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Blaine stuck his head into their room. Kurt was there sitting on their bed, several pads of sticky notes surrounding him. He’d come up with some crazy system of color-coding what they should bring with them when they went to Philadelphia and what should stay behind. He didn’t understand it. “Hey,” he said. “Wanna go for a ride with me?”
Kurt jumped a little. He’d been concentrating on what he was doing and hadn’t heard their bedroom door creak open. “Ride?” he asked. “Like on your motorcycle?”
Nodding, Blaine stepped a little bit further into the room. “Yeah. I thought it would be fun to go for one last ride before we leave next week.”
“Um, I guess.” Truth be told, Kurt still hadn’t gone for a ride on Blaine’s motorcycle with him. He’d been promising to do it all summer, and whenever Blaine asked, he’d brush it off. The motorcycle scared him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his soulmate; he did. Mostly. It was just that Blaine’s sense of adventure and danger was much greater than Kurt’s, and while he did his best to stay in control of situations like that, Kurt was afraid he’d been too frightened to be able to reign his soulmate in if he got too wild. “Do you have a helmet for me?”
“You can wear mine,” Blaine said. “I don’t need it.”
“You absolutely do,” Kurt replied, shaking his head. “It’s far too dangerous to go riding without a helmet.”
“It’s fine, Kurt! I’ll be safe. Promise.”
“Helmets for both of us, or I’m not going.”
“Fine,” Blaine sighed, reaching around the corner to snag the helmet he’d put on the floor. The “no helmet” argument was one he’d had with Kurt several times in the past, so he’d purchased an extra one for his soulmate. He just hadn’t bothered to tell him yet. “You can wear this brand new one I just bought.”
Kurt sucked in a breath as he looked at it. “Blaine! You-that’s-I’m sure…”
“Just say you’ll wear it?” Blaine said, stepping in further and closing the door behind him, another package tucked behind his back.
“I’ll wear it,” Kurt answered, dropping his sticky notes and reaching out for the helmet. It just so happened to be the exact one he’d told Blaine he wanted at the beginning of the summer. It was a full-face helmet with purple and blue flowers spread out around it. He didn’t particularly like the idea of wearing a helmet and messing up his perfectly styled hair, but if he could be safe and stylish while doing it, he would give up his hair, at least for a while.
“Do you like it?” Blaine asked, not moving from his spot in front of the door. “I know you wanted that one when you saw it before.”
“It’s beautiful, Blaine,” Kurt replied, smiling widely at him.
“Good. I got you another present, too,” he said, taking a few steps closer to their bed. Taking the package out from behind his back, he presented it to Kurt.
“What is it?” Kurt asked, looking at the package quizzically.
“Just open it.”
Slowly and carefully, Kurt peeled away the plastic, unfolding a black leather jacket and pants that were nearly identical to the ones Blaine had worn on his first day in Glee Club. The jacket featured a few studs in a similar pattern, and Kurt’s had a belt. The pants were nothing fancy, just black, coming in around the ankles.
“Do you like them?” Blaine asked, smiling nervously. It wasn’t very often that Kurt was quiet about his clothes.
Without responding, Kurt jumped up from the bed, wrapping his arms tightly around Blaine and giving him a squeeze. “I love them!” he said breathily into his ear. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. I figured you already had some riding boots, so I didn’t bother to get you any.”
“I do,” Kurt confirmed, pulling back. “But I’ll never say no to new shoes.”
Blaine chuckled, stepping around Kurt to open his own dresser drawers. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get dressed so we can go!"
Kurt leaned in close, pressing a soft kiss against his soulmate’s lips. “I thought I was the one who gave the orders,” he murmured, his lips still brushing against Blaine’s as he spoke.
Shivering, Blaine nodded. “You are.”
“Good.” Kurt pulled away, smirked, and began to shimmy out of his tight jeans so he could put on his tight leather pants.
Blaine allowed himself to stare for just a minute, appreciating the way Kurt’s ass moved as he stepped out of his jeans and began the lengthy process of pulling on the leather pants.
When he turned around and caught Blaine staring, he smirked again. “Enjoying the show?”
“Yes, sir,” Blaine answered, swallowing hard and turning his attention back to his drawer.
“You know, we can always stay here and have some fun instead of going for a ride,” Kurt commented.
