Snuffling snores roused Blaine the next morning. He stayed still and quiet for several minutes, feeling the weight of Kurt heavy on his chest as he breathed in deeply. A sharp little whistling snore resounded in his ear and Kurt smacked his lips in his sleep, mumbling fainting and curling over Blaine more tightly. Blaine smiled faintly as Kurt's fingers dug into his side, attempting to hold him closer despite the fact that Kurt was already draped across his chest.

With a yawn, Blaine blinked his eyes open slowly, staring up at the dim ceiling and the stream of light from the kitchen. He had no idea what time it was, only that neither of their phone alarms had gone off yet and that someone was obviously awake and starting breakfast. Kurt murmured vaguely against his ear once more, lips smacking again as he shifted and nudged Blaine's chin up so that he could bury his face against Blaine's neck.

It made Blaine laugh as Kurt nuzzled against him, and the vibrations along his throat must had been quite upset to Kurt, because he woke with a snorting huff, looking disoriented and half-dead.

"W'a's so 'unny?" Kurt demanded sleepily, his head starting to droop back towards Blaine's neck.

"You," Blaine teased, smiling softly as Kurt's head sagged back down and burrowed against his neck.

A few mumbled words were hummed against Blaine's neck and he laughed quietly again, shifting the arm curled around Kurt's back until he could poke him in the side. Kurt squirmed in protest and groaned faintly, pulling his face out of the curve of Blaine's neck and to the side. His nose brushed against Blaine's throat a few times as he breathed deeply.

"I wish we could stay like this all day," Kurt whispered, his hand sliding from Blaine's side to his chest, rubbing over the warm skin gently. "This is the best."

"It is," Blaine agreed as a few voices floated out from the kitchen. The clatter of a few pots on the stove followed as his mother's voice reached his ears.

"–did you see them in there, Cooper? They're so precious together."

Silent followed for a few seconds, and Blaine assumed his brother was either nodding or shaking his head.

"Bet they fuck like animals," Cooper said.

"Cooper!"

A dull thwump followed his mother's exclamation, and Cooper's laughter echoed from the little suite.

"He's right," Kurt decided, fingers walking slowly up Blaine's chest and neck, along the underside of his chin and finally coming to rest on his lips. "We do fucklike rabbits."

Blaine snorted, eyes crinkling up as he turned his head towards Kurt. "I hope that's not a complaint," he said quietly as Kurt tilted his head in and snagged a slow, lazy kiss from his lips.

"Mmm, absolutely not," Kurt smiled, pulling back enough to meet Blaine's eyes. Blaine swallowed thickly at the sight, Kurt's eyes shining brightly as they met his and his smile easy and sure. This was it for him, wasn't it? There wasn't going to be anyone else for him after this. Just Kurt and his heart joined together in a way that ached and burned pleasantly in his chest. It was the most sensational and odd feeling he'd ever encountered, but somehow he knew Kurt was the only person he would ever find it with.

"So," Kurt began, eyes flickering over Blaine's head towards the kitchen before settling back on his face, "about that voicemail you left me yesterday... "

Blaine grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut. "Sorry, Cooper's a really ass sometimes and– "

"I love you, too," Kurt cut in, his words steady and sure. The admission made Blaine falter, because miraculously he'd forgotten all about what he'd said over the phone last night in light of Kurt meeting his family.

"Y- you do?"

"Yeah," Kurt breathed, looking nervous. "I really, really do."

Instead of replying Blaine pressed back in, capturing Kurt's lips swiftly and kissing him a little roughly. The hand that had drifted up Blaine's neck earlier cupped his jaw as they continued to kiss, growing slower and a softer as Kurt's hand directed his movements.

"God, I'm so glad I found you," Blaine murmured between kisses, brushing his nose against Kurt's as he rolled onto his side and into Kurt's arms.

"I'm glad you fell into me," Kurt agreed.

"Fell for you, more like," Blaine corrected as Kurt shifted forward and brought their chests together as their legs curled around the others.

"That, too."

Kurt smiled against his lips this time, breathing slowly and deeply as their lips parted and moved together once more. Blaine was just getting tempted to roll Kurt over onto his back when the patter of little feet came scurrying towards them and then the mattress dipped and creaked as Liam vaulted onto it. His nephew's hands smacked down on his side and he suddenly found himself with a toddler draped over him, mused up hair flopping down into his eyes.

"Uncle B, it's breakfast time!" he exclaimed happily, bouncing slightly, his little stuffed dinosaur tucked under one arm. "Uncle Kurt, will you eat the bacon with me? Please?"

Blaine yawned and snatched Liam up as he rolled back onto his back, hoisting the small boy up over him and making noises like an airplane.

