First of all I want to say thank you to everyone who has read the beginning of this story and shared their thoughts with me. I apologize in advance for not being able to update next week, but vacation promises to keep me occupied. :)

Secondly, I need to mention that this chapter contains mentions and brief descriptions of past non consensual sex. I do not go into the actual non con scene, and there are not any graphic descriptions of what happened. There are also a few homophobic slurs in the same passage. If you prefer to skip over that section, scroll past the italicized flashback portion of the chapter when you get to that point!

Lots of love! xo

Hummel's Home for Non-Conforming Adolescents

Chapter 4: Kurt

"—and I just don't understand what could have happened to make him like that," Blaine heard Kurt's strained voice say through the wood of Burt's office door. He knew straight away that the head boy and his father were talking about him, but could not understand why they sounded so distressed and defeated.

"The world is a bad place for NCs, Kurt. There are things you don't even want to know about."

"But it's not fair! God, sometimes I wish that I—"

"Don't even say it!" Burt cut him off sharply. "You know what we've had to sacrifice for this. So don't you for one second feel guilty about it. What is it you tell me all the time?"

An audible sigh, and on the exhale, "We can't save everyone."

Blaine felt bad eavesdropping any further on the strange conversation, so he lifted his knuckles to rap on the door. He had been asked to come up after Jeff finished showing him around.

The door swung open to reveal Kurt with Burt sitting at his desk in the background. Blaine kept his gaze respectfully low, partially to show his dutiful deference, but primarily to avoid the flush that threatened to take over his face upon seeing Kurt.

"Come in, Blaine," Burt said, motioning for him to sit as Kurt stepped aside. "I have arranged a doctor appointment for you this morning. Just a physical," Burt clarified upon seeing the alarm on Blaine's face. "And to update your immunizations. Unfortunately, I won't be available to take you, because I'm needed at a house manager training in the city this afternoon, but Kurt has agreed to accompany you instead."

He gave Blaine brief instructions on finding an appropriate outfit to wear in public since he did not have anything of his own yet, and then apologized authentically. "I'm sorry to take off on you like this when you just got here."

Blaine shrugged. It was strange for Blaine to hear Burt apologize for leaving. Sometimes he wouldn't see Kate for days or even weeks back at his old home. She would disappear without explanation, leaving her head boy in charge, which always led to chaos in the house. Blaine left the room with a small "thanks," promising to meet Kurt out front in fifteen minutes.

Blaine wandered into the tutoring room as Burt had directed, successfully located Jeff, and together they found clothes for him to wear. Jeff flopped on Chandler's bed while Blaine changed.

"You said Kurt is taking you to your appointment? Head boy Kurt?"

Blaine nodded like it was obvious. He was not sure there was anyone else in the house named Kurt.

"Wow, okay. So earlier when I said Kurt keeps to himself, that may have been a gigantic understatement. Kurt never spends time with any of us. He's nice enough when we talk to him, and he does tons of stuff for us, but he avoids any interaction that's not strictly necessary. Wonder what he did for Burt to punish him like this…" Jeff teased.

Blaine bit back his fear, not understanding the joke. "You think he will be mad at me?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Relax, Blaine. Kurt is perfectly nice. I was just kidding. He must like you to have agreed to take you." He jumped up from the bed and headed to the door, words having done little to assure Blaine. "Gotta get back to school, unfortunately. Have fun!"

Fun was probably out of the question. Worries about Kurt aside, Blaine hadn't seen a doctor since before he was marked, despite having been severely ill a few times. Sickness spread like wildfire in a drought in the cesspool of Blaine's last home, and treatment was rarely given. Sometimes he honestly felt lucky to be alive. If the word lucky could ever be used to describe someone in his situation…

When Blaine joined Kurt inside the car ten minutes later, the attraction he had felt to Kurt earlier was pushed to the background as his body began reacting negatively to being alone in close quarters to a man in a position of superiority. Aside from Burt so far, men with power over him had only ever hurt him, and though he tried to comfort himself by repeating Jeff's words, he could not stop the nervous pounding of his heart. His palms were sweaty, mouth dry, and his instinct was to get out.

