Kurt sighed, watching Blaines previously cheerful, open demeanor disappear in an instant, leaving a hunched, terrified slave in its wake.

"Please dont do that," Kurt murmured, placing a hand gently on the slaves shoulder. He could feel Blaine briefly flinch at the touch before forcing his body to be still and pliant under his hand.

"You didnt do anything wrong, okay? Nothing about us is different. Id still prefer that you use my name and Im the same person I was last night. I promise, everything is going to be okay."

"Yes, Master. I mean, Kurt, I..." Blaine tried to regain his composure but was having difficulty. Kurt didnt seem annoyed with him, even though Blaine was failing to obey even a simple order. His first command from his new Master and Blaine couldnt even manage to get that right.

Kurt sighed and released the shivering slaves arm. Clearly touch wasnt even a little comforting at this point.

"Come on," Kurt said, heading towards the parked van.  "Lets hit the road and we can talk on the way to the house." 

Blaine collected his box and followed his Master out to a large white van with a stylized K woven through an H on the side. Kurt Hummel Designs was stenciled in a cursive font below the design. Kurt pushed open the sliding back door and began walking around to the drivers side.  "You should be able to fit your things in there," he called over his shoulder.

The vans cargo was hyper-organized, with carefully labeled boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. Blaine managed to cram his box on one side but wasnt sure how hed manage to fit himself in with it. He remembered that Kurt had mentioned the previous night that he had a good 4-5 hours of driving yet before he got to the house hed rented.

"You got it?" Kurt called as he buckled his belt and turned the engine over.  "Come on up so we can leave." 

He was to ride up front?  Blaine hid his surprise and closed the heavy sliding door before climbing up into the passenger seat.

Kurt set his phone GPS app and plugged his Ipod into the radio, fidgeting with the controls until he had the playlist from the previous night. Maybe the familiar music would help Blaine settle down. Hearing the click of the passenger seat belt, Kurt flashed a quick smile at his new co-pilot and pulled onto the road.

The first hour of the journey was mostly silent. Kurt initially tried starting a conversation or two but Blaines answers were always brief and so nervously delivered that Kurt opted to leave him alone. Instead, he hummed softly along with the music and focused on tomorrows schedule.

Blaine watched the scenery fly by, trying not to overtly stress over his new situation. Instead, he focused on being away from the hotel. He honestly thought hed die without ever setting foot outside its walls again.

Blaine wanted to roll down the window and take in the fresh air but he didnt dare ask for favors when he hadnt even done any service yet. Kurt had already given him a full meal of fresh food all his own just the night before and he hadnt asked anything of Blaine except to stand still and put on clothes.

Blaine glanced over at his new owner. Kurts soft humming was melodic and soothing. He did that, humming whenever he was focusing really hard on something, Blaine remembered.

Blaines nerves slowly settled and the rational brain side of his brain began to function again. Kurt had purchased him to be a model, whatever that entailed, but now that Blaine was exclusively his, Kurt would surely want to make use of his other function. Blaines mind went into work mode and he automatically began mentally measuring angles and working out the best way to maneuver his head so that hed be prepared if Kurt wanted a blow job. He figured he just needed to get around the gear stick and tilt away from the steering wheel. Blaine still would have limited room to maneuver but he could work with that.

Kurt saw Blaine looking his way, a calculating expression on his face. He seemed calmer so Kurt tried to initiate conversation again.

"Whatcha thinking about so hard over there?" he asked curiously.

Blaine dropped his eyes, not sure if the truth would be welcome or not. After a minute he decided not answering a direct question was the more punishable offense.

"I was checking out the placement of the dashboard and steering wheel so that Id know how best to fit my head into your lap in case you might enjoy my mouth on you," Blaine answered, watching for signs that his response was wrong or for an indication to begin service.

Kurt squeaked in surprise, a sound Blaine found surprisingly...cute. Kurts cheeks turned rosy with his blush. Apparently, sex had not been anywhere near the front of Kurts mind. Hopefully he wouldnt find Blaines answer objectionable. The obvious reaction in Kurts pants left Blaine hopeful that his master wouldnt be angry.

