As it turned out, Blaine was a fantastic teacher. He really enjoyed history, Kurt could tell. He understood the connections between events and loved the way big historical occurrences affected ordinary, everyday people. His passion was infectious and halfway through his first real class he already had a spirited discussion going about pre- and post-Victorian morals that somehow had even Puck participating. Much as Kurt wanted to play, he couldn’t quite bring himself to mess with Blaine’s mojo.

“So what you’re saying,” Puck declared, “is that it’s all thanks to this Victoria chick that I have to take a sub out for dinner before I can bend her over a desk.”

“Oh my God, Noah!” Rachel glared at him. “Not every sub wants to be bent over a desk!”

“Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure they all do. They want to be taken, and we want to take them, but since we’re all moral and everything now there has to be all kinds of talking first which is total crap.”

Kurt cringed a little at this and tried to gauge Blaine’s reaction. Did he really want to be taken over a desk? If that was the case, there was no hope for them. Kurt may have been successful playing dom that morning, but he really thought that taking of any kind was a long way off.

Blaine was more concerned with cutting off the inappropriate line of discussion than sending signals to his dom, which was an admirable quality in a teacher but a frustrating one, Kurt thought, in a sub.

“Okay,” he interrupted Puck, “yes, before the Victorian period relations between doms and subs were more . . . straightforward. To varying degrees at different times, and with different levels of, um, public expression, but you’re right. There weren’t as many niceties as we go through now. But in exchange the Victorians introduced a new emphasis on finding and being with your soulmate.”

Okay. Blaine sounded like he liked that. So having his soulmate made up for not getting bent over a desk?

“But why wouldn’t people have looked for their soulmates before?” Kelly Rodinsky piped up from the back of the room. “I mean, the name is on your arm, it’s pretty obvious what we’re supposed to do.”

“Well, for a long time people just had bigger priorities. The upper classes needed to make marriage alliances that would cement their wealth and position. And the very poor just needed to eat.” Blaine turned to the white board and added to the notes there, looking over his shoulder at the class as he wrote. Kurt couldn’t help noticing what the stretch did to the tendons in his neck.

“What if your soulmate was some scrawny boy who’d never be able to chop enough wood to get you through the winter? Or a sickly girl who couldn’t have the children you would need to take care of you when you got old?” He stopped writing and turned back to the class. “For a long time before the Victorian era, it was really only the middle classes who had the freedom to choose to be with their soulmates. And they were looked down on by both the upper and lower classes as undisciplined because of it.”

“But Romeo and Juliet were soulmates, and they were way before the Victorians,” Kurt couldn’t help chiming in on behalf of soulmates everywhere.

Blaine’s eyes landed on Kurt and the tiny smile from before came back. So it actually was for him, Kurt thought smugly.

“Yes, but Romeo and Juliet were also an object lesson. Elizabethan audiences would have known right from the start that they were doomed, because they put being with their soulmate above obedience to their parents or family duty.”

Blaine turned back to the board to write some more and Kurt was temporarily distracted from his defense of soulmates by the stretch of rust-colored denim over Blaine’s ass.

“Now, by the time we get to Jane Austen, just before the Victorian period, things were starting to change. All of Austen’s heroines actually end up with their soulmates; but the soulmates also always turn out to be very socially advantageous matches.”

“Wait; is this history class, or literature?” Puck asked. “Because if I’ve been wasting time in the wrong class I’m gonna be pissed.”

Blaine smiled at him. “History and literature are usually pretty well tied up together,” he said, turning back to write still more notes on the white board; the stretch to reach to the top flexed his back muscles in the most beautifully distracting way.

When he turned back after repeating himself in writing again, Blaine’s eyes slid across to Kurt, a wider smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, and he raised one black eyebrow just a tiny bit. It hit Kurt like a bolt out of the blue. He was doing it on purpose. Blaine was writing minutia on the board as an excuse to turn around and show off his ass in those jeans, and the way his muscles bunched as he reached up to write. Blaine was teasing him.

“So what changed?” Blaine asked the class, but he was still looking at Kurt. “Why were the Victorians different?”

Well, Kurt could play dirty too. “That’s easy. Queen Victoria met her soulmate,” he said, stretching his legs out into the aisle and crossing them at the ankle. He had seen the way Blaine had looked at his legs in his striped pants that morning. He was very pleased with himself when some of the color drained from Blaine’s face. He picked up his pencil. Plan fellatio was back on.

“I'll say it again. Why does one chick meeting her soulmate end up ruining everything for the rest of us?” Puck asked.

Blaine managed to drag his gaze away from Kurt’s legs and back to Puck. “Because the chick in question happened to be the Queen of England. Which at the time was the most powerful nation in the world. Victoria and Albert actually had to hide the fact that they were soulmates until after the marriage was a done deal. Even though it was a good match politically, they were afraid if it was discovered that they were soulmates someone would put a stop to the wedding. Because the Queen of England marrying her soulmate would set a dangerous precedent. Other people would want to start following her example.”

Kurt was just about to make his move with the pencil when Jenn Gibbs actually raised her hand and waited to be acknowledged before she spoke. “So it’s like we all wear white wedding dresses because of her, right?”

