In Which Kurt Gets Kidnapped (Part III)

[blog_of_cool]

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Finn really didn’t understand why Burt was mad at him. He hadn’t said it to be mean, or anything, but maybe it was like telling a girl not to get pregnant? Because Rachel said not to do that ever because it makes girls think that you think that they’re sluts, which Finn doesn’t get, because Brittany and Santana have sex with lots of guys and no one would ever tell them not to get pregnant because everyone knows they make you wear a condom. Girls are weird.
And now Kurt was going to go spend the night at his boyfriend’s house. Not cool.

“Finn, stop looking so terrified,” Burt said with a sigh.

Finn wasn’t sure what Burt wanted him to do. He was a little scared, okay? Because he was in trouble and Burt was angry and it had to do with Kurt and last time Finn had gotten kicked out of the house, which, okay, probably wouldn’t happen now that Burt and his mom were actually married, and this was probably not that bad, because Kurt hadn’t seemed to care, and last time he looked like Finn had hit him with like, a bag of bricks or something. (Rachel had slapped him when he told her about it, and Finn was pretty sure he’d deserved it. It wasn’t like he hadn’t, like, known that calling something f*ggy would be really mean to Kurt.)

“I told you, kid; you’re not in trouble. Your mom and I just need to talk to you.”

Finn didn’t find this very reassuring. Adults always said that when you were in trouble. Burt had pulled his mom off to the side and was talking to her quietly, and dude. What if his mom got, like, really upset? What if she cried? It’d be all Finn’s fault and he’d be a terrible son and-Finn frowned. Why was his mom laughing?

His mom came over and stood in front of Finn, with one hand over her mouth. Finn could tell she was trying to hold back laughter, and he was trying to figure out whether or not this meant he should be insulted when she patted his shoulder. “Honey, you don’t have to worry about Kurt getting pregnant. I promise.”

Finn was relieved, although he did wish she had said one way or another if Kurt could get pregnant.

“Carole,” Burt said, “Don’t you think we ought to explain this to him?” Explain what, Finn wondered.

His mom shook her head. “It’s fine, Burt.”

“But-”

“Mr. Hummel, Mrs. Hudson-Hummel,” Anthony (Kurt’s bodyguard) nodded to Burt and Finn’s mom. “I’m off for the night. There’s some cheesecake the boys picked up for you in the fridge. Take care.”

Burt and Finn’s mom said goodbye, as did Finn, belatedly. Because dude, cheesecake.
Burt tried to talk to Finn again, but Finn really didn’t care anymore. His mom said he didn’t have to worry about Kurt getting pregnant and dude, maybe the cheesecake was the chocolate kind. That would be totally awesome.

***

Blaine was relieved when they finally got to his house. Kurt hadn’t been doing anything ridiculously overt like touching Blaine or talking about what they might do later, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t being a goddamn tease. And Kurt complained about Blaine? Blaine didn’t sing Katy Perry sex songs with his chair reclined and his legs crossed and going on forever. Blaine didn’t slowly drink from a bottle of water and lick up all the spilled drops with flashes of soft pink tongue. Blaine didn’t oh-so-casually loosen his tie (why was Kurt wearing a tie anyhow? Okay, fashion, but still-) and toy with the buttons of his collar.

Blaine was not the tease in this relationship, okay. He rounded the car to open Kurt’s door. “Such a gentleman,” Kurt said with a roll of his eyes, but Blaine could see the affection behind it. Even if he hadn’t, the pleased look on Kurt’s face as Blaine took his hand to help him out of the car would have more than made up for Kurt’s poking fun.

Sometimes Kurt still looked surprised when Blaine did things like this. Blaine was always torn between being incredibly angry that no one had ever treated Kurt like the amazing person that he was and being fiercely, possessively pleased that no one else had ever put that breathtaking look of unbelieving happiness on Kurt’s face.

Blaine knew he wasn’t really all that nice of a person, deep down. He tried to be, tried to be gracious and generous and gentlemanly, but there was darkness inside him. It was probably for the best, considering the family business, but that didn’t mean he was particularly proud of it. Kurt said he loved Blaine, but he’d never really seen Blaine’s darker side. Blaine hoped he never would. Maybe it was romantic, to be so in love with someone that you’d rip to shreds anyone who even looked at them in the wrong way. Blaine wasn’t sure Kurt would take it that way, though.

Although Kurt could be surprisingly violent and incredibly possessive, so maybe it would be fine.

But maybe it wouldn’t, and Blaine was too scared of losing him to find out.

Losing Kurt wasn’t an option. The only way Blaine was ever letting Kurt go was if Kurt said he wanted out. Sometimes, in his darker moments, Blaine wondered if he’d even be able to do so then. Not that he would force Kurt to stay with him, of course, but Blaine wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to just let Kurt go, completely erase himself from Kurt’s life.

Blaine brought Kurt’s hand to his lips and kissed the place Kurt would one day wear his ring, overwhelmingly grateful.

Losing Kurt wasn’t an option, but Kurt wasn’t going anywhere. And one day, he’d be Blaine’s officially. Forever.

