Chapter 9

December 1, 2012

Saturday morning was simply beautiful. Kurt let himself sleep in and when he finally got up and looked through the window, he saw a clear sky with sun shining brightly. The tree branches were unmoving, which could only indicate that there was no wind. He knew that it was still chilly outside, after all it was the first day of winter, but it still seemed like a good idea to spend some time outside and enjoy probably the last rays of sun that year.

Not feeling particularly hungry the boy decided to start with a shower and forego breakfast since it was already close to the lunchtime anyway.

A shower had always been known as the place where the best ideas were born and the existential questions were solved. For Kurt it was always about singing but that morning he couldn't bring himself to let out a single note. All he could do was stand there enjoying the warm water, tragically aware that not everyone in this world had such luxury. It wasn't like he hadn't seen homeless people before but he had never felt so close to any of them and didn't let himself be affected by it. Now he couldn't help but feel privileged.

After the boy was clean and ready to start his day, he heard his dad unlocking the front door and walking into the house. Knowing that it would be a good distraction and already feeling hungry, Kurt went down the stairs and found his dad in the kitchen.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" Kurt asked his dad, who was looking through the fridge.

"I forgot to bring lunch with me so instead of starving I chose to come home to eat," Burt said. "I want a turkey sandwich... You want some?"

"Yeah, sure," Kurt said and went to help his dad with lunch.

They worked in silence for a minute before Burt commented on Kurt's odd behaviour. "You know, you will cut yourself if you don't pay attention at what you are doing."

"What?" Kurt frowned confused.

"You have that distant look on your face. I bet you can't really see the meat you are slicing."

The boy blushed and went back to the turkey. "I'm just lost in my thoughts... No big deal."

The man looked at his son curiously and put the washed salad leaves on a plate. "Care to elaborate? Or is it something an old man would not understand?"

Kurt sighed and stopped his movements. "Remember the boy I told you about? Blaine?"

"I have no such memories."

Only then it occurred to Kurt that he had referred to the slave by his name in his head so many times that he totally forgot that not everyone knew it. "The homeless slave boy? His name is Blaine."

"Kurt, we already talked about it. He most likely has an owner," Burt said getting ready to slice the cheese. "And how the hell do you know his name?"

"I talked to him yesterday after getting coffee with Mercedes and Rachel. He really is a 'stray slave' or at least that's what the girls told me. He's been living on the streets of Lima for over a year. I went to talk to him and asked his name," Kurt gave his dad a short version of the events.

"It doesn't change anything, you know? We can't take him in," Burt said and Kurt could see that his dad was sorry he couldn't do anything.

"Maybe he could live in the garage? Just to have somewhere to sleep safely at night without freezing to death," Kurt offered hopefully. He knew that garage wasn't a suitable place to live but it had to be better than wherever Blaine had to spend his nights.

"The law is against us here, buddy," Burt said and finished preparing all ingredients for the sandwiches. "If I let him stay in the garage people would assume that I was using him for labour and it would be just as bad as taking him in. We live in a small town – people notice things and they talk. They talk a lot actually."

"So that's it? We are just going to let him die in the cold?" Kurt asked harshly. "Am I supposed to watch it happen and do nothing?"

"Kurt–"

"It's fucking unfair!"

"Look, I know you are upset but it's not an excuse for cursing," Burt chastised him.

Kurt's shoulder slumped in defeat and he began to form two big sandwiches from the ingredients they had prepared. "I'm sorry. It's just so painful to watch this all happening, to listen to people talking about slavery like it's nothing and not be able to do anything, just stand and nod."

"You know, you are allowed to be sympathetic to slaves and treat them nicely," Burt told him. "The laws in the States are a bit better than they are in some countries, where you can go to prison for treating a slave like a human being."

Kurt blushed at this. "I haven't met anyone, who doesn't think that slavery is a good thing..." he said vaguely.

"Are you, by any chance, faking to be pro-slavery in front of other people?"

Why does he have to know me better than anyone else?

"Maybe?" he looked at his dad guiltily and brought the plate to the table. "Mercedes has her own slave and Rachel is getting one soon. I don't like how they talk about them but other than that they are fun to be around so I kind of try to avoid the topic and just enjoy myself. And they are the only friends I've made in McKinley so far, so I don't want to lose them just because our views are different."

