It didn't take long for Kurt's temper to cool; only lasting through the first twenty minutes of Top Model. A numbing calm had taken over, soothing the fire burning within him.

He wasn't surprised by his sudden change of mood. It had always been like this.

All his life his father had compared him to the likes of a silent bomb. The explosion was real but the damage was almost never as bad as you though it was. He hated yelling, preferring bitchy comments and silent fuming to it. Yelling made his voice reach an unflattering pitch that sounded like the screech of a banshee tripped out on helium. It wasn't a pretty picture, so he tried to avoid it at all costs.

But despite how quick his temper was to set off, it didn't take long for it to depart. He wasn't able to hold grudges for very long, something his father always told him he'd gotten from his mother. Along with his compassion and innate sense of honesty.

Kurt knew that he should get up.

Blaine was anxiously waiting for him to start his punishment, tied up and gagged in the playroom. But he also knew that as much as he needed to, he wasn't ready quite yet. Something was wrong, something more than his sudden and departing anger.

The cordless phone sat on its charging station on the table next to the couch. Reaching over, he snatched it up and dialed a number he'd memorized by heart.

Curling up, he tucked his feet underneath him on the couch while he picked at one of the seams on the arm. It was a nervous habit of his, one that he hadn't grown out of. He was just glad that he'd stopped biting his nails. Better to damage the furniture then his own body, as he liked to say.

"I was hoping you'd call." Kurt wasn't surprised to hear Kevin's confident drawl over the phone after the first ring.

Kurt chose not to reply to his friend's optimistic declaration, his retreating anger leaving him emotionally exhausted. Using Kevin's voice as an anchor, Kurt tried to stabilize his unsettling emotions.

"How can he trust me so much?" He asked instead, fixated on that one detail. It was one of his many flaws, something he'd been trying to work on since he was a teenager. "We only met a week ago."

He still didn't understand it, even after Blaine had tried to explain it to him. Kurt sighed, abandoning the frayed string that he'd managed to pull off the stitching. He leaned his head back against the couch, staring up at the mottled ceiling.

"Sometimes it's not about the amount of time that passes, Kurt." Kevin's reply was soft and sympathetic. He knew his friend had trust issues, often leaving him questioning other people's motives in the simplest of tasks.

"How can someone be so sure?" Kurt asked again, not finding he answer he needed.

Kevin didn't reply at first, not sure he had the answer that Kurt was searching for.

"You don't trust him." He stated the obvious as a way to compensate for his lack of knowledge. It wasn't often that he didn't have the answer.

"I… I think I do." Kurt's counter was feeble at best and they both knew it.

"You don't trust him not to leave." Kevin repeated now sounding more sure of himself. He knew that talking about it now would get Kurt to the root of his problems.

Kurt hated that he was right. Blaine chose to submit to him. And nothing was stopping him from walking out, just like all the others had.

"All the others did." He said, his tone gaining an edge to it. "What makes him so different?"

"If you spend your entire relationship waiting for the end of it, you're going to miss all the fun parts." Kevin replied philosophically. Kurt thought he must have read it somewhere out of a book because there was no way that the thirty-five year old high school dropout could sound so smart.

"And if there is no fun part?" Kurt asked, shaking his to clear it. The back of the couch dug painfully into his spine and he lifted his head to relieve it, rolling it from shoulder to shoulder.

"God, Kurt. You need to stop being so pessimistic all the time. Isn't this what you've been searching for? A sub who will stick around?" Kurt could hear the eye roll that accompanied those statements in the tone of Kevin's voice.

"Take a risk with this one. I think you'll be surprised at what you'll find."

Kurt shook his head petulantly, "How do you know?"

Kevin sighed at his friend's stubbornness.

"I wish you could see how he looks at you. It's like you're the sun, the light of his universe and he only wants to revolve around you." He said. Anyone else would be nearing frustration, after continually hitting a wall over and over again. But Kevin, experienced with dealing with unruly subs and Andrew, who needed more care and tolerance than all his other subs combined, was very calm and patient with him. It reminded him of the weeks he'd spent learning how to be a Dominant.

Kurt giggled unexpectedly, "You sound like a cheesy hallmark card."

"Hey, if that gets the point across then I'll take it. Here's another one for you." Kevin laughed, "Love isn't always gradual. Sometimes it hits us like an oncoming freight train, only to back up and run us over again."

Kurt laughed, shaking his head. "Freight trains don't travel backwards." Honestly, he had no clue if that was true or not. It just seemed very improbable.

"That's not the point. Stop being so technical." Kevin said with a smile. He loved hearing Kurt laugh, hearing how he let himself go for just that one moment. He waited until Kurt had finished laughing to continue.

"When did you know that you were going to collar him?" He asked, "Really know?"

"When he told me that he wanted to be my Andrew." Kurt replied, smiling at the memory, "No one has ever said that to me before."

"Maybe that's the first time you started to trust him." Kevin said, sensing that Kurt was opening up to him.

"And why I was so angry when he tried to have sex with me." Kurt deduced, "I felt defenseless and vulnerable. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never be like that again."

"Opening yourself up to someone who loves you doesn't make you weak." Kevin argued.

Kurt was silent after that, not knowing what to say or if he even believed him. Blaine couldn't love him, not after a week? Could he?

"Let me ask you this, Kurt. And I want you to think about it." Kevin paused to let his words sink in.

"Did you ever explain to Blaine how he was supposed to earn the right to have sex with you?"

