Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.

"They just got to the restaurant!" Lucy reported cheerfully, waving her phone above her head. "Kurt's so nervous, poor thing."

"I just hope that Blaine gets it through his thick skull that Kurt is totally in love with him," David sighed as he wrestled with a roll of red streamers. "I mean…you'd think he'd figure it out by now. Especially since he's totally in love with Kurt."

"Whoever said boys were easier to read than girls is sorely mistaken," Wes said. He frowned. "David, that's not how you put up streamers…"

"Stop micromanaging, Wesley!"

Kurt jiggled his leg anxiously under the table, watching as Blaine surveyed the menu with a pleased smile. "I haven't been here in ages," he said, scanning the entrees. "Ooh…their BLT is really good…maybe I'll get that." He lowered his menu and smiled at Kurt. "What are you going to get?"

"Oh, um…I don't know," Kurt stammered.

Blaine grinned and leaned in conspiratorially. Kurt swallowed hard. He was close enough to count Blaine's long eyelashes. "You should get the monte cristo," he said. "And then we could have a half of each other's sandwich. Deal?"

He didn't realize he hadn't answered until the older boy's smile widened. "Deal," Kurt said quickly.

They ordered their lunch- Blaine got a cherry coke, Kurt stuck with water- and their food arrived quickly. Kurt picked at his sandwich, too anxious to eat.

"This is nice," Blaine commented. "You know, we don't get to spend much time, just the two of us, off campus." He picked up a French fry. "We should do this more often."

"Oh," Kurt said. "Um…yes. We should."

Blaine rested his elbows on the table and surveyed Kurt thoughtfully. "Are you all right?" he asked. "You seem so jumpy." He reached across the table to touch Kurt's hand. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Blaine's fingertips were hot and electric. "Um…no, not really," he said. "I just…" He smiled at Blaine, feeling his cheeks heat. "This is just really nice."

"Yeah, it is," Blaine said, and Kurt had to duck his head in a futile attempt to hide how red his ears had flushed.

"Crisis!" David shouted as he ran into the choir room. "Crisis, you guys!"

"I don't have time for a crisis," Lucy snapped. "Not since a certain someone decided to slide the cake across the table."

"I'm sorry!" Wes protested. "I didn't know that bumping into a table could make the top layer of a cake do that!" "Well, either you need to frost faster, or we need to send Kurt on an errand, because they're leaving the restaurant right now," David said.

"Stall him!" Lucy shrieked, flapping her hands. The spatula clutched in her right fist sent a glob of cream cheese frosting flying through the air. "Sorry. But stall him! Stall him! I have some major architectural reconstruction to do on this cake!" "Fine, fine, I'll stall him," David said, punching a new text into his phone. "And I'll tell him it's Wes's fault."

"I hate you people," Wes grumbled.

Kurt stared at the phone.

Cake mishap. Blame Wes. Stall now!

He swallowed hard as he followed Blaine out of the diner. How am I supposed to stall? he thought frantically. I mean…without him getting suspicious or anything?

"Hey, do you think we could swing by the mall before we head back?" Blaine asked. "I promised my sister I would buy her a Valentine's Day card to give to her boyfriend." Kurt raised an eyebrow. Blaine sighed. "She's not good with relationships."

"Sure," Kurt said. He shook his head. "I mean…sure, we can go to the mall. I don't mind. I'm there so much I should practically live there." Stop talking, Hummel, just stop while you're behind!

Blaine just laughed- a nice laugh, not mocking. "Then we make a good team, because I couldn't get around a mall if you gave me a GPS," he said. "I always get so overwhelmed when I'm supposed to go shopping."

"Really?" Kurt said as he climbed into the driver's seat. "You dress so nicely, though."

No. Stop. You are as subtle as a carload of clowns at a funeral.

"I have a secret," Blaine confessed. He leaned in close- Kurt could smell the pleasant cinnamon gum on his breath. "My mom buys my clothes."

Kurt giggled.

Hummel! Don't giggle! You are not a fourteen year old girl meeting her favorite pop star!

"Are you serious?" he said.

Blaine buckled his seatbelt and leaned back. "She'll go out and buy a bunch of things, have me try them on, and whatever we don't like she takes back," he said. "I'm not really much of a fashion person. Nice jeans and a cardigan…that's about it."

"Well, it's a good look for you," Kurt said. He ducked his head and switched the Navigator into reverse. "Oh, well, um…let's go to the mall, shall we?"

"Are you serious?" David snickered. "They went to the mall?"

"Uh-huh," Lucy said, the tip of her tongue poking out of her mouth as she nudged the frosting back into place. "If Kurt and Blaine can go to the mall together and still not end up an item at the end of the day, I'll…I'll eat this cake all by myself."

