Kurt Hummel was standing in a plush hotel lobby, his sodden clothes gently dripping onto the marble floor beneath his feet, and he was quietly seething. He'd just been informed that the reservation he'd made several weeks earlier had in fact been completely void due to a computer error, and that the entire city was currently massively overbooked due to a series of events going on for Memorial Day weekend.

"Well, this is just peachy!" He hissed through gritted teeth, rolling his small travel-case away from the front desk and slumping down onto it with a heavy sigh. He pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and took advantage of the free wi-fi in the lobby, wracking his brains on where to begin to search for another hotel with any chance of availability whatsoever. Several minutes later, his mood had deteriorated further still, and he was beginning to shiver as his wet clothing clung to his body - this really was turning into a complete washout of a weekend already.

Kurt dialled one of the presets on his phone and ran his fingers through the wet hair around his ear, frowning at how windswept and messy it felt. He pressed the phone to his ear and huffed again, willing the call to be answered as quickly as possible.

"Oh, for christ's sake, Finn - pick up the damn phone!" Kurt snapped loudly into the receiver, earning a glare from the duty manager behind the front desk, as well as several of the guests currently waiting to be shown to their rooms. Kurt threw them a look of sheer disdain and almost punched his phone in disgust as he disconnected the call.

"Um ... excuse me?" A calm, pleasant voice rang out behind him. Kurt turned his head sharply, a glare already present on his angry face.

"What?!" Kurt spat, instantly regretful and mildly taken aback when his eyes connected with those of the owner of the voice. The man rising from the small sofa behind him looked fairly young and of slight build, with dark hair swept into a side-parting with far too much product, heavy brows sitting on top of sparkling hazel-brown eyes, and a warm smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. He wore a soft, snug-fitting, cream and black striped sweater, tight dark jeans and black canvas shoes. Kurt was rendered speechless.

"I'm sorry," The man said, furrowing his brow. "It's just that ... well, I couldn't help overhearing what happened over there and ... well ... nah, forget it. it's too weird."

"Um ... what is?" Kurt squeaked, finally finding some semblance of a voice in the back of his throat.

"It's just ... I'm kind of sleeping in a twin room tonight. Alone. So I have a spare bed." He raised his eyebrows and smiled gently. "And if you promised not to kill me in my sleep, I was maybe going to consider letting you take it for the night."

Kurt was stunned by the kindness currently being shown to him - he was doubtful that he would've done the same thing if the roles had been reversed, and would normally recoil in horror at such a suggestion from a perfect stranger. But there was something about the openness of the man's face that made him far less hesitant to decline the offer than he would usually be. Plus, he was pretty desperate for a place to stay.

"Oh, well that's very generous of you, but I honestly wouldn't want to put you out in any way. I'm sure there's got to be somewhere in this godforsaken town I can get a room."

"I really don't think there is." The man shook his head. "This place is heaving right now."

Kurt frowned. Could he really afford to refuse this guy's offer any longer?

"Well ... I'll pay you ... for the room, I mean." Kurt said, feeling a blush rising in his cheeks.

"Absolutely no need. My father-in-law booked it months ago, and takes money from no-one."

"Ah." Kurt said, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice at the mention of in-laws in the stranger's life. And of course there were ... this guy was about as near to a Disney prince as Kurt thought he was ever going to meet.

"So, do you maybe want to go up there now and dry off a little? You look like you're gonna freeze to death before too long."

Kurt blushed again. "Uh, I ... were you not waiting down here for someone?"

"Nah, I was just bored so thought I'd people-watch for a while. But that turned out to be even more boring than sitting in my room flicking through bad cable channels." The man laughed warmly, and Kurt couldn't help but chuckle along with him.

"Uh ... well, sure then - that would be great." Kurt grabbed the handle to his luggage and followed the stranger around the corner to the elevators, throwing one last scowl to the front desk before it disappeared out of sight.

The elevator was quick to arrive, and Kurt and his new acquaintance squeezed themselves into the already quite-full compartment, Kurt receiving unhappy murmurs from several of the occupants as he tried and failed to keep his dampness to himself. The dark-haired saviour pressed button 8 on the elevator console before turning his head, and he rolled his eyes in sympathy.

"My name's Blaine, by the way. Blaine Anderson." He offered his hand with a smile. Kurt took it gratefully, and received a firm, manly handshake.

"Kurt Hummel." He replied breezily. An older lady to his right cleared her throat loudly, and both men looked down at her, seeing her scowl at them. Kurt was only too familiar with this particular reaction to the mere sound of his voice. He had always been particularly high-pitched, and with that came the general assumption that he was as gay as a rainbow flag. In his case they were correct, but Kurt hated it when the people around him were tarred with the same brush, simply by association. He gave the woman his snarkiest bitch-face and turned back to Blaine, mouthing 'sorry' in case he was feeling at all uncomfortable with the situation. Blaine simply shrugged, and moved aside for the people behind him as the elevator doors opened at floor 6. The woman beside Kurt also began to make her way out, and he was sure to throw her his most winning but completely fake smile as the doors closed. He couldn't help but keep smiling as Blaine stifled a laugh at his side.

Moments later, the elevator arrived at floor 8, and Kurt gestured for Blaine to lead the way to the room he was kindly willing to share with a perfect stranger. They walked down the corridor in silence, and Kurt became only too aware of just how good Blaine looked from the back as well as the front. Blaine paused in front of room number 804 and took a keycard from his back pocket, swiping it and pushing the door open.

"Sorry about the mess," He said, turning to Kurt and leading him into the room. "I never was that domesticated."

Kurt chuckled to himself as he scanned the room which, apart from an open sports-bag at the side of one of the beds and a jacket resting at the bottom of it, was pretty much immaculate. "Oh, I think you can be forgiven on this occasion." He said with a smirk.

"OK, well housekeeping have been here or something. I promise I'm not this much of a neat freak." Blaine grinned. "Kurt please, make yourself at home ... this place is as much yours as it is mine now."

Kurt smiled again, shrugging off his wet jacket and unzipping his case in search of some drier clothes. "I really can't thank you enough for letting me gatecrash, though. I swear I don't snore."

