"I'm freaking starving," Blaine grumbled into his pillow after he and Kurt caught another hour or so of sleep that morning.

"Breakfast, then?" Kurt asked, stretching his body like a little cat.

"Mmm," Blaine mumbled in assent.

"Well up you get then lazy," Kurt said playfully as he ruffled Blaine's hair.

It really was truly adorable just how much of a morning person that Blaine was simply not. Kurt crawled out of bed and threw on some sweatpants and Blaine's hoodie. Truth be told, he only let Blaine have it back for a few days once every few weeks so it would smell like him again. Blaine didn't seem to mind that much though.

"You should just cater to me," Blaine said tiredly, pulling the blankets back up over his naked body. "That way I don't have to get up."

"Blaine Anderson," Kurt ripped the blankets off of the sleepy boy, "get your ass up right now. And if you ever infer that I'm the hired help again, I will go all Lorena Bobbit on your ass, I swear."

"Ah!" The cool air instantly hit Blaine's skin and he shivered, curling up in a ball to try and preserve some of his body heat. "It's freezing!"

"So put some clothes on!" Kurt threw Blaine's pajama pants in his face.

Blaine reluctantly uncurled his body. His teeth were chattering as he tugged on the pants. "I d-don't consider you hired h-help," Blaine said then.

"You'd best not if you value your penis at all."

"I don't!"

Kurt let an evil smirk spread across his face as he tossed Blaine a t-shirt from his bag. "I thought not."

Blaine pulled on his t-shirt and then he stood there, still shivering with his arms wrapped around himself. You know that feeling that you get when you get out of your warm, comfy bed and your skin gets little goose bumps from the cool air, even if it's not terribly freezing? Yeah, this was that moment.

"You're so dramatic," Kurt sighed. Feigning annoyance, he strode over to Blaine and wrapped him up in his arms. He rubbed his hands up and down the other boy's cloth covered back and kissed his hair. "Better?"

"Much," Blaine whispered into Kurt's shoulder. "We should just stay like this."

"I thought you were starving."

"I am. But you're so warm."

"And you'll be warm in a minute. Come on."

Kurt pulled away and took Blaine's hand, leading him up the staircase and through his door to the ground level of the house. Ah, Blaine sighed happily. It was much warmer in here than it ever was in Kurt's basement room. They made their way to the kitchen to find Burt, Carole, and Finn already sitting at the table with plates of food in front of them.

"There's still some turkey bacon, eggs, and toast on the stove if you boys are hungry," Carole pointed out.

Kurt had to do a double take before acknowledging her because it seriously looked like she was attempting to suppress a smile. His brows knitted together in confusion but he turned back to the stove to find Blaine filling a plate with the aforementioned breakfast foods. Kurt plucked a bagel out of the bread box and poured himself a cup of coffee before joining his family and his boyfriend at the kitchen table. While Blaine and Finn were busy shoveling food into their mouths, Carole and Burt were…oddly silent.

"So…how's school going?" Carole finally asking.

"It's tolerable," Kurt said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm sure I'll be glad for summer though."

"Mmm," was all Carole had to say in response.

Things went quiet again. If Kurt hadn't been so preoccupied with looking on in disgust at how quickly his boyfriend and his brother consumed their breakfast, he would have seen Carole shooting Burt some very obvious glances. Burt sighed loudly and rubbed at his forehead before he began speaking.

"So Kurt…"

"Yeah?" Kurt replied, though he wasn't really paying attention. Really, watching these two eat was like watching a couple of wild animals feasting upon a dead carcass.

"I just uh…wanted to remind you that the um – that your door isn't exactly sound proof."

Kurt was still only half listening. "Mhmm." But Blaine stopped his fork in mid air. He looked over at Kurt with wide eyes. Kurt finally snapped back to the conversation. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your door. To you room," Burt attempted to clarify. "Sound carries through it."

"And so…?" Kurt prompted. He put his coffee cup to his lips to take another sip.

"Oh for god's – I'm trying to tell you that you two were really loud last night and that we heard damn near everything."

Okay. So once that statement was out, three things happened simultaneously. One, Blaine's fork clattered loudly onto his plate. Two, Finn choked on a particularly large piece of toast. And three, Kurt sent coffee spewing out of his mouth and onto the table.

Carole reached over with the hand that wasn't covering her smile to hit Finn's back so that he'd stop choking. Blaine sat up straight and had this wide-eyed deer in the headlights look plastered onto his face, somewhat similar to the same look Kurt was wearing.

Kurt was silent. He…had no words. Had they really…what exactly did they hear? As much as he wanted to know the answer to that question he was most certainly NOT going to ask it aloud.

"We really didn't hear everything, sweetheart, your dad's exaggerating a little," Carole said.

"But…" Kurt wondered.

"But we heard enough."

