"Did I ever tell you about my brother Cooper?"

Kurt's thumb stilled in the middle of stroking an absent pattern on Blaine's forearm as he tilted his head up to look at him. The dark-haired boy wasn't looking at him, but staring at the ceiling. His expression was neutral and his voice was calm, but Kurt could sense that the subject was a delicate one. He wished he could see Blaine's eyes to tell how he was really feeling - Blaine had extremely expressive eyes that generally never failed to mask his true feelings - and he wondered if Blaine was purposefully facing the ceiling so that Kurt couldn't do exactly that.

"You didn't," Kurt replied softly, watching Blaine anxiously as he continued to stare upwards.

Blaine licked his lips. "Cooper is five years older than me, so he'd gone off to college by the time I came out to my parents. I don't know if he knew I was gay or not, but if he did he never mentioned it." He gave a small shrug before continuing. "Cooper was pushed hard all through high school, just like I was: he had to get top grades, be a star player in several sports teams, that sort of thing. He had to be the model student, and son.

"Even before I came out Cooper was the favoured child; he always did that little bit better than me at everything, especially sports. Even so, when Cooper left for college he chose one in California so he could avoid having to see them too often." Blaine chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, keeping his gaze fixed on the ceiling even as Kurt ran his hand along his bicep soothingly. "I don't know all the details of what happened next, but I guess our parents must have said something to him over the phone because the next thing I knew Cooper was telling me that he wouldn't ever be coming home again and that he'd had it with our parents. When I tried to ask him why he just said that he couldn't live that way anymore." Kurt saw the movement of Blaine's throat as he swallowed thickly and felt the slight tremble of muscles against his own body and knew Blaine was trying his hardest not to cry.

"That was the last I heard from him," Blaine whispered thickly. "He changed his number and moved permanently to California almost immediately after that phone call. My parents haven't heard from him since, though they still pretend that everything is perfect with their relationship around their friends."

Kurt was silent as he continued to watch Blaine fight for control over his emotions; he was rendered speechless by this latest insight into Blaine's horrific past. Abused by his parents, abandoned by his brother - had anything gone right for him? Had any of his life been easy or enjoyable?

He fumbled for words for a moment. "So, he- So, your brother just hasn't bothered to come and find you when you've essentially been homeless for almost a year?" he demanded, aghast. "You could be dead for all he knows!"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Blaine ran a hand through his messy hair. "He doesn't know, he hasn't had any contact with any of my family in over three years," he said wearily.

Kurt fell onto his back next to Blaine. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around all of this. Maybe it was because he had grown up with a loving, caring family that he found it difficult to imagine much else, especially parents who just stood by and watched as their youngest son ran away and never returned. And then there was Cooper, who didn't even really know Blaine anymore. The one person who could have supported Blaine through his difficult teenage years hadn't even bothered to give him the occasional phone call to see how he was doing; he'd just abandoned him with parents he knew were controlling and narrow-minded. He could have given Blaine a home when he was forced to leave their parents' house, but instead he chose to be selfishly and blissfully ignorant of anything his younger brother may be subjected to.

Breathing around the tightness in his chest, Kurt said somewhat bitterly, "He still abandoned you; he knew what type of people your parents were. He didn't bother to check on how you were doing or even take you with him."

Silence met his words and just as Kurt turned his head to look at Blaine he heard a hitching, shaky breath choke out of the other boy's throat, followed almost immediately by a small sob as Blaine dissolved into tears.

The hard shell of anger around Kurt broke and his features softened as he watched Blaine bite down hard on his bottom lip in a vain effort to hold in his harsh sobs. Tears glistened in the other boy's eyes and shone on his face in the early morning light filtering through the curtains. Kurt hated that Blaine was still deeply hurt despite the increasing amount of time he spent smiling and laughing these days. Knowing that Blaine had these large wounds buried deep inside him broke Kurt's heart and made him feel so useless; he could tell Blaine how wonderful and cared for he was every day for the rest of his life and hold him for hours, but it would never be enough to heal him; he could only numb the pain. He no longer had any idea of what to say to Blaine in situations like this - all expressions of comfort seemed inadequate. He had never felt so utterly hopeless in all of his life.

