Blaine threw his arm out to silence the alarm, careful not to jostle Kurt as he slid out of bed. He showered quickly and made a mad dash to get to school on time. The rest of the day passed in a flash and, before he knew it, he was making up another excuse as to why he wouldn't be able to make Warbler's practice that day before rushing home.

Cooper laughed as he saw Blaine come flying through the door. "He's fine, B. He's in the shower."

Blaine's face screwed up into a disappointed pout and he padded dejectedly to his room, sitting down on his bed and sliding back against the headboard. He sighed and grabbed his music notebook from his bedside table, opening it to a clean page and rooting through his drawer to find a pencil.

He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested the notebook against them, quietly humming the song he'd been hearing in his mind all day as he scribbled the notes on the lines.

It was a simple song. It started out soft and hopeless and somber.

As it went on there's an air of repetition to it. The sadness repeated, but it began to war with a peaceful, calm melody that fights to overpower it. The somber music fades out, completely transitioned into the tranquil, easy melody. Another change in the song makes the whole tone of the song shift, a slow transition into an almost happy sounding tune.

When the song drifts to its close, a soft, subtle, hopeful chord, Blaine finally understands what it means for a piece to be unfinished, because this piece isn't finished. Even though the melody is complete and all the notes are on the page, the story behind the song still goes on. The hopeful end to the song reflecting the true reality of the situation. The chord changes and the melody shifts all happened slowly, everything was agonizingly slow, but the peacefulness won out over the sadness, and the hopelessness had been replaced by hope for a future not yet written.

There would be more added to the story. Of that, he was sure. He looked forward to seeing how the story ended, but for the moment, he was still content to be patient.

Blaine set the notebook down on the bed and stood up, stretching his cramped legs. He went downstairs to the kitchen to find a drink and wait for Kurt to get out of the shower.

He waited downstairs for a few minutes, talking to Cooper, before getting restless and heading back upstairs. He walked into his room, surprised to find Kurt sitting on his bed shirtless. He looked as though he'd been getting dressed when he got distracted. He held Blaine's music notebook in his hand as he hummed along with the melody on the page.

"You can read music?" Blaine asked, his voice coming out a bit higher than usual with surprise.

Kurt looked up quickly, almost dropping the notebook in surprise. "I'm sorry," he apologized, the words coming out in a rush. "I saw it lying on the bed. I shouldn't have looked at-"
"No," Blaine said quickly. "It's okay. I just—I didn't know you could read music. I guess it makes sense since you were in show choir."

Kurt's eyes were still glued to the notes on the page. "This is beautiful, Blaine," he said, awed. "Could you...I mean...will you play it for me?"

Blaine's eyes widened. Kurt had never requested anything before.

"S-Sure, Kurt," Blaine said softly. He wasn't sure he would have been able to refuse even if he wanted to. Just hearing the words come from Kurt's mouth had sent his heart flying. His palms were sweaty and he was almost positive he was going to screw up somehow, but he found himself automatically moving toward his piano.

He patted the bench next to him, inviting Kurt to sit. The other boy obliged silently, watching as Blaine's fingers rested, shaking against the keys. Blaine took a deep breath and began. He was surprised by how smoothly his fingers slid over the keys, how fluid the melody sounded as it drifted from the piano. As the song drifted to its close, he let his hands fall from the keys to rest in his lap. He waited for Kurt to speak, but minutes passed in silence.

Blaine looked at Kurt's face and was surprised to see tears shining in his eyes, one sliding down his cheek silently. He automatically reached out to swipe it with his thumb. Kurt had been staring, transfixed, at the keys, but he slowly lifted his gaze to meet Blaine's. "T-That was amazing, Blaine," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Does it have a name?"

Blaine nodded slightly before quietly answering, "The Boy on the Blankets'."

Kurt's eyes widened and more tears began to fall from his eyes as his hand flew to cover his mouth before it fell back to his lap just as quickly.

"'The Boy on the Bl—'" he broke off, his voice shaky. "M-Me?" Kurt pointed to himself weakly, his voice awed and whisper quiet.

