A/N Just a heads up, there is a trigger warning for mentions of possible child abuse in this chapter. If you have issues with that, skip the conversations between Quinn and Kurt. There are two of them, one before the show and one after.
Also, there will not be an update on this story on Halloween. Instead keep your eyes open for a special Halloween treat for all of you!
Reviews always welcome!
Chapter Four
"Have I told you how much Sam deserves a raise?" Kurt said as they climbed aboard the bus the next morning. The lead stagehand had managed to streamline breakdown to allow the cast an additional hour of sleep before they had to get on the buses or planes for each leg of the tour. An hour might not seem like much, but for Kurt, it was the difference between grouchy Kurt and just slightly sleep drunk Kurt.
"Have I told you lately how sexy you are when you're half-awake?" Blaine replied, sliding his arms around Kurt's waist and pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. "Seriously though, I can bring it up with Santana. Though she might want to call Wes and confirm. If we want to give Sam a raise, everyone should be on the same page about it. And don't tell Sam." He winked.
Kurt nodded and nuzzled closer to his fiance. It was chilly this morning. "And remind me to thank Dave for getting the tigers settled on the bus so I could take a little longer getting ready this morning."
Blaine pulled him closer, turning him around in his arms as one of the crew shut their bus door behind them. "Will do, love. But right now, it's all about you and me."
"I'll just pretend I'm not here then," Beatz joked from the driver's seat.
Kurt let out a little giggle. "Sorry. David usually has the curtain closed between the driver's seat and the back."
"David also hasn't driven the bus with just you two on it. So, he really didn't need to separate himself from potential private moments," Beatz said, turning and grinning at the two of them. "Also, I know you can just go to your master at the back and shut the door."
"True," Blaine said. "Still, this new arrangement might take a little time to get used to. I actually miss having Quinn and Elliott on the same bus."
Kurt leaned up and kissed him sweetly. "I know what you mean. But I can't deny it's nice to have more time alone together. Especially since we're on tour for more time than we are home this year," he said.
"Just be glad Nick isn't driving your bus," Beatz said.
"Oh god! No!" Kurt said. "Jeff would insist on being on the same bus, and then we'd have another fiasco like you were telling me about from Dalton. Is Nick still banned from driving in Oklahoma?"
Blaine laughed so hard, he fell back on the couch, pulling Kurt with him. "Nick actually took that seriously. If there's any issues when he's driving now, it's because Jeff was being provoking. Honestly, separate those two and you will swear Nick has been taken over by some whole other being, or something."
Beatz was nodding. "Nick can be a pretty straightforward and serious person when Jeff isn't around. His maturity level drops really low with the presence of the wild one. But to answer your question, no, he's not."
Blaine was still chuckling as he took hold of Kurt's hand and pulled him back up. "We're going to get settled in. Ring the bell when it's time to stop for lunch."
"You got it boss! Will I need to crank up the radio?" Beatz said.
Kurt glanced over his shoulder. "Maybe," he said, trying to be nonchalant and failing.
Beatz rolled his eyes and turned to start the bus.
Blaine pulled Kurt into the back and shut the door, pressing the blue eyed assistant up against it and immediately attacking his mouth. Kurt moaned into the kiss, sliding his arms up around Blaine's neck.
"You're so wild this morning," Kurt growled, sliding his teeth across Blaine's bottom lip.
"Let me take care of you, sweetheart," Blaine said, his soft tone more than a hundred percent contrast to Kurt's rough one.
Kurt looked deep into Blaine's eyes, one hand going up into the magician's curls. "You always take care of me, Blaine," he said sweetly. Blaine smiled and kissed him again, lifting him up and throwing him down on their bed. Kurt let out a giggle as Blaine covered his body with his own, attaching his lips to Kurt's once more.
"Have I ever told you I love it when you wear your yoga pants to travel?" Blaine ground out, trailing his lips from Kurt's up the side of his cheek and to the spot under his ear, before making his way down his beautiful pale neck.
"Mmm," Kurt moaned. "Even my yoga pants are the epitome of comfort fashion," he said. Blaine's only response was to slide Kurt's shirt up so he could kiss across his chest and assault his nipples with his teeth and tongue. "Blaine…"
"Just relax, love. I'm going to take expert care of you," Blaine said,trailing his tongue down Kurt's chest, dipping the tip in his belly button. He brought his hands up to hook his thumbs in the yoga pants and he brought both them and Kurt's underwear down together.
