After the smut of last chapter, I decided we needed fluff! Here's Kurt, Blaine and the girls, enjoying a quiet night together. Hope you enjoy!
As always, I own nothing; all credit goes the the writers and creators of Glee.
Blaine stepped out of the bathroom, somewhat composed, to find Kurt in the kitchen, making dinner. There was music on in the living room, and his eldest girls were dancing along to the Show Tunes, while his youngest rocked in her baby swing and watched it all. Blaine wasn't sure what Kurt was making, but it smelled scrumptious.
He plastered a smile to his face as he entered, and laughingly picked up his middle child. Penny screeched, and then giggled as her father tickled her. Blaine felt content; this was the first time in a while he'd actually enjoyed himself. Lately, all he seemed to do was go, go, go. With three daughters under the age of five, that made it much harder for him to be able to enjoy his time with his girls.
"So, Kurt," He began, some of his ease draining away as he awkwardly spoke to the man in the kitchen. "What culinary masterpiece have you decided to grace us with, this evening, hmmm?" He allowed a touch of laughter to enter his voice, trying to dispel the overcast mood between himself and the other man.
"Chicken Tortellini," Kurt replied, providing Blaine with an amazingly lovely smile as he turned to face him. "In an Alfredo Sauce." He turned back to the stove, quietly stirring something in a pot, and adjusted the heat. Blaine blinked.
"Okay, I know for a fact we did not have the ingredients for an Alfredo Sauce in the house this morning," Blaine accused sourly. "So where did they come from?" He looked at Kurt suspiciously. Kurt shrugged.
"While you were showering, I brought the girls downstairs and to the market, and picked up a few things," Kurt replied nonchalantly. Katherine began to pipe up, and Kurt hushed her.
"Remember it's a secret, Katherine," Kurt winked at the little girl, who then blushed and attempted to wink back. Kurt giggled at her efforts.
"It's a secret dessert, daddy," She laughed happily. "And I picked it out 'cause I know what you like!" Blaine couldn't help but smile lovingly at his eldest daughter, and then he picked her up and twirled her around the room, dancing a waltz to the Show Tunes music playing on the stereo. Kurt laughed at the look on the little girl's face; she was in pure heaven.
Then Penny wandered up to Kurt and put her arms up; she wanted to dance too. Kurt turned off the element on the stove, picked up the three year old, and held her close as he, too, began to dance across the floor. They waltzed, they twirled, they even did the samba, and then Kurt announced that the food had cooled down enough for the children to eat. He placed Penny on her chair at the kids' table, and Blaine placed Katherine on her chair. Kurt removed Jessica from her baby swing, and put her in her high chair. Then he turned to the stove and served the kids, while Blaine set their table with cutlery and drinking cups.
"Okay, who wants water, and who wants milk?" He asked both girls, pretending to be a waiter. Katherine clapped her hands and squealed slightly.
"Milk!" She exclaimed, followed a second later by Penny squealing "Milk!" as well. Blaine grinned at his daughters, as he pulled out the milk from the fridge, and proceeded to fill their cups. He also filled a sippy cup for Jess, who proceeded to throw it to the ground as soon as she took it. Blaine laughed.
"Guess you're too hungry for milk just yet, huh baby girl?" He cooed at his youngest, who proceeded to blow him a raspberry. He frowned. That was a habit she had picked up somewhere in the past few weeks, and he wasn't sure how to go about scolding her for it; so he ignored it, hoping the lack of a response would allow her to realise it wasn't garnering any attention. He turned back to Kurt, who was trying to balance three bowls of Chicken Tortellini. He took the smallest bowl from Kurt, who threw him a grateful look, and they proceeded to get the children settled with their dinner. They then retired to the kitchen, and made up their own plates. Since Blaine only had the table for the kids, they made their way over to the couch and sat there, balancing their plates on their laps.
After a couple of awkward minutes, Blaine turned on the television, looking for anything to distract from the quiet of the house. The sound was horrendously loud in the quiet of the room, and Kurt and the girls covered their ears while Blaine turned the volume down. How on earth had it gotten so loud?
"Sorry about that," Kurt said sheepishly. "I was listening to the news earlier while I started dinner, and I couldn't hear over the sound of the pots and pans in here. That was my fault." His cheeks were bright red, and he looked down at his meal in embarrassment.
"That's okay," Blaine laughed a bit, trying to get Kurt's mind off of his embarrassment. "God knows I've done it myself after watching a football game, when Andrea had taken…" He trailed off awkwardly. His eyes flickered to Kurt's profile, and then back to the tv. Why couldn't he talk to Kurt the way he had earlier? No self-consciousness, no embarrassment, nothing to make him feel awkward. Why, oh why, had his dream been so vivid? Why had his body decided that Kurt was what it wanted, when Blaine was so obviously straight? Blaine let these thoughts flit through his brain as he watched the show, of which he remembered nothing.
