Kurt spent the whole cab ride back to his place pressing his fingertips to his kiss-swollen lips and smiling like an idiot, particularly savoring that last magnificent kiss, before they parted. This time, they didn't go back to one of their places and rip each other's clothes off on the way to the bed. This time, that didn't feel right. They wanted something more than just a hookup now, even if neither of them put it into words.

But Kurt still didn't know where this was headed. He still hadn't mentioned the baby. It had started out just being casual fun, but now it seemed to have somehow turned into one of the most beautiful things he had ever experienced. It had been a very long time since he'd felt this giddy and light, after a date.

He ignored the worries niggling at the back of his mind, and decided to continue revelling in every second of this feeling, for as long as it lasted.

*

Kurt was enjoying a glorious cup of coffee and a bagel on Sunday morning when his cell phone rang. He picked it up lazily, not taking his eyes out of the crossword he was doing until it rang for the second time. He accepted the call with a smile.

“Well, hello there,” he said happily.

“Hi, Kurt!”

Tina Cohen-Chang was part of his oldest circle of friends, from high school, and under that sweet kind exterior was one of the fiercest girls he had ever met. They had parted ways when Kurt graduated a year before her, and a year later she headed to Brown University. They got together every time one of them was back in Ohio for the holidays, usually at their typical parties with the rest of their friends from high school. Kurt still remember fondly that time Tina had pretended to be his girlfriend when Kurt wasn't out to his father.

Oh, he had been such a silly boy back then…

“How are you? Oh my god, we haven't talked in ages!” He exclaimed excitedly.

“I've never been better,” Tina replied, failing to suppress a squeal of excitement. “Mike proposed last night!”

Kurt didn't suppress his own squeal. He let it echo around his kitchen. “Oh my god! Tina, congratulations!”

Mike had been her high school sweetheart. They had been apart during their college years, but they had found each other again when they both got jobs in the performing scene in Los Angeles. Kurt had always thought they were kind of the perfect couple. He couldn't be happier for them.

“I can't believe it. I just…” She stopped and tried again. “I wasn't expecting it. When he got down on one knee, I thought I was going to faint.”

“I want to see a picture of the ring. You'd better send me one as soon as we get off the phone!” Kurt said, trying to sound stern and failing completely.

“I will, I promise!” She laughed, sounding radiantly happy. “But I have a reason to call you, besides telling you the news.”

Kurt took a sip of his coffee. “Do tell!”

“I was hoping you'd like to help me plan the wedding,” Tina said, a little unsure. “I know you're always busy, but…”

“Tina, don't say another word. I would be honored to plan your wedding!” Kurt said immediately. “Have you set a date? Are you having it in Los Angeles? Because I have a million ideas for weddings at the beach that I just can't really use here…”

“I'm sorry to disappoint, then, but we decided to do it in Ohio,” Tina answered. “It's just easier, since most of our family is there, and most of our friends, too.” Kurt nodded despite the fact that she couldn't see him. “And I've always wanted a winter wedding. So Mike said it would be nice to do it on Valentine's Day, even if it's a little corny…”

Kurt had never understood the compulsion to marry on Valentine's Day, but if that was what his friends wanted, he could get on board. “It sounds perfect, honey. I'm going to need to get to Ohio soon and start looking at venues, unless you had something in mind?”

“Not really,” Tina admitted. “I kinda really need your help. I'm so nervous and I don't know how to do this!”

“Then we need to find a time that works for the both of us and meet in Lima to go all over the details,” Kurt said, standing up and walking to his office to find his planner.

After some discussion, they agreed to meet in two weeks in Lima. Tina was so excited that Kurt's face hurt from how hard he was smiling, hearing her so happy.

They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Kurt went back to his coffee and decided to let his dad know that he would be visiting and possibly staying with him for a few days, but he had the feeling that Burt Hummel was going to be quite pleased at the news.

“You're coming home? That's amazing, kiddo! How many days can you stay?” Burt exclaimed.

