Happy Saturday, my darlings.

I hope you all had a wonderful week. Thank you so much for all the amazing comments. I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying CS so far!

Love, love, love for Christine, for working so hard on this story.

This one's for Sofi, because it's her favorite chapter :)

Enjoy!


Blaine was in a weird mood.

It wasn't exactly a surprise, because he had been in a weird mood for two weeks now. But on top of everything he had been feeling lately, today had been an exceptionally long day. It had started earlier than usual because Cooper had a business breakfast with some producer who apparently thought the key to success was dragging her ass out of bed at four in the morning to get her day started as soon as possible. The sun hadn't even been out when he and Cooper had arrived at the very chic café she had chosen, but she was bright and sharp at six o'clock. Cooper had almost fallen asleep on his avocado toast. Blaine had had to keep elbowing him in the ribs to wake him up.

After that, they had gone back to Cooper's. His big brother immediately went back to bed for a quick power nap while Blaine got some work done at the kitchen island. There was no point in heading back home when he and Cooper were supposed to be on their way to the studio in just an hour. He had ended up borrowing his brother's home gym, since it looked like it was going to be the only dull time in the day for him. Plus, exercise kept him busy when his mind started to wander.

His mind wasn't allowed to wander these days.

The taping that day had been long, full of technical issues that made them stop every time they felt like they were finally catching up. Cooper had sessions scheduled with five of his ten contestants, and they couldn't postpone any of them or they would be even more behind. With the premiere date quickly approaching, it was unacceptable.

It wouldn't have been so bad if they could've called it a day after that, but unfortunately, with the season so close to airing its first episode, the promotion was in full motion. Cooper had been asked to appear at a late night show for an interview. The only mercy in the entire day was that he had been the first guest, so they didn't need to stay until the end. Once Cooper's interview was over, they were out of the studio and back in the car with Hugh.

Blaine had dropped Cooper off before heading home, feeling the exhaustion seeping into his very bones. But, he guessed, busy days were fine. There were less chances for mind-wandering when he barely had time to stop.

Now it was nearly midnight and he had just shed his coat and scarf. It had begun to snow while he was in the car, the city covered in it like a pale blanket, and it just made him think about Christmas coming up. He still hadn't done any of his shopping, so he needed to add that to the to-do list.

That was all Christmas was, once again. Just another chore to cross off his list.

He headed into the kitchen and peeked into the fridge. He was starving, but maybe he was more tired, so he wouldn't mind going to bed without having dinner. He really didn't feel like cooking right now...

There were a few blocks of cheese, some hummus, crackers, a couple of beers... maybe that would be enough. Cutting up the cheese seemed to be the only effort he could muster at this point.

He had just finished setting the cheese on a platter and was heading back to the fridge for a beer when the doorbell rang. He frowned – who could be at this time? Tina had been dropping by unannounced lately to check on him, even though he kept reassuring her that he was fine, but it was too late to be her.

Unless she'd had an argument with Mike. It wouldn't be the first time.

Blaine walked to the front door and pulled it open. He would have imagined that anything was possible – maybe carolers had decided to go out a little earlier this year, or maybe his next door neighbor was coming home a little tipsy again and had confused their houses, which had actually happened before. But he truly hadn't expected to see Kurt standing on the stoop, shivering and pale.

"Kurt..." Blaine muttered, wide-eyed. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kurt wasn't wearing a coat, and his hair was plastered to his forehead, wet from the snow.

Kurt's bottom lip trembled. "Blaine. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Come inside, come on," Blaine said, stepping aside to let him in. He accidentally brushed his hand against Kurt's arm when he was going to close the door, and he was cold as ice. "You're going to get sick, my god. What the hell happened to you?"

He turned to face him once the door was closed, and barely had time to catch him when Kurt practically threw himself in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I know you must hate me right now, but I needed to see you," Kurt said, and he sounded half-exhausted, half-hysterical. "I needed you."

Blaine pulled away just enough to inspect his face. His blue eyes were filled to the brim with tears, his lips almost matching them in tone. The only splotch of color seemed to come from a cut in his forehead that Blaine hadn't noticed until now. He felt his blood rush in his ears. "Kurt, what happened? You're bleeding."

