Kurt pulled the Navigator up to the curb in front of the big house, one of the picturesque leftovers from Lima’s era of industrial boom. He gripped the steering wheel and allowed himself a few deep breaths as he watched Blaine pull into the driveway and climb out of his little car.

He was so nervous. Much more than he’d expected to be. He’d prepared for this. He’d gone over it in his head dozens of times, between last night and today, both the talking part and the . . . not talking part. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. People said that the longest journeys begin with a single step and this step out of his car felt like the beginning of the journey of the rest of his life.

Blaine was rummaging in the back seat for his bag and jacket and Kurt just let himself look for a moment. Watching his soulmate doing something so mundane made him understand as nothing else had done yet how important this was. It was the rest of their lives. Some day he and Blaine would be old and gray sitting in matching Shaker rocking chairs reminiscing about this day. As new and scary as this could feel, Kurt really did believe that it would be forever. That eventually everything about Blaine would be as familiar to him as . . . well, as himself.

But they would never be those old men in rockers unless Kurt could get out of the car and go join his sub, who was waiting now in the entryway, looking expectantly in his direction. Kurt grabbed his own bag and opened the door.

Blaine smiled as Kurt approached, but Kurt could tell he was keyed up too. “You didn’t lose me,” he called out.

“Not so far,” Kurt answered.

The main door of the big house was open, and the foyer had a door on either side and a staircase that was obviously a later addition. Blaine turned to the apartment on the left, number 2, and slid his key into the lock.

“I hate it when they break these old houses up into apartments,” Kurt mused, staring up at the vaulted ceiling of the entryway.

Blaine pushed the door open and stood aside so that Kurt could go in first.

“I know what you mean,” he said as he closed the door behind them and turned the lock. “But it makes for really nice apartments. And the added bonus is that the one above me is vacant right now, so I don’t have to listen to anyone’s banging and stomping.” Or worry about anyone hearing their own noises, was the unspoken end of the sentence, and that just made Kurt feel more nervous.

It was a really nice apartment. Blaine had filled it with comfortable, casual furniture; sofa, overstuffed chair, a low stone coffee table that was empty except for one oversized book whose cover was a picture of stringed instruments arranged in a pile. Against one wall stood a spinet piano that was polished to a beautiful dark shine. The wood floor was bare, and seemed like it would be murder on the knees. But maybe Blaine liked that.

It wasn’t a large place – little kitchen in one corner, hallway leading off to a bedroom – but right now it seemed impossibly big to Kurt. So far he and Blaine had only been alone together in the close confines of Dr. Fletcher’s tiny office. Kurt had sort of assumed that he’d be more comfortable here, with more room to move around, but in fact the exact opposite was true. In the office they were forced into close proximity. Here in Blaine’s apartment it had to be a choice.

Nerves were definitely taking over Kurt’s gut now. He wandered into the room a little, while Blaine hovered by the door. “It’s really nice,” he said with a smile. “You’ve done some nice things with it. And the light is really good.”

Oh God. He sounded so lame. Here he was alone with his soulmate in complete privacy and he was talking about the light. He moved over to the piano and brushed his fingers over the smooth keys. “Do you play?” he asked, turning back to Blaine who still kind of hugged the door like he was afraid to step too far into the space between them.

“Yeah. I guess it’s kind of self-indulgent lugging that thing around the country. But I can’t really function without a piano.”

“Around the country? But you grew up in Westerville.”

Blaine finally gave up whatever security the door was giving him. He set his bag on the little table by the entrance and moved in to join Kurt by the piano, tapping gently at the highest “E.”

“Well, I went to college at OSU and I did my graduate work in New York. So this baby has seen the inside of more than one moving truck.”

Kurt wanted to ask him what he’d studied and why he’d ever chosen to leave New York to come back to Ohio, of all places, but they could talk about that later and really, he was just putting off the inevitable. Blaine had to be as anxious as he was about their talk. He needed to just take the reins and get started. But he didn’t quite know how to begin. The last time he’d had Blaine on his knees he’d been angry and demanding; without that he really had no idea how to go about it. For a few moments they just stood in awkward silence (which was starting to feel like their natural state) until Blaine decided to rescue him.

“Would you like a drink or something?”

Kurt shook his head. “No, I’m okay.”

“We could sit,” Blaine made a little gesture toward to couch.

