Blaine's head was buzzing the entire drive to the Hummels. It didn't help that he'd realized halfway there that Kurt was following behind him in his own car. He was almost tempted to call off his tutoring session with Finn, especially given the snow swirling around outside of his car, but he'd already promised the other boy he'd meet him at four o'clock after he'd had time to rehearsal his solo. Only now he half-wished he'd skipped out for once in his life. Then maybe his head wouldn't feel like an overstuffed teddy bear. Maybe the taste of Kurt's lips wouldn't still be lingering in his mouth.

What had just happened; really happened between them?

Kurt had kissed him, and just the realization made Blaine's body tingle with something unfamiliar, but exciting. It had been a real legitimate kiss and not some coy peck on the cheek. He'd given Blaine his first kiss, and part of Blaine hated how eager he was for more; how readily he'd leaned back in after the first shocking touch and then proceeded to learn the smooth texture of Kurt's lips against his own. But he'd enjoyed it; had felt like someone had set off an atomic bomb full of giddiness inside of his belly.

A bubbly thrill coursed through Blaine at the thought. So much so that he nearly drove right past the Hummels' house. He pulled over by the large oak tree lining the street, and watched Kurt pull into the driveway in his rearview mirror.

Whatever Kurt's intentions were he'd confused Blaine thoroughly. Just a simple kiss from Kurt had been something Blaine had longed for almost a year before their falling out. Even after that he'd never been able to stop his heart from loving Kurt and wanting him close to him once more. He shouldn't want that anymore, though, regardless of whether or not Kurt felt something now. Blaine couldn't allow him back in so easily. It would only lead to more heartache for himself.

There was a sharp rap of knuckles on his window.

"Hey, are you coming in or are you just going to sit out here and freeze to death?"

Blaine glanced up to find Kurt watching him through the window, his face red, either from the cold or from a blush. Which answer he preferred was even a mystery to Blaine. If Kurt was blushing then he was remembering the sweet little kisses they'd just shared, perhaps he too had a stomach somersaulting around inside of his torso because of it.

"Yeah," Blaine answered, pushing his door open, "just let me grab my bag."

Kurt's red face might be a mystery to Blaine, but his own wasn't. He was blushing worse than ever as he snatched up his bag and climbed out of his car. Even when he'd popped a boner at fourteen because of Kurt's presence he hadn't turned this red. Of course Kurt hadn't been aware of those. Their kissing however...

Blaine shook himself roughly as he followed Kurt through the thickening snow, up the drive and through the open garage. Once he was inside and had shaken the snow off of himself, Blaine realized he was alone. Kurt had disappeared to another part of the house, and Blaine's heart sank slightly at the thought.

Now Kurt was going to avoid him like the plague, either from embarrassment or regret over what they'd shared. It had been a mistake to kiss him back, hadn't it? It was far too soon for them to even attempt something beyond friendship, despite what Blaine's heart had desperately wanted for years. He'd let the thrill of being kissed for the first time by the boy he was in love with get ahead of his logic.

Blaine hung up his coat and pulled his boots off and left them by the garage door. He headed into the kitchen, his and Finn's usual study location. There was already a bowl of chips and drinks set up on the table, along with Finn's book, calculator, and notebook. Seeing no sign of Finn, Blaine set up his own notebook and calculator, shoveled a handful of chips into his mouth and then hesitated.

He could go see if Finn was downstairs in his room. There was no sound of the television echoing in from the living room, but if he went downstairs he might run into Kurt. Blaine also couldn't stand here forever and hope that Finn came upstairs early.

After snatching up another handful of chips, Blaine left the kitchen and headed downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible on the rickety steps. It only took him a few seconds to realize there was no need for him to be so quiet.

Finn was standing in the first doorway on the right, the entrance to Kurt's room, and looking agitated.

