Fic: Emotions in Limine for gleebigbang {Part 4 of 4}
Title: Emotions in Limine
Rating: NC-17
Summary: As one of the founding partners at The Firm of Hummel, Lopez, and Smythe, Kurt is far too busy to worry about a personal life - on top of the stress of trying to make a name for himself as one of the most promising young attorneys in the Midwest, he’s got to keep a handle on his own office politics, which consist of Santana hooking up with their receptionist and Sebastian trying to get into his pants. When they hire a few new paralegals to help with their impending caseload, the last thing Kurt expects is to fall in love with one Blaine Anderson - and especially not on the eve of his thirtieth birthday. Can their secret office romance survive when their coworkers are quite possibly the nosiest group of people in the whole state of Illinois?
See full notes at the master post.
Kurt watched from his office doorway as Blaine ducked into the bathroom, emerging as if he’d just splashed water on his face and hair, and listened as he explained to Brittany he wasn’t feeling well and would call Sugar from the train home. He must have looked awful enough for Brittany to believe him and express her concerns, hoping he felt better soon, and Kurt couldn’t go all weekend leaving things the way they were.
He would follow Blaine home, he decided. Give Blaine a little bit to compose himself and calm down, and then he’d show up at his door and they’d work things through.
Only one problem. He had no idea where Blaine actually lived; just that it was in Jefferson Park. In the few months they’d been together, Kurt had never actually been to Blaine’s place.
Kurt was beginning to see why Blaine might have overreacted. It had just been so easy to fall into a routine, getting caught up in each other with what little free time they had, and Kurt’s place was just closer. Blaine had never said anything, of course, but Kurt should have at least made the effort.
Kurt went to his computer, set up a fake meeting on his calendar that spanned the rest of the afternoon, and then snuck into Sugar’s office to find Blaine’s personnel file containing his address. He typed it in his phone before heading out, informing Brittany of his urgent meeting and telling her he would be reachable on his phone all afternoon for anyone who needed him. He stopped at home to quickly change into something more comfortable for braving the subways in the scorching July weather (not trusting himself to make the drive in his state) and stopped by Intelligentsia for an iced mocha since there was no way he was eating lunch - the idea that he’d hurt Blaine had made him sick to his stomach.
It was after two-thirty by the time he got off at the right stop, the directions on his phone easy enough to navigate. It turned out Blaine lived in a sixth floor walk-up - no wonder his ass looked fantastic. He had built in daily exercise living on the very top floor, the stairs outside with no air conditioning to boot. As Kurt climbed the stairs, he began to panic. What if he’d waited too long? What if Blaine had come home and left again? What if Blaine was home, but refused to answer the door? By the time Kurt reached the top of the stairs, he was almost completely out of breath, and he stood in front of Blaine’s door trying not to psych himself out. Before he could even ring the bell, the door swung open, Blaine standing there wearing a pair of cut off grey sweatpants and a CUNY tee. “I heard someone come up the stairs,” Blaine explained, looking surprised to see Kurt standing there. “The other three apartments up here are vacant, so.”
Kurt sighed, wanting to reach out and open the screen door so nothing was separating him from Blaine, but he kept his hands at his side and said, “You’re not the only one who doesn’t know what they’re doing.” Blaine smiled sadly at his words and popped open the screen door to let Kurt inside.
The apartment was small and tidy, if a bit impersonal. The only touches of Blaine were on the fridge in the tiny kitchen, which was covered in photos of family and friends, some postcards and kitschy magnets, and a generic print of the New York City skyline over the couch. There were two half-shut doors down the short hallway, but Kurt didn’t venture further from where he stood. “It came furnished,” Blaine explained as he watched Kurt take it all in.
“I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” Kurt said softly, turning to face him with a sincerely apologetic expression, and Blaine just shrugged.
“It is kind of out of the way.”
“That shouldn’t matter,” Kurt insisted, wanting to reach out and take Blaine in his arms, but remembering the way he’d flinched at his touch back at the office. “I should have told you about Sebastian,” he finally blurted out, needed to reassure Blaine. “It didn’t even cross my mind, because what happened with him was just so inconsequential to my life in general, I didn’t think it was a bit deal.”
“It isn’t,” Blaine whispered, seeming like he was on the verge of tears again, and Kurt did reach out for him then. Blaine didn’t try to resist and let Kurt wrap his arms around his shoulders tight.
“It is, though. It might have been inconsequential to me, but I’ve known Sebastian long enough to know how he can spin things, and it should have come from me, not him. You know what we have is so much more than that, though, right? Before we started this, I told you I was ready for a relationship, and I wasn’t kidding.” He felt Blaine sag against him, sighing a bit with relief, and he was so glad he hadn’t screwed up beyond repair.
“I know. I think I knew that deep down. I just … needed to get there on my own.” Blaine pulled back far enough away from Kurt to face him, pulling Kurt’s hands from his shoulders and taking them in his own. “It’s kind of my instinct to run. I ran from high school, I ran from law school, I ran from New York, I ran from you … I’m so sick of running.”
“So, stop,” Kurt said simply, squeezing his hands around Blaine’s. “Stop running and just stay here with me.”
“I want to,” Blaine blurted out, laughing so the tears in his eyes stopped threatening to fall. “I was so afraid … so afraid what we had wasn’t real, because I love you, Kurt, and I was terrified there was no way you could love me back.”
Kurt felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Blaine loved him. He had realized how important Blaine was to him over the past few weeks, and while he hadn’t used the word love in his mind, the moment Blaine said it, Kurt knew it was absolutely true. “I love you too,” he whispered, the corners of his mouth curling up in a grin. “I really do,” he added, chuckling at Blaine’s look of disbelief on his face. “I’m not just saying it, I swear.”
Keeping their hands entwined, Kurt leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together and breathing in deep, watching Blaine’s eyelashes fan out over his cheeks as his eyes fluttered shut. “I’ll tell Santana on Monday if that’ll make you feel better.”
Blaine contemplated Kurt’s offer before reopening his eyes. “Maybe after the trial. Everyone’s a little high strung right now. As evidenced today.” He ducked his head bashfully, laughing a bit, and it just really hit Kurt - how crazy in love with this man he was, and how he couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it before now.
“So,” Kurt started slowly after they stood for minutes, or maybe hours, just getting lost in each other’s presence and breathing the same air (minutes was more likely, but Kurt was so blissful, he would have believed hours). “I do believe I should get acquainted with the rest of your home.” His tone was playful and he quirked his eyebrows slightly so Blaine had no question about his intent.
Blaine dropped Kurt’s hands, holding up a single finger. “Give me one second. I wasn’t expecting company.”
Kurt was about to tell Blaine he really didn’t care about the state of his bedroom - like he was even going to notice, he had much more important things to focus on - but he figured he could indulge Blaine just the once.
Blaine wasn’t gone long though, reappearing at Kurt’s side and gripping his hand tightly to guide him down the short hallway. “The bathroom is tiny and boring,” Blaine said, swinging open the door the rest of the way. He was kind of right, but Kurt said nothing, tilting his head inside anyway to see the tiny shower, toilet, and sink. “I think you’ll like it in here much better.”
