"How much good inside a day?

Depends how good you live 'em.

How much love inside a friend?

Depends on how much you give 'em."

~Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic

It was just past noon when Blaine had finally been able to find two saplings that would serve as the poles for a travois. He was going to build one of the Native American sleds to hook up to Caesar's harness so Kurt would be safe and he could transport him back to their home.

By the time Blaine had finished the travois, the sun was getting ready to set and a stiff wind had come up. He'd unsaddled the mules when he started the work on the sled and they were picketed a short distance away.

Blaine hadn't even thought of supper after they had eaten the soup for lunch, so he wasn't prepared to feed Kurt. He looked through the saddle bags and found a few things – a packet of soup mix, some jerky, a plastic baggie with cut up carrots and celery, a can of V8 juice, and a small package of rice left over from yesterday.

Gathering firewood and kindling, he hurried to start a fire to cook the soup. Just as he got the flame started and the wood was catching fire, he heard Kurt moan.

“What's wrong, baby?” he asked, cradling Kurt's head in his lap.

“Wha.....? Kurt said, sitting up and looking around. “Where?”

“You are with me, honey. We're up on the mountain, assessing the potential for harvesting lumber,” Blaine said, combing his fingers through Kurt's hair. He got a sudden vision of the time Kurt used to spend doing his hair in the most stylish ways back when they were in high school. He blinked his eyes and the vision was gone, replaced with Kurt now – his hair cut short but still stylish.

“Oh, yeah....I guess I fell asleep. It seems awfully hot here,” Kurt looked at Blaine, a question in his eyes.

“Well, you have a fever, that might explain it. How are you feeling?” Blaine asked, shifting his weight to take Kurt onto his lap.

“Tired, hungry, and my legs hurt. Do we have any really cold water? My thighs are burning,” Kurt asked, snuggling into Blaine's chest.

“Hmmm.....your thighs are burning? That might be good...” Blaine laughed at his own joke, waiting for it to catch up with Kurt.

It took a few seconds for Kurt to realize what he said and thumped Blaine on his chest.

“That is not funny – to take advantage of a sick person. What kind of sadist are you?”

“I am not a sadist!” Blaine groaned, his mind on Kurt's thighs. Still.

“I beg to differ,” Kurt returned, a small smirk blooming on his face. Blaine signed in relief. Kurt wouldn't be flirting if he was still very sick. At least that is what Blaine hoped.

“Hey, I can dish you up some soup if you're hungry?”

“That sounds good. Thank you, my love,” Kurt said softly.

Blaine dished up the soup and they ate it like they'd been starved, finishing every bite.

“Where's Balto?” Kurt asked, looking around for the wolf-dog.

“I sent him to get help. You can't ride a mule with your legs so messed up and I couldn't carry you any more....so I think I have a solution. It will be slow going in the forest, but I think it will eventually get you down off the mountain.”

Kurt looked up from his bowl of soup.

“I made a travois. You can sit in it and Caesar can pull you,” Blaine explained.

Kurt looked over to where his husband was pointing and saw a round nest of blankets and sleeping bags attached to two long poles. It looked comfortable, big enough for him to sit in if he curled up. It might just get him home.

“Thank you, baby. You take such good care of me,” Kurt said, scooting closer to Blaine and laying his head back in his lap. He reached out and took Blaine's hand, laying it on his head so the man would run his fingers through his hair. It was comforting and Kurt fell back asleep.

An hour later, Blaine had set up camp and gotten the sleeping bags ready for the night. He tied the mules close to the tent and had everything ready for morning. The last thing he had to do was get Kurt into the sleeping bag.

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” Blaine called to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He'd given Kurt his dose of aspirin an hour ago and expected his brow to be cool, but it wasn't. Kurt was still too hot. Blaine roused him enough to get him to stand and walk to the side of the camp to relieve himself, then the few steps to the tent and coaxed him into bed. Leaving the blankets off, he went to the saddle bags and found a cloth and a canteen. He soaked the cloth then wrung most of the water out.

“Hey, Kurt. I'm going to use this damp cloth to make you feel cooler. Is that okay?” Blaine asked, waiting until Kurt's eyes were open and he answered with a small smile.

Blaine washed Kurt's face, then his neck and unbuttoned his shirt, opening it to expose his chest to the cool mountain air. He took off the loose sweat pants he'd been able to get on Kurt that morning. Where the bandage slipped, the fabric stuck to Kurt's wounds and he cried out when Blaine pulled the fabric away.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart....so sorry....” he mumbled the whole time, but he made quick work of getting Kurt's clothes off, leaving him in a pair of his jockey shorts. Kurt didn't wear them often, preferring boxer briefs that fit him better, but he did own some of these.

