And I guess that's that. My only excuse for why this took so long in getting to you is that part of me feels weird about actually finishing UTSFFTS (I am so sorry, I'm really the worst).

"Did you hear that?"

Kurt blinked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he looked up at Blaine, who was sitting up slightly in bed. Missing his warmth already (it was ridiculously cold, no matter how high they tried to set the thermostat), Kurt reached up a hand to guide him back downwards. "Hear what?"

As if he had been heard, another round of knocks sounded, though the sound was faint.

"That," Blaine said. Then, as if feeling the need to clarify, he added, "The knocking. Someone is knocking on our door."

"The bedroom is far enough away from the door that we might not necessarily hear anyone knocking," Kurt said, frowning. "They don't have to know that we did."

"It could be important," he pointed out. "Why else would someone come knocking at the door at," he glanced at their alarm clock and blinked, his head jerking back as if he was physically struck by the time, "six o'clock in the morning?"

"Because they're rude?" he suggested, dropping his head back down onto Blaine's chest and wrapping his arms around his waist, as if to deter him from going to answer the door.

"Someone could be dead," Blaine protested. Gasping, he added, "It could be Millie from downstairs. She is getting up in years, oh, bless her heart—"

"No, stop," Kurt said. "I cannot believe I married a guy that says 'bless her heart'."

Blaine hummed. "First off, you eternal ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, you find it adorable. Second, you married me because I'm that guy."

"Can't prove that," Kurt mumbled with a fond roll of his eyes.

There was another set of four knocks at the door.

"Why are they not leaving?" Kurt asked, exasperated.

"It could be Rachel," Blaine said. "Maybe she's finally got a role on Broadway. Maybe she's here to celebrate."

"Not as six in the morning, she isn't," Kurt said, groaning as he turned his head to bury his face in his pillow. "Just go back to bed, it's probably that weird guy from down the hall that is either a serial killer or has the hots for you or maybe both. He probably wants to do your laundry."

"He does do laundry really well, though," Blaine said. "Folds neatly, uses fabric softener…"

Kurt jumped upward at that, his eyes wide and every inch of his body showing how startled he is. "You didn't!"

Blaine chuckled, shaking his head. Reaching a hand up to run his fingers soothingly through Kurt's feathers, he affirmed, "I didn't. But your reaction was so worth it."

He shook his head, letting out a long relieved breath of air. "You are the worst," he commented.

"You love me," Blaine said, cocking his head.

Just as Kurt opened his mouth to retort something about how Blaine should just keep telling himself that, there's another knock. That time, though, it was accompanied by a voice, "Kurt and Blaine! You need to let me in; I have some news for you guys! And it's really exciting!"

"Oh," Kurt said, "it's Jeff. We can easily ignore that."

"He's our friend," Blaine pointed out.

Kurt sighed. "Because of his knocking, you woke me up at an ungodly hour for non-recreational purposes."

"Non-recreational purposes," Blaine repeated with a smirk.

"You know."

"It hurts, you know, to know that my best friends in the entire world are ignoring me on such a momentous occasion," Jeff called out, knocking again.

Kurt sighed. "On a scale of one to ten," he said, "how exciting do you think Jeff's news actually is?"

"At any other time of day?" Blaine asked, "Probably, like, negative two. But at six in the morning, I'd like to think it's a seven or better."

"We don't really have any proof that Jeff sleeps anymore," Kurt mumbled. He threw an arm over Blaine's eyes. "Sleep," he said softly, "we're going back to sleep."

"Guys, I might start crying," Jeff called out. He started knocking again then, in a rhythm that sounded suspiciously like Do You Really Want to Hurt Me by Culture Club.

"Kurt," Blaine started, reaching up to push Kurt's arm away from his face.

"Just ignore it," Kurt mumbled, holding his arm firmly in place. "He'll go away."

"It's Jeff," he pointed out. "Jeff doesn't just go away."

"I have officially been here for five minutes. I decided to give you guys five minutes," Jeff said, "And you ignored me. Luckily, I have my key."

"No," Kurt said. "Why did we ever give him the key to our apartment? Why did we ever think that was a good idea?"

"He wouldn't do it," Blaine said. "He does respect personal space and all that."

Just about as soon as those words were out of his mouth, their bedroom door, which had been open just a crack, was flung open and there was suddenly a third body in their bed. "Kurt and Blaine!" Jeff greeted brightly, sitting up on his knees.

"Oh my God," Kurt groaned.

Jeff blinked, looking down at the two men in bed. "Are you guys naked?" he asked with a grin. Seing the way Blaine was starting to blush, he let out a loud bark of laughter. "You guys are totally naked. You guys are naked and you sleep naked together because you live alone together now and you're totally comfortable with each other, oh my God."

