Chapter One:  Ours

Thursday June 14, 2012

Kurt woke early Thursday morning. The first thing he became aware of was Blaine’s naked body wrapped around him like an octopus. He flushed as he remembered the night before, rolling over in Blaine’s arms. Blaine clung to him tighter and Kurt couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled up from his throat. He kissed Blaine’s soft lips, pulling back to see his hazel eyes gazing back at him. Kurt brushed a tendril of curls back from his forehead.

“I can get used to waking up like this every morning,” Blaine said with a brilliant smile.

“Me too,” Kurt replied. He kissed Blaine again, moaning happily when Blaine deepened the kiss. Kurt nipped at his lips, not surprised when Blaine rolled him onto his back with a groan, blanketing his body with his own. They gave themselves over into their passion, pouring all of their love into each other.

K/B

“I suppose we should get up,” Blaine said a while later.

Kurt rolled over to glance at the clock on his nightstand. He protested, “It’s only eight o’clock.”

“I know, baby, but this is the first day we have to actually explore the city. Now that we’re all settled in we can have some fun,” Blaine replied. He leaned over and kissed Kurt quickly before climbing out of bed.

“I thought we were having fun!” Kurt called after him. Blaine laughed but continued on his way.

Kurt allowed himself to be distracted by Blaine’s nakedness as his fiancé walked around the bed before disappearing into their dressing room. Sighing, Kurt sat up and looked around their bedroom. The penthouse was two floors. The entire upper floor was the master suite. Coming up the stairs, if you through the door straight across, you would enter the master bedroom. To the left of the stairs was the master study as well as the north outdoor room. To the right was the south outdoor room, which the master bedroom looked out upon.

The master bedroom was the largest room in the apartment, only slightly bigger than the living room downstairs. In between the two big windows that looked out on the outdoor room was a fireplace; over the fireplace hung a flat screen TV. Bookcases surrounded the room, already filled with both Kurt and Blaine’s favorite books. Their bed was a queen-size with a white canopy; it was across from the fireplace against the back wall. A bench sat at the foot of the bed.

The right side of the room opened into the dressing area, which consisted of two closets and an alcove where Kurt had put his vanity. There was a door leading outside the apartment to stairs and an elevator as well. A door also led into the master bedroom.

With a sigh, Kurt drug himself out of bed. He bypassed his closet, not concerned with his nudity in the slightest, instead shuffling into Blaine’s. Blaine had just pulled on his navy blue robe when Kurt pressed up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist. Kurt pressed his lips to Blaine’s neck, pulling back just enough to murmur, “Do we have to get dressed? Can’t we just stay in bed all day?”

“You are far too tempting, Kurt Hummel,” Blaine said, spinning around in his fiancé’s arms. “We can stay in bed all day tomorrow. Today, I want to explore.”

“I don’t think there’s much more exploring to be done, but hey I’m not going to stop you from trying,” Kurt said with a sly grin.

“The city, explore the city,” Blaine said, shaking his head in amusement. “And you say I’m incorrigible. Go get some clothes on.”

Blaine turned Kurt around, swatting his ass as Kurt walked away. He laughed when Kurt exclaimed, “Hey!”

Five minutes later, Kurt and Blaine emerged from their bedroom, both dressed in their pajamas and robes. Climbing down the stairs, they weren’t surprised to hear Finn and Rachel already in the kitchen. They walked down the long hallway, entering the kitchen.

“Good morning!” Rachel chimed brightly.

“It would be if Blaine was still naked,” Kurt said grumpily, heading straight to his Keurig coffeemaker while Blaine moved towards the stove and set about scrambling some egg whites.

“Ew! Dude, you’re my brother. I do not need to know about your sex life,” Finn said, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

Kurt didn’t reply, instead choosing to stare at the coffeemaker until his cup was finished brewing. Only then did he return his attention to the others.

