Stop Loss: Chapter 18, Part Two

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Blaine had begun loosening up a little more as they sat on the bleachers with their plastic cups, picking out people they knew from the mass on the dance floor and commenting on their outfits (to nobody's surprise, Blaine was more lenient than Kurt in his assessments). When the band struck up a rendition of Twist and Shout fifteen minutes after their arrival, Kurt decided to push his luck.

"We have to dance," he insisted, "it's the Beatles, We listened to them on our first date, it's practically a rule."

Blaine hesitated for a moment, but tossed his cup into the nearest trash can and held out his hand for Kurt to take. Grinning absurdly, Kurt did, lacing his fingers together through Blaine's as he pulled his boyfriend onto the dance floor and into the crowd. "Sing with me?" Kurt asked, fluttering his eyelashes coyly before picking up the next line of the song: "You know you twist so fine…"

Blaine's smile was small, but genuine. "Come on and twist a little closer now," he sang back, "and let me know that you're mine." Kurt obliged, spinning around and pressing himself into Blaine's personal space, laughing as Blaine's hands swiftly flew up to steady him.

The rhythm between them was as easy as it had been the first time they danced together, and one song turned into two, then three, and so on until, half an hour later, Kurt and Blaine stumbled off the dance floor, out of breath and sweat-soaked but laughing all the same.

"He was doing that on Halloween, too," Blaine insisted, pointing behind them at Ben, who had cleared a wide circle in the crowd and was doing backflips to tremendous applause. "Without a shirt, too."

Kurt rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Ben does that at every party," he told Blaine. "The first time I saw it, I was terrified that he was going to slip and crack his head open."

Blaine laughed at him. "You sound like my mom," he informed Kurt, who made an indignant noise of protest and stuck his tongue out at his stupid, teasing boyfriend.

The punch had, indeed, been spiked while they had been dancing, so Kurt poured them both diet sodas. "You've used all my energy," he teased, chugging his drink and smiling at Blaine between gulps. "I need caffeine before I can go back out there."

Whatever Blaine was going to say in response was cut off by a delighted yell from several feet away. "Kurt! You're here!"

Kurt didn't need to look to know who it was but turned anyway, making himself smile graciously as Rachel Berry descended on them, wearing a pink confection of a dress and looking thrilled to see him. "Hello, Rachel," he called over the music. "Are you having a good time?"

Rachel nodded enthusiastically. "It's been wonderful, thank you!" she declared, grabbing his arm. "I'm sorry you and Blaine couldn't join us for dinner, but Jesse assures me that it was for the best-we ended up having a romantic candlelight dinner, and spending time alone together is what helps a relationship flourish and grow."

Without stopping to take a breath-where was all her oxygen coming from? Kurt wondered-Rachel turned to Blaine. "I don't believe we've been introduced," she said cheerfully, still grinning with a perfect show smile that Shelby would have loved. "I'm Rachel Berry-you've probably heard of me already: I'm the star of your competition and the girlfriend of your former lead singer. It's very nice to meet you."

Blaine looked slightly taken aback as Rachel shook his hand, and Kurt tried not to laugh. "That's right," he mused, "you two hadn't met. Where is Jesse, anyway, Rachel?"

Jesse's entrance couldn't have been more perfectly timed if he'd done it on purpose (so of course, he probably had). "Getting Rachel a drink," he answered Kurt, coming up from the side and handing Rachel a glass of water before draping his arm over her shoulder.

Rachel melted into Jesse's side, smiling gratefully. "I accidently ingested half a glass of punch before I was informed that somebody had added alcohol to it," she confided in the same loud tone she'd been using all along, causing all three boys to wince slightly and glance over at the closest chaperone-who was thankfully just out of earshot.

Rachel didn't seem to notice. "Jesse's promised that the effects will wear off shortly," she continued breezily. "Certainly before I go home, which is fortunate, as my Two Gay Dads are waiting up for me to come home so that they can hear all about the dance."

Before Rachel could continue, Jesse smiled at Kurt. "Kurt, it's been so long since we've seen each other, what with your illness," he pointed out, squeezing Rachel's shoulders. "Would you like to dance with me and catch up, for old time's sake?"

Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "I don't know if that's such a good idea," he answered cryptically, feeling Blaine's eyes on him.

