hadn't notice arrive.

"Hey you." Blaine greeted Kurt with a toothy smile. He got a good look at Kurt and whoa, he was clearly not expecting this. It was not doing him any good. Kurt was clad in full leather and he was wearing a really tight leather pants. Blaine swears he felt the heat on his face creeping to a lower part of his body.

Kurt walked towards him and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him towards the van. Blaine wasn't saying anything because he was busy imagining just what Kurt's ass looks like behind that leather coat (he admitted it to himself no matter how embarrassing it is). Kurt fought the laughter that was threatening to come out of his lips, "You should put that cape in good use Blaine." Kurt winked.

"What?" Blaine asked distractedly, blinking a few times. He laughed at Blaine's confused face as the other man stood outside the van. Kurt nodded down to point it out and Blaine looked down and HOLY SHIT I'VE GOT A BONER.

"Fuck." Blaine swore under his breath. He panicked and pulled the cape to hide his crotch. It wasn't his fault that Kurt's pants were tight and that it turns him on so fucking much that his body is acting like this. "Uhm, I'm just gonna…" He started to slowly back away but Kurt pulled him inside anyway.

"No you're not. We're going to be late." Kurt replied with a small laugh. He knew that Blaine must have been embarrassed to death but really, what was he going to do? Get himself off at some restroom in the area? Nope, Kurt's not going to allow that because he's sure that it'll ruin Blaine's clothes and he can't allow Blaine to walk with stained pants, not in front of the media. Also because that is going to be uncomfortable and gross.

The car ride was awkward for Blaine. He can see the smile that was still on Kurt's face. He hid his face behind his hand that wasn't holding the cape in place. "Will you please stop that?" Blaine said, his face hidden from Kurt but his blush crept up to his cheeks thus making Kurt laugh a little.

"Stop what?" Kurt feigned innocence. Blaine peeked a little and gave Kurt a hard look. Kurt raised his eyebrows and hung his head to the side.

"That." Blaine replied, pointing towards Kurt's face. Kurt was taken aback, he frowned in confusion.

"Stop…my face?"

"Yes. Stop your face from smiling like that." Blaine let out an embarrassed sigh. "Oh god, I can't believe I've got this in your presence. This is so not cool." He hid his face once more, Kurt gave him a soft smile. Blaine was such an adorable human being.

"I'm actually very flattered." Kurt reassured Blaine which was not doing Blaine any good because he's still got that boner. There was a glint in Kurt's eyes and he said "It's alright. Don't be so…hard on yourself."

"Oh my god." Blaine let out an embarrassed sigh at the pun that Kurt just threw at him. Kurt finally burst out laughing at that moment, keeping that laugh bottled up inside of him made it hard to breathe. Blaine looked up at Kurt and just the sight of him laughing made everything a little bit okay. A little bit.

"Look, don't worry about it. Just…" Kurt paused, getting a cold bottle of water from a small compartment inside his van. "…have some cold water." He offered fondly. "And to be fair, I was actually trying to pick between two pants but it became the battle of the bulge and this was less bulgier." Kurt added nonchalantly like it was not a big deal for Blaine.

Blaine literally choked on his water because Kurt just had to say that didn't he? He felt another twisting in his stomach and swatted Kurt's hand away as he tried to help him. "No, please don't touch me right now. That won't help my situation." Blaine breathed out. Just the thought of Kurt being in even tighter pants was doing unexplainable things to Blaine. Kurt bit his lower lip and apologized, trying not to giggle.

They arrived at the company party and Blaine wasn't surprised to see a bunch of media people already outside their van. Kurt fixed his hair and clothes a little bit before smiling at Blaine. Blaine looked a bit terrified but he was ready for this, he just wasn't ready about the fact that he'll probably be staring at Kurt's crotch once more and the impending danger of having a hard-on in front of the cameras.

Kurt looked deep into Blaine's hazel orbs, both hands on Blaine's thighs before saying "Just keep your eyes on me. And I mean at an eye-level, not anywhere else." Kurt laughed which earned him a light smack on the arm courtesy of Blaine. "Ah! How dare you hit a superstar Mr. Anderson." Kurt faked being hurt but winked as he opened the door and stepped out into the lights.

Blaine took a deep breath and noticed that Kurt was waiting for him with an encouraging and excited smile on his face. He smiled back and stepped out of the van as well.

The camera flashes momentarily halted as he walked out, he noticed everyone's stunned faces but all he could see was Kurt's smile and his outstretched hand. Once he took it and let Kurt guide him through to the building door, the camera flashes started again like mad but he couldn't care less. He was holding hands with Kurt and it wasn't just any platonic kind of hand holding, Kurt was actually caressing his hand with his thumb.

Blaine could almost hear Tina's voice saying the words she told him last night: Ask him about it. And he will, he had to because this is just messing with his head.

The party lasted long and Blaine met some of Kurt's friends from the industry. He even saw Sam in there somewhere, hand in hand with Alex, partying like a madman. Kurt never left him alone and he was very grateful of that, however, Blaine felt like Kurt was missing out from the party and he didn't want that.

"You don't have to bring me everywhere you go Kurt." Blaine said, getting Kurt's attention. He wasn't being offensive, he just wanted Kurt to have fun. "I'll be fine. I'll just go over there by the bar." He smiled. Kurt raised an eyebrow at him.

"What is it with you and bars? Are you an alcoholic?" Kurt asked, widening his eyes in mock shock. Blaine frowned.

"What?"

"The first time I saw you, you were also at the bar." Kurt noticed but he smiled as he saw Blaine's expression that practically says 'Are you even serious right now?'. "Well, okay then. I'll just be going around for a moment and I'll get you back from that wretched bar." He said, eyeing the bar with great disdain.