The phone dropped out of Kurt's hand, falling to the carpet with a soft thunk. In the background, the closing credits to Top Model were playing on the TV screen. Kurt stared unseeingly at them. And for a few brief seconds, everything was still.

"FUCK!" Kurt swore, throwing the remote. It hit the wall with a loud crash, leaving a small dent in the plaster. The back popped off at the impact, ejecting the batteries onto the floor.

"Kurt!"

He could barely hear Kevin's muffled yell on the phone but Kurt ignored him, burying his head into his hands.

I'm a terrible Dom, Kurt wallowed. None of his other subs had wanted to stay long enough to find out, so he never bothered to explain. Most of them thought that with some proper begging, he'd give it up the night they met. And when he didn't, went off looking for a Dom that would. But with Blaine, it was different. He was the first sub he'd ever considered collaring. And he'd screwed it up.

"Kurt! Pick up the phone before I come over there and you won't like it if I do!" Kevin's threat was meant to sound humorous but the complete seriousness behind his words betrayed the truth of them. Kurt blindly fumbled for the phone.

"I'm here." He said into the receiver.

"God Dammit, Kurt!" Kevin yelled and Kurt winced, expecting the other Dom to be angry about his behavior towards Blaine. He knew he deserved it and was expecting some kind of lecture from a much more experience Dom.

"Don't just drop of the grid like that. I was fucking worried about you." Kevin said, surprising him. It wasn't often that he swore, preferring to leave that to Savannah and Kurt.

"How could I forget?" Kurt asked himself, too overwhelmed with his own guilt to bother with the fact that Kevin was more worried about his friend then disciplining him for treating Blaine badly.

"God Dammit! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" Kurt screamed at himself.

Kevin gave him a few seconds of silence to calm down, just glad that Kurt was still on the phone, speaking again.

"Are you done?" he asked when Kurt stopped swearing, breathing heavily into the phone.

"No! This is all fucked up. How can I justify punishing him now?" Kurt asked, his fingers itching to throw something again. He gripped the phone hard, curling his fingers around the plastic.

"The facts haven't changed. He still willingly tried to have sex with you after you told him he had to earn it. He was testing you. Pushing you to see how much he can get away with. But he still deliberately did it and that warrants punishment."

"If you do not punish him, it's going cause more problems between you two. He will feel like a disappointment. Remember, submissives want accountability in a power exchange relationship. Even though they try really hard to behave, they will never be perfect and when they do make a mistake no matter how big or small, they want to be called out on it. It shows them you noticed and care enough to call them out on their mistakes so they can serve you better in the future. He didn't defy you to be rebellious." Kevin spoke wisely, using all his experience to his advantage.

Kurt knew that Kevin was a great Dom and would have once been proud to be his sub. He was so grateful for his tutelage, sure that he wouldn't be the person he was today without him.

"That boy is starving for your attention. He craves it." Kevin continued, interrupting Kurt's thoughts. "I could see it the moment you brought him over. And I know you, Kurt. You won't open up in fear of getting hurt but Blaine needs more than that. He needs to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that you aren't going to drop him the moment he makes a mistake. But at the same time he needs to understand that it's his job to satisfy you regardless of whether he is satisfied as well. You're his Dom, his master, his sir. He can't forget his role but you can't forget yours ether."

"I know." Kurt mumbled. Thinking back on Blaine's behavior, he could see it now. And he couldn't believe how oblivious he'd been.

"So you know what you gotta do now, right?" Kevin baited after receiving nothing but silence from Kurt after that.

Kurt knew. Blaine needed someone to take care of him. He wasn't sure of the reason why but he knew that Blaine needed it more then he needed air to breathe.

"I have to fix this." Kurt told him aloud.

"Good."

"Good? That's all you have to say?" Kurt asked, disbelievingly. He couldn't believe after all that, Kevin didn't have anything more profound to say.

"What more is there to say? I know you, Kurt. I trained you." Kevin said, confidently. "I know that taking care of someone isn't why you are a Dom but if you give Blaine what he needs, then he'll give you what you need."

"Oh, so now you're the all mystical one." Kurt joked, only half-teasingly. "Wave your magic wand and tell me what is it I need?"

"Alright, smart ass. Prepare to be amazed." Kevin grumbled before starting in, "You need to be adored. To be thought of like you're the only person who matters in this world. I know it makes you sound like an egomaniac to people who don't know you but after hearing what a shitty childhood you had, it makes sense. You never felt like anything special growing up. Your mom died before you had the cognitive understanding of an adolescent teenager looking for exception. Your dad, bless his heart, has never had a way with words and couldn't give you the support you needed past the superficial layers. I know he tried but it just wasn't enough. And let's face it, you didn't have many friends. The ones you did have weren't the best. You were surrounded by people who never took advantage of your abundance of generosity and talent—and don't you dare say you didn't have either of those. You may have acted like a brat sometimes but it was just to cover your insecurity. You have a big heart Kurt, big enough for you and you're Sub." Kevin cut himself off, sensing that Kurt was going to argue with him.

"Now where was I," Kevin mumbled, sidetracked, "Oh yea, pubescent Kurt. Back then you were the backup singer, the one who swayed in the background and was never noticed, the third wheel, etc… I'm not going to argue with you in saying they were good friends. They just took what they wanted and didn't give you what you needed in return."