Kurt, seeming to notice that Blaine was jumpy and uncomfortable, reached slowly for the car stereo and turned on something vaguely familiar.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

Blaine nodded jerkily. After having gone years without it, any music sounded amazing, and the sound of it alone was enough to naturally relax him.

They rode along, Kurt drumming his fingers with the beat and Blaine watching him cautiously out of the corner of his eye, but as it became evident that Kurt wasn't going to make any crude comments or moves on him, tension Blaine slowly faded from Blaine's shoulders.

"So Blaine," Kurt, who seemed able to masterfully sense Blaine's mood, spoke softly as they waited at a red light. "Tell me about yourself."

Blaine was shocked that someone was taking interest in him, but found himself wanting to open up to Kurt, and that frightened him. He didn't like thinking about his story — it was a part of his past he would rather forget — and had never told it aloud before. Nevertheless, he steeled himself with a grimace and began talking.

"I was eleven when I was marked. There was a boy I—"

"No," Kurt gently stopped him mid sentence. "Tell me about you."

The words hit Blaine like a splash of ice cold water. What was he besides his marking? For years he'd lived an empty existence, going through the motions with no purpose and no hope for the future. Who was Blaine Anderson?

"I don't really know what to say," he admitted finally, drawing a frown from Kurt.

"Well let's start with something easier. What kinds of things do you like to do?"

Only one thing came to mind. "I like to read, I guess. We weren't really allowed any free time. But I would pick up discarded books and magazines and sneak them under my mattress to read when I could break away from the group for a bit."

Blaine, whose face had lit up as he spoke about reading, seemed to realize he had said too much, let a secret slip, and he clamped his mouth shut. He waited for Kurt's reaction to his admitted rule-breaking, but Kurt just smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. Now that the fear had dissipated, Blaine found the attraction settling back in. Kurt was beautiful in a way that he'd never seen before, one that was intensified by the compassionate sweetness he showed toward Blaine.

"What is your favorite book?" Kurt asked.

That was an easier question to answer.

"To Kill A Mockingbird."

"Oh, that's a great one. Do you know about the sequel that came out?"

Blaine's face fell. "I heard about it, but I'll never have the chance to read it. I was lucky enough to find a classic that someone had thrown out. It was missing a few pages, but it was my most prized possession."

Kurt cocked his head to the side. "Was?"

"Well I couldn't take anything with me when I ran. I wasn't even supposed to have it in the first place."

Kurt glanced at him sideways. "You know you can have whatever you want now that you're here."

Blaine sat silently, processing what Kurt had said. He didn't know. He didn't understand anything about the obscure rules in Hummel's House. He had yet to be chastised for anything, but still feared the threat of punishment that lurked around every corner.

Kurt did not push the conversation any further, only turned the volume up on the radio and hummed along the rest of the way to the doctor's office, and for that, Blaine was grateful. He smiled to himself as he leaned back against the passenger seat. For the first time in his memory, he felt that he had found someone who could one day know him.


"Blaine. Come see me in my room."

Ethan had been watching him clean up from the scant dinner they'd scraped together that evening, and now leaned menacingly against the door frame to bark the command at Blaine.

He sighed quietly, following behind Ethan, who had been after Blaine all week. "Wash my clothes, homo" or "clean my bathroom, faggot" or even "cut my hair. Now." Blaine knew the consequences for not obeying would be far worse than just completing the tasks for Ethan, but he was still tempted to refuse the jerk simply for the satisfaction of seeing his reaction. Ethan had been head boy for all three years Blaine had been in the home, and Blaine could not stand him. He was rude and demanding, and made Blaine extremely uncomfortable.