"Kurt, come on," Finn begged, shifting from one foot to the other. "I really need some advice, okay? You've been dating Brittany for two years and– "

"Really, Finn?" Kurt's voice said in exasperation. "Are you really that stupid or– "

As Blaine hit the bottom landing Finn caught sight of him, looking relieved. Finn yanked him over into the doorway, despite Blaine's protests and led him into Kurt's room. Hot all over, Blaine let Finn push him down into the desk chair as the larger boy shut the door.

"Thank god, maybe you'll have some good advice, Blaine," Finn said happily, dropping onto the end of Kurt's bed.

Looking annoyed, Kurt pulled his feet up and sat up from his reclining position, shut the book in his hands, and glared at his step-brother.

"Get out of my room, Finn," Kurt snapped, his eyes drifting over to Blaine for a second. Blaine fixed his gaze on the floor, and tried to ignore the way his face burned hotter as Kurt's cheeks turned pink. "I'm not giving you make out advice– "

"But that's not the problem!" Finn interjected. "The making out is totally great, and that's, well, um... sort of a problem?"

Kurt slapped his hand over his forehead as Blaine buried his own face into his hands.

"What?" Finn demanded, looking hurt. "I can't help it if it's so awesome that I'm getting... y'know, hard."

The last word was whispered, but it still had a tremendous effect on the other two boys. Kurt groaned and rolled right over, burying his face into his pillows and kicking a foot out in Finn's direction. Blaine, on the other hand, hopped to his feet and made for the door.

"I'm just gonna g– "

"No, wait, please!" Finn insisted, looking scandalized. "I didn't– I just– don't you guys ever have this problem? I'm not, like, abnormal or something, right?"

Reluctantly Blaine sat back down. Not that he would ever say it aloud, but he did feel bad for Finn and his uncertainty and worry. The first time he'd had that happen... well, he'd panicked more than a little bit. And he hadn't even been making out with anyone.

"Finn, I... I don't think I'm going to be much help here," Blaine admitted carefully, feeling embarrassed. "I don't exactly have a lot of... experience."

The way Kurt's head shot up at his admission made Blaine's heart pound harder and his stomach curled itself into a knot.

"But, you're, like, a cool guy. You should totally have girls all over you– "

"Finn," Blaine cut in exasperatedly, "I'm gay. I like boys."

"Well, yeah," Finn said, rolling his eyes, "so is Kurt and he's dating– wait." Finn turned to Kurt, looking floored. "But– why are you dating Brittany?"

Now Blaine rolled his eyes, and chanced a glance at Kurt, who looked quite amused.

"Oh, now he gets it," Blaine commented, earning a small laugh from Kurt, and an angry look from Finn.

"I can't believe– but– "Finn continued to stammer for several moments, finally standing up and opening the door. "I'm– whatever, dude."

"Right," Kurt agreed, shooing Finn with his hands. "You'll get no decent advice from either of us. Get lost."

Finn huffed loudly, stamped his foot, and said, "Fine, I'll just ask Puck. Come on, Blaine, I need help with this Pyramid Terror thing."

Blaine jumped to his feet. "Pythagorean Theorem?"

"That's what I said."

From behind him, Blaine heard Kurt grumble, "It definitely isn't" but Blaine didn't turn. Hanging back in Kurt's room would only be awkward, especially after the conversation Finn had just tried to have.

Blaine didn't have a chance to speak to Kurt until after Glee Club was finished for the day. For the last hour of practice he'd avoided dancing near Kurt and had tried to look like he was focusing on learning new steps, but he wasn't. All he could think about was the song he'd just auditioned with and the resulting election of himself as the male lead. Rachel had been ecstatic as soon as he'd finished, babbling on about how talented and exceptional he was, but Blaine had barely heard her. He was much more interested in what Kurt would say, and if he'd understood the one thing Blaine had been trying to tell him.

"Blaine," Kurt called, jogging after him down the hallway.

Blaine turned quickly, feeling horribly nervous about what might happen next.

"Hey," Blaine replied, slightly breathless. "W- what did you think of my audition?"

Kurt smiled widely at him as they turned down a side hall and headed towards the exit. "You were amazing, Blaine. I don't think I've ever heard you singing so strong, and that one note on the chorus was insane!"

