Maybe he was just a very visual person, but the soft light definitely had an effect on Blaine. In its warm glow he seemed more relaxed and pliant - more like who he was when they were alone in his apartment. He’d allowed Kurt to settle him in the hard chair and straddle his lap, wrapping his fingers around the wooden arms at Kurt’s command and staring up at him with those perfect, expressive eyes whose color danced just over the edge into green in the diffuse lamplight.

“You have no idea how much I miss you at night,” Blaine was saying, and Kurt was pretty sure he wasn’t even aware of the way his body was moving, writhing gently against the seat and pushing up for contact as Kurt held himself just out of reach.

“So you think about me?” he teased.

“You know what I think about? I think about sleeping with you,” his expression shifted into a kind of dreamlike longing, “just sleeping, together, every night. I swear it’s like porn to me, the thought of getting to wake up with you wrapped around me every single morning.” He moaned out the words and Kurt finally let his hips drop to settle against Blaine’s lap.

“It sounds like porn, the way you say it,” Kurt said and he tangled his fingers in the soft curls at the back of Blaine’s head and half pulled, half bent to bring their mouths together. Their tongues met even before their lips did and Kurt marveled at how familiar it was already, kissing like this. After all, less than a week ago he’d barely been out of the “what do you do with your nose?” stage. Getting up and to school an hour early was completely worth it when he had Blaine like this, moaning quietly into his mouth and hardening under his ass. He pulled back and let his gaze, and then his hands, slide down Blaine’s torso.

He’d been a little surprised by how much he loved Blaine’s nipples. They were so sensitive and when Blaine was aroused they were big enough to be easily seen through the fabric of whatever shirt he had tucked tightly into his pants. The nipples made up for the fact that he couldn’t actually get to Blaine’s skin at times like these. He could feel every bump through the cotton and from the reaction he got he suspected that the fabric made the sensation even more intense for Blaine than when he was naked. Thanks to those nipples, Kurt could have Blaine at his mercy pretty much any time with just two fingertips. And he was starting to be okay with admitting that he loved having Blaine at his mercy; loved the fact that Blaine was willing to be at his mercy, that he needed and craved it so much. Blaine’s hands tightened and flexed on the arms of the chair but they stayed put, even as Kurt teased over his nipples again and again and rotated his hips in Blaine’s lap.

“So, I’ve been thinking . . .” Kurt said, finally stilling his hands against Blaine’s chest so he could feel the rise and fall of his breathing.

“I don’t know whether to be excited or scared,” Blaine said. He craned his head up to try to recapture Kurt’s lips.

“I’ve been thinking,” Kurt continued, staying just out of reach, “that we should make a new rule.”

“I like rules.”

“I know you do.” Kurt said. “So you know that rule that you don’t touch yourself or anything unless I say you can?” He watched a flush creep up Blaine’s neck to stain his cheeks and slid his hands upward again, stroking his thumbs along Blaine’s jaw line.

“Right,” Blaine breathed.

“Well, I want to make it more . . . official. So, officially, you don’t have permission at all during the week. You only come on the weekends, when we’re together. If I let you.”

Blaine groaned and redoubled his efforts to reach Kurt’s lips. Kurt bent close enough to tease him with feather-light brushes then pulled back again. He let one hand slide back down Blaine’s chest and further, to tease at the bulge in his pants. “Does this mean you like the idea?”

“‘Like’ doesn’t really seem like the right word,” Blaine said a little breathlessly as Kurt’s long fingers played over his crotch, “but it’s really hot.”

“It’s a lot of teasing and waiting. Can you handle it?”

Blaine’s thighs flexed under Kurt’s ass as he tried and failed to push against Kurt’s hand. “I’m pretty sure you’ve noticed how much I love it,” he said, “and if it gets to be too much I can always safe word, right?”

Kurt rewarded him for that with the kiss he’d been begging for, stroking just a little bit harder against his cock as their tongues met again. He was hard too, by now, and that gave him another idea. He pulled their lips apart and slid his mouth along Blaine’s jaw to whisper in his ear as seductively as he could, “You have no idea how hot is to know that I could just go take care of myself in the bathroom right now while you have to sit here hard with nothing to do about it.”

