October 1920
Kurt
Kurt covers his ears from the noise of the crowd cheering, hollering, and stamping their feet. Beiste pulls him up on his feet, and he shudders at her loud whooping.
"Why is everyone so excited by a player walking around the bases? I thought they were supposed to run."
"Pumpkin, didn't you see Babe Ruth hit it out of the park?"
"Hit what?"
Beiste rolls her eyes. "The ball."
Finn explains, "If the player hits the ball out of the park, it counts as a home run. With the bases loaded, that means that the Yankees have four home runs. Babe Ruth still has to go around the bases, but he can take his time and wave at the fans."
"Not only that, but it's his 54th home run this season, nearly doubling his own major league record from just last year," Beiste adds.
"It was a good deal for the Yankees when they signed the Babe," Finn remarks.
Kurt nods his head but really doesn't understand what the big deal is. He's never been particularly interested in watching sports, whether it's cricket, rugby, or baseball. The only exception is watching Blaine play tennis, but that has more to do with ogling his lover's body as his muscles flex, rather than the game itself. He consoles himself with the fact that at least this brisk autumn day is an opportunity to wear one of his many scarves.
"I'm going to get some hot chocolate. Does anybody want anything?" Kurt offers.
"Could you buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks?" Finn asks.
Kurt nods his head, and leaves for the concession area. He's got a lot more on his mind than some silly men hitting balls with bats and running around bases. First thing tomorrow morning, Finn and Blaine will be coming to his boarding house to move his things. It's not as if he has a lot - his things are already packed into suitcases and a half-dozen boxes. He can hardly wait to start this new chapter of his life and live with Blaine.
Kurt stops at a souvenir stand, browsing at the merchandise. He decides to buy a Yankees baseball cap for his father to open on Christmas Day. He suspects that his father is a lot more casually dressed when he's home at Hummel Cottage or taking his new beagle on a walk.
Kurt hears the crowd groan loudly, which must mean that things aren't going well for the Yankees. When he walks toward his seat, he sees Beiste pulling at her hair and moaning, "We were so close to making it to the World Series playoffs this year."
K&B
Kurt looks around his room at the boarding house one last time. When he's satisfied that all his personal things are gone, he picks up a thin rectangular parcel and heads down the stairs. He smiles at Mrs Murphy, who is hovering around the entranceway.
Blaine enters, looking far more dapper than is necessary for a moving day. "Is that the last of the boxes?"
Kurt nods and turns to Mrs Murphy. "Here are my keys. I've left everything spic and span for your next boarder."
Mrs Murphy dabs her watery eyes with her handkerchief. "It's been a pleasure having you stay, Captain Hummel. If you are ever in need of a room again, you're always welcome."
"That won't be necessary," Blaine declares, and his smile could light up all of New York City.
"Well, if you have any other acquaintances needing a room, you know where to find me. I shall miss you two."
"We'll be just around the corner at Healy's Tavern," Kurt replies. "I'll be stopping by each day for the next two weeks in case anyone has written to me at this address."
"And I'll be sure that he has some special cakes for you," Blaine adds.
After giving Mrs Murphy hugs, Blaine and Kurt leave the boarding house. Kurt's eyes open wide when he sees Hiram's red Fiat laden with boxes and suitcases on its roof, not realizing how much stuff he has accumulated since he arrived in America.
Finn wipes the sweat from his brow. "I managed to leave a small space for Blaine in the back. Kurt, you'll be sitting in the front seat.
Blaine tries to pry the last parcel from his hands, but Kurt gently pushes him away. "I'll keep this safe on my lap, thank you very much." It's a special gift for Blaine, and he doesn't want Blaine to ask any more questions.
When Finn drives the Fiat away from the curb, they wave their final goodbyes to Mrs Murphy. The traffic is light, and in no time at all, they are parked in front of Blaine's house. Blaine quickly jumps out of the back seat to open the car door for Kurt. He smiles to himself, knowing that he once did this for Blaine when he was Westerville Abbey's second footman.