Blaine shook his head and chuckled; sometimes Kurt can be a little ridiculous. Blaine walked towards the bar, already thinking of something to drink. He was trying to find Sam but maybe he was having fun too so he really didn't need to bother anyone.

After a few minutes of mindless staring, analyzing and admiring people from afar, Blaine heard a shuffle beside him and knew that someone was in his presence but he didn't bother to look. If it was Kurt, he would've heard a snide remark about the party by now.

"I never thought I'd see you in one of these."

A camera went off and Blaine blinked; he knew that voice. He looked at the person beside him and why do I always meet people at a mobile bar? This is insane. Blaine ordered another drink and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, it's a rare occasion Sebastian." Blaine replied calmly. He's so not in the mood for this. Sebastian Smythe, professional photographer and occasional model, was there in front of him fixing his camera lens. "It's nice to see you." Blaine said to be civil.

"Stop the nonsense Blaine. I know you don't mean that." Sebastian smirked, ordering his own drink from the bartender. "So, I've seen you on the news lately. Isn't it fun? It must be fun." Sebastian said, his words dripping with sarcasm. Blaine glared at him, Sebastian was still that same old fucking douche.

"Why are you even here? You're not even wearing a costume. What is that?" Blaine noticed to stir the topic away from him. Sebastian was just wearing a formal suit like it was not a Halloween event. The other man shrugged, taking photos of other people in the event.

"I say I'm Jeff Winger." Sebastian started but with Blaine's confused face, he knew that Blaine didn't know who that was. "From that show Community? God, I can't believe you still don't watch a lot of television." He pointed out. Blaine rolled his eyes.

"That's not true. I do watch TV but unlike some," Blaine paused, giving Sebastian a hard look. "I'm awfully busy and don't have time for those things." He ended but Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him. His lips turning up to show that smirk again.

"But you have time to dillydally around being Kurt Hummel's new boy toy. Wow." Sebastian pointed out. Blaine would've punched him in the throat for calling him Kurt's boy toy if not for Kurt arriving just in time.

"Smythe." Kurt's voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Blaine could've sworn that the tone on Kurt's voice was not friendly. "You should get your facts straight; he's not my boy toy." Kurt said, glaring at Sebastian. "Now if you'll excuse us." He said with a fake smile as he dragged Blaine away towards a spot where there were no other people but them.

Kurt sat down on one of the chairs that were left out for the guests. He was tired from all the smiling and dancing and scaring each other with their costumes. "I don't like Smythe, just so you know. I wasn't really being bitchy, I just don't like him and his smirky face." Kurt explained although he didn't have to. Blaine sat down beside him, he didn't care about Sebastian at all. A question was just wanting to escape from his lips for hours now.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Blaine started, getting Kurt's attention. They both stared at each other for a while before Blaine had the balls to ask his question. "What is this thing that we're doing? This..." He pointed his finger back and forth at the two of them. "What are we, really?" He finally asked.

Kurt looked away from Blaine, a smile grazing his face. He doesn't even know but all he knew was that he'd like to keep Blaine around to keep himself sane. Blaine was like a breath of fresh air for him amidst all the crazy celebrity light. Blaine was reality and it was good.

Kurt gathered his thoughts before saying, "I'm not in love with you.

If it was a normal situation, Blaine would have disappeared immediately but there was an unspoken 'not yet' in the air and Blaine understood what Kurt meant.

"But if you haven't noticed, I really like you." Kurt continued and still Blaine didn't say anything. "I'd want to date you but I wouldn't want to drag you into this crazy world I'm in because then you'll lose your privacy and people will judge you because you're with me and they will be harsh and what if you start to have that look in your eyes where you're just tired and you lose that spark that's always in there and…"

Kurt was babbling and Blaine loved every bit of it. Kurt wanted to date him and that was all it took for him to get rid of his embarrassed, school-boy self out of his system. He didn't need to be unsure anymore because now he knew that the feeling was mutual. And he was also in cloud nine because Kurt was looking out for him and didn't want him to get emotionally tired and hurt if they started dating.

"…so I didn't know if it was—Blaine?" Kurt stopped his continuous babbling as he saw the look on Blaine's face. It was like he just realized that everything in the world is beautiful and it shows on his face. His eyes were swimming with happiness and he was practically glowing. Kurt couldn't help but blush a little, how does this person do things to his feelings? "God Blaine, your facial expressions should be illegal."

"Kurt."

Blaine pronounced his name in such a slow and sweet way that Kurt could've sworn his face was crimson red right now. Blaine leaned in and Kurt thought that he would kiss him but no, he went in for a gentle hug. A hug that says all his feelings and Kurt just sagged into that hug; he was experiencing the Blaine Effect all over again.

Both of them were blushing when they pulled away. Blaine smiled at Kurt.

"Kurt Hummel, will you go out with me?" Blaine asked, enjoying this newfound courage in front of Kurt.

"I thought you'd never ask." Kurt winked and then he frowned. "No really, I thought you'd never ask because you were always so shy in front of me." He said, thinking back to the days when they just knew each other.

"I have a reason," Blaine replied. "And one of them is because I got a boner in front of you." He said in a low voice that was almost inaudible but he knew Kurt heard it because he laughed.

"What do you say cutie? Want to get out of here?" Kurt teased, Blaine got up and helped Kurt on his feet.

"Come on then. Let's start dating." Blaine laughed as they left the building, not caring who saw or what other people wrote about them the next day. After all, Blaine had to get used to everything from now on.