"Oh," Kurt murmured, surprised, like he hadn't even noticed. He lifted his hand and touched his face. "I... I got mugged."

"You... what?" Blaine said uselessly, arms tightening a bit around him.

"He... he cornered me at the subway station. He... he took my coat and my bag and... oh, my textbooks and my phone and everything I had in there..." Kurt said, sounding like he was speaking from very far away. "It's all gone..."

"Are you hurt?" Blaine asked at once, and cupped his face when Kurt's eyes wouldn't focus on him. "Did he hurt you? Besides the cut in your forehead?"

"No, no, I don't think so..." Kurt said very slowly.

Blaine wanted to freak out. He felt himself filling with a kind of rage he had never felt before. Someone had touched Kurt, hurt him, scared him. He wanted to find that guy and make him regret it. "Alright," he said, more to calm himself, more to remind himself of what was important right now than anything else. "Alright. We need to warm you up, come on. You might get hypothermia. How long were you out there?"

"I don't know. Twenty, thirty minutes? It took me a while to walk here..." Kurt replied. It seemed like he was using the last bit of strength he had left to cling to Blaine.

"Okay. Baby, listen to me. I think you might be in shock right now," Blaine said, as calmly as he could. He hadn't even noticed that he had begun to rub Kurt's back and arms, trying to get him warm. "I'm going to be right here with you, but we need to get you upstairs. I think it might be best if you take a hot bath. We need to get you out of these wet clothes and rise your temperature a bit."

Kurt nodded but didn't move, except to lay his head on Blaine's shoulder. It was scary, how cold his skin was when it touched Blaine's.

It threatened to break Blaine's heart, the way he was holding on to him.

"I'm going to need you to help me, baby," Blaine whispered in his ear, and pushed him gently so Kurt would walk with him. "I can't carry you up the stairs. We're going to take the steps one at a time, and if you need to rest, you'll let me know. Okay?"

Kurt nodded again, and this time shuffled his feet to follow Blaine. It took them a while to get upstairs, and every second felt like torture to Blaine – was he supposed to be doing something else? Should he call an ambulance? What if this wasn't the right way to help Kurt?

Once they were in his bedroom, he sat Kurt down on the armchair by the window and wrapped a thick blanket around him.

"Stay right here," Blaine said, dropping a kiss to his forehead, making sure to avoid the cut on the right side. "I'm going to fill the tub. Don't move, okay? Just call me if you need anything. I'm going to be right here..."

It didn't look like Kurt wanted to let go, but he wasn't in much of a position to resist, so Blaine hurried into the bathroom and began to fill the tub with hot water. He stuck his hand under it and wasn't happy with it until it was scalding. He let it fill and returned to his bedroom, where Kurt was waiting for him.

Thinking that the steam had to be good for him, he helped Kurt into the bathroom and closed the door to keep it from flowing out and vanishing. He threw the blanket on the floor and then reached for Kurt's clothes, but paused.

"Kurt," he said loud and clear to get his attention. "You need to get out of your wet clothes. Do you want me to help you or can you do it yourself?"

Kurt's fingers were shaking so badly that the first two attempts to unbutton his clothes proved absolutely worthless. He whined low in his throat, and Blaine wasn't sure if it was a sound of discomfort or frustration, but he decided he couldn't waste any more time.

"Okay, I'll do it," Blaine said, and guided him to lean against the counter because it didn't look like he could stand by himself any longer. "Just hold onto me, baby."

With every layer Blaine took off him, Kurt shivered more violently. It broke Blaine's heart to see him like that, so he hurried up until Kurt was in nothing but his underwear, his clothes a mess on the floor, just in time for the tub to be filled.

"Don't let go of me," Blaine said as he helped him move towards the bathtub. "I don't want you to slip and fall."

"Okay," Kurt said, teeth chattering. He was holding on so tightly to Blaine's arm that it was sure to leave a mark.