"And now that you're all grown up and moved out of that hick town, you compensate to find it in all aspects of your life. You could have stayed a journalist and lived comfortably, especially with how talented you are. But you would have never been happy because no one would have noticed you. So you set your sights higher and with your dominating personality, achieved that and more. Honestly, if that magazine ever offered to buy you in as a partner, I know you'd jump at the chance."

"You should have been a shrink." Kurt laughed while simultaneous tearing up, knowing that Kevin was correct about everything. He always was. Kurt had no idea why he doubted him sometimes.

"You think?" Kevin sounded thoughtful, "Maybe I should start charging for my services."

"And that's called prostitution which is illegal." Kurt quipped. Sarcasm was his natural defense against feeling inept but he loved to turn it around and use his natural talent to annoy people, especially those he loved. Kurt grinned when he could practically hear the eye roll that followed his statement, along with a long suffering sigh.

"Look in all seriousness. Blaine can't give you the attention that you need until you give him the care and stability he needs. And that means you need to be confident in yourself. Do you know why all your other relationships never worked out?" Kevin asked.

Kurt shrugged. He had an idea but it wasn't something he liked to dwell on. "Sort of."

"Your other relationships didn't work out because you never had confidence in yourself as a Dom. Sure, you could put on a brave front but when it got down to actually opening yourself up, you panicked and they picked up on it. They're a lot like wild animals in that way." Kevin lectured.

"But I have every confidence in you. After all, I taught you everything you know. You know what to do. Now you just need to be confident that you can do this. Don't let this one roadblock keep you from this chance of happiness. Yea, you screwed up. But use this experience as a learning curve and do better. And for heaven's sake, stop worrying about it. Dom's are human too. We aren't nearly as perfect as we want our sub's to believe."

"I get it." Kurt said quietly.

He shook his head. "You know me so well."

Kevin laughed. "Oh, honey. You think you're so three-dimensional. But then again, I have known you for many years. You and Blaine are fumbling right now because you don't know anything beyond the surface about each other. You may have fallen in love at first sight but it will take time for you two to properly get to know each other. I know that seems backwards but it is what it is."

"In other words, just relax and let everything fall into place." Kurt said rolling his eyes.

"Now you're getting it." Kevin cheered, "I'm so proud of you Kurt. You've grown in such a short time."

"Dear god, please tell me you're not going to cry." Kurt used sarcasm to deflect the joy and the embarrassment he felt at Kevin's words. He may have never felt truly submissive towards him but he was his mentor and he wanted Kevin to be proud of him.

"You know for someone who claims to be an atheist. You use the Lord's name a lot when you swear." Kevin replied cheekily.

"You don't have to believe god exists to say his name in vain. Actually you would think that if you didn't believe in him then you'd use it all the time because it doesn't mean anything to you." Kurt said, thinking about it.

"I'll pray you don't choke on something the next time you eat for saying that." Kevin, a devote Baptist, said.

"I'm just glad that I'm not going to get struck by lightning. Do you know what that would do to my hair?" Kurt said, reaching up to smooth it out. He frowned when he realized that he was still wearing his hat and took it off, setting it on the table.

"I'm not going to argue with you about this again. We'd be here all night and your stalling enough as it is. Just remember that nothing in this life is guaranteed. If you don't take the risk, you'll never win the prize." Kevin replied.

"Now you just sound like a fortune cookie."

"A fabulous fortune cookie, none-the-less." He answered with the tone Kurt often used when flipping his hair to make a point. Kurt thought it might have been more outstanding if the man had any hair to flip. He chuckled in response to his own crazy thoughts, amazed that he managed to find someone with as big of ego as his own.

"Let me know how Andrew does on his test." He said, changing the subject. He knew how expressive Kevin could get about himself if Kurt let him. He was about as modest as Kurt's manly physique.

"Of course! When do I ever miss the chance to gloat about how smart my amazing and gorgeous sub is?" Kevin replied happily.

Judging from the amount of adjectives used, Kurt guessed that Andrew was nearby and had been for a while. He could imagine the poor boy sitting there, his face flushed to the color of his hair. Kevin loved to tease him, thinking it was adorable how red he got.

"I gotta go." Kurt told him, interrupting what would have surely been another riveting lecture about how talented and smart his sub was.

"Let me know what happens." Kevin said before Kurt hung up, dropping the phone onto the couch cushion beside him.

He took a moment to collect himself, inhaling and exhaling slowly. After feeling his pulse rate go down, he stood and walked towards the play room, manually shutting off the TV as he passed it.

"Time to face the music," Kurt mumbled to himself, "for both of us."

Blaine was where he'd left him a half an hour ago, handcuffed face down on the bed. His wrists didn't have any marks on them, telling Kurt that he hadn't once fought the restraints. His naked body trembled on the sheets, despite the warm temperature of the room.

Upon hearing Kurt's entrance, Blaine tried to hold himself still, getting himself ready for whatever was going to happen. Kurt was silent as he approached, watching with a heavy heart as Blaine failed to stop his body from shaking. He could hear soft sniffles coming from the sub, evidence that he was aware of his own failure.

Sitting on the bed next to him, his guilt worsened when Blaine tensed.

"Shhh…" Kurt reached up and unbuckled the gag, fearing that Blaine was going to suffocate himself with all the mucus he was accumulating with his tears. Sensory deprivation wasn't worth Blaine accidently killing himself.

A soft sob escaped Blaine unwillingly in response and he bit his bottom lip to prevent anymore. Blaine wanted to appear strong, strong enough to face whatever was coming. But he doubted his resolve.