"Well, that's good." Blaine laughed, slumping down upon his bed. His stomach growled loudly beneath his sweater and he rubbed a hand across it. "Wow - didn't actually think I was that hungry!"

"Your body begs to differ." Kurt laughed, lifting a handful of clothes from his bag and gesturing towards the bathroom door. "D'you mind if I hog the bathroom for a little while?"

"Not at all." Blaine replied. "Think I'm gonna order a sandwich from room service - can I get you anything?"

Kurt was sorely tempted, glancing out of the window at the driving rain and knowing that he really wouldn't want to venture out in it for some dinner. "Uh - actually yeah, a sandwich sounds pretty good. Chicken club on rye?" He asked as Blaine checked the hotel menu. He nodded in response. "Great - thanks." He said, wandering into the bathroom. "Oh, jesus!"

"What's up?" Blaine called in a worried voice from his bed.

"Oh ... nothing," Kurt's voice lowered slightly from the high pitched squeal he'd made moments before. He poked his head around the door-frame. "Just caught a glance at my reflection in the mirror."

Blaine rolled his eyes and chuckled again. "You look fine to me."

Kurt blushed slightly as he went back into the bathroom and closed the door. Was he insane to imagine that the handsome guy who'd offered him a bed for the night might be flirting with him a little?


***


Ten minutes later, Kurt was out of the shower and attempting to tame his hair when he heard Blaine answering the door and accepting their food. He smiled to himself as he listened to Blaine's calm, amiable voice, giving himself a little shake to put any kind of romantic thoughts from his mind. He felt sure he'd get absolutely no sleep whatsoever that night if he let himself get too flustered over the appeal of his roommate. He threw on his clothes, grateful that he always packed for one extra day of travel in the eventuality of unexpected stopovers, and checked his reflection again in the mirror. Satisfied with his much more put-together appearance than before, he took a deep breath and made his way back to the main room.

He was greeted with a big smile from Blaine, stretched out again on his bed and laying a napkin across his chest."Food's here ... looks good!" He said, gesturing to the desk in the corner of the room where Kurt's plate was waiting for him. Kurt nodded and rubbed his hands together in anticipation, grabbing his food and perching on the end of his own bed. He watched Blaine take a huge bite of his sandwich.

"Wow - you really are hungry, aren't you?!" He laughed. Blaine winced as he fought to chew and swallow his mouthful of food, wiping his mouth with his napkin and throwing Kurt an apologetic look.

"Sorry ... I'm not usually this much of a pig, but this is a really good sandwich." He grinned.

"Hey, don't let me stop you. You look like you could do with a good meal or two anyway."

Kurt could've kicked himself, instantly regretting his somewhat personal comment as Blaine raised his eyebrows with the hint of a flush in his cheeks. "You're not exactly obese yourself, Mr Hummel." He replied.

Kurt loved the way that Blaine said his name, and had to fight not to roll his eyes in a mild state of euphoria. He chose to take a bite of his own sandwich to stifle the urges, and the two men ate in silence for a couple of minutes. Blaine gave a groan of satisfaction as he cleared his plate, placing it on his bedside table and smiling over at Kurt. "Yours good too?"

Kurt nodded enthusiastically and was about to speak when the trill of a cell-phone cut him off. Blaine grimaced and jumped up, grabbing his phone from his jacket pocket and mouthing an apology to Kurt to excuse himself for a moment.

"Hey, you," He smiled into the phone. "Everything OK?"

Kurt tried not to watch and listen in to the conversation, but there was something so magnetic about Blaine that made it difficult to look away for long. He got the feeling that whoever he was talking with might not be his favourite person, as in between sentences Blaine's face held an exasperated look that he hadn't shown before. Kurt gave himself another shake - he didn't know him at all just an hour ago, so why was he trying to mentally counsel the guy and over-analyse his body language? Maybe it had something to do with that body ...

Blaine's voice was beginning to raise slightly. "Look, babe - I really don't have it. Why would I pack your friend's wedding gift with my stuff? I've never even seen the thing."

Kurt noted the use of the word 'babe' and tried not to feel too disappointed. Again, of course he wasn't single.

"Abbie ... I really don't know what to tell you, honey. I do not have the gift." Blaine fought to keep the frustration from his voice, and turned his body as much away from Kurt as possible to shield him from the conversation. Kurt could actually hear the screechy voice of the female on the other end of the phone as she berated his roommate. Blaine's voice lowered to a hushed growl through gritted teeth. "Did you check the spare room?"

Kurt grimaced along with Blaine as the voice on the other end of the phone got louder still, and Blaine held it away from his ear with a heavy sigh. He turned around and met Kurt's gaze, shrugging his shoulders and leaning against the wall behind him, his head bumping against it heavily. His sweater rode up slightly revealing a hint of toned, tanned flesh and Kurt quickly looked down at his hands, blinking way more than he probably needed to.

The two men stayed silent as the tirade on the other end of the phone continued. Kurt picked out several swear-words in the woman's speech, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Blaine, wondering what such a seemingly mild-mannered guy would see in the banshee currently screaming abuse at him. As if reading his mind, Blaine reached down to his jacket again and produced his wallet, opening it and pulling a small photograph from one of the compartments. He handed it to Kurt and covered the mouthpiece of the phone for a moment, nodding dow towards the picture.

"... The ray of sunshine I share my life with." He said with another roll of his eyes. Kurt looked down at the picture, which showed a young blonde woman clinging onto Blaine like her life depended on it. Her hand was on his chest as if somehow trying to mark her territory, and she was smiling smugly. Kurt could see the appeal looks-wise, as there was no denying that she was classically beautiful, but he felt a sadness as he looked at a younger Blaine standing beside her. His face looked tired and drawn, and as much as he was beaming that unending smile, there was very little life behind his eyes, which was a far cry from the stunning hazel globes the Kurt had been lucky enough to gaze into a fair few times since their meeting.

Blaine's mouth fell open as he went back to the call, and he rubbed his free hand over his brow as if completely at the end of his tether. He turned away from Kurt again.

