The rest of the week in LA they were as inseparable as could be. Whenever it was a possibility Kurt went with Blaine for his business meetings. He didn't tell Kurt, but on more than one occasion Blaine had to tell his work connections that Kurt was not a model and that he wasn't interested. He kept running the moment when Kurt told him to let him fight his own battles in his head over and over again whenever anyone requested to use him for modeling, but Blaine told himself that right now a life in the fashion industry was the last thing Kurt needed. And if he went into modeling he would lose all control of his own body - and his secret would be exposed there as well.

No. It was for the best this way. He told himself that when Kurt turned 18 he could tell him that it actually was a choice for him, but until then Blaine would protect him with his life to keep him out of the dirt.

It was now last day before they would be going back to Lima. Blaine had an important last meeting that he couldn't take Kurt to, but when he came back Kurt was on the computer; pale and ill-looking.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked when he entered the living room.

Kurt was startled and snapped the laptop closed. He shook his head lightly and tried to look like everything was fine, but Blaine looked right through him.

"Nothing. There's nothing. How was the meeting?" He stammered out, his fingers scrambling around to find distraction.

That wasn't good enough. Blaine knew him too well to be fooled so easily. He couldn't just let Kurt be upset and then hide it. How would he ever be able to be there for him then?

"It was fine, but I don't care about that. Why are you lying to me?" Blaine asked as he crossed the floor and sat down next to Kurt.

"Lying? What are you talking about?" Kurt stuttered and worried his lip between his teeth.

"I know you, Doll-face. That face does not say fine," Blaine sighed, and before Kurt could do anything he had opened the laptop.

On the screen Kurt's Facebook page showed up and he didn't like what he was seeing. People had shamelessly filled his notifications with slurs and degrading phrases. Blaine didn't think he had ever seen the word 'freak' so many times in one place.

"Doll-face, why would you tell me that you were fine when you clearly aren't?" Blaine asked, worry swimming through his entire body.

"Why are you even looking at that?"

Kurt looked away and had his lips trembling as he tried to keep his face neutral, but a tear escaped and fell down his face.

"I just wanted to see…" He gulped.

In a quick motion Blaine was over the couch and had his arms around Kurt, pulling him into his embrace with a deep sigh. He ran his hand down Kurt's back and squeezed him as tight as he could.

"What are we going to do about this, Doll-face?" Blaine crooned into his hair, placing kisses over the crown of his head.

"Listen, you should delete that thing. You don't need that," Blaine said softly.

"I talked to Rachel today. She said that no one in Lima pays attention to it anymore, but of course it's summer-break so it's hard to say really. I just wanted to see what was going on with my friends," Kurt cried, sniffing in an attempt to stop the tears and sobs.

"Babe, we'll go back tomorrow. When we're home we'll set up something so you can see your friends," Blaine assured him and pulled him close to press a kiss to his cheek. The soft skin was warm and tasted like salt which made something grow in Blaine's throat because he knew it was from Kurt's tears.

"I was thinking that as soon as we get home I will come to your house and we can discuss with your dad how we should tackle this. If it's better I will arrange for my lawyer to be present too. So we can get it over with," Blaine sighed, his hand brushing down Kurt's back now.

"That's good, sounds good," Kurt sniffed and dragged the back of his hand over his face.

"But now I think you should go get ready, cause I'm taking you out tonight, and I will spoil you so much you will forget about everything. I'll take it all away from you, baby. Even if it's just for one night," Blaine crooned, running his hand down Kurt's arm.

"You always spoil me," Kurt chuckled through a hoarse sniff before he stood up.

"I was thinking… do you maybe - wanna come shower with me?" Kurt asked shyly, like this was something they had never done before.

It was strange how this entire experience had transformed Kurt. It was like he had been pushed back to be that scared, broken boy Blaine once had taken advantage of. The only difference now was that Blaine would never take advantage of him again and Kurt knew it, Kurt would trust him with his life.

At this point Kurt knew that Blaine would do anything for him. They hadn't had sex after Kurt came to LA, which gave Blaine his longest record of no sex, since it had been almost two weeks now. He was horny as hell but hadn't tried anything. He had let Kurt keep his body wrapped in clothes and blankets, not even suggesting for him to get naked. He was well aware that pressuring Kurt would only make things worse, and as much as he missed Kurt's naked body he really just wanted to see Kurt happy again.

