"Blaine, this is truly amazing." Kurts eyes glowed as he took in the romantic scene.

Blaine smiled back at Kurt, happy to get such a positive reaction. The weather had been nice lately, so Blaine had set up an al fresco dinner on his back deck. The little bistro table was covered with a tablecloth; with wine glasses, cloth napkins, and candlelight.

He'd wanted to do something special after the lovely drive Kurt at taken him on the week before. They had left town to tour a winery, and then had a picnic lunch with an ocean view.

Kurt sat down and Blaine poured out some wine for them. They sipped it slowly and caught up, Kurt full of funny stories about friends at work.

Getting up, Blaine leaned down to give Kurt a little kiss. "Wait here. I just have a couple things to finish in the kitchen."

Kurt offered to help, but Blaine encouraged him to relax. There was music playing softly through the open doorway and Kurt just sipped his wine while looking out at the lovely view. The deck was off Blaines floor of the house, just a space big enough for the small table and a barbecue.

Blaine returned carrying two plates and set them down on the table.

"Wow! Blaine, when did you learn how to make this??!" Kurt looked down in wonder at the beautiful meal.

Blaine looked proud. "Back in Chicago, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with our cook. She was a good teacher and it was fun to shock my family when I helped her out."

Moaning with the first bite of his pork tenderloin, Kurt eagerly dug in. The meat was very flavorful, and there were baby potatoes and a green vegetable.

"What vegetable is this?" Kurt asked after taking a bite. It tasted a little like asparagus. They were coin sized round shapes, lightly seasoned with melted butter, salt and pepper.

Blaine smiled. "Fiddleheads. I always loved them whenever we had them in Chicago."

Nodding, Kurt enjoyed the food, impressed by the work Blaine had put into it.

“Tina mentioned something about a business opportunity for the store, and she seemed pretty excited. Can you tell me more about it?” Blaine looked over at Kurt, admiring the way the candlelight danced over his fair skin.

Kurt shrugged a shoulder. “We get offers occasionally, and they are interesting to consider. We were approached by someone who was offering to buy us out entirely, or buying in as our partner.”

Blaine's eyes rose in surprise. He'd never thought of that possibility, but the business was doing well. What would Kurt do if they sold the business? Would he stay in San Francisco?

“And what did you and Tina tell him?” Blaine took a sip of his water, trying to appear nonchalant.

Fiddling with the stem of his wine glass, Kurt sighed. “We listened to the offer, the proposal, but we declined it.”

“Not enough money?”

Shaking his head, Kurt gave a little smile. “Actually, the amount was fairly impressive, and tempting. But Tina and I didn't like the changes that would have come with it.”

“What type of changes?”

Kurt scrunched up his face. “He wanted to make the café a known franchise and change to new books instead of used. This guy was a real businessman-type, who really cares about getting as much return on his investment as he can. I could see him reducing the seating area to have more room for product to sell.”

Furrowing his brow, Blaine didn't look impressed. “There's hardly enough room for everyone who comes out to events now. And your clientele would totally change if you made the store more mainstream, more upscale like that.”

“That's why we rejected the idea. He wanted to take away all the things that make the store unique. It wouldn't be a place we would want to work in. And if we sold the business, it would feel like betraying our loyal customers.”

Kurt could see that Blaine was nodding along, and it was a relief that he agreed with how Tina and Kurt had viewed the offer. Sure, the offer looked good on paper, and would have been more money. But The store wasn't just a job for Kurt and Tina. It meant a lot to Kurt that Blaine understood that there were more important things than the bottom line, that they shared that view. Would Blaine from a year ago have understood this? Kurt doubted it.

---

They were cuddled up of the sofa, two-thirds the way through Rope, when Kurt first got a bit concerned. He took a sip of his Diet Coke, and shifted away from Blaine, feeling a little warm. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly.

“Are you OK?” Blaine gave him a concerned look.

Shifting on the sofa to sit up a little straighter, Kurt glanced at Blaine. “Um, do you mind if we pause the movie for a minute? I think I need some fresh air.”

Blaine shook his head, his brow furrowed.

Kurt got up, and walked quickly over to the door to the back deck. The air was cool and fresh, and he stood at the railing, taking some deep breaths, and felt much better.

Standing at his side, Blaine held out a glass of cool water. “Can I get you anything? A pain reliever? Some tums?”

“No, no, I'm….” Kurt suddenly stopped, and clamped his hand over his mouth, rushing inside to the washroom.

