Carole was surprised by how fast time seemed to move once Blaine was released from the hospital. The first week, while irritating in countless ways for Blaine, was a blur for her. A huge envelope of Blaine's documents were delivered to Burt's house Friday morning, and since Carole and Burt both had the day off, they took the time while Kurt and Finn were at school to go over them with Blaine. Most of it was simple information: a birth record, police reports on various crimes and petty problems he'd caused and gotten expelled for, report cards from the dozen schools he'd gone to, and doctor records; a list of allergies, sicknesses, broken bones, and infections from his childhood. But some of it was more difficult for Blaine because of the emotional triggers it carried. They ended up skimming parts of it because of Blaine's snappy remarks and defensive reactions. They left most of the police reports, court orders, and countless documents surrounding Blaine's hospitalization and then the brutal fight that had led to his imprisonment for another time. The documents involving his inheritance from his mother and her family was another sensitive subject for Blaine. Blaine had bluntly told them to take it all, whatever was left, once they had access to it.

Burt had refused it like Carole knew he would, and Blaine had gotten angry at that. He wouldn't say anything more about it, but Carole thought he didn't like the idea of living with Burt and Kurt for free. She knew how independent Blaine tried to be, how much he'd come to rely on himself instead of others and knew he'd want to pay his own way as much as possible. But Burt had refused to budge on the matter and told him to save it and the money he still had from his grandfather for college.

Every chance Blaine had over the next week had led to him and Burt arguing over Blaine paying anything. Somehow, Blaine had talked Burt around to letting Blaine pay some form of rent, but Burt still seemed weary of the idea, especially since Blaine needed to focus on healing and keeping up with his school work. A job on top of that would be too much right now, and giving up the small inheritance he'd have access to next October wasn't something either of them wanted Blaine to do.

The following Friday couldn't have been more different for all of them. Instead of an angry Blaine shut up in his room, and Burt looking grumpy from the arguments they'd had all morning, things had been easy and calm. Finn had rushed home from school, looking giddy and excited. When she'd asked why, he'd stammered over some terrible excuse that she knew was a lie and then left the house with a stack of pirate movies and three boxes full of popcorn packets. The whole thing had seemed suspicious until she'd returned from the grocery store to find the lights dimmed, candles lit, and Burt waiting for her with a meal for two and a huge surprise in the form of a small velvet box.

The boys had come over late Saturday morning for a little engagement party, and, really, Carole couldn't remember the last time everything had been so happy in her life. Even Blaine was smiling, albeit in a guarded, tired way, and enjoying the celebration.

The next few weeks were spent taking Blaine back and forth to the doctor, planning the wedding (set for mid- December) with Kurt, and buying Blaine a new wardrobe. The latter was oddly the most difficult of the three, because Blaine would insist on buying it all himself on one shopping trip or refuse to let them buy anything unless it was really cheap the next. Blaine's doctor visits were going exceptionally well, though his eye was still bandaged, less heavily now, with an eye patch to hold it in place. The doctors were hesitant about letting him return to school on a regular basis, but Carole knew it wouldn't be much longer. Blaine had proven he could live normally with his injured eye covered and his ribs wrapped. However, as a nurse she understood their worry about him straining his good eye trying to read things from his seat in a classroom, and a more general concern about Blaine being the kind of person who pushed himself too hard too fast.

Because of how well Blaine seemed to be handling his physical state, Carole considered it the last of her worries in light of everything else happening. Even her wedding wasn't a huge thing on her mind because she had Kurt to help with that and keep her sane. Honestly, as long as they were all there and Burt became her husband she would be happy no matter what color the bridesmaid dresses were or whether Kurt could force Blaine into a suit. The thing that still worried her was the nightmares both Kurt and Blaine had started having. Most nights they slept together in Blaine's room just to try and prevent them. After the first night when Burt had made them sleep in their own rooms, they'd been woken up by Blaine screaming himself hoarse in the room below them. Kurt had refused to leave him after that, and they'd let the boys settle into a rhythm of comforting each other at night.

She knew from going to wake them up, and Kurt's confessions to her, that Blaine still slept roughly even with Kurt there, muttering under his breath about Lily or his mother and sometimes his father. Carole wanted to do something to help him, to give him an outlet to relieve his pain and help him come to terms with what had happened, but she didn't know what she could do. They had no phone number or way to contact Lily, and both of his parents were dead. It wasn't until she was reading through the more detailed reports on some of the things he'd stolen when he was younger that she was hit with a sudden idea.

While going through the theft reports she'd come to realize that Blaine had lived in a small town, Conesville, a few hours east of Lima, near Westerville. She'd gone back to look at his old address, and then at all the documentation she had on his mother's death and burial. She looked up a few locations and directions and planned an outing for her and Blaine that coming Sunday before he was officially allowed to return to school. Maybe she couldn't give Blaine his real mother back, and couldn't replace her, but she could give him a place to go to talk to her. The same way that Kurt and Burt visited Elizabeth's grave on Mother's Day, her and Blaine could visit Lyra's.

Carole explained her plan to Kurt, Finn, and Burt while Blaine was taking a bath the first Friday in December. Kurt loved the idea, even though he started to caution her immediately about how Blaine would react, but she knew the risks. If she drove out there with him he may very well refuse to get out of the car. They might sit there for hours in silence while she waited to see if he could find the courage to get out and visit his mother's gravestone. She also had to insist that Kurt not go, even though he tried to put himself into her plans. As much as Kurt understood Blaine at this point, Carole thought she understood him pretty well, too. Oddly enough, his mother's death was one of the biggest connections she had with Blaine since she was actually there shortly after it had happened. She hoped that bringing something positive into this situation and helping him start healing after all these years was something she could do for Blaine.

Sunday morning she woke early and got dressed after accepting a sleepy kiss and mumbled encouragement from Burt before she left the bedroom to go downstairs to Blaine's room. Carole was careful to push the door open halfway so that it didn't creak. The sight that greeted her made her heart thump painfully in her chest.

Blaine was on his right side as usual these days, pressed right up against Kurt's left side with his left arm tight around Kurt's waist and his face buried into Kurt's neck. Carole could just make out his eye patch, slightly crooked, in the early dawn light coming in through the gap in the curtains. She looked around a little as she moved towards the bed, taking in the textbooks scattered over the desk, and the clothes hanging out of some of the dresser drawers. She nearly tripped over the skateboard hidden under a pair of jeans on the floor, but she'd had years of practice at navigating Finn's cluttered room and regained her balance quickly.

"Blaine," she whispered softly, dropping onto the edge of the bed and gently shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, sweetheart."

Blaine groaned and buried his face deeper into the crook of Kurt's neck. For a moment she thought the groan was an acknowledgement of her presence, but then she felt the cool sweat coating his skin where she was touching his shoulder, felt the way the barely noticeable tremors coursed through his upper body as he twitched in his sleep and hugged Kurt closer. She'd come to realize that he held Kurt closer and tighter whenever he was in the middle of a nightmare, and considering how tightly Blaine was holding on, she was astounded that the force of his grip hadn't woken Kurt up. But she also knew she was doing the right thing by making Blaine visit Lyra's grave this morning. Letting him sleep peacefully once more, letting him relax and remember his past without all of that anger and fear was critical.

"Blaine, come on, I've got a surprise for you," Carole insisted, shaking the boy a little more roughly and attempting to roll him away from Kurt.

"No," Blaine whined sleepily. A few more mumbled words that sounded suspiciously like "Kurt" and "warm" followed as Kurt's arm curled around Blaine and pulled him closer.

Carole sighed in exasperation. This was the exact reason she'd gotten up at the crack of dawn because she knew getting Blaine awake and separating him from Kurt would take as long as the three hour drive to Conesville. Okay, maybe not quite, but it would still take a while. As adorable as they were, their attachment to each other was definitely going to be a detriment to her plans today.