“Mmmm, you’re good,” Blaine murmured against Kurt’s jaw. “But I can’t really imagine you jerking off in a school bathroom.” He nipped at Kurt’s chin and his tongue flicked against the cleft.

“But the point is I could. Or after school, at home. And you have. To. Wait.” He punctuated each word with a sharp squeeze of Blaine’s cock that had him pushing his hips up so hard that he actually managed to lift Kurt off the seat a bit. His head fell back against the chair, exposing his throat, and Kurt slid his free hand up to circle it, not squeezing, just resting below his Adam’s apple. Blaine shivered.

“I want to touch you,” Blaine begged.

“No. Keep your hands where I put them.”

“It’s one thing to not let me come, but not letting me touch you is just cruel.” Blaine twisted his perfect lips into an exaggerated pout.

Kurt met the pout with his best attempt at an evil smile. “I don’t think it’s cruel,” he said. “Touching me is a privilege you have to earn.”

“Oh, you’re very good,” Blaine breathed.

Kurt kept his light grip on Blaine’s throat while his other hand roamed in long, slow strokes up and down Blaine’s torso, catching on his nipples, teasing around the edges of his cock, back and forth as Blaine’s breathing sped up in time with his hand. “I love how much you love this,” he said.

“What time is it?” Blaine asked without lifting his head from the back of the chair. Kurt had to drag his eyes away from the sublime shape his half-open lips made to glance at the clock. 7:25.

"Don't worry," he said, "I can play with you for at least five more minutes before we have to stop." He punctuated that with another long stroke down Blaine's body, and when his fingers brushed over Blaine’s ribs he gasped in a sharp breath.

“Do you like that?” Kurt asked. He let go of Blaine’s neck and used both hands to tickle gently just under Blaine’s ribs while he rested his weight more fully in Blaine’s lap to hold him down. The reaction was immediate. Blaine didn’t laugh or squirm away, he just sucked in air with sharp gulps that were almost like laughter, but not quite. Kurt could see muscles and tendons flexing under the skin of Blaine’s forearms and around his black cuff as his hands clutched at the wood. He kept at it and Blaine’s entire body tensed and started to quiver.

“Oh God . . . oh fuck, Kurt . . .”

Kurt loved it when Blaine cursed. He made it sound like a prayer and it went through Kurt's body so powerfully that he was starting to reconsider his decision to not let Blaine blow him when they were here in the office. After all, Blaine was the one who liked to suffer, not him. He rotated his hips to press his own hard length against Blaine's and closed his eyes, letting himself just enjoy the rough friction. His fingers kept tickling and Blaine's curses began to deteriorate into wordless moans and gasps that made the need Kurt felt all the more intense.

Then one of Blaine's moans pitched upwards into something that sounded much more like a sob and Kurt's hands stilled immediately. "Is that too much?" he asked.

Blaine had to take a second to catch his breath before he opened his eyes just enough to bring Kurt into focus. “Did you hear me say a safe word?”

“No, but, I think I got a little carried away. We both have class in half an hour. It's not the best time for discovering new kinks." He poked playfully at Blaine's side and this time Blaine did laugh. "We should probably stop now."

Except God, he was hard and suddenly all he could think about was tying Blaine up and seeing how far he could push this tickle thing, and the thought of retiring to opposite corners of the tiny office to let his erection ebb away was almost painful. It didn't help that Blaine chose that exact moment to lick his lips in the most provocative way possible, as if he could hear Kurt's resolve weakening.

Kurt looked at the clock again. 7:28. They could do it. He was just as turned on as Blaine was; it wouldn’t take long. Blaine would still have time to settle down enough that he wouldn’t make a spectacle of himself in front of his first period freshmen. Watching his boyfriend still gripping the arms of the chair just like he'd been told to do, Kurt honestly couldn’t remember why he’d ever objected to the idea.

“So remember how you asked if you could blow me?”

Blaine’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

Bam! Bam! Bam! The raps on the door sounded three times louder than they actually were and sent Kurt’s heart careening into his throat.

