A stunned silence met Blaine's announcement. It was the kind of silence that seemed to press on Kurt's eardrums and fill the room with a strange, low buzzing. He was sure everyone else seated around the table could hear the rapid thumping of his heart and the choked stutter of the breath caught in his throat. He wanted someone to speak, to respond to Blaine and break the heavy, oppressive silence, but at the same time he wanted to remain ignorant of his family's reactions for as long as possible.

Blaine's hand was gripping his own so tightly he could barely feel his fingers, too numb to even feel the pain. There was a light sheen of sweat gathering on the creases of Blaine's palm and his fingers trembled against the back of Kurt's hand. He avoided looking at Blaine's face purely because he didn't think he could stand to see the look in the smaller boy's eyes; the wide eyes full of deep, painful fear that his imagination was conjuring up were bad enough. He didn't want to look at anyone else either, but after a few long, nerve-wracking seconds of nothing but that deafening silence he couldn't take it any longer and lifted his gaze from the table.

Carole was staring at Blaine with a mixture of shock, concern, and curiosity. Her mouth was working slightly, as though she was trying to say something but had momentarily lost the ability to form coherent thoughts and was struggling to find the words. Next to her, Finn was gaping at Blaine with his hand still resting on his sandwich as if he'd been about to pick it up to take a bite but had forgotten all about it. He looked rather like someone had just hit him over the head with a frying pan: dazed and bewildered. At the head of the table, Burt was eyeing both Blaine and Kurt with eyes that were ever so slightly narrowed. His expression was completely unreadable, a look that made another dose of fear steal through Kurt's veins like poison.

Carole was the first to speak.

"In the attic?" she repeated weakly, looking horrified. "All by yourself?"

"I-" Blaine was so tense that Kurt could feel every tremble of his overwrought muscles through their joined hands. "Y- Yeah. Until Kurt found me, yeah," he stammered.

Finn's eyes flicked to Kurt and something in his gaze hardened. "What does he mean ‘until you found him'?" he asked, and Kurt frowned at the strangely harsh tone of his voice and the fact that he was addressing him instead of Blaine.

"I heard him moving around during the night," Kurt explained, not mentioning the disappearing food and books in case any of them started accusing Blaine of stealing, which he had technically done, but only because he didn't have any choice if he wanted to survive. "So, one night when I was home alone I searched the house and found him in the attic. He hardly had any belongings." He swallowed roughly at the memory and concentrated on Blaine's tight grip on his hand: reassuring and calming.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Carole asked gently.

Biting his lip, Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his seat; this was one of the questions he'd been dreading.

"That was my fault," Blaine spoke up, drawing all eyes except for Kurt's towards him once more. "I- I asked him not to tell anyone. I-" He faltered and there was a beat. "I was scared," he admitted quietly, his soft voice carrying easily in the silence.

Kurt watched as Carole's expression softened further and she dropped the hand she had stretched out in front of her back down onto the table. Burt's expression was still frighteningly unreadable.

Blaine's free hand twisted shakily in his lap. "I never meant to hide out in someone's home; the house was abandoned when I first started living here and when you moved in I was too scared to leave and I-" He dropped his gaze down to his lap, biting his bottom lip hard in what Kurt knew was his attempt to hold back tears. "I had nowhere else to go. I didn't want to end up on the streets."

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand as best as he could around his death-grip and watched as Carole's eyes filled with tears.

"Of course you didn't," she said reassuringly. "And we would never have let you leave here if you had nowhere else to go, we would have worked something out."

Kurt inhaled a short, sharp breath. Worked something out. Was that what was going to happen? Were Carole and his dad going to sit and work out what they thought was best for Blaine and send him off, potentially leaving Kurt's life for good? And Blaine, sweet, selfless, Blaine, wouldn't ever protest or offer his opinion and would be grateful for whatever was decided, he would never ask for what he really wanted since he wouldn't think he deserved it.

Finn was watching Blaine with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean you have nowhere else to go? Don't you have family or anything?" His voice was far too accusatory for Kurt's liking.

"Finn..." Carole began in a warning tone.