“Yes, exactly.” Blaine gave her an encouraging smile. Kurt forgot about the pencil entirely and felt a little swirl of pride watching Blaine draw out the shy sub. “So why do you think the powers-that-be hated that idea?”

Jenn blushed a little. Dr. Fletcher’s teaching strategy had been to pretty much let the talkers take over class discussions. Jenn wasn’t really used to having attention focused on her, except as the poor sub forced to sit between Hummel and Puckerman.

“Well, I guess if some nobleman wanted his daughter to marry some old rich guy, but she wanted to marry her soulmate, she could just say ‘It’s good enough for the Queen’ or something, right? How do you control your kids when the Queen keeps talking about how amazing it is to be with her soulmate?”

“That’s exactly right,” Blaine said with a nod. “And it wasn’t just the nobles, or even just people in England. People around the world looked up to Victoria as an example. So her being so vocal about how happy she was with her soulmate had worldwide impact. It changed everything.”

The bell rang then, and Blaine had to call out over the immediate noise of kids packing up. “Test on Chapter Six on Monday so be sure to take your books home and study.”

Kurt couldn’t help groaning a little. It was their first weekend together. Blaine couldn’t have put off the test a few days?

“Oh, what’s the matter Kurt?” Rachel teased. “Did you have big plans for the weekend?”

Blaine had begun putting away his class materials, but he froze when Rachel spoke, and tilted his head a little to listen.

“As a matter of fact I did,” Kurt couldn’t help confessing. “Very big plans. But now I’ll have to study . . .” he sighed dramatically, which made Rachel giggle. They finished shoving books and papers into their bags, and Kurt paused by Blaine’s desk as they made their way out.

“Great class, Mr. Anderson,” he couldn’t resist teasing. “Much better than your first one.”

Blaine’s eyes met his, warm and golden. “I’m glad you approve.”

Oh, Kurt loved this. All his classmates were standing around oblivious to the fact that what they really were saying was “Good boy” and “Thank you, Sir.”

“So, have a good weekend,” Kurt gave a little wave and led Rachel out of the room.

At five minutes to four that afternoon Blaine packed up the papers he’d been grading, locked his office door, and waited – outside it – for Kurt. As attractive as the idea of another tryst in the tiny room was, he was feeling anxious and keyed up and really just wanted to get the boy back to his apartment and see what was up with this mysterious list.

He’d barely confessed it to himself, but Blaine had been scared to death about teaching class with Kurt that morning. No matter how attracted he was to Kurt, no matter how much the fact that they were soulmates superseded the age difference, there was a part of him, he had to admit, that was terrified for anyone to find out what was going on. Soulmates or not, people were going to judge him.

But class had been . . . fun. They’d managed somehow to flirt and tease without anyone being the wiser, and he’d still been able to teach effectively, even the shy girl who sat next to Kurt had gotten involved. And when class ended and he’d been feeling so good about himself, Kurt had come up and told him he’d done a good job, which had rubbed him in all the right ways. He knew it would be frustrating adjusting to Kurt’s pace, but there was no doubt he had a natural instinct for dominance. Even with the age difference and his lack of experience worrying him, Kurt still managed to find ways to get under Blaine’s skin. The thought of what he could expect from a more confident, practiced Kurt made Blaine shiver a little. He just needed to focus on that. On what Kurt could become.

The sight of Kurt coming around the corner with a spring of excitement in his step made Blaine smile.

Kurt paused, obviously surprised to find Blaine waiting outside the office, but he recovered quickly and almost bounced up to him. For a second neither one of them seemed to know what to say, or who should say it, they just sort of grinned stupidly at each other. Then Blaine readjusted the strap of his bag and said, “So . . . Glee Club?”

Kurt did a tiny shimmy thing with his shoulders. “I did a duet with Rachel today. I should have thought – you could have lurked outside the room and listened.”

“Are you good?” Blaine teased, pushing away from the door and leading the way down the corridor.

“I’m excellent.”

Blaine laughed. “Who are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Every time I see you you’re a different person. You’re just constantly surprising.”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “In a good way, I hope.”

“In a very good way.”

Kurt smiled and nibbled his lower lip in another very good way as they continued toward the exit.

“You know, I was in Glee Club too when I was in school.”

Kurt turned to Blaine with comically wide eyes. “No! Really? That’s such a coincidence.”

“Okay, I get it,” Blaine held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Sarcasm. Soulmate synchronicity. You’re absolutely right.”

Kurt tossed his head. “Of course I am. So was that here in Ohio? God, I don’t even know where you’re from.”

They had reached the main doors, and Blaine pushed them opened and let Kurt precede him out onto the steps.

“I actually grew up right down the road in Westerville. I went to this very stuffy all-boys prep school.”

Kurt stopped short and spun around. “Not Dalton Academy?”

“Yeah, how do you know Dalton?”

“We beat the crap out of them at Sectionals this year. Oh my God, you were a Warbler!” He gave Blaine an appraising look.

“What?”

“I’m trying to imagine you in that uniform.”

