"Damn boy, I am so excited!" Santana said with a genuine enthusiasm that Kurt had never seen. He smiled at her uncharacteristic attitude.

"Wow San, I've never seen this side of you before. Have you gone soft? Come to think of it- that flight attendant made you turn off your phone right in the middle of reading Brittany's emails for the hundredth time and you just did it! The girl didn't even walk away crying!" Kurt held his hand up to his friends forehead in a mock examination. "Nope, you feel fine. Huh." he laughed softly at his little joke.

"Ha Ha porcelain. You are so hilarious. Wait until you find your person... it just changes you! God she is so sweet, I can't wait to meet her. Want to see the pictures of her again?" she asked this question almost rhetorically because there was no expectation of an answer. The seatbelt sign was off in the plane and everyone began taking out their electronics for the long flight. Both Santana and Kurt bought into the plane's wifi plan and booted up their various Apple products. When Santana accessed her email she squealed to see that she had a new message from Brittany. Kurt waited as she previewed the message and looked over at her indication.

"Aww, look at my girl, she is so precious! Damn Hummel, who do you think that hot hobbit is in the background?" she pointed to a tiny figure in the corner of her phone screen.

"How can you even see that Tana? Ugh. Just email it to me and I will pull it up on my iPad." she hurried to send the file to Kurt and waited for it to load. He handed her his device and she pulled up the photo. After softly running her fingers over her future wife's  jawline she pointed to the corner of the picture. Kurt leaned over in her direction and saw the person she was indicating. 

The boy was beautiful. That was the first and only thought Kurt had for a long time. 

"Wow, he really is something. Are you excited I brought you now? Maybe 

love is in your future!" she practically squeaked.

"Am I with Rachel? Who the hell are you and what did you do to my bitchy Santana! I demand her return right away!" he managed despite having his tongue in knots at the vision before him. 

"Oh no you didn't, believe me I am not too happy to actually cut you so you better remember that. C'mon Hummel, can't I be a girl every once in a while? Just because you usually corner the market femininity doesn't mean I can't do it. How about this...you can be the princess and I'll be the queen." She smiled snarkily at her insult but still managed to look like the cat who got the cream...it was an odd combination but oh, so fitting.

"Shut up Tana and give me the iPad back." Kurt made grabby hands for the device and when she held it out of reach he glared at her. With a knowing smile she finally handed it back over.

The boy's gaze was downcast so Kurt couldn't see his eyes but the sweep of eyelashes hiding them from view was lush and dark. The boy's hair was just a bit longer than he would recommend with the obvious curl but the extra thickness made the curls appear adorable and messy. His lips were flushed and inviting and his skin was almost golden even in the darker light. Kurt was enthralled to say the least. 

Despite his obvious attraction to the boy, Kurt could also detect another feeling he just couldn't contain. Protectiveness. The boy's posture in the seated position was hunched as if he were trying to comfort himself. A huge difference from the bouncy girl in the forefront of the photo, this boy looked like he was just waiting to be kicked. Kurt didn't even know his name but he wanted to gather him in his arms and protect him from everything. Kurt's breath hitched with the sadness emanating off the small figure. 

"He is beautiful. I wonder who he is? Did you see him on the website?" Kurt knew she hadn't but asked anyway just for something to say that didn't give away his instant infatuation. He knew that if he had seen this boy before he would never forget him and Santana subjected him to hours on that site. 

"I'll look again. It will only take a few minutes because there are not many boys on there. Ooh! I can also ask Brit if you want." she offered.

"No, don't bring it up." Kurt answered, wary of his emotions at the moment. What if the boy wasn't on the website because he was already taken? Maybe he was just waiting for his future husband to arrive...or even worse his future wife! Kurt realized then that the boy was probably straight. This was crazy. How could he feel this overwhelming tug of loss and regret when he didn't even know the boy?

Despite his answer in the negative, Kurt could see Santana typing into her phone and knew that she was not obeying his wishes. In the back of his mind he was thankful for her pushiness. He really wanted to know that desolate looking, beautiful boy.

*****************

"Brit, I'm sure everything will be okay. It really seems like Santana loves you. Who couldn't love you?" Blaine asked softly into Brittany's hair as he held her on the bed.