Seeing Kurt's reaction to the song overwhelmed Blaine. Kurt looked so vulnerable and kind and absolutely, stunningly beautiful. He felt the tears in his own eyes spilling down his cheeks. His eyes flickered to the other boy's lips, and before he even realized what he was doing, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Kurt's.

Kurt's lips were unmoving, but soft and yielding against his own. The sensation sent silent shockwaves through Blaine's body. He felt it from the fingertips to the tips of his toes. A quiet whine of surprise escaped Kurt's throat and suddenly, Blaine realized what he'd done. He pulled back as though he'd been electrocuted.

Kurt's face was a mask of shock, his eyes locked on Blaine's face.

Blaine's heart fell as he realized that he may have just obliterated the trust that Kurt had placed in him. He immediately started rambling in hopes of doing some sort of damage control. "Kurt, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to force anything on you like that. I'm-"

The words were cut off by Kurt suddenly coming to life and surging forward, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck as he connected their mouths insistently. His hand flashed to rest against Kurt's cheek. Blaine melted as he felt Kurt's lips moving against his own, sucking lightly on his bottom lip before pulling away with a quiet smack.

Kurt leaned back, unwinding his arms from Blaine's neck slowly, bringing a hand to cover his mouth, his eyes wide and sparkling. Blaine's hand fell awkwardly from the other boy's cheek and landed against the piano keys, creating a discordant sound that made them both jump before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

Blaine sat as still as a statue and watched the light dance in Kurt's eyes, his own heart feeling as though it was about to take flight. Even through the euphoria of his first kiss, Blaine had to make sure that Kurt was really okay.

"W-Was that—Was that alright?" He asked, reaching out instinctively to take Kurt's hand.

Another manic burst of giggles bubbled past Kurt's lips and he nodded, his face still lit up with a bright smile that was hidden behind his hand. The sound warmed Blaine to the core and there was nothing he wanted more than to kiss the other boy breathless.

Blaine let out a laugh that sounded manic and relieved all at once before leaning forward to rest his forehead against Kurt's, feeling more content than he could ever remember feeling. So many things clicked together at once. It was like snapping the final puzzle piece into place, finally revealing the picture in its entirety.

Suddenly, he realized why holding Kurt had felt so perfect, so natural. He understood why the sound of Kurt's laughter could immediately pull him from his darkest moods. He lifted his hand to stroke his thumb lightly across the apple of Kurt's cheek. "I-I think I've wanted to do that for a long time," he said, laughing out a breathless sound.

Kurt smiled and wrapped his arms around the back of Blaine's neck. His voice was barely a breath when he spoke, his eyes sparkling with emotion. "Thank you, Blaine."

Blaine was confused. "Thank you?"

Kurt smiled gently. "Even when I was in high school, I never felt like I fit anywhere. People went out of their way to remind me that I was different, that I should be ashamed. And I was. I was ashamed of who I was. Then, I was put into circulation and passed around, I felt useless, worthless. I felt like I was nothing, like I didn't matter. But you...you saved me, Blaine. You saved me in more ways than you'll ever know." Kurt's voice shook as he finished, a few tears escaping his eyes and sliding down his cheeks.

Blaine felt tears falling from his own eyes. His mind was blank, rendered empty under the weight of his own emotions. All he could do was stare at Kurt's face, truly realizing its beauty for the first time. He shook his head incredulously and pressed his lips to Kurt's softly before pulling away and whispering, "I love you so much."

Kurt inhaled sharply. "W-What?" He asked in a whisper.

Blaine realized what he'd said and his eyes widened, but, now that it was out, he wasn't going to take it back. "I love you, Kurt."

Kurt's breath hitched, his shoulders shaking. His expression was unreadable, but the pure emotion in his eyes made them sparkle. Blaine felt the breath be knocked out of him as he was one again struck by Kurt's beauty.

Tears were falling freely from Kurt's eyes and his breathing was ragged. "I-I love you, too," he sobbed, tightening his arms around the younger boy's neck. He pressed a soft kiss to Blaine's lips. "I love you, too."