“I want to go for a ride,” Blaine pouted, pooching out his lip and widening his eyes in that way he knew Kurt couldn’t resist.
“Then, get dressed,” Kurt answered, reaching out to lightly slap Blaine’s ass.
“Yes, sir,” Blaine answered again. This time, he did as he’d been told, digging through his drawer until he found his leather pants.
Ten minutes later, both boys, fully dressed in their black leather outfits, came down the stairs, Kurt carrying his helmet in both hands.
Elizabeth and Burt were sitting together at the kitchen table, looking at something on Elizabeth’s laptop. When they heard the boys come down the stairs, they looked up at the same time, and Elizabeth smiled. “Going out, boys?” she asked, smiling sweetly at them.
“Blaine’s taking me for a ride on his bike,” Kurt replied. “How do you like my new outfit?”
Burt raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a bit...tight?” he asked. He wasn’t trying to notice how tightly his son’s outfit clung to his curves, but it was hard not to notice with clothes that tight.
“Blaine bought it for me,” Kurt defended, taking a step closer to his soulmate. “It’s my first bonafide motorcycle outfit.”
Chuckling, Burt said, “I didn’t mean anything by that. If you like it, I’m happy for you, kid.”
“Thank you,” Kurt answered. “Well, we’re off. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but we both have our phones.”
“Have fun!” Elizabeth called after the boys.
“Enjoy this beautiful Saturday!” Burt said.
Kurt just nodded, and Blaine gave them a mini-salute before they were out the door.
Blaine had already pulled his bike out of the garage and shined it up. In the sunshine of the early August morning, the black bike gleamed and sparkled in the sunlight. It looked beautiful. Blaine’s helmet was hanging off one of the handlebars, and he strode forward, grabbing it and beginning to slide it over his head. He stopped when Kurt didn’t move, however. “Is everything okay?” he asked, cocking his head a bit.
“Um, yeah. I just...I don’t know what to do first,” Kurt replied, a little bit breathless. “I-I’ve never ridden a bike before, and I’m suddenly not so sure I want to.”
“Don’t be scared,” Blaine said, hanging his helmet back up and closing the small gap between himself and his soulmate. “I promise you’ll be safe.”
“I-I trust you,” Kurt stammered. “It’s just...it only has two wheels, Blaine. How does it even stay up?”
Blaine couldn’t hold back his chuckle at that. “It’s like riding a bicycle,” he explained. “You have to balance. But that’s mostly my job. As long as you hold on tight and remember to lean your body with mine, we’ll be fine.”
Kurt was silent for a moment, still just staring at the bike. Then, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and nodded once. “I can do that,” he confirmed, looking up into Blaine’s eyes. He gave him a half-hearted attempt at a smile before moving around his soulmate to stand beside the rear of the bike. He lifted his helmet and slid it over his head, popping the dark shield up so he could be sure that Blaine heard him. “This is not very comfortable,” he complained, doing his best to glare from inside his helmet.
“What’s not comfortable about it?” Blaine asked. “Does it move when you shake your head? Is it too small?”
“No. It pinches my cheeks, though.” Glancing in one of the motorcycle’s side mirrors, Kurt realized with dismay that he looked like a chubby-cheeked rodent.
“It’s supposed to,” Blaine explained, sliding his own helmet over his head. “That’s protection to keep from breaking your jaw if we get into an accident. You’ll get used to it.”
“I don’t know if I want to,” Kurt groused. “I look like a chipmunk.”
“A very cute chipmunk,” Blaine complimented, bopping his soulmate on the nose.
“How do I buckle this thing?” Kurt asked, gesturing toward the two straps that were currently brushing against his neck.
“Let me help,” Blaine replied, deftly sliding the strap through the buckle and pulling it up snugly beneath Kurt’s chin. Then, he brushed a thumb over Kurt’s cheek. “Ready?” he asked. At Kurt’s nod, he said, “Let me get the bike started. Once I get on, you can get on behind me. Remember to use the footpegs. He pointed to one just above the exhaust pipe of the bike before turning the key.
The bike roared to life, and Blaine revved the engine, smiling before finishing buckling his own helmet. Then, he grabbed hold of both handles, knocked the kickstand up into its place, and straddled the bike. He revved it again before turning to Kurt and gesturing for him to climb up behind him.
