Archive of Our Own ^beta

Finn’s new girlfriend is named Rachel Berry, and she’s recently started renting a new apartment in Midtown after she got the role of Fanny Brice in a new Broadway revival.

Kurt knows exactly three things about her:

1. She’s a future theatre diva.
2. She’s also from Lima and used to go to the same high school as Finn and Kurt but transferred to Carmel High in her sophomore year to join the Vocal Adrenaline; just like Kurt transferred to Dalton in his junior year and joined the Warblers, though it wasn’t his main goal. The funny thing is that neither he nor Finn met her in McKinley.
3. Finn is crazy about her, and Kurt has never seen his brother being so serious about someone.

They met completely by accident. Finn, a Pace student, came to The Spotlight Diner with a few of his classmates. Rachel, a waitress there, was filling in for a sick coworker that night.

He asked her out.

She agreed.

A week later, she got the leading part in Funny Girl.

Honestly, when Finn told him the news, Kurt kind of expected her to dump him. No, his brother is amazing, and any girl would be lucky to have him — especially now, when he’s figured out what he wants in life and finally got some confidence — but he knows that ambitious type of girls and Finn may not seem as an ideal partner who will walk behind them on red carpets.

Kurt was wrong.

It’s been two months, and they’re still going strong. Even though he hasn’t met her yet, Rachel got the tickets for both of them at the opening night. 

Kurt has to admit that the girl was literally born to be on stage.

And now, the day after the premiere — yesterday evening Finn attended a dinner with her and her parents to properly meet them — Rachel is throwing a big party at her new place.

It’s the beginning of December and streets are covered with snow and Christmas decorations. Their taxi stops in front of a tall Manhattan building. Kurt and Finn walk to the door, with Finn greeting the concierge with a smile, and stop in front of the elevator.

“I’m so excited that you two will finally meet!” his brother exclaims just as the elevator doors open. They go in, and Finn pushes the needed button.

“Me too.” Kurt nods, taking off his knitted scarf.

“Just be nice,” Finn says. “I didn’t tell her much about you but I think you’ll hit it off.”

“I’m always nice, Finn.” Kurt rolls his eyes. Why do people think that if he works in fashion, he’s not a perfectly pleasant individual?

“Right,” he offers, not sounding entirely convinced, throwing him a glance.

They walk out on the eleventh floor, and Finn knocks at one of the doors.

“Finn!” Rachel gives him a wide smile when she opens. “Finally. Come in.” She steps aside to let them in, closes the door, and turns to Kurt. “You must be Kurt! It’s so nice to meet you!”

“Likewise, Rachel.” He says, smiling at her. “You were absolutely breathtaking yesterday.”

“Oh.” She shrugs with a smile and looks to her side. There is a guy approaching her, and the second Kurt sees his face, his jaw literally drops. “That’s my friend—”

“You, ” Kurt says.

The man’s eyebrows fly up.

“You. ”

“Anderson.”

“Hummel.”

“What are you doing here? ” they ask in unison.

“Do you two know—” Rachel begins, but stops abruptly and turns to Kurt. “Hummel? Are you Kurt Hummel?”

“I am.”

“I know you! You work in Vogue!” She exclaims and points her finger at him. “Spy!”

“Rachel, he isn’t a spy,” Finn interferes. “He’s my brother.”

“You have different last names,” she states like it isn’t obvious. Kurt rolls his eyes.

“Your observance skills are striking,” he says. 

“Hey, watch your tone,” Anderson warns him.

“Mind your own business, Anderson. You still didn’t say what the hell you’re doing here.”

“I invited him,” Rachel says. “He’s my friend. How do you two know each other?”

“You make quite a pair,” Kurt says before Anderson can answer Rachel’s question.

“Kurt!” Finn says. “Everybody, calm down! Let’s just talk. I wanted you two to meet each other, not throw a fight in the middle of the room full of people.”

“It’s a Broadway party, Finn,” Kurt points out. “Someone has to.”

“You haven’t changed a day.” Anderson shakes his head at him. 

“Oh, but you have. Don’t have money for hair gel anymore?”

“Did you two date or something?” Rachel asks, now calmer, raising her eyebrows. 

Anderson and Kurt scowl synchronically at that.

“My god, Rachel, no. He’s not my type—”

“How dare you —”

“We went to the same high school.”

“Wait, you’re that guy?” Finn asks. “I remember you two had that weird competition going on.”

“Oh, yes.” Blaine nods. “And I won.”

“The hell you did!”

“Okay, stop!” Rachel exclaims, throwing her hands up. “People are starting to look our way. Kurt.” She looks at him. “I hope you understand that you can’t write about tonight? I promised no journalists.”

“No offense, but you’re not that big of a star for me to be dying for an exclusive from a party with a bunch of no-name actors.” She looks like she did take offense. So he forces himself to smile and adds, “Yet . And also, I write about fashion.” He looks around the room. “There isn’t actually any material on it here.”

She takes a deep breath.

“Well, I’d say it was nice meeting you, Kurt, but I act only on stage. Finn, come on, I want to introduce you to someone.”

Finn follows her, giving Kurt a look, clearly saying Fix it. 

Kurt sighs, rolling his eyes.

“That was a disaster. Is this seriously your perfect way of meeting your brother’s girlfriend?” Blaine asks and takes a sip from a straw in his drink.

“Believe it or not, my perfect way doesn’t include you, Anderson. And she started it.”

“God, you’re so obnoxious.”

“Go to hell.”

“Gladly.” Blaine turns around and disappears in the crowd.

That’s how Kurt is left alone, huffing with anger.

Rachel did seem a little dramatic and maybe Kurt did cross the line a bit, but that whole interaction was entirely Anderson’s fault — Kurt has always acted differently around him. He just affects him in a way that makes Kurt not think straight. And that’s why their relationship were so difficult at school.

Because Blaine Anderson is an idiot who pisses Kurt off every time he opens his mouth.

He wants to leave right now, go home, call Mercedes, and maybe open a bottle of wine. However, he knows Finn would eat him alive if he did, so he stays but takes two glasses of champagne at once.

“Hi,” a smooth voice next to him says, and Kurt turns. There is a guy around his age, his fair hair is carefully styled, and a smile deserves its own photoshoot. “Are you here all alone?”

Kurt shrugs slightly.

“Entertaining myself at the moment.”

“Can I join?” 

“Why not?” he responds with a small grin.

They sit down on two armchairs near a window. Nate, as the guy introduced himself, leans closer.

“You’re the prettiest person at this lame party.”

Kurt can’t help but chuckle.

“Why, thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”

Nate gives him a sly smile.

“How do you know the host?”

“I don’t know her. I just met her.”

“And what did you think?”

Kurt shrugs.

“No idea yet. How do you know her?”

“We went to NYADA together. Let’s just say she was a pain in everyone’s ass, but favored by Madame Tibideaux right until she decided to drop her education when she got this part.”

Kurt raises his eyebrows.

“Not a very smart move.”

“Yeah, but she thinks that she already knows more than what NYADA education can give her. We’ll see where it leads her.”

Nate seems like he just wants to gossip behind Rachel’s back, even though she clearly invited him here. Kurt would make his conclusion about him, but he’s already finishing his second glass, so he doesn’t really care.

“And do you know Anderson?”

“Blaine? Yeah, he’s cool. We’re in different departments, though. But I know that he and Rachel are really close.”

“Hmm,” Kurt hums thoughtfully and looks at the empty glasses. “I’ll go get more. Do you want something?”

“Red wine, please. But when you get back, tell me about yourself.”

“Deal.”

Kurt goes to the mini bar and pours himself a glass of champagne first and then finds a bottle of wine.

“He’s a dirtbag,” suddenly says Anderson, who appears out of thin air next to him. Kurt gives him a look.

“Did he break your heart or something?”