***

Kurt hadn't meant to be a tease, really. It wasn't his fault that Blaine had Katy Perry's CD in on the ride to his house. Okay, maybe Kurt could've sung along to all of the songs, not just the ones about sex, but where was the fun in that? And okay, maybe he could've drank his water like he normally did (two quick gulps and a lip rub), but when he could see Blaine's hands tensing on the steering wheel? He would've had to been made out of steel to resist doing a little bit of teasing.

The tie was a complete accident. He had let his mind drift to what he was going to be doing later (because, hello, teenage boy with a hot boyfriend) and suddenly found it hard to swallow. He had loosened his tie simply to be able to breathe, but then he had seen Blaine look over and lick his lips and wasn't that an interesting thing to find out his boyfriend liked...So, while the tie had been an accident, the unbuttoning of the buttons was more than strategic.

He probably would've undone a few more if they hadn't pulled up to the Anderson's castle when they did. (Okay, it was your typical mansion, and Blaine got pouty when Kurt called it a castle out loud, but seriously? All it was missing was the turrets. Kurt Hummel could call a spade a spade). Instead, he smiled, teasing Blaine for his overly chivalrous nature like he always did, partially because it was a long-standing joke between them and also partially because he couldn't really bring himself to believe the fact that someone (his boyfriend even, and that still hadn't sunken in either) wanted to take care of him.

Kurt smiled as Blaine kissed his hand, blushing slightly as he reached in the car to grab his overnight bag out of the backseat. "Keep it up, Anderson. You're gonna keep being all lovey-dovey with me until I just decide to stick around because I'm addicted to the affection, then you'll be stuck with me all the time. Then what?" He asked, smirking to hide the fact that he was, in fact, slightly worried.

He knew that Blaine said he loved Kurt, wanted to marry him even, that much was a fact at this point. What Kurt wasn't sure of was how much Blaine would love him when he realized that Kurt? Not always the nicest guy in the world. Sure, he loved his friends and family above and beyond what was probably normal for a sixteen year old boy, and he'd give any of them the shirt off of his back if they so much as hinted...That didn't stop him from hurting them, sometimes on more than one occasion, and sometimes just because he knew he could.

He had tried to explain it to Mercedes once before, the fact that he could be caring and sweet one second and punching below the belt the next: It was self-preservation. If he was good enough at changing moods on a dime to keep even his closest friends on their toes, he'd have no trouble outwitting the bullies at school. If he sharpened his tongue at the expense of his family (whom he could always apologize to later), he could unleash it on the Neanderthals who tried to bother him without worrying about whether it would come off as whiny and pathetic. He already knew that it would cut to the bone, because he already had the practice.

He frowned, leaning against Blaine slightly as they walked towards the house, only the slightest bit aware that his boyfriend was talking until the phrase 'matching polyester jumpsuits' caught his attention. He pulled away, blinking at Blaine in confusion as he slowed to a halt. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Blaine chuckled, walking back to where Kurt had stopped and kissing his forehead gently. "I thought that'd get your attention. I was saying, before you started ignoring me, that when you stick around because you're addicted to my affection, I will consider myself the luckiest man in the world." He smiled, cupping Kurt's chin in his hand and looking at him closely, frowning slightly at the distant look on his boyfriend's face. "What's wrong? What're you thinking about?"

Kurt huffed, pushing Blaine's hand away and striding towards the door. "That's stupid, Blaine. Your family owns most of Ohio, you have a car that makes most adults in this town embarrassed to park next to you for fear of looking cheap, and you're handsome enough to do anything you want and get away with it. Don't act like me following you around like a lovesick puppy is really what's going to make your life amazing. We both know it's not true." He stopped as he got to the door, turning to look at Blaine with a raised eyebrow. "This isn't going to open itself, you know."

He watched as Blaine blinked at him for a few seconds, and then followed the same path he had made to the door, unlocking it quietly before pushing it open and gesturing for Kurt to go inside. Once they were both in, with the door shut and locked and the alarm turned on, he sighed softly, getting ready for Blaine to lay in to him about how he didn't need to get bitchy, or about how wrong he was in terms of his own self-worth. When Blaine simply walked past him, headed for the living room, he was shocked.

"So that's it? No wise words from the man on top of the mountain?" He asked, following the older boy slowly. "I mean, I'm sure that you, with all your worldly experience, must have something to say in response to all of that."

He watched as Blaine sat down his book bag, then came over and took Kurt's from his hands gently, walking it over to the stairs that lead up to his room before setting it down as well. Kurt swallowed nervously as Blaine slowly came back over to where he was standing, stopping so that they had about five feet of space left in between them.

"I actually have a lot to say," Blaine said softly, looking down at his shoes. "But I know that none of it matters, because you really don't mean any of what you said." He took a step closer, looking Kurt in the eye. "You know how I feel about you, and you know how much of an impact that has on me. You know that I don't care about the material things in my life nearly as much as I care about having someone to share them with."

