Anderson. Comma. Cooper. Cooper Anderson. Where is he? No, I'm not a relative, I'm his brother's Dom. We've been ignored for the last two hours, we want to see him. Now.

The newest nurse behind the desk had taken one look at Blaine - so still and wide-eyed and not-quite-there - and given them a quick nod of consent; the first hint of cooperation. She rolled her seat back and pecked two frantic fingers over the keyboard.

Level 6, room 8A. You can see him now, he's out of surgery. But visiting hours are almost over.

He held Blaine in the elevator, rubbing soothing circles over his shoulders and watching the lights count for them as they ascended.

The room itself was small and stale, and Kurt couldn't help the feeling scratching at the back of his mind, telling him to get out. Get Blaine away from this place.

Kurt never did like hospitals, but then, he supposed, nobody did.

"Coop?"

"Hey, kiddo." His voice was small and strained, and his eyes were half-lidded under medication, but he was smiling.

Blaine's face was clouded and child-like, drawn tight with worry. "I'm so sorry, I'm-"

"Not your fault," Cooper told him, voice slightly slurred and head rolling on the pillow. "I'm fine. I'm gonna be fine."

"What happened?" Kurt asked.

Cooper's gaze flicked across to meet his, and his chin lifted slightly. "The jackets from your school paid a visit to my hotel. Figured they'd teach me a lesson."

"But you-" Blaine shook his head. "You didn't do anything to them."

"He means teach us a lesson," Kurt clarified gently. "This is how they're trying to get to us. Because they can't touch you."

Blaine bit back a sudden sob, forcing himself calm. He already knew, but hearing it aloud somehow made it so much worse.

"Hey, kid," Cooper began, swiping an absent hand in the air at him. "I'm fine. There weren't that many of them, they got in a few good kicks. Broke some bones. Nothing that won't heal up just fine, and I got my own in."

Blaine smiled around the beginning of tears. "You would."

Cooper chuckled and winced.

"Plus, the nurses here are all sweet on me," Cooper told him, raising an eyebrow cockily. "They'll have me up in no time."

"I can come and stay with you," Blaine insisted. "They can't touch me, I can protect you if I'm-"

"No," Cooper cut him off firmly. "No."

"Cooper."

"You're safe with Kurt, so you'll stay there. Understand?"

Blaine's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Cooper-"

"Enough," Cooper cut him off, unblinking.

The brothers held each other's gaze long enough for Kurt to feel the tension prickling his skin, the uncomfortable current of a quiet power play. Cooper would win, he knew that much. Blaine was strong, but Cooper was older.

"Blaine," Kurt interjected softly, slipping an arm around his waist.

Blaine turned without hesitation, drawn by the sound of his name.

"Can you refill the water jug?" Kurt asked, nodding to the empty plastic container. "I didn't see a nurse doing the rounds, and he's probably thirsty."

Blaine nodded sharply and gathered the jug with a careless sweep of his hand, angry and bristling at being sent away.

"Some food," Cooper added weakly, already aware of what Kurt was doing.

Kurt burrowed a hand through his pockets for some spare change, pressing it into Blaine's reluctant palm.

"See if there's a snack machine?"

Blaine nodded silently before he turned and disappeared out the door with one last glare over his shoulder.

The moment he was out of sight, Kurt shifted to the bedside quickly.

"They were all jocks from McKinley?" he asked. "All in the jackets?"

"Yes," Cooper answered.

Kurt nodded.

He weighed his options uncomfortably for a moment, reluctant to force commands on a Sub that wasn't his. But he needed to know. He'd realised the moment they walked in that Cooper wouldn't be able to fight him, not like this. Medicated, broken and weak, Cooper could only lie still and do what he was told.

"Answer everything," Kurt commanded. "Truthfully."

Cooper's eyelashes fluttered softly, and he nodded his compliance.

"How many were there?"

"Seven."

"Did they say anything?"

