A Man of His Word
"You're looking particularly delicious today, gorgeous," a familiar voice purred in Kurt's ear as a firm hand slid around his waist and his boyfriend fell into step beside him. Kurt held back a smile and affected an annoyed expression instead.
"Oh, you're just hungry because it's lunchtime," he retorted.
Blaine pulled him a little closer as they walked down the hallway. "Mmm, I'm hungry all right," he whispered.
"Wow. That's bad, even for you," Kurt laughed incredulously, bumping his hip purposefully against Blaine's to throw him off balance for a step.
"Shall I try to do better?" Blaine replied, leading Kurt off to the side and leaning back against a locker, pulling Kurt flush against him. The stare he gave Kurt was pure heat, and he smirked at the flush rising in the pale boy's cheeks.
"Blaine," Kurt remonstrated quietly, his fingers pressing into the worn leather of Blaine's jacket.
"Ok, ok, gorgeous," Blaine said, chastely pecking Kurt on the cheek. "I'll save it for later," he promised. He opened his mouth to speak further, but stopped short, doing a double-take over Kurt's shoulder. Kurt saw a flash of something pass across Blaine's face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Come on," Blaine said, pushing off the locker and guiding Kurt once again by the waist. "If I'm going to ravish you later, I'd best fuel up," he growled, giving Kurt's earlobe a tiny nip.
Kurt's laughter rang through the hallway as they walked to the cafeteria, and he missed it when Blaine took a sharp look back over his shoulder.
xoxoxo
Blaine was late. Say what you would about the former resident of the Dalton Reform School, but he rarely, if ever, kept Kurt waiting. He'd promised to meet Kurt after Glee, but he wasn't in his usual spot. Curious, Kurt went searching for him.
His wandering eventually took him by way of the locker room. Thinking perhaps Blaine had lost track of time working on the speed bag, he entered. He was about to call out but stopped at the sound of voices – in particular, at the sound of a voice he knew well.
"Hello, David," Blaine drawled, his voice laced with ice.
Kurt maneuvered silently across the locker room until he could peer around the corner of a row of lockers without being seen. What he found was Blaine, reclined on a wooden bench between the two sets of lockers. Standing in front of him was none other than Dave Karofsky.
"What do you want?" Dave sneered, schooling his features into the expression of disdain with which Kurt was all too familiar.
"Me? Nothing much. Just wanted to have a little chat," Blaine replied, sitting upright and swinging his leg over the bench so that he was facing Dave.
"Yeah, well, the girls locker room is next door. Maybe there's someone you can chat with in there."
Blaine chuckled lowly. "Now, now. You forget who you're talking to, David," he cajoled.
Something akin to fear flitted across Dave's face, and Blaine saw it. "You promised," Dave mumbled.
"And I'm a man of my word," Blaine countered, standing and taking a tiny step forward in the small space between the bench and the lockers. He stared down the football player, despite the difference in their height. "I simply need to make sure you're a man of your word, as well."
Dave scoffed, which was apparently the wrong thing to do. In a flash of movement, Blaine seized Dave by the arm, spinning him around and shoving him into the lockers. Blaine twisted Dave's arm behind him and pressed forward, effectively pinning the larger boy in place with his cheek pressed to the cold metal door.
The slam of Dave hitting the lockers reverberated through the room, making Kurt start and cover his mouth to restrain his gasp. He knew Blaine had a reputation, and that there had been reasons he'd landed at Dalton, but that was different from seeing him in action.
"You think this is a joke? You think this is funny?" Blaine said between gritted teeth, pushing Dave against the lockers to emphasize each question.
"What do you want, man? I haven't gone near him, just like you said," Dave argued, his words a little slurred due to his current position.
"No, you haven't, but I saw you today. You were watching, David. I didn't think that I'd have to be so explicit in my instructions, but apparently, you're a slow learner." Blaine rose up on his toes to get closer to Dave's ear. He spoke the next words lower, his voice more menacing. Kurt was barely able to make them out: "You keep your eyes to yourself, Karofsky. I don't care what or who else you look at. I'm not gonna out you, but I promise, there are a million other ways I can make your life a living hell, and I won't hesitate to do each and every single one of them if I catch you even glancing in his direction."