He took another step closer, reaching out and touching Kurt's arm gently. "If you want to put up this bitchy, diva-esque persona and make everyone else take a step back, that's fine. I get it. You need space to breathe without everyone else trying to take it over and make you what you aren't..." He sighed, shrugging and looking at Kurt helplessly. "I'm just asking that you don't do it with me. Partially because it's an insult to my intelligence for you to think that I can't tell when you're being bitchy because you're upset and when you're being bitchy because you're trying to make me upset..."

He sighed softly, closing the gap between them and pulling Kurt in to his arms gently. "And also...Partially because I would hope that you know by now that no how matter how bitchy you get, or how pushy, or demanding, or whatever...I'm not going anywhere." He smirked slightly, pulling down the collar of his shirt to expose the hickey Kurt had left him with earlier. "I've been marked, baby. I'm yours until you decide to get rid of me."

Kurt closed his eyes for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he was grateful that Blaine had seen through his bitching, or angry that he had. How could you test someone who knows you’re testing them? Kurt thought, then immediately wanted to slap himself. Was he really that terrible a person that he had to test everyone he cared about? Self-defense mechanism or not, that was kind of manipulative. And bitchy.

Kurt’d never really cared about being a bitch before. That was just who he was and how he had to be. But with Blaine looking at him like that, so gently and earnest and loving, with that hurt hidden below the surface - that struck deep.

“I’m always going to be a bitch,” Kurt said in a tone that tried and failed to be defiant. “That’s not going to change.”

Kurt waited for Blaine to realize that Kurt wasn’t worth it. That Kurt wasn’t the nice boy he thought he was, that Kurt wasn’t nice at all. Kurt waited for Blaine to say that he had changed his mind, for him to pull back his hand, for him to tell Kurt to leave.

Instead, Blaine stepped in closer, intertwining the fingers of their hands and reaching up with his other hand to cup Kurt’s cheek. His thumb brushed softly along Kurt’s cheekbone, and Kurt swallowed hard against the sweet aching want it left in its wake. “And I’m always going to love you,” Blaine said softly. “That’s never going to change either.” He paused. “But I would prefer it if you would stop trying to push me away. I get why you do it, I really do. That doesn’t make it any less painful to know that my boyfriend doesn’t believe me when I say just how in love with you I am.” His thumb gently rubbed against Kurt’s face again. “I might be a lot of things, Kurt, and God knows I might do a lot of things that could hurt you, and I probably will, because in all honesty I’m not that smart a guy, but one thing I can promise you: I will never lie to you.” Blaine paused again. “And even if you don’t believe me, the fact is that I will love you to the day I die.”

Kurt shook his head, rolling his eyes a little, trying to push back the heavy emotions Blaine was making him feel. “There you go again,” Kurt said, trying to sound mocking, but the words mostly came out fond with a hint of disbelief. “Saying all those ridiculous romantic things.” Kurt couldn’t help but squeeze Blaine’s hand a little tighter, but couldn’t stop himself from continuing: “We’re not in some lifetime drama, you know.”

Blaine smiled. “No,” he said, “We’re in a romantic comedy. With mobsters. And occasional musical numbers.”

Kurt couldn’t help but laugh, which had been Blaine’s intention. “Come on,” Blaine said, tugging Kurt toward the stairs. “Let’s go put our stuff down somewhere that isn’t in the way of everyone walking past.”

Blaine got Kurt talking about silly, inconsequential stuff as he led Kurt up the stairs and to his room. He wanted to lighten the mood. This day had been probably the most intense day of his life, even more so than when Emma was born or that one time he was kidnapped as a child or hell, even the day he’d first met Kurt, and he’d thought nothing could ever eclipse that but maybe their wedding day. Quite frankly, Blaine was tired. He hadn’t lied when he told Kurt that it hurt to hear that Kurt didn’t really believe in Blaine’s love. Oh, he hadn’t explicitly said so, but all of the bitching to try and make Blaine upset? That was one of the most overt tests of affection that Blaine had ever seen, and he watched a lot of chick flicks, okay? So he was pretty damn familiar with the tactic, and in fact was reasonably certain that Kurt had gotten the idea (even if he would never admit it and might not even realize it himself) from those self same movies.

It hurt.

Blaine didn’t know how to make it clearer, how much he was in love with Kurt. He knew intellectually that this was a byproduct of all the bullying Kurt had been through, and that eventually Kurt would realize that Blaine’s love was completely unconditional, but Blaine wasn’t perfect, okay? He wanted Kurt to know that now. It didn’t just hurt to know that Kurt didn’t believe him, it also made him angry. Blaine pressed his anger down with the other, uglier feelings of possession and jealousy and need that he tried so hard to keep Kurt from ever seeing.

Maybe it was a little hypocritical of Blaine, to expect Kurt to believe Blaine would love him no matter what, when Blaine was pretty sure that Kurt would run screaming if he ever realized just how terrible a person Blaine was, how possessive. He tried so hard not to show it; he was always supportive of Kurt having a social life outside of Blaine; in fact, he even reminded Kurt sometimes to spend more time with Mercedes or his family. That didn’t change the fact that deep down inside, Blaine wanted Kurt all to himself, and that he hated sharing Kurt. With anyone.

