“Kurt? Who is it?” Carol had come up behind his lifeless form. “Oh, hello there!” She instantly lit up at the sight of the adorable child, who smiled bashfully at the attention, hiding his face in his father’s neck.

“Hello Mrs. Hudson-Hummel, my name is Blaine Anderson and this is my son, Mikey,” Blaine said politely, yet in a rush. He still had that panicked look in his eyes, which kept darting to Kurt. “I’m really sorry to show up without any warning, but it’s sort of an emergency.”

Carol was tickling Mikey, who laughed cheerfully, completely unaware of the tense situation. “Do you mind?” Blaine asked, and his voice shook.

“Oh, no problem, please come in,” Carol said amiably, taking the small child into her arms. If Kurt wasn’t completely rooted on the spot, he would have melted at the sight. Before his father died, he knew how badly she wanted a child with Burt. Mikey was the perfect symbol of pure, childish innocence; he had fine blond hair and joyful, bright blue eyes set in his cherubic face.

“What the fuck is he doing there,” Karofsky snarled, suddenly in the doorway along with Finn looking equally as menacing.

Blaine held his arms up as a defensive gesture. “I have a lot of explaining to do, I know.”

Finn leaped in front of Blaine, crowding his space and towering over him. “You have some nerve showing your face here after what you did to my brother.”

Blaine looked much more terrified by some unseen force other than Finn. He kept glancing over his shoulder, and Kurt suddenly realized his eyes were bloodshot and his hair and clothes were in disarray. Kurt sensed danger, and he finally unfroze, grabbing Finn’s arm weakly.

“Finn, don’t,” Kurt warned. Finn looked to him and shook with emotion, but backed away from Blaine, who looked utterly desperate either to go to Kurt or to get into the house, Kurt wasn’t really sure.

“Kurt, thank you. I drove nearly 4 hours to come see you, so thank you. Thank you. I know I don’t deserve it, but I am deeply humbled from the bottom of my heart,” Blaine babbled, sounding like he was either going to go insane or burst into tears at any moment. Kurt’s face was impassive as he stepped aside to allow Blaine into his parent’s house. Kurt really wasn’t thinking about his actions, he just performed them.

“Like hell,” Karofsky protested, shoving Blaine roughly into the door, beefy arm jammed against Blaine’s windpipe. “He has no fucking idea how messed up Kurt is because of him, and he can’t be forgiven so easily!”

Blaine was choking, grappling at Karofsky’s arm, who had spit flying with each word he enunciated. Kurt watched as the two men who loved him had a stare down- Wait no. It was one man who loved Kurt, and one man Kurt desperately wanted to love him, but didn’t.

“Daddy! Help him, Wood Nymph!” Mikey sounded terrified as he cried from Carol’s arms, her eyes wide and her mouth open, watching the scene before her unfold. She was floored.

It was then Kurt’s body flooded in panic. A child shouldn’t see something like this. Kurt reacted with lithe reflexes.

“Stop it, Dave! You’re hurting him!” Kurt shoved him off, baring his teeth. “Not in front of the child!”

Karofsky threw his arms up in the air. “BUT HE DESERVES IT!” he bellowed, making Kurt wince and the others back away slightly.

Blaine rubbed his neck and coughed a few times. “You’re right, I do.” Blaine hung his head, looking utterly defeated. Kurt studied him hesitantly, but noticed the light within him appeared to be gone, or it at least was greatly diminished than from what Kurt remembered. That was what Kurt loved most about Blaine, was his light, even in the darkest of times. What happened to him?

Kurt kept a reasonable distance between himself and Blaine, but still had to ask in a quiet voice, “Blaine, what’s going on? Why are you here?”

Blaine was still breathing raggedly, hands on his knees before he stood up to look Kurt in the eye. His eyes were shining and he was shaking. Kurt stared back, and the intimacy of the moment was too much, so Kurt had to look away.

“I left Sebastian,” Blaine finally said, his words slicing like he had a very unpleasant taste in his mouth.

“Why?” Kurt asked quickly, still not quite understanding.

Blaine’s eyes glazed over as if he was living in a memory. “He... he.. did things. To me. I had to go. I had to take Mikey away too. Sebastian is toxic to everyone around him, no matter how much he loves... loves being a father.”

“What have you done?” Kurt demanded. “Now you’ve really messed up, Blaine! Social services will most likely take Mikey away now because of your actions!”

Blaine fell to his knees, tears streaming out of his eyes, looking at Kurt like he was going to grovel and beg for him to see reason. “Kurt, you don’t understand! He’s so horrible! He’s manipulative and cunning, and he won’t stop at anything! I had to keep myself and Mikey safe! I had to! I had nowhere else to go!”

Blaine looked like he was about to have a full-fledged panic attack. Blaine was always the strong one, and it tore Kurt down to his core to see Blaine so broken and pathetic. Kurt’s demeanor immediately softened as he took a step closer to Blaine.