Blaine shook his head. "N- No, it's fine, he has the right to ask - you all do." He paused and Kurt desperately tried to catch his eye to let him know that he didn't have to say anything he wasn't comfortable with; his full story about how he came to living here could easily wait until another day when he was more comfortable around Kurt's family, but Blaine didn't seem to notice his attempts.

"I ran away from home around nine months ago when my father began to get violent. I'd been abused at home and at school for years and I couldn't take it anymore." He swallowed. "So to answer your question: no, I don't have any family I can go to."

Carole had a hand covering her mouth and her eyes were wide and glassy with shock and tears. Infuriatingly, Finn was now giving Blaine a cold, disbelieving look.

"What's the problem, Finn?" Kurt snapped at his step-brother.

Finn directed his harsh stare from Blaine to Kurt. "Do you even really know this guy?" he questioned, waving a hand to indicate Blaine, who flinched away from the table as if Finn's words had been a physical attack on him, like a punch to the face.

"Finn..." Carole warned again.

Finn ignored his mother and ploughed on, relentless. "How did you know you could trust him? How do we know we can trust him?"

Kurt gritted his teeth as he glared at Finn; he'd had his tense moments with Finn in the past but some sort of affection had kept them from destroying their friendship, but right now Kurt felt nothing but dislike for the tall boy sitting across the table from him. He had known Finn to be rather mean back in his homophobic days, but this was verging on downright cruel.

"He is sitting right here, Finn," Kurt pointed out in a hard voice. "And not that it's any business of yours, but Blaine has shared a lot about his past with me and of course I trust him." He rubbed at Blaine's knuckles with his thumb, hoping to reassure him that no matter how bad things were looking just now, it would be ok. He doubted he was making that much of a difference, though, and he hated to think of what was going on in Blaine's head right now thanks to Finn. He scowled darkly at his step-brother, who didn't even have the sense to stop talking.

"A lot of his past, not all," Finn sneered. "You do realise he could just be telling you all the parts that make him look like a good person, that will make you trust him. He could be hiding anything!"

"That's enough, Finn," Carole said loudly.

Kurt couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe Finn was implying he was some naïve little boy who blindly trusted everyone he met, no matter the circumstances. As Blaine gasped harshly next to him, Kurt stared at Finn in stunned outrage. He felt like a different person was sitting at the table speaking in Finn's voice; he was seeing a whole new side of Finn, one he didn't like at all.

He mouthed wordlessly at his step-brother for a moment, his anger rendering him temporarily speechless. "I can't believe you right now," he said eventually, his words coming out in something close to a shriek.

"Neither can I," another voice said from the head of the table, speaking for the first time since Blaine's announcement.

Kurt turned his head to face his father so quickly that he pulled a muscle in his neck. Ignoring the sudden flash of pain, he stared pleadingly at his dad, willing him to understand, to believe him and Blaine.

Burt wasn't looking at him, though; instead he was glaring at Finn in a way that had the tall boy shrinking in his seat. He held Finn's gaze for a few seconds until Finn dropped his to the table, looking slightly guilty.

"I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in you, Finn," Burt said in a deceptively level voice. Ashamed, colour flooded Finn's cheeks.

Kurt watched the exchange, hardly daring to breathe, and felt his pulse jump and his stomach twist itself into tighter knots when his dad turned away from Finn to look at him and Blaine. Kurt felt Blaine tremble under Burt's gaze and wished he could put an arm around him or do something more comforting than clutch his hand under the table.

"I'm not happy you kept this a secret for so long and I'm surprised you managed to do so," Burt said eventually, his eyes flicking between Kurt and Blaine. Kurt swallowed thickly in the short pause that followed. "You should have told us sooner, we would have helped."

Carole nodded adamantly. "You didn't have to sneak around and struggle by yourselves," she added. "It would have been a lot easier on both of you if you'd told us."

Kurt glanced frantically between his dad and Carole, searching for any sign that he may have missed something and that they weren't saying what he thought they were. It all just seemed too good to be true. A little of his nerves washed away when nothing contradicted the implication in their words.

He licked his dry lips, feeling his hand shake in Blaine's. "S-So, you- you believe us? You believe Blaine?" he asked, wanting the confirmation in a clear statement instead of just implications.