"Of course we will!" he agreed, bouncing Liam in his hands causing the boy to squeal in delight and then shriek as Blaine began tickling him.

"N- no! Stop! U- u- uncle B, no!"

"That's what you get for interrupting kisses," Blaine hollered, his fingers pausing as he tossed Liam up above him then caught him and set him down on his chest. "Get moving, little butt, or we'll get in there and steal all the bacon before you have a chance to get any."

With a horrified gasp, Liam rolled off the bed and raced into the kitchen, shouting for the first slice of bacon so that "Uncle Thief" wouldn't take all of it.

"He's adorable," Kurt mentioned, curling against Blaine's side again as they listened to Liam's loud exclamations from the kitchen and the murmur of Lyra's replies.

"Well he is my favorite nephew ever," Blaine told him, burrowing his nose against Kurt's soft locks of hair and inhaling deeply. "Mmm, you smell delicious."

"I smell like sleep and the pool," Kurt argued, his left hand gently massaging Blaine's neck. "And let's not even get started on our morning breath."

"Mmm, just ignore that. Focus on the smell of bacon," Blaine encouraged him, smiling against Kurt's hair and planting a soft kiss there.

"Blaine-o-saurus Boxer!" Cooper chirped brightly, and suddenly their sweet moment was interrupted by Cooper leaping across the room and flopping down on their legs.

"Ouch!" Blaine yelped as a sharp elbow smacked down against his knee cap.

Kurt squealed in his arms and yanked his legs up to his chest as Cooper started to roll over Blaine's calves.

"Blaineeeeeey! It's breakfast time and then we're kicking you out so you can win a gold medal, okay?" cooper exclaimed as one of the bedroom doors opened across the room. "Okay, let's go fatten you up!"

Cooper hopped up and before Blaine could move Cooper bent down and scooped him up bridal-style. Protesting loudly as Kurt's laughter faded behind them, Blaine squirmed and wriggled until Cooper finally plopped him down at a chair in the little dining alcove.

"You suck," Blaine complained miserably as Kurt wandered in behind his brother, shaking his head and smiling at their antics.

"No, little brother, you suck," Cooper grinned, ruffling Blaine's curls and glancing at Kurt. "He's pretty damn good at sucking, isn't he?"

Horrified, Blaine opened his mouth to object but Kurt beat him to it.

"Oh, yeah, he's fantastic at that," Kurt answered, giving Blaine a sly smile. "He's great at a lot of similar things."

"Kurt! Don't give him ammo– "

Kurt leaned down and pulled him in for a searing kiss, effectively ending his arguments and making Cooper whoop happily. Blaine sighed as Cooper disappeared towards the kitchen, and glared at where his brother had been.

"He's such a pain," Blaine grumbled.

"I think he's sweet," Kurt countered, sitting down beside Blaine and caressing Blaine's jaw. "A little misguided, but sweet. I wish I had a brother like him."

"You say that now," Blaine quipped as Kurt scratched lightly along his jaw and made him groan. "You'll change your mind once his charm wears off– oh, right there."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Cooper hollered as he appeared with a platter of eggs, bacon, and toast. "None of that in the kitchen! Besides, I already checked the apartment to make sure no lube was present, so no. No booty for you two until you're back and cozy in your rooms."

"Can't," Blaine replied as his mother, father, and Liam came into the room with more plates and cups. "I've got training for most of the night and Kurt's got qualifying for... it's the three meter spring, right?"

Beside him Kurt nodded and glanced at the clock on the wall.

"I'm gonna have to eat and run, actually," Kurt admitted guiltily. "I've got to meet up with the team at ten before everything gets started."

"So I know there's a few events for that," James yawned, settling down across from them. "Do each of you do all or just a select few for their best?"

"We're all decent at all four of them, but I do the single competitions for three and ten meter, and this time I did the three meter synchronized. We didn't do so well on that one, but China's dominated diving for years."

"Too true," James agreed, hoisting Liam into his little booster seat and helping Amanda strap him down. "They're one of the biggest and best these days. But you're good, right? I'd rather have a Brit win if an American won't."

"Yes, sir," Kurt answered and Blaine grinned at how nervous he sounded and the way he sat up straighter.

"He's the best," Blaine said, capturing his boyfriend's hand where it was resting on the table. "He'll beat everyone."

"Except you in the ring," Kurt reminded him.

Cooper began making retching noises across the table as Kurt swooped in for a sweet kiss. But it didn't deter Blaine from wrapping his other hand around the back of Kurt's neck and drawing him back in as he pulled away. Nobody at the table said anything negative for the first time in his life, and he was thrilled. His father truly was coming around to the idea, had accepted him for who he was and even seemed to like Kurt. Introducing Kurt to his family had been the best idea he'd had in a long time and he hoped now that this was done they would find some way to make sure they kept their relationship going once this week ended.

