March drifted into April and the days turned longer and warmer. They didn't hear anymore from Daniel or his friends. The other Warblers kept up their promise about holding Blaine's secret safe and they invited Blaine to a new party in the beginning of May - but he could only come if he brought Kurt, of course.

Blaine had a hard time sleeping because of the light streaming into his room at night, which only made him tired and coffee addicted at work where the customers were being difficult and with the warm weather it was easy to get annoyed.

One day the first thing he did when he entered his room after work was fall face-forward on his bed, determined to do nothing at all for the rest of the day only to go to bed early in the evening. He was just about to force himself up to take a shower when he heard a sound from his open window.

He rushed over to find Kurt on the lawn thrilling his voice at him. He was dressed in the same sarong he had been wearing back in Washington over the summer. He had mixed it up with a tight, purple t-shirt, black round sunglasses and no shoes. He was swaying back and forth and grinning up at Blaine's window.

"How can you be inside when nature is blooming around us out here?" Kurt asked shocked. He lifted his sunglasses to have a better look and Blaine couldn't hold back a bark of laughter.

He didn't think further before he ran downstairs and back to the yard where Kurt was tiptoeing around in a hazy dance, mostly resembling an Arabic muse.

He praised his lord for the tall hedges and snuck up to fold his arms around Kurt from behind. Kurt put his hands onto Blaine's and kept swaying. While Blaine started kissing his exposed neck Kurt moaned a silent humming that completely took over Blaine's brain, making him dizzy.

"You look so gorgeous," Blaine whispered and sniffed in his scent. He let the fragrance of Kurt mixed with fresh grass and warm weather fill him. It was intoxicating and he feared that he could possibly lose balance if he released his grasp around Kurt.

Kurt turned around to wrap his arms around Blaine and brushed their noses together. He let his eyes stare into Blaine's as he locked their fingers together between their chests, still swaying but his humming now so silent that it was nearly gone.

"What are you doing here? I thought I wouldn't see you until the weekend," Blaine muttered, suddenly very aware that his breath was smelling like strong coffee and sweet chocolate, hoping Kurt didn't notice.

"I knew you would be inside, and I thought that was such a shame when you belong out here. So I thought I would come and drag you outside. I saw you go inside when you came home from work, so I guessed that the best way to get you out would be if I was here," Kurt explained quietly.

Blaine smiled at the thought of how well Kurt knew him, that Kurt knew that he would do anything for him, but he was also a little embarrassed that when Kurt spent all of his time outside he would stay inside himself unless he was forced to go out. Not that he didn't like being outside, he just didn't think of doing it until Kurt came and made him go out.

"That's true. You're my weakness, my kryptonite," Blaine grinned and stretched his neck to kiss Kurt's nose. He could feel that the wind was starting to turn cold, but he felt hot from being close to Kurt that way. He wished that the sun would come back and warm them as they were slowly dancing around the garden like that.

"Will you come to my place this weekend? Finn and Rachel will be there, and my dad and Carole talked about doing a family dinner, and… you are a part of our family. I want you to be there. With me," Kurt invited, and let his cheek rest against Blaine's, his skin hot and soft on Blaine's own cold.

To his surprise Blaine didn't take as much as a second to decide. This was where he belonged, and all feared he had before was wiped away.

"Of course I would join you. It sounds really great. Should I like… come Friday and stay for the entire weekend, or…" Blaine started to ask, but noticed that Kurt had shrunken in front of him. He seemed insecure, as if he was trying to build himself up to telling him something. Something he was nervous about saying.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" Blaine burst out and stopped dancing. He took half a step back to have a better look at Kurt, to see if he could see through what was going on in his head.

"Uhm, the thing is… Rachel's parents will be there too, and eh - I was hoping we could tell them - about us. They're fine with me being gay and everything. They like me, and I like them. If we ask them to not say anything they won't. I'm sure they won't," he quickly burst out, and Blaine felt it like a punch in the face.

Suddenly the wind was much colder than he had felt it a moment ago, and a cloud started to drift over the garden. He let his hands drop and stared at Kurt for a moment before he turned on his heel and headed back inside.

"Stardust, come back. Please," Kurt called after him from the garden, but he didn't stop. He knew that he was being unreasonable and that it was completely unfair of him to react that way, he just couldn't stop the pressure in his stomach.

He had only just opened completely up and let in the feeling of being a part of Kurt's family, the knowledge that Kurt's family considered him one of them as well. He was still struggling to hold Kurt's hand when they were at his house, and now he was about to being thrown into being Kurt's boyfriend in front of strangers that he had no relation to at all.

He plunked down on the couch and stared into the black TV screen. Out of nowhere the living room seemed dark and cold. Like the evening had come uninvited and unexpected. A lump in his throat started throbbing. He felt guilty over the way he had left Kurt in the garden and he wanted to go back and apologize, but for some reason his feet didn't want to move.

Kurt showed in the open garden door. He waited, was taking the temperature of Blaine's temperament before he crossed the floor to sit on his knees in front of Blaine, blocking his view to the shut off TV.

"Let's do it, then. Let's… let's meet Rachel's parents," Blaine agreed thickly and locked his hands around Kurt's on his knees. Kurt stared up at him with shining eyes, his face revealing that he didn't believe that he truly meant it.

"It's okay, Stardust. If you don't feel ready we'll…" Kurt started, but Blaine squeezed his hands and cut him off.

