A/N: Sorry for leaving you all (and Kurt) hanging last time. I hope you didn't suffer too much waiting for an update. :)
Hopefully, this chapter provides an ample amount of resolution after the catastrophic party and Blaine's irresponsibility. The boys will be heading off to Dalton in Chapter 10!
Enjoy!
My head is going to explode.
Fuck. How much did I drink last night?
Did we even make it home? Is this even my bed?
Yeah, I can hear Kurt breathing. This is our room.
God, I feel like I'm gonna throw up. Shit, no. I'm definitely going to throw up.
Blaine stifled a loud groan as he rolled out of bed and half-sprinted, half-stumbled through the doorway. He scrambled down the hall to the bathroom and pulled the door shut with just enough time to lean over the toilet. He belched, eyes watering as bile and whatever else was left in his stomach painfully moved up through his esophagus and into his mouth. A mostly-liquid vomit spilled into the porcelain bowl, and he gagged again, revolted by the sound and smell.
Blaine had never had a very high tolerance for alcohol, but that hadn't ever stopped him from drinking a lot on the rare occasions when beer was readily available. He knew it wasn't smart, but what did people expect? He was just a teenager. There was a lot of pressure put on him by being well-known and well-liked at a school like Dalton, where your reputation meant everything. It wasn't exactly 'cool' to be the one prude who refused to go to parties. Hangovers were hell, but he'd always lived through the suffering and came out fine on the other side. This one would be no different.
He retched again, but there was nothing else left to expel from his body. Blaine let his head fall against his shaking hands for a moment, propping himself up with his elbows against the toilet seat. When the world stopped spinning—for the moment, at least—he got to his feet and washed his mouth out in the sink, splashing his face with a bit of water as well. He studiously avoided his own reflection as he reached over to flush the toilet.
Hitting the light switch and yawning into his hand, Blaine staggered back out into the hall, walking sluggishly toward the room where Kurt would be waiting—probably still sound asleep. He hadn't had anything to drink, after all.
Blaine froze in the doorway, unmoving aside from the way his jaw dropped in utter shock at the sight before him. Kurt was nude and completely uncovered, tied to the headboard by taut leather cords. His hair was a mess, and he didn't look comfortable at all. Blaine's mind raced to make sense of the scene.
This is not happening. Hangovers can make people hallucinate, right? Oh god, what happened?
I was dancing with Sebastian… and Kurt came to get me…
We… Shit. We came home with Nick! And I…
I did this to him. I fucking did this to him.
Blaine rushed to the edge of the bed, but he halted in his tracks when Kurt turned his head from where he'd tucked it against his bicep in a desperate attempt to get comfortable, looking up at him. His blue eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion and puffy from crying, and—shit—Blaine swore he could almost see a bit of fear. It was hard to determine anything past the pounding in his head, but there was definitely something in the boy's eyes that gave Blaine pause and made his heart tighten in an uncomfortable way.
Kurt blinked up at him, uncertain. Was Blaine still drunk? Was he still upset? The sub could hardly meet his eyes. He whimpered softly, the sound like a question. Blaine's face fell, and Kurt swallowed, his throat dry and a bit achy. He wasn't entirely certain he could trust his Dom right now, and there was nothing more frightening than that.
"Beautiful, I-" Blaine shook his head as he searched for words, looking incredibly concerned, and Kurt felt some of his fear melt away at the return of his familiar, affectionate nickname. Maybe Blaine had come back to his own mind while he slept.
The Dom moved back around the bed and climbed up, crawling closer to Kurt across the mattress. Reaching over the boy's shoulder, he loosened the straps tightened around his sub's head and pulled the ball gag from between his teeth. Kurt closed his jaw with another whimper of pain. "Are you okay?" The second the words left his mouth, Blaine wanted to beat his head into the wall. Of course he wasn't okay! "I mean…no—god. I… Kurt, I-I am so sorry." He wanted to get Kurt out of his restraints as quickly as possible, but Blaine forced himself to move slow, unsure how his sub would react. Blaine hated that his memory of the night before was so fuzzy. He couldn't hardly remember tying Kurt up, much less what he'd done with him afterward. Would he startle easily after everything he'd been through? Would he be scared?
