Talking to Miss Pillsbury ended up being a good idea, because she said they would definitely make sure there were more chaperones and that they were all aware of the potential of problems. She seemed uncomfortable with the idea that there would be students who might do such a thing, but it was the same unease that she’d shown the first time Blaine spoke with her about the bullying that was going unnoticed. It had been a quick conversation, because Blaine didn’t like dwelling on what happened, but at least one that had gone somewhere.

The Valentine’s Dance wasn’t exactly on the same level of formality as Prom, but that wasn’t about to stop Kurt from making it seem that way. Brittany and Santana had dresses that were probably a bit too fancy, considering, but they didn’t care. Kurt demanded that tuxedos were in order, and Blaine figured if they were going to go, they might as well make it count. Besides, he wasn’t about to say no to getting to see Kurt in a tux.

Blaine’s parents had demanded to take lots of pictures before the dance, and before they had to be there because they were chaperoning. Any nerves or concerns Blaine had been feeling were mostly quelled by knowing that his parents would be there – though it was also inconvenient because he didn’t really want them watching him the entire time. His mom had assured him that they would keep themselves busy staying away from him unless there was a problem. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed her, but he wanted to.

Kurt came over early, and Blaine had barely finished putting on his tuxedo before he heard the doorbell ring. One of his parents must have let him in, because it was only moments later that Kurt appeared in the doorway to his room and Blaine nearly dropped the cufflink he was holding. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to just how breathtaking – and that was a term he’d never fully understood until he realized just how much his breath was constantly taken away by his boyfriend – Kurt was, but especially there in that moment, in those clothes that had to be tailored because there was no way a standard, off the rack suit could possibly pinch in and fit him so perfectly.

Words failed him, and Blaine just reached out for him, motioning for him to come in closer. Kurt closed the distance between them and Blaine snaked his arm around his waist, pulling him in to kiss. It was sensory overload:  the smooth fabric beneath his fingertips, the feeling of Kurt’s tongue and teeth against his lips, and the sweet and perfect smell of whatever cologne he was wearing. The cologne was what made Blaine pull his mouth away so he could nuzzle against his neck to get closer to the scent of it all, his lips brushing against Kurt’s skin.

“You look amazing,” he murmured, mouthing his way up his neck and nipping at his jaw. “So gorgeous, Kurt.” He tilted his head back to look up at him, taking in how his hair was swooped up and styled like it had been the first day they’d met – he hadn’t really seen it like that since arriving at McKinley. “I think we should skip the dance and just stay here…”

“Blaine Anderson,” Kurt admonished, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Do you know how much time it took to get like this? This took effort. I’m not about to let you undo it all without showing me off first.”

“You’re no fun sometimes,” Blaine sighed. “And also unfair, because you show up looking like that and expect me to be able to not take off all your perfect clothes on sight.”

“You’re one to talk,” Kurt said, dipping his head down to kiss him again before pulling back and taking the cufflink from his hand to put it on for him. Blaine stood still as Kurt’s gaze swept over him and his hands followed suit, smoothing over the fabric of Blaine’s jacket before carefully pushing it back off his shoulders and putting it on a hanger. He did the same with his own, and glanced back over his shoulder at Blaine as he put them in the closet. “What time are the girls getting here?”

“In… ten minutes,” Blaine replied, after checking the clock on his bedside table. He tilted his head as he watched Kurt, who was taking off his shoes by the door. “You’re aware my parents are just downstairs, right? I was teasing about taking off all your clothes. At least for now.”

“Of course I knew you were teasing, but that doesn’t mean I want to get our jackets wrinkled.” Kurt nudged Blaine back toward the bed and crowded into his space, his fingers splaying against Blaine’s back as he held him in close, pressing up against him and licking his way into his mouth. Blaine slipped his arms up around his neck, lips parting beneath insistent swipes of Kurt’s tongue.

It was really difficult to think about having to leave his room, with Kurt kissing him like that - deep and full of longing.  Blaine just wanted to forget that his parents were in the house and hang up the rest of their clothes with their jackets and ignore whenever the doorbell rang to let them know their friends were there. Kurt seemed to have enough restraint to keep that from happening, because he pulled back and kept his arms looped around Blaine’s waist and their foreheads pressed together. They swayed together, almost like dancing without music, but Blaine easily fixed that by humming.

“Are you scared?” Kurt asked quietly, his hand running up the middle of Blaine’s back and fingertips brushing against the hair at the nape of his neck. When Blaine didn’t respond immediately, he added, “I’m nervous.”

