It was Saturday morning and Kurt was pacing his apartment, wondering how early was too early to call Blaine.  Despite Blaine's penchant for early rising, he was pretty sure that 7:15 a.m. on a weekend was a stretch even for him.  But he felt like he was going to burst with energy, and he needed to talk to someone.  He picked up his phone, knowing there was one person he could always call.

“Kurt?  Everything okay?”  Burt sounded more amused than concerned, which suited Kurt fine.

“Yeah, Dad.  Are you at the shop?”

“Not yet, buddy.  Marco's opening.”

“I didn't wake you, did I?”

“Nope, been up for a while, just drinking coffee.”  Kurt swore he could hear his dad sink into the squeaky chair at the end of their kitchen table.  “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“He's not mad at me,” were the words that fell out.  Not exactly his most articulate, but it was the primary reason Kurt's insides were dancing around this morning.

“You talking about Blaine?”

“Of course, Dad.  He's not mad, about the break up.  He doesn't hate me.”  Kurt twirled around as he waltzed around his tiny kitchen, his socks sliding on the wood floor.

“I would hope he didn't hate you, Kurt – you did tell me you two were dating again.  Why would he want to date you if he hated you?”

“Dad!  You're being obtuse.”

“Am I?  Maybe you are.”

“Dad!”  Kurt exclaimed again as he slid into his room and flopped down on his bed.  “I know what you're saying, but believe me, he would have good reason to be mad.  At least, I really thought he did.  But he's not.  And Dad…” Kurt took a deep breath.  “I'm so happy.  I think I forgot what it was like to feel this happy.”  Kurt swung his feet back and forth off the end of the bed, and threw in a few high kicks for good measure.

“Kurt, that's wonderful.  Blaine's a good kid.”

Kurt forgot, sometimes, that Burt and Blaine had had a relationship even when Kurt wasn't around.  Not just during Blaine's senior year, but after the accident, when he was in the hospital, and then rehab.  Burt had stayed in touch with Blaine after the break up, too, although he had informed Kurt in no uncertain terms that he would not be spying on Blaine for Kurt.  He realized that Burt might know quite a good deal about what Blaine had been up to over the past few years.

“Dad?  When was the last time you saw Blaine?” Kurt asked hesitantly.

“Must have been at the party his folks gave him and Sam, before they went off to college.  About a year ago, now.”

“Did you know he was coming to New York City?”

“I did.”  Kurt heard his dad pouring more coffee.  “Are you going to ask me why I didn't tell you?”

Kurt surprised himself with his answer.  “Nope.”  Whatever was going on with him and Blaine now, it was working.  And he wasn't sure it would have, a year ago.  A year ago, Kurt was still too wrapped up in grief over Finn, too heartsick, too busy trying to focus on his career in lieu of letting anyone get close.  He had a hunch that Blaine wouldn't have been ready, either.  But in any case, it was water under the bridge.  And right now he had clear, blue, sparkling water in front of him.

“Good man.”  Burt cleared his throat.  “You going to make it work this time?  Because I'm not sure how many more chances fate's gonna give you.”

“Blaine said sort of the same thing.”  Kurt laughed.  “No pressure, or anything.”

“Well, maybe a little pressure,” Burt said dryly.  “Kurt, I've got to head out.  But you tell Blaine that I'm real pleased that the two of you are together, and I'm looking forward to seeing him again sometime soon.  Okay?”

“Okay.”

-----

From Kurt:  Text me when you're done with PT?  I want to take you to lunch.

From Blaine:  I'm sorry, I can't.  Doctor's appointment.

From Kurt:  Everything okay?

From Blaine:  Just a check-up, routine stuff.

From Kurt:  I'll go with you, and we'll get lunch by the medical center.  I know a great Japanese place over there.

From Blaine:  You want to go to my doctor's appointment?

From Kurt:  Yes?  I won't go into the exam room with you or anything, I'll just keep you company while you wait.  Doctor's offices are boring. 