The man rolls his eyes.

“You have a drinking problem and a bad taste in men.”

Kurt laughs.

“How caring of you.”

“Oh, fuck you, Hummel.”

He goes away. Kurt’s eyes follow him before he disappears in another room.

After this nice interaction, Nate gets annoying, and Kurt has to admit Anderson was right. Alcohol doesn’t help anymore, so he looks for excuses to run away from him.

“I need to find my brother. But it was nice getting to know you,” he says with a polite smile and stands up.

“Wait, you should write down my number.”

Kurt looks at him in disbelief.

“I’ll just get it from Rachel. Bye!” He waves and turns on his heels, immediately walking away.

He does need to start choosing better options for himself.

He finds Finn and Rachel in the kitchen, talking quietly in front of a window. His brother waves his hand when he notices him, and he walks in their direction.

“I’m sorry for being rude,” Kurt says to Rachel as he stops in front of them.

She gives him a smile.

“I’m sorry for calling you a spy. Finn should’ve told me more about what you do.” She throws a glance at her boyfriend. “Or maybe I should have asked more. I have a tendency of talking about myself, don’t I?”

“Um.” Finn swallows. “Am I supposed to answer that?”

Kurt laughs along with Rachel, who gently puts her hand on Finn’s shoulder.

“What’s your story with Blaine?” She then turns to him, and Kurt immediately rolls his eyes.

“There’s no story, he just pisses me off.”

“There has to be a story if you react like that.”

“There’s no story.”

Rachel gives him a pointed look and then raises an eyebrow at her boyfriend, and Kurt’s sure that this time, she will ask Finn.

***

“And then he told me that I have a bad taste in men!” Kurt says into his phone, falling on the couch in his living room. Finn stayed at Rachel’s, so he doesn’t need to worry about the volume of his voice.

Behind his windows, a cold, dark winter night drapes itself over New York. He pulls a warm blanket around himself.

“Isn’t that kind of true, though?” Mercedes asks carefully. “Do you remember the last guy you dated?”

“That’s why I don’t date men who work in fashion anymore.”

“You work—”

“I’m an exception!”

Mercedes laughs quietly.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“About Rachel? I mean, she’s annoying, but Finn loves her, so I guess I should invite her for a coffee sometime.”

“That’s nice. But I wasn’t talking about Rachel.”

“Finn?”

“About that Anderson guy, dummy.”

Kurt clicks his tongue.

“What about him? I don’t care about him.”

“Kurt, you do realize how that sounds, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“You like him.”

“Not this again.”

“You still like him. Ask him out.”

“I don’t like him! I thought we dropped this topic years ago!”

“You dropped it because you chickened out and didn’t talk to him at the graduation.”

“That was your idea, not mine!”

“You should have, Kurt. But that’s okay. Look at it this way: destiny gave you two one more chance.”

Kurt rolls his eyes in such a dramatic way that he wishes she could see him.

“What kind of romantic TV dramas do you watch?”

“Don’t fight destiny, Kurt!”

“Let’s switch the topic, or I’m hanging up on you!”

“But—”

“No!”

“Fine!”

“Okay,” Kurt says, now calmer. “Tell me how is the making of the album going?”

Mercedes talks, and he listens, but some of his thoughts drift away to her previous words.

Kurt used to think he’d never see Anderson again, but here the guy is, being best friends with the girl Finn wants to marry one day.

What kind of hints does the universe throw in his way?

***

The next weekend, Kurt calls Rachel and invites her for a cup of coffee after her rehearsal. They sit down in a little café not far from her theatre and order ice-cream — vanilla and chocolate. 

Rachel, obviously, starts the talk first.

“From what Finn told me about you, I think you and I could've been friends. I even think we would have had McKinney been a different place and we had a glee club.”

“Yeah. I think there could be a chance.” He lies. He’s pretty sure there’s no universe where he’d be close with Rachel Berry.

“Can I ask you something?” she then says, taking a sip of her caramel latte. 

“Sure.”

“Finn also told me… Well, I'm not sure how to say that.”

“Hmm?” Kurt looks up, taking a spoon full of ice-cream. “What?”

“Do you like Blaine?”

He immediately starts coughing.

“Anderson? This is insane. I do not. Did Finn tell you this?”

“Not exactly. You know Finn. He just told me that you two were kind of… obsessed with each other back at school.”

“Not in that way! It was just a healthy competition. Why don’t you ask your bestie about this?”

“I did.” Rachel shrugs.

“Yeah?” Kurt lifts an eyebrow. “And what did he say? Please, don’t tell me he’s in love with me.”

“He isn’t,” Rachel replies. Kurt ignores a sudden sting in the heart. “At least, that’s what he said. His reaction was very similar to yours.”

“Well,” Kurt says, returning his gaze to the ice-cream. “Good.”

Rachel looks at him for a minute before opening her mouth again.

“Anyway, I hope next time you see him, you’ll be nice to each other. You’re not in school anymore.”

Kurt looks up.

“When would I even see him again? I don’t plan on it.”

“December eighteenth. It’s my birthday, and I’m inviting you.”

Kurt blinks.

He doesn’t like Rachel that much. But she’s Finn’s girlfriend and no matter what Kurt thinks of her, his brother seems happy. And he loves his brother because he’s one of only a few people in this life he trusts with his whole heart.

And Kurt knows that if tables were reversed, Finn would be acting very different. 

“Okay. Thank you.” He forces a smile. “I’ll come and I’ll be super nice to Anderson.”

“Great!” Rachel flashes him a smile and with a graceful motion, she flicks a lock of hair off her shoulder. “Now. Will you tell me more about Finn in high school?”

Kurt chuckles.

“Fine. But you’re buying more ice-cream.”

“Deal.”

***

Turns out, Rachel is a big fan of escape rooms, and this is how Kurt finds himself in the middle of a mob heist. He looks at Finn, who's scratching his head with a blank look on his face, Rachel, who proclaimed herself a mafia boss, and Anderson, who's trying very hard to seem smarter than he is, looking for clues, and rolls his eyes. Dream team, no less. 

He's also figured out why Rachel invited him. 

She has no one else besides Finn and Anderson. 

Kurt wants to assume that it speaks something about her as a person, but he's not the one to talk. His only close friend lives in another part of the country, and since coming to New York, he's really got close just with an aspiring singer named Elliot Gilbert, who's now touring the country with an opening act for some hot new rock band. 

So, yes, he and Rachel are not that different. And they both care about Finn. 

Anderson exclaims that he figured out a clue, throwing his arm in the air. Kurt rolls his eyes once again, but tells himself that he should make an effort to make this whole thing work for his brother's sake. He's not planning to see him anymore after today, so it's in his power to tolerate the guy for a few hours. 

“Are you an idiot?” Anderson points his finger at Kurt. “We need to find the key first!”

“We have to figure out what this document means, otherwise there's no point in going to the next room!” Kurt throws his hands in the air. “Moreover, it might tell us where the key is so we don’t have to go through every corner of this room!”

“We've looked at them already, there's nothing to figure out! If you decided that there's a secret code, it doesn't mean it actually exists!”

“The letters on every page—”

“Not the letters again.” He looks up at the ceiling in exasperation. So dramatic. “If you're so smart, do it yourself while I do something actually productive.”

“Fine, I will! You’re no use anyway!”

“We could ask for a hint,” Finn suggests.

“No hints!” he and Anderson yell at the same time. 

Anderson turns away, looking at the bookshelf in front of him. Kurt returns to the papers on the table. From the corner of his eye, he sees Rachel observing the two of them, but he can’t bring himself to care about it at the moment. 

He feels the way he did in high school, waking up every day to beat Anderson in something, and he’s missed it.

Kurt looks back at the text. The letters don’t make sense, they don’t align in any words.

Unless… Unless it’s not in English.