His dad and Carole both nodded. "Of course we do," Burt replied.

Finn muttered something under his breath, freezing the dizzying rush of relief that had begun to spread rapidly through Kurt's veins. He turned to his step-brother and frowned.

Carole, who had obviously heard part of what her son had said, snapped her eyes to Finn, her expression tightening. "What was that?"

Finn flushed and the frown on his face deepened. "I just don't understand why you're all so quick to believe some homeless guy you don't even know who's been living in our attic for months without our knowledge or consent."

Blaine flinched again and Kurt glared at Finn, vowing to never forgive his step-brother until he had apologised to Blaine for the way he was behaving today. And to think he had been stressing over his father's reaction to Blaine when it should have been Finn he was worrying about. He had expected Finn to be his likeable, easy-going, slightly goofy self when he met Blaine, not this.

Carole surveyed her son for a moment and Finn's flush deepened. "Even if you don't trust Blaine, don't you trust Kurt?" she asked slowly.

Finn's mouth fell open and for a couple of seconds he simply gaped at his mother before he looked down at the half-eaten sandwich on his plate, a sheepish expression on his face.

A short, tense silence followed this during which Kurt continued to glare at Finn, who was frowning down at his lunch. He felt Blaine start slightly when Burt broke the silence and he guessed Blaine had become lost in his own thoughts.

"You ran away from an abusive home nine months ago?" Burt asked Blaine, his tone carrying a hint of the fierceness it had held when he had first learned of Kurt being bullied.

Blaine shifted in his chair. "Y- Yes, sir," he stammered roughly. He cleared his throat. "I just couldn't stay there any longer," he added in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

As Carole's face creased with worry and concern, Kurt pressed his leg to Blaine's in a silent gesture of support and reassurance.

Burt was nodding slowly. As he rubbed a hand over his face, his eyes distant and his mouth set in a firm, contemplative line, Kurt couldn't stand the suspense anymore.

"Can Blaine stay here?" he blurted out. "We have that spare room that no one ever uses he could have." Feeling Carole's gaze on him, he switched his pleading look from his dad to her and added hastily, "Please."

Blaine's hand twitched in his. "Kurt," he protested quietly, "you don't have to-"

"Yes, I do," Kurt replied firmly. "I'm not letting you live out on the streets."

Frowning, Carole sat up straighter in her chair. "Kurt-" she began.

Kurt didn't want to hear any of their objections. "No," he interrupted. "Blaine has nowhere else to go and you can't send him back to his family."

Carole shook her head. "Nobody said-"

"I won't let you do it," Kurt cut in again, gripping Blaine's hand tightly, possessively. "I won't stand by and let you send Blaine off to some godawful place like a shelter. I won't."

"Kurt-" his dad and Blaine said in almost perfect unison.

But Kurt was now in full-scale argument mode and fully convinced that everyone was trying to throw Blaine out of the house and was beyond reasoning with. "I'll never forgive you guys if you make him leave," he croaked as the tears that had rapidly filled his eyes spilled down his face and his throat closed up. "I'll never forgive you if-" He broke off as the prospect of never seeing Blaine again filled him and a small, desperate sob escaped him.

As Kurt was rendered speechless by his tears, Burt was finally able to speak.

"Kurt, we're not making Blaine leave," he said, speaking quickly but firmly.

Kurt froze and felt Blaine do the same. Rapidly blinking back his tears so he could clearly see his dad's face to make sure there were no signs of deception, Kurt stuttered, "W- What?"

There was the hint of a smile on Burt's face as he glanced between his son and Blaine. "Blaine can stay here - if he wants to, that is. Like you said, we have a spare room and I couldn't just let him live on the streets or some shelter somewhere."

With hope swelling inside him, Kurt quickly wiped at his damp eyes and cheeks. "You- You mean it?"

Burt nodded. "We have the space and there's already a bed and things up there, so all we need to do is change the sheets and-"

"It's too much," Blaine blurted out suddenly, speaking for the first time since Burt's announcement. His cheeks flushed a deep pink when everyone at the table turned to look at him. "I- I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't accept it. It's bad enough that I was living here so long without your consent and Kurt's done so much for me already and I-" He shook his head. "This is too much."