However, if Kurt wanted them to shower together there was nothing in the world that would ever be able to hold Blaine back. He rushed to be in front of Kurt and kissed him softly. With a gentle hand he brushed over his hair before he let his hand slip Ito Kurt's, leading him to the bathroom.

They stripped in silence. Blaine unceremoniously like always, but Kurt was standing with his back on Blaine as he peeled off the layers. When Blaine saw it he felt ill, the feeling only strengthened when Kurt carefully got into the shower, his back still on Blaine but obviously still trying to cover himself up. He seemed more ashamed of himself than Blaine had ever seen him and he was lost on what to do about it.

"Blaine, I… I miss you," Kurt suddenly mumbled, his voice barely audible through the water drumming down on the porcelain under their feet.

Kurt was standing so far away from Blaine that he was almost pressed back against the wall. He had his knees bent together, looking like his legs were trying to tie him up. His arms were folded across his midsection and his wet bangs were hanging to his eyes, making drops roll down his face.

"Doll-face, I'm right here. I never went away," Blaine declared and took half a step closer, but something was holding him back. What if Kurt didn't want to be touched?

"I know, but - this past week… Everything's been different. I miss you, and I want us to… Go back to how we were. I know it's all my fault, but I miss being close to you," Kurt whimpered.

He was looking down, droplets falling from his hair. He strengthened his arms around his ribs and it was suddenly very clear that his knees were trembling.

"Doll-face… It's not your fault. Nothing is your fault. Can I - please let me hold you," Blaine begged his hands itching to be allowed to pull Kurt closer.

With a noise like a sob getting caught in his throat Kurt rushed over the porcelain floor of the shower niche to throw his arms around Blaine, falling directly into his embrace.

They stayed under the water stream for a long time. Kurt didn't leave Blaine's arms and Blaine didn't stop stroking his hair or caressing his back. He kept a steady stream of kisses coming to Kurt's hair and temple, sometimes whispering silent "I love you" and "We'll get through this together" in his ear.

When they had been in the shower for so long their fingertips started wrinkling up Blaine turned off the water and wrapped a towel around Kurt. They dried up in silence and got ready just as silent after.

xXx

"Doll-face, I really wish we could find a way to make you forget all of this, if only just for one night," Blaine said as he put his hand on Kurt's.

They were in the car on their way to a nice restaurant Blaine had good experience with. Kurt had dressed up nicely in some of the clothes Blaine had given him over the week, and to Blaine he couldn't have looked anymore stunning.

"It's okay. It's gonna be fine," Kurt smiled insecurely back at him.

"Fine isn't good enough for my baby," Blaine grinned.

"I love you, you know that?" Kurt smiled, this time actually seeming sincere. He rested his head back against the seat and observed Blaine as he drove them through town.

"Like what you see?" Blaine teased, nodding his head in a overly cocky fashion.

"That depends on how smug you're gonna be about it," Kurt grinned.

"I'm always gonna be smug about it if you like watching me," Blaine flirted and squeeze his hand around Kurt's, happy to find that Kurt was actually squeezing back.

"This will be a good night," Kurt said softly, still watching Blaine. It was like he was saying it more to himself than to Blaine and Blaine was a little uncomfortable by the thought that he had to pressure himself to it, but he was happy that Kurt really wanted it.

The restaurant was a fancy place, but since Blaine had found out that Kurt didn't always feel comfortable in too fancy places he had made sure to find a place that was also relaxed.

At first Kurt was quiet and they stuck to sending each other awkward smiles over the table. However, after way too long with the only sounds being the clinking of cutlery and the other guests chatting, Blaine took a deep breath and moved his chair around the table to sit next to Kurt, receiving wide, shocked eyes.

"This is gonna stop. Now we are gonna chat and I will make you laugh and you will think I am stupid and vulgar and way too inappropriate for a scenery like this. But that sad gloom in your eyes will go away," Blaine declared, squeezing Kurt's thigh and nudging his nose against Kurt's cheek.

He started kissing down Kurt's neck, pretending to bite him and lick over the skin that tasted like perfume and sweat. To his relief Kurt started giggling, bucking away.

"Blaine! There are people here," he laughed and turned his head, a grin covering his face.

Mission accomplished. This was the first time in over a week Kurt had been laughing. Now it was only about finding a way to keep it.

