Blaine had seen Kurt regularly since Valentines Day because he mostly needed to show up to events at night or do paperwork during the day. He took Kurt out for coffee, shopping, dinner, play dates with Marilyn or movies and a lot of sex back at Blaine's place. On more than one occasion Kurt's father or brother had been there when he had picked Kurt up or dropped him off for their dates. Blaine stayed polite as he had done during their dinner and he promised to join them again soon.

All in all everything was going swell with them. Kurt wasn't clingy or over him constantly which was good since Blaine was used to being alone. They kept a good balance between seeing each other and doing their own thing. They also found that it was nice for them to be around Blaine's apartment with Kurt doing his homework and Blaine doing style reports or going through sketches from designers so they could be together without being overly close all the time.

It was the beginning of March and Blaine got a call from a stylist who was in her office in Columbus. She requested him to bring Kurt to her showroom so he could model some outfits she had put together for a viewing with other models.

Blaine had proudly accepted since he would be picking Kurt up for a lazy afternoon of cooking and having sex anyway. He had decided to pick Kurt up straight from school so he could drive him home and get ready so they had more time together. If he had to say it himself it was a pretty good idea for him to wait outside West McKinley High School with a broad grin.

However, the outcome wasn't at all what he had expected when he left his apartment in town. Everyone was staring; kids, teachers, parents - all of them. But Blaine couldn't care less. All he cared about was Kurt and keeping an eye out for him.

Blaine watched as Kurt's extremely tall brother and his equally short girlfriend came from the doors and he got a little more focused, guessing Kurt would be out soon as well.

He wasn't. Blaine waited a long time. The parking lot emptied out and nearly all cars were gone. A group of jocks left the school laughing and high five'ing each other. Blaine was just about to find out his phone and call Kurt when a slender figure appeared on the parking lot coming from a completely different door than everyone else had.

It was Kurt. He had his arms curled around his chest and kept putting his hands to his face. Something was definitely wrong so Blaine ran over to him, Kurt looking startled from being addressed so abruptly in a seemingly empty parking lot.

"Kurt, what happened? Are you okay?" He panicked, trying to put his arms around him, but Kurt went stiff and backed away - his face even paler than usual and his eyes glassy but wide with terror.

"Blaine? What are you doing here? I thought you would pick me up at home later," he stammered. He looked shocked from seeing Blaine there and it was hard to say if he was going to be angry from the ambush.

"I was. But I got a call from someone asking me to bring you to a meeting and I thought I would surprise you. But it doesn't matter. What happened?" Blaine fussed and he couldn't tear his eyes away from how it looked like he had just caught Kurt crying.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine. Lets just - leave..." Kurt said heavily and started walking in the direction Blaine had just come from, his arms still hugged tightly around his chest.

Blaine wasn't ready to let it go, but he figured that he didn't want to push Kurt when he so obviously didn't want to talk about it. He followed him back and they drove to Kurt's house in silence. Blaine came inside with him and waited while Kurt went to his room to drop his bag. Kurt's brother was in the kitchen and for a moment Blaine considered asking him if he knew what had happened with Kurt in school.

For almost the entire drive to Columbus neither of them said a word. Kurt stared out his own window and Blaine kept turning his words in his head to find a way to break the ice. He wanted to ask about his day and how he was feeling, but he was afraid to stir up things that were better left alone.

"What are we even doing? I thought we were just going to stay home and do nothing," Kurt asked as they drove down the street towards the showroom.

"My friend, Jane, called and asked if I could bring you in for a meeting today. She wants to use you as model for some outfits she picked out for a client," Blaine told as he parked the car in the garage and turned to face Kurt.

"Are you okay? You seem so... not okay. A little sad actually," he said and felt his own concern fill his throat and lungs.

"I'm fine. Just... tired, I guess -" Kurt shrugged vaguely. Before Blaine could say anymore Kurt had opened his door and left the car. Blaine sighed deeply and got out so they could get inside.

"She asked specifically for you. I couldn't just let her down," Blaine smiled and leaned in to kiss Kurt's cheek as they were in the elevator up.

"That's nice," Kurt smiled politely.