"Blaine," Kurt murmured softly, lifting himself up enough to reach for the shorter boy and pull him against his chest. Blaine collapsed against him, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and burying his face in Kurt's neck. Holding back his own tears, Kurt held Blaine against him, gently stroking the curls on the back of his head. "I shouldn't have said that," he told him, feeling frustrated at his own carelessness. "I don't know your brother or the situation he was in; I had no right to speak that harshly about him."

Blaine's grip on him tightened as he lifted his head enough to speak. "It's true, though," he said thickly. He gulped in a lungful of air. "H-He obviously never c-cared about me either."

A fresh wave of tears hit him after that and he hid his face against Kurt's neck again, every heave of his chest and shudder of his small frame passing from his own body to Kurt's. Kurt rubbed his back soothingly as dampness spread across the skin of his neck and the neckline of his pyjama shirt.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered helplessly, only vaguely aware that he was speaking out loud. "I don't know how to help."

"Just hold me," Blaine murmured against his neck. "Don't leave me like everyone else."

Squeezing his eyes shut as tears blurred his vision at the pain and despair in Blaine's voice, Kurt ducked his head and pressed a kiss to Blaine's hair. "I won't, I promise I won't." But as he spoke he couldn't help but think of his dad and the rest of his family, who had yet to learn about Blaine and who could react in any number of ways that could result in him being forced to break his promise. The thought made him bury his nose in Blaine's hair, inhaling the scent of the boy he loved - because that's what it was, love, there was no point in tiptoeing around the fact anymore - and he vowed to never break his promise, no matter what happened with his family.

"I won't," he whispered into Blaine's hair.

His promise did nothing to stem the tears falling onto his neck and shoulder, or ease the sobs wracking Blaine's body - not that he expected them to. Blaine's pain was far beyond anything words could heal and all Kurt could do was hold him until he stopped crying and the pain dulled for the time being. It was horrible.

Pressing another kiss to the top of Blaine's head, he murmured, "I don't think I could ever leave you." He doubted Blaine heard him, but it didn't matter. Though a part of him thought it would be a good idea to confess his love for Blaine now, the rest of him disagreed. He didn't want the first time he told Blaine he loved him to be like this, to appear like it was only said because Blaine was so distraught; he wanted the moment to be special and just between them, not with Blaine's past haunting him and his wounds bleeding. Blaine was special and he deserved to have memories that were purely happy and not at all tainted and Kurt wanted to give those to him.

It took a while for Blaine's tears to dry up and his breathing to settle into a weary but steady rhythm. When Blaine's body stopped shuddering against his and the shorter boy's hold on him loosened slightly, Blaine lifted his head up to face Kurt.

"Sorry," he croaked, his voice roughened. He lifted a hand and quickly wiped at the tears still clinging to his cheeks and red, slightly puffy eyes. "I didn't mean to cry all over you." He sniffed and replaced his hand on Kurt's waist.

Kurt affectionately caressed Blaine's cheek and jawline. "Don't be sorry," he told him softly. "You don't ever have to apologise for things like that, ok? That's part of my job description as your boyfriend: be a shoulder to cry on." He smiled at Blaine and received a small one in return.

"So, you're- we're boyfriends now?" Blaine asked quietly and somewhat tentatively, his expression hopeful.

Kurt had forgotten that they hadn't actually officially labelled themselves as boyfriends yet. "Yes," he said firmly, pushing aside his natural instinct to be tentative about the confirmation, knowing that Blaine needed him to be sure right now.

Blaine smiled again and this time it reached his eyes, brightening his hazel irises. "Does that mean I can ask you to kiss me?"

Bending down, Kurt kissed Blaine softly, his hand still cupping the other boy's face. "Yes," he breathed against Blaine's lips.

Blaine tightened his hold on Kurt's waist. "Then kiss me," he murmured, his lips brushing Kurt's as he spoke.

