"Pavarotti, be quiet!" Blaine bruised his chapped lips with his finger. Dunking his hands into the bucket of lukewarm water with a tiny, soaked bird painted a muddy yellow in the middle, Blaine smoothed his wrinkled fingers over Pavarottis dripping feathers. Pavarotti spastically shook himself off at the ticklish feeling.

He twittered up at Blaine, completely oblivious to Blaines desperation to keep an exhausted Kurt asleep, then ducked his head under again. Popping back up, Pavarotti chirped and flapped his wings, his feathers fluffing. Behind him, Kurt sighed softly, and Blaine glanced over his shoulder to spy Kurt rolling onto his belly and hugging the pillow tightly.

He whipped around when he heard his phone ringing on the dresser and swore under his breath. Before Kurt could awaken, Blaine lunged across the room and grabbed it, frowning at his brothers name on the screen.

He held it to his ear and hissed, "Hullo?"

From the bed, Kurt murmured quietly and snuggled deeper into the pillow, so Blaine turned to him and gently rubbed his thigh through the blanket. He winced when Coop shouted, "Hey, little brother! I was worried you might not pick up. What are you doing up-oh. Wait. Youre not... you know... with... Kurt?"

Blaine growled, stalking back over to Pavarotti, who was nipping the water then spitting it out. "Im not with Kurt right now." Glancing back at Kurt, who was still snoozing, he pushed his lips to one side of his face and tried not to ogle him, even though he was so beautiful draped across the pillows. "Hes asleep. Im giving Pavarotti a bath."

Coop chuckled at Blaines blunt tone, "Of all the things to do late at night, youre bathing a bird. Im glad to see you havent changed. I just got back to my hotel from my last meeting of the night. Im exhausted but this is the only free time Ill have for about another week so I figured Id call you. How are you doing, Blaine? I havent spoken to you since you... uh... got disowned. Ive been worried. Where are you living? You can still have my California home."

Blaine appreciated his brothers concern, which made his tone soften, "Thank you... but Im living with Kurt now. His dad is... great... and Kurt is..." he took a deep breath and looked at Kurt again, who sighed and curled into a small ball. "Kurts perfect for me."

"Hes sweet. I know youre happy with him." It sounded like Coop was smiling, "Listen... I love talking to you. Youre my favorite person ever... besides Alicia." He muttered that last, chuckling to himself. "But I called to ask you a favor. A big one."

Rubbing Pavarottis tiny head, Blaine frowned and blew out heavily, "Whats wrong?"

Cooper cleared his throat, "Blaine, my producer just talked to me today and he told me that the company is planning on a few more Transformer movies and they want me to be in all of them. All of them will be filmed in India and Ill be out of the country for about three years. Im concerned about the baby... a-and I need someone else to watch him. Alicia and I will be busy. We were wondering... because youre the person I trust most-youre my brother... and the babys uncle-if you could watch him. We get that its a lot..." his voice faded into uncomfortable silence.

Blaine stayed quiet, too, thinking of all the things that could go wrong with raising a baby for that long. It scared him and he didnt know where he would live with the baby, if Burt would let him stay, even after Kurt left for France. He didnt know what kind of job he would get to support the baby. "Coop..." he scratched his nape, "I-I cant. I dont have money or-"

"Id give you money." Cooper begged, "Id pay for whatever you need. Id owe you for this. Theres just no one else I can ask... our parents didnt even want you. You know they didnt. Youre a good person... youre gentle and soft spoken. Youre really great with Kurt, and hes so delicate. I think youd be good with a baby."

Blaine turned his head to hide the redness in his cheeks, even though Coop couldnt see him. From the bucket, Pavarotti chirped and lifted his foot to paw at Blaine. He held his hand out for Pavarotti, then rubbed a soft cloth over him to dry his feathers. "Come here, little one." He muttered lowly, then he sighed as he thought about what he could tell Cooper. Biting his bottom lip, he said, "Coop, Ill take the baby."

"Really?" He sounded surprised. "Blaine, thats great. Thanks so much. You really are the best brother." After a few seconds, he murmured, "I love you, little brother."

"I love you, too." Blaine said softly, clicking the call off. He set his phone aside and turned around, shocked to see a pair of blue eyes on his face. "Honey... you look sleepy. You can lay your head on my chest... Im coming back to bed."

The corners of the blue eyes wrinkled as Kurt smiled and held his arms out, quietly yawning. Blaine climbed beside of him and flopped down, wrapping Kurt in his arms. Kurt cuddled into his chest, "Mm... the baby. What did Cooper have to say about the little darling?"

