A House Is Not A Home

by SpiritedQuill

Kurt and Blaine were orphaned as infants and as they grew up together they became fast friends. With challenges of self-acceptance, finding lost memories, falling in love, and fighting for each other's happiness, they're up for the time of their lives. But at least they're facing it together. 2nd of 2 fics for the KHBB :) Warnings inside fic.

Title: "A House Is Not A Home"

Beta: Singyourheartout287 (fanfiction)

Artist: Magicalplaylist (tumblr)

Summary: Kurt and Blaine were orphaned as infants and as they grew up together they became fast friends. With challenges of self-acceptance, finding lost memories, falling in love, and fighting for each other's happiness, they're up for the time of their lives. But at least they're facing it together.

Warnings: Violence and the aftermath (nothing too terrible, but it is violence, so…), mentions of verbally abusive parents, homophobia/bullying

---

Lightning lit up the cold, black night and thunder soon followed its disastrous counter-part. Rain pelted rooftops, cars, streets, and everything else as it poured down mercilessly.

And yet, even through the storm, a young Miss, no older than eighteen, found her way up the slippery stairs of the Lima Orphanage. Her hands shook as she set the covered baby carrier gently on the step outside the main door. She ran away through the flooding streets just in time to be overlooked by the person opening the door.

---

Beth's eyes widened as the thirteen-year-old saw what was on the doorstep of the darkened orphanage. It was hours after 'lights out' and she was probably the only one awake. She bent down and picked up the baby carrier that was covered by two thick blankets, shivering even after only seconds in the pouring rain.

She brought the baby carrier to the den of the ancient and enormous house. She knew no one would hear her in there, even if they were to wake up.

Beth peeled the soaked blankets away from the carrier and pushed the handle to the side, unable to hold back her gasp. Even in the twelve years she'd been at that house, she'd never seen someone just drop a baby on the doorstep—just like her parents had done to her over a decade before.

The baby boy was sleeping, wrapped snugly in a warm blanket. His cheeks were flushed from the warmth of the blanket, but Beth knew he would be freezing to death if the blanket hadn't kept the heat in.

She looked at a crumpled up Post-It note stuffed into the side of the carrier, and she opened up the damp square of paper. In a delicate scrawl of handwriting, it read a name:

Kurt Hummel.

---

Less than twenty minutes later, after Beth had found clean clothes and a dry blanket for baby Kurt, there was a faint knock on the door. She looked up in confusion and laid the baby down carefully in his carrier before walking to the door. She peeked out the peephole before opening it, and she was shocked by what she saw.

Another baby carrier.

So she followed the same procedure, finding a warm blanket and warm clothes for the second baby boy—Blaine Anderson, she found out his name was. It had been written on a piece of paper attached to a string that was tied loosely around the boy's ankle.

Once she had the babies sleeping soundly, side by side in an empty crib she'd found in one of the bedrooms, she finally crawled into bed herself. The boys appeared to be the same age, only a month old or so, but she would ask Ms. Scarlet—the House Mother, as everyone called her—in the morning. She'd never really experienced this before, but she thought she'd handled it pretty well.

What mattered was that Kurt and Blaine were safe and warm.

---

Five Years Later:

"Beth, do you have to leave?" Kurt asked, tears streaking his chubby five-year-old face. He was sitting on her foot with his legs wrapped around her ankle, staring up at her with a trembling lip.

Beth sighed and leaned down to scoop him into her arms. He clung to her like a koala and buried his face in her shoulder as she spoke. "I do. But I promise I'll come back and visit all the time. I told you I'd never leave you for good," she said with a soft smile. "You're my best friend. And best friends stick together. Besides, you still have Blaine."

"But Blaine can't protect me from the other kids like you do," Kurt pouted, looking like a kicked puppy when he met her eyes.

"Sure he can, sweetheart," she assured him. "He loves you as much as I do, and I bet he'd stick up for you any day."

"I'm gonna miss you, Beth," he said, sighing dramatically when she set him down. "Why'd you have to turn eighty so soon?"

Beth laughed and ruffled his hair, eliciting another powerful pout from the boy. "I'm eighteen, and I can't control how fast I age. But look who's talking, huh?" she teased. "You're practically all grown up now. Five years old 's exciting." Kurt smiled a little. He nodded and hopped up onto the couch, looking at his friend when she sat down next to him.

"Yeah, I'm getting big," he said, giggling shrilly when she tickled his sides. "Soon I'll be eighteen, too! Then I'll be moving out and I'll come live with you."

"I can't wait," she said with a soft smile, humoring him even though she knew he wouldn't come live with her. She heard a car horn blaring outside and sighed, ruffling his hair again and ignoring his indignant protests. "I have to go, bud. Make sure you call me, okay?"

"Every day," he promised, saluting like a soldier when she stood up and grabbed her rolling suitcase. Beth giggled and saluted back—it had sort of become their thing. "I love you, Beth!" he called just as she walked out the door. She's gone, he thought to himself sadly before running up to his room and pulling a box out from under his bed that he usually shared with Blaine.

He sat on his bed and pulled one of the porcelain dolls out of the long box, brushing its hair just like Beth used to do. She'd given him the doll to keep, saying that as long as he protected it, she'd be with him in his heart. He didn't really understand how brushing the doll's hair would make her come back, but it made him feel better anyway.

"Porcelain's playing with his dolls again," said a taunting voice from the doorway. Kurt looked up and quickly stuffed the doll under his pillow, pushing it behind him and sitting between it and Jace.

"Go away, Jace," he told the seven-year-old, the one who always teased him and bullied him about playing with 'girly things.' Now that Beth wasn't here to stop them, he didn't know if they would hurt him or not.

"Give us the stupid doll," the boy said, stepping towards Kurt. His two friends followed him, flanking their leader.

"No!" Kurt cried, shaking his head quickly. He held the doll tightly to his chest and turned away from the bully as the older boy tried to wrestle the fragile doll out of Kurt's hands. "No! No! No!" he kept crying, growing louder each time. Today, the teenagers were babysitting the younger kids, and the House Mother was running errands, so no one heard him, of course.

No one except for Blaine.

"Leave 'im alone, Jace!" Blaine demanded in his surprisingly intimidating voice, despite the fact that Jace was several inches taller and two years older. He pushed the boy off of Kurt and stood in front of him, growling angrily at him. Jace laughed and backed away, hands in the air.

"Relax!" he shook his head, shrugging. Then he and his friends ran out of the room, snorting in laughter.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked, and his tone was suddenly gentle as he sat next to his friend. "Did they hurt you?"

"They just scared me," Kurt grumbled, tears threatening to fall again.

"Beth left today, right?" he asked sympathetically, though he knew the answer. And he knew that was what was making Kurt sad.

Kurt just nodded. He didn't protest when Blaine hugged him. Blaine was warm and he was nice and he always made Kurt feel better.

And maybe Beth was right. Blaine could protect him.

And he always would.

---

Two Years Later:

"Are you ready for second grade?" Blaine asked cheerily as he held Kurt's hand on the bus ride to the Elementary School.

"The learning or the bullying?"

"Both, I guess," Blaine said, his smile falling instantly. "But don't worry!" he said quickly, squeezing Kurt's hand as the boy looked at him. "I won't let them hurt you. Just like I never let Jace hurt you at home," he said with a small smile. Kurt grimaced.

"Thanks, Blaine."

"Of course," he nodded, as if he didn't mind at all. And, though Kurt always felt guilty when Blaine helped him, Blaine truly didn't mind. In fact, he enjoyed helping Kurt—protecting him. He hated to see Kurt sad, so anything to prevent that was more than worth it. "I'm excited to meet our teacher," Blaine said, trying to brighten the mood. "I heard Miss Minse is really nice, even though her name is hard to say." Kurt laughed, finally cracking a smile as he watched Blaine.

"Beth said Miss Minse was her teacher in second grade. She said she's really nice."

"Well, any teacher is nicer than Mr. Crowley," Blaine said, wrinkling his nose at the name of their first grade teacher. Kurt giggled and nodded, leaning his head on Blaine's shoulder as the bus made the fifteen-minute journey from the house to their school. Blaine looked at him, smiling a little in surprise when Kurt put his head on his shoulder. When Kurt squeezed his hand, Blaine grinned brightly and squeezed back.

"I'm so glad I have a best friend like you," Kurt said quietly.

"You'll always be my only best friend," Blaine promised, putting as much sincerity into the words as a seven-year-old could.

---

Four Years Later:

They were both turning eleven at some point that week, and Kurt was coming to a scary revelation.

He had a crush. It'd been there for a while, a few months maybe, but he hadn't known what to think of it because all the other boys were different. They started talking about how girls didn't have 'cooties' anymore and how Mary Loveland was the cutest girl in the sixth grade. And Kurt could recognize that she was naturally a beautiful girl, though not as beautiful as Beth or Quinn or Rachel—Quinn and Rachel had both worked as volunteers at the house, though Rachel hadn't worked there for years. But even so, he never had a crush on any of those girls like Jace or Bryan did.

He had a crush on Blaine. It'd taken several hours of crying alone on the abandoned school playground after school hours for him to finally come to terms with it. He was different, and he was smart enough to know what that meant. It meant he would be teased and bullied. But most of all, it meant Blaine would hate him. After all, there was no way Blaine would have a crush on him. Girls were always fawning over him and complimenting his adorable curls that Kurt played with at night when his friend was sleeping soundly—it wasn't creepy, he told himself repeatedly.

After much consideration and sleepless nights of silent tears, he decided that he couldn't tell Blaine. Blaine was his best friend and there was absolutely no way he was going to lose him over this.

But Blaine was his best friend. Shouldn't he be able to tell him anything..?

He decided he would talk to Blaine on the bus ride home from school the day before Kurt's birthday.

"Blaine, who do you have a crush on?" he asked hesitantly, wringing his hands nervously in his lap.

Blaine looked up from his book in surprise, pulling himself out of the world of Harry Potter. He smiled at Kurt and shrugged. "I guess I haven't really thought about it."

"But Mary and Cynthia always try to get your attention," he prompted, just trying to get a real answer out of Blaine.

"They just make it hard to focus on my books. Besides, I don't want to be friends with them because they always say mean things about you," he said with a frown. "I tell them to stop but they're just mean and they laugh."

Kurt looked down his hands, closing his eyes sadly. "I know they don't like me. It's because they think dolls are only for girls and I have the one from Beth in my backpack all the time."

"That's exactly why I ignore them, because I don't like anyone who's mean to my best friend," Blaine explained, slipping his book closed around a bookmark. He reached for Kurt's hand and held it in his, prompting Kurt to look up at him. "I'd rather be friends with only you than be friends with everyone on the playground except for you. You're always going to be my best friend." Kurt smiled in relief and hugged Blaine, sinking into it when his friend hugged back.

"So if you don't have a crush on any of the girls in our class, then who do you like?" Kurt asked curiously, pulling back with a faint blush rising on his cheeks. "I'll tell you my crush if you tell me yours," he added, biting his lip nervously.

"I don't have one," Blaine repeated, studying Kurt's face with a nervous—nervous?—smile.

Kurt sighed, shrugging. "Never mind, then. I don't have one, either."

"We'll tell each other when we do, though," Blaine said in an attempt to cheer his friend up. He didn't know why Kurt was so upset, but he knew that he didn't want it to last. "We tell each other everything, right?"

"Of course," Kurt nodded quickly, just when the bus pulled up in front of their home.

"Happy almost-birthday, by the way," Blaine said with a smile and a nudge to Kurt's shoulder as they walked towards the front door. Kurt beamed at him, then, and followed him through the door and up to their room. They shared the room with two older boys at the orphanage, but they spent most of their time in the den playing games so Kurt and Blaine basically had it to themselves. "I have a present for you," Blaine added when they plopped down on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed they shared.

