A/N: Happy Friday Just to let you know there is a pretty intense scene in here, discussing suicide, just to warn you, and it might be triggering for some individuals, so just be careful. Before I set you lose, I want to thank all of you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following; all the fun stuff! I appreciate it so, so much! And as a token of my affection, I'm going to stop rambling now! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee
Chapter 8
Both men stood still as a winter's night, confusion evident on Blaine's face while Kurt's seemed to display extreme amounts of surprise and disbelief.
With the same look of rage burning bright in the man's eyes, he stalked forward, his tall frame tilting forward menacingly. Without an ounce of hesitation, Blaine pushed Kurt slightly behind him; trying in vain to hide him with his shorter stature.
"What the hell!?" The man nearly screamed, pushing Blaine aside and leaning down so they were nearly nose to nose. "Get the hell away from him, asshole!" Shoving Blaine again, he pulled a hand back to punch him straight in the face.
"Finn, STOP!" Kurt yelled, lunging in between his step-brother and Blaine, not even considering the consequences.
Finn? Blaine thought errantly, before zeroing back in on the scene in front of him. Who's Finn?
However, Finn's arm was already in motion, and even though he registered Kurt as the new target of his fist, he only had time to lessen the blow into a loose fisted smack across his jaw, not enough time to stop the momentum entirely.
Kurt stumbled back some into Blaine, who steadied him by placing his hands lightly on his shoulders.
The sound was gone from the world for a tense second. A horrible ringing sounded deep in Kurt's ears and the sting from Finn's blow, while not too bad, felt just as Spencer's had. Flashes of the last two years of his life came flying back. The ceramic bowl that smashed into the kitchen wall right to the left of his head, the sharp edge of the counter digging into his back as he was shoved into the bathroom, the commands to come into the bedroom, glassy eyes filled with want and desire. Knowing that pain was just around the bend every fucking day. Knowing that there was no way out.
The world crashed back in around Kurt, the sound flooded his ear drums, entirely too loud and cacophonous. Blaine's soothing touch suddenly became Spencer's sweetness before the smack; the caress before the beating.
In the blink of an eye, Kurt heaved himself forward, away from Blaine. But Finn, uncomprehending of the fright deep in Kurt's eyes, tried to catch his little brother as he came closer.
Letting out a small, strangled wail, Kurt lurched away from his as well, trying desperately to find a safe haven. Seeing the bench he had just vacated, he practically threw himself at it because when he had sat there, he was safe. Blaine was singing to him and he was safe. He felt like someone cared, he felt warm and protected and-oh God- why couldn't he breathe? And the metal of the bench's arm was so cold against his cheek and the wood was so hard, yet everything was spinning and he couldn't see straight and his head hurt and his stomach kept lurching and why couldn't it all stop!? Why did it all have to hurt so fucking bad?
A warm presence appeared next to him and extended to softly rest against the side of his face. Kurt shuddered violently away, but the presence just followed. The warmth-a hand perhaps?- slowly began soothing in small circles over his cheek.
Kurt's shivering didn't stop but the world seemed to slow just a little bit. The hand, Kurt decided, wasn't going to hurt him.
Oh so carefully, Kurt cracked one of his eyes open, searching for the source of this warmth. To no surprise, it was a very distraught looking Blaine, with tears in his eyes, though none had fallen.
Then Kurt began to remember: he was safe. Blaine was here and cared about him and had sung him a song and it was okay. Finn was here and angry at Blaine for some reason and Kurt had protected Blaine because he liked him and he was kind and didn't deserve to be hurt, ever, by anyone. Bit by bit Kurt's mind began to slow down and the terrible spinning of the world died down to a less sickening pace.
Blaine waited silently, letting Kurt decide what their next move would be. After a few moments, Kurt evidently decided that he really liked Blaine's neck because the slender man had slumped forward and buried his face in the soft scarf that surrounded Blaine's throat.
Kurt's shaking decreased some and if Blaine didn't know better, he would have thought that Kurt was crying. Yet, as he had found out early on, Kurt rarely cried more than a few tears.
"It's okay sweetie, it's okay. I'm right here." Blaine murmured softly into Kurt's hair as the lithe man heaved huge gulps of air into his lungs. This time though, Blaine did notice the term of endearment pass through his lips, but he couldn't take it back and Kurt didn't seem to mind, so he just let it be.
Finn, who had watched the entire scene without blinking, ambled forward awkwardly. "Kurt, man, I'm so sorry. You know I didn't mean it, right? I'd never hurt you, like…ever."
Still breathing a little raggedly, Kurt pulled his face out of Blaine's scarf and pulled away to sit up straight. However, when Blaine tried to give him space, Kurt firmly took hold of the hand that was attached to the arm around his waist; the curly headed man's presence seemed to be what was keeping him grounded right now.
"I know Finn, I know," he took another deep breath and let it out through his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. "Sorry I…freaked out, I just had a…sorry."
"Naw man, I'm sorry. Like, really sorry. I was just trying to get you away from this asshole." And with that, Finn leveled a disgusted glance at Blaine.
"First and foremost, don't call him that. And secondly, what do you have against Blaine?"
The look of hatred slipped off of Finn's face instantly and was replaced by one of earnest confusion. "Blaine?" he asked, completely baffled. He eyed the arm Blaine had around Kurt and the way his brother seemed to lean minutely into this stranger. "What happened to Spencer?"
Blaine felt Kurt instantly shrink in on himself at the mention of the name. "W-what do you m-mean? Finn, w-what's going on?" Kurt's brow was scrunched in confusion. Why did Finn hate Spencer? Why was he in New York?
Finn took a deep breath, his mind trying to make sense of everything before he spoke. That's a first for him, Kurt thought moodily.
"Kurt, like two years ago, you moved to New York to go to NYADA. You sent us letters and called every day and you seemed so, so…I don't know, happy? Except it was, like, more than that. It was like you'd finally found a place where you belonged. You actually said in one of you letters something like…oh shoot, what was it? Something like, 'My home is New York City but I'll always miss my family,' do you remember that?"
Kurt nodded slightly, eyes downcast as he remembered the boy he used to be; thrilled to be in a place of art, class, and acceptance. He was going to conquer the world, he had been so sure of it. Oh how things change.
"But then you tell us you'd started dating this Spencer guy and then the letters just stopped coming. And you never called anymore. And then, out of the blue one day, we get this-this letter from you saying that you need space. That we aren't to contact you anymore and that if we truly love you, we needed to give you time to find yourself."
