Chapter 12
Exposed
The two boys sprinted, hand in hand, out the gymnasium door and through the sunlit courtyard. Blaine found himself smiling wildly as his heart pounded from the thrill of it all. He'd never been much of a rule-breaker, so this blatant defiance of Kurt's set schedule was new and enthralling. He gripped the prince's hand tighter as they charged forward toward the front gate.
Suddenly, Kurt veered them sharply to the right and they ducked behind a decorative shrub.
"We'll have to sneak past when they let that delivery in," Kurt explained, nodding slightly to the carriage waiting outside the metal gate. "When it comes in, we'll go out on the other side so the guard doesn't spot us."
Blaine chuckled and shook his head. "You've done this a few times before, I take it?"
Kurt smiled innocently. "Once or twice." The prince turned his head back to the gate to watch for their chance.
Blaine's heart was still pounding in a mix of nerves and excitement. "So you're sure this is safe? To go out without guards?" he asked, trying not to let himself second-guess the appeal of the spontaneity. He really wasn't worried about himself so much as Kurt. The crowned prince would certainly be a desirable target for terrorists or ransom.
"It'll be fine, Blaine. I know this city like the back of my hand and we can handle ourselves."
Blaine narrowed his eyes skeptically.
"Relax, will you!" Kurt implored. "I want you to have fun today. Don't worry so much and just let me impress you!" Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand in reassurance.
Blaine couldn't stop the butterflies that flooded his stomach at the gesture.
A few seconds later, the metal gate began to swing open.
"Let's go!" Kurt whispered, pulling Blaine from behind the shrub. The boys moved quickly and stealthily toward the opening. They ducked slightly as they squeezed between the carriage and the stone palace wall, making sure they weren't seen. As soon as they were on the opposite side, they broke into a run once again.
Five blocks later, they finally slowed down. Kurt finally dropped his hold on Blaine's hand in order to bend over and catch his breath. "And that's how it's done," he said between long breaths.
Blaine smiled between his own ragged breathing. "Very stealthy. I must say, I feel pretty impressed already."
Kurt straightened up and assumed his mischievous smirk once again. "Oh, we're only getting started."
They continued walking down the bustling city street. It was just as crowded and noisy as it had been the day Blaine arrived, but he had to admit that Lima was already a lot more enjoyable now that he was not tied to a horse with a big sweaty man pressed up behind him.
They turned a corner and Blaine's nostrils were immediately struck with a heavenly smell. He couldn't help but stop short and take in a deep breath of the sweet, decadent aroma. "Mmmm," he hummed as he closed his eyes and took in the smell. "What is that?" he asked Kurt.
The prince eyed the shorter boy in amusement, a smile growing on his face. "That's the Crepe Shop," he answered. Then he pointed to a cozy-looking café nestled under a blue awning on the corner of the block. "Have you ever tried crepes before?"
Blaine shook his head 'no,' staring at the busy café with intensifying interest. "They smell incredible."
"Well, are you hungry?" Kurt asked. "We could stop in and get some if you
want. I can't even remember the last time I had a crepe. They don't really fit into my diet."
A hopeful glint sparked in Blaine's eye. "Really? We can go in?"
Kurt's amused smile widened at Blaine's eagerness. "We can do whatever we want. That's the point of skipping class and ditching the guard detail."
Blaine chuckled. "Right."
"Come on!" Kurt chimed enthusiastically. "Let's go. I haven't been to this place in years."
The boys entered the little café and looked around for a table, but all of them were taken.
"Your Highness!" a startled male voice said from behind them.
The boys turned to find a shocked looking waiter staring at them wide-eyed from behind his tray.
"We… we didn't know you were coming in today! I'm so sorry we don't have a table… Let me set one up for you! It'll just take a second!" He turned around in a frenzy, completely abandoning his task of delivering the tray of food.
"No that's okay, we can…" Kurt started to say, but he was gone before he could finish. "…wait." He shook his head in a mix of embarrassment and amusement.
Within a matter of seconds, several staff members were rushing around the establishment setting up an extra table and chairs right in front of the front window. By the time they had finished, Blaine couldn't help but notice that their table was set with much a much finer, fancier tablecloth and cutlery than the rest. The staff had even placed a pair of uncharacteristic candlesticks in the center.
"Right this way, Your Highness," the waiter said when he approached them again. He bowed slightly to Kurt before turning to lead them to the table.
