Keep my heart captive, set me free

by The Queen of Rose

D/s AU - Kurt Hummel had always dreamed of a fairy-tale bond, a perfect, kind and caring Dom. Blaine Anderson had always dreamed of someone who stands out from the boring crowd, someone real, and pure. When their worlds collide, will either of them get what they had dreamed of?

19. Earned

Hi everyone. As usual we are a bit late on the update. We could make excuses and all that but the thing is real life is still happening around us and we have to go out and be all social and stuff so we sometimes do that

Anyway, we are super grateful for every single review you left us, and we can never decide if it's more humbling to see our old readers reviewing over and over and showing us they're still with us, or welcoming new readers into our family. Both is equally amazing and we love every second of it.

Now as you know there's a tumblr account for this story led by our lovely tumbler master Caroline so give her a huge thanks the next time you're lurking over there.

ALSO some time ago we have asked you to submit your own personal bio's to the blog and so far a few of you have and it's super fun getting to know you guys so pretty please, go over there and send Caroline some info about you. The template for the bio is on our tumblr so fill it and send it over :D

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the lovely fan art you've done for us and all of you artistically inclined do feel free to draw for us some more (no, we have no shame, seriously guys we're like 18 chapters in, didn't you learn that by now XD).

Ramble over, read and let us know what you think.

---

"What do you think, Cupid?" Kurt murmured into the baby bunny's downy head, eyes considering the magazines before him. "The green would bring out your daddy's eyes right? But the blue… that colour would match the table centrepieces we liked."

Cupid shifted against his chest, a little agitated at being kept so still after napping for so long.

"I know… it's a dilemma," Kurt nodded sagely placing him down on the floor in the living room. The bunny contently stretched his legs by hopping around in a few slow circles before heading straight for the little log structure Kurt had taken from his cage so he could cut his teeth on it.

Kurt grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Blaine who was at the studio with David and Wes. He was getting better at having a phone these days, grasping onto the concept easily enough and liking the freedom and convenience it gave him.

To; Blaine

Blue or green? x

He knew the answer before the reply came a few seconds later but still smiled and blushed happily when he read it.

From; Blaine

You look so pretty in blue, lovely xx

"Maybe blue and green… pastels," Kurt mused out loud as he considered it, chewing on his lip absently. Presenting ceremonies were usually done in heavier colours or more popularly in gold or silver as a display of wealth and exactly why Kurt didn't want to even consider them.

It wasn't as much about making a point as much as doing something unique for him and Blaine. All the gold Kurt needed was in his Dom's eyes and while silver was a good accent he wasn't about to splash it over everything in some tacky display of 'look at us, look how much better we are than you'.

It just didn't sit right with him and the way he had been brought up.

The distant knock on the front door was what brought him out of his introspection and he heard Jared call, "I've got it!" to the rest of the house.

There was a pleasant mumble of low voices getting louder as the seconds passed and then the door was opening to the living area and Jeff's blonde head was poking into view.

"You're early!" Kurt grinned at him in surprise but jumped up onto his feet to greet his best friend with a tight hug.

With all the changes in their lives right now it was harder to come by the best friend time that had once been such a huge part of everyday, but they always made time even though now it had to be planned instead of just expected. And with Blaine working late at the studio and Nick working on stuff for school it was pretty much the perfect time to schedule some much needed sleepover time.

"I'll just set this down here for you, Jeff," Jared said and Kurt looked over his shoulder to see the older sub placing Poncho's cage down on the floor. Cupid noticed the ruckus and abandoned his chewing to hop over and investigate.

"Thank you," Jeff said shyly as they detached, running a nervous hand through his fringe. "You really didn't have to, I could have kept hold of it."

"Nonsense, it was no trouble. Hardly weighs a thing," Jared smiled kindly, dusting off his hands. "Can I get you boys anything before I go?"

"No I think we're good, thank you," Kurt deferred, glancing at Jeff who nodded as well.

"Okay, well have fun and don't stay up too late," he winked at them before retreating, closing the door softly after him.

"You've been busy," Jeff commented as he set down his overnight bag, looking at the magazines and notes strewn all over the floor.

"Mm," Kurt hummed. "Cupid and I are trying to narrow down a colour scheme."

Jeff laughed as he glanced down at the curious rabbit that was sniffing around the base of Poncho's cage. "I'm sure his insights were very helpful."

"He has impeccable taste of course," Kurt sniffed, lips twitching and eyes sparkling with humour.

"Oh of course," Jeff agreed mock seriously as he crouched down and opened up 'Cho's cage, reaching inside. "Come here, fluff ball."

The bunny kicked his legs a bit, he was still a little skittish here and there but he soon settled into Jeff's familiar hands.

Kurt sat back down on the floor and scooped up Cupid into his lap who went easily enough, largely unbothered as he had ever been at being manhandled.

"You're your daddy's little boy, that's for sure," he smirked down at him, stroking his snow white ears. He was always filled with so much energy when he wasn't sleeping and he loved to explore and be petted and cooed over.

"You think they'll get along?" Jeff asked, cradling his bundle to his chest.

"There's only one way to find out… if they start getting antsy with each other we'll just separate them," Kurt decided and Jeff nodded hesitantly before placing him down on the floor in the gap of space between them.

Kurt did the same a second later and the bunny's regarded each other for a few moments, neither moving a muscle except for their twitching noses. Cupid of course was the first to make a move and he hopped over. Poncho didn't seem to like that and hopped away a few feet but Cupid Marshmallow Hummel-Anderson III wasn't to be deterred and he made chase.

They ran small circles around each other for a while before Cupid finally got what he wanted and snuggled his face into 'Cho's side. Poncho paused at the touch and seemed to settle after that allowing Cupid to smother him in cuddles until they were a pile of white and grey fur, twitching noses and ears.

"Oh my god, that is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life," Kurt squealed grasping for his phone and taking a few pictures before sending them to Blaine.

To; Blaine

Guess who made a friend? X

"Best friends already," Jeff smiled placing his elbow on his knee and propping his chin in his hand, eyes fixed contently on the bunny pile.

"Well of course they are," Kurt declared like he hadn't secretly been worried they might start scraping.

"Aren't you glad I forced you into buying a rabbit now?" Jeff grinned at him when he placed his phone to the side.

"Yeah, yeah, Sterling," Kurt rolled his eyes. "And besides, I bought him for Blaine."

Jeff scoffed. "Looks that way."

"Shut up you."

They laughed at each other after a moment of pretending to be stern.

His phone buzzed and Kurt picked it up and laughed at the message.

From; Blaine

My baby boy's got game! xx

"What?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Blaine seems to think that Cupid is making moves on 'Cho," Kurt informed him with raised brows.

Jeff looked to the two again, where Cupid was resting his head innocently on top of Poncho's. "They're babies."

"Yeah… oh, oh, oh! Maybe we can betroth them… oh my god I can plan a cute little ceremony and-"

Jeff burst out laughing.

"What?"

"Only you would think something like that up," Jeff told him.

Kurt pouted. "It'd be cute."

"I think you should concentrate on planning one thing at a time," Jeff suggested sagely with a quirky little head tilt and Kurt sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

"What are we having for dinner?" Jeff asked to change the subject.

"I was thinking order in?" Kurt suggested then chuckled a little. "Which is weird to say. Our sleepovers have got very extravagant all of a sudden, Mr. Sterling."

"As long as there's dessert, I don't mind what we have," Jeff shrugged happily.

"Don't worry, sweet tooth. I've got you covered," Kurt smirked, getting to his feet and heading for the coffee table that was packed full of various chips, dips, cakes, popcorn and candy.

Jeff's face brightened. "Skittles!"

He left the bunnies cuddling and crawled over, brown eyes wide and awed like a child as he took in the impressive spread.

"How about Thai food?" Kurt suggested wiggling his brows. "Might as well go really exotic now that we can."

"Sure. I'll just go get changed into my pyjamas," Jeff said grabbing a handful of Skittles for the journey to the bathroom because... well just because it was a long walk okay? "Are we sleeping in here?" he asked through a mouthful.

Kurt pulled a face at the rainbow coloured mess in his mouth, nose wrinkling up. "No we'll head up to the guest bedroom if we don't pass out down here first."

Jeff nodded and grabbed some more Skittles from the large bowl before heading off.

He came back into the room to see Kurt scrolling through something on his phone, tongue poking at the corner of his mouth as he concentrated. "I've pulled up the menu of the place nearest us… I'm just trying to decide what sounds good… and the least greasy."

"We can be naughty for one night," Jeff said and Kurt glanced up at him, mouth open to say something when he paused entirely. Eyes scanning him up and down.

"That's… an interesting outfit," he finished curiously.

Jeff shifted on his feet a little, a flush crawling up his neck and cheeks to rest at his ears as he fingered at the hem on the Dalton hoody he wore over his Toy Story pants. "They're Nick's… well mine now I suppose."

He still made Nick wear the hoody on occasion to make it smell like him but other than that Nick had completely given them over to him, apparently he liked when Jeff was in his clothes.

Kurt smiled widely. "That's adorable. Is that why you bought Nick the same pyjama pants the other day? Those look older…"

Jeff spared a glance at the sleeping bunnies before stepping over them and approaching Kurt, settling down next to him. "They were his favourite and I kind of stole them… so I bought him some more…"

"So you could match," Kurt finished knowingly.

"Shut up," he blushed furiously trying to hide his face away and Kurt giggled pulling him into a cuddle.

"It's sweet, silly. Don't be embarrassed. I wear Blaine's shirts all the time. Why do you think this is so big on me?" he stated pulling back to pluck at his plain white top that was barely hanging onto one pale shoulder over his yoga pants. "I think it might be a submissive thing."

"Maybe," Jeff agreed. They didn't exactly cover that specifically in their submissive classes but it was easy to assume from the information they were given about scents and pheromones.

"Now… what do you want to eat?" he changed the subject for him seamlessly, going back to his phone. Jeff could only smile gratefully at his best friend who knew him so god damned well.

They decided on a few dishes of various things. Neither had tried any of it before so hopefully something within the mess would be palatable.

As they waited they ended up on their stomachs in front of all of Kurt's notes and post it covered magazines, music playing softly in the background. They'd put the bunnies in 'Cho's cage and they were scuffling about playing on the various play things as well as taking turns ducking under the hay.

"Maybe you could go for a turquoise colour? You know something in between? And have simple silver accents?" Jeff suggested, still munching on the bowl of Skittles, legs kicked up behind him.

"That is very spring time, and classy," Kurt nodded, biting at his thumbnail as he flipped through a book of swatches putting a turquoise one on top of a silver one to see how they went together. "What about you?"

Jeff side eyed him and swallowed. "What about me?"

"Don't play dumb, blondie. I know you've at least considered your Presenting Ceremony," Kurt teased, removing his thumb from his mouth so he could poke him in the side.

Jeff stilled and looked down, hair hanging softly around his face and obscuring it from view. "Honestly… I never thought I'd get that far… not after…"

It broke Kurt's heart but there was a silver lining to this and the fact that Jeff was talking in the past tense raised his spirits considerably.

"And now?" he pressed softly, leaning his cheek on his hand so he could regard him comfortably.

"Now…" Jeff swallowed and let the idea overtake him for a second. Of him and Nick declaring themselves to everyone they loved, of sealing their bond. The flash of panic was nothing compared to the deep seated longing that took a hold of his heart.

He loved Nick, he trusted him, he was it for him and allowing himself to consider a longer future for them wasn't as terrifying or farfetched as it had once seemed.

He smiled tremulously and faced Kurt. "Now I would like to."

Kurt gave him a blinding, brilliant smile and tackled him into a crushing snuggle that landed him flat on his back. "We can totally plan together! Maybe we can have a joint one! I'm so happy for you… I knew Nick was the one. I just knew it!"

Jeff started giggling as they wrestled around on the floor with Kurt gushing all over him in an entirely undignified display of affection.

"You're crushing me!"

"Hey! That's not very nice," Kurt frowned at him mock seriously which gave Jeff the advantage to push his friend off him.

"You're crazy," Jeff wheezed over another laugh, a happy flush to his skin.

"Blaine's rubbing off on me," Kurt grinned, getting his breath back and Jeff knew it wasn't an innuendo but the blonde couldn't help taking that way as he blushed deeper and averted his eyes. "Not like that gutter brain!" Kurt squeaked, hitting him with the back of his hand gently.

"I'm pretty sure that's not true," Jeff managed to get out and Kurt burst out laughing, eyes widening.

"My, Jeffery. What has that scoundrel done to you?!"

"Nothing," the blonde squeaked, face heating red and hands coming up to hide his eyes.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"No really," Jeff insisted, licking his lips nervously.

Kurt's brows drew down in mild surprise. "Oh."

Jeff looked away in embarrassment. Maybe there was something wrong with him? Maybe Nick didn't want to go there now that he knew the truth? He knew at once he was being harsh and overdramatic with his judgment of the situation. Of sweet, selfish Nick who only ever thought of his comfort, but it was hard to shake such deeply ingrained insecurities.

"I mean… I get it. After… Kevin." They were getting better at mentioning him these days and though it made him flinch, probably always would, the sting of his name lessened the more it was spoken and that could only be a good thing. "And I know you told Nick about everything so of course he wants to be careful with you and respect your boundaries," Kurt reasoned out for himself and Jeff felt a million times better just hearing someone laying it out calmly and rationally.

"You think that's it?" he asked anxiously and met those warm blue eyes squarely.

"Jeff. Don't be obtuse, darling," he teased playfully. "You really think the guy who was sending you cups of hot chocolate with notes on them so he didn't overstep his bounds is really going to try and push something as important as that without the explicit go ahead from you?"

He rolled on his side, closer to his best friend and rested his head on his arm. "No," he mumbled.

Kurt examined his face for a quiet moment. "Do you want to give him the go ahead?" he eventually asked.

