As for Kurt and Blaine, Kurt tried as much as he could, but the crush he'd had on Blaine back when they first met came back full force, but something was different this time. It felt more solid and real. He'd really gotten to know who Blaine was underneath the pop-star persona and the more he saw, the more he realized that Blaine was the type of guy he'd always wanted. He was smart, he was funny, he "got" Kurt and on those days that were just really bad, he could always count on Blaine to make him feel better. Kurt liked to think he did the same for Blaine. Kurt was sure Blaine had plenty of people he could call when things weren't going well, but he always seemed to call Kurt to rant about how his manager was driving him insane and how the labels latest music video proposal was completely ridiculous.

Those times when the realization hit as Blaine ended their conversations with "You're such a great friend" were just the worst. So, Kurt took what he could get and got on with his life as best he could. With glee rehearsals getting longer and more intense; it wasn't unusual for Kurt and Finn to be at school until 7:00. Most nights Kurt hurried through his homework as quickly as he could and texted Blaine a quick good night text before flopping down into bed and falling into a deep, dreamless sleep only to wake up after too little sleep and do it all again the next day.

There were only three weeks left to go before Nationals on May 19th and Kurt had just finished another long week of class and rehearsal. He was just laying on his bed, resting before dinner when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID to see if it was a call he could ignore or not. Seeing that it was Blaine, Kurt decided on no.

"Hey, Blaine," Kurt said as he answered his phone.

"What are you doing next Friday?" Blaine asked in response.

"Oh, nothing special," Kurt replied. "Washing my hair, sorting through my spring wardrobe from last year to see what I can keep. You know, just the usual exciting Friday night here in Lima!"

Kurt smiled at Blaine's deep laugh. Blaine had a great laugh and Kurt tried to make him laugh as often as possible.

"Well, as exciting as those plans sound, I'm afraid you're going to have to cancel."

"Oh, I am? Do you have a better offer for me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. How do reservations at Eddie Merlots down in Columbus sound?"

"Eddie Merlots? That's not our usual Breadstix restaurant."

"I know. I just… I wanted to do something special. I have something I wanted to tell you."

"Okay," Kurt said, butterflies building in his stomach. "That sounds great."

"Good. It's a bit of a drive, so I'll pick you up just before 5:00?"

"Yeah. I'll be ready."

"Great," Blaine said and Kurt could just hear the smile on his face. "Um, crap. I have to go. But I'll see you next week?"

"Definitely. See you then," Kurt replied.

The next week seemed to fly by and crawl all at the same time for Kurt. He didn't tell anyone, not even his dad about his plans with Blaine. Sure, the specifics might be a little different, but his friends now knew that it wasn't that strange for the two of them to have dinner whenever Blaine was in town. Plus, he didn't want to build this up into something that would leave him disappointed at the end of the evening. Blaine may very well have some exciting news about a new album or tour he had planned.

Even so, he made sure to chose his outfit with care. Eddie Merlots was one of the higher end restaurants and he wanted to make sure he looked good for the occasion. He picked out a pair of navy pants with a slight military flair in the details, a deeper navy v-neck sweater with a light blue shirt and navy bow tie. It was a lot of blue, but it all looked so good and really made his eyes pop. He was just putting the finishing touches on his hair when the doorbell rang. Blaine was right on time.

Unfortunately, Kurt's dad was home and Kurt heard him answer the door before he was able to make it down. Not that he was worried about what his dad might say to Blaine, Burt liked Blaine just fine. But there was something about tonight that he wanted to try and keep for himself. There was some charge in the air that he was trying to ignore and not get his hopes up, but it was persistent. It was like there was some change coming that would impact Kurt's life in a huge way. If that was true, Kurt wanted it to stay private. He didn't want anyone intruding on what had the potential to be a very dramatic night.

"Hi," Kurt said coming down the stairs, getting his first look at Blaine.

When he saw what Blaine was wearing, his breath caught in his throat and he was very glad he'd gone the route he had. Blaine was wearing a pair of gray plaid trousers, a gray and white striped cardigan with a white shirt and dark gray bow tie. The pants and sweater showed off his trim, but muscled, build beautifully and Kurt found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't stop staring.

Blaine's attention slowly turned toward Kurt as he finished his conversation with Burt and Kurt could practically see him gasp for breath as Kurt reached the bottom stair. His eyes lit up and the smile that spread out on his face made the setting sun seem dim in comparison.

"Hi," Blaine said breathlessly, stepping up to Kurt. "You look…"

"You're one to talk," Kurt teased, needing to lighten the sudden tension in the air. "You look amazing."

Blaine just blushed in response.

That's new, Kurt thought. Why would he be embarrassed about being told he looks good?

Kurt was just about to reassure Blaine that he really did look great, when his dad cleared his throat, grabbing their attention.

"So, where are you boys off to this evening?" he asked.

"Eddie Merlots down in Columbus," Blaine answered.

"Columbus?" Burt asked, his eyebrows creeping up his forehead.

"I promise I'll have Kurt home in plenty of time for curfew, sir."

Burt just looked between the two boys. Kurt silently begged him not to do anything to mess this up.

"I guess that'll be fine. Be sure you do. Have a nice time."

He waved them off before returning to the kitchen to help Carole finish fixing their own dinner.

"We should go," Blaine finally said.

The two boys walked silently out to Blaine's car and began the two hour drive down to Columbus.

The drive down to Columbus was relaxed and the conversation between Kurt and Blaine was as easy as usual. Kurt was telling Blaine about New Direction's latest dramas, including the ever-present Rachel/Finn/Quinn debacle. There were several times where Blaine started to say something, paused, the seemed to change his mind and started discussing some mundane topic like the last movie Kurt had seen or the most recent Bachelorette episode.

The drive was surprisingly quick and easy for a Friday night and they reached the restaurant right on time for their reservation. Blaine led Kurt after the hostess with a hand lightly resting on the small of his back. Kurt could feel the heat rising to his cheeks at the intimate gesture. He'd seen Finn do this for Rachel and Puck had often done the same when he was dating Lauren. The hand on the small of the back wasn't a friends-only gesture. Could this finally be happening? Could everything Kurt had been wishing for for months be coming true?

However, as the night wore on and Blaine continued to discuss mundane, every day topics, Kurt's heart started to deflate. Sure, the conversation was interesting enough but it seemed to be lacking in their usual connection; it was almost like Blaine was trying too hard. And he had yet to mention anything seemingly important enough to warrant an advance phone call and fancy restaurant.

"Blaine?" Kurt said, interrupting Blaine's babbling about his neighbor's dog out in L.A.

"Yes?"

"Interesting as this conversation is, I don't think you asked me to dinner to discuss your neighbor's dog's apparent incontinence issues. It sounded like you had something important you wanted to tell me when we talked last week."

"There is," Blaine said, setting down his fork. Blaine turned in his seat slightly so he was facing Kurt, looked him directly in the eyes and grabbed Kurt's hand lightly in his. "I just… I wanted to say… ."

Oh god, Kurt thought, his breath catching in his throat. This is it. He bit back a smile and waited patiently while Blaine tried to gather his thoughts.

Suddenly, Blaine let out a breath and seemed to collapse right before Kurt's eyes. He looked away, dropping Kurt's hand and laughed to himself.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked gently, growing nervous and wary the longer Blaine just sat there.