"No. It's okay. We're doing this. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left. I should've… stayed and talked to you. I'm sorry, baby," Blaine apologized, forcing his voice to be strong to show him that he meant it, that he wanted to do it.

Kurt smiled weakly at him, still waiting and staring into his eyes to see if it was true. Blaine appreciated how much it meant to Kurt that he was ready, how much he wanted him to be comfortable about it. That only made Blaine even more certain that it was the right thing to do. It was time he took a hold of his life, and he couldn't hide anymore.

"Listen - Kurt. I can't do this to you anymore. You are so… out and proud, and you are just you. I love the way you want to let the world know about me, and I can't do this to you anymore. I want the world to see that you're with me. I wanna… I wanna try and be better, and - slowly - open up to people who we know can be trusted. I'll be 18 soon, and then I can get away from my father - then we can be together without being afraid of him," Blaine blabbered out, feeling all the heartache that had filled him since he met Kurt drop on the floor between them. Guilt. So much guilt over constantly keeping Kurt hidden away. Kurt didn't belong in the shadows, but out in the sparkling sun.

"I love you," Kurt whispered and kissed Blaine's fingers.

Blaine feigned a smile and started to get up. Kurt followed his example and they staggered to the kitchen where Blaine started cooking up some food for them. Kurt sat on a stool watching him, neither of them saying a word, but the atmosphere thick and anticipating.

When they were done eating Kurt took over the dishes while Blaine watched him. They went to Blaine's room where he excused himself to take a shower, remembering that he had been on the way to do that when Kurt had called him to the garden. He realized how disgusting and sweaty he was feeling and hoped that Kurt hadn't noticed.

When he returned to his room Kurt was lying on the bed with his legs up the wall while he listened to a hummed Beatles record. His eyes were closed and Blaine wondered if he had fallen asleep like that. He looked peaceful and free of all kinds of trouble, so Blaine was careful when he laid down on the bed next to him.

Kurt turned to lie on his side and let his legs slide down the wall to curl them under him. His eyes were still closed but his lips softly found their way to the corner of Blaine's mouth. Blaine kissed him back and muffled his fingers into Kurt's hair. He knew that his father would come home within the next hour, and it would probably be for the best for Kurt to leave before they were faced with each other. They way Kurt was dressed today made Blaine's insides bubble, but his father would only see it as a provocation, and he didn't want to risk Kurt having to listen to his snarky remarks.

"You need to leave. My father will be home soon and…."

"Shhh… I know, darling. I'll go soon. Until then let's just stay here and feel each other's presence," Kurt whispered, eyes still closed, but his lips ghosting over Blaine's cheek with his every word. His breath was soft on Blaine's skin, and he couldn't help missing the feeling of Kurt's lips against the tender skin of his arms and thighs. The feeling that never failed to send chills and butterflies fluttering through his body.

He closed his eyes and shuffled himself into Kurt's arms. The cold he had felt covering him in the living room was replaced by a blanket of comfort and safety. He disappeared into his embrace and laid like that for too long when he heard a door shut downstairs.

"Shit!" Blaine spat out and hurried to sit up. Kurt stayed down looking up at him with huge, confounded eyes.

For a moment neither of them moved. Blaine stayed still to listen, to hear if his father was slamming the doors, or if there was any indication of how his mood could be. Kurt started to creep his fingers under Blaine's shirt, but he sharply pushed his hands away. He couldn't be distracted, he needed to figure out the best way to get Kurt out without running into his father.

"What is the matter with you? It's fine, I'm all cool with not telling your dad that we're together, but now he can't even know we're seeing each other, as… friends?" Kurt snapped, gulping at the word 'friends' - absolutely not his favorite word to use about Blaine.

He sat up on the bed with a sour look on his face. He made sure to make a big deal of not sitting too close to Blaine and it stung. He rested his head against the headboard of the bed and rolled his eyes with a sniff, before he turned to look out the window where the sky had turned gray, nearly dark.

Blaine was confused and frustrated. Kurt knew how his father was, so why was it such a big deal that he wanted to avoid any complications? It was only to spare him for his father's mean comments on his outfit and general appearance. Not that Blaine thought that Kurt wouldn't be able to handle that - the honest truth was that he was afraid that if he heard his father say something bad about, or to, Kurt he would snap himself. He didn't want Kurt to witness that.

"It's not… that's not fair. You know how he is. I just don't want him to get any more suspicious than necessary, okay? I just don't… I just don't think it would be wise to have him know how often we hang out," Blaine spat and jumped off the bed to take a few steps towards the door where he hoped that he could easier hear if his father was walking around downstairs.

Kurt didn't look away from the window. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his cheek on his knees without a word. Blaine bumped his forehead against the doorframe. He pounded his fists against each other and walked around a circle on the floor between the bed and the door before he sighed heavily.

He crawled onto the bed and let his face so close to Kurt's that he could hear his breathing. He used his index finger on Kurt's cheek to turn his face, forcing his eyes to meet his. His eyes were sharp and completely blue with only a ring of golden around the pupil. He raised an eyebrow waiting for Blaine to say something, but he had no idea what he was supposed to say, what words he could use to explain himself.

Blaine let himself dump back to sit down on the mattress in front of Kurt. He crossed his legs and looked out the window. The tree outside his window was slowly swaying in the wind, and he wished that he had closed the curtains before he had sat down. The movements and the cold breeze were distracting him from his original purpose of sitting back down.

