Blaine bounded downstairs in a flurry. Once the graduation ceremony ended, he returned home to change before Mike's party. As much as he loved the suit he wore that day, he knew if he showed up in it people, particularly Puck and Santana, wouldn't let him past the front door. Instead he went simple, donning a forest green polo, black cropped pants, and his Topsiders. The Ohio weather was already unseasonably warm so light articles of clothing were his best bet for hanging out in.

And for the celebratory sex he planned on having with Kurt when he stopped by with his NYADA acceptance letter.

What Blaine wasn't expecting was for his parents to have returned from their dinner party before he finished dressing. "Going somewhere?" his father asked curtly.

"Yeah, Mike's graduation party," Blaine replied.

"Are his parents going to be there?"

"Of course, Dad." That was a lie.

"So no alcohol or drugs?"

"Nothing like that at all." Another lie. Blaine was starting to get good at this.

"Is he going to be there?" his father asked.

Blaine grimaced, hating the way his boyfriend was referred to. "Yes, Kurt will be there. In fact, he's picking me up in a few minutes."

His father nodded in what felt like reluctant acceptance. "Have a good time, son. And stay safe," he said before retreating to the kitchen.

His mother shook her head at her husband's attitude. "I'm sorry, honey. You know he wants to try to understand..."

"He's not trying hard enough, is he?" Blaine retorted before sighing. "I didn't mean to snap, it's just...we've been together for a year and he can't call Kurt by his name?"

"Like I said, he's trying. I know he sees how much you love each other. The way you light up around him is magical."

"Thanks, Mama," he said blushing severely.

"You should have Kurt stop over sometime soon. He's been asking me about a few recipes and if possible, maybe he can cook your birthday dinner?"

"That would be lovely. Too bad we don't have time to show him before his birthday."

"Oh, really?" his mother asked. "And when is that?"

Blaine grinned. "Tomorrow. His dad and stepmom are having a huge party Monday to combine that, graduation, and Memorial Day. Do you mind if I stay the night over there that night, Mama?"

"Only if the Hummels are fine with it," she said. "You know, I can't remember the last time you asked to spend the night at a friend's house."

"I stayed there one night last year," he replied. It may not have been preplanned, but his parents didn't mind him arriving home at noon the next day, half-hungover. "But yeah, it's been since seventh grade that someone invited me."

"Do you miss them? Travis and everyone. It seemed so sudden that they cut you out of their lives."

Blaine shook his head, trying to fend off the tears that always came from those memories. "If they were true friends, they would have accepted my sexuality. So no, I don't miss them a bit."

"Oh, sweetie," she sighed. She pulled him into an embrace. "I'm so proud of you, you know. You are so bright and courteous to everyone. You love Kurt and there is not one thing wrong with that. There is no reason for anyone to put you down because you happen to be in love with another boy. I promise I'll talk to your father about his attitude towards you two."

Blaine could hear the rumble of Kurt's vehicle pulling into the driveway. "There's Kurt," he said, pulling away from his mother and running for the door.

"Wait," she called out. He turned around just in time for her to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Home by 1, okay? And tell Kurt congratulations and happy birthday for me."

"Gotcha. Love you, Mama."

An eerie feeling washed over Blaine as he walked out of his house towards the Navigator. It wasn't until he climbed in that he noticed how tense Kurt looked. "Are you okay?" he asked, kissing his boyfriend.

"Fine," Kurt said a little too quickly. "Ready to go?"

Blaine nodded. "Lead the way, sir."

The feeling only grew during the drive. Once Kurt passed the street the Changs lived on, Blaine knew something was up. Kurt's memory was even better than his GPS' directions, so it couldn't have been that he simply forgot where to turn. He kept driving towards the outskirts of Lima, then through Elida towards Delphos. Blaine began considering the worst, but didn't dare open his mouth in fear of Kurt's wrath. When Kurt finally did pull over it was in a wooded section of a park, somewhat secluded from others. Kurt cut off the engine and leaned back in his seat.

Blaine gave him a few minutes of silence before he finally asked the inevitable. "What's wrong, babe?"

"They said no."

It was what Blaine expected to hear since Kurt's arrival, but the words were no less crushing. "Kurt, I'm so sorry," he said, bringing his thumb to Kurt's tear-stained cheek.

"What did I do wrong, Blaine? My essay was outstanding, my grades were perfect, even after Dalton, and you saw Madame Tibideaux's reaction to my audition. Should I have kissed her ass like Rachel did?"

Blaine shook his head. "Absolutely not. You let your chances stand on your own merit, just like she should have after her audition."

A choked laugh escaped Kurt's throat. "Yeah, well, it worked for her," he grumbled.

"Wait, what?" Blaine sat back up, hoping he hadn't heard what he thought he had.

Shaking his head, Kurt replied, "All of her stalking paid off. She made it. Rachel Berry got into NYADA and I..." His statement was cut off by a sob.

The disappointment Blaine felt instantly turned into rage. He had witnessed a great number of auditions over the years where the performer froze up or hit bum notes. They would almost always be told "better luck next time," or at best receive a role in the chorus. Rachel was by far not the first to beg for another shot, but for her dream to come true while Kurt's was extinguished? Blaine considered her one of his closest friends, but the news still angered him.

