Adam took the kettle of boiling water off the stove with a smile, pouring the steaming liquid into two mugs with Earl Grey tea bags. The water instantly began to cloud with the herbal drink. Adam checked the cabinets for some kind of snack to go with the tea, like biscuits or sweet bread. He had just settled for a bag of Oreos when he heard a faint sniffling in the other room. After a few seconds, he registered it as Kurt crying. Adam frowned.
"Oh no, not again…" Adam murmured before he hurried into Kurt's bedroom.
The countertenor sat on the bed, his hand over his mouth to keep from crying too loud. Tears slipped down his faced and pooled on his fingers. His phone, which sat on the bed beside him, faded to black. Kurt saw Adam and tried to smile, but the action merely broke him down more. He covered his face.
Adam sat beside the smaller boy and wrapped his arms around Kurt, pulling him to his chest while whispering soothing words. He knew stroking Kurt's hair was banned territory, as he did so much work to style it just right, so instead he massaged his neck.
"Shhh…." Adam soothed. "Please, don't cry…" He kissed the younger boy's sweet spot behind his ear, which made Kurt jump a little. He turned to look at his British Beau, and he sighed sadly.
"Blaine… Blaine texted me," he said softly. Adam nodded, as he had suspected as much.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Adam asked.
"He, he wants me to break up with you. He wants to get back together. He wants me to wait until he graduates, so he can move up here and be with me." Kurt looked at Adam, seemingly for guidance but his eyes contained more pain than uncertainty. "Was… Was I wrong to end it with him? I mean, am I wrong here?"
Adam shook his head firmly. "Of course not. He shouldn't get to keep you if he sleeps with other people. It's unfair to you."
Kurt looked down. "There's more…" He said almost silently. He met Adam's eyes, and they prompted him to continue. "I was Skype-ing with Tina and-" Kurt's breathing hitched. "She told me Blaine has a thing for Sam. He's a guy I was in Glee Club with. Who Blaine is in Glee club with."
Adam's eyes widened as what this meant clicked into place. "You mean, he's wanting to make you wait for him, while also going after this guy down there?" He let out a breath. "That's bloody cruel, Kurt."
Kurt nodded slightly. His cheeks were sticky with dried tears, and his face was red from crying.
Adam kissed Kurt gently. "Don't worry, Kurt. It'll be okay. Sooner or later Blaine will get his just desserts." He held the smaller boy close and didn't leave until Kurt had fallen asleep from exhaustion. The Brit left Kurt on the bed and went to pour the tea down the drain.
Adam knew what he'd said was true, though he wasn't sure where or when it would happen. And he never expected the Where to be that very apartment, or the when to be a mere two weeks later.
Kurt was a tough trooper for Adam. He did his best not to think about Blaine's text message confessions of undying love, which were beginning to become unneeded reminders of undying love. Kurt couldn't bring himself to block the number. He felt this wouldn't be fair to Blaine. He smiled for his new boyfriend, though he knew Adam saw through the façade. He knew Adam was concerned. But he didn't want to drag Adam into problems of the past. Surely Kurt was strong enough to solve this himself?
Two weeks from Kurt's last breakdown was Adam's first. But Adam was not one for crying when he was upset.
The two were sitting on the couch, watching a Marilyn Monroe movie. Kurt was enjoying the music, though Adam found Marilyn's character, one Lorelei Lee, to be a diamond seeking gold digger. Regardless, Adam let Kurt pick the movie (for the fourth week in a row) because he knew Kurt wasn't well, despite Kurt's protests he was okay.
Kurt had just stood to refill the popcorn bowl when there was a knock at the door. Adam began to rise to answer it, but Kurt shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll get it." He smiled kindly, so the taller boy sat back down.
There was a noisy clatter when the popcorn bowl hit the floor. Adam listened from the living room, but bolted to the door with the utterance of one word:
"Blaine?"
The dark haired Ex stood in the doorway with a bright smile. He looked at Kurt with unashamed adoration, and he hugged him. He didn't seem to notice Kurt was rigid during the embrace. His sunny expression faded when Adam appeared at Kurt's shoulder.