"It's not that… the thing is… I don't know how to explain this, because it will just sound stupid when I say it out loud. But to me it's a very big deal. I don't want my father to know how much we hang out… because I'm afraid that he might try to forbid me to see you. Of course he could never keep me away from you. Never. But he would say that I couldn't see you, because he would never like you. And I am already going so much against everything he's been trying to teach me, and all of his psychotic rules… I hate it all, I do, I just don't think that there's any reason to… stir more in the pond, you know," Blaine tried explaining. He bit himself in the tongue. That wasn't what he was supposed to say. Sure that was a part of it, but that wasn't the whole truth.

Kurt didn't respond. He let his eyes flicker between Blaine's, searching them and… waiting. He was waiting. Of course he knew that it wasn't the whole story, and now he was waiting for the rest.

"Also… I'm afraid that - if my father sees you, and he would never like you, and the way you are, the way you look, the way you dress… I'm so scared that he would say something provoking, disrespectful to you, or about you when you have left and then - I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I would go crazy. He talks trash about me all the time, but… if he ever says anything about you I will snap. And… you won't like that," he blabbered uncontrolled and nearly incomprehensible. There he had said, he had let it out.

"If you want I could just stay until tomorrow? I can stay in your room until he's gone to bed, and not leave until he's left in the morning," Kurt quietly suggested. His eyes were honest and his fingers were fumbling on his knees. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, his face seemed so indifferent by what Blaine had just said to him. Maybe he wasn't sure what to think of it and decided to act like nothing had happened until he knew?

"What do you mean; snap?" He asked before Blaine had any chance of gathering his thoughts enough to reply to his suggestion. He had not expected that he would have to tell him exactly what he meant about it; he had thought it was pretty obvious.

"I mean… I'm… I'm not really sure what I mean, but I just have all of this rage built up inside of me. Because of him, towards him - and I just know that if he says the least to offend you I would just… probably punch him. I don't want you to see that. You would hate me if I did that," Blaine muttered. He was staring into the bedspread.

He couldn't look Kurt in the eyes when he talked about being violent, that was just too against his nature and everything he believed in, and Blaine was ashamed to share this piece of information with him. But what he was the most ashamed of, and most afraid to let Kurt know, was that if he one day punched his father he wouldn't even feel bad about doing so.

Kurt let his hand run through Blaine's curls. A soft smile filled his face, and green appeared in his eyes. For some reason Blaine noticed that the room was nearly completely dark now, and he was surprised that he could even make out Kurt's eye color anymore.

"I told you once, but I can say it again; I could never hate you. I know you are angry at him. He did some horrible stuff to you, to your mom. But I also know that there's more love than there's anger in you, and that is what your heart consists of. If he said anything to me you wouldn't do anything about it, because you would hold yourself back. If not for you, then for me," Kurt cooed, and somehow his entire face was beaming through the shadows.

Kurt crossed his legs too and moved his torso in over his legs so he could be closer to Blaine. He let his nose ghost up his jaw line, and goose bumps spread over Blaine's skin. Kurt quietly hummed a few notes before he made his face up to be directly in front of Blaine's.

"It's your birthday soon. And then we will run away. I promise. When we get away you will leave your anger behind, and you will be nothing but love. Just the way you're supposed to be," Kurt purred, and Blaine grinned at him.

He couldn't help notice how Kurt's legs were bared now that he was sitting cross-legged so the sarong had opened up. He wanted to bent down to kiss his calves and thighs and knees and his feet, but controlled himself and forced himself back to focus.

He let his forehead bump against Kurt's collarbone and squeezed his eyes shut, embarrassed that they had even had to have that conversation. He had secretly hoped that he would never have to reveal his dark side of anger and rage to Kurt, the side of him that was capable of being aggressive - and violent even.

That was how it went though. Kurt stayed and Blaine excused himself with being tired and going to bed early. He did go to bed early, he just didn't sleep. As soon as Blaine was sure his father wouldn't bother him, they both stripped out of their clothes and crawled to bed where Kurt pulled the covers over their heads.

"Close your eyes, and clear you mind entirely… what do you see when I say - water?" Kurt whispered. He sounded like he was afraid that they would be heard, and Blaine suspected that he had a game going that they were somewhere else in the middle of the night where they had to be silent. Sometimes it seemed like everything was a game to Kurt.

"Mhm… a waterfall?" Blaine responded. His eyes were closed as Kurt had told him to and he realized that clearing his mind was nearly impossible. He had no idea how to do that, and it scared him that he wasn't even capable of something as simple as thinking about nothing.

"Oh… what about… blue? What do you see when I say blue?" Kurt asked, seeming more eager now.

"Ehm… the sky?" Blaine said, and he heard that it actually sounded more like a suggestion than an actual response, so he pierced his nail into his thumb to try and keep his focus in the game.

"Okay… that was easy. How about green then?" Kurt was nearly giggling. Was there something he had missed about this play? Was there something Kurt had missed to explain about what they were doing?

Suddenly it occurred to him that no matter what Kurt was saying after he had said 'water' all Blaine could picture was the island he had thought about months ago when they had taken a bath together and Kurt had been massaging him. The island with the hot steams of water and exotic trees and animals around them. All of it led back to Kurt.

He opened his eyes and grinned at him. Now all he could picture was Kurt dancing around in the water under a waterfall, singing tunes Blaine had never heard before.

"Do you wanna go to Hawaii with me? Some day?" Blaine asked before he even knew that he was planning on asking. As soon as the words left his lips he was excited to hear Kurt's reaction though, and he started chewing his cheek while Kurt's mind worked itself around the sudden invitation.

