“Hey, you.”

“Hey!” Blaine greets happily, scooting over on the playground bench to allow Kurt room to sit as well. “I thought you were out for the day.”

“Just running some errands for my dad.” Kurt shrugs, looking over to where Bethany is hanging upside down on the monkey bars, playing patty-cake with a younger child.

The playground is quite full today for the afternoon, and the summer sun is absolutely scorching on Blaine’s exposed shoulders.

“Hm, I think I like it when you show a bit of skin,” Kurt says, kissing Blaine’s bare shoulder. “You look good in a tank top.”

“Oh god, I feel gross,” Blaine replies, resting his arm on the back of the bench behind Kurt. “We’ve been out here all day. It’s boiling.”

“Well, I have something that might make you feel better.”

“Do you, now?” Blaine asks.

“Mhmm,” Kurt answers. “We’re going on a date tonight. Just you and me.”

“We…are?”

“We are. I’ve got it all planned out.”

“Kurt,” Blaine says a little regretfully, “you know I’d love to. But I have to look after-”

Kurt stops him from speaking further, pressing a finger to Blaine’s lips. “You have no one to look after tonight. My dad and Carole are going to watch Bethany.”

“But-”

“No,” Kurt states. “No buts. They offered to watch her two weeks ago, Blaine. And you haven’t taken them up on that. Tonight, we’re cashing in.”

“I can’t just leave her with your parents,” Blaine argues. “Bethany isn’t their responsibility.”

“And they know that. But they want to watch her. They want us to spend some time together.”

“We spend lots of time together,” Blaine says weakly, knowing his defenses won’t hold up for much longer.

“We spend time together with Bethany, yes. And I don’t mind that, not at all. But we’ve been together for three weeks now and we haven’t even gone on a date. A proper date, just me and you. We deserve that. You deserve that.”

Blaine sighs, glancing over at his little sister, watching her infinite energy as she blunders around the playground while chasing a few other children in a game of tag.

“I know,” he finally says. “It’s just – god, it’s not like I haven’t been thinking about taking your dad and Carole up on their offer because I want to, I really do. Because I’m tired, you know? Running around with her all day is starting to wear me down.”

“I know it is,” Kurt says softly, brushing his fingers over the heated skin on the back of Blaine’s neck. “You look tired.”

Nodding his agreement, Blaine lowers his head, watching his own movements as he reaches over to grip Kurt’s free hand.

“And I want us to have some time alone together, too,” Blaine adds. “But – but every time I think about leaving her with someone that isn’t me…I just feel – I can’t explain it. The thought of doing that just worries me. Like, how do I know someone else will look after her the way I do?”

“Blaine.” Kurt shuffles closer on the bench, even though it’s really too hot outside for so much contact. “It sounds like separation anxiety to me.”

“She’s not even my kid,” Blaine whispers, words almost drowned out completely by the children screaming with laughter a few feet away.

“You’re right, she’s not,” Kurt agrees. “But you’ve practically been raising Bethany for half of her life now. You’re attached to her the same way you would be if she was your daughter. Not to mention, you haven’t been around very many…reliable adults in your life. So of course you worry about leaving her in someone else’s care. But there always comes a time when you have to take a step back and let them go, even if it’s just for a few hours. It’s just like a parent dropping their kid off at day care for the first time or a mother going back to work after she’s been on maternity leave.”

“I can’t – I don’t have any money to pay your dad or Carole for babysitting.”

“You aren’t expected to,” Kurt says. “They’re doing it free of charge.”

“I feel like I’m imposing on their lives.”

“You aren’t,” Kurt states with conviction. “You aren’t imposing on anyone. They offered to do this. They’re going to watch Bethany and we, my dear, are going out for a night on the town. And by a night on the town, I mean we’re trying out that new Chinese food restaurant and then we’re going to get some frozen yogurt. And it’s my treat. No arguments.”

Blaine looks up at Kurt, hearts in his eyes and sweat beading near his hairline.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asks.

“Remember the first night we kissed? The night we got together? Remember when I told you I just wanted to know if you were a good person?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, I found my answer.”

Blaine leads Bethany to Kurt’s front door later that evening, making sure she looks like a presentable young girl rather than someone who has been rolling around in the dirt all day.

Which she has, of course. But no one would know that now.

He gives a strong, solid stream of knocks and waits patiently for someone to answer the door.

“You’re going to be on your best behavior tonight, right?” he asks his sister.

She rolls her eyes in response, looking so like their mother that it’s almost eerie.

“Bethany,” he says levelly. “Right?”

“Yes, I’ll be good,” she says with a heavy, annoyed sigh.

The door finally opens, Carole standing inside with a frilly pink apron tied around her waist.

“Come in, you two!” she squeals excitedly, ushering them inside. “Kurt’s just about ready, he’ll be up in a minute.”