Blaine supported his weight while Kurt lifted one foot and then the other to step into the tub. Then he slowly sat down, helped by Blaine, who was holding him under the arms, and gasped as the hot water touched his freezing body.

Blaine kneeled on the floor next to him once Kurt was completely settled. "You should be okay now, Kurt. Just try to relax, alright?"

Kurt nodded jerkily, his body still trembling as it tried to get acclimated to the warmth after being so cold. "Thank you."

"No problem," Blaine said and watched as Kurt closed his eyes. "I'll leave you to it, but if you need anything..."

"No," Kurt said, eyes snapping open. He reached for Blaine's hand and held it tightly. "Don't go."

Blaine ignored the way his heart jumped at Kurt's pleading tone. It was a reflex, the way he lifted Kurt's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles, something he had gotten used to doing whenever they were together, even though he wasn't sure if he was allowed to do it anymore. "I won't go anywhere if you don't want me to."

"You must be mad at me," Kurt said, and he still sounded faraway, as if he was sleepy. "I'm sorry for being so stupid. And I'm sorry for coming here tonight if you didn't want to see me..."

"Silly boy," Blaine whispered, reaching to cup his face. His thumb stroked slowly over Kurt's jaw. "I always want to see you."

Kurt leaned into the touch. Very slowly, the color was coming back to his cheeks. "I wanted to see you, too. It was the only thing I could think of. Getting here and seeing you and asking you to hold me..."

From the moment Blaine had opened his door and found Kurt standing there, looking so helpless, he had tried to help without forgetting the boundaries he was supposed mantain between them – he wasn't with Kurt, they hadn't even talked for two weeks, and it had been clear to him that their lives were too different for this to work. They had too many obstacles.

With every second that he spent with him, first holding him in his arms, seeing he was hurt, helping him into the tub and holding his hand, his resolve had started to crack and fall into pieces. And now, with what Kurt was saying...

Blaine wanted him. He didn't care how weird others found it. He didn't care if once Kurt's shock was over he realized this wasn't what he wanted, if he had only seeked Blaine for comfort tonight. He wanted him. And he couldn't ignore that, no matter how hard he tried. For the past two weeks, he had felt like his life was back to being something he couldn't seem to enjoy, something he didn't actively choose, something that swallowed him whole until he was drowning in loneliness and misery.

But now he felt like he had broken through the surface and he could breathe again.

Before he could truly think about what he was doing, he took his pants and sweater off and, in only his undershirt and boxers, slipped into the tub behind Kurt, water splashing over the edge and to the tiles, making a bit of a mess that Blaine couldn't bring himself to care about now.

"Come here," he murmured, as he pulled Kurt against his chest, parting his legs so he could fit between them, and held him like he had wanted to hold him for the past two weeks, even if he hadn't admitted it to anyone, not even himself.

Kurt immediately curled around him, shifting a bit to his side so he could lay his head on Blaine's shoulder. "Thank you for not shutting the door in my face."

"Thank you for coming to me when you needed someone," Blaine replied and kissed the top of his head.

They were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying the hot water and the proximity. Blaine rubbed Kurt's back, massaged his shoulders, hoping to drain the last bit of the tension off him. Once it seemed like he had loosened up enough, he pulled away slightly, just enough to reach a wash cloth.

"Let's see that cut," he said, and Kurt sat up obediently. Blaine brushed his hair away from his forehead tenderly. "It's not that bad," he said, upon closer inspection. "You won't need stitches or anything like it. It's not even bleeding anymore. What happened?"

Kurt closed his eyes while Blaine dabbed at the cut, trying to clean it. "I don't know, really. I asked him not to take my bag because my textbooks were in it and he got mad, so he punched me."

Blaine's heart picked up pace. He was so angry, so, so angry...

"But he took my bag anyway," Kurt sighed sadly. "All my notes for my finals were in it..."

"We'll figure it out," Blaine said. He dropped the washcloth on the floor when he was done, and kissed the spot he had just cleaned for good measure. "I'm sorry you had to go through it, though. You must have been scared."