Blaine tugged him along to the bedroom, which was filled with basic IKEA furniture - a bed, low to the ground, a simple dresser, a tall bookcase and nightstands on either side of the bed. The nightstands were filled with lit candles, which must have been what Blaine was doing before, just a bit of afternoon sunlight filtering in through the curtains and blinds covering the small window. A few photographs were framed, sitting on the dresser and bookcase, and Kurt would have to look at them more closely later - right now, he had important business to take care of. “Perfect,” Kurt whispered, coming up behind Blaine and kissing his cheek. “Just like you.”
“Mmmm, you must have not looked in a mirror lately then if you think any of this is perfect,” Blaine replied, steering Kurt towards the bed and guiding him down gently. He pulled off Kurt’s shoes before climbing over him to position himself on the other side of the bed, and Kurt had to suppress a giggle before situating himself on the bed fully and turning to face Blaine.
“I like your bed,” Kurt said lazily, sinking against Blaine’s pillows, unable to stop a stupid grin from threatening to take over his face.
“Yours is better,” Blaine countered, resting a hand on Kurt’s hip, and even though he’d technically just come hours before, Kurt couldn’t resist leaning into his touch. “Though, really, any bed you’re in is my favorite.”
Kurt was about to agree, when Blaine’s hand trailed up to his neck, pulling him close enough for their lips to meet. Nothing had truly changed, Kurt knew, but Blaine’s kisses seemed surer somehow. Not a trace of hesitation to be found, neither of them holding anything back. Certainly, they’d had a disagreement and had faltered, but they were okay. They were in love.
Maybe nothing had changed, or maybe everything had changed.
Blaine flipped them so Kurt was flat on his back, Blaine hovering over him, his kisses moving from Kurt’s mouth to every single place that drove Kurt crazy that wasn’t covered by clothing. When Blaine went to suck on the sensitive spot behind Kurt’s ear, he bucked against Blaine involuntarily, whining out Blaine’s name needy and desperate and raw, and Blaine whispered, “Shh, Kurt, I’ve got you, trust me,” just like he had their very first night together so many weeks ago, and Kurt blinked back the sudden onset of tears, wondering if Blaine remembered saying it that night.
“I always do,” Kurt whispered back, gasping as Blaine drew his earlobe into his mouth, tugging gently with his teeth, his tongue fluttering against it. Kurt thrust his hands underneath Blaine’s thin tee shirt, desperate to feel Blaine’s skin against his. “I always trust you, Blaine.”
“I know,” Blaine replied instantly, his breath hot and heavy against Kurt’s ear. “I need to be inside of you, Kurt, can we -“
“Yes,” Kurt hissed, not even waiting for him to finish, yanking at Blaine’s shirt in an attempt to get it off. Blaine raised his arms to help the process, and Kurt tugged at his sweatpants next, discovering his lack of underwear underneath, and Kurt really wished he wore fewer layers himself.
Kurt sat up halfway, pulling his shirt off in one go without even unbuttoning it, undershirt included, while Blaine worked on unbuttoning his shorts. There was a sense of urgency between them now; the need to be as close to each other as possible materializing the instant Blaine’s words left his mouth. Blaine nipped at Kurt’s hipbone as he pulled down Kurt’s shorts and briefs in one swift motion, growling at him to turn over before presumably heading to find lube and a condom.
Kurt felt Blaine’s hands firmly trail down his back once he returned, stopping just above his ass, and he was about to beg Blaine to get on with it, when he felt Blaine spread his cheeks and instead of a finger circling his rim, Blaine’s tongue.
“Oh, fuck,” Kurt cried out as Blaine nudged at the front of Kurt’s knees, pulling him up slightly to afford him a better angle. Kurt bent almost in half in an attempt to get Blaine’s mouth back on him, and Blaine just chuckled, blowing a burst of cool air at his entrance before giving Kurt exactly what he wanted, short, firm strokes of his tongue, hot and wet against his hole. “Blaine,” he whined when Blaine finally folded his tongue, slipping just the tip inside of him. He was dimly aware of his cock bobbing against his stomach as he tried to keep his writhing to a minimum. It was hard and leaking precome already, and Kurt was amazed he was able to get hard again so fast - he never did stand much of a chance when there was a tongue in his ass, though.
“Blaine that feels - amazing,” Kurt said as Blaine’s tongue delved deeper inside of him, setting every single one of his nerves on fire, “but if you don’t stop,oh god, I’m - I’m going to come before you’re even inside of me.”
Kurt exhaled when he felt Blaine retreat, not even realizing he’d been holding his breath. “I want you to come,” Blaine breathed out, still close enough for Kurt to feel Blaine’s breath as ghost over his skin as he spoke, warm and thick and making him shiver. “I want you to come now from my mouth, and then I want to fuck you and make you come again.”
“Blaine.” There was no way, no fucking way. “Blaine, I just came a couple of hours ago in my office, you were there, I can’t -“ Kurt tried to protest, but then Blaine’s tongue was back against him, Blaine’s strong hands gripping his cheeks, and all Kurt could do then is whimper and wonder why in the hell he’d want to stop this.
Blaine began thrusting faster in and out of Kurt with his tongue, and everything was so wet, Blaine’s spit trailing down his balls, down his cock, and it was all so perfect, Kurt was going to come without even touching his dick, come shooting all over Blaine’s sheets as his cock pulsed. He only narrowly missed collapsing in it when he sunk to the bed, his thighs finally giving out from holding his ass in the air for Blaine for so long.
“God, you’re so gorgeous when you come,” Blaine murmured, placing dry kisses along his spine - he must have wiped his face in the sheets. “I could watch you come all day.”
“Isn’t that the plan?” Kurt asked weakly, but he was smiling. “You’re going to kill me.”
“Your death will be in vain,” Blaine teased, moving his kisses to the back of Kurt’s neck. “Sexy, sexy vain.”
“That makes no sense,” Kurt mumbled, his eyelids threatening to slip shut even though he knew they were far from through. “No sense at all.”
Blaine just hummed in response, placing more lazy kisses down Kurt’s back, his erection brushing the cleft of Kurt’s ass as he moved, Kurt’s body somehow working enough to arch against Blaine’s. “And here, you were worried,” Blaine said, chuckling as he rested his hands at Kurt’s waist.
“Just go slow,” Kurt retorted, gasping as he felt Blaine pull him open once more to look, muttering something (Kurt could only make out the words fucking gorgeous) before he left him and Kurt heard the click of the lube bottle opening and closing. He gasped again as Blaine’s fingers pressed in, because in what language does go slow translate to starting with two fingers? He had been stretched enough from Blaine’s tongue for them to glide in easily though, Blaine’s blunt fingertips pressing inside where he was still so sensitive from his orgasm. He was still so sensitive all over, all of Blaine’s touches too much and not enough all at the same time, and Blaine was close against him, whispering encouragement right against his ear as his fingers worked slowly in and out of him, Kurt barely realizing it as his legs shifted open more for Blaine and he added another finger.
He was still moving slow, his thick fingers brushing over Kurt’s prostate purposefully and making him tremble with each stroke, and finally, Kurt had to beg. “C’mon, Blaine, please.”
