"Blaine, your father said you were home- Oh, hello." The door was opened to reveal Mrs. Anderson, blinking in surprise to see Kurt there. Blaine wrenched his upper body around to gape at his mother.

"Mom! Hi! Um, Kurt and I were-"

"Blaine, sweetie, can I speak with you? Outside? Now." He could tell she was gritting her teeth through her obviously fake smile and he hurried to scramble off of the bed, tugging Kurt with him.

"Of course, Mother, but first, I would like to introduce Kurt,-"

"Yes, Blaine, I know who he is-"

"-my sub," he finished before she could start on a tirade.

"-him before- what?" she paused, looking confused as Blaine tugged him forward by his cuff. "What?"

"I gave Kurt the Marker today; he's my sub now," Blaine clarified.

"Oh! Well, that's delightful, dear!" she said cheerfully, her fake smile bleeding in a real one as she beamed at them. "We'll have to celebrate! I'll have your father prepare your room after dinner."

"Uh, actually, Mother, we're going to be stay at Kurt's house."

"But Blaine, it's traditional to stay at the Doms place, you know that," Bethany said, confused.

"Yes, but- Can I speak with you outside?"

"No, you can say what you bed to say in front of your sub; he needs to get used to it."

"That's not it, there's just something-"

"Just tell her, Bl- Sir," Kurt interrupted, tugging on his hand. "I won't get upset, I promise."

Bethany looked shocked that he had spoken, but her brow drew together worriedly when she glanced back at her son. "I'm missing something here."

"Kurt's dad, he's in the hospital. He had an angina attack. I want to stay with him while he heals. Mom, all he has is Kurt; there's no one else to take care of him." If he had to plead with her, he would, Dom pride be damned, but the look on her face said he wouldn't have to. His mother might be cold, but she wasn't heartless.

"That's an acceptable reason. Kurt, sweetie, how long will he be in the hospital?" Bethany asked gently.

Kurt looked shocked at being spoken to directly, but replied, "Um, Saturday, I think is what the doctor said, if all goes well."

"Oh, good, the shorter the stay, the better the news. You boys will stay here until then, okay? Good, now, despite the sad circumstances, we're still going to celebrate the good news and your father will set up your room afterwards, Blaine, dear. See you boys downstairs in a few minutes and, sweetheart, don't forget to file your contract, okay?" She started to leave as Kurt threw a pleading look at Blaine.

"I'll go explain it to her, don't worry," Blaine murmured before following his mother out. "Mom, wait!"

"Yes, dear?" Bethany paused halfway down the stairs and turned to look up at him.

"He- We- Look, we've agreed that our bond is going to be non sexual in nature. I don't want a sexual relationship and he's too emotionally fragile for one anyway. Please, please, don't make a big deal about this. He's exhausted and so am I. It's been a really long day."

Bethany blinked at him and then sighed. "Of course, dear, whatever you need."

"Thank you," Blaine breathed in relief. "It means alot to both of us."

Bethany just smiled at him. "Dinner will be ready soon," was all she said before turning and completing her walk downstairs. Blaine went back to his room and smiled nervously at Kurt, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well, that went better than I expected," quipped Kurt. "I was sure she was going to demand I kneel when talking to her or something.

No, she's saving that for the presentation, Blaine thought, his mouth going dry. "She's not as bad as her first impression makes her out to be," he said instead, walking over to sit next to him.

"No, I guess not. Um..." Kurt trailed off as his cheeks turned red. "So how is this going to work?" Blaine stared at him, uncomprehending. "Sleeping. Where am I going to sleep?" Kurt elaborated.

"Oh, yeah, well, we're going to be sharing my bed, I think."

"Is-is there no way around that?" Kurt squeaked. He had too many sex dreams for this to work in his favor.

"No, there isn't," a soft voice piped up from the doorway. "With that cuff on, your body is going to start reacting differently." Andrew Anderson stepped into the room, his eyes never leaving Kurt.

"What? Why wasn't I told that?" Blaine said.

"Because Doms aren't usually told. Blaine, may I speak with Kurt for a moment? Alone?"

Something in Blaine's chest rebelled at the idea of his sub being left alone with someone else, even if the someone else as a fellow sub and his own father, but he pushed it down. Contract or not, Kurt was still his own person and he looked wary but okay with it. "Sure."

He hooked a finger under the thick black cuff, tugging once and earning a smile from Kurt, before heading down to the dining room.

Once the door clicked closed behind him, Mr. Anderson seemed to grow. His shoulders straightened out, his head was held up higher and his spine seemed to elongate. It was all very subtle and Kurt doubted he would have noticed if he hadn't been watching so closely.