Twenty-One

The rest of the week had gone by in a dream. He had finally managed to convince Sebastian that it would be best for all parties involved if he just let Blaine finish up their geography project on his own. The preppy boy hadn't seemed pleased by the development, but he grudgingly accepted.

Blaine knew it would be stupid to think that the advances would finally stop, but since Sebastian didn't seem to know as much as Blaine had been afraid he did, he felt less apprehension about being completely straightforward and telling Sebastian that he was sorry, but there wasn't ever going to be anything between them.

As far as Blaine was concerned, everything had been all wrapped up, all the loose ends tied.

That Friday, Blaine had rushed home after school to find Kurt sitting in the living room, reading a magazine.

"Hey, Kurt," he'd greeted cheerfully, darting over to press a quick kiss against the boy's lips before returning to stand near the door to take his coat and shoes off, hanging them on the rack and going back to drop onto the couch next to Kurt, taking his hand and lacing their fingers. "What did you do all day?"

Kurt set the magazine down and gave him a quick rundown of his day. Blaine cursed the fact that Kurt couldn't leave the house to really go do anything exciting, but Kurt had just smiled and said that he already had more than he ever dreamed he'd have and leaned forward to kiss Blaine sweetly on the lips.

They stretched out on the couch, Kurt held securely in Blaine's arms, and watched a few episodes of the America's Next Top Model marathon. Blaine slowly began to feel less and less like himself and was starting to get a bit of a headache. He hadn't realized that he'd grown distant until Kurt's voice made him jump.

"Blaine, are you alright?" He asked, his voice worried.

Blaine wasn't sure what he looked like, but as Kurt turned around to look at his face, the other boy's features changed into a mask of concern. Kurt frowned and touched the back of his hand to Blaine's forehead. "You're burning up," he declared. "Come on, let's get you upstairs to bed."

Blaine let himself be led upstairs. He changed into the pair of pajama pants and a soft t-shirt that were tossed in his direction. Kurt turned down the bed and took Blaine's elbow, leading him toward the bed and helping him in.

Kurt smiled softly and pressed a kiss to Blaine's forehead as he pulled the covers up around him. "Goodnight, Blaine. I hope you feel better." He let his fingers card through the younger boy's curls, still smiling gently at the sick boy.

"Thank you, Kurt," Blaine said gratefully, squeezing the other boy's hand.

Another smile lit up Kurt's face. "I can take care of you too, you know," he said, playfully smug.

Blaine laughed and Kurt leaned down to kiss his forehead again. "Get some sleep, alright?"

Blaine nodded and settled into his bed. Even though he was beginning to feel as though he was hit by a truck, he didn't feel miserable. He felt cared for. It was enough to mask the discomfort of trying to sleep with a stuffy nose. He fell asleep quickly.

Before he knew it, he was being shaken awake lightly. As he drifted back toward consciousness, his head felt like it was pounding and his cheeks were a little too warm. He was definitely feverish because he felt himself shivering underneath the blankets. He slowly dragged his eyes open to see Kurt sitting on the bed, smiling softly down at him.

"I figured you'd be cold, so I made you some chicken noodle soup like my mom used to make for me," Kurt said, his voice gentle and soothing. He slid his fingers through Blaine's hair.

Blaine ate as much as he could, surprised that he could taste the food because of his cold. "This is amazing, Kurt," Blaine said, a still-sleepy smile on his face.

"I added extra seasoning so that you'd be able to taste it. I know how awful it is not to be able to taste food when you're sick." Kurt squeezed his hand. "Now, when you finish that, you're going to take these,"-He held up a packet of two green pills.-"And you're going to go back to sleep."

Blaine chucked quietly. "Yes, mom."

Kurt gave him a playful smack on the shoulder and handed him a glass of water. He swallowed the pills and Kurt left briefly to take his bowl downstairs. He came back, now changed into his own pajamas, turned off the light, and crawled into bed next to Blaine.

Blaine felt immediately comforted by the warm weight of Kurt pressing against his back. He felt the older boy's arm drape over his side and pull him closer. Kurt rested his chin on Blaine's shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. "Goodnight, Blaine," he whispered.

