Aramis was sleeping on his rug at the foot of the boys' bed. It was just after midnight and the starlight was shining in the window over the bed. Blaine was lying awake, his head pillowed on Kurt's chest, one arm thrown over and the other under Kurt, holding him in a loose hug. Kurt was asleep, but he moved his arm tighter around Blaine in reflex and said his name. Blaine smiled.

Shifting ever so carefully, Blaine extracted himself from Kurt's grip. He scooted to the edge of the bed and lifted his legs carefully over the edge of the mattress. Aramis lifted his head in curiosity, but Blaine signaled for him to be quiet and lie back down. Wow, Kurt had taught the dog so many things, hand signals were the latest. The pretty collie whimpered, but it was barely audible and Blaine frowned at him. Aramis turned his head and sighed.

Back to the matter at hand. Blaine took a deep breath. He had been practicing this for several weeks, in times when Kurt wasn't in the room, but those times were few and far between. It was sweet that Kurt was always so near, and Blaine never got tired of having him close. But he did need a little time alone – mostly because he was trying to learn to walk again.

To walk again. It just didn't seem possible. He had gotten sick in June, it was now the last day of December, so over six months since he had walked by himself more than a dozen painful and hard won steps. It seemed years since he had carelessly skipped down stairs, run so he wouldn't get his hair wet in a sudden downpour, sauntered down a grassy path in the park. How had he taken all of that for granted? Well, as they say in those old song lyrics - 'you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone' – and how true that is. His worst fear, that he might go deaf in the wake of that terrible illness, never happened. But he dreamed about it. Music was such a part of his life – like breathing and drinking water. It was part of the fabric of who he was. To have that taken away? No, he actually felt grateful that it was his legs he had to sacrifice if it had to be something.

Well, he wasn't getting it done just sitting here. He closed his eyes to think. That was how he did this, he started by visualizing what it would feel like to stand up. How his muscles would move to send a foot up and hovering over the carpet to set down a few inches away. He leaned down and felt with his hand until he had moved the dust ruffle out of the way and found the cane under the bed. He's asked Cooper to buy it for him and put it under here. He heaved himself back up on the bed.

Okay, he placed the tip of cane on the floor, and leaned forward. This was the hardest and scariest part, but he had been doing it by himself for a while. He leaned heavily on the cane, but managed to get himself upright. He was standing. He was shaking a little, small trembling muscles trying so hard to stay taut as he found his balance. Aramis looked at him, but he gave the 'quiet' signal before the collie could whine. He felt the soulful brown eyes on him, watching his every move. “It's okay, boy. Quiet,” Blaine whispered, and Aramis sighed and lay his head back on his paws. His brush of a tail thumped just a few tiny wags on the floor.

Blaine refocused. He picked his left foot up and moved it through the air and set it down on the Persian carpet. One step. He rested a heartbeat and lifted the other one. Two steps. He walked along the side of the bed, so if he fell, it would be on the bed, not on the floor. He was tired already just seven steps into it. But he wasn't using the cane very much. He knew that when he walked to Kurt, he could not use the cane and he could not drag his feet. He wanted it to be spectacular, and hobbling wasn't spectacular.

He got to the foot of the bed and moved Aramis' blanket over a little so he could walk by it. He snapped his fingers to tell Aramis to move and the dog complied immediately, sinking to his haunches as Blaine pointed where he was supposed to sit. He gave the command for 'down' and the dog laid back on the blanket.

Blaine lifted up the cane and stepped another step. He made it twenty-four steps, to the other side of the bed. He wanted to rest, to just fall into the warm covers and snuggle next to Kurt, but he needed this more right now; so he turned and walked, one small step at a time, back to his side of the bed. It was all he could do not to just fall, exhausted into the soft mattress, but he couldn't risk waking Kurt up. Kurt was usually a very light sleeper, so Blaine had to be quiet. He turned so his back was to the bed and put most of his weight on the cane he was leaning on and sat down on the bed. His legs were too tired to move by themselves back onto the mattress, so he waited a few minutes until the muscles stopped trembling and lifted his left leg by the pajama pant leg up onto the mattress, then followed with the right one.

Kurt's back was to him, arms thrown up, for once not hugging a pillow. He could hear the even breathing and took a deep breath himself, thinking of how long before his heartbeat would take to calm itself so he could crawl back next to his fiancé.