Blinking hard to clear his thoughts, the Dom reached up to Kurt's wrists, undoing them as gently and quickly as he could manage. He laid Kurt's weak arms down against the boy's chest, feeling how stiff they were even though they remained limp in his hands. Kurt winced in silence but let Blaine remove the chain fastened to his collar and lower him down against the soft pillows. Thank god. The Dom felt relieved to see that Kurt's trust in him wasn't completely frayed. He was at least calm enough to let Blaine help him out of his predicament. That was a good sign.
When Kurt was free from his bonds, Blaine opened his mouth a few times, searching for words that wouldn't come. What could he even say? His ordinarily cool, collected attitude had crumbled a little under the stress of the situation. He didn't feel completely in control, and it was unsettling, especially with his sub in such a vulnerable position—a position that he'd put the boy in.
"Kurt…" Blaine shook his head, hesitantly reaching out to brush his cheek, feeling slightly panicked, "I don't know what happened. God, I don't know what happened." The sub glanced at him with worried eyes, and for the second time in two minutes, Blaine wanted to punch himself. He couldn't fall apart right now. "Please tell me that you didn't use your safeword," he whispered. Blaine couldn't remember, and that chilled him to the bone. If Kurt had said it, and he hadn't stopped…
Kurt shook his head weakly, and Blaine breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down at Kurt's naked body, forcing himself to assess the extent of the damage he'd caused. Luckily, there didn't appear to be physical harm aside from Kurt's sore arms and obvious exhaustion. It wasn't good by any means, but anyone would feel the same way after being tied to a headboard for hours. At least there weren't other, more severe injuries. Blaine pulled the sheets out from under him and moved to cover the boy's legs and lower body, worried that he'd be cold or embarrassed by being so exposed. "Your arms," he asked, "can you feel them, even a little?" Kurt nodded. "They hurt, though? Numb?" Kurt nodded. The Dom reached out and curled his fingers around one of Kurt's wrists, settling it in his own lap and carefully kneading the skin and muscles. Kurt closed his eyes, remaining deathly silent, and Blaine continued massaging his arms, taking all the time he needed to work the feeling back into both of them, his mind swirling all the while.
What is he thinking?
God, what would Cooper think?
What have I done?
Why can't I remember?
His head drooped a few times as he worked to massage every last inch of Kurt's arms, the world tilting on its axis. "Beautiful?" Kurt's eyes slid open and shifted to meet his gaze. Blaine kept working the stiff muscles in a soothing motion as he spoke, "Beautiful, I… I need to know what happened last night. I can't remember, and I need you to tell me what my mind's leaving out… Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes, Sir. I can try, Sir," he replied softly, voice hoarse. He struggled to cover his mouth with a tired, shaking hand as he coughed. There was a bottle of water laying on the bed, where Kurt had dropped it last night. Blaine picked it up and unscrewed the cap, lifting it to Kurt's lips.
"Here," The sub took several long swallows, and Blaine used his thumb to wipe away a few stray droplets from his chin. "I remember most of the party," he continued, "I remember that Nick drove us home. The rest is…not really there."
"We came up here to our room," Kurt recounted quietly, "I was trying to get you to lay down and rest. Nick told me how to take care of you on the drive back. B-but you just wanted to kiss me instead. I even tried making you stop a few times, because I knew you weren't really yourself… but you ordered me to take my clothes off and get on the bed. I could tell you were getting angry, so I stopped trying to argue with you."
"And you didn't use your safeword because you weren't sure if I'd listen…" Blaine filled in the blank.
"Yeah—Y-yes, Sir," Kurt stammered to add the respectful title, like he feared retribution if he didn't.