Kurt looked at him excitedly, grinning. "Really?"

"Yeah, I saved up from chore money so I could buy you something," Blaine said bashfully. Kurt's eyes widened a little in surprise. He hadn't expected to get anything for his eleventh birthday, or any birthday, to be honest.

"Can I have a hint about what it is?" Kurt asked, bouncing excitedly as he smiled at his best friend. Blaine laughed softly, watching Kurt. He found himself thinking that Kurt was adorable when he got excited about things, and although the idea scared him, he started thinking more about the idea of having a crush. A crush on Kurt, to be exact.

"It's a surprise," Blaine told him matter-of-factly. He knew Kurt would love the gift, because he knew Kurt liked memories. He knew that Kurt liked to have keep-sakes of people… even people he hadn't ever met, like his parents. And the only thing he had from his parents was an old, ratty blanket. "But you can wake me up as early as you want tomorrow morning and I'll give it to you, as long as it's technically your birthday."

"Okay." Kurt bit his lip to hide his smile now. His cheeks were flushing a little and he was looking down at his page of math homework, twirling a pencil between his fingers. Blaine looked down as well and they worked on their homework in silence.

That night, Kurt curled into his blankets and cried silently into his pillow. When Blaine had gone to do chores earlier that day, Jace and his idiot friends had stolen Kurt's doll. They'd hidden it and told Kurt that he had to find it if he wanted it back. He'd searched all over the house but there was no sign of the gift from Beth.

"Kurt?" Blaine whispered from the top bunk, peeking down to see him. "Are you awake?" It was late, so he felt like he needed to ask.

"Yeah," Kurt sniffled, wiping his eyes as he looked up at his friend. Blaine immediately frowned in concern when he saw his friend's puffy eyes. It wasn't hard to see, even in the dark and from his position of hanging off the edge of his mattress.

"What's wrong?"

"They stole my doll," Kurt answered, feeling pathetic with the sympathetic look Blaine gave him. "They hid it and I don't know where it is. I looked all over."

Without answering, Blaine climbed down from his bunk and climbed under the covers with Kurt, wrapping his arms around the boy. "I'll help you find it first thing tomorrow morning. I promise. Go to sleep, okay?" Kurt nodded, curling up against Blaine's chest and closing his eyes. He felt a lot better now that Blaine was holding him. It was an unexpected comfort and he loved that he could hear the beating of Blaine's heart.

"Thank you, Blaine," he whispered shakily before falling asleep.

Blaine blushed when Kurt cuddled closer to him and hugged him tightly. He was almost certain that he had a huge crush on Kurt, and the thought scared him to death. He didn't know what to expect if people found out just how different he was, but he knew it couldn't be good.

He knew who he was, but that didn't mean he wanted the rest of the world to know.

But Kurt… Kurt wasn't the rest of the world.

---

Early the next morning, Kurt woke up and he blushed when he remembered why he had Blaine's arms wrapped around him. He checked the clock and saw that it was just past five A.M. so he didn't want to wake Blaine up. Then he remembered that Blaine had said he could wake him up to give Kurt his present.

"Blaine," Kurt whispered, shaking Blaine's shoulders. The boy blinked his eyes open, yawning.

"Happy birthday," he said groggily. Kurt grinned at him, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. "Ready for your present?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his sleep-filled eyes.

Kurt nodded excitedly and watched Blaine climb up to his own bed. Blaine grabbed a small jewelry box from on top of his bed and brought it down to Kurt. It was wrapped in a silver bow.

"Blaine…"

"Open it," Blaine urged with a soft smile, giving him the box. "There are actually two things in the box, but I think you'll know which one is the most important." Kurt slowly opened the box and smiled at what he saw. There was a little pin of a rose that was white with red paint dripping from it. Kurt looked at Blaine with a soft smile.

"You know I love Alice in Wonderland."

"And I know you love roses," Blaine added proudly. He grinned at his friend, pointing to the box excitedly. "There's more. Look."

Kurt looked. And he pulled out a silver chain necklace with a heart-shaped locket. "What's this..?"

"It's a locket," Blaine stated obviously. Kurt laughed and shook his head.

"What's it for, I mean?"

"When you find someone who's special enough to put in there, you can keep their picture close to your heart when you wear it," Blaine explained, blushing. "And maybe someday I can help you find your parents and then you could keep a picture of them in there… I thought…" He trailed off when he saw tears in Kurt's eyes and he grabbed Kurt's hand, frowning in concern. "Don't you like it?"

"That's why I'm crying, you dope," Kurt teased, showing a tearful smile. Blaine smiled. "I love it. This is the best birthday ever." Blaine grinned.

"I'm glad," he said sincerely before wrapping his friend up in a tight hug.

Suddenly, Kurt thought back to what Beth had said the day she'd left the house.

…you have Blaine…

Yes, he had Blaine. And as Blaine held him in his arms, he knew he would always be safe as long as he had Blaine. He made a promise to himself that he would always have Blaine.

---

Nearly two years and another small birthday present later, Blaine decided that he was going to make Kurt's thirteenth birthday the best one yet. Well, the most memorable at the very least. He didn't know yet if Kurt would think it was the best.

On the bus ride home from their Junior High School, Blaine subtly slipped his hand into Kurt's and he smiled when Kurt looked over at him with a soft smile. It was the day before Kurt's birthday and five days before Blaine's birthday, and Blaine couldn't wait any longer. He was bouncing in his seat and Kurt probably thought he was insane, but he was anxious. He had something to tell Kurt and it was important, to say the least.

"Blaine, what's up with you?" Kurt asked him as they got off the bus. He was smiling in a way that made Blaine want to just hug him and never let him go. "You've been acting weird all day. Is something wrong?"

"No," Blaine said quickly, smiling as he tugged Kurt up to their room. "Nothing's wrong, I promise. Just… sit down. I want to tell you something and I just need you to listen and hear me out before you say anything." Kurt nodded in understanding, sitting down on his bed and looking at Blaine with curious eyes. Blaine stood in front of him, shifting nervously on the balls of his feet. "Kurt, I've been thinking about this for a little over a year now. And I realize now that this… feeling isn't going to go away. I've tried to hide it because I don't want to screw anything up, but I can't keep pretending that I don't want to be more than friends with you someday." Kurt's breath caught in his throat and he stared at Blaine with wide eyes as he spoke. "I remember thinking about it when you asked me who my crush was in sixth grade, and since then we've only grown closer. And I love being your best friend and I'm terrified that this confession is going to ruin that…

"Anyway, the point is, I like you. I like you a lot," Blaine continued after taking a calming breath. "My crush, even then, was you. It is you," he corrected quickly. "And I understand if you don't feel the same and if you don't want to be friends anymore," he said, his chest tightening with fear at the thought. "But I'm really hoping you have good news because I kind of feel like I'm going to pass out, to be honest." Blaine laughed nervously, blushing furiously as he studied Kurt's face for any hints about his answer.

"I like you, too," Kurt admitted quietly, breathlessly. Then he did something that Blaine didn't expect. He broke down in tears, and Blaine was at his side in a split second, hugging him. "I was so afraid to tell anyone. I've known who I am since second grade but I was just so scared. I was scared to tell you because I thought I would lose you," he said quietly, hugging Blaine's torso tightly.

"You'll never lose me," Blaine whispered.

"You know," Kurt started, grinning as he pulled away from the hug slightly. "I'm finally starting to like birthdays. And it's all because of you."

---

After their big confessions to each other, they didn't immediately start dating. They both figured they were a bit too young. But they spent even more time together than usual, which was saying something because they were together almost all the time even before. They held hands more comfortably. They were less awkward when Blaine held him at night when he couldn't sleep.

They were closer than ever, better friends than before.

But with every strong bond comes tests of strength.

It was November when the Larson family came to the house. The boys in the house were told that the family of three was looking to adopt a brother for their only child. Every boy dressed in their best and they were prepared to be on their best behavior.

Kurt and Blaine were both fourteen now and they'd been through this drill several times. Families had come and gone, sometimes taking a waiting child with them. But neither Kurt nor Blaine had been taken away to be with a real family.

Of course, Blaine was a popular favorite. He was the perfect gentleman, with perfect manners and a handsome face that attracted attention. But despite the many offers, he'd never been adopted. And Kurt knew why. Blaine always came so close to being taken away to a loving family, but he always refused when the family said they wouldn't take Kurt along as well. While Kurt felt guilty for holding Blaine back from a happy life in a happy home, he was secretly grateful that Blaine chose not to leave him there alone.

He just hoped this time would be the same.

"Mr. and Mrs. Larson," Ms. Scarlet greeted when the family came into the den of the house. They would be meeting with a handful of boys, one at a time, and trying to decide if they wanted to take one of them home. "I'm so glad you could be here. The boys are excited to meet you and your son Chandler. Please have a seat and I'll send one of them in momentarily." The parents both nodded and took a seat, their son playing with his toy cars on the floor while they waited. Chandler Larson was ten years old and, according to his parents, in need of a big brother.

Kurt went in to meet them after Jace and three other boys had gone in.

Kurt sat on the couch across from them, not saying anything as he looked between Mr. and Mrs. Larson.

"What's your name, sweetie?" Mrs. Larson finally asked. "Mine is Jane, and this is Marcus," she said, gesturing to her husband. "And our son Chandler," she added with a sweet smile.

Kurt looked at them apprehensively. He'd been in this position before, and it had never ended well. Usually as soon as they found out enough about him they would discard him like the rest. But Blaine was almost never turned down. No, he was offered a loving home and brothers or sisters. But he never accepted unless they were willing to take Kurt, too.

"My name's Kurt," he said finally. "I'm fourteen and my grades are at their best," he added, as if he felt he needed to boast in order to impress. "I can play the cello because I'm in my school's beginning orchestra and I like to sing. I've been here since I was a baby and I don't know who my parents are," he finished sadly, shrinking down into his seat and wringing his hands together nervously. He looked at them, feeling like the scared little seven-year-old that was picked on by the older kids constantly; the one who never stood up for himself; the one who kept a constant guard up.

"It's nice to meet you, Kurt," Jane said kindly with a tight smile. He took that as his cue to leave and he ran past Blaine and to the living room where he could play the piano mindlessly. He didn't know what he was playing or even how to play, really, but he knew what notes sounded good together.

It was Blaine's turn next and before he walked in, he overheard the family having a conversation. It caught his attention because they mentioned Kurt.

We're here to have less stress and make sure Chandler is protected by his older brother. We don't need a boy who's broken and sad and insecure like that. He'll only make things worse. What about that nice boy with the dark hair? He seems to be very well-mannered. Let's get to know him. I think I heard someone calling him Blaine.

Blaine listened and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of longing; longing for a real family. But the logical part of his brain reminded him that he did want a family that was like that. He didn't want to have parents who only cared about image and what was easiest or most convenient. He wanted real love. And most of all, he wanted Kurt. He would never leave Kurt.

Ignoring Ms. Scarlet when she told him to go inside the room, he jogged through the house to where he knew Kurt would be. He took a seat next to his friend at the piano bench, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"They're not the right family," he explained vaguely. He didn't need Kurt to know that they simply didn't want Kurt. "I don't like them."

"So you're staying?" Kurt asked hopefully, though he sounded a little scared. He sounded like he was reminding himself that it was selfish to hope.

"Of course I'm staying," Blaine promised with a soft smile, hugging his friend around the shoulders. Kurt leaned into the hug but kept his hands in his lap, not saying anything else. "I said I wouldn't leave you and I meant it," Blaine added in a whisper.

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt whispered, like a secret. They'd started to say it to each other in the past few weeks, in the way a best friend would love a best friend. After all, they were really all the other had. They were the only constants in each other's lives. It would be impossible not to feel love for someone who's been through it all by your side.

