Kurt had just flipped the sign on the door to 'Open' and returned to the counter to tidy up when the first customer came in. it was a woman, probably in her forties. Her hair was elegantly tied up in a bow and she had the classic appearance of a secretary. She was probably there for her morning caffeine fix, Kurt decided.

"Good morning," Kurt greeted her with his best smile.

"Good morning," she said politely, standing in front of him. "I would like to order a cake for tomorrow."

"Of course," Kurt looked for a notepad in one of the drawers. "What kind of cake would you like?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. It's for my boss, it's his birthday," the woman answered.

"Oh, so do you need a big cake? Like for an office party or something like that?" Kurt asked, pen ready to start taking notes.

"No, not at all. Just a small cake, we're not having a party, but I thought it would be nice for him to have at least a cake," she looked thoughtful. "I remembered one of the secretaries ordered a cake for her boss not too long ago, and it was delicious, so I asked her where she got it."

"What flavor do you think your boss would prefer?" Kurt inquired.

"I think something classic would be okay. He doesn't really talk much, so I don't know what he likes," the woman moved to take a look at the cakes Kurt had placed in the displayer earlier. "Maybe vanilla, with chocolate icing?"

Kurt wrote that down before he started to list all the possible fillings she could choose from. "Do you want me to put candles on it or are you going to take care of that yourself?"

"It would be great if you could do it for me," she smiled gently. "And could you maybe write something on it?"

"Like happy birthday?" Kurt wanted to know, scribbling down more notes.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Anderson would be nice, more personal," she said after a pause.

Kurt looked up at her with wide eyes. "Mr. Anderson?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Anderson as in… Blaine Anderson?" Kurt blinked in confusion. She frowned before nodding once again. "Blaine's birthday is tomorrow?"

"Do you know Mr. Anderson?" The woman tilted her head to the side, looking at Kurt with far more interest.

"I… yeah, I do," Kurt stared down at what he had just written down. "But he didn't tell me it was his birthday."

"I only know because I was going through some files he needed me to work on and some of his personal information was in there," she explained. Then, she extended a hand towards Kurt. "I'm Lucy, Mr. Anderson's secretary."

"Kurt, I'm his… friend," he replied, shaking it, knowing it was better not to tell anyone from Blaine's office what kind of relationship they really had. Lucy seemed a bit shocked, as if she couldn't believe Blaine had friends. "I can't believe he didn't mention it."

"Well, Mr. Anderson is really reserved, I'm not really surprised. I've worked for him for almost two years and I still don't know much about him."

"I know, it's a lot of work to get him to talk…" Kurt sighed, leaning against the counter. He observed the woman standing in front of him for a few seconds. "It's really kind of you to make sure he at least has something nice for his birthday."

"It's the least I can do," Lucy shrugged. "I feel bad for him, every day, and I wish I could do more. People at the office don't really… appreciate him, I guess."

Kurt couldn't say he was surprised to know that. He felt a pang in his chest, indignation and hurt mixing together. Blaine was a wonderful human being. He didn't deserve to be slighted like that. "Well, they should. He's wonderful," he said through gritted teeth.

"He's a very good boss. I'm very lucky to work for him," Lucy glanced at the clock behind the counter. "I should get going. Will the cake be ready by the time I come back tomorrow morning?"

"Of course it will," Kurt smiled at her. "And I know exactly what Blaine likes, so I can make something special for him if you want me to…"

"That would be amazing," Lucy patted his hand, warmly. "Thank you, Kurt."

"Thank you, Lucy," Kurt said and watched her leave.

The wheels in his brain were already spinning before she even had time to close the door behind her.

Blaine rubbed at his tired eyes and checked the hour on his cellphone. It was late, later than he usually left the office lately, but he wasn't exactly anxious to go back to his apartment. He wasn't seeing Kurt today since he had received a very large order for the next day and needed to pick up some extra ingredients. Blaine had asked if he wanted him to come over and help him, but Kurt had declined, saying he would finish sooner if he wasn't distracted and that they could see each other the next day. That would be Saturday, after all, so Blaine would be able to spend the entire day behind the counter with Kurt, if he chose.

Blaine had said nothing. He had merely nodded and kissed his cheek, promising to be there the next day and then he had crossed the street back to his office. He hadn't told Kurt that he had been secretly looking forward to being with him that day, even though Kurt didn't know why. He hadn't mentioned that for once he had imagined a birthday where he would end up wishing he hadn't been born, or where he actually felt a bit of bliss instead of the crushing loneliness he felt most of the time. There was no point in saying that. Kurt was busy and he didn't want to make him feel bad or force him to cancel his plans. Kurt had work to do and Blaine was a grown up very well used to skipping his birthdays, so no damage was done.