Blaine brought the Coleman lantern close and inspected Kurt's thighs. The blisters were all drained, then rubbed raw when Blaine had seen them yesterday and worse this morning, but it looked as if they might be healing around the edges. There was much less drainage and the open parts were beginning to scab over. His leg wasn't as hot to the touch either and while they were still infected, it looked like they were beginning to heal. Blaine kissed Kurt's knee, then pulled the light cotton blanket up and over Kurt's body.

“It's looking good, Kurt. I think you are going to be fine. How does it feel?” Blaine asked.

“Ahhhh....it hurts somewhat, but not as bad as it did a few days ago. I can lay my hand on my thigh without jerking it back, so I guess that's progress,” he said, but there was no smile so Blaine thought he might be making light of what was a serious problem. All Blaine could do was to stay with him through the night and begin again in the morning, making as much progress as he could to get Kurt off the mountain and back home.

An hour after they went to bed, Kurt was awake again and restless. He cursed himself for falling asleep all day yesterday. Now he couldn't sleep and each and every owl's cry, mule snort, and small mammal sneaking through the leaves woke him up. For fear of waking his husband, Kurt tried to lie very still, but his legs refused and twitched and flinched until Kurt wanted to scream.

“Kurt?”

“Go back to sleep, Blaine. I was just rolling over,” Kurt lied. He wanted Blaine to sleep and be refreshed after the awful day they had already had.

“Okay, Babe......” Blaine was asleep before he'd even finished the word. Kurt looked over and a smile came to his face. Kurt was an absolute wonder. He'd ended up in the lumber camp all those years ago – when both men were just boys. For someone who spent his days designing fashionable clothes and doing extravagant skin routines and hair styling – Kurt adjusted to being in a far-from-civilization lumber camp with all the rough ways of the people who lived there. He learned to snare rabbits and skin and gut them quickly, then make a stew with vegetables found in the woods to supplement the ones available in the camp. He had learned to fish and tie his own flies, catch and gut his own trout and salmon, and cook them up in a pan. And he'd loved every minute of it. Who would have ever guessed? When the time came and they could have parted ways, Kurt to New York to study design and Blaine back to the Warner logging camp to fulfill his legacy of harvesting lumber – they made a third choice – to go to college and earn their degrees to prepare them for careers in the world they embraced. He often wondered how Rachel felt – being on Broadway. Did she feel her dream had come true? Was Finn happy in that big city with her?

Kurt shook his head, his eyes once more focusing. He heard a noise and sat up in time to see a huge mule head poking through the front of the tent, sniffing the air for goodies like Yogi Bear at a picnic basket.

“Out! Out, damn spot,” Kurt said, then giggled at his own joke.

Blaine opened his eyes at the sound of the mule and saw Kurt sitting up.

“Didn't peg you as a fan of the bard,” he said, a grin gracing his face.

“Well, who doesn't know Macbeth?” Kurt brushed off the compliment.

“Yeah, I guess.....are you okay?” Blaine asked, his hand automatically going to Kurt's forehead. It was a good bit cooler than it had been at supper time, but there was still a fever.

“I think it's almost down – right?” Kurt asked. Blaine frowned and instead of answering Kurt's question, he glanced at his watch.

“It's 5:45. The sun should just be coming up over the horizon. Want to go watch it?”

“Sure...” Kurt answered, smiling at the thought.

Sitting in the pre-dawn gloom, Kurt was leaning back on Blaine as they sat near the fire pit from last night, a small fire going so they could heat water for morning tea. Kurt snuggled against Blaine, turning sideways so he could rest his cheek on Blaine's strong chest. He nuzzled his cheek right on Blaine's heart and placed his ear to it to hear the steady thump-thump. Nothing was more comforting. Blaine's arm came around to hold him. He closed his eyes and sighed.

“Kurt....hey, did you want to see the sun rise?” Blaine asked quietly. He didn't want to wake him up if he'd fallen asleep.

“Yeah...” Kurt sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking to wake himself up.

“Oh....look.” There was a rare break in the trees here, maybe the result of a landslide years ago, making a path of smaller saplings where they could see the horizon.

“Isn't that beautiful?....even more than from our balcony. We have those poplar trees blocking the view,” Kurt mentioned. “Looking at this – it might actually make me believe there is a god.”