Kurt felt like a very uncoordinated, gangly baby deer climbing onto the bike behind his soulmate. He didn’t know which foot to put on the footpeg first, and he felt silly using it when it was only a few inches off the ground. Then, he didn’t know where to hold on to Blaine as he hoisted himself onto the back, his right leg brushing against the backrest in the process. Finally, however, he got himself situated on the seat, and Blaine straightened the bike up a little bit, both his feet still planted firmly on the ground.
“Hold on tight,” he told Kurt, grabbing his hands from his shoulders and securing them tightly around his waist. Then, he gave Kurt a thumbs up, waiting for one in response before shifting the bike into gear and beginning to slowly glide out of the driveway.
As soon as they began to move, Kurt squeaked, tightening his grip around Blaine’s waist. He didn’t know if he could do this! He didn’t like not being in control, and he felt like he was going to fall.
“You’re going to be fine!” Blaine told him, yelling to be heard over the bike and through the muffle of their helmets. “Just hold on and lean with me.”
Kurt nodded, his head feeling a million pounds heavier with his helmet on. He considered closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look but decided that might be worse than watching. So, he squeezed Blaine as tightly as he dared and waited for them to get back to the house. They may have only gone about half a block, but they couldn’t get back soon enough.
He was further dismayed when Blaine turned away from the residential streets toward the main highway that ran through the middle of town. The speed limit was only thirty-five, but that was ten whole miles per hour faster than they’d been going through the neighborhoods, and Kurt didn’t know if he really wanted to go faster. Twenty-five was fast enough, thank you!
Kurt began to panic when Blaine didn’t turn off of the highway before they reached the edge of town, speeding up the much, much faster speed limit of 65. It was all Kurt could do to keep his head up as the wind whipped back against his helmet, threatening to push his head backward. In response, he scrunched down, trying to be shorter than Blaine. This made the bike wiggle a little, and he panicked again, scooting impossibly closer to his soulmate. “Blaine, can we slow down?” he shouted. “I don’t like going this fast!”
“Try to relax a little,” Blaine shouted back. “This is the fun part!” Then, he sped up again, checking to be sure no one was coming before pulling into the other lane to pass a van they’d quickly come up on.
Unable to help himself, Kurt shrieked again, this time slamming his eyes closed. He couldn’t watch.
Blaine continued to drive for an unbearably long time, and Kurt began to wonder if they were ever going to stop. Maybe his soulmate’s plan was just to drive and drive until they reached the end of the earth, and they drove right off. But it was becoming more than he could take. “Blaine, please pull over! I’m really scared!” he finally shouted into the abyss. He could feel his muscles trembling a little from the effort he was putting into holding onto his soulmate.
Thankfully, Kurt felt the bike begin to slow down, and he cracked his eyes open. Blaine had turned on his turn signal, and it looked like they were going to pull off onto a tiny side road. Probably a safe place to turn around , Kurt thought. He was further dismayed when Blaine didn’t actually stop but continued down the little side road for a few minutes. Then, he began to slow again, and Kurt held his head up higher, looking around for anything he recognized to tell him where they were. Finally, though, he had to ask. “Where are we?” he asked as the bike rolled to a stop, and Blaine killed the engine.
“I doubt you’ve ever been here,” Blaine told him, undoing his helmet straps and pulling the helmet off. His curls, which Kurt had convinced him were far better than the gelmet he’d worn in the past, were a tousled mess, but he grinned at his soulmate as Kurt struggled to rid himself of the heavy helmet.
“What are we doing here?” Kurt asked when he was finally free. He looked around the area for a sign of life, careful to avoid looking in the bike’s mirrors. He didn’t want to know what his hair looked like. It was undoubtedly a mess.
“Look,” Blaine said, pointing straight ahead. Just through the trees, the metal pipes of an old jungle gym could be seen. The grass looked like it had been cut, so it wasn’t an absolute jungle; but, there was a rusty old gate blocking their direct path.
“What’s that?” Kurt asked, squinting. “And, how did you know it was here?”
“It was an old fairground,” Blaine explained. “I found it once when I ran away from home, and I came here a lot as a kid to get away from my parents when things were bad at home.”
“You never told me you ran away,” Kurt said, rubbing comfortingly at Blaine’s shoulders. He knew talking about his past was difficult for his soulmate; he was just glad that Blaine trusted him enough to talk to him about it.