Kurt felt guilty that he didn't go back to Ohio as much as he should have, but Burt knew his son was busy. Maybe once the baby was born he would be able to visit more while he took time away from work. He still needed to figure out a lot of stuff…

“I think I'll be staying four days,” Kurt said, looking at his planner again just to make sure, and writing Ohio in red ink over the four days just to make sure he didn't add any appointments there. “Five if I can get away with it, but no promises.”

“Four is better than none at all, if you can't stay longer,” Burt promised. “But don't let Tina take all your time. I want my kid around while he's in town.”

“Yes, Dad,” Kurt chuckled. “I think I'll have plenty of time for the both of you. Don't be jealous.”

But if Kurt had to be honest, he was incredibly excited to go home, too. It was going to be nice to have some family time and step away from the craziness of his life for a little while.

Kurt sighed in contentment once he and his dad said goodbye, and decided to indulge in a second cup of coffee.

*

Since Kurt had now added a trip to Ohio to his schedule, taking time to see Blaine was nearly impossible. Before he left, he had to ensure he had every detail for his clients covered, and his day only had so many hours in it.

That didn't mean they forgot about each other. They texted frequently and kept each other updated on their days, just in case something happened and they suddenly had time to grab a bite together. So far, it hadn't happened, but Kurt loved finding sweet little messages from Blaine every now and then.

From Blaine:

Thinking of you xo

Kurt would flush, bite his lip and stare at his phone for three minutes straight. He never knew how to reply to that kind of text. Should he say he had been thinking of Blaine, too? It wasn't true, though. He had been choosing cutlery and trying to match it with the china the couple had chosen the week before. Should he just say hi and ask him how he was? Wouldn't that sound like he didn't care about what Blaine had said? Or should he say something like ‘awww, that's so nice!'? Wouldn't it sound like a thirteen year old texting her crush?

He finally chose a mature and yet appropriately warm response.

To Blaine:

Can't wait to see you again. Hope you're having a nice week?

That was a perfect conversation starter, and it would end up carrying them through the day as they exchanged little stories of what had happened to them, pictures of what they were having for lunch, or even frustrations. After a couple of days, Kurt's day started with a ‘good morning' text from Blaine, and ended with him falling asleep with his phone on the pillow next to him.

What he had with Blaine was… confusing. Kurt couldn't deny how attracted he was to Blaine, but he also didn't know what he was supposed to do about all this. Part of him wanted to relax and go with the flow, but another was concerned that he was leading Blaine on when he couldn't offer serious commitment.

“Oh, Kurt! Look at these beautiful linen napkins! Do you think we can have them folded like roses?”

Kurt shook out of his daze and went back to his client. There would be a time and place to figure out his own affairs, and this certainly wasn't it.

*

It was a lovely Wednesday, sunny and warm, and Kurt found himself with an hour to kill before his next meeting. He stopped at a café, bought a sandwich to go, and walked two blocks down to Central Park, finding a nice quiet bench where he could soak up some sun and relax.

He had booked a flight to Ohio for the following Sunday, and he was looking forward to a few quieter days with his family and Tina. Even if he had to work on her wedding, he knew it would be a lot more relaxed than it was here. Whenever he left New York, he marveled at how the rest of the world seemed to move at a slower pace.

Kurt took a bite of his veggie sandwich and tipped his head back to the sun as he chewed, closing his eyes and enjoying his break. He had to interview several bands for the entertainment of one of his weddings, and he was not looking forward to going back indoors when it was so nice outside.

“Kurt?”

Kurt opened his eyes and looked up at the sound of his name, shielding his eyes from the sun, and surprised to find Blaine there, smiling brightly. “Blaine, hi! What are you doing here?”

“I'm training with one of my guys!” Blaine exclaimed, pointing at a young man who was running on the spot, a few feet away, clearly waiting for Blaine.

Kurt took a better look at Blaine and felt his throat going dry at the sight. He was sweaty, dressed in a black tank top and shorts. The muscles of his calves made Kurt's breath stutter in his chest, and the way his hair was curling gently around his forehead with the sweat was just absolutely unfair. Every single one of his muscles seemed to be on display, and Kurt wanted to squeeze each and every one just to test how strong they were. His eyes found a little drop of sweat sliding down the column of Blaine's neck, and he had to physically stop himself from launching at Blaine and licking it.