"I'm going to Europe this summer," he finally said. "It'll be a six week tour, opening for The Script for part of their whole Eurasia tour."

"Europe?" Kurt said, his eyebrows raising almost to his hairline. That… wasn't quite what Kurt had been expecting when Blaine had started this whole speech.

"Yeah," Blaine said. "Europe."

"That's… that's amazing," Kurt said, pasting what he hoped was his most convincing smile on. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. They released my first single over there a couple months ago and it's doing well, so they thought this would be a good way to get me more exposure and a bigger audience."

"Yeah, of course. It sounds like it's going to be a wonderful opportunity."

"I think it will be," Blaine said. "I'll miss you guys for sure, though."

"Oh, stop," Kurt scolded, lightly. "You'll be so busy seeing all the sights and performing to sold out crowds, you won't even have time to think of us."

"I could never forget you, Kurt," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt blushed and looked back down at his plate. The half-eaten salmon in front of him suddenly looked unappetizing with the weight that settled in his stomach. Regardless, he took a small bite to try and get his equilibrium back.

"When do you leave?" Kurt asked.

"June 2. The first show is the sixth in London."

"Wow. That's pretty soon."

"Yeah, I have to fly back on Sunday to start rehearsals, get everything organized and signed off. It's gonna be crazy, but a good crazy, I think."

Kurt just nodded along as Blaine launched into details of what all needed to be done before they left. He was trying so very hard to be the supportive friend, but he couldn't help feeling like his heart was breaking. After the way Blaine has been looking at him all night, and the small touches he would make to get Kurt's attention, Kurt had been so sure that tonight was the night. Everyone who had seen them together would comment on the chemistry they apparently had. Everyone couldn't be wrong. So, what was holding Blaine back?

Again, as they walked back to the car after dinner, Blaine's hand guided Kurt through the restaurant resting on the small of his back. It was such an intimate gesture that it had to mean something. It had to. The only other option was that Blaine was like this with everyone and Kurt wasn't as special as he thought he was.

A few hours later, Blaine pulled back into Kurt's driveway and the two boys slowly exited the car. Kurt could tell that there was something more Blaine wanted to say or do, so instead of heading inside, he wandered over to the small porch swing they had and sat down. Blaine hesitated before sitting beside Kurt, their hands resting centimeters apart on the small cushion. Kurt stared out into the night sky, glancing at Blaine out of the corner of his eye and getting worried when it seemed like Blaine wasn't going to say anything.

"Blaine?" Kurt finally asked, plucking up all the courage he had. "Was this… Was this a date?"

Blaine's head snapped over to Kurt and he looked… scared. Kurt had never seen him look like that and Kurt was suddenly terribly afraid he'd said the completely wrong thing.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said. "I shouldn't have…"

"No," Blaine interrupted. "No, you didn't… . I just… ."

Blaine stood up and started pacing. Kurt was really getting worried now. He'd never seen Blaine act like this. He was usually so cool and put together. Tonight, he was just bundle of nervous energy and Kurt had no idea if it was good or bad.

"Is something wrong?" Kurt asked gently, trying to get Blaine to just talk to him.

"No, nothing's wrong," Blaine insisted. "I just… . For once in my life, I seem to be at a complete loss for what to say."

"Why don't you just start at the beginning?" Kurt suggested.

Blaine nodded and sat back down on the bench, half turned towards Kurt and his eyes locked on his hands that rested nervously in his lap. He took a deep breath and started talking.

"When I first saw you at Sectionals last year," he began looking everywhere but at Kurt, "you completely blew me away. Your voice is so amazing and you were so talented. You looked like an angel up there underneath the lights. I was so happy for you when you won, seeing how happy it made you. Then all this stuff happened and I never even got a chance to say hello. But I couldn't get you out of my head. I think I started wondering if I had dreamed you and then we did meet and you were just as wonderful as I had remembered. We started talking and getting to know each other and I found out just how amazing you really are. I mean, with everything you've been through and you're still so strong. Most people would have given up. I did. I just… I tried so hard not to, but you made it impossible."

"You tried not to what?" Kurt asked when Blaine paused.

Blaine raised his head and finally looked Kurt in the eyes. "Not to fall in love with you," he said.

Kurt gasped at Blaine's admission, his mind reeling with the information. Blaine loved him? How long had this been going on? Why had he never said anything?

"I know it's not fair," Blaine continued, oblivious to Kurt's inner turmoil. "Because you're here and I'm wherever I am, and now this whole Europe thing and you should be with someone who can actually be with you…"

"Blaine, shut up," Kurt interrupted.

Blaine immediately snapped his mouth shut and bit his lip. He looked like a little boy who had just been scolded for breaking into the cookie jar.

"How long?" Kurt asked.

"Since Christmas," Blaine replied.

"Why did you never say anything?"

Blaine just shrugged. "I was in LA or off touring and it just didn't seem fair. Then you met Charlie and I couldn't just say, 'No! Don't date him. Date me!' I'm not that kind of guy."

"So, how was it fair for you to just make up my mind for me?"

Blaine furrowed his brow in confusion at Kurt's question. "How… how did I do that?"

"By not telling me," Kurt said. "In case you couldn't tell, I've been in love with you since we met."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Blaine accused.

"Um, because like half the country is in love with you? I didn't want you to think I was just some other crazy groupie."

"What about Charlie?"

"He just… I was so confused about you. There were times that I was so sure you really liked me, but then you'd pull back and it seemed like you just wanted to be friends. Charlie, well, he was interested. He was nice and considerate. He got along well with people."

"You never did tell me why you guys broke up."

"There's a whole host of reasons too complicated to go into right now," Kurt said shaking his head. "Suffice to say I eventually realized he wasn't what I wanted."

"What did you want?" Blaine asked quietly.

"You."

Blaine beamed at him, his eyes lighting up with the moon. The smile then quickly fell as Blaine's gaze dropped to Kurt's mouth. Oh god. This was it. Kurt was finally going to kiss Blaine. They both leaned in towards each other, Kurt's eyes closed in anticipation.

"Third time's the charm," he couldn't help whispering.

"What?" Blaine asked and Kurt could feel Blaine's breath ghosting over his lips.

"This is the third time you've tried to kiss me," Kurt answered, opening his eyes and getting lost in Blaine's that were inches from his own. "Every other time someone has interrupted us."

"Like you are now?" Blaine's eyes crinkled with a smile.

Kurt paused. "I'll stop talking now."

"Good idea."

Then, finally, Blaine's lips touched his.

Kurt was kissing Blaine.

There were no fireworks or bells ringing or choirs of angels, but it was still the greatest kiss Kurt had ever had. It was a kiss full of promise and want. It was a kiss of desire and realized longing. It was a kiss that Kurt would remember for the rest of his life.

The next morning, despite the lack of sleep from the happiness tumbling through him, Kurt rose early. There was something he needed to do, someone he needed to tell about Blaine and he just couldn't hold it in any longer. He hopped in his car and drove the fifteen minutes out to Woodlawn Cemetery in the light morning traffic. He kept his head down as he walked through the plots. He'd been coming here for 10 years now; he could find his way in his sleep.

