The day Kurt arrived back in New York, it was pouring with rain.

He and Finn hadn’t even thought of grabbing an umbrella, and they both hurried from the train station, hoping to catch a cab before they were drenched. It took him a couple of minutes, but soon enough they were both in the backseat, looking out the window at the city veiled by the thunder.

It hadn’t been even a week since they had left, but it was always too long without New York.

Ohio had been a welcome break, though. Kurt felt rested and a lot calmer after their little trip. Not everything was fixed - he still couldn’t erase what had happened, what he had done - but he felt a little more ready to face it, now. He felt like he would be alright.

He had called the theatre the previous day, and they expected him for rehearsal later. Kurt hadn’t expected them to be so incredibly understanding and kind - he was, after all, just in the ensemble, and was easily replaceable. But he was happy to know he still had a job. He was happy to know his life hadn’t gone down the drain while a nightmare chased him.

The taxi stopped in front of Finn’s building, who fished some money out of his pocket and handed it to the driver. He grabbed his bag and opened the door, turning back to look at Kurt when he didn’t move.

There was something he really, really needed to do.

“Aren’t you coming?” Finn asked in confusion.

Kurt glanced at him. He pushed his own bag towards Finn so he would take it into the apartment as well. Finn’s face lit up in understanding, and he winked at Kurt, before closing the car door and rushing into the building, once again trying to avoid the rain.

Kurt turned to the driver, and told him a new address. The man immediately pulled back into traffic and headed towards the hospital.

Above everything else, Kurt needed to see Blaine.

*

Blaine’s hospital room was crowded. Between his friends fuzzing over him, the doctors and nurses coming and going, and the insane amount of balloons with get well messages that Brittany had sent him, he could barely move two steps without bumping into someone or something.

It was driving him insane.

Luckily, it was his last few hours there. He would be free to go home soon, and he honestly couldn’t wait to walk out the hospital’s doors without looking back.

On the other hand, Santana had clearly intimidated half the hospital staff, because they were suddenly eager to run one last round of tests on him before letting him go. He’d had x-rays and a CT-scan earlier, and now he was about to head to another session of physical therapy for his arm. He was sure he would regain full use of it in just one or two more weeks, but apparently he wasn’t allowed to complain. Santana had glared at him as soon as he opened his mouth to say he was fine.

Sam and Rachel were sitting on either side of him. They were happy to be there and share news from the bureau, which Blaine appreciated because he hated being away from work. However, he wished they would both vanish as soon as the door was cracked open with a shy little knock, and Kurt peered into the room.

Blaine sat up so quickly he bumped his head into a big blue balloon.

“Kurt!” He exclaimed. He was so relieved to see him. Despite their conversation over the phone, Blaine hadn’t been able to convince himself that Kurt would come back, eventually.

“Hi,” he said, stepping inside, but looking around as if he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be there or not. “Uhm. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“I’m so glad to see you.” Blaine looked at both Sam and Rachel pointedly, but they didn’t seem to catch the hint, because they remained where they were, happily and obnoxiously clueless. “Uhm. How was… how was Ohio?”

Rachel perked up at that. “Oh, Santana mentioned you and Finn went on a little trip. How is he doing?”

Kurt blinked at her for a moment. He seemed so unsure and out of place standing there in the middle of the room, like he was wondering if he made the right decision coming here. “He’s fine. We both needed the time away, but… we’re happy to be back,” he said this last thing looking right into Blaine’s eyes.

Blaine felt himself melting. They were right on the edge of something so special, and Blaine just wanted to take the damn leap.

“Please say hi to him from me,” Rachel continued, twirling her hair on a finger, which she only did when she was nervous.

“I will,” Kurt said. Then there was silence and he just stood there awkwardly. “Uhm. Maybe I should…”

“Please don’t go,” Blaine blurted out before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat as all the eyes in the room settled on him. “I’d love to talk to you if… guys, do you mind?” He said, done with being polite and subtle.

Rachel practically jumped from her chair, and Sam followed. “We’ll be outside!”

Blaine waited until he heard the door clicking shut after them. He sighed in relief. “God. I love those two, but they can be so…” He noticed Kurt was still standing in the same spot, too far away for his taste. “Hey. Come here.”

Kurt hesitantly made his way to the chair Rachel had vacated. “Nice balloons. Looks like a clown vomited in here.”

Blaine chuckled. “They were a gift from Brittany, Santana’s wife. She has a very… colorful taste.”