Kurt sighed and leaned over so his forehead was resting against Blaine's shoulder blade. He gently kissed the protruding bone, feeling Blaine relax against him. He couldn't sense any of the previous anger in Kurt's body language. But like in all his other relationships, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"We need to talk." Kurt wasn't sure where to begin. There was so much he needed to say. Remembering Kevin's advice, he jumped right in, not wanting Blaine to misinterpret his silence.

"I'm not going to leave just because I get mad sometimes. I need you to understand that." Kurt decided to start with that. They both had abandonment issues they needed to work on. Hopefully together, they could.

Kurt pulled his upper torso away from Blaine, leaving his hands on his body so he knew that the Dom was still there.

He ran his hands up and down Blaine's back, starting at his firm buttocks and moving upward. The muscles under his fingertips quivered at his touch.

"To tell you the truth, I was more afraid of you leaving me." Kurt admitted softly. He felt Blaine shake his head back and forth violently, curls flying. Blaine wanted to tell him that he'd never do that but couldn't make his lips work. His jaw ached from being held in suspension but it was a dull pain. This wasn't his first time being gagged, and not even close to the longest.

"Well that would make you the first." Kurt told him, "I kept waiting and waiting for you to finally decide that you were better off with another Dom. I'm sorry I kept pushing you away. I'm working on learning how to open up to people but I've never been any good at it." He confessed, morosely.

"But that's going to change," Kurt continued with renewed determination. Before Blaine could formulate a response, Kurt spoke again, "I'm going to do everything I can to be the Dom you deserve."

The sniffling was back now but Kurt hoped it was for a different reason that it was before. Reaching forward, Kurt pulled the blindfold off, absently noticing it was damp. Blaine's eyes were swollen and red along the edges but they were also bright, shinning intensely.

"I'm still going to punish you." Kurt said with a tone of finality. It sent a shiver through Blaine's body.

"When we met, I told you that you would have to earn the right to have sex with me but I was neglectful in mentioning how you were supposed to do that. This is my fault, not yours. But in spite of everything, you still broke the rules." He explained.

Blaine nodded silently, head bowed. He didn't think he deserved to be forgiven, after what he had done. Kurt was right. He had broken the rules. But Kurt was the Dom and Blaine trusted that Kurt knew what was best for him. And if that meant forgiveness, then he had to except that.

"Your punishment is going to be in two parts. One, you lose your walking privileges. For the rest of tonight and tomorrow, you're not allowed to walk anywhere. You have to crawl. Depending on how well you do will determine if you get clothes or not." Blaine's eyes widened at the command but made no protest. He would do anything to gain Kurt's trust.

"And that brings me to the second part," Kurt continued, not expecting a reply. "Tomorrow morning, you're going to call in sick to work. And then we're going to spend the entire day getting to know one another."

Blaine's first thought was that spending the day with Kurt was going to be more of a reward then a punishment but then he remembered. His dad was going to be so disappointed and angry with him. Anderson's didn't take sick days. They pushed through even when on their death bed. It was how his father did it, how his grandfather did it, and how he was sure that his great-grandfather must have done it.

He looked up at Kurt, who had fallen silent as he watched Blaine mull though everything. Calling in sick would no doubt make his father furious but not calling in, would be disobeying his Dom. In the end, Blaine knew who he would always undoubtedly choose.

"Yes, sir." Blaine said. Fuck his father. He didn't want to disappoint his Master.

Blaine's decision to honor his relationship with Kurt was just as terrifying as it was freeing. It was the first time he'd ever thought about his dad that way, never having the courage to disappoint the older man before. But now it was different.

As Kurt freed him from is physical binds tying him to the bed, he had no idea that Kurt was helping him take the first steps towards freeing him from his emotional ones as well.

"Good boy." Kurt praised and helped him off the bed. Blaine's muscles were a little stiff from keeping them immobile for so long but it was nothing that Blaine hadn't been through before.

Blaine didn't need to be told to get on his knees. He willingly dropped, ignoring the pain he felt as his knee caps hit the hardwood floors. Out of all the rooms he'd seen, this was the only one that didn't have carpet.

Shuffling on his hands and knees, he crawled out after Kurt, following him past the living room and into the kitchen. The floors were tiled, making Blaine's knees ache as he crawled across them but he pushed through it. Rustling around in the fridge, Kurt brought out a few tupperware's of leftover food.

"It's a little late to be cooking anything, so I guess it's a good thing that I always make more than I can eat in one sitting." Kurt opened the lids and took a quick sniff of the contents. Blaine's stomach growled at the sight, making him realize how hungry he was. He hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. After the nerve-wracking meeting with his father earlier, he hadn't had much of an appetite. Now, hours later, he was paying for it.

"It's creamed peas and some bits of chicken. You're not allergic are you?" Kurt asked. Blaine shook his head.

"Any allergies at all?" Kurt asked again and Blaine shook his head again. He'd always been a pretty healthy kid. No allergies of any kind and he didn't get sick very often.

"You're lucky. I'm allergic to raspberries. Well, I guess berries in general. But raspberries are the only ones that make me go into anaphylactic shock. The others just make me swell up like a balloon." Kurt casually mentioned, turning back to the food.

He pulled out two plates and spooned out a few handfuls of each of the containers onto each plate, using his finger to direct and stabilize. He licked the appendage afterwards, having got a little bit of chilled cream sauce stuck on it.

