Stay with me.

Kurt had nodded, a silent agreement before his chin dipped down and his lips pressed against Blaine's again. It wasn't like there needed to be any enticement for that offer at all, though not having to brave the subway covered in whatever colors he couldn't get off his skin beforehand was a plus. Staying with Blaine – Blaine who kissed so perfectly and looked so gorgeous and made him feel like so much more than he'd felt in years – was enticement enough.

"How far do you live?" he asked in a murmur, his arms loped around Blaine's shoulders and keeping him close as their foreheads stayed resting against each other. They swayed slightly, the click of the camera the only interruption in the quiet.

"Not far," Blaine replied softly, his hand cupping Kurt's jaw as he stole another kiss, lingering a long moment before ducking out of his arms and moving toward the camera to turn it off. Kurt's gaze followed him, taking in the planes of muscle in his back and how the colors were bold on his shoulders but quickly faded into nothing the rest of the way down. Once the camera was off, he reached back for Kurt's hand and glanced over his shoulder as he waited for him to take it. "Come with me."

They made their way out of the studio room and to the stairs, and Kurt was beginning to lament his lack of shirt as they ascended to the third floor but considering how Blaine was in the same situation, he couldn't much complain. It was dark, just the dim light from up above that Blaine had turned on lighting their way, but Kurt hadn't seen the third floor in anything but darkness before so he didn't think he was missing too much. That was until they got to it and Blaine led him to a door, opening it and reaching in to turn on the light.

It looked like an apartment to the point that Kurt almost forgot where they were. There was a bed, dresser, closet, anything he would have expected to find in a bedroom as he stepped inside. When Blaine had said 'not far' he had been expecting something up the street, not upstairs. There were door off to the side and he couldn't help himself from wandering over to look, his gaze sweeping over the small kitchen behind one and a bathroom behind the other.

"Like I said," Blaine said once Kurt looked back over at him, lingering in the doorway and looking caught between sheepish and sly. "Not far."

"You live here," Kurt replied, making the obvious statement but getting confirmation when Blaine nodded.

"I'll get you a spare towel so you can shower, and find clean clothes for you to wear since I got yours all dirty."

There was a pause, a moment for Kurt to think before he spoke again. A huge part of him wanted to throw caution to the wind, to tell Blaine that they could just share the shower since they both needed to wash off anyway. There was a smaller part questioning if he had somehow misinterpreted something because this wasn't something that happened to him. Except Blaine had kissed him, manytimes, and invited him to stay. So if he was misinterpreting it was due to some serious mixed signals and he was willing to take that chance.

"You can join me," he said softly, his hand resting on the doorframe leading into the bathroom. Blaine's gaze seemed to drag up his body before meeting his eyes, and Kurt offered him a smile. "If you want."

Not waiting for a response, he moved the rest of the way in and opened the door of the shower to get the water started and adjust the temperature. The green that was on his hand washed off into the stream and down to the tile floor, swirling around before disappearing down the drain. Kurt watched it go as he twisted the knob to make it a little hotter before toeing off his shoes and working to get off the rest of his clothes, first his socks and then moving on to his newly colorful jeans.

The hot water of the shower was welcome in more ways than one once Kurt finally got in under it, the door closed behind him to keep water from getting onto the floor. His skin had gotten slightly chilled from the air but that was gone with the steam, and he watched as the pigment washed off his chest and stomach, seeming to lace down his legs as it streamed to the floor. He ducked his head under, getting his hair wet and face rinsed, and barely heard the door open again before he stepped back from it to see Blaine moving in.

Blaine was covered worse than Kurt had been, the pigment having slipped down past the waistband of his pants and boxers, dusting past what Kurt had been able to see before. He could seeeverythingas Blaine shut the door again, even in the slightly dim lighting thanks to him not turning on the light in the bathroom and just relying on that from the bedroom. It made it feel even more intimate, and the shadows playing across Blaine's features made Kurt's breath catch.

Reaching over, he took Blaine's hand and pulled him in under the water, watching as droplets made their way through the pigment on his chest and race down his torso, leaving faded tracks through the color. It looked remarkable, in a way that made him wish there'd been pictures taken ofthatas well as everything else had been, but those thoughts were chased away quickly as he realized his gaze had followed the water drops down past Blaine's hips and to his groin andoh god was he staring? Blaine's hand left his and slid along his chest, over his shoulder and up to cup the back of his neck as he pulled him in for a kiss.

