Kurt didn't register just how hard he was shaking until he felt a tentative hand come to rest on his cheek, the boy was so close now. Close enough… His expression had changed from terrified to curious, he wasn't crying anymore but simply staring straight into Kurt's own wide eyes. A small boy with eyes swimming in gold, staring at his captor with concern far beyond his years.

"Your eyes are pretty." He said softly, his small hand sweeping across Kurt's forehead and brushing his hair back.

"I didn't know boy's eyes could be pretty." Kurt managed to choke out.

"Yours are. Shining."

A long and controlled breath hissed through Kurt's lips. His mate. God, his wait was over, he'd found his mate. His maker had brought him his mate but he was just so small. So young. His demon didn't care, not a lick. It was screaming inside Kurt's head, clawing at him and demanding that he get over his internal crisis and tie his mate to him forever.

No. He was just a boy; even Kurt couldn't do that to such a young boy. Kurt didn't even know how it was possible; he thought humans just weren't compatible for vampires. Sebastian's eyes hadn't glowed before Adam killed him; it had just been sheer luck on the elder's side. The child in front of him was certainly not a vampire, not with the way his blood was singing out to Kurt.

But he was Kurt's mate, there was no second guessing that. After so many years of belonging to no-one, having no idea where his other half was, he had finally found the one he was meant to share eternity with. He'd found him in the most unlikely form, his destiny. His mate.

And the demon wanted to scream it all to the world, show everyone his bloody mates throat.

Take him. He's yours.

No.

No.

He was so young, Kurt wasn't about to tie himself to a child. Not now. A heavy sigh fell from Kurt's mouth, he had to get the boy out of here, get him home. He needed his mate as far from any danger as possible. Then… Well, then Kurt would wait. The boy was his. He would watch and wait as he grew older, old enough for Kurt to take what was his. He would need to make sure no other nasty took a bite from his boy in the meantime.

"Coopy's gonna be in trouble Mama told us not to go 'way. Am I not 'llowed to go home?" The boy sniffled, his eyes welling with tears.

The thought of anyone bringing his mate any harm made the demon grown protectively inside of Kurt's mind and the urge to sink his fangs into the boys throat rose up once more, keep him safe forever. He needed to get him away. Far away.

"Don't worry sweetheart, no-one's going to be in any trouble." Kurt forced a smile and tucked a few of the boys errant curls behind his ear.

"I'm going to take you home, okay? Back to your mom." A sincere smile fought its way onto Kurt's face as the boys eyes softened, warming the vampire with the undeserved feeling of the boys tender trust.

"What's your name, honey?"

He buried his face adorably into the fur of his stuffed toy. "Blaine" he mumbled.

"Blaine, hm?"

He nodded. "Blaine Devon Anderson."

Kurt chuckled slightly. "Didn't your mom teach you not to tell strange people your name?"

Another nod. "O'course." He paused. "But… I know you."

Kurt ducked his head and he shuddered another sigh, tears stinging his eyes. It just wasn't fair, he'd waited so long and now here he was. Too young to claim but his, completely his. The world had fallen down around him in simple seconds, whatever cause he'd dedicated his existence to for the past century was now null and void. Decades following Dave amounted to absolutely nothing. He couldn't fathom another second around his makeshift family, not now he'd found him. He couldn't think about doing anything but watch over Blaine until it was time. Keep him safe. Keep him protected from monsters… Like himself.

"No, not a stranger." He agreed, body stiffening as Dave's scent wafted near the door. "You do know me."

"But I don't 'member you."

"I know, honey but it's okay." That's just something I'll explain when you're older. Kurt cleared his throat. Much older.

A creak sounded by the door that Kurt had entered and Blaine's eyes went wide, filling with fear once more. "He's back!" He cried, tears already flooding down his rosy cheeks. "The man, he's back. He's gonna hur' me!" Blaine threw his small body at Kurt's, small legs hitting Kurt's bent ones.

A dark veil fell over Kurt's fact and he almost saw red. "Hurt you?" He growled.

"The man… Did he hurt you? Before you saw me?"

Blaine shook his head, curls bouncing. "No, he says I'm a su'pise."

"Surprise?" Kurt deciphered.

"For you. For Kur'"

Dave had brought his mate to him, there was no way he would have done that consciously. Not intentionally. He knew how Kurt felt about mates, knew he would leave him in an unnecessary breath if he even caught a whiff of his forever. Whilst his maker never entertained any aspirations of offering himself to Kurt, he was extremely possessive when it came to things that he though belonged to him. He would never have brought Kurt's mate to him if he knew that's what Blaine was. And, well, Dave was right about one thing.