God, Blaine thought to himself. He sounded like a fucking abusive boyfriend.

Blaine’s self-recriminations were interrupted by Kurt slamming him into the inside of his bedroom door, which Blaine belatedly realized Kurt had closed before even dropping his bag on the floor. “The hell-” Blaine started to say when Kurt pulled his collar down and fastened his mouth to the same spot he’d marked before. “Fuck,” Blaine said, dropping his own bag and grabbing Kurt’s hair. He couldn’t breathe. Kurt was sucking on already sensitive skin and occasionally there was just the slight scrape of teeth and it hurt in the best of ways and Blaine couldn’t fucking stand it. He dragged Kurt away from his neck and up so Blaine could kiss him. Blaine’s head banged against the door again as Kurt pushed forward into the kiss, practically devouring him.

Blaine groaned, pulling Kurt closer and sliding his hands under the younger boy's shirt slowly. "You...You know...I do have a bed..." He gasped in between kisses. "With blankets, even..."

"Fuck the blankets," Kurt said, pulling back and taking Blaine's hand. "I want to be able to see--" he cut off suddenly as his stomach growled. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment, looking at Blaine sheepishly. "Could we maybe pretend that that didn't just happen, and I continue on with my sexy monologue?"

Blaine smiled, pulling Kurt back against him and kissing him gently. "No, no we cannot, I'm not that bad of a boyfriend. We can, however, go downstairs, get some of the leftovers from dinner last night warmed up, and watch a movie in the living room while we eat." He smiled, kissing Kurt's cheek before pushing him back a few steps so that he could turn and open the door.

"Leftovers? Your mom didn't really strike me as the 'Betty Crocker' type of gal..." Kurt said, holding Blaine's hand as he followed him back down the stairs. "Actually, she didn't really strike me as any type of gal, aside from the kind who could kill me six ways from Sunday..."

"Which is a very accurate description of her," Blaine said, nodding. "She's not Betty Crocker at all... Actually, she's kind of a horrible cook. We have a chef named Leslie who does all that. She'd actually be here now if it weren't for the fact that Mom and Dad had that thing to be at.  If only one of us is going to be home, she gets the night off. Oh, and weekends. We usually just order something in, like Chinese." He added, leading Kurt in to the kitchen as he finished talking.

Kurt looked at him, blinking slightly. "You have a chef? As in, you pay someone to come in and cook for you five days out of the week?" He raised his eyebrows slightly and pursed his lips. "Yeah, you realize that's going to change when we live together, right? I mean, I'm sure Leslie is fantastic, no discredit to her talents intended at all...But I do the cooking. Especially for just the two of us."

Blaine smiled slightly, smiling at the fact that Kurt was already planning parts of their future. "I don't know, baby, I've never had your cooking before...What if it's not as good?" He asked, winking at Kurt playfully. "I mean, I do have a rather large...appetite." He added softly, giving Kurt's body a once over so that his double entendre couldn't be missed.

Kurt smirked, crowding in to Blaine's space so that the other boy was backed against the counter. "You just tell me what you want, honey. I can cook you anything you choose." He smiled, kissing Blaine deeply before pulling away and heading towards the cabinets, winking over his shoulder.

Blaine blinked at him, still caught up in the fact that his boyfriend was an amazing kisser, the kind that left him speechless afterwards. "Kurt, the fridge is...It's over here," He said, gesturing to the fridge on his left. "I thought you wanted dinner?"

Kurt smiled, opening one of the cabinets and then kneeling down in front of it, looking inside for a few seconds before pulling out a few pans and standing up. "I do want dinner...But I want prove to you that I'm a good cook first." He smiled, setting the pans on the counter before brushing past Blaine to open the refrigerator, grabbing a few things before closing the door and pausing in front of Blaine, whispering in his ear softly. "Wouldn't want my man to think I can't take care of him..."

Blaine sighed softly, letting his head fall back against the upper cabinets. "I'm never gonna be able to get my way against you, am I?"

Kurt smiled, kissing Blaine on the cheek gently before strolling over to the stove. "Nope. I can cook, and you think I'm hot. Face it, honey: You've signed yourself up for a lifetime of being my bitch."

***

Blaine hadn’t really doubted Kurt when he’d said he was a good cook, but this? This was fantastic.

“This is fantastic, Kurt,” Blaine said, having swallowed his bite a little faster than was strictly polite. Kurt had been looking at him with such an unsure expression on his face that was at odds with his earlier cockiness, and Blaine knew he was waiting for Blaine’s reaction.

Kurt’s face lit up. “I told you,” he said, with a triumphant sniff. “I am an excellent cook.”

“So you are,” Blaine agreed. He couldn’t help but smile at Kurt. He looked so happy that Blaine liked his cooking. It was - what was that word David used all the time to describe Kurt? - endearing. Adorable, even.

Blaine felt that really they ought to have conversation during their meal, since that was the point of having meals together, but it had been a long day and neither Kurt nor he’d eaten since breakfast. Actually, considering Kurt’s penchant for skipping meals (something that was going to stop, if Blaine had anything to do with it), it was entirely possible that this was Kurt’s first meal of the day. They were really too hungry to talk. Blaine couldn’t help but think, though. He wanted - God, how he wanted - to touch Kurt, to hear the sounds he’d make, to see him fall apart.

