Blaine looked at the sleeping form of his boyfriend in his arms and sighed. Boyfriend. Although they had never said it out, they were together. No, it was a lot more than that. Kurt was… Blaine couldn't really describe what Kurt meant to him. He was most certainly more than just a boy he loved. Kurt was his partner, his best friend, the only person who understood him. Kurt was his savior. And he felt like he couldn't live without him.
After the horrible event of a few years earlier, Blaine had thought that he lost Kurt. He had been an asshole after all, he had hurt the boy, it would have been completely understandable if Kurt didn't want to see him ever again. But Kurt didn't give up on him. It seemed like that day only brought the two of them closer.
Once Blaine was able to open up to someone, he couldn't stop talking. He had never trusted anyone enough to tell everything about himself. But Kurt was different. He had seen his real side way before Blaine had told him anything about himself. Kurt knew him without a word. It felt like they had known each other forever. Kurt knew how he felt, what bothered him, he knew everything about him. It was nice. Blaine had lived his whole life in fear. Now he finally had someone who truly understood him.
It bought them closer in different ways. Maybe because Blaine trusted him and Kurt felt it, he let Blaine closer to him, both mentally and physically. It was nice. Really-really nice. Although Blaine was very careful when he was around Kurt, he couldn't hide how Kurt made him feel. He loved what they had. He loved having Kurt in his arms while watching romantic movies, he loved the soft kisses, the gentle touch of the other boy. Blaine felt so wonderful when he was around Kurt. He felt like he wasn't a monster.
He looked at Kurt again. They had fallen asleep in his bed the previous night, after talking for hours. It was nice, although Blaine was afraid that Kurt would freak out once he woke up. He didn't want to disturb him in his sleep, though. Kurt had told him that he had had trouble with sleeping. He often had nightmares about the camp and couldn't sleep much. Blaine understood how he felt. He had the same problems after all.
His phone beeped suddenly and Blaine climbed out of the bed to read the text he had gotten. He smiled as he went through the short message. He had a surprise for Kurt and he was sure that the boy would like this one. Just a few more hours and he would make his boyfriend smile again. And while making Kurt happy, he could distract him as well. He felt bad for keeping things from Kurt but he had a very good reason to do so. He had to keep him safe, no matter what happened. Maybe Kurt would be angry with him for this but he would understand with time. Blaine only did this to ensure a better future for the boy he loved.
~ o ~
"I hate surprises."
Blaine smiled as he led Kurt down the stairs. He was in a really good mood. Although Kurt had seemed surprised when he had woken up in Blaine's bed, he hadn't freaked out. He had been worried about what his father might think about them now that he had spent the night with his boyfriend but he had decided to act normally and explain things to his father if he had to. Blaine knew that it wouldn't come to that. They would be too busy anyway, Burt would just forget about the night when he saw his surprise. Just like Kurt.
"We are almost there" Blaine said.
Kurt sighed and followed Blaine. What else could he do? He didn't like when his boyfriend was so mysterious but he also knew that Blaine wouldn't tell him anything. So he followed him without a word, hoping that he would find out what Blaine's surprise was as soon as possible.
To his surprise, his father was waiting for them, seemingly just as confused as Kurt was.
"Jeff told me to meet you here" Burt said. "Is it about last night, boys? Because I have to tell you, I'm really…"
"I have a surprise for you" Blaine said hastily. Kurt's dad could be really scary sometimes. "They are waiting for you in there."
"They?" Burt asked with a raised eyebrow.
Blaine smiled and opened the door for them.
"Burt! Kurt!"
Kurt couldn't even process what he was seeing because a moment later he found himself in a familiar embrace. He froze for a second, unable to believe that it was really happening. He pulled away from the woman after a while and looked into her eyes. But it was true… She was really here.
"Carole?" Kurt asked quietly.
"Yes, honey. It's me" Carole smiled at him.
"Carole." Burt's voice was barely more than than a whisper as he hugged the woman he loved.
Kurt stepped back and watched them in silence, giving them all the time they needed. They certainly needed a lot. After weeks they had spent apart, Burt and Carole couldn't stop hugging each other, crying quietly. Kurt felt so bad. He had caused this for his family after all. He was the reason why his father had been brought to that camp and torn away from his loved ones. If he had been careful enough...
