Fic: Together, We are the Oceans (Part 12)
Media: Fic
Title: Together, We are the Oceans (Part 12/14)
Author: Aelora
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It's New Years Eve in the Caribbean.
Disclaimer: I have no claim to Kurt and Blaine, which is sad. And also rhymes. All similarities to persons or events are purely coincidental (okay, so maybe art is imitating life here, but names have been changed to protect the semi-innocent). This is homage to Celebrity Cruise Lines. Seriously.
A/N: As always, special thanks to my betas, murgy31 and wordplay. We're back to fluff, people! I am so so sorry, but did you honestly expect me to make New Year's Eve bad?? Pffft!! I love angst but come on! Don't worry--we're going to get more Blaine angst in the next chapter because I'm growing fond of beating up on him. Wut?? (Hopefully ya'll notice the transition that's been going on here with Kurt... if not, I'm a worse writer than I thought!) The backdrop mentioned in this chapter? Was totally on the cruise ship. I kid you not. Just... someone was having fun.
Also, once more, apologies for not responding to comments yet. It's all Klaineuary's fault!! Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that I somehow crank out chapters 13, 14 and finish up the epilogue plus my book report by Saturday! (I can totally make it 48 hours without sleep...)
Banner by the lovely voldything.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Nine A
Part Nine B
Part Ten
Part Eleven
Breakfast is chaos, but in the good too-many-crazy-family-members in one place kind of way. That’s how Kurt is beginning to view his fellow Warblers-one half of his family is at McKinley High in Lima, and the other half attends Dalton in Westerville. The two tables in the dining hall are filled to overflowing between the boys and their three chaperones. The performances had gone so well the night before that the council decided to cancel rehearsal for the following morning, so they all got to sleep in. They have two short performances tonight in the Cova and Rendez-vous lounges prior to the New Year’s party on the pool deck-they’re all quite confident that another rehearsal would be redundant at this point. Their conversation is loud -- lots of teasing, lots of congratulatory remarks on the shows the night before, and the occasional bits of food being thrown here and there when Kurt’s parents and Mr. Price aren’t looking.
Blaine has had his hand on Kurt’s knee pretty much since they sat down. They haven’t really talked all that much because Wes, David and, oddly enough, Finn, have kept Blaine engaged in conversation. Kurt’s all right with that, though, because he knows by the touch of Blaine’s hand where his full attention is actually focused. He knows that if he were to begin to say something, Blaine would immediately give him his full concentration. Just knowing that makes it easier to not engage his boyfriend, to simply listen to him converse with the others, and enjoy the warmth of his hand on Kurt’s knee. Also, it allows Kurt the chance to just watch Blaine, which has quickly become one of his favorite hobbies, right up there with shopping.
His hair is in Kurt’s favorite state-still damp from his morning shower, curls slowly drying in wisps around the shells of his ears and nape of his neck. When Kurt had stopped by his room to pick him up that morning, he’d had the chance to play with the curls while they’d greeted each other with kisses. Holden had been in the shower, so they’d used those extra few minutes alone together to their advantage. Kurt can almost still feel the cool wet strands as they had slid between his fingers. Blaine had even let him smooth his hair back into place when they heard Holden exiting the bathroom. He’d just flashed them a look that said he knew exactly what they’d been doing, while Kurt hummed quietly, running his fingers through Blaine’s hair so that it was less disheveled than he'd left it.
“My apologies for the interruption,” a voice says, drawing the attention of the Warblers to the head of the table where a tall and extremely well-dressed middle-aged man is standing with his arm around the waist of beautiful and petite blonde woman. Kurt feels Blaine add a little pressure to his knee.
“Not at all, Mr. Ramsey,” Wes says standing and holding out his hand to shake with their benefactor. On the other side, Mr. Price is doing the same.
“My wife and I just wanted to stop by and tell you how much we enjoyed the performance last night. You boys did the Warbler name proud.”
There’s a jumbled round of ‘thank you’s from the two tables. Kurt has honestly never seen the other boys look quite so… humble. After a smile and nod, Walter Ramsey seems to zero in on Blaine, stepping around Wes to hold out his hand.
“You’re the lead soloist, correct?”
“Blaine Anderson, sir.” Kurt mentally curses at Mr. Ramsey for causing Blaine to stand and pull his hand away.
“You’ve got quite a voice on you, son.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He peers over Blaine’s shoulder at Kurt, directing his next words to both of them. “I emailed the other Warblers from my class to let them know about that duet the two of you did last night. Nothing pleases me more than knowing the Warblers aren’t afraid to challenge the norm. It’s a tradition that’s been honored since the beginning, and I’m glad to see that continue. You boys should be proud of yourselves.”
Kurt can’t help but be pleased at the praise. Blaine is looking over his shoulder at him and smiling before turning back to Walter Ramsey and thanking him. The man reaches over to shake Kurt’s hand before thanking the group once more and excusing him and his wife.
The moment Blaine sits back down, his hand is once again on Kurt’s knee. Kurt smiles to himself before laying his own hand over Blaine’s, fingers tracing lightly over his knuckles. The conversations around them briefly focus on Walter Ramsey and his words of praise, and some of the boys tease Blaine and Kurt for being singled out, but not unkindly.
That’s something that Kurt has slowly had to get used to when it comes to the Warblers-the absolute lack of jealousy over things like solos or how Blaine is usually the one noticed by the audience because he’s typically the one out in front. No one argues who gets to be front-and-center for the next competition; no one begrudges Blaine the amount of time he has in the spot light.
It took Kurt a while to understand that it wasn’t because Blaine was nice and everyone likes him (though that fact doesn’t hurt), but it does have everything to do with the confidence each member has of their place and importance within the group. It has taken a few hard-learned lessons (and an equal amount of pep talks from Blaine and David) for Kurt to come to realize that whatever Blaine or Nick or Kendrick might be singing out in front, they’d be nothing without their fellow Warblers adding their own vocals to the song. However out of place and irrelevant Kurt might have felt while performing with them at Sectionals, it had all been in his mind. The Warblers didn’t have a countertenor; now they do. His presence makes a difference, and none of them seem inclined to let him forget that.
Eventually, Mr. Ramsey’s interruption is forgotten by most of them (Kurt can still hear Wes, David and Blaine discussing it), and conversation shifts to today’s excursion activity.
Kurt is half looking forward to and half dreading the day ahead. Their current port is Roseau, Dominica, and the Warblers have chosen to go tubing on the Layou River for their excursion. Kurt hadn’t been overly thrilled at the prospect, so when Carole had mentioned she convinced his dad to sign up with her for the Cooking Caribbean excursion, Kurt had jumped at the chance. He hadn’t imagined that Blaine would have any interest in it, but surprisingly his boyfriend had immediately agreed, saying it would be a far more unique experience than river tubing. Blaine is the only boy Kurt knows who bothers to look at the uniqueness of something as opposed to the excitement of it. The moment Kurt had mentioned to his family that Blaine wanted to join them for the cooking excursion Finn had jumped at the chance to swap tickets so that he could go river tubing.
So that means Kurt and his boyfriend will be spending four hours that day with his dad and Carole. On the one hand, no other Warblers to demand his boyfriend’s attention; on the other hand, his parents will be there, with Kurt and his boyfriend, and there is no way awkwardness won’t ensue.
Something squishy hits Kurt in the cheek, abruptly pulling him from his thoughts, and he looks down to see a soggy fried potato lying on the table in front of him. Pulling his most fierce expression, he glances around the table, unable to pinpoint the perpetrator but saying loudly enough for them all to hear, “If whoever did that expects to live long enough to graduate, I suggest not doing it again.”
Satisfied that his warning has been received, he turns to find Blaine watching him in confusion. Kurt points at the potato still laying in front of him that he isn’t interested in touching. “Someone threw that. At me. My face, to be exact.”
Blaine looks sympathetic. He reaches out for Kurt’s chin, turning his face so that the cheek that had been struck faces him. He brushes at Kurt’s skin with his fingers and smiles. “There. No harm done. Your skin is still perfect.”
Kurt blushes and murmurs his thanks. He feels Blaine squeeze his knee before he returns to his conversation with Wes and David.
“We should probably get going, guys,” Mr. Price calls out, pushing back in his seat to stand. “We’re supposed to meet the bus in thirty minutes.”
The Warblers all start getting up, and Kurt is amused as he gets yet another glimpse of the difference between boys from Dalton academy and boys from McKinley. Each of the Warblers is careful to fold and tuck their cloth napkins under the edge of their plates instead of tossing them in a heap on top of the leftover food (like Finn has done),and they all push their chairs back in, out of the way of the servers and other diners. It’s a far cry from the meals he’s had with the boys of New Directions, and though he wouldn’t honestly admit it to anyone (possibly not even Blaine) he kind of misses the rough edges of his ex-teammates.
“Oh, shoot!” Carole exclaims, drawing Kurt’s attention as stands up beside Blaine. “I forgot my camera. I’m going to have to run back to the room and get it.”
“Do you really need it?” Kurt’s dad asks as he helps her up.
“Well, I would like to have some photos of you cooking,” she teases.
“Blaine and I can run and get it,” Kurt offers, ignoring the ‘Don’t think I don’t know why you’re offering, kid’ look his dad is throwing him. “Just give me your key.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Carole digs through her purse before handing it over to him. “Your dad and I will meet you boys down on the dock.”
His dad is still giving him the full stare, and Kurt offers his brightest and most innocent smile in return before poking at Blaine’s back to guide him away from the table. They take hands as they exit the restaurant and Blaine is laughing softly beside him.
“That was probably the most obvious excuse I’ve ever seen.”
“Shut up.” Kurt pushes into him sideways, and Blaine stumbles slightly, still laughing at him. “Are you complaining that I’d like a few minutes alone with you before we get to spend four hours in the company of my parents?”
“Not at all. I’m not complaining...”
Kurt glances over at him. “But?”
“Well,” Blaine pauses as he attempts to carefully choose the words he’s looking for. “Remember how I said I want to take this slowly?”
Kurt nods, brow furrowing slightly.
“It’s just,” he shrugs, and his cheeks appear to be reddening slightly as he admits quietly, “I’m having trouble sticking to that plan every single time yourmouthandyourhandsareonme.”
Kurt stops in the corridor, eyes wide as he stares at his boyfriend. Adorably, Blaine looks uncomfortable. He won’t even meet Kurt’s eyes. For his part, Kurt can’t really get past the admission. He just asks, “Really?”
Blaine is chewing on his thumb nail. “Yeah. I can’t remember the last time I’ve taken this many ice cold showers.”
They both continue to stand there in silence, and Kurt is completely uncertain of what should be said now. Because, yeah, as inexperienced as he might be with all of this, every single chance they have to make out now, he finds himself wanting to take it a little further, try something a little different, push the boundaries of that whole 'going slow' thing. And sure, it’s hormones and every teenager has to deal with the same thing, but it’s taken him long enough to get to this point, to have someone there he can act on those urges with, so he can’t help but think that makes it a little more difficult to hold back. There’s some lost time to make up for, and his boyfriend happens to have just enough-not a lot-but just enough experience to make it all that much more tempting.
“So… ummm… “ Kurt realizes he’s staring at Blaine’s lips and that’s really not helping. He drops his gaze down to the floor instead.
“I’m just saying maybe we should… hold off on spending too much time alone for a while-”
Kurt can’t help the hurt expression he flashes at Blaine with his words. He knows he might as well have simply said Why don’t you want to spend time with me anymore? as opposed to just looking at him like he had recently kicked Kurt’s puppy.
For his part, Blaine is immediately contrite, closing the space between them and cupping Kurt’s face with his hands. “Don’t. I didn’t mean it like that, okay?” He kisses him softly. “You have no idea what you mean to me, Kurt, what this means to me. And I just don’t want-“ He breaks off as if frustrated with trying to find the right words. Sighing, he presses their foreheads together and says, “Love that is too hot and strong burneth soon to waste.”
“What?”
Blaine smiles, his fingers drawing delicate patterns along Kurt’s cheeks. “It’s from one of my favorite poems, Love Me Little, Love Me Long. It’s just, what we have, it makes me think of that poem.”
Kurt blinks. Blaine is into poetry. One more thing to add to the list of how Blaine Anderson is the most romantic and perfect boyfriend in the entirety of the world. “You’ll have to read it to me, sometime.”
“Definitely.”
Blaine kisses him then, softly and slowly, drawing it out so that Kurt can’t help but catch the meaning. From a slight pressure, gentle and reassuring, to a kiss more deeply felt, angled lips and fingers stroking ever-so-lightly down his neck that hesitate there only briefly as the kiss changes once more. A swipe of tongue now against Kurt’s lips, and one hand is curling around his neck, the other sliding over his chest, the touch more than just a caress as it slips down and around his waist, pulling him closer. And when he parts his lips, Blaine’s tongue slips inside, a deep and intimate caress hinting at promises of what’s to come, secret places yet unexplored. Kurt shivers against him, not bothering to hold back his whimper as Blaine pledges, without uttering a single word, the path that one day their relationship will take.
When the kiss ends, stopping with a single soft caress of Kurt’s lips, he can almost hear the unspoken Not yet.
