Kurt gratefully closed the front door behind him, the acute welcoming smell of his apartment immediately filling his nose. He tossed his satchel to the floor, propped his case full of designs against the foyer wall, leaned back against the inside of the door…and exhaled long and slow.

Home.

He was finally home, and work was done for the weekend, and he could breathe again.

A familiar sound caught Kurt’s ear. It was a wafting melody, distorted by the distance from the bathroom to the kitchen and a half-closed door.

Kurt grinned and pushed himself up, turning to his right out of the foyer and making his way down the hall, towards the bedrooms. The sound grew louder and clearer as he approached the first door on his right, which was the bathroom.

As Kurt had guessed, the door was ajar, pushed almost all the way closed but leaving a healthy space between the door and the jamb. Blaine’s voice echoed from inside first, a grainy, rumbling tune that bounced off the tile walls. “If you’re happy and you know it…”

Ryan’s voice answered him in a typical two-year-old half-shout, half-song fashion, the words smashed together. “Clapyourhands!”

Kurt heard Blaine chuckle lightly before continuing. “If you’re happy and you know it…”

“Clapyourhands!”

Blaine laughed again, and Ryan whined. “No, Daddy,” he said in disapproval. “Clap your hands! Like this!” The water in the bathtub splashed twice, and Kurt tried not to cringe, imagining the puddles soaking into his new tile floor. Ryan may have only been two years old, but water had nothing on him. The kid could make a mess without even touching anything most days.

Blaine laughed harder, and said, “Okay, okay,” and there was more splashing before the song went on. “If you’re happy and you know it…”

“…andyoureallywannashowit—“

“If you’re happy and you know it—“

Both of them shouted together for the finale. “CLAP YOUR HANDS!” And then a dramatic splash, followed by Ryan’s gleeful squealing.

Kurt shouldered the door open all the way then, grinning. Ryan looked up from inside the bathtub at him as he entered, wet from the hair down. Blaine looked up from right beside Ryan; both of them had no doubt spent the last few minutes try to kill the last of the bubbles from Ryan’s favorite bubble bath mix with their claps.

“Hello there, boys,” Kurt drawled fondly, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s nice to see you.”

“Papa!” Ryan yelled, his eyes lighting up. He stood up quickly, water cascading down his body, and Blaine immediately put his hands around Ryan’s tiny frame to steady him. “You’re home!”

“I am indeed,” Kurt answered, giving a miniature bow for fun. He grabbed the small stepstool from under the sink that Ryan used to brush his teeth at night and pulled it towards the edge of the tub, sitting down and resting one elbow on the lip of the porcelain. “May I have a kiss?”

Ryan bobbed his head excitedly, stretching for Kurt’s face with over-pursed and completely adorable lips. Kurt smacked a kiss on his mouth, which made Ryan giggle, and then Kurt turned to find Blaine waiting for his own kiss with deliberately puckered lips, the adult version of Ryan. Kurt snorted and shook his head, but smacked a kiss on Blaine’s mouth as well, which also made Ryan giggle. Blaine then pressed back in for a proper kiss and murmured sweetly, “Welcome home.”

Before Kurt could answer: “Look, Papa, look!” Ryan cried, pointing to himself. “I’m naked! I’m taking a bath!”

Kurt smiled at his son, trying not to laugh and completely failing. “I see you and your nakedness,” he said, reaching to tickle Ryan’s side, eliciting more giggles. “Are you enjoying your bath with Daddy?”

Ryan bobbed his head again and plopped back down in the water, splashing Kurt’s brand-new silk button-down by accident. Kurt didn’t even blink twice, just reached out and smoothed his fingers gently through his son’s wet hair. “Time to get out, what do you say? You and I have a bedtime story to read.”

“Ooh!” Ryan shouted happily. “I wanna read, I wanna read!”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed, as Blaine pulled the stopper on the drain. He stood from the stool. “You can read too. You’ll have to help me with the big words!”

