Note: More M-rated m/m fun times ahead. And brief mention of m/f Finchel funtimes, so be warned. Also, some angst and major feels from Kurt. Carole is the most awesome mom ever. Just sayin'. I miss Burt. Why did I send him to Washington? Oh yeah. Because he had to go there SOMETIME. Just because the show hasn't seen fit to send him to his NEW JOB doesn't mean I can be so lax.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Glee.

Blaine had made reservations at a decent French restaurant in Columbus, without telling Kurt. He refused to tell Kurt where they were going until they arrived. The smile and gasp of surprise were more than enough to make up for the previous badgering Blaine had taken on the topic of supper.

They had a great time. Romantic and quiet, with a waiter who obviously envied the easy love between the two. They didn't notice if anyone disapproved of them, they had eyes only for one another.

All too soon, they were in the car, on the way back home. Fingers entwined as Blaine drove one-handed, for once thankful his boyfriend drove an automatic. Kurt was curled up in his seat, dozing off and on as the miles flew by.

The low fuel light came on as they reached the outskirts of Lima, and Kurt came fully awake as Blaine pulled into an open gas station. "No!" Kurt exclaimed. "Blaine…"

Blaine frowned, looking at the gas gauge, then back at Kurt. "Kurt, is this…" his boyfriend nodded vigorously, and Blaine sighed. "Baby, it's okay. We're going to pay by credit card at the pump. You don't even have to get out of the car, and if you like, you can hold my hand the entire time through the window. No one's setting foot in the store, and you won't take your eyes off of me. But we need gas, and we're here. We're not going to be anywhere near where the trucks are, okay? Stay in the car. I'll be right back."

"Fine," Kurt whispered. "But hurry. I don't know how long I can handle being here." Hands visibly shaking, Kurt handed Blaine the credit card and watched warily as his boyfriend stepped out of the car. Blaine started the fuel pumping, then turned to Kurt's window, finding it already down. Kurt clutched his hand tightly through the frame, trying to keep the tears from coming. "Blaine," Kurt whimpered. "I…I can't….please…"

Blaine weighed the options. Burt had offered a full tank of gas. But Kurt's ability to keep a tight hold on reality was faltering. He would explain it to Burt, and hopefully the man would let them fill the car again another time. He stopped the pump at halfway, closing the gas tank and sliding back behind the wheel. "Shh," he whispered, reaching again for Kurt. "It's okay. We're both fine, nothing happened. We're together. Nothing's going to happen when we're together."

Kurt clutched his hand tightly until they got back to the house, barely letting Blaine let go so he could get out. Blaine led a still-shaken Kurt up to their room, but both boys stopped in their tracks about halfway up when they heard some rather distinct noises coming from the bedroom down the hall. "You've got to be kidding me," Kurt muttered, instantly forgetting why his heart was pounding and hands shaking. He stalked over to Finn's door, knocking loudly. "I'm not covering for you two again!" he shouted. "So don't sleep through the alarm. Be gone before Carole gets home, Rachel."

"Dude!" Finn exclaimed through the door. "Not cool! What the hell are you guys doing here? I thought you were out for the night!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Finn, Blaine lives here. I live here. Where exactly did you expect us to go for the night? Not like we live at Dalton anymore. We are going to be here, every single night. Get used to it."

Blaine kept his mouth shut until Kurt pulled him into their room and fairly slammed the door. "Baby?" he asked softly.

"Fuck," Kurt swore. He wrenched open the door and strode back down to Finn's room. "And Rachel, my dearest, best friend," he said, keeping his tone sweet. "Remember, I covered for you today, so Finn isn't grounded. Therefore, if you breathe a word about Blaine living here before he's ready to tell people, I'll make sure Dad and Carole get all sorts of information. Information you do not want them to have. Are we clear?"

"Of course, Kurt," Rachel called. "I would never divulge Blaine's secret."

"Yes you would," Kurt said. "But it would be hypocritical of me to deride you for being a gossip, given that I relied on it while I was at Dalton. Just, please, this time it's really important. So just keep your mouth shut for now, and we'll let you know when it's okay to let the cat out of the bag. Goodnight, Rachel. Goodnight, Finn. Keep the noise down, okay?"

"Sorry, dude," Finn called.

Kurt shook his head, and walked back to his bedroom. "Turn up the music," he said, closing the door. "Loudly. I'm going to take a shower, and they're having sex."

