Uncle Pete's house was the next town over, so the drive only lasted about twenty minutes. Once there, he spent several minutes with his family, talking and laughing. There were a few gifts for him to open, things he knew he would actually use, and some for Blaine as well; Kurt promised to bring him along when he came to pick up Burt. It was such a different environment from Blaine's house, so open and warm and loving; a startling contrast that made him not want to go back to the pristine house that brimmed with judgment and oppression. But Blaine was still there, having been guilt tripped by Bethany into staying, that he knew he had to go back.

With a heavy heart and lingering hugs, he left and the return trip did nothing but tear away his nerves and not even the sound track of Wicked could sooth them. The anticipation was the worst thing, the fear of what was going to happen, of stepping into the unknown and not knowing the outcome, only that it wouldn't be good. The drive seemed to take forever and was over all too quickly. He parked his Navigator back in Blaine's spot and climbed out of the car. This was it.

Inside, the kitchen was bustling, subs going back and forth preparing dinner. They all greeted him warmly, informing him where Blaine was and inviting him to join them if he wanted. He promised he would be back if he had time, knowing that he had cut the time close with his reluctance to leave his family. In the foyer, Blaine was talking to a boy, only a few years older than them. As soon as he saw Kurt making his way over, his face lit up and he excused himself to meet Kurt halfway. His fingers slipped into Kurt's cuff as soon as they were close enough, a habit Kurt had noticed Blaine had developed over the past week.

"Hey, how was the drive?" he asked as he lead him to a corner so that they could hear each other without being overheard.

"It was good; the roads are a little slick though. My family can't wait to meet you," Kurt added shyly.

Blaine's face lit up at the comment. "Really? I can't wait to meet them, either."

"Then what do you say to getting out of here and doing that instead?" Kurt's eyes flitted nervously around and caught the judging stares of several Doms.

"I know, I wish we could," Blaine said, smiling sympathetically, his hand coming up to rub Kurt's arm. "Dinner will start soon and then we can go and have fun with your family, okay?"

"Okay." Blaine leaned forward, kissing him softly as Bethany cleared her throat.

"Dinner is ready," she called from the doorway. Blaine held Kurt back as everyone else poured out of the room and into the adjacent dining room. There weren't usually many subs to be presented before Christmas dinner, since Thanksgiving was so close, and this year, it was only Kurt. He shifted nervously as everyone got settled into their seats. The subs were carrying dishes inside and placing them on the table as Blaine explained, "Normally my dad would be explaining how things work, but Laura told me that there was an accident in the kitchen with one of the pies and so he's been working on that."

Kurt nodded mindlessly, simply wishing to get the whole dog and pony show done with. After everyone had been seated, Blaine led Kurt the rest of the way into the room, starting with his Grandmother Annabel. She sneered slightly at Kurt's clothes, but exchanged a few brief words with him anyway. Most of the Doms acted the same way, looking down at Kurt as though he were a dirty child who wanted to touch their clean clothes. Blaine didn't know why they were all being so rude when they had acted perfectly nice to Tina, but no less than three Doms barked commands at Kurt, including Aunt Gail, who maintained her snotty attitude from earlier.

And that's when he realized what they were doing; they were trying to knock Kurt down a peg, since he hadn't been subservient to Aunt Gail and walked around like nothing bothered him. Blaine knew that his sub had simply slipped on his protective skin before they had even left the kitchen when they first got here, had wanted to be prepared for the barbs he was so used to being thrown his way. He hadn't paid much attention, because Kurt still did it at school as well, but as long as he continued to treat Blaine the same, he didn't mind much. Now, he watched Kurt's jaw clench and release spasmodically as thinly veiled insults were tossed at him carelessly and he was forced to deal with snappish commands for silly things, like refilling a water glass or picking up a napkin that had been purposely dropped. Stupid things, done just to show how low they thought Kurt was.