Blaine was surprised by the endearment for the baby, but he thought it was cute how thrilled Kurt was about him. He was very sweet. "Im going to have him for a little longer... three years. Im nervous but happy."

"Oh, no!" Kurt shook his head, curling his fingers into Blaines shirt. "Youll be wonderful with him. Youre the nicest man..." he blushed and looked at Blaines hand, which was tracing patterns on his bottom, "and you have the gentlest touch."

Blaine chuckled, "Youre so adorable." Kissing Kurts cheek, Blaine nuzzled him and blew out against his dark blond hair. Kurts fingers tightened on his shoulders. He tucked Kurt under his chin, "Sleep, baby. I wont ever let you go."

Smiling, Kurt batted his lashes and laid them on his cheeks, his breathing getting softer after a few seconds. Blaine held him tighter and stroked him, feeling his soft, warm body in his arms. Tilting his chin and kissing the top of Kurts head, Blaine faded in and out of sleep, wanting to keep his eyes open because the pretty thing resting against his chest was so much more interesting than anything hed see with his eyes closed.

Kurt wandered into the designer room with more of his pictures hung up on the wall, holding onto Blaines strong arm as he looked at the new outfits dangling from the hangers. They were surprisingly very skimpy, most of them black with chains and slits. It was startling and made him blush, and he wondered why they had replaced the other outfits. Hearing a door open, he scooted closer to Blaine and glanced at one of Stanleys assistants.

The man quietly entered the room, holding a tray of finger foods. "Monsieur Stanley will be with you in a moment. Is the monsieur hungry?" He offered the tray to Kurt, who shook his head.

"Oh, no, thank you." Putting his hand on Blaines stomach, he blinked at the outfits again. "Um... can you tell me why Monsieur Stanley hung up new outfits? Theyre very..." he scrunched his nose as he tried to think of something polite to say about them, but he was interrupted.

"Sexy?" Another man put in, and Stanley walked in behind his assistant. He proudly gestured at the outfits, "Change of plans, superstar. Instead of doing a photo shoot for the holidays, well be capturing your new and improved image. Youre an adult now... no more dressing like a little girl." Striding around Kurt, he made a rude sound and tugged the bow on the back of Kurts dress. Kurt squeaked and jumped. "What an awful dress. Too much pink."

"But I like pink-" Kurt tried, but Stanley ignored him and went over to a sleek shirt that dipped at the top and a black mini.

"Yes, this is the one." Pulling it from the hanger, Stanley brought it over to Kurt. He barked, "Lyndsey, bring me the stiletto boots and black garters. Well need to brush you with some bold colors on your cheeks, lips, and eyes. Youre too dainty to ever be naturally sexy. And lets fuss with your hair a little... get it out of this perfect coif." He reached up to Kurts neat hair and messed it, making a few pieces of hair fall across his forehead.

"Oh, but, Monsieur Stanley-" Kurt pleaded, gasping when someone grabbed his wrist from behind. His chin was jerked to the side and a man with narrowed eyes and puckered lips looked him over.

"I dont have much to work with." The man held up a dark red lipstick to Kurts mouth, "Pucker for me." Pinching Kurts cheeks to force him to push his lips out, the man groaned, "Oh, yes, hes more of a pink than a red. But I think a pair of smokey eyes and red cheeks will make it blend much better."

"Yes, yes." Pushing Kurts shoulder, Stanley said, "Go with Monsieur Nathaniel, Kurt. Hell be your makeup artist. Hell make you look much sexier."

The man slowly turned his head to Blaine and winced, "And what about this one? Will I be doing his makeup, too? There isnt much I could do with him."

Stanley laughed aloud, and Blaines face turned red with humiliation. Kurt mumbled a little, but he couldnt say anything because Nathaniel was still pinching his cheeks. "Of course not... I wouldnt expect you to be able to. Look at how pasty he is, and how limp his hair is. I actually have no idea why hes here... my little superstar keeps bringing him. He could have any man he wants because of how beautiful he is so it always slips me why he wanted the plain one."

Nathaniel laughed with him as they dragged Kurt away, and Blaine was left behind again. He didnt know what to do with himself, knowing they would try to get rid of him if he followed, but he didnt want to do nothing. He saw how uncomfortable Kurt was and he hated that he couldnt do anything about it. Crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against a wall, he took a few deep breaths. He looked back up and saw a mirror across the room, his reflection caught in it. His hair was dangling in his face and he looked very thin and pale. Biting his bottom lip, he saw it turn red, a shock of color in his wan face. He wondered why Kurt thought he was handsome... when even he knew that he was very plain.

