They hadn't seen each other much since that awful night, a few phone calls here and there, that one, honest Thanksgiving call then Christmas and the ice-skating fun they'd had in the depths of pain and uncertainty. Things had started changing long before that, though. After Thanksgiving, or maybe just a little before, Blaine had started changing. He'd realised, as he'd told Sam, he wanted to stop being one of the bad guys. He'd hurt Kurt, he'd crushed the beautiful, life-affirming love they'd shared, no matter what Kurt's role in it and he understood why. He looked for assurance, attention, affection, and love from whoever he could, everyone he could. Eli had come into his life when he should have been supportive and strong for Kurt, but the person he was couldn't grasp that and he'd gone to the man he barely knew and thrown everything away. Next was Sam. Sweet, secure Sam who had some of the same neediness of him but was secure in who he was and wasn't. Blaine had started looking up to him when Sam had taken him under his wing and slowly a crush had bloomed when Sam had given him the same praise and adulation that many before had given him. It was after this that Blaine realised he truly needed to change. He'd started, he'd started coming to terms with the fact that he needed to make his own way, his own changes and live as an adult, not a child.

Kurt breezed back into town with the other graduates, ready for Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury's wedding day. Blaine had caught sight of him in town; no he wasn't stalking, even if the walkway between the hardware shop and Blockbuster was dark enough to be deemed an alleyway. He was as magnificent as ever; beautiful and strong, strolling down Lima's main shopping street like he owned the place. Blaine watched in awe, remembering that this man had once been his and wanted to learn from him, to be taught how to complete the lessons he'd been learning and become a man Kurt would be proud of, maybe even love again.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" A deep, familiar voice spoke behind him and he turned sharply to see Burt, smirking at him.

The black-haired teen flushed, embarrassed at being caught and by Kurt's father no less. "I can't."

Burt scoffed and shoved him out from the shadows. "Look, there's that nice shop you like that sells bowties, just go in there, walk out, bump into Kurt and talk, like a normal human being."

Blaine smiled a little at him. "Who told you I'm normal?"

Burt laughed with Blaine and shoved him again before the teen held up his hands and did as he was told. "Jeez I love those kids." He whispered before he walked off to find Kurt and steer him in the direction of Blaine.

It took about 20 minutes. Kurt walked out of the shop next door to the shop Blaine had been forced into and came face to face with his ex. "Blaine!" He gasped, smiling.

"Hey, Kurt." Blaine smiled back, opening his arms for Kurt to step into, sharing an awkward, short hug.

"How are you?" Kurt asked, looking around for his dad, he wasn't naïve; he should've known his dad suddenly disappearing had something to do with meeting Blaine.

Blaine smiled, watching as Kurt looked around and figured he was looking for the scheming man that was both their biggest fan and biggest annoyance, at least at this second. "I'm good, school's going...well better, I guess. How about you?"

Kurt smiled back at him and they began walking. "I'm okay. NYADA's amazing. You're still planning on going there, right?" At Blaine's nod he carried on. "You'll love it. They push you so hard but there's so much creativity, not like here." Kurt made a face and Blaine giggled with him.

They shared stories and chatted for what seemed like hours, and then Kurt asked him what he'd never imagined, to be his date to the wedding. Blaine had jumped at the chance and they'd grinned at each other before Burt turned up and they said their goodbyes.

It wasn't the making out that did it, it wasn't the duet or the conversation or the surprise on the rooftop singing Come What May that did it. It was Kurt's face. That torn, confused, desperate look. When he'd looked into Kurt's eyes he'd realised that Kurt didn't know him, that Kurt still saw him as the boy that broke his heart, not the man he was growing into or the man that could give him everything and then some. He wasn't surprised when Kurt chose Adam. Adam was a man; he knew what he wanted and what he was. He had values and morals and could give Kurt a stable, happy life, even if he wasn't Kurt's soul mate. To Kurt, Blaine was still a child, still learning and maybe he was, but that made Blaine all the more determined to live, learn and get Kurt back in his arms.

That was when the real changes began.

His style shifted first. He wore gel less, he started wearing different things, testing out new styles and types of clothing, finally figuring out that less complicated, simpler outfits suited him best. The odd plain t-shirt, leather jacket and jeans worked for him just as well as the polo shirt with blazer, fedora and tight slacks.

Next came his sense of self. He started believing what people told him. That he was capable of great things, that he was worthy of praise, of love and that the best things in life came from within. He didn't have to prove anything to anyone else, just himself and he didn't have to look for love or affirmation. That was his job.