“Rachel, dear,” Kurt drawls out in about a minute. “Wasn’t there an Italian dictionary near you?”

“Yeah,” she says and picks up one of the books from the side table.

“Do me a favor, please, look up the expression La Cosa Nostra . What page is it on?”

He notices Anderson turning to look at him but he ignores him, lazily checking his nails.

“Page 206.”

“Thank you. Finn, type that on the phone, will you?”

His brother follows the instruction, and the next moment, a small, barely noticeable compartment on the side of the retro phone opens up, and a key falls on the table. Finn picks it up, and Kurt takes it, finally turning to look at an astonished Anderson. 

“Mafia originated in Sicily. Too bad you didn’t know that.”

He walks to the door, pushes the key inside the lock, and opens it.

“I know that!” he protests.

“Yeah, yeah.”

1:0

Kurt smirks to himself.

“But you were wrong,” Anderson says, catching up with him. 

“Was I? I think you forgot what we were arguing about.”

“You said that it will tell us what is in the next room. It didn’t.”

“I also said it might help us with the key!”

“Yeah, but you weren’t completely right, were you?” he asks.

Kurt looks at him with a fuming gaze.

“You weren’t right at all, Anderson! If that code wasn’t cracked, there wouldn’t be a way to open the door at all!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure out the rest. I don’t think you have it in you to solve something else.”

“The hell you will! Move.” Kurt pushes him from his way to properly look around the new room.

Anderson figures out how to steal the jewelry. Kurt steps outside after they finished, tying his scarf with irritation.

1:1

“Enough pouting,” Finn tells him, patting him on the back. “It was team work.”

“Was it?” Rachel asks, raising her eyebrow.

Maybe he and Anderson got a little carried away. It’s her birthday, after all.

“Sorry.” He turns to her. “Come on. We’ll act better in the restaurant, I promise.”

He slips his arm around her back, and they walk down the street side by side. Rachel smiles and looks back at Finn and Anderson, who are following them. She leans closer to Kurt, asking in a whisper, “Still no feelings for Blaine?”

Kurt turns his head at her, raising his eyebrows.

“Is that what it’s about? Are you and Finn playing matchmakers? It’s never going to work, Rachel."

“Oh, but we’ll see.”

“It won’t.” He shakes his head.

Rachel smirks and in her expression right now, Kurt sees how she got the main part on Broadway at such a young age. If Rachel Berry wants something, she gets it.

Kurt likes proving people wrong.

Honestly, what is she even thinking about? He’s pretty sure he and Anderson wouldn’t even look good together.

***

“Such lovely couples,” an old woman behind them says while they’re waiting for a table. “I remember when I was younger and my friend and I would go on double dates with our boyfriends.”

Kurt looks at her in shock. Anderson starts to shake his head.

“We’re not— It’s not—”

“Thank you!” Rachel beams, interrupting him. Her friend gives her an irritated look. 

It seems she’s been bothering him with this nonsense, too. 

“You’re on my list, Berry,” Kurt warns her, only half-joking. Rachel winks, just as a waiter approaches and asks them to follow him to their table.

She is kind of exasperating, but Kurt, as much as he’s surprised to realize that, likes her more and more.

Maybe it’s because of her and Finn together. They’re so different — you’d really have to put in some effort to find people who’re in such contrast with each other. But the thing is, they make sense. They barely started dating, but Kurt can already see them together in the future, two old people in a nursing home, looking at each other exactly the same way they are now as they sit down at one side of the table. 

Kurt can only hope he’ll find something like this someday.

“Can you move over a bit? You’re taking all the space,” Anderson says from his left.

“You’re so short, why do you need more space?”

“I hate you.”

Kurt laughs and opens his mouth to respond, but Finn interrupts him.

“You two promised to be nice, so shut up and come up with toasts for Rachel.”

Rachel gives him the most loving smile, which Finn returns. Kurt shares a look with Anderson, but the two stay silent, returning their gazes to their menus. 

Of course, Rachel picked a restaurant with live music. Kurt half-expects her to go up to the stage and demand a microphone — he doesn’t know her that well, but it does seem like something she could do. She stays at her seat, though, happily smiling and holding Finn’s hand, right until it’s him who invites her to dance when the band starts singing Can’t Help Falling in Love. Kurt catches Anderson’s gaze as the couple starts swaying in front of the stage.

“I’m not dancing with you,” he says, and the man lets out a derisive snort.

“Trust me, you’re the last person here that I’d want to dance with.”

“Am I really?” Kurt leans in closer to him and looks around the room. “What about that lovely old lady whose dentures keep falling into her soup?”

Anderson closes his eyes, laughing quietly. Not for the first time in his life, Kurt notices how bright his smile is, even the smallest one — it takes up his whole face, whole body even, and for a second, Kurt wants to disappear inside those lips.

“Still yes. I like her style. Have you seen her shoes?”

“I’m dressed better.” Kurt winks. It’s definitely champagne that makes him talk like this, not the fact that Anderson looks very cute right now, with his cheeks slightly rose and his posture relaxed.

“Well, no one can compete with you in that.” Anderson nods, and Kurt has to hide his giggle with his hand.

Finn and Rachel return as the song ends, and the four of them raise their glasses once again to wish Rachel a happy birthday.

“Oh, and we have to talk about Christmas,” she says after making a small sip.

“What about Christmas?” Anderson asks her.

“How we’re going to celebrate, of course!”

“Excuse me, we?” Kurt raises an eyebrow. “Since when are we celebrating Christmas together?”

“Well, Kurt, our parents are on vacation,” Finn speaks up, and it’s true, they got a trip to Costa Rica for next to nothing, so the two of them are staying in New York this year.

“And my schedule is too busy to spend proper time with my dads, so I promised to visit them next month. And Blaine’s parents work on Christmas.”

Kurt turns to him.

“Your parents work on Christmas?”

He shrugs.

“They always have. They travel a lot.”

“But you always went home for Christmas at school.”

“I didn’t go home, actually. I went to my brother in LA. But this year, he has a gig and will be busy.”

“Well,” Kurt says, looking down at the liquid in his glass. “That’s sad.”

“Spare me your pity, Hummel.”

“Whatever.” Kurt rolls his eyes. This guy is impossible.

“So, that’s settled then,” Rachel announces. “We’ll celebrate together. We can order something in and just have a nice quiet dinner.”

“No need, Kurt can cook something,” Finn suddenly says.

“Me?” Kurt raises his eyebrows at him.

“You’re the only one who can properly cook here,” he explains and looks at Rachel and Anderson. “And you have to try his cooking, it’s amazing.” He notices Kurt’s look and quickly adds, “I can help you, of course!”

“No.” He shakes his head. “No offense, but you will only be in the way.” He sighs, as if accepting his defeat. “Fine. Our place then.”

***

On Christmas, he wakes up at half past seven. Finn stayed at Rachel’s, so it’s quiet in the apartment. He wishes he could lounge in bed longer, tucked under the warm covers, but there’s a lot to be done, and when Kurt does something he does it properly. So, he gets up, yawning into his hand and feeling some sort of buzz inside. Maybe it’s the Christmas magic.

He takes a long shower, washing his hair with his favorite shampoo that smells like peppermint and lavender. Kurt inhales the scent, and suddenly his mind goes to Anderson. He wears a woody cologne. It isn’t harsh or strong but rather soft, magnetic, and strangely fitting, as if the scent and he were one. It suits his eyes, those deep amber eyes that Kurt had to learn how to breathe steadily around when they were younger. 

His hand slides down his head, crawls to the lower part of his body, and even though Kurt really tries to stop his mind from craving it, he touches his cock, immediately biting his lip. His lips are so close to whispering, even screaming the name, that he has to close his eyes to focus. 

Is that all it takes? Two meetings and Kurt’s here, thinking of him every day since.

