February 23nd, 1919 - Düsseldorf, Germany

Blaine

Blaine woke early in the morning, just as the light of dawn started to break through the flimsy, white curtains that covered the only window in the room. For a few blissful moments he lay there, blinking lazily at the specks of dust that floated along the cool air currents that drifted in through the small gap between the window and the window sill. His moment of peace was broken by the wide yawn that escaped Blaine as he stretched upwards and outwards, humming pleasantly at the tug deep within the muscles that ran alongside his spine. He couldn't help but wiggle a little deeper into the comfortable warmth provided by the bed, a lethargic grin crossing his haggard face. Despite the fact that last night had been the best sleep Blaine had enjoyed in a very long time, his complexion, hidden underneath his scraggly beard, was still pale and gaunt.

If it wasn't for the constant pressure being exerted on his bladder, Blaine would have easily hunkered himself back down in the nest of blankets for a few more hours of much needed rest. Instead, with another wide yawn, Blaine struggled to sit up, hindered by the borrowed pajama top which, with any movement, would pull taunt across his chest and shoulders, thwarting any attempt to reach out and get his arms under himself. To top it off, there was something holding his legs down, he could feel the warm presence through the sheet which separated them, he figured it was most likely Kurt's leg judging by the way in which the offenders foot had curled itself around Blaine's calves, effectively holding them in place.

With a sigh Blaine looked over at Kurt. He was still sleeping soundly, half his face squished into the pillow and Blaine couldn't help but smile. The pillow had successfully pushed all of Kurt's hair away from the downside of his head; it was now standing up in all directions, and the considerable amount of gel he had in his hair the night before that hadn't been washed out was holding everything in place. If Kurt looked this bad Blaine shuddered to think what a picture he posed. Reaching out hesitantly, Blaine tried to brush away a few strands that had decided to curl backwards into Kurt's angelic face.

The other man didn't even stir and Blaine stopped himself from leaning over and kissing him again. Instead Blaine pulled back and started working on a plan which would render him free, yet keep Kurt from waking up. It was hard considering Kurt was sprawled out everywhere at once; one arm was tucked carefully under the pillow while the other rested next to Blaine's hip, his left leg bent at the knee and heel dangling over the side of the bed, his right leg of course trapping Blaine.

Unfortunately, Blaine really, really had to pee by now. Eventually, he'd been able to twist and slip his legs from under Kurt's before practically tumbling out of the bed. He managed not to fall out with a loud crash, but his knees had made a dull thunk before he had been able to catch himself with his hands. It wasn't loud but Blaine found himself stilling momentarily to look back up over the edge of the bed at Kurt. Who was now looking right back at him with a tired expression on his sleep-wrinkled face.

"Do I even want to know what are you doing?" Kurt's voice was thick, his English words almost undecipherable underneath his heavy accent. He yawed cutely, snuggling deeper into his pillow, watching Blaine on the floor of his bedroom.

"I didn't want to wake you up. Go back to sleep." Blaine flushed, pushing himself up into a more respectable position. Kurt only nodded and closed his eyes, almost immediately falling back into a deep slumber.

Not wanting to wake him again, Blaine set out to quietly exit the room in search of the bathroom. It wasn't until he was quietly shutting the door behind himself that he realized that he had no clue where that was. He had never gotten the grand tour, seeing as he had unexpectedly dropped in on what was surely a busy day for this household. Standing lamely in the hallway, Blaine debated walking back into Kurt's room, waking him up, and asking where he could find the bathroom. He had thought about searching it out for himself, but stopped. There were so many ways in which that could go horribly wrong for him. What if he walked unknowingly into Quinn's room? Despite the fact that Blaine didn't feel any romantic attachment towards women doing something like that could seriously damage his gentlemanly reputation, and he really wanted this family to like him particularly after his not so attractive appearance at Lena's wedding. Or it could be even worse with Blaine walking willy-nilly into Kurt's father's room. He paled at that thought and made his decision to wake up Kurt. He was just as he was about to turn the knob under his hand when a soft cough startled him.