Cooper was the only Dom to treat him kindly, engaging Kurt in a brief conversation about eggnog before he was forced to let him move on, which only left...

His mother.

He felt Kurt take a deep, fortifying breath, tucking two of his fingers into Kurt's cuff and causing it to dig into his wrist, wanting to help center him as they stepped up to Bethany.

"Mother, may I present my sub, Kurt Hummel?" he asked formally.

"Kurt, lovely to meet you," Bethany replied just as formally, though there was something hard in her eyes.

"And you, Mrs. Anderson," Kurt said, strength in his words.

"Are you prepared to take on the duties of a sub and treat my son with the respect a Dom deserves?" Bethany asked.

"I am." Kurt's chin tilted up proudly at the words.

"Good. Now, kneel."

Kurt stared at her for a moment. Kneeling was the something that was not done lightly, as it was the most exposed a sub could be without being restrained. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, kneel," Bethany commanded.

"No."

A gasp went up around the room and several people began muttering angrily.

"You dare defy me?" Bethany hissed, her face beginning to twist in anger.

"I dare to not put myself in a position I wouldn't be comfortable in," Kurt shot back. "I've played your little game, done stupid little tasks from Doms who could have easily have done them themselves had they not tried to put me in my place. I will not submit to someone unwillingly."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are," Kurt snapped, eyes blazing. "You think I don't know what you're trying to do? What you're all trying to do? Who do you people think you are, forcing your subs to be seen and not heard? To deny them things simply because they were born differently? It's stupid of you to think that you can just walk around commanding people to do as you pleased. How would you like it if you had someone come up to you and just start giving you orders and not bothering to ask if you wanted to obey them or not? You would hate it, Dom or not. Instead of following flawed traditions made to put people down, how about you consider what other people are feeling?"

The entire room was silent as he finished his spiel but he didn't bother looking at anyone else, his eyes boring into Bethany's as Blaine stood solidly at his side. Kurt could feel the pride flowing off of his Dom and let it boost him into finishing with, "There are a lot of things I will do for the man I love, but heeding commands that make me uncomfortable is one thing I refuse to do. So kick me out, make me the black sheep, I don't care. I'm here for Blaine, to support him, but I am not here for your approval or dismissal."

Without waiting, Blaine carefully stepped back, gently pulled the cuff so that Kurt would get the hint to move, and led him to their assigned seats on the other side of Cooper and Tina. They sat under the heavy stares of the family around them and Blaine saw Tina reach over covertly and squeeze Kurt's hand.

"Well, we should start eating," Andrew said, his soft voice still carrying over the gathered people due to the ringing silence. Blaine finally dared to look at his mother as people slowly began dishing out food, their eyes darting nervously between Bethany and where she was glaring at Kurt, who was happily doling out food on his and Blaine's plates. Andrew had a hand on her shoulder and was whispering to her, obviously trying to calm her down. It must have worked because by the time Blaine looked up again, she was seated and eating, though occasionally shooting shrewd looks off in their directions.

Blaine shook it off and ate. The sooner they were done, the sooner they could leave. He wished more than anything he could have skipped over this whole day or avoided having to come here, but a part of him hopes that at least one Dom will consider what Kurt had said. It's a far fetched notion, but Blaine had always considered himself an optimist.

Dinner dragged on and on and the site of Kurt not seeming to care, happily chatting with Tina while he ate, seemed to have everyone on edge, Doms and subs alike. It was clear that Kurt would probably never fit in with his family and Blaine... Well, he wasn't going to complain about fewer family commitments he would have to go to because no one would want Kurt around.

Once they finished their food, Kurt thanked them for dinner, his words only barely tinged with sarcasm, before telling everyone goodbye. They collected the presents of Blaine's he had decided on taking with him, the rest already placed in his room upstairs, and made their escape. They didn't talk about what had happened at Kurt's insistence, not wanting to ruin the rest of the day. Everyone at his uncle's house was kind, extending greetings and acting like he was one of the family from the beginning. There were no tests, no too firm grips when shaking hands to test his strength. There was teasing and jokes and everyone poked fun at each other. It was relaxed and carefree and everything Blaine wished he had.