Blaine slipped onto the set of the photo shoot, where lights dangled from the ceiling and pieces of equipment got tangled around his feet as he walked. Tripping on one of the cameras, he quickly caught himself and looked away with embarrassment when the camera man glared at him. He wrapped his arms around himself and desperately searched for Kurt, but couldnt see past the tall models. Many of them were gathered around the dark set, each of them smirking and laughing.

"Superstar," he suddenly heard Stanleys condescending tone, "stop tugging your skirt. You cant make it any longer or else youll ruin it."

Hurrying in the direction of his voice, Blaine bumped one of the models when he shifted his weight, trying to get a better view. The model whipped around to sneer at him, "Why dont you just leave? Youre not a model."

He stumbled away from the model, feeling frustrated and nervous. Quickly finding an empty spot away from others, he looked at the tall set, a painted background of what looked like a mysterious castle. Kurt was sitting on a concrete bench in front of it, trying to pay attention to Stanleys complaining, but his eyes kept turning away. He seemed to spot Blaine because he waved at him, but then Stanley snapped at him.

Kurt did look beautiful, almost too beautiful, wrapped in tight clothing, his eyes smoky with dark mascara and eye shadow, and his lips plump and red. But Blaine could see how unsure he was about the outfit, his hands constantly fidgeting with his garters and his brows slightly furrowed.

"Bryce, get over here." Stanley snapped at one of the models, and a few snickers came from the models as they shoved a dark headed man forward. He popped his knuckles and ogled Kurt, making kissy face at him. Kurt quickly looked away, his cheeks bright. "Kurt, lay down on your back and put one leg in the air. Bryce, get on top of him."

Blaine couldnt help the low growl that rumbled from his throat, his hands curling. Kurt seemed shocked by the pose, "Oh, but, Monsieur Stanley-"

Bryce pushed Kurt back, much to his discomfort as he squirmed, and threw himself on top of him. Kurt made a high pitched noise and put his hands on Bryces shoulders, putting distance between them. Blaine moved forward, more than willing to protect him. "Not this again." Stanley groaned, waving at the cameraman to make them turn the cameras off. "Superstar, its not like Im asking him to kiss you."

Kurts lashes fluttered, "May I please get up? The sequins are scratching me."

Stanley made a gesture with his hand, and Kurt gratefully sat up after Bryce lifted. He smoothed his shirt and looked right at Blaine, his eyes wide and slightly worried. Blaine wanted to do something to relieve him, but he was stuck to silence unless he wanted to ruin Kurts career. Stanley sat down by Kurt, trying to be gentle even though the hardness in his jaw was obvious. "Superstar, I know men are a new thing for you, but you cant panic every time one of them comes near you. Is there anything I can do to make this easier on you? A specific model you want to work with?"

"My dad says Im shy with men." Kurt said, and Stanley turned his head to hide the anger on his face.

"Kurt, if you cant find just one man to work with-" Stanley put his head in his hand. "Youre the most beautiful model I have. I cant just fire you, but youre so difficult."

Kurt looked at Blaine again, this time with a sorrowful expression on his face. Blaine was desperate to help him, so he took a few deep breaths and stepped forward. Kurt looked alarmed by the movement, but Blaine calmed him by keeping his face emotionless. "I want to model with Kurt."

A few of the models made rude laughing sounds, and Stanleys mouth fell open. "You? You actually expect me to get that desperate? No, no, Kurt will model with one of my professionals one way or the other-"

Blaines brows lowered, "Dont threaten him."

Kurt quickly soothed the tension, "Monsieur Stanley, please-"

Stanley, outraged by Blaines offer, got to his feet, "Kurt, thats enough of this childish behavior out of you! Youre eighteen! You cant be scared of men! Get on your back and let Bryce model with you." He whipped around to face Blaine, "As for you, you can sit in the lobby until were done-"

Blaines fingers dug into his palms, "Dont you ever yell at him! If he doesnt want to model with any of those assholes, then you cant make him!"

"Monsieur Stanley," one of his assistants quietly put in, "this is cutting into our time. Were paying the photographers by the hour and we have to keep the budget."

One of the photographers spoke up, "If we use the models boyfriend, we can edit out his flaws later."

Stanley inhaled sharply, shooting a harsh glare at Blaine then realizing that he was their only choice. "Fine, but dont mess this up." He snapped his fingers, "Someone, get me an outfit and makeup. Make him look better."

