February 22nd, 1919 - Düsseldorf, Germany

Blaine

Blaine found the walk to the Kurt's home to be a relatively quiet one. Their conversation consisted mostly of small talk about the weather, though Kurt and Quinn seemed to talk more together in thick German. The February weather was pleasant but left a cool tingling in their lungs while the sun, which hung low in the sky, soaked into their thick wool jackets.

Quinn's heels clicked against the side walk in a charming ‘tap tap' pattern that helped to calm Blaine every time a passer-by would shout something to another in German. It was all so unnerving that every so often Blaine's fingers would twitch nervously around the thick canvas strap of his bag. Neither of his new companions seemed to notice or if they did Blaine supposed that maybe they were just being polite. Kurt was tromping in front, leading the way down the bustling streets while Quinn sashayed next to him smiling at all the quaint brick buildings that lined the sidewalks.

Blaine found himself startled when Kurt stopped suddenly, almost crashing into the sturdy back of the German man. They were standing on a cleared sidewalk in a tightly packed residential area with large three story brownstones sitting along the street, pressed neatly against one another. It wasn't exactly pretty as there was no room for anything green to survive, no planted trees or tiny patches of grass to brighten up the neighbourhood. Everything was a solemn, washed out gray.

Kurt turned and smiled warmly over his shoulder at Quinn and Blaine, who both returned it, though hers was suspiciously larger than his. Blaine was at this moment trying not to panic over the fact that this was real, that he had found Kurt and was finally standing alongside the beautiful man who was grinning so wide that it made Blaine's cheeks ache for him. 

"So, this is it?" Blaine felt like a complete moron, of course this was Kurt's home or why would he have stopped them there. Obviously being around sensible people aided in lowering his smarts dramatically. To hide the embarrassed flush that was making its way up the back of his neck Blaine turned his attention to the slate coloured home they were standing in front of. It had a tall wooden door, a decorative window situated above, and a rusty wrought-iron gate to its left. It was unremarkable; someplace that one could simply pass by without a second glance.

Kurt's expression didn't change as he nodded, lightly jerking his head in the direction of the house. Quinn clicked her heels, pulled her bag higher and took a few steps forward while rubbing her leather clad hands together to fight off the cold.

"Welcome to the Hummel household."

Like a gentleman, Kurt gestured Blaine and Quinn ahead of him even though the blond woman was almost at the door already. There were no stairs, just a small concrete lip to stop water from flowing in under the bottom of the door, which Blaine stepped over and walked straight up to the building. Pausing, he blushed and set down Quinn's suitcase before reaching out to grab Kurt's cane that he was juggling back and forth between his hands while trying to reach into his pocket for the key.

The German man jerked back, alarmed, almost dropping everything as he tried to process Blaine's intentions. He shot Blaine a small closed mouth smile, and the Englishman almost passed out. Kurt was so alarmingly attractive with his cheeks pink from the cold and his eyes bright in the sunlight that Blaine had to take a moment and remember to actually hold onto the cane.

Watching Kurt pull his gloves off with his teeth almost put Blaine into cardiac arrest. He had to look away, the flush across his face painfully evident of where his thoughts had been leading to. Over the top of Kurt's shoulder he made eye contact with Quinn, who up until now had been eerily silent. She was still standing by Kurt's elbow fiddling absentmindedly with the leather strap of her smaller bag while giving Blaine the most knowing smirk he had ever seen on a woman's face. Her bright painted mouth seemed to stretch further upwards when Kurt finally get a hold of the brass key and leaned forward, his backside pushing outwards, and unlocked the door.

The inside was much cosier then the outside. As soon as Kurt pushed open the door a wave of warm air rushed out and slapped the trio in the face with the delicious smell of baking and for a moment Blaine found it hard to breath. Quinn was the first to enter, lightly stomping her heels on the sidewalk to clear any traces of snow before sauntering through the doorway with Blaine following slowly behind her and Kurt bringing up the rear having paused to let the other two pass. Blaine took in the entranceway. There was a staircase immediately to the left while straight ahead was a short hallway where a small dark table was pushed against the wall next to a coat rack where a long tweed coat was hanging.