Blaine smile is so huge that Kurt worries his face might crack. When Blaine places a set of keys in his hands, he notices that there's also a horseshoe charm dangling from the keyring.
"Why don't you open the door to your - our - new home?" Blaine suggests.
"Our new home… I like the sound of that." Kurt opens the front door, and he immediately smells roses. He walks into the living room and sets down his parcel behind the sofa when he spots the large vase filled with red and yellow roses. He stops to inspect them, enjoying their perfume, and he knows that Blaine has purchased them especially for his move-in day.
He walks into the kitchen for a glass of water, where he discovers a freshly baked Victoria sponge cake on a cooling rack. When Finn and Blaine join him in the kitchen, Kurt says, "Blaine, you shouldn't have woken up so early to bake a cake."
Finn wets his lips. "I'm glad he did. I haven't had a Victoria sponge cake in ages."
Blaine chuckles. "That's for later, after we've brought in all of Kurt's things. Finn, could you please bring the suitcases up to the bedroom? Kurt and I will bring the boxes up to the top floor."
Once Finn has left the kitchen, Kurt throws his arms around Blaine. "The roses in the living room are beautiful."
They return to the car, and Kurt picks up the first box labeled for the top floor. He's no stranger to walking up and down stairs, not after serving the meals at Westerville Abbey. However, when he makes it to the top floor, he immediately drops his box and gasps. There is a beautiful long wooden table next to one of the tall windows, with his sewing machine upon it. Next to the table is a custom-built shelving unit that already has some of the fabrics that he's left there. It also contains a few baskets for fabric remnants. Above the shelving is a pegboard, and his scissors and thread spools are hanging by hooks.
Kurt throws himself into Blaine's arms. "It's perfect!"
Kurt can feel Blaine's body relax. He pulls far enough away, and with his fingertips beneath Blaine's chin, tips his head up. "You're perfect. How did you do this so quickly?"
Blaine's eyes sparkle as he grins. "Well, you did show me a sketch of what you wanted in this room when we were in the Hamptons. Uncle Hiram helped me select the table, and Finn built the shelving and installed the pegboard. I only organized the basics because I know you'll want a say on things, like a chair and lighting."
Kurt looks around the room and sees Blaine's books still in boxes. "But what about your things and what you want in the room?"
"I'll need your help with designing it, and I'll have to wait for a few more paychecks before buying anything new."
Kurt's heart squeezes knowing that his sweet Blaine has done this for him, without a thought of doing something for himself. "It'll be much quicker to save money now that there are two paychecks to buy things."
They break apart when they hear heavy steps up the stairs. Finn enters laden with a couple of boxes. "I knew you two wouldn't be useful once Kurt saw this room. I'm getting hungry. Why don't you two prepare lunch while I bring up the remaining boxes?"
Blaine and Kurt dash down the stairs to the kitchen. Kurt realizes that Blaine has thought of everything when he places a premade fish pie topped with mashed potato into the preheated oven. Kurt peels and cuts carrots while Blaine shells peas. When the vegetables are cooked, the fish pie is also ready, and Finn has finished bringing in all of Kurt's possessions. While Kurt and Finn set the table, Blaine brings out the hot dishes. They are silent as they wolf down the delicious food.
"Have you heard from your mother recently?" Blaine asks Finn, once he sets down his cutlery.
"I telephoned her yesterday. Although she keeps busy at the abbey, she's still involved in the Women's Institute. She and the Dowager Countess attend every meeting religiously. Apparently, the women are busy making jams to raise money for charities."
"Grandmama and Mrs Hummel must make a formidable team. I have no doubt that every jar of jam will be sold."
While Finn and Kurt clear the table, Blaine whips the cream and assembles the Victoria sponge cake. They return to the table, and tuck into the special cake.
"How's Rachel? Kurt asks. "She must be getting big with the baby due next month."
