….

It’s amazing the things you can learn when you open yourself up and just believe that you actually can do things.  Sometimes your path differs from what is expected, but you still make it to the end in your own time and your own way.

Blaine was by no means the star of his school or the top of his class.  But after that first school year ended, he approached everything with a little more enthusiasm and determination than before.  It helped that he no longer held back with his mother (and with his father when they had time to spend together).  He finally began to make friends at school – mostly people who shared and helped build upon his love for music.  The people around him nurtured his current talents and helped him to identify and cultivate new ones along the way.

The summer after third grade, he attended his first sleepaway camp.  His mother had worried for weeks before and hardly slept the first two days he was gone.  It wasn’t until she received a call from him on the third day that her nerves were calmed.  Blaine spoke so enthusiastically that she could barely get a word in other than a quick goodbye before Blaine had to run off to dinner.  She still worried after that, but only the way any mother would worry about their child that they’ve entrusted to another person.

Blaine always came home exhausted but smiling after the three-week camp.  It quickly became a summer tradition.

….

When Blaine was 11, he got his first walking cane to help him maneuver in areas where he was not familiar.  It took a few weeks of accidently hitting people and breaking things before he seemed to get the hang of it.  Christina still helped guide him sometimes, but Blaine preferred using his cane when he could (I can’t have you lead me around forever, Mom).  Her heart swelled with pride at her son’s growing independence and confidence.  She still thought often of those early days after the accident when she worried so for her son and his future.

There were still times when she caught herself thinking ‘what if?’ and imagining the future Blaine could’ve had if not for the accident.  Other parents giving her sympathetic smiles when they noticed her son, or particularly frustrating days when Blaine seemed to regress and withdraw.  Those were the days that she thought back to that icy winter afternoon and wondered about a different future.

But then she sees the smiling, strong young man she’s raised and there is no other possibility that could replace the here and now.  Because when she looks at him, he lights up the room.

….

When Blaine is 14, a girl enters his life and everything changes forever.  It’s love at first sight (or rather, touch) and he swears they’ll never be apart.  She’s a beautiful two-year-old Golden Retriever and she’s Blaine’s first guide dog.  Learning to get around with her is a struggle in the beginning.  He takes classes to learn how to use the commands she already knows and train her on new things that will help him in his daily life.  During the day, she guides him carefully, always staying in pace with him.  She lies dutifully at his feet when he sits in class, waiting patiently until he needs her again.  But at night, with her harness off in the comfort of their home, she is the playful family dog begging Christina for treats and carrying her toys around looking for a willing playmate.  She never strays far from Blaine though, never knowing when he might need her next.

….

He’s giddy as his junior year comes to a close.  For the first time in years, he’s not going to camp.  There are a number of reasons why – between all of his extracurriculars and increased academic workload in high school, he’s in need of a break.  His friends are disappointed, but they understand.  Mostly though, Blaine is looking forward to going home. 

His father received a huge promotion in the fall that meant he would have to relocate back to the Lima office.  They’d found a house that October, but Blaine and his mother stayed in their Columbus home until just before Christmas and then moved the last of their items out of the old house and into the new one.  His mother said they could move back in with Aunt Marcie when school started again, but it was Blaine that suggested the possibility of boarding.  He was getting older now and he needed to continue learning to be more independent.  Living in the on-campus housing would be one more step in this.  She’d been reluctant to agree, but Blaine’s father supported the idea so she eventually conceded. 

The hardest part about boarding was that he missed his mother so.  She drove up almost every weekend to spend time with him or attend any competition he was in.  On his free weekends when his mom couldn’t come up, he would ride with Aunt Marcie to Lima.  It was still a hard semester though.

So when school let out for the year, there was no question in Blaine’s mind that his summer would be spent at home.

….