"It's okay," Blaine whispered, running a hand through the boy's hair. "You're okay."
"You c-called me a name…" Kurt looked down, unable to get the word out.
Blaine's eyebrows were slanted in distress. He didn't want to hear the rest—Kurt's uncomfortable tone couldn't mean anything good—but he had to know. "What did I say, sweetheart?" he prompted softly.
"Pet," Kurt deadpanned in a whisper. Blaine paled, feeling his stomach churn from something entirely unrelated to his hangover. The sub took a moment to compose himself before continuing, and the silence was painful between them. "You called me—th-that, and I knew you were getting mad, so I just did what you told me to, Sir. You tied me to the headboard and gagged me because your head was hurting, and you said that I was talking too much. You were planning to fuck me, but then you pleasured yourself instead and just sort of…rolled over and fell asleep."
Blaine had been so focused on Kurt for the past few minutes that hadn't noticed the dry, sticky feeling in his underwear. He was relieved to know, however, that he hadn't gone any further with Kurt while he was under the influence. That could have made things even more disastrous. "Did you get any sleep last night, beautiful?"
"No, Sir."
The Dom sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could only imagine what had gone through the boy's mind during the long, silent hours after such a stressful evening. They would have to talk about this later, but Blaine wasn't ready to face his mistakes just yet. It was too early, and he felt too sick. "L-let's go take a shower, beautiful. We could both use one, I think. J-just to calm down and relax a little. Does that sound nice?"
"Yeah… Yeah, it does." Kurt nodded gently, perfectly content to postpone the inevitable conversation as well. Guilt still hung heavily over his head, even if deep down, he knew that his Dom was at fault as well. The sub tiredly rose from the bed and went to the dresser to grab a fresh pair of underwear and sweatpants, grabbing some for Blaine as well. The Dom stumbled to his feet and leaned against the wall to balance himself while he waited for Kurt. "You okay, Sir?" the sub asked cautiously, walking toward him, "You don't look so good."
"I'll be alright," he insisted, though his head throbbed in protest. Kurt didn't press the issue. The two boys went down the hall to the bathroom, and Blaine pulled the shower door closed once they'd both stepped inside. "Do you mind cool water?" he asked.
"No, Sir. That's fine." It would help him wake up, at least.
When the water began to spray from the showerhead, both boys jumped at the first cold burst, and Kurt pressed his body against Blaine's, shivering. The Dom chuckled quietly, planting a single soft kiss to his cheek. The cool water felt amazing on Blaine's skin, and it helped distract from the throb in his head and the ache in his muscles. "Can I wash your hair, beautiful?" he asked, twirling a few strands between his fingers.
"Mhmm," Kurt nodded, leaning his head back into the stream of water to wet his brunet locks down while Blaine grabbed the shampoo and squirted some into his palm. He stepped closer and reached up to spread the soap through Kurt's hair. The sub held onto his waist and let Blaine work the lather into existence, savoring the simplicity of the action. It was comforting to be cared for after a night of abandonment. He leaned against Blaine's chest. Strong arms slid around his waist, and the Dom simply held him there for a few long moments, letting the water cascade down their bodies. Neither boy broached the silence, preferring to simply be. It was enough for them right now. Maybe silence and mutual caring was just what they needed this morning.
They cleaned each other off, both tired for their own reasons, but both grateful and more than willing to reconnect in this calm way. After rinsing out the shampoo, Blaine worked conditioner into his sub's hair, massaging his scalp and giving him a few gentle kisses along the way. Kurt washed Blaine's hair in the same fashion before wrapping a bar of soap in the washcloth they shared, running it between his hands for a while before setting the bar back down and rubbing the cloth along Blaine's dark skin. The smell of sweat, alcohol, and cum faded away under Kurt's thorough attention, and the Dom returned the favor with pleasure, taking care to wash under the boy's collar as he went. After they'd both finished, they stood under the spray for a bit longer, Kurt's head resting weakly on Blaine's shoulder.