With a great heave, Carole rolled Blaine onto his back and tapped his cheek. "Wake up, Blaine," she ordered. "We're going on a road trip."

Blaine blinked up at her groggily, scratching his bare chest. There were still a few spots there from some fading bruises that were yellow in color, but he no longer had to wrap his ribs up and was nearly healed in that regard. His final appointment for both his eye and his ribs was set for a week after the wedding, and Carole knew how anxious he was to finally be allowed to move around like a normal person again. Kurt's final appointment, before the more intense aspects of his physical therapy began, was set for the morning after the wedding. Carole and Burt would be taking Kurt in for that and then setting out for their long honeymoon weekend together.

" 's too early," Blaine argued, making to roll back over into Kurt's side. "Sleep is for dawn. Road trips are for dusk."

"Then you can sleep in the car," Carole insisted, holding him in place so he couldn't roll over. "I'll even buy you McDonalds breakfast."

At the mention of food Blaine perked up a little, rubbing his uncovered eye and propping himself up on his elbows. "You would tempt me with greasy, delicious food," Blaine grumbled.

"I'm not above cheap bribery," Carole retorted playfully. At this point Blaine didn't need help sitting up or getting out of bed, so Carole stood up and watched him untangle himself from the blankets. A moment later Blaine twisted back to shake Kurt awake, but Carole latched onto his hand quickly and stopped him.

"No. Kurt's not going," she told him quietly. "This is just you and me, okay?"

"I– all right," Blaine replied, looking rather confused, but Carole knew the boy trusted her. Not as much as he trusted Kurt, but enough for this. At least she hoped so.

Carole waited until Blaine was up on his feet and searching for clean clothes before she left his room and went into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. About fifteen minutes later, Blaine appeared, hair limp and dripping wet, in a pair of jeans, a striped shirt and dark red sweater that Kurt had insisted on buying him last week. Blaine had curled his lips at the addition of the sweater, because compared to the striped shirt it definitely wasn't his style, but Carole could see what Kurt had successfully aimed for now. It did look fantastic on Blaine, even though he did keep tugging at the buttons.

"That's a nice sweater," Carole complimented as she poured herself some coffee for the road.

Blaine glanced down and tugged on where it was buttoned across his stomach. "It's all right, I guess," Blaine muttered. "I think I'll stick to basic t-shirts and jeans." He looked back up. "And bow ties for special occasions like weddings."

Carole smiled at the last part, glad that Kurt seemed to have finally convinced him to wear a suit for the wedding. "Kurt finally talked you into it, then?" she asked as they grabbed their coats, gloves, and scarves and headed out to her car.

"Not really," Blaine shrugged. "I just like messing with him. The bow tie was my idea. It's the only tie I ever learned how to tie. I used to wear them as a kid."

A little pang of sadness twisted in Carole's chest as she unlocked her car and got inside. "Bow ties are hard, that's impressive. I don't think even I know how to tie a bow tie properly."

Blaine raised his eyebrows as Carole started driving and mused, "Lots of things are hard. In fact, you woke me up at dawn and took me away from my favorite one of those for this surprise."

Out of the corner of her eye Carole saw Blaine make air quotes, and despite the inappropriateness of the comment she chuckled, but didn't elaborate on where they were going. As promised she stopped by the McDonalds next to the highway to load up on breakfast food for Blaine from the drive-thru.

By the time they were twenty miles out, Blaine had finished the huge bag of food and was grumbling in his sleep once more. He slept until they were just outside of Westerville, finally waking up because of the bright sunlight hitting him in the face. If he recognized where they were he didn't say anything. They talked a little bit after he woke up, mostly about the wedding and what their living situation would be after. It was only when they passed the huge sign for Conesville that Blaine froze. Even out of the corner of her eye, Carole could see him tensing and looking agitated.

"Where are we going?" Blaine asked sharply.

Carole debated being vague for half a second before deciding it would only make things worse. Besides, Blaine deserved honesty, needed it for their relationship to work at all.

"We're going to visit your mother's grave, Blaine," she said calmly, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as she exited the highway.

"You're– we're– "Blaine swallowed loudly and slid down into his seat, curling in on himself a little and placing his feet on the dashboard.

As soon as they were officially off the highway Carole pulled into a gas station and parked. Blaine was still curled in on himself, arms crossed tightly over his chest with a surly, terrified look on his face. She'd never seen him look so young, so scared or vulnerable, and the instant she saw the expression she knew she was doing something right. He might protest and fight against this right now, but some day he would thank her for this, even come out here on his own just to talk to her or bring his own kids to visit.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything, Blaine," Carole started, gently reaching across and squeezing his shoulder. He flinched a little and squirmed in his seat. "But I am driving us out to where she's buried. If we spend two hours sitting in silence in the car, then that's fine. I just... I want to give you this chance to have a way to still connect to her. A place to go to talk things out or remember her without it haunting you. I want you to be able to think or talk about your mother and smile."

Blaine shifted some more, biting his lip as he stared out the windshield. "I... I d- don't... shouldn't we bring flowers or something?" Blaine stammered. "That's what people do when they... when they do this, isn't it?"

Instinctively Carole moved her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, brushing the backside of her fingers against his face. Of all the things she'd expected Blaine to say right now, that hadn't been one of them. Part of her was swelling with pride, though. Blaine was more ready for this than she'd realized, even if he couldn't see it right now. Despite the fact that he seemed to not have been given the opportunity to visit her grave site even though he'd lived only twenty miles from it for most of his life, he was tentatively open to the idea, was even thinking about honoring her in some way with flowers.

She really wanted to remark on how sweet he was to think of it, to even kiss him on the cheek and hug him, but she didn't. Carole offered him a small smile and brushed a stray curl off his forehead. "I'm sure we can find somewhere along the way."

The remainder of the drive was tense. Blaine was full of snappy remarks whenever she spoke to him, and he continuously sneered at different buildings and houses they passed, even made a few scathing remarks to the cashier when they stopped to buy flowers. It was after ten when Carole finally turned onto a gravel road. About a mile down the graveyard came into view on the right side. A small church with a half-circle driveway was opposite the rows of graves.

Carole pulled into the little half- loop of gravel and turned the car off. She twisted to look at Blaine sitting next to her, head down, fingers playing with the petals on one of the pink roses. The pink roses that Blaine had said were Lyra's favorite. Now that they were here Carole felt terribly nervous. She desperately hoped Blaine was ready – willing – to take this next step in his life. To start to let go of how much his mother's death still haunted him.

"We're here, sweetheart," Carole said softly.

Blaine nodded jerkily, but didn't move to get out of the car. Carole sighed, and sat back to wait, reaching across to take hold of Blaine's hand and squeeze it. She didn't know how long they sat there in silence. A handful of cars made their way past to what she thought must be a farm down the road. A tracker came by as well, but Blaine remained seated, brushing his fingers over the soft rose petals.

"She– she used to braid them into her hair," Blaine said suddenly, and Carole looked over. There was an look in his eyes that was unfamiliar to her. Carole could see the memories there, the pain and the longing hidden in his eyes. "One time I... I begged her to put a bunch i- in my hair," Blaine choked out. "M- my dad thought it was the funniest thing. Even put some in his hair. I started putting them in... in Lily's hair when she got older."

Surprised by the memory Blaine had just shared with her, Carole remained silent, squeezing his hand a little tighter as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door.

"I'm gonna... "Blaine trailed off and pulled his hand free, picking the flowers up from his lap and stepping out of the car.