"Alright. I'll stop," Blaine grinned. He pressed a wet, heavy kiss to Kurt's cheek am got up to move back to his own spot, but Kurt put a hand to his arm, stopping him.

"No. Don't move back. Sit here with me," he requested.

"Okay," Blaine agreed softly, a vague smile twitching at the corners f his mouth. He sat back down and pulled his plate to his new spot.

Throughout dinner they kept silent but their arms and elbows rubbed against each other, making Kurt blush and giggle. They kept sending each other longing glances out of the corner of their eyes and sweet smiles with a need for kisses filling their lips.

"I have a demand to make. It's rather serious, but I don't want you to freak out," Kurt suddenly said. He had just emptied his glass of wine and they were both done eating. Blaine had allowed his hand to drift down Kurt's thigh under the table and they were now enjoying each other and their wine.

A warmth spread in Blaine's face and his insides coiled. Kurt was very serious and it didn't feel good. His eyes were flickering and he was worrying his lower lip between his teeth.

"Uhm, okay. What is it?" He asked nervously, feeling the lump in his throat threaten his voice. He couldn't handle anymore too serious right now. Especially not regarding Kurt.

"There's just one thing, and I know that it's a lot to ask from you, but if you don't wanna do it I will get really sad," Kurt explained.

"Just… just say it, Doll-face. I told you: we'll handle this together. I'll do anything for you," Blaine said, clasping his hands around Kurt's one lying on the table between them.

"I want you to have ice cream with me," Kurt announced and let a wide grin spread across his face.

Blaine's jaw dropped and his head felt light. This was definitely not what he had expected. He felt the block of ice in his belly melt and turn to rosy spots on his cheeks.

"You damn brat! I thought this was something really serious," Blaine said and poked Kurt in the ribs right where he knew that he was most ticklish, making him giggle and strangle a squeal with a hand to cover his mouth.

"It is! I don't kid about ice cream," Kurt declared as serious as he possibly could.

"You're precious," Blaine smiled and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend before signaling for the waiter to get them their check.

The left the restaurant hand in hand. Blaine drove them out to a beach close to the apartment where they had ice cream while walking through the burning sand. For once Blaine actually allowed himself to have ice cream, giving in to Kurt's demand. If that was what it took to keep Kurt happy he could always intensify his work-out-schedule once they were home.

He sat on a bench as he watched Kurt dance around the beach, dipping his naked toes in the waves while Blaine watched his shoes and socks. It occurred to Blaine that this was the first time he had ever seen Kurt completely carefree. There was always something that troubled him, whether it was school, bullies, parents - or now this horrible big exposure he had been out through, but right now he was ceasing the moment and embracing the sunset filling the beach with colors and love.

When they were tired of the beach and it was almost dark they went back to the apartment. Kurt was smiling and looked satisfied as he went directly to the bedroom. He curled up on the bed and watched as Blaine got rid of his blazer and tie.

"I'm hot," Kurt mumbled, observing Blaine unbutton his shirt slowly.

"I know you are. That's why I can't stop looking at you?" Blaine joked with a laugh, nudging Kurt's foot with his knee.

"You're a jerk," Kurt groaned and rolled his eyes.

As Blaine started to open his pants Kurt jumped to sit on his knees on the bed. He stretched his hand out and grabbed Blaine's wrist to pull him closer. Kurt pressed his mouth onto Blaine's and without Blaine had a chance to react Kurt was slowly unbuttoning Blaine's shirt.

"Let's go to the pool and cool off. I've never been in a pool before," Kurt whispered between kisses. He pushed Blaine's shirt off and yanked his undershirt out of his slacks, then he started pulling it off over Blaine's head, and the moment it hit the bed Kurt kissed one last kiss to his mouth, chaste and sweet, before he moved away.

"I'll meet you down there. I just need to fix a few things," Kurt smiled and innocently walked towards the bathroom. As he closed the door behind him Blaine rushed to put on his swim shorts. He wasn't sure if Kurt had anything that with him that could take a trip in the pool so he put out a pair he had got for Kurt before he arrived - just in case.

He jumped directly in, letting the water soothe his tanned skin, the night air cool and relieving after hours of sun. He swam a few rounds, waiting for Kurt to show up, when he looked to the door and found Kurt with a towel wrapped around him.