Blaine ended up spending the following night at his family's hotel suite again. By the time his training session had ended for the day, Kurt and his fellow divers were already turning in for an early night after a long day of qualifying and then a late practice session to end the day. A little disappointed, but understanding that Kurt needed all of the rest he could get, Blaine had stayed long enough for a goodnight kiss and to tuck Kurt in and watch him fall asleep.

After that he'd headed over to the hotel and raided the leftover spaghetti in the suite's refrigerator. Cooper had been obnoxious ass most of the evening, asking invasive questions about dick sizes and his sex life that Blaine had promptly ignored. Tomorrow was a huge day for both himself and Kurt. He had his quarter final match that evening and Kurt's second competition, which he'd breezed into early in the day, was set to start at noon.

They ended up falling asleep together on the couch, then getting woken up early the following morning by an overexcited Liam, who demanded food. Blaine yawned and burrowed deeper into the blanket someone had draped over him while he'd been asleep and listened to the disgruntled grumbles of Cooper as he headed into the kitchen with Liam bouncing along at his side.

"All right, all right, stop your squealing, boy!"

Blaine turned his grin into his pillow as Liam still continued to whine for food. He dozed after that, occasionally waking to the sound of laughter and his nephew's shrieks of protest until a hand brushed softly over his face.

The noises from the kitchen had stopped and he could hear the clink of silverware against plates from the dining alcove.

"Time to get up, sweetheart," his mother's gently voice encouraged. "You don't want to be late for Kurt's competition."

"Kurt?" Blaine murmured sleepily, tilting his face into her touch as she coaxed him awake.

"Yeah, he's going to be so excited to see you cheering for him."

Blaine blinked his eyes open slowly and was greeted with a warm, caring smile and another brush over his cheeks and then up, sweeping his curls back off his forehead.

She sighed, her eyes twinkling brightly. "You're so in love already," she gushed, looking delighted but slightly sad. "Gosh, I never thought I'd see the day... "

"Still surreal to me," Blaine murmured, letting her bend to kiss his cheek. "It just happened so fast. We didn't even realize what we were feeling at first. He's... neither of us have ever been in love, Mama."

"It's a wonderful feeling," she assured him, her fingers playing with a stray curl that refused to obey her. "Once you find it it's not something you'll ever want to let go off."

"I don't," Blaine agreed softly. "Not ever. I just," he paused, the muffled thoughts in his mind beginning to creep up on him. "How is any of this going to work after the week ends? He lives in London and I'm 3000 miles away– "

"If you two want it to work, then it will," his mother decided. "You both managed to make it to the Olympics, right? How many other athletes have had the courage and drive to get this far? If you can both accomplish that then I think you'll keep yourselves together somehow."

"I hope so," Blaine said, sighing and rubbing his eyes. "It's so weird to think of my life without him now." He laughed in disbelief at the idea of returning to his little apartment with Puck and realizing how meaningless everything there now was compared to the man he'd found. "Ten days," he added. "I've been struggling and alone for twenty four years and in ten days he's erased all of that. Like somehow all of that loneliness doesn't matter anymore. Or maybe it does," he said thoughtfully. "Having him now, and these moments is so much better when I knowing what I'm leaving behind."

"Are you two done with your sappy little romantic talk?" Cooper piped up from behind the couch. "It's almost ten so if we're going to see that hot ass– "

"His name is Kurt," Blaine growled, glaring up as Cooper leaned over him with a mischievous grin. "And what do you mean 'we'?"

"We're going to see Uncle Kur swim in his undies!" Liam's little voice hollered through the couch. A thump resounded against the back of the couch and then a pair of small feet padded away, slapping loudly as he raced off.

"It's a Speedo," Blaine shouted after his nephew, but Cooper was grinning widely at him. "You are the worst father," he snapped at his brother. "If he turns out half sane I'll be surprised."

"That's what Amanda is for, squirt," Cooper replied. "And I bet he does wear that Speedo like underwear, huh?"

The dark red blush spreading across Blaine's face was apparently answer enough.

"Oh my god, he does!" Cooper cackled loudly and ducked on instinct when their mother reached up to swat him across the head.

"Go get your son dressed!" she ordered, trying to look stern despite the smile slowly creeping across her face. "I want you two out of here so Amanda can have some peace and quiet for a few hours. Poor thing was up half the night because of your child kicking her."

"Hey," Cooper said defensively, shooting them an unconvincing pout as he snagged Liam up as he attempted to dash by. "This one was her idea I'll have you know."

"He also has your warped genes," Blaine reminded him.