Oh wow.

Kurt cleared his throat and did his best to not look like he was having a meltdown. He crossed his legs delicately, just in case. “That's great! Do you train here often?”

“As much as I can!” Blaine replied. “It's better than running on a treadmill. What about you? What are you doing here?”

Kurt lifted his sandwich, feeling a little silly. “Oh, you know… just killing time and having some lunch…”

Blaine grinned and Kurt was so glad he was sitting down, because that was some killer smile. “It's so nice to see you. I would give you a hug, but you look amazing, and I…” He gestured to himself and to the sweat-soaked clothes sticking to his skin.

“Oh yeah, you look… fantastic,” Kurt said vaguely, because he was too busy staring at the little peak of Blaine's nipples through his tank top.

Blaine laughed and arched an eyebrow teasingly. “Really, now?”

Kurt realized what he was doing and shook his head, trying to get rid of the daze he had fallen into. “God, I'm sorry, I just…”

“Don't apologize. I like it when you look at me,” Blaine admitted softly, making Kurt blush like a school boy.

“Well, you are extremely pleasant to look at…” Kurt shrugged, going for nonchalance. He saw Blaine's friend getting a little restless as he waited. “I think your training buddy wants you back.”

Blaine looked over his shoulder and sighed. “Yeah, I should get back to it, I guess…” He bit his lip and didn't move, though. “Hey, listen. I know you're busy, but… can we have dinner together again? I'm probably going to die if I don't see you again soon…”

Kurt's heart was certainly ready to join a circus, because the jumps it was doing inside his chest were worthy of an acrobat. He knew the sensible thing to do was to ask Blaine to wait until he came back from Ohio, but… “Do you have time tonight? I guess I could put work aside for just one night…”

Blaine's smile was blinding. “That sounds perfect. And in exchange for your sacrifice… come over to my place. I'll cook for you.”

Kurt tried to remember the last time a man had cooked for him, but he honestly had no idea how long it had been. He beamed up at Blaine. “I can't wait. Text me your address and the time later?”

“Deal,” Blaine winked at him and began jogging away to meet his friend. “See you tonight, Kurt!”

Kurt chuckled as he watched him bounce a little on his feet in excitement and high five his friend. Sometimes he had a hard time believing that Blaine Anderson was actually real, and not a beautifully sweaty figment of his own imagination.

*

Kurt made a quick stop at his apartment after work, to take a shower and change his clothes. He chose his favorite pair of jeans and a Ralph Lauren short sleeve button down with a delicate polo-related pattern. It was one of his latest purchases and he loved how tiny it made his waist look.

He fixed his hair and left his apartment, deciding to take a cab instead of walking to the subway. It had been a long day and, if he had to be honest, he really, really wanted to see Blaine…

He had bought a little bouquet of tiger lilies once he had left his office, not wanting to arrive empty-handed, and had also grabbed a bottle of wine from his own little collection. Blaine hadn't drunk much during their date, but maybe he could convince him to share a glass with him.

He checked Blaine's address again, bringing back the text message he had received a few hours ago, and gave it to the driver. He watched the city lights pass by his window during the drive, trying to keep his mind from jumping right back into work mode the way it did every time he had down time. Part of him knew he was supposed to be getting stuff done before he left on Sunday, but for once Kurt didn't care all that much.

Blaine lived in an industrial brick building. It looked like a very old construction, but there was something incredibly charming about its façade. He paid the driver and exited the cab. Blaine lived in the fourth floor, so he climbed the stairs, careful not to jostle the flowers too much.

He looked down at his outfit before knocking the door, making sure everything was still in place. He heard Blaine's reply from somewhere inside the apartment: “Just a second!”

When Blaine opened the door, he was drying his hands in a blue kitchen towel. He was dressed in dark jeans and a light grey Henley with the buttons undone. His hair was still a little damp from the shower and he was clearly clean-shaven and smooth. He wasn't wearing any shoes, his feet bare on the wooden floor.

