Blaine

                Kurt was asleep minutes after Blaine had started to rub his back. Although it was relatively innocent, giving Kurt a backrub was surprising intimate for the two of them. Blaine found it was just as relaxing for him as it was for Kurt. Kurt’s skin was always soft and so warm; he was surprised they hadn’t fallen asleep together with Kurt’s shirt off yet. Blaine loved the scent of Kurt’s vanilla body butter and had embarrassingly gone to the store where Kurt had bought it after the first time Blaine had suggested giving him a massage. He carried it around in his messenger bag at school and kept a pot of it in his dorm room and his bedroom at home. He liked to rub it into his hands when he was missing Kurt more than usual. The scent held so many wonderful memories and feelings, that it instantly put him at ease. Without fail, Blaine used some before bed and sometimes in the middle of the night he’d wake up from a nightmare from his past or just a pang in his chest from seeing Kurt in his dreams, that he’d snuggle more into his blankets and breathe in the faint scent of the vanilla that permeated them.

                Blaine had rubbed Kurt’s back for a little while longer after he had fallen asleep. Kurt’s back was filled with knots of tension and even if he was sleeping, Blaine knew Kurt would appreciate the gesture. After he was finished, he managed to coerce a sleepy Kurt back into his t-shirt before Burt or Carole came upstairs to check on them. Kurt smiled sleepily at Blaine as he distantly noticed the lack of tension in his shoulders. All while half asleep, Kurt managed to get his shirt back on and snuggle into Blaine’s chest to continue his nap. If Blaine turned his head, his nose pressed into Kurt’s soft, un-styled hair. Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt’s back and was rubbing it back and forth occasionally. As Kurt slept, Blaine quietly turned the television on, which was frozen on a DVD from one of the older seasons of Friends. Blaine wasn’t particularly tired. In fact, he was more riled up than anything and Kurt’s sleeping form was the one thing able to soothe the angry beast residing in his chest.

                Blaine was barely through half an episode when Burt and Carole came up to check on them. Kurt was still resting peacefully on Blaine’s chest and Blaine was trying to focus solely on Kurt’s presence and the plotline of the episode so he wouldn’t have a full on breakdown. He heard Burt and Carole’s footsteps on the hardwood stairs before he saw them. As they both stood in the doorway, he noticed the two of them smiling softly at Kurt and Blaine cuddled together. Burt looked exceptionally tired and worn, but he also had this look in his eyes that Blaine knew meant business.

                “Blaine, do you think we could talk to you downstairs for a minute?” asked Burt, in a whisper.

                “Umm…” Blaine simply looked down at Kurt sleeping peacefully on his chest. He really didn’t want to wake him up, not after the day he’s had.

                “It’s okay kid. Kurt sleeps like the dead. I’ll help you.” Burt walked over to the opposite side of Kurt’s bed and with careful hands, he managed to turn Kurt onto his side and off of Blaine. Burt took Kurt’s carefully folded blanket off the end of the bed and draped it over his son.

                Blaine carefully got off the bed, trying not to jostle the mattress too much and disturb Kurt. He silently followed Burt and Carole down the stairs and back into the kitchen, where three mugs of tea where resting on the kitchen table.

                “I figured maybe some tea would help soothe some of the stress,” said Carole, as she sat down.

                “Thanks, Carole,” Blaine said politely. “My mom always makes me tea when I’m stressed or upset.” Carole smiled in appreciation. “So what did you want to talk about?”

                Burt cleared his throat. “Dalton.”

                “Dalton?” Blaine quirked an eyebrow in confusion. He wouldn’t have thought the Hummels had considered Dalton as an option, especially since it was two hours away from Lima and the tuition was quite steep compared to attending McKinley for free.

                “Carole and I have been discussing possible options for Kurt and Dalton is definitely a possibility right now. I wasn’t able to reach Figgins, but I have a feeling without any evidence, Karofsky will deny everything that Kurt accuses him of and no action will be taken.”

                “You really think that will happen? They won’t take anything Kurt says seriously?”

                “Well, we don’t exactly know yet, but it could happen. Figgins is the type of person to look past the records of each student compared to hard solid evidence. I mean, Kurt has a flawless school record, but as soon as someone comes in and denies everything, obviously that’s going to count for something compared to at least trying to look for something hidden,” Burt said with a grimace.

                “So you want to send him to Dalton?” Blaine sounded a little incredulous, because he really didn’t want to get his hopes up. Obviously seeing Kurt daily had a major appeal, not to mention hours and hours of interrupted alone time, but something in the back of his mind told him to reel it in for now.

                “It’s definitely on the top of our list. We’ve also thought about pulling Kurt out of McKinley and getting him to do all of his courses online, seeing as there are only four months left of the semester, but I don’t think he’d take too kindly at that. He’d just be bored and lonely all the time. Also, there’s an issue with even getting into Dalton this late in the year. It really just depends on how the meeting with Figgins goes.”

