Blaine carried him into one of the rooms set aside for when a Dom had to take care of their sub and lay him gently on the bed before stepping back.

"Kurt, I want to apologize for Dominating you without your permission," he said, not looking at him.

"Blaine, it's okay," Kurt replied, sitting up slowly. "I promise it wasn't like before. I needed you and you were there for me. What you did was perfectly acceptable in my book."

Blaine glanced at him through his thick lashes. "Are you sure? Because I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Blaine, I swear I'm fine."

He nodded. "Um, would you like me to-"

"If you would?"

Blaine dropped his bag and Kurt was surprised to see his own bag that he had forgotten to collect when he left the cafeteria. The thought fled from his mind as Blaine crawled onto the bed and hovered over him. Neither of them moved, the only sound coming from their breaths.

"Please?" Kurt asked when it all became too much. With a deep breath, almost as if he were bracing himself, Blaine lowered his body down so that most of his weight rested on Kurt, who let out a sigh. Their legs were tangled together, Blaine's arms bracketing Kurt's head, their foreheads touching so that they could watch each other.

"Good?"

"Perfect."

They lay there, the quiet between them comfortable and no longer strained with the unknown or guilt that things may have been taken too far. The solid feel of Blaine pressing down on him helped to ground Kurt, to focus his energy on calming himself down, the tingling retreating from his hands and the tightness leaving his chest. The thought of his father in the hospital still made his breath hitch every so often, but he was able to center himself better with Blaine taking care of him.

For Blaine, it was validation, a promise that Kurt really was okay with this, that he wasn't upset about being Dominated earlier. They were taught in Dom Ed that a sub was the most vulnerable when held down and that for many, it was the best way to calm them. As he watched Kurt's eyes slowly lose the wild look of his panic attack, Blaine couldn't help but agree.

Unbidden, his mind drifted to the black cuff still in its box in his dresser. He hadn't wanted to ask Kurt, especially not after hearing his story, but now...

"You're thinking loudly, Sir," Kurt murmured and Blaine didn't stop his chuckle.

"I imagine I am."

"May I ask why?"

Kurt's hands came up hesitantly, brushing his waist. "It's okay if you want to touch me. I read that it helps some subs." The fingers ran up his back more firmly at his words. "I was just thinking about my mother and something she wanted me to do."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Well, seeing as how it involves you, I might as well." Kurt's grip tighten momentarily before resuming their easy stroke. "Um, it was right after sectionals when she first brought it up, but I thought she had forgotten about it until Thanksgiving. She- she told me she wants me to Mark you."

He felt Kurt's brow furrow where their heads were pressed together. "Mark?"

Blaine sighed. "It's this stupid old tradition. It's supposedly unseemly for a Dom to be friends with an unattached sub, so way back when, the Dom, if unattached as well, would Mark the sub with a cuff. It was a sign to other Doms that the sub was their property until their soulmate came along." He felt Kurt stiffen underneath him and hurried to explain. "I know, it's a terrible thing to say, but this was a long time ago, back before subs had rights. Eventually it became a symbol of protection when subs did start gaining rights. Doms would use it as a way to protect their sub friends from people who were angry about it."

"So she wants you to claim me like I'm some kind of property and use it under the guise of protection just so that she can save face with her anti-sub agenda?" Kurt asked, his voice tight. Blaine brought his hand up, stroking Kurt's jaw lightly until it unclenched.

"You have to understand, I know that it seems like she's terrible, but she's nothing compared to the rest of my family. They force their subs to kneel whenever they just sitting around, they're not allowed to sit on the furniture, they don't speak unless they're spoken to, unless they're with the other subs, stuff like that. My family is very traditional and my mom catches a lot of flack because of the freedom she allows Dad. He's the only sub in the family that has a license and is allowed to drive a car. The rest are permitted to know how to drive but are only allowed to in emergencies. There's a lot of things she let's slide that the family looks down on, so she feels the pressure to make sure Cooper and I are following all these stupid Dom rules so things aren't as bad for us. The Marker..." He sighed, closing his eyes against the blue pools daring to drag him under. "The Marker is one way to stop me from disgrace in the family. By claiming you, she thinks I'll be able to save face."

"So, what, now you want to?"