Kurt didn't need telling twice. He reconnected their mouths, kissing Blaine slowly and sweetly, gasping as his boyfriend pressed his mouth harder against his. He could feel Blaine's need to feel wanted as hands were fisted in his shirt and lips were parted beneath his own. He held Blaine tighter against him and kissed him fiercely, sucking on his bottom lip before smoothing over it with his tongue, feeling Blaine's hands slide further up his side until they were rubbing over his ribs as he slid his tongue against Blaine's. With every touch, he tried to let Blaine know how much he was wanted, because Kurt had never wanted anyone more than he wanted Blaine, all of Blaine, including his painful past and uncertain future.

After a few minutes he could feel his body responding to that want and he reluctantly pulled back. "We should get up before anyone else does," he said.

Blaine sat up, his eyes flicking over to the clock on the nightstand and Kurt knew he had momentarily forgotten that there were other people in the house. "I'd better go back upstairs," he sighed, already pushing back the covers in preparation for getting up.

Sitting up, Kurt placed a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Wait a second." He slid closer and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He smiled as he heard Blaine exhale softly and felt him nuzzle his face against his neck. He knew how much Blaine loved being hugged, after years of being starved of physical affection.

"I'll bring up some breakfast as soon as I can," he murmured into Blaine's ear.

Blaine pulled back a little. "Ok," he replied. He pressed a quick kiss to Kurt's cheek before climbing off the bed.

Kurt saw him out of the room, checking that the coast was clear before letting Blaine step out into the hallway and head back up to the attic. He sighed as the attic door closed softly behind Blaine; he had thought life was unfair a few times in the past when he'd been tossed into a dumpster by a group of laughing jocks and when fellow students at his school hadn't batted an eye as Karofsky shoved him into the lockers time and time again, but he had gotten off pretty lightly compared to Blaine. Absolutely nothing in Blaine's life was fair. If he believed in God he would certainly be questioning that belief now, because Blaine did not deserve to be on any of the paths his life had been on so far.

As soon as Blaine was back up in the attic he walked over to his bed and sat down on it, staring at the morning light striping the floor beneath the windows and thinking.

He was sick of this, sick of sneaking around and being the one that Kurt was lying and keeping secrets from his family for. He was tired of living in this attic and of having to rely on Kurt for so much. It was time, past time, that he met the people whose house he had been living in for months without their knowledge. He was still scared and insecure, but that would still be true in five months from now; it was time to do it now. It was time to take that leap.

Drumming his fingers against the pile of blankets he was sitting on, he jiggled his right leg and threw impatient glances at the stairs leading down to the attic door. He wanted to do this now before he lost his nerve, but he had to wait until Kurt came and told him the best time, which may not even be today. There was a good chance Kurt would suggest waiting a few days before doing it, maybe even spending some more time with Rachel or another one of his friends first, but now that he had decided to do it Blaine knew that the longer he put it off the more difficult it would be for him to actually do it.

Feeling his heart race, his hands shake, and his stomach clench and twist with nerves, Blaine grabbed a book from the top of the nearest stack and tried to distract himself with it. He gave up after a few minutes when he found himself reading the same two sentences over and over again while straining his ears for the sounds of Kurt approaching and trying to imagine what the rest of Kurt's family was like and what he would say to them. Tossing the book back onto the pile, he got to his feet and began pacing the length of the attic, walking backwards and forwards in front of the windows like a bored zoo animal wearing a trail at the fence line of its enclosure.

Some time later he froze in the middle of his pacing when he heard a soft knock at the attic door, followed by the sound of the door opening and then being closed again.

"Sorry it took so long," Kurt apologised, slowly coming into view as he climbed the short flight of stairs, "but this was the first opportunity I-" He broke off suddenly when his gaze landed on Blaine standing halfway between the two windows. "What's wrong?"

Blaine should have expected Kurt to immediately pick up on his change in mood; he had never been that good at hiding what he was feeling and Kurt was especially good at reading him. He inhaled deeply. "I want to meet your family," he said in a relatively calm voice considering his twisting, churning insides.

Kurt stared at him for a moment, his lips parting slightly in surprise, before he set the tray containing Blaine's breakfast down on a nearby box. "Ok," he said slowly. "We'll figure something out after you've spent a bit more time with-" He paused, seeming to notice Blaine's clenched jaw, the paleness of his skin, the flicker of fear in his eyes. "Oh, you mean today?"

