You are the best readers in the world! I love the support you all so openly give. It is appreciated and spurs me on to write even more. So, here we are, not even twelve hours later and I'm writing a new chapter. By the way, please read the author note at the end of the chapter, I have a fun favor to ask of you. Blaine, get ready, your world is about to crumble… Enjoy!

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Last time on "Unlock My Heart":

"What is it, love?" Nick asked, as always he was able to tell when his Soulmate was troubled. That and he could feel through their open Marks that Jeff was upset.

"I'm worried about Kurt, Nicky," Jeff said, crawling into bed.

Nick got in beside him and tucked their comforter around his sub. "What has you worried?"

Jeff sighed. "I don't know if I can say. I don't want to talk bad about someone's Soulmate and I'm afraid it would come off like that."

Nick pulled Jeff into his arms. "You are here, in our room, in my arms. You're safe and can say anything you want without fear. If you are worried for someone and need to share, then do so, regardless of whether it's talking bad about someone," he said.

"Kurt and I shared how we met our Soulmates and he was saying he didn't want a Soulmate because it meant he had a Dom. He even wore gloves so he didn't have to touch anyone. He went on to talk about how he hated being told what to do by a Dom and even some book where Blaine wrote rules and punishments. He asked me if you gave me rules and consequences and I froze. I didn't know what to say because I didn't want to say something bad about Blaine. I just changed the subject and said that all couples were different. I'm worried, Nick. I mean, you know what Blaine knows, you are in all his classes. Is what he is doing right?" Jeff asked, worry making him frown.

"Baby, please try not to worry. We'll figure out a way to help them both. And yeah, I'm in those classes, too. I don't know if we hear things so completely different from one another or what Blaine's issue is," Nick said. He pushed Jeff's blonde hair off his forehead. Kissing him softly, he sighed. "What is Blaine doing to him?" he whispered, his expression troubled.

. . . . . . . . .

"Hey, Blaine, I talked to Wes this morning. He and Layla will be moving in next weekend. He was wondering if we wanted to meet for coffee this afternoon to catch up and such," Nick said, leaning into Blaine and Kurt's apartment two days later. "I was thinking Jeff could take Kurt shopping. He wanted to get more feedback on decorating tips anyway."

Blaine looked at Kurt who just shrugged. "Um, sure, that sounds good. What time?"

"Four o'clock at the Spork," Nick said, referring to the popular diner near Dalton.

"I'll be there," Blaine said with a smile.

"Great. Kurt, is it okay if Jeff comes and bugs you around that time?" Nick asked, raising his voice so the boy on the couch could hear him.

"Sounds wonderful, Nick. Tell him I'm looking forward to it," Kurt called.

"Alright. See you crazy kids later," Nick said with a parting smile.

Blaine closed the door and rejoined Kurt on the couch. Kurt didn't meet his gaze and Blaine knew this wasn't going to be pretty. Finally, Kurt looked up at him, fury burning in his blue green eyes.

"You are seriously telling me you are going to try and punish me because I lost sleep because of you? Who the hell do you think you are?" Kurt hissed.

"You know the rules, Kurt, I was very clear on my expectations. You are to get seven hours of sleep per night. You admitted to me yourself that you got less than three hours that night and not much more over the past two nights," Blaine said, striving to keep his voice calm. He had to do this. He had to set a precedent that his rules would be obeyed. He couldn't let it slide, even if he was the reason behind it. "You could have stayed in bed and tried to sleep more, but you chose not to."

"Blaine, it took me two freaking hours to fall asleep just to get the few hours I did that night. I am seriously unable to even process this right now! You were drunk and tried to force yourself on me, you threatened to make me and now, because I was stressed out by you and didn't sleep well, you are going to punish me?" Kurt was incredulous. "Is this just you being twisted and eager to punish me? Huh? Trying to get your Dom rocks off?"

Blaine's jaw dropped at Kurt's language. He'd never heard his Soulmate use words like these. He had to put a stop to it. "Stop speaking," he demanded, the Dom order echoing in the room.