"I would go to the moon with you, Stardust," he smiled dreamy and moved a little closer.

The temperature under the sheets was steaming hot and Blaine was afraid that he might pass out from the heat, but he didn't want to leave their closed little space. It was too safe, too good, to just leave behind like that.

Kurt closed his eyes, and Blaine instinctively knew that it was his turn. Now he just needed to figure out some words to give him. Something that could give him some sort of insight into Kurt's head. But what?

"What do you see when I say… summer?" He tried out carefully.

"The sun," Kurt responded without as much as a second to think it over.

"What about when I say - celebration?"

What kind of word is that? What should that even mean? Blaine thought at himself.

"Love," Kurt answered abruptly. Apparently Kurt didn't have a problem with what that was supposed to mean.

"Okay. Good one. What about - future?" Blaine held his breath. He didn't know why he had said that. It was stupid. But now that he thought closer it could very possibly be some sort of Freudian slip of the tongue. He wanted to see if Kurt would respond just as quickly as he had done to the other words.

"You." He didn't open his eyes, just let the word flow as the most natural thing in the world, and Blaine wanted to reach in to kiss him passionately, but now he couldn't stop or Kurt would know why he had said it.

"Okay. Then I think I'll say games?" Blaine tried as casual as possible, but he was afraid that it had sounded more feigned than anything else. He didn't get to think any further about it, because Kurt opened his eyes and looked directly into Blaine with his answer.

"Our kids."

Blaine had to sink and blink a few times. At first he wasn't sure that he had heard him correctly, but when he had turned it over in his head an appropriate amount of time he didn't have any doubts. Now he just didn't know if he should be sad or happy. He and Kurt could never have kids.

"Wow," was all he could stutter, and wished that he hadn't said anything at all.

"I think we better sleep. You have work tomorrow," Kurt said and pecked his nose. He turned his back on Blaine and shuffled as close as possible while folding Blaine's arm around him.

"Goodnight, Stardust," Kurt yawned and kissed his hand before locking their fingers, and Blaine could hear in his breathing that he was asleep.

The next day Kurt had to leave early, because Blaine had to be at work around noon. They agreed for Blaine to come to Kurt's place Friday after work, and they parted with heavy hearts.

It was getting warmer, and it was nearly impossible to be in the record store even though the door was open throughout the day. Blaine decided to sit outside to play a little, which quickly resulted in people crowding around him. He felt free and something inside him couldn't help saying that maybe life wasn't as hard as the winter had made it seem.

"Hey man, playing much?" Trent said as he dumped down on the mural next to Blaine. He was grinning widely and nearly pulled Blaine out of focus so he missed a few keys, but grinned back as he continued playing.

As he ended his song Trent offered him a cup of coffee. It hit Blaine that he couldn't really know if this was going to be a pleasant visit or if there was something he should fear, but he guessed that Trent didn't exactly appear troubled, so he let himself enjoy the moment and hope for the best.

They talked a bit about what was going on. Trent talked about the show choir competition The Warblers had recently won, and Blaine congratulated him. He also told that Daniel and his friends had quit The Warblers after they had their encounter with the rest of the club. Blaine couldn't say that he was sorry - he just wanted them to pay for how they had treated him.

"At first they tried spreading a rumor within The Warblers that I am gay, but when I said that I'm not of course the other guys believed me. So they have no game with their destructive schemes around Dalton," Trent said casually, making sure that no one was overhearing them. After the party he had made sure to always be certain that no one was within hearing distance of them whenever they were having a conversation - even when there was nothing to be nervous about.

Blaine felt guilty. He had never wanted to put Trent through all of this. He wondered whether it had been the right decision to choose to tell him his secret, but something inside him said that to Trent it wasn't that simple; it wasn't just a matter of trouble or no trouble. To Trent this was just as much about helping, and being there for a friend as it was for Blaine to not be alone with it.

The sun was shining down over them, and it made Blaine's black hair feel like it was about to burst into flames. He wished that he could take Kurt back to the fountain in Washington where they had dipped their feet, but this time he could hold his hand instead of awkwardly hoping for Kurt to take his hand first.

"On a date, ladies?" An acid filled voice sounded behind them, but before they could turn around Daniel was standing in front of him. He was flanked by a boy looking equally as arrogant as he did himself, and he was clearly laughing at Daniel's clever comment.

"Fuck off, Daniel. And would you shut the fuck up? We made a deal, and if you don't keep your side we won't keep ours either," Trent spat out and stared them. He got up and showed that he was quite a bit taller than the freshmen in front of him, and Blaine had to hold in a snicker.

The boys flexed their muscles that weren't as impressive as they thought, and Blaine figured that he'd better stand up as well. This didn't seem like it was going anywhere good, and he was not interested in anything going down at his workplace.

He immediately felt tiny next to the boys in front of him. Being small had always been a pain for him, but he had made it through life not caring much about, although in this particular moment he really wished that he had been taller - at least a few inches.

"Just... leave me alone. Leave my friends alone, and we should be able to avoid any sort of complications," Blaine said with as much authority as his voice could muster. He was very uncomfortable about the situation and his first impulse was to grab Trent by the arm and disappear into the store to leave his bullies.

"But what if we like complications? What's life without a little trouble?" The boy behind Daniel grinned. That was really all he was; just a boy. He couldn't be anymore than 14, maybe 15. Blaine felt a knot tie in his throat by the thought that someone had dragged him into a circle of bullying other people and treating them this way. He was way too young to mark his conscious by ruining other kids' lives. It was sad and for a moment he imagined himself dragging the boy to the side and beg him to find other friends than this Daniel kid.

