Kurt Hummel wanted to murder Finn.

He wanted to murder him for not putting gas in the car when they’d been riding on empty for the past forty minutes.  He wanted to strangle him for taking them so far out in the middle of nowhere that there wasn’t even a nearby gas station.  He wanted to scream and punch him for even convincing him to go on a road trip in the first place.  They didn’t even originally know where they were going, and now they were stuck in god knows where.

But, despite all this, Kurt wanted to thank the car for using its last drop of gas right outside what appeared to be a farm – which meant that there was probably some type of life form in the house.

Kurt threw the door open and slammed it, leaving Finn to scramble out. 

“Dude, I’m sorry –”

“Don’t you apologize to me, Finn Hudson,” Kurt said without turning around.  “You are so, so far past apologizing.”

“What does that even mean?”

 Kurt groaned and made his way onto the house porch, gently knocking on the door a few times.

“So we’re just, like, asking random strangers for help?”

Kurt sighed.  “Think it through, Finn,” Kurt said.  “Our car ran out of gas, our cell phones don’t work, and who knows how many miles we are away from home.”

Finn went silent, so Kurt thought that maybe he got his point across.

A few moments later, a woman came and opened the door. 

“Hello, ma’am,” Kurt said, giving her what he hoped was his warmest smile.  “I’m sorry to bug you, it’s just that our car has kind of broken down, and –”

“Oh come in,” she said, practically sweeping them into the house.  The cool air calmed Kurt somewhat.  The house itself was what you would expect a small farm house to look like – homey and cozy.

“Do you boys want anything to drink?” She asked as she shuffled into the kitchen.

“Some water would be great,” Kurt said for both of them.  “Thank you, Mrs…”

“Anderson,” she said, smiling as she handed each a glass of water.  “Now what’s wrong with your car?”

The sat down at the kitchen table as Kurt relayed the story to her.

“Ah,” she nodded.  “I would say we have gas here on the farm, but we don’t.”

“Not even for the tractors?” Finn asked, Kurt elbowing him in the gut in response.

“I’m afraid that’s a different kind of gas that won’t quite work in your car.”

Kurt nodded.  “We understand,” he said. 

“Hang on.” Mrs. Anderson got up and went to the back door, sliding it open and sticking her head out of the small opening.  “Cooper Anderson! Get your brother and come in here!”

She closed the door and smiled back at them, returning to her seat.

“I’ll send Cooper into town to pick up some gas for you,” she said.  “We have a phone, too, if you’d like to call your parents.”

“Thank you so much, ma’am,” Kurt said.

“Well you seem like nice boys,” she said, smiling.  “And I’m certain you aren’t here to rob me from house and home.”

Kurt laughed just as two boys with dark hair came into the house.  The first was taller than the other, his eyes blue and his hair wavy.  The other boy was shorter, with curly hair that looked like he tried to tame it but it just wasn’t having it, and the brightest, smoothest, deepest hazel eyes Kurt had ever seen.

All in all, Mrs. Anderson had two very, very attractive sons.

“Kurt, Finn,” she said, “This is Cooper and Blaine.”

They exchanged the standard pleasantries, Kurt noticing that Cooper kept nudging Blaine and gesturing towards Kurt with his head.

Kurt watched as Blaine’s face turned slightly pink, giving Kurt a small smile with the corner of his mouth.

“Cooper, could you go into town and get some gas for the boys?” She asked.

“Sure, Ma,” he said, smiling and grabbing a pair of keys off the counter.

“Finn,” he said.  “You want to come? I could use some help carrying it.”

“Oh, uh,” he looked at Kurt as if asking for permission.

Kurt nodded and shooed him with his hands.

Once they were gone, Blaine stood there awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Uhm,” he said, “I –”

“You can keep Kurt company while I start dinner,” she said, smiling.  “Kurt dear, would you like to call your parents?”

“Yes, please,” he said, standing up and going towards the phone.

His dad wasn’t happy, to say the least.  But Kurt promised they wouldn’t leave until the next morning, and that they were fine.

He hung up the phone and went to join Blaine in the living room.