"I love you, too," Blaine replied with a happy grin. He loved hearing the words. He knew Kurt was important to him, and to hear Kurt saying that Blaine was important to him made Blaine's heart speed up just a bit.

---

About a year later, they were both fifteen and one third of the way through their freshman year of High School. It was November, and they'd both be turning sixteen in a few weeks.

"High School sucks," Kurt pouted as he walked up and stood beside Blaine's locker.

Blaine looked at him with a sad smile. "What happened?" he asked, closing his locker after putting his Math and English books inside. They walked side by side to lunch, wanting to hold hands but knowing that it wouldn't end well for either of them.

"Some idiots stole my French notes and tossed them in the dumpster so I had to climb in and find the notebook. And now I smell like rotten fruit and yesterday's meat loaf."

Blaine frowned, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets to hide the fact that they were balling up into fists. "Karofsky again?" he asked knowingly.

"Yeah," Kurt shrugged. "It was him and Azimio and some other Neanderthals that I didn't recognize."

"Why'd you go digging for it, anyway?" Blaine asked in confusion. "You're practically fluent."

"I know, but my homework was in there, along with my term paper," he said begrudgingly.

"Oh," Blaine said dumbly, sighing. "I would've helped you if I'd been there," he added.

"I know you would've," Kurt said with a smile. "My knight in shining armor," he teased, nudging Blaine's shoulder with his own.

Blaine smiled dopily, listening to Kurt talk about how he was going to audition for Glee club. He liked just listening to Kurt ramble on, because he loved seeing Kurt excited about something.

"Mm, tacos for lunch today," Blaine said happily, grabbing his tray and his lunch money and getting in line with Kurt.

"You should join me," Kurt told him thoughtfully.

"Of course," Blaine shrugged. "We always sit together for lunch, don't we?" he asked in confusion.

Kurt laughed and shook his head. "No. I mean, yes, we do. But that's not what I was talking about. I mean that you should audition with me. You've got a great voice and I bet you could totally kick Finn Hudson right out of the male lead spot."

Blaine blushed and shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not that good—"

"You are."

"—and besides, I have soccer practice after school, so I wouldn't be able to come to rehearsals."

"Please, Blaine," he pouted, drawing out the 'please.'

"I don't know if I have time…"

"But I don't know anybody in the club and I really want you to be there with me. Please?"

Blaine sighed, smiling affectionately. "Okay. Okay, I'll audition."

"Really?" Kurt's eyes widened almost comically and he burst into a grin, throwing his arms around Blaine in his excitement. He pulled away quickly once he remembered where they were, and he blushed before setting his tray on the counter for the lunch ladies to serve his food.

Blaine smiled to himself in satisfaction. Another successful attempt at making Kurt happy, he thought to himself. He promised himself that he would try to keep Kurt smiling like that for the rest of the day. He never wanted to see Kurt unhappy. He'd already suffered enough.

---

Later that day, Blaine met Kurt by his locker, smiling as he stood with his shoulder against the neighboring lockers. "So, what are you singing for your audition?"

"The Greatest Star, from Funny Girl," Kurt answered excitedly, pulling his math and science notes out of his locker for his last two classes of the day. "What about you?" he asked, turning to look at his friend.

"Teenage Dream, by Katy Perry," Blaine said bashfully. Kurt smiled affectionately and walked with Blaine towards their next class. Kurt knew all about Blaine's obsession—"It's not an obsession, Kurt; it's a passion," he always said—with Katy Perry. He'd nearly burst into tears when he found out he couldn't go to the Katy Perry concert when she came to Columbus.

"You're going to do great," Kurt assured him with a friendly smile. "You always do great. Speaking of which, it's been a while since you've played for me or sung anything. I miss it," he said, pouting cutely. Blaine grinned at him and found himself wishing he could just kiss that pout right off his face—

No, don't think like that. You know Kurt isn't ready for a relationship. Maybe someday, but not yet.

"You'll hear me sing at the audition," he told Kurt cheerily. "I'm sure they won't mind if you watch. And I'll be playing piano along with it and doing my own rendition of it."

Kurt's breath caught in his throat and his cheeks flushed at the thought of Blaine singing that song to him. He knew Blaine loved the song, so it could easily mean absolutely nothing. But he also knew that Blaine liked him as more than a friend. And he liked Blaine that way, too—of course he did—but he wasn't anywhere near ready. He hadn't even come out yet to anyone other than Blaine.

"I can't wait," he said, trying not to wince when his voice went higher than usual.

"Great," Blaine beamed, looking away and clearing his throat as they walked into their advanced math class. He blushed and tried to hide it as they sat down next to each other.

Kurt watched him carefully all throughout the class period, hardly paying attention to his math assignment as he watched Blaine work on his own paper. He watched the way his eyebrows furrowed adorably in concentration. He watched the way his pencil quickened on the paper and his face lit up in a grin when he worked out a difficult equation. He watched the way he bit his lip or stuck the tip of his tongue out when he was trying to think about a lesson they'd learned a few months before.

And he tried to pretend he wasn't staring when Blaine turned his head to smile at him.

Now that he really thought about it, this was Blaine. This was the Blaine who he was verging on hopelessly in love with. This was the Blaine who protected him even when he didn't necessarily need protecting but most definitely appreciated it. This was the Blaine who turned down countless families just so he could stay and protect Kurt. This was the Blaine who most definitely had feelings for him and who he had feelings for.

This was Blaine.

And this was his chance.

After their final class of the day, they met backstage in the auditorium, waiting to be called out for their auditions.

"Are you nervous?"

"I've been singing this song since I was eight," Kurt smiled. "I'm ready."

"You're going to do amazing," Blaine encouraged. Seconds later, Blaine's name was called and he looked at Kurt, smiling nervously.

Kurt decided to take his chance before it was gone; or before he lost his courage. He grabbed Blaine's face and stepped forward, kissing him hard on the lips. He felt Blaine's hand reach up to cup his cheek gently and he reluctantly pulled away, cheeks flushed. Blaine stared at him in stunned silence for a moment before Kurt spoke up.

"Get out there and show them what you can do," he breathed out, pushing Blaine towards the stage. Blaine stumbled a bit before regaining his balance and stepping out to the center of the stage.

"My name is Blaine Anderson, and I'll be singing Teenage Dream, by Katy Perry." The Glee Club director nodded for him to start and he took a deep, steadying breath before starting to sing. He glanced at Kurt with a meaningful look as he began.

You think I'm pretty, without any makeup on…

You think I'm funny, when I tell the punch line wrong…

I know you get me, so I let my walls come down…

Down…

Before you met me, I was alright, but things were kinda heavy…

You brought me to life now every February…

You'll be my valentine…

Valentine…

He made a quick, millisecond decision to sing the chorus like the Boyce Avenue version of the song. It fit better.

Let's just talk, all through the night…

There's no need, to rush…

We can dance, until we die…

You and I…

We'll be young forever…

You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream…

The way you turn me on, I can't breathe…

Let's run away and don't ever look back…

Don't ever look back…

My heart stops, when you look at me…

Just one touch, now baby I believe…

This is real…

So take a chance and don't ever look back…

Don't ever look back, no…

Blaine sang the rest of the song in the style of Boyce Avenue as well, and he smiled at how much better it worked.

I will get your heart racing, if that's what you need, in this teenage dream tonight…

Let you rest your head on me, if that's what you need, in this teenage dream tonight…

Tonight, tonight…

Blaine finished the song, breathless and exhilarated. He glanced over at Kurt, who was biting his lip to hide his smile. Blaine grinned at him and turned back to look at Mr. Schuester, who stood and clapped.

"That was great, Blaine," he said enthusiastically. "We'll see you at rehearsals on Tuesdays and Thursdays—three to five-thirty."

Blaine hopped excitedly and thanked the teacher with a wave before running off the stage and into Kurt's arms.

"You…" he trailed off, staring at Kurt in shock. "You kissed me, but I—I mean, why?"

"Because I'm ready," Kurt told him with a peck to his lips that sent Blaine's heart racing. "I've told you before that I wasn't ready to date anyone but now I am. I want to be with you, and I don't give a damn what the idiots at this school think. I'm sick of not being able to walk down the halls hand in hand with you."

Blaine spluttered a little in surprise before he finally said, "Okay." He smiled dumbly and let his eyes flutter shut when Kurt kissed him sweetly. "I think it's your turn," he breathed out, gesturing to the stage with a soft smile. Kurt grinned and squeezed his hand before making his way to center stage.

"My name is Kurt Hummel and I'll be auditioning for the role of… glee clubber," he finished with a sheepish smile. "I'll be singing The Greatest Star from Funny Girl."

He pointed to the band and said 'hit it!' and they started playing music.

Blaine watched from the sidelines as Kurt brought the stage to life, rocking it like the star he was.

You're my star, he thought with a soft, affectionate grin. He couldn't stop grinning because, unofficially—they hadn't said the word boyfriend yet—they were dating. Kurt was his after all these years.

Kurt finished the song proudly, grinning brightly at the Glee director. Mr. Schuester gave him a standing ovation and beamed happily. "It'll be an honor to have you as a part of the group! Rehearsals are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from three to five-thirty. I'll see you there."

Kurt nodded quickly and clapped his hands together excitedly before running off the stage, launching himself forward knowing that Blaine was prepared to catch him in a hug. "We're both in!"

"I'm so proud of you," Blaine said, hugging him with one arm around Kurt's shoulders and the other under Kurt's arm. He felt Kurt relax into the hug and he smiled contentedly.

"We should get to the bus. Brent said he'd only stall for ten minutes to wait for us." Kurt pulled back reluctantly and pecked Blaine's cheek. Now that he'd had a taste of the sensation, he didn't ever want to stop kissing Blaine.

"Right," Blaine nodded, still smiling breathlessly. They walked to the bus together and failed to hide their laughter as one of the boys from the house was chewed out by the impatient bus driver. Their sort-of friend, Brent, winked at them as he sat down, mouthing 'you owe me one.' Kurt had to admit, his ten-minute stalling was pretty impressive. And very appreciated.

Kurt and Blaine sat together in the back of the bus, the only place where no one else sat so they could at least hold hands. Hidden from judging stares, Kurt rested his head on Blaine's shoulder, smiling in content. "I can't believe I finally kissed you…" he whispered.

"I'm so glad you did," Blaine replied with a bright grin. "I kinda started thinking about it a month or so ago and I realized that I was just waiting for you to be ready. I know we've sort of liked each other for a few years, but I just recently realized that I wanted you for my boyfriend."

"I just realized it today in math class," Kurt answered sheepishly. He grinned when Blaine wrapped an arm around his shoulders and rubbed lightly up and down his arm.

"I suppose there's nothing like a surprise kiss to enhance my performance for a big audition," Blaine teased. "In a way I'm glad you waited. I wanted to make sure you were ready, even if I'm the most impatient person alive." Kurt laughed softly and shook his head. "So… can I call you my boyfriend now?"

Kurt bit his lip anxiously, scooting closer to Blaine. "I… don't know. Not at school; not yet, at least. I know I said I didn't care what they thought, but the truth is we're both already being bullied enough as it is and I don't want to make it harder for either of us."

"I understand," Blaine nodded. While he would love to proudly walk up to Kurt's locker and kiss him breathless in the middle of the school hallway, neither of them were ready to take that risk. And McKinley High wasn't ready to accept them quite yet. Honestly, Blaine wasn't sure if they would ever be ready. In their lifetime, anyway. "But I can kiss you and do couple things with you when we're alone, right?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," Kurt nodded, sitting up and smiling at his friend—no, boyfriend. He bit his lip, smiling to himself. He could get used to that. Boyfriend. What a nice word. "I will proudly be your secret boyfriend, Blaine," he whispered. He didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the house and walked hand in hand towards the front door. When Kurt opened it, his heart skipped a beat at what he saw and he was suddenly launching himself forward into a warm hug.

