AH! I DIDN'T ABANDON THIS!
Through his half-asleep daze, his mind still drifting in and out of a dream, Blaine registered the warm body that was pressed against his. He hummed and moved into it, feeling arms wrapping tighter around his torso and lips against the nape of his neck.
"Morning," he mumbled, mouth thick and clumsy from the sleep that still lingered around the edges of his mind.
Kurt returned the greeting and dropped a kiss to Blaine's naked shoulder before pulling him closer against his chest and sighing. The sun was not up yet, a pale dawn light turning their entire world into shades of grey, and Blaine smiled as he let sleep overtake him once more. They still had at least an hour before he had to return to his chambers, it was plenty of time to sleep a bit more, with Kurt's warmth making everything feel cozy and comfortable.
"I don't want the sun to rise," Kurt whispered, nosing behind Blaine's ear. He stroked a hand across Blaine's chest, moving it up to wrap over his collarbone.
"Why not?"
Kurt exhaled sharply and kissed the base of Blaine's jaw. "The Lannisters arrive today."
Any hope Blaine had to go back to sleep vanished. His body turned feeling was similar to when he had fallen through the ice of the pond in the godswood back home, saved only by Kurt's panicked shrieks which had alerted his brother and sent him running back from where he had left them to be with a girl from the winter town. The cold had stayed with him for hours, he could feel it deep in his bones even as he sat by the hearth and drank hot spiced wine under Kurt's worried glances.
The cold that was seeping through his vein as he laid with Kurt was one he did not think would be warded off with the warmth of an open fire. It was more insidious, its tendrils curling around his heart and leaving his head dizzy and his breath short.
Kurt hushed him when he tensed in his arms, tongue teasing the shell of his ear as his hand moved down his chest to his abdomen. He stroked his fingers lightly on the hair running down from Blaine's navel and moved lower, fingernails scratching through the coarse hair at the base of his cock. Blaine sagged against him, shutting his eyes and his mind.
Stroking his knuckles along Blaine's soft cock, Kurt buried his nose in the crook of his shoulder and inhaled deeply, his other hand pressing hard against his torso, fingers digging in his flesh. Blaine was hardening under the light touches and Kurt let out an appreciative hum, fingers closing around Blaine and pumping slowly once before letting go. Blaine shivered as Kurt let out a breath of laughter when he protested with a confused noise, wrapping his hand once more and stroking Blaine in earnest.
Kurt's lips attached to the lobe of Blaine's ear, sucking and licking at it while his hand worked on Blaine's cock, drawing sharp gasps from Blaine as his palm rubbed over the head to gather the moisture there and ease the slide. Blaine felt Kurt's erection against the small of his back and he rocked his hips against it, Kurt's breath coming out in a burst close to his ear.
A few seconds of shifting around gave Blaine the time to catch his breath and straighten his mind, but then Kurt's cock was nestled between his ass cheeks and he was thrusting forward in time with the up and down movement of his hand. Blaine's fingers curled into the sheet by his head and he craned his neck to capture Kurt's lips into a kiss, mouths moving together messily and off-center. The slide was too dry and rough, only slightly slicked by the sweat forming on their skins under the increasing warmth outside and the erratic movements of their bodies.
Eyes tightly shut, Blaine wrapped his free hand over Kurt's and forced it to go faster, tightening his grip and moaning when the friction was just right. Kurt groaned and rocked his hips roughly, unsettling his cock, and on the next thrust it slipped down and over Blaine's hole, all the way to the back of his balls. Blaine's whole body jerked and he squeezed his thighs closer, trapping Kurt's cock there and coming soon after as it dragged over his hole again and again.
With a choked moan Kurt came, nails digging into Blaine's skin where his hand was splayed against his chest. Coming down slowly, his heart thumping in his ears and his head in a happy haze, Blaine turned around in Kurt's arms. He muttered an apology when Kurt hissed as his cock slipped from between Blaine's thigh and pressed his cheek into Kurt's pillow, smiling up at him.