"... Alright then. So was that an apology?" He lowered his voice again. "Hello?" Blaine turned around and shoved his phone back into his jacket. "Well, I guess it was as close to an apology as I'm gonna get." He sighed, slumping his shoulders. He took the photograph from Kurt's outstretched hand and feigned tearing it into pieces. Kurt gave him a weak smile.

"She sounds ... um ... fun."

"Oh, she's a just a big boxful of kittens." Blaine said sarcastically. "Sorry you had to hear that."

Kurt shrugged. "Hey, I've heard worse, believe me." He laughed gently as Blaine slumped face-first onto his bed. "Would it be wrong of me to suggest that a stiff drink might be in order now, though?"

Blaine turned his head and smiled, messing up his hair against the bedclothes and making Kurt's heart flutter a little in his chest. "It may be wrong, but I don't even care any more. Liquor me up, good sir!"

Kurt stifled a snort and wandered over to the mini-bar he'd spotted below the writing desk. He opened it and scanned the contents. "OK, so are we going for cheapest, least offensive-tasting, or just plain ... um ... wettest?"

Blaine laughed and hoisted himself up on his elbows. Kurt tried his hardest to avoid staring too closely at his extremely pert backside in those tight jeans. "Least offensive-tasting would be my first choice. Is there any vodka?"

"Mmmhmm ... with coke?"

"God, no." Blaine pulled a face. "Just gimme the bottle."

"You don't drink coke?" Kurt gasped, tossing the miniature of vodka over to Blaine's bed. "Not even diet?"

Blaine shook his head. "Not with vodka ... why spoil the fun?" He sat up and propped himself against his pillows, opening the bottle and taking a sharp swig of the clear liquid.

Kurt opted for a miniature of rum and a can of diet coke, grabbed a glass from the desk and ventured back to his bed, mirroring Blaine's position.

"So, Mr H ... what brings you to the Marriott Plaza this weekend?" Blaine asked.

"Oh, nothing particularly interesting," Kurt shrugged. "I'm a fashion student at LIM College in New York City, and I have a couple of designs featuring in a runway show tomorrow afternoon in the city."

"Wow ... sounds pretty interesting to me!" Blaine exclaimed, already downing the last of his vodka bottle. He made his way over to the mini-bar and quickly grabbed another.

"Well, it has its moments, granted ... but this is a baby fashion show, and as such all of my designs will either end up covered in drool, vomit, or worse."

Blaine laughed lazily in response and started on his next drink. "What could be worse than ...? Oh."

"Hmmmm." Kurt nodded, gingerly sipping at his own drink. "How about you? Just getting away from the missus?" He instantly regretted being so blatant in his questioning, but again Blaine simply laughed it off.

"Oh, I wish. Nope, Abbie arrives tomorrow morning. We're in town for her college friend's wedding ... hence the 'discussion' regarding the gift."

"Ah." Kurt nodded, deciding he couldn't be bothered being discreet any more. "Something tells me that wasn't your first 'discussion' either."

"Uh ... no, not really. She's pretty high maintenance."

"Which is weird," Kurt nodded. "... Because you don't strike me as being that way at all."

"Well, you know what they say, Kurt - opposites attract!" Blaine chimed a little too enthusiastically, and Kurt got the feeling that he was completely overstepping the mark now.

"I'm sorry, Blaine. It's just ... you seem like such a nice guy ... and she seems ... well ..."

"Like kind-of an evil, soul-destroying bitch from hell?"

"Uh ... yeah." Kurt smiled apologetically.

"That's because she is." Blaine sighed. "I think I may actually hate her. But the good news is, we're getting married in September, so ... yaaay!"

Kurt frowned. "Oh, Blaine. What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to get married. In September."

"B-but ... you're going to be miserable, possibly for the rest of your life."

'But it will at least make my parents happy - and quite frankly, when they're not, the world is a very unpleasant place to be.' Blaine shrugged. "Serioualy Kurt, you have no idea."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. And I'm going need the full story in order to gauge whether or not I just agreed to share a room for the night with a crazy person. Cos right now it's seriously looking that way!"

Blaine chuckled and took another swig of vodka. "Ah, but where to begin." He mused.

"The beginning's usually a pretty solid base to work from." Kurt smirked.

"Oh, har-dee-har ... do you want this story, or not?"

"Sorry." Kurt chuckled softly and mimed zipping up his mouth.

"OK ... so I was born twenty two years ago in Westerville, Ohio ..." Blaine began with a cheeky grin.

"Oh-my-actual-freaking-god, no WAY!" Kurt interrupted with a shriek, causing Blaine to almost jump out of his skin and fall off the bed in shock. He sat with his eyes wide, clutching at the bedsheets beneath him.

"Shit ... sorry. It's just - I'm from Lima. And I'm twenty-two too." Kurt apologised, attempting to calm his voice a little. He couldn't help but laugh as Blaine shook himself slightly before continuing with his story.

"Alrighty then ... well, at the risk of one or both of us having a mild cardiac episode if more common interests are unearthed, I think I'll just skip to the most relevant part.' Blaine grinned, and Kurt nodded in silence, taking a sip of his drink and crossing his legs in front of him.

"OK, so when I was fifteen, my parents were kind-of going through a rough patch, and my mom sent me to stay with my aunt and uncle over in Oregon for the summer. Mom thought I'd be able to hang out with my cousins, but they were quite a bit older than me and always had their own stuff going on, so I wound up making my own entertainment most days. They lived near a little stretch of pebble beach, so there was that at least to keep me occupied when the weather was fine."

Kurt nodded again, enthralled so far by Blaine's story and loving hearing him tell it. Blaine stood up and took yet another bottle of vodka from the mini-bar, this time conceding that he may need to pace himself by mixing a little coke in too. He grabbed a glass and continued.

"So I guess after a couple of weeks, I realised that I was pretty much always being joined by another kid on the beach, and we got to talking one day ... you know, all meaning-of-life crap like kids do." Kurt laughed as Blaine continued. "... And I guess we kind-of became friends. We hung out all day, every day, for weeks after that."

Blaine looked down as he poured his drink, and fell silent.

"And did this wonder-kid have a name?" Kurt asked hesitantly.

"Riley," Blaine nodded, and his face looked so sad all of a sudden. "We were inseperable."

