"I can’t go. I’m sick."

"You are not sick, stop whining."

"I am, sick Kurt! I’ve got sweaty palms, an upset stomach, I’m feeling a little dizzy and I-"

"You are not sick, Blaine!"

Kurt spun around to look at him, hands on his hips and lips pursed. Blaine stood in the hallway with his shoulders hunched in on himself, hands in his pockets, and shrugged at him.

"I beg to differ," he insisted. Kurt narrowed his eyes at him and his hands shot up, palms forward in surrender. "Alright! Alright!! I’m just… nervous."

He rolled his eyes at Blaine but didn’t fight the smile that overtook him as he pulled Blaine into his chest. "Aww, my poor baby is nervous," he cooed with a chuckle. Blaine gave a noise of annoyance, ducking his head and burying his face in Kurt’s shirt.

"Shut up," he said into the fabric and Kurt could hear the smile in his muffled voice. "This was a bad idea."

"No, it wasn't. You will be fine," Kurt hummed, petting his hair. Blaine tightened his arms around him and let out a sigh. "We're going to be late, Dad won't be happy."

"Right, okay, I can... I can do this," he mumbled, pulling back but keeping his eyes down. Kurt took his cheeks in his hands, turning Blaine's face upwards. He gave Kurt a weak smile, a twitch of his lips, but his heart really wasn't in it.

"I have complete faith in you," Kurt told him, nudging Blaine's nose with his own. "My father will see that you, Blaine Anderson, are like no other. Forgive me for using your own words against you -" he gave Blaine a wry smile "- but you are perfect."

Blaine smiled, a wide, bright and toothy smile. He pressed his lips to Kurt's, taking hold of his wrists and holding his hands in place. Kurt grinned and let his mouth melt against Blaine's, humming as Blaine coaxed his lips to part and licked the back of Kurt's teeth.

A throat cleared behind them. Kurt spun, cheeks flaming, but Blaine didn't let him move far away, dropping his hands to his waist.

"Professor Xavier," Kurt said and cursed himself for sounding so out of breath. The professor gave them a knowing smile but kindly ignored the elephant in the room.

"Kurt, I believe he is ready," Xavier informed the pair. Kurt nodded at him, not trusting himself to speak. He grabbed Blaine's hand and tugged him past the wheelchair. He hid his burning face as he passed, feeling the professor's eyes on them. Reality set in more with every step as he felt his own nerves begin to blossom in his now quivering stomach.

It was a familiar route that led to the tall, wooden door and Kurt felt an unusual wave wash over him. A sense of calm seemed to wrap itself around his body, though he could still feel the butterflies in his stomach. It was almost like an invisibility cloak, hiding away what was hidden underneath.

"Shit. Okay, I can meet your father. There is no reason for me not to be able to meet your father. He is, after all, your father. Your father who I'm going to be able to meet. Right now.... Shit."

Despite his own nerves, Kurt let out a breathy chuckle and turned to stand directly in front of Blaine. In a gentle voice he said, "Relax, this is all going to be fine," though he wasn't entirely confident in that statement. Blaine took a deep breath, closing his eyes to calm himself and nodding. Kurt bit his lip and glanced quickly at the closed door. "Wait here for a minute, okay? I just... Need to give him a little warning."

Blaine's eyes snapped open and all the colour drained from his face. His mouth opened and closed around unspoken words and Kurt knew he had lost all control of his vocal chords.

"He doesn't know!?" he demanded in a squeaky voice and Kurt gripped his upper arms to keep him from running away.

"It's not something you can just say over the phone, Blaine," Kurt hissed at him a little frantically. "'Hey Dad! Today in school some kid sneezed and snakes shot out of his nose, and then my chemistry teacher blew up my experiment with his laser eyes. Oh! By the way, I have a boyfriend!'"

"Okay, I think Damien's snake friends are way worse than you having boyfriend."

"You don't know my dad," Kurt muttered. He only realised what he said when saw Blaine's eyes widen and raced to correct himself. "Not that he's going to be mad! He's just... A little protective."