It was a good thing Kurt's back was turned, because he didn't want Blaine to see the tears leaking out and Kurt was trying to appear as though his breath was even, so Blaine wouldn't know he was awake. A hot tear came out of his right eye, traveled across the bridge of his nose to pool in his left eye until it mixed with those tears and ran down his temple into the fabric of the pillow. He was so afraid Blaine would hurt himself with this crazy thing he was doing at night. But he obviously wanted to keep it a secret, so Kurt gave him that.

The moon had moved down so it shone through the French doors where the curtain wasn't pulled closed in Kurt and Blaine's bedroom. It was 3:00 in the morning. Aramis paced back and forth, worried and whining. Blaine was whimpering in his sleep and Kurt hadn't woken up. The collie was so sensitive to the boys, he knew this wasn't something that was supposed to be happening, so he put his cold, wet nose up to find Kurt's hand. It was too far away, so the dog jumped up on the bed and stuck his nose into Kurt's neck. Kurt woke up immediately.

“Ari...what's wrong?” He knew the dog wouldn't wake him up for no reason. He shook his head a little to clear it and heard Blaine snuffling in his sleep. “Get down, Aramis, I'll take care of him,” Kurt whispered to the dog, petting him on the head and rubbing him behind his silky soft ears. He turned back to Blaine, who was trembling in his sleep, whimpering and almost crying. He wasn't sure if it was a nightmare, so he waited a few moments. No, he wasn't stiff and desperate as he often was in bad dreams. So, it was pain. Kurt suspected it was because of the nighttime attempts to walk. He was pushing himself too hard, but Kurt knew it was important that Blaine did it on his own. He needed the dignity of doing something so hard without any help. Kurt wasn't sure why he was doing it, but he was determined that Blaine never find out that Kurt was awake when he was trying.

He slipped quietly out of bed and put his slippers on. It was a little chilly in the house, but he didn't want to open the closet door for his robe, so he just tiptoed into the kitchen, then into the pantry to the locked medicine cupboard to get Blaine some of his pain medicine. He appeared to be in a lot of pain, so Kurt got the stronger narcotic. He went to the refrigerator and poured a glass of milk, added a few cookies to a plate and went back in to the bedroom.

Blaine was quieter, but the tense look on his sleeping face showed he was still hurting a good deal. Kurt sighed.

He went to the dresser and got out a heating pad and plugged it in, then put some lavender oil in the warmer. He thought about it and added juniper. Then he mixed some oil of clove with geranium and put it in a bottle of massage oil. He was almost wide awake, and he couldn't go back to sleep if Blaine was in a lot of pain.

Back on the bed, Kurt spread out the massage blanket on his side and wrapped the heating pad around the bottle of massage oil to warm it. Then he climbed back into bed and touched Blaine on his shoulder. He jumped.

“It's okay, baby. It's just me. Are you okay?” Kurt spoke very softly.

“It hurts. Oh my god, it hurts so much....” Blaine wasn't awake yet, because Kurt knew he would never admit to the pain so readily if he was. Kurt leaned down and kissed him on his cheek, wiping the tears from his own eyes. Blaine blinked a little and closed his eyes again. When he was in this much pain, he didn't want to wake up.

Kurt moved the covers back and started rubbing Blaine's back, moving his hands under his pajama shirt. He kissed the cheek again, running his lips over it and placing tiny kitten kisses on the edge of Blaine's mouth. He moved down Blaine's neck, just softly kissing him until he opened his eyes again.

“Kurt...oh, that feels good. What time is it?” Blaine blinked again, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“About three. But you're hurting, aren't you?”

“Ah, maybe a tiny bit.” Blaine turned his head.

“Okay, baby. Just let me move you over a little,” Kurt said quietly.

“No, go back to sleep. I'm fine,” Blaine said. But it was unconvincing.

Kurt didn't argue anymore, he just pulled the sheets down and lifted Blaine over to the massage blanket. Blaine didn't struggle, it hurt too much for that. He was so glad Kurt was there, but he was sorry to wake him in the wee hours of the morning, too. He relaxed on the blanket. Kurt gently removed his clothes, covering him with a sheet so he wouldn't get chilled. He moved pillows over so Blaine could sit up for a few minutes. He unrolled the massage oil bottle from the heating pad and placed the pad across Blaine's knees.

“That okay?” Blaine nodded. “Here, I brought you some cookies and a glass of milk,” Kurt offered. Then he held out the big white pills.