The younger boy felt himself already drifting toward sleep, warm and contentedly sleepy. "Mmm...night, Kurt," he mumbled sleepily.

Kurt began to hum softly and that was all it took for Blaine to fall into a comfortable sleep.

When he woke up, it was much too late in the day. The sun was at the wrong angle in the sky and he felt a bit disoriented from sleeping for so long. Otherwise, he actually felt better than he had the day before. The rest and medicine had really worked wonders.

He made his way downstairs to find Kurt cleaning up the living room. Blaine had immediately started to help only to be swiftly stopped and led to the couch with the firm instruction to not move. Kurt threw a blanket over Blaine's lap and handed him a magazine, promising violence if he even tried to do anything other than relax.

Kurt kissed his forehead and patted his cheek before getting back to his work. Blaine heard the sound of Cooper puttering around in the kitchen, probably cleaning there as well. He felt like a bum for not helping, but actually slightly feared Kurt's reaction if he got up and tried to assist.

Instead, he resigned himself to the couch, sighing as he opened the magazine to read about the latest exploits of whichever Kardashian was on the front cover this week.

Kurt hummed idly as he pushed the vacuum cleaner across the living room floor. Blaine lifted his feet so that Kurt could vacuum the floor under them but otherwise was undeterred from reading his magazine.

Neither boy was paying much attention to the television buzzing absently in the background, both having all but forgotten it was on as they went about their respective tasks. It wasn't until Blaine heard Kurt gasp loudly that he even looked up from what he was doing. As he took Kurt's unreadable expression, all color drained from his already pale face, that he realized that something was wrong.

"Kurt!" Blaine threw off his blanket and dove off the couch immediately, alarmed. Kurt stood frozen and unanswering, his eyes wide and locked on the television screen.

The sound of the vacuum was almost deafening in the tense atmosphere. Blaine quickly kicked at the switch with his foot, silencing it, as he grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and shook him, a bit too roughly. Tears were streaming down Kurt's face as he lifted his hand to point silently toward the screen.

Blaine was confused as he reluctantly tore his eyes away from Kurt to look toward the screen, growing even more confused by the fact that Kurt had such a reaction to a commercial for some guy running for congress. Kurt's hand was covering his mouth and Blaine felt him shaking beside him. He wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist and led him to the couch, helping him down.

Sobs were shaking Kurt's entire body as he cried, still not tearing his eyes away from the screen. Blaine felt helpless. He was just about to ask again, insist that Kurt tell him what was going on, when he heard the words come from the television.

"I'm Burt Hummel and together we can make a difference."

Blaine panicked and clicked the television off, pulling Kurt tighter to his side. He honestly and truly had no idea what to say. God, he didn't even know where to start. Kurt was curled into his side, sobbing hysterically against his shoulder. Blaine had to get Kurt's breathing under control or he was going to pass out.

"Kurt, look at me." He pushed lightly against Kurt's shoulder causing him to lean back limply, still completely supported by Blaine's hand. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks and the way he was hyperventilating looked almost painful. Blaine slid a hand across his back. "You need to calm down. I know it's hard, but I need to you relax, okay."

He tried to keep his tone soothing and gentle, but Kurt didn't seem to be able to control his emotions. Blaine pulled him close again, sliding an arm under the boy's knees and lifting him bridal style and carrying him quickly up the stairs before setting him on their bed and crawling in beside him.

Kurt curled up against his side, resting his head on Blaine's chest. Blaine wasn't totally sure what he was trying to accomplish, but he figured that the best thing to do was get Kurt to lie down. Kurt's breathing was still erratic, but it was slowing a little, so Blaine kept rubbing circles on the older boy's back and whispering soft shushes into the top of his hair as he rocked him gently.

The front of Blaine's shirt was soaked with tears and Kurt was trembling beside him. Blaine felt helpless. He'd never wanted to help more but he was lost.

"Kurt...please...tell me what I should do right now," Blaine begged desperately. "I can't imagine what a shock this is to you, and I know that you're probably really confused, but please...let me help you." Blaine knew he was rambling but he couldn't help it.