Blaine jumped back from the door, dropping his hand to his side. Old habits seem to die hard as he unconsciously grasped for the small pen knife he always kept in a trouser pocket. It wasn't there since Blaine was still in Kurt's pajamas and he was thankful because threatening the head of the household with an old rusty blade would undeniably crush that gentleman reputation.

Burt stood near the opening of the hallway looking severely unimpressed, his large arms crossing his wide chest as he stared Blaine down with those patronizing eyebrows furrowed. Blaine automatically felt the need to explain the situation. Why he was here standing outside of Kurt's room with a very determined look on his face, despite the fact that that's where he had previously spent the entire night.

"Uh... I was looking for the bathroom." He started, eyes never wavering from the glower that Mr. Hummel had pinned him down with. He could practically feel the cold clammy sweat breaking out across his forehead. Blaine, who had not only faced three years of unbelievable hell but a court-martial which had to determine whether he should have been shot or not, was scared of this large German man standing him front of him. If the German army had just been a bunch of pissed off looking Burt Hummels, Blaine would have just surrendered right then and there on the spot.

"That's not the bathroom." Burt said, his voice gruff and face unimpressed.

"Oh, yes, I know." Blaine added almost cheerfully before cursing silently at himself and his inability to think before opening his stupid mouth. Burt seemed to turn a distinctive shade of purplish red, his eyebrows lowering until all that Blaine could see of the other man's eyes was a small dark glint in the morning light.

"Is that right?" He growled out. His voice so deep and so low that Blaine almost didn't catch it and when he did he scrambled about for the right words which wouldn't get him killed on the spot.

"...Y-yeah." Blaine stuttered, raising his hands in a defensive gesture, taking another step back from the door. "I was about to ask Kurt where the bathroom was. I didn't want to wake anyone else up."

Burt starred him down in stony silence, clearly judging Blaine with those all-seeing, father eyes. Blaine gave him a sheepish smile, unconsciously jiggling his foot as his bladder screamed in pain. Eventually, Kurt's father took a step back, his expression never changing, but his colouring seemed to return to normal. Obviously he seemed to actually believe what Blaine was telling him as he jerked his head towards the direction of the stairs.

"Door on the right at the bottom of the stairs."

"...T-thank you" Blaine mumbled as he speed walked right past Burt, terrified for a brief moment that the man would reach out and grab his arm or something. He didn't and Blaine continued, taking the stairs two at a time until he was on the main house floor and scrambling through the door.

The family bathroom wasn't overly large but it was cleaner than any room Blaine had ever seen, almost sterile in appearance with gleaming white tiles. He really didn't stop to take in the sight; instead he shut the door as quickly as he could before finding the polished porcelain toilet and yanking down his pants.

Blaine sighed happily as he finished, reaching out and pushing down the handle before pulling up his pants, tucking himself back in, and turning to wash his hands. The sink was on pedestal, his mother had always wanted one, and a decently sized mirror attached to a cabinet had been drilled into the wall a few feet above the taps. Blaine stepped back in horror as he caught sight of his reflection. Hair was everywhere, spread out in all directions like it was on a deadly mission to take over territory. His face didn't look any better; Blaine's beard was starting to come in thick, hiding the hollows of his cheeks. He looked even more like a crazed vagabond, most fitting if he ever decided to go live in the wilds of northern Canada with the bears and moose.

A little water helped to control the bulk of frizz but there were still some issues of concern as Blaine opened the door and walked back into the kitchen. He would never be allowed to leave the house looking like this, maybe if Kurt was kind enough he would let Blaine take a bath in the large clawfoot tub he'd spotted in the corner of the bathroom.   

He was surprised to find Kurt standing in the kitchen moving around, pulling small jars out of cupboards and trays of cold cuts from the icebox, gathering them up to move into the dining room.  

