Title: Marking a Mate
Author: an-alternate-world
Rating: M+
Characters/Pairings: Kurt/Blaine
Word count: 2,850
Summary: GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Glee, FOX, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the Glee universe.
It felt a little like a President's motorcade, with Blaine driving his car with Kurt in the passenger seat, Finn driving Kurt's Navigator directly behind them and Burt in his truck with Carole bringing up the rear. The strangest thing about it all was that the majority of Kurt's belongings fit in Blaine's car with a few larger items in his Navigator, but it was decided Kurt needed his own car while at Dalton with Blaine and with neither willing to be separated for the two hour journey, Finn was left to drive it (with very strict instructions from Kurt on how to drive his baby).
Kurt held onto Blaine's wrist for the majority of the drive, his eyes closed and his head tilted back and enjoying the serenity washing over him. It seemed like the further he got from Lima and McKinley, the lighter and happier he began to feel as excitement bubbled in his stomach. Dalton was a fresh start, a place where he would be accepted and safe from jocks and bullies and attacks from other students. Dimly he wondered what had happened to Karofsky but he didn't dare ask with Blaine around, and Blaine had barely left his side in days.
He must have drifted off because Blaine was lightly shaking him awake. He blinked his eyes open, mirroring Blaine's smile because damn, his mate was attractive, before glancing out the front window.
"This isn't Dalton," he frowned, scratching at his nose and looking to Blaine in confusion.
"It is, and it isn't," Blain said cryptically. "We're halfway between Dalton and Crawford. It's a separate lodging dorm for mated couples."
Kurt's eyes widened as he looked at the grand building, even though it was far smaller than the main Dalton entrance he'd visited just over a week prior. "You have a whole side building thing?"
"Well, we can't have females on Dalton grounds, and Crawford won't allow males, so this is like a halfway point for the hetero mates," Blaine explained with a shrug as he opened his door and stepped out. "And for the unmated boys or girls, being around mated couples in the same dorm is a little overwhelming and, well," Blaine grinned cheekily, "loud."
Kurt blushed and climbed out of the car. "So they just allow lodging to mated couples and there's no supervision?"
Blaine snorted. "There's not much supervision in the main dorms either, Kurt."
"But don't you have prefects or something?"
"Of course, but there are mated and unmated prefects, and they aren't or can't or won't interfere in moments between mates."
Kurt felt his whole body start to become flushed with embarrassment as Finn, Carole and his father walked over.
"Looks awesome," Finn said with a nod to the very building Kurt was so mortified by.
"Yes, well, some places can afford quality builders to create architectural works of art," Kurt replied, hauling out a bag and handing it off to Finn to carry.
Carole kept her arm looped through Burt's as Blaine led the way, up a set of stairs and along a corridor until they reached room twenty-four.
"Welcome home?" he whispered to Kurt, pushing the unlocked door open.
Kurt poked Blaine as best as he could with the books he was carrying and followed him into the room.
It was simple but still homely, a double bed against one of the walls, two matching desks and chairs with a bookshelf between them. There was a bathroom behind one of the doors and a closet that was already filled with Blaine's minimal clothing. It felt warm and comfortable, although Kurt was already considering a few ways that he could add his own flair to the decorations.
"Well, this is nice," Carole said, prodding Burt to say something.
"Uh, yeah. You'll be happy here, right Kurt?"
Blaine and Finn put Kurt's bags on the bed while Kurt unloaded his armful of books onto one of the desks. "It can't be any worse than where I've come from."
Finn winced and Blaine tucked his arm around Kurt's back protectively.
Time passed quickly as Finn helped bring in the final load from the car and Carole helped Blaine sort some of the books and hang the clothes in the closet. Burt was relegated to sitting in a seat and doing as little as possible so his heart wasn't unduly strained.
"I think we're mostly set," Kurt announced, zipping up the last of his suitcases and propping it by the door for his father to take back to Lima.
"Are you sure you'll be okay here?" Burt asked, rubbing his balding head and anxiously looking between Kurt and Blaine.
"I'll look after him, I promise," Blaine assured, squeezing Kurt into his side.
Burt sighed and Carole was once again prodding him. They began the task of farewells, promises about Friday dinners and telephone calls and maybe a tear was shed by Burt but no one drew any attention to it. Finally Kurt was waving goodbye to his father and Finn and Carole, returning to his room that he shared with Blaine. How things had changed in just over a week since he'd' found his mate!