Kurt sniffled quietly against the front of Blaine's shirt, wiping his eyes and casting his gaze to meet Blaine's.

"Kurt, what can I do?" Blaine pleaded.

The crying boy pressed a kiss to Blaine's chest through his shirt. "I think—I think I just need some time alone right now," Kurt whispered.

Blaine's heart broke at the request, but he was willing to do whatever it took to put Kurt at ease.

"Okay," he said quietly, nodding. He untangled himself from Kurt and went to get off the bed. Kurt grabbed his arm.

"I love you, Blaine," he said, his voice still thick with tears. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Blaine's lips, sliding his thumb across the younger boy's cheek.

A smile tugged at the corner of Blaine's mouth. "I love you, too."

Kurt gave Blaine's hand a parting squeeze before letting him slide it free. Blaine turned and slowly walked toward the door. He glanced back into the room a final time before leaving. Kurt had stretched back out on the bed, face down in the pillow. Blaine could feel his heart breaking to leave him. He wanted to go back and pull the boy into his arms and hold him until he was okay again, but he knew it was more important to respect Kurt's wishes. Even if he didn't want to.

He slowly closed the door behind him and trudged his way downstairs, dropping heavily on the couch. He noticed a flash of something blue and reached forward to grab, what turned out to be, a post-it note stuck to the coffee table.

Gone out for a little while to get dinner with Amy. I'll probably be late, so don't wait up.
-Cooper

Blaine sighed and crumpled the note, tossing it back onto the table in frustration. It figured that Cooper would pick todayof all days to hook back up with an old girlfriend. He eyed the balled up piece of blue paper and felt guilty for making a mess on the table that Kurt had just cleaned, so he sighed and picked it up, taking it to the kitchen trash can.

He busied himself briefly with picking up the vacuum from where Kurt dropped it on the floor, but even that didn't take as long as he'd hoped. He dropped back down on the couch and sat anxiously, straining to hear any sounds coming from upstairs. There were none. He sighed deeply and threw himself against the back of the couch, miserable.

As his eyes landed on his laptop, a plan formed in his mind. He picked up the computer and opened it, waiting anxiously as it booted up. He quickly pulled up Google and took a deep breath before typing in, "Burt Hummel".

-xXxXx-

Kurt hadn't come out of their room for the rest of the night. Still wanting to give him his space, Blaine curled up on the couch and fell into an exhausted sleep.

He woke up early the next morning (too early) to the feeling of someone watching him. His eyes fluttered open to meet Kurt's soft blue ones, illuminated by the glow of a lamp. There was a sheepish smile on Kurt's face. "Hey," he said shyly.
Blaine smiled sleepily. "Hey." He stretched and reached up for Kurt. The taller boy laughed softly and sat down on the edge of the couch next to Blaine.

Blaine shook his head and pulled Kurt down beside him, pulling Kurt flush against him. "How'd you sleep?" Blaine asked, pressing a kiss to the back of Kurt's neck.

"I'm not sure if I did. The bed felt too empty. I missed you," Kurt said honestly, shrugging. "I'm sorry."
"Kurt, don't apologize. You needed your space. I can't imagine finding out something like that and being perfectly up for company," Blaine reassured.
"But you're not company. You're Blaine," Kurt said, smiling sadly.

Blaine wasn't totally sure what it meant to be Blaine, but the thought that Kurt gave him a special classification made his stomach flutter. He kissed Kurt's shoulder. "Well, whether I'm Blaine," -He mimicked Kurt's reverent tone- "Or not, I'm glad that you felt comfortable enough to tell me that you needed your space."

"Well," Kurt hedged, a small smile playing on his lips. "I don't need my space anymore." He stood up and held a hand out to Blaine. "Come to bed?"

Blaine grinned widely and took Kurt's hand, allowing himself to be led upstairs.

When he woke again, the sun was up. Kurt was still asleep at his side. He pressed a soft kiss to the sleeping boy's forehead and carefully rolled out of bed. He dressed silently and snuck out of the room. He left a note for Cooper and Kurt saying that he was going out for a little while and grabbed his keys from the bowl.