Kurt doesn’t open his eyes as Blaine whispers against his mouth, “That’s what I want it all to be like. Every single moment we have together.”
“I’m not certain I’m going to survive every moment like that,” Kurt huffs honestly in response.
Laughing, Blaine pulls him close in a tight embrace. “Not even if I promise it’ll be worth it?”
“I’m not saying it won’t be worth it.” Kurt snuggles into Blaine’s warmth, clinging to him a little. “I’m just saying I may not survive it.”
Although, Kurt has to admit, the journey sounds extremely pleasant.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Cooking Caribbean excursion is held in the home of David and Deana Eugene. Blaine and Kurt had quietly joked during the drive in the van that David was actually an axe murder who was taking them out into the middle of nowhere to cut them up and use them in the next excursion because… well, their home was literally in the middle of nowhere, up a winding muddy road high in the mountains, surrounded by lush vegetation, palm, banana and cocoa trees all around them.
The house itself is three stories tall, soft yellow with white trim, with multiple outside staircases and a porch that extends around most of the second floor. The kitchen for the cooking excursion is located in the back beneath an added-on overhang, open to the backyard on three sides with a view of nothing but green mountains behind them. The kitchen looks like something out of the Food Network, and the view looks like something out of the Travel Channel. All in all, Kurt’s fairly pleased with his choice to follow his parents on this excursion rather than river tubing.
Especially considering it has been raining nonstop since they’d disembarked from the ship. The Warblers have got to be miserable.
When they’d arrived and been introduced to David’s wife, Deana, and her fellow cook, Liz, they’d all been instructed to wash their hands and then handed bright yellow aprons to wear. Kurt isn’t too pleased with being forced to wear it, no matter if it will protect his shirt from getting stained; yellow is a horrible color on him that makes his complexion appear far too sallow. Blaine, on the other hand, looks remarkably adorable in his, and Kurt isn’t the least surprised that his boyfriend already has Deana and Liz giggling like tweens as he engages them with questions about the business.
There are only two other passengers on the tour with them, an older man named Phil and his twenty-something daughter, Alex, who are both from Toronto. After introductions, Alex leans over to whisper to Kurt, “We’re on vacation with my two sisters. I drew the short straw for today’s excursion. They’re at the beach.”
Kurt smiles, and points at the dark grey clouds, which have settled over the mountains and don’t appear to be going anywhere. “That straw may have been longer than you think.”
Alex laughs and nods in agreement.
As their hostesses begin explaining to them how the cooking lesson will work, Blaine comes over to lean next to Kurt against the enormous island that circles the kitchen. He bumps his shoulder lightly, as if simply letting him know that he’s thinking about him. Kurt tries not to look when he notices Carole taking a photo of them out of the corner of his eye.
Kurt’s most intent on the description of the menu, careful take make certain it’s all healthy enough for his dad to eat, and nutritionally acceptable to him. There’s creole fish (tuna, for today) with a marinade made mostly of vegetables, rice and peas in coconut milk, plantains in shredded coconut (though he’s not too pleased with the fact that they’ll be fried), salad with lime and garlic dressing, grapefruit with spiced rum (at his dad’s rumble of approval, Kurt shakes his head-“But it’s grapefruit!” “You can have the grapefruit minus the rum”), and pumpkin juice, also apparently with spiced rum.
“Will there be a nonalcoholic choice?” Kurt asks.
Deana and Liz look surprised at the question, and Kurt’s dad grumbles off to the side about his son being a killjoy. Kurt just rolls his eyes and waits for a response.
“We can certainly make a separate batch,” Deana tells him.
Pleased with her easy acceptance of meeting his request, Kurt smiles and nods in return. Deana and Liz begin busying themselves gathering the materials needed for cooking.
Blaine leans in close, whispering into his ear, “The way you take care of your dad is really kind of hot, you know.”
Kurt’s surprised at how well he doesn’t bother reacting to Blaine’s admission, even if he does step hard on the foot beside his. He allows a small smile as Blaine chokes back a pained noise and shoots him a disgruntled look.
“Be quiet and pay attention to the cooking lesson, Blaine,” Kurt tells him.
There’s a beat, and then, “Yes, dear.”
Kurt’s about to stomp on his foot again when Deana calls for a volunteer; Blaine quickly bounds away from him offering up his assistance. Shaking his head, Kurt sighs at how much he alternately wants to shake and kiss his boyfriend, before glancing over to see Carole already taking pictures of him as he begins helping slice plantains. And wow, Kurt is going to have real photos of his boyfriend to put on his Facebook and make secret scrapbooks with that no one but he will ever get to see (because if anyone knew he was particularly talented at scrapbooking, he’d never live it down). There will be no more nabbing photos off of school websites-these pictures are real and they’re his, and some will even be of them, as a couple. And Kurt can’t stop the wonder he feels as he thinks, I get to show off Blaine, my boyfriend, on Facebook.
When Carole offers to help out with the batter for the plantains, Kurt takes the camera from her and begins snapping a few photos of his own. He takes one of his dad watching the proceedings, and then of Carole and Blaine and Liz as they’re gathered around the preparation table in the center of the kitchen, preparing the plantains for frying. When Deana asks for a volunteer to take on the task of frying, Kurt is surprised when it's his dad who steps forward.
“I’m an old pro at this,” he announces as he follows her over to the fryer with a plate of the plantains prepared by Blaine and Carole.
“Your dad is adorable,” Alex says, leaning in to Kurt as they watch Burt show off the first of his perfectly fried plantains to Deana.
“Thanks.” Kurt smiles pleased to hear the recognition from others as to how his dad is so amazing.
“So, Blaine,” she begins, voice a little softer. “Is he your boyfriend?”
Kurt blinks. He didn’t think they’d been that apparent. He tries to think back on anything they’d done that might have given it away since they climbed into the van, but he can’t come up with a single instance. So he just stares back at Alex, uncertain of what he should say.
“I’m sorry,” she says suddenly. “I just thought-“
“No, it’s okay. You’re right, actually. I just hadn’t realized we’d been,” his voice lowers more, “obvious.”
“Oh, you haven’t. I mean no PDA or anything like that.” Alex shrugs. “I guess it’s just the way you two look at each other. If you weren’t dating, I can’t imagine you’d be that totally oblivious to it.”
Kurt laughs a little and tells her, “You’d be surprised.”
“Hey, Kurt!” Blaine calls out from the other side of the kitchen. “Come on. It’s your turn. You’re the cook around here.”
Kurt rolls his eyes a little and moves to set the camera on the counter when Alex asks, “Would you like me to take some pictures of you, Blaine and your family for you?”
He smiles at the offer. “You don’t have to do that-“
“Oh, I don’t mind.” She takes the camera from his hands. “Plus, it gives me something to do. Trust me, you do not want me near the food. That’s more my dad’s thing. I’m just here because of the-“
“Short straw,” Kurt says for her with a smile.
She laughs. “Yeah. That.”
When Kurt joins his parents and Blaine over by the stove, he’s given the task of sautéing the vegetables for the marinade and turning the tuna. Blaine moves over to stand beside him, peering into the sauté pan as Kurt cooks, and occasionally exchanging amused glances with him. Kurt figures that Blaine is as hyper aware as he is that his dad is standing right there, side-eyeing the both of them. He hears Carole laugh behind them at something Deana has said to her, and it’s enough to draw his dad’s attention away for a moment. He finds himself thinking about Alex’s comment to him, how just the way they look at one another is enough for a person to know.
Blaine is looking at him now, and Kurt understands what she means. He knows he’s returning the same emotion in his gaze, but it took her to point it out to him. He wonders if Blaine knows, if he realizes that every time Kurt looks at him like he is now, he’s really saying ‘I love you’. Kurt thinks he’ll have to tell Blaine later. So he’ll know.
For now, he smiles and mouths, I love you.
The way Blaine’s gaze softens, his eyes darkening just a little, makes Kurt go weak in the knees. I love you, too, he returns silently, and Kurt kind of forgets all about the marinade until Liz appears, shoving in between them and gently scolding him for letting the vegetables burn. Oops.
Kurt reddens, glancing away from the cook and over his shoulder to see Alex with her hand over her mouth, covering her laughter. Oh, apparently she had witnessed the whole thing. Biting his cheek to hide his own smile, he catches his dad glancing between him and Blaine, like he knows something was going on there, but he missed it entirely.
“I think our assistance in the kitchen is no longer needed,” Blaine remarks beside him with a grin.
Agreeing with his boyfriend, Kurt quickly steps away from the food preparation and back behind the island, with Blaine following. He snatches the camera from Alex, who is still watching both of them in amusement, and tells her that it’s her turn to help out in the kitchen.
“Oh, well,” her eyes twinkle “if you two want to be alone…”
Kurt sputters as she laughs and quickly moves away to assist his parents with the cooking. He shakes his head; he really kind of likes her.
“What was that all about?” Blaine asks as they resume their previous positions against the counter, close enough that their shoulders sometimes touch.
Kurt turns the camera on to flip through the photos that have been taken, smiling when he sees a couple that Alex had zoomed in on of him and Blaine looking at each other. He turns it in his hands for Blaine to see. “Alex made an observation about us.”
“Oh?” Blaine grins at the photos of the two of them together, and a few of just Kurt being handed the spoon for the marinade, and another of Liz shooing them both away from the stove. He whispers, “Did Alex point out that your boyfriend is hopelessly in love with you?”
“Something like that, yeah.” Kurt bumps his shoulder into Blaine’s. “Except for the part where she pointed out that your boyfriend is hopelessly in love with you, too.”
There’s something about this-getting to tell his boyfriend that he loves him whenever he just feels like it. Teasing about it, seeing the flush on Blaine’s cheeks whenever he says it, knowing that Blaine feels the same, says it in return. Kurt can’t imagine ever growing tired of hearing it, of saying it, of knowing and feeling it. Certainly, in his wildest and most secret dreams, he imagined that some day he would have the chance-when he’d left Ohio and his childhood behind. And sometimes he feared for it then, wondering if maybe it would be too late; that he would be too bitter and angry and hurt that it had taken so long. He didn’t have to wait, though. He can say it, and will say it, possibly until Blaine is sick of hearing it. All because he can.
Kurt’s never really had the thought before, but life can be pretty damn wonderful, sometimes.
When the meal is prepared, the participants all gather around a table off to the side of the kitchen to eat while Deana and Liz clean up behind them. Burt and Phil quickly fall into a conversation with one another about forced diets (Phil apparently has problems with dairy and meat), recent medical problems, and raising children. Alex sits across from Kurt and Blaine, randomly rolling her eyes at the discussion with regards to being a parent and the trials and tribulations therein, and Kurt finds himself matching her eye roll for eye roll. Even Carole giggles with them on occasion, apparently having no interest whatsoever in being drawn into the paternally-related conversation.
The food is amazing, though Kurt hasn’t decided what he thinks of the pumpkin juice. It was a mixture of so many herbs and spices that he’d ended up losing count, and while it’s healthy and different, Kurt can’t honestly say he’d drink it by choice. Meanwhile, Blaine’s on his second glass. Also, he decided to try the one with the spiced rum. Kurt’s beginning to think, between the cake and the juice that maybe his boyfriend has a thing for rum. Blaine likewise seems to love the dessert-the grapefruit is covered in nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger, with spiced rum poured over the top. It’s actually really good, but the way Blaine is eating his causes Kurt to worry that he might try to eat the rind. Then again, his boyfriend has a healthy appetite (the more grease and fried food, the better) and the meal has been very light. He has no doubt they’ll be stopping by the buffet for fries later.
There’s still a few minutes left before David will be driving them back to the ship, so Kurt follows Blaine out into the garden where the rain has petered off into a fine mist. The clouds still hang over the mountains around them, engulfing the higher peaks in blanket of gray that contrasts against the dark green of the vegetation. Blaine stops to play with some of the ridiculously large bay leaves on the tree in front of him; Kurt finds himself wondering if the Warblers are enjoying themselves in this weather.
“I think this is one of the prettiest of the islands,” Blaine remarks as his attention is drawn from the bay tree to the cocoa one beside it.
“Yeah, pretty,” Kurt agrees, watching his boyfriend as he examines some of the cocoa beans curiously. Kurt thinks about how the laws here are no different than the rest of the West Indies, and finds himself adding, “Except, you know, where it isn’t.”
“Don’t be bitter,” Blaine says without looking at him. He turns from the tree and gives Kurt what is very obviously a forced smile. “Ignorance, remember?”
Kurt rolls his eyes, and it isn’t the least bit playful because, yes, he is feeling a bit bitter. “I can’t wait until we get to St. Thomas Sunday.” He turns to start toward the front of the house where the van is waiting. Blaine catches up to walk beside him. Kurt says, “Kendrick told me this morning that homosexuality is legal in Cuba. Cuba! Also, it’s been legal in Guadalupe since 1791, and they have civil unions.”
He glances over at Blaine to find him watching Kurt with a hint of a smile. “Are you proposing to me, Kurt?”