“Thank you so much again for this, Carole,” Blaine says, though he doesn’t feel like words will ever be enough thanks.

He nudges Bethany, who speaks up as well and says, “Yeah, thanks lots.”

“Of course, honey. We’re gonna have lots of fun tonight,” Carole tells her.

“Is that really tall boy here again?” Bethany wonders, peering around Carole.

“Finn?” Carole asks. “He should be home soon, dinner’s almost ready.”

“D’you think he’ll let me sit on his shoulders?”

“You’ll have to watch out for ceiling fans,” Kurt warns, appearing in the entryway of the house, looking lovely as ever in a pair of tight pants and a striped shirt in navy blue and white. His eyes seem to sparkle, skin glowing with happiness and Blaine wonders if it’s all for him. “But I’m sure if you ask him enough, he’ll let you.”

“You think so?” Bethany asks.

“I’m almost positive,” Kurt says to her before turning to his stepmother. “We should be back around nine.”

“Oh, take your time, you two,” Carole says, waving him off and taking hold of Bethany’s hand.

“You ready to go?” Kurt asks, looking back to Blaine.

“I – yeah, just – just one minute.”

Kurt nods in understanding as Blaine crouches down, eye to eye with his little sister.

“Please,” he begs her. “Please be good.”

“I will,” she says in exasperation.

“They have my number if you need me to come home.”

“I know.”

“Seriously,” he says. “If – if you don’t feel well or you get scared or-”

“I know.”

Blaine glances up to Carole, who’s looking down at him with this sort of fond, heartfelt expression that makes him feel a little awkward so he finally stands up and straightens his shirt.

“I guess we’ll see you all later then,” he says, feeling Kurt’s warm palm on the small of his back, ready to guide him out of the house.

“Have fun!” Carole says, bidding them goodbye.

They turn to leave, but just as soon as Kurt’s over the threshold, Blaine in tow, Bethany’s voice stops him one last time.

“Blainey!”

“What?” he asks in a panic, already spinning around and lowering himself to his knees in front of her. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re – you’re coming back, right?” she asks in a small voice. “You’ll be back to get me? You won’t…leave me?”

“I’ll be back. I promise,” Blaine says, pulling her small body into a hug. “I’ll be back. I’ll probably be back before you even fall asleep.”

“Okay,” she whispers in his ear.

Blaine presses a kiss to his sister’s cheek, once again standing and making to leave. He stares down at her, and while she looks as brave as she possibly can, he knows that, on the inside, she’s absolutely terrified that he’ll abandon her.

But he won’t.

“I promise,” he says again, just one last time because he thinks she might need to hear him say it.

He feels Kurt take his hand, gently pulling him away and out of the house. The door closes behind them. There’s no turning back now.

“This is way nicer than I was expecting,” Blaine remarks after they’ve given their orders to the waiter. “Are you sure you-”

“I don’t want to hear about anything that has to do with money, not from you,” Kurt interrupts. “Not tonight.”

Blaine snaps his mouth shut, willing himself to enjoy their date and not worry about financial issues. The place is very nice, though, from the romantic lighting to the tall, comfortable booth they’re sitting in.

“So,” Blaine says, changing the subject completely, “I still haven’t met this Sam guy you and Finn were talking about a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh, right. He and his brother and sister have been visiting their grandmother in Tennessee for the last week. They’re supposed to be back in town soon, though. At least, that’s what he said when I called.”

“Do you just want me to meet him because he has younger siblings?” Blaine wonders. “Or is there like, something else.”

“Sam’s…well, for one, he’s a pretty nice guy,” Kurt explains. “I, uh, might have had a teensy crush on him in the beginning of junior year.”

“Oh, really?” Blaine asks with a saucy grin. “Do tell.”

“I was convinced he was on our team,” Kurt recalls. “I mean, convinced. There was this whole issue with dying his hair and – just, whatever. He kept denying it and I wanted to be duet partners with him and-”

“You wanted to duet with him? Classy.”

“And here I thought you were above such jokes,” Kurt quips.

“Never.”

“Anyway,” Kurt says pointedly, “he was very nice about it. He was willing to sing with me even though some people were against it because he was the new kid and they thought it would…reflect badly on him if he sang with someone as gay as me.”

“Wow. That’s harsh.”

“That’s McKinley. But we didn’t end up singing together. He sang with Quinn, who he later dated.”

“But now he’s with Mercedes?”

“Yeah,” Kurt says, sipping on his glass of water. “I think things really sparked between them at prom, I’m not sure. I didn’t go.”

“You didn’t go to prom?”

Kurt shrugs. “It was just junior prom. I can go my senior year instead.”

“That’s true.”

“Anyway, last year these stupid rumors started circulating that I was, to put it lightly, shacking up with him in a motel.”

“…What?” Blaine asks, almost speechless because that’s a pretty strange rumor to start in the first place.

