I'm not a fortune teller, don't have a crystal ball

I can't predict the future, can't see nothing at all

It doesn't mean I'm afraid, of all the things that you say

But I just think we should stay, stuck in the moment today

Fortune Teller – Maroon 5

Chapter 4

By Sunday afternoon Blaine was anxious to leave for Dalton. He was sick of his family and paranoid about Kurt. He'd called Kurt Saturday night around 10:00 pm and again Sunday morning, but Kurt never answered. Blaine's imagination went into overdrive. Did that asshole Andrew keep their date? Afterwards did Kurt return to Andrew's room for a makeout session? Was Kurt curled up in bed with Andrew right now, releasing those soft sighs Blaine found sexy as hell? If Andrew kept the date, Blaine would make him pay. The headmaster would find more than just alcohol in his room. Drugs meant immediate expulsion and Blaine knew where he could get plenty.

At 7:00 pm Friday evening, everyone gathered in the dining room for dinner. Anastasia looked around worriedly before motioning to Blaine.

"Have you seen Cooper?"

"No."

"Please run upstairs and check his room. With everything going on you'd think he'd have sense enough to be here on time."

Blaine didn't bother to ask what was going on. He didn't want to know. Telio shot him a look which he ignored.

As Blaine approached Cooper's room, he could hear his brother yelling, his voice desperate, angry, and scared.

"Look, I'm taking all the risk here and now you guys are fucking up! I need to get that shit outta there by Tuesday! It has to happen Tuesday….no, no, no! Fuck! Are you even listening?"

Blaine opened the door a crack. Cooper was pacing back and forth, his eyes wide and wet, his hands shaking as he held the cell phone to his ear. He looked thinner than the last time Blaine had seen him.

"Fine! Fine! If you can't move it then I'll find someone who can! Yeah….yeah….well fuck you!" Cooper threw the phone across the room. He stood there wide-eyed and starring. Blaine opened the door a little further.

"Coop?"

Cooper looked up, startled. "What are you doing? Are you spying on me?"

"No. Dinner's about to start. Mom told me to come get you. You know how dad is about everyone being on time. You should change your shirt."

Cooper looked down at his stained t-shirt. "Yeah. Yeah, I should." He pulled it over his head, dropped it on the floor, and took a blue dress shirt out of the closet. He buttoned it up and tucked it into his jeans. He picked up a comb and started fixing his hair.

Blaine didn't want to care about the phone call he'd just overheard. He really, really didn't, but as he stood there watching his brother, he couldn't help but think of a different time. A time when they were younger and Cooper was the big brother he idolized. Before Cooper graduated and started working for his father. Before Cooper's insecurity about his future role in the family became an issue between them. As his brother combed his hair with shaky hands and glassy eyes, Blaine cared. Did he care because he was concerned about Cooper, or did he care because if something happened to Cooper, it would push him to the forefront of the family?

"Cooper…is everything okay?"

Cooper didn't look at him. "What are you talking about?"

"That phone call. It didn't sound good. What are you into? Are you in trouble?"

Cooper threw down the comb. "Why does everyone in this family always expect the worst? I'm not a total fuck up!"

"Actually…you kind of are."

The two stared at each other, Blaine waiting for Cooper to explode, and Cooper slowly realizing what Blaine had just said. Then Cooper started to laugh. He fell into loud, hysterical laughter to the point that he was doubled over, gripping his stomach. Blaine just stared at him. Finally Cooper caught his breath and turned towards the mirror to finish combing his hair.

"Good one, squirt."

"Cooper…are you in some kind of trouble?"

Cooper shook his head. "Nah. Quit worrying little bro. I've got everything covered."

"What do you need moved by Tuesday?"

Cooper glared at him. "You were spying on me, you little shit!"

"I just happened to hear you. What needs to be moved by Tuesday?"

"None of your damn business!"

"Drugs?"

Cooper said nothing. Blaine closed the bedroom door.

"Fuck Cooper! You know the rules! What are you doing?"

"Shut up and calm down. I can handle it."

