Kurt woke up with a throbbing head, and a weight pressed against his chest that made him panic. It took him a few seconds, and opening his eyes, to remember about Blaine. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shared a sleeping space with someone – well he could, because it had been Ryan, he just didn’t like to – and he’d never been in bed with someone who tangled themselves around him quite as much as Blaine had managed to while he was sleeping. After rubbing at his eyes to get them to be able to focus a little better, he reached up to get his phone off the nightstand, checking to see what time it was.

There were ten minutes before his alarm was scheduled to go off, and he tucked the phone under his pillow so it would be muffled when it did. Blaine’s cheek pressed in against his chest, stray curls from the top of his head tickling at Kurt’s chin. He let himself relax, sinking into the mattress and letting the feeling of being held wash over him.

It was reassuring, comforting, and he had no idea how long it would last or what would happen once Blaine woke up, but for that moment and the few minutes following he could enjoy it. His arm was trapped beneath Blaine, wrapped around him with his hand resting at the small of his back, fingertips brushing against the hem of his shirt and the faint sliver of skin exposed from how it was raked up. He tried not to move, both savoring the moment and not wanting to risk waking him up. His alarm went off far too soon for his liking.

His hand slid up under the pillow to silence it, and Blaine barely stirred. Kurt gave himself a few more seconds to memorize the feeling of having him there, and then carefully extricated himself from the tangle of arms and legs that had been holding him down. He got up to his feet and stumbled his way to the bathroom, making it through brushing his teeth and washing his face before he decided he was going to do something he hadn’t done since he’d started working at Vogue – call in sick.

It wasn’t that far of a stretch, because he felt like he’d been run over by a truck. He hadn’t had nearly enough water the day prior to make up for how much he’d had to drink at the party, and the fewer hours of sleep than usual weren’t working in his favor either. And really, the fact that Blaine was asleep in his bed made him not want to leave his apartment unless his boss came and bodily forced him to go to work.

He tried to be as quiet as possible as he got his phone from the bed and slipped out the door, scrolling through his contacts to find the right number and dial it. All things considered, it didn’t take much conversation for them to flat out tell him to stay home – his voice was raspy and rough from sleep and if he hadn’t been aware that it was really a hangover, he was certain he would have believed that he sounded sick. He tried to close the door with as little noise as he could when he went back inside, but it didn’t matter because Blaine was rolled over onto his back and blinking owlishly as he looked over at Kurt.

“I didn’t know where you went,” Blaine mumbled, scrubbing his hands over his face and yawning. “When do you have to be at work?”

“I don’t,” Kurt replied, clearing his throat and crossing to the kitchen so he could get some water for them. “When’s your flight?”

“What?” Blaine’s voice was much closer than he’d expected, and he nearly jumped in response. He turned to see him standing right there behind him, and he held out a bottle of water as an offering. “Thanks. What?”

“What what?” Kurt asked, twisting the cap off his own water and drinking about half of it in one go.

“Work?” That wasn’t much more help, but Blaine didn’t offer anything else as he down the entire bottle of water before leaning back against the wall. “And I don’t have a flight. No wait, not like that, just not… today.”

“I don’t have work today, I called off,” Kurt said, feeling a slight flush rising on his skin. “You don’t… I assumed you would be going back because… work.”

“I do have work,” Blaine replied with a nod, and they both stood staring at each other for a moment. “Hang on, I don’t think either of our words are working right. Coffee? Aspirin?”

“Aspirin in the bathroom, I’ll get the coffee started.” There was a hum of acknowledgement from Blaine as he wandered out of the kitchen nook and toward the bathroom, and Kurt took in a deep breath as he scooped out coffee grounds into a filter. The smell alone was almost enough to make him feel awake and functional, and once it was brewing he went back out to his room, the finding Blaine sprawled on his bed.

“Cows,” Blaine said, stretching his arms up above his head, and Kurt tried to ignore how much of his stomach he could see with how his shirt was riding up. He failed spectacularly.

“What?” he asked, and Blaine just pointed at his shirt, a sleepy grin spreading across his face. Kurt looked down at what he was wearing, for the first time since he’d put the clothes on the night before, and saw what Blaine was talking about. He should have realized, because it wasn’t like he owned many t-shirts at all, but he’d managed to grab the shirt Blaine had sent him in his Ohio care package. “Oh.”

“See? And you thought you’d not have a reason to wear it.”

“Never in public,” Kurt replied, running his hand through his hair and wincing as he realized it must look horrible. He’d managed to keep himself looking impeccable every time he’d seen Blaine but there he was, bedraggled and hungover and not at all at his best. “Okay wait. You have work, but no flight.”

“Right. I have work here. That’s why… I was going to come surprise you, but then you were there.” Blaine yawned again and sat up, crossing his legs in front of him. “We’re playing here this week, but we got the manager to keep it a secret so Santana could surprise Brittany, and we usually fly in on the day we start, but because of the party we managed to get an earlier flight so we could go…there was a lot of planning.”

