Kurt and Blaine were in line at the bakery to get Blaine a cookie. Today was Saturday, a day that Blaine was usually able to spend at home with Daddy, just being little. Today, however, they'd been forced to go out with Rachel to shop for a gala she was to attend that evening. Daddy had tried to tell Rachel no, but she had come knocking on their apartment door at 7:30 that morning, and she wouldn't go away.
So, with a sigh, Daddy had explained to Blaine that he was going to have to be big for the day which was really not fair because today was 'posed to be just Daddy and Blaine, and why wouldn't stupid Rachel go away?
Daddy had only been able to avoid an all-out tantrum by promising Blaine a special treat if he was good the whole day and an extra few hours of TV that night. And, with the exception of a few warning looks and one swat when Rachel wasn't looking, he had been. So, when Blaine had asked if he could get a cookie from his favorite bakery, Daddy had agreed.
So, they were standing third in line at the register. Blaine had picked out the cookie he'd wanted almost as soon as they'd waked in the door. "Look at the green tricer'tops, Daddy!" he'd whispered excitedly. "Want that one!" He was clearly tired of being big, not caring to talk like an adult anymore.
"Okay," Kurt grinned at his baby. "The green triceratops it is."
Blaine bounced on his toes as they stood in line, partially from excitement over the cookie, partially from exhaustion from missing his nap today, and partially from anxiousness about getting home. He was ready to snuggle with Daddy and watch a movie. He let his eyes wander around the bakery, not really paying attention to anyone, taking in the bright lights and colorful photographs on the walls. Suddenly, he heard something that made him pay attention. A lot of attention.
"...and the triceratops," said the woman in front of them. Blaine pulled on Kurt's sleeve insistently. "Daddy?" he whispered, tears starting to spring into his eyes.
Daddy watched as the young man behind the counter sacked up the green triceratops cookie Blaine had picked out. He quickly scanned the cases, looking for any other dinosaur cookies, but he didn't see any. He leaned in close to Blaine's ear and murmured a few comforting lines. Then, he asked, "Is there any other cookie you'd like?"
Blaine shook his head sadly, trying to hide his tears. "Only the 'cer'tops," he whispered.
"I'll ask if they have another one. But you need to look and see if there's a different cookie you'd like, just in case."
Blaine glanced at the display case, idly skipping over the flower and unicorn cookies as the woman in front of them paid, and Daddy spoke with the clerk.
"I'm sorry, sir," said the young man behind the counter. "All the cookies we have left are in our display cases."
Kurt nodded. He'd expected that. It was nearing evening; the bakery would be closing soon. Leaning toward Blaine, whose eyes were looking distinctively teary again at the cashier's news, he asked quietly, "See another one you'd like, baby?"
Blaine shrugged.
Kurt raised an eyebrow at that. "Use your words, please. Shrugging is rude," he whispered.
Blaine shrugged again, and Kurt decided not to make a scene. Blaine was obviously tired, and although Kurt wasn't a fan of his behavior, he felt he could excuse a little bit of tired whining. He'd choose a cookie for Blaine, but instead of letting him eat it in the car; he'd have to wait until after dinner. "I'll take a red rose and a fire truck," he told the young man.
As the cashier was getting the cookies, Kurt turned to Blaine, intending to ask him a question. But, Kurt didn't get the chance. Blaine stomped on his foot.
"That will be $4.53, sir," the cashier told Kurt a moment later.
Kurt was mad. Why was Blaine acting up like this? Now? In public? It was times like these that Kurt wished he could reprimand his husband in public, give him a good smack to his naughty bottom. Instead, he settled for giving him a stern glare, ignoring the pain in his foot as he turned back to the cashier with his best smile. "Thank you," he replied, handing over some cash. "Keep the change." Grabbing the bag of cookies off the counter, he grabbed his husband's hand firmly in the other, leading him swiftly out to the sidewalk.