"Just that they'd get to him," Cooper said in a half-whisper. "Sooner or later."

"I won't let that happen," Kurt insisted.

Blue eyes flicked up and met his, glassy and dark, and quietly grateful.

"Your injuries?" Kurt asked.

"Pneumothorax. Broken ribs. Internal bleeding. Surgery was successful."

"How long are you here?"

The questions went on and on, as quickly as he could think of them and as fast as he could get them out. When the calm settled under his skin, Kurt realised they'd both needed exactly this from each other, at this moment. He needed as much information as Cooper could provide, he needed to know everything and anything that might fuel some kind of plan to keep Blaine safe. And Cooper needed a Dom, now more than ever. His body could only benefit from the peace that came with finally giving in completely to his nature.

Like he never really has, Kurt thought, struck with an unnerving realisation.

His eyes fell on the hollow star on Cooper's neck, flashing in the pale fluorescent lights overhead in time with his breathing.

"You pretend, for him," Kurt said suddenly.

Cooper blinked, unsure of how to answer.

"You act like a Dom," Kurt clarified. "For Blaine. Even though it's … against your nature. Against everything you are."

Measuring him with sad eyes, Cooper let out a shallow sigh.

"After… the dance. After what happened…" His mouth twitched at the side; the equivalent to a shrug, as far as Kurt could tell. "Someone had to. Before you."

Kurt swallowed down the heat in his throat, the hollow feeling that had built up at the awareness that there was too much here out of his control. He reached out a hand and swept his fingers smoothly through brown hair, grazing over Cooper's scalp and moving in comforting circles, like he always had for Blaine.

As both his eyes fell closed, Cooper let out a slow gust of breath, his body relaxing visibly into the hospital bed.

A tiny, sad smile quirked the corner of Kurt's mouth. He could feel the warm current under his hand; the Sub part of Cooper that held on tight, curled in the shadows, was finally letting go and letting itself be cared for at last, even if it was just something as small as a loving hand stroking his hair.

Kurt wondered at the strange connection he could feel between them, whether it was a part of Blaine in Cooper or the other way around. He could feel the quiet helplessness in him, hiding behind a wall built up of imaginary control. The Sub playing Dom, the abandoned boy and his make-believe kingdom, where he kept his baby brother protected. He'd believed it for long enough, and it had become real, just for his conviction.

All those years, Cooper kept Blaine safe by sheer force of will.

"The swim team," Kurt began. "The jacket. Drawing on the star, hiding in plain sight. It was all your idea, wasn't it?"

Cooper blinked drowsily for a moment before he closed his eyes again. "Yes."

"You figured out how to keep him safe, even when you weren't there."

He didn't answer this time, and his breathing had slowed down to an almost unnoticeable wave.

Kurt watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest for a moment, startled suddenly at the sheer volume of damage. Pneumothorax is a collapsed lung. Broken ribs. Internal bleeding?

They wouldn't have done all of this just for the sake of sending a message.

"You fought back, didn't you?" Kurt asked carefully, voice trembling. He'd thought he was joking.

Cooper nodded, but kept his eyes closed.

Kurt seized a slow breath, thumbing over Cooper's hairline and resisting the urge to press a kiss to his forehead in thanks. He's not your Sub.

"I'm going to fix this," Kurt told him, eyes bright and wet. But there was no reply.

He caught the tiny grunt behind him, the soft cough of someone clearing their throat, and turned to see Blaine watching him with a sweet, soft gaze.

Kurt smiled, brushing the back of his hand over Cooper's temple gently for a moment before he pulled away.

After Blaine had set down the jug and the random handful of snacks, he pressed into Kurt's arms, resting his head on a shoulder as they encircled him.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Kurt's eyes darted up at movement in his peripheral vision, catching sight of a nurse as she leaned in the door and tapped her wrist at them sternly. He glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Visiting hours are over," he said. "We can come back tomorrow, I promise."

