Three days before Blaine's birthday, Kurt comes home early. Their director is getting more and more lenient with rehearsal length as the show is winding down to its final performances. After being together for almost three years, the cast is a well-oiled machine. They barely need to rehearse anyway.

He hopes Blaine will be asleep when he gets there because he has a present for him, but it's going to take a little prep work first. He wants it to be a surprise and it will only work if Blaine's asleep.

Unlocking the front door, the first thing Kurt hears is his husband's gentle snores. They're not loud, but they carry down the hallway easily. A big smile on his face, Kurt tiptoes into the kitchen, setting the gift down on the counter. He hopes Blaine will love it.

After a few minutes of struggling, Kurt has his husband's gift prepared. He picks it up carefully and walks on light feet back to their bedroom. He pauses in the doorway, taking in how peaceful his husband looks. Blaine almost never looks completely relaxed when he sleeps anymore. He still looks cute as ever with his disheveled hair, his mouth hanging open just a bit, and his eyelashes resting gently against his cheeks, though. Kurt almost hates to wake him, but this gift can't wait.

So, he walks over to the bed, setting the gift down on the floor by the footboard so Blaine can't see it immediately, and places one hand gently on Blaine's hip. He bends and presses a soft kiss at Blaine's hairline, inhaling his comforting scent. Smells so good. I think he got to shower today. Must not be feeling as sore as he was yesterday.

Blaine stirs just a bit, one eyelid fluttering open then closed again just as quickly.

Leaning in again, Kurt kisses his cheek this time, nibbling on it just a bit before he pulls away. "Wake up, sleepyhead," he says quietly.

"Uuung," Blaine moans, stirring a bit more. This time, when his eye opens, it stays open, squinting up at Kurt. "Kur'?" he questions sleepily. "You're here?"

"I sure am." Kurt bends down once more to smooch Blaine's temple.

"Why're you— Wha-what was that?" he asks as he hears a soft scratching sound, breaking his train of thought. He rolls from his side to his back, blinking both eyes open to get a better look at his husband.

Kurt can't keep the radiant smile off his face. "I got you a birthday present, and I thought I'd give it to you a little bit early."

"Oh, you don't have to. I can wait. It's only a few more days." Blaine stretches, scooting himself up the bed to rest against the headboard. He can't hide his grimace; waking up always makes him so stiff.

"I know. I want to, though."

The soft scratching comes again.

Blaine's brow arches, and he looks at Kurt with concern and worry. "Is that you making that noise? Wha-what is that?"

Without another word, Kurt turns toward the footboard and retrieves the gift from the floor. "Open it," he urges, setting the box on Blaine's lap.

Quickly, Blaine unties the bow, having to tug it from inside the box to get it off completely. He's barely able to get the top off before something soft and black jumps out at him, chasing the ribbon he's still holding onto.

Blaine makes a noise of surprise, stopping the soft creature for a moment as it looks at him with wide, curious, green eyes. Then, it resumes chasing the ribbon.

At a loss for words, Blaine just looks at Kurt with big, glassy eyes. "Kurt…" he breathes. "I—"

"Full disclosure, I talked with your therapist about it after you came home a couple of months ago, talking about getting an emotional support pet. She agreed that it would probably help you, seeing as how I'm gone so often. And I know how much you loved Buddy when you were a kid. Every time we see a picture of him, your eyes light up, and you can't quit telling me stories about him. I did my best to find another Buddy."

Blaine can't see past the tears in his eyes; they make everything look bleary. "Kurt, you… It's an adorable kitten, and it looks so much like Buddy."

"He's a boy. Do you-Do you like him?"

"I love him," Blaine answers honestly, reaching out a hand to rub down the kitten's side. It turns and nips at him playfully before going back to the ribbon. "What's his name?"

"Well, you can name him anything you want," Kurt starts. "He's only six weeks old, but he's attacking his dry food, so they let him come home with me today. He was abandoned, so they had to bottle feed him; he had no mommy to nurse him."

"Poor munchkin," Blaine coos, reaching for the ribbon this time and dancing it around the bed, smiling as the kitten takes off after it, lunging and leaping into the air. "What did the shelter name him, though? They always have some sort of name."

"Starlight," Kurt answers. "He's got specks of white fur all over his back and sides."