“Yeah,” Blaine breathed out, withdrawing his fingers and turning Kurt over on his back. “I want to see you,” he explained while busying himself with the condom.
Kurt was still feeling utterly useless when Blaine pushed up his knees so he could line up his cock with Kurt’s entrance, slick with lube. “Here,” Kurt murmured, hooking his ankles over Blaine’s shoulders, Blaine muttering some comment about Kurt’s flexibility. “I used to do yoga with Quinn. Now I just spend all my free time having sex with you.”
“That’s a much better deal, in my opinion,” Blaine replied, finally pushing into Kurt with one slow solitary stroke. If Kurt thought he was useless before, he was even more so now, the wonderful full feeling of Blaine’s cock inside of him turning his words to nothing more than gasps and moans. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” Blaine said once his cock was buried deep inside Kurt, inhaling sharply as his eyelids fluttered shut. “I’m not going to last very long.”
“That is not really a problem, Blaine,” Kurt replied, straining his neck so his lips could meet Blaine’s, their quick kisses messy and off center more often than not as Blaine’s hips started to grind slow and steady against him. “You don’t need to draw it out any more, promise,” Kurt finally said, throwing his head back against the pillows as Blaine started a steady rhythm, all of his muscles burning slightly as Blaine pounded against him, and the burn felt so good. “Come on, baby, let go,” Kurt murmured as Blaine panted above him, whimpering at Kurt’s words, but instead of humoring Kurt, flipped them so Blaine was on his back, without even pulling out, and he wrapped a hand around Kurt’s cock as he kept thrusting up into him.
“You first,” Blaine hissed, tightening his fist around Kurt’s cock, and it was too much far too soon, everything suddenly bright and harsh and assaulting Kurt’s senses, and Kurt honestly wasn’t sure if he could come again, but he couldn’t fault Blaine for trying. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to focus on how Blaine was everywhere, inside him and under him and surrounding him. Blaine brokenly whispered, “Please,” and that was all Kurt needed to push him over, coming weakly at the sound of Blaine’s voice, and even the weakest orgasm from Blaine was still amazing to him, and god, he was so in love with this man.
Blaine must have truly been holding out, his orgasm hitting the second Kurt reopened his eyes. Kurt supposed Blaine was pretty gorgeous himself when he came and was unable to hold back a grin at his thought.
“What are you smiling about?” Blaine asked once he realized it, voice gruff and hoarse, guiding Kurt off him to the dry side of the bed. He tied off the condom and pulled the duvet back over them, the sheen of sweat that coated their skin starting to cool under the fan overhead.
“Just stupidly in love with you,” Kurt replied, still grinning as Blaine wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close again. He could hear the drone of his cell phone vibrating in the pocket of his shorts against Blaine’s hardwood floor, and Blaine started to get up to get it for him, but Kurt just tightened his grip around Blaine’s waist. “Whoever it is can wait,” he protested, because he urgently needed a nap and he was desperately in love with Blaine Anderson, and those were the only things that mattered at the moment.
Kurt was truly grateful for his afternoon with Blaine, and for the weekend that followed, because in the coming week, the whole office found themselves running on late nights and little sleep. In their Thursday morning staff meeting before the Schuester trial was set to begin, everyone was testy and on edge and that was even before things started going wrong.
Kurt knew deep down that this was good. All of their loose ends were getting discovered when they still had five days until trial (two of those days being a weekend, but still). That thought didn’t keep him from snapping at anyone who was screwing things up.
Namely, Lauren. Which, in retrospect, probably was not the most brilliant move on Kurt’s behalf.
“Lauren!” he howled when she’d misplaced another set of files. “If we can’t even trust you to keep track of things, what are you even doing here?”
“I don’t know, Boss,” she replied, her tone icy. “Maybe if you spent more time helping me instead of screwing around with one of the other paralegals, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
It was one of those moments when it was if someone paused and then restarted in slow motion the DVD of Kurt’s life. He saw the moment when each person seated at the conference table realized what Lauren was talking about, Rachel the first to react. “I knew it!” she squealed, as Sugar’s eyes widened and she did a little clap. “I knew Blaine was seeing someone, though he denied it each time I asked.”
“Wait a second,” Sebastian roared, eyes darting between Kurt and Blaine. “That’s why you told me Blaine wasn’t my type, because you wanted to bang him yourself. You were both gone that afternoon!”
“Actually, this all started after Kurt’s birthday,” Blaine said in a small voice, eyes trained on his legal pad, just the slightest hint of pink in his cheeks.
“Wanky,” Santana breathed out from where she was seated next to Blaine, offering her hand for him to high five, which he tentatively returned.
“We should fire you,” Sebastian gritted out, eyes boring into Blaine, and Kurt laughed bitterly.
“Are you insane?” he yelled at Sebastian, ignoring the whispering of the paralegals and Sugar and Brittany at the other end of the table, which promptly stopped at the volume of his voice, everyone turning to face him at the head of the table, Sebastian on his right. “You’re just saying that because you’re jealous - I can’t actually take you seriously right now.”
“Hold up,” Santana said calmly, raising her hands in the air. “We don’t have any company policy against dating coworkers. I know because I made sure of it before Brittany and I started seeing each other last year.” Brittany was grinning from ear to ear at Santana’s revelation and Sugar gasped loudly, Santana narrowing her eyes at her. “Oh, come on, don’t act like you all didn’t know. So, if we fired Blaine, we’d have to fire Brittany too, and then who would screen your calls?” Santana asked Sebastian, sugar coating her every word.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten really good with the telemarketers. I finally convinced the phone book guy I don’t know what the Yellow Pages are. I asked if we could get them in purple instead,” Brittany said, looking extremely pleased with herself.
Sebastian clenched his jaw, obviously making the wise decision to stop while he was ahead. The far end of the table resumed their chattering and Kurt cleared his throat. “Okay, Blaine and I are dating, as are Santana and Brittany. Anyone else care to share anything or can we get on with things?” He expected everyone to nod their heads and get back to business, but Rachel suddenly cast her eyes downward, and Quinn was staring daggers at Artie.
“Actually …” Artie started and Kurt could have sworn he saw Quinn kick him under the table.
Another clearing of his throat. “So, Artie and Quinn are making a second go of things, and Quinn doesn’t want to jinx it,” Kurt said quickly with a sigh, Quinn turning towards him and mouthing thank you. “Rachel? You’re up,” he added wearily, because he was almost certain what her revelation would be.
Rachel’s head snapped to attention, her eyes widening as she glanced at Kurt. “I … well, your brother and I have also been seeing each other romantically since your birthday. We’ve been meeting halfway in Indiana most weekends. He wanted to tell you himself, but he and Noah are opening a branch of their business here in Chicago, and he didn’t want you to think it was just because of me, it was Noah’s idea all along -“
“Wait a minute,” Lauren interjected. “You’re telling me that Puckerman is moving here? I can’t get him to leave me alone as it is! He texts me daily professing his undying love for me! I had to up my texting plan!”