"I met someone, Mom," Kurt said, taking a seat on the still cold ground. He pulled up some stray weeds that had managed to creep on to the otherwise pristine grave with the warming weather. "His name is Blaine and he's absolutely amazing. I can't believe someone like him could be interested in me."

He paused in his thoughts, trying to sort out what he wanted to say.

"He's a musician. Well, rock star, really, but he's so not at the same time. It's just… that's what he does, but it's not who he is. He is so much more than that. He's smart and funny and so charming. I think you'd really like him."

Kurt could almost see it in his head: Blaine coming to his home for the first time, his mother having prepared a simple, but delicious meal. Blaine would have brought her flowers, of course, and she'd have been charmed by him the moment he smiled at her. He'd call them Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, even after being told to call them Burt and Elizabeth. She'd pull Kurt aside later and tell him that Blaine was "such a nice young man. Boys his age don't often have manners like that. It's a sign his parents raised him right." Kurt would have smiled and hugged her, glad that Blaine met her approval.

"We've been friends for awhile now," he continued. "Lately it's been like there's something more, just under the surface whenever we talk. It seems like I've been in love with him since before we even met, but it's hard to know how he's feeling. Especially with what he does. He gets to travel all over the world and meet so many amazing people, what could he possibly see in little old Kurt Hummel from Lima, Ohio?"

He could hear his mother chastising him for thinking that. "Just because you're not from some big city or someone famous doesn't mean you aren't amazing and special in your own way."

"So, he called last week to say he was going to be coming into town and asked if I wanted to have dinner. Of course, I said yes. Then he told me he was taking me out and not just to our usual dinner of Breadstix or some little dive. I wanted to ask him if it was a real date, but I just…. I couldn't be disappointed like that."

Kurt paused to wipe the tears that had started falling. It was all still so overwhelming. He'd started thinking he'd never find anyone and that he'd be alone forever when out of nowhere came this boy who just casually tipped Kurt's world off its axis.

He told his mom about their evening, the delicious meal and Blaine's wonderful news.

"He was just such a gentleman that I was sure it had to mean something, you know? Even the nicest guy doesn't act like that towards someone he just considers a friend. By the time we made it home, he was just thrumming with this nervous energy and I knew there was something more he wanted to say. So, I asked him and he said…" Kurt paused again to gather his wits. "He said that he loved me, but he'd been too afraid to do anything since we basically lived two very different lives and that it wasn't fair to me. Well, screw fair. If we loved each other than we would make it work. It seemed he agreed because, well, he kissed me."

Kurt flushed as the memory washed over him. They'd ended up spending a good five minutes out on the swing kissing and trying to learn each other in new ways. Kurt couldn't keep the grin off his face when he finally made it inside after kissing (kissing!) Blaine good night. For some reason, everyone had been in the living room when Kurt walked through the house. Kurt was actually grateful as he got to tell everyone at once that he and Blaine were finally together. Carole had hugged him and Finn had slapped him on the shoulder telling him it was "about time." Kurt turned to look at this dad, who had hung back from the small celebration.

"Does he make you happy?" Burt had asked.

"More than anything," Kurt said.

"Good. That's… good. He better treat you right, though. Do I need to have a talk with him the next time he comes over?"

Kurt had laughed and assured his dad that wouldn't be necessary.

"So, that's it," Kurt told his mom. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I was last here. We've just been so busy getting the glee club ready for Nationals and graduation that it's just been crazy. I promise I'll try to visit more often; I'm going to miss you when I'm in New York next year." Kurt stood up and kissed the top of the tombstone. "Love you, mom," he said before walking back to his car.

That afternoon, he met Blaine at the Lima Bean. Blaine was already seated at a table when Kurt arrived, two cups of coffee in front of him. Kurt walked up to the table and sat down, a huge smile on his face.

"Hi," he said shyly.

"Hi," Blaine replied pushing one of the cups towards Kurt.

"You know my coffee order?" Kurt asked.

"Of course, I do," Blaine replied, reaching for Kurt's hand.

Kurt smiled and reached for the coffee with his free hand, taking a sip. He started to say something, but then closed his mouth, unsure of if he should.

"What?" Blaine asked.

"Nothing," Kurt said with a laugh. "We've just been friends for so long and now I suddenly don't know what to say."

"We're still friends," Blaine insisted. "We'll always be friends. Now there's just… more."

"More," Kurt replied. "I think I like more."

"So do I."

They spent the afternoon together much as they always had, but some things were different. When they could, they held hands; Blaine even gave Kurt a quick peck on the cheek after lunch.

"So, um, my dad insisted that you come to dinner," Kurt said. "He said 'Be sure to invite Blaine for dinner,' but I got the feeling it wasn't so much an invitation as an order."

"Oh, yeah," Blaine said. "I don't need to be worried, do I?"

"Oh, no," Kurt insisted. "I mean, I'm sure he'll try and pull the overprotective dad thing, but he really does adore you. As does Carole. It'll be fine."

And it was.

As Kurt had predicted, Burt had tried to play the threatening and overprotective father when he and Blaine first arrived home. But after staring at Blaine silently for a moment and Kurt's hand almost being broken by the grip Blaine had on it, Burt just grinned and pulled Blaine into a hug.

"Just remember, though, as much as I like you, you break his heart, I break you," Burt said.

"Yes, sir," Blaine trembled.

Unfortunately, Blaine had an early flight back to L.A. the next morning so they had to say goodbye that night. Which they proceeded to do with a ten minute long make-out session in Blaine's car. Kurt walked back into the house, his lips swollen and red, an odd contrast to the despondent look on his face.

"Everything okay, kiddo?" his dad asked.

"Yeah," Kurt said with a shrug. "I just… . We just got together and I don't know when I'm actually going to see him in person again."

"You'll be fine," Burt said. "I'm sure you'll talk all the time just like you did before."

"I know, but it's different now."

"I don't think I ever told you this," Burt said. "Your mom and I started dating our senior year in high school. She went off to college in North Carolina and I stayed here. It was hard, but we both knew it was worth it, so we made it work. So will you."

"Thanks, dad. I'm gonna head on up to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight, kiddo."

Luckily for Kurt, Nationals were now only two weeks away and he had more than enough to keep him busy so he didn't think about Blaine too much. Finn and Mercedes were the only ones of his friends who knew they had finally gotten together. He supposed he should tell everyone else, but there just never seemed to be a good time without it just feeling like bragging. So, he kept his mouth shut and when the time was right, he would share his wonderful secret.

On Thursday, May 17, the McKinley High New Directions boarded a plane to Atlanta and the National Show Choir Championships. For once, they were actually prepared and knew their songs and routines forward and back. Finn had even managed to improve his dancing quite a bit and shouldn't be such a liability this year.

Even with all the preparation, Kurt was still a bundle of nerves. They were performing his song; the song he had written with Blaine and he was singing lead. He would be singing a solo in front of the largest crowd he'd ever performed for. He knew he should get used to it as he would hopefully be performing in front of even larger crowds in the near future, but this was the most important thing he had ever done.

They arrived in Atlanta just after 6:00 pm and quickly settled into the hotel to go in search of dinner. They were all starving having not eaten since well before lunch. There were several restaurants all within walking distance of the hotel and Mr. Schuester gave everyone permission to go off in separate groups with promises to be back by 9:00 pm. They had to be up early the next morning as they had one of the first rehearsal slots on Friday morning. Kurt, Mercedes, Finn and Rachel decided to try a Greek restaurant just across the street and were pleasantly surprised at the variety. They had a filling but not too heavy meal and decided to walk around a little bit to see some of the area around their hotel. They headed back about 7:30, the long day of travel was finally settling in and they were all eager to get to bed.