They both looked around the room, as if focusing on the balloons could strop the growing tension between them from snapping. It wasn’t a bad kind of tension, Blaine realized. It was the kind they had shared in the ranch, on a similarly rainy day.

It was the best kind of tension.

“Kurt…”

“Blaine, I…”

They both shut their mouths abruptly. Blaine grinned at him, Kurt blushing as he ducked his head.

“This is silly,” Blaine commented. “We’re both adults, not school boys. There’s no need to be so awkward and bashful after everything that has happened.”

Kurt sighed, apparently relieved. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just been… well, a few very weird days.”

“I can imagine,” Blaine muttered, his voice going softer. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, Kurt. You didn’t deserve it.”

“No, I didn’t,” Kurt agreed simply. “But it brought me to you.”

Blaine’s breath stuttered in his chest. God, he loved him. How had he been so stupid to want to deny this? He could have had so many more nights in Kurt’s arms. Why hadn’t he allowed himself to feel this freely?

You can still have so many nights with him, a voice in his head said, and it sounded suspiciously like Santana’s. You can have the rest of your nights with him, if you stop being such an idiot.

“How are you feeling?” Kurt asked, before Blaine could say something. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Blaine assured him. “Trust me, this is not the worst injury I’ve got since I’ve joined the bureau. It was painful and ugly, but it’s fine now.”

Kurt nodded and then leaned closer, reaching for Blaine’s hand. “I’m so happy you’re okay, Blaine. For a moment there, I thought…”

He couldn’t say it. Blaine saw him swallow the words like they were poison, and he intertwined their fingers together, squeezing lightly to bring Kurt some comfort.

“We’re both fine,” he said. “There’s no need to be afraid about it now. I know it was a terrible experience, Kurt, and that you will probably have some things to think about and to figure out after this, but… I was hoping that we both got something better than just a bad experience and a closed case.”

Kurt blinked at him, his big blue eyes so mesmerizing that Blaine couldn’t look away from them. “Oh?” He muttered, his gaze searching for the answer on Blaine’s face.

“I was hoping that… we got each other out of all of this,” Blaine replied, leaning towards him. “Kurt, I…”

There was a loud knock on the door, and a nurse came in, with a bright smile on her face and carrying a clipboard. “Mr. Anderson! Time for your physical therapy!” She stopped when she realized Blaine wasn’t alone. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a visitor.”

Kurt squeezed his hand gently before letting go. “It’s okay.”

“Would you wait for me?” Blaine asked, hating the interruption. He just wanted to know that everything between them was fine. “It should take about an hour…”

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” Kurt said, and he looked genuinely upset about not being able to stay. “They’re expecting me at the theatre for rehearsal, and after missing so many days, I can’t be late. But I can come back later? After rehearsal?”

“Oh, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here. Apparently I get to go home today, so…”

“Only if he does well in physical therapy!” The nurse exclaimed, and she looked way too chirpy for Blaine’s taste. God, he hated hospitals. “Come on, Mr. Anderson. You don’t want to be late!”

Blaine was about to apologize to Kurt, but Kurt simply put a hand on his good shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said. “We’ll figure it out, right?”

Blaine smiled softly at him. That sounded positive enough. “Right.”

Kurt hesitated for only a second before he leaned in and pressed a quick little kiss to Blaine’s cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

The touch of Kurt’s lips seemed to travel through Blaine’s skin, all the way to his heart. He watched him walk out of the room, wishing he could go after him, wrap him in his arms and kiss him like he truly wanted to.

They would most certainly figure it out.

*

There was something incredibly nerve-wracking about walking into an office filled with armed FBI agents. Finn knew that if this wasn’t welcomed, someone could shoot him. Well, he was sure that it wouldn’t end up that badly, but he was still nervous.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the bureau, a bouquet of pink lilies in his hand.

It was early in the morning and the office was crowded with people coming and going, working hard to close their next case. Some of the agents with desks closer to the door turned to look at him, arching eyebrows and watching him in confusion. He tried his best to ignore them, as he took a good look around the room, wondering where Rachel’s desk was.

“Hudson?”

Oh no. Agent Lopez was the last person he wanted to see when he was about to make a fool of himself. He gulped and tried to hide the flowers behind his back, but he knew there was no use.

“Uhm hello,” he said, avoiding her eyes, because he knew she was already mocking him. “I was wondering…”

“Rachel! Get your ass over here!” Santana exclaimed, before he even had the chance to explain why he was here.