Rachel launched into a discussion of the merits of Puck as a decent human being with Lauren, Brittany leaned over to whisper a question in Artie’s ear about Quinn, who then turned her rageful look Santana’s way, and Sugar was muttering to herself, drawing invisible lines between them all “Puck and Lauren … Finn and Rachel … I really should make a flowchart ...” The chattering grew louder, to the point where Kurt decided to give up controlling them all and glanced over at Blaine, who was ignoring the chaos around them.
“One crazy, dysfunctional family,” Blaine said quietly, only loud enough for Kurt could to him. Kurt grinned. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Kurt woke up Monday morning to a settlement offer from the School Board on the Schuester case. He had attempted to strike a deal numerous times in the previous months, and he had an inkling the School Board attorneys finally realized how strong and solid their case was and how they’d look to a jury.
By two o’clock, the paperwork had been signed by all of the necessary parties and everything was done.
By four o’clock, everyone was at Sebastian’s apartment celebrating - because out of all of them, he did have the nicest place and he’d already purchased all the alcohol in anticipation of winning. “Come on, we had it in the bag!” he said when everyone stared at him, amazed at his revelation.
By six-thirty, there was a rousing round of Truth or Dare being played on the floor of Sebastian’s living room, which Kurt had not a bit of interest in. He nicked one of the bottles of champagne from Sebastian’s fridge and dragged Blaine, along with two glasses, out to the balcony.
“It’s still kind of anticlimactic, isn’t it?” Blaine noted as they both sat down in Sebastian’s lounge chairs.
“Yeah, but it happens. The clients still get justice and just as important, we still get paid for all the time we spent on it.” Kurt jiggled the champagne cork to unstop the bottle, finally getting it loose with minimal champagne spilling over the side. He filled the two glasses and passed one to Blaine, clinking them together. “Plus, now we can toast to us, which is way more thrilling.”
“We do make a pretty good team,” Blaine agreed, pausing to take a sip from his glass. “In more ways than one.”
Kurt took a large gulp from his glass, probably larger than was polite, but he’d already lost count of how many glasses he’d had in the hours before. “That’s kind of exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Kurt had met Santana for brunch the previous day, even though it meant tearing himself away from his warm bed where Blaine was sleeping next to him. They talked about Blaine and Brittany and it was the most honest conversation they’d had in years.
She also gave Kurt a few things he needed to ponder a bit more before bringing them up to Blaine.
He realized Blaine was waiting patiently for him to speak, so he drank down another gulp of champagne, effectively draining his glass, and got on with it. “So, feel free to tell me to mind my own business and to let you make your own decisions, but something you said a few weeks back when we were at your apartment stuck with me.” Kurt noticed Blaine’s brow furrowing, which made perfect sense - a lot had been said that day, good and bad.
“You just said you didn’t like running from things, and you ran from law school,” Kurt clarified. “I was talking to Santana, and she still has decent contacts and Northwestern, and if you ever wanted to go back … it’s something to think about.” Kurt reached for the champagne bottle between them, refilling his glass and turning on his side to face Blaine, who was looking at him in awe. “I just want you to be happy, Blaine. If in ten years, you think you’re going to be just as happy being our paralegal as you are right now, I won’t mention it again, but if you’re not sure - well, I think I know a firm that might be ready for new partners in a few years.”
He grinned at Blaine, who shook his head in disbelief, reaching for the champagne bottle to refill his own glass. “I don’t know what to say,” Blaine finally said, sipping at his champagne. “If I do it, does that mean my name will be first, since you’re alphabetical? Anderson, Hummel, Lopez and Smythe?”
“I said nothing about a name change,” Kurt teased, a mock-serious expression on his face. “Sebastian has finally stopped being pissed at us for the whole secret sex life thing - maybe in a few years he won’t actually care, but we had to go with alphabetical so we’d all make it out alive.”
Blaine laughed, turning on his side to match Kurt. “Did you know he regularly tries to weasel details about our sex life out of me now? I’m going to have to stock up on witty retorts, I think.” He stared at Kurt for a while, both of them simply sipping their champagne, and finally said, his voice full of sincerity, “I really appreciate it and I’ll think about it, alright?”
“Perfect,” Kurt said, refilling their glasses once more, and they sure were working through the bottle quickly. “To being happy, then,” he added, clinking their glasses together with a cheeky grin, “and speaking of being happy …”
Kurt trailed off at Blaine’s incredulous look, raising an eyebrow. “You’re just full of interesting information today, it seems.”
“I told you my brunch with Santana was productive,” Kurt retorted, reaching out for Blaine’s hand in the empty space between their lounge chairs. “This I thought about afterwards, though. When I came home and you were still there.” Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hand, waiting for him to continue. “Again, feel free to tell me I’m crazy, because I know we’ve known each other barely six months, and have only been together a little more than half of that, but when I came home from brunch and you were there, on my couch, watching baseball … I liked coming home to you. We spend almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week together, and I haven’t been sick of you, not for one minute.”
Realization of where Kurt was headed with this dawned on Blaine’s face, so he surged forward. “You just live so far away, and I know you don’t have much stuff because I’ve been there, and I’m not saying give up your apartment right away, because I’m sure you have to give notice, or whatever, but if you wanted to move some or all of your stuff into my place, on a trial basis -“
Blaine cut him off, leaning over their hands, laughing and grinning. “Oh my god, Kurt, shut up. I’d love to move in with you.” Kurt leaned over close enough for his lips to meet Blaine’s, kissing him through the laughter. It was a miracle neither of them spilled any champagne.
“You know, I think these lounge chairs are almost big enough for two,” Blaine murmured, since they were both halfway out of their chairs, meeting centrally in the space between them. There really wasn’t, but Kurt didn’t care, getting up out of his chair and flopping into Blaine’s, curling up into Blaine’s shoulder, their legs tangling together because they didn’t have anywhere else to go. “I want you to be happy too, you know. I want to make you happy. I want you to be proud to be with me.”
“I am, Blaine,” Kurt whispered, tilting his head back. “I am already so proud to be with you, going back to law school isn’t going to change that. Promise.”
“I know,” Blaine whispered back, kissing Kurt’s forehead because it was the only place he could reach without twisting and possibly falling out of the chair. “I also know that as anticlimactic as it was, I’ll never forget the Schuesters, because they brought me to you.”
Kurt sighed happily, even though he knew they would have hired paralegals with or without the case. Still, they might have waited until the end of summer and by then, Blaine might have been employed elsewhere.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang on the sliding glass door. “Losers!” Santana shouted through the thick pane. “Stop making out like high schoolers and get in here! It’s time for shots!”
Kurt just rolled his eyes, muttering crazy, dysfunctional, fucked up family under his breath, and Blaine gave him one last kiss to the cheek before saying, “Yeah, but they’re our family.”
Kurt looked at the group situated in Sebastian’s living room as he walked through the door from the balcony. He wouldn’t have picked most of them - and hell, on some days, he wouldn’t pick any of them - but he was beyond thankful that they’d found each other. He sat down in the circle on the floor, squeezing himself next to Rachel and trying to tune out the grotesque details about his brother that she was telling Quinn, and when Blaine sat down next to him, he reached over to squeeze Blaine’s knee and whisper in his ear, “I am happy.”