It took just a little under a month for things to fall apart with Adam. Kurt had started to realise that while he liked Adam, a stable life wasn't what he wanted. He didn't love the man. When he'd called Blaine on their bi-weekly chats he'd revealed it and told Blaine that he just needed something more then 'just happy' and maybe he'll just be single for a while. To Blaine it sounded like 'I'll wait for you' and in his conversation with Burt the next day that confirmed that fact Blaine felt his heart fill and whispered to one of the hundred pictures of Kurt on his phone. "I won't make you wait long."

Graduation came and went; summer flew by in a flurry of spending time with Cooper and moving to New York, into an apartment that his parents had insisted they buy him. "No Anderson is living in smelly, disgusting dorms." His dad had said over dinner when Blaine had brought up the subject. He didn't mention that he'd lived in dorms at Dalton, or that NYADA's were probably just as clean, probably cleaner seeing as the place was co-ed and they weren't kids any more the way the boys at Dalton had been. He'd just nodded and smirked into his lasagne, silently thinking that hopefully someone else would be living at his apartment soon. When his mom brought it up later he'd told her everything and she'd squealed and hugged him tight. His parents weren't huge fans of what he was but they'd been ok with Kurt, his older-beyond-his-years behaviour making them respect, if not like him. They'd noticed the changes though, when they were around and had slowly started becoming warmer towards him, it made him wonder why he never thought of it before. A child they didn't understand, an adult that they could respect.

He checked out the campus as soon as he could, wandering the hallways, empty save for the others new to NYADA, he met quite a few of them, some he could see himself becoming friends with. He sat on the steps, watching the world go by, strummed his guitar as people passed him by on the many walkways throughout NYADA's grounds. After lunch he sprawled out on the grass in the sunshine, contemplating life and the possibility of a future of the man he'd come here to find, both the man he loved and the man inside himself when a shadow fell over him.

"Well, Mr Anderson, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" A high, lilting voice, filled with amusement and warmth said and Blaine jumped up, coming face to face with Kurt.

"Mr Hummel, the pleasure's all mine." He bantered back and watched as pink washed over Kurt's cheeks, aching to kiss the blush away.

Kurt raised an amused eyebrow and gestured to his hair and clothes. "You've changed." He said, sounding impressed.

"You have no idea." Blaine replied, laughing.

Kurt's eyes widened a little then he looked around. "Want to tell me about it? Where's your dorm?"

Blaine nodded eagerly then shook his head, drawing a confused giggle from his ex. "I'd love to and I've got an apartment. It's just a few minutes' walk away."

Kurt's mouth dropped open slightly then he nodded and they walked to Blaine's apartment.

They talked for hours, Blaine told Kurt everything, every lost feeling, every pain, every realisation, every way of moving on and rebuilding himself. Kurt had listened with wide eyes and at one point remarked. "I shouldn't have rejected you." When it got to the part about the rooftop serenade.

Blaine had shaken his head. "No, to be honest we both needed that time. I wasn't done yet and you needed to realise that he wasn't right, that you needed more."

Kurt nodded. "I needed you. God, when did you grow up?" He asked, then raised a hand, placing it against Blaine's cheek, his thumb rubbing over the honey-eyed man's cheekbone softly. "You're a beautiful man Blaine Anderson."

Blaine grinned and raised his own hand up, placing it against Kurt's cheek where it was nuzzled against. "So are you, Kurt Hummel."

Glasz eyes met hazel-honey and then drifted closed, their lips meeting in a kiss that deepened further and further until they pulled away, panting and blushing.

Kurt's eyes flickered up to Blaine's and away as his blush darkened before he spoke in a sultry voice. "I think you should show me how comfy that bed of yours is."

Kurt let out a high giggle, he didn't think he'd seen Blaine move so fast as he bounded up and caught Kurt's hand, dragging him down the hall and into the bedroom, slamming the door to push him up against it and kiss him deeply, needy and sloppy before they fell to the bed, stripping, ready to make love all night long.

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, making Kurt cringe, opening one sluggish blue eye. He glanced around and thought he could see himself here for a long time. Slowly he realised he could hear the strums of a guitar and, pulling Blaine's robe around himself he stumbled into the kitchen area were Blaine was standing, the table laid with pancakes and fruit, singing a country love song he hadn't heard in years. Their lips met as the sing ended and Blaine whispered against Kurt's lips. "I wanna be what you see in me. I wanna love you the way you love me."

Tears slipped from Kurt's eyes, marking Blaine's cheeks where their skin touched as he sniffed and replied. "You already are, you always have."