August 2011 (still)

Blaine was glad that hed quickly gotten used to the smell in the room he was subjected to that night. It wasnt the worst smell hed come across in the past two months – hell, since hed been Called, really, he had to put up with the stink of demon intestines and such. However, he had been hoping for a little more comfort, now that he was in an actual house, and that of an ally to boot. Well, he thought to himself as he climbed into the, thankfully, clean bed; at least he got a nice, hot shower out of it, a rarity on the road. And he figured that Nicks house would have a spare room he could make his own. He felt happy and sad at the same time when the thought struck him, a weird longing making his throat catch. His own room. That wasnt something hed had in a long time now.

He forced himself to stir his mind in another direction, and ended up contemplating Kurt. There was no denying there was an instant connection there, but he had no clue whether it was only physical or more. The boy was attractive, sure, and witty and sassy, all things Blaine could appreciate, but also incredibly uptight to the point of striking him as aloof and a little arrogant.

Deciding to keep his speculations to himself until he had a little more to go on, and not judge rashly like so many people tended to do with him, he cleared his mind with the help of the meditation techniques his Watcher had taught him; techniques he needed so he could get to sleep without medication after that fateful night. He imagined his power as a dot, a red ball of energy in his abdomen, where he was taught the core of his strength was located. It was coiling uneasily at first, writhing like it, too, was unable to find its peace, but he focused his inhalation to make it billow like a wave, and then come back down, a perfect circle. From there it spread all over his body, enveloping him in a warm, comforting cocoon he could almost touch if he just reached out. It helped fight his thoughts, like they were some external entity pushing into his mind and the cocoon was his armor, keeping them at bay. That way, it didnt take long for sleep to claim him. However, when it did, it was restless, images flashing behind his eyelids in rapid succession until he awoke again, sweat-drenched with a shout of phantom pain, his hazel eyes darting all over the room, looking for an intruder that wasnt there.

Kurt, just on the brink of sleep, became aware again when he heard Blaine yelling in the room across the hall. Quickly scrambling to his feet, he padded over to Finns door barefoot, with a stake at the ready. What he saw when he opened the door was confusing, because it was only Blaine. He was panting, heavy and loud in the room, and his eyes were still crusted with sleep, but strangely cognizant; they were searching, but it wasnt the kind of searching people did when they didnt know what they were looking for exactly. There was something specific he expected to see.

“What happened?” Kurt asked as he strode across the room, checking the closet, behind the curtains and under the bed for what could have awoken Blaine so violently, and, for good measure, in the drawers.

Blaine remained silent, slowly regaining his breath. “Nightmare,” he finally croaked. Kurt stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but the insolent brat didnt seem to think that he had to provide an explanation for nearly giving Kurt a heart attack in the middle of the night.

“Well?”

“None of your business. Now get the fuck out.”

Kurt blinked, disbelief slowly taking over his features and coloring his cheeks.

“Excuse me? Youre a fucking guest in my house. And Id rather know what set you off so I can start preparing my defense.” Especially if that something are your psycho tendencies, Kurt added in his mind.

Blaine rolled out of bed and started stalking towards Kurt, backing him against the wall. The pale boy wasnt nervous; he didnt know why his chest was fluttering or why he had to focus so much on keeping his breathing even, or, more accurately, refused to acknowledge why, but he knew he could overpower the smaller Slayer any time, if he wanted to.

The other boys face came closer as he held Kurts hands captive against the wall, bracketing his legs with his own in his misguided belief he was actually a match for Kurt, and that he couldnt escape any time he wanted. “It. Was. A. Nightmare,” he reiterated, emphasizing each word carefully as if he thought Kurt was slow. It made him seethe. “And I know Im a guest in your precious house,” he sneered, “but the only reason Im tolerating you is because I made a promise to a very, very kind lady; dont flatter yourself in thinking that I actually enjoy being here. So stay the fuck away from me and let me do my job.”

He pushed away from the taller teen, raising an expectant eyebrow at him, and Kurt was torn between kicking his ass right then and there, or... well, kicking his ass right then and there. There really wasnt a question about how he wanted to proceed, but a voice that sounded annoyingly like Nick scolded him in a Cockney accent that he only ever used if he was flustered.

Thus, being the mature guy he was, he settled for sticking his tongue out at Blaine, and going back to his own room with his head held high. He was certain about one thing though – he would find out what it was Blaine was hiding, and if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Over the next few days, Kurt did his best to get in Blaines good graces, figuring that was the best approach to get answers out of him. He was so sweet and welcoming that he made his own teeth ache, actually.

“Oh, Blaine, you dont need to do that, Im happy to do the dishes. Yes, I know I already cooked, but seriously, its fine, I like it. You just relax.”

“Oh no, that sounds so horrible! What happened next? Did you show them whos boss?”