That was definitely his cue. Kurt took a deep breath and looked Blaine right in the eye. “Actually, I’d like . . . I want you to kneel for this.”

Blaine’s face twitched just a little, his eyes widening with something that Kurt hoped was excitement, but it could have been surprise or fear for all he knew. Whatever emotion he was trying to control, Blaine stepped away from the piano just a bit and waved his hand to indicate the floor where he was standing.

“Should I just . . .”

“Oh, no!” Kurt jumped in. He surveyed the room, then moved over to pull the chair around so it faced open floor instead of the coffee table. There were several dark throw pillows on the sofa and he grabbed one and turned back to Blaine.

“Is this okay?” he asked, waving the cushion in the direction of the floor. When Blaine nodded Kurt sat in the chair, put his messenger bag within reach on the coffee table, and set the pillow on the floor, far enough from his own feet that Blaine wouldn’t be right on top of him.

“You can kneel here,” he said, indicating the pillow at his feet. He had to bite back the impulse to say “please.” He definitely felt like a kid playing grown-up and Blaine must have sensed that because he moved slowly to the pillow and stood staring into Kurt’s eyes for a moment, his own expression serious, then very deliberately knelt on the little cushion, deep shining eyes on Kurt until the very last moment, when he bowed his head and turned his gaze to the floor.

Kurt could have kissed Blaine right there for the outright expression of submission. He knew Blaine was telling him that he was taking this seriously, even if Kurt barely had any idea what he was doing. He was trying to inspire Kurt with confidence. Meeting him halfway.

With another deep, steadying breath Kurt reached into his bag and laid his list out carefully next to it on the stone table. He arranged his features into what he hoped was an expression of caring authority.

“Look at me, Blaine,” he ordered. Blaine raised his eyes to Kurt’s again.

Kurt had to take a moment to catch his breath. The picture of Blaine looking up from his knees was even more compelling than Kurt had imagined it would be on that first day in class. He hadn’t had a chance to really appreciate it the first time – in Blaine’s office – when everything had been so heated. But now . . . those beautiful eyes . . .it was really a very good thing, Kurt thought, that he probably had a lifetime to figure out what color they were, because it might just take that long. Golden, honey, amber, caramel, there were so many options and “brown” didn’t come close to doing them justice. And the way he simply knelt and waited – it was a dom’s wet dream, really. Never mind the eyes. It was going to take Kurt a lifetime to get over the fact that Blaine was actually his.

One more quick breath and Kurt made himself start. “I really liked the way we were today,” he began, “just us, flirting, or whatever. I want us to be like that. I want you to look at me and talk to me and call me Kurt. I mean, unless something else is hotter, in the moment, you know. But just normally . . .” Oh God. He was babbling already. Not a good sign. “What I mean is, I’m not looking for a slave, Blaine.”

Blaine simply nodded, which didn’t really help Kurt decipher his reaction.

“But for this conversation I need you to stay on your knees, and ask permission to speak unless you’re answering a question. You can ask permission by touching my knee. Understand?”

Blaine nodded again and Kurt smiled a little at his immediate obedience. He’d thought hard about the whole not speaking thing, but he wanted the chance to hem and haw and think over his words without worrying about interruptions. Plus Finn had said subs liked orders and control.

“Okay, so first thing,” he held his left arm out to Blaine, “take my cuff off.”

Blaine’s eyebrows came together a bit in confusion, but he obeyed without a word, unbuckling the strap on Kurt’s cuff and sliding it off his wrist. Kurt took the cuff from Blaine and set it beside his bag and paper on the coffee table.

“Now give me yours.” Blaine held out his own right arm and Kurt did the honors this time, slipping the cuff over his hand and adding it to the collection on the table. He held onto Blaine’s hand for a moment, turning it over and tracing his fingers gently over the scars that spelled out “Kurt Hummel.” He wondered if it would ever fail to give him a thrill, seeing his own name permanently burned into Blaine’s skin.

Blaine gave a tiny sigh and Kurt pulled his gaze away from the wrist. Blaine’s eyes had slipped closed so he could concentrate on the feel of Kurt’s fingers on his skin. He couldn’t resist trailing his fingers down over Blaine’s palm, which opened, fingers stretching out under Kurt’s touch.

But this was supposed to be talking. There would be time for touching later. Stick to the plan, Kurt told himself, letting Blaine’s hand fall back onto his lap. Blaine opened his eyes and looked like he wanted to beg for more, but he kept silent, waiting for whatever Kurt had planned.