"That's not much of a stretch. I've seen you in a bakery," David said seriously. Lucy elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

Wes surveyed the rehearsal hall. "Okay," he said. "Decorations are hung. Food is prepared. The traditional Warbler-sanctioned birthday card and our tastefully selected gifts-"

"You got him a book on the history of the Whiffenpoofs," Lucy accused.

"It's quite tasteful!" Wes protested. He cleared his throat. "Our tastefully selected gifts are arranged. A playlist of Blaine-approved, party-appropriate music has been prepared-"

"You mean Katy Perry's greatest hits and Pink's newest album," David mumbled.

"-and guests will be arriving in about twenty minutes," Wes finished. "Anything missing?"

"Just stay away from my cake, and we'll be ready soon," Lucy said. Wes inched a little closer, about to speak. "Wesley Chang, I swear if you come near my cake, I'm going to stab you in the kidneys with my spatula."

"She means it, too," David added.

"I've never been in here before," Blaine marveled, staring into the brightly-lit abyss that was Forever 21.

"Really?" Kurt said. "I feel like I live here. Either one of the girls has dragged me in to find an outfit, or I'm in desperate need of an inexpensive shopping fix between tremendous eBay purchases." On impulse, he grabbed Blaine's hand and dragged him deeper into the depths of Forever 21. "Plus, there's plenty of hideously weird items to make fun of."

Blaine's hand was warm around his, and for a second it felt like he squeezed his fingers. Kurt dropped his hand unceremoniously and grabbed the nearest shirt. "For instance…ugh. Cartoon characters for anyone over the age of seven should be strictly prohibited," he said.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Blaine said.

"No?" Kurt said. "How about this?" He hung up the tee shirt and brandished a southwestern print button-up. "Really? Does Ohio truly need cowboys?"

"All right, I can at least tell that one's pretty bad," Blaine admitted. He laughed, shifting the bag with Francey's card from one hand to the other, and picked up a red and black jacket. "And I doubt anyone could make this look good."

"Oh, I don't know," Kurt said. "Put it with the right outfit, and it might be all right."

"No way," Blaine laughed. "No way. I dare you."

"What?" Kurt said.

Blaine poked Kurt playfully in the ribs. "I dare you to come up with an outfit that uses that jacket and actually looks good," he said. "If you can manage it, I'll…I'll buy you that jacket."

"Are you serious?" Kurt said. He grinned. "I accept your challenge, sir." He picked up the jacket and draped it over his arm. "Wait, wait, let me find a few more pieces…" He dashed around the men's section of the store, snatching up a few things, and ran back to Blaine. "See?" he said proudly. "This would work perfectly."

Blaine arched an eyebrow. "I need to see it on you," he said. He grabbed Kurt by the hand and dragged him towards the dressing rooms. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Kurt sputtered, his fingers involuntarily clinging to Blaine's.

"Well, unless you feel like changing here, a fitting room," Blaine said. He propelled Kurt into an empty room, locked the door behind them, and sat down Indian-style on the small bench, setting the small Hallmark bag down beside him. "Go on."

Kurt clutched the clothes to his chest. "But…but…but…"

"Go on," Blaine urged again, smiling. "I want to see if you can actually pull it off like you say you can."

Kurt could feel his entire face and neck turning beet red, but he cautiously changed out of his clothes (thanking his lucky stars a million times over that he'd decided on wearing the red silk Armani boxer briefs that morning) and into the new outfit.

"So?" he said, holding out his arm. Blaine gestured for him to spin and he obeyed, trying to keep his eyes on Blaine's face the entire time. "So what do you think? Did I make it work?"

"Definitely," Blaine said, clapping in approval. He unzipped the jacket and slid it off Kurt's shoulders. "I think I have a jacket to pay for."

"No, no, you shouldn't!" Kurt said. "It's your birthday. You shouldn't buy me anything."

"No, this was the deal," Blaine said, shaking his head. "Besides, you drove, you paid for my lunch, and you helped me picked out a Valentine's Day card for my sister. I owe you at least something." He squeezed Kurt's bicep lightly. "I'll meet you up at the register, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt said, his cheeks heating up again as Blaine took the jacket and slipped out of the fitting room. His phone buzzed on the bench beside him and he picked it up.

Cake crisis solved. Mission is a go!

He swallowed hard as he changed back into his clothes, hoping that this would go off as perfectly as he hoped.

"All right, I think we're ready," Lucy said, brushing her hands off on her skirt. "I think we're- Jeffrey! Nah-uh! Don't you dare touch that cake!"

Jeff froze, his fingertip mere inches from touching the thick frosting. "I just wanted a little taste," he said meekly. Nick sighed and tugged him away from the birthday cake.