"Hey beautiful. Wanna drop the towel and join me?" He asked and swam towards the edge where Kurt was standing.

With careful steps Kurt walked to where Blaine was waiting for him. He nervously sat down and slowly let the towel drop. Now he was completely and unmistakably naked.

"Wow… Kurt, I - I put some shorts on the bed for you in case you didn't have anything yourself. You don't have to…" Blaine stammered, holding a hand on Kurt's knee, but having trouble keeping his eyes away from where Kurt's thighs met.

"I know. I just figured… You take yours off too," Kurt requested.

At first Blaine was a little confused by his request, but after a moment he kissed Kurt's knee before moving away to get some space. He took off his shorts and let them onto the edge of the pool with a slam.

"Will you come join me now?" He asked, swimming a little back and forth in front of Kurt, his eyes constantly locked on Kurt's face.

Kurt nodded quietly and took a deep breath. With uncertain movements he slowly started to sink himself into the water, allowing Blaine to have a short view of Kurt's pussy so Blaine's cock gave a slight twitch. As soon as Kurt was all the way down he stayed where he was, hands still on the edge to keep him up.

"It's not gonna be much fun if you're planning on staying there," Blaine chuckled lightly followed by a twirl.

"I uhm - please don't laugh at me," Kurt said insecurely. His eyes flickered a little and his entire body seemed insecure.

"Doll-face, I thought we had reached the point where we agree that I will never laugh at you," Blaine sighed and swam close to Kurt, finding the lower of Kurt's back so their bodies were almost flushed with each other.

"It's just… I can't swim," Kurt stammered insecurely, his cheeks going red.

"You can't… That's alright, baby. We can just stay here," Blaine said softly and leaned closer to the edge.

"It's because… I've never been to the beach, and I couldn't really take swim class with the others in school because then they would -"

Blaine stopped him with a gentle smile and a shake of his head.

"Doll-face, it's okay. I'm not judging you. Will you kiss me now?" Blaine smiled, tilting his head a little and grinned when Kurt's tension relieved and drifted into a smile instead.

Kurt chewed on the inside of his cheek and let the corners of his mouth turn slightly up. He carefully let his one hand around Blaine's waist and moved closer to him. Blaine could sense that he was very nervous about the situation so he let both of his hands around Kurt to support him.

With that Kurt blushed again and pressed his nude body against Blaine's. His nipples were hard against Blaine's chest and his fingers were clinging to Blaine's back, holding on for dear life in the pool where he didn't stand a chance against the water sucking them up.

It was when Blaine squeezed his arms a little tighter around Kurt as he pressed his mouth onto Kurt's. He could feel Kurt tremble in his embrace, and goosebumps cover his skin.

"Are you scared of the water?" Blaine asked softly.

"Maybe a lil' bit," Kurt admitted. He hid his face against Blaine's shoulder, covering up his shyness about how awkward he clearly found the situation.

"Come here. I'll just do this, and then you can get you used to it," Blaine smiled and turned to put his back against the edge so he could hold around Kurt, letting Kurt get used to the open water behind him, but still not being out there.

"Just trust me, Doll-face. I've got you," Blaine cooed into Kurt's hair, stroking a thumb over Kurt's hipbone.

The action made Kurt shiver slightly, pressing his pelvis closer to Blaine, and it was impossible to stop it. Kurt slipped his arms around Blaine's neck, holding himself above water with the help from Blaine's hands around his waist.

Their palms slid easily around their wet skin. Blaine's curls were clinging to his head from having been diving under the surface several times, but Kurt's hair was still as perfect as always. The only light to keep the darkness away from the pool was the shine streaming from inside the apartment through the huge full-window wall, a soft light from the sore lamps Blaine had lit before jumping in.

"I've heard that before," Kurt whispered into Blaine's ear, his lips sliding over Blaine's earlobe.

"When I first met you. You kept telling me to trust you. Said: "Trust me, Doll-face. I've got you." I knew you did. I still do," Kurt told quietly, and the memory crept under Blaine's skin.

It was odd the way Blaine both loved and hated the memory of their first night together. On one hand it was one of his most treasured memories, one of the best nights in his life; because that had been the day Kurt had come into his life, trusting and innocent. On the other hand he hated it because of the way he had treated Kurt, because of the things he had said to him – because of the things he had thought about him.