Kurt opened his mouth to yell and found he couldn't get a sound out. His breath blew out of his mouth, attempting to make a noise but it was fruitless.

"Yes, I was at fault that night. But two wrongs do not make a right, Kurt. You are responsible to take care of yourself. Not only have you not been sleeping seven hours per night, but you didn't eat three meals that day or the next day," he said. He held up their rule notebook so Kurt could see it. "We wrote these out together and you agreed to follow the rules set forth. You agreed that it was for your benefit. You may speak," he said.

"First, I never, ever agreed that it was for my benefit. Those rules are all your way of changing me to be the Stepford sub of your dreams," Kurt said, his words biting, but his tone quiet. If he had any chance of getting his point across, he had to at least stay civil. The shock of Blaine's Dom demand still coursed through him. He couldn't believe this was even happening. It was surreal. "Second, I again state that my lack of sleep and eating meals was all based on the stress that you caused me. You caused it, Blaine! I was literally terrified that you would use a Dom order to force me to kiss you. And if you were willing to go to that length to get obedience, what would you force me to do next? Have sex with you? Sit at your feet like a loyal puppy?"

"Enough, Kurt. I apologized for that and I haven't even insisted that we be intimate since then. I am making it right by giving you your space. I know I did wrong. But like I have said several times now, just because I made a mistake doesn't mean you can neglect your health. If nothing else, you should take care of yourself more than usual because of the stress you are going through. I would never, ever force you to have sex with me. I can't even believe you would say that to me. You are the most important person in my life! Why do you insist on vilifying me? I don't understand. Please tell me why you hate me so much," Blaine asked, tears shining in his eyes.

"I don't hate you, Blaine," Kurt scoffed. "I don't like you very much right now. Try to see things from my view, okay? You are given rules to change you, you are threatened with punishments like a child, you are punished for the stress caused by another person, you are expected to depend on someone else to make all of your major life choices. And to top it off, you are expected to like it! How would you feel? And please, be honest," Kurt challenged.

"I can't see that from your view, Kurt, because I know the reasons behind the rules and punishments. I know that it is for your betterment and benefit. As for making major life choices, I don't expect you to let me make those decisions. Do I want you to come to me for guidance and wisdom? Yes, absolutely. But every couple in the world does that. Would you be happy if I chose a college to go to, but didn't discuss it with you?" Blaine asked.

"No, I wouldn't be happy. But can you honestly tell me that you would let me decide on my college choice and you wouldn't prefer to pick for me?" Kurt asked bluntly.

Blaine sighed. There was no winning in this conversation. He was so frustrated that Kurt wouldn't listen to him, wouldn't even consider that there were other ways of living and seeing things then just his own. He wanted to be there for Kurt, wanted to share his opinions and thoughts on what might be best for him. If Kurt would just give him a chance, he could prove his love and devotion through his actions and decisions. Kurt would be able to see how better his life could be with Blaine's hand in it.

"What do you remember about your parents interacting with each other," Blaine asked out of the blue.

Kurt looked at him sideways. "What do you mean?"

"What do you remember? Your mom was a submissive. Did she fight over every little thing with your dad? Or did she let him be who he needed to be?" Blaine clarified.

"My mom and dad were a couple in love. They worked together on everything. If Dad had a problem, he went to her and vice versa. You wouldn't have been able to tell who was the Dom and who was the sub," Kurt said, his voice arctic cold.

Blaine could see that bringing up his mom probably wasn't the best decision. "Okay, I'm sorry for bringing up your mom. We are done discussing this. You will be punished and then you will go to bed early tonight, willingly or ordered to do so."

Kurt stood up, his eyes on fire. "No. You will not order me to do so and you will not punish me for something you did. End of story. I'll just go back to my Dad's house," he said matter-of-factly.

Blaine stood as well, wishing he had the few inches on Kurt that the boy had on him. "Kurt, this is for your own good. Kneel. Now."

"No," Kurt whispered in shock. But just as his lips had sealed earlier, his knees buckled and he fell to his knees in front of Blaine.

"Head down, arms behind your back," Blaine demanded. "Sit there until I get back."