Or so he assured to himself.

He closed his laptop, gathered his stuff and decided that staying at work was even worse than going home. Maybe he could at least take Robert for a walk and stop somewhere to grab a bite. The rest of his night was probably going to include going through a few files he needed to read for a meeting he had on Monday, but even though that didn't sound exciting, it would be better to get it over with so he could try and spend as much time with Kurt as he could without worrying about the office for the rest of the weekend.

Lucy was still there, also getting ready to leave, searching through the contents of her purse for something. He stood in front of her desk, somewhat awkwardly.

"Lucy, I…" he cleared his throat and she looked at him. "Thank you," he put his briefcase down for a moment and rounded the desk to give her a quick hug. "You didn't have to bring a cake or anything. It was very nice of you."

"I'm glad you liked it, Mr. Anderson," she answered with a warm smile. "I just thought you deserved a little something."

Blaine nodded, hoping she wouldn't notice he was truly touched by the gesture. "I'll make sure to remember your birthday."

"That's not necessary," Lucy laughed. "Have a nice weekend, Mr. Anderson. And happy birthday."

"Thanks, you have a nice weekend, too," and with a final wave, Blaine turned towards the elevators.

Lucy had been the only one to acknowledge his birthday. His dad, of course, had forgotten or ignored it as he did every year. He wasn't really close to anyone else in the firm and Lucy had confessed to finding out about it by accident. Blaine was grateful nonetheless. It was nice to feel every now and then that he wasn't completely invisible. No one really cared about him and if they showed him any respect it was only because he was the boss' son, but as Walter Anderson didn't exactly treat him like a person, most of the people there didn't, either.

Blaine left the building and stood watching the darkened bakery across the street with a heavy feeling in his chest. It was weird seeing it like that. Lately, Kurt had always been there waiting for him. Blaine was already accustomed to opening the glass door and inhaling the deep, wonderful smell of coffee and baked goods and being greeted by Kurt's brilliant smile. Knowing he wasn't going to see him, even if it was for just one night, caused him to sigh, suddenly saddened. He walked to his car, wishing he didn't have to go to his empty apartment.

Feeling a bit despondent, he decided to stay in with Robert, order food and put on some sweatpants. Going out would require too much effort.

He pushed any thoughts related to his birthday and Kurt's absence to the back of his mind as he drove and instead, went through the list of things he needed to get done for a few of his cases. The paperwork was endless and tedious, but safe. It was something redundant that he could hide behind, something that didn't hurt or disappoint in any way, something that had nothing to do with him, so it couldn't really make him feel bad for anything.

He was considering taking a long shower before pulling the laptop out of his briefcase and starting to work while he waited for whatever he decided to order to get there as he exited from the elevator on his floor. Pizza sounded like a good idea and he was sure he still had at least one bottle of beer left in the fridge…

The first sign that something was wrong came when he opened the door and Robert didn't run to him to greet him with his tail wagging frantically like he usually did every day. The second sign was the quiet whispers that seemed to come from somewhere in the apartment.

Great, now I'm being robbed, Blaine thought bitterly, fishing his cellphone out of his pocket and dialing 911, his finger lingering on the green button ready to make the call as he moved carefully to investigate and hoping no one had hurt Robert.

He definitely wasn't expecting to enter the kitchen and find Carole Hudson Hummel searching through the silverware drawer.

"I…" Blaine stopped in his tracks, wondering if he was hallucinating.

"Blaine, dear!" Carole exclaimed, turning to him and smiling so wide Blaine was afraid her face would split in two. "You're home!"

"Uhm… yeah, I'm home," he said awkwardly, patting her back because he didn't know what else to do when she hugged him tightly.

"Blaine!"

Blaine glanced over Carole's shoulder just in time to see Kurt coming into the kitchen, smiling, wearing a gray sweater that looked so good on him that Blaine wanted to stare at him forever.

"Kurt?" He asked in confusion. "What's going on here?"

"We're here to celebrate your birthday, silly," Kurt replied, tilting his head to the side, as if it were obvious. Blaine blinked dumbly at him. "Of course, what else?" And he leaned in to kiss his cheek affectionately.

"How… how do you…?" Blaine mumbled, still not understanding exactly what was going on. Burt walked in, too, followed by Robert. "Mr. Hummel?"

"Hey, kiddo, happy birthday," Burt squeezed his shoulder and then laughed at Blaine's dazed expression. "Kurt, I think this wasn't a good idea. We broke him."