However, he simply shook his head, picked up his guitar and headed for the store. Out of the corner of his eye he had noticed that the owner was keeping an eye on the situation and Blaine wanted to make sure nothing slipped for him to hear, and to avoid anyone getting into any fights in front of the store. He could feel that anger was boiling under the surface so leaving seemed to be the best tactic.

"Are those guys giving you any problems?" The owner asked as Blaine and Trent entered the store again. He was a big, menacing man, and Blaine was sure that if he said that Daniel and his friend was bothering them he would go out and tell them to stay away - in a way that would make even the biggest of football players curl up.

"No, it's cool. It was just a… misunderstanding," Blaine mumbled and hurried to rush to the counter with Trent right at his heels. He put his guitar in its bag and prepared himself to go back to work.

For the rest of the day they kept staring towards the door, worrying that the guys might come inside the store to make a scene there, but they didn't show. When Blaine got off his shift in the late afternoon he and Trent went to the closest pizza-place before Trent had to go home.

As Blaine walked alone back through town he couldn't help keep looking over his shoulder. It seemed like everything had just collided lately. As if he had let everything pile up and now the mountain was threatening to crash down over him. Either he found a way to get himself out of it, or the mountain would start to crack and he wouldn't be able to prevent the disaster it would cause.

He tried distracting his thoughts by reading some comic books, but it didn't work - the confrontation in front of the store kept popping back into his mind. It didn't help listening to music either, and he even pulled out some of Kurt's paper and pencils to try sketching the way he had watched Kurt do it, but it all ended up smudged and not even stickmen turned out the way he tried to, so he gave up.

After a long time of pacing up and down the floor of his room he caved in and faced that he should get himself together. He walked downstairs and casually entered the living room where his father was watching the news.

Blaine sat on the couch without either of them uttering as much as a word to each other, but he could feel his father's eyes on his face every now and then. He ignored it as good as possible while watching the footage from the war rolling over the screen. All he could think about was Kurt, and how Finn was contemplating on going back.

He started imagining how Finn had looked like while running around in the Vietnamese villages. Was he killing or was he saving? No one had ever mentioned what he was doing over there; the killing stats, if he was one of those who saved the families or if he was one those who raided towns, killed and raped without mercy.

Or had someone mentioned that? He was so confused. All he remembered having heard about Finn's time in the war was all of Kurt's worries. Maybe he should try asking, or would that be too intruding?

The next day Blaine arrived at Kurt's house around 7. Earlier it hit him that he didn't know if Rachel and her parents would be there when he was to come over, and he wasn't sure that he would be ready to be thrust into it that way.

Luckily Daniel and his sidekick hadn't shown since Blaine and Trent left them outside the store the previous day. He didn't know what he would have done if he had been forced to face them alone, and he was happy that he hadn't found out.

"Hey Stardust," Kurt thrilled at him as Burt showed him through the house and into the garden where Kurt was sitting with coal smudges all over his pale skin. He had been absorbed in a sketch when Blaine fell to the grass next to him.

Blaine looked over his shoulder and saw that Kurt was, once again, drawing his hands only this time holding a flower. The stem was long and twisting its way down his wrist, and the flower looked like a Hawaiian Hibiscus. The way Kurt had portrayed it was lively, and Blaine had an urge to bent his head to take in the scent.

"It's really beautiful," he muttered as Kurt signed the corner before he let the paper and pencil drop. He let himself sink into Blaine's lap where he kissed his collarbone and bit lightly at his nipple making Blaine jump slightly.

Kurt pushed gently at Blaine's chest and made them fall down in the grass together. The grass was cold and tickled, but he wrapped his arms around Kurt and dragged him closer. In a matter of no time Kurt had taken over control and was sitting on Blaine's hips.

His fingers found their way under Blaine's shirt and he started stroking his hipbones with his thumbs, making Blaine gush a little, but enjoyed the electricity Kurt made run through him. If he hadn't been so aware of Kurt's family being inside the house he would have turned the control around and dragged Kurt down to smother him in kisses, or forced him to the grass so he could kiss him and let himself disappear entangled in his arms and legs.

This wouldn't do though. He had a feeling that Kurt's dad was keeping an eye on them from the window, and he didn't want him to catch them in a moment so intimate - or even worse; if they got carried away, and didn't stop themselves before nature took its course, and Kurt's dad saw them in all their passion.

He let his hands find their way up Kurt's thighs, constantly reminding himself to keep their touch innocent, as hard as it was with the friction from Kurt moving on top of his zipper.

"I talked to your friend, Trent. He invited me to come to his mom's gallery next weekend. Apparently there's a big event there and he figured I would find it interesting," Kurt said while his thumbs started sneaking down the hem of Blaine's jeans.

"Do you maybe wanna come?" He asked, looking like a kid asking for his mom to tug him in. How could he go from sexy to cute and adorable in seconds?

Blaine blinked his eyes a few times to shake himself out of the former thoughts to focus on the current invitation. He turned the coming up weekend over in his head to figure out if he had anything planned, if he was working or if there was anything to be in the way of going to Westerville with Kurt.

"Sure. Let's do that. But are you sure you want me to go? I'll just be boring and not have a clue what you're talking about, or what we're looking at," Blaine teased, but sure that it was the honest case; he didn't know anything about art, and he was afraid that if he went to the event with Kurt he would only be annoying.

