"Okay, now, one more time – over …"

"Over …"

"Under …"

"Under …"

"Through and pull."

"Through and pull." Blaine looks at the knot he's made – three rings twined together, one wrapped loosely around a bolt roughly the length and width of his thumb. It looks like a knot. But somehow, even though he followed the steps to the letter, it doesn't look anything like Kurt's. "How's that?"

Kurt glances down at his pupil's third attempt at a sheepshank knot and smiles encouragingly. "Give it a tug and find out."

Blaine holds the bolt secure, pinches the main line between his fingers, and pulls slowly. If he tied it right, the loop should wrap around the bolt and tighten. And it does … at first. But a pull too far sees one of the lines slide loose from underneath the bolt and the whole thing becomes a mess. Still a knot, just not the one he wanted. "Urgh! Come on! I don't understand why I can't get this! You make it look so simple!"

"That's because I've been doing this for a while," Kurt says, bumping Blaine's shoulder with his. "You just got started. It takes some practice. And some application."

"Yeah, but I didn't think it would be this hard for me. I'm a musician, I sew, I cook, I box - I'm good with my hands."

"Are you now?" Kurt's words curl together, creating a knot of their own, one wound around mild suggestion, a hint of innuendo, and maybe even an invitation. From the second Blaine met Kurt, he knew the man was going to be flirtatious. It's in his eyes, his smile, his posture, but especially in the smooth slide of his voice over every word he says.

And Blaine could listen to that voice talk forever, even about something as mundane as sheepshank knots.

But if Blaine's going to pass this portion of his fire academy training, he's got to focus a little harder on the task at hand … and not on Kurt Hummel's delectable voice.

"I … I am," Blaine affirms. "But these knots … learning to tie them is like trying to learn a different language."

"That's an astute assessment," Kurt says, unwinding Blaine's piece of rope and laying it flat on the table. "Each knot you're going to learn has a different primary function. They need to be easily identifiable just by looking at them. Which means they need to communicate their purpose to you in a flash, or else you or someone on your crew might make a mistake handling them. And in your line of work, mistakes can mean lives lost, right?"

"You're right." Blaine takes a deep breath. That thought is sobering, especially when he can't even master what's considered a fairly simple knot. "You know, no one's ever explained it to me like that before."

"Well, I imagine the officers who teach these classes down at the fire department have to do it over and over and over again. It must get exhausting after a while. They want to get the information into your brains as quickly and efficiently as possible. But me, I can take my time with knots, learn the history of them, appreciate the artistry."

"Wow. I didn't think you'd go through so much trouble."

"Of course, I do. I'm an instructor at heart. My life is about technique, and that technique has a certain ritual. I don't like to pick up a skill as quickly as possible and then use it without taking a journey in between. I immerse myself in it. Pick it apart piece by piece and soak it in." Kurt trains his silvery gaze on Blaine's eyes and holds them. "That's how I live. I do that with everything in my life. That way I don't feel like my time's wasted. Does that make sense to you?"

Blaine nods and swallows hard. He wasn't entirely sure what he was getting himself into when he decided to hire Kurt to tutor him. In fact, a lot of people would call this approach to learning knots unconventional. But nothing else he's tried so far has worked. None of the instructors who offered to tutor him, none of the manuals the fire department gave him, none of the YouTube videos he Googled have given him any insight into what he's supposed to do other than just to do it. Now, he final feels like he's learning, but with Kurt, he also might be in over his head … in the best way possible.

It doesn't hurt that Kurt is, on top of being an exceptional teacher, patient to a fault … and drop dead gorgeous. They're only about thirty minutes in, and this has already been the best tutoring session of Blaine's life.

"So, why don't we try this knot one more time and I'll show you what I mean?" Kurt suggests.

"Yes. Please. Absolutely."

"But …" Kurt grins, tapping a finger to his chin as if thinking hard "… why don't we get someone to lend us a hand, hmm? Would you mind?"

"No," Blaine says. "Not at all. Whatever helps."

"Good. Remember, if you get uncomfortable, all you have to say is …?"

"Pineapple," Blaine replies with a bashful smile. "I remember."

"Excellent! You! Slut! Come over here!" Kurt calls, pointing to one in a line of young men standing against a far wall, in various states of undress. The man he's speaking to isn't entirely naked, but the parts of his body one would normally cover up have been left exposed.

"Yes, Master?" the man replies when he gets to Kurt, head bowed in obedience.

"On your knees. Turn around and give me your arms."

"Yes, Master."

Kurt slides Blaine's rope across the table, then drags it across his own lap, skirting his crotch, and loops it around the young slave's wrists. He winds the ends together in the start of the knot, then offers those ends to Blaine, a devious smile pulling at his lips. "Now, try this again, Mr. Anderson. And after you have this down, we'll move on to tying these knots under water."

Notes:

This is literally one of my favorite D/s-slash-vanilla tropes. I personally used my knowledge of knot tying to help my son's Cub Scout troop earn their knot tying achievement. Also, if you've reached this point and are bothered by a few things, remember that not much was revealed early on to keep a shroud of mystery going, but assume, please, that at the outset contracts were signed and limits discussed, so for everything that happens here, Blaine is a willing participant.