"Now," he said and Kurt jumped at the strength in his voice, no longer soft and quiet, "I wanted to speak with you before you got Marked but you never were around often and the other week, you seemed too flustered for me to pull you aside, not mention I wasn't sure if Blaine had even said anything to you. May I sit?" he asked, gesturing to the chair where their bags were.

"Um, yeah, I mean, it's your house," Kurt mumbled awkwardly.

Mr. Anderson laughed as he sat down. "Technically it's your room now, since you're Blaine's sub. What's his is yours and all that. Now, let's talk about you. Your mother was a sub, right?"

"Yeah, but she died when I was little."

Mr. Anderson tsked. "That's a shame. So you never really had anyone to explain sub stuff to you, have you?"

"Well, I had my grandma and the health classes at school-"

"Did your grandma ever explain about when your instincts kick in?"

"Uh, no, she lives a few hours away and we don't get to talk much, so, not really."

Mr. Anderson chuckled. "It's okay, I understand. I want you to know that if you ever�have any questions about being a sub, you can come to me. No judgment, just between us subs kind of thing. I want to help you, Kurt."

Kurt smiled cautiously at him, still wary but quickly warming up to the other sub. "Sure thing, Mr. Anderson."

"Oh, please, call me Andrew. Now, I want to talk to you about what your body is going through right now."

Kurt blushed deeply. "Uh, no, that's okay, I already-"

"Where you told about the hormone changes?" Andrew asked simply.

"...no."

"Kurt, from the moment that cuff was snapped on to your wrist, your body started changing, shifting to accommodate this new thing in your life. Having a non-familial Dom to take care of you, even in the non sexual way that you and Blaine are doing, causes your hormones to go crazy and your submissive instincts will come out in a way you've never experienced before. You'll crave orders, the weight of your Dom on top of you, the firm structure that will make up your life."

"What?" Kurt gasped.

"A Mark bond isn't something to be entered into lightly, but I know you had your reason behind it and you're a smart boy, I doubt you just jumped into it, but I thought I would warn you before it starts happening." Andrew sighed. "Just... Don't freak out, okay? I know this is all new to you, but you have to remember, it's new to Blaine too. He doesn't know much more than you do, so be patient with him and he'll be patient with you. Trust�him, okay?"

Kurt nodded slowly, trying to absorb everything as his world tilted on its axis. "I do, I trust him a lot."

A firm hand patted his knee and then Andrew is standing. "Good. Now, come on, I'm sure my Mistress is getting antsy for her dinner."

"Yes, of course, let's- let's go, I don't want to get you in trouble," Kurt said, blinking and shaking his head as if to clear it and starting when Andrew laughed.

"Oh, she's not as harsh as she wants people to think she is. She's tough, yes, but she's good to me." He grinned at Kurt before leading the way out. Kurt was too distracted to notice, but by the time they were in the dining room, Andrew had resumed his slightly hunched posture, his eyes trained to the floor as he quietly thanked Tina for carrying the food to the table. Kurt was only slightly surprised to find her and Cooper there and wasted no time in greeting both of them before sitting in the empty seat next to Blaine, who shot him a questioning look. He shook his head, mouthing I'll tell you later�before everyone starts reaching for food.

Kurt was surprised to find that Mrs. Anderson didn't insist on anyone getting food first; they all just began grabbing what food they wanted and passing around bowl and platters until everyone's plate was filled. It was an eerily normal experience for Kurt. They laughed and talked, though Andrew retained his subdued nature and only spoke when spoken to. Kurt caught Mrs. Anderson looking a little annoyed that both he and Tina were speaking out of turn, but she never said anything.

Cooper and Tina had apparently moved back in the week before until they left for California after the New Year, since Cooper wasn't going to be working and staying in a hotel was expensive. He and Blaine argued playfully about soundproofing Cooper's room while Mrs. Anderson suggested a few ideas. Afterwards, Andrew stood to collect the dishes and take them to the kitchen.

"It's no use offering to help, he always refuses, even other subs," Blaine leaned over to whisper when he noticed Kurt frowning. "He's very particular about where everything goes in the kitchen."

"Good to know. Hey, um, do you think you could take me to pick up my car? I don't want to leave it in the parking lot overnight and I guess I'm going to need some clothes and other necessities if I'm going to be staying here over the next few days." He wasn't too happy about having to stay at the Anderson's, and he was sure at least some of his displeasure was written on his face, but he knew it would be better than staying at his house alone, or even with Blaine. Things were sure to be uncomfortable for him for at least a few days and here, he had Andrew to talk to.

