“Morning,” he whispered sleepily.

“Good Morning,” Kurt replied and turned on his side to better look at Steve, “last night was fun.”

Steve grinned, “the first time or the second?”

He didn’t wait for Kurt to respond, snaking an arm around Kurt to bring him against him and kiss him. The kiss was remotely tame and Kurt pulled back, laughing before he leaned down for another one. Their lips had scarcely met before Steve’s phone rang and Kurt warily moved off of him.

“Sorry,” Steve muttered and grabbed the phone. He answered the call and got out of the bed, grabbing his robe from the chair it was always draped over and wrapping it around himself.

Kurt watched him as he walked around the room, phone pressed to his right ear, nodding to himself. From time to time his eyes flickered towards Kurt and he smiled or rolled his eyes. Kurt looked towards the bedside table where a bunch of small figurines sat and he picked one up and glanced questioningly at Steve.

He shrugged and mouthed “worthless”, but Kurt saw his eyes flicker between the object and Kurt and then whoever was on the phone said something that must have been important because Steve paused and then after another glance at Kurt walked to the bathroom.

Kurt scrambled out of the bed at once, but rather than trying to listen in on the conversation he threw on his own shirt over the boxers that he’d put back on the night before and he walked instead to the laptop that Steve had been on the night before. It had to be there. He moved the mouse and came to the screen asking for a password, but it didn’t deter him. In his hands he still held the figurine from the bedside table, playing with it.

He typed in the number sequence that he’s seen Steve use before and after a couple of tries, he was in. He glanced at the door and looked at the files on the desktop. He just needed to see one. He opened the documents window. It had to be in there.

The bathroom door opened.

Kurt clicked on the Internet icon.

“You don’t mind if I check my e-mail do you? My phone’s not showing me everything.”

Steve stood still behind him, staring, and then he nodded. “Just so you know it’s not there – what you’re looking for.”

Kurt froze. “What?” He asked. “I’m just checking my mail.”

Steve laughed and walked towards his closet. “Right. I know why you’re here, Kurt, and you know why I’m here. Let’s be honest for once, eh?”

Kurt gulped and took a small moment to prepare himself before he stood up. “Alright, fine. You know what I want then?”

Steve walked back towards Kurt, stopping right in front of him, “you had me fooled,” he said, “I didn’t think you had it in you, but I guess Daddy makes all the rules. You can have it, you know, because I’ve ceased to care. I love you, Kurt. I love you. And…and whatever you want is yours.”

The emotion in Steve’s voice surprised him and Kurt felt himself pause. He hadn’t expected that. He hadn’t considered that this might happen. But he didn’t love Steve. He liked Steve. He could enjoy Steve’s company. Kurt couldn’t love Steve.

“I know you don’t feel the same way,” Steve added, “it’ll always be Blaine for you, won’t it? But see that’s the thing, I don’t care anymore and you can have what you came for.”

He strode purposely out of the room and Kurt followed. He didn’t know what to do. It was too unexpected. For a moment Kurt almost regretted that he had agreed to this and that he’d used Steve and the entire situation as a way to get away from his real problems, namely his feelings for Blaine.

Steve didn’t let him see the numbers he pressed on the safe, but Kurt was surprise to see that it had been right out in the open, hidden by just a curtain, but when he extracted the phial of what looked like oil and thrust it at him, he let Kurt see inside the safe.

There were a number of folders there and money and a bunch of other things that Kurt couldn’t even identify it.

“What will that cost me? A million dollars? Two? But we can’t have Daddy upset can we?”

Kurt didn’t even know what it was. He set down the figurine on the coffee table and stretched his fingers.

“Have them test it. Have them reverse engineer it,” Steve said and then paused to stare at Kurt for a while longer, “tell me, do you even know what it is?”

Kurt shook his head. He was still reeling. For the past few weeks he’d been trying hard not to be caught, to find out as much as he could without getting in too deep but Steve was actually a great guy and a big part of him had hated how he was betraying him.

Only his father’s words warning him about how Steve would use him for their demise kept him going. He should have known that Steve was going to catch on.