"Her! We're having a little girl this time!" Cooper insisted petulantly.

He stalked off with Liam over his shoulder and disappeared into the bedroom on the left. Blaine shook his head in resignation, sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the couch.

"How disappointed do you think he'd going to be when he gets a Lucas and not a Charlotte?" Blaine asked his mother as she twisted and reached for something on the table beside them. A warm cup of coffee was set in his hands as she brushed another stray curl off his forehead and kissed his temple.

"I'll probably find him crying while reading Charlotte's Web for the hundred time," she answered with a fond smile. "He'll love the baby either way. Might be a little more persistent about having another sooner though."

Blaine nodded. Neither of them were getting any younger, it was true. Cooper had just turned thirty-five in June and Amanda was thirty-three in December. Part of him hoped the doctor had been wrong, solely for the sake of Amanda not having to struggle through a third pregnancy so they could have a little girl.

"Maybe Lucas will want to be a princess," Blaine suggested as he sipped at his coffee. "I don't think Cooper cares about anatomy more than having a kid who likes pretty things and will want to be dressed up."

His mother pecked his cheek thoughtfully. "He used to try to do that with you when you were first born," she told him. "It was the only times I can recall you screaming and crying like you were being murdered."

"Bet Dad scolded the hell outta him for that," Blaine said with a grin.

"Oh, he did," she agreed, laughing at the memory. "He thought Cooper had put you up to marrying your action figures to each other, too."

Blaine grinned ruefully and shook his head. "No, that was all me." He sighed at the wave of memories. His father's disbelief and the lecture that had followed from his innocent fun. "He never liked when I did that."

"He loves you, sweetheart. Back then he was just," she breathed deeply and shook her head, "scared. I think that's part of why he came down so hard on Cooper when he dolled you up as a baby, despite how much of a fit you threw. He just wanted you to be his little boy, and back then he didn't get that you were no matter who you were."

"I still can't believe he likes Kurt," he whispered, ducking his head. It was almost overwhelming compared to how his father had reacted to his first boyfriend years ago, even more so when Blaine remembered those little moments as a child. "Part of me always thought that– I thought he'd cut me out forever."

"I'd have cut him out forever," his mother said sternly, reaching up and cupping Blaine's face. "There was a time when I almost did, but... I knew the man he could be, and why he said and did what he did, even if it hurt to watch and hear. I'm just sorry I never bit into him sooner about it. I thought he'd realize it on his own with you fighting so hard to be yourself, but then that dance happened and– "

Blaine swallowed thickly at the mention, one hand automatically rubbing over the faint, nearly vanished scar along his ribs. He slid and arm around her waist and shushed her.

"He got it in the end, and that was just... it happens and I'm better –stronger – because of it, okay?"

"I hate that you had to go through it at all," she admitted, shaking her head and wiping a single tear from her cheek. "The world is such an unwelcoming place sometimes."

"Let's go!" Liam bellowed, pelting into the room and trying to fling himself over the back of the couch. He ended up clutching the top and holding himself there for as long as he could, a radiant grin on his face. "I wanna see Uncle Kur!"

"I wanna see his hot bod!" Cooper amended, charging out of the bedroom and scooping Liam up again. "Get dressed, squirt!"

Blaine groaned in dismay as he watched them hype each other up even more and trudged to his feet and then into the bathroom to change into the extra clothes he'd brought with him the night before.

The Aquatic Center was twice as packed as it had been during Kurt's last competition. Blaine was rather surprised by the crowd, but figured there must not have been a lot of other popular events taking place until later in the day. Cooper and Liam had stopped by the concessions stand in the entrance hall, but Blaine had hurried inside, hoping to see Kurt before the semi-finals got underway.

Finding Kurt ended up being easier than Blaine had thought. Burt was standing along the front wall that separated the audience from the pool deck, talking and smiling with his son, who was replacing the old cap on his head with a brand new London 2012 Diving one.

Blaine hurried over, glancing back to make sure Cooper and Liam weren't around. He knew they'd all meet before the competition was over, but he really wanted a chance to warn Burt first.

"Hey, Blaine!" Burt called in greeting, laughing as Kurt adjusted his new cap again. "Figured you'd have training today."

"No, quarter finals tonight and it's just one of those boxing rituals," Blaine said, leaning over the little barrier and giving Kurt a quick kiss. "Hi," he gushed, unable to stop the enormous grin from spreading slowly across his face as Kurt leaned in eagerly.

"Hey, yourself," Kurt murmured, smiling against his lips and kissing him more firmly. "I missed you last night."

"You were out in five minutes," Blaine countered teasingly.