Blaine nodded, trying to remain as collected as possible so as to not fall into the whirlpool of his fear, thereby making him incapable of going through with this. "I don't want to put it off any longer, I'm sick of hiding up here and of making you lie to your family," he explained.

Kurt walked across the attic until he was standing in front of him. "You're not making me do anything," he protested. "And I'd rather keep you a secret for a little longer until you're completely ready to do this than have you do it too early and risk making things worse for you."

"But I don't think I'll ever be completely ready," Blaine admitted, watching as Kurt bit his lip apprehensively. "I could stay up here for another couple of months and meet all of your friends, but I would still be terrified of meeting your family."

"Because they can change your life again, for better or for worse," Kurt whispered, his voice sounding distant and tinged with some of the fear Blaine was currently experiencing. His eyes were unfocused and he appeared to be speaking more to himself than to Blaine.

Swallowing, Blaine said nothing to this and watched as Kurt's brow furrowed in thought.

"Are you really sure you want to do this today?" Kurt asked, coming out of his own thoughts and focusing his gaze upon Blaine again.

Blaine nodded. "Positive," he replied, trying to ignore the uncomfortable churning sensation in his stomach.

Kurt nibbled apprehensively on his bottom lip for another moment, his eyes darting from side-to-side slightly as he thought it all through in his head. "Carole is out grocery shopping and dad and Finn have gone to pick up something they need for the garage, so they won't be back home for another couple of hours." He absently scratched the side of his face. "We can wait downstairs in the living room for them to come home and you can meet them then." He paused, his hand now picking unconsciously at the sleeve of his sweater - he looked a little strained. "We can introduce you as my friend to start with and then go from there." Apparently sensing what Blaine was thinking, he added, "If I say you're my boyfriend that will just bring up a whole load of questions that are probably not best to deal with right away and it might influence their opinion of you and their decision about whether..." He trailed off, looking pained.

Another wave of fear rolled through Blaine at Kurt's unfinished sentence. The outcome of meeting Kurt's family would make a huge impact on his future; if he was able to stay here then his life would become substantially easier and more enjoyable - he would have a room to stay in, he would be able to start attending McKinley, and he would still be with Kurt, but if he had to leave then he honestly wasn't completely sure what he would do or where he would go, but he was determined to attend McKinley and to keep Kurt in his life.

Blaine reached for Kurt's hand and laced their fingers together. "It will be ok," he said, sounding more calm and confident than he felt.

Nodding, Kurt managed a tight smile. "I'm winding myself up for no reason, really. My dad looks and often acts gruff, but he is really understanding and has a good heart, and Carole is one of the most compassionate people I know; she gave Finn's now ex-girlfriend a place to stay when her parents kicked her out for being pregnant." At Blaine's stare, he added, "It's a long story."

Looking a little calmer, Kurt glanced over his shoulder at where he had left Blaine's breakfast tray. "Do you want to eat breakfast up here or take it downstairs?"

Blaine deliberated for a moment before deciding it was probably best if he went downstairs now to decrease the temptation of backing out of the meeting.

"Downstairs," he replied. Just as he went to cross the attic to fetch the tray he realised he was still wearing the outfit he had slept in last night. He shuffled his feet, suddenly feeling bashful. "I, um- I need to change first," he stammered, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"Oh." A light blush was beginning to spread across Kurt's cheeks. "Right, of course." He looked wildly around the attic for a second. "I'll, um- I'll just wait- I'll be down in the kitchen." Looking flustered, he nodded and left the attic, the door thudding shut softly behind him.

With his face still hot, Blaine quickly washed, brushed his teeth, and pulled on one of his clean outfits that Kurt had washed for him. Running a comb self-consciously through his hair, he wished his hair wasn't so curly so he didn't look quite so much like a scruffy homeless person. He sighed as he set the comb back down, remembering the gel he used to slick his hair down with and wishing he had some just now.

Scooping up the breakfast tray on the way, he headed downstairs to the kitchen where he found Kurt making coffee.

"Do I look ok?" Blaine asked him, setting the tray down on the table and nervously tugging at the hem of his sweater. "I don't want your family to get a bad first impression."