When they stepped out of the shower to dry off, Blaine's vision blurred around the edges, and he lowered himself to the floor with a groan, feeling dizzy and nauseous all over again. Kurt looked alarmed and immediately sank down beside him, brushing his arm. "Blaine?"
"I'm fine," he said quickly, "just got a little dizzy... Ugh, god dammit." Blaine covered his mouth and scrambled to the toilet on hands and knees, gagging with a frustrated whine. Kurt rubbed his back while the Dom retched, though a bit of stomach acid was all that came from his convulsions.
"What's wrong with you, Sir? Don't try to tell me you're okay," Kurt insisted, concerned.
"I have a hangover," Blaine explained, hauling himself up to the sink to rinse his mouth out before pulling on the clean pair of briefs and sweatpants. "When people drink too much alcohol, they get sick. I guess it's kind of nature's way of punishing me." He'd been trying to power through it and ignore the symptoms. He wanted to be there for Kurt. The sub was the one who deserved to be looked after today. He was the one who'd suffered the most from the party, and Blaine felt disgusted with himself for being a distraction from Kurt's needs, even if there was nothing he could really do to prevent it.
"Let's go back to our room," Kurt suggested. The boy wrapped a protective arm around Blaine's back just in case he had another weak spell, and the Dom didn't protest as his sub led the way and sat him down on the edge of the bed. "What do you need me to do, Sir?" The attentive question made the Dom uncomfortable.
"Kurt, please," Blaine sighed, "I feel like shit, but you're the one who should be coddled and cared for today. Not me."
"Sir… Last night while you slept, I spent several hours crying," Kurt confessed softly. Blaine's heart twisted into a painful knot. "I told myself that I was worthless, and… and I didn't know why you'd even want me... I'm your sub, Sir. I want to serve you. Please, please, don't dismiss me, especially when we both know you need my help."
The Dom reached out and grabbed Kurt's hand, tugging him close enough to wrap his arms around the boy's waist. Kurt settled on his lap and leaned against him in silence. "You are not worthless, Kurt," Blaine said fervently, "Don't ever think that about yourself. You—You're the most worthwhile thing in my life, beautiful. I will always want you. I will always appreciate your loyalty and obedience, and I will always care for you. Understand?" The sub nodded slowly. "Good," Blaine patted his thigh, "Now then—my head. It feels like there are wild animals trying to claw their way out from the inside."
"I'll go get you some aspirin, Sir," Kurt offered with a smile.
"That would be wonderful. Water too, please, sweetheart?" Kurt nodded, sliding out of Blaine's lap and hurrying downstairs to the kitchen where he grabbed two water bottles and filled up an ice pack. He stopped by the bathroom to get aspirin from the medicine cabinet before returning to Blaine. With a smile, he held out a bottle of water and two pills in the palm of his hand. Blaine took them with a matching grin. "Thank you, beautiful. You're a very good boy."
Kurt's face brightened with the praise, "You should probably try to rest," he encouraged.
As much as Blaine wanted to protest, he knew his boy was right. Resigned, he leaned back against the bed. Kurt stroked his curls a few times, carefully settling the icepack on Blaine's forehead.
"Sir?" he whispered. Blaine opened his eyes, "Could I use your computer? To look up hangovers?"
"Yes, you certainly may," the Dom replied, "and when you're done, you should really get some rest of your own, okay sweetheart? There's plenty of room on this bed for both of us to take a nap." Kurt nodded, leaning down to kiss Blaine's cheek before walking over to the Dom's desk and turning on his laptop. After sorting through search results to distinguish pages on hangovers in a medical sense from pages on "The Hangover" in the comedic film sense, he browsed through a few articles and other sites, learning what he could about what caused hangovers, what their symptoms were, and the various ways people tried to cure them. It was interesting, to say the least.