There was another long pause.

"Blaine, you really don't have to continue with this if you don't want to." Kurt offered quietly.

"No, it's fine," Blaine looked up with a weak smile. "I think about that summer a lot."

"So ... I'm guessing something bad happened with Riley?" Kurt eased the conversation along a little.

"You could say that." Blaine raised his eyebrows and nodded. "It had kind-of crept up on us without us realising that we were pretty into each other ... and one night when we were saying goodbye on my aunt's porch, we sort-of kissed."

It was Kurt's turn to raise his eyebrows and grin. He loved to hear stories of young romance blossoming. Blaine had fallen silent yet again, staring down at the drink in his hands.

"And did your aunt not approve? Or maybe her parents?" Kurt asked.

"Whose?"

"Riley's."

Blaine smiled gently, still not able to raise his eyes from his lap. When he finally did, Kurt saw that they were glassy and a little bloodshot.

"Kurt ... Riley was a sixteen-year-old boy."

Kurt's breath hitched in his chest a little, but he tried not to let his inner-flailing show on his face. He moved to the side of his bed, feeling the need to show his support in some small way. He stood up momentarily and leaned over towards Blaine's bed, taking hold of his ankle and squeezing gently before sitting back down, facing his dejected-looking roommate.

"My aunt saw everything from the kitchen window." Blaine continued in a small voice. "She got straight on the phone and called my mom, and the next day I was being bundled back onto an early flight home without a second thought. Mom picked me up from the airport and sat me down the moment we got back to the house, launching into this whole long-winded lecture about how I had committed a mortal sin and was going straight to hell, and warning me that if any news of my dirty little wanton escapades - her words, not mine - ever got out, it would kill several members of my family and I would bring shame and contempt to the entire Anderson name. She took the knife she was using to prepare vegetables for the evening meal and pointed it right in my face, urging me not to breathe a word to my father. I'd never seen the look that she gave me at that moment, but it's been thrown at me many a time since then ... I lost quite a bit of my mother's love and respect that day." Blaine cleared his throat in an effort to control the crack in his voice. "So, um ... yeah - I was grounded for the rest of the summer, and my dad was told that the reason for my unexpected return was that I'd mouthed off to my aunt and uncle, and had generally just been lazy and insolent while in their care. I never went back to Oregon, and I've never seen or heard from Riley since. I didn't even get to say goodbye, and he probably thinks to this day that I'm ashamed of what we did."

"But you're not?" Kurt asked.

"God, no. It was a mutual thing ... totally right in the moment. If I had to go back a million times over, I wouldn't change a single thing about that kiss."

Kurt smiled, a newfound respect for the man opposite him washing over him in a gentle wave. "So, how come Abbie's in the picture?"

"Ah, yes - dearest Abbie. OK, so my mother kept tabs on me in every possible way throughout the rest of high school, and my father got me a part-time job at this fancy new country club he'd joined on the edge of town. My last summer before college - or so I thought - I was thrown together with the daughter of the snooty family who had funded and ran the club, and the rest is history. Four years on, I'm the general administrator for the Westerville Heights Country Club, I have a pretty little blonde girl on my arm, and we're all set to marry and live happily ever after. The end."

"Blaine," Kurt frowned sadly. "You can't mean that."

"I have to, Kurt. You know as well as I do how small-minded the people in our neck of the woods are. My family are way too proud to have one of their own letting the side down. My cousin came out to us all during Christmas lunch a couple of years ago, and d'you know what my grandfather did?"

Kurt shook his head.

"He kicked her out of the house. Like, literally opened the front door and pushed her out of it. I've never been more stunned or ashamed in my entire life."

Kurt sighed heavily. "How's she doing now?"

"Who, Laura? Absolutely no idea ... we've been 'kept out of the loop' on that one, so to speak, and it's as if the poor thing doesn't even exist any more. But here's hoping she's found a nice girl to spend her life with, and is well and truly happy to be rid of such a bigoted family."

Kurt smiled gently and raised his glass. "Well, I'll drink to that." He said, taking a much larger swig of his drink than he was used to and wincing as the sharp-tasting alcohol burned at the back of his throat. Blaine got up and fetched him another tiny bottle of rum.

"So, can I ask you a question?" Kurt ventured, and Blaine nodded, not quite meeting his gaze as if he already knew what was coming. "OK, well if you don't mind me saying so, you sound pretty much pro-gay, and very proud of your cousin for having the courage to be true to herself and stand up to your family ..." Kurt received another nod, "So ... um ... what's stopping you from doing the same thing? Blaine - do you really want to live a lie for the rest of your life, just to keep the peace?"

"It's not as simple as that, Kurt!" Blaine raised his voice for the first time, but Kurt could sense it was more the alcohol talking than anything else. He raised his hands, signalling his innocence in the situation, and Blaine's face softened. "God, I'm sorry. It's just ... I mean ... I don't even know if I am gay, y'know? It's not like I was given much of a chance to explore my feelings after the Riley thing."

"So you haven't had any kind of stirrings when you've looked at a guy since that day?" Kurt offered, and he saw how Blaine's face flushed in response. Blaine looked up and gave the most adorable, bashful smile that Kurt had ever seen.

"Kind-of ... probably ... I mean, all the time."

Kurt nodded. "And how about girls? I mean, you're marrying one ... does she make you feel like that?"

"I guess she did - in a way, for a while. I mean, we've done just about everything a couple can do to one another." The redness in Blaine's cheeks deepened further still, and Kurt found his own face beginning to burn in response. "Well - except that."

"You mean ...?"

Blaine nodded, picking at a loose thread in the hem of his sweater absentmindedly. "How two guys do it." He said quietly.

"Because she wouldn't want to? Or because it might feel a little too gay? Or good maybe?"

Blaine's face shot up again and he fixed Kurt with a startled gaze. It was Kurt's turn to look away. "Sorry ... too personal."

"No - not really. I guess I just hadn't really thought about it that way before ... at least, not with her in mind."

"OK, so ... to put it a different way ... how does the sex with her make you feel? I mean, do you enjoy it?"

"Like, from one to ten? About a two." Blaine chuckled softly.

"Blaine, honey ... you're going to marry this girl."