Blaine's stomach grumbled loudly, practically announcing his presence to the rest of the world. Kurt looked up and smiled brightly. The warm winter sun was shining in through the long window across the living room, dancing off the brightly polished yellow tiles making the room feel even warmer, even if Blaine could feel the chill biting at his toes through the floor. Kurt looked absolutely adorable. He hadn't had a chance to clean himself up or likely even look at himself considering that all the hair on the right side of his head was sticking upwards and there were unmistakable red marks from where his face had been pressed against the seams of his pillows along with a hint of beard burn. As he stood there in the kitchen in his rumpled pajamas, Blaine was sure that there was nothing in this world more precious than Kurt Hummel.

"Well are you going to help me or are you going to stand there all morning?" Kurt joked as he moved back towards the counter. He pealed back the dish towel that had been sitting on the counter top. The German exposed the crusty tops of at least a dozen or so small bread rolls, each decorated with a mixture sunflower and sesame seeds.

"What do you want me to do?"

Kurt paused raising a finger so he could tap thoughtfully at his lower lip as his eyes drifted around the room before they fell onto the shiny metal pot sitting a couple of inches away from the sink.

"Can you boil water?" Kurt asked innocently, watching as Blaine's eyebrows disappeared under the mat of crunchy curls.

"Can I boil water? What kind of question is that, Kurt? I'm English." Blaine started, crossing his arms and playfully stomping down a foot as the other man snorted loudly, hiding his laughter behind a thin hand. Blaine couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips; instead he bit down on the inside of his cheeks and turned towards the kitchen sink.  

"I'll have you know I make a damned good pot of tea." He continued, turning on the tap and letting the water run for a few brief moments. "It's so good in fact, people have praised it in sonnets all the way from London centre to edges of Brighton."

Kurt choked on his laughter, trying to stifle it with his hands as he pulled utensils out of their various drawers and piling them with the plates.

"You're nothing more than a big lair." He snorted, the utensils clinking against the plates. Blaine was full out grinning.

"I am absolutely not lying! I was always asked to make the tea for staff at the hospital, a great honour I tell you. No one else could do it. Now, where do you keep the kettle?" Okay, that was a little fib, considering Blaine was never directly asked to make the tea, rather he had been forced into making the tea every morning until the end of the war as punishment for the great gurney mishap of which he was ordered never to talk about.

Blaine stopped himself from rummaging through the drawers as he considered that to be a show of bad manners. Kurt was standing next to his elbow, reaching down and pulling out an old tin kettle that had seen better days. He didn't say anything as he handed it over, and for a moment Blaine feared that he might have gone too far with the teasing.

"Hey... Are you okay?" He asked whilst opening the kettle's lid and placing it under the stream of water. Kurt didn't look at him, instead he maneuvered his way around to the stove and twisted a nob, a rush of gas burst forth with a small whoosh. He then carefully lit a long match from the box he'd pulled from a drawer. Blaine placed the filled kettle on the stove top and turned off the taps. Kurt still didn't say anything, just paused momentarily to open his mouth and then clamp it shut with a crack of teeth.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked again, reaching out, grabbing the man's bicep and pulling him closer. Kurt allowed Blaine to tug him in; he rested his forehead against Blaine's shoulder and let out a loud sigh.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Still a little tired." He mumbled, Blaine didn't know what to do with his hands as his eyes darted to the hallway, afraid that Burt would round the corner at any moment and catch them. Kurt groaned and straightened his body out, looking down at Blaine, giving a crooked little smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"Now who's the big lair?" Blaine mumbled, eyes fixated on the German as he wrapped a comforting arm around the other man's shoulders, giving him a playful shake. Kurt cracked a sad smile.

"I didn't know you were in the hospital." He practically whispered, rubbing his hands up his arms as if the room had suddenly become chilly. Blaine cocked an eyebrow in confusion before opening his mouth in realization. Kurt, who had been in military hospital as a patient was probably glumly reflecting on his time being shut up in that horrible place and thinking that Blaine, who had remarkably never been that injured, had been forced into such a hell hole.

