Gifted

Author's Note: In this story, Kurt and Blaine are the same age. It's a superhero!Klaine. I really hope you like it! :) Also, make sure you read the author's note at the bottom!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Major sadface.

The day that you turn sixteen is a very special day. For, on your birthday, you find out whether you are Gifted. Only one out of every twelve children obtain a Gift, and your sixteenth birthday is the day that you find out whether you are of that percentage.

Gifted individuals are then sent to one of the special academies in their area. Academies like these are set up all over the world. When a child is enrolled, they learn basic physical and mental skills according to their specific Gift. And, after they graduate, they are sent out in duos or groups to protect an assigned area.

This keeps the world safe and crime-free.

Some children want to be Gifted, and some don't want all the stress and high expectations. However, it isn't up to them to decide.

When Kurt Hummel turned sixteen, his life got a whole lot noisier.

It was Kurt's birthday, March 21st. His official time of birth was 1:42pm and he was sitting in Chemistry class when it happened. He was writing a test, as was the rest of the class, when the clock changed to 1:42. All of a sudden, the silence of the room was broken by an endless stream of voices running over each-other and filling up his mind with echoing chatter.

Kurt immediately bolted upright in panic, looking around for the source of the voices, but no one else seemed to have noticed. They were all still looking at their tests, except for a couple of kids who were looking at Kurt with disgust.

Why is Hummel looking around like that? What a psycho.

Kurt heard the phrase as if Conner Matheson had spoken it right against his ear, but Conner was rolling his eyes half-way across the room. Kurt was a little bewildered that his voice had rung out loud and clear.

The voices were swimming in his head, phrases about molecules mixed with comments about a party planned for next weekend. Kurt felt a headache start to form. "Um…" he said, his own voice sounding strange to him amongst the others, "May I go to the bathroom?"

The teacher nodded her head, barely looking up from the doily she was knitting. Kurt rushed out of the room and into the parking lot. He drove home without a second thought.

When Burt came home from work, it was to find his son asleep, collapsed on the living room couch, arms over his head and creases of discomfort on his forehead.

Kurt heard a phrase come through the haze of his light sleep. What's Kurt doing home? Did he have another bad day at school?

"Shhh," Kurt muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Burt sat down beside him, rubbing his back gently. "I didn't say anything, kiddo."

Kurt held his head in his hands. "Yes, you did. Nobody shuts up."

"What do you mean?"

"Dad," Kurt said, looking up at his worried father, "I'm Gifted."

"Really?" Burt had known that it was Kurt's sixteenth birthday—of course he had; there was a cake and everything prepared—and he had been aware of the possibility, but he hadn't thought it would actually happen. "What can you do?"

Kurt rested his head on Burt's shoulder, looking weary. "I can hear everybody's thoughts."

"Even mine?"

The teenager sighed, "Everyone's, Dad. Like, all the time."

Concerned, Burt put a hand on his son's forehead. "Are you feeling okay, buddy? This is a lot to take in."

"It's too much," Kurt whispered, "I have a huge headache."

His dad patted his knee gently, "I'll get you some drugs to take, okay? Be right back."

"M'kay."

Burt went into the kitchen to find some pain medicine for his son and began to organize plans for the future in his head. He would have to contact Dalton Academy, the closest establishment to their home.

Blaine Anderson didn't need to tell anyone that he was Gifted; they knew just by looking at him.

Blaine had been born on March 27th, at 1:42am. While he was deeply sleeping early in the morning, he felt something strange but didn't pay it any mind. When he woke up later on, though, it was a little harder to ignore.

Blaine walked into his bathroom, rubbing his eyes and standing in front of the sink to brush his teeth. When he opened his eyes and looked at his reflection, he was met with a shock. Protruding from his shoulder-blades were two large wings, looking to be made of soft, white feathers.

The teenager gasped and swore, stumbling backwards in shock and tripping over something on the floor. He would have fallen if his new wings hadn't moved, automatically fluttering to keep him upright. Resting solidly on two feet again, Blaine stared at himself.

