Kurt, as a rule, didn't particularly dislike human touch, nor did he particularly like it. That is, until Blaine came along.

The bullying he used to go through found him jumpy at even the touch of his father, of Carole, of Finn (even though Finn was justifiable, considering the boy used to throw him into dumpsters, but that was beside the point). It'd stayed like that even at Dalton, even after Dave apologized, and it was still somewhat there in the quiet days of summer.

Blaine, though.

Blaine.

Blaine was a touchy-feely sort of person. Even before they started dating, he would sometimes take Kurt's hand at random, or give him hugs when he was being particularly quiet. Sometimes he would just sit close in the common room or during dinner time. He would stand as close as he possibly could to Kurt during those first few Warbler practices — where Kurt had felt out of place and awkward.

But after they started dating it was another story.

The first time Blaine (literally) jumped him in the hallway, he flinched terribly and tried to hit the shorter boy. Blaine had immediately put five feet of distance between them. "Kurt." He had said, looking guilty and concerned—like it was his fault Kurt wasn't used to people jumping on his back in hallways in a friendly matter. Kurt stood still, tried to calm his breathing, tried to remind himself that he was at Dalton, he was safe, and this was Blaine. "Kurt," his voice was softer now, and he took a step forward. Kurt tensed without thought. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I should have taken into account—"

Kurt swallowed hard and shook his head, stopping Blaine midsentence. "No. Sorry — I just. We don't exactly jump each other like that back at McKinley," he said with a weak smile. Blaine's own smile was encouraging. "Well, unless it's violently and most definitely not how you meant it."

"I'm sorry." Blaine repeated.

"Don't apologize, Blaine, it's fine."

Blaine stared at him for a long moment, both of them ignoring the few other students that quickly passed them in the hallway, before reaching his hand out and smiling sweetly. "I dug up my copy of The Sound of Music, if you want to watch?"

Kurt smiled gratefully and took his boyfriend's hand. "I'd love that."

Then they'd watched the movie, but not really watched it because they cuddled from the beginning and somehow that cuddling turned into slow, sweet kisses, and somehow those slow, sweet kisses turned into making out.

The second and third and fourth time, Kurt still jumped, and there was still a painful silence, and Blaine still apologized, and they still ended up going to do something sickeningly couple-y.

The fifth time, Blaine gave him fair warning by practically screaming his name and then promptly tackle-hugging him in the empty McKinley hallways in a surprise visit after Glee practice. The tackle-hug turned into Kurt bitching about his ruined clothes and Blaine pouting and Kurt feeling guilty and Blaine telling him he probably should have put fashion before love, so it was all his fault, and then Kurt had rolled his eyes and kissed his boyfriend in the middle of a high school in Lima, Ohio.

The sixth time, Blaine snuck up on him, blew on the back of his neck, then actually giggled, before turning tail and trying to hide.

Kurt had spun around at the blow at his neck, knowing instinctively that it was Blaine just from the smell and feel of him. Then there was the Blaine Giggle, of course, and he found himself chasing his boyfriend around the Dalton campus, where he'd been planning to surprise Blaine, but that obviously hadn't worked out too well.

But now it was summer and Blaine was more often than not at the Hudmel household. On this particular day, they were laying on a picnic blanket in the backyard, music tinkling faintly out of the iHome on the back porch, iced teas gathering perspiration on the tray beside them, cuddling (despite the heat), and slowly drifting off.

Kurt jerked out of his Almost Asleep state first, sitting up and panicking for a moment because why was someone touching him what was going on before he realized it was just Blaine. He exhaled noisly and stared down at his sleepy boyfriend, who was now blinking blearily up at him.

"Kurt?"

"Sorry, sorry." He said quickly. "You can go back to sleep, Blaine."

Blaine sat up and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Kurt..."

He levelled a Bitch Glare at the older boy.

But then Blaine gave him that look and he found himself quickly caving. "I just—I was startled."

"Why?"

He pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and concentrated for a moment on the different ways he could thread his fingers through Blaine's.

"Kurt." Blaine said softly when he stayed quiet for a moment too long.

"You can tell me."

"I still get nervous and jumpy." He blurted. "When other people are touching me, I mean. I'm so used to coming into human contact only for dumpster tosses or locker checks, or some other lowly form of violence. And you—you're just always there. Always touching. And it still startles me."

Blaine untangled their fingers. "Do you want me to not touch you?"

He blinked at older boy, who stared back, completely serious. "Why would I want that?"

"Well, you just said—"

"No, no, no. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just. I'm still getting used to it. I'm still adjusting to how suspicoiusly good life is right now."

Blaine smiled softly. "You should enjoy it while it lasts."

He smiled back, wondering for the billionth time just how he'd managed to land someone as fantastic as Blaine. "If I'm ever going to allow myself teenage naivete, now is the going to be the time."

Blaine laughed and closed the small space between them, kissing him gently on the lips, pulling back, then kissing him harder.

Somehow they ended up tangled pleasently on the ground, lips touching all over each others' faces and necks and maybe they were going to go a bit farther than that, but they actually didn't because Burt had apparently been watching them and interrupted around the time Kurt started straddling Blaine.

They stumbled inside, all giggles and happiness and living in the moment, whispering I love yous against each others' lips at the front door because Blaine had a family thing and they were trying to hold as much of that afternoon as they could in a moment, but they eventually had to part and Blaine left with bright smiles and Kurt was left on the front porch, beaming after his boyfriend and loving everything.

fin.