As the weeks passed, Blaine wished he could be bolder. Usually, intimate moments between them were initiated by Kurt. Only then would Blaine allow his body to respond to what Kurt asked of him. It was as if he was waiting for Kurt's permission, even though deep down inside he knew Kurt wanted him to kiss him, to touch him.

Blaine wasn't sure what changed that morning. Maybe it was that Kurt looked irresistibly exquisite all spread out on his silky sheets, with the faintest ray of sunlight falling on his pale skin from the window. His lips were slightly parted and his hair was a mess. There were a few purplish marks on his neck and collarbone, showing where Blaine's mouth had lost control the previous night.

Blaine sat up to take in the wonderful sight next to him. The sheet was covering Kurt down from his stomach and it was a little tented where his morning erection caught Blaine's attention.

Careful to not wake Kurt up, Blaine lifted the sheet and gently moved it to the end of the bed. His mouth watered at the sight of Kurt's gorgeous half-hard cock. With a quick glance at Kurt's face, he curled his fingers around him and gave a soft stroke. Kurt exhaled a ragged breath, but didn't wake up.

Encouraged, Blaine moved to sit between Kurt's legs. He leaned and pressed his face to the place where Kurt's thigh met his crotch. He smelled so wonderful there, so... so Kurt.

After dropping a few quick kisses to that spot he adored, he sucked the head of Kurt's cock into his mouth, gently. Kurt moaned a little louder, still asleep. Blaine felt him slowly hardening against his tongue and sunk a bit lower to feel the tip brushing against the soft part of his palate.

Blaine had presumed he would enjoy doing this to another guy since he first realized he was gay, but he had never imagined he would love it as much as he did. He loved the weight and the stretch of his lips and, oh, the glorious taste. But, gay as he was, he couldn't imagine himself doing this with any other man. It was only Kurt he wanted. Blaine knew, deep down inside of him, that Kurt was it for him. There wouldn't ever be anyone like him, so there was no point in looking any farther.

Blaine bobbed his head up and down, just the way he loved when Kurt was the one doing this to him, and elicited a loud, needy whimper from the other man. He smiled (as much as he could smile when there was a cock buried in his mouth) and licked from the base to the head, before lapping at the slit.

Kurt's hands were suddenly in his hair, tugging, pulling, desperate. "Blaine…"

Blaine pressed his thumb to the thick vein on the underside and looked up at Kurt with dark eyes. "Good morning."

"Oh gosh, don't stop…" Kurt pulled on his hair again, guiding his mouth back to his cock, aching for more.

Blaine grinned before sinking back down. Kurt was keening, begging, already so close. He spread his legs even farther apart and planted his feet on Blaine's back, forcing him closer. His cock slid a bit deeper, and Blaine breathed sharply through his nose, using his hand to cover what he didn't dare fit in his mouth. He circled the head with his tongue in an upstroke and Kurt let out an animal growl. Blaine had to put his arm over his stomach to keep him still.

"Please, Blaine…" he murmured, thrashing against the sheets, throwing his head back and trying to arch towards Blaine's mouth.

Blaine pulled away until only the tip was between his lips. He stared at Kurt with half-lidded eyes as he sucked, enjoying the taste of Kurt's pre-come on his tongue. Kurt's grip on Blaine's hair became almost painful, and with an ecstatic scream, he came down Blaine's throat, suddenly, intensely.

Moaning in surprise, Blaine did his best to swallow it all. Kurt was shaking under him, and when his sensivity became too much, he pulled off him and started placing kisses on his thighs, stomach, hips, everywhere he could reach before moving back up to be face to face with him.

Kurt's eyes were wide and still a bit sleep-confused, but he was glowing the way only a mind-blowing orgasm could make him glow. "Whoa," he let out a sharp exhale.