<< Back to part one or the master post >>
Rating: NC-17
Summary: As one of the founding partners at The Firm of Hummel, Lopez, and Smythe, Kurt is far too busy to worry about a personal life - on top of the stress of trying to make a name for himself as one of the most promising young attorneys in the Midwest, he’s got to keep a handle on his own office politics, which consist of Santana hooking up with their receptionist and Sebastian trying to get into his pants. When they hire a few new paralegals to help with their impending caseload, the last thing Kurt expects is to fall in love with one Blaine Anderson - and especially not on the eve of his thirtieth birthday. Can their secret office romance survive when their coworkers are quite possibly the nosiest group of people in the whole state of Illinois?
See full notes at the master post.
Kurt watched from his office doorway as Blaine ducked into the bathroom, emerging as if he’d just splashed water on his face and hair, and listened as he explained to Brittany he wasn’t feeling well and would call Sugar from the train home. He must have looked awful enough for Brittany to believe him and express her concerns, hoping he felt better soon, and Kurt couldn’t go all weekend leaving things the way they were.
He would follow Blaine home, he decided. Give Blaine a little bit to compose himself and calm down, and then he’d show up at his door and they’d work things through.
Only one problem. He had no idea where Blaine actually lived; just that it was in Jefferson Park. In the few months they’d been together, Kurt had never actually been to Blaine’s place.
Kurt was beginning to see why Blaine might have overreacted. It had just been so easy to fall into a routine, getting caught up in each other with what little free time they had, and Kurt’s place was just closer. Blaine had never said anything, of course, but Kurt should have at least made the effort.
Kurt went to his computer, set up a fake meeting on his calendar that spanned the rest of the afternoon, and then snuck into Sugar’s office to find Blaine’s personnel file containing his address. He typed it in his phone before heading out, informing Brittany of his urgent meeting and telling her he would be reachable on his phone all afternoon for anyone who needed him. He stopped at home to quickly change into something more comfortable for braving the subways in the scorching July weather (not trusting himself to make the drive in his state) and stopped by Intelligentsia for an iced mocha since there was no way he was eating lunch - the idea that he’d hurt Blaine had made him sick to his stomach.
It was after two-thirty by the time he got off at the right stop, the directions on his phone easy enough to navigate. It turned out Blaine lived in a sixth floor walk-up - no wonder his ass looked fantastic. He had built in daily exercise living on the very top floor, the stairs outside with no air conditioning to boot. As Kurt climbed the stairs, he began to panic. What if he’d waited too long? What if Blaine had come home and left again? What if Blaine was home, but refused to answer the door? By the time Kurt reached the top of the stairs, he was almost completely out of breath, and he stood in front of Blaine’s door trying not to psych himself out. Before he could even ring the bell, the door swung open, Blaine standing there wearing a pair of cut off grey sweatpants and a CUNY tee. “I heard someone come up the stairs,” Blaine explained, looking surprised to see Kurt standing there. “The other three apartments up here are vacant, so.”
Kurt sighed, wanting to reach out and open the screen door so nothing was separating him from Blaine, but he kept his hands at his side and said, “You’re not the only one who doesn’t know what they’re doing.” Blaine smiled sadly at his words and popped open the screen door to let Kurt inside.
The apartment was small and tidy, if a bit impersonal. The only touches of Blaine were on the fridge in the tiny kitchen, which was covered in photos of family and friends, some postcards and kitschy magnets, and a generic print of the New York City skyline over the couch. There were two half-shut doors down the short hallway, but Kurt didn’t venture further from where he stood. “It came furnished,” Blaine explained as he watched Kurt take it all in.
“I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” Kurt said softly, turning to face him with a sincerely apologetic expression, and Blaine just shrugged.
“It is kind of out of the way.”
“That shouldn’t matter,” Kurt insisted, wanting to reach out and take Blaine in his arms, but remembering the way he’d flinched at his touch back at the office. “I should have told you about Sebastian,” he finally blurted out, needed to reassure Blaine. “It didn’t even cross my mind, because what happened with him was just so inconsequential to my life in general, I didn’t think it was a bit deal.”
“It isn’t,” Blaine whispered, seeming like he was on the verge of tears again, and Kurt did reach out for him then. Blaine didn’t try to resist and let Kurt wrap his arms around his shoulders tight.
“It is, though. It might have been inconsequential to me, but I’ve known Sebastian long enough to know how he can spin things, and it should have come from me, not him. You know what we have is so much more than that, though, right? Before we started this, I told you I was ready for a relationship, and I wasn’t kidding.” He felt Blaine sag against him, sighing a bit with relief, and he was so glad he hadn’t screwed up beyond repair.
“I know. I think I knew that deep down. I just … needed to get there on my own.” Blaine pulled back far enough away from Kurt to face him, pulling Kurt’s hands from his shoulders and taking them in his own. “It’s kind of my instinct to run. I ran from high school, I ran from law school, I ran from New York, I ran from you … I’m so sick of running.”
“So, stop,” Kurt said simply, squeezing his hands around Blaine’s. “Stop running and just stay here with me.”
“I want to,” Blaine blurted out, laughing so the tears in his eyes stopped threatening to fall. “I was so afraid … so afraid what we had wasn’t real, because I love you, Kurt, and I was terrified there was no way you could love me back.”
Kurt felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Blaine loved him. He had realized how important Blaine was to him over the past few weeks, and while he hadn’t used the word love in his mind, the moment Blaine said it, Kurt knew it was absolutely true. “I love you too,” he whispered, the corners of his mouth curling up in a grin. “I really do,” he added, chuckling at Blaine’s look of disbelief on his face. “I’m not just saying it, I swear.”
Keeping their hands entwined, Kurt leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together and breathing in deep, watching Blaine’s eyelashes fan out over his cheeks as his eyes fluttered shut. “I’ll tell Santana on Monday if that’ll make you feel better.”
Blaine contemplated Kurt’s offer before reopening his eyes. “Maybe after the trial. Everyone’s a little high strung right now. As evidenced today.” He ducked his head bashfully, laughing a bit, and it just really hit Kurt - how crazy in love with this man he was, and how he couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it before now.
“So,” Kurt started slowly after they stood for minutes, or maybe hours, just getting lost in each other’s presence and breathing the same air (minutes was more likely, but Kurt was so blissful, he would have believed hours). “I do believe I should get acquainted with the rest of your home.” His tone was playful and he quirked his eyebrows slightly so Blaine had no question about his intent.
Blaine dropped Kurt’s hands, holding up a single finger. “Give me one second. I wasn’t expecting company.”
Kurt was about to tell Blaine he really didn’t care about the state of his bedroom - like he was even going to notice, he had much more important things to focus on - but he figured he could indulge Blaine just the once.
Blaine wasn’t gone long though, reappearing at Kurt’s side and gripping his hand tightly to guide him down the short hallway. “The bathroom is tiny and boring,” Blaine said, swinging open the door the rest of the way. He was kind of right, but Kurt said nothing, tilting his head inside anyway to see the tiny shower, toilet, and sink. “I think you’ll like it in here much better.”
