Chapter Seventeen: Every Me and Every You

Finn's entire body tensed when the doorbell rang. He knew that Kurt had asked him to be nice but he didn't like Blaine. He thought that Kurt could do better and didn't think that Blaine was the type of guy that Kurt should date. It wasn't all about Kurt though and Finn was honest enough to admit part of his dislike of the other teen were for purely selfish reasons. He didn't like how most of his friends had essentially sided with Kurt and Blaine when Finn had suggested Kurt stop seeing the Warbler until after their competition. He didn't like how easily Blaine had seen through him or how cruel he'd been about exposing his insecurities and he didn't like that Blaine seemed to think Finn was stupid or beneath him or something.

In the back of his mind Finn also knew he didn't like Blaine because of what he represented: the possibility of Kurt and sex. Puck had been wrong when he'd accused Finn of being afraid of Kurt. Finn was uncomfortable, not afraid. He knew that Kurt wouldn't force anything on him and that even if he tried Finn was big enough to defend himself. He'd thrown Kurt into the dumpster enough times to know just the kind of size and weight advantage he had over his soon to be stepbrother.

The way Finn saw things Blaine brought two very real problems with him. The first was that he increased the physical danger Kurt was in. Finn knew that guys like Azimio and Karofsky would see Kurt having a boyfriend as him "shoving his gay in their face". Finn knew they'd take personal offense and while Blaine was safely in Westerville and at his super expensive private school, Kurt would be the one being tortured and taking the risk of being jumped every time he walked out his front door. Finn didn't want to see Kurt get hurt.

The other problem was a bit harder to admit to. Kurt being gay had always been sort an abstract concept for Finn. Finn had known, even before he came out that Kurt was gay but as long as Kurt wasn't fixated on him he could sort of ignore it. Finn didn't really have to give too much thought to what Kurt being gay actually meant because at McKinley Kurt didn't have anybody to be gay with. Even if Puck was right and there were other gay guys there, Kurt was the only one who was out so he didn't have anyone to kiss or hold hands with or do…things with. Finn had sort of assumed that's how things would stay. He'd figured Kurt wouldn't have anyone to do things with until he went away to college and then it wouldn't matter. Finn had been counting on living Kurt being made easier by the knowledge that he wouldn't have to step out of his comfort zone and think about Kurt being with a guy actually doing things. Blaine's existence had pretty ruined that for him and Finn didn't know what to do with the idea that Kurt might be just as sexual and just as…guy like…as Puck or Mike.

It was weird, it was uncomfortable and Finn wasn't sure how to handle the new reality that was Kurt with a sort of boyfriend.

The bell rang again and Puck kicked his leg. "Get the door, Hudson. You leave his boy toy waiting on the porch and Kurt'll have kittens. I'll come with. I wanna get a better look at the dude anyway."

Finn started to ask why but instead just nodded and made his way downstairs. He really, really didn't want to open the door to Blaine and all the things that he brought with him but it appeared he had no choice.

Blaine tried to calm his nerves as he waited for Kurt to let him in. Blaine knew that their conversation would be a defining moment in his relationship with Kurt. He was going to open the door to his world and hope that Kurt cared for him enough to walk through it. The fact that, for the first time since they'd met, Kurt held all the power had Blaine more than a little off his game. He wasn't sure how he'd handle it if Kurt decided to cut him out of his life.

He heard the lock turning and schooled his features into one of his most charming smiles. The second the door opened and he found himself on the receiving end of a glare from Finn Hudson the smile quickly morphed into a glare of his own.

"Kurt's in his room. You can wait in here," Finn greeted him sullenly, as he reluctantly stepped back but not enough to actually allow Blaine entry into the house without having to squeeze by him.

Finn's unnecessarily hostile greeting snapped the tenuous control Blaine had been holding on his emotions.

"Color me impressed, you Jolly Green Jackass. I didn't know you were capable of walking upright and speaking in complete sentences at the same time. Kurt must be rubbing off on you," Blaine smirked then continued, "Oops, I forgot. He's over you and that isn't a possibility anymore. Kurt has no interest in rubbing off on you at all. Is that why you have your extra large panties in a bunch?"

Finn turned beet red. "You…you…I could just…fuck you dude!" Finn sputtered.