From Kurt:  Unless Sam's going with you?

From Blaine:  No, Sam's not going.

Kurt hesitated.  What was Blaine worried about?  Had he gone too far? 

From Kurt:  Look, I checked the guidebook for the rule governing how long you had to be reconciled with your ex-fiancé before you could go to a doctor's appointment with him, and it says three weeks.  So we're good, because it's been almost four weeks since I ran into you at the hospital spreading joy to the tiny humans.

From Blaine:  Technically our first date wasn't even two weeks ago.

From Kurt:  Technically our first date was over three years ago, smarty-pants. 

From Blaine:  Fine, you win.  You may have the pleasure of escorting me to my doctor's appointment.

From Kurt:  Hooray! 

From Blaine:  I don't know whether to be pleased that you're this excited about going to the doctor with me, or scared.

From Kurt:  (1) I just want to see you as soon as possible, because (2)

Kurt froze, realizing that he almost typed “I love you” into his phone.  There was a time and a place for that, and over text message was definitely not the time or the place.  He quickly revised his message.

From Kurt:  I just want to see your gorgeous face as soon as possible.

From Blaine:  I make no promises about the nature of my face, but I'll be done with PT at 11.  See you then?

From Kurt:  Yes!!!!!

From Blaine:  I like silly Kurt.  I can't wait to see you either.

----

Kurt met Blaine at the corner outside his physical therapist's office and presented him with a bright pink gerbera daisy. 

“Kurt!  Thank you.  What's this for?”  Blaine tilted his head up as Kurt leaned in for a quick kiss. 

“Just because,” he said.  Kurt tucked the flower into the pocket of Blaine's gym bag and crooked his left arm for Blaine to take, grinning widely the whole time. 

“Did someone sneak an extra shot of espresso into your latte this morning?”  Blaine asked as he gazed at Kurt, his warm brown eyes shining in the sunlight.  “Because you are in an unusually peppy mood.”

“No serious talks while we're walking, Blaine.  You can interrogate me all you want later.  I'm just happy, that's all.”  Kurt could tell he was entering babbling mode and he didn't care one bit.  “It's a beautiful day, I've got a hot guy on my arm, and I'm going to enjoy it.”

As they paused to let a group of runners go by, Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder.  “Me too.”

-------

Kurt sat in the waiting room, idly playing on his phone.  Even the drab décor of the doctor's office wasn't dampening his mood today.  He had made Blaine pose with the pink daisy while they were waiting for his turn with the doctor.  Kurt sent the picture to his dad with the message “See?  Not mad.”

“Are you Kurt?” a nurse asked, sticking her head into the waiting room, and Kurt nodded.  “Blaine asked if you could come on back, and bring his walking stick.”  She led Kurt to one of the exam rooms and gave him a warm smile.  “You must be so proud of your boyfriend, he's doing so well.”

Kurt paused outside the room, considering, and then knocked on the door. 

“Come in,” Blaine said.  Blaine was facing away from him, reaching for his shirt, and Kurt was struck by the sight.  All that beautiful skin.  Blaine's shoulders seemed even broader than Kurt remembered, his waist tinier in comparison.  That birthmark on his back that he hadn't seen in years.  He wanted to swoop in and kiss it.

Blaine turned towards him and Kurt inhaled sharply.  “Blaine, what's that?”

Over Blaine's ribs on his right side were several angry red lines, about five inches long, surrounded by a purpling bruise.

“Oh,” Blaine's face colored.  “It's nothing.  I, um, I just tripped.  They're just scratches, they'll heal soon.”

“Are you kidding me?  Where did you trip, a jungle?”  Kurt was up close to Blaine now, his hand waving vaguely towards the cuts on his skin.

“Kurt, it's fine.”  Blaine's voice was tight.  “I just tripped in the subway, I fell on the edge of a bench.  It was sharp.”

“I can't believe you didn't say something about this.  Wasn't it hurting you last night?  I probably dug my bony knees right into you during your mission to hug me to death.”