Kurt rolled his eyes at his father and grabbed Blaine's hand. "Blaine, sweetie, are you okay with this? I just wanted to surprise you."

Carole started pushing Burt back into the dining room to give Blaine and Kurt a moment alone. Robert followed happily.

Kurt studied Blaine's face attentively, a worried expression in his eyes. "Blaine? Should I have asked you before doing this? Don't you like it? Do you want us to leave?"

That last part got Blaine's attention. "No! No, no, please don't leave…" He gulped. "I… how did you know?"

Kurt's smile turned mischievous. "Well… it was a coincidence, really. Your secretary…"

"Oh, God, you made the cake, didn't you? I knew it. It was way too good," Blaine said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Kurt's fingers brushed the outline of Blaine's jaw. "Blaine… I know you're used to doing things on your own or whatever but… please, don't shut me down."

"I didn't mean to shut you down," Blaine replied, cupping Kurt's face in his hands. "Really. I didn't think it was important. It's just a birthday."

Kurt looked really sad at his words, though Blaine couldn't exactly understand why. He just knew he didn't like to see it in this beautiful man's gaze, so he did the only thing he could think of to erase it. He moved forward slowly and kissed him.

Kurt responded to the kiss immediately, throwing his arms around Blaine's neck, sighing into it in what seemed to be relief and contentment. After they pulled away, Kurt nuzzled against his cheek, his lips very closed to his ear. "Happy birthday, Blaine."

Blaine smiled, tightening his arms around his waist. "Thank you, Kurt."

"You're welcome," with one last kiss to Blaine's cheek, Kurt untangled himself from his arms. "Now, we didn't have time to cook, so we just ordered a couple of pizzas."

"It's like you've read my mind," Blaine said, his mood already a lot lighter than it had been all day.

"It should be here in about ten minutes," Kurt turned to the counter and grabbed a few napkins to take to the table.

"What can I do to help?" Blaine asked, eagerly, looking around, feeling almost out of place in his own kitchen.

"Nothing, honey, today you just have to relax and have a good time."

Blaine wanted to protest, but decided against it because Kurt looked so happy. It was obvious he was excited about being there and surprising Blaine and even though he felt weird, Blaine didn't want to ruin that.

And he had to admit he loved the way his heart was beating inside his chest, so overwhelmingly wild and full of joy.

Carole hugged him again as soon as he stepped into the dining room. "I'm so happy to see you again, Blaine."

"I'm really happy to see you, too, Carole," he said, this time returning the hug. "Thank you for coming here and surprising me."

"No need to thank us," she answered, with a vague gesture of her hand.

"Finn wanted to come, too, but someone had to stay at the garage," Burt said from his place at the table. Robert was sitting at his feet, his head on the man's knee.

"How are things going at the garage?" Blaine asked, still a bit unsure on how to act. His apartment had never been so crowded before.

"Really good," Burt nodded, clearly pleased. "Finn is doing a great job and we always have a lot of work during the winter. People want to make sure their cars are in good condition to avoid accidents."

"Here," Carole said, pushing Blaine gently down into a chair and giving him a package wrapped in bright paper with a big bow on it. "I hope you like it."

Blaine stared down at gift with wide eyes. "I… Carole, I can't accept this."

"Of course you can, it's nothing fancy," Carole shrugged as she tried to force him to take the present. "Come on, open it!"

Blaine took it with slightly shaking hands and unwrapped it, carefully, as if he was afraid he would damage whatever it was inside. He extracted the thick, beautiful red sweater and let his fingers trace the wool. "This is amazing, thank you so much."

"Kurt approved of it, so I think I made a good choice," Carole smiled at him. "We can still exchange it if you don't like it. I would've bought something different if I had known it was your birthday earlier. Kurt just let us know this morning."

"I… you really shouldn't have. It wasn't necessary at all," he hugged the sweater to his chest, almost without noticing what he was doing, before standing up again and hugging Carole. He extended his hand towards Burt, thinking a hug could maybe be too much for the man, but he stood up and hugged Blaine nevertheless. Kurt was leaning against the doorway, smiling. Blaine turned to him. "You shouldn't have called your parents and made them come all the way here just for this."

"I didn't tell them to come," Kurt answered, taking a few steps closer to Blaine. He held the sweater up to make sure the size was right. "I was simply talking to my dad like I do almost every day and when I mentioned it was your birthday, they insisted on coming to see you."

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world," Carole assured him.