“What did I ever do to deserve you, Kurt?” Blaine smiled, taking the medication and swallowing it down with the milk. He followed it with one of the cookie he had baked with Kurt that morning. He smiled, thinking of the argument they had....Blaine wanted butterscotch cookies with crushed peppermint candies in them, but Kurt just rolled his eyes, mumbled something about 'creating a monster with that idea', and refusing to even consider it. But all was forgiven because Kurt brought out his mother's recipe for Malted Milk Cookies and they were so delicious. He finished that cookie and started on another while Kurt went to put on some music. Ah, Dvorak. New World Symphony. Wonderful. Blaine's brain was busy thinking about playing his violin, this was one of his favorite pieces of music.

“Ready?” Kurt asked, sliding back onto the bed and opening the cap of the massage oil, pouring some into his hands and rubbing them together for a little added warmth. The scent of the clove and geraniums were so nice together, and Blaine had told him it was his favorite. Sometimes Kurt would put just a drop of Aramis cologne into it, but not tonight - that caused a very different outcome. Kurt smiled to himself, remembering the last time he'd done that. But tonight wasn't about seduction and romance, it was about healing. “What's hurting you, baby?”

“It's my knees and hips that are so sore tonight. You know, you don't have to do this...” But Kurt interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips to stop him.

“Lay back and relax, baby. You'll feel better in a little while, okay?”

Blaine smiled and nodded. He closed his eyes and tried to relax his painful muscles. Kurt asked him to lift and moved the heating pad from his knees to under his hips. Warming the muscles helped relax them. “Not too hot?” Blaine shook his head no.

Kurt started on his neck, just ghosting his hands over it, gently rubbing the tendons there and moving down to his clavicles and chest. He stopped and refreshed the oil on his hands and took Blaine's right hand. Starting at the fingers, he rubbed and massaged each one.

“You know, Blaine, when I first knew you, your fingers had callouses on them, but they are so soft now. It's like somebody else's hands almost..” Kurt observed.

“Guitar. I used to play it all the time – it's what made the callouses. I haven't picked it up in months. You just don't get the same wear on your fingers playing piano or violin,” Blaine explained.

“Do you miss it? I could get it out for you,” Kurt offered. He had seen several guitar cases on the shelves in the music room.

“I hadn't given it much thought, but yes, maybe I'll try that next week,” Blaine closed his eyes again.

Kurt moved on to the rest of his right arm, then the left one. He moved the sheet and had Blaine roll over so he could start on his back. The muscles here were terribly tight and by the time he had them loose and relaxed, Kurt had worked up a sweat. He moved the sheet again, so he could do Blaine's legs. Starting at the feet, he applied more oil and rubbed carefully so as not to tickle. Kurt may be impervious to tickling, but Blaine was not and he had a hard time relaxing while Kurt rubbed his feet with firm strokes. Moving up his legs was very painful. Kurt ended up just placing his hands gently on the sore parts of Blaine's knees and hips, not rubbing because that hurt. In spite of his careful touching, Blaine had tears in his eyes by the time Kurt was through with the second hip. But Blaine was much more relaxed by the time Kurt was through.

Massage often gave Blaine an erection, but he and Kurt managed to ignore that in favor of the healing and relaxing purpose of the massage, but it also stimulated Kurt, so it was sometimes a prelude to sex for them. Tonight, Kurt had no intentions of that happening. In the past, when Blaine had been in bad pain he tried to do something more for Kurt. But it didn't end well, with Kurt feeling guilty for starting something when Blaine was so obviously not able to enjoy it. Blaine reached over to pull Kurt closer to him, but Kurt didn't let him.

“You're going to get massage oil all over my pajamas!” Kurt scolded, but Blaine only laughed. “Yes, and...?”

“Arggh.” Kurt got off the bed and went to get a towel to remove any extra oil before he was going to let Blaine back under his 700 count Egyptian cotton sheets. Blaine smiled. He still hurt, but between the massage and the pain medication, he was feeling better. And it was Kurt's birthday, so he had planned several things....

“Okay, let me towel a little more off and we can get your pajamas back on, okay, baby?” Kurt smiled. Blaine rolled over for Kurt to do his back.