“Kurt, it's really not a big deal.”

“Is this why you had this appointment today?”

“No, this happened a few days ago.  I told you, this was a regular appointment about all my other stuff.” 

All my other stuff.  Actual, serious stuff.  Get a grip, Kurt told himself, you're freaking out over cuts and bruises when Blaine can't even walk without hurting.  Kurt took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, centering himself.  When he looked up, Blaine was just standing there in front of him, looking confused.  Kurt slowly took Blaine's shirt out of his hand and straightened it out.  He held it up and glanced at Blaine, waiting to see if he would protest, but Blaine didn't move.  Kurt pulled one sleeve over Blaine's arm, then the other, and brought the shirt up over his shoulders.  He could feel Blaine's breath on his neck, could smell his citrus-spicy cologne, as he stood stock still and let Kurt dress him.  Kurt did the buttons one by one, leaving the top few open.  No bowtie today.  He passed his fingers softly over Blaine's exposed collarbone, drawing a shudder from him.

Kurt smoothed the shirt down over Blaine's chest, and looked up to meet his eyes.  “I'm sorry.  I overreacted.  I think I was feeling a little… protective.”

Blaine nodded.  “It's okay.”

Kurt ran his hand down Blaine's shirt to the hem, and rubbed the edge between his fingers.  “I think you had better tuck this in yourself.”  They turned away from each other as Blaine shoved his shirttails into his tight pants – a summery light red pair that fit like a glove, Kurt had noted.  He risked a glance over his shoulder as Blaine zipped up, blushing a little as Blaine caught him admiring the rear view.

When Blaine was done, Kurt turned and took him in his arms, not giving him a chance to object.  He just held Blaine against him, relieved when Blaine's arms came up to wrap around him in turn.  Kurt felt as if his balance was returning as they stood pressed together, and the happy feeling from just a few minutes ago seeped back into his skin, spreading warmth throughout his body.  He could tell from the way Blaine's forehead had smoothed out that he was okay now, too.  But he wanted Blaine to be more than okay.

Kurt slid a hand down to Blaine's waist, pressing his shirt in where it hadn't been tucked in all the way, and ran his fingers along Blaine's belt, noting the cute little green whales on the blue background.  “Who would have thought I'd have such a preppy boyfriend,” Kurt mused.  He watched with pleasure as Blaine gave him a look, waiting for Kurt to correct himself.

“I heard the nurse say that, but she must have just assumed,” Blaine said lightly.

“What, you don't want to be my boyfriend?”

Blaine began to backtrack, but Kurt stopped him with a finger to his lips.  Kurt could see the moment that Blaine's anxiety turned to expectation, and it made him fairly vibrate with glee.

“Please, Blaine, say we can be boyfriends again,” Kurt pleaded, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably, the memory of their once upon a time picnic on the McKinley courtyard steps echoing in his ears and fueling his smile.

Blaine beamed, grabbing Kurt's face with both hands and planting a firm kiss on his lips. 

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, of course, yes,” Blaine grinned.  “And you'll note I didn't beat around the bush by arguing about celebrity couples.”

“I'm sorry there's no brass band,” Kurt teased back.

“Well, those are hard to come by once you're out of high school.”  Blaine took a deep breath, and then dove in to kiss Kurt again.  Kurt leaned back against the exam table and tugged Blaine tight against him, barely restraining himself from pulling Blaine's shirt back up out of his tight pants. 

“Everything okay in there?” A voice came from the hallway and they froze, Blaine clearing his throat helplessly before answering.

“Yes, thanks, we'll be right out.”  Blaine was blushing furiously, but smiling like a goon.

“Making out in your doctor's office, what do you think you're doing, Blaine Anderson,” Kurt joked, running his hands down Blaine's arms, and then looking around the room to gather up Blaine's belongings.  He swung Blaine's gym bag over his shoulder and handed Blaine the cane – the reason for Kurt ending up in this little room in the first place.