"I'll always have you, Doll-face. You don't have to be scared anymore," Blaine assured him, running his hand lightly down the lower of Kurt's back to rest on his ass-cheek.

"I'm never scared when I'm with you," Kurt smiled, taking Blaine's earlobe between his teeth, and Blaine had to keep in a moan.

It was inevitable when his dick twitched and started going hard. Kurt's pussy was pressed against him, everything was wet and intense, with naked skin and whispered words. He didn't dare hope for anything, though.

Kurt was still very fragile. He still had mood swings, and most of the time he was depressed. Not one time while they had been in LA had Blaine tried anything inappropriate. He had wanted to, needed to, but not so much as try to peek under Kurt's clothes had he tried. He knew there was a possibility that Kurt would feel violated by it, and he didn't want that. Needless to say he was horny as hell.

How was he ever supposed to hold himself back when Kurt was being such a tease right now? Every urge inside of him was telling him to just go for it. His predator instincts floated to the surface and made his fingers tingle to be allowed to let loose. He just couldn't. He couldn't do that to Kurt.

Yet, he hadn't seen the next thing coming.

"Blaine... I miss you so much. I miss being close to you. I miss you touching me. I miss feeling you," Kurt whispered, his wet lips slipping over Blaine's drying cheek.

"I miss you inside me," Kurt breathed out tenderly and slid his one knee up to Blaine's hip so he could rub his cunt against Blaine's erection.

"Are you trying to seduce me, young Hummel?" Blaine asked, voice unsteady, fingers needing to be grabbing on to something.

"You already seduced me, Mr. Anderson," Kurt smiled against his cheek, running his lips lightly over the skin.

"Do you really wanna do this, Kurt? Cause I want you so much," Blaine whispered, afraid to even move because he needed Kurt to be sure before he moved forward, but he was afraid that if he did anything he wouldn't be able to control himself anymore.

"Please, Blaine. It's been so long," Kurt groaned, pressing a little more so Blaine's cock slipped between his lips.

"When you left I missed you so much. I laid in bed at night, touching myself while thinking of you, wishing it was your fingers inside me," Kurt whispered directly into Blaine's ear.

The words spread inside of Blaine's head, swimming out to the rest of his body, filling his crotch with blood. Every vein in him was pounding with need and desperation, telling him that Kurt had started it himself, this was okay.

"I'm gonna take real good care of you, sexy," he grunted against Kurt's neck.

"Yes, Blaine. Take care of me," Kurt begged and let his other leg up, both of his knees now at Blaine's hips so he could feel Kurt's entrance ghosting over his head.

With a swift movement of his hips Blaine had his pelvis angled perfectly. It only took him a moment before he was sliding carefully into Kurt's body. Both of his hands slipped down to take a firm grasp around both of Kurt's cheeks.

Kurt was unusually tight around him, but fortunately wetter than usual. Blaine could feel that he was tensing up, probably anxious after having waited so long. He had his face buried in Blaine's neck, arms squeezing strongly around his neck, his breathing hitched.

"Feel so good, baby," Blaine groaned into his hair, kissing everywhere he could reach; hair, cheek, neck, shoulder, tendon of his elbow.

In response Kurt gave a little whimper, pressing his face deeper into Blaine's neck so his nose was boring into the flesh.

"Are you okay? Are you good, Doll-face?" Blaine asked nervously. He stroke a hand over Kurt's shoulder and down his bicep, caressing the skin while he forced his hips to still.

Slowly Kurt let his arms slide away from around Blaine's neck, down to go around his ribs, so Kurt could support his hands on the edge of the pool behind Blaine. As soon as he was properly situated he carefully moved his face away from Blaine's neck to let their mouths collide.

With a moan and need Kurt used his hands for leverage to work himself up around Blaine, slowly sliding back down. He rested his forehead against Blaine's so he could look him in the eyes, the blue orbs big and aware as his lips brushed over Blaine's with every movement he did.

Little by little Blaine allowed his hips to meet Kurt's thrust. The hot pocket of Kurt's wet pussy swallowing his cock deep and needy made his brain shut down. The blood in his pelvis was throbbing, and his dick was pounding.

