Blaine was so nervous that he couldn't even tie his own shoes. The laces kept slipping through his fingers and he was getting more frustrated by the minute. Without warning Kurt's fingers pushed his aside and started tying his shoes for him.

"What's wrong?" he asked and let his hand brush over the perfect bow he had just tied on Blaine's sneaker. He got back to his feet and sat on the stool next to Blaine.

"Nothing," Blaine muttered in a weak attempt to pretend that he was fine. Kurt saw right through him though, and he knew that even before he said it. He just didn't want to ruin anything for Kurt, because he knew how special this day was to him.

"Well… I'm just afraid that he won't like me, that's all," Blaine shrugged after he realized that Kurt was only waiting for him to come clean about his thoughts. He sighed and twisted himself so his torso was facing Blaine.

"Now you are being silly. Of course he's gonna like you. In fact; I think he might end up liking you even better than he likes me," Kurt stated with a tone that said "I'm older and therefore wiser" - but Blaine didn't buy it. In his ears Kurt was talking complete nonsense.

"No one could like me better than you. I like you better than I like me," Blaine said, and Kurt rolled his eyes at him. He would never accept that.

"Just come. He will be here soon," Kurt said and took Blaine's hand so he could lead him out of the room and to Miss Pillsbury's office where they had told to be at one o'clock.

It was the first time Blaine was to go out with Kurt and the man. The man that was Kurt's dad. He had visited Kurt at Silverlake a few times where Blaine had been told to go out and play with the other kids, and Kurt had been out with him once. Now Blaine was to spend time with them for the first time and he was terrified that he was going to mess up in some way so the man would hate him.

When they entered the office the man was already talking to Miss Pillsbury. Kurt was shifting his weight on his feet a few times before he shyly walked over to the man.

"Hey there, kiddo. You've got your friend with you today," the man grinned. Kurt looked to Blaine before he looked down on his shoes for a moment, but eventually he couldn't restrain himself anymore and threw his arms around the man who welcomed him into a warm embrace.

Blaine didn't know how to react, and it only made it harder for him to figure out when they let go off each other and Kurt stayed leaning against the man even as he turned to Blaine.

"So… are you boys ready to go out today?" Miss Pillsbury asked and clapped her hands together. Kurt shot Blaine a broad grin as he started playing with his dad's fingers, and Blaine forced himself to smile back.

Miss Pillsbury told the man that the boys were to be back at 8.30, and that was it. They left her office; Kurt holding his dad's hand in a tight grip and Blaine tracking a few feet behind them. When they were halfway down the hall Kurt stopped and waited for Blaine. As soon as he was on Kurt's side Kurt grabbed his hand with his free one and they proceeded to the man's car.

xXx

Blaine had been nervous about what they would be doing, but as they were sitting at a bench in the zoo looking at the kids walking by with their families it didn't feel so bad.

When they left Silverlake the man had buckled them up in the backseat of his car. Blaine had been nervous, but also excited, because he hadn't been in a car since he had been taken to Silverlake when he was 3. After that it had only been the bus to school or field trips. Kurt had smiled at him from his seat. The soft, confirming smile that always eased Blaine's nerves, so he let himself relax.

After a few minutes drive Kurt had asked where they were going. The man had told them that he had planned on taking them to the zoo because he wasn't sure what guys their age would like to do.

They were both thrilled. They had only been to the zoo once, and that had been with Silverlake so they hadn't had much time to look at the different animals because there were so many kids that needed to be looked after.

The man was incredibly patient. He told them about the animals, mostly read out loud what the signs said, and waited for as long as the boys wanted to stay and watch by the different fences and cages.

Kurt didn't let go off Blaine's hand for one second all day and Blaine was relieved because he had been afraid that Kurt would only want to hold his dad's hand.

They spent a long time watching the lions and tigers. Blaine thought they were big and beautiful, but he couldn't stop sneaking gazes at Kurt who was staring open-mouthed with huge eyes at the big cats.

When they reached the polar bears Kurt put his arms around Blaine because he was shaking from the cold. Kurt's dad didn't say anything, but Blaine noticed that he stared at them a lot - but not in the watching way the grown-ups at Silverlake or in school used to do it.

Now they had been through the entire park and was eating sandwiches Kurt's dad had bought for them. Blaine had to admit that he had enjoyed himself a lot, and Kurt's dad was a very nice man. He could easily imagine Kurt and himself packing their stuff into the man's car and drive home with him.

