“So we've got an anniversary coming up, and I thought we should do something special,” Kurt said, precariously balancing a bowl of popcorn and two sodas as he came to join Blaine on the couch.

“What, movie night isn't special?” Blaine joked, taking the sodas out of Kurt's hands and placing them on the tray on the ottoman. 

“Of course it is, sweetie.  Every night is special with you,” Kurt said, exaggeratedly sappy, as he curled up against Blaine, rubbing his face against the soft nub of his sweater.  “It's true, you know,” he whispered into Blaine's ear, making him squirm.

“I know.”  Blaine set the popcorn aside and took Kurt into his arms, the discussion of a night out momentarily forgotten as he pressed popcorn flavored kisses into his lips.  “Actually,” Blaine said, pulling back, “tonight's an anniversary too.  The six month anniversary of our Reunion Day.”

“Reunion Day?”

“Yeah.  That's what we should call the day you saw me singing at the hospital.”  Blaine took Kurt's hand and rubbed his thumb against his palm. 

“So between that and our six month anniversary of being boyfriends again, we definitely deserve a night out,” Kurt repeated.

“I agree.  I actually had something in mind, if you're interested.”  Kurt gave Blaine an inquiring look, and he continued.  “I want to go dancing with you,” Blaine said shyly.

“Yeah?”  Kurt flashed back to a slow dance with Blaine last summer at a NYADA fundraiser, Blaine flushed with embarrassment about his leg, but pushing through it anyway to stand and sway with Kurt.  “Too bad I can't waltz with you,” Blaine had confessed sadly then.  How far he'd come, his brave beau.

“Yeah.  Sam and Cora went to this place a few weeks ago,” Blaine pulled out his phone and scrolled to the page.  “It might be fun.”

Blaine had clearly given this some thought.  “I think it sounds perfect,” Kurt said, leaning in to kiss Blaine again. 

Kurt really couldn't believe it had been six months since he ran into Blaine at the hospital; the time had gone so fast.  Especially when school started up again, and they both got busy, it seemed that one weekend followed the next with astonishing speed.  They had worked hard to carve out time to spend together regardless of their other commitments, and trusted in themselves to make it through the times when texts and phone calls had to take the place of cozy dinners and sleepovers. 

Kurt knew that the honeymoon period was supposed to be over, but sometimes he wondered if with Blaine, it ever would be.  He still got a thrill whenever Blaine walked into a room, his beautiful brown eyes searching him out and sparkling with happiness to see him.  His heart beat faster when Blaine took his hand, whether they were snuggled up against each other in bed or just having coffee together at Layla's. 

The fall had also brought both of them plenty of opportunities to do what they loved.  Now that Kurt had a better understanding of what went wrong for him in the past, he could throw himself into his NYADA work wholeheartedly, and just let himself enjoy it.  He was selected to be the creative director for the freshman musical, and although it kept him up at night, worrying about whether the kids could pull it off, he was having the time of his life.  He had a lead in the fall play, and was doing a master class with one of his favorite actors.  And Blaine was performing, both in his class with Madame Tibideaux and in his a capella group.  Kurt was so proud of Blaine when he stood in front of an audience and sang his heart out, his face always a glowing combination of excitement and shy pride when he caught Kurt gazing over at him.  His a capella group's first major concert of the year had been just before Thanksgiving when they performed with two of NYU's other ensembles, including the co-ed group Marley sang in.  The hall had been packed, with Kurt, Sam, Cora and Rachel cheering Blaine and Marley on from the front row.  Blaine had arranged three of the group's seven numbers, and had a solo, too, a rare thing for a new group member.  The group didn't do much in the way of choreography, although Kurt privately thought Blaine would likely try to change that as he grew more confident.  As it was, he performed without using his cane, holding himself carefully, resting a hand on the shoulder or the arm of the student next to him from time to time.  He only wobbled seriously once, when the members rearranged themselves between songs, and the man at his side quickly reached out and held his elbow until he steadied.  It didn't seem to faze Blaine in the least, as he grinned and accepted the touch, quickly returning his focus to their next number.  Kurt had been sitting next to Sam at the time, and Sam's relieved whisper of “atta boy, Blaine,” had made Kurt once again grateful for the way Sam cared for Blaine.

Blaine and Sam were navigating their second year together in the city well, although Kurt thought the intensity of their relationship had abated somewhat with the addition of Cora, Rachel, and of course Kurt to their social circle, as well as Marley, and to a lesser extent the members of Blaine's a capella group, and other NYADA friends of Cora's.  He didn't think this was a bad thing, although Blaine and Sam still seemed to have a little bit of separation anxiety from time to time, which generally resulted in a Blam movie night to restore balance to the force.  All in all, life was remarkably good.