He hid his face in his other arm and Kurt half gasped, half squeaked. "You do. You totally do! Come on, talk to me. You can't just drop a bombshell like that and expect me to leave it alone!"

Jeff groaned and reappeared but he didn't say anything.

"It's okay to want him like… that," Kurt assured him, briefly stumbling over it. They hadn't really ever had the cause to talk about sex before in this context so this was completely new to both of them.

"I know… I just feel weird. Like… shouldn't I not want anyone like that ever again after what happened?" Jeff asked quietly, his own emotions confusing him deeply.

"No, no, no, sweetie. He doesn't get to dictate your life like that. As long as you're comfortable and trust the person you're with then I don't think there's a rule to it at all. It's perfectly natural to find someone desirable. And Nick's not exactly hard on the eyes," Kurt tacked on with a little quirk of his lips.

Jeff bit his lip to keep from sighing out just how not hard on the eyes he really was.

"But like I said… he's not going to start anything without either asking you or having you tell him first… probably the latter with how careful he is with you," Kurt advised.

"How did it start with you and Blaine?" Jeff blurted out and Kurt flushed to his roots.

"Uh… well… he kind of brought it up and we said we'd start slow and… try things," he tried to explain.

"Just like that?" Jeff asked, a pang on jealousy rearing its head at how easy it sounded for his best friend, but he pushed it down, telling himself that Kurt deserved it and that he truly was happy because of his happiness.

"Well, when you get into the moment it doesn't seem like it's sudden," Kurt tried to explain. Tried to convey how time seemed to stand still when Blaine hands were on him, his dark eyes focused intently on every inch of him. He shook his head and cleared his throat to get back on track, toes scrunching into the carpet under them with the effort to fight off the shudder of pleasure that wanted to shoot down his spine. "It doesn't make it any less scary, I'm always scared I'm gonna mess up somehow and embarrass myself but Blaine loves me, I know he wouldn't hold it against me. We're learning each other and it's... beautiful." He covered his face with his hands. "That sounds corny and stupid."

But Jeff didn't laugh at him. When he removed his hands he found that his friend was looking at him with an intensity that was startling. "That's what I want. Corny and stupid and all the in-between."

"It's unbelievable," Kurt confessed, biting his lip. "Sometimes I think I'm going to explode with how good he makes me feel. There's days when all I want to do is stay in bed all the time."

Jeff giggled, his legs squirming around. "Have you… you know?"

Kurt shook his head shyly. "Uh, uh."

Jeff reached out and started playing with Kurt's fingers absently, ever tactile with his friend even though he now had Nick to sate that eager submissive desire for physical contact and attention. Neither boy paid it any mind it was so commonplace by now. They would always be like this.

"I've knelt for him," Kurt revealed in a whisper.

He hadn't found the time to broach this subject before with his friend but now the secret just jumped off his tongue.

Jeff's breathe hitched, flashes of crawling around, the humiliation heavy on his shoulders, swirling in his mind and making his chest tight. "You d-did?"

Kurt squeezed his fingers reassuringly. "It was my choice, sweetie. I gave it to him as a Christmas present and it was… amazing. Freeing," he finished breathily.

"Really?" Jeff asked in awe, hungry for the knowledge. He wanted to replace every horrible memory he had with a new one, he wanted the reassurance from his best friend that it could be so much better than what he knew.

"Yeah," Kurt admitted shyly, rolling to his side too so they were nearly nose to nose as they spoke their minds and hearts. "I just knew that he'd take care of me so it was easy to let everything go, you know?"

"Because you trust him," Jeff murmured, eyes bouncing back and forth between those bright blue ones.

Kurt squeezed his hand again. "Like you trust Nick."

His heart stuttered and then so did his mouth. "I don't think… I mean I do trust him, I do, b-but…"

Kurt smiled softly. "That's okay. You don't have to rush it. You'll know when it feels right I think."

"I hope so. I want to do all these things, it's just hard sometimes even thinking about some of it," Jeff said sadly with a hint of frustration.

"Don't pressure yourself, sweetie," Kurt advised softly. "You'll know when it feels right I promise… and you know Nick will wait for you until he's grey and old and don't you tell me he wouldn't. I have a self-sacrificing idiot of my own you know," he tacked on with a fond roll of his eyes.

Jeff smiled with a pleased little flush of pink.

It was true. Pushing insecurities aside and basing it on what he knew of Nick and his unending sweetness Jeff knew that Nick would be more than happy to wait

"I wouldn't wait that long though," Kurt said.

The blonde began to furrow his brow a little; half worried, half curious.

"He might not be as pretty then," Kurt smirked, a devious sparkle making his eyes shine and Jeff gave a startled laugh.

"You're terrible!"

"Truthful," Kurt corrected. "And you know you were thinking it too."

"I was not!" he denied with a hot little blush, raising his hand to push at Kurt's chest but it was still tangled with his friends so he didn't get very far before they were wrestling back and forth on the floor, giggling for no other reason than that they were silly and happy.

They gave up after a while and landed in a heap of tangled, snuggly limbs; a perfect mirror to their furry pets in their cage and Kurt sighed contently as he nuzzled Jeff's hair. He smelled like cinnamon.

"I missed this," Jeff admitted, twitching their toes against one another.

It didn't feel quite like it used to. Like he needed the physical contact like he needed air because he was so touch starved, and it was nice not feeling like he was using Kurt. They were close because they wanted to be, not because one was doing a favour for the other, even though that had never been the whole reason of course. It was just freeing to be able to get out from under the shadow of it. The submissive side of himself was actually already contented for the day with this morning's cuddles and chaste kisses from his Dom and so he could just relax and be.

"Me too," Kurt murmured. Jeff kept silent for a while pondering over his next words. He wanted Kurt to know about his mark, about how quickly he was healing under Nick's dominance but he just didn't know how to phrase it. It was a good thing though, so it shouldn't be that hard to just say it.

"I um... there's something else I need to tell you," he started and Kurt hummed to show he was listening, cuddled up against Jeff's side comfortably.

"My... my mark has cleared," the blonde almost whispered and Kurt jumped up on his elbows in surprise, eyes wide and torn between shock and happiness and pride.

"What?! How? When?" he fired of questions, rolling to his knees and straining his neck to see the back of Jeff's as the blonde blushed.

"It started slowly after Nick claimed me I just didn't realize it was happening. And the day we came back from that shopping trip... when we signed the contract it... I felt like... this tingle on my neck and I didn't know what it was so I got scared. Nick checked it for me and I... I have a new color now," he murmured and Kurt squealed and clapped his hands, face getting flushed with excitement for his friend.

"What color is it? Was it painful? Is it permanent? Can I see? Are you..."

"Whoa, Kurt stop, stop," Jeff raised his hands, laughing at his silly best friend as he bounced on his folded knees waiting to get some answers.

"It's light yellow, it was more of a short sting than pain, I hope it's permanent and yes... you can take a look," he rattled off the answers and turned his back to Kurt, tugging the collar of his shirt down so he could take a look.

He could pinpoint the exact moment Kurt saw it because he choked out what sounded like a cross between a gasp and a sob and he flung his arms around Jeff, hugging him for all he was worth.

"Oh my god Jeff I am so, so happy for you. It looks amazing and the color is so you somehow and... I want to ask why yellow but I don't want to pry so..." he yammered and Jeff huffed a laugh at his crazy friend looking back over his shoulder at him.

"Kurt you know everything about me. I... when I first agreed to be Nick's friend, after the game we went to... he asked me why I said yes and I... I blurted it was because it was always warm when he's around. And I believe that. It's like he's my own personal sun. And I think that may be the reason it's yellow," he said softly, cheeks growing red at Kurt's increasing flood of squeals and swoons.

"Oh god you guys are so perfect. I'm gonna die of all the cute," he cooed and Jeff shook his head at his silly friend as he turned back around, heart warm and light because he knew he had people who truly cared for him in his life now.

"Well I have you to thank so..." he trailed softly and Kurt cocked his head.

"What do you mean?" he asked as if he genuinely didn't understand.

"Kurt... you gave up your Gift to bring me to Dalton. If you hadn't...this never would have happened," he stated surely and Kurt frowned.

"Jeff... first of all... I didn't give up anything. I wanted my best friend here with me and I wanted him safe and happy. Second, you and Nick... you were written in the stars. You would have met sooner or later and you would have ended up just as in love as you are now. I'm sure of it," Kurt said and Jeff smiled from under his fringe.

"Either way... thank you," Jeff said and Kurt kissed his cheek.

"Any time, blondie. Now you can repay me by helping me pick my napkin holders before the food gets here!" he said teasingly and Jeff rolled his eyes but followed as Kurt flopped back down and dragged his color coded notes over.

---

"Okay Warblers. I just got the information package with the details for the competition so please settle down so I can read it to you," Wes said from the council's desk, holding a large, manila envelope and waving it in the air to emphasize his point.

"Yes Our Lord." David gave him a small bow from his right and then ducked to avoid said envelope colliding with his head.

Thad took the third seat at the council table, giggling at how easy it was to get a rise out of their fearless leader, ever composed and regal.

Kurt and Jeff took a loveseat together seeing how their Dom's were running late from the studio and class respectively. They had told Wes they would be late and he was predictably less than happy about it seeing how the day's practice was an important one and he was usually pretty anal about tardiness, something that Nick tested every single practice.

Well at least until Jeff came along.

Now Nick arrived with seconds to spare and Wes couldn't help but be grateful to the blonde for how grounded and calm Nick seemed to be since he came into the picture.

Sebastian took a seat on the chair next to the two of them so the only person the tight group of subs were missing from their circle was Thad. The four grew closer and closer with each passing day and more often than not they could be seen bickering and giggling and just generally enjoying their newfound friendship during breaks between their classes. It made their Dom's happy as well, to see them so comfortable around each other.

The rest of the Warblers just sprawled wherever, taking up armchairs, sofas, windowsills and the floor. The practice room was like their second home and they were more than comfortable there.

Wes opened the envelope with such dramatic movements that a lot of the boys lowered their heads to stop their leader from seeing them snicker.

He skimmed the page and then looked up at them, picture perfect poker face tight in place, revealing absolutely nothing. He took a deep breath to make his announcement when the door crashed open and Blaine almost fell in on his head.

"Sorry I'm late, I got stuck at the studio. Also I saw Nick through the doorway on the way here and they are stuck with a pissed off Mr. Robinson and a surprise pop quiz so he'll be here at the very end of practice looks like," he rushed out as he flailed to find a seat, eventually settling for a spot on the floor, back leaning on Kurt's knees with the sub running his fingers through his hair gently as he reached out his free hand and squeezed Jeff's hands in comfort because his Dom was still absent.

The blond smiled gratefully and sank into his seat a bit deeper.

"Yes Kurt already informed me of your whereabouts and it is unfortunate about Nick but we'll get by... I was about to read the information we got from the organizers," Wes said, surprised at their quiet snickers and unaware of David pulling faces of him behind his back.

Or so they thought…

"Or I would read them if my fellow council member stopped behaving like a five year old," he said dryly with a smirk and David paled at being caught, settling down and muttering a quiet, "Don't tell Rin," as Wes gloated at the small victory.

"Take it away, Wes," Trent clapped excitedly and Wes took the paper back in his hand.

"Okay so… we're up against four other schools. Vocal adrenaline, Crawford Country Day, The Unitards and Oral Intensity," he read off and there was a stunned silence.

"Excuse me?" Sebastian frowned at the last name, voicing what everyone else in the room was thinking.

"The hell kind of a name is that? Oral intensity." Trent shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm not sure if I should laugh or get hard," David said matter-of-factly and the boys roared with laughter, all apart from Jeff who still didn't really feel too comfortable with jokes like that, and Kurt and Sebastian who just didn't roar. They laughed politely. Because they had manners. Yep.

"That's actually tame with how the glee club at McKinley is named," Kurt said as an afterthought and got laser focused attention from all of them that he raised a brow at.

"Spill!" Jon said excitedly.

"New Directions," Kurt answered with the correct name, knowing how it sounded when you pronounced it a little faster.

"Duuuude…" Riker wailed as he collapsed in a fit of giggles on the floor.

"Nude Erections. Are you serious?" Matt spluttered through attacks of laughter and Kurt nodded at him.

"It just sounds like it. It's New… the pause is important… Directions. But well… I guess they didn't think about the fact people don't really have the time to take a minute long pause while saying their name. So… there you go," he said with a shrug and Sebastian chuckled.

"I just love the people who don't think."

Even Wes cracked a smile at that.

"Yes… that's quite humorous and all but back to the matter at hand." They all groaned and he gave them a quelling look that had them zipping their lips like a class of kindergarteners. Wes rolled his shoulders pleased then cleared his throat and looked back down at his sheet. "Out of the four choirs Vocal Adrenaline is very good if the three consecutive titles are something to go by and Crawford girls are supposedly pretty tough to beat. I don't know much about the other two but if we bring our A game we won't have to worry."

The laughter suddenly gave way to fierce determination and eagerness to win.

"We will, Wes. For sure," Thad fist pumped and earned nods of confirmation from his teammates.

Wes smiled. "Excellent. Now, they sent a theme and according to this we have to have a set of three or four songs and one of them has to be a clean group number while the rest can be solos or duets depending on what we decide. We can either sing all of them acapella or have a music background to some of them. Personally I vote against music because we are an acapella choir, but as always it will be up for vote once we pick the songs," he announced and for once everyone listened with undivided attention, excitement for their first competition almost palpable in the air.

"What's our theme?" Blaine asked and they all edged to the ends of their seats curiously.

"Change," Wes said simply and there was a startling silence as every Warbler rolled the word around in their mind trying to see if they liked it or not.

"Change? That's weird," Trent said and a few guys nodded.

"It says here it's open to interpretation. We need to pick the songs we think fit the theme and our idea of it needs to come across in our song choices," he explained and realization started to dawn on a few of the boys.