Blaine felt this cock stir at the sight, trying hard not to whimper as Kurt dipped his finger into the sauce and licked another scoop of it. Kurt watched him out of the corner of his eye as he stuck the plates into the microwave and turned it on, smirking slightly.

Blaine managed to get through dinner without a problem, the small tent in his pants only mildly uncomfortable from watching Kurt orally rape his finger. The meal was delicious, despite the hours it had spent cooling in the fridge. And it wasn't until after Kurt had rinsed and put the plates into the dish washer that Blaine even thought about his little 'problem'.

"I don't have anything for desert. Ever really but that's beside the point." Kurt said not ever bothering to look in the freezer to see if he had anything besides ice. "Desert is unnecessary calories."

Blaine nodded in understanding. He didn't really care, not having much of a sweet tooth himself. His father had never been a sweets kind of person and neither had any of his step-mothers. He'd grown up sugar deprived and when he was old enough to choose for himself, instead of rebelling and pigging out like most young adults did, he kept up with the habit.

Now that dinner was over and done with, Kurt decided it was time to start. He sat down on the couch, legs spread so Blaine could see every inch of him. Jeans so tight, you could see the line of this crotch even when flaccid. Blaine sat on the floor in front of him, turned so he was facing his Dom.

"There's something I need to know before we start." Kurt said. He remembered Blaine's aversion to alcohol earlier in the club. He needed to know what that was about and if it was something that he needed to be concerned about.

Blaine nodded. He would tell Kurt anything he wanted to know.

"Earlier at the club, I asked you what you wanted to drink and you avoided the alcoholic beverages. Why is that?" he asked making Blaine bite his lip in hesitation. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to tell more that that he was embarrassed by it.

"Most of my other Dom's didn't allow me to drink?" Blaine said avoiding the real question.

"I'm not most of your other Doms. You could have just ordered anything. I hadn't put any restrictions on you." Kurt said, curiously. And then rephrased, "Why weren't you allowed to drink?"

"I'm a lightweight, not able to handle anything more than two beers before I lose it. I made it to three shots of vodka once and I can only handle a few swigs of whiskey. Plus, I don't have any inhibitions when I drink."

"Most people don't. That's the point of alcohol."Kurt replied, eyes narrowing. Blaine could see Kurt was getting annoyed at his answers.

"I act like a whore." Blaine blurted out, eyes closing as a blush enveloped his face. "Man or woman. I try and hit on anything and everything. So they didn't let me have any, knowing that I couldn't control myself."

"You said most of your Dom's?" Kurt asked, remembering how Blaine specifically mentioned that.

Blaine shifted uncomfortably, "One of them like watching me make out with others. He liked watching and then punishing me afterwards for it."

Kurt nodded, eyes dark. "I see."

"But I didn't like it." Blaine was quick to clarify. "I didn't like the fact that I was being disloyal to my Dom. So I was happy when they didn't allow me to drink."

Kurt nodded. He sat up, cupping Blaine's cheeks.

"I'd never do anything to hurt you like that, Blaine. I need you to know that." He said, kissing him on the forehead.

"I know that, sir." Blaine said because he did. He believed it with his whole heart.

Kurt pulled away and Blaine couldn't help missing his warm, soft touch.

"Can I ask you a question, sir?" Blaine asked, a bit redundantly.

"You can ask." Kurt replied, his tone suggesting that he wasn't going to answer anything Blaine asked but was willing to listen.

"Where do you work? I know you've been busy working on a big project but you never said where or what." Blaine asked, his curiosity eating at him. He wanted to know all about Kurt. Where he worked. What he liked. How he could please this man the best.

"I'm editor-in-chief of Mystique."

Blaine's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, "The fashion magazine?"

"The one and only." Kurt nodded, grinning. Under his firm guidance, Mystique had grown from small unknown publication to the third bestselling magazine in the United States, behind Vogue and Cosmopolitan, in just three short years.

"But… I-you…" Blaine became incoherent. "How?"

"Hard work. I started off as a fashion journalist, traveling and writing about all the famous designers. Six months later, I moved up to writing my own column. Of course this was when I was working at Vogue. Mystique heard of me and offered me an assistant position and then I worked my way up to editor and the editor-in-chief." Kurt shrugged. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was. Landing a job at Vogue was a dream come true but at that point in his life it had been a dead-end job. There was no room for advancement. So with only mild regrets, he moved onto a new magazine to broaden his horizons.

"You're amazing." Blaine uttered, stunned at how wonderful Kurt really was. He'd never met someone who'd accomplished so much in such a short time. And he worked in a corporate office alongside a bunch of lawyers that had graduated from Harvard and Yale. But Kurt was so young and already running a magazine. The cost of his apartment now made much more sense.

"What made you want to be a journalist?" Blaine asked excitedly, hopping closer to Kurt. Knees and butt still touching the ground, he leaned over the couch using Kurt's spread legs as a holding place.

Kurt laughed, amused at Blaine's enthusiasm.

"It wasn't my first choice, that's for sure." He said, "I dreamt of singing on Broadway with all the greatest stars."

Blaine frowned, "What happened?"

Kurt sighed sadly. He took one of Blaine's hands and intertwined their fingers. Blaine marveled at the softness. Kurt's hand was so pale against his own olive skin but not unhealthily so. It was also very small, fitting perfectly into his larger ones like it was meant to be there.

