Pieces of a dragon puzzle Chapter 5

[venetianstar]

Title: Pieces of a dragon puzzle

Author: venetianstar

Rating: R/NC-17

Pairings: Klaine, mentioned Niff, Fuinn&Finchel (both according to S2), Britanna, Barole

Spoilers: None

Warnings: cursing/colorful language from time to time, horny teenagers, in some parts mild dub-con, sex (does one even warn for that?)

Word Count: about 8,100 this chapter, so far appr. 28,560 in total.

A/N: Here we go, the next chapter. I hope I haven't lost as many readers as I think I might have, but I hope the last chapter was only overlooked...

Summary: Kurt had really only planned to spy on the Warblers. But instead he was found out by a creepy Asian, got stuck with a heavy stone which turned out not be a stone at all and now he had a flying lizard at home who was at risk of burning down his entire wardrobe with every fiery sneeze. Dragon!Blaine/Kurt

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4



After glee practice, Finn drove Kurt to Rachel's house where he had no doubt Rachel would keep Kurt busy for hours. Rachel wanted an opinion on her song choices for competition solos, and though Finn had made quick excuses about a Biology paper, he quickly volunteered Kurt for the job. Finn ignored the dirty look Kurt shot him for leaving him alone with Rachel, and rushed home.

Blaine was waiting at the door, looking quite crestfallen when Finn returned without Kurt. Finn explained to their parents and Blaine where Kurt was and that he needed just one more day to get to the bottom of Kurt's problems. Carole and Burt didn't look pleased but after some convincing, gave Finn their trust. Blaine only sighed, defeated, and shrunk back into the living room where, according to Carole, he had spent the entire day.

With the talk over, Finn hurried to his room, locked the door behind him and exhaled. His plan had to succeed! Finn was sure he could make it work, if only he could remember exactly where he had hidden it.

During his Sophomore year, Finn had learned the hard way that drug possession would get you permanently expelled from McKinley (or blackmailed into joining the Glee Club, if his suspicions about Mr. Schue were correct). After some rummaging he found the little yellow packet with the inscription "Chronic Lady". Yes, Finn still had the drug packet he assumed Schuester had planted on him. Finn had accidentally pocketed it back then and, afraid of it being found by his mom, had opted to hide it in the best place he could think of - between his porn magazines (the accompanying material would either shock or distract anyone who stumbled upon them, he figured).

Finn was going to play dirty. Now all he had to do was find the right time to slip Karofsky the drugs and then bust him. He felt like a secret agent.

In the end, it was all rather anticlimactic. Finn managed to slip the package into Karofsky's gym bag after he left the locker room for football practice. He positioned it so it stuck out a bit, then went to Bieste and played dumb, telling her he'd seen Karofsky offering suspicious packets to the guys in the locker room. The rest was history. Karofsky denied it, but had been expelled due to the damning evidence.

Schuester shot Finn suspicious glances in Glee, but didn't actually go as far as to question him about it. When Kurt heard the news, he ran out of the room and Finn followed, finding him crying in the girl's bathroom. When he saw Finn he hugged him so hard, the breath almost squeezed out of his lungs. "Thank god that Neanderthal was so, so stupid…".

Finn smiled but didn't say anything.

That evening they were all sat around the dinner table and Kurt was his normal self again. He happily told their parents of the bully who had been expelled, and Carole narrowed her eyes at Finn, but he just shrugged, hoping to get out of this without questions. Kurt and Finn never told them the whole truth, and Blaine remained silent.

On Wednesday, Blaine was nervous. He stood in guest room, facing the door but couldn't make himself go downstairs. He hoped that now Kurt was free of Karofsky his behavior toward Blaine would return to normal. The last few days had been torture. Collecting his wits, he opened his door.

Everyone was already out except Kurt. He was sitting at the table and eating breakfast. Kurt looked healthier again. Blaine sat down next to him and hugged him, greeting "Good morning, Kurt." He couldn't help the smile spreading over his face at the familiar feeling and scent of Kurt again.

Kurt's body stiffened in his arms and Blaine frowned.

"Morning, Blaine", was Kurt's neutral reply. He hadn't looked up from his breakfast and didn't return the hug. Blaine felt dejected. He had hoped for a more open response. Deciding to ignore this, he laid his head on Kurt's shoulder and kept hugging him.

Kurt's question was calm; he was still only looking at his fruit, his body held stiff. "What are you doing Blaine? I can't eat like this...I also think that's a bit much for a good morning greeting. You don't need to hug me all the time."

The strange, emotionless tone in Kurt's voice discouraged Blaine. He wasn't sure how to respond, only clinging harder to Kurt. He needed this contact with Kurt.

Clearing his throat, Kurt's ice blue eyes found his. "Blaine, stop hugging me at the kitchen table. Now." His command was final.

Blaine whined. "Kurt? Why?"

"It's annoying. Stop it."

Blaine's body itched. "But when I was a dragon we cuddled all the time!" Blaine complained.