----------

The Saturday night Blaine and Kurt had chosen for their anniversary celebration was cold and blustery.  Blaine and Kurt were both excited, however, and chatted happily together as they made their way down the windy streets, Blaine's arm tightly curled around Kurt's, with Kurt's scarf whipping around them whenever the wind gusted. 

Blaine was a little nervous about their plans for tonight, even though it had been his idea.  His injury had taken so many things away from him, and the pure physical pleasure of dancing was one of them.  It had been two and a half years since the accident, and he still wasn't fully recovered, although he continued to make slow progress.  The surgery this past summer had in fact done quite a lot to reduce his pain, although the stiffness in his thigh muscles and resulting challenges with balance remained, and might never go away completely.  But he was dying to go dancing with Kurt, to let the music fill them and spin them around, and although it might not go exactly according to plan, he wanted to give it a try.

They finally reached the club, and gratefully went inside.  Kurt frowned when he saw his reflection in a mirror, dismayed at what the wind had done to his hair, but when he saw Blaine watching him he just made a face.  “You look gorgeous,” Blaine whispered in his ear as Kurt took his arm, leading them down the hall.  Sometimes Blaine still couldn't believe that he and Kurt were back together.  They weren't the same couple they had been before the accident, and when he was honest with himself, this was a good thing.  Back then their relationship was based on a high school romance and heartfelt wishes for the future.  The accident had torn them apart, but when they finally reunited, they had done so with care, examining their weak spots as well as their strengths.  Blaine thought they both not only understood each other better than they had before, but they had more patience for the other's flaws.  When Kurt withdrew, Blaine gave him space, confident that when he was ready, Kurt would tell him what was wrong.  Kurt understood that sometimes Blaine's insecurities still got the best of him, and didn't take it personally if he needed some extra reassurance sometimes.  There was no doubt in Blaine's mind that their relationship was stronger now than it had ever been before. 

The music was loud inside the club, not surprisingly, and it immediately thrummed its way into Blaine's body, making him bounce with excitement as they found a small table near the dance floor.  Kurt left for a minute and returned with some brightly colored rum punch drinks, which Blaine gratefully accepted.  They sipped at their drinks for a while, free hands clasped on top of the table, elbows knocking together.  Kurt really looked amazing tonight, Blaine thought, with a snug black vest over a dark purple shirt, open at the top, with his long neck uncharacteristically bare and tempting.  Blaine had sort of chickened out when it came to getting dressed for the evening, finally settling on a teal button-up with a barely visible pattern running through it and gold jeans that he knew Kurt loved, along with a yellow and gray bowtie.  Sam had teased him when he put it on – you're going to be dancing, Blaine, don't you want to be able to breathe? – but Blaine loved when Kurt pulled his bowties off at the end of the night, the silk sliding through his collar, Kurt's eyes flashing blue with arousal.  Overall, Blaine had been trying to balance looking good for his boyfriend with not drawing too much attention to what were bound to be his somewhat awkward moves on the dance floor, but he realized with a smile that with Kurt at his side, attention would find them regardless of his own attire. 

Blaine observed the crowd as they finished up their drinks.  As Sam had predicted, it was a mix of gay and straight couples, along with some groups dancing together in no particular combinations.  It didn't seem to be as much of a pick-up scene as some of the other places Cora had told him about when he quizzed her a few weeks ago, trying to find a good place for their anniversary celebration.  He noticed Kurt finishing his drink, and braced himself for what was certain to come next.  He grinned when Kurt stood up and offered his hand to Blaine.  “May I have this dance?”

“It would be my pleasure.”  He left his cane hooked over the back of his chair as they made their way on to the dance floor, relying on Kurt to keep him steady.  A slow number was playing, and they wrapped themselves around each other and swayed gently. 

“How's your leg tonight?” Kurt asked. “Just so I know what to expect.”

“What to expect?” Blaine replied, confused.

“Yeah, you know, dancing with wild and reckless abandon, or sedate swaying.  Or something in between.”

God, he loved Kurt.  “Something in between, I think.”

“Sounds good.”  Kurt pulled Blaine in close and nuzzled his cheek.  “You'll let me know if it hurts, though, right?”

“I will.”  And he would.  Because Blaine had found that letting Kurt know when he was hurting didn't make Kurt back away, as he had once feared.  Instead, Kurt time and again just came closer, wanting to soothe away his pain.  If nothing else the past six months had shown him how strong Kurt had become, how determined he was now to face not only his own fears, but to help Blaine face his as well.  Kurt had told Blaine before his surgery this summer that he could rely on him, and Blaine was learning that he could.  He tried his best to show Kurt that he could be trusted, too.  All of it was scary, but so far, worth every moment.