Blaine laughed and shook his head. "Sorry Finn. Thanks for the offer buddy but you're just not my type."

Finn blanched when he realized how he'd phrased his earlier insult. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to fuck you. I'm not gay."

"Don't worry Finn," Blaine said easily, "I don't want you to fuck me either. But, between you and me, I think you might want to just a little. I mean, why else would be all up in my personal space right now, hmm?"

Finn's eyes bugged as he realized how he'd crowded Blaine back between the now closed door and his taller frame and tripped over his own feet in his haste to back away.

Blaine stepped over Finn on his way to sofa, laughing just loudly enough to ensure that the quarterback heard him.

"You're an asshole," Finn snapped as he picked himself up from the floor. "Kurt deserves better than you."

"Kurt deserves better you," Blaine fired back. "Do yourself a favor, Finn and walk away. You're quickly working your way onto my shit list and trust me when I tell you that's a place you don't want to be."

"You don't scare me," Finn replied standing his ground. "You're just a spoiled little rich boy who thinks everyone should bow down to you. If Kurt knew how you really were he wouldn't like you. I'm…I'm gonna tell Burt and he-"

"You won't tell Burt anything," Blaine said evenly. "Because if you did then he might find out about all the times you stood by and watched his only child get thrown into a dumpster. Or how you threw balloons filled with urine at Kurt. Or how you and your buddies trespassed onto his property and nailed his lawn furniture to his roof. And your mom, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want your mom to find out about how you stand by and do nothing while Kurt's thrown into lockers and hit in the face with frozen drinks, now would you Finn?"

Finn ducked his head in shame as Blaine listed his offenses, both past and present, against Kurt. His shoulders slumped forward as he realized that if the whole truth came out neither Burt nor his mom would take his side. "You really are an asshole," he muttered.

"Maybe so," Blaine conceded, "But you're no angel. You may not be afraid of me Finn, but you should be. I'm not Kurt. I have neither the desire nor the motivation to cover your ass. Cross me again and I'll make you wish you'd never met me."

"I already do," Finn said angrily, turning around and noticing that Puck was no longer in the room. "Kurt's in the basement. Go get him yourself," he sneered as he turned and made his way dejectedly back up the stairs.

Puck let his gaze wander over Blaine a few times and none of what he saw made him feel any better about Kurt getting closer to the guy. When Blaine had invaded McKinley with his brethren in blue blazers, Puck hadn't paid him much attention, he'd too busy chatting with Nick and being pleased that Kurt had found someone to bring him some measure of happiness. Now that he was taking a closer look, Puck was unsettled by what he saw.

Puck had never been one for clich�'s but as he stood in the background staring down Blaine and listening to him hand Finn his ass, the phrase "it takes one to know one" echoed through in his ears. Puck knew the kind of guy he used to be and he was pretty sure that was the kind of guy Blaine was. A little more polished and little more privileged but a player, a user and a schemer all the same. Blaine was reading from the same script, he was just doing it with a different cast.

As Blaine and Finn continued to argue, Puck silently stole from the room and went down the basement steps in search of Kurt.

Puck knew that he and Kurt didn't have the best history but because of all the ugly in the past he felt that he owed it to the guy to try and save him from a little hurt in the present. Blaine Anderson may have looked like a Disney prince, but the way he had just threatened Finn without breaking a sweat had Puck willing to bet a month of Sunday visits with Beth that the other boy was more beast than beauty.

Even as he opened the door to Kurt's room intent on trying to warn Kurt off he knew it wouldn't do any good. He briefly wondered if this was how every parent of every girl he'd ever dated had felt when they'd found out their daughter was going out with "that Puckerman boy". He felt dual waves of protectiveness and helplessness surge through him and he struggled to find the words that would save his boy from becoming one of Blaine's hit and run victims.

"Oh Noah, I didn't hear you come down. Is Blaine here?"

As Kurt looked up at him, small smile on his lips and eyes shining with excitement Puck decided to just rip the bandage off and go with the unvarnished truth.

"That dude just wants in your pants, yo."

As Kurt's face transformed into a picture of shock and anger, Puck realized that perhaps the unvarnished truth hadn't been the way to go.

