Blaine is beginning to understand why Kurt became a superhero in the first place, now, because he really doesn't have the sort of brain that can be left without pretty serious stimulation for more than a few minutes. At first he was mostly just sleeping so he didn't really feel the new limits of his life, but in Cooper's apartment, well enough to move around but still missing his right arm and any easy effort, the thready edges of Kurt's need to do something are beginning to show. Kurt, Blaine thinks, watching him prowl up and down in Blaine's room hugging his cast to himself, eyes flicking across all Blaine's newspaper clippings, Kurt is no house cat, and he can scent the open space out there, he knows how confined he is . . .
It's his right arm. Without his right arm he can't do anything he would normally do to occupy himself - he can't sketch, can't sew, can't cook, can't even type easily. He doesn't complain, has never so much as mentioned pain or boredom or frustration, but that doesn't stop it very much wearing on him. He's obviously trying not to be short-tempered but being aware of Kurt restraining his temper feels very little different to Blaine to Kurt just losing his temper. Kurt prowls the apartment like an angry cat and Blaine sits quite small and still like a frightened puppy, because he doesn't know when he's going to start hissing at him.
He signs up for an online Spanish course. He begins making his way through a list of 1000 Books You Should Read Before You Die. He becomes heavily involved with blogs disseminating the outfits on Mad Men. He listens obsessively to Mercedes Jones' new album, because they both go a little weak for her version of Ain't No Way. He patiently, one-handed and piece by piece, restocks utility belts and sands down the edges of the fake bottom they've put in Blaine's wardrobe. He goes through his recipe cards annotating, cataloguing and discarding, very, very carefully in slow left-handed handwriting. He keeps the TV news on while rhythmically squeezing a stress ball until even Blaine feels headachy from too much bad news, and introduces him to Cooper's DVD collection instead (Kurt has very little interest in most of Blaine's DVDs, as, if ignoring the superhero movies and s/f, Kurt's watched every last one of Blaine's musicals a dozen times already). This turns out to be an Error, capital E as far as Blaine's concerned.
It shouldn't be a problem that Kurt starts watching The Wire.
It becomes sort of a problem that Kurt's started watching The Wire.
The problem is that Blaine becomes aware that Kurt gets kind of uneasy watching it when Blaine's around, and after Kurt pauses it and changes to a new tab on Blaine's computer, blushing a little and affecting indifference when Blaine comes into the room one time too many, he begins to piece some things together. He sits pretending to do his homework and watching Kurt shiftily watching it on his laptop, headphones on with that dreamy glaze to his eyes, and Blaine doesn't think it's painkillers doing that.
He's on season three before Blaine realises that Kurt has a crush on Jimmy McNulty.
It is very, very childish to sulk about your boyfriend having a crush on a fictional character, especially because it's not like Blaine keeps rewatching The Lord of the Rings only out of respect for Tolkien. And it feels even more childish when he knows that Kurt knows, because he's started watching it only in secret, when Blaine's out in class or on a placement or patrolling. Blaine sulks, and Kurt meekly placates but doesn't stop watching, and one night when Blaine's pulling his sweater off, tired as hell at two AM and really too exhausted for a post-superheroing shower, Kurt says from the bed, "You should sleep in here with me, you know."
Blaine rubs his eye, pulls his polo shirt off too. "Your ribs. I'm a wriggly sleeper, you know I'll -"
"I think we'd both wake up before you could do me any serious damage and you're only wriggly when you're only just asleep, when you're really tired you never move. You really don't need to sleep on the floor any longer, Blaine, it's not good for you, and - and my feet get cold when you're not in here with me, anyway."
Blaine tugs the t-shirt on over his head, looks around at him, the dark of Kurt's eyes in the low lamplight, lying rolled just a little on his side like he can, now, with his ribs less tender. Blaine lowers his eyebrows a little. "If I hurt you -"
Kurt murmurs, "You would never hurt me."
Kurt all long-limbed and alone in Blaine's bed, skin sheened gold in the lamplight, green eyes on Blaine through the warmth of the glow . . .
Blaine is tired and weak and takes very little persuading when it comes to Kurt. He shuffles under the covers behind him, kisses his shoulder and tucks an arm carefully around him, underneath the cast at his waist, feet sliding between Kurt's to warm them. Kurt shuffles down comfortable and Blaine leans up to turn the lamp off, to lay there in the dark throbbing a little with exhaustion but Kurt all close and heavy and Kurt-scented, nuzzling himself into the pillow, murmuring there, "It's your fault anyway, you know."
"Mm?" Blaine says into the back of his neck.
Hopeful in its teasing, "You're the one who gave me a thing for curly-haired men with soulful eyes."
Blaine lays there with an arm over his side in a bedroom papered with photographs of a superhero, and smiles, slowly, into Kurt's skin.
Then he sleeps, warm and safe and happy, and wakes with the alarm against Kurt's side exactly as he fell asleep, Kurt's eyes coming slowly open, turning his head to see Blaine and smile his 'good morning'.
Blaine closes his eyes, brushes his nose over his skin above the neck of his t-shirt. He doesn't know why he worries about Kurt being anything but his, they fit together, tessellate like - his hand slides down Kurt's side, finds Kurt's hand, their fingers flex and fold together - well. Like hexagon shields. They fit like held hands.
"Good morning," he says, and yawns into the back of Kurt's shoulder.
"It is," Kurt says, holding Blaine's hand close.
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All the Other Ghosts (Boyxboy Superhero AU Fanfic (Klaine))
Fanfiction"They call him 'The Ghost'. He goes with it. It's not like it doesn't fit." The Ghost is a dark and mysterious superhero in New York City. He has the ability to turn invisible and go through solid objects. He helps protect the city, but he does so a...