"Thank you so much, guys," Blaine said, looking around the room at the other three people there with him, feeling a lump in his throat and forcing himself to not get too emotional.

"You're welcome," Kurt kissed his cheek, apparently satisfied with the sweater, and put it down. "My present is delayed, I'm afraid. I didn't have enough time, but I'm sure I'll have it by the weekend."

Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist and tugged him a little closer, for once not caring who was looking at them, because he just loved this man so much he couldn't help himself anymore. "I don't need any more presents. This is beyond perfect already," and then he gave him a peck on the lips, ignoring the way Carole and Burt exchanged a glance, the woman biting her lip to stop from squealing in excitement.

Once the pizza was there, they sat together to eat and chat. Blaine was mainly silent, enjoying the happy buzzing of conversation around him. His apartment had never been more alive. It was amazing to hear other voices echoing against the walls instead of only his own or Robert's.

Kurt had made a cake for him (of course). It was the same red velvet one he had tried one of the first times he had visited at the bakery and Blaine smiled at him as Kurt lit the candle on top of it. Kurt had just leaned closer to him to sing the happy birthday melody right into Blaine's ear when the sound of the front door slamming startled everyone. Blaine's eyebrows shot up his forehead and he stood to see what the hell was going on.

He didn't need to go far, though, because he almost collided with his father when he entered the doorway that lead into the dining room. Walter Anderson's eyes, though so similar to Blaine's, narrowed as he took in the sight of the room and the people in it, half incredulous, half furious.

"Dad…" Blaine said, a heavy feeling setting over him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you about something," he replied coldly. "I didn't know you had company…"

"Yeah, I…" Blaine turned around, unsure, to glance at the Hummels. He took a deep breath. "Dad, this is Burt Hummel and his wife, Carole. Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, this is my father, Walter Anderson," he introduced him, awkwardly.

Burt stood up from his place at the table and extended a hand towards Blaine's dad, politely. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson."

"Hummel," Walter nodded in what could've been an equally polite greeting if it weren't because he was studying Burt almost rudely. "I've never heard the name Hummel before. What do you do?"

Blaine closed his eyes, wishing he could disappear. Of course. Of course his father would ask a question like that.

"I'm not surprised you haven't," Burt shrugged, clearly not caring. "We are from Lima, I own a tire shop there."

"A tire shop," Walter repeated, as if the words offended him. "And how, if I may ask, do you know Blaine?"

"That would be because of me," Kurt intervened and Blaine wanted to grab his hand and push him away, far from his father's prying, judgmental glance. He took a couple of steps until he was standing right next to Blaine. "Kurt Hummel."

Walter quirked an eyebrow and looked Kurt up and down without even hiding what he was doing. He didn't take the hand Kurt was offering. "I see…"

"Kurt is a friend," Blaine said quickly, wanting to avoid any comments Walter might make if he found out Kurt and he were more than that. He felt Kurt slightly deflating next to him as he dropped the hand he was still holding up, but he knew he could explain to him later, once he was sure Walter wasn't going to embarrass him in front of the others. "I met him a couple of months ago. Actually, he works in front of…"

"Lovely," Walter interrupted, obviously not interested, still looking at Kurt with suspicion in his hazel eyes.

"We're celebrating Blaine's birthday. You can join us if you'd like," Carole said, in a vain attempt to reduce the discomfort that floated in the air.

"Blaine's birthday?" Walter repeated and looked at his son as he had never heard of something like that before. Blaine forced himself not to feel disappointed because his father didn't even remember the day he had been born. "No, thank you. I need to talk to Blaine and then you can all return to your little… party."

With a sharp gesture of the head, Walter signaled for Blaine to follow him into the kitchen. He obeyed without saying anything, without even daring to look back at the Hummels.

Walter turned to face him. His expression was cold and daunting. "What the hell are you doing, Blaine?"

"I'm just… I'm having dinner," Blaine answered weakly.

"Don't be stupid. You know what I mean," Walter crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you doing with your life?"

Blaine blinked, feeling incredibly dumb. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"Didn't I teach you what the important things in a man's life are? Didn't I pay for your education, give you a job, put a roof above your head?" He asked, almost dramatically, lifting his gaze up the ceiling, pointing around at the apartment.

"I… yes, but…" Blaine was more and more confused.

"And this is how you repay me?" Walter's voice was almost a roar and Blaine felt himself blushing, knowing the other three people in the dining room could hear every word. "I wish you could go through one day, one single day, Blaine, without disappointing me as much as you do."

"I don't understand what I did wrong!" Blaine replied, wishing Walter would shut up, wishing he didn't have to listen to any of this, not now, not tonight.

