Author's Note:
This is again from Kurt's point of view. And you're finally going to find out what it's going to take to break the dog spell!
This chapter is unbetaed, because once again, I procrastinated writing it and my lovely beta hkvoyage hasn't read it yet, seeing as I've only just finished writing the last sentence… I've been too busy to write this weekend, seeing as klaineship2 has come to visit me :-)
Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)
A note to the guest reviewer who wondered if I'd abandoned Weave Your Magic: No, I haven't, and I promise you I won't! I update only twice a year at most nowadays, but I am continuing the story.
Chapter 9: A Fighting Chance
It felt a bit weird at first, calling the professor by his first name, and living in his apartment. Kurt kept pinching himself to ascertain that this was real, especially that first morning, when he padded into the living room still half-asleep and found Blaine exercising to a workout video, wearing the skimpiest shorts Kurt had ever seen, and a black muscle shirt that showed off his arms. Kurt stopped in his tracks and just stared with his mouth wide open, until Blaine noticed him and winked. "Come join me?"
Kurt snapped his mouth shut. "I need to go walk some dogs. You're up early."
Blaine flashed him a smile. "Always. I crash at nine thirty at the latest, and I'm up with the birds."
Kurt groaned. "Oh great, I'm living with a morning person again!"
That made Blaine laugh out loud. "I made coffee, if that helps?"
"Oh, yes," Kurt moaned, making a beeline for the kitchen, where he filled up his travel mug with coffee, taking a long sip before he closed it and humming happily.
Blaine followed him. "I can make you breakfast, too, if you tell me what you want?"
Kurt's stomach rumbled, but he shook his head. "No time. I always make myself a packed breakfast to eat on the way or in the park."
He took the box out of the fridge and put it in his backpack after taking out a sandwich and wolfing it down in three bites.
Before he left the apartment, he gave an awkward wave and said bye. Blaine, who'd resumed his exercising, waved back with a smile.
The rest of the weekend was spent comparing their schedules, figuring out how to divide the household tasks and stocking up on groceries for next week's meals. Oh, and reassuring Burt, who was apprehensive about Kurt moving in with someone nearly ten years his senior, and wouldn't believe there was nothing going on between them. Burt fired off a barrage of questions at Blaine, who never even blinked, and didn't seem intimidated by Burt's glare in the slightest.
Blaine had taken to accompanying Kurt on his scheduled dog walks, chatting his ear off, and Kurt delighted in uncovering new information about Blaine. His brother was an actor! He played five instruments and used to be in his school's show choir!
Blaine wanted to know about Kurt, too. He was endlessly interested in Kurt's childhood, his mom, his dad, his friends, his favourite food, his taste in music and books and TV series, encouraging Kurt to talk himself hoarse about it all.
At school, the first week, Professor Scher accosted Kurt in the hallway again and steered him into her office. "I heard from Blaine that you're living with him now. I'm so glad. He needs someone to look after him when he turns into a dog."
Kurt, taken of guard, started babbling. "You… You know about… You… don't mind?"
"Oh, psh," said the professor. "The two of you belong together. Anyone can see that. But as I said, keep it on the down-low."
Kurt blinked at her. "We're not… together, Professor. Just… living together."
"Oh, that will come in time," Professor Scher predicted. "Tell Sebastian to call me, okay? I want him to come talk about R/GA here at school again."
Kurt promised he'd ask and then scurried off.
Thankfully, everybody else at school assumed he was still working as a dog-sitter, and just asked if he'd found a new place to stay. "Oh, you get to stay longer this time? That's great. Moving all the time must be such a pain."
K&B
After a few weeks, Kurt fell into a comfortable routine. In spite of his graphic design minor and his internship at R/GA, he felt like he had more breathing room than last year. Of course, it helped that he lived a short walk away from school and from the R/GA offices now. It helped that he had Blaine at home to help him with any school-related questions he had. And it helped that on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Blaine had dinner on the table the minute Kurt came home.
Kurt wasn't used to living with someone who could cook, actually enjoyed cooking, and took that task out of his hands. Burt was a slapdash cook, throwing together ingredients and hoping it would turn out edible. Carole was an excellent cook, but only cooked when Kurt wasn't at home. She left the kitchen to her stepson anytime he visited. And Rachel was an out-and-out disaster, who had been banned from the stove and the oven after she nearly started a kitchen fire during their first evening at the loft.