Carole didn't need to hear the rest of his sentence to know what he was doing. She watched him close the door slowly, and little by little trudge across the road, up the small hill and into the first row of graves. Part of her mind was imagining the scene he'd just described to her while he paced back and forth through the rows. Blaine wandered seemingly aimlessly for a long time, stopping at random ones, and crossing and uncrossing his arms as Carole kept an eye on him. Finally, his steps faltered before one on the far right side. Even from the distance she could visibly see his shoulders rise as he sucked in a steadying breath and stepped forward.

She couldn't tell if he was speaking to the grave or not, but she watched him kneel down and place the flowers against the stone. Carole was almost surprised that he'd made the step and gone over there on their first visit, but Blaine had always been full of surprises, both good and bad. And she knew how strong he was, knew how much his life had changed, how much he'd opened up and was more prepared for this thanks to Kurt. Carole just hoped now that he'd seen how much better things could be that he could find a way to heal these old wounds enough to not be haunted by them anymore. It would take time, years and years of it, but she knew if anyone could find peace with time despite the intensity of his experience, it was Blaine. He'd managed to survive so much, and had finally found somewhere safe for him to work through his past and handle it better than he had the first time.

It wasn't more than a few minutes before Blaine got up on his feet and quickly made his way back to the car. The abruptness worried her a little, but all of this was obviously overwhelming for him. After years of trying to forget it all, forget the terrible tragedy he'd come home to and the way his family had one by one disappeared from his life, now he had the opportunity to reclaim some part of that life. To let those memories free and take away some part of that pain. Carole knew he would never fully forget or heal, the same way she would never forget Finn's father or that Burt and Kurt wouldn't forget Elizabeth, but she knew it helped.

"Can... can we go now?" Blaine asked, fumbling with the belt once he got into the car, his voice shaky and hoarse. "All I can hear– I can't– her voice... "

"Shh," Carole soothed, leaning over and finally hugging him like she'd been wanting to do, waiting for this moment when he was finally letting all of this back in, even if it was only the slightest bit. "It's a lot right now, but she would be so proud of you. We all are, Blaine."

Blaine trembled in her arms, but she could tell he wasn't crying. He wasn't there yet, wasn't ready to let everything out, but she wasn't worried. Letting things out and dealing with them piece by piece was what Blaine always did. Someday he would find comfort in coming here and talking to her, and until then Carole would be there to help him come to terms with all the heartache in his young life. She would be there by his side every step of the way, watching him embrace every aspect of his life that he'd needed to shut out in order to survive.

Blaine didn't need to shut anything out anymore, though. Everything he needed he'd found with her, Kurt, Burt, and Finn. They were a new family, just starting to get used to each other, with their own issues, but they were perfect for Blaine. Perfect to help that scared little boy from the hospital become the man Carole kept seeing shine through.

�

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A strange feeling of calmness spread through Blaine as soon as he woke up early Monday morning. At first he thought it had to do with not waking up to stare up at the word "FAGGOT" painted on the wall over his bed, or even the yellow square that had replaced it. Then he thought that Kurt's warm presence curled into his right side was somehow more soothing than it was normally, but as he blinked slowly a few times and took in the silent room, and the dull gray light filtering in from the windows over his head, he realized what the reason was.

He'd had no nightmares last night. Not old ones about memories of his mother, or new ones involving his sister or Kurt or even Carole, Burt, or Finn. Blaine had no memory of anything he'd dreamed about last night, just a pleasant warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.

It was a nice sensation for him, not waking up shouting, crying, or drenched in his own sweat. Having Kurt there with him had usually helped to calm him down, but even Kurt's presence hadn't stopped the nightmares from coming. Almost every night since his sister and grandfather had departed he'd had terrible, upsetting dreams that made him feel like his world was being ripped apart. Even waking up in Kurt's tight, warm embrace had only done so much to sooth him. That night was unprecedented considering how the last six weeks had been, but as he lay there he remembered where he and Carole had gone yesterday. Blaine had only stayed by her headstone for five minutes and it had dumped a ton of old memories on him, but somehow he felt a little lighter – a little more sure of himself even though part of him still felt horribly numb.

After a few moments of staring up at the ceiling – his ceiling, in his room – he turned his head and nudged his nose against Kurt's forehead, not trying to wake him up but just to feel that closeness and intimacy he'd never found anywhere else. Today he was to start school again. Carole and Kurt were adamant that he only stay for half the day, but Blaine was just as determined to stay the entire day. He'd been surprised when Burt had taken his side on the matter, but the older man seemed to understand how crazy he was going being cooped up for weeks on end, probably because Burt's own time having to stay at home had been still fresh on his mind.

The alarm clock on the table next to his side of the bed started beeping loudly. Kurt groaned and burrowed his face deeper into Blaine's shoulder as Blaine fumbled for the device and switched it off.

"I think this is the first time I've been excited to go to school since I was ten," Blaine said into the silence. Kurt shifted a little against him, sighing resignedly and turning his face up enough to kiss the side of Blaine's neck.

"You'll change your mind before English is over," he muttered.

"Will not," Blaine argued. "I get to spend almost the whole day with you." He uncurled the arm under Kurt's side and slid it down his hip to his ass and squeezed. "Maybe I'll get to cop a few good feels, too."

Kurt squealed in surprise, and for once Blaine was glad his arm was still in a sling because he couldn't smack him in the chest for the pinch.

"Pervert," Kurt growled, rolling over and crushing Blaine's arm beneath his body.

"Sack of potatoes," Blaine teased, rolling with Kurt and yanking his arm free. He'd been slightly surprised by how quickly he'd been able to start to move his upper body normally. After his last time dealing with broken ribs he'd expect the same sharp pains that had persisted for close to four months, but his injuries weren't as bad this time around. There'd been no punctured lung or ribs snapped in half, just a few cracks and a lot of deep bruising.

"You're not very useful yourself," Kurt retorted, accepting Blaine's soft kiss.

"More useful than you," Blaine said slyly, sliding his arms around Kurt's waist and laying on him as much as possible with his arm sling still in the way. For the most part they'd found it was fine for them to lay like this now, especially since Kurt only had a few more days before its removal and had already started some of his physical therapy. "At least I can put my arms around you."

Blaine felt Kurt pout against his lips as he leaned in to kiss him again. He wasted no time, taking Kurt's pouty lip and pulling it between his teeth to suck and nibble on. A soft gasp brushed over his lips as he pulled back, his hands running along Kurt's lower back as he shifted his mouth to Kurt's jaw line.

"Blaine," Kurt murmured, a note of warning in his voice. These days Blaine tended to listen to him, or the ache in his ribs when they were in this position, but Kurt's voice wasn't full of pain as it had been those times. And honestly? He was almost positive his ribs were fully healed anyway, even if his final appointment wasn't until next week. He felt fantastic and while he knew there was no chance of doing everything he wanted to do right now, that didn't mean they could at least do something.

"Kurt," Blaine mocked, his voice coming out a little rough. Arousal was already surging through him after weeks of not even attempting to be this close to each other. He slid one arm out from under Kurt, using it to hold himself up some as he rolled his hips against Kurt's thigh. Through the thin fabric of Kurt's pajama pants he could feel the other boy's cock, still mostly soft but definitely not for long if he had any say in the matter.

"Blaine," Kurt said again, louder and more breathless as Blaine continued to slowly rock his hips and suck on his neck. "Your ribs– "

"Are fine," Blaine cut in, sliding his left hand under Kurt's shirt and then down to the waistband of his pants. He slipped a few fingers under it and pressed them against Kurt's ass, making Kurt groan and arch up against him. Kurt was just tugging him down for what he hoped was going to be an intense, passionate, and desperate kiss when someone cleared their throat loudly behind them.

