AN: I’m so sorry for the long wait! Thank you so much for your amazing feedback!

Kurt didn’t let him soak for too long, since he didn’t want to irritate the wounds on Blaine’s back, but he did give him a few minutes to enjoy the bath and relax.

Blaine seemed absolutely fascinated by the fabric of his sweatpants and occupied himself by running his fingers over it while Kurt carefully disinfected and redressed the cuts on his back.

He could see the old scar tissue on Blaine’s back clearly now that the ointment from the previous day had been washed off.

It was as though there were multiple scar layers. Kurt could make out individual letters that must have been cut into Blaine’s skin with a blade, but they were obscured by other scars that looked as though they were probably caused by a whip as well.

6 owners, Kurt recalled the trader saying, but he figured there were probably more. Traders often lied about the amount of previous owners if the slave was in a good enough shape to make a higher profit by re-selling them. He would ask Blaine about his owners eventually, but now was not the time.

“Should we try and brush your hair?” Kurt asked, when the wounds were all covered in bandages.

“Yes please, Kurt.” Blaine seemed a lot less nervous than he had been at breakfast. Kurt helped him into the sweatshirt that he had picked for Blaine to wear that day before fetching a new comb from the supply closet in the hallway.

He knew he’d have to brush Blaine’s curls for him, since lifting his arms above his head was still painful for Blaine due to the wounds on his back.

“Let me know if I’m hurting you at all, okay?” He said before he started working the comb through Blaine’s untamed curls carefully. Blaine didn’t make a sound though.

The knots in his hair gave much easier than Kurt had expected and soon he was running the comb through untangled curls with ease. Kurt smiled to himself, those curls were going to look great soon, now that Blaine would have access to some proper hair care products, he made a mental note to get shampoo for his hair type soon.

“Now all that’s left is your beard, it looks like someone tried to cut it off with scissors or something.” Kurt said absent-mindedly looking at the uneven hair growth on Blaine’s face.

“I’m sorry, Kurt.” Blaine said, looking at his feet.

It occurred to Kurt that Blaine wasn’t so much calling him by his name, as he was using his name as a title to address him by. He sighed.

“That’s not your fault. Would you like to shave though?” Kurt asked.

“Yes. Very much, Kurt.” Blaine nodded eagerly.

“Alright.” Kurt pulled a new razor from his pack, pulled his shaving cream from the cupboard and handed both to Blaine. “Do you know how to use this?” He asked.

Blaine was looking at the razor uncertainly. “I know how, Sir, but I haven’t had a brand new razor to myself since my hair started growing like this.” He admitted.

Kurt wasn’t sure what to make of this. “So… you need help with this?”

“No!” Blaine gasped instantly, clutching the razor to his chest. His eyes went wide. “I’m sorry, Sir, I meant I can handle it… I think.”

“Okay.” Kurt said, holding up his hands to show that he was going to let Blaine give it a try. “Go ahead.” He added, guiding Blaine to the mirror.

He should have seen it coming, he knew he should have. The instant Blaine took the razor to his jaw Kurt knew he was going to use too much pressure, but the cut was made before he could stop the other boy.

Blaine stared at himself in the mirror. A few drops of blood were starting to discolor the shaving cream he had applied to his face.

Kurt was next to him in a flash, gently taking the razor from his hand and pressing a piece of toilet paper to the wound. It was only a tiny cut, but the discouragement he saw on Blaine’s face told him that this had been a really bad idea.

“I’m sorry, Sir, for damaging your property.” Blaine whispered, Kurt felt him try to lower his head, but Kurt’s grip on his jaw from where he was pressing the toilet paper against his face was keeping his head in place.

“You’re not …”, he stopped himself from saying that Blaine wasn’t his property and settled for “it’s no big deal, it’s just a small cut, it already stopped bleeding, see?” He removed the paper from Blaine’s face so he could see the lack of new blood in the mirror.

“Would you like me to continue?” Blaine asked shakily, reaching for the razor on the sink.

“Show me your hands.” Kurt said, cringing at his own demanding tone. Blaine did as he was ordered to do and extended his hands for Kurt to inspect, the razor in his right hand. They were trembling.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Kurt said.