It was so easy to get lost in the feeling of it all, the way their mouths slanted together so perfectly, tongues twisting together in a balance of power as hands slid against skin. Kurt caught a stream of green running down his arm out of the corner of his eye, his fingers twisted up into Blaine's hair like they had been down in the studio when he'd unintentionally worked all that pigment into his dark curls. The color waned and faded until the water ran clear, seemingly opposite of howtheywere going.

Blaine's hands were strong and firm against Kurt's skin, fingers splayed against his side and then sliding up over his chest and neck, tracing over his skin like it was the most natural thing in the world – and it felt that way to him, too. If there were thoughts of being self-conscious, which some of those had to have been dismissed earlier when he intentionally invited Blaine to shower with him, they were in the back of his head and far from making their way forward again. Each little touch, a thumb rubbing over his jaw or fingertips trailing down his chest and stomach, sent perfect shivers down his spine and straight down his body to his toes. He could feel the way it was getting Blaine, too, hear the way his breath hitched or his body gave a little tremble. It happened the most when Kurt kissed his neck, he discovered, and that spot right at the back of his jaw was particularly sensitive and prone to making his fingers tighten against Kurt's skin.

"Let me?" Blaine asked in a murmur as he pulled back for breath, his eyes blinking open to look up at Kurt, water clinging to his eyelashes before dropping down onto his cheeks. It took Kurt a moment to realize what he was asking, so stuck in the heat that had been Blaine pressed up against him – he could still feel where his hands had been before they'd pulled away, the searing press of his lips against his neck. But Blaine was reaching for what Kurt could only assume was body wash and a wash cloth, and he nodded in response because his tongue felt heavy and useless in his mouth after how it'd been sucked on just minutes earlier.

The waterhadbeen running clear but that was just from what had been on the surface, because once Blaine lathered the soap onto the cloth and started rubbing it against Kurt's shoulders, there was color splashing down against the tile again. His hand pressed against the wall to keep himself steady on his feet, not sure if it was just the fact that he wanted to push Blaine back against the wall and forget about getting the rest of the way clean until he'd acquainted himself with everyinch of his body, or maybe the way Blaine was pressing hard against his muscles as he scrubbed at his skin. He could feel himself loosening, not having realized they were tense – but then again he spent a good deal of time hunched over a table sketching and drawing so he supposed they were always at least a little that way.

"You know, I hadn'tplannedfor you to get so messy," Blaine murmured teasingly, and Kurt squinted down through the water to give him a look as the cloth ran over his chest. "It's your own fault."

"I believe someone challenged me," Kurt replied, snatching the wash cloth out of his hand and ignoring the soft sound of protest Blaine made. He pressed a hand against his chest to keep him from stealing it back, raising an eyebrow at him. "As little as you expectedmeto get messy, you weren't supposed to at all. So really, I'm the one who should be doing this foryou."

A little more body wash made its way onto the cloth before he started in on Blaine's neck and shoulders, his eyes focused in on him as Blaine's eyes closed almost automatically and his body swayed into Kurt's touch. The suds lathered against his skin and washed away with whatever pigment had been left there. His arms were strong, Kurt could remember how they'd felt wrapped around his torso, but hung limply at his sides as Kurt rubbed them with hard strokes of the wash cloth, working his way back up before gently washing his hands and letting them drop back down so he could focus on his chest and stomach.

Bit by bit, his hands – both covered in wash cloth and not – made their way along Blaine's skin. Kurt massaged his back lightly as he washed it, earning a soft groan as Blaine lifted his hands to rest against the wall to keep from sinking against it from the pressure against his muscles and the knots Kurt could feel lingering there in them. Despite there not being much chance of pigment on them, he also took the time to clean off Blaine's legs. He couldn't really help himself, not with the opportunity right there and the fact that he wanted to do a thorough job, after all. It just meant that he was crouched down and kind of eye level with Blaine's ass and then his cock – which was just as hard as his own and all kind of gorgeous – and there were so many worse things in the world than that, Kurt couldn't even begin to try and think of some kind of complaint.