"If you're worried about my reaction, you really don't need to be concerned," Rachel interjected earnestly. "I'm in no way threatened by your sexuality, having witnessed many platonic gay-straight relationships between my dads and other men, and am perfectly happy to show our support as Straight Allies by letting Jesse dance with you."

Kurt froze awkwardly for a moment, realizing that he really couldn't openly refuse for Blaine's sake in front of Rachel-not if she didn't know that Jesse had dated other boys (or more specifically, dated him) in the past as well as girls. "Thanks, Rachel," he said flatly, smiling back halfheartedly as she beamed proudly at him.

He turned to Blaine, who had been watching the conversation silently. "Blaine, is that okay with you?" he asked quietly, looking searchingly at him. "Just for one song, and I'll be right back?"

Blaine smiled tightly, seeming to realize that he and Kurt were backed into a corner, for Rachel's sake. "It's all right," he agreed politely. "I'll stay with Rachel, and you and I can dance to the next song."

Jesse smiled disarmingly. "Well, if that's settled, let's go, Kurt," he said cheerfully. "Rachel, would you keep Blaine company while we're gone? I'm sure you two will find plenty to talk about." Rachel agreed enthusiastically, and was already talking a mile a minute by the time Kurt and Jesse left her behind.

Kurt scowled at Jesse once they were out of earshot. "That was out of line, using your girlfriend like that," he snapped. "And 'old time's sake'-when have we ever danced together?"

Jesse smiled serenely back at Kurt. "I didn't put Rachel up to anything," he promised easily. "She really likes you; she doesn't have any gay friends that aren't at least twenty years older than her. There's a surprising dearth of homosexuals at McKinley.

"Well," he amended, "there is one cheerleader, but we're not sure if she's actually bisexual, or if she's just mastered the art of the casual hookup. We tried to ask her if she liked Barbra as much as we do, and she told us that he was her favorite King of the Elephants. And that she tried to convince her parents to go to Celesteville during summer vacation when she was seven, but they went to Chicago instead, to visit her aunt."

He held out his hand for Kurt to take. "And I think you're forgetting how we met," he chastised, leading Kurt onto the dance floor. "I taught you how to foxtrot on your very first Seminar day, remember?"

Kurt grudgingly conceded the point. Incoming freshman interested in joining Vocal Adrenaline were required to take a three week Seminar in July, to ensure they were up to the workload. The students who helped the Music Department staff run the program were handpicked by Shelby, and Jesse had unquestionably been the best: Vocal Adrenaline's top performer and star teacher, the one the incoming students tripped over themselves trying to impress.

He smiled at Kurt, leading him in time to the music, and Kurt realized absently that not much about Jesse had changed since then. The only real difference was Kurt, who wasn't a starry-eyed fourteen year-old anymore.

"Still," he pointed out, fighting the urge to roll his eyes, "I can only assume you haven't run into Shelby. Seeing as you got her daughter drunk at a school dance, and you're still alive."

Jesse shook his head, smiling. "Always ready to think the worst of me, aren't you, Kurt?" he observed, moving forward slightly into Kurt's space when a couple behind him brushed past his arm. "The punch bowl was an accident; I stopped to say hello to Andrea and didn't realized what Rachel was drinking at first." He shrugged casually. "And Shelby isn't here tonight, as a matter of fact," he added. "She took herself off of the volunteer list when I told her that Rachel and I were coming. They're not ready to meet yet."

Kurt frowned. "Why not?" he asked, curious. "You told me that the whole reason you're at McKinley in the first place is so that the two of them could form a relationship." A fact that had been hard-won-when Rachel had started asking about Jesse's old friends, mentioning repeatedly that she'd like to meet some of them, Jesse had been forced to tell Kurt Shelby's real motive for sending him away to befriend Rachel, in exchange for Kurt's silence about who her mother was.

Not that Kurt really would have dropped that bombshell on her; that would have been cruel. But Jesse didn't know that.

Jesse sighed. "There are legal complications," he explained to Kurt. "I won't go into detail because I don't want to confuse you"-Kurt glared-"but Rachel has to be the one to approach her."

Kurt glanced back to where they had left Blaine and Rachel standing and talking near the refreshments. And froze. Standing with the pair of them, dressed to-quite possibly literally-kill, was Giselle. And from what Kurt could see through the crowd, her contemptuous gaze was aimed straight at Rachel.