"That's..." he began, "wow. I can't believe they accepted her over you, let alone at all."

Kurt was full on crying by that point and couldn't respond, so Blaine leaned over the console and held him. Hearing the wails muffled by his neck made Blaine begin to tear up. This was something they would never understand; Kurt was brilliantly gifted on stage. How could someone not want to take him under their guidance?

"I love you, Kurt," he whispered softly into Kurt's ear after several minutes. "This is only a slight setback. Before you know it, you'll be lighting up Broadway like it's never seen before."

Kurt sniffled. "What am I supposed to do now?" he asked.

"First, you'll switch places with me and let me drive back to Lima because you're in no condition to do so. After that, we'll decide later."

He waited for Kurt to open the driver side door before getting out. As they crossed in front of the Navigator, Blaine embraced Kurt again and gently kissed him. Once he settled into the driver's seat, he took his phone out to check the barrage of messages New Directions had to have sent to him by now. There were three texts from Mike, one from Quinn, and another from Sam that surprised him. "Finn and Rachel aren't at the party," he informed Kurt.

"Yeah, they're probably at her house. Finn didn't get into Pace, either, but I doubt she's letting him do anything but celebrate her victory."

Blaine wasn't surprised in the least. Leave it to Rachel to come out on top and ignore both her fianc� and her best friend in their times of need. He sent off a quick text to Mike Sorry, something came up w/Kurt and we can't make it. See you Monday though?, turned the key in the ignition, and slowly began making his way back to Lima.

"Where are we going?" he asked Kurt as he drove closer to the city limits.

Kurt sighed. "We can go to my house. Dad and Carole are probably asleep by now so they can start preparing everything tomorrow. Besides, I'm not quite in the mood to deal with one of your dad's glares, if you haven't noticed."

"I'm not, either. I almost got into it with him waiting for you."

"When will he learn to accept us, Blaine? He needs to understand."

"Mama said she's going to talk to him," Blaine responded. "Not that I expect anything new to happen."

"But you're his son. He should be able to accept you in every way. It's one thing having discrimination come from your peers. But it should never be from your parents."

Blaine knew with Kurt's disappointment that he had the potential to rant about his father's disapproval of them for hours. "Baby, take a deep breath. It's my problem, not yours. Lots of parents don't care for of their kid's significant other even if they're the opposite sex. I know you're upset right now, but once we get to your house, I'm going to do everything I can to make you feel better."

"What have we done, Blaine?" Kurt shouted, tears beginning to well up in his eyes once again. "What have we done to deserve this life? We've been beaten out of schools, looked down upon for our relationship, denied our dreams. I'm sick of this life."

He refused to answer until he reached the Hummels' home and hurried Kurt up to his bedroom. Once inside, he locked the door (Burt was asleep and he had to be home in two and a half hours, so it didn't matter at that point). "Sit," he told Kurt.

"I'm not a dog, you know," Kurt grumbled as he sat on his bed.

Blaine nodded. "I know that, but it's the only way I'm going to get this through to you. Number one, you are not going to think of NYADA and your plans for at least a week. You need time to get over the rejection and enjoy the fact that you graduated from high school today."

"Fair enough. What else?"

"Two, you are not going to meddle in my father's issues. I've dealt with this for three and a half years; I don't trust him changing anytime soon just as much as you, but my mom and Cooper are definitely on our side."

"Okay."

Blaine knelt down in front of Kurt. "And three, I said I was going to take your mind off everything," he said lowering his voice.

Kurt's back arched up as soon as Blaine popped the button on his impossibly tight pants. "God, Blaine, hurry up."

"Shhhh." Blaine brought his index finger up to Kurt's lips to silence him. "Not tonight. This is all about you."

A kiss was placed on the padded tip. "Do you need any help?"

He shook his head. "I just need you." Blaine slowly unlaced Kurt's boots and slid them off his feet. The pants were more difficult, but he finally removed them with finesse. He kissed each calf, knee, and thigh, making his way back up to undo Kurt's vest and top.

"Lie down," Blaine whispered. Kurt obliged and moved to the head of his bed while Blaine undressed.

"Didn't you forget something?" Kurt joked as he watched Blaine take off his briefs.

"I don't think so," Blaine replied grinning.

Kurt motioned towards the gray boxer briefs still covering him. "I don't think you can get very far with these around."

"You are an impatient little thing tonight, aren't you?" Blaine palmed Kurt's hardening cock through the soft material. "Good things come to those who wait, you know."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Kurt groaned, "Just get to it."

Blaine crawled up so he was lying next to Kurt. "Hey, hey. I told you I was going to take care of you. I want you to remember everything about this moment and not just the sex."

Kurt nodded. "Okay," he breathed out.

"Okay. Now let me," Blaine said as he began kissing Kurt.