"Please tell me he doesn't have a gun."

"No, Blaine, for God's sake! My father does not have a gun! He's a mechanic not an assassin!" Kurt took a deep breath and glanced at the door. "Look, just, wait here? Please don't freak out and run away?"

Blaine nodded solemnly and leaned against the wall beside the door. Kurt pecked him on the cheek and disappeared inside the door.

The room inside wasn't unlike the rest of the mansion, all dark woods and plush couches covered in rich emerald fabrics and there was even a chaise lounge in one corner. But they held no interest for Kurt, all his attention was drawn to the centre of the room where his father stood, one hand in his pocket and a beaming smile already there for his son.

"Hey, kid," he grinned as Kurt rushed forward to hug him. It felt so much like home being again when he was wrapped in his dad’s arms, like no time had passed at all since he had left Lima. He gripped tight to his father’s shoulder, breathing in the familiar smell of the garage and Burt.

"Hi, dad," he hummed, slowly letting go and actually looking at his dad. He still wore the same plaid shirt he always did though this one was free of grease and covered with a sports jacket, (that didn’t really go with the shirt but Kurt loved his dad for trying). It was his third time visiting since Kurt had arrived at the school but to Kurt it felt like it had been years. He missed his dad more than he liked to admit, even to himself, sometimes.

Burt nudged him over to one of the couches and sat him down, his smile never leaving his face. He clapped his hand to Kurt’s shoulder and gave him a light shake.

"It’s good to see you, buddy!" Burt said and Kurt gave him a smile. Or at least, he tried to with his nerves still rattling around inside him. His father’s forehead immediately creased and he leaned in closer to his son. "What is it? What’s wrong? Are the kids not nice?"

"No, dad, it’s not-"

"Just because they’re mutants too doesn’t mean they have a right to bully you, Kurt."

"I'm not getting bullied, Dad."

"Do you need me to talk to that professor guy again? Because I will not stand for my-"

"Dad!"

Burt froze halfway from the couch to a standing position. Kurt glared up at his dad until he relented and sat back down.

"I'm sorry, kid, I just worry about you," he admitted with a hardly there shrug. Kurt's expression softened.

"I know you do, and thank you," Kurt said, hugging him again. "But that's not what I needed to tell you."

"Oh...?" Burt said with raised eyebrows as he pulled back from Kurt. Kurt bit his lip and glanced quickly to the door.

"There's someone I want you to meet," he said in a quiet voice. His father looked like Kurt had dressed up in a clown suit and started dancing around the room and he was trying to understand why. "Remember, um, Blaine? That boy I told you about?"

"Yeah?" his father said, drawing out the word. "He's the guy you met on the first day, right? The one you're always talking about. The gay one?"

"Right, well, um, he's here. He wants to meet you," Kurt told him, feeling his cheeks turn a little pink at his father's words. Burt just stared at him. "I'll just... I'll just go get him."

Kurt jumped up on shaky legs and raced to the door, ignoring the wary look on his father's face. He pulled the door open and stepped into the unusually cool hallway. He felt himself visibly relax when he saw Blaine, eyes closed and brow furrowed slightly, leaning against the wall beside the door. He hadn't heard Kurt come out so Kurt allowed himself a brief moment to admire him.

"Blaine?" he said softly, reaching out and touching his shoulder. The other boy started but didn't move from his spot and when he looked at Kurt he smiled nervously. "You ready to come in?"

"Yeah, just a sec," Blaine said with a nod and directed his palms down to his feet. Kurt looked at his feet and blanched.

"Um... Blaine?" Kurt said, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice as he stared down at the mound of ice covering Blaine's ankles and sloped down to the ground like an oversized slipper. So that was why the hallway was so cold. Blaine glanced up at Kurt to see his smirk.

"You asked me not to run away so I was just making sure I didn't," Blaine told him as the ice began to melt from his feet.