He thought hard, he couldn’t let Blaine shave himself, not like this, he was much too nervous and his hands not nearly steady enough; but he wasn’t sure if he should offer to do it for him. Kurt knew he would never let anyone take a razor to his face, not even his dad, it was too much to ask of Blaine who didn’t even know him. He couldn’t expect this amount of trust from the other boy. They’d just have to wait until Blaine was a little calmer and try again in a few days. Blaine pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Kurt, if I…” Blaine swallowed hard “Could… would…I know, I have no right to ask, I’m sorry-”

“What is it, Blaine?” Kurt asked, concerned.

“I think I can’t… I need help with this.” Blaine whispered, holding out the razor.

Kurt looked at him in surprise. “Are you sure?” He asked.

Blaine’s face fell. “It was just a… an idea, Sir. I would never-“

“I can do it for you, if you want me to.” Kurt interrupted him in a calm voice, holding out his hand for the razor, before Blaine could start apologizing.

The other boy looked up at Kurt, searching his face for a moment. Kurt gave him an encouraging smile. Slowly and carefully Blaine placed the razor in Kurt’s steady hand.

“Thank you.” Kurt said, he carefully placed a hand on Blaine’s shoulder and turned him back towards he light coming from the lamp above the bathroom mirror. “Tilt your head like this for me, please.” He asked applying soft pressure to the side of Blaine’s jaw. Blaine turned his head as instructed giving Kurt access to the left side of his face, leaving his neck slightly exposed.

“Very good, thank you.” Kurt praised, Blaine was watching him in the mirror, his hands clenched at his sides. Kurt had never been so afraid to slip up in his life.

Carefully he took the razor to Blaine’s left cheek, dragging the blade downwards with light but firm pressure. He cleared the razor from hair and shaving cream by rinsing it off in the sink, before taking it to Blaine’s face again.

After a few strokes with the razor he could feel Blaine relax under his ministrations.

The slave closed his eyes and let Kurt position his head as he pleased. Slowly, bit by bit he cleared Blaine’s cheek from facial hair.

“Is this okay?” Kurt asked, as he rinsed out the razor.

Blaine nodded, “Yes, Kurt.”

“I’ll do your neck next, don’t be scared. Just tilt your head back a little… yes, just like this.” Kurt said. He couldn’t help but be touched, that Blaine would trust him enough to let him do this for him. He carefully stretched the skin on the other boy’s neck as he continued to shave him. He could make out fine scars scattered around Blaine’s upper neck and jawline that probably stemmed from being carelessly shaved at slave markets.

With the way Blaine’s neck was exposed to him he could see the brand that marked him as a slave on the right side of his neck in all its detail.

The brand was a raised circle with slice cut out of it with wavy lines on the inside and what appeared to be an outline of an eagles head. Kurt frowned. He had seen the symbol before, but he couldn’t remember where or when.

AN: Please go to this link for a picture of the brand:

http :// captainpihkal (dot) tumblr (dot) com/post/25012896458/blaines-brand-by-the

It was customary for the first owner of a slave to brand their family’s crest or company’s logo on the skin of the slave’s neck, where it would always be visible. That way slaves were easily distinguished from free people even if their collars were removed.

Blaine’s brand was so familiar, it made Kurt wonder if he knew Blaine’s first owner personally.

After his neck was free of hair he moved on to his mouth area and chin, lost in thought. He could feel Blaine’s gaze on him now. When he was finished he made Blaine wash his face with warm water and carefully dabbed him dry with a towel.

“Thank you, Kurt.” Blaine said, admiring Kurt’s handiwork in the mirror.

“You’re not quite done yet, give me your hand.” Kurt held out his hand for Blaine’s. Blaine extended his hand without a moment’s hesitation and watched Kurt squeeze a dose of aftershave onto his fingers. “Rub this into your skin gently, okay?” Blaine did as he was told.

“Erm. There’s still this…” Kurt held up the ointment Dr. Holland had prescribed for Blaine’s chancre awkwardly “You still need to apply this to your… erm…” Blaine looked up and blushed upon recognizing the bottle. “Yes, of course, Sir!”