A girl rushed up to Blaine with a dark, see-through jacket, and she tugged at the bottom of his shirt. "Stop," Blaine demanded, turning away from her and ripping his shirt over his head. He appeared again with ruffled hair and a scowl on his face, his eyes narrowing as all of the models started to whisper again. He looked down at his huge body, his skin dark but discolored with scars and bumps.

"Thats disgusting." He heard one of the models cough, and he quickly whipped away from them. He growled when another woman approached him and reached for his hair, tugging it.

"We should cut that off." Stanley snorted, shaking his head at Blaine. "Hell never look like a model. Hes not good enough."

Kurt tilted his chin, his bottom lip pushing out in a pout, "I think hes very handsome."

"Look at what Ohios done to you." He scoffed.

After swiping a thin layer of eye shadow onto his lids and jerking the jacket onto his arms, the woman shoved him toward Kurt. "His jeans are dark enough to fit the scene. I think hes ready."

Stanley shook his head at Kurt, "Kurt, if this doesnt work, Ill have to fire you. Get on his lap and hold onto him."

Blaine lowered onto the bench and held his arms out for Kurt, and Kurt climbed onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him. "Blaine, put one hand on his lower back and the other on his neck. Kurt, tilt your head to the left and hook your legs around his waist."

Picking Kurt up and helping him sit back down so he straddled him, Blaine put one hand on the top of his butt and cupped his nape with the other. Kurt looked over his shoulder, frowning when Stanley threw his hands apart. "Look at him... slouched and scowling! Hes nothing like a model. Everyone will think the company has gone mad when they see the new pictures. I cant watch this." He curled his fists and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kurt jumped, "Oh, no."

One of the photographers bent over his camera, "Okay, if youre both ready." After Kurt looked at the camera, he clicked a button and a light flashed.

Alerted by the sudden attention on him, Blaine gasped when everyone around him started snapping pictures. Not sure what to do with himself, he looked down and saw Kurt tilting his head every few seconds, his soft expression changing with each new picture.

The cameras suddenly stopped blinking at him and one of the photographers lifted his head, making a motion with his hand. "Okay, stop shooting." He nodded at Kurt and Blaine, "I think well work with what we have."

Blaine yanked his hair back into place, a few locks draped across his shoulders. Wiggling off of Blaine, Kurt squeaked when he almost fell, but Blaine quickly snatched him up. "Wait..." Kurt begged, but the photographer cut him off.

"Look, these arent good shots." His eyes briefly flicked to Blaine, who bit his bottom lip. "Well do some editing and see if we cant make something better." Turning around, he nodded at Stanley, who had stuck his head back into the room. "Thank you for your time."

Stanleys face turned red, "Wait a minute-" Snorting when the photographer left the room, he quickly shot his gaze to Blaine. "I dont ever want to see you in my studio again!"

"Monsieur, please, dont yell at him!" Kurt tried to protect him, but that seemed to make it worse.

"If youre going to defend him, you can leave, too!" He shouted, which was something Kurt was unused to.

His bottom lip trembled and his eyes suddenly filled with tears that he rubbed with two tiny fists. "Honey..." Blaine whispered, reaching for Kurt, but Kurt ran away from him, pushing through the door. "Kurt!" He sprinted after Kurt, easily keeping up with him as he wobbled in his heels.

When he tried to go around a corner, he started to tumble, so Blaine lunged forward and caught him against his chest. Kurt made a high pitched sound and collapsed into Blaines arms, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Why are they so mean?" He sniffed, "I think youre very h-handsome."

"Shh..." Blaine leaned against a wall and rested Kurt against him, feeling him hiccup every few seconds. "Dont cry. I know how you feel about me and it makes me happy." Rubbing small circles on Kurts back, he muttered, "This is my fault... I shouldnt have offered to model with you. Im uncomfortable in front of crowds... I should have known itd make me panic. I just... didnt like you being with those men... I could see how upset you were. I had to make it better... I wont ever let you go through anything you dont like."

"No," Kurt shook his head, closing his eyes when Blaine wiped away a tear with his thumb, "you were being nice. Thank you for helping me... you dont have to feel sorry." Tilting his head, he kissed Blaines cheek with a soft noise.

Blaine sighed heavily, keeping his hands on Kurt, "Let me take you back to the hotel, baby. Youll feel better there." He wrapped Kurt up in his arms and half carried him through the building, relieved to feel his petite form rubbing against his body, his small hands on his chest and shoulder.