Kurt glared at him now. "And you are not a dragon anymore. So stop hugging me." Kurt stood up, detaching himself from Blaine and setting his plate into the sink.

Blaine felt tears well up in his eyes, his throat constricted. "Kurt, please. Please, please. I need this. I feel wrong without you." Desperation was clinging to his voice and Blaine couldn't completely understand why he suddenly felt this way, but his whole body cried out for Kurt and the itching was more intense. "Please…why are you still doing this? Karofsky's taken care of." He tried to reason with Kurt. Surely Kurt had to see this, there was no reason anymore to act like this.

Kurt glanced at Blaine. He first didn't say anything, only contemplated Blaine. "This has nothing to do with Karofsky, Blaine." His voice was softer, "You're being ridiculous." His tone got hard again and Kurt finally walked out of the kitchen. "Make yourself some breakfast, I know Carole taught you how. I'm going to school now." He called as he grabbed his bag and went to the front door.

"But Kurt! Please, just listen, I need you-," Blaine was grasping at straws.

The front door slammed and Blaine was all alone. The itching got worse.

He stifled the chocking sobs that fought for release.

When Kurt came back from school, Finn had gone to Rachel's house. Carole was home and asked the two boys to watch TV with her. She settled into the armchair, so Kurt reluctantly sat next to Blaine. Blaine kept fidgeting next to him and Kurt could feel the weight of Blaine's constant stares.

During Kurt's absence, the itching of Blaine's skin had progressed into crawling. Blaine felt restless, anxious. He didn't know why, but he really needed to touch Kurt. Or at least have his acceptance again. Anything.

Suddenly the phone rang and Carole went out the room. Everything was still, only the TV blaring.

With Kurt just mere inches away from him, Blaine instincts ached to do what he had always done. Normally, he'd have licked his cheek and Kurt would giggle, but his tongue wasn't forked anymore and this would probably be a bit too slobbery. Blaine prayed that he'd not run into another wall. So he leaned forward and kissed Kurt's cheek.

The skin underneath his lips felt warm. Blaine sighed. This felt like home.

Suddenly a slap whipped through the air and his right cheek hurt. He gasped and fell backwards. Cradling his cheek he looked up. Kurt was staring at him with a raised hand and a furious look in his eyes. "Are you out of your mind?" Kurt snarled.

Blaine hated crying, but there he was doing it again and he couldn't stop. He was so confused. "But you always allowed me to lick your cheek. Why not anymore, Kurt? Why are you doing this? I'm still the same inside, I still love you…" Blaine trailed off.

A strange look crossed Kurt's face. "You won't understand. Just keep away from me."

Blaine eyes widened. Kurt couldn't mean it, could he? He wasn't serious? "Kurt?" Blaine gasped. "You can't. We can't! We're not supposed to be like this. I…" he struggled to explain. "I needyou. In any way, it doesn't matter to me."

Kurt only met him with his cold stare. "Don't. I don't want to hear it." He went upstairs, just as Carole came back into the room.

"Kurt, where are you going honey? We wanted to watch TV!"

"I need to do homework, I'm sorry, Carole." Kurt smiled apologetically at his stepmom, before vanishing upstairs.

Carole frowned, before sitting down into the armchair again. She looked at Blaine who was turned sideways on he couch, discretely rubbing away his tears. "Blaine, sweetie? You won't see anything like this. Turn around!" she chuckled.

It was quite for a few minutes, before Carole spoke again. "…I know you're sad Kurt's not watching TV with us. But school's important. He'll come around and then you can cuddle with him." She smiled, before turning back to the TV again.

Blaine didn't say anything; just bit the inside of his cheek and averted his gaze. She wouldn't believe him anyway. It was just too stupid: Carole, Kurt's my mate and I need him. I can't live without him. It sounded completely manic and melodramatic. How was he supposed to explain it all when he himself didn't even understand everything? And how could he phrase it understandably, when he could only utter, "I need you"? No wonder Kurt blocked him out.

Kurt's uncharacteristic behavior towards Blaine remained throughout the next week. He didn't allow any kind of physical contact between them, while he acted normal towards everyone else again. Doubt crowded Blaine's mind. Maybe Kurt really didn't like him anymore, now that he was a boy and not a dragon.

Still, he followed Kurt around in the house, and with each day, he felt more neglected. Blaine had once more tried to kiss Kurt's cheek, only earning himself a rather vicious kick and a "Don't you dare!". Blaine felt like he was going insane. In the end, the desperation won over. He would have to get Kurt somewhere he couldn't run away and then hopefully he'd at least explain to Blaine what he was doing wrong or if he just really didn't care anymore. If that were the case, Blaine wasn't sure how he was supposed to deal with it. No dragon could, at least not to his knowledge. From what Wes had whispered to him, when he was still in his egg, Kurt was his mate, they ad to be together. Kurt had needed him, and Kurt still needed him. He'd always need Blaine.

