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Blaine was headed out the front door when he heard Finn call him from the living room.
"You're leaving early," Finn said.
"Mercedes was having a Sam emergency and she always feels more constrained if I'm there. I have Kurt all day tomorrow."
"You're a good boyfriend. I…"
Blaine cocked his head and waited for Finn to finish his thought. He'd learned pretty quickly that prompting him was not the way to go.
"I'm a bad boyfriend," Finn finally said. "Do you have to go?"
"Not for another hour." Blaine took a seat in the living room. "So why do you think you're a bad boyfriend?"
"I forgot our five month anniversary, which five months isn't such a big thing, but it's farther than we made it last time so Rachel thinks it's important and…"
"Slow down, Finn." He thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, anniversaries are important to a lot of people. You can still recover from it."
Finn nodded eagerly. "That's why I thought of you. I figured we could double date and I could learn from you."
"As flattering as that is, you could learn from Kurt, too."
"No. Kurt's more like the girl. He'd give me lectures about why boys are so clueless."
Blaine winced. "All right, first of all, there are no girls in my relationship with Kurt. He's a guy. I'm a guy. We like guys, and most importantly, we like each other."
"Yeah, but you're the one into football and stuff."
"Which doesn't mean anything," Blaine said pointedly.
"And he's also friends with Rachel which is kind of weird, but it means that he's going to judge me and take her side and stuff."
Blaine said, "That's a fair point. All right, from what Kurt told me, your anniversary is this weekend, and you're working a double shift at Sheets 'n' Things."
Finn nodded glumly. "I forgot. When Howard Bamboo asked if he could switch with me so he could go to the big fire-dancing festival in Toledo, I just thought it would be a way to get a whole Saturday off."
"And what do you plan to do the following Saturday?"
"Puck's getting the new Wolfenstein update and we're going to order in pizza."
Blaine closed his eyes and sighed. "You are a bad boyfriend. You need to apologize to Rachel and plan a special day with her for the following weekend."
"But, dude, Puck's got a line on the expansion pack."
"Which is more important, killing pixellated Nazi revenants or making out with Rachel?"
Finn thought for a moment. "Making out with Rachel when she lets me, y'know, touch her a little more. She's nearly as uptight as Kurt."
There were footsteps on the stairs. "Finn, Mercedes is on her way over, so don't be surprised when the doorbell rings." Kurt stopped and looked at Blaine.
"I asked Blaine for advice about how to be a better boyfriend."
Kurt nodded. "It's about time you asked someone for help."
"I thought if we went on a double date, I could see how Blaine treats you and use that to try to impress Rachel. But he said since you're both guys, it wouldn't be the same."
Blaine started to say something, but Kurt waved his hand and said, "I don't even try to understand him sometimes, but I'm pretty sure that's not what you said."
"I also pointed out that you might have some better ideas for what Rachel might find special enough for an anniversary."
Finn said, "She said the Cincinnati Pops were doing something with the hors d'oeuvres of Stephen Schwartz, but I'm not sure…"
Kurt looked at Blaine and Finn could see an entire conversation pass between them in looks and raised eyebrows. Finally, Kurt sighed, pulled out his iPhone, and went into the hallway. He came back a few minutes later and gave Blaine a tight nod. "Four tickets to the Saturday matinee performance."
Blaine said to Finn, "You're on for the double date -- not this weekend but next."
Kurt sat down beside his boyfriend and their hands twined without their even thinking about it. "This weekend, you will pick Rachel up and take her to breakfast at the new juice bar at the A & P and explain that you had to work a double shift to get the time to take her to the matinee of the Stephen Schwartz celebration. I will then meet you both and take her out to find a dress that doesn't make her look like she raided Malibu Skipper's closet."
Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand. "That's great. It'll get her anticipating the date a week in advance. On the actual day, you will drive over to Rachel's and Kurt and I will follow you in his car."
"If I need gas, that's your expense, Finn. The tickets are our gift to you for making it through five months of Rachel's insanity. You're paying for your own dinner."
"Why can't we all drive over together?"
"Because after the performance and dinner, we are dropping you at her place where you can make out until her fathers kick you out. This house is ours for making out." Kurt's eyes were practically shooting laser beams at Finn.
"Hey, that's a really good idea. You don't mind if Blaine stays and talks to me when Mercedes gets here, do you? I mean well, it's guy talk, but I can't talk to you about it not because you're not a guy, but because you're my brother and… like, Mercedes will be here any minute… and"
"Breathe, Finn." Kurt looked amused and the doorbell rang. As he went to get it, he leaned over and kissed Blaine quickly on the lips. "Don't give away all our secrets."
Blaine pulled him back for a second quick kiss. "I'll tell you everything when I call you tonight."
Kurt got the door and escorted a sniffly Mercedes upstairs as they talked about Sam leaving for Tennessee.
"So you guys make out?"
"Yes."