The look on her face was a cross between amusement and pity, which seemed like a look the woman had perfected. She probably had, knowing how oblivious her son could be at times. Blaine swallowed audibly next to him.

"Look kid," Burt said, standing with his cleared plate in his hand. "I'm not trying to make this weird or anything, I'm just saying…you should probably try to uh…keep it down in the future. 'Kay?"

Kurt nodded, blinking rapidly and not even daring to look his father in the eye. Burt placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gave it an awkward pat before setting his plate in the sink and moving into the living room. Blaine stood as well and scraped the bit of food left on his plate into the trashcan. After he sat it in the sink as Burt had, he turned to Kurt.

"I'm…gonna go take a shower," he mumbled, darting out of the room.

"And I'm gonna go call-"

"Don't you even think about calling Noah Puckerman, Finn," Kurt warned his brother with a hard look in his eyes. "Don't. Even. Think it."

Finn bit his lip but nodded his understanding before disappearing around the corner and into his room. Kurt locked eyes with Carole who immediately covered her smile with her hand again. Kurt groaned, shoved his cup and bagel out of the way, and let his head hit the table top with a loud thump.

Carole moved over to sit in the chair that Blaine has previously occupied.

"So how was it?" she asked, as though she were a teenage girl at a sleepover.

Kurt's head snapped around instantly so he could look at her in disbelief. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Sounded like you two were having a bit of fun," she teased, nudging Kurt's shoulder with her own.

"Carole!" Kurt squeaked, his cheeks instantly going red.

"Oh don't even give me that, you know you're ready to gush about the boy."

"Not to my m-"

Kurt stopped himself. He hadn't…he'd never referred to Carole as his mother before. Step-mother, yes, but he'd never just…called her his mom outright before. He saw her features soften immediately and she put a gentle hand on his back.

"It's okay if you want to call me you mom, Kurt," she said reassuringly. "I don't think you'd be forgetting your mother if you did. And I don't think you're insulting her memory."

"I just…hadn't even thought of it," Kurt admitted, sitting up again, his eyes trained on the tabletop. "I just…it's been so long and…"

"I understand," Carole smiled. "Though I have to say, I was kind of sad when I found out Finn was a boy. I'd never get to have chats with my daughter about boys or anything. And, not that I'm comparing you to a daughter at all…I have to say it's kind of nice to maybe get the chance to have those sorts of chats with you."

Kurt let a small smile spread across his face. "I guess…he is kind of amazing."

So while Blaine showered, while Burt watched some kind of sport on television, and while Finn was on the phone with who ever, Kurt gushed to Carole about Blaine. He told her how sweet he was and how he liked to sing songs to him. He told her how he never pressured him to do anything he wasn't ready to do and, in fact, how he discouraged certain things because he wanted to make the moment special. And he ALSO had to explain the fact that no, they hadn't been having proper sex but that Blaine was very good at the other things he did, thank you very much.

Wednesday after school came as a shock to them both.

Upon pulling into Blaine's driveway to drop him off, Kurt noticed a lone figure sitting on the bench just outside of the Anderson's front door. The boy, as it turned out, had a single suitcase sitting on the ground next to him and when he heard the car pull up, his head snapped up instantly.

"Uh…Blaine?"

"Yeah?" Blaine asked distractedly as he was playing a game on Kurt's phone.

"Do you know…that guy?"

"What?" Blaine paused the game and looked at Kurt who gestured to the boy with his hand. Blaine squinted a bit and then his eyes widened and he almost stopped breathing. "Oh my god…"

"What?" Kurt asked, confusion evident on his face. "Who is he?"

"He – that's – it's Aydyn."

Kurt racked his brain, trying to remember why the name sounded so familiar. Suddenly the realization dawned. "Aydyn as in ex-boyfriend who ran off to France with his parents, Aydyn?"

"That'd be him…" Blaine trailed off. He handed Kurt his phone back and picked his school bag up and put it in his lap. "You…should come with me."

"What, why?" Kurt was panicking. He really didn't want to have to meet the ex-boyfriend. That was not in the cards for this day. Actually, that wasn't in the cards ever. "I don't-"

"Please," Blaine turned his head around to look Kurt in the eye. Kurt had never seen Blaine plead with his eyes like that, not with this scared, stricken expression that he had now.

"O-okay."

Kurt turned the car off and snatched the keys out of the ignition. He watched Blaine take a deep breath before they both climbed out of Kurt's car and made their way to the front door and to the boy standing there with a broad grin on his face.

"Blaine!" Aydyn exclaimed, springing forward to envelope the boy in question in a much more than friendly hug.

Kurt just stood to the side, hoping he didn't look as uncomfortable as he felt about the entire situation. He began to survey Aydyn with his eyes, taking in his height (he had quite a few inches on Kurt and most definitely Blaine), his extremely dark hair (though it wasn't quite as dark as Blaine's), and the way his dark eyes complimented his very olive skin tone. Blaine awkwardly patted Aydyn's back until he released him from the hug. He began speaking quickly.