Finn takes a second slice of cake before answering. "Rachel has slowed down quite a bit, although she's still active in getting women registered to vote in next month's election. She complains that her body is huge, but I love it. I can even feel the baby kick inside her. Rachel is still as demanding as ever. She sends me to the kitchen in the middle of the night for strange things she wants to eat like pickles and ice cream Let's just say that I'm happy to help out here during the day any time you need me."
Kurt can appreciate that Finn needs an excuse to spend some time away from Rachel and is mentally preparing a list of things for him to do.
Once they've said their farewells to Finn, Kurt and Blaine head to the bedroom to unpack. Blaine takes the clothing out of the suitcases, while Kurt hangs them up in the wardrobe.
"I had no idea that you've collected so many clothes. If there's not enough room in the wardrobe, I'll just move my clothes to the guest room," Blaine offers.
Kurt stops what he's doing to take a good look at Blaine, who's worrying his bottom lip. "I know you're trying to please me, but you don't have to try so hard."
Blaine clasps his hands behind his back and rocks on the balls of his feet. "You know me so well. I just want everything to be perfect for you."
"But I also want everything to be perfect for you," Kurt replies, bopping Blaine on the nose. "One person shouldn't be more important than the other here. If we run out of wardrobe space, we'll both put our out-of-season clothes in the spare bedroom."
It turns out that there is plenty of space in the wardrobe for both their clothing. They decide to share a sock drawer so that Kurt's ascots have their own space, and Kurt leaves a drawer free for Blaine's ever-growing bow tie collection. Before they know it, the unpacking is done, and everything fits in perfectly.
While Blaine prepares a simple spread of cheese, sliced ham, fruit, and bread, Kurt sneaks into the living room and places his gift on a hook that he had Finn secretly place earlier. Kurt looks around the living room, pleased at how it turned out. The light neutral colors make the room look bright, and it's furnished in the new art deco style with plenty of curves. A rug with a geometric pattern completes the look.
Kurt goes to the kitchen to help and is surprised to see Blaine taking a bottle of champagne from the ice box.
"I think you moving in is a cause for celebration," Blaine admits. "I hope you don't think it's too much."
Kurt gently kisses him. "No, it's not too much. I have a surprise for you as well." When Blaine gives him a quizzical look, he adds, "You'll see what I mean soon enough."
Kurt picks up the platter with the food, while Blaine grabs two glasses for the champagne. When they enter the living room, Blaine immediately stops. He places the champagne bottle and glasses down on the coffee table and walks toward the painting of Oyster Bay.
"Kurt… Did you paint this?
Kurt nods. "Wherever we are, we always manage to find a special place that means something to us. At Westerville, we have the spot by the lake, and in New York City, we have the bench on the shores of Belvedere Lake in Central Park."
"Our special places always seem to have water," Blaine giggles.
"I'd like to think that Oyster Bay is our special place in the Hamptons. After all, it's where we decided to live together. I painted the seascape so we could recall the memories of our first holiday together… the first of many, I hope."
Blaine sidles up to Kurt and holds him. "You're such a hopeless romantic. I love you."
Kurt wraps his arms around Blaine. "We can be hopeless romantics together."
Two weeks later…
Kurt wakes up to the smell of bacon. When he sees that Blaine is no longer in bed, he puts on his dressing gown. After performing his morning routine in the bathroom, he goes downstairs and pauses at the kitchen doorway. Blaine is in his sleeveless undershirt and boxers, flipping pancakes on the griddle with one hand and snapping his fingers with the other. His smooth tenor voice fills the air.
Just a love nest, cozy and warm,
Like a dove rest down on a farm,
A veranda with some sort of clinging vine,
Then a kitchen where some rambler roses twine,
Then a small room, dream room for two,
Better than a palace with a gilded dome,
Is a love nest you can call home.
When the song is finished, Kurt makes himself known by clapping as he enters the kitchen. Blaine turns around and frowns. "I can't serve you breakfast in bed if you're not in bed."
"You don't have to keep doing… Oh, that does smell good."
"They're lemon-blueberry pancakes. I've already got the New York Herald and the Saturday Evening Post. They're on the table."