Kurt's breathing drifted into Blaine's mouth, draped itself over his lips and filled his body with the very essence of Kurt. Their movements were hazed and fluid, following each other like their bodies had melted together, and after a while Kurt allowed his hands to run up Blaine's back to press their chests together. His palms were freezing from resting on the stone and chills ran down Blaine's spine that made him thrust a little deeper, earning a moan from Kurt against his mouth.

"I missed this... so much," Kurt croaked out, his cunt grabbing a little tighter around Blaine's shaft.

"Me too. Love your pussy so much," Blaine grunted, taking Kurt's fat lower lip between his teeth.

The water was squelching around them, the waves following their movements. The night air was cool around them, but the pool was warm and nice. For some reason Blaine couldn't help noticing how strong the stars lit above their heads, considering how hard it was to find a starry night in LA. It only felt right that Kurt could make the stars come out.

It had been way too long. Kurt's sex was clamping down around Blaine's cock and it made his insides do somersaults. He allowed his one hand to slide down over Kurt's thigh, fingers running through the fine, wet hairs. His skin was burning, heated to a point where the water should have been boiling around them.

Kurt stopped moving up and down to start rolling his hips again. His pubic bone was pressed against Blaine's pelvis, making his clit rub against Blaine's skin with every movement they did. Blaine slipped his arms around to fold as much around Kurt's waist as he possibly could, covering Kurt's back in his arms.

"Oh... oh yes... Blaine, Blaine... yes," Kurt cried, squeezing his eyes shot as his cunt closed up around Blaine's cock, hot and slippery with every thrust of Blaine's shaft into his center. He could feel Kurt's inside spasm as he was coming, Kurt's nails digging into the skin of Blaine's shoulder blades with a muffled whimper against Blaine's face.

"Shhh, I've got you," Blaine cooed, his hips still thrusting against Kurt's ass, but his hands much softer on Kurt's back now.

He was so close. His eyes were swimming and his brain was fogged over. It was difficult to continue moving when Kurt was clinging lazily to him, his hips still rolling but much more casually now. Instead he pushed deeper, circled his hips so Kurt threw his head back, and Blaine's crotch shot ablaze.

"Kurt, oh god! Don't let go, baby!" He pleaded through grunts and groans, his face nuzzled into Kurt's neck. His entire pelvis felt on fire as his balls pulsed and shot his load through his shaft, filling up Kurt's pussy, making him orgasm once more.

"Blaine, yes. Ye-yes," Kurt stuttered, his moans fading out into hollow panting into the crook of Blaine's neck. Both of his arms felt locked, like they were sewn together around Blaine. It was hard to imagine that Kurt was ever planning on releasing his grip on him, by the force of which he was holding onto Blaine.

After Blaine had taken a while to not see stars with his eyes closed and breath without feeling like his lungs were about to explode he started brushing his hands up and down Kurt's back. The sound of the water stirring around them suddenly sounded much louder now that their combined panting had eased out.

"Are you okay, Doll-face?" Blaine asked insecurely.

Kurt was still clinging to him. Arms and pussy, his entire body still anxiously tensed up. That's what made Blaine fear that maybe Kurt had regretted it, hadn't been ready for sex again yet.

"I'm... I'm fine. I've missed this..." Kurt assured him softly, and kissed Blaine's lips, swollen and dry.

"Good. For a moment I was scared I hurt you," Blaine smiled and his dripping hand up to run over Kurt's still dry hair.

"Did I do okay?" Blaine smiled, running his fingertips up and down Kurt's back, hoping he would cool off soon, because it seemed like Kurt's skin had reached a fever high.

"Okay? God, it was so good. And I came down here to try and learn how to swim. I don't even care about swimming if I can do this instead," Kurt grinned and rolled his hips a little, coaxing a groan from Blaine has his overly sensitive dick was stimulated, still trapped inside Kurt's body.

"But now... I'm exhausted," Blaine declared. He put his hands on Kurt's hips and easily lifted him off with careful movements.

The water had them both feeling weightless, and it served good to cool down their bodies. Kurt immediately let himself fall into Blaine's arms, pressing a deep kiss to his mouth before he insecurely moved around to support back against the edge of the pool.

"Wanna go to bed with me?" Blaine asked, swimming towards the ladder by the end of the pool.

"Are you coming?" He asked, turning around to find Kurt still clinging himself to the edge, looking a little lost.

It took a little time for Blaine to realize what the problem was, but when he did he swam back to Kurt and gently took his hands. Kurt kept his back pressed against the concrete side of the pool, so Blaine came a little closer.