“Well, you see, I thought you might still have trouble getting around, so I thought Id take you for coffee and show you around town. My treat, naturally.”

“I brought this for your new room, just to liven it up a bit. It looks terribly bare.”

Blaine seemed surprised at every gesture, and grateful, his eyebrows shooting up to form perfect triangles on his forehead every time; just infinitesimally, just for maybe a millisecond before he schooled his face back into a careful mask, but Kurt caught it every time. It made him wonder how long it had been since Blaine actually had someone to care for him, which in turn made a weird kind of empty ache he refused to dwell on blossom in his chest.

“So, whats this school like anyway?” Blaine asked as they strolled through the pitch-black corridors, having broken in after dark. Classes werent set to start for another three weeks, but Kurt knew from experience that some rare specimen of teachers liked to prepare for the new school year a few weeks before, and generally used their offices to do so – he knew this, because hed had to save them from a vampire ambush last summer. Nobody talked about it, least of all to him, but he did notice that no teachers ever stayed after sunset anymore.

“Its okay,” Kurt explained. “Just your regular public school in a small, rural, and desperately homophobic town in Ohio.”

Blaine shot him a skeptical look, making Kurt laugh and shake his head.

“Okay, it was fucking hell before I was Called,” he admitted. “I was scared all the time, I got slushied, tossed in dumpsters, locker shoves, sometimes locked into them, wedgies, swirlies, and there were a couple of neanderthals who made it their mission to make my life a living hell on top of that, throwing pee balloons at me and nailing my lawn furniture to the roof. One of them even stalked me. But I know I can deck them without breaking a sweat now, so... its definitely better.”

He tried to sound playful and casual and unaffected, like he was above and beyond the physical and emotional torment hed had to endure, but the other Slayer just looked at him silently, his eyes sparkling with knowledge even in the dark.

“Tell me you beat the living crap out of them.”

“No,” the blue-eyed teen replied. “I refuse to sink to their level. I let them know very clearly what would happen if they continued, and it didnt hurt that my dad was elected for Congress last year either.”

Blaine just hummed as they continued along the rows of lockers.

“I think thats bullshit,” he finally commented, making Kurt look up at him, confused. “You are better than them. Youve probably saved their lives countless times, and they dont even know about it. So, the way I see it, you could knock them around a bit and it still wouldnt make you half as bad as them.”

“You live by some fucked up moral standards. Just because I have the capability to save their lives and have done so on occasion, I get a free pass at them? I get to be the thing of danger they need to be afraid of? What kinda logic is that?”

“Pretty good logic, if you ask me,” Blaine answered flippantly. “Theyre still better off than when you just let them die, and people like them will never learn, unless we teach them a lesson. Ive had my share of experiences with being openly gay in a small town, so I actually know what Im talking about.”

“Wha-”

“Dont even ask. Its none of your fucking business.”

“But it is,” Kurt argued, putting a hand on the other teens shoulder to stop him in his tracks. “Is that what your nightmare the other day was about? Because Blaine, we need to know each other, inside out, to be able to work together. We need to function like a well-oiled machine, we need to know what makes the other tick, we need -”

“We dont need anything,” Blaine growled and shoved Kurt off of him, walking off at a faster pace now and throwing over his shoulder, “I dont fucking need you, I told you that already. Now, if you wanna fuck, Im not gonna say no, Im sure your ass would look good enough sticking up in the air when I bend you over, but other than that, this is only a business partnership to me, and nothing else. Stop with the whole trying to be my friend thing.”

Kurt remained rooted to the spot, clenching and unclenching his fists while he convinced himself that Blaine wasnt right, and that Blaine didnt need to be taught a lesson, as he had so eloquently put it. Hed only adhere to one piece of advice that conceited asshole had given him; hed stop trying to be his friend.

September 2011

“Cmon, is that the best you can do?” Blaine laughed breathlessly as he dodged yet another punch Kurt threw his way. Kurt gritted his teeth together and took a moment to center himself; the last few weeks had proven that Blaine was a much better adversary than he could even begin to fathom. Their sparring-matches ended in his favor more often than not, and Kurt blamed his years of boxing experience from long before he had been Called. When it came to strategizing, Kurt still unfailingly had the upper hand. Nick often commented on what a great team theyd make if they could manage to work together without “bickering like my grandparents”, but the pale teen did not feel like burying the hatchet he had against his “business partner”. So far, he had yet to hear one civil word come from Blaines mouth since the night theyd patrolled the school – let alone an apology for his disrespectful behavior.