"So you iced your feet to the floor?" Kurt giggled before kissing Blaine's pinking cheeks. Blaine rolled his eyes and Kurt gave another chuckle. "Come on."

His father was looking out the window when they came in, tapping a rhythm on his thighs. He turned with a stern look on his face and Kurt nudged his boyfriend closer.

"Mr Hummel, sir," Blaine said, offering out his hand.

"So you're Blaine," Burt said before Blaine had a chance to introduce himself, taking his hand cautiously. Kurt saw Blaine's jaw clench and he wondered how hard his father was squeezing Blaine's hand.

"Yes, sir," Blaine said, trying his best to stand tall. Burt released his hand and moved it to scratch his chin.

"And you're-"

"-a mutant? Yes, sir."

Burt chuckled "Actually, I was going to ask if you were gay but that's good to know too." Kurt had to stop himself falling face first into the chaise lounge and groaning out loud.

"Oh, uh, yes sir, I'm gay." Blaine was doing his best to hold Burt's gaze and Kurt felt his pride for his boyfriend swell a little at Blaine's bravery. Burt could be very intimidating when he wanted to be and right now he wasn't exactly screaming Let's be friends! Despite how amazing Blaine was being with his dad, Kurt didn't think he could last much longer under his father's stare. Burt may not have been a mutant but his eyes could certainly feel like they had x-ray vision. He took a step forward so he was standing right next to Blaine.

"Dad, Blaine and I..." Kurt began, trailing off when his father's eyes landed on him. He swallowed, his mouth feeling suddenly dry. "Well, we're sort of... Um..."

"Spit it out, kid."

"We're dating," Kurt told him, although it came out far more like a question than he had planned and he hoped his father didn't notice. He did.

"You don’t sound too sure," Burt said, his eyes studying him.

"No, no, I'm sure!" he rushed to say. He glanced quickly at Blaine and saw so much warmth there underneath the nerves and fear. He was there, beside Kurt, and his expression was a promise that no matter how scary things got, he wouldn't leave Kurt's side. He felt a swell of emotion for Blaine and reached out to take his hand as he turned back to his father. "We're dating... Yes, we're dating."

"Okay, that's good that you feel you could tell me," his father said before giving a little shrug and adding, "but I should probably tell you that I already know."

Kurt's mouth dropped. "You... You do? How?"

"Come on, Kurt," he said with a chuckle. "You talk about him enough-" Kurt fought to hide his blush "-If you weren't going out with him already I would have to have a very long talk with both of you. I'm glad it didn't have to come to that."

"So... You're okay with this?" Kurt asked hopefully. His dad gave him a warm smile that had all the tension leaking out of his body.

"Of course I'm okay with it, Kurt," Burt said, reaching out to grip his shoulder. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am," he admitted, looking at Blaine who had that soft smile again. "I am happy."

"Well good. That just leaves one thing," his father said, his voice becoming a little harder. He turned away from Kurt. "Blaine?"

"Y-yes, sir?" Blaine stuttered, jumping to attention like a soldier with his back stiff as a board.

"My boy is very important to me," Burt told him and the urge to hide in the cushions returned. "I want you to know that should any unhappiness befall him because of you, I will make your life a living hell."

Kurt could see all the colour had gone from Blaine’s face and he said, "That's very terrifying sir-"

"Thank you."

"-and I want you to know that I will do my best to ensure that never happens. And, if it should happen that we go our separate ways - which I hope it doesn’t - I can pretty much guarantee that I will be in a very much worse state than Kurt."

"That's comforting to know." Burt stared at him for another minute before cracking a small smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Blaine. I wasn't kidding when I said Kurt talked about you all the time."

This time Kurt did groan. "Daaad!" he mumbled, hiding his face in his hands. Blaine chuckled beside him, slipping an arm around his waist and tugging him closer.

"Really, Mr Hummel?" Blaine hummed and Kurt could hear the smirk. "What did he say?"