"Beth!" he cried happily. "What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling away only slightly.

"I came to see you, silly," she smiled. She patted his head and ignored his protests about his now messy hair. "Wow, you've gotten tall. You're going to be taller than me soon, I'm sure."

Kurt grinned, standing on his tippy toes. He was the same height as her when he did that. "Ha! I'm almost there." Beth laughed and Kurt couldn't keep the almost painful grin off of his face. He'd missed Beth so much. "It's so good to see you," he said happily. Then his eyes widened and his smile grew brighter when he saw Blaine out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed both of their hands and tugged them up to his room. They sat down on Kurt's bed and Kurt leaned forward secretively. "I have something to tell you, Beth," he said, reaching out and grabbing Blaine's hand, biting his bottom lip lightly. "Blaine is—"

"Honey," Beth stopped him, smiling, "I know you want to make a big announcement, but I'm afraid you're pretty obvious. You and Blaine are dating, right?"

Kurt's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He glanced at Blaine, who shrugged, before looking at Beth. "How did you know?"

She laughed lightly, pulling him into a tight hug. "Kurt, sweetie, you're not exactly very subtle. You're looking at him like he's the whole world, and that's just out of the corner of your eye. I'm happy for you." Kurt, relieved and giddy, returned the hug and grinned.

"Thank you, Beth," he murmured. He heard Blaine clear his throat, reminding him that Blaine was still in the room. Kurt blushed and pulled away from Beth's embrace to be wrapped up in Blaine's. He smiled contentedly and curled up to Blaine's side. He was glad he could do that without having to worry about judging eyes watching him.

Luckily, once they'd turned fifteen, they'd been allowed to move into one of the smaller rooms that were meant for only two people. They got to choose their own roommates, and of course they'd chosen each other. So they now shared the room, and they didn't have to worry about someone coming in to bother them when the door was closed. That was a big relief because no one in the house could come in and see them cuddled together. Now that they were older, it wasn't just two kids sharing the warmth of a blanket. It was now seen as 'wrong' or 'weird' or 'creepy' according to their former roommates, who'd said so when they'd seen the two boys cuddling on the night of Kurt's birthday.

"You better treat him right, Blaine," Beth warned, only half-teasing. She looked at him seriously. She knew that he was a good kid, a polite boy who'd always stood up for Kurt. But she would always be worried about some guy, no matter who it was, breaking Kurt's heart. He was like a little brother to her, and she would always protect him.

"I plan to," Blaine assured her with a grin as he held Kurt close; he kissed the top of Kurt's hair and rubbed his back while doing so. "I promise you have no need to worry, Beth," he added. "I don't plan on hurting Kurt in any way, shape, or form." Kurt looked up at him and smiled softly, and Blaine returned the smile before kissing him sweetly. It was a short peck, but it was enough to make Kurt blush.

"That's good to hear." Beth smiled, satisfied. "By the way, I think you two make a lovely couple."

They both blushed this time, Kurt nestling in closer to Blaine's chest.

"Blaine, honey, do you have any dirty laundry—"

The voice spoke up from the doorway and all three of them looked up to see who it was, startled. "Quinn," Blaine said, smiling. "Yeah, I do. I'll bring it down and wash it later. Thanks." He looked at her curiously; she was staring at Beth, her face pale. "Quinn?"

Quinn was one of the older ladies who worked at the orphanage. She'd started volunteering shortly before Beth had left the house, and she'd quickly bonded with both Kurt and Blaine. She always took on a strange sort of sad smile whenever Beth came to visit Kurt, but Blaine had never seen her looked so utterly shocked.

"O-Oh," the woman stuttered out. "Beth is here. Nice to see you, sweetheart," she said with a tight smile, which quickly softened and turned sad.

"Hi," Beth waved, smiling. "I was just leaving, actually. I wanted to say goodbye to Kurt before I left."

Kurt tensed. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Why would you be saying goodbye? You said you'd never say goodbye, Beth," he said, starting to panic a little. Blaine hugged him closer, trying to calm him down. It worked… a little. "Beth?"

Now Beth was smiling sadly at him. "Sweetheart, I'm going to New York. I went to college here in Ohio to get my undergrad, but now I'm going to go further in New York. It's not really goodbye," she added. "It's just… I'll see you soon. But when I come back I'll have made something of myself."

Kurt nodded, though he really didn't want her to leave. He let her hug him, clinging to her before she had to go. "I love you, Beth," he said, repeating the words he'd said last time she'd left—and the time before that, and the time before that, and so on. She paid yearly visits to the orphanage, usually around the time of Kurt's birthday.

"I love you, too," she murmured before leaving the room. Kurt looked at Blaine with wide eyes, who nodded in understanding. They crept to the staircase landing and hid behind a blanket that was hanging from the railing, watching Beth. They watched as Quinn caught up to her, grasping her hand. The woman had tears in her eyes as she looked at Beth.

Kurt could barely make out what was being said, but he heard enough.

"Beth, wait—"

"You left me here!" Beth exclaimed, tears streaking her face. "You just left me. And then you had the nerve to come back and even when you had the chance to tell me, you let me leave! You didn't say anything! And you choose now, when it's too late, to tell me that you're my mother? Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?" she asked, her voice breaking as her face nearly crumbled. But she kept her mask of anger and pain on, hiding the feeling of want and longing that made her want to hug Quinn and never let go.

"Sweetheart, I didn't know what else to do," Quinn said pitifully. "But it doesn't have to be too late," she added with a scared, albeit hopeful, smile.

"No!" she shouted. "You don't get to do that! You don't get to do this to me. I'm leaving and I'm going to forget about you like you forgot about me." That was when she broke down into full-blown sobs, falling into Quinn's arms. Quinn hugged her and rubbed her back, completely oblivious to the fact that Kurt and Blaine were still watching with eavesdropping ears and eyes. "Why didn't you love me, mommy?" she asked Quinn, whimpering softly as her mother held her.

Blaine looked to his left and noticed silent tears falling from Kurt's eyes. Concerned, he pulled Kurt into his arms and led him back to their room. Blaine closed the door behind them before tucking Kurt in under the covers and climbing under them as well.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, stroking his fingers through Kurt's hair as Kurt finally let himself cry out loud.

"She's almost thirty and she's just now finding her mom," Kurt explained in one rushed breath, barely able to breathe through his crying. "The same thing happened to her that happened to us. We were left here by our parents because they didn't want us. Her mom left her because she was only sixteen and couldn't raise her.

"But what if we never find them, Blaine? At least now she knows she has a mom. For all I know my parents could be dead!" he choked out, heaving out muffled sobs into Blaine's chest now. "Why didn't they want me, Blaine? Why does nobody care about me except for you and Beth? And why did this have to happen to you, too?" he asked, his breathing hitching every few seconds. "You never deserved this. You deserve a family and a home and playful fights with brothers who love you and… everything. You deserve everything, Blaine, but not this!"

"Kurt, please, I need you to calm down. Just breathe for me, okay?" he prompted gently. "Just focus on my voice and breathe. You're going to be okay. I promise. I'll help you be okay again." Slowly, to the sound of Blaine's face, Kurt's breathing leveled out. Tears still streamed down his face, but he wasn't sobbing anymore. "That's it," Blaine smiled softly. "Kurt, your mother probably thought the same thing Quinn did; that she was too young and she couldn't raise you. But I'm sure she loved you with all of her heart. I'm sure she thinks about you every day wishing she could get you back. I'm sure she wishes she had a son as wonderful and kindhearted and selfless as you."

"I want to find them," Kurt blurted suddenly, wiping his tears on Blaine's t-shirt and clinging to him as he looked up to meet Blaine's eyes. "I want them to know who I am and I want to know who they are. I want to know if they wanted me."

Blaine kissed his forehead lightly and nodded. "Of course," he promised. "I'll help you find them. I promise they're going to love you if they don't already."

"You're kind of the best friend ever, you know that?" Kurt teased, smiling tearfully. Blaine smiled and wiped his tears. "And you're the best boyfriend ever," he added with a shy grin.

"I'm flattered but I'm taken," Blaine teased, earning a smack on the arm from Kurt. They both grinned and Kurt hugged Blaine tightly.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"For making me feel okay again," Kurt clarified. Blaine grinned even more, so much that his face hurt, and kissed Kurt's hair. They shifted so that Blaine was lying on his back and Kurt's head was cradled in the spot between Blaine's shoulder and his chest. He fit perfectly in that spot.

"I love you," Blaine whispered, smiling softly as he held Kurt close, easing the boy into a peaceful sleep.

"Love you, too," Kurt mumbled before drifting off, curled up to Blaine's side.

---

Kurt couldn't stop thinking about Beth. He hated seeing her so upset, but at the same time he was glad that she was finally coming to terms with a new part of her life. It had been a month since Beth had found out about her mom, and Kurt had seen them talking and laughing and crying and hugging at the house. Beth hadn't gone to New York as planned, instead deciding to wait a year and spend time getting to know her mother.

Kurt wondered how he'd never suspected it, though. Quinn had been volunteering at the orphanage for close to ten years, and he'd always admired her beauty alongside Beth's. She was one of the older women working at the house, but she never seemed to age physically.

And now that he really thought about it, Beth looked so much like her mother that Kurt felt like an idiot for not noticing sooner.

Overall, Kurt was happy for Beth. He missed her and he wished some of the time she spent at the orphanage was time that he got to spend with her, but he was happy for her. He loved Beth just like the sister he'd never had.

"Mr. Hummel," the teacher scolded from the front of the room. "Would you care to share whatever daydream is so much more interesting than my lessons?"

Kurt looked up at Mrs. Andrews, startled. "N-No, ma'am. It won't happen again."

"I should hope not."

Kurt sighed softly and went back to taking notes, although he already knew all of this from the summer classes he'd taken the previous year. Why he had to take the class anyway, he had no idea.

Kurt had nearly zoned out again when he felt someone nudge his arm. He glanced over and couldn't help but smile when he saw Blaine looking at him from the seat neighboring his. They sat in the back of the class, so they could easily pass notes back and forth, and that was just what Blaine was doing. He urged Kurt to open the note and he did.

What's on your mind? –Blaine

Beth and Quinn, Kurt wrote back in his elegant handwriting.

Details? –Blaine

I miss her. –Kurt

She isn't gone, you know. She still loves you just as much. –Blaine

Blaine smiled softly and sympathetically at Kurt as he passed him the note.

I know that, but I still wish I got to see her more. She's going to New York in a year. –Kurt

It'll all work out, I promise. Besides, you've still got me to talk to if you need to. :) –Blaine

Kurt smiled, subtly grasping Blaine's hand under their desks and glancing at the boy. 'I know,' he mouthed.

---

A week later, December 10th, Kurt and Blaine sat in the living room of the empty house. They sat on the couch, side by side, doing homework.

"Blaine…" Kurt started, startling Blaine a little, who looked up. "Sorry," Kurt smiled slightly. "I was just wondering… Can you kiss me? We haven't really had any time alone together since our first kiss…" Kurt blushed fervently, looking at Blaine and completely forgetting about their math homework.

Blaine smiled shyly, nodding. "You don't need to ask, you know," he said, already leaning closer to Kurt. Kurt's breath hitched and he moved their homework to the floor as Blaine got closer. And then Blaine was kissing him, cupping the back of Kurt's neck as he did.

Kurt's heart sped up and he closed his eyes, letting Blaine gently and tentatively lay him down on his back. Kurt lay flat on the couch except for where Blaine was supporting his head, leaning over him and not breaking the kiss.