"In high school, they tell you that it's hard breaking into the theatre business. They tell you how competitive it is, how selective. The college I wanted to go to, NYADA, only takes six applicants a year out of two hundred. So even though they try and prepare you for how hard it is, no one really believes it. You think, 'Hey, I'm talented enough. I'll walk right out onto that stage and everything will fall into place.' But it doesn't work like that. Talent only gets you so far." He said with a bitter smile.

Blaine stayed silent, not daring to interrupt Kurt at this point. He could see how disappointed Kurt still was, how much it still hurt that he didn't make the cut all those years ago.

"So after not getting accepted into the school of my desire, I decided to go with my back up plan. Fashion. I love it and always have. But the designer world is just as, if not more competitive as theatre. At that point in my life I was too depressed about what I conceived as failure so I gave up on that dream without putting too much effort into it. But I had some good friends that wouldn't let me mope for too long. Luckily, I had always been a good student so my grades were impeccable. I enrolled at Columbia, just taking random classes, having absolutely no clue what I was going to do with my life."

"And then I discovered writing. At first it was for catharsis, something that I never thought could be used in the real world unless I wanted to become an author. But my professor steered me towards journalism or investigative writing as he liked to call it. Even I was shocked at how good I was at it because I never thought of myself as someone like Jacob Ben Israel, the head of my high school's newspaper and all-around resident creeper. He would do anything to get a story, whether it was based in truth or rumor. Though, now that I think about it, my talent for this kind of work makes more sense. My friend, Mercedes and I, were two of the biggest gossip whores in all of McKinley."

"It wasn't until I got to college that I found out journalism was a lot more than sticking a camera into someone's face and annoying them until they wanted to physically strike you. After declaring my major, all that was left was deciding where I was going to focus my attention. Politics bore me and so does anything to do with Wall Street or medicine. Plus, watching the news just makes me depressed. So I thought, why not combine two of my favorite subjects, writing and fashion. And now five years later, here I am." Kurt said, watching Blaine as he spoke. With every word spoken, Blaine grew more and more amazed and proud of Kurt. His own accomplishments paled in comparison.

"So, what made you want to become a lawyer?" Kurt asked his awestruck sub. He had a hunch but wanted confirmation before jumping to any conclusions.

Blaine bit his lip, "It wasn't my first choice either."

"Was it your choice at all?" Kurt's eyebrow rose with his question, prodding Blaine for the answer he really wanted.

"… No…" Blaine whispered, ducking his head in shame. "It was my father's…" he trailed off quietly.

Kurt nodded, his suspicions confirmed. "I thought so."

Blaine bit his lip hard, breaking skin. He could taste the blood that seeped past his lips and into his mouth. He cringed at the metallic taste, swallowing to get rid of it.

"Blaine, look at me."

Blaine did as was ordered, jerking his head up to look into Kurt's compassionate eyes. They glowed in the lamplight, an electric blue that made his heart beat faster.

"Do you enjoy working for your father?" Kurt asked softly. Blaine wanted to lie and say that of course he did but he couldn't. Not to Kurt. To anyone else, he could fake a happy smile and say that he loved working for his dad and that he was very appreciative for the chance to work at one of the most prestigious law firms in the state. But he wasn't. And he'd never had anyone to tell before.

"No, I hate it!" Blaine erupted, all the anxiety he worked with on a daily basis facing his father, the monotonous pile of work he had to sort through and do every day finally getting to him. There was no fulfillment at the end of the day, no reward. It was a painful reality of dragging himself out of bed every morning to go into a job that he despised with every fiber of his being.

"I would rather work at a sewage treatment plant than a law office." He told Kurt, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He'd finally told someone the truth. And he felt so much better.

Kurt leaned forward and captured Blaine's lips in a fierce kiss, pulling him forward abruptly so he fell halfway into Kurt's lap. Blaine could only attempt to breathe through the onslaught, moaning softly as Kurt hungrily devoured his mouth.

"I'm happy you told me." Kurt told him, after separating to take a breather. He glimpsed a look of Blaine's swollen mouth and glazed eyes, feeling proud of the puddle that he'd reduced his Sub to. Blaine smiled even as he panted, trying to regain his breath back.

"And for the record, you're never going to work for a sewage plant, Blaine. No matter how much you like it." Kurt scrunched his nose in disgust at the idea. Blaine thought his heart was going to explode at the sight of it, seeing how utterly cute it was.

"You've earned your clothes back." Kurt told him, "Go into my room and over to my dresser near the window. In the bottom drawer there is an old pair of my college sweats and a t-shirt. Put them on and then go get your old clothes and bring them back to me."

Blaine nodded and happily did as he was told. He hated taking his clothes off in front of anyone, not liking the feeling of being exposed. He was very modest, preferring to change in one of the stalls rather than out in the open like most guys when he went to the gym. But he knew that Kurt had every right to see his own property and Blaine was willing to endure his own discomfort for his Dom.

While in Kurt's bedroom, he took a few seconds to cherish the fact that Kurt had not only allowed him a pair of his own clothes but a pair that symbolized the school that helped succeed in his life. He brought the grey sweats to his nose and inhaled, smelling the wonderful blend of Kurt's laundry detergent and the smell that was simply 'Kurt' lingering on the fabric.

Realizing he was lingering, he quickly put on the clothes and didn't waste any more time, crawling back to his Dom with a small side detour to the play room to get the clothes he'd arrived in. Kurt took the black leather outfit from him, staring critically at it.

"Stay here." He told Blaine before standing up and leaving the room without an explanation. He came back with a pair of scissors in his hands and sat down in front of Blaine.

