Kurt’s eye was throbbing. The adrenaline from his fight had worn off and all he was left with was pain and a nagging worry. He could see that Blaine was unhappy with him. Kurt could hardly blame him, getting in the fight had been a stupid and reckless thing to do.

Blaine was quiet as Kurt walked him to fourth period, biting his lip and frowning every time he looked at Kurt. Blaine walked with his hands in his pockets, and it took a lot of will power for Kurt to keep himself from tugging a hand free so he could hold it.

But Kurt was suddenly hyper aware of everyone who might take offense and how they may choose to lash out at Blaine. Kurt hated that he was in any way responsible for Blaine's anxiety and worry; the least he could do was make sure it never happened again. Kurt wanted Blaine to feel safe at McKinley. 

Before they parted at the door to Blaine's fourth period class, Kurt reached out to grip Blaine's elbow.

"It will be OK, I promise."

Blaine only nodded and Kurt hoped he wasn't imagining the trust in Blaine's eyes, mixed with the very obvious anxiety.

Kurt could barely focus the rest of the day, and it didn't help that Blaine only gave him a small smile every time he found him between classes. Not sure if he was making things better or worse, Kurt only grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed it, not certain Blaine would really be comfortable with the affection anymore.

By the time Glee rehearsal came around, Kurt was anxious to talk to Blaine and make sure he was OK. So when he walked through the choir room doors and didn't find Blaine there, he slipped back outside the room, hoping to catch Blaine on his way in.

When he heard Mr. Schue call a start to rehearsal and Blaine still wasn't there, Kurt began to really worry. When he hadn't shown up ten minutes later and hadn't responded to any of his texts or calls, Kurt was almost panicking.

Finally unable to wait any longer, Kurt turned and hurried down the hall, absolutely no idea where he was going. He could hear Blaine's voice in his head, words echoing in his mind.

"You never know what they're capable of until it's too late."

Kurt realized he was running and forced himself to stop, covering his face with his hands as he tried to clear his head. Blaine was just upset; he was skipping Glee because he was angry with Kurt for getting in a fight. He was probably just blowing off steam...

Kurt stood up straight again, turning on his heal and walking in the other direction. He knew exactly where Blaine was.

--

Blaine was angry, frustrated, confused, and all of it was pouring out of him. His fists landed hard on the punching bag, steady blows slowly draining him.

Blaine had promised himself he would never leave himself defenseless again. That he would never put himself in a position to be hurt or to let someone he cared about be hurt.

Blaine didn't know what to think anymore. Every moment he spent with Kurt, he found himself growing more confident. Every time Kurt pulled him into his arms, Blaine felt safe.

But now everything seemed to be crumbling so quickly. Kurt didn’t want to touch him anymore, and Blaine could hardly blame him. Blaine knew exactly how it felt to be on the receiving end of a fist and it wasn’t something he wanted to experience ever again. Blaine was realizing that just because he was willing to risk everything to be with Kurt didn’t mean Kurt felt the same. 

Blaine’s fists continued to land on the bag in rapid succession, fear and frustration pouring into each hit.

Blaine didn't want Kurt to get hurt. He knew that their relationship put both of them at risk. He should just step back, learn to get through the day without touching Kurt. No holding hands, no strong arm around his waist, nothing that would provoke a fight. It was really for the best, it would keep them both safe. 

Blaine would just have to learn to deal with it. 

--

As he expected, Kurt found Blaine in the weight room, fists connecting hard with the punching bag and face twisted in anger and frustration. 

This time Kurt didn't hesitate to push the door open and slip into the room, but he stopped just inside the door, silently watching his boyfriend. Blaine was in his workout clothes and sweat glistened on his brow. Kurt spotted a slight change in Blaine's body language, the only indication he knew Kurt was in the room, and he took another step forward. 

"Babe?" Kurt wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to pulled Blaine into his arms, kiss him and hold him, but he could hardly do that if Blaine didn't stop moving. 

"I'm sorry," Kurt said as he took another step closer to Blaine. "Well, I'm not sorry for defending you- us. But I'm sorry you're upset."