"Sure thing, let's go get our shoes. Mother, may we be excused?" Blaine asked. "Kurt doesn't want to leave his car in the school parking lot and he needs to get some clothes anyways."

"Of course, dear, be safe," Bethany said distractedly, staring at her phone and frowning.

Blaine rolled his eyes but tossed his napkin on the table and stood up. It was a jog up the stairs to get their shoes and then they were out the door, pulling on their coats as they went. McKinley High wasn't a far drive and in a matter of minutes, they were pulling up next to Kurt's Navigator.

"If it's okay with you, I'll follow you home and help you with your stuff," Blaine said as they sat in the parking lot.

Kurt grinned at his slightly nervous tone, but replied, "That's very sweet of you, Blaine, but you don't have to."

"I actually kind of do. It's my job to take care of you, and while I don't plan on overstepping my bounds with that, I do want to stick close by you right now because you're still in a fragile state from earlier and going home might trigger you. I won't argue if you say no, but I really would like to, if that's okay."

Even though he balked at the idea of anyone taking care of him, simply because that wasn't the Kurt Hummel way, he knew Blaine was right. Going home, even for a few minutes, could set him off again and he hated the panic attacks. If he had one, Blaine could head it off before it got worse. Besides, just the thought of going to his big, empty home, once filled with light and football games and baseball games and his dad's loud laughter at some stupid sitcom, made him want to sleep in his car until his dad was home.

It's only for a few days, he reminded himself.

"That would be fine, thank you, Blaine," he said, giving the other boy a weak smile before he climbed out of the car, pressing the unlock button on his key fob and cranking it up before the door was even shut behind him. He sat there for a couple of seconds, shivering as the car warmed up too slowly for his liking. He waved to Blaine as he pulled out, body slightly convulsing every few seconds as he shivered on his way home. Blaine pulled his car up into the driveway next to Kurt's and followed him to the door. Inside the house was only slightly warmer than outside, but it was the stillness of it that sent a shiver down Kurt's spine. Even at night, there was always some noise; snores or a television left on when Burt fell asleep on the couch. It was never just silent.

"Come on," Blaine said gently, cupping Kurt's elbow and leading him down to his room.

Kurt pulls his big suitcase out from under his bed, thankful that he already has his outfits for the week picked out. They each get their own hanging bag, pulled from inside the smaller suitcase that was inside the bigger one, which is then carefully placed on his bed. The smaller suitcase was taken into his bathroom, where he put the bottles he would need for an abbreviated version of his moisturizing routine, his hair care products, and his shower toiletries.

"Are you ready?" Blaine asked, eyeing the bag when he came back into his bedroom.

"Let me think..." Kurt ran over a quick mental checklist as he tossed his pajamas in with his bathroom stuff, not wanting to have to come back to the house until his father was coming with him. "Yeah, I think so. Do you mind helping me get rid of all the junk food in the house first? I don't want him being tempted if I can help it."..." Kurt ran over a quick mental checklist, not wanting to have to come back to the house until his father was coming with him. "Yeah, I think so. Do you mind helping me get rid of all the junk food in the house first? I don't want him being tempted if I can help it."

"Of course." Kurt grabbed his hanging bags and attempted to grab his suitcase, but Blaine waved him off, shaking his head as he carried it upstairs. Together, they made quick work of cleaning out the pantry, including Burt's 'secret' supply, trashing some of the food ("How did I miss something that's four months past its due date, that's disgusting.") and setting the what wasn't perishable aside to be donated. Sam was willing to take the perishables off of his hands, promising to come by and get them after school the next day.

Finally, vehicles loaded, they drove the few short blocks over to Blaine's house. It was later than they had planned on being out and the entire house was dark. They crept quietly upstairs, giggling when the floor creaked. It didn't get awkward until they realized they both needed to get changed and brush their teeth.

"How about this," Blaine compromised after a few seconds of staring at each other, "I'll go into the bathroom and brush my teeth while you change into your pajamas, and then we'll switch."

Kurt nodded in agreement, wishing his ears would stop burning as the door clicked quietly closed behind Blaine. He dug around for the things he would need in the bathroom before quickly stripping and pulling on his pajamas. It felt really weird changing in Blaine's room, his eyes darting over the walls and bed as though someone was going to pop out and mock him. He was gathering his stuff when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Blaine peeked in and smiled when he saw that Kurt was ready. "The bathroom is just across the hall; I left the light on for you."