He slowly unfurled them to reveal an impressive wingspan, then brought them back in so that they tucked behind his back. It felt slightly cramped, but it looked more like him in the mirror, only the barest hint of white peeking out from behind. Maybe if he kept them behind like this, no one would notice.

Then, Blaine got a little mad at himself. He had never been ashamed of who he was before, why should he start now?

The teenager washed his face and ran a brush through his curly hair, then went back into his room to change out of his pajama pants and into a pair of jeans. He debated wrestling on a shirt or even ripping some holes in one to fit his new wings. However, he abandoned that idea, choosing to simply show exactly who he'd become.

He padded in his sock feet out of his room and to the top of the stairs. "Mom? Dad?" he called out, hearing them move around downstairs.

"What is it, Blaine? You'd better hurry up or else you're going to be late for school," his mother called out.

Blaine took a deep breath and made his way down the stairs. Stealing his courage, he moved to stand in the kitchen doorway. His father saw him out of the corner of his eye. "Blaine, get dressed, what are you—" Then the teenager let his wings unfurl slightly and his dad gasped. "What the hell is this?" he exclaimed. Mrs. Anderson turned and gasped as well, dropping the glass she was holding. It shattered at her feet.

"I'm Gifted."

Mr. Anderson supported his hyperventilating wife. "No kidding," he said. The woman couldn't even look at her son; she walked quickly into the living room without a second glance. Mr. Anderson grimaced at her retreating form, his eyes softening at the expression on Blaine's face. He walked over and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I'll contact Dalton Academy," he said, and Blaine could only nod in response.

Kurt didn't actually get to Dalton until two weeks after his birthday. Hearing everybody's thoughts was giving him a headache so unbearable that, sometimes, all he could do was curl up on the couch and hold his head. He could hear voices from everywhere, from his neighbours in the house over to anybody who happened to be walking down the street in front of his house. And, to make things worse, none of them were specific; it was just one big jumble of chaotic noise.

No pain medication really worked. Sometimes, it would dull the pain to a faint throbbing, but it didn't last long, and Burt wasn't comfortable with giving his son something too strong. At nights, Burt would sit on the couch in the dark, his son curled up at his feet, and just keep him company. It hurt for him to see his son in so much pain.

"You know, Dalton can help you with this, right?" Burt said one night. The silence was usually only broken by Kurt's occasional whimper.

Kurt looked up, "What?"

"That's what the school's for, kiddo," Burt said, patting his son's knee lightly, "They'll help you get control over your Gift."

"I know, Dad," Kurt said, pressing his face into the couch cushion, "But there's going to be so many people there! So many people thinking. I don't know if I can take it."

So that's what led to Kurt spending two weeks recovering at home.

It actually got a bit better, after a while. Kurt guessed that his mind needed to get used to its new capacity. After all, it was only accustomed to one stream of thoughts at a time. Finally, Kurt felt that he was in good enough condition to try out his new school. Burt helped him pack his bags, and they drove to Westerville the next morning.

The thing with schools for the Gifted is that there isn't a set semester system. Kids enroll at a totally unpredictable rate, and they could basically jump into the curriculum whenever they got there. Also, the subjects and studies were very specific to the person and their Gift.

Kurt arrived at Dalton just after lunch time. Apparently, the other students were in class, because nobody was in the halls. Kurt clutched his messenger bag closer to him and tried to keep his bearings. Voices only he could hear were streaming steadily from every direction, and the boy had to concentrate hard on his own thoughts to process them. Soon, he found himself quite lost.

Biting his lip, Kurt hesitantly made his way down a gorgeous spiral staircase. Then, he heard a clear thought penetrate his mind. The person must be close by.

Oh, shit. I'm going to be late again. Way to make an impression, Anderson.

Suddenly, a boy ran past him down the stairs. Without thinking, Kurt reached a little and called out, "Excuse me!"