"What the hell," a voice snapped, causing them both to freeze before scrambling to sit up. Their cheeks were flushed and they tried to calm their breathing as they looked at Jake and his three friends standing there.

"I-I…" Kurt trailed off, frozen in fear because of his childhood tormentors. He saw the hatred in their eyes, and he knew that he and Blaine couldn't do much against the four of them. Jake and his friends had filled out far more fully than either Kurt or Blaine had in the past few years.

"I always called you two out on being little fags, but I never thought it'd happen," Jake spat in disgust. Kurt flinched at the boy's words, terrified of the High School Senior among his Junior-class friends.

"Shut up," Blaine snapped, surprising Kurt, as he moved in front of Kurt protectively. He stood before the boys that were almost a foot taller than him each, but he didn't waver in his confidence. "You've tortured him long enough. Don't you think it's time to grow up and have a little respect?" he challenged angrily.

Jake just scoffed. "Move it, hobbit, and maybe we'll spare you the misery."

"Not a chance," Blaine said, standing his ground.

"Grab 'em," Jake ordered his friends. Kurt yelped when one of the boys grabbed his arms behind him and started pulling him towards the back door of the house, struggling when he saw the same being done to Blaine. Kurt struggled to be released from the grasp on his wrists, which only made him fall harder when he was shoved to the ground in the dark side-alley beside the house. He bumped his head on what felt like the brick wall and he shut his eyes tightly, groaning at the pain.

"Please," Kurt whimpered painfully, not knowing where Blaine was. He didn't see what happened, but he felt a sharp pain like he'd been kicked in the stomach, though it didn't feel as forceful as he thought it could be. That was odd. He didn't think they'd hold back at all. "Blaine," he managed once he caught his breath.

Kurt wasn't sure how much time passed, but the next thing he knew Blaine was at his side, helping him to sit up properly and murmuring in his ear. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. I'm here. It's alright. You're safe."

Kurt didn't see Jake or his friends; they were gone. Kurt didn't have time to think about how confused he was before he was hissing in pain when Blaine scooped him into his arms, carrying him inside the house.

"Where are you hurt?" Blaine was asking him. Kurt didn't answer at first; he just wanted to sleep and forget the pain. He just whimpered and held his head, feeling a soft comfort beneath him. He figured Blaine had set him on the couch or his bed. He tried to move so he could see Blaine better, but Blaine stopped him gently. "Shh, don't move. Don't make it worse, please," Blaine said gently, stroking through the side of Kurt's hair with his fingers. He gasped when his hand came back with Kurt's blood on his fingertips. "Kurt, your head," he choked out. "C'mon, I have to get you to the hospital—"

"No hospital," Kurt mumbled. He forced his eyes open and touched his fingers to his head, seeing them come back with blood.

"But you're hurt—"

"J-Just wrap it up," Kurt said with a wince. "It's not a concussion. I know what they feel like. I've had one before. Head injuries just bleed a lot even if they aren't really serious."

"Okay," Blaine agreed reluctantly, running to the bathroom and grabbing what he needed before hurrying back to the room he shared with Kurt. Kurt's eyes were closed and Blaine panicked a little. "Kurt? Kurt, are you alright?" he asked, kneeling beside the boy. Kurt grunted and opened his eyes, smiling a little.

"Just sleepy," he said. His head stung and his eyelids felt heavy, but he felt better than he had a minute ago.

Blaine started wrapping Kurt's head gently and he helped Kurt sit up once he was done. Kurt protested with a soft whimper when his head started spinning. Blaine gently laid him back down, not wanting to hurt him more. "What's wrong?"

"Just a little dizzy," Kurt answered, closing his eyes again. He sighed in relief when the dizziness wore off.

"Can I carry you upstairs?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded and let Blaine carry him to their room, smiling a little when Blaine laid him down on Blaine's bed and covered him with a blanket.

"Can I sleep now?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Blaine said with a soft smile. "Get some rest."

"Okay…"

Blaine helped Kurt change into a more comfortable shirt and some sweat pants—he didn't need a change of underwear, Blaine decided as a blush rose to his cheeks—and then crawled under the covers beside his boyfriend.

"Alright," Blaine murmured softly, wrapping his arm gently around Kurt's waist. "Are you comfortable?" Kurt nodded, cuddling closer and smiling when Blaine kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry…" he started.

"Don't," Kurt stopped him. "It's not your fault."

"I know but I just hate seeing you in pain…"

"I'm just fine," Kurt assured him. "I have you here with me, so I'm just fine. And I'll heal up good as new in no time," he smiled.

"Can I kiss you again?" Blaine asked with a small smile. "I locked the door this time so there will be no interruptions.

Kurt grinned sleepily and whispered a faint 'yes' as he turned his head just slightly to look at Blaine. Blaine leaned forward slowly and pressed his lips lightly, lovingly, to Kurt's, still careful not to hurt him. Kurt hummed happily and kissed back lazily, his mind fuzzy for more reasons than having hit his head.

"I love you," he whispered once they broke apart.

"I love you, too," Blaine whispered back, grinning.

Kurt smiled softly and rested his chin lightly on Blaine's chest, watching him. His head was a little less foggy so he could finally think
clearly, and he remembered being very confused before Blaine had brought him inside. "Blaine?"

"Yes?"

"How did you get them to leave?"

Blaine tensed slightly, cupping Kurt's cheek and brushing his thumb lightly over the space under his eye. "I… um… Well, when I saw them hurting you I got angry and… and I don't really even remember what happened. I just remember them running away and then I helped you inside. I think I stopped them before they could kick you again…"

Kurt studied Blaine's face and decided that he was telling the truth. "So… you beat them up?" he asked.

"I think so," Blaine admitted. "I don't know… I just sort of blacked out. It's like it wasn't even me. I just knew that I needed to protect you."

Kurt hummed thoughtfully, looking at Blaine and reaching up to put his hand over Blaine's on his face. "Thank you."

"You're not scared of me?" Blaine asked fearfully. "I mean… I-I could be dangerous and—"

"You won't hurt me," Kurt said. "You've never hurt me before and the only reason you got angry was because someone else hurt me. I trust you, Blaine, with everything."

Blaine smiled softly and kissed Kurt's lips sweetly, lingering for only a few seconds. "I'll always protect you, I promise."

---

A week later, Kurt's head had healed, a scab forming over the cut on the back of his head, under his hair. He'd been lucky to get away with only minor injuries, since Blaine had held them back and kept them from injuring him further. He was feeling much better. And now… it was time to think about Christmas shopping.

He didn't have much money of his own, of course, but it made it easier that he only had two people to shop for: Blaine and Beth.

But he only had eight days, and he had no idea what to get.

So he started hinting.

"Blaine, do you remember that place we went to last month? The star-space museum in Dayton?"

"Of course," Blaine grinned, hooking his arm through Kurt's as they sat down on the bus. "What about it?"

"Well, I remember you saying that it was really awesome when we went on that field trip for school. Would you like to go there again? Like, just us?"

"Neither of us can afford that," Blaine reasoned sadly. "I'd love to, though. It's fascinating."

Kurt sighed, clearing that idea from his mind. He looked over at Blaine and saw him smiling happily as he sang along quietly to whatever song was playing on the school bus radio. He was so adorable and he kept bouncing in his seat since he couldn't really dance sitting down. Kurt smiled as he watched, wishing more than anything that he had the courage to be openly in a relationship with Blaine. But he was still scared. He'd thought that the whole school would know after their encounter with Jake, but Blaine had apparently scared them off.

Blaine nearly fell off the seat when the bus hit a bump and Kurt had to hold back a giggle at the pout Blaine gave him. And it was then, when Kurt saw the way Blaine pouted and his eyes widened adorably, that he realized what he should get for Blaine for Christmas: a puppy.

It was perfect. Blaine reminded him of a puppy sometimes, so it was only fitting that Blaine had a pet pup of his own.

Kurt grinned excitedly and hugged Blaine, feeling his heart warm when Blaine relaxed into it and hummed happily.

---

It was Christmas Eve and Kurt could hardly believe he'd managed to earn enough money to actually buy Blaine a puppy. Blaine was going to be so excited, he just knew it.

Once everyone had gone to bed, Blaine snuck into Kurt's bed and wrapped his arms around the boy. Kurt smiled and nuzzled closer; he loved the way Blaine held him. It made him feel safe and protected and loved, and he never thought he'd be able to feel that after Beth left. But he was wrong.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Blaine murmured as he ran his fingers through Kurt's hair.

"Of course," Kurt smiled. "You're going to love your present."

"You didn't need to get me a gift, silly," Blaine said with a smile. "I told you. All I want for Christmas this year is for you to be happy finally."

"I am happy," Kurt shrugged. "You make me happy."

"I'm glad," Blaine whispered. "Go to sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

Kurt nodded and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly once Blaine started humming a soft melody. Kurt didn't recognize it, but it was pretty and he liked it.

---

When Blaine woke up, Kurt wasn't lying next to him. Blaine panicked a little and looked around the room, sitting up. He saw that he was in his own bed and Kurt was still in his. Somebody must have moved Blaine during the night; maybe one of the house volunteers, he thought. Blaine sighed and got up, crawling into bed next to his boyfriend. Whenever any one of the adults in the house found them sleeping in the same bed, they just moved one of them to the other bed. It happened all the time and Blaine hated it. The thought of Kurt having nightmares when Blaine wasn't there to hold him made Blaine's heart twist painfully.

"Morning," Kurt mumbled with a sleepy smile a few minutes later. Blaine smiled at him and hugged him closer. Kurt hadn't even had the chance to notice that Blaine had left the bed.

"Morning, love," Blaine replied, kissing Kurt's nose.

"So are the pet names going to be a regular thing now?" Kurt asked, giggling when Blaine kissed his nose.

"Do you want them to be a regular thing?" Blaine smiled. "I kind of like the idea of calling you my sweetheart."

"Can I call you Blainey?" Kurt asked, biting his lip to hide his smile.

Blaine whined, shaking his head. "No. I hate that name. That's what Rachel always used to call me."

Kurt laughed and kissed Blaine's cheek. "I know. I'm sorry. I won't call you Blainey. What about darling? Can I call you darling?"

"Only if I can call you honey," Blaine reasoned. Kurt pouted and shook his head.

"I like sweetheart better. Or 'love.' I like when you call me that. It seems so fantasy-like and romantic."

"Okay," Blaine smiled. "Then you call me…" he thought about it for a moment. "Call me sweetheart, too. I like that one. It fits."

Kurt grinned and nodded. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"I love you," Blaine laughed happily, kissing Kurt's lips lightly. "Should we open our presents now?"

"Actually, your present isn't exactly here," Kurt admitted.

"Funny," Blaine smiled. "Neither is yours."

Kurt grinned. "I'm intrigued. Can I show you yours first?" Blaine nodded, curious to see what it was. "Okay. We'll have to be sneaky again with the car." Blaine grinned excitedly and they both got up and got dressed before leaving.

Kurt and Blaine had both turned sixteen in the past month, Kurt on December 2nd and Blaine on December 6th, so they managed to borrow the keys to Quinn's car and Kurt drove them to the animal shelter. When Blaine realized where they were going, he gasped and his eyes widened. He turned to Kurt and grinned.

"Am I dreaming or are you actually buying me a puppy for Christmas?" he asked in disbelief.

Kurt giggled, happy to see Blaine so excited. "You're getting any puppy you want."

"Kurt, how are you affording this? And we need food and a leash and a collar and everything."

"I picked up a job at the Lima Bean and I've been babysitting a lot," Kurt shrugged. "I make enough that we can have food for it and all that stuff. Don't worry."