Kurt leaned over, patting the towel across the beautiful muscles of Blaine's back. In spite of the wasting the illness had brought, Blaine was still just beautiful, like some sort of sculpture out of warm stone. His muscles were not over-developed like some body builder, but taut and balanced like a dancer, or like a cat. Kurt loved to just look at them the way they moved under his glowing skin, pulling and tensing, relaxing and bunching as he moved his arms or turned his body. And his hands, oh, how talented and graceful he was, whether playing the piano or lifting weights...or stroking Kurt's body. Kurt knew he was as much in love with Blaine's physical body as he was his spirited and emotional sides. He took in a great breath, trying to calm himself. It just never went away, this longing to touch Blaine, this craving to be with him, to engage him in conversation, this willingness to share every aspect of his life with this boy.....no. With this man. Blaine was no longer a boy. Kurt tensed up, willing away the attraction he was feeling looking at Blaine's naked body. It just wasn't the time right now. Maybe later today.

Kurt picked up the pajamas from the bottom of the bed and helped Blaine slip them back on. He helped Blaine move back to his own side of the bed and folded the massage blanket and sheet, but just set them on a table. Climbing back into bed, he asked Blaine if he wanted the heating pad on his hip or knee, but Blaine was getting sleepy from the narcotics, so he declined. Sleeping with the heating pad could burn him, so they were cautious and turned it off for now.

“Just come close and hold me, okay, kitten? That's all I need. Birthday Boy.”

“Okay, baby.” Kurt smiled. It was all he ever needed, too.

“Happy Birthday!”

Kurt blinked, sitting up to see his whole family crowded around his bed. Aramis jumped up and started licking his face, and everyone was grinning.

“Down, boy.” Burt said, taking the collie's collar and pulling him gently off the bed. It was a good thing the boys had a king-size bed because everyone piled on the mattress, all hugging Kurt and making themselves comfortable. Mercedes even crawled up between the boys, snuggling under the covers and laying back on the pillows, grinning. Burt and Carole sat on Kurt's side, Cooper next to Blaine and Finn across the foot.

“Wait, me, too! Me, too!” came a voice from the hall as Rachel ran in and jumped in next to Finn.

Kurt was rather non-plussed to have all these people in his bedroom, sitting or lying on his bed with their shoes on. But he knew they would only tease him if he objected, and it was kind of nice that they all cared so much about him. Having a birthday on New Year's Eve wasn't as cool as one might think. As he always said, it was a time when everyone wanted to unwind from the stress of the holiday, everyone had already spent their present-buying budget on Christmas, and most people were at other parties or drunk - - so he had made it a point for the last few years to have a quiet birthday with just family, maybe a few friends, and keep it all at a quiet pace. Apparently this year was going to be different.

Mrs Shaw came in next, a plate of freshly made cheese Danishes and then cups of coffee for everyone as they remained on Kurt's bed. He had visions in his head of the dry-cleaning bill for his silk duvet that covered the bed, not to mention the Egyptian cotton sheets.

Finn and Cooper left, but came back with piles of presents for Kurt to open. He blushed to see how many presents there were - this was definitely different than other birthdays!

He got all kinds of clothes, mostly with designer labels, in bright colors, a pair of vintage Dingo boots he had been drooling over, new sheets for the bed, music, movies, and a thick envelope. He looked over at Blaine, but his fiancé just shrugged his shoulders.

Kurt opened the card.

“Dear Kurt,

We know how hard you work, at school, at home, and taking care of all of us. Such devotion should be rewarded, so we are sending you on a little trip. Now, we don't want you to be lonely, so we're sending three of your best friends with you.

Please find all necessary ticket enclosed. And have fun.

All our love,

Dad, Carole, Cooper, and Mercy”

Kurt's eyes got huge. The first thing he took out of the accompanying envelope were four plane tickets. The names printed on them were: Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Finn Hudson, and Rachel Berry.

He looked at his friends, but apparently they didn't know anything about it. He grinned.

“Well, I wonder who I'll take with me..?” he said, giggling. Then he read out their names. They all just looked at Coop, Burt, Carole and Mercy.

Rachel finally broke the silence. “Where?”

“New York.”

Rachel and Blaine squealed. They were jumping up and down on the bed, threatening to break the springs. Finn grinned and hugged Burt, who was the closest one to him at that moment. Rachel threw her arms around Cooper.

Kurt took out more tickets from the envelope along with some paper.