“It was just the once. I came back on my own, and my parents hadn’t even realized I was gone, even though I missed lunch,” Blaine said with a soft sigh. “I never did it again because it didn’t work to get their attention. I’d leave sometimes, but I always intended to come back.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Kurt whispered in his ear, leaning around to kiss his cheek.
They sat in silence for several long moments, Blaine soaking in Kurt’s comfort, and Kurt sending as much calming and love as he could through their soulbond. Finally, Blaine asked, “Are you going to get off?”
“Oh. Um, don’t you have to get off first?”
Blaine actually snorted at that. “If I do, you’ll fall,” he said. “I’m the one holding the bike up.”
“Oh.” Kurt couldn’t keep a grin from forming on his face. He knocked into Blaine’s shoulder roughly before beginning to assess the best way to get off.
“Just use the footpeg again,” Blaine told him after a few moments of nothing happening. “It’s easiest that way, and you won’t fall on your butt.”
“It just seems silly…” Kurt complained, being sure he had stable footing on the peg before swinging his right leg back over the bike. He still stumbled a bit as his feet both touched solid ground, but he didn’t fall. He watched with a mildly annoyed look on his face as Blaine gracefully dismounted. His soulmate was incredible at so many things. It wasn’t fair. Brushing that aside, Kurt stepped up beside Blaine. “So, how do we get in there?”
“Just climb through the fence,” Blaine said. “I know the guy who owns this place. He won’t care.”
Following Blaine’s lead, Kurt climbed through the gate between the slats and followed him back to the playground equipment, his eyes growing wide as he took in how much was there. It was far bigger than he’d expected. There was a metal jungle gym featuring monkey bars and a tall metal slide. There were two different swing sets, a merry-go-round, two teeter-totters, several small animals attached to springs that would wriggle around when someone sat on them, a few tall tetherball polls, a volleyball net, and a round metal contraption made of several bars for climbing on.
Blaine’s face visibly lit up as he took in the playground in front of them. Then, he turned with a wide grin to his soulmate. “Race you to the swings!” he shouted, taking off in their direction, Kurt hot on his heels.
It didn’t take long before both of them had shed their heavy leather coats, tossing them haphazardly to the ground as they played together, laughing, giggling, and chasing one another as they would have when they were much younger. It was one of those moments both boys would remember forever, though they had no idea at the time.
Eventually, they ended up on the monkey bars. Kurt found his leather pants were just a bit too tight for him to hang upside down, but Blaine seemed to have no such problems. He swung from the bars with ease, twisting this way and that, doing flips repeatedly, and laughing the entire time. Finally, he ended up upside down from the end of the monkey bars, smiling widely at Kurt.
“What are you doing?” Kurt asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Trying to kiss you?” Blaine said. He made his best sad eyes at his soulmate, hoping that would convince him to come over.
Kurt didn’t move. “You’re gonna fall.”
Blaine continued to pout. He knew Kurt couldn’t resist his puppy dog eyes; he’d told him as much several times. However, it didn’t seem to be working. Kurt continued to stand a few feet away, giggling and watching him with delight. Finally, he gave up, saying, “Shut up and kiss me, asshole! I’m getting lightheaded.”
“Language,” Kurt teased, leaning down to kiss Blaine’s lips lightly. Even hanging upside down, Blaine’s lips were still lower than his. These monkey bars were meant for children after all.
Flipping down to the ground, Blaine kissed his soulmate properly before walking over toward the merry-go-round and sitting down heavily.
Kurt followed, taking a seat beside him. He could sense through their soulbond that there was something heavy weighing on Blaine’s heart, and he waited patiently for his soulmate to fill him in.
Eventually, he did. “I’m scared, Kurt,” Blaine said, turning toward him, but not meeting Kurt’s eyes. Blane pulled his knees up to his chest, and resting his chin on them, a small sigh escaping his lips. “We’re leaving in a couple of weeks for Philadelphia, and then, you’re going to start school. I don’t have anything to do for a whole semester… What happens then, Kurt?”
“We’ll find you something to do,” Kurt assured him, reaching out a hand to gently pat at Blaine’s knee. “Remember your admissions rep at Lincoln Tech said? They have a list of shops that will take on students as apprentices. We’ll see if any of them would be willing to take you on this semester.”