Blaine, however, was a gourmet chef, producing cheese soufflés lighter than air, osso bucco that melted in your mouth, and quiches and lasagnes that were golden perfection. Anything he made smelled and tasted so good that Kurt took seconds and begged him for the recipe.
He wasn't a food snob, though. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kurt cooked, and it was nothing special, just a stir fry or pasta with sauce, but Blaine tucked in as if it was the best thing he'd ever eaten and complimented Kurt.
And on weekends, they cooked and baked together, and proved to be a good team.
Kurt loved his new housing arrangements, though it worsened his crush by the day, and he believed that Blaine was happy with his new housemate too. Blaine still pined after Trent, though. Kurt wasn't entirely sure what their relationship had been, but it had clearly ended on a bad note, and Blaine kept beating himself up about it, blaming himself for the radio silence between him and his 'friend'. When Kurt suggested that he contact Trent again, though, Blaine got a deer-in-the-headlights look and shut up about it. Scared of confrontation, was he? Kurt filed that away in his Blaine database.
K&B
When the holidays approached, Kurt wasn't surprised that his dad expected him to come to Ohio. What did surprise him was that Burt wanted Blaine to come, too. "I want to meet him for real, son. See with my own eyes that he treats you right. Nah, don't roll your eyes at me, let me ask him."
"Dad!"
"What? I'm just being neighbourly, inviting my son's housemate so that he's not alone for the holidays," said Burt. "And you said he's from Ohio too, so he can visit his family while he's here. Let me invite him, go on."
The invitation surprised Blaine, that was clear, but he seemed to appreciate it, and after conferring with his mother, he agreed to come.
To Kurt's amusement, Blaine stressed out more about finding a gift for Carole than about meeting Burt. However, Kurt's grin slid off his face as he realised that was one more sign of Blaine friend-zoning Kurt. Yes, they got along splendidly, and living with Blaine was everything Kurt could have wished for, but he needed to remember that he'd never get more than this.
Every day, he fell for Blaine harder, to the point where it had become so much worse than a crush. Kurt was actually in love with him now, though Blaine had never shown the slightest inkling of being interested in Kurt that way. Maybe he was still hung up on Trent? Maybe Kurt just wasn't his type? Whatever the reason, Kurt would not get his happily-ever-after, and needed to guard his heart.
It wasn't easy, though, when everything Blaine did endeared him more to Kurt. He was endlessly attentive, affectionate and nice, and it was hard for Kurt to keep in mind Blaine didn't like him as more than a friend when he kept hugging and cuddling up to Kurt, remembered how Kurt took his coffee, made his favourite dishes and brought home his favourite dessert.
Kurt shook it off by telling himself that Blaine must have taken over a few characteristics of the dog he kept turning into, and that this was just Blaine showing his loyalty and eagerness to please.
Don't get your hopes up. Don't you dare!
K&B
Thanksgiving was lovely. Carole happily surrendered the kitchen to Kurt and Blaine, and together, they whipped up a mouth-watering dinner.
Burt went out of his way to embarrass Kurt, though, convinced that there was something going on between him and Blaine, and not letting up about it.
Blaine's mother proved to be just as bad, treating Kurt as if he was her son-in-law already.
However much Kurt appreciated her ready acceptance of him, It stung a little, too, because the relationship Pam took for granted was just a figment of her imagination, and no amount of wishing on Kurt's part would make it real.
The plane trip back to New York turned into a road trip when Blaine turned into a dog at the airport, and by the time they arrived at Blaine's apartment, Kurt was exhausted, and determined to find a way to break that blasted curse. He'd already asked his dad to contact the people who'd tried to help his mom, way back. If that didn't help, Kurt would go see the guy who'd cursed Blaine himself.
Accordingly, during their Christmas break, Kurt and Blaine found themselves in the parlour of one curse breaker after another, but they weren't of any more use than they had been to Kurt's mom.
"I'm sorry, this curse is too strong. Who did you say cast it?"