“Hungry?”  He didn't mean to tease, but the look on Blaine's face said he had anyway.

“I thought you wanted Japanese food?”  Blaine gave it right back, looking demurely at Kurt through his eyelashes.

Kurt laughed.  “I do, actually, the sushi at this place is fantastic.”  He opened the door for Blaine and offered his arm as they walked down the hall.  “But if you had something else in mind, I could be convinced to save it for dinner…”

----

They decided to go to the restaurant – it really was right nearby, and they were starving.  Once they had settled down at a little table by the window and ordered a ridiculous amount of sushi, Kurt pulled out his phone and scrolled to his calendar.  “So when are you guys going to Kentucky?  I'm going to have to make some plans myself.”

“We're leaving Thursday morning, coming back Sunday.”  Blaine picked up his chopsticks, rubbing them together to make sure there weren't any little splinters.  “What kind of plans did you have in mind?”

“I thought maybe I'd go see my dad.”

“New Jersey in July – the perfect vacation spot,” Blaine joked.

“Actually he's back home.  Which is good in a lot of ways.  Although worse for last minute travel plans.”  Kurt showed Blaine his screen with the train schedule.  “There's never a train when I want one.  I'll either have to miss my Thursday class, or get there in the middle of the night.”

“I'm glad, Kurt.  That Burt's back in Lima, I mean.  How are things going with him and Carole?”

“It's kind of hard for me to tell.”  Kurt put his phone down and looked up at Blaine, who stuck his hand out for Kurt to take.  “It's weird, we talk about so many things, but he's pretty quiet about this one.”

“I guess it's kind of private, when your relationship is in trouble.”  Blaine's face was drawn.

“Yeah, I've been there.”

“Me too,” Blaine nodded, then gave Kurt's hand a squeeze and smiled softly.  “But not any more, right?”

“Nope, not any more.”  Kurt smiled back.  “I talked to my dad this morning, by the way.”

“Any words of advice this time?”  Blaine loved to repeat Burt's little speeches, especially when he could tease Kurt about them. 

“He basically told me not to fuck this up,” Kurt said, grinning.  “Not in exactly those words, but it was the gist of it.”

“I love your dad,” Blaine said, genuinely.  “He's my favorite, you know.”

“Your favorite what?  How many dads of your boyfriends have you had?”

“My favorite adult that isn't my parents, how about that.”  Blaine's tone was light, but Kurt could tell he meant what he was saying.

“He's pretty fond of you too, you know.  In fact he told me to tell you that he's ‘real pleased' that we're together and he's looking forward to seeing you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”  Kurt bit his lip.  “I may have come across as being in a particularly good mood this morning.”

“Oh?  Get a good night's sleep?”  Blaine was fishing now, but Kurt wasn't going to make him guess.

“Actually, not really.  I was up for a long time, thinking about how lucky I am.”

“Do tell.”  Blaine's eyes were wide as he gazed into Kurt's, waiting.

Kurt ran his thumb along Blaine's wrist, feeling that rush of warmth again.  It had been swirling within him all day, and he had to share it.  “I'm just so happy,” he said softly.  “I know you think I didn't have any reason to feel guilty, but I did, feel that way, I mean.  It's like there's been this layer of guilt under my skin for two years, and now it's just gone.  It's actually like a weight has been lifted off of me,” Kurt didn't care that it was a cliché.  “And now that it's gone, I can just enjoy this.” Kurt waved between them, smiling so hard he could feel it in his ears.  “You.  Us.”

Blaine was beaming at him with that whole face smile he got, his eyes all crinkled up.  “Kurt,” he breathed out, uncharacteristically speechless.  He seemed to give up on finding something to say and just brought Kurt's hand to his mouth, dropping little kisses on his knuckles as Kurt giggled, keeping it up until the waitress came with their food.