He tried so hard at Dalton. He came — ran even — there with a look of a beaten dog after Karofsky kissed him and then threatened to kill him. He had no one besides his father, who started to work twice as much to pay for the new school. And when Kurt met Blaine — back then, in their first meeting, he was just Blaine, a boy who was nice to him on his first day — he felt even smaller. Blaine was the star of the school, the lead singer in the Warblers, his family was rich, one of the richest in Ohio, and his brother was in show business. 

Blaine had everything and Kurt had nothing, and he was not going to lose to him like he did to all of those bullies back in McKinley.

Blaine wasn’t a bully, he was kind and bright like the sun. But he had to just open his mouth to get anything he wanted, and that was the kind of people Kurt had always hated. He had to be better than him, he had to show Anderson and all the people like him, that Kurt Hummel can achieve everything on his own. He had to make his father proud, and befriending someone like Blaine Anderson wasn’t going to help him accomplish that. That was what Burt Hummel had taught him once. There would always be people who have more, but that doesn’t mean you’re less. 

Kurt made it his goal to knock Anderson off his throne.

Anderson didn’t turn out to be that nice simple guy everyone thought he was. When he noticed Kurt’s attempts to overshine him, they became each other’s rivals till the very day they got their diplomas.

With Anderson in general having two more solos than him.

With Kurt becoming a valedictorian. 

With Anderson getting into NYADA.

Kurt didn’t and that made him loathe him even more. But he still went to New York with Finn — who by then already came into his life after their parents bumped into each other in a grocery shop and got married a year later — planning to try once again, but by some chance, he got an internship in Vogue, started working under Isabelle Wright, and decided to stay there.

He had no regrets. It’s okay to change your dreams. 

He got into Columbia with a scholarship and bought his father and Carol a new car.

He rents an apartment with Finn and sees him as his real brother.

He was promoted and will graduate from the university with honors.

He’s saving up to buy an apartment in the Lower East Side. 

All of this was possible because he wasn’t afraid to compete. 

And now he’s back into his life.

Anderson.

And Kurt suddenly realizes that he’s falling deep. Or maybe he isn’t even falling, maybe he’s just finally opening his eyes wide enough to see — he liked him from the very first second they met and no matter how deep he managed to bury those feelings, they’re still there, still pretty much existent, no matter the time and the mutual hatred they shared.

His breath catches suddenly, and he comes with a quiet groan, leaning his forehead against the cold ceramic, trying to steady himself.

This day’s barely even started but is already shaping up to be a clusterfuck.

He lets the hot water fall on his body. The buzz inside is still there, and it suddenly becomes very clear — it’s not because it’s Christmas or even because Kurt is twenty-three years old and he’s horny, it’s simply because he’ll see Anderson tonight.

So that’s probably what his life is now.

Excited to see the guy he hated for two years straight. 

The kitchen smells like gingerbread cookies that are baking in the oven while Kurt is putting roast potatoes and chicken on the table. Rachel’s vegan pudding and mushroom risotto are already there together with tableware and cinnamon candles. Christmas songs are playing from the laptop he put on one of the chairs, and he barely hears someone ring the doorbell.

“Anderson,” Kurt says instead of greeting when he gets to the door. The man’s cheeks and the tip of his nose are red from the frosty air outside. He’s wearing a 90s style dark yellow down puffer jacket and a black knitted scarf. He’s holding boxes in Christmas wrapping. There are snowflakes on his hair and eyelashes.

Kurt’s heart skips a bit. 

Anderson looks stupidly adorable, and all he wants to do is taste his cold lips. 

“Am I the first one to arrive?” 

“Sadly, yes. But come in.” Kurt steps away and closes the door behind him, immediately wrapped in the scent of his perfume. He closes his eyes for a moment to inhale it deeply before turning to him. 

“Where are Finn and Rachel?” Anderson asks.

“The lovebirds are obviously late.” Kurt rolls his eyes and looks down at the presents in his arms. They each prepared something for each other. Even the two of them. “I want my gift. What did you bring me, Anderson? So cute.”

“Shut up, and you’re not getting it now.” He puts the boxes on the shelf and looks around, starting to unbutton his jacket. “Your place is nice.”

“You’re boring.” Kurt sighs. “But thanks. Put the jacket on the hanger shelf, and you can put the gifts under the tree in the living room over there.” He points to the door on his right. “But no peeking in mine since you’re not showing me yours! I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Jesus, you’re so bossy.” Anderson replies as Kurt walks back to his cooking place, smiling to himself.

He catches his reflection in the toaster, and his smile falters. 

He’s ridiculous. 

He’s acting silly, smiling to himself like an idiot.

It’s Anderson, not Taylor Lautner. There is no need to be this giddy.

As he told Rachel, Mercedes, and Finn, it’s never going to happen. 

Never.

“How can I help?” Anderson suddenly appears next to him, rolling the sleeves of his red sweater. White Christmas starts to play from his laptop.

“Um.” Kurt blinks, trying not to look at his bare arms. What is wrong with him, seriously? “Everything’s almost done. Only sauce is left.”

“Fine. Boss me around.”

Kurt looks at him.

“Just like that?”

“I want to help and I know you want to do that.”

Kurt starts grinning.

“You have no idea.” He walks over to the refrigerator and gets the ingredients. “Here. Wash these first.”

“Okay.” Anderson nods and goes to the sink. Kurt’s gaze falls on his ass in tight black jeans for a second, and he mentally slaps himself in the face.

No.

Not him.

Then why weren’t you truly interested in anyone else?, a treacherous voice in his head asks, and Kurt realizes that it’s true. Anderson’s the only guy who’s ever made Kurt feel butterflies. Even if he kind of wanted to punch him at the same time.

Fuck.

“What’s next?” Anderson asks, looking at him with his amber eyes that make him look like an innocent baby deer. His dark curls fall on his forehead. 

Why did he only become cuter? That’s so unfair!

Kurt clears his throat. 

“Put it in the food processor,” he says, walking closer. He takes out the said appliance from the drawer and puts it on the counter. When Kurt reaches for the outlet, brushing against Anderson a little, the other man takes a sharp breath, and Kurt has to stop himself from lingering here like this, their bodies so close to each other.

Maybe he’s not the only one being affected by this.

Their eyes meet, and Kurt can’t bring himself to look away.

Until there’s a click as the door lock turns.

“We’re here!” Finn yells from the hall.

“Oh, I see Blaine’s already here.” They hear Rachel say.

Anderson looks down at the counter, and Kurt takes a step back.

Saved by the bell.

“Me first!” Rachel screams after two glasses of champagne when they decide to look at the presents.

The three of them share a look, chuckling. 

Rachel opens the one from Finn first. Kurt knows exactly what is in there — he helped his brother pick. Rachel carefully takes out a gold necklace with a little star and her mouth slightly opens. 

“Finn, baby, this is so beautiful,” she says, looking at her boyfriend. “Thank you. Help me put it on, please?” 

Finn quickly gets up from the chair he was sitting in. She gives him a smile and the necklace, turning around. Finn carefully puts her hair away and locks it behind her neck. Rachel turns back, gets on her tiptoes, and kisses him. 

“Okay.” Anderson clears his throat when they don't break apart after half a minute. “Guys.”

“Why are straight people always like this?” Kurt mutters and hears Anderson chuckle. 

“Rachel, if you don’t open mine right now, I’m taking it away,” he warns, and she immediately takes a step back from her boyfriend.

“Fine!” She turns back to the tree and picks up the present from her best friend. “The original poster from the Funny Girl premiere!” Rachel exclaims after opening it and taking out a carefully rolled piece of paper.

“Straight from 1968.” Anderson nods. “Look at the bottom.”

Rachel’s eyes fall down and the next second, she yells.

Finn almost falls off the chair. Kurt blinks. Anderson looks very satisfied.