"I'm so sorry to just show up like this without telling you but I guess you got your phone number changed or something. I tried emailing you but you never responded. I ended up stopping by Dalton first, of course, but I ran into Nick and Jeff and they said you transferred to some public school. So that explains why you didn't get the emails I sent since I only had your Dalton email. I'm just glad I remembered where your house was!"

Blaine stared back for a few seconds with wide eyes. Everything was said in such a rush that Kurt found it amazing that Blaine could actually process anything the taller boy said.

"I – yeah, I transferred to McKinley back in the fall," Blaine explained slowly.

"But what for? Dalton seemed to work pretty well for you especially considering your past and everything. I never thought you'd attend a public school again, not after all you told me…" Aydyn's voice began to trail off once he finally noticed Kurt standing there. "Oh, I didn't mean to bring up the past in front of a stranger."

Kurt couldn't tell if he was sincere or not in that statement.

"Who's this then?" Aydyn asked.

Kurt was about to lean in to introduce himself but Blaine put out a hand and stopped him.

"This is Kurt," Blaine said swiftly. "Aydyn…what the hell are you doing here?"

Aydyn looked down and then back up through dark eyelashes. "I came to see you," he said simply.

Kurt froze, his eyes darting back and forth between Blaine and Aydyn. Damn, he thought to himself, this guy sure knows his stuff. He had the suave Italian sophisticated look about him and he knew how to play the sweet charming fellow unlike any other person Kurt had ever met.

But he also had faith in Blaine to call bullshit on it all.

"So you just show up after almost a year of no contact?" Blaine commented, disbelief in his voice. "You don't call, you don't write, you don't do anything and I'm just supposed to what? Pretend like none of that happened?"

You go, Blaine, Kurt cheered in his head.

"Blaine, do we really have to do this in front of a stranger?" Aydyn asked quietly, his eyes glancing over at Kurt.

"Kurt may be a stranger to you, but he's not to me. And trust me, anything said between us, I'll end up telling him."

Aydyn raised an elegant eyebrow and turned to Kurt, giving him the once over with suspicious eyes and then realization hit him all at once.

"This is your-"

"Boyfriend," Blaine interrupted him with a nasty smile. "Yes. He is."

Aydyn gave a slow calculating nod. "I see." He looked at Kurt once more, who stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his head held high. "He's cute."

"Aydyn, now's not the time for this. Just…go back to wherever you're staying and we can talk about this another day," Blaine said with a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Aydyn looked at the ground again, shuffling his feet in what some would consider a guilty manner. "Yes, about that…I didn't, I mean, I'm not staying anywhere. I was actually…hoping you could put me up in one of your guest rooms."

Kurt's jaw damn near hit the ground. He had to force himself to close it even though on the inside…he was practically fuming. Who exactly did this guy think he was, waltzing up to Blaine's house and expecting hospitality? Fully expecting Blaine to put the guy out on his ass, he was thoroughly shocked at the next few words that left his boyfriend's mouth.

"Fine. Come inside."

Aydyn was beaming, his smile showing off his (not so) perfect teeth. "You're a darling," the boy gushed. "Thank you so much."

"Just…here," he unlocked the door and pushed it open while Aydyn picked up his suitcase. "Go sit in the living room. I'll be inside in a minute."

Aydyn smiled and moved past Blaine, making sure their shoulders brushed. Blaine rolled his eyes and closed the door once he was inside before turning to look at Kurt.

"Are you serious?" Kurt asked once the door was closed. He gestured to where Aydyn had just entered. "You're going to let him stay in your house? After THAT charming little display?"

"He put on that charming display because you were standing right there. I told you he was very demonstrative in his affections," Blaine attempted to explain.

"You can definitely say that again," Kurt grumbled.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered, taking both of Kurt's hands in his own, "please believe me when I tell you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about here."

"I don't worry about you, I worry about that," Kurt responded, his head tilting towards the door.

"Isn't that always the excuse for jealousy?" Blaine asked, a quirky smile gracing his pretty face. "I trust you, but I don't trust them?"

"I wouldn't know, actually," Kurt snapped. "I've never been in a relationship before so I'm terribly sorry if I don't know the ins and outs of this whole thing."

Blaine's smile vanished and he immediately pulled Kurt towards him so that he could wrap his arms tight around the younger boy. Kurt could still smell what must have been a faint hint of Aydyn's pricey, over-powering cologne lingering on Blaine's shirt. It made him want to gag.

"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting…listen," Blaine pulled away but kept both of his hands on Kurt's waist. "I love you. I love you more than…Christ, Kurt, I love you more than anything I could possibly think of right now. The last thing I would ever, ever do is betray you. You're the Maria to my Captain Von Trapp."