The rest of the afternoon Kurt was quiet and withdrawn. He was sweet and polite, cooperative and nice as ever but Blaine knew that he was acting okay. Blaine himself didn't mention anything but helped Jane best he could and enjoyed watching Kurt's body being emphasized by the fabrics falling perfectly around his muscles.

After they had been through all outfits and Jane had taken pictures and made her notes they both thanked her for her time and she gave Kurt a bag of luxurious spa products as a thank for his help. They drove back to Blaine's apartment in more silence, making Blaine feel like screaming out loud for some reaction.

When they entered Blaine's apartment Kurt got rid of his coat and shoes. He waited for Blaine to get out of his outerwear as well before he suddenly spoke.

"Would it be okay for you if I went to lie down for a bit? I'm really... tired," he asked in a weak voice.

"Of course. Do you want me to come lie with you? Cause then I'll just make dinner later. It can wait," Blaine suggested nervously. He didn't like the thought of Kurt being alone if he didn't feel good.

"No that's okay. Just go fix dinner. I'll be alright. Thanks though," Kurt said and squeezed his wrist before he took the heavy steps to the bedroom.

Blaine watched him leave, and with twirling thoughts headed for the kitchen. He had no idea what to do about it. He couldn't force Kurt to let him in and confide his problems in him, but he didn't stand a chance to help him if he had no idea what was going on.

Blaine started cooking dinner as promised. For a moment he considered calling Denise to ask for her guidance on what to do about Kurt, how to get him to talk to him, but he didn't want people to think that he didn't know how to talk to his boyfriend, even less did he want to hear anyone commenting on his boyfriend still being in school. Instead he made a decision of doing something he never thought he would have to do in his entire life.

"Hey doll-face. Food's in the oven. Are you any better now?" He cooed as he curled himself around Kurt on the bed.

"A bit. I guess I just needed to relax. Thank you," Kurt murmured and moved closer in Blaine's arms, still not convincing Blaine that he was okay.

"I uhm - I have something for you," Blaine said, hoping he wasn't going to freak Kurt completely out.

"Blaine. You don't have to get me stuff all the time. I love you anyway," Kurt said with a vague smile.

"It's not exactly like that," he stopped him and fumbled for something in his pocket before closing Kurt's hand around he item.

"Here. This is for you."

He watched as Kurt opened his hand and looked at the item.

"A key? For what?" He asked confused.

"My apartments. It fits both this and the one in New York. So you'll always have somewhere to go. No matter what, if you need somewhere to go after a rough day, to escape, to be yourself - you will always have somewhere to go. Even when I'm in New York or if I'm not home you can just go here and I'll be home with you as soon as I can," he explained, his eyes staring straight into Kurt's to make sure he understood what it was he was saying.

"Thank you. Just - thank you," Kurt said and his voice cracked so Blaine put his arms back around him to pull him closer.

He was just about to say something; try one last time to steer the conversation back on the subject of Kurt's problems in school when the bell from the kitchen sounded and he had to get up.

"Come on. Let's go eat and I will snuggle you for the rest of the night before taking you home," he smiled and put a peck to Kurt's temple before getting out of bed so he could save their dinner.

He had already set the table before he went to the bedroom, so when Kurt came to the kitchen he could sit down right away. This night he didn't comment on how amazing he thought the food tasted, or how sweet it was of Blaine to do it for him - throughout dinner Kurt seemed more like he was eating to not be impolite than because he wanted to and he was mostly poking around the noodles on the plate.

"Don't you like it? Is it bad?" Blaine asked in an attempt to start a conversation, but Kurt snapped up his head and appeared to have been ripped from his thoughts.

"What? Oh no, it's really good, Blaine. It always is when you cook, baby" Kurt assured him.

Blaine rolled his eyes and finished his plate before cleaning up and telling Kurt to just go to the living room or bedroom - anything he wanted.

He found him on the couch curled up in a corner while mindlessly watching the news. Blaine sat down and Kurt immediately crawled into his arms, Blaine kissing his hair and clenching his arms around him.

He had honestly really been looking forward to fucking Kurt senseless but right now there clearly wouldn't be any of that. It sucked. But he really wanted Kurt to be okay.

