The shower was their safe space.

Very early in their relationship, Kurt and Blaine had decided that shower sex was better in theory than in practice. The awkward positions, the slipperiness, the hot water still beating down on them - it made for an incredibly uncomfortable experience, and their attempts(and there were a fair number) often ended in bad temper and pulled muscles. So while neither ever really said no to a quick handjob or blowjob, penetrative sex in the shower was banned.

As a result, when they showered together, Kurt became less concerned with ravishing Blaine and more interested in simply observing him. Initially, showering together had only been a habit after (in the bed) sex, when they felt sticky and disgusting and still didn't want to be alone. Kurt took special pleasure in cleaning Blaine's back, in watching his taut muscles ripple and relax underneath his shining skin. There was something so vulnerable about Blaine's sharp shoulder blades, the curve of his lower back, the swell of his ass. It made Kurt feel important to be cleaning his lover.

It made him feel satisfied, possessive.

Their ritual began with cleaning, but sometimes they would linger in the confines of the shower, still drunk on each other's presence and bareness. There was something different about being wet with water, as opposed to sweat. Blaine's skin always glowed after their showers, and seeing the smooth shimmer of dampness on him gave him a different, sleeker sort of beauty. Quiet and contained, instead of wild and desperate.

Sometimes they would wash each other's hair, Blaine's fingers massaging his scalp and soothing his entire body with his gentle touches. Kurt was generally incredibly particular about his hair, as was Blaine - so being laid bare like that was startlingly intimate for both of them. Kurt would stand under the spray and watch Blaine through eyes narrowed against shampoo, feeling the hot water course down his body in rivulets. The first time he'd seen Blaine looking like that, awed and overwhelmed by the sight of Kurt under the shower, he had stepped out and cupped his boyfriend's face, searching it for signs of distress.

He hadn't expected to find such a depth of sheer gratitude.

Perhaps it was the domesticity of co-showering that led to the talking. At first, their showers had been silent, save for one of them humming bars of different tunes. But as their relationship progressed, as Kurt became surer and surer that Blaine was just it for him, the silence faded. As they bared themselves physically, so they did emotionally.

It was in the shower that Blaine confessed how afraid he was of Kurt leaving. It was in the shower that Kurt confessed how afraid he was of leaving. They cried then, held each other under the water, and allowed the heat to seep into their skin and soothe them. Kurt felt as if his heart would burst with love.

And sometimes, there just wasn't any talking. No words, but a silent companionship. It was a place of secrets shared, of safety and satisfaction and love. Blaine's fingers on him, so assured and loving, claimed him there as they could not in bed. Because more than sex, it was about staying.