Kurt smiled back, small and lazy, and brushed a curl out of Blaine's forehead, ghosting his fingers down the side of his face and tracing the swell of his cheek before cupping his jaw and pulling him into a kiss. Blaine went in willingly, his lips parting under Kurt's insistent kisses.
The question was on his lips, burning to be asked, but Blaine hated the thought of ruining the moment so he kept it to himself. He knew the answer, really; he knew Kurt was not fine, that meeting his future wife in a few hours was tormenting his mind to the point that he barely slept the night before, tossing and turning for hours before he got out of bed and started pacing the room. Blaine tried to stay awake, but his body betrayed him and he dozed off as Kurt sat by his window and gazed into the distance.
The window, Blaine knew, opened to the north, and it was easy to imagine that Kurt must have thought about his time at Winterfell and how much freer he was without even knowing it. It twisted cold and dark inside of Blaine that he could do nothing to help him besides being there for him. He could not make this easier or tell Kurt that everything would be alright. The unavoidability of the situation made him feel like he was trapped and the walls were closing in, and as they did Kurt grew more and more distant.
"Let's run away," Blaine whispered against Kurt's lips. He stroked his hand up Kurt's arm and kissed the corner of his mouth when he smiled.
Kurt hummed thoughtfully, tangling his fingers in the hair at the back of Blaine's head. "Tell me more."
"We could sneak off to the stables and request their best horses. While you pack our things, I would go to the kitchens and convince them to give us provisions to last us a few days. We'd make for the Trident-"
"Not horses. I want to see the Free Cities. Let's go to the harbour."
"We can't sail from here, they'd catch us. We could go to Dorne and sell our horses to buy our passage on a trading ship."
"Storm's End is closer."
"But they know who you are, Your Grace." Blaine pecked Kurt's nose when he scrunched it up. "No, we have to get away from your families' lands. Snow would bring us game and we'd cook it on an open fire before sleeping under the stars and waking up sore from the previous day's ride and covered in dew water."
"We would only sleep?" Kurt's hand in Blaine's hair tightened, nails grazing his scalp lightly.
A flicker of something wicked flashed in Kurt's eyes and Blaine's voice dropped lower when he spoke. "We'd fuck as often as we could."
Heat that crept over Kurt's face and he let out a self-conscious chuckle. "And once we have crossed the sea?"
"We would settle in Tyrosh or Myr. We would have to sell all of our belongings to have a place to live. I could give swordfight lessons and you could school people in the history of Westeros. No one would know who we are and we'd never have to get married. Over time, our reputation in the city would become so favourable that no one would think of questioning why we live together. We would die very old and together while our families wage wars without us. We'd be happy. We'd be together."
The last words caught in Blaine's throat and he had to clear it. Kurt's thumb brushing over the thin skin under his eye to wipe away a tear made him realize he was crying.
"Thank you," Kurt said in a whisper.
Clearing his throat again steadied Blaine's voice. "What for?"
"For this glimpse of what my life could have been had I been born with a different name. For giving me hope." Kurt shrugged. "For being you and being here, with me. For not running away. For being so gracious about the marriage. For everything."
Blaine's lips were forming his reply, 'of course,' when the door to Kurt's chambers opened, letting Kurt's maidservant and Snow in. The wolf hurried to the side of the bed Blaine was on, ruining his attempt at hiding under the covers.
"Brittany!" Kurt snapped. He pulled the covers up to his chin and stared at the girl with wide, panicked eyes. "How many times have I told you to knock?"
"Sorry." A pause. "Good morning, Your Grace. Good morning, Blaine." She ignored Kurt's cry of protest, both at her inappropriate familiarity with Blaine and the fact that she did not even pretend that Blaine was not there, and moved to start tidying up the room. "Your royal father asked to have his breakfast served earlier. He is waiting for you."