Blaine resisted the strong grip on his hand, and as soon as they were out of the bakery, he began to whine. "Don' wan' the fire truck, Da. Ddy!" he exclaimed, stomping his foot. "Wan' tricer'tops!" He tried to wrench his hand free from Daddy's, but Kurt wouldn't let go.
"I know exactly what you want, little boy," Kurt hissed, mindful of the people who were walking past and the looks they were getting as Blaine whined. "You want a time out when we get home for stomping on my foot."
"Noooo!" Blaine cried. "Wan' cookie!"
Kurt saw a little alcove a few steps ahead, and pulled Blaine roughly off to the side and into the alcove. He pulled himself up to his full height and towered over Blaine, whispering menacingly. "Little boys that whine are tired and too little for cookies. So, when we get home, you're going to take a nap while I make dinner. If you have a better attitude when you wake up, you can have your cookie for dessert."
Blaine stomped again, barely missing Kurt's foot. "No nap! Wan' cookie!"
Kurt turned Blaine just a little and landed five solid slaps to his bottom. "You're causing a scene," he said, turning Blaine back to face him. "When we get home, you will take a nap. And if I hear one more word from you before we get home, you will be napping with a sore bottom, do you understand me?"
Blaine had jumped as Daddy smacked his bottom, tears forming in his eyes as Daddy lectured him about his nap. When Daddy asked if he'd heard him, he nodded vigorously; he didn't want a spanking. He couldn't stop the crying as Daddy took his hand and led him back out onto the sidewalk, his grip a bit gentler than when they'd left the bakery.
As they walked, Blaine sniffled, thinking. This was no fair! His whole day had been no fair. Today was supposed to be a Blainers and Daddy day, but they'd had to go dress shopping with stupid Rachel. Then, that stupid lady had buyed his cookie, and now he had to take a stupid nap 'stead of snugglin' with Daddy like he'd wanted all day. The tiredness and frustration of his day kept the tears rolling silently down his cheeks all the way back to their apartment.
Kurt was glad the walk between the bakery and their apartment building was only a few blocks. With Blaine upset, Kurt wanted to get home so he could take care of his little boy. As unhappy as he'd been about having his foot stomped on and Blaine's public tantrum, it still broke his heart to know that his baby was crying.
Unlocking their door as quickly as he could, Kurt ushered Blaine inside, kicking off his shoes and depositing the cookies on the kitchen counter. He helped Blaine to take his shoes and his jacket off then led him back to their bedroom. Gently, he helped Blaine out of his jeans, then pulled back the covers so Blaine could crawl in.
"Daddy, too?" Blaine whimpered after Kurt covered him up and handed him Jack Rabbit. Blaine's cheeks were tear streaked, and his eyes were red from crying and tiredness. He scrubbed at them with his fists before settling down under the blankets, hugging Jack tightly to his chest.
"For a few minutes, baby," Kurt replied, going around the bed to climb in on the other side. "But, I need to make dinner, and you need a nap." He brushed some wayward curls from Blaine's forehead. "I think you're pretty sleepy."
"Not s'eepy," Blaine said in a yawn, his hand covering his mouth before turning his head and snuggling into Daddy's chest.
"Well, I still want you to rest your eyes then," Kurt said, trying not grin. Blaine always said he wasn't tired, even in the face of a yawn. "Lay here and rest your eyes while I make dinner. When it's ready, I'll come back and get you so we can have dinner."
"Can still watch TV?" Blaine lisped, already on the verge of sleep but worried about his privileges.
"If you eat all of your dinner," Kurt promised. "Now, you rest. I'll be back in a little while." He leaned down, kissing Blaine's cheek gently.
"Yove you," Blaine whispered, his breathing beginning to even out.
"Love you, too, baby," Kurt whispered. Rising from the bed, he padded out the door, leaving it cracked just a little in case Blaine woke up early and needed him. Going into the kitchen, he pulled out a pot for some mac and cheese. They could have turkey burgers and a salad. That was one meal that the baby actually enjoyed. He wouldn't put up too much of a fight. And, it was just light enough that they could have popcorn with a movie later that evening, something he usually never let them do. When Blaine was little, he was the messiest eater. It didn't matter what they were having. Food would end up all over the both of them and whatever they were sitting on.