Kurt grabbed the towels resting on the toilet lid and opened one, holding it spread against his chest. Blaine stood and picked a wiggling Ryan out of the water, and Kurt stepped forward to wrap Ryan up in the soft material. “Baby burrito!” he cried in his best caveman voice, and Ryan started squirming, his face lit up in a grin. “I just wanna eat you up!” Kurt pretended to munch on his neck with loud chomping noises, then blew raspberries while Ryan joyously writhed, belly-laughing so hard Kurt swore he could see tears forming in his bright blue eyes.

Blaine swiped the second towel, wrapping it around himself while still standing in the tub. His swim trunks were dripping profusely, so as Kurt placed Ryan steadily on the floor and rubbed him down to dry him, Blaine squeezed the bottom of his shorts and tried to towel himself off simultaneously.

Kurt finished with Ryan and dressed him in the Pull-Up and nightclothes Blaine had put on the side of the sink. He helped Ryan brush his teeth, messily blew his hair with the dryer for a few minutes, and then glanced up in the mirror to tell Blaine he was taking Ryan to settle into his room. It was then that he noticed something green sticking to the side of Blaine’s head, mushed into the curls right over his ear.

“Blaine, what…”

He didn’t even get to ask the question before Blaine answered, “Remnants from Ryan’s dinner.” He gestured to the green glob, which might have been string beans at one point in the last few hours. “He was so happy to eat tonight, he shared it with everybody. His shirt, the booster seat, the floor, the cabinets over the kitchen sink – oh yes, it went that far, I think we have a new record – and my hair all got a taste. Unfortunately, neither my mouth nor his mouth was one of his targets often enough, as you can see.”

Kurt made his “my poor baby” face at Blaine, leaning to kiss him sympathetically. “Don’t worry, it’s your turn for a bath next,” he promised. “Right after this little guy goes down.”

Blaine grinned at him, and after goodnight kisses from Daddy to Ryan, Kurt took him into his room. Kurt tucked him into his toddler bed, sat on the floor next to the small bedframe, and snuggled next to him as best he could to read Goodnight Moon until sleep finally took Ryan under.

When Kurt returned to the bathroom, Blaine was stretched out luxuriously in the tub, the water up to his chest, faint traces of bubbles lapping at his skin. His swim trunks had been wrung out and draped over the towel rack, and his head rested on the cloth pillow Kurt had bought and affixed to one end of the tub. A few candles in the corner of the bathroom were lit, sending small shadows dancing across the walls, the lights in the room completely off. Blaine’s eyes were closed and he looked as though he was savoring the moment, reveling in the peace and quiet that his day had so obviously been devoid of.

Kurt slipped the stool up further so he could sit by Blaine’s head, and Blaine opened his eyes to look at him with a soft expression. Kurt placed the baby monitor on the shelf next to them, then leaned forward to kiss his husband leisurely, enjoying the warm wetness of Blaine’s mouth, the steam rising from the water. They sighed contentedly against one another, noses brushing, eyes closed, just taking each other in.

Then Kurt leaned back, and Blaine gazed lovingly at him for a moment, which made heat bloom in Kurt’s chest, as always. He leaned across Blaine to grab the shampoo, then clicked it open and poured a dollop into his palm. Blaine sat up expectantly, propping himself against the back of the tub, and Kurt started carefully but firmly working the shampoo through Blaine’s damp curls, scratching gently behind his ears and down the back of his neck the way Blaine liked it.

“I missed you,” Blaine breathed, eyes closed in bliss as Kurt still worked his fingers through his hair. “You’re home earlier than I expected.”

“Thank goodness,” Kurt replied. He’d had a hell of a day, that’s for sure. His tone softened. “I missed you, too.” He kissed Blaine’s forehead. “Rinse.”

Blaine arched his head back and ran his fingers through his hair as Kurt poured the water over it, and with a few cupfuls, Blaine was done.

“Soap?” Kurt asked.

“Did it while you were reading,” Blaine answered, slipping back against the pillow.

“Ah, I see,” Kurt said knowingly, with one eyebrow quirked. “You just wanted me to wash your hair.”