As the boys took their seats, Blaine noted the way the waiter was staring at Kurt. A sudden, unexpected twinge of possessiveness plucked inside of him when he saw the waiter's eyes glance over Kurt's backside as he sat. He immediately felt himself blush, unsure of where that urge came from.
"Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?" the waiter asked.
"I'll have a coffee with vanilla and milk," Kurt stated confidently.
"Sure thing," the waiter responded with what Blaine swore was as a flirty wink. "And for you?" he asked, turning to Blaine and sounding considerably more bored.
"I… um… I…" Blaine's mind suddenly entered panic mode when he realized he'd never actually placed an order at a restaurant before. He'd only been to one in a neighboring town in Daltonia once when he was very young to celebrate his great-grandmother's birthday, and his mother had ordered for him and Joel. Blaine's panicked eyes darted to Kurt.
The prince seemed to get the message and he immediately spoke up. "He'll have a regular coffee, black. And we'll split an order of your classic crepes with strawberry."
The waiter scribbled down the order and turned to go, giving Kurt a coy smile and Blaine an annoyed, dismissive eye roll.
"Thanks," Blaine said to Kurt, the color rising in his cheeks.
The prince laughed lightly. "You really are from the middle of nowhere, aren't you?" he teased.
"Don't make fun of me," Blaine groaned.
Kurt's smile just grew wider. "Blaine of Daltonia, it looks like I have a whole lot of firsts to start crossing off your list."
Blaine's eyes widened at the comment.
Kurt gasped and his hand immediately flew to his mouth. "No, not like that! I just meant, you know, like city things and stuff… Oh god…"
Blaine chuckled. "Kurt, it's fine! I know what you meant."
Kurt just shook his head in further embarrassment.
"And if anyone is going to help me cross off city-life firsts, I'm glad it's you. I mean, how else would a farm boy like me I get to sit at a table like this?" Blaine gestured to the extravagant tablecloth and tall candlesticks on their café table.
Kurt laughed at the admittedly outlandish table setting. "Yeah, people sort if tend to overdo things when it comes to my family and me." The prince sighed. "Sometimes it's nice but most of the time, I kind of wish no one would recognize me. It's just that, when you're royalty, everyone's eyes are always on you. I wish I could just go places and not have everybody staring at me like they're seeing some rare natural phenomenon or something."
Blaine nodded as Kurt spoke, empathizing with how difficult it would be to always live in the public eye. Even as he glanced around the café, he could see how everyone's gazes fluttered over to their table. He could feel their eyes on him too; in much the same way he'd felt them at the pub. These people must have been wondering what he, a big nobody, was doing eating alone with the crowned prince in the middle of the day. It was quickly becoming quite obvious to Blaine how Kurt had built up such a reputation in his past. Every little thing the prince did was under scrutiny, a scrutiny that Blaine felt himself quickly becoming a part of. He wondered if any of the people watching them recognized him as the glittery virgin gift from Kurt's lavish birthday a few weeks ago.
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Blaine pulled his sleeve down farther over his metal cuff.
The boys chatted easily for the rest of their time in the café, mostly discussing favorite pastimes as children. Their coffee and crepes were served quickly (Blaine suspected a lot more quickly than the average patrons') and Blaine loved every bite of the sweet, delectable pastries. Kurt found Blaine's enthusiasm for the food quite endearing and caught himself twice staring idly at the way his slave's square jaw clenched and moved as he chewed.
Kurt paid the waiter, whose flirting had become bolder as the meal went on, directly increasing Blaine's annoyance with him. As much as Blaine had enjoyed the food, he found himself feeling glad when he and Kurt left the small café because it meant they could get away from him and his stupid winking.
The two started walking again. Blaine's head was on a constant swivel, trying to take in as much of his bustling city surroundings as possible.
"Where are we going next?" he asked when they turned a corner onto a less populated side street.
"To one of my favorite places in the whole kingdom. I'm pretty sure you'll love it," Kurt replied. The prince quickened his pace in apparent eagerness and Blaine had to practically jog to keep up with Kurt's longer strides.
"We'll have to cut though the park to get there," Kurt explained when they approached a huge grove of grass and trees that seemed to have sprung up from nowhere amongst the endless pavement.