Blaine tugged him along to the bedroom, which was filled with basic IKEA furniture - a bed, low to the ground, a simple dresser, a tall bookcase and nightstands on either side of the bed. The nightstands were filled with lit candles, which must have been what Blaine was doing before, just a bit of afternoon sunlight filtering in through the curtains and blinds covering the small window. A few photographs were framed, sitting on the dresser and bookcase, and Kurt would have to look at them more closely later - right now, he had important business to take care of. “Perfect,” Kurt whispered, coming up behind Blaine and kissing his cheek. “Just like you.”
“Mmmm, you must have not looked in a mirror lately then if you think any of this is perfect,” Blaine replied, steering Kurt towards the bed and guiding him down gently. He pulled off Kurt’s shoes before climbing over him to position himself on the other side of the bed, and Kurt had to suppress a giggle before situating himself on the bed fully and turning to face Blaine.
“I like your bed,” Kurt said lazily, sinking against Blaine’s pillows, unable to stop a stupid grin from threatening to take over his face.
“Yours is better,” Blaine countered, resting a hand on Kurt’s hip, and even though he’d technically just come hours before, Kurt couldn’t resist leaning into his touch. “Though, really, any bed you’re in is my favorite.”
Kurt was about to agree, when Blaine’s hand trailed up to his neck, pulling him close enough for their lips to meet. Nothing had truly changed, Kurt knew, but Blaine’s kisses seemed surer somehow. Not a trace of hesitation to be found, neither of them holding anything back. Certainly, they’d had a disagreement and had faltered, but they were okay. They were in love.
Maybe nothing had changed, or maybe everything had changed.
Blaine flipped them so Kurt was flat on his back, Blaine hovering over him, his kisses moving from Kurt’s mouth to every single place that drove Kurt crazy that wasn’t covered by clothing. When Blaine went to suck on the sensitive spot behind Kurt’s ear, he bucked against Blaine involuntarily, whining out Blaine’s name needy and desperate and raw, and Blaine whispered, “Shh, Kurt, I’ve got you, trust me,” just like he had their very first night together so many weeks ago, and Kurt blinked back the sudden onset of tears, wondering if Blaine remembered saying it that night.
“I always do,” Kurt whispered back, gasping as Blaine drew his earlobe into his mouth, tugging gently with his teeth, his tongue fluttering against it. Kurt thrust his hands underneath Blaine’s thin tee shirt, desperate to feel Blaine’s skin against his. “I always trust you, Blaine.”
“I know,” Blaine replied instantly, his breath hot and heavy against Kurt’s ear. “I need to be inside of you, Kurt, can we -“
“Yes,” Kurt hissed, not even waiting for him to finish, yanking at Blaine’s shirt in an attempt to get it off. Blaine raised his arms to help the process, and Kurt tugged at his sweatpants next, discovering his lack of underwear underneath, and Kurt really wished he wore fewer layers himself.
Kurt sat up halfway, pulling his shirt off in one go without even unbuttoning it, undershirt included, while Blaine worked on unbuttoning his shorts. There was a sense of urgency between them now; the need to be as close to each other as possible materializing the instant Blaine’s words left his mouth. Blaine nipped at Kurt’s hipbone as he pulled down Kurt’s shorts and briefs in one swift motion, growling at him to turn over before presumably heading to find lube and a condom.
Kurt felt Blaine’s hands firmly trail down his back once he returned, stopping just above his ass, and he was about to beg Blaine to get on with it, when he felt Blaine spread his cheeks and instead of a finger circling his rim, Blaine’s tongue.
“Oh, fuck,” Kurt cried out as Blaine nudged at the front of Kurt’s knees, pulling him up slightly to afford him a better angle. Kurt bent almost in half in an attempt to get Blaine’s mouth back on him, and Blaine just chuckled, blowing a burst of cool air at his entrance before giving Kurt exactly what he wanted, short, firm strokes of his tongue, hot and wet against his hole. “Blaine,” he whined when Blaine finally folded his tongue, slipping just the tip inside of him. He was dimly aware of his cock bobbing against his stomach as he tried to keep his writhing to a minimum. It was hard and leaking precome already, and Kurt was amazed he was able to get hard again so fast - he never did stand much of a chance when there was a tongue in his ass, though.
“Blaine that feels - amazing,” Kurt said as Blaine’s tongue delved deeper inside of him, setting every single one of his nerves on fire, “but if you don’t stop,oh god, I’m - I’m going to come before you’re even inside of me.”
Kurt exhaled when he felt Blaine retreat, not even realizing he’d been holding his breath. “I want you to come,” Blaine breathed out, still close enough for Kurt to feel Blaine’s breath as ghost over his skin as he spoke, warm and thick and making him shiver. “I want you to come now from my mouth, and then I want to fuck you and make you come again.”
“Blaine.” There was no way, no fucking way. “Blaine, I just came a couple of hours ago in my office, you were there, I can’t -“ Kurt tried to protest, but then Blaine’s tongue was back against him, Blaine’s strong hands gripping his cheeks, and all Kurt could do then is whimper and wonder why in the hell he’d want to stop this.
Blaine began thrusting faster in and out of Kurt with his tongue, and everything was so wet, Blaine’s spit trailing down his balls, down his cock, and it was all so perfect, Kurt was going to come without even touching his dick, come shooting all over Blaine’s sheets as his cock pulsed. He only narrowly missed collapsing in it when he sunk to the bed, his thighs finally giving out from holding his ass in the air for Blaine for so long.
“God, you’re so gorgeous when you come,” Blaine murmured, placing dry kisses along his spine - he must have wiped his face in the sheets. “I could watch you come all day.”
“Isn’t that the plan?” Kurt asked weakly, but he was smiling. “You’re going to kill me.”
“Your death will be in vain,” Blaine teased, moving his kisses to the back of Kurt’s neck. “Sexy, sexy vain.”
“That makes no sense,” Kurt mumbled, his eyelids threatening to slip shut even though he knew they were far from through. “No sense at all.”
Blaine just hummed in response, placing more lazy kisses down Kurt’s back, his erection brushing the cleft of Kurt’s ass as he moved, Kurt’s body somehow working enough to arch against Blaine’s. “And here, you were worried,” Blaine said, chuckling as he rested his hands at Kurt’s waist.
“Just go slow,” Kurt retorted, gasping as he felt Blaine pull him open once more to look, muttering something (Kurt could only make out the words fucking gorgeous) before he left him and Kurt heard the click of the lube bottle opening and closing. He gasped again as Blaine’s fingers pressed in, because in what language does go slow translate to starting with two fingers? He had been stretched enough from Blaine’s tongue for them to glide in easily though, Blaine’s blunt fingertips pressing inside where he was still so sensitive from his orgasm. He was still so sensitive all over, all of Blaine’s touches too much and not enough all at the same time, and Blaine was close against him, whispering encouragement right against his ear as his fingers worked slowly in and out of him, Kurt barely realizing it as his legs shifted open more for Blaine and he added another finger.
He was still moving slow, his thick fingers brushing over Kurt’s prostate purposefully and making him tremble with each stroke, and finally, Kurt had to beg. “C’mon, Blaine, please.”