He tried again. "Look Little Spoon, that guy is no good. If you heard the stuff he was just saying to Finn-"

"No, Noah," Kurt's voice was as cold as ice and as sharp as a blade as it sliced through Puck's protests. "You don't get to ruin this for me. Finn has been antagonizing Blaine since they met so I'm sure whatever he said to him was justified. As for your remark about Blaine trying to get into my pants-maybe that's exactly where I want him. Did you ever think about that?"

Puck's mouth dropped open and Kurt glared at him.

"I am a teenage boy, Noah," Kurt went on. "I have…hormones and urges just like every other teenage boy. I assure you if Blaine gets into my pants it's going to be because I want him to. Nothing is going to happen that I don't want to happen, got it?"

Puck cleared his throat then he chuckled a bit. "Get some then, Little Spoon. Just be careful with that dude. The Puckasaurus is a human bullshit meter and that guy has me going off like an alarm clock."

Kurt rose from his vanity and gathered his things. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were looking out for me. I can't really blame you because I'd have done the same thing for Artie or Mercedes but you of all people should know that I'm capable of taking care of myself."

Puck winced at the tactful reminder of how he used to bully Kurt and how the other boy had taken everything Puck had thrown at him. "Kurt, I know that. But that dude is not the guy you think he is. He's got a whole Jekyll and Hyde thing going man and I don't want to see you end up hurt if he schiz's out on you the way he just did with Finn."

Kurt sighed as he put on his jacket and then stopped in front of Puck. "I appreciate the concern but Blaine has been nothing but good to me. His conflict with Finn is their issue to work out but I won't let it mess up what we have. I like Blaine, I enjoy spending time with him and I plan to continue to do so."

Puck nodded. He had known that he wasn't going to be able to convince Kurt to stop seeing the guy but he'd had to try. "I don't like it, but I can respect it. I'm saying it now though Little Spoon, if he does anything to you, I'm gonna kick his hobbit ass back to the shire."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he started up the stairs. "First of all, Blaine isn't that short. Or hairy. Second of all, what is it with you Glocks giving me nicknames? Mike's called me Xiao qi jiao since my stint on the football team last year, Sam calls me Shawn and now you insist on calling me Little Spoon."

At Puck's blank look Kurt smiled and explained. "Xiao qi jiao means "little kicker in Mandarin. Apparently Mike's mother kept asking him when he was going to have the 'little kicker' over so she could meet me like she'd met the rest of you guys on the team and the name stuck. Sam and I have a running Boy Meets World joke going and you...well, only you know why you insist on calling me Little Spoon and referencing that which we agreed never happened but I suppose it's an upgrade from Hummel so I'll take it."

The boys reached the top of the stairs and walked into the living room. Puck saw the way Blaine's eyes swept over Kurt's form and he tried and failed to resist the urge to make a little trouble.

He reached out, grabbed Kurt around the waist, pulled him backwards and brought him into close contact with his body. "Come on now. You know you like it, Little Spoon."

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes. "Honestly Noah, you're terrible. And I already admitted that Little Spoon is growing on me. But don't say it in front of my dad. The last thing I want to do is give him the mental picture of us in bed cuddling."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up to his hairline at the improbable sight of Puck flirting with Kurt. "Little Spoon? Cuddling? Something tells me there's a story there," he said as he kept his voice deceptively light.

Puck wasn't fooled. He saw that Blaine was angry and while part of him wanted to push the other boy into losing his cool he didn't want to do it at Kurt's expense. He decided he'd just give a little nudge and see how Blaine reacted. His decision made, Puck gave Blaine the fakest smile he could muster before he answered.

"Kurt has an awesome bed and killer cuddling skills. He's like a human spider monkey, he just kinda gloms onto you, snuggles in and doesn't let go," Puck said easily.

Blaine bit back the retort on his lips and merely nodded. He had a feeling that Puck hadn't taken too kindly to the earlier scene with Finn and was attempting to get him to lose his temper in front of Kurt. Blaine got off of the sofa and walked over to Kurt and Puck. He crowded in close to Kurt and lowered his lips until they ghosted over the shell of Kurt's ear.

"If I'm a good boy do I get to experience your killer cuddling skills firsthand?"

Kurt blushed and ducked his head.

Blaine smiled in triumph.