Kurt sighed, tugging up the blanket and holding it as if he thought that Jeff might try to grab it. "Don't act like you and Nick don't sleep naked."

"Well, I'll give you that," Jeff said with a shrug, though the grin on his face didn't fade at all, still shining way too bright for six in the morning. "But it's totally different." Smirking, he added, "And besides, it's not like me and Nick sleep."

"More than I needed to know," Blaine said. Sighing, he rubbed his face and looked at Jeff. "What has you so perky this early?"

Though Kurt hadn't thought that it was possible, Jeff's grin grew even wider. "God, this is just so exciting," he said. He was nearly vibrating with excitement, and Kurt couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"What is it?" Blaine asked, and when Kurt looked over, he saw that he was grinning nearly as wide as Jeff was, just from Jeff's excitement. Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately, wishing he could pretend to not find how easily Blaine latched on to other people's excitement adorable. "Oh my God, did Nick propose?"

Jeff blinked, looking a bit taken aback by that suggestion. "No, he… Wait, is he planning to? Has he said anything to you guys about…? Actually, never mind, even if he has, I don't want to know," he said quickly, his words tumbling slightly over one another.

Blaine furrowed his brow. "Then what…?" he asked, his voice trailing off as he wracked his brain for other possibilities.

"You don't have any ideas?" he asked, glancing between Kurt and Blaine. "None whatsoever?"

"No," Kurt said with a sigh. "I assure you, I have no idea what has you breaking into our apartment, ridiculously giddy, at six in the morning. Please just tell us."

Jeff clapped, undeterred by the tired look that Kurt was giving him. "A law has been passed," he said.

"What kind of law?"

Jeff bit his lips as if to keep himself from smiling (though failing miserably), rocking back and forth on his knees. "Do you have any guesses as to what kind of law it was?"

Blaine shook his head. "I mean, we haven't really been watching the news much recently, so…"

"The buying and selling of winged people as pets is now illegal!" Jeff all but yelled, clapping giddily.

Any comment that Kurt might have made about Jeff's volume was dead in his throat as the impact of the shouted words hit him.

"Are you… Tell me you're not kidding," Blaine said, his voice thick.

"I couldn't lie about this," Jeff said. "Turn on your TV; chances are it'll be on at least one of the news channels. It's kind of a big deal."

Kurt let out a laugh. "God, Jeff, I could kiss you right now, but I'm naked, and that's weird."

"Also your husband is right there," Jeff pointed out.

"He doesn't have to know," Kurt said with a wink, laughing as he reached over and grabbed at Blaine's hand.

Blaine blinked. "Wait," he said, looking a bit concerned, "what does this mean for, you know, everyone that was already bought?" Though he didn't say it out loud, they all knew that he was voicing his fear that Kurt might be taken away from him.

"They're, well, free," he replied. "I looked it up, too. They're all being given the choice, though I figure a lot of them aren't going to take it, especially not after so long. But I mean, it's great for them, regardless, because now they can have a voice if they're being abused, even if they don't leave." He glanced up at Kurt. "So you could leave, if you wanted to." As he said that, though, he gave a look that said that if he tried to leave, Jeff would cry, and one of the last things you wanted was for Jeff to cry because of your actions.

Kurt shook his head, but not before he saw the look on Blaine's face. It was one of apprehension and a bit of as he watched Kurt, slightly worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Kurt realized with a slight jolt that Blaine, even after all these years, was still the slightest bit concerned that he wouldn't want to stay if given the option. "Definitely not," he said, giving Jeff his best bitch, please look. Once Blaine let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, Kurt couldn't help his laughter starting to bubble up again and he reached up and pressed the heels of his hands into his cheeks. "Oh my God, it just keeps hitting me," he said. "This is… I knew they were talking about it, but I never thought… I can't believe it, this is so…" He trailed off again, laughing.

"Well, sunshine, believe it," Jeff said. He pulled out his phone and opened up NBC, then offered the phone to them. "Fox is also good for a laugh right now, because their coverage is only thinly veiling how upset they are by this whole thing. But this is more, you know, friendly."

Blaine leaned over and set his chin on Kurt's shoulder. "I like this," he said, pointing at the screen, "I like how they emphasized the loving relationships in addition to the, well, others."

Kurt smiled, turning his head and tilting it up to kiss the tip of Blaine's nose.

Jeff stood up quickly, as if he was afraid that the bed was about to burst into flames. "Anyways," he said, "I just wanted to make sure I shared the big news before anyone else. And I think this calls for celebration, and I just know you guys don't have enough booze in the kitchen."

"Some of us are—" Blaine started, but Jeff cut him off.