Kurt glared down at the leather in his lap with a look of utter disgust, as if it had personally offended him.

"Such cheap material. I would never buy you anything so ghastly. Only the best for my sub." Kurt as he ripped the stitching that connected the jock strap and pulled it apart, using the scissors to aide him.

He set the jock strap aside, handing Blaine the scissors and what was left of the outfit. Blaine stared down at the items in his hand uncomprehendingly before looking up with Kurt with wide eyes, practically pleading with him to tell him what to do.

"Cut them up, Blaine." Kurt told him, shaking his head.

With wobbly fingers, Blaine cut up the leather pants and mesh top into little strips. He piled them on the floor in front of him, wanting Kurt to see his work. After the first couple snips, Blaine found himself enjoying the act. This was an outfit from an old Dom, being destroyed by his new and hopefully permanent one. Kurt was claiming him, showing him that he was going to take care of him now.

He was surprised though, at the ease at which he was able to cut. He didn't think it be this easy, not with leather. This must have shown on his face.

"They're fabric scissors for sewing." Kurt explained. "But honestly with the quality of this monstrosity, ordinary scissors would have probably worked just fine."

"I hope you know that this is just the beginning, Blaine. On Saturday we're going to go over to your house and throw out anything I deem unworthy. Then we're going to go shopping. Your wardrobe is pathetic and we're going to change that."

Blaine thought of all the expensive suits his dad had bought him hanging in his closet. How was he supposed to go to work if he didn't have anything appropriate to wear?

"But sir… my work…" Blaine asked, starting to panic. He'd do anything Kurt said without hesitation but he knew what hell he would get from his father.

"I will allow you something appropriate." Kurt didn't look happy about that but he knew he had to be patient. This was all a means to an end but he couldn't rush it. Blaine relaxed, setting down the scissors when he didn't have any more material to cut.

"Go put the scissors on the coffee table." Kurt told him, seeing his was done. Blaine crawled over and set them down. He crawled back over, stopping right in front of the bits of cloth on the floor and kneeled in front of them.

"Sit up and pull your pants down." Kurt told him, impassively. Blaine only hesitated for half a second before following such a strange order. Never taking his eye off Kurt, he pulled his pants down to the floor, bunching them at his knees and let his half-hard cock out hang out. From this position, his cock was hovering right over the scraps.

"Now stroke yourself."

Kurt's steely eyes bore straight into Blaine, leaving him captivated. Blaine shivered as he wrapped his hand around his dick, slowly rubbing himself to full hardness. Kurt wasn't satisfied with his slow jerky movements.

"Faster." He urged.

Blaine increased his speed on command, using the copious amount of pre-ejaculate to aid the process. Thinking of Kurt made it hotter. He thought of how he had serviced him at the club and how it felt for Kurt to take complete control, shoving his head down so far he could feel the tip of Kurt at the back of his throat. He whimpered quietly, feeling his approaching orgasm.

"Don't cum." Kurt warned him, sensing it as well. Blaine nodded and continued stroking his cock, mindless of the fact that Kurt had scooted closer to him on the couch, perched on the edge so he could easily reach out and touch. Blaine shivered at the feeling of Kurt's soft hand on his dick, stopping him from masturbating any more.

"Hands down." Blaine whined and lowered his hand back to the ground, using it to help him balance. Kurt stroked him a few times, bringing him close to the edge and then forcefully pointing his dick down towards the scraps of cloth.

"Alright Blaine, cum now."

With a near silent cry, Blaine shot his load over the pile of scraps. White creamy gobs of semen soaked the carpet, covering the strips with a fine layer of it. Kurt didn't give him time to recover, pulling his pants back up around his waist.

"Now, pick up all the pieces out of the mess you made and go throw them in the trash where they belong. Then come back and clean it up."Kurt told him, sitting back on the couch. He didn't bother watching, knowing that Blaine was doing what he was told. He looked around for the remote to the TV before remembering that he'd thrown it earlier and was now lying in pieces on the floor over by the fireplace.

"I'll have to get that fixed." Kurt muttered absently. Blaine had returned, looking forlorn. He stared down at the pool of semen covering the carpet and then back up to his Dom, unsure what to do. He knew he'd been instructed to clean it up but he hadn't been told where the supplies were.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Lick it up." Kurt clarified when he realized he hadn't been specific enough.

Blaine shivered, lowering his face to the floor. He opened his mouth and licked up his own cum, suppressing his gag reflex. He ignored the musky taste, trying not to think of what he was ingesting. He knew that it he did, he'd probably end up puking. And Kurt would be mad if he did that.

Kurt smiled, patting Blaine on the head.

"When you're done, join me in my bedroom. I'm going lock up and then go change." He told him and left the room, turning off lights as he did so. He left the bedroom door open and the light on so Blaine could navigate his way through the almost pitch black apartment.

Blaine tried finish as quickly as possible, not wanting to waste any time. As soon as the last bit of creamy substance was licked up, he crawled after his Dom.

Kurt was lying on the bed when he crawled in, legs spread wide enough for Blaine to sit between.

"I'm done, sir." Blaine told him, eyeing Kurt with a yearning desire. He looked so beautiful laid out against the sheets, almost angelic. His shirt had ridden up, exposing the creamy expanse of his trim stomach. One was busy rubbing slow circles into his tummy and other was teasing the hem of the sleep pants he'd adorned.

"I'm so hard from watching you earlier, Blaine. And it's all your fault." Kurt said in reply. His voice was lowered two octaves, sounding more masculine.