He settled his things in his room and wandered the house re-familiarizing himself with it even though he’d spent enough weekends here to know the layout.  His mother had been cooking all day in preparation for Aunt Marcie to bring him home.  She’d made cookies and fresh bread and a cake to celebrate his homecoming.  There was homemade lasagna baking in the oven and the entire house smelled like heaven.

He’d been home approximately one hour and his mother had already hugged him half a dozen times.  The happiness radiated from her and Blaine soaked every bit of it up.  Home.

His dad arrived shortly before dinner was ready, giving Blaine a brief, but tight hug.  His dad was never one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, so it surprised Blaine when he said he was really glad to have him home.  Throughout the years, his mother had always been the cheerleader, the protector, the one to fight for Blaine.  But his father was always there in the background supporting him.

After dinner, they all walked Aunt Marcie out so she could make the two-hour drive before it got too late.  Blaine went to bed shortly after, completely exhausted and thankful to be home.

….

In his first week home, Blaine had been far lazier than he intended, but it was just so nice to be able to sleep in and lounge the day away.  He faintly heard his mother crack open the door to let the dog out, but Blaine just rolled over and hugged his pillow.  The loud, repeated honking of a car woke Blaine from his sleep.  He reached out to his clock and pressed a button to get the time.  7:42am. 

He slowly crawled out of bed to close his window when the honking stopped, but the yelling started.

“Puck, stop it!  He said he’ll be out in a minute.”

“Come on, Princess.  It’s the last week of school.  Lighten up.”

“I am perfectly light, thank you very much.  Now move your heap of junk car so I can back out.”

“Just ride with us.”

“And be at your mercy?  No thank you.”

Blaine heard car doors shutting and before long both cars were gone.  He crawled back into bed, but left the window open to let the breeze in.

….

In an attempt to jumpstart his summer studies, Blaine began reading the first book on his required readings list that afternoon.  He was just getting to the part where Elizabeth refuses Mr. Darcy’s proposal when he heard a car pull up next door.  He set the book down and listened, both windows open wide now.  The door slammed and its occupant was mumbling gruffly to himself as he entered the house.  He was just about to pick his book up again when he heard the window that faced his room being opened.  Blaine sat still on the floor next to the bed.  His neighbor continued to mumble to himself, but it now sounded like soothing words as he stayed at the window taking deep breaths. 

“Just four more days and then you don’t have to see them for months.”  The boy seemed much calmer now and eventually sighed heavily before leaving the open window.  Blaine focused all of his attention towards the other house, trying to hear something more.

“Blaine?”

He jumped as his mother walked in.

“What are you doing on the floor?”

“I, uh, was reading.”

“But your book is closed.”

“I know. I was taking a little break.”  And eavesdropping…

“Well finish up and get ready.  We’re going out for dinner and I want to stop by the bookstore before we meet up with your father.”

He reluctantly picked himself up off the floor and headed to take a shower. 

….

When they got home that night, he headed back to his room to read more of his book.  He sat on his bed, but before he could even grab for the book, he heard talking next door.  The boy was talking to someone and since he couldn’t hear any response, he assumed the boy was on the phone.

“You have no idea how happy I’ll be when this week is over, Mercedes.  They are determined to make my life horrible.”  There was a minute of silence and then the boy continued.  “I know, I know.  I have to go do my skin care regimen so I’ll see you in the morning.” 

Blaine was too afraid to move even after several minutes of quiet.  His light wasn’t on, but he was still sure the boy could look directly into his room and would catch him eavesdropping (for the second time that day!).

He relaxed back against the headboard and picked up where he left off in his book.  Before long, he heard a faint sound again drift from next door.  It wasn’t a song meant to be shared, but Blaine could hear the boy humming a familiar tune.

It lasted for several minutes and then the room went quiet once more.  Blaine stayed propped against his headboard, book in hand, though he didn’t read another word that night.

….

The next day, he joined his mom while she ran errands.  He hadn’t left the house since he’d been home except for dinner the night before and to walk the dog. 

“Mom, what do you know about our neighbors?”