The boy turned around and met Kurt's eyes. Before he could say something else, another thought came into his head, clear as day and definitely not his own.

Wow, he's beautiful.

Kurt tried to make sure his features didn't show that he had heard it. However, it was quite difficult since the teenager was a little overwhelmed. Even though he'd only had his Gift for a couple of weeks, he had heard plenty of negative thoughts directed at him. Never had anyone thought something like that. "Hi, can I ask you a question? I'm new here," he managed to say somewhat naturally.

The boy surprised him by extending his hand. No one ever wanted to touch him. "I'm Blaine." Blaine was very handsome. He had hazel eyes, dark curly hair, golden skin, and the sweetest smile Kurt had ever seen.

"Kurt."

Blaine held his hand in a warm, strong grip. "Come on, there's a meeting in the auditorium. I know a shortcut."

And then Kurt found himself running down an abandoned corridor, hand-in-hand with a boy he barely knew. He didn't care that his right arm was crossed over his body to hold Blaine's right hand, and that made running a little awkward. He didn't care that he had just met this boy and had no idea what his Gift was. He didn't care that, as soon as Blaine found out what Kurt's Gift was, he would never want to be near him again. He just allowed himself to live in the moment.

And it felt wonderful.

Blaine's wings were starting to get cramped from being in their restraints all morning, but he tried not to fidget too much. He was trying to concentrate on the presentation that the professors were giving, but he couldn't stop himself from glancing over every so often at the boy he had met on the staircase.

Kurt. What a pretty name.

He looked over again as the thought crossed his mind and saw the boy blush a little. Oh, he probably noticed the staring. Blaine looked once more at the front of the auditorium. Mr. Shuester, the principal, was smiling at everyone.

"And, to all of our new students, welcome to Dalton Academy. We hope that your stay here provides to be beneficial not only to your future career, but also to your well-being." Mr. Shuester finished up his speech to be met with polite applause.

There were a lot of people packed into the room. Blaine let his eyes roam around the crowd, noticing physical Gifts—like his—and wondering about the rest of them. Every single student in this room was extraordinary, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at them. Not for the first time, Blaine wondered what Kurt's Gift was. However, he wouldn't dream of asking him…not yet. It wasn't something that you brought up in a conversation with a stranger, in a public room, just moments after you'd just met.

When the presentation was over, Blaine turned to his new friend. "So, Kurt, what are your plans for the day?" he asked nicely.

"Oh, um," Kurt was looking paler than usual, and there were lines in his forehead like he was in pain. "I was going to unpack in my dorm room."

It was hard to hear him over the rest of the students milling about. Maybe Kurt was uncomfortable because he didn't like crowds? "Okay, maybe I can help you. I mean, I've only been here a few weeks, but I know generally how to get around." What Blaine really meant was, Please let me help, I want to spend more time with you.

Kurt seemed pleased. "Okay, sure. Um, I'm room 483. Do you know where that is?"

"Wait, what?" Blaine stared at him in disbelief. Out of all the people… "You're gonna room in 483? That's my room!" he tried not to show how excited this made him.

Kurt raised his eyebrows, "Oh, really? I guess we're room-mates, then."

"I guess so." Blaine offered his hand again, hoping that the other boy would take it, "Shall we?"

The taller boy smiled, "Sure." Kurt's hands were soft and his skin was flawless. He had lovely hair and absolutely stunning eyes. Blaine had to force himself to look away, so that he could find the way to his—their—dorm room. He found that he had taken quite a liking to Kurt. He couldn't wait to spend more time with him

Blaine had helped Kurt unpack all of his stuff and he was now completely moved in. Their room consisted of one twin bed on either side of the room, two dressers and a bathroom. Kurt couldn't help but subtly examine the pictures on his room-mate's corkboard. There were a few of him and a very tall, handsome man who shared some of his features—an older brother?—as well as him with a couple of friends. He had also pinned a couple of quotes and pictures from magazines. Kurt found that he quite liked Blaine.