"Oh! No, no, no, no! I wasn't-"

The clear clicking of high heeled footsteps sounded on the stairs and came down the hall at a quick pace. Before Blaine or Kurt could push away from each other Quinn stepped into view adjusting the wide white collar of her dark green dress. Once she rounded the corner into the kitchen she looked up, obviously spotting Blaine and Kurt standing there so close together that they could be sharing the same air.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?"

Kurt rolled his eyes as he pushed himself out of Blaine's grasp. Quinn stood there sweetly, smirking at Blaine who turned to watch Kurt turn off the stove and lift the kettle off the burner with the help of a balled up tea towel.

"No, not at all. Your time is, as always, impeccable." Kurt ground out, voice heavily laced with sarcasm, as he poured the boiling water into the shiny metal coffee maker that Blaine had seen him looking at earlier. Even if Blaine couldn't understand a word of the conversation, he could feel the heavy tension that was brewing. It felt as if a large invisible game of tug-of-war was happening even though Kurt was still preparing breakfast and Quinn was sliding her thick winter jacket on.

"Oh, now, now Kurt." Quinn joked, shoving her hands into those expensive looking leather gloves. "Everything about me is impeccable!"

Blaine watched Kurt crack a small smile while collecting a few mugs from the iron hooks that had been drilled through the tiled back splash. He rushed over and grabbed them out of the German man's hands, surprising both Kurt and Quinn, who watched him queerly as he gathered up the plates and utensils and moved them into the dining room. Blaine was just glad to be out of the way of their little power struggle as he began to set the table.

"Looks like you got yourself a nice little house husband, there. I'm a little jealous." Kurt sputtered and flushed, almost dropping the platter of rolls much to Quinn's delight as she flounced about clearly the definite winner of whatever the hell was going on.

"Well, I'm off to do a little shopping. Don't worry, I'll pick something up for breakfast, but I'll be home in time for lunch." Kurt looked as if he was about to say something, or at least offer a roll but Quinn just gave him a bright smile and clicked her heels. She spun around, hoisting her delicate shoulder bag and shooting Blaine a cheeky wink before leaving out the front door and clambering down the wooden stairs.

A little noise of disbelief left Kurt at the absurdity of the entire interaction. Blaine watched him curiously, wishing that the German might give him a little insight to whatever just happened but not outright asking, because that would be rude.

"Blaine, do you think you could open those jars?"

Obviously, Blaine was going to be left in the dark. He didn't say anything about it as he padded his way to where those five small jars Kurt had pulled out earlier were sitting. The first four lids were easy to remove, just a quick twist and pop, then delicious preserves ready to be served. The last one however was a little bit of a pain. Blaine pulled and twisted until he feared that he might split the seams of his borrow pajama top.

"Sorry, Kurt. I don't think I can get this one."

"Uh?" Blaine watched as Kurt quickly looked up from where he was staring intently at Blaine's chest, a small noise falling from the German man's slack mouth as he flushed and tried to pretend that he hadn't been ogling. Blaine couldn't help but feel chuffed at the realization that Kurt had been looking and liking. Blaine knew he was attractive enough. He was never in wanting of dance partner at old town hall dances, and the older nurses would tell him he was ‘dear' and ‘cute' but maybe that was because he had a Rory shaped tumor attached to his hip.

"Do you think you can get it?" He asked, watching Kurt scramble to grab the jar. He was equally unlucky in getting it to open. Blaine just shrugged and grabbed the other four jars, placing them on the kitchen table.

"Looks like we might have to go without." He stated walking back to where Kurt was still struggling. The other man was cursing softly in German at the jar, as if it would understand and magically decide to pop off its lid.

"We can't, its blackberry jam. That's my father's favourite."     

Blaine yanked the jar out of Kurt's hand and started struggling with the damned thing, not caring that he might rip Kurt's shirt or if it might be considered improper to wave the thing around yelling colourful obscenities. Kurt was stood snickering loudly by his side.

"Stop it, you damn bloody thing. You are not going to ruin this for me! I need him to like me!" The jar didn't open. It lay there in Blaine's sweaty palm, mockingly. Kurt was almost laughing at Blaine, his face tinged pink and his lips pulled wide.