"I think it's a good one. We can take it in different directions and still remain within the idea. It's flexible," Sebastian stated.

"What do you mean?" Matt asked, brow furrowing.

"Change can mean a lot of things. A person can change, seasons change, landscapes change… we just need to see what kind of change we want to take and pick the songs to fit. But it's a pretty wide theme which gives us space to play with it," he explained and all of the boys nodded in understanding, suddenly the idea much more relatable.

"Excellent explanation, Seb. That's exactly what I thought when I first saw it. Now… you're all getting the task of brainstorming songs you think would work and the next meeting we'll try and compose a list of ten to twenty songs we like the best. Then I'll try and pick a few combinations that could work as a tied story within the theme we got and we'll vote again. Everybody okay with that?" he asked and there was a murmur of "yes, Wes" echoing through the room that was music to his ears.

"Great. One more thing. The judges will be assessing our dancing as well. The truth is… our routines are a bit monotone and simple," he managed to grit out, evidently taking it very personally that he had to admit to it.

"Nooo, really?" David mocked and Thad snickered behind his notebook.

"Yeah boss. We noticed it," the tiny sub chimed in and Wes glared at his fellow council members a little flustered.

"Yes well… we're stepping up our game. If he'd be okay with taking that task… I would like for Jeff to choreograph for the competition," Wes announced and the entire room fell silent as the blonde sub gasped and shrank inwards at the attention.

Him…doing this for everyone…for the competition…?

How could he? What if he failed? What if they laughed at every suggestion he gave?

Sure he had been a Warbler for a few months now and there were a few instances where he would shyly bring a clumsy looking step up with Seb, or Kurt or Thad and they would casually mention his suggestions to Wes who accepted them with ease every time, admiring how much smoother the routine would look afterwards.

He had found out it was all Jeff once Thad brought it up at one of the council meetings when they were signing up for the competition and the idea of Jeff choreographing came easily. He had no idea the blonde would be so frightened by the prospect and hadn't factored in a refusal to the proposal at all. Maybe he should have waited for Nick to be here first?

Jeff had worked himself into an internal frenzy when a hand landed on his. He jerked and looked up to see Wes standing in front of him.

"Jeff… I'm sorry I sprang this on you. You won't have to do it alone but the final decisions would be yours as well as the final look of the routine."

Jeff worked his mouth but nothing came out.

Wes smiled at him reassuringly. "We've noticed the tiny changes you have made so far, all the little ways you've made our routines better and all of them suggest you truly know what you're doing. You could give it a go? There's no pressure to continue if you feel it's too much but we'll all help you out," he suggested being careful not to give any commands when he was addressing him.

Jeff took all that in and assimilated it slowly. Having it explained and broken down calmly like that really helped to settle that ball of panic in his chest and the blonde was about to nod when he realized his Dom wasn't there and he wasn't sure if he was allowed to accept something like that without his consent.

"I… um… I don't know if Nick will agree…" he started but a loud bang cut his sentence off and a ruffled looking Nick ran into the room.

"If Nick will agree to what?" he asked out of breath and Wes saw the traces of fear in Jeff's eyes.

"Guys… let's give them some privacy to talk. The meeting is over, please think of the songs you think fit the theme and you'll share your ideas on Thursday. Jeff, let me know what your decision is when you discuss it with Nick. Dismissed," he said and the group of boys piled out of the room leaving Jeff alone with his Dom.

"So that sounded very official," Nick joked but then saw how worked up his angel seemed to be and ducked down in front of him, resting his hands on his knees. "What's going on sweetie?"

"Uh…"

He didn't rightly know where to start.

Nick got up and sat next to him drawing him into his arms easily, smiling when Jeff relaxed against his chest immediately.

The blonde let out a loud sigh as his body decompressed. "Wes um… wants me to choreograph for the competition. Says everyone will pitch ideas but the final decision and combination will be mine."

Of all the reactions he didn't expect Nick to whoop happily and then he realized he was stupid not to.

"That's great news! You do know your dancing angel, so we'll look much better than we usually do," he praised happily, not mentioning that it wasn't really that hard to make choreography better than shuffling left and right while snapping your fingers sassily.

"So um… I can do it?" he asked and Nick frowned, realization dawning on him.

"Wait, baby. Did you think I wouldn't let you do this?" he asked and Jeff shrugged, biting his lip and looking down.

"I just… it'll take t-time…and um… I didn't know if you'd… be okay with it…" he trailed off uncertainly and Nick hugged him impossibly close.

"Angel… I have no right to forbid you doing something you want to do and you love to do. I would never think of doing it. If you want this and you feel like it would make you happy, then you should do it and I'll help out any way I can and be there to support you all the way," he said earnestly and Jeff couldn't believe how lucky he was.

He snuggled into his arms tightly and nuzzled his neck.

"Thank you, sir. I… I think I want to try…" he said and Nick smiled against his temple before kissing the warm skin there.

"I'm proud of you so much my beautiful boy. So, so much."

---

"Ready for bed lovely?" Blaine asked as he came behind Kurt at the dresser he had bought for him and wrapped his arms around his waist, inhaling the scent of honey Kurt's latest skin moisturizer consisted of among other things. He kissed the back of his neck, just below his mark, tenderly before disentangling and walking towards the bed, picking up the bottle of lotion with the intention of giving his lovely boy a massage.

They had been running lines and steps for tomorrow's competition almost all day long at Kurt's insistence and Blaine had to admit he was dead tired and happy to finally cuddle his precious boy into his arms and sleep the night away.

But Kurt… Kurt was tense and agitated all day. Running through his song over and over and getting increasingly frustrated at, what he deemed, were mistakes in his performance even if Blaine couldn't find a single fault in him.

Finally, after hours of repeating the songs and the steps he had relented and went to take a shower and to get ready for Blaine to give him the promised massage. He figured he had memorized all of the steps and there was really no way he could improve his vocal abilities by tomorrow so he might as well turn in, let Blaine pamper him a bit and maybe, along the way, he'd managed to relax and get some sleep as well.

Fingers crossed.

"Yeah. I'll be right there, sir," he said as he recapped the jar of his night facial crème and went to pull his sleeping shirt over his head.

"Leave it off gorgeous," Blaine's voice sounded from the edge of their bed and Kurt felt a shiver rake through his body at the sound of his voice, laced with unguarded dominance.

The shirt slipped through his fingers like water and just like that the air around them thickened, got stuffy and warm and sticky but Kurt liked the way it clung to his naked skin. He liked the way Blaine's voice made his insides burn with need and the look he had in his eyes as he watched him approach the bed was nothing short of predatory.

It was exhilarating to be that wanted, that desired.

He closed the distance in seconds and Blaine met him with arms outstretched, the smile on his face gentle and loving despite the fire in his eyes Kurt knew could burn him to ashes if he unleashed it on him.

Their fingers twined together and Kurt felt familiar tingles run up and down his arm as Blaine swept his thumb over his knuckles.

"You feeling better, lovely?" he asked and Kurt sighed when Blaine's other hand cupped his cheek gently.

"I'm… a bit. I'm still tense and nervous about tomorrow though. I really, really don't want to mess up," he confided honestly and Blaine zeroed in on the way his shoulders were slightly hunched instead of their usual elegant line and his posture just a tiny bit more rigid than it usually was.

He could literally see the nerves on his body and it made every instinct in him flare, wanting to make it right again.

"You won't mess up, beautiful. I believe in you. You need a good night's sleep and you'll feel much better in the morning," the Dom said, stroking his cheekbone softly and Kurt leaned into the touch on instinct.

"Not sure if I'll be able to sleep though. To wound up," he murmured and Blaine pulled him to the bed, gesturing for him to lie down on his stomach.

"Why don't you let me deal with that? I promise you'll sleep like a baby afterwards," Blaine boasted confidently and Kurt smirked that impish little smile he had grown to love as much as the bashful, blushing one over his shoulder as he did as asked.

"You talk big, Anderson. I hope you can deliver," he teased settling his cheek on his crossed arms and Blaine bit his shoulder blade in retaliation making him squirm against the cover and kick out a little as a jolt of heat hit his lower stomach.

Blaine took in the reaction and filed it away hungrily. He loved to catalogue Kurt's body's reaction to what he did to him, it was the most satisfying time he spent these days.

"Don't worry about that. Just relax and enjoy," he instructed sliding off the bed and lighting the few candles that had been left over from the blackout, before clicking off the bedside lamp.

Everywhere but the bed was immediately cast into darkness, the glow of candlelight bathing Kurt's porcelain skin with warm orange and the scent of vanilla curling thick into the air.

Kurt felt Blaine get back onto the bed as the mattress shifted, his heart jumping in anticipation as powerful thighs bracketed his hips and then the next thing he knew he was hissing as the chill trickle of body lotion trailed down the middle of his back, kissing his skin heated from the hot shower he took moments ago.

The cool feeling didn't last long because only a second later Blaine's warm, broad palms were splayed on his shoulder blades, thumbs hooking together on the knobs of his spine and his long, rough fingers tickling Kurt's sides. He groaned lightly when Blaine slid his hands down, bracketing his narrow waist almost completely within his fingers before running them up again, the movement eased by the rich lotion smelling of honey and milk.

There was the heavy but satisfying weight of Blaine sitting on Kurt's ass as he dug the heels of his palms into the warm flesh of his back and Kurt rolled his eyes back at how good it felt to have the knots in his muscles break and melt under Blaine's careful touch.

"Oh that feels so good," he practically moaned as the motion of his Dom's hands turned to a circular one, spreading the lotion up towards his neck and down to the small of his back as he dipped the tips of his fingers into the dimples on the bottom of his spine.

"I love your skin," Blaine complimented in a low, rough voice that screamed sex as the answer to his comment and Kurt hummed a bit when he felt Blaine lean down and kiss the middle of his back and then another a little lower. "It's beautifully white, and creamy, and kissable."

"Kissable?" Kurt chuckled quietly, not daring to speak up so he wouldn't break the tingling tension building between them.

"Mhm… so very, very kissable," Blaine whispered against the small of his back as his whole body shifted lower to compensate, plump lips dragging across his damp skin in the sweetest of teases and it made Kurt shiver when he felt Blaine's mouth on his dimples, the light stubble of the day tickling the skin right above the waistband of his pajama bottoms.

Suddenly Kurt wasn't laughing anymore, he was fighting the rush of blood that leaked from his brain all the way down to his swelling length pushing against the mattress and demanding he move, just to get a little friction.

Kurt moaned at the continued light, teasing touches, trying to shut off his brain and just allow himself to feel the gentleness of his Dom but his body worked against him, his spine straighter than he'd want it to be from a mixture of left over tension from the day and anticipation of what Blaine would do next. His muscles were still wound up tight and the fluttering in his stomach was far away from the pleasant, all-consuming one Blaine's kisses usually invoked. The undercurrent was there but it was hard to make room for it amongst the nervous coils and knots from before.

He just couldn't find peace, he realized.

Couldn't get himself to that same headspace he had when he was on his knees. That blazing place of light and trust and freedom where he could shake every chain, cut ever rope and just let Blaine take him over.

His mind was being tortured with a list of all the things that could go wrong up on that stage tomorrow and there wasn't a single relaxing technique he could remember that would help him reach that state of mind.

"Relax, beautiful boy," he heard Blaine whisper from where he had slid back up and covered the entire expanse of his back with his own naked skin, not quite a command but so close to one it made his breath hitch with want and Kurt shivered at the contact and tone, desire stirring in him like molten lava.

"I wish I could, sir. But… I can't stop being worried about tomorrow. What if I forget the words? What if I trip? Has anyone ever stage dived, face planted into the floor and broke their neck before? Because I think that might happen to me and-" he started rambling and Blaine barked out a laugh at his silly boy as he rolled away from his back and sprawled on his side, one hand still caressing his naked back and the other supporting his own head.

Their eyes met in the low, flickering light and Blaine could see that Kurt's pupils had almost eaten up his beautiful irises. "Lovely… oh my god what am I gonna do with you? You're not forgetting the words and you're not falling down. On or off stage…and-"

"But like… what if I do Blaine?" Kurt cut him off and Blaine rolled his eyes, tracing a star over his bare skin with the side of his thumb.

"If you do, I promise I'll jump right after you so it'll look choreographed," he said darting in and pecking his lips and Kurt squirmed.

"Promise?" he asked breathily as Blaine trailed his kisses down his jaw and to the hollow of his throat. The sub followed the hot trail helplessly and rolled over onto his back.

"If you relax… I promise," Blaine murmured and Kurt carded his hand through his curls as his Dom sucked a gentle mark onto his collarbone, where it would be covered by the uniform and the only person knowing it was there would be him.

Blaine had long since come to terms with the knowledge that he was a possessive asshole where Kurt was concerned and so he sucked just a little bit harder until he felt Kurt's fingers tighten and he wrenched a sweet little whimper from the back of his throat.

"Ah. W-well, this isn't exactly… oh, Blaine…exactly… um… h-helping me relax, is it?" he stuttered, mind blinking in and out against the waves of tingles forming where Blaine's lips touched his skin and spreading in concentric circles all over his body.

Blaine smiled smugly against him, undeniably pleased by how undone he was making Kurt come and an idea popped into his head firing his blood. It would be relaxing for the both of them, it would feed their energies, release all the pent up tension and help them sleep peacefully.

Now if only Kurt would say yes to it.

He released the suction of his mouth with a wet pop and Kurt's hips jerked upwards. Blaine took a moment to admire the deep, blooming purple mark he had left before he pulled back to look into his subs beautifully flushed face, swollen lips parted and damp, eyes closed and fluttering.

"Well… I have an idea… if you'd be willing to try something with me, beautiful boy," Blaine said lowly and Kurt hummed in agreement, not really willing to open his eyes just yet as he let up his grip in his hair and began to stroke through again.

"Kurt, lovely. I really wish you'd look at me and pay attention just for a second baby. I need you to be focused on what I'm saying so you can make an honest decision," Blaine ordered gently, hoping that his suggestion would help Kurt relax and tap into his natural submissiveness.