“What kinds of things did he do to you, Blaine?” Kurt asked softly, resisting the enormous urge to wrap Blaine up in his arms and kiss him breathless. It just seemed so natural, but he had to fight it. Kurt loved him, and Blaine didn’t feel the same way, so he couldn’t set himself up for failure. Not even for a few minutes comfort in a disastrous situation.

Blaine swallowed visibly and audibly, glancing over at his son and looking like he was about to puke. “I.. I c-can’t say. Just.. really bad things. When Sebastian left for work today I packed my things in a rush and just drove. I didn’t even realize I was heading to Lima until I was halfway through Ohio. I just know he can’t find us here.”

Despite how much Blaine had broken his heart, deep inside Kurt there was the rumble of an angry monster who wanted to beat Sebastian to a pulp. Kill him even; so Blaine wouldn’t hurt or be afraid anymore. Kurt was clearly aware of Sebastian’s emotional abuse, but it’s possible that he went even further this time. Now it was Kurt who was starting to feel like he was going to hurl for the second time today. He clenched his fists as his whole body shook with revulsion and rage.

“We’ll keep you guys safe,” Kurt promised, his words breaking at the end of his meaningful sentence. “We can figure something out so you’ll never be hurt again, Blaine.”

Blaine wiped his face and looked up at Kurt like he had been saved by some sort of forgiving deity. There was so much hope, desperation and uncertainty in his eyes, and it stirred Kurt’s soul. Kurt knew that he was getting close to opening up once again to the one who tarnished his walls to show him love, but he didn’t really seem to care in that moment. There was something much more life-altering and important at stake.

After what felt like an eternity, Kurt held out his hand to help Blaine up from the floor. Blaine’s mouth fell open in awe, tears starting afresh as he clasped his hand with Kurt’s like a lifeline. Kurt pulled Blaine upright, not letting go and just staring back.

Everyone was completely silent during this whole exchange, and Kurt didn’t even notice. He was so dreadfully lost and confused only minutes before Blaine’s arrival, but now things seemed to fall in place, despite the chaos. Even in the eye of the storm, Blaine’s hand in his was the only thing that made sense in that moment.

“Guys, I think we should leave these two alone to... talk,” Santana finally spoke up, addressing her friends, twining her fingers with Brittany and pulling her close.

“Yeah,” Puck agreed, heading to the door to open it. Quinn, Sam and Mercedes followed, smiling nervously at Kurt and waving. He returned it.

Rachel squeezed Kurt’s arm. “Call me if you need anything, ok?” Kurt nodded, smiling slightly, and then kissed her on the cheek.

“I’m going to stay with Rachel tonight, if that’s okay with you, mom,” Finn said somberly, avoiding Kurt’s gaze by staring at the floor. Kurt was having a difficult time deciphering his expression. Carol nodded, rocking Mikey whose eyelids were getting heavy from exhaustion. 4 hours in a car was really tough on small children.

The others bid farewell, not really giving proper goodbyes because they were so lost in thought from the stressful situation. However, they understood that Kurt would need them later, and they all would have the night to mull it over.

Karofsky stalled in the doorframe, looking at Kurt and Blaine knowing that despite it all, Kurt would never look at him that way. This deeply saddened Karofsky, but he realized he needed to come to terms with it. Kurt would never love him the way he loved Blaine, and that was a fact.

“See you tomorrow, Kurt,” Karofsky said, and closed the front door softly behind him, all traces of anger and resentment gone. Kurt was thankful for that.

Blaine finally dropped Kurt’s hand and turned to Carol. “Thank you for letting me into your lovely home, and for holding my son. Sorry about all the drama.”

Carol smiled sympathetically, handing the drowsy child to Blaine, who kissed his soft head. “I’m going to go put him to bed, you have a restful evening Mrs. Hudson-Hummel. Sorry again.”

“Don’t be, dear,” she said quietly, turning to the kitchen to go make some tea and probably watch some TV before bed. “Sweet dreams.”

Kurt and Blaine walked slowly up the stairs without saying another word. Once they reached the landing, Kurt gestured to the guest room, and Blaine followed.

Blaine watched Kurt make the messy bed, then fluffed the pillows to make them more comfortable for Mikey. “Here, put him in the middle,” Kurt whispered.

Blaine laid him gently down onto the covers, but Mikey was already fast asleep. Kurt thought he looked like a slumbering angel, and it warmed his heart. Blaine stroked his hair, breathing shakily and sniffling.

Kurt’s hand twitched, but then he decided to go for it, rubbing Blaine’s back soothingly. Blaine flinched slightly at the contact, but then smiled gratefully at Kurt, his eyes crinkling.

Blaine then turned back to his son, and started to sing an unknown tune to Mikey. Kurt harmonized softly, their voices carrying around the room. The lullaby of their gentle song intertwined in the most beautiful way, and Carol got to appreciate it from downstairs.