“Why?  Did something happen?”

“No, you worry too much.  I’m just curious.  When I was home at Spring Break, I think the house was empty and now there’s a family living there.”

“They just moved in about six weeks ago.  Mr. and Mrs. Hummel and their two kids.  Both in high school I believe, but I’m not sure what grade.  They’re a really nice family, though we’ve only met them a few times.”

Blaine let out a casual ‘hmm’ as he walked down the grocery aisle.  He wasn’t sure what else he wanted to know or even what else his mother could tell him, so he let the topic drop.

….

When they got home that afternoon, he helped his mother put away the groceries and they made dinner together.  His father would be working late again, so he liked to keep his mother company as much as he could. 

That evening, he was setting his iPod on the dock when he heard it.  It was low, but he could still make out the familiar tune from the boy next door.  This time he was actually singing it. 

No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears.

I'm here, nothing can harm you.

My words will warm and calm you.

There was something in this boy’s voice that sent a shiver through Blaine’s entire body.  So familiar, but different.

Let me be your freedom,

Let daylight dry your tears.

I'm here, with you, beside you,

To guard you and to guide you . . .

As if on queue, a loud squeak brought everything to a halt.  His mother had given the dog her new toy they bought at the store that day and Blaine was always the first person she came to play with.  Blaine was frozen in his spot, desperately hoping that he was completely out of view as the dog continued to squeeze the toy in her mouth.

“Well, hello there.”

Oh no.

“I didn’t realize I had an audience.”

Blaine was mortified.  This was not the introduction he had hoped for.  He opened his mouth trying to form some sort of acceptable excuse for his eavesdropping, but the boy was talking again before a sound came out.

“I haven’t sung for many dogs, so I’ll take the squeaking as a sign of your approval.”

Blaine let out the breath he was holding.  He’s not talking to me.  He doesn’t know I’m here.

He heard the boy laugh and then shut his window.

….

Wednesday afternoon, he found himself sitting on the floor, against the wall next to the window.  He was reading.  Really.

If he happened to overhear more singing, he wouldn’t interrupt or complain.  But he was reading.  Obviously.

He heard the car parking and its occupant enter the house.  He smiled to himself because this was silly, really.  He didn’t even know this boy and here he sat just waiting to eavesdrop on his life.

There was a loud thud of something being dropped or thrown and then nothing for several minutes.  Blaine sat with his head against the wall, waiting… waiting.

And then he heard the last thing he expected.  Crying.

It got louder until it was obvious the boy was sobbing.  Blaine didn’t know what to do.  Stand up and call across to his window?  Go knock on their front door?

Hi, I’m Blaine and I was being a total creepy eavesdropper and I just so happened to hear you cry and I’m here to help.  That would obviously cheer him up.

The boy’s cries began to get softer again.

“Kurt?  You ok, dude?”

The boy stopped crying and took a few deep breaths before his voice drifted as he left his bedroom and ventured elsewhere in the house.

Blaine’s mouth fell open and then he laughed to himself as it came to him.

Kurt.

….

There were a million thoughts swirling around in his head.  It seemed so unlikely.  A boy… a voice… a distant memory.  That had been a hard year and he’d lost many of those memories, too hurtful to hold on to.  But he remembers the voice and he remembers how he felt, and suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a distant memory after all.

What are the chances, though, that the boy from his memory was dropped back into his world so casually?  And after all this time… 

It had to be him.  How many boys with his name and that voice could live in this town?  He dared not hope, for in the end this could just be his imagination getting away from him.  It could be the saddest of coincidences.

But surely fate would not be that cruel.

….

His mind was too preoccupied to allow him to be very productive that afternoon.  He excused himself after washing the dinner dishes and retreated back to his room.  Too many more days of shutting himself in his room and his mother would likely become concerned. 

He lay on the bed, faced turned towards the window, lost in his thoughts.  He started to doze when he heard it again.  The muffled sounds of someone sniffling.  He got out of bed and walked to the window, certain that he was still relatively hidden in the darkness.  The boy’s cries seemed to increase, though still soft.