Blaine smiled slightly. "It's okay that they know," he said, looking up at Kurt from his perch on the edge of the bed. "Everyone is going to find out soon enough. I say we go with the 'my parents asked your parents if it was okay because I was commuting too far' defense."

"That's what Finn thinks is the truth anyhow, that's what he's going to tell Rachel," Kurt agreed. "So. Shower time. I'll be back soon. I'm sure you can occupy yourself, right?"

Blaine chewed on his lower lip for a moment, weighing what he was about to ask. "Can I join you?" he finally managed.

Kurt looked startled. He had suggested it that morning, but he still wasn't comfortable with Blaine being naked around him. "Um…"

"It's okay," Blaine said. "I just thought you might like to wash my hair, like you said you wanted to. And your dad and Carole are both gone for the night, Finn and Rachel are occupied…but it's okay, Kurt. We don't have to."

"No, I do, it's just…" Kurt sighed. "I'm getting far more comfortable being naked with you, but having you naked with me…I mean, I let you…with your fingers…but…"

Blaine smiled. "I know you're not ready to do anything besides lie there and let me touch you. I'm fine with that. And I'm not ever going to do anything you don't want. So if your issue is that you think me being naked is going to make me do something to you that you don't want, think again."

Kurt sighed. "You really can read me like a book, can't you."

"Sometimes. Not as often as I'd like. So, am I jerking off on your bed, or do I get the shower first?" Blaine asked.

"You can come with me," Kurt decided. "But would you mind if we turned off the light and just lit some candles or something? It's…bright in there."

"Why don't you just sit back and relax, let me take care of that?" Blaine asked. "Maybe do some of that homework that's due in a matter of hours that we haven't touched yet. I'll get everything ready in the bathroom."

Kurt smiled. "The homework is easy," he said. "At least, mine is. And I can help you with yours. We'll be done in no time." He sat down and pulled out his books, stumbling through his math homework in a matter of minutes. His history paper wasn't due until a week from Monday, and he realized with a start that he was actually going to have to do it. It was one of those things that had gone on the 'don't need to worry about, won't be here anyway' list. Kurt shrugged. Being alive, being Blaine's boyfriend, Finn's brother, Burt Hummel's son…all those things had come to mean so much more to him in the previous few days.

"How could I have ever even considered that?" Kurt shook his head, almost feeling like he was thinking about someone other than himself. He finished the verb conjugation for French, wondering idly if he would continue his language studies in college.

"Kurt?" Blaine called, peeking his head out the door. "I'm ready in here."

Kurt put aside the books. "I'll be right there," he said. He walked over to his closet and stripped off his clothing, hanging up the pants and shirt. He wrapped a thick terry robe around himself and entered the bathroom.

There were candles on almost every possible surface. Blaine had placed one of Kurt's thick, black towels on the floor, creating an even plusher mat than normal. "Well?" Blaine asked.

"Perfect," Kurt smiled. "Can we, that is…can I get in while you…"

"Of course," Blaine said. He reached for Kurt's hand, leading him over to the shower. Standing behind Kurt, Blaine pulled back the curtain, then eased the robe off of Kurt's shoulders, hanging it on a convenient hook far from any candles. Kurt stepped into the steaming water, giving a wordless purr of delight.

Blaine quickly shucked his own clothing, and stepped into the shower, making sure to stay as far away from Kurt as possible. He would give the other boy a chance to become accustomed to the idea before they touched.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked. "Can I…would you mind if I turned around to face you?" His voice was timid, unsure.

"I would love that," Blaine said, keeping his tone soft and light.

Slowly, Kurt turned around. Blaine drank in the sight of him, already half-hard. With a smile, Blaine realized that Kurt was looking him up and down as well. "Wow," Kurt whispered.

"What?" Blaine smiled.

"You…that…you're…"

"I'm no bigger than you are," Blaine said. "Which is kind of nice, really. Because I'd hate for either of us to get a size complex."

Kurt smiled. "You're just teasing me now," he said.

"Guilty as charged. But, um, Kurt, you're kinda blocking the water, and it's getting damned cold over here. I'm going to get really embarrassed if shrivelling starts happening on this end."

"Oh!" Kurt exclaimed. "Sorry!" He backed up, so that he was flush against the tile wall, the cascading stream of the shower between them. "Go ahead," he said.

Blaine took a slow, tentative step forward. And then another. He reached out and took Kurt's hands in his. "Not so bad?" he asked.