Blue eyes opened and Blaine felt like the ground beneath them was shaking with the force of their beauty. He was a slave to that look and he never wanted to escape.

"Sir?" Kurt asked, voice high and throaty and Blaine shook out of his thoughts.

"Sorry baby, those eyes of yours. I'll never get tired of looking into them," he whispered and Kurt felt his cheeks heat up.

"Sap," he teased but there was an underlining of warmth and deep rooted satisfaction his words brought. He felt loved and admired and the sub in him thrived on it, only hungry for more, more, more.

"Only for you, lovely," he smiled, all white teeth, hand stroking up his side slowly. "Now the thing I wanted to suggest… how would you feel about exploring some of the things we put in our contract?" he asked carefully and felt relief wash over him when Kurt's only reaction was genuine curiosity with no fear of discomfort present.

"Um… tonight, sir?" Kurt asked and waited for the response while his body burned with anticipation of what could happen.

They did some things, sexually, and Kurt had loved every last one of them. Blaine was attentive and gentle and caring and he had no doubt he would be taken care of and kept safe throughout everything they tried.

"Yeah," Blaine murmured as he held his eyes seriously, looking for any hint that he didn't want this. "You've been wound up tight these last few days with everything you've had on your plate and tomorrow has been looming over you like this giant cloud of stress. I've noticed you're not as settled lately, like you want orders from me more."

Kurt licked his lips and nodded, hands coming down to rest of his shoulders and knead like a cat. "My head feels too cluttered to be calm and I'm… restless, more and more lately and I don't know why."

"To be honest I've been restless too, lovely. My dominance had been acting out."

It had been latching onto Kurt's need to be ordered and wanting to go into overdrive. Only an iron will had stopped him from abusing his power but he didn't like feeling that on edge.

"Can I do anything, sir?" Kurt offered immediately and it soothed the beast inside and made him purr because Kurt was just so naturally submissive without even knowing it and it did things to him on a level he didn't wholly understand.

"Of course you can, beautiful boy," he praised, feeding in to his need to take care of him and watched a small smile blood on Kurt's face. "I think it's time to try kinks from our contract out, I believe it would help both of us and you'd feel more relaxed and subdued and I'd feel better knowing I helped you feel that way so… what do you think?" he asked softly and Kurt bit his lip gently as he thought about it.

It did make sense. They hadn't explored the true dynamic of their sexual relationship and though he had actively avoided the submissive sex ed classes he did know that incorporating kinks into the bedroom was a very large part of maintaining harmony in a bond. And truthfully Kurt could almost feel the thrumming of his submissiveness beneath his skin fighting its way to the surface so that it could get closer to Blaine and all that he was offering.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked quietly after a while, making sure he had thought about it properly like his Dom would want him to and Blaine brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead.

"Nothing too much for our first time. Considering where your discomfort comes from I was thinking a blindfold? And maybe we could play with some light restraint... maybe just for your hands? Not tied or cuffed for our first time but you could hold on to the bedpost like the good boy I know you are for as long as you feel like you can take it?" Blaine said honestly, voice getting heated towards the end and Kurt could already feel his skin tingle with the prospect of being completely submissive for Blaine.

He wanted it. The sub in him craved it. And he knew that if he felt uncomfortable Blaine would stop right away.

"Okay," he whispered finally and Blaine gasped in delight.

"You sure, baby?" he checked one more time, defying the blood rushing south to harden him fully, rendering him almost unable to think coherently.

"Yes… I want to try it with you," Kurt said honestly and Blaine swept in to kiss his lips soundly before he got out of bed and opened the small chest on his desk Kurt knew contained the toys he had bought for them. Kurt wasn't allowed to look in so it was always a torturous mystery as to what the box really contained and his over active imagination had come up with a lot of possibilities.

Blaine pulled a silky looking, burgundy blindfold out of the lined case and ran his fingers over the soft fabric, blood boiling as he imagined how it would look against that porcelain skin.

He groaned quietly, cock throbbing at the mental image that was about to become and reality and walked back to the bed, licking his lips when he saw his beautiful sub, loose limbed on his back just waiting for him, creamy skin of his chest exposed and flushed down to his rose bud nipples and the bulge in his pajama pants quite obvious as he stared at Blaine with lust filled eyes.

"Remember you're free to stop whenever you feel like it okay?" Blaine said as he knelt on the bed next to him.

"I know sir. I trust you," Kurt responded and Blaine leaned to kiss his lips.

"And you remember our system?" he checked as he pulled away.

"Green for keep going, yellow for unsure and red for stop," he repeated for him obediently and Blaine's head spun with just how perfect his boy was.

"Ready, baby?" he asked and Kurt whimpered gently as he nodded his assent.

Blaine lifted his head carefully and fastened the blindfold over his eyes, the knot on the back of Kurt's head small and soft enough not to cause discomfort when he pressed down on it.

"Is this okay?" he checked once again.

"Yes sir. I can't even feel it," Kurt said squirming as his sight was taken away from him and he was left in the darkness, Blaine's scent surrounding him as well as the heady smell of honey and milk left over on his skin.

It was exhilarating just how heightened every other sense got when one was taken away and Kurt bit his lip hard to prevent the whimper that was building in his chest from escaping his mouth. He really was trusting Blaine completely here and it felt heady and new and thrilling.

There was a light motion from where his Dom shifted on the bed and he curled his fingers into the cover underneath him.

"Arms up, lovely," Blaine's voice drifted to him, his cadence so much deeper and richer than he'd realized, laced with gentle dominance and Kurt shivered as he obeyed instinctively.

He lifted his hands up and felt Blaine's fingers guiding his own to wrap around the cool metal of the headboard of their bed.

"Hold on and don't let go unless you start feeling uncomfortable. In that case you're free to let go at any point and use yellow or red to tell me whether you want me to keep going," Blaine instructed and Kurt gave him an affirmative nod, his body flushed with dancing nerves and the desire he felt for Blaine to touch him.

The sensory deprivation made it so that every move Blaine made translated as a phantom touch on his skin and it was almost provocative with how it made him want to let go of his hold already and grasp onto that hard muscle and pull his body so it was covering his completely.

The bed shifted and suddenly there was a warm breath tingling on his lips. He strained his neck up blindly, trying to kiss his Dom but he denied him, pulling back just enough so that Kurt could feel the coy smile sitting there before he lowered his head down ghosting his breath over the heated skin of his neck and all the way down to his chest.

Kurt gasped when he felt a lightning fast lick on his left nipple followed by a puff of cool air that made the sensitive bud harden with pleasure and his back arch up at a sharp angle to try and chase the heat of Blaine's mouth.

"You look so beautiful like this," Blaine praised, hand gliding from his navel, up the middle of his sternum to feel along the graceful bow Kurt had placed his body into.

It felt like lightning on his skin, the frustration of the pseudo restraint only heightening the sensation.

"You still holding on for me, baby?" he asked low and sultry and Kurt nodded frantically, tightening the hold on the metal almost painfully. "Good boy."

And as a reward he curled his fingers into the sides of Kurt's pajama pants and briefs to pull them off in one fluid motion.

Kurt groaned at the kiss of cool air on his now exposed, heated body, feeling absolutely decadent at having just a blindfold on and nothing else while Blaine was still half clothed. His back hit the mattress again with a muted thump and his toes curled into the coverlet as he waited with bated breath for what Blaine would do next. Everything else had suddenly floated away from him like wisps of smoke except that dizzy drive to submit and obey. There were no worries about set lists, no cares about singing, just a simple eagerness to please his Dom and make him happy and proud of him.

"I should just keep you like this, tied to the bed and waiting for me," Blaine mused darkly, feathering the lightest of kisses over the jut of his hip bone before nipping at the tight skin. "You look so pretty spread out. Would you like that baby?"

Kurt opened his mouth to reply but all that fell out was a moan.

He felt Blaine shift up the bed again and then was he felt a hot exhale against his ear that was pure Dominant. "I asked you a question."

"Yes, sir," Kurt gasped out immediately, so quick to try and please. "I want to be a good boy for you."

Blaine rumbled his satisfaction deep in his chest, the Dominant side of him eating it up and craving more; always hungry, always wanting.

"You are," Blaine praised and licked his way down the side of his neck, liking the way Kurt's skin shined with him when he pulled back. He wanted to mark him all over. "You're my best boy."

The words went straight to his aching cock that was leaking pre-come all over his stomach and Kurt bared his neck shamelessly for more attention, greedy and wanton as he writhed on the bed and readjusted his grip on the now warmed metal in his hands.

Blaine mouthed at his jaw for a little while, stubble scraping the skin a little red and raw before he moved his attention back down again, sparing a second to kiss the impressive hickey he'd left on his collarbone, and took Kurt's right nipple into his mouth and began to massage the bud with his tongue.

Kurt keened pulling down hard on the bed frame at the first prolonged touch he'd given him since they started this.

"Blaine… sir… oh god…" he choked out as the Dom continued to suckle at his chest without mercy; hard in turns, soft in others and Kurt felt close to passing out or coming there and then, he wasn't even sure at this point.

Blaine pulled back with a scrape of teeth that had Kurt giving a full body shudder and a little cry of loss, hips rolling upwards into nothing but air as his arms strained. He was wrecked already, muscles bunching in his arms, lips bitten and bee stung, color high on his cheeks and spread downwards over his marked body, cock an angry red and twitching as it leaked.

God he was stunning.

The Dominant side of him delighted in seeing him like this. Completely under his control, trusting him to see him through to the end implicitly.

"Sir?" Kurt asked shakily and Blaine smoothed a hand up his now damp flank from the beginnings of sweat.

"I've got you, lovely. I'm gonna take such good care of you," he promised as he leant over him to kiss down the center of his chest. "You're doing so well."

Down, down he went, bracing his hands on either side of Kurt's hips, dipping his tongue into his navel which had his sub sucking in his stomach and then he was at the promise land and licking a thick strip up the underside of Kurt's throbbing erection.

Kurt bowed off the bed with a loud cry.

The yearning he felt to let go of his self-restraint and grasp at his Dom was almost too much to bear but he wanted to be good for Blaine and that undercurrent of wanting to please got him through the burning need.

It didn't stop him from whimpering and begging however.

"Please, sir… please, please, please," he chanted, turning his face into the inside of his bicep and pressing his teeth against the skin as he felt the very tip of Blaine's tongue lapping at the end of his cock where he was leaking, tasting him.

His eyes rolled back inside his head beneath the blindfold.

"Mm, I could taste you forever," Blaine rumbled contently against his sensitive skin, the vibrations making him go insane in between little kitten licks. "Would you like that? Do you like my mouth on you baby? I've been dreaming about doing this since seeing you on your knees for me at Christmas. You were so beautiful then. Such a good boy, you took it so well I almost lost my mind."

Kurt managed a strangled moan but his mouth was so dry from the force of his panting that he physically couldn't get out a word. He shifted his legs restlessly, the slid of silk under his feet heating up fast.

A broad hand grasped his thigh and coaxed it to spread wide and Kurt unabashedly followed the silent command fervently and moaned from his chest when he felt Blaine slip his body in-between them. He felt like he was going to lose his mind.

Blaine settled on his haunches, pulling Kurt closer so he was practically spread over his lap, his arms pulling taut and the bedframe creaking.

"Look at you," he breathed, feeling like he'd been knocked in the gut by the picture Kurt made. His cock was hard enough to cut diamonds at this point, every little thing Kurt was doing driving his need to sink between his thighs higher.

He took Kurt in his hand, holding him at the base. "Keep holding on," he commanded fiercely before diving straight in.

Kurt screamed his name, legs clenching around him hard as he saw starbursts under the mask.

Blaine loved the weight of Kurt on his tongue and ignored the awkward angle he had to bend over to get him in his mouth. He began a vigorous pace, rewarding Kurt for his patience as he teased him for so long beforehand.

"Oh god, oh god… Blaine… ah…" Kurt rambled before biting his lips to keep the sounds in. he had to be waking up the whole house and he felt a flash of heat twist in his gut at the thought that was so, so wrong but felt so good.

Blaine pulled off briefly. "Scream my name. I want to hear you," he ordered roughly and Kurt did just that, helpless to do anything else but follow Blaine's lead.

That scalding, wet heat surrounded him once more and Kurt keened, fingernails digging into his palms around their hold as his pictured just what Blaine might look like. His plump perfect lips stretched around his cock, his dark, golden eyes staring up at him intently from behind those thick lashes. He moaned and tried to shove his hips upwards, the only bit of movement he could get in this position but then Blaine was holding him down, making him take it how he wanted to give it and it was the ultimate show on control that had Kurt's head spinning, his submissive purring.

"I need to come… please, sir… I need it, please, please," he begged feeling like he needed that permission.

Blaine continued to suck him in tightly at a relentless pace, his tongue finding the most knee weakening place under the head of his cock and playing there.

"Blaine," he pleaded again feeling like he was going to cry with how much he needed it. He was sweating all over, body a ball of tension and heat, insides a mess of pleasure fired nerves.

Blaine pulled off for a split second to mumble, "Come."

He was gone in seconds.

There was no room in his stratosphere for any embarrassment over how fast he'd come undone, no room for anything but the mind numbing pleasure he felt that made him black out for a few seconds in the hardest orgasm of his life.

When he came to he could hear the quick slap of hand on flesh, the familiar grunt and gasps of Blaine as he brought himself to completion while all the time he continued to lap at Kurt's softening erection.

The oversensitivity had him squirming but he said nothing, just reveled in finally hearing Blaine moan loud and deep as he reached his own orgasm and then he was pulling away and flopping down beside him breathing hard.

Blaine's world had just been thoroughly fucking rocked.

He had the taste of Kurt still thick on his tongue, the sound of his cries in his ears and his Dominant side was quiet for the first time in weeks.