Kurt stopped dead in his track just after they walked into the lobby. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining what he was seeing, but it didn't go away, so it had to be real.

"Dad?" he said.

Burt turned and broke out into a grin when he saw Kurt and his friends walking towards them.

"Hey, guys!" he said cheerfully.

"What are doing here?"

"What? Are you not happy to see me?"

"Of course I am. I'm just confused… ."

"I think I can explain that."

Kurt whipped around to see Blaine standing next to Carole, who was greeting Finn and Rachel with a hug.

"Blaine? What's going on?"

Blaine walked over and grasped Kurt's hand lightly in his. "I know how important this is to you and how nervous you've been about the solo. I thought it might help if you had your family here to support you. Surprise?"

"So, you flew them down here?"

Blaine just nodded, starting to look worried.

"Thank you," Kurt whispered, hugging Blaine quickly before turning and hugging his dad.

"Seriously, Blaine," Finn added. "This is great. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Blaine said.

The group chatted for a bit in the lobby before they remembered they all had rooms where they could talk much more comfortably. Kurt hung back, calling that he would be up in a minute. He pulled Blaine over to a small alcove that was mostly hidden from the public's view. He immediately wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and pulled him in for a proper thank you.

"How are you so wonderful?" Kurt asked he pulled back, his eyes full of awe at this amazing boy.

"It's no big deal," Blaine said trying to brush it off.

"Blaine. You flew my family to Atlanta for the weekend for my stupid show choir competition. That's not nothing."

"I just… I wanted to do something nice for you," Blaine said. "I could tell how nervous you were getting this past week whenever we talked and I thought this might help."

"It does," Kurt insisted. "It really does. I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you enough."

"I have a few ideas," Blaine teased.

Kurt tensed and his eyes went wide at Blaine's words.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said quickly. "I didn't mean that. Stupid joke. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Kurt said, letting out a breath. Honestly, Blaine's comment hadn't really scared him that much. He'd just gotten a sudden mental flash of him and Blaine doing a lot of the things he'd seen in those movies and had been surprised at the rush of pleasure that had flooded him. "We should probably go catch up with everyone else."

They walked through the lobby, walking close enough that their arms brushed and they occasionally let their fingers tangle together. Blaine led them up to the eighth floor where they were staying and dropped Blaine's suitcase off in his room before heading to Burt and Carole's room a couple doors down. Everyone hung out for an hour or so before it was getting close to 9:30 and the time that Mr. Schue said he would be doing room checks. They all said good night to Burt and Carole, before heading down to the sixth floor where the glee clubs were staying. Blaine went with Kurt and they stood outside the room Kurt was sharing with Finn, Puck and Artie. Finn winked ridiculously at Kurt as he left them alone in the hall.

"Sorry about him," Kurt said laughing.

"That's okay," Blaine said. "I think it's sweet that he cares so much."

"Yeah, he's a really good brother, actually," Kurt admitted.

Blaine just nodded and they stood there in silence for a minute. Kurt couldn't help it and dropped his gaze to Blaine's mouth. He gasped a little as Blaine licked his lips in anticipation and Kurt quickly closed the distance between them. Blaine was a really amazing kisser, Kurt decided. He started off softly, just a gentle press of their lips together and then with a quick flick of his tongue, he coaxed Kurt's mouth open. His hands were always moving, too. Resting on Kurt's shoulders or pulling him in close, occasionally moving up to tangle in Kurt's hair.

Kurt, too, was getting bolder, pushing back against Blaine and fighting for control of this kiss. He flicked his tongue up behind Blaine's teeth and was pleased to be rewarded with a moan of pleasure of Blaine. He pulled back abruptly as he heard someone whistle at them down the hall.

"Get it, Hummel!"

He turned to see Santana, Brittany, Artie, Mike and Tina making their way down the hall. Kurt flushed red at having been caught in the act.

"I knew you were getting some," Santana said as she stopped in front of them.

"I'm not 'getting some', Santana," Kurt replied.

"Really? You telling me Hottie McShortstack here had nothing to do with that smokin' Adam Lambert number a couple months ago?"

"No, he didn't," Kurt said. "If you must know, Blaine and I just got together a couple weeks ago."

"It's about time," Artie said.

"Yeah," Tina agreed. "Congratulations, Kurt."

"Thank you," he said, still feeling embarrassed at having been found out this way.

"Are you just here to see Kurt?" Mike asked.

"Yup," Blaine said. "I flew out with Burt and Carole, too, so we'll all be there on Saturday to cheer you guys on."

"That's awesome," Tina said.

"Come on," Mike said. "We should get to our rooms. Night, guys."

"Call me if you need any pointers!" Santana yelled as they walked away.

Kurt just groaned and dropped his head to Blaine's shoulder. "I would say I'm sorry," he said, "but I don't think there are enough apologies in the world for her."

"Hey, come on. It could be worse," Blaine said. "At least she's encouraging us and not throwing pig's blood at us while calling us an abomination."

"Oh, thank you," Kurt said. "That's a lovely visual to end the evening on."

"Come here," Blaine whispered and once more claimed Kurt's mouth in a passionate kiss. "Are you free tomorrow at all?" he asked when they pulled away.

"Um, I think so," Kurt said. "We have one of the first rehearsal slots in the morning and Mr. Schue wants to run things through again tomorrow night, but I should be free for lunch or sometime around then."

"That sounds great."

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow when I know for sure what's going on."

"I can't wait," Blaine said before kissing Kurt gently one last time. "Good night."

"Good night," Kurt whispered as he watched Blaine walk back towards the elevator. He hoped there never came a day when Blaine stopped amazing him like this. He swore to himself then and there that he would never take Blaine for granted. He knew he was young and it might seem crazy, but Blaine was the man he knew he would be with for the rest of his life.

Rehearsal Friday morning went amazingly well. The stage was a little larger than the one at McKinley so some minor adjustments to the choreography were made to compensate, but other than that it was smooth sailing.

Honestly, it had Kurt a little worried. Something should always go wrong during the final rehearsal so that nothing went wrong during the performance. He started running through worst case scenarios in his head and once he started, he couldn't stop.

"The risers could collapse," he told Blaine that evening. "Or I could lose my voice. Or Rachel could lose her voice. Oh my god. That can't happen. If that happens, we're done for. I should make sure she's drinking plenty of water. Where did she go?" He stood up and started to rush out the hotel restaurant where he was having a late dinner with Blaine.

"Kurt, stop," Blaine said and forced him back into the chair. "Everything will be fine. I'm sure Rachel is resting her voice and drinking plenty of tea. Just sit down, okay? Finish your dinner, please."

"You're right," Kurt said as he sat back down. "I'm sorry. I think it just kind of all hit me at once. A whole year of work and tomorrow's the day. I just… I don't think I could take it if we didn't even place again this year. I don't think the glee club would survive if we did that poorly. I don't think I could take it if I didn't get to sing our song. I just… I don't want to fail."

"So, you won't," Blaine said.