"But Ms. Scarlet would never allow it—"

Kurt grinned. "Oh, please. She loves me. It wasn't hard to convince her. I just had to promise that we'd be the ones taking care of it."

"Kurt, you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble for me," Blaine said, sighing. He knew there wasn't really much point in arguing when Kurt was so set on this.

"It was all worth it to see you smiling like that," Kurt said with a soft smile as they parked outside the shelter building. Blaine smiled gratefully and linked his hand with Kurt's as they got out of the car and walked inside. He looked around at all the different dogs, trying to decide which one he wanted.

Eventually, he found the perfect one. It was a new-born black Labrador with a mangled ear and a furless paw. It barked adorably at Blaine when he kneeled down in front of its cage. He looked at the name tag. "Moonlight," he read, smiling at the pup. "I'm going to take you home, little guy. Do you want to come home with me?" he asked, grinning.

Kurt watched Blaine fondly, telling the lady at the front desk which one they'd chosen. One of the employees took the dog out of its cage and put him in a kennel for them to take him home in. Kurt paid for the pup and they left.

"Thank you so much, Kurt, I love him!" Blaine exclaimed. The second they were in the car, Blaine got Moonlight out of his kennel and held him, scratching behind his ears until the dog fell asleep.

"I'm glad," Kurt answered with a satisfied grin. "So, you mentioned that my present isn't at home?"

Blaine looked at him as if just now remembering. "Yeah!" he said excitedly. "Let's take this little rascal home and get him settled in our room before we go. We don't want to leave him in the car."

Kurt nodded and they drove home, set the yawning pup in the small dog bed that Kurt had bought. Kurt asked Ms. Scarlet if she would be willing to take care of the pup for a bit and she reluctantly agreed. Then Kurt smiled excitedly and went out to sit in the car since Blaine said he'd be out in a minute.

"Ms. Scarlet, I was wondering if Kurt and I could have a curfew extension tonight," Blaine said politely. "The thing is… I found the perfect Christmas present for him. I found his parents…"

Ms. Scarlet's eyes widened. "Say no more. I know how lonely he gets and I know how much this would mean to him. I'll expect to see you tomorrow unless you call to let me know otherwise."

Blaine grinned. "Thank you so much, Ms. Scarlet!" He hugged her quickly and left, hopping excitedly into the driver's seat.

"Can I have any hints as to where we're going?" Kurt asked excitedly once they started driving.

"Nope, but you can make guesses," Blaine said, smiling.

After about an hour, they parked by the curb outside a house that Kurt didn't recognize. He looked at Blaine, frowning in confusion. "Blaine, where are we?"

"Don't get upset," Blaine said softly, reaching over and taking Kurt's hands, turning so he could look directly at Kurt. "I did a lot of research and I asked Beth if our name tags had last names when she found us or if they were just made up names. But no, they're our real names. So, I dug deeper and… I was able to find your parents." Kurt sucked in a sharp breath and squeezed Blaine's hands as his heart raced and his breathing sped up. "Kurt, calm down, sweetie," Blaine soothed, shifting so he could pull Kurt into his lap and hug him. "It'll be okay. I promise. I did some research on them and they're really nice people. Your dad owns a tire shop and your mom is the owner of a music shop where she gives piano lessons. It's just the two of them, and they're a really nice family. You don't have to worry."

"What if they don't want me, Blaine?" Kurt asked, panicking as he clung to Blaine and buried his face in the boy's shoulder. "What if they tell me to leave? I don't think I can handle that type of rejection…" He let out a choked sob, not letting any tears fall as he choked on his own breaths. "Take me home, Blaine," he gasped out. "Take me home. I can't do this."

"Yes, you can," Blaine urged. "I'll be right next to you the whole time. Nobody is going to reject you, I promise. You're amazing, Kurt. They're going to love you just as much as I love you."

It took another five minutes for Kurt to calm his breathing down. When he did, his grip on Blaine didn't loosen. He held him tightly, his forehead pressed into Blaine's neck as he curled up on Blaine's lap. He was safe there. No one could hurt him or reject him as long as he was with Blaine.

"O-Okay," he said. "Let's go knock on the door."

Blaine nodded and he hugged Kurt's waist with one arm as they walked up to the front porch. No matter how much Kurt wanted Blaine to hold him, he wanted to wait until he knew whether or not his parents were open-minded about his sexuality. So, for now, he settled for holding Blaine's hand.

They rang the doorbell.

For a few seconds, no one answered and Kurt shifted uncomfortably. "M-Maybe they're not home and we should come back another day."

"It's Christmas," Blaine said. "Where would they go on Christmas?"

Kurt nodded and gulped nervously, squeezing Blaine's hand like a lifeline. When he heard the door being unlocked from the inside, he stifled a gasp and moved behind Blaine slightly, still gripping his hand.

When the door opened, there stood a beautiful woman with long, curled, chestnut hair and vividly blue irises. She was clearly Kurt's mother, Blaine noted. She studied them for a moment with a kind smile. "Can I help you, boys?"

Kurt tried to speak. "I-I'm… uh, I-I…"

Blaine, thankfully, spoke up for him, letting Kurt relax slightly with a relieved sigh. "Are you Mrs. Hummel?"

"I am," she answered, lifting one eyebrow curiously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Blaine Anderson, but that's not why we're here," Blaine explained slowly, wincing slightly at how tight Kurt's grip was. "Mrs. Hummel, this is Kurt. And he's your son."

---

Kurt's heart sped up to the point where it couldn't possibly be healthy as he stared at the woman who was very clearly his mother. He looked just like her. When Blaine finished speaking and the woman gasped softly, he thought his heart was going to stop. "I-I…" he managed, feeling uncomfortably anxious under her stunned gaze.

"Oh, my baby," she whispered, emotion flooding her tone, and Kurt barely had time to move before she was stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. "My baby boy," she said again.

"Y-yeah," he said with a choked sob as he hugged her tightly.

"Please, please, come in, boys," she murmured, pulling back slightly to cup Kurt's face in both hands and just look at him. Her eyes welled up with tears as she tugged her son inside and Blaine followed, staying silent. "Oh, my sweet Kurt," she said as they sat on the sofa. Kurt sighed in relief as his mother held him. It was so strange and so unlike anything he'd ever experienced, but it was the most amazing feeling in the world. He rested his head on her chest and rubbed Kurt's back, kissing his forehead. "Oh, you're so grown up and handsome… Burt, come in here!" she called out shakily.

Grumbling, an older man, in his early thirties, Kurt guessed, descended the stairs and entered the living room. For a moment, he looked confused, but then he saw the boy in Elizabeth's arms and he gasped, seeing the resemblance instantly. "My son," he whispered before dropping to sit on the couch on Kurt's other side, embracing him warmly. Kurt inhaled the man's scent, committing it to memory and soaking up the felt perfect to be in the loving arms of his parents.

"How did you find us, darling?" Elizabeth asked, smiling softly down at her son. Kurt glanced at Blaine, who was standing awkwardly by the door. He pointed to his boyfriend.

"Blaine found you and brought me here," he answered quietly.

Elizabeth looked up at Blaine, as did Burt. "Thank you, Blaine, for bringing us our baby boy." She turned back to Kurt. "We've been looking for you for years, but when we finally found you and tried to get you back, we couldn't just take you away and change your entire life. We wanted to wait for you to come to us so we'd know you were ready."

"All I've ever wanted is for you to somehow find me and take me away," Kurt admitted, crying softly into his mother's shirt. "For the past sixteen years, I've grown up thinking you didn't want me."

"We always wanted you, baby," she said sincerely as Burt hugged his son tighter. "We just didn't know how to take care of you. We were only sixteen and if I hadn't given you up my mother would have kicked me out of the house. I'm so, so sorry, Kurt."

"You're our only son and we love you more than anything in the world," Burt said, softly despite his gruff demeanor.

"I love you, too," Kurt said, curling his knees up to his chest and closing his eyes. He could still feel his mother holding him and his father rubbing his back with a firm yet gentle hand. "If I tell you something," Kurt began nervously, tensing up, "will you still love me just as much?"

"Of course," they both said at the same time.

Kurt took a deep breath, deciding it'd be better to just get it out quickly. "I'm… I'm gay," he said, barely above a whisper. His voice shook and he waited for the rejection that was sure to come.

"Sweetheart, it's alright," his mother said softly, kissing the top of his hair. "You can love whoever you want and we'll still love you just the same."

Kurt's hands shook as he said the next part. "I-I love Blaine… Blaine is my boyfriend and he loves me, too."

"For how long?"

"Only about a month," Kurt answered. "But we've been best friends since we were really little and he makes me really happy." Kurt couldn't help but smile while talking about Blaine.

"C'mere, Blaine," Elizabeth said with a soft smile towards the curly-haired boy.

When Blaine stood in front of the couch they were on, Kurt breathed out in relief and stood up, throwing his arms around Blaine's shoulders and holding him close. It was such a relief to know that his parents were okay with them. He pecked Blaine's lips briefly before burying his face in Blaine's shoulder.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," Blaine murmured, kissing his cheek.

"You two are so cute," his mother interrupted, smiling as she stood up. Burt mumbled in agreement, though he felt very protective over his son, who was so young and so thoughtlessly in love. He knew it was possible; he'd met the love of his life, Elizabeth, when they were fifteen. But he couldn't help wanting to protect his only son. "Blaine, do you want to stay for dinner?" she asked as Kurt turned back to her and curled into her, seeking warmth and comfort.

"I'm staying, too, right?" Kurt asked hesitantly.

"Of course, sweetie," she assured. "You can stay as long as you want. And Blaine is welcome as well."

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel," Blaine smiled. "I'd love to stay. And I'm sure Kurt wants me to?" he asked, looking at Kurt with a soft smile. Kurt nodded without hesitation, smiling brightly at Blaine. Blaine grinned as well. He was so glad that Kurt was finally happy. He finally had a loving family. He didn't care about anything else as long as Kurt was happy.

---

That night, the four of them sat around the Hummel dinner table, Kurt sitting between his mother and father while Blaine sat on the other side of the table, smiling at his boyfriend. Kurt talked happily with his parents, telling them about several things that had happened in the past sixteen years of his life.

He talked about Beth and Quinn and how it was them that made him wish more than ever that he had parents of his own. Elizabeth had been close to tears by then, hugging him tightly.

He talked about the moment he realized that he was gay and how it scared him to death but that he had Blaine there to help him through everything.

Eventually, he told them about Blaine.

"Blaine's been my best friend since before pre-school. He always helped me stick up to the boys in the house who were mean to me. He stayed with me even when a nice family asked him to come home with them. He made my birthdays and Christmases the happiest they could have been. And he held me and let me cry when I needed it.

"Blaine's been there for me for as long as I can remember. And last month, I found out that he likes me back when I've had a crush on him for years now." He smiled teasingly at Blaine. "It sure took him long enough to let me know that he still had a crush on me, too."

Blaine blushed as the attention was turned to him. "Uh, I-I didn't want to push for anything that would make Kurt uncomfortable. If I'd have known that it would make him as happy as he's been recently, I would have confessed my true feelings months ago. All that matters to me now is that Kurt is happy."

"Blaine…" Kurt said softly, blushing.

"You're a very sweet boy, Blaine," Elizabeth said with a smile. "We can't thank you enough for taking care of our son."

Burt nodded in agreement. "It means the world to us that you care so much about him. You're welcome here as long as you want."

Suddenly, Kurt yawned loudly, drawing all the focus to him. He blushed and sunk further into his mother's embrace. "Sorry… I'm getting sleepy. I, uh…"

Seeing Kurt's nervous hesitance, Elizabeth squeezed him affectionately, smiling softly. "Sweetheart, you can sleep in the spare room upstairs. I promise we'll have it fully prepared for you as soon as possible, but it's your room if you want it and there's already a bed."