“I always want us to do that, when we’re alone,” Kurt began. “Keep our cuffs off so we can see each other’s marks. And I’ll always take yours off, and put it on, and you’ll always do mine. Like a ritual, you know?”

Blaine nodded up at him, and Kurt really could have gotten lost in those eyes. He was starting to understand what the big deal was about having a sub on his knees. It pulled at him in all kinds of new ways that he didn’t even fully understand yet. But he wanted to. He wanted to find a way to assure Blaine that eventually they were going to do absolutely everything. But the next thing on his list was kind of the exact opposite of that.

“About sex . . .”

Blaine’s body stiffened just a little, as if he was steeling himself to hear something unpleasant.

“Sex – whatever we do – has to happen at my pace. If you’re in this with me, Blaine, you have to accept that. I’m sixteen and I’ve never done anything, and I should have the same chance anyone else does to figure it all out step by step, and not feel pressured to do more than I’m comfortable with. I deserve that.”

He paused here, giving Blaine a chance to ask to speak, but he stayed perfectly still, listening.

“You can ask for anything, I don’t want you to stop being honest about what you need, but I decide what we do and when we do it. It’s not negotiable. It’s just part of being with me. So can you handle that?”

Blaine took a long time to consider his answer. His body seemed to relax a little as he thought and his voice was calm when he finally answered.

“I just need you to be serious about that. About asking for things. Because I can be okay with us doing – less than I’d want. But I can’t be afraid all the time that saying something or asking for something is going to freak you out.”

“No, I get that,” Kurt said with a smile. “I swear, you can ask me for anything. Whatever you need, no matter how crazy or intense or whatever. I may faint from embarrassment,” that made Blaine smile, so Kurt counted it as a victory, “but I won’t freak out. I really do want you to be able to tell me anything.”

Blaine didn’t speak again, he just smiled his thanks. Kurt smiled back. That had gone much better than he’d expected it to. He was starting to feel much more confident. He glanced over at his list – he really wanted to stay on track – and turned back.

“Okay, I don’t think that we should make any kind of a contract right away.”

Blaine’s eyebrows went up, but he stayed silent, so Kurt went on. “I just think we should wait until we know each other a little bit better. And honestly I’m not ready to start going over lists of kinks with you. And I really doubt I’m going to do anything in the next few weeks that’s going to hit any of your limits.”

Blaine seemed to deflate a little at that, but he didn’t ask to speak.

“So I figured we’d just stick with the basic rules for now – you’ll obey all direct orders, I won’t punish you for anything that I haven’t specifically warned you about, and, well, of course you won’t touch yourself or come without my permission.” Kurt rushed through that last part, hoping that going fast would give him a chance to get through it without blushing. He was pretty sure he didn’t succeed.
For the first time Blaine reached out and touched Kurt’s knee.

“Go ahead,” Kurt told him.

Again he took a moment before he spoke. Kurt was surprised how much that pleased him, seeing Blaine take this so seriously.

“I just,” Blaine finally said, “if we’re not going to have sex and I’m not allowed to touch myself . . .”

“That’s not what I said.” Kurt surprised himself with how quickly his dom side jumped in to correct Blaine. “I said you couldn’t touch yourself without permission.” Saying it the second time, in reaction to Blaine’s mistaken assumption, he didn’t feel the need to blush at all. He didn’t explain any further – the distinction should be obvious to Blaine. And it must have been because Blaine settled back a little on his heels and bowed his head in acknowledgement.

The butterflies in Kurt’s stomach took flight again, but it wasn’t nerves this time. Somehow they were having a conversation, dom to sub, without any help from anger or lust; settling into a natural kind of dynamic. For the first time Kurt felt 100% like what he was: a dominant giving instruction to his obedient submissive. It was heady and exciting and suddenly began to feel effortless. He was starting to wrap his brain around what it meant that he was a natural dominant and Blaine a natural submissive.

After giving Blaine another moment to decide to speak, Kurt moved on.
“Anyhow, about the contract, I think until we have one we can just rely on safe words. If I somehow manage to do something that makes you uncomfortable you can safe word and we’ll talk about it. Do you have a safe word?”

Blaine looked back up at Kurt. “Umm . . . yeah, to slow down it’s decrescendo and to stop is . . .”