"Was that okay?" Blaine asked, a bit worried, as he stared down at him. Now that it was over he was wondering if he had crossed some line he wasn't supposed to cross…

"Okay? I…" Kurt blinked at him. "Blaine, I don't think I've ever come so hard and so fast in my life."

"So it was a little better than okay?" Blaine smiled shyly.

Kurt rolled his eyes and pulled him in for a kiss. He moaned a bit at the taste of himself in Blaine's tongue. "It was fantastic." He brushed the curls off Blaine's face and leaned to whisper in his ear. "You should do that more often."

Blaine groaned, his neglected erection twitching and aching between his legs. "Oh, I will…"

"I probably should help you out with this…" Kurt purred as he put his thigh against Blaine's crotch, making him thrust against it involuntarily.

The kisses became more heated and frantic. Blaine's hands settled on Kurt's hips and he used them as leverage to thrust harder and harder against his leg. Kurt wrapped his tongue around his and pulled it into his own mouth to suck on it. Blaine was sure he had a fever. His skin hot and sweaty, and almost dizzy with want…

A sound that neither of them expected to hear made them stop just when Kurt was going to put his legs around Blaine to slot their groins together and find a better angle. It was the bedroom's door opening…

"Kurt, are you awake? We… oh my god!"

That shriek could only belong to Kurt's stepmom, Carole. It startled them both so much that they froze and Kurt looked over Blaine's shoulder to see his dad peeking into the room to find out what had scared his wife so much. It was Kurt's turn to shriek now, and in his hurry to hide out of his father's sight, he rolled right out of bed, taking Blaine down with him and making both of them fall to the floor with a thump.

Kurt untangled himself from Blaine and sat up, his back hitting the night-stand behind him and looked at his parents with wide, panicked eyes. "What are you two doing here?"

"We… wanted to see you… uhm, visit with you," Burt Hummel said, visibly uncomfortable. "Who is that?"

"Burt, let's give them some privacy…" Carole started tugging at her husband's arm.

"Privacy for what?" Burt grunted, frowning, displeased.

"To get dressed," Carole said pointedly. "Come on. Let's go to the kitchen. Now."

Kurt had always loved his stepmother, but never as much as he did then as he watched her close the door.

Blaine was on his back, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were the size of saucers and his chest was heaving, as he tried to catch his breath. "So… I guess those are your parents?"

"Yeah…" Kurt nodded, still a little shocked.

"They, uhm…" Blaine wasn't blinking. Kurt wondered if he had blinked at all since Burt and Carole had burst into the room. "They saw my ass."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at that. He moved until he could hover over Blaine again and smiled teasingly at him. "At least you have a wonderful ass…"

Blaine blushed and averted his gaze, suddenly very interested on the empty space under Kurt's bed. "Kurt…"

"Don't be embarrassed," Kurt dropped a kiss on his temple. "I'm not thrilled my parents walked in on me having sex, but I'm an adult and I have a sex life. If they don't want to see it, they should learn how to knock on the door…"

"I still think I'm going to hide under your bed until they leave…" Blaine began crawling, but Kurt stopped him, putting all his weight on him.

"Stop it!" He chuckled. "I know my dad looks scary, but he really isn't. You don't need to hide from him."

Blaine's heart drummed wildly in his chest. Was Kurt trying to tell him he wanted him to meet his parents? Was their relationship serious enough for Kurt to want to take that step? Blaine felt a smile tugging at his lips, even while he was still terrified. "I just… don't want to impose."

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. "You won't. We'll have some breakfast together, I'll ask them what they're doing here and everything will be fine."

Blaine sighed. "Fine."

Kurt stood up and offered his hand to Blaine. He caught him in his arms and leaned to talk straight into his ear. "We'll get back to what we were doing later."

Blaine groaned, but Kurt walked away from him to gather some clothes before he had time to do anything.

Five minutes later, they went into the kitchen to find Carole had already gotten breakfast under way. She was making pancakes and already there was a cup of coffee in front of Burt at the breakfast bar.