"You're gonna get yourself killed, if not by the people you're dealing with, then by dad if he finds out!"

"No one's gonna kill me, and dad is not going to find out unless you open your big mouth."

"I'd never do that to you."

"Wouldn't you?"

"No, I wouldn't. Not unless I had to."

Cooper stepped forward and stood over Blaine. "And why would you have to? Worried I might bring down your empire?"

"No. I'd never sit by and let you get killed."

Cooper laughed. "Yeah, right."

"I wouldn't."

"Sure you wouldn't. Whatever, squirt. Don't worry. The product I'm moving is just a one-time thing. A deal I couldn't pass up. It's 100%, top quality pure, and demands a high price. I'll drop it like it's hot, and score a nice payday. Don't worry." Cooper patted him on the head, flashed him a brilliant smile, and headed out the door.

Blaine turned to follow but stopped and turned back around. He scanned the floor until he found Cooper's cell phone. He looked at the last incoming calls and last few numbers dialed.

212 and 917 area codes.

New York City area codes.

Blaine dropped the phone back on to the floor and headed downstairs.

This is not my problem.

x-x-x-x-x

Like last month, Blaine's father asked him to remain at the table for the business discussion. Blaine half listened as each of the head crew members reported on their areas of responsibility. Mario watched his son's obvious disinterest with great annoyance. He glanced at his consigliere, Luther. Luther was watching Blaine as well with a deep frown. The two men looked at each other from across the room. Mario nodded. It was time for them to have a chat with Blaine.

By contrast, Telio was listening like a hawk, filing away every name, place, and dollar amount mentioned. Telio was dedicated to preparing for the day Blaine became head of the family and he became Blaine's consigliere. He really wanted to drop out of school and join one of the crews in order to learn the business first hand, but Mario wouldn't allow it. For now it was Telio's job to keep Blaine safe and alive. One day it would be his responsibility to provide him with wise counsel and guidance, and Telio planned to be ready. Despite his frustration with Blaine's lack of interest and denial about the future, Telio's loyalty and allegiance lay with Blaine. Whether Blaine wanted it or not.

Once the discussions were over and marching orders given, the bar was open. The men would spend the rest of the night drinking, laughing and lying. Telio offered to pour drinks and clean glasses as an excuse to hang around, listening and learning. Blaine escaped to his bedroom to think about Kurt.

He sat down on his bed and closed his eyes. He started by picturing Kurt's blue-gray eyes, so expressive and bright. He loved how they danced when Kurt was excited about something, or how they turned slightly dark and moist when Kurt was discussing something sad or emotional. Blaine lay back, unzipped his pants, and slid his hand into his boxers, wrapping it around his dick. He imagined Kurt standing in front of him, removing his clothes. His chest smooth and pale, the skin soft and flawless. Were his nipples sensitive? Blaine would love to find out by biting them softly, teasingly. He imagined Kurt sliding down his pants exposing his thighs. Blaine already knew they were firm. He'd touched and squeezed them plenty of times. He didn't mean to allow his hands to roam so freely over Kurt's body, but he just couldn't help himself. By the time he realized what he was doing, it was too late. Not that Kurt ever complained.

Kurt never complained. That meant something, didn't it?

Blaine started stroking himself. Kurt stepping out of his pants... sliding his boxers down…

There was a knock at the door.

Blaine pulled his hand out of his pants and quickly sat up.

"Yes?"

"Darling, it's me. May I come in?"

Blaine zipped his pants, straightened his clothes, and hoped his mother wouldn't notice the bulge in his pants.

"Yeah, mom."

Anastasia opened the door. "Were you busy?"

"No. What's up?"

"Your father would like to speak to you downstairs in the library."

"Okay." Blaine stood up, but Anastasia came in the room and shut the door.

"Before you go, I wanted to ask you something. Is everything okay with Cooper?"

Blaine kept his expression completely blank. "What do you mean?"

"Well…your brother has a tendency to get himself into sticky situations. I just want to make sure he's alright."