"Fair enough but I still think you shouldn't have to hide your beliefs," the man said, before taking a mouthful of his sandwich. "What kind of friendship is that?"

"Full mouth, dad," Kurt said with a roll of his eyes. "I don't tell them that I despise slavery but I also don't say that I like it. I just manage to get out of the conversation without saying too much."

"Well, as long as you are happy, I'm happy," his dad said and was about to take another bite but retracted the sandwich. "By the way, your car should be ready today. Come over at around three before I close and you can take it home."

"That's great, thanks, dad," Kurt's mood instantly increased a bit. "I was thinking of going to the park after lunch. It's on the way to the garage, right?"

Burt nodded and swallowed the bite he had in his mouth. "Yeah. It's a nice big park. Make sure to go to the pond, it usually has some birds in it."

"It's December, I doubt there will be anything except some old leaf."

"You never know," Burt said and they finished eating in silence.

Minutes later the man went back to work and Kurt got ready for a walk. He knew that he should stay home and do some unpacking but it would have been a shame not to use an opportunity to walk in the sun so he didn't feel guilty about his decision. Remembering his dad's words the teenager found a few old croissants in the cupboard and put them in a paper bag. He didn't think he would find any birds to feed but it's better to have them just in case. It would be sad to find some ducks and then have nothing for them.

Putting on his favourite jacket and boots, Kurt looked at the wall mirror to check if his looks were satisfactory. He wasn't shallow but he still wanted to look presentable in public.

The park wasn't far from his new home and it didn't take more than fifteen minutes for the boy to reach the place that probably looked much better in summer or spring than it did on that day. Despite that the sun made everything look better and Kurt enjoyed the slow walk, revelling on the warmth on his cheeks. The park was silent and surprisingly there was nobody around. It was rather strange since it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and it was crazy to stay indoors. On the other hand, Kurt enjoyed the quietness and the calmness that it brought to him.

Entering the park Kurt had checked the map by the gates to find where the pond was and he made his way through an area that was called 'a forest' on the map. It was nothing like a forest though, just a path through a place with some trees, successfully hiding the pond. Kurt instantly felt colder as the trees hid him from the sun.

Luckily, the path wasn't long and he soon exited the 'forest' to find a small pretty pond with sunlight reflecting on the surface and two swans swimming around lazily. There were several benches around, all unoccupied. However, there was one person there.

Kurt stopped in his tracks and swallowed thickly as he noticed a figure sitting by one of the benches, looking at the birds. His back was facing Kurt but the teenager could already recognise those curls from anywhere.

Now the teen had to weigh his options. Blaine hadn't heard him, it was obvious. He could either start walking loudly or slowly approach the boy. Both ways he would startle the boys but in the end Kurt decided that it would be for the best to announce his presence as soon as possible because it would give some feeling of safety for the boy. Sneaking up on him was not a good idea.

He started walking again, stepping on the path more forcefully than necessary and waving the bag a little bit so it would make some noise.

Blaine instantly looked back, the fright in his eyes visible and Kurt wished nothing more than to take it away.

"Hi," Kurt said with a friendly smile and saw the recognition in the slave's face.

"Hello," he said softly.

"Um, mind if I sit with you?" Kurt asked, gesturing towards the bench the boy was leaning on.

Blaine shook his head and looked away to watch the birds again. Kurt sat down and placed the bag on the bench.

"Do you come here often?" he asked and instantly cursed inwardly. Of all the things he could have said, he went with the worst pick-up line ever.

"Sometimes," Blaine nodded. "It's nice here and people don't come to the pond very often after the birds are gone."

Kurt looked at the swans that were in the middle of the pond. "Why didn't these two leave?" he asked, not even sure if the other boy knew the answer.

"The male swan injured his wing," Blaine said and it didn't go unnoticed to Kurt that the boy referred to the bird as 'he.'

"And the other one?"

"She couldn't leave him," the slave said as if it was obvious. "Swans mate for life, she wasn't about to leave him alone. They are loyal to each other."

"Won't she die if she stays with him though?" Kurt asked, watching the magnificent birds interact.

"Probably... I went to the veterinarian to tell them that there are swans that didn't migrate but they wouldn't let me in," Blaine said with a slight blush.