Right. That was why.

“Shit!” Blaine practically shoved Kurt off his lap, casting an alarmed glance at the door then back to Kurt.

“Get behind your desk,” Kurt whispered, although he was sure that the knock on the door had been as much of an erection-killer for Blaine as it had been for him. “I’ll open it.”

And maybe Blaine’s erection was harder to kill than Kurt’s because he dove for his desk chair and grabbed a random book from his bag to open in front of him.

Bam! Bam! “Kurt? Are you in there?”

Puck? Kurt glanced at Blaine, who nodded his readiness, then flicked on the overhead light and unlocked the door.

It was indeed Puck standing outside and he looked very relieved at having found Kurt and not at all surprised at where and how he’d found him. “Cool. You’re here. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Hey Mr. A.” He nodded in Blaine’s direction.

“Hi Noah.” Blaine’s voice was just strained enough that Kurt suspected not even Puck’s presence had managed to calm his body down completely.

“I need Kurt for a kind of emergency Glee Club thing, if that’s okay with you.”

That brought Kurt’s attention back to Puck, despite his still-racing heart. “Why are you asking him?” He held up his cuffed left wrist in case Puck needed a visual aide to remember that he was the dom here.

“Dude, he’s a teacher.”

Kurt’s mouth dropped open a little at that and he turned to find Blaine looking just as surprised, and...pleased? Yes, he definitely seemed pleased that Puck had acknowledged him that way. Kurt flashed him a bright smile. “Well, Mr. Anderson?” he teased. “Are you finished with me?”

Blaine’s eyes darkened but his voice was all professional. “For now. He’s all yours, Noah.”

Kurt gave Blaine a tiny wink and grabbed his bag to follow Puck out into the hall, pausing only for a quick, “See you at lunch?” Blaine nodded.

“So what’s Rachel having a breakdown about now?” He asked as he shut the door and hurried to catch up to Puck, who was already setting a quick pace down the hall.

“Rachel’s not even there. I just . . . well wait until we get to the auditorium and you’ll see.”

“The auditorium? Is it a new number for Nationals?”

Puck grinned. “Just wait, okay?”

“Why does this sound like something I’m not going to like?”

Puck gave a snort that had an equal feeling of agreement and disagreement. “Don’t shoot me. I’m just the guy they sent to get you.”

Kurt glared at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Puck ignored that. “Oh, hey, I wasn’t trying to mess with your authority back there, by the way,” he said as they approached the double doors to the auditorium, “it’s just that the fact that he’s your sub doesn’t change the fact that he’s my history teacher, you know?”

“No, I’m glad you did it,” Kurt admitted. Puck side-eyed him skeptically. “I’m serious. We’re at school and you’re right. He’s a teacher. It’s really important to him that students don’t treat him differently just because of me.”

“Alert the press! Puck does something right for a change.” He grinned and pulled the auditorium door open, sweeping a hand at Kurt. “After you, my lady.”

“Might want to hold off on alerting the press,” Kurt sniped, but he went through the door anyhow.

The auditorium was dark and Puck pulled the door closed too quickly for Kurt to see anything more than a flurry of movement before even the light from the corridor was cut off. There was furious whispering, somebody giggled, then suddenly light flooded the stage and cries of “Surprise!” filled his ears.

When his eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of light he could see all his friends on the stage under a painted banner that read “Congratulations Kurt!” in lurid hot-pink letters. Everyone was staring at him expectantly.

“Finn!” he accused as he beelined down the aisle, Puck plodding along behind him.

“Wasn’t me, dude!” Finn protested. “Mom threatened to sell my baseball card collection on ebay if I told anyone. She’s never threatened my cards. Not even when we thought I got Quinn pregnant.”

Kurt turned his indignation on Puck, who just shrugged.

“Yeah, I told ‘em.”

“Come on, Kurt,” Mercedes called from the stage. “We’re happy for you. Don’t freak out at Puck, okay?”

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to tell everyone myself?” Kurt asked Puck.