"What didn't he say?" Burt teased and Kurt buried himself into the fabric of Blaine's t-shirt. He could feel Blaine shaking with laughter underneath him.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," he mumbled into Blaine's shoulder and Blaine gave his waist a little squeeze.

***

Visits from his dad usually left Kurt on a high for a few days. It wore off before the week was out and after that it was just phone calls and the occasional care package that came in the mail but this week was different. Every time he smiled his hand received a squeeze and he looked over to see Blaine sharing the exact same smile and for some reason that just made everything so much better. He knew his dad would like Blaine. Sure, his father was protective but once he saw how much Blaine meant to Kurt and how much he made him smile he knew Burt would come around pretty quickly.

And last Sunday had been a perfect day. They had spent all afternoon with Kurt’s father and he and Blaine got along better than Kurt would have hoped for. It made him happy to know that the two most important people in his life were getting along so well with each other.

When it had been time to say goodbye, Blaine very politely offered his hand for Burt to shake which he did and Kurt was pleased to note that he was no longer trying to break Blaine’s fingers with his grip. Kurt whispered a heartfelt thank you in his ear as he hugged him goodbye before they waved him off.

Kurt was surprised at how elated Blaine was after the meeting. But then again, he supposed, no adult figure apart from Cooper had really accepted him before he came here and none of them called him ‘sport’ or offered to take him to a football game. So Blaine’s prolonged smile only did the same to Kurt’s until he had been wearing his for almost two weeks.

So when Wednesday came along and they all woke up to dark grey skies that made them wonder if the morning light can really be called light if it’s so dull, Kurt didn’t mind. When it was already raining heavily before they make it down for breakfast, Kurt didn’t mind. He didn’t mind when it was still raining at the start of their first class, or the second class, or their third class and neither did he mind that Blaine wasn’t in any of these classes with him.

What he did mind was when he arrived to his English class just as Storm was instructing them all to take out their work assignments to find his seat beside Blaine taken by some brown haired newbie. It had shocked him so much that he had stopped completely in the door way, blocking the flow of students entering the classroom. Someone nudged him in the back with abnormally sharp nails – or claws? – and forced him back into movement. He looked over his shoulder to see Katie giving him a worried look.

"Can I sit in your seat today?" he whispered to her, nodding to his occupied seat. She looked as confused about the newcomer as he was but agreed anyway, veering off to at the back. He slid into the chair beside Blaine, giving him a pointed look.

"Don’t freak out," Blaine warned quietly with a look that very clearly said he knew Kurt would probably freak out regardless. Kurt was about to question him when the new kid spoke.

"Well, well, well, who’s this, Blaine?" a smooth and obnoxiously cocky voice said and Blaine grimaced slightly when he looked at Kurt. He gave Kurt a weak shrug before leaning back slightly to reveal the owner of the voice.

Kurt felt his blood run cold, as though Blaine had just covered him from head to toe entirely in ice. His shirt was suddenly too tight and his mouth had gone dry and all he could do was open and close his mouth stupidly like a goldfish. His good mood had vanished quicker than being struck by lightning.

Because there, two seats over and sitting right next to Blaine, was Sebastian Smythe.

"Sebastian this is Kurt Hummel, Kurt this is Sebastian Smythe," Blaine said in a measured voice. He shot a look at Kurt and instantly Kurt’s mouth snapped shut. Blaine’s look said it all. Kurt didn’t know him, wasn’t supposed to know him, and he certainly couldn’t act like he didn’t like him or was suspicious of him. So Kurt simply smiled and offered out a hand.

"It’s nice to meet you, Sebastian," he said in a falsely sweet voice and he knew the smile the senator’s son returned him wasn’t genuine either. Thankfully, Storm called the class to attention and began discussing Shakespeare.