But Blaine couldn’t help but remember the sick feeling he’d had earlier, when Kurt was on top of him and crying. He never wanted to feel like that again. Hell, he wanted Kurt to never cry again, but Blaine knew that was just stupidly unrealistic. At the very least, though, Blaine wanted to make sure Kurt never cried because of Blaine again. And maybe that wasn’t realistic either, but what about this was, really? He’d fallen in love with Kurt the moment he saw him, and wasn’t that just the stupidest, most ridiculous thing? Blaine had always scoffed at the romances that talked about ‘one true love’s, but then it happened and he couldn’t understand how it was possible. And somehow everyday he fell more in love with Kurt. Every day he thought it wasn’t possible to fall deeper in love with a person, and every day he was proved wrong.

Or maybe that’s just what love was. Real love. He’d mentioned it to his dad, off-handedly so as to have a good excuse for ending the conversation if it proved necessary, and all his dad had said was that he was glad Blaine had found someone. Then he’d started talking business again, and Blaine had to concentrate, because one day this mob was going to belong to him, and he needed to know how to keep his family safe and the business running.

Kurt leaned back coyly after they finished eating. “So …” he drawled, “If you pay someone to cook for you, do you also pay someone to clean for you?”

Blaine couldn’t help but laugh. “You just don’t want to wash the dishes,” Blaine said fondly.

“Of course not,” Kurt said. “Dish soap is terrible for my skin.”

Blaine suppressed laughter. Kurt always entertained him with his fastidiousness. He had no trouble with getting greasy and dirty helping his father in the shop, but anywhere else he’d throw a fit about the slightest spec of dirt. “Luckily for you,” Blaine said, taking both their dishes into the kitchen, “We do indeed hire someone to clean after us. Maria’s around somewhere - Maria’s our usual maid; she’s Anthony’s niece, actually; sweet girl - and she’ll deal with the dishes, but it’s only polite to clear our own plates.”

Kurt tugged Blaine upstairs by the hand. Blaine wasn’t protesting, but he was worried. He knew what Kurt was thinking, and it wasn’t like Blaine wasn’t thinking it too, but Blaine just wasn’t sure…

Blaine’s bedroom door closed behind them, Kurt pushed Blaine up against it again.

“Still have a bed,” Blaine pointed out.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Maybe I don’t want you on a bed,” he said, running his hands down Blaine’s chest. “Maybe I want you just” - he unbuckled Blaine’s pants - “like” -he pulled Blaine’s jeans down and out of the way- “this,” he finished, sinking to his knees.

Holy Mary mother of God, Kurt was on his knees and he was looking up at Blaine through those ridiculously long lashes of his and Blaine couldn’t remember how to breathe. And then Kurt was leaning forward, oh God, and Blaine could feel the heat of his breath and fuck, he wanted Kurt’s mouth on him so badly he thought he might die.

“Wait,” Blaine gasped out, grabbing Kurt’s shoulders. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. Fuck, Kurt was on his knees. “Baby, wait.”

Kurt looked exasperated and hurt and desperately turned on, all at once. “Why?” he said in a voice deeper and raspier than normal and God, how much more would it rasp if -

“We need to talk,” Blaine managed to say.

Kurt stood up so suddenly Blaine felt like he had whiplash. “Are you breaking up with me?” Kurt demanded, his voice getting shrill. “Because earlier today you said you were going to marry me, so excuse me if I misunderstood because I’m getting some pretty damn mixed signals here, Blaine.”

“What?” Blaine didn’t know how Kurt had gotten ‘I want to break up’ from ‘We need to talk’.

“No,” Blaine said loudly, “I do not want to break up with you; where the hell would you get that idea?”

Kurt crossed his arms angrily. “You said we needed to talk,” Kurt said icily. “That always means they want to break up.”

“In the movies, Kurt,” Blaine said, thinking that maybe Kurt had more in common with his step-brother than he thought he did.

Kurt’s stance got a little less antagonistic and a lot more defensive. “So why do you want to talk?”

Blaine sighed. Running his fingers through his hair, he went to take a seat on his bed. If they were going to have this conversation, he might as well be comfortable for it.

Kurt frowned, looking at Blaine with his head tilted to the side. "You're starting to worry me, Blaine...Seriously, what's wrong?"

"I think...For now, at least..." Blaine started, picking at the knee of his jeans nervously, "that we should take a--" He paused, looking up to find Kurt glaring at him. "Take a second! A second, not a break, don't freak out on me!" He said, backtracking quickly.

"A second for what, Blaine?" Kurt asked, his voice almost deadly soft. "A second for you to decide that you want to take a break? Is that what this "second" we're taking is all about?" He asked, making air quotes as he spoke. "Is this just some way for you to string me along before you decide you're done playing around?"