Briefly wondering what the laws on murder are in Dominica, Kurt shoves against him with his shoulder as Blaine laughs. “You are such an ass.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Warblers had just as miserable time river tubing as Kurt suspected they would. In fact, they all still seem a little bedraggled and downtrodden during their performances in the Cova and Rendez-vous lounges that night. Not that it’s anything the audience would notice, but during their first performance in the Cova Café, Kurt can sense a certain lack of energy that hadn’t been missing the night before. Blaine is his usual perfection while singing Everything, and of course their duet of I Got You Babe is spot on-Kurt finds himself enjoying every moment of the audience joining in and singing along with them. Here Comes the Sun is a little off, and Kurt thinks it sounds as if Jeff is coming down with a cold, and Kurt actually saves You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling when Nick’s voice cracks on his first line-Kurt takes over his part, and Nick looks eternally grateful. By the time they get through Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, all the boys look ready for a nap.
Too bad they still had a second performance to get through.
“None of you look as if you’re going to make it to midnight,” Kurt remarks to David as they accept praise from the passengers in the Rendez-vous Lounge, shaking hands and thanking them for coming.
“A few mentioned passing out in their rooms for the next few hours,” David says with a nod as he smiles and thanks an elderly woman who tells him they’re the most adorable group of boys she’s ever seen. “That excursion was awful. We’ll be lucky if we don’t all have pneumonia when we get back to Dalton.”
“Maybe you should have gone cooking.” Blaine moves up beside Kurt, slipping his arm around his waist. “We had good food, shelter over our heads…”
David glares at him. “Shut up.”
“They would have ruined it for the rest of us, had they been there,” Kurt says.
Blaine smiles and nods in agreement. “True. True.”
“I hate both of you,” David deadpans. “Also, I’m going to go take drugs and sleep until the New Year’s festivities. See you guys at the party.”
“I’m starving,” Blaine says as David walks away.
“You’re always starving.” They start to make their way out of Rendez-vous, heading toward the dining hall where there’s apparently supposed to be a special dinner presentation in honor of the New Year. Kurt adds as they walk, “I swear you eat more than Finn.”
“Now you’re just being hateful.” Blaine tugs him close. “I don’t eat that much. Besides, all we had for lunch were a couple of small pieces of tuna-not exactly filling-and a whole batch of vegetables. I’m not a rabbit.”
“Awww,” Kurt teases. “I think you’d make an adorable rabbit! A cottontail-“
“Don’t go there-“
“-what with the hair and all.”
“You went there.”
Kurt slips away from Blaine’s arm, spinning and walking backwards in front of his boyfriend, who is currently glowering at him. “You know I love your hair, so don’t pout. And I prefer it when you don’t have all that-“ he waves a hand at Blaine’s currently tamed curls “-gel in it.”
“Yes, well,” Blaine reaches a hand up to his hair in a self-conscious manner that Kurt can’t help but find endearing, “Have you ever tried to live with hair like this at an all-boys school? There may be a no-bullying policy, but good-natured teasing has no such tenet. It was like open season on me my first semester.”
“Rabbit season.”
Blaine blinks, staring at Kurt incomprehensibly, which just makes Kurt laugh.
“You know, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Rabbit season, duck season… No?”
Blaine is not amused. He says, “So that makes you Daffy, then?”
Now it’s Kurt’s turn to not be amused. He steps back up to Blaine, turning to walk normally as he slides their arms together. “Let’s change the conversation, shall we?”
“No, no, no. I’m kind of enjoying this. After all, Bugs is always described as confident, smart, calm, cool and collected. A leader, if you will. The one everyone aspires to be like-“
“If you continue this pattern of thought,” Kurt warns, shifting to punch his boyfriend in the arm. “I guarantee you’re going to be awfully lonely when that clock strikes midnight.”
“Aww.” Blaine stops and tugs Kurt to him, leaning up to kiss the tip of his nose. “I was always kind of fond of Daffy and his raging emotions. One always knew where they stood with Daffy. That kind of honesty is rare.”
Kurt can see that. He adds, “With Bugs, you never really knew until you were left standing with a stick of dynamite that blew your head off.”
Blaine raises an eyebrow at that. “Ouch.”
“Stop. You know I didn’t mean it in that way.” Kurt steals a quick kiss. “Let’s talk about something else because now I have all of these unpleasant images of inter-species relations-ducks and rabbits, and it’s unsettling.”
Blaine laughs as Kurt pulls him along through the casino where the lights are a little too bright and the sounds of the slot machines all around them make the atmosphere seem like a carnival. He sees a familiar face coming toward them, and he can’t really stop himself from doing exactly what they’ve been told repeatedly to do.
“Hi, Steve!” he calls out, and Blaine chuckles against his side.
“Well hey there, guys!” Steve, the cruise director, stops in front of them. “You two are-no, don’t tell me-Blaine and… Kurt, correct? Good to see you,” he shakes their hands enthusiastically and continues on without taking a breath, “Are you enjoying the cruise? Looking forward to tonight’s party? It’s going to be a wild one! Remember, it all starts at ten thirty up on the pool deck and continues to three o’clock! Sipra will be playing-hey, maybe the Warblers can join in for a song or two? The passengers would love that! Hey, I gotta go but hope to see you guys up there!”
Kurt and Blaine watch silently as Steve hurries away from them, moving toward the opposite end of the casino, randomly stopping here and there as other passengers call out, “Hi Steve!” Shaking his head, Kurt turns and looks at Blaine in wonder.
“Why am I always tired after an encounter with that guy?”
Blaine shrugs. “I honestly think he’s on a firm diet of speed and caffeine. I can’t imagine any person naturally being that hyperactive.”
“I don’t think he sleeps,” Kurt adds as they continue their way toward the dining hall. “He films that morning report at like five a.m. And he’s already talking about that party tonight going until three. Plus he’s always in Cosmos late at night from the sounds of it. I’d be a zombie. A walking, talking zombie.”
“All zombies walk. Unless, of course, they have no legs.”
“You’re doing that thing again, where you’re an ass. I have high hopes that if I point it out enough, one day you’ll catch yourself and, you know, not do it.” Kurt smiles with his words, and then laughs as Blaine elbows him in his ribs.
He loves that he can pick on Blaine, be a little bit bitchy to him, and his boyfriend takes it in a good-natured manner, occasionally dishing it right back in the most surprising of moments. He’s rarely had the chance to meet others who could match his wit, or who could accept it without taking it too personally. One day, Kurt knows, he’ll end up saying something that will likely cross the line for Blaine, and then he’ll have to do everything he can to make up for it, but for now he can just enjoy the easy banter between them.
“You guys have got to see this!” Kendrick is up ahead, waving them into the main foyer where the staircase and elevators to all of the decks converge. Flint, Byron, Dean and Galen are with him, and they’re all standing around, staring at one of the photography backdrops.
In what Kurt’s dad has described as “yet another way in which Celebrity can milk all of the money it can from the passengers”, every night there are three different backdrops set up in the area with professional photographers at the ready to snap photos of guests dressed up for dinner. If you like the photo, you can shell out $19.95 for your very own shiny eight by ten to take home with you. Kurt has seen people with stacks of those photos in their hands, and can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with just using their own cameras and printing them at home. He knows his dad and Carole have posed for a few, but they haven’t actually purchased one yet. They keep arguing over what they like best.
“This is the most inappropriate thing ever.” Kendrick giggles as they reach him. “I mean, seriously.” He waves a hand toward the backdrop in front of them.
Blaine and Kurt are both silent as they stare at it. Kendrick’s use of the word inappropriate is really the best description for it. Though Kurt would add 'amusing', in a rather unsettling way. Dark humor. Yes, that’s the most accurate description he can think of.
“Seriously,” Kendrick says. “Who puts a backdrop of the Titanic staircase on a cruise ship? And people actually keep lining up for a photo!”
And honestly, Kurt isn’t the least bit surprised when Blaine suddenly yanks him forward toward the photographer, who looks a little bored as she waits for some customers.
“I think you’re obsessed with this movie in a seriously unhealthy fashion,” Kurt remarks as he lets Blaine pull him to stand in front of the backdrop. “I may have to form an intervention.”
Blaine smirks at him before leaning in to give his cheek a quick kiss. “How can you not love Leo and Kate? Are you not human?”
“I didn’t say I don’t love them-I’ve even seen Leo’s episodes of “Growing Pains”, and that should say something. But this? Is kind of morbid.”
“Okay you two,” the photographer-a pixie-haired brunette who’s about as tiny as Kurt remembers Sunshine Corazon being-begins instructing, “Angle at your shoulders, please, and face each other just a little, that’s right. Cutie,” she waves at Blaine, “put your right hand in your pocket-that’s good-and go ahead and keep your left around his waist. And you, honey,” she directs her attention to Kurt, “Go ahead and leave your left hand at your side, but bring your right hand up behind his shoulder-go ahead and hold on to him. That’s perfect. Smile.”
It’s cheesy and ludicrous, and off to the side, the Warblers watching are laughing at them, and Kendrick says something about them being spokesmen for Hallmark. At the very last minute before the camera clicks, Blaine rises up slightly on his toes, and Kurt has to bite back his laughter and hold his smile in place as the photo is taken. The minute it’s over, he shoves Blaine gently, rolling his eyes and telling him if he has such problems with being short, maybe he should wear heels.
And then he pictures Blaine in heels, and finds it ridiculously hot. Dammit.
The photographer takes two more photos of them-one with both their arms around their waists, which suddenly has Kurt imagining what prom might be like if he and Blaine had the chance to go, and another with Blaine kind of angled in front of Kurt, which has his boyfriend grumbling about being shorter again. Kurt pokes him in the side and tells him that it’s entirely possible he’ll still have a growth spurt. Blaine sticks his tongue out in response.
Apparently not wishing to be left out, Kendrick, Flint, Dean, Byron and Galen all shuffle into the front of the backdrop with them, calling out for a group photo. Kendrick is actually the smallest out of all of them, and he immediately jumps in the front, saying the prettiest one should be the most notable anyway. Blaine shoves him out of the way, saying if that’s the case, he shouldn’t even be in the photo. Laughing, Kurt pulls his boyfriend close, and around them the boys flash ‘peace’ and ‘hang loose’ as the camera clicks.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
By the time they reach the pool deck at ten thirty-five, the party is already in full swing. The music is louder than ever as the Sipra lead singer belts out Katy Perry’s Hot n Cold. There’s not much space left around the pool area, and up above on Deck Eleven, passengers are leaning against the railing surrounding the entire open space, watching the activities below. The pool deck is where the real party is-the area in front of the stage has become a makeshift dance floor, with passengers of every age dancing with whoever happens to be standing around them. Above the band is an enormous projection screen playing video of the crowd below. The space around the pool and hot tubs are no different, and Kurt kinds of understand the point of the netting now as he watches obviously drunk passengers stumbling along the edge of the pool.
He holds tight to Blaine’s hand as they push their way through the crowd. All of the Warblers plus Finn are present, and Kurt lost track of his dad and Carole somewhere along the way-they said they were going to find a place a little less crowded to watch the festivities. The people around them are dressed in their New Year’s best-sequined gowns, tailored tuxedos, the occasional pair of Jimmy Choo’s that make Kurt want to weep with joy. He kinds of hates that they’re stuck in their Dalton uniforms for the sake of being noticed and recognized; he thinks he could be far more noticeable if allowed to dress up the way he’d prefer for New Year’s Eve.
Holden and Finn are at the front of the group, maneuvering their way through the crowd in the hope of making it easier for the rest of the Warblers. Kurt can’t help but find it kind of sweet, the way there’s this unspoken ring of protection that they seem to form-he and Blaine, Kendrick, Thad, Nick and Flint are all in the center, with Jared bringing up the rear (he smirks at the appropriateness), and Dean, Galen, Wes, David, Byron, Brett and Jeremiah all around them. He doesn’t know if it’s a conscious thing or not, but it sure works in a crowd this big.
Sipra moves from Katy Perry to Gloria Gaynor, and the people go a little wild, singing at the top of their lungs and dancing. Somehow, Finn and Holden end up working their way to the center of the dance floor that really isn’t, right in front of the stage.
Kurt finds himself standing next to his stepbrother, who leans down to shout with a big grin, “This is insane!”
Nodding, Kurt clings to Blaine a little more tightly. It’s the crowd, he realizes. This many people, pressing in this close, and he doesn’t know anyone but the boys around him. It’s impossible not to feel a little vulnerable, a little like he has to protect himself. He feels Blaine’s hand on the small of his back, rubbing against him in a soothing manner. Kurt gives him a smile of thanks and feels Blaine pull him a little closer. Around them, the Warblers begin kind of dancing-there isn’t much one can do in this crowd other than hop up and down a lot, which is pretty much what Finn and Holden and some of the others are doing. David and Wes are actually getting a few real dance moves in, and Galen, Flint and Brett have all found dance partners in a small group of girls off to the right of the stage.
“Ever been to something like this?” Blaine is leaning in to his ear, yelling pretty much but Kurt can still just barely make out the words.
He shakes his head in response and glances at Blaine in question.
“Times Square twice,” Blaine yells. “I think this is worse. More confined.”