And when Blaine told them it had been Alexei Zakharov, they recoiled and pushed him out the door as fast as they could, fear in their eyes.
So three days after Christmas, early in the morning, while Blaine was having breakfast in the kitchen with Carole, Kurt came downstairs dressed in his warmest clothes and toting a suitcase, and told his dad he was going to try and sort out this curse himself.
"I've found Mr Zakharov on the internet. He lives in Saint Petersburg. I'm going to confront him and ask him to break the curse."
Burt gripped Kurt's arm. "Kurt, no! I don't want this guy to curse YOU!"
Kurt looked Burt straight in the eye. "I have to do this, Dad. I have to. Look after Blaine while I'm gone, will you?"
With that, Kurt wheeled his suitcase down the hall and let himself out.
Behind him, he heard an anguished whisper of his name, but he squared his shoulders and didn't look back.
K&B
It took almost a day to get to Saint Petersburg. Kurt stumbled out of the plane as a sleep-deprived wreck, but once arrived at his hotel, he only dropped off his suitcase and strode out again. He was determined to get the curse sorted out first. He could nap after.
Kurt found the headquarters of the company where Mr Zakharov worked, and waited outside the office building for him to come out. He'd memorised the picture he'd found online so that he would recognise him, and sure enough, a few minutes past five, he saw the man walking out the door.
"Mr Zakharov?" Kurt called.
The man turned around, sizing him up. "You're American."
"Yes."
"What do you want with me?" Mr Zakharov asked.
Kurt hesitated, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "Can we talk somewhere more private, please?"
Mr Zakharov let out a booming laugh. "Are you propositioning me?"
Kurt flushed, his eyes going wide. "No!"
That made the man throw his head back and laugh even harder, slapping his thigh. When he'd gotten over his bout of hilarity, he said, "No need to look so scared, boy, I was just joking."
Kurt exhaled shakily. "Oh…"
"I'm heading home right now, so you can come with me," Mr Zakharov continued.
Kurt nodded and fell into step with him. They turned left and stopped at a house with a bright blue door.
"This is me," said Mr Zakharov, and he took out a chain holding at least a hundred keys, finding the right one without even looking.
Kurt followed him in, and then to a sitting room with more doilies than he'd ever seen together, even at his great-aunt's. He sat down gingerly on an armchair, and looked at Mr Zakharov, trying to figure out where to start.
"You wanted to talk to me?" the man prompted.
"Yes. I… I need to know how to break a spell."
Well, that was blunt, and to the point, but Kurt figured that a guy who'd taken umbrage at being led on for half a year would appreciate directness.
Mr Zakharov's eyebrows rose. "A spell? Who cast it?"
"You did," said Kurt.
Now the man's eyebrows hit his hairline. "А тебе не занимать мужества, малыш!"
"Sorry?" Kurt asked.
"You've got guts, kid!" Mr Zakharov translated. "Stepping up to me to ask how to break one of my spells - the nerve of you! I've struck people dead for less!"
Kurt's eyes widened, but he stayed put, pulling his shoulders back and looking straight at Mr Zakharov. "I meant no offense, sir."
The man's expression softened. "You're lucky you seem so innocent. Plus that I'm curious. What was the curse? What is it you want to turn back? You want to stop someone from dying? Or bring them back from the dead?"
Kurt's mouth fell open. "Can you do that?"
Mr Zakharov smirked. "For the right price, I might."
Kurt gaped at him some more, but this was not about his mom, nor did he think she could be brought back after so many years. So he soldiered on. "No, it has nothing to do with life and death. It's a dog spell."
That was clearly not what Mr Zakharov had been expecting him to say, but it took him only seconds to catch on. "Blaine!"
Kurt nodded.
The man in front of him clenched and unclenched his fists, a dangerous glint in his eyes, and it took a few minutes for him to speak again. "So he's into children these days, is he?"
Kurt's puzzled expression sparked a fit of laughter, and only when it had subsided did Mr Zakharov explain his remark. "He's dating you now? What are you, sixteen?"
Kurt squashed his indignation and replied, "I'm twenty, sir. And no, I'm not dating Blaine Anderson."