Ethan shut his bedroom door behind Blaine and locked it. It was not unusual for the door to be shut when Blaine was cleaning for him, but the ominous click of the lock sent his heart racing. He swallowed down the unexplained feeling of fear and said, "What can I do for you today, Ethan?"

Ethan smiled disgustingly at him and walked a few steps closer. "Blaine, you're the best guy in this house. So obedient, always willing to help. But there is one more thing you can do for me."

The praise felt dirty, like Blaine needed to scrub it off his skin.

Then came the words that would change his world.

"Take off your clothes."

Blaine was stunned for a moment. What did Ethan want with him without his clothes? The hungry look in the head boy's eyes and the bulge below his waist answered that question.

Blaine was quite literally backed into a corner. Screaming would do no good, there was nowhere to run, so the only way out was to go forward.

He couldn't understand what was happening. Head boys were employees of the home, always unmarked with spotless records. They even condemned the others for being gay.

Ethan was close enough that Blaine could smell the disgusting mix of sweat and cologne that clung to him. He sighed impatiently.

"Clothes off. Now!"

Blaine, hands trembling, clumsily complied.

He slipped his shirt over his head, fumbling with his arms in the sleeves. He peeled off his socks one by one. And when he had stalled as long as possible, he moved to his last piece of clothing. The pants took him twice as long as usual to remove because he kept tripping over the legs in his anxiety.

Too soon, he stood naked and terrified in front of the desperate-looking older teen who was unbuckling his own pants.

"Turn around. And don't you dare make a sound."


The trip to the doctor's office had been much smoother than Blaine had expected. He was, shockingly, clear of any serious illnesses, but was declared significantly underweight and instructed to vastly increase his caloric intake. The doctor never gave a second look to his NC tattoo, which Blaine thought was extremely unusual until Kurt explained that she was a friend of Burt's. He felt, not for the first time, a surge of gratefulness toward Burt, who continually surprised him with his kindness.

The ride back to Hummel's House had been comfortable in a way Blaine hadn't expected. He and Kurt didn't talk much, but when they did, Kurt was nothing but kind and funny, and by the time they returned home, Blaine felt somewhat at ease with Kurt.

For the rest of the afternoon, Blaine busied himself with one of the books on the living room shelf, and when the boys began coming back in from their jobs and schooling for the day, he was happy to sit back and observe them rather than joining in.

It was easy to see that the group was close, even the youngest and the oldest boys. They laughed together and shared tales of their days, close friends who acted more like brothers. It was Sebastian who came to sit by Blaine, and asked him how things were going.

"Weird," was the only response Blaine could articulate.

Sebastian laughed at his description. "Weird how?"

Blaine sighed. He knew Sebastian would never understand, but he did appreciate someone taking the time to check in on him. "Everything here is so different. It's just going to take some time for me to get used to it all."

"It definitely sounds different, if you've never lived with anyone with hair before."

"We all shaved our heads to keep away the lice and other bugs that infested our mattresses and furniture." His matter-of-fact tone and the topic at hand made Sebastian shiver.

"Hmm. What was your hair like before you shaved it?"

Blaine snorted at the odd question. "It was a curly disaster. Jet black. I hated how messy it was, but now I miss it." When he looked back up, Sebastian was looking over him appraisingly.

"It'll be gorgeous when it grows back," he affirmed, causing Blaine to blush. The only compliments about his appearance that he had received in the past six years were completely unwanted in situations where he had no other option, and though he was starting to feel like he was in a safe place at Hummel's House, he could not help but feel as though Sebastian's comment fell in line with those from the other men. He twisted his shoulders away slightly and turned his attention back to the boys in the living room who were now starting up the video game console amid a heated debate about who was the best at the classic first person shooter game they were about to begin.

Sebastian did not leave Blaine's side, but did not initiate any further conversation, which was a relief. Blaine wasn't used to carrying on conversations with anyone anymore, and often felt awkward in the company of others, especially after a comment like the one Sebastian had just made.