“So, what’re we doing today?” Rachel asked, sipping at her own coffee.

“I thought we could explore Gramercy Park a bit,” Blaine replied. “It’s the only private park in Manhattan. You have to have a key to gain access.”

“And you have one?” Kurt asked, downing his entire cup of coffee before turning back to his Keurig to make another.

“Residents here get a key. Do I need to cut you off?” Blaine asked, eyeing Kurt as he placed another K-cup in the coffee machine.

“Blaine Anderson, if you ever want to have sex again you will leave my coffee alone,” Kurt said, turning to glare at him.

Finn choked on his milk while Rachel couldn’t help but laugh at the stricken expression on Blaine’s face. Blaine quickly recovered, asking hurriedly, “Do you need more K-cups?”

Kurt laughed, shaking his head as he took a sip of his second cup of coffee. He joined his stepbrother and best friend at the table. Silence fell over the group as Blaine finished the eggs and toasted bread for all of them. Rachel moved to grab plates and forks from the cabinet diagonal from the microwave and the drawer under the cabinet in the far left corner of the kitchen. By the time she had set the table, Blaine had brought over the eggs and toast.

“Thanks for breakfast, Blaine. It’s delicious,” Rachel said after swallowing a bite of eggs.

“Yeah, thanks, dude,” Finn said around a mouthful of toast and eggs.

“Finn, don’t be disgusting,” Kurt scolded him, disgust evident on his face.

“Sorry,” Finn said after swallowing.

Laughing at the exchange between stepbrothers Blaine replied, “You’re welcome. Though I must point out it’s pretty hard to screw up scrambled eggs and toast.”

“Obviously, you’ve never seen Finn try to cook,” Kurt said, visibly cringing. “He doesn’t even know how to separate egg whites.”

“Why would I need to know that?” Finn asked.

Kurt opened his mouth to answer but Blaine was quick to cut him off, “Don’t you two get started. This is only our fourth day here.”

Kurt glared at Finn, but didn’t say anything else. After they finished eating, the foursome separated to get dressed and ready for the day. It took thirty minutes for Kurt to complete his moisturizing routine. Blaine was already dressed and waiting on him by the time Kurt had selected his outfit.

“You ready, baby?” Blaine asked when Kurt emerged from his closet.

“Ready,” Kurt said, pulling Blaine to his feet. He brushed their lips together before lacing their fingers together and leading him out of the room.

Rachel had just gotten out of the shower when Kurt and Blaine entered the living room from the hallway. Finn was out on the terrace. Hearing Kurt and Blaine enter the room, he reentered the apartment, sliding the glass door closed behind him.

“Man, it feels great outside,” Finn said. “Why are you wearing long sleeves, Kurt?”

Blaine could have hit Finn for his forgetfulness. He knew Finn didn’t mean it, but Kurt had an instant reaction to the words. He visibly stiffened, wrapping his arms around himself, as if Finn could see his scars through his shirt.

“You know why, Finn,” Kurt said in a broken whisper. Blaine’s mind flashed back to the night before.

Kurt and Blaine had spent the day relaxing with Finn and Rachel. All four of them were exhausted from the move, and were glad to finally have a day where they could do absolutely nothing. They settled into the living room, watching a late night movie together. Rachel fell asleep before it was over. Finn carried her to their bedroom, not having the heart to wake her. Blaine turned to his fiancé.

“Are you ready for bed, love?”

“Not necessarily for bed, but I may be up for other things,” Kurt said with a seductive smile.

“Oh really now? Well, in that case, what are we waiting on?” Blaine asked.