Blaine cringed as he waited outside the washroom, still holding the glass of water. They hadn't had that much wine. Was it the flu? Something Kurt ate? Blaine's head whipped to the kitchen. Oh shit. Had he given Kurt food poisoning?

But that didn't make sense, since they had both eaten the same thing for dinner, and he felt OK. And food poisoning usually hit within an hour or two of eating, so it couldn't be something from earlier that day.

Kurt walked out of the washroom, looking a little pale and wane. Blaine passed him the water, and he took a sip of it gratefully.

“Feeling a little better now?” Blaine stroked his upper arm.

Sinking down on the couch, Kurt gave a weak smile. “Well, I'm not nauseous anymore.” He shrugged. “But I'm so embarrassed.”

Blaine gave him a little smile. “You're human. We all get sick once in a while.” Then his face tensed, and he jumped up and ran into the washroom.

-----

The next hour was awful. They took turns in the washroom. It seemed to have hit Kurt harder than Blaine. Blaine made a big pot of tea and sweetened it with a lot of honey, and they sat under blankets on the sofa, sipping it.

“Again, I'm so, so, so sorry.” Blaine groaned. “I don't get it though. I kept the meat in the fridge until right before I put it in the oven, and I checked it with a meat thermometer. The potatoes were cooked in the oven too, and I don't think people get food poisoning from them very often.”

Kurt sighed. “And how did you prepare the fiddleheads?”

“Like I prepare asparagus. Just rinsed them in water, and then steamed them on the stove. Cooked them until they were tender-crisp.” Blaine shrugged.

Grabbing his phone, Kurt typed a little into it. After a couple minutes, he read out, “Eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and headaches…”

Groaning, Blaine tilted his head to rest on the back of the sofa. “Oh shit. Does it say how long you're supposed to cook them for?”

“Ten to twelve minutes.” Kurt read, and glanced over at Blaine.

Blaine looked miserable. “Will you ever forgive me? I gave you food poisoning!”

Kurt was about to answer, when he pushed off the blanket and made another run for the washroom.

Blaine wasn't as affected as Kurt was. He was feeling a little nervous cooking the meal and wanting everything to go well, so he hadn't eaten that much at dinner. And Kurt had maybe eaten a little more than he normally would have, wanting to show Blaine how much he appreciated the meal.

When Kurt came out again, he wasn't looking that good. Blaine led him over to the bedroom, and encouraged him to lie down. He put a pail nearby, and a glass of water on the nightstand. Kurt went into an exhausted sleep fairly quickly.

----

Blaine was in the kitchen when he came out of the bedroom the next morning. “Hey Kurt, how are you feeling?”

Sitting down on one of the stools near the kitchen island, Kurt sighed. “Better than last night, but not that great.”

Nodding, Blaine passed him a mug of tea. “I called Tina and let her know what happened. She told me what you like when you are sick. So, I've stocked up on ginger ale, chicken soup and I downloaded your favorite show for you.”

Kurt looked up at Blaine. “Really? You've already been out and doing all that? You were sick too.” He looked Blaine over, and could tell that he'd had a shower.

“Yeah, but I wasn't as sick as you were.” Blaine shrugged. “Plus I feel bad for screwing up like that.”

Getting up, Kurt walked around the kitchen island and gave Blaine a light hug. “It was a mistake, and I'll be OK. I'll just take it easy today.”

Blaine took out a loaf of bread. “I'm going to make some toast. Think you could handle a slice or two?”

---

After some tea and toast, they settled back in bed and watched ”Pride and Prejudice”. They took a few breaks for naps, and had some soup for lunch. By the end of the day, Kurt felt much better. He took a long bath and Blaine lent him some clean pajamas.

"You probably want to get back to your place. Let me know if you want me to drive you home." Blaine stretched out on the sofa, resting his head in Kurts lap.

"I am home, Blaine." Kurt said softly, brushing the hair back off Blaines face.

Blaines eyes widened and he stilled, searching Kurts face. "Do you mean..."

Kurt smiled at his bewildered expression. "Yes. If the offer is still open, Id like to move in here with you."

Leaping off the couch, Blaine hauled Kurt up to give him an enthusiastic hug. "Of course, Kurt! This is fantastic!" He kissed him and went back to hugging him tight.

"Can"t.... Breathe..." Kurt half-jokingly gasped. Hed never been hugged so hard in his whole life. But still, he couldnt help smiling just as widely as Blaine was.