Also, without meaning to, he found that Blaine quite liked him as well. Kurt was receiving a nearly steady stream of thoughts from Blaine—that boy's mind seemed like a very busy place—and most of them were about him. They were very flattering thoughts, Kurt couldn't deny it, but he was a little taken aback by the unexpected attention.

And Kurt felt terrible that he knew. He felt like he was eavesdropping on something very personal that Blaine didn't even know he was sharing. Which was true. If Kurt could block out people's thoughts, he would. Because he kind of hated his Gift.

They hung out for the rest of the day, talking about everyday things, and they found that they got along quite well. After the two boys got ready for bed and laid in the silence—both quiet but neither asleep—Kurt finally got up the courage to bring up the subject he was dreading. "Blaine?" he whispered into the dark.

"Yeah?"

"Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but…" Kurt took a deep breath. No going back now. "What's your Gift?"

"Oh." He heard Blaine's blankets rustle across the room. "Um…"

Kurt's face burned at the other boy's hesitance, "You don't have to tell me. I mean, we just met, and that's kind of personal, and—"

"No, Kurt, it's okay," Blaine said, but there was a flicker of nervousness in his voice. "I want you to know, it's just…" he moved again, this time switching on his bedside lamp to a low setting. "I kind of have to show you."

Kurt lay on his side and watched as Blaine sat up in bed. He was wearing a set of blue pajamas but there was a weird bunching at the back of his shirt that Kurt hadn't noticed before. Blaine moved so that his legs were swung over the side of the bed and he was sitting, facing Kurt. He took a deep breath and then unbuttoned his shirt and set it on the bedspread. There were two cloth-like strips over his chest, crossed just below his collar bone. Blaine took a deep breath and unclasped the straps. Kurt saw something fall to the mattress from behind him as well.

And then Blaine rolled his shoulders with an expression of relief, and two white wings extended from behind him. They looked to be made of soft, ivory feathers and were about four feet long each. They were gorgeous. Blaine was gorgeous.

Kurt didn't realize that he had been staring in silence for a while, until the combination of Blaine's self-conscious posture and the other boy's thoughts penetrated his mind.

Oh God, he hasn't said anything. He thinks I'm a freak. He'll ask to switch rooms. What have I done?

"Blaine," Kurt whispered, sitting up as well so that they faced each-other across the room, "You're beautiful."

He hadn't meant to say it, but the blush that stained Blaine's cheeks was worth it.

"Can I—" Kurt fidgeted with his hands, "Could I touch them?"

Blaine's hazel eyes shined in the lamplight. "My wings?"

"Yes."

A hesitant nod. "Sure."

Kurt got to his feet and silently padded across the space separating them. Then, he stood quietly in front of his room-mate until Blaine gave another nod of consent. He reached out his right hand slowly towards the gorgeous wing and hesitantly brushed his fingers over the soft feathers. "Wow," he whispered.

"Do you want to, um…" Blaine looked down at his hands, "Do you want to sit here?" he patted the spot next to him on the bed. Kurt stared at the profile of his strong features cast by the lamplight and nodded as if under a spell. The constant babble of Blaine's thoughts was mashing into something indescribable, like an emotion instead of a specific threading of words.

Blaine's wing brushed Kurt's arm when he sat down, and the taller boy didn't recoil. It felt somewhat…natural.

"So, what's yours?" Blaine asked, breaking the silence almost reverently.

"My Gift?"

The shorter boy nodded, "Yeah."

"Um," Kurt bit his lip, a flash of terror running through his veins. He couldn't do this. He was just getting close to this boy and he liked him. Once Blaine found out about his Gift, he would leave him like most people in Kurt's life tended to do, even before they knew he could read minds…even before he could.

Blaine surprised him by touching his hand softly. "What's wrong?" he asked, his forehead creasing.

Kurt stared into his hazel eyes and found his voice, "I…I can hear people's thoughts."