Blaine jerked his hips down once more as Kurt pulled their mouths apart and tried to roll Blaine off of him. Reluctantly, Blaine rolled onto his side and looked towards the doorway. Burt was standing there, not looking terribly surprised, but still uncomfortable given the situation. It only made Blaine want to push the man's buttons more, because it wasn't everyday he had a good chance to mess with Burt.

"It's no wonder you and Carole are a perfect match," Blaine quipped. "You both have horrific timing. I swear, every time we're trying to get off– "

"Breakfast in fifteen, guys," Burt cut in sharply. He pointed a stern finger at Blaine. "Don't make me split you two up every night."

Blaine frowned at him, but said nothing as Burt shook his head. Blaine swore he saw a faint smile on Burt's face as he left the room. In a flash Blaine had rolled back onto Kurt, grinding down against him and sucking on his neck again.

"Let me blow you," he requested, scraping his teeth over the wet skin as Kurt squirmed and giggled.

"Blaine, the door's wide open," Kurt started, gasping slightly as Blaine cupped him through the front of his pajama pants.

"I'm an exhibitionist," Blaine quipped, gently massaging Kurt's balls as he leaned back in and kissed the soft skin right behind Kurt's earlobe. "I'm pretty sure that's been obvious since day one."

"The right side of your bed is looking awfully cold tonight, Blaine!" Burt hollered down the hall.

With a sad groan Blaine stilled and let his head flop down on the pillow, face first, next to Kurt's.

"It's about time he had some leverage on you," Kurt laughed. "Even if he is using me to do it."

"Hate you," Blaine grumbled into the pillow. But then he remembered what this weekend was. The wedding was Friday morning, continuing into the early afternoon and then Kurt had his appointment where he'd no long need his sling. After that Burt and Carole were gone until Wednesday on their honeymoon. He'd already convinced Puck to keep Finn out of the house Friday night in exchange for some sort of guitar jam session over winter break. Puck had really come through to get Blaine and Kurt alone, getting Rachel to drag Finn to a theatre or dance class or something of the like, and then to her house for all of Saturday. "You'll be all mine this weekend," Blaine added, nipping Kurt on the ear as he pushed himself up a little.

"But Finn will be h– "

"Already taken care of, babe," Blaine told him. He curled his tongue around the shell of Kurt's ear, eliciting a little gasp and a weak roll of Kurt's hips.

"But your ribs– "

"Still fine– "

"But I won't be able to do much with my arm still– "

"I like doing most of the work, or have you already forgotten how hard I used to ride and fuck you?" Blaine murmured seductively, moving his lips down to the same spot he'd been sucking on before.

"God, I don't think I could– "

"I think your bed's going to replace the freezer in the kitchen at this rate!"

Kurt snorted at his father's shout from the kitchen. The mood Blaine had been trying to reclaim vanished, because Kurt had snorted. Actually snorted loud and clear and as adorable as it was Blaine could hardly believe his boyfriend had just made that sound. While it did nothing to keep him hard, it definitely made him fall in love with Kurt just a little more.

"I'm going to go shower and get ready," Kurt decided, giving him a fleeting kiss on the cheek and getting up out of bed. He turned back in the doorway and smiled. "You better keep that promise about this weekend."

Blaine grinned in reply, watching the little sway to Kurt's hips as he left the room. He dressed quickly, combed his hair, and grabbed his bag before heading to the bathroom on the other side of the staircase. After a quick brush and floss, he ended up in the kitchen with Burt who was setting a plate piled high with scrambled eggs on the table.

"That one's all yours," Burt grunted as Blaine dropped down into the seat in front of it. "Put as much cheese in it as I dared with Kurt around."

"He's such a cholesterol drama queen," Blaine retorted, grabbing a piece of toast and piling eggs onto it. Just as he was folding the toast over and getting ready to take a bite, Kurt strolled in and dropped down next to him.

"Finn just texted me to say he's on his way over since we can't drive right now," Kurt informed him. "And I heard that, by the way. That promise is a two way street, Anderson. I will make you miserable."

"You wouldn't d– "

"I would, Blaine Xavier. I absolutely would," Kurt retorted sharply, narrowing his eyes. "Ease up on the eggs."

"Why? I'll have you to help me work it all off this weekend," Blaine replied with a knowing grin.

"Your bed is about to become the far reaches of space," Burt chimed in loudly.

Kurt pulled the remaining plate of eggs out of Blaine's reach and started in on his own, much healthier meal. Grumbling mutinously, Blaine finished off his egg and toast sandwich and grabbed a handful of orange slices.

Finn arrived ten minutes later, and after a few goodbyes to Burt they hopped into the car and headed to McKinley. As excited as Blaine had been to finally get out of the house and have something to do with his time he hadn't expected all the looks being aimed his way. From the moment he got out of the car, everyone turned to look at him and whisper. Kurt had told him there had been an article on the front page about the attack the Sunday after it had happened, but he'd figured nobody would bother to remember it six weeks later. Obviously he'd been wrong. No amount of glaring or sneering or angry looks seemed to deter the whispers, and it was only the reassuring grip Kurt had on his right hand that made him keep his temper in check.

Blaine hated being noticed, hated invasive questions and just being acknowledged in general. Even his teachers seemed to take notice of him, welcoming him back and holding him back after class to collect any work he'd done while he'd been out. Most of them had been surprised at the stack of papers he'd handed over, including the assignments due for the rest of this week. He'd only rolled his eyes at that, because honestly, what the hell else was he going to do for six weeks? Tap dance to the moon and back?

He'd also been wrong about which classes he had today, which had meant saying goodbye to Kurt after English. At first he'd been really annoyed and upset at the fact, but then Mike had found them in the hallway so he could see Tina and they'd split off, Kurt and Tina heading to their next class and Blaine and Mike heading to Calculus. Blaine had forgotten the other boy was actually in his class. But then again, Mike tended to sit up front and pay attention, unlike himself.

Today, however, Mike joined him in the back and even though Blaine was hesitant at the interaction, by the end of class they were flicking paper footballs at each other and ended up getting held back and scolded for it. He left the room grinning despite himself, because even if he barely knew Mike, the guy was easy- going and didn't ask questions or take things too seriously. An hour and a half of Italian had followed that, and then he headed to the last lunch of the day. Only for the first time since school started, he wasn't eating alone. He'd never realized it, but both Puck and Mike usually sat in the opposite corner of the room from the hidden corner he preferred. They dropped down on the bench across from him and he'd been so surprised he barely remembered to eat.

In Chemistry he had Kurt by his side, and Kurt's usual lab partner, Emily, who seemed a little nervous by his presence, but relaxed quite a bit once Kurt started fussing over him and whether or not he was tired or wanted to head home early. He glared at Kurt and then silenced him with a kiss that had made Mrs. Mentore scold him, but had made Emily laugh. The fact that there was someone at McKinley outside of Glee that didn't think him and Kurt together was disgusting was definitely a boost for his mood.

As soon as they got back to the house after school Blaine headed to the couch, only to find himself being shaken awake by Burt hours later. The rest of the night had gone well for him, and with his homework to finish and a football game Burt asked him to watch he once again slept through the night with no problems. Tuesday followed a similar pattern, and then Wednesday was only a half day at school to start their winter break. Both Burt and Carole were there to pick the three of them up, and take them to pick up their tuxedos and make sure they fit. Everyone except Finn kept shooting him funny looks, and it was only after their tuxedos checked out and were stored in the back of the car that he finally spoke up.

"Why the hell are you three gawking at me every five seconds?" Blaine demanded, glaring at the back of the driver's seat. He saw Burt glance up in the rearview mirror and then exchange a look with Carole.

Carole spun around in her seat as Burt continued to drive. For a moment Blaine flinched when he realized they were going out of his ankle monitor's radius, but then he remembered he didn't have it anymore. It was still difficult to process and remember when he'd had the thing secured around his calf for almost eighteen months.