Blaine felt his heart jump into his throat at the sight. An immediate sense of joy came over him when he breathed in the aroma of fresh grass and heard the rustle of leaves in a breeze– sensations he never thought he'd ever encounter again.
"This is more like it," he said with a smile.
Kurt grinned at his reaction. "Open spaces more your style?"
Blaine nodded. "Reminds me of home."
"I'd like to see your home someday," Kurt stated.
Blaine stopped in his tracks. "Really?" he asked disbelievingly. He could not fathom why Kurt, the highly cultured, well-travelled prince would ever have any kind of interest in seeing a modest little dairy farm in 'the middle of nowhere.'
"Yeah," Kurt replied, starting their walk again. "You talk about it so fondly. It obviously means a lot to you. I'd love to see where you grew up - what's special to you."
Blaine raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Kurt asked, still grinning. "I'm showing you where I'm from," he gestured toward their city surroundings, "Maybe one day you can return the favor."
Blaine gave a half smile in response, suddenly a bit saddened by the prospect of visiting home. He knew it wasn't really realistic, not while he was a slave, which would presumably be for the rest of his life. He didn't want to kill the mood though, so he asked, "Do you travel to Daltonia a lot?"
"Not often, no. The last time I was there was when I was fourteen."
"Oh, I remember that!" Blaine said, recalling the non-stop publicity that surrounded the royals' last visit to the capital of Daltonia, which was about a day's walk from Blaine's home village of Anderson. "I was thirteen and I begged my mom to let me skip school to go see your dad speak, even though it would have meant a whole day's walk there and back. She said no though. She never let me skip school for anything."
Kurt shoved his hands into his pockets, looking suddenly troubled. "And look at you now. I bet your mom would hate me for making you ditch with me today." He stared at his shoes as he walked. "I bet if she heard anything about me, she wouldn't have even have wanted you spending time with me at all."
Blaine thought for a moment before answering. "You're probably right," he said.
Kurt closed his eyes as if hurt by the confirmation.
"If she only heard about you, then yes, she wouldn't want me with you. But if she had actually met you, Kurt, I think she would have really liked you."
The prince eyes, wide and blue, darted back to Blaine's face. "Really?"
Blaine melted slightly, like always, under the eager blue gaze. "Really. You said it yourself. You're not what people hear about you, you are what you're trying to be. I mean, yeah, she wouldn't have liked the school skipping, but she would love how strong-willed and passionate you are. You don't tolerate what you don't think is right. That's admirable. You actually remind me of her in that way."
Kurt stared at the shorter boy in disbelief. Coming form Blaine, he knew that that was one of the nicest things anyone had ever told him. "Thank you," he said softly, finding it hard to form words with the amount of emotion building up inside him at Blaine's statement. "I… I can't believe you think that. After last night and everything… you still see all that in me?" he added breathlessly.
Blaine smirked. "Of course I do," he said. Then he turned his head forward again as they moved down the tree-lined path. "I know you're not perfect, Kurt. But I can see the good in you."
Kurt just shook his head in apparent shock. "You're incredible," he said before he thought better of it. "You really can find the good in everything, can't you?"
Blaine blushed lightly. "My brother used to call me Mr. Brightside," he admitted. "Yeah, I do try to seek out the good in any situation. I've kind of had to learn to do that in my life the past year or so. I guess you could call it a coping mechanism."
Kurt nodded, still utterly floored by the fact that Blaine wasn't still completely repulsed by him, and still utterly floored by how much his slave continued to surprise him. Maybe he had more of a hope of regaining his trust than he thought.
"Well, it means a lot that you're even willing to look for a bright side with me," said Kurt.
Blaine rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yeah, that's why you'd better just keep on impressing me."
"Oh, I intend to."
The boys laughed as the continued through the park. Another thirty minutes of walking found them winding through some back streets filled with more rundown looking apartments and tiny, obscure shops. Kurt finally stopped in front of an unassuming little establishment with a guitar displayed in the dirty window.
"Here we are!" he exclaimed happily.
Blaine's eyes trailed over the utterly unimpressive little store. "This is one of your favorite places in the whole kingdom?" he said unbelievingly. He knew that Kurt travelled to almost every part of the kingdom and beyond and seen more beautiful and interesting things than he could even imagine, so the fact that he had brought him to this little ramshackle shop seemed a bit anticlimactic.