After everyone was finished eating, Blaine announced that it was bathtime, and grabbed a hold of his very messy eight-month-old, and proceeded to walk her to the bathroom. Kurt threw in a movie for the two eldest until it was their turn, and he settled in the kitchen, making short work of the dishes and cleaning the countertops and the stove.
Kurt had just finished cleaning up the dishes when he heard a quiet melody coming from Jessica's room. He followed the sound, walking on cat feet, and stopped just before the open door. Through the small crack in the door, he could see Blaine, trying to rock his youngest daughter to sleep on his shoulder, singing her a soft lullaby.
Kurt's eyes filled with tears at the sight of the loving father, but he refused to allow them to slip down his cheeks. Blinking furiously, he managed to contain them. Then opening the door slightly, he entered the room. The look on Blaine's face as he saw Kurt enter the room was curious, but not hostile in any way. Blaine continued singing, the fussy baby turning awkwardly in his arms to look at Kurt.
Kurt moved forward, his arm outstretched. Blaine made to give him the baby, but Kurt shook his head softly, and lay his hand on Jessica's back, rubbing soothingly. As Blaine began another chorus of the lullaby, Kurt joined in, his soft countertenor voice blending gently with Blaine's, entwining and caressing and loving the child in Blaine's arms.
Beautiful dreamer,
Wake unto me
Starlight and dewdrops
Are awaiting thee
Sounds of the rude world
Heard in the day
Led by the moonlight
Have all passed away
Beautiful dreamer,
Queen of my song
List' while I woo thee
With soft melody
Gone are the cares of
Life's busy throng
Beautiful dreamer
Awake unto me
Beautiful dreamer,
Awake unto me
As they finished the final note, Jessica gave a soft yawn, and settled on her father's shoulder. Her deep breathing and closed eyelids advised the two that she was finally sleeping. With a guarded look at Kurt, Blaine lifted her from his shoulder, settling her gently into the crib, and pulling her warm blanket over her. Kurt tiptoed from the room, Blaine following silently, and he pulled the door shut behind him.
Blaine leaned against the wall, his hand carding through his hair.
"Are you all right?" Kurt asked gently, his look of concern surprising the curly-haired man. Blaine gave a sharp nod, and made his way back to the girls in the living room. Announcing bath time, he ushered them into the bathroom, figuring it more expedient to have them both in the bath at the same time. As he washed and played with them, he mulled over Kurt's singing abilities. Kurt must have been vocally trained, because he had harmonised extremely well with Blaine, and had known all of the words to Beautiful Dreamer. Blaine wondered where, when and how Kurt had been trained; had he had another man to sing with? Or had he been paired with only women?
Blaine was fully aware Kurt was gay; the man was one of the most flamboyant people Blaine had ever met. It didn't bother him at all, especially with the feelings he was starting to experience. But he wondered about Kurt's past. Had he been bullied? Had it been because he was gay, or because he was a singer? There was so much about Kurt that Blaine hadn't wanted to ask. He didn't want to get too personal with this man, but it seemed his subconscious wasn't listening to what his consciousness wanted. He returned his focus on his girls when he received a face full of soapy water from Penny.
After he tucked the girls in, Kurt entered the room to say good night. Katherine un-tucked herself from bed, and Penny followed right away, and together they clung to Kurt's legs. Katherine looked up to Kurt, her hazel eyes shining softly, and asked in a quiet, shy voice:
"Kurt, will you read to us?" Kurt stood there, shocked. Blaine was even more shocked. Even when he and Andrea had been together, the girls had never allowed her into the room at bedtime; Blaine was the only one to ever read them a bedtime story, and he was a little insulted that they wanted Kurt to read to them. But his eyes met Kurt's, and Kurt's soft smile quelled the hurt in his heart. It seemed that being asked to read to the girls made Kurt extremely happy, if the look of love in his eyes were any indication. He looked at them, then back at Blaine, and Blaine capitulated. He gave a soft nod, and Kurt returned his gaze to the children.
"Of course," He said, his quiet voice filling the room with warmth. "What book would you like me to read?" As one, the girls raced to the bookshelf, grabbing the book that their father read to them every evening at bedtime.
"Peter Rabbit?" Kurt looked amused as he sat on the bed beside Blaine.