"We're going to– it's sort of a surprise," Kurt told him.

For one heart stopping moment Blaine hoped they were going to meet up with Lily. That they were going to pick her up and bring her back to live with them forever, but he knew that wasn't possible, no matter how many times he dreamed about it.

"What kind of surprise?" Blaine asked suspiciously.

"Well, me and Burt were... we were trying to think of a Christmas present for you," Carole explained, "but we didn't know what to get. Kurt gave us an idea, but none of us know anything about them so we need you to pick it out– "

"Pick what out?" Blaine insisted, his heart sinking even though he'd known all along it had nothing to do with his sister. He also didn't understand what they'd need him to pick it out. It sounded like they were talking about clothes, and Kurt was practically an expert on those. Why would they need him there?

"A new guitar," Burt answered when nobody else spoke up. Blaine blinked in surprise at his answer, because he hadn't expected that, but he'd definitely missed having one around since it had been destroyed in the break- in. At the same time he didn't want them spending the kind of money that one had cost on him. He knew Burt and Carole both had money saved up, and Carole had made enough by selling her house within the past few weeks that they'd have plenty left over for furnishing the new house, once Burt's house sold, and their honeymoon, but he still didn't feel right about them spending any money on him at all. Every penny should go towards Kurt and Finn for college or something, not a guitar. Not for Blaine.

"Guitars are expensive," Blaine insisted lamely, shifting uncomfortably next to Kurt. He knew they could easily find one for a few hundred without a problem. He just hated the thought of them spending even more money on him. If he'd had a job by now he wouldn't mind so much because he could pay rent and use the money he still had left from his grandfather for additional purchases, but he didn't have that regular income. The money was quickly dwindling from all the new clothes he'd had to buy, as well as the rent he'd forced Burt to take at the beginning of December.

"It's Christmas time, kiddo, and it's not like you're going to ask for a Gibson" Burt said, a little uncertainty creeping into his tone alongside his attempt at making a light hearted joke. "We can at least look and save buying one for summer or Easter or something if you're uncomfortable."

"A guitar for Easter?" Blaine echoed. Even the idea of it sounded ridiculous to him as Burt pulled off the main road and onto a side street. A few minutes later they pulled into a tiny shopping center where a little music shop was tucked away.

"That's why the plan is for Christmas," Burt retorted with a little chuckle as they all climbed out of the car and headed towards the shop. When Blaine remained silent, Burt added, "It's not like it's something you'll never use, Blaine. You've been playing the piano in the hall from the time Kurt leaves for school in the morning until he returns."

"I'm back in school now," Blaine argued. "I won't play as much."

"But you love to play," Carole said with conviction. "It's something you could even pursue in college."

Blaine clamped his lips shut as Finn pushed the little shop door open and held it for them to all troop inside. He couldn't imagine himself going to college at all. Hell, this time last year he couldn't have even pictured himself graduating high school, but now he thought he might see a glimmer of hope where that was concerned. Blaine tried not to think about the possibility of college as the door closed behind him. It's not like he'd ever be able to afford that anyway, and he'd refuse any help Carole or Burt offered because they had their own sons to worry about helping.

The middle aged man at the register called a greeting to them as they entered and headed towards the large rack full of guitars on the left wall opposite the registers.

"Anything I can help you guys with?"

"'Uh, no, no," Burt decided after a moment. "I think Blaine's got a handle on it."

"Let me know if you need anything!"

Blaine had already moved towards the wall, sliding between a few pianos to pick up one of the acoustics. He knew his old guitar had been incredibly expensive since his grandfather had bought it, but right now he wanted to just find something cheap that sounded good so they didn't spend all of their money on him.

Finn had disappeared to the back where the drums were set up, and Carole and Kurt plopped down on a bench as he looked a few of the models over. Finally, Blaine settled on a Fender, with the sunburst finish he was fond of, dropping down onto a stool and giving it a quick strum. He winced as soon as he hit the first string. It was horribly out of tune.

"Want a tuner?" the guy at the counter asked, holding one up.

Blaine was surprised to find the man had been watching him the whole time, but he shook his head. "I'd rather do it by ear."

The man nodded at him, and slid the tuning device back into the glass display case under the registers. "I'm the same way. Best way to do it, really. Can't depend on a tuner if its lost– "

The door of the shop opened and with a final glance the man moved over to greet the newest customers, a woman and her daughter.

Blaine took his time tuning, smiling slightly as Kurt pressed the notes on the piano that he was tuning the strings to. He was vaguely aware of the guy working up front apologizing to the woman about something, and explaining something about lessons, but as he finish tuning the last string just right he stopped trying to listen in and tested out a few riffs.

Even the first few notes made his eye close and loosen the tight knot in his chest from worrying about money. Nothing could hurt him here, not while he was playing and feeling and just existing with the guitar strings rough against his finger tips and the hollow wooden humming against his chest. And the guitar sounded surprisingly good. Nothing compared to the professional grade one he'd had before, but it was still fantastic.

"Sounds like you never stopped," Kurt said from his left. His fingers finally paused as he opened his eyes and looked up.

Before Blaine could reply, a few notes were tapped out on one of the pianos behind Kurt. He looked over to see the same little girl sitting there while her mother continued to talk with the employee up front. After clearing his throat gruffly, Blaine looked over the guitar, checking various parts and things before testing a few others, making sure to stay away from the more expensive ones, but finding he liked the first one best.

A wave of guilt crashed over him as Burt and Carole moved up to the register to buy it. He hated having them spend money on him, even if it what only a couple hundred dollars. They already did more than enough for him. The employee moved over to help them, leaving the slightly annoyed woman to look over a notebook or brochure.

Kurt had disappeared to the back to find Finn, and Blaine was left standing there, squirming guiltily as Burt and Carole checked out. He couldn't stand to watch them, and he was just getting ready to leave when the same four notes, the last one still too flat, were played on the piano behind him. Blaine turned to see the little girl still sitting there, a music book propped up on the piano and her tongue poking out of her mouth as she tried to play the piece.

His heart constricted tightly at the sight, and even though the girl was blond and several years younger than Lily he was still reminded of her. Reminded of how he'd once taught her to play the same way his mother had shown him how to play. Blaine took a few tentative steps towards her, nervous about her mother noticing and freaking out or even pulling the girl away from him because to her he could be just some crazy delinquent. The fact that his ankle monitor was gone, all of his piercings had been removed at the hospital and he hadn't bothered to put them back in didn't even cross his mind as he moved to the side of the piano and watched her struggle.

"The last one should be F sharp," he directed softly.

The young girl startled at the sound of his voice and looked up as he dropped down onto the bench beside her and played the four quarter notes correctly. At first he thought his eye patch would frighten her, but she didn't seem too bothered by it after she got over the initial shock of him appearing. He'd grown used to playing with his eye patch on after all these weeks, but it still felt slightly weird to him. Luckily the girl was on his right side so he could turn to look at her. Still not entirely sure why he was doing this, Blaine waited to see if she'd repeat the notes to him, and when she did, he pointed to the little piano exercise in the book, and placed his finger on the symbol that indicated the F was sharp.

"Any note with that next to it means its sharp," Blaine explained kindly. "It means the note goes up half a step, which is what the black keys are for." He played a few chords and notes with a lot of flats and sharps to demonstrate. "To make any note sharp you just move over to the first key to the right, which is usually a black key unless it's a B or an E, then it's the white key next to it."

The girl nodded quietly to him, and followed the patterns he played for the next few minutes, alternating between the main notes and the sharps.

"Give me an E sharp," he said quickly, smiling brightly as the girl hit the right note. "Awesome job!"

"You wanna try the exercise again?" Blaine asked her, completely unaware of the audience they now had. He hadn't noticed that Finn and Kurt had returned and were watching, or that the four adults up front had stopped to watch them in surprise.

