likesboys | wherever you go, you can always come home

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wherever you go, you can always come home

So, the terrifying thing about having a first date that isn't limited by the constraints of Ohioan society and school schedules is that Kurt has no idea what to wear. In fact, he's starting to wonder how he even managed to pick anything at all back home for their early dates, because the amount of fretting he's making over every detail is borderline absurd. He gave Blaine the instruction to pick something that's relatively easy to move in, but the fact of the matter is that for Kurt, that statement applies to practically everything he wears. He can move easily, even if it's uncomfortable — the sacrifices made for fashion, after all.

The overarching theme seems to be that he needs to dress to impress. Slimming outfits are key. Clothes that complement his complexion, clothes that make his ass look fantastic, clothes that aren't too easy access, but aren't just layers upon layers. (It feels silly, after all, to be wearing so many layers when they've already made out when hardly dressed at all.) In the end, Kurt settles on an inspired red and black silk shirt and tight black jeans, complete with asymmetrical black leather jacket for the duration of the outdoor walk.

Beyond that, there are other things to prepare as well. Making sure that as many of the locks in the theater are unlocked as possible, save for the entrance, because the last thing that Kurt wants to do is spend overly much time jiggling doorknobs. Hiding away little surprises on the stage, and a basket of food and sparkling cider on the catwalk. Walking more than a few times down its length, just to make sure that it's secure. And, perhaps most importantly of all, venturing out to one of the florist shops in the area, cutting a robust bouquet of roses and wrapping them carefully with green ribbon.

In the end, in spite of everything, Kurt ends up at Blaine's door exactly on time, trying to will away the flush on his face as he knocks on the door. Praying, almost, that this goes well.

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Blaine is sweaty after he returns from the park, but his muscles are buzzing pleasantly, thankfully overpowering the prickling nervousness. He spends a half an hour in the shower, washing his hair twice and then his body, paying particular attention to anywhere he thinks Kurt might (hopefully) kiss him, including his face, and his neck. His ears. His chest too, since Kurt had basically said everything above the waist was okay.

It's possible he has incredibly high hopes, but he can't seem to help it. He's going on a date. An actual, real date. With Kurt. It still seems as surreal as it does wonderful.

Kurt had only told him to wear something he could easily move in which really didn't narrow down any of Blaine's clothing options at all considering he frequently performed all kinds of dance moves in khaki pants and a blazer back home, and his own personal style choices rarely venture too much further from his Dalton uniform. After about an hour spent trying on nearly every variation of pants and sweater vest combination, Blaine finally decides on a pair of brown plaid trousers rolled up slightly at the ankles, a simple button-up and the red-and-gold tie Kurt had picked out for him a couple weeks ago, the whole thing topped off with a shawl collar cardigan in ivory in case Kurt decides to spend awhile walking outside. The evenings here are still rather cool, Blaine's found.

Despite Kurt being right on time, Blaine is still a little surprised by the sound of door knock, his heart briefly leaping into his throat before he smooths his hands down the front of the sweater and recalls all the calming pre-performance techniques he's ever used.

He's smiling by the time he answers the door, not even bothering to check who it might be first. "Hey! You're right on- oh. Wow." For a second, Blaine isn't sure he can breathe, eyes wide as the take in the fall of Kurt's leather jacket and the slim cut of his jeans. "You look amazing."

Suddenly, Blaine thinks maybe he should have spent at least another hour picking out his outfit.

Edited 2012-05-13 23:04 (UTC)

Oh, but it's good to see that smile on Blaine's face. So good. The kind of smile that bursts out of him and leaves even Kurt unable to deny that Blaine looks like he's happy to be here, like he's exactly where he belongs. It's all that Kurt wants to focus on right now, wanting to make the night as happy as possible as it can be for Blaine, rather than fall under the distraction of the city or the unwelcome reminder Kurt received in the morning of it being Mother's Day. (This will be the first year that he doesn't go to pay his respects, and that twists unpleasantly in his chest, but if she were out there somewhere, still watching, Kurt knows that his mother would be proud right now.)

