The spring blizzard had all melted, leaving wet puddles and mud holes all over the streets and parks. Walking anywhere required the right gear, Wellington mud boots, and sturdy fabrics but it was actually a little warm for the season.

Blaine had talked Kurt into walking with him in the semi-secluded park at the edge of town. He wanted to be alone with Kurt, but not cooped up an a house. Besides, with all of the abundant mud, Blaine knew Kurt would get dirty, and he could get a kick out of teasing his usually fastidious friend. They were walking along a trail when Kurt stopped.

“Really, Blaine, why are we traipsing through the mud again?”

“I like mud. Here, take off your boots and socks....”

“No!”

“Yes!” Blaine giggled. “We can wiggle our toes in the mud. Didn't you do that as a kid? It's fun.”

Kurt had a shocked look on his face when Blaine scooped him up, one arm under his knees, one across his back. Blaine was very strong, and Kurt was imagining what his abdomen looked like carrying the weight of Kurt's body as he daydreamed for a second.

“Blaine,” Kurt said in his most serious voice, “set me down. Carefully, please.”

“Nope. Deal first,” Blaine countered, smirking. Kurt's heart sank a tiny bit -this was not going to be easy. “Please, Kurtsy, I wanna play in the mud. If you don't get down and help me make mud pies, I'm making you so uncomfortable, SO uncomfortable...in front of your friends and family - I have lots of blackmail stories to tell now....” Blaine said, using his puppy dog eyes for added leverage.

“You are so five years old sometimes, Blaine. No to the mud. Just no.” Kurt thought he'd put an end to the discussion and started to wriggle in Blaine's arms. And indeed, he had ended the discussion– he finally got Blaine to agree that he didn't need to take off his boots and squish his toes in the mud, no matter how much Blaine begged and related wonderful stories of his childhood concerning mud puddles of epic proportion.

But Blaine wasn't willing to let the opportunity go. So, failing to get Kurt to agree, did the next best thing. He dumped Kurt, butt-first, into the middle of a huge and deep mud puddle. Kurt shrieked!!

“OH, Blaine, how could you???' Kurt sputtered, splashing in the muddy mess to confront Blaine. Blaine just laughed, trying to avoid Kurt's grabbing hands, which were intent on bringing Blaine down into the mud, too.

“Hey, didn't I see this in a John Wayne movie?” Blaine asked, laughing, “The one where they all slide into the giant mud pit at the edge of town. It's the one where John Wayne chases Maureen O'Hara through town in her underwear and spanks her with a coal shovel.......”

Kurt just sat in the mud, trying to be mad, but resorting to giggles every few minutes as the mud squished into every crevice and hole in his clothes. “I only wish I had Maureen's hat pin right about now.”

“Oh, G. W.!!” Blaine said in his best falsetto voice, batting his eyelashes at Kurt and putting his folded hands beneath his chin.

“McLintock. I love that movie.” Kurt put up his hand for help since it was so slippery he couldn't get a proper purchase to stand. Foolishly, Blaine reached out a hand, digging his heels into the damp soil at the edge of the mud so he could help. It couldn't be said afterwards if Kurt just slipped or if he meant to do it, but suddenly there was Blaine, spread-eagle in the mud, his face splashing into the deep part which forced dirty water and mud into his shirt and down the waistband of his jeans. Kurt came undone giggling, watching as Blaine sputtered out the mud in his mouth before grabbing Kurt by the collar with one hand and a handful of sticky mud in his other hand to drip it down Kurt's neck and into his shirt.

The gasp was rather loud, indignant, and absolutely hilarious to Blaine as the two of them launched themselves at each other, scrabbling in the wet mess. Hands slipped and slid across wet fabric, grasping for a purchase to try and throw the other boy over and tickle him. The slick feel of the muddy clothes made them glide together and away in an almost sensual tease. They rolled and pushed, grabbed and fell, until they were a filthy, dirty, muddy mess of boyflesh, laughing into each other's face and finally kissing in spite of the slop they were sitting in.