“Yes. Obviously,” Puck said defensively. “But you weren’t telling anyone, were you? I kept your secret for two whole days, dude. That’s longer than I’ve ever kept a secret. Except that one about being the guy who really knocked Quinn up.”

“Why does this keep coming back to me getting pregnant?” Quinn asked no one in particular.

“You kept my secret for one day.”

“Day and a half,” Puck allowed. “Still a record.”

“Don’t be mad, Kurt,” Tina said. “It’s a big deal. We just wanted to celebrate with you.” She headed down the stage-right steps and the others, apparently accepting the fact that Kurt wasn’t going to come up, trailed after her.

“Yeah, we even got bagels. And one of those coffee boxes from Starbucks. Nothing says we love you like a box of coffee, right?” Artie smirked as he rolled around the curtain and down his ramp.

Kurt thought about protesting a little more. He was glad his friends were happy for him, but this, having everyone looking at him and knowing, made him feel exposed and vulnerable in a way that he never had before, which was surprising given how much bullying he’d endured. But they all looked genuinely happy for him and no one seemed disgusted, and they’d all come to school early and even brought food, laid out very nicely on a side table that Sam was eyeing hungrily. And Mercedes was still giving him that hopeful smile.

“You’re right, thank you,” he smiled back and he swore he could see a few of them breathe sighs of relief. Finn and Sam both grinned at him and made for the bagels. “But shouldn’t Blaine be here too? Why didn’t we bring him?” he asked Puck.

“Who’s Blaine?” Sam mumbled past a mouthful of bagel.

Kurt stared at Puck. “I thought you said you told them?”

“I told them you found your soulmate. I didn’t tell them who it was. That’s the best part!” he sauntered over to the coffee box, as if Kurt wasn’t looking at him like he was plotting murder. “I had to leave something for you to tell, right?”

Everyone was staring at him again.

“Okay,” he took a deep breath, “ummm, well, that’s who my soulmate is. It’s Blaine Anderson.”

Nothing. The lack of reaction was completely unnerving. Finally Mike asked, “Who’s Blaine Anderson?”

“Blaine Anderson!” Puck echoed, as if it was the funniest joke ever. “It’s Mr. Anderson!”

“Mr. Anderson my history teacher?” Santana sputtered through a mouthful of coffee.

“Mr. Anderson’s gay?” Artie asked.

“My history teacher is your sub?!” Santana again, looking at Kurt like he’d personally offended her somehow.

Kurt nodded.

“But he’s really old, isn’t he?” Brittany asked.

All eyes focused on him again. “He’s not really old,” Kurt said defensively. “He’s twenty-seven.”

Mouths fell open. Eyebrows went up. Kurt could feel his jaw tighten under the scrutiny. He knew it was a lot to digest and that he should understand their reactions but he was just about done. Was it too much to ask that one person just be happy for him without all the drama?

A slurp from the table drew his eyes to Puck, grinning over his coffee cup. One person besides him, he amended.

Everyone else was still staring. “Look,” he said, trying to keep his tone even and calm, “he’s my soulmate, okay? He’s got my name and I’ve got his. We didn’t go looking for this. You get who you get . . ."

"And you don't get upset," Britt piped up.

". . . and he’s amazing and I wouldn’t want it any other way. And if you can’t accept that, then I’m sorry, but I think my real friends would be happy for me.”

His words seemed to unfreeze Mercedes, who rushed up into his space and gave him an unexpected but thankfully swift hug. “Oh, honey, we’re happy for you. It’s just a lot for everyone to take in. I mean, he’s a grown up, you know?”

“He’s a teacher,” Sam chimed in. “That’s even worse than a grown up.”

Kurt glared at Sam. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mercedes grabbed his arm and Kurt pulled back a little in case another hug was coming. But instead she shot her own glare in Sam’s direction. “He didn’t mean anything, did you Sam?”

“I’m not going to say it’s not weird,” Sam insisted. “Come on. You all think it’s weird, don’t pretend you don’t. Kurt’s sub is a teacher. In what universe is that not weird?”

“I don’t have to stay for this.” Kurt jerked his arm out of Mercedes’ grasp and turned to leave but found Santana blocking his path, arms crossed firmly over her chest.

