Wow you guys. Just wow. I'm so floored by the response I have gotten for this fic. This is only chapter two, and I have so many people favoriting it and putting it on story alert. I love you guys! I have no clue where you all keep coming from, but I hope and pray you never leave! *Glomps you all*
That said, here's the next chapter. As always, I don't own glee, I simply rent! XD
Kurt smoothed his hair back from his eyes, using his comb to meticulously place every strand in it's correct place. His first day had started out early, five A.M., when his eyes had popped open and he hadn't been able to get back to sleep.
After showering, moisturising, combing his hair and making himself his first cup of coffee, it was only six-fifteen, and he really had no idea what to do to keep himself occupied. Eventually, he decided to leave his little apartment, and make his way downtown, to the area that Blaine and his girls lived in.
He rode the bus, having sold his second hand car for rent money about six months ago. Getting to the downtown area, he looked at his watch, and discovered it was seven forty-five, and he was really early. So in order to pass a bit of time, he wandered into the nearest Starbucks, ordered his usual grande non-fat mocha, and settled himself by the window.
He opened his computer, and looked up his Facebook. As usual, Rachel Berry was promoting her role in the Broadway production of Wicked; Finn was displaying pictures of his and Quinn's two boys, and Sam was offering to be his friend in Mafia Wars. Front and centre was an inspirational quote from Mercedes: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. – Eleanor Roosevelt." Kurt smiled happily. He was glad all of his old friends were doing well. He settled down to write a new status, and reply to a couple of messages he had. Then he logged onto Tumblr, which was one of his favourite sites, and checked twitter for any new happenings in the celebrity world.
He checked the time on his wristwatch, and was confused to notice it was now eight forty-five. How the hell had that happened?
Closing his laptop, he put it away in his bag. Making a mad dash for the door, he accidentally bumped into a girl and guy, coming inside the store. The guy became aggressive, pushing Kurt into the doorframe, wrinkling his shirt and rapping his head against the wall.
"Oof," Kurt huffed, the air leaving his lungs in a quick rush.
"Watch it, buddy! Or I'll have to take it out of your fruity ass," The guy growled at Kurt, shoving him once more before curling his arm protectively around his girlfriend and walking away.
Kurt looked back at the duo, almost in shock. He hadn't been threatened in a while, and it brought back the feelings of panic and fright that had plagued him through most of high school. Swallowing harshly, he manoeuvred himself around another couple of people to outside, and started walking quickly to Blaine's apartment building.
Once there, he pressed the buzzer, he waited for almost five minutes before he heard the static producing blare of the intercom come on, and heard a gruff, "What?"
"Um… It's Kurt. I'm here to watch the children?" Kurt was a little put off by the grumpy greeting, but tried to maintain his dignity about the situation. The gruff voice was replaced by a much more chipper sounding Blaine, who advised Kurt to come up, and quickly buzzed him in.
Kurt took the elevator to Blaine's floor, and followed the same path he had taken to get to Blaine's apartment yesterday. Knocking softly, he heard thumping and yelling from inside.
Opening the door a crack, he was shocked to find a naked four year old running around the living room. Blaine was fighting with Penny to get her clothes on for the day, and the baby was in her high chair, covered head to toes in baby cereal wearing nothing but a diaper. Blaine's back was to Kurt, but he could see that he had had as much of a rough morning as Kurt had, and so he took pity on Blaine.
He walked into the room after placing his bag on the floor near the door, and shook his head softly, looking at the mess around him. Grabbing a cloth from the kitchen table, he rinsed it under warm water in the kitchen, and started cleaning up the baby, keeping his sharp eyes on where she placed her grubby little hands. The last thing he needed was the baby's finger prints all over his brand new outfit. When he finally had little Jessica cleaned off, he took her out of her high chair, dressed her in the clothes that were draped over the back of the couch, and placed her in her baby swing. Then he turned his attention to Katherine, who was still running around the room, naked as a jaybird, singing "Bananas in Pyjamas" over and over and over again. Blaine was sill occupied with Penny, although he looked as though he was making progress.
Nonchalantly walking towards the path Katherine would take, Kurt stood there while she ran past him for the first time, but snagged her little body when she attempted to dash past him a second time.
She actually fought him, her little fists pounding on his arms as he held her, and he whispered softly in her ear; "If you're good, and get dressed, I'll take you and your sisters out to the park today," And he instantly had a handful of meek, submissive four-year-old. She was more than happy to submit to his demands now, putting her clothes on her very own self, and showing Kurt the pretty flowers on her dress that daddy had bought.