                “Right.”

                “So, Blaine, honey, getting back to what me and Burt called you down here for…” Carole interjected. “We wanted to discuss more of the technicalities of Dalton, like tuition and boarding and such.”

                “I’m afraid I’m not quite well versed in the aspects of tuition and such because my parents usually take care of all that. I’ll do my best though.” Burt and Carole nodded at him to continue.

                “As far as I know, tuition can be paid in one lump sum, or in monthly payments. It includes the cost of boarding, health services, student services like field trips and events and fun stuff for the dorms, food, internet, laundry and a cleaning service that comes in once a week.” Burt and Carole looked at him with dropped jaws.

                “I know it sounds bad, but if you really think about it, Dalton tries it’s best to act like a really comforting environment to the boarders. Of course there are those students who only attend during the day, and they don’t pay as much tuition. But, no one really complains about the money, because it seems worth it. The food is actually amazing and the dorms are bigger than any college ones I’ve ever seen.  Each room has its own bathroom and instead of using quarters for sucky washing machines and driers, we simply swipe our key cards.”

                “So, what, all your tuition money is stored on your card or something?”

                “No, not really. We use them to unlock the doors to our dorm rooms, we use them to sign out computers in the library or take out books. We use them to sign in and out of dorms if we go to visit someone and we use them if we need to visit health services. It basically stores the personal information of the student and ensures they are a student at Dalton and are allowed to use all the special services. For example, my friend Thad is a day student, so his key card won’t let him use the washing machines, or get into the dorms, but it will let him sign out books or a computer. It’s kind of complicated, but it’s a good system.”

                “But isn’t it a bad idea that only one person can use a certain card to get into a room? What if there’s an emergency?” Carole asked, worriedly.

                “There is a person on every floor, who is appointed a prefect that has a card that allows them to enter all of the rooms. They basically act as the authority on the floor. The dorms are a mix of students from different grades, but Dalton usually rooms two students from the same grade together. It ensures compatibility and the presence of a senior student on the floor who can be appointed as a prefect.”

`               “Do you ever have any problems with people getting out of hand? I mean, there’s no adult supervision, right?”

                Blaine thought for a moment. “That’s right, there isn’t any adult supervision. The prefects are trusted enough to supervise the dorms and are responsible enough to report any issues to the staff. The golden rule at Dalton is respect, so there really aren’t a lot of situations in which things get out of hand.” Blaine decided to keep the fact that the Dalton dorms where just as rowdy as any other dorm. There were weekly parties and movie nights and the alcohol supply was abundant thanks to older siblings. Nothing ever got completely out of control. As long as everything was cleaned up in the morning, nothing was ever noticed. The prefects did do a good job during the week to make sure everyone was back in their rooms by the curfew and to keep the halls fairly quiet for the students studying or doing other homework, but the weekends were free reign. Blaine would much rather come home to Lima for the weekends instead of staying at Dalton. Partying wasn’t really his most favourite thing to do. He would much rather spend some time at home with his parents and of course going on dates with Kurt.

                Burt sat thoughtfully at the head of the table. His brow was furrowed and his was tapping a pen against a legal pad. “It seems like a really good school. But what about academics? Obviously there would be some sort of difference between McKinley and Dalton.”

                “I think Dalton’s main goal is to prepare its students for university. I’ve done homework before with Kurt and our material was vastly different. I think Kurt would manage just fine though, he’s very smart. And of course I’d always be willing to help him. So would the other Warblers.”

                Burt sighed loudly. “The thing is, this school sounds absolutely amazing and I wish I could have sent Kurt before he even started high school, but…the money. The money is a big factor.”  

                “Completely understandable.” Blaine nods reassuringly. Blaine really had no idea how much the tuition was at Dalton. His parents took care of everything, so he really didn’t know how it could be a problem for other people who didn’t make as much money as his mother, who was a surgeon and his father, who was a lawyer.

                “I’m not really well versed on the financial aspects of Dalton. I do know they have bursaries and scholarships they can give to those who can’t exactly afford to attend Dalton. There’s also a yearly payment plan…I think, Burt, if you’d like, I can gladly give you my mother’s phone number and you can speak with her about it. My mother is good friends with the Dean, actually. They always attend those fancy charity balls together and sometimes, if my mother has the time, she’ll help plan an event or two for the school. I’m sure she’d be happy to answer any questions you might have and put a good word in with the Dean, although I’m sure you won’t find Kurt having problems being accepted.”

                Burt’s features softened at Blaine’s offer to give him his mother’s phone number. 

                “Thanks, kid. That helps a lot. So would you say that the Dean is fairly flexible with mid semester transfers?”