“Listen, baby dom,” she said, “You found your soulmate, which is awesome for you and all that but really, hot as the image of you beating his perfect, twenty-seven-year-old ass is, it’s still weird. Anyone who says it’s not is lying.”

“Yes, okay, it may take some time for everyone to get used to the idea,” Mercedes persisted, “but that doesn’t mean we’re not happy for you.” She took Kurt’s hand and pulled him toward the table of food. “We’ve only got fifteen minutes until the bell rings so let’s all eat, okay? This is supposed to be a party.”

But even her cheer was forced now and the others didn’t even bother to try. They all smiled at him, some warily, some placatingly, but they drifted carefully away in twos and threes to talk and nibble and slurp down coffee, only casting the occasional glance in his direction. And when they did, most of them looked like they were trying to figure out who the creature was who’d taken Kurt Hummel’s place. Like they’d never really seen him before. Only Puck, happily scarfing down bagels, seemed to be immune and unaware of the tension that filled the room.

Still, Kurt had endured years of bullying and teasing; he could handle an awkward breakfast with his friends. He made himself a cup of coffee and sat next to Finn in the front row to wait out the time until he could escape to geometry. Finn looked nervous, and Kurt didn’t think it had anything to do with Blaine.

“So what’s her excuse this time?” Kurt asked.

“Huh?” Finn said, oh so eloquently, through a mouthful of bread.

Kurt twisted in his seat to face his brother directly. “Come on, Finn. Rachel would never miss something like this. She’s avoiding me. She hasn’t said one word to me since she found out about Blaine. But I’m sure she gave you some story to explain why she’s not here so I might as well give you a chance to tell it.”

“No, dude, really, she and her dads are having some neighbors over for dinner tonight and they needed to run through their number before Mr. Berry goes to work . . .” he stood up abruptly, looking around for somewhere to drop his coffee cup. “So, I’m just going to, um, go to my locker because I need some . . . books!”

“Finn!” Kurt called after him but Finn barreled up the aisle like he was being chased by zombies. Kurt sighed. Ten more minutes of sitting alone and he’d be free.

After a moment Quinn wandered over with her own coffee and settled in the chair next to him.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” she said casually.

“Get used to what?”

“The way they look at you. Like they’re not sure who you are.” She gave him a sad little smile and took a sip of her coffee.

“How did you . . .?”

“It’s the way you all looked at me when I was in the hospital with Beth.”

“We did?” Kurt couldn’t remember thinking of Quinn any differently after Beth was born.

“It’s okay,” she said, “I understood. I’d done this thing, you know, this adult thing that none of you could really relate to. I was still a kid, but all of sudden I had one foot in a really grown up world. Part of me was in a place that none of you could even imagine. And now it’s the same for you.”

“Just because he’s older?” Kurt asked. “I’m still me. I’m still sixteen.”

“But he’s not. He’s a teacher and an adult and you dominate him. What does that say about you? About your authority and what you’re capable of?” She nodded her head in the direction of the food table, where almost everyone was still crowded around, laughing at some story Artie was telling. “They’re realizing that you’re already doing things they can’t even imagine doing themselves. Except maybe Puck. He probably imagines dominating teachers all the time.”

“Is that why he’s the only one not looking at me funny?”

Quinn laughed. “That and, I think he got his own share of looks when Beth was born. She made him a father, after all.”

Kurt had to take a moment to wrap his brain around the idea that the two people who could most relate to him now might be Puck and Quinn. “So does it ever end?” he asked. “Do they ever get used to it?”

“Well, for me, the looks stopped when I gave her up and came back to school and put on my uniform like nothing had ever happened. But you can’t really do that with your soulmate, can you?”

“I wouldn’t want to.”

“So I guess you just have to get used to it.” She touched his hand briefly with a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “It seems like a small price to pay for the love of your life.” And Kurt realized, looking into her eyes, that she wasn’t really talking about him and Blaine.