“So,” Kurt started when he sat down on the couch next to him.

Blaine smiled.  “This must be incredibly awkward for you,” he said.

“You have no idea,” Kurt responded.  “This so isn’t my thing.”

Blaine laughed and nodded, the two falling silent again.

It was going to be a long night, Kurt thought.

…..

Later that evening, after dinner, Kurt went outside and started strolling around the lot.  It wasn’t as large as other farm’s he’d seen in the past – just one stable, one grazing area, a couple of crop fields.  Just enough for a small family.

Kurt thought it was strange that he hadn’t seen a Mr. Anderson, but he wasn’t about to question it.

He wandered towards the pasture, reaching over the fence and stroking the head of one of the horses.

“That’s Elphaba,” a voice from behind him said.  “She’s a sweetheart and will love you forever if you feed her this carrot.”

Kurt turned around to see Blaine walking towards him, holding out a carrot.  He smiled and took it, holding it out to the horse.

“Elphaba?” He said.  “As in from Wicked?”

Blaine’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he nodded.  “Yeah,” he replied, watching as the horse slowly at the carrot out of Kurt’s hand.  “I have a thing for Broadway plays.”

“Me too,” Kurt said.  “So I know where you’re coming from.”

They fell silent again, but it wasn’t the uncomfortable silence like it was before.

“She really is beautiful,” Kurt whispered a few moments later, his hand stroking the horse’s mane.

Blaine nodded, leaning against the fence and a little closer to Kurt.  “Have you ever ridden one?” He asked.

Kurt nodded.  “Once, when I was like five,” he said.  “So it’s safe to assume that I won’t remember how to do it.”

Blaine grinned and stood upright, unlocking the fence and going inside.  “Well then come on,” he said, still grinning.  “We’re going on a horseback ride.”

Kurt smiled a little and followed Blaine, watching as he saddled up two of the horses.

“Okay,” Blaine said, “so put your left foot in the stirrup, and then swing your body over.”

Kurt did as he was told, losing his balance a little in the process.  Just when he thought he was going to go down, a strong pair of hands caught his waist.

“I’ve got you,” Blaine whispered, and if Kurt was hearing right, his voice was a little deeper than usual.  “You’re not going to fall.”

Kurt nodded and wondered why his heart felt like it was going to beat out his chest.

Once he was situated on the horse, Blaine effortlessly climbed onto his, grinning at Kurt and trotting over to him.

He taught Kurt the basics, and then they were off, walking side by side down one of the trails.

“Do you know how far Lima is from here?” Kurt asked after a few minutes.

“About an hour and a half,” Blaine replied.  “I take it that’s where you’re from?”

Kurt nodded.  “It’s so much nicer out here, though,” he said.  “I mean, there’s actually nothing to judge you.”

“I know what you mean,” Blaine replied.  “We used to live in Westerville, and…well, the people weren’t always so nice.”

Kurt gave Blaine a questioning look, and he shrugged.  “I’m gay,” he said.  “And Ohio isn’t very…”

“Supportive of gay people,” Kurt finished, “I’m aware.”

Blaine looked over at Kurt, his mouth opening as if to say something before closing again.

“Oh come one,” Kurt teased.  “You have seen me, right? It’s kind of obvious.”

“Cooper suspected, but I don’t judge before I know,” Blaine said, but there was a smile on his face, so Kurt knew that everything was okay.

Better than okay, he thought as he watched Blaine smile down at his horse and give her neck a pat.

…..

Kurt was lying on the floor of Blaine’s bedroom, trying not to think about the fact that Blaine was literally three feet away from him.

And Kurt honestly never thought he’d see the day where he’d fall for a farmer boy, but apparently things could change.

“I’m going to New York in the fall,” Blaine whispered.

That caught Kurt’s attention.  He propped himself up on his side so that he was facing Blaine, resting his head on his hand.  The carpet dug into his elbow a little, but, for the moment, he didn’t mind.

“I’m going to NYU,” he said.  “I don’t know what I’ll be studying, but I’ve already got my acceptance letter.”

