The radio was reduced to a low dull, the perfect accompaniment for cooking. The beat rose and fall around the kitchen, shifted into the pots and pans, brushed over the freshly baked bruschetta and tickled the senses. The aged wine sat atop the counter, begging to be opened and enjoyed by Blaine and his loved one that would be returning to the Hummel-Anderson household; a smaller glass of sparkling cider rested next to the wine to be enjoyed by the youngest Hummel-Anderson.
Blaine rubbed his hands on his apron, which protected the three piece auburn suit he had picked out especially for the occasion, just as the oven announced that its content was ready. He pulled the marinated chicken out and placed it on the stovetop before adding a few finishing garnishes to the potatoes and quinoa salad. Blaine was prepared to make this homecoming celebration the most perfect evening he could. Error was not an option; as if reading his mind, the radio began to sing the perfect song. It swept over Blaine like a wave that conduced memories and blushes and kisses and cuddles, the smell of Calvin Klein for men and the feel of wool sweaters and tight, breathless pants, the smell of peppermint tea and the feeling of facial scruff under his lips. It swept over him like Kurt.
"You make me feel like dancing!" Blaine crooned out; the sound of his expressive tenor voice rang through the house and brought AJ into the kitchen in his own three piece suit, navy, tailored to his young and stellar physique. A goofy grin was arranged on his face as Blaine grabbed his son's hands, swinging him around in a giddy streak, twisting him into his arms and out again, all the while laughing and smiling and feeling the excitement of his contriving anxiousness.
The song ended in a flourish of notes and dance moves by the great Leo Slayer himself. A sudden, brassy note came from the front door. Blaine and AJ looked at each other, wide, bright eyes and rosy cheeks exchanging glances of color. "He's here!" Blaine exclaimed.
"Daddy K's home!" AJ squealed in a lovely falsetto, and together the two Hummel-Andersons raced towards the door of their cozy New York home. Together they grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, revealing an immaculately dressed and extremely tired but nonetheless overjoyed Kurt Hummel-Anderson.
"Kurt!"
"Daddy!"
"My boys!" Kurt squealed in his signature high pitched tone. He dropped his bags and bent down to pick up his favorite second grader in the entire world, squeezing him tight to his chest while spinning him around. He kissed the top of his curls before leaning down to place a ginger kiss on his husband's lips; he set his son down and squeezed Blaine to him, relishing the feeling of his husband pressed against him, so close that they became one person. "God, I've missed you." He whispered in a sultry tone in Blaine's ear; it was enough to undo him, to cause him to swallow and to clench the back of Kurt's shoulder with a soft kiss to the neck.
Kurt pulled away reluctantly and gathered his bags, stepping into the home that he had been absence from for just over a year. He walked into the home and was hit with the sense of burning potpourri; it must have been the one that Carol had bought Blaine for Christmas that he had been telling him about. Their family picture sat on the loveseat table, lit by the soft light of their lamp. A few balloons with salutations such as "Welcome Home!" and "I love you!" and "You're Awesome!" hung around the living room; solid colored balloons were tied to the back of the chairs in the dining room where Kurt's favorite meal was set decadently on the table, beckoning the small and finally reunited family to it. "This is so nice!" Kurt gushed. "I'm the luckiest man in the entire world!"
"I could say the same thing." Blaine murmured to him, squeezing his shoulder.
"Why's that, Daddy K?" AJ asked with a toothy grin.
"Not only do I get to come home and see my favorite boys," Kurt explained with a grin. "I come home to a beautiful home that was cleaned and prepared by my favorite boys." Kurt tousled his hair lovingly, watching him as he went ahead of Kurt and pulled a chair out for him.
"For the guest of honor." He announced, gesturing for his daddy to sit down. "Oh, and Daddy K? You'll be pleased to know I ironed the napkins."
Kurt gushed red with pride, happy to be home and warm and in the company of his family.
As Blaine poured the wine and sparkling cider, Kurt told his family of his airport adventures, which consisted of a long day at the airport and some grumpy stewardesses. "I'm simply overjoyed to be home." He announced before tucking his napkin in his lap, preparing to enjoy the meal Blaine had gone to way too much trouble with.
"We are, too. Ready?" Blaine looked at AJ and together they held up their glasses, pinkies out. "To Kurt Hummel-Anderson, the best dad and husband and performer in the entire world."
"To Daddy K!" AJ exclaimed proudly.
"To being home!" Kurt quipped.
The clinking of glasses finalized the celebration and gave permission for the meal to begin.
"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know where not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…" Kurt read aloud, closing the first installment of the Harry Potter book and setting it softly on the nightstand. "Well, kiddo, that's all she wrote."
"Nuh uh!" AJ exclaimed, his eyes still wide and his hands gripping the sheets in anticipated excitement. "There has to be more! I mean, what about the Deathly Hallows?"
"Woah, now, has Daddy B been reading to you? I told that rascal to not read ahead…" Kurt grinned, kissing his son on the cheek before tucking him in. He lingered over him, staring at his little body and his wide, bright eyes and the way his chocolate hair curled over his tiny ears. "I missed you, buddy."
"I missed you too, Daddy K." AJ murmured in a sleepy tone. "I'm so glad you're home. Are you sure you can't stay five more minutes?"
Kurt grinned with a pink, tired expression. "Growing boys need their sleep, August James." He told him. "We'll have all day tomorrow. Goodnight, my son." He turned off the bedside lamp and closed the door softly, proud of his son and all that he had become since he had last seen him just over a year ago. So many things were the same and yet so many had changed.
Blaine was standing at the end of the hallway, still wearing his suit, and extended a glass towards his husband. Kurt grinned at the way Blaine's shirt was unbuttoned and his bow tie undone; it unnerved him and, as he sauntered towards him, gave him so many thoughts of sleepless nights without him by his side, of dreams and missed phone calls due to early or late rehearsals, to the feeling of longing in his stomach whenever he would see a couple of love on his year-long journey.
"Kurt," Blaine muttered, reaching out towards him and pulling him close to his warm chest. Kurt snuggled into the familiar scent of his husband and was overjoyed when Blaine settled his face into the crook in his neck; it was so familiar and yet had been so alien for the duration of his trip.
"God I've missed you," Kurt muttered against the cotton of his husband's suit jacket.
"And I, you, dear." Blaine replied.
A soft tune rolled into the room from the radio that had been mistakenly left on; it was soft and jazzy and chalk full of emotions. Blaine gripped the top of Kurt's shoulders and slowly the two began to rock back and forth in a world that was entirely their own. It was a night for reuniting. It was a night for love. It was a night to family and for remembrance and for passion and secret-telling, for hugs and kisses and bodies and clothes and books and emotions. But currently, as the two were enjoying, it was a night for dancing.