"What?" Kurt asked, back suddenly straight as a pin. "A letter?"
"Yeah," Finn said slowly, not understanding why Kurt looked so pale at this news. "Don't you remember?"
"Finn…I never wrote that letter." Kurt whispered, feeling Blaine's arm tighten around him. "I thought you had all just…f-forgotten about me…"
"Come on man, like we could ever do that." Finn said sweetly. "So anyways, every time I talked to Rachel, she always would complain about how Spencer took up all of your time and she hardly got to see you anymore. But, that's, like, totally not you, man. You'd never dump your family or friends for a guy! So I knew it had to be that asshole's fault." Finn explained. "So then I saw you and that guy with your, like…arms around each other and looking all happy and in love and stuff and I just…well I just sort of assumed that he was Spencer." Looking sheepishly at the two men who were blushing like mad after Finn said they looked "in love and stuff", he addressed Blaine with, "Sorry about that by the way. I was just trying to protect my baby brother."
Blaine offered Finn a small smile in understanding. "It's okay. I actually thought you were Spencer so I was getting ready to beat the shit out of you too."
Finn let out a big belly laugh at that as Kurt and Blaine finally stood up.
"So are you two like…dating?" Finn asked, eyeing the way Blaine still had Kurt held close.
They glanced awkwardly at each other, cheeks stained red and they both simultaneously replied with a quiet no.
"Oh, well…cool." Finn shuffled his feet somewhat awkwardly, not knowing what to say next.
Saving his brother from his uncomfortable moment, Kurt asked another question that was on his mind. "So, what are you doing in New York?"
"Oh!" Finn perked right up, looking pleased with himself. "I'm here to surprise Rachel. Since I don't get to see her for Christmas, I thought I'd come now and spend some time with her."
"Wow Finn, that's really…sweet…" Kurt praised suspiciously. Then it hit him, "have you been watching the chick-flicks I left at home?!"
"NO!" Finn denied immediately, turning tomato red and giving himself away.
Blaine just chuckled at the obvious brotherly love that the two displayed. He didn't know much about Kurt's family; he usually avoided talking about them. All he knew what that he had a dad, stepmom and stepbrother, whose name was apparently Finn. And, if what Finn said was true, Kurt had once been quite close to the family he hadn't seen for nearly three years now.
"Admit it Finn, Sleepless in Seattle is your favorite movie and we all know it." Kurt teased, a light shining deep in his eyes that Blaine hadn't ever seen before. It was rather becoming.
In response, Finn just smiled a wide smile, content practically rolling off of his body in waves. "I really missed you little brother." He said softly, opening his arms as an invitation.
Finally drawing away from Blaine, Kurt took the few steps necessary to enter the embrace, closing his eyes and sniffling quietly. "I missed you too." Kurt's quiet voice broke a little with the reunion but a small smile curved the corners of his lips upward.
"So, I actually need to get to Rachel's apartment before it gets much later; I wanted to take her to dinner." Finn said a little sadly, rubbing the back of his neck with a massive hand. "But…did you maybe want to, I don't know, hang out or something before I leave? I'm only in town for a few days."
"S-sure," Kurt smiled softly, looking at his brother with affection. "I'm actually s-sort of living with Rachel so…I guess I'll s-see you later?"
"Awesome!" Finn said whilst smiling a toothy grin that took up the better part of his face. "Do you want to walk with me? I'm going there now."
"No thanks, I'm going to walk Blaine home first."
"Oh, no that's okay," Blaine rushed to get out, "I don't mind Kurt, really."
Kurt turned to smile at him before shaking his head with a sort of gentle assertiveness. "No Blaine, really, I want to."
"If you're sure," Blaine double checked, to which Kurt only nodded, that same small smile reaching all the way to his eyes.
"Alright," Finn blurted out, clapping his hands together and breaking their small moment, "So…I'll see you later?" He asked as though he was afraid if he let Kurt go, he wouldn't get him back.
Kurt rested a comforting hand on the gentle giant's bicep and squeezed slightly. "I'll be there, Finn."
He sighed out a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the words sink in and willing himself to believe them. "Cool. Nice to meet you Blaine. Sorry again about the whole…murderous rage thing…"
"It's fine, I get it Finn. But if you ever hurt Kurt again, I'm going to have to kick your ass, just so you know." Blaine teased; glad when Finn just laughed and shook his head apologetically.
Leaning forward to offer Blaine a fist bump, his eyes flickered over to Kurt's. "I like him, he's cool." To which Kurt blushed and wondered not only why Finn thought it was necessary to make these sort of analyses, but why it made Kurt blush so much.
When their goodbyes were finally completed and Kurt had assured Finn that he would see him later and they could have warm milk and lady chats, Kurt and Blaine finally set out towards Blaine's apartment. The silence that enveloped them was comforting and peaceful; almost a natural fit for the cold winter's night.
Through unspoken agreement, they decided to walk back to Blaine's place instead of grabbing a taxi; it wasn't like he lived very far anyways, probably only a 25 minute walk which was kid's play for a New Yorker.
About five minutes in, Kurt wordlessly slid his arm through Blaine's, gripping his bicep firmly while bringing his other hand up to place just a little further down his arm, effectively hugging Blaine's arm to his chest.
It's probably just for warmth, Blaine reasoned, remembering how easily Kurt got cold. It didn't stop a shiver from running up and down his spine though. He shot a glance over to Kurt, smiling a crinkly eyed smile when Kurt looked up at him bashfully through his eyelashes, but didn't pull away.
"Today was sort of perfect," Kurt whispered. "I got to have hot chocolate in Central Park, shop in Times Square and you-" his eyes went up to rest adoringly on Blaine's face until the brunette man met his gaze, "you…s-sang for me…in front of everybody." The note of incredulous shock laden over every one of Kurt's words wasn't lost on Blaine. "Now I'm going to have to think of something really good for your Christmas present." Kurt joked. Another shiver raked down Blaine's spine as he pictured himself and Kurt in front of a fire, or decorating a beautiful tree that would only pale in comparison to Kurt, or gulp, the two of them standing under a sprig of mistletoe.
"You have a wonderful voice by the way," Kurt added casually, "you really should look into performing. Forget what your dad says, you could do it. I know you could." And God, if Kurt's support didn't already mean the world to Blaine. He actually felt tears prickling his eyes, ridiculously enough.
