Blaine

                Blaine sat quietly on top of Kurt’s bed and observed his boyfriend run through the various steps of his moisturizing routine. They weren’t speaking. Kurt was absorbed in the task of caring for his skin and Blaine just liked to watch him meticulously rub toners and creams into his soft cheeks and onto his warm forehead. His hair was pushed back with a white, terry-cloth headband because Kurt hadn’t made a point of styling his hair after his shower this afternoon and he absolutely refused to have his bangs in his face. Kurt was a little embarrassed to slip it on with Blaine around, but Blaine thought it was adorable.

                Kurt’s reflection in the mirror looked contemplative and a little tired. He didn’t look so sad or afraid anymore, which Blaine was happy about. After talking to his mom on the phone and handing it over to Burt, Blaine opted to make the family some homemade hot chocolate (his grandmother’s recipe) and watch reruns of Modern Family with Kurt, Finn and Carole while Burt talked to his mom in the other room. The television show seemed to perk Kurt’s spirits a bit; he laughed especially hard at the scenes with the loveable Mitchell and Cam. Kurt kept close to Blaine all night; their hands were intertwined together at every moment and they cuddled on the couch.

 Burt came in about an hour after Blaine had handed the phone over to him and he announced that Blaine’s mother has invited Burt and Carole over for tea the next day.

Kurt giggled a little at Burt’s announcement. He had a wide smile on his face and his dimples were showing. “Blaine,” he giggled into his chest, “Your mother is so entirely British, I love it. She is like the stereotypical English woman. She reminds me of like…I don’t even know. But I love her.”

Blaine just laughed and ran his fingers through Kurt’s hair. “You’re silly.”

Kurt just laughed again, “I think it might be the sugar.”

“Why are you so adorable?” Blaine asked, amused. He leaned down to press a kiss on top of Kurt’s head and smiled against his hair. Kurt’s mood was getting increasingly better, which made him very happy.

Kurt tilted his head up and looked at him with wide eyes, “Why are you?”

The sound of fake retching from across the room interrupted their little moment. Kurt shifted himself up from his position on Blaine’s chest to glare at Finn across the room. Blaine chucked under his breath when he realized Kurt was giving Finn one of his most famous bitch glares. (Blaine was lucky he hadn’t been a recipient of one of those as of yet)

“Dudes, you guys are being so cute it’s going to make me puke rainbows or something.”

“Finn,” Kurt huffed, “don’t be jealous of us. You know we’re more adorable than you and Rachel will ever be.”

Blaine nodded in agreement, “Sorry man, I have to agree with Kurt here.” Kurt tilted his head up and smiled adorably at him.

Finn just stuck his tongue out in retaliation. Kurt stuck his own tongue out. Blaine forgot they were all teenagers for a second…

“Fine then, me and Blaine will go upstairs and continue our adorableness up there, right Blaine?”

“If you say so,” he replied. Kurt climbed off the couch and held a hand out to Blaine to help pull him up. They were just about to go upstairs when Burt called out from the kitchen, “Whatever adorableness you plan on engaging in requires an open door!”

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. “Yes Dad, we know.”

Burt stepped out of the kitchen into the hall. “Blaine, don’t forget your curfew is midnight. Your mother wanted me to remind you.”

Blaine nodded, “Of course, sir. Thank you.” Blaine snuck a quick peek at his watch; he still had about an hour before he had to leave. Burt just nodded at him and joined Carole and Finn in the living room.

Once they had gotten upstairs, Kurt had planned to flip through the newest issue of Vogue he had gotten in the mail yesterday (Blaine hadn’t had the chance to look through his own copy yet since he’d been at school. He tried to get to his issues before his mother got her hands on them because she always tore out the really good perfume and cologne samples.) Kurt was yawing every 2 pages, so Blaine suggested he get ready for bed.

After a little coaxing and promises to stay until he was tucked in, Kurt got ready for bed. Blaine continued to watch Kurt’ reflection in the mirror and he smiled a little to himself. I really should make a point of telling Kurt how beautiful he is more often.

Kurt’s eyes shifted from looking at himself into the mirror, to where Blaine assumed Kurt could see him sitting on the bed.

“What are you smiling at over there?”