                “Normally, no. In Kurt’s case, yes.”

                “What do you mean?”

                “When my parents went to the school to see about a mid-semester transfer, the Dean was initially going to say no. I wasn’t aware of this until I had started school there and he had called me into his office. Apparently my parents had discussed with him the…uh…conditions to why I needed to transfer and the Dean ultimately understood. See, the Dean is gay and he experienced bullying when he was younger, just like me and Kurt. He normally wouldn’t treat any student more specially than another, but he does hold a soft spot for gay kids. I think as long as you are open with the Dean as to why you want Kurt to transfer, he’ll allow it no questions asked. He knows what it’s like to need a safe haven.”

                “That’s fantastic,” Carole said. She turned to Burt, “I think it really would be best to just transfer him to Dalton, honey. It sounds like such an amazing school…I have a feeling that even if we did talk to Figgins and somehow Karofsky was expelled, the bullying wouldn’t exactly stop.”

                “Carole’s right,” Blaine said under his breath. “Karofsky wasn’t the only one who was bullying him, there were others. It won’t stop, even if Karofsky leaves.”

                Burt rubbed his hands over his face and nodded resolutely. “Okay. It’s definitely top priority. I mean, of course we still need to discuss it with Kurt, but I think he’ll be pretty willing to go to Dalton, after everything that’s happened. Go ahead and write your home phone number down for me Blaine, I’d really like to speak with your mother.” Burt slid the yellow legal pad and pen down towards the table, in front of Blaine. He scribbled his home number down quickly and passed it back to Burt.

                “I’ll let you talk to her first, though, kid. I’m sure she’s wondering where you are. Also, maybe you can brief her on what’s going on?”

                “Sure, of course.” Blaine stood up from the kitchen table to fetch the Hummel’s home phone so he could call his mom. Before he could dial, Kurt was shuffling sleepily into the kitchen. His hair was adorably disheveled; the hair on the left side stuck up where Kurt had his head on Blaine’s chest and the rest of it was just fluffy and soft looking. Kurt rubbed his eyes and yawned quietly, his mouth perking into a tiny “o” before he cleared his throat and addressed Blaine.

                “Where did you go? I woke up and you weren’t there and I kind of freaked out for a second.”

                Kurt’s eyes were a little blood shot and his mouth was set in a firm frown. His eyebrows were creased in worry and his cheeks were void of any colour.

                He must have had a bad dream and just doesn’t want to admit it. Blaine was quite familiar with nightmares, especially after he was attacked when he was 13 years old. He had nightmares through most of his first semester of Dalton. Thankfully his roommate was one of the kindest people Blaine had met and had often comforted Blaine during his tough spots. Blaine knew Kurt well enough to know that he was trying to hide his continued vulnerability and fear because of his incredible need to have someone around to comfort him all day. Kurt wasn’t quite used to being so dependent on other people, especially on an emotional level. When Kurt had broken his wrist, he had expressed to Blaine frequently how frustrated and out of control he felt with his injury, because he couldn’t do anything for himself. Obviously the physical dependency became normal for Kurt and he had gotten used to it. After he had gotten his cast off, he was fine and the problem was fixed. Now, it wouldn’t be so easy. It was so much harder to fix an emotional scar than a physical one.

                Blaine placed the phone back on the counter and rushed comfortingly to Kurt’s side. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pressed their sides close together. “Did you have a bad dream?” he asked, softly.

                Kurt’s head jerked to the side, as if to shake his head no, but he paused. Blaine just simple watched Kurt process the thoughts in his head. Blaine knew there was some variation of deciding whether or not to confide in Blaine that he was feeling weak and scared because of a silly dream.

                “No, not really. Well…okay. I guess you could call it a bad dream. It wasn’t that bad. I just woke up quickly and you weren’t there so I was kind of scared.”

                “Do you want to talk about it?” Blaine asked. He pressed a kiss to Kurt’s temple in an attempt to soothe him after his confession.

                “No, not really. I don’t really remember it that well. I just have that feeling in my stomach that makes me feel a little uneasy, that’s all.”

                Blaine nodded in understanding. He knew exactly what Kurt meant. Blaine was still privy to those kinds of dreams, years after he’d transferred to Dalton. Blaine tugged into a quick, sweet hug and Kurt kissed his cheek as he pulled away. The sparkle was coming back to his eyes and he was smiling.

                Ah, the magic touch, Blaine mused.

                “So what were guys talking about?” Kurt asked.

                There was a silent moment between Burt, Carole and Blaine. They hadn’t necessarily discussed telling Kurt what they were planning, not until they met with Figgins, so Blaine didn’t say anything.

                “Uh, the thing is buddy, we were asking Blaine some questions about Dalton,” Burt said, finally.

