Later that night, Blaine was in bed, Kurt sitting beside him in the desk chair. Burt was able to stay alone now, and Carole had offered to stay and cook dinner for him, then come early in the morning to help him. Kurt thought it was awfully strange the way Burt didn't ever object to his staying at Blaine's house, but thought maybe he was just lucky? He'd told his dad that he and Blaine were safer there than showing any public affection, and Burt gave him the 'talk', but said he trusted him, so Kurt was here beside Blaine with only Cooper in the house. And Cooper wouldn't disturb them.

Kurt took off his shoes, socks, shirt, and trousers, leaving him in a tank top and briefs. He climbed under the covers and put his arms around Blaine, the closest he'd been to him in several weeks. They had held hands in the hospital, but didn't have much body contact because of the strict policies about cross contamination while the grafts healed.

Kurt was very careful. He had seen the large patches on Blaine's thighs and buttocks where they had harvested the skin for the grafts. He'd seen the tool they used, kind of like a large vegetable peeler. It was so hard to think about them doing that to the boy he loved. He shivered and Blaine took it for chills and moved closer, bringing the blankets up around their necks. They cuddled together in a warm cocoon and Kurt shut out the lamp.

“So, how is it feeling?” Kurt asked.

“It's fine.”

“No, I know it is doing all the proper amount of healing, but what I want to know is whether it feels different, you know, your skin,” Kurt asked, moving his hand to hover over Blaine's belly.

“Oh, well, nobody has really touched it yet, so I don't know. Dr S told me it is okay to touch as long as I wash my hands first and don't do anything to stretch the skin for a few more weeks. I have touched it, but that isn't the same. Would you...oh, I don't want to gross you out, but I'm okay with you touching me there,” Blaine said, looking away.

Kurt got up and went into the bathroom to wash his hands with the antibacterial soap. He dried his hands and came back, sliding back into the bed.

“First, no, it would not gross me out in any way, Blaine Warbler. Don't you ever listen to anything I tell you? I love you, and that includes your skin, in any way, shape or form it comes in. Okay? I love you.”

“In what way do you love me, Kurt?” Blaine asked, pulling Kurt closer. He knew Kurt loved him, but he craved the reassurance he knew Kurt would give him.

“Blaine, I love the way you always want poached eggs and toast when you need comfort food. I love the way you look at cows in the fields when we drive by and you want to name them. All of them. Seriously, you need a dog or something. I love the way you are shy and hide your face until you are forced to be brave -and then you come out like a prizefighter and leave as the hero. I love the way that in spite of the fact that you had these scars, both physical and emotional, that you had hidden away forever, you didn't hesitate for a second to show them all to me when I was at my lowest. Oh, and I love you because you have a really big dick,” Kurt finished and ducked when Blaine turned to smack him for the last compliment.

“Sheesh, Kurt. Honestly...” but Blaine was laughing and just hugged Kurt instead. “I love you, too. Because you love my brother like he was your own. Which is he practically is, of course. I love your devotion to your dad. I love it that you took something so hard to say to me that you were shaking, but you gathered the courage to not only say it to me, but to tell Cooper I needed to have those scars removed. I love it that you were there every time I needed you in the hospital. I love it that you can cook a Quiche Lorraine without a recipe and that you have a really big dick, too.” Blaine giggled.

“Oh, you think so, do you? Well, let me show you....” Kurt rolled over on his back, dragging Blaine on top and cupped his butt cheeks to bring him closer so he could rub his hardness against him. Blaine yelped in pain when he did.

Kurt immediately stopped, slowly rolling a bit to the side and gently scooped Blaine off of him and on to the mattress beside him. Arms holding him like an egg, he kissed Blaine's temple and asked if he was okay.

“Yes, Kurt, I'm fine. I did stretch the skin on my belly a teeny bit, and I have the places they took the grafts on my butt. It's still really sensitive. We'll just have to be careful,” Blaine said. “Ah, can you look to make sure that everything looks okay? I wouldn't want to get a skin tear at this point.”

Kurt leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp when a knock came to the door.

“Hey, Blaine? I'm coming in, are you okay?” Cooper said before opening the door slowly.