Puck scowled when he noticed that a blush had risen up on Kurt's neck and Blaine's expression was more satisfied than the cat that'd gotten the cream. He met Blaine's gaze and realized that the other boy knew exactly what type of game Puck had tried to play. They glared at one other over Kurt's head until Puck reluctantly took a step back and let Blaine draw Kurt into his arms.

"Well, Little Spoon I'm gonna go up to Finn's room and kill some zombies or something," Puck said as he maneuvered around the couple. He glared at Blaine one more time before he left the two boys alone.

Kurt had meant to ask Blaine about exchanging words with Finn but the moment he was in Blaine's arms all other thoughts flew out of his head. "Missed you," Kurt mumbled into Blaine's neck.

"Missed you more," Blaine replied, as he ran his hands over Kurt's back and sides as if he were trying to physically wipe away Puck's touch.

"Show me?" Kurt asked shyly, as he pulled back and peeked at Blaine through his lashes.

"Gladly," Blaine whispered before he leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. He reached out and curled his hand around the back of Kurt's head and pulled him forward into a kiss. It started out a chaste press of their lips but then deepened and became darker and more demanding. Blaine tangled his hands into Kurt's hair and gave an experimental tug. Kurt's fingers flexed on Blaine's bicep and he moaned into Blaine's mouth. Every line of tension drained out of Kurt's body and he melted into Blaine's touch.

Just as Blaine was seriously considering moving them over to the couch and pushing things past kissing, the sound of a throat clearing sounded behind them.

"Blaine, pleasure to see you again, son."

Blaine froze and Kurt's eyes snapped open. For a moment both boys looked like two toddlers who'd gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Blaine recovered first, pasting a weak smile on his face as he turned to greet Burt.

"Mr. Hummel, it is indeed a pleasure to see you again."

"Uh huh," Burt said, as he crossed his arms and dropped into his recliner. "What brings you by Blaine?"

Kurt looked his father in the eye. "Aren't you supposed to be at the shop? And obviously he came to see me, dad. Blaine made plans for us."

"I live here, Kurt. I don't have to clear it with you if I want to come home early," Burt said evenly before turning back to Blaine. "Plans huh? What's on tap for today, kid? Besides defiling my baby boy in my living room, I mean?"

"Oh my God, dad seriously?" Kurt yelped.

Blaine was a little off kilter. Even though Burt Hummel wasn't the first angry father to catch Blaine in a compromising position with their son, he was by far the most dangerous. Blaine was thoroughly convinced that Burt wouldn't hesitate to take him out back and shoot him if suspected Blaine wasn't treating Kurt with the respect he felt his son deserved.

"Well sir, I was planning on taking Kurt to lunch. We haven't had much time together over the past few day and I…I missed him so much I guess I just lost control of my head for a bit."

"Did you now? Funny, from where I was standing it was your hands that were out of control and-"

"Okay," Kurt cut in loudly. "We're leaving now. Dad, I'll see you later. I'll call if I'm going to miss dinner. Puck and Finn are upstairs and Carol should be home from her hair appointment soon. Don't even think of calling the pizza place over on 84th, I've already had our address put on their "Do Not Deliver" list. There's a grilled chicken salad in the fridge. I've hidden the cheese and marked how much ranch is left is in the bottle so don't even think about trying to drown it in dressing. Love you, see you later, bye. Come on Blaine," Kurt rattled off as he dragged Blaine towards the front door.

"I'm the parent here," Burt grumbled as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," Kurt apologized as they made their way down the driveway. "He's still getting used to me…dating. He'll settle down soon enough. He really is just a big, cuddly teddy bear, I promise," Kurt said as he slid into the passenger seat of Blaine's car.

"Rabid, man eating grizzly bear is more like it," Blaine mumbled under his breath as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"So where to?" Kurt asked brightly.

Blaine grinned. "Breadstix is pretty much our only option unless you want to drive to Westerville and find someplace decent."

Kurt shook his head. "I've only got a few hours to spend with you and I don't want us to be trapped on the highway for half of them. But you said you wanted to talk and Breadstix won't exactly be private." A thoughtful look crossed his face and then Kurt smiled. "Wait right here. Give me two minutes."

Before Blaine could utter a word Kurt bolted from the car, ran back up the driveway and into the house. Blaine sat in curious silence for less than a minute when Kurt re-emerged carrying a blanket and a picnic basket.