Blaine could feel Kurt's anger getting stronger and hotter and rushed to explain. "NO, no, of course not! Please, just let me explain," he begged. He waited until Kurt went still before saying, "No, I didn't want to pressure you into anything; that's why I didn't say anything before. If we're going to enter into a relationship of any sort, I wanted it to be because you wanted it, not because of any pressure from an outside source. You're your own person and I would never presume to speak for you. I was just thinking, you know, in light of recent events, I could be your Dom, in a non sexual manner, since your dad isn't always- what?"

Kurt had taken a shuddering breath at the mention of his father and his eyes had clenched shut. "The panic attack... I had it because my dad- he-"

"Sh, sh, calm down, just breathe," Blaine commanded, releasing a light dose of pheromones before Kurt could work himself into a frenzy again.

Kurt inhaled slowly as Blaine's hand dropped from his cheek to rest on his neck, putting just the right amount of pressure or Kurt to ground himself again. "My dad, he's in the hospital, they- Mr. Shue said they think it was a heart attack."

"Oh, Kurt." His thumb brushed over Kurt's neck, trying his best to comfort him.

"Obviously I freaked out, you know, and all I could think about was, I need Blaine, where's Blaine. I was looking for you but I couldn't see, and then it all just became too much and," Kurt chuckled wetly, "and then you found me."

Blaine couldn't help but smile, despite the situation. Kurt had been looking for him, had needed him. He wanted to promise to always be there for Kurt, but he knew he couldn't. One day he would meet his soulmate and that would be it. His own sub would require all of his care and attention and he wouldn't have enough time for Kurt. "Yeah, I did," is all he could offer, smiling sweetly and knowing could at least feel it, even if he couldn't see it.

Kurt sighed. "I really should go to the hospital."

"Oh, of course." He eased off of him and they sat beside each other for a moment before Kurt leaned into him, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder. "Would you like me to drive you up there?"

"No, no, you don't have to," Kurt said, standing up as he shook his head.

"I know I don't have to, that's why I offered."

Kurt smiled at him, just a small quirk of his lips, but it was enough.

888

After finding Mr. Shue and getting permission for Blaine to drive him, they headed to the hospital. The woman to the information desk was helpful, quickly pointing them to the right nurses station and wishing them good luck. The nurses were equally sweet, cooing over Kurt while trying to find out any information they could for him. For once, he was glad that he was a sub. One glance at Blaine's Dom ring and the nurses had pretty much ignored him.

Kurt found himself refusing to let go of Blaine's hand. From the moment they had gotten off of the bed, they hadn't let go of each other, except to get in and out of Blaine's car. The drive had seemed to take forever, but it, combined with the firm grasp of Blaine's hand, helped him pull himself back together, to slam down the icy front he put on for the rest of the world and not let the pain show through.

And yet, the conversation they had had while Blaine was pinning him down rolled around in his head as well. He was right, Kurt did need someone, especially if his dad wasn't-

He swallowed thickly, squeezing Blaine's hand as he tried to steady his breathing. He felt Blaine shifting beside him and realized that he had shut his eyes, but before he could open them, Blaine was in front of him, stroking his neck and murmuring, "Good boy."

"Yes."

"What's that?"

Kurt opened his eyes, unsurprised that Blaine was right in front of him. "Yes, I'll take the Marker, I'll be your sub." His free hand came up to grasp Blaine's wrist. "I need you, Blaine. If-if something goes-"

"Don't think like that," Blaine cuts him off vehemently. "We don't know anything yet."

Kurt nodded as he said, "I know, but still... When I needed you today, you were there, without hesitation. It-it wouldn't be a terrible thing, being your sub. I know you would take care of me."

"Kurt-"

"Hummel?"

Their heads turned in sync to find a man in blue scrubs standing by the waiting room door. Kurt scrambled to his feet. "Yes, sir, that's me."

He walked over to them and held out his hand. "My name is Doctor Novak, I've been taking care of your father."

"How is he? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, Kurt. A little shaken up from his fall, but other that, he's okay."

Kurt breathed out in relief and loosened his grip on Blaine's hand, which had tightened unconsciously, probably to the point of pain, but Blaine just smiled at him, clearly relieved. "He fell? I thought they said he had a heart attack?"