You, my darling Blaine, were most certainly a surprise.

"Kuuurt." Dave cooed, edging his way into the darkness. Blaine gasped again and buried his face into Kurt's chest, his small arms snaked around Kurt's throat. Kurt could feel the hum of Blaine's pulse just inches below his mouth and his fangs had no problem with Blaine's age. It wanted Blaine's blood, it craved it.

Kurt had never felt so wrong about anything before.

He turned his head to see Dave lounging on the side cabinet, smirking down at him.

"Do you like him?

"Absolutely, Dave. He's pretty as a picture."

"I knew you wouldn't stay mad at me for too long. His blood is all yours."

You have no idea, David.

Kurt forced his eyes shut, his arms wrapping around Blaine's small arms. "Let go, sweetheart." He murmured soothingly. "Just for a minute, okay?"

"No!" The boy wailed. "He's gonna hur' me!"

Dave moved further into the room, his large brow furrowed. "Is he not playing well?"

"Kur'!" The boy was sobbing and Kurt swore he felt his unbeaten heart give a jolt and break at the sight. The demon inside still raging for his blood and the left over man only wanting to soothe him and Kurt had never been so thoroughly torn. "Don' lemme go, please!"

Dave's gleeful laughter boomed into the room. "Fuck me. You've got to love the tears. Nice bit of seasoning."

"David-"

"No no no no, Kur'!"

"Hmm… Maybe we should just tie him down. I can't be bothered with all the flailing. It wasn't fun when you did it and it's still my least favourite bit. We could take turns." Dave sneered. "Make him scream."

Kurt's fangs elongated and his eyes turned black, he couldn't help it. Amidst Blaine's screams and Dave's nasty laughter, the demon burst its way through and Kurt forfeited control. No-one would harm Blaine. He didn't care what he had to do, or what he might lose, nothing mattered. He had to get Blaine out.

"No." Kurt barked out.

Dave's laughter stopped. "Aren't you happy, Kurt?"

"No. no. Of course I'm happy. I love your presents." Kurt turned to face Dave fully, doing his best to ignore the feel of the boy now wrapping his body around his leg. "But… It's my present, right? Mine."

"Mmm. Selfish boys don't get presents."

"Well…" Kurt leant forward and brushed a kiss across Dave's cheek. "I can always make it up to you later, you can tie me up?"

Dave let out a smile at that, he enjoyed when strong-headed Kurt became more submissive.

"See? I know just how to take care of you too." Another kiss to Dave's cheeks. "Why don't you go find Sebastian?"

Dave's eyes lit up at the mention of his precious Daddy.

Kurt nodded encouragingly. "He was talking about you, earlier. I think he wants some play time with you himself."

And it worked, thank the first maker it worked. With an elated laugh Dave pumped his fist before jogging out of the room. Kurt waited until he could hardly smell the large vampire anymore before allowing the unneeded breath he'd been holding to rush through his lips.

That's one problem taken care of.

Blaine's arms tightened around his leg.

"He gone now?" He asked softly, his voice still crackling with tears. "It's okay now?

Kurt closed his eyes.

"He's gone, sweetheart."

"He coming back?"

"Not tonight, sweetheart."

If he knew Sebastian, he knew that Dave would be occupied for most of the day now but it still didn't make it safe for Blaine. Nothing did. Kurt had to keep him safe until nightfall, had to try and keep himself awake. He also had to keep the boy safe from himself, away from Kurt's itching fangs.

At the same time, Kurt recognised that this was all he was allowed. For years, this would be the nearest he could be to his own mate without engadering him. Whatever time he had with Blaine was precious. He could coddle him throughout the day, try to envision the man that Blaine would eventually become and, at the same time, pretend that the following years wouldn't be the longest ones of his life. Human or vampire.

The demon still raged on to take the young boy, repeatedly snarling that Blaine was his.

Kurt made himself smile as he gathered Blaine up into his arms, making sure to scoop up his scruffy bear as well. He remembered being a young boy and having clear affinities for inanimate objects so he didn't want to be the one to leave Blaine without something else for comfort. Futhermore he wanted to relax Blaine as much as possible, he knew the boy must not have slept a lot whilst being dragged around by Dave so he wanted him to be able to sleep.

"Blaine, it's time to have a little nap, okay? I'll take you home as soon as I can, but you need to have a sleep first."

"Wha' about the man?"