Blaine smiled shyly in return as they stepped out onto the side steps and hopped down them. He was flushed with pride, not only at Kurt's compliments but the success of his audition. There had been so many doubts he'd had about how well he would do, but now that it was over and he'd been picked he was thrilled. There was still the one thing he needed to address, and the fact that Kurt hadn't mentioned it first brought his happiness down a peg. Maybe Kurt didn't want to acknowledge what Blaine had been saying with his song. Maybe he only ever wanted to be friends and even the thought of anything more was revolting to him.

"I um, about what I was supposed to understand d- during the song," Kurt began awkwardly, and Blaine's heart clenched at his words.

This was it, the moment he was dreading. Kurt would tell him that Blaine's song had been right, that no matter what Kurt would never return his feelings and everything between them would be endlessly uncomfortable because Blaine's love was out in the open now.

"Y- yeah?" Blaine urged after Kurt had fallen silent for several moments.

They paused at the street corner, waiting for the light to change so that they could cross. Blaine wasn't sure what to make of Kurt's silence. The other boy looked uncertain and nervous, but also thoughtful, like there was a puzzle he'd been given and he had no clue how to solve it. That could only mean one thing. Even before Kurt spoke up Blaine's heart sunk down into his toes.

"W- what exactly were you trying to tell me?" Kurt asked guiltily. "I... I really listened to the chorus like you said, but... I mean, "Kurt faltered and stared at him. "I do love you. You're my best friend, how could I not? And that was the only thing I really got from it, but I didn't think it made any sense... "

"I– "Blaine faltered as all his excitement burst like a balloon. He'd thought Kurt would get what he was saying with his song, he really had. With how awkward he'd been over the past few months and the times before when Blaine had tried to tell Kurt how deep his feelings had become he'd honestly expected it to all click for Kurt. But it hadn't, and Blaine really couldn't bear the thought of forcing those words out of his mouth only to get rejected once more. "Don't worry about it," Blaine decided, hitching up his bag and a smile. "I changed my song at the last second, figured that one would go over better."

"Oh... "Kurt trailed off, looking unsure. "Are– really? Because you... the way you were looking at me just made me think you were trying to tell me something."

Blaine bit his lip. "Needed a good anchor, that's all. Who better than you? Rachel might have thought she'd turned me straight if I'd looked at her like that."

Kurt smiled timidly in return. "Yeah, she's already enough of a pest." His smile faltered for a second. "You're sure that– "

"Forget about it," Blaine cut in, even as his chest ached at everything he was leaving unsaid. One day he'd find the strength to make Kurt understand what he'd been trying to say all along. He'd finally feel brave enough to tell Kurt that he was in love with him, and wanted more than just their fantastic friendship, but he couldn't bring himself to do it today. Not when his disappointment in Kurt's obliviousness had made everything raw and painful once more.

It was only when Carole and Burt arrived at the house an hour later that Blaine realized just how bad the storm outside had gotten. The Hummels made it quite clear that until it let up he wasn't going anywhere. Even the thought of staying in the same house as Kurt made Blaine's insides lurch. He was so confused after all of this, so tangled within his own feelings and fears that he couldn't make sense of anything that was or could happen between them.

Kurt, for his part, didn't seem too keen on having any sort of discussion with Blaine about it either. They avoided eye contact throughout dinner, and then hot chocolate by the fire in the living room while the storm continued to swirl angrily around the house. It was the first real blizzard of the season, and Blaine knew he didn't stand a chance of making it home safely tonight.

He let Carole call his parents to tell them where he was and that he'd be staying there tonight, then helped Finn and Burt set up the same cot he'd used before. Unfortunately Burt was once again adamant that he sleep in Kurt's room. Blaine had tried to protest and argue that he could stay with Finn, but one look into Finn's disastrous room made he give in.