Kurt shook his head, a tiny smile on his face. "Nice, actually," he said. "Get your hair wet. I want to wash it." He reached for the shampoo. Giving himself something to do, something to think about besides the unpleasant thoughts that kept crowding his mind, he began to relax.

Blaine was in heaven. His back was to Kurt, and Kurt's hands were working the suds through his hair, giving him an expert scalp massage. The shorter boy steadied himself with both hands on the tile wall of the shower, trying to keep his involuntary moans of delight inside his head.

Then Kurt glided his hands down Blaine's shoulders and back, impulsively ghosting over the firm globes of Blaine's ass before pulling away with a squeak. "Sorry!" he exclaimed. "Um, let's get your hair rinsed."

Blaine smiled, and allowed Kurt to direct the shower stream to rinse his hair. Once all the suds were out, Blaine smiled up at him. "Thank you," he said, turning to face Kurt.

"You're welcome." Kurt leaned in for a kiss, and realized instantly what a mistake that was. Their bodies came into full contact, and both gasped. "Sorry!" Kurt exclaimed again.

"Shhh, it's okay," Blaine said. "There's nothing wrong with this, Kurt. Just be here with me. No pressure."

"Too much pressure," Kurt joked weakly, gesturing down between them. Both of them were hard. "I want…Blaine…" the name came out in a bit of a whine. "I don't get it."

"You don't get what?" Blaine asked.

"I want you. I've wanted you all along. But I'm so scared. I was scared before this happened, and now I'm terrified." Kurt sighed. "I'm sorry. This is so unfair to you."

"Get cleaned up. I'll get out and wait for you in the bedroom," Blaine said. "We have to get you taken care of again anyway." He offered an encouraging smile. "This isn't unfair to me, and we'll get through it."

"You're not mad at me?"

"I couldn't be mad at you," Blaine said. "Not for this. I love you."

"I love you."

Blaine washed himself quickly, unabashedly giving his cock a single long stroke, mostly to clean it. Kurt squeaked, and Blaine laughed, not unkindly. "Natural, Kurt. It's natural."

"I know," Kurt said, nibbling on his lower lip. It was hot, not that he was ready to admit that out loud. "Okay, you can go now, I'll get cleaned up, and I'll be in in a minute."

Blaine nodded. He leaned in from the side and kissed Kurt's shoulder. "I'll see you in a minute," he accepted. He stepped out, wrapping a towel around himself. "Do you want the light on, or just the candles?"

"The light, please," Kurt said. He'd found it kind of weird to shower in the near dark.

Blaine smiled to himself. That was perfect. The light blue shower curtain would keep Kurt from knowing exactly what he was doing. He turned on the light, and then carried the candles into the bedroom, setting them up on flame-resistant surfaces throughout the bedroom.

He was nearly finished creating his romantic atmosphere when there was a tentative knock at the bedroom door. "Kurt?" a timid, feminine voice asked.

"Rachel?" Blaine asked, surprised. He walked over to stand near the door. "What do you need?" he asked in a whisper. If Kurt knew Rachel was bothering them, there'd likely be hell to pay.

"This is so embarrassing. I wanted to ask Kurt…"

"Kurt's relaxing in the shower," Blaine said. "So you'll have to settle for me."

"Do you guys, um, do you guys have any condoms we could borrow?" Rachel asked.

"Unbelievable," Blaine chuckled softly. "Kurt's probably going to kill me for this." He walked over to the suitcases stacked against one wall, found the shaving kit, and pulled out the box. "Do not tell Kurt you took these. And please, just take them. I don't want them back when you're done borrowing them. I don't want to know how many you've used. I don't want to know if they're too big, too small, or just right. And close your eyes, Rachel, I'm only wearing a towel right now."

"Okay, eyes closed," Rachel chirped. She held out her hand, eyes flying open in surprise when she felt the box land in her hand. She'd obviously been expecting one or two, not the whole box. "Oops, sorry! Oh, wow. Do you know you're hot? I mean, seriously, why do you have to be gay?"

"Rachel!" Blaine exclaimed. "You're taking my only box of condoms, which Kurt and I don't need because we aren't having sex, and you're taking them so you can go have sex with Finn. Please do not talk about my appearance under these conditions. Just take them, go, and never, ever tell me how long it took you to go through the dozen. Kurt doesn't even know I have them, so not a single word. Ever." He shuddered. "Now go."

"Thanks!" Rachel leaned in as if she were going to kiss Blaine's cheek, but then thought better, and skipped off to Finn's bedroom.