"Hey, dude."
Kurt smiled weakly as he turned to look at Finn who was standing in the background, seemingly uncomfortable. Suddenly, Kurt felt the same. He knew Finn and what he thought about people like him. He was surprised to see him here. Finn wasn't a huge supporter of people like him.
"You okay?" Finn asked as he stepped closer.
"Yes" Kurt nodded.
"We were worried about you" Finn said. "We tried to find you but they didn't tell us where they had brought you. They didn't let us visit you."
"We were brought to the camp" Kurt said.
"God, it must have been so…" Carole's voice died and she pulled Kurt into a hug again.
"It's okay. We are fine" Kurt muttered. "We weren't there for too long. Blaine and the others helped us escape."
Carole let go of Kurt and stepped to Blaine. Kurt smiled as the woman pulled Blaine into a hug, much to Blaine's surprise. He watched Carole with wide eyes, seemingly unable to say something. No wonder. Kurt knew that Blaine had never had such a connection to his own parents. It was probably the first time he was treated like this.
"Thank you. For everything" Carole said gratefully.
"I'm always happy to help" Blaine said.
"I know" Carole smiled.
"Blaine contacted us" Finn explained. "He told us that you were fine and that we could meet you if we wanted to."
"And if we proved him that we meant no harm" Carole said, turning to look at Blaine again.
"It's the usual process" Blaine shrugged.
"You could have asked me about this, Blaine" Kurt said.
"My son is right. We know our family. They would never do anything to hurt us" Burt said in agreement.
"It doesn't matter anymore, right?" Blaine said. "They are here and if I understood Carole perfectly, they are not going anywhere."
"Of course not" Carole said and turned back to her family. "We are finally together again. No one can take this from us."
"I'm gonna leave you alone" Blaine said as he took a few steps backwards. "Your other room will be ready soon. I'll show you everything later. Enjoy your time together."
Before he could go, though, Kurt ran to him and grabbed his arm. As Blaine turned back around, Kurt pressed his lips to his. Only for a second, knowing that his family was watching them, but he wanted to let Blaine know how glad he was for this surprise. It was everything he needed.
"Thank you" he said.
"Everything for you" Blaine said with a bow and raised Kurt's hand to his lips to kiss it before he turned to leave.
"He seems like a real gentleman" Carole commented when Blaine left the room. Kurt turned back and nodded.
"He is" he said.
~ o ~
Kurt felt like he was the happiest person of the world. Everything seemed so beautiful, he had everything he had ever wanted. His family seemed happy and so was he. Not to mention that he finally had someone in his life, somebody he loved so much, who understood him more than anyone, even his father. Yeah, he was such a lucky boy.
It was so easy to get used to this new life now that he had everything he needed. It didn't bother him that he barely saw the sunlight anymore, he felt great in this underground place because he didn't feel lonely anymore. Days passed a lot faster and he just enjoyed his life. Apparently, it didn't seem like everyone felt the same way.
"When will we go home?" Finn asked one night the Hudmels spent together in Carole and Burt's room. Now that they were together again, they changed rooms, so Finn and Kurt share done to give their parents the privacy they needed.
"We can't go home, Finn" Carole replied.
"Why not?" Finn asked.
"Because there are people after us and they'll capture us if they find us again?" Kurt offered.
"They are after you" Finn pointed out. "We were fine until we left. Nobody bothered us."
"Honey, this is the only way to be together" Carole said gently. "Going home would be dangerous. Those people would hurt Kurt and Burt and there's a chance that they would catch us, too. We have to stay here where it's safe."
"Why couldn't you hide it better?" Finn asked as he turned to Kurt. "We had a perfect life before you decided to play gay."
"Finn!" Carole gasped.
"We never had a perfect life" Kurt said. "I don't play gay, Finn. This is who I am. And believe me, I never intended to let anyone know about me."
"Sure" Finn rolled his eyes.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kurt asked.
"Oh, come on. I'm not blind. I saw how you looked at me" Finn said, shaking his head. "At least you could have tried to hide it. It would have been better for everyone."
"I tried" Kurt said again. "Do you think it was fun to be locked up and tortured every single day? Because I can tell you, it wasn't. I was scared. I was worried that they might kill me. If Blaine hadn't saved us…"
"He didn't save you or any of us!" Finn said. "What do you think will happen to us if those guys find us? They'll kill us all!"