Kurt remembered just how dizzy he had felt when he had run into him at the park. Blaine was simply the most irresistible man he had ever met.

“Kurt, hi!” Blaine said brightly, with a smile that would have put the sun to shame. “You look amazing. Come on in!”

Kurt extended the flowers to him. “Hi. I brought some wine, too, I hope you don't mind?”

“Oh, no, it's great. It'll go perfectly with what I'm making…” Blaine said, accepting the flowers and smiling bashfully. “Kurt. You didn't have to…”

Before Blaine could say anything else, though, Kurt felt something snap inside of him. He grabbed Blaine by his shirt and pulled him closer until he could crash their lips together. Blaine let out a shocked little sound, but kissed back almost immediately, tilting his head into the kiss as if it was second nature. Kurt slid their lips together for a moment, before catching Blaine's bottom one between his own, sucking on it lightly. He had to pull away when he almost dropped the bottle of wine he was still clutching in his other hand.

Blaine's eyes were a little dark and blown wide when the kiss ended, and he was looking at Kurt as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. “Whoa. Hi…”

Kurt giggled. Oh god, he giggled. “Hi. Sorry about that. I've been dying to do that all day…”

“Please don't ever apologize… it was… it's so…” Blaine shook his head slightly, clearly having trouble finding the right words. He cleared his throat and took a step back to allow Kurt further into the apartment.

Blaine's apartment was surprisingly big for New York. The combination of brick walls and leather furniture made it look like a very sophisticated man cave. There were several paintings hanging here and there that Kurt wanted to look at more closely later, two sturdy bookcases full of books and big flat screen TV facing the comfortable-looking black leather couch. Everything was spotless – no dirty laundry hanging around, no empty cans of beer on the coffee table. The small wooden table was already set for dinner, a lone candle waiting to be lit in the center of it.

“Thank you so much for the flowers,” Blaine said, apparently regaining his ability to speak. “They're gorgeous. Let me find a vase for them…”

He walked into another room and Kurt followed him, finding himself in a decently-sized kitchen with stainless steel appliances and black granite countertops. He could smell the delicious aroma of a homemade meal being cooked, and he leaned against the doorway to watch Blaine search through a cabinet until he found a glass vase, that he filled with water before arranging the flowers in it.

“Your apartment is lovely,” Kurt commented politely. “It's very… you. I can definitely see you coming here to relax at the end of a long day.”

“I've never had an eye for interior design, but I like to think I did well,” Blaine said with a blinding smile. He walked back into the living room, purposefully brushing against Kurt as he passed him at the doorway. He placed the flowers on a side table next to the couch, arranging the other items on it so the flowers would be the center of attention. Then he leaned against the armrest of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Kurt, warmly. “So… how was your day?”

Shivers ran down Kurt's spine at Blaine's soft tone of voice. It felt like it was pulling at him, so he began to walk towards Blaine very slowly. “Busy. Long. Exhausting.”

“Do you ever take a break?” Blaine asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Whenever I can, but if there's work, I'm not going to turn it down,” Kurt replied, finally reaching him. He stood very close, not sure what to do now that he was here. Blaine, however, reached for him without hesitation, pulling him even closer and setting his hands on Kurt's waist. “Oh, that reminds me… one of my best friends from high school is getting married, so I'm going back to Ohio for a few days to see her. She asked me to help her plan the wedding.”

Blaine hummed as Kurt hooked his arms around Blaine's shoulders loosely. It was incredibly how comfortable this was. “When are you leaving?”

“Sunday,” Kurt answered. “And I think I'll be gone for four days. Possibly five, if my dad gets his way.”

Blaine chuckled. “I bet he misses you. Give him one extra day, if you can.”

“Oh really? Like it's just that simple?” Kurt retorted sarcastically.

“Well, I do know what it's like to wish you were right here, so…” Blaine shrugged.

Kurt touched the back of Blaine's head, tangling a few stray curls in his fingers. “You're doing it again.”

Blaine looked genuinely confused. “What?”

“That thing where you are extremely sweet, attractive and irresistible,” Kurt replied, trying to sound unimpressed. “It's really not fair. I'm only human.”

