The second time someone threatened Kurt’s life, he was twenty-seven years old and no more prepared than the first time it happened. Blaine had suggested spending 4th of July in Lima that year, and Kurt happily agreed since they had not managed to make it home the past two summers. Though he never planned on returning for good, Kurt had come to appreciate the time spent there a lot more than he ever thought he could. New York City was incredible, but there was something so quintessentially home about Lima for him that the big city just couldn’t quite match. Ohio had even passed a bill a few years ago, recognizing any marriages performed in a state where it was legal, and it seemed to be only a matter of time before any marriage could be performed in the state. Things were changing.

---

It was almost eight when Burt realized that he had forgotten to buy the fireworks for the evening’s festivities. Blaine had only had one beer, so he volunteered to drive, and Kurt accompanied him. He directed Blaine down familiar back roads to his dad’s favorite summer fireworks stand. As a rule, it was pretty sleazy, but it had some incredible products.

“Hey Kurt, look at this one! It creates a fountain before shooting sixty feet into the sky. And hey, if we buy two, we get a ten-pack of smoke-bombs for free!”

“Blaine, my dad only gave us seventy-five dollars, and we need more than just two fireworks. Let’s get some Roman Candles, ok? Look, they fire up to fifty shots!”

“Okay,” Blaine whined, and Kurt couldn’t help but laugh at the pitiful expression on his face.

“Oh come on, Blaine; there are plenty of things that go bang on this table.”

“Yeah, but none that shoot sixty feet into the air!”

“I think you’ll live,” said Kurt as he kissed Blaine on the lips. The latter was still trying to pout, so he turned away to hide his grin and rummaged through the table. Kurt put his arm around Blaine’s waist and sighed. He knew which fireworks Blaine would choose before he chose them, but it was fun to watch him meticulously inspect everything. They were so comfortable with each other that they-

“Hey, why don’t you homos knock it off?”

Kurt whirled around and saw the source of the abuse- a curly-haired man sitting at a table with a cash register. His three friends sitting with him laughed loudly, and Kurt saw a number of empty beer cans scattered on the table and ground.

“Excuse me?” demanded Blaine. “What did you just say to us?”

“You heard me!” the man slurred. “I was just, just a-wonderin’ why you two feel the need to parade yourselves around when we don’t want none-oh that shit in here.”

Blaine started toward the man but Kurt grabbed his arm. “Don’t- it’s four of them and two of us.”

“Yeah, and I’m pissed enough to take them all myself.”

“Let’s just forget it, ok? We’ll go to another stand.”

Kurt pleaded with Blaine’s eyes and was surprised to see a look of defeat- surprised because he knew Blaine was only mirroring what he saw in Kurt. As much as he wanted to stand up for himself, he knew there were some fights better left untouched. He was strong enough to walk away as the better man, and was fully prepared to do so. Until the threat.

“Yeah, just keep walking!” one of them shouted.

“You come back here, and I’ll put a bullet in both o-your heads, got it?” leered the first.

Kurt felt his mind go blank and the world fly away. The next thing he knew he had the man by the collar, his back slammed into a pole and his feet dangling several inches from the ground.

“I don’t care what goes on in your infinitesimal head, but don’t you dare threaten me or my boyfriend!”

“Jesus, can’t you take a fucking joke?”

“No!” Kurt shouted.

“Alright!” he sputtered. “Just put me down man!”

“Kurt,” said a low voice, “Let’s go.”

He caught Blaine’s eyes, unaware of the manic expression on his face. Slowly he set the man back on his feet and took Blaine’s outstretched hand. He was in such a daze he didn’t hear the rest of the conversation.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“Who knew a fag could have muscles like that?”

(But Blaine did.)

When they got back in the car Kurt just stared blankly ahead. Blaine started the car to turn on the air conditioning but didn’t take it out of park.

“It’s ok, Kurt,” he said as he began rubbing his knee. “We’re out of there. We’re ok.”

“We’re never going to escape this, are we?” he asked in a small voice.

Blaine didn’t have to see his eyes. He just pulled him into a tight embrace and let his boyfriend break down into his shoulder, because what could he say? They weren’t kids any more. He couldn’t pretend that the world was going to be anything other than what it was, and sometimes that included people who hated them. And the only thing he could do about it was to love Kurt that much more.