“Fermata?” Kurt couldn’t help interrupting to guess.

“Caesura, actually.”

Kurt didn’t want to kill the dom roll he was on, but he couldn’t help grinning down at Blaine. “Oh my God, I love those! You have no idea, Blaine. The thought of safe words scared the crap out of me. Like, God, I screwed up so badly that he needed to safe word! But those just make it seem like a sort of natural change in tempo. They’re brilliant.”

Blaine smiled a little too, and reached out to touch Kurt’s knee.

“Go ahead.”

“That’s why I picked them. I always felt like I’d failed, somehow, if I had to use a safe word. But with these I just feel like I’m taking over the conducting for a while.”

Without thinking about it, Kurt reached out and stroked Blaine’s cheek in a gesture of approval and affection. “They’re perfect, Blaine.”

Blaine leaned a little into Blaine’s hand and another wave of excitement hit Kurt. It all felt so natural now. He couldn’t get over it. He let himself enjoy the contact for just a moment before he pulled back to introduce the biggest topic yet.

“Okay, for this one I just want you to talk freely, you don’t have to ask to speak. We need to decide if we’re going to go public with this . . . with us.”

Immediately all the tension flooded back into Blaine’s body and Kurt instinctively reached to caress his face again. He waited, stroking over Blaine’s cheekbone, until he seemed ready to speak.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way,” he began tentatively.

“Honesty, remember?” Kurt said.

Blaine swallowed. “Okay. I’m actually terrified of people finding out. And I know us being soulmates makes it kind of okay, but I just don’t see how anyone – the teachers or the students – will be able to take me seriously if they know . . .”

“That I’m your dom?” Kurt tried to help him get it out.

Blaine’s eyes flitted around, from walls to floor, trying to find anywhere to look beside’s Kurt’s face. “That I come home at night and submit to one of my students. One of their students.” He struggled a little to find the words he wanted. “I know how I’d have felt – before – if I heard about a teacher in a claim with a student. I’d know in my head it was fate, but that wouldn’t make feel it any less . . . wrong.”

His gaze found Kurt’s again, and Kurt had to struggle to control his reaction. He wasn’t stupid. He’d never imagined that Blaine was overjoyed about their age difference. But he couldn’t deny how much it hurt, hearing Blaine state it so baldly. And knowing that Blaine was right. People would always think of them as wrong, not matter what the law said, at least until Kurt was old enough that it wouldn’t be so obvious. Hearing it like that hit him right in his own insecurities and fears. But he knew that putting his own emotions aside to make his sub feel safe was part of a dom’s job. So he squashed down all the ways that Blaine’s speech made him feel inadequate and did his job.

“It might be easier in some ways, though” he ventured. “Have you really thought about all the hiding and sneaking around we’ll have to do?”

“I just can’t. I’m sorry. I’m not ready.”

It helped that Blaine looked pained, too. He didn’t seem to like hurting Kurt any more than Kurt liked being hurt. He tried to pull his mouth into a smile but failed miserably. “Okay. I’m making you meet me on the sex thing so I’ll meet you on this. But I’m going to insist on two things.”

“Okay.”

“We tell my parents. I won’t lie to them so if we’re going to spend any real time together they need to know.”

Blaine bit his lip, but he nodded in agreement.

“And you wear a black cuff.” Blaine started to speak but Kurt cut him off. “I need people to know that you’re claimed, even if they don’t know it’s by me. You can make up anything you want – anything you feel comfortable with. But I need you to wear the cuff.”

Blaine smiled. “I was going to say of course I want to wear your cuff. I want people to know I found my soulmate. It’s a big deal for a sub, to be claimed like that.”

Kurt smiled back – a real smile this time. “Okay then. I’ll get one tomorrow.” He picked up his list from the table and made a show of crumpling it up and putting it back in his bag. “So that concludes my very important list of discussion topics. Is there anything else you need to say?”

“I think you covered everything. I’m okay.”

“Good.” Kurt sat looking at Blaine for a bit, trying to wrestle the butterflies into submission. He’d expected the not talking part to be even scarier than the talking part, but he’d thought about this so carefully and he wanted it. He wanted to give Blaine something. To show Blaine that he wasn’t about to embark on a completely sex-less life. Like everything else, though, getting started was the hardest part.