888

"So what do you think about a Rockin' New Years Eve party at my place?" Sam asked without preamble as he and Mercedes show up at Kurt's house two days after Christmas.

"I'd say it's too small and your neighbors would complain," Kurt muttered, glaring at one of the sub books he had gotten from Blaine's family as he flipped through it out of curiosity. "Sam, you guys live in an apartment."

"Yeah, but I really want to have a party," he whined, head falling onto the table with a thunk.

"Is this visit just an excuse for you to ask if you can borrow my house, because you know you'll have to ask my dad." He slammed the book closed with a scoff and shoved it across the table. Blaine craned his neck at the noise, looking at him worriedly until Kurt smiled and blew him a kiss. He blew one back and continued helping Mercedes make their lunch.

Sam sighed, turning his head to look at Kurt without lifting it from the table top. "I actually already asked him and he told me that I had to get your seal of approval."

"I hate that man."

"You don't."

"Fine, I hate you."

Sam grinned, his hand creeping closer as he sat up and leaned in. "No, you don't, you looooooooove me," he teased, his fingers digging into Kurt's side and making him shriek and try to squirm away. Sam felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise and quickly yanked his hand back when he realized Blaine was glaring at him. He held his hands up in surrender and mouthed a quick sorry, moving back to the other side of the table. "Okay, what if I promise to clean up afterwards-"

"You had better have planned on doing that anyways-"

"-don't interrupt- aaaaaaaand I will not force you to watch Avatar with me for a month."

"Which Avatar?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, the movie or the tv show."

"Damn, I was hoping you wouldn't catch that. Um, the movie."

"Both."

"Seriously?"

"You're the one who wants to have a party here, Sammy."

Sam heaved a long suffering sigh. "Fine, both."

"And no comic books for two months."

"Two whole months!"

"And I want a Sam pizza the next day."

"Oh, well, that's easy, but I don't work again until the third."

"Fair enough."

"So do we have a deal?"

Kurt sighed, feeling like he had signed his life away. "Fine. But no drugs if Puck or Santana are coming over."

I should have added no alcohol either, he thought miserably a few days later. Loud music thumped out of the living room, where all of the New Directions, including Tina, who had dragged Cooper along for one last party with her friends before they left, and several jocks and Cheerios who weren't that bad were all dancing and grinding against each other. Kurt had tried to mingle, but it was so awkward for him. He had kept his distance for years; he wasn't sure he knew how to mingle, which is why he now hovering by the doorway. It was a little after eleven and he had lost Blaine some time before when Sam had dragged him off to talk about birds and chameleons or something.

"Heeeey, there's my favorite Kurtie!" The heavy scent of alcohol accompanied the words as a well muscled arm slung around his neck.

"I'm the only Kurt you know, Puck, and please don't call me that," Kurt said, attempting to shrug the arm off.

"You know, I've always really liked you," Puck said, ignoring his words as he started steering Kurt into the kitchen.

"I'm sure," Kurt retorted dryly, not sure why Puck was leading him there but indulging the drunken man all the same.

"Like, I just want you to have a good time, you know?" Kurt was struck by how sincere Puck sounded in his inebriated state and how sad he looked as he released him and started mixing something from the variety of alcohol and soda bottles that littered his once clean counter. "I mean, I tried to keep those assholes off your back, but they're dumbasses, they don't fuckin' listen to nothin'. You- you've always been cool, though, every since kindergarten. Remember the egg hunt?" Puck giggled as he dropped a couple of pieces of ice into the cup and began pouring Sprite into it. "You, you're a cool dude; you're my boy. Here," he shoved the cup into Kurt's hand, grinning lopsidedly. "Drink up, let loose, have some fun."