"I know, but married life's not just about sex, right?"

"No, not at all," Kurt conceded. "But it is about love, and about wanting the companionship of that special person, emotionally, spiritually and yes, maybe to a lesser extent but still, physically for the rest of your life."

Blaine rested his drink on his side-table and put his head in his hands. He let out a loud, muffled groan and Kurt felt his heart go out to the man. He got up and moved to the other bed, gingerly perching himself beside Blaine's outstretched leg and rubbing his calf gently.

"Blaine? Do you even like Abbie?"

"Honestly?" Blaine asked through a gap in his hands. "I would happily watch her be eaten by wolves."

Kurt burst out laughing and squeezed Blaine's calf instinctively, loving the feel of the warm skin radiating beneath his jeans. He noticed that his own jeans were beginning to feel a little restrictive in other areas. He cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his composure, and looked up to find Blaine's piercing gaze fixed upon him.

"A-hem! Alright then ... honest truth again. From one to ten, how did that kiss with Riley feel?"

"About an eleven." Blaine replied, quickly and with complete sincerity. Kurt withered a little under his ever-present gaze, and he wondered if Blaine could hear his heart thumping as it threatened to leap out if his chest. He blushed and looked away.

"I think you may have just answered your own question regarding your sexuality." Kurt said in a small voice. There was a long pause.

"OK, maybe. But not without a little help." Blaine's voice crooned behind him, a hint of a smile creeping into it. Kurt felt the bed shift as Blaine scooted down towards him until his side was flush with Kurt's back. He placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder, his warm breath fluttering against Kurt's long neck.

"Uh ... Blaine? What're you doing?" Kurt whispered, suddenly frozen to the spot and unable to move .

"I just wanted to test out a theory." Blaine replied softly, resting his chin on Kurt's shoulder and gently nuzzling his nose against the other man's cheek. Kurt closed his eyes and tried not to whimper, every inch of his body suddenly hyper-sensitive to the slightest touch. Blaine took in a lungful of air through his nose. "You smell really nice." He breathed, moving his other hand around to Kurt's chin and stroking along his jawline, willing Kurt to turn and face him. Kurt reacted to the touch and brushed his cheek against Blaine's until they were nose to nose.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Kurt whispered, feeling the tenderest touch of Blaine's bottom lip against his own.

"Why not?" Blaine sighed into his mouth.

"Because you're engaged ... and we're both a little drunk. And you don't even know if I'm single - or even gay for that matter!" He said in a haughty tone, pulling away with a slight smirk.

"Kurt?" Blaine said, pulling him back in.

"Mmmhmm?" Kurt murmured as his lips were pressed against the corner of Blaine's mouth.

"Are you gay?"

Kurt could feel the smile spreading across Blaine's face, and he resisted the urge to slap it playfully.

"I might be." Kurt conceded, and with that Blaine opened his mouth gently and sucked Kurt's upper lip into it, letting out a deep sigh as they finally connected. Kurt managed to regain enough feeling in his body to be able to move, and he shifted his body around so that he was turned towards Blaine, easing into a slow, steady rhythm as the kiss intensified. Blaine's mouth was so soft and warm, and their lips fitted together perfectly. Kurt was beginning to feel like he'd died and gone to heaven. He raised his hand and ran his fingers gently through the tiny curls at the nape of Blaine's neck, and the sound he received in response sent a shiver right up his spine. Blaine very lightly traced his tongue over the inside of Kurt's lip as they kissed, and the occasional bumping of teeth or long sated breath did nothing to calm their racing hearts.

Several minutes later, and with decidedly numb lips, Kurt pulled away gently and smiled coyly at the man sitting opposite him. His eyes had darkened and his cheeks were glowing. He was even pouting at the loss of contact, and Kurt giggled at the sweetness of it all.

"Maybe we should take a little break," Kurt said breathlessly.

"Did I ... did I do something wrong, Kurt?" Blaine said, once again resting his head on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt's eyes rolled back into his head, and he fought desperately not to take the man's face back into his hands and kiss him senseless.

"Not ... at ... all." Kurt insisted. "I just wouldn't want us to do anything too hastily - given your situation, and all."

"I'm a big boy, Kurt ... or so I'm told. I could prove to you if you'd like."

Kurt felt a single finger begin to trail up his back, tiny circles being traced across his shoulders before slipping back down to his waistband. He shuddered violently at the contact and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Please, Blaine. I need you to be strong for me right now." He begged, and Blaine let out a whine before slumping back down onto the bed.

"You're no fun!" He pouted again, lips curling into a smirk as he laid his forearms across his eyes and sighed heavily.

"I'll have you know I can be bags of fun when I want to be - but now's possibly not the best time. Unless this is all just a cunning little scheme you cook up whenever you see a hot piece of ass you wanna hit?"

Blaine removed his hands from his face, and Kurt instantly regretted that last comment. Blaine's eyes were red and brimming with tears. He let out a strangled sob and dragged his body to the top of the bed, the weight of the world seemingly on his shoulders.

"Oh god, Blaine - I'm so sorry!" Kurt blurted out, jumping from the bed and searching for a box of tissues. When he was left wanting, he scurried off to the bathroom, returning with half a roll of toilet paper wrapped around his hand. Blaine let out a pained laugh and reached out to relieve Kurt of as much of the tissue as he could manage. Kurt began to pull away back to his own bed, but Blaine clutched at his hand and held it tightly.

"Wait! Sit with me? Please?" He nodded towards the space beside him on the bed, and Kurt obliged, crawling around Blaine as gracefully as possible on the soft, squishy mattress and planting himself against the spare pillow, his brow furrowed deeply in worry.

"Don't worry, Kurt ... I promise this has nothing to do with you." Blaine sniffled, wiping his eyes and nose and chuckling again at the mountain of tissue still sitting in his lap.

"But, what I said ... I'm such an idiot."

"Not even close. I'd have laughed if I weren't so miserable right now." He rubbed a hand over his face again, and Kurt instinctively took the other in his own, brushing his thumb against Blaine's knuckles. Blaine gave a watery smile and rested his head again his pillow. "How the hell am I gonna do this?"