Kurt groaned. "Jesse, we need to go rescue our dates before Giselle eats them alive like a particularly vicious piranha," he deadpanned, causing Jesse to stop dancing mid-step and turn around.

"What, Giselle?" he asked innocently, in a surprised tone that Kurt knew from experience was fake. "Rachel can handle herself for another minute. Let's just finish the song, it's almost over."

Kurt drew back with a slight frown. "You stay if you want to," he argued, annoyed, "but I'm not leaving Blaine alone with two of your exes."

Jesse smiled, his eyes narrowed. "Do you really want to go over there and make it three?" he pointed out.

Kurt didn't flinch. "Do you really want Giselle to try and dig at Rachel by mentioning that little fact, and how you'd rather be dancing with your ex-boyfriend than your current girlfriend?" he wondered out loud in return.

Jesse winced slightly. "Maybe we should go get Rachel," he suggested lightly, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

Jesse reached the group first, and as interested as he was in seeing how Jesse would manage to spin the situation and escape unscathed, Kurt had promised Blaine the next dance.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized profusely, taking Blaine's hand as they slipped away from the others and headed for the dance floor. "I didn't think it was my place to say anything to Rachel, and I couldn't think of a different reason to say no. Are you mad?"

Blaine shook his head, looking down at his feet with a small smile. "No, I'm not mad," he assured Kurt. "He's your friend, and I knew you weren't dancing with him to hurt my feelings or anything."

Kurt sighed inwardly with relief, squeezing Blaine's hand. "Was it awkward, while we were gone?" he asked. "I know Rachel can be a bit…tactlessly exuberant." He deliberately avoided mentioning Giselle, remembering that Blaine had sort of liked her.

He needn't have bothered. "It was a little uncomfortable when Giselle came over," Blaine admitted in a rush of breath, as if he had been waiting to say it. "I don't think she liked Rachel very much."

They reached the crowd of dancers right as the band started the next song, a slower melody that Kurt recognized but couldn't place. "Of course, I can't blame her," Blaine continued, reaching up and wrapping his arms loosely around Kurt's shoulders. "If we hadn't gotten together and you were dating someone else, I'd probably hate them, too."

Kurt wrapped his own arms around Blaine's waist, pulling him closer. "I'm really glad we came tonight," he confessed shyly, gently stroking Blaine's back through his jacket. "It would have been fine if we had gone somewhere else, but…"

He trailed off, feeling his cheeks flushing slightly. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just like this, dancing with you."

Blaine's eyes were shining in the dark room. "Do you remember when we danced together on Halloween, out on the front porch?" he asked, tilting his head and looking at Kurt through his eyelashes. "I couldn't believe it the next morning-I couldn't believe that I had actually kissed you."

Kurt leaned forward, resting his forehead on Blaine's as they moved slowly along with the music. "I couldn't either. I had wanted to kiss you forever," he said, laughing softly as Blaine's arms tightened around him. "I'd kiss you right now," he added, "if I didn't know it would make you uncomfortable in front of all these people."

Blaine stilled for a moment in Kurt's arms, looking away. After a minute, however, he looked back at Kurt, his eyes crinkling a bit as he smiled. "I know it's a little early," he began apologetically, "but would it be all right with you if we left after this dance? Go somewhere…less 'in front of all these people'?"

Kurt smiled back, pulling Blaine in closer. "For you, anything," he promised, laying his head down on Blaine's shoulder and letting his boyfriend take some of his weight. Blaine's hands slid down from behind his neck, encircling Kurt's back, and Kurt let his eyes flutter closed as he smiled into Blaine's skin.

Prom was going to be fantastic.

Blaine's tension, which had seemingly dissipated during the dance itself, was back in full force as he and Kurt walked out the front doors of the school. In fact, they had barely made it two steps onto the sidewalk when Blaine froze up, tugging Kurt slightly off-balance when he didn't notice immediately that Blaine had stopped walking. "Blaine?" he asked gently, reaching over and stroking his arm up and down. "Are you okay?"

Blaine took a deep, shuddering breath. "Fine," he said tightly, squeezing his eyes shut for a minute before forcing them back open.

Kurt frowned, trying to figure out where the sudden shift had come from. "Do you want me to get the car and come pick you up here?" he suggested, thinking that Blaine had been more relaxed inside the building. "There are guards right inside the door, you could wait with them, if you wanted, and one of them would walk you out, if we asked."