"Frau Braun?" Kurt brushed past Blaine, pulling the heavy door closed behind him while holding Blaine's suitcase and calling out down the hallway. When no one appeared Kurt directed them up the stairs to the second floor while explaining that the widow living on the main floor of their brownstone was most likely already at the church. Blaine quirked an eyebrow questioningly but his brain blanked when Kurt reached out with his free hand and grabbed Blaine's wrist, both urging  the Brit up the stairs and helping hold himself up.

The Hummel's apartment was bright and clean with a distinct feeling of home, so much so that Blaine didn't think that he would ever want to leave even as he mourned the loss of warmth from Kurt's hand. The space between the door and the open kitchen was organized with wrought-iron hooks running along the wall where Kurt hung up his coat and where Blaine rested Kurt's cane. He then helped Quinn out of her jacket, waiting patiently as she shoved her gloves into the pocket before hanging it up next to his. Blaine stood there awkwardly watching the interaction as they murmured to each other softly in German.

"You should offer him a drink." Blaine couldn't understand what Quinn had just murmured into Kurt's ear but it made him slightly jealous. However Kurt's heavy sigh and quick roll of his eyes directed at Quinn's smug smile surely suggested that Kurt was not amused and more than likely tempted to give her a more then delicate push.

"Really... Did you just- You're really not helping matters." Kurt stammered back making Quinn's smile widen and Blaine's triangular eyebrows furrow.

"It's only the polite thing to do."  She replied in a sing-song voice. Blaine eventually tuned out their little spat, it was hard to follow when he didn't know the language, instead he turned his eyes onto their new surroundings.

Straight ahead was the kitchen where copper pots and pans dangled from a heavy looking pot rack, the walls were decorated with polished porcelain tiles in warm hues. The stove that was pressed against the wall was shiny and well cared for though older and the edge of a small sink was just visible from around the corner. Directly to Blaine's left was another set of wooden stairs that led up to what was surely the attic.

"Aren't you a little warm?"

Kurt's soft voice startled Blaine out of his daze. The man was standing next to a smiling Quinn who under her jacket was wearing a well-tailored traveling dress with matching heels; Blaine blushed realizing that they must have been standing there awhile watching him daydream.

"Uhh...Y-yeah." Blaine stuttered setting Quinn's case down, realizing that he had still been holding it. He also dropped his bag, wincing when it hit the polished wooden floor with a dull thud. Rushed and thoroughly embarrassed he yanked at the large metal buttons of his jacket and scrabbled to pull his wool pea coat off his broad shoulders. In retrospect it was probably humorous to watch a twenty year old man struggle to remove something as simple as his coat, but Blaine hobbled about trying to jerk his arms out of the sleeves, flapping and waving them like a mad bird, while the two German's laughed at his predicament. When finally free, Blaine wanted nothing more than to heave the bloody thing across the room but was stopped by the fact Kurt and Quinn might see it as quite juvenile and he very much wanted to make a good impression, even if he had already made a complete fool of himself.

Instead of making a scene, Blaine walked calmly to one of the hooks and hung his coat, all while blushing hotly under the gaze of his two companions. Kurt smiled sweetly, gesturing to the stairs while turning his head to mumble something to Quinn who smiled widely and nodded. Kurt smiled in response, reaching out and picking up Quinn's suitcase while the woman brushed past, her heels clicking on the steps as she sauntered up the stairs with Kurt close behind. Blaine watched them, slightly stunned until the German man pause midway up the staircase, leaning heavily on the thick wooden railing and turned to look at the Englishman with a very saucy expression.

"Well, grab your bag Mr Anderson. There's no bellhop in this lovely establishment." Kurt smirked as Blaine reached down to grab his own rumpled and scuffed bag before moving to follow them up.