"Come on, you. I think I know someone who can help." He reached out and grabbed Blaine's forearm, leading him toward the front door. They walked silently down the stairs, Blaine a little scared that the old widow who lived on the main level would walk out and see him looking like this. Kurt maneuvered them down a second flight of stairs and towards another large wooden door that led to what Blaine could only assume was the basement apartment.

Noah answered on the third knock. He was bare chested and yawning into his fist, wearing nothing but a wrinkled sheet pulled loosely around his waist. When he spotted Blaine standing on his door step in a pair of Kurt's pajamas holding a small jelly jar, he didn't seem impressed. He didn't say anything for what felt like a very long time; instead he hiked up his sheet, flashing a sliver of lean thigh and shot Blaine a very intimidating glower. Truth be told, Blaine wasn't very afraid considering Noah looked more sleep rumpled then Blaine and Kurt combined.

"You do know I just got married, right?"

The noise that sputtered out of Kurt was both startling and amusing. Blaine watched the German basically have a mental breakdown, pressing his palms against his ears and making loud humming noises while closing his eyes and refusing to look at Noah.

"God, please, Noah! That's my sister!" He hissed. Blaine didn't know what was going on but figured being invisible was the best course.

"Oh, hey Kurt, I didn't see you there." Noah said, giving Kurt a sheepish smile as he tugged his sheet up a little higher. Kurt stopped acting immaturely, glaring over at his now brother-in-law.

"Noah. Just open the damn jar." 

Noah looked away from Kurt to stare down at Blaine who tried his best not to fidget under that dark look he was receiving. Noah didn't say anything to him as he reached out and grabbed the jar. Juggling his sheet in an attempt to keep from exposing himself to the two men, Noah manhandled the jar, twisting the top off with ease.

"What time is breakfast?" He asked, smirking at Blaine while he shoved the open jar back into his hands. Kurt didn't stop glaring as he grabbed at the back of Blaine's shirt, pulling him back up the stairs.

"You're not invited. Go get your wife to make you something!" He called over his shoulder.

Breakfast was a family affair. Anna, half asleep and still dressed in her nightgown and house coat was sitting in her chair when the boys returned, buttering a roll and shoving a few cuts of ham onto her plate. Burt came out of his room a few minutes later, fully dressed and looking ready to head off to work. He filled a mug with hot coffee and sat at the head of the table. He sipped away while eyeing Blaine suspiciously. Lena and Noah joined them soon after, laughing and holding hands, and much to everyone's pleasure, they were both fully dressed.

"No." Kurt said sharply, point a thin finger at the front door while glaring at Noah. Lena narrowed her eyes and placed her small hands on her hips. Noah smiled and sat down next to Burt. He started to make small talk while grabbing a few rolls.

"You can't make us leave, Kurt. This is still my home and he is my husband." She reprimanded. Kurt glared but allowed her sit down and start placing rolls and small chunks of meat on her plate. He took a seat at the end of the table, between his sister and Blaine.

Blaine smiled at him, accepting the mug of steaming coffee that was being offered.

"Thanks." He mumbled, taking that first sip and inhaling the bitter fragrance with a deep sigh. Kurt started pulling rolls off the tray, setting them down on Blaine's plate before fixing his own.

"Kurt, where is the coffee?" Lena was holding her mug, a predominant chip along the rim. Blaine noticed Lena slipped into English, for his own benefit he assumed. Kurt smirked into his coffee cup.

"Well, it is still your house. Get it yourself." Lena shot her brother a sour look as she pushed away from the table, snatching up her mug. Noah handed her his as well and she sighed, mumbling under her breath, as she filled both cups.

"So, Herr Blaine, did you sleep okay?" Anna yawned, brushing crumbs off the front of her house coat. Blaine couldn't help but smile down at the adorable girl sitting on his left.

"Very well, thank you." Blaine replied. Anna smiled to herself nodding and taking a long sip from the milk that Kurt had poured for her earlier. Burt looked up from his blackberry smothered roll and pinned Blaine down with a look; Noah, who was sitting next to the head of the household, shot Blaine a smirk seemingly happy with Burt's obvious dislike.