Kurt hummed a little tune as he cooked. It would be nice to spend their evening the way they wanted to. Unbeknownst to Blaine, he had also canceled their typical Sunday morning plans so that they could spend all day as Daddy and Blainers. He felt that Blaine deserved that after spending the day with Rachel. Despite the poor behavior after leaving Rachel at her apartment, Kurt knew that spending much time with Rachel stressed Blaine out, and he'd done really well. Plus, Daddy liked spending time with his Blainers, too. He had sorely missed that today.
Once he had the food ready, he readied two plates, and set them in the microwave. Then, he went back to wake up Blaine, who was cuddled around Jack Rabbit, snoring softly. "Time to wake up, sweetie," Kurt said, gently rubbing Blaine's shoulder.
Blaine wiggled, but didn't open his eyes.
"Blaine, baby, dinner is ready. Time to wake up."
"Mmm," Blaine mumbled, rolling over.
Kurt smiled at the pillow creases on Blaine's soft cheek. Pressing a kiss there he said, "Come on, baby. Up time."
"Uh uh. S'eepin'."
"If you sleep any more, you won't sleep tonight. And we can't have that, because Daddy has a surprise for you tomorrow." Kurt wasn't above using a little bit of bribing.
"A s'prise?" Blaine asked, rolling over and rubbing his eyes. "What s'rpise?"
Kurt chuckled. "I can't tell you what it is! Then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it?" He tickled at Blaine's side gently.
Blaine giggled. "No tickles, Daddy! No tickles!"
"Tickles? What tickles?" Kurt asked, digging in, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Blaine shrieked with laughter, rolling around on the bed, doing his best to move out of his daddy's reach and failing miserably. Finally, with a little yelp, he jumped up and looked a Kurt with a bit of panic in his eyes. "I have to go potty!" he exclaimed, bounding toward the bathroom.
Kurt waited until he was finished, his hands washed and dried, before wrapping his baby up in his arms. "Did you have a good nap?" he asked, enjoying his baby snuggling into his neck.
"Uh huh. I was s'eepy," he admitted.
Kurt decided not to comment on that. It was better if Blaine thought he didn't know. "Are you hungry?" he asked instead.
"Wha' did you make?" Blaine questioned, sitting back on Kurt's knees so he could look into his eyes.
"Mac and cheese. Turkey burgers. Salad," Kurt ticked off on his fingers.
Blaine made a face at the salad. "I has to eat salad?"
Kurt nodded.
"Then I guess 'm hungry."
"Then I guess we'd better go downstairs so we can get some food in your tummy," Kurt said.
"Daddy carry?"
"What do you say?"
"Daddy carry please?" Blaine's cheeks turned pink as Kurt picked him up and settled him onto his hip. He hid his face in Daddy's neck, mumbling as they walked into the kitchen, "Sorry for stompin' on your foot."
"I forgive you, baby," Daddy assured, settling them into a chair at the table. "Thank you for apologizing."
"I wasn't mad at you," Blaine explained, shaking his head sadly. "Was mad at that lady."
"I know. I'm sure it was very upsetting that someone else bought the cookie you wanted. And I'm sorry. I would have liked to get you the green triceratops. But, they were all out."
Blaine nodded, letting his head hang down. "I've never eated a dinosaur cookie before," he whispered.
"Well, I think we could fix that," Kurt said decisively as he slid out from beneath Blaine.
"How?" Blaine perked up.
"We can buy a few dinosaur cookie cutters and make our own," he explained as he pulled their plates out of microwave.
"We can?" Blaine exclaimed. At his daddy's nod, he jumped up excitedly, throwing his arms around Daddy's neck. "Thank you!"
"Woah there, baby boy," Kurt exclaimed, staggering a bit as he tried to keep their plates in his hands. "You're welcome, but I need you to go and sit down before you make Daddy drop the plates."
"Sorry," Blaine whispered.