"I can defend myself," Blaine snapped, fists connecting several hard blows on the bag.

"I can see that," Kurt said. He frowned as Blaine continued to pound on the bag, refusing to look at Kurt. "Please, can you tell me what's wrong?" he asked, careful to ask and not order.

Blaine's whole body shuddered anyway, and he collapsed against the bag. His sweat soaked brow was pressed to the punching bag and he fists were clenched at his side. 

"I don't need you to defend me," Blaine whispered. "I just need you."

"I'm right here," Kurt said with brows raised. He took another step towards Blaine. 

"You're not," Blaine said, shaking his head. "You haven't been here all day."

"Blaine, I don't understand..."

"It's OK, I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want someone to go after you, just because..." Blaine's breath stuttered before he continued. "Just because I'm a clingy wreck."

"You're not a clingy wreck," Kurt said firmly.

"Yes, I am," Blaine whispered, face screwed up with frustration and anger. He still wasn’t making eye contact with Kurt. "I’ve just wanted you to hold me, all day. I can't even make it half a day without being in your arms, not even when touching me might get you hurt."

Kurt realized the huge miscalculation he'd made. What Blaine had needed all afternoon was Kurt's reassurance, and Kurt had been holding back on him, thinking he was protecting him.

"Blaine, come here," Kurt said firmly, opening his arms.

Blaine let out a choked half sob of relief and stumbled the remaining couple of feet between them, collapsing into Kurt's chest. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist and held him tight, listening to Blaine's ragged breathing as he pressed his face to Kurt's neck.

"I thought maybe you'd prefer I keep my hands to myself," Kurt murmured. "I don't want you to get hurt, I was afraid I might be inciting something."

"I don't want you to get hurt, either," Blaine said into Kurt's jacket. "I should be able to survive the day without this, so you don't have to defend me." Blaine sniffled a bit. "I just can't. I can't, Kurt, I need this. I need you."

"I need you, too, Blaine," Kurt replied, pressing little kisses across the side of Blaine's face.

"Then screw them," Blaine said, his voice regaining his confidence as he looked up at Kurt. "They can't touch us, or what we have."

Kurt couldn't help but grin at the determined look on Blaine's face. "No, they can't," he whispered, catching Blaine's mouth in a kiss. Kurt’s kiss started soft, and he took his time just tasting Blaine’s lips. But he could feel the energy still radiating under Blaine’s skin, and Kurt began to respond to it, moving a little faster. He pulled Blaine to him in a tighter grip, and when he pushed into Blaine's mouth, Blaine opened up for him. 

Blaine let out a small groan as the kiss intensified, and Kurt could feel him start to relax in his arms. Kurt pulled back briefly from the kiss and recognized relief in Blaine’s eyes, the frustration and anger that had been there before was quickly fading. 

Kurt already knew that Blaine responded well to Kurt taking the lead, especially when he was stressed. Something as simple as choosing Blaine’s lunch for him could make Blaine noticeably happier for the rest of the day. Kurt was beginning to realize that Blaine needed him to take control in other ways, as well. 

Running on instinct, Kurt slowly walked Blaine backward until he was pressed into the wall. He felt Blaine's body quiver under him as he used his taller frame to his advantage, pinning Blaine. He gently pushed a knee between Blaine's legs, and Blaine's body fell open for him. Kurt moved closer until the entire length of him was pressed to Blaine. He could feel Blaine's quickly hardening cock pressed to his hip and he thrust his own hips against Blaine.

Blaine’s head fell back against the wall with a soft moan. Kurt responded by grabbing Blaine's hands and bringing them up above his head, holding them firmly to the wall. Blaine pushed back just a little, testing Kurt's resolve, but Kurt’s hold was strong.

Blaine whimpered when Kurt's mouth moved to suck a path down his neck. Kurt started to work on the already very visible hickey; he wanted Blaine to know he belonged to him. To feel secure in his place by Kurt’s side.

Satisfied, Kurt trailed his mouth to Blaine's ear, nibbling on the lobe for a moment before whispering, "They won’t hurt you, I won’t allow it. Because you’re mine." Kurt's hips continued to thrust against Blaine in almost lazy little movements. His cock was starting to throb in his jeans.