Mr Zakharov looked as though he was close to laughing again. "But you'd certainly like to. Why else would you be here on his behalf?"
Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his armchair.
Again, the man's laugh boomed through the room. "Up to his old tricks, is he, Blaine? Making you feel like you're the only boy in the world to him and then friend-zoning you?"
That felt uncomfortably close to the truth, so Kurt bit his lip and said nothing.
"Aww, you're too precious," the man sniggered. "He's never going to fall for you, you know that, right? You're just wasting your time."
Kurt nodded and then ducked his head. He did know that. He'd always known it. But it wasn't like that made any difference to him. He wanted to help Blaine. Get that curse lifted. He didn't expect anything from Blaine in return. That was not how love worked. If you loved someone, you had to set them free, right? Even if it broke your heart.
By the time Kurt felt composed enough to look up again, Mr Zakharov's eyes had lost their teasing glint. He looked at Kurt intently. "You may look like a kid, but you're really not. You have more strength in you than meets the eye, and the purest heart of anyone I've ever met. Which is why I'm going to give you a fighting chance. You deserve that much."
Kurt mustered up a tiny smile. "Thank you."
"Oh, don't thank me just yet," said the man. "I'm not going to make this easy on you. I'm going to give you two years, starting today. If in that time, you manage to make Blaine fall in love with you, the spell will be broken. Get Blaine to kiss you and mean it, and he'll never be a dog again."
Mr Zakharov sniggered. "True love's kiss and all that. In fact, I should give you until midnight on New Year's Eve, two years from now, then it's completely like a fairy tale. So you'll get two years and two days, kid. A bit more, since you're from America, and you're several hours behind."
Kurt nodded, and Mr Zakharov shook his head, chuckling and fiddling with his beard. "Who'd have known, I'm growing soft! I'm going to need to kill some people after this to prove that I'm still as fearsome as ever."
Kurt couldn't help but shiver, and that made the man laugh uproariously. "I wouldn't kill you, little one! I like you. You've got spunk. And you make me laugh. Now… Where was I? Oh, yes. If you don't manage to make Blaine fall for you, and let's face it, that's the more likely scenario, seeing as the guy's such an idiot at personal relationships…"
Mr Zakharov laughed again, but it sounded sharp this time, and there was something savage about his expression, showing that however long it had been, he still hadn't forgotten nor forgiven Blaine's rejection.
"If you fail," the man continued, "Blaine will become a dog permanently. For the rest of his life."
Kurt considered this. It wasn't likely that he'd succeed, but at least Blaine wouldn't die, not even in the worst case scenario. If Blaine turned into a dog for good, Kurt would look after him. He owed him that much.
So Kurt nodded. "That's fair. I accept your terms."
That made Mr Zakharov crack up once more. "So polite, hee, hee, hee!"
Kurt didn't see what was so funny, but at long last, the man got down to business, focussing his glittering dark eyes back on Kurt and flexing his fingers. "All right then…"
Mr Zakharov started chanting in what Kurt presumed to be Russian, wiggling his fingers at Kurt, who felt like squirming away, but forced himself to sit up straight and still until the magic was done.
"There!" the man said cheerfully. "Oh, and one more thing… You can't tell Blaine how his curse can be broken. And of course you can't go telling Blaine that you love him."
Kurt blanched. "I already have!"
Mr Zakharov raised an eyebrow. "You told him you were in love with him?"
"Yes."
"And what did he say?" the man inquired.
Kurt bit his lip. "He found it funny."
Mr Zakharov fixed Kurt with a stare again. "Hmm… Well, if he already knows, it won't make much difference if you mention it again, I guess. I hope for your sake that you succeed, but he doesn't deserve you. At all."
The man seemed indignant on Kurt's behalf, which would have been funny if Kurt hadn't been so scared of him.
Kurt thanked his host again politely, declined an offer of refreshment and got out of that house as fast as he could.
It wasn't until he was back in his hotel room that he lost it, shaking uncontrollably and weeping out all his pent-up emotions. He may not have shown it, but that confrontation had been nerve-racking from the beginning until the end.