"Can Blaine sleep in there with me?" Kurt asked softly. "It's just… well, I haven't been able to sleep through the night in the past month without crawling into his bed to let him hold me…" Kurt blushed, looking between his two parents.

"That's fine," Burt said, surprising everyone in the room. Everyone turned to him and he shrugged. "What? Kurt, I want you to be comfortable here, and as long as the door stays open—"

"Burt—"

"Okay, half way open," he amended, seeing the look Elizabeth was throwing him. He knew what she was thinking—they've only been together for a month and Blaine is respectful of Kurt. "Just keep it PG, okay, boys?"

Kurt nodded quickly, sitting up awkwardly now and blushing to his roots. "Okay… I-I promise that we h-haven't—won't do anything like… that," he blushed even harder. "We haven't and we won't."

"Glad to hear it," Burt smiled. Then he chuckled slightly, putting a hand lightly on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt looked at him and, seeing the kind smile, leaned into his father's side. "What's the fun in being a father if I don't embarrass him and his boyfriend at least once?" he teased. Kurt laughed lightly and hugged the man.

"If it's alright, I'd like to go to sleep now," he said softly, sitting up after a few moments longer. He smiled at both of his parents before smiling at Blaine. "Ready?" he asked.

Blaine nodded, smiling, and stood up when Kurt did. They joined hands and Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek as they left the room. Kurt smiled and leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder, hugging the boy's arm.

Once the boys were upstairs, Elizabeth scooted closer to Burt. "Can you pinch me because I think I may be dreaming?" she asked, a grin spreading across her face. "I can't believe we just got our baby boy back."

Burt smiled widely and hugged her, a small celebration.

---

It didn't take very long to find which bedroom was Kurt's. They changed into comfortable clothes, which Blaine had secretly packed just in case all went well. Then they climbed into bed, slipping under the warmth of the covers. The quilt was obviously sewn at home, judging by the slightly messy patterns that made it homier somehow. Kurt smiled at the bedspread, guessing that his mother had made it all.

"Do you want to sleep or do you want to talk?" Blaine asked softly once they'd settled down. Blaine lay on his back while Kurt nestled into his side, one hand on Blaine's chest while his head rested on Blaine's shoulder.

"Can you just sing to me until I'm sleeping?" Kurt asked after a yawn. "I don't really feel like talking much," he said, sounding and looking more content than Blaine had ever known him to be.

"Okay," he said with a soft smile, kissing Kurt's forehead.

Why do birds suddenly appear…

Every time you are near?

Just like me, they long to be…

Close to you…

Why do stars fall down from the sky…

Every time you walk by?

Just like me, they long to be…

Close to you…

On the day that you were born, the angels got together…

And decided to create a dream come true…

So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue…

Blaine heard soft snuffling noises made by Kurt, so he knew he was sleeping. He smiled down at the boy, pressing a warm kiss to his forehead and lingering for a moment before closing his eyes.

All through the night, he hugged Kurt close to him, without the slightest intention of ever letting go.

…

The next morning, Blaine woke up to Kurt's smile.

He smiled sleepily back at his boyfriend, rubbing his eyes. "Morning, beautiful. What are you smiling about?"

"You," Kurt answered dreamily. "I love you so much and you sing beautifully."

Blaine's heart warmed at Kurt's words and he pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of Kurt's mouth. "I love you, too. And thank you; you sing like an angel, though."

Kurt just smiled, not bothering to deflect the compliment. He was too happy and content. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything," Kurt answered, leaning up and kissing Blaine, deepening it slightly before pulling away. His lips still lingered close to Blaine's as he spoke. "I can't believe you found my parents… and I can never thank you enough. I love you." He kissed Blaine again, this time not pulling away, deepening it slightly instead.

"Mm…" Blaine hummed in pleasant surprise. He cupped Kurt's neck with one hand and wrapped his other arm around Kurt's back, under his arm. All at the same time, Kurt moved so that he was above Blaine, kissing him tenderly. Content to be held close by Blaine and to continue kissing slowly like they were, Kurt didn't bother deepening the kiss further.

After a few minutes, Kurt returned to his previous position, cocooned comfortably in Blaine's arms. Blaine hummed happily, holding him close and running his free hand through Kurt's hair. Kurt practically purred his approval, "I like that. That feels good."

Blaine smiled and continued the action, humming a soft song in Kurt's ear. Kurt sighed in content instantly at hearing the soothing song—a slowed down, soft version of Teenage Dream; the same one Blaine had sung at his Glee Club audition.

"Boys!" shouted a familiar voice from downstairs. "It's breakfast time! Elizabeth made pancakes!" Burt called.

Kurt sighed softly when the moment was ruined and they had to sit up. Kneeling on the edge of the bed while Blaine stood up, Kurt smiled into it when Blaine kissed him lightly. He cupped Kurt's jaw, stroking his cheekbone with his thumb for a moment before going to change into some day clothes. With a sigh, Kurt took his clothes into the bathroom to change.

A few minutes later, they walked downstairs, hand in hand and smiling. Kurt's mood immediately brightened when he saw his parents in the kitchen, Elizabeth swatting Burt's hand away from the powdered sugar. "No," he heard her tell the man with a good-natured smile. "You get fruit on your pancake because there is no way I'm letting you have another heart attack."

Kurt stopped in his tracks at hearing the last part. He squeezed Blaine's hand tighter and looked at him, fear swirling in his blue eyes.

"Oh, hi, sweetheart!" his mother exclaimed happily when she saw them. She walked over and hugged Kurt after removing her baking apron. "Did you sleep well, boys?"

Kurt nodded, hugging her tightly. "Yes. Thank you. Breakfast smells good," he commented.

They all sat down, Kurt sitting next to Blaine this time and never letting go of his hand while they ate in silence. By the time they were finished eating, Kurt couldn't keep his thoughts to himself any longer.

"When did you have a heart attack?" he asked, trembling even as Blaine squeezed his hand comfortingly.

Both parents looked up in surprise. Elizabeth was the first to speak. "Sweetie, how did you know about that?"

"I heard you when we came downstairs," he said, looking between the two adults. "What happened?"

Burt sighed. "Kurt, it's nothing to worry about. It was about a year ago and I'm much better now. Your mom keeps me healthy; like, insanely healthy." Elizabeth shot him a glare and he laughed. "Trust me. I'm well taken care of."

Kurt sighed, nodding. "Okay… I just… I just couldn't help but worry, you know? It's hard to take in that I almost didn't have a dad." His voice broke and Blaine immediately wrapped his arms around the boy, rubbing his back. Kurt started crying into his chest no matter how hard he tried to calm down.

"Shush," he soothed gently. "It's okay; it's alright. Your dad is safe. He's not going anywhere. Sweetie, calm down, it's okay."

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered through his tears. "I-I just c-can't think about not h-having my dad after w-waiting a-a-and searching so long…"

"Shush, I know," he murmured, still rubbing Kurt's back. "I know, but it's all okay now. Take a deep breath, alright? He's here, you're here; we're all here. Just relax, sweetheart."

Kurt nodded, taking shuddering breaths while his parents watched in shock at their son's meltdown. They watched in relief as Blaine eventually managed to calm the boy down. After a few more minutes of shaking and trembling breaths, Kurt deflated with a long exhale, slumping against Blaine's chest.

"B-Blaine?" he asked.

"Yes, Kurt?" Blaine asked gently, patiently.

"C-Could I spend some time alone with m-my parents? And do you think you could grab my locket from the house?" he asked hesitantly. "I forgot to grab it yesterday when we left…"

"Of course, honey," Blaine replied without hesitation. "Anything you want, okay?" Kurt nodded, whispering, 'okay.'

Kurt settled into his parents' arms as Blaine quietly left the house.

Blaine got in the car and took a deep breath. Before heading back to the house, he had some business to take care of. He was going to see his own parents.

---

Kurt tried to calm his breathing as he let himself be held by his parents. "Y-You should have c-c-come to get me out of t-that p-place…" he said, close to hysterics as he rocked back and forth slowly. Every last insecurity he'd ever had about his parents came crawling back. "Y-You just l-left me there when you knew w-where I was and…" he trailed off, letting out a breathless sob. "Burt, you a-almost d-died and I never would have gotten to m-meet you… W-W-Why didn't you want me enough to t-t-take me h-h-home?" He couldn't control his erratic breathing now, clinging to his father's shirt as Burt held him and Elizabeth kissed the top of his hair.

"Kurt, sweetie…" she said, heartbroken by her son's pain. "Oh, baby, we wanted you to come home with us. But… we thought it was for the best at the time. We thought you were happy…" She paused, trying to compose herself. "Kurt, baby, there's no excuse. I'm so, so sorry, honey. We love you so much."

"I love you, too… Both of you…" he cried, blubbering like a small child. But he didn't care at the moment. He just wanted reassurance that his mom and dad hadn't abandoned him. He'd convinced himself over the years that that was the case, so he needed a lot more than a few conversations and hugs to take away that implanted insecurity.

He just wanted to stop feeling like an unwanted, unloved, abandoned little kid—because that was exactly what Kurt had thought of himself for as long as he could remember.

---

While doing the research to find Kurt's parents, Blaine had also taken the time to find his own parents. He hadn't told Kurt, of course, because it was Kurt's special Christmas miracle and Blaine wasn't about to take that away from him by bringing his own problems into the situation. If everything went wrong, he could just pretend that nothing had happened and he could be happy because Kurt was happy.

At least, he thought he was strong enough to do that. But the truth was, he knew he'd end up telling Kurt because Kurt was the only person who could make him feel better if it all came crashing down.

When he pulled up outside the place with the right address, he gulped around the lump in his throat. But before he could let himself back out due to over-thinking it, he hopped out of the car.

It was an old apartment complex, and he took a minute to find the right door. When he finally did, he regretted knocking almost instantly.

"What?" a woman screamed at him as soon as the door was yanked open. Blaine flinched, stunned by the outburst. "What do you want, kid?" she demanded again. It was obvious she'd been drinking.

"A-Are you Melissa Anderson?"

The woman glared viciously at him. "How do you know that name? No one knows that name!" she hissed, grabbing his arm and yanking him inside. He yelped in surprise but he was too stunned to resist. "Who the hell do you think you are, and how the hell do you know my… my ex's last name?"

Blaine stuttered out a response. "Melissa, I-I think I may be your son."

The woman seemed to be caught off guard for a moment before she started screaming at him. "Get out! Get out, now! You ruined my life, you little brat, and you drove him away!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face.

"P-Please," he begged, backing away towards the door. She grabbed a broken beer bottle from the floor and pointed it at him. "Please, I just want to know why…" he said in a small voice.

She paused, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I just want to know what could have possibly happened that made you give me up," Blaine said, his voice catching in his throat and coming out cracked. "I just want to know why you didn't love me…"

"Sit down," she said reluctantly, gesturing to the couch. Blaine nodded and sat down on the couch, awaiting an explanation. "Your father and I were High School sweethearts. We were the top of the High School food chain up until halfway through senior year. That's the year I got pregnant," she said, resentment filling her words. Blaine shifted uncomfortably, knowing that the cold bitterness was directed towards him. "After I got pregnant, his parents found out and they threatened to kick him out. I even offered for him to stay with my family, but he left me and he never talked to me again. He always said he loved me and then he left!" she said angrily, shaking her head. "That's all love is. You get your hopes up until you think it can't get any better and then you fall and you break. And there's no way to get your heart back once it's gone with them." She paused, shaking her head. "I took his last name but I haven't seen him since we graduated."

