During the week, whenever it could be arranged when Blaine was at work, Elliot and Chandler came over to help 'redecorate'. There was a corner near one of the windows where the suspended flower pots found their place; they looked great there, and when the curtains were drawn, they could take the flowers down and the hooks that held them could be used for their other purpose.

Beneath them on the floor was a colorful rug that added to the atmosphere the plants created and also hid some metal rings let into the floor that would be perfect for, say, cuffing someone's feet to.

And then there was the bed. Together with the toys that Kurt really had to sort, it offered them a lot of possibilities, and Kurt was quite proud of what they had achieved. It was no playroom, but it was great considering that the place still looked like a cozy apartment (or it would be cozy once everything had been put away where it belonged) and not like a dungeon.

As he watched Elliot and Chandler together while they worked, Kurt realized with faint surprise that their relationship was no longer weird to him. He was with Blaine now, and Chandler was with Elliot, and it worked so much better this way. His own relationship with Chandler was only a sometimes more, sometimes less fond memory.

As they walked home after their thank you-dinner (that they had had to postpone to Thursday because of conflicting schedules), he shared this observation with Blaine.

"I'm glad," Blaine said. "Are Elliot and Chandler better together than Chandler and you were?"

"A lot," Kurt said. It didn't hurt anymore to admit that; he didn't lay all the blame for the failure of their relationship on himself anymore.

"You know that Chan was...in a hard place when we started dating. The BDSM helped him a lot, it really is the right thing for him, but now with Elliot, he's like...Elliot grounds him. He's a lot calmer, only acts out for fun and not because he thinks it's the only way to get someone to notice him. They're good for each other."

"I like Chandler a lot," Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand. "I'm glad he's better."

"We're better together, too," Kurt said. "The two of us, I mean."

He knew Blaine knew this, but it could never hurt to say it.

"I'm glad you think so," Blaine said, squeezing his hand. "Want to tell me why?"

"Well," Kurt lowered his voice. "For one thing, you don't want me to beat you bloody every other week, so that's a definite improvement. And then, we have more in common outside of the BDSM thing. It's the only thing that kept Chan and me together for so long, but I think you and I, we'd be okay without it."

"Is that all?" Blaine teased. Kurt slapped his butt, a playful reprimand between lovers, nothing more. And yet, he could feel Blaine shiver. He ignored it for the moment.

"Well. except of course that you are the most handsome, wonderful and dedicated man and submissive on earth and I adore you immeasurably."

Blaine laughed, although it had not entirely been meant as a joke. The language was perhaps a little more flowery than the way Kurt would usually talk, but the facts were true. Before he could say so, however, Blaine spoke up.

"I'm glad we don't have to go without, though. The BDSM."

Kurt grinned at him. "Yes, it's nice, isn't it?"

Laughing, they went home.

…...

At the door to their building - their building! - Kurt's hand on his elbow stopped him.

"Inside, I want you naked, kneeling on the bed in two minutes."

Blaine's cock stirred as he groaned mentally. It was late, he had work tomorrow, surely Kurt knew how much he hated going to work without enough sleep? But he had just told him he didn't want to go without their dynamics, and he also didn't want to disobey a command in the first week of their living together.

He looked at Kurt, and realized - Kurt knew. Of course he did. He knew it was late and Blaine was tired, and Blaine just had to trust he knew what he was doing and wouldn't keep him up for too long.

So he swallowed and said, "Yes, Sir," and had difficulty walking up the stairs because his pants seemed to get tighter with every step. Of course; his body wasn't the one who would have to deal with crankiness and inability to concentrate because he was tired. And when had he started to rate sleep over sex? He was getting old.

All thoughts fled when they were upstairs and Blaine looked at Kurt again; the calm, cool gaze of his Dom left no other possibility in him than swift obedience, and he scrambled to take off his clothes, drape them semi-orderly over a chair and then kneel down on the bed, cock hard and already dripping on the sheets.

After only a few moments, thankfully, Kurt joined him on the bed, sitting cross-legged before him. Fully clothed, as Blaine noticed to his disappointment, which he promptly forgot when Kurt kissed him deeply.

All to soon, Kurt pulled away, leaving Blaine panting. His face was only an inch or so away from Blaine's when he said,

"Touch yourself."

Blaine closed his eyes and obeyed, slowly starting to stroke his hard cock. He was doing this so rarely it felt weird at first. Soon, however, he got used to it and moaned softly.

"Open your eyes," Kurt said. Blaine did and felt himself blushing furiously when he realized Kurt was watching him intently.

"Keep going, a little faster. Your eyes stay open." When Blaine obeyed, he continued talking, all the time watching Blaine masturbating.

"On Saturday, we will have a scene. In here, with the door locked and the phone turned off, so no one can disturb us. Until then, every morning and evening, you will be doing this."

Blaine had difficulty understanding everything; he was still trying to stave off the additional bout of arousal he felt when Kurt mentioned having a scene. It was close, but he managed not to come. It wouldn't be long now, though.