“I am a little,” Blaine replied, biting his lip. “It’ll be okay though. It’s a different situation; I know that, it’s just getting my head to shut off.”

“I get that,” Kurt said with a nod. He stared down at him, eyes searching, and then took a breath. “I want to tell you something.”

“Anything.” Blaine took a small step back to put a bit of distance between them, so he could look at him properly. 

“I love you.”  Kurt said it simply, but the words themselves were far from simple. They were the words that Blaine had been holding in for months, unsure of how they would be received if he ever dared to speak them. After months of an ambiguous relationship that was full of physicality and words but none that would define, even after establishing that they were a them, he still wasn’t sure of how to say how he felt. Except Kurt just had.

“I know it seems stupid to say right now because it’s Valentine’s and all that and I really should have planned that better but—” Blaine leaned in and kissed him, cutting him off for a few seconds, “—I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“It doesn’t seem stupid, it’s perfect,” Blaine said, cupping Kurt’s face in his hands and rubbing his thumbs against his blush-tinted cheeks. “It’s perfect and I love you.” Kurt’s fingers tightened in the back of Blaine’s shirt and a smile broke across his face, eyes shining as he leaned in to kiss him. The three words were passed back and forth through murmurs and soft kisses until the doorbell rang.

The arrival of Brittany and Santana made them don their jackets and slip on their shoes, because pictures were being demanded of them by parents. Burt had to work, which meant that Kurt was the only one of them without a parent present to fawn over them – but it hardly mattered because all the mothers were doing a fine enough job to make up for his absence, and Blaine’s mom had promised him pictures.

Mrs. Pierce was almost exactly like Blaine would have imagined, except slightly more aware and coherent. He didn’t entirely know what he had been expecting from Brittany’s mom, but he could definitely see both why Brittany was the way she was and also how there had been no issues when Brittany had told her about what happened at Santana’s house. It was reassuring to know that she had good support at home, just like the rest of them did.

Santana’s dress was red, like she had said, and clung to her in a way that made Blaine wonder how she’d managed to get into it without being sewn in. Brittany’s was pink, much more flowing and whimsical, though she had a headband with a little red top hat on it that matched Santana’s dress perfectly. He and Kurt hadn’t coordinated anything beyond boutonnieres, but it wasn’t really that big a deal when it came to suits and tuxedos.  Blaine was fairly certain their group would be the best dressed out of the entire school, and that shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

Pictures were taken on the stairs, and then outside the house on the porch. It was still winter, still cold, though there wasn’t much snow left. There were plenty of pictures taken after Blaine and Kurt had given up their coats to the girls to try and help them keep warm, and all the mothers seemed to think it was the cutest thing ever – Blaine pointed out that it was practical and an attempt to be nice but apparently they were being adorable, according to his mom.

Finally they managed to leave, and they split into two cars to head to dinner. It felt so strange to be alone in a car with Kurt, as silly as that was. They always drove places separately, or before the whole pretending-to-dislike-each-other stint, they had always had either Brittany or Santana with them. Even more than that, they were driving to go have dinner together, and then go to a school dance together. It was a completely surreal moment.

Breadstix was busy, but Kurt had made them a reservation. They crowded into a booth and pored over the menus, even though they all pretty much had it memorized. It was a mystery how Santana managed to eat anything at all given the tightness of her dress, but they all ate and kept from spilling anything on themselves. Blaine just ordered a salad, not sure if the nerves in his stomach could handle much more than that – though of course he ordered dessert because the cheesecake was delicious and he couldn’t not get a piece when given the opportunity.

The school parking lot was full, a sign of all the people waiting inside underneath balloons and streamers and heart decorations. Parking at the far end wasn’t much of a hardship, though it did afford Kurt and Blaine the opportunity to walk the full distance of the lot hand in hand, steeling themselves for going inside. Santana had managed to find a spot closer – or maybe she had made her own spot because she didn’t want to walk that far – but she was waiting for them, pinky finger linked with Brittany’s.

Santana slipped her arm through his free one, holding onto it tightly as they walked together up the stairs toward the door. The music could be heard from outside and so could the noise of everyone in there. They stopped just outside, taking in the moment of what was about to happen. It was just a high school dance, and not even one of the big, ‘important’ ones, but it was so much more than that. Brittany was the one who reached for the door, and she glanced back over her shoulder to offer them all a smile as she tugged it open.

“Courage.”