Kurt nods, wondering briefly if he’s going to need a hearing aid after this. The crowd begins shouting their approval as Sipra launches into Poker Face. Kurt glances over to find Blaine smiling at him as he pulls away a little and begins to dance. Kurt laughs and starts moving to the music as well, and they’re quickly joined by Finn, Nick, Kendrick and Jeff. Odd as it seems, there’s another group of teenage boys not too far from them also all dancing together. Now that Kurt thinks about it, the ratio of teenage boys to girls on this ship is kind of off. If he were into girls, it’d be kind of depressing.
Poker Face ends rather abruptly as Steve appears on stage, wearing a ridiculous cardboard top hat with ‘Happy New Year’ written in silver glitter across the front and looking entirely too excited when midnight is still more than an hour away.
“Are we all having a great time?”
The crowd cheers; Kurt resists the urge to cover his ears. Beside him, Jeff is doing exactly that. He looks like he’s in pain.
“I want the people of Guadalupe off to our port side to hear how much fun you’re having!! Go on! Let them know! Let them wish they were on the Millennium with the rest of us!”
Ear plugs. He wishes he had ear plugs. The deck of the ship beneath his feet is actually vibrating. Blaine is pressing against him again, though, and shouts in his ear, “Hey! Do you think we could make it if we tried swimming to shore?”
Kurt laughs at the memory of their conversation earlier that day, and tries really hard not to imagine spending the rest of his life with Blaine. He certainly hasn’t picked out their tuxedos or anything.
They spend the next hour dancing, getting used to the crowd and the noise, and being drawn in by their enthusiasm for the coming of the New Year. Whenever the camera centers on the Warblers, which happens a lot considering their position in the crowd, the boys go a little nuts, shouting and waving at the crowd, who simply return it when they see the enthusiasm projected on the screen. There are a couple of slow songs played, and on the first one, Kurt pulls Blaine close, immediately taking the lead, which makes Blaine laugh that wonderful laugh of his. Kurt thinks the ability to make Blaine happy has to be the greatest thing in the world. On their second dance, Kendrick somehow sneaks his way in, and it’s funny and awkward, the three of them dancing together, but Kurt likes Kendrick, and he likes how whatever past animosity might have existed between the boy and Blaine doesn’t interfere with their friendship now.
At one point while dancing to Boogie Oogie Oogie (Kurt wants to know who decides Sipra’s set list because it is insane), someone taps on Blaine’s shoulder, and they look up to find Eddy and Carl behind them. They all exchange quick hugs and wishes for a happy new year, and they try to introduce the other Warblers, though it’s impossible to really talk over the noise. Eventually they all just settle back into dancing with the rest of the crowd, and Kurt can’t help but be amused when he glances over once to see Eddy dancing with two different middle-aged women while Carl looks on from the side of the crowd with a smile. And this is why Kurt isn’t the least bit surprised when he glances past Finn’s shoulder to see Blaine surrounded by a couple of teenage girls. Kurt rolls his eyes, and unlike Carl, reaches out to grab his boyfriend by the elbow and pull him back to his side. Blaine tries to call out an apology to them, while Kurt glares daggers until they turn and scatter back into the crowd.
Blaine is laughing in his ear. “Was that a little display of jealousy I just saw?”
Kurt scoffs. “I’m no more jealous than you.”
That comment earns him more laughter as Blaine hugs him close.
Time seems to pass too quickly. There are flutes of champagne suddenly being passed among the crowd by crew members-people are just handing them from one to the other, and before he realizes it, he has a plastic flute in hand along with all of the other Warblers. Kurt can’t help but scan the crowd overhead for his dad, feeling a little guilty for indulging. But, it’s New Years Eve, and he isn’t the only teen with a glass in his hand and maybe just this once. He takes a few sips, sneezing when the bubbles tickle his nose, and Blaine laughs and kisses him quickly. The other Warblers seem to have finished their champagne off already, but like Blaine, Kurt just continues to sip at his. He watches as the crowd around them seems to get a little more rowdy. Free champagne will do that, he figures. Steve suddenly appears onstage once more, directing attention to the overheard screen and the countdown clock that flashes across it.
“Look at that, everyone! 15 seconds to go!” Steve yells out above the screaming crowd. The Sipra drummer does a drum roll as they all watch the countdown continue. 13-12-11-
“10-“ Steve and everyone on the pool deck begins shouting. “9-“
It’s almost deafening, the sound of two thousand passengers and half that number of crew all counting down to midnight. Kurt can’t contain his smile as he counts with them, Blaine’s arm around his waist, holding him close, the Warblers surrounding them.
“6-5-4-“
Kurt turns his head, looking at Blaine as they count together, and as if realizing he’s being watched, Blaine meets his gaze.
“3-2-1. Happy New Year!”
They whisper “Happy New Year” to one another as the din around them continues to rise in volume, and it’s Kurt’s first New Year’s kiss as they move toward one another in the same moment, the crowd falling away until there’s only the two of them. Kurt knows nothing but the security of Blaine’s arms around him, one hand flat against his back, the warm mouth that tastes like champagne, and the probing soft tongue that tangles with his before sweeping in to taste and feel. There’s only Blaine in Kurt’s world as this new and promising year begins; the crisp, slick feel of Blaine’s gelled curls beneath his fingers-and Kurt barely recognizes that he dropped the champagne flute somewhere along the way-Blaine’s chest pressed hard against his, the scent of Blaine’s ridiculously expensive cologne wafting in the air around them. The scope of Kurt’s suddenly tiny world is perfect; he wants to lose himself in this, in the safety and comfort and sheer familiarity of Blaine’s presence. Blaine’s love.
When the kiss turns to soft, short caresses against his lips, Kurt feels the shift in reality as the world around them returns--the music, the laughter, the shouts of “Happy New Years!” and the noise-makers that accompany them. They don’t pull back though, even when they are no longer kissing; their noses are touching, and they’re smiling at each other, and Blaine’s is threading his fingers along the hair at Kurt’s temple.
Until a blowout loudly and rudely stretches between their faces, smacking Blaine in the nose as they jump apart. Kendrick is laughing as he pulls the mouthpiece away from his lips, and before either of them can kill him, he throws his arms around Blaine, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and wishing him a happy New Year, and then he turns to Kurt and does the same. Suddenly, the Warblers are all there, giving one another pat’s on the backs or hugs, Kurt gets kissed by no less than six of the more friendly ones-he doesn’t even quite catch who other than David and Nick being two of them-and then his attention is drawn away as he distinctly hears the Warblers name mentioned over the speakers.
Blaine is laughing and nodding at the Sipra lead singer, and he grabs Kurt’s hand and waves at the others to follow as he slips beneath the rope separating the crowd from the stage, holding it up for the others.
“All right!” the lead singer shouts over the mic with a smile. “Let’s get these lovely boys up here to sing along with us!”
And quite honestly, Kurt thinks, while singing along with the band and the Warblers to Celebration and Dancing Queen and Disco Inferno that he should be completely and totally ashamed. Its disco, for crying out loud, even if ABBA is kind of amazing. But he’s having far too much fun; and his boyfriend has the entire ship and its crew enthralled by his dancing and singing next to Sipra’s lead singer, a fact about which Kurt can’t help but be entirely proud.
All in all, it’s a good way to begin 2011.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They have no curfew tonight and the Warblers are taking full advantage of that. The adults must have realized this, because Kurt hasn’t seen his parents or Mr. Price since before the party. It’s now half past three and they’re all hanging out on the bow of Deck Eleven, having claimed every available lounge chair so that it’s just them. Kurt thinks his lounge chair is the best; when he’d sat down in it, Blaine had leaned over and pushed at his knees until Kurt had parted his legs, and then Blaine had settled between them, snuggling back against his chest. This could become Kurt’s favorite thing in the whole world, just holding Blaine like this against him, arms wrapped around his chest, gelled curls tickling the edge of Kurt’s chin. He presses a kiss on the top of Blaine’s head occasionally, and it always causes Blaine to kind of push back against him, as if in an unspoken thank you.
“Champagne is not good for the soul,” Kendrick moans beside them. He’s flat on his stomach on the lounge chair, and he looks a little green.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have drunk that fifth glass,” Blaine points out. He’s playing with Kurt’s fingers resting over his chest, pulling one up at a time, dragging his fingertips along it, and then letting go to move on to the next.
“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” Kendrick says miserably.
Kurt smiles and nuzzles his nose into Blaine’s curls. The soft scent of the gel is nice, but he’d prefer to do this after his hair had been recently washed. He’ll have to keep this position in mind for the future.
Flint looks over his shoulder from where he is leaning on the railing. “I can’t wait to see a sunrise on a cruise ship.”
Blaine laughs a little. “You’re not going to make it that long. I’ve never seen you stay up past four o’clock in the time I’ve known you. You’re like Pavlov’s dog-four a.m., time to sleep.”
Flint flips him off.
“Do you guys miss girls?”
As one, the Warblers swing their heads over to Finn who’s straddling one of the lounges, occasionally tossing a beach ball back and forth with Holden who is kind of sprawled on the deck in front of the railing. Kurt hasn’t the slightest idea where the beach ball came from.
“Dude,” David says, “We’re not like, monks or anything.”
Galen agrees. “Yeah, not to mention, there’s an all-girls school just down the road from Dalton-seriously hot, rich chicks in short little uniform skirts and tight-fitting blazers. Think about it.”
“My mind is all a-flutter,” Blaine says blandly.
Kurt giggles into his hair.
“Dismissing the young lovers over there-and Kendrick who is apparently pining over Michael with the assistance of champagne-from any part of this conversation,” Wes drawls, tucking his hands behind his head on the lounge. “Like seven of us have girlfriends back home we see on the weekends. As for what the others and their right hands do, couldn’t tell you.”
There’s some laughter, and Kurt remarks against Blaine’s curls, “Just when you think Wes would never refer to masturbation…”
Blaine squeezes his arms with a laugh.
Finn is shaking his head as he catches the ball passed from Holden. “I don’t know if I could do it. I mean, sure, Kurt I get-“
“You’re dangerously treading on a path of thinking I suggest you not take,” Kurt calls out, voice filled with the displeasure he’s feeling.
“Sorry,” Finn mumbles. “Just, I like looking at girls every day. Like, the Cheerios in their short skirts, and when the girls wear those really tight sweaters in the winter.”
Kurt rolls his eyes. “I am seriously getting nauseated.”
“I know what you mean, man,” Blaine begins. “The rugby team in those tiny shorts of theirs? And I have to say, few guys look better in a pair of gray trousers than David.”
Kurt is already laughing uncontrollably beneath the weight of his boyfriends as Finn says, “Dude, don’t need to hear that!”
“What?” Blaine asks innocently. “You started it!”
Most of the others groan, other than David who calls out a cheerful “Thank you!”, and Kendrick who feels at least good enough to raise his arm and flash Blaine thumbs up.
Dropping his head beside Blaine’s ear, Kurt whispers with a smile, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Blaine tilts his head back against Kurt’s shoulder and beams up at him.
Over the next few minutes, some of the Warblers excuse themselves. Finn says he’s heading back to the room as he stops beside Kurt and Blaine, reaching out to squeeze his stepbrother’s shoulder awkwardly, almost like an apology, and then wish them both a happy New Year. Kendrick has passed out beside them, and Nick, Byron, Jared and Brett have likewise fallen asleep in their respective chairs. Laying his cheek against Blaine’s head, Kurt watches as Holden walks over to his brother, gently shaking him awake and helping him to his feet to drag him off to his room. Jared’s lightly snoring, which is the only sound to break the silence other than the engines and the ship moving through the waves.
Kurt shifts slightly, bending his right leg at the knee, and tucking his foot between Blaine’s calves.
“Trying to keep me from going anywhere?” Blaine asks in an amused tone.
“Maybe.” Kurt tightens his arms around him, and drops his head to press a kiss against Blaine’s neck. He breathes deep, inhaling the scent of Clive Christian No. 1, sweat and the salt in the air all lingering on Blaine’s skin.
Blaine’s drawing patterns over the back of Kurt’s hands with his fingers. He asks after a few quiet moments, “Have any new year’s resolutions?”
Kurt thinks about it-he’s never really made any beyond the requisite 'lose the holiday pounds he’s packed on'. He smiles as he says, “Make certain the rest of the year is just as perfect as tonight.”
“That’s a tall order, Kurt.” Blaine threads their fingers together, pressing their hands against his chest. “Not even the force of your very compelling personality can control outside factors.”
“You think my personality is compelling?”
“Mmmm.”
Kurt rewards him with a kiss behind his ear. “Okay. How about this: I resolve to make my boyfriend happy every moment that I possibly can.”
“I like that a lot actually.” Blaine snuggles back into Kurt, angling his head to tuck it against his neck. “Want to stay out here tonight?”
“I haven’t the slightest intention of moving, to be totally honest.”
“Good.”
Kurt lays his cheek once more against Blaine’s head, closing his eyes as he hears Kendrick whimper something about champagne in his sleep beside them.
“I love you, Blaine.”
“I love you, too, Kurt.”
Sleep comes quickly, peacefully.
TBC....
BONUS PIC!! icalynn totally did this for me with the Titantic staircase and whatnot. It cracks me up!!