Blaine got to his feet and walked over the little square to throw out the packaging from his food, but on the way back he stumbled and fell face-forward on the gravel.

His knees and palms got scratched and a little blood started showing. He could hear his blood rush in his ears and he desperately sniffed to not start crying, but it was hard because it hurt so much.

Kurt was immediately by his side. He was on his knees and tried to help Blaine up, but before they knew it Kurt's dad was over and lifted him up off the ground.

He carried Blaine over where he sat down on the bench and let Blaine sit on his lap. He rolled his pants up to see how badly his knees were scratched before he grabbed a tissue and soaked with a bottle of water so he could clean the blood off of Blaine's hands and knees.

Kurt was on his side, brushing his hand up and down Blaine's thigh the entire time. Blaine was embarrassed. He had been so proud of himself to not fall down one single time the whole day, but then he messed up and once again made a giant fool of himself.

"Thank you," Blaine sniffed to Kurt's dad who had a firm grip on Blaine's waist so he wouldn't fall down. It felt so comforting to sit there, and it reminded Blaine of when he was younger and had cuddled into his own dad's arm when he was watching sports on TV.

"That's alright, kid. But try taking care of yourself. Can't have you cracking open that nice little head of yours, can we?" Kurt's dad chuckled and Blaine smiled shyly at him.

Kurt moved to lean against his dad so he could rest against him but still hold his hand on Blaine's thigh. It felt good to sit like that; almost as if this was the way things were meant to be.

xXx

"Did you like my dad?" Kurt asked eagerly when they were curled up under Blaine's covers at night. He had expected the question and thought about it all afternoon. It was an important question, and he wanted to make sure that he gave the right answer.

"I think that… next time he comes we should just pack up our things and go with him. That would be cool," Blaine said after a short time of thinking.

"I don't know when he will come again, but when he does I can ask him if we can go with him," Kurt beamed, clearly happy and relieved that Blaine liked his dad.

"I'm sorry. For falling down. That was stupid," Blaine apologized with shame flushing back over him. He had felt so lame and idiotic, and he hadn't want to make Kurt embarrassed in front of his dad.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. Besides; he likes you," Kurt assured him, and a stone started to dissolve in Blaine's throat. That was good. That way he would want both of them and not just Kurt. Now Blaine was convinced that they could stay together forever, and he didn't have to worry anymore.

They snuggled close and started talking about their day at the zoo. Kurt asked Blaine everything he could think about what Blaine thought about his dad, and they discussed which animals they wanted as pets. Of course they needed all the big cats, but surely they couldn't do without the beautiful peacocks.

"Can you keep a secret?" Blaine asked in a whisper. Naturally he knew that Kurt could keep a secret, Kurt always kept all of his secrets, so he didn't wait for him to answer.

"I want a unicorn. They're beautiful," Blaine whispered. It was stupid. Unicorns weren't real - but he still wanted one.

"One day I will give you a unicorn," Kurt promised without as much as a giggle. He really meant it.

xXx

Kurt's dad started to come by more often. He came to see Kurt after school, and he helped them with their homework. He even came to some of their shows with the choir, and Kurt proudly introduced him to the teachers and his classmates.

Every now and then he took them out; every time Blaine got to go with them. He took them to the movies, to museums and to the park. He didn't treat them differently, but acted like Blaine was just as much his son as Kurt, except for when he was to leave.

When he was done saying goodbye to Blaine and Miss Pillsbury he always asked to have a moment alone with Kurt. They hugged and the man promised to come back as quickly as possible.

In the beginning Kurt only called the man Burt, but he slowly started calling him dad instead, and Blaine could feel that the man was very happy about it. In time it started getting harder for Kurt to say goodbye to him. After he had visited a few times Kurt turned sad whenever he left. Sometimes Blaine even thought he saw him cry and he wanted to comfort him, but he was afraid that Kurt didn't want him to know.

Spring had drifted into summer and Silverlake was starting to get ready for their annual summer party. Kurt's dad had promised to come and Kurt was nervous because he was going to sing alone in front of everyone.

Blaine had heard him sing the song lots of times when they were alone, so he was sure that Kurt knew all the words perfectly. He assured him that he wouldn't mess up, and promised to be right in front of him the entire time, so Kurt could pretend that he was singing alone to Blaine.

It went fine, as Blaine had predicted. He stumbled over a few words, but he did a great job and Blaine jumped to his feet to cheer on him. He was so proud, and he just wanted to let Kurt know how amazing his voice was.