He went for an uppercut next, careful not to leave his side open as his arm cut through the air, but Blaine blocked it easily. “Youre too slow and predictable,” he sighed, like he was bored, fucking bored with fighting Kurt. Growling, the pale boy jabbed again, and again, and again, never actually managing to connect his fist with any part of Blaines body that he wasnt using to block him. It was getting increasingly hard to keep his emotions in check and not just wail on the arrogant, gorgeous – no, not gorgeous, he chastised himself – boy.

“Hummel, Im about to fall asleep here, seriously. I mean, maybe thats your strategy because then youd actually land a punch but-”

CRACK. Blaines taunting was interrupted by Kurt finally snapping and hitting home, literally, right in his face. He blinked in shock and pain before he moved to retaliate, but Kurt wouldnt let him get close; he blocked every single blow Blaine threw his way, and even managed to jab him a few more times in the process, his mind completely blank save for the urge to show him, to conquer him. When the other Slayer stumbled and fell to the ground, Kurt hurled himself on top of him, straddling his thighs so he couldnt bend and gain the leverage necessary to throw him off. He mimicked a stab to his chest, stopping his fist only a breath away from actually colliding. A smug grin blossomed on his face.

“You were saying?” he jeered, cocking his eyebrow at the boy below him, who scowled and squirmed, trying to get Kurt off of him, but the taller Slayer wouldnt budge, waiting for Blaine to admit his defeat.

“If I didnt know any better, Id say youre enjoying yourself a bit too much up there. But you dont have to resort to physical force, babe, just say the word and Ill fuck that uptight virgin ass right open,” was everything he actually relented to say, however, and Kurt moved away from him as if hed been scalded, his face red and contorted in rage.

“Why do you always do that? Why cant you just act like a normal human being? Do you think its cool or funny or impressive to insult people wherever you go, or do you just genuinely enjoy being an asshole?”

Blaine sighed, long and exaggerated and way too calculated for Kurts taste. It was like his behavior was part of a performance everywhere he went, like he knew exactly how to act to get whatever reaction he wanted out of people, and it set Kurts teeth on edge.

“What can I say, baby?” His teeth gleamed in the artificial lights of the basement training camp Nick had sat up for them at his house. “Im bad.”

Kurt stormed off to the kitchen with a roll of his eyes, closely followed by Nick, who had been silent up to this point.

“Patience,” his Watcher implored Kurt quietly, but the pale teen didnt want to hear it as he slammed his cup down on the counter with what was probably excessive force, judging by the fact that it broke upon impact.

“I cant help that that fucking jerk is chewing up and spitting out my very last nerve. And the worst thing is, hes doing it on purpose! I swear, if he was anything but another Slayer, I wouldve already knocked him from here to next Tuesday. And can you imagine that hes going to be going to school with me come Monday? I swear, part of me is hoping he turns out to be evil.” His breathing was heavy and he was clutching the table in an attempt to not go back downstairs and go through with his hearts desire to kick Blaines ass.

He was just about to open his mouth to continue with his rant when the sound of glass shattering echoed around them. Kurts eyes immediately zeroed in on a letter attached to a stone on the floor – probably the thing that had broken the kitchen window. There was the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs, Blaine coming to see what the sound had been about, and he registered Nick bending down to retrieve the envelope, but his eyes never left the shattered glass pane. He stepped closer to it to get a better look, but there was no one and nothing to be seen outside; the culprit had already made their exit.

Nick was frowning down at the piece of paper in his hands, mouthing the words he was reading, and Blaine was standing in the doorway, his huge hazel eyes skimming their surroundings, determining whether they were safe as he clutched a crossbow so tight, his knuckled turned white.

“What is it?” Kurt asked, wondering if the letter was written in some ancient language Nick didnt know as he took in how confused he looked. It was hard to find a language his Watcher didnt at least possess basic knowledge of, but it had happened before.

“Its in Tagalog, if Im not mistaken. It just says come on... Im not sure here, maybe love bug? When are you coming home? Daddy misses you. No names, nothing.”

A sharp intake of breath made Kurt look up at Blaine, who had gone white as a sheet. The crossbow fell from his limp grasp, making a racket as it hit the floor and he fled from the room.

“Shit,” the pale Slayer cursed under his breath and stormed after his counterpart. He found the door to his room locked and caught the faint noise of Blaine pulling out drawers, probably to empty them into his suitcase, as he muttered something to himself that Kurt couldnt quite make out.

“Blaine, I swear to God, open up that fucking door!” he yelled, rattling the knob, prepared to kick it down if he needed to.

“You dont understand, you dont understand... You dont understand, Kurt!” Blaine replied, to Kurts utter amazement. He could have sworn the curly-haired teen had gone into some sort of catatonic state. “They found me, I cant stay here, its too dangerous! Not only for me, but for you, and I cant risk it, I cant risk anything happening to you, I-”

They were, once again, interrupted by the sound of glass shattering, but this time it was followed by the lights flickering, casting shadows overhead before everything went black.