The sun was starting to go down now and light from one of the windows hit Blaine just right – shining around him in a kind of halo. He looked so beautiful and expectant, there on his knees with his hands resting on his thighs. Kurt had promised himself that he’d try to trust his instincts, so he slipped out of his chair and onto his own knees in front of Blaine, whose eyes widened as Kurt settled on the floor.

Touching Blaine’s face had felt so natural before that Kurt did it again, with both hands this time, stroking his fingers down Blaine’s temples and across his cheeks to rub at the scratchy stubble on his jaw. Blaine’s eyes bored into Kurt’s and Kurt could actually see him struggling to stay still and not look like he was asking for more. But his lips parted just a bit and Kurt couldn’t resist them – so full and pink – he kissed Blaine gently, slowly, letting one of his hands slide around to cradle the back of Blaine’s neck.

When he broke the kiss Blaine did the same thing he’d done before, both times Kurt had kissed him. He reached forward even as Kurt was pulling back, like he was iron and Kurt’s lips were the magnet. Kurt hoped Blaine never stopped doing that. It made him feel so wanted.
He waited until Blaine opened his eyes to speak.

“I want to do something,” he said. “I want to give you something. A reward. For taking this – taking me – so seriously and committing to us. Okay?”

Blaine nodded. Kurt stood up (the floor really was murder – he didn’t know how Blaine could stand it) and grabbed a cushion for his own knees. He dropped it on the floor behind Blaine, who looked surprised, but Kurt knew he could never do this face-to-face. Not yet. And he was determined to do it. He wanted it, he just wasn’t sure how in-his-face he wanted it to be.

The light was bringing out all sorts of highlights and color in Blaine’s hair, so Kurt rested a hand on his head, threading his fingers through the gently tamed curls. And like before, Blaine closed his eyes and leaned into Kurt’s touch. That Blaine seemed so willing to let Kurt know how much he wanted him took some of the sting out of his earlier words about not wanting other people to know. Kurt let his hand trail down to the back of Blaine’s neck and Blaine bowed his head forward, exposing more of his skin to Kurt’s touch.

It was such a beautiful picture, Blaine’s perfect pose of submission, that Kurt suddenly needed more, and he fell to his knees on the little cushion and pressed his lips to the back of Blaine’s neck. The breathy hum that came from Blaine’s throat spurred him on. He dragged his lips across Blaine’s flesh, caressing down to where his skin disappeared under his shirt collar. He stroked down Blaine’s arms, squeezing gently at the gorgeous muscles there, and continued all the way down to where his hands rested on top of his thighs. Blaine’s hands stretched out and their fingers tangled in a kind of backwards clasp that mimicked the position of their bodies.

Kurt kissed his way back up Blaine’s warm, soft neck, teasing the skin with his tongue. The taste of it, the texture of soft and hard and scratchy on his tongue, the maleness of it all inflamed him. Blaine wasn’t even trying to stay quiet, giving free rein to all kinds of beautiful moans and whimpers and gasps, his fingers tightening against Kurt’s. By the time his lips reached Blaine’s ear he couldn’t find it in himself to be at all self-conscious about saying what he’d planned to say.

“Are you hard?” he whispered.

Blaine’s entire body jolted with surprise, but Kurt was on a roll now, pressed behind Blaine, tongue teasing around the outer edge of his ear.

“Are you going to make me ask again?” he said when Blaine didn’t answer.

“Yes,” Blaine breathed.

“Yes, I have to ask again?”

“Yes, I’m hard.” It was barely more than a whisper.

Kurt was hard too, but he really only noticed it as an afterthought. He was so focused on Blaine. He wanted to do this for his sub. He slid his hands away from Blaine’s, back up to stroke over his arms again.

“Undo your pants.”

This time Blaine turned completely around to stare at Kurt, eyes wide with surprise or alarm – Kurt wasn’t sure which. It was a serious thrill, though, knowing he’d already managed to shock Blaine into speechlessness. One point for the teenage virgin dom.

“What do . . . are you . . .” Blaine fumbled for words, but Kurt, with a hand on Blaine’s chin, pushed his head firmly forward again.

“I think you heard me. Undo your pants. Or would you like to stop now?”

Blaine’s hand flew to his crotch, fumbling at the button and pulling down the zipper. He stopped there, following Kurt’s command exactly, as always.

Kurt continued to caress Blaine’s arms, but he tucked his head behind Blaine’s just a little. He wasn’t sure how much of this he was ready to see. The idea was hot, but actually watching might be a little more than he was ready for.