"Oh, no thanks, I don't drink," Kurt replied, shocked. He tried to hand the cup back to Puck, who was looking at him with sad puppy eyes.

"You don't want to drink? Aw, I'm sorry, man, I didn't know. Do you- I can fix something else if you want. You want some Sprite?"

"If anyone is going to fix him something, it's going to be me, Puckerman," a voice snapped from the doorway.

"Heeeeey, Anderson!" Puck said as they turned. "My man! Wha's up?"

Blaine eyed him carefully for a moment before he replied, "I think Rachel wants to dance, Puck, why don't you go find her?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm gonna go find- she's so awesome- did you know-" He allowed himself to be gently shoved towards the living room before Blaine moved closer to him.

"You didn't have to do that, you know? He was only being nice," Kurt said, scowling.

"He can go be nice to his own sub," Blaine replied petulantly.

"Blaine, are you... jealous?"

"No."

Kurt crowded into his space, winding his arms around Blaine's waist and kissing him lightly. "I'll always love you best."

The kiss is warm and firm and it takes only seconds before Blaine nipped at Kurt's lips and dipped his tongue inside, running it alongside Kurt's. The edge of the counter dug into his lower back as Blaine pushed him back against it, never breaking the kiss as his hands began running up and down Kurt's sides before cupping his ass. Kurt could hear people shuffling around them, mixing their own drinks and going back to the party as Blaine's mouth latched onto Kurt's neck and began sucking. Kurt moaned, his fingers trying to find purchase on Blaine's shoulder as heat pools at his groin.

Blaine grinned at the vibrations against his lips and the way Kurt shifted his hips to push closer. He had guessed that Kurt's neck would be sensitive after his reaction to the scarf at Christmas and had begun taking full advantage of the fact every time they had made out since. His hand drifted down to grasp Kurt's thigh, hiking it up over his hip.

"Wanky."

Kurt groaned, but this time in annoyance, his fingers relaxing their grip once he realizes that she's not going to go away, just standing there with her arms crossed and smirking at them.

"Oh, don't mind me," she purred as she poured herself a cocktail and leaned back against the counter. She took a sip, her eyes like locked onto them as she raised a delicately shaped eyebrow. "Carry on."

"Nope, mood killed," Kurt said, dropping his leg and shaking his head.

Blaine glowered at Santana until she huffed and rolled her eyes, leaving the room with a muttered, "Virgins."

"Hey, no shaming people!" Kurt yelled at her retreating back.

His only answer was a middle finger before she disappeared around the corner. Blaine nuzzled his nose against his neck until he was smiling again and then picked up the cup that Puck had left behind, Kurt sliding his hands down to Blaine's back pockets, preventing him from moving away.

"What's in this, anyway?" he asked, sniffing.

"Um, I'm not sure, Puck was going on and on about how I was his boy and it distracted." Kurt watched from inches away as Blaine brought the cup to his (perfect, pink, deliciously swollen) lips and took a cautious sip. He frowned, looking into the cup.

"Is it bad?" Kurt asked.

"It's, I don't know, weird? Like, it's not good and it's not bad." He took another sip, letting it set on his tongue for a moment before swallowing.

"Can- May I try it, Sir?"

Blaine looked at him in surprise, whether from the request or from the use of sir, Kurt wasn't sure. He held the cup to Kurt's lips, tipping a small amount of liquid forward into his mouth. Kurt held it there, letting the bubbles tickle his tongue as he tried to sort out the flavours.

"Well?"

Kurt swallowed, not missing the way Blaine's eyes tracked the movement before meeting his again. "It was... Yeah, weird is the best word I can think of. I wonder what he put in it?" he mused.

Blaine shrugged, offering him another sip. They took turns drinking it, hidden in their own little world as people came and went. Puck reappeared at one point and happily made them another cup. The warmth from the alcohol swam through their veins, their hearts beating in time with each other as the music pounded around them when they joined the rest of the group. It was nearly midnight but all of Kurt's thoughts were consumed by Blaine.

