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To say Kurt Hummel was tired was an understatement.
He was completely and utterly exhausted. Totally drained. Practically dead on his feet.
It was midterm season at NYADA and boy, had they been kicking Kurt’s ass. He’d been pulling all-nighters for nearly nine days now, frantically trying to study for everything. His first two midterms were this morning and the only way he could describe them was brutal.
First was his 9am class with Cassie July. Of course, Kurt decided to take her class the first semester she changed how she did her midterm. So instead of learning a routine and working on it for the midterm, she decided to teach it to everyone the day of and then have them perform in groups at the end of the hour and a half. That way, the students would be graded on how they pick up the routine, how they retain the information, and how they perform.
Kurt absolutely hated it.
He did okay with the learning, but when it came time for his group to perform at the end, he completely blanked. He froze after five steps. He had never felt more humiliated in his life. After the class was dismissed, Cassie pulled him aside and asked him about it.
“Listen, Hummel. I know I act like I don’t care for any of you, but I’ve never seen you freeze up like that before, and you look dead. Are you okay?” she had asked.
Kurt simply nodded, told her he was fine, and smiled. He ended up getting a C, but at least he passed!
Then he had his music history exam, which was ridiculous. His professor gave them a study guide and told them that everything on it would be on the test. But as soon as Kurt read through the exam, he realized that nothing front the study guide was on it. So he sat at his uncomfortable desk and struggled to remember the information in front of him.
By the time the exam ended, he was ready to go back to his apartment and take a nap before studying for his next few exams. He was halfway to his apartment when he remembered he was supposed to be meeting his roommate and best friend Blaine for coffee.
So here he was, so sore he could barely move and so tired he could barely think, walking into a coffee shop to meet up with Blaine.
Blaine was already halfway through the line when Kurt walked in. He spotted Kurt, waving him over. Kurt sluggishly made his way over, greeting Blaine with a lazy hug.
“I’m assuming your midterms didn’t go too well,” Blaine said as he wrapped his arms tightly around his friend.
Kurt shook his head against Blaine’s shoulder, letting out a sigh, “Not at all.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Coffee first, too tired,” Kurt mumbled.
After a few more seconds, Kurt let go of Blaine and stood up straight, rubbing his eyes.
“Why are you doing that?” Blaine asked. “Please don’t cry, Kurt. You know I hate seeing you upset.”
“No, no, I’m not crying. Not yet, at least. I’m just exhausted and can’t wait for today to be over. It’s sucked so far.”
“Well, it’s not like it can get much worse, right?”
Kurt smiled hopefully, “I’m so glad I have you.”
Blaine smirked, “I know, I’m the best, aren’t I?”
“You’ve been the best since the third grade.”
“Speaking of third grade, remember that time we glued Opal’s hamster to the top of her head when she brought it in for show and tell?”
Kurt burst into laughter, “Oh my God! That was hysterical! She cried the entire time the principal tried to cut it out!”
“I’m glad that Opal’s trauma was able to cheer you up.”
Before Kurt could speak, he noticed a familiar figure enter the coffee shop. His face fell immediately. Blaine followed Kurt’s eyes and quickly realized who Kurt was looking at.
“Is that–”
“Yup.”
“Is he–”
“Yup.”
“He doesn’t see us, does he?”
“No, I don’t think so. God, why is he here? He always said he hated this place,” Kurt sighed, rubbing his temples.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Blaine said, trying to soothe his friend, “He doesn’t see us, that’s all that matters, alright?”
Kurt and Blaine watched as the man walked over to a table. The other guy at the table stood up and kissed him before the two sat down.
“He’s on a date?”
Kurt rolled his eyes, “It’s definitely not a date. He was probably fucking that guy while we were together, too.”
Damien Carraway was Kurt"s ex-boyfriend. They had dated for almost six months before they broke up 2 months ago. Kurt walked into Damien’s apartment one day to pick up his jacket and he caught Damien having sex with someone else. Kurt was livid. He then found out that Damien had been hooking up with different people throughout the entirety of their relationship, so he pulled the plug.
Blaine remembered that day like it was yesterday. Kurt had walked into the apartment and went straight to his closet, where he curled up on the floor and cried. It took a while for Blaine to coax Kurt out and onto his bed to talk, but when he finally told him what happened, Blaine was pissed. Blaine promised himself that day that if he ever saw Damien again, he’d punch him in the face for hurting Kurt.
And now, Blaine had the opportunity to. His blood was boiling. Kurt noticed it.
“Blaine, calm down. I’m fine,” he said, putting a comforting hand on Blaine’s shoulder.
“It’s not fine, Kurt. He cheated on you. Multiple times. For months!”
“Okay, yeah it hurt, but I never loved him. I knew we weren’t going to be long-term, you know? It definitely sucked, and it made me feel like… like I wasn’t worth it, but the one who isn’t worth it is him. Don’t waste your time on– Oh fuck he sees us.”
Blaine turned and saw that Damien had, in fact, noticed them.