"Good morning, boys!" She said cheerfully, acting as if everything was normal. "I'm so sorry we, uhm, interrupted…"

"We did knock, but you two were too busy to hear us…" Burt protested gruffly.

"I don't think we've met before," Carole extended her hand to Blaine with a painfully wide smile on her face. "My name's Carole."

"Nice to meet you," Blaine said, his voice wavering nervously. "I'm Blaine."

"This is my husband, Burt," She clasped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, obviously a little tighter than necessary, because the man flinched.

"Hello," Burt eyed the hand Blaine was offering him and when his wife squeezed him again meaningfully, he accepted it. "Are you going to have breakfast with us, Blaine, or do you need to go home or to work now…?"

"Dad, Blaine lives here," Kurt said nonchalantly, as he walked to the fridge to get some orange juice. It was obvious telling his father about their living situation made him nervous, though.

Burt spat his coffee all over the breakfast bar. "What?"

Blaine hurried to clean the mess up, if only to keep himself busy since he didn't really know what to say or do.

"When were you planning to tell us about this?" Burt asked, as he stared at his son as if Kurt had suddenly grown two heads.

"Don't I eventually tell you everything?" Kurt replied with a quirked eyebrow. "I've been busy lately and I didn't have time to call you."

"Why don't we have breakfast and we'll talk about this later?" Carole proposed, always trying to keep the peace in the family. "I, for one, would like to hear a bit about Blaine."

Blaine blushed to the tip of his ears. "Well… there's not much to say…"

"I'm sure there is," she patted his hand. "How did you guys meet?"

Blaine exchanged a quick, pleading glance with Kurt. Kurt knew what that look meant. Please, please don't tell them where you found me. Please. They'll think I'm not good enough for you…

Carole seemed to notice that such a simple questions didn't have a simple answer, so she immediately walked to the coffee pot. "Who wants coffee before it gets cold?"

Breakfast was tense and awkward even though Carole and Kurt did their best to keep the conversation flowing. Burt only answered with grunts and Blaine kept his eyes on his plate, his food almost untouched.

When he deemed it had been long enough to not be rude, Blaine cleared his throat and stood up. "I'd better get ready or I'll be late for work."

"What do you do for a living?" Burt asked, talking directly to him for the first time.

Blaine seemed to shrink a bit under his gaze. "I… I work at the box office in a small theatre."

"And how do you pay your half of the rent with a job like that? This apartment is insanely expensive," Burt murmured, frowning.

Kurt saw Blaine going pale and he knew he had to step in. "Dad, that's rude."

"I'm just making sure things are fair and square…" Burt shrugged, unapologetically.

Carole shook her head. "Go get ready, dear," she said to Blaine. "We don't want to take up any more of your time."

He shot what it could've been considered a grateful smile at her, but his face was still too pale, too emotionless. He turned around and walked away as fast as he could without actually running.

"Kurt…" Burt began, but Kurt was already on his feet.

"I'm gonna go check on him," Kurt said. He looked at his father disapprovingly. "I can't believe you'd act like this, dad. This isn't like you."

He didn't give Burt time to answer. He went back to his bedroom, where Blaine was changing his shirt. His back was to Kurt, but even from that, he could tell how tense Blaine was. Kurt had gotten to know Blaine very well in the time they had lived together.

"I'm sorry for my dad's attitude," Kurt muttered softly and Blaine turned around to face him.

"It's okay," he answered, as if it didn't matter. "He's just worried about you. He doesn't know me."

"He's very protective," Kurt explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But he means well."

"Of course," Blaine nodded, as he went into the bathroom. Kurt could see from where he was standing, that he was staring at himself in front of the mirror, breathing deeply.

When Blaine came back into the bedroom, Kurt moved to wrap his arms around his waist. He smiled at him soothingly. "Don't let him get to you. if he sees he can intimidate you, he'll act even worse."