"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked as they shut the door, pulling Kurt into his arms for a gentle hug.
"A little overwhelmed," Kurt confessed, gripping Blaine's cardigan and nuzzling his nose into Blaine's neck. "It's a big change and a lot to take in."
"It definitely is," Blaine agreed, kissing Kurt's mark and pulling away to adjust some of the books on the bookshelf.
They worked in silence as Kurt unpacked his toiletries and re-arranged his outfits in the closet until they made a more ordered sense that Carole hadn't been able to figure out from his instructions. He was just finishing up when the door flew open and he immediately froze.
"Welcome to the dorms!"
Kurt crept behind Blaine's body, using it as a shield as panic flooded him.
"Hey," Blaine said softly, fumbling for Kurt's hand and squeezing it. "It's Wes. You remember Wes from after we mated, don't you?"
Kurt looked doubtfully at Wes, his wariness increasing as three other boys appeared in the doorway.
"Guys, back up a moment," Wes ordered, stepping back with his arms up. "It's okay Kurt. We won't hurt you."
Kurt wasn't even sure where the fear had erupted from but it was consuming as his heart beat wildly out of control. He'd barely seen anyone outside of his immediate family since the incident with Karofsky and somehow he'd forgotten he would be faced with a lot of unfamiliar boys as of tomorrow.
"Kurt," Blaine called, shaking him gently. "Hey. Look at me. You're safe. They won't hurt you."
Kurt struggled to focus his eyes on Blaine's golden ones, his breathing haphazard and his gaze constantly shifting to where the four boys hovered in the doorway.
"Can you come back later, Wes? And shut the door?" Blaine said tightly. Kurt saw Wes nod and leave, the door clicking behind them. "What's going on?"
"Afraid," Kurt mumbled, his terror subsiding as he realised it was back to just being the two of them. "Dunno. Just…just panicked. Sorry."
Blaine cradled his face, the fingertips of his right hand brushing over the mark behind Kurt's left ear. "There's nothing to be afraid of here. Those four just want to be your friend as much as they are mine. In fact, most people will be happy to talk to you because they want to and because they'll like you rather than shoving you into walls and lockers and dumping icy drinks over your head."
Kurt shrugged slightly, the doubt resurfacing as he glanced back at the door. "What if someone tries to attack me again?"
"Dalton isn't like McKinley," Blaine murmured, his thumb brushing over Kurt's cheekbone and catching the tears that slipped from Kurt's eyes. "You won't be alone while you're here, unless you ask to be. If someone sees you in trouble, they'll help you rather than look the other way. And that's if I don't tear whoever it is apart first."
"Blaine," Kurt automatically reprimanded with a scowl.
"That's more like the Kurt I love," Blaine grinned, kissing Kurt's nose and tugging him back into a hug. "You'll be okay here, I promise."
Kurt thought back on all the other promises made to him over the years and how little they'd meant in the end. But this was Blaine, this was his mate, and mates were more likely to keep promises, right?
"I'll try," Kurt finally whispered, still feeling nauseous with anxiety at the sudden influx of new faces and names he was going to have to deal with. He cuddled into Blaine's hold, his fears slowly abating as Blaine lapped at his marking until he felt so soothed he thought he might fall asleep on his feet.
"Do you think you can meet them now?" Blaine asked, his hands settling warm and steady on Kurt's hips.
Kurt nodded slowly. "You over-calmed me down," he protested weakly as Blaine slipped his fingers through the gaps in Kurt's and led him out of the room.
Blaine laughed softly as they walked down the corridor, past the staircase from earlier and to the other end of the dorms where an open sitting room of sorts was set up. Kurt stumbled to a stop behind Blaine, his fingers tightening as he peered over Blaine's shoulder.
"Wes and David, Nick and Jeff," Blaine pointed at each of the four boys in turn. Jeff gave an enthusiastic wave which Kurt shyly returned with a tiny scrunch of his fingers from beside Blaine's arm.
"It's wonderful knowing Blaine finally met someone who was his match," David said with a smile. "I think he was getting sick of being the fifth wheel with us."