"Yours," Blaine gasped, hips twitching hard. "Kurt!"

"Good boy," Kurt said softly, feeling a swell of possessive pleasure. "My very good boy."

"Yes, yours, your good boy," Blaine babbled, body arching in the space between Kurt and the wall.

--

Kurt’s body was all over Blaine, chest to chest and hips to hips. Blaine could feel the heat of the other boy's cock against his own through the layers of their jeans and it was incredible.

"Please," Blaine whimpered. He pushed his hips forward as much as Kurt's weight would allow, needing more friction.

Kurt's face was pressed to Blaine's neck. He was biting and sucking, clearly intent on marking Blaine as his own. Kurt took both of Blaine’s wrists in one strong grip and his free hand moved to cup Blaine's cock over his jeans, slowly stroking up and down. Blaine moaned, trying to thrust into Kurt’s palm, but Kurt’s hand had moved and Blaine realized that Kurt was slowly undoing the buttons of his jeans. Kurt wasn't asking for permission, but he was giving Blaine time to stop him, if that was what he wanted. 

Blaine didn't want to stop. 

Kurt continued to thrust against his hip, the bulge of his jeans grinding against Blaine as he pulled down Blaine's zipper. His hand moved back up and tickled at the band of Blaine's briefs before it slipped under, pushing down and grasping Blaine's cock in his grip.

"Ah! Oh god," Blaine moaned. His whole body lit up, overwhelmed by Kurt. Kurt's mouth on his neck, Kurt's cock against his hip, Kurt's hand on him. Blaine felt completely wrapped up in Kurt, surrounded by Kurt, owned by Kurt.

It was absolutely perfect.

Kurt's hand moved steadily up and down the length of Blaine's cock, obscene amount of pre-come making him slick. Kurt's hand moved a bit faster and started to twist, thumb catching the sensitive spot under the head on each pull. 

The pleasure was intense and Blaine gasped and moaned, words too difficult as he felt his orgasm quickly approaching.

It seemed that Kurt was just as close though, as the thrusts against Blaine's hip became faster and started to stutter in their rhythm. Kurt groaned against Blaine's neck, breath coming hot and fast.

"Blaine, baby," Kurt panted. "Come for me."

Blaine moaned in surprise as his orgasm shook him, his body just as eager to obey as he was. He came hard into Kurt's hand, hips shaking and intense pleasure spiking through him.

Kurt groaned, long and low in his ear, hips thrusting erratically against Blaine before they finally went still.

Both boys slumped against the wall for a long minute, just breathing. Kurt pressed his forehead to Blaine's for a moment and then leaned in for a long and lingering kiss. Blaine looked up at Kurt, and he knew he had never felt happier than he did in the moment.

Kurt finally pulled back, and then quickly caught Blaine as his whole body went limp against the wall. "Whoa there, babe, I got you."

Blaine cuddled into Kurt for a moment, needing to catch his breath. Kurt’s strong arms held him up, and Blaine leaned heavily on his boyfriend.

“I want you to go shower,” Kurt said, hand rubbing Blaine’s back. “And then I’m going to take you out to dinner and movie. Well, movie first, it’s only three o’clock.”

“Like a date?” Blaine asked, looking up a Kurt.

“Yeah.” Kurt smiled. “Our first real date.”

“I’d really like that.”

“Good.” Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine’s lips. “Now hurry up and shower, I need to clean up too.”

Blaine quickly showered and changed before stepping out into the locker room. He had Kurt's jacket over his arm and he smiled when Kurt's face lit up. 

Kurt met him with a quick kiss, taking the jacket and holding it open. Blaine slipped into it and Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's chest, and the strength of Kurt’s hold made Blaine's whole body tingle. Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine's neck before he let go and took Blaine's hand, leading him out of the locker room. 

Kurt took Blaine to see a light hearted rom-com, which was exactly what Blaine needed after the stress of the day.  Safe in the privacy of the dark theater, Kurt held Blaine’s hand through the entire movie.