When it got late they had been watching TV without talking or interacting much except for when one had to change position or go to the bathroom. Unfortunately it was starting to get closer to Kurt's curfew and Blaine had to take him home.

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me with the key. You're perfect,"'Kurt smiled as they were standing at his front door.

"Of course. Kurt, I just don't ever want you to feel like you have nowhere to go," Blaine explained and pressed a kiss to his lips.

They said goodbye and Kurt had to get inside, so Blaine drove home alone and kept thinking about what was going on with his boyfriend that made him so gloomy.

xXx

The next time Blaine saw Kurt it was five days later. They had texted and talked on the phone as always, Kurt hadn't seemed any different. He was sweet and cute, talking about his upcoming glee club competition with high spirit and about having seen a picture of Blaine that had his girlfriends drop their jaws because he was with Chloë Sevigny at a Marc Jacobs event.

Now it was Sunday and they had taken Marilyn to the park. They were sitting on a bench, watching her play around with her friends while they talked about a phone call Blaine had got from Cooper the night before.

"He asked if we wanted to come for dinner on Saturday. You too," Blaine told, assuring Kurt that he was invited as well since his eyebrows heading for his hairline witnessed his doubts about that.

He couldn't blame him. Cooper did sound like he had been forced to invite Kurt as well and Blaine knew that Sebastian would do that - not that he cared; he wouldn't go without Kurt anyway, invitation or not.

"I was thinking I could come for dinner at your house Friday because your parents keep asking, and then maybe I could stay at your place for a change. For fun. Saturday we go have dinner with the American dream before we go to my place and make some sweet loving," Blaine suggested grinning and let his hand slide a little further up Kurt's thigh than good was if the children had paid attention.

"That sounds good. I don't really know about being at my place, but generally I like the idea a lot," Kurt agreed with a chuckle and was quickly taken over by a huge grin as Marilyn came running to them.

They took the girl for dinner at a cafe and listened to her stories of life in kindergarten and her adventures with her cat. By the end of the day Blaine had observed Kurt and the joyful spirit filling him for so long that he decided that maybe he really had been tired that day and nothing serious had been going on.

They drove Marilyn home and accepted the dinner invitation from her parents before Blaine had to take Kurt home. Kurt presented his stepmother with the idea and she eagerly took it to heart. It was settled and Blaine had to come to terms with the fact that he would be spending his Friday night under teenager conditions.

xXx

The week was quickly over with. Blaine only had coffee and lunch with Kurt twice, the rest was Skype dates because Kurt was busy with school. That only made it so much better when they were finally reunited Friday night before dinner at Kurt's house. Blaine had packed a light bag and was bringing flowers for Kurt and his stepmother like the last time.

"Blaine, you don't have to always - bring me things and be so cute. God I love these!" Kurt grinned dopey as clutched the purple flowers to his chest and hugged Blaine with one arm and a kiss to his cheek.

"I know. But I want to. You deserve it," he smiled and squeezed Kurt as tight as he could without crushing the flowers, and without it being too much in front of his family.

"You're sort of putting the rest of us in a bad light here," Kurt's brother huffed when he noticed his girlfriend staring longingly at the interaction between Kurt and Blaine.

"Yeah, Finn. You better up your game," Kurt smirked and shot the girl a wide grin as he took Blaine's hand and went to the kitchen to find a vase for the flowers.

The dinner went through without trouble. It wasn't as tensed as the last dinner had been. Kurt's family were all sweet and chatty with a sincere interest in the questions they asked, something Blaine didn't find often in his own circles.

They asked him about his work and family, about his social life and interests - and complimented on the way he apparently had made Kurt bloom.

"Before you came along I was starting to get gray hair over how lonely he was," Kurt's dad said, making Blaine squeeze Kurt's hand a little harder on the table between them. It was a pain to hear whenever anyone mentioned Kurt's life before they had met.

"I was alright, dad. I had you -" Kurt mumbled shyly, staring into his plate with pink cheeks.

"All I'm saying is that those bullies can be hard on you, Kurt. When you felt alone you didn't tackle it as well as you do now," his dad kept going.

As much as Blaine hated to hear about it he couldn't help hoping he would say more on the subject. He needed to know as much as possible to be able to be there for Kurt, and judging by the implicit tones of his father's words the issue with the bullies was really serious and still going on, despite what Kurt wanted him to think.