“What’s there?” Finn asks carefully.

“It’s her signature! Barbra’s!”

“Shut up!” Kurt exclaims and gets up to look closer.

“Yes!” Rachel lets him take the poster and runs to Anderson. “Thank you, Blaine, you’re the best!”

Kurt notices Finn smiling at them. 

“Just don’t start kissing me,” Anderson jokes.

“You wish!” she responds giddily. “Now yours, Kurt!”

“Yeah, I think I won’t top the first two,” he says, sitting back down on the couch.

“You won’t.” Anderson smiles sarcastically at him, and Kurt gives him the finger.

“AVogue photoshoot?” Rachel asks with an open mouth after opening it. “That’s not all,” he says, adjusting his hair. She takes out another piece of paper.

“A permission to take ten pieces of clothes for free from theVogue old collections from Isabelle Wright?” she reads and looks up at him. “Oh my god, Kurt!”

“Yeah, yeah.” He shrugs and the next second, he becomes the object of her affection as she starts hugging him and squeaking in his ear. “Best Christmas ever!”

She finally lets him go and sits down next to Finn, beaming. 

They continue.

Finn gets a smartwatch from Rachel, a U2 vinyl record with his favorite album from Anderson, and a new scarf from his brother. Anderson takes out some Star Wars action figure from Rachel’s gift and a comic book from Finn’s before getting to a box that is from Kurt.

“You’re a geek,” Kurt has to comment after seeing those. Anderson ignores that.

“And you got me…” he says, opening it. “A T-Shirt?”

“Look at it.”

Anderson unfolds it and starts laughing.

“Teenage dream?”

“You were always singing that damn song. And there’s something else at the bottom.” Anderson takes out a pair of pink sunglasses and laughs even harder. 

“Oh my god, I’m getting flashbacks.”

“You should. That really was the most embarrassing moment of your life.”

“What?” Rachel asks, intrigued.

“Anderson liked a boy. That went insane.”

“Come on! Don’t tell them.”

“You know I will and you can’t stop me. So he—” Kurt doesn’t get a chance to finish because Anderson jumps near him on the couch and puts a hand over his mouth.

Kurt tries to kick him off but only falls back himself, straight on his chest. Anderson’s strong, but he finally manages to get his hand off, holding both his arms steadily on his own stomach.

“He made the Warblers sing When I get you alone at Gap because he liked a manager there but that got the guy fired and he dumped him!” he says in one breath and Anderson groans behind him. “I’m pretty sure I can still find a video of that on YouTube. Everyone was filming.”

“I hate you,” Anderson says, letting him go. For a moment, Kurt wishes he stayed.

“I’m begging you to let us watch the video after this,” Rachel pleads.

Anderson rolls his eyes, clicking his tongue.

“Fine.”

“And this is my real Christmas present,” Kurt says, completely satisfied.

“Humiliating me?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re the worst, Hummel.”

“Ha! Now let’s see what you got me.”

Kurt gets up and goes to the last three presents that belong to him. As he said, he opens the one from Anderson first. There is a small canary pin.

“You’ve always loved wearing those.” Anderson shrugs.

“Pavarotti,” Kurt says, still staring at it.

“I remember you were sad about him.”

“I really was.”

“And that’s how you snatched your first solo from me.”

Kurt starts grinning.

“And I was so much better than you would have been.”

Anderson scoffs, looking away.

“Whatever, Hummel.”

“Thank you, Anderson. It’s really beautiful.”

Kurt opens the gift from Rachel and gasps.

“Is it…”

“The real Galinda’s wand that was still being used on stage only last week, why, yes, my friend, it is.”

“Don’t tell me you stole it.”

“Relax, I just pulled some strings. And made someone else steal it for me.”

Kurt turns to Finn.

“You chose well.”

He hugs Rachel tight.

Finn got him a new thermos in his favorite color because his previous one recently broke. Kurt puts his arms around his brother and tells him that he loves him.

***

As Rachel told him, every year Anderson throws a big New Year's Eve party at his place in the Upper-West Side (which, obviously, was gifted to him by his parents). Kurt wanted to try to back down from it, but then he realized that, a) he doesn’t have any other plans and his parents are still in Costa Rica, and, b) he wanted to see Anderson again.

At least he’s being honest with himself.

So he puts on his best burgundy shirt and joins Rachel and Finn on the cold last day of this year. 

“Hi!” Anderson exclaims as he opens the door for them. He's wearing the pink sunglasses, and Kurt's lips curve into a smile. “Come on in.”

“Glad to see you're embracing the past,” Kurt tells him as they enter. 

Anderson chuckles. 

“Shut up.”

The apartment is, well, gigantic. 

It has two levels, a huge living room with a tall fluffy Christmas tree, and already accommodates about thirty people. 

“How can you even know this many people?” Kurt asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“People tend to like me.”

“Do they?”

“You'd be surprised.” He winks and points to his left. “The bar is over there. I mean, you were probably wondering.”

“Asshole.”

“Right back at you. Sorry, I need to go and greet some people who are much nicer than you.”

Kurt rolls his eyes as the man disappears in the crowd and walks in the said direction. Of course, he sees a bartender near a mini bar. He asks for a martini and looks around. 

Soon, more people come. Anderson runs around, talking to everybody, laughing and making photos. Kurt feels his muscles tense as some of the men hug him a little too long or let their hands wander a little too down. 

Rachel eventually gives him a knowing look.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing. Just let me tell you, it feels good to be right.”

“Right about what?”

“You know. You. Blaine.”

“What are you talking about, woman?”

“So you weren’t just gazing at him with a longing look on your face?”

“What? I wasn’t!”

“Sure.”

“I wasn’t!”

“It’s okay, Kurt. Let me help you.” She smiles like an insane person who pretends to be sane and stands on her tiptoes to see her friend somewhere in the distance. “Hey, Blaine!”

“Berry, what are you doing?” he asks in worry.

“Yeah?” Anderson comes up to them, the sunglasses at the top of his head.

“Who are you kissing at midnight?”

“Um.” He blinks. “No one?”

“Well, you should kiss Kurt then.”

Kurt looks at her with an open mouth and then turns to Anderson. He suddenly sees it in his face that he’s not going to say no. 

“You could have just asked me yourself, Hummel.”

“Literally my worst nightmare.”

“Guys!” Rachel stops their escalating bickering. “Everybody will be kissing. Finn and I will, too. Doesn’t it make sense for you two to do it?”

“Finn and you are always kissing, Rachel,” Anderson points out.

“That’s not what we were talking about.”

“You were talking about,” Kurt reminds her.

“That was just an idea!”

“Oh my god, fine!” Anderson exclaims. “Fine, I’ll kiss Hummel!”

“Don’t make it sound like it’s you who’s making me a favor, it’s me who’s letting you!”

“You’re so full of yourself—”

“Just get a room already!” Finn says in a loud voice, suddenly appearing next to Rachel. Kurt raises his eyebrows — Finn is usually very quiet. 

“Excuse me?” Anderson asks in a clearly surprised voice.

“This prelude of yours is getting kind of annoying.”

“What—” Kurt starts.

“It’s not—” Blaine begins to say and stops abruptly, as if not having words to continue. Finn rolls his eyes, and in that gesture, Kurt is reminded that even though they share no blood, there are many similarities between them. “You know what? I have to go talk to some people.” He turns to Kurt. “See you at midnight, Hummel.”

With that, he turns on his heels and walks away. Kurt looks at his brother and his girlfriend.

“What was that?”

“I was listening to you talking about him for two years straight when we were at school. I can’t listen to it again now. You’re both adults, so act like one! You like the guy. Just go do something about it.”

“I don’t like Anderson!”

“Kurt—”

“Whatever. I’ll talk to you two next year.”

He goes to the bar. The clock on the wall shows that it’s already a quarter to twelve.

