Blaine and Kurt spend almost all of their time together during the following weeks.

A week and two days after Blaine’s stabbing Kurt follows him to the hospital to get the stitches removed. Blaine doesn’t need to put on a gown or anything, he just lays on an examination table and lifts his shirt up a bit so the nurse can cut the stitches and pull the plastic threads out. She informs him that the few stitches that were needed inside of his body are of a natural material, so they will dissolve when the wounds inside have healed. When the nurse leaves the room Kurt drags his finger over the skin on Blaine’s stomach. It is still a reddish line that sticks out a tiny bit.

“You won’t be able to feel it in a few months, and it will fade into a white line in time.” Blaine states.

“Did they tell you that when you were here last time?” Kurt asks.

No, I just have experience with wounds and scars. “Yes.”

A day in the beginning of July they were lying on the grass in the backyard of the Hummel-Hudson household looking at the fluffy clouds. Blaine pointed to every other cloud and told Kurt what he thought they looked like. Kurt didn’t see what Blaine saw, he thought all the clouds looked like cotton candy, which he told Blaine. Blaine just laughed and leaned his head against Kurt’s. They were lying on their backs, legs pointing in opposite directions. Blaine had his ear against Kurt’s hair, where he imagined he could hear his thoughts. Carole called them in for dinner and they shared a soft kiss in the grass before getting up to go inside.

About a week after the cloud-spotting (the 15th) they were on a date a few minutes outside of Lima. Kurt had paid for dinner at a restaurant and then their coffee at the Lima Bean. He had then driven them to a patch of forest where he dragged Blaine in. They walked into a clearing and Kurt spread out a big green blanket. There were no clouds this evening, so they could see the stars perfectly. Kurt had brought a mysterious basket that Blaine had tried peeking into, but Kurt had stopped him.

“What is in there? Is it a puppy?” Blaine said and pointed to the basket.

Kurt huffed. “No. Do you really think I would bring a poor puppy in a tiny basket?”

“No, but… Then what is it?!”
“You know what day it is today.” Kurt said, it wasn’t a question.

“Our four month anniversary.” Blaine answered.

“Yes, which is why we went on a date today. It is also the reason why I brought strawberries and champagne!”

Kurt picked a bottle of champagne and two glasses out of the basket. He then told Blaine to take the box of strawberries out of the basket too. Blaine did so and was surprised to find a tube of chocolate sauce lying next to it.

“Kurt, what is the chocolate sauce for?” Blaine asked and blushed a bit.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. I wanted to bring melted chocolate that we could dip the strawberries in, but it hardened before I had even gotten it from the stove to the basket. So I brought that instead, it was the closest thing we had in the house.”

“Oh, that is so sweet, Kurt.”

“You are not the only romantic in this relationship.” Kurt smiled and poured them some champagne (which was of course alcohol free).

They toasted to the best four months of their lives and all the best months of their lives to come. They fed each other strawberries and kissed. They made love right there on the blanket and the chocolate sauce did actually come in handy for that too. Afterwards they were lying shoulder to shoulder and looking at the stars.

“That is Andromeda.” Kurt informed Blaine and pointed at the sky.

After about an hour they packed up and went back to Kurt’s house to have a sleepover. Burt and Carole were visiting Carole’s sister again and Finn had a sleepover at Rachel’s house, so Blaine and Kurt got the whole house to themselves. They watched “Brokeback Mountain” and cried together at the end. They promised each other eternity and made love on Kurt’s bed again before they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

In the end of July Blaine and Kurt decided to go to the playground where they met when they were six. Kurt still lives in the same house so it isn’t far at all. Aunt Sarah’s apartment is a few blocks away, in the opposite direction of where Blaine’s parents live. Or maybe lived? Are they still there? The boys sit down on the edge of the sandbox.

“Do you think my parents still live there?” Blaine asked and drew shapes in the sand with his foot.

“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that… Wouldn’t that be breaking the restraining order though? Since your aunt lives so close.”

“Perhaps.“
“Maybe we shouldn’t be here.”

“Yes, we should. We have to be able to go wherever we want without being afraid.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that we are afraid though.”

“No… Do you remember the day we met here?” Blaine changes the subject.

“Of course I do.”

“I remember you looked so surprised when you came up to me and the girls. Did you think I was one of them?”

Kurt chuckles. “I did actually. But then I was happy you weren’t. I thought you might be different from the other boys, like I was.”

“I was different. That is why we had so much fun. Did you know back then that you were gay?”

“Well… I was only six, so I didn’t know about sexualities and stuff at all, at that point. But I had never been interested in the girls like the other boys were. I only wanted to play with them cause they liked tea-parties and Disney-movies like I did.”