Why the hell would she think he would know what was up with Cooper? Blaine swallowed his annoyance. He looked directly into her eyes, smiled…and lied.

"Cooper's fine, mom. Don't worry. He's just…being Cooper."

Anastasia exhaled and smiled. "I guess that's good, or maybe not." Her laugh warmed Blaine's heart and erased his annoyance. He didn't feel guilty for lying. Why should his mother have to worry about Cooper's shit? She had enough to deal with being Mrs. Mario Anderson.

Blaine headed downstairs and down the hall to the library. He knocked on the cracked door. "Dad?"

"Come in, Blaine."

Mario was seated in a large leather chair behind a huge oak desk. Luther was seated on the small loveseat in the corner of the room. The walls of the room were covered in bookshelves filled top to bottom with books. Blaine often wondered if his father had actually read any of the books on the walls.

"Have a seat." Blaine sat down. He glanced at Luther and back at his father.

Uh oh.

Mario remained silent, taking a moment to study his son. Blaine had his good looks. The thick black hair, the hazel eyes, and easy smile. His olive skin came from his mother, and in Mario's mind, also his desire for men. The gay thing was definitely disappointing, but it wasn't the end of the world. Dangerous, but not the end of the world.

"I feel like its been a while since we've talked. I wanted to catch up with you. Is school going well?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Mario paused before continuing. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Whoa. Wasn't expecting that. "Um…no." But I'm working on it.

"Hmm. Not to get too personal, but…have you…been with a boy yet? Intimately, I mean?"

Damn. That was personal as hell. "No."

"But you still consider yourself gay?"

"Yes, I'm definitely gay."

"Okay."

There was a moment of silence before Mario continued. "You graduate in a year. Have you given any thought to your future?"

Blaine studied his father's face. Was this a trick question?

"Um…yeah, actually I have. I'd like to go to college."

Mario nodded. "Mm hmm. And what would you like to study?"

Should he be honest? No. Not until he knew where his father was headed.

"I'm not sure yet."

"Perhaps business or law?"

Blaine was thinking more along the lines of music education or the performing arts. He decided to keep that to himself.

"Maybe."

Mario nodded. "Either would be useful to the family."

Blaine felt the familiar uncomfortable tightening in his stomach that occurred whenever joining the family business was brought up. He remained silent.

"Blaine, I know you've always expressed a desire to stay out of family affairs, but by now you must know that's impossible."

"I think Grandfather would disagree with you."

Mario frowned. "My father is no longer the head of this family. I am."

"And when the time comes, Cooper will take your place."

Mario nodded. "That's right, and when he does he's going to need your help."

Blaine scoffed. "You think Cooper will want my help?"

"It doesn't matter what he wants. He will do what's best for the family, as will you."

Blaine shook his head. "I'm sorry dad, but I'm not like you, or Grandfather, or even Cooper. I don't want this life. I'm not a criminal and I'm not a murderer."

"Who said anything about murder? All I'm saying is that you need to start preparing for the future. Your future. Yes, Cooper will take over one day, but he's going to need a consigliere. That will be you."

"What?"

"When the time comes, you will serve as your brother's consigliere."

Blaine was surprised. It had never occurred to him that his father would ask him to serve as his brother's consigliere. His fear had always been that his father would skip over Cooper completely and try to make him head of the family. But consigliere? To Cooper? No way. That would be worse than being in charge.

Blaine shook his head. "I'm sorry dad, but I can't. That would never work and you know it. Dealing with Cooper's crap would get me killed within a month. If I didn't shoot myself first."

Mario leaned forward and spoke slowly and quietly.

"Then…perhaps you should become head of the family."

Blaine felt a strange sensation slither through him. He ignored it.

"No. I don't want it. Give it to Cooper. He's the oldest. It's his birthright."

Mario sat back and studied his son for a moment. He glanced at Luther and then back at Blaine.

"There are those in this organization who think you would make a better boss than your brother."

"Doesn't matter. I don't wanna be boss. I don't wanna be anything. I'm not capable of doing what you do. I could never do what you do."