"Trust me. I'm not gonna let you drown, silly. I'll just help you swim with me over to the ladder – without the edge," Blaine smiled. He rubbed his thumbs soothingly over the back of Kurt's hands and watched with satisfaction as Kurt dared himself out to open water, willing himself towards Blaine and away from the edge.

"Look at you. You're doing great," Blaine encouraged him and slowly helped Kurt through the water.

He could feel that Kurt was tense and probably scared, but Blaine let him take things at his own speed, patiently waiting for Kurt to come to him and lead the way. It only took a minute, but to Kurt it probably felt like a life-time, so Blaine let Kurt up first.

As soon as they were both standing naked on the edge of the pool Blaine wrapped a soft towel around Kurt, embracing him and kissing his hair before picking up his own towel. He dried himself off loosely, but when he saw that Kurt was still standing quietly with his towel cocooning his body and water dripping down his legs Blaine walked over to dry Kurt off with a grin.

"I can teach you how to swim, you know. If you want," he said gently, wiping a wet lock of hair away from Kurt's temple.

"Maybe some day," Kurt mumbled, leaning his head against Blaine's hand where it was resting on his shoulder.

"I'm really proud of you, Kurt. You did so good. Do you even know how much I admire you?" Blaine cooed, rubbing his hands over Kurt's toweled up shoulders. He took Kurt's hand and started leading him back towards the house.

"Who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?" Kurt murmured, raising a mistrusting eyebrow.

"I'm serious. If all of this, any of this, had been me – I would have left the country. But you keep your head so high. I'm such a pussy next to you," Blaine said.

"Wrong choice of words, sorry. But you have to believe me," he apologized.

They had reached the bedroom, so he pushed Kurt to sit on the bed before he crouched to sit on his knees in front of Kurt. He took both of his hands and ran circles over his wrists with his thumbs.

"I've been thinking a lot about it lately. How much I admire you. I couldn't have done half of the things you do every single day. I've always seen myself as a man. But I'm not. Not really. To me you are the very definition of a man. You've made me a better man. I love you so much," Blaine told gently, watching as Kurt's eyes turned wet from the sound of his words.

"I was thinking... maybe I'll move to New York permanently over the summer," Blaine said, his voice shaking.

Kurt's face dropped. He went pale and his hands turned cold in Blaine's. Like he had woken up from shock he pulled his hands away from Blaine. He didn't even allow Blaine to continue before he was trembling.

"What? You're just gonna... leave me?" Kurt asked, words breaking and terrified, resembling the look in his eyes.

"Leave you? Kurt... I want you to come with me. You can't stay in Lima anymore. No matter what we end up doing when we come home. This will always be hanging over your head as a black cloud. You will always be haunted by this," Blaine explained, feeling how heavy it was weighing on his chest.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" Kurt asked, the color slowly returning to his cheeks, but he still seemed confused.

"Yes. I guess I am. I mean, I miss you all the time when we aren't together anyway. So I might as well make sure you'll always be there with me. At least when I wake up in the morning, and when I go to sleep at night. It would be easier for me to work, and you could get a fresh start in a new place."

He stood up and sat down on the bed next to Kurt. He watched as Kurt turned the proposition over in his head, probably weighing pros and cons.

"Blaine, my dad, my school.."

"I will talk to your dad about it. And you can't stay in that crappy school anyway. I've done a little research and New York has some really fine private schools focusing on performance arts, preparing their students to apply to places like Julliard and NYADA. You could get enrolled there. There's also schools with high focus on design if you'd rather do that. Or we could just enroll you in a regular private school so you have some time to figure out what you wanna do," Blaine told, doing his best to not seem to eager or pushy. This was completely Kurt's choice.

"You really did all of this for me? Checking schools and stuff?" Kurt asked in awe, voice small and confounded.

"Yeah. I did. Because I want what's best for you, Kurt. I want to see you happy and safe. And you won't feel safe in Lima anymore, and you won't be happy there either. Of course we would have to find another apartment, though. I don't want you to feel like it's my place and I'm letting you live there. We would go out and a find a place to be ours. Together. Where you could have all of your things as well."

"I can't let you pay for all of those things, Blaine. And I can't afford it myself," Kurt said, affection filling his voice and expression.

