“Daddy?” Aria whispers from where her head is cradles on Blaine’s chest. “Yes sweetheart,” he replies, tugging his fingers gently through her mocha colored curls. “Does it ever stop,” she asked shakily. “Does what ever stop honey?” He says softly. “The pain, does it ever just stop? Is there ever a moment when it’s not hurting?” She says it slowly, and when it’s over she sounds like she’s about a thousand years old, far older than the small sixteen that she actually is. Her and Josh had broken up a week prior, but only just now had she told Blaine about it.

Blaine bites his lip before answering, trying to find the best way to answer it as he pats her back, “Yes...And I’m not gonna lie. It might be awhile. You might feel bad for what seems like a lifetime. But eventually, one day, there’s going to be this person, and you’ll just run into them. Maybe at the library or the coffee shop or even at school on a staircase. But you’ll meet them and suddenly everything’s a thousand times lighter. It’s like...being able to breathe again after being underwater for ages. It’s beautiful and magical and...so hard to describe. And when you find it you don’t ever want to lose it.” Aria nods and is silent for a few minutes, fisting her hand in Blaine’s sweater and unfisting it repeatedly. Until finally she says, “Did you find it Daddy?” Blaine smiles a little, “Yeah baby, I did.” She’s quiet again before asking, “Did you lose it?”

Blaine sighed heavily, “...No. But I almost did.”
“How?”
“I screwed up.”
“What’d you do?”
“I...it’s a long story kiddo.”
“Is it about you and Papa?”
“Yeah.”
“Then tell me.”
“Aria...”
“Pleeeeeaaaasseee?”

Blaine sighed, “Fine,” and he could feel Aria smile a little into his sweater. “Now you know Papa came here a year before I did,” she nodded, “And well...I was all by myself...and Papa was busy...and I was lonely...and there was this guy and we...I...I cheated on Papa.” Aria gasped and looked at Blaine in shock, about to interrupt, but Blaine cut her off, “It was a mistake and probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life and Papa broke up with me for it. As he should have. Distance or no it was a terrible thing and I’ve felt terrible for it everyday. And you want to know the worst part?” Aria looked at him quizzically and Blaine replied, “As bad as it had been before, as dark had everything had seemed before I met him...Ar it was a million times worse after I’d lost him.” Aria squeezed him around the waist and he squeezed her back as she said, “Daddy?”

“Yes angel?”
“Can you go get Papa and Kellan and we can watch Grease?”
Blaine chuckled, “Well Kellan’s at Auntie ‘Tana’s but just Papa’s okay right?”
“Yeah.”

***
“Aria wants you to come watch Grease.”
“Why am I not surprised,” Kurt says without looking up from where he’s placing cookie dough in a bowl. Blaine smiled and wrapped his arms around his husband from now, “Because she’s our daughter and you know her.” Kurt grinned and turned in Blaine’s arms, shocked to find Blaine kissing him deeply, but kissing back anyway. When Blaine pulls back Kurt says, “What was that for?” Blaine buries his face in Kurt’s neck and mumbles, “I told Ar about--about senior year.” It takes Kurt a moment to place what Blaine is talking about but when he does he tilts Blaine’s chin and forces him to look him in the eye, “Blaine,” Kurt says slowly, “That is the past. Look at this,” Kurt shows him his left hand, pointing to the silver wedding band, “This is my promise to you and yours to me, to love each other no matter what, better or worse, sick or healthy, good things and the bad. I forgave you for this. Now c’mon. Grab three spoons, and I’ll get the dvd.”

***

Two hours later, Aria was asleep on Blaine’s chest, Kurt curled around him from behind, gently stroking her hair. The tub of cookie dough had two spoons stuck in it, and one was clutched in Aria’s sleepy grip as the closing credits played. Blaine watched his husband stroke their daughter’s hair and smiled, turning his head to find Kurt watching him.