Dr. Novak gestured to the chairs. "Why don't you have a seat and I'll explain." He sat across from them and leaned forward. "Your father has what's called stable angina. We're running tests right now, but it looks like it's symptom of CHD, or coronary heart disease. It's not a heart attack, but it does mean that one is more likely to occur. With this variation of angina, there's a pattern to the attacks. Once you've figured out what factors trigger them, he can avoid them or take his medicine before the attack occurs. Now, he's going to have to change his diet and start exercising if he wants to avoid having an actual heart attack."

"Yes, sir, I'll take care of that," Kurt replied through the relief humming in his veins. "But what about his fall?"

"Ah, yes." Dr. Novak flipped through the chart in his hands. "Well, he was apparently on a ladder when the attack occurred and fell off. He's got. There's a silver dollar sized lump on his head and we'll be monitoring him for a concussion, but he should be fine. He'll need to stay here for a few days for observation, as well, but if everything checks out okay, he'll be home by Monday."

"Oh, thank god," Kurt breathed, shooting a smile at Blaine when his friend mumbles the same sentiment under his breath.

"Do you have someone to care for you?" Dr. Novak asked, glancing at their joined hands.

"Yes, sir, that would be me," Blaine piped up. The doctor stared at him for a long moment, but he didn't back down.

"Doctor, can I go see my father now?" Kurt finally asked.

"Yes, of course, follow me."

They all stood and walked down the hall to room 414. Inside was Burt, hooked up to a couple of machines and looking mildly irritated, though his face broke out into a smile when he saw Kurt walk in behind the doctor.

Blaine's hand was dropped as Kurt rushed to his side and picked up his instead. "Dad."

"Hey, buddy."

"Dad, you- you can't scare me like that again," Kurt whispered as the tears he had been holding back dripped down his cheeks.

"Hey, hey, I know, it was a big scare, buddy, but I'm okay."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I'm telling you right now, you're going to start eating right and we're going to start walking around the street after dinner every night once you get your strength back."

Burt's nose wrinkled. "I don't know if all that is necessary, Kurt-"

Kurt's glare made him shut his mouth. "The doctor said that if you didn't change some things, you're going to have a heart attack, Dad. This is going to happen whether you want it to or not."

Burt stuck his tongue out but squeezed Kurt's hand. "Where's Blaine? Didn't he come in with you?" he asked, looking behind him.

Kurt turned around but both Bl-his Dom and the doctor were gone. "I guess they stepped outside. Um, Dad, there's something I need to tell you."

"About what?"

"Don't- don't get upset or overly excited or anything, okay? Have you ever heard about Marking?"

"Marking?" Burt's brow furrowed at the word. "Yeah, some people used to do it way back when, why? Where did you hear that word?"

"Blaine. He wants to Mark me." When his father's face grew angry, Kurt quickly explained everything Blaine had told him and his own thoughts on the matter. He didn't like it, but Burt did agree that it was a good idea and promised to think about it. Marking was different than a claim, like what like what Mike and Tina had; it was more fixated, less jumping from partner to partner.

There was a knock on the door and both of their heads whipped around as the doctor and Blaine returned.

"Mister Hummel? I just wanted to talk to your son for a moment, if that's okay."

"Of course, do what you gotta do, Doc," Burt told him, squeezing Kurt's hand one more time before letting it go. "Blaine can stay in here and keep me company."

"Sure thing, sir," Blaine replied, walking over to where Kurt was sitting and offering him a hand up. He leaned over and whispered something in Kurt's ear before taking his seat and smiling encouragingly. Burt waited until the door snapped shut behind them before looking at Blaine through narrowed eyes.

"So, I hear you want to Mark my son."

Blaine jumped at the sound of his voice, all of his attention having been focused on the door that Kurt had just walked out of. "Oh, yes, yes, sir. I know it's an old tradition-"

Burt waved off his explanation. "Yeah, yeah, Kurt's already told me everything. I understand why you're doing it, I understand why he's doing it. What I want to know is if I'm going to have to beat you later for not taking care of my son."

Blaine paled slightly at his words, but said, "Sir, I fully intend on fulfilling every desire of Kurt's when I become his Dom. I care for him very deeply and I swear on my life that I would never let any harm come to him, whether from my own family or from an outside source. Kurt is, he's very special and I don't think I have the capability to hurt him even if I wanted to, and I don't. He means too much to me."