“I’ll just wait for you in the kitchen, come find me when you’re done.” Kurt didn’t know why he suddenly felt embarrassed talking about Blaine’s symptoms, but he did. Upon Blaine’s nod of understanding he left the bathroom in a hurry.

“Look at you, all cleaned up.” Kurt exclaimed, smiling warmly as Blaine joined him in the kitchen a few minutes later.

“I’m glad it pleases you, Kurt.” Blaine answered, making Kurt’s smile falter for a moment.

He let his eyes wander over Blaine briefly before he turned back to the stove to stir the soup he was warming up. Blaine was drowning in his clothes. Kurt couldn’t help but look down at his own body to compare. The shirt the slave was wearing had been somewhat tight on Kurt, which was one of the reasons why he had given it to Blaine in the first place. It still hung loosely off Blaine’s shoulders, leaving parts of his prominent collarbones exposed. The same was true of the sweatpants; if it weren’t for the adjustable string, nothing would keep those pants on Blaine’s hips.

He vaguely remembered one of the slaves from the garage being this thin, years ago, when his father had first bought him. Kurt himself had been a little kid and he couldn’t remember which one of the men it had been, but he remembered the effect skinny arms and sharp cheekbones had had on him back then. The man had reminded him of a skeleton and caused him some nightmares. His father hadn’t taken him to the garage for a while back then, not until the man had become healthier and less terrifying to a child’s imagination.

“I’m warming up some soup. Do you think you’re up for another snack or would you rather wait a little longer?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at Blaine who was still standing in the middle of the room awkwardly. “Oh, please, sit down, have a seat, you shouldn’t overexert yourself with those knees.”

Blaine dropped into a sitting position on the floor before Kurt even noticed that he hadn’t told Blaine where to sit. It hadn’t even occurred to him that he should have specified, even though he knew a lot of people didn’t permit their slaves to use the furniture.

 “I’d rather you sit on a chair, if you don’t mind, okay?” Kurt said calmly, walking over to where Blaine had sat down, extending his hand to help the other boy off the floor. Blaine nodded before scrambling to his feet without Kurt’s help.

“You can always sit on the furniture, it doesn’t matter if I’m there to tell you to or not. You can sit wherever you like, alright?” Blaine nodded once more and sat down on the chair nearest to Kurt, looking up at him expectantly.

“So, would you like some soup?” Kurt repeated his previous question.

“Yes, Kurt.” Blaine burst out eagerly before adding “Please, Kurt.”

A few minutes later Kurt placed a bowl of soup and a slice of toast in front of Blaine. Although Kurt hadn’t really had breakfast, he wasn’t feeling hungry. He just sat with Blaine while the other boy ate.

He was at a loss at what to say. More than anything he wanted to put Blaine at ease, but nothing he could say could possibly make Blaine believe that he was safe and had nothing to be scared of anymore.

Blaine’s eyes were starting to droop halfway through his soup, his movements becoming sluggish. Kurt smiled in sympathy at the almost adorable display of sleepiness battling the instinct to finish eating. He watched Blaine’s inner struggle a little longer until he was fairly sure Blaine was about to fall asleep at the table.

“You should get some rest, you must be tired.” Kurt suggested. Blaine looked at the kitchen clock in disbelief. It read 11:20.

“I can sleep?” He asked tentatively.

“You can, if you want to.” Kurt confirmed. At Blaine’s rueful look at the remaining food on his plate he added “You don’t have to eat it up now, I promise there’ll be food for you later.”

Blaine thanked him in a whisper and allowed Kurt to guide him to the guest room by his elbow.

“I put some clothes in the dresser for you. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll leave the door open a crack, but you can close it if you want to.”

“Thank you, Kurt” Blaine sat down on the bed, looking at Kurt questioningly.

At Kurt’s nod of approval he lay down on his side, pulling the blanket up to his neck.

When Kurt glanced into Blaine’s room half an hour later, he found the other boy curled in on himself, sound asleep under the blanket, with only his head and hands poking out. Kurt could see his wrists were crossed, resting on the pillow in front of Blaine’s face as though they were bound together by an invisible thread.