Title: Together, We are the Oceans (Part 12/14)
Author: Aelora
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It's New Years Eve in the Caribbean.
Disclaimer: I have no claim to Kurt and Blaine, which is sad. And also rhymes. All similarities to persons or events are purely coincidental (okay, so maybe art is imitating life here, but names have been changed to protect the semi-innocent). This is homage to Celebrity Cruise Lines. Seriously.
A/N: As always, special thanks to my betas, murgy31 and wordplay. We're back to fluff, people! I am so so sorry, but did you honestly expect me to make New Year's Eve bad?? Pffft!! I love angst but come on! Don't worry--we're going to get more Blaine angst in the next chapter because I'm growing fond of beating up on him. Wut?? (Hopefully ya'll notice the transition that's been going on here with Kurt... if not, I'm a worse writer than I thought!) The backdrop mentioned in this chapter? Was totally on the cruise ship. I kid you not. Just... someone was having fun.
Also, once more, apologies for not responding to comments yet. It's all Klaineuary's fault!! Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that I somehow crank out chapters 13, 14 and finish up the epilogue plus my book report by Saturday! (I can totally make it 48 hours without sleep...)
Banner by the lovely voldything.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Nine A
Part Nine B
Part Ten
Part Eleven
Breakfast is chaos, but in the good too-many-crazy-family-members in one place kind of way. That’s how Kurt is beginning to view his fellow Warblers-one half of his family is at McKinley High in Lima, and the other half attends Dalton in Westerville. The two tables in the dining hall are filled to overflowing between the boys and their three chaperones. The performances had gone so well the night before that the council decided to cancel rehearsal for the following morning, so they all got to sleep in. They have two short performances tonight in the Cova and Rendez-vous lounges prior to the New Year’s party on the pool deck-they’re all quite confident that another rehearsal would be redundant at this point. Their conversation is loud -- lots of teasing, lots of congratulatory remarks on the shows the night before, and the occasional bits of food being thrown here and there when Kurt’s parents and Mr. Price aren’t looking.
Blaine has had his hand on Kurt’s knee pretty much since they sat down. They haven’t really talked all that much because Wes, David and, oddly enough, Finn, have kept Blaine engaged in conversation. Kurt’s all right with that, though, because he knows by the touch of Blaine’s hand where his full attention is actually focused. He knows that if he were to begin to say something, Blaine would immediately give him his full concentration. Just knowing that makes it easier to not engage his boyfriend, to simply listen to him converse with the others, and enjoy the warmth of his hand on Kurt’s knee. Also, it allows Kurt the chance to just watch Blaine, which has quickly become one of his favorite hobbies, right up there with shopping.
His hair is in Kurt’s favorite state-still damp from his morning shower, curls slowly drying in wisps around the shells of his ears and nape of his neck. When Kurt had stopped by his room to pick him up that morning, he’d had the chance to play with the curls while they’d greeted each other with kisses. Holden had been in the shower, so they’d used those extra few minutes alone together to their advantage. Kurt can almost still feel the cool wet strands as they had slid between his fingers. Blaine had even let him smooth his hair back into place when they heard Holden exiting the bathroom. He’d just flashed them a look that said he knew exactly what they’d been doing, while Kurt hummed quietly, running his fingers through Blaine’s hair so that it was less disheveled than he'd left it.
“My apologies for the interruption,” a voice says, drawing the attention of the Warblers to the head of the table where a tall and extremely well-dressed middle-aged man is standing with his arm around the waist of beautiful and petite blonde woman. Kurt feels Blaine add a little pressure to his knee.
“Not at all, Mr. Ramsey,” Wes says standing and holding out his hand to shake with their benefactor. On the other side, Mr. Price is doing the same.
“My wife and I just wanted to stop by and tell you how much we enjoyed the performance last night. You boys did the Warbler name proud.”
There’s a jumbled round of ‘thank you’s from the two tables. Kurt has honestly never seen the other boys look quite so… humble. After a smile and nod, Walter Ramsey seems to zero in on Blaine, stepping around Wes to hold out his hand.
“You’re the lead soloist, correct?”
“Blaine Anderson, sir.” Kurt mentally curses at Mr. Ramsey for causing Blaine to stand and pull his hand away.
“You’ve got quite a voice on you, son.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He peers over Blaine’s shoulder at Kurt, directing his next words to both of them. “I emailed the other Warblers from my class to let them know about that duet the two of you did last night. Nothing pleases me more than knowing the Warblers aren’t afraid to challenge the norm. It’s a tradition that’s been honored since the beginning, and I’m glad to see that continue. You boys should be proud of yourselves.”
Kurt can’t help but be pleased at the praise. Blaine is looking over his shoulder at him and smiling before turning back to Walter Ramsey and thanking him. The man reaches over to shake Kurt’s hand before thanking the group once more and excusing him and his wife.
The moment Blaine sits back down, his hand is once again on Kurt’s knee. Kurt smiles to himself before laying his own hand over Blaine’s, fingers tracing lightly over his knuckles. The conversations around them briefly focus on Walter Ramsey and his words of praise, and some of the boys tease Blaine and Kurt for being singled out, but not unkindly.
That’s something that Kurt has slowly had to get used to when it comes to the Warblers-the absolute lack of jealousy over things like solos or how Blaine is usually the one noticed by the audience because he’s typically the one out in front. No one argues who gets to be front-and-center for the next competition; no one begrudges Blaine the amount of time he has in the spot light.
It took Kurt a while to understand that it wasn’t because Blaine was nice and everyone likes him (though that fact doesn’t hurt), but it does have everything to do with the confidence each member has of their place and importance within the group. It has taken a few hard-learned lessons (and an equal amount of pep talks from Blaine and David) for Kurt to come to realize that whatever Blaine or Nick or Kendrick might be singing out in front, they’d be nothing without their fellow Warblers adding their own vocals to the song. However out of place and irrelevant Kurt might have felt while performing with them at Sectionals, it had all been in his mind. The Warblers didn’t have a countertenor; now they do. His presence makes a difference, and none of them seem inclined to let him forget that.
Eventually, Mr. Ramsey’s interruption is forgotten by most of them (Kurt can still hear Wes, David and Blaine discussing it), and conversation shifts to today’s excursion activity.
Kurt is half looking forward to and half dreading the day ahead. Their current port is Roseau, Dominica, and the Warblers have chosen to go tubing on the Layou River for their excursion. Kurt hadn’t been overly thrilled at the prospect, so when Carole had mentioned she convinced his dad to sign up with her for the Cooking Caribbean excursion, Kurt had jumped at the chance. He hadn’t imagined that Blaine would have any interest in it, but surprisingly his boyfriend had immediately agreed, saying it would be a far more unique experience than river tubing. Blaine is the only boy Kurt knows who bothers to look at the uniqueness of something as opposed to the excitement of it. The moment Kurt had mentioned to his family that Blaine wanted to join them for the cooking excursion Finn had jumped at the chance to swap tickets so that he could go river tubing.
So that means Kurt and his boyfriend will be spending four hours that day with his dad and Carole. On the one hand, no other Warblers to demand his boyfriend’s attention; on the other hand, his parents will be there, with Kurt and his boyfriend, and there is no way awkwardness won’t ensue.
Something squishy hits Kurt in the cheek, abruptly pulling him from his thoughts, and he looks down to see a soggy fried potato lying on the table in front of him. Pulling his most fierce expression, he glances around the table, unable to pinpoint the perpetrator but saying loudly enough for them all to hear, “If whoever did that expects to live long enough to graduate, I suggest not doing it again.”
Satisfied that his warning has been received, he turns to find Blaine watching him in confusion. Kurt points at the potato still laying in front of him that he isn’t interested in touching. “Someone threw that. At me. My face, to be exact.”
Blaine looks sympathetic. He reaches out for Kurt’s chin, turning his face so that the cheek that had been struck faces him. He brushes at Kurt’s skin with his fingers and smiles. “There. No harm done. Your skin is still perfect.”
Kurt blushes and murmurs his thanks. He feels Blaine squeeze his knee before he returns to his conversation with Wes and David.
“We should probably get going, guys,” Mr. Price calls out, pushing back in his seat to stand. “We’re supposed to meet the bus in thirty minutes.”
The Warblers all start getting up, and Kurt is amused as he gets yet another glimpse of the difference between boys from Dalton academy and boys from McKinley. Each of the Warblers is careful to fold and tuck their cloth napkins under the edge of their plates instead of tossing them in a heap on top of the leftover food (like Finn has done),and they all push their chairs back in, out of the way of the servers and other diners. It’s a far cry from the meals he’s had with the boys of New Directions, and though he wouldn’t honestly admit it to anyone (possibly not even Blaine) he kind of misses the rough edges of his ex-teammates.
“Oh, shoot!” Carole exclaims, drawing Kurt’s attention as stands up beside Blaine. “I forgot my camera. I’m going to have to run back to the room and get it.”
“Do you really need it?” Kurt’s dad asks as he helps her up.
“Well, I would like to have some photos of you cooking,” she teases.
“Blaine and I can run and get it,” Kurt offers, ignoring the ‘Don’t think I don’t know why you’re offering, kid’ look his dad is throwing him. “Just give me your key.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Carole digs through her purse before handing it over to him. “Your dad and I will meet you boys down on the dock.”
His dad is still giving him the full stare, and Kurt offers his brightest and most innocent smile in return before poking at Blaine’s back to guide him away from the table. They take hands as they exit the restaurant and Blaine is laughing softly beside him.
“That was probably the most obvious excuse I’ve ever seen.”
“Shut up.” Kurt pushes into him sideways, and Blaine stumbles slightly, still laughing at him. “Are you complaining that I’d like a few minutes alone with you before we get to spend four hours in the company of my parents?”
“Not at all. I’m not complaining...”
Kurt glances over at him. “But?”
“Well,” Blaine pauses as he attempts to carefully choose the words he’s looking for. “Remember how I said I want to take this slowly?”
Kurt nods, brow furrowing slightly.
“It’s just,” he shrugs, and his cheeks appear to be reddening slightly as he admits quietly, “I’m having trouble sticking to that plan every single time yourmouthandyourhandsareonme.”
Kurt stops in the corridor, eyes wide as he stares at his boyfriend. Adorably, Blaine looks uncomfortable. He won’t even meet Kurt’s eyes. For his part, Kurt can’t really get past the admission. He just asks, “Really?”
Blaine is chewing on his thumb nail. “Yeah. I can’t remember the last time I’ve taken this many ice cold showers.”
They both continue to stand there in silence, and Kurt is completely uncertain of what should be said now. Because, yeah, as inexperienced as he might be with all of this, every single chance they have to make out now, he finds himself wanting to take it a little further, try something a little different, push the boundaries of that whole 'going slow' thing. And sure, it’s hormones and every teenager has to deal with the same thing, but it’s taken him long enough to get to this point, to have someone there he can act on those urges with, so he can’t help but think that makes it a little more difficult to hold back. There’s some lost time to make up for, and his boyfriend happens to have just enough-not a lot-but just enough experience to make it all that much more tempting.
“So… ummm… “ Kurt realizes he’s staring at Blaine’s lips and that’s really not helping. He drops his gaze down to the floor instead.
“I’m just saying maybe we should… hold off on spending too much time alone for a while-”
Kurt can’t help the hurt expression he flashes at Blaine with his words. He knows he might as well have simply said Why don’t you want to spend time with me anymore? as opposed to just looking at him like he had recently kicked Kurt’s puppy.
For his part, Blaine is immediately contrite, closing the space between them and cupping Kurt’s face with his hands. “Don’t. I didn’t mean it like that, okay?” He kisses him softly. “You have no idea what you mean to me, Kurt, what this means to me. And I just don’t want-“ He breaks off as if frustrated with trying to find the right words. Sighing, he presses their foreheads together and says, “Love that is too hot and strong burneth soon to waste.”
“What?”
Blaine smiles, his fingers drawing delicate patterns along Kurt’s cheeks. “It’s from one of my favorite poems, Love Me Little, Love Me Long. It’s just, what we have, it makes me think of that poem.”
Kurt blinks. Blaine is into poetry. One more thing to add to the list of how Blaine Anderson is the most romantic and perfect boyfriend in the entirety of the world. “You’ll have to read it to me, sometime.”
“Definitely.”
Blaine kisses him then, softly and slowly, drawing it out so that Kurt can’t help but catch the meaning. From a slight pressure, gentle and reassuring, to a kiss more deeply felt, angled lips and fingers stroking ever-so-lightly down his neck that hesitate there only briefly as the kiss changes once more. A swipe of tongue now against Kurt’s lips, and one hand is curling around his neck, the other sliding over his chest, the touch more than just a caress as it slips down and around his waist, pulling him closer. And when he parts his lips, Blaine’s tongue slips inside, a deep and intimate caress hinting at promises of what’s to come, secret places yet unexplored. Kurt shivers against him, not bothering to hold back his whimper as Blaine pledges, without uttering a single word, the path that one day their relationship will take.
When the kiss ends, stopping with a single soft caress of Kurt’s lips, he can almost hear the unspoken Not yet.