"Only because I had you spooning up behind me," Kurt said, batting his eyelashes playfully. He reached up and adjusted his cap and goggles. "Ugh, I'm so nervous. And cold." He glanced over at the set of hot tubs where the other divers were grouped. "I'm going to go warm up, okay?"

"Yeah, of course, get going," Burt agreed, giving his shoulder a quick pat and a wish of luck.

Kurt turned to Blaine then and smiling hopefully. "Good luck kiss?"

"Absolutely."

He leaned back in, a smile still stretched across his face as Kurt pressed his lips to him once more. Blaine swiped his tongue out, brushing Kurt's bottom lip and coaxing his mouth open. With an eager hum Kurt relaxed his jaw and pressed his body in as close as he could with the barrier dividing him.

"Aw, look at you gettin' it!"

Blaine groaned and pulled his tongue back into his mouth, his eyes still shut as Cooper's hand slapped down on his shoulder. Liam tangled himself around Blaine's calf.

"Uncle B, don't do that! Kisses are icky!"

"Are not," Kurt returned, kissing Blaine softly once more and leaning down over the barrier to grin at the small boy.

Blaine sighed and glared at his brother before scooping Liam up into his arms.

"Are, too!" Liam argued, his lower lip jutting out petulantly.

"Are not," Blaine said, giving Kurt a significant look. "Don't make us kiss you."

"Wh– no!"

Before Liam could squirm down out of his arms Blaine and Kurt both leaned in quickly and pecked the boy on each of his plump little cheeks.

"Ew, Daddy people are kissing me! Make it stop! I'm gonna get derpes!"

Blaine snorted, leaning his head against Liam's cheek as he started laughing at the mispronounced word.

"Derpes, huh?" Burt asked, chuckling slightly. "You think you get that from kisses?"

"Uh huh! It gives you horse hooves!" Liam squealed in horror, holding his hands out and staring fixedly at them. "I just want my people hands!"

Unable to control his chuckles anymore, Blaine burst out laughing, dropping his forehead onto his nephew's shoulder and leaning into the barrier and Kurt's chest.

"What's so funny?" Liam pouted, crossing his arms and glaring around at all of them.

Cooper shook his head as the other three continued to laugh and tugged his son from his brother's arms. "I'll just take that back," he declared. "Seems I've got some teaching to do still."

"But I don't– why are they laughing– "

"Shh, come on, champ."

"But– "

Cooper hoisted Liam up onto his shoulders and headed up to a row of empty seats. Blaine slowly gained control of his laughter and found Kurt still giggling and Burt shaking his head ruefully.

"Your family's here for the games?" Burt asked as Kurt started to unzip his long coat and slid his flip-flops off.

"Yeah, the whole pack of them," Blaine sighed, watching his brother settle down in a seat and situate Liam. "Older brother," Blaine added, nodding up to him. "Cooper, and my nephew, Liam."

"He's a cute kid," Burt acknowledged and then winced as a shrill whistle echoed down from Cooper as Kurt set his jacket aside. "Your brother, though... "

"He's a pervert and a jackass," Blaine remarked, making a move to turn and flick Cooper off when the movement of Kurt adjusting his Speedo caught his attention.

"Most brothers are," Burt laughed. He turned to Kurt and squeezed his shoulder. "Good luck! We'll be up there cheering!"

"Thanks!"

A fleeting kiss was planted on each of their cheeks and then Kurt was hurrying off. Blaine did his best not to stare after him, but the sight of his ass barely contained by the flimsy little Speedo was too tempting.

"Come on, heart eyes," Burt interrupted, throwing an arm around Blaine's shoulders and steering him up to Cooper and Liam. "If I wasn't already entirely aware of what you two have gotten up to I'd make a handful of vague threats about being a gentlemen, but... "

Blaine twitched nervously at Burt's side and focused on moving one foot and then the next up the stairs. Here it came, the words he'd expected a few nights ago.

"Well, Kurt's a grown man, and... I see how you look at him now," Burt continued honestly. "If it was different when you two first hooked up, I don't know, but I see how much you two mean to each other now, so... take good care of him."

"I will," Blaine promised, heart leaping in surprise. "I don't ever want to hurt him."

Burt smiled as they turned down Cooper's row and shuffled towards him. "I'm glad you two found each other. It's about damn time he fell in love. I was seriously considering getting him a blind date for Christmas if he didn't have someone soon."

"Well he's definitely got to be blind to date this hobbit," Cooper remarked, poking his tongue out at Blaine.

"And Amanda was no doubt drugged when she agreed to marry you," Blaine retorted, settling down in the chair beside his brother.

"It's not my fault she decided to get sick when I was planning on proposing," Cooper grumbled. He glanced at Liam. "Make sure your mother knows that's her fault, okay, buddy?"

"No, I like her better."