"I guess it wouldn't have been this bad if I weren't so tired," Kurt said, letting his head fall back on Blaine's shoulder. "I've been so exhausted lately, I can barely think straight. And he caught me alone and at the end of a very long day and I... I don't know. Wrong place, wrong time, I think."

Blaine tightened his arms around him protectively. "I'm so sorry, Kurt."

"Not your fault," Kurt whispered, lips grazing his neck as he spoke and sending shivers down Blaine's spine.

It was nice to just be there, holding Kurt. Blaine wished he never had to move again. There were a million things he wanted to ask him, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answers, and even if he were ready for them, now was not the right time. Kurt was calmer but he still had had a pretty rough night.

"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked after a while.

Kurt hummed. "So much better. Thank you."

"We might need to get out of here soon, the water's going cold," Blaine said. "You should have something warm, maybe some tea, though. And have you eaten anything?"

"No, I haven't," Kurt said sleepily. "But I can just have something when I get home..."

Blaine frowned and pulled away to look at Kurt's face. "What?"

"I'm sure there's some leftovers from the girls' dinner..." Kurt said, shrugging.

"Kurt, if you think I'm going to let you go all the way to Bushwick at one in the morning, you're insane," Blaine said. "You're staying here with me."

Blaine almost expected Kurt to fight him on it, but instead, Kurt relaxed against his chest again.

"Okay," he accepted.

It was Blaine who relaxed now, knowing Kurt was going to stay home, safe, all night. The morning would come and it would probably bring new things to deal with and unavoidable conversations but, for tonight, it was more than enough that Kurt was right next to him and not going anywhere.

"Let me get you a towel," Blaine said, with one more kiss to Kurt's forehead – he couldn't stop, honestly, not when Kurt was back in his arms. "I'm going down to the kitchen to get you something to eat. You should get into bed, though, we don't want you to get cold again."

"Okay," Kurt repeated, and reluctantly let Blaine get out of the tub.

Blaine's shirt and boxers dripped all over the bathroom floor. He removed them quickly and wrapped a towel around his waist before setting another one close to the tub so Kurt could reach it. He grabbed all the drenched clothes and took them with him downstairs, making a quick stop at the laundry room to take care of them before he went to the kitchen. The cheese platter he had prepared for himself was still there on the counter. He put some water to boil to make some tea for Kurt and added more cheese and crackers to the platter, enough for two now.

Once the water had boiled, he poured it into two cups and put everything on a tray. Just in case, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and some ibuprofen, in case Kurt felt like he needed it. He carried everything back upstairs careful not to spill anything, and stopped at his bedroom door.

Kurt was already in bed, looking like he belonged right there, and Blaine had missed him. He hadn't realized exactly how much he had missed seeing him, until now. There was something nesting in his chest, some kind of intense emotion that he couldn't quite identify. It made it hard to talk, but he tried anyway, clearing his throat.

"Are you comfortable? Can I get you anything?" He said.

"I'm fine," Kurt said. He sat up a bit, the blankets falling down his naked chest.

"Hold on, let me get you some pajamas," Blaine muttered as he placed the try on the bed, but Kurt caught his hand.

"I'm comfortable like this, if you don't mind?" He asked, unsure. His blue eyes were big and a little nervous on him.

"As long as you don't get cold again," Blaine smiled down at him. He dropped the towel and climbed into bed too. "Okay, we have some tea, some cheese, some hummus..."

"Blaine," Kurt whispered, shifting closer to him. "I can't thank you enough for..."

"Don't even mention it," Blaine said softly, and handed him a cup of tea.

Kurt managed to drink all of it, but he couldn't stomach much food. He was still pretty shaken up, and he was tired, so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. Blaine put the tray on the floor once they were done and they snuggled under the blankets, arms around each other, the feel of Kurt's naked skin just as familiar as coming home.

For the first time in two weeks, they both slept peacefully.


It was amazing how quickly beautiful dreams could turn dark. Kurt woke up startled, with a breathless gasp, only to realize he was tangled with Blaine, his head cradled in the crook of his neck and resting on his chest, their legs intertwined, Blaine's arms wrapped around him and holding him tight and safe.