The constant crawling of Blaine's skin became an even bigger problem. Even his wings had started to itch. At first, he had feared he might have some kind of parasite, but after a thorough inspection from Carole she diagnosed him with only a bit of dry skin and had bought him lotion. It didn't help at all. It was like the desperate craving for Kurt's touch, no matter how small was manifesting itself in his skin.

One night, Blaine awoke to his skin crawling and sweating. He was horrified to find his pyjama pants were tented and though he tried to go back to sleep and ignore the problem, it didn't go away. It only began to hurt. Finally he gave in.

It was a strange experience. Thanks to observing Kurt he at least knew what to do, but it was still strange, considering dragons in their reptilian form were almost asexual creatures. Sex was only for procreation and even bonded dragons never developed such urges in their dragon form.

The human form was another matter. Blaine knew human dragons could be extremely sexual, as was only natural with their bonded mate. But Kurt wasn't allowing any form of bond with Blaine. That didn't stop him from imagining Kurt in the shower as Blaine slipped his hands down his body and cupped his erection. His cheeks were flushed and his wings had a faint red hue. He groaned. Biting his lower lip, he rubbing, then he slipped his right hand into his briefs, touching his cock, and realizing his was different, with more skin than Kurt's. He moved his hand frantically, ignoring the dry friction, before he gasped and came to the thought of Kurt's body pressed against his under the water of the shower.

And that was a nice image.

Blaine wiped his hands on his comforter, tucking himself back into his pyjamas, a plan forming in his mind. It might be stalkerish according to TV, but Blaine's circumstances were special. Right…? He had to get Kurt alone in his shower. Kurt wouldn't be able to run away then. Maybe he just needed to realize that Blaine was his mate and they were supposed to be doing this.

If there were flaws in his plan, Blaine's dragon instincts obviously didn't care, they just called for his mate. Either way it was better to try than do nothing at all. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow morning.

When Blaine awoke he sniffed the air. It had to be quite early in the morning, as the air still smelled fresh and cool. He listened to the sounds in the house. Finn was still snoring loudly in the next room and he could hear Carole puttering in the kitchen downstairs. A shower could be heard, but it wasn't Kurt's, so Burt was definitely occupied.

Blaine stood up and sneaked, as silently as he could, down the hallway to Kurt's door. It was still closed, but he could see light at the bottom of the door, so Kurt wasn't asleep anymore. He slowly exhaled, and inched the door open, peeking inside.
The bed was made already, but there was folded clothing lying on the duvet. Which meant Kurt was in the bathroom. Blaine quietly closed the door behind him and looked around the room. The shower started and Blaine closed his eyes. His dragon instincts were crying out to join Kurt, but at the same time Blaine tried to keep control. Maybe it was better to just try to show Kurt that he was still his dragon. Get inside the bathroom and watch Kurt shower like all the times before. He wasn't going to pressure Kurt. He willed the reptile inside to shut up.

He stripped quickly and then tiptoed to the bathroom door. The shower was still running, and Blaine opened the door. The room was foggy and steamy, he couldn't see into the shower stall as it was completely fogged up. He closed the door behind himself and waited.

"Blaine!", Kurt gasped. Blaine froze. Had Kurt caught him? He tried to breathe flatly and not make a single sound. He could smell… his nostrils flared. OH! Arousal.

The gasping sounds went on and Kurt moaned. "Blaine, oh…!" The scent of arousal, Kurt's, was cloying Blaine's senses. It smelled perfect. Blaine gulped; Kurt was masturbating, thinking of him. Him! His eyes widened with the prospect, realizing Kurt still did care about him in some way.

Frantic now, he walked to the shower door and pulled it open, manoeuvring himself inside. His gaze zeroed in on Kurt's hand wrapped around his dick, flushed and heavy. Kurt's head was thrown back, his eyes closed. Blaine closed the door.

The cold breeze alerted Kurt to a presence. He whirled around and gasped as he saw Blaine inches from him. His cock bopped against his stomach and he stumbled back against the shower wall, bracing his hands against it. "Blaine!" he shrieked, completely flabbergasted. His complete body went red, his cheeks flamed and he stared open-mouthed at Blaine. Blaine's eyes were yellow and slitted like the dragon's.

As soon as the door had closed, the scent of Kurt and his body, his cock, his everything, had intensified one hundred times for Blaine. Blaine drowned in his senses. He took in the flushed cock, the water peeling down Kurt's smooth skin, the wide blue eyes, the wet, red open mouth. He groaned. And then he realized that he was completely hard, too. Kurt overwhelmed him.

"Kurt, I need you." He growled and pressed his body against Kurt's, flush.

The moment their chests and cocks touched both of them moaned. For Blaine it felt like home. He dipped his head and kissed Kurt's collarbone, not registering anything more than Kurt. Kurt's arousal hadn't dimmed - the scent was as strong as ever and right in front of him.