Cooper frowned and Blaine laughed. "Smart boy."

"Takes after his mother and you by the sounds of it," Burt added, reclining back in his chair at Blaine's side. He glanced behind Blaine's head over to Cooper. "Kurt's dad. Watch what you say about my boy, all right?"

Cooper's grin remained in place, both teasing and amused, but some of the seriousness in Burt's tone obviously got though to him. He cleared his throat and glanced out towards the pool where the divers were all seated in the hot tubs and the announcers were getting ready at their booth.

"Yes, sir," Cooper said meekly, his grin slipping.

Instead Blaine grinned and glanced at Burt who winked. His shoulder was squeezed affectionately and Blaine realized he was only teasing Cooper for Blaine's sake, just to get back at him.

The announcers for the competition came over the sound system then and the four of them fell silent. For the next hour they watched the competition, learning a lot about technique and how to judge a good dive from a bad one from Burt. After almost two decades of watching his son in diving competitions Burt had gained a large collection of knowledge of the sport, and Blaine was incredibly grateful for him imparting it.

Burt hissed as Kurt entered the water after his fourth dive. "Too much splash on that," Burt informed them. "His first three were much better. 3 meter isn't his strongest, though."

"He's doing the single ten, right?" Blaine asked curiously. "I think he said he was."

Burt nodded as Cooper catcalls Kurt walking past the stands towards the hot tubs.

"Ten's his best," Burt answered. "He's easily in the finals for this one, though, no question there."

Blaine didn't doubt Burt's assessment, and sure enough when the semi-final round ended, Kurt was in the top five and headed into the finals, along with three other Chinese divers. He'd been the only British diver to make it past the qualifying round, but down below them, Blaine could see the familiar group cheering themselves hoarse at Kurt's success.

Instead of lingering inside during the break between competitions, Burt, Blaine, Cooper, and Liam headed out to the street and towards a little restaurant tucked away around the corner for a late lunch.

For the most part it took both Cooper and Blaine to keep Liam seated and focused on the plate of chicken tenders set in front of him. The boy was overexcited and demanded to know why his "Uncle Kur" wasn't joining them. Burt seemed quite smitten with him, and Blaine secretly hoped (and then berated himself) that someday Burt would be his Great Uncle. He knew it was a foolish thought to have so early in their relationship, but for some reason he couldn't place he was positive that Kurt was it for him. Regardless of distance or limited time they were where the one night stands and flings ended. This was when the next huge part of his life began and he hoped more than anything that Kurt felt that, too.

After a long lunch they headed back to the arena for Kurt's finals, scrambling up to their usual seats while the crowd slowly claimed their own spots around them. Even more people had showed up, along with a number of camera crews Blaine hadn't seen at the previous competitions or earlier in the day. It might have just been his imagination as he watched them interview various divers, but he swore they kept turning the camera up towards himself and then over to Kurt, stretching himself out and then taking a few practice dives before settling into the hot tub.

"I think they're watching us," Burt grunted, scowling down the stands at the little camera group. "Don't know why either."

Cooper sputter in disbelief and swung around from talking Liam into his own chair. "Don't– you don't– how can you not know?"

"Know what?" Blaine demanded, glancing around and realizing that the camera crew weren't the only ones glancing in his direction. Was it just his imagination or were a lot of the British and American fans seated in the stands shooting him glances and then whispering to their friends.

"Well," Cooper said slyly, "you and Kurt have sort of become a... thing."

"What the hell does that mean?" Blaine snapped, pausing to smile kindly at a trio of older women waving at him fondly.

"You two are the romance of the 2012 Olympics, moron," Cooper said, smacking Blaine on the forehead. "It's been a big part of the televised coverage here," he added. "I was watching it most of yesterday while you were at training. They're all talking about that kiss you guys had and how cute you two are and since you both had competitions today they brought it back out."

Blaine's jaw swung down above his shoes for several minutes as he tried to process this. It couldn't be true. The very idea was preposterous. Certainly someone would have mentioned it to him by now if it was, but... he didn't watch television much, and definitely not the Olympics since the point of him watching would be to take his mind off of the games for a bit. Kurt didn't watch it either, and if the stunned look on Burt's face was any indication he opted out as well.

"You've got to be kidding me," Blaine deadpanned.

"It's true," Cooper said with a shrug. "They mentioned it on the television at home right before we left. Something about a 'romance for the ages' and 'secret lovers'. The usual taglines, yanno?"

Blaine groaned in dismay and sunk down into his chair as another gaggle of women, this time much younger and obviously American, skittered past their spot in the stands, giggling and blushing.