Kurt doesn’t open his eyes as Blaine whispers against his mouth, “That’s what I want it all to be like. Every single moment we have together.”
“I’m not certain I’m going to survive every moment like that,” Kurt huffs honestly in response.
Laughing, Blaine pulls him close in a tight embrace. “Not even if I promise it’ll be worth it?”
“I’m not saying it won’t be worth it.” Kurt snuggles into Blaine’s warmth, clinging to him a little. “I’m just saying I may not survive it.”
Although, Kurt has to admit, the journey sounds extremely pleasant.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Cooking Caribbean excursion is held in the home of David and Deana Eugene. Blaine and Kurt had quietly joked during the drive in the van that David was actually an axe murder who was taking them out into the middle of nowhere to cut them up and use them in the next excursion because… well, their home was literally in the middle of nowhere, up a winding muddy road high in the mountains, surrounded by lush vegetation, palm, banana and cocoa trees all around them.
The house itself is three stories tall, soft yellow with white trim, with multiple outside staircases and a porch that extends around most of the second floor. The kitchen for the cooking excursion is located in the back beneath an added-on overhang, open to the backyard on three sides with a view of nothing but green mountains behind them. The kitchen looks like something out of the Food Network, and the view looks like something out of the Travel Channel. All in all, Kurt’s fairly pleased with his choice to follow his parents on this excursion rather than river tubing.
Especially considering it has been raining nonstop since they’d disembarked from the ship. The Warblers have got to be miserable.
When they’d arrived and been introduced to David’s wife, Deana, and her fellow cook, Liz, they’d all been instructed to wash their hands and then handed bright yellow aprons to wear. Kurt isn’t too pleased with being forced to wear it, no matter if it will protect his shirt from getting stained; yellow is a horrible color on him that makes his complexion appear far too sallow. Blaine, on the other hand, looks remarkably adorable in his, and Kurt isn’t the least surprised that his boyfriend already has Deana and Liz giggling like tweens as he engages them with questions about the business.
There are only two other passengers on the tour with them, an older man named Phil and his twenty-something daughter, Alex, who are both from Toronto. After introductions, Alex leans over to whisper to Kurt, “We’re on vacation with my two sisters. I drew the short straw for today’s excursion. They’re at the beach.”
Kurt smiles, and points at the dark grey clouds, which have settled over the mountains and don’t appear to be going anywhere. “That straw may have been longer than you think.”
Alex laughs and nods in agreement.
As their hostesses begin explaining to them how the cooking lesson will work, Blaine comes over to lean next to Kurt against the enormous island that circles the kitchen. He bumps his shoulder lightly, as if simply letting him know that he’s thinking about him. Kurt tries not to look when he notices Carole taking a photo of them out of the corner of his eye.
Kurt’s most intent on the description of the menu, careful take make certain it’s all healthy enough for his dad to eat, and nutritionally acceptable to him. There’s creole fish (tuna, for today) with a marinade made mostly of vegetables, rice and peas in coconut milk, plantains in shredded coconut (though he’s not too pleased with the fact that they’ll be fried), salad with lime and garlic dressing, grapefruit with spiced rum (at his dad’s rumble of approval, Kurt shakes his head-“But it’s grapefruit!” “You can have the grapefruit minus the rum”), and pumpkin juice, also apparently with spiced rum.
“Will there be a nonalcoholic choice?” Kurt asks.
Deana and Liz look surprised at the question, and Kurt’s dad grumbles off to the side about his son being a killjoy. Kurt just rolls his eyes and waits for a response.
“We can certainly make a separate batch,” Deana tells him.
Pleased with her easy acceptance of meeting his request, Kurt smiles and nods in return. Deana and Liz begin busying themselves gathering the materials needed for cooking.
Blaine leans in close, whispering into his ear, “The way you take care of your dad is really kind of hot, you know.”
Kurt’s surprised at how well he doesn’t bother reacting to Blaine’s admission, even if he does step hard on the foot beside his. He allows a small smile as Blaine chokes back a pained noise and shoots him a disgruntled look.
“Be quiet and pay attention to the cooking lesson, Blaine,” Kurt tells him.
There’s a beat, and then, “Yes, dear.”
Kurt’s about to stomp on his foot again when Deana calls for a volunteer; Blaine quickly bounds away from him offering up his assistance. Shaking his head, Kurt sighs at how much he alternately wants to shake and kiss his boyfriend, before glancing over to see Carole already taking pictures of him as he begins helping slice plantains. And wow, Kurt is going to have real photos of his boyfriend to put on his Facebook and make secret scrapbooks with that no one but he will ever get to see (because if anyone knew he was particularly talented at scrapbooking, he’d never live it down). There will be no more nabbing photos off of school websites-these pictures are real and they’re his, and some will even be of them, as a couple. And Kurt can’t stop the wonder he feels as he thinks, I get to show off Blaine, my boyfriend, on Facebook.
When Carole offers to help out with the batter for the plantains, Kurt takes the camera from her and begins snapping a few photos of his own. He takes one of his dad watching the proceedings, and then of Carole and Blaine and Liz as they’re gathered around the preparation table in the center of the kitchen, preparing the plantains for frying. When Deana asks for a volunteer to take on the task of frying, Kurt is surprised when it's his dad who steps forward.
“I’m an old pro at this,” he announces as he follows her over to the fryer with a plate of the plantains prepared by Blaine and Carole.
“Your dad is adorable,” Alex says, leaning in to Kurt as they watch Burt show off the first of his perfectly fried plantains to Deana.
“Thanks.” Kurt smiles pleased to hear the recognition from others as to how his dad is so amazing.
“So, Blaine,” she begins, voice a little softer. “Is he your boyfriend?”
Kurt blinks. He didn’t think they’d been that apparent. He tries to think back on anything they’d done that might have given it away since they climbed into the van, but he can’t come up with a single instance. So he just stares back at Alex, uncertain of what he should say.
“I’m sorry,” she says suddenly. “I just thought-“
“No, it’s okay. You’re right, actually. I just hadn’t realized we’d been,” his voice lowers more, “obvious.”
“Oh, you haven’t. I mean no PDA or anything like that.” Alex shrugs. “I guess it’s just the way you two look at each other. If you weren’t dating, I can’t imagine you’d be that totally oblivious to it.”
Kurt laughs a little and tells her, “You’d be surprised.”
“Hey, Kurt!” Blaine calls out from the other side of the kitchen. “Come on. It’s your turn. You’re the cook around here.”
Kurt rolls his eyes a little and moves to set the camera on the counter when Alex asks, “Would you like me to take some pictures of you, Blaine and your family for you?”
He smiles at the offer. “You don’t have to do that-“
“Oh, I don’t mind.” She takes the camera from his hands. “Plus, it gives me something to do. Trust me, you do not want me near the food. That’s more my dad’s thing. I’m just here because of the-“
“Short straw,” Kurt says for her with a smile.
She laughs. “Yeah. That.”
When Kurt joins his parents and Blaine over by the stove, he’s given the task of sautéing the vegetables for the marinade and turning the tuna. Blaine moves over to stand beside him, peering into the sauté pan as Kurt cooks, and occasionally exchanging amused glances with him. Kurt figures that Blaine is as hyper aware as he is that his dad is standing right there, side-eyeing the both of them. He hears Carole laugh behind them at something Deana has said to her, and it’s enough to draw his dad’s attention away for a moment. He finds himself thinking about Alex’s comment to him, how just the way they look at one another is enough for a person to know.
Blaine is looking at him now, and Kurt understands what she means. He knows he’s returning the same emotion in his gaze, but it took her to point it out to him. He wonders if Blaine knows, if he realizes that every time Kurt looks at him like he is now, he’s really saying ‘I love you’. Kurt thinks he’ll have to tell Blaine later. So he’ll know.
For now, he smiles and mouths, I love you.
The way Blaine’s gaze softens, his eyes darkening just a little, makes Kurt go weak in the knees. I love you, too, he returns silently, and Kurt kind of forgets all about the marinade until Liz appears, shoving in between them and gently scolding him for letting the vegetables burn. Oops.
Kurt reddens, glancing away from the cook and over his shoulder to see Alex with her hand over her mouth, covering her laughter. Oh, apparently she had witnessed the whole thing. Biting his cheek to hide his own smile, he catches his dad glancing between him and Blaine, like he knows something was going on there, but he missed it entirely.
“I think our assistance in the kitchen is no longer needed,” Blaine remarks beside him with a grin.
Agreeing with his boyfriend, Kurt quickly steps away from the food preparation and back behind the island, with Blaine following. He snatches the camera from Alex, who is still watching both of them in amusement, and tells her that it’s her turn to help out in the kitchen.
“Oh, well,” her eyes twinkle “if you two want to be alone…”
Kurt sputters as she laughs and quickly moves away to assist his parents with the cooking. He shakes his head; he really kind of likes her.
“What was that all about?” Blaine asks as they resume their previous positions against the counter, close enough that their shoulders sometimes touch.
Kurt turns the camera on to flip through the photos that have been taken, smiling when he sees a couple that Alex had zoomed in on of him and Blaine looking at each other. He turns it in his hands for Blaine to see. “Alex made an observation about us.”
“Oh?” Blaine grins at the photos of the two of them together, and a few of just Kurt being handed the spoon for the marinade, and another of Liz shooing them both away from the stove. He whispers, “Did Alex point out that your boyfriend is hopelessly in love with you?”
“Something like that, yeah.” Kurt bumps his shoulder into Blaine’s. “Except for the part where she pointed out that your boyfriend is hopelessly in love with you, too.”
There’s something about this-getting to tell his boyfriend that he loves him whenever he just feels like it. Teasing about it, seeing the flush on Blaine’s cheeks whenever he says it, knowing that Blaine feels the same, says it in return. Kurt can’t imagine ever growing tired of hearing it, of saying it, of knowing and feeling it. Certainly, in his wildest and most secret dreams, he imagined that some day he would have the chance-when he’d left Ohio and his childhood behind. And sometimes he feared for it then, wondering if maybe it would be too late; that he would be too bitter and angry and hurt that it had taken so long. He didn’t have to wait, though. He can say it, and will say it, possibly until Blaine is sick of hearing it. All because he can.
Kurt’s never really had the thought before, but life can be pretty damn wonderful, sometimes.
When the meal is prepared, the participants all gather around a table off to the side of the kitchen to eat while Deana and Liz clean up behind them. Burt and Phil quickly fall into a conversation with one another about forced diets (Phil apparently has problems with dairy and meat), recent medical problems, and raising children. Alex sits across from Kurt and Blaine, randomly rolling her eyes at the discussion with regards to being a parent and the trials and tribulations therein, and Kurt finds himself matching her eye roll for eye roll. Even Carole giggles with them on occasion, apparently having no interest whatsoever in being drawn into the paternally-related conversation.
The food is amazing, though Kurt hasn’t decided what he thinks of the pumpkin juice. It was a mixture of so many herbs and spices that he’d ended up losing count, and while it’s healthy and different, Kurt can’t honestly say he’d drink it by choice. Meanwhile, Blaine’s on his second glass. Also, he decided to try the one with the spiced rum. Kurt’s beginning to think, between the cake and the juice that maybe his boyfriend has a thing for rum. Blaine likewise seems to love the dessert-the grapefruit is covered in nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger, with spiced rum poured over the top. It’s actually really good, but the way Blaine is eating his causes Kurt to worry that he might try to eat the rind. Then again, his boyfriend has a healthy appetite (the more grease and fried food, the better) and the meal has been very light. He has no doubt they’ll be stopping by the buffet for fries later.
There’s still a few minutes left before David will be driving them back to the ship, so Kurt follows Blaine out into the garden where the rain has petered off into a fine mist. The clouds still hang over the mountains around them, engulfing the higher peaks in blanket of gray that contrasts against the dark green of the vegetation. Blaine stops to play with some of the ridiculously large bay leaves on the tree in front of him; Kurt finds himself wondering if the Warblers are enjoying themselves in this weather.
“I think this is one of the prettiest of the islands,” Blaine remarks as his attention is drawn from the bay tree to the cocoa one beside it.
“Yeah, pretty,” Kurt agrees, watching his boyfriend as he examines some of the cocoa beans curiously. Kurt thinks about how the laws here are no different than the rest of the West Indies, and finds himself adding, “Except, you know, where it isn’t.”
“Don’t be bitter,” Blaine says without looking at him. He turns from the tree and gives Kurt what is very obviously a forced smile. “Ignorance, remember?”
Kurt rolls his eyes, and it isn’t the least bit playful because, yes, he is feeling a bit bitter. “I can’t wait until we get to St. Thomas Sunday.” He turns to start toward the front of the house where the van is waiting. Blaine catches up to walk beside him. Kurt says, “Kendrick told me this morning that homosexuality is legal in Cuba. Cuba! Also, it’s been legal in Guadalupe since 1791, and they have civil unions.”
He glances over at Blaine to find him watching Kurt with a hint of a smile. “Are you proposing to me, Kurt?”