Blaine shook his head. "No," he said simply, his voice still sounding slightly strangled. "Let's-I want to walk with you. Can we…"

He trailed off, and Kurt threaded his arm through Blaine's. "Of course," he agreed, not sure what to do besides go along with what Blaine was saying. "May I escort you to your vehicle, Mr. Anderson?"

Blaine's smile was forced, but at least it was a smile. "You may," he replied, jamming his free hand in his coat pocket. "Let's go."

The parking lot, which was still packed with cars, was almost entirely devoid of people-as they walked through the rows, Kurt only saw one other person; a freshman girl in a pink dress who was digging for something in her purse. Still, Blaine didn't relax the entire time, his eyes darting nervously around them as they walked.

It was only when they reached the car, and Kurt locked the doors behind them after they climbed in, that Blaine let out a sigh of relief, sagging bonelessly in his seat as his eyes fluttered closed. "Thank you," he breathed quietly, groping blindly for Kurt's hand and holding it loosely. "I'm sorry about that; I just, got nervous, I guess."

Kurt nodded. Then remembered that Blaine couldn't see him. "That's okay," he added quickly. He swallowed. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Blaine shook his head. "I just want to be with you," he replied. "I don't want to-I just want you. Can I…?" He paused, shaking his head as Kurt looked on, not sure what was going through Blaine's mind.

"Can you what?" Kurt prompted softly, leaning in closer. "What do you need me to do, Blaine?"

Blaine opened his eyes and turned toward Kurt in his seat. "Will you kiss me?" he asked, sounding almost tired. "Really, really kiss me, please?"

Kurt didn't hesitate. Yanking Blaine in by the lapels of his jacket, he kissed him hard, nipping at Blaine's bottom lip and making him gasp before licking into his mouth. Blaine kissed him back just as fiercely, undoing the buttons on Kurt's suit jacket and sliding his hands inside. His palms brushed over Kurt's chest, making Kurt hiss sharply as the fabric of his shirt dragged over his nipples, before sliding down and circling around Kurt's back, digging into the muscles there. He clutched at Kurt as Kurt released his mouth and latched onto his neck, licking and sucking a path over his sensitive skin as Blaine cried out in pleasure.

"Kurt, please," he moaned, as Kurt scraped his teeth lightly over the thin skin above his collarbone. Kurt tore his mouth away and straightened back up, reaching behind him and pulling at one of Blaine's hands as he did so. Grasping Blaine's fingers and guiding them to his face, Kurt leaned in and brought his lips back to Blaine's, silently encouraging him to take control of the kiss as he blindly shucked his overcoat and suit jacket. His sleeve got caught on his elbow, and Kurt tore at it harshly, not caring if he ended up ripping the fabric in the process. Finally, he was able to tug his arm loose, and he tossed both articles of clothing into the backseat before climbing over the gearshift and into Blaine's lap.

The seat was too cramped for Kurt to lower himself completely, but he did his best to straddle Blaine's hips, pressing his chest against Blaine's and taking Blaine's face in his hands as he kissed him aggressively, their tongues battling for dominance. Blaine's own hands were back on his waist, pulling Kurt impossibly closer, gripping him with a strength that was probably leaving bruises through his thin dress shirt. His knees were aching, bent and locked into place by most of his body weight, and he lifted himself up slightly, chest skimming over Blaine's as he attempted to give them some relief. No sooner was he up, though, than Blaine's hands were digging into his sides, slamming him back down and pressing their hips together.

Kurt let out a strangled yell at the sudden friction, which Blaine swallowed as he rocked up into Kurt. The windows around them were starting to steam up, and Blaine was panting harshly into his mouth and god, he was going to lose it at any second if Blaine kept grinding into him like that, and-

"Kurt," Blaine pleaded again, his hands starting to shake on Kurt's sides. Kurt pulled back to look at him, shoulders heaving as he caught his breath. Blaine looked sweaty and wrecked; his eyes dark and wide, lips red and swollen where Kurt had bitten them. His breath hitched as he stared at Kurt with a pleading expression, and Kurt's desire sharpened.

"Shh," he whispered gently, reaching down between them and stroking the top of Blaine's thigh, right where it met his hip. Blaine shuddered at the contact, a small noise escaping his throat. "Shh, it's okay," Kurt soothed again, "it's okay. I'll take care of you."