"Yep, sure is," Kurt said, reaching out to open the door. "After you, good sir." The prince bowed his head slightly to Blaine and motioned him inside.
Before walking in, Blaine took a moment to realize the absurdity of the fact that the crowned prince of Lima was opening a door for him, a mere farm boy and his slave. He let out a small chuckle at the irony of the gesture and passed through the open door.
The shop was just as cramped and unkempt on the inside as it was on the outside. At first glance, Blaine didn't notice anything but the clutter of boxes and what had to be thousands of loose sheets of paper. But when he peered closer at one of the papers, realization finally dawned on him.
"Sheet music," he stated. He turned to Kurt who had entered the crammed room behind him. "This is a music store?"
"Yep," the prince replied, beaming. "This front room is all sheet music. You have to dig a little, but they have anything you could possibly want," he said gesturing to the hodgepodge of crates and paper. "And of you go through this doorway," he continued as he moved toward a narrow opening in the back of the room, "you get to the really good stuff."
Totally intrigued, Blaine followed Kurt through the doorway and let out an audible gasp at what he saw on the other side. The back room was just as cluttered as the front, but this one was absolutely filled to the brim of every kind of musical instrument Blaine could ever fathom. A harp, drum, double bass, cello, and an assortment of horns were placed against the walls of the room on the floor, and the walls were practically completely concealed behind shelves and shelves displaying violins, trumpets, woodwinds, and, much to Blaine's delight, guitars.
"The owner, Madame Thibodeau, makes all of the instruments right here on site," Kurt began to explain. "She started out right here in this really tiny shop just selling whatever she could to whomever she could and then word got around about her talent and now her instruments are the most sought after in the kingdom. Now you can only get one of her pieces by custom order."
Blaine raised an eyebrow. He could tell by looking at the beautifully crafted instruments that they were high quality, but he didn't understand why someone who was supposedly so successful would willingly stay in such a cramped space far away from Lima's main drag of quality shops.
Sensing this confusion, Kurt continued. "Madame Thibodeau is very adamant about staying at this location. She could definitely afford to move to a bigger space, buts he just doesn't want to."
"Right you are, Kurt," a raspy female voice said from another doorway into the room.
Blaine's head whipped over to see a middle-aged woman with eye glasses and a colorful headscarf leaning against one of the only open sections of wall, smirking.
"I don't care how much more room moving would get me, my heart's here in this shop. I couldn't create this stuff anywhere else," she continued.
"Madame Thibodeau!" Kurt exclaimed, flashing a dazzling smile at the woman. "It's so good to see you again!"
The woman returned the grin. "You too, Kurt. So glad you could stop in today. And who is this you have with you? I don't think you've ever brought company to my shop before." Madame Thibodeau shot Kurt a knowing glance before she approached Blaine, extending a hand.
"Madame Thibodeau, this is my… um, this is Blaine," Kurt said as Blaine accepted the her handshake.
"Pleased to meet you, Madame," he said as politely as possible, trying his best to ignore the creeping embarrassment he felt at Kurt's awkward falter over what to call him.
"You too, Blaine," she replied. "Any friend of Kurt's is a friend of mine. And may I say, I'm so glad to finally see him finally come in here with someone." She threw one more not-so-subtle, approving look at Kurt.
Blaine wasn't sure what Madame Thibodeau meant by that comment, but the slight blush breaking out on Kurt's cheeks did not escape his notice.
"What brings you boys in today? More sheet music to sing?"
"Actually," Kurt replied, "Blaine here is somewhat of a guitar aficionado. I was hoping you might let him have a closer look at one of your guitars?"
Blaine's mouth fell open at the request. It was too much. He was just a slave. A nobody. He didn't have any earthly business even looking at these artfully crafted, probably unbelievably expensive guitars let alone getting a closer look. "What?" he blurted. "No, no. That's not necessary, Madame. I couldn't."
But Madame Thibodeau was already crossing the room toward a particularly beautiful walnut guitar hanging from a display hook. "Nonsense!" she said. "I could never deny a fellow aficionado."
"I'm hardly an aficionado, Madame. I just used to play, that's all. I'm not even very good and I haven't touched a guitar in months," he rambled as he watched the woman take the instrument down and turn back toward him with it.
"Blaine," Madame Thibodeau said, cutting him off. "Do you enjoy playing music?"