Kurt's head fell forward, his arms reaching to clasp hands behind him. He heard Blaine leave the room, Kurt stuck in the submissive pose. Tears burned his eyes. This wasn't happening. Blaine had taken it one step too far. To make him kneel like this was beyond wrong. As he sat there, tears streaking down his face, he started to calm. The break from the arguing was just what he needed. Though he should have been completely uncomfortable in this position, he found himself relaxing to the point where he knew he could fall asleep if he let himself. Another tear dripped from his nose. This couldn't be happening. He knew as well as he knew his name, that this submissive pose was good and right. It brought such relief from the stress he'd been feeling over the last couple of hours. His body, his mind, right down to his very DNA was happy in this moment as he submitted to this ignored side of himself. It wasn't that he was giving in to Blaine or following an order. It was letting go, plain and simple. He let go of the stress, the argument, the tension in his shoulders and neck. Being here was calming, relaxing, and gave him more of a feeling of home than he had ever felt in his life. As wonderful as he felt in that moment, he knew one thing for sure. He could never let Blaine know.

Blaine came out of the bedroom and stopped, staring at the kneeling form of his Soulmate. Everything in him knew this was good and right and how it should be. He could see how Kurt was feeling, the looseness of his limbs, the quiet calm in the features he could see. Kurt was in the place he needed to be in. Blaine wished that it was him that Kurt needed, that he had known Kurt would find this kind of relief in the sub pose. But, no. Blaine had demanded the pose to suit his selfish needs, to put his Soulmate 'in his place'. Now, seeing how his spitefulness was now benefiting Kurt, made him feel lower than low, knowing he'd used it against him. The realization hit him like a punch in the stomach.

He walked to Kurt, unable to ignore how stunningly beautiful Kurt looked like this. The absolute peace in his expression was something Blaine had never been able to put on his face.

Sinking to his knees, he reached out to caress Kurt's cheek. "Kurt, you can relax now," he said, waiting until Kurt lifted his head up, his sad eyes almost a silvery gray. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have ordered you like that. I thought I knew what I was doing, being your Dom and Soulmate. I've taken the classes, done the work and really thought I had it all down. Now I know I don't know squat about how to be a good Soulmate, much less a decent Dom. I've failed you, Kurt, and I am so, so sorry," he said, tears streaming down his face. "I'm going to go meet with the guys. You are free to hang out with Jeff, if you'd still like to. I would like to continue this conversation later, if that's okay."

Kurt stared at Blaine, seeing a broken man in front of him. What had happened in the last few minutes? What had gone on in his mind? "Okay," he said. "I'll make sure to eat lunch while we're out," he said quietly.

Blaine smiled shakily, pleased. "I will, too," he said.

. . . . . . . .

When Blaine, Nick, and Wes had ordered their food, they caught up on each other's summer activities.

"You had the biggest summer what with finding your Soulmate," Wes said, grinning at Blaine. "How is that going?"

Blaine looked down, clasping his hands together tightly. "I'm pretty much a monumental failure," he said bluntly.

Wes and Nick traded looks. "What makes you say that?" Wes asked.

"I've done everything I was supposed to do," Blaine said helplessly. "I gave him rules and boundaries, offered him guidance and all he has done since day one was fight me. I thought he was supposed to thrive in that kind of environment. That's what we've learned all these years. But he hates me because of it. He despises it when I give him Dom orders, though I'm only trying to do what's right," Blaine said.

Wes held up a hand. "Hold on, Blaine. You said you give him Dom orders? What happened? Was he in danger?"

Blaine cocked his head. "Um, no. I've told him to settle down when we've fought. Today I told him to stop talking and then told him to kneel. I just wanted him to stop arguing with me," he said.

Nick gasped while Wes wiped a hand over his face.

"Blaine, that is an abuse of a Dom order. Dom orders are only to be used if your Soulmate is in danger or is in risk of some sort of harm, mental or physical. Using it to stop an argument is just plain manipulative and wrong," Wes said.

"But the books say to use the Dom order to help a sub get in touch with their submissive nature," Blaine said, confused.