“Same as me then. And I remember thinking that you were the prettiest thing I had ever seen.”

“That is sweet.”

Kurt leaned over and kissed the tip of Blaine’s nose. They talked for a while and walked around the playground. They tried to fit into the swings and the slide but they had grown too much since the age of six, they tried climbing on the monkey-bars but they were too tall and they tried to make sandcastles but they didn’t have any tools. So they walked back to Kurt’s house hand in hand.

The first weekend of August Blaine was sitting on his bed with Kurt, shoulder to shoulder with their backs to the headboard. Aunt Sarah was giving Lorily a bath so they had a few minutes to themselves.

“What do you want to do today?” Kurt asked and interlaced their fingers.

“I don’t know really. It is kind of cold out today, considering the season. Maybe we could go outside somewhere?”

“Do you want to go to the park? It used to be your favorite place to go when we had nothing to do and just wanted to relax together. I totally understand if you don’t though.”

Kurt looked at Blaine. He looked both cautious and curious.

“I can ask dad and Carole to have a picnic there. They will be able to see us the whole time, but not hear us talking.” Kurt said.

“Did you tell them about what happened to me?”

“Of course I did, Blaine. They care about you SO much. But I told them not to mention it when you are around, since I know that you might not want to talk to them about it yet. I know you are strong, but you are also so guarded, even to us who love you.”

“Yeah… I guess. I think we can go, if they come too.” Blaine said and looked away from Kurt.

“Blaine, look at me.”

Blaine did.

“Blaine. Don’t guard yourself from me. You can tell me anything. If you don’t want to go, we won’t. Okay?”

“I know. I’m sorry. I want to go. As you said, I did love it there. But I am scared. What if dad will send someone else to get me?”

Kurt looked truly upset at the use of the phrase “get me”.

“If you decide that we go, I will be with you. And they will be close. I want you to be okay with the park.”
“I do to. Then we’ll go. Will you call Burt?”

Kurt took out his phone and made the call. Blaine stood up and looked at Kurt until he let go of his hand. He walked into the living room where Sarah was helping Lorily dry her hair after the bath.

“Blainey!” Lorily squeaked. “Will you braid my hair?”
“Sure, Lori. Go get your hair bands, so I can have a talk with your mom real quick?”

“Okay.” the girl said and skipped into the bedroom where Blaine heard Kurt saying goodbye to his dad and helping Lorily find the hair bands.

“Is something the matter, darling?” aunt Sarah asked.

“Nah. Well, me and Kurt are going to the park.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I used to love that park. Both Kurt and I did. And I can’t avoid it forever. And Burt and Carole are going to be there and have a picnic so they can see us.”

“I see. Do you want me and Lorily to have a picnic too?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“As long as you are sure. If you get uncomfortable you should come back, though.”
“I will Sarah. Thank you.”
Lorily ran back into the room, Kurt walking behind her smiling. Blaine braided Lorily’s hair and Kurt teased him lovingly about it, but helped him. When they were done Lorily ran into the bathroom to look. They heard her squeak and then she came back to hug them.

Kurt and Blaine left Sarah and Lorily in the apartment and went back to the Hummel-Hudson home. Kurt helped his mother-in-law pack a basket while Blaine sat with Burt in the living room watching a re-run of a football-game.

“You okay, kiddo?” Burt asked but kept his eyes on the TV.

“Terrified. But I’ll be fine.”

At that, Burt turned his head and looked at Blaine.

“I won’t let anything ever happen to you again. As long as you are with Kurt, you are family.”

Blaine didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you, sir.”
“Blaine. I told you to call me Burt.”

“Sorry, Burt. But really, thank you. I imagine picnics are not your favorite activity in the world?”
“No. But if Carole enjoys it and it makes you feel better then I will gladly do it.”

Carole and Kurt walked out of the kitchen. They all got in Kurt’s car and drove to the park. When they stepped onto the gravel path Blaine cringed at the sound, remembering.  Kurt saw him but said nothing, just bumped their shoulders together. When they got to where the path turned toward the picnic area, Carole told them to come get her and Burt if they wanted to go home or have some snacks. Burt and Carole put out a blanket - luckily not the green one me and Kurt had - and sat down. Blaine and Kurt stood still on the path but proceeded to remove their shoes. Kurt brushed Blaine’s knuckles with his fingers and Blaine grabbed on to his hand. They stepped into the grass and Blaine cringed again, followed by a deep breath.

“Tell me what you are thinking. How you feel. Tell me what you remember, if you want.”

They walked toward the big tree. Blaine shivered when they stepped into its shadow.

“I don’t… I don’t want to have my back against the tree.” Blaine stated.

