He made it to the bathroom before Blaine which surprised him slightly considering his nerves. He busied himself with the taps to make sure the water was hot but not quite scalding. He felt hands on his back, stroking in the way that rucked up his t-shirt enough that it had to be on purpose. He had to smile though. If there was one thing he had learned from opening himself up to Blaine's sexuality it was that sometimes his boyfriend just had no shame. It was such a contrast from that dapper gentleman he had met on the stairs at Dalton and yet in there was still no denying that it was still the boy he loved.

"Hey," he laughed, turning and relaxing into the bare chest and biting his tongue at the way Blaine's pyjama shirt and been unceremoniously strewn on the tile floor.

"What?"

"Nothing. You just seem awfully eager considering what we did less than ten minutes ago," he answered with a smirk aimed at the hands already creeping under his own shirt.

"Oh, my precious, innocent prince. You have so much to learn about sexual men. We are always horny. Always."

"Okay if you want to get me naked you need to pretend not to be that horny alpha male for the next twenty minutes and put on your perfect, understanding, adoring mask."

"It's not a mask. No one has to fake adoring you."

"Ah, there you go."

"Arms up," Blaine whispered sweetly.

"Fold it!"

"Anything for you." Kurt would have smacked him but the words were surprisingly genuine. "Now, me first?"

"Y-yeah."

Blaine stepped back slightly from where they were standing practically chest to chest. He kept his eyes up out of courtesy. It had taken him a while to become comfortable with the bare chest thing. He knew it would take even longer to become comfortable with being fully bare. The best way he knew how to do this was to pretend like everything was the same as before until his heart remained at the same pace when his boyfriend's fingers curled into the elastic waist band.

"Okay, well one down," Blaine smiled shyly at him after fumbling to unhook his underwear from his left foot. There was a prominent blush gracing his cheeks that Kurt was almost mesmerized by. It was one of the things he loved most about more physical intimacy with Blaine. It brought out a school boy quality in his boyfriend that was not only irresistibly adorable but endearing to the point where Kurt's heart almost ached at being trusted so fully by him to be invited into this vulnerable state. He looked so little and sweet but Kurt refrained from stating so. He felt that Blaine would not appreciate the image as much as he did.

"One to go. Do you think you could maybe do it? I'm not sure I actually can."

"Really?"

"Shut up. I'm not the one blushing from tripping over my boxers."

"Way to kick a man when he's down. Now, come here," he chuckled, kneeling down and reaching out to take Kurt's hips in his hands. He felt thumbs dip under his waist band and shivered involuntarily. The room was already warm from the running shower so it was not from being cold. Blaine looked up him, his golden eyes soft and caring, clearly sensing his nerves. "Hey," he greeted quietly.

"Hi."

His own hands cupped Blaine's and squeezed tight as they simply watched each other for several minutes, waiting for a yes or no. Steam began to fill the room. The mirror began to fog. He shivered again as Blaine leaned forwards and pressed his lips softly to the top of his waist band. Kurt did not understand why his boyfriend would want to nuzzle his nose into the faint trail of hair on his lower stomach but he was not about to question what felt good. His eyes slipped closed in relaxation and his breath slowed to a pace set by Blaine's light kisses. There was just something so powerful about it, like he was literally connected to Blaine, like they were functioning as one.

"Blaine…." He could not find the words but Blaine understood as if their minds were one.

Before he knew it, his pyjama bottoms, along with his boxer briefs, were folded neatly on top of his shirt and he was standing under the perfectly hot water. They kissed lips, jaws, and necks while Blaine's hands rested firmly on the small of his back, his fingers happily toying with the dimples that sat just a little lower. He could feel Blaine hard against his thigh while he himself remained completely flaccid. It was just such a stark contrast. Blaine was upright and flushed and almost twice his size. They were both boys. They both had the same parts. In theory that meant there should be something comforting in the similar anatomy when seeing it for the first time. Kurt found that the differences were vastly outweighing these similarities though. It was such a vicious reminder of living in a world in which he was always on the outside.

"Mmm, you're gorgeous. You know that?" Blaine mumbled as he rested their foreheads together. Kurt ducked his eyes as he felt his cheeks heat. The words pulling him closer in.

"The water's gonna get cold," he pointed out lamely. Receiving compliments was not something he did well.

"I guess we should get going on the washing then."

Blaine turned around and picked up his luffa and body wash. Kurt was about to pounce. He did not let anyone touch his products but then Blaine was back in front of him and the luffa was being rubbed across his shoulder. The gentle scratch was the perfect pressure against his smooth, sensitive skin. Blaine even had the circumference of the circular motion right. As the suds foamed and their minty scent filled the small shower, Kurt could almost feel the sweat simply lift and wash away under the hot stream along with his inhibitions and insecurities and as Blaine continued, washing his arms, his chest, his back, his legs, Kurt realised something. His words earlier were not necessarily pulling Kurt closer to that world he was never a part of; they were solidifying the foundation for the new world that they were building together. Blaine was making it okay for him to be who he was in their own little world only big enough for two.