"I could do it for you? They aren't working until Monday so I'll go after school and tell them," he offered with a smile.

"Really?" the curly-haired boy finally looked up at Kurt, excitement in his eyes.

"Sure," Kurt shrugged. "Um, are you comfortable on the ground? It may be nicer to sit on the bench, don't you think?"

Blaine looked at him confused. "You don't mind? Most people usually don't like it..."

Kurt smiled encouragingly at that. "I'm not exactly like most people. Come on, the ground must be cold."

"Okay," Blaine uttered and stood up just to sit down on the edge of the bench, as far from Kurt as he could. "Sorry, I don't actually smell nice."

"Not your fault," Kurt said awkwardly. For a moment he was afraid that Blaine didn't want to be close to him. "So, my dad insisted that I bring some bread in case there are birds. I brought some croissants and they are a bit hard but still edible and haven't expired. You can have them."

Blaine watched his movements as Kurt pushed the bag towards him. With some hesitation he took the bag in his hands and opened it.

"They are for me?" he asked.

"Well, they were for the birds but now they are for you," Kurt explained guiltily. "If I had known you would be here, I would have brought something nicer..."

Blaine shook his head. "There is no need for 'nicer.' It's already amazing, really," he said with a smile. "I can do whatever I want with them, right?"

Kurt frowned at the question but nodded nevertheless.

"Thank you," Blaine said and took one piece out.

He smelled the croissant and took one small bite of it. Without another word he stood up and went closer to the pond. Kurt watched his every step and when he saw the boy throw a piece of the pastry into the water, he realised what Blaine was doing. With a fond smile Kurt grabbed the bag and joined the boy by the lake. He watched as the birds swam closer to catch the food that was given to them.

"You didn't like them?" Kurt joked about the croissants and stepped next to the boy.

Blaine looked at him and shook his head. "They are lovely but after yesterday I'll be fine for some time and without enough food the swans may not survive until Monday," the boy explained and Kurt watched him in awe.

When Blaine finished up with what he had in his hands, Kurt offered him the bag. The slave took out another croissant and they proceeded like that until the bag was empty. They didn't talk. Kurt didn't ask what happened to him, why he was in Lima, where he slept... He had many questions but it didn't seem like a right time to ask them. He just let himself enjoy the sun and the company.

When they were done Blaine put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and smiled at Kurt. "Thank you. It always felt wrong to sit here and have nothing to give them. I was afraid they didn't like me for that," he chuckled, surprising Kurt even more. For some reason he didn't think that someone like Blaine could still laugh.

"I doubt that, you are really likeable," Kurt joked back and watched the boy blush. "I have to go now but I was thinking, maybe, I could see you again? I was lucky today to find you here but I may be out of luck tomorrow and I really enjoy your company."

The boy opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. After a moment he nodded. "Yeah, of course, I'd love that. We could meet here again?" he suggested.

"Great! Tomorrow at the same time? I will bring some bread for the swans and a small picnic for us," Kurt said excitedly. "We may not be able to sit on the grass but we can pretend it's a proper picnic. Sounds good to you?"

"Perfect," Blaine whispered.

"Okay, so, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," the slave repeated with a smile.

Kurt turned to leave but before he could walk away, he changed his mind. The boy took off his jacket and extended it to Blaine. "Here, I was planning to throw it away but I thought it would look better on you than in the trash bin," he lied. He bought the jacket a few days before moving to the States but Blaine didn't need to know that.

The boy, however, didn't make a move to take the piece of clothing from Kurt. "I... Thank you, Kurt, but I can't take it. You have already done much more for me than anyone else in this town and I don't want to–"

Kurt didn't let him finish. "I really don't want to throw it away and it would look great on you. It would make me really happy if you took it," he said and waited for Blaine to react.

The other boy didn't look convinced but the bright smile that Kurt was wearing must have helped to change his mind because after a few moments the boy gave him a small nod. Timidly he took the jacket and tried it on. It was way too big for his tiny frame but from Blaine's face Kurt could tell that the boy enjoyed being wrapped in the clothing that was already warmed up by his body heat.

They parted after Blaine thanked him profusely and Kurt went to the garage with a lighter heart. Later that day a newly printed picture of a swan couple found its way into his scrapbook with a title 'For life' next to it.