Kurt allowed himself to crack a small smile at the reference to one of their favorite musicals.

"And we've been through a lot, haven't we? We've fought and we've gotten over it and bad things have come up that we overcame. I think we're pretty solid, don't you?" Blaine asked, raising one of his hands to stroke Kurt's hair back from his face.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed quietly, relishing Blaine's gentle touch. "We have."

"This is going to be nothing. I need you to believe me when I say that Aydyn means nothing to me. Nothing. He'll probably crash in the guest bed for a few days, get bored when I won't show him the attention he's wanting, and then leave. And if he tries anything at all, you'll be the first to know about it."

Kurt bit his lip nervously in thought but then he eventually nodded. "Okay."

"I love you," Blaine whispered against Kurt's lips before swooping down to steal a tender kiss.

"I love you too."

"I'll call you tonight, okay?"

Kurt pressed a quick kiss to Blaine's cheek and then he nodded once more, convincing himself he was doing the right thing by leaving Blaine alone to talk things out with the boy inside. "Okay."

They said their goodbyes and Kurt climbed into his car. Blaine waved as Kurt pulled out of the driveway and then turned to face the door, steeling himself for the conversation he was about to have. This should be…interesting.

When Blaine walked through the front door, his large house was silent except for the ticking of the large grandfather clock in the entryway. Until he heard the shuffling on feet on the rug in the formal sitting room. He heaved a great sigh, ruffled his hair and walked into the room where Aydyn was staring at the pictures that were placed on the mantle above the fireplace.

"I'd forgotten how cute you were as a child," Aydyn said, not turning to face Blaine but obviously having heard him walk in. "Your hair is still just as curly."

Blaine sat on one of the sofas and didn't reply.

"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?" Aydyn asked with a grin once he spun around.

"If you're thirsty, I'm sure you remember where the kitchen is."

Aydyn shrugged and sat next to Blaine, much closer than Blaine had intended them to be. He scooted away, putting a few inches of space between them.

"Why are you acting like this?" Aydyn asked, a pained expression settling on his face.

"I don't understand what you're doing here," Blaine said, not even bothering to beat around the bush. "You just…showed up, quite literally, on my doorstep."

"I did try contacting you," Aydyn pointed out.

"Yes, and when you didn't get a response, you should have taken that as a signal to leave things be."

"So you're saying you changed your number on purpose? Just to avoid talking to me?"

"Not everything is about you, Aydyn," Blaine pointed out harshly. "And if you really want to know, I dropped my phone in the pool that summer and had to get a new one, thus the changing of the phone number."

"Ah," Aydyn responded. "You could always be a bit clumsy."

"Stop trying to change the subject and just tell me why you're here," Blaine demanded.

"I told you earlier. I wanted to see you."

"And if you really expected things to just go back to the way they were before you skipped off to France, you are seriously delusional. Why don't you just go back to your harem of French boys and leave me alone?"

Aydyn looked genuinely surprised at that last comment and narrowed his eyes. "Is that really what you think happened? That I broke things off because I had a bunch of other guys at my disposal?"

"Isn't that what happened?"

"No," Aydyn said firmly. "That isn't what happened."

"Oh, well do explain, because the only thing you told me when you broke up with me was that you couldn't handle a long distance relationship."

"Because I couldn't!" Aydyn nearly shouted, shooting to his feet.

"That's a lame excuse to break someone's heart."

"Why are you trying to make me the bad guy here? I didn't do anything wrong, I had legitimate reasons for ending things. Besides, it looks like you're getting on just fine without me. Karl seems just wonderful."

"His name is Kurt and you know that. Don't even think of bringing him into this conversation. This has nothing to do with him."

"Fine, yes, Kurt. But you don't look too terribly heart broken over me. I could see you through the window, Blaine, you looked happy as a lark."

"I am happy, thank you. I'm very happy. Kurt is good to me and I'm very much in love with him. However, as I just said, he has absolutely nothing to do with this."

"I didn't lie when I said I couldn't handle the long distance relationship. I meant exactly what I said. I couldn't do it. It was tearing me up inside every single day! You don't even know how much I missed holding you or kissing you and knowing that I couldn't have that the next day or the next week or the next month. It was painful!"

"School was almost over and I had already told you that I would come and visit you in Europe!"

"And what was I supposed to do when you left again?" Aydyn countered. "It'd be back to the way it was, with me pining over you and unable to concentrate on anything I did! I fucking hated it! I couldn't live like that anymore, I couldn't do it!" He took a deep breath and continued his explanation at a more civilized volume. "I didn't break up with you because I stopped loving you, Blaine. I broke up with you because I couldn't stop loving you. I broke up with you because it was sheer agony being away from you for so long. And I couldn't tell you those things because you wouldn't have accepted my ending the relationship. You would have wanted to keep trying and it would have broken me."