Licking his lips and trying his best to stave off the deep flush in his cheeks, Kurt solves the problem by holding out the roses, pressing them gently into Blaine's hand as he leans in to press a kiss to the corner of Blaine's mouth, then takes a half-step back. His eyes rake over Blaine's outfit, very much like those that he used to wear at home after transferring to McKinley.

"Right back at you," Kurt murmurs in approval, gaze lingering a little too long around Blaine's hips, where the pants hug him well. "The roses are for you. My little, obnoxious way of leaving a mark in your apartment."

Blaine notices the flowers only after Kurt presses them into his hand, his gaze finally lifting away from the breadth of Kurt's shoulders when he steps in to press a kiss to the corner of Blaine's mouth. When Kurt steps back, Blaine's gaze drops briefly to Kurt's lips and he manages another smile, a little more nervous now, but just happy.

"Thank you," he says, ducking his head to look the flowers, the roses in red, pink, orange, and yellow. "They're lovely."

Suddenly remembering himself, Blaine steps back into his apartment, holding the door open for Kurt to follow him inside. "Let me just get some water for these. Do you want something to drink?"

Kurt complies, stepping into the apartment and trying to ignore the sudden thrill that shoots down his spine, stepping into Blaine's apartment for the first time as the guy he's dating. Suddenly, he's not really sure what to be doing with his hands, so he crosses his arms behind his back and quietly shuts the door behind them, trailing after Blaine.

"I'm okay, thank you," replies Kurt, trying to keep from skipping over. "Unless you'd rather sit for a while before we head out. Normally I would've made reservations, but I'm pretty sure the place I found is open all night, unless someone else stumbles across it in the meantime."

Coyly stepping around the kitchen counter, Kurt's gaze lifts to follow Blaine. "So how was your day?"

He listens as he opens one cupboard and then another before finding a glass tall enough to hold the flowers and quickly filling it with water. He finds a pair of scissors in a drawer and starts clipping the stems, careful to make them diagonal as he smiles at Kurt over his shoulder.

"It was... interesting. Remember that woman at the city hall meeting with the wild hair and tattoos? The one who really hated when I brought up the idea of making laws? Well, I saw her in the park with a punching bag."

Letting his gaze slip down to Blaine's hands, Kurt listens idly, more caught on the movement than he has any right to be. He's always liked Blaine's hands, not only for how deft and skilled they are, but just in general, the fact that they're warm. Soft. And they lace perfectly, Kurt thinks, with his own hand. Although there will be plenty of time for that later, he supposes, so his eyes skirt up again, a stupidly fond smile on his lips.

It disappears a little when he mentions that tattooed woman.

"You mean Tokyo Hotel wannabe?" he frowns, brow furrowing in distaste. The thing is, it's not the look that bothers Kurt. Any look can be decent if someone fully commits. Instead, it was that attitude that bugged Kurt. Having some manners never hurt anyone. "I guess I don't find it too surprising that she'd box as a hobby, so—"

He pauses, freezing for a moment. "Wait. Did you join her?"

Blaine's smile falters a little under the weight of Kurt's sudden judgment and he turns away to focus more on the flower stems, tugging off a few of the lower leaves before rearranging them all carefully.

"Her name's Lisbeth," he says. "And yes, I joined her. It was... nice, actually. I haven't really had a chance to since I got here."

He slides the flowers into the glass then, takes a moment to resettle a few so they bunch nicely before he looks back to Kurt then, eyebrow raised. "Why? Is that weird? I, uh... I mean, I kind of figured you knew I boxed. I don't really keep it a secret."

"Oh no, no, don't get me wrong," Kurt quickly interjects, raising a hand in reassurance. "I know that you box and I have no issue with that — believe me." He pauses for half a second, remembering the few times that he'd come into the weight room and caught Blaine in the midst of boxing, and how dearly he'd wished that the two of them could have had more time together right after his workouts, but that's a train of thought better put off for another occasion.

"It's just that I really didn't picture someone like her being amenable to boxing with another person, I guess," frowns Kurt, pursing his lips in thought. "Not that I know her much one way or the other. The City Hall meeting just felt telling in a few ways."

"That meeting was kind of intense all around," Blaine says with a slight grimace. And he understand where Kurt's coming from, actually, but he's glad to say he'd been somewhat pleasantly surprised.