Burt didn't reply, just stared at him for several long minutes, pleased to find that the boy didn't flinch or sweat or really move at all until the door swept open. Burt watched as Blaine's entire body seemed to relax, as though he was tuned to Kurt. His face lit up and his lips turned up into a smile, his entire posture relaxing with each step that brought Kurt closer to him.

"Okay."

Kurt frowned. "Okay, what?"

"Okay, I'll do the diet and the exercise and you can be Blaine's sub."

"Wha-what? I thought you were going to think about it?" Kurt moved closer and, with a smile at Blaine and motioning for him to stay seated, grabbed his father's hand.

"I thought about it. I mean, technically, you're of age, Kurt, you don't need my permission. I trust you to make good decisions and Blaine here seems to really care about you, so I don't see why you two can't do the Marking stuff."

"Dad..." Kurt swiped at his cheeks. "I know you don't have to, but it means so much to me that you did." He leaned over, hugging his father as tightly as the bed and machine's would allow. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, kiddo." Burt ruffled his hair as he pulled back. "Now get going, I know you're just dying to throw out all of that junk food I'm not allowed to have anymore."

Kurt laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I am. I just- Thank you, Dad." They carefully hugged one more time, their hands clasped together tightly. Blaine reached over for a firm handshake once they had let go.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take good care of him."

"See that you do, Anderson."

888

It isn't until they're outside the hospital that Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that went a lot better than I thought it would."

Blaine laughed, "What did you think he was going to do?"

"I'm not sure, threaten you with a shotgun or something."

"Kurt, he's in the hospital!"

"I wouldn't put it past him, that's all I'm saying!"

They both fell into giggles as they made their way to where Blaine's car was parked. "Come on, I'll take you home. We can go get your car tomorrow," he offered. Kurt agreed as he slid into the passenger seat. "Do you mind if we stop at my house first? I want to get the Marker for you and for me to get some clothes," Blaine said once he had gotten into the passenger seat.

Kurt looked at him strangely as he buckled up. "Why do you need a change of clothes?"

Blaine glanced at him. "Kurt, being Marked as my sub means that we're going to be staying together now. It's my job to protect you and care for you and I can't do that if we're not together."

"Oh."

"Yeah, like I said, it's a bit more than just a regular relationship. I was trying to explain that to you before the doctor showed up."

"Oh."

Blaine held out his hand, palm up, over the gearshift. "Do you trust me?"

"Always."

The short trip was the opposite of the trip to the hospital, filled with explanations and expectations. Blaine told him that normally they would be staying at his house, since he was the Dom, but because Burt was sick and Kurt was going to be taking care of him, the exception would be made so that they could stay at Kurt's house instead. Any time Kurt required Domination, Blaine would provide it instead of Burt. There wasn't too much of a difference between being Marked and being in a claim like many of his classmates were, Kurt was relieved to find. However, Blaine told him that once they got to his house, they would need to sit down and make up a contract.

Kurt was understandably nervous when they pulled up to Blaine's house and he saw a few cars parked in the driveway. It was around dinner time and he was sure everyone was going to be eating and they were just going to be interrupting and they would all be staring at him and he was sure he looked like a mess after the panic attack and the stress of his father being in the hospital and they were going to judge him so hard-

His face was cupped and suddenly Blaine was there, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs. "Kurt, stop thinking so hard right now, you're going to give yourself another panic attack."

Kurt brought his hands up, placing them over Blaine's as he focused on the other boy's words. "I'm trying. I'm sorry, Blaine, I don't normally act like this, I'm normally really good, I promise."

"Sh, sh, sh, I know, I know, sweet boy," Blaine murmured soothingly. "You've had a stressful day and it's understandable if you have a couple of attacks. It happens. But it's my job to stop them from happening and so just listen to me, okay? Remember our breathing from earlier? Slow, deep breaths, right? There we go, good boy." His hands came up run through Kurt's hair, lightly scratching his scalp until Kurt smiled.

"That feels nice." He glanced down and frowned. "Aren't you uncomfortable leaning over the console?"

Blaine laughed, pulling his hands back somewhat reluctantly. "Only a little. You were more important. Come on, let's go make up that contract and get me some clothes."