“Take it out.”

He peeked around to watch as Blaine’s hands, now visibly trembling, reached inside, maneuvered around a bit, and finally tugged his fully-erect penis out into the air. Blaine’s eyes closed, as if his exposure was a little too much for him to handle.

It was Kurt’s turn to gasp, and a tiny shudder shook Blaine’s body when he heard it. He’d seen other guys naked, of course, but never hard and never when he actually had permission to look. Blaine was beautiful, long and thick and Kurt wanted to do more than look. He wanted to touch. He knew from the experience of his own body how soft the skin would feel, stretched over the iron hardness underneath. His breath was coming in pants that almost equaled Blaine’s, now, but he wanted, needed to do this as he’d planned. He reached into his bag and rooted around for the small, round bottle.

“Hold out your hand,” he told Blaine.

Eyes still tightly closed, Blaine reached out his right hand. Kurt popped open the top of the bottle and squeezed a dollop of the lubricant into his hand, trying not to let himself get distracted by the sight of his name.

It obviously became clear to Blaine at that instant what Kurt’s plan was, because he sucked in a long breath and held it for a moment. Kurt let his lips settle back on Blaine’s neck, sliding around to his other ear and nipping gently at the lobe.

“I want you to show me what you used to do. When you were alone. When you were waiting for me.” He nosed against the skin behind Blaine’s ear, breathing in the warm scent of it. “Touch yourself for me, Blaine.”

Blaine let out his breath on a long, low moan, head tipping further forward, and reached without hesitation to begin stroking along his hard length, thumb sliding up over the head each time he reached the top. His body leaned back, pressing harder into Kurt’s chest, and Kurt had to bite his own lip to keep himself from cheering out loud. Blaine’s weight resting on him, relying on him, was as much of a validation as his words had been that morning. You’re doing everything right.

“Remember, don’t come. Tell me when you’re close.” Kurt rested his chin on Blaine’s shoulder and let his hands roam over his sub’s arms and chest, watching, fascinated and so very turned on, as Blaine’s hand moved up and down and his erection twitched against it. When Kurt’s fingers stroked inadvertently over a nipple, finding it stiff with arousal, and he heard Blaine’s sharp intake of breath, he wished he’d thought to have Blaine take off his shirt. He teased the nipple anyhow, through the cotton; the sounds Blaine was making went right through him and he never wanted them to stop.

Blaine continued to stroke, panting out little moans and sighs, until finally his hand slowed, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke. “I’m close. I’m really close.”

So soon? Kurt felt a thrill knowing he’d managed to get Blaine so worked up so quickly. “Stop, but don’t let go.”

Blaine’s hand clenched around himself. Kurt counted slowly to ten in his head, giving Blaine time to cool off a little, then said, “Now go slow. Keep yourself close like that. But don’t come until I say.”

Blaine dropped his head back onto Kurt’s shoulder with a groan as he gave himself over to the sensations in his body. He dragged his hand slowly up and down, always remembering to tease over the head. He was trembling now, head to toe, and Kurt wished their position on the floor would let him get close enough to rub his own erection against Blaine’s back. But maybe that was for the best. Coming in these pants was not even remotely an option.

He let Blaine go on for a few minutes that way, reveling in the weight of Blaine’s body, caressing up his chest to run his fingers along the stretched column of his neck, over the sharp jut of his Adam’s apple, whispering to him. “You’re so amazing, Blaine. God, so perfect. So, so beautiful.” Every word brought more tiny whimpers from Blaine’s throat, making it vibrate under Kurt’s fingers.

“Please,” Blaine finally panted. “Can I come? I need to come.”

“Can you do a little more? Maybe five more strokes for me?”

Blaine froze and Kurt wondered if he was going to balk. But he nodded against Kurt’s shoulder.

“Five more, nice and slow, then you can come whenever you want to. Count them for me.”

Blaine tilted his head a little so that it rested against the curve of Kurt’s neck, his hair tickling at Kurt’s chin. He counted out in a shaky voice, his breath warming Kurt’s skin, as he slowly teased himself through the last five strokes. Hiding was the last thing on Kurt’s mind now; he wanted to see every second of Blaine’s orgasm.

At the end of the fifth stroke Blaine’s hand slid to a stop. “Please,” he gasped.

“I already said you could come.”