Taking Kurts hands in his, Blaine dragged him back down onto the sofa. "So, what changed your mind?"

Kurt nodded. "Well, after Hunter, Ive been more cautious with my heart, trying not to get hurt like that again. And there were a couple things I was worried about with you, things that would doom a relationship between us."

Blaines eyebrows rose in surprise. "Two things? What were they?"

"Well, one of them I mentioned before. That after the hearing, you would return to your old life. A life I wouldn't fit into. But instead, you are back here and you've created a whole new life for yourself. You started the business helping people like Tom and Gina. You hired Yvonne and you are teaching her how to use computers. You seem to really enjoy the way you are living now. I get the feeling even if we werent in a relationship, youd still be living here this way."

Blaine considered that for a minute. "I feel like I can be the best version of myself here. Im not trying to impress anybody. And the work is way more interesting and rewarding. I talk to people and see if I can help make their dreams come true. Find a way to do it that they can afford. I love it."

"Well, maybe youre not trying to impress anyone, but youve impressed me. Im so proud of you for all you've done here.” Kurt squeezed Blaines hand.

"Ok, so is that fear gone now? Do you see that Im not going anywhere?" Blaine smiled at Kurt.

Kurt nodded, and leaned over to give Blaine a kiss.

Blaine took Kurts hand again. "So, what was the other fear that was holding you back?"

Kurt bit his lip, thinking how to word it. "Well, you initially had a crush on me. I was a little afraid you had me up on a pedestal and liked the idea of me that youd built up in your head, instead of the real me.”

Blaine gathered Kurt in a hug. "I didnt even realize you were worried about that, Kurt. Of course, I think you are gorgeous and sexy, and I love the way you dress. But Ive seen you on good days and bad days, just like youve seen me. I know youre not perfect. I love the real Kurt, not some idealized version of you."

“I think I only truly let go of that fear in this last day. Being sick like we have been the past 24 hours... Youve seen me at basically my worst and youre still here." Kurt hugged Blaine tight, feeling so cared for and accepted.

Kurt chuckled. "You even put up with watching a six hour long show, and you didnt complain when I replayed the wet shirt scene five times."

Blaine smiled over at Kurt. "Hey, Im a gay man too. Im not going to complain about seeing that scene repeatedly. In fact, I think I have a shirt like that. Lets go down to the beach and reenact it. Ill be your Mr. Darcy."

Kurt climbed into Blaine's lap, holding him tight. The next few minutes were quiet except for the sounds of their kissing and soft moans.

Pulling back to look into Blaine's eyes, Kurt gave him a small smile. “When we were watching the show, and you were chuckling at the proposal scene with Mr. Collins. It just hit me. “

“What hit you?” Blaine's eyes were curious.

Kurt looked down shyly, gathering his scrambled thoughts and feelings, before looking back up. "Well, I realized that I love you. So much." His eyes held Blaines, wanting him to know he truly meant it. “Its been growing slowly in me ever since you came back and said you loved me."

Blaines eyes glowed down at Kurt, and then he leaned closer to kiss him softly. "Oh Kurt. I love you too. Always." He was blinking fast, trying not to tear up.

Smiling, Kurt looked down at their joined hands.

Blaine chuckled, "So, giving you food poisoning made you fall in love with me?"

Arching an eyebrow, Kurt was confused at Blaine's jump of reasoning. “How do you figure that?”

“Well, if you hadn't gotten sick, you wouldn't have realized that I love the real you, in sickness and in health. And then you wouldn't have been watching Pride and Prejudice in my big wonderful bed and realizing you loved me back.” Blaine looked a little smug.

Kurt scoffed. “Then again, I'm still not feeling all that great. Maybe it's all a symptom of fiddlehead-itis. Delusional thinking.”

Standing up, Blaine bent down and surprised Kurt by pulling him up into his arms. “Then I better keep you in my bed for the next few days, taking care of your every need, and we can see if your feelings are any different when you are back to full health.”

Kurt giggled as Blaine led him back to the bedroom. “My every need? It may take more than a few days…”

----

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: Thanks for reading this odd little story! Thanks for all the kudos and comments. :D

- Pride and Prejudice the BBC six hour mini series starring dishy Colin Firth from 1995. Best adaptation ever. Funny clip of Colin being interviewed by Bridget Jones is here.

-Fiddleheads are delicious but I learned the hard way that you have to be careful cooking them. :) A video all about them is here.

-Follow me on delightful-fear.tumblr.com