He was relieved when Chandler and Jeff offered for him to sit between them at dinner, and he ate in almost happy silence while the banter continued and bounced back and forth all around him. He ambled to his room after dinner, ready to settle back down on his bed with the book he had chosen earlier, exhausted from interacting with so many people and from the enthusiasm in the atmosphere.

"Blaine, you've been added to the shower rotation," Chandler announced, coming in the room quietly. "Just so you know. If you miss your time slot, you lose out. Everyone is ruthless about their bathroom time. You would think we're a bunch of teenage girls, honestly."

Blaine put the book down, spine up, to mark his place and frowned at his roommate. "I showered yesterday when I came in. What do you mean?"

"We have two bathrooms, so seven people to a bathroom. It can get a little hectic, and there was a lot of fighting at first, but Kurt worked out a shower schedule for us. It's posted on the bathroom doors. Your assigned time is 8:15-8:30pm."

"When?"

"I just said. 8:15."

"No, but what day?"

Chandler gave him another strange look. "Every day. Blaine. What kind of shithole did you live in before?"

Blaine felt like his head might explode, overwhelmed yet again at the vast differences between the life he was now living and the nightmare he had endured before.

"Hey guys," Nick peeked his head in the door, interrupting Blaine's thoughts. "Blaine, Kurt is calling for you in his room." He gave a small smile and disappeared quickly.

Blaine's heart froze. His mind flashed back to Ethan demanding his presence in his room, then to the two other head boys he'd had after Ethan. He wanted to scream. He thought things had been going so well with Kurt; he almost trusted him after the time they had spent together earlier that day. He had not expected him to be just like the others. How could something like this be happening to him again?

Shaky legs carried him up both flights of stairs to the upper level of the house against his will. Blood rushed in his ears as he forced himself closer and closer to Kurt's room. He had learned with his other head boys that it was never a good idea to resist, that compliance was the only way, but with Kurt, it seemed so much harder to just give in. Kurt, who had appeared to be different. Kurt, who had asked him about himself. Kurt, the unmarked son of Burt with his soft smiles and caring voice. But as Blaine had learned the hard way, everything that seemed nice in the beginning was too good to be true.

Kurt's door was open a crack when he arrived at the end of the hallway, and Blaine knocked lightly.

"Hey Blaine, come in," Kurt called from out of sight.

Blaine stepped in the room, his body curling protectively in on itself instinctively. He vaguely noticed the rich, homey feeling of the room, enhanced by Kurt's personal touches, like the fabric-draped walls and the ornate, full-size mirror leaning against the wall nearest Blaine.

Kurt appeared through a different doorway with a distracted smile. "Oh good. Let's get started. You get undressed and I'm going to run and get one more thing. Be right back."

The last of Blaine's hope faded with Kurt's retreat, but he knew better than to dwell on his hurt and disappointment. Automatically, his fingers started removing his clothing. He had been in the same position one too many times. A bored, desperate, and straight head boy who was isolated from females his age taking out his sexual frustration on a boy with no rights and no way out. Blaine always seemed to be the one who fell victim to these boys. Ethan always told him it was because Blaine was the most attractive boy he had seen. Blaine's hand subconsciously brushed against the long, jagged scar on his jawline at the memory.

His slightly too large borrowed pants fell to the ground in a puddle and he stepped out. Trying not to hesitate, he quickly hooked his fingers in his briefs and began to pull them down when a surprised gasp rang out from behind him.

"Blaine stop! I mean…" Kurt cleared his throat awkwardly as Blaine froze and turned to look at him. "I mean, you can leave those on." He carried a bag full of something Blaine could not identify, knuckles whitening around the straps.

"I'm sorry," Blaine apologized, reprimanding himself for his error. In an attempt to correct his mistake, He dropped his head, sinking to his knees, and looking up at Kurt through his eyelashes. "Would you prefer my mouth?"