“Just you.” Kurt smiled and his eyes shifted down to the dresser for a quick moment. He didn’t say anything in response, but he started to rearrange the various pots and tubes on the vanity so they were in an orderly line along the edge of the mirror. He slipped the headband off of his head and fluffed his bangs a little with his fingers. He spun around on the little bench to face Blaine and smiled at him.

“You look beautiful,” Blaine said, seemingly out of nowhere. Kurt did look beautiful though. His blue eyes had that sparkle it was missing all afternoon. He was smiling and the colour had returned to his face. His cheeks were pink from the various creams and lotions and toners Kurt used. Kurt was wearing a pair of royal blue satin pajamas. Kurt refused to sleep in anything but satin because it was good for his skin and the thinness of the material ensured he never got too warm underneath his various blankets.

“I wish you could stay,” Kurt said, softly.

“I know, me too. But I know your dad would have none of it. Or he’d make me sleep on the couch, which would be pointless.” Kurt scrunched his nose is response.

“Come here,” Blaine said, “We still have half an hour to cuddle before I have to leave.”  Kurt nodded and smiled. He hopped onto the bed and curled under the duvet. He settled himself against the pillows for a quick moment and yawned. Blaine settled next to him and again, Kurt positioned himself so he was lying on Blaine’s chest.

“I’m scared I’m going to have nightmares,” Kurt murmured softly. Blaine closed his eyes for a moment. He knew exactly how Kurt felt.

“I wish I could tell you there could be a way to prevent them, but there isn’t. I wish I could stay but…I’ll leave the volume up on my phone tonight, so you can call me if you have a scary dream. Finn and your parents are right down the hall. I don’t want you to be scared to go to sleep, baby,” Blaine said, truthfully.

“I think just being here right now with you will keep the nightmares away,” Kurt said. He snuggled a little deeper into Blaine’s chest. Blaine rubbed his back through the thin satin.

“Try to fall asleep right now before I have to leave. Maybe that’ll help keep the dreams away? I’ll come over right in the morning too. I won’t be gone long.” Kurt nodded and turned to the side, away from Blaine to help him fall asleep. Blaine rolled over and tucked himself behind Kurt, spooning him. He kept an eye on his watch and even before his half an hour was up, Kurt’s breathing had turned slow and even. Blaine carefully rolled himself away and got off the bed. He put on his sweater and shoes before grabbing the duffle bag he had planned to bring home that day from school. He padded around to the side of the bed that Kurt was facing and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek and whispered a quiet “Good night” and an “I love you.”

Blaine kept the soft light of the lamp on as he left the room. Before leaving to go downstairs, he decided to pay a quick visit to Finn. He shut Kurt’s door almost three quarters of the way and padded down the hall to Finn’s room. Finn’s door was open a crack and Blaine could hear the noise of the television playing softly. He knocked quietly and poked his head in the doorway.

Finn had sat up from where he leaned up against the pillows.

“Hey man,” he whispered. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say goodnight before I left and maybe ask you to keep an ear out for Kurt. He might have nightmares tonight and I just don’t want him to be absolutely terrified. I’ll leave my phone on but…”

“Don’t worry man, I’ve got it covered. You should get home before you’re late.”

Blaine nodded and thanked Finn before closing the bedroom door and walking down the stairs. Burt and Carole were sitting cuddled together on the couch watching television.

“Night Carole, Burt.”

They both looked up at him from the couch.

“Night, sweetie! Have a safe drive!” Carole called out.

“Night, kid. Thanks for being here today.” Burt said. Blaine just nodded.

“Of course. I’ll probably be seeing you guys tomorrow, if that’s alright.”

“Sure thing kid, you’re always welcome here,” Burt said.

Blaine nodded and walked out the front door. He unlocked his Jeep with two clicks of the remote hanging on his key chain and he shivered in the crisp air. Once he settled himself in the jeep, he turned the car on and let the heat warm up the car before he left. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. He wanted to go home and crawl into his wonderfully soft bed and sleep for days.

Blaine drove home in silence. He was too drained to process anything at that moment; all he wanted to do was go home. He was thankful that his house was only about a 20 minute drive away from the Hummels’ house.  All he could think about on the drive on was Karofsky kissing his boyfriend. His beautiful, kind, harmless boyfriend, who did nothing to aggravate Karofsky except be himself. It frustrated Blaine to no end that this person thought he was entitled to push his boyfriend around and kiss him. Just the thought of his meaty paws on Kurt’s delicate face, his dry, cracked lips pressed against Kurt’s soft ones, bruising them. Blaine didn’t know whether he wanted to cry or throw up.