Kurt sat ridged the entire class, Hamlet’s entire plot of revenge lost on him. Ever since their trip into the city Kurt had still felt uneasy despite Blaine’s reassurances that it was just his imagination. Kurt had spent whatever free time he had trying to find out about the Smythe family, which was hard without Blaine finding out. Blaine wasn’t comfortable with it. He was convinced it was out of their hands and nothing to worry about, but Kurt knew he was wrong, a gut feeling told him. So he kept it quiet. But now Sebastian was here, in the school. Kurt felt like he was going to be sick.

Class ended and they made their way to lunch. Kurt was silent as they walked, ignoring Blaine’s attempt to pull him into the conversation. Blaine didn’t seem too put off, he knew that this was setting Kurt on edge. More than anything else he appeared worried about Kurt. Kurt didn’t like the hungry and predatory look on Sebastian’s face as Blaine talked so he very pointedly took Blaine’s hand and raised it to kiss his knuckles, looking absently ahead as though he wasn’t doing it on purpose. Blaine was so engrossed in the conversation he barely noticed the unusual gesture.

As they ate, Kurt listened in silence as he picked at his food. He studied Sebastian’s every move and when Wes asked if he was indeed the senator’s son he saw the very faint, very quick ripple of pride across his features before he waved it off with a simple "Yeah, I guess" before he dropped his gaze to his hands. He looked so dejected and torn that Kurt almost believed him when he said his father kicked him out when he discovered the truth.

Almost.

He began to dislike Sebastian more and more as the days went by. Blaine was oblivious to his rude and snarky comments. Blaine only became more and more sure that Sebastian was telling the truth. He even snapped at Kurt when he had tried to voice his concerns. It hurt Kurt more than he let on, to see his boyfriend prefer to spend more of his time with a smarmy, lying person with a meerkat face than him.

"What is it?" Blaine asked Kurt one evening just before curfew. They had only just come in a few minutes earlier having been off in the library with Sebastian all evening. That was another thing he hated, how much time Sebastian took out of their relationship.

"It’s nothing," he lied, dropping his bag on the bed and going to grab his pyjamas. Why did Sebastian have to come here? Things had been perfect and Kurt was happy despite how much he missed his dad but the last few weeks with Sebastian around was messing everything up.

"Kurt, please tell me, you’ve been so quiet recently," Blaine pleaded. Kurt wanted to be mad at the genuine worry he heard in Blaine’s voice but it only made him want to curl himself around Blaine instead. He wanted Blaine to hold him and tell him everything would be alright.

"I don’t like him."

It was a second before Kurt realised it was him who had spoken. He hoped it was quiet enough that Blaine wouldn’t hear but he also hoped that he would. He wanted so badly to tell him, to spill out all his worries and have Blaine help mop them up so he spoke again. "I don’t like Sebastian."

"Kurt, how could you say that?" He turned to face Blaine and was shocked to see he looked disappointed.

"No, don’t give me that, Blaine," Kurt said, suddenly a little angry. "He’s ignorant and makes snide comments and he has no consideration for anyone!"

"That’s not fair, Kurt," he began but Kurt cut him off.

"No, it is fair, Blaine. Everything he does is always to benefit himself. He’s cold hearted and degrading and selfish! And sometimes I feel like you would prefer to be hanging out with him rather than me!"

"Kurt, are you… are you jealous of Sebastian?" Blaine said incredulously and god maybe Kurt was a little jealous but that didn’t account for the horrible prickle of unease he felt whenever Sebastian was around. "God, Kurt, I can’t believe you would be so shallow!"

"Shallow!?" Kurt stared at him. He couldn’t believe Blaine wasn’t seeing this, that he was blind to the truth about Sebastian. His hands clenched and unclenched, trying to dull the pins and needles he felt in his palms. "Blaine, you can’t honestly believe that he’s the victim in all of this! Do you really believe that stupid story of how his father used him after he came out to swing the gay vote only to disown him when he found out he was a mutant?"

"Yes, Kurt, I do," Blaine spat back. His own anger was growing and he was full on glaring at Kurt. "We can’t all have perfect, understanding fathers. Some of us aren’t that lucky! So excuse me for wanting to have a friend who’s gone through some of the same shit that I have."