Mario stared hard into Blaine's eyes. "Are you sure about that? After all, you are an Anderson."

"I'm not that kind of Anderson."

Mario laughed. "Of course you are. It's in your blood, and the sooner you accept that, the better and easier things will be for you. For all of us."

"I'm sorry dad, but I'll never be like you. I'll never be a part of all this, much less in charge of it. Is that all?"

Mario stood up and stepped around to the front of his desk. He held open his arms. Blaine stood up and accepted his father's embrace. As he held his son, Mario whispered in his ear.

"You cannot deny your blood, Blaine. It's too strong and powerful, and one day it will burst from your veins like fire and you will feel the truth of its strength. Your strength."

Blaine felt the strange sensation again as his father spoke. Mario released him, smiled and nodded. Blaine looked at him for a moment before leaving.

As Mario sat back down, Luther stood up and took the seat vacated by Blaine. He smiled thoughtfully at Mario.

"He reminds me of a boy I once knew."

Mario nodded. "Yes. Yes, he does."

Kurt sat on his bed, legs stretched out straight, laptop on his lap, cellphone by his side.

He'd been sitting in his room in a tank top and shorts, agonizing over his discovery since Saturday night.

Today was Sunday. Blaine would return to campus.

Kurt had ignored Blaine's phone calls, but he knew he couldn't ignore him forever.

What was he going to say?

What should he do?

The idea of telling someone about the gun had briefly crossed his mind before being squashed by a sense of both loyalty and fear. He couldn't report Blaine. He would get in trouble and probably expelled. Blaine knew weapons of any kind were not allowed on campus. There had to be a really good reason for him to have a gun.

Like what?

Should he tell Blaine he found the gun? Would Blaine be mad? It's not like he was snooping. He'd just wanted to clean the bath tub.

Kurt glanced over at Doug's side of the room. Doug had warned him to be careful. Maybe he knew more than Kurt had originally thought.

Kurt eventually worried himself to sleep. When he woke up it was after 6:00 pm. Great. Now he'd be up half the night. He went to the bathroom and returned to find his cell phone ringing on the bed.

Blaine.

Okay, technically he hadn't ignored the call. He just didn't reach his phone in time. Kurt sat down on his bed and stared at the phone. Should he call Blaine back? By now he was probably back on campus.

There was a knock on the door. "Kurt?"

Kurt stared at the door, his mind suddenly racing with fear.

"Kurt?"

Kurt forced himself to stand, walk, and open the door. Blaine stood there wearing black pants and a white button down shirt. The first two buttons were undone and his hair was ungelled. He looked sexy…hot…and dangerous. Or was it just Kurt's imagination?

Blaine slowly ran his eyes up and down Kurt's body. He'd never seen so much of Kurt's skin. It was just as smooth and flawless as he'd imagined. He wanted to touch. Something shifted inside him. His tone was tense and slightly accusatory.

"What have you been doing? I've been calling you all weekend."

"Uh…my phone…my phone's been acting up."

Blaine's eyes darkened. "Really?"

"Y-yeah." Blaine was staring at Kurt with the usual intensity, but something was different. Darker. Deeper. Kurt backed up as Blaine slowly walked in to the room. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He glanced at Doug's side.

"Where is he?"

"He went home for the weekend."

It all happened very quickly.

Blaine grabbed Kurt, spun him around, and pushed him up against the door, pinning his hands above his head. Kurt gasped but didn't try to pull away.

Blaine's voice was quiet and deep, his breath hot against Kurt's ear.

"I missed you this weekend."

Kurt closed his eyes. His heart was racing. "I missed you too."

"How was your date with Andrew?"

"He cancelled."

Blaine pulled back slightly and looked into Kurt's eyes.

"Good."

The two stared at each other for a moment before Blaine leaned in again. His lips lightly grazed the smooth skin of Kurt's neck, right below his ear. His voice was a whisper.

"I don't want you going out with Andrew."

Kurt tried to sound more in control than he felt.

"Why not?"