He decided to let the other boy catch as much sleep as he could and moved on to the living room where his father and Finn had made themselves comfortable in front of the television.

“Hey buddy.” His dad smiled at him, patting the spot on the couch to his right “how’s Blaine doing?”

Kurt dropped into the indicated spot next to his father and sighed “Tired, mostly. I think he’s doing better though, he’s much steadier on his feet today. He’s sleeping now.”

“Probably for the best, he needs all the rest he can get by the look of him.”

Kurt felt tired; his night in the chair had given him a stiff neck. “What are we watching?” He asked conversationally while suppressing a yawn.

“The longest commercial break in the history of ever.” Finn snorted. Burt nodded in agreement, scooting to a more comfortable position on the couch.

Kurt watched in amusement as his dad looked over the back of the couch, checking to see if Carole was around before putting his sock-clad feet on the living room table with a sheepish grin. Seconds later Finn did the same.

“Feet off the table!” Carole called from the kitchen, making both men jump. Kurt snorted.

“How does she do that?” Finn asked wide-eyed, moving his feet back off the table with a pout. Burt looked just as puzzled, mumbling “Sorry” over his shoulders before obeying his wife’s order.

All three of them whipped their heads around when loud patriotic music started blasting from the TV. 

"Are you sick of the annual disturbance that comes with the most wonderful time of the year? The ear-shattering noise disruption that arrives at your house every Christmas? So am I." A dramatic male voice said, patriotic music making his words sound far more impressive than they were.

"Oh come on, not that clown again." Burt grunted, turning down the volume.

"Caroling is a public disturbance." The voice continued

"Isn't that the guy who proposed the bill about making pizza a vegetable?" Kurt asked, frowning.

"Yeah, he's Rick "The stick"'s stepdad. He owns this huge chain of pizza places." Finn said.

"Reggie "The sauce" Salazar will personally ensure that you will never be bothered by stray groups of carollers again."

"Seems like he found his next worthy cause." Kurt snorted as a huge red X appeared over a picture of carollers dressed in Victorian costumes.

"I am Reggie Salazar and I approve this message!" A different male voice said proudly. A campaign logo started appearing and the first male voice read the words of it out loud. "Reggie "The Sauce" Salazar. Take a slice of the American dream." 

AN: Please go to this link for a picture of Salazar’s logo and campaign slogan:

http :// captainpihkal (dot) tumblr (dot) com/post/25013013123/salazars-campaign-slogan-art-by-the

Kurt's heart rate sped up when he recognized the logo. Blaine’s first master had been the biggest homophobe and pro-slavery activist in the Senate, Senator Salazar. His head was spinning, what did it mean? What did a homophobic Senator want with a male pleasure slave? It suddenly hit Kurt that he had no idea whether or not Blaine had always been a pleasure slave at all. Maybe he had simply been a household slave.

“You okay, buddy? You look pale.” Burt said.

Kurt shook his head. “I’m fine.”

He wondered at what age Blaine had been owned by the Salazars. Had Rick Nelson already been part of the family then? Kurt shuddered at the thought of Rick ‘the stick’ laying a hand on Blaine, no matter what his purpose was. Kurt knew from experience that the boy was prone to violent outbursts. Would Blaine ever have come in contact with Rick if he had just been a kitchen slave?

Finn’s shouts of triumph pulled him out of his thoughts for a second, he glanced at the screen to see the game had resumed.

He leaned his head against the side of the couch, feeling suddenly helpless. His head was playing through all sorts of horrible ideas and images that made him shudder. Given the state that Blaine was in now, he had every reason to believe that at least some of them may be true.

AN: In this alternate universe Burt Hummel didn’t run for congress, because that would have put his family and his business in the spotlight of the media and the way the Hummel family treats slaves would not have found approval with the general public. Reggie “the sauce” Salazar won the election and made it into congress without much resistance. The original logo is of the chamber of commerce. Reggie "the sauce" put a crust on it and took a slice out to make it look like a pizza and used it as a campaign logo.