"I knew you would say that. So I've talked a bit – loosely, so no one is expecting anything – and I know that I can get you an after-school-job at a ton of different place. We'll figure that out," Blaine made clear. He had laid awake for hours at night, considering which way would be the best for Kurt to be kept safe and happy after all of this had snow-balled. Unfortunately this seemed like his only option.

Not that Blaine didn't want it. He found that once he had started looking up schools, talking to business connections about potential jobs for Kurt, even looking up apartments in Manhattan – the feeling of waking up next to Kurt every single day for the rest of his life was both terrifying and exciting. He was scared that once Kurt knew how he was on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 30 days a month basis he would see no other way out than to flee, screaming.

But he also loved the idea that the first thing he would see when he opened his eyes would be Kurt sleeping innocently like a sweet child, or Kurt's bright blue eyes staring at him. He thrilled by the idea of ridiculous things such as eating breakfast and kissing Kurt before dropping him off for school, do lame stuff as grocery shopping with him, and eating dinner together while chatting about their day. He was excited about the idea of Kurt's clothes and shoes permanently residing next to his, rather than being kept away in a suitcase whenever Kurt visited him.

He didn't want to go to his home anymore, he wanted to go to their home.

"Now listen; this is not... I am not trying to convince you to run off, or telling you that this is the only thing that is right. I don't expect you to give me an answer right now. In fact, I don't want your answer right now. I want you to think about this very closely. So you are sure with whatever you figure out that you wanna do. And don't even worry about me; if you say that you don't wanna do this I am not leaving Lima. I promised you that I'll never leave you again, and I won't. So just... take your time," Blaine assured him.

"Thank you," Kurt said thickly.

"And just... if you're worrying about your dad. Of course I would make sure that you could fly out to see him whenever you wanted to. And if you ever was to find out that you... didn't want it anyway. That you didn't want to live with me anyway for some reason. I would help you. I actually already put up an account for you. For savings. So that you would have money-security if something should happen. Because I don't want you to suddenly stand and not want me anyway, but be afraid that if you left me you would have nothing. It's in your name. The card for it should be in the mail when I get home. I'm just transferring money to it. So don't worry about any of that. Just think about what you want and need now. The rest will work out by itself."

He leaned in to put a kiss to Kurt's cheek. Then he stood up and rumbled around the dresser for some underwear. He didn't even notice that Kurt was over by his side, stopping his hands where he was fumbling around the drawer and kissed his cheek.

"You're perfect. I don't even know what to say about any of this. It's... so much. All at once. I never thought you would... Blaine, I'm only 16," Kurt said, looking at their locked hands, folded atop of the mix of underwear and rolled up socks.

"I know that. And I'm not gonna ever pressure you into anything. This was only a suggestion, and if you don't wanna do that we will do whatever you want to do. This is simply for you. Because you deserve to be somewhere where you don't have to look over your shoulder every time you take a step, or feel like everyone is judging you. But if you don't wanna do this just tell me, and then we will figure something out," Blaine rushed to say, turning to face Kurt so he was sure he could see his eyes.

"Why would you do this for me, Blaine?" Kurt asked. Blaine was confused. Why would he not do this for Kurt?

"Because... I never believed in love. I thought I was supposed to live alone forever, and I was good with that. I wasn't lonely, I wasn't looking for someone to take me by storm and turn my life upside down. I was an asshole, and I felt good about that. But you... you changed me. You loved me, and you let me love you back. No matter what I do now it can never be enough to show you exactly how much I love you. You're the most precious thing in the world. I would take you to the other side of the world if that was what it would take to make you happy again," Blaine declared, because wasn't it obvious?

"Even Paris?" Kurt asked, the corners of his mouth curling in a dimpled smile and a teasing spark in his eyes.

"Even Paris," Blaine grinned.

"You make me happy, Blaine. Even in the middle of all of this going on you have still managed to make me smile, make me happy," Kurt informed him.

"Good. I won't ever stop trying," Blaine sighed, content.

"Now drop those. I wanna feel you when I go to sleep," Kurt smiled and pushed the drawer closed so they could crawl into bed, curling up around each other like they used to do at home.

"I'll really have to think about this. It's really a lot to take in," Kurt whispered.

"It's okay, Doll-face. I will wait for you forever."

"Forever is a long time," Kurt pointed out.

"Not long enough to be with you."