“He was living there,” Kurt clarifies. “At the motel, I mean. His entire family was. His dad was laid off and they went into the debt, the bank took their house, the whole nine yards.”

“Damn, that – that’s awful.”

“It was,” Kurt agrees. “I was spotted there because I was bringing him some extra clothes. The only reason I knew about it was because he had taken on a job as a pizza delivery guy and I ordered pizza for me and my dad one night when Finn was out and Carole was at work. So after that, people just kind of…jumped to their own conclusions.”

“How long did they live there?”

“Up until last month. His mom and dad both found jobs and they found a house to rent. But Sam took care of Stacy and Stevie for a long time,” Kurt says, and that’s when things become clear to Blaine. “He still does. Not as much as you take care of Bethany, but I think he – I think he’s someone who would really understand how it is.”

“God, I can’t even imagine having to take care of two kids,” Blaine says softly. “Bethany’s already a handful.”

“They’re good kids. And I think it would nice if, you know, you guys met up and Bethany got to meet Stacy and Stevie.”

“It would, yeah,” Blaine says with a nod. “She needs friends.”

“And so do you,” Kurt adds. “You know I love spending time with you. You know I do. But…if I’m not around, if I’m out with Rachel or Mercedes, you don’t have anyone to pal around with.”

“I know. I do – I want friends. It’s just hard, you know? With looking after Bethany. It’s hard to set aside time to make friends.”

“I know,” Kurt says, sliding his hand across the table and lacing his fingers together with Blaine’s. “So I want to help.”

“You’re stupidly perfect, you know that?” Blaine teases Kurt with what he hopes is affection in his voice.

“I can’t help it,” Kurt says, shrugging his shoulders and shooting Blaine a grin and bashful look from beneath his eyelashes. “It’s in my genes.”

“I like your genes.”

“You’re so sweet, thank you. I got them on sale. I’m glad somebody noticed.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Maybe.”

Dinner itself is had in mostly silence, and perhaps it’s a little strange how easily they can sit there and not say a word while still enjoying each other’s company. They’ve only been dating for three weeks after all. Usually that level of comfort isn’t reached until later down the road in a relationship, but not for Kurt and Blaine. Everything with them seems to happen quickly, without a word, like it’s just the way things are suppose to be.

Like they were meant for each other.

Later, Kurt drives them to Crazy Good, a delicious frozen yogurt shop, where they spend thirty minutes feeding each other cherries and stealing bites from one another’s deserts. Kurt wraps his ankle around Blaine’s beneath the table, and Blaine blushes a shade of pink that brings a triumphant smile to Kurt’s lips. Blaine’s worry for Bethany drifts to the back of his mind and everything is tasty, the night is wonderful, and the company is absolutely unbeatable.

When they arrive home, Burt greets them at the door with a lip to his fingers, signaling them to stay quiet.

“She passed out on the floor twenty minutes ago,” Burt whispers, showing them where he had placed Bethany on the sofa after she had fallen asleep.

“I hope she wasn’t too much trouble,” Blaine says softly. “And I’m sorry we’re a bit late.”

“Not a problem. Just glad you two had fun,” Burt replies. “Uh…I mean, you did have fun, right?”

“It was a perfect night,” Blaine assures, looking to Kurt with one of the most sickeningly sweet expressions he can muster.

“Absolutely perfect,” Kurt agrees.

“Okay, you two are making me sick. I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Thank you for all of this, sir,” Blaine says. “Thank you for watching her and just – thank you.”

“You bring that little girl over anytime you want, kid.”

“I was…going to ask if it was okay if I went to Blaine’s for a little while,” Kurt adds. “Just to watch a movie or something, you know.”

“No ‘or something’. Watchin’ a movie’s all you can do.”

“Right,” Kurt says. “That’s all we want to do.”

Burt mutters something under his breath, but waves them away before he rounds a stack of boxes and makes his way toward his bedroom. Blaine looks to Kurt, eyeing him suspiciously considering they hadn’t discussed the possibility of Kurt coming over after their date.

“I have purely innocent intentions,” Kurt whispers, almost looking affronted.

“Sure you do,” Blaine says as he bends down, lifting Bethany up, sure that her arms are settled around his neck before they head back to his house.

“Is she asleep?” Kurt asks when Blaine rejoins him in the living room.

“Dead to the world.”

“Good.”

“…So?” Blaine asks, the silence of the house ringing in his ears.

“I might have lied about the innocent intentions.”

“I figured.”

“Well, we can either be responsible young men and stay here in the living while we pop in a movie, or…”

“Or?”

“Or we can, you know, not and go make out on your bed for an hour,” Kurt offers.

Blaine stretches out his hand to Kurt immediately.

“Who needs movies when I’ve got you?”

“Excellent,” Kurt says, taking Blaine’s hand.