After they fixed up his bed, grabbed him some pajamas and a spare toothbrush, they left him alone to change. Kurt was in the adjoining shower still, and Blaine was rather dreading his reaction to their sleeping arrangements. As much as Blaine had enjoyed their simple, sweet kisses he honestly didn't know how to proceed with Kurt anymore, and the idea of having that conversation when he had no idea what he wanted or what he should do terrified him.

What if he screwed everything up this time? Maybe Kurt hadn't even enjoyed it like Blaine had. Perhaps he did regret the whole thing and –

The bathroom door creaked open. Blaine gulped and slung his legs up onto his cot, trying to look relax and carefree instead of jittery and anxious.

A rush of steam followed Kurt out of the bathroom, wafting over to Blaine as Kurt slowly made his way into his room and towards his dresser. Out of the corner of his eye Blaine saw the other boy freeze at the sight of Blaine on the cot.

"H- hi," Kurt stammered in surprise, backing over to his dresser and grabbing several bottles of moisturizer. "I, um... "

"Storm's too bad for me to leave," Blaine explained. "Your dad was... intent on me staying in your room."

Kurt nodded slowly, his hand now groping blindly across his dresser for his hairbrush. "Oh, that's– I don't– um... "

"Finn's room was kind of a warzone," Blaine added awkwardly, sitting up a little and watching Kurt's face, from his red cheeks (definitely from the heat of the shower and not a bashful blush) to his wide eyes. "Look, I can– I'll just move up to the living room if it's a problem. I mean, a- after earlier a- and everything."

"What?" Kurt squawked, face flushing darker. Blaine's heart leapt a little at the sight even as he told himself that it was not a blush. There was no reason for Kurt to look so embarrassed and bashful if he regretted their kisses earlier. "No! I- I- I mean, you can stay. I– we should... talk."

Fear shot through Blaine at Kurt's words. He had no idea how to address what had happened, or how to decide what to do depending on Kurt's reaction. Even without weighing in Kurt's choices he couldn't figure out his own.

"Right," Blaine agreed as Kurt dropped down onto the corner of his bed closest to Blaine's. "You can go first if you want. I'm still... still really confused," Blaine admitted.

Kurt bit his lip and turned his eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry," Kurt said meekly. "I... I don't really... I'm pretty confused myself, but... I wouldn't have– have kissed you if I didn't want to."

"No regrets?" Blaine asked, suddenly feeling lighter at Kurt's words.

The other boy nodded swiftly. "No regrets," Kurt echoed. "I– it was nice. I've never– not until– "

Kurt trailed off, looking horribly embarrassed, but Blaine knew exactly what he was trying to say and he understood it too.

"Me too," Blaine said. "I mean, Rachel kissed me once to prove some weird point she wanted to make, but today... yours was the first one that really counted."

Kurt bit his lip again even as the corners of his mouth curved upwards. "Yeah, Britt's never really counted for me, so... that leaves you."

Feeling a little giddy from Kurt's words and the fact that the other boy didn't regret that they'd kissed, Blaine said nothing. He tucked his feet under his legs and leaned back against the wall. If this was where their conversation ended for now then he would be okay with that. He'd have some time to think and figure himself out, because he'd been thrown through a huge loop by Kurt's kiss and then his own boldness in continuing with more.

"So, do... I'm not sure how we're moving on from here," Kurt admitted suddenly. "But I'd... I want to kiss you again."

Blaine was so amazed at Kurt's pronouncement that he only stared at the other boy. However, the part of himself that knew the pain he could easily be walking straight into again kicked in. This was too easy, too simple. He wasn't just going to fall into Kurt's arms and then let Kurt continue on with his fake life at school while hiding his relationship with Blaine.

But Blaine also wanted to feel Kurt's lips on his again. To taste the cherry of his lip gloss, and feel like he had a gallon of jumping beans hopping around in his stomach. He'd wanted this new level between himself and Kurt for so long before they'd fallen apart that he wasn't sure if it was that old ache making him want this chance, or if he actually did want to let Kurt in now.