He moved his hands to the waistband of Blaine's pants, fingers poised just above the button. "Can I?" he asked breathlessly, his mouth already watering in anticipation.

Blaine paused for a moment, and Kurt felt his heart thudding in his chest, his skin tight and stretched with frayed nerves as he waited for Blaine's answer. An eternity later, Blaine nodded.

Kurt's heart leapt. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice still hushed.

Blaine nodded frantically. "Yes, I'm sure," he promised, sounding as strung out as Kurt felt. "Please."

That was all Kurt needed to hear before he'd thrown himself forward, kissing Blaine fiercely and desperately as his hands made short work of the button, hooks, and zipper on Blaine's pants. "It'll be so good, I promise," he breathed between kisses, rucking up Blaine's shirt and pulling his pants down a few inches to give him better access. "I've wanted to do this for you forever, God, Blaine." And with one final kiss, Kurt climbed off of Blaine's lap.

"Wait, where are you-" Blaine tried to ask with a whine as Kurt knelt on the driver's seat, but broke off with a shuddering moan as Kurt braced himself above Blaine's lap and kissed his straining erection with an open mouth. Even through Blaine's thin cotton boxers, Kurt could taste the salty, bitter drops of pre-come, a flavor that he'd had scant few opportunities to get used to. Still, the taste and smell and warmth and knowledge of what he was about to do were making it hard for Kurt to concentrate, and he was forced to lift his own hips higher in the air, purposely denying them any friction while he worked.

His own need lessened for the time being, Kurt swirled his tongue lightly over Blaine where the taste was strongest, before pressing his open mouth down and giving an experimental suck. Blaine keened sharply, and Kurt looked up just in time to see Blaine throwing a hand over his mouth, biting down on the skin to muffle his cry. Deciding he'd obviously teased Blaine enough, Kurt sat back long enough to tug at the waistband of Blaine's boxers, pulling them down far enough to expose Blaine's erection.

And if the fact that he was ready to die of sexual excitement over the prospect of sucking his boyfriend's cock wasn't enough to confirm that Kurt was definitely, no-doubt-whatsoever Gay, then the sudden heady, breathless wave of emotion that nearly knocked Kurt over at the sight of said boyfriend's cock probably would have done it.

Kurt didn't have a lot of experience in the matter-besides himself, he'd only ever seen one other boy naked before; he was a master at keeping his eyes averted in the locker room-but that was irrelevant. The fact that it was Blaine in front of him, breathing harshly and moaning and trusting Kurt enough to do this for him, to make him fall apart and help put him back together again-that was what made the sight in front of him the most beautiful thing that Kurt had even seen.

Resting his arm over Blaine's thighs, both for balance and to keep Blaine from bucking up into his mouth and choking him, Kurt swirled his tongue teasingly over the top of Blaine's cock one more time, before sinking his mouth down over it.

The angle was awkward, and Kurt couldn't take more than a few inches into his mouth, no matter how much he tried to relax his throat. That didn't seem to matter to Blaine, however, if the guttural moans tearing out of his throat and muffled by his hand were any indication. Kurt felt the hand that wasn't covering Blaine's mouth sink into his hair, twisting the strands without pulling them, and Kurt hummed in appreciation, making Blaine's head fall back and hit the headrest with an audible thump.

Kurt had only ever done this for one other person, and only a couple times at that, but he'd committed the basic mechanics to memory, and Blaine was so responsive that it was easy for Kurt to follow his lead. He sucked harder, enjoying the way that it made Blaine shudder under his hands, and pulled off long enough to lick up the thick vein on the underside of Blaine's cock before stroking the slit with his tongue and sinking back down.

It wasn't too much longer after that before Blaine was tensing up beneath him. "Kurt, I'm-" was the only warning he got before Blaine was coming down his throat in hot, salty spurts. Kurt stroked his thigh as he came, pulling off before Blaine could get too sensitive, and pushed himself back into a kneeling position. Gently tucking Blaine back into his boxers, Kurt wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and quickly raked his fingers through his hair, trying to fix some of the damage that Blaine's grip had done as he waited for Blaine to come back to him.

He didn't have long to wait: almost immediately, Blaine reached for Kurt, grabbing his upper arms and pulling Kurt toward him with a desperate strength Kurt would never have guessed that he had. Climbing over the gearshift, Kurt settled into Blaine's lap with his back against the door, stroking Blaine's damp, sweaty hair and kissing him wherever he could reach as Blaine clung tightly to his waist, face buried in Kurt's neck.