Blaine sat in silence, glued to the sofa. He'd always thought that Aydyn got over him. He thought he was a phase that the older boy had grown out of. He thought he'd been expendable. He thought he'd moved on and found himself someone else to adore and hold hands with in the hallways. Now, quite frankly, to be told that wasn't true…it disturbed him.

"Are you telling me that you haven't dated anyone since you broke things off with me?" Blaine finally asked, his eyes locked on his hands that were twisting in his lap.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

Blaine nodded. "Does this also mean you still consider yourself in love with me?"

Aydyn sat down next to Blaine on the sofa, once again far too close for comfort.

"I never stopped loving you."

Blaine released a deep, shuddering sigh. He lifted his eyes to gaze into Aydyn's. "You broke my heart."

"I know. I wish I could take it all back."

"It took me over a month to realize that I would be okay again."

"I never meant to hurt you."

They sat in silence, the clock in the hallway still ticking. The sound of it echoed in the space of the room, filling the emptiness with something heavy. Their eyes were still locked on each other's.

"It's too late for us," Blaine finally said.

"Is it?"

"Yes," Blaine replied immediately. "I was over you a long time ago Aydyn. I'm with Kurt. He's what matters to me now. He's all that matters to me now."

"I'm sure you thought the same thing when we were together."

"This isn't like that. My relationship with Kurt doesn't compare to us. Kurt and I…we work well together. I love him with…with everything I am. What he and I have…eclipse whatever it is that you and I had. I'm constantly trying not to be to naïve or too hopeful…but I see myself with Kurt for many years to come."

Aydyn nodded sagely and moved away from Blaine. "When did you meet him?"

"Last October."

"Is he the reason you transferred out of Dalton?"

"Kurt himself is not the sole reason, no. There were many factors that went into my decision to transfer to McKinley. Kurt was just the one who showed me that I didn't have to be afraid. He taught me the lesson I had been trying to teach him. When we did start dating, it was…a special perk, I guess. He's an amazing person. My dark past is nothing compared to his. He was stronger than I was, even in the face of some intense adversity. I admired him quite a bit. I never expected him to love me the way I found myself loving him."

Aydyn pressed his lips together. He was silent and Blaine could almost see the gears turning in the other boy's head until he spoke.

"I get it," Aydyn said. "It is, indeed to late for us."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you, though?" Aydyn asked. "Because it seems like you're getting on just fine without me."

"I'm sorry that I can't love you the way I did. I'm sorry that I'm hurting you because I know exactly how it feels."

"I guess you do."

"I do. Trust me, I do." Blaine placed his hand on Aydyn's knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. When Aydyn attempted to put his hand on top of Blaine's, however, Blaine pulled it away and stood up. "I need to go make sure the guest room is ready and I need to call my parents to let them know you're here."

That night, Blaine called Kurt just as he promised he would. It was a little later than he expected to call; he and Aydyn had stayed up talking for a few hours after dinner, reminiscing over the multiple insane incidents that occurred in their dormitory hall when they had boarded together.

Blaine was pretty sure Kurt's phone was about to go to voicemail. Right when he was about to hang up, he heard the click of the receiver on the other end and a rough sleepy voice came through the line.

"H'lo?"

"Hey Kurt, it's me," Blaine answered, a smile on his face at the thought of a sleepy, adorable Kurt.

"Yeah, wouldn't have answered unless it was you or 'Cedes," Kurt mumbled, Blaine barely able to make out his words.

"I'm just…I promised I'd call you."

"Yeah, it's after midnight."

"I know, I'm sorry. Do you want me to let you go back to sleep?"

"No," Kurt said, though his yawn was audible through the phone. "How is Aydyn?"

"He's fine, I guess," Blaine shrugged, picking at his comforter. "I kind of…broke his heart."

"…I thought he broke yours?"

"He did," Blaine attempted to clarify. "But apparently he broke up with me because he was so in love with me, while I was under the impression that it was because he'd found someone else."

"That sounds…convoluted."

"Extremely. The way he explained it made more sense, I guess."

"I see," Kurt said flatly. "So what does this mean for you guys now?"

"Um…I guess we're trying to be friends? I guess? I don't see why it matters though, he's going back to France in a couple of days. And he'll be returning there with the knowledge that there's nothing between us anymore. So I pretty much figure he'll eventually move on and find somebody else."

"You sound bored with it all," Kurt commented. "This is reassuring."

Blaine gave a small chuckle. "I told you that you had nothing to worry about."

"I do enjoy my fears being put to rest though."

"I don't think that's so uncommon."

"Probably not."

"Do you want to go back to sleep now?" Blaine asked with a smile still on his face.

"Yes, please."

"I love you, Kurt Hummel."