"What's that I hear about you taking photography classes?" Walter questioned bluntly and Blaine gaped, shocked, for a few seconds.

"How… how do you know about that?"

"The daughter of one of my biggest clients goes there, too, and he saw you when he went over to pick her up after a class," Walter explained, frowning.

Blaine shook his head. "Okay, yes, I'm taking photography classes. I don't know why that's a big deal, I do it after work and…"

"And it's pointless that you waste your time on that kind of thing," Walter interrupted, impatiently. "No wonder your work is always so inadequate. You don't spend enough time researching the cases and reading the files!"

"That's not true!" Blaine exclaimed, frustration growing inside of him like a fire.

"Do you enjoy bringing shame to the family name, Blaine? Is that what it is?" Walter said, a fist hitting the countertop, his voice echoing in the otherwise empty kitchen.

Blaine's breathing became heavy and hard. He closed his eyes. "Dad…"

"And these people… how can you associate with them? They are nobodies," Walter hissed. Blaine opened his eyes and stared at him with a warning mixed with the hazel. "They're the ones you spent Thanksgivings with, aren't they?"

"Please, Dad, they are wonderful people. Don't talk about them like…"

"Like what? Like I don't see what kind of social garbage they are? A mechanic," Walter huffed with indignity, as if he couldn't think of a bigger offense. "How did you end up interacting with people like that? Though I shouldn't be surprised…" Walter rolled his eyes in mock and disgust. "One look at that boy is enough to tell me. He screams fag…"

"Dad!" Blaine raised his voice. He thought he heard a chair moving against the floor in the next room, as if someone had stood up brusquely and two soft voices shushing. "Don't use that word!"

"Isn't that what you are, too?" Walter took a few steps until he was standing right in front of Blaine. "A fag? If I discover you're doing exactly what I think you're doing, Blaine… I swear, you can forget about this family, you can forget about everything your mother and I did for you…"

What? What did you do for me? You did nothing but made me feel unloved, unwanted, untalented, unimportant, Blaine thought, but couldn't seem to get the words out. Instead, as the weak, disappointing crap he was, he covered his face with his hands, wanting to block out everything.

"You had better forget about those classes and you had better forget about these people," Walter continued, colder than ever. "Get your act together and grow up for once. I can't believe you are my son. What a waste of space…"

Blaine could feel his eyes watering, but he forced himself not to cry. Not in front of his father. He wouldn't allow Walter to see what he could do to him. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of realizing how much he could affect him.

"I'm serious, Blaine. Get rid of them," he moved a hand around, vaguely. "Don't test my patience."

And without another word, Walter walked out of the kitchen, his steps resounding throughout the silent apartment, until the front door closed with a thump. Blaine stayed there, in the middle of the kitchen, breathing heavily, clenching his fists and hating himself so much he could barely stand it. He had let Kurt, Carole and Burt get involved in this. He had let them see what a disaster his world was. He had let his father insult them. It had gone too far.

Blaine almost jumped a foot in the air when he felt a hand pressing against the small of his back. Kurt was right there by his side, looking at him with the saddest expression Blaine had ever seen.

"Blaine…" He started, quietly.

"No," Blaine shook his head, as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Please don't say anything."

Kurt didn't speak again. He just stood there, with his hand warming Blaine's skin through the layers of clothing, his blue eyes boring into his, intensely.

Blaine hid his face in his hands once again. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. So sorry that you had to listen to that…"

"It's fine," Kurt assured him.

"No, no it's not!" Blaine stepped away from him, unable to feel Kurt so close to him. No one should be close to him. He didn't deserve any of the amazing people that were in his apartment right now. "You shouldn't have to deal with any of this. And the things he said… I know you all heard…"

"I don't care what he says, Blaine," Kurt put his hands on his shoulders to make him look at him. "I don't. At all. I know what kind of man he is, and I wouldn't expect anything else from him…"

Blaine's face scrunched in pain that wasn't even physical, but that was so much stronger than that. "What are your parents going to think?"

"That you didn't win the lottery in the family department, to be honest," Burt said, as he walked into the kitchen, Carole trailing behind. Blaine avoided looking at any of them. "We don't judge you for what he said, kiddo. It's not your fault that your old man is such a huge bastard."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel, that you had to hear those things, what he said about you, what he said about Kurt…" Blaine turned around, his back to the others, and put his hands on the counter, hanging his head, trying to control himself.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Blaine. If Carole and Kurt hadn't stopped me, I would've ripped that man to pieces," Burt answered. He walked to Blaine and put a hand on his shoulder. "But it's still not your fault. You're a fine man, Blaine."