"Jesus Blaine, no!" Kurt looked horrified and Blaine was suddenly extremely self-conscious. Had Kurt decided he didn't like the way he looked? He tried willing himself to get an erection to show Kurt that he was worth it, but he could not find it in himself. "What are you doing? Please get up!"

Blaine scrambled to his feet and apologized again. "What would you like from me, then, Kurt?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want to fuck me?" Blaine asked bluntly.

"Oh my god." Kurt slapped a hand over his mouth.

Blaine blushed all the way to his chest and looked down again. He was getting it all wrong. Maybe it was better to just wait for instructions.

"Put this on," Kurt said a moment later as he handed him a robe made of an unbelievably soft material and turned away.

Blaine could not make sense of the direction, but obeyed. He knew his body was too thin and pale, but none of the other head boys had cared before. They just wanted a quick, easy fuck.

When Kurt turned back around, Blaine was waiting patiently.

"Why do you think that...that is what I want from you?" Kurt asked, confusion and softness in his voice.

"The other head boys have always had me do that for them. Nick said you needed me in your room and then you told me to get undressed, so…Why? Do you not want that from me? I promise I can satisfy you."

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt had tears in his eyes. "Didn't Nick tell you why I wanted to see you up here? I just finished making your clothes and I wanted you to try them on to make sure they fit. That's why I asked you to—" Kurt broke off with a choked sob. "I am so sorry, Blaine. I didn't mean to make you think that. I had no idea that you'd gone through someone—" he could not even finish the thought.

Blaine's brain was racing to try to keep up with the new information Kurt had given him. Kurt had never wanted him for sex. And he was apologizing profusely for the misunderstanding. Before he knew what was happening, Blaine was exploding in tears, the first time he had cried in six years.

Kurt gently took his shoulders and steered him to sit on the edge of the bed, keeping a respectful distance between them, but remaining close enough to soothe him.

When Blaine finally caught his breath, he looked up to find that Kurt was crying as well.

"Why are you crying?" Blaine asked through his tears.

"I'm upset that I made you feel this way. And I'm sad for you. Who would do something like that to a sweet boy like you?"

The compliment didn't feel dirty coming from Kurt. "You'd be surprised. I'm nothing. I have no rights."

"You're not nothing."

The fierceness in his voice made Blaine jump.

He took a few shuddering breaths and dried his tears with the sleeve of Kurt's robe. "I'm really, truly safe here, aren't I?" he asked incredulously. Kurt held out an arm with a questioning glance and Blaine nodded, understanding his request for permission. Kurt slipped an arm around Blaine's shoulders and squeezed.

"You are. I promise I'll never let anything like that happen to you again."


After Blaine calmed down, Kurt, heartbroken for the boy who had lost his innocence too soon, had sent him off to shower with the bag of new clothes in tow and instructions to return it they did not fit.

Until Blaine arrived, Kurt had been blind to the awful conditions for NCs outside of Hummel's Home. Burt had always sheltered and protected him from the horrors of reality by managing his own home, and now more than ever, Kurt hated the law and the maltreatment it allowed and even encouraged.

He busied himself with wrapping up the purchase he had made earlier during Blaine's appointment. There was not much he could do for Blaine aside from showing him that there was someone out there who cared about him, but that was enough for the moment. He tiptoed downstairs and left the rectangular packages just outside Blaine and Chandler's door with Blaine's name on an attached note.

He watched from a hidden spot down the hall when Blaine returned to his room after showering, smiling and wearing his new pajamas. He nearly tripped over the gifts before bending down to pick them up, disbelief coloring his features as he saw that they were intended for him. He unwrapped them carefully and an awed expression spread across his face while a single tear rolled down his cheek as he hugged to his chest his brand new copies of To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman.

Kurt felt an intense protectiveness over the other boy that he could not explain. Watching him just then, Kurt knew he was looking at the person who had the power to destroy everything he'd worked tirelessly to control for his entire life.

Terrifyingly, he somehow knew that Blaine was worth the risk.