Kurt swivelled round in his chair to face his boyfriend, feeling frantic. "Blaine-" he began, but Burt spoke over him.

"We can't make you stay here, kid," he said, meeting Blaine's nervous gaze. "But it really isn't any trouble for you to stay here and all of us would much rather you stayed than left." He gave a small shrug. "It's up to you, though. It's your decision to make and we'll support you in whatever you choose to do."

"I-" Blaine met Kurt's frantic, pleading eyes and he hesitated, looking torn. His mouth opened and then closed again, before he swallowed and looked away from Kurt.

‘I've lost him,' Kurt thought helplessly, feeling as though something precious and vital was hanging by a fine thread inside of him that was beginning to fray, ready to snap the second Blaine announced that he couldn't accept their offer and was leaving. His chest felt tight and painful and his breaths were sawing out of his constricted throat as he watched Blaine's jaw work. Tears burned in his eyes as he silently begged Blaine not to do it, not to think that he couldn't accept their offer and stay, not to think that he wasn't worthy of anything more than the substandard life he'd been living before, always deprived of something important: safety, food, warmth, love...

Blaine turned back to meet his gaze again. He looked like he had no say in the action, that something beyond his control had pulled his eyes back to Kurt. This time he held it for longer, his own eyes glassy and his expression becoming less conflicted the longer they stared at each other. The kitchen was deafeningly silent again, as though the whole world had stopped and was holding its breath, waiting for Blaine's response.

"I'll stay," Blaine finally said in a near-whisper. "I'll stay," he repeated again in a louder voice.

The fraying thread suddenly repaired and strengthened. Kurt let out a choked sob of relief and dropped Blaine's hand before throwing his arms around the shorter boy, burying his face in his neck and mouthing his thanks and relief into the soft skin there. Blaine's arms came up and held him close for a moment before pulling back, and Kurt reluctantly sat back in his chair; he knew that showing too much affection would trigger suspicions. He swiped at the tears gathering in his eyes and held Blaine's gaze for a second longer, silently communicating the feelings he couldn't say out loud. In the emotional moment, nobody noticed Finn shove back his chair and stride out of the kitchen.

Blaine eventually dragged his eyes away from Kurt to look between Burt and Carole. "Thank you so much for this; I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

Carole was smiling fondly at the two boys across the table from her, her expression slightly teary. "Don't worry about that," she insisted. "We couldn't sleep at night knowing you were somewhere cold or hungry or abused."

Blaine was starting to look a little uncomfortable. "I don't think I can-"

Burt leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table and lacing his fingers together. "If it makes you feel better about the arrangement then you can help with chores and things around the house like Kurt and Finn have to do."

Blaine nodded, looking happier. "That sounds good," he said.

A warm, fatherly smile spread across Burt's face as he nodded at Blaine; the first smile like that he'd ever directed at him. "We'll get your room ready after lunch and you can help."

Blaine returned Burt's smile and Kurt was so overjoyed he had to grip at the seat of his chair to stop himself from throwing his arms back around Blaine and kissing him. The thought of the secret he was still hiding from his dad and Carole made his stomach twist with guilt, but knowing all the questions and problems that would arise if he and Blaine did tell them about their relationship made him feel better about it. They would tell them eventually, but they had only just learned about Blaine's existence; it wasn't a good idea to drop another big bombshell on them.

‘One thing at a time,' Kurt told himself as he watched Carole offer Blaine some more iced tea. ‘Once Blaine has settled in we'll tell them.'

Blaine didn't think he'd ever get used to this being his. The dresser was now his, and so were the bookshelves, as was the wardrobe that Kurt was excited to fill, and the bed that he was currently sitting on. He absentmindedly trailed his fingers over the smooth, soft surface of the sheets as he surveyed his room and tried to take it all in - his dresser, his bed, his bedroom...

He was still running his fingers across the sheets and staring around his new room, taking in every tiny detail, when there was a soft knock at the door - his door to his room. He snapped out of his stunned trance and slipped off the bed before shuffling across to the door, feeling a little nervous as he pulled it open. He wasn't completely comfortable around Carole yet and he didn't think he could manage being alone with Burt for a while, so he wasn't exactly sure what to do or how he'd cope if it was either of them at the door. As for Finn, he would prefer to never see him again; he was the epitome of everything he had feared while he had been hiding out in the attic: someone who judged him without getting to know him first and who wanted to kick him out onto the streets or hand him over to the police or his parents.