The next number was a fast song, and Blaine experimentally put a little space between them, hands still on Kurt's shoulders.  He began to move to the music, letting it flow through him, thankful for the little bit of alcohol that took the edge off of his self-consciousness.  Kurt was smiling at him, one hand reassuringly at his waist, the other roaming up over his body.  After a few minutes Kurt took one of Blaine's hands off his shoulder and twined it together with his own.  He spun Blaine around, catching him when he wobbled, and laughing happily into his ear.  “You look beautiful tonight,” Kurt said breathily, pulling Blaine in close again.  “I'm so glad we're here together.”

Blaine's heart swelled at Kurt's declaration.  “Me too.”  He pressed a little kiss into Kurt's neck, and then Kurt spun them around again, Blaine dizzy with happiness.

Later, when Blaine stumbled several times in a row, Kurt turned him so that his back was pressed up against Kurt, Kurt's arms wrapped around his waist and chest.  “Relax, baby,” Kurt whispered in his ear, his head over Blaine's shoulder, his cheek up against his.  “I've got you.”  Blaine let one of his hands reach up and around to the back of Kurt's neck, feeling exposed even in the darkness of the nightclub, but so thoroughly enjoying himself that there was no way he was going to put a stop to it.  The way Kurt was pressing kisses under his jaw and moving his hand over his chest was quickly reducing Blaine to a whimpering mess, and from what Blaine could tell from where his ass was pressed back against Kurt, Kurt was enjoying himself as well.  After this exquisite torture had gone on for a while, Kurt turned Blaine back to face him again, and Blaine wrapped himself tightly around Kurt, practically panting.  

“Unless we want to go home right now, I think we need to take a break,” Blaine suggested, and Kurt smirked, giving Blaine's ass a quick squeeze as he nodded his agreement.  They made their way back over to their table and had a few more drinks, Blaine leaning up against Kurt while Kurt lazily played with the curls at the back of his head. 

“You like it better without the gel, don't you?”  Blaine asked.

“I like it both ways,” Kurt said diplomatically.

Blaine raised his eyebrow at him.  “Be honest.”

“Fine.  I like it better without the gel.”

“Why didn't you ever tell me?”  Blaine asked.  He had spent so much time taming his curls in high school, despite the occasional “gel helmet” digs, thinking that it was somehow making him look objectively better.  

“You looked perfectly handsome with the gel.  And you seemed to need it.”

“Maybe I did.”  Kurt knew him so well, even back then.  His hand strayed to his bowtie.  “Sam teased me for wearing this tonight, said it was too much for dancing.”

“Sam clearly misunderstands the point of fashion.  Plus, we've danced with bowties on millions of times.”

“Want to know why I kept it on?” 

“Why?”

Blaine leaned in close and whispered into Kurt's ear.  “So you could take it off later.”

Kurt looked at Blaine as his mouth dropped open.  “I didn't realize you noticed how much I like to do that,” he said, eyes glazing over.

Blaine smiled, thinking about how Kurt got when he was turned on, when they were alone and it was safe for him to let go.  Often times Kurt could be hard to read, but not then.  “Come on,” Blaine said, standing up and putting his hand out for Kurt.  “Let's dance some more before we get distracted again.”

“Footloose” was playing, and Blaine bopped around for a few minutes, trying to make his feet move the way he wanted them to, then gave up, flopping against Kurt.  “I'm worse than Sam.”

“What do you mean?”

“We did a routine to ‘Footloose' in Glee senior year, and for the life of him, Sam couldn't get it right.  He kicked me so many times I had bruises.”

“You've gotten so much better, though.  And you're still improving.”  Kurt said, rubbing his back comfortingly.

“I know.”  Blaine sighed, and laid his head on Kurt's shoulder.  “I might not ever be like I was before, though.”

“How you do feel about that?” Kurt asked, when Blaine didn't go on.

“Surprisingly, not as bad as you'd think.  I mean, given that at one point I thought I'd never be able to walk again, this is pretty damn good.”  Blaine took Kurt's hand and spun them around together for a minute.  “I mean, it's not perfect, but I think it's workable.”

“Me too,” Kurt said, giving Blaine a kiss and pulling him closer again.  “You know, I'll never be like I was before, either,” Kurt said seriously.  “I think that's kind of what life does to you.”

Blaine smiled.  “You're right.  And this life is pretty amazing.”  He squeezed Kurt tighter and rested their foreheads together.  “Happy six month anniversary,” he said, barely moving his face away from Kurt's.

Blaine could feel Kurt smiling as he replied.  “Happy anniversary to you, too.”  Kurt shifted until he caught Blaine's eyes, suddenly looking shy.  “I, um, I brought something to show you.”

Blaine glanced over at their table, confused.  “Where?”

“In my pocket.”

Blaine grinned.  “Are we playing the riddle game?” he asked, thinking of the Hobbit. 

Kurt blushed and ducked his head down.  “I didn't think you'd guess so fast.”