Kurt felt his face burning as he grabbed his bag and followed Blaine into the house. They both greeted Mr. Anderson as they passed through the kitchen before going up to Blaine's room. Kurt set his bag down next to Blaine's as the other boy rifled through first his dresser drawer, then his desk. When he came back, he had a small box and a stack of papers on a couple of clipboards in his hands. He set the box down on his pillows and sat cross legged on his bed.

"Come on and sit, please," he said, gesturing across from him. Once Kurt was situated, he continued, "Okay, this is a contact. I know you've heard about them in class and stuff, but I'm still going to go over everything again, just so I feel comfortable about you being comfortable, okay? In a Marking relationship, there's a contract drawn up, each person listing their names and roles, the terms of service, which is how long you plan to be Marked, rules, duties, and goals, limits, termination requirements, and then our signatures. I was thinking, this is strictly a non sexual Mark, right?" He waited until Kurt nodded. "Okay, so for the limits, only mark the things that are non sexual in nature, okay? We'll put it in the contact that it's non sexual, as well, just so there's no confusion. Ready?" Blaine handed him one of the clipboards with a sheet of paper on it with the word LIMITS written on the top. "We'll both fill this out and then attach it to the back of the contract."

"Okay." Kurt flashed him a nervous smile and looked down. There was a pen slid into the top part of the clipboard and he grabbed it before looking over the paper. It was written in checklist form, with four columns: Hard Limit, Soft Limit, Willing to Work On, and Kink. His blush came back in full force, but he pushed forward, marking just the ones that he thought applied to their situation. He looked over the list a couple of times, just to make sure he had everything, and by the time he was done, Blaine was watching him, a slight smile on his lips.

"What?"

That startled him. "Uh, nothing. Are you done with the checklist?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah."

"Good, good. Since I've known about this since Thanksgiving, I went ahead and drew up a contract awhile back, just in case you did agree. It's going to be slightly different from other contracts because, like we've already established, this is going to be non sexual. Here, read over it carefully, make sure you understand everything, and if you have any questions ask me. Can I see your Limit paper, please?"

Kurt handed it over absently as he took the clipboard with the contract on it. The first page was the Limit checklist, which he looked over. His and Blaine's answers matched up almost perfectly, he was pleased to find, and then there was the contract.

I, _, hereinafter referred to as Lovely, do of my own free will, and being of sound mind and body, do hereby offer myself in consensual Marking to _, hereinafter referred to as Sir, for the period beginning at eight pm on _ and ending whenever either party meets their soulmate or on _.

Kurt read over the whole thing with a smirk before looking back up at Blaine. "Lovely?"

Even under Blaine's tan, he could see the blush. "I had to think of something, okay? You know how these things are. Everything else either didn't fit or was... unseemly."

"It's sweet," Kurt offered instead of giggling like he wanted to.

Blaine cleared his throat, looking Kurt in the eye. "I wasn't sure how you felt about punishments, so I left that stuff in, and about safe words because I would feel better if we did, just in case. I don't plan on ever having to punish you, but I know that some subs need it, so I figured it would be best to leave it in. I hope that's okay."

"I'm an advocate for 'better safe than sorry,' so I'm glad you did," Kurt said, glancing over the contract again. "So, we just... sign it?"

"Yeah, and then I present you with the cuff. I'll file the contract in my mom's safe downstairs and then we about our lives."

Kurt held the clipboard out. "You first, Sir."

Blaine rolled his eyes, but obediently took the papers, his eyes glancing over everything one last time before he scribbled his signature across the bottom. He handed it back to Kurt, who followed suit, and then it was done. The only thing left was...

"Here," Blaine said, reaching over and picking up the box he had set on his pillows earlier. He flicked open the top and Kurt gasped a little. The cuff was beautiful and, when he reached over to pick it up, soft, the leather still stiff, but supple, bending somewhat easily. It was thick and black with a silver clasp and Kurt felt a shiver go up his spine at the thought of having it snug around his wrist, Marking him, proclaiming him as Blaine's to the rest of the world.

He thrust it at his Dom and held out his wrist, unable to speak. Blaine took it from him and, locking eyes with Kurt, wrapped the cuff around his wrist and closed it with a final, small, snick.