“Hey! I looked fantastic in that uniform.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I bet you did.” He turned and headed down the steps. Blaine hurried to keep up with him. “So if you’re from Westerville, what are you doing subbing here instead of there?”

“Honestly? I knew if I went back there my parents would insist on me living with them. And that’s so not an option.” He shrugged, “So I flat out lied and made up something about the requirements being different down there.”

Kurt clicked his tongue. “Lying to your parents Blaine? I’m very disappointed in you. And here I thought you were so honest and obedient . . .”

God, Blaine could barely keep up with the way Kurt could turn on a dime. One minute an excited teenager, the next flirty, and then the dom would pop up when Blaine least expected it. It kind of made Blaine’s head spin, but not necessarily in a bad way.

They reached the faculty parking lot and Blaine dug his keys out of his bag, indicating his Prius. “Well, this is me.”

Kurt nodded. “Very socially responsible. I approve.”

“Can I ask you something?” Blaine blurted out before he could stop himself. It had been niggling at the back of his mind all day but he hadn’t been sure if he should say anything.

“Sure.”

“Something you said yesterday has been bugging me.”

Kurt looked a little alarmed at that.

“Oh, not anything about us,” Blaine assured him. “But . . . you said something about being tortured for being different. And I just thought I should ask if, well if I can do anything to help you with that.”

“What do you mean?” Kurt asked.

“Well, I am a teacher . . .”

Kurt just stared, his mouth a little agape, and Blaine lowered his eyes to the pavement. He’d screwed up; he shouldn’t have said anything.

“I’m sorry, I know I’m the sub and I’m probably overstepping somehow, but if you’re getting harassed it’s kind of my job . . .”

“Blaine, look at me.” Kurt didn’t sound angry. And when Blaine lifted his head he found Kurt looking more awed than anything. “You didn’t overstep. I’m just . . .” Kurt closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again. “You are the first teacher who’s ever asked me if they could help me.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “Well, Mr. Schue – that’s the Glee Club director – he tried once but that was only because something happened right in front of him. It doesn’t have anything to do with you being the sub, I was just kind of shocked, that’s all.”

“So can I help?” Blaine ventured.

“Actually, it’s been okay lately. Dave Karofsky, this football player, was sort of the ringleader. He got marked as a sub a few months ago and after that the physical stuff stopped, it was mostly just teasing, name calling. And then when I got marked even that stopped.” Kurt shifted a little, moving his bag from one shoulder to the other. “I’ve kind of been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I don’t really think that’s going to happen. I don’t know if it’s because he’s a sub and I’m a dom, or what, but I’m okay. Really.” He gave Blaine the little sideways smile that Blaine was coming to associate with Kurt being self-conscious.

“Okay, just please tell me if I can . . .”

“I promise.”

Blaine had to fight back the impulse to touch Kurt, just a hand on his arm or a brush of their fingers. But it was too dangerous here where anyone could see. After a moment of slightly awkward silence Kurt waved his hand in the direction of the student parking lot. “So that’s me, the black Navigator.”

This time it was Blaine’s mouth that fell open. “That is so not the car I’d be expecting you to drive.”

“Well, my dad’s a mechanic,” Kurt explained. “They guy who bought it new kept having transmission problems so finally my dad offered to take it off his hands. We rebuilt the transmission together summer before last.”

“Seriously?”

Kurt groaned. “Please don’t say something like I look like I wouldn’t know the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver, because that gets really tired.”

Blaine shook his head. “No, I just – my dad and I rebuilt a Chevy together the summer before I started high school.”

“What?!” Kurt gave him the cartoon eyes again, and Blaine couldn’t help laughing.

“Yes, okay, we’re made for each other. I never should have doubted it.”

Kurt pointed a finger at him. “Never forget it. So what, is your dad a mechanic too?”

“God no. No, he got the idea right after I came out.” Blaine made a face. “‘Hey Dad, I’m gay.’ ‘That’s nice, Son, let’s build an engine.’”

“Oh. Ouch.”

“Yeah. So was your dad . . .?”

“Oh, no,” Kurt shook his head. “Not at all. I didn’t even have to come out to my dad. I mean, I did, but he told me he’d known since I was three.”

Blaine couldn’t help being a little jealous about that. “He sounds really great.”

“He is. But you’ll get to see that for yourself soon, right?”

Oh God. Kurt’s father. And just when Blaine was starting to feel optimistic. He must have looked as scared as he felt because there was another awkward pause, which Kurt eventually broke.

“Well, we should get going. I’ve only got a couple of hours tonight. Fridays are family dinner night. And then of course I have to study for this test on Monday . . .” With a grin he pulled his phone out of his bag. “Give me your address, just in case I lose you.”

Blaine typed his address into Kurt’s phone and handed it back. Kurt let his fingers brush back and forth over Blaine’s before he took the phone back and returned it to his bag. Without another word he turned and headed with long strides through the lot to his own car. Blaine let himself linger, leaning on the Prius and watching those long legs in their striped pants walk away. He didn’t have any idea what Kurt had in mind for the afternoon, but he was pretty sure he’d be surprised, no matter what.