"So beautiful…" Blaine giggles when his foot twitches involuntarily under the covers. Starlight sees that and dives onto his foot, kicking at him with his back feet. "You're a ball of energy, sir. We're gonna have to get you lots of toys, huh?"

"Actually…" Kurt says, a tiny grin on his face. "I have another surprise. Stay here and play with Starlight, and I'll come back in just a minute, okay?"

"Kurt, this had better not be another present," Blaine calls after him. Then, he drums his fingers against his tummy to catch Starlight's attention.

The kitten is beautiful. Now that Blane's eyes have cleared of their happy tears, he can see the specks of white that Kurt was talking about. He really does look like a midnight sky. Being so young, still, his head looks too big for his scrawny frame, but Blaine thinks he's the cutest thing in the world with his huge green eyes and his playful, alert movements. He sees Blaine's fingers patting against his tummy, and he begins to tiptoe toward them carefully, curious.

When Starlight reaches Blaine's fingers, he sniffs them for a split second before jerking his head back, startled by the continued movement. When Blaine stills them, he leans in for another sniff, tilting his head up to look at Blaine's face when he's finished.

"Hi, cute baby," Blaine coos at him, smiling. "You wanna play some more? How about a snuggle?" He moves his hand from his stomach up to his shoulder, patting it gently.

Starlight begins to walk up Blaine's torso, stopping to sniff at his chin before making it around to his shoulder. He sniffs very carefully in and around Blaine's ear and back to his hairline before turning in a circle and curling up on Blaine's shoulder, his head resting against Blaine's cheek. Immediately, he purrs like a motorboat, a loud rumbling sound from his tiny chest.

Blaine immediately feels a warmth spread through him, his heart almost aching at the cuteness. This is what I need. Exactly what I need. Even on a bad day, this will be so comforting… He cuddles the kitten a bit closer, sighing contentedly. He feels a little lighter almost, a little less stressed and in pain.

That's how Kurt finds them when he comes back into the room, another kitten dangling over his arm. This one is a golden brown color with large, darker brown rosettes up and down it's back. Its tail, its legs, and the top of its head are striped.

Blaine's eyes grow wide at the sight of another kitten. "You got me two?" he asks, bewildered.

Kurt grins sheepishly. "Kind of? This one is sorta mine, I think." He sets the brown kitten down on the bed, and Starlight immediately leaps off of Blaine's shoulder, running to the brown kitten and tackling it, beginning a playful wrestling match.

"You got yourself a kitten for my birthday?"

"Not exactly! Not intentionally! Let me tell you the story. I went to the shelter to meet Starlight. I found him online and called to ask about adopting him. When I went, the shelter had all their little kittens in the room, and they were all playing. They had me sit in the middle of the floor with all of them—And Blaine, there was so much cat hair on my pants when I got up! Oh my god! I took them straight to the dry cleaners because, thankfully, I had another pair of pants in the car. Anyway, I sat on the floor, and they brought Starlight to me, and this little girl—her name is Lilypad, but they all called her Lil at the shelter—was making so much noise! Apparently, they told me, she and Starlight are attached at the hip and can hardly stand to be away from each other. So, when the woman finally stopped holding her, Lil made a beeline for me and wouldn't leave me and Starlight alone. They were kinda a package deal, it seemed like, so I decided I should bring both of them home."

Blaine grins. "So, Mr. Cats-Are-Cute-But-I-Like-Dogs-Better, you have a cat now?"

Kurt ignores him. Instead, he watches the two of them running after each other across the bed. "Aren't they just so cute together?"

"They're really sweet," Blaine agrees. "I think this was a good idea."

"I agree," Kurt says. His cheeks begin to pink, and he hopes Blaine can't see. This isn't where he wants to explain himself to his husband.

Blaine doesn't see. He's watching the kittens play, a huge grin on his face. "They say it's good to have two so they can tire each other out. Which is actually good for me. If I'm having a bad day, I don't have to expend all my energy with a cat toy."

Kurt nods, unable to help himself. "And what do they say about three?"

Head snapping up, Blaine asks, "What?!"

"How are you feeling?" Kurt asks in lieu of a response. "Can you come out to the kitchen with me?"

"I'm a little sore, but not as bad as yesterday. I think I can manage a few minutes in the kitchen," Blaine answers, narrowing his eyes at his husband. "What did you do?"

"Grab Starlight and come with me," Kurt instructs. The next time Lil comes bounding by, he nabs her and lays her over his arm. She immediately starts to purr.