"No! For the last time, I'm not breaking up with you!" He said, standing up and glaring and Kurt, finally fed up with the fact that the younger boy didn't believe him. "I'm trying to tell you that I'm worried about us going too fast too soon, and that I want us to slow down on the sex and actually talk about things, but all you seem to want to do is find ways to put words in my mouth! To be honest, I'm getting sick of it, Kurt. If you have something you want to say to me, fine, but don't force me to say it for you just because you're scared!"

"Well I'm sorry that we can't all be as cool and composed as you are every minute of the day, Blaine!" Kurt snapped, feeling his face heat up in anger. "I'm sorry that I'm not as used to having people fall at my feet as you clearly are already. I'm sorry--" He paused as his voice cracked, taking a deep breath and swallowing before continuing in a much softer tone. "I'm sorry that I'm scared, and that I'm trying to push you away before I really get hurt."

Blaine sighed, feeling himself get over his anger as quickly as it he had felt it flare up inside of him. Putting his arms around Kurt tightly, he kissed the taller boy's jaw gently and started to rub his back. "And this is why I think we need to talk...C'mon, let's sit down..." He pulled away, leading Kurt to his bed and letting him sit down before walking over to his computer desk and situating himself in the chair there.

"You...You're not going to sit next to me?" Kurt asked, looking at him worriedly. "I mean, I know you're mad and all, but I..."

Blaine shook his head, shushing him gently and rolling the chair over so that he was in front of Kurt, taking his hand gently. "I'm upset, you're right. That doesn't mean that I don't want to be next to you." He shrugged, blushing slightly. "It's just that...I love you, Kurt. You being upset makes me want to skip talking in favor of kissing you senseless, making you forget that you were ever even mad, and that won't help right now. We need to talk first, baby. The only way that's gonna happen is with some space between us."

“Okay,” Kurt said softly. He guessed that made sense. He sighed, looking at his boyfriend and shrugging slightly. "Where do we start?"

Blaine took a deep breath. "I think we should --" He stopped. "No, that's not what I want to say. I think --" He broke off again, and sighed. Giving Kurt's hand a kiss, he started again. "We're kids, Kurt. I know we feel like we're so grown up and in some ways we are -- you've had to take care of your dad and deal with all sorts of things people our age don't even think about. And I've learned more in the last few months about being the boss than I had in my entire life, thanks to my dad's crash course. But we're still kids. And we don't know what we're doing."

"We know we're getting married," Kurt said quietly.

"Yeah," Blaine said with a small smile. "We do know that. And that -- it terrifies me, Kurt. You were in tears earlier because of it. I'm so in love with you that it sometimes feels like everything in our relationship is inevitable. Why wait to have sex? Why wait to get engaged? Hell, why wait to get married? We both know it's going to happen, right?"

Blaine saw panic flash in Kurt's eyes as Blaine deliberately brought up what he knew scared Kurt the most.

"But, Kurt," Blaine continued, squeezing Kurt's hand reassuringly, "The thing is, even if we know we're going to do those things someday, that doesn't mean we're ready for them now." Blaine paused. "And it doesn't mean that we should skip over all the stuff in between."

"Like going to Prom?" Kurt said in a small voice. Blaine filed away the fact that Kurt definitely wanted to go to prom somewhere in the back of his mind where he stored important Kurt information.

"Yeah," Blaine said. "Like going to prom, or getting caught making out by our parents, or just -- learning more about each other. I know a lot about you, Kurt, and I've told you a lot about me, but I want to know you, Kurt, really know you." He shrugged. "I know all of your favorite musicals and why you prefer Judy Garland to Barbara Streisand, but I have no idea what you did on snow days when you were little or whether or not you're scared of ducks."

"Are you scared of ducks?" Kurt asked, his brow furrowed a little.

"No, Emma is," Blaine said. "But that's not the point."

"I know," Kurt said. He looked at Blaine, a serious expression on his face. "I know," Kurt repeated quietly.

"So...I have an idea," Blaine said, sitting up straighter. Part of his lessons with his dad lately had been about using body language to get across a message without saying anything. Time to see if it's paying off, he thought to himself as he opened his mouth.

Kurt tried really hard not to laugh when he realized what Blaine was doing. “Stop-just, stop, Blaine,” Kurt said, holding up his hand to get Blaine to pause. "I know you, honey. You sitting up straight to prove that you know what you're talking about and that I should listen to you without question? Not gonna work." He winked playfully. "Besides, your mom told me to be on the lookout for that. Apparently your dad tries the same thing, your mom's just nice enough to let him think it works."

Blaine deflated a little, slumping back down in his seat. "Damn it,” he said, affecting a pout. “I am gonna have no credibility as a mob boss if she doesn't quit telling everybody all my tricks!" He sighed, turning his pout on Kurt. "Baby?"

"No, the pout doesn't work either. Try again." Kurt said, smiling. "And before you even try, you can skip the 'Intimidation' technique, too. I've seen you dancing to Katy Perry in nothing but your boxers. You're not really gonna be able to put any sort of fear in me when I have that in the back of my mind."

Blaine rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. "I give up. Why don't we just call everyone and tell them that Emma's the new head of the family now; it'll save time when everyone realizes that I'm as scary as a Cabbage Patch Kid..."