"I love you, Blaine Anderson. Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams."

"Dreaming of you," Kurt whispered.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Blaine slept well that night, the teddy bear that Brittany had given him a while ago firmly clutched to his chest.

When Blaine went downstairs the next morning, Aydyn was already in the breakfast nook with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal in front of him.

"Morning," he greeted groggily.

If there was anything Blaine and Aydyn still had in common, it was the fact that they despised mornings.

"Mmm," Blaine grumbled. He began tucking a few papers into his school bag. "Will you survive the day while I'm at school?"

"Let's hope so," Aydyn said with a tired grin. "You aren't going to have breakfast?"

"Kurt and I grab coffee and bagels on the way to school every morning."

"I see. How quaint," the older boy noted with a hint of sarcasm laced in his voice.

"Oh, so now comes the unbridled jealousy," Blaine said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not allowed to be jealous of the fact that the boy I'm in love with has his attention on someone else? That doesn't seem fair at all. You had your mourning period, so please, allow me to have mine."

"I forgot how much a sarcastic ass you could be."

"Yet…you did love me at one point."

"I thought we cleared this up yesterday," Blaine said, narrowing his eyes at Aydyn.

"Just…go to school, Blaine."

"I think I will."

Blaine ignored Aydyn's irritated sigh as he walked through to the front door. No matter that Kurt wasn't there yet, he'd rather wait outside than be in a stifling room with someone who knew they had no chance but continued to drop hints.

Ha. Hints. More like bombs.

He looked on in relief as Kurt's SUV pulled into his driveway. Blaine practically sprinted to the passenger side of the car and hopped in quickly, making sure to give Kurt a very long kiss in greeting.

"You're the best boyfriend ever," Blaine said when their lips parted.

"O…kay?"

"Just…don't ever think differently."

"I'll…try not to?"

Blaine smiled and buckled his seat belt, settling in for the ride.

While at school, Blaine pretty much forgot about Aydyn being at his house. His classes seemed more entertaining than usual and Kurt seemed even more beautiful to him. He didn't even think the latter was possible. But when Kurt beamed that gorgeous smile towards him from his locker, Blaine was sure he was the luckiest boy in the world. The food in the cafeteria actually looked tasty, French class wasn't nearly as difficult today, and even Mr. Schue's awful jokes were more tolerable. It was almost as if Aydyn's presence and their argument was some type of…affirmation. An affirmation that all was right with the world and that this was exactly where he was supposed to be in his life.

Kurt's hand was warm and solid in his as they approached Blaine's front door that afternoon, planning on spending it together listening to showtunes and looking at the latest Italian Vogue Kurt had acquired yesterday. When they walked inside and they heard music blaring from the sound system that was wired in the kitchen, they had to stop.

Oh right. Aydyn was still at Blaine's house. When they walked into the kitchen, however, they did not expect the boy in question to be turning a toaster over in his hands, as though it held the answers to some great mystery.

"Uh…is everything okay?" Blaine asked cautiously, but hopefully loud enough to be heard over the music.

"Oh!" Aydyn turned and pressed stop on the stereo. "Hi. Yeah…no. I think…I might have broken your toaster."

Blaine lifted one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows towards his hairline. "Our…toaster?"

"Yeah."

"But," Kurt decided to ask, "how does one break…a toaster?"

"I was…kind of…dancing around. And I knocked the thing off the counter with my arm," Aydyn explained, going red with embarrassment. "Pieces…fell out."

Kurt obviously couldn't seem to help himself because he burst into laughter. Blaine turned to stare at his boyfriend with an amused look and then returned his gaze to the toaster. He strode over and took it out of Aydyn's hands.

"We'll just leave that there," Blaine said as he returned the toaster to the counter. He picked up the loose pieces that Aydyn had piled next to it and tossed them into the trash. "I'm sure we can get a new one fairly easily."

"I'm really sorry."

"Aydyn, it's a toaster. It's replaceable."

"Yeah, but your parents always get the most ridiculously expensive household items," Aydyn tried to argue.

"If you feel that bad about it, you can replace it yourself."

"Yeah…I should do that," Aydyn mumbled. "Oh, hi Kurt."

"Hello," Kurt said cordially.

"I should…probably introduce myself properly." Aydyn walked over to Kurt in a few quick strides. "I'm Aydyn Stonato." He held out his hand.

Kurt shook it, though he was still suspicious of the, now very obviously, Italian boy. "Kurt Hummel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"…And you."

"Yeah, okay, you can stop with this whole putting on airs bit," Blaine interrupted. "I know that game."

"I'm only trying to be nice, Blaine."

"Ah. You're not pulling the 'I don't really like you, but I was raised in a wealthy family and have impeccable manners so I know how to pretend like I do' act?"

"I don't know what you're talking about at all," Aydyn countered.