"You don't waste time, do you?" Kurt said breathlessly.
Blaine looked up at him, eyes half-lidded. "How can I ever waste time when I have your beautiful body to worship?"
Kurt didn't get a chance to answer, not with words, before Blaine kissed his way lower still and sucked the head of his cock into his mouth. Kurt keened, bucking his hips up almost immediately. Blaine threw one arm across him to hold him down.
Kurt's breathing sped up as Blaine pulled off, moving to lick a stripe up the thick vein on the underside of his cock before lowering more and sucking each of Kurt's balls into his mouth one at a time. With one of his hands, he brushed his thumb over Kurt's entrance, just teasing him. He knew every little thing he did would bring the other man to that satisfying edge and allow him to sleep peacefully, which was Blaine's goal.
"Blaine!" Kurt cried out, his hands fisting in the comforter on the bed. "Baby! Don't stop!"
Blaine finished his assault on Kurt's balls, trailing his tongue back up his cock and twirling it around the head, before he sucked it back into his mouth and without warning, deepthroated him.
"Nnngh!" was all Kurt got out. He struggled against the arm that was holding his hips down, wanting desperately to fuck himself into his fiance's eager mouth. But Blaine was strong and held him down to the bed with ease.
"Uh uh, baby," he said, popping off Kurt's cock only long enough to say it. He sank back down and Kurt let out another garbled noise. His breathing was heavy and he had arched his back up off the bed.
Blaine got into a rhythm, bobbing, and sucking, and licking along the delicious morsel he had in his mouth. The truth was, Blaine absolutely loved Giving Kurt a blowjob. It was one of his favorite ways to get the other man off.
Kurt dug his head into the pillows, his eyes rolling up in the back of it. His hands flexed in their hold of the comforter. They had both long since given up trying to warn the other if they were close when it came to blowjobs. Most of the time, their orgasms were pulled without warning to either of them.
Blaine deepthroated him again and Kurt couldn't take it. He cried out, louder than he had intended to and came hard down Blaine's throat.
Kurt was so blissed out, he couldn't even open his eyes when Blaine got a washcloth and cleaned him up a little better before helping him get his pants and underwear back on. He rolled onto his side as Blaine slid into bed behind him, spooning him.
Meanwhile at the front of the bus, Beatz hit a number on his speed dial. "You owe me, huge, Thompson."
…
Meanwhile, two buses back, Quinn was sitting beside Sam as he drove the bus. They talked about Sam's siblings, and Beth, and various other topics as the miles passed.
In the back, Santana and Brittany slept in one of the berths, while Elliott and Dave rested in another. Well, Dave was resting. Elliott was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. By now he was used to only sleeping two or three hours at a time, but sometimes it gave him too much time for thinking, especially since he'd finished all the books he'd brought on the tour before the tour had even started. Sometimes being a speed reader sucked. He'd looked for more books in Paris, but hadn't found any that had caught his attention. He'd already done an entire language course in German, and was halfway through the Italian one, but those hadn't really managed to keep his mind occupied.
Which is why he was staring at the ceiling, worrying about the future. He really liked Dave, but he'd really liked the last two guys he'd dated as well, and each of them had broken his heart.
He turned over on his side and looked at the curtain drawn across the berth. He was scared to tell Dave that he was scared about getting his heart broken again. Maybe he really should ask Kurt about that Ambien. Might shut his brain off at the very least. Beside him, Dave rolled over, putting an arm over him and resting his sleeping head next to Elliott's ear.
Elliott went still for a moment, biting his lip. He really did love when Dave took this kind of initiative, but his mind kept waiting for the moment it would stop and Dave would leave him like the others. He also hadn't told Dave about his sleeping disorder, not really anyway. He'd just said he was the kind of person who didn't need much sleep.
As cautiously as he could, without waking Dave, Elliott reached into the drawer under the berth and rummaged for the bottle of Melatonin. He took three, the maximum dose his doctor recommended, and swallowed them without water. He knew he might regret this later. Sometimes the Melatonin didn't kick in right away. Sometimes it left him a bit out of it during rehearsals later in the day. He probably should have taken them before they left the hotel, just to be on the safe side.