“Okay, we have reservations at the Millennium Broadway Hotel for nine days. Restaurant reservations for all week, a tour of Midtown, and trips to the zoo, Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenhiem. Plus...” he looked at Rachel, “tickets to Evita, Lion King......and WICKED!!” I'm pretty sure we've died and gone to heaven. Oh, thank you, Dad, Mom, Coop, Mercy...thank you all so much. I love you!” Kurt was so overwhelmed, he was just about speechless. He had no idea what to say, but he jumped out from under the covers, launched himself at his dad first, hugging him and kissing his cheeks. Burt could hardly take a breath. Then Carole, who had tears running down her face. This was the first time Kurt had called her 'Mom' and he didn't even notice, it was in the thrill of the moment, but that made it better since it wasn't thought out ahead of time.

Then it was Cooper, Kurt practically jumping in his lap, thanking him and hugging him, planting a huge kiss on his cheek. Finally, Kurt slipped back under the covers, and turned to Mercy, tears in his eyes, and put his arms so gently around her and whispered, “Thank you, I love you,” in her ear.

The thrill over for now, everyone got up to move out of the room, talking about the plans, Finn and Rachel thanking everyone. Mercy stayed behind for a few minutes, still with her arms around Kurt.

Kurt jumped.

“What? Oh, was that the baby? He's kicking so much harder! Does it hurt?” he asked Mercy. He was going to put his hands on her tummy, but looked in her eyes and raised his brows to ask silent permission.

She nodded, “Yes, he..or she...is a rambunctious little rascal. I get woken up with that on a regular basis.”

Blaine, still sitting beside her, looked like a third wheel and was contemplating moving to the edge to call Coop to come help him get out of bed, but Mercy glanced at him and her eyes got soft. She smiled gently at him and took his hand in hers.

“Uncle Blainey? Do you want to feel your nephew, or niece? It's okay.”

Blaine let her take his hand and she placed it on her ever growing belly. It was firm, not soft as he thought it might be, and he just froze, but nothing happened, so he moved his hand back to his lap, blushing a little, but feeling a little sad.

“No, you need to just leave your hand there. If you want?” Mercy asked, not sure of Blaine really wanted to. She didn't want to push him into anything he was uncomfortable with.

“You're sure it's okay?” he asked very quietly.

“Of course. You're his uncle, you need to bond with him.” And she took his hand, holding it in the air for a moment, then moved it to another place. “Just wait.”

Blaine waited. Then his face got this astounded look on it. His eyes were wide, his mouth open in wonder. Kurt got a funny, warm feeling watching him, he was so happy. The thoughts that went through Kurt's mind were so mixed...he was at once thrilled to see Blaine so happy, but a tiny selfish part of him was envious that he would never be able to give Blaine a baby. But that was so stupid, he banished the thought from his mind immediately. He shook his head a little to clear it and just watched as Blaine discovered the joy of feeling a baby kick for the first time.

“Oh, Mercy...I can feel it! Oh...” he stammered, putting just a tiny bit more pressure on his hand to feel it more. He leaned his face down closer, “Hi. Little One. Oh, I love you already.”

Mercy smiled. “You stay safe in there for a little while longer, then I'll be here when you come out. I'll play lullabies for you and sing to you, me and your Uncle Kurt.” Blaine looked over at Kurt, a smile blooming all over his face. He leaned back down and placed a kiss on Mercy's tummy. Then he pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. He whispered, “Thank you, Mercedes, for being so generous and sharing him with us. We love you.” Kurt nodded in agreement.

Later that day, after lunch, Blaine and Kurt were sitting in the bedroom on the sofa. It was a very large room, with a king-size bed on one side, and some furniture on the other, two overstuffed comfortable chairs and a huge sofa that both Blaine and Kurt could comfortably lie down on. There was a coffee table and several end tables. On the north wall, there was a large screen television. Not the biggest, but nice sized, and a false wall to cover it when it wasn't in use. There were three dressers, a highboy, and bedside tables.

On the walls were lithographs of watercolors, some landscapes and a few Richard Bolling flower portraits. The walls were a soft shade of blue, to keep it relaxing. Both Blaine and Kurt enjoyed spending time in their room. The rest of the house was nice, Blaine especially liked the music room, but this was their own private place and it meant a lot to both of them to share time together there.

Kurt was reading a book, one of the ones he had gotten Blaine for Christmas. Blaine looked over at Kurt, wanting him to be a little preoccupied but also to be aware of Blaine's actions. He thought now might be the time to give Kurt another present.