"Blaine tries to help us" Kurt said.
"No, he tries to get new soldiers for his army. You are stupid if you buy his lies" Finn said.
"That's enough!" Burt roared. "Stop fighting, both of you!"
"He started it!" Kurt shouted.
"Calm. Down" Burt said slowly. "Look, Kurt, I don't think Finn chose the right way to share his thoughts with us, but he might be right in some things."
"Excuse me?" Kurt asked in disbelief.
"We want you to be happy. Both of you" Burt said, looking from one boy to the other. "Carole and I talked about it and we might have found a solution."
"Blaine can help us move to another town" Carole said. "A place far away from here where the government can't find us."
Finn and Kurt looked at each other for a moment. It was clear that none of them liked the idea.
"What about my friends?" Finn asked.
"I won't leave Blaine behind" Kurt said at the same time.
"Just listen to us!" Burt said quickly. The boys fell silent again and he took a deep breath before continuing. "We want you to be safe and the only way is the leave. It's just the matter of time and the government'll find this place. We can't be here when it happens."
"I can't believe you are saying this" Kurt said, shaking his head. "You said that you wanted to fight. That you would stay here and help these people…"
"I changed my mind" Burt said seriously. "I want to help them, Kurt, but my family is the most important. I can't let any of you get hurt. So we are leaving."
"No" Kurt said stubbornly. "I'm staying. I won't leave without Blaine."
"Yes, you will" Burt said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I won't let you do anything stupid. We'll move to that town and start a new life. It's final."
"You can't tell me what to do" Kurt said.
"Yes, I can" Burt said. "I'm sorry, Kurt, but I have to protect you and I will, even if it's not what you want."
"I'll talk to Blaine" Kurt said. "He'll help me. You can't force me to leave when..."
"Blaine agrees with us" Burt said. "You can ask him if you want but he'll tell you the same."
"I don't think so" Kurt said. He turned around and stormed out of the room.
Burt sighed heavily as he watched his son leave. He knew it was hard for Kurt now but he wanted the best for his child. Kurt would understand him sooner or later and they could discuss everything. Or so he believed.
"Just give him time" Carole said gently. "He'll accept our decision."
"I hope so" Burt sighed. Because he wouldn't leave his child behind, even if Kurt would hate him for this.
~ o ~
Blaine sighed heavily as he listened to Cooper. He had had a great plan to stop the government but it looked like everything was against him. Nothing worked the way he needed and he was getting desperate. What if they wouldn't be able to attack in time? That couldn't happen… They had to make a move before it was too late.
"How many people do we have?" he asked.
"Not enough" Cooper answered. "A lot of them left in the past few weeks. They are worried about their families, they don't want to fight."
"This is for their sake" Blaine muttered. He couldn't believe that people gave up so fast.
"You have to understand them. They don't want to risk losing their families, especially those we saved from the camps" Cooper said.
Blaine shook his head. Yeah, he should have understood but he couldn't. He was tired of fighting. He wanted a real life himself, he wanted to be with Kurt and live in peace. But he also knew that it wasn't possible without changing the world. He had to do something, fast.
"Then we'll fight with what we have" Blaine said in the end.
"You can't be serious" Cooper said with wide eyes. "We would all die! We…"
"We are running out of time!" Blaine shouted. "How many people have to die before we do something? I'm tired of waiting. I want to save everyone I can and I will, with or without your help."
"Hey, calm down" Cooper said. "What's wrong, little brother?"
"Nothing" Blaine muttered, looking away. It wasn't true. He had talked to Burt earlier that day and they had made a very hard decision. But it had to be that way. That was the only way to keep Kurt safe.
"I know you. Something is bothering you" Cooper said.
"I'm fine" Blaine said.
"No, you aren't" Cooper said. "Tell me."
Blaine looked at his brother, unable to decide if he should talk to him or not. He wanted to. He had to talk to someone about this because he couldn't keep it in himself anymore. He opened his mouth before he could stop himself.
"Kurt's leaving" he said.
"What? Are you serious?" Cooper asked. "But I thought you two…"
"We are" Blaine nodded. "That's why he has to leave before it's too late. I talked to his father and convinced him to move with his family to a safe house. They'll start a new life there and they'll be safe."