-xXxXx-

Blaine looked down quickly to the post-it note he held in his hand, checking the address he'd scribbled on it, despite the fact that the sign in the parking lot read "Hummel's Tire and Lube". He straightened his shirt and cut the engine, sighing deeply as he opened the car door.

He pulled his coat tighter to shield himself from the biting wind as he made his way to the building, taking a deep breath as he reached down to grab the handle and swing open the heavy, metal door. He suddenly realized, as he stepped inside, he had no real plan as far as what he was going to say. He cursed his lack of planning and was just debating on leaving, deciding to come back later when he had a plan, when a tall, dark-haired boy, who looked not much older than himself, approached him, wiping his oily hands on his coveralls.

"Can I help you?" He asked politely.

Blaine bit his lip anxiously, trying to figure out exactly what it was this person (who, according to the name tag affixed to the front of his coveralls, was named Finn) could do for him.

Finn cocked his head to the side, waiting.

"Oh yes, I was wondering if Burt Hummel was here," Blaine said, trying to keep his voice businesslike. He was pleased by the way it only shook slightly, not completely betraying the fact that he was in way over his head.

The tall boy nodded, obviously pleased that Blaine wasn't mentally deficient in some way. "Yeah...he's in his office. Do you want me to go get him?"

Blaine shook his head lightly. "Actually, would it be alright if I went in and spoke with him? It's sort of a private conversation."

Finn nodded and gestured for Blaine to follow.

They stopped just outside a dark blue metal door with a cracked square of frosted glass toward the top. Finn rapped on the door. "Umm...Burt, someone is here to see you."

There was a soft sound of acknowledgment followed by an uncoordinated shuffling before the door swung open, revealing the same man from the commercial. Blaine was relieved by that much. At least he had the right person. Even if he didn't know what the hell he planned to say to him.

Finn rocked back on his heels awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair, mumbling something about getting back to work before disappearing, apparently feeling the tension radiating from Blaine.

Burt gestured for Blaine to come inside the small office. He dropped down into a chair and watched the older man return to his seat behind his desk.

"What can I do for ya kid?" Burt asked, a diplomatic smile on his face.

Blaine shifted in his chair uncomfortably, taking a deep breath before beginning. "Mr. Hummel, my name is Blaine Anderson, and I was wondering if you knew someone by the name of Kurt."

The man stiffened in his seat, his back ramrod straight. His face was unreadable. "How do you know Kurt?" He asked sharply.

Blaine became animated quickly. "Sir, I just wanted to let you know that Kurt is safe now. He...well...he wasn't for awhile, but he's okay now," Blaine said, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't ever remember being so nervous.

"Where is he?" Burt demanded, his voice raising.

"H-He's at home. I bought him from an auction and-" Blaine broke off as he saw Burt's face contort with rage. "I promise you, Mr. Hummel, he's perfectly fine now. He's at home, probably forcing my brother to watch Project Runway." Blaine smiled softly at the thought, momentarily forgetting the tension in the room.

Burt seemed to be hung up on something else though. "What to you mean he's perfectly fine now?"

Blaine let out a deep sigh and leaned forward, folding his hands in his lap. "Mr. Hummel, since Kurt was put into circulation-" Both he and Burt winced at the word. "He hasn't—Well he hasn't had the best owners. He won't tell me very much about it, but from what I can piece together, it was hell."

Blaine considered, for a moment, just how much he wanted to tell Burt about Kurt's past condition. He resolved that, if Kurt had been his son, he'd want to know everything.

"When I bought him, he'd just been marked as a reject." Blaine heard a sharp intake of shaky breath but continued anyway before he lost his nerve. "He was curled up on a blanket. He was...God, he was so skinny. He looked like he could break at any second. I was afraid to touch him." Blaine's voice was sad and thoughtful. "But I brought him home and I've been helping him. He's almost back up to a normal weight and I really think he's going to be okay."