He lay there, silent and still, and still staring up at the ceiling, now wondering whether it was his disorder keeping him up, or the fact that he was terrified Dave would break his heart, just like the others. It was that fear that was his real reason for not actively looking for a new boyfriend, a fear he'd never told anyone, not even Kurt or Quinn.
He closed his eyes, and just listened to the beating of his heart, trying to shut his mind off, saying a little prayer when he felt the Melatonin kick in.
…
"What's going on with your cousin?" Kurt asked Quinn later that evening as rehearsals came to an end.
Quinn was frowning at her dark haired relative as well. "I think he took the Melatonin today. He's been having more trouble sleeping than usual the past few months."
"Has he tried the sex method?" Kurt asked, tone dead serious.
Quinn turned to look at him. "Do I even want to ask?"
Kurt shrugged. "I'm just saying, amazing sex always puts me to sleep."
Quinn rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning back to watch as Dave approached Elliott with a water bottle and a smile. Both she and Kurt noticed the little flinch Elliott gave when Dave leaned in for a quick kiss.
Kurt frowned. "Okay, what the hell was that?" he asked, looking at Quinn, knowing that she had caught it too. They were the two people who knew Elliott the best, after all.
Quinn was looking just as shocked. "Did he ever talk to you about what happened after Daniel dumped him?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, he just kept saying he was done looking and that if a guy wanted to be with him, he would have to look for him instead. The last time we had a conversation about it, after you told him he should find himself a man last year, before we ran into Dave and before you and Sam happened, he told me he was done searching because he was always the one searching." He paused and glanced from Quinn to Elliott and back again. "Quinn, I think he might have been thinking that he wouldn't feel worth it to any guy if he found them first again."
Quinn's frown deepened. "I wonder if his dad has anything to do with this."
The blue eyed man was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful before he turned back to Quinn. "Do you remember that day, before you really knew me, when we were all kids that you called my number because you found Elliott's phone when he went missing without a word and asked if I knew where he was?"
Quinn thought for a moment. "Yeah, I was scared for him. I called all the non-family numbers in his phone, but you were the only one who answered."
Kurt sighed. "I need to apologize to you. I lied to you that day, when I said I didn't know where he was. The truth was, he was in my room, huddled in a corner with two black eyes, his arms around his knees, and rocking back and forth. He begged me not to tell anyone who was looking for him he was there. I hated lying for him, but I didn't know what else to do. He didn't tell me what happened, just that he was scared."
Quinn was frowning. "That was the day Uncle Luthor left. He just walked away, never told anyone why."
"That doesn't explain why Elliott had two black eyes. He wouldn't tell me that either. Do you know?"
Quinn shook her head. "I have my suspicions, but I don't know for sure. Uncle Luthor had a mean streak sometimes. And he was hella homophobic."
Kurt nodded. "I remember Elliott used to find all kinds of excuses to spend time at my house until the point where he lived with me more than he lived at home. That started happening after he came out to his mom and dad."
Quinn let out a sigh. "Elliott once told me he thought his dad would be okay with him being gay as long as he never dated anyone. And then he met that one guy, what was his name? I forget. The one with the weird accent that Elliott couldn't stop looking at when we went to that carnival where Elliott first introduced me to you."
"Elliott called him Brooks. I don't think the guy ever told him his first name."
Quinn nodded. "It was right after Brooks left town that Elliott ran away. I wonder if Uncle Luthor found out about them, and that was how Elliott got the black eyes?"
"I don't know, maybe." Kurt watched Elliott for a moment, seeing how he still seemed that slight bit uncomfortable, though Dave seemed not to notice. "Quinn, I have a feeling there may be secrets Elliott's been keeping from everyone, including you and me."
The blonde woman studied her cousin again. "I think we should talk to him."
"Name a time and place."
…
As the song, Live and Let Die began to play, Kurt danced on to the stage, dressed as James Bond. From the opposite side of the stage, Jake and Elliott danced out, dressed as villains. They were carrying what appeared to be ray guns. They danced around the set, which was decked out like a mad scientist's lab. Kurt pulled a white sheet from something standing center stage. It turned out to be a tall, clear glass tube, connected to some kind of machine. Writing across the top read 'Duplicating Machine.'
As the two villains closed in on him, Kurt climbed into the tube, pressing a button on the control panel just before closing the door. The tube filled with smoke. When it cleared a moment later, Kurt had been joined in the tube by Blaine, also dressed as James Bond.