"I come from the same sort of family Aydyn, I know it when I see it."

"Oh, so I should admit that you caught me and give up the ruse? As one trust fund baby to another, you should know never to break such a rule."

"Coffee!" Kurt squeaked. As interesting as it was to see two people like this in an argument, Kurt did not want to be part of a confrontation right now. "We should…have coffee."

The pair finally stopped glaring daggers at each other.

"Coffee sounds delicious," Blaine said, a little too enthusiastically.

"In a public place," Kurt added. "Just in case you two are tempted to let fists fly."

"Dear Kurt, we'd never resort to fisticuffs," Aydyn said. "But please do show me your little slice of Ohio."

Blaine seethed inside. He really did not know why he let Aydyn get to him so easily. But he was damn sure it wasn't because there were lingering feelings from their past romance. Because whatever he felt for Aydyn now had nothing to do with love.

"Do you want to drive or should I?" Blaine asked, attempting not to let any of his anger show.

"You can drive," Kurt said.

Blaine snatched his keys and his wallet out of his schoolbag that he had dropped on the ground and urged the other two boys to follow him outside.

"Shotgun!" Aydyn cried.

"Boyfriend trumps shotgun call, you lose," Blaine stated simply, pressing the unlock button on his key ring.

"Damnit," Aydyn swore. "I always forget that rule."

I'm so sure, Blaine thought. He was very tempted to say that aloud, but he kept it to himself as they piled into Blaine's sleek black Mustang.

The first five minutes of the ride was very tense and quiet. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand so they could twine their fingers together and rest their arms on the console. Kurt could have sworn he heard Aydyn snort in the back seat. So to drown out the annoyance of him being there in the first place, Kurt turned on the radio. No one said anything. No one sang along to the music.

When the finally arrived at the coffee shop, Kurt sighed with immediate relief when he climbed out of the car. They were all three still silent even as they walked in, placed their orders, and received their drinks.

"So," Kurt said, attempting to be sociable once they sat down at a table. "What part of France do you live in?"

"Paris, of course," Aydyn drawled.

"Do you like it there?" Kurt prodded.

"It was lovely for the first few months. Now I'm afraid it's become dull."

"I've always wanted to go to Paris," Kurt sighed.

"You'll get the chance some day," Blaine assured him, placing a hand on Kurt's back. "I'm sure of it."

"Would you be taking him, Blaine?"

Blaine shot a glance at Aydyn, full of irritation and looked back to Kurt. "Maybe one day. If that's what he wants."

"I'd love to go with you," Kurt said, a genuine smile spreading across his lips.

"Charming," Aydyn cracked.

"I thought so," Kurt sniped in return.

"Why are we even attempting to get along?" Aydyn asked seriously. "This is ridiculous. Comical, even."

"Listen, Aydyn," Kurt began, his tone deadly. "You obviously don't like me because I'm with Blaine. I get that. However, I'm not the one that hurt you, I'm not the one that turned you down, and therefore you have no reason to be a sarcastic brat towards me. I'm sick of your attempt at politeness and I'm sick of your sneers. If you don't stop, I can make sure that Blaine and I leave you here…and you can find your own way home."

Blaine stared at Kurt with obvious amazement in his eyes. Then he leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Have I told you that I loved you today?"

"Only a couple times. I never tire of hearing it though," Kurt said.

"Good. Because I love you."

Kurt smiled. "I love you too."

"Let's just leave," Aydyn grumbled, already standing up with his coffee in hand.

Upon arriving back at Blaine's house, the three scrambled out of the car and Aydyn walked with angry determination towards the front door. Blaine and Kurt stood beside Kurt's car, sharing a slow kiss and goodbye hug. Once Kurt left, Blaine and Aydyn went inside. Blaine did not say a word to the other boy and stormed up the stairs to his room. Aydyn followed behind him quickly and when he was in Blaine's room with him, he slammed the door shut.

Blaine whipped around to face his ex-boyfriend and began yelling. "What the hell is your problem? We were getting along just fine last night and then this morning you turned into a little bitch and then you catch one glimpse of Kurt and you turn your sarcasm up by like, oh, say ten THOUSAND notches!"

"My PROBLEM, as you so aptly put it, is the fact that you're PARADING him around in front of my face, even though you know that it hurts me!" Aydyn shouted back.

"I'm allowed to be affectionate with my boyfriend whenever I damn well please! If I want to hug him or kiss him or hold his hand, then I will DO IT."

"And you stare into his eyes like some forlorn puppy over a cup of coffee while I'm sitting right across the fucking table!" Aydyn countered. "Jesus Christ, Blaine! Are you actually going to stand there and say that you didn't see how it was affecting me?"

"It was kind of hard to tell since all you did was crack sarcastic comments and sneer at us the entire time!"

"You know better than anyone that that is exactly what I do when I'm uncomfortable or hurt," Aydyn spat back. "You were rude and just…mean!"