"One scary encounter at a time, I'm afraid." Kurt shrugged, squeezing the hand in his own like his life depended on it. "But once it's over with, you can start your life all over again. And that's good, right?"

"Sounds amazing." Blaine sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Kurt reeled as he noticed just how insanely long Blaine's eyelashes were in profile, even now when slicked with sleadily drying tears. "Is there something on my face?" Blaine smirked, his eyes never moving.

Kurt flushed again. "Sorry ... I just ... are you actually real?"

Blaine turned his head and frowned quizzically.

"Never mind." Kurt said, keen to change the subject as his thoughts turned dangerously amorous once again. "What will you find the hardest - the talk with Abbie, or your parents?"

"Ah, yes - that. You know, I have absolutely no clue. I mean, Abbie will go all psycho-bitch and probably try to kill me for ruining the plans for her dream wedding, but I think I can probably handle that if I wear enough body armour. But my parents? Jesus, that's just gonna be ... god ... I can't even imagine it."

"You have to do it though, Blaine. You can't live a lie - it's not fair on anyone ... especially you!"

"I know, I know." Blaine frowned again. "Why'd you have to be all wise and so ridiculously cute all the time with your pretty eyes and your sexy hair, and your come-and-get-me-cos-I'm-so-hot rosy cheeks?"

Kurt looked momentarily shocked before his face broke into a grin. "Um ... thanks?!" He spluttered. "Seriously though - I speak from experience, that's all."

"You had a tough time coming out?" Blaine asked, turning onto his side to face the man still tenderly stroking his hand.

"Not to my parents, thank god. It was just me and my dad growing up for quite a while, and he's the most insanely supportive guy on the planet. I think he was just sort-of relieved when I finally admitted it to myself. And then he met a really cool lady who's about as close to a mom as I could ever hope to get. They've both been amazing."

"Sounds like a dream." Blaine mused.

"Hmmm ... school wasn't a barrel of laughs though."

"Ah. You were bullied?"

"God, yes. I think the death threats were a particular low point for me."

"Jesus, Kurt ... I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't be. I'm still here, able to tell the tale ... and I'm happy with the person that I've become. Cos, y'see Blaine ..." He leaned in and tapped Blaine on the nose, "It gets better."

Blaine smiled gently and hung his head. "God, I hope so."

"Hey - I know so." Kurt replied, lifting Blaine's chin and gazing into his beautiful, watery eyes. "You're gonna be fine, I promise."

"Thank you, Kurt." Blaine whispered, his eyes flickering for just a moment to Kurt's lips. Kurt gave a humble shrug and leaned in, unable to deny himself another soft kiss from the man he was quickly growing so fond of. Blaine smiled into his lips and nudged his nose back and forth against Kurt's.

"You wanna watch some TV?" Kurt asked, suddenly feeling sleepy. He glanced over at the window and saw how dark it had suddenly gotten, and then looked at his watch. "Wow! It's really late."

"Yup," Blaine said, stretching his body lazily in front of him. "Time flies when you're counselling a mental patient."

"Stop that now, Blaine Anderson. You're amazing. And not at all mentally unstable."
Blaine chuckled and leaned into Kurt's body, snaking under his arm as Kurt sought out the TV remote. He looked up and fluttered his eyelashes at Kurt. "You don't mind if I lie like this, do you?"

"Not at all." Kurt beamed, unable to hide his happiness at feeling so comfortable with this gorgeous near-stranger nestling against him. "Any requests on what we watch?"

"Honestly? I think I may be asleep in about ten seconds anyway, so I really don't mind. I don't tend to sleep all that well at home."

Kurt frowned and pulled Blaine closer, relishing the warmth and the contented sigh Blaine let out. He flicked through the channels several times over before settling on an old and fairly terrible-looking romantic comedy. He turned the volume down as he felt Blaine twitch against his side, happy that he was a comfortable enough pillow for him to fall so instantly asleep on. He watched Blaine's back rise and fall gently for a while, feeling soft breaths whispering through the fabric of his shirt. He lightly stroked a hand over the side of Blaine's ribcage and gave a sigh, settling in to try to watch some of the abysmal movie before his mind wandered any more.


***


An hour later, Kurt was still wide awake and frustrated as hell ... the movie was getting worse by the minute, and wasn't nearly enough of a distraction to keep his thoughts from what he really wanted to be doing right now with the man still lying in his lap. To make matters worse, the couple onscreen were finally about to get together, and even though they were possibly the worst actors Kurt had ever seen, he still couldn't help but feel a stirring in the pit of his belly as they crashed together for an awkward kiss. He chose to flick through the channels again.

"You do that way too much, y'know." A sleepy voice murmured from below him.

Kurt jolted a little and swore under his breath before regaining his composure. "I know ... I'm sorry. It comes from living with a family who never wanted to watch the stuff I did. And you're meant to be sleeping."

"It's Simon and Cassie's fault - their car-crash-TV, sorry excuse for a love affair was just too hard to tear myself away from."

"You should've told me to turn it off." Kurt scolded.

"And miss out on all the back-rubbing and exasperated sighing you were doing? Never." Blaine smirked, rising to his knees out of Kurt's lap and stretching with a yawn. Kurt instantly missed the contact, but loved the sight of Blaine's hip-bone peeking out from the top of his jeans. "Can I get some of that drink?" He said, effortlessly throwing a leg over Kurt's lap and lowering himself gently so that he was sitting on Kurt's thighs.

"Ummm - sure!" Kurt squeaked, hopeful his face wasn't too crimson as he handed his glass to Blaine.

"Thanks." Blaine grinned, draining the glass and pulling a face. "Ugh - that's hideous!"

"... And yet you drank it. All of it." Kurt mused.

Blaine looked away sheepishly. "Sorry ... was thirsty, is all." He muttered in a mock hurt tone.

"Stop being so adorable!" Kurt exclaimed, pushing Blaine's chest gently and feeling the toned skin beneath his sweater.

Blaine grinned, leaning in slowly and brushing his lips against Kurt's earlobe. "Make me." He whispered. Kurt's whole body prickled with goosebumps as he pressed his fingers into Blaine's ribcage and tickled slowly, making him wriggle and pull away.