"I'd never have admitted it," Blaine said with an exaggerated sniff that Nick and Jeff snorted at.
"Fifth wheel?" Kurt whispered against Blaine's shoulder, still wary of being too close.
"These four are in the Warblers. Wes and David mated years ago and Nick and Jeff were the two I told you about that I'd seen and made me more comfortable with coming out at Dalton again," Blaine explained.
"Like we didn't already know," Wes teased. "He's always had a bit of an obsession with my relationship with David and he used to hum Pink songs under his breath when he thought no one could hear him."
"Maybe I was just interested because you were so young!" Blaine protested.
Wes winked at Kurt and Kurt couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged at his lips. "I was thirteen when I ran into David, so yes, we were young, but Blaine was constantly watching us after he'd transferred. It bordered on creepy."
David covered his chuckles and elbowed Wes to be quiet while Blaine tried to hide the redness of his face.
"Thirteen? Isn't that…um, unusual?" Kurt said as Blaine encouraged him towards one of the chairs. He bit his lip as his gaze swept across the other boys and Blaine squeezed his hand.
"They won't hurt you," he assured quietly.
Kurt swallowed his nerves as David talked about how you could mate from whenever puberty really started, so while thirteen was sort of early to tie yourself to someone forever, it wasn't unheard of. He nodded as he listened, curling into Blaine's lap and feeling awfully clingy as Blaine pressed soft kisses to his mark to keep him calm.
"Do you ever doubt it? Like…" Kurt's fingers twitched where they were holding onto Blaine's sweater. "Like do you ever think you made the wrong decision?"
He watched as David and Wes exchanged a look and joined hands, which was mirrored by Nick and Jeff. They seemed so at ease and comfortable and almost glowed with happiness. Would he ever feel like that?
"It's impossible to make a 'wrong' decision," Nick said finally. "I mean, technically I suppose there's more than one mate but you mate with each other because you want to mate with each other. It's not like we were forced into this. If we didn't want it, we wouldn't have scented and exposed our animalistic side and had sex that left initials behind our ears, y'know?"
"Have you known people who have slept together but who didn't mate?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah. They had a baby last year," Kurt said, snuggling closer to Blaine as he thought of Quinn and Puck's disastrous relationship.
"That's because although they might have been attracted to one another, or maybe it was one-sided, it wasn't mutual. It wasn't meant to be a mating. It's impossible to fully understand how or why we choose who we do, but it's possible to have sex and not end up mated," Wes explained.
Kurt closed his eyes as he processed all the information, Blaine's hand tracing down his spine.
"You mated with Blaine because you wanted him and he wanted you, and because instinctively, at a level you can't even register, you were right for each other," Jeff said. Kurt's eyes flickered open and caught the dark brown staring back at him.
"What if someone wanted me but I didn't want them?" Blaine stiffened against him and he felt the anxiety twist his stomach.
"Then you wouldn't have mated," Wes said simply. "You can't be bound to someone you don't want. If you know you don't want them consciously, then there's no way that deep down you really do. This isn't like childhood where pulling a girl's pigtails means you secretly crush on her, as opposed to just really hating her hair or her pigtails."
Jeff giggled. "I pulled on girl's pigtails when I was younger."
"How much younger? You still do that to your sister," Nick pointed out. Jeff pulled a face and jabbed Nick in the stomach.
Kurt smiled slightly. "So…so I couldn't have accidentally mated with someone?"
"No," Wes said firmly, his eyes drifting behind Kurt and Kurt wondered what Blaine's face looked like. He hadn't meant to bring this up with Blaine there but it just sort of spilled out because these boys obviously knew what they were talking about.
"So Kurt, are you going to join the Warblers?" Nick changed the subject abruptly. "We might have done a little research on the McKinley Glee club after you mated with Blaine…"
The conversation drifted between the Warblers and Dalton, the schedule of classes and teachers to watch out for. Occasionally a couple would wander past and give a wave to Blaine but Kurt's obvious tension made them keep walking without a full introduction. How was he going to handle school tomorrow with hundreds of foreign people around him?
His eyes gradually drooped shut, probably thanks to Blaine's almost constant touched to his mark, tiny licks and presses of his lips. His fall into the abyss of sleep felt like a merciful relief from the thoughts and worries swirling in his head and stomach.