"The books also say women should never wear pants or work outside the home and men should make sure to get the family to church on Sundays," Nick pointed out gently. "Blaine, those books haven't been updated since the early sixties."

"Not to mention they weren't exactly open to gays and lesbians," Wes said. "What kinds of rules do you have in place?"

Blaine waited until the waitress set their food in front of them. He was finding it hard to concentrate. It felt like his entire world just got turned on its ear. "Um. Well, I want him to eat three meals a day and sleep at least seven hours a night. He hasn't been doing that so we were discussing it today and I was going to punish him with lines," Blaine said.

"You were going to punish him for not eating or sleeping enough? Blaine, he's not a child," Nick said.

"What other kinds of rules, Blaine?" Wes said, holding a hand up to Nick.

"Things like keeping the house clean, cooking dinner, doing homework on time, working on intimacy," Blaine said.

"What do you mean, working on intimacy," Wes interrupted.

"Well, I haven't claimed him yet because he has been so against his nature this whole time. So, I told him I wanted to work toward becoming more intimate, hopefully ending in the claiming before the month was up," Blaine said, his speech slowing as he saw the horror spreading across the faces of his friends.

"Blaine," Nick breathed in shock.

"You actually created a rule that your Soulmate, your Soulmate, had to become intimate with you, whether ready or not, and within a month's time had to be ready to submit to sex? Please tell me I'm wrong, Blaine," Wes said, completely outraged.

"You're not wrong," Blaine whispered, shame coloring his cheeks bright red.

"How is that supposed to foster love and a real feeling of intimacy between you if he is basically being forced into bed with you?" Wes asked.

"I didn't know what else to do. I figured if I pushed it a little bit that he would be forced to at least give me a chance. I was sure that if I was given the chance that he would enjoy himself and maybe build a little love for me," Blaine said. "He is so set on not loving me, not submitting, not even wanting to be in this relationship."

"And what have you done to make him want to be in the relationship?" Wes asked softly.

Blaine opened his mouth to answer, but stopped. Other than pushing Kurt, he hadn't done anything other than pushing his love away.

"Blaine, listen," Wes said. "In regards to what we've learned in school, you can't take it all so literally. Just like anything we learn. You have to take it as a reference, not the rule. As for Kurt not being open to the relationship, I'm sorry, but he has every right to feel that way. Just because you are Soulmates doesn't mean he has to fall deeply in love with you. From what you've said, it sounds like Kurt never really wanted a Soulmate, especially not a Dom. You can't expect him to just change overnight. Subs are not all alike, just as Doms are not all alike. He doesn't need to live up to some premade notion of what you think a sub and Soulmate should be. If he was hesitant about the relationship, you should have wooed him, made him fall in love with you. Being a Soulmate means the possibility is there for love, not necessarily that it will already exist. I hate to say it, but you really need to rethink things or you may end up losing him altogether."

"How do I fix this without undermining my authority as his Dom?" Blaine asked.

"Do you hear yourself Blaine? Undermining your authority? Is he your slave? Is that how you see subs? I think what you need to do is forget the entire concept of Doms and subs for now. You're being too much of a Dom and not enough of a Soulmate. You need to take care of him and keep him safe through your own efforts, not rules that you've given him. Let him live the life he desires, not the one you desire for him. It's through that and that alone that love, and eventually submission, will come. Otherwise, all you will have is someone who resents you," Wes said.

Tears streaked down the brokenhearted Dom's face. "I can't lose him," he said.

"We'll help you, Blainers. Don't worry. We won't let you screw this up anymore," Nick said.

Blaine glared at him then gave him a watery smile. "Thanks guys."

"Alright. Operation woo Kurt is a go!" Wes declared.

With the support of his friends, Blaine could only hope that there was a chance for him to build a relationship from the mess he made.

. . . . . . . . .

Long chapter! Yay! Please review, I love reading all of your opinions!

Now for a favor…. I've never written from a prompt before and I want to give it a try. Will you consider sending me a writing prompt please? Be as in depth or not as you'd like. If I choose yours I will write it as a one-shot and give you credit for the prompt. Send it as a pm or a review. Thanks all! I hope to see lots of prompts!