As Blaine drove down his street, Blaine smiled a little when he noticed the outside lights were on. That meant someone was waiting up for him. It wasn’t too late, but his mother and father worked early hours and were often in bed early as well. In the back of his mind, he silently wished that his father was away for the weekend.

 Blaine sorted his parents into two categories: comfortable and uncomfortable. His mother was the type of person you could go to with any kind of problem. She was the one who made you tea before you could even say a word because she could just sense something was wrong. She was the one you could hug and read Vogue with and talk about shows on the West End with. She was the one who made pancakes in the morning when Blaine came home from school on the weekends. She was the one who gave him that push to spend time with Kurt…Blaine’s father was…the complete opposite of all of that. Blaine’s father was the one you went to when you needed help with your calculus homework, or your essay for your Law class. He was the one who just nodded and clapped him on the shoulder when Blaine said he had a boyfriend, while his mother had squealed and hugged him tightly. His father wasn’t the worst person in the world…he could be a lot worst. But he was nothing like Burt Hummel. Blaine was glad he had his mother to make up for the love and support his father was lacking.

Blaine parked his jeep in the driveway and walked up to the house, slinging his duffle bag on his shoulder. He opened the door and slid into the house, shutting it behind him quietly. He toed off his shoes and placed his bag near the foot of the stairs. A warm light from the living room flooded the dark foyer and Blaine followed it. The room was cozily warm compared to the crisp air outside. His mom had turned on the fireplace and she was sitting on the couch in front of it. She was cuddled into fleece polka dot pajamas and was reading one of her newest chick lit novels. Her dark rimmed glasses were perched on her nose and her dark brown curls were clipped on top of her head. Two steaming mugs of tea sat on the table next to her.

Blaine shuffled to the couch and almost face planted into the soft cushions of the couch. His mother chuckled softly. “I made tea, Goose.” Blaine just grunted into the cushion. His mom reached over and patted his curls. “Come on, love. Sit up. It’ll make you feel better.” Blaine stayed still for a moment and then acquiesced.

Blaine scooted up from where he was on the couch and cuddled up close to his mom. She handed him a mug of tea. Blaine took a sip and let the warmth soothe his aching heart and let out a long sigh. His mom always managed to make the perfect cup of tea: steeped to perfection with one milk and one sugar.

“Thanks, Mom”.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Blaine took a couple more sips of tea before he responded. “I just wish I could have protected him. Or that he’d never have had to deal with all of the stuff in the first place. I’m scared for him.”

“He’s not alone anymore though, love. He had you and his family. He’ll be safe as long as he had all of you to protect him.” She brushed a hand through his curls once more.

“But what if I can’t? What if I’m not around one day and he gets hurt?”

“You can’t control everything, Blaine. I’m sure Kurt has the same exact thoughts about you. That’s what love is all about. You want to protect each other, keep each other safe. You might not physically be able to do it sometimes, love, but by just knowing you’ll be there is enough, don’t you think?”

“I suppose. I just love him so much; I hate to see him hurting like this.”

“It’ll get better honey. You’ll help him. And if my conversation with Andrew goes well tomorrow, it might not be long until Kurt is at Dalton with you, where he’ll be safe.”

Blaine sat up a little straighter at his mother’s confession. “Mom, you aren’t going to bribe the Dean or something, are you?”

She laughed. “Don’t be silly, Blaine. You know better than I do that the Dean does not need to be persuaded in cases such as this. I just think he needs to be briefed on the situation. I’m sure Kurt really doesn’t need to revisit his past with bullying to the Dean. Plus, I’m having Burt and Carole over for tea tomorrow. We’ll work everything out, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” Blaine nodded.

“Now, go on upstairs and get some sleep. I assume Kurt’s expecting you early.”

Blaine laughed and got up from the couch. “I promised him.” He bent down and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Thanks again, mom.”

Blaine headed up to his room, picking up his duffle bag on the way. He walked along the hallway, passing his father’s office and the Master Bedroom until he reach his own room and clicked on the light. His heart was soothed once more as he walked into his room. It was painted in a deep shade of red, with accents of cream and black all over the room. Kurt had suggested redecorating the bedroom the first time he had come over to Blaine’s house.