His hand slid up the front of Blaine's thigh as he stood, the wash cloth dragging along his skin until it rested on his hip and Kurt was back to standing up straight. Blaine's eyes had been closed the entire time, but his lips were parted and looked red, though Kurt couldn't tell if it was just from how they'd been kissing earlier or if he'd been biting at them. When Blaine opened his eyes to look up at him again, Kurt thought he had his answer – because Blaine's eyes were so dark and hungry looking, pupils blown wide and barely any of that sparkling honey-whiskey Kurt was so used to seeing there. It was enough for him to drop the cloth entirely, fingers curling around Blaine's hip and pulling him in as a barely audible plea of 'please' whispered and echoed against the tile.

Their mouths met in a heated kiss and Kurt pulled Blaine in against him as he was pushed back against the smooth wall. It was cool against his back, which was a nice contrast to how the rest of his body felt like it was searing hot – from the water, from Blaine's hands running over his skin, he didn't know what the cause was he just knew how he felt. Despite the overarching desire behind it, Kurt couldn't help but smile against Blaine's mouth because somehow it managed to be sweet at the same time, the soft brushes of lips between grazes of teeth and flicks of tongue.

His hand moved in from Blaine's hip, fingertips ghosting through the slickness of the suds still on his skin and across the soft skin of his groin, making his own breath hitch right along with Blaine's as they brushed against the base of his cock. Blaine let out a shuddered breath against Kurt's lips when his fingers circled around him, and Kurt bit at the inside of his lip as he drew his hand up in a tight circle, taking in feel of him against his palm and fingers, his hand twisting a little automatically and his thumb brushing up over the tip.

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine whimpered, his hand pressing into the wall beside Kurt in an attempt to steady himself. Kurt could feel Blaine's fingers flexing against him where his other hand was resting on his jaw, could see the little gasps being drawn in before there were fingertips trailing down his chest and making his muscles jump in response as Blaine's touch moved over them. His head tilted back against the wall when Blaine's fingers ran lightly along the length of his cock, a quiet whine catching in his throat.

Blaine's hand was sure and strong around him, and Kurt was glad for the wall because his knees kept feeling like they were going to buckle. Every touch and sensation felt amplified, and his body was thrumming with adrenaline and pleasure to the point that he was surprised he wasn't physically trembling from it all. He brought his free hand up to cup the back of Blaine's neck and draw him closer, and his fingers twisted into his hair as Blaine rest his temple against Kurt's jaw before letting his head dip down and mouth at his neck.

He could feel the water dripping down his skin, the way Blaine's tongue flicked out to catch a droplet here or there, but mostly the way Blaine's lips pressed against him, his teeth grazing just a little and almost always in response to the way Kurt was fisting over him in steady strokes. They were pressed together close enough that Kurt could feel Blaine's shuddered breathing more than he could hear it, the ragged rise and fall of his chest that matched his own almost perfectly with how his breaths were panting out into the steam of the shower. His knuckles grazed against Blaine's stomach, feeling the muscles there spasming in an attempt to keep control, and he swallowed thickly with a hitch in his breath, a slight sense of wonderment washing over him thathewas doing that.

It wasn't as if Kurt hadn't been in relationships before, he had. He'd dated, had boyfriends, had sex, but Blaine was different. Maybe it was because he'd been this beacon in Kurt's life, even before Kurt had realized it. After all, the one thing in his life that had kept him connected to art had been Synergy – the publication that he looked forward to getting in the mail and had always spent so much time pouring over because it was a reminder of what he loved, what he wanted. It had been that bright spot that he needed and Blaine had been the whole reason it existed in the first place. He didn't think it was coincidence that he'd ended up there – fate, also fate – but it was Blaine who had made him want to stay, who had gently pushed him to believe in what he was capable of doing, and Blaine whose hand was twisting over his dick so perfectly that it made him give a soft cry, fingers tightening in his hair.

"Oh m'god," Blaine moaned against the crook of his neck, and Kurt's body shuddered in response. He could feel how close he was, the way heat seemed to pour from his limbs and down low in his groin, muscles weakening in their resolve to let him keep control, and Blaine didn't seem to be that far off either. His hips jerked erratically as Blaine stroked over him and it only took a few touches more before he came with a broken moan, back arching off the wall and his hand stuttering in its movements against Blaine just briefly before beginning again.