Then, Kurt said, "Of course only until shortly before you come."

If the 'come' had been a command, Blaine would have gladly obeyed. As it was, however, he had no choice but to slow down his hand and clench his teeth.

"Stop," Kurt said. Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and gingerly took his hand from his cock. Then he looked at Kurt with eyes that, he knew, probably looked huge and wet in his flushed face.

Kurt smiled and kissed him quickly. "Go brush your teeth."

As Blaine got ready for bed, he smiled to himself. That hadn't taken long. Though it was a good thing he was used to going to sleep hard and aching, or he guessed he probably wouldn't be able to sleep.

…...

Kurt clearly hadn't thought this through.

Dutifully, he again watched Blaine masturbate the following morning, and again he got hard from watching Blaine (and how could he not have thought of this?), but this time he was more lucky. Blaine was in full sub-mode (so much so that Kurt briefly toyed with the idea to let him call in sick and have their scene already today) and, deprived of his own orgasm, he sought to give Kurt one as a substitute. Kurt happily succumbed to Blaine mouthing his crotch and his needy little whimpers, sighing and carding his hands through Blaine's hair as he knelt before him. There were very few better ways to start a day.

It turned out that the day didn't continue as good as it had started. It actually took a weird turn rather quickly.

Kurt was unpacking boxes and trying out ways to place dressers without breaking up the open plan of the apartment too much, since he didn't expect to get a lot done this weekend and his vacation would be over after that. He was dressed comfortably in jeans and a rather worn sweater, and had the music turned up as he worked, so he nearly didn't hear the doorbell.

When he opened the door, he wished he hadn't.

"Blaine's at work," he said as a greeting, and mentally slapping his forehead, he added, "Which you obviously know, as you're his coworker."

"I've come to talk to you," Tina said. "May I come in?"

Confused, Kurt stepped back to let her in, then closed the door behind her.

"I need coffee," he mumbled, then quickly saved to, "Would you like some coffee?"

With the steaming cups before them, they finally sat down.

"Sorry about the mess," Kurt offered by way of small talk. "We haven't really settled in yet."

"As long as you don't make me clean up, I don't have a problem," Tina said, and Kurt forced a smile. He had heard that answer before, but coming from her, it sounded like he was making a habit of letting other people clean up his mess.

He realized he hadn't really accepted the fact that she knew more about him than a lot of people he actually called friends.

"I want to apologize," Tina said. "I have been rude to you, and I'm sorry. Blaine has made some things clear to me, but I have some questions I think you could answer better than he could. If you would."

"Ask," Kurt said. He didn't promise anything; he would not divulge any more details about their sex life if he could help it.

"Um...I think Blaine said something about...um, that in your...lifestyle...sexual orientation didn't matter so much anymore?"

"There isn't a lot of homophobia, if that's what you mean. At least, I haven't experienced much. I think people who have desires that a lot of other people don't share learn to accept the same in others."

"That sounds logical," Tina said. "But I didn't mean that. I meant...like, straight men having sex with other men."

"That happens more often than you think, even with vanilla people," Kurt said. "But I guess I know what you mean. For example, my ex-roommate Brody identifies as straight and is the submissive in a very intense relationship. His mistress enjoys watching him with other men. He is still straight, but he chooses to ignore that to please his mistress."

"So, a...let's say, a gay submissive might have sex with a woman if his master wanted it?"

Tina's face was bright red, and Kurt finally saw where she was going with this. He decided to not play dumb.

"I am not going to order Blaine to have sex with you, Tina."

Tina's face looked as if it might explode any moment, and she forced a smile, clearly embarrassed at having been found out so early.

"You can't blame me for trying," she said, shrugging.

Oh, he most assuredly could.

Not surprisingly, Tina left soon after, not even finishing her coffee. Fortunately, the day took a much more normal shape after that, and Kurt decided to not tell Blaine of Tina's visit, at least for now. He had no desire to endanger their friendship again so shortly after they had fixed it, and he trusted Tina was embarrassed enough to not repeat her...request to Blaine.

So, when Blaine came home, they worked a little while Blaine talked about his day and Kurt took care not to talk about his. Dinner was a rather elaborate affair because Kurt took his leave from cooking for the time being, for when he worked again, he would probably not have the time to cook more than simple things, and for the most part, they would be back to Blaine's cooking.

Later, Blaine knelt naked on the bed without being told, and choked out ragged sobs when he was once again told to stop shortly before his orgasm. It was a beautiful sound, and Kurt was happy to hear it again the following morning, the last of that particular ritual.

As the day continued, though, Blaine seemed to be in a weird mood. He didn't talk much, which wouldn't be so unusual if he was subby, but he wasn't; at least not as much as Kurt would have liked for their scene later.

And a little after lunch, he approached Kurt rather nervously, sitting down on the edge of the couch beside him and hesitating before he spoke.

"I would like to...not have the scene today."