Nightmares could become beautiful reality, too, it seemed.

The last thing Kurt wanted to do was get out of bed. He wanted to burrow even deeper into Blaine's embrace and ignore the world. He wanted to forget about how miserable he had been, about how stupid he had been and about the events of the previous night. It had been a horrible experience, but it also seemed to be some sort of wake up call – it had brought him back to Blaine's door, at least.

Wasn't it strange, how the scariest, ugliest things always taught us what mattered the most?

Kurt closed his eyes and turned his face into Blaine's neck, trying to lose himself in the wonderfully familiar scent of his skin. He felt so safe and comforted...

Blaine began to slowly rub his back, and his voice was scratchy with sleep when he said: "You okay?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Kurt murmured, and couldn't resist the urge to drop a kiss on Blaine's collarbone. "I'm fine, just... bad dream."

Blaine's hand travelled up his back until his fingers could bury themselves in Kurt's messy hair. "I don't mind waking up like this..." he whispered, and tugged a bit on his hair, enough to get Kurt to tilt his head up. Blaine pressed their lips together in a soft, over-too-quickly kind of kiss. "But I'm sorry about your bad dream. Do you want to talk about it?"

Kurt felt like he was ready to melt against Blaine's body. No bad dreams could touch him now. "Not really. I can't even remember what it was about, just... that it was bad."

Shifting so Kurt's back was pressed to the matress and he was hovering above him, Blaine touched his forehead almost reverently, whiskey eyes filled with concern. "You don't seem to have a fever, or a cold. I think you were lucky not to get sick last night. Does anything hurt?"

Kurt shook his head, unable to find the right words when Blaine was so close, when his body felt so strong above his own.

"Good, that's great," Blaine said. He brushed Kurt's hair off his forehead to inspect the little cut there, which didn't hurt anymore.

They were both half-hard and ignoring it, because they really needed to talk before they let things go any further. But for now, it was also nice to just be together, close, skin to skin, breathing each other in, knowing they were safe and okay, and that there was an unspoken understanding that they wanted to face things together and try to work out what had been broken the past two weeks.

Kurt lifted his hand, because he could at least allow himself to tread his fingers through Blaine's morning-messy curls. He was about to say something, but then caught sight of the alarm clock on Blaine's nightstand. "Oh shit, shit, shit. I should've been at Vogue like two hours ago!"

Blaine laid all his weight on Kurt to keep him from jumping out of bed. "Hey, hey, come on, relax." He waited until Kurt gave up trying to worm his way out from under him. "Kurt, you obviously were exhausted and needed the sleep, and considering what happened last night, I think it's fair to take a little time off. Why don't you call the office and tell Isabelle what happened? You said she was really cool, I'm sure she'll understand."

"With the end of the internship just a couple of weeks away?" Kurt snorted, feeling a little hysterical. "It's really not the best time to be taking personal days..."

"I know you love the internship, and I know you want to be great at it, but if you don't start taking care of yourself, giving yourself time to rest and recharge, I don't think you're going to get as far as you could," Blaine said gently. "And you're amazing, Kurt, you should get very, very far. Just don't sabotage yourself."

Kurt let out a sigh, but knew Blaine was right. "Well, you're certainly one to talk. You work as much as I do, or even more."

"I'm not at work now, am I?" Blaine retorted with a little smirk. "I woke up earlier and texted Coop to let him know I was taking some time off..."

"Oh Blaine," Kurt frowned. "You didn't have to do that for me..."

"No, it's fine. I want to," Blaine said simply. "I wanted to spend some time with you. And, honestly, I think we should go down to the police station and report your phone and wallet as stolen. I probably should have taken you there last night, but you were too shaken up, and I preferred to help you get warm first..."

Kurt cupped his face lovingly. "You take such great care of me."

Blaine turned his head to kiss Kurt's palm. "It's my pleasure." He rolled off Kurt, to his disappointment, and sat up. "Okay, I'll go get the phone so you can call the office, and maybe your friends, too? Won't Santana and Rachel be worried that you didn't make it home last night?"