She kept moving around the room even as Kurt stared at her. "Brittany?" He asked when it was clear she had not noticed. "I can't get out of bed if you are here."
"Why not?"
Kurt muttered 'why not, Your Grace' under his breath, rolling his eyes. Blaine stroked his thigh underneath the covers. "Because I am naked," he said in a rush. The only sign that he was flustered was the colour his ears turned.
"I have seen naked men before."
Kurt groaned and threw his head back, slumping against the headboard. The covers he had been clutching to his chest slipped down some, revealing pale skin which seemed to glow under the morning sun now filling the room.
"Brittany," Blaine said calmly. He was stroking soothing circles on Kurt's thigh. "The prince wishes to wash himself before he meets with the king. Go fetch him warm water."
She nodded, dropped the doublet she was folding - the one Blaine had nearly ripped off Kurt and thrown on the floor in his hurry to get to Kurt's skin the night before - on the back of a chair and walked out of the room.
Getting out of bed, Blaine gathered his clothes from the floor and began putting them on, turning back towards the bed to find Kurt's eyes on him. No words were exchanged as Blaine dressed. The intimacy of the moment before Brittany walked in was gone. Now the anxiety and worries which had been constantly swirling around Blaine's mind were all back. He could see them reflected on Kurt's face, his features drawn and his brow creased.
"I'll have someone get you when the Lannisters arrive." Already, Kurt's voice was more distant when he spoke as Blaine made his way for the door, Snow on his heels. "I'll need you there."
Blaine nodded and cast one last look around the room. In case it was the last time he ever visited it, he wanted to remember the place where he and Kurt had been as close to happy as they could get. No one knew with certainty when the wedding would take place, but it was to be expected that the prince's activities were going to be watched more closely with the arrival of his betrothed.
It was the king's squire who came to get him. His face was red and his clothes clung to his body with sweat as he appeared through the trees of the godswood, his breath coming out ragged and short.
"I've been looking for you all over the Keep, m'lord," he panted. He spoke too loudly, his voice echoing around the woods. Snow stood up and snarled, baring his teeth at the intruder. The squire took several steps back and held his hands up. "Can you-your wolf-please."
"It's alright, Snow," Blaine said in a much lower voice, hoping it would give the boy a hint that he was being incredibly disrespectful. "Quiet."
Reluctantly, the wolf laid back down, resting its head on its paws and looking at Blaine with resentment in its golden eyes. Blaine scratched it between the ears before getting up from where he was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the weirwood. He regretted it immediately when he realized the squire towered over him.
"The prince sent for you, m'lord. The Lannisters are here." The boy had schooled his voice into a near-whisper, this time. It made him sound like an overgrown child. "I'm to walk you to the Great Hall for the welcoming ceremony."
With a nod, Blaine called Snow to heel and followed the squire back towards the castle. They walked in silence for a while, the noises coming from the bustle to get everything ready for the celebrations removing the need to talk. Blaine's mind went to Kurt. At the moment, he was probably in his chambers getting ready to welcome their guests. He would be pacing the room and waiting for his father to knock on the door and tell him it was time, feeling desperately alone and vulnerable as he crossed the castle to reach the Great Hall. He would allow himself one last moment of panic before he put on an impassible face and took a seat next to the Iron Throne.
"I'm Finn, by the way. Finn Hudson," the squire said abruptly, pulling Blaine out of his thoughts.
"I know who you are. Ku-the prince told me about you." Not calling Kurt by his name was the one thing Blaine could never seem to do right. He could pretend he entertained nothing but platonic feelings and a devotion that was a result of his position as the prince's sworn sword, but foregoing the use of Kurt's name was nearly impossible for Blaine.
Finn hummed and breathed out loudly, almost as if he was nervous to be around Blaine, which made no sense because he could probably break Blaine in half with one hand. Blaine looked up - and up and up - at him and saw his brows were furrowed.