Blaine didn’t know what to do.  Would calling across to the boy be a comfort?  This was the second time in a day he’d heard these cries and not the first day he heard of his unhappiness.  It’s easy to ignore someone else’s need when they have someone there to help them.  But no one was coming to help this boy tonight and Blaine couldn’t close his window and pretend not to hear.

He didn’t know why the boy was crying, but he knew the pain that came with tears.  He knew how it felt to be alone.  But he also knew what it felt like to be comforted.

In that moment, he didn’t even think of what he was doing.  He just wanted the despondent boy to be ok.

He knelt at the window, leaning forward on the windowsill with his arms crossed.  He took a deep breath and began to sing softly.

Let me be your shelter,

Let me be your light.

You're safe: No one will find you

Your fears are far behind you.

He could no longer hear the boy crying, the room completely silent.  Blaine rested his chin against his folded arms and listened.

When a response came, it was barely above a whisper.

All I want is freedom,

A world with no more night…

And you always beside me

To hold me and to hide me…

In that moment, Blaine wanted to both smile and weep.  The boy sounded so broken, nothing like what he’d heard before.  But at least he was responding.  Small victories.  Blaine took a deep breath and continued without thinking.

Then say you'll share with me

One love, one lifetime

Let me lead you from your solitude

Say you need me with you here, beside you

Anywhere you go, let me go too

That's all I ask of you . . .

The silence seemed to settle and Blaine waited for another verse to come from the boy.  The noise of someone moving trashcans to the street startled him out of his reverie.  The next sound he heard was a window closing.

He picked himself up and crawled into bed.  He felt like a fool.

….

He purposely tried to distract himself the next day.  He played music, called some of his friends, helped his mom with dinner.  There was surprisingly a lot of stuff he could do that kept his mind off certain things and certain people.  He didn’t venture back into his room until bedtime and before he lay down for the night, he shut the window.

….

On Saturday, his mom had told him to extricate himself from the house for at least an hour while she cleaned.  She also said he looked too pale and he needed to get out more.  All that did was get him to move from his room to the front porch swing.  It was still technically ‘out’ and it’s not like he could just drive himself somewhere.  And as the afternoon sun began to dip lower in the sky, he could feel the sunlight on his face and the warmth sent a shiver through his body.

He played fetch with the dog until she got tired and took up residence at his feet.  Blaine was swinging lightly, lost in his random musings.

“Hello.”

Blaine’s head shot up towards the voice.  “Hi.”

“We haven’t had a chance to meet.  I’m Kurt.”

“I’m Blaine.”

“And this beautiful girl must be the cause of all those squeaky noises I hear throughout the day.”

“Roxy.”

“Excuse me?”

“The dog.  Her name is Roxy.”

“Homage to Chicago?”

“No, Bryan Ferry actually, but she is quite the partner in crime.” 

Their silence cut off just a beat short of awkward.

“Can I pet her?”

“Pardon?”

“Your dog.  She’s a guide dog, right?  I’ve heard you’re supposed to ask first.”

“Oh, yah, of course.”

Kurt came closer to the swing to pet the dog lying at Blaine’s feet.

“How did you know she was a guide dog?”

“I’ve seen you walking with her in her harness.  And, well, your mom and my stepmom have talked, so I just know a little bit about you.”

“That’s embarrassing.  And slightly unfair since I did not get to hear anything about you.”  Blaine blushed slightly after the words left his mouth.

“Trust me, there’s not much to know.  Kurt Hummel – resident gay kid.  Loves Broadway shows, fashion, and sings like a girl.”

“Well, now, that’s a start.  Blaine Anderson – resident blind kid. Loves music in all variations, lacking in the fashion department, but thankfully knows enough Broadway numbers to keep them from taking my gay card away.”

They both laughed.