It wasn't until he counted them off slowly and started to play along with her to help her keep time that he looked up and found Kurt's eyes on him. A huge smile was on Kurt's face, the same one that made his heart pound and brought a faint blush to his face, the one that Blaine was pretty sure meant that Kurt was proud of him.

As they finished the exercise he congratulated her on playing it right, and then tensed as an unfamiliar hand fell on his shoulder.

"I think you've found yourself a new guy to teach lessons, Adam," the girl's mother said, smiling kindly down at him. It wasn't a look Blaine was used to adults directing at him, but he hesitantly returned the smile as the woman collected her daughter and said she'd be back the same time next week for her daughter's lesson with him. The fact that she meant Blaine flew straight over his head until she was gone and the employee – Adam, he thought she'd said – grabbed a music book off the shelf and set it down in front of him.

"Think you can play that?" he asked Blaine. "That's what our most advanced kids are playing right now."

Blaine glanced at it and then smirked. "Oh, please, I could play that in my sleep," Blaine quipped as he started to play the song. "Hell, I can play it with one damn eye."

Adam laughed, sounding relived as he watched Blaine continue to play through the song. The man raced off to find more sheet music, returning a few minutes later with something extremely advanced that Blaine played through with no problem. He felt himself flushing with pride as he finished, his stomach flipping as his loved ones applauded him.

"God, please, tell me you're interested in the job," Adam practically begged. "Our last guy up and quit without any notice this morning, and now I've only got two teachers and neither of them can play piano and I can't do all the lessons for it by myself."

"I- I, uh... " Blaine stammered in amazement. He'd been looking for a job for almost eight months, had been desperate to find one now that Burt and Carole had taken him in and wanted to pay for everything, but he'd never expected one to just fall into his lap like this.

"It'll only be part-time, of course," Adam continued quickly, looking anxious. "Weekend mornings and a few nights a week. Same schedule every week unless you need a day off or I do, then we'll just switch it around. If it's cool with you, I'd also have you up here for some parts of your shifts, too, once I teach you how to run the register and make sure you're up to speed on everything we carry, what do you say?"

"S- sure," Blaine stuttered, taking himself by surprise at how readily he'd accepted the offer. Besides, he loved to play music, whether it was piano, guitar, or anything else he could get his hands on, and it wasn't everyday he got a job offer. Most of the time they didn't even give him a chance for an interview, because of his ankle m–

Blaine glanced down, and wiggled his foot a little. Adam didn't know he'd been in trouble without it on. Would he change his mind once he looked into Blaine's background and found out? And then something his grandfather had once told him came back to him. As long as he was a minor they couldn't look at his record until he was eighteen. Everything from before was confidential and sealed until next October. He'd known that for a long time, and it was one of the main reasons he'd hated the ankle monitor so much in the first place. With that on it didn't matter if employers couldn't see his criminal records. All they had to do was glance down to know he was trouble, but not now.

"Really?" Adam beamed. Blaine wouldn't even have been surprised to find that the other man had pissed himself. "When do you think you can start? Sunday maybe? We're slowest on Sundays, so I can teach you everything, jam a little, but– can you, um, drive with that?"

Adam nodded towards his eye patch.

"I'm supposed to get it off next week, but I can always skate over," Blaine decided.

"I can drive him," Kurt offered quickly, beaming as brightly as Adam was. He raised his sling. "I get this off Friday and I'll be good to go." Blaine was suddenly tugged off the bench by his boyfriend and as Carole and Burt finished checking out. Adam passed him some papers to fill out, took down his name, address and phone number, and decided on a time for him to come by on Sunday.

Blaine felt dazed as they left the little shop and piled back into the car. For most of the night he kept digging into his pocket and pulling the slip of paper with the store's phone number and the time for his first shift out just to make sure it was still real. The five of them watched a movie after dinner, and once it was over, Blaine did something he'd never thought he'd actually do.

As Kurt followed him towards his room for the night he stopped and turned around, pulling Kurt into his arms for a tight hug. He pressed a soft kiss to his neck and whispered, "I think I'm gonna try things on my own tonight, okay?"

Kurt stiffened a little in his arms, but he felt the other boy nod against his cheek. "Okay," Kurt murmured. "If you need anything... "

"I'll know where to find you," Blaine finished. "Same thing goes for you. If... if you have any bad dreams you can come up here."

Kurt pulled back, a little smile on his face as he nodded once more. As much as Blaine wanted to sleep in the same bed with Kurt every night, he also wanted to be able to do it on his own without nightmares. It wasn't possible for them to sleep in the same bed every night, no matter how much he wished it were.

"I love you," Kurt said.

Blaine leaned back in, his fingers stroking Kurt's cheek. "I know," he assured him, because with his own epiphany about their relationship and future, he'd realized that Kurt was just as scared as he was to lose this. That only together were they ever going to make this work for as long as they both hoped it would. "I love you, too," Blaine told him. He kissed Kurt gently once more. "Sweet dreams."

He watched Kurt disappear down the hall before heading into his own room, feeling responsible and grown up. Burt would surely approve, Blaine mused as he kicked his jeans off and pulled his shirt over his head before he collapsed onto his bed. Blaine slept fitfully for a few hours, waking up scared and sweaty to find that Kurt was there, crawling under the covers and snuggling close to him. The next few days passed in the same way. They both tried to sleep on their own, but nightmares kept cropping up and they ended up in each other's rooms anyway.

The morning of the wedding dawned, and for Blaine everything was a huge, bizarre blur. Kurt was rushing around making sure everything was perfect, Finn was half-strangling himself with his tie every time he tried to tie it, and Burt was flustered and bobbing around anxiously while he waited for the ceremony to start. All of New Directions was there as well, and while Blaine and Kurt had to sit out the dance down the aisle to start the wedding because of their lingering injuries, everything was amazing. Burt had even insisted on pulling Blaine up to stand with the wedding party, and Kurt was teary eyed by the end of Carole and Burt's speeches.

Blaine spent most of the reception trying to get Kurt to sneak off instead of twirling around on the dance floor, but he settled for a calm, easy swaying when Kurt told him very firmly that they'd have time for that later. It was the most fun Blaine could remember having had in a long time, and even the slight dread he felt about Kurt's appointment afterwards couldn't stop him from smiling brightly all afternoon. The trip to the doctor's office was short and quick. Kurt's arm sling was taken off, and they spent some time flexing and stretching his arm before going over the schedule for his remaining physical therapy.

After that Carole drove them all back to Burt's house where she smothered them all with several hugs and kisses before her and Burt left for their honeymoon. Blaine was anxious and excited for the next few hours, waiting for Finn to finally leave so that him and Kurt could have the house to themselves. Puck showed up at around dusk and dragged Finn away for the night while Kurt was showering. Blaine raced down to Kurt's room, dropping onto the bed while he listened to the shower run in the adjacent bathroom.

The sound was just starting to lull him to sleep when the water cut off, and a few minutes later Kurt appeared, still dripping wet with a towel held loosely around his waist. Blaine blinked the sleep out of his eyes, smiling widely at the sight, his cock starting to harden already.

"You should have saved the shower for later," Blaine called out, making Kurt jump. "After we're done you're going to need another one.

"Blaine!" Kurt gasped in surprise, clutching the towel a little tighter, and looking self-conscious. "I'm n- not wearing anything– "

"I've kissed every inch of your naked body," Blaine reminded him, standing up and walking over to Kurt, feeling slightly nervous himself. They'd barely had the chance to get used to each other before the attack had happened. Now, they'd spent the past six weeks without sex, just a lot of silly teasing and soft kisses.