When she was finally ready for the day, he let her go, and she dashed to her bedroom to bring out some stuffed animals to show Kurt.
Getting up off the floor, he realised Penny was dressed and running after her sister, so he turned to find himself being studied by Blaine. A small smile graced his lips, and Kurt discovered that Blaine had a really, really nice smile. His mouth quivered into a smile in response.
"Thanks," Blaine said softly, folding his hands in front of his chest, taking in the slightly ruffled look of the man in front of him. As Kurt stood and tried to smooth the wrinkles from his clothing, Blaine wondered suddenly what Kurt would look like with no shirt on. Then stopped for a moment to wonder just where in the fucking hell did that image come from?
Kurt turned a soft shade of pink, not used to being scrutinised closely, and replied with a very soft "You're welcome,". Then Katherine and Penny returned from Katherine's room with a talking bear and they showed Kurt how it worked. He pretended, of course, to be amazed that they were able to make it work. They showed him how, and he tried three times, failing each time, so they had to show him again. Finally, they got bored with the game and went into the bedroom in order to play with a puzzle.
Kurt sighed softly, and then realised Blaine was still watching him. He coloured again, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks as he floundered for something to say to the other man.
"Relax, Kurt," Blaine hastened to assure him. "I've seen a lot of people get flustered at the fact that they have to take care of three little girls. But from what I've been able to see so far, you're a natural." Kurt blinked, realising that Blaine thought he was blushing about the children; when in fact, Kurt was wondering if Blaine wore boxers or briefs. He blushed again, and chuckled lightly.
"Well, not really a natural, I don't think. I've watched by brother's kids before, and they are little hellions! So taking care of three sweet, adorable little girls should be a walk in the park," He grinned at Blaine, receiving a grin in return.
"Don't underestimate the power of these three, Kurt," Blaine retorted. "They have been known to drive the wits from a nun. Literally. The last nanny I hired used to be a nun. And she quit after five days." Blaine shook his head sadly. He hadn't wanted to tell Kurt that; Why had he said that? It's like as soon as he opened his mouth, his innermost thoughts came rushing out. But only when he was around Kurt.
Kurt stared at Blaine, his eyes wide. "What's wrong with the children?" He asked, almost afraid to ask. Blaine scowled, offended.
"Nothing is wrong with my children, Kurt," He replied coldly. "There was something wrong with everyone I've hired to take care of them. I'm hoping I didn't make that mistake with you," He added, his eyes once again studying Kurt, taking in the designer clothes, the fashionable scarf, and the red nose. Wait; red nose? And rough voice? Was this man sick around his girls? Oh wait, that's what Katherine had been saying yesterday, wasn't it? Blaine's eyes narrowed. Kurt ducked his head slowly, not sure why he was being studied so critically.
"You're sick," Blaine accused, his eyebrows climbing on his forehead until they nearly reached his hairline. Kurt winced and started to shake his head, but his body betrayed him with a cough. He nodded miserably, refusing to irritate his throat any further by talking.
Blaine sighed, his hand reaching up to rub his forehead; he felt like he was getting a headache. Today was not turning out as he had planned.
"Well, I'm not going to make you watch three little girls for the first time while you're sick," Blaine's voice was weary, as though sleeping would be about the only thing he wanted to do at the moment. Kurt blinked, his eyes widening again, as he tried to voice a thought.
"But you need me," He added, with just a touch of harshness to show that his voice was raw. Now it was Blaine's turn to blink, and he gestured to the living room, and requested Kurt to sit.
After moving a latex squeaky toy from the seat cushion, Kurt sat, in almost the same identical spot he had assumed yesterday. He faced Blaine again; the only difference being they didn't have coffee cups.
"Would you like some coffee? Or maybe some tea, to help your throat?" Blaine offered carefully, remembering exactly how Kurt had enjoyed his cup yesterday, but thinking tea with a bit of honey might make his throat feel better. Kurt offered Blaine a half smile, remembering yesterday as well.
"Tea might be nice, please," Kurt replied, wondering if Blaine had any honey in the house.
"Would you like honey or sugar with your tea?" Blaine asked as he rose swiftly from the couch, halfway to the kitchen before Kurt, surprised, answered "Honey, please. Thanks," Kurt was ecstatic. Not only did he have a job, but he had an employer who actually knew how to stock his refrigerator with all of the necessities. Smirking lightly, he leaned back on the couch.
All of a sudden, Kurt was wracked with sneezes. He sneezed twice before he managed to get a tissue in front of his mouth, and the sneezing set off a coughing fit. He coughed harshly for almost ten minutes, trying desperately to catch his breath and stop himself. This was not the best way to impress his new employer.