"But they weren't here earlier," Blaine began, trying to find a way to vehemently deny what his brother had just told him. "If that was true then– "

"Bigger crowd than usual," Burt interjected, looking around thoughtfully. "Much bigger than earlier. My guess is the media let out that you were here to see the semi-finals and so they figured you'd stick around for the finals if Kurt got through."

"But– this is ridiculous," Blaine huffed, wincing as the same group of girls went past again. "We're just– since when do they like gay men anyway?"

Cooper shrugged once more and ruffled Blaine's hair. "I think it's about time they gave it a spotlight, don't you? You two are sickeningly adorable after all. What better couple to show the idiots how stupid they are?"

"I just– "Blaine sighed miserably and let his head fall back against his seatback. "We're still figuring all of this out on our own. It's all happened so fast."

"That's a huge part of the hype for them," Cooper explained. "The mystery of when you met, the scandal, the heartache and drama of having only a few weeks together before it's all supposedly going to be torn away. For them it's a great story to pull more interest in the Olympics, and I mean, seriously. It's not like with those other fling-y couples that get together for the games and then make a clean break. Just one look at you two together and it's so obvious you're head over heels in love."

Blaine pouted as the announcers began to list of the finalist for the competition, thinking about what all of this could mean for their careers, their personal lives, and their futures. If he lost now his country would blame him for losing focus because he'd been smitten over some guy. The same could easily be said with Kurt.

"Is it really that obvious?" Blaine mumbled, turning his big eyes up to his brother's face.

"Oh, yeah," Cooper said immediately. He turned and smiled kindly at him for the first time in days. "It's a great look for you. Both of you," he added. "Just ignore them and focus on what's in here." He thumped his fist over Blaine's chest. "That's what's most important, all right?"

There was no doubt in Blaine's mind that Cooper was right. For once in his life, Cooper was talking sense and seemed both concerned and understanding. It took Blaine back to when he'd teased Cooper, the notorious king of weeklong flings, about getting engaged. Blaine had been certain there'd been a scandalous, hidden pregnancy involved, but three years had passed and still no sign of a baby. It had unnerved him to think that Cooper had fallen in love, because back then it had felt so unobtainable to Blaine, some buried treasure lost far out at sea, never in his sights and not even know of anymore. But now here he was, with a boyfriend for the first time since high school and the prospect of something infinitely more worthwhile than his Olympic career ever would be.

"He's more important than anything else I'll ever experience," Blaine admitted quietly as Kurt stepped up to take his first dive.

Burt and Cooper both patted him on his shoulders.

"Now that's what I like to hear," Burt whispered as Kurt twisted and flipped, finally slipping down into the pool with the smallest splash.

When the last diver cleared the pool, Blaine waited impatiently for his final score to be announced. Kurt was currently sitting comfortably in third place, but if this last diver did reasonably well, and according to Burt he had, then Kurt would lose his spot and his second chance at a medal. Even Liam was paying attention now, and in the back of his mind Blaine was entirely too aware of the cameras aimed his direction.

"Did he win?" Liam demanded, hopping out of his seat and tugging violently on Blaine's sleeve. "Did he? Did he? Did he?"

"We'll see in a few seconds," Burt told him, scooping Liam up and setting him down on his shoulders. He pointed towards the huge electronic scoreboard at the far end of the center. "Keep an eye on that, bud. Kurt's in third and if that guy gets higher than a 91 then Kurt loses the bronze."

"But bronze is so pretty," Liam said. "It's pretty like Kurt so he has to win it."

Blaine nodded, eyes fixated on the scoreboard, waiting. Within a few seconds the board flashed with an update and a roar echoed up to them from the British diving team.

"He got the bronze!" Cooper bellowed, hopping to his feet.

Blaine leapt up as well, and was slammed by Cooper, who lifted him off his feet in his excitement.

Down below, the British diving team hopped the barrier and rushed Kurt, toppling the whole group over into the pool, amongst shouts and cheers. Burt stood up beside him, cupping his mouth and bellowing for the whole center to hear, "That's my boy!"

Blaine grinned at the elation on Burt's face, the pride and overwhelming love, as Cooper finally set him down and pushed him towards the stairs at the end of the row.

"Let's go see him!"

"But– "

"Come on," Burt agreed over the loud applause and cheers around them. "Let's get that ridiculous paparazzi the picture they're dying to have of you two."

"But, I– Kurt has no idea that they're– "

But as Burt tugged him out into the aisle, Blaine caught sight of Kurt hoisting himself out of the pool and being flooded by the same group of camera men. There was a microphone in his face, much like what Blaine was use to after his matches, and he quickened his pace, desperate to get down to Kurt before they caught him off guard.