He’s not sure why he can’t just admit it out loud. 

Finn has a point. Kurt likes Anderson and it seems to be mutual. Maybe they really should do something about it.

And they will, he remembers suddenly.

In about thirteen minutes.

He asks for a non-alcoholic drink with berries and lime juice.

Twelve minutes.

He catches some guy staring at him and looks away, trying to find Anderson with his eyes. What if they don’t see each other before midnight? Will he go and kiss someone else? Or will he be looking for Kurt?

Eleven minutes.

It’s stupid. All of this is stupid. It’s Anderson. If it was meant to be, something would have happened when they were still at Dalton.

Ten minutes.

But don’t they say that some things take time?

Nine minutes.

The bartender puts a glass in front of him. Kurt sips from a pink straw. 

Eight minutes, seven minutes, six minutes, five minutes.

He finishes the drink, stands up from the chair he was sitting on, and goes to the living room.

Four minutes.

Kurt doesn’t see Anderson anywhere. 

“Here you are,” a voice behind him says, and Kurt immediately feels calm. He turns and yes, here he is. Anderson is standing in front of him, enveloping Kurt in his fragrance. His sunglasses are gone.

“Hi.” Kurt says, almost smiling.

“Why are you being nice?” Anderson raises an eyebrow.

“I just said “hi”!”

“Yeah, and that’s weird.”

“You’re weird. You’re about to kiss me, isn’t that what’s weird?”

“You being polite to me is the weirdest thing in the world.”

“You’re so dramatic, Anderson. And I’m a nice person!”

“You literally aren’t.”

“I’m basically an angel.”

“Only in looks, Hummel.”

Kurt blinks.

“What?”

Anderson blinks.

“What?”

“Did you just say I’m pretty, Anderson?”

“Literally never said those words.”

Kurt starts to grin.

“Adorable.”

“Ten!” people around them start screaming, and they turn their heads to the big screen where the ball is about to drop on Times Square. “Nine! Eight! Seven!”

“You can still run away,” Anderson tells him.

“Six!”

Kurt turns his head back at him.

“Why would I?”

“Five!”

“You want to kiss me, don’t you?”

“Four!”

“Shut up.” Kurt rolls his eyes. “I hate you.”

“Three!”

Their eyes meet.

“Two!” The voices get louder. Everyone’s buzzing because it’s the New Year, but Kurt’s whole inside is shaking because he’s about to make out with his nemesis. 

“One! Happy New Year!”

They’re still looking, each daring another to make the first move.

“Just come here, asshole,” Anderson finally says, grips him by the shirt, and clashes their lips together.

Kurt thought he was prepared, but who can possibly be prepared for a feeling like this blowing up inside your chest?

He doesn’t even notice the moment his hands move to Anderson’s head — one to hide in his curls and another to lay on the back of his neck. Anderson’t arms slide up to his shoulders and he tilts his head, sucking Kurt’s bottom lip into his mouth. Kurt moans quietly.

He doesn’t care about the fact that it’s New Year or that there is a bunch of people around them. The world can end right now and this first minute of January can be the last there ever is, but Kurt still wouldn’t stop this.

Not when it makes the most sense there’s ever been in his life.

His lungs start to scream just as Anderson swirls his tongue around his and Kurt wants to fall somewhere deep but just still be around his arms, his smell, his body.

Kurt has never wanted to marry and fuck someone at the same moment that much.

They break away when there’s no more air, and Kurt opens his eyes to meet the glistening hazel ones.

“Happy New Year, Hummel,” he says in a hoarse voice. 

Kurt's whole body itches to bring his face back. 

“Happy New Year, Anderson.”

Everyone around them is now getting quieter, but the party starts with a new force. Some girls bump into them and start screaming when they see Anderson, immediately drugging him away.

Kurt looks at him disappear in a happy, wild crowd and closes his eyes for a second.

He’s fucked.

***

In the span of two hours, he calls his father to wish him and Carol a happy New Year two hours before they celebrate it in Costa Rica, drinks three more glasses of champagne, ignores Rachel and Finn who try to talk to him, shakes his head when some guy asks for his number, dances with a bunch of NYU girls, and eventually thinks about going home.

But he knows that if he does, that will seem like he’s running away from Anderson because he promised Rachel he would stay here overnight to help clean up. 

Damn that Berry woman. She’s going to be the death of him. 

Some people already fall asleep on the couch or near the walls. He’s got drunker and it’s getting hotter, so he doesn’t come up with a better idea but to walk out to the balcony. At least it’s quieter and completely empty — mostly because it’s winter and it’s nighttime, so people tend to stay inside, especially if they’re wearing just a shirt and light pants.

He puts his hands on the railing, closing his eyes for a moment, and takes a deep breath. Cold air slowly takes away his inebriation and a swirl of thoughts that contain a certain dark curly head. Below him, the city that never sleeps is having the time of its life with people walking around in shiny clothes, yelling, laughing, and dancing.

He hears the door behind him open and turns his head.

His stupid heart immediately betrays him and flatters, ready to jump right into Anderson’s hands.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Why?”

“You’re here.”

“So?”

“Hummel, it’s freezing. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Why do you care?”

Anderson rolls his eyes.

“It’s impossible to have a normal conversation with you.”

Kurt shrugs. Anderson sighs and picks up a blanket from one of the chairs here. Kurt didn’t even look that way when he came in.

“I just needed to clear my head,” Kurt says as Anderson approaches him and puts a blanket on his shoulders. “And it’s hot in there.”

“They’re slowly starting to leave.”

Kurt nods and looks at him carefully.

“You’ll get cold now, too.”

“I’ll go.”

“Why?”

He blinks at him.

“Stay,” Kurt says and puts a part of the blanket on him.

Anderson looks surprised but doesn’t move, standing close to Kurt’s body.

“Are you very drunk right now?”

“Not really. Why?”

“You’re acting weird again.”

“Am I really?”

Anderson sighs and looks down on the street. Kurt is observing his face.

If he’s not very drunk, it doesn’t mean he isn’t at all .

“I actually like your hair like this.”

Anderson returns his gaze at him.

“What?”

“You looked cute with hair gel but this way is so you. It suits you. And it’s hot.”

He looks at him for some time in silence.

“You think I’m hot?” he finally asks.

“I said that your hair is hot.”

“So my hair is hot but I’m not?”

“You might be.”

Anderson chuckles, looking away.

“I’ve always thought you were hot,” he quietly says after some time.

“You have?”

Their eyes meet.

“Don’t play stupid, Kurt,” he says, and it does some things to Kurt to hear his first name from these lips. 

“I don’t.”

“Oh, but you do. You want the truth?” Kurt nods. “I’ve always thought you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

Kurt inhales slowly.

“Fuck, Anderson,” he breathes out. 

“What?”

Instead of an answer, Kurt leans in and kisses him hard.

It doesn’t come as a shock that he immediately returns it — no surprise, no hesitation, just his warm lips on his and his tongue down Kurt’s throat.

Kurt loops his arms around his shoulders, keeping the blanket on their bodies. When he draws away a little bit to take a breath, Anderson’s lips slide down as he starts kissing his chin and then his neck. Kurt throws his head back to give him more space and moans quietly when he feels his hands move to his lower back and then squeeze his ass.

“Maybe we should stop,” Anderson whispers into his skin.

“You think?” Kurt breathes out, his eyes closed.

“Not the right place, and my legs are starting to freeze.”

“Damn it,” he curses and hears Anderson laugh. He lifts his head and Kurt opens his eyes, immediately meeting his gaze.

“Let’s go back inside. I’ll make you tea.”

“You’ll make me tea?” Kurt blinks in surprise.

“You’re cold,” he replies simply, gently touching his cheek.

“Okay,” he agrees because what else is he supposed to do when a guy he has a crush on wants to make him tea after a make-out session?