“How did you know?” He asked.

“You’re not exactly subtle,” Steve said, “and I have to say that I didn’t expect for you to be so…such an amazing person despite your family name. It’s stupid but I don’t care about anything else right now. Not that money, not…not anything.”

Only Blaine and one other boy had ever said anything to Kurt with such depth of feeling for him and Kurt for a moment paused, holding the small phial filled to almost the brim with the liquid. He didn’t know what to do. He knew what Burt wanted him to do. He did like Steve, but Kurt also knew that he could never love Steve. Still, that didn’t somehow mean he could just take this without feeling any guilt. Even though Steve was giving it to him.

- - -

Blaine should have known it was going to be an issue the moment Carole mentioned. He should have considered Nick’s feelings about it before he sighed and told Carole to go ahead and plan a party. It was just that he didn’t want to fight with Carole over it, or try to get Burt to put a stop to it. And ultimately he was resigned to the fact that what the Hummels wanted they would get. Nick was also very familiar with that fact and he’d brought it up time and time again.

“And if Kurt wants you, he’ll ultimately get you,” he’d argued just the other day during a session with Claire.

They really were getting nowhere. It had been helping at first and then everything started going downhill again and Blaine knew this party wasn’t going to make it any better, not when Kurt was going to be in attendance.

He walked with his briefcase in hand to their apartment door and he hoped for a moment that his fianc� could put everything aside for at least this one day.

When he opened the door it was to be greeted by the smell of dinner. Mia ran out from the kitchen hand on a wooden spoon.

“Daddy!” she cried and lunged forward.

Mia was his bright light in just about everything. If he had her everything would be alright with the world.

“And what have you gotten up to today?” He asked, “were you good for the babysitter?”

She nodded seriously, “we colored princesses, Daddy, wanna see?”

He set her down and followed her to her room where he was shown a bunch of pages torn out of her Disney coloring books. She’d been getting better and better at staying inside the lines. It was Nick’s influence, he thought, being the artist in their family. Blaine had caught him coloring with Mia too many times to count.

“They’re beautiful, Sweetie,” Blaine said, “good use of color, and you got everything just right.” He dropped a kiss on her head, “very pretty. Now I think it’s time we go see your Papa.”

She nodded.

It hadn’t escaped her notice that things weren’t alright between them and Blaine hated how she sometimes stared at them as if waiting for them to start fighting again. This was the thing he was trying to avoid overall but it was happening and a big part of him couldn’t help but think that things weren’t going to get better, not how he wanted them to.

Nick wore an apron and was mashing potatoes. When Blaine cooked he used the ones from a box but if there was one thing that was similar between Nick and Kurt it was their views on cooking. Blaine remembered how back when they were at Dalton Kurt could be found in the kitchen of their dorm making something or other from scratch. Blaine had never been as talented.

“Everything smells delicious,” he said in way of greeting.

“Thank you.” He turned and smiled at Blaine.

It was these moments that made Blaine remember what he and Nick had had, what they could still have. He kissed Nick’s cheek.

“And how are the Hummels today?”

Blaine shrugged. “Well, Finn hit someone on the road today and she’s been taken to Hummel Plaza to recover.”

“More like so she won’t say anything to the press,” Nick said and Blaine couldn’t contradict him.

Lucy, the girl that Finn had almost run over by drunk had seemed nice enough and had even promised that she wouldn’t say anything to anyone. She hadn’t even gotten hurt except for a small bump on the head and a bruised elbow. Finn hadn’t hit her particularly hard and she’d been back on her feet in minutes but as Carole had been with Blaine that particular morning pestering him about his birthday, Blaine had had no choice but to agree that Lucy should come home with them and stay until she felt better.

“She’s staying with them until tomorrow morning. Finn refuses to admit it’s his fault even though I have it on good authority from his mom that when he was learning to drive he hit a mail man, so…”

Nick rolled his eyes, but at least there was humor present there as well. Sometimes mentioning the Hummels didn’t go over badly. Nick could appreciate when things got ridiculous or dramatic and it didn’t involve them directly. Other times he shut down, stared at Blaine uncaringly as if it didn’t matter to him that they mattered to Blaine.