His eyebrows raised, "Wait, like…"

"Yeah," Kurt looked down at his lap. "I can't really control it yet. Whenever people are relatively close to me I can hear what they're thinking. Even the boys in the next room over are taking up space in my head. Um…I don't really do well in crowds because I get terrible migraines. And…yeah. That's it."

Kurt tried to hold back the tears in his eyes, refusing to look up. Blaine was going to hate him now. No one wanted to hang out with someone who could hear their every thought. And, Blaine would probably be embarrassed that Kurt heard everything he was thinking about him. In that moment, knew that Blaine was thinking a lot of things, but Kurt was too worked up to concentrate on them. He didn't think he could stand to listen to the words in his head now, anyway.

And then Blaine surprised him by shuffling closer to him. "I guess I'm going to have to watch what I think around you, then," he said kindly.

Kurt's head shot up and he stared at the other boy, a tear escaping before he could stop it. "You still want to…be around me? Even though…"

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine murmured, then moved forward and hugged the other boy, his wings folding around them both. Kurt felt the brush of feathers and the warmth of Blaine's arms and he couldn't help but think of how comfortable this felt. "Of course I still want to be around you. Your Gift is part of who you are, just like mine, and you accepted me with no questions asked."

"B-but I can…I can hear what you…doesn't that bother you?"

Blaine chuckled, "As long as my thoughts don't bother you, then I think we're okay."

Kurt hesitantly allowed himself to smile. He pressed his cheek against Blaine's shoulder. "No, you don't bother me at all."

"Um, Kurt?" Blaine said, pulling back a little. His wings fluttered nervously, causing Kurt's hair to be ruffled a little by the moving air. "So…you obviously know what I think of you. And, um, I don't think those feelings are going to change. So, if it makes you uncomfortable, then you can get a different room or something. Not that I want you to leave, it's just that I really like you and I'm not sure if you're—" Blaine was rambling.

Kurt rolled his eyes and cut him off with a kiss.

Blaine stiffened at first, caught off guard, but then allowed himself to return the action, moving his lips slowly against Kurt's. A faint rustle penetrated the silence as they kissed; Blaine's wings fluttering instinctively at the contact.

When Kurt heard Blaine thinking that he needed to breathe, he pulled away and stared into the other boy's hazel eyes. No words were exchanged. At least, none in the verbal sense. Kurt listened to Blaine's thoughts as if they were spoken directly to him; Blaine could see all of Kurt's emotions in his ocean-like eyes. They smiled and met each-others lips half-way.

The training at Dalton Academy for the Gifted was tough. Blaine's activities consisted of days at the gym, building up the strength in his wings. Every day, his professor had him hover in the air for as long as he possibly could. When Blaine collapsed to the ground, exhausted, the adult would tell him his time. He was steadily improving.

Kurt didn't spend much time in the gym at all. His classes involved learning how to control the stream of thoughts entering his mind using a serious of complicated exercises. It took him a little longer than a month to be able to adjust the filter, so that he could choose which person's train of thought he wanted to hop onto.

After a while, the headaches lessened, and Kurt found that he could have an easier time when in a crowd. It also helped that, whenever he had a migraine, his wonderful boyfriend would take him away from all the people and help calm him down, simply holding him until he felt a little better.

Since getting together, Kurt and Blaine spent nearly all of their time together. The only time that they didn't share an activity was when they each had their respective lessons. Kurt would help Blaine with some exercises, especially when Blaine moved up to the level of flying while holding other people, which was strenuous work. Blaine would help Kurt hone his mental abilities. Soon, Blaine's thoughts were as familiar to Kurt as his own.

It helped rather than hindered their relationship, the fact that Kurt could read Blaine's mind. They didn't keep any secrets from the other, and Blaine never complained, as long as Kurt spoke his mind as often as possible.

They had been at Dalton for almost two years now, and were getting close to graduation. They started taking combat classes in order to prepare for fighting crime, which was the last level of their studies before be sent out into the world.

Blaine was being taught how to use his wings and his flight to help him in tough situations, also he learned different strategies where his Gift would be useful. He could now hover in the air for a whole hour, and could carry a person two laps around the track.