Blaine and Brittany were spending every last minute together to get ready for being apart. Santana would arrive that later that day so both knew their time was short if the match was finalized. Blaine found himself tearing up at random moments throughout the day at the thought of losing his friend and he had to keep taking deep gulping breaths to keep the tears at bay. 

"Blainey, I know I'm pretty amazing so you know what? I'm not going to worry about it anymore. Nope, now it's your turn to cuddle. You must have some worries you want to talk about." the girl's simple outlook amazed him so much. He knew than Santana was in for a lifetime of fun if she treated his friend right. She was the most loyal and beautiful person he knew. 

At that moment, Brittany got up from the bed and indicated that Blaine stand up. As soon as he complied, she got back into the bed and held her arms out. Brittany always did this funny little thing where she decided who needed to be cuddled. Usually it was Blaine after a night of insults and slurs but lately Brittany had been declaring herself the cuddle receiver more often. Blaine knew much of her cuddling needs stemmed from nervousness over her impending marriage and he was only too happy to finally be able to reciprocate some comfort to his friend.

 Today, it seemed like Brittany had declared it a draw. Blaine gave the sweet girl a watery smile and climbed into her arms. As he settled his head on her shoulder and breathed in her scent he was stuck again by the sadness of the situation. Brittany was so maternal and loving. She made him feel so safe and warm during the times he needed it most. She wrapped her arms around him and her sugary bubblegum scent floated around him again. His breath stuttered as the scent filled his lungs and tears pricked his eyelids once more.

"So, tell me your worries." she said sweetly.

"No, it's nothing Brit Brit. I'm just going to miss you." he whispered into her neck.

"Oh Blainey, I wish we could find you love too. Wouldn't it be nice if we could find someone to take you home and care for you? You are the best dolphin I know and I don't know how anyone could meet you and not love you." 

At this heartfelt statement Blaine stiffened slightly. He never wanted to be married again. He didn't know what the alternative was but regardless of what faced him he never wanted to be under someone's control again. Memories wracked his emotionally and physically tired body. All of his usual defenses weren't working under the strain as he closed his eyes and prepared himself for the usual onslaught.

Brett was a business man. He would never tell Blaine what it was that he actually did but the boy knew he was some type of corporate big wig because he constantly had to entertain clients at their home. Those were the worst times for Blaine. He was to sit silently, behave as the perfect Stepford husband would and cater to all of the needs of his husbands co-workers. A flashback of one of the worst dinners entered Blaine's mind without warning. Before he knew it he was back in the badly lit dining room surrounded by the small group of businessmen that leered at him openly even with his husband by his side. In the past there had been touches and secret grabs but the atmosphere was entirely different that night.

Blaine gathered the dishes from the table noting Brett's pleased glance at the amount of food left on his plate. Brett never wanted him to gain any weight so he monitored his food intake obsessively. Carrying the stack carefully to the kitchen, Blaine set himself up to do the dishes while the other men retired to the living room for scotch. 

Washing dishes was one of Blaine's favorite chores. Brett always complained because he took so long with the task and the man's favorite point to make was that they had a dishwasher...there was no need to wash dishes by hand. Despite Brett's complaints, Blaine always silently insisted on still washing each dish by hand and Brett never outright forbade him. Dishes were Blaine's favorite chore primarily because it gave him an extra hour before meeting his fate every night in the bedroom. Besides that reason, Blaine also loved that the water was so warm at a time when he always felt cold and the smell of dish soap so different from the musky sweat smell he felt was ingrained in his nostrils from night after night under Brett. He hummed softly to himself while completing the mundane activity and waited for the daydreams to come to him.

After a few moments of peace in his kitchen sanctuary, Blaine felt a presence behind him. Setting the delicate china on the counter, he turned to find one of Brett's sleazy co-workers carrying a glass into the room. With a dirty grin, the man took one last swig from his drink and held it out for Blaine to take. Blaine wiped his hands on the kitchen towel slowly and reached out to take the glass. The man took a few more steps forward and ran the fingers of his other hand down the side of Blaine's face, cupping his jaw and pulling him in. Blaine froze. He had no idea what was happening and he wanted to know where Brett was.