Kurt felt a tiny shake of Blaine’s head against his neck.

“Hold me. Please.”

An emotion that wasn’t excitement or arousal or need flooded Kurt’s body. He didn’t have a name for it, but it brought tears to his eyes as he slid his arms under Blaine’s and wrapped them around Blaine’s chest in a tight embrace. The breath left Blaine’s body in a long, deep sigh and he turned just a little to press his lips to Kurt’s neck as his fist sped up around his erection. Within seconds he was coming, his body arching up and away, his mouth falling open against Kurt’s skin in a silent cry as his hand stuttered to a stop and white come splashed against the black of his shirt.

Kurt meant to watch, but he was so involved with holding and supporting and murmuring gentle words into Blaine’s temple that he missed the actual moment of orgasm. He didn’t care. He was far too busy trying not to cry. He was overwhelmed and elated and still so very turned on. The thought of the price of his pants was the only thing keeping him from shoving forward to rut against Blaine.

Beautiful, beautiful Blaine, who’d now gone limp against Kurt’s body, panting hard and clutching at Kurt’s arm with his clean hand. Kurt held out as long as he could – he hated to interrupt Blaine’s afterglow – but his legs were going numb and he was pretty sure he was going to just topple over if Blaine didn’t move.

“You have to sit up,” he said, when he couldn’t hold on any longer, “or I might collapse.”

Blaine pushed himself forward, still panting, and Kurt stretched his aching legs and scooted around to sit in front of his sub. Blaine’s eyes were still closed, and when he opened them the urge to cry came back again. He could see whole worlds of emotion there. Looking into them, Kurt knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d done exactly the right thing. He surged forward, reaching for the back of Blaine’s head to pull him into a desperate, hard kiss, plundering into his mouth as Blaine opened and submitted and took.

When they finally broke apart Blaine’s gaze was clearer. “That was amazing.” His mouth worked around what he was trying to say. “I never expected . . .”

Kurt grinned at him. “That’s me. Always surprising.”

“God, you can say that again.” Blaine reached out to touch Kurt’s face. “Thank you.”

For a second they just stared at each other like lovestruck kids, but then Blaine’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God, you didn’t come. Do you want me to . . .”

“No, it’s okay,” Kurt jumped in to reassure him. “I’m not coming in these pants, and I’m not sure I’m ready for anything else. My pace, remember?” He didn’t think he needed to add that his pace was going to include a serious masturbation session later that night. “Besides, I wanted this to be for you. Tomorrow’s for me.”

“What’s tomorrow?”

Kurt’s legs were starting to feel normal again so he stood up and headed into the little kitchen. “Tomorrow, if you’re free, we’re going on a real date. Lunch, maybe coffee after. I’m going to pick you up and pay and everything.” He found a roll of paper towels on the counter and brought them back to where Blaine had settled himself cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the overstuffed chair.

“I’m free.”

“Good.”

The silence started to feel just a bit awkward, but Kurt knew how to deal with that now. He bent down and captured Blaine’s mouth in another kiss, licking across his lips before pulling back teasingly. He laughed when Blaine did the magnet thing again.

“What?”

“I just like kissing you.” He handed the paper towels to Blaine and settled next to him on the floor.

“I have to ask . . . where in the world did you get lube?” Blaine asked, as he cleaned himself off, tucked his now soft penis away and did up his pants.

Kurt laughed again. “My stepmother’s a nurse. We have some truly amazing first aid kits in our house.” He reached past Blaine to grab the bottle from the table. “Look. It’s sterile.”

“Well I’m impressed.”

Kurt tossed the bottle back in the general direction of his bag, then took Blaine’s hand in his. His body was starting to calm down now, and he let his head fall back onto the seat of the chair. He could feel Blaine shaking a bit next to him and realized that he was laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

Blaine turned to him. “Nothing, I was just so worried about this talk.”

“Me too! I was scared to death.”

“You didn’t show it. You were perfect. Very dominant.”

“So you think it went okay then?” Kurt teased.

Blaine wrinkled his brow in exaggerated thought. “Well, it was kind of awkward at first. But I think that last part went really well.”

They both laughed then, and Blaine shifted just a little so he could lean his head against Kurt’s shoulder. Kurt didn’t even think twice about rubbing his cheek against the top of Blaine’s head. This was happiness, he thought. He wasn’t alone any more. He’d never be alone again.