His nose was filled with the smell of him, tangy and sweet and musky with sweat. It was particularly strong at his neck and Kurt buried his face there as he started to grind on Blaine's leg where it was shoved between his.

"May I taste you, Sir?"

It was barely more than a whisper against his neck, but he could tell Blaine heard him by the shuddery breath he let out on Kurt's ear.

"Shit, Kurt-" He groaned; who knew Blaine cursing would be so hot? "You can taste whatever you want, baby."

Kurt's tongue was out before he finished his sentence, licking a strip up his neck and moaning at the taste. "I want you so bad."

Blaine nearly whimpered, thrusting his hips forward, desperately seeking friction. "Fuck, I want you, too." Fingers carded through Kurt's hair, twisting tightly and yanking his head up so that Blaine could smash their lips together. It was too hard, too fast, teeth sinking into the soft flesh of Kurt's lower lip, tongues tangling roughly as Blaine took what was his and Kurt gave it all he had. He was practically riding Blaine's leg by that point, moaning and panting whenever he could wretch his head away for a few precious seconds.

"Please, Sir, please," he managed to get out before Blaine covered his mouth again.

"Hey, save it for the countdown, it's starting!" someone yelled.

Sure enough, the volume of the tv was cranked up and the entire room began chanting.

10

Blaine pulled away, eyes boring into Kurt's.

9

Kurt nodded, looking a little shy, but eager.

8

7

6

5

The door to the basement rattled as it was flung open and then they were stumbling down the steps, giggling as Blaine tripped and fell sideways into Kurt.

4

3

Shoes were kicked off, lost in the dark of the room.

2

They stumbled towards the bed, grappling with each other's shirts.

1

Their lips met, soft and sweet, in contrast to the heated moment before, as Kurt's knees hit the edge of the bed and cheers rang down from upstairs. Blaine moved with him, not wanting the connection to break as Kurt slowly lay back. Blaine's straddled him, his knees on either side of Kurt's hips. He gently cupped his face, keeping the kiss closed, their lips just moving against each other.

"I love you, so much."

"I love you, too."

"We're not having penetrative sex tonight."

Kurt moved his hand to Blaine's shoulder, stopping him from dipping down again. He stared at Blaine's face for a long moment, his brow furrowed. Whatever he saw, he must have approved because he replied, "Yes, Sir."

"One day, when we haven't been drinking, if you want, we can go to that step, but right now..." Blaine rolled his hips down, his eyes searching Kurt's. "We can always do something else."

Kurt gasped at the friction against his aching cock and nodded. "Yes, Sir, please."

"Are you sure? Because I don't want to pressure MWFH!"

Kurt pulled him down for a kiss, his hands fiddling with the buttons of Blaine's polo. "Can we- No shirts?"

Blaine didn't bother answering, sitting up to strip his shirt off and hauling Kurt up to do the same. They moved farther up the bed and Blaine settled between Kurt's legs, his hands grabbing Kurt's thighs and pulling until they were high enough up that their dicks were lined up. He dropped down onto his forearms, bringing their faces closer together as he rolled his hips.

"Blaine!"

He captured Kurt's lips, nipping and sucking as he worked their hips together, drawing moans and gasps from Kurt. The air between them quickly grew heated, sweat building and making their torsos stick together as they moved.

They broke apart, moaning, after Kurt rolled his hips upwards, the heat in their lower bellies growing.

"K-Kurt, I know we didn't- fuck- didn't mark stuff for sexual kinks on the- shit, right there, god- contract, but please, I- I want to try something," Blaine panted, pulling back just far enough that he could look at Kurt as he spoke. He stopped moving when Kurt only nodded, not really paying attention to what he was saying.