He follows him inside, the blanket still on his shoulders.

By some miracle, they don’t bump into Rachel and Finn — Kurt has a mid thought that they already found a quiet place for themselves to be alone — and walk into the kitchen, which was closed for the others. It’s big like the rest of the apartment but very cozy with a wide window, a small sofa, and many different plants. 

Anderson locks the door behind them and goes to put water into the kettle. 

“I have Earl Grey.”

“That’s my favorite.”

“I know.”

Kurt watches him silently. Anderson soon sits down beside him — but not too close, and Kurt is longing to break this little distance — and gives him a steaming cup.

“Thank you,” he says quietly.

“You’re welcome.”

Anderson takes a careful sip. Kurt just keeps looking down at his liquid — it’s too hot for him to drink yet.

“So, Rachel put us up to this.”

“The first time — yes.” Kurt nods and tilts his head at him. “The second — no. Or did she?”

“No, I haven’t seen her since midnight. I think I should be afraid she’s showing Finn my bedroom.”

Kurt chuckles. 

“Why did she keep bugging me about you? You’re her friend.”

“Because she kept bugging me until I finally admitted I liked you when we were at school.”

“You did?”

“Of course, I did. I wanted to destroy you, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t think you were hot.”

“Cute.” Kurt makes a face at him and then looks down at the cup. He wraps his fingers around it and takes a deep breath. “Maybe I liked you a little bit, too. Do you remember that one time the Warblers played Spin the Bottle? I really wished it would point on you.”

“Me too,” Anderson admits quietly. “But it didn’t.”

“It didn’t.” Kurt nods. “You kissed Sebastian.”

He raises an eyebrow at him.

“Hummel, is that jealousy in your voice?”

“No.” Kurt rolls his eyes and gives him a look when the man starts grinning. “Shut up. And didn’t you like him?”

“Sebastian?” he asks in a surprised voice. “Why would I?”

“Well, he liked you.”

“I know.”

“You do? And you didn’t like him back?”

“He told me and no, I didn’t. I said that I wasn’t interested.”

“Wait.” Kurt puts the cup on the table and turns to look at him. “Is that why he came to talk to me?”

“He did what?”

“He told me once that I should stop playing with you and put my head out of my ass. I had no idea what he meant then.”

“Oh.”

“Anderson, did you reject him because of me?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” He tries to look away, but Kurt takes his chin into his hand to make their eyes meet. Then he brings his face closer and kisses him. 

They stay like this, sitting in the kitchen, now in each other’s arms, till four in the morning. They talk — about Dalton, about where they’re now in life, New York, their parents, Finn, and Rachel — and then they kiss, for a long time, gasping for air in the end.

“It’s time to send everyone home,” Anderson, Blaine , says eventually. “You’ll stay, right?”

“Anderson, are you trying to get me into your bed?”

“Maybe I am. Would that be okay?”

Kurt smiles.

“More than okay.”

Blaine leaves a kiss on his cheek and gets up, offering him his hand. Kurt takes it easily and stands up, too. They walk back to the living room, letting their hands go the moment they see Finn and Rachel.

“I’ll go talk to them,” Kurt says, and Blaine nods. 

He decides that the best defense is a good offense, so he opens his mouth the moment he stops in front of them.

“Where have you two been?”

“What?” Finn asks.

“We were here!” Rachel exclaims.

“No, you weren’t.”

“We were upstairs,” Finn says. Rachel gives him a look.

“Doing what?” Kurt smirks. “Did you defile Anderson’s bedroom?”

“Kurt!” Finn winces.

“Where is Blaine?”

“Why would I know?”

“We haven’t seen both of you in a while and we came back down almost two hours ago.”

“So?”

Rachel narrows her eyes at him.

“We saw you two kiss.”

“You made us do that!”

“Yeah, and for the forced party, you seemed to awfully enjoy the process.”

“Berry, don’t be ridiculous.”

“But—”

“Hey, guys.” Blaine stops near Rachel, and she turns to look at him.

“Where were you?”

“I was here. Where were you?”

She blinks.

“It doesn’t matter. I think it’s time to send everyone home.”

“Just did.” Blaine nods, pointedly not looking at Kurt. He tries not to smile because of that. “They will be gone soon.”

“Great. I’m going to go take a shower.”

“And I’ll start cleaning up,” Finn says.

“I’ll help you,” Kurt tells him.

“I’ll go make sure everyone leaves and join you,” Blaine says.

As Rachel and Finn walk away, Kurt shares a smile with Blaine, lingering next to each other for just a second, and then go in the different directions.

***

Kurt takes a shower after Rachel, and Blaine lends him his T-Shirt and sports pants that are just a bit too short for him. He, Rachel, and Blaine finish collecting bottles and glasses while Finn is in the bathroom. He comes back, wearing a fluffy green robe because, clearly, nothing in Blaine’s closet would fit him. 

“We’re going to turn in,” Rachel says, taking his hand, after Blaine goes to the shower and they finish up with the cleaning. Kurt’s already learned that there is a guest room. “Will you be fine here on the couch?”

“Are you inviting me to join you two in the bed?”

“You can always join Blaine.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“Go to sleep, Berry,” he says. “Finn, take her away.”

They say goodnight to each other. Blaine soon walks out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel on his thighs. Kurt’s mouth slowly opens.

“Where are Finn and Rachel?” the man asks.

“Went to sleep,” he replies, slowly approaching him. “You decided not to wear anything at all?”

“I figured why bother.”

Kurt grins.

“Good thinking, Anderson.” He takes his hand and leads him to the staircase. “Show me your bedroom.”

They run up the stairs and Blaine opens the first door on the left. Kurt closes it after himself. It’s early morning, but it’s still dark outside, so Blaine takes a small remote, turns on dim lights on the ceiling, and looks at Kurt. 

“Finn and Rachel are in the room in front of this one,” he says. “You’ll have to be quiet.”

“Me?” Kurt bats his eyelashes at him. “Okay, darling.”

And with that, he pushes Blaine into the wall, yanks the towel off him, and falls on his knees.

“Oh, god,” Blaine mutters as Kurt meets his gaze and takes his already hard cock into his mouth. Blaine’s eyes fall shut, and he throws his head back, moaning.

“You said something about being quiet, Anderson?” Kurt asks innocently and drags his tongue across the flesh.

“You absolute bastard, Jesus Christ.”

Kurt smirks and takes him in again, reaching all the way to his abdomen. Blaine’s hand lands on his shoulder and then slides up to his head, gripping his hair. Kurt moves, gently scraping his teeth. He puts his fingers around his cock and touches his balls with another hand. Blaine whimpers and bites his lips hard. Kurt swirls the head with his tongue and draws back a little, tracing his own lips with his dick. 

“You look flustered,” he says in a hoarse voice. 

“I hate you,” Blaine breathes out, looking down. 

“Do you really?” 

Kurt gets up on his feet, takes his hand, and leads him to the bed. 

“A bit, yes. You drive me insane every time you open your mouth. And from now on, I don’t mean you just talking.”

Kurt grins and falls down on the soft mattress, spreading his legs, as Blaine gets on top of him. 

“And what are you going to do to me for it?” He gives him a playful eyebrow arch.

“Oh my god,” Blaine groans as Kurt lifts his thighs and presses himself against him. “Take this off right now.”

Blaine helps him get rid of the T-Shirt and sends it flying somewhere, immediately pressing his lips to his collarbone. Kurt barely notices the moment his teeth find a place on his neck and suck in the skin, unquestionably leaving a dark mark.

Blaine’s hands move to his thighs and start to pull the pants down. Kurt pushes his lower body up and Blaine draws back to take them completely off and throw somewhere on the floor.

Obviously, Kurt didn’t bother to wear underwear.