There was still white sparking up behind his eyes when Blaine came, his muffled cry still managing to echo against the tile. Kurt slumped back against the wall and stroked him through it, his fingers loosening once he started to soften in his hold. His heart was racing hard and his legs felt like jelly as Blaine leaned up, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He tilted his head, catching Blaine's mouth and kissing him – slightly off center yet somehow perfect all at once – as his fingers loosened his hold in his hair, sliding down to rest against the crook of his neck.

Blaine's arm slid around his waist to pull him away from the wall and back under the water, letting it spray against them as he tilted their temples together to keep it from hitting their faces. They swayed slightly, like they were dancing to music that wasn't there until Blaine hummed softly, and Kurt smiled, turning his head just enough to be able to brush a kiss against his cheek.

The wash cloth was retrieved before the water started to turn lukewarm and Kurt's eyes fluttered closed as Blaine made a final pass over his body with it, keeping a hand pressed against the small of Kurt's back as he cleaned the come from his stomach. His legs didn't feel less unsteady when Blaine ran the cloth over them – if anything, they felt even more so – but it didn't take long before the water was off and they were out of the shower. Blaine found a spare towel that was huge and soft, and Kurt kept it wrapped around his shoulders once he was dried from head to toe.

"Here," Blaine said, knotting his towel around his hips as he stepped back out into his bedroom. Kurt followed, and watched as he picked up some folded clothes from the corner of the bed and held them out. "I know they won't fit perfectly, but they should do."

He was right on both counts. The sweatpants came up short, even with how they hung low on his hips, and the t-shirt was tight across his chest and shoulders, a sliver of his stomach peeking out in the gap between the bottom of it and the waistband of the sweatpants. They were comfortable, though, worn and soft in a way that made Kurt feel like he could curl up and sleep easily – but that might have also been thanks to how his skin still felt like it was radiating the heat from the shower, and how his body felt loose and sated.

Kurt moved back into the bathroom to hang up his towel as Blaine got dressed, taking his time to take a breath and let it all sink in. He glanced into the shower, a soft smile playing across his features as he looked over the tile, seeing the lingering residue of color in the occasional tint against the white. Considering how covered they'd been, it was surprising there wasn't more – but then again, the water had been running for a long time.

"I don't know what side you usually sleep on," Blaine started quietly as he came in to hang up his towel, his hair tousled and curlier than Kurt had ever seen it before. He was wearing pajamas of his own and looked beyond cuddly, and it only took Kurt amoment to realize that he probablycouldcuddle him, which brought him back to the question.

"Oh," he replied, running his hand through his hair. It had been long enough since he'd last shared a bed with someone that he wasn't sure he had much of a preference. "Left."

"Perfect."

Blaine took his hand and Kurt laced their fingers together as they walked back out, the bedcovers getting turned down before Blaine reached over for the light switch. There was enough residual light still to see to get into bed, and Kurt sighed contently as he slid under the covers and rolled onto his side. The bed dipped as Blaine joined him and once they were both cocooned in, Kurt reached his hand up to trail his fingertips along Blaine's jaw.

It was like an anchor, a confirmation that it was real – Blaine was real,theywere real, what his life had become was actuallyreal and happening. His hand paused with his thumb pressed against Blaine's jaw, fingers touching beneath it, and his eyes fluttered closed a brief moment just to listen. Everything sounded different than what he was used to at his apartment – different city noise, building noise, the breath and heartbeat of someone next to him.

"Kurt?" Blaine's whisper broke him out of his thoughts and his eyes opened slowly to look over at him in the darkness. He could feel himself fading, sleep tugging at him and begging him to relent, and he managed a questioning 'hmm?' in response. "I'm so glad you stayed."

"Me too," he murmured, eyes closing again as Blaine took his hand from his jaw and held it down against his chest, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his lips before letting out a tired sigh and staying just like that, knees touching and lips almost brushing, hands clasped between them. It dawned on Kurt, right before he dozed off completely, that he didn't think Blaine meant just that night, but all he could do was repeat himself in a sleepy mumble because it was the same no matter how Blaine had meant it.

"Me too."