Oh god, this was embarrassing. Now the whole office was looking at him. Even the captain had left her office and was watching over the second floor railing.

Rachel stepped out of the conference room, a stack of files on her hands, confused until she saw Finn standing in the middle of her workplace. Her eyes went so big they almost didn’t fit in her face.

She was the most beautiful woman Finn had ever seen.

She made her way to him so slowly, that Finn could feel his own heart gaining speed with each of her steps. The anticipation was killing him. She didn’t look like she wanted to point a gun at him, though, so he guessed that was a good sign?

“Hi…” she muttered, as she stopped in front of him. “What…”

“Rachel,” Finn started. Kurt had helped him practice his little speech last night. He had it all memorized and hoped he wouldn’t screw up. “I know we met in very unusual circumstances, and that I may be a little out of place coming here, but I never got your number, and I really needed to see you again. I know that I may have read into things wrongly, but I hope that wasn’t the case. I…”

“He wants to ask you out,” Santana cut him off. She was still there, leaning against the nearest desk and looking bored as hell.

“Santana!” Rachel screeched, annoyed. “He was doing well by himself, he didn’t need your help!”

“God, it’s truly exhausting watching you people fumble around each other like idiots. You like someone? Do something! Go straight to the point and stop wasting time!” Santana exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “How are you and Blaine not related, seriously?”

Finn could feel his face getting redder by the second. He felt like he was actually on fire. “I… well…”

Rachel placed her handful of files on a desk and, ignoring Santana pointedly, walked towards Finn. “Are these for me?” She asked sweetly.

“Yes! Yes, they are,” he said, practically thrusting the bouquet into her hands. “I noticed you liked pink.”

“It’s my favorite color,” she said with a smile. “I love them, Finn. Thank you so much.”

Her eyes were still so big, and fixed on him. She looked at him expectantly, and Finn cleared his throat. He could do this.

“I was hoping that now that I’m not your assignment anymore, maybe you’d let me take you out on a date,” he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

“That sounds lovely,” Rachel answered and, placing a hand on Finn’s shoulder to help herself with the height difference, she placed a quick, chaste kiss on his lips.

Santana gagged. Agent Evans raised his thumbs and smiled at him from behind Rachel’s back.

Finn felt a lot more euphoric after this one little kiss than after any of his games, or any of the championship finals. His head was spinning.

Rachel grabbed one of her cards from her own desk, and slipped it into the pocket of Finn’s jacket. “And now you have my number.”

She smiled brightly at him before picking up her files again, and walking away and into some other office, still smelling the flowers she cradled in her arms. The office returned to its usual rhythm now that the distraction was over. Finn stood there, stunned and happy, for a couple of seconds.

Santana pointed a finger right in his face. “Don’t screw it up,” she said, but then she winked and smiled at him, before walking away.

Today was a great day.

*

There were two things that Blaine knew soon after he was back home, free of nurses and doctors, balloons and endless visitors.

One, he was going to go crazy with nothing to do. He wasn’t made to be sitting at home recovering, staring mindlessly at the television and wasting precious hours he could be using for something else.

Two, he wanted to do something nice for Kurt.

They had shared a few texts, mostly Kurt wanting updates on how Blaine was doing and asking if he’d made it home safely, but neither had made an attempt to ask the other out or make plans to see each other again. Kurt seemed wary regarding Blaine’s health, and Blaine knew Kurt was now on a very tight schedule with rehearsals. Somehow, it looked like the universe suddenly didn’t want them to meet again.

Screw the universe, Blaine thought. They were going to work it out, somehow.

On the second day back home from the hospital, he got out of bed in the morning, showered and got dressed. He left his place and stopped at his favorite coffee shop on the way to the subway. After weeks of his life being absolutely altered, his day was normal. His life was back on track. Everything was fine.

It would soon be perfect.

He ran into Rachel at the elevator once he arrived at the bureau. She looked at him with wide eyes and hugged him tightly.

“What are you doing here? Captain Jones is going to kill you,” she said, but she seemed happy to see him nonetheless. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, please, stop asking me that. It’s all people ask me lately,” he said, but he was smiling. He was touched that so many people cared for him. He had made a real family at the FBI, and he loved them, no matter how dysfunctional they could all be. “I just couldn’t sit idly at home anymore. I was going insane.”