"Well that's not fair. Why are you carrying hers?" He joked, coming up the stairs and stopping alongside Kurt. The taller man laughed, leaning out and bumping their shoulders together in a move that made Blaine's chest flutter and gut tighten. It warmed him to have this easy camaraderie between them, and it made Blaine almost giddy with relief after all that pent up fear of disappointment.

"That's because I'm a gentleman." Kurt shot back, now continuing up to where Quinn stood at the open entrance to the highest floor. Blaine followed, reaching out and holding Kurt's elbow to make sure that he wouldn't fall. Immediately upon entering the top floor there was a wall decorated with dark framed photos depicting a straight-faced, attractive family and a narrow path of floor that opened up into a comfy sitting area. Kurt took the lead, talking to Quinn in thick German and Blaine watched as the two walked almost into the sitting room only to turn and walk through an open door that had been completely overlooked. Kurt emerged only seconds later, pulling the door closed behind him, looking up at Blaine and smiling.

"Come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." Blaine felt incredibly nervous now as he followed Kurt to the door closest to him.  Despite Kurt's put together manner, the inside of his room was the definition of chaotic, with articles of freshly mended and half sown clothing laying haphazardly over every available surface. It looked as if the entirety of Kurt's wardrobe had exploded. Situated along the left wall was a lone bed, cleared of most of the mess but with several articles of freshly ironed clothing carefully laid out.

"I hope that you don't mind sharing." Blaine looked up at Kurt, noting that there was an even pinker hue to his cheeks. Their eyes met briefly, Kurt's blush darkening, before Blaine turned away. He tried to brush it off but the hot heat in his gut just wouldn't go away and for a moment he thought that this might have been a very, very bad idea.

"No, it's perfect. I've slept in much worse conditions, with seventeen men. Most of whom didn't bathe. You seem pretty clean to me."

Kurt smiled and Blaine realized that he was doomed. He could never sleep in the same bed as this handsome man without being indecent, but he promised himself to try and be as much a gentleman as Kurt. Even though he knew he would never be able to keep it up.

"Do you have a suit in your bag?" Kurt was gesturing to the scuffed and dirt-stained thing Blaine was still holding. "Oh, you can put it here."

He walked over, delicately picking up half-finished clothing and placing them on what was obviously his work table, going by the expensive sewing machine stationed there.

Blaine set his bag down on the dresser, untying and pulling open the top. He cringed at the sight of all the wrinkles and musty travel odour. He looked up, an expression of embarrassment across his face.

"Sorry, it's a little wrinkled." He pulled out the black cotton jacket he had worn to his father's funeral; along with the deep creases, there might have been a few stains of unidentified alcohol. Kurt wrinkled his nose at the sight and then clapped his hands together in delight, bright eyes running over the rack of clothing that stood next to his desk.

"Good, because I think that I might have something that would look perfect on you." He calmly walked over to the rack, pulling some well-tailored pieces off wooden hangers and brought them over to the bed, laying them down precisely. It was an attractive gray silk suit, accompanied by a white dress shirt.

Blaine cocked an eyebrow, slightly taken aback as to why Kurt was going through all this trouble to get him dressed properly.

"I'm sorry Kurt. I'm a little confused." Kurt turned to look at Blaine, having moved to the other side of the bed to start sifting through his own pile of clothing, separating out the white shirt and dress socks.

"They're for you to wear to the wedding." He stated, moving back to pull out his sock garters, inspecting to see that the clips hadn't fallen off. Blaine suddenly felt dizzy, as if his chest was contracting and expanding in spurts, his fingers started twitching uncontrollably and he suddenly felt the need to for a smoke. Instead he ran a heavy hand along the nape of his neck while looking around trying not to make eye contact.

"I...I really don't want to intru-" Kurt cut Blaine off before he could finish that thought, placing down whatever it was that he had been holding and looking straight at Blaine.