"Does he push you away? I mean, like, keep you from going too far?"
"We're both teenaged boys." Blaine sighed. "When we first started dating, Kurt loved kissing, but wasn't really interested in more. So just before he came back to McKinley, I called in a few favors and got us one of the smaller Dalton parlors all to ourselves." He smiled at the memory, which included the fact that the Warbler's council essentially sat on guard outside the room so no-one could walk in on them. "That day, I lay back on the couch and told Kurt he was in charge. I'd tell him if I wasn't ready for something, but basically, if he didn't hear the word 'no' he could assume I was happy with what he was doing."
"So you kissed all afternoon. Again."
"No. That afternoon, he knelt by the couch and we started with kisses --- there was lots of kissing -- but it was also our first time being shirtless together and, um, him on top of me and frotting, and some other stuff." Blaine was blushing hard, but he was also smiling at the memory. "He set the pace, and he found that he was ready to go a little farther than he might have if I'd been pressing him back into the sofa."
Finn thought about it. "Kurt went for it because he didn't have to worry about you crossing the line?"
"Sort of. I think it's more that by letting him take charge, he didn't have to keep worrying about drawing the line. He knew where his line was and he trusted me to tell him if we got to mine." Blaine grinned. "And though I know both of them would hate me for saying this, Kurt and Rachel are both happiest when they're in charge."
"Yeah. They can be bossy."
Blaine shivered. "I love that about Kurt."
"You really do. You know, you can do that stuff if you like in front of me. Like when he left and kissed you. That was okay. You should be able to."
"Thanks, Finn. Now about next weekend…"
***
Kurt had helped Finn with his wardrobe on Friday night, including a late night load of emergency laundry.
"So Blaine said you two make-out."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "I've said we make-out."
"Yeah, but he gave me some advice about letting Rachel take charge and said it had worked with you and… he didn't pressure you or anything?"
"No, Finn. The whole point was to take the pressure off me. Just let me explore him and then it felt so good that I wanted him to explore me." He didn't meet Finn's eyes, but Kurt had a soft smile on his lips and a vivid blush across his cheeks.
"Okay, I get it, but guys are guys. Girls are really different."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "He has chest hair, not too much, but more than I do. It's hot."
"No offense, but ew. Really?"
"Finn. That was offensive and saying 'no offense' first doesn't really change that."
"I know. You like boys."
"No, Finn. I like men, and that's what I liked about exploring Blaine -- finding out all the ways he's a man." He took in his brother's pained expression. "You like women. You like breasts and, I don't know, hips and curves." His hands made a wavy motion like an exaggerated female silhouette. "My ideal is more like…" and this time his hands went from wide to narrow in a "v."
"Okay." Finn thought for a moment. "Did you guys have a date planned for tomorrow?"
"Yes. We were going to a museum, then having dinner, and finally seeing the evening show at the Cincinnati Pops. Rachel's curfew was too early to get you two tickets to the evening one and be back in time. And matinee tickets are less expensive, so it wasn't much more to exchange our two tickets for four tickets to the earlier one." He shrugged.
"You're a pretty good brother. Really. I appreciate it. Rachel even liked the juice bar thing to tell her about the date."
The dryer rang and Kurt rushed to get Finn's khakis out and flat before they wrinkled. "I'm glad for you both, Finn."
***
They spent most of the drive to Cincinnati debating the relative merits of Pippin (Blaine) and Wicked (Rachel and Kurt) and singing along to selected examples from each off of Kurt's iPod.
Finn had noticed a glance pass between Kurt and Blaine up in the front seat as they approached Music Hall, but then they turned into a parking garage.
Blaine turned around and said, "The theater only lets us stay for an hour after the performance and this lot's closer to the restaurant."
"The walk's not too far to the theater," Kurt added.
***
After the performance, they walked to the restaurant. Kurt's research had found a lacto-vegetarian restaurant where nearly half the menu was vegan, since he wasn't quite certain where Rachel was on the scale. He was pleasantly surprised by the funky interior with its yellow and black banquette along one wall under a mix of mirrors and empty picture frames. The chandeliers were a mix, too; their only commonality was that they all had drop crystals and black iron work. Rachel squealed a little and thanked Finn when she saw it.
Blaine leaned in and said, "I'm putting you on the banquette side and guiding you to the table for once."
"Since Finn's following your lead. It's fine, Blaine." He felt Blaine's hand settle at the small of his back and relaxed into the touch.
Finn followed what he saw Blaine doing and was rewarded with a glowing smile from Rachel.
The waitress put down two menus at every place. "I'm Joan. I'll be your server this evening. The smaller one is our cocktail menu. We make all our own syrups and bitters on the premises and many of them are made with fresh juices. Most of our signature cocktails are available in non-alcoholic versions."
Kurt immediately got into the spirit of things. "You make your own grenadine? I'll be completely silly and have a Shirley Temple."