Briefly wondering what the laws on murder are in Dominica, Kurt shoves against him with his shoulder as Blaine laughs. “You are such an ass.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Warblers had just as miserable time river tubing as Kurt suspected they would. In fact, they all still seem a little bedraggled and downtrodden during their performances in the Cova and Rendez-vous lounges that night. Not that it’s anything the audience would notice, but during their first performance in the Cova Café, Kurt can sense a certain lack of energy that hadn’t been missing the night before. Blaine is his usual perfection while singing Everything, and of course their duet of I Got You Babe is spot on-Kurt finds himself enjoying every moment of the audience joining in and singing along with them. Here Comes the Sun is a little off, and Kurt thinks it sounds as if Jeff is coming down with a cold, and Kurt actually saves You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling when Nick’s voice cracks on his first line-Kurt takes over his part, and Nick looks eternally grateful. By the time they get through Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, all the boys look ready for a nap.
Too bad they still had a second performance to get through.
“None of you look as if you’re going to make it to midnight,” Kurt remarks to David as they accept praise from the passengers in the Rendez-vous Lounge, shaking hands and thanking them for coming.
“A few mentioned passing out in their rooms for the next few hours,” David says with a nod as he smiles and thanks an elderly woman who tells him they’re the most adorable group of boys she’s ever seen. “That excursion was awful. We’ll be lucky if we don’t all have pneumonia when we get back to Dalton.”
“Maybe you should have gone cooking.” Blaine moves up beside Kurt, slipping his arm around his waist. “We had good food, shelter over our heads…”
David glares at him. “Shut up.”
“They would have ruined it for the rest of us, had they been there,” Kurt says.
Blaine smiles and nods in agreement. “True. True.”
“I hate both of you,” David deadpans. “Also, I’m going to go take drugs and sleep until the New Year’s festivities. See you guys at the party.”
“I’m starving,” Blaine says as David walks away.
“You’re always starving.” They start to make their way out of Rendez-vous, heading toward the dining hall where there’s apparently supposed to be a special dinner presentation in honor of the New Year. Kurt adds as they walk, “I swear you eat more than Finn.”
“Now you’re just being hateful.” Blaine tugs him close. “I don’t eat that much. Besides, all we had for lunch were a couple of small pieces of tuna-not exactly filling-and a whole batch of vegetables. I’m not a rabbit.”
“Awww,” Kurt teases. “I think you’d make an adorable rabbit! A cottontail-“
“Don’t go there-“
“-what with the hair and all.”
“You went there.”
Kurt slips away from Blaine’s arm, spinning and walking backwards in front of his boyfriend, who is currently glowering at him. “You know I love your hair, so don’t pout. And I prefer it when you don’t have all that-“ he waves a hand at Blaine’s currently tamed curls “-gel in it.”
“Yes, well,” Blaine reaches a hand up to his hair in a self-conscious manner that Kurt can’t help but find endearing, “Have you ever tried to live with hair like this at an all-boys school? There may be a no-bullying policy, but good-natured teasing has no such tenet. It was like open season on me my first semester.”
“Rabbit season.”
Blaine blinks, staring at Kurt incomprehensibly, which just makes Kurt laugh.
“You know, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Rabbit season, duck season… No?”
Blaine is not amused. He says, “So that makes you Daffy, then?”
Now it’s Kurt’s turn to not be amused. He steps back up to Blaine, turning to walk normally as he slides their arms together. “Let’s change the conversation, shall we?”
“No, no, no. I’m kind of enjoying this. After all, Bugs is always described as confident, smart, calm, cool and collected. A leader, if you will. The one everyone aspires to be like-“
“If you continue this pattern of thought,” Kurt warns, shifting to punch his boyfriend in the arm. “I guarantee you’re going to be awfully lonely when that clock strikes midnight.”
“Aww.” Blaine stops and tugs Kurt to him, leaning up to kiss the tip of his nose. “I was always kind of fond of Daffy and his raging emotions. One always knew where they stood with Daffy. That kind of honesty is rare.”
Kurt can see that. He adds, “With Bugs, you never really knew until you were left standing with a stick of dynamite that blew your head off.”
Blaine raises an eyebrow at that. “Ouch.”
“Stop. You know I didn’t mean it in that way.” Kurt steals a quick kiss. “Let’s talk about something else because now I have all of these unpleasant images of inter-species relations-ducks and rabbits, and it’s unsettling.”
Blaine laughs as Kurt pulls him along through the casino where the lights are a little too bright and the sounds of the slot machines all around them make the atmosphere seem like a carnival. He sees a familiar face coming toward them, and he can’t really stop himself from doing exactly what they’ve been told repeatedly to do.
“Hi, Steve!” he calls out, and Blaine chuckles against his side.
“Well hey there, guys!” Steve, the cruise director, stops in front of them. “You two are-no, don’t tell me-Blaine and… Kurt, correct? Good to see you,” he shakes their hands enthusiastically and continues on without taking a breath, “Are you enjoying the cruise? Looking forward to tonight’s party? It’s going to be a wild one! Remember, it all starts at ten thirty up on the pool deck and continues to three o’clock! Sipra will be playing-hey, maybe the Warblers can join in for a song or two? The passengers would love that! Hey, I gotta go but hope to see you guys up there!”
Kurt and Blaine watch silently as Steve hurries away from them, moving toward the opposite end of the casino, randomly stopping here and there as other passengers call out, “Hi Steve!” Shaking his head, Kurt turns and looks at Blaine in wonder.
“Why am I always tired after an encounter with that guy?”
Blaine shrugs. “I honestly think he’s on a firm diet of speed and caffeine. I can’t imagine any person naturally being that hyperactive.”
“I don’t think he sleeps,” Kurt adds as they continue their way toward the dining hall. “He films that morning report at like five a.m. And he’s already talking about that party tonight going until three. Plus he’s always in Cosmos late at night from the sounds of it. I’d be a zombie. A walking, talking zombie.”
“All zombies walk. Unless, of course, they have no legs.”
“You’re doing that thing again, where you’re an ass. I have high hopes that if I point it out enough, one day you’ll catch yourself and, you know, not do it.” Kurt smiles with his words, and then laughs as Blaine elbows him in his ribs.
He loves that he can pick on Blaine, be a little bit bitchy to him, and his boyfriend takes it in a good-natured manner, occasionally dishing it right back in the most surprising of moments. He’s rarely had the chance to meet others who could match his wit, or who could accept it without taking it too personally. One day, Kurt knows, he’ll end up saying something that will likely cross the line for Blaine, and then he’ll have to do everything he can to make up for it, but for now he can just enjoy the easy banter between them.
“You guys have got to see this!” Kendrick is up ahead, waving them into the main foyer where the staircase and elevators to all of the decks converge. Flint, Byron, Dean and Galen are with him, and they’re all standing around, staring at one of the photography backdrops.
In what Kurt’s dad has described as “yet another way in which Celebrity can milk all of the money it can from the passengers”, every night there are three different backdrops set up in the area with professional photographers at the ready to snap photos of guests dressed up for dinner. If you like the photo, you can shell out $19.95 for your very own shiny eight by ten to take home with you. Kurt has seen people with stacks of those photos in their hands, and can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with just using their own cameras and printing them at home. He knows his dad and Carole have posed for a few, but they haven’t actually purchased one yet. They keep arguing over what they like best.
“This is the most inappropriate thing ever.” Kendrick giggles as they reach him. “I mean, seriously.” He waves a hand toward the backdrop in front of them.
Blaine and Kurt are both silent as they stare at it. Kendrick’s use of the word inappropriate is really the best description for it. Though Kurt would add 'amusing', in a rather unsettling way. Dark humor. Yes, that’s the most accurate description he can think of.
“Seriously,” Kendrick says. “Who puts a backdrop of the Titanic staircase on a cruise ship? And people actually keep lining up for a photo!”
And honestly, Kurt isn’t the least bit surprised when Blaine suddenly yanks him forward toward the photographer, who looks a little bored as she waits for some customers.
“I think you’re obsessed with this movie in a seriously unhealthy fashion,” Kurt remarks as he lets Blaine pull him to stand in front of the backdrop. “I may have to form an intervention.”
Blaine smirks at him before leaning in to give his cheek a quick kiss. “How can you not love Leo and Kate? Are you not human?”
“I didn’t say I don’t love them-I’ve even seen Leo’s episodes of “Growing Pains”, and that should say something. But this? Is kind of morbid.”
“Okay you two,” the photographer-a pixie-haired brunette who’s about as tiny as Kurt remembers Sunshine Corazon being-begins instructing, “Angle at your shoulders, please, and face each other just a little, that’s right. Cutie,” she waves at Blaine, “put your right hand in your pocket-that’s good-and go ahead and keep your left around his waist. And you, honey,” she directs her attention to Kurt, “Go ahead and leave your left hand at your side, but bring your right hand up behind his shoulder-go ahead and hold on to him. That’s perfect. Smile.”
It’s cheesy and ludicrous, and off to the side, the Warblers watching are laughing at them, and Kendrick says something about them being spokesmen for Hallmark. At the very last minute before the camera clicks, Blaine rises up slightly on his toes, and Kurt has to bite back his laughter and hold his smile in place as the photo is taken. The minute it’s over, he shoves Blaine gently, rolling his eyes and telling him if he has such problems with being short, maybe he should wear heels.
And then he pictures Blaine in heels, and finds it ridiculously hot. Dammit.
The photographer takes two more photos of them-one with both their arms around their waists, which suddenly has Kurt imagining what prom might be like if he and Blaine had the chance to go, and another with Blaine kind of angled in front of Kurt, which has his boyfriend grumbling about being shorter again. Kurt pokes him in the side and tells him that it’s entirely possible he’ll still have a growth spurt. Blaine sticks his tongue out in response.
Apparently not wishing to be left out, Kendrick, Flint, Dean, Byron and Galen all shuffle into the front of the backdrop with them, calling out for a group photo. Kendrick is actually the smallest out of all of them, and he immediately jumps in the front, saying the prettiest one should be the most notable anyway. Blaine shoves him out of the way, saying if that’s the case, he shouldn’t even be in the photo. Laughing, Kurt pulls his boyfriend close, and around them the boys flash ‘peace’ and ‘hang loose’ as the camera clicks.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
By the time they reach the pool deck at ten thirty-five, the party is already in full swing. The music is louder than ever as the Sipra lead singer belts out Katy Perry’s Hot n Cold. There’s not much space left around the pool area, and up above on Deck Eleven, passengers are leaning against the railing surrounding the entire open space, watching the activities below. The pool deck is where the real party is-the area in front of the stage has become a makeshift dance floor, with passengers of every age dancing with whoever happens to be standing around them. Above the band is an enormous projection screen playing video of the crowd below. The space around the pool and hot tubs are no different, and Kurt kinds of understand the point of the netting now as he watches obviously drunk passengers stumbling along the edge of the pool.
He holds tight to Blaine’s hand as they push their way through the crowd. All of the Warblers plus Finn are present, and Kurt lost track of his dad and Carole somewhere along the way-they said they were going to find a place a little less crowded to watch the festivities. The people around them are dressed in their New Year’s best-sequined gowns, tailored tuxedos, the occasional pair of Jimmy Choo’s that make Kurt want to weep with joy. He kinds of hates that they’re stuck in their Dalton uniforms for the sake of being noticed and recognized; he thinks he could be far more noticeable if allowed to dress up the way he’d prefer for New Year’s Eve.
Holden and Finn are at the front of the group, maneuvering their way through the crowd in the hope of making it easier for the rest of the Warblers. Kurt can’t help but find it kind of sweet, the way there’s this unspoken ring of protection that they seem to form-he and Blaine, Kendrick, Thad, Nick and Flint are all in the center, with Jared bringing up the rear (he smirks at the appropriateness), and Dean, Galen, Wes, David, Byron, Brett and Jeremiah all around them. He doesn’t know if it’s a conscious thing or not, but it sure works in a crowd this big.
Sipra moves from Katy Perry to Gloria Gaynor, and the people go a little wild, singing at the top of their lungs and dancing. Somehow, Finn and Holden end up working their way to the center of the dance floor that really isn’t, right in front of the stage.
Kurt finds himself standing next to his stepbrother, who leans down to shout with a big grin, “This is insane!”
Nodding, Kurt clings to Blaine a little more tightly. It’s the crowd, he realizes. This many people, pressing in this close, and he doesn’t know anyone but the boys around him. It’s impossible not to feel a little vulnerable, a little like he has to protect himself. He feels Blaine’s hand on the small of his back, rubbing against him in a soothing manner. Kurt gives him a smile of thanks and feels Blaine pull him a little closer. Around them, the Warblers begin kind of dancing-there isn’t much one can do in this crowd other than hop up and down a lot, which is pretty much what Finn and Holden and some of the others are doing. David and Wes are actually getting a few real dance moves in, and Galen, Flint and Brett have all found dance partners in a small group of girls off to the right of the stage.
“Ever been to something like this?” Blaine is leaning in to his ear, yelling pretty much but Kurt can still just barely make out the words.
He shakes his head in response and glances at Blaine in question.
“Times Square twice,” Blaine yells. “I think this is worse. More confined.”