"You are not intruding, so don't feel like you are. Besides, you came all this way it would be a shame if you missed out on a good German party." He winked at Blaine before turning away and starting to unbutton his shirt. This new situation didn't make Blaine feel any better, instead he felt hotter and more nervous than he ever had in his entire life.

Kurt

Kurt limped back towards the bed, unbuttoning his shirt as he moved. Kurt slipped off his blue (periwinkle, he scolded himself) shirt to replace it with the crisp white dress shirt.

As the shirt fell from his shoulders and was caught in his hands, Kurt heard a strangled noise from behind him. Intrigued, Kurt turned his body slightly to see Blaine with a shocked look on his face.

Blaine's eyes were wide and skimming up and down Kurt's torso, taking in Kurt's pale skin and delicately defined muscles and a hand was placed over his mouth as if he was trying to stop the noise from escaping.

Raising an eyebrow Kurt fought to keep back the rising blush on his skin. "Are you okay?" Kurt asked, a coy smile playing on his lips.

Blushing all the way to his ears, Blaine tore his eyes from Kurt and looked out the window. "Yeah, it was just a long trip, you know."

He yawned dramatically to make his point.

Kurt couldn't help but gently roll his eyes at the blatant lie from Blaine.

"Of course." He smiled, noticing the suit he had given him earlier was still draped over Blaine's arm. Kurt nodded towards the garment "You should really try that on so I can see if it will work or not."

Giving a small nod, Blaine turned around beginning to undress with his broad back towards Kurt.

Kurt grinned as he noticed the blush had reached the back of Blaine's neck. His couldn't believe that he had got such a reaction from a man, and his mind was reeling at the thought that maybe, just maybe, something could happen with this incredible man. But he refused let himself get his hopes up too high, in case his heart would get broken.

Just as his thoughts lingered on what could happen, Kurt noticed that Blaine was beginning to drop his own shirt from his shoulders. Stifling a gasp, he turned to look back at the racks of clothing, taking a deep breath to steady his rapidly beating heart. He dressed in his own attire, as fast as he could.

It was a few minutes of comfortable silence as the two men both dressed. Kurt only heard the occasional shift of clothing and the creak of the lose floorboard that Blaine was standing on, while he placed his vest over his chest, pushing the buttons through the small black holes.

Sliding his tie into place, Kurt turned to look at Blaine. "So, what do you think?" Blaine asked, fussing with the sleeves of the gray suit that he had on as he looked sheepishly at Kurt through his thick lashes.

Kurt felt like his heart had stopped in his chest. Blaine looked stunning in the gray suit. The fabric clung to his frame accenting his broad shoulders and tapered waist. And dear god, his ass! The material was snug against his round butt, yet Kurt could see no issue with the matter, until he remembered that the suit was intended for a client.

Making his way across the room to Blaine, Kurt had to remind himself that he wasn't to jump the man when he was near. He was a gentleman for god's sake. He should at least wine and dine him first, then make a move. Kurt shook his head slightly; forget Rolph rubbing off on Quinn, if anything Kurt got a large dose of the man's personality as well.

Clearing his head, Kurt stopped in front of Blaine, smiling at him as he began to straighten the lapels of the jacket. Kurt let his fingers linger brushing at invisible flakes of lint.

"I'll have to thank Joshua for letting you use his Bar Mitzvah suit." Kurt grinned, noticing how Blaine's eyes never wavered from his face as Kurt continued to run his hands across the fabric.

"Are you saying I'm short?" Blaine pouted leaning into Kurt's touch, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"No, he's just tall for his age." Kurt reassured him, hiding his smirk. "Now, turn around for me so I can see the back." Kurt instructed, as he moved his hand in a twirling motion.

Sighing dramatically, Blaine obliged, turning slowly in a circle to show Kurt the ensemble he had thrown him in.