Just as Blaine felt peace overcoming him, Kurt started flailing. He struggled.

"Blaine, Blaine, let me go! Oh god, what are you DOING in here! NAKED!" Kurt yelled as he pushed Blaine forcibly away. Blaine crashed backwards into the shower door, falling out of the shower and onto the bathroom floor. He groaned and as he opened his eyes, the cold air outside the shower bringing him to his senses. He saw Kurt standing above him, his eyes wide and frantic, his hands trying to cover his groin. Water droplets were falling down his hair. "What is this insanity? What are you doing here, Blaine?" Kurt whimpered.

Blaine choked. Kurt had denied him. "I-I…," he stammered, "you were ignoring me, but I'm still your dragon! please, Kurt, we always showered together, please." His voice had turned into a whisper at the end. He shivered, from cold or anxiety he didn't know. His cock was limp again.

"Oh God, Blaine I don't want you in the shower with me anymore! Get out!"

"Kurt…"

"NO! OUT!"

The door banged open and Burt stood in front of them. He took in the scene, Kurt squawked at his dad seeing him naked again.
Blaine didn't even register Burt's presence, his skin crawling again, more desperate than ever. Kurt didn't want him as his mate. His voice shook and broke as he knelt on his knees, trying to crawl towards him. "Please, please, don't leave me. Kurt, I NEED you...please!" he cried and tears started blurring his vision.

Blaine realized that he probably made a pathetic sight, kneeling naked in front of his mate and begging, but it didn't matter to him anymore. He sobbed as he felt strong arms hoisting him up from the ground. Burt dragged him outside into Kurt's room, grabbing a towel on his way. "Jesus, Blaine, what are you doing, are you out of your mind?" Burt grunted.

The last Blaine saw of Kurt was Kurt staring at him from the bathroom with watering eyes. Kurt saw how desperately Blaine fought against his father's hold, his whole face crunched up, his eyes bright and wide, tears running down his cheeks, grabbing for Kurt, sobbing. Then Burt managed to close the door.

Blaine was in a haze as Burt ordered him gruffly to get dry and dress himself. Blaine did as told and Burt grabbed his arm to lead him to the living room as soon as he was finished. "Sit." Burt commanded and Blaine plopped obediently onto the couch, feeling small. He had technically molested Kurt and Burt had caught him.

Carole came out of the kitchen, but Burt intercepted her. After some murmuring noises, Carole nodded and grabbed her car keys and went out the door. The house fell strangely silent.

Blaine adverted his eyes to the ground, swallowing the lump in his throat and waiting for Burt's anger to hit. He could see Burt's shoes walking along the top line of his vision. Blaine looked up, seeing Burt pull the armchair closer to the couch to be nearer to him, before he sat down in it.

He scratched his head and looked imploringly at Blaine. Blaine ducked his head.

"Hey, none of that. Look at me." Burt ordered, but he didn't sound furious like Blaine had expected. He looked up and Burt looked pretty unsure. "Listen, I'm trying not to blow up right now, it's not good for my heart. So let me get straight to the facts: I heard Kurt screaming at you to not do something. I love my son, and like you, I'm protective of him. So, please, Blaine, tell me why I found you both naked in Kurt's bath, him standing scared in the shower and you begging on the floor. Explain this to me."

Burt sighed, when Blaine only stiffened and his eyes got big. "Okay, I'm not angry at you. I really should be, but strangely I'm not. Maybe, whether you believe it or not, you're part of this family. Dragon or not. Otherwise you'd be dead already." Burt shot him a look and Blaine gulped. "But I know you haven't been happy, Blaine. You've been distant, always looking sad and I know Kurt's behavior towards you hasn't been fair. I can see he means a lot to you and he has treated you badly. But because I know you care for him, I'm gonna guess you didn't want to harm him in the shower. So, what was this about? I get that you were desperate to have Kurt care for you again. But what's with the nakedness?"

Blaine was so grateful that Burt was Kurt's father. And that he gave Blaine the chance to explain and not kick him out. Blaine swallowed. It was now or never. He had to make someone understand, to explain his behavior. He sighed slowly. He could do this. He had to finally get these wordstogether.

"I-", Blaine coughed. "I didn't do this to make Kurt uncomfortable. I was desperate. You're right, he's been ignoring me and I don't know how to deal with this. I tried to get into his shower because I'd always been in there when he showered. So I kind of hoped I could show him I was still the dragon he knew. But it didn't work out and I'm so, so sorry. I lost my head."

He blushed. He didn't want to tell Burt the next bit, but he had to. Burt nodded at him to go on. "My - my…my head went out. At least I think so. I didn't plan to do this, but as soon as I had stepped inside the bathroom I could -uh- smellKurt…" Blaine's cheeks were tinted red as he looked at Burt.

Burt frowned. "This like a dragon thing?"