"So Finn and Rachel can't plan ahead, and my boyfriend had condoms he didn't tell me about."

Blaine spun around to find Kurt leaning against the bathroom door. "Sorry, baby," he said. "I've had them a long time. Since before…since just after the first time things got a little too hot and heavy between us."

"My boyfriend, the boy scout," Kurt smiled. "I'm not upset. But we'll have to buy more now to have them on hand. So that when we do decide to take that step, we aren't cock-blocked by ourselves."

"I can put it on Carole's shopping list," Blaine teased. "Make sure she gets enough for Finn, too."

"Okay, okay, enough about my brother's sex life. I'm hurting, and only you can make it better. Wow. Did that sound as corny to you as it did to me?"

Blaine shook his head. "Uh-uh. But, while I don't like you in pain, I do like the sound of that." He turned the lock on the door knob and walked over to the bed. "Come join me?"

Kurt walked over. "Nice job with the candles," he said as he took off the towel and laid down on the bed.

Blaine laid down next to Kurt, keeping his own towel wrapped around his waist. "Let's get you taken care of." He suited action to words, quickly attending to Kurt's injuries with the taller boy wrapped in his arms, facing him much as he had that morning.

"Thank you," Kurt said. "That gets easier every time."

"I'm glad." Blaine smiled. "How are you feeling now?"

"Look at me," Kurt said, gesturing down his body. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

"I think you need a little relief. Lie back and relax, sweetheart." Blaine reached for the bottle of lubricant he'd set on the bedside table. "Now that I have my things, I'm a little more prepared," he explained.

"Just do it," Kurt said, looking down at his throbbing, weeping cock. "Make me forget. Please, Blaine…"

"You don't have to beg," Blaine murmured. He wrapped a lube-coated hand around his boyfriend's cock, and began to stroke slowly, from base to tip.

Kurt clutched the sheets, gasping for air. "Oh, God," he moaned. "Blaine…yes…make me forget."

Blaine kept a tight hold on his self-control, dragging out the pleasure for Kurt until his boyfriend was little more than a squirming puddle on the bed.

"Ung…Blaine…oh God…Blaine…" his breathing hitched, his eyes squeezed shut, and his entire body went momentarily rigid as he came.

Blaine, for his part, watched unabashedly as his boyfriend fell apart before his eyes. He gathered the still quaking teen into his arms, trailing little kisses along his neck and shoulder. Then, as Kurt was coming back to himself, Blaine bathed him with a conveniently nearby wet cloth.

"Ooh, cold!" Kurt squeaked, ineffectively swatting at Blaine's hand.

"Sorry, babe," Blaine smiled. "It's been sitting there a little while." He pulled Kurt flush against him, the towel doing nothing to hide his own arousal as it pressed insistently into Kurt's thigh.

"Can you, that is…" Kurt took a deep breath, and finally gave in to a previously unvoiced desire. "Can I watch?"

"Can you watch…oh!" Blaine exclaimed. "You want me to…okay, yeah, I can do that." He rolled onto his back, tugging the towel away. "If you're absolutely sure you're okay with this."

"I am." Kurt scanned his body. "You are beautiful," he said. "I don't understand what someone like you could possibly see in me."

Blaine merely smiled. "I love you," he said. He let his eyes fall closed, reaching for the bottle of lube.

Kurt watched in fascination as Blaine wrapped his hand around himself and stroked, moaning softly as the pleasure coursed through him. It took only a matter of minutes before Blaine gave a strangled shout, coming all over his hand and stomach. Kurt took the discarded towel from Blaine's shower and tentatively, carefully, wiped his boyfriend clean.

"You missed a spot," Blaine teased, gesturing to the drop of come clinging to the tip of his cock.

Without thinking, Kurt reached out and swiped it away with his finger, the first time his hand had touched that part of Blaine. He brought his thumb to his lips and sucked it away, surprised at the slightly bitter, and yet, alluring, taste. "Sorry, was that gross?" Kurt asked, taking in the astonished look on Blaine's face.

"No," Blaine breathed, slowly shaking his head back and forth. "Not at all. It was hot." He made to pull Kurt back into his arms.

"Oh. Um, Blaine, it's really late. We have to be up early for school. We'd better get that homework done. Cause Dad and Carole won't let us continue sharing a room if we start failing classes."