After they had spent a few minutes digging into their sushi, Kurt pulled his phone back out again.  “So, what I was trying to do before is figure out when we can get together between now and when you go away.  There's a student concert at NYADA on Wednesday night if you're interested, I'm supposed to go to some of them for my class.”

“I'd like to come with you, but I'm busy Wednesday.”  Blaine paused, looking uncomfortable.  “I'm going to see Kitty.”

Kurt wished he could tell whether Blaine wanted to say more on the topic or would rather he leave it alone.  He used to be able to tell, just from looking at him, but he supposed not everything was stored in their underused synapses. 

“Isn't Kitty in Lima?”

“No.  She actually lived in Westchester before she moved to Ohio.  After the accident, her parents moved back here.  They thought she could get better medical care in New York.  They have a really nice place near Chappaqua, where the Clintons live?  About forty-five minutes by train from here, give or take.  Sam and I try to go out there every few weeks to visit.”

“How is Kitty?”  Kurt asked softly.

“You know she had head trauma from the accident?”  Blaine asked.  Kurt nodded.  Blaine was worrying his napkin between his hands.  Kurt thought that if it wasn't cloth, he would have ripped it to bits already.   “Traumatic brain injury, they call it.  She's come a long way, but it's been hard.  She's got some cognitive problems, trouble with focusing, attention, memory.  It's like she's the same Kitty inside, but her brain just doesn't cooperate.  And I don't think it helped, taking her away from all her friends…” 

“She has you and Sam.”

“It's not the same.  And I know her parents meant well, and they probably did get better treatment for her here.  It's just so hard, seeing her, and no matter how friendly Sam and I are to her, we just can't be enough.”

“Wasn't she dating Artie?”  Kurt asked.

“That didn't last, after the accident.”  Blaine paused and gave Kurt a look.  “Artie didn't look you up when he came to New York?  He started on time, he's been here for two years now.”

“I don't know.  I haven't seen him.”  Kurt felt the echo of guilt lurch towards him, and pushed it away.  He was done with that.  He reached over and pried Blaine's hand off of his well wrung napkin, taking it in his.  “You care so much for people, Blaine.  You're so strong.”

“I don't feel strong,” he mumbled, still looking down.

“You are.  I bet you know where each of the New Directions is right now.  I bet you know how they're doing, whether they're in college, whether they're dating…”

Blaine shrugged.  “Not everyone.”

“It takes strength to worry about other people, when you've got problems of your own.”

Blaine looked up at Kurt then, biting his lip.  “I worried about you, you know.”  Kurt hadn't expected that, and didn't know what to say.  “I wanted so much to talk to you, to make sure you were okay.  Maybe not at first –“

Kurt huffed out a short laugh.  “Hey, I thought you said it wasn't my fault.”

“It wasn't.  That's not what I'm trying to say.”  Blaine took a deep breath.  “I was worried about you, and I wanted to see you, but at the same time I didn't.  I think I sort of convinced myself that the city you were in and the city I was in were two entirely different places.  And then I got here, and for the first few weeks I kept expecting to see you around every corner.”

“But you didn't.”

“No, I didn't.”

“You could have called me.”

Blaine nodded, agreeing.  “And you could have called me.”

“Did we screw up?”  Kurt asked, searching Blaine's face.  He had that forehead scrunching thing going on, as he chose his words carefully.

“I don't think so.  I think everything happened the way it was supposed to.  Including this, right now.”  Blaine held out his hand for Kurt's, carefully avoiding their dishes.

Kurt took his hand and answered slowly, trying not to let his disbelief color his tone.  “Don't tell me you still believe in that whole soulmate thing?” 

“And if I do?”  Blaine's eyes were wide, his expression open and earnest.

“Well, you'd think if we were soulmates the past few years would have been easier.”

“I don't think it's a guarantee of having things be easy.  It just means you're the one for me, and I'm the one for you.”  Kurt couldn't believe how Blaine could say things like that, as if it cost him nothing to admit it, to open himself up so completely.  But he hoped he'd never stop.