"Why, Simon," Kurt chimed in his girliest voice, "I do believe you're trying to get into my pants."

Blaine chuckled and cleared his throat. "Oh, but Miss Cassie - you're just so irresistable." He said gruffly.

"Take me, Simon ... take m-" Before he could finish the sentence, Kurt's mouth was enveloped in a hot, sloppy barrage of kisses. He stifled a laugh at first, but soon all he could do was moan gently against Blaine's lips as they explored every inch of his mouth, throat and collarbone. He leaned his head against the bedpost and groaned as Blaine's teeth grazed the shell of his ear. "Ohhhh god ... pinch me."

Blaine pulled back and smirked. "That some weird fetish I probably shouldn't know about?"

"What?" Kurt asked, confused by the sudden loss of Blaine's hot breath against his skin.

"You told me to pinch you, Kurt." Blaine grinned.

Kurt clasped a hand over his eyes. "Shit. I thought that was just in my head."

"Nope. And it pretty much sounded like an order, so with that in mind ..." Blaine reached out and grabbed a small amount of skin on the back of Kurt's hand, twisting hard.

"Um ... OW!?!" Kurt exclaimed, trying desperately to stifle a laugh. "Play nice!"

"Haha - sorry." Blaine chuckled, taking hold of Kurt's hand in his own and kissing the now-red skin tenderly. He gazed up through his eyelashes and swept his tongue lightly over the soft flesh, watching Kurt's own eyelids fall shut as his smile grew. "All better?"

Kurt opened his eyes and continued to smile. "Much, thank you. Movie's finished." He said, nodding up at the TV screen.

"Awww - we missed the end." Blaine whined, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He lay back down on the bed and placed a hand on Kurt's chest. "D'you think they lived happily ever after?"

"I'm not so sure they deserve to after robbing me of the last two hours of my life."

"You weren't watching the whole time though ..." Blaine responded, and Kurt flushed with wide eyes, wondering just how much Blaine had been aware of his body being coveted so much when he was supposed to be asleep. "... Cos of all the channel surfing." He added, blinking up at Kurt.

"Oh! Well, yeah ... that's true." Kurt replied, fighting to bring his pitch down a notch or two.

Blaine yawned again, and his eyes began to drift closed. "I'm really glad I met you today, Kurt." He breathed quietly.

"Likewise." Kurt smiled, stretching out beside Blaine and letting an arm loll onto his hip as he turned to face him. "You warm enough?"

"Hmmm." Blaine murmured. "You?"

"Absolutely." He said with a sigh. "G'night, Blaine."

"Mmmm ... night-night."

Kurt beamed another huge grin as he watched Blaine's eyelashes flutter again his cheeks, and within a few short minutes both men had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.


***


A few hours later, Kurt woke up to the sound of his roommate dry-heaving in the bathroom. He rose from his pillow and slumped back down, his own head pounding from the sudden movement. He groaned, adjusting his clothing where it had ridden up in all the wrong places in his sleep, and cursed the sunlight streaming in from around the drapes that the men had forgotten to close.

"Blaine?" Kurt ventured, his voice echoing in his skull. "You OK?"

There was no answer from the bathroom. Kurt couldn't decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing - but at least the retching had appeared to stop. He dragged himself over to the door and knocked gently.

"Blaine, honey? Please answer me. Can I come in?" Kurt reached for the door knob.

"NO! Please don't!" Blaine yelled in a pained voice, and Kurt was fairly sure he felt the door shudder as Blaine pressed his body against it. "I ... I'm alright. M'gonna take a shower. Please, Kurt - just ... leave me alone." His tone died down almost to a whisper.

Kurt frowned, glad that Blaine couldn't see the obvious hurt on his face at his choice of words. He slumped down on his own bed, almost completely untouched since the previous evening, and switched on the TV. Within moments he was back to his usual routine of channel-hopping, and he did that continuously for almost twenty minutes.

The bathroom door finally opened and Blaine tentatively stepped into the room, covered in at least four towels, and holding his clothes from the previous night tightly against his body in an attempt to shield every bit of bare skin he could manage to. Kurt frowned again before giving him a weak smile.

"You alright?" He said quietly.

Blaine nodded, careful to avoid any eye contact. He cleared his throat and spoke with what looked like great effort. "Shouldn't drink vodka. It always makes me do stuff I'll regret in the morning."

Kurt hung his head, confused and feeling slightly ashamed, although he couldn't quite work out why.

"So, uh ... bathroom's free." Blaine said, staring up at the TV screen distractedly.

Kurt nodded, rising quickly and feeling his own stomach lurch slightly. He grabbed some fresh clothes from his case and hurried away. He undressed quickly in the bathroom and plunged himself into the hot shower, allowing the water to prickle and pinch at his skin as he tried to work out what exactly could have happened between 1 - 7am to make Blaine so distant all of a sudden. Had he been clingy in his sleep? Had he said something dumb like 'I love you' while comatose? Or had Blaine simply taken one look at Kurt lying beside him that morning and realised it had all been one huge mistake, however little they had actually done together ...

Kurt lost himself in the shower for a while, and took his time dressing and styling his hair. When he finally decided he was satisfied with how he looked, he stepped gingerly out of the bathroom and looked around for Blaine. But there was no sign of him ... and barely any indication that he had ever been there at all. His bed was perfectly made, his bag and jacket were gone, and the only new addition to the room was a small folded piece of paper lying on Kurt's pillow. He walked over and took a deep breath, praying this was just a note saying 'meet me downstairs for breakfast', accompanied by a million kisses ... but it wasn't.


Kurt,

I'm so sorry for leaving it like this, but I can't quite get my head around everything this morning, and I just don't know what to say. Plus, I need to collect Abbie from the airport before she sends a hit squad to take me down.

I want to thank you for being there for me last night, and I wish you all the very best for the future.

Blaine.

PS. All bills are paid. Feel free to get yourself some breakfast.


Kurt sank onto the edge of the bed and stared down at the note, reading the words over and over. He felt his vision cloud over and blinked back a few tears ... he couldn't say that he wasn't disappointed not to be spending more time with the gorgeous man he'd met the previous day, but more than anything he was worried that Blaine was somehow back-tracking regarding his sexuality, and Kurt had too much respect for him to like the thought of him ruining his life out of fear or a confused sense of obligation.