The problem was with Nick’s own family, Blaine knew, and it was to do with how awkward Blaine was about them. But it wasn’t his fault. They didn’t like him. They didn’t think he and Nick were meant for each other. Blaine thought sometimes that they were right.

“So speaking about Carole,” Blaine began.

Nick’s eyebrows rose. “Am I going to like the sound of this?”

Blaine shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t know.”

“Okay, go on. Might as well get it over with, what happened now?”

“Well,” Blaine said and paused. Maybe he could still decline, claim that he didn’t want some big celebration – which he didn’t – or that Nick already planned something for them, anything.

“What is it? The longer you take, the more you’re worrying me.”

He stopped mashing potatoes and stared at him. Blaine glanced at Mia. She was seated in her chair and was coloring some more.

“Carole mentioned she remembered it was my birthday in a few days. She wants to throw a party for me. I told her no but she insisted and I think she was planning it before mentioning it to me. So, we have to go, I guess.”

Nick gaped at him. “No,” he said and turned back to the potatoes, “no. That’s…do you know what I had planned for your birthday? I wanted something quiet. Just you, me, and Mia. A small cake – chocolate with vanilla frosting or maybe red velvet. I don’t want the Hummels involved in every little thing.”

Blaine didn’t immediately want to point out that they’d done that for the past few years – the small birthday celebration between the three of them. And it was nice. It was the kind of thing Blaine liked, he loved the simplicity of it. But still he couldn’t help but remember how the Hummels had celebrated his past birthdays too. Every birthday since he was seven he’d spent with them up until he and Kurt broke up. They had never gone as far as to throw some extravagant party though there had been parties, he remembered.

And more to the point it wasn’t about the party but the fact that he’d missed them and they missed him and they wanted to be a part of celebrating his birthday and he couldn’t just say no to that.

“Nick, you know they’re like my family. And I don’t think she even means for it to be on my actual birthday. We can do both.”

Nick nodded, but Blaine could see that he wasn’t particularly happy about it.

“I can’t stop them from throwing a party.”

Nick didn’t say anything and Blaine glanced at Mia again. She was trying hard to stick to coloring, but Blaine knew she was smart enough to know that they were fighting again. If this was what their relationship was going to become he didn’t know if he wanted her around all the tension between he and Nick. It was true that children from even amicable divorces were deeply affected and had later psychological issues, but Blaine couldn’t help but start to wonder if trying to avoid that and staying with Nick for her sake wouldn’t be as damaging.

“Will Kurt be there?” Nick asked after a long while.

Blaine didn’t know. But it was a party at his house and Carole would definitely want him there. “Probably.”

Even though Claire had told them they needed to talk things through when they ran into problems, Blaine couldn’t help but not care that Nick was taking it in his usual passive aggressive way. It’d be something to talk about in therapy.

- - -

Blaine had been in Steve Smythe’s office a whole of two times and both times had been for such a short period of time that he had hardly had time to look around the spacious room. He had yet to meet the other Smythe brother, and he didn’t really particularly want to. Sebastian, after all, was the elder brother and Blaine had a feeling that he was really the one that was behind everything. Steve just didn’t hit Blaine like someone that could put himself right into the mix.

“I have the papers for Mr. Smythe,” he said to a young man that had to be Steve’s assistant.

He was attractive, taller than Blaine – though most men were – and he was most definitely gay.

“I’ll let him know,” he said and winked.

When he returned, he left the door to the office open and motioned for Blaine to enter.

Steve was not seated behind his desk but standing by a bookshelf, fingering his books as if he were looking for just the perfect one to read.

“So,” Steve said, “we haven’t really talked the two of us. I knew your father, you know. Good man. But what I really want to ask you is why you’re following in his footsteps, doing things for Burt Hummel when you could be working for me.”

Blaine hadn’t expected that. It had never even crossed his mind that Steve might see him as important enough to want to take from the Hummels.