It wasn't any of them - it was Kurt. His face relaxed into an easy smile when he saw the taller boy.

"Hi," Blaine greeted in a small voice. It felt weird for Kurt to not just be knocking at the door as a warning before climbing the stairs to greet Blaine in the attic.

Kurt beamed at him, his eyes still sparkling with joy. "Hi, can I come in?"

Blaine stood aside and held the door open wider. "Of course you can, you don't have to ask."

Kurt walked passed into the room but then turned back to face him, a soft smile on his face. "I can't just walk into your room without permission." He watched Blaine sit back down on his bed, looking a little hesitant as he stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "How does it feel to finally be out of the attic?" he asked after a moment.

Blaine opened his mouth to answer, and then paused, suddenly unsure of what his answer would be. There were a lot of emotions running through him just now: relief at how Burt and Carole had responded; happiness at finally leaving the attic and being able to stay with Kurt; confusion as to why Finn, whom Kurt had always described as likeable though a little dopey, was so opposed to him staying here while the rest of his family wanted him to stay; guilt, sadness, fear, uncertainty... He tried to think of a way to describe his whirlwind of emotions.

"It's...overwhelming," he replied eventually.

Kurt nodded in understanding. "I bet it is, but you'll get used to it soon. You were spending a lot of the last couple of weeks out of the attic anyway. My dad and Carole know to take things slow with you, so," he gave a small shrug, "it'll be fine."

The mention of Carole and Burt had brought the memory of Finn glaring at him with narrowed, mistrusting eyes to the forefront of his mind. He bit his lip as he remembered the way Kurt's step-brother had talked about him, all the things he'd said about him like he wasn't sitting there listening, like he was invisible, like he was something so low and insignificant that he wasn't worthy of inclusion into the conversation or of being treated with respect. It was just like being back with his parents again.

He swallowed. "Finn hates me," he whispered, dropping his gaze to his knees so Kurt couldn't see the pain in his eyes.

He saw Kurt flinch in the periphery of his vision. "Oh, Blaine..." he said quietly, crossing the room and finally joining Blaine on the bed. He placed his hand on Blaine's back and rubbed it soothingly. "Don't worry about him," he said, anger seeping into his voice. "What he said was wrong and awful and it's going to take a lot to get me to forgive him for it." His index finger followed the curve of Blaine's spine. "If I'd known he was going to react like that, I-" he broke off, shaking his head. "I've never been angrier at him than I am right now. I saw a side of him today that I really don't like."

Blaine stared fixedly down at his knees, willing himself not to start crying. He was once again plagued with the reality of living with someone who didn't like him, possibly even hated him.

A soft hand appeared under the chin and tipped his head up until he met Kurt's gaze.

"Just forget about Finn, alright?" Kurt told him gently. "People who behave like that aren't worth getting upset over."

"But he's your family," Blaine protested.

Kurt's jaw tightened. "Doesn't matter, he's being an ignorant dick." When Blaine's expression didn't change, he added, "I'll talk to him and make him see sense. He'll probably come around soon anyway; he used to be one of the homophobes that threw me in dumpsters at school."

Blaine gaped at him, his own worries momentarily forgotten. "He what?"

Kurt nodded, his eyes distant, his mind obviously back in the past. "He eventually came round and apologised after our parents started dating and he's been decent ever since, defending me against Karofsky and stuff." His gaze focused back on Blaine again. "I don't know what's got into him, but I'll talk to him and make sure he's civil around you until he grows up and realises he's being an ass, ok?"

Blaine nodded and Kurt smiled and bent down to press a kiss to the tip of his nose, a gesture so sweet and casually romantic that it made him smile.

Kurt pulled his legs up onto the bed and crossed them so that he was sitting in an identical position to Blaine. "So, do you like your room?" he asked, his gaze wandering over the painted walls and the furniture holding Blaine's few belongings. He reached for Blaine's hand and began absently playing with his fingers.