Blaine laughed heartily before they were interrupted by a ringing sound. He sighed. “That's the timer. I'd better go check on the food before it's overdone.”

Kurt reluctantly pulled away to allow Blaine to stand up. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“There's a salad in the fridge if you want to get it for me,” Blaine said, as they both walked into the kitchen. He reached for the oven mitts and opened the oven door to peek inside. “Yup, it's done. I hope you're hungry!”

“It smells delicious. Chicken?” Kurt guessed, as he pulled the fridge open and grabbed the big bowl of salad Blaine had left there.

“Roasted with lemon and rosemary,” Blaine nodded, as he took the pan out of the oven and placed it on the counter carefully. “It's one of my favorite recipes. My grandmother made it for me all the time when I was little.”

Kurt smiled at that. “Oh, that's so nice. Is she still around?”

“No, she passed away when I was twelve,” Blaine said as he plated the chicken on a beautiful porcelain platter. “She was my favorite grandparent.”

“Aw, I'm sorry. That must have been awful,” Kurt muttered softly. “It's nice that you keep the memories alive, though. I like cooking some of my mother's favorite recipes every now and then, too. There's something about the whole process that makes me feel closer to her.”

Blaine grabbed the platter and stopped next to Kurt on his way out of the kitchen. There was something extremely sweet in his eyes when he looked at him. He kissed Kurt's cheek. “Why don't we get this to the table and you tell me all about her?”

Kurt's heart was apparently trying to grow wings inside his chest.

While they ate (“Oh my god, Blaine, this is delicious!” Kurt said as soon as he took the first bite, making Blaine bite his lip bashfully and look down at his own plate, pleased that Kurt liked his cooking), they talked a lot about Kurt's mother and Blaine's grandmother, and ended up talking about their childhoods, sharing stories and experiences. Kurt began noticing that not once did Blaine mentioned his family, except for his grandmother, and he wasn't sure whether he was allowed to ask questions about that or not.

Blaine must have noticed his sudden hesitation, because he paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and watched him curiously. “What is it?”

“Oh, I was just…” Kurt shifted uncomfortably on his seat. “Okay, I don't want to make this awkward or ruin anything, but I need to ask… am I allowed to ask questions about your family? Because you never talk about your parents or Cooper, and I don't want to bring it up if it's not okay with you. Just say the word and I'll shut up about it.”

Blaine put his fork down without taking a bite and sighed tiredly, making Kurt regret what he had said. But before he could apologize, Blaine said: “Things with my family… are complicated, I guess. I don't really talk to them. I only went to Cooper's wedding because my parents wouldn't leave me alone.”

Kurt waited, not wanting to pressure him in any way. Blaine finally looked up at him, and seemed incredibly resolute.

“When I came out to them I was fourteen years old. Cooper had left for college already, and my parents didn't know what to do with me and my little… problem. My dad was particularly difficult. My mom simply pretended it didn't exist, that I had never spoken a word about it,” Blaine explained, and Kurt ached for him. “It wasn't nice, living with them during those first few months. At first it was like I didn't even exist. Then my dad got this idea that… that he could fix me. He got an old car and tried to get me to work on it with him, kept talking about his associates' daughters and… just…” Blaine shook his head, as if even thinking about was too hard.

Kurt reached out across the table and grabbed one of his hands. “That must have been awful, Blaine. I'm so sorry.”

Blaine squeezed his hand back in reassurance. He continued. “Then later that year, there was a Sadie Hawkins dance at my school, and I asked the only other gay kid to go with me. He said yes, my parents were angry at me for daring to do such a stupid thing… and then on the night of the dance, three seniors were waiting for us outside in the parking lot, and beat the living crap out of us.”

Kurt gasped and clenched Blaine's hand in his. “Oh my god...”

“We ended in the hospital. Broken ribs, broken wrist…” Blaine said, trying to sound indifferent about it. “I was in the hospital for a while. My parents were so worried about me that they forgot that they didn't really like to have a gay son… so things started getting better between us. They were a bit more understanding. They were scared to lose me. It was a wake-up call. They still didn't like the idea all that much, but they didn't give me any more shit over it.”