Kurt was scrolling through a list of home remedies—each one more bizarre than the last—when Katy Perry sounded from across the room. In a flash, Kurt jumped up from the desk chair and scrambled to grab the phone before it woke Blaine up. It had been over half an hour since the Dom had lain down, and he'd only just fallen asleep. The sub intended to simply end the call and get the room quiet again so Blaine wasn't disturbed, but just before cutting it off, he noticed the caller ID. Surprisingly, it was a name he recognized.
Nick Duval.
Kurt glanced at Blaine's sleeping form, debating for a moment before pressing Answer. He slipped out into the hallway. Surely his Dom wouldn't be mad at him for taking the call, even if he hadn't been given permission to answer his phone.
"Hello?"
"Blaine?"
"N-no, this is Kurt."
"Oh, hey." There was a beat of silence, "Is Blaine there?"
"He just fell asleep a few minutes ago, Sir," Kurt replied quietly, unable to stop himself from tacking on the respectful title. "I thought I'd just let him sleep, but I could go wake him up if you need to talk to him."
"No, it's fine. I was just calling to see if he's doing okay."
"Well, he's kind of sick. He doesn't feel good after all the stuff he drank last night… but I'm taking care of him."
"That's good. Do you know what you're doing, Kurt?" Nick asked, "I know you said last night that you hadn't dealt with a drunk before. I'm assuming you haven't managed a hangover before either?"
"No, I haven't," he said honestly, "but Blaine told me a few things earlier and let me use his laptop to Google it, too." Nick chuckled on the other line.
"Has he taken medicine? Are you keeping him hydrated?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Okay. You'll just have to wait it out, then… Did everything go smoothly last night after I dropped you off?"
Kurt hesitated, "Y-yes. It went fine."
"Good… Well, thanks for answering, Kurt. I'll let you back to him now."
"Thank you, Sir."
"Sure thing. Have a good day, Kurt."
"You too," he replied, adding, "Bye."
"Bye."
Kurt ended the call and stepped back into the bedroom, setting the phone down and looking back over at Blaine. The Dom was still out. Tiptoeing to the opposite side of the bed, Kurt climbed carefully up onto the mattress, trying not to jostle Blaine too much while he settled down against the pillows. Kurt closed his eyes and tried to relax. It was nice, being able to just lay still for a while, but the sub couldn't find sleep. Kurt reclined on the bed for nearly half an hour. He tried taking slow, deep breaths. He tried thinking of tranquil scenes and relaxing images. He even tried counting backward from 100. Ultimately, nothing could shut his mind off. Kurt was simply too focused on Blaine to let himself sleep. Shrugging, he rolled back out of bed and wandered across the room.
Taking care to not make too much noise, Kurt tugged open the bottom drawer of the dresser where he kept his books. He pulled one of his favorites out and carried it over to roll the desk chair near Blaine's bedside, settling down to keep watch over his Dom's rest. He knew Blaine wanted him to sleep, but Kurt also knew that if he did fall asleep, the Dom would probably refuse to wake him, even if he needed something—so the boy sat patiently, ready to give Blaine whatever he required when he awoke.
It was about an hour before Blaine's eyes finally fluttered open again. Kurt slipped a bookmark in to hold his place and closed the novel, immediately focused and attentive. Blaine blinked wearily and glanced at the sub seated beside him with a look of confusion. "Kurt?" he asked, voice heavy with sleep, "What are you doing?"
"Waiting for you to wake up."
"Beautiful," Blaine sounded guilty, "Why aren't you sleeping? You need your rest."
"I tried to, Sir," Kurt replied honestly, "But I just couldn't. I need to be here for you, Sir," Kurt insisted. "I'm not really tired anyway."
"The bags under your eyes have bags of their own, sweetheart," the Dom observed, "You're exhausted. After what I put you through last night—at the party, and afterward—you deserve to have me wait on you."