“And for the record, you sing beautifully.”  Blaine smiled, wishing desperately that he could see Kurt’s face in the silence.

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself, Raoul.  And… thank you for that.  I had a rough day and it kind of took me by surprise, but it really helped.”

Blaine sighed with relief.  “I’m glad.”

“I have to be going, but it was nice to meet you Blaine.  And of course Roxy.”

“Uhm, yah, nice to meet you, Kurt.”

“I’ll see you around.”

“Hopefully we can hang out some this summer.  I don’t have any friends around here, so maybe… if you wanted, I mean…”

Kurt chuckled.  “That would be nice.  Summer has officially started and I am determined to enjoy it.  I’m going shopping tomorrow morning, but maybe coffee when I get home tomorrow afternoon?”

Blaine grinned from ear to ear.  “I’ll be here.”

….

He was being ridiculous and he knew it.  This wasn’t a date.  His neighbor (with the beautiful voice) was going to hang out with him over coffee (just the two of them, not counting Roxy) as a kind gesture because all of his friends were two hours away.  So why had he spent the entire morning fretting over what to wear?

He’d had to lock his door after his mom came in for the third time asking why he had half of his clothes strewn about the room.  He already told her that he was going for coffee with Kurt.  She offered to drive them and that just set off another round of anxiety in him.  Blaine just assumed Kurt would drive, but what if he didn’t want Roxy in his car?

After trying his 10th outfit, Blaine threw his hands up in frustration and settled on a nice polo and jeans.  They were just going for coffee.

He was being ridiculous.

….

When he pulled into his driveway that afternoon, Kurt felt his eyes tear up again when he spotted Blaine sitting on his porch.  He was stupid to think that just because school was out for the summer that McKinley’s own resident douchebags would leave him alone.  He wanted nothing more than to go in and take a shower and ignore the world.

In the middle of the mall’s food court, in front of everyone, they had slushied him, Tina, and Mercedes.  He seemed to get most of it thanks to Mr. Head Douchebag himself – Dave Kurofsky.  He was able to get most of the offending beverage off, but he could still feel the stickiness on his neck and down the front of his shirt.

He sighed and grabbed his bags as he got out of the car and walked next door.  Blaine had obviously heard him arrive and was walking down the steps to meet him.

“Hey Kurt!”

“Hey Blaine.  I, uh, I don’t think we can do coffee today.”

Blaine’s face morphed from that brilliant smile into one of confusion.  “Oh, okay then.”

“I’m really sorry, I just had a… a really bad day.”  Kurt’s voice wavered with those last words.

“Are you okay?”

“Yah, it’s just… I just need to go inside.”

“Well maybe another time then?”

How could someone’s voice sound dejected, yet so full of hope at the same time?  Blaine had looked so happy when Kurt first walked up and now he just looked disappointed.  Maybe the distraction would help to make his day better.

“Actually, can you just give me 30 minutes?  Maybe a caffeine fix will help improve things.”

There was the smile again.  “Yah, definitely, sure.  Whatever you need.”

Blaine took his place back on the porch swing as Kurt went inside.  He dropped his bags in his room and jumped in the shower.  It wasn’t the best quick change he’s ever done, but at least he was rid of the syrupy mess.

He called out to Blaine again as he walked back to the car, blanket in hand.  “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s fine.  So, I’d totally offer to drive, but mom took the car away.”

Kurt stared for a moment before he laughed.  “Ah, he’s got jokes.”

“I try.  But seriously, is it okay if Roxy comes with us?”

“Of course, just let me put this blanket down over the leather seats.”  He opened the passenger side rear door and spread the blanket out.  “There we go.”

“Roxy – up.”  The dog was in the backseat almost before the command was out.

“Okay, and do you uhh, I mean, should I help you in?”

Blaine smiled.  “I think I can get in the car on my own.”

“Yah, no, I… right.”  Kurt fumbled and walked around to get in the driver’s side.

….