"Blaine?" Kurt asked worriedly, taking notice to the moisture building in Blaine's eyes. He stopped them in front of Blaine's apartment complex. "Was it something I s-said. I'm-I'm s-sorry. I need to learn to b-be quiet a-and-"
But all of a sudden Blaine appeared in his arms and he couldn't speak anymore because Blaine was mumbling "Thank you, Kurt. Thank you so much." Over and over again into his scarf. And for the first time in Kurt Hummel's life, he wished he hadn't worn a scarf, because he could only imagine how lovely in would feel to have Blaine's frigid nose tucked away next to his throat, breathing in his scent.
Before the confused counter tenor could even ask what Blaine was thanking him for, Blaine started to explain. "I grew up, day after day being told that I wasn't good enough. That my straight A's weren't good enough. I needed to play more sports and sing less, forget dancing and date a girl. I was never good enough. Never. At school, my friends, hell even random strangers would hear me sing and tell me that I had talent, but my parents? They never even batted an eye. A-and that…that hurt, Kurt. It hurt so bad, because every day, no matter what I did or how good I did it, I would go back to a house where it didn't matter and it didn't mean anything and I meant nothing!" He shook with tears and shuddering breaths as he let Kurt sway them gently. He hadn't meant to unleash all of his baggage on Kurt but once he started and he felt the feel of Kurt's strong, slender arms wrapped around him, it just felt too damn good to stop.
"Blaine," Kurt whispered, pulling the shorter man in closer, "shh, it's okay, shh. Your parents don't know a thing then, Blaine, because you are incredible."
And then a fresh batch of tears started falling from Blaine's eyes because he just couldn't understand how anyone could hurt someone as gentle and nurturing as Kurt. How could a sweetness like the kind Kurt exuded ever warrant any sort of violence; how did it warrant anything less than instant love? And then something else hit him.
"Kurt?" he asked, pulling back enough to see Kurt's eyes, "Is this how you felt? When you were with Spencer? Insignificant? Trapped?-"
"Unloved? Worthless? Helpless? Hopeless?" Kurt interrupted, eyes somehow steely and pained at the same time. "Yes."
"Hopeless?" Blaine whispered. Things had been bad for him, but he had never lost hope. He had always maintained the mindset that, one day, he would get out; he would be free.
Kurt's eyes dropped immediately, the guilt in his soul breaking free and flooding his entire body. His eyes physically burned to look at Blaine, but the words bubbled up anyways. "I only had two options, Blaine," he whispered, barely audible. "Leave or…leave." He glanced up at Blaine's wide, puzzled eyes to wait for the understanding to hit him.
Leave or leave? Blaine wondered. Leave Spencer or leave…what? Blaine's knees suddenly started shaking, barely able to support his weight all of a sudden. The sick feeling moved up his body, fast as lightning, and settled in his stomach as waves of nausea splashed through his stomach making it drop uncomfortably and turn somersault after somersault. His heart rate increased tenfold and hammered dangerously against his ribs, threatening to crack them with its force. Finally, his head began to swim and he gripped Kurt's upper arms almost harshly, trying desperately not to keel over; his brain finally receiving the message his body had already read: Leave life.
"Kurt," he choked out, tears already filling his eyes again, as he stared at the beautiful man in his arms who looked so sad and beaten down, he could hardly stand it.
"I…I-I didn't know w-what to d-do, Blaine," he whispered, still nearly silent and fragile sounding, "U-unlike y-you, I d-deserved almost e-everything t-that he d-did to m-me. H-he told me I-I was f-fat because I-I am; h-he was t-telling t-the truth. He t-told me n-not to come h-home late b-but I d-did some times; I s-should have known b-better. I w-wasn't a v-very g-good boyfriend cause-cause I-I didn't always c-clean very w-well after I got h-home f-from work; t-tired or-or not I-I should h-have tried h-harder. And-and the pills w-were r-right there a-and I t-took them a-all a-and t-the world became s-strange c-colors a-and I couldn't e-even f-feel h-his fist that night o-or his b-body i-i-in bed t-that night a-and his breath on m-my n-neck became a-a joke and the sheets pressed a-against my f-face s-smelt like b-blood and d-dirt and I-I j-just didn't care anymore! A-and I couldn't stop laughing until I-I couldn't s-stop s-sweating, a-and then I-I couldn't s-stop crying a-and a-and , I-I fell asleep b-but then I w-woke up c-cause c-cause, God, I can't even kill myself right! "
"STOP!" Blaine suddenly screamed, hands clasped desperately over his ears, trying to block Kurt's words before they could permeate his brain. He shook his head wildly with an almost feral look of self-preservation in his teary hazel eyes. "Stop, God, please, just stop these lies, Kurt! Please tell me you don't honestly believe these things!"
"What else am I supposed to believe, Blaine?!" Kurt's voice suddenly rose from the hysterical whisper he had told his story in. "It's all true!"
"No, it's not!" Blaine yelled, moving back to Kurt and gripping his upper arms to steady both of them. "Can't, Jesus, Kurt, can't you see how-how…perfect you are?!"
Finally, it was quiet. The echoes of their voices faded away into the cold blackness that surrounded them. Blaine gripped Kurt's too thin upper arms and Kurt had his hands grasping the lapels of Blaine's coat.
Giving a little tug, Blaine brought Kurt's forehead down to rest against his own, trying to ease the hurt in his heart. With eyes closed and tears slipping noiselessly out through his eyelashes, Blaine spoke in a hushed, thick voice. "You're an idiot. You can be so stupid sometimes, you know that?"
The relief in his voice mixed with exhaustion let Kurt know that he didn't say it as an insult. Unable to find any words and unsure if his voice would even operate, Kurt just let out a little hiccupping laugh, eyes closed as well and reveling in Blaine's scent.
"Please just…please don't leave, please Kurt, please," Blaine whimpered, his tears flowing with more force now as his grip tightened slightly. "I couldn't handle that Kurt, I-I, it hurts too much." And then he mumbled something that sounded like I need you, but Kurt was fairly sure he was just imagining things.
After nearly ten minutes swaying lightly in each other's arms, Blaine pulled back and lightly stroked Kurt's tearless cheek. "It's okay to cry, you know."
"I just…I wasn't…allowed to for so long…" Kurt explained, feeling Blaine stiffen in anger as Kurt revealed another one of Spencer's suppressions. "It's sort of s-second nature now…"
Blaine nodded in understanding, face only melting out of its rigid unhappiness about Kurt's statement when he softly asked, "You know that I'll always listen, right? You know that, when you're ready, I can be that shoulder to cry on, right?"