The love and comfort that encased him at the realization gave him the courage to guide his boyfriend's hand down from where it was tentatively hovering between the dimples in his lower back. The next few minutes seemed to last a life time. It was not bad. It was simply an intense intimacy and yet there was very little that was simple about it. This was a huge boundary for him but it finally felt good to be felt. He honestly had never seen this as something he could be okay with. Although if he was being honest, giving his boyfriend handjobs was something he never saw in his future either. Kurt could tell from Blaine's very focused grip on his hip and very deliberate circular motions that his boyfriend knew the significance here too. The fact that Blaine just knew and did not have to be told meant a lot. It meant he understood the thing that Kurt had been convinced no one ever would. That was why this was okay and why he was a little saddened when Blaine declared his body clean. The feeling disappeared quickly though as the fingers slipped soothingly into his hair, massaging in his shampoo.

"Mmmmm, that feels so good," he groaned letting his body relax back into Blaine's chest. He relaxed so much that it almost felt as if he was floating. His mind seemed to disappear as well. There was no other thought in there other than his boyfriend's fingers in his usually out of bounds hair.

"Now who sounds awfully eager?"

"Shut up and let me enjoy it."

"Oh you're not having any trouble there."

"I can't help it. Your hands are heavenly," he half moaned, his head tilting subconsciously to follow Blaine's hands. "We need to do this more often."

"Well why don't expand our little morning rituals to include this?"

"Is this some ploy to increase their frequency?"

"Maybe….."

They stayed in the shower until the water ran cold. Kurt usually got out when it turned luke warm but with Blaine's arms around him, a combination of extra body heat and sheer peaceful bliss that was provided by the company, it felt too good to leave. Blaine hopped out first though and once he was gone, the chill finally broke through the protective barrier and Kurt began to question his own sanity. The coherent thoughts fogged over once his boyfriend returned with a towel around his waist, wrapping a second around Kurt's shoulders.

"Warm?"

"Getting there," he answered as Blaine pressed a kiss to his nose before turning away and making his way to the vanity. "Oh wait. Can I try again? Or is Sweeny Todd still giving you nightmares? "

"Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, of course," Blaine stammered back. There was a smile on his face though when he handed over the razor and hopped playfully up onto the counter. "This started out quite well last time if I remember correctly."

"I think that was the problem," he chuckled, stepping in between Blaine thighs and steadying himself by placing his left hand on his stubbly cheek. He let his mind wander back to that last time, where it had started as a desperate attempt to connect and ended in disaster. There had been a good portion when he his lips had found Blaine's jaw, just as they had now, but even then it had not been quite right. It had just been a hollow cover up for what they had both been bottling up for too long. It had been purely physical which never worked well for him. Now though, it was right. He had never felt more loved and more in love and more comfortable in his own skin and his own life and more excited for tomorrow and the future. "There! All smoothy, smooth," he declared after thorough inspection with his lips.

"Thank-you," Blaine answered chipperly, hopping off the counter and gathering up his clothes. "As a thanks, would you like some boyfriend made cookies?"

"I'd love some. I need to run out for a bit though. Is that okay?"

"Sure. I'll have them ready when you get back."

"Warm from the oven?"

"Nothing but the best for my sweet prince."

When he returned to the loft, the sweet, chocolaty scent of freshly baked cookies hit him and engulfed him like a warm, snuggly hug, drawing him in. His boyfriend appeared quickly from the kitchen engulfing him in a real hug and then literally pulling him eagerly towards the kitchen. Baking cookies always brought out the puppy like qualities in Blaine. Kurt decided it was from the sugar in all the raw dough he consumed.

"Hurry up! They're really good. Like, exceptionally good this time. And I just pulled a batch out so the chocolate would still be gooey. Hurrrrryyyyy!"

And then Blaine was off, scurrying towards the cooling rack to pick out the perfect cookie for him to try. Kurt found his hand reaching into his pocket before he could really think it through. This was perfect though, just him and Blaine being happy together. There was no need to re-question and re-reason. He had done that all the way home and had come to the same conclusion that had prompted his outing in the first place. So he didn't. He acted. He pulled his hand from his pocket, his fingers clutched around a small, velvet box. He took another step into the kitchen, dropping to one knee. He then waited, with bated breath, for the boy he loved to turn around and then he spoke.

"Blaine, will you marry me?"

There was a bit of a stunned pause before, to Kurt's utter joy, the over eager nodding began and the tears threatened to spill. He had not doubted Blaine's answer but anticipating and actually witnessing were two totally different things. Kurt almost found himself being swept off his feet by the response, the surprise, the giddiness, the death grip of a hug, the complete disregard to the fact that the coveted cookie had been dropped on the floor.

"Yes! Yes, of course I'll marry you!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"We're getting married?"

"We're getting married! We're getting married."

"I love you, Blaine."

"I love you too, KK. More than you could imagine."

A/N: And there you have it :) i know it may be cheesy to end on an engagement but idk, it felt right. I went back on forth on whether to have the engagement like it was or to have kurt just ask blaine spontaneously during the shaving when the realization struck him. but i hope this way works for everyone and i hope you all enjoyed the story. This was one of those ideas that would just not leave my head and i had to get out. i hope i did it justice.

Thank-you for all the support
Merry Christmas...or, you know, whatever it is you do at this time of year :P

Katie