After the film, Kurt took Blaine out to Breadsticks, a small Italian restaurant that he assured Blaine was the place to go for any McKinley student. Blaine didn’t really care where they were, he was just happy to be there with Kurt.

They sat in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Kurt ordered for them both, which made Blaine smile and blush. The food was wonderful, although the breadsticks were rather terrible, and they chatted about a little bit of everything as they ate.

Kurt ordered a slice of cheesecake for them to share, and as they slowly savored it, a quiet lull came over the conversation. It took Blaine a full minute to gather up the courage to speak what was on his mind.

Something had been bothering Blaine. Had been for a while, and the more dependent Blaine was becoming on Kurt, the heavier it weighed on him.

"Can I ask you something?" Blaine asked quietly. 

"Anything," Kurt replied, looking up at Blaine fondly. 

Blaine lost his train of thought for a moment, distracted by the beautiful blue of Kurt’s eyes. Blaine sighed and continued. 

"What are your plans for next year?" 

Blaine knew Kurt was a senior. It was one more reason to desperately wish his attack had never happened. If he hadn’t been held back a year he would be graduating that spring, with Kurt. Instead, Kurt would be graduating and Blaine would have a whole year ahead of him. Alone.

Kurt seemed to hesitate for a moment, and Blaine was surprised to see nervousness in his eyes. It wasn’t a trait Blaine usually associated with Kurt, he was always so confident and together.

“New York,” Kurt said. 

“New York...” Blaine echoed in surprise. It wasn’t what he was expecting, he’d been imaging Kurt at a local school where Blaine could visit him on weekends. He’d thought maybe Ohio state, with Kurt’s skills as a kicker he would be a good contender for a scholarship there. New York was so big and it had never seemed farther away than it did in that moment. “Why?”

“Because, I want to be a fashion designer.” Kurt had a wistful and kind of sad smile on his face. “Which means fashion school. But I don’t know if I’ll get in with my shitty portfolio.”

“You design?” Blaine asked, looking at Kurt with surprise. The idea seemed so out of character for Kurt.

“Yeah,” Kurt said with a sigh. “And I construct my own clothes. Or at least I used to, I haven’t been keeping up with it like I should.”

“Why did you stop?” Blaine asked quietly. “Why would you walk away from something that you love?”

“Because of High School,” Kurt said. He sounded sad and his eyes distant as he considered his answer. “High fashion doesn’t exactly fit with being popular.”

“It seems that having a boyfriend doesn’t really fit either,” Blaine said, voice very small and insecure. 

“Blaine,” Kurt said, eyes snapping back to Blaine with renewed focus. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine said, looking down. “But you have to admit-”

“No,” Kurt said, voice sharper than Blaine had ever heard it. “I never should have given up on the things that I love… it’s something I really regret.” Kurt took Blaine’s hand in his and pulled it closer to him. “I’m not letting you go, Blaine. Do you understand me? You’re mine.”

Blaine’s whole body shivered at the possessive energy that was shining on Kurt’s face.

“Yes, Kurt,” Blaine whispered. His voice was soft, but it was also even and certain. “I’m yours.”

“Good boy,” Kurt said, and the hand on Blaine’s relaxed, his thumb stroking patterns across his knuckles. “My very good boy,” he whispered.

When they got back to McKinley later that night, Kurt pulled in and parked next to Blaine’s car. He climbed out of the driver’s seat and crossed around to the passenger side to open Blaine’s door and help him out. Kurt grinned and made a big show of escorting Blaine across the five foot walk to Blaine’s car and holding the driver’s side door open for him. Once Blaine was inside, Kurt even reached across to buckle him in. Blaine laughed as he did, loving every second of it.

Before closing the door, Kurt leaned in close to Blaine. "Hey, I want to start driving you to school. Is that OK?"

"Yes," Blaine said immediately, pleased.

"Alright, I want you ready at 7AM tomorrow," Kurt said, the command clear in his tone of voice.

"Yes, Kurt." Blaine nodded. "I'll be ready, I promise."

"Good," Kurt said and smiled, ducking to press a chaste kiss to Blaine's lips. "Then I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night," Blaine whispered.

Blaine felt as if he was floating, all the way home.