Kurt nodded, a soft smile forming on his lips. "I know."
Blaine nodded resolutely and finally pulled away from Kurt, wiping away his own residual tears. "Well, we sure know how to keep things fun and light, don't we?"
Kurt giggled and shook his head, rolling his eyes.
"I should probably let you get back to Finn and your, oh what was it…lady chats? I expect an explanation about that on Monday over our coffee, by the way."
Kurt just giggled again and nodded. "Actually," he spoke up, seemingly voicing an idea that had just popped into his head, "why don't you come over tomorrow, for lunch? I'll be cooking for Finn anyways and he eats four times his body weight, which is impressive considering he's a giant. There will be plenty of food."
Blaine's smile widened, almost feeling foreign after the frown and worry that had taken up residence on his face for so long. "Sure, that sounds great. What time?"
"One?"
"Perfect; I'll be there."
"Great," Kurt answered shyly, taking a few steps backward as he headed in the direction of his own place. "Goodnight Blaine."
"Sweet dreams Kurt." He answered, sure that his face now housed that same old love sick grin he had been sporting since he met Kurt.
"Oh and Blaine?" Kurt called as Blaine was just about to enter his apartment complex. "Even after all of…that," he gestured to the spot right in front of the steps to Blaine's building where they had had their heart wrenching conversation, "today was still sort of perfect." Kurt smiled one last time and turned around.
Blaine watched him until his figure disappeared around the corner, all the while with that damn shiver playing up and down his spine.
*~Line Break~*
"You know, it never tastes the same when anyone else makes it, man. Mom tries, and I mean it's good, but...it's not this good." Finn complimented as Kurt handed him a mug of steaming milk. "Don't tell her I said that." Finn rushed to add, eyes wide with concern.
"My lips are sealed," Kurt assured, complete with pretending to zip his mouth closed and throwing away the key.
Their lady chat quickly turned into a 'sip your milk and enjoy the quiet' sort of time instead, but neither of them minded. Rachel was asleep in her bed on the opposite side of the apartment from the living room where they had set themselves up.
"So…" Finn began awkwardly, obviously trying to beat back the burning questions that Kurt knew were coming, "what happened to you, man? Where did you go?"
Kurt took a deep breath. Rachel already knew, Blaine knew; shouldn't his own brother know what had happened? The slender brunette took a sip of his milk, automatically counting calories in his head- force of habit- and formulated his words carefully in his head; either way, it probably wasn't going to go too smoothly.
"Um, well…a lot…happened, to be honest." Kurt took a break, already feeling exhausted. This day just seemed to get longer and longer. "I-I guess, the simple v-version is…" another deep breath, another attempt at stability, "…Spencer b-became a-abusive…" he whispered, wringing his hands nervously in his lap and flicking his gaze around the room skittishly. He had never said it so bluntly before; it was the strangest mix of liberation and nausea.
It was quiet for so long that Kurt had to actually look up to make sure Finn hadn't either fallen asleep or left the room. Finn was still there alright, and he looked livid.
"I'm" Finn began, but was cut off by an abrupt, unexpected laugh of confusion that burst from his lips, "I'm gonna kill him." He laughed again, the rage in his system manifesting itself as laughter. He stood suddenly, as if he was going to start sprinting in a random direction and hope it led him to Spencer.
"Finn," Kurt said cautiously, placing his mug on the coffee table and standing slowly, hands out in a stop motion. "He's gone now…let's just keep it that way, okay?"
With a tremendous effort that Kurt found he greatly admired and appreciated, Finn heaved a giant sized sigh and hung his head, shaking it slowly as tears began to fall straight to the floor. "God, I feel so stupid…" he whispered, bringing his head up and looking across the room at nothing in particular, his hands on his hips as he continually shook his head back and forth and bit his upper lip. "I should have known that letter wasn't from you; you'd never do something like that. I should have called you or flown up here to see you. I should have tried something."
"And I should have gotten to know him better before jumping into things with him, but…I didn't." Kurt whispered as he looked at Finn's face, only continuing when the tall man's eyes returned his gaze. "We both made mistakes, Finn. But you're here now, so let's just…I don't know…be brothers?" He laughed awkwardly but felt his heart warm when Finn chuckled and wiped the tears from his face.
"Does that mean we're going to have a secret 'America's Next Top Model' marathon and eat those little finger sandwiches you make and drink sparkling juice?" Finn asked too hopefully for a grown man.
Kurt just giggled in response though; glad to have his brother back. "You can count on it."
*~Line Break~*
Tired. Kurt was tired with a capital 'T'. It was the kind of exhaustion that literally makes it hard to keep your eyes open.
Kurt hadn't slept very much the past two nights. The first night he hardly slept because he was equal parts nervous and excited about spending the day with Blaine. And last night, his mind wouldn't stop replaying the events of said day; the way Blaine had sung to him, the heart to heart they had shared, Finn showing up-it was a rather eventful day.
So now, Kurt stood in the kitchen, waiting for the pot of water to start boiling so he could start the noodles, swaying on his feet and feeling his eyes flittering closed. The soothing hiss of the gas stove was like a lullaby. He could hear Finn, Rachel and Blaine in the living room, beginning to decorate the Christmas tree. He was surrounded by the sounds of a happy house. He could hear the trio arguing lightly about placement and giggling over the songs that came over the radio, Christmas classic after Christmas classic. A lazy smile would have spread over Kurt's face had it not been for the fact that even his facial muscles seemed to be too exhausted.
"Hey, hey, careful," Blaine said softly, suddenly standing next to Kurt and plucking Kurt's hand up off of the edge of the stove, "don't want to burn yourself; your fingers were getting pretty close there."
Kurt felt his head loll to the side and he smiled a small smile, though the exhaustion headache beginning at his temples dampened the warmth in the gesture.
"You feeling okay, Kurt?" Blaine asked, frowning slightly and still holding the pale man's hand.
"Yeah, I'm just sort of sleepy, I guess." Kurt pulled his hand out of Blaine's and moved towards the refrigerator, stumbling on his way.
"Whoa," Blaine soothed, catching Kurt before he could fall and wrapping his arm snuggly around Kurt's slender waist to steady him. "Come on Kurt, it's time for a nap." Blaine chuckled as Kurt began to pout lightly and tried to pull away muttering, "No, no, I'm fine; I need to make lunch."
"I think I can handle making noodles," Blaine teased, keeping his arm around Kurt's midsection and tugging him towards the living room couch.
