"Hey Tessa, want to paint?" Blaine called.
"Yes!" Tessa ran into the room. "Finger paint?"
"...Only if you get changed into your paint clothes first."
Tessa pouted. "But daddy!"
"No. Daddy Kurt dressed you this morning and he'll be upset if you get paint on those. Go change."
"Fine." Tessa sighed, stomping for a few steps before she started skipping again.
She was back in a few minutes, in an old shirt of Blaine's that she'd buttoned up wrong, and a ripped pair of pants.
"Now can we paint?"
^.^
Half an hour later, and Tessa had five or so pictures hung up to dry.
"I'm finished." She told Blaine, shaking his arm with paint covered hands. Blaine looked up from his piece of paper.
"Go wash your hands, and then you can have your afternoon tea. Daddy Kurt packed it in your lunch box this morning."
Tessa nodded, holding her hands carefully in front of her as she left the room. Blaine glanced at the handprints she'd left on his arm for a moment before shrugging, turning back to his own picture.
^.^
Kurt let the door shut behind him as he sighed, setting his armful of shopping bags down and readjusting his grip on Caitlyn.
She giggled, grabbing at the material of his shirt, and Kurt smiled tiredly, kissing her forehead.
"Blaine? You home?"
No one replied, and Kurt frowned, checking in the lounge room as he made his way through the house.
"Blaine? Tessa?"
Caitlyn giggled again.
"Dada." She repeated clearly.
"Yes, I'm looking for your Dada. Now, can you say Tessa?"
"Tess-Tess."
"Good girl!" Kurt praised, distracting her as he searched quickly through downstairs.
Going up the stairs, he pushed the door to Tessa's room open, finding the four-year-old fast asleep on her bed.
"Well, there's your sister." He murmered to Caitlyn, kissing her temple again as she cooed. "I wonder if we can find your daddy."
Caitlyn beamed at the recognition of the word, her arms outstretched to nothing. Kurt grinned as he carried her through the hallway, peeking into rooms.
Finally, he found Blaine in the playroom, intently hunched over something. Kurt frowned, inching the door open.
"Dada!" Caitlyn exclaimed, and Blaine jumped in surprise.
"Kurt! You're home early."
Kurt raised an eyebrow.
"It's almost four... I said I'd be back at three?"
"Oh... I was... busy."
"You were supposed to be watching Tessa."
By the way Blaine's eyes widened and he glanced at the door, Kurt knew Blaine hadn't checked on their daughter in a little while.
"I was making you something..." he said softly, and Kurt raised an eyebrow, trying to step close enough to see it. "It's not finished yet, so you can't have it."
Kurt sighed, passing a squirming Caitlyn over to Blaine, trying not to wince as Blaine's hands left paint on the side of her clothes.
"Come on Caitlyn, you want to help me don't you?" Blaine asked as Kurt left the room, going back downstairs to put his shopping away.
Caitlyn laughed, and Blaine grinned at her, holding her carefully in his lap as he sat back down at the table.
"Okay." He said, holding her hand and dipping one of her fingers in the paint pot. "First some red... And we need it here, and here, and here." He instructed, carefully guiding her hand so she couldn't mess up his painting. "Then some blue... and now some green... and we're done!"
Blaine held Caitlyn around the middle with one arm as he picked up his painting, carefully pegging it up before pulling a fresh sheet of paper towards them.
"Your turn." He laughed, giving Caitlyn free range of the paint pots and paper. "Do you want to do a picture for Daddy Kurt?"
"Dada!" Caitlyn grinned, flailing her arms around and leaving handprints on Blaine's arm – right near the ones from Tessa.
"What about Tessa?"
"Tess-Tess." Caitlyn repeated cheerfully, almost knocking over the paint in her excitement. Soon, she'd done three pictures –with Blaine's help – and they were hanging up to dry with the rest of them.
Blaine cleaned the paint off Caitlyn's hands – noticing the mess he'd made of her clothes with a wince – and let her crawl around the floor as he packed up the paints, wiping down the table.
"Blaaa-innnnee..." there was a call from downstairs, and Blaine grinned.
"You know what that means, Caitlyn?"
She stared at him quizzically – she knew what that tone of voice meant. Blaine used it a lot with her.
"It means it's time for your bottle!" he grinned happily, and her eyes lit up at the word 'bottle'. "But first we get to wake up Tessa!"
"I'm already awake daddy!" she cried indignantly – as indignantly as a four year old can do – from the doorway.
Blaine grinned. "Good, because I was going to tickle you awake." He reached out to her, and she squirmed away with a giggle.
"Daddy, no!"
Blaine just grinned, lifting Caitlyn effortlessly and practically slinging her over his shoulder. He picked up Tessa as well, and together they trundled down the stairs.
Kurt had his back to them, humming gently as he stirred whatever was in that magnificent pot of his. It smelled delicious, and Blaine let out a low whistle.
"You look good from behind, babe." Blaine said appreciatively, and Kurt blushed furiously.
"Blaine!" Kurt scolded, as Tessa let out a groan. "Daddy, that's yucky."
Blaine's eyes widened. "Tessa, when did you get so old?" he marvelled.
"Yucky." She repeated, and Kurt sent a disapproving glare at Blaine.
"Puck's never babysitting again." He muttered, and then took a good look at them. "Okay, no. It's shower time."
Tessa pouted. "But Daddy...I'm hungry!"
"And you'll be hungry when you've gotten out of the shower. Come on. Daddy can use the upstairs bathroom."
Blaine frowned. "Why can't daddy shower with the kids?"
"Because Daddy gets distracted by bubbles." Kurt frowned. "Go upstairs."
Blaine shook his head with a grin, before he remembered his handprints. "But Kurt..." Blaine pouted. "These are Tessa and Caitlyn's handprints."
"Which get cemented into our garage floor every year." Kurt reminded him. "They're not going away."
Blaine sighed. "Fine... Can you take a picture anyway?"
"Blaine..."
"Please Kurt?"
"Please Daddy?" Tessa joined in.
"Dada!" added Caitlyn, and Kurt laughed, kissing Blaine's cheek.
"Fine."