The ride was relatively quiet – mostly Kurt explaining where they were going, describing the things around them.  It was a short drive to the Lima Bean and Kurt commented that it looked pretty busy for a Saturday afternoon.  Roxy led Blaine to the door where Kurt was politely holding it open.

“Here, why don’t we grab this table and then I’ll go grab us some coffees.  What do you want?”

“Kurt, I can get my own coffee.”

“Of course you can,” Kurt shifted awkwardly on his feet.  “I just thought since it’s so busy then we should grab a table before they’re all full.”

“Okay then.  I’ll take a medium drip.”

“No bells, whistles?  Shots?  Whipped cream?”

“I like to keep it simple.”

“Okay, here, let me get the chair for you.”

Blaine reached over and put his hand on the back of the chair.  “Kurt, I’ve got it.  Really,” Blaine said sitting down.  Roxy settled under the table, her head resting on his foot.

“Yah, okay.  Be right back.”

When Kurt returned, Blaine grabbed for his coffee to occupy his hands that had gotten surprisingly sweaty while waiting.

“So, Blaine, tell me everything I need to know about you.”

“That’s asking a lot.  You might want to rethink that before I bombard you with random facts about myself that you never wanted to know.”

Kurt leaned in and lowered his voice.  “I think I can handle it.”

Blaine grinned.  “Okay, but you have no one to blame but yourself.  Born and raised in Lima, my family moved to Columbus when I was seven and then moved back just last year.  I’ll go back to Columbus in the fall when school starts again.  I’m home to spend the summer with my parents.  I love cold weather.  I love to snuggle.  I love the smell of rain. Head rubs make me weak in the knees.  I cry at sad movies. I'm ticklish in certain spots. I love animals, as is evidenced by my insanely spoiled dog.  Music is my life.  And I have an unhealthy obsession with coffee, so thank you for feeding my addiction today.”  Blaine raised his cup to toast.

Kurt let out a breathy laugh.  “Well that is definitely a lot of random information.”

“Again, I warned you.”  Blaine smiled and sipped his coffee.  “Your turn.”

“I’m slightly less random.  I was also born and raised in Lima.  Unfortunately, I never got out, but I will once I graduate.  I plan to move to New York City where I will become an insanely famous Broadway star.  I have a stepbrother who drives me absolutely crazy, a stepmom that I love, and I father that would fight the world for me.  I sing in glee club during the school year and spend almost every dollar I have on clothes.”

“New York City, eh?”

“Yes, where my fashion and talent can finally be appreciated.”

“Have you ever been?  I bet it would be amazing to see a Broadway show.”

“No.  And the closest I’ve come to a Broadway show is when the touring cast of Wicked came to Columbus.”

“Any good?  I have the original cast recording.”

“It was amazing.  The songs and the sets and the costumes—you should’ve seen it.”  Kurt took a quick breath.  “I mean… not seen it, but been there because that’s just a saying and I didn’t mean it because you can’t see and now I’m totally babbling.”

Blaine cocked his head to the side and grinned.  “Kurt, you don’t have to censor your words around me.  I know what you meant.  And I can definitely imagine how beautiful it was.  I’ve read the book and memorized all of the songs.  It’s one of my favorites.”

“Okay.”  Kurt continued to sip nervously at his coffee.  “So…  you go to school in Columbus?  How does that work when your parents live here now?”

“I go to the Ohio State School for the Blind.  I board there during the school year and then come home for holidays.”

“You just live there?  Like alone?”

Blaine chuckled.  “No, I have a roommate and there are staff there.  Afterall, I’m still not considered an adult, so I doubt they’d let me be alone.”

“So you have people to help you with stuff?”

“Uh, yah, when I need it.”

“I didn’t realize that school had boarding.  My school choir performed at a couple schools in Columbus when I was little.  That was one of the schools we visited.”

“I know.”

“Huh?”