“You’re here all week,” Kurt said slowly, trying to process that thought. They’d never had more than hours, but Blaine was there for the rest of the week. Not that it was that different – Kurt had work, Blaine had work, their schedules were opposite, and it wasn’t like he expected him to abandon whatever he usually did when he was in the city for Kurt’s benefit.

“All week,” Blaine repeated, and then bit his lip. “Last night, I’m… I didn’t mean to get trashed like that, I’m sorry if I said or did anything – not that I think I did and I have a pretty good drunk memory, but…”

“You didn’t.” The coffee maker beeped and he ducked back into the kitchen to get mugs for them both. Blaine appeared behind him again, thankfully not startling him when he had hot coffee in his hands, and slipped his arms around his waist before he had a chance to pick up the mugs. “Blaine…”

“Shh,” Blaine murmured, chin hooking over Kurt’s shoulder as he held him back against his chest.

“Are you still drunk?”

“Ouch.” Blaine’s arms were gone from around him as quickly as they’d been there, and he snagged one of the coffee mugs off the counter, frowning into it as he took a sip.

“Not like that,” Kurt said with a sigh, rubbing his face and reaching for his own coffee. “Just…this is all so…”

“What?”

“Blaine, you’re standing in my apartment in your underwear,” Kurt blurted out, pushing his hair up off his forehead and sighing at how completely ineloquent he was being. “You won’t… you say we can’t do this but you’re here and like that and hugging me—”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine said slowly, his eyes wide as he looked up at him. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I just get kind of…I’m cuddly in the mornings? I didn’t even think…”

“I’m not uncomfortable.” Kurt shook his head, holding his mug in both his hands, close to his chest. “Just confused.”

“Do you want me to get dressed?”

“No,” Kurt answered automatically, blush rising into his cheeks as Blaine bit back a grin. “Oh shut up.”

“I mean, as much as I truly enjoy seeing you all dressed up and gorgeous like you usually are, this is a welcome change.” Blaine’s gaze lingered over his legs and Kurt wrinkled his nose. “What?”

“I’m wearing a t-shirt and shorts, Blaine, this is hardly a good look for me.”

“It’s a perfect look for you,” Blaine corrected, reaching up to rest his palm against the side of his face, and Kurt drew in a sharp breath as he felt his fingertips brushing over his temple.

“See?” Kurt said, tilting into his touch a little before pulling away under the pretense of taking a long drink of his coffee before setting his mug on the counter. “This is what I’m talking about. You’re confusing.”

“I’m not trying to be,” Blaine whispered, dropping his hand down and lacing their fingers together. “God, Kurt, I’m really not. I’m trying to get here and I can’t help that I want to be with you.” Kurt stared at him and briefly felt like he was drowning in his eyes, so earnest and honest and wanting. “I know I’m the one that said no,” he continued slowly, thumb rubbing absently at the back of Kurt’s hand. “Because long distance, and I can’t, and I don’t want to jinx it but I’m so close and I don’t want to have to wait…”

“What are you saying?” Kurt asked, a quiet dizziness sweeping up through him as Blaine stepped in closer, setting his mug down beside Kurt’s and bringing his hand up to cup his jaw. Every single implication he could have wanted was right there in front of him but he wasn’t about to make assumptions – not when Blaine was close enough to breathe in.

“This week is an audition, to be able to get to work here,” Blaine murmured, and Kurt could practically feel the heat radiating off him. “If we do a good enough job, we’re in. I really want to kiss you.”

“More than just a kiss?” Kurt whispered, swallowing hard as he felt the tip of Blaine’s nose brush against his jaw.

“More than just a kiss.”

Blaine tilted his head up just as Kurt dipped his down and their lips met, parted and searching. A low, quiet groan resonated in Blaine’s throat as he let go of Kurt’s hand to slide his own up into the back of Kurt’s hair, tongue ghosting across his lips. Kurt felt like he was swaying on his feet, lost in the feeling of Blaine’s tongue sweeping against his own. He slid his hands up Blaine’s chest to his shoulders, whimpering softly as he felt the soft warmth of his skin under his fingertips, barely covered by the thin tank top he was wearing. It was like a sensory overload.

Kurt wasn’t sure if he’d ever been kissed so thoroughly in his life, his heart racing and pounding against his ribcage as Blaine pressed him back against the counter, their mouths finally breaking apart and Blaine’s lips trailing back along his jaw. His teeth were grazing so lightly, and Kurt’s hands moved up into his hair, fingers twisting into loose curls that were still slightly pieced together with gel from the night before. Maybe he should have warned Blaine that he bruised easily, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care as he felt him sucking softly on the skin just below his ear, tongue tracing over the spot before his mouth moved down.