Blaine reached over to push Kurt back into the mud, but his hand slid down the front of the shirt and over the belt, just skimming Kurt's jeans. Oh. Well, that's how it was...he palmed into the bulge he felt, skuttling closer to Kurt and trying to put his arms around him to bring him closer. Kurt jumped away, scrabbling across the muddy ground to get away because he had made such a fuss about it, he didn't want Blaine to know how the slick mud and rubbing against Blaine had aroused him. But it was too late, Blaine had felt just how excited it had made Kurt and he wasn't letting this opportunity go.

“Kurt, c'mere. I can help you out of the mud puddle. Just come closer,” he cooed. Kurt didn't trust that fake voice for a single moment and crawled towards the edge.

Blaine had an advantage, though. Kurt was wearing boots with slick leather soles that slid in the mud, but Blaine was wearing hiking boots that gripped the ground much better and with the traction, he was able to catch up with Kurt in a matter of seconds. Plus, Kurt probably wasn't trying to get away as much as he wanted Blaine to believe.

Blaine grabbed at Kurt's jeans and caught on a tear in the fabric. Kurt had worn a very old and worn out pair of jeans because they were going to be walking in the woods and he didn't want to ruin any of his good clothes. When Blaine's finger caught on the hole, the fabric tore from waistband to hem as Kurt was struggling to get away.

Blaine hesitated. He knew how Kurt felt about his clothes and here he'd ruined a pair of jeans...he held his breath and cringed, waiting for the tirade he knew was coming. But it didn't come. He opened his eyes to see Kurt sitting in a deep part of the mud hole, laughing silently.

“Okay, Anderson, this is war..and we need to start on fair ground,” Kurt said, reaching for Blaine and sliding him close. Blaine just sat there and Kurt began unbuckling his belt, then unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. “If you're going to rip off my jeans, you have to remove yours, too.” And he began to tug off the offending clothing until Blaine was sitting there in his boxer briefs. Both pairs of boots had been tossed to the dry ground of the gravel path.

Over the shock, Blaine pounced on Kurt, wriggling to get on top of him and smear more mud under his shirt, rubbing it into the fabric. Kurt squealed, bucking under Blaine as if to get away, but really he wasn't trying very hard. It was such a sensual feel to have slippery mud all over them, and Blaine sat on Kurt's stomach to remove his belt and the remains of his torn jeans. He went farther and pulled off Kurt's shirt, then his own - taking a handful of the slick mud and smearing it over Kurt's chest and then lying down on him to slide back and forth, all of their exposed flesh rubbing each other like a giant vat of lube.

The boys' hands coasted over each other, gliding against their bodies and causing them to moan and the light-hearted horseplay turned into something much more serious. They twined around each other like eels and their erections slid together, helped along by eager hands as breath and heart rate increased in the heat of passion. Blaine was the first to slide his hand under Kurt's waistband, sliding his briefs down and off of his hips, thighs, knees, ankles and finally his feet. Just the removal of the offending piece of fabric was erotic and brought moans. Kurt grabbed at Blaine's briefs and did the same, slowly, as he ran his hands over every erogenous piece of skin he could reach. It started with their hands searching but quickly turning into something completely different as hands and fingers weren't enough. Blaine moved on top of Kurt, pinning him in a shallow puddle and touching as much of his body with his own as possible. They grasped hands together, lacing their fingers, using them as leverage to slide sensuously against the other, nipples lining up first and then their erections finding each other and the slick mud providing enough lubrication to make the delicious friction they were looking for. The soft skin now taut over the hard muscle of his cock, gliding against Kurt's was almost beyond bearing and Blaine bit his lip in concentration as he tried not to come too soon and let it end. He lunged forward, catching Kurt's mouth in his own and almost assaulting him in the desperate kiss.