"Brett..." was all that came out of his mouth and even that came out as barely a whisper.

"Don't worry about him baby." the man cooed lasciviously. 

Blaine recoiled from the man's touch as he was pulled in further. Laughing at Blaine's hesitance, the man took the glass still in both their hands and set it on the kitchen counter. He gripped both of Blaine's wrists and with an utterance that sounded a lot like 'so hot' he smashed their lips together. Blaine felt the bile rise in his throat as he heard the man pulling down his zipper and unclasping his buckle. He wanted to run but where would he go? He wanted to shout but he was unsure what would be worse, dealing with this man or dealing with Brett when he was interrupted with his guests.

The man kissed him harshly for a few minutes more. Blaine felt tears building up under his eyelids as he tried to keep his lips tightly closed. The man moved his hand from his pants and gripped Blaine's jaw tightly pressing forcefully on the hinge near his ear. A yelp escaped Blaine's lips at the pain and the man took that as invitation to work his tongue into Blaine's mouth, filling him with the sour sharp flavor of scotch and cigar. The man finally pulled back from his assault and released Blaine's mouth from torment.

"Get on your knees for me and open your pretty mouth." he said in a quiet menacing voice.

Blaine could hear the rustling and low murmurs in the outer hall that signaled the exit of the other guests. He felt relief for the first time in a long time. He knew Brett would come to check on him and it was the first time since they met that he couldn't wait to see his husband's face. Blaine didn't notice that during his reverie the man began to push down on his collar bones and before the boy knew it he was kneeling on the floor. The fly of the cheap dress pants in from of him was open and the long thin shaft of the man's cock was pointed directly toward his lips.

"Open up now." the man directed.

Blaine heard the telltale heavy footsteps of his husband. He was shocked that the sound didn't stop the man. He just continued guiding his cock towards Blaine's tightly closed lips. He turned his head slightly just at the right time and the hard as steel head of the man's cock smeared pre-come on his cheek.

Hearing a slight creak in the flooring, Blaine glanced up to see Brett in the doorway. He pleaded with his husband with his eyes hoping that the silent message of apology at the situation and desperation to be saved would come through. Brett didn't even spare Blaine a glance. He seemed to have a silent conversation with his coworker for a moment before he turned and left the room.

As his last hope for rescue disappeared, the tears that had gathered under Blaine's eyelids finally made their way silently down his cheeks. The man tuned back to him again.

"Finally alone now..." he purred and pressed his fingers harshly to the hinge of Blaine's jaw again. Resignedly and with shame, Blaine parted his lips.

Snapping out of his reverie Blaine realized that he was sobbing openly into Brittany's shoulder. The girl rubbed her hand over his back and shushed into his ear. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." he repeated desperately.

"Shhhh Blainey, it's ok now." 

After a while of comfort from his closest friend, Blaine's sobs had subsided and hitching breaths were the only lasting reminder of his breakdown. While she waited for him to calm, Brittany began regaling him of the plans she made for Lord Tubbington to care for Blaine after she left. He found himself chuckling softly at her oblivious rambling. She had just finished explaining the logistics of how Lord Tubbington would convey his instructions for cuddle time when a quiet beep from her laptop signaled an email.

Brittany grabbed her laptop from Blaine's nightstand and the pair sat up so the girl could see what came in. Brittany excitedly told Blaine it was another message from her Santana. Then she was worried because she was supposed to be in a plane and what if she wasn't? Blaine then had to explain airplane wifi in the smallest terms possible for Brit to even calm down long enough to open the email. After she read the first few lines Brittany looked up toward Blaine.

"Blaine, she's asking about you. How do you think she knows about you? Do you think I'm going to marry a mind reader? I would love that because sometimes I need help figuring out my own thoughts..." Brittany finished that comment in a floaty tone as she read on. Her face fell after a moment.

"Oh, she says she's not a mind reader and she actually saw you in one of my pictures. She said her friend Kurt is with her and they were both wondering who the hot hobbit was. Wait- are you magic Blaine? And if Sanny's not a mind reader then how did she know I would think she's a mind reader?"