"No, Kurt, up here!" Katherine patted the pillow lying beside her, and he scooted up to the head of the bed, leaning himself on the headboard. "Now you, Daddy!" And Blaine positioned himself awkwardly next to Kurt, giving him a small smile of understanding. Then Katherine plopped on her father's lap, and Penny sat in Kurt's, and together they read the story. Katherine and Penny giggled all the way through, because Kurt did voices for the characters. He used a different voice for Mother Rabbit, and for Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail and Peter. When he got to voicing Mr McGregor, he deepened his voice, startling Blaine, and making both girls giggle helplessly with laughter. When the story was over, he closed the book gently, and gave both girls a hug. Carefully avoiding Blaine's gaze, he left the room, and Blaine took the opportunity to cuddle his girls for a minute or two before once again tucking them into their beds. Placing a kiss on each forehead, he softly wished them a good night, and turned off the lights. He left the door open a crack, to allow light from the hall to seep in. Penny was still a little afraid of the dark.
As he made his way into the living room, he caught Kurt gathering his things from by the door, his jacket already on.
"Where are you going?" He asked softly, his eyes following he other man's every movement. Kurt stopped and raised an eyebrow at Blaine.
"I have to get home," Kurt said softly, carding his hand through his hair unconsciously. "If I don't leave now, I'll never make it before one AM, and then I'll only have four hours of sleep before I have to get back up to come back here." He sounded almost apologetic, as though leaving was the last thing he wanted to do, and Blaine almost cheered at that realisation. Then he realised what he was thinking, and scowled.
"All right, then." He answered gruffly. Then he had an idea. "Give me your cell phone," He demanded brusquely. Kurt quirked his eyebrow, but patiently handed it over. Blaine took it and put in his cell number, making sure he added "Employer" after his name. So Kurt wouldn't forget. Yeah. Then he sent a text message from Kurt's phone to his own, ignoring the message when it appeared on his cell.
"There. Now you have my cell, and I have yours. Send me a text message when you get home, I want to make sure you're all right," He added grouchily.
"Blaine, are you all right?" Kurt asked gently, his eyes full of concern over Blaine's behaviour. Blaine shrugged his shoulders; of course he wasn't okay, but he would be all right eventually.
"Fine," Kurt added. "But if you need me for anything, anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay?" He finished softly, his hand resting gently on Blaine's arm. Blaine looked down at Kurt's hand in shock; Kurt coloured and removed his hand from Blaine's arm.
"I should go," Kurt mumbled, his head hanging softly and he shuffled to the door. Opening it, he slipped into the hallway, and Blaine grasped the door before he had the chance to close it.
"Kurt," Blaine whispered, his eyes going round as he looked at the man staring back at him.
"Yes?" Kurt breathed, his heart hammering in his chest.
"Be careful, okay?" Kurt released the breath he had been holding, and nodded carefully at Blaine, his eyes searching the other's face for any sign of something hidden in the message. Not finding anything, he smiled gently, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
"I'll be fine. I'll text you when I get home. Have a good night," And with that, Kurt swirled in the hallway, and quickly walked down to the elevator. Blaine watched him go, his eyes never leaving the narrow expanse of his shoulders, the gentle sway of his hips, listening to the sharp tap of his boots on the floor. Blaine swallowed harshly, his mind racing with the things he wanted to say, to do, to Kurt, and his heart beating madly in his chest with the implied sexual overtone. And yet…
Blaine walked back into the apartment. He settled himself on the couch, and used the quiet of the room to allow himself to think.
He was straight. He loved women. He was sure of that. But Kurt made him feel so much more than what Andrea had. Yes, Andrea had been the mother of his children; he loved them dearly, and so loved her for giving them to him. But she hadn't been warm, or compassionate, or caring. She had been cold, calculating and manipulative. Perhaps that was just in her nature.
That was it! Blaine sat up straighter in his seat, the leather softness of the couch making it difficult, but he managed it. It was Andrea that had been the problem, not him! So if he were to get out there and start dating again, maybe he would be able to get his mind off of Kurt! With this plan in mind, he moved to his bedroom, subconsciously grabbing his cell phone off he table and bringing it along with him to the bedroom.
He fired up his trusty laptop. He remembered some of the advertisements on late night television, and went to E-Harmony. The site seemed horribly complicated, it wanted to know his birth date, his favourite colour, all kinds of personal information about him, and when he finally finished entering the information, it was almost midnight. His phone buzzed softly from the bed where he threw it, and he smiled to receive a text from Kurt:
Hey!
Got home safe and sound.
Have a good night,
Kurt
Blaine's grin widened, and he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the back of the closet door. His silly, love-struck grin reminded him of what he was doing, and he scowled, his face going from serene to agitated in less than a second. He replied to Kurt with a Great! See you tomorrow! B and returned to his computer.
Looking at the information he had entered, he slowly shook his head at the stupidity of it all. Then he hit the send button before he could get cold feet and delete the lot of it. He sighed gently, the breath blowing out his nose in a huff, and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He came back into his room and got his pyjamas on, and crawled into bed after turning off the computer. He flicked off the light in the room, and lay there for over an hour, just staring at the ceiling, and wondering what Kurt was doing, at that very moment, somewhere out in the city, all alone.