He gulped, letting his eyes fall to the guitar and get lost in the wonderfully gorgeous brown swirling of the wood. "Yes," he replied. "More than almost anything."
Madame Thibodeau smiled. "Enjoy, then." She held the guitar out to Blaine.
Blaine took the guitar gingerly into his hands, feeling the need for a sort of reverence. This instrument was by far the most expensive item he'd ever touched in his life. For a moment he just reveled in the feeling of the weight of it in his hands and the softness of the polished wood.
If he had been able to concentrate on anything else in that moment, Blaine might have looked up to see Kurt beaming widely at his bemusement.
After a few more moments of simply gazing at the beauty in his hands, Blaine finally dared to slip the leather shoulder strap over him and place his fingers on the new, taught strings. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The first image that came to his mind was his mother. She was smiling lightly at him, one black curl tumbling down in front of her face.
Blaine's fingers immediately started moving over the strings as if of their own accord. Before he really even knew what he was doing, the tiny music shop was filled with the soft melody that his mother had sung to him every night of his childhood. He kept his eyes closed as he played, trying to savor the moment as long as possible and letting himself get lost in the feeling of the strings against his fingers that he had missed so desperately.
Blaine played for while longer, letting the familiar melody flow freely from his memory. Kurt watched him as he did, feeling moved almost to tears by the boy's obvious passion. Even though the other boy wasn't smiling, Kurt knew that this was the happiest Blaine had been since he'd gotten to Lima.
When the last note of the song dissipated into the air of the shop, Blaine opened his eyes, feeling suddenly more peaceful than he could remember feeling in a long, long time. He glanced over to Kurt to see that he was whispering discreetly to Madame Thibodeau.
The two stopped, however, once they saw him looking at them.
"That was beautiful, Blaine," Kurt commented.
"Thank you," Blaine said softly. "It's the lullaby my mom used to sing to me. It's my favorite song in the world."
"A lullaby? Does it have words?" Kurt asked.
"Yes, but…" Blaine hesitated. Yes, the song did have words, but he didn't feel like he'd be able to sing them if Kurt asked. This song was so special to him – it was part of his happiest memories and he associated it with feeling safe and sure. There was too much uncertainty and confusion surrounding his life right now to be able to sing the words to that song. He knew he'd only be able to do it when he felt completely whole and safe again. "I don't remember them," he lied.
Kurt frowned. "Shame. You played it so well."
"Yes, very well," Madame Thibodeau chimed in. "I do not give compliments easily but I must say that you are very talented, young man."
Blaine smiled at the woman. "Thank you. That's kind of you to say. Thank you for letting me play," he said as he removed the guitar from over his shoulder and handed it back to her. "It really is an amazing guitar."
She nodded politely at the compliment and placed the guitar back on its hook.
Then the front door of the shop opened and everyone turned to see a slightly frantic looking Mike enter. The guard let out an immediate sight of relief when he spotted Kurt and Blaine. "There you are!" he chided, crossing the front toward them. "God damn it, Kurt! How many times am I going to have come chasing after you like this? Do you have any idea how much trouble I would have been in if anything happened to you? I guess I should thank my lucky stars you always end up going to the same place when you sneak away…"
"Mike, Mike! Clam down!" Kurt said, placing a reassuring hand on the frazzled guard's shoulder. "We're fine. I'm not as breakable as you and my father seem to think I am. I just wanted to show Blaine around the city without the whole royal escort making us stick out like sore thumbs."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Well, I hope you're finished because I'm taking you both back to the palace right now before you get me fired."
Kurt raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. We'll go in peace."
"It's been a pleasure as always, Madame, " Kurt said, bowing slightly toward the woman.
She nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Yes I'm sure I'll talk to you again soon, Kurt," she replied, once again assuming that knowing smile. Then she turned to Blaine. "Pleasure to have met you, Blaine. I hope I can hear you play again sometime."
"The pleasure was all mine, Madame," he said, also bending into a polite bow.
Mike tried barking a lecture about responsibility to Kurt as they walked back toward the towering palace, but Kurt just kept making mocking faces behind his guard's back to Blaine, who was having a hard time holding back his laughter.
When they got back to Kurt's room the boys realized it was much later than they'd realized and the sun had already set. Blaine quickly jumped to work lighting the lamps and Kurt wondered over to his bed. The prince frowned down at the thrashed mess of sheets. Clearly Blaine had not had an easy sleep after last night's ordeal.