Blaine nodded into his collar.

They picked up dinner on the way home, but Blaine barely ate, content to stare out the window for most of the drive. Before they'd left he'd pushed the water jug and snacks closer to the bed on the rolling table, had scribbled out a promise on a piece of paper to be back the next day, and let Kurt guide him to the door with stunted and visibly reluctant steps, glancing back at every chance.

Kurt held him in the parking lot for another ten minutes after that, pressing kisses into his hair and keeping him warm against his chest, both of them bathed sporadically in the wash of headlights as the lot slowly emptied out.

When they got home, Burt was waiting, worried and pacing in the living room.

"We got home and you were gone, you didn't leave a note, you didn't-" his voice cut off when he saw Blaine.

"I'm going to - lie down," Blaine mumbled, and Kurt gave him a gentle, reassuring smile as he turned and wandered slowly up the stairs.

"What happened?" Burt asked the moment Blaine was out of earshot.

Kurt nodded to the doorway, following his parents to the dining room and preparing himself to tell the story over again in as much detail as he could remember from Cooper's answers.

By the time he finished he felt raw, uncomfortably exposed and drained of his energy, and barely able to hold himself up on his elbows.

Carole pressed her hand over her heart intermittently, eyes flicking over the table. "But … the boys, he - he recognised their jackets. They could be charged, we can - he can - identify them?"

Kurt shook his head. "He saw their faces, and their jackets. The police came to talk to him, but-"

"Half those boys have parents on the force." Burt huffed out a humourless laugh. "They're not getting charged. With anything."

"It'll all disappear," Kurt confirmed, rubbing fingers over his eyelids roughly. "Cooper's nobody to them."

"But his parents, surely-" Carole began in an aggravated rush, but Burt's firm hand on her shoulder soothed her and cut her off.

"He's an adult Sub." Kurt met her eyes sadly. "He might as well not have any."

"He's safe in the hospital," Burt said. "I know it's not much, but he's there for a while longer, so we got time."

"I'm working on it," Kurt said distractedly, eyes trailing over to the stairs. "I'll fix this."

Burt nodded. "We will."

With a grateful glance back at him, Kurt smiled half-heartedly.

"You just gotta promise me," Burt said, leaning in and tapping a finger on the table. "That you boys are gonna be safe. Don't go after them. Don't even talk to them."

"I won't," Kurt agreed. "But they went after Cooper for a reason. He's all they had left to use against Blaine, and now he's out of reach, they have nothing. It's Carter, I'm sure of it. It's all Carter." He pushed both hands through his hair. "I'm just glad he doesn't have anything left to use."

"Be careful," Burt warned. "When somebody that determined to do damage gets backed into a corner? That's when things get outta control."

Kurt swallowed, letting his hands drop. He nodded quickly as he pushed his chair back and rose to his feet.

"I need to…"

"Go," Burt nodded to the stairs. "Just, remember you boys aren't alone with this thing, okay? You get worried - about anything - you come to me."

"Thanks, Dad."

Burt pressed his lips together, nodding slowly as his son turned and disappeared up the staircase.

Kurt found Blaine on the bed, half-undressed and lying still, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you... do you think, if I was a Dom, I could've-"

"Stop," Kurt commanded softly. "Don't."

Blaine drew a ragged breath and pressed both hands to his face.

"It's going to be okay," Kurt told him, wandering to the bed and pulling off Blaine's other shoe. He sat down and began to carefully unwrap his boyfriend, peeling off socks and undoing his belt, lifting his shirt and drawing his pants off with careful, loving hands. "Cooper is safe. They can't touch us."

"But they-" Blaine huffed out a puff of air as his hands dropped. He shifted under Kurt's attention, giving him easier access to his body without a second thought. "They put him in hospital. They wanted to get to me, well - they won."

"Cooper's going to recover. They didn't win," Kurt told him, sitting back to peel off his own clothes. "You're mine. They didn't win."