Kurt woke a couple of hours later to his stomach hurting. One of his feet had gone numb and he felt guilty because Blaine hadn't shifted since he'd dozed off so the sensation in his legs had probably disappeared completely. Nick was reclining into Jeff's chest and Wes' head was leaning on David's shoulder, their faces so utterly content that the immediate flutter of fear in Kurt's chest eased.
"I think it must be nearly time for dinner," Wes suggested when Kurt's stomach audibly gurgled.
Kurt blushed and let Blaine manoeuvre him until he was between Blaine's legs and Blaine was whimpering in pain as the blood started to rush back to his limbs.
"Ow, ow, ow," he groaned, writhing and clenching his fingers into his thighs.
Kurt rubbed his hands over the quivering muscles in Blaine's legs, mumbling apologies at the agony Blaine was clearly feeling. Blaine waved his concerns off while the other four wandered away to get dinner. As soon as they were gone, Blaine pounced on Kurt, pushing him back into the cushions and kissing him, kissing him until Kurt was breathless and panting and shoving him away because he was desperately hungry and wanted food right now, not sex.
"I'll get you later," Blaine promised, nipping at Kurt's neck and sliding his fingers across the soft skin of Kurt's stomach.
Kurt squeaked and kicked harder at getting Blaine off him. "I think I shall look forward to it," Kurt grinned, tumbling off the couch and taking Blaine with him in a tangled heap of limbs.
Blaine cracked up, laughing at the affronted look on Kurt's face at falling onto the floor.
"You're the worst," Kurt hissed, kissing Blaine's cheek and wriggling free. "I want food. Oh my God, would you stop laughing at me?"
Blaine's laughs turned to intermittent fits of giggles as he led Kurt towards the mess hall.
"You're not really the worst," Kurt mumbled, slipping his hand into Blaine's and twining their fingers together. "Because I love you too much."
Blaine smiled widely and kissed the mark behind Kurt's ear. "Love you too."
A/N: There's really not a lot I can say to apologise. I honestly hadn't realised it had been nearly a month. My bad, my bad, my bad.
Okay, so. YAY they're finally at Dalton ^_^ I love my Nick/Jeff relationships and the first chapter I had a request for Wes/David so I did my best to cover that one too. I hope it satisfies the curiosity over a few other paired boys and also where they sleep.
Next chapter is longer. I got frustrated with my assignment for uni and switched to writing the chapter that's been in my head for the last month. (Shh, I'm a bad student, I know, I know).
Here's the deal though. If you've never read an author's note in your life, read this one.
Those who follow my Tumblr (you should be, why aren't you?) will know that I set up a page on there last night for this story. It lists the characters and pictures of their animals (if we know what their animals are...I can't give away too much now, can I? ;) ) and also some pictures on where the markings are, so if you want to check that out, head to my Tumblr and scroll down the links on the left hand side to 'Marking a Mate' (alternatively, marking will take you there as well).
I have plans for this story. Well, not so much this story but this universe. I'm still trying to ascertain where the story should be finishing up (any suggestions, come at me!) but I imagine it will be soon. But don't fear, don't fret! What I'm moving towards is a secondary story, not quite a sequel, not quite a spin-off, which will be based on requests, reviews, prompts, Tumblr messages, whatever, that can focus on other elements of this universe. Want to know more about Burt and Julia? I might write it. Want to see Sebastian enter the story? I could do that too. Want to see children or Kurt and Blaine's future? That's on the cards. Each chapter will relate to this universe (obviously) but they won't be in any particular timetabled order. The lengths will vary, as will the updates (although I'd hazard a guess at no less messed up than this has been recently...again, sorry), but it would allow me to expand the story beyond just Kurt and Blaine and play with some of the ideas that many of you have thrown at me over the course of the last ten chapters.
I'd love to hear ideas for where this story should be wrapping up and suggestions for chapters in the other (there's no work started on it yet, but the working title in my head as 'Loving a Mate', so let's all just have an "awwww" moment...awwwww) and hear your feedback over the page on my blog. If you'd like to see things on there - more details, descriptions, elements of Lore, you name it - I can only know if you let me know. The burden is on you (bwahaha, buck-passing).
Okay. Long author's note is long. I'm done for now! Next chapter will look at Kurt's first day as a Dalton student :) Love as always xo