“Yes, I think I'm okay. We were kidding around and I just stretched a little too much,” Blaine said, a bit embarrassed.

“Come look, Cooper...” Kurt said, pulling the blankets down just enough to bare Blaine's belly. He pulled up the pajama top and Cooper leaned over. They both looked at the angry pink scars, all in patches instead of the terrible word, but everything looked fine. There were no tears in the skin or blood anywhere. Cooper brushed against one place that looked thinner than the rest, and Blaine jumped a tiny bit, but it was fine.

“Okay, Squirt. It all looks okay, Kurt, you know if you roughhouse with my brother and hurt him, I'll throw you out on your ass, right?” Cooper glared at him.

“Yes. I'm sorry, Cooper. We were just teasing, and he leaned back. But you're right, I need to be more careful,” Kurt said, very contrite. It might have worked better if Blaine hadn't moved just then, causing the blanket to roll back exposing Kurt very hard wearing just his briefs. He grabbed for the blanket to cover himself back up, but it was too late.

“Kurt!! What the fuck? Blaine? I said no sex. Dr S made it perfectly clear no sex. Do I have to separate you?” Cooper was really glaring now.

“No, we were just kidding around...you know how that can happen? I would never endanger Blaine's recovery. And she did not say no sex. She said nothing that would make Blaine stretch his belly skin. There is a difference,” Kurt tried to reason.

“Cooop,” Blaine whined, “I was in the hospital a loooong time, and well, you can't just blame Kurt...”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “Sheesh. Okay, I'm going back to my room and turn on some loud music because I just heard more about my brother's love life than I ever want to think about. You two be careful. I am not kidding, Mr Hummel, that if you hurt Blaine I will bodily throw you out of this house. Now, goodnight.” Coop said and stamped out of the room, closing the door behind him. They heard his own door close a moment later. Kurt and Blaine looked at each other and burst into laughter.

“Oh, no, stop, Kurt! Laughing hurts. I might actually split something if I don't stop right now.” Kurt stopped. They didn't look at each other for fear of the laughter breaking out again, but little tremors of giggles erupted from time to time.

“All right. Just lie back now and I'll massage you for a while to get you relaxed or we're never getting to sleep,” Kurt said. Blaine laid back. Kurt left the light on and started rubbing along Blaine's arm, moving up to his shoulders and down his chest. He avoided Blaine's nipples because they were extremely sensitive and he didn't want to have Cooper back in here when Blaine started moaning. So he went down the chest to his abdomen and then very tenderly and softly skimmed his fingers over Blaine's belly. He touched the newly forming scars, the skin on them felt like a newborn kitten Kurt had held once when he was a little kid. He leaned down and touched his lips very gently to the skin in the way he had before the surgery and noted how completely different it felt. He knew Blaine had to rub certain lotions into the new skin several times a day to keep it moisturized until the cells had all healed. Blaine was making a sort of humming noise in his throat, a comforting noise like when Kurt was kissing his neck.

He pulled the blanket farther down to see the patches where they had harvested the skin for the grafts. It was in two large rectangles centered on the front of each thigh. Blaine kept light bandages on these, but had removed them for the night. They looked like he had been badly burned and were more sensitive than the belly scars. Kurt didn't touch them.

“Turn over, baby,” Kurt asked and Blaine obliged. Kurt very gently removed Blaine's briefs and looked at the two squares of healing patches on his buttocks. Dr S had explained that when these healed, there would be almost no discernible scarring because of the thickness of the grafts. Kurt hoped she was right because Blaine had a beautiful ass. He grinned to himself. He would have to be careful that Blaine didn't hurt these patches, either. He tended to lie on his side so as not to put pressure on any healing piece of skin.

This time he didn't say anything, just gently rolled Blaine back. Kurt began running his hands down Blaine's legs, down the outside of his thighs, back up the inside, avoiding the healing patches. When Blaine was very relaxed, Kurt started stroking his penis, softly, gently until it was hard as a rock, then he brought it to his lips and kissed the tip, rubbing it over his cheek before moving his mouth down, taking it in a little bit at a time until his nose was almost touching Blaine's belly. He swallowed and Blaine moaned, finally moving his fingers through Kurt's hair like a sea anemone. Kurt loved to have his scalp massaged like that and he moaned a little, too.