Blaine's gaze trailed over Kurt's calm and determined features as he finished undressing.

"I love you," Kurt said, moving over Blaine's body on hands and knees and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead before he met his gaze. "They didn't win."

"I love you," Blaine mouthed silently, and his eyes fell closed as his body relaxed the moment Kurt's weight settled on top of him.

They drifted on the quiet hum of the energy passing between them; the press of fingers into hair, the crush of bodies moving together. Blaine's legs spread open as Kurt settled between them, knees lifting while Kurt dragged gentle, slow kisses over his throat.

It wasn't like it had been before; the desperate rush to be with each other, inside of each other, the heat-sparked teenage lust. This time Kurt could feel how badly Blaine simply needed to be touched, to be cherished and held on to. How badly he needed to forget that the world would always try to hurt them both, just because of who they were.

Kurt rocked slowly in a comforting and steady rhythm, enough to keep Blaine's body lax with quiet bliss, and his mind far, far away from the hospital.

I will always take care of you.

When he woke again, Kurt couldn't remember how long they'd spent in the silence, kissing and stroking at each other until they'd fallen asleep. Blaine was soft and warm beneath him, head tipped to the side and features peaceful, lost in the tranquil haze of being held through the night.

In the daytime, the peaceful moments came in between everything else; going to school, the hospital, coming home each afternoon, and the constant need to take the long way to every class, to avoid the telling flash of red and yellow. His dad had seen Figgins already, the faculty knew what was happening; they just couldn't do anything about it. Not yet. Not until they had solid proof that the police couldn't sweep away.

Not until Kurt could figure out some way, somehow, to stop this.

Even after just two days, Cooper was recovering, and had been stronger for Blaine's constant visits and the kinder Dom nurses' care.

They stopped at the hospital again on Thursday night, but even with Cooper's carefully painted-on smile and his deliberately upbeat tone, Kurt could see past the front. Cooper was still just barely holding himself together, for Blaine's sake.

He watched the brothers talk, silent in his seat and enjoying the sounds of their voices. He watched the telling dip and rise of Cooper's tired, frightened eyes, hidden behind his wall where Blaine couldn't see, and Kurt knew that just being safe wasn't enough. Not after all this. Cooper needed to be loved.

He'd known the moment he tried to walk away from Blaine once, long ago, in a school hallway stained with blue corn syrup, that he had to turn around. That he had to protect him.

They were barely eighteen, and they found each other. So why hadn't anybody found Cooper?

By the time Cooper's eyes were dipping too often and staying closed a moment too long on each blink, Kurt roused Blaine from his seat and guided him over to the door to talk in private.

"He needs rest," he said softly. "Do you want to go?"

Blaine glanced back, shaking his head.

"He needs someone," Kurt said suddenly.

"He has me," Blaine answered.

"That's not what I meant," Kurt clarified, fixing Blaine with a serious look.

"You know it doesn't work like that."

"It doesn't have to be a claim," he said. "Just - a Dom. Someone. Anyone. Just a friend."

"We don't have any," Blaine whispered. "None that aren't… already claimed, themselves."

Kurt nodded slowly. Even with his strength slowly returning, Cooper would still be in the hospital awhile longer. He'd still be safe, here.

They had time.

"Stay with him, I'm just going to call Dad, let him know we'll be late again," Kurt said, pressing a kiss to Blaine's forehead and slipping away.

He heard the chair pull out and the soft thump as Blaine fell into it before he'd made it to the door, and slipped out into the hallway, pushing through his pocket for his cell.

He barely had it unlocked before the thought struck him, and he stiffened, eyes wide.

The number wasn't on his recently dialled, he had to find it in the backlog of his address book - but the moment he saw it, his eyes light up with quiet determination.

This would work.

"Hello? Hi, yes. I'm looking for Josephine. Ye- yes. Jo, that's her. This is Kurt," he said, smiling to himself.

"I'm her nephew."