“What if they don’t?” Blaine asked. “I’ve never really had a job, and I would suck at retail or fast food. I’d get fired.”
“You would not,” Kurt chuckled. “But we’ll find you something to do. I promise. It will be something you like and enjoy.”
“That seems like a bit of a dream, Kurt,” Blaine said, finally looking at him. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Blaine.” Kurt took one of his soulmate’s hands in his own, waiting until he was sure Blaine was ready to listen before he spoke. “I’m not making promises I can’t keep. If we don’t find you a job you like, you can stay home and work on one of your passions. You’ve always wanted to start a YouTube channel for your music. Maybe you could do that. You could read, write, dance, anything you want to do. We’re not paying for college; we both got free rides with scholarships. My parents are helping us pay for an apartment, and I’m working an on-campus job. Things will work out exactly how they’re supposed to.”
“I feel like a failure, a nuisance,” Blaine spat, his eyes flashing as he stared at a spot near Kurt. “I hate feeling like I have no purpose. Maybe that’s what will finally make you not want me anymore.” His last sentence was much quieter than the rest, spoken more to himself than Kurt, but his soulmate heard it, plain as day.
“Hey,” Kurt said. “Blaine, please look at me.” When the other boy finally made eye contact, he went on. “I’m never, not ever, going to not want you. You’re my soulmate, and I love you. We’re connected. I can feel everything you feel, and you can feel everything that I feel. I could never, ever not want you. And, you’re not a nuisance or a failure. You’re doing exactly what you need to do to make yourself happy; I’m never going to be upset by that.”
Blaine’s eyes were wet with unshed tears as he listened to Kurt speak. His soulmate was sending him strong waves of love and support through their soulbond, and the feeling was almost overwhelming. Sniffling, Blaine swiped the back of his hand across his face, wiping away the tears. “I don’t deserve you,” he whispered wetly. “You’re too good for me.”
“I’m exactly perfect for you,” Kurt answered. “That’s why we’re soulmates. And,” he added, holding up a hand before Blaine could protest, “you’re exactly perfect for me, too.”
“Can you read my mind?” Blaine asked, chuckling.
“Not quite, but pretty close,” Kurt admitted. He ducked beneath one of the merry-go-round’s handlebars to kiss Blaine softly on the lips. “Are you ready to go back home?” he asked as he pulled back. “My parents are going out, so we have the house to ourselves. I was thinking a movie and a bubble bath might be nice.”
In response, Blaine’s stomach growled, and both boys realized they’d probably missed lunch. It was time to head home. Standing, Blaine began to walk back toward the rusty gate, nabbing his riding jacket on his way. He thought Kurt was following him, but when he reached the gate, he realized he’d left his soulmate in the dust. Trudging back, Blaine was surprised to find Kurt hanging upside down from the monkey bars. “What are you doing?” he asked, moving closer.
“Trying to kiss you?” Kurt said, a wide smile spreading across his face.
Now, it was Blaine’s turn to grin. He put his hands on his hips and said in a mocking tone, “You’re gonna fall.”
Kurt smiled even wider, adopting the same mocking tone. “Shut up and kiss me, asshole. I’m getting lightheaded.”
“Language!” Blaine screeched, moving in to kiss Kurt. It was quite a novelty for him to have to bend down to kiss his soulmate.
Expertly, Kurt flipped down from the monkey bars. “Race you back to the bike!” he shouted, taking off toward the gate, sweeping up his jacket when he ran past it.
“No fair!” Blaine called out, running after him.
When they made it back to the bike, they were both out of breath and panting hard, but there were large smiles painted on their faces.
“I won,” Kurt said proudly.
“Yeah yeah,” Blaine said, shaking his head. He grabbed the bike’s handlebars, careful not to knock his helmet off of the one he’d hung it on, shoved the kickstand up with his toe, and straddled the bike. “Climb on,” he commanded.
Kurt grabbed his helmet from where he’d left it on the backrest, leaning in to press a kiss to Blaine’s lips. “I thought I gave the orders,” he murmured against his lips.
The words sent an identical shiver to earlier that morning down Blaine’s spine, and he pressed another soft kiss against Kurt’s lips, pulling back a bit to add a “Yes, sir,” before slipping his helmet on his head.
“Good boy,” Kurt murmured, ghosting a feather-light touch across his shoulders. ”Good boy.”