"Whatever you wanted to talk about sounded important and…if we go to Breadstix there's a high probability of us running into someone I know. I just…I feel like I haven't seen you in forever and I know that's silly but I really want to be alone with you."

Blaine smiled at Kurt's bashful admission. "I'd like to be alone with you too. So, picnic in the park?"

Kurt pressed a quick kiss to Blaine's mouth. "Picnic yes. Park no. I ah, I have this place that's sort of special and kind of private and I think it would be perfect for us to have a picnic in and um, talk. If you want."

"I want," Blaine confirmed, as he started the car.

"Go to the grocery store. I have the picnic basket but we need paper plates and stuff. I'll call our order in to Breadstix so we can pick it up when we get finished. I pretty much only get the lasagna but if you want something else-"

"No lasagna's good. Order some dessert too. Do they have Tiramisu?" Blaine asked as he checked his car's GPS for the closest grocery store.

"No," Kurt replied pulling a face. "They have lady fingers drowned in coffee and then tortured by an inedible combination of mascarpone, cocoa, cheap liquor and egg yolks."

"Okay," Blaine said dragging out the word. "That's a no on dessert then."

"Not dessert, just the Tiramisu," Kurt corrected. "They actually make really good profiteroles. They use homemade vanilla ice cream and it's to die for."

"I'll take your word for it," Blaine chuckled as he pulled into the grocery store parking lot.

Twenty minutes later the pair had their supplies and their lunch and were making their way through a winding trail in the woods. "Kurt," Blaine said slowly after they had walked for a few minutes. "I've seen way too many slasher films that start out like this so if you're trying to lure me to my death I'm gonna have to ask you to reconsider."

Kurt laughed and smacked Blaine on the shoulder. "You're perfectly safe and we're almost there. See, right up ahead, that tree is where we're heading."

Blaine's face broke into a huge smile as he saw the tree house fort that Kurt had pointed to. "Oh no fucking way. You have an actual tree house in the woods?"

"Yeah," Kurt replied quietly. "My best friend Mason and I built it the summer before seventh grade. It's kind of been my hiding place ever since. You're the first person I've brought here. I'll climb up and lower the goodie box and you can put the food in it and then climb up after."

"The goodie box?"

Kurt laughed. "Mason was a pack rat and he just horded books and games and just…stuff. His mom would make him clean out his room and his closet every few months and he needed someplace to store his stuff so we decided to use the tree house. The only problem was we didn't have a way to get his gear from on the ground to up in the tree. We made this huge box in his dad's woodshop that we could pack with his "goodies", and set up a pully system so we would be able to lower it down and pull it back up."

"Smart kids."

"Necessity is the mother of invention," Kurt quipped then turned and quickly climbed up the rope ladder into the tree house. "Goodie box coming down," he called out a moment later and began lowering a wooden crate down to Blaine.

Blaine smiled and packed their picnic basket and blanket into the crate before he sent it back up to Kurt and climbed up the rope ladder himself.

"So, I don't think I've ever heard you mention Mason and I know I haven't met him."

Kurt's posture went rigid for just a moment and then relaxed. "He died. Before our freshmen year in high school. Their house um, it caught on fire in the middle of the night and he and his dad didn't make it out."

"Kurt," Blaine said softly, as he reached toward the other boy.

"It was a long time ago," Kurt said evading Blaine's touch and kneeling down onto the blanket. Blaine watched in silence for a moment and decided to give Kurt a few moments to pull himself out of the obviously painful memory. He drifted over to the edges of the room and began looking around.

"Kurt," he exclaimed suddenly. "This stuff is awesome. You have a cassette player. You have an actual cassette player with actual cassettes. And old school G.I. Joe's. Holy shit, it's He-Man!" Blaine cried, rushing over to the makeshift bookcase and running his hands over the action figures.

Kurt laughed, relieved that Blaine hadn't pushed him to open up. "There are also Power Rangers, Pok�mon cards, a few virtual pets, Beanie babies, one really creepy looking Furby, more pogs than I know what to do with, several Treasure Trolls and a host of other assorted throwbacks to my childhood. If you sit down and eat all your lunch like a good boy, I'll let you play with them afterwards ok?"