Kurt smiled warmly back, some of the initial awkwardness fading away. "Thank you. I'll be back in a few minutes."

It wasn't until they were settled in the bed, both hugging the edges, that Kurt realized there was an itch under his skin. He had felt it a few times before, usually right after a sex dream about Blaine, but it had always quickly gone away. This time, it was like it was stewing, twitching and writhing and making it impossible to lay still. He tried to move as little as possible, not wanting to interrupt Blaine's sleep, but it was hard. He carefully eased himself over, back and forth, stomach, side, back, it didn't matter. Sleep eluded him.

"Are you okay?"

The whispered words made him jump and he turned his head, squinting in the dark at the Blaine shaped lump next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Then why are you so twitchy? Can't sleep?"

Kurt sighed. "No. I have this, like an itch, under my skin. It's making it hard to stay calm."

Blaine was quiet for a long minute. "Come here."

The slightest undertone of Dom pheromones soothed him and he found himself happily wiggling closer to his friend, who pulled him closer, slipping an arm around his waist.

the weight of your Dom on top of you

your submissive instincts will come out in a way you've never experienced before

your body is going to start reacting differently

Andrew's words danced through his mind, a warning as much as friendly advice. Kurt found that he didn't care, not wrapped up in a wonderfully warm boy who smelled like home.

888

The following days fell into a steady routine. Kurt would wake up half an hour early for school, go through his morning routine and waking Blaine before going to visit his father in the hospital until it was time to go to school. Classes were full if the typical repetitive monotony and as soon as it was over, he was back at the hospital. Doctor Novak had no problem answering his questions or going over Burt's new diet or medications for the hundredth time. He knew he was being overly cautious, but he didn't want his father to end up back here if he could prevent it.

Blaine was a rock for him. Every day, he insisted on making sure Kurt was eating and he would sit at the hospital with him, prodding him to do his homework and drink some water. The orders helped, drawing his focus back in whenever his mind began to wander. At night, he was helped to sleep by the solid weight of Blaine on top of him. It was like Andrew had said, but Kurt was so comforted by everything Blaine did that he didn't even think twice about it. He was Blaine's and Blaine was his for however long he would get to keep him. Right now was all that mattered to Kurt and he was taking every advantage of it.

It was Blaine who stopped a series of panic attacks over the week as the stress of everything began catching up to him. He almost never had to go looking for his Dom, who would magically appear by his side just as the panic began to grip him, almost as though he was pulled by magic to Kurt. The attacks were staved off more than they overwhelmed him.

Finally, Saturday arrived and with it came Burt's discharge. After packing up his belongings, thanking the Anderson's, and promising Andrew he would call him if he needed anything, they left for the hospital. They had already dropped Kurt's vehicle off the night before when they had gone over to do one last check up and to set up the living room for Burt to stay in and now all they had to do was pick him up.

Kurt's nails drummed anxiously against the arm of the chair he was sitting in while they were all given the instructions one last time and Burt filled out a bunch of paperwork. Blaine reached over, sliding his hand into Kurt's easily and squeezing. Kurt gave him a tight lipped smile as his eyes flicked between the woman pointing out where to sign and to his father, who was carefully looking over each page.

"Don't want to accidentally sign my soul away to you guys," he joked as he handed the woman the last of the documents. They were given a folder with written copies of everything and Kurt carefully tucked them into his bag as Blaine helped Burt into the waiting wheelchair before hurrying out of the room to pull the car up to the front. Kurt pushed his dad down, chatting amicably with the woman and thanking her as they loaded Burt into the front seat of Blaine's car. The drive home was slightly tense, as Kurt couldn't seem to stop staring at his dad, as though waiting for something to go wrong. They made it home safely, though, and Blaine was more than happy to help Burt, gently commanding Kurt to get the bags and carry them inside. It helped, as the orders always did, and by the time he was back upstairs from dropping his stuff off in his room, Burt was comfortably sat on the couch, remote in hand and Blaine seated on their large comfy chair.

"Do you guys want anything to eat?" Kurt asked, standing in the doorway.

"No, I'm funny, buddy," Burt told him gently. "Come in and watch a movie with us."

The title menu of Peter Pan popped up on the screen and Kurt didn't stop himself from grinning. It had always been his go-to movie when he was sick or sad as a child and his father had always seemed to know when he needed it most, popping it in before Kurt could ask. He had gone through two VHS cassettes after his mother had died.

"Sir?" Kurt questioned, coming up to stand next to where Blaine was sitting. His Dom looked up. "Please?"