"It's that easy, huh?"

"It is," Blaine agreed. "Listen, Kurt, you have the strongest musical numbers of anyone here. Performing original songs is an amazing idea and it's going to give you a huge leg up on the competition. Just keep doing what you've been doing and you can't lose."

"You have to say that because you’re my boyfriend," Kurt said.

"No. I get to say that because it's the truth," Blaine said taking Kurt's hand in his. "You're going to be amazing tomorrow. I can't wait to see you get up there and claim the first place trophy."

Kurt smiled at Blaine's honest praise and took a quick peek around the restaurant. Once he was sure no one was looking, he lifted Blaine's hand in his and kissed his knuckles. "Thank you," he said.

"Now, you should get to bed," Blaine said. "You have a big day tomorrow and you need to get some sleep."

The two got up from the table and walked through the lobby towards the elevator.

"I don't know if I can," Kurt said. "I'm so nervous I'm worried I'll just lay there tossing and turning all night."

Suddenly, Blaine smiled. "I have an idea," he said, as they got off the elevator on Kurt's floor.

"What?" Kurt said nervously.

"It's nothing bad, I promise. I think it might help you sleep, if you need it."

"Okay."

"You go get ready for bed, and if after fifteen minutes, you still can't fall asleep, call me. You have your Bluetooth, right?" Blaine asked and Kurt nodded. "Good. Put that in and call me if you're still awake."

"What are you gonna do?"

"You'll find out."

"Okay," Kurt agreed. "I guess I'll be calling you in about half an hour."

Blaine chuckled. "Good night, Kurt," he said, kissing him lightly.

"Good night."

Kurt entered his room to find all his roommates asleep, Finn snoring away. He quickly gathered his things and went through nightly ablutions. He quietly dug through his bag to find his Bluetooth and tried to crawl into bed without waking Artie. He set everything under his pillow and closed his eyes, attempting to sleep.

As he had predicted, Kurt did not fall asleep. All those worst case scenarios came flooding back into his mind and he was falling off the stage or Finn was running over Mike and breaking his ankle. It was awful. After tossing and turning for twenty minutes, he gave up and called Blaine.

"Hi," Blaine said, picking up after the first ring. "Don't say anything, I don't want you to wake anyone else, just listen."

There was a slight pause and rustling noises as if Blaine was setting the phone down. Then, a familiar melody filled the air. Kurt smiled as Blaine started singing.

Say, wasn't that a funny day?
Gee you had a funny way, a way about you
A kind of glow of something new

Sure, I'll admit that I'm the same
Another sucker for a game kids like to play
And the rules they like to use

Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel?
Don't you want the way I feel for you?

Kurt felt his eyes growing heavy as Blaine continued to sing. Sometime in the middle of Teenage Dream Kurt fell asleep. When he awoke the next morning, a smile on his face, he swore he could remember Blaine telling him, "Good night. I love you."

As Blaine predicted, New Directions performed extremely well in the first round and easily made it through to the top 10. Finn and Rachel's duet, while predictable, was flawless and their group number was as perfect as it's ever been.

They were standing backstage, waiting to take their place for the final round and Kurt was pacing back and forth quietly freaking out. His solo was their opening number and he couldn't help thinking that it all rested on his shoulders. Everyone had been amazingly supportive and encouraging during rehearsal, but this was still a lot of pressure. Kurt was sure he was about to hyperventilate and pass out when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Blaine smiling at him.

"Oh my god," he said pulling Blaine into a hug. "I'm so glad to see you. I don't know how I'm going to do this. Has anyone actually died from stage fright before?"

Blaine just laughed and rubbed Kurt's back reassuringly. "You're going to be fine," he said. "You're going to be better than fine; you're going to be amazing." Blaine pulled back, keeping his hands on Kurt's shoulders. "You can do this. You know this song."

"There's so many people, though," Kurt whispered.

"Ignore them," Blaine said. "Ignore everyone out there and the judges and just sing to me. Just like you've done a thousand times before back home. Just close your eyes and sing to me."

"Okay," Kurt nodded. "I can do that."

"Places!" Mr. Schuester called.

"I better go," Blaine said. "You can do this," he said with one last squeeze to Kurt's hands.

Kurt just nodded and took his place on stage with the other boys in the choir. They had decided to make Kurt's song just one for the guys. He stood front row center with Mike to his left and Puck to his right. He felt Finn squeeze his shoulder from behind and relaxed and took a deep breath. The curtain opened and Kurt was momentarily blinded by the spotlight. The band started playing and the other boys started humming their backing vocals. Just as Kurt stepped forward to begin his song, he found Blaine in the audience and everything else melted away. He smiled as he sang to Blaine, just as he had done so many times before in his bedroom back in Lima. His voice soared over the notes, clear and pitch perfect. The last note hung in the air, Kurt's arms raised in triumph. There was a moment of silence before the entire auditorium erupted in a standing ovation. Kurt beamed before taking a short bow. He looked out into the audience and saw Blaine blow him a kiss. If it was possible, he grinned even wider and moved back to take his place for the rest of their performance.

The next eight and a half minutes were a blur for Kurt. He had done his part perfectly and could now relax and watch the rest of his team perform. The ballad that Rachel and Finn shared with Tina and Mike was beautiful and their group number had everyone on their feet and dancing by the end. They ran off-stage after the curtain closed, jumping and cheering and hugging everyone. Kurt had tears in his eyes as he hugged Mercedes. He felt so good about what they had done it really didn't matter if they ended up winning or not. He knew they had done the best they could.

Four hours later, New Directions stood on stage with the other top ten teams, waiting for the results. They were all clutching hands nervously; the butterflies in Kurt's stomach were flapping wildly. The audience clapped politely as the head judge came out to announce the winners.

"We would like to thank all these choirs for a wonderful show this evening. The judging was a very difficult process as everyone performed extraordinarily well," he began. "Now, the winners. In third place – from Portland, Oregon, Suite Sound!"

Everyone applauded as the group came forward to receive their trophy. Kurt was sure he was going to throw up. Why did this have to take so long? Couldn't they just get to the winner?

"And in second place – from Boston, Massachusetts, Vocal Point!"

Kurt was sure he was going die. There were eight teams left and only first place to announce. It had to be them. It had to be. They had been so much better than all the other teams that were left. They had to do it.

"And now. The winners of the 2012 National Show Choir Championship are… ." Kurt knew he had to do it for dramatic purposes, but that stupid pause was the longest two seconds of Kurt's life. "From Lima, Ohio, the New Directions!"

All of New Directions immediately went wild – jumping and cheering and hugging everyone. Kurt saw Rachel trying to surreptitiously wipe some tears from her eyes. Kurt would be lying if he said he wasn't doing the same.

They did it. They won. Kurt was part of the National Champion New Directions. He had an amazing boyfriend and wonderful friends. Could life possibly get any better for Kurt?

The Monday after Nationals was both amazing and absolutely ordinary. There was a large congratulatory banner in the main hall at school that was torn down and defaced by lunch time. Their performance at the assembly that afternoon was flawless and greeted with loud cheers from Ms. Pillsbury and Coach Besite and polite applause from half the students. Sadly, it wasn't anything unexpected, but it still hurt. They were the first school team to win any kind of national championship in years and no one cared.