Blaine licked his lips. "Yeah…dragon thing. I lost control. I just wanted to be near Kurt (ooh god, he had to be beet redalready), so I walked inside and" he cleared his throat, "I pressed myself to him. And I kind of interrupted him and I- uh- he…yeah, he freaked out." The rest of the explanation was stammered, he really didn't want to lay every single detail open to Burt.

Burt had this shocked look to his face. "Uh, wow, okay buddy. I think I got what you meant. No need to explain in detail." Burt was starting to look uncomfortable. "So, this happened, because you're a dragon?"

"…yes." Blaine shifted, trying to get a cramp out of his right leg.

"I don't get it. Why did that happen? I mean, why did you do that?"

Blaine lowered his gaze and only dared to peek at Burt through his lashes. "Because Kurt's my mate."

"Mate? Like, animal term for life partner?" Burt scratched his forehead. "Okay, you'll have to explain to me EXACTLY, what you mean and how that…comes about."

"I don't know that much about it myself, only the most important things, what Wes told me when I was still in the egg", Blaine said

"Who's Wes?" When Blaine opened his mouth to explain, Burt stopped him. "Never mind, explain this dragon thing to me."

Blaine cleared his throat. It was easier to explain all this to Burt, without Kurt there, making him emotional. "Okay…dragons mate for life. When we hatch we recognize our mate quite fast. For dragons who are given to a person, their owner is often their mate. Kurt's mine. I was given to him as an egg by Wes, an older dragon. Kurt accepted me when he took me home and cradled me.

"He could have thrown the egg away and denied me. If this had happened, I wouldn't have hatched for a very long time. I wouldn't have had a mate and instead I'd probably produce eggs with another female. Mated dragons don't produce eggs in their human form. They stay with their mate their whole life. Kurt took me in and this…"bond" was formed between us. He…he's -", Blaine faltered, "Kurt's my everything." Blaine croaked. "I'd never leave him and I love him unconditionally. Dragons who have found their mate won't leave them and stay with them for the rest of their lives. And that's Kurt for me."

Burt leaned back in his chair. He was silent for a bit, before leaning forward, looking deeply into Blaine's eyes. "So you when you say mate, you mean boyfriend? And by boyfriend you mean you…desire him physically?"

Blaine's throat left an embarrassed laugh. He blushed. "Yeah, that about describes my bond with him. He's my mate, but we're not mated yet, so…yes. And that's why the shower incident escalated…I'm SO sorry, Burt. I really didn't mean to, but my instincts just took over, please don't kick me out. I'm so sorry, I won't do this ever again!" Blaine pleaded frantically.

Burt held up his hands. "Easy, easy there! Don't work yourself up any more! You stopped when Kurt told you to. But if I understand correctly, you can't promise me to never try again, because it's instincts, right?"

Blaine cursed himself for being so stupid. "You're right." He hung his head.

"Okay. I just wanted to make that clear. But is the case with every dragon egg a human gets? I mean, are you tellin' me this... Wes?... That he just decides the dragon's mate by handing out eggs to them?" Burt raised his eyebrows in question.

"Oh, no. That's not how it works. Not every dragon bonds with their human like I did with Kurt. There are actually different ways for a dragon to bond with their owner. And dragon eggs don't get handed out to everybody. They are only given to humans who are receptive to a dragon or are in real need of one."

"So Kurt needed you?" Burt chimed in.

Blaine bit his lip. "Yes, he did. The bullying? He was completely alone and Wes gave me to him."

"…and let me guess, dragons are not real common and easy to come by? So they only get handed to persons, who have it real bad?" Dread laced Burt's voice and he looked a bit sick at the thought.

Blaine just nodded slowly.

Burt exhaled. "Wow, okay….okay." He was silent. "This is not good. Kurt had it that bad." The implication that Burt felt guilty about never realizing this hung between them in the air, but neither man verbalized it.

After a moment, Burt shifted and told Blaine to go on and tell him of the ways to bond.

"Like I said, there are different possibilities: The first one is the most common and that's the bonding of friends. The human is alone and in need of a friend, so the dragon becomes their friend. They'll stay with the human as long as their partner wants them to. But those dragons don't have a bodily or emotional craving for their human. They're not dependent on them and as dragons live much longer than humans, after their human dies, they'll move on. They often are the educators and holders of dragon eggs, the ones who hand them out to humans. Wes is one of them." As Blaine spoke, he felt it easier to distance his own confusing feelings from all the theoretical things Wes had told him.

"Then there's the bonding, in the essential meaning, of mates. It's also quite ordinary but not as frequent as friendship. It often implies that the human is lonely lacking someone to love, and they crave a person just for them. That's what the dragon will be. They'll be their life partner and lover." Blaine couldn't completely suppress the blush, which crept up his cheeks then, somehow just now slowly connecting his cravings to the mating bond.

"Let me get this straight. You didn't say anything about the human rejecting these dragons. Does this mean the human has no say in whether they want their dragon to be their lover or not?" Burt looked dismayed.