"What do you want me to do?" Blaine looked at him hopelessly. He felt a lump in his throat. "Do you want me to tell him the truth? That I'm staying here without paying you a cent? That you picked me up from the streets? What's he going to think?"

Kurt sighed and kissed him sweetly. "I don't care what he thinks. I don't care what we tell him. I just want him to see how wonderful you are…"

"Kurt…" Blaine tried to pull away, hesitantly.

"You are," Kurt insisted, resting their foreheads together.

They stayed very still, simply breathing the other in, for a few minutes. Blaine gradually relaxed in his arms and moved in for another kiss.

"Now go to work," Kurt said with a smile. "If I can get rid of them before you get back, we can go out to eat somewhere nice. Or we can stay here and finish what they interrupted…"

Blaine buried his face on Kurt's shoulder. "I'd like both options."

"Good. Me too," Kurt gave him a pat on the ass. "I'll see you tonight, then."

Blaine reluctantly pulled away. He stole one last kiss. "I'll see you tonight."

Somehow, Kurt managed to keep the conversation away from the subject of Blaine. He distracted his parents with a long walk around New York before stopping for lunch at a nice bistró he wanted Carole to try, and then by taking her shopping as Burt followed them, taciturn. He knew the moment they stepped back into his apartment that his father would go back to the one thing he seemed to want to discuss, but Kurt still wasn't sure what he was going to say.

It was obvious Carole was trying to buy him some time, too, but after hours of touring around non stop, she was clearly exhausted. Kurt realized he had to stop acting like a scared kid and face his father as an adult.

He wished he knew why he felt so terrified.

He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, peeking inside. "Do you guys want to have dinner here or would you rather go out to eat? I have some fish in the freezer, but…"

"Can you stop deflecting for a moment and tell me what the hell is going on here?" Burt asked so suddenly that it startled Kurt. "You've been making small talk for hours."

Kurt pushed the refrigerator door closed and sat at the closest stool. "Fine, let's talk."

"Who is this Blaine guy?"

Why did his dad have to start with the most complicated question? "He's… a good friend."

"A friend," Burt looked at him with his arms crossed over his chest. "A friend you were frolicking around with, naked on your bed this morning."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Dad… I'm not in high school anymore. You can't control that part of my life…"

"I'm not trying to control anything," Burt answered firmly. He huffed, clearly frustrated. "What do you think Carole and I are doing here, Kurt? Do you think we just decided to come here to surprise you? You haven't called home in weeks. We found out about you quitting your job from a damn magazine…"

"I didn't quit," Kurt replied, annoyed. The press was always taking everything out of context. "I'm just taking some time off."

"Time off? You?" Burt looked at him as if he thought his son had gone nuts. "You worked your ass off to get where you are right now and as soon as you're right on the top, you decide to take some time off?" He took a few steps closer until he could lean on the counter and stared at Kurt right in the eyes. "What's going on?"

Kurt sighed. He had never liked lying to his dad or hiding things from him. Maybe it was better to be completely honest. "I really love my job, but the life that comes with it is… I don't know. Not what I pictured? It's stressful and shallow and… I don't know if that's something I can handle any longer."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Burt asked, sadly. "You know you can always talk to me, kiddo, even if we don't live in the same house anymore, even if you're an adult making his own decisions."

"I was figuring it out myself, first," Kurt admitted. "And I had to fit Blaine in the picture and it wasn't exactly easy either…"

There was a small pause and it seemed like Burt was gathering courage to speak again. "Look, Kurt, you don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to, but I need to know at least something about this guy. I need to make sure he isn't going to screw with you."

"He's an amazing man, dad," Kurt assured him confidently. "You don't need to worry about that."

"And why wouldn't you two tell us where you met when we were having breakfast this morning?" Burt said, a slight tone of suspicion in his voice.