"Lord Stark-"
"You can call me Blaine."
"Blaine, we were wondering, huh, if you don't mind me asking-where did you get your direwolf?"
Blaine smiled and ruffled Snow's fur, grinning when the wolf nibbled his hand. "I found him when he was just a pup. Well, in fact, it's Kurt who found him. We were with our maester, going around the godswood so he could teach us about the plants growing there, and Kurt wandered off without a warning. He came back with Snow clutched to his chest and he begged the maester to let us keep it, but the man would hear nothing. Kurt-" Blaine chuckled at the memory of Kurt's small body shaking with rage and indignation as Cooper and the maester had tried to pry the pup out of his hands. "-he threw a fit and in the end it was decided that he would be allowed to keep it."
"So why's it following you around?"
"The moment Kurt put it down, it ran up to me and wouldn't leave my side. I think he still resents me for it."
"You're really close to the prince." It was a statement, not a question, and it made Blaine's stomach clench, a numbness spreading through his limbs as panic took over. The squire was known throughout the Keep for being somewhat dim-witted and if he figured out the nature of his relationship with Kurt, it meant everyone knew. It meant so many bad things Blaine could not even list them all.
"I-"
"I shouldn't be surprised they let you be his sworn sword rather than me. He trusts you."
"We grew up together. He is like a brother to me."
Finn nodded and kicked a stone, looking forlorn with his shoulders hunched over and his head bowed low. "You're not even a knight."
"I cannot be a knight," Blaine said calmly. His heartbeat was still racing from the flash of fear that had left him shaking with adrenaline. "Old gods."
"Oh, you are right. That makes us nearly the same person, then."
As Blaine looked up at the man, he wondered how exactly they were alike. Finn appeared to be the complete opposite of everything Blaine was; where he was rather short, Finn towered over everyone, and he was not even going to think about the differences between their lineages. He had a feeling Finn was lowborn from the way he seemed uneasy whenever highborns were around. He never seemed to know what to do with his body and his manners were rough and laborious.
"How is that?"
"I can never be a knight either. I had hoped that being the prince's squire would help me along the way, but now there is no hope."
"Aren't you the king's squire?"
Finn shrugged before hurrying to hold a door open for Blaine. The activity inside of the castle was even more hectic, servants and nobles alike hurrying down the hallways as they made last minute preparations. A swirl of blonde hair was the only warning Blaine got before Brittany took a hold of his arm and squeezed it, pulling him along.
"There you are! The prince is very upset that you are not there yet. He sent me looking for you. Hurry up!" Blaine sent one last look at Finn before letting the maidservant drag him towards the Great Hall. She stopped by a door Blaine had never seen before and turned to him, straightening his clothes and fixing his hair rapidly before pushing him towards the entrance. "Be strong."
She smiled when Blaine sent her a questioning look and then she was gone. Blaine pushed open the heavy door and entered what turned out to be an antechamber. The King was sitting with the Hand at a table and they were discussing in a low voice while Kurt was pacing back and forth through the room, wringing his hands. The three men looked up when Blaine entered.
"Blaine," Kurt breathed out, a forced smile breaking the nervous tension marring his face.
"Can we start, now?" The King asked roughly, frowning at Kurt.
"Yes."
Blaine was the last one to enter the Great Hall and he walked up to stand behind Kurt's seat, one hand on the pommel of his sword. The room fell quiet when the king entered, the only sounds sporadic coughs and short whispers mostly covered by the clatter of armours whenever the curious knights who suspended their afternoon training to see the show and the members of the Kingsguard move.
On the king's command, the doors at the other end of the room open and everyone turned towards them to watch the entrance of the Lannisters. Blaine squeezed Kurt's shoulder briefly and Kurt pressed his hand over Blaine's before getting up to welcome the guests.