"I wasn't judging, just simply stating that the ratio of booze we have to booze we need to sufficiently get our party on is nowhere near where it should be," he said. Clapping his hands once, he added, "So I'm going to go on ahead and pick up Nick, and we'll see if any state store is open at this ungodly hour."

"Or you could just go to the grocery store and get some cheap beer or something, if the endgame is to get wasted," Kurt suggested.

"No, the endgame is to celebrate," Jeff said, shaking his head as if in disbelief. "In style." He turned to leave, fluttering a bit as he said, "This also gives you an opportunity to get dressed. If Nick and I get here and you are still naked, I am going to take that as consent to a four-way."

He looked over his shoulder at them with a grin, winking as he shut the bedroom door behind himself.

"You don't think he's serious, do you?" Kurt asked.

"I'm not taking any chances, is all I'm saying," Blaine said, moving to get up.

"Wait," Kurt said, drooping back down onto the bed and reaching up to pull Blaine down beside him. "Nick and Jeff live…" He frowned, his eyes moving as if across a map only he could see. "Well, they live a while away, and then they have to find a liquor store that's open, so it could be a couple hours."

Blaine smiled, sliding back under the covers and sliding one arm around Kurt. His other hand grabbed Kurt's and intertwined their fingers as he kissed Kurt's shoulder and murmured against his skin, "If we get roped into having sex with Nick and Jeff because we fell asleep or something, you're never living this down."

"Believe me, hon, I have a powerful ability to not sleep with Nick and Jeff," he said. "And besides, I don't think I could possibly fall asleep right now."

"Too excited?" Blaine asked, grinning.

"It's silly," Kurt said, "Because it's not like it actually affects me, but…"

"No," Blaine said, "It makes total sense. I mean, this is… this is outstanding. Just think to when we first met—had the thought that this day would come ever even occurred to us?"

Kurt hummed in agreement. "I had hoped, you know, in that facility. I didn't pray, but you get the idea. But I never saw the whole pet trade being outlawed as a realistic possibility. It's just…" He laughed then, that same laugh that is pure excitement that needs to escape but has no other way to get out. "I'm still not even sure it's hit me, I'm not sure I can believe this."

Blaine grinned and tilted his head up, placing a peck on Kurt's lips. "Well believe it, baby, the world is awesome."

Kurt nuzzled his nose against Blaine's. "Indeed," he murmured, smiling.

For a second he considered what could have happened if things had gone differently, if this law had been passed before they met or shortly after. He would have never met Blaine, or most likely would have chosen to leave once he was given the opportunity. He wouldn't have given Blaine a chance, would he have? Blaine had told him countless times over the years that no matter what the circumstances had been, they would have met each other regardless. Kurt wasn't sure that that was true, really, but he was a romantic at heart and it was all hypotheticals anyways, so he was willing to accept it. But still, a quiet corner of his mind was grateful that the law hadn't been passed back then.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Blaine asked.

"I just love you," he said.

"You just love me?" he asked, pouting.

"Shh, you," he said, grabbing his pillow and lightly hitting Blaine in the face with it.

"That is abuse," Blaine said, "And I don't know why there aren't laws saying that those of us without wings are allowed to leave our winged partners."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure part of the original contract said you could return me if I proved unsatisfactory, so."

Blaine smirked. "Good thing you're satisfactory, huh?"

"It's out of your hands now, actually," Kurt said. "I'm a free bitch!"

Blaine laughed, smiling one of those just-for-Kurt smiles that people had said would go away after a while but never had. "You are," he agreed.

Kurt scooted over, leaning his shoulders against Blaine and setting his chin on his shoulder. "I couldn't, you know," he said. "Leave. After about the first few weeks or so… I never would have been able to; it never would have crossed my mind. Just so you know." He sat up and pressed a kiss to Blaine's temple then got up off the bed. "And I think we ought to get dressed, hm?"

Blaine laughed, rolling his eyes fondly at Kurt's abruptness. "It's still too early," Blaine sighed, standing up. He tucked the blanket back into place behind him as he mumbled, "Upon further consideration, maybe having sex with Jeff wouldn't be that bad. I mean, Nick hasn't complained as far as I know, so I mean—"

"Honey?" Kurt asked, amused.

Blaine blinked. "Right," he said, "Rambling. We're already up anyways."

With that, they went through their regular morning routine, though this morning in place of the usual music blaring from their iHome, they turned on the television and had commentary on the law passing in the background. Like usual, though, their morning procedure was carried out with practiced ease, with smiles in the mirror and playfully bumping hips and wings and arms as they brushed their teeth.

By the time they finished, Jeff and Nick had, unsurprisingly, not returned yet.

"Chances of me being able to cook breakfast and us being able to eat it before they get here?" Kurt asked, frowning.

"Probably slim," Blaine said as he flopped backwards onto the couch, glancing up at the TV, where a commercial for the most recent iPhone (even better than the even better ones from before, of course). "They just know when there's food."