Looking to his left he saw Kurt still splayed out beautifully against the cover, chest heaving, pulse thrumming in his neck and he was still holding on.

Fuck. It was best thing he had ever seen.

He rolled over and scooted up the bed smoothing his hands up Kurt's shaking arms until he reached his white knuckled hands. "You can let go now, lovely. You were so good for me. Such a good boy," he praised softly.

After care was one of the most important things to remember when playing with this sort of sex and he wasn't about to let Kurt drop. No way, no how.

Kurt did as asked and feeling began to return to his fingers, the appendages tingling with the rush of new blood. Blaine guided his arms down to his sides and reached for his blindfold, whispering sweet nothings to him all the time.

"We're going to take this off now okay, baby?"

Kurt made a small noise of assent and then gentles fingers were peeling it off and Kurt was blinking damp eyes into the low light of the candles.

"There's my lovely boy," Blaine smiled at him and Kurt blushed and smiled shyly back feeling incredibly mellowed out and clingy all of a sudden.

Blaine searched around the bed for a second before holding up the bottle of moisturizer he had tossed earlier and squirted some in his palms. He reached for Kurt's arms and hands and began to massages out every knot or ache that might have been left over, making sure to concentrate on his hands.

Kurt sighed as Blaine's thumb made circles into his palm over the half crescent indentations he'd left there. He pulled the hand up and placed a tender kiss to the middle of it and Kurt smiled again.

"Love you," his Dom mumbled against his skin, kissing again.

"I love you too," Kurt replied, words coming out sleepy and sated as his eyes drooped. "Can you hold me, sir?" he requested. He didn't want to fall asleep without Blaine around him, it was very important to something in him all of a sudden.

"Of course, lovely. Whatever you need," Blaine acquiesced, taking his other hand into his as he laid down beside him and urged him to snuggle closer with his head on his chest. He continued his massage once they were settled and Kurt hummed in contentment.

"I liked that," he mumbled, nosing at his chest, half asleep already.

"Yeah?" Blaine smiled, turning his head so he could kiss him on the forehead. "It wasn't too much?"

"Uh, uh," he denied, giving in and closing his heavy eyelids. "Just what we needed. You can be clever sometimes."

Blaine laughed quietly. "You're adorable."

Kurt hummed again but it was clear he was hardly with it anymore.

"You were so good, baby. I love you," Blaine whispered to him, sending him off to dreamland with loving words and heavy praises and soon enough he was joining him.

---

Burt hadn't been in a theatre before in his life.

The closest he had been was that charity shindig his son helped throw which was an eye opening experience to say the least but it wasn't something that had ever bothered him before or even now. He definitely didn't lose any sleep over it for himself, but there were times when he wished that money wasn't so scarce and hard to come by, that he wasn't fighting to put food on the table every damn day so that he could satisfy another's curiosity of the place.

It had started with Elizabeth.

His Lizzy who never complained and always got on with it come hell or high water with the brightest smile and steeliest inner strength he had ever seen. There were times though whenever they had the opportunity to travel by Westerville, which admittedly was few and far between, that they'd walk past this same theatre and she'd slow down with a look of hungry curiosity and almost longing settling in her lovely features.

He knew that's where Kurt got it from, the love of show tunes and theatricality was all Elizabeth, it wasn't really in his wheelhouse after all and it made his chest ache sometimes with just how alike they were. And just like his mom, he never complained about not being able to see a show, never demanded he be taken here even though it was clear that he was dying to. Burt was silently glad his son got his chance to see the world he was always so curious about.

He glanced over the foyer towards his son who was practically vibrating out of his glowing skin as he peered around him with round almost childlike awe. Blaine who was next to him, staring at him with an awe all of his own, seemed to realise too how much this meant to Kurt and Burt shook his head at the Dom with a smile.

Poor kid was whipped.

"Burt, you remember Lucy and Andree Duval. Nick's parents," Dana interrupted his musings to introduce and Burt turned his head to greet them.

Andree cut as sharp a figure as he did at the charity night, his swarthy skin tone standing out amongst the crowd and his pale purple shirt under a charcoal suit. Lucy was the picture of elegance at his side in a floral maxi dress that kissed the floor and tied around her neck under the curls bouncing on her shoulders.

"Carole, it's lovely to see you again. And Burt, you cleaned up well once more, mon ami," Andree teased with a wink. Dana preened in the corner of his vision, obviously pleased that her taste was being recognised as she was the one to pick Burt's suit ignoring his protests of him being comfortable in his flannel.

Burt tugged at his collar irritably and ignored Carole rolling her eyes at his insistent fidgeting. "All this suit wearing's gonna start giving me fancy ideas."

"Like running for Head?" Jared joked coming up to the group and catching the tail end of the conversation. He leant down and bestowed a gentle kiss on Dana's dark head almost unconsciously.

"Exactly that," Burt grumbled and pointed at him to emphasise and they all laughed. "Dunno what I'm thinking."

"Oh hush," Carole admonished with a grin, putting her hand on his arm before facing the others. "He hasn't stopped talking about it."

"I won't go far in politics if you're selling out all my secrets so easily woman," Burt teased and Carole laughed with a light blush.

"This idea for your campaign is inspired though," Andree complimented. He hadn't been available to come to the last meeting and so had caught up from the minutes taken. "Such a simple thing and yet we've never really considered it before."

Burt coughed a little, not used to compliments from such a high powered businessman but he took it in stride. "It's definitely an untapped resource. Could count on one hand how many people voted last year and I was one of them."

"Well if we're lucky that'll change this year," Dana nodded. "And we don't need one of our competitors getting wind of what we're doing before we have everything in place."

"A few of them will copy the idea eventually," Jared pointed out.

"But they're not relatable," Lucy argued. "They're not going to listen to someone who doesn't know what life is like for them. Who isn't offering them anything with a drive to follow through on it."

"The key is to make them believe things are gonna get better. Aint none of them gonna vote if they don't believe it," Burt said plainly.

"Paul has been running some numbers for me during the week. We'll be able to get an idea of just how many people we'll need to convince on top of the supporters we know we have already," Dana said.

"Which isn't too high a number right now and the election isn't that far away. Five months," Jared sighed.

"It'll get better," Andree nodded surely, clapping him on the arm. "People are adverse to change but they can be brought around when it is the right thing to do. Oh, hi you two!" he greeted someone behind Burt's back and they all turned to see the Sterling's smiling softly.

Jeremy and Lillian walked over to the group a little hesitantly but relaxed once they saw all the easy smiles they were greeted with.

They were dressed nicely in casual jeans and Burt was immediately envious of how comfy they looked. Jeremy had a white shirt without a jacket but instead had a grey jumper over the top and Lillian had a pretty blouse that ruffled around the cleavage.

"The boys are about to go backstage," the blonde man announced, thumbing over his shoulder.

"That's our cue to take our seats then," Dana nodded, the serious conversation being put off as they got back into parent mode, and blew a kiss and a wink towards her son and his friends. "Good luck boys!"

"Go sit down you embarrassing woman," Blaine called back immediately and all the parents laughed.

"And to think I taught that boy manners," she faux lamented loudly.

"He was always a trouble child," Jared sighed, laying it on thick.

"I can hear you, you know. And it was Cooper. I was the nice kid," Blaine grumbled, giving his parents a glare as Kurt tried and failed to hide his giggled behind his hand.

Blaine growled playfully and grabbed Kurt around the waist, hefting him up and walking off with him backstage as he flailed and smacked at his back demanding to be put down amongst his laughing.

Nick smirked at them and then followed with Jeff at his side, the blonde shyly linking their fingers and tucking in close to his Dom to avoid the crush of other people around them. Jeff spared one last look at his parents who gave him encouraging and reassuring smiles before he disappeared.

And slowly but surely the rest of the other Warblers began to follow. Dave squeezed Sebastian's hand and leant in close to whisper in his ear before walking away leaving Seb with a secret smile on his face before he masked it. David kissed Corrine goodbye as lewdly as ever and Miriam pecked Wes on the cheek, her now almost orange hair standing out amongst the others from where it was pinned haphazardly with a pencil of all things in a bun on top of her head.

"Knock em dead, tiny," Ryan called after Thad who turned on his heel and took a running jump at his Dom, arms wrapping around his neck and smacking a kiss on his mouth before hopping back down and running off again leaving the burly football player dazed in his wake.

Burt smiled seeing it all. How in love and happy all their kids were and it hardened his resolve to win this damn election so everyone else had the opportunity to get this lucky.

He thought back to how miserable and hopeless Lima was. How the Dom's around McKinley weren't stable or grounded and were always lashing out, how the subs were lost and starved of proper attention and structure. It should never have gotten this bad and he knew that it wasn't an overnight problem, that he couldn't fix it with a magic wand even if he did win Head, but it was a start in the right direction and that's all they needed. Just a little push, some momentum to get them going.

"Carter should already be in there holding our seats. Vanessa couldn't make it, she couldn't change her shift at the hospital so I've been charged with taking enough pictures for the two of us because, and I quote, 'Carter just doesn't do it right'," Lucy informed them with a smirk that had them laughing, bringing Burt back into the now again as the small group began to move in the direction of the queue at the main doors.

"How's he managing to reserve that many seats?" Burt asked. "He beating them off with a stick?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Dana grinned and her sub rolled his eyes fondly at her desire to incite chaos even though she knew otherwise.

"Hikaru reserved them. He's in there too already with Tara, they're making nice with the other schools faculty," Jared informed them.

"His favourite job," Lillian laughed remembering the last time they'd met and how he'd complained on and on about how pretentious Dalton's nearest rivals Crawford Country Day, which was an all-girls boarding school, Principle was.

"Wait for us!" Carmen called, rushing over and they looked over their shoulders to see the blonde woman rushing towards them with a flushed Madeline trailing on her heels; phone, purse, camera and programme all juggling in her hands.

"Why are we not surprised?" Andree jeered at them good-naturedly.

"Bite me," Carmen huffed, screeching to a halt and almost ploughing into Jeremy who reached out a hand to steady her. She beamed at him. "Thanks, doll."

"I like how I get to carry everything!" Madeline grumbled as she joined them, barely holding onto her programme.

"Sorry, sweetie."

She reached out to grab the camera and got her hand smacked away.

"My camera."

Carmen rolled her eyes and faux whispered, "Artists," over her shoulder and got a hearty glare in return from her wife when she faced her again.

"Fine, fine," the blonde laughed and grabbed the programme and stole a quick kiss in reward. Madeline fought the smile but it eventually drew across her full lips.

"There she is," Carmen beamed.

Madeline flashed the camera in her face.

---

"Let's go through it one more time," Wes said, clapping his hands together.

"God nooooooooo!" Trent lamented amongst a million and one groans.

They were in their own dressing room backstage. It wasn't the largest space to move about in with that many bodies but they managed the fundamentals as well as putting finishing touches on hair and uniforms, Kurt going crazy with lapel straightening and hair spray wielding.

"That's a little dramatic," the Dom said dryly looking at all of them with a stern eye.

"No offense man but I have to agree with the masses," David spoke up, wiping the beginnings of sweat from his temples away with a towel he always kept in his bag. There were too many bodies in here and the room was getting muggy.

"Yeah," Thad agreed sheepishly. "I hate to say it, and don't tell Ryan, but there is such a thing as over practising."

"The council has spoken!" Nick cheered and Wes scowled even harder.

"You can bet your sweet asses Vocal Adrenaline will be practising all the way to the stage," Sebastian countered from where he was teasing stray strands of his hair to stand upright with the rest in the mirror.

"Aw, you think my ass is sweet?" Blaine simpered and met that death glare reflection head on.

"I hate your face."

Blaine grabbed his sub and pressed his face into the side of Kurt's. "Lovely, he's being mean to me."

"Don't run your smart mouth then, sir," Kurt turned into him and smirked back at him, fingers raising and curling around his ear.

"Rude. You were much nicer to me and my mouth this morning," he said sadly, with oodles of suggestion dripping all over the fake tone.

Kurt flushed bright red as the expected jeers and whistles came their way and he could feel Blaine's smirk against his cheek. He tried to pull away but Blaine was having none of it and only curled in closer. It wasn't helping that now all he could picture was this morning when Blaine had woken him with a blow job that had him seeing stars. It seemed like once he had started he didn't want to stop and now Kurt didn't know what to do with himself. This was another one of those occasions when he was really torn between just wanting to stay in bed for the rest of his life.

"You're such a jerk. An exhibitionist jerk," Kurt complained trying to bat him away.

"But you love me anyway," Blaine grinned, kissing over his cheekbone.

"Not if you keep broadcasting our sex life I don't."

"Lies!"

Wes cleared his throat pointedly. "If we could get back on topic?"

"But this is far more interesting," Jon complained from his sprawl on the floor.

"I think everyone's got the choreography down," Jeff said quietly, not wanting to rock the boat. "And there isn't really much space in here anyway."

"That's why it's looking shit," David said. "And big foot over here keeps stepping on my toes."

"I resemble that remark!" Trent grumbled.

"We know," Nick chipped in from one of the only chairs in the room he had commandeered for him and Jeff. "My pinky toe is never going to be the same again thanks to your elephant feet."

"Low blow, bro. Low blow," he pointed at him.

"I don't think I can run through this all again. Every time we do it my stomach just knots again," Kurt admitted, the anxiety making his heart flutter like a hummingbird was trapped in there.

"You're going to be amazing, baby," Blaine reassured him on a low whisper, hands massaging over his hips and lower back soothingly.

Kurt caught Jeff's eye across the room and he looked as sick as he felt. He managed to throw his friend and weak smile and Jeff threw one back, their eyes speaking silently.

Oh my god I'm gonna have a heart attack.

I'm gonna throw up on stage.

Shall we just run away together now?

Would they be able to find us before the curtain went up?

"I can hear you thinking," Blaine said in his ear, amused.