"Does Kurt know?" Cooper asked.
"I guess Burt already told him, yes" Blaine nodded.
"And what does he think about your idea?" Cooper asked.
"It doesn't matter" Blaine said. "He has to get away from me before it's too late."
"What? But…"
"Kurt's innocent, Cooper" Blaine explained. "I-I can't let anything happen to him. There's only one way to keep him safe, to get him out of here. So I will, even if he'll hate me for this."
"You are crazy" Cooper shook his head. "Kurt loves you and you love him, too. Why the hell would you send him away from here?"
"Because, as you pointed it out, I love him" Blaine smiled sadly. "It's just the matter of time and people'll realize how much he means for me. They'll try to use him against me. I can't let that happen."
"I don't think it's what you should do" Cooper sighed.
Before Blaine could reply, the door opened and Kurt stepped inside, seemingly upset. His eyes widened when he realized that Blaine wasn't alone and he hesitated.
"Come in, Kurt" Blaine said. "Cooper's leaving."
"Am I?" Cooper whispered to him.
"Yes, Cooper" Blaine said as he stood up, grabbed his brother's arm and gently pushed him towards the door. "We'll talk later."
"Don't do this, Blaine" Cooper hissed.
"Bye, Coop."
Blaine pushed Cooper out of the room and slammed the door shut. Kurt frowned as he watched him. Blaine's reaction surprised him, he almost forgot about his own problem.
"Do you want to talk about something?" Blaine asked, running his fingers through his hair. He knew what Kurt wanted to talk about and he knew that Kurt wouldn't like what he was about to say.
"Yes" Kurt said as he stepped to him. "I had a talk with my family. They want to leave."
"I know" Blaine nodded.
"So it's true. My dad talked to you" Kurt said.
"I talked to him about my idea, actually" Blaine admitted. "I want you to leave."
"What?" Kurt gasped.
"Look, Kurt. What we had was nice but…"
"Stop!" Kurt shouted. "I won't buy this again. Don't tell me you want me to leave because you got bored of me. I might have believed that before but I know you now. Tell me the real reason why you want me to go."
Blaine smiled sadly. Kurt was clever, of course he didn't believe him. But he couldn't tell him the truth. Kurt would be worried about him, he wouldn't leave but he had to. What Blaine was about to do was dangerous and Kurt couldn't be near him when it happened. He had to get him to safety before doing anything.
"I'm not lying" Blaine said. He took a deep breath and walked back to his chair, preparing himself to face Kurt again. "I've been thinking a lot about the two us lately. I'll be honest. I like you, Kurt. You are a nice boy and I enjoyed our time together but this has to end. I have to lead my people and you distract me. I can't be with you anymore."
He hated to see the pain in Kurt's eyes but it had to be done. For Kurt's sake.
"Please, Blaine. I…"
"You'll find someone who loves you" Blaine said. "You are a good person, Kurt. You deserve someone who can give you what you need."
"I thought you loved me" Kurt said, fighting back his tears.
"I tried" Blaine said. "I really did but… I guess we aren't right for each other."
"I can't believe you are saying this" Kurt said. He lost the battle. He tried so hard to hold back his tears but it didn't work.
"I'm sorry" Blaine said quietly. "I guess I should have been honest with you from the first moment."
Kurt pressed a hand to his lips as he took a few steps away from Blaine. The other boy didn't even look at him. It was the best for both of them. Kurt had to accept his explanation and go with his family. Even if Blaine wanted to look into those beautiful blue eyes so badly, knowing that he might not see them ever again, he couldn't. Because Kurt would know that it was all just a lie.
A few seconds later, Kurt turned around and ran out of the room. Blaine's heart broke into a million pieces as he heard Kurt's loud sobs but he forced himself to stay still. He let Kurt go because he had to. To give him a chance for a better life.
"I'm so sorry" he whispered.
Maybe one day, if they managed to get their freedom back. Maybe if he survived, he would be able to find Kurt again and tell him how he felt. Maybe Kurt would forgive him and they could be together. But until then… Blaine had to risk his own life to change the world. But he would do that knowing that the boy he loved was safe. And if he got out of this alive, he could think about his own future.