"They probably didn't even notice," Kurt shrugged, stretching his arms above his head. "I've been getting home after they went to bed all week, and leaving again before they wake up..."

"See? You need to rest," Blaine teased him, and stood up, which was quite a sight because he was stark naked.

Kurt pressed his cheek to his hand, admiring the view. God, he had missed Blaine's body almost as much as he had missed Blaine's company. It was unfair to have such a pretty ass. Unfortunately, though, he slipped into sweatpants, before turning back to the bed with another pair for Kurt, and catching him staring.

Blaine bit his lip sheepishly. He seemed pleased. "I'll be right back."

Kurt burrowed back under the blankets, enjoying the warmth Blaine had left behind.


While Kurt was upstairs making phone calls, Blaine was in the kitchen making pancakes. He allowed himself to be comforted by the knowledge that Kurt was here, even if nothing was set in stone yet, even if this might end in a way he didn't expect. Just because they had slept tangled, just because they shared a few moments of sweet intimacy, didn't mean the things that had been wrong had disappeared.

He hoped they could mend them, though. He hoped this wasn't going to be over once Kurt felt a bit better.

But even if Blaine couldn't ignore the part of him that wanted to freak out and worry, there was another part that felt settled, sure, calm. As if this was a new beginning, and not just the step before the end.

He flipped the pancakes expertly just as Kurt made his way into the kitchen, wearing his sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt he had probably found in one of Blaine's drawers. Blaine didn't mind – it really was amazing to see him in his clothes. He didn't know what it was but it made him feel warm and happy in a way he couldn't quite comprehend.

"Everything okay?" He asked as Kurt came to stand beside him against the counter.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure Isabelle is an angel sent to Earth to make my life better," Kurt replied, and Blaine smiled at him. "She was really great, and sweet and told me to take as much time off as I need. I promised I'd be back tomorrow, though."

"And what about Rachel and Santana?" Blaine said, putting the pancakes on a plate and pouring more batter on the pan.

Kurt hesitated for a moment before he took a step to stand behind Blaine, one arm wrapping around his waist, his chin coming to rest on his shoulder. He was tense for a handful of seconds, as if expecting Blaine to push him away, but relaxed as soon as Blaine pulled on his arm to get it more snug around him, effectively gluing Kurt's chest to his back.

"I only got to talk to Rachel, but she said she would let Santana know," Kurt said, like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. "She was actually nicer than usual, maybe I should get mugged more often..."

"Kurt," Blaine muttered, because he didn't want to think about that happening to him ever again.

"I know, I know, I'm just kidding. If I don't make fun of it, I'm just going to freak out and get all scared again, and I hate that. I don't want to feel unsafe when I leave the diner late after a shift or when I need to stay at the library or..." He shook his head, like he didn't want to think about it. "Anyway, Rachel says she has some of the textbooks that were stolen, so I can borrow hers. I'll see if I can get the rest from a classmate or the library. And, again, shocking, but she offered to cover for me at the diner today."

"That was very nice of her," Blaine said.

"It really was," Kurt tilted his head and kissed the curve of Blaine's naked shoulder, making his skin tingle with it. "Can I help with anything?"

"I'm almost done with these, so can you make the coffee?" Blaine said, and he almost laughed at the eager way in which Kurt let go of him to head towards the coffee maker. "I'd like the French roast, but choose whatever you want for yourself."

Soon after they were sitting at the kitchen table, having coffee and pancakes and feeling as if life had someone regained some of the balance it seemed to have lost lately. Blaine looked at Kurt – sipping his coffee with his eyes closed, as if it were one of life's greatest pleasures, while the sun came in through the window and fell on his face, making his hair look like it had strands of gold threaded through the thick chestnut locks – and realized he didn't want to risk that balance ever again.

Kurt opened his eyes – they looked so bright in the sunlight, like a couple of sapphires – and must have seen something on Blaine's face, because he put his coffee down and reached across the table to gently touch the back of Blaine's hand with his fingertips. "I think we need to talk."

It was impossible not to tense at those words. They rarely meant something good. But Blaine also knew it was true. It wasn't something they could keep avoiding. "We really do."