Blaine's question coincided quite oddly with a loud crash from the floor above them and Kurt's eyebrow arched with a familiar feeling of irritation, although it was more obligatory than painful this time. Kurt understood Dave, even if he ached although on the other hand the demon didn't care, he had forgotten all about Dave in favour of the radiance of his mate's presence. The demon didn't see Blaine's age, it didn't want to wait.

Kurt just wouldn't allow it. He needed his humanity to overpower the thing Dave had created in him over a hundred years ago.

"Don't you worry about him." He told Blaine, carrying him over to the bed he usually shared with Dave. "He won't be bothering you."

Kurt stopped and scrunched his face up when he reached the edge of the mattress, a shuddering running through him. He couldn't take this young boy the the place he'd been with the man before him. His eyes scanned the room before settling on a worn rocker in the corner, it had probably been there from when they arrived but they'd had no use for it. He decided it would have to do.

"Where'd he go?"

Cue another crash and a loud laugh from the floor above.

"Um… That's something you can ask your mom… In a few years, okay?"

"A grown up thingy?"

"Exactly that."

Blaine's nose crunched up in an adorable manner and he tightened his arms around Kurt when he settled into the rocker. "Mama says that when Coopy's done somin naughty."

"Well, she has her reasons."

"One time daddy was watching somin on TV. Tha' was a grown up thingy."

"Mm?"

"A man was hurtin a lady."

"Your dad was watching that? On TV?"

"Mama yelled."

"I would have too." Kurt brushed a kiss across Blaine's brow and almost shivered at the taste of his sweet skin. "How old are you, Blaine?"

He held up four fingers.

"Wow, four."

Fuck. Four years old. He had to wait…

"I'm gonna be five soon."

Eighteen. He'd wait until Blaine was eighteen. Fourteen years.

"Oh, when's that?"

"Jan-u-ry" Blaine widened his mouth as he tried to pronounce the month from memory.

"And is there anything special you've asked for?"

"A raff."

"A raff?"

"Yup. He's tall an' dotty. He lives in the shop, I saw him at night. Mama let me an' Coopy go birthday shop and I saw the raff."

Kurt's eyes fell shut. Dave had taken an innocent little boy when he was out with his family looking for birthday presents. He knew he had a lot to thank Dave for but it was hard to think with Blaine breathing to heavily on his lap talking about a tall, dotty… Giraffe. He wanted a giraffe.

"When do you turn five?"

"Is the raff like your bear?" He poked Blaine's teddy in the stomach. "Soft and fluffy?"

"Sargent Coop isn't fluffy. He's feared."

"Sargent Coop? That's the bear's name?"

"O' course. Coopy's my fav-o-rit person in the worl' and he's brave and we're all mama's little soldiers. Tha's jus' his name." Blaine replied indignantly

"Right." Kurt smiled, Blaine was a picture of innocence. He felt a small bit of jealousy flair up at the repeated mention of 'Coopy' but by the sounds of it he was Blaine's brother, being his mom's other 'little soldier'

"So, is the raff like Sargent Coop?"

"He's a aminal, yep."

"Aminal?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Well, that's smart. Raff's are pretty big and it'd probably be quite messy in your mom's house."

"Why mess?"

He didn't really want to explain what kind of mess a real animal would make so he just pulled gently on a curl on Blaine's forehead.

"Never mind." He watched the curl bounce back into its place. "Just be a good boy for me and maybe there'll be an extra surprise on your birthday, okay?"

"Raff?"

"Ah, ah, ah, sweetheart." Kurt pressed a finger to his own lips, blue eyes twinkling in the darkened room. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise?"

"Humph."

"Hey now, don't get all pouty on me." Kurt smiled and kissed his forehead again. The demon almost roared at the display of compassion but Kurt forced himself not to care. "Sleeping time now."

"An' you won' let the man back?"

"Never."

Blaine smiled and closed his eyes, seemingly content with Kurt's answer. He tugged his teddy up to his chest and sighed.

"Mama sings to me. A rullabye."

"I don't think I know any lullabies, honey."

"Coopy sings Beatle."

Kurt smiled. "That I can do."

He'd sung to his own father when his health had deteriorated when he was still human more times than he was willing to remember and that memory had never seemed as precious as it did now.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night…"

Blaine was asleep within minutes, his angelic face bringing Kurt comfort even with the drool that spilled onto his shirt.

In less than an hour, his world had been granted new life. He had a new reason for living. A new reason for surviving.

How it was in the body of a child, he didn't know. Only that he would willingly die if it meant protecting him. Kurt was a vampire and Blaine was his mate. That was simply the way it was. Everything he had even known forbade him from even considering anything else.

The rest he would think about later.

After all, he had a lot of time on his hands.