Blaine had heard the sneezing coming from the living room, and when the coughing had started, he began fixing the tea faster. He came into the living room after a minute, because Kurt hadn't stopped. In fact, the coughing had started to get worse.
Starting to panic a bit, he sat beside Kurt, rubbing the other man's back, between the shoulder blades, to try and help loosen the phlegm.
He rubbed in hard circles, and just as he was afraid Kurt was going to have an asthma attack, Kurt's coughing subsided a bit, enough that he was able to ask, politely of course, for a drink to soothe his throat. Blaine shook his head softly, and returned to the kitchen, bringing Kurt's tea and a cup of coffee for himself. Placing the tea on the coffee table in front of Kurt, he happened to glance at the hallway. Standing there, with incredibly frightened looks on their faces, were his two eldest daughters. He motioned for them to come over.
"Is he gonna die, daddy?" Katherine looked at Kurt, her wide, hazel eyes filling with tears. She placed her tiny hand on Kurt's, as he smiled tremulously down at her.
"Daddy?" Penny looked just as distraught, holding her arms up and begging silently for her father to pick her up.
"No, my sweethearts," Blaine replied gently, picking up Penny, and situating Katherine between himself and Kurt on the couch. "Kurt's going to be all right, aren't you Kurt?" Kurt nodded, sipping his tea quietly. "Kurt has a cold, I think," Blaine continued. Then an idea struck him on how to keep his elder children occupied for most of the day, or at least until naptime.
"I think Kurt needs some rest, and a pair of excellent doctors like yourselves should be just the people he needs to make him feel better!" Blaine announced proudly, and Kurt felt his eyes go wide with concern. Blaine simply grinned at him, with a look that told him, in no uncertain terms: 'Just go with it,'.
The two little girls looked up at their daddy, who was beaming down at them, and then over to Kurt, who looked a little shocked, and then both dashed from the room at once.
Kurt was shocked that they would leave after their dad made an announcement like that, but was a little relieved they didn't actually want to dote on him all day. Or so he thought.
"Well, that was a nice sentiment," Kurt blurted awkwardly. "But honestly, I'm kind of glad they didn't…" His voice trailed off as the two girls returned to the room, and he gasped softly.
Both were dressed like doctors. They had long, floor length doctors' coats, stethoscopes around their necks, and a doctor's kit with them. To Kurt's growing consternation, they had things like thermometers, Band-Aids, gauze, and tape in their first aid kits, and they weren't afraid to use them.
Sooner than he would have liked, Kurt was lying on the couch, his feet up, while Penny placed her stethoscope against the bottom of his foot and listened to it intently. It was charmingly reminiscent of one of Kurt's favourite scenes in the movie The Little Mermaid.
Katherine was a bit more polished. She had opted to put her thermometer in Kurt's mouth, and he shuddered to think when the last time that particular toy had been disinfected. He stole a glance to Blaine, who now sat in the leather chair next to the sofa, watching Kurt and his daughters play happily.
"Murglefurthung," Kurt said, and Blaine began laughing loudly. Katherine shot her father a nasty glare, or at least as nasty as a four year-old could look, and gently removed the thermometer from Kurt's mouth. He took a breath to ask his question again, but her four-year-old hand covered it, a solemn look on her face.
"You are soooo sick!" She advised, as she looked at the toy thermometer. "You need a Band Aid." Her eyes lit up, along with Penny's and together they reached for the first aid kits.
Kurt risked a glance to Blaine; was that a look of pure glee on his face or was Kurt imagining things? Turning back to the girls, he realised why Blaine was so ecstatic. Each girl had pulled out a huge bandage, ripped off the paper and the backings, and were advancing on him quickly, as though they knew he would scream and run for the hills if he saw that coming for much longer. That is, in fact, what he would have done, if it weren't for the fact that their father was standing right there. So he sighed, took it like a man, and was soon plastered in Band Aids. They found boo boos on his arms, legs, face, neck, back, and stomach, and they didn't care if the bandages were on top of or under his clothes. While they were playing, Blaine had made lunch for everyone, and the girls shrieked with delight when they saw he had made their favourite; chicken noodle soup with peanut butter toast. Together they dashed to the bathroom to clean off the germs from their hands, and sat at the little table made especially for them by their grandpa. Blaine served all three girls, and then sat beside Kurt, wincing gently when Kurt tried pulling off one of the bandages stuck to his face.