Ever since Kurt has moved in, Blaine gets up extra early, goes out to buy the newspapers, and wakes him up with breakfast in bed. As much as Kurt enjoys being spoiled, Blaine is trying too hard to please him.
Kurt gives Blaine a peck on the cheek. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You can check if the coffee is steeped enough to press."
Kurt prepares two mugs of coffee and sits down at the kitchen table. He smiles when he sees fresh daisies in the engraved shell case that is used as a vase. During the war, Blaine had turned the used shell case into a thing of beauty, and he vowed to provide him with a never-ending supply of daisies to fill it. One thing for certain is that Blaine is a man who keeps his promises. Kurt takes a sip of coffee, glancing at Norman Rockwell's cover of the Saturday Evening Post, and he remembers that the presidential election is soon approaching.
Blaine sets the platter of pancakes and bacon on the table, then pours freshly squeezed orange juice into two glasses before sitting down. "I still can't believe it. We're really doing it."
Kurt smiles at Blaine's enthusiasm for life so early in the morning.
Blaine's eyes sparkle. "Every morning I get to wake up next to you. I get to walk you to the subway, then walk you to Healy's Tavern, where we work together. And even after all of that amazingness, I get to come home with you. And I get to crawl up in bed with you, get under the covers, and…"
Kurt covers his hand and gives him a lingering kiss, tasting the sweet maple syrup on Blaine's lips. "I think we both know what goes on under the covers."
Kurt takes a bite of the delicious lemon-blueberry pancakes. He had certainly lucked out to fall in love with such a great chef. They each read a paper, then they trade them after pouring a second cup of coffee. Kurt can't focus on the news of the day - his mind is more on the man across the table from him. The man who does everything possible to pamper him, from the crack of dawn until the dead of night.
Kurt knows he needs to up his game and show Blaine that he's just as invested in making him happy. He reminisces about the days at Westerville Abbey, when he would do simple things to please 'Mr Blaine', and how they were always appreciated. A wicked grin forms on his face when he gets a brilliant idea.
When they've finished their breakfast, Kurt gets up to clear the table. "Just place them in the sink. I'll do the washing up after I've had a shower."
Kurt shakes his head. "I think there is an unwritten rule that the person who cooks shouldn't be the one to do the washing up. It'll only take me a few minutes."
Kurt stands in front of the sink and lets the water run, waiting for it to get hot. Blaine stands behind him, wraps his arms around Kurt's chest, and kisses his cheek. "Thank you, my love. I'll be quick in the shower so there'll be plenty of hot water for you."
Just before Blaine leaves the kitchen, Kurt calls out, "Blaine, don't shave before your shower."
Blaine gives him a quizzical look and gives him a hand salute before leaving.
Kurt makes quick work of the washing up because he wants to be ready when Blaine gets out of the shower. He dashes upstairs to the bedroom, takes out the equipment he'll need, and places them on the vanity table. He fills a large porcelain bowl with hot water, adds a few drops of sandalwood oil, and covers it with a towel to keep it warm. When he hears the shower turn off, he rushes into the the bathroom, takes the fluffy towel off the rail, and opens it for Blaine.
"The shower is all yours," Blaine remarks.
"I think I'll take my shower this evening. There's something else that is all mine that I'd rather focus on."
Kurt dries off each part of Blaine's body, admiring his toned stomach and muscular legs. When he's finished, he hangs up the towel. "Once you've brushed your teeth, come join me in the bedroom."
Kurt picks up the straight-edge razor, and sharpens it with a leather strop. Blaine might have a modern safety razor, but Kurt prefers the old, proven and trusty method...
The proven and trusted method for Blaine to get a stiffie.
Blaine enters the bedroom in his dressing gown, and his eyes darken when he sees Kurt standing by the vanity table. "Are you planning to shave me?" he asks in a low husky voice.
Kurt gives him a mischievous smile while pulling out the chair. Blaine sits down and automatically leans his head back, more than ready for the shave. Kurt dampens a towel in the hot water, and places it over Blaine's face.