Kurt broke eye contact and turned back to his Dom, feeling himself begin to shake with the amount of nervous energy racing through his veins. He felt like he needed to do laps to calm down. "I can't help it. This is different from performing at school."

"Why?" Blaine asked softly, nuzzling their noses. "It's basically all the same people."

Kurt gave him flat look. "No it isn't! It's basically the crème of all Ohio, not just Westerville."

"Not exactly all, its only Sectionals. And besides, you're better than every single one of them anyway," Blaine said with conviction. "You're going to dazzle all of them with how beautiful you and your voice are."

Kurt's heart warmed but it didn't quell the uneasy feeling upsetting his stomach. "You're biased, sir."

"Doesn't make it any less true, lovely," Blaine countered before pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. Kurt hummed and settled into it, wrapping his arms around his Dom's neck as their mouths melted into a familiar back and forth, a slow give and take that was intoxicating and strangely calming at the same time.

They broke apart on a soft inhale of breath and Blaine stroked his knuckles over his jaw.

"Now take a few deep breaths," he commanded gently and Kurt allowed himself to sink under Blaine's steady care as he followed the instructions. In. Out. In. Out. "Good boy," he whispered only for his ears and Kurt preened under the address, shuffling closer and tightening his hold around his neck.

"Okay, fine! If we're not going to practice then let's at least go and watch the competition," Wes folded under the sheer amount of discourse. Even he knew when to back off when he was beat and he had to admit that there was no point pushing them too far and then having an unhappy group walking onto that stage. They didn't get extra points for best scowls.

They began to file out of the door Nick and Jeff bringing up the rear.

"I know you're worried, angel. I wish you wouldn't be," Nick whispered in his ear as they walked.

Jeff gave him and side glance before ducking his head and biting his lip. "I can't help it, sir. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise for being nervous, angel. I didn't mean it that way," Nick hastily corrected, squeezing the slim fingers that were linked through his and leading him safely around backstage. Nick cherished all these little unconscious moments that showed him how much Jeff trusted him to take care of him. "I shit my pants every time I step out there. I just think that you're worried about more than that and I just don't want you to be. The choreography you did is amazing."

"The dances before that basically consisted of side stepping and a little walk-running," Jeff deferred modestly.

Nick stopped them and let go of his hand so he could cup his face tenderly and Jeff was now familiar with the mixture of love and sadness on Nick's handsome face as he stared at him seriously in the near darkness of backstage. "I'm going to spend every single day of the rest of my life making sure you think more of yourself, angel."

Jeff swallowed past the lump that formed in his throat and cupped his hands over Nick's wrists, leaning into his left palm. "I'd…" he took a deep breath and followed through. "I'd like that, sir," he finished shyly and Nick smiled slow and wide before leaning in and capturing his top lip between his.

"I love you," Nick whispered against his lips and Jeff nodded frantically feeling it down to his bones, clutching him so tightly his nails were digging into the thin skin around his wrists.

"Guys?" David whisper-called back to them. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Nick nodded against him, the word coming out a little breathless. "Yeah," he repeated a little stronger and Jeff giggled a little that now Nick needed a minute to get himself together.

"Well stop making out before Wes makes you sit in the naughty corner for not paying attention."

They pulled back and looked at each other for a moment before smiling, Jeff ducking his head as they re-joined the group feeling much more grounded and in tune with each other.

Maybe they could really do this, Jeff thought hopefully for once.

---

He tried to keep that mantra in his head as he stepped up to centre stage with Kurt on his left, his heart pounding a beat he was sure everyone would be able to hear, his stomach rolling in waves and his throat so constricted he was afraid nothing was going to come out.

Blaine's solo of, Where is the Love, with David helping to fill in on some of the rapping parts had the crowds hyped up and eager for more. The Dom just had an effortless charisma to him that spoke to people and left them wanting more as well as an amazing voice and Jeff didn't know how they were going to be able to follow that.

He caught Kurt's eye and could see his friend was just as scared as he was as the applause died down in anticipation for the next song.

A song that they had decided on and that had come about completely by accident.

Kurt, Jeff, Nick and Blaine had decided to eat lunch in the choir room on the day Wes had set aside for them to suggest song choices for their theme for Sectionals and Blaine was messing around at the piano, playing anything and everything that came to his fingertips as Kurt feed him pieces of fruit and stole sticky kisses in between from his perch on top of the glossy instrument.

Nick and Jeff were tucked into each other in the corner of the love seat that they had turned to face the piano, the blondes legs slung over his Dom's and face tucked into his neck while he played with his fingers.

It was after the laughter had died down from Blaine's truly appalling rendition of twinkle, twinkle little star that the curly haired Dom took a moment before the song began to take shape in the air. There was a telling moment of silence as the haunting music played, an iridescent burst of knowing for all four of them and then Kurt began to sing.

It was so soft at first, barely even audible as words, more like a hum or lullaby that soothed all of them and Jeff found himself joining in gently without even consciously wanting to, their voices finding a harmony that joined not only as sounds but as souls too and there was no going back from finding something like that.

The lights behind them dropped suddenly so that the rest of the Warblers were cast in shadow and two harsh spotlights fell on both of them, making Jeff squint and come back into the present with a thundering realization of, oh god this is really happening.

He wanted the floor to swallow him up. He wanted Nick to take him home so he could crawl under their covers, in their bed, surrounded by their joint scent and just breathe it in safe and secure.

He closed his eyes as the first keys of the song played and tried to picture he was back there. Back in bed with his head resting on Nick's bare chest, his heart a steady thrum under his ear and strong fingers sifting through his hair.

He pictured that they were just practicing. That no one was there to tell him he was doing it wrong, that he wasn't so vulnerable, that there wasn't any pressure. His skin loosened, fists unclenching and his heart soared with every note tinkling from the piano. He could do this because Nick was right there, behind him physically but holding his hand in his mind.

He pictured Nick's smile. His voice in his ear. His hands on his skin… and opened his eyes and began to sing.

You've got the words to change a nation
But you're biting your tongue
You've spent a lifetime stuck in silence
Afraid you'll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song
So come on, come on
Come on, come on
You've got a heart as loud as lions
So why let your voice be tamed?
Baby we're a little different
There's no need to be ashamed
You've got the light to fight the shadows
So stop hiding it away
Come on, Come on

Kurt felt like he was under the strictest scrutiny. Like he was back to that headspace where he was cowering from the clamor of people literally camped outside Blaine's house after his claiming, all of them waiting for a chance to claw off a piece of him. That every cell that made him who he was, was being put under the microscope and studied and analyzed.

The first keys of the piano introduction started and Kurt truly didn't know if he was ready to be this open with a room full of people, half of which hated him on principle alone. The urge to go down on his knees and crawl back to Blaine was terrifyingly strong but he fought back the instinctual response because he was strong enough to do this.

He heard Jeff begin to sing and it hardened his resolve and doubled his inner strength. His once broken best friend was shining in this moment, stronger than he had ever seen him in so many years. They were more than these people thought they were and they would prove it too for this small moment on stage.

And without any further reservations Kurt joined his voice to Jeff's for the chorus facing out into that crowd of people and all their preconceptions.

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
So put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
They can read all about it
Read all about it, oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh

Kurt took the next verse with feeling, stepping out towards the edge of the stage while he poured his heart out. Completely naked on stage without any armor.

At night we're waking up the neighbors
While we sing away the blues
Making sure that we remember yeah
'Cause we all matter too
If the truth has been forbidden
Then we're breaking all the rules
So come on, come on
Come on, come on,
Let's get the TV and the radio
To play our tune again
Its 'bout time we got some airplay of our version of events

Kurt strode up to Jeff and grasped his hand, singing right at him with all the love and feeling that was threatening to shatter his heart.

There's no need to be afraid
I will sing with you my friend
Come on, come on

They faced outwards, still joined at the hand. A wall of naked emotion but so, so alive and unyielding as they stood together against the rest of the world.

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
So put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
They can read all about it
Read all about it, oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh

Yeah we're all wonderful, wonderful people
So when did we all get so fearful?
Now we're finally finding our voices
So take a chance, come help me sing this

The lights came up behind them and the rest of the Warblers joined in, a wall of sound, an unstoppable message to give.

Yeah we're all wonderful, wonderful people
So when did we all get so fearful?
And now we're finally finding our voices
So take a chance, come help me sing this

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
So put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
They can read all about it
Read all about it, oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh

Jeff felt his voice get hoarse with emotion as he took the next few lines on his own again, eyes stinging and heavy with the threat of tears as he finally spoke. Nothing had ever felt more true to him than these words and he faced Kurt, his amazing best friend who wouldn't let him fall right before the end.

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out

Kurt gave him a tremulous smile as he finished off the last lines of the song for himself and it felt like cleansing his soul, like he needed to get it off his chest before he could be completely free of it. All those horrible slanderous articles, all those people like Brad who thought they knew better.

So put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
They can read all about it
Read all about it, oh

The moment between the end of the song and the moment people started clapping and rising to their feet seemed to span an eternity. And then the Warblers were coming up beside them and launching into their final number that was all acapella, Wonder.

It rounded up their story of change perfectly. From them coming to the realization of how broken their world was through the lyrics of "Where is the love", to the heartbreaking bravery and determination and strength "Read all about it" brought and coming back to full blown optimism of young people believing it could and it would get better with "Wonder".

They were escorted off with a standing ovation and a numerous white tissues dabbing at moist eyes from the audience and they knew, whether they won or lost, they would be the talk of this competition.

The rush of coming offstage to that much applause was out of this world.

Kurt felt like his blood was made up of pixie sticks and he was going to bubble over any minute unable to think of a way to calm himself down when Blaine was right next to him with the same insatiable energy pouring off of him in drugging waves.

The two caught eyes, sweating and panting and he didn't know which one reached first but they were suddenly tongue deep in each other's mouths riding out the high together physically because words wouldn't come, just fell completely short of how they were feeling in that moment.

Jeff got a glimpse of his best friend and his Dominant and immediately blushed and looked away to search for Nick in the crush of blazers. He jumped in surprise when arms wrapped around his waist but settled down once familiar lips found the hinge of his jaw.

"Didn't I tell you you'd be amazing, angel?" he whispered huskily.

Jeff bit his lips and blushed as a pleasant shiver overtook him, glad that everyone else was so preoccupied that they were paying them no mind. He titled his head almost unconsciously to give Nick a little more access. "Thank you, sir."

"That duet won it for us, baby. I swear to god I nearly cried," Nick continued to praise.

"You mean you didn't this time? Must not have been as good as every other time I practiced it," he joked lightly, running his hands over the backs of Nicks where they rested comfortably over his stomach.

"I told you it was raining inside… directly into my eyes… on all those separate occasions… these things happen," he nodded against him and Jeff had to laugh at how ridiculous he was being. "But seriously… it was like you two transformed out there. I can't even describe it."

Jeff turned in his arms and nibbled on his bottom lip as he met those deep chocolate eyes, hands resting lightly on his chest. "It felt like… like I could finally talk."

He flushed because that sounded so stupid but Nick was regarding him with nothing but rapt attention so he risked continuing.

"For a few minutes I didn't have to worry about stuttering over every word or worry if I was saying the wrong thing and it felt like people were listening," he stressed. "That they were looking at me and not just seeing some broken… thing."

"Do you feel like that?" Nick asked softly. Carefully. "Like no one listens to you? That you can't talk to me?"

Jeff shook his head urgently. "No! No, sir… that's not what I meant-"

"Shh," Nick soothed him, running a hand through the soft strands of his hair. "You're not in trouble, angel. I just wanted to make sure because I never want you to feel like I'm not hearing you."

Jeff's heart ceased its frantic beat and he exhaled hard. "You and Kurt and the Warblers… you hear me," he said surely and Nick smiled.

"And they heard you tonight," Nick nodded, understanding, and Jeff felt his eyes sting and his throat close up. His Dom pulled him close and held him there as he got himself back together, pulled his emotional walls back up that he had completely let crumble during those life changing few minutes on stage.

"I love you," Kurt gasped into Blaine's mouth because he didn't want to go another day without saying it a million times now that he could.

"I love you," Blaine groaned back pulling him closer with one hand on his hip and one spanning his lower back apparently in agreement. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he continued to mumble over and over between wet presses of lips, teeth and tongue.

"I don't even care if we win," Kurt pulled away on a hard inhale to murmur breathlessly as he rested their foreheads together, eyes still shut, finally finding a string of words to try and explain what he felt burning inside his very soul. "I just feel… we did some good tonight didn't we? That we spoke to people you know? Even if they didn't understand it."

Blaine was silent for a moment and Kurt fluttered his lashes open to find hazel gold eyes already staring at him almost reverently. "You are just… stunning. I can't even…"

Kurt flushed a deeper red but he didn't look away. Couldn't.

"I'm so lucky to call you mine, lovely. So lucky. You're everything that is good and right in this world and I never want you to lose that glow. That desire to see the good in things and help others without a thought for yourself… god, I just..."

He cut himself off because he voice was getting thick with emotion and he could see Kurt's eyes were getting a little watery too and if they weren't careful they'd turn into a crying mess all over each other.

"Hey!" David called over to them. "Why so glum chums? We just killed it!"

"Let's take the celebrations back to the dressing room while we wait for the deliberations?" Wes suggested leading the way and they all followed, practically falling all over one another.

"We'll win," Blaine said confidently. "We will."

---

They did.

The announcement felt like it took a lifetime to come. They were standing up there in their protective huddle, subs clinging to their Doms, Doms clinging to their subs and there was just silence. A huge chasm that would be filled by one name only and it was between them and Vocal Adrenaline. The powerhouse of show choirs and…

They won.

Kurt couldn't remember Wes striding up to collect the trophy. Or him giving it to him and Jeff to hold as the other behind them pushed them forwards. He only remembered all those faces in the crowd. The ones on their feet despite knowing exactly who they were, where they came from, what they were singing about and still clapping and cheering for them.