Kurt burst out laughing, making Blaine blink at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, I'm taking your plight seriously, I swear...It's just that you kind of look like the Cabbage Patch Kid I got for my fourth birthday...He had longer hair, though...And, believe it or not, he was even shorter than you."

Blaine rolled his eyes fondly, leaning across the space in between them and kissing Kurt gently. "See? Things like that...I wanna know all of that, Kurt. Which dolls were your favorite, which ones you always wanted but you never got...Who your favorite relatives are, what your family reunions are like..."

He smiled at Kurt, sitting up straight again. "I don't care if this works on you or not, I've got to practice...Anyways, I have an idea, and I'd like your input, if you don't mind." At Kurt's nod, he continued. "I want us to date...Just like anybody else. No bodyguards, no staying at one another's house when our parents are gone..." He shrugged, blushing slightly. "I want to woo you with my romance and charm, basically. Even if that means we don't always see each other every day, that'll make it better. We'll be working for our relationship to work, not just getting complacent with the fact that we know it will."

Kurt smiled, squeezing Blaine's hand gently. "I can agree with that, but how do we get around the fact that we both have mob lessons that we're going to have to do? You know we can't get out of them; your mom and dad would kill us."

"They can't kill us, we're the ones taking over...Well, they could kill us, but that'd mean they'd be stuck in charge until Emma's at least sixteen...Child labor laws," he said in response to Kurt frowning in confusion. "Anyways, those we can still do, just with less kidnapping and more treating it like a business meeting."

"And what about Anthony? Dad's not going to let me stop having a bodyguard just because you want to be romantic, you know."

Blaine smiled and nodded, "I know...But I can pay him an obscene amount of money to conveniently show up at the wrong place when it's time to chaperon our dates, at least for the first half hour or so. That way, we have time to be alone, but not so much time as to lead to anything that might compromise your virtuous nature." He said, winking at Kurt playfully.

"My virtuous nature got compromised around one o'clock this afternoon, if you'll recall." Kurt said, smiling and blushing slightly. He sighed softly, kissing Blaine's hand gently. "I like this plan...Not the part where I'm not getting laid, but the idea of being part of an old-fashioned romance isn't something I'm completely against." He said, playing like he wasn't completely in love with the idea of being pursued.

"Good," Blaine said, standing up and pulling Kurt up as well. "In that case, let's get our books, go downstairs, and start studying."

Kurt looked at him confusedly. "Blaine, our books are already up here. Why don't we just study where we are?"

Blaine smiled, shrugging helplessly. "I'm not allowed to have boys in my room when my parents aren't home, baby. Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “Oh, and also, one of us is going to have to sleep on the floor tonight. It wouldn't be right for us to share a bed," he added, widening his eyes in faux innocence.

"I lied," Kurt said automatically. "I don't want romance. I don't need romance. I'm so over romance. I'd rather be a slut if it means we're allowed to cuddle!"

Blaine laughed, grabbing his bookbag and heading for the door. "I'll see you downstairs, baby."

***

“Hey, Kurt, do you know what-” Blaine cut himself off. Kurt had apparently fallen asleep studying. His face was in his textbook and his hair was disheveled. He looked like he had earlier when they had woken up together and God, why had Blaine argued for them slowing down? This was clearly the worst plan ever.

No, Blaine thought to himself sternly, taking a deep breath. This is important. He forcibly reminded himself of the bleak look in Kurt’s eyes, how he’d shaken with sobs only hours before. It made him feel sick, but it was effective in strengthening his resolve in a way remembering his own freak out the night before couldn’t.

Blaine glanced at the clock. Someone would be bringing Emma home anytime now; his parents might extend her bedtime for an important party, but not for more than an hour or so. Any later than that and you were just asking for Emma to throw a very public fit or for her to fall asleep in some hidden corner and panic everyone. His parents would still be out for a while, though. Blaine doubted they’d be home before one o’clock, at the earliest. While his mother was probably enjoying the party, his father was almost certainly using it as cover for a business meeting of some kind or another.

Actually, Blaine thought, if his mother was really enjoying the party, she was probably doing business of some kind or another. No one could manipulate people like Blaine’s mother.

Well, except Kurt, but Blaine knew that Kurt wasn’t quite as good as his mother, not yet. He was just unable to deny Kurt almost anything.

Possibly that would someday be a problem. On the other hand, his dad was completely wrapped around his mom’s little finger and that’d never interfered with the business.

Well, except for that once, but his mom had been right anyway, so it was just as well.

***

Kurt woke up slowly to the feeling on someone playing with his hair gently. Looking up slightly, he smiled as he realized that Blaine was sitting next to him, running a hand through Kurt's hair in an absent-minded fashion while he studied. Kurt sighed to himself happily, closing his eyes and preparing to go back to sleep.

"We should probably get you moved into one of the guest rooms if you're that tired," Blaine said softly, never taking his eyes off of his textbook or his hand out of Kurt's hair. "Actually, we should probably both head to bed. If Emma comes home and sees you, she's not going to want to go to sleep." He smiled softly, thinking about how enamored his little sister was with his boyfriend. "That, and I really don't want to spend the rest of the night hearing about what business dad managed to get done tonight..." He added, frowning slightly.