Blaine took a long drink of his coffee to stall.  “I mean we had lots of choirs come sing at our school and I seem to remember a Lima school being one of them.”

“Yah, well, it was such a long time ago anyway.  I stopped doing the whole choir thing for a while.  It wasn’t until high school that I got back into it.”

“Why did you stop?”

“I had to help out a lot more at home and then I started having problems at school.  When you’re already getting teased for your girly voice and lack of friends, you don’t really want to give anyone another excuse to pick on you.  I wasn’t strong enough back then to ignore it.”

Blaine pursed his lips and gave a slight nod, but didn’t say anything in response. 

“Wow, here I am just rambling on again about poor little ol’ me.”

Blaine furrowed his brow in confusion.  “You’re allowed to talk about yourself, Kurt.  Last time I checked, it’s usually a good thing when two people getting to know one another share things about themselves.”

“I know.  I just didn’t want it to seem like I was complaining about my stupid little problems.  I mean…  there are harder things to cope with other than some idiots teasing you.”

“You mean like being blind?”

“Yes.  I mean no.  I just… ugh.”  Kurt let out a frustrated sigh.  “I just meant that I’m sure you’ve been through a lot too and had to sacrifice things you’ve wanted because you’re blind.”

Blaine still had a look of confusion on his face.  “Kurt, I’ve been through a lot, but who hasn’t?  Things were hard in the beginning, but once I started to adjust to living without sight, I had a pretty normal childhood all things considered.  I can do quite a lot that sighted people can.  You’re implying that because I’m blind that suddenly I’m not able to do the same things as you.  I sing, I play sports, I can go places on my own with Roxy’s assistance.  I’m not an invalid.”

“I wasn’t trying to imply that at all.  I don’t know what kind of childhood you had, I’m just sure it was harder.”

“I do things differently, but with most of them I don’t know any other way, so it’s not harder to me.  It’s just how I do things.  I’m just a normal teenager like you.”

“Did I offend you? I told you I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Maybe we can just go home.  I told my mom I wouldn’t be gone long.”

“No, wait, can we just talk about this?”

“It’s fine, Kurt, really.  Let’s just go.”  Blaine stood up, Roxy immediately by his side and walked out the door.  Kurt followed behind and they quietly got in the car and drove home.  When they pulled into the driveway, Kurt reached over and grabbed Blaine’s arm.

“Look, Blaine, I’m sorry.  I honestly didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or say anything to upset you.”

“I know, Kurt.  But the thing is – when I’m at school, I am very independent.  People treat me like everyone else.  Out here in the ‘real world’ I’m just that poor blind kid that can’t do anything on his own.  And while I do need help with things, I want people to ask me or let me ask them before they automatically jump in and assume I need help.”

“Okay, I’m getting that now.  But you have to understand that you’re the only blind person I know and I don’t know how to act around you.”

Blaine sighed.  “That’s just it.  I don’t want you to have to worry about how to act around me because I’m blind.  I want you to just act like you would with anyone else.”  He stepped out of the car and then opened the door for Roxy.  He was already walking up the steps to his house before he even heard Kurt open his car door.

….

It takes two days.

Two days of wallowing in his own self-pity before he feels guilty for neglecting Roxy and drags himself out of his room and to the backyard to get some fresh air.  He sits on the step and throws her favorite squeaky ball until his arm aches and she takes the hint and comes to rest next to him, belly on full display begging to be rubbed.  Before long she’s up and away, no doubt chasing something that caught her eye.  He didn’t expect that thing to be Kurt.

“Hey girl.  Can’t sneak up on you can I?”

Roxy returns to Blaine’s side and nudges her nose under his arm and he pets her head gently.

“Hey there.”

“Hi Kurt.”

“So, I heard you out here and I just wanted to come over and drop off my ‘I’m-sorry-for-being-an-idiot’ cookies.  Also known as triple chocolate.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I kind of did.  Here.”  Blaine took the container and set it behind him on the deck.  He hears Kurt move closer and sit next to him on the step.  “I really am sorry.”

