Blaine absent-mindedly scrubs his hair dry as he walks down the stairs and into the kitchen, only to see the floor covered in newspaper and almost trip over his paint-splattered husband. Kurt's too busy giggling and talking nonsense to the little girl in front of him to notice. She's standing, despite the occasional wobble, and bending down to press splodges of colour onto squares of card.
Her white cardigan, embroidered with bumblebees, has splashes of paint all over it, but these days she refuses to wear anything else.
"Hey, Bea, why don't we give this one to Grandpa Burt and Grandma Carole? I think they'd love it."
Blaine grins and kneels next to Kurt, kissing his cheek.
"I think they'd love anything she made them. Are these the Christmas cards?"
"Yep," Kurt says, instinctively keeping one hand on Bea's arm so she won't fall down. Blaine wonders if he realises there's a green splotch on his jaw. He doesn't. "Don't you know a Christmas Tree when you see one?"
Blaine looks down at the card, and the various smudges all over it, red and yellow and blue all outweighing any trace of foliage.
"Looks like someone went a little overboard with the decorating. I love it."
"You hear that, honey bee? Daddy loves it!"
She giggles and topples over, but Kurt lays a hand on her back so she lands softly on her bottom.
"Dadadada…" she mumbles to herself, and Kurt keeps smiling at her, bewitched. Blaine beams at both of them.
"I thought I was your only B. Maybe we shouldn't have named her after your grandmother; this is only gonna get confusing."
Kurt grinned at Blaine.
"Oh my God. I get a big B and a little extra bumblebee? All for me? Awesome! Gimme ten!" He pulls an excited face at his daughter, raising his hands in front of her. She leans forwards with both arms outstretched, clumsily falling against him and covering his hands in paint, and he starts pretending to eat her arms. "Um num num, delicious baby; come here," he says, standing and scooping her up. She claps and giggles some more, pawing at his face while he keeps gnashing at her fingers. Blaine stays on the floor, watching Kurt with the baby, listening to the soft lilt his voice gets when he's with her, stroking the dark curls that are falling out of her tiny pigtails.
"I can't believe I got all nice and clean only to come back to this," he teases. "I assume I'm the one who gets to tidy all this up?"
"Not yet. It doesn't matter." Blaine's eyebrows raise in surprise, until Kurt looks down at him with a wicked smile. "I was only going to get you dirty again later."
Blaine laughs and stands up with a groan. He presses a kiss to Bea's hair, covering Kurt's hand with his own where it's laying on the baby's back, balancing her on her hip as if he was born to do it.
"Fine by me. Hey, do you realise you've got paint on your face?"
Kurt frowns for a second, then shrugs.
"Probably. Never mind. What do you want for lunch-"
"-But that's not part of your skincare routine. I doubt it works as a moisturiser," he says, giving his elbow a squeeze. "Is all this mess really not bothering you?"
Kurt grins, then shakes his head as he looks at the little girl in his arms.
"I guess not." He cuddles Bea closer and kisses her hair with a loud 'mwah!' then glances down at his free hand, still smeared with paint. He uses it to cup Blaine's cheek as he kisses him, just a peck at first, growing into something longer and slower, and possibly inappropriate in front of a child. She doesn't seem to mind, too busy tangling her sticky hands in Kurt's hair. Blaine ignores the cold feeling of Kurt smudging paint onto his face.
"Fuck it," Blaine says, hoping Bea's too little to pick it up, "We can eat later - let's make a reindeer for Uncle Coop."
"You like the sound of that, Bumblebee?" Kurt lifts her over his head, nuzzling her tummy with his nose. She giggles and presses her colourful hands onto his cheeks.
"Bzzzz! Bzzzz!"
Kurt and Blaine's eyes widen, and Kurt bites his lip to stop himself from screaming at how adorable it is.
"See, Blaine? That's how to be a bee. You've got to get into character. Earn it."
Blaine kisses him again. He's got forever to earn it, and he's more than happy to share. He watches as Kurt sits back down on the floor, the baby between his legs as he rests his cheek on her head and plays with her hands, dipping her fingers in paint and helping her press them on the card. Blaine sits with them, transfixed as he watches them both. Eventually Kurt looks up at him.
"What? Blaine, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing, I just-" he starts, thinking about how much Kurt's changed, how peaceful and comfortable he looks, how Blaine hadn't thought he could love him any more until he saw him as a father, taking care of their baby. How this is his favourite thing to see in the whole world and he just wants to scoop his little family up and snuggle them forever. How he's never seen Kurt this happy. He doesn't know where to begin. "This suits you. That's all. You look good as a dad."
Kurt's eyes glisten and he takes Blaine's hand, closing his eyes and kissing Bea's crown again.
"Thanks. I love you, B."
Blaine grins.
"Which one?"
Kurt kisses his hand, a soft smile still on his lips.
"Both."