"Alright, alright," Blaine sighed. He stood and walked across the room, finding briefs and pajama pants in one of his drawers. Kurt wrapped a towel back around his waist and got his own pajamas. "No need to be modest," Blaine smiled. "I've already seen all you've got."

Kurt smiled sheepishly and let the towel fall. "I'm not used to this," he said. He kept his back to Blaine as he dressed quickly. "Set the alarm, so we don't over sleep in the morning, and we'll get our homework finished."

Blaine set the alarm and pulled out his homework. "Let's do this quickly," he said. "I don't want to be up all night."

"You don't want to be up all night," Kurt muttered, shaking his head. "I'm afraid to sleep. I'm going to be picturing Finn and Rachel using your condoms. Which…what if they're the wrong size…oh God, now I'm wondering…Blaine!"

"I'm sorry, baby," Blaine soothed. "C'mon, love, homework, and then sleep. In each others' arms. Where it's beautiful, and safe, and the only thoughts are of us."

"You are so corny," Kurt laughed. They raced through the homework. Kurt helped Blaine with an English assignment he'd done the year before, and practically did Blaine's French homework for him. Finally, they put the books away, and curled up around one another, Kurt's head pillowed comfortably on Blaine's chest. "I love you," Kurt breathed, pressing a kiss to the center of Blaine's bare chest.

"I love you, too," Blaine responded.

But Kurt couldn't really sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the neon sign from the gas station filled his thoughts. He tried to keep it from Blaine but in the wee hours of the morning, after the third consecutive nightmare, his crying woke up his boyfriend.

"Baby?" Blaine asked. "Are you alright?"

"No!" Kurt exclaimed, the floodgates loosed at Blaine's innocent question. "I'm not okay! Why did you have to stop there?" He pulled away from Blaine. "Why, Blaine?" He sat up in the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I can't stop reliving the fucking rape! And it's all because you had to stop at that fucking gas station!"

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine whispered, dismayed. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was that gas station until we were stopped, and the tank was on empty…I didn't think it was such a big deal."

"You didn't think?" Kurt asked. "You didn't think it was such a big deal? Didn't think it might be the least bit difficult for me to even be anywhere near the 'scene of the crime'? Gee, Blaine, what did you think would happen? That I'd look at the gas station and go 'Oh, hey! This is my new favorite place! Maybe we should have a picnic lunch at the truck stop one of these days?' Is that what you thought?"

"No! Kurt, baby, come on. I didn't know." Blaine turned on the bedside lamp, casting light across the bedroom.

"And when you did, you just kept going. Instead of locking the doors and driving away. You made me sit there, scanning the parking lot for that truck, for that man, who could be ready to take another victim at any moment! What if he was fucking someone while we were there?"

"You are not a victim," Blaine said, taking Kurt's face in his hands. "Look at me." When Kurt finally lifted his eyes to look into Blaine's, the shorter boy continued. "You are not a victim. You're a survivor. Through and through. A victim wouldn't be able to handle this," he gestured between the two of them. "A victim wouldn't be able to talk about what happened yet. No, Kurt, you're not a victim. You survived this. And tonight, at that gas station, I was so proud of you. So very, very proud of you."

Kurt was shaking, and he finally collapsed into Blaine's arms. "This sucks," he sniffled. "He's ruining my life."

"No, he's not. He did something horrible to you, Kurt. Something you're never going to forget. But you can't stop living because of it. You are stronger than that. Do you remember the first text message I sent you?"

"Of course." Kurt reached for the cell phone lying on the bedside table. "I still have it saved." He scrolled through, bringing up the single word. Courage.

"And you have enough of it for both of us, and then some. Kurt, I'm sorry we didn't go somewhere else, but really, we would have run out of gas, and I know you wouldn't do that to your poor car."

Kurt sighed. "How do you always know the logical thing to say? Even if I don't want to be logical?"

"It's a gift," Blaine said. "Please, can we try to sleep now? We have to be up in a few hours for school, and Carole isn't about to let us stay home."

"I don't want to stay home," Kurt said. "It's Regionals this week. It's going to be a tough week, but so, so worth it when we know we're going to Nationals. Together this time."

"Together," Blaine echoed. He drew Kurt down into the bed with him, pulling the blankets up to cover them both. "Goodnight."

This time, when Kurt said goodnight, he knew he'd be able to sleep.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! But don't criticize me for the smut. As I've told some of my readers, there's a real and intentioned reason I'm having Kurt react this way. Thanks. I love you all. :)