Kurt swallowed and glanced over to meet the tawny gaze looking levelly back at him. Clearly, Blaine was just waiting for the word to get started.

"Look, Blaine. We discussed this. Yes, youre hot. Yes, the thought of being with you is an obvious turn on. But it still isnt going to happen. The reasons I gave last night havent changed just because my name is on your paperwork now. Sex with you would be taking horrible advantage and its never going to happen." 

Blaines expression was disbelieving and Kurt gave a mental shrug. He wasnt going to be able to undo years of conditioning in one short night. Instead, he decided to discuss business since Blaine didnt look terrified anymore and was meeting his eyes again.

"So, changing the subject from things that arent gonna happen to things that might, are you up for discussing what being one of my models is all about so you can decide if youre game?" 

"Isnt that why you bought me? Ill do anything you want, Kurt. I swear," Blaine rushed to reassure.

"Well, I hoped you would. But if you hate it you dont have to. I guarantee well find plenty of things to keep you busy if the work doesnt suit you. My brother would definitely appreciate any help he can get."

"Your brother?" Blaine asked, fishing for more information about his new life.

"Yeah. A lot of my crew are people that Ive known for a while. Most were in high school and/or college with me. My brother Finn didnt have anything better to do when I started the business so I brought him with me in case I need something heavy carried."  Kurt chuckled to himself and Blaine didnt ask for clarification.

"Generally, I use 2 male and 2 female models for a show. I have a permanent arrangement with two people and I hire out for the other slots. This way I can showcase different colors and designs without limiting myself to a blond and a brunette. Im lucky this time; my alternate female is another one of my old high school associates. Im not really sure whether we were ever really friends exactly, but shes quite beautiful, fantastic at her job, and I trust her not to screw me." He paused, thinking about what else needed to be covered.

"Day to day tasks would be to report regularly to my workroom for long hours of what you did last night. Lots of clothing changes and tailoring. On show weekends youd be needed for the catwalk, which Ill coach you on, and the after show party. That party is actually pretty awful and its one of the main reasons Ive never considered using a slave for modeling. But Ive already made arrangements for your safety," Kurt assured him hastily.

"Once we get to the house you can settle in and meet everyone. Oh, I need to get you a medical exam to make sure youre healthy." Kurt stopped and eyed Blaine cautiously.  "Dont take this the wrong way but youre really underweight. Even for a model. Id like to get a professional opinion on what calories you need and what I can do to help get you to a healthier weight. Besides my cooking, which is exceptional by the way." Kurt glanced over at Blaine and winked.

"Once weve established that you are getting sufficient nutrition, would you be opposed to working out?" Kurt asked.  "Youre beautiful now, of course, but models tend have a bit more muscle tone." 

Blaine hung on Kurts every word. Did Kurt really plan on allowing Blaine to eat food he cooked? Blaine would love to work out, he remembered that he used to run and hed always liked the idea of boxing. He wondered if Kurt would give him access to a heavy bag. "Ill do anything you want me to," he told Kurt.  "And Id love to work out. I can get up early and run outside if you need me all day." 

"Fantastic! I dont expect miracles in a month and a half, of course. But if youre willing, I can ask my personal trainer to put a routine together for you. And theres no need to get up early, this would be an official part of your job," Kurt explained.

The artificial, vaguely British voice in Kurts GPS announced a highway change ahead and Blaine was happy to let the conversation lapse so Kurt could focus on driving.

------------------------------------------------

Blaine felt a hand gently shaking his shoulder and his eyes flew open as he took in his surroundings. He realized he was in a vehicle. Right, it was his Masters van. Blaine realized he must have fallen asleep, and instinctively pressed himself into the far corner of the seat against the door, awaiting a physical reprimand for his laziness. Before he could even begin to apologize, Kurt was speaking.

"Im sorry to wake you, you looked so peaceful, but I stopped to use the bathroom and grab something from Subway. Would you like to get out and stretch your legs?"

Blaine visibly relaxed when he realized he wasnt in trouble. "Id love to, thank you."