Kurt couldn't help but let his gaze linger on the fabric that clung to Blaine's butt; it fit him like a second skin and Kurt found it extremely distracting. Suppressing a needy groan, Kurt fought to keep his raging hormones in check and looked anywhere else on the suit for any issue that may need a quick fix.

Noticing the pull of the fabric over Blaine's shoulders, Kurt steadied Blaine's movement with a simple touch.

"Can you move, comfortably?" Kurt asked, nodding to Blaine's shoulders.

Slowly moving his arms gingerly at first, Blaine worked his movements up to a swing smiling as he did so. "It's fine."

"That's good." Kurt said, moving his hand to his chin in thought.

"Something is missing..." He mumbled aloud, looking over Blaine's outfit.

Blaine stood stock still as Kurt moved slowly around him, humming to himself under his breath. Stopping abruptly in front of Blaine, Kurt looked to Blaine's neck noticing the collar was open.

It hit Kurt like a freight train when he saw the tan skin of Blaine's neck. The man needed a tie of some sort.

Quickly moving to his wardrobe, Kurt pulled open the doors and one of the inner drawers to reveal all of his ties. He smiled as his eyes lingered on the side containing his bowtie collection. Yes, one of these would do very nicely for Blaine. Bowties were all the rage at the moment, and Kurt knew that with Blaine's build there was no way that the man couldn't pull off the look.

Rummaging amongst the various patterns and colours of fabric for the perfect tie, Kurt's eyes kept getting drawn back to the simple, red cotton bowtie that sat in the front corner of the drawer. Giving up on the idea that there was something more suitable (which there wasn't) Kurt decided that this was the one.

Pulling out the red bowtie with a flourish, Kurt quickly went back to Blaine showing him the thin strip of cotton fabric. "Well, what do you think?" Kurt asked, his cheeks flushing with excitement.

Glancing between Kurt and the bowtie, Blaine shrugged. "I don't know..." He paused, looking at the fabric skeptically. "I've never wore a bowtie before-"

Kurt shook his head in disbelief, "You've never- how have you never-"

"I've never had an occasion to wear one." Blaine said, trying to justify himself.

"Well, you are going to be wearing one today and trust me you will look fabulous." Kurt assured Blaine.

"If you say so. I mean, you seem to be the expert." Blaine smiled gesturing to the mounds of clothes lying around the room.

Grinning, Kurt hummed. "True. So, do you know how to tie this?" He asked holding up the cloth in question.

Blaine shook his head, looking down sheepishly. "No, I've never worn one. Remember?"

"Of course." Kurt smiled, moving to close the gap between them.

Pausing slightly, Kurt looked down into Blaine's warm eyes. "Do you mind?"

"No, no, by all means." Blaine smiled. "Tie away."

Wasting no time, Kurt quickly popped the crisp, white collar of Blaine's shirt, and draped the fabric of the bowtie around Blaine's neck. Kurt's muscle memory took over after that, working expertly at maneuvering the cloth into a perfect bow, while he indulged himself at the feeling of Blaine's warm breath tickling his neck.

Kurt's senses were invaded by Blaine. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating, invading his nose and making his head spin. The slight touch of his fingers against Blaine's neck sent shivers down his spine. But then, there were Blaine's eyes. God, his eyes were a whole different story.

Glancing at Blaine through his lashes, Kurt's breath caught at what was there; adoration was flowing from Blaine. His hazel eyes were transfixed on Kurt's face following every slight movement of his mouth, and the gentle repetitive motion of his eyelids fluttering closed.

Blushing profusely, Kurt looked away from Blaine's eyes, continuing his job of fixing Blaine's tie. The logical part of Kurt's brain couldn't understand the look in Blaine's eyes; how without really knowing him, the man watched him with such reverence. Yet, a large part of him (the hopeless romantic part) understood and could relate. Blaine and his memory of Blaine held a special place in his heart but he couldn't even fathom the idea of not holding the man in high esteem.