"Uh, no. It's a bit more complicated, but the human is not forced to mate with the dragon. They can come to a kind of…truce. The dragon will still stay with the human, but the sexual aspect of their relationship won't exist. The human will be able to find another person, but the dragon will always stay possessive. We need the physical contact, be it sexual or platonic, to live. We need our mate to touch us, it doesn't matter in what way, just that we're allowed to."
Burt's eyes had gotten big.

"So that's the problem! Kurt needs to cuddle you again, that's why you're so under the weather!", he chuckled.

Blaine shyly smiled. "Yeah, that's about it.", he huffed, "My skin starts itching and crawling when I'm not allowed any contact and if it gets worse I'll feel constricted, anxious."

Burt turned serious again. "And what happens when you're never allowed contact? Or when a dragon's mate dies?"

Blaine shivered. "I don't know...", he whispered. "Wes never exactly told me that, but it's nothing good."

Burt frowned. "So you need Kurt. I get that now. Well, maybe after our chat you should go upstairs and talk to him. Tell him this, like you told me. He'll understand."

Blaine licked his lips; his mouth had gotten fuzzy from all the talking. "I tried. But I couldn't. I didn't even know how to formulate it."

"Well, but now you know what exactly you wanna say. It's gonna work. And if it doesn't, you can tell me and I'll tell my son. Okay?"

Blaine smiled gratefully. "Yes."

"Good, good. But now I wanna know the rest of it. You say if the human rejects the dragon it's going to be platonic. But what if they started a…sexual relationship and broke it off after some time?"

Blaine looked panicked. "That's not possible!" he exclaimed. "If the dragon and their mate consummate the bond, they'll be bonded. And…that's kind of final. They become codependent and their feelings will stay the same all their life."

Burt clenched his jaw. "So if Kurt decides he wants you as his boyfriend, you'll be with him for the rest of his life?"

Blaine sucked in a breath. "Yes."

Burt seemed to be contemplating this new information for a bit. Finally he said, "Well, I don't like this. I mean, Kurt's only sixteen and you're also very young. Talking about life-long…you kids shouldn't do this at this age. But as you're not any ordinary kid - If it really comes to this and Kurt wants too: I don't want either of you to make any hasty decisions. And I want you BOTH to really think about it beforehand. Consider it carefully. Promise me this, Blaine. I'll tell Kurt the same later."

Blaine nodded his head frantically. "I promise." He whispered. He had told Burt all the scary details and he still had his head and a home. Blaine didn't understand this miracle, but he wasn't going to implore and blow it up in the end.

"And the last bond?"

Blaine perked up. "Oh, that's a really rare one. It's siblings. The dragon bonds with the human so deep, they bind their souls. Rejection is impossible on this one, as the dragon will be the other half of the human's soul. The dragon will always be loyal to their human and never move from their side. Those bonds are myth-like as they only occur every few thousand years. The dragon will die the second their bonded one does, so little is known of their lives and experiences."

Burt cocked his eyebrow. "This sounds like a fairytale. But it's interesting." Burt looked at the kitchen clock. "Well, it's gettin' on. I'm gonna go to the garage. Make yourself some late breakfast - lunch. And talk to Kurt, Blaine. Although, I don't really get why I don't feel any urge to strangle you yet."

Blaine balked. "What?" he whimpered.

Burt laughed. "Relax. Get some food in you. I'm gonna go." He waved at him from the doorway and opened the front door.

Blaine hadn't told Burt the fine details about the shower incident. He hadn't told him that he had already botched up the sexual bond with Kurt, as he had already rejected him. He sighed as his heavy heart settled in his stomach.

So it was option two then. Platonic love. Blaine didn't like it, but he had to act. His skin was dry and taut and every time he had scratched today it had started to hurt. He didn't know how much time he had left or what would happen, but he didn't want to find out.

He got up and made some sandwiches. As he clattered around the kitchen, Finn finally came down the stairs. He was yawning wide as he made himself cornflakes. They ate together in silence, until Finn had finished and announced he was going to Puck's.

If Blaine remembered correctly it was one his friends from football and glee club. Everything Blaine knew of Puck he'd learned from inside Kurt's school bag; he had sounded rather full of himself, but was loud and quite protective of Kurt. In the end, Blaine approved.

Blaine washed his dishes and put them away, then waited until Finn finally left the house before he climbed up the stairs to Kurt's room.

Kurt sighed as he shifted on his bed. After Blaine had been taken out of his room, Kurt had hastily dried his hair and put on some clothes for home, which were still fashionable, but comfy. Since then, he had been lying on his bed, thinking. He sighed again, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

The last few weeks had been hell. It had all gotten out of control and he was still trying to process what had happened in the shower a few hours ago. Kurt had been overwhelmed. And not in the good way.