Kurt nods, wondering briefly if he’s going to need a hearing aid after this. The crowd begins shouting their approval as Sipra launches into Poker Face. Kurt glances over to find Blaine smiling at him as he pulls away a little and begins to dance. Kurt laughs and starts moving to the music as well, and they’re quickly joined by Finn, Nick, Kendrick and Jeff. Odd as it seems, there’s another group of teenage boys not too far from them also all dancing together. Now that Kurt thinks about it, the ratio of teenage boys to girls on this ship is kind of off. If he were into girls, it’d be kind of depressing.
Poker Face ends rather abruptly as Steve appears on stage, wearing a ridiculous cardboard top hat with ‘Happy New Year’ written in silver glitter across the front and looking entirely too excited when midnight is still more than an hour away.
“Are we all having a great time?”
The crowd cheers; Kurt resists the urge to cover his ears. Beside him, Jeff is doing exactly that. He looks like he’s in pain.
“I want the people of Guadalupe off to our port side to hear how much fun you’re having!! Go on! Let them know! Let them wish they were on the Millennium with the rest of us!”
Ear plugs. He wishes he had ear plugs. The deck of the ship beneath his feet is actually vibrating. Blaine is pressing against him again, though, and shouts in his ear, “Hey! Do you think we could make it if we tried swimming to shore?”
Kurt laughs at the memory of their conversation earlier that day, and tries really hard not to imagine spending the rest of his life with Blaine. He certainly hasn’t picked out their tuxedos or anything.
They spend the next hour dancing, getting used to the crowd and the noise, and being drawn in by their enthusiasm for the coming of the New Year. Whenever the camera centers on the Warblers, which happens a lot considering their position in the crowd, the boys go a little nuts, shouting and waving at the crowd, who simply return it when they see the enthusiasm projected on the screen. There are a couple of slow songs played, and on the first one, Kurt pulls Blaine close, immediately taking the lead, which makes Blaine laugh that wonderful laugh of his. Kurt thinks the ability to make Blaine happy has to be the greatest thing in the world. On their second dance, Kendrick somehow sneaks his way in, and it’s funny and awkward, the three of them dancing together, but Kurt likes Kendrick, and he likes how whatever past animosity might have existed between the boy and Blaine doesn’t interfere with their friendship now.
At one point while dancing to Boogie Oogie Oogie (Kurt wants to know who decides Sipra’s set list because it is insane), someone taps on Blaine’s shoulder, and they look up to find Eddy and Carl behind them. They all exchange quick hugs and wishes for a happy new year, and they try to introduce the other Warblers, though it’s impossible to really talk over the noise. Eventually they all just settle back into dancing with the rest of the crowd, and Kurt can’t help but be amused when he glances over once to see Eddy dancing with two different middle-aged women while Carl looks on from the side of the crowd with a smile. And this is why Kurt isn’t the least bit surprised when he glances past Finn’s shoulder to see Blaine surrounded by a couple of teenage girls. Kurt rolls his eyes, and unlike Carl, reaches out to grab his boyfriend by the elbow and pull him back to his side. Blaine tries to call out an apology to them, while Kurt glares daggers until they turn and scatter back into the crowd.
Blaine is laughing in his ear. “Was that a little display of jealousy I just saw?”
Kurt scoffs. “I’m no more jealous than you.”
That comment earns him more laughter as Blaine hugs him close.
Time seems to pass too quickly. There are flutes of champagne suddenly being passed among the crowd by crew members-people are just handing them from one to the other, and before he realizes it, he has a plastic flute in hand along with all of the other Warblers. Kurt can’t help but scan the crowd overhead for his dad, feeling a little guilty for indulging. But, it’s New Years Eve, and he isn’t the only teen with a glass in his hand and maybe just this once. He takes a few sips, sneezing when the bubbles tickle his nose, and Blaine laughs and kisses him quickly. The other Warblers seem to have finished their champagne off already, but like Blaine, Kurt just continues to sip at his. He watches as the crowd around them seems to get a little more rowdy. Free champagne will do that, he figures. Steve suddenly appears onstage once more, directing attention to the overheard screen and the countdown clock that flashes across it.
“Look at that, everyone! 15 seconds to go!” Steve yells out above the screaming crowd. The Sipra drummer does a drum roll as they all watch the countdown continue. 13-12-11-
“10-“ Steve and everyone on the pool deck begins shouting. “9-“
It’s almost deafening, the sound of two thousand passengers and half that number of crew all counting down to midnight. Kurt can’t contain his smile as he counts with them, Blaine’s arm around his waist, holding him close, the Warblers surrounding them.
“6-5-4-“
Kurt turns his head, looking at Blaine as they count together, and as if realizing he’s being watched, Blaine meets his gaze.
“3-2-1. Happy New Year!”
They whisper “Happy New Year” to one another as the din around them continues to rise in volume, and it’s Kurt’s first New Year’s kiss as they move toward one another in the same moment, the crowd falling away until there’s only the two of them. Kurt knows nothing but the security of Blaine’s arms around him, one hand flat against his back, the warm mouth that tastes like champagne, and the probing soft tongue that tangles with his before sweeping in to taste and feel. There’s only Blaine in Kurt’s world as this new and promising year begins; the crisp, slick feel of Blaine’s gelled curls beneath his fingers-and Kurt barely recognizes that he dropped the champagne flute somewhere along the way-Blaine’s chest pressed hard against his, the scent of Blaine’s ridiculously expensive cologne wafting in the air around them. The scope of Kurt’s suddenly tiny world is perfect; he wants to lose himself in this, in the safety and comfort and sheer familiarity of Blaine’s presence. Blaine’s love.
When the kiss turns to soft, short caresses against his lips, Kurt feels the shift in reality as the world around them returns--the music, the laughter, the shouts of “Happy New Years!” and the noise-makers that accompany them. They don’t pull back though, even when they are no longer kissing; their noses are touching, and they’re smiling at each other, and Blaine’s is threading his fingers along the hair at Kurt’s temple.
Until a blowout loudly and rudely stretches between their faces, smacking Blaine in the nose as they jump apart. Kendrick is laughing as he pulls the mouthpiece away from his lips, and before either of them can kill him, he throws his arms around Blaine, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and wishing him a happy New Year, and then he turns to Kurt and does the same. Suddenly, the Warblers are all there, giving one another pat’s on the backs or hugs, Kurt gets kissed by no less than six of the more friendly ones-he doesn’t even quite catch who other than David and Nick being two of them-and then his attention is drawn away as he distinctly hears the Warblers name mentioned over the speakers.
Blaine is laughing and nodding at the Sipra lead singer, and he grabs Kurt’s hand and waves at the others to follow as he slips beneath the rope separating the crowd from the stage, holding it up for the others.
“All right!” the lead singer shouts over the mic with a smile. “Let’s get these lovely boys up here to sing along with us!”
And quite honestly, Kurt thinks, while singing along with the band and the Warblers to Celebration and Dancing Queen and Disco Inferno that he should be completely and totally ashamed. Its disco, for crying out loud, even if ABBA is kind of amazing. But he’s having far too much fun; and his boyfriend has the entire ship and its crew enthralled by his dancing and singing next to Sipra’s lead singer, a fact about which Kurt can’t help but be entirely proud.
All in all, it’s a good way to begin 2011.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They have no curfew tonight and the Warblers are taking full advantage of that. The adults must have realized this, because Kurt hasn’t seen his parents or Mr. Price since before the party. It’s now half past three and they’re all hanging out on the bow of Deck Eleven, having claimed every available lounge chair so that it’s just them. Kurt thinks his lounge chair is the best; when he’d sat down in it, Blaine had leaned over and pushed at his knees until Kurt had parted his legs, and then Blaine had settled between them, snuggling back against his chest. This could become Kurt’s favorite thing in the whole world, just holding Blaine like this against him, arms wrapped around his chest, gelled curls tickling the edge of Kurt’s chin. He presses a kiss on the top of Blaine’s head occasionally, and it always causes Blaine to kind of push back against him, as if in an unspoken thank you.
“Champagne is not good for the soul,” Kendrick moans beside them. He’s flat on his stomach on the lounge chair, and he looks a little green.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have drunk that fifth glass,” Blaine points out. He’s playing with Kurt’s fingers resting over his chest, pulling one up at a time, dragging his fingertips along it, and then letting go to move on to the next.
“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” Kendrick says miserably.
Kurt smiles and nuzzles his nose into Blaine’s curls. The soft scent of the gel is nice, but he’d prefer to do this after his hair had been recently washed. He’ll have to keep this position in mind for the future.
Flint looks over his shoulder from where he is leaning on the railing. “I can’t wait to see a sunrise on a cruise ship.”
Blaine laughs a little. “You’re not going to make it that long. I’ve never seen you stay up past four o’clock in the time I’ve known you. You’re like Pavlov’s dog-four a.m., time to sleep.”
Flint flips him off.
“Do you guys miss girls?”
As one, the Warblers swing their heads over to Finn who’s straddling one of the lounges, occasionally tossing a beach ball back and forth with Holden who is kind of sprawled on the deck in front of the railing. Kurt hasn’t the slightest idea where the beach ball came from.
“Dude,” David says, “We’re not like, monks or anything.”
Galen agrees. “Yeah, not to mention, there’s an all-girls school just down the road from Dalton-seriously hot, rich chicks in short little uniform skirts and tight-fitting blazers. Think about it.”
“My mind is all a-flutter,” Blaine says blandly.
Kurt giggles into his hair.
“Dismissing the young lovers over there-and Kendrick who is apparently pining over Michael with the assistance of champagne-from any part of this conversation,” Wes drawls, tucking his hands behind his head on the lounge. “Like seven of us have girlfriends back home we see on the weekends. As for what the others and their right hands do, couldn’t tell you.”
There’s some laughter, and Kurt remarks against Blaine’s curls, “Just when you think Wes would never refer to masturbation…”
Blaine squeezes his arms with a laugh.
Finn is shaking his head as he catches the ball passed from Holden. “I don’t know if I could do it. I mean, sure, Kurt I get-“
“You’re dangerously treading on a path of thinking I suggest you not take,” Kurt calls out, voice filled with the displeasure he’s feeling.
“Sorry,” Finn mumbles. “Just, I like looking at girls every day. Like, the Cheerios in their short skirts, and when the girls wear those really tight sweaters in the winter.”
Kurt rolls his eyes. “I am seriously getting nauseated.”
“I know what you mean, man,” Blaine begins. “The rugby team in those tiny shorts of theirs? And I have to say, few guys look better in a pair of gray trousers than David.”
Kurt is already laughing uncontrollably beneath the weight of his boyfriends as Finn says, “Dude, don’t need to hear that!”
“What?” Blaine asks innocently. “You started it!”
Most of the others groan, other than David who calls out a cheerful “Thank you!”, and Kendrick who feels at least good enough to raise his arm and flash Blaine thumbs up.
Dropping his head beside Blaine’s ear, Kurt whispers with a smile, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Blaine tilts his head back against Kurt’s shoulder and beams up at him.
Over the next few minutes, some of the Warblers excuse themselves. Finn says he’s heading back to the room as he stops beside Kurt and Blaine, reaching out to squeeze his stepbrother’s shoulder awkwardly, almost like an apology, and then wish them both a happy New Year. Kendrick has passed out beside them, and Nick, Byron, Jared and Brett have likewise fallen asleep in their respective chairs. Laying his cheek against Blaine’s head, Kurt watches as Holden walks over to his brother, gently shaking him awake and helping him to his feet to drag him off to his room. Jared’s lightly snoring, which is the only sound to break the silence other than the engines and the ship moving through the waves.
Kurt shifts slightly, bending his right leg at the knee, and tucking his foot between Blaine’s calves.
“Trying to keep me from going anywhere?” Blaine asks in an amused tone.
“Maybe.” Kurt tightens his arms around him, and drops his head to press a kiss against Blaine’s neck. He breathes deep, inhaling the scent of Clive Christian No. 1, sweat and the salt in the air all lingering on Blaine’s skin.
Blaine’s drawing patterns over the back of Kurt’s hands with his fingers. He asks after a few quiet moments, “Have any new year’s resolutions?”
Kurt thinks about it-he’s never really made any beyond the requisite 'lose the holiday pounds he’s packed on'. He smiles as he says, “Make certain the rest of the year is just as perfect as tonight.”
“That’s a tall order, Kurt.” Blaine threads their fingers together, pressing their hands against his chest. “Not even the force of your very compelling personality can control outside factors.”
“You think my personality is compelling?”
“Mmmm.”
Kurt rewards him with a kiss behind his ear. “Okay. How about this: I resolve to make my boyfriend happy every moment that I possibly can.”
“I like that a lot actually.” Blaine snuggles back into Kurt, angling his head to tuck it against his neck. “Want to stay out here tonight?”
“I haven’t the slightest intention of moving, to be totally honest.”
“Good.”
Kurt lays his cheek once more against Blaine’s head, closing his eyes as he hears Kendrick whimper something about champagne in his sleep beside them.
“I love you, Blaine.”
“I love you, too, Kurt.”
Sleep comes quickly, peacefully.
TBC....
BONUS PIC!! icalynn totally did this for me with the Titantic staircase and whatnot. It cracks me up!!