"Dad, can we please not talk about that? It doesn't even matter," Kurt stated with an annoyed expression and pushed his plate away, doing his best to not look at Blaine.

"Alright. I guess you'll talk about it at your own speed," Kurt's dad agreed and they changed the subject to Finn's girlfriend talking about the glee club competition the following week, ending out in the girl telling Blaine that he should come.

Kurt stayed quiet for the rest of the night. He only spoke when was addressed or when he felt that he really had to break in. The rest of the time he stayed close to Blaine and seemed like he tried to disappear into himself.

"I know that I probably shouldn't get into this, but... can you tell me about the thing with Kurt's bullies?" Blaine asked Kurt's brother when Kurt had excused himself to help Carole in the kitchen.

"I don't really know, dude. He kinda keeps a lot of stuff to himself. I haven't seen much. I mean, I know some guys from the football team said some rude stuff, but that's pretty much all I know," the tall boy shrugged, looking like he was caught in the middle of something he didn't know how he was allowed to tackle.

"All you know about what?" Kurt asked when he appeared next to them and snuck back to let Blaine wrap his arm around him.

Finn opened his mouth and started to answer, but Blaine was quicker and hurried to cut him off.

"Just... Giants bought a new player. We were just discussing why they chose him, that's all -" he rushed out as casually as possible.

He didn't want to lie to Kurt, but he didn't want to have him get angry because Blaine asked around about him when he wasn't there. He only did it because he felt hopeless and was desperate to get to the bottom of the severeness of these issues Kurt might or might not have in school.

When they went to bed that night Kurt was cuddly, but refused to have sex when his family was in the house. Instead he snuggled in to Blaine and by the time they agreed that they had to sleep Blaine was sure his lips were swollen from kissing.

Kurt's bed wasn't as big and the sheets weren't as soft as Blaine's own, but it didn't matter because everything there was surrounding him was Kurt; the feeling, the scent, the spirit of Kurt. Which was really all he needed to have a good night's sleep.

xXx

The next day Blaine woke up with a painful erection pressed against Kurt's ass. He slowly slid his arm around to sneak his hand to his crotch, provoking a moan from the boy as he pressed his ass hard against Blaine's need. However, when Blaine tried sneaking his hand under Kurt's blouse he grabbed Blaine's wrist to pull it out.

"Blaine, no. Not now," Kurt murmured and put Blaine's hand to his lips so he could kiss it instead.

"I'm just fucking hard for you, baby -" he groaned and buried his face between Kurt's shoulders so he could rub himself lightly against the firm muscles of his ass while he tried forcing his hand back under Kurt's shirt.

"Blaine, please no," Kurt whined weakly and pulled his hand back out from under the fabric before he moved away and turned around so they were face to face.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like the idea of my dad potentially coming in to see us - do stuff. Or Finn hearing us," Kurt said with a sad, apologetic expression and closed his hand around Blaine's between them.

"It's fine. I'm sorry. Can I just hold you a bit before we get up, then?" Blaine asked, hoping his puppy eyes would be enough to let Kurt at least be close to him. It was like he had been flinching from every intimate touch since Blaine had come to the house.

Kurt smiled warmly from the suggestion and moved a little closer, though not as close as he used to. He grabbed Blaine's hands and made sure to hold their hands locked together between them, Kurt completely in charge.

Eventually they got out of bed and had breakfast with Kurt's family. Around lunch Blaine thanked them for their hospitality and accepted the open invitation for another dinner. To his surprise Kurt let Blaine stay in the living room with his family while he went to pack his bag.

"Gotta say; I don't think I've ever seen Kurt this comfortable around anyone. That's huge. He's always been very reserved," Kurt's dad say, making Blaine smile.

"I am very happy to hear that. I want Kurt to be comfortable with me. I could never ask anything of him he wouldn't be okay with," Blaine assured Kurt's dad, feeling a little awkward about the way he was left alone to the family.

"Good. I don't doubt Kurt would be capable of defending himself but I would still kill you anyway if you tried," his dad joked, but despite the laugh Blaine knew that this was a dad who would do anything to keep his son safe.