"So, Blaine, what are your plans for today?" He asked, placing his coffee cup down. Blaine choked on a slice of ham but luckily Kurt was there patting his back as he coughed and tried not to flail too much. Kurt took over, looking up at his dad and smiling.

"Well, I was thinking that if Blaine didn't have anything too pressing I would take him out to see the town." Blaine flushed; hoping no one would notice or would think that maybe it was from his little episode. Kurt smiled over at Blaine, hopeful that he would agree.

"I would like that." He answered, trying not to smile too widely. Burt coughed into his hand, pushing his chair back from the table and standing up. He mucked around, piling his dishes on top of each other before carrying them over to the sink. Noah was close behind, shoving the last bit of roll into his mouth before getting up and following suit. Swallowing the last of his food, he bent down and kissed his wife on her cheek.

"Lena, you wash up the dishes." Burt calls from the kitchen.

Blaine watched as the girl flushed darkly and sputtered, pushing back her chair with her mouth open looking about ready to complain. Kurt was pushing himself up about ready to say something, most likely witty and snarky, at his younger sister but was interrupted by their father.

"Lena." Burt's voice was stern. "Kurt made breakfast." 

It seemed that was the end of discussion as Burt, followed by Noah, walked towards the door and threw on their coats.

After they were gone, Anna raced upstairs to get dressed, blathering on about going down stairs and playing with her friend Sara while Lena sighed and started filling the sink with soapy warm water. Kurt seemed to take pity on his sister and was starting to collect dirty dishes, carrying them over to where she was tying an apron around her waist. Blaine tried to help but Lena sent him away with a smile, declaring that because he was a guest he got a free pass. Still, Blaine felt pretty useless standing off to the side watching the two Hummel siblings.

"Hey Kurt, do you think that I might be able to have a bath?" Blaine asked.

"Oh, please, do...your...uh...hair." Kurt gestured his hands above his head before dropping them with a sheepish look as if realizing that he might have been a little rude. Blaine just laughed lightly, rubbing at the course facial hair covering his jaw.

"Yeah, I figure I could shave the beard, too. Despite the fact I'm momentarily depending on the kindness of others, I think that I shouldn't look so homeless."

Both Kurt and Lena laughed, the sound of dishes clacking against each other in the soapy water drowning out all other noises. Kurt was standing next to his sister holding a towel and drying the plates she passed him. It was all very domestic.

"That might help." Kurt joked, setting down a clean dish. "But don't take too long, I still need to get ready too."

Blaine grinned and padded his way towards the bathroom, pausing in the door way. "Oh, I don't know, that's a pretty good look for you."

The tub was a pretty easy invention, all Blaine had to do was turn the taps and voila water came spurting out of the copper spout. He, of course, tested the water, twisting the taps until he was happy with the temperature and then plugged the drain, watching the basin start quickly filling. He quickly shucked his clothing, dropping both his borrowed pajamas and pants to the ground before stepping out of them. The shirt soon followed. Blaine picked up the pile of clothes and set them on the small stool that stood next to the sink, not wanting them to get wet. Hanging off the hook on the back of the door was a soft-looking pastel green towel and Blaine assumed that he would be able to use. Finding the soap sitting on a little nook built into the side of the tub Blaine stepped into the warm water and sat down, letting the water run for a few more minutes before turning off the taps and relaxing. 

A soft knock at the door startled Blaine and he jerked up. The water splashed against the sides of the tub in one roaring movement and Blaine looked around for something to cover his indecency, afraid that someone could walk in, as in his haste to bathe, he had forgotten to lock the door.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice traveled through the door and Blaine couldn't help but blush knowing that he was still naked and Kurt was only just beyond the door. Blaine answered, his voice a little squeaky. He could practically hear Kurt laughing at him.

"I brought down your razor. I figured you might need that."