His head felt like it was swimming, like maybe he was imagining it all, stuck in a daze that was only really broken when Blaine’s hands trailed down his waist to his hips. It made Kurt think of the night before, the way Blaine had curled his hands around his hips and said he wished he could see him every day. How Blaine had known when he’d said it that it was actually a distinct possibility for the not-so-distant future. He tugged gently on Blaine’s hair, just enough to get him to lift his head up, and Blaine looked up at him with such dark, hungry eyes that Kurt completely forgot what he was going to say.

“Kurt…” It was practically a plea, the way Blaine said his name, and he took in a shaky breath in response.

“What happens if you don’t get it?” Kurt whispered, trying to keep his eyes from flickering to Blaine’s kiss-swollen lips. “What happens then?”

“You don’t think I’ll get it?” Blaine asked breathlessly, a bemused look on his face.

“No, I do, but…” Kurt wasn’t sure how to say he’d gotten used to accepting failure as a serious possibility without sounding like a complete pessimist. He was just drawing from his own life experiences, but he wanted to believe with everything in him that Blaine would succeed.

“We’re going to get it.” Blaine leaned up, pressing a sweet, lingering kiss against his lips. “We have more than jobs at risk, and there’s absolutely no stopping us.”

He dropped a few more light kisses onto his lips, his cheeks, back his jaw, before Kurt captured his mouth and licked his way inside, tasting the remnants of peppermint mouthwash masked by the dark coffee they’d been drinking. The tip of Blaine’s tongue dragged against his soft palate and Kurt’s hips twitched forward automatically in response, earning a surprised sound from Blaine.

“Sorry,” he mumbled as he pulled away, and Blaine’s hand cupped the back of his neck, bringing him back so he could kiss him again.

“Please don’t be sorry,” Blaine whispered, slotting their legs as he crowded in closer, rolling his hips in against Kurt’s.

“Oh…” Kurt drew in a shaking breath as he felt Blaine hard against his hip, and his hands slid down to the small of his back. He dipped his head down, swallowing Blaine’s moan as he rocked against him, their hips grinding together in an easy rhythm as Blaine pressed him back against the counter.

The kiss got sloppy, teeth nipping at lips and tongues thrusting in, but Kurt couldn’t care because it was so perfect all at the same time. Blaine’s hands kept tangling into his shirt, tugging but not removing, more like he just needed to know that he was there and not going anywhere. Kurt couldn’t stop touching, his fingertips running over Blaine’s chest and arms and anywhere he could touch, memorizing the feel of Blaine’s body pressed up against his.

“K-Kurt, oh my God,” Blaine moaned when Kurt managed to break the kiss, lowering his head to suck open mouthed kisses along his neck, his hips stuttering when Kurt mouthed against his Adam’s apple. Kurt’s name escaped his lips again, in a low, almost inaudible, breath as he and he tilted his head back to give him better access to his skin.

Blaine came with a soft cry as Kurt’s tongue flicked out against the hollow of his throat, and he dropped one of his hands to the edge of the counter to steady himself on his feet. He drew in a few shaky breaths before shifting his hips back slightly and sliding his free hand between them, the heel of his palm pressing in against where Kurt’s erection was straining inside his shorts. Kurt keened, body tensing in that familiar, telling way as his hips jerked forward into his hand half a dozen more times before he came with a choked off moan, white bursting behind his eyes and his fingers twisting into Blaine’s shirt at the small of his back.

They stood there clinging, panting, not moving despite the very literal sticky situation they were both in. Kurt pressed a tender kiss against Blaine’s lips, then rest their foreheads together and tried to remember how to breathe. His head was still having trouble catching up, processing the fact that that had just happened, and he couldn’t focus on much more than the way Blaine’s fingers were ghosting up his arms and under the sleeves of his shirt, tracing along his biceps and down to where Kurt’s forearms were pressed in against his sides.

“Are you real?” Kurt whispered, kissing against his hair and feeling the hot huff of breath against his neck as Blaine chuckled.

“Very much so. Absolutely,” Blaine brushed a feather light kiss against his neck, “one hundred percent,” and another kiss, against his jaw, “real.”

“You might have to remind me of that every once and a while,” Kurt murmured, breath hitching as Blaine’s lips nipped at his own.

“I think I can manage that.” He burrowed his face in the crook of Kurt’s neck, kissing there before tilting his head so he could speak without his voice being muffled. “Well this is the best start to a day I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Same,” Kurt said with a light laugh, letting himself loosen the hold he had on Blaine’s shirt.

“I’m going to have to steal some of your clothes,” Blaine mumbled. “And then you and I are going to make use of this whole you not having to go to work situation. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Good. Now that’s settled…” Blaine lifted his head up, eyes twinkling lightly. “Kiss me?”

Kurt wasn’t about to refuse him such a request, so he did.