"That's true," Kurt said breathlessly, watching Blaine stop in front of him. Blaine reached up and stroked his cheek gently, running his other hand through Kurt's damp hair.

"Here," Blaine murmured, taking hold of the towel and tugging it loose. "Let me dry you off, baby."

A faint gasp fell from Kurt's parted lips as Blaine looped the towel around Kurt's waist and dragged it up his back, grabbing a handful and slowly rubbing it over his hair. Blaine took his time, massaging Kurt's scalp and placing a few feather light kisses on the corners of his mouth and his cheeks. In a way this felt like the first time for them all over again, the first time since he'd completely opened himself up and told Kurt his fears about them and their future. He was Kurt's now so much more than he was then, was ready to give Kurt everything he'd wanted to give him the first time they'd done this. Only he hadn't known how then, had still been afraid and rough. Part of him still felt guilty about his roughness the night Kurt had lost his virginity, no matter how many times Kurt said he'd loved it. He wanted to do this kinder than he had before, wanted Kurt to feel all of the love Blaine had for him.

As Blaine finished drying Kurt's hair he cast the towel aside and pulled Kurt flush against his chest, tangling one arm tightly around Kurt's waist as the other hand guided Kurt's mouth towards his. "You're everything to me, Kurt," Blaine whispered, brushing their noses together before kissing him Blaine took things slow, gently coaxing Kurt's lips apart with his tongue, tried to be as tender and loving as Kurt had been the first time he'd topped. He wanted to return that sweetness to Kurt, to show him what he still struggled to put into words sometimes.

Kurt pulled back from his kiss after a few moments, breathing shallowly, eyes slightly glassy. Against his thigh, Blaine could already feel Kurt growing hard. "I feel a little underdressed," Kurt sighed, his hands tugging at the hem of Blaine's shirt.

Without a word, Blaine raised his arms above his head, letting Kurt pull his shirt off and over his head. As Kurt brought him close again, Blaine felt the dampness of Kurt's skin against his chest and sucked in a deep breath.

"You're still wet," Blaine told him, sucking in a bead of water on Kurt's neck. "Let me try something different to get you dry."

Kurt moaned at his words, so Blaine bent down and pressed his open mouth to Kurt's shoulder, alternating between sucking the water droplets off his clean skin, and lapping the beads up with his tongue. Blaine followed the trails down Kurt's chest, dropping to his knees to catch one bead on Kurt's navel. He pressed his tongue against it firmly, making Kurt's hips rock into him and his erection brush against Blaine's neck. But for now he ignored Kurt's cock, and instead focused on the trail of water, using his tongue to trace the path up Kurt's toned stomach, over his ribs, to his nipple where he stopped.

"Blaine," Kurt breathed, his hips jerking once more as his fists tangled into Blaine's curls.

Blaine hummed softly against the little nub, flicking his tongue against it a few times before sucking the soft skin into his mouth and teasing it with his teeth. He stopped only when he felt Kurt trembling so much his knee started to shake. A few kisses were pressed along Kurt's stomach, following the wet trail back down as Blaine's hands slid down his back, dropping to the curve of his ass.

"You're beautiful like this," Blaine mumbled against Kurt's navel, his hands kneading Kurt's ass cheeks as his mouth teased the tight skin just above the base of Kurt's cock. "Naked, perfect, and wanting."

"B- bed," Kurt stammered, whimpering loudly when Blaine pressed his lips to the side of Kurt's cock, his tongue sliding out to tug at his ball sack. "Blaine, please, I– "

Blaine was back on his feet instantly, walking Kurt backwards towards the bed with firm kiss. Kurt's knees buckled when they hit the mattress and Blaine let him drop down and slide up to lay against the pillows as he stumbled over to Kurt's dresser in search of lube and condoms. His own cock throbbed angrily as the zipper of his pants rubbed over it, and Blaine bit back a groan as he tugged the top drawer open. The lube and condoms were buried at the bottom, but Blaine pulled them out quickly and returned to the bed, pausing at the sight that greeted him. Kurt was stretched out, pale skin still damp looking as he slowly stroked himself and arched up off the bed slightly.

Blaine whimpered at the sight, dropping the bottle and box onto the mattress as Kurt sat up and tugged him forward by the waistband of his pants.

"You need to be naked now," Kurt ordered, kissing his stomach, and teasing the dark hairs that lined it with his tongue as he tugged the button open.

Blaine groaned in agreement, tangling one hand through Kurt's hair as his zipper was pulled down. Kurt pushed his boxers and pants down his hips, his mouth moving down to the newly exposed skin. As much as he loved what Kurt was going right now, the way his mouth was moving along the side of Blaine's cock, Blaine had to push Kurt away a little in order to fully get rid of his pants and step out of them.

"Lie back down, Kurt," Blaine requested softly, fumbling for the bottle he'd dropped. Kurt shifted back across the bed, laying down on his back and reaching out a hand for Blaine. Without any hesitation Blaine took it, and let himself be tugged onto the bed, catching himself as he dropped down over Kurt.

He leaned down for a reassuring kiss, one hand drifting down to stroke the soft skin over Kurt's hip bone.

"How's your shoulder?" Blaine asked as he kissed the other man on the cheek and shifted his legs until they were settled between Kurt's.

"Sore from being used so much all of a sudden, but fine," Kurt assured him. "I want you filling me up and pressed against me," he continued earnestly, fixing Blaine with a trusting gaze to dispel any worries

Blaine laughed a little, and said, "That's kind of the plan."

"Good," Kurt sighed, his eyes drifting closed. "I've missed this, missed you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Blaine promised, kissing him once more. Kurt smiled widely as Blaine pulled back and sat up on his knees, uncapping the lube bottle and coating his fingers. He spread it out between his fingers, warming it up as he dropped his mouth to Kurt's cock laying flat against his stomach.

Blaine sucked along the underside, smiling slightly at the little mewls of pleasure and the loud, pleased sighs escaping Kurt.

"Mmm, feels so nice," Kurt murmured above him, and then his hips jolted as Blaine's slick fingers pressed down between his ass cheeks and started to massage the rim of puckered skin. "Oh, yes!"

The sudden approach to Kurt's sensitive area had made him yelp, and Blaine swallowed thickly, trying to gain some control over his breathing as Kurt writhed under his mouth and hand, but when he slowly pushed his middle finger through the ring of muscles Kurt moaned in such a wanton way that he gave up. His own cock bobbed against his stomach, aching for some kind of friction as he thrust his finger slowly, watching and feeling the way Kurt's muscles clenched tightly around him.

"God, more, Blaine," Kurt panted, arching towards his hand as Blaine tried to remember what he'd been doing with his mouth. Kurt's hard cock bumped against his lips as he pressed a second finger inside, and he instinctively sucked the head into his mouth, his entire body shivering at the cry that Kurt gave.

A broken moan followed as he started to thrust his fingers more quickly and bob his head, swallowing as much of Kurt as he could considering he was already breathing heavily. One of Kurt's hands tangled into his hair as Kurt's hips moved, rolling with the tempo of his mouth on him.

Blaine pressed a third finger inside as Kurt's body jerked under him, and pulled his mouth off Kurt's cock as he started to stretch his fingers apart inside Kurt.

"Now, Blaine. I want you inside me now," Kurt pleaded, one hand fumbling over the bed until he found the lube. Blaine took it from him wordlessly, slowly retracting his fingers as he sat back up, found the condoms and rolled one onto his cock. Kurt had raised his head enough to watch him as he coated his aching cock with lube.

Yes, yes, come on" Kurt moaned desperately, wrapping his legs around Blaine's waist to pull him closer. Breathing heavily, Blaine leaned forward, holding himself up with his right hand as he hovered over Kurt. With his left hand he ran the head of his cock over Kurt's stretched hole, moaning with Kurt at the sensation.