"So what? I’m not good enough anymore? Sorry I haven’t had a shit enough life for you!"

Blaine gave him a look of pure disgust and spun. He grabbed his bag from the ground beside his bed with an unnecessary amount of force and stormed towards the door.

"Where are you going, Blaine? It’s almost curfew," Kurt asked, sounding fed up and annoyed and as if he was talking to an eight year old.

"Oh, I’m sorry," Blaine seethed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I didn’t realise I had to have permission from you to go on a walk!" He wrenched the door open and pulled it behind him with a deafening slam.

"Fine! Go! See if I fucking care!" Kurt screamed at the door. He snatched up his pyjamas angrily, took one look them, before giving them a cry of frustration and watching them burst into flames. He watched the ashes fall to the floor but the release wasn’t enough. He could still feel the tingling in his hands, threatening to take over. He tugged at the bed sheets, intending to bury himself in a cotton cocoon but before he had a chance to really think about what he was doing they were on fire too, crumbling charred and black on top of the ruined pyjamas.

He felt so tired, so drained. He collapsed on the bed, still in his clothes and buried his face in the pillow, screaming into the stuffing. He kept screaming until his voice was hoarse and his throat was sore and dissolved into silence.

Somewhere between Andy coming into the room while Kurt lay completely still and Nick following soon after, Kurt fell into a fitful sleep. He started awake more than once, gasping for breath and clutching the pillow in the darkness. He never raised his head or looked to Blaine’s bed, just lay without moving until he slipped out of consciousness again.

He woke to Nick shaking him gently awake. He blinked slowly, eyes stiff and bleary and not quite yet used to the morning light. "I thought you might want to get up for breakfast," he said. He nodded at Nick, still trying to pull himself out of sleep. "Uh, Kurt, what happened?" Nick asked, toeing at the charred sheets on the ground.

"Bad night," Kurt mumbled, trying to ignore the bubble of guilt in his stomach. He chanced a look at Blaine’s bed but it was empty and unslept in. He turned back to Nick, already trudging his way back to his bed to grab his stuff. "Where’s Blaine?"

Nick looked to Blaine’s bed and then to Kurt. "I… I thought you knew," he frowned. "He wasn’t here at all last night."

Kurt swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. He had the most horrible feeling that something was wrong, but no, Blaine probably just went somewhere to cool off and fell asleep. He dressed quickly, and was ready in time to leave with Nick and they made their way to breakfast. He walked into the room, expecting to see Blaine already sitting and chewing on a piece of toast but his usual seat was empty.

He didn’t eat, couldn’t eat and jumped up before anyone else was half way through. Kurt’s palms were clammy and he felt on edge. He needed to see Blaine. Something was wrong, he knew it. He raced through the school, down hallways and peaked in rooms trying to find Blaine, becoming even more anxious with each step. He was about to go out into the gardens when voices stopped him.

They came from a room just off the main foyer with the door slightly ajar. He would have sprinted past if he hadn’t heard Blaine’s name.

"… sometime last night. We must try to find them as soon as possible."

"Where do you think they would have gone, Professor?" Storm’s voice, sounding far more business-like than Kurt had heard before.

"It’s hard to say but given Sebastian’s current circumstances with his father I would like to bring them back to the mansion before either do anything irrational."

Blaine was gone. Blaine was gone with Sebastian. Blaine and Sebastian had left.

Kurt’s stomach hit the floor. His legs felt like jelly and the feeling of foreboding intensified. Blaine was in danger, he knew that. He didn’t know how but he did. The door swung open and Storm appeared in front of him.

"Kurt," she said, softly and unsurprised but the sound sent his mind into a downward spiral.

He turned and sprinted, down the hall, through the foyer and out into the morning air. He could hear someone calling him from behind but he ignored them.

He had to find Blaine. He needed to. Because if he didn’t something terrible was going happen him. And Kurt wasn’t about to let that happen.