Kurt bit his lip. He knew Blaine wouldn't want him to tell his story, especially since he wasn't there, but he had never been capable of lying to his father. That was the thing that made their relationship so wonderful. He sighed, knowing he had to betray one of the two men's trust. "I… If I tell you, you need to promise you won't tell Blaine that I did. He feels ashamed and uncomfortable about it as it is…"

That only piqued Burt's curiosity, and made his anxiety worse. "Kurt…"

"He was homeless," Kurt blurted out, unable to think of how to soften it. He saw his parents' eyes widening. "He was trying to get warm outside the doors of my building when I got home and I couldn't leave him out there. It was so cold and…"

"Kurt…"

"He was so thin and dirty…"

"Kurt…"

"You should've seen him. He would've died, Dad. It was such a horrible night and…"

"Kurt!" Burt finally shouted, trying to get his son's attention and succeeding at last. Kurt looked at him, warily. "You… You let a total stranger into your home?"

"Yes, Dad, but…" Kurt started saying, but Burt interrupted him.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Do you know what could've happened to you? There are so many insane people in this city and you just opened your door and let one in!" Burt was incredulous. Was his son crazy? How could he be so careless?

"Blaine isn't insane!" Kurt exclaimed. "He's not what you think he is. You think I didn't judge him too, at first? You think I wasn't scared that he would rob me? But I learned to look past the outside to who he really was. He's one of the most selfless, generous people I've ever met…"

"Selfless? Generous? He's living in your house without paying rent, eating your food, wearing your clothes!" Burt muttered and he looked as if he wanted to shake some sense into his son. "Kurt, he's using you! Can't you see it? You were stupid enough to let him in and let him take advantage…"

"He did not!" Kurt had never been so upset in his life. Of all the people he had met, he couldn't believe his father was the one judging him and the man he… cared about like this.

"First thing we're going to do tomorrow morning is go to the clinic and get you tested," Burt said, clearly not listening to his son. "You don't know anything about this guy. He could have so many diseases from living in the streets and you've been sleeping with him…"

"Dad, please, listen to me…" Kurt pleaded. His eyes were full of tears. He felt like a kid again.

"And then we'll talk to Blaine, give him some money and send him on his way…"

"Dad!" Kurt shouted. He couldn't breathe. "Stop it. Just stop it! Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want to see you hurt again!" Burt snapped, throwing his arms in the air, just as upset as Kurt was. "Everytime someone breaks your heart, it kills me, Kurt. I've seen it happen twice now and then I had to see you date guy after guy without really caring about any of them. And now you do this. Why are you punishing yourself?"

"I'm not punishing myself…" Kurt murmured weakly, but he didn't sound convincing.

"Then what the hell are you doing?" Burt asked. "Help me understand here, kiddo. Tell me why you're putting yourself in danger like this…"

"I'm not in danger. Blaine wouldn't ever hurt me. I know you think so because you don't know him, but I do…" Kurt's blue eyes were begging him to understand.

"Kurt…" Burt walked to him and put a hand on his knee. "You've always been a lot more compassionate than I am. You got that from your mom. But just because you feel pity for him doesn't mean you need to let him stay in your home, and sleep in your bed."

Kurt shook his head, unable to say anything else. Why couldn't his father understand? Why couldn't he see Blaine the way Kurt saw him? Just looking into Blaine's eyes was enough to know there was no malice in him. He'd just had really bad luck in his life…

After a few seconds of silence that seemed to last forever, Burt sighed. Kurt looked so small and defeated right there on that stool and Burt recognized that attitude. He had always looked the same every time Burt wouldn't understand something about a musical, or about a fashion trend, back in high school, when he didn't have anyone to talk about those things with and needed Burt, the only person in his life who mattered to him, to understand what was important to him.

Burt had never thought he'd see that kid again, and yet, here he was.

"Kurt… are you in love with him?" Burt asked him at last.

Kurt glanced up at him so quickly Burt was surprised his neck didn't crack. "No, I'm not in love with him!" He answered vehemently.