His harsh breathing slowly evened out over a minute or two, but his grip on Kurt stayed tight; his fingers clutching the back of Kurt's shirt in a way that Kurt knew would wrinkle, but was so entirely worth it.

Finally, Blaine looked up at Kurt. "I can't believe you just did that," he breathed, the awe apparent in his voice.

Kurt sighed happily, leaning his head back against the window. "I sort of can't either," he admitted ruefully. "It was amazing, don't get me wrong," he promised. "I'm so happy that I did. But I didn't exactly wake up this morning and think, 'Hey, I know what would be fun to do after the Ball tonight'."

Blaine's straight face lasted less than a second, before he snorted and started laughing. The vibration of his body underneath Kurt only served to remind him of how horribly turned on he still was, and he shifted slightly in Blaine's lap, trying to relieve some of the pressure in his groin without being obvious about it.

Apparently his movement wasn't subtle enough, however, because a second later Blaine was staring at his crotch, hand hovering awkwardly over the zipper. "Should I-I mean, do you want me to…" Blaine asked, making Kurt groan.

Because God, he really, really did. But the look on Blaine's face was more nervous than eager, and even if his body was screaming at him for being such an idiot, and to let Blaine touch him already, he knew he didn't want it like that.

He sighed. "No, it's-Hey, no," he stumbled, as Blaine's expression went from nervous to crestfallen and hurt in less than two seconds at Kurt's seeming rejection. "Blaine, it's not-"

"It's fine, Kurt," Blaine cut him off in a clipped, embarrassed tone. "I get it."

"No, you don't," Kurt argued softly, trying not to let Blaine's sudden shutdown upset him. He cupped Blaine's face gently with both hands, hunching over slightly in Blaine's lap so that he could look at him. "It's not that I don't want you to," he explained carefully, not breaking eye contact. "But I know that I sort of…sprung this on you-oh, my-pun not intended, thank you," he stopped himself, both of them starting to laugh inappropriately as they realized what Kurt had said.

Kurt shook his head in amusement, all of the sudden tension gone. "Anyway," he tried again, rolling his eyes. "What I meant to say was, please don't feel like you need to reciprocate, just because I did it first. In fact, as much as I need you to touch me right now, I'd be so much happier in the long run if you waited until you knew you were ready. That way, when it happens, I'll know that the only reason you're doing it is because you want to. Because you want me."

Blaine's smile was soft. "I always want you," he said quietly.

He looked down at Kurt's lap again with a slight frown. "Are you sure you don't need…something?" he asked, sounding a little concerned. "You're shaking."

It was true-Kurt's body had calmed down somewhat since they'd begun talking, but he was still on edge; his erection straining his pants in a way that would have been embarrassing, if Blaine's pants hadn't still been unzipped and exposing his underwear. "It's fine," he said tightly, another unfortunately timed flood of arousal hitting him now that attention was being called to his…problem. "I just need a minute to cool off," he promised. "Think unsexy thoughts."

He let out a bracing sigh, running through the mental checklist of mood-killers that had become necessary when he turned thirteen and started experiencing some of the more embarrassing side effects of puberty. Dead kittens, naked women, he began wearily, the accompanying mental images beginning to sober him up. Car accidents, more naked women, people chewing with their mouths open. Slowly, the shaking began to subside as Kurt's body began to relax.

Unfortunately, that was when Blaine tried to be helpful and contribute. And as it turned out, he was way better at that game than Kurt would ever be:

"Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that presents itself in one of four stages, and is associated with infectious skin lesions, most notably on the genital and rectal areas," Blaine recited serenely, making Kurt choke on the breath he'd been taking. "Rates of infection are highest in men who fornicate with other men, and males are also more likely to die from the disease, which can also leave a pustular rash all over the body."

The blood drained from Kurt's cock at an alarming speed that was nearly painful.

"You can stop anytime you want," he growled, dropping his slightly damp face into his hands.

Blaine went quiet. For a moment, anyway. "Also, carnal expressions of love are only sanctified within the sacrament of marriage, and Jesus sees you touch yourself at night," he added with a grin.

"And, we're done," Kurt interrupted quickly, climbing off of Blaine's lap and back into the driver's seat, Blaine laughing at him.

