Fic: Moving Forward, Part 5 - Life Goes One
Title: Moving Forward (Part 5, Life Goes On)
Series: Aftermath
Rating: PG, I suppose
Warnings: None!!!!
Author's Note: It's done! It's finished! I got to the end! Lovely, lovely things in here, yes.
The a/c unit dies a few days after Blaine moves in.
The temperature easily breaks 100 degrees each day, and the loft is miserably hot.
Blaine wears tanktops and loose shorts and stays in one place, a glass of water always nearby.
He doesn't particularly like the heat, but he can deal with it.
Kurt, on the other hand, is completely miserable.
He's wearing as few layers as possible, but a tanktop and shorts are absolutely unacceptable for the workplace.
The commute on the subway is stifling, the hot, stale air choking him for the entire thirty minutes each way.
The office brings sweet relief, the central air set to a comfortable 75, and Kurt can relax a little.
But, when he gets home, the loft is even more stifling than the subway, the heat rising from the other apartments.
Kurt takes a cool shower, hoping to beat the heat for a while, and joins Blaine on the couch.
*****
The bedroom is unbearable.
Blaine's natural tendency to "run warm" is great in the winter, but right now it makes Kurt want to sleep alone.
He wakes up after sleeping an hour or two, Blaine draped over him, his warmth suffocating him, and Kurt carefully wiggles out from under him and leaves to sleep on the couch.
*****
Kurt notices the deep circles under Blaine's eyes two days later.
Kurt is still sleeping on the couch - the a/c is still out, and the temperature hasn't dropped in the least - and he's finally sleeping through the night.
He asks Blaine if anything is wrong one morning, just before he leaves for work.
Blaine shakes his head and gives him a kiss, handing him a bagel and travel mug filled with coffee.
Kurt kisses him back, and they both know this isn't the end of the conversation.
*****
Kurt comes into his room that night, pajamas on and face scrubbed.
He knows he looks tired, but Blaine looks worse.
He sits down next to Blaine on the bed and takes his hand.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Kurt asks quietly.
Blaine doesn't speak for a little while.
Kurt rubs his fingers over Blaine's knuckles and waits.
"The bed is too empty without you," Blaine says softly. "I know I haven't been here very long, but I...got used to you being there if I woke up, and now you're not, and I can't sleep."
Kurt's heart aches. He pulls Blaine into his arms and holds him close.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "You know it's not about you, right?"
He hears Blaine sniffle, feels him nod against Kurt's shoulder.
Kurt sighs and stands up, leaning over the bed to yank the sheets away.
He strips down to his underwear and climbs in, motions for Blaine to do the same.
Blaine lays down on the edge of the bed, as far away from Kurt as he can be.
Kurt rolls his eyes and turns on his side. He pokes Blaine's chest.
Blaine looks at him and raises his eyebrows.
"C'mere," Kurt says, tugging at Blaine's arm.
"But..." Blaine begins.
"I know it's hot, I know I'm not going to sleep well, and I don't care," Kurt says, pulling at his arm again. "It's the weekend; I can sleep all day if I want, and we can go buy another fan tomorrow to see if that helps."
Blaine smiles a little and curls into his side.
*****
This is the first of many compromises they will face.
There will be nights when they argue, screaming themselves almost hoarse.
The first time, they go to bed still furious with one another, Kurt sleeping in his bed and Blaine on the couch.
Neither sleeps well, and morning brings tears and apologies and an agreement to never go to bed angry.
There are days when everything goes wrong, both of them coming home too late to cook and feeling frustrated.
They order Chinese from the place down the street and feed each other, then collapse exhausted into bed.
There is give, and there is take.
This is how love works - neither seeing themselves as more important than the other and being willing to let go of the small things, to change one's mind and one's wishes just enough to keep the two of you happy.
This is true love.