Blaine listened intently, desperately wanting more information. "Please, if you could just tell me how to find him… A first name, something…"

"Just leave!" she shouted, startling Blaine. "I never want to see you again. You ruined my life! Just take a look at me; I have nothing but a six pack of beer and a warrant for my arrest, charged for vandalism." She laughed bitterly. "Didn't you hear me?" she screamed, looking at him angrily again. "I said go! Why aren't you gone yet?"

Tears streaming down his face, Blaine stood and left. He made it all the way to the car before he broke down. He banged his fist against the side of the car, wincing when it sent a shock of pain through his hand. Then he started sobbing, sliding to the ground and leaning his back against the side of the car.

He'd been realistic. He hadn't gotten his hopes up, knowing that those hopes could be crushed. He'd expected the absolute worst so that he wouldn't be disappointed…

And yet, he never could have prepared himself for this. He never thought it would hurt so badly. And he didn't even have a way of finding his father now. The only person who had come up in his search was Melissa Anderson.

He had no idea what he was supposed to do now. He felt lost, like he was floating. The only thing he felt certain of was this: he needed Kurt.

---

Kurt was starting to get worried. Blaine had been gone a long time. He'd left almost three hours ago and he wasn't back yet.

Just as Kurt was about to ask if he could use his parents' car to go look for Blaine, there was a knock on the door. He ran to open it and he saw Blaine as soon as he did. Sure enough, he had the locket with him.

Kurt smiled and threw his arms around the boy, tucking his chin into Blaine's shoulder. "I missed you. I was starting to get worried."

"Traffic," Blaine explained shortly, and Kurt was too relieved to have back to even notice the strained struggle in Blaine's voice. "I got your locket. And I brought Moonlight as well." He held up the locket and the pup's leash.

"Thank you so much!" Kurt grinned. He pecked Blaine's lips before letting the boy fasten the necklace around his neck.

Blaine nodded, smiling tensely. This time, Kurt noticed immediately that something was wrong. He frowned, concerned. "Blaine? What's the matter?"

Blaine shook his head quickly, reaching for Kurt's hands and holding on tightly. "C-Can we… uh… your room?" he asked, noticing Kurt's parents in the kitchen.

Kurt nodded shortly and walked to his room with Blaine tucked securely into his side. As soon as they were behind Kurt's closed door, Blaine couldn't hide anything from the boy. He turned so his face was buried in Kurt's chest and he started crying, which soon turned to breathless, heartbreaking sobbing.

Stunned, Kurt rubbed Blaine's back soothingly, holding him close as they stood in the middle of the room. "Blaine, honey, what's wrong? You're worrying me… Are you hurt? Did somebody hurt you?" Blaine nodded, still sobbing as he clung to Kurt's shirt. "Oh, honey… Shush, it's okay. Tell me what happened. It's gonna be okay."

It took a few minutes for Blaine to calm down enough to talk, but he eventually did and they lay down on Kurt's bed. They lay facing each other and Kurt gently stroked his fingers through Blaine's hair, comforting him.

"I-I found my mom," Blaine whispered shakily. Kurt's eyes widened and he waited for Blaine to continue. "I-It didn't e-end well…"

"What happened, sweetheart?" Kurt asked softly.

"S-She was d-drinking a-and… and she t-told me to l-leave… never wants to s-see me again… I ruined everything…" he mumbled, barely coherent. Then he started crying again, nuzzling into Kurt's shoulder. Kurt cooed softly in his ear, rubbing his back in soothing circles.

"Honey, you don't need her," he said gently. "If she can't see how amazing you are, then she doesn't even deserve you as her son. I love you just the way you are, okay? Please don't ever forget that."

"I l-love you, too," he choked out, breathing rapidly.

"Try to get some sleep, okay? I'll be here when you wake up." Blaine nodded, not trusting himself to speak. They shifted until Kurt was on his back and Blaine was resting his head on Kurt's chest, curled around him like a koala.

Blaine fell asleep soon after Kurt started humming soothingly in his ear, rubbing his back.

---

Burt and Elizabeth heard most of the conversation through the door. They felt guilty for eavesdropping, but they were only doing it for the greater good. They were trying to help their son and their son's boyfriend.

"The only option I can see here is that we just adopt Blaine. Well, not really adopt him, since he and Kurt are dating. But we have to get the papers signed to legally adopt Kurt, anyway, so we should sign for legal guardianship of Blaine. He deserves a real family," Elizabeth said to Burt as they sat on the sofa, plotting.

"I think you're right," Burt nodded. "And I'm sure Kurt would appreciate having Blaine living here. I can see how close they are. I don't know what it'd do to Kurt if we separated them."

"And I don't want to find out how hurt he'd be," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "I think it's the right thing to do."

---

Later that day, Elizabeth was met with a surprise in the form of a Labrador puppy that was bigger than most puppies. She gasped when the excited dog leapt up and pawed innocently at her thighs while she was in the kitchen.

"Kurt! Blaine!" she called. It must have been their dog. She didn't have any problem with them keeping it there, but she did wish she'd had some sort of warning that the dog would be in the house.

Both boys came down the stairs, holding hands. Blaine's eyes widened when he saw the scene unfolding before him and he stuttered out an apology, afraid that they'd make him put the dog outside or worse: get rid of him. "I-I'm sorry—I didn't mean—"

"Blaine, it's okay," Elizabeth reassured instantly, smiling. "I'm not mad. I've always wanted a dog, actually. Just make sure you tell me next time you decide to bring an animal into the house."

Blaine smile and nodded nervously before stepping forward and calling for his dog.

"Moonlight! C'mere, boy!" The dog came running at him excitedly and he grinned, rubbing the dog's ears. He knelt down, laughing when Moonlight took the opportunity to lick his cheek sloppily.

Kurt smiled as he watched his boyfriend play with the puppy happily. He felt his mom squeeze his shoulder and he looked at her and smiled. "Thank you."

She smiled and nodded. "If it makes you both happy, you'd be surprised how much I'd be willing to do."

Kurt smiled and hugged her, sighing contentedly and feeling safe and warm and home. He never wanted to stop feeling like that.

---

The next day, they all drove back to the Lima Orphanage. Blaine and Kurt rode in the car that they'd borrowed from the house, and Kurt's parents rode in their truck.

They arrived at the house in a little less than an hour. Kurt and Blaine exited the car and joined hands almost immediately. Blaine felt Kurt squeezing his hand reassuringly but he was dreading the next few hours. He knew what was going to happen. Kurt's parents were going to sign the papers and then take Kurt home, leaving Blaine all alone with nowhere to go. He knew that he would still see Kurt occasionally, but they wouldn't be at the same school anymore. There would be visits, but it wouldn't be the same ever again.

"Blaine?" Blaine startled out of his thoughts when he heard Kurt's voice.

"Y-Yeah?"

Kurt looked at him with concern, squeezing his hand as they walked inside the big house. Blaine sighed. He walked upstairs to their room with Kurt following close behind. Blaine didn't want to hear the conversation between the Hummels and the House Mother, so he shut the door behind them, sitting down on the bed.

"Blaine, please talk to me," Kurt said, sitting down beside Blaine. Kurt knew why Blaine was upset, and he wished he knew how to help, but he just didn't. The best he could manage right now was a listening ear and a welcoming hug.

What he didn't expect was for Blaine to kiss him, messy and desperate. "Don't leave me behind…" he murmured against Kurt's lips.

"Blaine…" Kurt breathed out, cupping Blaine's cheek and pulling away slightly so that he could talk to Blaine and look into his eyes. "Blaine, please listen," he said firmly but caringly. "No one is leaving you behind. You're coming home with us. I'll make sure that my parents let you."

"But—But I can't," Blaine stammered, trembling fearfully. "I-I—but I—"

Suddenly, the door cracked open, revealing Kurt's parents, who were smiling at the two boys. Burt grinned, saying, "It's official."

Kurt looked at them, confused. "What is?"

"You and Blaine are coming home with us. The paperwork is signed for both of you," Elizabeth said.

Kurt's eyes widened and he grinned. "You…"

"We're his legal guardians now," she told him, smiling softly.

Kurt turned to Blaine and hugged him tightly, almost knocking him over. "Blaine! You're coming home with us!"

"Home…" Blaine repeated in a disbelieving murmur.

Kurt couldn't stop grinning. He hugged Blaine even tighter, conveying through his actions that he wasn't ever going to let him go.

They were going to be okay.

---

A month later, the boys were both comfortably moved into the house. Blaine's room was the newly-renovated basement which used to belong to Elizabeth's brother while he lived there. It was surprisingly homey despite being unusually far away from Kurt. He couldn't sleep for the first week, worrying himself sick that Kurt was having a nightmare without Blaine there to comfort him back to sleep.

Kurt, on the other hand, didn't have any trouble sleeping. He didn't like the idea of not having Blaine to sleep with him and hug him at night, but he rarely had nightmares now that he was safe with his family.

Also, he no longer had to feel unsafe at school. Using up every bit that they'd saved up in an account for Kurt—"just in case he does find us"—the Hummels paid for tuition for Kurt to attend Dalton Academy for boys. But even with Burt's income and Elizabeth's put together, they couldn't afford Blaine's tuition. Luckily, though, the school offered academic scholarships for kids who earned it and Blaine's tuition fees were paid almost in full by the school. Burt and Elizabeth were able to make up the difference.

Things were finally looking up, and Blaine hardly thought about his own parents anymore. Kurt and his parents were enough to distract him. Besides, they were his real family.

Kurt couldn't have been happier with how things turned out. He was happy because Blaine no longer suffered sleepless nights because of his careless parents. He was happy because he had what he'd always wanted: a real family. He was happy because he had the most amazing boyfriend he could possibly ask for. He was happy because he and Blaine were both safe because of the zero-tolerance bullying policy at Dalton.

Overall, Kurt had never been happier.

---

They started at Dalton Academy the next week. The first Friday after they'd started there, they were getting ready to head home. They had everything packed and loaded into Burt's pick-up truck, which they usually used to get to school and back. Just as Kurt was about to hop in the driver's seat, Blaine grasped his wrist and spun him around so they were chest-to-chest. Kurt gasped, blushing as Blaine wrapped his arms around him and he put his hands on Blaine's chest.

"You're looking especially beautiful today," Blaine said with a content smile. "Something about the way the snow falls on your hair and your cheeks turn pink in the cold… It just gets me."

Kurt blushed even darker, biting his lip lightly before speaking. "Well, I try," he shrugged, grinning when Blaine pecked his cheek.

"No, you look amazing even when you don't try," Blaine corrected.

"You're just determined to make me blush today, aren't you?" Kurt accused teasingly, narrowing his eyes even though his smile was dripping with affection.

"I may have some ulterior motives," Blaine shrugged, grinning. "C'mere…" He grasped Kurt's hand and tugged him along, walking backwards until they were standing in the powdery-white snow. It was a fresh powder, so it hadn't had the chance to be polluted yet.

Kurt raised an eyebrow questioningly, letting Blaine pull him closer. He barely caught the mischievous glint in Blaine's eye before he was being pulled down into the snow, falling on top of Blaine with an 'oomph' sound. "Blaine!" he spluttered, wide-eyed. "What are you doing?"

"What are you talking about?" Blaine asked innocently, grinning when Kurt smacked his shoulder.

"You're lucky you're so cute," Kurt warned, though he couldn't help but smile now that he'd gotten over the shock of being pulled off his feet. He carefully sat up and landed in the undisturbed snow beside Blaine, smiling when Blaine sat up and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Kurt answered. When Blaine looked at him like that, he couldn't even remember why he'd been annoyed. He could only think that he wanted to kiss Blaine.

So he did. And Blaine kissed back. And it didn't even matter that it was freezing outside, because they kept each other warm. Warm, like a crackling fire. Warm, like a freshly-washed quilt. Warm, like his mother's home-baked cookies. And, most importantly, warm, like coming home.