Blaine was busy blushing at Santana's comment and trying to decipher Brittany's crazy comments all at once. Who was this friend that Santana was bringing? A feeling of excitement mixed with dread filled is body. While his initial reaction to being called hot was nice, once his mind caught up he remembered all of the other scenarios in which that adjective was used. Harsh whispers of 'you are so hot for it' and 'you are such a hot little cockslut' filled his mind as he shuddered.

Blaine looked over at Brittany who returned his gaze with a quizzical look.

"I'm sure she just knew what you would think without an explanation on how she knew about me Brit Brit. You're lucky. It seems like she really knows and appreciates you." he said.

That wasn't the only reason Brittany is lucky in Blaine's eyes. The main reason, the most important reason this girl in front of him was lucky is because she actually had a choice. Whereas Blaine was dropped off by his parents forcefully and unknowingly, Brittany made the choice to come to the center like many others, looking for a better life. If Santana wasn't what she wanted, she had the right to say no. Hunter didn't take kindly to people refusing his matches and she would owe him restitution for all of the living expenses incurred since she set foot in the door of the center if she never chose a spouse, but ultimately it was up to her.

"I think so too. She is so nice and beautiful and she has never called me stupid. Besides you, she's the first person who hasn't. I really think I could love her Blainey." 

"That's good Brit. I want you to be happy." Blaine smiled indulgently.

"What should I tell her about you? Can I tell them you're my friend?" she asked.

Blaine thought for a moment about that. He didn't know what Kurt's motives were for wanting to know about him and Hunter really wanted him to stay gone tomorrow. As Hunter always said, Blaine just brings the whole atmosphere down with his failure. Hunter only offered virgins through his center because they brought the most business and garnered the best fees. Blaine remembered the night he came back and Hunter outlined just what would be expected of him. After berating him profusely he made sure to point out that Blaine was useless to him now and he reminded Blaine that he didn't conduct business in the sloppy seconds arena. Blaine couldn't go back to his parents and there was no way that he could payback the living costs from before his wedding so Hunter made him an indentured servant of sorts. 

The worst part of the arrangement is that Blaine had no idea how much he actually owed to the man- Hunter just told him he would release him when he was done paying his debt. Blaine was mentally kicking himself for somehow getting into that picture. What if this man thought he was one of the centers offerings? Hunter would kill him if this got out and the man asking about him would probably be disappointed to find out that Blaine wasn't one of the pristine potential "brides" and only nothing more than a used and broken reject. Realizing that Brittany was still waiting for a response, Blaine formatted his next statement carefully.

"Um...okay I guess. Just tell them my name if they really want to know and maybe tell them I work here or something?" Blaine was so unsure but he knew he wanted to be as vague as possible.

*****************

On the flight, Santana's email dinged a new arrival. She eagerly opened the short note anticipating any information about the boy for her friend. After reading the message she turned to Kurt.

"So Hummel, it seems the kid in the picture is just an employee there. Brit says he's her best friend though and she is so sad to leave him behind. She said his name is Blaine." she conveyed the message and seemed to watch intently for any telltale reaction from Kurt.

Kurt was shaken out of the daydream that plagued him since the moment he saw the boy's photo. He saw the boy's sweet downcast gaze in his minds eye and smiled. Blaine. The name was beautiful and unique just like the boy. He needed to feel the name pass over his lips so much that before he knew it he was uttering it repeatedly with reverence under his breath.

"Wow Hummel, you've lost it. I can't wait to meet this kid now." Santana gave Kurt an incredulous look before glancing back down to the screen."Ha! And by the way- I know you thought I was crazy, but do I know my girl or what? She needs me to verify that I am not a mind reader. She said if I wasn't then how did I know to tell her I wasn't? I tell you- I don't know how I will keep my head on straight around her but I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Kurt chucked at the statement and admitted that the next week would be interesting to say the least. As the seatbelt light flashed indicating the planes descent, Kurt found himself using the noise created by the moving passengers to mask the sound of his new obsession. As he reached to buckle his seatbelt, he felt the sweet beautiful name slide over his tongue and through his lips once more.

"Blaine."