Blaine reaches forward and grabs Starlight. The kitten struggles for a moment, but the minute Blaine is on his feet, he climbs his way up to Blaine's shoulder, cuddling in just like before, head on Blaine's cheek. "Aren't you just the sweetest thing?" Blaine murmurs, petting him gently. Then, he follows Kurt down the hallway and into the kitchen.

There, sitting on the floor by the counter, is a cat carrier. Blaine immediately notices a gray foot dangling out the door of the carrier, and he looks at Kurt with surprise. "You really got a third cat?"

"I had to," Kurt answers, setting Lil down. She immediately runs to the carrier and paws at the gray foot, looking to play. "I'm apparently the biggest softie and pushover ever."

"Well, this should make for a good story," Blaine says. He grabs a chair from the table and sits down gingerly with a heavy sigh, looking at Kurt expectantly. Starlight gets restless a moment later, and he slowly bends and sets him down on the floor to join Lil.

"I was filling out the paperwork at the shelter for Lil and Starlight when the manager of the shelter walked by. She chatted with the woman who was helping me and casually asked who I was adopting. When the assistant told her, her eyes went wide, and she leaned over to whisper, 'How does his home setup look?' The assistant gave her a funny look and responded; I couldn't hear what she said, but it must have been good because the manager looked me right in the eyes and asked, 'Would you consider a third?'"

Blaine laughs. "Oh, no. How could you say no to that?"

"Well, I was terrified at first. I mean, what was supposed to be a kitten for a birthday present was turning into a lot more than I had bargained for. I asked the manager why, and she told me about Olive in there." He gestures to the cat carrier. "She's five, and she's apparently had a rough time of it. Back and forth to different homes and to the shelter. She was found in a car when she was a few weeks old, and the person that took her home abused her. She's terrified of dogs, and she usually hates other cats." He thumbs toward the kittens crowded around the carrier. "Except for those two."

"Oh… Poor baby."

"Yeah. It's a sad story. Apparently, she was getting picked on at the shelter, and Starlight and Lil came to her rescue. She just adores them. The manager told me they sleep curled up together at night. I couldn't say no."

"You really are just a big ol' softie for kittens."

"Well, there's one more thing you should know about Olive."

"Yeah?"

"She hates people. Like, she's aggressive toward them, and doesn't let anyone get close. The people at the shelter told me they were considering putting her down because no one would take her, and they assured me that we'll never be able to snuggle her or get any affection from her at all." He turns toward Blaine fully, grabbing his hand. "I think, though, that if anyone can get her to love them, it will be you."

"Why?"

"I've seen the way you are with kittens and animals in general, Blaine. You have a gift. And I know your heart." He reaches out, placing a gentle hand on Blaine's chest. "You will put your heart and soul into letting Olive know that she's going to be loved and taken care of. Right now, she seems unloveable, and you'll show her that she's only seeing herself in a way that isn't even true."

There are fresh tears in Blaine's eyes as he says, "I'll sure try."

"You know, I think you and Olive actually have a lot in common," Kurt says, leaning over to kiss his husband's cheek fondly. "Ever since you got your fibro diagnosis, you've seen yourself in a way that isn't even true, too. You think that someday, I'm going to wake up and decide that I don't love you anymore, and that's just not true. All the love and devotion I promised you on our wedding day is going to be there from now until the end of forever."

Blaine smiles, swiping at the tears on his cheeks. "I'll try to show Olive that she's stuck with us now. She can't escape our love."

"Good. Because she is. And so are you," Kurt answers with a smile of his own. "Now, I've cleared out some space in the spare bedroom that Finn used. I thought we could keep them in there until Olive gets a bit more comfortable. At least in the evenings."

"Good idea."

Kurt reaches out and snags Lil and Starlight, handing them to Blaine. Then, he picks up the cat carrier, and together, they head back to the spare room, Starlight on Blaine's shoulder once again and Lil draped over his arm.

Blaine stops him at the doorway. "Did you buy food already? Litter and a litter box?"

"Of course," Kurt replies with a smile. "They're in the front closet. I knew they would need a few things."

"I love you," Blaine tells him. "Thank you for the birthday cats."

"You're entirely welcome," Kurt answers, leaning backward to give him a soft kiss. "Now, let's get our kids set up in their new room."

Blaine grins, following him inside and shutting the door behind them.