"Who's this?" Blaine asked awkwardly. A bouquet of roses was in his hand at his side.
"Adam. I'm Kurt's Boyfriend." Adam said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at Kurt. "Kurt, can you go wait for me in your bedroom?" Kurt opened his mouth to object, but then sighed and nodded, leaving Blaine and Adam alone.
"Um…" Blaine stood before him, uncertain. "May I please speak to Kurt?" He peered past Adam into the apartment. The Brit shook his head.
"No. I think it would be best for you to leave."
"But I really need to talk to him!" Blaine objected.
"No, what you need is to get out of his life."
When Blaine tried top step around the taller boy, Adam easily blocked him out.
"You know, for someone who claims to love Kurt, who seems to love making him cry. I would get you feeling guilty for what you did to him, but you're not. You cheated on him, broke his trust and slept with some wanker and now you want him to take you back like nothing happened? That's mighty arrogant of you." Adam's frown deepened.
Blaine wore a similar one on his own face. "How do you know about that?"
"Kurt told me what you did. He actually trusts me."
That stung, and Adam knew it. However, Kurt's gentle approach was clearly not working, so it was time someone told Blaine how it was, man to man.
"And he's told me more. I know it all, Blaine. You don't deserve Kurt. When he was lonely, he made a new friend who made him feel special. You got jealous and labeled Kurt a cheater. Then, you took a very private issue and made it everyone's business with a Whitney Houston number? You devastated him for nothing! He had to beg for your forgiveness with a musical number before you took him back. When you revealed what YOU had done out of loneliness, Kurt didn't humiliate you in front of your friends with a brassy revenge song. He didn't demand you plead for his love. He did what a normal person would. He cried and ended it."
Adam was getting angrier as he talked about it. "But you won't accept your mistake and move on. No, you do your damndest to never let him heal and forget about you, because you pester him with 'love' when all he wants is to get on with his life. You can't just let it go and find someone new, can you? Oh wait, you already did! You have a thing for that Sam guy!"
At Blaine's astonished expression, Adam merely said "Tina told Kurt and Kurt told me," before steamrolling on ahead.
"So here you stand, with a bouquet of flowers and some chocolate like that will solve all your problems. What did you plan to do? Beg for forgiveness in person because texts didn't work?" It was then Adam spotted the square bump in Blaine's pocket, the perfect shape for a ring box. He wrenched it from the dark haired teens pocket and opened it, gasping.
"You came here… to propose?" Adam looked at Blaine, his eyes saying "This had better be a sick joke."
Blaine, who'd remained silent through Adam's rant, said "Yes. Kurt still loves me and I came to make him mine forever."
One could practically see the steam shoot out Adam's ears.
"Yours forever? He's not even yours NOW! He's with me. You've already put him in a discouraging position by never letting up, now you're going to use the sacred act of marriage to solve your high school sweetheart problem? This is why it's so hard for normal gay people to get married; head strong teens like you don't know the enormity of a marriage so you whip it around like your own personal defense from possible loneliness!" Adam was seething. "What did you think Kurt would do? Up and leave me without a second thought? I'm not saying Kurt would never break up with me- though I pray to God that he won't- I'm saying that's not the kind of person he is! He's more rational and kinder than that! You clearly don't know him if that's what you expected!"
Blaine was speechless. Maybe Kurt's father was right. It wasn't the right thing to do.
"Blaine..?" said Kurt's small voice from behind Adam. The older boy stepped aside, and Kurt looked at Blaine with a weak smile. "Please. Just go. I do want you as a friend, but if it hurts you to settle for friend rather than husband, I think you should leave. He's right, you know, though I didn't want to say it. I do love you, but not the way you want. Please…"
The dark haired high school student looked between them before he sighed. A tear slid down his cheek before he rushed away to hide his expression. Kurt moved to stop him, but Adam took his hand gently to stop him.
"Let him go, love. If he can't accept this, it's best we let him go home. Don't worry about him. I'm sure he'll be okay."
Kurt nodded slowly in understanding. "Okay…"
Adam smiled and kissed his cheek. "Come on. Let's go have some tea and finish that movie."