Ever since the previous night, Blaine couldn't get the feel of Kurt's smooth skin or his surprisingly strong and slender arms wrapped around him, out of his mind. Then there was the enthralling yet confusing almost kiss between them that Finn had interrupted. At least, Blaine was pretty sure that Kurt was going to kiss him, but perhaps that was just wishful thinking. And that was why it was confusing. But, whatever it was, whatever had happened yesterday had shifted something in their relationship and Blaine noticed it the moment he walked into the apartment only to have Kurt grab his hand and tug him fully inside; a rather touchy feely move for Kurt. Blaine called it progress.
So here Blaine was, helping Kurt lay down on the couch, even though he didn't need the help.
"Just wake me up when the noodles are finished," Kurt mumbled, snuggling into the pillows, already half asleep.
"Alright, sweetie. Sweet dreams." Blaine murmured, smoothing Kurt's hair away from his face and fighting back the desire to place a kiss on his porcelain forehead.
Smiling lazily, Kurt made a sound of contentment as he snuggled into the back of the couch. With a smile of his own, Blaine straightened up to see Rachel and Finn staring at him with knowing looks and, in Rachel's case, a slightly crazed (in an overly happy sort of way) smile.
"Sweetie, huh?" Rachel smirked, eyebrows raised.
"It just sort of…slipped out?" Blaine said nervously.
"Again?" Finn questioned obliviously. At Rachel's questioning look he turned towards her slightly, "Yeah, yesterday after I sort of…freaked out, Blaine was calming Kurt down and he called him sweetie." Finn looked mighty proud of himself after successfully remembering that detail and happily accepted the pat on the shoulder Rachel gave him.
"So do you regularly call your 'just friends' sweetie, Blaine?" Rachel asked all too innocently.
"Oh shut up," Blaine grumbled, going back to the kitchen to check on the now boiling water.
It was to Blaine's surprise that only Finn followed him, leaning in the doorway and sipping his beer. "Rachel was telling me how you and Kurt seem to be like, perfect for each other or something."
Blaine bit back the little smile that began blooming on his face at the mention of him and Kurt as 'perfect', and remained silent. With the water boiling steadily, Blaine dumped the entire box of angel hair pasta into the pot and tossed the box into the nearby trash can.
Finn shuffled awkwardly in the doorway, practically filling the entire space with his enormous frame. "Listen, Kurt told me what happened with Spencer." Finn said quietly, eyes focusing on his thick fingers peeling the label off the beer bottle in his clutches. "And Rachel told me what it did to Kurt. Well that and like, I can tell, you know? Like, he's my brother, so of course I notice that he's sorta…I don't know, off? But uh…" he finally lifted his eyes to watch Blaine's profile as he stirred the pot on the stove, "Well, Rachel sorta said that you're the first person to really make him smile and laugh and stuff since…well you know…" he trailed off quietly and was just about to leave Blaine smiling lightly into the waves of the water and help Rachel set the table, when a quiet voice made him turn back around.
"I didn't do anything…not really. I just…I don't know…treated him like he deserved." Blaine finally lifted his eyes from his work and looked over at Finn openly.
"And how do you think he deserves to be treated?" Finn asked with a sudden and unexpected wisdom.
Blaine gathered his courage before softly answering, "With love." He couldn't help but duck his head to hide his blush; after all, it was the first time he had said it out loud.
"I knew it!" Finn said loudly, breaking into a huge smile and breaking the moment. "Rachel," he called jovially as he exited the kitchen and headed towards the dining area, "You were right!"
Blaine just groaned and prayed to God that they would keep it down. The last thing he needed was Kurt waking up to his brother and best friend declaring Blaine's love for him.
"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Rachel chanted as she danced herself into the kitchen and began filling glasses of water for their meal.
Blaine ducked his head once again and smiled an altogether too large smile. "Okay, okay fine, you caught me!" If he was being honest, it was actually pretty nice to be able to admit to it out loud. He continued smiling as he picked up the pot and took it over to the sink, draining the noodles and then returning them to the cooling stove. He looked up to see Rachel, now standing still, looking at Blaine with a soft expression.
"What?" he questioned, scrubbing a scuff mark on the floor with the tip of his sock.
"Just…I'm really happy for you two." She said softly, looking like she really meant it with all of her heart.
Blaine just laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck a little self-consciously. "Yeah, well we're just friends; nothing's really happened."
"Yet." Rachel assured warmly before turning to put the waters on the table. "Now go wake your prince so we can eat!" She tossed over her shoulder.
Blaine chuckled but obeyed none the less; throwing a dishtowel over his shoulder and making his way to the living room where Kurt hadn't even moved a single inch. His long frame was curled up in an incredibly tiny ball. Blaine took in the yoga pants Kurt had yet to change out of, most likely due to his extreme fatigue, and the soft beige sweater that seemed fashionably oversized on his lithe frame and decided that he looked more comfortable and peaceful than ever. Kurt's hair was also adorably casual as it stuck up in untamed, sleep irritated cowlicks.
Blaine sat down cross-legged on the floor, resting his chin on the edge of the cushion, just drinking in the effortless beauty that was Kurt for a few moments.
Gently, Blaine raised one of his hands from where they rested in his lap and, as softly as he could, he ran his fingers through the tousled chestnut locks and smiled when Kurt made a small snuffling noise and curled further into himself.
"Hey, time to wake up, sweetie," Blaine whispered, that same gentle smile still playing across his lips. Blaine had decided that as long as Kurt didn't say anything about his little term of endearment, he wasn't going to either.
Kurt made an unintelligible noise and buried his nose into the couch cushion with reluctance to leave his sleepy haze.
Blaine chuckled and placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder, thumb stroking in soft little circles. "Kurt…" he said in a sing song voice, making the name into two lilting syllables.
"Blaine…" Kurt mimicked, lifting a hand lazily to run his fingers through the hair just above one of Blaine's ears, seemingly not very awake yet as his eyes fluttered open, but just barely.
Blaine took a deep breath to stop the whimper that arose in his throat when Kurt's fingers carded through his hair. Kurt seemed to relax a great deal when he was sleepy.
"The pasta is done and we're ready to eat," Blaine explained, trying his best to hold Kurt's fluttering gaze.
"Mmmm," Kurt acknowledged this by closing his eyes back up and snuggling resolutely into the squishy couch. Rachel's couch was sort of wonderful for sleeping on, he decided. "Just eat without me."