His eyes still on the flowers, Blaine tips them towards his nose and inhales, feels a strange, but completely pleasant tightening of his chest when he looks up at Kurt again. "I've never gotten flowers before. Where did you even find these?"

"That's my secret," Kurt immediately replies with a pleased raise of his chin. He remembers the first time he brought Blaine flowers back home, the gesture meant to celebrate the amazingly successful audition Blaine had put forth for the school musical. His choice in flowers has always been careful and catered to their meanings — or, well, whatever definitions he could scour and find online. Red and yellow, together, symbolized compromise and love. Here, orange symbolized moving past friendship. Pink, admiration.

He might start making the delivery of bouquets a regular affair. Provided, of course, that he can start growing them properly, since the potted plants won't last forever.

"I'm glad you like them," he adds quietly, shuffling over to skim a finger down the length of Blaine's arm.

Kurt's finger leaves a trail of goosebumps in its wake and Blaine feels his breath catch a little, that tightness in his chest giving way to a low pulse of heat. Everything Blaine knows about dating has basically come from romantic comedies and bad television, but he's pretty sure that any kissing is usually relegated to the end of the date so he's not letting himself get his hopes up too high just yet.

Still, he can't quite stop himself from moving a little closer as he sets the make-shift vase on the counter top.

"They're beautiful," he says, hesitating only briefly before reaching out to skim a finger along the front of Kurt's leather jacket, head cocked to the side. "So where are you taking me?"

Following the movement of Blaine's eyes down Kurt's jacket, Kurt finds it impossible to contain his smile, or the flutter of excitement that beats in his chest. There is, after all, something magical about a first date. And it's interesting, almost, to get that second chance now, because it's been a while since Blaine's been quite this flirty. With the stress of midterms back home and AP tests, Blaine was starting to get a little distracted back home. It's nice to have the flirting turned on in full.

(But on the bright side, Kurt finds that there's no question when it comes to what he'd rather have in the long run. And that's all their moments. All their memories. He can forgo the passion if it means being practically married as a couple.)

"I am taking you to the theater," Kurt says, tilting his head in a moment of pride for having found the place at all. "My wonderful sleuthing abilities came in handy. It's beautiful, although I made sure not to examine every nook and cranny. I wanted to leave a bit of the magic for the both of us."

"You found the theater?" Blaine replies, not bothering to hide his excitement. He'd been hoping to find it himself eventually, remembers promising himself he'd do so as soon as possible. But then Kurt had found the music shop and Blaine's hardly been able to leave it since.

Apparently, Kurt finds all the interesting things.

Pushing himself away from the counter, Blaine grabs Kurt's wrist and tugs him toward the door. "Come on, let's go," he says, making sure to grab his keys off the small foyer table on his way and then stopping abruptly. "Oh, do we need to take anything? Flashlights or... bats?"

"Maybe I had the help of a few birdies," Kurt says, eyes practically twinkling and chest feeling full and warm with the way that Blaine smiles, like it's the most exciting thing he's heard all day. Kurt wishes there were more opportunities to make Blaine this happy. Managing might be somewhat of a stretch in Darrow, but he'll try, Kurt thinks. There must be enough in the city to keep creative for however long they need. For however long they're in Darrow.

He needs to keep his train of thought from wandering too far down that path.

Grinning stupidly as soon as Blaine grabs his wrist, Kurt allows himself to be tugged along before blinking at Blaine's sudden question. Not seconds later, he snorts in amusement.

"Man, I am really learning how much of a thing you have for bats," Kurt remarks, before tugging out his phone from his back pocket. "But we should be set. Thank god I've got a flashlight app on this thing."

"They're very useful," Blaine points out with a wide grin. "And I just like to make sure we're prepared."

Once out in the hall, Blaine lets go of Kurt's wrist to close and lock his apartment door, then quickly pockets his keys before finding Kurt's hand once more, linking their fingers together as they head down the hall. He's never really held hands with anyone like this before and he finds it's surprisingly easy. Natural.

Kurt's fingers fit pretty perfectly in his own.