“It’s been two days,” she replied teasingly, but the grin on her face told him she knew exactly what he was talking about. Rachel had broken her leg on a case two years ago, and had been as desperate to go back to work as he was. She had actually showed up at the bureau the day after the accident, her leg in a full cast, and it had taken a threat from Mercedes that she would be fired if she didn’t follow the order to just go home to make her leave.

They walked together into the office and Blaine was immediately swarmed with people patting his back and welcoming him back, telling him how happy they were that he was okay and congratulating him on another closed case. Blaine was happy to see them as well, and eager to catch up on everything that had been happening here in his absence.

Once the group around him finally cleared, he discovered Santana, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor and watching him with an arched eyebrow, her arms crossed.

“What do you think you are doing?” She asked him severely.

“Relax,” Blaine said. “I’m not here to beg for a new case and get back out there. I just want to talk to Mercedes.”

“There’s a thing called phone,” Santana replied. “You could have used that, and stayed home in your pajamas at the same time. It’s incredible what technology can do these days…”

“Stop being so sarcastic, and admit you’d be doing the same if you were in my shoes,” Blaine said, as he started making his way to Mercedes’ office, followed closely by Santana. “We’re all work junkies here. No one gets to judge me.”

Santana huffed, which meant she didn’t want to admit Blaine was right. “Cap will be happy to see you, anyway.”

Mercedes was happy to see him, though she phrased the exact same question everyone had welcomed him with: “What are you doing here?”

“I’m starting to think no one’s actually happy to see me,” he said with a smile, as she ushered him to a seat as if he was too weak to be standing for too long. “I just wanted to come talk to you.”

“I’m going to put it bluntly, Blaine,” she said, as she took her own seat behind her desk. She leaned over it to look Blaine in the eyes. “There’s no way in hell you’re coming back to work so soon. You deserve a vacation, and a real one this time. No undercover jobs, no protecting witnesses, no getting you out of the office just to make you work elsewhere. You need this.”

What Blaine said next shocked her. “That actually sounds perfect.”

Mercedes blinked at him as if she wasn’t sure she understood. “You do know vacation means, right?”

Blaine chuckled. “Cap, I’m actually looking forward to it. I have plans.”

She sighed in relief. “I was afraid I would have to force you to take time off. Can I ask what brought this change of mind?”

Blaine looked down at his own hands for a second. She had never seen him look so bashful before. Or peaceful. There was something peaceful about him, like he hadn’t been since before his father and Cooper had died. Something in Blaine had shifted, and she couldn’t put her finger on it…

“Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m in love.”

Oh, so that’s what it was.

“And I want to make sure I won’t get in trouble because of it, because I know how you feel about us mixing our personal lives and our work lives, but…”

“It’s Kurt Hummel, isn’t it?” She interrupted, and Blaine blinked at her in confusion.

“How did you know?” He asked.

Mercedes stood up and went to her side table to pour some tea for both of them. She placed a steaming cup on front of Blaine. “Blaine, I’m not stupid. And I’m not blind. I could see it in both your and Hummel’s faces as soon as you were back from Maryland. I don’t know what happened while you two were there, but it’s not very hard to guess it.”

Blaine looked into his cup of tea. “My job here means the world to me. I don’t want to jeopardize…”

“The case is closed. He’s no longer your assignment. I see no reason why you two can’t have a relationship,” Mercedes shrugged. “Look, Blaine. With anyone else, I would have probably frowned upon this matter, but the truth is that you’re the most professional guy I know. You wouldn’t risk your whole career just because you want to bang a witness.” Blaine spluttered, almost spilling the tea all over himself. “Yes, I said bang.”

“That’s not what this is…”

“Exactly, I know that.” Mercedes smiled at him. “You’ve had it rough, Blaine. The past year has been incredibly rough on you. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t allow you to have this. I won’t be an obstacle. The bureau won’t be an obstacle.”

Blaine put his cup down and stood up, throwing his arms around Mercedes, hugging her tightly. They were friends, even if they usually had to act like she was only his superior. Blaine had truly lucked out with the wonderful family he had found here.

“Alright. Take a couple of weeks off, and go get that man of yours,” she said, pushing him towards the exit.

“Yes, ma’am,” he saluted, with a laugh.

He was about to go do exactly that when there was a scream. He looked around, already completely alert, and realized the source of it had been Santana, who was standing on the middle of the first floor, phone to her ear, a bunch of files fallen at her feet like she had just dropped them.