“Blaine, please tell me this is not your bedroom.”

“Yeah….why?”

“Blaine, this is the most depressing bedroom I have ever been in. My dad’s bedroom isn’t even this boring. Finn’s room has better personality than this.”

“I-I don’t really see a problem, here, Kurt.”

Blaine’s bedroom was a simple cream colour. His bedspread was a blue plaid. His desk was a dark finished wood and was neatly organized. A tall, black, bookshelf was filled with novels, DVDs and CDs. There were no pictures hanging on the wall, or any personal artifacts at all. Blaine did have his keyboard set up near the window, which had a lovely padded bench underneath it.

“Well…I guess it might be a little boring. But that’s because my parents moved into this house while I was away at Dalton and I never really got around to decorating it with my stuff. I have some things in storage downstairs and in my dorm room at school…I really haven’t put too much thought into redecorating.”

“Don’t worry Blaine, I’ve got this.”

                So, Kurt had decided on a deep red colour because apparently it complemented his skin tone and it would make the room a nice place to come home to on the weekends. Also, he said it reminded him of Blaine’s favourite cardigan that he’d worn on their first coffee date after they had met. (Blaine pretended not to notice the blush on Kurt’s cheek and he hoped Kurt wouldn’t notice the blush on his own cheeks) Kurt swapped out Blaine’s plaid bedspread for a cream coloured duvet, with so many different kinds of accent pillows of different colours and patterns that each had a specific spot on the bed, that Kurt had to take a picture of arrangement and printed it out for Blaine as a reference. More often than not Blaine pulled the picture out in a hurry when company was supposed to come over and he had left the pillows strewn all over the floor. Kurt had blown up the covers of Blaine’s Playbills and printed them in black and white and hung them on the walls. Kurt also printed some of Blaine’s favourite pictures of him with the Warblers, his family and with Kurt in black and white and placed them in simple black frames around the room. Kurt had shooed Blaine into the basement to watch a movie while he put the finishing touches on his room so he could be surprised.

When he had walked in after it was finished, Blaine wasn’t really sure what his heart had done, but it couldn’t have been normal. Later, after Kurt had left that day, Blaine took a walk through his room and looked at all of the particulars of the room. What he hadn’t noticed was a glass frame sitting on his bedside table. Inside the frame was a picture that Blaine had insisted the two of them take. It was after Blaine had driven out to Lima for the first time after he’d met Kurt. Blaine was craving ice cream that day and even thought it was 30 degrees outside and there was a layer of snow covering everything, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was completely clear. He had convinced Kurt to get ice cream with him and they took a walk in the park. Blaine insisted on taking a photo of them together because friends always took pictures together. Kurt eventually relented and they pressed their cheeks in close so they could fit in the frame of the camera of Kurt’s iPhone. If there was one thing Blaine would remember always about that day was the feel of Kurt’s soft, cold cheek against his own.

Blaine still kept the frame there at his bedside and even had a copy of the picture on the bulletin board he had in his dorm room. Since he and Kurt had become a couple, they had plenty of pictures together, but this one was his favourite, because it was a symbol of the start of one of the most important relationships in his life.

Blaine dumped his bag on the seat underneath his window and he peeled off his clothes. He pulled on a pair of flannel pajama pants and a Hummel Tires and Lube shirt that Kurt convinced him to take because his Dad had ordered too many for the promotion he was holding and they needed to get rid of them. (What Kurt didn’t know was that when he was in the bathroom, Blaine switched the shirt Kurt had given him with the one Kurt kept in his pajama drawer. It was a little big on Blaine, but it was soft and well-worn and it smelled like Kurt. Sneakily, every time he washed the shirt, he’d tuck it in his bag and the next time he went over to Kurt’s house, he’d switch the shirts again.) Blaine brushed his teeth and then after removing several pillows from the bed, he crawled under the warm duvet Kurt had picked out for him. His made sure his Blackberry was on the bedside table and that the volume was on, before he flicked off the lamp and snuggled into the pillows. He hadn’t realized how tired he was. An aching sort of anxiety had taken control of his body, not to mention anger and fear and adrenaline and sadness. Everything that he’d been feeling since the phone call from Kurt that afternoon was weighing heavily on him and he hadn’t realized until now. He fell asleep in a matter of minutes.