"How far is it from here?" he asks as they turn the corner and head to the large front doors of the building. "Are we stopping for dinner on the way?"

Glancing down with a smile at their laced hands, Kurt runs his thumb over the side of Blaine's hand, gentle and steady. In many ways, this is all that he's ever wanted, to be able to hold hands with his boyfriend as they walked down the street, out in the open and unafraid. Granted, the number of people in the city has hardly exceeded a meager fifty, but with the night lights still turned on in the buildings and street lights illuminating their way, there's nevertheless something magical about it. For a moment, he's able to imagine them just like this, the first time Blaine comes to New York to visit Kurt.

He has to actively stop himself from turning to press a kiss to Blaine's cheek.

"Just a few blocks," he says instead with a proud grin. "It's right on Woodard, actually, so we don't even have to manage a ton of twists and turns to get there. And dinner will be at the theater. I have a few hot plates — literally, heated dinner plates, like I always read about in books — keeping our dinner warm until we get there."

"Wow," Blaine says as they step out into the cool, night air, hands still clasped. "Have you been working on this all day? That's amazing."

It's more than amazing, in fact. Blaine has always been a big fan of romance, or at least the idea of romance since he hasn't really been the subject of anyone's affections before. Until Kurt, his mind helpfully provides. His own attempt at it had apparently been an unmitigated disaster if what Kurt's told him is anything to go by, but he still likes it.

And, selfishly, he likes having Kurt's attention. It's unfair, maybe since Kurt's made no secret of how he feels and Blaine is still just utterly confused, but he can't seem to let himself pull back. They've barely even started the evening and Blaine is certain this will be the best first date in history.

"Are you going to provide the entertainment as well?" he asks with a grin. "Put on a one-man act before dessert?"

"Are you not entertained?" says Kurt with a sweep of his arm, dissolving into soft laughter. He leans over to hook his chin against Blaine's shoulder for a second, eyes bright as he stares over at the other boy, enjoying all the details that become twice as clear from so short a distance. It's pretty clear that Blaine's paid close attention to his shaving today, the smooth skin practically begging Kurt to land a kiss, although he refrains for the time being. Probably little worse than being the overly clingy date from the start, he thinks.

"I don't have a show planned, if that's what you're asking," Kurt adds, standing straight again and tilting his head playfully as he stares up at the tall buildings on either side of the street. "But we may have some instruments there on stage. Sadly, dessert's a little toned down, since I don't really trust the freshness of certain key dessert ingredients, but I might have prepared... something."

Another sudden rush of warmth washes through him as Kurt laughs and presses close, his chin resting on Blaine's shoulder. From this vantage point, Blaine can practically count his eyelashes, can make out every nuance and fleck of color in his (gorgeous) eyes. There's a small pang of disappointment when Kurt pulls away again, but it's quickly overpowered by sheer excitement as they continue walking.

"Something," Blaine echoes with a curious waggle of his eyebrows. Grinning, he gives Kurt's shoulder a light bump with his own. "This is all very mysterious. You're setting a very high standard, Kurt Hummel. I have no idea how I'm going to compete with this."

"I just like administering a good surprise," Kurt replies, laughing in that unguarded way, nose wrinkling and eyes crinkling at the corners — were he able to see himself in a mirror, he surely would have complained. There's little endearing about a face that just bunches like so much wax paper. With a content sigh, Kurt squeezes Blaine's hand, the both of them steadily walking down the street, steps in time with one another. "Seriously though, I'm pretty sure that 'choice in desert' and 'source of flowers' don't make for the greatest mysteries in the world. And I'm sure you can come up with something just as great. Probably better."

Kurt shrugs, shaking his head. "Just by being you. Picking something that showcases what you want to say and how. It doesn't necessary have to be like a theater date; I'm pretty sure that's just me being dramatic."

"I'm pretty sure it's just you being amazing," Blaine counters, giving him another light bump with his shoulder. "I don't think I would've thought of all this. I mean, my idea of romance pretty much starts and stops at making an ass of myself in public by singing someone else's songs. It's hardly original. But you..."