"Sorry about that," Blaine apologised, his face grimacing as he remembered what it felt like to try and pull off the bandages. "My girls really want to become doctors. Well, this month, anyway. A few months ago it was police officers, and I can tell you that you should be glad they don't have those handcuffs anymore. I got rid of them once I had to call my mother to get a spare key, Penny had swallowed it." Blaine blushed softly as he told that story; he didn't like telling stories like that, but Blaine felt as though he could trust Kurt; that was the whole reason he had hired him to begin with.
Kurt smiled ruefully, his eyes twinkling with delight.
"I bet that made your day, didn't it?" He retorted, laughter barely there, dancing on the tip of his tongue. Blaine chuckled softly, and was almost immediately joined by Kurt's giggles. Once the laughter had stopped, Blaine made a bowl of soup for Kurt, who declined the peanut butter toast. He made a bowl for himself as well, and together they sat on opposite sides of the couch, watching the girls eat.
Katherine finished her peanut butter toast, but didn't want all of her soup. Penny finished her soup, but didn't want all of her toast. And Jessica just made a huge mess of herself, but ended up getting some of it her mouth; at least enough for her to begin yawning soon after.
Blaine placed his bowl on the coffee table, and, grabbing the cloth from the kitchen that Kurt used earlier, he warmed it up with hot water, and began cleaning off his youngest daughter. Kurt pulled his feet off the couch to help, but Katherine shouted: "No! If you get up, we'll have to do everything over again!"
Blaine looked over at the semi-standing Kurt, and waved him back down.
"It's fine, I'll get them. Relax, I'll be done putting them down in a little bit. We'll talk when I come back out," And he continued getting the girls ready for their nap while Kurt slipped back onto the couch with a sigh. He didn't even want to think what the bandages were doing to his face. He would have to moisturise really well tonight, after figuring out a way to get the Band-Aids off. As he pondered this dilemma, he began to doze lightly, his mind wandering off to uncharted places, and he slipped silently into sleep.
Blaine returned to the living room after taking fifteen minutes to read the girls a naptime story, and found Kurt passed out on his leather couch. The soft snoring was endearing, and Blaine didn't have the heart to wake the other man. He wandered around the room, collecting bowls and other dishes left out, and piled them all in the sink. He returned to the living room, and began straightening up his place. It wasn't dirty, but the place definitely looked lived in. With clothes and toys and papers everywhere, it really did look as though a tornado had hit. He loved his girls, but they were definitely not the type to pick up after themselves. He would have to work on that.
After he'd tidied the room, he went back to the kitchen, and did the dishes. It took a bit longer, as he didn't have a dishwasher, but he preferred to do them by hand anyway. Pulling out his Ipod, he pressed play on his play list, and began to rock his body in time to the music emanating from his headphones.
Once the dishes were done, he didn't know what else to do with himself. This was usually when he lay down for a nap himself, weary from the morning with the girls. But Kurt had usurped his napping place.
At the thought of the man who would be taking care of his children, he risked a quick glance at him, as he turned off his Ipod. The other man was sill sleeping, head now turned toward the back of the couch, his legs bent gently at an angle, his feet tucked under the cushion on the far end of the couch. Kurt shivered slightly in his sleep, and Blaine frowned. He walked to the closet in his room, and pulled out the softest blanket he could find. Returning to the living room, he lay the blanket over Kurt, tucking the blanket in tenderly around Kurt's shoulders. Then he sat back in the leather chair, studying Kurt's face while he slept.
Blaine couldn't figure out why he had hired Kurt. He was so different than all the other nannies Blaine had hired in the past six months; he was male, for one thing. All of the girls' other nannies had been female, with exemplary recommendations, and yet they'd all turned tail and run at the sight of his three beautiful angels. Andrea had been good with them, but it was no use begging her to come back, if only for them. She was too busy to have anything to do with him, or the children, and that made him immensely sad. Not for him, or for her; only for the children's sake.
In the middle of pondering all of the trivialities of life, Blaine slowly slid into unconsciousness, his body becoming lax as his mind relaxed, and he drifted off into a world of unexplainable dreams. Dreams that involved three little girls and a very handsome, very sweet, very kind man who took care of them.
And his dreams morphed into something more; his hands wrapped around that waist. His tongue delving into that mouth. His hips thrusting gently against something soft, and yet completely hard at the same time. Dreams where everything he had repressed when he was a teenager came floating to the surface, intent on making itself known. His hands moved in light brown hair, his eyes stared into the crystal blue-green pools, his lips quested for the taste of something not quite forbidden, and yet completely out of reach.
His body twitched with barely restrained excitement, and his mind continued to float.