"God," Blaine whimpered, lining himself up and starting to press in. "You feel so perfect."

"So do you," Kurt agreed, gasping loudly as Blaine slid in a few more inches. "Keep going. I want to feel all of you."

Blaine obeyed, inwardly smiling at how his boyfriend's – boyfriend! His boyfriend's – bossy attitude had now seeped into his behavior during sex. He dropped his forehead down onto Kurt's chest as he pushed in until Kurt's ass was pressed against his ball sack. He moaned loudly as Kurt's back arched up towards him, his hips thrusting shallowly at an angle he remembered meant he'd brush over Kurt's prostate. Kurt's legs tightened around his waist, his left hand pulling Blaine up for a hungry kiss that Blaine let himself surrender to.

Everything felt perfect to him in that moment. Being joined together with Kurt like this had always been incredible, had always taken his breath away in a way sex with anyone else never had, but this right now was different somehow. He felt like he was giving more of himself, felt like he was completely giving himself over to Kurt in a way he'd not been able to before. Looking at Kurt come apart under his touch and want him, knowing that he loved him exactly for who he was made Blaine's heart jolt painfully and the love he felt for Kurt in combination with how good it felt to be close to him was overwhelming.

They shared a few more soft kisses as Blaine slowly thrust in and out, letting Kurt's body get used to the feeling after so many weeks without it.

"Arch your back," Blaine requested softly, easing a hand under Kurt's body to guide him, acutely aware of Kurt's skin sliding under his fingertips, raising his ass a little higher and holding him there as his thrusts sped up.

Kurt cried out at the new angle, arching up more with the support of Blaine's hands until only his head was pressing into the mattress, his back curving sharply as Blaine traced one hand over his stomach and chest, teasing his nipples with his fingers as he rolled his hips a little harder.

He couldn't see Kurt's face because of how much his back was bent, but he could hear his panting, breathless moans, feel the way he clenched tightly around his cock, could even feel Kurt's cock against his stomach, throbbing and slick with pre-come.

"Harder," Kurt moaned, his hands fisting into the bedding. "God, harder, Blaine."

The meaning of the words took a while to get actually absorbed and as soon as Blaine really heard them, truly absorbed that Kurt was asking him to fuck him, a new layer of arousal shot through his body and he growled as he jerked his hips harder while still doing everything in his power to keep the tempo from speeding up, which he could feel would make him come right then. As much as his body and heart were throbbing and screaming for release, Kurt's pleasure being a priority penetrated it. Kurt's body was trembling against him in a way he'd never felt before. He was making noises and moaning so desperately that Blaine was getting light-headed from it, but he tried to rein in his arousal that was close to tipping over. Right now he was focusing on Kurt, focusing on making the gorgeous man withering against him feel as much pleasure and love as he could possibly give him.

As Blaine's hand traced over Kurt's nipple, his ass clenched tighter around Blaine, moaning so brokenly and for so long that Blaine didn't think it was going to end. He didn't want it to end. Blaine bent his head, stretching his neck a little and closing his lips over the taut pink bud his fingers had just brushed over. Just as the first moan had ended, Kurt gasped and cried out louder, his body shaking and jerking against Blaine's hard thrusts.

"Come for me, Kurt," Blaine breathed against Kurt's nipple, sucking on it again, harder this time and rubbing the tip of his tongue against it. Kurt's entire body tensed against him as he sucked on his nipple, his breathing becoming loud and harsh as Blaine thrust harder. It was the tender brush of Blaine's fingers over Kurt's other nipple that made the tension in Kurt's body snap, made him jerk and arch and shout Blaine's name as his cock twitched between them as he came.

It took all of Blaine's strength not to follow Kurt over the edge, but he slowed his thrusts down, turning the hard, pounding jerk of his hips that had been shaking Kurt's whole body, into gentle, shallow thrusts as Kurt's come coated his stomach. Kurt groaned loudly as he sunk back into the mattress and Blaine dropped down into his arms, panting and stilling his hips so that he didn't come.

Kurt brushed his sweaty curls off his forehead, and cupped his face, pulling him down for a deep kiss. "I want to see you come," Kurt whispered between gasps of breath. "Fuck me as hard as you want. I want you to feel as good as you just made me feel."

Blaine whimpered a little as he propped himself up on his elbows, burying his face against Kurt's neck as he rolled his hips experimentally. Kurt gasped a little from the movement, but then his hands closed over Blaine's ass cheeks and urged him to keep moving. Between the tight grip, and the encouraging, eager words being whispered against his ear, his body, already strung up tight from Kurt's orgasm, spiraled quickly, his muscles tightening and aching as he thrust faster, feeling Kurt's heat tighten around him as a pair of teeth nibbled on his earlobe.

A warm tongue swept out to soothe the skin and Kurt's hoarse, breathy voice whispered, "I'm so proud to be yours."

The hushed, soft words sent him over the edge, his stomach flooding with pleasure at the thought of how much Kurt loved him, how much the man beneath him had helped him and given him a reason to care and love once more. A loud moan vibrated along Kurt's neck as Blaine's cock throbbed and his balls tightened up, his breath searing his throat as a wave of pleasure engulfed him, pulsing along his limbs and torso. His hips kept jerking sporadically as he collapsed against Kurt's chest, groaning and panting as he came.

Blaine was almost certain he blacked out for a few minutes because the next thing he knew was that Kurt's arms were wrapped tightly around him, holding him close and tightly against Kurt's sweaty chest as they both breathed heavily.

"I love you," Blaine said softly, kissing the side of Kurt's neck and sliding his own arms around Kurt's tired body.

"And I love you," Kurt replied, squeezing him tighter and kissing his forehead.

Blaine snuggled deeper into Kurt's embrace, letting his eyes drift close as he stroked Kurt's side and Kurt's hand lazily combed through his curls. He slept soundly for several hours before his dreams turned dark. In the dream, Kurt had woken him up, showering his body with kisses. But as soon as Blaine went to return the gesture, everything solid beneath him dropped out and he fell hard onto the piano that had once sat in his parents' foyer. Blaine could hear the soft cries of his sister coming from inside the chipped and rotten wood. Just as he was trying to break it open and pull her out and into his waiting arms, his mother's lifeless face appeared in the swirls and forms of the rot festering in the dark wood of the piano. The face started screaming, blaming him for everything–

He woke with a start, shooting up into a sitting position to find Kurt by his side, looking tearful and scared.

"I– did I wake you?" Kurt choked out tearfully. "I'm sorry– I just– "

"Shh, I had a nightmare, too. It's okay, " Blaine whispered leaning forward and pulling Kurt into his lap as more tears started to fall. In the face of Kurt's sobs his own nightmares meant little to him. The one he had just had was nowhere near the worse ones he'd had before. "You're safe here, Kurt. We're both safe here. We're home," Blaine murmured soothingly against Kurt's sweaty hair.

For a long time he sat there and rocked Kurt in his arms, the same way Kurt did when he was the one scared. Blaine didn't ask about Kurt's dream, didn't ask what sort of terrible images his mind had created. He knew he didn't like to be asked right after, not even the next day. He talked about his nightmares when he was ready, and he'd allow Kurt the same chance. Their relationship was about them coming together and being equal, about sharing themselves together and being there for each other at their lowest and their highest.

As Kurt's cries subsided Blaine lowered them back against the pillows and pulled the blankets up around them, showering Kurt's cheek with light, adoring kisses and then nuzzling softly against him until he felt Kurt sink deeper into his arms as his breathing even out. It was going to take them time to overcome this, the same way it was going to take many long visits to his mother's grave before he could think back and smile, but as long as he had Kurt with him he knew he was okay. As long as they were in love and together everything in his life was more perfect than he'd ever imagined it could be.