Cooper and Burt followed, Liam still hoisted up on Burt's shoulders and yelling along with the crowd. Blaine cleared the stairs and reached the wall, several cameras, both from men below and the audience going off in his face. Kurt was already scooping his towel up and drying himself off as the men continued to question him, mostly about his competitions from what Blaine could hear over the noise.

"– this a chance for gold on the 7th," Kurt was saying, draping his towel around his shoulders and glancing towards the audience. He caught sight of Blaine and a wide grin broke out across his face. "If you'll excuse me, guys, I've got a few people here to congratulate me– "

"Including your new lover, the American boxer? Blaine Anderson?"

As Kurt turned away to head towards them, his smile faltered and he froze, glancing over his shoulder as the four men followed with their cameras and microphones.

"You two are a hit!" another of the men added. "Star-crossed lovers of the Olympics! What do your coaches and team-mates think of it? Were you secretly dating all along or did you just meet up during the games for some fun?"

Blaine held his breath as Kurt continued towards him, his face working furiously to wrap his mind around what he'd just heard. As he stopped in front of Blaine, Burt and Cooper finally stepped up beside him.

"Man, way to run off on us," Cooper complained.

"I– "

Kurt cleared his throat as the camera men stopped around him. "We met last week and we are not just a fling," he said, head held high. "Blaine Anderson is my boyfriend, and anyone with eyes can see how in love we already are. Does that answer your questions?"

"What do you say to that, Blaine?" one of the men persisted, waving his microphone towards Blaine as the cameras swung around. "Are you really in love?"

Blaine reached out for Kurt's hand and gripped it tightly as he raised it to his lips and peppered Kurt's knuckles with a few kisses. Kurt smiled bashfully at him and raised himself up on his tip toes to peck Blaine on the cheek.

"I'm going to go shower and change and get that lot out of the pool, okay?" he said, ignoring the camera crew. "I'll see you at your match. Half past eight, right?"

"Yup," Blaine agreed, grinning slightly as he leaned over the barrier and cupped Kurt's face with his empty hand. He pulled Kurt's head back towards his and pressed a soft kiss to his temple. "I'm so proud of you. You were terrific."

"Thanks," Kurt said. "I'll see you in a few hours. Go get ready and focused."

"Maybe if he's got an eraser for his memory," Cooper quipped, eyeing the camera crew warily. "It's gonna take a lot to forget how hot you look in that Speedo."

"Shut up," Blaine snapped, smacking Cooper's shoulder. "Let's go."

"Bye!" Kurt called, waving as he headed back to the edge of the pool. The camera men turned their cameras off and shuffled together, whispering excitedly.

"Man, what a load of jackasses," Cooper snarled, lifting Liam of Burt's shoulders and cradling him in his arms.

"You two handled it well," Burt acknowledged. "Gave them a little more for their story, but didn't get nasty with them. That'll only make it worse."

"Yeah, I just wish I could have warned him beforehand," Blaine admitted.

"You were right there with him for it," Burt reminded him. "That support counts for something. Another few weeks and nobody is even going to care about you two anymore. Just be patient and nice about it for now."

Blaine accepted the advice and wisdom, knowing that Burt was right in the long run. Getting nasty or upset with the paparazzi could negatively impact both of their careers during the course of the week. It was best to just smile and be happy, despite the nuisance they already where.

"I'm going to head over to meet Wes and start getting ready," Blaine told them as they exited the Aquatic Center.

"All right, we'll see you there," Burt said, pulling him in for a brief hug.

Surprised Blaine accepted the embrace and then let himself be jabbed in the shoulder by his brother.

"Erase that beautiful ass from your mind for a few hours, okay?" Cooper told him. "He'll be waiting for you when you get out?"

"That's my son you're objectifying," Burt said loudly, winking at Blaine as Cooper shuffled away several feet, looking frightened.

"You really don't have to g– "

"Like I'm going to miss my son's boyfriend's quarter final in the Olympic," Burt laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Get going. We're gonna meet up with Kurt for dinner." He glanced over his shoulder towards Cooper. "I'll keep him on the edge of his seat for ya, sound good?"

Blaine grinned. "Sounds perfect. He's supposed to be meeting my parents and Amanda– Kurt met them, so he'll know them all, too."

"No worries," Burt said with a shrug, "I've met him fair share of girlfriend's parents since I was a teenager. Little different, but still. Get going before you're late!"

Blaine waved over at his brother and nephew and hurried away. He still had time to get to the arena and mentally prepare himself. All week he'd been studying his newest opponent's strengths, weaknesses, and watching old matches to see what tired him out the fastest. Wes and he had a strategy prepared and for the first time since the Olympics had started, he was nervous of the outcome. His family, Kurt, and Burt would be there cheering him on. There was nothing else in the world he needed right now, and regardless of whether he advanced tonight or fell flat on his face, he was happy.