Blaine climbed out of the van, following his Master into the gas station theyd parked at.  It was one of the large combination stops that had the gas station on one side with a restaurant on the other.  Blaine swallowed nervously.  He wasnt wearing a collar or any other identifier labeling him as Kurts property and he felt naked without it. He also felt a sudden, irrational fear that if he lost sight of the man, Kurt might leave without him.

Blaine hurriedly caught up with his master and paced just behind him. He waited anxiously while Kurt was in the bathroom, opting to wait out the last few hours of their drive rather than lose sight of Kurt even for a second to go himself.

Kurt glanced at him in confusion. "Dont you want to use the bathroom? Ill just walk over to Subway and you can meet me there."

"Im fine," Blaine answered, staring at the ground. If its okay, Ill just stay with you." 

After a moment of contemplation, Kurt reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the van. He placed the Hummel Designs lanyard the keys were attached to over Blaines head.

"Hold these for me, would you?" Kurt asked. "Ill just be across the way." 

Blaine watched his owners retreating figure, then stared down at the car keys dangling against his chest, proof that Kurt couldnt leave him behind. Wiping his eyes, Blaine quickly entered the bathroom.

Blaine stepped up quietly next to Kurt at the sandwich shop a few minutes later, holding the van keys out to him. "Here are your keys, Master."

"Kurt," Kurt corrected him absently, scanning the board as he took the keys back.  "Are you literate, Blaine?" 

"Yes, Kurt."  Blaine wondered if that was the answer Kurt wanted or not.  It was common for slaves to not be taught to read unless it was required for their function, the lack supposedly making them more docile and less prone to attempt running away.

"Excellent. I dont have to teach you, then. So why are you staring at the floor instead of up at the menu? I really dont love having to guess what you want to eat,"  Kurt finished, grabbing a bag of sun chips off the rack.  Once Blaine got over his astonishment enough to select something, Kurt paid for their meals and headed back to the van.

"You are welcome to go back to sleep after you eat, if you want. We should arrive at the house in a few hours," Kurt told Blaine, while the slave cautiously opened the bag of chips that had come with his meal. He kept waiting for Kurt to call psyche or something and hit him or take away the food. Neither happened and Blaine relaxed with his Cheetos. He settled against the seat after he ate, not sleeping but content to look out the window.

Too soon in Blaines opinion, the van pulled up to a long brownstone house with a twin van to the one they were riding in parked out front. He had no idea what to expect and that was always the thing hed hated the most with his former job. They both climbed stiffly down from the van.

"Home sweet, rental home," Kurt said, though he was smiling. He stretched, long limbs reaching skyward as he arched his back. His shirt rode high, showing a trim waist with perfect, snow white skin.  Blaine tried and failed not to stare. The man really was ridiculously beautiful.

"Kurt! Youre here. Its about time, Im starving," a voiced called. A man who looked about Kurts age strode purposefully out of the house. Blaine froze as the very large man came toward them. While attractive, he didnt strike Blaine as the model type with his faded jeans and untucked flannel shirt. Kurt hadnt mentioned anyone beside the models and his brother staying with him.

"Whoa, hey I almost didnt see you there," the giant said, sidestepping to avoid running headlong into Blaine.

"Im sorry, Sir. Pardon my inattentiveness," Blaine replied hastily, hunching protectively as he awaited a blow or shove.

"Naw, its my fault. I wasnt watching. Who are you, anyway?" the man asked curiously, no sign of animosity in his manner.

"Master Kurt bought me..." before Blaine could finish, the large man turned and hollered.

"The hell, Kurt! You bought a slave? Burt and mom are gonna be so pissed." 

"Oh, quit making snap judgments, you oaf. Tobias jumped ship and I needed a model ASAP."  Kurt replied snarkily, coming around the van.

"A model! You bought a slave to be a model? Thats, like, so much worse. Kurt, you know whatll happen to him at the show..." the bigger man continued angrily.

"Okay, thats enough," Kurt interrupted.  "God! Ive taken precautions. Blaine will be perfectly safe. And its not a sure thing.  Its up to him if he wants to be a model or not. If it turns out that he doesnt want to he can be an assistant."  