When Blaine had changed into human form, Kurt hadn't known how to act around him. The infatuation with Blaine and his body (screw him, he had seen him naked) had progressed into a crush. Everything he had tried to prevent it from happening, hadn't worked. Kurt had put some distance between Blaine and himself and acted cool towards him, hoping Blaine wouldn't cling as much as he had when he'd been a dragon. But Blaine had persisted. Kurt had seen how disappointed Blaine was, how dejected he felt. And it had broken Kurt's heart to watch. As much as Kurt had wanted to hug and cuddle Blaine, he couldn't.

Kurt had been scared. Scared of what Blaine's, and especially his own reaction, might have been if they had continued to cuddle. What his body might have done and how Blaine might have reacted, had he felt it. He had been scared out of his mind, always thinking about the angry looks he had gotten in the locker room when changing with the other guys. The disaster with Finn. He hadn't wanted to see the same look of betrayal and disgust in Blaine's eyes. Blaine had been his dragon, his confidant. Not a teenage boy to lust over.

And then came the proximity in the house. Kurt could never dodge Blaine. He was around all the time. He would have seen Kurt's weak moments, Kurt's lingering gaze on his form, he would have figured Kurt out. And his feelings, which were not so innocent.

And at the same time, those feelings scared Kurt. They were different than what he had felt for Finn. When Kurt had crushed on Finn, he hadn't really known him then. But he knew Blaine, knew him like the back of his hand; he had been with him the day he had hatched. Kurt knew that Blaine was perfect with all his imperfections. And now as a human he seemed even more perfect. And Kurt wanted him. He wanted him like a limited designer scarf and so much more.

It was scary how much he felt, and Blaine's attempts to cuddle, his kisses on Kurt's cheek, they had all sent Kurt into a panic. His heart had been running marathons, almost jumping out of his chest with this beautiful boy next to him, only a few inches away, so close he could have reached out and touched. He was so afraid. It was all so real, something could have potentially happened and it had scared the wits out of Kurt.

All Kurt's fantasies of unknown men had somehow become reachable. In those fantasies, everything had been hot, Kurt had been turned on, but they had been safe. It wasn't safe anymore. Faceless men had been replaced by Blaine's image. Blaine, who was there, in his house, in his room, in his bathroom. Blaine, who could hurt Kurt more than his silly crush on Finn ever could have. All those sexy fantasies weren't so hot anymore, because they were destroying his relationship with Blaine.

Kurt's only means of protection was to distance himself. He'd put a yawning chasm between them and it got out of control too quickly; a few cold reactions, one meanness too much, and then Kurt hadn't known how to step back, how to reverse it. But Blaine became even more clingy and desperate, more touchy-feely, trying to press his body to Kurt's the more Kurt pulled away. A chain reaction, so to speak, with no way of stopping it.

But then Blaine had happened this morning.

He'd been caught in the shower, masturbating to thoughts of Blaine. And instead if the nightmare of shame and disgust Kurt had expected, Blaine had pressed upon him, hard, wanting Kurt. Kurt's mind had exploded. All of his fears had been for nothing.

Then panic had set in. Naked, aroused, pressed to each other; it had been too much, too fast, too real. Kurt wasn't ready and had pushed Blaine away. Next to his first (unwanted) kiss, his first sexual experience had to be one of the strangest encounters one could imagine. Even though Blaine in his shower hadn't been thatunwanted. Just…not in the space and time Kurt would have considered. He really hadn't been ready for that.

He was still shaken, going over the events again and again in his mind and still only hanging on by a thread. Blaine's desperation and complete breakdown in front of him had left Kurt unsure and scared. He feared for Blaine, but was also scared of their potential, as well as of Blaine's desperation. Hence why he was still lying in his bed, hiding away and letting the day slip by.

Then his door opened and Kurt raised his head to look at the intruder. Of course, Blaine was standing in the doorway. Speak of the dragon.

"What do you want?" Kurt asked with a mild hint of annoyance. He didn't want to show Blaine how shaken he still felt.

Blaine fidgeted silently at first, looking at the floor, then at the dust particles in the air, made visible by the afternoon sun. Finally, he mumbled. "To apologize…for my behavior this morning." He ducked his head. "I'm sorry and I promise you, I'll never do that again or even try." Blaine's voice cracked a bit at the end and he looked sad. His face was drawn as he slowly shuffled into the room, his wings hanging limply at his sides, coming to stand at the foot of Kurt's bed.

Kurt raised his eyebrows, indicating to Blaine to go on.

Blaine looked at Kurt with uncertainty, his throat worked and his mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out, only choking sounds. Kurt could see tears gathering in Blaine's eyes, his frustration at not being able to say something, apparent in his features. He waited, hoping for Blaine to get the words out. Finally, Blaine only sniffed and pointed at the bed with a trembling arm, looking questioningly at Kurt. Kurt nodded, allowing Blaine to sit down.

Blaine clumsily climbed onto the bed, his wings swaying uselessly at his side, reminding Kurt of the first day, when the tiny dragon had tried to climb onto his hand, not managing without help. He swallowed. Blaine shuffled up to the head a bit more than Kurt would have liked, but he didn't say anything. Blaine sat down next to him.