“Wait,” Blaine mumbles, reaching for the bedside table. He takes out a pack of condoms and a bottle of lube. “You sure?”

“Fucking get to it,” Kurt responds, glaring at him. Blaine gets lubricant on his fingers and carefully circles one around his hole before slowly putting it inside. Kurt gasps for air and widens his legs more. Soon, he adds another, moving inside Kurt’s body, before he quietly asks for more, and Blaine puts in the third one. “Come on. I’m ready.”

“Are you—”

“Please.”

Blaine’s worrying is endearing, but Kurt is as horny as he’s ever been in his life.

Blaine puts on a condom and slowly starts entering him. Kurt moans, gripping the sheets, and Blaine’s hand falls on his mouth. He keeps moving until he’s completely buried in Kurt’s body.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asks, carefully brushing his fingers against his cheek. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

Kurt takes a few deep breaths and nods.

Blaine puts his hand back on his mouth, slowly pushes out, and then thrusts in again. Kurt groans into his hand, biting the skin. He knows he has to be quiet — if his brother hears him, Kurt will never live through the embarrassment — but it’s almost impossible at the moment when his head feels dizzy and Blaine reaches the exact angle that makes Kurt want to shout. He throws his head back, breathing deep, just as Blaine pushes in to the hilt and then moves back. Kurt’s hands slide to his own leaking cock but Blaine catches them with his free arm.

“Wait.”

“Please,” he says.

“I’m close.”

“Please.”

Blaine comes, throwing his head back. Kurt opens his eyes to look at him — he seems magnificent at this moment, completely blissed out, biting his reddened lips, wet curls falling on his forehead, and eyes rolled back. Kurt keeps moving on his cock, needing friction because if he doesn’t come right now, he feels he might just pass out.

“I need to—”

“I know,” Blaine says quietly and slides out of his body. He takes off the condom, throwing it on the floor, and moves back a little — just enough to lean in and put his mouth on Kurt’s dick.

“Fuck.”

It doesn’t take long for Kurt to reach the edge, shaking under Blaine’s touch. He raises his head to look at Blaine.

“I-”

“Do it, sweetheart. Come into my mouth.”

Kurt moans quietly, falling back on the pillows, and spurts. 

“Blaine,” he breathes out, arching his back.

Blaine licks every last drop and looks up at him. Kurt meets his gaze.

“Are you alright?” the man asks.

“Come here,” he says and Blaine immediately does, lying on the pillow beside him, and Kurt kisses his wet lips.

“What time is it?” he asks after a few minutes.

“Around six, I think.”

“Wild start of the year.”

“Good wild?”

Kurt smiles.

“The best.”

“Let’s sleep, please. I can barely keep my eyes open anymore.”

“Yeah.”

Blaine covers them with a blanket and puts his head on Kurt’s shoulder. Kurt leaves a kiss on his curls and the next second, he’s asleep.

***

The first thing Kurt notices when he opens his eyes is that Blaine is gone. The memories from last night start flashing in his mind — the first kiss, the talk, the sex, the way he felt every second he was near him. It took literal years for them to get to this one night, but he already knows that there’s no way out.

He fell hard and deep and he doesn’t want this to ever end.

Kurt may not seem like it, but in his heart, he’s a hopeless romantic.

So he cannot be blamed for wishing that it’s not only the beginning of a new year but also of the rest of his life with the man he’s about to fall in love with.

The door opens and Blaine walks in, drying his wet hair with a towel. He’s wearing the T-Shirt Kurt gave him for Christmas, and Kurt’s lips instantly curve in a smile.

“Are you awake?” Blaine asks in a soft voice, walking closer to the bed. 

“Good morning.”

“It’s almost four in the afternoon.” Blaine chuckles. “How are you feeling?”

“Barely alive. My head hurts.” He throws him a look. “My ass hurts.”

Blaine starts grinning. Fucker.

He throws the towel on the bedside table and sits down next to him.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. What do you need?” he asks, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

“A shower. Then some food.”

“Got it. I left the clothes I gave you in the bathroom.” Kurt quietly thanks him. “Rachel and Finn are already downstairs, cooking. I didn’t talk to them yet.” He gets up and Kurt follows him, wrapping himself in a blanket. Blaine raises an eyebrow. “I’ve already seen you naked.”

Kurt rolls his eyes.

“I’m not walking around naked, especially with my brother nearby.” He walks to the mirror beside the closet and cringes at himself. “I look horrible.”

“You look amazing,” Blaine says and hugs him from behind, putting his chin on Kurt’s shoulder.

“Anderson, what the hell is that?” Kurt asks in a louder voice, pointing at the hickey on his neck. 

Blaine starts to grin, looking proud.

“It suits you, sweetheart.”

“How am I going to explain it to Finn and Rachel?”

Blaine raises his eyebrows.

“Do you think they’d be that surprised? It’s pretty obvious that you slept here. What would you say we were doing, bickering all night?”

Kurt groans, throwing his head on his shoulder.

“Come on,” Blaine says, leading him to the door. “I’ll go help them downstairs. You go take a shower.”

“Don’t tell them anything!” he warns him as they step into the hall.

Blaine gives him a playful salute and goes down the stairs. Kurt looks at him disappearing there with a smile and walks into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, he enters the kitchen that smells like coffee and omelette.

“Hey,” he says to Finn and Rachel, who already sit at the table.

“Hi, bro.” Finn looks at him with a smug face. “Where did you sleep?”

“And what’s that on your neck?” Rachel asks, smirking. “Did you fell down or met a vampire?” She throws a look at Blaine, whose cheeks get pink.

“None of your business,” he says and sits down beside Blaine on the sofa, putting a hand on his knee. The man immediately relaxes and gives him a smile, which Kurt returns and gets to his plate.

“Adorable. Once again, being right feels amazing.”

“Shut up, Berry, or I’ll throw this fork at you.”

“Hey, she cooked for you, be nice!” Finn warns him.

“Thank you, Rachel,” he mumbles and feels Blaine shaking in laughter.

“You’re welcome.” She beams, completely unfazed.

Surprisingly, they let go of the topic, and Rachel starts listing all of her plans and resolutions for this year. When she reaches number thirty-two, Kurt already finishes his coffee and starts helping Blaine to clean the table.

“What are our plans for the day?” he asks before she can go into the things she’s accomplished last year.

“I don’t want to go anywhere,” Blaine says as he puts the clean plates in a drawer. 

“Me too.” Finn says.

“But—” Rachel begins, always having energy to do something.

“Movie night!” Kurt announces.

“I pick!” she then exclaims and runs to the living room.

Finn follows her with a smile. Kurt turns to Blaine and leaves a kiss on his mouth.

Rachel chooses When Harry Met Sally first. Kurt makes caramel popcorn with Blaine, but when they start Rent, Finn orders pizza, and they open a bottle of red wine.

“Sweetheart, are you asleep?” Blaine whispers into his ear when the movie is close to the end, with Kurt’s head on his shoulder, as they sit in each other’s arms on the couch, covered with a blanket.

“No.” Kurt smiles and looks up at him.

“You’re sleepy.”

“I’m not,” he says, but is immediately betrayed by his body — a yawn escapes his lips, and Blaine chuckles. 

“You can stay here tonight.”

“You want to keep me in your bed, don’t you?” 

“A dream come true.”

“Of course, I’ll stay, darling.” Kurt nods and leaves a kiss on his chin.

Rachel suddenly clears her throat, tearing them away from devouring each other with their eyes.

“Darling. Sweetheart. Do you remember, Finn, when it was Anderson and Hummel ? Feels like yesterday.”

“You aren’t letting this go, are you?” Blaine asks, shaking his head at her with a chuckle.

“Never.” She grins a little like a maniac.

Kurt smiles to himself, settling comfortably on Blaine’s chest.

Him neither.

He’s never letting this go.