"Well, okay then," Finn answered, mollified. Clearly the idea of help with his chores appealed to him.

"Blaine, come over here." Kurt said. Blaine quickly stepped up to them, wondering if he should kneel. "Id like you to meet my brother, Finn. Finn, this is Blaine." 

"This is your brother?" Blaine asked, shocked into speaking without permission. He winced. Kurt may have lax rules when they were alone together but Blaine was certain he was expected to be a well-behaved slave in front of others.

"What, you cant see the obvious resemblance?" Kurt teased with an amused smile, not seeming concerned with Blaines misbehavior.

"Hes my step brother. My dad married his mother, and now Im stuck with the big lug." 

"Hey, I resemble that remark," Finn replied, grinning and yanking Kurt into a hug that completely enveloped the designer.

"Let me go! Finn, let me go right now! If you wrinkle this shirt Ill make you suffer!" 

"Do I hear Kurts unnecessarily high yet still oddly perfectly pitched complaining?"  A female voice asked in amusement as a petite brunette exited the house.

"Excellent, Kurt. You made it. Youre actually a little later then I was hoping for. As you know, my first rehearsal is next week and I have to run lines and while Finn really does try he just doesnt have your flare for bringing words off the page and while Im more than capable of making do with a dry read I really feel my performance would improve with another talented actor to play against."

Blaine stared at the tiny women as the torrent of words poured out of her.

"Nice to see you, too," Kurt responded dryly before turning back to the group.

"Blaine, this is Rachel. Shes one of my full time models and she just got a role at a local playhouse. Rachel, this is Blaine, my solution to Tobiass abrupt exit, hopefully chased by a bear."

Blaine snorted in amusement at that before he could catch himself.

"He got that reference?" Rachel asked, her piercing gaze focusing on the slave in sudden interest. Blaine swallowed and subtly tried to lean so he was behind Kurt. For a tiny girl, she was really scary.

"Thats Blaine. Hes Kurts new slave," Finn told her helpfully.

The eagle stare left Blaine to focus with laser intensity on his owner, who seemed much less intimidated than Blaine had been, despite the obvious anger radiating from the actress.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, tell me that there was a miscommunication and you did not buy this boy to be a replacement for Tobias."

"Thats the plan," Kurt told her.

"Really Kurt, I just dont know what you were thinking. You know those vultures will eat him alive. And dont get me started on the after party."

"Oh my god, does no one trust me?"  Kurt demanded.  "When have any of my people ever had trouble at a show? For your information, Rachel Berry, I booked Kitten directly after buying him."

"You did? Well, thats different."  About that time Finn caught up with the conversation enough to realize Rachel had been criticizing his attempts to help her rehearse and decided to take offense. Rachel immeadiately tried to retract her words and mollify Finn.

"I trust you," Blaine said, too softly for the arguing pair to hear, from his place just behind Kurt.

There were a lot of unknowns in Blaines new life. He didnt know why everyone was so worked up about him doing the show. He didnt really understand what his future role in this place would be or when Kurt would finally decide to exercise his rights as Blaines Master and have him.

He did know that Kurt had been honest and direct with Blaine since theyd first met. Hed been generous, kind, and Blaine believed that when Kurt did bed him he would be gentle. If Kurt told him he would be safe, Blaine saw no reason to doubt him.

Kurts eyes were suspiciously shiny as he glanced back over his shoulder at the slave.  "Thank you," he said simply.

"Alright, this welcome has been heartwarming and all but lets go inside," Kurt announced.  "Finn, if youd start unpacking the van Id appreciate it. Rachel, I will run some lines with you later. Right now I need to show Blaine around the house."

Kurt led him in and went straight to the kitchen, which Blaine discovered was fully stocked. Kurt explained that he cooked at least once every day and there were always leftovers to be had. He caught Blaine eyeing a bowl full of apples with longing and was quick to place one of the fruits in the slaves hand.