"After observing a bit here and there - Kurt when you've been together, when he talks to you on the phone, those kind of things, and now that I've seen you together - I've come to decide that I don't think it would be any good to keep Kurt away from your brother's wedding. Even if it is New York," Kurt's dad said and offered Blaine more coffee, but Blaine declined.

"Thank you, sir. I am sure Kurt will be really happy to hear that. We're having dinner with my brother and his fiance tonight and I'm sure they'll be glad to get his accept of invitation," Blaine smiled and couldn't wait until he could share the news with Kurt.

"Good. It's good to know he's being taken care of and that he has found a good circle. Kid needs to get his head away from that damn school of his whenever he can."

Ice spread in Blaine's stomach. Would it be too much to ask Kurt's dad? It had to be a big problem since it worried him so much. But why didn't anyone tell him about what was going on?

"I don't mean to intrude, but - you've often mentioned issues at Kurt's school. What is it that's going on with Kurt at that school? Whenever I try asking him he shuts off and says that it's nothing important, only simple teasing. But I can't help feel that it's much bigger than that," Blaine finally spilled out, still not sure he was doing the right thing.

"Well, high school hasn't exactly been a breeze for him. Being gay in a very jock oriented school is bound to stir up some fire. But I honestly think that this is something Kurt should tell you about if he feels like you should know," Kurt's dad exclaimed and it was very obvious that it wasn't up for discussion, so Blaine thanked him and they returned to talking about cars until Kurt appeared and declared himself ready.

xXx

When they left Kurt's house they headed for the mall. Blaine was very much against it but Kurt begged him, saying that he needed some things very important to his outfit for the choir competition the upcoming weekend. So yes, that was how much Blaine loved Kurt: he was willing to go to a mall with him.

Luckily it was quickly over with. Kurt knew exactly what he needed and Blaine was able to steer him out of reach of street budget clothing stores. They were almost at the exit when they walked by a McDonald's, where a group of jocks from Kurt's school, based on the colors of their letterman jackets, were hanging out at the front.

"What's up, homo? Is it your dad or your pimp taking you for a walk?" The obvious leader smirked, his loyal minions chuckling by the humor from their king.

"What?" Blaine snapped and stared in their direction, but Kurt kept a firm grip on his arm and kept leading him in the direction of the exit.

"Just ignore it," Kurt breathed out, stiff and determined steps as they reached the door.

"No, Kurt. What the hell is that about?" Blaine asked, but Kurt already had him in the parking lot even though Blaine had been looking over his shoulder the entire time from the shouting so he could take in the image of the jocks towering arrogantly.

"What was that, Kurt?" Blaine asked as he unlocked the door, but Kurt just rolled his eyes and got in.

"Can we please just leave it alone? There's no reason to make a fuss about it, cause they're just being ignorant. I don't wanna go face your brother who's already got tons of reasons for us to not be together with this hanging over my head as well," Kurt pleaded when they were both in the car.

Tonight when we get home we'll discuss this seriously, Blaine promised himself and started the car.

However, he wasn't prepared for what was to come later that afternoon which changed the game quite a bit for him.

Kurt had declared that he wanted to take a shower and Blaine figured he would take the opportunity to go through his email. When he was done and he heard Kurt rummage around in the bedroom he figured he would come surprise him with a little love before they had to go and be boring and conservative.

When he entered the bedroom he found Kurt wearing nothing but a pair of still open jeans, drying his hair with a towel in front of the mirror when Blaine noticed something that made his heart feel like it was being pierced.

Over Kurt's ribs and on his arms were large purple bruises. They looked new, but also more old yellow bruises were starting to fade away on his chest.

"Kurt, what the fuck happened to you?" Blaine bit out, startling Kurt since he had been too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice his audience.

"What?" He asked, but hurried to turn around and cover his torso best possible with the towel at hand.

"You look like someone used you as punching bag," Blaine declared and walked over to rip the towel out of Kurt's hands so he could have a closer look on his boyfriend's obviously beat up body.

"Oh... I - I... well, it was just very rough session of gym," Kurt stuttered and tried covering himself up, but it was impossible since Blaine had let the towel fall to the floor and was holding his wrists away from his body so he could see better.