Tuesday afternoon, Finn was waiting for Kurt at his car after school which was odd because Finn usually went out with Puck or Rachel after school.

"Everything okay?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Finn said hesitantly. "Sort of. I guess."

"What is it?" Kurt asked after they were settled in the car.

"Rachel keeps mentioning prom and I know she's waiting for me to ask her. But, dude, prom totally sucked last year. It was boring and stupid and there was this really disgusting punch that Coach Sylvester was looming over the whole night. I know how girls are with this prom stuff and I don't know how to tell her that I don't want to go. And it's like this weekend. Shouldn't that, like, be a big hint or something?"

"Why don't you just tell her the truth?"

"Because she'll just tell me to suck it up and go anyway. It's prom, Kurt. It's like a rite of passage. I saw how upset she was last year when no one asked her and this is her last chance and… I just don't want to let her down."

Kurt said nothing as he thought over what Finn had said. He'd never really given much thought to prom figuring he'd never have anyone he wanted to go with anyway. But now there was Blaine and he had been thinking about maybe broaching the subject and seeing how Blaine felt about it. With Blaine out in L.A. and preparing for his tour and prom being so soon, he didn't really see how it would work, though. And if it was as bad as Finn said, maybe he didn't want to go?

"Well," Kurt started. "What if we did something else? Had our own New Directions Prom or something? That way no one has to worry about having a date or not. It could just be like a big end of year, we won Nationals kind of party with really good music and food."

"That's actually kind of an awesome idea," Finn said. "Where would we have it?"

"Um, Rachel's house maybe? They do have that finished basement."

"Yeah, they do. And, hey, maybe she'll be more likely to go for it if we suggest her house. I know she likes playing hostess and all that stuff."

"Okay. Well, why don't you call her when we get home and if she agrees we can propose it to the rest of the group tomorrow."

"Thanks, Kurt," Finn said with a smile. "That is a really excellent idea."

Luckily, Rachel was very open to the idea and promised to talk to her dads about having a party. So, the next day before Mr. Schue arrived for rehearsal Kurt, Finn and Rachel proposed their idea to the group.

"No one at this school really cares about us anyway," Finn said. "So, why not have our own party instead of going to what's probably going to be a really boring and dull dance?"

"I heard Principal Figgins is trying to get Air Supply to come play," Santana added. "Air Supply. What is this? 1982?"

"I am in," Puck said. "Prom last year was totally lame. The music sucked; the food sucked and I couldn't even spike the damn punchbowl!"

And that was that. Everyone else quickly agreed and it was decided that the New Directions Anti-Prom would take place on the same night as the McKinley prom, May 26th, just three days away.

There was no way Kurt could ask Blaine to come home, but it was okay. He still had Blaine and half of New Directions didn't have dates to this party. Everything would be fine.

The next day, Blaine called to catch up as it had been three days since they last spoke and that was just way too long.

"How's things at McKinley?" he asked.

"Oh, same ol', same ol'," Kurt said. "Still at the bottom of the proverbial ladder."

"Really? Winning Nationals hasn't changed anything?"

"Nope," Kurt sighed. "I mean, I didn't really expect it to, but there was still a small part of me that hoped maybe something would be different. Sadly, it's all still the same."

"I'm sorry," Blaine said. "Well, what about New Directions? Are you guys doing anything to celebrate?"

"Sort of," Kurt said. "We're having our own 'prom' this weekend in Rachel's basement. Apparently, last year's prom was awful and Rachel had been bugging Finn about going, but Finn didn't want to, so we decided to have our own."

"That's awesome! Should I ask who your date is?"

Kurt could hear the smile in Blaine's voice as he asked the question. For a moment, Kurt thought about teasing Blaine, but he just couldn't.

"Well, my first choice for a date is sadly unavailable."

"Is it anyone I know?"

"I'm sure you do," Kurt replied. "He's a very famous musician, adored by many."

"He sounds like quite a guy."

"He is. I don't know how I got so lucky."

"Well, I'm sure he's beating himself up at not being able to be there for you."

"He's a very busy guy. I get it."

"Well, since your first choice isn't available, who are you going with?"

"Mercedes," Kurt said. "It'll be great. I'm pretty sure no one outside of New Directions is going to be there anyway, since anyone who's dating someone is dating someone in New Directions."

"It's all a bit incestuous, isn't it?"

"It can be," Kurt admitted. "I'm just glad I never got sucked into it."

"Oh, but you wish you would have," Blaine teased.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope. It's just too easy."

"So, how's things out in L.A.?" Kurt asked changing the subject.

"Busy," Blaine said. "Rehearsals are going well. A tour on this scale is just so huge, there's so much more involved than my first little tour. It's a little insane."

"You're going to be wonderful," Kurt said, quietly. "Everyone will love you and you'll come back an even bigger star than you were."

"Thank you," Blaine said. "It really means a lot that you believe in me."

"Just…," Kurt paused. He didn't want to say what he was thinking, what he was fearing. He didn't want to be one of those boyfriends, but he couldn't help it. Blaine was going to go off to Europe for six weeks where he was going to meet so many amazing people. Kurt couldn't help but worry a little bit.

"Just what?" Blaine asked.

"Just don't forget about me?" Kurt said hesitantly.

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine said. "I could never forget about you. I think about you all the time and I miss you like crazy. It's kind of scary because we're so young, but…. You're it for me, you know?"

"Me, too," Kurt said.

"I hate to do this, but I really have to go," Blaine said.

"Sure, of course," Kurt said.

"I miss you," Blaine said.

"I miss you, too," Kurt replied.

"Good night."

"Good night."

Kurt hung up with Blaine and surreptitiously wiped the few tears that had fallen. This was so hard. They'd just gotten together but couldn't just be together. It really sucked.

Saturday morning, Mercedes called to arrange what time she would pick Kurt up. Kurt's house was on the way from Mercedes' to Rachel's and even though Kurt had tried to insist on being a gentleman and picking up Mercedes, she had claimed that it made more sense for her to go to Kurt's house. They had decided to have dinner before the party so everyone was to arrive at Rachel's about 5:00. They had decided that Mercedes would be at Kurt's house and 4:30 and then Kurt would drive them to Rachel's.

Kurt started getting ready early. Even if it was just a party in Rachel's basement, it was his prom and he wanted to do it right. He'd been saving a vest he'd found buried in a sale rack at Nordstrom's for a special occasion like this. Sure, it was technically a woman's vest, but it looked fabulous on him. It was dark gray with a high collar and a single button on the placket covering the zip closure. The vest was open in the back, save for the v-shape just between his shoulder blades where two straps crossed and fastened to the pants like suspenders. He had a pair of skinny pants that were the exact same shade of gray that would work perfectly, a very fitted white shirt under the vest and his black Doc Martens. It would be amazing.

He was almost done getting ready when he heard the doorbell ring. It was only 4:20; Mercedes was actually early for once. He finished as quickly as he could and ran down the stairs to meet Mercedes.

But Mercedes wasn't there.

Instead, there was Blaine in a gorgeous black tuxedo, holding a single pink carnation. A matching flower was fastened to his jacket as a boutonniere. The smile on his face as he saw Kurt was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He wanted to run over and jump in Blaine's arms, but he didn't want to ruin that beautiful suit and his flower. This was just too much.

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asked.