"I'm not," he protested weakly, wishing he could be, wishing he was what Kurt deserved and would never be.

"You are," Burt insisted firmly, squeezing his shoulder. "And one day you'll realize you're too good for this. That man doesn't deserve to call you his son."

"Mr. Hummel…" Blaine whispered, his voice broken.

"It's Burt. Remember that because I don't want to have to remind you next time I see you," Burt interrupted, still in a firm tone, but gentle, caring. "And that next time better be at Christmas. If I don't see you at my house with Kurt for the holidays, I'll be very upset, Blaine."

Blaine swallowed again and looked at the man who seemed to care more for him than his own father. "Thank you, Burt."

"Good," Burt smiled at him. "Now, Carole and I are gonna go. We still have to drive back to Lima and I think it's better if we leave the two of you alone to talk. Call us if you need anything, okay? That goes for you too, Blaine."

Blaine nodded and then he found himself trapped in Carole's arms.

"It was so nice seeing you, sweetheart," she said, tightening her grip around him more than was strictly necessary. "I'll be waiting for Christmas impatiently." She pulled away and looked at Kurt and Blaine alternately. "I love the holidays. It's the only way to have all of my boys home at the same time."

The tears were stinging Blaine's eyes at those words, but once again, he managed to hold them back. "Thanks for coming."

"Happy birthday again," she kissed his cheek affectionately.

After a few more goodbyes, Kurt told Blaine he would accompany his parents downstairs to the car and that he would be right back. Blaine simply nodded and watched them go before moving back to the dining room, where the candle on the cake was still lit, waiting for him to make a wish.

He blew it out immediately. There was no point in making wishes.

He heard the soft sound of the front door announcing Kurt's return, but he didn't move. He stayed there, very still, until he felt a pair of strong arms around his waist from behind and Kurt's chin rested on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, dropping a sweet kiss on Blaine's jaw.

Blaine sighed, his hands finding Kurt's where they were resting on his stomach and intertwining their fingers together. "A bit upset, but… yeah, I'm fine."

"Why don't you go take a shower and relax and I'll take care of the dishes? We can watch a movie later or something," Kurt proposed, although he was happy tangled up with Blaine and didn't want to move.

"Oh, no, no, you don't have to clean up, Kurt, I can…" Blaine reached for the plates, but Kurt stopped him.

"Hey, don't. You know I don't mind," he gently pushed Blaine out of the dining room. "I'll let you wash my dishes when my birthday comes," he added, teasingly, and a tiny smile spread on Blaine's lips.

"Fine," Blaine turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth, needing the comfort that only that could bring him. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Kurt answered.

Blaine stepped into the shower, closed the glass door behind him and sighed in contentment when the warm water started flowing down his skin. He had never really liked how unnecessarily big the shower was (four people could stand inside comfortably), but tonight he was grateful for it. He was grateful for not having another reason to feel trapped.

The bathroom was also big. The floors and walls were dark gray. The wall above the sink, which was in a large granite countertop, had a tall mirror with three lights over it. There was a huge bath tub in addition to the shower (that also had more types of water sprays than Blaine would use in his entire life), which Blaine never used for lack of time and practicality.

As he let his muscles relax, he imagined himself in the tub, warm water almost overflowing to the floor, with Kurt sitting against his chest. Kurt's soft skin was against his own, his naked body glued to his. They weren't really doing anything else, they were just there together and Kurt was smiling and that was a comfort for him. But still, imagining the sensation of Kurt's bare body, although it was just a fantasy, made him feel as if he were crossing the lines, ignoring the limits.

He always felt guilty, every time he caught himself thinking of Kurt that way. Every time he imagined himself undressing him reverently, seeking the smooth porcelain skin Kurt hid under his clothes. He had spent so many years trying to suppress thoughts like those, trying not to let himself think of guys in that way, as if that would make being alone easier. But Kurt was irresistible, too beautiful, too dangerous, just as Blaine had known the first time he had looked at him. With just a blink of those powerful blue eyes, Kurt could destroy the effort that Blaine had made his entire life to stay away, to convince himself he was better off without anyone else, that his father didn't have to put with the shame of a gay son.

No one had ever done for him what Kurt had been doing since the day they had met. Blaine was so irrevocably in love with him that he was afraid his heart would burst out of his chest. But things like what had happened tonight seemed to send an alert through him: let him go, keep him away. He doesn't need to deal any of this.