Kurt chuckled. "Everyone has a talent."

"True," Blaine said. "I can think of worse things."

He sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Screw it, I'm taking my chances," he said. "And I'm making waffles. Lots of them, because you just know they'll show up."

Blaine laughed, getting up from the couch to follow Kurt into the kitchen. He wasn't much of a cook, but waffles weren't really that hard, when it came down to it.

They spent the remainder of the time before Nick and Jeff arrived taking a ridiculous amount of time to make waffles, tossing handfuls of flour and ripped up waffles at each other. To be fair, they were trying to get the waffles into each other's mouths; it just turned out they both had awful aim.

When Nick swung open their door (they had only given Nick and Jeff one key to their apartment to share, though Kurt had a sneaking suspicion that that one key had turned into at least two since), he stopped short upon seeing the kitchen. In either hand was a bottle of champagne, though where his arms had been held up in triumph, they slowly dropped back down to his sides. "Dude," he said. "I wasn't anticipating this. This is a bit of a mess."

"Are those waffles?" Jeff said excitedly.

"They are," Blaine confirmed, laughing as Kurt frowned at the disarray around them as if he hadn't fully realized that they had been making a mess until now. Gesturing to a plate on the counter, he said, "Help yourself."

"After I get back," Jeff said. "We got a lot of champagne—because I figured we needed a classy beverage for getting our classy celebration drunk on, obviously—and when I say a lot, I mean a lot; we didn't have enough hands. So I need to get the rest from the car."

Nick turned his head to watch Jeff leave, letting out a long, exaggerated sigh once the door shut behind him.

"Problem, Nick?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nick let out a loud laugh. "No," he said. "In fact, I think that we all are experiencing a distinct lack of problems." He grinned at Kurt. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Nothing I did," Kurt said with a shrug, though his face donned a grin once more at Nick's statement.

"Still, pretty awesome," Nick said. "Pretty much the awesomest thing to happen in a while, if I do say so myself."

Kurt nodded, then blinked. "But the sigh?"

"I came to a decision a few weeks ago," he explained, sitting down at their kitchen table. "I realized that Jeff and I ought to get married, and if I didn't get to it soon, then he might ask me first, and I just really want to do this because he's always made the first move."

Blaine all but squealed, clapping his hands as he declared, "This is the best day ever."

Nick laughed. "But, see, I had been gathering up the courage to ask this weekend. But, well, this is really important, too."

"Are you saying we're not allowed to overload on happy things?" Kurt asked, frowning.

"Well, we can," Nick said, "But that can be dangerous. I wouldn't want to get engaged just to have my fiancé explode—knowing Jeff, it could actually happen."

They laughed. "Really, though," Kurt said, "Do it soon, or we might die of anticipation, you hear me?"

Blaine grinned. "And if you want to bounce any ideas off of us, we're okay with that."

"Which is code for 'please bounce ideas off of us'," Kurt said, grinning.

Nick laughed. "Sure," he said, "Of course."

"You—Welcome back!" Kurt called out, perhaps a bit too loudly to be subtle, as Jeff reappeared in the door.

"I have the rest of it," Jeff said, showing of the bottles in his hands (and seriously, how much was he anticipating drinking, because there was more than a bottle per person and that didn't seem right). "And fancy-ass champagne flutes."

"Fancy-ass plastic champagne glasses," Nick corrected, laughing.

"Wow, ducky, way to take the air right out of our flutes," Jeff said, dramatically placing his hand over his chest as if stricken. "They're called flutes, and that makes them fancy."

"My bad," he said with a shrug, and then added brightly to Kurt and Blaine, "I picked them out."

Jeff laughed, ruffling Nick's hair as he passed. "I couldn't be more proud," he said. He slowly transferred the champagne, flutes, and plate of waffles to the coffee table in the living room with the declaration, "We're all cuddling on the couch."

And so they did.

The rest of the day was spent on the couch watching the news coverage and, once that got boring, a marathon of movies of various genres. (By that point they were drunk enough that they decided to make it into a game: they would tie the movies together into an overarching storyline. This did not work out well. Calls came in from various friends and family members (the latter mostly Kurt's, of course) throughout the day, eager to express their delight that winged people were now legally seen as people as opposed to pets.

That evening, Kurt fell asleep cuddled against Blaine's side, wondering when it was that he'd stopped wishing that he'd been born 'normal', born without wings, and started being grateful that his life had always been a bit askew.

As a side note, if you're still interested in reading stuff from me and you're willing to put up with my inability to post within a reasonable timeframe, my attention will now by focused on The Pursuit of Adventure, the first chapter of which is already posted. If not, it was still nice to have you on this journey with me. Much love!