Retreating from his confused thoughts, Kurt tweaked the bowtie one last time and righted Blaine's collar.

"I'm finished." He whispered, knowing he should move away from Blaine's warmth, yet his body refused to do so.

His hands rested on Blaine's chest as they continued to stare at each other in a comfortable silence.

Blaine's eyes continued to trace his face, taking in every curve and dip. Kurt had to push down the need to squirm under the intense stare of hazel eyes.

Kurt watched Blaine's face change, his eyes suddenly showed some sort of inner conflict while he stared at Kurt. But before Kurt could ask what was wrong, Blaine let out a breath and moved his left hand to trace his knuckles across Kurt's cheek.

Surprise coursed through Kurt as he felt the soft touch of skin to his cheek, but it soon turned to tranquility, something he hadn't felt in months. The feeling of calm that passed over him at Blaine's touch startled and relaxed him, it felt right like nothing had before.

Watching Blaine, Kurt saw how nervous the man was. He had taken a huge leap at making such an intimate gesture, and Kurt's heart soared at the gentle movement of his thumb. But Blaine looked like he would bolt if Kurt said or did the wrong thing. Ever so cautiously, he leaned into the touch, watching Blaine for any sign that this may be too much.

Blaine's eyes widened at the movement, making Kurt panic. Before Kurt could move to apologize, a simple smile grew on Blaine's face and his eyes shone with happiness.

Kurt eyes fluttered closed as he moved further into Blaine's touch, reveling in the feeling of warmth on his cheek. Letting out a satisfied sigh, Kurt opened his eyes to take in Blaine, who looked awed by Kurt. He looked so happy and surprised that he was able to touch Kurt, and truthfully Kurt felt the same. After all this time thinking and imagining each other, here they were standing in Kurt's bedroom only inches from each other. It was as if all of Kurt's hopes and dreams had come true.

He wanted this to be more than a friendly visit from an ‘old friend'; he prayed that Blaine's feelings matched his own. And the only way that Kurt could think of that wouldn't take forever was to stop being so scared of being hurt and take a chance.

Kurt was determined so he leaned in slightly watching Blaine and giving the man a chance to retreat if he wished. But instead Blaine leaned in closer, moving his hand to grasp the back of Kurt's neck as his hazel eyes watched Kurt's lips.

Soothed by Blaine's movements, Kurt closed his eyes in anticipation, his heart beating a mile a minute, while his mind was so overwhelmed that it seemed to be short circuiting.

He could feel Blaine's soft breathing as their lips were a hairsbreadth away, and he braced himself for the onslaught of emotions.

But it never came.

The sound of a door banging open startled Blaine, his eyes as wide as saucers and his breathing erratic. Kurt was surprised that the man didn't jump out of his skin, or maybe hide underneath the bed at how terrified he looked.

Kurt, on the other hand, was livid as he saw a freshly pressed and ready to go Quinn standing sheepishly at his open door. Her hair piled on top of her head and her blue chiffon dress draped elegantly on her body. She looked beautiful, but Kurt was seeing too much red to say so.

"Do you not know how to knock?" Kurt asked through clenched teeth.

Quinn gave a quick apologetic smile before it turned into a smirk. "I didn't think you would actually take my advice."

"I didn't." Kurt glowered, hoping Quinn could feel his anger towards her. "Now, what do you want?"

"I was just going to see if you boys were ready, but obviously you need a bit more time." She winked. "So, I will just head towards the church myself. I'm sure I can find a nice man to help me find my way."

Kurt's anger subsided slightly, as he worried about her wondering the streets on her own. He was about to say so when she waved him off. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself." She assured him. "Now I'll leave you to get acquainted with the British man's mouth."

She smiled wickedly as she threw a small wave in a mortified Blaine's direction. "À bientôt, mes beaux." She called in fluent French, as she made her way down the stairs.

Glaring at her retreating form for a few moments, Kurt knew that if he could kill anyone right now, it would be Quinn Fabray.