Reaching under the sofa, he brought out his cane. He had Coop move it there after lunch when Kurt wasn't looking. He leaned on the cane a little, but got to his feet. Kurt saw him out of the corner of his eye. He set down the book and turned to watch Blaine.

Blaine took one step, then picked up the tip of the cane so he wasn't leaning on it at all. He stepped forward, one small step, then another. He was holding his breath – and saw Kurt was holding his, too. They were both silently counting as Blaine moved each foot forward, not sliding, but picking each one up and setting it down. He took 15 steps and turned, walking back to Kurt. Kurt was at the edge of his seat, arms out ready to catch Blaine if he fell - but Blaine frowned at him and he put his arms down. One more step. The pain was crawling up Blaine's legs, making him tremble, but he was determined to master this, to show Kurt that all of his care was working, that Blaine was walking again.

Tears had started gathering in Blaine's eyes and he slowed down. He could still smell the scent of the juniper from the oil warmer last night and he thought to himself about all the things Kurt had done for him over the past six months. He wasn't going to fall. Kurt deserved to see him getting better, proof that his care and work meant something. Two more steps to go. He picked up his right foot, placing it almost in front of Kurt, whose arms were almost shaking in anticipation of taking Blaine into them as soon as he reached him.

Blaine took a big breath and moved his left foot...and he was in Kurt's arms, laughing and crying and yelling all at once.

“Oh, my god, Blaine!! That is the best present I've ever had. Better than my Navigator, better than the trip...oh, my god, I love you, my brave, fearless love.”

Blaine was grinning, so thrilled he hadn't fallen, so happy to see the look on Kurt's face. Kurt picked him up and swung him around before collapsing on the sofa, covering Blaine in kisses.

“Does the family know?” Kurt asked, still recovering from his fast-beating heart.

“Well, Coop kind of knows. I had to ask him to get me the cane. But he didn't know how many steps I could take. But nobody else...it was a surprise for you, Kurt.”

“Are you up to showing the family?” Kurt knew how happy it would make them all.

“Yes, but maybe later. It's..well, it kind of makes me hurt. I need a while to rest, okay?” Blaine ducked his head, not ready yet to appear weak in front of Kurt after showing him he could walk again.

“Of course, I should have thought...I'm just excited, Blaine. This is the best news we've had in so long...” and he stopped talking to kiss Blaine thoroughly for a while.

Kurt spread the massage blanket on the bed and helped Blaine over. He closed their door and locked it, so nobody could disturb them. Then he came over to the bed with the henna dye Blaine had gotten him for Christmas. He had mixed it earlier and let it sit to cure, so it was ready to use. He also brought a tin of turmeric and various trays and brushes.

“Okay, baby, I think I want to start on your stomach, so you can see it while I draw it, okay?” Kurt sat down and Blaine took off his shirt. He got comfortable leaning against the pillows.

Kurt got out a bottle of alcohol and some cotton, cleaning the area he wanted to decorate. He blew the alcohol dry, making Blaine giggle as it felt first cold then hot. Kurt smiled. He put the heating pad on Blaine's stomach, explaining the dye works better on warmer skin. He got out the small bottle and filled it half full of the reddish henna, shaking it to make sure it was mixed properly. Blaine had trouble holding still, it tickled a little, but Kurt gave him a warning look, then laid down on his stomach to rest his elbow on the bed for support.

With a steady hand, Kurt began to draw flowery shapes with curves and swirls. He was so focused, his hands moving slowly to put the henna on in a smooth line that stayed the same width. Kurt was such a perfectionist and he wanted this to be beautiful when he was done.

Blaine had watched Kurt do a lot of creative things, and with each one, he would focus those gorgeous eyes, and that alone was worth watching. It was almost hypnotizing, the blue-green-gray eyes that changed with his emotions. They were mostly green today, showing all the energy he harnessed for the intricate drawing. He didn't even blink very often, and his lips were in a tight line. Blaine thought about all creative things Kurt did, sewing or baking, and the joy and concentration to make something perfect. It took a long time to make the whole design, but it was so beautiful. When Kurt was done, the design started just under Blaine's right nipple and swirled down and around his stomach, up and over his left hipbone. The henna was almost dry in places and Kurt took out the turmeric, mixed it with a liquid and placed it in a small shallow dish. He took a tiny stiff paintbrush and began highlighting the curves of the design, making it look almost three dimensional.