"Uh...thanks. I - I'm in the bath is it okay if you just leave it out there?" There was a moment of pure silence and Blaine was sure that Kurt had just walked away.

"Y-yeah, su-sure." God, even Kurt stuttering was adorable. "I'll just set it down here."

There was a small clicking sound and the soft pitter-patter of feet as Kurt moved further away from the door. Blaine sighed in relief and reached out for the bar of soap. He cleaned himself quickly, washing his body and using a thick lather of suds to clean out all the gel that had started to congeal in his hair, before standing up and yanking the towel over. He stepped out onto a small woven bath mat, happy that he wouldn't have to clean the floor, and dried himself off. Blaine opened the door a crack, looking out while holding his towel tight around his waist. Just as Kurt had said, waiting outside the bathroom door was Blaine's razor.

Shaving wasn't a problem either, seeing as there were two men living in the household. Blaine had been lucky enough to find a half rolled tube of shaving cream and brush sitting on one of the shelves inside the medicine cabinet above the sink. He knew the brush was Kurt's because it was standard army issue with a small maker's seal etched into the bottom. In fact, he had one himself rolling around inside his bag upstairs. He figured Kurt wouldn't be to terribly upset if he borrowed it just this once.

It took longer than usual to shave off all the hair; a lot of stopping and turning on the sink to clean the blades and a lot of cursing every time he accidently nicked himself, but by the end Blaine felt more like himself then he had in a very long time. He was still pale and without all the hair to hide under, his face was thin with hollow looking cheeks and deep shadows under his eyes but a lot of that was due to lack of sunlight and hardy meals.

Blaine was lucky enough to make it up the stairs without anyone noticing him and he thanked his stars for that. Running into any member of Kurt's family while in this state of undress would have been mortifying. When he had first realized that he had forgotten to bring clothing with him, Blaine had chewed himself out, flustered and shaking he had decided that the only course of action was to race up the stairs and hope for the best. Reaching Kurt's door without being spotted by anyone else, Blaine let out a loud sigh of relief and knocked lightly, knowing it was the height of bad manners to just barge in unannounced.

"Come in."

Blaine opened the door and walked in. He was surprised to see Kurt almost fully dressed in a pair of pressed slacks and a clean undershirt, though his hair was still in a state of disarray, ironing a pair of Blaine's favourite trousers. Sitting on the bed was a steady growing pile of freshly pressed clothing that had been removed from Blaine's luggage.

"Sorry, I figured that you might..." Kurt's voice trailed off causing Blaine to look over at him. His jaw was slack and hanging open and his face was a pleasant shade of pink.

"Uh, Kurt, I don't think that it should be steaming like that." Blaine offered, nodding down at the small puff of smoke escaping from the base of the iron pressed against his pants leg. Kurt jerked it away and a muttered string of apologies, glancing down to make sure he hadn't scorched anything too badly. He hadn't and Blaine was thankful for that because those trousers made his ass look amazing.

"Kurt, are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine... I guess I was just surprised." The German man answered placing the trousers down on top of the pile of Blaine's clothing. Blaine cocked an eyebrow, practically demanding that Kurt explain himself. Instead, Kurt fussed about gathering his own cloths to take down to the bathroom where he would primp himself before they left for their tour of the town.

"I think you should explain ‘surprised' a little more clearly, you know, considering you almost burnt a hole through my clothes." Blaine started, interrupting himself quickly in order to add his thanks because "You really didn't have to do that." and "I really appreciate it."    

"Well, it's just that I've never actually seen you like this. It's just a little strange. I mean, you look almost respectable." Kurt smiled jokingly at Blaine who rolled his eyes in turn.

"I'll have you know I'm a very respectable person." Kurt brushed past Blaine, snorting loudly in response, giving Blaine a very unimpressed look.

 "Oh yeah, just like you make fantastic tea?"