“That’s great, Blaine,” Kurt said.  “I wasn’t going to go to New York, but…”

“But what?”

Kurt sighed.  “I applied to NYADA – New York Academy of Dramatic Arts – and I got an audition.  But then I didn’t get in,” Kurt paused and let out another sigh.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”

“Did you apply anywhere else?” Blaine asked, and his voice sounded genuinely concerned

“Yeah, I applied to Parsons and then a few colleges in Ohio,” he said.  “I just – NYADA was my dream. I was so sure that I would get in –”

“Are you sure it wasn’t New York that was your dream?” Blaine asked.  “I mean, how can you be sure it was the school that you really wanted, and not just the city?”

Kurt paused.  He’d known this boy for less than a day, and it already felt like he knew Kurt better than he knew himself.

“I don’t know,” Kurt whispered.  “I just don’t know.”

…..

Kurt woke up with a start the next morning to what he assumed was thunder. 

“It’s supposed to storm all day today,” Blaine’s voice came from the closet.  “My mom’s already called your parents and told them she wasn’t letting you guys leave until it cleared up.”

Kurt sighed but nodded, stretching out the kinks in his back from sleeping on the floor.

“If you have to stay another night, you can have my bed,” Blaine said. 

Kurt smiled at him and stood up, looking out the windows.  The sky was gray, borderline black, and the rain was pelting on the windows.

“I know you probably want to be getting home,” Blaine said.  “I’m sorry.”

Kurt looked at Blaine then, his smile growing a little.

“No,” he whispered, still looking out the window.  “This is nice.”

…..

That evening, Kurt sat at the Anderson’s kitchen table wondering if it was possible to fall in love in twenty-four hours.

He’d spent all day playing board games with Blaine, Cooper, and Finn.  And then Cooper and Finn had gone off to mess around with some Nerf Guns, leaving Kurt and Blaine to themselves.

They talked and played Life, laughing at whichever celebrity the other married, Kurt making fun of Blaine when he got stuck with the lowest salary, Blaine making fun of Kurt when he ended up with the house that was split in half.

“Can I pry for a moment?” Kurt asked as they were putting the game away.

“Of course,” Blaine said.

“What happened to your dad?”

Blaine paused for a moment, closing his eyes before sighing.

“He left about three years ago,” he said, his voice soft.  “When – when I came out to my parents.  He wasn’t okay with it, and my mom wasn’t okay with him not being okay with it.”

“Blaine,” Kurt whispered, reaching out and squeezing his hand.  “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have –”

“No, it’s fine,” he said.  “That’s why we moved out here, though.  My grandparents wanted to move somewhere else, so they asked my mom if she wanted to take over the farm.  She originally wasn’t going to, but after the divorce, she decided that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”

Kurt had scooted closer to Blaine then, wrapping his arms around the boy and hugging him with all that he could.

But now Kurt sat at the kitchen table, his body still tingling from the hug with Blaine.

He and Finn were leaving after dinner – but in all honesty, Kurt didn’t really want to leave.

Kurt felt the table shift as someone sat down across from him.  “What’s on your mind?” Blaine asked, and Kurt, not for the first time today, wondered both simultaneously why Blaine wore the typical farmer boy plaid shirt, and how he managed to look so attractive in it.

“I just don’t want to leave,” he whispered as he looked out the window, watching as the horses grazed.  “It’s just – here it’s so –”

“Different,” Blaine finished, Kurt knowing that he was practically studying Kurt’s face.  “I know.”

Kurt sighed and slumped in his chair a little.

“You can always come visit,” Blaine teased, kicking Kurt’s foot under the table – which definitely did not send butterflies through Kurt’s stomach, no way.  “If you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of in the middle of nowhere and don’t get a lot of visitors.”

Kurt laughed, the fact that Blaine’s foot was still pressed against his making itself constantly present in his mind.  “I plan to,” he replied.  “Except next time I won’t just show up uninvited.”

…..

Blaine walked Kurt and Finn to the car, helping them carry the lasagna his mother had made for them.  “I’m sure Carole will send her a thank you batch of cookies,” Kurt told him.

“And I’m sure Cooper will eat them all.”