Joan beamed at him. "Would you prefer it with club soda or our homemade lemon-lime? It's not as sweet as commercial versions."
"Then I'll go with the lemon-lime. Thank you."
Finn said, "Does this mean I can't get a coke?" and then winced as three people kicked the same ankle.
"I'll have a Nada Colada, please," Rachel said.
Blaine glanced at Kurt. "I'll have the Hot Virgin. Mary."
Kurt blushed a little and then said to Finn, "They do several house made ginger ales. There's a vanilla and black pepper one that sounds good."
Finn looked at him and then at Joan. "That's a good suggestion. I'll try it."
"An excellent choice, sir. I'll leave you to look at your dinner menus."
"So they really don't have any meat here?" Finn sounded mournful until he caught Blaine shaking his head out of the corner of his eye. He didn't even want to think about the disdainful look Kurt probably had. "I mean, it says something about mock-beef here."
"Well, I think it's just pandering to people who won't…" Rachel stopped in mid-stream when Kurt squeezed her hand. "I think it's lovely that my friends found a restaurant where I could eat everything on the menu for a change. And, Finn, I've been told the mock meats tend to work better in poultry dishes."
Finn smiled at her fondly. "I don't know. I think the meatless meatloaf is going to be my choice. Kurt's a great cook, but meatloaf's entirely off the menu since Burt's heart attack."
"If you like it, I'll see if I can find a recipe. I know Dad misses meatloaf."
"That'd be awesome."
Joan came back with their drinks. "Are you ready to order?"
Rachel said, "I'd like a cup of the beet consommé and the okra and chickpea curry."
Kurt glanced at Blaine, who nodded. "We'd like to share the frissée and walnut salad, and I'll have the wild mushroom risotto."
"I'll have the mock duck with blueberries."
"I'm going to try that summer roll thing to start and then the meatloaf," Finn said.
Joan left to give the kitchen their orders.
Kurt said, "I'm impressed, Finn."
Finn picked up his glass and took a swallow. "This is really good."
Rachel took a sip of hers and giggled. "I swear it tastes like a fresh pineapple."
Kurt stared at Blaine's cocktail which not only had a celery stick in it, but also the most phallic looking peeled cucumber. Blaine dunked the cucumber before he took it out and bit into it. "It is very spicy. Would you like a sip?"
Kurt nodded and took a small one. "Very spicy, but very fresh," he said looking into Blaine's eyes.
Blaine blushed. He blushed a little deeper when Kurt ate the cherry from his drink and left the knotted stem in the ashtray between them.
Rachel got up to go to the ladies' room, and Finn only stood up a couple of beats after Blaine and Kurt did. When she came back, he got the hint sooner, and even pulled out the table a little so she could get into the banquette more easily.
When their first course came, Rachel said, "You know, I think I may do 'Colors of the Wind' for glee next week."
"We don't even know what the assignment is yet," Blaine said.
Kurt scoffed. "Like that's ever stopped any of us from singing exactly what we wanted."
***
Kurt dropped Rachel and Finn off at her house, before driving back to his house with Blaine.
The meal had been good. Finn ordered sorbets for dessert and shared tastes with Rachel and had a bite of her olive oil and tangerine cake. He and Blaine had shared a spiced chocolate and honey cake that had been heavenly with their espressos.
They'd sung some more in the car on the drive back, quieter songs, and found as many things as they could to talk about.
When they got into Kurt's house and shut the door behind them, Kurt pulled his boyfriend into a deep kiss. "You're such a tease. That sweater just begs to be touched." He ran his hand over Blaine's chest in emphasis.
"Says the man who wears such scandalously tight cords."
Kurt sniffed haughtily. "I wanted to remind you of what you gave up."
"Not gave up, I hope. Just postponed. Two. Whole. Weeks." He nuzzled down Kurt's throat until Kurt pushed him back.
"We should take off our jackets. Pick out a movie to ignore while we make out on the couch." He took in the eager question on Blaine's face. "Yes, postponed and just for two weeks. I nearly cried when we passed the hotel."
"Me, too."
They walked into the living room and Kurt went to get them drinks while Blaine picked out a film.
They sat together on the sofa, quietly holding hands.
Blaine said, "I found a very nice bed and breakfast in Cleveland, near Case Western. They have an actual day rate from eleven a.m. to six p.m. We'd still have time for dinner before we come home."
"That sounds very nice. It's not too expensive?"
"No."
Kurt kissed him. "I'll find the restaurant and bring some snacks." They snuggled closer together. "I can't believe we switched our plans to go on a double date with Finn and Rachel."
"She looked lovely in that dress you picked out. And Finn looked pretty good, too."
"Thank you. I don't know why Rachel did that with her hair, but she was fine from the hairline down."
Blaine trailed his lips up to Kurt's ear. "I'm still going to lose my virginity with you. I'm glad you were such a good friend to Rachel."
"I had to prove to Finn that he was right. I do have a good boyfriend."