It was another quiet Saturday afternoon in the Anderson household. Blaine's father was off on some business trip (as he always was), his mother was out with her friends organizing some event or party (a weekly occurrence), and Blaine had the house to himself. After all these years, Blaine was quite used to spending the majority of his time at home alone. Though the silence could often be deafening (especially during the long summer days), Blaine always tried to keep himself as busy as possible.

Last summer had been the quietest in recent memory. With nearly everyone he knew travelling abroad and his summer job only lasting a few weeks, Blaine had spent most of the hot days cooped up in an empty house, sprawled on his bed listening to music.

This summer however was the exact opposite. His schedule at Six Flags kept him extraordinarily busy as he was performing nearly every day. The long hours were well worth the exhaustion though. Not only did it get him out of the house for most of the day, but it earned him money that would go toward the move to New York next year.

And that was the biggest difference between this summer and the last one; he had Kurt now: his boyfriend. Blaine smiled to himself at the thought of Kurt, a warm, comfortable feeling settling in his chest and radiating outward. He could see so clearly their life together in New York next year. Blaine knew how young they were but everything about being with Kurt just felt so right. Blaine couldn't see a future without him.

It has been nearly a week since he had seen Kurt and Blaine was starting to feel anxious being apart from him so long. These last five days were the longest they had gone without talking or seeing each other all summer. Even knowing that their insane schedules were for a reason, it was difficult. Blaine was overwhelmed with the need to just reach out and touch his boyfriend. Nearly a week apart was five days too long.

But in a few hours he would be able to see Kurt again and Blaine could barely contain his excitement. For the first time all summer, Blaine had a weekend off and Kurt had made sure he wasn't needed at the garage. They had the entire weekend to spend together!

He was expected at Kurt's for dinner by four so Blaine still had a few hours left before he had to make the drive to Lima.
It was nearly noon and Blaine had spent the entire morning attempting to narrow down his academic options but it was proving more difficult that Blaine had anticipated.

He and Kurt had made a very extensive list of all the programs (and all the schools) that even remotely appealed to him in New York. However, now that all these options were scattered across Blaine's bed in a plethora of pamphlets, brochures, and booklets, he was finding the task of choosing even more daunting. Blaine envied Kurt's confidence in knowing that Fashion & Design were his passion. Blaine was no where near as confident.

Knowing he needed a quick caffeine boost if he wanted to continue, Blaine made his way downstairs. After filling up an over-sized mug with what some would call an unhealthy amount of coffee (and with what Blaine thought wasn't nearly enough), Blaine returned to his room, smiling to himself. The pleasant aroma of his favourite coffee blend never failed to bring a smile to his face. The fact that in a few short hours he would be seeing Kurt only increased his happiness. Today would be a good day.

Rounding the corner into his room, Blaine stopped abruptly, barely managing not to spill his coffee. Craig Anderson was standing in the middle of Blaine's room, facing away from the door. Blaine furrowed his brow in confusion; he didn't think his father was due home for another week.

Mr. Anderson spent nearly all his time out of the house. He was either at the office or travelling and Blaine rarely saw him. In fact, this was the first time he'd seen his father in almost three weeks. And for this Blaine was very grateful as his father being home tended to signal the arrival of very repetitive arguments or, more usually, being completely ignored. Blaine still wasn't sure which one he preferred.

Repressing a sigh, Blaine entered his room and set his mug on the corner of his desk. He did not want to fight with his father today. Blaine was excited about school and seeing Kurt again after a long week apart. Still, Blaine wanted to give his father the benefit of the doubt; maybe today would be the day his dad just wanted to talk.

Startled at the sound of the mug settling on the desk, Mr. Anderson turned around, his face unreadable.
Blaine tensed at the expression, wondering why his father was in his room now when he hadn't set foot in it for years. Struggling to keep his tone as nonthreatening as he could manage, Blaine finally spoke. "Dad? I thought you were out of town?"

"Only here for a few hours," His father replied dismissively, sighing heavily. "What are these?" Mr. Anderson asked icily, indicating the assortment of Academic Calendars from New York Universities and Colleges.

"What do you mean?" Blaine replied tentatively, confused at the rather obvious question.

His father grabbed some of the nearest booklets and looked at the pages they were open too. "Music Education, Blaine? The Performing Arts? Really?"

"I'm just looking into them. Nothing's decided yet…" Blaine trailed off, desperately trying to avoid the direction he knew this conversation was going.