Kurt bobbed his head from side to side, as if Blaine's features would decide whether or not it would be worth it to drag him along. He bit his lower lip with a pensive expression on his face before he let his mouth crack in a smile.

"Yeah. You'll be bored. But we will get to take the bus out there together, and back again. And we can get off at one of the small towns in between and act like a couple without worrying," Kurt suggested. It was only a proposition, not something he had already decided. He wanted Blaine to know that he wouldn't be disappointed if he said no.

Blaine sat up and Kurt curled his legs around his waist rather than sit down next to him. Blaine let his hands slide down Kurt's back, and let them end right above his ass to make sure he didn't fall down. He rested his forehead against Kurt's chest and let the idea sink in. To actually go out in public and be together in front of people.

That was possibly one of the most terrifying things Kurt had ever asked him to do.

"I - don't know. Can we talk about it later? Like… Friday or something then?" Blaine asked without looking up. He wished so bad that he was able to do it, but he knew that if he said yes now there would still be a possibility that he would feel the need to back out, and he couldn't put up Kurt's hopes just to tear them down like that when it was time.

Kurt didn't say anything. He stroked his hands gently up Blaine's back and made his fingers into his curls and down the neck of his t-shirt.

"I'm sorry. I really wanna do that, but… I don't know if I can. Let's just see if I get through this dinner thing alive, okay?" He stared into Kurt's eyes, begging him to forgive him for being such a coward.

He just don't deserve me, Blaine thought and had to look away to not let his lips spill over with what was going through his head. If he said it out loud Kurt would surely get sad that he could think such a thing - because that was the way Kurt was.

Kurt clasped his lips against Blaine's and pulled him as close as he could without losing balance. When he broke away he let his fingers run through Blaine's hair before he stood up and dragged Blaine with him.

"Don't apologize. We'll see what happens. We can always go and pretend to be friends," Kurt said and poked his nose before leading him into the house.

They spent the evening with Kurt's family drinking tea and watching TV. It was casual and Blaine tried to relax, yet he kept weighing whether he should tell Kurt about his encounter with Daniel or not, but as soon as he figured he would decide that later the thought of Rachel's parents overwhelmed him.

He was seated between Kurt's legs on the floor, with Kurt's arms wrapped safely around him, so he closed his eyes and tried to imagine that it was summer and they had left Ohio behind. He let Kurt's warm take over his own cold body temperature, and he hoped that the entire family wasn't staring at them, because he wasn't planning on letting go.

"Fuck. I made something for you, but I forgot it at home," Blaine burst out when he woke up the next morning.

How could I forget that? Jesus, that's the stupidest thing ever, Blaine thought to himself and pouted.

He had been so excited to give this to Kurt, but now he didn't know if he could make it home before Rachel and her parents would be there. He turned to lie on his side where he found Kurt staring at him with sparkly eyes filled with anticipation.

"I love it when you surprise me," he whispered softly, and he looked like he was about to explode from curiosity. He nudged his nose against Blaine's and let his cold foot slide up Blaine's leg with a giggle.

"I like to surprise you. But it's just a mood killer when I forget what it is I want to surprise you with. Sorry," he apologized and rolled his eyes at his own awkwardness. He tried figuring out if his father would be home at this point, but he realized that he had no idea. Usually he knew his father's weekly working schedule by heart to make sure he could avoid him best possible, but this weekend he hadn't paid attention to it because it hadn't mattered as he would be staying at Kurt's place.

"You can still go home and get it though? I'm not running anywhere - and we're not supposed to be ready for dinner until around 4:30 so there's lots of time. We can even take a shower first," Kurt teased, clearly doing his best to convince Blaine that he really wanted whatever it was he had for him.

"Okay. Okay, I'll go pick it up, I promise," Blaine squealed as Kurt's foot was working it's way longer up his leg, and it was cold and tickling. He couldn't help chuckling as Kurt dragged him closer to kiss him and pulled the sheets over their heads.

Kurt abruptly crawled over Blaine and jumped to his feet. He stood in the middle of the floor wearing nothing but his underwear and started dragging Blaine out of the bed too.

"What are you doing? Can't we stay a little longer? I just wanna cuddle you forever and ever," Blaine complained, nearly falling over the edge of the mattress. He tried resisting, desperately pulling Kurt back towards the bed, but Kurt was in the best position for the game.

"What we are doing? I just told you, silly. We're going to take a shower, come on, I'm smelly." He let go of Blaine's hand and put his hands to his sides, pretending to be offended by Blaine's loss of memory.

Blaine was baffled. A shower? Together? In Kurt's house? That didn't sound very safe. It actually sounded very tempting, but like a deadly horrible idea. Kurt's dad might like him, but he probably wouldn't be too pleased with them showering together under his roof. Under any roof together actually. Blaine had a feeling that when it came to boys Burt thought of Kurt as if he had been his teenage daughter, and he couldn't blame him. Blaine was only happy that people wanted to protect Kurt.

He closed his eyes and swallowed. He could feel Kurt's gaze pierce his skin, and he hid his face under the sheets once again. He needed to let the idea sink in. Of course Kurt would never do anything against his dad's will right in his face that way, so maybe he's not even home? Blaine guessed.

In the end Blaine gave in. He agreed to shower with Kurt on the one condition that he didn't try anything while they were in there. Kurt promised, but his sneaky grin should have told him off.