Kurt's head was spinning at the information he was hearing. Blaine wasn't going to out…Karofsky was…
Another rattle of metal drew his attention. "Do I make myself clear?" Blaine demanded, pressing Dave's arm a little deeper into his back.
"Yes, fine, whatever," Dave acquiesced.
Blaine released him and stepped back in one fluid movement. "Good," he chirped brightly, a smile on his face. "I'm glad we had this little talk. Now, get the hell out of here."
Dave regarded Blaine silently. From his vantage point, Kurt could see a mixture of fear, hatred, and possibly a little bit of gratitude. With a grumble, Dave picked up a large duffle bag from the floor and stalked down the row of lockers, thankfully in the opposite direction from where Kurt was hiding. The locker room door squeaked open and closed on its hinges, and Kurt exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours.
"You can come out now, gorgeous," Blaine called. Kurt's heart stuttered and he bit his lip as he stepped forward around the corner of the lockers. Blaine was still standing next to the bench, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his tight, well-worn jeans. He beckoned Kurt towards him with a jerk of his head.
Kurt walked down the aisle, shamefaced at having been caught. "Hello, beautiful," Blaine greeted him warmly, sliding his hand around Kurt's waist and drawing him near to kiss him on the cheek.
"How did you know I was here?" Kurt asked.
"Sweetheart, you really are a terrible spy," he laughed. Kurt frowned, and Blaine wrapped his other arm around him. "Don't worry, I found it rather…endearing."
As charming as Blaine was being, Kurt couldn't easily shake off what he'd seen and heard. A heavy pause fell between them, and Blaine grew serious. "Kurt, talk to me."
Kurt took another moment, gazing deeply into the hazel eyes of his boyfriend. "Karofsky. He's…?" Blaine nodded, understanding the unfinished question. "But why…I mean, he's always been so awful to me. I don't…" he trailed off.
Blaine raised a hand to Kurt's head, brushing lightly over his hair and letting it rest on the back of his neck. "He likes you. He's confused, and not handling things well, and really, really not prepared to deal with his feelings."
Kurt blinked owlishly at Blaine's explanation. "So, they have therapists at Dalton, too," Blaine added with a shrug. "I'm a very enlightened delinquent."
Kurt huffed out a laugh in spite of himself, burying his face in Blaine's shoulder and enjoying the warmth of his embrace. They stayed there for a few moments, holding one another in the quiet. Blaine wanted to give Kurt time to absorb what he'd learned. However, something was nagging at him, and he couldn't put off asking for long.
"Kurt?" he murmured, stroking a gentle hand down his back and leaning away just far enough to look him in the eye. Kurt hummed in acknowledgement. "What you heard, what you saw me... Did it, um," he faltered.
Kurt regarded him carefully. Blaine wasn't usually at a loss for words or nervous, especially around Kurt. "What is it?" he prompted, carding his fingers through Blaine's curls.
Blaine let out a breath and closed his eyes. "I've never been that way in front of you before. Did it, you know, bother you?"
Kurt smiled and placed a light kiss to Blaine's forehead. "I'm not afraid of you, Blaine," Kurt whispered, tightening his arms around Blaine's shoulders a little bit more.
Blaine smiled in relief, his eyes opening to find Kurt's blue ones smiling back at him. "Really?" he asked, desperate to be sure.
"Really," Kurt parroted, kissing his nose this time. "I'm not exactly happy about you threatening people," he went on, halting Blaine when he began to protest. "Hey – you've kept a clean record since you got out of Dalton, and you've still got a shot at getting into a good college. I just need you to keep that adorable nose of yours spotless through graduation, okay?" Kurt chided.
"I'll do my best, but so help me, if I catch Karofsky near you…"
"Blaine, promise me," Kurt softly pleaded.
Blaine let out a breath. "Okay, gorgeous. For you, anything."
Kurt smiled, blushing slightly. "I'm going to hold you to that."
"As I said, Kurt, I'm a man of my word," Blaine answered, sealing the bargain with a kiss.
A/N: I always wanted to show Blaine being a bit of a badass. Hope you enjoyed it!