As soon as the topic of the previous night was touched, Kurt stiffened in his chair, immediately uncomfortable. It took him a moment to reply, voice equally anxious. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't agree."
"Kurt…" Blaine sat up on the bed, setting the ice pack down beside him. His sub was obviously and unsurprisingly still plagued and bothered by the night before. They'd both been avoiding it all day, but Blaine knew they couldn't afford to skirt around the issues any longer. It was time to get down to the bottom of things. The inevitable conversation needed to happen, and it needed to happen now. Blaine took a breath and spoke again, "Kurt, I was awful to you last night. You have every right to be upset. You probably should be upset, even. But you've literally said nothing about it all day. Can you tell me why?"
Kurt wanted to lie—to just tell Blaine that he didn't care; it wasn't a big deal—but the truth slipped out seemingly of its own accord. "I… I didn't want to think about it," he confessed. Blaine could hear the pain and discomfort in the boy's voice. "I don't want to think about yesterday ever again, Sir."
"I'm sorry, beautiful, but we need to talk about it."
Kurt shook his head pitifully, silently pleading. Yesterday evening and yesterday night had been some of the worst moments of his life, right up there with the fear he'd felt at the Registrar's office in Cleveland. He didn't want to be reminded of the way Blaine had acted. He didn't want to think about Sebastian's harsh touch. He wanted to push it all away and forget last night had ever happened. "I don't want to, Sir," he mumbled, gazing down at his lap.
"We need to," Blaine insisted again, a bit more firmly. Kurt reluctantly looked up to meet his hazel eyes, recognizing the authoritative tone. In a gentler voice, the Dom added, "At least, there are some things I have to tell you—things I need to apologize for." He sighed. "I should have taken you home the minute my friends started treating you the way they did. The very thought that I was willing to treat you in the same way, especially while I was sober… It makes me sick. I can't imagine how that made you feel, and-"
"I understand, Sir," Kurt insisted quickly, eager to end the discussion, "You didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your friends. They expected you to act that way… It's—it's okay." Maybe if he dismissed the Dom's apologies, they could stop this discussion before it even truly began.
"No," Blaine replied, "No, it's not okay. Come here, beautiful." He beckoned Kurt closer. The sub frowned a little but rose from his chair, crawling up on the bed and obediently sitting in front of his Dom. Blaine reached out to take his hands, and he held them tight in his own. "The way they spoke about you, the way I allowed them to speak about you, the way I spoke about you… There's no excuse for that. I don't treat you like my property, and I never want to. I shouldn't feel the need to hide the truth of our partnership, and I certainly shouldn't encourage untruths by dehumanizing you in front of my friends. My behavior last night was," he shook his head in disgust, searching for a harsh enough word to condemn his actions, "vile. I was incredibly insensitive to your needs, and I ignored your discomfort. The way I spoke was completely rude and disrespectful to you. The way I let my friends speak about you was way out of line-"
"I was dishonest with you, Sir," Kurt blurted. The interruption caught Blaine off guard, and it took him a moment to respond.
"What do you mean?"
"I never wanted to go to the party," he confessed, "b-but you seemed so excited, and… I couldn't ask you to stay here just because I was scared… I never told you how scared I was—not once—and none of this would have happened if I'd said something before… I know you wouldn't have made me go, Sir. None of this would have happened."
Blaine could hear Kurt's guilt as easily as he could read it on the boy's face. He shook his head adamantly. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this. I can tell that's what's happening in here," he pressed a finger to Kurt's forehead, "You're blaming yourself. You're trying to take the blame so I don't have to, but that's not gonna work." Blaine smiled, leaning in to give him a chaste kiss as he struggled to reassure him, "I am disappointed that you didn't tell me the truth, Kurt," The boy's face fell, "but this is not your fault. You hear me? This isn't your fault, sweetheart. I can't blame my actions on you. Your moment of dishonesty does not justify the way I acted at the party." Kurt gave a feeble nod to show he understood.