In the shower Kurt pushed Blaine against the tiles to kiss him heatedly, and whilst Blaine's attention was busy elsewhere Kurt locked his hand around his cock and made stars dance in front of his eyes. He was fighting a strong battle to not make too much noise, but quickly repaid Kurt the favor. When they left the bathroom he couldn't help blood rushing to his face and he hoped that the bathroom walls were as thick as the ones in Kurt's bedroom.

They joined Finn for breakfast that went on without any problems. Apparently no one had even noticed them showering together, and Blaine thanked all the higher powers that he didn't have to deal with that. At least no one mentioned anything, so he guessed that it meant that he wasn't in any trouble.

When Blaine was about to go home Kurt pleaded and begged him to let him come, and even though Blaine was afraid that it might ruin the surprise he let him come along. He couldn't just turn down those eyes.

The entire walk through town Kurt skipped and danced over the sidewalk, and it could just as well have been in the middle of the summer, because the sun was hot and for once Blaine felt that all of his worries could be pushed away and dealt with another day. He wanted to enjoy his weekend with Kurt, and the thought of facing Rachel's parents at dinner didn't appear as threatening as it had done earlier.

As they turned up the Anderson driveway Blaine folded his hand around Kurt's briefly before he entered the house. His father's car was in the driveway, so Kurt had suggested himself that he waited outside. Blaine was grateful and promised to hurry.

The second he stepped into the hall he had a feeling that something was different, but he couldn't pinpoint what it could be. He went to his room to pick up what he needed. He started to rummage around his room and packed his stuff down when he saw that an envelope was lying on his pillow.

It looked very official and everything inside him tied up. He turned it over several times, and a voice inside of him screamed to leave it and get out as quickly as possible, but bright red letters were stamped on the front saying URGENT so he couldn't just turn his back on it.

Come on, no matter what it is it will still be here tomorrow when I get back.

But maybe it's something that needs to be taken care of now.

Nothing can be taken care of on a Saturday anyway.

But if I don't open it now it will be bothering me for the rest of the weekend.

That was it. Blaine had convinced himself that he needed to open it. His inner debate was echoing in his mind as he tore open the paper and pulled out the letter it was holding.

All blood disappeared from his face and he let the paper drop to the bed. He couldn't look at it, not for one second. Maybe his father didn't know what it was and he would be able to postpone it for as long as possible? By any luck it was Ms. Johnson who had put the letter in his room and his father wouldn't even know that he had got mail. Blaine hurried to grab his guitar and the bag he had just packed and ran downstairs, determined not to run into anyone on the way.

"Not so fast there, son. Get out here," his father's voice sounded from the kitchen and Blaine froze in the hall. This was it; he was about to die. There was no way he could get away now. His father would very possibly hunt him down if he tried getting away anyway.

Blaine put the guitar and the bag down against the wall and with heavy steps he walked to face his doom in the form of his father's pride.

"So you finally got your letter. I am guessing there was a date? Well, it was only a matter of time. I was waiting for it," his father said. He was sitting by the kitchen table with a glass of something that looked like it was way too strong for this early in the day.

"I'm not doing it," Blaine stated. He knew that his face was completely white, and he could feel that all of his emotions were raging against each other in a struggle to be the one to be paid attention to first. He should have known that was the reason his father had let him off that school so easily; he had only been waiting for Blaine to receive the letter.

"What? That's not something you get to decide, young man. This is law. You'll never be a man if you don't get off your ass now," his father retorted, and Blaine was certain that he was just as ready for battle as Blaine was himself. This was now or never.

"You might as well face it. I will never live up to your perception of what a man is, so just drop it. I'm not doing it. The army is not for me, and if you were just half the father you tell people that you are you would know!" Blaine spat at him, and now the scores were really being set. He was preparing himself for the big collision that this would evolve to, and he was planning on setting in with everything he had.

"If I have to drag your pathetic ass out there myself, I can assure you that you are going!" His father boomed at him and put the glass so hard to the counter that it could just as well have shot pieces of glass around them.

"Stardust? Are you okay? I thought I heard… oh."

Kurt had showed in the door and was staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of him. Blaine was filled with panic and begged to some higher power that Kurt would go back outside, or even better; hurry home. He didn't want him caught in the crossfire.

"Kurt, it's… I'll be right out," Blaine tried to assure him, but was well aware that there was nothing assuring in his voice. It was shaking and weak, and Kurt knew him too well to believe that he was okay - and he knew Kurt too well to believe that he would just leave after seeing this.

So he made a snap decision. Already before he did it he knew that it was stupid, reckless and it might get him killed, but he didn't care anymore. He didn't really care about anything in that moment.

Blaine took a step towards Kurt and grabbed his hand. He pulled him closer, and stared his father directly in the eyes. His father's eyes were black and cold, and completely merciless, which only made Blaine even more determined of throwing himself into this idiotic plan.

"They wouldn't want me anyway. They don't take gays, do they? I guess that sort of solves the problem, then," Blaine said cocky, and turned to Kurt to clasp their lips together.

Kurt was stiff in his grip, and Blaine felt guilty for having made him a piece in their game, but he knew that he needed to do something to show his father that he was everything his father wasn't, and that he would never be like him.

"Yes, Kurt is my boyfriend, and guess what? Everything has been going on under your roof. If you only knew the times we have kissed, or been close, or… yeah, had lots of awesome, amazing, hot gay sex in your house! Thanks for never being home, and making it much easier for me to be with the boy that I love," Blaine blabbered out and let his fingers entwine with Kurt's.