“Kurt, you have nothing to apologize for.  I completely overreacted and I shouldn’t have blown up at you.  You were only trying to be helpful and I really could’ve told you what was bothering me in another way.”

“Call it even then?”

“Only if you’ll eat an idiot cookie with me.”

Kurt laughs and grabs for the container.  “I can do that.”

“Come on inside.  Sounds like we’re going to need some milk.”

….

Being in Blaine’s house is weird.  It’s the mirror opposite layout of his own and Kurt’s first instinct is to run up the stairs and see if the bedroom layout is the same.  Instead, he leans against the island countertop and watches Blaine carefully pour two glasses of milk.

They both eat their cookies in silence while Kurt quietly appraises the parts of the house he can see.

“These are really good.  Still warm.”

“Well, they are the absolute best just after you bake them.  After that the chocolate gets a little too hard.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I happened to be outside with Roxy today.”

He blushed, knowing full well it was no coincidence that he came over to find Blaine outside.  He’d been trying to work up his nerve to come apologize.  He was never good at admitting he was wrong.  “This is actually my third batch.  I wanted to come apologize the other day after we got back from coffee when I made the first batch.”

“Again, no need for apologies.  It was a miscommunication.”

“I would’ve come over sooner, but your window was never open.  I took it as a sign.”  Not that I checked it multiple times, hoping it would be open.

“The only sign there was me acting like a baby holed-up in my room.  Open window or not, you’re always welcome to come over.”

He couldn’t help but smile.  “Duly noted.”

“But now I feel bad that you did all that baking.  That’s a lot of wasted cookies if they aren’t good after they’ve cooled.”

Kurt laughed.  “Oh trust me, there’s no such thing as wasted food in my house with Finn around.  He would eat these things even if they were hard as a rock.”

“Brother?”

“Step.  But it’s nice to have him around.  Most of the time at least.”

They finished their cookies and milk and Kurt wasn’t sure whether to excuse himself or not.  They had smoothed things out, but Kurt still didn’t know how to act with Blaine.  He was so worried about saying or doing the wrong thing, so he welcomed the silence that lingered between them.

“Do you want to hang out and watch a movie?”

“I… yah… we can do that.”

He saw Blaine’s lip quirk up.  “Kurt, you can ask questions you know.  I didn’t mean to make you think that because I want to be treated like everyone else that I expect you to understand everything about me being blind.”

He let out a small sigh of relief.  “Okay, but tell me if I ask the wrong thing or say something stupid again.  I promise I won’t intentionally be disrespectful.”

He was babbling again, but he heard Blaine chuckle so he took another breath and stopped himself.

“Okay, so we’re going to watch a movie.  Do you just listen and make inferences about what you imagine is happening on the screen?”

Blaine considered the question for a moment.  “Kind of.  The good thing about the movies we have is that they come with what’s called a descriptive audio option.  So when there’s no dialogue, there’s a narrator that describes the scene so I can understand it better.  But you’d be amazed how much my imagination can put together just with the sound.  It might be a little off for you at first though because it will obviously describe things that you can clearly see.  Is that okay?”

“That is definitely okay.  Bring on the movie.”

They wandered into the living room and Kurt settled at one end of the couch.  Blaine chose a movie at random since Kurt had no preference.  Kurt noticed that each of the DVD boxes had labels on the spine with what he assumed were Braille letters.  Blaine sat near the middle of the couch, but still on his own side.

It was a little odd at first having someone describe what was happening when he could also see it.  He slouched slightly on the couch, leaning his head against the top of the back cushion.  He turned his head to look at Blaine who was intently listening to the movie.

Kurt closed his eyes and let the narration paint the visual in his mind.  It wasn’t long before he was following along quite well without actually watching the movie.  He kept his eyes closed and his head turned towards Blaine for the duration of the movie.  It was the best movie he’d seen in a while.

….