Noticing the prince's expression, Blaine immediately spoke up. "I'm sorry I didn't get around to making the bed this morning," he said. "I got sidetracked with the letter and all."
"No, Blaine, don't worry about it," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I could care less about the bed. How are you? Did you enjoy yourself today?"
"Yeah, yeah I really did. Except my hands are still a little sore from the boxing," he replied, flexing his aching fingers. "Thank you so much for everything today, Kurt. The letter, the boxing, the crepes and the afternoon in the city… it was really incredible of you."
"Don't mention it. Like I said, I… I just really want to be able to make you happy here. I hope today was a step in the right direction."
A smile pulled at the corner of Blaine's mouth. "Today was amazing. Your Highness has definitely impressed me."
Kurt laughed. "Good. I'm glad."
Blaine bit his lip, nervous to ask the question that had been picking at his mind since they left the music shop. "Can I – can I ask you something?"
Kurt's eyes widened with intrigue and surprise. "Of course you can. I told you this morning, full disclosure, remember?"
"Right," Blaine said, looking down at his shoes nervously. "What did Madame Thibodeau mean when she said she was glad to see you finally go to the shop with someone?"
Kurt paused at the question. He'd honestly sort of hoped Blaine had missed that little comment. "She just meant…" he began, still thinking of the best way to answer, "It's just that, I've only ever gone there by myself before. That place has kind of become like a sanctuary for me over the years. Especially when I stared to feel my dad slipping away. I could always sneak away to Madame Thibodeau's and sing my heart out until I felt better. It was kind of an unspoken arrangement between her and me. I always told her I never wanted to bring anybody else there with me because I didn't want them to see me as exposed as I felt when I was singing there. It was just kind of my little secret that I could keep away from the rest of the world. It was the only place no one else could judge me, you know?"
Blaine nodded, feeling surprised yet again by how much the prince was pouring out to him.
"So I guess today she was happy to see that I felt comfortable enough with someone to bring them to my special place."
Blaine exhaled a long breath he didn't realize he was holding. "You've never brought anyone else there before? Not even Mercedes?"
Kurt shook his head. "Only Mike and Puck know I go there and that's because it's where they always find me when I sneak off."
Blaine was speechless for a moment. Kurt had trusted him twice today with things he'd never shared with anyone. He was being more sincere and honest with Blaine than he'd ever been before. It was suddenly alarmingly evident to the slave that his master really must care about him as much as he said. Kurt really was breaking himself down for Blaine; opening himself and leaving nothing a mystery anymore. The enigma that was Prince Kurtis Ignatius Elizabeth Hubert Hummel was dead and gone for Blaine. The man that stood before him now was just Kurt. Just normal, vulnerable, beautiful Kurt.
"Wow," he uttered, still trying to comprehend the full weight of the situation. "That's just… Thank you for trusting me like that. Thanks for letting me in."
Kurt smiled shyly. "You're welcome," he said. "I hope you know how much I want you to be able to trust me, too. I know you're still wary of me, but I'm trying…"
"I know, Kurt," the shorter boy said, cutting him off. "And I appreciate that more than you know. I want to trust you too."
Kurt's smile grew more confident at that. "Good. That's so good to hear."
The two stood in comfortable silence for a moment before Kurt spoke again.
"Can I ask you something now?"
"Sure," Blaine said, slightly nervous.
"What's that pendant you were wearing last night?"
"Oh, it's um… It belonged to my mother." Blaine's hand immediately flew to his chest, protectively covering the golden charm under his shirt.
"Can I… Do you think I could see it?" Kurt asked, hoping it wasn't too bold a question.
Blaine gulped. "Yeah, um, okay." He started undoing his new green bowtie and unbuttoning his collar. A few seconds later he had the pendant fished out from under his shirt and held it in his hand.
Kurt approached him and gingerly picked up the small, glinting medallion from Blaine's palm. Turning it over in his own hand, he saw that one side was adorned with an impression of an elm tree and the other with a date, June 12.
Reading the questioning look on Kurt's face as he studied the pendant, Blaine spoke up. "The elm tree is the Daltonian symbol for home and June twelfth is my parents' anniversary."
"It's beautiful, Blaine," Kurt said, still turning it over in his hand. "How did you manage to hold on to it for so long? Through the slave auction and all?"