Kurt glared back at him without any real malice, keeping his eyes on Blaine's face as Blaine tucked in his shirt and zipped his pants back up. "That was just harsh," he huffed. "I may never recover from that mental assault."

Blaine's self-satisfied smile weirdly resembled Jesse's in that moment. "My Sex-Ed class was taught by an elderly nun," he pointed out. "I'm not sure what you were expecting when you said 'Think unsexy thoughts'."

Kurt shook his head with a sigh as he turned the car on. "What time do you have to be home?" he asked, glancing at the glowing 10:49 on the stereo.

"Midnight," Blaine reminded him, looking at the clock as well. "If we go back to your house now, I should have just enough time to change and make it home." After which, I'll definitely need the world's longest shower, Kurt mused, putting the car into reverse.

Before he could pull out of the space, however, Blaine reached over and laid a hand on his arm. "How did you know?" he asked curiously. "That you were ready?"

Kurt bit his lip, thinking, as he put the car back into park. "Well," he said slowly, "I told you that it was something I'd wanted to do for a while." Blaine nodded, encouraging him to continue. Kurt took another breath. "I did. Think about it a lot, that is. Often at inappropriate times, actually. But when we got back to the car, and we were kissing…the way that you looked at me. I just knew that it was something I wanted to do for you, right then, if you were ready to let me."

He shifted in his seat a little, not meeting Blaine's eyes. "And maybe I would have been ready tonight no matter what we did, but I know it took a lot for you to come to the Ball tonight," he explained. "That you have a lot of bad memories of the last dance you went to. I guess….part of me wanted you to have something nice to associate it with, instead?"

That explanation sounded a little weird, even to him, and Kurt wasn't sure what Blaine would think of it-whether he'd be mad, uncomfortable, think that Kurt was insane, etc.

What he didn't expect was for Blaine to lean back in his seat and start laughing helplessly.

"Oh my God, I feel like Pavlov's dog," Blaine complained between breaths. "I can't believe you used your tongue as a mental modification tool."

Kurt's eyes widened in protest. "I did not!" he argued, as Blaine continued to laugh.

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, still smiling widely. "Because I was thinking just now that I was going to have to give you your cupcake tonight, instead of leaving it for you to find tomorrow for our anniversary. You know, just so that you'd have something nice to associate getting into my pants with," he teased.

Kurt's retort died on his tongue. "You got me a cupcake?" he asked, thinking of the mixed cd that was tucked into his desk at home-he hadn't been sure if Blaine would be into anniversaries or not, but he had wanted to be prepared: three months was a pretty big deal.

"It's an oversized one made with brownie mix," Blaine offered, suddenly shy. "I even made it with applesauce and egg whites, since I know you don't like eating things with too much saturated fat."

Sitting there in his suit in Kurt's car, skin dimly lit by the nearby streetlights and eyes looking at him with a mixture of nervousness and hope, Blaine had never been more beautiful. Kurt felt his heart clench. "What did I do to deserve you," he said, more a statement than a question.

Blaine didn't answer out loud, but reached over the seat to take Kurt's hand in his own, squeezing it tightly.

Kurt's iPod was back at the house, and he had turned the radio down when they had first arrived at Carmel so that he and Blaine could talk. Consequently, when Blaine started singing under his breath during the drive home, Kurt heard him almost immediately.

"I've, had, the time of my life," Blaine sang quietly, leaning against the passenger window and smiling at Kurt, "no I've never felt like this before."

Kurt looked at him, mind blown. "Dirty Dancing?" he asked incredulously. "You're really going there?"

Blaine shook his head, grinning even wider. "Yes I swear, it's the truth," he continued, slightly louder in response, "and I owe it all to you."

"Does this mean I can check 'Going down on Patrick Swayze' off my bucket list?" Kurt asked dryly. "Because I scrapped that one after he died last year, but if you're willing to be a stand-in…"

Blaine continued singing as Kurt drove, much to Kurt's amusement. It was only when Blaine reached for his hand when they were stopped at a red light, eyes shining, that Kurt began to feel warmth spreading down to places he did not want blood flowing to while he was trying to drive.

"You're the one thing," Blaine sang quietly, stroking the back of Kurt's hand softly with his thumb and looking Kurt in the eye, "I can't get enough of."

Syphilis, Kurt thought darkly, as the light changed to green. Syphilis, syphilis, syphilis.