“Kurt?”  Blaine was confused, but reached around to Kurt's ass and slid his fingers into one of his back pockets, pressing himself tightly against Kurt as he did.  He could feel Kurt's breath coming faster as he curled around him.  The first pocket he tried was empty, but when he poked into the second one, he felt cool metal.  Their ring.  Blaine carefully pulled it out and brought it around in front of them, letting the light catch it.

“Not for now,” Kurt said, his hand wrapping around Blaine's.  “But I wanted you to know that someday, I'm going to give it to you.”

“Give it back?”  That wasn't what Blaine was expecting to hear, and from Kurt's expression he knew that's not what he meant.

“No, my oblivious love.  Give it to you to wear.  It's your turn.  And that way all those fawning a capella fans of yours will know you're mine.”

“But it's yours,” Blaine protested.

“It's ours.”  Kurt said.  “It doesn't matter which one of us is wearing it, or whether either of us is wearing it at all.  It means that we belong together.”  Kurt took the ring and gave it a little kiss, then held it to Blaine's lips for him to do the same.  Blaine felt his heart fluttering in his chest, remembering how he used to kiss the ring when it was on Kurt's hand, the metal warmed by his body. 

Blaine cleared his throat around the lump that was forming there.  “So what has it been doing the past few years?” 

“Waiting,” Kurt said, an uncharacteristically silly smile on his face.

“The ring was waiting?”

“Yup.  It knew it was only a matter of time.”

“So you don't believe in soulmates, but the ring does?”  Blaine asked, twirling it around in his fingers.

“Obviously,” Kurt answered.  He reached to pluck it away from Blaine just as a passing waiter bumped into his shoulder, and the ring clattered to the ground.  “Shit!”  Luckily it hadn't gone far, and after a minute of frantic searching in between the feet of the other people on the dance floor, Kurt had it back.  Blaine was giggling helplessly as Kurt pulled them over to their table, examining the ring for damage.  “Frisky ring,” he muttered.  “It better not be sticky.”

“Here,” Blaine said, shifting in his chair as he tugged a handkerchief out of his pocket.  “I was going to give this to you tonight anyway.”  Kurt took the white square from him and unfolded it, seeing embroidered words running all along its borders. 

“Blaine,” Kurt said, his eyes wide.  “I thought we said no gifts.”

“Then think of it as a loan.  To keep our ring safe, until we're ready for it.”

Kurt spread the handkerchief out, turning it as he read.  “Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun does move.  Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.”  He looked up at Blaine, his eyes wide and shining.  “This is beautiful.  It must have taken you forever.”

Blaine laughed.  “Yeah, it kind of did.  The quote is from Hamlet.  It's actually been set to music – I think I sang it in choir in middle school, and I never forgot it.”

Kurt reverently wrapped the ring up in the embroidered cloth and tucked it back in his pocket, then pulled Blaine in for a hard, searing kiss.  “I still don't know if I believe in soulmates,” Kurt said, his head nestled up against Blaine's, his breath warm on his neck.  “But I believe in us.” 

“I believe in us too.”  Blaine sat back and ran his finger across Kurt's cheek.  “I love you like crazy, you know that?”

Kurt smiled, hearing one of his favorite phrases come out of Blaine's mouth.  “I love you like crazy, too.”  He stood and offered Blaine his hand.

Blaine hesitated.  “Kurt, I really don't think I have any more dancing in me tonight.”  He had been having a fantastic time, but his leg was starting to ache.

“I actually had a different type of dance in mind,” Kurt said with a mischievous look on his face.  “Although, if you're too tired…”

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and popped out of his seat, grabbing his cane on the way.  “Nope, not too tired.  Wide awake, in fact.”

“That's what I thought.”

As they made their way out of the club, Blaine rested his hand over Kurt's back pocket, wondering how he could have missed the ring hidden in there before.  He ran his fingers over where it was tucked inside, causing Kurt to squirm.  “This is going to give you weird associations with my ass from now on, isn't it,” Kurt commented. 

Blaine laughed.  “I don't think I could love you – or your ass – any more than I already do.  But don't tell Sam about this, or he'll find a way to work it into his best man speech.”

“Still think Sam will be your best man?”  Kurt asked, grinning.  “It's not like you guys are that close anymore.”

“Very funny.” 

They were chilled to the bone by the time they made it back to Kurt's apartment, and made fast work of shedding their clothes and diving under the blankets, Kurt pausing only to place the ring and its wrapping in the bottom drawer of his jewelry box.  They snuggled up together, cold toes pressed against calves, arms holding each other close.  “How did we get so lucky,” Kurt murmured, rubbing his nose against Blaine's.

“Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles,” Blaine hummed.  Whether or not Kurt believed in soulmates didn't matter.  Despite tragedy and distance, despite fears and doubts, something had brought them together again.  And this time, Blaine didn't think anything could pull them apart.