"Kurt, this is not... this is not gym bruises. Oh my god, what are they doing to you?" Blaine pained out and bit his lower lip as he took in the sight of the large marks on the pale skin. No wonder Kurt wouldn't let Blaine touch him, it had to hurt like hell if the bruises were even grazed wrongly.

"Blaine, it's just from gym lessons. Don't make a big deal out of this," Kurt said annoyed and hurried to put on his shirt and button it so the bruises disappeared behind the green fabric.

"Don't make a big deal out of it? Kurt, you like you have been passed between jocks for fun. I can barely see the color of your skin!" Blaine screamed, frustrated that Kurt could take it so damn lightly.

"Don't exaggerate! Nothing happened. We were playing dodgeball and these things happen," Kurt hissed out with pursed lips and pain filling his face and voice. He was lying and he knew that Blaine could see through it.

"Why won't you tell me what is happening to you! Why won't you let me be there for you?" Blaine shouted in panic, hopelessness washing over him along with tears he didn't know he owned.

"Oh, Blaine -" Kurt sighed heavily and walked over to put his arms around him. Blaine clung to Kurt, scared that he would hurt him, but needing to hold him as close as possible.

Blaine had no idea why he was crying. He didn't know he could cry. When he cried over Kurt at New Years he had been drunk and that was reason enough to let people do weird stuff that didn't fit them. Other than that he hadn't even cried at his dad's funeral regardless of how close he had been with his dad. He actually didn't know when it was he last time he really had cried like that; simple and sober.

"I just want to be allowed to take care of you. That's all," he groaned into Kurt's neck, kissing the sweet skin that was still pale pink and smelled so much like Kurt that his stomach took a roll.

"You can't protect me from gym-class, Blaine. Regardless of how much I would love that," Kurt continued with the lie as he cradled the back of Blaine's head with one hand and used the other to pat his back.

"Let's just go, or we'll be late," Kurt said softly and kissed his ear before starting to get ready.

xXx

For the rest of he night Blaine only let go of Kurt's hand when it was necessary, otherwise he clung it close in his own without care for the looks from Cooper and Sebastian. Marilyn was sleeping over at Sebastian's parents' house so they were free to be all grown-ups - and Kurt, as Cooper so nicely pointed out, receiving a sharp look from both his boyfriend and his brother.

Blaine announced that Kurt's dad had said yes to let Kurt join them for the wedding, an announcement that had everyone cheerful, and Sebastian promised to make arrangements for the hotel to change Blaine's room for a single to a double.

At first Cooper refused to let Kurt have wine like the rest of them, but Blaine shot him a sour look and snatched the bottle to fill Kurt's glass.

It was nice to see that Sebastian seemed to have taken a liking in Kurt. They had their own conversation going and more than once Blaine caught himself simply admiring the view of Kurt engaging in conversation.

Around nine Sebastian left the room to call Marilyn to say goodnight, and Cooper took over the phone when he was done. Kurt took the chance to call his dad for his usual "I'm still alive"-call and Blaine was left alone with Sebastian.

"I'm really happy that you're happy, Blaine. I spent a lot of time resenting you for – everything. It took me a long time to get over you, but when I did all I wanted was to see you happy. You're not as horrible a person as people make you out to be; as you make you out to be," Sebastian said softly and squeezed Blaine's hand lightly.

"I really am. I - really just want Kurt and I just wanna be with him, even though it's much more complicated than I first thought it would be," Blaine sighed and squeezed Sebastian's hand back.

"What is it? Something's been troubling you all night," Sebastian commented and Blaine cursed away that he knew him so goddamn well. He was never able to hide anything from Sebastian. And there he was again, breaking down because the images of Kurt's abused torso was back to haunt him.

"I don't know what to do. He's been so moody and sad, and his family keeps talking about him being bullied, but he just says that it's nothing. Today he wouldn't even let me really touch him and these jocks at the mall called after him but he wouldn't let me do anything about it. Then I found out that he's all bruised up. God he looks like something from an abuse center - and he just told me it was from gym. He won't talk to me and it's so frustrating because I can't do anything about it," Blaine blabbered out, holding his breath to not sob, but nearly out of control to stop it.