"Because I want you going out with me."

And then Blaine kissed him.

It was firm, yet soft. Kurt released a half moan, half sigh and opened his mouth for Blaine to slip his tongue inside. Blaine released Kurt's hands and slid his own down Kurt's arms, eager to touch the smooth, pale skin he so often dreamed of. Kurt slid his arms around Blaine's waist and settled into the kisses. In that moment he realized just how much he'd been waiting for this. Blaine's kisses were sweet, sensual and so very welcome. Kurt felt dazed and completely distracted. Wasn't he supposed to ask Blaine about something?

They kissed for several minutes before Kurt felt the door pressing against his back.

"What the…"

Blaine stepped back, pulling Kurt with him. Doug stumbled into the room.

"What's wrong with the…oh." He took in Kurt's flushed face and embarrassed expression along with Blaine's look of triumph and quickly figured it out. A smirk spread across Doug's face.

"What's up, Anderson? Actually, I guess I know what's up."

Kurt turned crimson. Blaine smiled and turned to Kurt. "I'll meet you in the dining room in 15 minutes?"

Kurt wasn't hungry, but he nodded.

"Later Doug." I'll get you later for talking shit about my family.

Kurt collapsed on to his bed and tried to figure out what had just happened. Blaine said he wanted Kurt to go out with him. What exactly did that mean? Were they boyfriends now? Shit. What about the gun? He never asked Blaine about the gun. But those kisses…damn those kisses. Blaine tasted delicious.

"So, are you two official now?"

Kurt slowly shook his head. "I'm really not sure."

"Well, remember what I said. Be careful."

Kurt wanted to confront Doug with what Blaine had told him about his father and the construction projects, but an image of Blaine's gun flashed through his mind.

He decided to get dressed for dinner.

x-x-x-x-x

All during dinner, the gun weighed heavily on Kurt's mind. As Blaine laughed and joked with the Warblers, Kurt remained quiet, struggling to reconcile the image in his head of Blaine wielding a gun, with the beautiful, happy boy sitting beside him. Blaine kept shooting Kurt sexy little smiles as he discreetly touched him. A hand on the thigh, a gentle rub to his back. At one point he grasped Kurt's hand under the table and held it for several minutes leaving Kurt warm, aroused, and confused as hell. They really needed to talk.

When dinner was over Blaine turned to Kurt, his eyes dark and intense, his voice low and suggestive.

"Come back to my room with me."

It wasn't a request.

Kurt nodded, but as they stood up to leave, he noticed Andrew sitting at another table with a few friends.

"Hold on a minute."

"What is it?"

"I wanna see how Andrew's doing."

Blaine looked over at Andrew and frowned. "He's here so he must be doing fine."

"I just wanna say hi."

"Why? So you can reschedule your date?"

"No, of course not. And it wasn't a date. Just wait here, or I'll just meet you in your room."

"I'll wait." Blaine sat down and watched Kurt cross the dining room over to Andrew's table. His jealousy was so strong he could taste it. His stomach churned as he watched Kurt smile at Andrew and start chatting. Andrew smiled back but looked around nervously, his eyes landing on Blaine.

The expression on Blaine's face and the look in his eyes scared the shit out of him.

Andrew stood up and quickly excused himself. Kurt walked back over to Blaine, a concerned look on his face.

"I guess he's not 100% better. He had to race to the bathroom."

Blaine stood up and took Kurt's hand. "I hope you didn't catch anything. I plan to kiss you some more."

The warm, aroused feeling returned as Kurt's stomach twisted and quivered.

The gun. You have to ask about the gun.

"Blaine, we need to talk."

Blaine nodded. "I know. We'll talk between kisses."

As they walked to Blaine's room, Kurt told himself not to let Blaine kiss him. They needed to talk. He needed to understand their relationship and he had to ask about the gun. But the moment they were inside Blaine's room, Blaine grabbed him and like before, pushed him against the wall. This time he attacked Kurt's mouth with hot urgency. Arousal swept through Kurt and he found himself kissing back just as feverishly. When Blaine finally let him up for air, he tried to take control.