“Quick, kiss me,” Kurt said, looking intensely at Blaine.
“What?”
“Please, Blaine. Kiss me! He’s coming over here!”
Blaine glazed down at Kurt’s lips before stepping closer and muttering an “okay.” Blaine leaned in slowly and pressed his lips against Kurt’s. Kurt sighed into the kiss, tilting his head slightly to the left. He felt Blaine’s tongue glide against his lips, causing his breath to hitch. As Blaine began to pull back, Kurt chased his lips, relishing in the feeling of kissing Blaine.
When they broke apart, they stared at each other before quickly connecting their lips once more. Their lips slotted together with ease, Blaine capturing Kurt’s bottom lip between his own. Blaine cupped Kurt’s face in his hands, rubbing his thumb across Kurt’s smooth cheek. Kurt smiled into Blaine’s lips, enjoying the feeling of Blaine’s heartbeat against his chest.
“What the hell is this?” A voice shouted from next to them, causing them to separate.
“Damien, what a surprise! What brings you over here?” Kurt asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I should’ve known you were fucking your roommate the whole time we were together,” Damien responded, “And besides, no one wants to see two guys making out in public, it’s gross.”
“Um, homophobic much?” Kurt said offended.
“And hypocritical considering you just kissed that guy over there,” Blaine said, “is he one of the guys you cheated on Kurt with, too?”
Anger flashed through Damien’s eyes, “What I do with my dates is none of your business.”
“Yeah? Then what Kurt does with his date is none of your concern! You lost the right to speak to him when you cheated on him. How could you even do that to him? Kurt’s the most amazing man in the world. Anyone would be lucky to be with him. Now, the next time I ever see you within six feet of Kurt, I won’t hesitate to punch your stupid face. Get the fuck out of here and leave Kurt alone,” Blaine threatened.
Damien glared at Kurt and Blaine for a moment longer before throwing his hands up and leaving the coffee shop.
Blaine turned to Kurt, “Are you okay?”
Kurt stared at him with wide, glassy eyes, “I– I don’t know. I want to go home.”
“Okay, we can go home. Come on,” Blaine said, wrapping an arm around Kurt’s shoulder and guiding him out of the coffee shop.
When they reached their apartment, Kurt went straight to his room to sit on the floor of his closet. It was his favorite place to go when he felt overwhelmed. It was tight and cozy, and Kurt knew that the only one who would ever think to look for him in his closet was Blaine. It was a great place to just escape.
Blaine followed Kurt, crouching on the floor in front of him, “What’s going on, Kurt? Did seeing him really shake you up that much?”
Kurt shook his head, “No, I don’t care about Damien. I just can’t stop thinking about…”
Blaine caught Kurt’s eyes dropping to his lips and immediately knew what Kurt was thinking.
“Oh, that. Kurt, listen. Just because we kissed doesn’t mean that things have to change between us if that’s what you want.”
“But that’s not what I want, and I’m sure it’s not what you want either.”
“Kurt, I–”
“No, just listen to me. Please?” Kurt asked, voice small.
Blaine nodded, gesturing for Kurt to continue.
“I’ve liked you since sophomore year of high school, but I always assumed that you didn’t like me back, so I tried to push the feelings away. But when we came here and started our new lives, I thought ‘hey, maybe I’ll finally tell him how I feel’. But then you started seeing that Zach guy and I realized you’d never see me as more than a friend, so I started dating Damien.
“I really, really like you, Blaine. Kissing you today was everything I’ve ever wanted, and since you kissed me back, I mean… well, I’d like to assume that– maybe I’m misreading this whole situation–”
Blaine cut him off with a searing kiss, feeling Kurt gasp lightly against his lips. Kurt melted against Blaine, his eyes fluttering closed. Blaine gently placed his hands on the back of Kurt’s head, tangling his fingers in Kurt’s soft hair as he tilted his head to get a better angle. He captured Kurt’s bottom lip between his own and gently bit down, eliciting a soft moan from Kurt. Running out of breath, Kurt reluctantly pulled away, reaching up to touch his kiss-swollen lips with his fingertips.
He stared at Blaine in amazement, his eyes wide, his parted lips swollen and pink, his hair messy, and his heart beating out of his chest.
“You look absolutely radiant right now,” Blaine said, his voice light and airy, yet thick with emotion, “You’re so beautiful, Kurt.”
“I… I’m so in love with you.”
Blaine’s eyes widened in shock, but the shock was quickly replaced with a beaming smile, “I’m so in love with you, too. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, Kurt, but I never knew how and the timing was–”
“Always wrong.” Kurt finished. “I know.”
“Well, we’re both single, and we just, you know, kissed and said we love each other, so is the timing right? I know you only broke up with Damien two months ago, but–”
This time, it was Kurt’s turn to cut Blaine off with a kiss. It was a quick, chaste kiss, just to get Blaine to stop talking.
“Blaine, I don’t give a single fuck about Damien. It’s you I want, not him, not anyone else. You’re all I need."
Blaine smirked. “You"re all I need to get by,” He sang softly.