"I just really hope this goes well," David said. "Kurt's going to be so crushed if it doesn't."

"He is totally in love with Blaine, isn't he?"

"Head over heels, and everyone but Blaine knows it," Wes said grimly. "Those two had better straighten things out soon, or we'll never get any work done in rehearsals."

Trent zipped past them. "They're coming in! They're coming in!" he said. He flapped his arms around like an overexcited bird. "Everybody down! Hide!"

There wasn't quite enough time to hide properly, but at least everyone shouted surprise on cue. Blaine jumped, startled, and started laughing.

"Oh my god, you guys!" he exclaimed, putting his hands over his mouth. "Oh my god!" He scanned the room, from the decorations to the presents to the cake. "Oh my god! You planned a party for me!"

The other boys gathered around Blaine, high fiving him and patting him on the back, and Lucy hid a smile behind her hand. "Oh my lord, David, look at Kurt's face," she whispered.

"If he smiles any harder his cheeks are going to split in half," he whispered back.

Wes dragged Blaine over to the presents on the table and the smile on Kurt's face slipped, just the tiniest bit, as he was left behind. Lucy walked over to him and linked her arm through his. "Well, what do you think of the extravaganza you planned?" she asked. "Is it exactly what you were hoping for?"

"Yes," he said, nodding enthusiastically. "It's perfect. Thank you so much for helping."

"Blaine loves it," she said. She nodded towards him, and Kurt's smile widened again.

"Hey."

The voice was soft and gentle, barely audible over the light music playing in the background. Kurt blinked, his head feeling fuzzy, and rubbed his eyes. "Huh?" he mumbled.

He glanced up and jumped in surprise. Blaine stood above him, pulling the curtain away from the windowseat, and smiled. "Hi," he said. "Good morning." He glanced at his watch. "Well, not really morning, but you know."

Kurt sat up. "Oh!" he said. "I fell asleep!" He hastily brushed his hair down. "I fell asleep at your party. Oh my god, Blaine, I'm sorry, you must think I'm-"

Blaine shook his head. "Don't be," he said. "I asked Lucy where you'd gone to about an hour ago and she said you were going to sit down for just a second. When I came to find you, you were dead asleep." He tilted his head. "But the party's pretty much over and I thought you might want to sleep in your own bed instead of getting stuck in the great hall all night."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Kurt asked desperately.

"I thought about waking you up for cake, but you were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to," Blaine said.

Kurt drew his knees up, hugging them to his chest, and realized that his legs had been covered with a blanket. "You could have woken me up," he said, the back of his neck heating up.

To his surprise, Blaine sat down beside him. "You did all this, didn't you?" he said softly.

"Did…did what?" he stammered..

"You planned this party for me," Blaine said, his amber eyes warm as he studied Kurt's face. "You only found out yesterday that it was my birthday and you managed to do this for me."

"Well, I, um…"

Blaine tapped his finger lightly over Kurt's lips; he could feel the blush seeping from his neck to his cheeks. "Thank you," he said. "I mean it. Thank you."

Kurt stared at him, his eyes transfixed on Blaine's perfect mouth. "I didn't get you an actual present, though," he said stupidly, and instantly regretted it. Blaine tugged the curtain shielding the windowseat shut and leaned in closer on his hands until his lips touched Kurt's lightly. Kurt started, his fingers involuntarily flexing, but he melted into the kiss, his hands moving automatically to tangle in Blaine's curls. Blaine slid a hand behind Kurt's neck and moved in to kiss him deeply, his breath warm on Kurt's cheek as he leaned him gently back against the wall.

He drew back slowly, their lips parting, and Kurt gazed up at Blaine, his heart pounding in his chest. "That could be my present," he suggested impishly, and Kurt turned brilliant red, covering his flushed lips behind his hands. Blaine laughed, cupping Kurt's cheeks in his hands and nuzzling his fingers aside to kiss him a second, third, fourth time.

Author's Notes:

IT ONLY TOOK TWO YEARS, BUT I FINISHED IT!

HERE, HAVE SOME DARLING PRECIOUS ANGELBABIES KISSIN' ON EACH OTHER!

I hope you're having a marvelous Valentine's Day! I certainly am- one of my students baked me a Glee cake, and I have literally eaten NOTHING BUT SUGAR ALL DAY! And P and my family took me out to dinner last night, and tonight will be cake and presents, and I'm getting together with friends for movies and booze soon, and I'm going to Disney World next month! Hurray!

SO HERE! ENJOY SOME SWEET BOY KISSES ON VALENTINE'S DAY! I LEAVE NOW TO EAT BIRTHDAY CAKE AND RUN AROUND LIKE A CRAZY PERSON!