"Let me start?" Kurt asked, and once Blaine nodded, he sat back, retrieving his hand, wrapping his fingers around his cup of coffee instead, as if trying to seek its warmth. "I'm pretty sure I tried apologizing last night, but I'm not sure. I was a little out of it... but in case I haven't said it, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry for what happened and for my silence afterwards."

"Kurt, it's..." Blaine started, only for Kurt to cut him off.

"No, don't say it's fine, please," he said. "It's really not. I should have at least explained why I was pulling away."

Blaine wasn't sure he wanted to hear all the reasons he wasn't what Kurt wanted, but decided maybe it was time he knew. "And why was that?"

Kurt ran a hand down his face. All the relaxation he had gained overnight seemed to vanish. "I need you to understand that... my dad is the most important person in the world to me. For a long time it was just the two of us and we became very close. He was really protective of me, and I was the same with him..."

Blaine looked down to his plate, at the half-eaten pancakes he suddenly couldn't stomach. A forty year old perv. "I do understand that, Kurt. It can't have been easy for him to see us and to know that I'm... well, so much older than you."

"No, it wasn't easy," Kurt said simply. "And I didn't want to disappoint him. Disappointing him has always been one my biggest fears, because I admire him so much, you know? He's a really great guy, Blaine."

Blaine managed to find a smile, even though it was really hard. "I bet he is. He raised you, after all."

"Yes, he raised me. He raised me to always do what I think is right and to chase the things I want no matter what everyone else thinks. He taught me to be myself and never apologize for it," Kurt continued, and he stood up and went around the table, like he couldn't take the distance between them anymore. He sat down on Blaine's lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. "And I would be fogetting everything he ever taught me if I let you go just because he doesn't like that you're a little older than me..."

Blaine couldn't help the little scoff that came out of him, as he put an arm around Kurt's waist and let his other hand settle on his thigh. "A little older?"

"It doesn't matter," Kurt said fervently. "It really doesn't, don't you think? I feel so great when I'm with you. I feel like I can talk to you about anything, like we truly connect, and age seems like such a stupid reason to lose that..."

Blaine hadn't even realized he was waiting for the worst until that very moment. He let out a little sigh. "And what about your dad?"

"Well, last I checked, he's not the one dating you," Kurt said, with an arched eyebrow. Blaine laughed and squeezed his thigh. "Look, I'll talk to him, okay? I know he'll come around once he understands us a little better. I just... I just really want to give this another shot. I feel like I should never say goodbye to you."

Kurt's eyes were wide and a little expectant. He had just been so honest, and he was probably scared that Blaine was going to tell him he didn't want the same thing.

How could Blaine not want the same thing, though?

Blaine cupped the back of his head and brought him down for a slow, gentle kiss, as if their lips were getting reacquainted with each other, exploring each other, trying to remember the shape, the taste, the texture. He felt Kurt melting into it, his body loosening up as he pressed against Blaine's, as if wanting to fuse the two of them into one.

When they pulled away, they rested their foreheads together, just content to be close, to be holding each other, to be sharing this moment.

"I really missed you, you know?" Blaine whispered, and Kurt shivered in his arms, as if those words had had a physical effect on him. "I think Tina was ready to stage an intervention."

"I really missed you too," Kurt murmured, hand coming up to cup Blaine's face, fingers tracing random patterns on his skin, catching on the stubble that had grown overnight. "Why do you think I've been busier than usual? I mean, my schedule really is insane, but for once I was grateful for it because it kept me from thinking about how much my life sucks when you're not in it."

Blaine's arms tightened around him. He wanted to stay just like this and never move again. "We really need to do something about that schedule..."

Kurt sighed tiredly. "Yes, I know. It's too much. And what happened last night reflects it..."

"I don't want you to get hurt," Blaine whispered, and felt like he was choking on the words. "I want you to be safe and okay. What can I do to help you?"

"For now?" Kurt said and took a deep breath. "Just keep holding me, okay? We'll figure it out."

Blaine pressed a kiss to Kurt's temple and agreed: "Together."