"I didn't respect you," Blaine continued, "I didn't take care of you. I didn't pay attention to your needs or your feelings. I let my friends talk about you like…like you were just some thing. I didn't stop them, and I even went along with it. When we got home, I blatantly abused my control over you. I called you…" his voice cracked, and Kurt shifted uncomfortably on the bed, hating to be reminded of that word, "I called you something that couldn't be any further from the truth. I didn't consider your desires in the least. I didn't care, even when you told me what you wanted.
"There's no excuse for that, Kurt. My actions were unspeakable. I failed you last night, beautiful. I failed to protect you. I failed to reassure you. I failed to respect you. I failed on too many of my promises." He inhaled a shaky breath, gazing desperately into his submissive's blue eyes. "I completely failed to fulfill my role as your Dominant… a-and…" Blaine dropped his head and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, struggling to hide the tears he could feel pooling in his eyes. He'd known it all day long; he had failed his boy—drastically failed him—but putting aside his naturally Dominant ego and admitting it out loud to Kurt, and to himself, was still hard to do.
Months ago, this boy had kneeled before him and they'd made lifelong vows to each other. Blaine had broken almost every single one of his in the span of a few hours. Kurt put all of his trust in him, and Blaine had completely blown it. Kurt depended on him for protection, safety, and guidance, and Blaine had carelessly shed his responsibilities and tossed them to the wayside just so his stupid friends wouldn't judge him. It was the most selfish thing he'd ever done, and Blaine was terrified and disgusted that it had all happened so easily. "I'm s-so ashamed of myself. And I need you to know how horrible I feel about it all, beautiful. I am so, so incredibly sorry, Kurt."
He tried to take a calming breath, relieved that he'd gotten all of the words out into the space between them, but the air rattled in his throat. Blaine cursed as he choked out a broken sob, and without a moment of hesitation, two gentle arms were suddenly sliding around his torso. Kurt pulled him close, and though he hated crying in front of anyone, the Dom couldn't find the strength to protest.
Kurt should be disgusted with him. Blaine wouldn't blame him.
Kurt should be storming from the room, demanding to spend the night at Burt's. Blaine would let him go.
Kurt should be even the slightest bit wary of trusting a Dom who'd done so much wrong. Blaine would do anything to earn that trust back.
But the boy's heart was more forgiving than Blaine could ever imagine. Kurt had already forgiven Blaine some time ago, but he'd let his Dom continue to speak, knowing he needed to confess everything before he could ever begin to forgive himself. Kurt didn't want his Dom dwelling on the previous night for the rest of their lives. The boy meant what he said when he didn't want to think about it ever again.
It had been a horrible night, but holding on to Blaine's mistakes would not be good for either of them. It brought to mind thoughts of his first real punishment, when he'd dropped the china plates and shut down to everything else. Blaine had made sure to explain what Kurt had done wrong before the spanking was even mentioned. Blaine made certain that his disappointment in his sub was clear, but then he'd let it go. It was clear to the boy that Blaine had been suffering with the weight of his mistakes all day long. It was clear that he was remorseful. Kurt couldn't imagine holding a grudge against him.
After all, Blaine was his everything. In the end, Blaine was literally all he had. Kurt's legal rights were few and far between, and almost every one of them was simply an extension of his Dom's rights. If not for Blaine, there'd be no way of knowing what would've become of Kurt, if he would have become anything at all. His Dom was all he had in this ridiculous, crazy world. No matter what happened, at the end of it all, Blaine was the one person who would always be on his side, and Kurt refused to let one night tear that apart, no matter how awful things had gotten.
For once, Blaine was the one desperate for comfort and reassurance, so Kurt held him as tight as he dared while the hot, salty tears worked their way out of his system. The sub held his Dom close to his chest, taller body tucked around Blaine's slightly curled-up form, shielding him from harm and wrapping him in warmth.