Kurt stepped back and narrowed his eyes. He smiled, thinking how the design showed off the musculature under Blaine's golden skin. He had tried to follow the lines of the muscles, to highlight them as they moved and the effect was exactly what he had hoped for.

“Take off your clothes, Blaine, I need to see you with just the henna.” Blaine gave him a curious look, but did as Kurt asked. He looked down at the dyed flourishes and they almost looked alive as he changed position.

“Oh, Kurt, this is beautiful!” Blaine was so moved that Kurt had liked his present. He wasn't even sure at the time why he had picked it. He was with Cooper doing his Christmas shopping and saw a woman with her hands hennaed, and he thought it was so pretty. He asked her about it and she explained how the dye worked, how it was applied, and some of the cultural history of it. Blaine had been so fascinated, he had to get it for Kurt, but then he worried Kurt wouldn't like it. His fears were set aside now, loving how Kurt's eyes were still shining as he looked at Blaine.

“Now it's your turn. Where do you want to do mine?” Kurt asked.

“Ah...yours? You want me to do you?” Blaine asked.

“Of course! That's what the fun is..we each do the other,” Kurt smiled. He was really excited about this.

“But, I can only do Disney cartoons...” Blaine stammered. Kurt laughed.

“Don't be silly. You can do this, I've seen you doodle – you do it all the time when we're in class. Here, look at these designs for a minute, you'll get the idea.”

Blaine looked at a few pages, but didn't see anything he liked. He turned to get his laptop and took a few minutes to find exactly what he was looking for.

“I'd like to do it on your back, but then you can't see it. Oh, I know, I want to do it on your leg. Okay?”

“Fine,” Kurt said, taking off his jeans while Blaine slipped on a pair of pajama pants.

Kurt showed Blaine how to use the applicator, how to make the lines fine or thick, how to dab the tiny corners to make them sharp.

Blaine cleaned Kurt's leg, dabbing the alcohol over it and blowing lightly to dry it, giggling when Kurt shivered at the effect. He laid down on his stomach the way Kurt had, steadying his hand as he drew. It was a completely different sort of pattern than Kurt had made. Kurt's was more traditional Mehandi, but Blaine started with writing “Sono innamorato di te” on one part of Kurt's leg, kind of upside-down so Kurt could read it. Then he wrote “Je t'aime pour toujoures” in another fancy script. He began filling in the spaces between with tiny flowers and curled leaves, a sort of William Morris design, like an illuminated script. He got so into what he was doing, he all but forgot Kurt was there watching. It was mesmerizing to draw the patterns and swirls onto his fiance's leg, his whole attention thinking just about the design in his head and getting it onto the skin. He finished in just over an hour later, Kurt not asleep but almost in a trance as he watched Blaine.

Kurt mixed the turmeric and Blaine highlighted the design in the golden hue, making it glow with warmth from the pale ivory of Kurt's skin. His design went from Kurt's inner thigh and twisted around his leg, ending on the outer part of his calf, right under his knee. Blaine put the plastic wrap over the design and taped it down. It had to cure for a while so the dye set, and it should be a dark brownish red, but fade with age.

“I know the French...'I will love you forever', but I don't speak Italian...?” Kurt asked.

“Same sentiment, it means 'I have fallen in love with you',” Blaine said in a soft voice, sitting up to bring Kurt into his arms. Kurt leaned in and kissed Blaine, softly at first, then with more passion as they moved closer to each other.

“We can't do too much hugging, you'll smear the dye. How about we take a short nap and then when we wake up, we can take off the plastic and rinse the excess off?” Kurt proposed.

“Okay, I'm awfully tired,” Blaine yawned. It had been an exhausting day. They curled up together very careful not to touch the patterns and fell asleep.

Later that evening, after dinner, Kurt started the shower, helping Blaine into the warm water. He used a soft sponge instead of the usual loofah to wash Blaine's chest. The dye had worked perfectly. He washed his own leg and the colors stood out clearly. He loved the patterns Blaine had put on his leg, and ran his hand over it, feeling very emotional at the sentiments he had written. He turned to Blaine, “I love you, too, baby” he whispered close to his ear and he kissed his neck. Blaine smiled.

They came back to the bedroom, covered with just towels. Kurt went to the dresser and brought back a small camera. “I want pictures of us with the designs, okay?”

“Oh, great idea! Okay, take off the towel.”