He trails off a second, just shaking his head as they continue walking. It's nice night out, the weather clear and crisp, but not too cold. The streets are as empty as always, but it doesn't feel nearly as creepy as it typically does, not with Kurt at his side. "You know, I think this counts as my first date ever," he says, a little quieter, thoughtful. "Jeremiah and I... those were just, like, coffee dates. Nothing was really planned and it wasn't... It wasn't like this. We've hardly even done anything yet and it's already better than anything I could've imagined."

"Okay, back up for a second," Kurt protests, shaking his head and slyly meeting Blaine's gaze. Because if there's one thing that Kurt would rather not nip in the bud, it's the potential of being serenaded by Blaine, which he's pretty sure is one of the best things in the world. Maybe second to singing lovey duets, but they're not really at that stage yet. (Again, there's a turn in his stomach, unsettling and unsure, but Kurt does his best to push on forward. After all, Blaine looks genuinely happy.) "Singing a love song to someone in public isn't a bad idea. You just... have to pick the right venue. And the right guy."

The good thing is, hearing about Jeremiah doesn't really upset Kurt too much. Worries him, maybe, because if he dwells too long on Jeremiah, he starts thinking about the things that other boy had that he doesn't as much. The age advantage is more clear. The other guy's shape, more svelte. But he's not... really worried. Yet. There aren't really enough other guys around to be threatening, anyway.

Smiling, Kurt stares at their feet for a few seconds before nodding to himself. "I'm going to make it my personal goal to make sure every date is better than the last," he says, glancing over again at Blaine. "Just so you know. They may not all be as well-coordinated as this one, but. There are totally other ways to make a date memorable."

If there's one thing Blaine's noticed in spending more time with Kurt, it's that, while Kurt doesn't tend to mince his words, he's also very, very good at simply making implications. A lot of them go right over Blaine's head initially and it isn't until later, when he's replaying the conversation over in his mind, that the pieces click into place and he really understand what it is Kurt was trying to say.

This time he must be more on point, though. Either that or he's getting better at listening to the things Kurt doesn't say.

Or maybe he's just hoping. Projecting.

(Is he hoping? Could that be what this is? What exactly is he hoping for?)

Right now, though, right in this moment, he feels too good to worry and he doesn't bother hiding the grin that spreads across his face or the flirty tilt of his head. "And what ways might those be?" he asks, giving Kurt's hand another light squeeze. It's a joke, just a friendly tease, even as his voice drops a little lower. "You know, just to give me a better idea."

As far as flirty lines go, Blaine's attempt right now isn't quite as smooth, isn't quite as personalized as it would have been back home. It's a little bit sobering, were Kurt to be entirely honest, and at the same time it's new, confusing, and definitely that Kurt finds himself stumbling over. There's an impulse to flirt right back, to insinuate all he wants about the things he'd like to do with Blaine if given the opportunity. But at the same time, Kurt can't help but wonder why everything seems to be progressing faster this time around.

If it's the healthy type of progression, encouraged by the fact that Kurt isn't as tight-laced as he used to be, or if perhaps Blaine is racing to stand on the same ground as Kurt.

"You'll just have to use your imagination," Kurt says, deciding to play it a little safer, although he leans over to press a lingering kiss to Blaine's lips, licking across the line of his mouth with a soft hum. "Although at this rate, we might never even make it to the venue of the first date, let alone a second." He tugs Blaine's hand a little for emphasis, wanting to make sure they keep at a steady pace. It wouldn't do for dinner to go cold.

Blaine gives a surprised, but pleased moan when Kurt leans over to kiss him, his own steps slowing a little as he concentrates on the texture of Kurt's lips, the brief flicker of his tongue. That already makes kiss number two of the evening and Blaine can't help but hope there will be many, many more.

And then he can't help but laugh at himself as Kurt tugs, making sure they continue walking. It's been less than two days and he's already addicted to Kurt's kisses. He wonders if it was like this back home, if once they started kissing, they never stopped. And it makes him wonder if he'd be this addicted with anyone else, if he'd feel this eager and stupid with Jeremiah had he returned Blaine's affections.

But he supposes he'll never really find out.

"My imagination can be a boring place sometimes," he says, deciding to give up on that line of thinking for the moment. "And scary other times. I'm not sure you really want to leave it up to me."

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