“Yeah,” Blaine breathed out, withdrawing his fingers and turning Kurt over on his back. “I want to see you,” he explained while busying himself with the condom.
Kurt was still feeling utterly useless when Blaine pushed up his knees so he could line up his cock with Kurt’s entrance, slick with lube. “Here,” Kurt murmured, hooking his ankles over Blaine’s shoulders, Blaine muttering some comment about Kurt’s flexibility. “I used to do yoga with Quinn. Now I just spend all my free time having sex with you.”
“That’s a much better deal, in my opinion,” Blaine replied, finally pushing into Kurt with one slow solitary stroke. If Kurt thought he was useless before, he was even more so now, the wonderful full feeling of Blaine’s cock inside of him turning his words to nothing more than gasps and moans. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” Blaine said once his cock was buried deep inside Kurt, inhaling sharply as his eyelids fluttered shut. “I’m not going to last very long.”
“That is not really a problem, Blaine,” Kurt replied, straining his neck so his lips could meet Blaine’s, their quick kisses messy and off center more often than not as Blaine’s hips started to grind slow and steady against him. “You don’t need to draw it out any more, promise,” Kurt finally said, throwing his head back against the pillows as Blaine started a steady rhythm, all of his muscles burning slightly as Blaine pounded against him, and the burn felt so good. “Come on, baby, let go,” Kurt murmured as Blaine panted above him, whimpering at Kurt’s words, but instead of humoring Kurt, flipped them so Blaine was on his back, without even pulling out, and he wrapped a hand around Kurt’s cock as he kept thrusting up into him.
“You first,” Blaine hissed, tightening his fist around Kurt’s cock, and it was too much far too soon, everything suddenly bright and harsh and assaulting Kurt’s senses, and Kurt honestly wasn’t sure if he could come again, but he couldn’t fault Blaine for trying. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to focus on how Blaine was everywhere, inside him and under him and surrounding him. Blaine brokenly whispered, “Please,” and that was all Kurt needed to push him over, coming weakly at the sound of Blaine’s voice, and even the weakest orgasm from Blaine was still amazing to him, and god, he was so in love with this man.
Blaine must have truly been holding out, his orgasm hitting the second Kurt reopened his eyes. Kurt supposed Blaine was pretty gorgeous himself when he came and was unable to hold back a grin at his thought.
“What are you smiling about?” Blaine asked once he realized it, voice gruff and hoarse, guiding Kurt off him to the dry side of the bed. He tied off the condom and pulled the duvet back over them, the sheen of sweat that coated their skin starting to cool under the fan overhead.
“Just stupidly in love with you,” Kurt replied, still grinning as Blaine wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close again. He could hear the drone of his cell phone vibrating in the pocket of his shorts against Blaine’s hardwood floor, and Blaine started to get up to get it for him, but Kurt just tightened his grip around Blaine’s waist. “Whoever it is can wait,” he protested, because he urgently needed a nap and he was desperately in love with Blaine Anderson, and those were the only things that mattered at the moment.
Kurt was truly grateful for his afternoon with Blaine, and for the weekend that followed, because in the coming week, the whole office found themselves running on late nights and little sleep. In their Thursday morning staff meeting before the Schuester trial was set to begin, everyone was testy and on edge and that was even before things started going wrong.
Kurt knew deep down that this was good. All of their loose ends were getting discovered when they still had five days until trial (two of those days being a weekend, but still). That thought didn’t keep him from snapping at anyone who was screwing things up.
Namely, Lauren. Which, in retrospect, probably was not the most brilliant move on Kurt’s behalf.
“Lauren!” he howled when she’d misplaced another set of files. “If we can’t even trust you to keep track of things, what are you even doing here?”
“I don’t know, Boss,” she replied, her tone icy. “Maybe if you spent more time helping me instead of screwing around with one of the other paralegals, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
It was one of those moments when it was if someone paused and then restarted in slow motion the DVD of Kurt’s life. He saw the moment when each person seated at the conference table realized what Lauren was talking about, Rachel the first to react. “I knew it!” she squealed, as Sugar’s eyes widened and she did a little clap. “I knew Blaine was seeing someone, though he denied it each time I asked.”
“Wait a second,” Sebastian roared, eyes darting between Kurt and Blaine. “That’s why you told me Blaine wasn’t my type, because you wanted to bang him yourself. You were both gone that afternoon!”
“Actually, this all started after Kurt’s birthday,” Blaine said in a small voice, eyes trained on his legal pad, just the slightest hint of pink in his cheeks.
“Wanky,” Santana breathed out from where she was seated next to Blaine, offering her hand for him to high five, which he tentatively returned.
“We should fire you,” Sebastian gritted out, eyes boring into Blaine, and Kurt laughed bitterly.
“Are you insane?” he yelled at Sebastian, ignoring the whispering of the paralegals and Sugar and Brittany at the other end of the table, which promptly stopped at the volume of his voice, everyone turning to face him at the head of the table, Sebastian on his right. “You’re just saying that because you’re jealous - I can’t actually take you seriously right now.”
“Hold up,” Santana said calmly, raising her hands in the air. “We don’t have any company policy against dating coworkers. I know because I made sure of it before Brittany and I started seeing each other last year.” Brittany was grinning from ear to ear at Santana’s revelation and Sugar gasped loudly, Santana narrowing her eyes at her. “Oh, come on, don’t act like you all didn’t know. So, if we fired Blaine, we’d have to fire Brittany too, and then who would screen your calls?” Santana asked Sebastian, sugar coating her every word.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten really good with the telemarketers. I finally convinced the phone book guy I don’t know what the Yellow Pages are. I asked if we could get them in purple instead,” Brittany said, looking extremely pleased with herself.
Sebastian clenched his jaw, obviously making the wise decision to stop while he was ahead. The far end of the table resumed their chattering and Kurt cleared his throat. “Okay, Blaine and I are dating, as are Santana and Brittany. Anyone else care to share anything or can we get on with things?” He expected everyone to nod their heads and get back to business, but Rachel suddenly cast her eyes downward, and Quinn was staring daggers at Artie.
“Actually …” Artie started and Kurt could have sworn he saw Quinn kick him under the table.
Another clearing of his throat. “So, Artie and Quinn are making a second go of things, and Quinn doesn’t want to jinx it,” Kurt said quickly with a sigh, Quinn turning towards him and mouthing thank you. “Rachel? You’re up,” he added wearily, because he was almost certain what her revelation would be.
Rachel’s head snapped to attention, her eyes widening as she glanced at Kurt. “I … well, your brother and I have also been seeing each other romantically since your birthday. We’ve been meeting halfway in Indiana most weekends. He wanted to tell you himself, but he and Noah are opening a branch of their business here in Chicago, and he didn’t want you to think it was just because of me, it was Noah’s idea all along -“
“Wait a minute,” Lauren interjected. “You’re telling me that Puckerman is moving here? I can’t get him to leave me alone as it is! He texts me daily professing his undying love for me! I had to up my texting plan!”
