Fic: Animalium (3/6)
Title: Animalium: Gifts
Author: impromptucoffee
Rating: PG
Summary: "We're known as animalium." - There were many stories Blaine had heard growing up about the humans who weren't so human. They were feared, different.
Word count: 1,508
Disclaimer: I own nada.
- - - - - - - -
“Happy December 9th.”
Blaine flicked his eyes between Kurt’s face above him, smiling widely, and the open hands in front of his own face. There was a single red rose lying across Kurt’s palms and Blaine took it, sniffing it once. “Thank you.” Kurt nodded, leant down and placed a lingering kiss on Blaine’s cheek, then walked away. Blaine watched him go until the tip of his tail had disappeared with the rest of him around a corner.
David leant over from the table next to Blaine’s. “What was that about?”
Blaine shrugged, placed the rose carefully over his work and dug through his bag for his diary. He flicked through to December 9th and frowned at the blank page. There was nothing of importance coming in the next week either. He looked back up at the open doors Kurt had left through and idly played with the petals of the rose. Muttering a quick goodbye to David, he packed up his things and headed for his dorm.
- - - - - - - -
Blaine’s computer was sleeping as he came into his room so he flopped into his desk chair, woke it up and placed the rose in his pencil pot for the time being. He brought up Google and typed in ‘cats bringing gifts.’
A various assortment of websites came up. There was of course the typical range of questions on Yahoo Answers from people too lazy to look it up themselves and he searched for about ten minutes and came to one conclusion: Kurt was hunting. Sort of. Blaine knew cats tended to bring gifts of dead mice or other animals home so he assumed the flower was the animalium way of doing it. Romance rather than rats.
- - - - - - - -
Kurt didn’t bring anything else until three days later. Blaine had barely seen him all day and after Warbler practice, he had leant over to ask Kurt if they were still heading to the Lima Bean, but he was gone. Blaine walked up to his room on his own and lay staring at his ceiling for the next forty-five minutes. He was interrupted after that time by Kurt stood in his doorway with a red nose and two cups of coffee, each with the Lima Bean logo on the side. Blaine pushed himself up to lean on his elbows.
“Why did you go without me?”
“It’s cold outside,” Kurt said simply, shutting Blaine’s door and passing Blaine his coffee once he’d sat up. When Blaine looked confused, Kurt tutted. “I know how much you hate driving in the cold because by the time the inside of the car is a good temperature, we’ve arrived at the Lima Bean so I went to get your coffee for you and saved you the fuss.”
Blaine took a sip of his coffee and glanced up at Kurt, who was now sat opposite him on the bed, through his lashes. “I like the fuss if it means spending time with you.” Kurt smiled and ducked his head. “But thank you.” Blaine took another mouthful and let the warmth seep through him. He then eyed the cup curiously. “This is a medium drip.”
“That’s what you always have.” Kurt cocked his head to the side. “Isn’t it?”
“This is a medium drip… with cream.”
Kurt shrugged casually and drank his own coffee. “You only ever order cream to treat yourself after a competition win or a good exam. Today it’s my turn to treat you for just being you.”
“We’re so cheesy,” Blaine laughed, placing his coffee on the bedside table. Kurt watched him get onto his knees and place his hands either side of his crossed legs, so their faces hovered close. “But thank you. Again.” Kurt leant forward for a kiss, cupping Blaine’s cheek with his free hand and murmuring, “You’re welcome,” between breaths.
- - - - - - - -
It turns out Kurt’s gifts got bigger and/or more expensive over time. After the coffee, Blaine rolled over in the morning, expecting Kurt to be by his side but in his place was a large toy puppy. A huge toy puppy in fact. Kurt can’t have been long gone because the spot he slept in was still warm but the bathroom door was open and the light off so Blaine figured he’d gone back to his own dorm. He turned his attention back to the toy and tangled his fingers through its fake fur. It was soft and stuffed the perfect amount so its limbs were flexible. As Blaine played with one of the ears, a small post it note fell to the pillow. He picked it up and grinned upon reading it, placing it on his pin board when he got up, looking over it one last time.
Good morning, puppy.
- - - - - - - -
Two days later, Kurt had approached Blaine, blue bow tie with yellow skulls on in hand. Blaine had kissed Kurt silly then looked the item over, his smile ever-growing until he saw the label.
“Kurt, is this Alexander McQueen?” Kurt had nodded in response, taken one last kiss and walked away. “Well, it’s better then something dead,” Blaine said to himself, heading off to class.
- - - - - - - -
By the sixth gift, (dinner at Breadstix, given after a new scarf and their first handjob - okay, so the handjob may not have been a gift, but Blaine was counting it) Blaine was starting to think Kurt had no idea this was animalium behaviour. After insisting Blaine could order whatever he liked and as much of it as he liked, Blaine had to ask.
“Kurt?”
“Mmm?” Kurt hummed, tapping his finger thoughtfully over a dish on the menu.
“Why do you keep giving me things?” Blaine winced because it wasn’t supposed to sound- “Nice to know you appreciate them,” - like that. Kurt was looking up at him now, tone flat and eyes hard. “I love them,” Blaine said earnestly, laying a hand over Kurt’s, “but you’ve done so much for me the past couple of weeks. We don’t usually treat each other this often.”
Kurt looked back down at his menu. “You know don’t you?”
“If you’re talking about knowing it’s animalium behaviour, then yes.”
“Google?”
“Google,” Blaine nodded. Kurt nodded too, swiping his thumb across the top of Blaine’s.
“I looked it up after I gave you the rose,” Kurt begun. “I got back to my room and my only thought was ‘Why did I do that?’”
“Oh,” Blaine said quietly, picking at the tablecloth with his free hand.
“No, I did want to give you it I just didn’t know why.” Blaine gave him a small smile. “I saw it on my desk and couldn’t think of doing anything else with it but giving it to you. So I did.”
“Romance rather than rats,” Blaine said to himself with a small laugh. Kurt frowned at him. “After I worked out what you were doing was the animalium form of hunting, that phrase just sort of… happened.” Kurt was still eyeing him with a strange look. Blaine leant forward to rest his elbow on the table and gesticulate with his hand. “You know how cats bring in dead animals to show their hunting skills?” Kurt nodded. “I figured you’d just bring me gifts you know I’d love because for the animalium part of you, I’m your…”
“Owner,” Kurt finished.
“I obviously don’t think I’m your owner because you’re your own being and I’d never claim you to be my property or anything an-“
“Blaine!” Kurt cut him off laughing, squeezing his hand. “You’re not my owner, but,” Kurt cocked his head to the side, looking Blaine straight in the eye, “I do belong to you.” He shrugged one shoulder. “You have my heart and everything so.” Blaine made a strangled sound in his throat and looked around nervously before getting up just enough to lean across and kiss Kurt. He flopped back in his seat with a grin, watching Kurt’s ears twitch a little. Kurt smiled back and waved his tail from side to side. “You liked the gifts though?” Blaine nodded. “Good. So you won’t mind if they keep coming? Or random ones every now and then? I’m going to try and work on ways to control my behaviours but-“
“As long as I can give some back,” Blaine interrupted.
Kurt sighed lightly. “Blaine, you don’t have to.”
“You’ve given me loads recently and you deserve something in return. Just let me, okay?”
“Bla-“ Blaine stopped him with a raised finger so he reluctantly agreed. “But nothing expensive,” he warned. “You always spoil me.”
“Does that Dior jacket you’ve had your eye on count as too expensive?”
Kurt rolled his eyes and rested his chin in his palm because the look on Blaine’s face (the one that told Kurt he’d brought it already) was immune to protest. And that jacket really was nice.