"I can smell sandalwood on the towel. That's new," Blaine remarks.
"I put a few drops of sandalwood oil in the hot water. It's something I learned to do during the war, when there was no shaving cream available."
Kurt hums the tune of The Love Nest, the very song that Blaine was singing earlier in the kitchen, while he wets the shaving brush and swirls it on top of the Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving soap. There is only a sliver left, and Kurt plans to write to the Dowager Countess to ask her to send more. Kurt takes off the hot towel and uses gentle strokes on Blaine's face to build up the lather. Blaine wiggles in his seat, and Kurt knows that as a sign that he's starting to get a stiffie.
Kurt places one hand on Blaine's chin and gently strokes with with his fingers, while the other hand passes the straight-edge razor along his neck. Blaine looks up at Kurt with so much love and trust in his expressive hazel eyes. Kurt wants to kiss him so badly because Blaine is all kinds of wonderful, but that's not a good idea when his face is covered with shaving cream. He makes quick work with the rest of the shaving, but makes sure he gets every area of Blaine's cheeks and chin.
After he has covered Blaine's face with a cold damp towel, he smirks when he notices that the dressing gown is obscenely tented. Kurt squeezes some aftershave balm from the tube and rubs his hands together. Kurt then gently massages the balm onto Blaine's face, using soft circular motions.
"Feels so good," Blaine purrs.
Once the balm has soaked into Blaine's skin, Kurt wipes his hands on a clean towel. He then cups his hands around the back of Blaine's neck, using his thumbs to stroke beneath each ear. With firm fingers, he slips off the dressing gown from Blaine's shoulders, and while he works his way down, Kurt can practically see the tension escape his body.
"K-kurt… Your magic hands are getting me back to my happy place."
Once Kurt is satisfied that Blaine's shoulders are loose and pliant, he undoes the dressing gown belt, and Blaine's impressive stiffie is revealed. Kurt's hands dance down Blaine's chest, and he grasps Blaine's cock. He strokes quickly but firmly, making sure that he twists his wrist at the top, just the way Blaine likes it.
"I think I might get rid of your newfangled razor and shave you myself each morning. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Ghh… Oh, yes…. Throw it out!"
Kurt whispers hotly in his ear, "And you know what happens when I see you with a stiffie? I lose control, and I've got to take care of it, my horny boy."
Blaine is a babbling mess, and Kurt can't make out what he's saying. He pumps quicker until Blaine's body goes taut, and he lets out a loud moan, as he spills cum over Kurt's hand and across his own chest. Kurt works him through it with gentle strokes, until Blaine's cock has softened and he's collapsed in the chair.
Kurt takes a clean towel and dampens it in the hot water, and cleans Blaine carefully. He checks the time on the clock. "We better get moving or we'll be late for our shift."
Blaine stands up. "Do you want me to...err...help you out?"
Kurt adjusts himself. "No, I'm good for now, but when we get home tonight, I don't think I'll be able to wait to get to the bedroom."
Blaine cups his face, and pulls him in for a toe-curling kiss. "Living with you is so wonderful."
Author's notes
Song Blaine sings in the kitchen is 'The Love Nest' performed by John Steel (1920).
Photos of Blaine's living room, the Norman Rockwell cover, and food mentioned are posted to my Tumblr account (HKVoyage). From my home page, click on the 'Life in the Big Apple' button'. On the next page will have 'Chapter announcements with photos'. You will find the photos there.
Trivia: Norman Rockwell is perhaps the most famous and beloved American illustrator of all times. Between 1916-1963, he painted 321 covers for the Saturday Evening Post. He is well known for capturing small-town Americana as no artist ever had before. One of his cover illustrations sold for $46 million in 2013. I've had the joy of visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Many thanks to my fantastic betas - Fearlessly, Lilyvandersteen, Dblmalfunction. I made the last-minute edits and performed the final proofreading by myself, so all mistakes are mine.
I'm HKVoyage on Tumblr.
Next up: There is a new arrival in the Berry townhouse.