“Hmm, it’s fantastic,” Blaine replied. “I love it when you wash it for me. Especially since we have that ridiculously expensive shampoo you insist on buying.”

Kurt chuckled and bent forward, resting his cheek against his husband’s wet shoulder. “It’s not that expensive,” he defended sweetly, his voice innocent. “It’s only twelve dollars a bottle.”

Blaine shook his head in disbelief, but this was a well-practiced argument that he never won, and the two of them had come to enjoy their opposing views over it. Besides, the shampoo had a spicy scent to it – kind of like a musky cologne in shampoo form – and Blaine sort of loved it because not only did it help tame his hair, but it also reminded him of the scent of Kurt as well.

“Time for bed, big boy,” Kurt murmured into his skin.

“Aww…do I have to?” Blaine mock-complained.

Kurt’s answer was blunt. “Yup.”

They both laughed. “Okay.”

Kurt pulled the drain this time, and Blaine stepped out to dry off. They retreated to their bedroom together, to change into pajamas and settle into bed with DVR-ed episodes of Dancing with the Stars (“This show is so lame, but I can’t lay off it,” Kurt admitted affectionately) for a couple hours before going to sleep.

Kurt cuddled Blaine close in bed, his back to Kurt’s front, bodies fitting together nicely. Blaine twisted sideways for a lingering goodnight kiss, and they fell asleep entwined, one ear open for the baby monitor on Blaine’s nightstand.

*

When Kurt woke the next morning, the sun was streaming brightly through the window shade, which he cursed for the umpteenth time. He’d been meaning to replace it for months with the room-darkening type of shades that Rachel had in her apartment (that Kurt had been instantly jealous over), but with his crazy work schedule and their bills this month, he hadn’t been able to get around to it yet.

Kurt rolled away from the sun, determinedly keeping his eyes closed. Maybe he wouldn’t start thinking about the million things he needed to do around the house this weekend or start worrying about how much longer he had left to sleep till the baby monitor signaled that Ryan was up for the day if he just tried really hard.

So he lay still, purposely keeping his mind blank, focusing on nothing but his breathing, and next to him, Blaine rolled over to snuggle into Kurt’s chest, throwing a lazy arm over his waist. Kurt wondered if Blaine was having the same internal struggle, and he smiled and kissed Blaine’s hair when Blaine huffed out a breath that for sure meant yes, he absolutely was. Blaine smiled back against his shirt and nuzzled him sleepily.

“Love waking up like this with you,” he mumbled, voice thick. “So glad I get to do this for the rest of forever.”

“Me too,” Kurt whispered, curling a hand around Blaine’s shoulder, rubbing his thumb against Blaine’s skin, under the sleeve of his shirt. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” Blaine took a deep breath in, sighing contentedly against Kurt. “What time is it?”

Kurt opened his eyes and peered at the clock on his nightstand. “Ten-thirty.”

“Nuh-uh,” Blaine argued. “There’s no way it’s that late and I don’t already have soggy cereal forever staining my pants.”

Kurt chuckled. “Guess we got a reprieve this morning. You must have tuckered him out yesterday.”

“Not likely,” Blaine yawned. “Kid’s so energetic it makes me dizzy sometimes.”

Kurt nodded in agreement, staring up at the ceiling. Work was nuts on a daily basis, twelve-hour days being the norm for Kurt. Ryan was a total sweetheart and the love of their lives but a complete handful, effortlessly running rambunctious circles around the two of them twenty-four seven. Blaine had his day job at the university and also worked a few nights a week at the restaurant on the corner, playing piano for a couple hours to supplement their income. Sometimes they were too exhausted at night to even have a decent conversation, nothing more than “How are you?” and “Yes, that’s fine for dinner,” and “Love you, goodnight”.

But still…

“Perfect life,” Kurt whispered. “Wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Blaine chuckled under his breath and hummed a few bars of a familiar tune, the vibration of his voice rising up from his chest.

If you’re happy and you know it…

Kurt laughed heartily, then clapped his hands.