Kurt could focus specifically on a person's thoughts and also block out someone's thoughts, if necessary. In a fight, he was told to get in the person's head and know their moves before they even make them. That way, his enemy would also assume that his Gift was seeing the future, which could be an advantage.

Kurt and Blaine were in their room, helping each-other get ready for the Graduation Ceremony. Their bags were packed and sitting on the bed, ready to go. The pale boy was completing the finishing touches on Blaine's bow-tie. Kurt had tailored the other boy's suit so that there were comfortable openings for his wings to be freed, instead of under his clothes in the harness. "There you go, my angel," the taller boy said, smoothing his hands over Blaine's lapels and planting a light kiss on his mouth.

Blaine couldn't help a silly grin from forming on his face. I love it when you call me that, he thought while bringing his boyfriend in for another kiss. "We'd better go," he said out loud. They took a collective deep breath and ran down the abandoned hallway holding hands, Kurt's right arm crossed over his body.

"Blaine Anderson!"

Kurt clapped proudly as his boyfriend walked quickly across the stage, his wings fluttering in excitement. When he was given his certificate, he held it over his head triumphantly, grinning at the rest of the graduating class. Even though he wasn't saying anything or even looking at him specifically, Kurt heard Blaine's voice in his head.

I did it, Kurt!

He couldn't help but smile at Blaine's enthusiasm.

When his name was called out, he was slightly nervous. The certificate he would be accepting had an important piece of information on it: the place that he would be assigned to protect. Kurt wanted to be Blaine's partner-in-fighting-crime more than anything in the world, but it wasn't up to him.

Kurt grasped the rolled-up piece of paper, grinning at his dad clapping proudly in the audience, and shared a meaningful look with Blaine as he moved to join him on the other side of the stage. He looked into his angel's hazel eyes, filled with love and excitement for the future.

And, in that moment, he swore they were infinite.

Blaine and Kurt were sitting in their room once more. The taller boy was cross-legged on the bed, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. Between him and the place where Blaine sat were the two certificates they had received that afternoon. Blaine tried to send encouraging thoughts in his boyfriend's direction.

"So," the pale boy sighed finally, "We should open them."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. But neither boy moved to grab the papers. To be truthful, Blaine was just as nervous as Kurt was, but he was used to keeping his emotions inside. That's part of the reason why being with Kurt was so special to him. Because, no matter how much he put up his walls, Kurt saw right through him…and loved him anyway.

The shorter boy leaned forwards. If he had been with anyone else, they would have assumed that Blaine was going to grab the certificates, but Kurt simply tilted up his head and was ready when Blaine pressed a kiss to his lips. "Come on," the curly-haired boy whispered, "Let's just get it over with."

"Okay," Kurt whispered back. They grabbed the pieces of paper from on top of the bedspread. Kurt broke the wax seal and opened his slowly. Blaine simply watched him, knowing that Kurt would know what his was as soon as he read it. So, he allowed his boyfriend to know his first.

Kurt read it carefully, then moved his blue eyes to meet Blaine's hazel ones. "Okay, your turn." Blaine nodded and then unfolded his certificate. As soon as his eyes traveled over the section of the city he would be assigned to, Kurt yelled with joy and tackled him into the bed, while still being mindful of his wings.

Blaine laughed as Kurt showered his face with kisses. "So, I take it we're a team?"

"Yes," Kurt said, kissing him hard on the lips, "Yes. We can get a house and live half a normal life together and the other half will be us saving the world together and, oh Blaine, I can't wait!"

Kurt kissed him once more, tenderly and so full of love. It was a taste of what was past and what was to come.

It felt like flying.

Author's Second Note: Good job for getting to the end of this story! Sorry it was so long, it kind of had a mind of its own. :P Please tell me what you thought! Also, you MUST go read AngelisIgniRelucent's companion story. It's called "Modifications". GO NOW!

Take care.

-Patricia Sage