Blaine lay down gently onto the bed next to his son, never taking his eyes off him. “I hope I did the right thing,” Blaine sighed, tears leaking out of his eyes.

“You did,” Kurt affirmed, twisting his own hands together nervously. “Don’t worry we’ll figure this out together.”

“Thanks, Kurt,” Blaine’s voice was seeping with powerful emotion. “I don’t know what I would have done if you slammed the door in my face. Even if I deserved it.”

Kurt’s throat got really tight, making him unable to respond. So he just settled with a non-committal shrug.

What Blaine didn’t know was that Kurt would probably do almost anything for him, no matter the cost. Kurt loved Blaine more than life itself, and that concept alone was absolutely terrifying.

Blaine smiled and then gestured Kurt to lay down with him. “Come here.”

Kurt shook his head. “No, it’s okay, I’ll leave you two, and I can go sleep in Finn’s bed.”

Kurt turned to leave, but Blaine grabbed his arm. “No, Kurt I want you to stay.”

Kurt felt his eyes sting with tears. “Why?”

Why did Blaine have to talk so affectionately all the time? This just made it all the more difficult. At this rate, Kurt would never get over him, and he wasn’t sure if he could take the pain.

“Because I’ve missed you so much, Kurt,” Blaine’s voice shook. “I’m not sure I could spend another night without you.”

Kurt wrenched his arm away, the tears finally breaking free. “You can’t just say things like that!”

“Why not,” Blaine demanded, lowering his voice, showing it was urgent to not to turn this into an argument and wake Mikey.

Kurt turned around to face Blaine. “You don’t know how hard this is for me! Seeing you here when I thought I never would see you again! It hurts so much to have you so close, but I can’t have you!”

Blaine’s face set, looking very serious. “I know exactly how you feel. But I’m yours, Kurt. I always have been.”

Kurt shook his head, disbelieving. “It doesn’t feel that way to me. You lied to me. You left me. You know how difficult it is for me to connect to another human being, and you just threw it away like it meant nothing!”

Blaine got to his feet, walking slowly toward Kurt. “I know, I messed everything up. The fact that I hurt you tortured me every day. I thought I deserved to go back to a horrible boyfriend who mistreated because of what I did to you. But please understand my position. It’s not just about me anymore.” Blaine nodded toward his sleeping son.

Kurt crossed his arms and glared at the closet. “I know, that’s the worst part. You have more important things in your life than me to tend to.” Kurt sounded extremely bitter.

Blaine got really close, but still far enough away to not be touching. Kurt could feel an electric current running over his skin. Just one more posture modification and they would be touching. It was driving him insane.

“Kurt,” Blaine said. “You are the most important thing to me in the world.”

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, to measure his expression. Blaine’s eyes were wide and shining. Looking into Blaine’s eyes was like seeing wisdom, and he looked like he meant every word.

“But-” Kurt choked up. “I don’t think you care about me as much as care about you, and I don’t think I can handle that.”

Blaine placed his palms on Kurt’ shoulders, looking deep into his eyes. “How can you say something like that?”

Kurt’s lip quivered, words threatening to break free, and if that happened his walls would crash around him again, ripping all wounds afresh. Kurt wasn’t breathing, and Blaine started to look extremely worried, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Kurt-”

“It’s because I’m in love with you, Blaine!” Kurt blurted eventually. “I remember you in the Warblers before my dad died, and you have this hold over me that I can’t seem to shake! My whole life has been a complete mess, and despite you breaking my heart into a million pieces on more than one occasion, you are the only thing that makes sense in this fucked up world! I wanted to tell you I loved you every single day, until Sebastian came and ruined everything! Why can’t I be loved? What have I done to deserve all this pain?”

Kurt was panting, veins burning with the adrenaline of the truth. Blaine’s plump mouth had fallen open, and tears were streaming silently down his cheeks. In the darkness of the room, the shimmering wetness made Blaine’s eyes more tragically beautiful.

“Say something, Blaine,” Kurt begged. The silence was closing in again.

“Oh my god, Kurt,” Blaine gasped looking like a man seeing the sun for the first time. “I love you too. I love you so much. More than anything in the entire world. I just-”

With utter desperation, and unable to say anything more, Blaine grabbed Kurt’s face and crashed their lips together. Kurt kissed him back just as passionately, hardly believing that this was happening. His body felt like it was on fire, and Kurt was so utterly thrilled and blissed out, he felt like he could float away. Blaine was crying, and Kurt could taste his salty tears of happiness.

Kurt’s brain barely had time to process what Blaine said, but being close to him just felt too right, and he couldn’t stop. He felt like deep down, despite everything, this was exactly where he belonged.

The two men sank to the floor, clawing at each other, letting out desperate groans and whines of need. They needed each other like they needed air, and even when their bodies become one, it wasn’t enough. They needed to be closer. They needed more. That night they got lost in each other’s sighs, touches and heartbeats.