Kurt didn't stop the kiss, had no idea that mud could be so sensual, the feeling different that anything else he'd ever felt on his body.

They finally broke their mouths apart, breathing so hard it was impossible to kiss anymore. Loud moans drifted over the trees and they let go of each other's hands to moved down to grip buttocks, gripping hard so their fingers didn't slide on their purchase, and tugged themselves closer and closer, the tight space between them creating just enough friction that one more thrust together and they both felt the burning in their bellies and one after the other came, the semen mixing into the mud.

After a few moments of afterglow, Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear, “Do you still hate mud?” looking at the mud-spattered face of his friend. Kurt looked so cute with mud covering his whole body, splotches of it on his face and in his hair. He had a smile on his face displaying what he really felt about the whole thing, which made Blaine get up on his knees and stumble over to put little kisses all over his face and end with a long soul-deep kiss to his mouth, Kurt's arms coming around to pull him closer.

“No, Blaine. I surrender, next time you have some wild idea, I won't stop you. But, really, is that what you had in mind to begin with?”

“You'll never know,” Blaine smirked.

They helped each other out of the mud puddle, hoping they didn't meet anyone else on the path as they gathered all the clothes in a bundle, slipping on their boots for the walk back to the car.

“How on earth are we getting home now?” Kurt asked, waving at their filthy clothes. “I'm pretty sure Cooper won't appreciate us sitting in his Beemer with this mud seeping into the custom tuck-and-roll Italian leather seats.”

Blaine stopped for a moment, thinking. He opened the trunk and found the emergency duffel bag he'd used the night he'd found Kurt on the bridge. Upon opening it, he found an old set of mechanics overalls that Coop kept there in case he had to change a tire or something while dressed up, and also in the trunk was Blaine's gym bag containing sweat pants and a Dalton sweatshirt.

“Okay, cowboy, strip,” Blaine said, earning a giggle from Kurt, who only had on his boots and a lot of mud. He used the dirty shirt to try and knock off some of the mud, but it was a lost cause. He put on the mechanic's overalls, complaining they weren't bedazzled like the ones he wore to his dad's shop – which made Blaine giggle. There were more wool socks and Kurt's breath hitched a bit when Blaine handed a pair to him, remembering the last time he'd done that on the icy bridge that terrible night. Blaine's arms went around him immediately as he realized what made Kurt hesitate.

“I'm sorry, Kurt, I wasn't thinking. Are you okay?” Blaine asked in a soft voice, cradling Kurt's head to his shoulder and kissing his temple.

“Yeah. I think so. I'm sorry, it was just a bad time. But I met you, so it turned out to be good,” Kurt murmured into Blaine's sweatshirt. He hugged Blaine tight to him for a moment and swallowed, then pulled back and put a smile back on his face. “Let's get going. I think there's mud inside my ears, mister, not to mention other more delicate places and you're going to fix that.”

Blaine put on his gym shoes and bundled all the dirty clothes into a canvas bag in the back and handed Kurt a pair of old fishing boots from the recesses of the trunk; at least they weren't muddy. Kurt looked at them, then down at his overalls.

“My dad would be so proud right now,” He giggled, and Blaine joined in.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at the Anderson house, the boys took the clothes into the laundry and sorted everything out, starting the first load of clothes after rinsing most of the mud out in the laundry sink. Kurt's Doc Martin's and Blaine's hiking boots would probably need to go to a shoe repair to get them really clean, so Blaine put them in plastic bags to take later.

The boys made their way up to Blaine's bathroom, running a hot shower and jumping in to wash each other's hair and faces, then slather soap suds all over their bodies and have fun running their hands all over to 'scrub' all the mud away.

Of course the washing turned into fondling and caressing as they got clean, but neither one was brave enough to suggest they try shower sex, the thought of one lifting the other to have intercourse for the first time - against the cold tiles – was just too daunting. It was too soon for that, they really didn't know each other that well yet. But that didn't mean they both weren't thinking about it. But they had spoken about it, agreeing it was something to be talked over later if their feelings for each other continued in the same vein.