"I just made sure I was really careful about keeping it hidden. It was difficult at times, but I was pretty damned determined to keep it. It was my mother's favorite possession."
Kurt released his hold on the gold circle so it fell gently back to Blaine's chest. "Well, I'm glad you were able to keep it. I bet your mom would be really happy that you have it."
Blaine smiled. "Me too. I like to think so. You know, Kurt, one of the things that honestly scared me most about coming here was that I thought you would take it away from me."
Kurt's expression morphed as though Blaine had insulted him. "I would never take anything away from you, Blaine."
"I see that now," Blaine said, gazing up into that blue warmth again.
Kurt matched his stare for a moment longer, and a silence came over them once again. Neither boy moved, each one unsure of the other's intention.
Finally, Kurt thought it best to break the silence. The last thing he wanted to do now was send Blaine too strong of signals too fast.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty exhausted," he said, stretching his arms over his head dramatically. "I think I'll just turn in for the night." He started moving over toward the couch where he'd slept the previous night.
It took Blaine a second to blink himself out of the sort of trance he'd fallen into looking at Kurt. "Oh. Yeah, okay. I'm pretty tired too," he said. His eyes followed Kurt's lithe form over to the couch and he felt his cheeks heat up as the prince began removing his shirt. "Um, Kurt?"
The taller boy, now half undressed, looked over at his slave.
"You don't have to sleep on the couch again. I mean, I don't mind if you come back to the bed… if you want." Blaine bit his lip, feeling embarrassed by the fact that, in some roundabout way, he'd just invited Kurt to sleep next to him again. He would be lying if he said he hadn't missed the warmth and familiar sense of security that came with sharing the bed with Kurt.
The prince's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I mean, yeah. It is your bed after all." He tried to sound nonchalant.
A soft smile came over Kurt's face. He walked back over to Blaine and stopped in front of him. Then, completely to the shorter boy's surprise, Kurt pulled him into a tight embrace. After the initial shock, Blaine relaxed enough to be able to wrap his arms around the prince in response. Blaine was sure Kurt must have been able to feel how hard his heart was beating against his naked chest. After anther second, Kurt pulled away from the hug.
"What was that for?" Blaine asked, his heart still fluttering from the unexpected contact.
"You are so unbelievable, Blaine. You seriously must have the biggest heart of any human on the planet to be so kind to me."
Blaine just shrugged. "You must have been around some pretty small-hearted people before," he answered.
Kurt threw Blaine one more happy smile before the curly haired boy disappeared into the bathroom to change. The he pulled his pants off, leaving him in his normal sleep attire of just underwear, and slipped under the covers of the bed.
Blaine emerged from the bathroom in his sleep shirt and pants a few minutes later. He extinguished the lamps he had lit and then lay down next to the tired-looking prince.
He was lying with his back to Kurt, as per usual, reveling in the extra warmth and waiting for sleep to overtake him when suddenly, he heard Kurt speak.
"I'm glad you showed me your mother's pendant. It really is beautiful."
"Yeah, it really is," Blaine agreed sleepily. "Just like she was."
There was another minute of silence before Kurt spoke up again. "You really think she would have liked me?"
"Mmhmm."
"Blaine?"
"Yeah?"
"I think my mom would have really liked you, too."
Blaine felt Kurt shift his position in the large bed. He turned his head around to see that the prince was now lying much closer to him than usual.
"You're honest and compassionate like she was," Kurt added.
"Thank you, Kurt. That means a lot," he whispered.
"I'm so sorry I ever hurt you," Kurt whispered back.
"Stop apologizing. You're already forgiven."
Several more minutes of silence passed and Blaine was fairly certain Kurt had fallen asleep. He was dangling close to the edge of sleep himself when he heard the prince make one last utterance.
"I won't let you down again," he heard the prince whisper into the darkness.
Then he fell into a warm, dreamless sleep.
Note: In case you're wondering, the melody Blaine plays is the acoustic version of "Hysteric" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
I hope you all adored this chapter as much as I adored writing it. It was pretty neat to write because it is very loosely based off of Boyfriend's and my first date. Because, you know, obviously Boyfriend is a prince :P
So, is everybody still enjoying? Let me know! I crave your questions/comments!
As always, stay gold.
P.S. But really, we got crepes ;)