"Go on…", Kurt murmured, trying to encourage Blaine.

Kurt could see Blaine's throat working again, a shivery exhale. "I-…I…", Blaine's hands came down to grab at the duvet, his face turned to Kurt. "I needyou." Blaine's voice broke and he hiccupped. His gaze seemed unfocused, the tears had welled up so much, that he didn't seem to be able to see clearly anymore.

Kurt's throat felt constricted. "What…do you need from me, Blaine?" Kurt tried to make his voice as gentle as possible, not wanting for Blaine to break down again, because otherwise he'd never know what Blaine wanted to tell him.

It was only a choking sound he got in answer and before Kurt could react, strong arms had wound themselves around his waist, a weight was pushing him into the mattress and Blaine's tears were soaking his shirt, leaving it clinging wetly to his chest.

Kurt started wriggling, trying to get Blaine up again to tell him, but the dragon only clung tighter to him. So he started pushing at him, like all those times before, but Blaine only gave whimpering sounds, and pressed his face further to Kurt's front, whispering a frantic mantra of "Kurt, Kurt, Kurt…" into his chest.

Kurt was getting uncomfortable, he could feel Blaine's whole body against his again and the body warmth of the dragon started seeping through the thin fabrics both of them wore. It felt like too much again after the shower incident that morning.

"No, Blaine." Kurt exasperated. "Come on, I want you to stop this, talk to me."

Blaine only shook his head into his chest, now mumbling "No, no, no…" instead of Kurt's name.

Kurt sighed annoyed, coming to the conclusion this wasn't going to work, as Blaine seemed to work himself into a frenzy again. So he pushed harder, managing to dislodge Blaine from his chest, sitting up with him, holding him at arms length.
"Blaine!", he almost shouted, trying to calm Blaine down, as the dragon's breathing patterns became irregular and he tried to claw at Kurt's arms.

It didn't work, only the mantra of no, no, no, no out of Blaine's mouth becoming even more desperate sounding and Kurt was getting annoyed.

"Stop it!" he hissed, slapping Blaine's hands away from him. "Get yourself together. Tell me what it is and calm down. You're not going to be able to tell me anything if you have another panic attack. Try to breathe slowly, pleasestop crying-", but Blaine wasn't listening anymore. The second Kurt had slapped Blaine's hands away, Blaine had started wailing, crying even harder, hiccupping, curling himself into a ball, rocking back and forth, his eyes glazed over, staring blindly down at the bed, not looking at Kurt anymore.

Kurt was starting to get anxious. Blaine seemed to have retreated deep within himself and Kurt didn't know how to handle it. He knew nothing about panic attacks or how to prevent them, and especially not what to do when one was already happening. He waited for a few moments, hoping for Blaine to calm down but when nothing changed, Kurt started to worry even more.

Then Blaine started choking, seemingly failing to get air into his lungs. Kurt reached out and carefully touched Blaine's arm. Blaine only froze and looked directly at Kurt for a second, before leaping off the bed, his right foot getting tangled in the sheets. He stumbled onto the floor, trying to gain his balance again. Kurt sat frozen on the bed, watching the proceedings with huge eyes, his heart leaping into his throat every time Blaine seemed to finally fall.

Just as fast as Blaine had stumbled he managed to balance himself again. His eyes locked with Kurt's for a short time, washed out hazel, almost sickly yellow, the eyes red rimmed. Kurt opened his mouth to say something, when Blaine brought his hands up to his face and buried it in them.

Kurt could hear a new bout of sobbing start, this time clearly hysterical, the wailing of no, no, no's getting louder and louder, and then it happened; Blaine's skin cracked. Or at least it looked like it. Kurt's rapid beating heart seemed to still in this second and he was terrified.

The skin on Blaine's forearm had split in two, leaving a gaping wound, completely black and seemingly hollow, like brittle soil without enough water.

Kurt gasped quietly, blinking rapidly as more cracks started to appear on Blaine's skin, on his hands, smaller ones, but so many, on his upper arms, his neck and the parts of Blaine's face that Kurt could see. Blaine's cries now sounded inhuman, as if in great pain, more like a shrill roar. Suddenly Blaine wretched his face from his hands, screaming, and Kurt saw how the cracks had consumed his features.

Kurt watched on, helpless as Blaine's left hand crumbled from his wrist, raining down onto the ground as thin, black sand. Blaine's entire body was disintegrating right in front of Kurt's eyes.

It all happened so fast, that when Kurt came out of his panicked trance and frantically scrambled forward onto the bed, crying desperately, Blaine's body was almost gone. His cries vanished the second his mouth transformed into sand.
His clothes fell to the floor in a heap, no body to hold them up anymore.

"Oh God, oh no, no, no…" Blaine's mantra had become Kurt's own as he crawled forward to the foot of the bed, Blaine having died in front of his eyes.

What had happened, what had he done?

...tbc