Kurt laughed, “Oh my God, you’re so cheesy.
“Like the sweet morning dew, I took one look at you, and it was plain to see…” Blaine sang, hoping Kurt would continue with the next line.
Kurt rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips, before singing, “You were my destiny.”
They stared at each other loving before Blaine began to stand up.
“I love you, but this floor is very uncomfortable,” he said, reaching out a hand to Kurt.
Kurt accepted it, allowing himself to be pulled off of the closet floor, “I love you, too.”
“You know, I think it’s adorable that you like to hide in your closet.”
“Really? You don’t think it’s weird? Because my dad always tells me that of all the places I could’ve chosen around the house, it was weird that I picked the closet, especially considering it was always the smallest space in my house.”
“It’s not weird, it’s cute.”
“You’re cute,” Kurt said, a sweet smile on his face.
“Is it weird that I’m glad we ran into Damien today?” Blaine asked as they sat down on their couch.
“Not at all, because I am, too.”
They cuddled up together, Kurt resting his head on Blaine’s shoulder as Blaine’s arm came around Kurt’s shoulder. Blaine pressed a quick kiss in Kurt’s hair before resting his head against Kurt’s.
“Well, I’m glad I was able to cheer you up today,” Blaine said.
“Oh my God, I totally forgot I had a shitty morning. But I’m sorry we never got our coffee.”
“Oh, that’s alright. We got something better out of today, we got each other. That beats some lousy coffee, don’t you think?”
“I do,” Kurt smiled, “But I am starting to get hungry.”
“Five more minutes and I’ll order some takeout for lunch, okay?”
“Perfect,” Kurt said, cuddling into Blaine and closing his eyes.
The next time Kurt opened his eyes, it was starting to get dark. He looked down to see Blaine holding his hand, rubbing his thumb in small circles on the back of it. Kurt squeezed his hand to let him know he was awake.
“Oh, you’re up!” Blaine smiled. “You’ve been out for four hours.”
“Four hours?! I missed lunch?!”
Blaine laughed, "Calm down, it"s okay. You didn"t miss lunch. In fact, I didn"t even order lunch."
"What do you mean you didn"t order lunch? I thought we were doing takeout?"
"You fell asleep and I didn"t want to disturb you just to get my phone. I know you"ve been tired and stressed because of midterms, so I figured you could use the sleep."
"But– That"s so sweet, don"t get me wrong, but aren"t you hungry?"
"We can have takeout for dinner, sweetheart. I promise you, it"s no big deal. Okay? Don"t worry about it," Blaine soothed, running his fingers through Kurt"s hair.
"Since we"re… you know, we"re, uh–"
"Dating?" Blaine provided.
"Well, I wasn"t sure because we never really put a label on it and I didn"t want to assume."
"Dummy, we kissed, like, four times and I told you I love you. I think that means I can call you my boyfriend."
"Well, then since we"re boyfriends, does that mean we can do boyfriend stuff now, like share a bed at night? Because you"re a good pillow."
“Will you actually sleep at night? Or are you going to keep studying all night?”
“Hey, I have to study! Not all of us are lucky enough to be done with hell week already,” Kurt said, poking Blaine in the side.
“I’ll tell you what. You can share my bed with me if you promise that you’ll go to sleep at ten o’clock tonight.”
“Maybe dating you was a mistake,” Kurt muttered, a small smile on his face.
“You eat a full dinner and go to bed at ten, and you can stay in my room as much as you like, deal?”
Kurt rolled his eyes, “Deal.”
“I believe we’re supposed to seal the deal with a kiss,” Blaine smirked playfully.
Rolling his eyes once more, Kurt tilted his head up and locked lips with Blaine. It was soft and sweet, and neither of them wanted to part. But when Kurt’s stomach growled loudly, ruining the moment, Blaine pulled away, erupting with laughter.
“I guess it’s time to order that takeout, huh?” He giggled.
“Oh, shut up,” Kurt playfully pouted.
When Blaine’s laughter subsided, he planted a kiss onto Kurt’s cheek and stood up, heading into the kitchen to order dinner.
“Hey, come back!” Kurt called, chasing after him. He ran up to Blaine, who was standing facing the counter talking on the phone, and hugged him from behind. He wrapped his arms tightly around Blaine’s waist as he leaned his head against his shoulder. He smiled as he felt one of Blaine’s hands rest on top of his own.
Kurt took a deep breath, inhaling Blaine’s comforting scent, and closed his eyes as he smiled to himself. He would gladly get cheated on ten times over by Damien if it meant he’d finally get to be with Blaine.
Kurt got lost in his thoughts, not even noticing Blaine turning to face him. Blaine hugged Kurt tightly to his chest as he pressed two quick kisses onto his forehead.
“What are you thinking about?” He whispered.
“You,” Kurt whispered back.
Pressing another kiss onto Kurt’s forehead, Blaine mumbled, “I love you.”
Kurt relaxed into Blaine’s arms, sighing contently, “I love you, too.”