Blaine blinked. He was amazed, thinking he would never live to hear Kurt say anything like that. He knew not to pursue it, just to tuck the tiny bit of information into his brain to bring out later if needed.

They lay back, staring at the golds and pinks with the occasional purple or orange of the blooming sky at dawn. When it was all over with they could hear the mules, restless on their picket lines that didn't reach to the stream for them to drink.

“I guess I better get busy with the mules, honey, or we might have a riot on our hands,” Blaine smiled, helping Kurt to stand and walk carefully back to the tent. He was wearing just his jockeys and was a bit chilly.

Blaine left him sitting on the sleeping bags and went out to take the mules down to the stream.

An hour later they were both fed, the mules were packed to go and Blaine was helping his husband onto the travois.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Kurt asked, looking a bit apprehensive at the homemade nest of blankets.

“Of course, babe...just sit down in the center and I will cover you up. I made straps to keep you safe....see?” Blaine explained as he tightened the leather across Kurt's chest. “Okay?”

Kurt nodded.

“I think everything is ready to go. Are you ready?” Blaine asked, still on his knees with his hands in Kurt's.

“Yeah,” Kurt said, searching Blaine's eyes for any sign of fear or regret. “Yes, I'm fine.”

Blaine leaned over to press kisses all along Kurt's jaw, across his cheek and on each closed eyelid. Then he kissed his mouth, sweet and light until Kurt moved up to hold on to Blaine's neck. He brought him closer, pressing gently until Blaine opened his mouth so Kurt could deepen the kiss. They kissed until both were out of breath and then they rested, chins on each others shoulders, breathing deep and turning together to kiss again. Kurt's hands let go of their hold around his husband's neck to pet down his chest, feeling the muscles as they moved under the fabric, trailing down to cup the bulge in his jeans.

Blaine jumped and moaned in spite of himself, not expecting Kurt to be so forward. He closed his eyes, not leaving Kurt's lips as he felt the warm hand hold him gently. He felt it as Kurt tightened his grip ever so slightly and Blaine pushed into the hand, chasing the touch, then pulled back.

“No, honey....I need to get you home. I promise, we will be doing that very soon, but now I need my blood flowing in my brain, not there,” Blaine said reluctantly as he tucked the warm blankets all around Kurt. It wasn't very long before everything was done and Blaine, riding on Maximus, was leading Caesar and Claudius down the deer track towards home.

It had taken four days for them to reach the peak of the mountain, but now was the fifth day they had been going back down and over to Warner Mountain. Blaine had expected to see Mr Warner at every turn, but he never did. Maybe they had missed each other or Balto hadn't been able to find his way back for some reason. He didn't want to think of anything negative, but it was a wild place and Balto could have fallen, been attacked, anything. Whatever had happened, Blaine was still sure he was on the right path.

It was near noon of the fifth day going back when Blaine heard a noise. It might have been almost anything, but it sounded familiar. He whistled and the ear-splitting noise could be heard for a long distance. The barking turned into a howl as he turned to the source of the noise. Soon he could hear the leaves rustling and he turned the mules to follow the noise.

Seeing Balto under a tree, he rode closer to see what was going on. He dismounted and the wolf-dog was trying to jump into his arms, only to turn to try to jump into Kurt's lap. A painful howl came from the back of Caesar's travois and Blaine hurried get the dog off of Kurt.

“Balto! Sit! Sit!” he shouted, grabbing the animal's collar and dragged him away from Kurt.

The dog finally sat, his tongue hanging out and his eyes wild as he panted. He looked dehydrated and Blaine reached for his canteen to spill a bit of water into the dog's mouth as he asked Kurt of he was okay.

“Yeah, I stopped him from getting in my lap....is he okay?” Kurt asked.

“I don't know, let me check him over....”

Blaine looked all over Balto, finally finding that his leg was caught. There was a strong wire wrapped around his back leg, hooked to a chain and pegged into the ground by a stake. There was evidence that the wolf-dog had tried to chew at it, and even more on his leg where the rusty old wire had dug into his skin and Balto had chewed on his leg. It must have been awful for the dog...being able to go in a rough circle for three feet or so, but not able to get to water.

“Oh, Balto, you poor puppy...come here,” Blaine coaxed and found a pair of pliers in his kit. They worked as wire cutters and he soon had the poor canine free. He checked and found the leather bag with his map and note still around his neck.