Kurt soaped up his hand. “Let me help you, I think there's a bit of mud left here..” he said, standing behind Blaine and reaching around to engulf his penis, sliding his fingers over the smooth texture. Blaine moaned, and Kurt pressed against his backside, his penis sliding between Blaine's buttocks, the soap making it slick. He closed his eyes, laying his cheek against the golden skin of Blaine's back, feeling the muscles move underneath him. He felt Blaine's buttocks clenched tight at the motion of Kurt gliding back and forth, the rhythm of his hand echoing the movement until both of them were moaning, pressing, slipping in the slick soap and finally coming under the pounding water of the shower, washing all evidence of their passion down the drain.

The water began to run cooler and they got out before it got cold, wrapping each other in fluffy warm towels (“Really, Blaine? A towel warmer??”). They went back into the bedroom, getting dressed in warm casual things...sweatpants and his Dalton hoodie for Blaine, yoga pants and a band T-shirt for Kurt. (“No, I've never seen The Moody Blues, this was actually my father's shirt”). They went down to the laundry room to switch the clothes to the dryer and wash the darker things, then went to the kitchen to get hot cocoa, scones with butter and jam, and sliced apples. Just as they were headed to the family room to cuddle on the sofa with a blanket and watch a movie, Cooper walked in the back door.

“What the hell did you do to my Beemer, Squirt?” he asked, sounding a bit miffed.

“Ah...what do you mean?”

“It has mud all over it! I did not give you that car so you could drive in the mud flats, or over icy roads...really, Blaine, do you have no sense at all?” Cooper looked daggers into his brother's eyes.

“I'm sorry, Cooper. I'm going to get it washed and detailed tomorrow morning. I take good care of it, but today we were over in Thompson's Woods and the road was kind of muddy.”

“I'll help, Coop. Blaine does take good care of the car, we didn't realize how muddy the roads were.” Kurt backed him up.

Cooper looked at the two boys, hair damp, skin reddened as evidence they had just gotten out of a shower.

“Just what exactly are you two up to? Looks like you need a chaperon at the very least. Can't I trust you at all, Blaine? I'm in charge, you know. If Mom and Dad think you have been messing around, you know they'll call Kurt's dad and 'talk' to him about it. If I can see that something is going on, you know they'll notice,” Cooper lectured.

“Aw, Coop, you know I'm not doing anything other than what you have done yourself. Well, close to it, anyway. Besides, it's none of your business what we're doing if it doesn't hurt you.”

“I'm more worried about it hurting you,” Coop told his brother, then looked at Kurt to include him.

“Cooper, I want to say something, if I can?” Kurt spoke a little hesitantly, he wasn't sure what reaction he might get saying this to Cooper in his own home, but he had to say it.

“Okay, Kurt,” Cooper conceded.

“Blaine and I are not like any typical high school couple, in several ways. You may not have experienced this first hand, but surely you know that it is sometimes hard for a gay student to function normally in a place like McKinley. I think it must be hard even if you go to Dalton because even though I think of myself as 'normal', as Blaine does, it isn't that simple.

“When you look at a boy in high school you see someone that has interests: he may like football or swimming, he may like horror movies or gardening, he might be popular with a lot of girls or just a quiet kid with one girlfriend. He has blond hair or wears a football jersey. But if that boy is gay, he suddenly becomes one dimensional. It is about his sexual orientation. Even if you don't immediately become disgusted with your own visions of him kissing another boy, you still see him as a sexual being and it becomes all about the sex...not about whether he likes gardening, football, or swimming. You see his clothing choices as being overly feminine or too fashionable. He ceased to be just a normal student – being out and being gay automatically makes most people think about how he and his boyfriend have sex.