"Nope." Blaine grinned, popping the 'p' at the end; this side of Kurt was just too freaking cute. "Come on," he laughed, practically having to lift Kurt up off of the couch only to have the fatigued man loop his arm through his own and hug it to his chest, just like he had done the night before when he walked Blaine back to his apartment.
Kurt hummed contently as Blaine led him to the table where Finn and Rachel were already beginning to dish out food onto their plates.
"Finally!" Finn sighed dramatically, with a hint of a smirk on his face. "My stomach was starting to eat my spine!"
"Well don't you two look cozy?" Rachel teased, spreading the vodka sauce over her angel hair pasta and mixing her steamed broccoli in with it.
Blaine just blushed as he pulled out a chair for Kurt and sat him down, taking the seat next to him for himself.
Dinner was delicious and Blaine found that he really did like Rachel and Finn. Sure, he had known Rachel for years, but that was more or less in a professional capacity; they had never socialized outside of work until now. Until Kurt, his mind added. Glancing over at that very man, he had to suppress a giggle from Kurt's absolutely endearing forlorn expression. He looked all out of sorts, like he wasn't exactly sure where he was. He ate little bites here and there, but he looked like he was really just trying to keep himself awake long enough to lay his head down on something other than a bed of pasta. He would blink his eyes repeatedly, like he was trying to keep the world in focus and scrunch his nose up in little snuffling noises that made Blaine want to kiss him entirely too much. Shifting his thoughts away from the beautiful man to his right, Blaine couldn't help but appreciate Finn. Sure, he had tried to attack Blaine and ended up hitting Kurt instead, and as far as horrible first impressions went, that was probably the worst since the beginning of all time, but he was definitely a good brother. The way he seemed to bring Kurt's walls down was a comforting sight to Blaine, making him wonder what Kurt was like with the rest of his family.
"So Kurt tells me that you guys grew up in Ohio, right?" Blaine asked, twirling more pasta onto his fork.
"Go Buckeyes!" Finn replied happily, shoving yet another roll into his mouth after buttering it heavily.
"I grew up in Ohio too," Blaine smiled, pleased when Finn seemed to light up.
"Really? Where?"
"Westerville."
Finn's eyes got big and his mouth dropped open for a second before Rachel tapped his chin to cut off the disgusting display of his half chewed food. "Dude, we all grew up in Lima! That's like, what, an hour and a half, two hours away?!"
Blaine nodded, wondering what it would have been like if he had met Kurt back in high school.
"What school did you go to? Maybe Kurt and I played you in football." Finn asked eagerly.
"Probably not," Blaine replied, chuckling at Finn's confused look, "I went to Dalton Academy for boys. We didn't even-wait," Blaine's mind finally registered Finn's words fully and then promptly short circuited. "Kurt was on the football team?" His wide eyed stare swung around to look at a very amused looking Kurt who had been playing silently with his food.
"Go Buckeyes," Kurt teased, twirling a finger around in the air half-heartedly.
"You never told me you liked football," Blaine stated curiously, trying very, very hard to keep his thoughts noble and not dwell on his wonderful mental image of Kurt in a football uniform.
"No, I didn't," Kurt slurred lightly, pointing a finger at Blaine with a rather comical lift of an eyebrow, "because I don't; I hate it in fact. I will never understand why men would voluntarily run full speed at each other when they are practically all built like buses. That would be like me deciding I wanted to run straight into a concrete retaining wall as fast as I possibly could."
Blaine was laughing like mad, but he didn't even try to hide it for Rachel and Finn were snickering as well. Sleepy Kurt was much more long winded than a fully awake Kurt and Blaine found it refreshing to see the normally reserved and shy man letting his walls down and voicing his opinions. Blaine felt like he was falling in love all over again.
"Well then why did you join the team?" Blaine asked.
"Oh, here's where it gets good," Rachel giggled as she jabbed Finn good naturedly in the ribs.
"I had this ENORMOUS crush on the star quarterback: Finn." Kurt laughed as Blaine's face bloomed into a look of shock and his head went back and forth between the step-brothers a few times before letting out a sharp bark of a laugh, still stunned apparently. "But after I kicked the winning field goal and won us our only game of the season, I ended up coming out to my dad and decided that I didn't need the football team anymore." He shrugged lightly, smiling fondly at the memory.
"Kurt was also a cheerleader," Rachel said nonchalantly, as if that wouldn't send Blaine's mind into a spiral of completely inappropriate thoughts about the man sitting next to him.
"Really?" Blaine asked tightly, keeping his fire red face turned down as he speared a steamed carrot and ate it slowly.
"Sure. There are videos online. They even won Nationals." Rachel added, still trying to hide her smirk unsuccessfully. For an actress, she should really be better at that, Blaine thought bitterly as she kept torturing him with these mental images.
"I sang a fourteen minute Celine Dion medley in French to win that title." Kurt piped up proudly, nibbling disinterestedly at a roll, his eyes still heavily lidded.
Geez, he must have been really tired; he's still not waking up entirely, Blaine thought quickly, shoving it away for later as he turned to Kurt with a soft look on his face.
"I remember you telling me that you love to sing." Kurt's expression turned soft and warm as he nodded openly.
"And he's good too. Like, really good." Finn offered, smiling proudly at his brother. "He was in The New Directions with us. That was our Glee club at McKinley." He added.
"The New Directions?" Blaine asked excitedly. Finn and Rachel nodded confusedly while Kurt attempted a nod that looked more like a loll of the head as he fought to stay conscious. "I was the lead singer of the Warblers! We competed against you one year!"
"Oh my God, I remember you!" Rachel said, matching Blaine's enthusiasm. "You looked so different back then, what with all the gel and the blazer and all."
Blaine chuckled, affectionately remembering his high school years. "Ah yes, the blazers and gel…"
"Those blazers were hot," Kurt said, his sleepiness making him honest and unashamed. He smiled at the instant blush that polluted Blaine's surprised yet pleased looking face. "As for the gel, I'm glad you broke the habit," Kurt teased, reaching over to play with a few of Blaine's curls, "this look is much cuter on you." And with that Kurt went back to mixing his vegetables in with his pasta, not even noticing what a stuttering mess he had reduced Blaine to with his comments.
Rachel and Finn, ever helpful, smirked and snickered knowingly at Blaine's astounded face and lopsided smile.
Kurt insisted on helping Rachel clean up, complaining that they had done all the work by cooking. However, Kurt also placed dibs on the couch so as soon as he was done he could continue his much needed nap. And since there wasn't enough room in the small kitchen for Finn and Blaine to offer any sort of assistance, they were shooed out to the living room with a beer for Finn and a glass of wine for Blaine.