Gosh, I will never be able to properly apologize to him for this. Please don't hate me, Kurt, was all that rolled around Blaine's head.

Before he knew what happened he heard Kurt scream, and he felt something burning run through his spine. Kurt's hand had disappeared from his and he had slipped to the floor. It took his oblivious mind a moment before he realized what was going on; his father had pushed him against the wall with the force of a train hitting him.

His father was yelling something completely incoherent at him, and Kurt was by the door screaming and crying. He wanted to get up, but his fingers wouldn't even react when he told them to support against the floor. His head was buzzing, and he could hear his blood pounding in his ears, but he kept telling himself to get back up.

He staggered to his feet, with the help of supporting against the wall and the counter. His father was by the refrigerator, and Blaine knew that he had to get Kurt out as soon as possible, or things would get completely out of control. He didn't know what his father was doing, but his experience told him that he was deciding what to pick up to beat him with.

Kurt's face was soaked in tears, and he looked like he was nailed to the floor. He was shaking, but even though he was obviously desperate to help Blaine he was too scared to move. Blaine crossed the floor with clumsy steps, and unsure about how far he would reach like that.

The second he reached the door it was like lightning hit Kurt and he snapped out of his state of shock. He rushed to Blaine's side, eyes constantly on Blaine's father in the corner. Kurt put his arm around Blaine and helped him down the hall towards the door.

They could hear that his father had realized that they were on their way out so they speeded up. Kurt grabbed the guitar and the bag as he made sure Blaine got safely down the few doorsteps.

As soon as they were on their way down the driveway Blaine forced himself to ignore the pain in his back and let his hand slide into Kurt's as they hurried down the sidewalk. When they turned around the corner towards town they could still hear his father roaring after them, and Blaine wouldn't be surprised if he was about to jump in his car and follow them so he pushed Kurt down a side street he knew was too small for his father's big car.

When they were halfway towards Kurt's house Kurt turned into an alley and stopped to look at Blaine. Tearstains were drying on his cheeks, making his skin glistening in the sun, and his hair was ruffled and he looked like he was about to break down again. He put the guitar carefully against the wall before he let the bag carelessly drop to the ground with a force Blaine had never seen him use before.

"What the… what the hell was that? What happened?" Kurt wailed with a heavy stutter. His voice was shaking just as much as he was himself, and Blaine was completely taken aback by the confrontation.

He had to take a step back to support his back against the wall. It felt like needles were running up and down his spine, and he could feel that his lip was throbbing. Maybe he hadn't been pushed, but punched?

The entire scenario was a blur to him, and images were flying around his head, making it ache even more than it already was from the hit against the wall.

Kurt spun around himself a few times, staring to the sky as if the answer would magically appear for him on a cloud, but when the sky turned out to be completely free of clouds he sunk down on the ground. He wrapped his arms around his knees and started rocking back and forth while sobbing.

Blaine had no idea what to do, but he didn't get to wrap his mind around the situation before Kurt was back on his feet and had walked towards Blaine where he punched his fists into his chest. He wasn't using force, but for Blaine who had just had his entire body stirred it was painful and he started coughing, whereto Kurt let his fists go still against his chest and started crying against his neck.

"What happened? Don't ever do anything that stupid again. You knew that he would kill you!" Kurt cried, and Blaine closed his arms around him. He slid down against the wall and pulled Kurt into his lap like he had been a crying child.

"I'm sorry it was just… I got the letter. I wanted to go before facing him… but he was there, and we started arguing - and then you came in, and… I am so sorry, baby. I am sorry," Blaine whined into his hair. His voice was rasp and shaking. He placed kisses on his head, and stroked soothingly over his hair.

Kurt stopped his sobbing and looked up at Blaine with wet eyes. His eyes were swimming in tears, and Blaine didn't doubt that he had a hard time focusing through the saltwater. Yet, fear was still burning strongly through his gaze, and Blaine was sure that Kurt knew exactly what letter he was talking about.

"The letter? The letter?" Kurt asked in horror and sniffed. He knew. He definitely knew. It was painted all over his face, and Blaine could feel it in his body that was curled against his own. This was the moment they both had feared, but still known they would be faced with sooner or later.

He twisted his way out of Blaine's arms and sat down on the pavement in front of him. His eyes weren't meeting Blaine's but staring at the bag that was carelessly swung on the ground, the insides looking like it was contemplating on bursting free.

Kurt jumped to his feet and rushed to Blaine's side where he started helping him up. Everything was happening so fast, yet somehow it felt like everything was going in slow-motion, and Blaine didn't know how to keep up, or figure out what was going on or what was about to happen next.

"We'll go to my dad. He'll help us. You can… you heard him, you can stay at our place and then…" Kurt started blabbering out, but Blain stopped him in his stream of words.

"Kurt, if I stay in this town my father will find me. You know that. You saw him, I can't stay here," Blaine objected through bad coughing. Luckily blood wasn't coming up, which he saw as a good sign, and the least the world could do for him at the moment.

"Let's just… get you to my house, and then we'll figure out what to do. I promise he'll never hurt you again, love. Never. I promise!" Kurt almost yelled the last sentence. Blaine was nearly scared; he had never seen him so frustrated and terrified.

Blaine headed to pick up the guitar and the bag, but Kurt rushed to pick it up before he could get to it. They locked their fingers and headed out of the alley, and down the street. They walked through town with their fingers entwined in the light of day for the first time, and they didn't give a damn that everyone stopped to look at them. It just didn't matter anymore.