Kurt laughed, watching as Finn got into the passenger seat.  They’d decided that it would be better if Kurt drove.

“Thank you,” Kurt said once he was sure Finn’s door was closed.  “For everything.”

Blaine smiled at him tentatively reaching out and wrapping Kurt in his arms.  “It’s weird,” he whispered in Kurt’s ear.  “It doesn’t feel like I’ve only known you for a little over a day.”

Kurt nodded.  “I really should be going now,” he replied, his voice soft.  And then on a whim, he leaned in and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to Blaine’s lips.  Blaine froze for a moment before he gently kissed Kurt back.

“You really do need to come visit now,” Blaine whispered as he pulled away, their faces still only centimeters apart.

“I plan on it,” Kurt replied.  “And my dad probably wants to meet you, too.”

Kurt gave Blaine’s hand a squeeze before climbing into the car, pulling out of the driveway and heading in the direction they came from.  Once the house was out of sight, he pulled over to the side of the road and rested his head on the steering wheel.

“You okay, bro?” Finn asked, his mouth full of potato chips.

“Oh my god,” Kurt said.  “Did that just happen?”

“What?” Finn asked.  “You kissing Blaine?”

Kurt nodded, his eyes still closed.

“Uh, yeah,” Finn replied, his voice laced with confusion.  “That happened.”

…..

It was a few weeks later, and Kurt was kind of going crazy.  He talked to Blaine over the phone almost every day, but that still didn’t help the aching feeling in him of wanting to see him.  He didn’t even know if they were officially together or not.

But it was a Saturday now, and Kurt was helping his dad in the garage.  Sporting his dirtiest pair of overalls – because why waste good clothes – he slid under the car and set his mind to it, efficiently distracting himself for at least a little while.

“Um, Kurt,” he heard his dad say.  “There’s a boy here for you.”

Kurt’s heart started hammering, but no, it couldn’t be Blaine.

He rolled out from under the car, only to see Blaine standing in the garage with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.  He was wearing a green plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top few buttons undone.

“It was nice to meet you, Blaine,” Burt said, clapping him on the shoulder.  “I’ll just head home now.  And I’m sure Carole is now expecting you to dinner.”

“Of course, sir,” Blaine nodded.

Kurt waited until his dad had driven away, Kurt not caring that he left him to lock up.

“Hi,” he said, ducking his head a little.

“Hi,” Blaine replied.

But, screw this, Kurt thought.  The boy he’d been thinking about for the past few weeks, the boy he’d kissed was standing a few feet away from him, and all he could do was say hi?

No, that was not Kurt Hummel’s style.

He walked up to Blaine, gently pried the flowers out of his hands and set them on the hood of the car, before wrapping his arms around Blaine’s neck and pressing his lips to his.

This kiss was different than the other – it was longing, waiting, everything that Kurt had been feeling for the past few weeks.  One of Blaine’s hands moved to Kurt’s waist, wrapping around him and pulling him closer, the other one clasping the front of his overalls.

“You’d think I’d be the one wearing the overalls,” Blaine breathed into his mouth as he gently pushed Kurt against the car.  “Since I’m the farmer and all.”

Kurt laughed and pulled Blaine’s face closer, pulled his body closer, his lips and his tongue and his everything just that much closer.

“But I have to say,” Blaine murmured as Kurt trailed his lips down Blaine’s jaw, peppering small kisses down his neck, “That you look – ah – really good in them.”

Kurt laughed and kissed Blaine again, his lips tingling a little.  He knew they would be swollen and that it would be blatantly obvious to Carole and his dad about what they were doing, but he just didn’t care.

“Well who knows,” Kurt muttered, his breath hitching a little as he felt Blaine’s hand slide under one of his overall straps.  “Maybe someday I’ll end up on a farm, married to a farmer.”

Blaine pulled away for a moment, grinning that large grin at him before surging back in.

Kurt wanted to learn everything about this boy. 

And to think, that it was only the beginning of the summer. 

And that all of this had started because Finn forgot to fill the gas tank.

Kurt figured that, eventually, he’d have to thank him.