They sat in comfortable silence just sipping their drinks and staring at the now glowing Christmas tree.
"Hey Finn?" Blaine asked quietly, twisting the stem of his glass between his thumb and index finger. "What was Kurt like before…you know…" Blaine kept his hazel eyes on the red wine swirling in his glass as Finn began to speak.
"He was…I don't know. Like, he's the same person now that he was in high school, except it's like it's buried underneath all this shyness that he never used to have. Kurt was never shy about like, anything, man. He always told you exactly what he was thinking and used really big words to do it."
Blaine chuckled lightly, just picturing it in his head. He knew that Kurt definitely had a sassy side, he had seen it make small appearances here and there and it was just another thing that made him perfect to Blaine.
"That's actually sort of what got him in a lot of trouble back in high school too." Finn continued, fiddling with the lip of his bottle by running his finger around and around the rim.
"What do you mean 'trouble'?" Blaine felt his stomach do a tiny flip flop at Finn's words.
"He got bullied a lot, I mean, well you're gay, you lived in Ohio; you must know what it's like." Finn looked up to make eye contact with Blaine, silently inquiring with his eyes.
"Well, sure, I got bullied." Blaine admitted, "But after I got attacked at my first high school, I was transferred to Dalton which has a no tolerance bullying policy that's actually enforced."
"I'm sorry that happened, man." Finn said very quietly and very gently; obviously meaning it from the bottom of his heart. The look on his face was almost like he was trying to apologize for every straight football jock who had ever thrown a hurtful slur or fist at any gay man. It warmed Blaine's heart to know that people like Finn existed.
"It's okay. It was a long time ago." Blaine assured the gentle giant, and if he had been sitting in the armchair next to Finn instead of on the couch, he would have patted his shoulder in comfort and thanks.
"Well, I wish we had known about Dalton back then; maybe it could have helped Kurt." Finn said, getting back to their previous topic of discussion. "He had it pretty bad; locker slams, dumpster tosses, slushy facials, all day every day." Finn shook his head slowly in disapproval. "I even used to, you know…but then I got to know him and then our parents got married junior year and…well, I wasn't about to let anyone push my little brother around. He's a good guy, you know? He didn't deserve any of it." Finn looked sad as he retold of his past actions; the way he had treated Kurt back then. "He even had this one bully, Karofsky, who ended up cornering him and kissing him." Blaine gasped at that, feeling a chill run through his body. "Then he…he threatened to kill him if he told anyone." Finn whispered, tears collecting in his eyes as he took a swill from his bottle to distract himself.
"Did he…ever…did he try?" Blaine squeezed out through his constricted airway.
"No, thank God." Finn breathed, shutting his eyes and then speaking up some from the barely audible whispers they had been speaking in thus far. "He got expelled and we never saw him again."
The chill in Blaine's body didn't go away though, it just expanded to make his entire body feel cold.
"Man, I don't even know if Kurt would want me telling you these things…" Finn suddenly realized; a look of guilt washing over his features.
"It's okay Finn, I don't mind." Kurt said, suddenly standing a few paces from the back of the couch where Blaine was seated. His face looked relaxed and untroubled, showing that he really didn't mind. "Rachel kicked me out of the kitchen saying I could hardly stand on my own two feet." Kurt rolled his eyes so dramatically that it had Blaine giggling and Finn smiling. "Oh! Hold on, I'll be right back!" Kurt suddenly lit up, turning to stumble down the hallway. Obviously Rachel was right about the whole balance issue.
Kurt returned moments later carrying a huge book in his slender arms, clasping it to his chest as though it was a precious possession.
He flopped down on the couch right next to Blaine and immediately cuddled into his side by wrapping his long arms around Blaine's waist and tugging him in close. Blaine, although surprised, didn't even think twice as he let one of his arms wrap snuggly around Kurt's shoulders.
Once comfortable, Kurt let the book drop in Blaine's lap and he finally saw what it was.
"A scrapbook?" Blaine asked, feeling the smooth leather of the cover reverently. He understood how big of a deal it was for Kurt to willingly open up not only now, but about his life long ago. Kurt didn't usually talk about his time with Spencer because of the pain those memories caused, and he didn't talk about the time before Spencer because it reminded him of all the things he'd lost. "Kurt, you don't have to-"
"I know." Kurt interrupted, looking adoringly over to Blaine with a softness and warmth that finally removed the chill from Blaine's body. "I want to."
Blaine began flipping through page after page of pictures for which Kurt had a story for each and every one. Finn pitched in his two cents from across the room here and there. Blaine saw Kurt in his football uniform and cheerleading outfit and yes, it was incredibly hot. He saw multiple shots of the New Directions. Some in performance outfits and some taken in what looked to be a choir room. Some were of the same members of the glee club but taken outside of school entirely.
"You were all really good friends, weren't you?" Blaine asked, after the tenth picture in a row of Kurt, a younger Rachel Berry and a couple girls laughing in a horrendously pink room that was no doubt, most likely Rachel's.
Kurt huffed out a tired laugh, his head leaning on Blaine's shoulder heavily, either out of comfort or fatigue. "All of New Directions was just one big, happy, incestuous, bickering family."
Blaine chuckled as Finn broke out in a large guffaw. "Oh that is so true…" Finn said at the tail end of his laugh, wiping away tears of laughter.
The back half of the book was seemingly dedicated to family. When they stumbled upon the first family photo, Kurt's hand detached from where it was tangled in the fabric of Blaine's T-shirt to stroke the image of a balding man wearing a baseball cap and a flannel shirt.
"That's my dad." Kurt whispered simply as he removed his hand from the page and tucked it back against Blaine's waist.
Blaine gave Kurt's shoulders a squeeze before slowly turning the page to more family moments.
"We're really close or…well we were…" Kurt muttered, eyes glued to the book in Blaine's lap. "He's the absolute best dad in the entire world."
Blaine smiled at the photos, silently thanking this man for making Kurt feel loved. "Well if he's the best dad in the entire world, then he still loves you, Kurt." Blaine told the thin man in his arms.
Kurt just smiled that same warm, sleepy smile before he nuzzled his nose slightly into Blaine's neck, allowing the remaining pages of the scrapbook to be turned in silence.
When the entire book had been seen, Blaine leaned forward slightly to toss it lightly onto the coffee table, careful not to break either Kurt's or his own grasp on the other. He looked down to find the tall man asleep, arms still around his waist and face cuddled into his neck.