“You brave boy, I know you tried. It isn't your fault some ass monkey left his snare here. I wonder what he was trying to trap with that set-up? It couldn't be rabbits. The wire and stake are too strong for that. Maybe wolverine? But whatever it was, I guess we're lucky he didn't come back to check his traps or you might be gone,” Blaine shook at the thought the wolf-dog might have been taken from them.

Balto went back to Kurt, sniffing his inner thigh and whining.

“Get back, buddy. I don't think I want you that near my balls...” Kurt grouched, pushing the dog's muzzle away from his crotch.

“Balto, come here,” Blaine called, making a cup of his hand and letting him have a few more mouthfuls of water which the dog lapped up quickly. He ran in a circle, catching Blaine's hand as if to ask for more.

“No, I don't want you to drink too fast, it isn't good for you if you've been days without water. I'll get a dish out and let you have a bit more. I bet you're hungry, too, huh?” Blaine asked. He got a fish out of the basket on Claudius' back. He and Kurt had eaten fresh trout for breakfast and had some leftover for lunch. He tossed it to Balto, who devoured it in three bites and came to beg more water.

An hour later they were back on the trail, Balto limping but able to keep up with the slow progress of the travois.

“Hey, Blaine...I was beginning to think you would be making another travois for Balto. Poor dog,” Kurt laughed. Blaine grinned at him, but it was a small one. He had envisioned the same thing when he saw the injured wolf-dog. He was beginning to think this trip was cursed.

It was just getting dark when they finally stopped in front of their house. They hadn't met anyone along the way and Blaine thought that even though he might be able to summon someone by shouting, he could get home in the same amount of time.

Tying the mules to the hitching post in back of the house, Blaine unstrapped Kurt and helped him to stand. They walked slowly into the house and Blaine got him up the stairs.

“Lie down in bed, baby, and I'll be back in a little while. I need to unpack the mules and get them into their stalls and I'll be back. Okay?”

“Sure...but can I do anything?” Kurt asked, feeling useless.

“Yes, you can stay here so I'm not worrying about you. Please?” Blaine knew if he didn't get Kurt's agreement that he would have that on his mind, too, and frankly, he couldn't take any more stress at the moment.

“Okay, sweetheart. I'll stay here in the house until you get back.”

“Thank you,” Blaine smiled at his husband.

The mules were tired and in need of a rub-down. Blaine unpacked the gear and left it in the shed in back of the house. He couldn't leave anything in the open and trust that it would be undamaged when he got back considering the amount of wildlife around here. Anything from raccoons to bears could smell the food and get into the packs.

He walked the mules down the road to their stalls near the cook house and took them in, removing the saddles and harnesses. He was proud of the travois and dragged it over to the side of the barn, leaving it there until he decided what to do with it.

Despite the fact that he was exhausted, Blaine got each mule some water and then hay and started rubbing down Caesar. It was going to be a long night, but he had to take proper care of the mules. Part way into the rub-down he heard the door open.

“So, you're home. Then you didn't run into Mr. Warner?” Cookie asked, walking over to lean over the stall door.

“Nope, it's a long story, but Kurt got sick and I had to make a travois to get him home. I sent Balto with a message, but found him two days later caught in a snare. Lucky for him we went that way or he might be dead now....” Blaine stopped, resting his tired head against the mule's warm side. He took a few breaths and found a strong hand around his shoulders. He turned into Cookie's embrace, feeling so exhausted.

“I'm okay...I just need to get the mules settled down for bed and then get back to Kurt,” he said, once more rubbing the mule's side.

“No, I'll take care of them. What is wrong with Kurt?” Cookie asked.

“He got saddle sores, they blistered and now the blisters are infected. He couldn't sit in the saddle, so I tried holding him sidesaddle in front of me but he kept falling asleep....he had a high fever...and I couldn't hold him steady. I made the travois, which worked but I had to keep getting it clear of brush or branches all the way home,” Blaine blurted out, leaning against the mule again.

“Okay, will he be okay or will we need to take him down to a doctor tonight?” Cookie asked.

“I don't think so. He's been better the last day of the trip, the fever isn't as high. I think he'll be okay for tonight,” Blaine said.

“All right. How is Balto? I thought I heard him bark, but he didn't come to the door, so I came out to investigate and saw the lights in the barn.”

“He's fine. The wire was digging into his leg, but I put some salve on it and he seems okay. He was just hungry and thirsty mostly. I locked him in the house with Kurt, I didn't want him making too much noise and disturbing anyone. I'm sorry if he did,” Blaine said.