"Blaine…we need to talk."

"Mmm hmm." Blaine nuzzled Kurt's neck and inhaled.

"God, I love your smell."

"Stop….we need…to talk."

Blaine licked Kurt's neck followed by kisses and tiny sucks. "You taste like wine. Sweet…gorgeous…yummy wine."

Kurt moaned involuntarily as Blaine pressed into him. He could feel Blaine's erection pressing rock hard and wanting against his leg.

Whoa.

Kurt's eyes flew open and his mind immediately cleared.

They had to talk before this went any further.

"Blaine, stop."

"Why?"

"Because I said so, and because we need to talk."

"I don't wanna talk. I wanna taste." The lascivious sound of Blaine's voice and his lust-filled eyes almost made Kurt give in, but he forced himself to focus. He pushed Blaine away from him.

"No. We need to talk about…all of this."

Blaine took a step back and stared at Kurt. Kurt was glowing, breathing hard, and his erection was very obvious. Something dark and sexually sinister rolled through Blaine.

He was stronger than Kurt.

It would be so easy to overpower him and…

Blaine closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and another step back.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

Where did that thought even come from?

Blaine sat down on the bed and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He really needed to get a hold of himself.

Kurt walked over to Blaine's desk chair and sat down. He needed space to think clearly. Being close to Blaine turned his mind into a muddled mess, and made his body pulse and throb for things he wasn't sure he was really ready for. The two sat in silence for a moment before Kurt began.

"Blaine…I need to understand what we are. Most of the time we seem like just friends, but then sometimes you stare at me and touch me and…I feel like you want more, but I'm not sure. Then today you said you want me to go out with you, and suddenly we're kissing, and…I need to know what we're doing. It feels like everything is moving too fast and I'm confused."

Blaine scooted to the middle of the bed and crossed his legs, Indian style. "Come here." Kurt hesitated before standing up and joining him in the middle of the bed. Blaine took Kurt's hands in his and stared into his eyes.

"I love you."

All the tension and worry left Kurt's body, replaced with a high energy, buzzing feeling of happiness.

Love.

Blaine Anderson has just said he loved him.

Tiny fireworks exploded inside Kurt's chest. Blaine brought Kurt's hands to his lips, softly kissing his knuckles.

"Do you love me, Kurt?"

"Yes. Yes, I love you."

Blaine smiled. "Good. Then I'll tell you what we're doing. From now on we are no longer just friends. You are my boyfriend. Mine. That means Andrew and every other guy in this school can fuck off. You are mine and Andersons protect what's theirs. We protect what we love, and I love you."

Love.

Protection.

How many times had Kurt wished for protection? Protection from bullies, protection from Karofsky, protection from all the hurt inflicted on him. Despite the safety provided by Dalton, Kurt still dreamed of someone who would protect him. It was a deep seated want, born from years of walking school hallways in fear, climbing out of dumpsters, and picking himself up off the floor. Always fighting alone.

Blaine watched Kurt closely. All those hours listening to Kurt had taught Blaine everything he needed to know about the boy he wanted to make his. He knew Kurt's hopes, dreams, fears and joys.

And he knew the magic words to make Kurt's heart soar.

Blaine leaned over and kissed him softly. He pressed their foreheads together. "Will you be my boyfriend, Kurt? I promise to love and protect you. Always. I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you, Kurt. Just let me love and protect you."

Kurt closed his eyes and nodded as Blaine sealed his promise with a soft kiss followed by several more. Kurt started to fall back on the bed, pulling Blaine with him, but Blaine stopped him. He couldn't take any chances. Not when he had just promised to love and protect Kurt from harm. The last thing Blaine wanted to do was lose control.

"It's getting late. I'll walk you to your room."

Kurt reluctantly nodded and allowed Blaine to help him off the bed. As they walked, thoughts of the gun passed through his mind.

Oh well.

It didn't have to be tonight.

He could ask him later.

Denial is more than a river in Egypt...