The audience laughed and applauded the magicians, cheering and waiting to see what would happen next.
Kurt and Blaine teamed up to disarm the two villains, crowding them into another machine, this one labeled 'opposite-inator.' Blaine slammed the door on the two men, and Kurt hit the red button. The box the two men had been forced into also filled with smoke. When it cleared a moment later, Jake and Elliott were gone. In their place were Quinn and Brittany. Blaine opened the door to let them out.
The audience burst into applause and more cheers, standing for them all. Kurt, Blaine, and the two assistants were about to dance off stage, when out of nowhere, Tobias came strutting out on stage, carrying one of the unprocessed cow hides Kurt had bought for him in Paris. Dave stumbled out after him, trying to snatch up the leash. The audience laughed at the obvious blooper in the show.
Kurt shook his head, but couldn't help laughing as the young tiger walked up to him and tried to entice him into playing tug of war with the hide. Blaine was laughing so hard he got a stitch in his side.
"Teenagers, gotta love 'em!" the dark haired magician said. Kurt managed to grab the leash, and led Tobi off stage, to the cheers and applause of the crowd.
"You're two acts early, my friend," Kurt admonished playfully as he scratched the feline behind the ears.
…
lestersbonnet: OMG That was so funny! BabyTobi really stole the show!
AlwaysDreaming394: BabyTobi is such a little clown!
Kokofluff: So adorable! BabyTobi is still just a kid! We love you Tobi!
yadivagirl: I can't stop laughing!
TheresaG: (Cry laughing emoji) (heart emoji) Love you Tobi!
mardie186: Aww! He's such a precocious child!
ItsANewDay: Tobi, you little rascal! I laughed so hard I snorted hot tea out my nose!
DaveTeddyBear: I just turned my back on him for a second and he took off. I tried to catch him!
KingRaja: Hrmga! (Translation; Kids!)
GlaszandPorcelain: Sigh!
…
Quinn knocked on the dressing room door and waited. There was a time she would have simply let herself in after knocking, but these days that was something you did at your own risk. She rather not walk in on the two magicians in a compromising position.
"Come in," Kurt called out.
She opened the door, and smiled at Kurt and Blaine.
"Kurt was telling me you two were worried about Elliott," Blaine said.
Kurt sat lengthwise on their couch, his legs in Blaine's lap, looking up at Quinn as his head rested against the back of the couch.
Quinn took a seat in a chair and nodded her head to Blaine. "Yes. We both noticed him flinching around Dave at rehearsal. We're worried there's something he's not telling us."
Blaine frowned. "You don't think Dave has done anything to make him flinch, do you?"
Kurt shook his head. "No. All Dave did was hand him a bottle of water and give him a kiss. Blaine, I don't know if you were aware of this, but Elliott has self-esteem issues."
"You'd never notice the way he moves on stage. And when he goes out in his Starchild persona. Do you think those are just masks he uses to hide from himself?"
"Possibly," Quinn said. "Kurt and I both have experience in his reactions to certain things. Do you remember when Elliott ran away?"
Blaine nodded. "You were so worried about him. Where did you say you found his phone again?"
"He left it on the dock at my family's lake house," Quinn, looking at Kurt.
"I admitted to Quinn earlier that I lied to her when she called from his phone asking if I knew where he was. He was actually at my house, but begged me not to tell anyone he was there. He had two black eyes when he showed up."
Blaine looked at him in surprise. "I didn't realize you and he were that close before Raja came along."
"I've known Elliott since I was five years old, Blaine."
"Yeah, I knew that, I just didn't realize you were that close. I figured you guys only knew each other through Free Wild."
Quinn and Kurt exchanged looks for a moment before Kurt swung his legs off Blaine's lap so he could scoot closer to him. "Elliott was my first savior. He recognized me from the program and stopped these kids from picking on me on the playground."
"Oh. You never told me that. But that's beside the point. You think what's bothering Elliott now is connected to what happened that day?"
"We know that Elliott didn't get on well with his father after he came out," Quinn said. "He told me he thought Uncle Luthor would be okay with him being gay as long as he didn't date anyone. And then Brooks happened."
Blaine frowned again. "Brooks was the older guy from the carnival you guys went to when I had my tonsils out, wasn't he?"