"What are you going to do about it?" Kurt phrased this as a question but Blaine knew it was anything but.

"My fault," Blaine reiterated, "Please allow me to fix it."

But he didn't move, not knowing if he was permitted.

"Hmmm…" Kurt hummed, looking contemplative about it. And God, Blaine didn't know how, but he even made that look so incredibly sexy.

"I don't know." Kurt said, "The last time we tried this, you were very bad."

"I won't be bad. I promise, sir. Please allow me assist you. It's my fault." Blaine begged, eyes tearing up. He had to prove to Kurt that he would obey him this time. He wasn't going to be bad anymore.

"Get up on the bed." Kurt demanded. Blaine clambered up, kneeling at the foot of the bed. He stared at Kurt with wide, pleading eyes.

Kurt put his hand down his pants, arching and moaning obscenely when it came into contact with his hard cock. He pulled his pants down, exposing himself to Blaine.

"Please sir, I've been good. Please." Blaine begged as Kurt started stroking himself, giving himself pleasure that Blaine knew that it was his job.

"Yes, you have been. Such a good boy." Kurt acknowledged, panting out his words. His eyes were screwed up in pleasure, toes curling against the sheets. Blaine whimpered unhappily, twitching.

"Good boys deserve second chances." Kurt said removing his hand. "Finish what you started. Suck me off."

Blaine quickly crawled over with a happy cry and sunk down to the base of Kurt's leaking cock, taking special care to make sure he didn't accidently nip him with his teeth. He sucked deeply, inhaling through his nose as Kurt ached up into him. Blaine was very talented with his mouth. That much was obvious and this time, he made sure to keep his eager hands away.

"Oh, god." Kurt cried and covered his eyes with his arm. His other hand moved to the back of Blaine's curly head, shoving Blaine so far down his cock that Blaine started to choke.

"Relax your throat." Kurt told him, not stopping his actions. Blaine did so and felt the head of Kurt's cock hit the back of his throat, just like he'd fantasized about earlier. Without warning, Kurt flipped them, pulling out for a few seconds before ramming himself back in once Blaine was on his back. His knees on either side of Blaine's head, Kurt roughly plowed in and out of Blaine's open mouth. His rhythm became sloppy as he neared his breaking point, getting ready to shoot his load down Blaine's throat.

Blaine wasn't really doing anything anymore. Kurt had taken complete control, face-fucking him into oblivion. He was just a hole for Kurt to dominate and use. Blaine's own arousal started to harden at the thought of Kurt using him for his own pleasure.

"So good…. Soooo gooood." Kurt panted, feeling his orgasm swiftly approaching. The vein on the underside of his dick pulsed and Blaine took that as a warning that Kurt was going to cum.

Right before he came, Kurt pulled himself out of Blaine's mouth, jism spraying him in the face. As soon as he was done spurting, Kurt fell forward onto his elbows, thighs aching from the strain of keeping him upright. For a few minutes he just kneeled over Blaine's face while the sub happily sucked on the head of Kurt's softening dick, cleaning up the few remaining drops that had clung to the head. Once it was clean, he starting licking his own lips, wanting to taste as much of it as he could.

His own cum tasted musky and bitter but Kurt's tasted different, almost saccharine. And it was very addicting. He swiped a bit off his face and sucked on his finger. Blaine was undoubtedly rock hard again, so close to the edge after a short recovery time.

Rolling off Blaine and onto his back, Kurt lifted his head to look over at what the sub was doing. He smirked at the sight of Blaine eating his cum off his face. He laid his head back down against the pillow, feeling content.

"Go wash your face and then turn off your lights on your way back to bed. We have a long day tomorrow." Kurt yawned, closing his eyes. He felt lethargic after eating and then his orgasm.

When Blaine returned, Kurt was under the sheets. He was lying on his side, leaving a small space for him to crawl in behind him.

"I've always enjoyed being the little spoon. Not because I feel protected when someone has their arms around me but for the simple fact that my back gets really cold at night. I'm a stomach sleeper and have never been able to fall asleep while I'm on my back." Kurt mumbled sleepily. Blaine didn't care, he was just glad that Kurt allowed him to hold him. He felt so special.

"You don't get to cum again till I tell you so. Control yourself." Kurt said, feeling Blaine's erection poking him in the small of his back when he lay down behind him. Blaine knew what he meant. No wet dreams. Normally it wasn't a problem. His first Dom had trained his body to not respond to sexual stimuli while sleeping using a chastity device but that had been a few years ago and since he'd met Kurt, he'd been having a hard time not getting hard in his presence.

"Yes, sir." Blaine said respectfully, "Goodnight, sir."

Kurt mumbled a quiet reply before falling quiet, starting to drift off. Blaine was utterly still behind him, staring wide eyed at the back of Kurt's head.

"Sir?" Blaine asked quietly, hoping that Kurt had not fallen asleep quite yet. He didn't want to wake him up and make him mad.

"Mmmmm…" Kurt softly moaned, too tired to make his mouth form actual words.

"I love you, sir." Blaine told him boldly. Kurt smiled, saying nothing in response, choosing to let Blaine assume he fell asleep. It wasn't long until he really did, drifting off into unconsciousness.

Blaine tightened his grip on Kurt ever so slightly. He knew that this was his endgame. He'd never loved anyone so deeply. And if Kurt ever got tired of him, he knew that he wouldn't be able to take another Dom.

He just hoped that Kurt felt the same way.