He lifted Kurt off the couch, carrying out of the living room to the hallway and up the stairs to the master suite. Blaine wasted no time in ridding them both of their clothes. Once they were naked, Blaine gently pushed Kurt back on the bed. He took Kurt’s left hand in his, kissing Elizabeth Hummel’s engagement ring where it rested on his third finger. He trailed kisses up his left forearm before turning to his fiancé’s right hand. He kissed each finger of Kurt’s right hand, kissing his way up Kurt’s forearm. Kurt stiffened when Blaine kissed the worst of his scars. Kurt didn’t remember when he had caused most of his scars, but he did remember the worst of them. The one that could have resulted in his death had faded to a dark purple color, but it was obvious how deep it had been. The newer ones, inflicted after Karofsky’s suicide attempt and the Chandler incident, were still an angry red, the skin raised and puckered. Kurt jerked his arm out of Blaine’s grasp, overwhelmed with shame.

“You don’t have to pretend,” Kurt said in a hard voice, averting his eyes.

“Pretend what?” Blaine asked, though he already knew the answer.

“That they don’t disgust you,” Kurt said, referring to his scars. He forced himself to return Blaine’s gaze.

“They don’t, baby. You’re beautiful, Kurt, so beautiful. And no amount of scars could ever change that.”

Blaine was torn out of his memory when he heard Finn say, “I’m so sorry, Kurt. I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay, Finn,” Kurt said quietly.

Blaine knew it was hard for Kurt to even let him see his scars, let alone strangers that didn’t know his story. He had been very surprised when Kurt had slept shirtless when they were in Chicago for Nationals, especially with all the glee guys sharing one room. But Kurt had only taken his shirt off once he was safely under the covers, ensuring that no one but Blaine could see his scarred torso. Kurt always drew comfort from the feeling of Blaine’s bare skin against his, and with all the anxiety Nationals had brought, Kurt needed to do everything he could to calm himself.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, knowing he was trying to hold himself together. Finn stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Finally he said, “I’m going to go see if Rachel is ready.”

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked after Finn had disappeared into the hallway.

“I’m fine,” Kurt replied too quickly. Blaine shot him a look. Kurt sighed. “Okay, so I’m not. But I will be. I just want to go to the park with my fiancé, my stepbrother, and my best friend, and not worry about anything. Remember, we’re starting over here.”

“That we are,” Blaine agreed, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“Are you ready to go?” Rachel asked, walking into the room with Finn trailing behind her.

“Just a second. I forgot to grab my guitar,” Blaine said. He sprinted back up to the master suite, returning with his guitar case in hand. He seized Kurt’s hand in his. “Let’s go!”

Gramercy Park was across the street from the Gramercy Park Hotel. Kurt looked around the park. He had been to Central Park before, and while it was absolutely gorgeous, Gramercy Park was beautiful, yet quaint. Rachel had brought a blanket along with them. Kurt led the way to a tall oak tree that reminded him of his favorite in Schoonover Park in Lima. Rachel laid out the blanket, and they all sat down on it. Blaine opened his guitar case, pulling his guitar onto his lap.

Blaine played Disney songs at first, and then began taking requests. He wasn’t surprised when Kurt requested “Teenage Dream.” Blaine poured his heart and soul into the song, gazing deeply into Kurt’s cerulean eyes while he sang. When he finished, Kurt pulled the guitar over his head, setting it aside. He kissed Blaine passionately, reveling in the fact that they could do this in public now. Still, they were aware of Finn and Rachel’s presence. They pulled back just in time to hear a snide voice ask, “You faggots already have sections of the city devoted to you. Is nothing sacred now?”

“What’s your problem?” Finn exclaimed angrily, jumping to his feet. But the woman was already walking away.

Blaine’s eyes flew to Kurt’s face. His eyes were brimming with tears that he was obviously fighting. Blaine pulled him into his arms, holding him close.

“Don’t let her bother you, baby. She’s just one little-minded woman out of the entire city,” Blaine tried to assure him.

“You don’t know that,” Kurt said tearfully. “There could be thousands more people like her.”

“You’re right, I don’t know that. But I do know that this city is one of the most accepting in the country. Come on, baby, please don’t cry. Here, give me my guitar.”