Burt frowned at him and kept staring at his son, watching his walls crumble one by one. He couldn't lie to him because Burt was able to see right through him.

"I can't be in love with him, Dad," Kurt finally whispered, brokenly. "Everytime I fall in love, everything ends up so badly… and I don't want to lose Blaine. He's made me realize how unhappy I was when I met him. He gave me purpose. I don't want to be in love with him, but I just don't know what else to do but to love him…"

"Oh, darling," Carole said, reminding the two men that they weren't alone in the kitchen. She had been standing by the sink, looking at them and listening to their argument with a hand on her chest and now she was choking on her tears. She crossed the kitchen quickly to Kurt and enveloped him in a hug. "Love is always terrifying, Kurt. But the more you have to risk, the more you have to gain."

"Carole, he hardly knows the guy…" Burt reminded her desperately.

"I do know him," Kurt murmured. "He's been living here for weeks. He told me his story and I believe him. He never did anything to me and even though I offered him clothes and money, he wouldn't accept anything. He tried to leave twice and I made him stay. I… I need him."

Carole hugged him again, so tightly that Kurt was sure a few of his bones wouldn't make it intact. "Judging by the way he looks at you, I'd say he feels the same."

Kurt's eyes lit up like a torch in the dark. "Really?"

She nodded and kissed his forehead.

Burt knew it was a lost battle. He sighed tiredly and sat on the stool next to Kurt's. "Fine. If you think he's good enough for you, then I'll give him a chance."

Kurt smiled at him as he wiped the tears he hadn't noticed trailing down his cheeks. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, kiddo."

Kurt took a deep breath and stood up, needing to do something to take his mind off this conversation. "Okay, I'm gonna start dinner, then. Blaine should be here any minute now…"

"How can I help?" Carole asked, rolling her sleeves up, and they started working together cutting vegetables at the counter. Kurt was about to throw some carrots in the wok when Carole nudged him with her elbow. "He's got a really cute butt, by the way."

Kurt blushed all the way to his hair, but made a mental note to tell Blaine about it later.

He couldn't wait to see him get adorably embarrassed and bashful.

After the very eventful morning they'd had, Blaine had actually had a pretty nice day. He let himself get involved in his job and forgot about how uncomfortable he had felt with Kurt's parents that morning.

He brightened up a little bit more when he helped an old couple to their seats and they gave him five dollars as a tip. He made one stop before taking the subway, to buy a red rose with a red ribbon for Kurt. Maybe it wasn't much, but he couldn't wait to see his smile when he saw the flower.

He spent the entire way home gathering courage to face Kurt's parents again and when Blaine stepped into the apartment, he looked nothing like the uncomfortable man they had seen that morning.

The living room was empty, but he thought he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He hid the rose behind his back and walked that way, wanting to surprise Kurt…

"…just because you feel pity for him doesn't mean you need to let him stay in your home, and sleep in your bed."

Burt's words paralyzed him. Pity? Had Kurt said he felt pity for him? Blaine bit his lip, knowing he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but unwilling to make his presence known until he heard Kurt correcting his father.

But only a silence followed, a silence that seemed to be cluthing Blaine's heart painfully, as if it were an iron hand closing around it.

He still waited, hopeful.

"Kurt… are you in love with him?"

Blaine didn't realize he had stopped breathing.

"No, I'm not in love with him!"

It was immediate, the way the lump appeared in his throat, the way he had to bit his lip to hold back a sob. He took a step back.

Had he really been that stupid? How could he have believed that Kurt could ever love him?

Pity.

I'm not in love with him.

As with every other beautiful dream Blaine had ever had in his life, this one was shattered to pieces now too. He backed up quickly, needing to leave the apartment as soon as possible.

Once he was back outside in the cold, he dropped the rose to the snow-covered ground and wondered when was he going to stop believing in fairy tales.