“Oh, no...he's fine. You can let him out of you want, I'll feed him if he comes around. Go back to Kurt and call me if you need anything. I can get these guys bedded down,” Cookie finished.

Blaine gave him a smile.

“Thanks, Cookie. I owe you one,” Blaine said. Cookie patted his back and turned to take care of the mules.

~

“Kurt?” Blaine asked as he went back inside the house. He walked towards the kitchen because he could smell food cooking.

“Hey, aren't you supposed to be in bed?” Blaine asked, coming up in back of Kurt and putting his arms around him. Kurt turned to kiss him, then back to stir the eggs in the pan.

“I wanted to help and since I didn't think I could be out in the barn with you, I thought I'd make some supper.”

Blaine glanced over to see bacon on a plate with a pile of crispy fried potatoes and toast with blackberry jam that he and Kurt had made last summer.

“I love breakfast for supper, babe. Here, you sit on the stool and I'll finish cooking the eggs.”

“Okay, here's the shredded cheese and I put a bit of red bell pepper in the eggs before I scrambled them....” Kurt told his husband, knowing that was his favorite way of eating them.

They took the plates back up to the bedroom, lying on the bedspread and sipping cold orange juice and eating the food, feeding each other bits of the best on their plates. Kurt grinned as he bit into the toast, loving the blackberry jam and thinking how much fun they'd had canning late last summer. Burt had found Kurt's mother's recipe for the jam and sent it to him.

After supper, Blaine stacked the dishes and told Kurt he wanted him stripped by the time he got back upstairs. Kurt smiled and began undressing.

Blaine filled the jacuzzi tub and turned on the jets to low, then took Kurt into the shower to wash the dirt from the trip off. He was very gentle, dabbing the washcloth over the just healing sores on Kurt's thighs. He washed Kurt's hair and then his own, rinsing off a lot of dirt from the mountain, which made a puddle of mud on the shower floor. He laughed and Kurt turned to look at him, a question on his face.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about my father. When I was little I loved to play in the mud – making mud pies and digging deep holes that I filled with water and mixed until it was chocolaty and I'd pour it into cups pretending I was making milk shakes. When Dad would put me in the bathtub after supper, he'd tell me I had enough dirt on me to plant roses. It made me giggle every time. I was just thinking that when I washed your hair, babe. Enough dirt to grow roses...” Blaine finished, kissing Kurt's face.

“Oh, that is so sweet. What a cute thing for your dad to say to you. I bet you could say that to Katie when she's old enough to play in the mud,” Kurt said, thinking of their daughter.

The tone in the room changed as both daddies thought about their daughter, missing her.

“It's okay, we'll have our baby back home tomorrow. I'll go get her first thing in the morning, okay?” Blaine said, pulling Kurt close and kissing his face.

“Yeah, okay....I just can't stop thinking that I should have stayed home with her. She's too little to understand why we're not there. What if she thinks we just left her behind? I still worry if she knows her mother left her. Even if she was only a few days old, she was inside the woman for nine months and could hear her voice....that must have been devastating. Oh, Blaine, are we enough for her?” Kurt was starting to cry, overtired and full of worry.

“Of course we are, honey, I don't think she still thinks about that. She is so happy with us – you know that. Just close your eyes and think of her face when we go in to lift her out of her crib in the morning. Do you really think she's deprived? And even if it does affect her on some level – and I know it must – I think she will still be happy with us. She has spent the last six months with us, she is a happy baby. Okay?” Blaine tried to sooth Kurt's fears.

“Yes, you're right. If we hadn't taken her, she might have gone into foster care and while that can be a good thing, better than an orphanage, it is not a good life. I am so glad she came to us, and I know you are, too.” Kurt gave Blaine a wan smile and hugged him close.

Blaine reached over to shut off the water and took Kurt's hand to lead him out of the shower and into the Jacuzzi. Kurt sank down into the warm water next to Blaine and sighed. This might be the best part of their new house, the Jacuzzi was amazing.

“Come over here, let me put my arms around you,” Kurt coaxed his husband and Blaine came over. Kurt turned him away and pulled him close, Blaine's back against Kurt's chest. Kurt's arms snaking around him to bring him as close as he could be. Kurt rested his chin on Blaine's shoulder and began kissing just beneath his ear.

“Oh, that feels nice,” Blaine said, moving his head to let Kurt have more room to kiss and nibble.