Rachel launched into a discussion of the merits of Puck as a decent human being with Lauren, Brittany leaned over to whisper a question in Artie’s ear about Quinn, who then turned her rageful look Santana’s way, and Sugar was muttering to herself, drawing invisible lines between them all “Puck and Lauren … Finn and Rachel … I really should make a flowchart ...” The chattering grew louder, to the point where Kurt decided to give up controlling them all and glanced over at Blaine, who was ignoring the chaos around them.
“One crazy, dysfunctional family,” Blaine said quietly, only loud enough for Kurt could to him. Kurt grinned. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Kurt woke up Monday morning to a settlement offer from the School Board on the Schuester case. He had attempted to strike a deal numerous times in the previous months, and he had an inkling the School Board attorneys finally realized how strong and solid their case was and how they’d look to a jury.
By two o’clock, the paperwork had been signed by all of the necessary parties and everything was done.
By four o’clock, everyone was at Sebastian’s apartment celebrating - because out of all of them, he did have the nicest place and he’d already purchased all the alcohol in anticipation of winning. “Come on, we had it in the bag!” he said when everyone stared at him, amazed at his revelation.
By six-thirty, there was a rousing round of Truth or Dare being played on the floor of Sebastian’s living room, which Kurt had not a bit of interest in. He nicked one of the bottles of champagne from Sebastian’s fridge and dragged Blaine, along with two glasses, out to the balcony.
“It’s still kind of anticlimactic, isn’t it?” Blaine noted as they both sat down in Sebastian’s lounge chairs.
“Yeah, but it happens. The clients still get justice and just as important, we still get paid for all the time we spent on it.” Kurt jiggled the champagne cork to unstop the bottle, finally getting it loose with minimal champagne spilling over the side. He filled the two glasses and passed one to Blaine, clinking them together. “Plus, now we can toast to us, which is way more thrilling.”
“We do make a pretty good team,” Blaine agreed, pausing to take a sip from his glass. “In more ways than one.”
Kurt took a large gulp from his glass, probably larger than was polite, but he’d already lost count of how many glasses he’d had in the hours before. “That’s kind of exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Kurt had met Santana for brunch the previous day, even though it meant tearing himself away from his warm bed where Blaine was sleeping next to him. They talked about Blaine and Brittany and it was the most honest conversation they’d had in years.
She also gave Kurt a few things he needed to ponder a bit more before bringing them up to Blaine.
He realized Blaine was waiting patiently for him to speak, so he drank down another gulp of champagne, effectively draining his glass, and got on with it. “So, feel free to tell me to mind my own business and to let you make your own decisions, but something you said a few weeks back when we were at your apartment stuck with me.” Kurt noticed Blaine’s brow furrowing, which made perfect sense - a lot had been said that day, good and bad.
“You just said you didn’t like running from things, and you ran from law school,” Kurt clarified. “I was talking to Santana, and she still has decent contacts and Northwestern, and if you ever wanted to go back … it’s something to think about.” Kurt reached for the champagne bottle between them, refilling his glass and turning on his side to face Blaine, who was looking at him in awe. “I just want you to be happy, Blaine. If in ten years, you think you’re going to be just as happy being our paralegal as you are right now, I won’t mention it again, but if you’re not sure - well, I think I know a firm that might be ready for new partners in a few years.”
He grinned at Blaine, who shook his head in disbelief, reaching for the champagne bottle to refill his own glass. “I don’t know what to say,” Blaine finally said, sipping at his champagne. “If I do it, does that mean my name will be first, since you’re alphabetical? Anderson, Hummel, Lopez and Smythe?”
“I said nothing about a name change,” Kurt teased, a mock-serious expression on his face. “Sebastian has finally stopped being pissed at us for the whole secret sex life thing - maybe in a few years he won’t actually care, but we had to go with alphabetical so we’d all make it out alive.”
Blaine laughed, turning on his side to match Kurt. “Did you know he regularly tries to weasel details about our sex life out of me now? I’m going to have to stock up on witty retorts, I think.” He stared at Kurt for a while, both of them simply sipping their champagne, and finally said, his voice full of sincerity, “I really appreciate it and I’ll think about it, alright?”
“Perfect,” Kurt said, refilling their glasses once more, and they sure were working through the bottle quickly. “To being happy, then,” he added, clinking their glasses together with a cheeky grin, “and speaking of being happy …”
Kurt trailed off at Blaine’s incredulous look, raising an eyebrow. “You’re just full of interesting information today, it seems.”
“I told you my brunch with Santana was productive,” Kurt retorted, reaching out for Blaine’s hand in the empty space between their lounge chairs. “This I thought about afterwards, though. When I came home and you were still there.” Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hand, waiting for him to continue. “Again, feel free to tell me I’m crazy, because I know we’ve known each other barely six months, and have only been together a little more than half of that, but when I came home from brunch and you were there, on my couch, watching baseball … I liked coming home to you. We spend almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week together, and I haven’t been sick of you, not for one minute.”
Realization of where Kurt was headed with this dawned on Blaine’s face, so he surged forward. “You just live so far away, and I know you don’t have much stuff because I’ve been there, and I’m not saying give up your apartment right away, because I’m sure you have to give notice, or whatever, but if you wanted to move some or all of your stuff into my place, on a trial basis -“
Blaine cut him off, leaning over their hands, laughing and grinning. “Oh my god, Kurt, shut up. I’d love to move in with you.” Kurt leaned over close enough for his lips to meet Blaine’s, kissing him through the laughter. It was a miracle neither of them spilled any champagne.
“You know, I think these lounge chairs are almost big enough for two,” Blaine murmured, since they were both halfway out of their chairs, meeting centrally in the space between them. There really wasn’t, but Kurt didn’t care, getting up out of his chair and flopping into Blaine’s, curling up into Blaine’s shoulder, their legs tangling together because they didn’t have anywhere else to go. “I want you to be happy too, you know. I want to make you happy. I want you to be proud to be with me.”
“I am, Blaine,” Kurt whispered, tilting his head back. “I am already so proud to be with you, going back to law school isn’t going to change that. Promise.”
“I know,” Blaine whispered back, kissing Kurt’s forehead because it was the only place he could reach without twisting and possibly falling out of the chair. “I also know that as anticlimactic as it was, I’ll never forget the Schuesters, because they brought me to you.”
Kurt sighed happily, even though he knew they would have hired paralegals with or without the case. Still, they might have waited until the end of summer and by then, Blaine might have been employed elsewhere.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang on the sliding glass door. “Losers!” Santana shouted through the thick pane. “Stop making out like high schoolers and get in here! It’s time for shots!”
Kurt just rolled his eyes, muttering crazy, dysfunctional, fucked up family under his breath, and Blaine gave him one last kiss to the cheek before saying, “Yeah, but they’re our family.”
Kurt looked at the group situated in Sebastian’s living room as he walked through the door from the balcony. He wouldn’t have picked most of them - and hell, on some days, he wouldn’t pick any of them - but he was beyond thankful that they’d found each other. He sat down in the circle on the floor, squeezing himself next to Rachel and trying to tune out the grotesque details about his brother that she was telling Quinn, and when Blaine sat down next to him, he reached over to squeeze Blaine’s knee and whisper in his ear, “I am happy.”
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