“Sometimes people only see how valuable what they have is when they're about to lose it,” Kurt murmured softly.

Blaine gave him a gentle smile. “Yeah. I guess it was like that for them. Cooper came back for a while. He decided to drop out of college, become an actor. He stayed with me while I got better, told me I had to learn how to defend myself. He signed me up for boxing lessons.”

“That was nice of him,” Kurt commented warily, knowing something must have happened at some point to put a strain on the brothers' relationship.

“Yeah,” Blaine breathed out absently. “After I got better, I transferred to a new school, a private school with a zero-tolerance bullying policy. I was really happy there, once I learned to trust the other students. I joined their Glee club, the Warblers, and got the lead solos on most competitions…”

Kurt's face lit up with a huge smile. “I didn't know you could sing!”

Blaine didn't smile back. “I had always loved music, but that's when I realized it was my passion, my world. That was what I wanted to do with my life… and when the time to think about college came, I decided to apply to performance-based schools. I wanted to be a Broadway star…”

The dark tone in Blaine's voice told Kurt that something hadn't gone exactly as planned.

“My parents weren't happy. My dad wanted me to do something realistic, to stop dreaming about the stage and get a real degree in something I could actually use. He wanted me to go to business school or law school… basically anything but what I truly wanted.” Blaine paused. He looked down at their intertwined hands. “I fought them a lot on it, and I couldn't understand why they didn't say a word about Cooper's insane idea of being an actor, but they were giving me so much trouble. I was scared that they wouldn't support me financially, but I told them I would do it anyways. It was what I wanted. I didn't want to live a life that didn't feel like my own…”

Kurt was so scared of where this story was going that he wasn't sure if he wanted Blaine to continue or not. All he could do was hold his hand tightly and wait.

“I got accepted into pretty much every school I applied to. I could've had my pick.” Blaine laughed bitterly. When he looked up at Kurt again, Kurt didn't find any tears in those hazel eyes, but he did find a lot of anguish. “My dad reluctantly agreed to pay for whatever school I chose, but I could tell neither of them believed in me. And then we discovered I had thyroid cancer.”

Kurt gasped violently at that revelation. He had been expecting to hear about how Blaine had changed his mind and done what his parents wanted in order to save their relationship. He had expected to hear that Blaine's dad had decided not to pay for his education after all. He had expected to hear that Blaine had a degree in music theatre but hadn't been able to find a job in the world he loved so much.

He hadn't expected to hear that awful word.

“C-cancer?” He repeated, devastated. “Oh Blaine. Oh my god…”

“I had to postpone going to college in order to get treatment. I had to have surgery. And then something went wrong during that surgery and my vocal chords got screwed up, somehow,” Blaine explained, and it was so obvious to Kurt that this was still so terribly painful to him. He wanted to gather him up in his arms and never let him go. “My talking voice is fine, mostly. If I don't overuse it, it's just a little rough sometimes. But I can't sing anymore.”

His voice cracked in the last few words, and Kurt could see the hurt and the frustration in his eyes. Unable to stop himself anymore, Kurt stood up and went around the table to be next to Blaine. He pulled Blaine a little away from the table to make room and then, not hesitating for a second, he sat down on his lap. He just wanted to be close to him.

He wrapped Blaine in his arms and hugged him tightly. “I'm so sorry…”

Tears shone in Blaine's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. “The cancer was gone, but so was everything I ever wanted. I couldn't help but feel like my parents were relieved somehow, like they finally had an excuse to push me to do what they wanted…”

Kurt ran his fingers through Blaine's hair soothingly. “Did you ever talk to them about it?”

“Not really,” Blaine shook his head slightly. “But it was how I felt, and they never really showed me that it wasn't how they felt. So I took the second best thing, and I decided to become a boxer. I was good at it, I liked it, I was angry and I needed something to make me feel better. Boxing seemed like the logical answer to that. It had helped before, maybe it could help again…”

Kurt pressed his lips against Blaine's temple. “Did it?”

