A/N: One thing, Enjoy
Addie117, Bethan-Holly, here is the - as I think - long overdue second dedication of a chapter of one of my stories to you two. Thank you for all the love over the last two months. This is to say, I won't forget it, and, you are dear to me.
Hot Neon-Green
Before Burt's eyes even reach his son Carole is already by Kurt's side.
Blaine is confused when Burt does not immediately appear in his field of vision, next to Carole. So he glances shortly to the door and hears Kurt wince at the loss of Blaine's steadying gaze and almost simultaneously Carole say "Your dad will be right here, it will be okay Kurt."
Kurt looks unsure and frightened of just about everything when Blaine's eyes find his again.
Carole adds, gently pushing strands of hair that are clinging to Kurt's forehead, out of his eyes, "We need to get you out of these clothes, they are drenched with sweat."
"Just give me one moment to try and bring his body temperature up a little Carole," Burt says hurrying into the room.
"I am not going anywhere, I am right here," Blaine says, moving his right hand to rest on Kurt's left sock clad foot as he has to let go of Kurt's hands because Burt has wrapped his son into a quilt and is pulling him deep into his embrace, running his hands up and down the outside of the quilt.
Reassured by the touch of Blaine's hand still present at least somewhere on his body, Kurt allows himself to bury his face deep in his father's chest and to close his eyes mumbling into it, with a shaky voice, "I am sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for here, Kurt. You hear me? Nothing," Burt almost hums in a low loving tone.
The next words come much harder.
"Kiddo, you had been doing so well ever since the move to Dalton. I shouldn't have allowed you to leave again," and Blaine has never heard Burt sound that sad or pained before.
Blaine finds himself staring at Burt in shock when the realization of what these words truely mean hits him.
"This has happened before?"
"I am so glad you were here Blaine."
Now this is really the last thing Blaine had expected to hear out of Burt's mouth tonight when he first began shouting Burt's name.
"I asked him to stay," Kurt says, teeth shattering.
"Oh son, if you knew it was coming why did you not tell me, I would…,"
Kurt shaking his head into his father's chest cuts him of "I did not know."
"You are not staying in here alone tonight Kurt," Burt says with finality.
"I am not alone anymore Dad. I have Blaine," Kurt says with a voice as innocent as certain.
Blaine could swear Kurt is attempting a smile, turning his face, eyes still closed, a little further into the direction he knows Blaine to sit in. There is a definite if delicate change in Kurt's features.
'Maybe I am just hoping for a smile too badly, after all the tears,' Blaine finds himself thinking.
But when Kurt lifts his head a little of his father's chest and truly turns to face Blaine, eyes opening in the movement, there is a genuine smile playing on the now less blue lips.
As gazes shift from lips and smiles and meet the boys register the relief in each other's eyes and the hesitant smiles grow soft, gentle and reassuring.
"Carole?" Burt asks, and Blaine can feel a sense of dread when she wordlessly takes Burt's place holding Kurt just as close as Burt had before.
There is a knot forming in Blaine's chest as Burt once again leaves the room without a word, neither Kurt nor Carole needing an explanation.
The feeling grows sickening and builds into a dizzying pressure at the realization that all these movements are not only known to all occupants of the house but practiced, smooth.
Blaine a moment ago had only worried that there might be a general routine going on here that he might get in the way of.
Now he sees it is a very specific one. And a routine existing at all 'means that this is a regular thing,' and Blaine has to choke back a dry sob at Carole's next words, because they leave him with less doubt about this being a sad constant in Kurt's life, and with less hope it might not be.
"I will go make you your tea and soup," she says, placing a soft kiss to Kurt's forehead, and running a hand tenderly through his hair.
"And a hot-water bottle? The big neon-green one?" Kurt asks softly.
"Of course sweetheart, I will be right back," Carole replies, directing Kurt into a lying position before she leaves.
The boys' eyes are locked again as soon as Carole's last touch leaves Kurt.
Blaine as he scoots a little closer and about to move to intertwine at least his right hand with Kurt's left again notices his boyfriend fighting the exhaustion with every blink of his eyelashes.
So Blaine moves a little closer still, rsting his right on Kurt's lower back and whispers softly "It's okay Kurt, I am here. You can close your eyes, rest."
"I am sorry Blaine, but no he can't," Burt's voice sounds harsh cutting through the quiet that had just settled in the room.
Burt places a tiny bottle of pills on the nightstand next to the glass of water, Blaine had left there this evening, then he immediately turns to Kurt sitting down next to him on the bed. "Layers off!" Burt says in an almost commanding tone, but soft, gently coaxing Kurt back into a sitting position.
Kurt does not protest, 'A sure sign of utter exhaustion with Kurt,' Blaine thinks. Knowing his boyfriend does usually not respond well to orders, or not at all.
As Kurt shivers, at losing the warmth the quilt had held around him, Burt asks "Why were you still wearing that jacket anyway, you had been asleep before, right?"
"It is Blaine's," and Kurt wonders for a moment if his dad will need more explanation than that.