Kurt's hands dangled down Blaine's chest, tickling and pinching a little and Kurt heard him sigh over the sounds of the whirlpools. He kissed across the nape of his husband's neck, scraping his teeth gently and biting softly.

“Hmmmmmm....” Blaine hummed, relaxing as he let Kurt do whatever he wanted.

Kurt's hands went down further, playing along the soft hair below his belly and up to tickle his sides. Blaine closed his eyes and just floated in the water, knowing Kurt was holding his shoulders, and let him rub his shoulders.

“Yes....” Blaine said, relaxing as Kurt held him close once again.

Kurt laid back in the Jacuzzi, letting the slow jets relax him, too, as he continued to move his hands over Blaine. He pulled him back, digging his thumbs into the muscles, tight from days of stress.

“Yes....” Blaine murmured, his eyes still closed as he enjoyed Kurt's grip on his back.

“Do you want to get to bed?” Kurt asked, knowing how tired Blaine was.

“Okay,” Blaine agreed and opened his eyes, rolling over in the tub to face Kurt and kiss him gently before they got out of the tub. Kurt pushed the button to drain it and shut off the jets. He turned to find Blaine was waiting with a fluffy towel, ready to dry him before they walked down the hall to their bedroom.

Entering the room, the first thing Blaine noticed was that the bed-linens had been changed. He smiled at Kurt.

“You did too much, baby. I didn't notice you'd done this when we ate supper in here an hour ago,” Blaine said, giving Kurt a bit of a disapproving stare.

“I'm fine....the sores are healing and I don't think I have a fever,” Kurt says, but avoided letting Blaine touch him.

“Get into bed, honey,” Blaine said, pointing his finger at the center of the pulled-down sheets. Kurt ducked his head and complied, knowing Blaine would only get more worked up if he didn't. He sighed, feeling a damper on the energy that had been building up.

Blaine followed him, pushing his knee out so he could see the infected blisters and assess if Kurt needed to go to the hospital or if he should see a doctor in the morning.

“Does this hurt?” he asked, touching one of the blisters near his knee.

“No, not much,” Kurt said, telling the truth. Blaine followed up the line of blisters, inspecting each one all the way up Kurt's thigh, kissing the soft skin in between the sores. As he got closer to the top of the thigh the pain increased – probably because here is where Kurt's leg was rubbing against the stiff leather of the mule's saddle. The damage was deeper and the blisters were larger in circumference. Blaine kissed next to the one at the top and Kurt cringed, trying not to make a sound.

“Don't try to tell me that doesn't hurt, baby. I can see it does. I think you should see Dr. Wallace if you're still in so much pain...” Blaine said, looking so sad that his husband was hurting.

He continued to the other thigh, starting at Kurt's knee again. By this time Kurt was worn down, tired and in pain so he couldn't mask any of it. Blaine checked on each blister, seeing if it was still red, if there were red streaks indicating a serious infection (there weren't), checking on the healing process. This thigh was better, the blisters at the top of his thigh weren't as sore. Blaine kissed the soft skin once again, in between the blisters.

“Are there any more sore places? Did you get any blisters on your bum?” Blaine asked with concern, but it made Kurt grin, trying to hide a giggle.

“My what?” he asked, though he knew the answer.

“Your bum. Your hind cheeks, your bottom, your buttocks...do I need to go on?” Blaine asked, kissing Kurt's thigh more, teasing.

“Ah...no, I don't think so...” Kurt murmured. He was lying back, eyes closed and thighs spread.

Blaine felt along the top of his thigh, just running his fingers along the crease between his leg and pelvis. “Oh...quit teasing me....”

“I'm not teasing, just making sure there are no more blisters....” he said, then began kissing along the crease, switching to the other side and slowly kissing there, too, with open mouth kisses and the occasional tongue swipe.

“Ahhhh....” Kurt sighed, hoping and wishing Blaine would get down to business – but he knew from long experience that asking him to get to it would only draw it out l-o-n-g-e-r, so he didn't say anything, just tried to relax.

Blaine moved closer in the bed, but then pulled the blanket over Kurt. He leaned up, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek and got up to find a clean pair of pajamas for them both.

Blaine tried to smile, not wanting to tire Kurt out any more but also not wanting to hurt his husband's feelings. They both needed sleep but he blushed because of the love he felt for Kurt. He helped his husband on with the warm flannel pajamas and climbed into bed next to him.

“Blaine...move up here,” Kurt whispered, trying to keep his eyes open just a few more minutes.

Then Blaine was cuddling with him and they both fell into a deep sleep.