Once he felt slightly better, he ordered room service. He wasn't hungry, per se, but he felt empty, and seeing as there was no-one around to hug him and make him feel better, he was going to fill the void with pizza and cake, so there. It was going to set him back a pretty penny, but no way was he going out again when people like Mr Zakharov roamed the streets here.
While he waited for his food to arrive, he thought of another way to make himself happy again – a phone call to his dad.
Burt picked up the phone after the first ring. "Kurt? What happened? Are you okay? Me and Blaine were having dinner when all of a sudden, pop, he becomes a dog. Wow, that was weird."
Kurt gasped. He hadn't thought of that, but of course Blaine had turned into a dog – Kurt had made Mr Zakharov think of him. "Let him run free in the back yard. I'll clean up his messes when I get back. You'll have to buy him dog food, though."
"He can't eat lasagne?" Burt asked.
"Dad, no! There's all sorts of things in that sauce that are bad for dogs, tomatoes and onions and stuff. Do you want to clean up puke all over the house?"
"Ah, no…" said Burt. "I'll go to the store first thing in the morning. What could I give him to eat for now?"
Kurt thought hard. "I bought extra ground beef to freeze in last time I went grocery-shopping, but I think I forgot to freeze it in. Can you check? It should be on the lowest shelf in the fridge."
"Uhm… Yep, there it is."
"Give Blaine about a quarter of that," Kurt instructed.
"Raw?" Burt asked.
"Yes."
Kurt heard some clinking and scraping, and then Burt was back. "Okay, done. And he seems to like it. So tell me what happened."
"Of course he likes it, this is like fine dining for a dog," Kurt explained.
"Quit stalling, son."
Kurt sighed. "Well, I went to see him, and we talked."
"He didn't curse you, did he?" Burt asked, a tremor in his voice.
Kurt was quick to reassure him. "No. He seemed to like me."
"And what did he say about the dog spell?"
Kurt hesitated. "It… It can be broken by true love's kiss."
There was silence on the other end of the line. Then Burt said, "That easy?"
"What's easy about true love?" Kurt countered. "I don't think Blaine is quick to fall in love. And he doesn't notice it when other people fall for him. That's what got him into this mess in the first place. I told you about that."
"Still, he got off easy," Burt said.
"He only has two more years to do it, though," Kurt. "Then his time runs out."
"And then he dies?" Burt gasped.
"No, no! He won't die. He's just… going to stay a dog for the rest of his life."
"Huh. That's not too bad."
"No," Kurt agreed. "It's not."
"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving something out?" Burt asked.
Kurt chuckled wetly. "You always know, don't you? I… I like Blaine. You know that."
"Course I do," Burt said. "I could see it all the way from New York, first time I Face-Timed with Blaine, and you were hovering behind him. Worst case of heart-eyes I've ever seen."
"Dad!" Kurt protested, hoping that Blaine wasn't listening in. "It was… obvious to Mr Zakharov too. So… It's me that Blaine has to fall in love with. Someone else won't do. And I can't tell Blaine how to break the curse."
"So everything will stay the same?" Burt asked. "You pining after Blaine and him not even noticing?"
Kurt took a deep breath. "Yeah. Basically, yeah."
"That sucks."
"Does it ever," Kurt agreed. "But that's life, I guess."
"If he can't see how amazing you are, he's an idiot," Burt said. "A nice one, but still an idiot."
"Dad!"
"Just saying it like it is, kiddo."
"I know, I know. But, Dad… He can't help not feeling any attraction to me anymore than I can help falling for men instead of women. It's not something you can force. Maybe he's asexual."
"He's a what now?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "That means he's not attracted to anyone. Ever."
"Is that a thing?"
Kurt laughed. "Yes. It's a thing. Mind you, I'm not sure. But that could be the reason. He seems to like me well enough, but there's no spark."
"I see plenty of sparks between the two of you," Burt disagreed.
Kurt sighed. "Yeah, coming from my end. Not his. Now drop it, please, Dad."
Kurt's food arrived shortly after that, so he ended the phone call and started devouring everything as if he hadn't eaten for days.
When he crawled into bed a few hours later, he still felt empty, in spite of the phone call and the food.
Two years. I have two years. And two days. Why am I clinging onto this as if I stand a chance? That's just stupid. Blaine won't ever fall for me.