Blaine placed the Mighty Max set that he'd been examining back on the case and made his way over to Kurt. "I'd rather play with you," he said cheekily, as he dropped onto the blanket beside Kurt.

"Then maybe you should be a bad boy," Kurt replied coyly before handing Blaine his plate. "But later. Right now we're going to eat and you're going to tell me whatever it is that had you tied up in knots when we talked earlier."

Blaine swallowed. He'd almost forgotten why he'd come out to Lima to see Kurt in the first place. "After dessert," he said decisively.

Kurt agreed and they dug into their meal with gusto, catching up on what had been going on in each other's lives. As he finished off his last profiterole Kurt looked at Blaine expectantly. "Now, spill it Mr. Anderson. No more stalling. What's going on with you?"

Blaine was silent for a moment then looked in the eye. "I haven't lied to you," he began slowly, "but I haven't been entirely truthful either."

Kurt's eyebrow arched but thankfully he remained quiet.

"I didn't really explain why you were meeting my godfather and not my parents. The thing is Kurt I don't have a very good relationship with them," Blaine said quietly. "I see them maybe three times a year and trust me when I tell you that are three times too many. My mother is…I have no use for that woman and my father and I literally can't be in the same room together for more than a few minutes without fighting."

Kurt blinked. Hearing Blaine talk about his parents with such vitriol was surprising but nothing Kurt hadn't heard from his own friends. He'd heard Puck and Quinn both swear that if their father's burst into flames they wouldn't spit on the fire to put them out. He knew that Artie absolutely hated his grandmother and that Brittany was being raised by her father and step mother because her mother had been abusive.

Kurt knew that he'd practically won the parental lottery, first being blessed with his parents and then somehow having the good fortune to have Carol as a maternal figure in his life as well.

Whatever his issues with his parents were, Kurt wasn't going to hold them against Blaine. He was aware that not everyone was as fortunate as he had been.

"So…you and your dad are like oil and water, huh?" Kurt asked hesitantly.

"More like powder keg and a match," Blaine replied bitterly. "It's an Anderson family trait, fathers and sons who hate each other. My grandfather and father hated each other right up until the day that Desmond-that was my grandfather-died." Blaine laughed harshly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure if it's possible my dad hates him even more now than he did when he was alive."

Kurt sucked in a shocked breath. "But he's dead," Kurt said slowly. "It's not like he can do anything to earn hatred from beyond the grave."

Blaine laughed again, and to Kurt's ears it sounded empty and hollow. "Never underestimate the lengths a man will go to for vengeance, babe." Blaine cocked his head to the side and examined Kurt for a moment before continuing.

"Hummel Tire and Lube, it's a family business, right?"

Kurt was startled by the change in subject but nodded. "My grandfather started it. Dad says he never wanted anything to do with it until he met my mom. He said he suddenly understood why grandpa had always told him that when he met the right woman he'd want to be respectable and responsible. When grandpa passed Dad got half the business and my uncle Mark-he lives in Columbus-got the other half."

"We have a family business too," Blaine said slowly. "My great, great grandfather started it. The set up has changed over the years as it's grown but leadership has basically passed from father to son ever since it was started."

"Is that…is that why you and your dad don't get along? Because you want something different?"

"Not exactly," Blaine sighed. "It's more that we both want the same thing."

"I don't understand."

"Our family business is a little more than tires and lube," Blaine remarked. "Ever heard of Anderson International?"

Kurt's brow wrinkled. "Should I have?"

"I'd like to think so," Blaine chuckled. "That's our family business. It's a pretty big deal. We're an international conglomerate. That means we produce and sell unrelated goods and services. We're multinational and-"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted. "No offense but you sound like the teacher from the Charlie Brown cartoons. All I hear right now is wonk wonk wonk."

Blaine grinned. "Right. Well, anyway, like I said, Anderson International is a pretty big deal. Like a multi-billion dollar big deal."

"Billion with a B?" Kurt blurted out.

"That's the only way to spell it," Blaine replied.

"I…wow. That's um…wow," Kurt stuttered out.

"Hold that thought. It gets more wow," Blaine teased, relaxing as he realized that Kurt didn't seem to be relating to him any differently. "It's always been profitable but it was my grandfather that really grew the company to what it is today. He took an immense amount of pride in the legacy he was leaving and he wanted my father to have absolutely nothing to do with it."