The party continued around them as Kurt's dad joined the boys who had retreated to stand on the porch. He complimented Kurt and told him that he was proud of him. Blaine could see Kurt's ears go red, and he felt him strengthen his grip on his hand a bit, so Blaine squeezed back with a grin.

For the entire evening Kurt tagged along with his dad in one hand and Blaine in the other. They waited patiently as he talked to the grown-ups who worked at Silverlake and some of the grown-ups who had come to see the kids. Even some of their teachers had shown up.

Kurt's dad was popular with the other boys because he talked to them about football and baseball, and the girls were fascinated that someone in Silverlake actually already had a dad and wasn't waiting for someone who wanted to be their dad.

When it got late he told Kurt that he needed to talk to Miss Pillsbury, so Blaine and Kurt went to sit on the porch and watch the bonfire. Blaine still didn't like fire, so Kurt always made sure they would stay away and watch it from distance like they had done the first time they talked. They found a blanket and snuggled close together while watching the other kids eating candy or talk to grown-ups.

"I wanna stay like this forever. I like this," Blaine mumbled and tried to suppress a yawn, but it was a lost battle and eventually fatigue took over. Kurt squeezed his hand and moved a little closer so Blaine could rest his head on his shoulder.

"I wanna do that," Kurt responded.

"I like that you combed your hair today. And put the bowtie back on. You're pretty like that," Kurt muttered.

Blaine felt a suction in his stomach and he wanted to look up at Kurt, but he was afraid what would happened if he moved his head, so instead he stayed and closed his eyes so he could listen to the sizzle of the fire and the laughter of children and grown-ups.

It was nearly dark, and Blaine knew that it was only a matter of time before the younger kids would be herded to bed. It was starting to get cold and the sky was a dark purple over their heads. It had been a long and hot day, and Blaine was sure that when he took off his clothes he would find tan lines everywhere. Somehow Kurt was still as pale with a slight pink as he was in the winter, even though they had been in the sun all day. Blaine found that remarkable, and he was sure that it was because Kurt was special.

I bet Kurt has unicorn blood, Blaine thought to himself and snickered.

Kurt's dad came over to them and said that he needed to talk to Kurt alone. He was grinning broadly and seemed like he was excited over something. Blaine didn't know why but he didn't like it. Maybe he was just tired?

Kurt muffled his nose into Blaine's hair before he released his hand and walked inside with the man. Blaine tugged the blanket close around him and let a whiff of Kurt's scent fill his nostrils. It only was a few minutes, though, before Miss Pillsbury showed and told Blaine that he was to go with the others and get ready for bed. He objected and said that he was waiting for Kurt, but she said that Kurt would be send to bed as soon as his dad had left, so there was nothing to do; Blaine would be going to bed.

As soon as he was done with washing up Blaine snuck back to the porch. He said that he had forgot something, but in reality he just wanted to wait for Kurt, so he crawled back into the blanket and waited for him.

He didn't have to wait long, because Kurt and his dad came out on the porch and the man said goodnight to Blaine. They walked to the gate together where Blaine could see Kurt hugging his dad goodbye before Kurt returned to the porch. He sat down on the loveseat next to Blaine, but ignored him when he opened the blanket.

They sat staring at the bonfire in silence for what felt like ages. He couldn't say why or what, but Blaine felt like something was wrong. He wanted to ask Kurt what had happened, but he was afraid what he would say, or that he wasn't allowed to ask, so he decided to let Kurt speak if he wanted to.

Mosquitoes were dancing around their heads, and Blaine could feel that he would start to shake if he didn't get inside soon. He wanted to move closer to Kurt, but stayed. For some reason he was paralyzed in his seat.

"I'm moving away. With my dad," Kurt suddenly said in a quiet voice.

Blaine didn't look at him, and he could feel that Kurt didn't look at him either. They were both staring out in the dark filling up the garden. A teenage girl screamed, and Blaine watched her being chased by boys her age. She ran from the bushes towards around the house with screaming giggles and the boys yelling something after her with booming laughter.

"He says that you can't go with us."

Ice filled Blaine's stomach. He still didn't look at Kurt. He wanted to cry and tell him not to leave him, but he couldn't. He opened his mouth but no words came out. It felt like his throat was clogged, and all the candy he had ate was roaming around to find a way to get out.

Blaine got to his feet and ran past Kurt without giving him as much as a glance. He ran as fast as he could and curled up in his bed. He hid his face under the covers, but it wasn't enough so he pulled the pillow over his head as well.

Kurt didn't come to his bed that night