Sex for Blaine and Kurt was something that, even six months after they introduced it to their relationship, was meant to be tender and sweet. They had their moments where they wanted to do nothing but rip off each other's clothing and ravish themselves to exhaustion, most notably after the dry spell and Chandler fiasco, but the intimacy of getting to know their bodies inside and out was more important. Blaine took his time moving across different parts of Kurt. Up his jawline to the earlobe, which he gently nipped at. Down his lean neck to the perfect spot just above his collarbone. Across his broad shoulders and chest, spending a little more time on his pink, peaked nipples. Down Kurt's toned arms, where he brought each finger into his mouth to suck on. Blaine then shifted down just above Kurt's feet, massaging his calves and thighs as he peppered kisses back up the milky skin. Back to his tight stomach, tongue darting in and out of his navel. Finally, Blaine made his way down the rough patch of hair that led to Kurt's cock. He licked his way down the length and took the head into his mouth for a few seconds.

As Blaine kneeled back, he watched Kurt squirm. "Come on, Blaine!" he moaned, definitely into everything.

"Not quite yet," Blaine joked. He crawled across Kurt to the nightstand and pulling out the oak box inside that contained what he was looking for. He took the bottle and packet out before placing it back in the drawer. Before returning to his original spot, he planted another kiss on Kurt's forehead and lips.

As Blaine flipped the cap to the lube open, he stared back at Kurt. The sight of his body underneath him, tight and glistening, still took his breath away. He poured a generous amount of the liquid on his fingers and brought them down and inside Kurt. The first movement he made elicited a moan slightly too audible for others in the house. Blaine leaned into Kurt's mouth to quiet him. Soon he prodded a third finger through the ring of muscles, to which Kurt responded by thrusting upwards. Blaine flexed his fingers as much as he could, enjoying the tight heat surrounding them. As Kurt's kisses became more frantic, he broke their lips apart and removed his fingers so he could slip the condom on.

"I feel so empty," Kurt whined as he watched Blaine slick himself up. "Don't want to be."

"Don't worry, baby, everything will be fine," Blaine said. He guided Kurt's legs apart so he could enter inside. The friction against his cock was almost overwhelming at first. The fact that this was something he could do with the boy who brought him so much joy still felt surreal.

He waited for Kurt to signal that it was okay for him to move. When he nodded, Blaine slowly pulled back and thrust in again. It took him a few tries to get a rhythm going with Kurt, but they found it. Eventually he slid his arms underneath the small of Kurt's back, holding him closer. "I've got you, okay?" he asked breathily as he worked his way in and out.

Kurt nodded. "Love you," he gasped.

"Love you so much." Blaine began kissing Kurt's neck until he felt heat coiling up inside him. "Almost there," he groaned.

"No, not yet, not yet," Kurt said, writhing at each movement Blaine made.

"Please." Blaine reached down and began stroking Kurt towards his orgasm, twisting and turning until he felt Kurt come, spilling all over their bodies. Blaine's thrusts became quicker until he finally released.

"God, Blaine, I love you," Kurt said after his body relaxed. "Or I will once I can clean myself off."

Blaine chuckled, still catching his breath. "Yeah, okay." He pulled out, pulled the condom off, tied it, and threw it in the wastebasket near Kurt's vanity. "I'll be back." He stood up, legs still a bit shaky, and quickly got his underwear back on. He tiptoed out into the hallway, careful not to let Burt and Carole know of his presence, towards the linen closet outside the bathroom Kurt and Finn shared. He grabbed one of the burgundy towels off the top shelf, the ones Kurt said were older and wouldn't be quite as devastating to ruin. He quietly went back to Kurt's bedroom and threw it at Kurt, allowing him to clean off before wiping the come sticking to his own chest.

"Come here," Kurt said. Once he made sure every trace was gone, he wiped Blaine's torso off. "There we go, good as new."

"You're ridiculous," Blaine grinned. He turned back to the discarded clothes and fished his cell phone from the pile and climbed back onto the bed.

"What, no pillow talk?"

"I figured you'd probably want to sleep a little. I'm setting an alarm for 12:30 to wake us up so I can make it home by curfew."

"I wish you could stay," Kurt said pouting.

Blaine hummed in agreement. "Mama said she's fine with me spending the night tomorrow, as long as your dad is okay with it."

"You might have to sleep on the couch or in Finn's room, but it's a little better."

"I know." Blaine set the phone next to the pillow and laid down, cradling Kurt in his arms. "Next year, though, when we're in New York."

"Blaine..."

"You'll be there, Kurt, trust me. The city has so much more to offer you than NYADA."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about this?"

"We aren't." Blaine pressed a kiss to Kurt's shoulder. "I'm just reminding you."

Kurt turned to face Blaine. "Thank you for tonight," he said, bringing a hand up to push back the sweat-and-gel-laden curls forming along Blaine's temple. "You didn't have to bail on the party, but you did to make me feel better."

"It wouldn't have been fun to be there and see everyone celebrating while you were devastated, though."

"You're right." Kurt snuggled closer to Blaine and closed his eyes. "Love you."

"Love you, too." Blaine gently kissed Kurt's lips before drifting off himself. Their futures may have been more uncertain than they were that morning, but the present was all that mattered.