Within seconds Sebastian was on his feet, dragging Blaine up with him to a comforting embrace. Now he remembered the last time he had really cried - in high school when a guy he actually liked had beat him up for staring at him in the locker room where Blaine never came. He had been crying in Sebastian's arms all night - and fucked him senseless the day after. Poor Sebastian had taken it because he was so blindly in love with Blaine.

However, he really missed Sebastian as his friend and not just as his brother in law. Something that would never happen again.

"Listen, I don't know what to do here, because I don't really know the situation. But I think the best you can do is just give him some time. Kids can be so cruel and jocks are assholes to gay kids. My cousin who's in the same club as Kurt says that the jocks at that school are really extreme. Just make sure you are there to take him in when he finally gets to the point where he feel like he can share this with you," Sebastian explained patiently and kissed Blaine's forehead fleetingly before they sat down next to each other instead of on opposite sides of the table.

"I just don't get why he doesn't trust me enough," Blaine said thickly, and hated himself for actually crying. That was too fucking low.

"I don't think trust has anything to do with this. He's probably ashamed. He needs you, just in his own speed. But I'm sure he'll get there. For now; just make sure to show him that you love him just as much as you show it to me," Sebastian said.

Ugh, he was good. Stupid daddy-instincts coming to him so perfectly.

"Thanks. I uhm - I gave him a key to my apartments. Told him that he could just come whenever he wanted even if I'm not there," Blaine said and couldn't help smile as Sebastian smiled at him.

"That's a really good idea. You've come so far, honey -" Sebastian said softly, giving Blaine an urge to throw his arms around his neck for being so understanding. However, they were interrupted by Cooper returning to the room and clearing his throat loudly.

Blaine and Sebastian rushed their hands to themselves and sheepishly looked anywhere else than on each other. It was always awkward with them in situations like these because Blaine was certain that Cooper kept a constant eye on him to make sure he didn't try to fuck Sebastian. To his sadness he was sure Sebastian saw it too and sometimes Blaine wondered if Sebastian had simply settled for the available brother.

"Did she go to sleep alright?" Sebastian asked, trying to break the ice as Cooper sat down in his chair.

"It was fine. I had to sing a few songs to her, and she kept asking for Blaine - but it seems like you two were busy," Cooper exclaimed and emptied his glass.

"We were just talking about Kurt," Blaine rushed to say, making sure there would be no misunderstandings because he simply couldn't take a fight at the moment.

"Yeah. The little blooming flower," Cooper said snarky.

Sebastian sighed heavily at the comment and moved back to his own seat when Kurt returned to the party. He looked indifferent and had a smile on his face that Blaine couldn't help wonder if was plastered on to not have him worry.

Blaine grabbed his hand and made Kurt sit down on his lap so he could kiss him gently at the back of his neck and fold his arms around him, careful not to press too hard. Blaine could feel Sebastian's eyes on them, and he wished that there was somehow he could express his gratitude.

The rest of the evening they talked about the wedding, Kurt and Sebastian discussed Sebastian's cousin from Kurt's school and they all talked about events of the time in politics and culture.

At the end of the night Blaine hugged them both, Sebastian extra tight glad to receive the same gesture from Sebastian. Kurt politely shook their hands and they thanked for a good night before hey drove home in silence.

xXx

"Kurt, would you please just talk to me about what this is? There is no way you'll ever convince me that this is from gym," Blaine begged again, Sebastian's words echoing in the back of his mind, but he was way too desperate after he had caught a glimpse of Kurt changing shirts when they were back home.

"Would you stop that? This is crazy! You don't know coach Sylvester, she makes us do extreme stuff at gym, that is all there is to it," Kurt said shrilly as he stopped in front of the bed.

"Kurt that is so obviously bruises from people gripping you and throwing you around. Don't tell me your dad wouldn't have done something about it if that was from classes," Blaine tried, his voice back to raised.

He felt guilty for yelling at Kurt like that, but what was he supposed to do? Sebastian's idea had sounded so rational and smart, but what did that matter if it didn't take the marks away from Kurt's body?

"Kurt, please - stop lying to me. I just wanna help you," Blaine pleaded and felt like grabbing his shoulders to shake some sense into into him.