"Don't be. You were just excited." Kurt gave him an Eskimo kiss. "Do you need help washing your hands?" Blaine was acting littler than normal. Normally, he liked to be independent with small things, but tonight, Kurt thought he might need more Daddy contact than normal. Still, he didn't want to push it.
"I do it," Blaine said, still sad, as he shuffled off toward the kitchen sink.
Kurt watched him go for a second, then sidled up behind him at the sink. "I want to help, baby. Here, give me your hands."
Together, they washed their hands, and Kurt fed Blaine his dinner from his seat on his lap. There was nothing odd about Blaine sitting on him, but allowing himself to be fed, especially for the whole meal was odd and confirmed for Kurt that something must be bothering him. He only acted littler when he something was upsetting him. Usually, Blaine regressed to about four years old. His speech would fluctuate, sometimes littler, sometimes older, but he was fairly independent when it came to eating and using the potty. When something was bothering him, however, he would regress more and more until Kurt was able to work out was upsetting him or make him happy again.
After dinner, Kurt decided they should give Blaine his bath. Normally, he would wait until after the cookie and the popcorn since Blaine was so messy, but Kurt had the feeling that he would be mostly in charge of the food that evening. So, setting their plates in the sink to be washed later, he scooped Blaine up and carried him toward the bathroom.
"Daddy, my cookie!" Blaine complained.
"After a bath, messy boy," Daddy told him, setting him down on the toilet lid. "We want you all clean and in jammies for watching a movie.
"Tangled?" Blaine asked.
"If you want to," Kurt agreed, turning on the water. "You get to pick tonight." He hoped that giving Blaine the choice of what to watch might make him happier.
"Why I gets to pick?" Blaine asked.
"Because. You were really good while we were out with Rachel this morning, and I thought you deserved a reward."
"But, I wasn't really good. I stompeded on your foot."
"That was afterwards. And that was because you were upset and tired. That doesn't make it okay, but you took a nap, and now you're my happy little boy again." He hoped.
"Foot stompin' is naughty," Blaine repeated.
"It is, but I forgave you, and now we're taking a bath. Arms up," Kurt said, reaching for the hem of Blaine's shirt. Usually, he would want to undress himself for a bath. Another check on the list.
Once he was ready for his bath and the tub was full of water and rainbow bubbles, Kurt bustled the baby into the water, popping in a few bath toys: pirate ducks and their pirate ships. These were Blaine's favorite toys, and Kurt wanted to use everything he could think of to get at whatever was bothering his Blainers.
However, Blaine barely touched the toys. He would look at the ducks floating in the water and push the ship around a little bit, but he remained quiet and uncomplaining as Kurt washed his hair and scrubbed his body with soap, obediently lifting arms and legs when asked. The quiet really bothered Kurt. His baby was so exuberant and full of life most of the time, and now he was silent and still, not singing or playing or trying to dance in the tub.
"You can play now, baby," Kurt told him when he had the last bit of soap rinsed off. There were still several huge mountains of bubbles, so Kurt took a ship and plowed through one, only stopping the boat when it bumped into Blaine's belly. That earned him a giggle. "Did you like that?" he asked with a smile.
Blaine nodded, shyly.
So, Kurt did it again, winding the toy boat through another mountain of bubbles before zooming it toward Blaine, booping his belly again.
This time, Blaine's smile lit up more of his face.
Kurt felt like they were finally getting somewhere, so he did it again.
This time, Blaine pushed the boat away from his belly, saying, "Daddy, no more runnin' into my belly!"
"That's your belly?" Kurt asked, incredulous. "I thought it was an iceberg that kept sinking my ships!"
"Daddy, is your Blainers," Blaine explained, taking a boat and running it through the water. "Not an iceberg! I'm all warm, see?" And he splashed Kurt with water.
"Hey!" He splashed back.
The water fight seemed to boost Blaine's spirits, so Kurt allowed Blaine to play in the tub for a full fifteen minutes before making him get out. They had long stopped the water fight, Kurt explaining that if he got any more water on the floor, they'd float away in their bed, but he listened intently as Blaine had a war with his ships, both sides loosing and resurrecting most of their crew several times. Finally, though, Kurt caught his baby shiver and pulled the plug.