Kurt pulled back, licking and sucking just to tease a bit before Blaine's hands urged him to continue, moaning a bit more, but trying not to make too much noise and wake his sleeping bear of a brother down the hall.

“Mmmmmm, oh, Kurt...don't stop that, right there...hhhmmmmm,” Blaine moaned, trying not to tighten the muscles in his belly, but not having much luck.

Kurt stopped and drew back. This was not going to work.

“Kuuurt....” Blaine practically sobbed, grasping at Kurt's arm to pull him back.

“Just be patient, I'll take care of you,” Kurt assured his boyfriend. He turned Blaine on his side so he wasn't resting on any healing skin, then pushed his knees up nearer to his chest so the skin of his belly wasn't taut. Kurt laid on his side facing Blaine and was able to take him into his mouth without the stress on any part of the healing grafts. It was a bit awkward, but it worked and after a few moments Blaine felt that rushing, burning feeling and gripped Kurt's hair, breathing hard and trying not to make any noise. Kurt could feel it and increased his motions until Blaine was coming, pulling a pillow over his face to mask the moans that were escaping his throat.

“Oh, Kurt....oh, how I've missed that...” Blaine whispered as he rested, Kurt snuggling close to him. They closed their eyes, turned out the light and fell asleep, whispering to each other.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Six Months Later

Blaine was waiting in Kurt's driveway, listening to music until he saw Kurt leave the house, sliding into the passenger seat and leaning over to kiss Blaine.

“Hey, babe, where are we going?” Kurt asked.

“For a picnic, of course,” Blaine grinned. “I have the hamper in the back with a quilt.”

Kurt smiled to himself. Blaine was the best boyfriend he could ever have imagined in his life. Kind, gentle, romantic...and his best friend.

They began to sing along with the playlist, silly songs, ballads, and love songs, their voices sounded good together and they were just having a wonderful time.

Blaine was driving north of the city, the weather cool with the promise of spring in the wind. Kurt didn't realize where they were until Blaine pulled over and parked his BMW at the side of the road. His eyes got big and tears threatened to spill, as he looked at Blaine.

Blaine held out his hand and Kurt took it, as they walked across the bridge, stopping halfway across at the place where Kurt had spent an evening in hell until Blaine came to take his hand. Kurt pulled Blaine close to him, wrapping his warm arms around Blaine and bury his face in Blaine's neck. Blaine rubbed his back, kissing Kurt's cheeks and whispering to him, “Kurt, I love you.”

“Oh, Blaine, I love you, too. I was so lost that night, I had lost all hope. And you came and challenged me to look inside myself to see something that I thought I would never get back. The strength to live another day. And now I want to live another day and another day...and all my days with you, Blaine.”

“Kurt, I came here that night because I wanted to be a hero. You were right when you said I was just doing it to make my college application look better. What I found was that I was hiding from myself, pretending that the pain I went through every day with the scars and the memories weren't hurting me. But you forced me to see them, to confront how they affected me every day. I may have come here to save you, Kurt, but I was the one who ended up getting saved. You put out your hand and stole my heart, Kurt. You saved me, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you, too.

Both boys were crying by this time, but they were tears of happiness. They had come a long way from that night, grown closer and grown up. They had faced their demons together and drawn strength from each other. Blaine's scars from the surgery were completely healed, his belly had some scarring, but it was a smooth surface and the places the grafts were harvested showed no scarring. Cooper continued to be more of a parent to Blaine than his actual parents, but they had gotten closer and things were much better between them.

Kurt's inner scars had healed, too. His father was well and engaged to be married to Carole. All was well in the lives of both Kurt and Blaine. They spent a long while just holding each other on the bridge, looking over the railing at the water rushing below them. They didn't speak on the way back to the car, but they didn't need to. It wasn't until they got back in that Kurt turned to Blaine, “So, where are we going to have the picnic?”

Blaine's smile lit up like the sun itself. “Thompson's Woods. I was over there yesterday and after the last rain, there is a huge mud puddle.....”

Kurt gasped and returned Blaine's smile, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

THE END