                “About Dalton? I thought we were meeting with Figgins first and then we were going to discuss other options?”

                “Yeah, I know. But things might not work out at McKinley, Kurt. We wanted to get a head start on looking at other options.”

                “Oh…”Kurt frowned. “I didn’t think we could afford Dalton.”

                “Sit down, Kurt. There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Blaine looked over at Burt, surprised. He didn’t mention talking to Kurt about something incredibly important…Blaine sunk down in the chair next to Kurt. He was twiddling his fingers nervously. Blaine placed a hand on Kurt’s fidgety hands in an attempt to comfort him. It had been such a long day and Blaine knew Kurt probably didn’t want to have another serious conversation.

                “The thing about Dalton is Kurt…it’s your best option. All three of us have been discussing it and both Carole and Blaine think that even if we do manage to get Karofsky expelled, you still won’t necessarily be safe. Now, we’ll still have the meeting with Figgins, but I want you to know, I cannot allow you to go back to that school if you aren’t going to be safe. Hell, I would have pulled you out years ago if I had known was what going on.”

                Kurt nodded demurely.

                “The thing is, with the money…I know it’s expensive. And of course we are willing to do whatever we can. If that means sacrificing a few things, then that’s fine with us.”

                “We’d do anything to keep you safe, honey,” Carole added.

                “Exactly. I mean, right now, we aren’t quite sure about the tuition, or what we would have to pay for you to register with four months of school left. Blaine mentioned something about scholarships and bursaries that you can apply to and…there’s something else.”

                “What is it?” Kurt asked.

                “When you were a baby, your mom and I started to put money away for college. Now, it’s been sitting in investments for a while, so it’s grown quite a bit with interest. If your mother hadn’t died…you probably wouldn’t have had enough to go to a college out of town unless you won some scholarships and bursaries, but…when she died, your mother rewrote her will and included that a good chunk of her assets would go in a special trust fund for you for college and other things like, living expenses, or your Navigator for instance.”

                “Wait, you bought the Navigator with money that mom left for me?” Kurt had a pained look in his eyes and Burt looked guilty.

                “I know, I should have told you. I did use some of my own savings Kurt, I promise, I really did. But you talked so much about that car and I knew it would keep you safe on the road and I couldn’t get it unless I used some of that money. But trust me, that’s exactly the kind of thing your mother would have wanted you to use it for.”

                “If it was my money, how come you get to use it on things without asking me? And how come you never told me about it?!” Kurt’s voice was becoming increasingly frustrated and Blaine was just watching with rapt attention.

                “Hey, cool your jets, kid. Ultimately because the money was in mine and your mother’s name and included both of our assets, I could do whatever I wanted with it. I’d never go against your mother’s wishes Kurt. Remember how badly you wanted that damn car? I kept it from you because I just didn’t want you to think you had power over the money and could use it however you wanted. I mean, I guess I could have explained it to you when you got a little older, but to be honest it kind of slipped my mind.”

                “You’re right.” Kurt sighed. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to get upset about it.”

                “No worries, kid. It’s understandable. I just didn’t want you to get any ideas in your head when you were younger and more naïve.”

                “I probably would have wanted to buy real diamond tiaras instead of using the money to go to college…” Kurt said, smiling. Blaine laughed and bumped his shoulder into Kurt’s.

                Burt just smiled. “The truth is kid, the account we set up for you will only be under your full control when you turn 21. However, after you turn 18, or are getting ready to start university, you would be required to co-sign on all transactions. Now, if we had to use some of the money to attend Dalton, it would ultimately be your decision. Like I mentioned before, Carole and I are completely willing to pool our finances and do whatever we can so we don’t have to use up your savings for college. If we were to transfer you right now, we’d be alright with our own finances if Dalton only requires us to pay four months of tuition instead of a full year. You’d be turning 18 before you went to Dalton for your Senior Year, if you wanted to do that, so it would your decision to use the money or not.”

                Kurt nodded thoughtfully.  Blaine picked up on the knots of confusion worrying themselves into Kurt’s forehead.

                “This is a lot to take in and I’m kind of confused.”

                “I know, bud. It’s a lot of information. We’ve got it all taken care of. I’m going to talk to Blaine’s mom tonight about Dalton and the tuition and stuff, so don’t worry about a thing. Everything will be taken care of.”

                Kurt nodded and Blaine squeezed his hand once more.

                “Speaking of your mom Blaine, shouldn’t you be giving her a call?”

                “Oh, right. Yes, I’ll do that right now. She’s probably wondering why I haven’t come home.”

                Blaine picked up the phone and dialed his home phone number, hoping his mother would pick up instead of his father or the maid. He walked into the Hummel’s living room for a little privacy. On the third ring, his mother’s cheery English accent greeted him. Blaine sunk into the couch cushions and told his mother everything.