Blaine nodded. "I love it; I don't know how I'll ever repay you and your family for this. I'll be forever in your debt for everything you've all done for me."

Kurt's hand froze in the middle of skimming his fingers over the bony part of Blaine's wrist. "You're helping with chores and stuff so you don't feel guilty," Kurt reminded him. "I thought you were happy with that?"

"I am," Blaine insisted hastily. "It does make me feel a bit better about this, but it's still nowhere near enough. Nothing ever will be," he finished somewhat glumly.

Removing his hand from Blaine's, Kurt shifted around on the bed until he was facing Blaine squarely and placed his hands on his boyfriend's shoulders. He looked Blaine directly in the eye. "Blaine, stop it," he said in a voice that was firm but gentle at the same time. "Stop thinking that you're unworthy or undeserving of all this."

Blaine wanted to duck his head or lower his gaze, but the fierce affection in Kurt's blue eyes made him unable to look away. Something in Kurt's eyes shifted.

"Do you know how lonely I was before I met you?" Kurt asked him softly, his hands slowly smoothing the breadth of Blaine's shoulder in what appeared to be an unconscious movement. "How often I just sat in my room all by myself wishing I could be like my friends and have a boyfriend to talk to on the phone for hours or to go out on dates with? How utterly miserable I was that nobody really understood me or how I was feeling?" His eyes lowered to Blaine's shoulders where his hands were still stroking over the soft material of the sweater. "Finn has his on-off relationship with Rachel and Dad and Carole are newlyweds, so they're all out most nights spending time together while I'm left home alone." Lifting his gaze again, he gave Blaine a weak smile. "No wonder they never found you living in the attic, they were never home enough."

His hands stilled on the edge of Blaine's shoulders, his thumbs softly caressing the top of Blaine's biceps. "You say I've changed your life for the better? Well, you've done the same for me. Before I met you I wasn't truly happy. I didn't think I'd have any hope of finding someone who would understand me and make me happy until I was out of Ohio. All I wanted was to have someone I could talk to about anything and everything and have them listen and understand, for someone to make me laugh, to just call me out of the blue to tell me a sudden thought that had just popped into their head or to just hear my voice, to brighten my day and remind me that I'm not unlovable or unwanted like I'm told at school."

Blaine wanted to reach for Kurt, pull him against his chest, and hold him and kiss him until all the pain went away, as if he could erase those memories through tender touches and soft presses of his lips, but Kurt's hands still rested on his arms and something about his tone and expression held Blaine frozen in front of him.

Kurt's hands tightened their grip on Blaine's shoulders slightly as he inhaled deeply as if he were stealing up to something. "And then one night I went up into the attic with a flashlight, thinking I was about to learn that all those stories about the house were true after all, and instead there you were, my special someone."

Everything in Blaine's body seemed to freeze - his breath, his heart, his brain - and staring into his eyes was almost like gazing into a pool of every single emotion he was feeling right now in liquid forms of blue, green, or grey; it was breath-taking and beautiful.

"I didn't know it consciously at first, I just knew that there was something about you," Kurt continued, his right hand slowly trailing down the length of Blaine's arm until he reached his hand, curling his fingers around Blaine's. "But you are. You're the one that makes my life so much brighter, the one who listens and understands and makes me laugh. You're everything I wished for, so don't ever think you're indebted to me, because you are most definitely not."

It took a couple of seconds for Blaine to move, but then he darted forwards and seared his lips to Kurt's, desperately trying to express everything he felt for the other boy in each press of his lips and sweep of his tongue. He tilted his head slightly to one side to deepen the kiss, the hand not still entwined with Kurt's reaching up to tangle in Kurt's soft hair at the back of his head. He wanted to tell Kurt how much he meant to him, but just as their lips parted and they breathed each other in - eyes still closed, noses brushing, lips occasionally touching in lingering kisses - insecurity flooded him and he found himself incapable of saying those three words.

"You're my everything," he said instead.

The sentiment still made Kurt smile, still made him move in for another kiss, and still showed that Kurt was extremely special to him, but a pang of disappointment still hit Blaine; it wasn't those three words.