He also realized, as he watched her walk away to where Mercedes and Tina were bustling around cleaning up the remains of the party, that he could handle this. He was used to people giving him strange looks and not understanding him. As long as he knew where it was coming from, he could take it. Blaine was worth it.

He pushed himself out of his chair and made his own way over to Mercedes, who turned from packing up food to give him a slightly worried look. He gave her his most genuine smile and pulled her into a hug. “Thank you,” he said when they separated. “This was really sweet.”

“You’re happy,” she said with her own smile. “I just thought we should celebrate that. And we’ll get used to the rest. It may take us a little bit of time, but we will.”

Kurt hoped that was true, but he knew that he’d be okay either way.

**********

“Betty! Betts, get down here!”

Lauren Carpenter (yes, still Carpenter, thank you very much and her mother-in-law could disapprove as much as she wanted) put the last of the camera lenses into its place in her bag and sat it next to the open suitcase on the bed.

“Betts!!” Cooper called again from downstairs. "Believe me, you're gonna want to hear this!"

He’d started calling her Betty shortly after they’d met. In Cooper logic this was because Lauren Bacall’s real name had been Betty and Humphrey Bogart always called her that and what was good enough for Lauren Bacall was good enough for Cooper Anderson's soulmate. She’d pointed out that the comparison didn’t hold up, since Lauren was actually her real name, but as she’d come to learn was usual, Cooper did as Cooper wanted. She suspected strongly that it had more to do with making him feel like Humphrey Bogart than with making her feel like Lauren Bacall.

"Betts!" came the insistent call again. She zipped the suitcase closed and left the room to make her way down the stairs just far enough so that she could see him in the living room with the phone to his ear, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. "Oh, no, little bro. You are screwed and I mean capital S Screwed."

He was talking to Blaine, then. Lauren sighed. Whatever he was screwed for, she was sure it wouldn't make her anywhere near as happy as it seemed to be making Cooper. She liked Blaine.

"Come on, babe . . ." Cooper shouted for her again but broke off when he saw her there on the stairs.

“I’m trying to pack,” she called down to him. “The car’ll be here in two hours.”

He grinned up at her. “Oh, you’re gonna want to hear this. My baby brother has just secured your place for all time as my parents’ favorite in-law!”

She came further down the stairs until she could hear an echo of Blaine’s voice coming through the receiver of the phone. “Just wait,” Cooper told his brother, “I’m telling Betty.”

“Telling me what?”

“I just said. We're gonna have to send Blainey double birthday presents after this!” He bounced up and down like a toddler who needed to pee. "You'll be looking pretty good to my mother now!"

She couldn't imagine what Blaine could have done, but Cooper must be overestimating whatever it was. This was Blaine, after all. “I have it on good authority that Margaret Anderson will never appreciate having a ‘stripper who takes pictures of things nobody wants to look at in the first place’ for an in-law.”

“She didn’t say that,” Cooper said. “I’m sure she said ‘ex-stripper.’”

“She did not say ‘ex-stripper’ and what does this have to do with anything, anyhow?”

“It’s too good!” Cooper gloated. “Blaine’ll tell you. Here, talk to Betty,” he said into the phone and he handed it to her and dropped onto the couch, eyes glued to her face in anticipation of some reaction.

Lauren put the phone to her ear. “Blaine honey, is that you?”

“Hey Lauren,” the answer came, and as always she could hear the warmth in Blaine’s voice even over the phone. She genuinely loved Blaine and she knew he loved her too. They had bonded early over the shared drama of having Cooper in their lives.

“So what the fuck is your idiot brother talking about now?”

A pillow from the couch smacked into her arm and dropped to the floor. “You could at least try to act like a sub,” Cooper said.

“Act like a dom and I’ll think about it,” she shot back. “What’s up, honey?”

There was a short silence from Blaine, then, “I . . . met him. My soulmate.”

“Oh my God, that’s wonderful!” And it was. It sort of made her want to cry. You'd have to have been blind not to notice how hard being alone had been for Blaine. “Is he perfect?”

“He’s so perfect, Lauren. I can’t wait for you to meet him. It’s . . . I’ve never felt like this before.”

"So, tell me more. What's his name?"