"Yes," Quinn admitted. "Blaine, something is seriously bothering Elliott, and we want to help him lay it all out on the table."
The dark haired man considered for a few minutes. "It almost sounds like he is suffering from PTSD. Isn't that about the time his sleep problems started, too?"
"He's right," Kurt said, glancing at Quinn. "But Elliott's always been one of those too proud types. He doesn't like to admit when he has a problem, even if it's something as common as the common cold. I think it's part of his self-esteem issues. I remember one of the few times I was at his house, I'd been on my way to the kitchen for a glass of water and I overheard his dad yelling at him about being a man, about how crying was a weakness men should never have, about being weak, or something. I never went back after that."
Quinn nodded. "I remember once, when I was like three or four, and Elliott fell out of a tree and broke his wrist. Uncle Luthor slapped him for crying and told him to suck it up."
Blaine frowned. "You never told me that." He glanced between the two of them for a moment. "I think we need to talk to a professional before you confront Elliott about this. Something isn't adding up here."
Kurt sighed. "There's one more thing. Quinn, I don't think you know this one either. There was one time, your Uncle Luthor came to pick Elliott up from my house, before he got his driver's permit. He sat there in the living room talking to my dad and apologizing to him that I was such a pussy son, and then commented that I probably had the gay gene. And he was laughing about it like it was some casual conversation. My dad kept his cool while he was there, but after he and Elliott left...let's just say I've never heard him flip a lid so bad, not even over what Dave did to me in high school."
Both Quinn and Blaine were frowning now. Blaine pulled Kurt in tighter, kissing his forehead. "I'll give Emma Pillsbury a call in the morning, or when it's morning her time, and see what she has to say. I promise, we'll get to the bottom of this."
Kurt kissed him softly and rested his head on Blaine's shoulder. Quinn just nodded and let out a sigh. "I just can't believe there's possibly stuff he's been keeping from both Kurt and I, of all people," she said.
After she left, Blaine thought about everything they'd told him, but something kept nagging at the back of his head. "So, you and Elliott were really close from early on?"
"Yes, why?" Kurt said, nuzzling closer. He knew they'd have to leave soon, but he was happy to sit in Blaine's arms as long as they could right then.
Blaine shrugged again, trying to be nonchalant. "I guess I always just thought that you two didn't really bond until after Raja came into your life, and your mom died. You told me he was like a big brother to you, helping you get over your grief and taking care of Raja."
"He was. He's always been like a big brother to me. Blaine, what's wrong? Where is this coming from?"
Blaine let out a little sigh. "You called him your savior. It almost sounded like you were a little in love with him."
Kurt just burst out laughing and looked at him, leaning in to kiss him deeply. "Honey, I have never been in love with him. When I was five, I was obsessed with Power Rangers. So when Elliott jumped in and saved the day, he was kind of like a superhero to me. I might have entertained that idea for a while, but I've never been physically attracted to him. There was this one time in high school that I got drunk and may have gone a little chaotic. I wouldn't return his calls for two weeks after that. But I've never had any kind of romantic feelings for him, I assure you."
Blaine looked a little relieved to hear that. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I suddenly felt jealous. I know you two are close, that you love each other like brothers, the same as you and Finn, but for some reason the idea that you once had a crush on him just made me feel awkward."
Kurt moved to straddle him, planting one knee on Blaine's other side. "Love, you have my word that you are and will always be, the only man for me. Even if Elliott and I had been interested in each other, it never would have happened, because we see each other so much like brothers, it would have been awkward. But I love you, so much more than I ever thought I could." He leaned in and kissed him. "Okay?"
Blaine chased his lips for another kiss. "Okay."
The blue eyed man growled and attacked his lips hungrily, grinding his ass down into Blaine's lap.
A loud rapping on the door almost had Kurt falling off Blaine's lap. "Time to get your butts on the bus!" Artie called out. "Santana's orders. No going back to the hotel tonight! Next stop, Bern, Switzerland!"
Kurt groaned. "Excuse me while I go murder a stage manager."
Blaine giggled. "Come on. I need to give Beatz a present anyway."
"Hey," Kurt said as they both stood up. "I love you, Blaine."
Blaine smiled, and kissed his cheek. "Love you too, sweetie. And Beatz is going to love these new sound blocking earphones I got him."
"And the Mercedes Jones CD. Don't forget that."