Abandoning the coffee, Kurt came over to join him by the kitchen table. "Stop worrying; you look gorgeous." He raised a hand and affectionately brushed Blaine's hair back from his forehead.

"My hair is a mess," Blaine agreed, wrinkling his nose and lifting a hand to try and pat down the curls he knew were sticking up in all directions on top of his head.

Kurt swatted his hand away. "You look fine - trust me." He grinned at his boyfriend. "You know me; I would never say someone looked good if they didn't."

Blaine managed to return his smile and Kurt squeezed his shoulder before returning to the coffee he was making.

Blaine picked at his breakfast for the best part of half an hour and spent so long over his coffee that it turned stone-cold before he was close to finishing it. Kurt sat with him at the table, chatting lightly about his Glee club's recent win at Sectionals and Rachel and Mr. Schue's manic determination to get to Nationals, which resulted in them beginning preparations for Regionals before they had even put their Sectionals trophy out on display in the trophy cabinet. It was a topic they had already discussed, but since neither of them had their complete concentration on the conversation, it didn't matter that Kurt was telling the same stories or that Blaine was repeating the same comments; it was just a way to fill the tense, apprehensive silence and give them something to occupy their minds.

When Blaine finally gave up on his breakfast, he helped Kurt clear up, and then they moved through to the living room where they switched on the TV, watching the reality show that came on automatically, neither of them caring enough to bother changing the channel.

They sat watching the TV in silence for one hour and three minutes - Blaine knew the exact time because he kept glancing at the clock every few minutes, trying to predict when Kurt's family would be home. It was almost midday now and judging by Kurt's fidgeting, Blaine guessed that he was expecting his family home soon.

Kurt glanced out the window at the deserted street outside and then shot another brief look at the clock on the mantelpiece, before turning to look at Blaine.

"Come here," he said softly, holding out an arm.

Blaine slid across the couch and leaned heavily against Kurt's side, sighing contently when Kurt wrapped his arm around his back to hold him there and closing his eyes as he rested his head against Kurt's chest. As he breathed in Kurt's scent and heard the familiar beating of his heart he tried not to think about how this may be their last moment like this together; before the day ended he could be out on the streets somewhere or in a police station.

These thoughts made him open his eyes and tilt his head up until he could see Kurt's face, hungrily drinking in every minute detail of him and willing it to be imprinted into his brain: the light freckles dusting his nose and cheeks, the curve of his jaw, the fragile sweep of his eyelashes, the slope of his nose, the fine map of veins beneath the pale skin of his neck. He traced his finger lightly along one of those veins, following its branching path down towards the neckline of Kurt's shirt until it disappeared from view. At Kurt's little shiver he lifted his gaze from his boyfriend's neck to his face again to find him looking down at him with the eyes that Blaine knew he'd never forget; no amount of distance or time could make that beautiful, mesmerising swirl of shifting shades of blue, green, and grey fade from his memory. He could never forget the way Kurt's eyes had been an almost silvery blue-grey in the moonlight, or how green they'd been that day he'd been wearing an olive green cardigan, or how they darkened to a deep blue whenever they kissed. Kurt swept his thumb over Blaine's cheek and Blaine knew with heart-wrenching certainty that he could never forget the way those eyes looked at him - the way Kurt looked at him. He'd be forced to see the image in his mind's eye every day, to re-live the memories while his heart ached for Kurt and his arms reached for the boy that wasn't there.

When Kurt bent down to kiss him, half of him wanted to surge upwards and kiss him fiercely, to desperately make the most of what could be their last moments together, but the rest of him wanted to turn his head away so that another painful memory wasn't added to the collection he already had. He couldn't reject Kurt, though. He was drawn irrepressibly to him and he met Kurt's kiss with one of his own. If the worst did happen he would rather have these memories than nothing at all.

With that thought in mind, he slid his hand up to tangle his fingers in the soft hair at the back of Kurt's head and hold him close. When Kurt's lips parted against his own, he pushed his tongue inside, memorising the taste and lines of his mouth with sweeps of his tongue. He ran his toes partway up Kurt's lower leg, feeling the swell of muscles beneath the stiff fabric of his jeans, familiar to him from the nights they'd shared a bed together and tangled their legs in sleep.