"There is nothing to decide here Blaine. We've discussed this."

Blaine repressed another sigh of frustration, his eyes flicking behind him to look at his bookcase for a moment. And so it begins. He really didn't want to discuss this right now. He just knew he father would drain all the excitement he felt about college out of him. His father never listened, never asked Blaine what he wanted to do. Blaine was just supposed to become a carbon-copy of his father and live the same life; a life Blaine didn't want. And if his father knew him at all, he would already know that.

Sill, he had to try and get his point across as gently as possible. "Business or Law just isn't for me Dad. But these are amazing schools with fantastic programs." Blaine paused before adding, for good measure, "And like I said, I'm not sure what I want to major in yet."
Blaine pointedly didn't add that fact that he was also considering a career in teaching. His father had always though teaching was one of the lowest professions someone could have. Blaine thought it was one of the best.

He stood anxiously as his father considered him for a moment, glaring down at him. Sometimes Blaine forgot how intimidating his father could be. His father's impressive height combined with the way he stared down at Blaine with those cold, detached eyes always made Blaine feel like he was being judged. He knew he always was.

"You never expressed any interest in going to New York before."

Blaine thought that was a rather unusual thing for his father to say as they had never had this conversation before. Any talk of Blaine's future consisted of his father telling him where he was expected to go and what he should study. And then they fought and the topic was abandoned for a few months before it was brought up again. "You never asked me where I wanted to go before," Blaine spoke quietly before he could stop himself.

Hi father sneered at that. "It's because of him, isn't it? That boy."
Blaine clenched his teeth, hearing the venom in his father's words. Not this again. "His name is Kurt, Dad. You know his name."
"Don't tell me what I know or don't know!"

"I know you know who he is!" Blaine shouted back, angry and hurt with his father's continuing refusal to acknowledge Kurt. This was an old refrain but one that was getting infuriatingly more common. "He's my boyfriend, Dad!"

Blaine realized his mistake too late.

A fist connected with the left corner of Blaine's jaw and he stumbled backwards, hands grasping for something to hold on to. He needn't have bothered. His father was in front of him in flash and grabbed his arms, pulling him upright. Blaine instinctively recoiled at the fingers pressing painfully into his biceps and tried to back away but his father only tightened his grip

"Do not speak to me like that!" His father growled. "You will stop this ridiculous relationship with this boy immediately and you will get your head out of the clouds."

Blaine struggled against the vice-like grip his father held him in. They had argued before - about school, about Kurt - but never like this. "It's not ridiculous," Blaine yelled back defiantly, wincing as his father's grip increased. "I love Kurt and he loves me."

Mr Anderson started moving and shoved Blaine against his bookcase, not relinquishing the grip on his son's arms.

Blaine cried out in pain as his lower back and head were slammed into the bookshelves. He heard books falling to the ground. Blaine looked up at his father and saw the rage in his eyes. Blaine had never been more terrified.

"Ever since you met that boy you've been more defiant." Blaine was slammed into the bookcase again, his father's nostril's flaring. "And now…what? You plan on following him across the country?" Mr Anderson shook Blaine for emphasis. "Who do you think pays for your tuition at Dalton Blaine? We tolerated your interest in this glee club of yours because of your high grades but enough with the dreaming. These art's programs look good on a transcript but that's where their usefulness ends. You will not make a career out of this and you will not follow some boy across the country."

"We're in love Dad" Blaine whispered. His father tried to control every aspect of his life and Blaine did his best to work around and even tolerate it. He had no choice. But he drew the line at Kurt. Kurt was the best thing that ever happened to Blaine and he would never give him up.
Though scared of what his father might do, Blaine refused to back down. "We're in love and we're going to school in New York together."

Blaine saw stars as his body was slammed into the bookshelves again, the grip on his arms impossibly tight. His head was spinning.
"You will not parade around town with this boy any longer. I won't allow it. It's time to grow up, act like a man, and get the education you deserve. It's over."
His father threw him against the bookcase one last time before storming from the room, slamming Blaine's door closed behind him.

Blaine was frozen on the spot, his whole body leaning against his now completely dishevelled bookcase for support. He could hear his father's voice echoing down the hall, shouting about getting him into proper schools and fuming about the embarrassment he always caused him.

Blaine slowly slid down the length of the bookcase, oblivious to the pain in his body. He collapsed on the floor in shock.

The coffee remained on the desk, forgotten.