“In a way, yeah, it did,” Blaine put his arms around Kurt and tugged him even closer. “I packed my things, moved to New York and did my best with what I had. I guess it could have been a lot worse. But I was devastated back then…”

Kurt nosed at Blaine's hairline slowly, thinking. “What about Cooper? You told me why you were mad at your parents, but you only said Cooper got you into boxing…”

“He's a self-centered dick,” Blaine practically spat in anger. “He could do whatever he wanted with his life and no one looked at him twice. But when I wanted something, my parents couldn't understand why I couldn't be sensible and do the right thing…” Blaine closed his eyes. “He always told me how Broadway was dead, that the only way to have a real career in acting was going to Hollywood and landing a role in a big movie.”

Kurt frowned in confusion. “But he's on Broadway now.”

“Exactly. He got my dream job and the understanding, loving parents,” Blaine whispered, sounding even more broken than before. “How is that fair, Kurt?”

Kurt suddenly felt like finding Cooper Anderson and strangling him with his own two hands. He couldn't believe how much Blaine had had to suffer in his life, and he was glad that he had managed to get back on his feet somehow. But Kurt knew very well that old wounds always left scars…

Kurt cupped Blaine's face with his hands tenderly and made him look up at him. “It's not,” he murmured quietly. “It's not fair. I'm so sorry, Blaine.” He kissed him briefly, just a warm comforting press of lips on lips. “I'm sorry.”

Blaine held onto him as if his life depended on it, and allowed his eyes to slip closed as Kurt began peppering kisses all over his face.

“Thank you for sharing that,” Kurt said when he stopped, smiling at him sweetly. “You didn't have to, but I'm glad you did.”

“I wanted you to know,” Blaine replied, as his lips curved in a sad smile.

Kurt tried to kiss the sadness away from it. “How about you let me go back to my seat and we can finish this delicious dinner?”

Blaine reached behind Kurt and, a second later, held up his fork for him. “You don't need to move at all. You can stay right here.”

Kurt took a bite of chicken, rolling his eyes. “You're ridiculous, did you know that?”

Shrugging, Blaine took a bite himself. “Maybe. I don't really care right now, though.”

Kurt sighed in contentment. “You know, I don't think I care that much, either…”

They finished eating without letting go of each other.

*

Once the dishes were cleared, Blaine turned to Kurt and leaned against the kitchen counter to watch him for a moment. When Kurt finally found him staring he smiled at him, questioningly.

“Would you like to watch a movie?” Blaine asked. “I mean, I got up insanely early and I may fall asleep halfway through, but I really don't want you to go.”

Kurt knew he needed to get home at a reasonable hour since he had to work in the morning, but he didn't really care much about that right then. “I'd love to,” he agreed. “What time did you get up?”

“Five,” Blaine replied, and the way he bit back a yawn told Kurt he would be falling asleep before they were even fifteen minutes into the movie. “I get up at that time pretty much every day. We start training early.”

Kurt's eyes were wide. “That is crazy. How do you do it? It must be torture in the winter!”

Blaine shrugged. “I'm used to it.” He grabbed Kurt's hand and guided him into the living room again. “You can pick the movie, if you want.”

Kurt picked a random movie from one of the shelves by the television without paying too much attention to it. “If you're so tired, maybe I should just…”

“No. Don't even say it,” Blaine interrupted, dropping down on the couch and pulling Kurt next to him. “Stay. I want you to stay.”

Kurt kissed his jawline. “All night?”

Blaine cupped the back of his neck and stared right into his eyes. “If you wanted, I would really, really like you to stay all night.”

Kurt hummed, loving the idea despite the inconvenience. “Okay. But you have to wake me when you get up to go to the gym so I can go home and get ready for work.”

Blaine looked so thrilled that Kurt had said yes, that he would have probably agreed to any condition Kurt could come up with. “Deal.”

Kurt cuddled up to Blaine's chest as the movie started and sighed in contentment. He honestly had no idea what the hell he was doing, but he did know that there wasn't a single place on earth that he'd rather be tonight than in Blaine's arms.

*