"I... I don't think I can do that," Blaine said softly, and part of him flinched at the flash of rejection on Kurt's face. "I just... this is all so fast, Kurt. Too fast. I mean, you can't even say hi to me at school and just– " Blaine frowned in frustration and climbed to his feet, pacing back and forth. "I think I want to... to kiss you again, but... I'm scared," Blaine confessed. "After everything– after how much you hurt me before... how can I trust you now?"

"Blaine– " Kurt's hand reached out and latched onto Blaine's. When Blaine paused in his pacing to look up at Kurt his heart throbbed dully. Kurt looked just as upset by all of this as he was, maybe even more so. Even as much as Blaine wanted to be that vindictive person who took pleasure in the sight of Kurt getting a small dose of how he'd made Blaine feel he only felt worse. "Please, I just– I fucked up," Kurt stammered." I fucked up so bad, and I don't know how to fix any of this or make it better, and I just– I'm trying, but I don't know how anymore," Kurt whispered pleadingly. "And I was so damn blind before not to see how much you liked me and I'm... I'm just so sorry for all of this. I want to make everything up to you, but I can't. Nothing can change w- what I did."

Kurt pulled his hand back and used the collar of his shirt to wipe his eyes. Blaine was frozen from Kurt's words. Parts of what Kurt said made sense to him because he'd thought them himself. He didn't know how to fix any of this either, but Kurt was sincere – was changing and uncovering the boy Blaine had once known. The same boy Blaine had never been able to turn his back on until Kurt had turned on him. Before Blaine realized what he was doing he'd stepped forward and pulled Kurt into his arms, hugging him tightly against his chest as Kurt's tears continued to fall.

In some ways Blaine hated how much he cared about Kurt after all of this time and all of the things that had gone wrong between them. Blaine just wanted his best friend back and every time he got a glimpse of him it only made his feelings and will to see this through stronger.

They ended up sitting on Kurt's bed, clutching each other tightly until Kurt's tears stopped. Blaine still didn't know what he was going to do or what was the best course of action to take, but right now none of that seemed to matter. That could wait until his head was cleared tomorrow or the next day. Right now he just wanted to be close to Kurt – to feel his warmth and steady breathing against his neck like he hadn't in years.

It was only a few seconds later when Kurt pulled his head back and wiped at his eyes, looking sheepish. "God, I– I'm sorry," Kurt apologized, though when he opened his eyes and realized how close they still were his voice caught and cracked.

And Blaine knew that he was. He only wished Kurt could see that in himself; that Kurt would allow the rest of the world could see the boy Kurt let Blaine see in these moments, because he was the one that was real. The one Blaine had kept alive in his heart for so long and had hoped would one day figure out that the best person he could ever be was himself.

"Shh," Blaine murmured, brushing a stray tear off of Kurt's cheek and looking into his eyes. "We're– "

Blaine stopped after that though. They were what exactly? Even he didn't know. The only thing he knew for certain was that right now – in this moment – he needed this closeness right now. So did Kurt.

Tentatively Blaine pressed their foreheads together, their eyes fixed on each other as he tilted his lips in and pressed them against Kurt's. He felt Kurt jump a little in surprise at the move, but then the other boy melted against him. Blaine had still had his arms around Kurt, but he tightened his hold now, not entirely sure where else to put his hands.

Like earlier in the afternoon their kisses were soft, sweet, and unsure. Blaine didn't know how long they stayed like that, sharing small kisses and breathing shallowly against each other's mouths. At some point they ended up lying down side by side, like that had so many times in their younger years, only with their lips tingling as they pressed more close-mouthed kisses against the others lips.

The small window over the bed rattled as the wind outside howled fiercely, but even then Blaine couldn't bring himself to pull away. For the first time in years he felt content and comforted with Kurt's arms snug around his chest and the other boy stroking his cheek softly. There was still the logical part of his brain that was whispering that this couldn't last; that in the morning he'd have to fight these urges until Kurt gave him a real reason to trust him enough for this.

But for right now he was safe and at home. For tonight this was enough.