"But…you said leadership of the business passed from father to son."

"Traditionally yes, but my grandfather was never a man who bound himself to tradition when it didn't suit him. And leaving my father at the helm of Anderson International didn't suit him."

"But you said he died," Kurt said, confusion evident on his face. "Did he…did he like, sell your family business to spite your father?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, nothing quite as dramatic as that. He cut my father out of his will and left all his shares in the company, as well as ownership of the family estate to me."

Kurt's eyes widened. "But you're…Blaine you're seventeen. Your dad would still be in charge, at least until you were old enough to take over," Kurt pointed out.

Blaine took a deep breath. He knew they had reached the critical part of the story. Kurt would either accept or reject him after hearing just how ruthless Blaine was capable of being.

"That's what my father thought too. That's what everyone thought. That's not what happened."

"Did…did he steal it from you or something?" Kurt asked, his mind filled with images of corporate backstabbing and betrayals fueled by years of secretly watching daytime soap operas.

"No," Blaine said calmly, "I stole it from him."

"You…you did what?"

"I stole it from him," Blaine repeated. "Well, that's not entirely true. What I actually did was take what was rightfully mine a little earlier than anyone anticipated."

"Blaine," Kurt said sharply. "What does that even mean?"

Blaine looked Kurt in the eye. "First, I blackmailed my father into naming my godfather my legal guardian and the guardian of my trust. Then I fired my father and kicked my parents out of the house."

Kurt had frozen in shock. "You blackmailed…I don't…why would you…you threw your own parents out of their home?"

"No," Blaine said lowly. "I threw my father out of my company and then threw him and my mother out of my house."

"Blaine…why?"

"Did you miss the beginning of the story when I said I hated my father?" Blaine snapped.

"A lot of people say they hate their parents Blaine but they don't literally throw them out of their lives!" Kurt snapped back.

"Well then those people really don't hate their parents," Blaine replied coldly.

Kurt and Blaine regarded each other silently for a few moments. Puck's earlier warning echoed back at Kurt, and he furrowed his brow as he thought.

Over the time they'd spent together Blaine had shown Kurt small glimpses of his vengeful side. The story about Thad and his headmaster, the rage in his voice when he'd learned about Karofsky's assault on Kurt at the movie theater, the way he'd neutralized Rachel when he'd surprised Kurt at McKinley. Even today with Finn, Puck had claimed that Blaine had gone from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.

But…Blaine had also been sweet and supportive. Even when Kurt knew that Blaine didn't agree with his decisions he'd allowed Kurt to explain his reasoning and respected his decisions.

As he stared into Blaine's hazel eyed gaze Kurt realized he couldn't do anything less in return.

"I want…I want to understand, Blaine. Because right now I don't and I refuse to believe you would do something so drastic without a good reason. So, help me understand. What did they do to make you hate them so much?" Kurt asked softly.

Blaine closed his eyes and cursed the gentleness of Kurt's tone. He'd been prepared for judgment, recrimination and even rejection. The opportunity to explain and be understood was almost too much.

"They never wanted me," Blaine said. "My mother needed a meal ticket and my father needed an heir. They never wanted me and they never let me forget it. My father never spent any time with me unless it was to criticize me. When I was younger I wanted so badly for him to notice me but he never did. As I got older I tried everything to get his attention. I excelled academically. I became a star athlete. My manners were impeccable. I never got in any trouble. I stood out among my peers and he never once said "Good job son." He was still indifferent to me. Then, when I was fifteen, I came out and he just cut me off," Blaine recalled, his voice vibrating with repressed emotion.

"He had the maid deliver a note telling me that until I came to my senses about my unfortunate lifestyle choice, he wouldn't speak to me. And he kept his word. My own father lived in the same house and didn't say a word to me for almost a year. If I walked into a room, he walked out of it. If I tried to follow him, he'd literally shut a door in my face and lock it. The only time he ever treated me with any kind of decency was when we needed to put on a show and play happy family for the people in his social circle. Eventually I just stopped trying to impress him. I um, I acted out a lot. I was…pretty promiscuous and really reckless. Drinking, drugs, parties, the whole nine yards. He still didn't care and at that point neither did I."