But then, a voice that sounded a lot like Kurt's resounded in his head: and you do? Why do you want to save him from this so badly but you won't do anything to save yourself?

Blaine rested his head against the cold tiles. He was so tired of everything, but especially, he was tired of being weak. He was tired of standing in front of his father and allowing him to insult all the good things in his life without being able to open his mouth to defend them. He was tired of being a toy that everyone played with. He was tired of holding back and settling for unhappiness because he didn't have the courage to look for anything else.

The problem was that he didn't know how to behave differently. He was the guy who kept his head down and agreed to what others said because his life was a little less miserable if he did that. He wasn't strong and free-spirited like Kurt was.

Wonderful, unique, beautiful Kurt.

He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. His muscles had relaxed a bit but his mind was still troubled. He knew it was going to take a while to get rid of the anger, the bitterness and the embarrassment he had felt when his father insulted Kurt that way, even more since Burt had been able to hear it. He was surprised Burt hadn't attacked Walter, if he had to be honest. But there was a vital difference between both men: Burt was a decent man.

Once he was back in his room, he looked for his favorite pair of sweatpants and hoodie. Part of him wanted to dress up nicely for Kurt, but other still felt bad and just wanted to curl up on the couch and hide. He hoped Kurt wouldn't mind and put the clothes on, dragging his socked feet across the floor when he was done, making his way to the living room.

He could hear that Kurt was speaking softly and Blaine first assumed that he was on the phone with someone, but when he reached the doorway that connected the hallway to the living room, he found him rummaging through Blaine's shelves, looking for a movie, as he talked to Robert, who was sitting quietly at his feet, looking up at him with his head slightly tilted.

"Mm, no, not this one," Kurt murmured, putting back a DVD. "We need something happy, don't you think, Robert? Something that will make Blaine laugh… I wish I knew which one is his favorite movie… he has a lot of superheroes movies, too," he stopped and studied the row of movies, thoughtfully. "Maybe a horror movie? I don't really like them, but they are really distracting and that's what he needs…"

Blaine didn't notice he was moving until he was standing right behind Kurt and slipping his arms around his waist. Kurt jumped, surprised, but instantly relaxed against him, smiling.

"Oh, good. Now that you're here you can tell me what your favorite movie is," Kurt said, still staring at the titles in front of him.

"I'm so in love with you," Blaine answered and hey, he hadn't exactly planned to say that. He felt the air leaving his lungs and his heart skipped a few beats.

"Uhm? I don't know that one…" Kurt grabbed another DVD and started reading the description in the back. And then… "Wait, what?"

Blaine closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before turning Kurt around in his arms, knowing there was no point in taking his words back now. "I love you, Kurt."

The way the smile spread on Kurt's face was so gradual that Blaine swore he could see how the muscles shifted, how the skin tightened, how the dimples on his cheeks deepened, how the spark settled in his blue eyes. "You do?"

Blaine swallowed and nodded, nervously. "It's completely fine if you don't, though," he added quickly. "Really. Don't feel like you have to…"

Kurt rolled his eyes and put both of his hands on each side of Blaine's face, bringing him closer and crashing their lips together. The kiss effectively silenced Blaine, who whimpered a bit into Kurt's mouth.

"Blaine?" Kurt whispered, his lips still against Blaine's, the action sending a shiver down Blaine's spine.

"Yeah?" Blaine's eyes locked with his, a little hesitant. Kurt's fingers brushed his jaw, lightly, feeling the stubble that had been growing there.

"I love you, too, silly," Kurt answered with a smile and he felt Blaine's breath into his mouth when he exhaled in relief before resuming their kiss.

Blaine forgot about everything. In that very moment, there wasn't such thing as his father's hate, his mother's indifference, his eternal loneliness or his years living a life that had never seemed his own. Right then, in that exact second, as Kurt's arms wrapped tightly around him to pull him even closer, as their lips were connected in the most beautiful kiss they had shared, Blaine felt happy and loved. He felt the happiness spreading throughout his body, filling his chest, rushing through his veins and his fingers buried into the small of Kurt's back, suddenly overwhelmed by it, needing something to keep him grounded, to show him he wasn't dreaming, that this was actually happening.

Kurt pulled away after a couple of minutes, but the smile disappeared from his face when he saw the tears coming down Blaine's cheeks. "Blaine… what's wrong?" He asked, wiping them away lovingly.

Blaine grinned, the corner of his eyes wrinkling as he tried to hold back more tears. "Nothing. I'm just… this is all I've ever wanted."

"Oh, sweetheart," Kurt muttered, moving forward again to place kisses all over the other man's face.