"Kurt," he said, and Lauren couldn't help smiling at the tone of his voice. She hadn't forgotten how that first flush of excitement felt when you realized you'd found that one person who would make all your dreams come true.

"So, details . . .?" she prompted.

"He’s perfect," Blaine repeated. "He understands me and he knows just what I need . . ."

"Okay, no, I meant physical details," she teased. "Shoulders, ass, dick . . ."

He laughed and she could practically hear him blushing. "Um, strong . . . firm, and . . . none of your business."

They both laughed at that. "I'm really happy for you, Blaine. He sounds wonderful.”

“Just wait for the rest,” Cooper chortled from the couch.

Lauren sighed. “You might as well tell me what he’s talking about.”

There was a long silence from Blaine’s end of the phone. “He’s . . . younger than me.”

“Okay, how much younger?”

“An apt question,” said Cooper, and she scooped the pillow he’d thrown off the floor and winged it back at him.

“He’s a student,” Blaine said quietly.

“Well, you’re still sort of student too, right? I mean, this is just time off then you’ll be back in school.”

“No, he’s actually a high school student.”

Lauren was suddenly very glad this wasn’t Skype so Blaine couldn’t see the way her mouth dropped open. She kept her voice carefully neutral. “So he’s . . .”

“Sixteen,” Blaine finished for her. “But he’ll be seventeen in a couple months.”

“And now she understands!” Cooper crowed from the couch.

“I know it’s shocking . . .” Blaine began.

“No, honey, I mean, yeah, it’s - different - but hey, your soulmate is your soulmate.”

“Tell that to my mom,” both brothers said at the same time in completely different tones of voice.

“Cooper’s an idiot. Is your mom going to love the idea? No. But I don’t even think a teenager could make her less happy than an ex-stripper who takes ugly pictures and refuses to use her darling son’s last name.”

“At least you’re a girl.”

She hated hearing the bitterness in his voice. People like Blaine should never be bitter. “Oh, come on, Blaine. She accepted that a long time ago.”

“Maybe in theory. But when I show up with a sixteen-year-old boy as my dom? Cooper’s right. I’m screwed.”

“No. Listen. You are one of the best people I know. Seriously, you’re what makes being Cooper’s soulmate bearable, Blaine.”

“Hey!” The pillow came back at her but she was ready for it this time and expertly batted it back to smack her husband in the face.

“And if Kurt’s the person fate picked out for you then he must be just as terrific. And everyone will see that. Even your parents, eventually. And if they can’t, then fuck ‘em. You deserve happiness as much as anyone else. More than most people if you ask me.”

“Thanks, Lauren. You’re definitely what makes being Cooper’s brother bearable.”

“Don’t I know it.” She glanced at her watch, “Listen, honey, I have to go, I’m heading up to San Francisco in a couple of hours to shoot some street art for the magazine. Do you want to talk to your brother again?”

“No, I have papers to grade. Just tell him I said bye, okay?”

“Sure. And Blaine?”

“Yeah?”

“It really will be okay. And if it’s not, well, love makes a lot of things bearable, take it from me.”

They said goodbye, and Lauren dropped the phone on the side table and fell onto the couch next to Cooper, who was clutching the pillow to his chest and waiting for her reaction with sparkling eyes.

“Holy shit,” she finally managed.

“Did I tell you?!” He was far too gleeful.

“Sixteen!”

“Sixteen,” Cooper gloated.

“Your mother’s going to have a fucking cow.”

“I know!" He giggled like a ten-year-old girl. "Did you actually mean any of that crap you fed him?”

“Well, I do believe she’s accepted that he’s gay.”

“Yeah, that only took fourteen years."

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you so happy about this?”

“Are you kidding? My perfect brother’s hooking up with a sixteen-year-old student! It’s about time I got a little of the parental high ground.”

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and gave him her sternest glare. “Okay, first, Kurt’s his soulmate so it’s hardly the same as hooking up -”

“We’re talking about my parents, here. Has it ever mattered to them that you’re my soulmate?”