Kurt let out a whine, his eyes fluttering open as his chest heaved. "What, what is it? Did I do something wrong?" Worry filled his face as he began catching up with his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I'll do better, please, Sir, let me-"

"Hey, hey, hey, no, Kurt, it's okay, it's not you, I promise," Blaine soothed, running a hand through Kurt's sweaty hair in hopes of calming him. "Lovely, no, don't think that you were amazing; perfect. What I was trying to say was I know we didn't mark sexual kinks when we did our contract, but I was thinking... You really liked when I tied that scarf around your neck, didn't you?"

He knew Kurt was blushing, even though he couldn't see it in the darkness of the room. "Yes," Kurt said in a tiny voice.

"I was thinking, what if I- and you can say no, you won't be punished, I swear- what if I... put my hand... around your throat." The last part came out as more of a question, but the way Kurt's eyes gleamed made him sure he knew what he meant.

Keeping their eyes locked, Kurt reached up and grabbed the wrist of the hand in his hair and brought it slowly down until it rested on his throat. He finally broke eye contact as they fluttered shut and his head tipped back.

"Please, Sir," he asked, his voice low and Blaine could feel the vibrations on his palm and fuck if that wasn't the hottest thing.

"Lovely, just pinch my arm if you need me to stop, okay?That will be our safe gesture, since you won't be able to talk. Repeat what I just said."

"Pinch your arm if I need to stop," Kurt confirmed, his eyes opening so he could look at Blaine.

"Good boy." He rocked his hips downward, watching as Kurt's eyes fell shut. Slowly, he began applying more pressure to Kurt's throat, feeling every hitch of his breath. Kurt's hand squeezed around his wrist and he stopped, keeping the movement of their hips while watching Kurt, waiting for any sign he wasn't comfortable.

Kurt's hands moved to his back as he rolled his hips in rhythm with Blaine's, his nails digging into his shoulder blades as he gasped. Blaine grunted as sweat dripped into the cuts, spurring him on, his hips moving faster and faster, heat pooling in his belly. If the whine that had worked its way out of Kurt's mouth was any indication, he was close as well. His hand tightened reflexively and Kurt was coming, his eyes rolling back and his nails clawing down Blaine's back. He hissed, letting go of Kurt's neck and watching him come, his own release hanging in the precipice.

Kurt reached down, grabbing his ass and urging him to move, his eyes wide and sparkling, his swollen lips parted as he fought to regulate his breathing and all it took was for Blaine to lean down for a kiss. Kurt sucked his bottom lip in between his and bit and Blaine was gone, coming in his pants and moaning.

It took a few minutes before Blaine rolled off of him, guiding Kurt to lay his head on his shoulder as they both waited for their heartbeats to even out again.

"God, Kurt, I love you so much. What we just did..."

Kurt's lips curved into a smile and he placed a kiss on the skin over Blaine's heart. "I love you, too." He paused. "Even if I will have to wear scarves for the next week," he added with a giggle. His voice was wrecked and his throat was sore, but that had been the most amazing feeling. The trust had nearly palpable between them and when Blaine had squeezed...

Kurt shivered at the memory, snuggling closer to Blaine as he covered them with the blanket at the end of his bed. Clean up could wait, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

888

Two days later, they were standing outside of the Anderson's house. Everything Tina was taking with her was loaded into a moving van, ready to be driven all the way back to California. Cooper was needed back on set the next day and he was anxious to get going, wanting to get Tina as situated as possible before he went back to work. Everyone was saying their final goodbyes and giving last hugs before they left. Tina squeezed Kurt tightly and made him promise they would keep in touch since, "We're practically family now anyway." Kurt laughingly agreed and made her promise she would come to him if she needed any help planning her ring ceremony, to which she laughingly agreed, wiping tears from her eyes.

And then they were gone, Tina waving to everyone until they were out of sight. The group quickly dispersed until it was only the Anderson's and Kurt left. Andrew led Kurt inside, telling him about a recipe they had spoken about before that he had finally found. Blaine was just about to follow them when his mother stopped him.

"We need to talk," she said, looking at him sternly.