"No, if you really want to know what's mean…mean would be us making out right in front of your face! And we didn't do that! We weren't overtly affectionate and we weren't doing anything more than any of the other couples around us! I'm so done with this!"

"Oh, you're done with me, are you?"

"I've been done with you, Aydyn! I've been done with you for a long fucking time! You're just…god! I can't even stand you right now!"

"I'll make you then!"

"What the hell are you-"

But Blaine did not get to get the rest of his sentence out because Aydyn launched himself at Blaine, tackling him down onto the bed. Before Blaine could even so much as squeak a protest, Aydyn smashed his mouth onto Blaine's, forcing him into a rough, completely unwanted kiss. Blaine was pushing against Aydyn with all his might but the other boy had at least forty to fifty pounds and over a foot in height against him and he was not budging. Blaine attempted to turn his head any which way he could, just so he could scream something that might jar Aydyn from this insane outburst, but Aydyn had his hands pressed against the side of Blaine's head so hard. Blaine actually feared he might break his skull. He tried to keep his mouth shut tight while Aydyn attacked his lips.

He couldn't get him off, he couldn't scream, he was barely breathing and Blaine began to panic. His mind was racing with thoughts of no, please don't, stop, god, please get off me, please no but he couldn't get the words out even though his brain was SCREAMING them. He was struggling against the larger boy, attempting to punch his chest and he even tried to knee him in the groin but it was impossible because Aydyn had situated himself between Blaine's thighs. Oh god, Blaine cried in his mind, he's going to rape me, he's going to hurt me, oh god. Aydyn was trying to reach between them, attempting to massage harshly at Blaine's very uninterested cock and now Blaine had tears streaming down the sides of his face and he was crying and whining and he just wanted to get him off but he was so tired, please get him off, please stop, please –

Suddenly, his internal screams were answered and Aydyn was immediately off of him. The taller boy looked around in a daze and when he turned around, a loud slap echoed through the room. Aydyn's face snapped to the side and he clutched at his abused cheek and nose with both of his hands. Blood began dripping from his nose.

"IF YOU ARE NOT ON A PLANE BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM IN ONE FUCKING HOUR, I SWEAR TO EVERYTHING EVER THAT I WILL END YOU!"

Kurt's voice reigned supreme amongst Aydyn's swearing and Blaine's sad whimpers as he lay on the bed, curling up into a ball.

"You hit me!" Aydyn finally shouted.

"AND I WILL DO FAR WORSE IF YOU DO NOT GET OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT. STEP ONE WILL BE THE POLICE. STEP TWO WILL BE ME, FLAYING YOU ALIVE. GET. OUT."

"You-"

Kurt whipped out his phone and dialed 911. Just as he was about to press that little green button to activate the call, Aydyn threw his hands up in defeat and skirted past Kurt.

"Okay! Fine! I'm going! Fuck!"

He dashed out of the room and down the hallway to grab his suitcase. Kurt moved over to Blaine but did not make a move to touch him until he saw Aydyn rush past the entrance to Blaine's room, until he heard rushed footsteps down the stairs, and until he heard the door slam behind he awful boy. Only when he was sure the guy was probably halfway down the street did he turn to get a good look at Blaine.

He was sobbing into his comforter, curled up in the fetal position, his lips swollen from the forced kiss. Kurt was scared. He didn't…he didn't know what to do. This seemed far worse than Karofsky's forced kiss on Kurt. He simply fell to his knees so that his head was level with Blaine's on the bed.

"Blaine…" he bit out brokenly, "I don't know what to do."

Blaine was still crying but his eyes fluttered open as far as they would. His face was screwed up in horror and pain and anguish and…Kurt's heart broke.

"You…you came back," Blaine whispered through his sobs.

Kurt tentatively reached out a hand, wanting to put his fingers into Blaine's dark curls and give him some kind of reassurance that he was there and that he would always be there. But he was terrified that Blaine would flinch away from him and he couldn't bear to see Blaine afraid of him, he just couldn't.

Thankfully, he was saved from making that decision when Blaine shot up and reached his arms out to Kurt, pulling the younger boy up on the bed with him and beside him. Kurt's relieved sigh turned into a wrenched sob as Blaine cuddled into Kurt's warmth and safety and love. He clung to him, desperate to feel protected, desperate to feel okay. Kurt could do nothing but pull him tightly to his chest, one arm wrapping protectively around his waist an the other hand was finally able to thread through those soft curls he so anxiously needed to feel against his fingers.

"Of course I came back," Kurt whispered into Blaine's ear. "I'll always be here."

Kurt did not believe in God. But in that moment, he asked, he begged someone for the strength and the patience he would need to help the boy he loved through all of this. They had to get through this together. They'd been through so much together. They could get through this.

They had to.