He was rushing down the stairs snickering loudly to himself before Blaine had a chance to shoot back a witty retort. Instead, Blaine laughed to himself and moved to shut the door before padding over the pile of his clothing and getting dressed. In the end, he settled on wearing a dark pair of slacks with thick strapped suspenders and a slightly graying undershirt with a clean light blue button up. He threw on a light grey knit jumper that his mother had given Cooper for his fifteenth birthday. It had never quite fit the boy right and had been forced onto Blaine. It seemed to fit now that he was older and wider in the shoulders but at one time it had been the most hideous and lumpy thing Blaine had ever seen. None of that actually mattered because his thick pea coat would be hiding it from view.

By the time Blaine was dressed and making his way downstairs, after having thrown a little cash into a billfold in his pocket, Kurt was waiting patiently by the front door. He was already in his jacket and was shoving on some sweetly knitted mittens when he looked up and gave a low whistle.

"You clean up nicely." He announced before shoving his feet into some shiny black shoes. Blaine flushed slightly, feeling even more chuffed when he noticed the splotches red on the tips of Kurt's ears.

"What can I say?" Blaine shot back, grabbing his coat and sliding in on while simultaneously stepping into his shoes. Kurt grabbed his cane before walking out the door and down the stairs then out the front door with Blaine by his side.

Even though it was the midmorning and the sun was high in the sky, reflecting off snowy surfaces and briefly blinding anyone who walked by, the air was still chilly and their breath came out in small white puffs. Blaine shoved his hands deep into his pockets and looked over expectantly at Kurt.

"Well, since this is your home and you're the only one out of us that actually speaks German, I think you should lead the way."

Kurt scoffed. "Oh, you think so?"  

Blaine nodded and Kurt smacked his shoulder playfully with the back of his hand.

"Alright then, follow me."

They walked side by side down the street, close enough that they didn't get in anybody's way but apart enough that no one could mistake them as lovers, which they weren't considering all they had done was kiss a few times. Quite a few times, with a little tongue in fact. And despite how much Blaine wanted them to be lovers, Kurt obviously wasn't ready for that step and it was also considered stupid if he marked them as being different by holding hands in public. It was illegal here in Germany, he knew, so instead of sulking over the fact that they could never have an out and out first date, Blaine tried to make the best of what they were doing.

Kurt dragged him all around central Düsseldorf, taking him into fantastic shops which sold metal trinkets and sweet candy. This is where they stopped to have a bite to eat at a small café around noon, drinking cups of hot tea and eating cold sandwiches, both of which Kurt had ordered and Blaine had paid for. Blaine tried to keep a low profile, avoiding talking to the people who had stopped them to ask Kurt to pass on their congratulations to his sister and brother-in-law.

Once or twice, a few passersby had stopped to give them confused looks as they yammered at each other in English but neither man seemed to take very much notice. They strolled down by the river side before Kurt decided that they should head home. His cheeks were a bright red and his eyes sparkled in the dying sunlight and not for the first time since they set out on their excursion did Blaine want to kiss him stupid, but he didn't, rather he quietly walked alongside Kurt all the way home.

"Thanks Kurt, for showing me around. I had a fantastic time."

The had reached the house and were standing just inside the front doorway of the main floor. Kurt smiled and reached out to brush away some snowflakes that had gotten caught on the shoulders of Blaine's wool coat.

"I did too, thanks for lunch. You really didn't have too." Kurt said, still flushed from the cold. Blaine smiled, wanting to reach out and cup the other man's face with his cold hands.

"Yes, I did, or else I wouldn't be able to..." He glanced around quickly making sure that no one was looking before taking a step closer to Kurt, who by now had arched one perfect eyebrow.

"Wouldn't be able to what?" He asked sceptically as Blaine finally reached out and set his hands on Kurt's shoulders. Everything around them seemed to stop and all that could be heard was the rustle of their jackets brushing against each other and the loud sound of them breathing.

"I wouldn't be able to do this." Blaine pressed his closed mouth against Kurt's for a heartbeat or two before pulling back and letting him go completely. Kurt seemed to turn an entirely new shade of pink as his wide eyes looked down into Blaine's shiny hazel ones. Blaine smiled and turned towards the stairs. "I hope that was a pretty decent first date." He called back over his shoulder.