Kurt turned his head slightly, blinking his eyes open and watching Blaine while he scribbled down some notes in his binder. "...Is this something you want to do, Blaine?" He asked, his voice raspy from sleep. "The business," he added at his boyfriend's look of confusion. "Did you grow up wanting to be a mob boss?"

Blaine sighed, shrugging slightly. "It's something I have to do, Kurt. It's a job, just like any other. The only difference is that my application was sent in and approved the moment I was born." He thought for a second, setting down his pencil and turning so that he was facing Kurt. "Are there days that I wish I was just a normal high school kid? Yeah. Do I ever get frustrated that I've basically been in training to be the perfect mob boss since I was old enough to talk? You bet."

"So then why do it?" Kurt asked, sitting up slowly and propping his chin in his hand as he looked at Blaine, smiling softly as the older boy's hand slid from his hair down to his shoulder. "Why can't you just politely refuse?"

"Because the good of it all--things like being able to fund the Warblers, or getting rid of Karofsky for you...getting to know that the people I care about are safe and taken care of--that all outweighs the bad," Blaine said simply, standing up and flipping his textbook closed and stacking it on top of his binder. He finished gathering his things before looking at Kurt, smiling fondly at the realization that the other boy had started to fall asleep again. He bent down, kissing the younger boy on the cheek and shaking him gently to wake him up.

"Come on. Time for you to get started on your skin care routine. I refuse to listen to you complain about bags under your eyes tomorrow." He smiled, stepping back and pulling Kurt to his feet gently, smiling as his boyfriend chose to lean against him rather than standing up on his own. "I'm not carrying you to bed, Kurt..." He said warningly.

Kurt just yawned and slumped against Blaine some more, nodding slightly. "Mmm...Okay, honey...You say that...I'm just gonna sleep...Right here."

Blaine sighed, rolling his eyes playfully and bending to scoop Kurt up in to his arms. "We're not even engaged, we're not having sex, and yet I'm carrying you upstairs to your bedroom all the same...If that's not true love..." He trailed off, smiling and kissing Kurt's forehead gently.

"Wait...I get a bed?" Kurt mumbled against Blaine's shoulder tiredly. "You said...We're gonna have to sleep....on the floor..." He lifted his head slightly, looking at Blaine in bleary-eyed confusion. "Huh?"

Blaine chuckled, nudging Kurt's head back down on to his shoulder and shushing him gently. "We have a lot of guest rooms, baby. I'm pretty sure we can find a bed that doesn't have me in it for you to sleep in tonight..."

"Oh...Okay..." Kurt mumbled, nuzzling closer to Blaine and drifting back off to sleep almost immediately.

"Sweet dreams, baby." Blaine whispered, kissing the top of Kurt's head gently and smiling as he started carrying him towards the stairs.

It was hard to leave Kurt and make his way back to his own room on the other side of the house, but Blaine forced himself to do it.

As he changed into pajamas, he couldn’t help but remember the way Kurt had curled in toward his body as he carried Kurt up the stairs, and the way Kurt had clung to Blaine’s neck when Blaine tried to put him in bed. Nor could he forget the way Kurt had then curled into a pillow, tucking himself up against it the way he’d curled up to Blaine

And then Blaine couldn’t help but think of the way Kurt would twist his body when they were kissing so as to be as close as humanly possible, and then Blaine was remembering the way Kurt had so thoroughly kissed him and then all he could think about was Kurt on his fucking knees looking up at him like Blaine was the most amazing thing in the world, like it wasn’t Blaine that was so fucking lucky-

Blaine heard himself groan a little and he was touching himself and God, he was already so fucking hard, all it would take-

Blaine panted, trying to come down from his orgasm. What Kurt did to him…he’d jerked off more in the last year than he had in all the rest of his teenage years, even when he was thirteen and everything turned him on.

Okay, so that last bit was probably hyperbole, but Blaine really didn’t care.

Blaine let his head hit the wall. “I am so dumb,” he said out loud.

Then he changed into clean pajamas.

On the other side of the house, Kurt was trying to go back to sleep. He couldn’t get comfortable. The bed was nice and the sheets were definitely expensive and well-made, but it wasn’t his bed and it wasn’t his room and this house sounded different than his did. It was like Dalton all over again, except this time Kurt knew all he would have to do is crawl into bed with Blaine and he’d be sound asleep within minutes.

Okay, so maybe not, since Blaine was being such a tease and all. Really? Blaine couldn’t court him properly and have sex?

Covering his face with one of the (are these real feathers?) pillows, it occurred to Kurt that life would be much easier if he was dating a less mature man. Or at least a less stubborn one. Blaine might have a really good point about them and their relationship, one that Kurt even agreed with, but right now? At this moment in time? All Kurt wanted was to smack the good intentions out of Blaine, suck his cock until they both fucking came, and then curl up with his boyfriend to get a good night’s sleep.

And none of that was going to happen. Fuck Kurt’s life.

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