"Daddy!" Blaine exclaimed as he tried to save his ships and pirates from racing toward the drain. "I was playin'!"
"I know. But you're cold. And a prune. We need to get you dressed in your jammies so we can watch a movie." When that only got a huff from Blaine, he continued. "And we're having cookies and popcorn, if you can be good."
"'m good," Blaine defended.
"I know you are," Kurt soothed, not wanting to undo any of the progress he'd made. "Let's get you dried off." He quickly lifted Blaine from the tub, running the towel up and down over his whole body several times. Then he tossed the towel over his head, tousling his hair.
"Daddy!" Blaine complained. "Too rough."
When he plucked the towel off of Blaine's head, his lip hung out in a large pout. "Are you sleepy?" Kurt asked. "Because when you pout, I think you're sleepy."
"Not sleepy," Blaine groused.
"Lose the attitude, little boy," Kurt warned, picking up the baby. "I want us to have a nice evening together. But if you're going to be a little crab then I know of one little boy who is going to bed."
"'m not a crab," Blaine tried.
Daddy just raised his eyebrow at him, settling him on the bed as he went to grab jammies.
"Sorry," Blaine said quietly, studying his toes that brushed against the floor as he swung his legs. He didn't know why he was being so naughty today. He wanted to be good for his daddy, but he felt grumpy and sad.
"You're forgiven, baby," Daddy assured as he walked back over with Blaine's favorite jammies. "Dinos tonight?"
"Uh huh," Blaine nodded, adding quickly, "Please."
"What nice manners," Daddy complimented. "Arms up."
When he had the baby completely dressed, Daddy picked him up again and toted him to the living room despite his protests. He plopped him down in front of the DVDs. "Pick out whatever you want, okay, baby? I'm going to go get our cookies and some popcorn. Do you want juice?"
Blaine just nodded, looking back at the DVDs.
Normally, Kurt would require a verbal answer, but he was still concerned that Blaine was upset about something. So, he let it go, walking into the kitchen to get their snacks. When the baby had found a movie he wanted to watch, he'd come to find him.
Or, that's what Kurt thought at least. When he came back to the living room nearly ten minutes later, Blaine was still sitting in front of the DVDs. "Did you find something, baby?" he asked as he set the popcorn down on the coffee table.
No answer.
"Blaine?" He looked over at the baby, and that's when he heard it. A soft little sniffle as Blaine's shoulders rose and fell. In a few quick steps, he was at his side, scooping him into his arms as he settled onto the floor. "What's wrong?" he asked, brushing a little hair off of his face and wiping at the tears on his cheeks.
"D-don't know wh-wh-what to p-pick," he sobbed.
"Oh, baby. Why didn't you ask for help? Is picking a movie too hard right now?"
Blaine nodded.
"Blainers, what's the matter?" Daddy asked, cradling his boy in his arms. "You've been upset all night, and I just want my happy boy back."
"Was bad," Blaine whispered, still sniffling.
"You weren't bad," Kurt whispered back.
Blaine twisted his hands together in front of him. "Was bad at the cookie shop. Then I di'n't wanna nap or eat or take a baf or put on jammies. I'm lots of bad."
"You. Aren't. Bad," Kurt said firmly, tilting Blaine's chin up until their eyes met. "What do I always tell you?" He tried to be gentle so he didn't upset him more.
"Is not bad me. Is bad choices. But you still yove me."
"Mhm. That's right," Kurt agreed, rocking back and forth just a little. "Sometimes you make bad choices, but I still love you. You aren't a bad boy; you're a very good boy. You just don't always do the right thing."
That seemed to relax Blaine a little. Kurt wasn't sure why, but sometimes the baby got like this for, really, no reason. He would be sad and apologetic, especially hard on himself when he felt as though he'd done something wrong. Daddy would have to reassure him several times that he was a good boy and that he was loved before he'd finally relax back into his usual self. Even then, it could take a while. With that in mind, Kurt decided to tell him the surprise now. "Guess what," he asked him.