“What?!”

Blaine rushed to her, Mercedes following closely behind him.

“Santana, was wrong?” He asked, as she shoved her phone in her pocket. Her eyes were wide and frantic. Blaine had never seen her like that before. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Brittany. She’s on her way to the hospital. The baby…” Her large, scared eyes focused on Blaine. “The baby is coming.”

*

Blaine hadn’t thought he would be back in the hospital again so soon. At least, this time it was for a good reason.

All his life, he had believed giving birth took endless hours, screaming and drama. But for Brittany and Santana, it was over in just a couple of hours.

Blaine would never forget the look of utter amazement and joy on Santana’s face when she appeared in the waiting room after it was all over to inform him that the baby was fine and healthy, and Brittany was the most wonderful woman she had ever had the pleasure of knowing, loving and cherishing.

“I’m a mother, Blaine,” she said, and Blaine couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her so vulnerable, tears in her eyes, without even the slightest hint of teasing and sarcasm. This was Santana so purely happy, that nothing, not even the dark, mean world they knew they lived in, could taint it.

He hugged her, whispering his congratulations, filled with so much love and happiness for this woman who was, without a doubt, the most important person he’d had by his side in the past year, and beyond that. No one deserved this like Santana did. Very few people knew just how kind and selfless she could be, underneath that hard exterior she had the need to keep up at all times. Sometimes, Blaine wondered if only he and Brittany were allowed to see past it. He felt so blessed to be able to truly and thoroughly know her.

“Would you like to meet him?” Santana asked as they pulled away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand quickly.

Blaine smiled at her. “I would love to.”

She guided him down the hallway. When they entered the room, the first thing he settled his eyes on was Brittany, sitting against the headboard of a hospital bed, looking down at the small bundle in her arms. Her blonde hair was pulled back from her face, and she looked tired, but Blaine couldn’t remember seeing her smile so brightly before, which was truly an accomplishment, since Britt was probably the bubbliest person he had ever met. Santana immediately went to her, sitting on the edge of the bed and throwing an arm around her wife’s shoulders, leaning in to watch their son.

“Hi, Blaine,” Brittany said, acknowledging him without taking her eyes away from the baby. “Come here. We have someone we want you to meet.”

Blaine approached them, just as Brittany passed the baby to Santana. He peeked into the blankets, finding the tiniest little hand, the cutest little nose, and the most adorable creature he could have ever imagined. The baby was all Brittany.

“Wow, he’s amazing, guys. Congratulations,” Blaine said, reaching carefully for his little hand and watching in awe as the tiny fingers wrapped around his own bigger one.

“Blaine, we…” Santana started. She cleared her throat, as if what she was about to say was hard for her. “We’ve decided to call him Cooper.”

Blaine looked up abruptly, shocked by her announcement.

“You…” He mumbled, not knowing what to say.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Cooper. I wouldn’t get to have this baby, this life, everything I love about it. I wouldn’t get to wake up next to her every single morning and know I’m the luckiest person in the whole world,” Santana said, and her voice was so thick, Blaine had no doubts she was doing her best to hold back her tears. “Cooper gave me the chance to have all of this, and I will never forget him. I will never not be grateful to him.”

Blaine felt a lump in his own throat. He nodded slowly, just as Santana put the baby in his arms. His weight against his chest was warm and perfect, and he looked up at him with the biggest, clearest blue eyes he had ever seen.

He knew it wasn’t possible, but they still reminded him of his brother’s eyes.

“Cooper Lopez-Pierce,” he muttered, leaning to place a soft kiss to the baby’s forehead. “I think it suits him.”

A few tears ran down his cheeks, and for the first time in a very long time, Blaine didn’t bother wiping them away.

“Hi, little Coop,” he whispered, and he hadn’t called anyone that name in so long, it felt foreign, and yet so perfect in his lips. “It’s so, so very nice to meet you.”

Santana reached for Brittany’s hand, and they watched the boys together. Right then, there was nothing else. There was no crime, no pain, no victims, no tragedies. Right then, the world was exactly the way it was supposed to be.

And Blaine knew, without a single doubt, that this was the kind of happiness he wanted for himself. The kind of happiness that made the world stop around you. The kind of happiness that erased all wounds, all tears. The kind of happiness that made his heart beat steadily and with purpose. That was the happiness he was ready to chase.

It was very fortunate that Agent Anderson had always been excellent at chasing.

*