Wearing multiple buttons was tacky enough, but the fact that most of Kurt's buttons were pink crossed a serious line. Not for Blaine, who had proudly clipped no fewer than three "Vote Kurt Hummel" buttons onto his outfit, but for Kurt, who had scolded him for the blatant fashion faux pas and stolen back two of them. Blaine had mostly just been entertained by the way Kurt tried to pretend he was more upset than he was grateful and had used the entire conflict to his advantage. He waited until the end of lunch to propose a solution.
"Mini-buttons?" Kurt echoed in disbelief.
"We can order the supplies online." Blaine began. "More buttons with less paper and it stops being tacky to have six of them on my bag."
"Six...!" Kurt echoed again, leaning back to check. Blaine reached out to steady him as they walked, using the distraction to pull Kurt past the side hall. Blaine was laughing, and Kurt had just begun to join him before realizing "oh, we missed your turn." Kurt started to turn to go back.
They had this fight every day. At first, it had been romantic, but Blaine worried it would wear thin by graduation. He shook his head and took Kurt's elbow. "That's because today, I'm walking you to class." Blaine frowned at the sudden change of expression on Kurt's face. How suddenly Kurt's bright blue eyes darkened and looked around warily.
Mornings were easy, their classes were only a few doors apart, but lunch was the last time they could feasibly see each other until Glee Club. So when it came time to part they became reluctant to say goodbye. Their last attempt to past at the corner had led to breaking their no kissing in public rule and being sent to Figgins office for PDA. So who would walk whom to class had become a source of daily tension. Blaine hated the look Kurt got whenever Blaine walked him to class. That silent double-checking for danger that Blaine didn't really care to concern himself with.
At first, Blaine had thought it was a masculinity thing and had caved readily. Losing the role of Tony on the basis of not being manly enough was a huge blow for Kurt's ego and Blaine understood. Then, when Kurt's campaign had taken a distinctly negative turn and Blaine had walked him to class. The moment they'd arrived, Kurt's distress had turned to fear and he'd demanded Blaine text him as soon as he got to his classroom. Blaine had complied with the text, but he would always hate that look.
He'd put up with it though, most of the time. Kurt was only looking out for him. Today though, it was just a little too familiar and Blaine had no intention of putting up with it. "Kurt..." he quietly protested "...Stop it."
The look persisted. Worse, it got suddenly colder. "Blaine, Puck told me the truth about how you got that bruise." Blaine winced, as much from the way Kurt's eyes seemed to bore into him as from the memory of his shoulder impacting a combination lock. The fear and the disappointment that Kurt's expression had taken on was suddenly too much. Yes, he'd lied, but this was spiraling in the worst way possible. Blaine looked away. "I just want to know you're safe."
Before Blaine realized what had happened, he'd recoiled from Kurt's touch. It got rid of that look, replacing it with hurt. Blaine almost didn't notice. Kurt's eyes...Kurt's words...normally, Kurt was just Kurt. Today though...the reminder was less subtle. More present. Blaine couldn't quite swallow back his bitterness and words escaped he'd never meant to share. "You know, sometimes you sound just like my father." he didn't give Kurt time to react. The guilt started the moment he turned his back. He could feel Kurt behind him, already perusing. He didn't quite register the stronger presence ahead when he turned the corner until he caught sight of that damn unmistakable coat.
Blaine froze and took a long, deep breath. Smell was the strongest sense tied to memory, and that man's pheromones were as powerful as ever. For most people in the area, that caused eyes to fill with ether admiration or curiosity as they passed him. For the genetically similar enough, and therefore the immune, the vague scent only produced familiarity. No wonder the look Kurt had been giving him had gotten to him so much.
Kurt came up behind him and Blaine felt the other boy stop at his shoulder. He didn't dare look back at his boyfriend. He was terrified he'd see fascination in Kurt's eyes and was nearly overwhelmed by the thought. The tense bubble that had formed around them burst with a rather simple greeting. "hello, Blaine."
Rage. It wasn't something Blaine felt often but now, trapped between the two most importiant men in his life, rage was the emotion that shook his voice. "Hello, Dad."
That man's gaze shifted uncomfortably between Blaine and Kurt. He knew he was intruding with his mere presence. Good. Blaine couldn't keep his lip from curling, but he kept the snarl out of his voice when he asked "What are you doing here?"
"Seeing you." Simple answer, half truth. Too easy to read. His dad was slipping. The realization unbalanced Blaine. "I was hoping to take you to lunch. I guess I'm a bit late." Blaine felt his scowl fade. Because the annoying, overbearing, absentee he knew was missing. Instead, the man before him seemed like an empty husk of that person. There was only one explanation. "I...suppose...I'll see you at dinner then."
"I'm eating at Kurt's." Blaine felt drained. The response was automatic. Truthful, but free of the venom he'd imagined himself saying it with only moments ago. He couldn't lash out at his father right now. The fact that he could see his words, even in their empty state, stride him like bullets said everything.
"I could call Carole." Kurt offered. It had been months since Blaine had heard Kurt sound that meek. In fact, if he'd never heard it again it would still have been too soon. A little bit of anger seeped back. "See if there's room for one more?"
Blaine finally turned and looked at Kurt. It was almost a relief to see he just looked uncomfortable. Blaine knew his father was a powerful presence and yes, he was jealous of that. Blaine offered Kurt a smile which became suddenly genuine when it was returned by a relieved grin of Kurt's own. "That'd be great, thanks."
Kurt was so visibly relieved that it seemed to sap the tension from the air. "No trouble whatsover." he assured, then Kurt spoke directly to his father. "I'll have Blaine contact you with directions when I have an answer?"
"That would work perfectly." there was that hundred watt smile that Blaine wanted to hit his father for using on his boyfriend. Hello anger, you weren't gone long. "Thank you, Kurt."
"Quite all right, Mr. Anderson." Kurt Hummel, ever the diplomat. The threat that Kurt would actually get along with his father, or much worse, overwhelmed him.
So when his father replied "Please, call me Jack." Blaine just nodded at both of them and stormed off to class in the most subdued and dignified silence he could manage. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that it somehow still managed to be a fit that would do Rachel Berry proud.