“- and second, I have no idea where you get this idea that your parents love him more than you. I bet he’d say the exact opposite if you asked him.”

“Please. ‘Blaine’s in college, Cooper.’ ‘Blaine’s still in college, Cooper.’ ‘Blaine got his masters degree, Cooper.’ Does anyone care that I star in the number two sitcom on the CW?”

“Of course they do. Don’t be a baby.”

He reached out quickly, taking her by surprise and pulling her by the wrist so that she collapsed on top of him. “I don’t want you to go away,” he pouted.

It was a blatant change of subject, but she went along with it because if there was one minefield she’d learned was better avoided it was the emotional dynamics of the Anderson family. Besides, he was wrapping his arms around her, running his hands up her back to tangle in her hair and tug so that her neck was exposed to his lips. And while there were many frustrating things about being married to Cooper Anderson, he did have beautiful arms and the world’s deepest blue eyes and she loved him with every fiber of her being. And when he held her head like that and his lips just barely brushed the place behind her ear that gave her goosebumps all over her body, she really could forgive him anything. Even his mother.

“The car’s coming . . .” she protested weakly when he pushed up against her and she could feel his dick getting hard.

“The car’s coming in an hour and a half,” he breathed in her ear, “and I know you’re already packed so you have plenty of time to help me celebrate my new status as favorite Anderson son.”

“They don’t know yet. So technically it’s still Blaine, according to you,” she smirked.

His hands tightened in her hair. “Oh, I am so punishing you for that when you get back. Then, if you’re very lucky, I’ll allow you to blow the favorite son.”

"I might be persuaded to do that now,” she said, “since I’m all packed and everything.”

"Oh no. You're in trouble. You don't deserve it now."

But she was already reaching for his fly and he was doing nothing to stop her.

*****

“So, all in all I’d say it went pretty well.”

“Really?” Kurt stretched pulled his duvet up to his chin and snuggled down into the pile of pillows he’d built under his head. “Because it sounds like your brother was kind of a jerk about it.”

Blaine laughed. “That’s just how Cooper is. No, it’s good, actually, because he was being himself. If he was really freaked out he’d probably have been all nice to me and I’d be panicking right now.”

“Well I’m very proud of you.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Kurt repeated. “You told your brother. That can’t have been easy. And you’re not panicking.”

There was silence for a minute, but it felt like a good silence. Kurt could almost see Blaine basking in even that little bit of praise. Sometimes he wanted to take a blowtorch to the family that had made Blaine think he didn’t deserve such things.

“So what’s next,” he asked. “I think we’ve officially come out to everyone I know. What’s left for you?” He knew exactly what was left, but he waited for Blaine to say it.

“I’m going to call my mom tomorrow,” he said in a very small voice. “After school, I guess.”

“I can come over for moral support, if you want,” Kurt offered.

“Really?” The relief in Blaine’s voice actually physically hurt Kurt.

“Yes, really. God, what do you think this is all about? It’s not just sex and make outs in your office, you know.” He lowered his voice because even though they’d said it before, it still made him feel flayed raw. It was hard to believe three little words could do that. “I love you, Blaine. It’s my job to take care of you and help you feel strong.”

“I wish you were here right now.”

“Well survive your mother tomorrow and maybe we can fool around a little afterward. And then Friday night I’m all yours. And I got few tips tonight that I think we can try out.” Kurt could feel himself blush a little even though there was no one there to see.

Blaine gasped. “Oh my God, dom class! Oh, I suck, I completely forgot! How was it?”

“It was really great, actually. I didn’t expect it to be. The teachers were completely fine with us, I told them, after class, and they said they’d never had a claimed student before. It was a couple, he’s the sub and she’s the dom . . .”

They kept talking for more than an hour, each in his own bed, and in the little silences Kurt’s mind sometimes touched on the things that connected them: love and need and destiny all wrapped up in electronic pulses that bounced from tower to tower through the air between them. And when they finally said goodbye he indulged in a little Blaine porn, wrapping his arms around his firmest pillow and rubbing his cheek against the nap of the pillowcase. If he let his mind drift enough it almost felt like soft curls brushing against his skin.