The sound of a car engine outside had them both freezing before pulling away from each other. In unison they looked out the window to see a car sweeping into the driveway, the outlines of three people vaguely visible through the windows. Blaine's heart was suddenly pounding far too fast as his brain filled with the instinctual voice shouting at him to run.

Kurt's hand cupped his face and, breathing raggedly, he turned his frantic eyes to him. "I'm not leaving you," he said in a low but firm voice. "I promise." Car doors slammed outside just as he brushed his lips over Blaine's again, sucking gently on his bottom lip for a moment, before letting it go. "I promise," he echoed in a voice barely above a whisper.

He dropped his hands from Blaine's face and Blaine went to move back to the other end of the couch, his hands lingering on Kurt's before he slowly moved away and turned to face the TV screen again, breathing as deeply and slowly as he could to try and settle his body's frantic, ragged rhythms.

They waited in silence, each second stretching on for too long as the urge to flee built up inside Blaine, the adrenaline collecting in his veins and flooding his muscles. He stared fixedly at the TV screen, knowing that if he let his gaze wander it would drift automatically towards the door and then he would be on his feet and sprinting up to his hideaway to remain a secret for another day.

A low murmur of unfamiliar voices, the erratic pounding of his own pulse, shuffling footsteps, the rustle of plastic bags, his breath whistling harshly out of his lungs, a key in the lock...

"-can't keep eating that much sugar for breakfast, sweetie, it isn't healthy and I thought you would want to keep in shape for football?"

Blaine gripped the edge of the seat of the couch with both hands as he waited to be spotted. He heard a low, grumbling voice reply to the woman and noticed Kurt tensing out the corner of his eye as the sounds of voices, footsteps, and rustling plastic bags got louder. He was so wound up with fear he missed most of what was being said as Kurt's family drew closer and he only caught what another male voice said because Kurt's name was included in the sentence.

"Kurt must be through here, I hear the TV."

Most of the rustling and footsteps faded in the direction of the kitchen.

"Kurt," the voice said more loudly, "can you come and help- Oh, I didn't realise you had a friend over."

The footsteps had come to a halt and Blaine could sense the owner of the voice standing behind him near the door. Swallowing and taking a deep breath, he shifted and turned to look in the direction the voice had come from.

A man who could only be Kurt's father stood just inside the doorway, looking curiously between Kurt and Blaine. Kurt must have inherited a lot of his mother's features because the man wasn't instantly recognisable; it was only because Blaine knew Kurt so well that he recognised the similarities in their appearances. The man was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt, and a baseball cap, the polar opposite of Kurt's carefully selected outfits, but his eyes held the same warmth as Kurt's.

Kurt had also turned to face the door and was smiling at his dad, the slight tremble of his hands in his lap the only sign of his nerves. "Dad, this is my friend, Blaine. Blaine, this is my dad, Burt."

Fighting down his nerves, Blaine thought back to the times his parents had taught him how to greet the guests they had over and felt a pleasant smile bloom on his face. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hummel," he greeted him politely.

Kurt's dad nodded at him. "You too, kid - and call me Burt." After one more nod at Blaine, he shifted his gaze to Kurt. "I was gonna ask you to come help put the groceries away, but seeing as you've got someone over I'll let you off." He took a step back towards the door. "I'll leave you boys to it," he said, starting to turn to leave the room. He paused, swivelling back around to look at Blaine. "You staying for lunch, kid?"

Blaine shot Kurt a quick, nervous glance.

"Yeah, he's staying," Kurt answered for him.

Burt nodded and smiled at Blaine. "You don't have to be so nervous, kid. I don't bite."

Blaine smiled weakly as Burt left the room, finally letting his façade drop and his panic seep to the surface now that he and Kurt were alone again. As he turned to face Kurt he could feel his wide eyes and the paleness of his face and his hands were shaking visibly when he raised one to run it through his hair. He let out a shaky breath just as Kurt slid closer to him.

"You're doing great," Kurt assured him in a low voice, taking one of Blaine's hands in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We'll tell them when we go in for lunch. I'll be there with you." He tipped Blaine's chin up with his free hand so that their eyes met. "You're not alone in this; you're never going to be alone again - I promise. Ok?"