"I can go, if you want," Blaine said with a smirk.

"No!" Kurt said, rushing over. "I just… . You're so busy, how did you get away?"

"By promising to be back first thing in the morning," Blaine said flatly. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but after we talked the other day, I called Mercedes and she let me know what all was going on and I… I had to be here. I wanted to be here for you. Everyone should have the date they want to the prom."

Blaine held out the flower to Kurt and Kurt tried so very hard not to cry. Blaine was just so amazing. He was so much more than Kurt deserved.

"Thank you," Kurt whispered as he took the flower and finally stepped into Blaine's arms.

"Have a good time, you two."

Kurt looked over, surprised to see his dad standing there. He'd been so distracted by Blaine he hadn't even noticed his dad was in the room.

"Hi, dad!" he said jumping out of Blaine's hold.

"Don't worry about it," Burt said with a laugh and squeezing Kurt's shoulder. "You two go have fun at the party, but remember – "

"I know, dad,' Kurt interrupted. "Curfew is midnight. We'll be home by then, don't worry."

"Yes, sir," Blaine added. "I have an early flight myself, so Kurt will be home in time."

Kurt waved good bye to his dad, grabbed Blaine's hand and rushed out the door before there was any more embarrassment from anyone. They hopped in Blaine's car and Kurt immediately leaned over to kiss Blaine hello.

"Hi," he whispered against Blaine's lips as he pulled away.

"Hi," Blaine replied.

"I can't believe you're here," Kurt said as he ran a hand through Blaine's hair.

"Of course I'm here. I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"What about Mercedes?" Kurt asked suddenly remembering his actual date.

"She's getting a ride with Tina and Mike," Blaine replied. "Don't worry. It's all fine."

"I still can't believe you flew out just for me."

"You're worth it, Kurt," Blaine said sincerely. "I just wish I could stay longer."

"Don't even," Kurt said. "This is so much more than anything you needed to do."

Blaine leaned over and gave Kurt a quick kiss before settling back in his seat and finally starting the car. Once they were on the way, Kurt reached over and gently placed his hand on top of Blaine's where it was resting on the gear shift. Blaine smiled at Kurt and turned his hand over to link their fingers together. Kurt smiled shyly back at Blaine and turned his attention back to the neighborhood as it flew by. Yes, Kurt Hummel had a pretty good life.

The New Directions prom actually turned out to be a pretty awesome party. Rachel's dads had apparently gone all out with the food and ordered catering from at least three different restaurants. There were Italian, Greek and vegan options. Somehow they'd even been talked into opening the liquor cabinet. Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to know how that conversation went, but Puck seemed very happy with that bit of news. Still being wary of alcohol from his last encounter a couple years ago, Kurt didn't want to go overboard, but figured with it being a celebration one drink would be fine. He somehow trusted Puck enough to mix him something. The wink Puck gave him as he passed the drink over and told Kurt, "Enjoy your Long Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall," were enough to get Kurt's cheeks flaming. He was just glad Blaine hadn't been there to overhear. He almost changed his mind, but it had orange juice in it, so it couldn't be too bad. He took a tentative sip and hummed happily as the rather pleasant taste exploded on his tongue. The tang from the juice seemed to override any bitterness from the alcohol and Kurt quickly made his way back to Blaine.

"What is that?" Blaine asked.

"Um, I'm not sure," Kurt lied. "But it tastes pretty good. Want to try some?"

"No, I'm good. Designated driver and all that."

Kurt slowly sipped his cocktail over the rest of the night. He got into the groove of things as he danced with Blaine and Mercedes. He may have even danced with Puck at one point. He looked over the dance floor and saw Blaine dancing with Santana to Don't You Want Me. When Total Eclipse of the Heart came on near the end of the night, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and dragged him out to the middle of the floor. He pulled Kurt close and started swaying back and forth. Kurt, feeling a little light-headed from the drink, just wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders and rested his head in the crook of Blaine's neck. He sighed happily and settled himself in Blaine's hold.

"Thank you," Kurt whispered.

"For what?" Blaine asked.

"For tonight. This was amazing, Blaine."

"Well, you're welcome."

They stayed like that for the rest of the song, barely even moving, just happy to be able to be with each other. When the song ended, Kurt pulled back and yawned as everything seemed to catch up with him at once.

"Come on," Blaine said. "It's getting late; I should get you home."

They made their rounds, saying good night to everyone. Finn had managed to convince Carole to let him stay at Rachel's. Kurt was pretty sure lying about other people staying over had been involved, but he wasn't going to say anything. Blaine got Kurt settled in the car; his head was still spinning a little. Kurt was pretty sure Puck kept topping off his drink throughout the night. Luckily, he had been sipping it slow enough that he was never really drunk, just pleasantly tipsy. He smiled at Blaine as Blaine settled behind the steering wheel. Blaine smiled fondly at Kurt and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Kurt hummed happily in response and sank deeper into his seat.

It wasn't a long drive from Rachel's house, but Kurt managed to fall asleep anyway. The next thing he knew was Blaine shaking him awake gently after they pulled into his driveway. Kurt glanced at the clock on the dash and saw that it was 11:48. He still had twelve minutes before he had to be in the house. He stumbled out of the car and made his way over to the porch swing. This time, when Blaine sat next to him, they immediately curled into each other, Kurt resting his head on Blaine's shoulder.

"I wish you didn't have to go," Kurt said quietly.

"Me, too," Blaine agreed. "We leave next week and there's still so much to do."

"I know," Kurt said. "I get it, I do. It just… kinda sucks for us, you know?"

"I know."

They sat in silence for a minute, Kurt trying to soak up as much of Blaine as he could before they were once more parted.

"There's something I want to ask you," Blaine said seriously.

"What is it?" Kurt asked, sitting up to face Blaine.

"Before you came downstairs earlier tonight, I asked your dad something. He was a little hesitant, but I think I got him on my side. And he said that if you agreed, he would be okay with it."

Blaine paused a moment and Kurt's head was reeling with possibilities. What could Blaine have possibly been talking to his dad about?

"Kurt, would you like to come to Europe with me?"

Kurt was sure he had misheard Blaine.

"I… what?" he said.

"I want you to come with me on the tour."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Blaine said.

"Oh my God, yes!" Kurt cried as he flung himself at Blaine. "My dad is okay with this? Really?"

"Well, I had to convince him that most of the time we would be on a tour bus where the beds are barely big enough for one person and there would be adult supervision everywhere since we're both under eighteen for now, but yeah. He trusts you. I think he trusts me," Blaine said nervously. "I know this is a big deal and, well, you would miss your graduation and your birthday."

"I would?" Kurt asked as his mind ran through the dates.

"Yeah, that's the day we leave. You would be done with classes and everything, but you wouldn't be here for the actual ceremony."

"That's okay," Kurt said hurriedly. "I'm totally okay with that. Europe or graduation? I think I'll take Europe!"

Blaine laughed and pulled Kurt into a hug. "There's more," he said.

"More?" Kurt asked. How could there possibly be more?

"The last night of my stop with the band is in Paris and I managed to convince my manager to let us stay a couple extra days. Almost a week, actually."

"A week in Paris?" Kurt gasped. This was too much. How was this his life? This was amazing.

"So, that's a yes, then?" Blaine asked.