Burt's face was a mask of distrust. "Why are you treating him so well? What do you plan to do when he gets healthy again?" Burt asked, his voice thick with cynicism and barely concealed anger. He obviously thought that Blaine was just fattening Kurt up so that he'd be a better worker.

"Sir, I care about Kurt. I-I love him. You have to believe me when I say that I would never, ever hurt him. My brother and I are looking after him. We're taking care of him. But, he misses you. Until very recently, he thought you were dead," Blaine said, genuine concern in his voice. "I'd like it very much if you were a part of his life again. All I want is for Kurt to be happy."

The silence stretched on but Blaine began to feel less afraid so he continued. "Mr. Hummel, I know that this situation is less than ideal, but I know it would mean so much to Kurt if we found a way to make this work. He loves you so much, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that you can be a part of his life."

There were tears in Burt's eyes when he finally spoke. "I-I assumed that was what happened to him. I went looking for him, trying to get him back, but no one keeps records of that sort of thing." Blaine nodded sympathetically as the man continued. "But...He's—He's safe with you?"

Blaine nodded seriously. "Yes, sir. I'd never do anything to hurt him. Your son is the strongest person I've ever known. He's been through so much and it doesn't even seem to slow him down. I'm beginning to see that it may have been an inherited trait, actually." Blaine gave a small smile to Burt. He returned it. "He doesn't know I'm here. Yesterday, when he found out that you were alive, he looked so lost and helpless that I needed to do something. I couldn't not try and make everything okay. He wouldn't let me help him. He shut himself in the bedroom saying that he needed to be alone."

Burt nodded, his lips quirking into a slight smile. "Yeah, he gets that from me."

Blaine gave a small smile before continuing, his voice even and thoughtful. "Now, I'm not really sure how to go about this without attracting too much attention, but I would love it if you came over for dinner or coffee. Just to spend time with Kurt." Blaine wanted to make himself absolutely clear. "My brother and I would make ourselves scarce, so it's not like a supervised visit or anything."

A weathered smile touched the man's face. Clearly, he was beginning to accept the concept that he was going to be able to see his son, no strings attached.

Blaine suddenly got an idea. "Would you like to talk to him?"

Burt's eyes lit up in a way that made him look years younger. Blaine returned his smile and reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone, quickly dialing his home phone number. Cooper answered after a couple rings.

"B, where are you? Kurt's been looking-" He asked, mild anxiousness making his voice come out a tad higher than usual.
"Coop, please, it's important. Put Kurt on," Blaine said quickly, brushing off Cooper's worry.

There was a quiet shuffling as the phone changed hands. Kurt's soft voice came through the receiver.

"Blaine? Where are you? I woke up and you were gone." Kurt sounded worried.
"I'm okay, Kurt. I—Well, there's someone here who'd like to talk to you. Would that be okay?" Blaine asked, his voice gentle.
"O-Okay," Kurt answered hesitantly.
"Alright, hang on." Blaine smiled softly at Burt and passed him the phone.

The man cleared his throat. "K-Kurt?" He greeted shakily, sounding anxious and excited all at once.
Blaine could swear he heard Kurt's intake of breath followed by a rush of words he couldn't quite make out.
Burt chuckled low in his throat. "Yeah, it's me, buddy."

He did his best not to listen to the conversation, wanting to give them as much privacy as possible.

There was a pen and a scrap sheet of paper lying on the desk, so Blaine grabbed it and scribbled down his home phone number, pushing it toward Burt.

Burt's eyes flickered between Blaine and the phone on his desk. "Kurt, give me two seconds, alright. I'm going to call you from my own phone." A pause. Blaine could hear Kurt saying something, and Burt's face lit up. "Yeah, love you, too, buddy."

Burt pushed Blaine's phone back toward him.

Blaine smiled, tucking the phone back inside his coat pocket. "Just...talk to Kurt about coming over, alright. You two set something up. We can make this work," he said with determination. "This will work."

Burt stood up and stuck his hand out toward Blaine. "Thank you, kid. You'll never know what this means to me. So, just...thank you."

Blaine reached out and shook the man's hand. "I love your son, sir. I'd do anything to make him happy."