Blaine nodded, feeling a little of his fear ebbing away at Kurt's words and just having him close. Kurt darted a quick glance at the doorway before leaning forward and giving Blaine a quick kiss.

They stared at the TV until Carole called them through for lunch, Kurt keeping a hold of Blaine's hand the entire time, occasionally stroking his thumb over the tops of his knuckles. It helped, though Blaine still felt like his heart was beating too rapidly to be healthy and that his stomach was full of writhing snakes when he stood up on trembling legs that didn't feel stable enough to support him to follow Kurt through to the kitchen.

They could hear the rumbling of Burt's voice interspersed with the occasional comment from Carole as they neared the kitchen door. Just before they entered, Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand one final time.

"You can do this," he murmured. "We can do this." He dropped Blaine's hand and stepped into the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, Blaine followed.

Carole was just closing the fridge door while saying something to Kurt as he accepted a pitcher from her when Blaine entered the bright, noisy kitchen. Behind her, Burt and a tall teenage boy who was clearly Kurt's step-brother Finn were sitting at the table with their food in front of them, arguing good-naturedly about football. Blaine paused just inside the doorway and stared for a moment.

It was the kind of family scene that he had never seen before; his family had never behaved like this.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Carole came hurrying over to him with a warm, friendly smile on her face.

"Hi, Blaine, Kurt told me you were a friend of his. I'm his step-mom, Carole," she greeted him.

Blaine felt some of the tension leave his muscles; Carole was so motherly and nowhere near as intimidating as Burt, he couldn't be as anxious around her. He found himself smiling at her. "Pleased to meet you."

She patted his arm and led him over to the table where she'd set lunch out for him next to Kurt and across from Finn, waving away his thanks with a smile and a, "You're welcome."

Blaine sank down into the chair beside Kurt, shooting a quick, grateful smile when he bumped his knee lightly against his under the table. Then with his heart racing, he raised his eyes to meet the curious gaze of Finn.

"You're Blaine, right?" Finn said once he'd swallowed a mouthful of sandwich.

Blaine couldn't help but notice the size of Finn and how much the other boy would tower over him when he stood up. He tried not to let his nerves show. "Y-Yeah," he stammered.

Cocking his head to the side, Finn squinted at him. "How do you know Kurt?" he asked curiously. "Do you go to McKinley?"

Kurt pressed their legs together as Blaine felt his panic start to build again. "Not exa- No, I don't." His mind searched for an acceptable response to Finn's other question. "I, um- I- Kurt and I-" He shot Kurt a helpless look, begging him to help out.

"We met under some pretty unusual circumstances," Kurt told his family, for Burt and Carole had broken off their conversation and were listening intently to the three teenagers, curiosity burning in their eyes.

Finn looked confused. "Did you almost hit him with your car or something?"

Blaine blinked at the tall boy sitting opposite him, momentarily dropping his frantic thoughts of how best to break the news of where he lived to Kurt's family. Was he being serious?

"What?" Kurt looked thrown. He gave his head a little shake. "No." He licked his lips nervously and darted a glance at his watching father and step-mom.

Just as Kurt opened his mouth, Blaine reached over and took Kurt's hand under the table. When Kurt's eyes met his he nodded and Kurt closed his mouth - this was his story to tell, not Kurt's.

"Kurt and I met about three months ago when he discovered me living alone with only a few belongings and little food and water," he said, his words sounding loud and clear in the silent kitchen.

At Carole's tiny gasp of horror and Burt's look of dawning realisation, he nodded. "At the time I'd been homeless for over six months. Since that day, Kurt has given me food, water, blankets, friendship..." He trailed off, not wanting to continue that thought for too long and start confessing to too much at once. "He saved me," he concluded simply. Kurt gripped his hand tighter.

There was a short pause as his words and the meaning behind them sunk in, then Carole leaned forward, lowering her hand from her mouth and resting her forearms on the table, looking troubled. "Are you still homeless? Where have you been living?"

Blaine took a deep breath and clutched at Kurt's hand as though it was a lifeline - this was it. "I've been living in the attic of this house."