"I don't want your help, Blaine! Just back the fuck off!" Kurt screamed high pitched and stopped the last few steps in front of the bed.

"I am not a child!"

"Yes you are, Kurt! That's the whole point!" Blaine roared back at him.

He shouldn't have said that. He knew it already before he did, but the words were right there and he couldn't stop them before they were out of his mouth. He watched all color leave Kurt's face and his lips form a thin line over his face while his eyes turned glassy, clearly trying to not break down and cry. Blaine had broken the unspoken rule between them: when they were together Kurt wasn't a child and Blaine wasn't an adult - they were simply two people together, and they would never address the subject of age in a way where they used it against each other. Blaine had promised himself to never use Kurt's age to make him feel like he was less.

But that was what he did, and he could see the pain he had inflicted on Kurt, but if he hadn't been acting like a child Blaine would never have said it. Now he could stand and watch Kurt crawl into bed and turn his back on Blaine's side.

It was hopeless. There was nothing he could do. Now that he thought about it, it was most likely that Kurt's father didn't even know about the bruises. He had no other chance than to go to bed and hope Kurt wouldn't hate him in the morning.

He laid awake in the dark for a long time, staring at Kurt's back as it moved with his breathing. He wanted to reach out and pull him closer but he wasn't sure he would be allowed to, so he turned around and finally let himself drift towards the dark.

He was just on the edge between being awake and asleep when Kurt turned around and let his arms lock around Blaine, nose nuzzled into his neck.

"I love you," was all Kurt had to whisper.

xXx

The morning was cold. They didn't talk much, and there weren't any physical contact between them. Blaine felt like he was in an alternate universe where all feelings had been programmed out of people. Usually they would have spent the morning in bed for cuddling and having sex, followed by breakfast and showering together where they would make up excuses of why Kurt should stay a little longer - but this morning they got up, ate in silence and Blaine drove Kurt home where they exchanged a small peck on the lips before Kurt was out of the car.

Blaine felt empty and powerless. He hated having let Kurt go home the way he had, but he hadn't known what to do. He still had Sebastian's words floating around in the back of his mind, but what if Kurt didn't come to him? What if it suddenly was too late and he ended up in the hospital?

The thought was sickening so Blaine went to the gym to try and clear his mind. After that he went out for dinner with Thomas whose boyfriend was working that evening. Blaine didn't mention the problems with Kurt but stuck to telling about the good things. He felt bad about keeping it from Thomas because he usually told him everything, but somehow this felt too private.

He didn't hear from Kurt the entire day except for a very early text of "Going to bed. Goodnight. Love you." Blaine was pretty sure Kurt wouldn't go to bed at 8.30 but he wasn't planning on bugging him - if he needed space he would get space.

So Blaine decided that in the future he would keep an eye open on Kurt's behavior, see how he felt the days they spent together after Kurt had been to school compared to the days he hadn't, so he could see if there were any signs to pick up on.

He didn't see Kurt for days. Their texts were strained. Every night Blaine texted Kurt his schedule for the next day, so Kurt had a chance to see him of he wanted - but he didn't come. Blaine felt like calling him but he wasn't planning on begging for forgiveness, because it was Kurt who was mistaken in this. He had said some things he shouldn't but Blaine hadn't done anything wrong, so as much as he loved Kurt he really felt like he should get it together.

Wednesday evening Blaine flew out to New York for an event. He posed with his friends for the cameras and kept a facade up all night, but in reality he mostly wanted to go home to wear sweats and not do anything so once he finally was off he was relieved.

Thursday he stayed in town for lunch with Kate and gave her the illusion that he and Kurt were doing amazing. What else was he supposed to do?

He had never thought it would be, but once he was back in Ohio he almost felt relieved. When he put the key in the door to his apartment all he could think about was not doing anything for the weekend and maybe even skipping the gym, because what was really the point?

However, when he entered it was like something was off. The apartment gave him a weird feeling that he couldn't describe. He tried to shake it off by going to the kitchen to have some water and go through his mail, but in the end he decided to go to bed early.

He went to the bathroom to get ready. He took a quick shower and decided that sleeping nude would be liberating considering how trapped he had felt lately, so he let the towel fall and slipped directly into bed.