Blaine lifted questioning eyes to his own. "What?" he asked.
"Remember how Daddy has a surprise for you?"
"A s'prise?"
"Uh huh. Do you remember?" Kurt rubbed his thumb over Blaine's cheek.
Blaine nodded. "Uh huh. I 'member, Daddy."
"Do you want to know what it is?"
"Uh huh!"
Kurt leaned in close to Blaine's ear, whispering as though what he were about to share was a very big secret. "We get to stay home all day tomorrow, just Daddy and Blainers."
Blaine looked at Daddy confused. "But tomorrow is Sunday. On Sunday, we have din-"
"I canceled," Daddy cut in, not letting him finish.
"But why?"
"Because I missed my baby sooooo much today!" Daddy explained, squeezing Blaine to him and earning a giggle. "I wanted to spend the whole day with you, so I told our friends we can't come to dinner tomorrow."
"They will be sad," Blaine pointed out.
"They will be okay. It's you I'm worried about," Daddy reassured. "And you were pretty sad just a minute ago." He knew Blaine would be worried about their friends, but he needed to make sure Blaine was okay. "Are you okay now?"
Blaine nodded.
"Verbal answers, please," Daddy reminded gently.
"Uh huh."
"Good boy. You know you're my good boy, right?"
Blaine nodded again. "Yes, sir."
"Good. And, do you know that I love you?"
"Uh huh. Yove you, too!"
Daddy squeezed him again and planted a big smooch on his forehead. "Are you ready to watch a movie then?"
"Uh huh! Want Tangled!"
"Tangled it is, baby. I'll put the movie in. You go get Jack Rabbit. He'll want to watch the movie with you."
"Jack Rabbit yoves Tangled!" Blaine exclaimed, jumping up from the floor and rushing into the bedroom. He returned moments later with the stuffed rabbit and his favorite blanket tucked firmly under his arm. He sat on the couch, waiting patiently while Daddy put in the movie and put their snacks into bowls. But the minute Kurt sat down, he had a lap full of Blaine, opening his mouth for bites of popcorn and cookie as the opening credits played.
Kurt was more than happy to be in charge of the food. There was much less mess on the couch to be cleaned up the next day, and after all their snacks were gone and Blaine had had an entire sippy cup of lemonade, Kurt was happy to have the baby curl up in his lap, resting his head on Kurt's chest, thumb nudging toward his mouth.
Kurt didn't do this often, but he reached into the side table and pulled out a paci, slipping Blaine's thumb out of his mouth before sliding the nipple of the paci in. Blaine would only use it when he was feeling especially little, and tonight must have been one of those nights. He accepted it readily, whining only a little at the loss of his thumb before beginning a steady sucking rhythm on the paci. He lulled himself to sleep and was snoring softly by the time the movie finished.
Smiling down at his baby, Daddy brushed a few wayward locks of hair from his forehead before struggling to his feet, Blaine cradled in his arms. Normally, he'd make him brush his teeth before bed, but he wasn't waking him up tonight. His face was peaceful, and after the difficult evening they'd had, Kurt wanted to let him sleep. They had all day tomorrow to worry about proper hygiene. Tonight, he would just take care of Blaine.
Quietly, Kurt settled Blaine into their bed, pulling the blankets up around him, making sure Jack Rabbit was still safely nestled in his arms, his special blanket near his cheek. Then, Kurt got himself ready for bed, slipping into pajamas, brushing his own teeth, and doing a quick skin care routine. Then, he climbed into bed himself, feeling more exhausted than he'd realized.
He rolled over, wrapping an arm around Blaine's waist, pulling him closer until they were snuggled together beneath the covers. He let his eyes drift shut, enjoying the feeling of the darkness overtaking him.
Then, he heard a soft, "Yove you, Daddy."
Grinning, he pressed a kiss to Blaine's temple. "Love you, too, little one. Sweet dreams."