By the time they made it back to Blaine's place, Kurt felt drained and overwhelmed. Even with Blaine holding his hand through it all, having to tell the police about what had happened felt like living through it again. He didn't know how people who went through more violent muggings managed to get over it – just the idea of taking the subway late at night again made him feel paralyzed with fear.

"I don't know why I'm so shaken by it," Kurt murmured as Blaine closed the door behind them, grateful for the warmth of Blaine's home, for its soothing familiarity. "It's not like I had a gun pointed to my head..."

"God, Kurt, don't even say something like that," Blaine said, pulling on his hand. Kurt fell against his chest, and pressed his hands to Blaine's shoulders, holding on. "Let's hope that never happens to you, or anything like it. And even if it didn't get any worse, it was still bad. I mean, the guy punched you, for god's sake."

"I know. It was so..." Kurt began to say but shook his head. "No, you know what? Let's forget about it. I need to think about something else."

Blaine kissed the tip of his nose. "Okay. Are you hungry? I could make some lunch..."

"Maybe in a bit? I'm just tired and want to get distracted," Kurt said, and untangled himself from Blaine to tug him into the living room. "Let's watch a movie or something."

Blaine thought it was a good plan, so Kurt sprawled on the couch while Blaine tried to find something they could watch. Kurt honestly didn't care what he chose, he just wanted to not think about last night or about his stuff probably never being returned to him. He was still mourning the loss of his notes and textbooks, as well as his phone. He'd have to work a few extra shifts to afford a new one, and that was the last thing he wanted at the moment...

Blaine put his arm around him so Kurt could snuggle against his side and kissed his temple, only to murmur to that very spot: "I can hear how loud you're thinking, Kurt."

Kurt groaned. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's okay. I guess the last thing you want right now is to keep talking about it, but if it would help..." Blaine offered.

Kurt lifted his head and kissed the underside of Blaine's jaw. "Not really, but thank you."

He was content to just stay there and watch some mindless entertainment. He couldn't remember when had been the last time he had actually sat on the couch to watch something. He really needed to find a way to pause and rest, as well as take care of himself. Last night had certainly been a wake-up call. It hadn't solved anything, not even close, but it had opened his eyes to the reality that if he didn't take time to pay attention to his own needs, to get enough sleep, to do something besides working and studying, there were bad consequences.

But there had also been one excellent consequence – being back in Blaine's arms felt like such a blessing.

He looked up. Blaine was actually engrossed in the movie, so it gave him time to stare at him all he wanted. He was so incredibly handsome, with his gorgeous honey eyes and those full lips Kurt wanted to be kissing all the time. His hair wasn't as styled today as it usually was – Blaine hadn't wanted to waste time on it this morning before they left for the police station, and Kurt was actually glad. It made him looked more relaxed, free. And it had the added benefit of allowing Kurt to run his fingers through his soft curls, so he wasn't about to complain...

Eyes still glued to the screen, Blaine said, teasingly: "Want me to pause the movie since you're not watching it?"

Kurt hummed, a little smile coming to play on his lips. "You're way more attractive than the actors in it, so..."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Kurt, Chris Evans is in it."

"So?" Kurt shrugged. "I said what I said."

Blaine laughed as he wrapped his arms around Kurt, bringing him closer against his chest and shaking his head in obvious disbelief. "You... what am I going to do with you?"

The nearness left Kurt a little breathless. He moved in for a kiss, a little sloppy and off center, and it was as if his body was suddenly remembering that not only it had been denied sex with this man for two weeks, but that they had also slept naked together last night, without anything happening. His voice was just as breathless when he replied: "Fuck me, hopefully?"

It was amazing, the way Blaine's eyes darkened at his words. He kissed Kurt back just as desperately. "You don't have to ask me twice."

The movie continued playing long after they had raced upstairs, completely forgotten.


Can't wait to see what you think of this chapter. The scene where Kurt arrives at Blaine's place and Blaine takes care of him was one of the first scenes I had in mind as I started to plan this story, and I'm happy that it's finally published!

See you all next week. Thanks for reading!

L.-