"Please what?"

His ears burned; he wasn't really comfortable doing this in from of people yet. "Please, Sir, may I sit in your lap?"

The sweet smile he got in return was worth it and he was soon settled in Blaine's lap, curled into him as Peter Pan took the Darling children on the adventure of a lifetime.

The first real issue didn't crop up until later than evening. Kurt was stressing himself out, wanting everything to be perfect and hovering over his dad until Burt finally sighed.

"Kurt, I don't need my pillows fluff- Okay, that's it!" Kurt jumped at the loud tone, his bottom lip trembling as he stared at his father. "I love you, but you are driving me nuts, kiddo. Blaine, will you-"

Blaine was a solid force at his back, glaring at Burt for daring to talk to his sub like that, but he nodded. "Come on, Lovely, let's get you ready for bed," he murmured gently.

"I just wanted to help," Kurt sniffled, allowing Blaine's hand to guide him downstairs.

"I know, but there's such a thing as too much of a good thing, right? And your dad, I know he appreciates everything you do for him, but sweetie, you can be a little overbearing sometimes."

Kurt huffed out a sigh, flopping down on his bed. "Yeah, I know." He lifted his leg obediently, allowing Blaine to unzip and pull off his boot. A warm shiver shot down his spine as Blaine dug his thumb into his arch, massaging out the tension there. Soon, he was a warm, shivery mess, his entire body like jello as he stretched lazily across his bed, nearly asleep. He allowed Blaine to help him changing, too boneless to do much, and then he was curled up in bed, sleep dangling in front of him until Blaine crawled under the covers and pressed him into the mattress.

888

The next few days passed in a similar manner and Kurt was just thankful that Friday had been the last day of school before winter break, which meant that he could focus on his father instead of worrying about homework. Between caring for him, getting the house cleaned up for family to come over for Christmas, preparing what food he could beforehand, and fretting over having to be presented to Blaine's family, Kurt was quickly reaching his limit.

Which is why he was scowling as he allowed Blaine to lead him to the kitchen on Christmas Eve day, his hands covering Kurt's eyes, making the walk awkward. "Blaine, I don't have time for this, I have so many things I need to be doing right now."

"I know that, but I also know that you're stressing yourself out to the point where you're going to make yourself sick. You need to relax," Blaine told him firmly, making Kurt sigh in exasperation.

"I'm fine, Blaine!"

He heard Blaine sigh as they came to a stop and then he was being turned around, his eyes no longer covered.

"Kurt." His name was spoken firmly with an underlying hint of command that made some of the tightness of his muscles loosen. "Who am I to you?"

"My Dom," he answered promptly.

"Exactly. And as your Dom, it's my job to see that you're cared for in whatever fashion you need. Right now, it's mentally, so what we're going to do is go into that kitchen, bake some Christmas cookies, decorate them, and sing along to the radio while we do, until you are happy and relaxed. Understood?"

Kurt's lips twitched into a smile as he replied, "Yes, Sir."

"Good," Blaine beamed at him. "Now let's get to baking!" Kurt laughed but turned around anyway. Apparently Blaine had been a busy boy because everything had already been set up. Bowls littered the counter, some filled with ingredients and others waiting to be used. There were measuring cups and spoons, cookie sheets, cooling racks and, on the kitchen table, everything they would need to decorate with.

"I figured we could make our own icing and what cookies we don't eat or give to people, we could donate to the homeless shelter."

It was Kurt's turn to beam. "I think that sounds wonderful."

Blaine had hooked his music player up to a set of speakers and placed it on the windowsill above the sink. He had created a massive Christmas playlist, he warned Kurt as Jingle Bell Rock came on.

They danced and sang and baked and, yeah, Kurt had forgotten how therapeutic baking could be. They made a variety of cookies and sang their way through Baby It's Cold Outside, Let It Snow, White Christmas,�and a whole host of other ones; Kurt was happy to hear that most weren't religious.

"Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting tingling too," Blaine sang as they decorated sugar cookies, grinning and nudging Kurt, who joined him, "Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you."

They giggled their way through the giddy yap, giddy yap, giddy yap parts and when the song was over, Kurt leaned into Blaine, resting his head on his shoulder. "Thank you, this is just what I needed today."

Blaine kissed the top of his head, putting down the tube of icing he had been working with. "That's my job and I was happy to do it." He chuckled, gesturing to the cookies. "Very happy to do it, in this case."

Kurt grinned, tilting his head up and Blaine's face was right there and Kurt didn't stop himself from pressing their lips together.