The older man took a deep breath and let it out in a gust, squeezing Blaine's hand as though he was trying to convey words that seemed to be escaping him. After a long moment, Burt spoke, slow and serious. "I'm glad he found you, Blaine. You're a good man."

Blaine gave the man a tight smile and thanked him before quietly making his exit as Burt lifted the phone to his ear and quickly dialed the number Blaine had written on the paper.

-xXxXx-

When Blaine got home after the two hour drive from Lima back to Westerville, Kurt dove into his arms the moment he stepped through the door.

"I love you so much, Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed, surging forward to connect their lips. He whispered I love you repeatedly against Blaine's lips, each declaration punctuated by a kiss.

Blaine laughed and took Kurt's hand. "I love you, too." He led them to the couch. "So, when is your dad coming over?"

Kurt's face lit up in a blinding smile. "Tonight. He's coming over right after work."

Kurt clapped his hands and squealed before kissing Blaine on the lips with a loud smack and darting off to the kitchen, talking to himself rapidly about what to cook.

Before long, Kurt was singing to himself as he flitted eagerly around the kitchen, measuring ingredients and preheating ovens. Blaine just sat in a kitchen chair and watched with a rapt expression, struck again by just how amazing Kurt is.

Images of the broken, quiet, withdrawn boy Blaine had saved who had been only a few hours away from death flashed in his mind, hitting him like a punch to the stomach. That boy had lost all hope, had accepted the fact that he was going to die, cold and sick. That boy had gone to sleep each night not knowing what sort of pain the next day would hold, whether or not he'd be allowed to eat, whether or not he'd have to have his body subjected to whatever his owner wanted.

The person Blaine saw dancing around his kitchen was not that boy. There was hope in this boy's eyes. He knew he was going to go to eat the dinner that he'd made without anyone rationing it out to make sure he didn't get "spoiled", he'd get to go to sleep in a bed, safe in Blaine's arms, optimistic of what would happen in his future. This boy had a future.

Blaine felt tears forming in his eyes as he continued to silently watch Kurt. He couldn't tear his eyes away from where he was gracefully flitting around the kitchen, gathering ingredients for whatever complicated meal he was planning for tonight. Kurt's eyes kept flickering to meet Blaine's, a bright smile on his gentle face.

Cooper came in and watched the scene in confusion. He sat down across from Blaine and asked what was going on.

Blaine cleared his throat, hesitantly looking away from Kurt. "We're going to have to find somewhere else to be tonight, Coop. Kurt's father is coming over for dinner." Blaine loved the little smile that touched Kurt's face at the words.
"His father?" Cooper's eyes went wide. "Blaine, that's dangerous. His father is pretty high-profile, running for congress and all."

Blaine sighed. "I know, but it's going to be okay. He's coming over directly after work. No one knows he's coming and he's going to use the back door." Blaine dropped his voice and gave his brother a serious look. "This is very important, Cooper. Do notruin this for him."

Cooper let out a deep exhale and held up his hands in surrender. "I hope you're right. I just don't want anything to put Kurt in danger. I know how important his father is to him, but this could end very badly, Blaine." Cooper kept his voice low. Even if Kurt had been paying attention, he wouldn't have heard.

"I promise, everything will be okay," Blaine assured. He knew he should be worried, but he wasn't. The victory of bringing Kurt together with his father was too perfect to spend any time worrying.

Around six o'clock, Cooper and Blaine took off to go out to get dinner and see a movie.

Blaine had pulled Kurt into his arms tightly before leaving. "Have fun with your father tonight, sweetheart." He kissed the tip of Kurt's nose sweetly. "I love you."

Kurt smiled widely and kissed Blaine on the lips. "I love you, too. You'll never know how much this means to me."

Blaine took Kurt's face between his hands and kissed him, allowing a moment of indulgence to just let their lips slide together, warm and loving, before Cooper appeared in the room and cleared his throat, a devious smile on his face. "Come on, lover boy. We're going to miss the movie."

Blaine laughed and pressed another quick kiss to Kurt's lips before following his brother out the door.