Curious, Kurt handed Blaine’s guitar back to him. Blaine slipped the shoulder strap over his head. His eyes locked with Kurt’s as he began to play.

Elevator buttons and morning air,

Strangers' silence makes me want to take the stairs.

If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares.

But right now my time is theirs.

Back in Lima, New York had been full of hope for Kurt and Blaine. They both couldn’t stand to stay in Lima, and knew they had to get out, together. Kurt’s dream had been New York for as long as he could remember. And while Blaine had spent some time in the city, he knew he could never grow tired of it. Especially with Kurt by his side.

Seems like there’s always someone who disapproves;

They’ll judge it like they know about me and you.

And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do;

The jury’s out but my choice is you.

In Lima, they had never been free to be themselves. They could only hold hands in the hallway of McKinley when the jocks weren’t present. And they could never kiss or cuddle like other couples could. Kurt hated having to hide his affection for Blaine. But no matter what others thought about their love, he tried his hardest to keep his head held high. It wasn’t always easy, but he would not live a lie.

So don’t you worry your pretty little mind.

People throw rocks at things that shine,

And life makes love look hard.

The stakes are high, the water’s rough,

But this love is ours.

Love was not always easy, and it was even harder when that love wasn’t “traditional.” But for Kurt and Blaine, the challenge wasn’t loving each other, it was proving to others that their love wasn’t wrong. In the end, all it came down to was they were the same as any man and woman in love, but they were two men.

You never know what people have up their sleeves.

Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me,

Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles.

But I don’t care ‘cause right now you’re mine.

Being gay meant a lifetime of coming out. You couldn’t just look at someone and determine their sexuality, despite the fact that Kurt did not believe that fact applied to himself. The scary part was not knowing how someone would react to the news. In the past, Kurt had been bullied because of his sexuality. Blaine had been too. Both of their experiences haunted them, though Kurt had a particularly hard time dealing with the memories. But Blaine was determined to help Kurt move past that, no matter what it took.

And you’ll say,

“Don’t you worry your pretty little mind.

People throw rocks at things that shine,

And life makes love look hard.

The stakes are high, the water’s rough,

But this love is ours.”

People were afraid of what they didn’t understand. And for some reason they could not understand that loving someone of the same sex was not wrong. Their fear made them close-minded.

And it’s not theirs to speculate

If it’s wrong and,

Your hands are tough

But they are where mine belong and,

I’ll fight their doubt and give you faith

With this song for you.

The fact of the matter was that people would not always accept their love. But Blaine didn’t care what others thought. He had Kurt, and that was all he needed. Blaine would never be afraid to let their love shine, not anymore.

‘Cause I love the gap between your teeth.

And I love the riddles that you speak.

And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored,

‘Cause my heart is yours.

Kurt couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on Blaine’s face. Blaine smiled widely as he continued to sing. The song had done exactly what he had hoped and cheered Kurt considerably. Kurt had been too sad over the past two years. Blaine didn’t want him to be sad for a moment longer.

So don't you worry your pretty little mind.

People throw rocks at things that shine,

And life makes love look hard.

Don't you worry your pretty little mind.

People throw rocks at things that shine,

But they can't take what's ours.

They can't take what's ours.

The stakes are high, the water's rough.

But this love is ours.

“Thank you,” Kurt said when Blaine had finished playing and set his guitar aside once more.

“Don’t thank me. Just be happy. I only want you to be happy,” Blaine said. He leaned over, and right there in front of Rachel, Finn, and everyone, he kissed Kurt deeply. When they separated, he pulled Kurt to his feet. Kurt started to ask what he was doing but before he could, Blaine was yelling as loud as he could, “I love Kurt Hummel!”

Kurt flushed, but something about the look on Blaine’s face had him screaming, “I love Blaine Anderson!”

Blaine pulled Kurt into his arms, laughing. He kissed him once more before asking, “Forever?”

“Always.”