“I know who you are, Blaine, and I know the type of things that you stand for and so far you’ve done nothing to make a change in this world for the good. That is what I want to do. You share my goal. The Hummels keep you so busy you’re not doing everything you want to do.”

He was right. Blaine didn’t know how to respond. It was a problem, but not just because of his job. The problem was also Nick and how hard it was to make time for them when he wanted to work with the money Burt was giving him and do his job right.

“I’m not willing to work for you, Mr. Smythe,” Blaine said at long last, “I like my job and I also know that we don’t want the same things.”

He extended the folder out to him. Burt had made a mistake a few days before, going on a weekend boat trip with a bunch of other rich men and women to gamble away large amounts of money and even property. Sebastian had been there and he’d come out a winner, taking one of the Hummel’s properties on the West Coast and Blaine had finally finished getting everything over to their name.

“Well, thank you for bringing these, then. I hope you continue to enjoy your job of messenger.”

Blaine gave a nod and said nothing else, deciding to just leave. As he reached the door, Steve spoke again.

“By the way, I have to thank you for giving Kurt such good skills in bed. You were his first, were you not?”

That hit him harder than anything Steve could have said. Blaine hadn’t been keeping tabs on Kurt, but he’d known that he and Steve were still together though he tried not to think about it. He turned.

“I didn’t think I’d become so fond of him, but maybe I’ll keep him.”

Steve was behind his desk, then, the folder open on his desk. He was still standing, and so he closed the folder and stepped around the desk.

“What do you want with him?” Blaine asked, each word coming out slowly as he tried to keep his anger in check.

“Well, sex for one, and I think just bringing down Hummel enterprises. But you knew that.” Steve laughed and he walked closer to Blaine, “it’s funny how the two of you get so defensive when the other is mentioned.”

He had warned Kurt that Steve was up to something, tried to get him to see how this man would use him but Kurt had ignored him and claimed he could take care of himself. Blaine wished he had tried harder.

“It won’t happen,” he told Steve, “I won’t let you hurt him and I certainly will not let you destroy Hummel Enterprises.”

Blaine didn’t wholly understand what the point of it all was. Burt had still not told him the whole story and Blaine hadn’t pushed, but now he needed to know. There had to be a reason for why Steve and Sebastian wanted to destroy Burt and the company. There had to be a reason why they were trying to destroy the two things that Burt cared most for in the world.

- - -

Kurt walked up the stairs at a slow pace. He was nervous about how it was going to go, but in the end he knew that he could do it. Rachel wasn’t the only good actress in the family.

He knocked on the door when he finally came to it and it didn’t take long for Steve to open it. Again he was dressed much too well for the person he was trying to portray although at this point in the game it was all already out there. The last time Kurt had seen him had assured him of that.

“Kurt!” Steve said and Kurt was glad to see that he did look genuinely surprised.

Inwardly Kurt smirked.

“I came to return this,” Kurt said, holding up the phial he’d been given just a few days ago, “I shouldn’t have taken it in the first place. I’ve never…it’s wrong, you know, and I’ve just been feeling horrible about it ever since I took it. It’s probably to do with how you gave it to me…and…”

Steve had led him to the living room. “And?” he asked, taking the phial from him and taking it towards the safe.

“I missed you. That – the money, what would come of that wouldn’t matter, not to me over having to practically destroy a friend to get it. It’s not right.”

They stared at each other for a while and Kurt knew then that he had actually shocked Steve. He also knew in that moment that Steve didn’t love him and he was glad to know that. Happy to know that.

“I should go,” Kurt added and stood up, “I can’t stay long, I’m helping Carole plan a party or something. I’d invite you but it’s a family thing.”

Steve nodded. “Come here.”

Kurt walked over to him and let the other man pull him into a hug. He let his body drop into it and even tried to truly mean it. When he pulled away he bumped into the coffee table and Steve helped straighten him, letting go quickly.

Kurt set about fixing the table and Steve closed the safe and draped the curtain over it again. In the meanwhile Kurt slipped what he really wanted into his pocket.