“Was that how you stood when…”
“He grabbed my upper arm and turned me around. I didn’t have time to react before I looked down and saw him drag the knife out of me.”

“I won’t grab your arm, then. And we can both lye on our backs in the grass?”

Blaine let go of Kurt’s hand and sat down, facing the tree. Kurt laid down on his back beside him. Blaine put his hands in the grass behind him, leaning against them. Kurt stroked his leg with his foot.

“I’m not that afraid to be here.” Blaine said after a while.

“How come?”

“I’m not afraid of what my dad, or anybody will do to me. I am just afraid of how you would feel if something happened to me, or how I would feel if someone hurt you.”
Kurt said nothing, just kept stoking Blaine’s leg. Blaine took a deep breath and laid down next to Kurt. He nudged Kurt’s arm with his forehead and Kurt lifted his arm so Blaine could snuggle up to his side and put his head on his chest. It feels safe here. Kurt is so warm.

After a while Blaine asked Kurt where Finn was today and then their chat went on to New Directions and then on to everything between them and the moon. After a couple of hours they heard Burt shouting from the picnic area.

“You boys ready to go home? Carole needs to get started with dinner and my old body is not having much more of this sitting around.”

Kurt and Blaine got up and met Burt and Carole on the gravel path. While they drove home nobody mentioned Blaine’s experience in the park that day. 

Later that night they are on Kurt’s bed in the same position they were in at the park. Kurt is combing through Blaine’s curls with his fingers and Blaine is dragging his index finger back and forth across Kurt’s stomach.

“Was it better or worse than you thought?” Kurt whispers.

“Better. I was mostly nervous and thought back on that day. But when we got to talking it felt just like the times before, when we were just enjoying our day in the park.”

“Good.”

There was a knock on Kurt’s door. Kurt told the knocker to come in. It was Burt.

“Okay, boys. Carole and I are going to bed. You should too, today was… a day.”

“We will, dad.”

“Goodnight boys.” Burt said.

“Goodnight dad.” Kurt said.

“Goodnight dad.” Blaine said.

Blaine heard both Kurt and himself insert breaths harshly. Burt stopped mid-step with his mouth open, but closed it fast. He nodded at them and left.

“Well, that was awkward.” Blaine said and buried his face under Kurt’s arm.

“Get out of my smelly armpit!” Kurt said and moved a bit so Blaine put his head back on his chest. “And well, I don’t think any of us were expecting that.”

“Least of all would be me.” Blaine said.

“It was nice. I think dad will be happy that you said that. He might start to understand how great a father he is.”

“He really is nice. And I haven’t had a dad since I was fourteen.”

“I understand.”

“Your armpit isn’t smelly by the way. It smells like roses, just like the rest of you.” Blaine said and sniffed Kurt’s neck and face like a dog, while crawling up Kurt’s body.

Kurt giggled. “You brought pajamas?”

“Just a shirt. Can you lend me some sweatpants? I’m not really comfortable sleeping in my boxers at your house yet.”

Kurt poked Blaine’s chest and Blaine rolled off of him, onto his back. Kurt stood and started looking for pants that Blaine could wear. Blaine just looked at him while he did so. He is gorgeous. I don’t understand how he is so understanding about today. Or yeah, I do. ‘Cause he is perfect. I can’t believe he is mine. I am never letting him go. I will never let anything happen to him. Blaine stood and got rid of his pants. He took his sleep-shirt out of his bag next to the bed and changed into it as fast as he could. He walked up behind Kurt - who had finally pulled a pair of sweatpants out of a drawer - and circled his hips with his arms. Blaine put his chin on Kurt’s shoulder and angled his head so his nose was practically in Kurt’s ear.

“I love you. I am never letting you go.” he whispered.

Kurt giggled. “That tickles. Here are the pants. Now get in my bed!”

Blaine yanked the pants on and pretty much threw himself onto the bed. He turned to his side, waiting for Kurt to come be the big spoon. Kurt did so and whispered back to Blaine: “I love you too.”

They snuggled for a few minutes.

“How are you not sweating in a long-sleeve?” Kurt asked.

“No covers... Need sleeves. ‘Night Kurt... Love you.” Blaine mumbled.

Kurt smiled against Blaine’s hair. “Dream of me, Blaine. I love you too.”

Blaine fell asleep almost instantly and Kurt sneaked his hand underneath Blaine’s shirt to trace his fingers across the scar on Blaine’s stomach, he could barely feel it now.

“Nothing’s gonna harm you, not while I’m around…” Kurt sang softly into Blaine’s hair.

He shifted a bit to get even closer and eventually fell asleep too.