"You're warm…" Kurt sighed, not entirely asleep yet. "Even better than the couch…" and with that, he let out another small sigh and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
Blaine had to choke back the groan that wanted to slip out of his lips at the thought of Kurt sleeping on him like he would the sofa.
Rachel giggled as she entered the room and immediately noticed Blaine's dumbstruck face and the way her best friend and the curly headed man were wrapped in each other's arms. She walked over to Finn and handed him a new beer before settling herself down to sit on his lap, facing Blaine. "You know, I almost tried to set you guys up once."
Blaine looked up from the sleeping angel to give Rachel an inquisitive look.
"I had just met you and I knew you were gay, you liked music and you were nice." She shrugged as if it should have been obvious. "But he had just started dating Spencer and wanted to see where things would go." She rolled her eyes as if to say And look how that turned out while simultaneously calling Spencer an asshole.
"I wish that had uh…happened…" Blaine confessed, trying his best not to look too embarrassed by the admission. It wasn't like they didn't both already know that he was hopelessly in love with Kurt.
Instead of snickering or smirking like before, Rachel smiled a sad smile and quietly answered, "Me too."
It was quiet for the next minute or two as they watched the serene rise and fall of Kurt's chest.
Lightly breaking the silence, Rachel piped up. "This is the first time I've seen him sleep so well since he started living here." A sad look flittered across her face again. "He has nightmares every night." She explained.
Blaine couldn't even think of words to say at the moment, so he just pulled Kurt closer to him, suddenly feeling that all too familiar wave of protectiveness crash through him.
"I hear him screaming but I don't think he knows." She reported sadly, letting Finn rock her back and forth slowly like a small child. "He locks his door so I can't get in; like he doesn't want me to see him being afraid." A tear escaped one of her large brown eyes and was swiftly scrubbed away by Finn's comically large thumb.
They all grew quiet after that, just sitting and drowning in their own personal trains of thought.
Blaine tugged Kurt closer and whispered, "Sweet dreams, sweetie." Into his ear, gentle as he could.
*~Line Break~*
Unfortunately, Finn was only in town for a few days before he had to catch his flight back to Ohio. "Gotta get back to the shop; Burt needs me!" he had joked happily, hugging Kurt long and good at the airport.
After much thought, Kurt decided that it was okay for Finn to tell their parents why he hadn't been around for the past few years. He figured it couldn't hurt too much seeing how Finn only knew the bare minimum. Also, this took the weight and worry off of Kurt's shoulders. If his parents could already have some sort of an idea of what he had been through, it would really make his job much easier and perhaps hold back some of the tough questions or inevitable inquiries into why he had changed so much, at bay for at least a little bit longer.
After Finn was gone, life returned to normal, which was still sort of a shock to Kurt that this was the normal he got to live now. He and Blaine had coffee every day and went out to dinner on Friday nights now. Kurt never apologized to Blaine for the things he had said or did when he was tired, he just shyly thanked Blaine for being a good listener and an even better pillow. The increasing comfort that Kurt showed with physical contact seemed like a good sign to Blaine.
Two weeks later and a little over a week to go until Christmas, Kurt got a call from Blaine.
"Hey, so, I know it's a little early, but I sort of got your Christmas present already and I don't really want to wait to give it to you." Blaine's smile was just as evident as his nervousness. "Would you like to come over to my place for dinner tonight?"
Kurt felt a blush rising on his cheeks as he quietly answered with a yes and hung up to pick out the perfect outfit. He ended up settling on a pair of black, slim fitted trousers and a red button down that really highlighted the pale pallor of his skin. He topped it off with a black blazer and a golden watch chain that hung from the pocket square and disappeared into the interior of the jacket. Deciding to have some fun with it and get creative, Kurt threw on cuff links that had small golden chains dangling from them. Then the perfect idea to bring the whole outfit together struck him. He glanced at the clock to make sure he had enough time and burst into action. He grabbed one of his many black pocket squares and folded in so in would be a perfect little triangle poking out from his chest pocket. He also chose black because, not only did he have plenty of them, but it would blend in with his black blazer. He pulled out his sewing kit and riffled through his jar of buttons until he found what he was looking for. They were small gears, like the kind you would find in an old fashioned clock. He had found them at a flea market once long ago and had been waiting for a chance to use them. He picked out all of the gold ones, gave them each a quick shine and sewed them onto his pocket square, covering in completely. When he was done, he snipped any loose threads and tucked it carefully into his chest pocket, admiring his work.
He nodded to himself in the mirror, deciding that the outfit was a success and left the apartment to grab a cab to Blaine's.
The ride didn't take long, perhaps only ten or fifteen minutes in light traffic. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Blaine's door, knocking gently.
After a few sounds of shuffling from inside the apartment, the door opened to be filled with a smiling Blaine. "Hey, Kurt," he said a little too dreamily for between friends, "I love the outfit." He complimented honestly, eyeing the pocket square with something akin to fascination.
"Thank you," Kurt said shyly, yet smiling brightly at the slightly shorter man.
"So," Blaine said playfully, body still blocking the doorway, "I have your Christmas present in here and I didn't have enough time or paper to wrap it, so I need you to close your eyes, okay?"
Kurt chuckled yet obliged willingly. He allowed Blaine to grasp his hand firmly and tug him into the apartment, shutting the door lightly behind him before letting Blaine pull him forward just a few steps more. Blaine's hand left his only to reappear on his shoulder and angle him to face the other side of the living room.
"Merry Christmas, Kurt." Blaine whispered, mouth close to Kurt's ear. Kurt happily noticed that he didn't flinch at this. Instead, a shiver of pleasure washed down his spine as Blaine's warm breath washed over his ear. Shaking those thoughts from his head, he opened his eyes.
And he froze. His mind refused to think anymore as it grinded to a halt. Only one word came to mind.
"Dad?" he felt his voice break, almost like he didn't believe it was real.
But there stood Burt Hummel wearing one of his many flannel shirts and baseball caps, with Carol not far behind, eyes glinting with tears and arms open wide.
"Hey kiddo."
A/N: So first things first: Burt is the best thing since sliced bread! Who's with me?! So, what did you think guys? Was it worth it? Can you still feel your eyes after staring at a computer screen that long? Do you have a slight headache now? If yes, is it due to the sheer length of this chapter or due to all of the emotions hopefully coursing through your veins right now? (I'm hoping it's the later; that means I did my job right) Please review, I'd love to know what you think!