He packed up the last of his things and left the hotel room in a neat and tidy state as he always did. He contemplated breakfast, but decided that he really didn't want to hang around the hotel any longer and chose to make his way straight to the downtown area where his fashion show was being held later in the day. He'd grab some food at some point along the way, if he ever regained his appetite.


***


Three years later ...

Kurt tapped his foot gently against the marble floor as he waited in line to check out of the Marriott Plaza hotel. He smiled to himself, recalling the last time he'd stayed there, and how different last night had been. He'd eaten alone, slept alone, channel-hopped alone, somehow all taking place in the exact same room as last time. And yet he still felt a pang of regret when he looked over at the bed beside his own, wishing that he at least knew vaguely how Blaine's life had turned out since the night they'd met. He'd contemplated looking him up a couple of times during his brief trips back home to Lima, Ohio, but something had always stopped him. Perhaps it was the folded-up piece of paper still tucked away in a compartment of his wallet, basically asking him in a round-about way to forget about him completely. But Kurt hadn't forgotten Blaine, no matter how hard he'd tried, and none of the men he'd dated since had even come close to making his heart pound in his chest like the tiniest touch from Blaine had.

Kurt was shaken out of his trance when he was called forward to the front desk. He paid his bill and, ever polite, thanked the receptionist for a pleasant stay. And with that he made his way towards the large glass doors leading from the hotel. And then he stopped dead in his tracks, because the man who stood facing him looked incredibly familiar.

"Kurt?" The man breathed, his voice soft but self-assured. The hair looked to have been grown out a little, and no longer slicked with gel. Kurt wanted to rush over and bury his fingers into those curls, but thankfully resisted the urge. He took a moment to scan up and down the man's frame, and smiled to himself - he looked really, really good.

"Kurt Hummel, right?" The man said again, a little louder.

Kurt nodded. " Hi, Blaine."

Blaine gave a bemused shrug, grinning inanely and making Kurt's heart melt. "What, seriously, are the chances?!" He exclaimed.

"Pretty slim, I'd say." Kurt nodded, freezing for a moment as Blaine reached out and squeezed his bicep gently.

"So, uh ... are you just leaving?"

"Yeah - just another over-nighter." Kurt nodded, "Oh, but guess what? I was in our room!"

"No way!?" Blaine laughed, a slight tinge to his cheeks. Kurt looked around him, suddenly worried that his words might have embarrassed the man in front of a loved one.

"Uh-huh. So what brings you here?"

"Actually, something after your own heart ... a fashion show."

"Oh, honey - I hate to break it to you, but you're a little short to be a model."

Blaine gasped and slapped Kurt playfully on the arm. "So ... I couldn't even get by on my looks alone?" He mocked.

"Oh, well that's another matter entirely." Kurt grinned. "But seriously - you're not actually modelling are you? Because if you are, I need you on my books!"

"Kurt - come on. Me? A model?" He laughed.

"Well, you're cute enough. And I know you can pout ..."
As if on cue Blaine pulled a pouty face and struck a pose, causing Kurt to chuckle, the happy sound echoing around the vast lobby. Both men looked up and grinned at one another.

"I've missed you." Blaine smiled bashfully.

Kurt's eyes widened and he was suddenly lost for words. He instinctively glanced down to Blaine's left hand and noticed the lack of a wedding band.

"I ... um ... are you here with Abbie?" He blurted finally.

Blaine pulled a face and and shook his head, a look of relief crossing his face.

"Nope. Dodged that bullet, thank goodness. And pretty much all thanks to you."

"Really?" Kurt said, trying not to squeak. "I got the feeling from your note that you were going to wind up still going through with everything."

"For a while, I tried. But I couldn't stop thinking about everything we talked about here that night ... and I guess I found the courage from somewhere. It was all a big mess for a while, and as predicted, my family have pretty much shunned me completely. But you know what? I'm happy and I just don't care!"

Kurt couldn't help but grin. "Wow. God, I'm so glad to hear that, Blaine. I've thought about you a lot."

"Me too." Blaine smiled back, looking down at his feet for a moment. "So, do you ... uh ... have anyone special in your life right now?"

"Nah. Too busy co-running a top model agency in New York City, thank-you-very-much!"

"Very impressive." Blaine grinned. "I'm a journalist now - hence the coverage of the fashion show."

"Oh Blaine, that is so cool!" Kurt cried, unable to resist throwing his arms around Blaine's shoulders and giving him a tight hug. The smell of his cologne made Kurt mildly dizzy as he took a long, slow breath. "God ... I'm so happy for you." He said as he pulled away, his eyes glistening with happy tears.

"Kurt ... are you actually crying? Over me?" Blaine cooed, reaching forward and cradling Kurt's cheek in his hand. "Seriously. Don't waste your tears, babe ... please."

"They'd never be wasted on you." Kurt said quietly.

Blaine stroked his thumb gently over Kurt's cheek and sighed deeply. "Do you forgive me for being such an idiot the last time we were here?"

"You weren't an idiot, Blaine. You had a heck of a lot of crap to deal with."

"I still regret walking away from you, though. You saved me, Kurt." It was Blaine's turn to tear up.

"Hey ... I'm here now. Somehow I think today's meeting was meant to be - unless you're about to tell me that you found your Prince Charming back home and are about to elope."

"Well ..."

"Oh, come on!" Kurt exclaimed, throwing his eyes to the heavens in exasperation.

"Hey - easy tiger ... I'm kidding!" Blaine laughed. "I'm totally single. I mean, I've kissed a few frogs along the way, but none of them were a patch on you and your channel-hopping loveliness."

Kurt grinned again, the weight of the world appearing to drift from his shoulders. Blaine dropped his hand to Kurt's side and laced his fingers through Kurt's, his eyes never leaving the other man's as their skin connected. A lightning bolt seemed to shoot between them for a moment, and Kurt felt a shudder run up and down his spine. He sighed with contentment - something told him that they'd just been given a second chance at something very special.


THE END.