Blaine stayed very still, grateful for the attention he was getting, until his lips ached to get back to Kurt's and he tilted his head slightly to the side to catch them when Kurt was about to press the forty seventh kiss to his jaw. It started slow and gentle and then became open-mouthed and deeper. Their tongues brushed together shyly, something they hadn't allowed themselves to really do the other times they'd kissed. Blaine, a little surprised at the action, made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded a lot like a growl. Kurt loved the sound as soon as he heard it and, wanting to hear it again, circled Blaine's tongue with his to pull it into his mouth, where he sucked on it lightly.

Blaine's fingers were digging into his back a little stronger. Kurt moved one of his hands up until he reached Blaine's still damp curls. He fisted them, not hard enough to be painful, but loving how amazing they felt tangled between his fingers.

They pulled away when their breathing became ragged and difficult. Kurt's pupils were blown and Blaine's gaze was filled with sheer desire. Blaine's lips felt naked without Kurt pressed against them, so he leaned in and tentatively started kissing along his jaw, under his ear, down his neck. Kurt squirmed, using the grip he had on Blaine's hair to bring him closer, throwing his head back to give him more access.

"Blaine," he moaned softly, when Blaine nibbled gently on his earlobe. "Oh, god, I love you so much…"

Blaine was shaking. For so many years he had controlled himself, had hid his emotions, his urges, his desires, and with just one look at Kurt all of his restraint had crumbled like a sandcastle hit by the tide. And what a powerful tide. What a powerful, beautiful tide Kurt was. Blaine would crumble at his mercy every time Kurt wanted him to.

Blaine's lips made their way back to Kurt's, where he placed a quick kiss before straightening up to look him in the eyes. "Kurt…" He swallowed. How was it possible that he had this gorgeous man in his arms and it wasn't a dream? These things didn't happen to Blaine. It was surreal. "I… Kurt, I have nothing to offer to you. I… you deserve…"

Kurt shook his head. "No, no, Blaine, don't. Don't say that."

"It's true…"

"You have everything I've ever dreamt of to offer," Kurt muttered, his blue eyes staring at him so intensely that Blaine was surprised he didn't burst into flames. "I've never felt this way… Blaine, you're not the only one who has been alone," he smiled as he brushed some of Blaine's curls back. "There's a reason I've never left Ohio. I thought I'd never find someone who could love me and that I could love back and I didn't want to be in some strange city halfway across the country and realize I didn't have anybody. I stayed here for my family, but I also stayed here because I've always been afraid…"

"Anyone who doesn't fall in love with you is either blind or stupid," Blaine replied quietly, hypnotized by Kurt's gaze. "Or both."

Kurt nuzzled against his cheek, sighing. "All I want from you is your love. That's all I'm asking for."

"You have it," Blaine assured him immediately. "It's been yours since I saw you for the first time."

"Good, because I'm pretty sure you've had mine since then, too," Kurt bit his lip, sheepishly.

Blaine cupped his face with one of his hands and Kurt leaned into the touch. "It's just… I'm a little broken, in case you haven't noticed yet."

There was no hesitation in Kurt's eyes, no doubt in his words, no need for a second thought. "We'll fix you. Together."

Blaine crashed their lips together in another kiss, this one even more desperate than any of the others. He loved this man in a way he couldn't even understand. It seemed to have taken over his life, nothing else mattered as long as Kurt was there. He kissed him passionately, feeling Kurt's lips moving under his to respond, the hand he still had on his face keeping him in place, feeling the way Kurt's jaw moved to open his mouth. Blaine slipped his tongue inside, wanting more, needing to taste Kurt. The muffled moan Kurt produced echoed into his own mouth and Blaine felt his whole body twitching in return.

Kurt was panting when he broke away this time. The blue in his eyes was almost completely gone, his pupils impossibly dilated. "C-can we go to your bed?" He asked, his voice hoarse, with an edge of neediness.

Drunken, blurred memories of a night Blaine could barely remember flashed through his mind. Strange hands roaming his body, sweaty skin glued to his, alcohol-flavored kisses, feeling-less motions and an empty morning after, except for the regrets that had seemed to make his stomach revolt. It had been so pointless, so meaningless, and Blaine had spent endless nights wishing he hadn't been so stupid, wishing he hadn't done something like that for all the wrong reasons. Blaine had spent endless nights hoping he could erase that someday, as if the marks of a random man's fingertips were still printed on his skin. He had wished for love for so long…

"Yes," he answered at last, and his fingers intertwined with Kurt to guide him down the hallway towards his room.