"The kitchen is always available," Kurt reiterated firmly.  "You can always come in here if youre hungry. There are sandwich fixings around if you dont want to reheat leftovers and the pantry has chips, granola bars, all the things I dont eat but definitively prove that Finn does most of the shopping." 

Kurt stopped by a covered container, which he opened to reveal a giant plate of cookies.  "Try one. I made these. I bake when Im frustrated so theres pretty much always going to be fresh baked goods around."

When Blaine didnt make a move toward the cookies, Kurt sighed and pulled out two, handing one over while he ate the other.

The rest of the house tour went quickly. "Upstairs is my work room," Kurt pointed up the staircase.  "Im not going up there now or Ill get stuck and youre sure to see more of that room than you ever want to, anyway." 

"And here is your room. Dont mind the boxes, well move them out." 

The room was big, airy, and had a large window with a bed pressed up flush against it. A nightstand with a bendable lamp and alarm clock radio was pressed up next to the bed. A large stack of opened boxes and a few bolts of cloth were stacked in the center. The muted cr�me tones of the room paired with the dark red frame at the ceiling nicely. A large dresser graced the far wall, the cherry wood matching the rest of the furniture and the rooms color. There was a shared bathroom with a bathtub and shower directly across the hall.

Just down the hall was the main bedroom with a private attached bathroom. The stacks of books, sketches and fabric Blaine saw when he peered into the room announced that this was Kurts room as clearly as if thered been a sign posted. A large bed sat in the middle with a ridiculous amount of pillows piled on top.

"So, thats pretty much everything, for now," Kurt told Blaine as the pair started moving boxes from Blaines room to the far wall of the living room. Blaine had assured Kurt he could move the boxes himself but Kurt had insisted on helping.

Occasionally, they bumped into Finn as he moved armloads of fabric and boxes up to Kurts workroom and piled up other boxes with the ones they were stacking. Once Blaines room was clear, Kurt and Blaine went back out to help Finn empty the van. Somewhere along the way, Rachel appeared and handed around plates of chicken tacos that Kurt had apparently made a few days ago before hed left for the supply run he was returning from.  They ate as they worked, the three friends chatting amiably.  Blaine had been sure he was full from lunch until he smelled the spicy, amazing smell wafting from the plates.  He found there was actually room in his stomach for one, and then two when Kurt mock-glared at him and dumped a second onto his plate.  

It was getting late by the time they finished and Kurt brought Blaine a set of new toiletries for his bathroom including toothbrush, paste, a comb, bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and the soap he remembered as Kurts preferred scent. Kurt also brought in a pair of pajama pants, an oversized tee shirt and a bathrobe.

"Im exhausted. Dont know about you, but Im about ready to pass out," Kurt told Blaine, suppressing a yawn.

Blaine nodded.  "Is there anything that I may do for you, Kurt?"  He asked.  "Youve been so generous."  Blaine was trying not to cry. This was literally too good to be true and he was sure that when he next woke itd be on a filthy cot in the hotel stables waiting for his name to be called.

"Not a thing. Just rest, relax. Youre entire life has just had a major overhaul. Take some time to adjust. The only pressing thing we have to do tomorrow is your medical check up and that isnt until two. Good night, Blaine."  Kurt leaned in and gave the slave a soft peck on the cheek, then headed down the hall to his room.

Blaine watched Kurt disappear into his room down the hall, confused. Blaines door was still open. The large window by the bed was cracked to let the night air in. Blaine scanned the room for a hook or shackles, ties, something to bind him to the bed for the night since the door clearly didnt have a lock. Nothing caught his eye.

He changed into the pajamas Kurt had left for him and sat on the bed, waiting for someone, probably Finn, he imagined, to come and lock him down for the night. But as the sounds of activity around the house gradually faded into silence no one came. Blaine wondered if theyd forgotten, or if this was some kind of test. Kurt had paid a lot of money for him. There was no possible way hed be left unattended and unbound.

Eventually, Blaine curled into the warm blankets, wrapping himself in a soft down comforter that smelled of lilac fabric softener. After a few slow breaths exhaustion trumped wariness and he slept.