Kurt tried to emulate the way Blaine always soothed him when he was overwhelmed, pressing a few gentle kisses to the top of his head and murmuring softly into his ear, "Shhh. I've got you, Blaine… I've got you." They stayed that way for minutes, until Blaine gained enough control to speak again.
"No more alcohol," he murmured, voice still a bit thick with emotion. He pulled out of Kurt's arms and sat back up to look into his sub's eyes, his gaze serious and determined. "No more alcohol," Blaine repeated, "Not like last night. If I ever drink again, which I'm doubtful of at this point, I'm going to limit myself. And just in case I fuck that up, too—if I'm going to a party, I'll make arrangements to have you spend the night at your dad's place, no matter what."
"And you won't try to drive yourself home, right?" Kurt added, concerned.
"I'll make sure there's a designated driver for me if I choose to drink. I promise." Kurt nodded approvingly. Blaine reached up to brush his cheek, and the sub leaned into the touch, "You mean so much to me, Kurt," he implored, eyes misting again, "Last night was a really severe learning experience for me, beautiful. I can't say how much I hate that you had to suffer for my reality check, but I promise it won't happen again. I swear to you, I-"
"I know," Kurt assured, covering Blaine's hand with his own, "I know. I believe you. It's okay."
"You're not just saying that to shut me up, right?" Blaine asked for confirmation.
"No, Sir. You didn't want me blaming myself for this, but I don't want you beating yourself up over it either," he smiled gently, "We learned what we could from everything that happened, and now we can try to keep the lessons and let the rest go—just like I do with the punishments you give me."
"You're right, beautiful," the Dom nodded slowly, taking a deep breath, "You're right."
"I'm still proud to be yours, Blaine Anderson," Kurt told him, "That's never going to change."
"What did I do to deserve you, beautiful? What did I do to deserve the perfect sub?" Kurt shrugged in silence, wearing a slightly smug grin, and Blaine chuckled under his breath. Everything felt noticeably better now, like a weight had been lifted and the air between them had become more breathable. After such a catastrophic turn of events, everything had seemed to return to normal with surprising ease—a testament to the strength of their bond. Both boys were more than happy to move on from their troublesome experience and put the past behind them.
It was only early evening when they decided to turn in for the night. Kurt was incredibly exhausted, not having had a wink of sleep in over 24 hours. Though Blaine's hangover was on its last leg, the Dom still felt weak and very ready for a solid twelve hours of unconsciousness. Kurt crawled in under the covers first, stretching with a yawn. "Will you cuddle with me tonight, Sir?" he asked with a smile, looking up at Blaine while the other teen emptied off his third water bottle of the day.
"Of course I will, beautiful." He joined Kurt on the bed and pressed a lingering, gentle kiss to the inside of each of the boy's wrists. Blaine pulled Kurt in close, and their bodies melted together with ease. The sub sighed against Blaine's neck, settling his hand over the Dom's waist. He snuggled into the warmth of the arms around him, closing his eyes while a hand stroked through his hair again and again. Blaine knew exactly what to do to make Kurt relax to the point that he felt boneless—where every last ounce of tension left his body. This was one of Kurt's favorite places in the entire world. He'd happily stay in his Dom's embrace forever if he could.
"This is much more comfortable than last night," he chuckled quietly after ten minutes of calm silence. Blaine squeezed his torso and buried his head against the boy's hair.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"I'm not upset with you," Kurt reminded, "We're letting it go, remember?"
"I'm still sorry."
"Shh," Kurt urged, running his hand along the Dom's side. "Just cuddle with me, Sir. Just stay with me. I need to feel you."
"Okay." That was something he could do. Blaine smiled softly to himself and ducked his head down, tilting Kurt's up to bring their lips together. He kissed the boy at an unhurried pace, trying to reestablish and restrengthen all the promises he'd broken. Kurt kissed him back with the same slow burn, reassuring him without a single word. They were okay. They could get through anything together.
Yaaay!
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