Kurt had never felt more proud of something he had done. This wasn't the same somewhat selfish feeling of accomplishment that came with making his dress and it selling for such a high price at the charity night. This was about sending a message, not winning, and he felt like these people understood.

Jeff caught his eye and he knew that they were sharing the exact same thoughts.

"A very well done to the Warblers and a round of applause for the rest of our teams, you were all fantastic," the announcer bid and the crowd replied with another rigorous smattering of claps. "Now before we leave you there are a few more awards to give out. Best Song Choice in regards to out theme, Best Choreography and Best Costume."

"For Best Song Choice we have… another win it seems for this powerhouse. Wesley Montgomery from the Warblers!" he read off a separate card and the Dom's eyes widened just a little before he managed to pull himself together and step up to shake the guys hand and receive the small, gold trophy in the shape of a music note.

"He doesn't deserve it. He gets all his stuff from his ITunes shuffle," David heckled and there was a ripple of laughter across the board as Wes gave him a monster glare.

Hikaru was on his feet in the next moment whistling and cheering for his son and Wes ducked his head away from the embarrassing scene and melded back into the crowd of his friends.

"For Best Choreography… wow, I'm beginning to think we're going to have a full sweep. It's the Warblers again, come on over Jeffery Sterling," the man bid, giving the group of them a friendly smile and Jeff was glued to the floor.

"Angel, you won!" Nick cheered gripping him around the waist and squeezing him hard in congratulations. The blonde was dumbstruck and didn't even know where to put his own hands in return.

"You deserve it, blondie," Kurt grinned at him pecking him on the cheek and Jeff shook his head in bewilderment as the compliments kept coming from his friends.

"Uh…?"

"Someone's a little shy it seems," the announcer joked and picked up the trophy and walked it over to him instead.

Jeff took it numbly and looked down at it in awe.

He'd won? He hadn't won anything before in his life before this competition and especially nothing on his own.

"You deserve it, baby. I don't want to hear anything to say otherwise," Nick whispered in his ear, nosing at his jaw gently until Jeff turned into him a little overwhelmed, shaky fingers grasping the metal of the trophy so hard his fingers were going white.

"He's my sub," he declared to everyone proudly and Jeff pushed in closer unable to comprehend just what was happening as the audience swooned over the cute blonde and the Dom who was obviously mad about him.

"Yeah, yeah Duval," Trent laughed giving him a friendly jab from behind.

The announcer laughed too. "We've got a proud Dom over there. And now, last but not least, the award for Best Costume goes to…" he paused to look down at the card again and Kurt's heart stuttered a beat. Best costumes? "Oral Intensity!"

The team ran up and collected the small trophy together, smiles not quite blinding but wide enough to say that the consolation wasn't that bad in the end. Of course Vocal Adrenaline, Crawford Country Day and the Unitards were looking at both the Warblers and Oral Intensity with barely disguised disgust but that was their issue.

What Kurt was suddenly struggling with was something much more minuscule in detail.

Costumes were his thing. Clothes and sequins and god damned stitch patterns thank you very much! And mother of god he'd had the same argument with Wes a hundred times leading up to now, the same damn frustrating conversation that gave him heart palpitations and headaches the size of Africa.

UNIFORMS WERE NOT COSTUMES!

They were clapped off stage and Kurt huffed and strode off to get a small sulk in before he shrugged it off. After all, he wasn't a certified diva for nothing! And just needed a little time to get himself together before he bit Wes' head off.

"Lovely?" his Dom called after him and Kurt could hear the confusion laced heavily there. Blaine caught his hand and easily span him around to meet questioning gold tinted eyes under those heavy brows. "Where are you running off to superstar?"

Kurt frowned and pursed his lips. "We lost."

Blaine's face morphed into the picture of disbelief. "Uh, we won, lovely. You were there, I distinctly remember kissing these lips," he teased, cupping his chin and rubbing his thumb over his wide bottom lip to get it to smooth out again.

"Not everything," he pointed out as the rest of the Warblers came barreling over, all smiles and laughs.

"That's very unsportsmanlike of you, baby. What happened to 'I don't care if we win'?" Blaine admonished and teased without a hint of meaning it from the smirk on his face and Kurt groaned in frustration at the back of his throat, barely stopping himself from stamping his foot like a five year old because that was true and he really wasn't that angry about it at all. It wasn't about the trophy really in the end or winning. It was the principle of the thing.

"Warbler huddle!" David cried and suddenly there were arms and legs everywhere, Kurt ducking into Blaine to avoid most of the crush. "We kicked ass fellas! I'm so happy I could almost say I liked you bunch of sad sacks."

"The feeling is entirely not mutual fuck you very much," Trent grumbled from where he was being choked by the taller Dom.

"And a special well done to Jeff for his ability to make it look like we were doing more than just shaking our jelly up there," Jon winked at the blonde who blushed bright red and tucked his face into Nick's neck, small trophy curled into his chest like he could hide it under his blazer. The Dom beamed and stroked a hand through his hair.

"So modest, angel," he grinned kissing his ear, literally beaming from ear to ear and puffed up in pride.

Kurt was so happy for Jeff, he deserved the recognition and more. It drove the point home however that they Kurt could have contributed a little more though if he was allowed. It wasn't like Oral Intensity's costumes were anything spectacular after all! The hemming alone on those red dresses was horrendous and block colours was so uninspired and predictable.

"Wes should get a hand I suppose for changing his god damned mind about the set list a thousand times," Blaine mocked good naturedly and Wes rolled his eyes.

"Say that to my trophy and then stick it up your ass."

They all laughed because now that it was over the beast had subsided and their friend was far more chilled out.

Kurt just pouted harder feeling like he was about to explode.

"Why the rage face, Kurt?" Thad noticed and questioned.

"Uniforms are not costumes!" he announced loudly to everyone, it just falling out of his mouth, and there was a beat of silence before David snorted and smacked the back of Wes' head.

"Yeah fearless leader. We could have had tens across the board."

"I'm not the sole leader of this group. We have a council!" Wes defended indignantly.

"That you lead," Thad piped up, trying to look innocent when that glare was rounded on him.

"And you were the one who talked my ear off about having us stay professional. I had to agree just to shut you up!" David continued relentlessly loving that he was fuelling the fire. Kurt angry was hilarious as long as you weren't on the receiving end and then it was just plain scary.

"Its tradition!" Wes exclaimed.

"It's stupid!" Kurt countered on a huff.

"I have to agree with that," Sebastian drawled. "It's a little embarrassing really."

"Exactly!" he pointed at his friend.

"Aw baby, don't be mad. You can have creative control over costumes for Regionals," Blaine consoled him kissing over his jaw to try and coax him around. Kurt hated sometimes that the man knew all of his weak spots.

"There has to be an official-"

Kurt cut Wes off with his best bitch stare.

"-I guess it's decided then," he grumbled and Kurt nodded in satisfaction, a smile blossoming on his cherubic face.

"We can go celebrate now," he smiled at them, bouncing on his toes.

They all laughed at him in wonder.

---

"I can't believe we've won!" Jeff cried happily as they trudged through the door to their shared dorm, holding a tiny replica of the actual trophy every singer got to take home in his right hand.

He placed it on his side of Nick's desk and stepped back to observe it critically before moving back in and placing another trophy right next to it, this one slightly bigger and a bit more ornate than its companion.

It had a small figure of a person mid movement and a tiny little plaque with his name and the award on it.

Jeffrey Sterling
Outstanding choreography

He still couldn't believe it.

He found his fingers were still shaking as he traced the cool lines of the trophy, places still lukewarm from where he clutched at it, refusing to let it go in case it turned out it was all a dream and the thing vanished in a puff of smoke the moment he let the metal out of his grip.

His ears were still ringing from the uproar of his fellow Warblers when they realized they had collected not one but three awards, but more than that, when they exploded because of him, happy for him.

And his heart thundered when he turned to Nick, hope etched in every line of his face as he waited for the one person whose opinion mattered to him now to react now that they were alone.

Nick whose face was almost split in half with the size of his smile when he first heard the verdict. Whose hands had found their way around his waist easily like they had always been there and held him together. Who kissed his cheek and turned to the crowd, hollering 'he's my sub' to everyone willing to listen.

Nick who was proud of him.

Nick who loved him and whom he loved back.

He found that same blinding smile and that same pride looking at him from chocolate colored eyes and he braved the sea of his inner demons standing between him and his Dom, walking to him and cuddling into his side, into his rightful place without a single thought.

"I can't believe I won that," he whispered, face in Nick's neck and the Dom wrapped his arms around him gently, lovingly, just like every other time.

"I can. You are so talented, angel. The Warblers have never looked as good as they did tonight. And the duet between you and Kurt was what won the whole thing for us, I'm sure of it. I'm so proud of you my beautiful boy," he whispered against his temple, feeling Jeff's body shiver in his arms at his praise.

He had noticed this reaction a few days previously as they sat wrapped in each other, reading assigned books for their respective classes. Jeff was snuggled between his thighs, resting back against his chest and flipping through his math's book calmly until he frowned in confusion and asked Nick for help with understanding differentials.

Nick helped him and the blonde grasped the concept in no time making Nick praise him for his good work as he went ahead and began solving the problems for himself.

Jeff's body trembled noticeably and he cuddled closer like a cat, almost purring in satisfaction at the praise. Nick realized how much it meant to him in that moment. How good it felt for him to be praised finally after being denied and neglected and put down for so long.

He had decided, then and there in that very second, that Jeff would be nourished back to being a full-blooded sub under his careful touch if it was the last thing he ever did. If he needed five thousand 'good boys' then he gladly bestow them.

And tonight, watching him receive the well-earned acknowledgement he'd worked for, served as proof he was doing it right.

"Thank you, sir," Jeff hummed from his spot on his shoulder, wrapped around Nick.

The Dom smiled against his soft hair. "For what my sweet?" he asked and Jeff lifted his head up to look him in the eye.

"Being there, being patient with me, um… l-loving me. Letting me do this for the Warblers." he listed, cheeks growing hotter and hotter with every new thing added and Nick raised his hands to cup his face.

"Never, ever thank me for loving you or supporting you. I'm your Dom, Jeff. And as your Dom it's my job, my duty and my biggest pleasure to make you happy. As happy as you make me," he said and Jeff leaned into his touch, closing his eyes and kissing his palm tentatively.

His head was swimming, his heart was swelling and he just couldn't wrap his head around what his life was right now. He was bonded, he was protected and loved, he'd sang again for a competition audience no less, he painted, he danced, he felt safer than ever, his mark was clear and it was all thanks to Nick.

He turned his head slowly, timidly, but there was determination burning in every bone in his body as the submissive in him started to unfurl under gentle ministrations of Nick's dominance. He thought back to his conversation with Kurt about letting Nick know what he was thinking, that he was ready to push himself a little maybe.

His lips trembled but he braved the space between them and brushed them against Nick's in a feather light brush that was barely there at all. He exhaled hot and shaky as his eyes searched his Doms nervously and their noses bumped.

"Can I… can I kiss you?" he whispered and Nick sucked in a breath as he pulled him closer, fingers curling around his hips under his blazer.

"You never, ever have to ask permission to do that. Your kisses, your touch, you are always welcome close to me," he said passionately and Jeff stared, wide eyed and disbelieving but happy, safe as he allowed his lids to slide over his eyes and pressed his lips to Nick's carefully.

He never knew if he was doing it right, but his mind seemed to refuse cooperation when Nick was kissing him. He felt so out of control it was almost frightening but there was a thrum somewhere beneath his skin that let him know he was protected somehow. That he didn't have to worry about loosening the reins on his control and maybe handing them over.

Nick's hands came up to cup his cheeks, angling his head and suddenly the press of their lips got harder, the warmth radiating from Nick's lips got scalding and he shivered with something he couldn't even recognize.

It settled low in his stomach as their mouths moved together, fluttering and tingling and making him push his body closer to Nick's, desperate to get deeper under his skin where he belonged. Nick inched backwards until he sank into the plush sofa and Jeff froze for a moment when their lips disconnected and he realized what his Dom was trying to do.

White hot panic splashed inside of him and he rushed to get his walls up but Nick grabbed his hands tightly into his own.

"I just want to kiss you beautiful, just like you wanted," he reassured calmly, his voice the picture of serene and Jeff drew on that steady tone as he tried to collect his frayed nerves. "I don't want us to keep standing up because we're both tired and I know you'd be uncomfortable if we were on the bed. This way I get to hold you and kiss you but you'd be on top and able to just get up and stop whatever we're doing if you feel like it's too much," he continued to explain in the same tenor and Jeff eyed his position, thinking how to sit down without making it overly sexual. He wanted to push himself yes, but he wasn't ready to jump in that far just yet and just hop on and straddle him.

"Just… just kissing?" he clarified again and Nick smiled up at him warmly as he ruffled his already fly away hair.

"If you're comfortable with it. If not, just holding you," he said sincerely and Jeff nodded slowly, taking another step towards the chair.

"How should I… um…" he gestured towards Nick's lap awkwardly and Nick pulled him forward gently, easing him down with his legs slung over his lap and his body fitting against his chest like they were molded to fit together like that. It was a position they both knew he was comfortable with and Jeff relaxed into it.

"I love you," Nick sighed into his hair and he could feel him tense underneath his fingers as he struggled to find words.

But Nick knew... he knew that just by being there with him, his mark now colored a light yellow for him which meant more than any words could. Jeff's body spoke languages and sang songs without him ever uttering a word. Which meant he knew he was loved back, every time Jeff let him in, trusted him to take care of him, and he didn't need Jeff to struggle and hurt himself by trying to force words he already knew in his heart out.

He knew all he needed to know from the way Jeff's lips parted for him and the way his whole body reacted to his presence.

"I…" the blond started, breath short and labored and Nick wanted none of that.