"Oh Blaine," Kurt breathed. "That's terrible. No wonder you hate him. I think I hate him too. No parent should treat their child like that. You know you didn't deserve it, right?"

Blaine nodded. "I finally wised up when I took one too many pills at a party and thought I gonna die. I didn't actually OD, it was just a really bad trip. Wes literally slapped some sense into me the next day and that was the end of my more obviously self destructive behavior. I'm not perfect but I'm not quite that far out of control anymore and I've long since made peace with the fact that my father is just an unmitigated bastard and nothing I do or don't do is going to change that."

"And your mother?"

"Just as bad," Blaine replied. "She never once stood up for me or tried to comfort me. She only had me to trap my father into staying married to her and once I was born she couldn't be bothered to actually be a mother to me. She had better things to do. Like the gardener. And her tennis coach. My piano teacher. You know, things like that."

"Blaine," Kurt said quietly, reaching out and taking his hand. "I'm so sorry baby."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's fingers and continued. "Did you know I'm like, half Pinoy? My mother is from Manila. My parents met when my father went there on vacation. He went over for a week of sun and fun with his best friend and came home with a wife."

Kurt smiled. "I didn't know and that story sounds romantic. Have you ever been?"

Blaine snorted. "It wasn't romantic. It was sleazy and pretty much what you'd expect from my parents. My mother was working in some seedy bar and my father was engaged to a girl he'd been dating for four years when they met. My dad, being the stand up guy he is, didn't even bother to break off the engagement before he sent out word about the wedding. Story goes the fianc� was so humiliated she fled to Europe and never came back. And no, I've never been. I want to, though. Someday."

"I'm sorry," Kurt said.

"So am I. So, now you know why you'll be meeting Jasper and not my parents. I bet me being in the Witness Protection Program is looking pretty damn good right about now, huh?" Blaine joked.

Kurt took a deep breath and chose his words deliberately. "I'm just fine with who you are," he said softly.

"Are you?" Blaine asked gently. "Because I'm not so sure you understand quite yet. Who I am is the guy the helm of a multinational, multi-billion dollar company. The world that I live in is nothing like what you're used to. The rules are different. The people are different. The expectations, the obligations, the responsibilities, all of it is different and if we keep seeing each other you are going to be put under a microscope and put to the test. That little scene with Thad and Flint in the Lima Bean? Imagine going through a million more like it in one evening and having to get up the next morning and do it all again. Every piece of your life is going to be subjected to scrutiny-and it won't just your life. Your father's maybe even your friends will be put under a spotlight as well. In fact, I can almost guarantee that Jasper's had a background check run on you and your dad."

"What?" Kurt exclaimed. "Why?"

"Again, I'm the head of a multinational, multi-billion dollar company."

"Is that why he wants to meet me? To make sure I'm not some…some gold digger?" Kurt spat.

"That's probably part of it," Blaine admitted. "But I'm sure most of it is that you're the first guy I ever talked about while we were still dating and he's curious."

"How could I dig for gold that I didn't know was there?" Kurt fumed. "I mean, ok yeah, I saw your car and knew you went to Dalton, and there was the limo and stuff so I knew you came from money but I thought your parents were rich and you…I don't know got an allowance or something."

"An allowance, huh? What like twenty bucks a week and a full tank of gas?"

"Don't make fun," Kurt pouted. "How was I supposed to know you were a real life Richie Rich?"

Blaine arched an eyebrow. "There's this thing, it's called Google-"

"I told you not to make fun. Why would I Google you? I figured I'd learn all I needed to by stalking your Facebook page like a normal person."

"You Facebook stalked me?"

"No," Kurt huffed. "Mercedes did it for me," he mumbled. "And nowhere on your page does it say a word about your family business or the fact that you're apparently the man in charge."

"That's because anyone who'd look me up on Facebook already knows," Blaine shrugged.

"Obviously not," Kurt argued. "I had no clue."

"And now you do," Blaine said quietly. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Kurt dragged Blaine to his feet. "I'm gonna kiss you. Then I'm gonna let you play with my action figures."

"Dear God please let that be a euphemism," Blaine joked as he let Kurt pull him into his arms.

"You wish," Kurt replied saucily before covering Blaine's mouth with his own.