“I know that because you have a gay brother that you are more sensitive than most people walking around today. But, are you thinking 'Hey, I wonder if they might like to go to the zoo together' – or are you thinking 'Hey, is that boy coercing my brother to have inappropriate sex with him'? Not that it's any of your business. I do understand that you care about Blaine and are concerned about his well being.

“Think of this, though. If we were a typical high school heterosexual couple, we would be walking down the hall, probably holding hands, maybe a kiss at the door of the classroom as we part, or hug as we meet in the lunchroom. I see a hundred couples do that each week. But if Blaine and I walk down the mall holding hands, there are whispers that follow us, people try to distract their children from noticing us, they pull away so they don't accidentally touch us, and sometimes we hear the hate as people pass by us and all we are doing is just standing with an arm thrown casually over the other's shoulder.

“So, you see why, when we are in a safe environment such as this house, we do tend to be more lovey-dovey, perhaps more touching or maybe kissing than you might feel comfortable with.”

Kurt took a big breath, turning to Blaine to see if he had overstepped his bounds, but Blaine had slipped his arm through Kurt's and was holding his hand very tightly. He nodded to Kurt to continue.

“I won't lie to you, Cooper. We have had intimate times here in this house. I won't give you details because, frankly, they are none of your business; but both Blaine and I are past the age of consent in Ohio, so what we do in the privacy of his bedroom isn't something I'm willing to talk about, nor should you expect me to. However, I want you to think about one thing. If we didn't have this safe haven to come to, we might get a hotel room or do something in a park, and the risk of two homosexual people doing that is so much more than if a heterosexual couple did it. Do I have to tell you about the cases where a gay couple was hurt, attacked, even killed because they showed affection in public? Look at what happened to Blaine when all he did was kiss a kid's cheek on a Ferris Wheel? He could have died. I don't want to risk Blaine's life for that.” And then, much quieter, “I love him too much.” Kurt took a sharp intake of breath upon hearing his own admission, he hoped that Blaine or Cooper did not notice his words.

Kurt moved to a chair to sit down, his legs shaking. Blaine stood behind him, eyes wide in the wake of Kurt's outburst; rubbing his shoulders as Kurt tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the tears from running down his face. He hadn't started out to make a speech, he just got so wound up in it....

Cooper didn't even try to stop his tears. He walked over to his little brother and pulled him into a bear hug, holding him close and rubbing his hands over Blaine's back, kissing his cheek.

“Oh, Blaine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that at all. I was just being a big brother, too protective. Can you forgive me?”

“There's nothing to forgive, Cooper. Just....just don't judge me, okay? I am being safe, and Kurt is the best thing that ever happened to me. Jeeze, Cooper, I don't know how to say this except that I love him, too,” Blaine said, afraid to look at Kurt because he really hadn't told him that, at least not in words. Kurt didn't turn around, but the shiver that went across his shoulders was evidence that he heard it. Blaine wished he would turn so at least he'd know what Kurt was thinking. They might have guessed that the other one felt more than affection, but to pronounce that they loved each other? It came as quite a shock that Kurt would just blurt it out – and not even to him, but to Cooper! Blaine was not sure how to feel about the whole thing. He loved Kurt. He had finally sort of admitted it to himself, but he hadn't told Kurt before that very minute. Kurt finally turned his face to see those smoky hazel eyes of Blaine's looking confused, and his beautiful Mediterranean blue eyes, liquid with emotion, looked back at him.

Kurt got up and walked slowly to the back door, sliding on his shoes he had left there. he grabbed his coat and was gone before Blaine had thought to ask where or why he left. By the time he took breath to speak, to move, to follow to see why Kurt had gone out the door, Kurt was gone. Blaine could see the taillights of the Navigator at the end of the street.