But as Kurt fully openes his eyes and looks over at his dad he sees only a look of understanding and a second later Burt says in a gentle voice, "You need to take it off now Kurt, I am sorry."
"I know Dad."
"You can have my sweatshirt," Blaine immediately offers.
But Burt shakes his head and places one hand on Blaine's hands as he already reaches down for the hem of his sweatshirt and is about to pull it off, "He needs to wear less under the quilt, so his own body warmth will heat up all of the air trapped under the blanket, and not just the air layered directly under his clothes, he would just soak the fresh clothes with sweat again within minutes if they are too heavy." Blaine nods in understanding, and Burt pats Blaine's hands affectionately before turning back to his son.
"How can you even fall asleep in those things?" Burt asks nodding down at Kurt's skinny jeans.
"I was exhausted," Kurt answers, and Blaine can see the instant regret at confessing this to his dad on Kurt's face.
"What happened?" Burt asks very serious.
"Nothing," and that is the last Kurt wants to say about it all, so he starts to shakily pull the jacket of himself, then the eggshell colored shirt he has been wearing all night, left only in his jeans, boxers and socks.
After pulling of said socks Kurt reaches for his belt and Burt throws a pointed look at Blaine. Kurt notices and is quick to say "Dad! Blaine knows what I look like in my boxer shorts. We have been together for months."
"Right," and Burt does not look angry, just like he feels a little, 'a whole lot out of place,' Kurt thinks.
Blaine feels a little out of place too it seems to Kurt, or at least awkward, as Blaine immediately tries to busy himself, jumping up and walking over to Kurt's dresser, "Love, what can I get you to change into?"
"Just, m-m-my," now that the quilt and clothes are off Kurt's teeth are shattering again, "my light blue half-long PJ bottoms and my favorite white shirt, you know, the one reading…"
"I know the one," Blaine says throwing a real smile, this time, over his shoulder at Kurt.
Burt helps Kurt, by now only left in his boxer shorts, up from the bed and as soon as Kurt stumbles a little, Blaine is there to help him over to the bathroom.
Door half-closed Kurt changes, and as he walks slowly back out into his room Carole is back, and Blaine has a bowl of soup of his own, already eaten empty, in his hands.
Kurt walks over to the dresser and can feel the worried eyes of three people on him all the while.
As he starts searching for something Burt says "Already got them for you," pointing towards a spot on the bed.
Blaine is by his side as soon as he starts walking over towards his bed.
"May I?" Blaine asks with a soft smile.
Kurt and Burt both look confused at Blaine, only Carole has a knowing smile on her face.
"We might as well make the best of this. Right, Love?" Blaine says as he scoops Kurt up in his arms and carries him over to the bed. The squeal Kurt lets out at being literally, this time, swooped of his feet, has everyone chuckle a little, even Kurt himself as he briefly ravels in the opportunity to bury his cold fingers in the pockets of Blaine's sweatshirt and his cold nose and cheeks in the warmth radiating - even through the clothes - from Blaine's upper body.
As Blaine lowers him gently onto the bed and is about to move to sit back down next to Carole at the foot of the bed, Kurt grabs hold of Blaine's forearms.
"Don't," he says with a pleading gaze, looking slightly scared again.
"It is okay, Blaine, you can sit with him. Kurt, the quilt! Or you will never warm up," Burt says reaching for the bottle of pills on the nightstand.
Blaine sits himself behind Kurt leaning against a pillow placed against the headboard and places a kiss into Kurt's hair as soon as Kurt has moved back a little to lean against Blaine's chest, both of Blaine's legs resting slightly bent to the sides of Kurt's body.
Kurt begins to fumble with his favorite pair of especially fluffy socks and shivers a little as he feels Blaine's breath ghost over the skin on the right side of his neck, as he asks once again "May I?" It is a warm sound that has Kurt shiver.
As soon as Kurt nods, letting out a small "Mmh," Blaine's hands are moving gently along the backs of Kurt's hands, and Kurt trembles a little at the soft, and too him, today, hot touch.
Kurt watches as Blaine's hands work away, untangling the pair of socks and one is instantly dropped onto the mattress.
"Right foot," Blaine says in a soft low voice, and gosh, never has Kurt thought putting on socks could ever be that intriguing.
"Left foot," Kurt beats Blaine to it this time, in a joking almost happy sounding voice that makes Blaine chuckle lightly and place a kiss to the back of Kurt's neck after the task is accomplished.
Kurt loves the vibrations of Blaine's chuckling and breathing running over his body, and he is about to turn to the side and snuggle deeper into Blaine's arms as he hears Burt's voice "The quilt Kurt, please put it back around you. If you want any chance at sleep tonight you need it. Blaine, would you?" Burt adds handing Blaine the quilt.
Kurt smiles as Blaine helps him wrap himself tightly into the quilt, only fingertips and head peeking out a little on the top.
Carole hands Blaine the neon-green hot-water bottle and Kurt almost looks happy as the warmth first touches his toes.