"I know, angel," he revealed softly with feeling. "Believe me I know. You don't have to say it, just… just kiss me again? Please," he asked and Jeff gasped against his neck, lips searching upwards until they connected with Nick's and the world fell into place seamlessly.

Nick's hands were in his hair and around his waist, his own clutching the half unbuttoned shirt covering Nick's chest and somehow, the broken pieces of him realigned and started fusing back together as Nick's gentle tongue swept over his lower lip.

He startled for a second, not sure what he was supposed to do when Nick whispered against the damp flesh.

"Just let me in, angel. My perfect boy…" he crooned and Jeff felt another layer of his walls crumble down as he parted his lips slowly, Nick's tongue slipping past them to caress his own.

Fire broke loose inside him and every cell in him was alight with Nick's soft kisses that descended from his lips to his flushed cheeks, over his hanging jaw and down to his neck. He tilted his head and Nick's lips touched the soft skin behind his ear.

The fear came barreling down on him again.

He was so vulnerable like this. So open and inviting danger and Nick was… he was tearing him apart, reaching past the strongest and tallest walls he had built around himself and there was no way to get him out now. He was there and it was Jeff who let him in and he didn't know if he wanted him out or just closer… deeper under his skin.

Nick's lips came dangerously close to his earlobe and he snapped back into reality, body recoiling and tensing in Nick's grasp. This was just… different from every other time Nick would graze his lips over his neck or jaw. More intimate with just the two of them and the weight of anticipation and expectation heavy in the air.

The Dom sobered immediately and pulled back to look up, pupils dilated and lips red and swollen.

"Baby… is it too much? Do you want me to stop?" he asked a little roughly and Jeff bit his lip, shaking his head in a motion that conveyed nothing to Nick.

"Did I scare you?" Nick asked again, confusion written all over his features as he watched his sub run a hand over his face in frustration as he struggled to tell him how he felt.

"No I don't… I'm not… I'm not afraid of you, Nick… it's just…" he tried with all he had but he couldn't for the life of him explain how he felt when he didn't even know himself.

It felt good.

Nick felt good wrapped around him, kissing his skin, touching him… at least he thought so. But was he supposed to feel like that… like his insides were burning… like he was melting and losing his mind?

"Jeff, baby, I need you to talk to me… tell me if I'd done something wrong?" Nick pleaded and Jeff startled at the sound of his voice, remorseful and sad for him.

He didn't want to hear Nick like that but it was so hard to open up and tell him, so hard to explain that he had never felt like this and he didn't know if it was normal, or allowed. He steeled his thoughts and figured that maybe explaining how confused it made him feel would be a good start… maybe.

"I… I don't know what I'm feeling, sir… w-what I'm supposed to feel when you… um… with you and I… I get scared that it's wrong or that I'm not feeling what I'm supposed to and…" he rambled himself in circles as he disentangled himself and stood up to pace the room.

Nick shook his head at him. "You're not supposed to do anything, there are no expectations you have to meet here. You're with me… we're kissing and whatever you feel is right. If you like it, it's right. If you don't, it's right. Everything you do is right, angel," Nick said as he stood in front of him and cupped his face to still his movements and make him relax.

Jeff kept his eyes closed and for the millionth time Nick wished he could just peek inside his head and see what he was so afraid of so he could destroy every shred of it, but he couldn't. Jeff was still a mystery despite how well he could read him sometimes and all he could do was wait for him to show him who he really was.

"What if… what if I do something I shouldn't?" he whispered and Nick brushed his hair off his forehead his heart shattering into jagged pieces.

"You won't, because there's no such thing. If I don't like something you do to me I'll let you know just like you'll do for me. And then we'll go from there… but sweetie, just because we're talking about this now doesn't mean we have to do something. We can just put on a movie or something. Cuddle. Relax. Unwind," he said carefully, not wanting to agitate him even more but Jeff shook his head furiously.

"I… I want to… to try. I've um, been thinking about it… and I want… want you to feel good… with me…" he trailed off lamely, eyes downcast and lips pressing into a thin line but he was talking, he was fighting to stay ahead of his fear and to let Nick in and it was more than the Dom could ask of him right now.

"Okay… okay baby come here. Come with me," he commanded gently and pulled him towards the bed instructing him to take his shoes, blazer and tie off then lie down and relax for a moment.

Nick watched him follow the instructions perfectly, seemingly happy for a bit of direction and then followed him down and sprawled next to him, guiding that beloved blonde head onto his chest so he could cuddle him close, humming softly as he waited for the shivers to subside.

They lay there, tangled together for an indefinable amount of time as Nick caressed Jeff's hair; his neck, arms and back, all the while humming a pretty, slow tune that traveled through Jeff's body, wrapping around his hurt insides, unwinding every knot and bone, careful of the healing cracks and slashes littered there from before.

He lowered his head to kiss his forehead, the top of his head, his temples and his slightly damp cheeks and Jeff turned his head up, towards him, like a sunflower chasing the sun and Nick knew that's how Jeff saw them and he loved it… loved the analogy and the meaning behind it.

He pecked the tip of his nose and smiled when he blushed cutely, eyeing Nick's lips with renewed interest.

Nick breached the distance between them, leaving the last few breaths of space for Jeff to close and Jeff knew he was giving him the option to back out or to kiss him and take things further. He was scared to death but it felt almost too good to have Nick's warmth so close to him, Nick's arms around him, strong and potentially dangerous but not for him… never dangerous for him. Of that, he was sure.

So he stretched up and connected his mouth with Nick's, this time stronger, bolder, earning himself a small moan from Nick that encouraged him to part his lips for Nick's tongue once again.

Nick's lips danced on top of his, infinitely gentle and warm and caring and the heat in the pit of his belly reawakened making his head spin and his vision blur around the edges. He kept his eyes opened, trying to see Nick, see what he was doing, copy his movements and do his best to make it enjoyable for him even if he was tainted and broken. Nick deserved to feel good and Jeff was his sub, it was what he was supposed to do.

So he kissed back and waited for Nick to take what he needed from him, but the force that he linked with where this was leading never came. Hardly there kisses that were more like biting attacks on his sensitive skin never made appearance. Touches that bruised were nonexistent.

It was just Nick and his soft lips, his caring arms and his unending well of patience that Jeff could barely fathom.

Once again Nick lowered his lips to his chin, the edge of his jaw and his neck and Jeff felt himself squirm when gooseflesh rose on his skin. He tried to remain still and passive but the gentle little bite Nick delivered next made his back arch off the bed on instinct and he froze when he realized he was pushing himself closer to his Dom.

"Beautiful boy. So responsive…so gorgeous…my angel," Nick whispered soothingly against his neck and the tension bled away again, leaving him open and peaceful but also… confused again.

Responsive?

Was that…was it a good thing?

Surely it couldn't be…it never was before…

Stay still

Don't move

Don't make a sound

Nick bit his collarbone this time and as deep as he was inside his own head he couldn't help himself when he whimpered softly, just the tiniest of sounds that had him freezing dead in his tracks and clamping his eyes shut, biting hard into his lip to stop the sounds from coming out.

But it felt so good, to be held like that, to be kissed like his own pleasure mattered… but maybe it was a trick? To make him hot and squirming before the order to stay still and quiet came. It had never really been a problem with Kevin. He'd never felt pleasure with him, not once. Never felt like he was going crazy in his own skin, never felt like he wanted to moan and whimper and breathe out sighs of how good he was feeling.

All Jeff had known before was pain. Lying there like he was a doll, being manipulated and used up until Kevin grew bored of him.

He tried to do that now. It was a built in defense mechanism and he willed his body to go limp and unresponsive, but the moment he did Nick's lips returned to his.

"Do you like it baby? Does it feel good?" he asked and Jeff's eyes snapped open, wonder etched into every fleck in his irises.

"I… y-yes?" he posed it as a question, not sure what his answer should be. The truth was he did like it. It was just like Kurt said; fire and heat and want.

Logically he knew that this was how it was supposed to be. How Kurt described it, god, he wanted that so badly but he was just too caught up in re-running old thought tracks.

"Angel if you don't like it I'll stop," Nick prompted gently, rising up onto the arm that was propped next to his head and Jeff's mind spun with how careful he was around him. How he was making sure not to smother him with points of contact by holding himself back. And hold himself back he was, Jeff might not know a lot about how healthy sexual relations were conducted but he recognized desire when he saw it and Nick was a picture of barely restrained want.

It both excited and frightened him equally.

"I do… I just… wasn't sure if I should," he stammered and Nick bore his eyes into his in determination for a moment before ducking down and kissing behind his ear, earning himself another choked off gasp that was soon trapped behind bitten lips.

"You absolutely should. You're being amazing to me baby. So sweet, so gorgeous. But I don't want you to hold the sounds in," he beseeched, biting softly on his earlobe and smiling when he heard a tiny moan. "Let me hear you sweetie."

His words cascaded upon his skin like summer rain, warm and nourishing and welcome after the day's heat and Jeff couldn't help it anymore. He broke to pieces, whimpering Nick's name as he wrapped his arms around his neck, threading fingers through his dark hair and willing him to just keep touching him forever.

Because the only time he felt whole was in his arms and he never wanted to be away again.

His back arched as Nick unbuttoned the top of his shirt and snuck his hand in, warm palm splaying over his chest and making him unravel at the seams as his lips continued to worship his neck, his collarbones, his shoulders as the pale skin was revealed.

"Nick…" he gasped when the Dom eased some of his weight on him, pressing him into the mattress but instead of feeling caged in it was the most freeing feeling he had ever experienced.

Nick nearly lost his shit over hearing that breathy, reverent exhale of his name and he tamped down on his answering groan barely. Instead he began to babble as he explored the wonderland Jeff was offering up to him, beyond words from how fucking perfect he was.

"Gorgeous… my angel… my amazing boy…" the Dom cooed as his hands wandered and Jeff couldn't help it anymore.

His insides were burning, everything he thought good subs had to do in bed went out the window and were he in his right mind he would have felt ashamed of his own reactions but Nick praised him, his heady dominance rolled over him and he let go completely.

He could hear gasps and moans and he knew he was the one making them. He could feel his body writhe and twine around Nick's almost greedily but there was nothing he could do to stop himself. Nick's hands were everywhere. On his stomach, sliding down his back, only fluttering over his ass briefly before coming to rest on his thigh as Nick pulled his leg around his waist, sinking into the vee of his legs and brushing the very core of him, hard and hot and shameful and Nick felt it now… he knew how terrible of a sub he was… needy and disobedient.

It was like he was chained to a runaway train, no chance to jump off and save himself from the fiery destruction awaiting him.

"You're hard baby… my boy…" Nick's voice was still husky and rough with want but Jeff heard something completely different.

He gasped and tensed, tears rolling down his cheeks as he shook his head left and right apologizing over and over and over again.

"I'm sorry sir… so sorry… I'll control it better… so sorry… sorry…" he was stuck, the slew of apologies going round and around and around in his head like a broken record and he couldn't stop.

Until hands forced his head to stop spinning and a single voice drifted through the cacophony of others screaming at him.

"Jeff... baby look at me… listen to my voice, Jeff… open your eyes and look at me, angel," Nick pleaded then ordered gently and Jeff did his best to go back… to get out of his darkness once again and find Nick and his light.

"Sir…" he whispered and Nick kissed his temple.

"What happened baby? Did I hurt you? Did I push too hard? Why were you scared and apologizing?" Nick asked and Jeff knew he had no choice but to tell the truth.

Nick noticed anyway when he lied.

"I couldn't… couldn't control it sir…I should have but I didn't…I didn't know I'd f-feel like this…and I…I got…" he trailed off, pointing down his body where his uniform slacks were still slightly tented and Nick felt his blood boil.

Was Jeff apologizing for being turned on? For enjoying what he did to him?

"You got turned on, sweetie," Nick said and Jeff looked mortified at that.

"Sorry," he whispered again, voice choked and Nick hitched a breath.

"No… baby… Jeff…That's nothing to apologize for. I want you to feel like that when I touch you," he said and Jeff dared to look him in the eyes.

"I'm not… not supposed to. Should be good for you, sir…n-not me," he said through muscle memory, like he was parroting something back he'd heard over and over again and Nick felt the urge to drive a fist through the wall with anger at what was done to this perfect sub beneath him.

But he reined his rage in and turned back to Jeff, determined to make him see how things should be.

"He told you that. He was wrong. About everything. When I kiss you I want you to kiss me back."

He punctuated the words with a languid, sincere kiss to his lips and Jeff responded, sighing against his warm mouth because he couldn't help it.

"When I hold you I want you to hold me too. To pull me closer," he said as he wrapped Jeff's arms around his neck to demonstrate what he was talking about.

"When I tease you…and touch you…I want you to do exactly what you did a moment before. Arch into me. Moan. Call out my name. Show me you like it. I want you turned on. I want you out of control and craving me. I want you to lose yourself in the pleasure I bring you because you look beautiful like that," he whispered passionately and with every word Jeff's arousal hit him like a fireball, flaming in his gut, heavy in his lungs, molten lava whizzing through his veins and he broke when Nick's hand cupped him through his uniform slacks and it was enough.

"Let go, baby. Let me please you. Come for me," Nick coaxed seductively and the edges of his vision turned white with pleasure as he slipped away from reality.

It was embarrassing and fast but he didn't know what else to do. He hid his face in Nick's neck as he gasped out hot and reedy and trembled, his entire body shivering with a mixture of deep seated pleasure and confusion over how he was allowed to feel so good.

He must have asked that aloud because Nick shushed him with a kiss.

"You were made for it angel. To be pleasured and cherished and unraveled," Nick cooed at him, staring at his flushed cheeks, his body still trembling against his own and he couldn't help but preen at the thought that he had done it to him. He had showed him what it truly felt like to be loved like that. Fuck it was like the biggest high.

"I didn't…I didn't know I…" Jeff gasped as he came down to earth and Nick kissed him on the lips gently.

"I'll show you. I'll make you feel so good beautiful. You deserve it."

---

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