Rushing back into the house, he dashed up the stairs to get his phone and call to see what had happened, though he thought he knew. He pushed the buttons and waited for Kurt to answer and heard Cooper walking up the stairs. He turned to see Coop standing in the doorway, Kurt's phone in his hand ringing and ringing. Blaine stared at it until Cooper came over and hung up Blaine's phone, then he came and put his arms around his little brother. He had wanted to keep his brother safe, not make this mess. It was like when Blaine needed him after the knifing and Cooper wasn't there. He felt awful that he wasn't able to do anything for Blaine. He was just too little, too late.

Blaine broke away from his brother's embrace and sat down on his bed.

“Oh, Squirt, I'm so sorry. So sorry. I fucked up again. I didn't mean to, you have to believe that, Blaine. I'll make it right. I will.” Cooper sat down on the bed beside his brother, not sure why exactly Kurt had left or why Blaine was so distraught. He pulled Blaine into his arms once again, holding his head against his shoulder, rubbing his back and kissing the top of his head.

“It's going to be okay, little one. I promise.”

Cooper pulled back the covers and let Blaine fall back into the pillows. He covered him up and kissed his cheek. It was like Blaine was a tiny child once again. The feisty little brother that he had fought with and teased was gone. Surely whatever had passed between the two boys couldn't be this devastating, could it?

“Can you tell me what happened there, Squirt? I don't understand,” Cooper implored.

“He never told me he loved me before. I know we were friends, we shared something between us since I talked him off the bridge. He's been seeing a counselor, and he said it was helping, but I didn't ask the details. We are close, Cooper, and I think I love him – no, I do love him, but we never said those words to each other. And, no, we have not gone all the way – with sex I mean. Well, we did a little, but not …. you know. So you don't need to worry. When that time comes, we will be safe, but we're not ready for anything like that. Or at least I didn't think so. We talked about it, and we both agreed that it isn't something we would even consider unless we loved each other. But we had not said those words...” Blaine realized he was talking in circles, trying to figure out what it all meant, but now realized telling his brother was not the best way to figure things out. He had to speak to Kurt.

“Do you know where he might have gone? Maybe to his house?” Cooper asked.

“I'll try his house phone,” Blaine said, dialing the number. No answer, but he left a message for Kurt to call him.

Then he dialed again. “Burt? It's Blaine. Yes, I'm fine. No, actually, Kurt left his phone here and I was looking for him so I could get it back to him. Yeah, I know he'll be back to get it, I just thought he might not remember where he left it. Okay, yes, I'll tell him when I see him. Thanks, Burt.”

Cooper looked at Blaine. “He hasn't been there, but Burt will call if he shows up. I don't want to upset or worry Burt in the hospital,” Blaine said. He looked so sad, or maybe worried.

“Hey, kid, things will be okay. Kurt will be back. He was just probably overwhelmed,” Cooper soothed.

“I just …..well, I don't really have a reason to think this, but ...” Blaine stuttered.

“You think he might go back to the bridge?” Cooper asked.

“I know he won't; things aren't so hopeless in his life now, he came out to his dad, and Burt was nothing but supportive.” Blaine said with conviction in his voice, but in his heart of hearts, he was unsure. Would Kurt be tempted to do it again? He continued talking to Cooper, “He straightened out the problem with Coach Sylvester over that kid that had threatened him. So, no I don't think he has a reason to go back to the bridge, but I don't know, do I? When can I stop being afraid that he won't do that again, that he won't feel that bad again?” Blaine said, slipping back into his brother's arms. He tried not to cry, but he just couldn't help it. Cooper stroked his hair, scooting him down in the bed and nudging him over onto his stomach, rubbing his back until he fell asleep. Blaine let out a heavy sigh, his breath becoming even as his brother thought he fell into a deep sleep. Cooper kissed his little brother's cheek and got up to leave.

But as soon as Cooper shut the door, Blaine got up to pace back and forth and wonder where Kurt was. He knew that Cooper had gone to find Kurt for him and he prayed would find him soon.