"Yes, of course, yes!" Kurt exclaimed.

He clung to Blaine. His heart was racing with excitement, his mind whizzing with everything he would get to see and do.

"Oh my God!" He suddenly exclaimed pulling back from Blaine. "I have to pack clothes for six weeks? How the hell am I going to do that?"

Blaine just laughed and kissed Kurt. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

The next morning, Kurt woke up with his mind still running at full speed. There was so much to do and so not enough time to do it in. He wandered downstairs for breakfast and saw his dad and Carole sitting at the dining room table. He paused, just watching them for a moment. Carole was so good for his dad. Kurt was very glad someone would be around for him when he went off to college. Eventually, he walked into the kitchen and greeted his dad with a hug.

"I love you," Kurt said.

"I take it Blaine asked you?" Burt replied.

Kurt just nodded.

"There will be rules," Burt added. "But… I trust you. You're a good kid, Kurt. This'll be an amazing experience for you."

"Thank you, dad," Kurt said.

"I know Blaine is off to L.A., so later this week, you and I will sit down and discuss what I expect from both of you on this trip."

"Of course," Kurt said.

He chatted with his dad and Carole for a few more minutes before grabbing a quick breakfast and heading back upstairs to study for the couple of finals he had later this week. With his grades, he had been exempted from most of them, but apparently Home Ec and Statistics still wanted final exams from him. Home Ec would be easy enough. He'd been cooking dinner for him and his dad for the last 6 years. Statistics, well, that might be a little harder. He might have to call on Artie for some tutoring later this week.

Later that day, just after lunch, Kurt's phone rang. He was tempted to ignore it as he felt like he was finally getting somewhere with the math, but then he saw that it was Blaine and figured a short break would be fine.

"Hi!" he said excitedly as he picked up the phone.

"Hi," Blaine replied.

"How was the flight?"

"Oh, fine. I slept for most of it, which was good. I barely got any sleep last night."

"Me, neither," Kurt admitted. "Too excited, I guess."

"Yeah," Blaine said. "I can't believe you're coming with me."

"I can't either," Kurt laughed. "This is so amazing, Blaine. Thank you."

"I'm glad I can take you. Everyone should see Europe at least once in their life."

"Have you been before?"

"I've been to London a couple times when my dad had business there. The last time I was there was when I was ten. I can't wait to see it with you."

"And Paris!" Kurt added. "I can't believe I get to spend a week in Paris. Where else are we going?"

Kurt listened as Blaine's voice washed over him, talking about all the places they would go and the cities they would see. London and Dublin, Barcelona, Nice and Rome and so many other amazing places Kurt could hardly stand it. Sure, Blaine was probably going to be quite busy but Blaine mentioned that they should have most of the daytime to themselves before he had to be at whatever the venue was for sound check.

"This is going to be great," Blaine said.

"Yeah, it is," Kurt agreed. "Oh! So, my dad wants to lay down some rules before we leave."

"That totally makes sense," Blaine said. "Please let him know that I will do whatever I can to make sure you're safe and looked out for. I don't want anything to ruin this trip."

"I will let him know," Kurt said.

"I have to go," Blaine said. "We just got to the studio and Alan is freaking out since I was gone yesterday."

"Yeah, of course," Kurt said. "Go do your thing and I'll talk to you later."

Kurt went back to his studying but found he was too distracted to absorb anything useful. He might as well take a break to try and get his mind back on track. He walked into his closet and started sorting out what he would need for the trip.

The rest of the week flew by and before Kurt knew it, it was Friday night and he was packing the last of what he would need for the trip. Mercedes was over helping and Carole was cooking a good bye dinner.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Mercedes said.

"I'll miss you guys, too," Kurt said. "I'll be back in July and we'll have plenty of time to hang out before you head off to Chicago and I head off to New York."

"It's still not the same as having the whole summer with you."

"I know."

"You better bring me back something fabulous."

Kurt laughed as he hugged Mercedes. "Of course I will," he promised.

"Kurt! Mercedes!" Carole called. "Dinner's ready!"

"Be right there!" Kurt called back. "I think that's it." He looked around his room one last time and except for a couple of his toiletries he would use in the morning, everything had been crossed off his list. He would be meeting up with Blaine and everyone else at JFK in New York and from there they would be off to London. This was really happening. He linked arms with Mercedes and they headed down to dinner. They had just turned the corner into the dining room when Kurt realized something was off.

"Surprise!" everyone from New Directions yelled as they came into view. A huge GOOD BYE KURT. WE'LL MISS YOU banner was hanging from the ceiling.

"What? You guys!" Kurt exclaimed. "It's not like I'm leaving forever."

"Well, six weeks is long enough," Burt said, "and your friends wanted to do something special since you won't be here for graduation tomorrow or your birthday."

"Thank you, guys," Kurt said sincerely. "I will miss you all. Even you, Rachel. I can't wait to tell you about everything when I get back."

There were toasts and laughter and everyone dug into the feast Carole had made. Kurt looked around at everyone and smiled. For the first time in his life, Kurt could say he was truly content. It was a long road to get here, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.

The last six weeks had been some of the most amazing times of Kurt's life. Seeing Europe and seeing it with Blaine had exceeded every expectation. He really hoped to come back one day and see everything properly.

Earlier that evening, they'd checked into the Empire Suite at the Georges V Hotel. It was the most lavish room Kurt had ever seen with heavily curtained windows, exquisitely detailed furniture and the most amazing view of the Eiffel Tower Kurt could imagine. As much as Kurt wanted to stay out on balcony all night just staring, he was so tired. They ended up ordering room service and curling up on the couch watching movies. Kurt translated for Blaine as best he could, but his eyes were so heavy.

The next thing he knew, he was blinking awake in the dark room. Something warm and slightly wet was ticking his cheek. He smiled when he realized it was just Blaine, kissing him gently. He sighed and settled back down into Blaine's arms.

"I love you," he said.

Kurt's eyes snapped open as he realized what he had just said. He sat up and looked at Blaine, nervous and apprehensive at what Blaine would say. Sure, when they first got together they had both admitted to having been in love with each other, but they had never actually said, "I love you." Blaine just smiled and cupped Kurt's cheek in his palm.

"I love you, too," he replied and kissed Kurt gently on the lips.

Kurt just sighed in relief. He didn't know why he had been so worried. Blaine had demonstrated more than once that he loved Kurt, but it was still nice to hear the words.

"Hey, now that you're up," Blaine started, "there's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

"I've been doing some thinking. About what will happen when we get home and then when you go off to school in the fall. I'm really not worried about the long distance thing, but I don't want to be apart from you if I don't have to be."

"What are you saying?" Kurt said.

"I'm saying that when we get back to the U.S., I'm moving to New York." Blaine smiled tentatively as he finished sharing his news. Kurt, however, was a little confused.

"I thought your record company was in L.A.?" Kurt said.

"They are," Blaine said. "They have an office in New York, too. Even if they didn't, there are recording studios everywhere. I don't have to be in L.A. to work with them. Especially now that I'm a little more established, I have a little more freedom with where I want to actually live. Well, if you're in New York then that's where I want to be."

"I love you so much," Kurt said as he launched himself at Blaine.

Blaine was going to be in New York. He was going to be in New York. They had a whole week in Paris. Kurt Hummel's life was pretty amazing.