Kurt was actually a bit shy, but it was his idea after all, so he dropped the towel and moved so the design was in a good light while Blaine took several pictures. He handed the camera to Kurt and sat on the bed, leaning back on his hands to show off the design covering his chest and hip. Kurt took some pictures, instructing Blaine to move certain ways. The light showed off the reddish color of the dye with gold highlights that enhanced the striking golden color of Blaine's skin. Kurt loved it, thinking Blaine was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He set down the camera and came to stand between Blaine's legs, pushing him gently back on the bed. He climbed on the bed and covered Blaine with his body, kissing him, then moved so they could both be on the bed in a more comfortable spot.

Kurt started by kissing the beginning of the pattern under Blaine's nipple and moving around the curves with his tongue. Blaine made a moaning noise, loving the feel of Kurt's tongue on his body. He moved Kurt back a little when he got to the end of the design on his hip, and began at Kurt's knee, kissing and licking his design around his leg and ending at Kurt's inner thigh. They had left their towels on the bed and Kurt has the good sense to pull one over and place it under them. He kissed Blaine's hipbone again, moving his hands across his stomach, just barely touching him until he thrust closer, and Kurt took the request and began rubbing harder, moving over to stroke Blaine all around his cock before grasping the base and moving his hand to encircle it. Then he moved so he was straddling Blaine and kissed him. He kissed back, with a lick to Kurt's lower lip. Putting his arms around Blaine, he rolled them over so Blaine was on top so Kurt could watch his muscles move with the design highlighting them. This was hot, he decided and growled as Blaine moved his hips in an effort to gain some friction. Kurt just could not get enough of looking at Blaine's golden skin, enhanced with the dye and he rolled to his side to see better. It was too much, and Kurt began licking Blaine's torso again, much to Blaine's pleasure.

“I love this on you, we should have done this a long time ago,” Kurt whispered. Blaine answered by taking Kurt's leg and pulling it gently towards him, kissing up his inner thigh again, but not stopping until he was at the base of Kurt's cock. He moved his tongue in wide stripes up and down until finally putting his mouth over it and sucking gently on the tip, then going down as far as he could. He got a wonderful noise out of Kurt, sort of a strangled moan.

“Oh, make that noise again, please,” he said as he took a breath to take Kurt into his mouth again. He started stroking Kurt's stomach, then rolled a bit on his side, taking Kurt with him, so he could reach Kurt's perfect ass. He rubbed the cheeks, stroking and squeezing as Kurt moaned and tried to reach some part of Blaine to hold or fondle and finally settled for combing his hands through Blaine's curls. He pulled gently on the hair at the back of his head, which he knew drove Blaine a little crazy. Blaine whined and swallowed to bring Kurt's cock further down his throat. He kept up the fondling of his ass, but used his other hand to cup his balls and stroke the little piece of skin behind them.

Kurt was moving his hips, not able to get much of a purchase in his sideways position. When he suddenly without warning felt himself about to explode. He opened his mouth to tell Blaine, but barely got a sound out when he came, almost choking Blaine. But Blaine recovered quickly, swallowing for all he was worth to keep from letting go. Kurt moaned a lot more and finally stopped, panting.

He had hardly slowed down his breathing when he turned and flipped around on the bed, taking Blaine into his own mouth, feeling Blaine's excitement in his hard cock, almost throbbing in anticipation. Kurt enjoyed doing this a lot, and he was good at it, just like baking and sewing - he considered it a craft and one in which he was determined to excel. He liked the idea of doing this sideways instead of having Blaine on his back, it offered more in terms of what he could do with his hands and he took full advantage, stroking and rubbing, teasing and moving, until Blaine was crying out at every suck and thrust. It wasn't long before he was coming down Kurt's throat. He turned to hold Kurt close while he waited for his heart to return to normal beating, which took a while for both of them.

They cleaned up and discovered it was almost midnight. Blaine turned on the television to see the ball drop in Times Square. Kurt laughed a little, turning to Blaine. “You know, when I was a little kid, I thought “Auld Lang Syne” was just Scottish for Happy Birthday, since everyone always sang it on my birthday.” Blaine laughed. They watched as the year ended and a new one began, both excited to see what wonderful things might happen to them with the coming year. Blaine switched off the television and snuggled down under the covers, warm and happy next to Kurt.

“Sono innamorato di te” he whispered into Kurt's neck.

“Oh, Blaine, I'm in love with you, too. This has been the best birthday, ever.”