The queen-to-be came first, a dress of green silks tied at the waist by a golden ribbon flowing down her body as cascades of blonde curls covered her shoulders. One step behind her is a man, about Blaine's age, he would guess, with a lion embroidered on his doublet. While their looks had nothing hinting at familial bonds, the way they held themselves screamed 'siblings.'
"I didn't know she had a brother," Kurt said through his smile.
"He comes with the girl, I'll find a way to keep him busy, he won't be a problem," the king replied. Blaine could only imagine how Kurt rolled his eyes at his father's reply.
Behind the brother and sister came their escort, more than twenty knights coming to join the Kingsguard or the City Watch, each of them part of the Lannisters' gift to the kingdom. Part of their daughter's dowry, Blaine imagined. He dared not think about the lands that came with this alliance. There was little love lost between the two Houses, that much he knew.
They stopped and kneeled before the king, who gave a joyful laugh and urged them to get up. "You are almost family, now. You don't have to kneel. My lady, my lord, welcome to King's Landing!" Putting a hand on Lady Quinn's shoulder, he called Kurt over and smiled at the pair. "My lady, may I introduce you to my son, Kurt. Kurt, this is Lady Quinn, your betrothed."
Lady Quinn took a bow. "I am honoured to be your future wife, Your Grace," she said in a calm voice.
Kurt took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. "The honour is mine."
She smiled briefly and then turned to the man by her side. "May I introduce you to my brother, Lord Sebastian," the man took a bow. "He came here with the wish to be helpful to the kingdom, in any way you will see fit, Your Grace."
"Welcome to King's Landing, my lord," Kurt said.
"I am at your service," Lord Sebastian replied, a smile closer to a smirk blooming on his face. Blaine took a step closer, hand firmly wrapped around his sword's grip. "I don't think we have been introduced," Lord Sebastian told him, eyeing the wolf on his doublet with the faintest of a quirk in his brow, which turned into a smile. And a wink.
"This is Lord Blaine Stark, from Winterfell. He is my sworn sword."
"My lord, my lady," Blaine said solemnly.
As the king began ushering everyone away for the feast, Kurt held Blaine back for a second. "I do not trust this man," he whispered. "Keep an eye on him for me." Smiling at his betrothed, Kurt offered his arm. "My lady."
Blaine watched them go and held back a sigh.
"I am afraid I do not know the way." Blaine turned and found Lord Sebastian smiling at him. "I hope you do not mind if I follow you."
"Of course not," Blaine replied. He led the way, unsure of what to say. "I hope you had a pleasant travel."
"It was pleasant enough, if you enjoy sleeping in tents and shitting in the woods. I missed the comforts of a castle life. I am told this one is particularly sweet to live in?"
"It is, sure enough. The food is to die for."
"Well, then, we better hurry to get to this feast. Sister!" he called when they caught up with Kurt and Lady Quinn. "Lord Stark here was just telling me how well fed we shall be in this estate. Surely, you will not miss home quite as much as you thought you would." Lord Sebastian put his hand on Blaine's shoulder and squeezed it, only offering a smile when Blaine glanced at him.
While Lady Quinn rolled her eyes and corrected her brother's words, saying that she did not fear she would miss Casterly Rock so much as she hoped to feel at home at King's Landing, Kurt's eye had narrowed at the sight of Lord Sebastian's hand on Blaine's shoulder.
"I do not mean to be an impolite host, but if we do not hurry the feast will begin without us. Lord Lannister, if you don't mind continuing this conversation later?"
"You can call me Sebastian, Your Grace. We are almost brothers."
"Lord Lannister will do." Kurt held Lord Sebastian's eyes for a long time, his gaze cold and hard and unlike anything Blaine had ever seen. Lord Sebastian was the first to look away, letting out a chuckle and smiling that smirking smile of his. "Come, my lady. We have set aside a place at the table with my father and I for you, so that you may have a taste of the life to come before we are married."
Blaine did not know what to make of Kurt's animosity towards the newcomer.